Hong Kong: Bringing AI into classrooms

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being hailed as the new frontier in technology and the Education Bureau is wasting no time to nurture Hong Kongs next generation of AI talent. To do this, it will launch in phases the Module on Artificial Intelligence for Junior Secondary Level in the first half of this year for schools to adopt before the 2024-25 academic year.

The module covers the basic concepts of AI, ethics, computer vision, computer speech, virtual reality, robotics, as well as the impact of AI on society. Six to seven lessons will be respectively added to the curriculum of Secondary 1 to 3 students.

Education Bureau Principal Assistant Secretary (Curriculum Support) Edith Tse said the module can promote AI education in a more comprehensive and systematic way.

AI is now a very hot topic. By incorporating this element into our education, students will understand the impact of innovation & technology (I&T) in improving daily life and promoting social and economic development, she said.

For primary schools, the Enriched Module on Coding Education for Upper Primary Level will be launched.

The module covers basic coding concepts and implementation of computational thinking, including algorithms. The bureau hopes this will enable students to master and apply coding skills to different contexts, with a view to enhancing their computational thinking and problem-solving abilities.

The module will be launched in phases in the first half of 2023. The bureau will also provide professional training for teachers.

Minds-on, hands-on

In 2015, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer identified several secondary schools that were outstanding in information technology (IT) education to run enriched IT classes.

Christian Alliance SW Chan Memorial College was one of eight schools chosen to provide intensive IT training to students.

A class of Secondary 4 students were taught to apply their programming skills to build an AI anti-epidemic system, which could detect whether a person was wearing a mask or not.

An AI-powered lens was used for facial recognition purposes, and then students collected pictures from the Internet to train their AI system.

They then wrote code to tell the system to emit a green light when it detected a portrait with a mask. When the system recognised a portrait without a mask, a red light then switched on.

So Man-tat spent around eight hours a week studying programming, AI and other skills. He has also represented his school in IT competitions. Building an AI system is a piece of cake to him.

AI has integrated itself into daily life. Apart from facial recognition, there are automation as well as data analysis. These are fascinating topics, and I want to study them comprehensively and seek development in the I&T industry, he said.

Breaking complex problems down

So Man-tats teacher Tsang Cheung-chun is the STEAM co-ordinator at his school. He believes that understanding AI and programming are necessary skills for students these days. They can acquire computational thinking skills through the classes.

Computational thinking forms the basics of learning programming and AI. It also means the skill of solving problems step by step. While any state-of-the-art technology will be eventually phased out, computational thinking is something that will never be eliminated, he said.

He thinks that Hong Kong students are creative and willing to solve complex problems. He expects they will be able to improve the lives of people in need with their IT skills.

This story has been published on: 2023-01-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
People visit Huangsi Temple Fair during the Spring Festival holiday in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Jan. 23, 2023. Various activities were held here at the 6-day fair, starting from Jan. 22, to celebrate the Spring Festival. (Xinhua/Yang Qing) BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Following the downgrading of China's management of COVID-19, people across the country are merrily celebrating the Spring Festival, one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals, with their families. In December 2022, China announced 10 new measures to lift COVID-19 restrictions. Wu Yating, living in north China's Shanxi Province, then decided to reunite with her husband in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Two weeks before the Spring Festival, Wu, with her two-year-old child, arrived at the border area in Jingxi City, Baise, after traveling by plane and car. Wu's husband is a policeman at a frontier police station. Many border areas in China had implemented more stringent COVID-19 controls. "We no longer need to show our digital itinerary codes and worry about being quarantined," Wu said, adding that her family had not been able to spend the Spring Festival together since their child was born in June 2020. Wu said that she plans to stay in Guangxi for a few more months to travel around, see the beautiful scenery and taste delicious local food. "We haven't been infected with COVID-19 yet, but we have no fear of the virus since we have all been vaccinated and medicine can be bought in pharmacies at any time," she added. As a tourism hotspot, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, also known as the home of the hotpot, has seen a large number of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. For 24-year-old Guo Zhenqian, from Nanyang City in Henan Province, it is his second time spending the festival in Chongqing. To him, the experience is completely different this time. "In 2017, we drove nearly 12 hours from Nanyang to Chongqing. However, this time we took the high-speed railway and reached Chongqing's Wanzhou District in less than three hours," said Guo. The high-speed railway Guo took was opened in June 2022 and links Chongqing with Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan. Travel time between the two cities has been shortened from around 8 hours to 4 hours and 23 minutes at the top speed. Thanks to the new high-speed railway line and China's optimization of COVID-19 response measures, Guo got the chance to expand his tourism roadmap which includes a ski resort in Fengdu County, a themed tourism town in Fuling District, and the Three Gorges Reservoir area. "With such a convenient transportation method, I just want to take full advantage of it and see more scenery. And I think lots of people have the same idea as mine. The train I took was stacked with people who want to travel in Chongqing, where the mountainous scenery is so different from central China," Guo added. Beijinger Liu Lu and her family will have a month-long vacation in Haikou, capital city of Hainan, a southern island province and a tourist hotspot. Haikou, as well as the city of Sanya in Hainan, are among the top 10 domestic destinations for the Spring Festival holiday, according to a tourism market forecast report released in early January. "We try to shake off the busy life in Beijing and enjoy the cosiness and relaxation here," Liu said. Wu Lan, a tourist from northwestern Shaanxi Province, drove to Hainan with her family. "Tourists are everywhere. We put on masks to protect ourselves wherever we go," she said, adding that she had bought many cosmetics at the duty-free shop and enjoyed the local food.
CPS kindergarten teacher Alli Soldner, joined by CTU members and aldermen, carries petitions calling for Mayor Lori Lightfoot to extend paid parental leave to district employee, as it has with city workers. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates opened public comments at the first Board of Education meeting of the year Wednesday, asking for support for teachers and staff on a range of issues, from the impact of gun violence to the length of parental leave granted employees.

I bring you urgency from the workers who are making it happen every day. ... How do we honor their commitment? Gates said, with the union again highlighting the discrepancy between the maximum two weeks of paid parental leave that Chicago Public Schools employees receive and the three months granted to city employees as of Jan. 1.

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As a profession of women we deserve that. ... We cant espouse principles for women at the city level without doing it at the school level. ... Why was that easier? said Gates, who is the parent of three CPS students.

After the meeting, a district spokesperson said CPS remains committed to exploring an updated parental leave policy and ... is taking the necessary time to conduct a preliminary review of our policies and engage with the union leadership to bargain over how to best support our team members who are new parents. The spokesperson said any update to district policy will also require a 30-day public comment period, community engagement and an equity review.

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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the union representing more than 20,000 CPS teachers, aides and other school personnel have battled over resolving the diverging parental leave policies in dueling news conferences in recent weeks.

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Last week, CTU delivered a petition to City Hall demanding equality in the application of the new city policy for expectant mothers and parents. Lightfoot contended an update to the districts parental leave policy must be negotiated in the collective bargaining process, not enacted through a Board of Education vote as the union sought.

CTU members and aldermen hold a news conference at City Hall on Jan. 18 calling for Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Board of Education to extend paid parental leave to CPS employees, as it has with city workers. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

I want this to be a policy of not only the city of Chicago, but our sister agencies. But it has to be done through the collective bargaining process. They need to get at the table, Lightfoot said. The mayors office first announced the 12-week leave granted to around 32,000 city employees in a Sept. 30 news release, crediting the policy update to an agreement with AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

New parent Kassandra Tsitsopoulos, a 17-year CPS employee and member of CTUs executive board, called the far shorter parental leave policy in the district abysmal. After an emergency C-section, Tsitsopoulos said she had to use all the sick days shed banked in order to extend her time home with her daughter. If I get sick, I wont have the days to stay home with her, she said, urging city and CPS officials to work with the union to negotiate the details and approve it as soon as possible.

District CEO Pedro Martinez, whom Lightfoot appointed in September 2021 to lead CPS, echoed the mayor in a Jan. 17 letter to Gates. The collective bargaining process is the ideal forum for such discussions as it permits robust discussion of the topic and its effects and enables the parties to achieve a mutually satisfactory conclusion, Martinez said.

I have appreciated building a relationship with CEO Martinez, Gates said at the Jan. 25 board meeting. For too long weve had to challenge, fight for, yell at, demonstrate for that partnership. ... We want that partnership and reciprocity. Because we deserve it.

The debate over updating parental leave policy among city agencies is among the latest sources of friction between Lightfoot and the teachers union. The contentious relationship has come to shape the Feb. 28 municipal election, with longtime CTU organizer and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson among eight candidates challenging Lightfoot, who recently accused the union of bringing chaos to the city, in her reelection bid.

Lightfoots clashes with the union were a dominant theme of her first term: Just months after she was inaugurated in 2019, CTU went on strike for two weeks. The COVID-19 pandemic struck just months after that, leading to several showdowns with and in-person work stoppages by the union as it fought for stronger pandemic protections.
Two Indian-origin men were killed in two separate incidents in the United States within three days, according to the US local media. On Monday morning, an Indian-origin man from Telangana was one of the two persons who succumbed to injuries after being admitted to Chicago's hospital, according to abc7. One of the two people, who was shot and critically wounded during an armed robbery on Sunday night in Princeton Park on the South Side has died, Chicago police said Tuesday morning. Devsish Nandepu Hyderabad, 23, of Chicago died just after 4 am on Monday morning at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. He had been shot in the armpit and taken to the hospital in critical condition during the incident. According to the abc7, Hyderabad and a 22-year-old man were near a parking lot about 6:55 pm Sunday in the 8400-block of South Holland Road when a dark-colored vehicle approached and two occupants exited before demanding the pair's property at gunpoint, Chicago police said. Meanwhile, in another incident, on Friday, another Indian-origin man from Gujarat named Pinalkumar Patel was shot and killed in his driveway on Thoroughbred Lane, American web portal AOL reported. According to the officials, a group of masked gunmen assaulted Patel's family including his wife, Rupalben, and his daughter, Bhakti. They were also shot, as per Bibb County Sheriff's Office said was an assault by a group of masked gunmen. Bibb County sheriff officials said deputies responded to reports of a shooting on Thoroughbred Lane at 11:01 pm Friday. When deputies arrived, they found 52-year-old Pimalkumar Patel, his wife and their child all with gunshot wounds in the driveway of their home, according to AOL. Deputies were told that Patel began shouting at the assailants before they shot him and his family and rode away in a car that was waiting across the street. Patel was shot multiple times. His wife and daughter were shot in their legs and as of Friday were said to be in stable condition. It was unclear in the report whether the masked group intended to rob the family, though the assailants were not said to have taken anything from the victims. The investigation is ongoing. Deputies asked for help identifying a car seen on a surveillance camera across the street from the shooting, as per the report in AOL. (ANI)
The Indian Army on Wednesday felicitated the Egyptian Armed Forces marching contingent taking part in the Republic Day 2023 Parade for the first time. The participation of the Egyptian Armed Forces contingent bears testimony to the long-standing friendship between the two countries. "Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, GOC Delhi Area interacted and felicitated the Egyptian Armed Forces marching contingent participating for the first time, in the #RepublicDay23 Parade. The participation of the contingent bears testimony to the long-standing friendship between both the Nations," tweeted the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, Indian Army. Meanwhile, the special forces of the Indian and Egyptian armies, are currently engaged in the first-ever joint exercise named 'Exercise Cyclone' at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. The exercise kick-started on January 14. The Indian Army also tweeted the video of Exercise Cyclone. https://twitter.com/adgpi/status/1618232509296431105?t=E6htGHOFUD-rM09dM-BP_Q&s=19 "Teamwork builds Trust." Special Forces of #IndianArmy and #EgyptArmy in action during the joint military Exercise #CYCLONE 2023. #OnPathToTransformation," tweeted ADG PI - Indian Army. The commander of the Egyptian Army contingent, Colonel Mahmoud Mohamed Abdelfattah Elkharasawy, expressed his delight at being invited to participate in India's 74th Republic Day parade on Thursday, hoping that the gesture will go a long way towards boosting bilateral ties and friendship between India and Egypt in future. "We have the pleasure of participating in India. This is the first time we are visiting India. It is a great country with civilisation as old as ours in Egypt. We both are old civilisations. We have been here for four days and practised with our friends in the Indian Army. Our relationship is strong and we love supporting each other," Elkharasawy told ANI. On performing with the Indian troops on Republic Day, Elkharasawy said the Republic Day parade will showcase the country's strength and military might. "This ceremony will be a demonstration of India's power before a global audience. It is an old and great ceremony. Tomorrow, we will participate in this ceremony and showcase the strength of the Egyptian forces," the commander of the Egyptian contingent added. He informed that 160 Egyptian military personnel would represent the country's armed forces at the Republic Day Parade on Thursday. On the bilateral ties between India and Egypt, he said, "Our countries share a strong bond and have a great relationship. I hope this friendship goes from strength to strength in future. We also hope more people from India visit Egypt." Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is the chief guest at the 74th Republic Day parade. The President arrived in the national capital, New Delhi, on Wednesday, accompanied by a high-level delegation. This is the first time an Egyptian President has been invited as the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade. (ANI)
The United Kingdom is working to conclude a Free Trade Agreement with India, Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan said on Wednesday. "I re-negotiated world-class, modern and expansive free trade agreements and two new ones with Australia and New Zealand last year, and am working to conclude an FTA with India," Trevelyan said while speaking on the UK's ongoing commitment to the region at the London-based think tank Asia House. She also said that the UK recognises ASEAN countries' determination to maintain peace and prosperity across the region because that's how business and prosperity can thrive. Earlier the FTA, which aims to double bilateral trade by the year 2030 was expected to conclude by Diwali last year but the deal did not go through because the meeting was postponed. Britain's new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the country's first leader of Indian descent had earlier conveyed his hope of finalising the trade agreement during a call with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. The ties between India and the UK are often described as a Living Bridge, a dynamic economic force of people, businesses and ideas. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi drives forward plans to make India a developed nation within the next 25 years and the UK forges deeper trade relationships around the globe, our connections are growing stronger every day. India and UK have concluded six rounds of negotiations for a trade deal and will begin the next round very soon. Notably, India and UK began the negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement between the two nations in January 2022. The UK-India free trade agreement is well-advanced. Although trade at the moment is worth pounds 29.6 billion, India is only the 12th largest trading partner of the UK. The UK has signed trade deal agreements with 71 counties since its exit from the European Union in the year 2020. While giving the speech at the Asia House, the Secretary of State for International Trade said that the UK is working with Australia and the USA, to bring world-leading submarine technology to the Australian Navy through the AUKUS partnership, which will support their regional defence and security capabilities and commitments. "We have new digital economy agreements with Singapore and Japan, making it easier for our companies to collaborate on tech initiatives and co-operate more closely in IT and telecoms. For example, building on recent successes like Rakuten's decision to build a new 5G facility in the UK," she said. "We will be the first European country to accede to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership - first off, are you impressed - CPTPP, for friends. This will not only give us access to a partnership with a joint GDP of Pounds 9 trillion, and remove tariffs on 95 per cent of all goods traded, but we will also be able to share our legal expertise and our other professional services to help shape future trading rules," she added. The minister further stated that the innovation in the Indo-Pacific region is the reason that UK Government is keen to strengthen its collaboration across science, technology and R&D. One of the most successful collaborations is the Serum Institute's partnership with Oxford University and AstraZeneca as well as unlocking access to 5 million Covid vaccines in the UK, it has led to an investment of Pounds 50 million in Oxford Biomedica and the opportunity to deliver their groundbreaking Malaria vaccine, with the potential to save millions of lives. The recently agreed Global Combat Air Programme, between the UK, Japan and Italy, will also push technological boundaries to deliver the next generation of fighter jets. This partnership will pool the expertise of our three countries to deliver cutting-edge defence technology. (ANI)
China is eyeing the huge nickel market of Indonesia and tapping its potential and recent clashes in the mineral-rich island of Sulawesi reflect the reality as local workers protest turned violent due to a high proportion of Chinese workers in the Indonesian companies, reported Nikkei Asia. Protests in recent years in the mineral-rich island of Sulawesi, which is experiencing an investment boom for mining nickel, turned violent. Mining nickel is a key ingredient in electric vehicle batteries.Southeast Asia's biggest economy, Indonesia is keen to leverage its world-leading reserves of the metal and develop a domestic EV industry, reported Nikkei Asia. Analysts say that recent clashes at a Chinese-owned nickel smelting facility in Indonesia are likely to spread to other parts of the country if the government and Chinese owners fail to address issues of safety. One factor behind the protests is Indonesians' sentiment toward Chinese laborers in an industry that might otherwise hire more locals. The companies say the Chinese are skilled workers brought in to help start operations and that they account for only a small portion of workers. "The resentment is there, maybe because the proportion of Chinese workers is relatively high compare[d] to other multinational corporations," said Yose Rizal Damuri, executive director of the Jakarta-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), reported Nikkei Asia The issues of dangerous work environments, compensation and tensions between Indonesian and imported Chinese workers are casting an uncertain shadow over that scenario, reported Nikkei Asia. In the most recent clash, on Jan. 14, an Indonesian and a Chinese worker were killed at the Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI) smelter, owned by China's Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry, in the Morowali region of Central Sulawesi province. Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, a research professor at the Korea Institute for ASEAN Studies, said it is essential that GNI meet worker demands, especially regarding wages and safety. "If the Indonesian government and GNI do not fix this problem, similar protests will spread to other regions of Indonesia, especially in areas where Chinese workers are present," Zulfikar told Nikkei Asia. The situation drew the attention of President Joko Widodo, further underscoring the sensitivity of the nickel industry to the country. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, chief of the national police, said at a news conference on Jan. 16 that Widodo had directed the force to investigate the clash, ordering "firm action," reported Nikkei Asia. One factor behind the protests is Indonesians' sentiment toward Chinese labourers. Police Chief Listyo said GNI employed 1,300 Chinese workers and 11,000 Indonesians at the Sulawesi plant. Chinese account for close to half of all foreign labourers in Indonesia. According to Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower, as of November, there were more than 52,331 Chinese working in Indonesia, out of 111,746 foreigners, reported Nikkei Asia. (ANI)
India and Egypt on Wednesday elevated their relationship to Strategic Partnership covering political, security, defence, energy and economic cooperation with the two countries agreeing that concerted action is necessary to end cross-border terrorism. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who will be the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade, held discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday and the two countries decided to take bilateral trade to 12 billion dollars in the next five years. The two leaders also held extensive discussions on strengthening the food and pharma supply chains affected by the COVID and the Ukraine conflict. In his remarks to the media after his talks with the Egyptian leader, the Prime Minister said India and Egypt are worried about the spread of terrorism happening around the world. "We are unanimous in the opinion that terrorism is the most serious security threat to humanity. Both countries also agree that concerted action is necessary to end cross-border terrorism. And for this, together we will continue to try to alert the international community," PM Modi said. He said there is also immense potential for enhancing security and defence cooperation. "In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in joint exercise training and capacity building between our armies. We have also decided in today's meeting to further strengthen cooperation between our defence industries, and enhance the exchange of information and intelligence related to counter-terrorism," he said. The two countries also decided to extend cooperation against misuse of cyber space to spread extremist ideologies and radicalization. "We also agreed on the need to increase mutual investment and trade in these areas. Together we have decided that in the next five years we will take our bilateral trade to 12 billion dollars," PM Modi said. Noting that India and Egypt are among the oldest civilizations in the world, PM Modi said the two countries have had a continuing relationship for thousands of years. "More than 4,000 years ago, trade with Egypt used to take place through the Lothal Port of Gujarat. And despite various changes in the world, our relations have been stable, and our cooperation has been continuously strengthened," he said. "Our cooperation has deepened in the last few years. And for this, I would like to give a huge credit to the able leadership of my friend President Sisi." This year, India has invited Egypt as a guest country during its G-20 Presidency, which reflects our special friendship. "At one side of the Arabian Sea is India and on the other side is Egypt. Strategic cooperation between the two countries will help in promoting peace and prosperity in the entire region. So in today's meeting, President Sisi and I decided to elevate our bilateral partnership to the level of 'Strategic Partnership'." He said under the India-Egypt Strategic Partnership, the two countries will develop a long-term framework of greater cooperation in political, security, economic and scientific fields. Noting that the world has closely observed the adverse effects on healthcare infrastructure and global supply chains during the Covid pandemic, PM Modi said India and Egypt have sent each other immediate assistance in times of need. "We commend Egypt for successfully hosting COP-27, and for its efforts to ensure the interests of developing countries in the climate sector. India and Egypt have had long and excellent cooperation in the United Nations and other international forums. We both agree on the need for diplomacy and dialogue to resolve international disputes," he said. PM Modi noted that a military contingent from Egypt will also participate in the Republic Day parade. India and Egypt exchanged MoUs in the fields of cyber security, culture, information technology, youth matters and broadcasting. PM Modi and President Sisi also witnessed the release exchange of commemorative postage stamps to mark the milestone of 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Egypt. Briefing reporters about the meeting between PM Modi and President El-Sisi, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said both leaders strongly condemned the use of terrorism by the country as a foreign policy instrument and called for zero tolerance of terrorism. "And for all those who encourage, support and finance terrorism provides sanctuary to the terror group, whatever their motivation may be." India has faced the problem of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. "Given the commonality of challenges of terrorism that both India and Egypt face, the two leaders also emphasized the need for concerted and coordinated action by literally between the two countries to see how our cooperation can become more broad-based deeper in the field of terrorism and how we can also together join hands in the larger international platforms to ensure that international communities come together to act against the challenge of terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations," Kwatra added. In his remarks, the Egyptian President said trade and investment and cooperation in green hydrogen and renewable energy sectors figured in the discussions with PM Modi. "I am going to take part in the Republic Day parade. I am thankful to PM Modi for such a grand welcome. During our discussions, we talked about trade and investment and how to further expand our cooperation in import and export," he said. "We also discussed cooperation in Green hydrogen and renewable energy sectors. India and Egypt are old cultural civilizations. The issue of connectivity was also discussed between the two countries in order to boost tourism," he added. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also held a meeting with Egyptian President Sisi. President Droupadi Murmu hosted a banquet in honour of the Egyptian President. El-Sisi arrived in the national capital on Tuesday on a four-day visit. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers and senior officials. (ANI)
A student from Telangana studying in Chicago was critically injured by some armed miscreants during a robbery on Sunday night in Princeton Park. After the incident, the father of the victim Sai Charan, on Tuesday, said that he got the information Monday night regarding the attack. The father of the victim, Srinivas said, "The incident happened when Charan and another person along with him were coming back home from Walmart. They were stopped at the parking lot. After they were stopped at gunpoint, Charan and the other man gave all the money to them. After going a little far, the armed man fired at two people." Charan was injured and the other person with him died in the shooting incident. "At present, Charan is in ICU but in what condition we don't know. So we urge the government to do the needful with the reports and visa process to see our son. We are in shock, the whole family is in shock, and everything has changed in a day," Srinivas said. "We request the government to help us seek reports of the incident," he added. Earlier, Sunday night, one of the two people, was shot during an armed robbery in Princeton Park on the South Side has died, Chicago police said Tuesday morning. Devsish Nandepu Hyderabad, 23, of Chicago died just after 4 am on Monday morning at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. He had been shot in the armpit and taken to the hospital in critical condition during the incident. According to the abc7, Devsish Nandepu and a 22-year-old man were near a parking lot about 6:55 pm Sunday in the 8400-block of South Holland Road when a dark-coloured vehicle approached and two occupants exited before demanding the pair's property at gunpoint, Chicago police said. Another incident was witnessed on Friday, where an Indian-origin man from Gujarat named Pinalkumar Patel was shot and killed in his driveway on Thoroughbred Lane, American web portal AOL reported. According to the officials, a group of masked gunmen assaulted Patel's family including his wife, Rupalben, and his daughter, Bhakti. They were also shot, as per Bibb County Sheriff's Office said was an assault by a group of masked gunmen. Bibb County sheriff officials said deputies responded to reports of a shooting on Thoroughbred Lane at 11:01 pm Friday. When deputies arrived, they found 52-year-old Pimalkumar Patel, his wife and their child all with gunshot wounds in the driveway of their home, according to AOL. Deputies were told that Patel began shouting at the assailants before they shot him and his family and rode away in a car that was waiting across the street. Patel was shot multiple times. His wife and daughter were shot in their legs and as of Friday were said to be in stable condition. It was unclear in the report whether the masked group intended to rob the family, though the assailants were not said to have taken anything from the victims. The investigation is ongoing. Deputies asked for help identifying a car seen on a surveillance camera across the street from the shooting, as per the report in AOL. (ANI)
Uyghurs throughout the world are denouncing a statement made by a delegation of thirty Islamic clerics and intellectuals led by Emirates scholar Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi on behalf of The World Muslim Communities Council (TWMCC), during a visit to Xinjiang this month, reported Bitter Winter, an Italy-based magazine on religious liberty and human rights. Al Nuaimi said that in Chinese culture there is no concept of targeting Muslims or Islam, adding that it is their (TWMCC) responsibility to tell the world about China's prosperity and development. "We are happy to see Muslims in Xinjiang lead a happy life. They fully enjoy the freedom of religious belief," he said. Giving examples of "Jyllands-Posten," a Danish newspaper, which published twelve cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad and "Charlie Hebdo" shooting on January 7, 2015, following the publication by the French magazine of cartoons offensive to Islam, the Uyghurs said, "We do not condone offences to religion and to Islam. However, we ask the question: is the Uyghur genocide a less serious attack on Islam than the publication of offensive cartoons in Europe?" reported Bitter Winter. However, this is a travesty of reality. That there is no religious freedom in East Turkistan is continuously confirmed by international reports, most recently by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). In a statement after TWMCC's visit, the International Union of The East Turkistan Organizations wrote that "More than 16000 Religious places are destroyed, over half a million Muslim Uyghur Children had been victims of state-run apostasy agendas of China, millions of Muslims are sent to concentration camps, thousands of healthy Muslims are affected by China's organ harvesting missions, millions of Islamic literature had been burned and entire Uyghur Muslims have been criminalized for their Islamic faith. This is what the Islamic leaders are praising, supporting, endorsing, and taking sides with China's massacre and genocide policies against the Muslims of East Turkistan, and the act of the Delegation clearly demonstrates a total betrayal of the teaching of Islam." TWMCC's actions discredit the entire mission and make it irrelevant to any positive or beneficial aid to the Uyghurs. It is a monstrous falsehood, an embarrassment and a millstone of shame for these individuals and their organizations, reported Bitter Winter. But their testimony will be of use to some to promote the narrative put out by the Chinese Communist Party to the detriment and demoralization of the Uyghurs. TWMCC's visit did not succeed in covering up the Uyghur genocide. It just exposed the corruption of Arab regimes and the brutality and cunning of the Chinese autocracy. The Chinese Mission at the United Nations Human Rights Council stated that "Xinjiang-related issues are not human rights issues at all, but issues of counter-terrorism, de-radicalization, and anti-separatism." China was very selective about who was invited to "tour" the region. There were no independent scholars or journalists, and all invitees were connected to governments that have never acknowledged the Uyghur genocide or any human rights violations in China. This visit also comes after claims that Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia have been deporting Uyghur refugees back to China, despite obvious concerns over their safety if sent back, reported Bitter Winter. TWMCC has not offended Muslims and Uyghurs only, but also the victims of CCP brutality in Tibet, Hong Kong, Southern Mongolia, and all those persecuted and jailed in China for their religious or political dissent. The thirty members of TWMCC delegations have sided with the persecutors and abandoned the victims. (ANI)
A man from Gujarat was killed in his driveway on Thoroughbred Lane by a group of masked gunmen, according to the American web portal AOL. A local in Gujarat's Anand said the people from the state were being increasingly targeted in America, with two killings reported in the recent past. And in the latest casualty from the state, a youth from Karamsad in Gujarat's Anand district, who was based in Atlanta, US, was murdered. According to AOL, the man, identified as Pinalkumar Patel, was shot and killed in his driveway on Thoroughbred Lane. According to the officials, a group of masked gunmen assaulted Patel's family including his wife, Rupalben, and his daughter, Bhakti. They were also shot, as per Bibb County Sheriff's Office said was an assault by a group of masked gunmen. Bibb County sheriff officials said deputies responded to reports of a shooting on Thoroughbred Lane at 11.01 pm Friday. When deputies arrived, they found 52-year-old Pimalkumar Patel, his wife and their child all with gunshot wounds in the driveway of their home, according to AOL. Deputies were told that Patel began shouting at the assailants before they shot him and his family and rode away in a car that was waiting across the street. Patel was shot multiple times. His wife and daughter were shot in their legs and as of Friday were said to be in stable condition. It was unclear in the report whether the masked group intended to rob the family, though the assailants were not said to have taken anything from the victims. The investigation is ongoing. Deputies asked for help identifying a car seen on a surveillance camera across the street from the shooting, as per the AOL report. Locals in Gujarat's Anand, sharing more information on the incident, said 52-year-old Patel was shot dead with the intention of robbery. "Patel had gone out with his family and was on his way home when they came under attack by a gang of robbers. Pinal Patel was nearing his home with wife Roopalben Patel and 17-year-old daughter Bhakti Patel when the robbers attacked them. As they opened fire, Pinal Patel was killed and his wife and daughter were seriously injured," he said. "The (central) government should do something about it now. Pinal Bhai had visited Karamsad two years ago. He had promised to return for good as his mother is currently residing at her sister's house in Selvas. He said he wished to return for his mother. But today we received the gutting news of his death. The government should take urgent steps to prevent such attacks on our people on foreign shores," the locals added. (ANI)
The impact of the intense cold wave has got worse in Afghanistan as it has claimed the lives of more than 175 people, Khaama Press reported on Wednesday. Suffering from one of its coldest winters, the livestock in the war-torn country has been severely affected as well. Temperatures are dropping to as low as minus 28 degrees Celsius, far below the country's average temperature of 0-5 degrees Celsius. A spokesman for the Taliban's Ministry of Disaster Management, Shafiullah Rahimi, on Tuesday said that around 70,000 livestock have also frozen to death across the country, according to Khaama Press. The impact of the harsh winter has been exacerbated by the disruption in aid distribution to vulnerable families as a result of the country's ban on women employees of non-governmental aid organisations. "The harsh winter has been disastrous - taking the lives of vulnerable people and livestock, with limited aid ordinary people receive. We call on the international community and aid organizations to extend their helping hands to the people of Afghanistan during these difficult times," a local resident in Kabul said to Khaama Press. The residents of Afghanistan have time and again called on the Taliban to provide sustainable electricity to the people and lamented that amid the cold weather, it has become a tough task for them to manage on a daily basis. A number of Kabul residents said the government and aid organizations should provide support to them during this winter. The distribution of relief to those in need has been hampered by the shutdown of numerous important roadways in numerous regions due to extreme weather and snowstorms, TOLOnews reported. "We call on Islamic Emirate to help the needy people this winter," said Ramin, a Kabul resident. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has put the country under a severe economic as well as a humanitarian crisis. Despite the assistance, Afghanistan's poverty, malnutrition, and unemployment rates are still at their peak. (ANI)
Police in the US state of Georgia are investigating the fatal shooting of a 52-year-old Indian American man in the driveway of his home last Friday. The victim, Pinal Patel, was pronounced dead at the hospital. His wife and daughter, who were also shot in the incident, were said to be in stable condition. The police have issued a picture of the getaway car used by the killers - three masked men - and a driver. There is no word yet on their motivation and they had apparently not taken anything from the family. An Indian American was fatally shot last week in Chicago in another incident. There is not link between the two and there is no evidence yet that Indian Americans are being targeted. Responding to a call about a shooting, officers of the Bibb County found Patel, his wife, and their child wounded in the driveway. The police said Patel and his family had just returned home from work when they were "confronted by three masked individuals with guns. Mr. Patel confronted the three and while doing so, shots were fired at the family. The three masked individuals then ran to a dark in color vehicle waiting across the street occupied by a fourth person. The individuals then fled the scene. No items were reported to have been taken from the family". --IANS yrj/vd ( 238 Words) 2023-01-25-21:34:04 (IANS)
Construction equipment sits next to the Bell Bowl Prairie adjacent to Chicago Rockford International Airport on Oct. 20, 2021, in Winnebago County. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The fight to preserve Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford, where federally endangered rusty patched bumblebees have been found, ramped up this week, with environmentalists saying they intend to return to federal court.

The Natural Land Institute, a nonprofit that opposes the Chicago Rockford International Airports plan to build a road through the heart of Bell Bowl, said their lawyers had sent a letter to local, state and federal agencies informing them of plans to file a lawsuit alleging violations of the Endangered Species Act.

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The letter cites the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services own finding that the rusty patched bumblebee is declining due, in part, to the loss of most prairies and grasslands in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.

Notwithstanding this conclusion, USFWS is now  incomprehensibly  authorizing the type of development and construction on Bell Bowl Prairie (including road construction) that will lead to the extinction of the Bee, says the letter from the Natural Land Institutes attorneys.

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U.S. Fish & Wildlife did not respond to request for comment and an airport spokesperson declined to comment.

Environmentalists, who filed a previous federal lawsuit in August that was dismissed without prejudice (allowing the environmentalists to try again), are running out of options in their 18-month battle to preserve the 15.5-acre prairie, which includes 1.7 acres of particularly well-preserved high quality habitat.

State and federal assessments were completed in December, with the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Fish & Wildlife and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources all determining that the project is unlikely to negatively affect the rusty patched bumblebee.

Only a final written reevaluation by the Federal Aviation Administration remains before the airport can begin construction of a road that would cost the bee 9.3 acres of habitat, including 1.7 acres of the highest-quality prairie.

Environmentalists say the road, part of a $50 million airport cargo expansion project, should be rerouted to the east or southeast, where it would avoid the highest-quality prairie and maximize overall prairie preservation.

Were not trying to stop the airport expansion, Natural Land Institute Executive Director Kerry Leigh told the Tribune in 2022. Were trying to get them to redesign the road and avoid the prairie.

The letter announcing the intention to file a lawsuit highlights the U.S. Fish and Wildlifes own previous findings, including that the rusty patched bumblebee is so imperiled that every remaining population is important for the continued existence of the species.

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State and federal agencies are allowing the road through Bell Bowl to proceed in part because there are larger, and likely better, rusty patched bumblebee habitats within 10 kilometers of the prairie, according to government documents quoted in the letter. That nearby habitat includes parts of Severson Dells Forest Preserve, Funderburg Forest Preserve, the Levi and Ester Fuller Memorial Forest Preserve, and Howard Colman Hall Creek Preserve.

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A rusty patched bumblebee specimen in the Insects, Arachnids and Myriapods collection of the Field Museum. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

But the authors of the letter argue that the Endangered Species Act doesnt allow U.S. Fish and Wildlife to evaluate the Bell Bowl project on the basis of whether it will lead to wholesale species extinction.

Instead, USFWS ... must ask whether this project is likely to adversely affect this population of this endangered species. The answer to this question, as the consultation process has shown, is that the project will, by design, impact the Bees habitat, and would lead to (bee) mortality, the letter says.

Rusty patched bumblebees were found foraging at Bell Bowl in August 2021, shortly after environmentalists were alerted to bulldozers near the prairie and learned of the airports plans to build the road.

Leigh said environmentalists still want the airport to apply for funding for a redesign that would move the road and save the heart of the prairie: The airport authorities can apply for state funding to redesign the road, and they wont. Theres also federal funding that they can apply for, and they wont.

All they have to do is apply for the funding, and then this whole lawsuit would go away, Leigh said.

nschoenberg@chicagotribune.com
Noah Cyrus at the Viktor & Rolf runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Marc Piasecki/Contributor/Getty Images

Viktor & Rolf hosted its Spring/Summer 2023 Paris Fashion Week show on Wednesday.

Doja Cat and Noah Cyrus attended in daring looks, from bleached eyebrows to oversized suits.

Models on the runway also stood out in upside-down gowns inspired by surrealism.

Lisa Rinna was one of many stars to attend Viktor & Rolf's Spring/Summer 2023 show.

Lisa Rinna at the Viktor & Rolf runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Marc Piasecki/Contributor/Getty Images

She wore a quilt-style minidress with ruffled tulle that lined its sleeves and neckline. It also had a layer of lace that created a high-neck detail.

Doja Cat opted for a striped suit with high-waisted trousers and an oversized jacket.

Doja Cat at the Viktor & Rolf runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Marc Piasecki/Getty Images

She paired the brown, two-piece set with a white-and-green blouse, pointed pumps, and blue-tinted sunglasses.

But like the musician's look at Schiaparelli's show on Monday, it was her makeup that stole the show. Doja Cat wore fake eyelashes as eyebrows, a mustache, and a goatee.

"A few days ago I did Schiaparelli, and people were saying that I didn't have lashes and that they were disappointed that I didn't have on lashes  yet I worked with one of the greatest makeup artists of all time, Pat McGrath," Doja Cat told Nylon at the show. "So today I gave them lashes. So I hope they're happy. I just want to make people happy, so."

Noah Cyrus was photographed wearing bleached eyebrows and an off-the-shoulder, moon-print gown.

Noah Cyrus at the Viktor & Rolf runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Marc Piasecki/Contributor/Getty Images

The patchwork garment had textured fabric across the chest and hemline, while its bodice and skirt were made from different fabrics in a variety of shades.

The dress also showcased the array of tattoos Cyrus has across her shoulders and arms.

Coco Rocha wore a completely sheer, floor-length dress to the show.

Coco Rocha at the Viktor & Rolf runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Marc Piasecki/Contributor/Getty Images

The model's black, long-sleeved dress was made from mesh that was printed with a floral design.

It was also ruched across its bodice and sleeves, concealing the black bodysuit she wore underneath.

Tina Leung wore a pastel, multicolored gown with a plunging neckline.

Tina Leung at the Viktor & Rolf runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Marc Piasecki/Contributor/Getty Images

The gown was made from satin, and its daring neckline was held together with multicolored bows.

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The actor's beauty look also included pastel details, from her teal hair to her lilac eye shadow.

Poppy opted for her signature goth style with a ruffled minidress.

Poppy at the Viktor & Rolf runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Marc Piasecki/Contributor/Getty Images

Her black dress had a semi-sheer bodice that was partially crafted from lace, and puffy sleeves decorated with multiple prints.

She wore it with sharp sunglasses and platform heels that laced up her legs.

Ogee wore the "naked" trend for the runway event.

Ogee at the Viktor & Rolf runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Marc Piasecki/Contributor/Getty Images

The musician wore a black bra top and matching high-waisted underwear, which were both visible through the sheer white fabric.

The dress was cut beneath the knee in the front and transitioned into a long train in the back.

Viktor & Rolf's models were also dressed in a mix of glamorous and daring fashion.

A model walks the runway at the Viktor & Rolf show during Paris Fashion Week. Dominique Charriau/Contributor/Getty Images

Many of the gowns seen on the designer's Spring/Summer 2023 red carpet were strapless and made from tulle.

Some were also embellished with sequins, bows, and ruffles.

Other looks, however, were completely unconventional.

A model walks the runway at the Viktor & Rolf show during Paris Fashion Week. Dominique Charriau/Contributor/Getty Images

One model walked the runway in an upside-down dress that covered the model's face and showed her slip.

On Instagram, Viktor & Rolf described the garments as "floating gowns."

A model walks the runway at the Viktor & Rolf show during Paris Fashion Week. Dominique Charriau/Contributor/Getty Images

The Dutch fashion house also said in its post that the dresses were meant to evoke "an abstract sense of surrealism."

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Only two locations. Only 22 cups of coffee.

Only, well, $150 per cup.

At such a cost, the Black Jaguar Geisha coffee from Hartmann Estate in Panama is Proud Mary Coffee Roasters' most expensive coffee ever. The special brew goes on sale Feb. 6 at Proud Mary cafes in Austin  located at 2043 S Lamar Blvd.  and Portland, Oregon.

The two cafes will sell a total of 22 cups of the Black Jaguar Geisha, which won first place in 2022's Best in Panama competition and cost Proud Mary $2,000 for one pound of the coffee beans.

More:Award-winning New York pub The Dead Rabbit coming to Austin

In a Willy Wonka-esque move, Proud Mary will gift one U.S. winner a golden ticket for the special coffee. The giveaway extends through Jan. 26, and the ticket will go to a random person who pre-orders a Hartmann Geisha tin on Proud Mary's website.

In addition to the Black Jaguar Geisha coffee, Proud Mary will serve five limited time coffees throughout February as part of a Hartmann Family takeover event.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: $150 cup of coffee? Austin coffee shop to sell exclusive brew
The Telegraph

The precise veracity of the large cache of intelligence documents that have apparently been leaked from the Pentagon might be open to question, but there can be little doubt about the negative impact that they are having on Ukraines war effort. Even if the release of the documents turns out to be part of a clever disinformation campaign by the Kremlins cyber-trolls, it could nevertheless prompt Ukraines high command to rethink its long-planned counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Pittsburgh police are investigating after two male juveniles were shot in the city Tuesday night.

Officers responded to the 7200 block of Susquehanna Street around 11:16 p.m. for Shotspotter alert of 14 rounds, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety.

They found two males with gunshot wounds to their legs in the 7400 block of Tioga Street, Homewood.

They were transported to a local hospital in stable condition.

The investigation is ongoing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Sebastian Ghiorghiu has over 830,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel where posts about making money. Instagram: @sebb, TikTok: @officialsebghiorghiu, Sebastian Ghiorghiu

Finance YouTuber Sebastian Ghiorghiu went viral after sharing a controversial opinion on money.

Ghiorghiu said people should be able to afford a $200,000 Lamborghini in their 20s.

The video was viewed over 9.2 million times on Twitter and 2.3 million times on TikTok.

A YouTuber who specializes in business and finance advice has caused a stir after a clip of him suggesting people in their 20s should be able to afford a $200,000 car circulated on Twitter and TikTok.

On January 22, a Twitter user who goes by @SaeedDiCaprio shared the clip in a tweet that read, "bro these people can't be real."

In the 23-second video, a 24-year-old YouTuber from Arizona named Sebastian Ghiorghiu said, "If you're a guy in your 20s and you don't have a Lamborghini, you should actually sit down and have like a serious discussion with yourself as to why you don't have a Lambo."

He added that it's "so incredibly easy" as there's "so much money out there," and described $200,000 as "chump change." Base prices for Lamborghini models ranged from $200,000 to 577,000 in 2022, according to automotive publication Motor1.

The tweet received over 9.2 million views and over 2,600 quote-tweets and prompted a heated debate. Many viewers suggested his comments betrayed a level of privilege unattainable to most people, while others defended his comments, saying the amount is relatively small compared to the total wealth in the US.

The clip appears to have been taken from a longer version shared to Ghiorghiu's TikTok account on January 13, where he could be heard saying, "People will say I'm out of touch with reality, and they can suck it, because it's not true."

He continued, "I've seen a lot now and I'm like, OK, so $200,000 is literally pocket change."

The video was viewed 2.3 million times, and received over 3,600 comments, some of which suggested they thought he received financial help from his parents in order to afford the luxury car.

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On January 23, Ghiorghiu shared a post to his Instagram account, where he has 115,000 followers, which showed him posing in front of a Lamborghini, along with an older-looking photo that appeared to show him working at a fast-food restaurant with the caption, "If my dad paid for the lambo I would've never worked at Taco Bell. May God bless you all."

On the same day, Ghiorghiu tweeted a smiley face alongside screenshots that showed different social media posts about the clip. In a follow-up tweet in the same thread he wrote, "People would pay 100K for this type of promo."

Ghiorghiu has over 830,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel where he regularly uploads videos on the topic of making money. In his most popular videos, which have received over 2 million views each, Ghiorghiu said he became successful in 34 days after launching an online business, turned $300 into $100,000, and went from $1,000 to eight million.

His YouTube description says that Ghiorghiu's parents "immigrated to this country when they were teenagers" and he was raised on a "very low income," and now has a "personal agenda" to place his family and himself on a "whole different level of wealth and education."

Ghiorghiu did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.

Read the original article on Insider
Richland police are searching for an arsonist after 67 people in a complex for seniors had to be evacuated when someone set several fires inside the building early Tuesday.

The seniors were forced to flee outside or shelter in place about 2:30 a.m.

One person was taken to a local hospital for a medical evaluation, but was not seriously hurt, said police.

Arson investigators discovered signs that someone set multiple blazes inside the Tri-Cities Terrace apartments at 1770 Leslie Road, Richland police and firefighters said in a news release.

Arson investigators discovered that someone set multiple blazes inside the Tri-Cities Terrace apartments at 1770 Leslie Road, said a release from the Richland police and fire departments.

Fire alarms alerted emergency crews, and residents reported seeing smoke and flames in the building.

A sprinkler system kept the flames in check until firefighters could arrive and put it out, according to the release.

Its unclear how much of the building was damaged by smoke and water.

Arson investigators discovered signs that someone set multiple blazes inside the Tri-Cities Terrace apartments at 1770 Leslie Road, Richland police and firefighters said in a news release.

The Richland Fire Department and the Red Cross are coordinating to help find temporary shelter for the residents who could not return to their apartments.

Police are asking anyone with information about who might have started the fires or who saw something suspicious to call non-emergency dispatch at 509-628-0333 or Richland police Detective Cameron Fancher at 509-942-7356.
Merced Martinez places a candle at a memorial for shooting victims in Half Moon Bay on Tuesday. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez / San Francisco Chronicle)

For the record:

10:22 a.m. Jan. 26, 2023: An earlier version of this article referred to Marciano Jimenez Martinez. His last name is Martinez Jimenez.



Marciano Martinez Jimenez had lived in Half Moon Bay for 25 years and was an active member of the Oaxacan community and a father figure to many who loved him.

Ye Tao Bing was a family man and thoughtful friend who possessed incredible expertise in mushrooms, especially white button, shiitake and oyster mushroom production.

Jose Romero Perez had just arrived in Half Moon Bay a year and a half ago with big dreams and an even bigger heart.

All three men were among the seven people killed on Monday after a gunman opened fire at two farms in this rural coast community, inducting the town into a national club marked by grief and trauma and leaving families and loved ones deep in anguish as they confront the heartache that comes with loss.

The suspect in the attack, Chunli Zhao, was arrested and faces felony charges, including seven counts of murder, that could make him subject to the death penalty, authorities said.

Servando Martinez speaks to reporters outside his Half Moon Bay home about his brother, Marciano Jimenez Martinez, who was among those killed. (Olga R. Rodriguez / Associated Press)

In addition to Martinez Jimenez, the names of the six other people fatally shot were released Tuesday: Zhi Shen Liu, 73, of San Francisco; Qi Zhong Cheng, 66, of Half Moon Bay; Ai Xiang Zhang, 74, of San Francisco; Jing Zhi Lu, 64, of Half Moon Bay; Ye Tao Bing, 43, of New Jersey; and Jose Romero Perez, a Mexican national.

Jose Romero Perezs younger brother Pedro Romero Perez was also shot but survived, according to the San Mateo County district attorneys office. He was hospitalized and underwent surgery. As of Tuesday, he was in stable condition, authorities said.

In a GoFundMe post organized by Martinez Jimenezs brother to help the family cover funeral expenses  including sending his remains to their hometown in Oaxaca, Mexico  Martinez Jimenez was described as a hardworking and honorable man.

He was a good son, brother, uncle and a great friend for everyone that knew him, Servando Martinez wrote. He took on the father role for all of us.

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Martinez Jimenez worked at Concord Farms, the site of the second attack.

He was a volunteer at RotaCare, his brother said. The clinics provide free medical care to the needy. He enjoyed giving back to his community, Martinez wrote. His brother was now in heaven along with their parents, he said.

Marciano will always live in our hearts, he wrote.

Ana Perez, the manager at the More for Less convenience store and gas station in Half Moon Bay, knew Martinez Jimenez for more than eight years. He was quiet and kind, she said.

He frequently drove to and from Los Angeles, stopping at the gas station for a burrito and always parking his car in the same spot out back.

"He gave me mushrooms for free all the time, she said  enough that she could share them with friends and family.

At the nearby Taqueria Tres Amigos, an employee who declined to give her name said Martinez Jimenez was closely connected to the local Oaxacan community. He loved to dance, she said, especially Danza de la Pluma, a traditional Oaxacan dance, and was a talented accordion player.

Ye Tao Bing was a father, husband and skilled mushroom cultivator, said a friend of the victim who spoke to The Times and wished to remain anonymous. The pair met through Bings wife, who first came to the United States in 2016. Bing soon followed.

After several years of working with mushrooms in New Jersey, Bing temporarily relocated to Half Moon Bay in December 2021. He lived and worked at California Terra Garden, the site of the first attack, where he was a production supervisor, his friend said.

Bing was in California most of the year, telling his friend his work schedule made traveling back to New Jersey difficult. Bings wife flew to California for a visit in November, the friend said.

He grew up in Shandong province in China, where he spent his young adult years working as a porter before developing a passion for mushrooms and moving to South Korea.

Bing was set to travel home to China next month to visit his father, who is battling late-stage prostate cancer, his friend said. The countrys COVID policies and the cost of airline tickets had made previous travel difficult.

Bing is survived by his wife, a 3-year-old daughter and a 21-year-old son, who is a college student in California, the friend said.

He was an honest, sincere and good-natured man," he said. He described Bing as a man of few words but someone who always cared for others and could "eat bitter"  a Chinese term meaning endure hardships.

"We helped each other," he said.

Shooting victims Ai Xiang Zhang and Jing Zhi Lu were married, according to Bing's friend, and worked at the farms cafeteria. He would sometimes see them when he and Bing would video call each other.

Romero Perez was a respectful and hardworking person, his cousin Renato Juarez Perez wrote in a GoFundMe set up to help cover funeral expenses. Like Martinez Jimenez, Romero Perez's remains will be transported to Mexico.

Romero Perez left his parents, wife and four children behind in Oaxaca and came to Half Moon Bay in search of work and a better life. He eventually found a job at California Terra Garden.

"Jose immigrated to this country with a great dream of working for his own family," Renato Juarez Perez wrote. "He wanted to provide a better quality of life for all of them."

Times staff writer Luke Money contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Trail signs direct hikers to Baldy summit and Manker Flat on Mt. Baldy. (Mary Forgione / Los Angeles Times)

A 75-year-old hiker who was reported missing Sunday has been found alive on Mt. Baldy, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.

Jin Chung of Los Angeles was found Tuesday afternoon with some "weather-related injuries" and a leg injury but was able to walk with the assistance of rescue personnel, the department said in a news release.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Chung went missing on Mt. Baldy nine days after British actor Julian Sands, 65, was reported missing on the same mountain.

"As of this time, Mr. Sands has not been found and no evidence of his current location has been discovered," the Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.

On Wednesday, authorities said they had begun to scale back their efforts as the search for Sands entered its 12th day.

The Sheriffs Department, which is leading the search, said it is continuing to look for the missing actor only with air units, such as helicopters and drones. Air crews are using RECCO devices, a rescue technology that uses harmonic radar systems to detect clothing equipped with RECCO reflectors. The device is commonly used to find people buried by an avalanche or lost hikers.

Since Sands was reported missing Jan. 13, the Sheriff's Department had been scouring the Mt. Baldy area with both air and ground crews, though some ground crews were pulled off the mountain last week because of avalanche risks and dangerous trail conditions, a department spokesperson said. They have since revisited previously searched areas but with limited access to the summit due to the weather.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A 76-year-old woman froze to death outside of her home, Vermont police suggested.

The woman was a resident of Rupert, a sparsely populated town bordering New York, according to a Jan. 24 news release from the Vermont State Police.

The womans body was found in her driveway on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 21, police said. Its unclear who discovered the woman.

It appears she fell and died from exposure to the elements, police said. The weather at the time was near freezing.

Her body was transported to Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

Though her death is believed to be an accident, the investigation remains ongoing and the womans name is being withheld until her relatives are notified, police said.

A spokesperson for the state police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

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Justin Roiland

Vivien Killilea/Getty Justin Roiland

Adult Swim has severed its relationship with Rick and Morty co-creator and star Justin Roiland in the wake of a news report revealing that he is facing felony domestic violence charges in connection with a 2020 incident in Orange County, Calif.

The channel said in a brief statement obtained by EW on Tuesday that it "has ended its association" with Roiland and that Rick and Morty, the popular animated sci-fi comedy series he created with Dan Harmon, would continue. "The talented and dedicated crew are hard at work on season 7," the statement concluded.

Representatives for Roiland didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

The Adult Swim announcement comes less than two weeks after NBC News revealed that Roiland, 42, was charged in May 2020 with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit. According to a criminal complaint obtained by EW, the incident occurred on or about Jan. 19, 2020, with an anonymous woman identified as Jane Doe, and resulted in a "traumatic condition" for the woman, who was "in a dating relationship" with Roiland at the time.

Roiland pleaded not guilty to the charges in October 2020 and appeared in court earlier this month for a pretrial hearing. A trial date has not yet been set, and another pretrial hearing is set for April 27.

In a statement provided to EW on Jan. 12, Roiland's attorney T. Edward Welbourn denied the allegations and blasted news coverage of the case. "It is hard to overstate how inaccurate the recent media coverage of this situation has been," he said. "To be clear, not only is Justin innocent but we also have every expectation that this matter is on course to be dismissed once the District Attorney's office has completed its methodical review of the evidence. We look forward to clearing Justin's name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible."

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Season 6 of Rick and Morty finished airing in December, and season 7 was previously ordered by Adult Swim as part of a long-term 70-episode deal in 2018. Roiland has voiced both title characters since the show's inception, so it stands to reason his roles will be recast.

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ChatGPT is the latest artificial intelligence disrupter. It provides informed answers to questions, generating text with the capability of creating essays around topics. The tool employs machine learning to produce such text and mimic human conversation.

Like many new AI tools, there will be enthusiastic supporters and cautious detractors. Some of the most vociferous critics are coming out of higher education.

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ChatGPT poses a threat to many college educators, particularly those in the social sciences and liberal arts, where writing is core to their education and evaluation processes. Even those in the science, technology, engineering and math fields may be affected, given how ChatGPT has demonstrated its ability to solve problems.

[ Editorial: Did your kid write that essay? Or did ChatGPT? ]

College students are taught to logically present and communicate their positions using essays. Their writings are then evaluated to determine how well a student has performed and, in effect, assign the student a grade.

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If ChatGPT can create such essays, then how can students be evaluated and graded? Under the current model, they cannot.

This means that alternative ways of evaluating and grading students must be formulated  not to neutralize ChatGPT but to embrace it.

This is not the first time that technology has disrupted education.

In the 1970s, handheld electronic calculators became more affordable, and hence, more ubiquitous. This made the teaching of arithmetic calculations obsolete, though not the rules by which they are executed.

Instead of fighting the use of calculators, mathematics education transformed, effectively embracing problem formulation and problem solving. This allowed students to consider real-world problems in which the answers could be computed using calculators, provided the problem was correctly formulated and the appropriate techniques were applied.

Calculators expanded the scope of problems that could be tackled. This technological transformation meant that the process rather than the outcome became the target of student evaluation.

A similar transformation will be needed when essays provided by ChatGPT are to be evaluated.

ChatGPT creates text, but the genesis of such text is existing ideas.

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Faculty members at the University of Florida meet Jan. 13, 2023, to discuss how to deal with ChatGPT in Gainesville, Florida. Colleges and universities are restructuring some courses and taking preventive measures in response to student use of ChatGPT. (Todd Anderson/The New York Times/NYT)

ChatGPT is also not flawless. It can extract incorrect information and regurgitate it. Unlike people, it cannot reason and employ critical thinking.

What people bring to the table are ideas. This creates a much higher bar for evaluation, with the essay style and structure provided by ChatGPT serving as a first draft. Students can then imbue their own creative content to enhance what ChatGPT initially provided.

This means that grammar and punctuation are likely to be flawless with ChatGPT. What will be far less impressive is the novelty embedded in the content. This makes ChatGPT strong on style and sizzle and more limited on substance.

ChatGPT will not be the last text creator available. Indeed, new and improved products are likely to be introduced in the coming years.

For those intent on holding onto existing methods to evaluate students, they will be swimming upstream against a strong current. However, if AI tools can create text, then AI tools will become available to detect AI, much like using fire to fight fire. Such tools would effectively uncover a writings DNA to assess its origins. This is the foundation for the Turing Test originally proposed to assess whether a computing device can appear to think like a person.

Stopping an AI advance in this manner is a short-term stopgap for what is likely to be a long-term trend.

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At the root of many of the criticisms is fear. Any new tool has the potential to affect peoples lives and livelihoods. Such concerns are likely ill-founded and most certainly premature.

Will ChatGPT replace college instructors? Hardly. What it could do is improve their ability to educate. It may also expose those who are ineffective.

Students who rely totally on ChatGPT or similar AI systems for writing essays may find that their beautifully composed writing, with appropriate scrutiny, will be exposed for its lack of depth and creativity. On the other hand, students could use ChatGPT to learn about a topic and then take advantage of its output as a launchpad and imbue it with their own ideas. This will make the final product better than what they could have composed on their own. In this way, ChatGPT improves the initial conditions. This also means that the bar for success must be similarly moved higher.

If I composed an exam on which ChatGPT could score a perfect grade, the problem may be my exam, not ChatGPT. Perhaps my goal should be to compose an exam that ChatGPT could not successfully tackle.

The ability for ChatGPT to pass medical exams such as the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam exposes these exams for highlighting recollection of facts, not for innovative thinking, feeding to ChatGPTs strength.

ChatGPT is a game-changer and disrupter. It will enable better writing and, if embraced, better thinking, something that all educators should support. The question is whether higher education will accept this change and allow it to be a springboard for better written communication.

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Sheldon H. Jacobson is a professor in computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a data scientist and operations researcher, he applies his expertise in data-driven, risk-based decision-making to evaluate and inform public policy.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
An adult woman has been arrested after pretending to be a teenager to attend classes at New Brunswick High School in New Jersey.

Last week, the woman tried to enroll using fake documents and went to class for four days before being booted, Superintendent Aubrey Johnson told the Board of Education, according to New Brunswick Today.

By filing false documents, an adult female posing as a student was able to be enrolled in our high school, the superintendent said during a meeting of the board on 24 January.

She was here for four days before being found out, and barred from entering the district property, he said. All appropriate authorities were immediately notified, and the individual in question has now been arrested for providing false documentation.

The woman has been identified as Hyejeong Shin.

The high school has been the subject of several scandals through the years, such as a 17-year-old being sentenced to 60 days after an attack at the school was filmed in 2016, and a 14-year-old student being charged after sending a text threatening a mass shooting in 2021.

Members of the community are worried about the motive of the 29-year-old woman, who pretended to be 15. The school district has told students who met her to cease their communications with her, and some students have grown concerned that she was attempting to get young people into sex work, New Brunswick Today reported.

The Board of Education attempted to smooth over the issue at the 24 January meeting, blocking students and parents from speaking about the episode at the meeting.

Concerned students attempted to confront school officials (Screenshot / New Brunswick Today)

The six members of the board didnt directly respond to the allegations at the meeting, according to the local news outlet. In a unanimous vote, they approved the report put forward by the superintendent and didnt mention the issue again.

The womans claims of being 15 were investigated after it remained unclear who her parents or legal guardian was.

Breaking news: An adult woman was arrested after posing as a child and providing fake documents to enroll in New Brunswick High School last week, @aubjohnson111 announced tonight.



She attended the school for four days and community members are concerned about her motives. pic.twitter.com/BLOwgFeyss  Charlie Kratovil (@Charlie4Change) January 25, 2023

On her final day at the school before being removed, she was questioned by officials. She allegedly requested to sign herself out of the school but was told that she couldnt leave the premises because she was a minor, at which point she finally revealed that she was actually 29, New Brunswick Today reported.

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Were going to take a look at our process  in terms of how to better look for fake documentation and other things, Dr Johnson said.

We feel so unsafe and nobody wants to listen to us, student Ethan Calderon told New Brunswick Today. Do they not care about us because were minorities?

Another student, Tatianna, told the outlet that she received a text from the individual at 10.56pm on Monday.

I was in class with this woman, and talked to her, walked her from point A to point B, and never expected this to happen, she said. Not knowing she was a 29-year-old woman makes me question how safe I am in this building.

She added that she was taken advantage of and that she shouldnt have provided the woman with her personal information.

Michael Castro told the newspaper that he had been made aware that the womans intention was to lure kids to a specific street in New Brunswick and possibly traffic them.

It was so easy for her to engage with these students, teachers, and faculty members because no one ever did a thorough investigation of where this woman came from, he said. This is a wake-up call to do better and ensure the safety of students in New Brunswick.

The Independent has reached out to the New Brunswick Board of Education for comment.
By Bate Felix

DAKAR (Reuters) -Africa must produce more food instead of relying on imports and aid, Senegalese President Macky Sall told leaders gathered in the West African nation's capital for a summit on Wednesday.

The continent is facing its worst food crisis ever, with more than one in five Africans  a record 278 million people  facing hunger, according to United Nations estimates.

Heavy debt burdens from the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine which raised prices of fuel, grain and edible oils and diverted aid have added to long-term causes of food insecurity such as climate change and conflict, experts say.

"Africa needs to learn to feed itself and contribute to feeding the world," said Sall, who is also chairman of the African Union.

"We have the potential, with around 60% of arable land here that is not exploited," he said. "It is paradoxical that we still need to import the essentials of what we need."

Over the next three days of the summit, leaders will present their national priorities on food security to development banks and other international partners including the United States, the European Union and Britain.

The meeting is meant to mobilize political commitment, development partner support and private sector investment to increase food production in Africa, said the African Development Bank, which is backing the summit.

"It is time for Africa to feed Africa," said Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, who said African countries spend around $70 billion annually on food imports.

The bank will commit $10 billion over the next five years to support development in food and agriculture, he said.

Sall urged countries to adhere to the 2003 Maputo declaration on agriculture, which calls on African states to allocate 10% of their national budgets to agricultural development.

While Senegal allocates around 12%, some countries are yet to meet the target, he said.

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He also said countries must support smallholder farmers who make up the bulk of producers on the continent. Women and youth in particular need more access to finance and land, said Sall.

The United States has made food security a priority as it reasserts its presence on the continent, seeking to counter the influence of Russia and China.

The U.S. and the African Union last month signed a strategic food security initiative at Biden's African Leaders Summit. Among other things it will help African countries access fertilizer, which is becoming scarcer and more expensive.

(Reporting by Bate Felix; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alex Richardson and Philippa Fletcher)
Air-raid sirens sounded all over Ukraine on the morning of 25 January.

Source: air-raid sirens map; Belaruski Hajun, an independent Belarusian military monitoring media outlet, on Telegram

Details: Air-raid sirens sounded in the capital at 09:07, and then it spread all over the country in a few minutes.

An air-raid siren means that there is a threat of missile attacks or airstrikes. When you hear it, you need to go to a shelter.

The Belarusian monitoring media outlet announced that an AWACS aircraft, a support fighter, and a MiG-31K capable of carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles have taken off in Belarus.

In particular, at 08:30, a support fighter took off from Baranavichy, Belarus, then at 08:35, the A-50U AWACS aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces took off from Machulishchy airfield, Belarus.

And at 09:00 and 09:06, two MiG-31Ks of the Russian Aerospace Forces took off from Machulishchy.

At 10:55-10:56, all-clear signals were given all over Ukraine.

Background:

An air-raid siren was sounded throughout Ukraine on the afternoon of 24 January (at that time, a Russian MiG-31K was in the airspace of Belarus); the missile threat lasted for 40 minutes.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Friends of Courtney Edwards have raised more than $100,000 to help her three kids.

The Alabama airline worker who died last month after being sucked into a jet engine was warned repeatedly about the dangers of getting too close to a grounded aircraft while the blades are spinning, People reports.

Courtney Edwards and several ground crew colleagues at Montgomery Regional Airport had undergone two safety huddle briefings moments before she died in the freak accident. Now her friends are trying to raise money for the children she leaves behind.

Edwards and the ground crew were warned twice to stay back about 10 minutes before the airplane at the center of the tragedy arrived at the gate on Dec. 31, The Guardian reports. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a report released Monday that pilots of the American Eagle jet decided to leave the plane running at the gate for a brief cool-down period because of technical issues with the auxiliary power unit on board.

A ground handling agent for Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, died after she was sucked in by the engine of an American Eagle jet. The engine was running at the time of the accident. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In the report, the NTSB said the planes engines were still running when surveillance footage captured Edwards walking toward the planes rear with an orange safety cone. A short while after she disappears from view. Edwards was killed after being sucked into the engine.

Richard Honeycutt, vice president of Communication Workers of America District 3, called her heartbreaking death a terrible tragedy, in a statement on the organizations website. People reports that members of the union have launched a GoFundMe page to raise $25,000 for Edwards three children. At press time, more than $100,000 has been raised.

Courtney was a Ground Handling agent for Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, a loving mother of 3 kids and a wonderful daughter to her beloved mother, the campaign states. Please know that this tragedy has and will affect her mother, family, friends, and kids for years to come.

Honeycutt noted that the union and others are cooperating with the investigators looking into the incident. Our staff and local leaders are on the ground coordinating with the relevant agencies as the investigation continues, he said. We are doing as much as we can to provide support for her family and loved ones during this most tragic time.

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Edwards will live on in the hearts and minds of her fellow CWA members and those closest to her, Honeycutt said, referring to her as a valued member of her team and our union.

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The post Airport worker who died after being pulled into plane engine honored as a loving mother appeared first on TheGrio.
Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

About 10 minutes after allegedly murdering his wife and son near the dog kennels of their South Carolina estate, Alex Murdaugh began making phone calls.

Murdaugh, a scion of the powerful legal family, allegedly began calling anyone who would answerincluding his father, his brother, and several friends. During this calling spree, the 53-year-old also texted and called his dead wife, Maggie Murdaugh, twice.

Its up to you to decide whether or not he was trying to manufacture an alibi, state prosecutor Creighton Waters said Wednesday at the start of Murdaugh's murder trial in Colleton County court.

The harrowing allegations were among several stunning details state prosecutor Creighton Waters revealed during his opening statement on Wednesday in Murdaughs double-homicide trial. Deemed by local media as the trial of the century in the Palmetto state, prosecutors allege that Murdaugh murdered his family on June 7, 2021, in an attempt to gain sympathy and turn the spotlight away from his financial crimes.

How the Murdaugh Saga UnfoldedFrom a Boat Crash to Murder

Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in connection with the double homicide of his 52-year-old wife Margaret and his 22-year-old son Paul. Prosecutors allege that around 8:50 p.m. on June 7, 2021, Murdaugh first killed his son with a rifle before fatally shooting his wife.

Neither Paul nor Maggie had any defensive woundsas if they didnt see a threat coming from their attacker, Waters said. Both Maggie and Paul were both shot at very close range.

Authorities say that Murdaugh called the police about two hours later, instantly telling anyone who would listen that he was not at those kennels at the time of the murders. But Waters said that phone evidence suggests otherwise, noting that Murdaughs cell data shows he was there just minutes before his wife and sons cell phones go silent forever.

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As prosecutors began their opening statements to a jury of eight women and four men, several members of Murdaughs family listened silently two rows behind him. Among them: Murdaughs brothers, John Marvin and Randy; his only surviving son, Buster; and his sister-in-law, Liz. All of them are listed as possible witnesses in this trial.

The trial marks the first time Murdaugh is facing a jury in connection with a series of stunning allegations against himranging from accusations he swindled millions from his clients and former law firm to a botched assisted suicide scheme so his son could inherit his $10 million life insurance police.

Defense lawyers for Murdaugh have long insisted their client is innocent of the murder charges, claiming that he was with his ailing father at the time of the grisly crime and had no motivation to kill his family. In his opening statements, defense attorney Dick Harpootlian stressed it was his honor to represent Murdaugh, whom he asked to stand in front of the jury.

Harpootlian is quick to poke holes in the prosecutions case, including a strong motivation for Murdaugh to butcher his sonwho was described as the apple of his eyeand loving wife. As the defense attorney graphically detailed to jurors how his family was murdered, Murdaugh began to sob and hunched over in his seat.

Buster and John Marvin Murdaugh just arrived at the courthouse. @ABCNews4 #murdaughtrial pic.twitter.com/CSpQEqEpp9  Tara Jabour (@TaraJabour) January 25, 2023

Waters, however, wasted no time on Wednesday arguing to jurors that Murdaugh murdered his family. While he acknowledged that the states case is circumstantial, he said that does not make it weak. Rather, jurors must focus on good old-fashioned common sense.

Detailing some of the evidence, Waters said that jurors will view Murdaughs cell phone data from the night of the murderswhich shows he was at the house with his familyand a video Paul took at the dog kennels for a friend where his father and mother can be heard.

When officers arrived at the scene, prosecutors have previously said that Paul was found with two gunshot wounds from a rifle. Maggie had been shot six times, with a weapon prosecutors believe to be a .300 Blackout semi-automatic that has not yet been recovered.

It was a family weapon that killed Maggie Murdaugh, Waters said Wednesday.

Waters said that jurors will also see body-worn videos of Murdaugh's interactions with officers who arrived at the scene after he called 911. He noted that on the videos, Murdaugh immediately brings up that his motive for the murder was associated with the February 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach. At the time of the murders, Paul was facing trial for allegedly drunk driving the boat, which resulted in the 19-year-olds death.

Watch those closely. Watch his expressions. Listen to what hes saying. Use that common sense. Does this seem right? Waters said.

Harpootlian said that Murdaugh was traumatized the night of the murders and was hysterical when officers arrived at the scene. As evidence of his shocked state of mind, the defense lawyer said that Murdaugh armed himself with a gun for his own protectionand tried to load it with the wrong gauge ammo despite being a lifelong hunter.

They decided that night he did it. Without forensics. Without cell phones without any of that, Harpootlian said, seemingly trying to explain away his client's various alibis.

About a week after the murders, however, prosecutors allege that Murdaugh showed up at his parent's house early one morning and stashed a blue raincoat upstairs that was coated with gunshot residue. Gunshot residue was also allegedly found in Murduaghs vehicle.

About three months after the murders, Murdaugh would once again find himself the subject of national news after he attempted to stage his own murder in a Lowcountry backroad. Murdaugh has also been named in a slew of lawsuits, and is facing over 80 financial crimes after allegedly engaging in a years-long scheme to steal over $8 million to maintain his fantasy persona of wealth, respectability, and prominence alive.

Waters stressed on Wednesday that a perfect storm was brewing around Murdaugh as the threat of criminal exposure grew closerand he responded by killing his family. Comparing the case to a puzzle, Waters said jurors need to piece it together to reach the inescapable conclusion that Alex - that he - murdered Maggie and Paul.

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Despite all the economic doom and gloom, Americas wealthy continue to give.

The countrys 25 most generous philanthropists donated $27 billion to charitable causes last year, according to Forbes. The total amount given in 2022 was actually more than the two previous years combined ($20 billion) and double the sum donated in 2018. The nations 25 biggest donors have collectively parted with $196 billion to date, per Forbess estimates.

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The uptick in generosity comes at a time when fortunes are shrinking. The worlds richest people lost $2 trillion last year and the number of ultra-wealthy people around the globe is declining. The combined wealth of the top 25 philanthropists dropped by 15 percent ($164 billion) year-over-year to $936 billion in 2022. It doesnt appear to be a deterrent, though; all 25 doled out meaningful amounts.

Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, is the countrys biggest giver.

Warren Buffett again takes the crown as the countrys most generous billionaire, as measured by the total amount given away in a lifetime. The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, also known as the Oracle of Omaha, has been handing over billions of dollars worth of his companys stock annually for nearly two decades. Forbes estimates Buffett gave $5.4 billion to various charities in 2022 and has donated $51.5 billion to date.

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates (pictured top) scored second place. Despite their 2021 divorce, the pair continue to co-chair the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The two have collectively given $38.4 billion to charities so far within their lifetime and helm the worlds largest private charitable foundation. George Soros came in third place by donating some $18.4 billion to date.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin and hedge funder Ken Griffin joined the list for the first time, after giving away $2.55 billion and $1.56 billion in 2022, respectively. MacKenzie Scott, the novelist and former wife of billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, notably donated nearly $6 million to nonprofits last year.

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Sixteen of the 25 have signed the Giving Pledge, promising to donate at least half their fortune within their lifetime or after their death. Most have a ways to go to achieve that goalChuck Feeney, T. Denny Sanford and George Soros are the only three who have met itbut years like this certainly help.

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Click here to read the full article.
FAYETTEVLLE, Ark. (AP)  Davonte Davis scored 16 points, Arkansas raced to a 24-point first-half lead and the Razorbacks walloped cold-shooting LSU 60-40 on Tuesday night.

Arkansas lost its Southeastern Conference opener in Baton Rouge, but the rematch turned into a first-half route, as the Tigers were held to just 14 points. LSU's 40 points were the fewest allowed by the Razorbacks this season and the second fewest points allowed in an SEC game in program history, surpassed only by the January 12, 2013 game in which Vanderbilt scored just 33 points.

LSU started the game 0-for-5 from the field and its first field goal dropped more than five minutes in. Arkansas finished the half on a 23-3 run. The Tigers got within 11 points on several occasions in the second half, but no closer.

Davis hit 7 of 8 from the field and made both of his 3-point attempts in leading Arkansas (14-6, 10-1). Anthony Black finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Ricky Council IV had 10 points with six boards and seven assists and Makhi Mitchell added 10 points and grabbed eight boards.

KJ Williams and Adam Miller each scored nine points and Williams grabbed 11 rebounds to lead LSU (12-8, 0-4).

Arkansas plays at No. 17 Baylor Saturday. LSU returns home to play host to Texas Tech.

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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
The Philippine military said Wednesday it had sacked a prominent army general after police said he was the "mastermind" behind the murder of a woman who was seeking to blackmail him. Brigadier-General Jesus Durante, the former chief of then-Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte's presidential security force, ordered the killing of a woman outside her apartment last month, police said on Wednesday.

Durante was sacked as commander of the 101st Brigade after he was named as a person of interest in Yvonette Chua Plaza's murder, Philippine army chief Lieutenant-General Romeo Brawner said.

The victim had "very sensitive information against General Durante and she proceeded to blackmail the respondent," regional police chief Brigadier-General Benjamin Silo told a news conference.

Silo called it a "crime of passion" and authorities said that the gun used to kill Plaza, a businesswoman and model, was a military-issued firearm, Rappler reported.

Police identified former Presidential Security Group (PSG) head Brigadier General Jesus Durante III as the brains behind the December 29, 2022 murder of Davao-based businesswoman-model Yvonette Chua Plaza. https://t.co/Ocqo6WGjWJ pic.twitter.com/Ltlx1xyhWy  Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) January 25, 2023

The army vowed to carry out an investigation.

Police said they had asked state prosecutors to file criminal charges of murder and obstruction of justice against Durante, the deputy commander of the brigade, and a sergeant in the same unit.

They also recommended the filing of murder, theft, and other charges against several other suspects, including four other soldiers in Durante's military unit, which is based in the southern Philippines.

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An eyewitness to the shooting, which occurred outside the victim's Davao City apartment, identified the gunman and the driver of a motorcycle used by the killer, a police statement said.

The suspects, who have since been arrested, turned over the handgun used in the shooting and gave testimony implicating the top two officials of the army brigade in the murder, the statement added.

Durante is not the only prominent public figure in the country accused of ordering a recent murder. The Philippines' top prison official, Bureau of Corrections Director General Gerald Bantag, is accused of plotting the killing of a radio journalist.

Bantag was suspended by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last October amid an investigation into the death of an imprisoned gangster, Jun Villamor, whom a confessed gunman identified as the person who asked him to kill radio commentator Percival Mabasa for 550,000 pesos ($9,650).

Families seek answers after a serial killer claims four lives

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A string of historic bipartisan victories during the last Congress  including an update of the Electoral Count Act and transformational investments in infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing, veterans protections and new energy transitions  demonstrate that Congress really can work in a bipartisan and productive manner for the American people. With a new Republican majority in the House of Representatives, insider experts predict Congress will grind to a halt. We hope the bipartisan successes of the last two years can instead be a road map for additional cooperation and improvement.

The flip in control from Democrats to Republicans in the House not only marks the beginning of a new chapter that will heavily influence the remainder of President Joe Bidens four-year term; it also presents the new Republican majority in the House with key opportunities to strengthen and reform Congress itself.

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We dont rule out more big bipartisan ideas, such as modest immigration reform, fresh investment in our cybersecurity and election protection, and greater unity on policies with China. But we recommend essential and timely action that our representatives should take during the next several weeks that will further modernize the legislative branch, increase the publics faith that members of Congress are held to the highest ethical standards and bring greater transparency to the lawmaking process. These are all goals that many Republicans and Democrats articulated in various promises on the campaign trail.

First, we strongly urge the House to create a permanent subcommittee within the House Committee on House Administration to continue the important work of the bipartisan House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress to make our legislative branch a more effective, efficient and transparent institution.

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Article I of our Constitution calls for a strong, functioning and representative legislative branch, and over the last four years, the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress  under the leadership of Chairman Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Vice Chairman William Timmons, R-S.C., and previously Tom Graves, R-Ga.  has advanced a total of 202 bipartisan recommendations. Of those, around 130 have been fully or partially implemented.

The result is an improved Congress thats working better for constituents seeking help in district offices and citizens searching for more information about pending legislation. Thats a huge bipartisan success story.

More specifically, these accomplishments include a new system that allows the public to easily track how amendments change legislation and the impact of proposed legislation to current law, the establishment of bipartisan committee staff briefings and agenda-setting retreats to encourage better policymaking and collaboration among members, improved new member orientation, and more opportunities for constituents to better communicate with their elected representatives.

Second, Congress must reinforce and not hinder the Office of Congressional Ethics, or OCE. This independent and nonpartisan ethics watchdog was created in 2008 to restore public confidence in the House by holding members of Congress accountable for ethics violations. Yet the new rules package passed by the House on Jan. 9 seriously undercuts OCEs authority and undermines its ability to fulfill its mandate.

The changes will result in a number of key vacancies and require the OCE to hire its staff for the 118th Congress within 30 days of the adoption of the rule, a random requirement and highly restrictive to attract new staff  and the clock is already ticking. This unprecedented move will likely result in a hamstrung ethics office that is potentially understaffed and unable to conduct investigations in order to safeguard against corruption in the House.

These efforts to hobble the OCE will only reduce trust and transparency in the House. Both parties have campaigned on these similar themes of clean the swamp and reform Congress and hold members accountable. Lets see their campaign promises enacted into bipartisan law.

Our country has been watching and wondering what will happen to newly elected Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who has apparently lied about his work experience, education background and even his mothers presence on 9/11, by fabricating virtually every aspect of his resume. His high-profile case, possibly including campaign finance violations, will certainly be reviewed by OCE. This Santos affair is an embarrassing episode and erodes confidence in our democratic process, and its why we need a strong OCE to rid corruption from the halls of Congress.

[ Editorial: The lesson from George Santos? Dont elect such candidates in the first place. ]

Third, the House should adopt a more open system for representatives to offer amendments to legislation that has advanced to the full floor. We both advocated for this change while serving in Congress, with mixed results.

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Republican and Democratic leadership has resisted calls for more open rules in recent years to avoid politically difficult votes, but this is one important way that members are able to effectively represent their constituents and have a voice in our legislative process.

Such a move will allow all members  particularly newly elected representatives who may not wield as much power as their longer-serving committee chairs or leadership colleagues  to fully participate in the peoples House and encourage a healthy and lively debate on a host of issues. Power to write legislation has gravitated to the speakers office when the substantive work of Congress is its expertise on committees and its talented membership.

Benjamin Franklin said, Laws without morals are in vain. By passing bipartisan laws and enforcing strong ethics, our elected leaders can once again demonstrate that they are working for the people and promoting the common good.

Zach Wamp is a former Republican congressman from Tennessee. Tim Roemer is a former Democratic congressman from Indiana and the U.S. ambassador to India. They are co-chairs of Issue Ones ReFormers Caucus.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Police in Florida have made an arrest in the murder of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan last year and said that they believed the suspect did not work alone.

On Wednesday, Jacksonville Beach Police Department Chief Gene Paul Smith, joined by State Attorney Melissa Nelson, announced the arrest of 61-year-old Henry Tenon. Tenon was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, second degree murder with a weapon, accessory after the fact to a capital felony, and child abuse, police announced.

Nelson explained that Tenon was charged with conspiracy to commit murder charge because he did not act alone. The 61-year-old is set to have his first appearance in court on Thursday, when investigators will pursue an indictment for first degree murder that carries a mandatory life in prison sentence.

Nelson did not disclose any further details about the alleged conspiracy and said the authorities were sharing "limited information" and sealing Tenon's arrest affidavit and warrant for the next 30 days to protect the ongoing investigation.

In February 2022, Bridegan was driving home after having dinner with his 9-year-old twins and 2-year old daughter, Smith said. After dropping off the twins with their mom, he drove home with his daughter and came upon a tire blocking the road.

"That tire was purposely placed there to make him stop," Smith said.

Bridegan placed his car in park and exited the vehicle to presumably move the tire when he was "gunned down in cold blood," Smith said.

According to police, nothing was stolen from Bridegan; his 2-year-old daughter was strapped in her car seat during the murder.

"This was a planned, targeted ambush and murder," Smith said.

Smith asked anyone with any information that relates to Tenon or the case to reach out to authorities.

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Jan. 25ASHTABULA  Children starting kindergarten this fall will learn new street smarts when Safety Town returns to Ashtabula, come summer.

The Ashtabula Police Department will be partnering with the Ashtabula Fire Department to restart the Safety Town program. Dates, times and registration information will be forthcoming.

"The Ashtabula Police Department is very pleased to announce we will be partnering with the Ashtabula Fire Department to recommence Safety Town," Police Chief Robert Stell said. "The Ashtabula Area City Schools have graciously provided space for the program to take place at the elementary campus on Wade Avenue."

Safety Town is a one-week course that focuses on teaching children safe practices at school and at home. The curriculum includes bicycle, pedestrian, school bus, fire, gun and seat belt safety. They'll also learn about calling 911 and stranger danger.

The popular program uses a realistic, child-sized town designed to provide hands-on learning.

City Manager Jim Timonere said Safety Towns was something city police looked forward to doing.

"We are excited to be able to put the program back together and appreciate all those who have been willing to be sponsors and assist with this program, including our Fire Department," he said. "This type of outreach and interaction with the kids in the area is important and we hope to have as much participation as we once did."

The program largely exists on donations.

"Any organization, business or individual who wishes to make a donation to Safety Town will be greatly appreciated," Stell said.

To donate, make checks payable to the Fraternal Order of Police No. 26. Checks may be mailed to the Ashtabula Police Department, 110 W. 44th St., Ashtabula, OH 44004.
Monterey Park mayor Henry Lo kneels at a makeshift memorial outside the scene of a deadly mass shooting at a ballroom dance studio on January 23, 2023 in Monterey Park, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Asian Americans saw two back-to-back mass shootings in their communities.

On Saturday, 11 people in Monterey Park were killed; 7 more died in Half Moon Bay on Monday.

Fear of violence among Asian people has been higher since the pandemic, advocates told Insider.

When May Lee asked her University of Southern California students about their initial reaction to Saturday's tragic shooting in Monterey Park, she said the first thought on everyone's mind was the fear that a hate crime occurred.

These anxieties have been compounded in recent years due to increased violence against the AAPI community as a result of racist rhetoric about the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee, who teaches about Asian Americans in the media, told Insider.

"It is a collective fear that all of us have gone through and continue to go through," Lee said. "And even though this shooting was not your typical racially charged hate crime, it still was an act of violence. And so that's going to trigger any kind of fear and anxiety."

At least 11 people were killed and nine others were injured after a mass shooting took place a few miles east of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night during Lunar New Year celebrations. The city of Monterey Park, where the shooting occurred, is more than 65% Asian. All of the victims, patrons of Star Ballroom Dance Studio, were of Asian descent.

Just two days later, a second gunman opened fire at two separate locations in Half Moon Bay, killing seven people. While the identities of the victims have not yet been confirmed, authorities have said they were of Asian and Hispanic descent.

The suspects in both shootings were later revealed to be Asian men, diminishing fears that the attacks were hate crimes, but advocates say the violence adds to the dread that Asian Americans have experienced the past several years.

"The race of the attacker did not change how deeply Asian Americans have felt about being under threat, or experiencing a lack of safety," Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and the executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, told Insider. "We know that this is not a hate crime in the traditional sense, but it does feel that these community members were targeted and that race played a role."

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Despite this, media outlets and pundits have brought up the race of the Monterey Bay shooter to dismiss fears of violence that the Asian American community faces, Insider's Yoonji Han wrote.

"Even if it's not hate related, we're still feeling such sensitivity and fear in the context of what's happened," Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, told Insider. "That's hard."

'Anti-Asian hate doesn't always come from the outside'

The Monterey Park shooting occurring during the Lunar New Year, which Lee described as the "biggest holiday" for Asians around the world, added another layer of pain to the tragedy.

For the city, this two-day festival was particularly noteworthy  it was the first time the festival was held since the pandemic.

"It's significant because it is supposed to be about a new year of renewal, fresh start, and especially the Year the Water Rabbit is all about peace and calm and tranquility," Lee said. "And so, of course, people are going to be rattled by the new year starting this way, in the most violent way with loss of life."

For many Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans, Monterrey Park is a place in the greater Los Angeles region to gather and find community, which Joe said made the violence feel like an attack on "our community and our culture." The city was once dubbed America's first Chinatown and became the first Asian-majority city in the US in the 1980s.

"The fact that this has happened in such a large community like Monterey Park that is two-thirds Asian American  this is the San Gabriel Valley region, which is the home of the largest API community in the country  that it happens on one of the most important holidays for our community, it's kind of like the equivalent of somebody cutting down a Christmas Day Parade," Joe said.

Kulkarni and Joe both pointed to last year's Laguna Woods, California shooting as another example of how anti-Asian sentiment can still exist even when the perpetrators of the violence are also Asian.

'If a virus can paint us like a threat, what will the visible picture of an Asian gunman do?'

Before the Monterey Park community had time to identify its victims, the Half Moon Bay shooting occurred on Monday and Asian American communities were once again forced into an unwanted spotlight when the 67-year-old suspected gunman opened fire upon his fellow farm workers.

The suspected shooter in the Monterey Park shooting was 72 years old. According to statistics from the RAND Corporation, a government-funded think tank, between 1976 and 2018, 82% of all mass shooters in the US were under the age of 45. According to the Institute for Predictive Analytics in Criminal Justice, a research initiative of Texas A&M University, the average age of 179 mass shootings analyzed between 1966 and 2021 is 34.

The unexpected violence, perpetrated by community elders, has been of particular concern among Asian American communities reacting to the news.

"What is happening to our Asian uncles?" Chinese American author Nicole Ng Zhao posted on Twitter. Her writings, exploring Asian American assimilation and relationships, have been featured in Witness Magazine and Roxane Gay's The Audacity. "Thinking about immigrant rage, masculinity, isolation, lack of social infrastructure and community, and America's hyperviolent culture. please check in on your Asian dads, grandpas, uncles and show them love."

Preacher Richard Lee, who hosts the popular faith-based interview podcast "The Pursuit with Richard Lee," predicted the shootings would likely result in increased anti-Asian violence and social isolation among a community that has already historically faced discriminatory "othering" in the United States.

"For the last 3 years, we've watched our Asian elderly be the victims of anti-Asian violence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been pushed, stomped beaten and murdered," Lee posted on Twitter. "The core of the anti-Asian violence was centered on seeing Asians as a threat. If an invisible, microscopic virus can paint us as a threat, what will the visible prominent picture of an Asian gunman do?"

The violence is already affecting the well-being of the community

Kulkarni and Joe said that, right now, their organizations are focused on connecting community members to the services they need, whether that be mental health resources or victim advocacy. Kulkarni told Insider the AAPI Equity Coalition's resource sheet received several hundred views within hours of being published after the Monterey Park shooting.

Joe said that the violence also personally affected her family and her organization, which was supposed to have a booth at the Monterey Park Festival on Sunday.

"I know a lot of people are choosing not to go out and celebrate Lunar New Year in a public way that they had planned, including my own family," Joe said. "We were going to be at that Monterey Park festival and my organization was supposed to have a booth and, had it not been canceled, I would have still not brought my family to that festival."

Kulkarni told Insider that, after years of increased hate against Asians, the fear and pain is compounded by acts of violence like these shootings, making the impact on the community even more palpable.

"That caused community members to feel unsafe and to feel like they were under threat," Kulkarni told Insider. "And unfortunately, this tragedy confirmed that, in fact, they were still under threat."

Read the original article on Insider
Ukrainian marines showed a rout of a Russian assault convoy in Donetsk Oblast in mid-January.

Source: Video of 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynsky

Quote: "Audacious negative advance of the second army of the world was shattered during an effective and well-coordinated defensive battle of our defenders in Donetsk Oblast."

Details: According to the brigades message, the well-coordinated defensive operation carried out by Ukrainian soldiers took place on 15 January near the settlement of Vodiane.

The 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynsky completely routed a Russian assault convoy.

In particular, the video shows Ukrainian artillery in operation: the Stuhna-P Ukrainian anti-tank guided missile, MT-12 Rapira anti-tank gun and the UAVs, that rained ammunition on the occupiers heads.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






Barstow resident James Ochoa, 26, was arrested shortly after 9 a.m. on Jan. 24, 2023, after an overnight investigation by Barstow Police Department into the scorching of a car at a local home.

A Barstow man is in jail on suspicions of felony arson for allegedly torching another person's car in the driveway of their local home.

James Ochoa, 26, was arrested shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday by Barstow Police detective Austyn Willis and assisting officers after an overnight investigation led them to his local residence at 310 South Muriel Drive, according to a Barstow PD statement and San Bernardino County booking information.

The Barstow resident was being held at the county jail on suspicions of a felony arson charge defined in California's penal code as arson of property  which is "punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, two, or three years" for those convicted  though Ochoa hadn't been officially charged with any crimes as of Wednesday in lieu of any court appearances.

The car fire occurred Monday night at home on the 700 block of Caliente Drive, which sits a few hundred feet south of the Barstow PD station and about a mile west of the house at which Ochoa was arrested Tuesday morning.

Barstow Police officer Eric Santos was first to respond to the scene of the fire shortly after 9 p.m. Monday and found the car "in the driveway of a residence with the front of the vehicle on fire," Barstow PD said in a Facebook post. Barstow Fire Protection District responded shortly after that and extinguished the fire.

Investigators appear to have found myriad evidence that night. Santos interviewed the unidentified owner of the vehicle and multiple other witnesses at the scene of the fire. Officers also tapped into surveillance footage of the area. They found "physical evidence on scene that was left behind by the suspect," which led them to identify Ochoa as the alleged culprit.

"Officers checked multiple locations for Ochoa during the evening but were unsuccessful in locating him," Barstow PD's Facebook post states. That led to the arrest at his apparent home in Barstow the following day.

Ochoa remained in custody as of Wednesday morning at the county sheriff's jail in Adelanto, High Desert Detention Center, according to his booking details. He was being held on a bail amount of $250,000, with his next court appearance set for 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Victorville Superior Court.

Charlie McGee covers Californias High Desert for the Daily Press, focusing on the city of Barstow and its surrounding communities. He is also a Report for America corps member with The GroundTruth Project, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and worldwide. McGee may be reached at 760-955-5341 or cmcgee@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @bycharliemcgee.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Barstow man suspected of felony arson for car fire near his home
There is convincing evidence that freshman U.S. Rep. George Santos, a Republican, lied about his alma mater, his employment history, his ethnic heritage, his family history, his sporting prowess, his financial skills and the source of his campaign funds.

Santos has admitted to embellishments (hardly the full story) but has denied breaking any laws. Yet Politico reported Wednesday that Santos campaign had filed numerous expenses all with the improbably precise amount of $199.99, just one cent below the threshold that would have triggered a requirement to preserve invoices or receipts.

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Like so much with Santos, that little scheme boggles the mind.

We add our voice to the massed choir that calls for Santos resignation. If a fabulist of this level of invention is fit to serve in Congress, then the message sent to young Americans about what public service represents and demands is utterly compromised. It befuddles us that Santos Republican colleagues apparently dont see this situation through a longer lens than the political expediency of the moment.

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But thats not our main point here. The Santos situation is a reminder that once unsuitable candidates are elected for public office, they are very difficult to remove because colleagues weigh the possibility of other consequences, especially for themselves. Exhibit A here is former President Donald Trump.

There were plenty of early misgivings in the media when it came to Trump. But when it comes to local races, voters cannot always trust the media with the biggest reach to do that job for them.

[ Tim Roemer and Zach Wamp: Heres how the new Congress can promote good governance and boost public confidence ]

For example, as the Washington Post eventually noted, a small paper on Long Island cast serious doubts on the veracity of Santos back story, as the paper was doing its early due diligence by scrubbing the candidate via publicly available records.

Back in September, Long Islands The North Shore Leader figured out that Santos had not adequately explained the source of a sudden increase in his net wealth, and that he appeared to own no actual U.S. real estate despite claims of owning mansions. The North Shore Leader is a Republican-leaning newspaper, but Santos was a bridge too far. Hes most likely just a fabulist, the paper wrote. A fake.

Strong words. Gutsy words. Accurate words, subsequent events have suggested.

That should have been the end of Santos candidacy right there, but the problem was that no one appeared to have paid attention in the ensuing weeks. The fine work done by the North Shore Leader did not stop Santos.

In part, this surely was an example of East Coast media types spending too much time on Twitter and sexier, morecompetitive stories than paying attention to the well-researched words of a small paper on Long Island concerning a Republican candidate for Congress.

Perhaps the paper itself did not do all it could have to get the word out about this fabulist and fake on the ballot. But this surely was a reminder that even though we hear a lot about the collapse of local news in America, there remains some excellent, on-the-ground journalism. In this case, at least, the issue was not a lack of reporting on the inconsistencies in Santos story, because clearly there was such reporting, but on the problem of nobody with a bigger megaphone actually paying timely attention.

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Its one thing to talk about a crisis in local news, but sometimes the crisis is caused by misplaced priorities within the national media.

The Santos affair looks to us like a consequence of snobby, old-fashioned, journalistic elitism. The result was the election of a man who egregiously deceived his supporters (on any number of important matters) and who thus had no right to be in office as their representative. The facts were in plain sight if anyone had cared to look.

Of course, voters have an obligation here, too. The Santos affair is a reminder that it is imperative to get to know the candidates for whom you are voting, whatever the nature of the election.

This can be especially true in primaries, but anyone who plans to vote, say, for Chicagos next mayor has a duty to check out these candidates.

Do their personal histories ring true? Are there records of all the things these candidates claim? This newspaper has worked hard for decades to root out fakes and fabulists and, as far as we can tell, there are no Santos-like candidates in the mayoral race. Just honorable candidates who believe they have the best plans for the future of our city. As we have now met with them all, we salute their dedication to public service and their desire for a job so tough that many people would demur.

But Santos is one heck of a reminder of how far one man can get if the usual checks and balances within our democracy do not function as they should. We should have learned that lesson the last time it happened.

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Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Attorney Ben Crump has threatened to sue Gov. Ron DeSantis over the rejection of AP African-American Studies courses in public schools.

Students are also sending a message to the governor and his administration about their decision.

READ: Man found shot to death at newly constructed apartment complex in Orlando

After it was not approved by DeSantis, Seminole County Schools removed it from its initial course selection, the college board is looking to revise the AP African American Studies course, but that is of little comfort to many in the African-American community who believe whatever is offered will not be accurate.

Crump said Wednesday that the governor needs to negotiate with the college board to allow the class to be taught in the classroom, or a historic lawsuit will be coming from students who are denied to learn.

READ: ZORA! Festival 2023: Heres whats happening this weekend

See the full story in the video above.

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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.
After weeks of discussion, the Biden administration is preparing to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, according to three senior U.S. officials.

The administration may announce the decision as early as Wednesday. The current plan includes a couple dozen Abrams tanks, but the officials stressed that the decision is not yet final and could change.

The tanks would not be available to the Ukrainians immediately. It will take many months before the high-tech vehicles arrive on the ground in Ukraine, the officials said, and the training for Ukrainian troops is also expected to take several months.

The tanks would be paid for through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which draws weapons and equipment from private industry rather than from the U.S. stockpile.

The decision to move forward with providing the tanks would be a reversal for the Biden administration, which had been resisting pressure from Germany to send them to Ukraine.

Just this past Friday, U.S. officials insisted President Joe Biden was not inclined to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine because members of his national security team, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, did not believe they would be a net positive for the Ukrainians given how difficult they are to operate and maintain.

One official also stressed at the time that Biden would not provide the Ukrainians with a costly, difficult-to-maintain system that his team doesnt think would help them against the Russians.

It was not immediately clear what may have led the Biden administration to apparently shift its stance on sending the tanks.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder declined to address the issue Tuesday at a briefing. When and if we have something to announce, we will, he said.

Earlier Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration is leaning toward sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
At 19:00 Kyiv time, US President Joe Biden will make an announcement in the White House declaring a continuation of his countrys support of Ukraine.

Source: the Presidents administration, European Pravda writes

As of now, the content of Bidens announcement is not specified, yet it is noteworthy that his statement will take place right after Germany officially declared that they will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Earlier, the media revealed information indicating that the United States are prepared to send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

According to Spiegel, at this stage, the European allies are discussing joint transfer of 80 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, in order to form two battalions consisting of 40 tanks each.

Jens Stoltenberg, General Secretary of NATO, thinks that the Leopard tanks can help Ukraine win this war.



Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the United States is sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The U.S. will also provide the necessary training and supplies needed to operate and run these tanks, he said.

Sending the tanks will "enhance Ukraines capacity to defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives" because they are "the most capable tanks in the world, Biden said.

"Thats what this is about  helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land. It is not an offensive threat to Russia, there is no offensive threat to Russia," the president said.

NBC News reported the development Tuesday.

During a background call previewing Bidens remarks, senior administration officials said the announcement is very much a continuation of our effort to provide Ukraine with the capabilities that they need to continue to better defend themselves.

And its also in keeping with that representative of a long term, long term commitment that we have to Ukraines defense needs, a senior administration official said.

In his remarks announcing the move, Biden emphasized that 31 M1 Abrams tanks are the equivalent of one Ukrainian tank battalion.

The U.S. will also provide a training program to maintain and operate the tanks, as well as eight M88 recovery vehicles to go along with the Abrams tanks that will provide recovery operations to make sure that the Ukrainians will be able to keep these Abrams up and running, a senior administration official said.

Ukrainian servicemen examine an RPG rocket in a trench in Donetsk, Ukraine (Anatolii Stepanov / AFP via Getty Images file)

The training will not take place in Ukraine, a senior administration official added.

Biden said that the delivery of the tanks into the fields will "take time" that the U.S. will use to ensure "Ukrainians are fully prepared to integrate the Abram tanks into their defenses.

The president said the announcement was "closely coordinated" with allies as he praised German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for providing German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and leading an effort to organize a European contribution of two tank battalions to support the country. Biden's announcement was paired with Scholz's news of the move.

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Biden also commended the United Kingdom, France, Poland, Italy, Canada, Slovakia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland for donating "critical air defense systems to help secure Ukrainian skies and save the lives of innocent civilians."

"As we approach the one-year mark with the Russia full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we remain united and determined as ever in our conviction and our cause," he said. "These tanks are further evidence of our enduring, unflagging commitment to Ukraine and our confidence in the skill of the Ukrainian forces."

A senior official said the decision to send the tanks was made after continued diplomatic conversations over the last few weeks with European allies and partners, including Germany.

President Biden will be or has spoken with Chancellor Scholz several times this month to coordinate on security assistance to Ukraine, including the joint announcement that we made a couple of weeks ago on Patriot [missiles] and the provisions of other assistance, the official said.

The presidents announcement comes after he held a call with Scholz of Germany along with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to continue discussions on aiding Ukraine.

Sunak welcomed decisions by allies to announce major battle tank contributions.

A Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday that the decisive, collective action would be a catalyst for other countries to follow suit. The prime minister said it was now clear Russia was on the backfoot, and there was a window for international partners to accelerate efforts to secure lasting peace for Ukraine. He called on allies to intensify their support in the coming weeks and months."

President Joe Biden walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images file)

The decision is a reversal for the Biden administration, which had been resisting pressure from Germany to send the tanks to Ukraine. U.S. officials previously insisted that Biden was not inclined to provide Abrams tanks because members of his national security team, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, did not believe they would be a net positive for the Ukrainians given how difficult they are to operate and maintain.

Asked by NBC News Andrea Mitchell on the background call what had changed in recent days and weeks for the U.S. to decide to send the tanks, a senior official said the administration has been trying to do the best we can to evolve the capabilities we are providing with to Ukraine with the war itself.

And I think we all look at whats happening now and what we expect to happen in the future, particularly in the Donbas area, the kinds of capabilities that Ukraine really needs are combined arms maneuver capabilities, the ability to fight effectively in open terrain, particularly and armored capabilities are a key part of that, the senior administration official said.

During his announcement, Biden denied that Germany forced his hand on sending tanks to Ukraine.

Germany didnt force me to change my mind. We wanted to make sure we were all together. Thats what we were going to do all along, the president said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Top Democratic leaders on Tuesday exited their firstWhite House meeting since the start of the new Congress projecting a united front and sending a clear message about their GOP colleagues: Its us versus them.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, flanked by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other leaders from both chambers, tried to set the tone for the next two years against a fresh House Republican majority currently threatening a showdown with the White House over the nations debt limit.

Democrats are unified. Republicans are in chaos, Schumer told reporters after congressional Democrats met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in a Roosevelt Room meeting. Democrats are saying that we can come together in a moderate way. [Republicans] are extremists. Thats the contrast: Unity versus chaos.



The stalemate over the nations debt ceiling was a prime example of how the shift in congressional power could shape the rest of Bidens term, as Republican lawmakers push for spending cuts before agreeing to Democrats requests to increase the debt limit.

At the start of the meeting, Biden said: I have no intention of letting the Republicans wreck our economy, nor does anybody around this table. He is expected to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to discuss the standoff, though White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday said she had no updates about timing for when.

Later, Schumer said the White House and Democratic leaders were on the same page regarding the debt ceiling. White House officials have continued to stress that Congress must pass a clean limit increase, noting that lawmakers raised the debt ceiling three times under former President Donald Trump without demanding spending cuts.

One of the things we want to do on the debt ceiling is say to Republicans, show us your plan, Schumer said. Do they want to cut Social Security? Do they want to cut Medicare? Do they want to cut veterans benefits? Do they want to cut police? Do they want to cut food for needy kids? Whats your plan? We dont know if they can even put one together.

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Jeffries described the meeting as wonderful, adding that the group discussed jobs, infrastructure and the administrations accomplishments. Schumer also said the group agreed to lean into implementation of the bills theyve passed.

One of the things were going to work together on, the president, the House, the Senate, is making sure that implementation of all the good things that we did in the last two years gets to the people quickly, in a real way, and gets to the right people  the working families of America, Schumer said.

Schumer and Jeffries were joined by House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.)

The Democratic leaders retreated back into the White House without taking questions on the presidents handling of classified documents, a storyline that has dominated the new year for Biden.



The White House on Tuesday evening also hosted new members of Congress for a reception in the East Room.

Olivia Olander contributed to this report.
An independent third party should investigate the alleged misconduct by the Binghamton Police Department on Jan. 1, according to legislation proposed Monday by the three Democratic members of Binghamton City Council.

The legislation was ultimately tabled until the next work session, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 6.

Councilmembers Aviva Friedman, Angela Riley and Joe Burns held a news conference Monday afternoon at the corner of State and Hawley streets, the site where 24-year-old Hamail Waddell was pinned to the ground by Officer Brad Kaczynski during his arrest in the early hours of Jan. 1  an event that shook our worlds, Riley said.

The footage of the incident that has been shared locally and globally caused viewers to reflect back to the late George Floyd, Riley said. After viewing the video of George Floyd dying with a police officers knee on his neck, we never dreamed we would see a similar video in our hometown.

Democratic Binghamton City Councilmembers Aviva Friedman, Joe Burns and Angela Riley stand at the corner of Hawley and State streets Monday, Jan. 23, to propose the launch of a third-party investigation into alleged misconduct by the Binghamton Police Department.

Multiple bystander videos show Waddell, who is Black and Asian, handcuffed, laying facedown on the sidewalk and shouting I cant breathe as onlookers plead with Kaczynski to remove his knee from Waddells neck.

Waddell pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest at his Jan. 18 arraignment.

In a signed deposition obtained by the Press & Sun-Bulletin/pressconnects, Kaczynski claims he attempted to arrest Waddell for disorderly conduct after he engaged in a large, mutually combative fight near the Collier Street parking lot.

Local advocates have disputed the claim that Waddell was engaged in a fight of any sort at the time of his arrest, claiming instead he was the victim of an assault by a group of college-aged men.

Mayor Jared Kraham said he expects video of the incident will be released when the city's investigation concludes. The Press & Sun-Bulletin/pressconnects has filed a request under New York's Freedom of Information Law to obtain body camera footage of the incident.

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On Monday, Friedman highlighted what she described as the subjective language of the use of force policy outlined in the BPD manual  the reasonableness of force will be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene at the time of the incident. Friedman urged the need for a review of the incident to minimize bias.

It is imperative that an external reviewer is contracted to ensure the city upholds the rights of all citizens and minimizes the harm to communities impacted and the City of Binghamton as a whole, Friedman said. It is our goal that every citizen will be assured that there was no conflict of interest in the review of the events that took place right here on Jan. 1.

More:Hamail Waddell pleads not guilty amid calls for charges against Binghamton police officer

More:NY Attorney General investigating Binghamton police's arrest of Hamail Waddell: What to know

Officer on administrative duty as NY Attorney General investigates

The Binghamton Police Department announced Jan. 6 that Kaczynski would be placed on administrative duty while the department investigates the incident.

Speaking at the news conference, Burns called for Kaczynskis immediate suspension until the completion of an independent investigation, which is expected to include whether Kaczynskis knee on Waddells neck constituted a violation of Binghamtons use of force policy and New Yorks Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Law.

Adelaide Castro comforts her boyfriend's sister, Aysha Waddell, as she and her mother, Sonya, and sister, Ahmoni, left, address members of the Binghamton City Council on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

Burns said the proposed third-party investigation should coincide with that of the New York State Attorney General, announced last week.

We appreciate Letitia James and the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney Generals office for their interest in this event, and we welcome their involvement, he said. However, we request a comprehensive review beyond the civil rights component.

While an outside firm has yet to be designated for this proposed investigation, Friedman said the City Council has ample precedent on the matter of hiring an independent firm to investigate its police department.

In 2015, Binghamton-based law firm Coughlin & Gerhart was tapped to lead an independent investigation into claims that Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski made unwanted sexual advances toward a female subordinate and improperly disciplined her when she refused him.

Zikuski returned to work following a 15-week paid suspension when the law firm found no specific complaints or evidence of harassment or discrimination within the police department.

Proposal would need Republican support

Riley and Burns fielded questions from other members of City Council at a work session Monday night, although the proposed legislation was ultimately tabled, given the absence of Republican members Giovanni Scaringi and Sophia Resciniti, as well as Friedman, who was ill.

The City of Binghamton has yet to say, as a whole, by any of our appointed leaders, that this should not have happened, and this will not happen to you, or to your children, ever, Riley said at the work session. None of you have said that, and none of you have responded  that is a problem.

It's 2023 and here we go again. No matter what this man may have done, police should not be putting their knees on people's necks, especially if they are already handcuffed. This happened in Binghamton, NY on 1/1/23 #HamailWaddell #JusticeForHamail #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/vLDWbeaS0X  Darryl Wharton-Rigby - (@whartonrigby) January 3, 2023

It may not have shook you like it shook me, because things like that happen to people that look like me more so than some of you, said Riley, who is Black. But the point is our people, our residents, our constituents need to know that were actively doing something. Instead were sitting by, waiting.

Republican Councilmember Thomas Scanlon said he would not support a third-party investigation while the Attorney Generals Office looks into the case.

Theres no better set of eyes to look at this thing, to me, than the Attorney General, he said. Why would I entertain hiring somebody else to look at this? It makes zero sense to me.

Scanlon, conceding that Riley and others may have seen more videos of the Jan. 1 incident, continued:

I cant tell if the officer is on the kids neck or not, and I dont know how anybody can, based on one video theyve seen. Im confident the City of Binghamton will get this right, but I certainly welcome the Attorney General looking into this, too.

Riley countered that the video clearly showed someone on the ground, in handcuffs, with an officer on them.

I dont know what happened, and neither do you, Scanlon replied. You think you know what happened, but you dont.

We dont agree, Riley said.

After the meeting, Riley said in an email to the Press & Sun-Bulletin/pressconnects that she is not confident the legislation will move forward without approval from Kraham.

Though Kraham does not have a vote on City Council issues, the Republican majority largely follows his lead, Riley said.

In an emailed statement to the Press & Sun-Bulletin, Kraham called the proposed investigation a moot point, citing the ongoing nature of the Attorney Generals investigation and the lack of necessary support from myself or City Council to move the proposal forward.

The City shouldnt do anything to undermine the AGs review and the integrity of the fact-finding process, he said.

Waddells family members have spoken out about police conduct during the Jan. 1 incident.

My brother is a light, his younger sister, Ahmoni, told city council members at the Jan. 11 meeting, going on to describe Hamail as a bright, sensitive, strong-willed, intelligent, passionate and protective person.

I know that there are people out there that have or will create their own narratives of him and our family to excuse this injustice that has been forced upon him, she said. But no matter which way you try to spin it, Brad Kaczynski of BPD was malicious and incredibly inconsiderate of human life.

The very least we each deserve in this life is humanity. My brother deserved at least that, and thats exactly what he was deprived of that night.

[Watch the video at the top of this story]

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Binghamton police should be reviewed for Waddell arrest, Democrats say
STORY: Bolivians are buying tiny objects in the hopes they will soon own the real thing

Location: La Paz, Bolivia

'Alasita' is an annual festival that honors Ekeko, the god of abundance

Date: January 24, 2023

People buy anything from tiny cars to small houses to rolls of cash

in the hope that Ekeko will recognize their offering

Ekeko is represented by a chubby person with miniature pendants hanging from his clothing
6-Year-Old Boy Shoots His Teacher At Richneck Elementary School In Newport News, Virginia

A school sign wishing students a "Happy New Year" is seen outside Richneck Elementary School on in Newport News, Virginia on January 7, 2023. Credit - Photo by Jay PaulGetty Images

Administrators at a school in Newport News, Virginia were allegedly warned three times in that a 6-year-old student had a gun and had made threats to use it, but they neglected to act before he shot his teacher later that day, putting her in critical condition, the teachers lawyer said Wednesday.

Richneck Elementary School teacher Abigail Zwerner, 25, was the sole victim of the shooting on Jan. 6, 2023, and although she survived, her lawyer Diane Toscano claims that the shooting was entirely preventable if Newport News School District administrators had taken proper measures to investigate and handle the threat. She added that Zwerner intends to sue the school district.

On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different timesthree timesschool administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people. But the administration could not be bothered, Toscano said at a press conference gathering Wednesday.

Were they not so paralyzed by apathy they could have prevented this tragedy, Toscano said, adding that administrators didnt call the police, remove the boy from class or place the school under lockdown.

On the day of the shooting, Toscano said Zwerner, following protocol, notified school administrators around 11:15-11:30 AM that morning that a 6-year-old, who would later shoot Zwerner, had threatened to beat up another student. Toscano said that the school administration didnt call security or remove the student from the classroom.

Another teacher apparently received a warning that the boy had a gun, and approached a school administrator at 12:30 PM, saying that she had searched the boys bookbag, following protocol, but suspected that he put the gun in his pocket and went out for recess. The administrator allegedly responded saying, Well, he has little pockets.

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Just after 1 P.M., a third teacher told administrators that another student, crying and fearful, admitted to the teacher that he had seen the gun at recess, and the shooter threatened to shoot him if he told anybody, according to Toscano.

A fourth school employee who heard about the danger asked an administrator for permission to conduct a search of the child, but was denied and told to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over, Toscano said.

Shortly after 2 P.M., just as the school day was ending, the boy pulled out the gun and shot Zwerner in the hand and chest while she was teaching a lesson, according to Newport News police, who also said that Zwerner evacuated all the other students from the classroom after she was shot.

Since the shooting, the school districts superintendent, George Parker, has come under criticism by parents who call for his resignation or firing. Six days after the shooting, Parker admitted that at least one administrator had been told that the boy may have a gun the day of the shooting. On Wednesday, the Newport News School Board will meet to discuss a separation agreement and severance for the superintendent, Newport News Public Schools did not respond to TIMEs request for comment.

When the Newport News School District sends a message that teachers are expendable, that this is just a hazard of the job if you teach at Newport News, their response will hover over this school district and this community for decades, Toscano said.

Since they cant roll back time and undo the callousness of the bureaucracy, they can do the right thing and admit what went wrong and fix it, she added.

Toscano said that since the shooting, Zwerner has been home recovering and gaining strength every day, but that Zwerner was between surgeries and physical therapy appointments and the bullet from the shooting remains dangerously inside Zwerners body. And while her physical condition is improving, Toscano said Zwerners psychological conditions cut deeply and remain fresh.

Abby Zwerner is the best of us, an optimistic, dedicated and caring elementary school teacher who endured the unthinkable; being shot purposely by a 6-year-old student in front of her first grade class while teaching, Toscano said.

According to a letter previously released by the shooters family, the gun belonged to the boys mother and they had stored it in a secure location. Newport News police confirmed that his mother had legally purchased the gun. The commonwealth attorneys office will decide if the mother will face any charges.

The letter also stated that the six-year-old boy has an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day. The week of the shooting was the first instance where neither parent accompanied the boy. Following the shooting, the boy received hospital care and the treatment he needs, according to the letter.

On Wednesday, James Ellenson, an attorney for the childs family, said in a statement that they continue to pray for Ms. Zwerner and wish her a complete and full recovery.
By Gabriel Burin and Valentine Hilaire

BUENOS AIRES/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Brazil's slowing economy will likely remain weak in 2023 as a planned spending drive by newly-elected President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva risks keeping already-high borrowing costs elevated for longer, a Reuters poll of economists found.

Lula's government, which took power on Jan. 1, is increasing the size of welfare programmes well beyond strict budget limits to address deeply-rooted social problems. Former President Jair Bolsonaro's government did not keep within those rules either.

However, many investors and analysts fear a new wave of planned spending could put Brazil's debt on even more unsustainable path and stir inflation, which is dropping after a long series of interest rate rises.

Heeding their worries, the central bank is set to keep benchmark rates high for a long time, but that may amplify an economic slowdown and stoke tensions with the government.

Growth is forecast to recede sharply to 0.8% in 2023 from 3.0% last year, according to median estimates of 44 economists polled between Jan. 9 and Jan. 20. The growth forecast for this year was unchanged from an October poll, with 2022 upgraded from 2.7%.

"The main reason for our negative outlook is in regards to the fiscal policy that is being implemented," Tomas Goulart, an economist at Novus Capital, said. His growth forecast for this year was just 0.5%.

With a possible reinstatement of taxes on fuels to help pay for extra spending measures "inflation will be around 5.0% in 2023 and the central bank won't be able to lower its Selic rate, reducing growth for the next years," he added.

This month, bank chief Roberto Campos Neto cited a likely restoration of taxes on fuels as one of the main factors behind his forecast of 5.0% inflation in 2023 - an outcome that would exceed the 4.75% objective for a third year.

Finance Minister Fernando Haddad presented a fiscal scheme to appease market concerns. Still, he said it was only a list of proposals that Lula had yet to approve and were prone to "frustrations", as well as more unexpected outlays.

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UPCOMING TAX REFORM

Domestic markets, which have remained calm recently, could be tested after the Southern Hemisphere summer break and Carnival holidays, as the government begins to press lawmakers to vote on a tax reform in the first-half.

"There are risks of higher inflation with the pass-through (to consumer prices) of a more depreciated exchange rate in case of sharper fiscal deterioration," Mauricio Nakahodo, senior economist at MUFG, said.

Asked a separate question on the overall trend for Brazil's GDP growth in 2023, a slight majority of seven of 12 who replied said it was tilted to the downside, while three saw upside potential, and two said neutral.

Headwinds hitting Latin America's No. 1 economy should be somewhat offset by an improvement in terms of trade from rising commodity prices due to China's reopening, and by the impact of Lula's policies on aggregate demand.

Estimates for Brazils growth in 2023 ranged from stagnation to 1.5%, while projections for Mexico varied between a 0.5% contraction and 1.7% growth, with the median in the survey pointing to a slowdown to 1.0% this year from 3.0% in 2022.

On the Mexican economy, Citi analysts said in a report they expected activity to decelerate "as the expansion of the U.S. economy loses traction, the improvement of the labor market slows down, (and) real interest rates increase".

But contrary to Brazil, where frictions between the central bank and government are materializing, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has praised policymakers for their work, supporting business confidence.

Also, the Mexican peso has been trading close to three-year highs against the U.S. dollar, reflecting a much more subdued political climate compared to this month's chaos on the streets of Brasilia.

(For other stories from the Reuters global economic poll:)

(Reporting by Gabriel Burin in Buenos Aires and Valentine Hilaire in Mexico City; Polling by Mumal Rathore, Shaloo Shrivastava and Vijayalakshmi Srinivasan in Bengaluru; Editing by Ross Finley and Tomasz Janowski)
Soldiers on a Polish Leopard tank participate on May 19, 2022, as troops from Poland, the U.S., France and Sweden take part in the DEFENDER-Europe 22 military exercise in Nowogard, Poland. (Wojtek Radwanski/AFP)

A pivotal juncture in the war in Ukraine looms this spring, when Russian forces are expected to launch a major offensive, most likely in the countrys eastern Donbas region where the Kremlins strategy has, up until now, failed badly.

Russia has been building up troop strength around the eastern city of Luhansk and fortifying territory it holds in the Donbas with pillboxes and miles of trenches and dragons teeth, concrete pyramids that impede tank movement.

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The Kremlin also has rained barrages of missiles on apartment buildings, hospitals and schools in Ukrainian cities  a campaign meant not just to inflict a barbaric toll on civilian lives, but also to force Ukraine to use up its air defense capabilities. One of those missile strikes on an apartment building in the central city of Dnipro killed 46 people  including six children  on Jan. 14 and wielded enough destructive power to instantaneously incinerate more than 30 apartments.

For Ukraine and its Western allies, theres no time to waste. The U.S. and NATO must help Kyiv brace for whatever westward offensive push Putin envisions.

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That means not tarrying on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys plea for tanks. Britain understands the urgency. The U.K. has committed to sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. This is the time, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said during a recent visit to Washington. If we want to bring this to a conclusion, we have to do it quickly  to give Ukraine the tools they need to get the job done. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who just visited Ukraine, has said much the same thing.

Other Western allies, however, have been stalling. Up until this week, the Biden administration had refused to send Zelenskyy any of its M1 Abrams tanks, relying on the excuse that those tanks have special maintenance and fuel needs, and are excessively complex for Ukrainians to operate. On Tuesday, there were signs that President Joe Biden was reconsidering his reluctance; The Wall Street Journal reported that the administration was leaning toward sending as many as 30 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, and that a final decision could come later in the week. But the Journal also reported that it could take up to a year to deliver the first tanks.

Germany, meanwhile, has resisted supplying Ukrainian forces with its Leopard 2 battle tanks, which like the M1 Abrams are top-shelf fighting machines that can help turn the tide of a war. Germany has sold Leopard 2 tanks to other NATO allies, and had been preventing those countries from shipping some of their tanks to Ukraine.

The contracts those countries have signed with Germany require them to get Berlins permission to re-export the tanks to another country. German officials have suggested they wont stand in the way of countries sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, but Berlin has yet to formally grant the necessary permission to other countries, or to commit to sending its own tanks.

Its the kind of fissure in NATO unity that President Vladimir Putin desperately craves.

Since his fateful decision to invade Ukraine nearly a year ago, the Russian leader has been humiliated on the battlefield by a Ukrainian fighting force he grossly underestimated. With the onset of winter, he has been able to slow the advance of Ukrainian troops farther into Russian-held Donbas lands, and even claimed victory in Soledar, a small town outside of the critical city of Bakhmut. Its widely expected that, in coming months, Putin will mount an aggressive offensive to push Ukrainian forces out of the Donbas and harness enough momentum to keep Russians behind the war movement.

And thats precisely why the U.S. and the rest of NATO must stop intra-alliance hemming and hawing, and give Ukraine the tanks it wants and needs  as soon as possible.

Abrams and Leopard tanks are ideally suited for the plains that stretch across much of the Donbas. They could play a key role in breaking through Russian lines, and moving Kyiv closer toward ending this heinous, destructive war. The Biden teams rationale for not sending Abrams tanks was flimsy at best. The vehicles turbines are anything but fuel-finicky  they can run on jet fuel, diesel or gasoline. And theres no reason why training cant be ramped up to get Ukrainian tank crews up to speed.

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Washingtons reluctance may have had more to do with worries about unnecessarily provoking Putin. However, the Biden administration already has sent HIMARS air defense systems to Ukraine and has committed to supplying Patriot missile systems  the kind of assistance to Ukraine that Putin previously had spoken ominously about. HIMARS launchers have been invaluable in Ukraines eastward push in the Donbas.

Putins unpredictability is indeed worrisome, but the bigger concern must be Ukraines ability to defend itself against whatever counteroffensive the Kremlin is blueprinting right now.

Ukraine has surprised the world with its resolve in the face of Putins despotic quest to colonize the sovereign, West-allied nation at any cost. But its not resolve alone that will save Ukraine. Ukrainians must have the means to save their country. And its incumbent on the U.S. and the rest of NATO to quickly and robustly supply Ukraine with the arms and vehicles it needs to defeat the Kremlins barbarity.

Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
People pray in front of the tomb of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI inside the grottos of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, on Jan. 8, 2023. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

Like many others around the world, I watched the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI live on the internet. Before the service began, an unexpected announcement came over the loudspeakers requesting that members of the assembled crowd refrain from raising any banners or flags. Nevertheless, toward the end of the liturgy, at least one large banner was displayed, reading Santo Subito, an Italian phrase that means sainthood now.

Identical signs were raised at the 2005 funeral of Pope John Paul II, who was officially canonized nine years later. The connection between these events has not gone unnoticed, leading some to raise questions about expectations that every future pope will be acclaimed as a saint.

As a specialist in Catholic liturgy and ritual, I know that in the contemporary church, no one, from popes to laypeople, is ever officially proclaimed a saint immediately after death. The way that saints are chosen has changed over the centuries, and that has affected the wait time between death and canonization.

Antiquity and early Middle Ages

In the early church, Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire. Those who were executed after refusing to renounce their faith were venerated immediately after their deaths; individuals or small groups would pray at martyrs graves, believed to be places of special holiness, where heaven and earth meet.

Those who were imprisoned for their faith but released  called confessors  were venerated by their communities in the same way.

After the legalization of Christianity in the early fourth century, other men and women who had lived lives of exceptional virtue were also recognized as holy ones and called saints. For the next several centuries, most saints were venerated at the local level.

Bishops often approved many of these saints for wider regional veneration. Just before the year 1000, Ulrich of Augsburg, an ascetic German bishop, became the first saint to be officially canonized by a pope. By the early 12th century, it was left to the the popes to officially proclaim most saints. In later years, popes insisted on this exclusive prerogative.

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The later Middle Ages

Although the cases  called causes  of those already locally revered for their holiness were brought to Rome for examination and approval, there was no set timeline for the process. However, no highly regarded Christian was canonized immediately after death. Instead, the investigation of their cases could take years to reach a conclusion.

The proclamation of St. Anthony of Padua in the 13th century was the fastest canonization during this period. A member of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor  meaning Little or Lesser Brothers  this young priest was acclaimed for his simple, eloquent preaching.

Anthony died in 1231 and, because of his reputation, was canonized less than a year later, even faster than St. Francis of Assisi, the renowned founder of the Franciscans. Only two years after Francis death in 1226, Pope Urban IX proclaimed him a saint because of his many brilliant miracles.

Other causes could take longer. For example, the canonization of St. Joan of Arc took almost 500 years. During the Hundred Years War between England and France in the 14th and 15th centuries, this French teenager experienced visions of saints directing her to liberate France. She helped win an important battle but was later captured and convicted by the English of heresy. In 1431, Joan was executed by being burned at the stake.

In 1456, Pope Callixtus III declared Joan of Arc innocent of heresy, and she continued to be venerated by the French for centuries afterward. Increasing French nationalism played a role in advancing her cause, and Pope Benedict XV proclaimed her a saint in 1920, praising her long-standing reputation for holiness and her life of heroic virtues.

Modern changes

In the 16th century, the canonization process became more standardized. The process of canonizing saints was handled in one specific office, the Sacred Congregation of Rites, part of the overall papal bureaucracy, the Curia. Later, in the 17th century, Pope Urban VIII set a 50-year waiting period between the death of a potential candidate and the submission of a case for canonization, to ensure that only worthy candidates would be nominated.

However, the process was reformed during the 20th century. In 1983, Pope John Paul II set a new five-year waiting period for the Vatican office, now known as the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints.

This waiting period before a cause may be submitted can be, and has been, waived at the discretion of the pope. In 1999, Pope John Paul II waived it for the cause of Mother Teresa. The process began then, only two years after her death in 1997, and she was proclaimed St. Teresa of Calcutta by Pope Francis in 2016.

After the death of John Paul II himself in 2005, his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, again waived the waiting period for his case to proceed. Only nine years later, in 2014, Pope Francis proclaimed John Paul II a saint.

People watch the screening of the canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II broadcast from the Vatican in 2014. AP Photo/Luca Bruno

However, in the intervening years, questions were raised about what some considered to be a hasty or premature advancement of John Paul IIs cause.

Criticisms of the process

Eleven popes have served the Catholic Church since 1900. Three  Leo XIII, Benedict XV and Pius XI  have not been nominated. Pope Pius X, who died in 1914, was canonized 40 years later in 1954.

So far in the 21st century, several more popes have entered or completed the process. Pius XII, who died in 1958, has been named Venerable  the second step of the canonization process  despite ongoing controversy over his actions during World War II.

But over the past 10 years, four popes  John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II  have been proclaimed saints, an unusual situation in modern Catholic history.

It can seem that canonizing popes has become routine in the 21st century. Some even suggest that this trend marks a new era of personal holiness in those elected to the papacy. However, not everyone cheers this trend.

Critics cite the rapid canonization of Pope John Paul II as an example of potential problems. His lengthy reign and widespread popularity led to a special pressure on Pope Francis to move quickly on his cause. Afterward, however, more evidence was uncovered raising questions about the popes handling of the clergy abuse crisis.

Politics within the church can also come into play. For example, conservatives could push strongly to canonize a more traditionally minded pope, while progressives might support a candidate with a broader point of view. This seems to be why two popes  John XXIII, who called the Second Vatican Council in 1962 to reform and renew the church, and John Paul II, who strove to curb some of the more progressive elements  were both canonized at the same ceremony.

The papal power to waive even the brief five-year waiting period makes these problems even more acute. Some have even suggested imposing a moratorium on papal canonizations, or at least lengthening the waiting period before a popes cause could be considered.

The Catholic Church teaches that saints are proclaimed so that others might be inspired by their lives and examples of heroic virtue. But it takes time to thoroughly examine each cause individually, and hidden flaws may not be uncovered until much later after the candidates death.

This was true for St. John Paul II, and might be the case for Pope Benedict XVI. But no one is recognized a saint simply because he served as pope.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. Like this article? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Joanne M. Pierce, College of the Holy Cross.

Read more:



Joanne M. Pierce does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
A woman who yelled threats directed at former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as she and others stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was found guilty Tuesday of multiple charges related to her actions that day.

A release from the U.S. attorneys office for the District of Columbia states that Pauline Bauer, a 55-year-old resident of Kane, Pa., was convicted of nearly half a dozen charges for her role in the insurrection, including obstruction of an official proceeding, entering and remaining in a restricted building, and disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden also found her guilty of disorderly and disruptive conduct in any of the Capitol buildings with intent to impede, disrupt and disturb a session of Congress and parading, demonstrating and picketing in a Capitol building.

Evidence from the U.S. attorneys office shows Bauer illegally entered the Capitol and said just before 3 p.m. on Jan. 6 words to the effect of This is where we find Nancy Pelosi, according to the release.

She was about 30 feet from the Speakers office when she said, Bring that f b- out here now. Bring her out. Bring her out here. Were coming in if you dont bring her out here.

Bauer also pushed a Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police officer and yelled expletives and You back up. Dont even try when he tried to get her to leave an area of the Capitol that he was guarding.

Officers later removed Bauer from the Capitol Rotunda.

She was later arrested in May 2021 in Pennsylvania.

She could face up to 20 years in prison and financial penalties for the obstruction of an official proceeding charge, which is a felony. The other charges, which are misdemeanors, carry a maximum of three years imprisonment in total and financial penalties.

Her sentencing is scheduled for May 1.

The release states that more than 950 people have been arrested in almost all 50 states for crimes related to the Capitol insurrection, and more than 280 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
BEIJING (AP)  The Chinese government says the United States should stop pressuring it on debt relief for Zambia and focus on averting a government default at home with possible repercussions for the global economy.

The Chinese embassy in Zambia responded Tuesday to remarks by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who said on a visit to the African nation this week that its crucial to address its heavy debt burden with China.

The biggest contribution that the U.S. can make to the debt issues outside the country is to  cope with its own debt problem and stop sabotaging other sovereign countries active efforts to solve their debt issues, the Chinese Embassy said in a statement.

Chinese development banks have emerged as major lenders to poorer countries around the world for natural resource, transport and power projects, though that lending has fallen sharply and steadily since 2016, according to Boston University's Global Development Policy Center.

New loan commitments dropped to eight projects totaling $3.7 billion in 2021, down from a peak of 151 projects and $80 billion in 2016, based on data compiled by the center.

Addressing Zambias debt was a major reason for Yellens visit and she said Monday that "its taken far too long already to resolve this matter. The country failed to make a $42.5 million bond payment in November 2020, becoming Africas first coronavirus pandemic-era sovereign nation to default.

In responding to Yellen, China zeroed in on the battle between Republican lawmakers and the Democratic Biden administration over raising the U.S. debt limit to allow more borrowing to keep the government running.

The embassy statement then turned to Zambia, saying that China has made some progress as co-chair of a creditors committee seeking a sustainable solution. It said China looks forward to the U.S. playing a constructive role in the process.

Even if the U.S. one day solves its debt problem, it is not qualified to make groundless accusations against or press  other countries out of selfish interests, the statement said.
Many will be quick to find fault with mayoral candidate Willie Wilsons remark that the police should be able to hunt down a suspect like a rabbit.

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As an owner of many dogs through the years, I can say that every dog needs a job. Terriers, for example, do a fantastic job of hunting rats, mice and rabbits; its in their blood. Almost every dog can be trained to find, dig out and hold tight some varmint. They dont have to follow this impulse to tear someone to pieces, as they would a rodent, because they learn how we want them to hunt. They do it for the joy of the hunt, praise and playtime afterward with their person.

Just so, police learn to hunt and defeat a threat.

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I think I speak for all cops, rookies and veterans alike, when I cheer Wilsons words.

He didnt say anyone should torture or beat potential lawbreakers. Heck, he didnt even suggest we ticket them! Suspects seldom give themselves up or offer information on who the actual perpetrators were, but like a bunny, they often go to ground and hide.

Then, often encouraged by grieving families and other victims, law enforcement officers hunt them. As a retired cop, I will say that this prey drive can and does light up in humans, ideally righteously so.

And as long as criminals try to get away with their ill-gotten gains and the crimes themselves, police have to hunt them and bring them to justice.

 Maja Ramirez, Chicago

Quiet amen for Wilson

After Chicagos mayoral debate last Thursday, many folks were upset by Willie Wilsons statement on crime that police should hunt people like a rabbit if they flee. Now, we all acknowledge that Wilsons lack of political correctness and hard-line rhetoric certainly raised the hackles of many liberal Chicagoans. But Id be willing to bet that many who watched the debate or saw the media responses to his statement secretly whispered an amen under their breath.

 Michael Oakes, Chicago

Conservative elites role

Fridays editorial chided liberal elites for their environmental hypocrisy (Are liberal elites coming for your gas stove? Jan. 20). Why not chide conservative elites also? They have done their best to make the rest of us believe that climate change is a hoax not supported by scientific data. However, climate change has been known about for decades and is increasingly supported by current data.

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 Patricia Cahill, Romeoville, Illinois

Tamp down nuclear weapons

Our government needs to take immediate action to turn back the Doomsday Clock. The Doomsday Clock, a symbol of the worlds vulnerability to nuclear, climate and other catastrophes, has now shifted to 90 seconds to midnight. It is the closest it has ever been to global annihilation.

This is a stark reminder of the urgent need for concrete action from the U.S. government to stop the race toward nuclear war. I urge President Joe Biden and Congress to take immediate steps to reduce the number of nuclear weapons and prevent their use. One important step in this direction Congress can take is to stop funding new nuclear missiles, like the SLCM-N and the LGM-35A Sentinel. Defunding those weapons will reduce opportunities for nuclear escalation and save us billions of dollars.

At 90 seconds to midnight, we are dangerously on the brink of global nuclear annihilation. Our government must act now because the fate of our planet and the survival of humanity depend on it.

 Scott Cowan, Plainfield

Spread Brehmers word

I read that in his Albany, New York, days, WXRT-FM 93.1 DJ Lin Brehmer was called the Reverend of Rock n Roll.

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I would happily attend Sunday service to the soulful sermons of Lins Bin and the joyful choir of Los Lobos, the Stones and Mavis Staples. Call it The Church of the Here and Now.

Chicagoans were blessed to have this magnetic poet in our orbit who reminded us daily  Its great to be alive and Take nothing for granted.

In Lins honor, lets continue to spread his good word.

 Mary Ann ORourke, Barrington

Memories of live poultry shop

The Vintage Chicago Tribune story Smells and tastes of home (Jan. 15) brought back many memories, as my grandparents had a live poultry business in Chicago Heights, as did my parents, when my older brother and I were kids in the 1940s and 50s. We almost lived with the chickens. With our mom-and-pop grocery store in front, we lived behind the store, and the chickens were in the garage.

I remember many a Friday after school and Saturdays when my brother and I had to kill and dress the chickens. The ladies would come to the store, pick out a chicken, and watch and wait as we would prepare the chickens. My parents charged the customer 10 cents for the service. My brother and I would get 5 cents each chicken, and I kept track on a chalk board.

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It didnt seem to bother us that we had to work on Saturdays while the neighborhood kids played. I suppose we took it in stride.

I remember going with my uncles to farms in Watseka and Hoopeston in Illinois to buy chickens, eggs and sometimes calves and enjoying the huge Italian sandwiches made by my grandmother for the trip.

One of my uncles took over my grandparents store. As a teenager working in his store, I would continue to help the customers and also prepare hundreds of chickens for big Italian weddings.

In many ways, those were the good old days.

 Mario Caruso, Chicago

Join the conversation in our Letters to the Editor Facebook group.

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Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
The judge overseeing the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh has served on the bench for more than two decades and has presided over a number of high-profile trials, including that of a man posing to be an Uber driver who killed a University of South Carolina student and that of a White North Charleston police officer who shot a Black man in the back as he was running away.

Soft-spoken yet firm in his courtroom oversight, Judge Clifton Newman was first assigned by S.C. Chief Justice Donald Beatty to handle the plethora of charges of financial crimes leveled against Murdaugh. When the murder charges were filed, he took on that case, too.

A resident of Columbia, Newman, as an at-large judge of the South Carolina Circuit Courts can preside in any jurisdiction. The General Assembly elected him to the judgeship in May 2000 and reelected in 2021 to a term that expires in 2027.

Newman grew up in Greeleyville, where he attended segregated schools. He has told numerous interviewers his interest in the law began when he played an attorney in play while a student at Williamsburg County Training School about Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 case that found school desegregation unconstitutional.

A graduate of Cleveland State University in Ohio, he received his law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1976.

He started a private practice in Cleveland, and returned to South Carolina in 1982 to avoid having his children bused across town when the schools integrated, the Charleston Post and Courier reported.

Newman started a private law practice in Columbia and Manning. He also served as assistant solicitor for Williamsburg County.

He says on his state courts biography his most cherished accomplishment in serving as patriarch of the Miles Newman Family succeeding his uncles, the late Sen. I. DeQuincey Newman and Bishop Ernest Newman. Noted civil rights leader DeQuincy Newman was the first Black state senator elected in South Carolina since Reconstruction.

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In 2016, Newman presided over the case of Michael Slager who was charged with shooting Walter Scott. The case, centered on cellphone video of the shooting taken by a bystander, was so racially charged Newman needed protection from the State Law Enforcement Division. The trial ended in a hung jury, but Slater was convicted later in federal court..

In 2019, he presided over the case of Nathaniel David Rowland, 27, who was convicted of murdering Samantha Josephson, 21.

Josephson was picked up in the Five Points district by Rowland, who Josephson thought was an Uber driver. Testimony showed he stabbed her about 120 times in the vehicle, and dumped her body near his family home, authorities said.

In that trial, Newman upbraided Rowlands mother after her son was found guilty for claiming he was innocent.

I am not going to hear any claim of what he did or didnt do, Newman said. He is guilty of murder. He is guilty of kidnapping. He is guilty of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. And if you had any testimony that you wanted to give for the jury to consider, the trial was the time to do that. Im not listening to any claim of what he did not do. You are not a witness.
College Board will release an updated version of its Advanced Placement course in African American studies next week after Gov. Ron DeSantiss (R-Fla.) administration rejected initial plans for a pilot program in Florida high schools.

Floridas Department of Education blocked the course last week, arguing in a letter that the curriculum is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.

Now, College Board is set to update its official framework for the AP African American studies course and release revisions on Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month.

In a statement shared with The Hill Wednesday, College Board didnt say that the updated framework it plans to release next month was spurred by Floridas opposition, but rather that it was a part of a longer process of revising the course with feedback from a 60-city pilot program.

This framework, under development since March 2022, replaces the preliminary pilot course framework under discussion to date, College Board said.

Before a new AP course is made broadly available, it is piloted in a small number of high schools to gather feedback from high schools and colleges. The official course framework incorporates this feedback and defines what students will encounter on the AP Exam for college credit and placement, the statement continued. The course itself has been in development for more than a decade.

Florida officials, however, are saying the changes are a response to DeSantiss criticisms. In recent remarks on education, DeSantis argued that the course was indoctrination and a way to shoehorn in queer theory through Black history for political purposes.

Thanks to @GovRonDeSantis principled stand for education over identity politics, the College Board will be revising the course for the entire nation, said DeSantiss press secretary Bryan Griffin on Twitter Tuesday.

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Floridas education department said in a statement Wednesday that it is glad the College Board has recognized that the originally submitted course curriculum is problematic and plans to review the updated framework, which it expects will have removed content on Critical Race Theory, Black Queer Studies, Intersectionality and other topics that violate our laws.

The Florida governors decision to block the AP course drew criticism, with the White House calling the block against the course incomprehensible.

Many likened the move to DeSantiss effort to prohibit Florida teachers from discussing gender or sexuality in classrooms with young children, and his ongoing war on what he sees as woke indoctrination in schools.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The leader of a prominent Colombian criminal group pleaded guilty on Wednesday to U.S. drug trafficking charges, court records showed.

Dairo Antonio Usuga David, better known as Otoniel, admitted in Brooklyn federal court to one count of running a continuing criminal enterprise, as well as two counts of drug distribution stemming from federal indictments in Manhattan and Miami that were transferred to Brooklyn.

Usuga, 51, had been arrested by Colombian armed forces in October 2021 near the South American country's border with Panama on U.S. charges of smuggling "outrageous" amounts of cocaine to the United States while leading the Clan del Golfo cartel.

"With today's guilty plea, the bloody reign of the most violent and significant Colombian narcotics trafficker since Pablo Escobar is over," Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said in a statement.

Usuga faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 20 years. Prosecutors agreed when seeking his extradition from Colombia not to seek a life sentence, court papers show.

"Mr. Usuga David pleaded guilty because he wants to accept responsibility as quickly as possible for his crimes," his lawyer Alexei Schacht said in an email. "He hopes that his plea and prior calls for peace may help to make Colombia a more peaceful place."

U.S. District Judge Dora Irizarry, who oversees the case, has not yet set a sentencing date. Usuga has been detained in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since May.

Extradition to the United States is among Bogota's main weapons to fight drug trafficking.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
NEW YORK (AP)  A Colombian man who was once one of the world's most-wanted drug lords pleaded guilty Wednesday to U.S. smuggling charges, admitting that he led a cartel and paramilitary group that trafficked in cocaine and deadly violence.

Tons of cocaine were moved with my permission or at my direction, Dairo Antonio Usuga, better known as Otoniel, told a Brooklyn federal court.

There was a lot of violence with the guerillas and the criminal gangs, he added, and acknowledged that in military work, homicides were committed.

Usuga, 51, will face at least 20 years in prison when sentenced, prosecutors said. But the U.S. government agreed not to seek a life sentence in order to secure his extradition from Colombia last year, according to U.S. District Judge Dora Irizarry.

As part of his plea deal, he agreed to forfeit $216 million.

Usuga presided over the Gulf Clan, which terrorized much of northern Colombia to control major cocaine-smuggling routes. U.S. authorities have called him one of the most dangerous drug traffickers on the planet, and he was Colombia's most-wantedkingpin.

With todays guilty plea, the bloody reign of the most violent and significant Colombian narcotics trafficker since Pablo Escobar is over," Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.

Defense lawyer Paul Nalven said Usuga was very remorseful and portrayed him as a child of the cycle of violence that has wracked Colombia throughout his life. Usuga, who has a fourth-grade education, was dragooned into guerrilla warfare at age 16, the attorney said.

After his arrest, Usuga asked his cartel to stop attacking police, and he's hoping something fruitful comes of the six-month cease-fire that recently took effect between President Gustavo Petro's administration and five armed groups, including the Gulf Clan, in hopes of fostering a lasting peace.

He'd like to see a better Colombia, Nalven said.

The Gulf Clan, also known as the Gaitanist Self Defense Forces of Colombia, has thousands of military-garbed members who battle rival gangs, paramilitary groups, and Colombian authorities in order to keep a bloody hold on its turf near the Panama border, prosecutors said. Cocaine smuggling pays for it all  including, Usuga admitted, through taxes that the group has charged on any cocaine produced, stored or transported through its territory.

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Usuga ordered the killing and torture of perceived enemies, offered bounties for slaying police and soldiers, and directed campaigns to go after them with military-grade weapons, according to prosecutors. He flexed his power by declaring a strike that shut down businesses and forced people to stay home  on pain of death  for days in the cartel's turf, prosecutors said.

Usuga was named in a series of U.S. indictments going back to 2009. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest, and the Colombian government offered $800,000. Over the years, Colombian authorities arrested or killed hundreds of cartel members, deployed over 1,000 police officers to hunt for the kingpin and publicized the U.S. reward by dropping flyers out of helicopters.

But Usuga eluded capture until 2021 through a combination of corruption, connections to both left- and right-wing combatants in his country's internal conflict  he'd been part of groups on both sides  and living off the grid in the countryside. He purportedly used a different safe house every night.

When he was apprehended, former Colombian President Ivan Duque said Usuga was not only the most dangerous drug trafficker in the world, but he is murderer of social leaders, abuser of boys, girls and adolescents, a murderer of policemen.

Usuga was extradited to the U.S. this past May. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to leading a continuing criminal enterprise and various drug trafficking charges that involve nearly 97,000 kg (107 tons) of cocaine that was ultimately bound for the U.S.
Led by newly empowered firebrands, Republicans in the House are working on a plan to slash spending and balance the federal budget within 10 years. According to The Washington Posts Catherine Rampell, there are several problems with this effort, not least the fact that Republicans seem to have no idea how they can accomplish their goal.

They say they want to reduce deficits, Rampell writes in an op-ed Tuesday, but meanwhile have ruled out virtually every path for doing so (cuts to defense, cuts to entitlements, wiping out nondefense discretionary spending, or raising taxes).

Some GOP lawmakers have said that everything is on the table for possible cuts, but others have quickly pulled whole sections of the federal budget back from the chopping block. For example, both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) have said they are open to reductions in defense spending, but House Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX) and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) have said no to that idea.

Instead of military cuts, Waltz said lawmakers need to look at entitlements programs, which would include Social Security and Medicare. But Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and former president Donald Trump, among others, have ruled that option out. Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security, Trump warned last week.

One thing that does seem to be acceptable to Republican lawmakers is cutting funds for what some conservatives call wokeism, but as Rampell notes, there isnt really a line item for that in the federal budget.

So, faced with a roughly $20 trillion shortfall in the budget over the next 10 years, and standing firm with their principled refusal to raise taxes, Republicans would have to make ruthless cuts in non-defense discretionary spending. Closing that gap would require eliminating nearly all other domestic spending, Rampell writes. That means axing border protection, air-traffic control, farm subsidies, infrastructure and many other categories that both voters and elected officials hold dear.

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But voters  and even some Republican lawmakers  may not embrace such a draconian approach. In short, virtually every possible avenue available for reducing the deficit would be unpopular, Rampell says. Which probably explains why supposedly fiscally conservative Republicans chose not to take them when they controlled both houses of Congress during Trumps presidency.

Read Rampells column at The Washington Post.

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We dont need to wait until the MLB investigation is completed to know Mike Clevinger is done in Chicago.

The newly signed White Sox pitcher, who is under investigation after allegations of domestic violence and child abuse by the mother of his 10-month-old-daughter, denied the disturbing accusations Tuesday through attorney Jay Reisinger, who called Clevinger a loving and caring father.

It will be up to MLB to determine whether Clevinger should be suspended, and if so, for how long. Then it will be on the White Sox to do the right thing.

The only real choice is to cut ties with Clevinger and take the L. Move on and try to forget the signing ever happened.

Clevinger wont be able to recover from this, at least in Chicago, just as former Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer never had a chance to return to Los Angeles after his suspension for violating MLBs domestic violence policy.

The sooner the Sox realize this, the better it will be for the team, the fans and the city.

The Clevinger saga is certain to become a spring training distraction, whether management or players are allowed to talk about it or not. His probable absence wont preclude the media from mentioning him, and how the Sox deal with the hole in the rotation will be a storyline to follow for the entire six weeks.

This is a fork-in-the-road season for the Sox, and Clevinger simply cannot be a member of that clubhouse if they hope to regain the trust of fans still reeling over the underachieving ways of 2022. With a new manager in Pedro Grifol and most of the same cast of characters, the urgency to erase last seasons drama has never been greater.

General manager Rick Hahn addressed that fan angst near the end of 22 and noted that he, Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and executive vice president Ken Williams agreed it was the most disappointing season of each of our careers.

Look, this is going to have an effect, Hahn said. This is going to impact people. This is not a feeling that any of us want to experience again.

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The Sox made few major moves in the offseason, but Clevinger was the first free agent added to the roster and thus became one of their key additions. Now hes their No. 1 albatross, and starting the new season by sticking with him would be begging for a repeat.

How much the Sox vetted Clevinger is another issue they need to examine but probably wont. While they might not have known of the allegations when they signed Clevinger, as they said in a statement, the Sox obviously liked his character and believed he would be a good fit in the clubhouse.

Can they still think that now?

Many on Twitter have brought up the fact the Sox hired manager Tony La Russa in fall 2020 while knowing about his second DUI arrest. That wasnt a case of bad vetting but of Reinsdorf wanting La Russa to manage his team no matter what anyone else thought. La Russa couldve bowed out once the news became public but didnt feel the need.

Before I took the job, I made them aware of the situation, La Russa said in February 2021. So I was fortunate they stood by me. The fact that Im still the manager is further (evidence of the) gratitude that I feel. But once the publicity was there, I had already been beating myself up about a mistake without anybody knowing it.

Once it became public, especially so soon after getting the job, when you understand the negative effect potentially on the fans, my family, friends, it was torture. And I dont enjoy torture. I try to live without regrets. We make mistakes.

But I also live with acknowledging it. So if they decided, once they knew, and wanted to keep me, then I (didnt have) the first thought that I should back off.

La Russa never was going to get the benefit of the doubt from a large and vocal segment of Sox fans. Neither will Clevinger if hes allowed to pitch in 2023. But unlike La Russa, Reinsdorf has no personal relationship with Clevinger, so theres no need to pretend fans eventually will grow to like Clevinger.

Hahn made a mistake. I would guess he is beating himself up over it, but of course he wont be able to talk about it, so who knows?

Still, that doesnt mean he has to live with it. Its only money, after all. The Dodgers did the right thing by cutting ties with Bauer, who seems unlikely to find a new team despite being one of the more talented pitchers in the game.

The Sox can get by without Clevinger. The trio of Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn and Michael Kopech is solid, and Lucas Giolito is capable of shaking off a disappointing season and should be motivated by free agency in November.

Davis Martin can move into the No. 5 spot, or perhaps Reynaldo Lopez can get stretched out in spring training and return to the rotation.

Its not perfect, but the Sox have options. And the American League Central remains winnable despite the Cleveland Guardians youthful energy and the Minnesota Twins aggressive offseason. But if the Sox hope to contend, they cant afford unnecessary distractions, especially early as Grifol puts his stamp on the team.

So let the process play out. Let MLB conduct a thorough investigation.

And when Clevinger is allowed to pitch again, just make sure its not on the South Side.
Club America's Alejandro Zendejas celebrates after scoring against Tigres during a Liga MX match at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Sept. 3. (Eduardo Verdugo / Associated Press)

In the wake of the Soccer Mom Scandal that continues to be a major source of embarrassment, this was a victory U.S. Soccer desperately needed.

Alejandro Zendejas was in camp with the mens national team this week in Los Angeles.

Zendejas, 24, is a star.

If he is not one of the best players in North America, he is certainly one of the most famous, a signature player on one of Mexicos signature teams, Club America.

A shifty left-footed attacker courted both by the country of his birth and the country in which he was raised, Zendejas had previously played two games for Mexico while technically still a U.S. player under FIFA rules.

Expected to make his U.S. senior national team debut Wednesday night against Serbia at recently renamed BMO Stadium, Zendejas was suddenly a symbol of the Mexican federations dysfunction.

Then he opened his mouth, revealing his participation in the United States' January camp wasnt necessarily indicative of his long-term plans.

Speaking after the teams training session Tuesday, Zendejas was noncommittal about his international future beyond the upcoming match.

I'm enjoying the moment, taking the opportunity that I have this week, he said. I have my mind focused on tomorrow's game.

He repeated the phrase over and over, in English and in Spanish.

He didnt say his future was with Mexico, but he didnt say it wasnt either.

And who could blame him?

Mexico was eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup and its federation is a mess, but the U.S. team has its own problems.

Like the Mexicans, the Americans dont have a coach and they dont have direction.

How can Zendejas commit his future to a program that doesnt know where its headed?

The Mexican-born and Texas-raised Zendejas is considered by FIFA to be a U.S. player because he represented the country at the U-17 World Cup in 2015.

Though Zendejas turned professional with FC Dallas of Major League Soccer, he became established in Mexicos Liga MX. He played for Mexico at the U-23 and senior levels but did so without filing the necessary paperwork, resulting in forfeits and fines for El Tri.

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America's Alejandro Zendejas (17) and Chivas' Sebastian Perez compete for the ball during a Liga MX match in Guadalajara, Mexico, on March 12, 2022. (Bruno Gonzalez / Associated Press)

Ironically, because he never filed for a one-time switch in affiliation to play for Mexico, he remains eligible to do so as long as he doesnt play in an official match. The United States' game against Serbia is an exhibition and therefore wont count.

Asked whether he would be open to playing in Nations League and Gold Cup games later this year that would permanently tie him to the U.S., Zendejas replied: Hopefully, tomorrow will be a great game for the whole team. Hopefully, get that win, and then on a personal level, I hope it's a great game for me, and then I'll probably focus on the future once we get to that standpoint again.

To repeat: Who could blame him?

Interim coach Anthony Hudson said Zendejas recruitment was initiated last year by Gregg Berhalter, who coached the United States at the World Cup.

However, Berhalter probably wont return as coach, as his decision to sit Gio Reyna resulted in a "Game of Thrones"-like feud with Reynas parents that has wrecked the program.

And even if Berhalter returns, does Zendejas want to play for the same bozo who benched a world-class talent in Reyna in favor of a glorified worker bee like Tim Weah?

What if the United States miraculously lands Jose Mourinho or some other foreign pragmatist who values an attackers defensive work rate over creativity?

As it stands, the diminutive Zendejas would already be competing for playing time with a group of wingers that includes Reyna, Weah and Christian Pulisic, his former youth national team roommate.

Say Zendejas beats out Reyna for a place in the teams starting 11. Who is to say Reynas parents wont try to sabotage him the way they did Berhalter?

In this case, Zendejas might as well take a wait-and-see approach. He has only one career. He should know where hes taking his next step.

This alone is an indictment on American soccer culture, as Zendejas decision should be as easy as a tap-in from inside the six-yard box.

The U.S.-Mexico rivalry is cyclical, dominated by one team over a certain period, controlled by the other in the next. The Americans are now on top. They have the better talent.

That advantage has been diminished by the events of the last couple of months.

Mexican soccer might be an active dumpster fire, but the United States has to demonstrate its self-destructive tendencies wont land it in the same place.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Commander-in-Chief of Ukraines Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi said on Jan. 25 that the Armed Forces and the Defense Ministry profess zero tolerance for corruption," throwing his support behind the ministry.

He said any information about such corruption should be carefully checked, receive a legal assessment, and appropriate response. He thanked the ministry for its procurement efforts.

"Soldiers of the Armed Forces are provided with ammunition, uniforms, food of appropriate quality and in sufficient quantity," Zaluzhnyi said.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) stated on Jan. 23 that it had begun investigating possible corruption in the Defense Ministrys food procurement.

On Jan. 21, the ZN.UA news outlet published an investigation alleging the Defense Ministry was buying food for soldiers at inflated prices.

According to the report, the Defense Ministry agreed to buy eggs at Hr 17 per item, while in Kyivs grocery stores, the price per egg is closer to Hr 7.





A kilogram of potatoes ordered for Ukrainian soldiers costs Hr 22, while the price in grocery stores is about Hr 9, ZN.UA reported.

The publication alleges that the inflated prices indicate a possible corruption scheme.

On Jan. 23, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov came out with a statement calling inflated prices a technical error of the contractor, who made a mistake while transferring data from one table to another.

Reznikov dismissed the investigative report as nothing but manipulations and promised repercussions to those who leaked the contract to journalists, adding that the Security Service would look for the alleged whistleblower.

Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov resigned on Jan. 24 following the procurement scandal that rocked Ukraine.

Zaluzhnyi said that transferring the responsibility from subordinates to the leaders harms not only the case but also contradicts the management principles of NATO.

This applies to both the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces, he said.
Chicago City Council members running for reelection endure referendums on their time in office, but in the Northwest Sides 45th Ward Ald. Jim Gardiners critiques from challengers go far beyond the usual complaints about crime, business development and potholes.

As Gardiner seeks reelection following a scandal-plagued first term, he finds himself deluged with questions from five challengers about his fitness and temperament.

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His time in public office has been marked by allegations he used his power as alderman to target political opponents, including a reported federal investigation into whether he sought to withhold ward services from some residents who opposed his agenda.

In 2021, he took the highly unusual step of apologizing on the council floor after leaked texts showed him using profane and offensive language to describe a gay colleague, a female city staffer and a female political consultant. And just earlier this month a sworn deposition was made public in a federal lawsuit against Gardiner that detailed how a former aide last autumn said the alderman obsessed over Facebook criticism and pledged to rid the ward of his detractors, who he referred to as rats.

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Gardiner did not respond to requests for an interview. In an emailed response to questions, he said hes facing a coordinated effort to harass, embarrass, intimidate me and my supporters, and mislead the voters in the 45th Ward.

Let me be clear, I have not targeted any person for being critical of my representation of them in office and, I believe that everyone has a right to freely choose their elected official. I have never withheld services from any constituent, he said in the emailed statement.

The Tribune reported in 2021 that federal law enforcement authorities spoke to a variety of individuals about whether Gardiner retaliated against constituents for political purposes and that the authorities even approached Gardiner himself. Gardiner said in his emailed response that he has not been interviewed by federal investigators.

[ Chicago Ald. Jim Gardiner publicly apologizes for rants, one day after sources identify him as subject of an FBI probe: I take full responsibility for my offensive words ]

But that hasnt stopped some of the criticism, and opponents say their campaigns are driven largely by Gardiners divisiveness and the ways they say he has splintered the unity in the sprawling ward.

Marija Tomic is running for alderman in the Northwest Side 45th Ward. The 45th takes in parts of several neighborhoods. (Kevin Thomas)

In all honesty, hes only in this predicament because of himself, where there are five people running against him, said Marija Tomic, one of the candidates. Its not my fault. Its not the other candidates fault.

Controversies have dogged Gardiner for much of his term as alderman, and they continue during the current campaign.

Tomic said Gardiner in November attempted to intimidate a volunteer for her campaign who was out collecting signatures in the Norwood Park neighborhood to help get Tomic on the ballot. He also harassed a resident who signed the ballot petition, Tomic said.

The fact that hes done it in the past and he continues to do it, I dont think hes really learned his lesson, she said. I think this is a behavior that he has inside of him, and its unfortunate that hes still an elected official.

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James Suh, left, candidate for the 45th Ward, greets a supporter during an open house at his new campaign office in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood on Jan. 14, 2023. (Trent Sprague/for the Chicago Tribune )

James Suh, a ward resident and owner of an area car detailing business, said he got into this campaign, his first, after filing a lawsuit against Gardiner in 2021 alleging the alderman conspired to leak Suhs old arrest records on social media. Suh campaign spokeswoman Rebecca Williams said Suh was arrested when he was 17 after his brother called the police during an argument and that the charges were dropped. Suh said the threat by Gardiner was in retaliation for organizing a rally against Gardiners move to stall a housing development at the Six Corners intersection in the ward.

The city Ethics Board found probable cause that Gardiner had sought to have Suhs records leaked, and referred the issue to the city Inspector Generals Office for further investigation. Suh said Gardiners decision to target him for the rally shows how badly the alderman misunderstands his constituents.

[ Ex-aide to embattled Ald. Jim Gardiner testifies he called critics rats, vowed to rid ward of them ]

Everyones motives were simply to the benefit of our community, and we just want to see things in a better place, Suh said. When I held that rally, it was specifically for revitalizing the area, for seeing progress and investment in our neighborhood. It wasnt to attack Gardiner by any means. So I think overall, all the sentiment he has going against him is very much of his own doing.

Gardiner said in his emailed response that many of the accusations hes facing amount to a smear campaign from a small contingent of politically connected people, some with political ambitions of their own.

Megan Mathias, right, who is a 45th Ward aldermanic candidate, and her son Matteo, 18, talk with Jennifer Bassik outside her Chicago home while passing out flyers on Jan. 10, 2023. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

The ward has some of the lowest crime numbers in the city. But challenger Megan Mathias said in addition to the contentious mood Gardiners fostered, he also needs to answer for an increase in crime and his failure to engage with residents who want to weigh in on how to deal with that problem and others.

Of course public safety is front of mind (for voters), Mathias said. The community is very hungry to have a community voice  They dont get input on anything.

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Susanna Ernst, a neighborhood activist, is a candidate for alderman in the Northwest Side's 45th Ward. (Campaign photo)

Susanna Ernst, a longtime Northwest Side architectural preservationist and neighborhood activist, said the two camps antagonism under Gardiner also has hurt neighborhood business growth and other opportunities for improvement.

Just with regard to the climate here in the 45th Ward right now, there seems to be a lot of division, a lot of us versus them, and I think its time to build a more cohesive, friendly environment where all the community groups can work together throughout our broader ward, Ernst said. I think there are definitely ways in which we can work together that are very respectful, and that anyone who wants to advance community initiatives has the ability to do that.

Ana Santoyo is also a candidate for alderman in the Northwest Side 45th Ward. (Bec Hallstedt)

Ana Santoyo got into the race to push for more affordable housing and the police reform she said the ward desperately needs. A member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Santoyo said working-class Northwest Siders need a representative to stick up for them in the City Council.

I personally believe individuals and families in this area shouldnt have to rely on someone like the current alderperson to be their voice in City Hall, Santoyo said. Right now were still in a pandemic. Workers know their material conditions. We know we need things like better jobs in our ward, better-paying jobs, better housing and more affordable housing, and safe schools.

Like most Chicago wards, the 45th takes in parts of several neighborhoods. Compared to most others, it has seen a particularly wide recent political pendulum swing. Gardiner, a Chicago Fire Department EMT, rode to victory in 2019 over Ald. John Arena, who had for two terms been one of the more progressive voices on the City Council.

Chicagos new ward map

Not sure which ward you live in? Type your address into the search box below.

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Source: City of Chicago

Arenas downfall came in no small part because of his support for an affordable housing project not far from the CTA Blue Line in the bungalow belt Jefferson Park neighborhood. Years of debate over that development, which was approved before Arena left office, exposed what supporters said was racist opposition to building units for lower-income minority families in one of Chicagos whitest areas.

Anti-Arena sentiment coalesced around Gardiner in the ward, which is home to lots of police officers and firefighters. He won handily in a four-candidate race.

This years election takes place in a 45th Ward in which the contours may be even more to Gardiners liking. Last year, he and fellow Northwest Side aldermen joined with the councils Black Caucus and others to muscle through a new map of Chicagos 50 wards tied to the 2020 U.S. census, over the objections of several Latino aldermen.

The new 45th excises parts of the Old Irving Park and Independence Park neighborhoods at the southern end of the ward that had been Arena strongholds. Instead, the boundaries hook north to take in the Far Northwest Side Wildwood and Edgebrook neighborhoods that have leaned more conservative in recent elections.

Mathias, an attorney who had already announced her intention to run against Gardiner, saw her Old Irving Park home mapped just outside the new ward. Mathias stayed in the race despite possibly falling victim to an old Chicago political maneuver meant to deter opponents, and said she will move back into the ward if she wins.

People know Im out there putting in the work, she said. It wasnt surprising (to get mapped out of the ward). It was disappointing, but not surprising.

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In his emailed response, Gardiner said if hes reelected he plans to build upon the strength of our wards improved economic infrastructure, work with the Police Department on improving public safety, and try to find alternate sources of revenue in order to slow the rise of residents property taxes.

Tomic said she doubts any changes to the borders of the 45th will improve Gardiners chances.

I dont think theres much he can do for the ward when hes not liked by anyone, she said.

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Actor Michael Shannon raged against low production budgets when asked about the recent charges facing Alec Baldwin over the death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Hutchins was killed in October 2021 after a prop gun held by Baldwin discharged a real bullet, injuring director Joel Souza before fatally wounding Hutchins.

Last week, it was announced that Baldwin and the films armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed would each be charged with involuntary manslaughter, while first assistant director David Halls has agreed to plead guilty to the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.

In an interview with The Chicago Tribune, Shannon spoke about the case in light of his directorial debut Eric Larue, which deals with the aftermath of a school shooting.

Its not a sloppy procedure, in my experience. Its very, very meticulous, Shannon said about gun handling procedures on movie sets.

But Rust is an example of a problem I see in filmmaking more and more these days. On smaller productions, independent productions, the producers keep wanting more and more for less and less. They dont want to give you enough money, he said.

Michael Shannon (left) and Alec Baldwin (Getty Images)

They cut corners, ridiculously, every which way. And they get away with it.

Baldwin is among the six credited producers on Rust, which had a reported budget of just $7m (5.65m).

They whittle the budget down to the bare minimum, Shannon continued, but the one thing you cant cut corners on is your armourer. If you have guns in your movie, thats no place to cut corners.

Baldwin has placed responsibility for the tragedy on Gutierrez-Reed and Halls while repeatedly denying any wrongdoing and maintaining that he was told the gun was cold.

Shannon explained that usually, the actor and the assistant director are shown that the gun chamber is empty by the armourer before it is handed over.

Halyna Hutchins (Getty Images)

With Rust, before that gun went into his hand, [Baldwin] should have seen with his own eyes there was nothing in it, he said.

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Nevertheless, Shannon does not place blame on Baldwin for the incident. You never settle for walking up to an actor and handing the gun over without showing them whats inside of it. Ever, he said.

Im not condemning Alec. I feel horrible for the guy. Its a nightmare... But this is what happens when you lowball and cut corners and hire people that may not be qualified, and pay them next to nothing, and make the movie on the cheap.

In a statement issued after the shooting, executive producer Allen Cheney defended the movies producers: The six credited producers on the independent film Rust, Ryan Smith, Alec Baldwin, Nathan Klingher, Ryan Winterstern, Matt DelPiano and Anjul Nigam, collectively have more than 35 years experience producing small to mid-level film and television projects.

Rust is a union-certified production, in good standing with all of the major production unions and guilds, including IATSE, the Teamsters, SAG, and DGA.

The Independent has contacted Cheney and his business partner Ryan Donnell Smith for additional comment.

The charges against Baldwin, Gutierrez-Reed and Halls are due to be filed at the end of the month, Mary Carmack-Altwies, the district attorney for New Mexicos first judicial district, said.

Eric Larue  starring Alexander Skarsgard and Judy Greer  is currently in post-production.
DUXBURY  The mother of two children found dead inside a Duxbury home Tuesday night will be charged with murder "as soon as she is able," officials said at a news conference Wednesday.

Lindsay Clancy, 32, will face two counts of murder in the deaths of Cora Clancy, 5, and Dawson Clancy, 3. A third child, a 7-month-old boy, was taken to a Boston hospital with serious injuries.

Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said the infant was still being treated as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Cruz would not elaborate as to his injuries.

"I don't have his exact condition, but we should all be praying for him," Cruz said. "There is certainly evidence of harm to that child."

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Police responded to a call reporting a woman's suicide attempt by jumping out a window at 47 Summer St. just after 6 p.m. Tuesday. Cruz confirmed that Clancy's husband, the father of the three children, made the call.

Cruz said first responders found all three children unconscious with "obvious signs of severe trauma." He would not say where they were found.

Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth. Cruz said the medical examiner's office will be responsible for determining the exact means and causes of their deaths, but that it appears they were strangled.

The third child, who has not been identified, was taken to a Boston hospital.

47 Summer St. in Duxbury on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

Their mother, Lindsay Clancy, was treated for her injuries at the scene. Cruz said her condition "is a moving target."

"As soon as she is able, we will be arraigning her on two charges of murder in the deaths of her children," he said. "This matter continues to be active and ongoing, and therefore we are somewhat limited to what we can talk about as we continue to build a criminal case."

More: Cohasset vigil offers prayers for missing Ana Walshe and the community

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More: DNA evidence, search history led to murder charge for husband of missing Cohasset woman

Cruz said "nobody is here to speculate" as to what exactly happened or why Clancy may have killed her own children. Duxbury Police Chief Michael Carbone wouldn't say if police were familiar with the Clancy family or if any prior 911 calls to the home had been made.

"Our hearts and condolences go out to the Clancy family," Cruz said. "I cannot begin to fathom the depths of pain that might be going on."

'The worst weve ever seen'

Duxbury Town Manager Rene Read spoke through his emotions as he said the Duxbury community is "reeling from the tragic events of last night." He said the first responders who found the children inside were immediately relieved of their duties and the town is providing "the follow-up support that is necessary."

"In these seemingly impossible moments, our support for them is absolutely critical," he said.

47 Summer St. in Duxbury on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

Cruz asked people to keep the responders in their thoughts.

"Many of them will not forget what they saw last evening," he said.

Read said first responders have told him the scene was one of "the worst weve ever seen."

"Tragedies like these are always difficult to comprehend and process," Duxbury Fire Chief Robert Reardon said. "If you are a colleague in need of support, please reach out."

A 'nice young couple'

Ruth Hearson, who lives across the street from the Clancy family, described the parents as a "nice young couple." They moved into the neighborhood five years ago, and Hearson introduced herself the first week with a tray full of brownies, she said.

"They're very busy with their family. Young couple and young family who tend to keep to themselves. They're in and out of the driveway all the time and in nice weather she's out pushing the carriage in the street with the older kids on their bikes in the driveway," Hearson said. "They have a boat, so they're in and out all summer. It's not like neighborhoods were back in the day. People are more private."

More: What the Christmas Eve power plant failures say about New England's regional grid system

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Hearson said she didn't know the couple had a third child until the news of the tragedy broke Tuesday night.

"When I saw all the ambulances, I thought, 'What the heck is going on? There are four ambulances out here,'" she said. "I thought it could be carbon monoxide poisoning. I didn't know there was a new baby, so I thought there were four ambulances for four people."

Police and reporters were on the street all day, Hearson said Wednesday. Several people laid flowers at the foot of the driveway. Hearson said she and the Clancys are all members of Holy Family Church, and the congregation said a prayer Wednesday morning.

Flowers outside the crime scene on Summer Street in Duxbury on Wednesday Jan. 25, 2023.

"This is a tragedy," she said.

Clancy is a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital. She was previously a nursing assistant at South Shore Hospital, according to her Facebook page.

We are shocked and saddened to learn of this unthinkable tragedy," Mass General said in a statement Wednesday. "We extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected by these devastating events.

Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Children strangled in Duxbury home; mother to be charged with murder
A capital murder suspect died Wednesday night after he shot a Dallas police officer in the foot and was shot by officers who were returning fire, police said.

The officer who was shot has been released from the hospital, officials said Thursday.

The shooting happened when officers pulled over a car at an Oak Cliff apartment complex in the 2500 block of Bahama Drive, near Hampton Road and Fort Worth Avenue.

At about 3 p.m. Wednesday, the Dallas fugitive unit was trying to serve an arrest warrant on the suspect for capital murder, officials said in a statement.

Fugitive officers found the suspect, Joey Fraire, 18, in a car and pulled into the apartment complex. Officers told everyone to get out of the vehicle, said Kristen Lowman, Dallas police spokesperson, at a news conference Wednesday.

The driver got out of the vehicle and was taken into custody.

The passenger, Fraire, did not exit the vehicle after repeated commands and he opened fire at officers, shooting one officer in the foot, police said. Officers fired back and shot the suspect.

Both the officer and Fraire were transported to a hospital for treatment.

The wounded officer is expected to be OK, police said.

The District Attorneys Office was notified, and the Special Investigations Unit will talk to witnesses as the investigation is ongoing.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported heavy fighting near Bakhmut and Vuhledar, Donetsk Oblast, on Jan. 25.

Maliar said Russian forces were throwing a significant number of personnel, weapons, and military equipment to try and break Ukraines defensive lines.

Russian forces are numerically superior and have more weapons in this area, she said.

As a result of an offensive operation in January, Russian forces managed to break through Ukrainian defenses and occupy Soledar, Donetsk Oblast.

Russia hopes to use the gain to encircle the nearby Bakhmut, which Russia has tried to capture for more than six months.
Democratic disconfort was on display as senators kept mum on Representative Ruben Gallegos decision to run against Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona, despite her defection from the party last month.

On the other side of the aisle, while Ms Sinema has refused to join the Republican Party, many of her GOP colleagues wish she would change her mind, given her friendliness with many of the members.

Senator Mitt Romney worked closely with Ms Sinema throughout the first two years of the Biden administration. The two were lead negotiators on the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Utah Republican was part of a larger group of senators that negotiated the bipartisan gun safety bill that Ms Sinema negotiated with three other senators.

That friendship means that even though Ms Sinema is part of his party, Mr Romney told The Independent that he will not support a Republican against her.

I think Senator Sinema is terrific. And I would I would not be campaigning against her, he said.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, a longtime friend, wishes that she would join the GOP ranks.

Well, I mean, I would prefer she come and join us. But the absent that, you know, obviously, it's about the majority, he told The Independent.

His predecessor as whip, John Cornyn of Texas, who was part of the group that negotiated the gun bill with her, said Mr Gallegos decision to jump in was a testament to the direction of the party.

I think theyve love their minds. They are pretty radical, he told The Independent. Senator Sinema has been a good partner to work with and doing a lot of very consructive work.

At the same time, he still said hed support the GOP if a candidate ran against her.

Ill always support my party.

Conversely, Democrats were mostly silent about whether to support Mr Gallego, who announced on Monday that he would challenge Ms Sinema. Arizonas senior senator announced last month that she would leave the Democratic Party and serve as an independent.

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Hes a fine man. He has to make a decision about his own future, Senate Majoirty Whip Dick Durbin told The Independent. But Mr Durbin, who is also chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he did not want to speculate about races.

Ms Sinemas office did not comment to The Independent. But on Friday, she did tacitly address her new challenger.

Im not really thinking or talking about the election right now  although others are  Im staying focused on the work, she said.

Ms Sinema frequently frustrated many Democrats when they had control of the House of Representatives and a 50-50 majority in the US Senate. She had many reservations about Build Back Better, the social spending bill Democrats hoped to pass before Senator Joe Manchin killed it.

In addition, she opposes getting rid of the filibuster, the 60-vote threshold in the upper chamber, even as many Democrats hoped to get rid of it to pass a new version of the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court weakened the law in 2013.

The Cook Political Report this week rated Arizonas Senate race as a toss-up.

But Ms Sinema has not announced whether she will seek re-election and she will continue to caucus with Senate Democrats, similar to Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine, who both serve as independents.

Meanwhile, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Ms Sinemas Democratic colleague, was non-commital on her potential reelection race, having just won his own campaign in November. Ms Sinema contributed $10,000 to Mr Kellys re-election campaign.

My thoughts are, weve had a lot of Senate elections in Arizona, Mr Kelly told The Independent. Arizona has had a Senate race for every election since 2016, when John McCain won his final term.

In 2018, Ms Sinema ran for an open seat as a Democrat and won, becoming the first Democrat to win a seat from the state in 30 years. In 2020, Mr Kelly won a special election to finish the end of the late Mr McCains term. In 2022, Mr Kelly beat Republican Blake Masters to win a full Senate term.

And this one's more than a year and a half away, Mr Kelly said. You know, I've worked with the congressman, you know, on a number of things. But Im focused on the job and not another Senate race.

Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota  who is a vice chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic caucuss campaign arm  was also non-committal.

I think we are in a good place, she told The Independent, but added there were lots of unknowns given that Ms Sinema hasnt announced whether shell seek re-election. So it's premature to know what happens next.

When asked about Mr Gallego, she said, I watched his video this morning. And I thought it was strong.
Dmitry Medvedev gives a TV address at the Gorki state residence, outside Moscow, Russia, on December 31, 2022. Ekaterina Shtukina, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Russia's former president has become one of its most vitriolic figures amid the Ukraine invasion.

When Dmitry Medvedev was elected, some saw him representing a more liberal future for Russia.

But experts say he's now politically vulnerable and doing what he can to win favor with Putin.

When Dmitry Medvedev was elected president of Russia in 2008, he was seen by many as a more liberal and Western-leaning than Vladimir Putin, the man who served as president both before and after him.

It didn't matter that he was viewed largely as a placeholder for Putin, who was unable to serve three consecutive terms. Many still hoped he could take the country in a new direction.

But since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Medvedev has become one of Russia's most outspoken and threatening anti-Western figures, who has made frequent mentions of nuclear attacks and predictions of a collapse in Western civilization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, in December 2016. Sputnik/Pool/Dmitry Astakhov

Medvedev public persona has changed radically since Russia's invasion in February 2022, with his statements more akin to that of a vitriolic warmonger.

"People often ask me why my Telegram posts are so harsh." he wrote in June 2022. "The answer is I hate them. They are bastards and scum. They want death for us, for Russia. And as long as I'm alive, I'll do anything to make them disappear."

It is unclear if he was referring to Ukraine, the West, or both.

Medvedev also suggested last year that Ukraine might not even exist in two years, and called Ukrainian officials "cockroaches."

He bragged that NATO wouldn't respond if Russia were to nuke Ukraine, and predicted a war between France and Germany, as well as a civil war in the US that could lead to Elon Musk becoming president.

In January, he called for hypersonic missiles to be put close to Washington, DC, and said that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it loses in Ukraine.

And on Monday, he suggested firing a hypersonic missile at The Hague after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Threats to appease Putin

Experts told Insider that there's a clear reason behind his rhetoric: Medvedev is in a weak position in Russian politics, and is trying to win favor with Putin.

Edward Lucas, senior advisor at the Center for European Policy Analysis, compared Medvedev 's role in Russian politics to characters in "The Sopranos" desperately trying to impress the Mafia leader.

"Medvedev is like one of the weaker guys in Tony Soprano's circles, who just has to go and do horrible things to appease the boss."

Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev during the United Russia party congress in Moscow, Russia, in December 2017. Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP

Ben Noble, associate professor of Russian Politics at University College London, told Insider that Medvedev's wild statements are a strategy to make up for his weak political position.

"In order to stay relevant  and safe  he has attempted to be even more hawkish than many existing hawks," he said.

Lucas, meanwhile, noted that while many saw Medvedev as being more pro-Western, he always believed that to be "rubbish."

From Western to wild

While Noble says that Medvedev's transformation seems extreme, it doesn't necessarily mean that he has fundamentally changed.

Instead, it appears that Medvedev has always been willing to do whatever it takes to curry favor with Russia's elite.

"I think it would be wrong to conclude, however, that he has always been hiding his more recent, aggressive self. Rather, I think he has adapted with the times," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev attend a government meeting in Moscow, Russia, in January 2020 Sputnik/Dmitry Astakhov/Pool via REUTERS

Lucas said that Medvedev had a "cosmetic Western interest" because he was particularly interested in technology and spoke English.

But added said Medvedev had not changed since his presidency: in both cases, his image and his public statements were made for the benefit of his bigger and more popular ally.

Medvedev is "playing the tune that comes in the inner circle, when the inner circle wants him to be liberal he'll be liberal, when it wants him to be hard line he'll be hardline."

Trying to stay relevant

Medvedev vitriolic new persona can be explained by his weak political position, the experts said.

Medvedev's time in office is widely seen as having been a placeholder for Putin: His election in 2008 came when Putin could no longer serve another back-to back term under Russia's constitution, with Putin officially serving as his prime minister.

Some observers said that the election did not appear to be entirely free.

Putin became president again once Medvedev's first term was up, and Medvedev duly became his prime minister, serving until 2020.

Noble said that, when Medvedev stepped down as prime minister, there was a sense "that he was a spent political force  a former placeholder president, who did not have any independent political capital of his own."

He was given his current role, the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, which Noble said was "seen as a consolation prize."

His recent outspokenness therefore serves as a way for Medvedev to regain some popularity: "With his shift in rhetoric, it is possible that he has endeared himself with the more hawkish elements of the elite," says Noble.

Clinging to power

Professor J.L. Black, author of "Russia after 2012: From Putin to Medvedev," told Insider that Medvedev's "West-lean was not so strong as many wishful thinkers in the West hoped," but that he still stood out compared to most of Russian society for having "even a slight acceptance" of some Western ideas.

Still, Black described Medvedev as someone who "has always been a second stringer," with Putin getting credit even when Medvedev had success.

He noted that Russia has "a general population that sees Medvedev as a weak link."

Medvedev recent strategy, therefore, could be to try to show support so he doesn't lose power if there's a reshuffle by Putin, or if another right-ring leader takes over in Russia.

"If Putin leaves and Medvedev tries to access power, he doesn't have a circle of 'cronies' to support him, nor does he have a popular base, so his aggressive stance is more likely a means to keep a role as a second-stringer if the right takes over  or if Putin decides on a purge," says Black.

His remarks also stand in contrast to Putin, who has remained much more tight-lipped since the war began.

Lucas, from the Center for European Policy Analysis, notes that Putin doesn't need to say much, since his allies do it for him  no matter what he wants to say.

"If Putin was to turn around and say 'we're gonna have a peace deal now,' Medvedev would be saying 'Absolutely brilliant, I wanted it all along, so pleased.'"

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Chicago man found inside an SUV reported stolen from a Naperville address has been charged with several felonies, including one stemming from the loaded gun he was carrying, authorities said.

Naperville police were notified about 4:40 a.m. Tuesday that a Dodge Durango had been taken only minutes earlier while it was parked in the 1600 block of Westminster Drive, according to a news release issued by police and the DuPage County States Attorneys Office.

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Officers located the vehicle at a gas station on Route 59 near Interstate 88 in Naperville but when they tried to arrest the suspect  Frank Whitefield Jr., 20, of the 7600 block of South Champlain Avenue  he and another man fled on foot, the report said.

The officer who caught Whitefield was able to take away the loaded .45-caliber Glock pistol he was carrying, the release said. The weapon had an extended magazine and a laser attachment.

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Whitefield was charged with felony counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and possession of burglary tools.

He is being held in the DuPage County jail in lieu of $250,000 bail and next scheduled to be in court Feb. 21.

This was phenomenal police work, from the initial response to the swift location and apprehension of the suspect, Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said in the release.
Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison ruled that enforcement on the new assault weapon ban law be halted for the moment.

A restraining order was placed on a new law in Illinois at the end of last week that speaks of support for the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison ruled in favor of more than 850 plaintiffs that an enforcement on the new assault weapon ban law be halted for the moment.

The Protect Illinois Communities Act was signed into law on Jan.10 by Gov. JB Pritzker. It is basically a law that bans assault weapons. It immediately drew controversy from many entities around the state, including the Illinois Sheriffs Association. It didn't take long for the ISA to come up with a working outline that many sheriffs across the state, including Livingston County Ryan Bohm, posted indicating they will not be enforcing the new law.

The controversial law most certainly is headed to review by the Illinois State Court and possibly beyond.

Other controversy was raised by the announcement of as many as 90 of the 102 county sheriffs in Illinois that they will not enforce the law. A major factor in the controversy is what is meant by enforcement.

According to Illinois Sheriffs Association executive director Jim Kaitschuk, as quoted by Rich Miller in his Capitol Fax column, All they are saying is Were not going to knock on people's doors to ask whether they have registered their firearms. And if they're arrested solely on that charge, we will not house them in our jails until ordered to do so by a competent authority.

Miller also pointed out in the column, Kaitschuk also believes the reaction to what those sheriffs have said about refusing to enforce the states new assault weapons ban law because of their constitutional objections has been 'overblown.'

The statement released by Bohm and other members of the Illinois Sheriffs Association stated that the belief is that the law is in violation of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution and that he is looking forward to judicial review of the law.

Bohm has support in Livingston County from State's Attorney Randy Yedinak and Pontiac Police Chief Dan Davis.

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Livingston County State's Attorney Randy Yedinak

Ultimately, it's the state's attorney's office that files official criminal charges, Yedinak said in an interview on Monday. Anyone can be arrested by law enforcement, they can be booked on whatever charge the law enforcement officer thinks applies. Ultimately, it's the state's attorney's office that makes the decision what someone is charged with in criminal court.

I get to make the decision whether somebody should be charged with a crime or not in Livingston County.

But unless someone does get arrested, the decision to file charges is up to the state's attorney's office. It's been reported that most (one unconfirmed source notes 100) state's attorneys in Illinois have publicly opposed this legislation. Yedinak can be counted among them, although he isn't too keen on making announcement like ISA members put out.

I do think there's a little bit of danger in people making these statements about whether they will or will not enforce the law, or they will or will not charge people, Yedinak said. That's giving up the very discretion they have to use. We saw it a lot during COVID when the governor was passing all sorts of legislation and people were just banging on my door, hounding me on the phone to say that I'm not going to enforce these COVID laws.

We had one particular person running around here in Pontiac (who tested positive for COVID and said) he was going to cough on as many people (as he could). If I would have gone on record and said I wasn't going to enforce those laws, then I wouldn't be able to do something about that guy. That's something a lot of state's attorney's recognize and that's why you don't see a lot of state's attorneys making these statements because there maybe a situation where we want to enforce these brand new laws.

But Yedinak pointed out that he isn't going to go out of his way to file charges on this new law.

We are also invested with this discretion, Yedinak added. He used the example of a farmer shooting a coyote on his land with an AR-15. That's a situation where this office is going to have a hard time finding a reason to charge him with a crime.

He did point out there are other factors that play into why his office would take action. This is in relation to what a member of the sheriff's department, or any other policing agency in the county would do. It seems that a charge would be secondary to why an original arrest or ticket was being made.

If we have someone coming down from Chicago, a would-be violent criminal who has a FOID card, this person has an AR-15 in his trunk and has a FOID card, Yedinak said. Under the old laws, he could have an AR-15 and nothing could be done. Now, I can do something about that. So I may very well choose to charge that person with a crime.

As far as policing agencies, Davis said that no agency is going to turn a blind eye to the situation. However in speaking for department, the police aren't going to go door to door to find out if someone owns an assault weapon.

It's the law, we're not going to dismiss it, Davis said. The police aren't the deciders of what is a law or not, but this is a law that will come up in other investigations.

As far as enforcement, I'm not going to dismiss that this is the law, but it's something that the police department isn't going to be actively seeking out and enforce.

In trying to enforce it, Yedinak said that there is a lot to it because of the many nuances put in place.

It makes a big headache because there's a lot of general descriptions (of) what we call an assault weapon, Yedinak said. The law goes through and specifically lists several types of firearms and firearm ammunition that would be otherwise illegal.

Yedinak is not shy about wanting to see this law challenged. He is a gun owner and as advocate for the Second Amendment.

The otherwise law-abiding citizen who is an avid Second Amendment fan and has a bunch of firearms in their house and they aren't doing anything wrong with those firearms, that person is going to be fine, he said.

As far as challenging the law, itself, I welcome the opportunity to do that, Yedinak added. We will take every opportunity we can get to challenge this law.

My office will do everything that it possibly can to see that this law is challenged through the legal process and through legal means. We've already seen one court case (in Effingham County) where a trial court judge found it unconstitutional. I think you're going to see a lot more and I think you will see it make its way through the appellate court and to the Supreme Court.

Davis added, We're very confident, through all the judicial reviews that are supposed to be taking place, that there will be some amending to that law.

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: How does Protect Illinois Communities Act play in Livingston County?
A Kansas man is dead after officials said he was struck by gunfire from a rifle that discharged when a dog stepped on it in a truck.

The fatal shooting took place in rural Kansas along a road in Sumner County, about 45 miles south of Wichita, Wellington Fire and EMS Chief Tim Hay told USA TODAY on Wednesday.

The Sumner County Sheriffs Office identified the victim as Joseph Austin Smith of Wichita.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies were dispatched to the scene Saturday morning for a male who had been shot in the back.

At the scene, EMS personnel administered CPR before the victim was pronounced dead, Hay said.

The driver of the truck, who was sitting next to Smith when the gun fired, was not hurt, Hay said.

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Hunting gear, a dog and a rifle in the back seat

Sheriff's office Deputy Jordan Douglas said a preliminary investigation found Smith was sitting in the front passenger seat of a pickup that contained hunting gear and a rifle in the back seat.

A dog who deputies said belonged to the owner of the pickup, was also in the backseat and stepped on the rifle, causing it to fire.

"The fired round struck the passenger who died of his injuries on scene," sheriff's officials wrote in a press release.

The case remained under investigation on Wednesday, Douglas said.

On Wednesday, Hay reminded gun owners to store firearms properly when in vehicles.

"Keep the safety on, unload your guns completely when it's in a vehicle and put it away, in the trunk," he said.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kansas man fatally shot after dog steps on rifle in truck: Officials
More than two years after Meta extended former President Donald Trumps indefinite suspension from Facebook, the company has opted to reinstate his account. In a statement, Meta said Trump would be able to access his Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks, but that there would be "new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.

The decision comes after Trumps campaign had reportedly pushed for the former president to be allowed back on Facebook ahead of the upcoming presidential primaries.

Trump was originally booted from Facebook in the aftermath of the attack on the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021, after publicly praising the rioters. Metas handling of the initial suspension, which it quickly extended from a 24-hour ban to an indefinite suspension, was heavily criticized, including by its own Oversight Board. In its decision weighing in on Trumps suspension, the board slammed Meta for not following its own rules and trying to avoid its responsibilities.

Meta then revisited the suspension, and said it would last for at least two years. However, the company confirmed that Trump would eventually be allowed back on Facebook. Nick Clegg, Metas top policy official, said at the time the former president would be subject to new enhanced penalties for future policy violations.

Now, Clegg says that Trump and other public figures who have been reinstated following suspensions related to civil unrest will face new suspensions, lasting for at least a month, for future offenses. He added Meta would also take steps to limit the reach of Trumps posts if they contribute to the sort of risk that materialized on January 6th, such as content that delegitimizes an upcoming election or is related to QAnon. While Meta may not remove those posts entirely, he said the company would consider removing the share button and blocking them from the companys advertising and recommendations systems.

Clegg also confirmed that the company's controversial "newsworthiness" policies could continue to apply to Trump. "In the event that Mr. Trump posts content that violates the letter of the Community Standards but, under our newsworthy content policy, we assess there is a public interest in knowing that Mr. Trump made the statement that outweighs any potential harm, we may similarly opt to restrict the distribution of such posts but leave them visible on Mr. Trumps account," Clegg wrote.

Meta's decision comes just months after Elon Musk also restored the former president's Twitter account. Trump has so far declined to restart his Twitter habit  he decamped to Truth Social last year  but is reportedly planning to return, according to a recent report in Rolling Stone. While the former president was known to favor Twitter, his Facebook following was also an important asset to both of his previous campaigns.

Trump's suspension was also the first major test of Meta's Oversight Board, which the company formed to help it weigh in on thorny content moderation and policy decisions. In a statement Wednesday, the board said that it had "no role" in the company's decision to reinstate Trump, and that it plans to "publish a fuller analysis of this case in a future quarterly transparency report."
Rochelle Walker Murry has started a donation drive for the Tornado victims in Selma, Alabama. She was born and raised there.

PANAMA CITY  It was unrecognizable.

Thats how Rochelle Walker Murry described the drive through her hometown of Selma, Alabama, just days after a deadly tornado swept through the area on Jan. 12  destroying everything in its path.

The pictures on the news dont really justify whats going on there, Murry said. There were historic buildings that have been there for years that have been destroyed, and the biggest thing that hurt me was seeing that a lot of my family and friends didnt have anything to go back to.

Born and raised in Selma, Murry, is a receptionist at the Rodeway Inn in Panama City and said she knew she had to help the people in the place she once called home. So Murry collaborated with Rodeway Inns Director of Operations Nirav Banker to start a donation drive for the tornado victims.

Banker said it just felt right to help because Panama City was in a similar situation after Hurricane Michael and remembers the outpouring of support the city got from other communities.

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When Rochelle described the devastation to me, without hesitation, I was thinking of what we could do to help out, Banker said. Having experienced the devastation of extreme weather events ourselves, we feel compelled to do what we can to help our Alabama neighbors.

In addition to monetary donations, they are asking for cases of water, canned goods, snacks, baby products (wipes, pampers, blankets, formulas), socks, blankets (old or new) and clothes (old or new).

Two donation sites are set up at Rodeway Inn in Panama City and Days Inn in Callaway and will be accepting donations through Feb. 9. Collected donations will be delivered Feb. 11 to Elwood Community Church in Selma, one of the central distribution sites for the donated supplies.

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During their visit, Murry and Banker said they plan to engage with the Selma community.

I want them to know that we are there for them, so just being there and talking to people to brighten up their day could go a long way, Banker said.

We want to be more effective in the community, Murry said. I want to make sure no one is left without getting what they need, so many of us are volunteering our time and vehicles to help deliver these items to the people who may not be able to get them themselves.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City woman supports hometown through donation drive
Doomsday Clock 2023 Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Scientists have updated the "Doomsday Clock," putting humanity officially at 90 seconds to midnight. What is the Doomsday Clock and what is its significance? Here's everything you need to know:

What is the Doomsday Clock?

The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic design created in 1947 by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists to warn humanity "about how close we are to destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making." The clock takes into account the threat of nuclear war, climate change, and global health, per The Washington Post.

The original clock focused specifically on the potential for nuclear war, since 1947 was the first year of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Now the clock is the closest its ever been to "midnight" of humanity's destruction at only 90 seconds away.

Whether the clock is moved and by how much is determined by Bulletin's Science and Security Board, which is made up of a number of scientific experts across disciplines. They may also consult the Board of Sponsors, which includes a number of Nobel Laureates.

Why did the clock move forward?

The clock had been at 100 seconds to midnight since 2020. It has now moved forward by 10 seconds, to 90 seconds to midnight. The largest contributing factor was Russia's war on Ukraine. In the statement announcing the clock's movement, the Science and Security Board explained that "Russia's thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that escalation of the conflict  by accident, intention, or miscalculation  is a terrible risk."

Along with the threat of nuclear war, the board also cited how Russia's actions have stunted the world's efforts to combat climate change. "Countries dependent on Russian oil and gas have sought to diversify their supplies and suppliers, leading to expanded investment in natural gas exactly when such investment should have been shrinking."

Other considered issues included China and North Korea expanding their military and nuclear capabilities, record-high CO2 emissions, the level of infectious disease outbreaks, cyber-disinformation, and the string of extreme weather events, as mentioned in the Bulletin's press release.

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"What we're conveying with the clock move is, things are not going in the right direction, and they haven't been going in the right direction," said Rachel Bronson, CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Will the clock reach midnight?

If it does, humanity won't be around to see it. "When the clock is at midnight, that means there's been some sort of nuclear exchange or catastrophic climate change that's wiped out humanity," Bronson remarked. "We never really want to get there and we won't know it when we do." She also believes it is possible to turn back the clock, but doing so would take "serious work and global engagement at all levels of society."

The Science and Security Board emphasized that peace negotiations would lower the risk of catastrophe, saying: "In this time of unprecedented global danger, concerted action is required, and every second counts."

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Why we are here today is because we dont know the status of this case of Reina, says Lucy Pineda, Executive Director of Latinos Unidos en Massachusetts.

Two months ago, 41-year-old Reina Morales Rojas disappeared. On Tuesday, the Latino community gathered in front of the East Boson Police Station to pressure the police to do more to find her.

I dont want to feel like our resources are divided for the black, for the Latino, and the white community, says Pineda.

At the vigil, people held signs reading Latino Lives Matter and Police Silence is Police Complicity. Theres the frustration it took more than a month before police notified news outlets that Reina was missing.

Everyone deserves to be treated equally and we have not seen that with her. I dont know if I can say racist but its like because she is a Latino, says Pineda.

Boston Police acknowledged Reinas disappearance should have been shared sooner but say the search to find her began as soon as she was reported missing in November.

Reina she is a mother and her kids are looking for her, they ask for her, says Pineda.

The mother of two teenagers came to Boston last May from El Salvador where she worked as a police officer. While in Boston, she worked in the airline food industry. She was last seen getting into a car on Bennington Street in East Boston and dropped off in a neighborhood in Somerville.

We are here today because we are fighting for equality for all, says Pineda.

Boston Police told Boston 25 News they are doing everything they can to find Reina and say theyve been in contact with her family as part of the investigation.

If you have any information on where Reina could be, you can share tips anonymously at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27643)

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Last week, easyJet plc (LON:EZJ) insiders, who had purchased shares in the previous 12 months were rewarded handsomely. The shares increased by 7.4% last week, resulting in a UK242m increase in the company's market worth. As a result, their original purchase of UK220k worth of stock is now worth UK223k.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

View our latest analysis for easyJet

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At easyJet

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Chairman of the Board Stephen Hester for UK96k worth of shares, at about UK4.80 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than UK4.68 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price.

In the last twelve months easyJet insiders were buying shares, but not selling. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

easyJet is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. easyJet insiders own about UK543m worth of shares (which is 15% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

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So What Does This Data Suggest About easyJet Insiders?

The fact that there have been no easyJet insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Judging from their transactions, and high insider ownership, easyJet insiders feel good about the company's future. 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.

But note: easyJet may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced on Jan. 24 a new joint initiative with the government of the Netherlands to protect Ukraines agricultural business sector and preserve global food security.

The support includes the provision of a 25 million euro fund for grants to assist private companies operating in critical agricultural-related industries.

The agreement on the guarantee was signed in London with hopes to overcome the looming global food prices, Dutch Ministry of Finance Robin Uyterlinde said.

Last year, the Netherlands provided a 70 million euro grant support to the EBDR loan to Ukrenergo. The grant was used to repair infrastructure that was bombed by Russian forces.
QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's government on Wednesday accused 28 candidates in local elections in cities across the country of having possible ties to drug trafficking and illegal mining in a report submitted to prosecutors, Interior Minister Juan Zapata said.

Ecuadoreans will go to the polls on Feb. 5 to elect local authorities throughout the South American country, including councillors and mayors.

Information regarding alleged irregular financing was gathered by police intelligence, as well as witness statements and monitoring on social media networks, Zapata said.

"In this case there are 28 people - 22 men and six women - linked to possible crimes of drug trafficking, illegal mining and other related crimes," Zapata told journalists.

"There are (candidates) from different parties. Prosecutors will know how to determine responsibility," he added.

The report was submitted to the attorney general's office, which has already opened an investigation into similar complaints filed by a group of members of Ecuador's National Assembly.

President Guillermo Lasso, a conservative former banker, says his priority is fighting drug trafficking. Drug-trafficking gangs use Ecuador as a transit point for shipping drugs bound for the United States and Europe.

The government also wants to tackle growing incidents of illegal mining in various parts of the country, which has significant gold and copper reserves.

The minister did not name those accused or their political parties, but said the information was included in detail in the report.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Despite the often cold language about market corrections or rightsizing that accompanies them, mass layoffs are a collection of individual little catastrophes for the people affected by them. Such is the case for workers caught in rounds of tens of thousands of layoffs announced in the last several weeks by tech sector giants like Amazon, Google and Facebook parent Meta.

For many, it will represent a period of stress and uncertainty from which theyll likely recover. For workers on immigrant visas, however, it might represent a point of no return.

The term temporary worker is a bit misleading, creating a public conception of foreign workers flitting into the country for a few months and then leaving. In reality, many workers on visas like the H-1B are longtime residents whove built lives in the U.S., stuck in interminable residency backlog that our own broken immigration system has created, or onetime students whove gone through years of U.S. higher education in pursuit of well-paid jobs and the American dream.

They might have done everything right for years and years, but that doesnt matter once a layoff comes and they have a mere 60 days to find alternative employment or lose status and be forced out of the country. With swaths of the tech industry now engaged in shedding of workers, a significant portion will inevitably run out the clock.

This workforce will contract without the ability to expand again, given that the workers will be forced to leave the labor pool permanently with an exit from the United States. If these corporate giants reverse course down the line or other industries  say, the homegrown semiconductor industry that the Congress and president seem eager to set up  ramp up their demand for tech workers, they simply wont be around anymore.

Meanwhile, countries like Canada are rolling out the red carpet while we make life complicated and unpredictable for workers with specialized skills. Congress must adapt, or risk having the era of U.S. technical supremacy slowly come to a close.

___
A federal lawsuit challenging Naperville's assault rifle sales ban was amended this week to include the new Illinois law banning semi-automatic firearms sales and seeks a temporary restraining order to block the city's police chief from enforcing either until the case is resolved. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

A federal lawsuit challenging Napervilles ban on semi-automatic firearm sales was amended this week to include the citys police chief and a request that he be prevented from enforcing new city and state laws while the issue is in court.

The move comes just days after the city of Naperville filed its own request asking the suit from by Naperville gun store owner Robert Bevis and the National Association for Gun Rights be consolidated with similar cases against Highland Park and Cook County, all of which are pending in the Northern District of Illinois.

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In the modification filed by Bevis and the gun association, Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres has been added to the case as well as a request that the judge issue a temporary restraining order stopping him from allowing police offers to enforce the gun sales ban adopted by the Naperville City Council in August.

Naperville has agreed not the enforce the law, which was scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, until a judge rules on a temporary restraining order request that would put it on hold until the case is resolved.

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The citys ordinance prohibits the sale of assault rifles similar to those used in 2022 mass shootings in Highland Park; Uvalde, Texas; and Buffalo, New York.

It essentially applies to Napervilles two gun stores, Range USA Naperville on Frontenac Court and Bevis Law Weapons & Supply on North Aurora Road, and to any licensed firearms dealers in the city. Private transfers and private sales are not affected.

The Illinois General Assembly approved a similar ban on the sale of most semi-automatic firearms earlier this month, which is also being challenged in court.

It went into effect Jan. 10 when Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the legislation and also bans the sale of standard capacity magazines and requires existing owners of such weapons to register them with the state.

Semi-auto and magazine bans are blatantly unconstitutional, Dudley Brown, president of the National Association for Gun Rights, said in a news release.

This bogus law violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens in Illinois. We were already suing Naperville and Highland Park over their gun bans, so amending our complaint to put the state law at issue in our case against Naperville was a no-brainer.

The amended lawsuit says that Arres, as chief of police, has the duty to oversee the enforcement of all applicable state laws and city ordinances. But in enforcing the weapons bans, Arres will deprive plaintiffs of their constitutional rights by enforcing these unconstitutional laws against them, according to the complaint.

Napervilles request for judge reassignment last week follows a similar motion from Highland Park to have its case heard by U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, whose docket includes a case challenging a Cook County weapons ban.

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The Naperville motion says all three lawsuits involve the same essential question of law: whether legislatures can lawfully prohibit assault weapons.

Likewise, all actions raise many common questions of fact, including about how dangerous assault weapons are, how broadly Americans lawfully own and use them, and which historical weapons regulations are relevantly similar to them, the motion said.

The consolidation would allow a single judge to potentially adjudicate the constitutionality of all three ordinances at the same time, thereby saving enormous judicial resources, the motion said.

Napervilles legal request acknowledges the cases involve similar arguments, though they are not identical in every respect.

While all three ordinances prohibit the sale of assault weapons, the Cook County and Highland Park actions challenge the ban on the possession of assault weapons. The Naperville action, by contrast, involves a challenge to Napervilles prohibition of the commercial sale of assault weapons, it says.

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entrance to the Egyptian Museum AMIR MAKAR / Contributor/Getty Images

Egyptian researchers have "digitally unwrapped" the mummified remains of a teenager buried 2,300 years ago, known as Egypt's "golden boy." Radiologists at Cairo University used CT scans to examine the remains non-invasively, revealing that he was adorned in a gold mask and 49 protective amulets, NBC News reports.

The boy's remains were first discovered in 1916 at a cemetery in southern Egypt called Nag el-Hassay, used between approximately 332 BC and 30 BC. He was sent to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo along with thousands of other preserved bodies excavated in Egypt in the 19th and 20th centuries, per CNN. Due to the destructive process of unwrapping preserved remains, the golden boy was moved into the museum's basement and remained unexamined until recently.

When the study's authors scanned the body, they identified 49 protective amulets with 21 distinct designs inside the body and between the wrappings, including a golden heart in his chest and a gold tongue in his mouth. The researchers say the amulets were placed by embalmers in an attempt to ease the boy's transition to the afterlife. They were also able to 3D-print a copy of the heart scarab using data from the CT scans, CNN reports.

Saheer Saleem, a co-author of the study and professor of radiology at the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University, told NBC News that the discoveries revealed evidence of the boy's socioeconomic status while giving insight into the importance of amulets in the afterlife. Since the body went through a "very expensive and meticulous modification process," Saleem surmised that "he came from some very rich family or maybe a noble family."

The golden boy has been relocated to the main exhibition hall of the Egyptian Museum. He will be put on display with the CT images and the 3D-printed heart scarab to give visitors more insight into the traditions of ancient Egyptian death rites. "The display's goal was to humanize this individual from the past to teach modern people about life in ancient times," the researchers wrote in the study.

Story continues

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Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist organizer, on November 14, 2020. Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Elon Musk's Twitter has reinstated the account of white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

Fuentes is known for making antisemitic remarks and has praised Hitler, calling him "cool."

Numerous right-wing figures have been brought back to Twitter after Musk's takeover in October.

Twitter has just reinstated the account of prominent white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who previously expressed his belief that Hitler was "cool."

Fuentes announced his return to Twitter on Tuesday after being banned from the platform in July 2021 for "repeated violations of the Twitter rules."

He celebrated his return by posting a meme from the cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants."

Fuentes has a history of extremist behavior including attending a 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, denying the Holocaust, and making racist and antisemitic comments.

Fuentes has also praised Hitler in a video repeating that he is "cool" and "awesome."

Fuentes is just one of several right-wing figures to have their accounts have restored on Twitter since Elon Musk bought the company for $44 billion in October 2022. Figures including Donald Trump, Kanye West, Jordan Peterson, and Andrew Tate, as well as satirical conservative website The Babylon Bee, had their accounts restored.

Fuentes, who is helping Ye  formerly known as Kanye West  with his 2024 presidential campaign, was seen with him at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, and reportedly had dinner with the former president in November 2022. An anonymous source told Axios that Trump liked Fuentes at the dinner and said: "He gets me."

In a December interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Ye  who was joined by Fuentes  praised Hitler and made a number of overtly antisemitic remarks.

Musk suspended Ye's Twitter account after the interview over repeated antisemitism saying: "I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended."

Fuentes also has an online show called "America First with Nicholas Fuentes," where he has also repeatedly made antisemitic comments.

Read the original article on Business Insider
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

Emmett Tills family has some choice words for the Academy. After Tuesdays Oscar nominations, which shut out not only Till but also The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, both the family and Till director Chinonye Chukwu shared their pointed thoughts about racism and misogyny in Hollywood.

Till recounts the true story of Emmett Tills mother, who relentlessly sought justice after her 14-year-old son was lynched for allegedly offending a white woman. Like The Woman King and other Black-led stories, including Jordan Peeles Nope, Till did not receive a single Oscar nomination.

This years batch of nominees included the usual snubs and surprises, but perhaps no category stirred more controversy than Best Actress. Nominees included some expected choices, like Cate Blanchett for Tar, but they also omitted Viola Davis (who was among the predicted nominees for her performance in The Woman King) as well as Tills Danielle Deadwyler, who delivered a gut-wrenching performance as Mamie Till Mobley. Included among the nominees, meanwhile, were two serious surprisesAna de Armas for the widely panned Blonde and Andrea Riseborough for the micro-budget indie To Leslie.

The Oscars Best Actress Race Took a Shocking Step Backward

Speaking with TMZ, Emmett Tills cousin and cofounder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, Deborah Watts, expressed the familys disappointment with the nominationsas well as her admiration for Deadwylers performance. She said that Deadwyler embodied and delivered the true essence of our cousin, a loving and courageous mother... She reached deeply and poured her heart and soul in this role as she embraced us intimately like no other, while transforming into Mamie and bringing her true essence and story to life.

Watts added that the foundation and its supporters will make sure that Emmett and Mamies stories continue to be toldwith or without any awards.

Director Chukwu, meanwhile, expressed both disappointment and determination in a recent Instagram post seemingly about the snub.

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Alongside a photo of herself with civil rights activist and journalist Myrlie Louise Evers-Williams, Chukwu wrote, We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women. And yet. I am forever in gratitude for the greatest lesson of my life - regardless of any challenges or obstacles, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance.

The Oscars ongoing failure to recognize Black talent became a topic of national conversation back in 2015, when the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite spread across social media in response to a very caucasian batch of nominees. After Tuesdays nominations snubbed so many Black-led films, especially the widely watched and discussed critical darling Nope, the hashtag has been invoked once more to discuss how far weve actually come (or not) in the last eight years.

18 Biggest Oscar Nomination Snubs and Surprises

Hollywoods failure to foster and recognize Black talent is a bleak multi-generational legacy that could, unfortunately, take just as long to reverse. Since the Oscars first began in 1929, only 22 performances from Black actors have taken home awards, and Halle Berry remains the only Black performer to have won Best Actress. And while it can be tempting to dismiss awards as boosts to various professionals egos, in Hollywood, these gold statuettes help decide who will and will not be cast for big projects in the futureas well as whose projects will receive funding and whose will not. In other words, its about more than bragging rights.

There were some pleasant surprise nominations for Black performers on Tuesday morning, including Angela Bassett in Best Supporting Actress for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Brian Tyree Henry for Best Supporting Actor for Causeway. If the Oscars want to escape another hashtag debacle, however, theyre going to have to do a little better than that.

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STORY: With China celebrating the Lunar New Year, Asia's tourism hotspots have been bracing for the return of Chinese tourists, who spent $255 billion a year globally before the pandemic. Countries from Thailand to Japan had depended on China as their largest source of foreign visitors.

Beijing in December abruptly dropped some of the toughest COVID restrictions on earth, which had battered the world's second-biggest economy.

Business owner Yoyo Chen, 32, from Yiwu in central China, said returning to Thailand felt like coming home.

"I'm here to eat seafood. Previously, when I was here, I ate mango sticky rice, which was delicious. Back in China I kept thinking about the mango sticky rice here. I'm looking forward to the food, as well as visiting the beaches," Chen said.
FILE - The Arch at the University of Georgia. Enrollment at UGA rose 1.4% last year, though most other schools in the University System of Georgia saw a decline in new students.

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue recently laid out a potentially challenging future for public higher education in Georgia.

During a presentation last week to lawmakers considering the state budget, Perdue said education is getting more expensive while enrollment is dropping. Enrollment in the fall across all of USG was down 1.8% over the year prior, and it will likely continue to fall as the number of students coming up through high school is smaller.

"It's not going to get any better for the next couple years either. This is not just going to turn and pivot," Perdue told the legislators. "This demographic cliff that we're facing is serious, and it's going to be with us."

Perdue's warning:Perdue warns enrollment declines at University System of Georgia will mean funding cuts

Big budget:Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp proposes record $32.5 billion state budget

Perdue said that institutions are doing a great job of trying to balance rising costs and falling enrollments, which also determines state funding. Of all the USG institutions, 20 saw a drop in funding under the Fiscal Year 2024 funding formula; just six saw an increase.

"You can do more with less for a long time, until you do less with less, and that's the challenge that we have here is in determining where that point is as we go forward," Perdue said.

For faculty, it is an uncomfortable time, according to Matthew Boedy, president of the Georgia American Association of University Professors and an associate professor of rhetoric and composition at the University of North Georgia.

"I don't discount the enrollment numbers. There's not much we can do about that and we all knew this cliff was coming," Boedy said. "How long it lasts? We don't really know. But as Chancellor Perdue pointed out, some of our schools are not just surviving, they are thriving. So what can we do to help the rest of us?"

Some institutions avoid the drop

Even with a nearly 2% decline in enrollment across the system, some institutions bucked the trend, including three of the four research universities.

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Augusta University has managed to increase its enrollment over the past year by 2.2%, according to USG. University of Georgia grew enrollment by 1.4% and Georgia Tech by 3.3%. Georgia State saw a decline of 0.7%.

All but Georgia State would see increased funding under the proposed formula. UGA, at least, has also continued to increase its research spending  a total of of $545.6 million from a wide array of funders in Fiscal Year 2022, according to a news release.

The University of Georgias academic reputation is steadily on the rise, now ranking 16th among the nations public universities, and we are currently ranked second in the country for the best quality of student life," wrote UGA spokesperson Greg Trevor in a statement. "These factors, combined with excellent return on investment for the value of a UGA degree and career placement opportunities, confirm why demand for a UGA education has never been greater."

But Trevor also wrote that UGA is not the only good option for students in the state.

"Students in this state are fortunate to have many excellent choices for public higher education available to them through the University System of Georgia," he wrote. "We encourage prospective applicants to consider the attributes of all USG colleges and universities to determine which is the best school for them.

FILE - Augusta University's Summerville campus on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. The university grew its enrollment last year by 2.2%, bucking a statewide trend.

Augusta University is also growing steadily.

"I think this was actually our seventh straight year of an increase," said Augusta University Provost Neil MacKinnon. "We're kind of defying the trends, because the majority of universities in this state have declining enrollment. And, again, that's similar to what's going on nationally."

MacKinnon said that AU has been particularly intentional about growing its student body in recent years, after President Brooks Keel set a goal of increasing enrollment to 16,000 students by 2030; current enrollment is about 9,800.

"A lot of work has gone into what we call a strategic enrollment management plan," MacKinnon said. "It's our university's first strategic enrollment management plan. It was released last spring, after about a year of working into it. And that maps out year by year, between now and 2030, each college, each program, each degree, kind of where we're expecting the growth to happen."

MacKinnon said not all the institutions in USG have a plan. Of those that do, some may not be able to implement them, especially with falling revenues that come with declining enrollments. Augusta University, though, has been able to follow through, especially with its new online program.

"That launches this coming fall, with our first three degree programs, and our goal is to launch 25 degree programs within the next five years," he said. "And so if you look at our growth, certainly we're going to grow traditional students, you know, on campus here in Augusta, but also extending our reach across the state and even beyond Georgia, in particular to attract adult learners."

Augusta University is also growing its nursing and medical programs, and the College of Education and Human Development has grown to the largest in the university, largely through online masters programs for teachers across the state. A majority of students now come from outside the CSRA, a trend that may only grow with online programs.

But, MacKinnon said, there are still challenges, especially with making sure that students stay the course and graduate with their degree.

"I know President Keel cares deeply about this. He has made a major investment of $1.8 million last year, to really help our students cross the finish line," he said.

More cuts to come

Boedy said that as far as he can tell few tenured or tenure-track faculty have been cut so far. The current cuts have been mostly in the form of attrition and non-tenure track faculty. But that may not last.

"That is in response to, I guess, the cuts we're currently under," Boedy said. "So it's difficult to see how they can cut more without getting into more severe, tenured positions."

Boedy thinks USG can mitigate the downturn somewhat  making associate's degrees worthwhile, fully funding the HOPE Scholarship, and advertising the broad range of schools in the system. Bring students into the smaller schools across the system will be key.

"Only so many kids can get into UGA, or Georgia Tech, and so the question is, you know, how does the university system better sell ... the other schools," he said. "If they can't get into Georgia Tech, then why aren't they going to Georgia Southern, or Augusta or Kennesaw?"

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: UGA, Augusta University increase enrollment despite drop across USG
(Bloomberg) -- South African power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. is examining how the suspension of a pact that enables it to import nuclear fuel components from the US will affect its sole atomic plant.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy between the US and South Africa expired on Dec. 4. That resulted in Westinghouse Electric Co. losing its license from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to export fuel-assembly components to Eskoms Koeberg plant near Cape Town.

Eskom is exploring the implications of the withdrawal of the US NRC approval for Westinghouse, and what is needed to enable them to continue supplying fuel, the utility said in a reply to questions. Eskom doesnt anticipate that it will have to establish new fuel contracts due to this current issue and no nuclear fuel shortage is expected at Koeberg in the immediate future, it said.

The development may frustrate Eskoms efforts to end record nationwide power outages that are crimping the economy. The matter may be raised with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who is visiting South Africa this week.

Read more: South Africa at Key Nuclear Revamp Stage as Power Grid Reels

US President Joe Biden was poised in August to extend the existing agreement, but it was still allowed to expire. South African Department of International Relations & Cooperation spokesman Clayson Monyela and an energy department spokesperson werent immediately able to comment.

The Westinghouse license authorizes it to export fuel components to Sweden for fabrication into completed assemblies, and for those to be subsequently shipped to South Africa for use in both of Koebergs reactors, according to the NRC order.

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Westinghouse and Frances Framatome have been maintained as nuclear fuel suppliers for the plant, according to Eskom. The US company has already delivered the material that will be loaded during maintenance on one unit thats currently under way, while fuel for the second was provided by the French firm, it said.

The contracts with Westinghouse and Framatome cover the fuel needed beyond these two outages, Eskom said.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
The FDA is proposing an annual shot against COVID-19, signaling that a new approach is needed. wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus

By almost any measure, the vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been a global success.

As of January 2023, more than 12 billion vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been administered in an effort that has saved countless lives  more than 14 million in the first year of vaccine availability alone. With a 95% efficacy in the prevention of severe infection and death, and better safety profiles than similar historically effective vaccines, the biomedical community hoped that a combination of vaccination and natural immunity might bring the pandemic to a relatively quick end.

But the emergence of new viral variants, particularly omicron and its array of subvariants, upended those expectations. The latest omicron strain, XBB.1.5.  dubbed Kraken, after a mythical sea creature  has rapidly become the dominant subvariant in the U.S. The World Health Organization is calling it the most contagious strain so far, with its success almost certainly attributable to an ability to dodge immunity from previous vaccines or infections.

The effort to get ahead of these ever-changing variants is also in part what has led the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider its approach to COVID-19 vaccination. On Jan. 23, 2023, the agency proposed that current guidelines for a series of shots followed by a booster be replaced by an annual COVID-19 vaccine that is updated each year to combat current strains. The proposal is set to be reviewed by the FDAs science advisory committee on Jan. 26.

Limitations of current mRNA vaccination strategies

Unfortunately, the new bivalent shots, which include components from both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain as well as a recent omicron variant, have not performed as well as some scientists had hoped. Although there is no question that the updated jabs are capable of boosting antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 and helping to prevent severe illness and hospitalization, several studies have suggested that they are not necessarily more capable of preventing omicron infections than their predecessors.

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As an immunologist who studies how the immune system selects which antibodies to produce and immune responses to COVID-19, these new results are disappointing. But they are not entirely unexpected.

When COVID-19 vaccines were being rolled out in early 2021, immunologists began having public discussions about the potential obstacles to rapidly generating updated vaccines to emerging viral strains. At the time, there was no hard data. But researchers have known for a very long time that immunological memory, the very thing that offers continued protection against a virus long after vaccination, can sometimes negatively interfere with the development of slightly updated immune responses.

The failure of these new bivalent vaccines in widely preventing omicron infections suggests that our current approach is simply not sufficient to interrupt the viral transmission cycle driving the COVID-19 pandemic. In my view, its clear that innovative vaccine designs capable of producing a broader immunity are badly needed.

Vaccines are designed to generate immune memory

In simplest terms, vaccines are a way to give your immune system a sneak peek at a pathogen. There are several different ways to do this. One way is to inject inactivated versions of a virus, as has been done with polio. Another is to use noninfectious viral components, such as the proteins used for flu vaccines.

And most recently, scientists have found ways to deliver mRNA instructions that tell your body how to make those noninfectious viral components. This is the approach used with the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines targeted against COVID-19.

The mRNA-based vaccines all train your immune system to identify and respond against critical components of a potential invader. An important part of that response is to get your body to produce antibodies that will hopefully prevent future infections, helping to break the cycle of person-to-person transmission.

In a successful response, the immune system will not only produce antibodies that are specific to the pathogen, but will also remember how to make them in case you encounter that same pathogen again in the future.

The existing approach to COVID-19 vaccines has proved effective at preventing serious illness and death, but it has not prevented infections as well as scientists had hoped. Morsa Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images

The specter of original antigenic sin

But what happens when the virus evolves and that memory becomes obsolete?

Immunologists have wondered this since the initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Recently, it has found new relevance in light of the FDAs proposal for an updated annual COVID-19 shot.

While it is possible that immune responses to updated vaccines will simply replace the old ones, that has not been true for influenza. With flu, researchers have learned that preexisting immunity to one strain can actively inhibit the ability to respond well against another.

Put in everyday language, think of a virus as a car trying to run you over. You might produce one kind of antibody against the hood, one against the bumper and one against the hubcaps that prevents the wheels from turning. You have produced three kinds of antibodies specific to the car, but it turns out that only the hubcap antibodies effectively slow it down.

Now the car mutates, like SARS-CoV-2 has. It changes the shape of the hubcaps or it removes them altogether. Your immune system still recognizes the car, but not the hubcaps. The system doesnt know that the hubcap was the only effective target, so it ignores the hubcaps and ramps up its attack on the hood and bumper.

In ignoring the new hubcap response, the immune systems memory of the original car is not only obsolete, but it is also actively interfering with the response necessary to target the new cars wheels. This is what immunologists call original antigenic sin  ineffective immune memory that hampers desired responses to new pathogen strains.

This sort of interference has been extremely difficult to quantify and study in humans, although it may become easier with the FDAs proposal. A once-yearly approach to COVID-19 vaccination opens the door for more straightforward studies on how memory to each vaccine influences the next.

Multi-strain vaccinations offer hope

Simultaneously, significant efforts are being made to prioritize the pursuit of a single-shot or universal vaccine. One approach has been to take advantage of emerging research showing that if your immune system is presented with multiple versions of the same pathogen, it will tend to choose targets that are shared between them.

Presented with a Model T, Ford F-150 and electric Mustang all at once, your immune system will often choose to ignore differences like the hubcaps in favor of similarities like the shape and rubber on the tires. Not only would this interfere with the function of all three vehicles, but it could theoretically interfere with most road-based vehicles  or viral threats such as variants.

Researchers have begun making rapid headway using this approach with the development of complex multi-strain flu vaccines that are performing well in early clinical trials. New studies focused on SARS-CoV-2 hope to do the same. Persistent pathogens including influenza and HIV all suffer from versions of the same antibody-targeting issues. It is possible that this pandemic may serve as a crucible of innovation that leads to the next generation of infectious disease prevention.

This is an updated version of an article originally published on March 8, 2021.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

It was written by: Matthew Woodruff, Emory University.

Read more:



Matthew Woodruff does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
[Source]

The stars of "Everything Everywhere All at Once" ("EEAAO") recently shared their reactions to earning their first Oscar nominations on Tuesday.

Michelle Yeoh told Variety that she was "screaming with joy" alongside producer Jonathan Wang and filmmakers Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan while watching the nomination announcement for the 95th Academy Awards together.

Ive been up this morning going, Oh my god, oh my god, what am I going to do? Yeoh was quoted as saying. You never think you would want something like this so much until its there, and you dont know whether you can actually grasp it.

The 60-year-old star is the first Malaysian to be nominated for a Best Actress Award at the Oscars.

More from NextShark: Chainsaw Man revs up the gore in bloody new trailer that announces Oct. anime adaptation premiere

Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis are vying for Best Supporting Actress against Hong Chau of The Whale, Angela Bassett of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Kerry Condon of The Banshees of Inisherin.

We dont want my love Jamie or Stephanie to be one or the other, said Yeoh. Why should they be one or the other when they both deserve to be up there? So when it came out, I was like, Yes!

According to Hsu, she had just finished watching their film while on a plane from a shoot in Australia when she got a text from a friend that read: Holy sh*t.

More from NextShark: Korean entertainment CEO allegedly forced female trainees to send him risque photos every week

She then got the confirmation in their "EEAAO" text thread that was filled with a lot of tears and gratitude.

I love every single person who has poured so much of their hearts into this project, Hsu later told Good Morning America. I feel like this is a big hug for us. We're the little scrappy ones in the corner that put together this big insane thing, and I feel like everyone's really cheering us on, so I feel very honored. I get what that means now.

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When asked if she felt pressured being nominated alongside Curtis, Hsu responded, No, I'm like, This is just a big party now!

More from NextShark: Netflix confirms 'Singles Inferno' will return in 'hotter and sexier' Season 2

Curtis took to Instagram to share what surprise looks like, via an image of the moment of hearing my name, and then the thrill of my friend, Stephanie's @stephaniehsuofficial name, and the rest of the nominations.

Ke Huy Quan, who earned a nod for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, said he was jumping and screaming along with his Everything Everywhere All at Once family via Zoom as each nomination came in.

Quan told Variety that getting nominated alongside his Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom director Steven Spielberg, who was nominated for Best Director for The Fabelmans, made the award season even more special.

It could not be better. I love that man with all my heart  having him there and having his movies being nominated and celebrated, too. At a time when he made his most personal film, that is really special.

Quan also wrote in an Instagram post that during the announcement, he was screaming so loud, Im sure Ill lose my voice by the end of the day.

This is for sure one of the happiest days of my life, Quan wrote in the description. CONGRATULATIONS to the entire #EEAAO family for our 11 nominations. And lastly, CONGRATULATIONS to our matriarch @michelleyeoh_official for her historic nomination."

This years Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on March 12.
Upon the invitation of President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, rotating president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a video address at the seventh Summit of CELAC. The summit was held in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The seventh Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held Tuesday in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Upon the invitation of President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, the rotating president of CELAC, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a video address at the summit.

President Xi noted that Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries are important members of the developing world. They also take an active part in global governance and make important contributions to it. CELAC has grown to be an indispensable driving force behind global South-South cooperation. CELAC has played an important role in safeguarding regional peace, promoting common development and advancing regional integration.

Xi stressed that China always supports the regional integration process of Latin America and the Caribbean.

"We highly value our relations with CELAC, and take CELAC as our key partner in enhancing solidarity among developing countries and furthering South-South cooperation. That is why China has been working with LAC countries to steadily strengthen the China-CELAC Forum and take the China-LAC relationship into a new era characterized by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefits for the people," he said.

Xi said more and more countries in the region have engaged in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with China, supported and participated in the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and are working with China in building a China-LAC community with a shared future.

He stressed that the world is in a new period of turbulence and transformation. "We can only tackle the challenges and tide over this trying time through greater solidarity and closer cooperation," he said.

He added that China is ready to continue working with LAC countries to help each other and make progress together, and advocate "peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom" -- the common values of mankind.

China is ready to join hands with LAC countries to promote world peace and development, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and open up an even brighter future for the world, Xi said. 

Upon the invitation of President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, rotating president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a video address at the seventh Summit of CELAC. The summit was held in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Photo by Martin Zabala/Xinhua)
The following items were taken from Naperville police reports and press releases. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt:

James Thaddeus Curry, 23, of the 4700 block of South Ingleside Avenue, Chicago, was arrested on charges of aggravated unlawful use of weapons, defacing firearm ID markings and possession of a controlled substance at 11:51 p.m. Jan. 19 at Brookdale Road and North Route 59.

Crystal Shantae Walker, 27, of the 900 block of Fairway Drive, Naperville, was arrested on charges of improper stop without signal and driving on a suspended/revoked license at 11:51 p.m. Jan. 19 at Brookdale Road and North Route 59.

James N. Lodge, 38, of the 9500 block of Kelvin Lane, Schiller Park, was arrested on charges of public indecency/sex and public indecency/lewd exposure at 1:05 p.m. Jan. 20 at the police station, 1350 Aurora Ave.

Simeon Nate Handy, 35, of the 300 block of Bucktail Road, Oswego, was arrested on charges of driving on a suspended/revoked license, improper use of registration or title, driving without insurance, driving without a valid registration and obstructing justice at 8:58 p.m. Jan 20 at North Route 59 and Brookdale Road.

Saumya Banerjee, 42, of the 4800 block of Shumard Lane, Naperville, was arrested on charges of following too closely and DUI/alcohol at 9:26 p.m. Jan. 20 at North Route 59 and Bruce Lane.

Raul E. Carrillo, 47, of the 700 block of Lewisburg Lane, Aurora, was arrested on a charge of driving on a suspended/revoked license at 12:09 a.m. Jan. 21 at North Route 59 and West Diehl Road.

Kathia Jarie Colon, 26, of the 3300 block of Foxboro Drive, Woodridge, was arrested on a charge of making a false report of offense at 10:53 a.m. Jan. 21 at the police station, 1350 Aurora Ave.

Aaron J. Houston, 24, of the 2000 block of Templar Drive, Naperville, was arrested on a charge of violation of an order of protection at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at the police station, 1350 Aurora Ave.

Andrzej Butkiewicz, 50, of the 4700 block of West Barry Avenue, Chicago, was arrested on charges of Illinois Vehicle Code felonies and resisting or obstructing a police officer/firefighter or corrections officer at 7:11 a.m. Jan. 22 in the 1500 block of West Ogden Avenue.
JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP)  A former University of Wisconsin football wide receiver was convicted of two counts of first degree homicide and other charges Tuesday in the February 2020 shooting deaths of two women.

Jurors deliberated about two hours before finding Marcus Randle El guilty in the slayings of 27-year-old Brittany McAdory and 30-year-old Seairaha Winchester.

Randle El, who was a wide receiver for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2004 to 2007, also was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of operating a vehicle without consent while possessing a weapon.

Prosecutors argued Randle El suspected Winchester was informing police of his drug dealing and that he killed McAdory to eliminate her as a witness.

Investigators said that while they did not have a murder weapon directly linking Randle El to the slayings, surveillance footage and text messages tied him to the crimes.

The defense argued the state did not meet its burden of proof and called just two witnesses. Randle El declined to testify in his own defense.

The defendants brother, former Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Antwaan Randle El, wore a pained look on his face as the Rock County jury returned the verdict.

Sentencing has been scheduled for May 3.
(This Jan. 25 story has been refiled to fix the spelling of Markopolos in the eighth paragraph)

By Carolina Mandl

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Short-seller Hindenburg Research disclosed on Wednesday short positions in India's Adani Group, citing potential stock manipulation and accounting fraud in a report. The allegations sent bonds and shares in the conglomerate's companies down.

Hindenburg has a track-record of finding corporate wrongdoings and placing bets against the companies.

WHAT IS HINDENBURG RESEARCH

Founded in 2017 by Nathan Anderson, Hindenburg Research is a forensic financial research firm which analyses equity, credit and derivatives. On its website, Hindenburg says it looks for "man-made disasters," such as accounting irregularities, mismanagement and undisclosed related-party transactions. The company invests its own capital.

It was named after the high profile disaster of the Hindenburg airship in 1937 which ignited as it flew into New Jersey. After finding potential wrongdoings, Hindenburg usually publishes a report explaining the case and bets against the target company, hoping to make a profit.

WHO IS HINDENBURG'S FOUNDER?

Nathan Anderson, who graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in international business, started his career in finance at data company FactSet Research Systems Inc, where he worked with investment management companies.

"I realized they were doing a lot of run-of-the-mill analysis, there was a lot of conformity," he told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in 2020. He also did a brief earlier stint as an ambulance driver in Israel. The short-seller says on his LinkedIn page that it gave him "experience thinking and acting under extreme pressure." Anderson has said in interviews that Harry Markopolos, an analyst who first flagged Bernie Madoff's fraud scheme, is his role model.

WHAT IS HINDENBURG'S MOST HIGH-PROFILE BET?

Hindenburg is best known for its bet against electric truck maker Nikola Corp in September 2020, which generated "a big win," he told the WSJ, declining to specify the amount.

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The short-seller said Nikola deceived investors about its technological developments. Anderson challenged a video Nikola produced showing its electric truck cruising at high speed - in fact the vehicle was rolled down a hill.

A U.S. jury convicted Nikola's founder Trevor Milton, Nikola's founder last year of fraud over allegations he lied to investors. The company agreed in 2021 to pay $125 million to settle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over its representations to investors. Nikola debuted as a listed company in June 2020 and its valuation reached $34 billion some days after, surpassing Ford Motor. Now, it is worth $1.34 billion. Hindenburg says whistleblowers and former employees helped it with findings.

HOW MANY COMPANIES HAS HINDENBURG TARGETED

Hindenburg has flagged potential wrongdoing in at least 16 companies since 2017, according to its website. Last year, it took a short and then a long position in Twitter Inc. In May, Hindenburg said it was short because it believed that Elon Musk's $44-billion offer to take the company private could get repriced lower if the world's richest person walked away from the deal. In July, Anderson disclosed a "significant long position," betting against Musk. The deal for Twitter closed in October at the original price.

(Reporting by Carolina Mandl in New York; Editing by Megan Davies and Josie Kao)
WASHINGTON (AP)  For months, U.S. officials balked at sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, insisting they were too complicated and too hard to maintain and repair.

On Wednesday, that abruptly changed. Ukraine's desperate pleas for tanks were answered with a sweeping, trans-Atlantic yes.

The dramatic reversal was the culmination of intense international pressure and diplomatic arm-twisting that played out over the last week. And it resulted in in a quick succession of announcements: The U.S. said it will send 31 of the 70-ton Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, and Germany announced it will send 14 Leopard 2 tanks and allow other countries to do the same.

A look at the massive battle weapon, why it is important to Ukraine's war with Russia, and what drove the Biden administration's tank turnabout.

WHAT ARE THE ABRAMS?

M1 Abrams tanks have led American battle assaults for decades.

Carrying a crew of four, the Abrams was first deployed to war in 1991. It has thick armor, a 120 mm main gun, armor piercing capabilities, advanced targeting systems, thick tracked wheels and a 1,500-horsepower turbine engine with a top speed of about 42 miles per hour (68 kilometers per hour).

Crews interviewed in a 1992 Government Accountability Office review after the Persian Gulf War praised its high survivability and said several M1A1 crews reported receiving direct frontal hits from Iraqi T-72s with minimal damage.

More recently, the battle titans led the charge to Baghdad during Americas 2003 invasion of Iraq, as 3rd Infantry Division units conducted what was dubbed Thunder Runs to break through Iraqi defenses.

The Abrams' powerful jet engine can propel the tank through almost any terrain, whether heavy snow or heavy mud, said Kevin Butler, a former Army lieutenant who served as an Abrams tank platoon leader. Butler recalled a muddy exercise in the late 1990s at Fort Stewart, Georgia, where hed voiced concern about the tanks getting stuck because it had already stuck the Humvees.

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The Abrams, he said, "didnt even notice the mud.

WHY THE U.S. KEPT SAYING NO

The Abrams' jet engine needs hundreds of gallons of fuel to operate.

It will burn through fuel at a rate of at least two gallons per mile (4.7 liters per kilometer), whether the tank is moving or idling, Butler said, which means a constant supply convoy of fuel trucks must stay within reach so it can keep moving forward.

The U.S. worried that the fuel demands would create a logistical nightmare for Ukrainian forces. While an Abrams can storm through the snow and mud, fuel trucks can't. In addition, like any jet engine, the Abrams' turbine needs air to breathe, which it sucks in through filtered rear vents. When those vent filters get clogged  whether by sand, as soldiers reported to GAO in 1992, or by debris they might encounter in Ukraine  they can't perform.

The Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment. Its expensive, its hard to train on. ... It is not the easiest system to maintain. It may or may not be the right system, The under secretary of defense for policy, Colin Kahl, told reporters last week at the Pentagon.

The Abrams also will require months of training. Ukrainian forces will have to learn how to operate its more complex systems, and how to keep it running and fueled.

THE ARM-TWISTING TURNABOUT

Despite all the drawbacks expressed by the U.S., when all was said and done, it came down to political realities and a diplomatic dance.

Germany had been reluctant to send the Leopards, or allow allies to send them, unless the U.S. put its Abrams on the table, due to concerns that supplying the tanks would incur Russias wrath. The U.S., meanwhile, argued that the German-made Leopards were a better fit because Ukrainian troops could get them and get trained on them far more quickly and easily.

The impasse frustrated European allies, such as Poland, who wanted to send Leopards but couldnt without Germanys OK. Thus began the more fierce negotiations.

U.S. and German officials both used the word intensive to describe the talks that ultimately led to the tank turnabout by both countries.

This is the result of intensive consultations, once again, with our allies and international partners, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an address to German lawmakers on Wednesday.

Echoing Scholz, a senior U.S. administration official said talks had been going on for some time but in a much more intensified way over the last number of weeks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details on the decision.

From President Joe Biden on down, calls were made, including to Scholz. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke and met with their German counterparts and other allies.

Last Friday, the pressure was palpable. Top defense leaders from more than 50 countries met at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss Ukraine's ongoing weapons and equipment needs. Tanks were a key subject. Leaders from countries that have Leopard tanks met with the new German defense minister.

Gradually, the German stance began to publicly soften, leading to Wednesday's announcements. Asked repeatedly what changed, Biden administration officials sidestepped. Asked directly about German pressure, Biden told reporters, Germany didnt force me to change our mind.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE

Timing for both delivery of the tanks to Ukraine and the training of Ukrainian troops is fuzzy. U.S. officials would only say that it will take many months to deliver the Abrams tanks, but that the Leopards will arrive faster.

Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, said the U.S. no longer buys new Abrams, but uses older ones as seed vehicles and refurbishes them. Doing that, however, isn't quick or easy, he said.

The training can begin more quickly, and the Pentagon is developing a program.

We want to make sure that they (the tanks) fall on ready hands, and that the Ukrainians know how to use them, they know how to keep them running, and theyve got the supply chain in place for spare parts and supplies," said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

Bush said the Ukrainians have shown they have the knowledge and capabilities to learn new systems quickly.

We can often abbreviate and accelerate what we can do in terms of training for Ukrainian army soldiers, he told reporters Wednesday. "With enough motivation and dedicated 24/7 access to them, we can train people really quickly, he said. "The U.S. Army knows how to do that.

___

Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

Republicans have been denouncing Pete Buttigieg and demanding that he be replaced as Secretary of Transportation.

They have a point. Buttigiegs time on the job has seen some truly amazing disasters like Southwest Airlines Christmastime debacle and last weeks 90-minute grounding of all air trafficthe first time thats happened since 9/11.

But do conservatives actually want government action to prevent these disasters? That would mean a better-funded Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a Secretary of Transportation who was willing to bring down the regulatory hammer on corporate America.

Biden Has Backstabbed Rail Workers and Betrayed Union Allies

People like Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton are happy to score some cheap political points complaining about the chaos. But theyd be howling with outrage about Big Government if Buttigieg was replaced by someone willing to do what actually needs to be done.

Buttigieg vs. Republicans

Until recently, Pete Buttigieg was one of the Democratic Partys rising stars. In 2020, he came close to winning the partys presidential nominationa remarkable feat given that his only previous experience in public office was a rocky tenure as mayor of a small city in Indiana. Though theres some controversy over the result, Mayor Pete came in a close second behind Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Iowa caucuses. But after getting trounced in South Carolinas primary, he fell into line behind Joe Biden just before the Super Tuesday, putting him in the bizarre position of having won more convention delegates than the man he was dropping out to endorse.

Buttigiegs calculation seemed clear enough at the time. He didnt think he could beat both Biden and Sanders for the nomination, but if he helped Biden clinch it and got a cabinet appointment in the Biden administration as a consolation prize, he would be well-positioned for the future. He may have hoped for a bigger prize than Secretary of Transportation, but he was clearly ready to use whatever visibility the position gave him for everything it was worth.

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Unsurprisingly, given his prominence and future ambitions, he's been the subject of constant Republican attacksfar more than would be normal for a Secretary of Transportation.

The Twitter Files Are Too Serious to Be Left to Elon Musks Pals

Some of these attacks have been based on nonsense or bigotry or culture-war fluff. Weve heard a lot about allegedly woke policies at the Department of Transportation, for example. And many conservatives went after Buttigieg for taking paternity leave when he and his husband Chasten adopted twins in 2021a criticism that often came with an ugly undercurrent of homophobia.

Even in 2021, though, persistent supply chain problems provided plenty of material for more reasonable attacks. 2022 was a year of record flight cancellations. And as 2022 turned into 2023, it had never been easier to find reasons to criticize the Secretary of Transportation.

How Mayor Pete Became the Face of Transportation Chaos

When air travel briefly ground to a halt earlier this month, the culprit seems to have been the FAAs ancient and overloaded computer system. Buttigiegs defenders can point out, with at least some justice, that Congress (and not the Secretary of Transportation) would need to increase the agencys budget.

But the timing was very bad for the ambitious resume-building Buttigieg. This new meltdown came two weeks after Southwest Airlines stranded tens of thousands of passengersand many of their own flight attendantson Christmas. Buttigieg called attention to the plight of the flight attendants and met with representatives of their union, perhaps seeking to restore some credit with organized labor after the Biden administrations recent decision to crush a potential rail strikea decision which Bidens Secretary of Transportation had to publicly defend. And he made a show of opening an investigation.

If You Care About Free Speech, Make It Harder to Fire People For Unpopular Opinions

Buttigieg could and should have used his regulatory authority to make such catastrophes far less likely long ago.

David Sirota, Editor-in-Chief of The Lever, speaking on The Daily Beasts New Abnormal podcast, said: Colorados attorney general, before the Southwest meltdown, and a bunch of other attorneys general filed a letter, an official comment letter, telling Buttigieg to finally pass a rule thats been sitting at the Department of Transportation for four months requiring airlines to sell only flights that have adequate personnel to fly, saying that the Department should make clear it will impose significant fines for cancellations and extended delays that are weather-related or otherwise unavoidable.

If Id spent Christmas waiting in line at an airport to recover my checked baggage and then trying to find an alternate flight on the 26thlike one of the people I was supposed to spend the holiday with didI might have spent some of my endless hours waiting in lines wondering why that rule had never been implemented. If Id been keeping up on enough political news to know these things, I might also have spent some of those hours wondering why, when the time came for Secretary Buttigieg to appoint a new acting head of the FAA, he passed over the deputy administrator who would have been next in line for the job and picked a former lobbyist for the airline industry.

Jordan Petersons Politics Make Life Harder for Young Men

Certainly, Id find it easy to nod along with extreme right-wing Sen. Tom Cotton when Cotton quipped that Pete Buttigieg couldnt organize a one-car funeral. Or when his Republican colleague Sen. Ted Cruz said more dryly that the FAA needs more competent leadership than Buttigieg has given it.

But what do people like Cotton and Cruz actually want?

This is the same GOP thats so concerned with government intrusions into the sacred domain of the free market that last year they quashed a proposal to cap the price of insulin.

Are they prepared to increase the FAAs budget so they can get better computers and hire far more administratorsyknow, government bureaucratsto enforce the rules? And would they actually want Joe Biden to replace Buttigieg with a Secretary of Transportation willing to use their regulatory power to work together with a new FAA head to instill the fear of Big Government in the hearts of airline executives?

Im not holding my breath.

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Facebook parent company Meta Platforms says it will reinstate Donald Trump's accounts on Facebook and Instagram in coming weeks.

Despite opposition from Democrats and advocacy groups, the company said it would lift the ex-presidents suspension as he makes another run for the White House.

Trump has not been allowed to post on Facebook and Instagram since his accounts were indefinitely shut down following the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

At the time, Facebook said the ban was indefinite. After its outside board weighed in, the company banned Trump for two years and said it would decide this month whether to lift the suspension.

Trump reacts to Facebook return on Truth Social

Trump responded to Facebook's decision on his Truth Social account.

"FACEBOOK, which has lost Billions of Dollars in value since 'deplatforming' your favorite President, me, has just announced that they are reinstating my account," he wrote. "Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting President, or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution!"

He has events scheduled for Saturday in New Hampshire and South Carolina. Trump and his allies made extensive use of Facebook in his previous presidential runs.

Facebook says Trump will have to play by the rules. The company can restrict the accounts of public figures who violate its community standards during periods of civil unrest and Trump will face stiffer penalties in the future, said Nick Clegg, president of global affairs for Facebook parent company Meta.

"In the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation," Clegg said in a blog post.

Trump could also face restrictions for content that does not violate Facebook's rules but "contributes to the sort of risk that materialized on January 6th, such as content that delegitimizes an upcoming election or is related to QAnon," Clegg said.

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In those cases, Facebook could limit how widely Trump's posts are viewed or temporarily restrict access to Facebook's advertising tools.

Trump's return dismays Democrats, civil rights groups

"We know that any decision we make on this issue will be fiercely criticized. Reasonable people will disagree over whether it is the right decision," Clegg said.

Two Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Meta last month urging the company not to reinstate Trump on its platforms, arguing that his continued lies about the 2020 election are an attack on American democracy.

Opponents of Trump criticized the decision, saying it gives Trump more avenues to spread lies and disinformation. Trump, who frequently spreads misinformation online, has continued to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen.

"Trump incited an insurrection," tweeted U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. "And tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power. Hes shown no remorse. No contrition. Giving him back access to a social media platform to spread his lies and demagoguery is dangerous."

A Jan. 6 Committee report found that Trumps supporters used Facebook to track his claims of a stolen election and that Facebooks delayed response" to far-right extremism and Trump's incitement "helped to facilitate the attack on January 6th.

Mark Zuckerbergs decision to reinstate Trumps accounts is a prime example of putting profits above people's safety," NAACP President Derrick Johnson, said in a statement. "Its quite astonishing that one can spew hatred, fuel conspiracies, and incite a violent insurrection at our nation's Capitol building, and Mark Zuckerberg still believes that is not enough to remove someone from his platforms."

Most conservatives cheer Trump's reinstatement on Facebook

Conservatives say the ban is free-speech censorship by left-leaning technology executives that could unfairly hobble Trump in his presidential bid.

Trump's campaign petitioned Meta to unblock his Facebook and Instagram accounts that were locked after the Capitol attack.

A continued ban would constitute "a deliberate effort by a private company to silence Mr. Trumps political voice," Trumps campaign wrote to Meta on Tuesday, according to a copy reviewed by USA TODAY.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a conservative-leaning group, objected to Facebook's new rules for Trump. Trump will face "abusive restrictions on his speech obviously designed to help Left, Democrats and Joe Biden in the run-up to the presidential election," Fitton tweeted.

Not all conservatives applauded Facebook's decision.

Michael Steele, former Republican Party chairman, said social media companies can do what they want, but warned there would be fallout from reinstating Trump.

"Private company. Private platform. Their decision," Steele tweeted. "But we know the behavior hasnt changed and the lies continue reinforced by feckless political figures who just want Trump to like them. Whether its Twitter or Facebook, there are consequences."

Will Trump post again on Facebook?

It's unclear if Trump will make use of Facebook as he seeks the Republican nomination. Trump has not tweeted since Twitter owner Elon Musk lifted his ban in November.

"Sadly, Facebook has been doing very poorly since they took me off," Trump said in a statement earlier this month, suggesting parent company Meta Platforms revert to calling itself Facebook. "Whoever made that decision, and the decision to take me off, will go down in the Business Hall of Fame for two of the worst decisions in Business History!"

Facebook could help Trump raise campaign money

Returning to Facebook could turbocharge Trump's political outreach and fundraising in the 2024 presidential race. In 2016 and in 2020, Trump tapped Facebook to energize his base and raise campaign cash.

Trump has 34 million followers on Facebook and 23 million on Instagram.

Despite the ban, Team Trump, a Facebook page managed by his political organization, remained active and has 2.3 million followers.

Trump ban on Facebook outraged conservatives

Meta Platforms cut off Trumps access to its platforms indefinitely following the Capitol attacks. Trump critics praised the move, which had the support of most Americans but free speech advocates warned it set a dangerous precedent.

The de-platforming enraged conservatives who've complained for years that social media platforms target them based on their political beliefs and have too much latitude to restrict or remove content.

Former president Donald Trump speaking at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Nov. 15, announcing a third White House run.

Those grievances boiled over when Facebook, Twitter and YouTube suspended Trumps accounts, citing the risk that he would use his social media megaphones to incite more violence before the end of his term.

In response, Florida and Texas passed laws banning social media giants like Facebook from moderating content. Those laws are being challenged in the courts.

The Trump bans also renewed criticism of Section 230, a provision of federal law that shields internet companies from liability for user-generated content. Trump and other conservatives have argued for years that the provision should be repealed.

Why Trump was banned from Facebook

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg accused Trump of trying "to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden" and said the indefinite suspension the day after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol was necessary to reduce the risk of violence at least up until Biden's inauguration.

The company referred the final decision on Trump's indefinite suspension to its Oversight Board. Saying Trump's suspension had drawn "intense global interest," the board accepted the case and pledged to conduct "a thorough and independent assessment of the companys decision.

Facebook Oversight Board upheld Trump suspension

The Facebook Oversight Board upheld Trump's suspension in May 2021.

The Oversight Board found that the two Trump posts on Jan. 6 "severely violated Facebooks Community Standards and Instagrams Community Guidelines" prohibiting praise or support of people engaged in violence.

Specifically, Trump crossed the line when he wrote We love you. Youre very special and when he called the rioters great patriots and told them to remember this day forever.

"At the time of Mr. Trumps posts, there was a clear, immediate risk of harm and his words of support for those involved in the riots legitimized their violent actions," the board found. "As president, Mr. Trump had a high level of influence. The reach of his posts was large, with 35 million followers on Facebook and 24 million on Instagram."

Facebook originally banned Trump for two years

But the company-funded tribunal of outside experts also ruled that it was inappropriate for Facebook to impose an indefinite suspension and instructed the company to review it.

In June 2021, Facebook decided to ban Trump for two years. After that period, Facebook said it would consult experts to determine whether "the risk to public safety has receded."

At the time, Facebook said Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts would face a "strict set of rapidly escalating sanctions if he violates the company's rules again.

"Todays decision by Meta is a pivotal moment in the debate over the best way to handle harmful content posted by politicians on social media," the Oversight Board said in a statement Wednesday.

Is Trump still banned on Twitter and YouTube?

Trump called Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube, all of which suspended him after his supporters attacked the Capitol, "a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our country."

Twitter permanently barred Trump after the Capitol attacks. Musk reinstated Trumps account and his nearly 88 million followers late last year.

CEO Susan Wojcicki said in 2021 that YouTube would lift the Trump ban when we determine the risk of violence has decreased. YouTube declined to comment.

What about Trump and Truth Social?

Without his mainstream social media megaphones, Trump has relied on his Truth Social app which has a more limited reach.

The ex-president has contractual obligations to his TruthSocial app and must post first there, with some exceptions including posts from a personal account for some political activities.

He also has incentive to prop up the value of his social media company.

In November, shareholders in the blank-check acquisition company Digital World Acquisition that plans to merge with Trump Media & Technology Group approved a one-year extension to close the deal. Regulators are investigating whether the leadership of Digital World and Trump Media engaged in negotiations before Digital World went public in 2021.

Contributing: David Jackson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump can return to Facebook after two-year suspension
The claim: Video shows theater where elites sacrifice children

A Jan. 19 Instagram post features a screen recording of a now-deleted TikTok. The video shows a woman opening two hidden doors to show an underground theater.

"This is where elites sacrifice kids," reads the text at the beginning of the video.

The video garnered more than 20,000 likes in four days. Similar versions of the claim have been shared on Instagram.

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Our rating: False

This is yet another baseless QAnon conspiracy theory. The theater was built in Italy in the 19th century and hosts performances, workshops, concerts and events for children. There's no evidence in the video or anywhere else of child sacrifices occurring there.

Video shows historic theater in Italy

The same video has been shared in recent years by users on Facebook and YouTube  minus the conspiracy theory text.

It shows the Donnafugata Theater, the website for which features photos of the theater's interior, which match the theater shown in the Instagram video.

Housed in a medieval era castle in Sicily, Italy, the theater was built in the early 19th Century and restored in 2004 as a family theater. It regularly hosts performances, workshops, concerts and events for children, according to the website.

There's no evidence the theater has ever been the venue for child sacrifices.

People march during a "Save the Children" rally outside the Capitol on Aug. 22, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. Some of the hundreds of rallies around the country decrying human trafficking and pedophilia were linked to social media accounts promoting the QAnon conspiracy.

This claim of child sacrifice is one of the numerous baseless conspiracy theories perpetuated by QAnon, whose followers believe the world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic pedophiles.

QAnon conspiracy theories lack evidence or grounding in reality and have repeatedly failed to materialize in recent years.

For example, in 2021, a crowd of supporters gathered in Dallas, Texas waiting for John F. Kennedy Jr. to reappear and announce that former President Donald Trump would be reinstated as president. Kennedy, who has been dead for more than 20 years, never appeared. Earlier that year on Inauguration Day, many supporters awaited a Great Awakening, where they believed Trump would declare martial law and bring his political enemies to justice. This also never happened.

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Fact check: Photo of Brazilian 'QAnon shaman' dates back to 2021, not Jan. 8 riots

USA TODAY has previously debunked several other QAnon claims, including the claim that a historical sculpture shows adrenochrome being harvested from a child and that a set of images proves a QAnon-related cannibalism conspiracy theory.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment.

This claim has been debunked by PolitiFact as well.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Theater in viral video hosts plays, not child sacrifices
(Reuters) - Pope Francis next week heads to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, two countries grappling with conflict and profound poverty, in what will be his third visit to sub-Saharan Africa since he became pope in 2013.

For the South Sudan leg, the leader of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics will be joined by his Anglican counterpart, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and by the Church of Scotland Moderator -- an unprecedented joint foreign trip by the three religious leaders.

Here are key facts about the pope's trip.

A RESCHEDULED, MODIFIED VISIT

Pope Francis was scheduled to visit the two countries in July 2022 but had to cancel because of a persistent knee ailment.

The original itinerary included a stop in the city of Goma, in a region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that is plagued by fighting between Congolese troops and the M23 rebel group. That stop was eliminated from the programme for the coming trip because of a flare-up in unrest there.

MAIN EVENTS IN CONGO

The pope will fly from Rome to Kinshasa on Tuesday, Jan. 31. After a welcome ceremony he will meet Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, then with Congolese authorities, civil society representatives and the diplomatic corps.

On Wednesday he will celebrate Mass at Kinshasa's Ndolo Airport, then meet with victims of the violence in eastern Congo, then with representatives of some charities.

On Thursday he will meet with young people and catechists at Kinshasa's Martyrs' Stadium.

On Friday he will meet Congolese bishops. Then, after a farewell ceremony at Kinshasa's international airport, he will fly to the South Sudanese capital Juba.

BACKDROP TO CONGO VISIT

Congo is home to 45 million Roman Catholics, the faith's largest community in Africa, according to the Vatican. The Church runs about 40% of the country's health facilities and about 6 million children are taught in Catholic schools.

The last pontiff to visit was Pope John Paul II in 1985.

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Francis' envoy to the country said the pope's visit would remind the world not to ignore decades-long conflicts that have ravaged the mineral-rich nation, wrecking millions of lives.

The visit comes after the killing in February 2021 of Italian ambassador Luca Attanasio, his bodyguard and their driver during a botched kidnapping on a road in eastern Congo as they were heading to visit a U.N. humanitarian project.

Attanasio became a national hero in Italy and Francis met his widow last year.

MAIN EVENTS IN SOUTH SUDAN

The pope, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Church of Scotland Moderator Iain Greenshields land in Juba on Friday, Feb. 3. After a welcome ceremony, they will meet President Salva Kiir, then South Sudanese authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps.

On Saturday the three religious leaders will meet bishops and other clergy at the Cathedral of Saint Therese, and later meet internally displaced persons before holding an ecumenical prayer at the mausoleum to John Garang, a hero of South Sudan's independence struggle who died in a helicopter crash in 2005.

On Sunday, the pope will celebrate Mass at the Garang mausoleum. After a farewell ceremony at the international airport in Juba, he will fly back to Rome along with Welby and Greenshields. They are expected to join the pope in his traditional airborne news conference on the return flight to the Italian capital.

BACKDROP TO SOUTH SUDAN VISIT

South Sudan broke away from Sudan to become independent in 2011 after decades of conflict, but civil war erupted in 2013. Despite a 2018 peace deal between the two main antagonists, violence and hunger still plague the country.

Francis has wanted to visit the predominantly Christian country for years but each time planning for a trip began it had to be postponed because of instability on the ground.

In one of the most remarkable gestures of his papacy, Francis knelt to kiss the feet of South Sudan's previously warring leaders during a meeting at the Vatican in April 2019, urging them not to return to civil war.

AN UNPRECEDENTED "PILGRIMAGE OF PEACE"

The joint ecumenical visit by the leaders of the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Reformed Christian traditions, which they have described as a "pilgrimage of peace", is the first of its kind.

"We pray that the symbolism of our joint visit will show that reconciliation and forgiveness are possible - and that relationships can be transformed," Welby said in a statement when the visit was first announced.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella and Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Faculty leaders at a Minnesota college that dismissed an art history instructor who showed depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in a course have overwhelmingly called for the university president to resign.

Faculty leaders at Hamline University said 71 of 92 members who attended a meeting Tuesday voted to call on President Fayneese Miller to resign immediately. They say they lost faith in Miller because of her handling of an objection lodged by a Muslim student who said seeing the artwork violated her religious beliefs.

The adjunct instructor who showed the artwork, Erika Lopez Prater, sued the private liberal arts school last week after it declined to renew her contract.

It became clear that the harm thats been done and the repair that has to be done, that new leadership is needed to move that forward, Jim Scheibel, president of the Hamline University Faculty Council, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.

The faculty objected to what they considered a violation of academic freedom.

We are distressed that members of the administration have mishandled this issue and great harm has been done to the reputation of Minnesotas oldest university, the faculty council statement read. It later went on to say, As we no longer have faith in President Millers ability to lead the university forward, we call upon her to immediately tender her resignation to the Hamline University Board of Trustees.

After criticism from across the country, Miller conceded last week that she mishandled the episode, which sparked a debate over balancing academic freedom with respect for religion.

Like all organizations, sometimes we misstep, she said in a joint statement with the chair of the schools trustees. In the interest of hearing from and supporting our Muslim students, language was used that does not reflect our sentiments on academic freedom. Based on all that we have learned, we have determined that our usage of the term Islamophobic was therefore flawed.

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A Hamline spokesman told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that Miller and her team were discussing how to respond to the faculty vote.

Lopez Prater showed centuries-old artwork depicting the Prophet Muhammad in an October lesson on Islamic art. She said she knew that visual depictions of him violate many Muslims' faith, so she warned the class ahead of time.

The instructor alleges in her lawsuit that Hamline subjected her to religious discrimination and defamation, and damaged her professional and personal reputation.

The American Association of University Professors, which is devoted to academic freedom, has launched an inquiry and is planning a campus visit next month.

While leaders of some local Muslim groups have criticized Lopez Prater, the national office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations disputed claims that her actions were Islamophobic. The group said professors who analyze images of the Prophet Muhammad for academic purposes are not the same as Islamophobes who show such images to cause offense.
The FCC announced Tuesday that their Robocall Response Team is taking actions to shut down MV Realtys alleged robocall scam.

The FCC ordered phone companies to mitigate illegal calls from the platform PhoneBurner, which MV Realty uses for their robocalls. They also demanded the service provider Twilio to stop carrying the illegal calls from PhoneBurner. Twilio is the largest voice service provider to receive a cease-and-desist letter from the FCC, according to the FCC.

MV Reality used misleading robocalls to scam and swindle residents into mortgaging their homes in exchange for cash, according to lawsuits from the Attorney Generals of Florida, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

KIRO 7s Jesse Jones covered how Vietnam veteran James Heath was affected by the company in November. Jones also covered the initial lawsuits against MV Realty in December.

Mortgage scams are some of the most pernicious types of robocalls we see, FCC Chairwomen Jessica Rosenworcel said. Sending these junk calls to financially-stressed homeowners just to offer them deceptive products and services is unconscionable. Thats why we are shutting down these calls right now.

The FCC received around 1,500 complaints, in 2022, about unwanted calls from robocalls, telemarketing, and spoofers, they said. Callers prey on peoples fear and anxiety, using real news or public policy to gain trust and seem legitimate.

The FCC advises people who receive suspicious calls to:

1. Not answer from an unknown number.

2. Be aware that calls can appear to be from a local number even if they are a scam.

3. Do not provide personal or financial information to unknown callers.

4. Know that legitimate callers will not normally use pressure tactics or demand a payment.

5. Only contact your bank using the contact info from their website, or bill.

6. Talk to friends and family who may be targets about how to protect themselves.

7. File a complaint with the FCC at www.fcc.gov/complaints.

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8. Contact law enforcement if you have been involved in a scam.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau has been targeting robocall scammers with their new actions since 2022, according the FCC. They have stopped a common auto warranty and student loan debt relief robocall scam, which resulted in a 99 percent drop in those types of scam calls, according to RoboKiller. The bureau also proposed a nearly $300 million fine against the auto warranty scammers.

The FCC has also sent cease-and-desist letters to phone companies regarding robocallers and will continue to monitor their efforts, they said.




Homeless veteran Sheron Sherman listens as U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing case manager Charles Shelton, right, speaks with him at the Adam Benjamin Jr. Metro Center in Gary, Indiana as part of the Point In Time count of homeless people on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Sherman, originally from New Orleans, is a homeless veteran of the United States Army. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Sheron Sherman came to Northwest Indiana from New Orleans about 18 months ago to take a job working in financials for a new healthcare company.

He admitted the job didnt work out, partly due to struggles with alcohol. With two masters degrees and a bachelors in accounting, he assumed he would land on his feet and find a new job quickly.

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That didnt happen.

The Post-Tribune met him last April at a Gary schools job fair. By July, the money ran out and he found himself homeless for the first time.

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A group of volunteers from the U.S. Veterans Administration found him sitting inside the doorway on a snowy day Wednesday morning during the annual Point in Time Homeless Count while at the Gary Metro Center on 5th Avenue.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outreach social worker Stephanie Dowell speaks with Sheron Sherman at the Adam Benjamin Jr. Metro Center in Gary, Indiana as part of the Point In Time count of homeless people on Wednesday. January 25, 2023. Sherman, originally from New Orleans, is a homeless veteran of the United States Army. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

He was their first veteran of the day. They were enthusiastic to offer services. They said they could help him get a drivers license, arrange free Lyft rides, a cell phone and a new copy of his military separation papers. They left information on housing at Veterans Village.

He seemed hesitant. He got along well, smiling and appreciative, and ended up giving a hug to everybody before they left.

Would he accept their offer?

Thats the hard part, Sherman, 52, said later. The most difficult thing for me throughout my life has been asking for help.

And the thing is, I dont know how to fix it, he said. How do you make yourself more vulnerable? I really dont know what the right answer is, to be honest with you.

This year, volunteers were anticipating a higher count, said homeless agency network Continuum of Care of NWI Executive Director Sharron Liggins.

The signs were there. Last year, 1,100 people called to ask about resources, she said.

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Indiana University Northwest Master of Social Work student Shariss Hindman, left, works with Kevin Purcell in preparing bags during the Point In Time count of homeless people at the Calumet Township Multipurpose Center in Gary, Indiana on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

They also work with different federal definitions. HUD considers people on the street homeless, while the U.S. Department of Education also adds children and families couch surfing or doubling up with relatives.

The count is always a birds-eye view, never capturing the full scope. Last year, they found 272 people  including 63 children and 22 people aged 18-24, Liggins said. In total, they made up 212 households.

Rising rents are a problem. Where in the past someone might have gotten an apartment for $800 or $900, now that rent is $1,200.

Its a huge swing, she said.

HealthVisions Midwest Community Outreach Coordinator Deja Bailey takes information from a woman at the Sojourner Truth House as part of the Point In Time count of homeless people in Gary, Indiana on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

At Sojourner Truth House in Gary, a day center for women and young children, their affiliate shelters  Missionaries of Charity and Lydia House  can house 26 people total, Director of Client Services Pam Key said. Right now, they have 10.

Rising rents have made it harder than ever to get clients into housing. Before the pandemic, it may have taken 90-180 days to get someone set up in an apartment. Recently, Key heard of someone waiting 9 months. Shelters often have a 90-day limit, in some cases theyve had to beg to keep someone there.

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Ladies here that have been diligent in doing everything they need to do, she said, and were still waiting on housing.

Earlier that morning, coordinators Nina Johnson, Lorese Wesley and Erin Sherrow Hayes got about 15 volunteers ready to head out from the Calumet Township Multipurpose Center.

Point In Time homeless count coordinator Nina Johnson speaks to people before heading out in the annual count in Gary, Indiana, on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Each year, teams go out day and night to look for those who are sheltered or unsheltered in alleys, under bridges, in gas stations, truck stops, McDonalds, temporary shelters, and hotels, like off 61st and Broadway.

They hand out blankets, crackers, hats, gloves, soap and hygiene products, tuna, some other non-perishable food and resource sheets for feeding sites, pantries and food stamps.

You lose one paycheck, your whole life is turned upside down, Wesley, who is Chief Executive Director of Veterans Life Changing Services, said. They lose those jobs and they go into crisis mode.

Wrapped blankets are part of the warmth and health goods distributed during the Point In Time count of homeless people at the Calumet Township trustees multipurpose center in Gary, Indiana, on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Back at the Gary Metro Center, Sherman said he wants to straighten out his life, and get back to work.

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He spends most of his time at the library. No one bothers the homeless, and its open until 8 p.m., later than the metro station. But he said people would be better served if they were allowed to stay in the stations bottom floor overnight.

We just want to stay warm, he said.

He told volunteers he knew of three to four couples that lived in abandoned houses within a block radius.

Can you tell us where they are, one asked.

I dont want to do that, he said.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing employee Shelia Mitchell-Erb interviews a woman at the Sojourner Truth House as part of the Point In Time count of homeless people in Gary, Indiana, on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

When asked later, he said he personally knew maybe a couple hundred that lived in abandoned houses.

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Theres probably at least 100, Liggins said. If they find some folks out in the elements, volunteers do the best they can to offer services.

They are frightened. They dont want to be arrested, she said. They hide. Its a tough situation.

At some point in many of their lives, something happens that pushes them into a vulnerable spot.

Dont blame them, be supportive of their needs, she said.
The federal government dropped charges against a former Afghan soldier who said he served with U.S. forces and was arrested and imprisoned after having crossed the U.S. southern border, according to court documents filed in the Western District of Texas on Monday.

Abdul Wasi Safi crossed the southern border illegally in late September, after, he said, he had passed through multiple countries to reach the U.S. and seek asylum.

Although crossing the border between legal ports of entry is considered a misdemeanor under U.S. law and thousands of migrants are released daily without prosecution for committing the same crime, Wasi Safi has been held in federal prison in Eden, Texas, since his apprehension and faced trial in federal court.

His brother, Sami Safi, a U.S. citizen living in Texas following his service as an interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, has been fiercely advocating for his brothers release.

Two brothers Sami and Wasi from Afghanistan both worked alongside American troops to fight the Taliban from 2010 to 2019 but are now being kept apart by the U.S. immigration system. (Courtesy Wasi Safi)

Wasi Safis case was first reported by The Texas Tribune. Since then, publicity for the case has risen, most recently when Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, called for him to receive a pardon from President Joe Biden.

The Justice Department has given little explanation for charging Wasi Safi or for dropping the charges. In court filings charging Wasi Safi, Justice Department lawyers did not argue that Wasi Safi was a flight risk or a threat to national security, which are typical reasons prosecutors may argue a migrant should be held without bond.

In its filing dropping the charges, Justice Department said it was in the interest of justice to dismiss the information it had filed against Wasi Safi.

NBC News spoke with the Safi brothers in December.

Everyone says, Youve illegally crossed [the border], but no one hears my reason, Wasi Safi said on the phone from the federal prison where he has been held.

Sami Safi said his brother thought that if he came to America, he would be treated as a hero. He detailed the harrowing journey his brother took to the U.S. from Brazil after he obtained a humanitarian visa from Pakistan. He said his brother was ineligible for a Special Immigrant Visa given to many Afghans who served with U.S. forces because he was not paid directly by the U.S.

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Wasi Safi said he served as a special forces intelligence officer in the Afghan National Security Forces.

Afghans who assisted the U.S. during its 20-year war in Afghanistan have been subjected to violent reprisals by the Taliban.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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A new nuclear-powered data center in Pennsylvania will host bitcoin mining.

This is the first nuclear-powered bitcoin mine in the United States.

Bitcoin mining is a historically pollution-filled industry, but its beginning to focus on cleaner energy to run energy-hungry computers.

Computers eat up a lot of energy, and so do the blockchains required to constantly mine cryptocurrency. But a new nuclear-powered data center is set to launch in Pennsylvania later this year, and it could shift at least some of that pollution-filled energy consumption to a cleaner version.

Cumulus Data has wrapped the first phase of its 475-megawatt, zero-carbon Susquehanna data center campus in northeast Pennsylvania. The project starts with a 48-megawatt, 300,000-square-foot data center to house TeraWulf, a bitcoin mining company.

The 1,200-acre campus aims to provide zero-carbon energy from Talen Energys Susquehanna nuclear power generation facility. The Cumulus data centers will connect directly to the facility without legacy electric transmission and distribution utilities. The data centers employing direct-connect, on-site nuclear power generation will make it the first nuclear-powered bitcoin mine in the U.S.

To mine additional bitcoin, computers must continually operate to solve complex puzzles. This process is a power-sucking endeavor that has led to massive data centers across the world dedicated just to bitcoin mining. These data centers crave energy. Ethereum, the worlds second largest crypto blockchain, has already started improving its carbon emission efforts, but bitcoin accounts for roughly 70 percent of all crypto electricity usage and hasnt made major gains in cleaning up its process.

Electricity usage from global crypto mining quadrupled from 2018 to 2022, according to the U.S. government. By mid-2022, crypto assets were using upward of 240 billion kilowatt hours per yearmore than the annual electricity of countries such as Argentina or Australia. Crypto electricity usage made up nearly 1 percent of all annual global electricity usage, and crypto operations consume up to 1.7 percent of all U.S. electricity usage.

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As data centers across the world look to move cryptocurrency mining toward renewable energy, switching to nuclear may serve as one way to clean up the industry.

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The Florida Supreme Court likely will not rule until after this years regular legislative session in a high-stakes case about the constitutionality of a 2022 law that prevents abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Justices on Monday formally agreed to take up the case and issued a schedule that indicated it will be at least until late April before all briefs are filed. The court also did not set a date for oral arguments, which, if held, would happen after the briefs are submitted.

Speculation has long swirled about whether the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis will place additional restrictions on abortions.

Still, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said in November that lawmakers would wait to make a decision until after the Supreme Court acts on the challenge to the 15-week law  an approach that DeSantis also appeared to suggest in August.

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We want to make sure that what we have done will stick, DeSantis said at the time. Then, well work with the Legislature, but Ill tell you that 15 weeks was very difficult to be able to achieve. We were happy that we were able to achieve it. So, we look forward and welcome future endeavors, but we realize there is still a fight on the legal end on that.

The annual legislative session will start on March 7 and is scheduled to end on May 5. Lawmakers also could take up the abortion issue during a special session.

An order released Monday by the Supreme Court said plaintiffs in the case have until Feb. 27 to file an initial brief. The state will have 30 days after that to file an answer brief, and the plaintiffs then will have 30 days to file what is known as a reply brief. That would mean it would be late April before all three briefs are filed  and the order indicated the state might have another 30 days to file a cross-reply brief.

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Oral argument will be set by separate order, Mondays order said. Counsel for the parties will be notified of the oral argument date approximately 60 days prior to oral argument.

Seven abortion clinics and a physician, Shelly Hsiao-Ying Tien, filed the lawsuit on June 1, arguing that the 15-week limit violates a privacy clause in the Florida Constitution that has long been interpreted to protect abortion rights. Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper agreed with the plaintiffs and issued a temporary injunction against the law.

But the 1st District Court of Appeal overturned the injunction, ruling that the plaintiffs could not show irreparable harm from the 15-week limit. The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request by the plaintiffs for a stay of the appeals-court ruling  effectively meaning the 15-week limit will remain in place while the legal battle continues. Justices also issued the order to formally take up the case and set the schedule.

The case is important to future abortion legislation, at least in part, because of questions about the interpretation of the state Constitutions privacy clause. The plaintiffs point to more than three decades of legal precedent that has said the clause protects abortion rights.

But Attorney General Ashley Moodys office has urged the Supreme Court to reverse the precedent.

Floridas Privacy Clause creates a right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the persons private life, lawyers in Moodys office wrote in one court filing. That language is naturally read to limit governmental snooping and information-gathering  but not to establish a liberty to destroy unborn (or any other) life.

If lawmakers decide to pass additional abortion restrictions, it remains unclear how far they might go. Passidomo has suggested the possibility of a 12-week limit with exceptions in cases of rape and incest  exceptions that were not included in the 15-week law. But she also has pointed to waiting for a Supreme Court decision.

Everybody knows my position on the exception for rape and incest, Passidomo told reporters in November. I wanted to get that in the bill. When we did the 15 weeks, it didnt get in the bill. But theres really nothing to do until the Supreme Court rules.

House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, was more circumspect last week about how the abortion issue will move forward.

Life is important, so the timing of that is yet to be determined, Renner said. We have not finalized anything in that regard. Well continue talking to our members within our majority. We have a pro-life majority. When you break that down, we have people that want to be where we are, some people want to be much more in the direction of life, and in between. So, well respectfully continue that dialogue at some point, if we have a bill.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  Florida has joined 19 states in challenging a newly-announced Biden administration program to accept 30,000 migrants a month from the nations of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

The states, led by Texas, on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in federal court in Texas southern district against against U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other federal agencies involved in immigration contending that there is no legal authority for the program rolled out by President Joe Biden just ahead of an early January visit to the southern border. The lawsuit also contends that states will be harmed by an influx of migrants from the four countries covered by the program.

The Biden open borders agenda has created a humanitarian crisis that is increasing crime and violence in our streets, overwhelming local communities, and worsening the opioid crisis, said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a statement about the lawsuit. This unlawful amnesty program, which will invite hundreds of thousands of aliens into the U.S. every year, will only make this immigration crisis drastically worse.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody called the new Biden program a reckless attempt to continue flooding the country with massive waves of illegal immigrants.

Florida is already home to sizable populations of people who have left all four countries covered by the White House actions. In recent weeks, hundreds of migrants fleeing Cuba and Haiti have made the dangerous 100-mile journey by boat to the Florida Keys, straining resources and moving Gov. Ron DeSantis to activate the state National Guard to respond to the influx.

A White House representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Biden announced the program amid a continued surge of migrants crossing the southern border, many of them coming in from countries that are ruled by authoritarian regimes such as Cuba and Venezuela.



Both Republicans and Democrats have been critical over how the Biden administration has handled border issues, but some of the strongest criticism has come from GOP leaders in Florida and Texas. DeSantis last fall arranged to fly nearly 50 mostly Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Marthas Vineyard, an effort that itself has drawn legal challenges in Florida and Massachusetts. Abbott has also bused thousands of migrants from the southern border to Democratic-led cities like Washington, D.C. and NYC.

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Under the new program, the United States said it would grant humanitarian parole to eligible migrants who apply from their home countries. Those who have an eligible sponsor and pass background checks are allowed to come to the United States for two years and receive work authorization. The program was an expansion of one created for Venezuelans last year.

But Biden and federal officials stressed that those who wanted to apply for the program would not be eligible if they tried to cross the border.

When Biden announced the parole program, he called on Republicans to support comprehensive immigration changes. He said that changes outlined earlier this month wont fix our entire immigration system but they can help us a good deal in better managing what is a difficult challenge.  Until Congress passes the funds, a comprehensive immigration plan to fix the system completely, my administration is going to work to make things at the border better using the tools that we have.

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Miami) has put together a comprehensive immigration package but its not clear if the proposal will gain much traction in Congress.

Both Florida and Texas have launched several lawsuits challenging Biden administration immigration policies.
A Florida woman claims she alerted authorities four years before the arrest of a Port Angeles doctor, but officials there failed to take her story seriously.

Dr. Josiah Hill was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and raping female patients under his care at Olympic Medical Centers emergency room.

Shavaria Webb-Green says authorities in Washington State reached out to her about a month ago. After speaking with three alleged victims in Port Angeles, authorities found a complaint Webb-Green filed with Tampa Police back in 2018.

I knew what he did to me, said Webb-Green. I didnt know that it was happening in another state.

Court documents show all three women asked nurses, doctors, and others in administration at the medical center for help.

Some even filed formal complaints, yet the accused behavior spanned months.

Medical malpractice attorney Matt Menzer says there will be questions about whether those cries for help were taken seriously.

I think you would naturally wonder if there was enough of these suspicious circumstances that had been noticed by other people at the hospital, said Menzer.

Tara Robinson was one of the three alleged victims from Port Angeles. According to her brother, Brent Robinson, she passed away around the time of Dr. Hills arrest.

I know that my sister would want justice to be seen out, said Brent. Im really proud of the fact that she came forward. That just speaks volumes about her strong and courageous nature.

Court documents show, despite formal complaints made to Olympic Medical Center, Hill continued to be her doctor.

I wish they would have taken the complaints more seriously, said Brent. Why wasnt this stopped long ago? As far as I understand, this was going on for some time. I dont believe my sister wasnt the first victim.

Robinson says his sister went into cardiac arrest.
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The scale of China's privately offered funds stood at 20.03 trillion yuan (about 2.96 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of December, according to data from an industry association.

The volume edged up 22.09 billion yuan, or 0.11 percent, from the previous month, according to the Asset Management Association of China (AMAC). The number of registered privately offered funds came in at 145,048.

In breakdown, the size of securities, private equity, and venture investment funds were 5.56 trillion yuan, 10.94 trillion yuan, and 2.83 trillion yuan, respectively.

Established in 2012, the AMAC is a self-regulatory organization that represents China's mutual fund industry.
Former Fox News employee Laura Luhn filed a bombshell lawsuit against her former employer on Wednesday, alleging she was subjected to decades of sexual and psychological abuse at the hands of the networks late longtime CEO Roger Ailes.

The former director of booking at Fox claims management at the network and its parent company Twenty-First Century Fox allowed the disgraced CEO to abuse her. The suit claims former Fox executive Bill Shine, described as Ailess hatchet man, enabled the behavior. Shine was Donald Trumps one-time White House deputy chief of staff and is also being sued by Luhn.

Soon after she began working for Ailes at his communications firm in 1991, Luhn suffered a nightmare of sexual abuse at Ailes hands, her suit claims. It alleges the pugnacious media executive, who advised Republican presidents from Richard Nixon to Trump, took videos of her performing coerced sex acts that he kept in a safe-deposit box and used as blackmail.

The lawsuit describes one disturbing incident early into Luhns working relationship with Ailes, when he allegedly forced her on her knees and pressed his hands to her temples and threatened her into performing oral sex.

If I tell you to put on your uniform, what are you gonna do, Laurie? [yelling] WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, LAURIE? [whispering] What are you, Laurie? Are you Rogers whore? Are you Rogers spy? Come over here, Ailes is quoted as saying in legal papers.

Luhns suit, which demands unspecified damages and lists five causes of action, claims when Ailes recruited her to help launch the Fox News channel in 1996, the abuse became repeated and habitual.

Luhn had hoped to have a fresh start and an opportunity to build a career learning from one of Americas news industry giants, the lawsuit reads. When the abuse continued, she was devastated.

The 62-year-olds employment discrimination and sexual abuse lawsuit cites 18 instances of the executive forcing himself on her in hotel rooms. Among the alleged encounters were a time he made her perform oral sex inside his second-floor office at News Corp. on Sixth Ave., and five times when he made her engage in sadomasochistic sex, which could turn violent, with him and other women.

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Luhn said Ailes filmed everything and made it clear that the forced sex acts were a quid pro quo for her career advancement.

Ailes constantly reminded Luhn that he owned her, that she was his sex slave, and that she was forbidden from telling anyone about the abuse or he would make her pay dearly, adds the suit, describing how Ailes referred to the blackmail material as his insurance policy and promised severe personal humiliation and career ruin if she ever spoke out.

Luhn said Fox was well aware of Ailes abuse and that of other executives, but that women who complained were fired. Her lawsuit quotes management excusing such behavior by claiming, Hes just going through a rough time, or saying, Boys will be boys. She alleges Shine took it upon himself to control her personal life and medical care and forced her to sign paperwork to ensure her silence. He resigned in 2017 amid backlash over his handling of sexual misconduct scandals.

Reached for comment, a Fox spokeswoman said, This matter was settled years ago, dismissed in subsequent litigation and is meritless.

The Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit was brought under New Yorks Adult Survivors Act. The legislation passed in November lifted the statute of limitations for sexual assault victims for one year, allowing them to sue their alleged abusers regardless of when the incident occurred.

The abuse that Ms. Luhn suffered was some of the worst imaginable. People knew, but no one at Fox News stepped in to stop it. Her career and her life were destroyed, said Luhns lawyer, Barbara Whiten Balliette.

Luhn first went public with allegations against Ailes in a July 2016 New York Magazine interview after he resigned amid a sexual harassment suit from former anchor Gretchen Carlson. Ailes parted ways with the network with a $40 million golden parachute and died in an accidental fall in May 2017.

Carlsons lawsuit, which she settled for $20 million, created a domino effect, with at least 20 women alleging Ailes sexually harassed them. They include former Fox anchor Megyn Kelly. Ailes denied all the allegations.

A cascade of similar accusations against ex-Fox anchor Bill OReilly soon followed. He left in August 2017 with a $25 million payout.

Lawyers for Shine and Twenty-First Century Fox did not return the Daily Newss calls seeking comment.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Former Lebanese customs chief Badri Daher, detained over the August 2020 Beirut port blast, has been released, his sister told Reuters.

Daher was the highest-level official detained over the blast.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
Rafael Grossi at the Chornobyl NPP

Grossi added that IAEA inspectors provide constant monitoring of Ukraines nuclear power plants  including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), currently occupied by Russian troops.

Read also: IAEA to expand its presence in Ukraine

The result of these inspections was negative, Grossi commented on investigating Russian claims about Ukraine hiding military equipment around its nuclear facilities.

Read also: IAEA head Grossi to meet with Zelenskyy in Kyiv

The official noted that IAEA has once again disproven Moscows claims about the development of a dirty bomb at Ukrainian NPPs.

On Dec. 22, 2022, Grossi announced resumed negotiations with Russia on establishing a demilitarized safety zone around the occupied ZNPP.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
By this time four years ago, the Democratic presidential campaign was in full swing, with Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg and Kirsten Gillibrand all having opened exploratory committees or announced runs.

This go around, the Republican field is frozen in place.

Those preparing to challenge Donald Trump in the GOPs presidential primary are taking their time, privately discussing the prospect of waiting until spring or summer to get in, according to three Republican strategists familiar with different candidates deliberations. Part of it is strategic: an effort to make someone else an early Trump foil. Part of it is fear: wariness around their own ability to raise money to sustain a drawn-out campaign.

Its very, very quiet, said Wayne MacDonald, a New Hampshire lawmaker and former Republican Party chair in the first-in-the-nation primary state.

It appears increasingly likely to stay that way for far longer than once expected. On Tuesday, one likely candidate, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,told CBS News it may take a handful of months for him to decide whether to run.

An adviser to one potential presidential candidate has discussed with members of at least two other potential candidates teams the advantage of multiple candidates announcing around the same time, according to one Republican strategist briefed on those talks. The conversations, which took place earlier this month, were informal. But they suggest a common recognition among Republicans of what the strategist called strength in numbers in a primary involving Trump.

The proximate cause of the frozen primary is Trump, the former president and only declared candidate in the race. Finding himself on an empty primary stage, he has still managed to be tripped up by everything from classified document retention to dinners with antisemites. The former president is preparing to ramp up his campaigning in the days and weeks ahead, with pronouncements and stops in South Carolina and New Hampshire. But his bumpy start has sapped some of the sense of urgency from the cast of potential also-rans.



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When you see Trump in a free fall, why get in the middle of that? said a Republican strategist who has discussed the early primary calendar with several potential candidates. Or, as another prominent GOP strategist put it: Trumps best when hes got an opponent, so dont give him one.

For Trumps potential opponents, it may be a matter of self-preservation. Though Trumps support softened following a midterm election in which high-profile, Trump-endorsed candidates flopped, there is a recognition among Trumps rivals that the ex-president  with the benefit of an opponent  can be lethal. He is still polling ahead of potential competitors in national surveys, and no Republican has forgotten his humiliation of low-energy Jeb Bush, little Marco Rubio and lyin Ted Cruz in the 2016 primaries.

And so, everyone is waiting for the other to act. As another Republican who has spoken with multiple prospective candidates and their teams put it: I think they think a group launch  provides them protection from Trump.

But waiting to jump in collectively comes at a cost. Republican presidential candidates will soon face pressures of the calendar, with the Iowa caucuses now just about a year away. Once one upper-tier candidate announces, others will be compelled to compete, lest they lose time to recruit staff, fundraisers, online support and exposure.

I think its going to be one of those deals of whos going to break first, whos going to be the first announced candidate, said Bob Vander Plaats, the evangelical leader in Iowa who is influential in primary politics in the first-in-the-nation caucus state and who was a national co-chair of Sen. Ted Cruzs campaign in 2016. Once that person gets in, youll see the others follow suit.

But with the exception of Republicans like former Rep. Liz Cheney or former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who may run primarily as anti-Trump candidates, there is almost no imperative to jump first. Instead, would-be candidates have spent last year preparing for a run without making major investments that come with actual announcements. Theyve made appearances on behalf of Republican candidates in key states. They have gone on book tours and made the rounds on TV.

They arent barnstorming early nominating states. Nor are potential candidates spending significantly on digital ads to build out email contact lists of would-be voters and donors  the lifeblood of a modern presidential campaign.

Over the last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is the only candidate to approach spending six figures on digital advertising on Google or Meta  which includes Facebook and Instagram. DeSantis state campaign has spent $65,000 on advertising on Google platforms since the beginning of the year, and about $62,000 over the last 30 days on Meta, from Dec. 23 through Jan. 21.



The ads have all the hallmarks of a candidate building up to a national campaign: Stand with Gov. DeSantis against the woke left, one such ad reads. Add your name. But DeSantis is the exception to the rule. No other candidate has cracked $10,000 on Google since the beginning of the year. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haleys Stand for America PAC came the closest at $9,800. Just one hit that mark on Meta over the last 30 days: over $17,000 from Mike Pompeos Champion American Values PAC.

Its unclear how receptive audiences  on- or off-line  would be to presidential campaign messages now, anyway.

"I think you're seeing campaigns respond to the realities of the market, where people aren't eager to start donating to a presidential campaign that's over a year away," said Eric Wilson, a GOP consultant who led Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) digital team in 2016.

Dave Carney, the veteran Republican strategist who advises Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who hasnt ruled out a presidential run, said its so early in the election cycle that no ones paying attention. If a candidate announces today, he said, what are they going to be asked about? Debt ceiling, Bidens papers. Youre not going to be on message.

And even if they otherwise could stay on message, they would have Trump to knock them off.

As soon as someone pops their head up, Trump will be whacking on them, Carney said. This is time, he said, for a Republican thinking about running to connect with donors, give speeches, study up and build support  all without being out there naked running down the street.
In a Tuesday afternoon court hearing, Fulton County District Attorney hinted she could seek indictments on multiple people in connection with the special purpose grand jurys investigation into possible criminal interference in Georgias 2020 election.

Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney heard arguments about potentially releasing that investigative report.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she didnt want it released now because it could impact her cases.

Attorneys for WSB-TV and other media outlets argued that, under Georgia law, the judge was required to release that report, and that the public had a right to know what was in it.

The state understands the medias inquiry and the worlds interest, Willis argued. But we have to be mindful of protect future defendants rights. If that report was released, there somehow could be arguments made that it impacts the right for later individuals, multiple, to get a fair trial.

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But WSB-TV attorney Tom Clyde argued that there were no other potential defendants in the hearing arguing to keep the report sealed, only the DAs Office. He also pointed out that the special grand jurors specifically asked the judge to release their investigation.

We acknowledge the operations of the grand jury, while it was ongoing, were subject to a veil of secrecy, Clyde said. But that has come to an end, and theyve issued their final report. And the jurors themselves have asked for it to be published.

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The special purpose grand jury finished its eight-month-long investigation two weeks ago. It looked into possible criminal meddling with Georgias 2020 election by former President Donald Trump and subpoenaed people like Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn.

McBurney will have to decide if a special purpose grand jury is an instrument of the court system or an investigative arm of the District Attorneys Office.

That decision will guide him to whether he will release the report.

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By Alvise Armellini and Federico Maccioni

ROME (Reuters) - Right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is forcing migrant rescue ships to dock further and further north along Italy's coastline, meaning long journeys that raise their operating costs and strain their ability to continue saving lives.

On Tuesday, the Geo Barents, a vessel operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), was told to go to the northern port of La Spezia after picking up 69 migrants south of Malta.

"It is 100 hours of navigation from where we are at the moment," said the non-governmental organisation, which later carried out two more rescues, bringing to 237 the number of migrants aboard.

Like the majority of those saved in the central Mediterranean, they had sailed from Libya.

La Spezia is the furthest and northernmost destination that Italy has assigned to an NGO ship. This month, it told other vessels to reach Livorno in Tuscany, and the eastern Adriatic ports of Ancona and Ravenna.

Until recently, these ships would usually have been made to dock on Lampedusa island or other Sicilian locations.

"Compared to disembarking in Sicily, going all the way to La Spezia costs us 70,000 euros ($76,240) in fuel alone," Juan Matias Gil, head of mission for the Geo Barents vessel, told Reuters by telephone.

STRETCHED BUDGETS

The government's idea is that Sicily and other southern regions should not face alone the burden of hosting migrant landings.

The Geo Barents was ordered to La Spezia "only for a question of rotation between ports," Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.

Forcing NGO ships to reach ever-more distant ports increases costs at a time when budgets are stretched by inflation and higher fuel costs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Last month, the SOS Mediterranee NGO appealed for donations, saying fuel charges for its Ocean Viking rescue ship had increased by over 1 million euros during 2022.

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The new docking destinations policy adds to a December decree which forces NGO ships to request and head to a port "without delay" after each rescue, rather than continue looking for boats in distress.

Captains breaching these rules risk fines of up to 50,000 euros and a two-month impounding of their vessel. In cases of repeated violations, they risk permanent confiscation.

MSF and 16 other charities have condemned these rules, saying they will result in more people drowning at sea. The Italian Catholic Church has called for the decree to be scrapped.

Meloni has stood by the decision. She said in December she wanted to put a brake on NGOs' ships acting as "ferry boats" for migrants, going "back and forth with human traffickers to shuttle people from one country to the other".

($1 = 0.9181 euros)

(Additional reporting by Gavin Jones, editing by Timothy Heritage)
By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) - Marooned for a decade by engine failure, Palestinian fisherman Falah Abu Reyala will finally be able to return to sea with a new outboard motor for his boat after Israel eased curbs on the supply of parts to Gaza it feared could be used to make weapons.

After the Islamist group Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, Israel and Egypt clamped down on its borders, citing security concerns. The measures deepened poverty in the cramped enclave, over two-thirds of whose residents depend on aid.

But the curbs have been under review for months given arguments that improving the Gaza economy helps stave off conflict.

In November, Israel allowed in enough fibreglass for the repair of 10 fishing boats and, last week, permitted the import of 12 outboard engines, said the United Nations.

All the goods are paid for by the fisherman. Israel had previously barred their entry based on concern they could prove "dual use" - helping Hamas fighters with their military build-up.

"I received an engine I have waited 10 years to get," said Abu Reyala, a father of seven, gazing at the newly rigged Benzine-powered propeller.

"Now I will be able to resume my work."

Repairs are taking place at an U.N.-supervised workshop on the beach, near the so-called "Boat Graveyard" where dozens of rusty vessels have been piled up, abandoned after breakdowns.

"We are very happy about the entry of these materials and we hope it continues so that all boats can be repaired," said Manal Al-Najar, project coordinator on behalf of the United Nations.

"It will help fishermen pursue their work and help hundreds of families who work in the fishing sector to secure income."

Some 700 fishing boats still required repairs, she said.

COGAT, an Israeli coordination unit, confirmed it had allowed the first entry in 15 years of dual-use materials such as epoxy glue, polyester, fibreglass and boat engines.

Story continues

This process was carried out as part of an effort COGAT is making to bolster the fishing industry in the Gaza Strip," it said in a written response to Reuters.

The current allotment will enable the repair of 35 fishing boats - with more possible "if the newly crafted mechanism meets the agreed security and economic parameters", COGAT said.

Even if seaworthy, Gaza's fishing boats are limited to waters delineated by Israel and Egypt, reducing the size of the catch and in some cases discouraging them from even going out.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Nick Macfie)
The U.S. economy continued to weaken in January, with the rate of decline "among the steepest seen since the global financial crisis," said U.S. financial information and analytics provider S&P Global in a press release published Tuesday.

"The U.S. economy has started 2023 on a disappointingly soft note, with business activity contracting sharply again in January," Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, was quoted as saying by the release.

According to the press release, S&P Global found the headline Flash U.S. PMI Composite Output Index, which measures certain aspects of the service and manufacturing sectors, up to 46.6 percent in January from 45.0 percent in December.

However, the number remains under 50, the benchmark separating expansion from contraction, mirroring economists' expectations that the U.S. economy could be heading for a recession this year.
Gemba, an enterprise-focused virtual reality (VR) training startup used by some of the world's biggest companies, has raised $18 million in a Series A round of funding.

Gemba designs and delivers so-called virtual "masterclasses" spanning subject matters such as supply chain management and lean manufacturing, working in conjunction with experts from the respective fields to deliver the courses which can run over several days. The core selling point behind Gemba's programs is that they are designed to be as life-like as possible, which means that they are delivered live and can facilitate real-time interactions between all the participants.

"A Gemba masterclass is entirely interactive -- it's 3D, immersive, and we use the same software that 90% of video games are created in (Unity)," Gemba CEO Nathan Robinson told TechCrunch. "In Gemba, you can freely walk around, grab objects, participate in simulations - you can do everything you can do in real life, plus a load more that you cant do in real life."

All participants have a corresponding avatar, and they can join from pretty much anywhere they wish, including their office or home living room.

"A typical masterclass has 25 senior executives attending from cross-sector companies, such as VPs from Pfizer, Nike, Adidas, Dell, Volvo, Roche and more," Robinson added. "It has one masterclass leader who is a recognized subject matter expert, and two guest speakers from companies like Amazon and AstraZeneca."

Gemba in action

While Gemba's software currently only works with Meta's Quest headsets, which it provides as part of the package, the company said that it's working to expand its support to all popular VR and AR devices throughout 2023.

The story so far

While the metaverse hype spurred by companies such as Facebook's parent Meta may be somewhat premature, it's clear that VR, AR, and mixed reality have been gaining at least a little more traction outside of gaming circles in recent times -- the pandemic may have played a part in this. Training in particular remains a central focus for many current VR applications, and investors have been taking note.

Story continues

Last month, for example, Loft Dynamics raised $20 million to tackle helicopter pilot shortage with VR training, while medical simulation platform FundamentalVR secured $20 million to help surgeons learn through VR. And then there's VRAI, which recently raised a modest $3.2 million to bring VR simulation training to hazardous industries such as the offshore wind sector.

Founded back in 2010 initially as an executive training company called The Leadership Network, London-based Gemba rebranded to its current name last April as part of an ongoing transition away from its legacy training business. While the pandemic may have bolstered Gemba's ambitions in the VR space, it had in fact started to shift its focus some years previous, as it sought new ways to capture the knowledge from its training courses and scale it to thousands of users. Indeed, the company delivered its first VR enterprise training in 2019, with its masterclasses kicking off the following year.

"From inception to completion, this process has taken more than five years," Robinson said. "In 2017, VR was still clunky, challenging, and only really being used in niche gaming, but all the ingredients for the metaverse were there. What we saw was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create immersive learning that feels as good as a face-to-face experience, with limitless creative possibilities, all the efficiencies of a digital platform, and huge environmental and societal benefits for a changing workforce."

Gemba in action

All its research and development through the pivot to VR was essentially self-funded from the profits it made from its traditional training programs, but now it's looking to ramp things up and build on a foundation that has seen it garner major customers including Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Nike, each of which started out as Gemba customers in its traditional in-person training business before transitioning with Gemba to the VR realm.

The core selling point for customers is that VR helps them eliminate travel time and costs, and also meet whatever corporate carbon-cutting commitments they may have in place. However, Gemba's courses aren't exactly cheap, with each masterclass costing around $7,250 per person per program, though enterprise subscriptions are available starting at around $120,000 for a 50-person team each year, going all the way up to $1.2 million for larger scale rollouts.

Participants also get to keep their Meta Quest headset at the end of the program, though with the enterprise subscription plan companies buy the headsets separately and re-uses them on future programs.

With $18 million in the bank, representing its first ever external funding, Gemba said that it plans to expedite its growth across the EMEA region and eventually expand into the North American market. Indeed, Gemba's Series A round was led by New York-based Parkway Venture Capital, which has previously invested in the likes of Lyft, Intel-owned Mobileye, Coursera, and China's Didi.
Embattled New York Republican George Santos is saddened that his fellow party member John Kennedy called him nutty as a fruitcake and a bunny boiler  a reference to Glenn Closes unhinged, psychotic character in the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction.

Mr Santos responded to the Louisiana Republicans comments yesterday. I am saddened that a distinguished senator from the GOP, whom Ive respected would use such derogatory language against me, he said. Language like that is hurtful and divisive, and has no place in Congress, he added.

Meanwhile, a Brazilian drag queen is giving more details about the early life of Mr Santos.

The drag artist, who knew Mr Santos when he lived in the country, revealed more about the congressmans political past in a new interview with Insider.

Eula Rochard explained that Mr Santos had once been a proud supporter of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva  the current left-wing president of Brazil.

Mr Santos has also now come under scrutiny for claiming that he survived an unidentified assassination attempt.

Key points

George Santos saddened after Republican senator calls him nutty fruitcake bunny boiler

George Santos claims he survived assassination attempt

George Santos surprise for journalists revealed

Publisher of Long Island newspaper knew something was up with Santos years before election win

Voters want George Santos to resign, poll finds

George Santos saddened after Republican senator calls him nutty fruitcake bunny boiler

06:18 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Embattled New York Republican George Santos is saddened that his fellow party member John Kennedy called him nutty as a fruitcake and a bunny boiler  a reference to Glenn Closes unhinged, psychotic character in the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction.

Mr Santos responded to the Louisiana Republicans comments on Tuesday. I am saddened that a distinguished senator from the GOP, whom Ive respected would use such derogatory language against me, he said.

Story continues

Language like that is hurtful and divisive, and has no place in Congress, he added.

Read the full story here:

George Santos saddened after Republican senator calls him bunny boiler

ICYMI: More footage of George Santos at drag show surfaces

06:30 , John Bowden

The Twitter account PatriotTakes, operated by political activists aligned with the Democratic Party, has surfaced another Brazilian news clip revealing George Santos in drag dancing with other drag queens. He has denied particpating extensively in the culture.

It isnt exactly clear where the clip is from, but Mr Santos can be seen wearing the same costume he wore in the original pictures provided to TMZ and other news outlets by a drag queen who knew him at the time, Eula Rochard.

Brazilian news published more footage of George Santos in drag as Kitara Ravache. pic.twitter.com/1C6yqIKw9L  PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) January 23, 2023

Voices: Why Kevin McCarthy cant quit George Santos

05:00 , John Bowden

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy  let alone the rest of GOP leadership  likely cant afford to abandon George Santos for one simple reason  math.

Had Mr Santos hailed from a redder district, it might be easier to give him the boot. But Mr Santos is one of 18 Republicans who represent a district that President Joe Biden won in 2022. Mr Biden won New Yorks 3rd District by eight points and a Democrat previously held the seat. Mr Santos mostly won the seat by accident: Governor Kathy Hochul dramatically underperformed in Long Island in Novembers election and Republicans won four seats in the area.

Mr Santos mostly reaped the benefits of Democratic incompetence in the region, and they would likely not be caught napping if the seat were to open up.

Read more:

Why Kevin McCarthy cant quit George Santos

George Santos now claims he survived assassination attempt

03:30 , John Bowden

Embattled GOP Rep George Santos has now come under scrutiny for claiming that he survived an unidentified assassination attempt.

The Republican, who has already admitted to making several lies during his run for Congress, made the wild allegation during an interview with Brazilian podcast Radio Novelo Apresenta last month.

We have already suffered an attempt on my life, an assassination attempt, a threatening letter, having to have the police  a police escort standing in front of our house, he claimed.

Mr Santos did not elaborate on the alleged hit plot and is not thought to have mentioned it publicly prior to this. During the interview he also claimed he was mugged in on Fifth Avenue in New York City and that his Florida home was vandalised.

Read more from Gustaf Kilander:

Video emerges of George Santos saying hes the victim of an assassination plot

Voters strongly favour embattled Rep George Santos resigning, poll finds

02:00 , John Bowden

A majority of New Yorkers want embattled Republican Representative George Santos to resign amid a flurry of reports that he fabricated large parts of his life story, according to a new Siena College poll.

A total of 59 per cent of registered voters said Mr Santos should resign from Congress, with 64 per cent of Democrats saying he should. A plurality of Republicans  49 per cent  want Mr Santos to resign as well. That comes despite the fact that Mr Santos flipped a district on Long Island that had voted overwhelmingly for President Joe Biden.

Read more:

Voters strongly favour embattled Rep George Santos resigning, poll finds

George Santos complains about the comedians mocking him on late-night shows

00:30 , John Bowden

Claiming that he had now been enshrined in late night TV history following a wave of impressions of him on various comedy shows, George Santos declared on Monday that those mocking him needed to step up their game.

It was a Trump-esque response to the very serious issues he has been caught lying about. And it provoked a response from one of those comedians: Former SNL star Jon Lovitz.

Read more:

Comedian claps back after George Santos complaint over mockery

Santoss FEC filing raises new questions about $500k campaign loan

Tuesday 24 January 2023 22:52 , John Bowden

George Santos filed an amended financial disclosure form with the FEC on Tuesday, and with it began the newest branch of this seemingly endless controversy.

The newly-sworn-in congressman has now admitted that two loans to his campaign, totaling $500,000 and $125,000, did not in fact originate from his personal funds, as previously claimed.

But even stranger is the lack of any information indicating where they are actually from  the new filings still indicate that the loans came from the candidate in some fashion, but no other facts are known for sure.

The loans could be related to a firm that The New York Times reported he had solicited political donations to, despite it not being registered with the FEC: RedStone Strategies.

Comedian claps back after George Santos complaint: My pathological liar character cant hold a candle to you!

Tuesday 24 January 2023 21:24 , John Bowden

Comedian Jon Lovitz has clapped back at Congressman George Santos after the New York Republican complained about the comedians appearing on late night talk shows to mock him after he was caught in a litany of lies.

I have now been enshrined in late night TV history with all these impersonations, but they are all TERRIBLE so far. Jon Lovitz is supposed to be one of the greatest comedians of all time and that was embarrassing  for him not me! These comedians need to step their game up, Mr Santos tweeted on Monday night.

Finally!!! Youre honest about something!!! Mr Lovitz responded on Twitter.

See the rest of their exchange in The Independent:

Comedian claps back after George Santos complaint over mockery

He was weird: Publisher of Long Island newspaper that exposed Santos knew something was up years before election win

Tuesday 24 January 2023 19:45 , John Bowden

The publisher of a Long Island newspaper that wrote the first expose on George Santos said he suspected the congressmans bad motivations during their first meeting, which took place years before his election win.

Grant Lally, the publisher of the North Shore Leader, thought he was a completely non-serious candidate after meeting him in 2020, during Mr Santos first run for office.

He was weird, Mr Lally told The Independent. He acted strangely, he boasted, and at the same time he seemed to bask almost like a child in the attention he was getting.

Richard Hall has the story from the congressmans backyard:

He was weird: Publisher of local newspaper that exposed Santos had doubts years ago

Drag artist claims George Santos was liberal in Brazil but went crazy when he moved to US

Tuesday 24 January 2023 19:00 , John Bowden

A Brazilian drag artist who knew George Santos when he lived in the country revealed more about the congressmans political past in a new interview with Insider.

Eula Rochard explained in her latest interview that Mr Santos had once been a proud supporter of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva  the current president of Brazil, who recently returned to office after successfully battling corruption charges he and his supporters argued were politically motivated.

The support for Lula and his history as a drag performer would be politically insignificant were it not for the conservative rights current fixation on drag shows, drag performers as well as all LGBT Americans.

Read more from John Bowden:

Drag artist claims George Santos was liberal but went crazy when he moved to US

Santos causes problems for Elise Stefanik

Tuesday 24 January 2023 18:15 , John Bowden

GOP caucus chair Elise Stefanik is facing new questions over her role in getting George Santos elected to Congress.

A New York Republican like Mr Santos, Ms Stefanik is facing new critcism from some of her own allies as a result of her efforts to find willing donors to help support Mr Santoss successful congressional bid. Many are questioning why she put her support so strongly behind a candidate who appears to have made up almost his entire resume.

Read the report at CNN:

ICYMI: More footage of George Santos at drag show surfaces

Tuesday 24 January 2023 17:30 , John Bowden

The Twitter account PatriotTakes, operated by political activists aligned with the Democratic Party, has surfaced another Brazilian news clip revealing George Santos in drag dancing with other drag queens. He has denied particpating extensively in the culture.

It isnt exactly clear where the clip is from, but Mr Santos can be seen wearing the same costume he wore in the original pictures provided to TMZ and other news outlets by a drag queen who knew him at the time, Eula Rochard.

Brazilian news published more footage of George Santos in drag as Kitara Ravache. pic.twitter.com/1C6yqIKw9L  PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) January 23, 2023

George Santos and the fascinating psychology of compulsive liars

Tuesday 24 January 2023 16:45 , John Bowden

Congressman George Santos seems to have lied about everything, from the straightforward to the utterly absurd.

Holly Baxter speaks to experts on lying  and reports on why we all become complicit when a prolific liar reels us in:

George Santos and the fascinating psychology of compulsive liars

George Santos complains about the comedians mocking him on late-night shows

Tuesday 24 January 2023 15:59 , John Bowden

Claiming that he had now been enshrined in late night TV history following a wave of impressions of him on various comedy shows, George Santos declared on Monday that those mocking him needed to step up their game.

It was a Trump-esque response to the very serious issues he has been caught lying about.

Read more:

George Santos complains about the comedians mocking him on late-night shows

White House press corps bursts out laughing at George Santos at briefing

Tuesday 24 January 2023 15:30 , John Bowden

The press corps burst out laughing at the question of whether George Santos was invited to the reception for new members of Congress at the White House.

On Monday during the White House press briefing, a reporter asked if the administration has any guidance on how many new members the president intends to have?

It was then that another reporter brought up whether Mr Santos would be attending.

Watch the moment here:

White House press corps bursts out laughing at George Santos at briefing

Santos leaves out coffee and donuts for stakeout reporters

Tuesday 24 January 2023 15:00 , John Bowden

George Santoss surprise for the reporters staking out his office is finally revealed: He bought donuts!

Its a very anticlimactic end to the latest episode of the increasingly strange saga of Americas most controversial congressman.

We have the answer folks. Its Dunkin pic.twitter.com/9FWyuKLTO1  Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) January 24, 2023

George Santos now claims he survived assassination attempt

Tuesday 24 January 2023 14:30 , John Bowden

Embattled GOP Rep George Santos has now come under scrutiny for claiming that he survived an unidentified assassination attempt.

The Republican, who has already admitted to making several lies during his run for Congress, made the wild allegation during an interview with Brazilian podcast Radio Novelo Apresenta last month.

We have already suffered an attempt on my life, an assassination attempt, a threatening letter, having to have the police  a police escort standing in front of our house, he claimed.

Mr Santos did not elaborate on the alleged hit plot and is not thought to have mentioned it publicly prior to this. During the interview he also claimed he was mugged in on Fifth Avenue in New York City and that his Florida home was vandalised.

Read more from Gustaf Kilander:

Video emerges of George Santos saying hes the victim of an assassination plot

George Santos surprise revealed

Tuesday 24 January 2023 14:00 , David Taintor

George Santos promised a surprise for reporters at his office upon Congress returning this week. Turns out, the surprise was Dunkin Donuts outside. Reporters noticed a box of doughnuts and coffee set out.

We have the answer folks. Its Dunkin pic.twitter.com/9FWyuKLTO1  Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) January 24, 2023

Voices: Why Kevin McCarthy cant quit George Santos

Tuesday 24 January 2023 13:00 , Eric Garcia

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy  let alone the rest of GOP leadership  likely cant afford to abandon George Santos for one simple reason  math.

Had Mr Santos hailed from a redder district, it might be easier to give him the boot. But Mr Santos is one of 18 Republicans who represent a district that President Joe Biden won in 2022. Mr Biden won New Yorks 3rd District by eight points and a Democrat previously held the seat. Mr Santos mostly won the seat by accident: Governor Kathy Hochul dramatically underperformed in Long Island in Novembers election and Republicans won four seats in the area.

Mr Santos mostly reaped the benefits of Democratic incompetence in the region, and they would likely not be caught napping if the seat were to open up.

Read more:

Why Kevin McCarthy cant quit George Santos

ICYMI: Even George Santos Twitter account is having issues

Tuesday 24 January 2023 11:30 , Eric Garcia

Late last week, Twitter appeared to suspend and then reinstate George Santos account  multiple times. The account flicked on and off before ultimately stabilising. It wasnt immediately clear what caused the outage. Mr Santos recently set up his official congressional Twitter account, as he gets up and running as a newly sworn in member of Congress.

Read more:

Confusion as Twitter appears to suspend and reinstate George Santos account

Santos causes problems for Elise Stefanik

Tuesday 24 January 2023 09:30 , John Bowden

GOP caucus chair Elise Stefanik is facing new questions over her role in getting George Santos elected to Congress.

A New York Republican like Mr Santos, Ms Stefanik is facing new critcism from some of her own allies as a result of her efforts to find willing donors to help support Mr Santoss successful congressional bid. Many are questioning why she put her support so strongly behind a candidate who appears to have made up almost his entire resume.

Read the report at CNN:

From the first questions to GOP blowback : A timeline of George Santos many scandals

Tuesday 24 January 2023 08:00 , John Bowden

George Santos is officially a member of Congress following a marathon vote to select the GOPs Speaker of the House and the swearing-in of the 118th Congress.

But it wasnt even clear that he would make it this far: Dogged by surely one of the oddest scandals to hit American politics in the last few years, Mr Santos was facing calls for his expulsion and resignation even before he was seated as representative for New Yorks 3rd Congressional District.

As Mr Santos concludes his first month in the chamber, lets take a look back at how this scandal evolved, from the beginning to now:

From first questions to GOP rebukes : A timeline of George Santos many scandals

George Santos follows in Trumps footsteps by complaining about the quality of the comedians mocking him

Tuesday 24 January 2023 06:30 , John Bowden

Claiming that he had now been enshrined in late night TV history following a wave of impressions of him on various comedy shows, George Santos declared on Monday that those mocking him needed to step up their game.

It was a Trump-esque response to the very serious issues he has been caught lying about.

I have now been enshrined in late night TV history with all these impersonations, but they are all TERRIBLE so far. Jon Lovitz is supposed to be one of the greatest comedians of all time and that was embarrassing for him not me! These comedians need to step their game up.  George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 23, 2023

He was weird: Publisher of Long Island newspaper that exposed Santos knew something was up years before election win

Tuesday 24 January 2023 05:00 , Richard Hall

The publisher of a Long Island newspaper that wrote the first expose on George Santos said he suspected the congressmans bad motivations during their first meeting, which took place years before his election win.

Grant Lally, the publisher of the North Shore Leader, thought he was a completely non-serious candidate after meeting him in 2020, during Mr Santos first run for office.

He was weird, Mr Lally told The Independent. He acted strangely, he boasted, and at the same time he seemed to bask almost like a child in the attention he was getting.

Read more:

He was weird: Publisher of local newspaper that exposed Santos had doubts years ago

George Santos finally admits to drag queen past: Sue me for having a life

Tuesday 24 January 2023 03:00 , John Bowden

George Santos appears to have confirmed that he dressed or performed in drag on at least one occasion  the newest eyebrow-raising development in the scandal that has consumed one of Congresss most junior members.

The admission came as Mr Santos returned home over the weekend to New York, where the Nassau County-area Republican got a change of scenery from the mobs of reporters questioning him on Capitol Hill and was instead interrogated by local reporters in his home district.

He confirmed to a local ABC affiliate that he was indeed the drag performer known as Kitara Ravache pictured in now multiple images supplied to reporters by former acquaintances from his past life in Brazil.

Read more:

George Santos finally admits to drag queen past: Sue me for having a life

Voters strongly favour embattled Rep George Santos resigning, poll finds

Tuesday 24 January 2023 01:30 , Eric Garcia

A majority of New Yorkers want embattled Republican Representative George Santos to resign amid a flurry of reports that he fabricated large parts of his life story, according to a new Siena College poll.

A total of 59 per cent of registered voters said Mr Santos should resign from Congress, with 64 per cent of Democrats saying he should. A plurality of Republicans  49 per cent  want Mr Santos to resign as well. That comes despite the fact that Mr Santos flipped a district on Long Island that had voted overwhelmingly for President Joe Biden.

Read more:

Voters strongly favour embattled Rep George Santos resigning, poll finds

ICYMI: Every George Santos lie ... so far

Tuesday 24 January 2023 00:01 , John Bowden

It can be difficult keeping up with the list of fictions that George Santos has been accused of telling, admitted telling, or merely been caught spinning red-handed following a contradictory statement.

But, do not fret: The Independent is here, and were keeping track of the whole list of lies even as it continues to grow  both in number and in the sheer scale of the humiliation that it presents for not just Mr Santos, who remains adamant that he will serve two years in office as representative for New Yorks third district, but for the Republican House caucus as a whole.

Read the latest from the talented Mr Santos below:

Every lie George Santos has been accused of making

Santos draws laughs at White House press briefing

Monday 23 January 2023 21:46 , John Bowden

Embattled GOP Rep George Santos provoked a laugh at Mondays White House press briefing.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was speaking about new members of Congress being invited to meet the president, when a reporter quipped: Is George Santos invited?

The line drew a laugh from the room, and a remark from Ms Jean-Pierre: I love how everybody laughed at that.

'I love how everybody laughed'  Heres how the White House responded to a question about whether Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is invited to a reception for new members of Congress pic.twitter.com/UBNaNFqCrL  NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 23, 2023

Kinzinger: Santos is a liar and a fraud'

Monday 23 January 2023 20:41 , John Bowden

One Republican who is not hesitating to denounce newly-elected Congressman George Santos is Adam Kinzinger, the former congressman who declined to run for reelection last year after serving on the January 6 committee.

Mr Kinzinger responded to the congressmans promise of a surprise for journalists staking out his office with a simple rebuke on Sunday evening.

George Santos is a liar and a fraud. https://t.co/WYoQF5Mki2  Adam Kinzinger #fella (@AdamKinzinger) January 23, 2023

He was weird: Publisher of Long Island newspaper that exposed Santos knew something was up years before election win

Monday 23 January 2023 19:44 , John Bowden

The publisher of a Long Island newspaper that wrote the first expose on George Santos said he suspected the congressmans bad motivations during their first meeting, which took place years before his election win.

Grant Lally, the publisher of the North Shore Leader, thought he was a completely non-serious candidate after meeting him in 2020, during Mr Santos first run for office.

He was weird, Mr Lally told The Independent. He acted strangely, he boasted, and at the same time he seemed to bask almost like a child in the attention he was getting.

Richard Hall has the story from the congressmans backyard:

He was weird: Publisher of local newspaper that exposed Santos had doubts years ago

More videos of George Santos in drag surface

Monday 23 January 2023 18:32 , John Bowden

Another video of George Santos has surfaced, with the 34-year-old appearing once again as Kitara Ravache, his drag identity.

According to the account PatriotTakes  run by Democratic operatives  the latest videos have begun trickling out in Brazilian media following the revelations.

Brazilian news published more footage of George Santos in drag as Kitara Ravache. pic.twitter.com/1C6yqIKw9L  PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) January 23, 2023

Residents of NY-03 wonder how to force Santos out of Congress

Monday 23 January 2023 17:34 , John Bowden

Voters in George Santoss home district tell The Independent that they are mobilising to find a way to force George Santos out of office  either at the ballot box, or through other means.

We dont have a game plan. I dont think anyone does. The country has never seen an impostor in Congress before. So, whats the path to boot him out? one resident of the district told The Independents Richard Hall.

Read on:

In George Santoss district, setting of The Great Gatsby, cries of imposter abound

Stay updated: Every lie disgraced incoming republican Congressman has been accused of making

Monday 23 January 2023 17:43 , John Bowden

It can be difficult keeping up with the list of fictions that George Santos has been accused of telling, admitted telling, or merely been caught spinning red-handed following a contradictory statement.

But, do not fret: The Independent is here, and were keeping track of the whole list of lies even as it continues to grow  both in number and in the sheer scale of the humiliation that it presents for not just Mr Santos, who remains adamant that he will serve two years in office as representative for New Yorks third district, but for the Republican House caucus as a whole.

Read on:

Every lie George Santos has been accused of making

In George Santoss district, setting of The Great Gatsby, cries of imposter abound

Monday 23 January 2023 16:57 , John Bowden

George Santos courted the suburbanites of Nassau County during his journey to Congress. Now, those same voters view him with revulsion after he admitted to a series of increasingly offensive lies about his background.

The Independents Richard Hall reports from New York on the aftermath of the first scandal of the 118th Congress:

In George Santoss district, setting of The Great Gatsby, cries of imposter abound

Outrageous: George Santos assigned to two House committees despite fabricated resume, investigations and calls to resign

Monday 23 January 2023 16:00 , John Bowden

The appointment of newly elected congressman George Santos to two House committees has drawn widespread criticism from Democratic officials and critics scrutinising the New York Republican for his alleged campaign finance violations and a fabricated profile with a growing list of false claims about his education and career.

Democratic lawmakers and some Republican officials, including party leadership in his own state, have called on Mr Santos to resign following a wave of accusations that he made up a bulk of his resume, life story and professional accomplishments. He has refused to step down.

Alex Woodward has more:

Outrageous: Furious reactions as George Santos gets committee assignments

Majority of New Yorkers want George Santos to resign

Monday 23 January 2023 15:29 , John Bowden

A Siena College poll released on Monday confirmed what reporters have been assuming for days: That a majority of New Yorkers want Congressman George Santos to resign after he admitted to lying about major parts of his background.

59 percent of registered voters in the state said that the embattled congressman should resign, while majorities of both parties and independents viewed him unfavorably.

Its shockingly bad polling for a freshman representatives that puts his reelection at a near impossibility.

Wikipedia page with George Santoss alias appears to admit his drag queen past

Monday 23 January 2023 15:19 , John Bowden

An old Wikipedia page purportedly showed that a user named Anthony Devolder  which could be an alias of George Santos  began his stage life as a drag queen using a pseudonym, according to a report.

Mr Santos, who represents New Yorks 3rd district, on Thursday strongly rebutted reports that he performed in drag competitions under the name Kitara while living in Brazil over a decade ago.

However, a Wikipedia page accessed by Politico News from more than a decade ago, showed a user named Anthony Devolder who said he participated in drag shows in Brazil as a teenager.

Read more:

Wikipedia page with George Santoss alias appears to admit his drag queen past

SNLs Bowen Yang parodies Santos in show opener, Weekend Update'

Monday 23 January 2023 14:59 , John Bowden

Breakout SNL star Bowen Yang appeared not once but twice as George Santos in Saturdays return of the live comedy special.

For the shows cold open, Mr Yang portrayed the congressman as the first African American quarterback to ever dunk a football, calling himself the real Bo Jackson.

And he returned for Weekend Update, where co-host Colin Jost pressed him to stop telling fictions about his personal background.

Jokingly protesting, Mr Yang responded: Im a team player, and the sport is lies. At least mine are fun! Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greenes over here saying 9/11 didnt happen. I just said it happened to me!

George Santos finally admits to drag queen past: Sue me for having a life

Monday 23 January 2023 14:24 , John Bowden

George Santos appears to have confirmed that he dressed or performed in drag on at least one occasion  the newest eyebrow-raising development in the scandal that has consumed one of Congresss most junior members.

The admission came as Mr Santos returned home over the weekend to New York, where the Nassau County-area Republican got a change of scenery from the mobs of reporters questioning him on Capitol Hill and was instead interrogated by local reporters in his home district.

He confirmed to a local ABC affiliate that he was indeed the drag performer known as Kitara Ravache pictured in now multiple images supplied to reporters by former acquaintances from his past life in Brazil.

Read more:

George Santos finally admits to drag queen past: Sue me for having a life

From the first questions to GOP blowback : A timeline of George Santos many scandals

Tuesday 24 January 2023 00:03 , John Bowden

George Santos is officially a member of Congress following a marathon vote to select the GOPs Speaker of the House and the swearing-in of the 118th Congress.

But it wasnt even clear that he would make it this far: Dogged by surely one of the oddest scandals to hit American politics in the last few years, Mr Santos was facing calls for his expulsion and resignation even before he was seated as representative for New Yorks 3rd Congressional District.

As Mr Santos concludes his first month in the chamber, lets take a look back at how this scandal evolved, from the beginning to now:

From first questions to GOP rebukes : A timeline of George Santos many scandals
Then-Rep. George Santos of New York, a Republican, gestures to a colleague on the House floor earlier this month. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Rep. George Santos' endless stream of scandals have left a mark with Americans.

According to a new poll, Santos is now more well known than most of the top House Republican leaders.

Even back in New York, the Republican is more recognizable than some of his more powerful counterparts.

Scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos' endless stream of unflattering stories has catapulted the New York Republican out of obscurity and alongside some of the most powerful names in the nation's capital.

No, this isn't another line in the fabulist's resume. The media focus on the 34-year-old has left an impression in Americans' minds, even as he has begun to really annoy some of his colleagues.

According to an Economist/YouGov poll, more people know who the freshman lawmaker is than all but one member of House Republican leadership  you know, the people with actual power. Santos' budding infamy is so dominant that he has easily surpassed Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams in national notoriety.

Americans' awareness of its leaders is often represented by how many poll respondents that register an opinion on the subject in question.

According to the poll of American adults, more people have views on Santos than House Majority Leader Steve Scalise or House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, the No. 2 and No. 3 House Republicans respectively. The most powerful Congressional leaders, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, were still more well known, though not by much.

Being well-known doesn't mean Santos is well-liked. According to the poll, Santos is viewed more unfavorably than any congressional leader. Nationally, he has a whopping negative 38 percentage net point favorability rating.

Santos' every move in the Capitol is chronicled by reporters so eager to hear his reaction to the latest claim that there are cameras stationed outside his office. He hasn't been in office for a month, and already four different comedians have impersonated him, incusing one on Saturday Night Live.

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This star power sugar high also underlines a growing tension.

Some of the most powerful American leaders have spent more time in power than Santos has even been alive. Their longevity is a testament to an age where power was slowly accrued by those who simply outlasted those who came before them.

Additional polls also point to Santos' rapidly expanding profile. Navigator research found Americans were more familiar with him than Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the newly-named chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee. The trend includes his fellow New Yorkers. A recent Siena College poll found that by a large margin more people in the state had heard of Santos than House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the history-making Brooklynite who now leads House Democrats.

Freshmen lawmakers can raise more money than top party leaders. Their arrival has brought record diversity to halls of power that sorely lacked it. The cascading effects of social media, online campaign fundraising, and the current political moment have made it easier for relatively powerless lawmakers to have enormous effects on the political debate.

It has also left Congress vulnerable to the exact type of candidate George Santos turned out to be.

The Economist/YouGov online poll interviewed 1,500 Americans age 18 or older from January 21-24. The overall sample has a +/- 3.2% margin of error. You can read the entire methodology and all of the poll's crosstabs here.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Georgia 911 dispatcher was killed after a truck hit her car and another truck hit her on the side of the road, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

Haley Cunningham, 28, was an employee with Whitfield County 911. A GoFundMe has been set up for Cunninghams family.

Haley passed away earlier this morning. She had been a valued member on our team and will be missed. Please keep Haleys family in your thoughts as they go through this difficult time, Whitfield County 911 wrote in a statement on Facebook.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

GSP said Cunningham was driving on Interstate 75 Wednesday morning when she lost control of her car and hit the center median. The car stopped in the middle lane of the highway facing the opposite direction.

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According to the crash report, Cunninghams car was hit by a tractor-trailer and the impact ejected her. That truck overturned.

The driver and passenger of the tractor-trailer were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. They have not been identified.

Cunningham died at the scene after she was hit by a different truck.

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I-75 was shut down for nearly three hours while crews cleared the scene. The crash report did not say what caused Cunningham to lose control of her car.
[Source]

A German events location has drawn backlash over an ad about an exotic Asia party that featured Geisha Girls.

The event, titled Geisha: The Exotic Asia Night, was scheduled to run for six hours at Finns Penthouse Eventlocation on Saturday, Jan. 21, according to a Facebook ad that remains live as of press time.

However, its unclear whether the event actually materialized. An equivalent Instagram post appears to have been scrubbed after users took offense and called out the business.

More from NextShark: Chinese movie depicting Korean speed skaters as cheating bullies called 'violation of the Olympic spirit'

This makes my blood boil as an Asian woman, a tipster who identifies as Chinese German told NextShark in an email.

Not only is it incredibly racist, but it is also blatant cultural appropriation and Asian fetishization.

More from NextShark: Journalist jailed for covering COVID-19 in Wuhan may not live for much longer, says brother

A poster for the event boasted of free welcome shots and sushi from Geisha Girls. It also promised hip-hop, trap and dance classics.

They will have Geisha Girls serving sushi the entire night, completely objectifying, dehumanizing and sexualizing Asian women, the tipster alleged. On top of that, they pretend as if traditional garments such as the kimono are ridiculous party costumes.

The tipster said they and others were blocked by the business after calling it out on Instagram. About an hour later, they allegedly received a DM from some guy who probably works for the club.

More from NextShark: Japan Airlines to Stop Using 'Ladies and Gentlemen' to Be More Gender-Inclusive

A screenshot of the message shows the guy asking what the problem is. They claimed they always have parties at the club in question and that geisha, from what they know, is the new year of Your coulture [sic].

The fact that they are hosting a Geisha Girl party right during Lunar New Year (the night of January 21st) is more than offending, the tipster told NextShark. Me and my friend tried to give them a bad Google review, which didnt go through for some reason.

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More from NextShark: Family of Trans Asian Nurse Missing from Dallas Airport 1 Year Ago Still Hopeful

The tipster added that the events location appears to have a discriminatory past.

One Google review claims that the business requires a German ID upon entry.

This club is not letting in people from other countries! They are only accepting German IDs, the reviewer alleged.
By Andreas Rinke

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany said on Wednesday it would supply its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, overcoming misgivings about sending heavy weaponry that Kyiv sees as crucial to defeat Russia's invasion but Moscow casts as a dangerous provocation.

Pressure has been building for weeks on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to send the tanks and allow NATO allies to do the same before expected spring offensives by both sides.

Scholz's government had stalled, wary of moves that could prompt Russia to escalate the war or draw NATO into becoming a party to the conflict.

Germany's decision paves the way for other countries such as Poland, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands and Norway to supply some of their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, going some way towards delivering the hundreds of tanks that Ukraine says it needs.

"Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine," Scholz told German parliament to applause. "...because there really is a war in Europe - not far from here in Berlin it is taking place against a big country like Ukraine."

Germany must do everything possible "but at the same time we must prevent the war from escalating into a war between Russia and NATO," he said.

Hoping to allay concerns about sending the weapons, Scholz asked Germans to trust his government to ensure there was no increased risk to their country and to coordinate steps with allies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Scholz for Germany's "important and timely decisions", saying they were a "green light for partners to supply similar weapons".

Germany aims to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine and initially provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from its own inventory.

A battalion normally comprises three or four companies with around 14 tanks each. Poland has also pledged 14 tanks and Britain has promised 14 of its own Challengers.

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Germany's tanks would probably be ready in three-four months, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said.

Training of Ukrainian troops in Germany will begin soon, and Germany will also provide logistics and ammunition. Germany said it would also issue the appropriate transfer permits to partner countries that want to deliver Leopard 2 tanks quickly from their own stocks.

RUSSIA CRITICISES GERMANY'S DECISION

Russia has portrayed deliveries of heavy weapons to Ukraine as proof that the West is escalating the war.

The Russian embassy to Berlin accused Germany of making an "extremely dangerous decision" and abandoning its "historical responsibility to Russia" arising from Nazi crimes in World War Two. The embassy said the tank deliveries would escalate the conflict to a new level and lead to "permanent escalation".

The Leopards, used by armies across Europe, are widely seen as the best option for Ukraine as they are available in large numbers and relatively easy to deploy and maintain.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance needed to provide Ukraine even more support to be able to liberate its territory. Though some countries have already come forward with pledges, the overall number of tanks Ukraine could expect to receive was not immediately clear.

"A contingent of at least 300 tanks would really make a difference," said Felix Arteaga, senior analyst at the Elcano Spanish think-tank.

"And right now, with the offers from the various allied countries, only around 100 tanks would be sent, which would not really be enough to change the course of the war."

Washington may drop its opposition to sending perhaps dozens of its M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv. The Abrams is seen as less suitable for Ukraine due to its heavy fuel consumption and greater maintenance needs, but such a move could ease German concerns about presenting a united front among Ukraine's allies.

Asked whether France would send Leclerc tanks, a French government official said there was "no taboo" on such tanks but France was keen to be "efficient" and was studying the option independently of what Berlin and Washington were doing.

Kyiv has pleaded for months for Western tanks, which it says will give its forces the firepower and mobility to break through Russian defensive lines and recapture occupied territory.

Britain and Poland welcomed Germany's decision, which Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described as "a big step towards stopping Russia."

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke, Madeline Chambers, Kirsti Knolle, Paul Carrel, Rachel More, Michel Rose, Belen Carreno, Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik, William James, Muvija M; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Maria Sheahan, Kevin Liffey, Timothy Heritage and Bernadette Baum)
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Jan. 25 that Berlins promised set of Leopard 2 tanks would take about three months to arrive in Ukraine.

This is an important game change, possibly also for this war, at least in the current phase, Pistorius told reporters after a cabinet meeting, as quoted by the Associated Press.

He described the Leopards as the best battle tank in the world.

Pistoriuss statement comes shortly after Berlin confirmed that it would supply 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries to deliver Leopards to Kyiv as well.

Previously the German government had been reluctant to approve Leopard 2 deliveries but eventually succumbed under pressure from the media and allies.

Ukraine and its allies, including Poland, thanked Germany for the decision, hoping other countries would follow suit.




German Tank. Illustrated | Gettyimages

Germany reportedly has decided to support efforts to provide Ukraine with German-made Leopard 2 tanks, a potentially critical reversal. Germany had resisted calls to transfer some of the 2,000 Leopard 2s now in the hands of allies across Europe to help Ukrainian forces fight invading Russian troops. But Berlin came under increasing pressure to approve the move as Ukraine faces a likely new spring offensive by Russia. Modern battle tanks are faster than Russia's Soviet-era tanks  with top speeds up to 45 miles per hour  and equipped with more firepower, night vision, thermal imaging, and laser range finders to track targets.

The Biden administration is also finalizing a plan to send Ukraine some of the Army's M1 Abrams tanks, a step Germany had said the U.S. must take before it approves Poland's request to send some of the Leopard 2s. The United States and other countries already have promised armored vehicles like the American Bradley fighting vehicle. The moves are "a significant breakthrough in western efforts to bolster Kyiv's fight against the Russian army," writes the Financial Times. But how exactly will this "breakthrough" change the trajectory of the war?

The modern tanks are essential

The West is determined to "help Ukraine win without starting World War III," says Andreas Kluth at Bloomberg, and the fear is that sending heavy battle tanks will cross a "red line" that could cause Moscow to expand the war, or use tactical nuclear weapons. The U.S., Germany, and France "took a big step forward" in pushing the limit by announcing they would "give the Ukrainians new kinds of tanks," such as the U.S. Bradley, and the equivalent armored fighting vehicles used by Germany and France.

But to call these vehicles tanks is "a stretch." Bradleys "have guns and treads, but their main purpose is to bring infantry soldiers wherever they're needed." Ukraine definitely "needs these vehicles badly," but to win it also must have "main battle tanks" like Germany's Leopard 2, the American M1 Abrams, or France's Leclerc. "Those are the heavy fire-breathing monsters that can punch through Russian lines and retake occupied Ukrainian territory."

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Providing tanks won't end the war. It will expand it.

"It is an act of grave stupidity for the West to supply Ukraine with modern tanks," says Peter Hitchens in Britain's Daily Mail. The United Kingdom has already promised Ukraine 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks. "I know what tanks are for, and it is not defense." These powerful machines are for crashing through enemy lines. Ukraine's new tanks might "bog down," or they might "sweep all before them," retaking Crimea or rolling all the way to "a Victory Parade in Red Square."

If Ukraine does use modern tanks to "cross into what Russia regards as its own territory, then do not be surprised by anything which happens." Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "sinister tyrant" who "is probably capable of authorizing the use of battlefield nuclear weapons if cornered." Even if he is deposed, whoever replaces him will be just as likely to "press the red button." At best, these tanks will "prolong the war." At worst, they will result in parts of Europe being reduced to a "radioactive graveyard."

The U.S. should send Abrams tanks, even if just a few, as a symbol

The origin of Ukraine's weapons probably won't be what pushes Putin over his "red lines," says Fred Kaplan in Slate. Still, Germany's chancellor, Olaf Scholz, wants cover for his country by holding off on transfers of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine until the U.S. agrees to send some of its M1 Abrams tanks. Chalk it up to "unease over nightmarish images from history of German tanks rolling through the plains of Europe."

The truth is that the Abrams isn't the tank Ukraine needs, according to U.S. officials. It's "a maintenance nightmare," but if sending "a handful of Abrams tanks, just as a symbol," will speed up the arrival of dozens, or hundreds, of Leopard 2s, the Biden administration is right to send them. An Army can't win a war "fighting strictly on the defensive; it needs to mount a counteroffensive." Modern tanks, which "let soldiers unleash massive amounts of firepower while on the move," will give Ukraine the offensive capabilities it needs to win.

Where are the long-range precision weapons?

Tanks "might not be as important as the political rows suggest," say the editors of The Economist. Ukraine already has "hundreds of Soviet-era tanks," including some it has captured from Russia. Those tanks, coupled with Western infantry fighting vehicles  including the Bradley, the "tank-killers" of the 1991 Iraq war  would "pack a substantial punch" that could do the job.

What Ukraine really needs, though, are long-range precision weapons, such as GPS-guided missiles and the Grey Eagle armed drone, retired U.S. Army General Ben Hodges tells the magazine. These would "strike Russian command posts and logistics hubs deeper behind Russian lines," and, combined with "more and better armor," give Ukraine its best chance at retaking Crimea.

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Germany confirmed on Jan. 25 that it would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine after months of delay, and allow other countries, such as Poland, to send their own stocks.

The long-awaited tanks will be delivered from the stocks of Bundeswehr armed forces, Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Bloomberg in an emailed statement.

This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability, Scholz said, as quoted by Bloomberg. We are acting in a way that is closely agreed and coordinated internationally.

Pressure had been mounting for Berlin to greenlight the transfer of the powerful Leopards after Poland and the U.K. promised to send the first batches of Western tanks to Ukraine, whose soldiers are braving Russias brutal assaults in the countrys east and south.

Germany, like other arms-manufacturing countries, requires its buyers to seek approval before exporting its German-made equipment to a third country.

For many months, Berlin resisted pressure from its Western allies over fears that the transfer of Leopards could lead to a direct confrontation with Russia, turning down Kyivs pleas for months.

"We support Ukraine as long as it is necessary, with all the means that we can use, but also always avoiding that this war is escalating" into a direct Russia-NATO conflict, Scholz had said during a Jan. 17 interview with Bloomberg.

Berlin repeatedly said that possible transfer of tanks would be organized in coordination with its allies, including the U.S.

Poland has been putting pressure on German officials in public, saying it would ask Germany for approval, but was ready to send Leopards to Ukraine regardless.

Polands disagreements with Germany over the Leopards came to a head in recent days with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Jan. 23 accusing Berlin of wasting time by delaying the decision.

Poland said it would create a smaller coalition of countries willing to send Leopards to Ukraine with Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak appealing on Jan. 24 to Berlin to join as well. Denmark and Finland said they would join the Leopard coalition to provide Ukraine with the tanks.

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Twelve countries are ready to give about 100 Leopards to Ukraine, ABC reported on Jan. 24, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. Among them are the Netherlands and Spain, ready to send some of their tanks, according to the American media.

Earlier in January, the U.K. said it would send 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country pledged to deliver AMX-10 RC wheeled tank destroyers often labeled light tanks to Ukraine, said on Jan. 22 that he does not rule out the possibility of providing Ukraine with locally-built Leclerc tanks.

On Jan. 25, Swedish Defense Minister said that he does not exclude the possibility of sending Swedish Stridsvagn 122 tanks to Ukraine once Germany greenlights its delivery of Leopards.

Amid the deadly trench warfare on the Bakhmut front in the eastern Donetsk Oblast, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has urged allies on Jan. 23 to speed up the delivery of heavier and more advanced weapons to Ukraine at this pivotal moment in the war.

Late on Jan. 23, Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said a few hundred tanks for Ukrainian forces would help them further liberate territories, adding that his office was working on it with international partners.

"This is what is going to become a real punching fist of democracy against the autocracy from the bog," Yermak said in a Telegram post.

There are about 2,000 Leopard 2 tanks in Europe at varying levels of readiness, according to CNN.

Ukraines Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Jan. 20 that a decision was reached at Ramstein for Ukrainian troops to begin training on Leopards in Poland to speed up the delivery process.

The German army has used Leopards for decades, and the heavy tanks have been previously deployed in other conflicts, including Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Syria.

Russia has warned Western nations against providing Ukraine with tanks, claiming that they would regret sending them.

On Jan. 25, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed at a news conference that the possibility of the U.S. supplying Abrams tanks to Ukraine was a clear overestimation of the potential that this will add to the armed forces of Ukraine.
Starlink terminals for Ukraine

Read also: Ukraines largest bank to install 600 Starlink terminals in its branch offices

Operated by Elon Musks SpaceX company, Starlink enables Ukrainian civilians and troops to maintain communications during Russian attacks on Ukraines critical infrastructure.

Expressed my gratitude to the German people for a new batch of 10,000 Starlinks, which well get next month, said Fedorov.

Germany earlier pledged EUR 20 million ($22 million) to help Ukraine pay for Starlink terminals and subscriptions.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
You are here: Business

The Export-Import Bank of China (China EximBank) said it provided greater credit support to shore up the foreign trade industry in 2022.

By the end of 2022, the bank's outstanding loans to the foreign trade industry was 2.87 trillion yuan (about 423.92 billion U.S. dollars), up 470 billion yuan from the beginning of the year.

The outstanding loans in yuan and other currencies of the lender topped 5 trillion yuan as of the end of last year, up over 12 percent from the beginning of 2022.

The China Eximbank is a state-funded and state-owned policy bank supporting China's foreign trade, investment, and international economic cooperation.
Ministers decision to reject five key menopause policies constitutes a missed opportunity to stop vast numbers of talented and experienced women from quitting their jobs, the Women and Equalities Committee in the Commons said (Alamy/PA)

The governments refusal to introduce menopause legislation leaves women at risk of being driven out of the workforce, MPs have warned.

Ministers decision to reject five key menopause policies constitutes a missed opportunity to stop vast numbers of talented and experienced women from quitting their jobs, the Women and Equalities Committee in the Commons said.

Caroline Nokes, the committees chair, penned a letter to Maria Caulfield, the health minister, which raised concerns that ministers have overlooked the significant evidence base for overhauling equality law.

Commenting on the governments belated response to their report, which was published on Tuesday, the Conservative MP said it makes her feel unconvinced that menopause is a government priority.

Ms Nokes added: For too long women have faced stigma, shame and dismissive attitudes when it comes to menopause.

The evidence to our inquiry was crystal clear that urgent action was needed across healthcare and work settings to properly address womens needs, yet government progress has been glacial and its response complacent.

Last summer, MPs warned that a lack of support for women going through menopause in the workplace was driving workers out of their jobs and prompting the UK economy to haemorrhage talent.

The damning report, by the Women and Equalities Committee, suggested employers dearth of provision for menopausal women will have repercussions on the gender pay and pension gaps, as well as the number of women taking up senior leadership roles.

Among other recommendations, the research urged the government to overhaul the Equality Act so menopause is established as a protected characteristic, as well as including a responsibility for workplaces to deliver reasonable adjustments for workers grappling with menopause.

The majority of the 3.4 million women between 50 and 64 in the UK will be experiencing symptoms of menopause  ranging from heart palpitations to hot flushes, vaginal pain, anxiety and depression.

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A recent survey of 4,000 women aged between 45 and 55 by the Fawcett Society, a gender equality charity, and Channel 4, discovered that one in 10 women in the UK have left their jobs due to suffering menopause symptoms.

Maria Mayes, who previously worked in a pharmacy, told The Independent the menopause pushed her out of her job as well as making her feel "depressed, irritable and very, very low".

The 64-year-old said: "My symptoms were not controlled. I found the work environment very stressful. Suddenly I would get hot and it would feel like I was going to faint. I would feel very tired.

My brain wasnt working. I was doing the job for many years but suddenly I wasn't very good at it. I was struggling to remember things. We were under a lot of pressure. We had a very difficult manager."

Ms Mayes, who left her job at the age of 58, explained she had two meetings with women managers slightly younger than herself which didn't go well.

She added: "I felt l wasnt being understood and heard. The menopause pushed me out of the workplace. I was pushed to do things without my managers' understanding I was struggling."

You lose yourself as a person during menopause. You dont recognise yourself. You are not the woman you were when you were younger. The main symptom for me was being overwhelmed. I had two accidents while driving - the menopause was partly to blame. I was not thinking right."

Carolyn Harris, a Labour MP who chairs the parliamentary group which specialises in menopause, told The Independent ministers reluctance to accept the Women and Equalities committee menopause report demonstrates a total lack of understanding of how debilitating menopause symptoms can be.

Their refusal to provide more support for women shows a complete and utterly contemptible disrespect for women, she added. For far too long women suffering menopausal symptoms have been forced out of jobs.
Since last month, The Mall at Greece Ridge has gained five new businesses and lost a longtime restaurant that had a significant place in the shopping centers history.

Journeys Kidz, which sells footwear by Vans, Converse, UGG and other trendy brands for infants to preteens at 230 stores nationwide, is operating in a space between JCPenney and Macys, mall owner Wilmorite announced Jan. 13.

A Journeys store a few doors down sells footwear and accessories for teenagers.

The launch of Journeys Kidz at the mall follows four other openings:

Roc City Solez, which sells upcycled footwear and apparel by Classic Drip, near entrance No. 9 (where shoppers also can access Ulta Beauty and Aeropostale).

Restocked, which specializes in upcycled retro footwear, at the No. 6 entrance (near Roc N Dealz).

Hair salon Studio XVII, also at the No. 6 entrance.

Realitys Edge Tattoo, at the No. 5 entrance (and opposite Sogo Sushi & Hibachi).

Journeys Kidz, a chain retailer specializing in trendy footwear for infants to preteenagers, has opened at The Mall at Greece Ridge.

TGI Fridays closes

Meanwhile, TGI Fridays, the first structure built in 1992 as part of a $40 million project to link Long Ridge and Greece Towne malls and create 1.7 million-square-foot The Mall at Greece Ridge, has closed.

The restaurant, which was at the No. 8 entrance, shut down Dec. 20, according to a sign on the door. The company did not immediately respond to an email asking about the closing.

A Wilmorite spokesperson said a new restaurant is being sought for the 5,000-square-foot space.

Fridays entered the Rochester market in 1978 at 125 White Spruce Blvd. in Brighton, and that location remains open.

The first TGI Fridays opened in 1965 on Manhattans Upper East Side and is credited with inventing the singles bar. Growth and expansion led to its rebranding as a family dining establishment with an extensive menu of casual American cuisine.

Since 2008, nearly half of more than 600 Fridays restaurants nationwide have closed as a result of the Great Recession, the rise of fast-casual eateries (such as Panera Bread and Chipotle), and the coronavirus pandemic, Insider Business reported.

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Movie theater to close

The mall is facing the loss of another tenant in the coming weeks. The 12-screen Regal Greece Ridge is on a list of theaters slated to close as part of its parent companys Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring.

In newly filed court papers, U.K-based Cineworld Group states that on Feb.15, it will end leases for 39 underperforming theaters nationwide, including Regal Greece Ridge, as part of a plan to save $22 million annually.

Wilmorite is not commenting, instead referring questions about the theaters closing to Regal Cinemas, which is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and remains the second-largest movie theater chain in the United States behind AMC Theaters.

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Greece Ridge mall welcomes 5 new businesses but loses TGI Fridays
ATHENS (Reuters) - The head of Greece's largest opposition party submitted a censure motion against the conservative government on Wednesday, accusing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of orchestrating mass wiretaps of political allies and foes.

The case, still under investigation by prosecutors, emerged in August when Nikos Androulakis, leader of the socialist PASOK party, Greece's third largest, said the country's intelligence service EYP tapped his conversations in 2021.

The Greek government has denied any wrongdoing or knowingly wiretapping anyone.

Parliament last month passed a bill reforming EYP and banning the sale of spyware after a leftist newspaper reported that more than 30 people, including ministers, had been under state surveillance via phone malware.

Leftist firebrand Alexis Tsipras, prime minister from 2015 to 2019, said his successor was the mastermind behind mass surveillance of politicians, journalists and security officials.

On Tuesday, Tsipras received the conclusions of a separate investigation conducted by the independent telecommunications privacy authority ADAE.

"For the past six months, Greek society has been witness to disclosures of an inconceivable number of phone taps, the deepest deviation from rule of law that the country has seen in its modern history," Tsipras told parliament.

"We have a historic duty to act," he said, before announcing that his party would submit to parliament a censure motion.

Citing ADAE's conclusions, Tsipras said the government kept tabs on the energy minister and army chiefs.

"What national security reason was there to place the guardians of our national security under surveillance?" Tsipras asked rhetorically.

ADAE could not be reached for comment.

The debate on the motion will start later on Wednesday and conclude with a vote on Friday afternoon. Mitsotakis' New Democracy party controls 156 deputies in the 300-seat parliament.

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Tsipras has not publicly made clear what alleged surveillance methods were used. Local media have suggested the Predator malware programme was used, though Greek authorities have denied purchasing or using such a system.

The government has accused the leftist opposition of defamation.

A parliamentary election will be held in Greece in the spring, Mitsotakis said this month. His party is leading in opinion polls.

A European Parliament commission of inquiry, known as PEGA, has been investigating the alleged use of spyware by European governments for almost a year. PEGA has urged Greece to shed light on the case ahead of the elections.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Michele Kambas; Editing by Christina Fincher and Mark Potter)
PROVIDENCE - Last week, more than a dozen of Rhode Island's female legislators gathered in the House lounge to pose for a "right to bare arms" photo - and no, that is not a typo.

They stood  their arms raised, fists pumped  in a show of solidarity with their legislative counterparts in Missouri, who are facing a recent ban on female lawmakers wearing sleeveless attire.

On Tuesday, many of those same Rhode Island legislators gathered in the State House rotunda to flex their muscles again, this time in a shared fight against the obstacles in Rhode Island law to state-paid insurance coverage for abortions sought by state employees and Medicaid recipients.

More on state funded abortion:State-funded abortion coverage for Medicaid recipients, state employees back in play this session

Legislation to remove these legal obstacles is already pending, with 44 co-sponsors in the 75-member House and a matching bill in the Senate. And Gov. Dan McKee has included an overall $621,905 in his proposed state budget for next year to pay for the proposed "Equality in Abortion Coverage Act."

The common thread, as a number of Rhode Island's legislative women see it?

The spread of government-imposed restrictions on women that culminated in the reversal by the U.S. Supreme Court last June of the now 50-year-old Roe V. Wade abortion-rights decision.

What's in McKee's budget?McKee releases his proposed $13.8b budget  here's how it impacts Rhode Islanders

"Women's rights are under attack across our country in so many different ways, big and small," said freshman Rep. Jennifer Boylan of Barrington, the organizer of the "Right to Bare Arms" photo shoot (inspired, she says, by a similar photo posted by Vermont Democrats) - and a co-signer of the abortion-coverage bill.

Rev. Effie E. McAvoy, Shepherd of the Valley UMC speaks during Tuesday's Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom press conference on Tuesday, Jan 24, 2023 at the RI State House Rotunda marking the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and calling on the General Assembly to protect women's rights.

"I do see a parallel," Democrat Boylan said Tuesday, ahead of the press conference, organized by the Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom to mark the 50th anniversary of the "Roe" decision, days earlier.

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"Telling women how to dress in the workplace ... mature adults who have made it to the State House to represent their districts - what they can and can't wear is ridiculous," she said. "A throwback to the '50s."

Concurring, Rep. Katherine Kazarian, the House majority whip, said: "The picture speaks a thousand words."

"Women have seen the effects of erratic politics and bad leadership... and realize we have to work together. We can't stand on the sidelines."

The common theme? "We don't want to be defined. We want to define ourselves."

Rhode Island has lawmaker dress codes too

For the record, the Rhode Island House and Senate have their own dress codes, which are not on the face of it gender specific.

Under the heading - "Decorum"- the Senate rules say: "While in the Senate chamber, members and staff shall be required to dress in proper and appropriate attire, such as blouses, dress slacks and collared shirts with accompanying jacket."

The current and proposed new House rules are even more open to interpretation: "No person on the floor of the chamber shall dress in a manner offensive to the decorum of the House."

Lawmakers commemorate 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Tuesday's press conference was described by its organizers as an event to "commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision and call for the Passage of the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (EACA)."

Among those speaking: the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and treasurer - all Democrats; the Rev. Effie E. McAvoy, Shepherd of the Valley UMC; Maria Zou, Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island and Dr. Beth Cronin, the RI Section Chair of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, who talked about the real life decisions doctors and patients face, even in Rhode Island where abortion rights are enshrined in state law.

Supporters attend the Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom press conference on Tuesday to mark the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

"Seven months have passed since this decision and we are clearly seeing the impact it is having around the country," she said. "Patients are struggling to access abortion care, physicians are being forced to make decisions they should never have to make  when is the pregnant persons life at risk enough that the abortion might be allowed? Could I lose my license doing this life saving procedure?"

"We are fortunate, living in Rhode Island, as abortion was codified into state law...However, not everyone can actually access abortion care in this state due to insurance restrictions."

"The cost of an abortion without insurance coverage is significant," the doctor said.

"The average cost of an abortionwhether surgical or medicalat approximately 10 weeks of pregnancy is about $650, with a second trimester procedure being significantly more. In addition, patients often must pay out of pocket for additional nonmedical costs, such as transportation and child care.

"It seems completely unfair that my patient who works three jobs to feed her family and relies on RI Medicaid for her health care would have to decide whether to not feed her children or skip paying for heat the month in order to access the health care procedure that she needs."

According to the RI Coalition for Reproductive Freedom: "Passing the EACA would impact nearly 80,000 people covered by Medicaid and 6,500 state employees who are of reproductive age. "

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: State-funded abortion coverage in RI gets support of female lawmakers
By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Haiti's police will not win a fight against criminal gangs without more international support, including the key deployment of a rapid action force, the United Nations envoy to the impoverished Caribbean country said on Wednesday.

While it has been three months since U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed such a force - after it was requested by Haiti's government - diplomats say discussions appear to be stuck on which country would take the lead.

The U.N. envoy to Haiti, Helen La Lime, told reporters she was "still hopeful" a rapid action force could be created, adding: "We could act with more urgency; I think the international community needs to."

"We will not win the fight without significant levels of additional support," she said. "The only thing that Haitian people are really preoccupied with right now is security, is being able to survive to the end of the day."

The United States, Canada and Mexico discussed the issue at a leaders' summit in Mexico City earlier this month. Ahead of the summit, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said it was critical to identify a country to take the lead and noted that Canada had expressed an interest in that role.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the summit that Canada was working with allies including the United States to prepare for "options" if the situation in Haiti deteriorates.

A multinational force would not deploy as a U.N. mission, but it would likely receive U.N. Security Council backing. The United States has said it would seek a council resolution, but diplomats said that would only happen once a force was formed.

Haitian gangs have expanded their territory since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The resulting violence has left much of the country off-limits to government and led to routine gun battles with police.

In September, Haitian gangs created a humanitarian crisis by blocking a fuel terminal for nearly six weeks, halting most economic activity.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Half of mass attacks in the United States from 2016 to 2020 were triggered by personal, domestic or workplace issues, according to a new Secret Service report meant to assess warning signs to prevent further violence.

The 60-page report was issued on Wednesday by the Secret Services National Threat Assessment Center and investigated 173 mass attacks where three or more people were harmed. While half of the attackers were motivated by disputes, 18 percent of them were motivated by ideological, bias-related or political beliefs.

Nearly 75 percent of all the mass attacks were carried out with a firearm, which was illegally acquired by 23 percent of the attackers, according to the assessment. Nearly 75 percent of gun-related attackers used a handgun, while 32 percent used a long gun, according to the report.

Of all attackers, 96 percent were men, many of whom the report says had mental health issues and had subscribed to a belief system of conspiracies or hateful ideologies, including antisemitic, misogynistic or anti-government views. About 25 percent of attackers committed suicide at the scene or at a later time after the attack.

The report comes on the heels of two mass shootings in California that killed 18 people. One of the shootings, in Half Moon Bay, was described as a workplace violence incident by authorities, and the suspects in both attacks are older men.

According to the report, half of all attacks took place at a business while about one-third took place in an open space. Eight percent of attacks were at K-12 schools, colleges and universities.

Two students were killed in a shooting at a charter school in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday. The shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., over the weekend was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since a gunman opened fire on an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in May.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Henry County sheriff officials asked the public to help locate three individuals accused of stealing from Home Depot.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks

Authorities said on Jan. 5th and Jan. 15th, three individuals were seen in a Home Depot located on Jonesboro Road.

After they entered the store, officials said the individuals were seen loading their cart with $1,100 worth of items and walking out of the store without paying.

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It is unclear what they stole from the store.

Anyone with information regarding the identities of the individuals is asked to contact Detective T. Mears at 770-288-8211.

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By Chris Thomas and Aditya Kalra

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Hindenburg Research said it held short positions in India's Adani Group, accusing the conglomerate of improper use of offshore tax havens and flagging concerns about high debt that eroded $11 billion in investor wealth on Wednesday.

The group, which is led by Gautam Adani, the world's third richest person according to Forbes, dismissed the U.S. short-seller's claims as baseless, saying it was timed to damage its reputation ahead of a large share offering.

The group's flagship firm, Adani Enterprises, will on Jan. 27 launch the country's biggest public secondary share offering, aiming to raise $2.5 billion to fund capital expenditure and pay off some debt.

Hindenburg, known for having shorted electric truck maker Nikola Corp and Twitter, said it holds short positions in Adani companies through U.S.-traded bonds and non-Indian-traded derivative instruments.

Its scathing research report questioned how the Adani Group has used offshore entities in offshore tax havens like Mauritius and the Caribbean Islands, adding that certain offshore funds and shell companies tied to the Adani Group "surreptitiously" own stock in Adani listed firms.

It also said key listed Adani companies had "substantial debt" which has put the entire group on a "precarious financial footing" and asserted that shares in seven Adani listed companies have an 85% downside on a fundamental basis due to what it called "sky-high valuations".

Adani Group's Chief Financial Officer, Jugeshinder Singh, said in a statement the company was shocked by the report, calling it a "malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations."

"The Group has always been in compliance with all laws," the company said, without addressing specific allegations made by Hindenburg.

"The timing of the reports publication clearly betrays a brazen, mala fide intention to undermine the Adani Groups reputation with the principal objective of damaging the upcoming follow-on Public Offering from Adani Enterprises," it added.

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Shares in Adani Transmission fell 9%, Adani Ports And Special Economic Zone slipped 6.3% and Adani Enterprises ended down 1.5%. Collectively, the seven listed group companies lost $10.73 billion in market capitalisation.

On bond markets, U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by Adani Green Energy dropped nearly 15 cents to just under 80 cents on the dollar, Tradeweb data showed, while international bonds issued by Adani Ports And Special Economic Zone, Adani Transmission and Adani Electricity Mumbai saw similar declines.

The report coincided with bidding for Adani's secondary share sale by anchor investors on Wednesday, with the company noting in a stock exchange filing participation from Maybank Securities and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority among others.

The research report, Hindenburg said, was based on an investigation over two years that involved speaking with dozens of individuals, including former Adani Group executives as well as a review of documents.

India's capital markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Adani has repeatedly dismissed debt concerns. Singh told media on Jan. 21 "Nobody has raised debt concerns to us. No single investor has."

Graphic 2: Adani stocks tumble on report flagging financial risk, https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ADANI-FINAL/FINAL-ADANI/zgpobrxgovd/chart.png

Graphic 3: Group stocks: Market Cap and price movement, https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ADANI-MCAP/MCAP-ADANI/lgvdklzzkpo/chart.png

Hindenburg's report said five of seven key listed Adani companies have reported current ratios - a measure of liquid assets minus near-term liabilities - below 1. This, the short-seller said, suggested "a heightened short-term liquidity risk".

Adani Group's total gross debt in the financial year ended March 31, 2022, rose 40% to 2.2 trillion rupees.

Refinitiv data shows debt at Adani Group's seven key listed Adani companies exceeds equity, with debt at Adani Green Energy Ltd exceeding equity by more than 2,000%.

CreditSights, part of the Fitch Group, described the group last September as "overleveraged". While the report later corrected some calculation errors, CreditSights said it continued to be concerned about Adani Group's leverage.

Hindenburg also said it was concerned that a high proportion of equity held by promoters or key shareholders in Adani Group listed companies has been pledged for loans.

"Equity share pledges are an inherently unstable source of lending collateral," it said in the report. Founded by Nathan Anderson in 2017, Hindenburg looks for "man-made disasters" in companies, such as accounting irregularities and mismanagement.

Last year, the Adani Group bought cement firms ACC and Ambuja Cements from Switzerland's Holcim for $10.5 billion. Days later, it pledged shares in the two firms, worth about $12.5 billion at the time, to banks in a non-disposal agreement that prevents it from offloading the shares until lenders agree that debts are paid.

ACC and Ambuja shares each fell more than 7% on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Chris Thomas, Aditya Kalra and Mrinmay Dey; Additional reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Edwina Gibbs, Louise Heavens and Kirsten Donovan)
 Flash

Upon the invitation of President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, rotating president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a video address at the seventh Summit of CELAC. The summit was held in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on Jan. 24, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]



The seventh Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held Tuesday in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Upon the invitation of President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, the rotating president of CELAC, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a video address at the summit.

President Xi noted that Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries are important members of the developing world. They also take an active part in global governance and make important contributions to it. CELAC has grown to be an indispensable driving force behind global South-South cooperation. CELAC has played an important role in safeguarding regional peace, promoting common development and advancing regional integration.

Xi stressed that China always supports the regional integration process of Latin America and the Caribbean.

"We highly value our relations with CELAC, and take CELAC as our key partner in enhancing solidarity among developing countries and furthering South-South cooperation. That is why China has been working with LAC countries to steadily strengthen the China-CELAC Forum and take the China-LAC relationship into a new era characterized by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefits for the people," he said.

Xi said more and more countries in the region have engaged in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with China, supported and participated in the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and are working with China in building a China-LAC community with a shared future.

He stressed that the world is in a new period of turbulence and transformation. "We can only tackle the challenges and tide over this trying time through greater solidarity and closer cooperation," he said.

He added that China is ready to continue working with LAC countries to help each other and make progress together, and advocate "peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom" -- the common values of mankind.

China is ready to join hands with LAC countries to promote world peace and development, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and open up an even brighter future for the world, Xi said.
Isnt skiing fun? Except for when its really cold and unpleasant on the mountain? Then isnt skiing something you just want to get over with so you can go warm up somewhere?

That somewhere might just be a place that has soup. The contents of the bowl are steaming, the building youre eating it in is cozy, and the feeling it gives your body is synonymous with soothing.

Even if its not that cold and unpleasant out there, soup almost always satisfies, especially after a few sashays down the slopes. Weve chosen one place in or near ski towns in the northern half of Vermont where the soup of your dreams just might exist.

Chefs and co-owners Chelsea Morgan and Tom D'Angelo opened Vermont Fine on Oct. 12, 2022 in the space that most recently housed The Kitchen Table Bistro in Richmond.

Bolton Valley

This ski areas de facto apres-ski community, Richmond, has several worthy dining options. Its newest, Vermont Fine, occupies the space that formerly housed The Kitchen Table Bistro. Vermont Fines menu includes a couple of tempting soup options  vegan-friendly carrot-ginger soup and a cheddar ale soup that should appease fans of cheese and beer.

Vermont Fine, 1840 W. Main St., Richmond. (802) 434-8686, www.vermontfine.com

Burke Mountain Resort

The Northeast Kingdom has a couple of ski destinations, including this one a few miles from the village of Lyndonville. That communitys homey Miss Lyndonville Diner promises a variety of soups, with a cup or bowl of homemade chowder jumping off the page as just the right remedy on a chilly afternoon. (The diner closes by 3 p.m., so this is best as an early-apres-ski spot.)

Miss Lyndonville Diner, 686 Broad St., Lyndonville. (802) 626-9890, www.misslyndonvillediner.com

Jay Peak Resort

For a small town, Montgomery Center gives off a pretty cool vibe, thanks in large part to its proximity to Jay Peak. The Snow Shoe Lodge & Pub is one of those ski-friendly spots in town, with a full bar and a loaded menu including burgers, pizza and poutine. If its soup you want, home in on the always-warming French onion soup.

Snow Shoe Lodge & Pub, 13 Main St., Montgomery Center. (802) 326-4456, www.snowshoepub.com

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A sign tipping off the region's prime industry adorns a wall May 13, 2021 at the Snow Shoe Lodge & Pub in Montgomery Center a short distance from the Canadian border.

Killington Ski Resort

This ski area off U.S. 4 sits at the dividing line between northern and southern Vermont. If you go this far south for your ski fix, and then want to chase your day of skiing with a hot bowl of goodness, consider Charitys 1887 Saloon. The eatery touts its French onion soup as world famous, noting that it dates to the year in the restaurants name, making it Killingtons oldest and most cherished soup.

Charitys 1887 Saloon, 2194 Killington Road, Killington. (802) 422-3800, www.charityskillington.com

Middlebury Snow Bowl

The Waybury Inn, featured in exterior shots for the 80s sitcom Newhart, rests a short, winding drive from the ski hill owned by Middlebury College. If youre going to dine at a place associated with the most-famous TV show to be set in Vermont, you might as well plunge head-first into the region with a bowl of the inns self-described rich and creamy New England clam chowder.

Waybury Inn, 457 E. Main St., East Middlebury. (802) 388-4015, www.wayburyinn.com

Smugglers Notch Resort

Super-close to this Jeffersonville ski area lies the Brewster River Pub & Brewery, which has its own beers on tap and a barbecue-and-burgers-focused menu. Befitting a place that makes its own beer, this spot hits the spot with its cheddar-ale soup. Accompany that with Brewster Rivers own Czech pilsner and/or a red American pale ale and your apres-ski moment might just become an ahhh-pres-ski moment.

Brewster River Pub & Brewery, 4087 Vermont 108, Jeffersonville. (802) 644-6366, www.brewsterriverpubandbrewery.com

Ramen dishes by Kitsune, which began a partnership in December 2022 to serve its Japanese soul food at Talta Lodge in Stowe.

Stowe/Spruce Peak

Some of the places listed above are long-standing eateries serving skiers pretty much since skiing became a thing in Vermont. Heres one that dates all the way back to December. Kitsune, self-proclaimed maker of Japanese soul food, just started partnering with Talta Lodge on the Mountain Road to offer ramen (among other Japanese items) Thursdays through Saturdays.

Kitsune at Talta Lodge, 3343 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-7525, www.bluebirdhotels.com/hotels/talta-lodge or www.kitsunevt.com

Sugarbush Resort/Mad River Glen

The ski-intensive Mad River Valley has plenty of food-and-drink options apres-ski, including one that by its name, Toast & Eggs, sounds like its purely a breakfast joint. Dont be fooled (its open until 2 p.m.), and dont sleep on the Waitsfield eaterys lunch menu, which includes small or large servings of its creamy tomato soup. Were pretty sure youre going to want the large

Toast & Eggs, 4752 Main St., Waitsfield. (802) 496-7644, www.toastandeggsvt.com

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com. Follow Brent on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BrentHallenbeck.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Ski and soup: Some of the best soups near Vermont ski areas
Seven months after a Homestead infant was found unresponsive at a daycare center and later died, a police investigation still isnt complete and the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner has yet to issue a cause of death.

But earlier this month, the owners of Lincoln-Marti Daycare agreed to a $5 million dollar settlement with the family of 9-month-old Tayvon Tomlin, according to the family and court documents. As part of the agreement, the grieving family dropped a civil lawsuit filed months ago in Miami-Dade Circuit Court that argued the daycare center was negligent in its handling of Tayvons case.

Tayvons mother, Keiara Whorely, 25, said shes hoping to create a coalition that would push for daycare center reform in the state Legislature and that any bill would call for on-site CPR training for workers and more cameras in the centers.

Im still hurting, Whorely, who has two other young sons, said this week. Something is missing. My son is missing.

Representatives of the daycare center at 510 Krome Ave., have been mostly silent since Tayvons death back in July. There was no press release issued on the settlement and the attorney representing Lincoln-Marti did not return calls to her office. But a joint stipulation confirming the case had been dropped and a settlement was reached was filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Jan. 3. It doesnt state an amount.

Despite the settlement, Tomlin family attorney Michael Levine didnt hold back on criticism. He blasted the business, saying managers had not abided by a state statute that calls for one daycare worker for every four infants in a facility. Levine claimed there was one worker for at least seven children that day.

They broke the law and they lied about it, he said. This settlement is holding them accountable.

Levine, who took depositions from four Lincoln-Marti workers before the settlement was reached, said the director of the center that day said as much under oath when she agreed there werent enough employees and that a camera inside the room with Tayvon wasnt working.

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During a deposition taken in November, Lincoln-Marti Director Rosa Razuri responded Yes to a question posed by Levine: If the law was being broken because there was only one worker for seven kids. In the deposition, Razuri also responded No, when asked if she told any of the parents that the daycare was short-staffed that day.

On July 19, during a caretakers early afternoon rounds, 9-month-old Tayvon was found motionless, but with a slight pulse during nap time at the Homestead daycare. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors couldnt save him. The childs grandfather said Tayvon seemed fine a few hours earlier when the two were playing before he went off to daycare.

Staff at Lincoln-Marti offered little information and three months after his death, the family attorney made public a trio of video feeds from inside the daycare and filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.

One of the edited video clips shows a daycare worker holding the unresponsive child almost upside down and patting him on the back for about 30 seconds. Tayvon is wearing a white diaper. Two other clips lasting less than 20 seconds each, show a woman walking and cradling the lifeless child and giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation a few times as she walks.

Still, seven months after Tayvons death, his family is seeking answers as to what exactly happened. Miami-Dade Police wont conclude its investigation until the medical examiner issues its findings. And the medical examiner continues to study forensics, testing the childs blood and probing for any type of head injury like shaken-baby syndrome  though so far there is nothing that indicates thats how Tayvon died.

Tayvons mom, Keiara Whorley, said she just wants to make sure others dont suffer like she has.

Whatever comes of this, we want to impact parents to not be in this situation, she said.
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan of Ohio and House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer of Kentucky. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

House Republicans are fighting to be the first to bash Biden at border security-related hearings.

Judiciary is rushing to hold a meeting next week, with Oversight scheduled to follow a week later.

The investigatory overlap will likely spiral as the GOP takes Biden to task about everything.

The new House Republican majority is set to hold not one, but two separate hearings on border security in the first two weeks of February.

The House Committee on the Judiciary, chaired by Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, is set to hold a hearing on border security next week on Wednesday, February 1, according to an official notice obtained by Insider.

But Republicans had already announced another hearing on "Biden's Border Crisis" for the following week, set to be led by Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

"President [Joe] Biden's radical open borders agenda has ignited the worst border crisis in American history," said Comer in a statement last week announcing his own hearing. " Republicans will hold the Biden Administration accountable for this ongoing humanitarian, national security, and public health crisis that has turned every town into a border town."

Comer invited four border patrol agents to the Oversight hearing and sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting documents on various border-related programs.

Both committees have jurisdiction over Homeland Security matters and the power to investigate the administration and its agencies.

But the dueling hearings also underscore the competitive nature of those investigations  and the potential for Republicans eager to investigate Biden to step on each other's toes  in a period of divided government where legislating is difficult.

Don Goldberg, a former House staffer for both the House Judiciary and Oversight panels who also served in the Clinton administration, called the GOP's rush to skewer Biden "predictable."

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"If this were a serious Republican Congress, they would have a concerted strategy to find real solutions on immigration, rather than getting caught up in their idiotic grandstanding," Goldberg told Insider.

Instead, they're pursuing a 'no-policy agenda" that's "all about making noise," Goldberg added.

The newly empowered House GOP has mapped out plans to put Biden administration officials and the president's family members under a microscope. Several congressional committees are committed to launching respective probes. Republican leaders have even created new committees to hammer away at the Biden White House, including one tasked with delving into the "weaponization of the federal government," and have committed to poking around on US competitiveness with China and the origins of COVID-19.

Border security and immigration continue to be an area of key concern for Republicans in particular. Shortly after the November midterm elections, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called on Mayorkas to resign, suggesting he could be impeached if he did not.

The Judiciary-Oversight jockeying to neutralize Mayorkas isn't surprising, given that nearly a dozen of the newly minted Oversight panelists have already co-sponsored articles of impeachment against him before holding a single hearing.

Read the original article on Business Insider
STORY: Hundreds from different Iraqi regions waved Iraqi flags or carried banners demanding government intervention to stop the dinar's decline to around 1,620 to the U.S. dollar from 1,470 in November.

The dinar went into a tailspin against the dollar after the New York Federal Reserve imposed tighter controls on international dollar transactions by commercial Iraqi banks in November to halt the illegal siphoning of dollars to neighboring Iran, which is under tough U.S. sanctions.

Under the curbs that took effect this month, Iraqi banks must use an online platform to reveal their transaction details. But most private banks have not registered on the platform and resorted to informal black markets in Baghdad to buy dollars.

This has created dollar shortages as demand has outstripped supply and accelerated the dinar's descent against the greenback, Iraqi central bank officials and traders say.

Dozens of anti-riot policemen were deployed around the central bank building and surrounding streets but no clashes or arrests were reported.
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)  For the second year running, Hungary will host a conference in May of mainly U.S. and European conservatives as its right-wing populist government, largely isolated in Europe, seeks allies with like-minded movements further afield.

The American Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, will host its second event in Europe under the motto Together we are strong, according to a statement from the conference organizer released on Monday.

Organizers say they have invited Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to give the keynote speech at the conference in the capital, Budapest. This year's event, taking place May 4-5, will focus on the liberals' nightmare: the international coalescence of national forces, organizers wrote.

The two-day conference, much like its first iteration in May 2022, reflects a deepening of ties between the American right wing and Orban's autocratic government. The burgeoning alliance with Orban has led some U.S. commentators to warn of American conservatives allegedly embracing anti-democratic tactics.

Currently serving his fourth consecutive term, Orban has prompted a backlash in the European Union for his taking control of Hungary's media and democratic institutions under what he calls an illiberal democracy.

The EU has withheld billions in funding from Orban's government, and predicated its release on the implementation of a raft of anti-corruption and rule-of-law reforms which the bloc hopes will bring Hungary back into the fold of more moderate European democracies.

Yet Orban has garnered the admiration of some segments of the American right for his tough stance on immigration and LGBTQ issues and his rejection of liberal pluralism. In an address opening the CPAC Hungary conference last year, Orban called Hungary the bastion of conservative Christian values in Europe, and urged U.S. conservatives to defeat the dominance of progressive liberals in public life as he said he had done in Hungary.

After being invited to speak at CPAC's main conference in Dallas last August, Orban received a standing ovation, and told attendees that "we must take back the institutions in Washington and Brussels. We must find friends and allies in one another.
A judge has denied a Boise mans motion to withdraw his guilty plea to the first-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend.

Boise resident David Randall filed a motion asking to rescind his guilty plea, after hed confessed to killing 56-year-old Darla Fletcher, on the grounds that his attorneys pressured him, and that he suffered a history of depression.

Immediately after pleading guilty, I realized I had made a terrible mistake, Randall wrote in the affidavit, alongside the motion.

Fourth District Judge Steven Hippler, in a 24-page order, denied Randalls motion.

In December 2019, Randall, 58, bludgeoned, strangled and stabbed his ex-girlfriend, Fletcher, according to the order and previous reporting. Hes been in custody at the Ada County Jail since his arrest, online jail records showed.

The order also provided additional information into the killing of Fletcher and said that Randall stabbed her over 50 times with a screwdriver and drumstick.

The court finds (Randalls) plea was made knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily, Hippler wrote in the order obtained by the Idaho Statesman.

Randall suffered from schizophrenia, doctor says

Randall pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal on Dec. 14, 2021, to the murder charge. According to the order, prosecutors agreed to ask for a 25-year fixed sentence, with the possibility of parole, instead of life in prison.

But hours after Randall pleaded guilty, he regretted it.

The order points to a letter that Randall wrote to his son the night after his plea hearing, in which he called it the worst day of my life and said it was a big mistake.

I pleaded guilty to my charges, and I regret it so much.  You dont know how hard it was to plead guilty to something that I dont remember doing and was not intentional, Randall wrote in the letter. I had long discussions about doing this with my attorneys.  I take responsibility for (Fletchers) death, but I didnt mean to kill her.

Randall  who said he has struggled with depression for most of his life  was previously declared incompetent to stand trial.

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He was also interviewed twice by Dr. James Davidson in 2020 as part of an expert report. Davidson said Randall was suffering from a schizophrenia-induced psychotic thought process at the time of (Fletchers) murder, the order said.

When I saw blood, I knew I did damage to her, but then I didnt really know I did that much damage to her, enough to kill her. I wasnt trying to kill her, Randall told Davidson during one of the interviews. It was an accident. I had no intention of doing that when she came to the door. I had no intention of premeditated murder at all.

Idaho doesnt allow an insanity defense. People found incompetent to stand trial  as Randall briefly was for two months  undergo treatment until their competency can be restored.

You can be  excuse my language  loony as a bird and still be competent, Hippler said in court last year after denying an attempted motion by Randall for a new mental competency evaluation.

Randall waited six months to file motion

In the weeks after pleading guilty, Randall reached out to several family members and friends about his decision. But it wasnt until late June that Randall submitted a motion to withdraw his guilty plea.

Hippler in the motion said that timing to ask to revoke a guilty plea is critical. He later added that Randall waited four months to notify his attorneys he wanted to withdraw his plea and six months to file the motion.

This is far from timely, Hippler wrote.

Hippler later wrote that Randall experienced buyers remorse, and said he second-guessed his decision because of the consequences Randall would face at his sentencing hearing.

Hippler also factored in the substantial inconvenience that trying Randalls case would cause the court, though Hippler said he weighed it minimally.

Guilty pleas are not to be treated so flippantly, Hippler said.

Randall says attorneys pressured him to plead guilty

Reed Smith, the public defender assigned to Randalls case, alleged in the initial motion to rescind the guilty plea that Randalls prior private attorney, Joseph Miller, pressured him into pleading guilty. Randall was also receiving legal help from Jamie Moon, another private attorney.

In letters and phone calls from the Ada County Jail, Randall expressed his regret by pleading guilty but also acknowledged that his attorneys had his best interest in mind, the order said.

My lawyer said I would have a better chance at a lighter sentence from the judge rather than getting convicted after a three-week trial, Randall wrote in a letter to his son. But now I deeply regret that decision to plead guilty.

Randall, in a phone call with his son on Dec. 29, 2021, said that if he withdrew his guilty plea, hed have to say he was coerced by his attorneys, and that they would no longer be able to represent him.

He said he liked both Miller and Moon, noting they were competent and that they cared, Hippler wrote in the order describing one of Randalls phone calls from jail.

Hippler, in his order, said that the statements made by Randall squarely undermine his claim that he was coerced to plead guilty. He added that it was Randalls decision alone to plead guilty.

While he subsequently regretted that decision, his communications show his regret was not because he believed he was coerced, but because he feared he would not receive a more favorable outcome at sentencing than if he proceeded to trial, Hippler wrote.

Hipplers order also said Millers assertion that Randall would likely spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted was a very real possibility.

Randall is expected to be sentenced at 8:30 a.m. March 3 at the Ada County Courthouse, online court records showed.
Concerns about a possible conflict of interest have arisen in the Idaho murders case after it emerged that Bryan Kohbergers attorney previously represented a family member of slain student Xana Kernodle.

Court documents, filed on 5 January, show public defender Anne Taylor withdrew from representing Kernodles mother. Ms Taylor is now representing Mr Kohberger as he faces the death penalty for the stabbing murders of Kernodle, her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, and two roommates Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen in Moscow, Idaho.

It has also emerged that Mr Kohberger sent a gushing email to a local police chief months before he allegedly murdered the four students.

The 28-year-old PhD student applied for a research assistant position in public safety with the Pullman Police Department in Washington in early 2022 and was interviewed by Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins for the position.

After the 12 April meeting, Mr Kohberger sent an email to the police chief saying it was a great pleasure to meet with you.

It is unclear if Mr Kohberger was offered the position, which was due to start in August.

Key points

Suspects attorney has ties to victims family

Bryan Kohberger met local police chief and sent him gushing email  months before murders

Moscow restaurant where victims worked denies Kohberger claims

Attorney debunks speculation about co-defendant discovery

Chilling online comments from suspect as teen revealed

Restaurant where two Idaho murders victims worked denies Bryan Kohberger rumours

11:40 , Rachel Sharp

The owner of a restaurant where two of the four University of Idaho victims worked has denied a report that suspect Bryan Kohberger ate at the business.

Jackie Fischer, owner of the Mad Greek  where slain students Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle were servers  spoke out in a strongly-worded Facebook post on Friday after an anonymous former staff member claimed to People that Mr Kohberger had visited the eatery in the weeks before the killings.

Story continues

According to the People report, Mr Kohberger visited the restaurant in Moscow twice in the weeks leading up to the murders and ordered vegan pizza. It also alleged that an investigator with insight into the case reportedly told the magazine that authorities knew about the visits to the restaurant, had seized footage and that both staff and owners had been interviewed by law enforcement.

But within hours of the article being published, Ms Fischer slammed the claims and said they were unequivocally false.

The Independent has the story:

Restaurant where two Idaho murders victims worked denies Bryan Kohberger rumours

Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship months before Idaho murders

11:00 , Andrea Blanco

A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings.

New emails obtained by The New York Times show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohbergers interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022.

The Independent has the story:

Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by police chief for internship months before murders

Kaylee Goncalves family say slain student was considering rekindling relationship with longtime boyfriend

10:00 , Andrea Blanco

Kaylee Goncalves family members have revealed a possible reason for the calls the slain student made to her former boyfriend not long before she was brutally murdered.

In the early hours of 13 November, Goncalves and Mogen both made phone calls to Goncalves ex-boyfriend Jack DuCoeur, with whom she shares pet dog Murphy.

Mr DuCoeur did not answer the calls.

Just hours later  at between 4am and 4.25am  Goncalves and Mogen were brutally stabbed to death alongside Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

In a sit-down interview with the YouTube channel Chronicles of Olivia, the Goncalves family spoke out about the calls, saying that they believe their daughter was seeking to rekindle her relationship with Mr DuCoeur.

Goncalves broke up with Mr DuCoeur ahead of her post-graduation move to Texas, but had later voiced concerns that she might not ever find another Jack and was considering getting back together with him, they said.

Kaylees father Steve Goncalves said that the couple had remained friends and the slain student was looking for every excuse for [Mr DuCoeur] to pick up the phone.

News outlets join to oppose gag order in Moscow murders case

09:00 , Andrea Blanco

Twenty regional and national news organizations have formed a coalition to ask a judge to narrow a gag order in the case against a man accused of killing four University of Idaho students.

The coalition, which includes The Associated Press, contends that press access to law enforcement officers and other officials involved in high-stakes criminal cases provides the public with important context and a better understanding of how the criminal justice system operates.

This order is unnecessarily sweeping and broad and severely impedes the publics understanding of a significant criminal investigation that profoundly impacted the community, said Josh Hoffner, national news director for The Associated Press.

Experts say reddish/brownish-stained wording in search warrant is a euphemism for We found something that looks like blood'

08:00 , Andrea Blanco

In the search warrant record, investigators list several items with stains, including cuttings of a mattress cover, a reddish/brown stain on an uncovered pillow and a collection of dark red spot.

But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on the items.

Both Dr Miller and Ms Coffindaffer told The Independent that police likely believe the stains could be blood.

A reddish or brown stain is a euphemism for, We found something that looks like blood, Dr Miller said. It might be blood from the victims, might be his blood. They dont know until they test it, but theyll be able to get DNA if it is blood. We dont know what the stains in the cover sheets look like, but again theyre looking for any kind of DNA, evidence that might have come from the crime scene.

Bryan Kohberger is facing murder charges in the killings of four University of Idaho students

Ms Coffindaffer added: They dont call it blood, but its definitely inferred that it was blood.

Dr Miller noted that while stains on clothing and bedding are not necessarily unusual, investigators will try to link the evidence found at the Pullman apartment to the crime scene in Moscow.

The likelihood that any of those stains came from the crime scene, is going to be dependent on how well he cleaned up, he said.

The significance of the items seized from Bryan Kohbergers Washington state home, explained by experts

07:00 , Andrea Blanco

A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed last week, revealing the seizure of 15 items including hairs, receipts, a computer tower, a disposable glove and items with peculiar stains.

The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture.

But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each item.

Read the full story.

VOICES: The eerie online world of the Idaho murders case

06:00 , Andrea Blanco

While America has long been fascinated with true crime, the shocking brutality and seeming randomness of the Moscow murders sent the internet sleuth community into overdrive.

Conspiracy theories and rumours have dominated the investigation with thousands of people joining social media groups to discuss their take on what transpired and why.

The Independents Rachel Sharp writes:

The eerie online world of the Idaho murders case

Dickies tag and receipts from Walmart and Marshalls seized from Bryan Kohbergers home

05:00 , Andrea Blanco

According to the search warrant record, investigators also seized one receipt from Walmart, two from Marshalls and a tag from the clothing brand Dickies.

But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on the items.

Dr Miller said investigators could seek to prove that the items listed on those receipts, and whatever the tag came from, match with the clothing worn by the alleged killer.

[The suspect] may have bought something to wear and discard, and then [law enforcement] found these receipts and asked Where are these clothes? he said.

The receipts could also reveal how long in advance the clothing was purchased, Ms Coffindaffer noted.

I think that those would indicate not only what was purchased  which is relevant to the crime  but also when, which I think is very important to see timing, to see a forethought that this was planned, Ms Coffindaffer said. Was this just one day? Several days before? The timestamp to me is as important as what was on those receipts.

Possible animal hair found at Bryan Kohbergers home after Kaylee Goncalves dog spared in Idaho murders

04:00 , Andrea Blanco

A possible animal hair was among the evidence seized from the home of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger - sparking speculation that it could belong to victim Kaylee Goncalves dog.

Records of evidence recovered from Mr Kohbergers home were unsealed on Wednesday, nearly three weeks after his arrest for the 13 November stabbings of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Included on the list of seizures was a possible animal hair strand. While Mr Kohberger is not believed to have a pet, one of the victims he is accused of killing, Goncalves, had a dog who was at home at the time of the murders.

Read the full story.

Why is Bryan Kohbergers defence requesting evidence about a co-defendant?

03:00 , Andrea Blanco

Last week, Bryan Kohbergers attorney Ann Taylor filed a discovery request in the case, asking the judge to order the prosecution to hand over all discovery in the case within 14 days.

Among the discovery requests were witness statements, digital media and police reports about the case.

It also included a request for information about a co-defendant in the case.

Statements of co-defendant. Any written or recorded statements by a codefendant, and the substance of any relevant oral statement made by a co-defendant whether before or after arrest in response to interrogation by any person known by the codefendant to be a peace officer or agent of the prosecuting attorney, or which are otherwise relevant to the offense charged, the filing reads.

The request has prompted speculation of evidence suggesting that Mr Kohberger may have had an accomplice  or that the defence could seek to argue that as part of their case.

However, Mr Levin explained that this is just part of the standard requests for discovery in a case.

These are just very standard requests as part of the defences discovery request, he said.

While ruling out other individuals as possible suspects will likely form part of the states case against Mr Kohberger, he said that this does not indicate that there are other suspects.

The probable cause affidavit makes no mention of a co-defendant and law enforcement officials have previously insisted that they believe the suspect acted alone.

The request making mention of a co-defendant is also just one of 18 discovery requests made in the court filing.

I dont think I would make much hay of that, Mr Levin said of the discovery request.

Source familiar with The investigation says Instagram account linked to Bryan Kohberger followed female victims

02:00 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed all three slain female University of Idaho victims on Instagram and repeatedly messaged one of them prior to the brutal stabbings, according to a report.

An investigator familiar with the case told People that the 28-year-old criminology PhD student followed the accounts of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle but neither of them followed him back.

Then, in late-October  around two weeks before the 13 November slayings  Mr Kohberger allegedly messaged one of the victims repeatedly on the social media platform, the source said.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed Idaho murders victims on Instagram

Bryan Kohberger to appear in court again in June

01:00 , Andrea Blanco

At his status hearing in Latah County Courthouse on 12 January, Bryan Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial - which would have set his preliminary hearing within 14 days.

Instead, his attorney asked that the next court date instead be delayed until the summer, to give defence more time to review all the evidence in the case.

The prosecution agreed with the request and the judge scheduled the preliminary hearing for the week beginning 26 June, setting aside the entire week for the hearing.

Now, the victims families and the public will have to wait another six months to learn further details about the murders and the case against Mr Kohberger.

Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DAs office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, told The Independent that a six-month time gap between a status hearing and preliminary hearing is somewhat unusual but its a marker of the complexity of the case.

It is somewhat unusual to see such a long gap but then again nothing is normal in this case, he said.

Death penalty cases do mean that everything will take longer and be done a little bit differently than one might expect to see on a typical case.

The six-month delay is a benefit to both sides, he added.

The defence wants as much time as possible to conduct their own investigations before they have the opportunity to cross-examine the states witnesses. So theyre eager to have more information in their hands before any testimony is heard in the preliminary hearing, he said.

Similarly, the prosecution needs time to conduct further investigations. For example they will be likely doing a forensic examination of Kohbergers automobile and residence. And they are still yet to uncover a motive. They have a lot of work yet to do.

He added: Both sides really need more time to review evidence and develop their cases.

Kaylee Goncalves family says its almost like she knew she only had a certain amount of time on earth

00:00 , Andrea Blanco

In a sit-down interview with the YouTube channel Chronicles of Olivia  filmed two days before Mr Kohbergers arrest the Goncalves remembered their daughter as a hardworking young woman who was not afraid to go after what she wanted in life.

Among other bittersweet revelations made in the YouTube interview was that Goncalves had taken summer classes to graduate ahead of time.

Its almost like she knew she only had a certain amount of time on this planet and she was rushing towards [her goals], Mr Goncalves said.

The family also spoke of the sheer fear and devastation they experienced after finding out that Kaylee was killed through a family member with connections in Moscow. They first tried to get in touch with both Goncalves and Mogen  to no avail.

When they attempted to call police in the immediate hours after the bodies were found, the family was told no information could be released at the time.

An officer eventually showed up at the door to officially inform them that their daughter had been killed.

I kept giving [my parents] hope, Alivea Gonclaves said. I kept saying If they were killed last night, you guys would know by now. I kept giving them hope.

According to the family, they reached out to the YouTube channel because Kaylee followed it on TikTok and would often watch videos on the true crime account.

Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by Pullman PD for internship months before Idaho murders

Tuesday 24 January 2023 23:00 , Andrea Blanco

A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings.

New emails obtained by The New York Times show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohbergers interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022.

Mr Kohberger, 28, is facing four murder charges in the brutal stabbings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. Mr Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania on 30 December before he was extradited to Idaho on 5 January.

In his email to Mr Jenkins, Mr Kohberger wrote that it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share [his] thoughts and excitement. Mr Jenkins replied that it was great to meet and talk with you as well.

It is not clear whether Mr Kohberger was offered a position with the department. The Independent has reached out to the department for comment.

Idaho murders suspects neighbour says he claimed to have submitted DNA to ancestry website in the past

Tuesday 24 January 2023 21:31 , Andrea Blanco

A neighbour of Bryan Kohberger has claimed that the murder suspect told him he had submitted his DNA to an ancestry website in the past  casting new light on the revelation that investigators used a genealogy database to help match him to DNA evidence found at the crime scene.

The 28-year-old PhD student was tracked down by investigators in part thanks to DNA that the killer is believed to have left inside the student home in Moscow, Idaho.

According to the probable cause affidavit, a knife sheath was left behind at the crime scene on the bed next to the bodies of Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.

DNA found on the sheath was matched to Mr Kohberger, using DNA obtained from trash taken from his parents home, the affidavit states.

Sources told CNN that investigators also enlisted the help of a genetic genealogy database.

Now, Mr Kohbergers neighbour has spoken out to say that the suspect once brought up the topic of his ancestry and told him he had submitted his DNA for consumer genetic testing months before the murders.

The neighbour, who was not named but is a fellow Washington State University graduate student who lived in the same on-campus apartment complex in Pullman, Washington, as Mr Kohberger, told the Idaho Statesman that the pair got to know each other after they both moved there in August.

He said that they exchanged cellphone numbers and they went on a walk together chatting one evening in August.

He talked about his ancestors, he said.

He had some sort of DNA test. I dont know how he got to that point It was just interesting to him.

DNA evidence of extreme importance in otherwise circumstantial case

Tuesday 24 January 2023 20:36 , Andrea Blanco

Based on the damning evidence outlined in the probable cause affidavit, the prosecution has a very strong case against Mr Kohberger, according to prominent defence attorney Duncan Levin.

Mr Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DAs office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, speaks to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case and what to expect next as it makes its way through the courts.

Its an exceedingly detailed probable cause affidavit and frankly its pretty surprising that the prosecutors would include the level of detail they included in it, said the attorney at Levin & Associates who has represented clients including Harvey Weinstein and Anna Delvey.

He added: I have to say looking at it it is a perfect case of where theres smoke, theres fire.

Theres so many damning pieces of evidence. The information here all points to Kohberger as the only person to have committed the crime.

The suspect - who is presumed innocent until proven guilty - was tied to the murders through DNA evidence, cellphone data, an eyewitness account and his white Hyundai Elantra, according to the bombshell probable cause affidavit released earlier this month.

The DNA evidence in particular is one very, very important piece of information, Mr Levin said.

Victims father broke down and cried at news of suspect arrest

Tuesday 24 January 2023 20:00 , Andrea Blanco

The devastated father of slain University of Idaho student Madison Mogen has revealed that he just broke down and cried when he learned that his daughters accused killer had been taken into custody by police.

Ben Mogen had been clinging onto hope that the murderer who violently stabbed his daughter to death alongside her friends Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin would be brought to justice.

Finally, seven weeks on from the 13 November slayings, an investigator broke the news to him that a suspect  Bryan Kohberger  had finally been arrested and charged with their murders.

The Independents Rachel Sharp reports:

Madison Mogens father broke down when he learned of Bryan Kohbergers arrest

Hit-and-run unfolded outside Bryan Kohbergers home on night of murders

Tuesday 24 January 2023 19:30 , Andrea Blanco

A hit-and-run unfolded outside of Bryan Kohbergers home on the same night that he allegedly murdered four University of Idaho students, it has been revealed.

At around 11.40pm on the night of 12 November, police were called to a report of a crash in front of an apartment complex on the Washington State University (WSU) campus, in Pullman, Washington state, according to authorities.

The apartment complex, which houses mainly graduate or PhD students, had been home to Mr Kohberger since August when he relocated from his home state of Pennsylvania to start a PhD program in criminal justice at the university.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Hit-and-run unfolded outside Bryan Kohbergers home on night of Idaho college murders

What is missing from the affidavit?

Tuesday 24 January 2023 19:00 , Andrea Blanco

According to Mr Levin, the affidavit is unusually detailed in laying out the case against the suspect.

Usually probable cause affidavits are very bare bones as at the early stage of the investigation the police and prosecution dont want to lay out the entire case to the defence, he said.

Here it was unusually detailed.

Mr Levin pointed out two potential reasons for this: to prove to the court that there is enough probable cause to believe that investigators have the right person and that he should be held behind bars until trial, and to correct some of the speculation around the high-profile case.

I think they wanted to correct some of the narrative of whats going on, he said.

This case has allegedly been cracked through old-school police methods and theyre trying to demonstrate how thorough it is.

However, despite the extensive nature of the affidavit, Mr Levin said that there are gaps in the case so far laid out by investigators.

Whats interesting is that there is no specific evidence that puts Kohberger in the house at the time of the murder, he said.

Theres no actual footage of him entering the house, no cellphone data of him definitively in the house, he said.

Theres no video of him behind the wheel of the car so its a highly circumstantial case.

Its an extremely strong circumstantial case but as of yet nothing definitively placing him at the scene, he said, adding: But the strands of it all point in his direction with some of key damning pieces of evidence in the case.

Kaylees longtime boyfriend creates Instagram account for their shared dog

Tuesday 24 January 2023 18:20 , Andrea Blanco

Goncalves mother Kristi Goncalves shared that Jack DuCoeur is behind an Instagram account dedicated to Murphy, the pet dog found inside the home when police made the grim discovery on 13 November.

The dog was handed over to animal services and was later released to Mr DuCoeur.

Although the couple had recently broken up ahead of Goncalves move to Texas, they had remained friendly, their relatives have said.

On the accounts first post on Monday, Mr DuCoeur posted a picture of the Labradoodle with the caption: Missing my mom every day, but trying to live my best life. I got to admire her beauty in the sky this evening.

This is a throwback photo of me. My mom loved this one, another post read.

Mr DuCoeur also posted a picture that Goncalves had taken of him and Murphy.

The account already has more than 10,000 followers, with people commenting heartfelt messages.

This hurts my heart. Youre a good boy Murphy. So happy you and your Dad have each other, an Instagram user wrote. Youll be best pals for life. Much love and sympathy to everyone mourning Kaylee.

(Instagram)

Expert explains how airtight the case against Bryan Kohberger is

Tuesday 24 January 2023 18:00 , Andrea Blanco

It will be another six months before Bryan Kohberger and the families of his alleged victims come face to face in court again, after his preliminary hearing was postponed until the summer.

The prominent attorney Duncan Levin speaks to The Independents Rachel Sharp about the case against Bryan Kohberger and what to expect for the next moves from the defence and the prosecution:

How strong is the case against Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger?

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohbergers Washington state home

Tuesday 24 January 2023 17:40 , Andrea Blanco

Authorities have lifted the lid on alleged evidence found in the home of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger, marking the latest development in a horror case that has gripped the nation for two months.

A search warrant was executed at Mr Kohbergers apartment in Pullman, Washington, on 30 December, the same day he was arrested at his parents home in Pennsylvania on charges for the 13 November stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho.

A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed on Wednesday, revealing the seizure of 15 items including hairs, receipts, a computer tower, a disposable glove and items with peculiar stains.

The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture.

But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each item.

Read the full story.

Why is there a six month gap before the preliminary hearing?

Tuesday 24 January 2023 17:10 , Andrea Blanco

At his status hearing in Latah County Courthouse on 12 January, Bryan Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial - which would have set his preliminary hearing within 14 days.

Instead, his attorney asked that the next court date instead be delayed until the summer, to give defence more time to review all the evidence in the case.

The prosecution agreed with the request and the judge scheduled the preliminary hearing for the week beginning 26 June, setting aside the entire week for the hearing.

Now, the victims families and the public will have to wait another six months to learn further details about the murders and the case against Mr Kohberger.

Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DAs office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, told The Independent that a six-month time gap between a status hearing and preliminary hearing is somewhat unusual but its a marker of the complexity of the case.

It is somewhat unusual to see such a long gap but then again nothing is normal in this case, he said.

Death penalty cases do mean that everything will take longer and be done a little bit differently than one might expect to see on a typical case.

The six-month delay is a benefit to both sides, he added.

The defence wants as much time as possible to conduct their own investigations before they have the opportunity to cross-examine the states witnesses. So theyre eager to have more information in their hands before any testimony is heard in the preliminary hearing, he said.

Similarly, the prosecution needs time to conduct further investigations. For example they will be likely doing a forensic examination of Kohbergers automobile and residence. And they are still yet to uncover a motive. They have a lot of work yet to do.

He added: Both sides really need more time to review evidence and develop their cases.

VOICES: I lived through an attack similar to the Idaho murders. We must defend the survivors

Tuesday 24 January 2023 16:30 , Andrea Blanco

It was an amazing, fun, vibrant summer of 1992. I was living in a three-level house off campus from the University at Buffalo with five of my Chi Omega sorority sisters.

Mine was the front room, a converted patio. The original entrance door was sealed shut and drywalled over, so you wouldnt know that from the inside.

Alanna Zabel writes for The Independent:

I lived through an attack similar to the Idaho murders. We must defend the survivors

ICYMI: The items seized from Bryan Kohbergers home on 30 December

Tuesday 24 January 2023 16:10 , Andrea Blanco

Last week, police in Washington unsealed search warrants for Bryan Kohbergers apartment in Pullman and his office at Washington State University (WSU).

The unsealed documents reveal that investigators seized a string of items from his home.

This included:

- one nitrite type black glove

- one Walmart receipt with one Dickies tag

- two Marshalls receipts

- dust container from a vacuum

- multiple possible hair and hair strands

- one possible animal hair strands

- two cuttings from uncased pillow of reddish/brown stain

- two top and bottom mattress cover with multiple stains

- items with a dark red spot

- a computer tower

- a Fire TV stick

No items were seized from his office which he shared with other PhD students.

Why did investigators seize Bryan Kohbergers computer tower and Fire TV stick?

Tuesday 24 January 2023 15:50 , Andrea Blanco

Last week, police in Washington unsealed search warrants for Bryan Kohbergers apartment in Pullman and his office at Washington State University (WSU).

The unsealed documents reveal that investigators seized a string of items from his home including possible human and animal hair strands, a disposable glove, items with red and brown stains and a computer tower and Fire TV stick.

No items were seized from his office which he shared with other PhD students.

Experts Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer spoke to The Independent about the items seized.

They said that, in addition to physical evidence, investigators could be looking into Mr Kohbergers behaviour, including computer searches, articles he read and television he watched in the weeks leading up to and in the aftermath of the murders.

They may be looking at what he watched. Did he watch the news? Did he watch anything connected to the murders? Did he watch shows about [crime]? Dr Miller told The Independent. Some of that might go with his PhD, or could be explainable to him. [Investigators] are just trying to put the whole picture together.

Ms Coffindaffer echoed that assessment, adding that Mr Kohbergers Fire TV stick could have been paired with other apps and even social media platforms.

There could be some very important information there related particularly to his searches and social media, she added.

What sentence is Bryan Kohberger facing?

Tuesday 24 January 2023 15:30 , Andrea Blanco

In the state of Idaho, the maximum sentence for first-degree murder is death and the suspect is facing four counts of this charge.

While the Latah County prosecutor has not yet confirmed whether or not he plans to seek the death penalty in the case and he is unlikely to show his hand over the coming weeks due to the gag order now in place.

Goncalves parents have already said that they want their daughters killer to be sentenced to death saying he has to pay for what he has done.

If you want to play gods role, youre gonna have to go answer to him, Steve told NewsNation in early-January.

According to attorney Duncan Levin, in a death penalty case, the only possible plea deal would be for the suspect to be given life in prison instead.

However, he said it is too early to tell whether this is likely in this case.

At this point, it is too early for the two sides to have a discussion about a plea deal, he told The Independent.

On a death penalty case, the only plea on the table is life in prison but both sides have too much investigating ahead of them to discuss that at this time.

Idaho murders suspect should get an F in criminology,' attorney says

Tuesday 24 January 2023 15:11 , Andrea Blanco

Suspected mass killer Bryan Kohberger should get an F in his criminology class after the damning affidavit laid out evidence linking him to the murders of four University of Idaho students, according to a prominent criminal defence attorney.

Duncan Levin, the former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DAs office and attorney at Levin & Associates who has represented clients including Harvey Weinstein and Anna Delvey, spoke exclusively to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case against the 28-year-old PhD student.

Based on the evidence outlined in the probable cause affidavit, Mr Levin said that Mr Kohberger did a poor job of covering his tracks and that the prosecution has a very strong case against him.

In short, he should get an F in criminology class, he said. He did not do a good job of covering his tracks.

Neighbour says Bryan Kohberger described murders as crime of passion before arrest

Tuesday 24 January 2023 14:49 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohbergers neighbour has claimed that the murder suspect brought up the student killings in conversation one time.

The neighbour, who wishes to remain anonymous, told CBS News that Mr Kohberger spoke to him about the quadruple homicide just days on from the 13 November attack.

He brought it up in conversation, they said.

[He] asked if I had heard about the murders, which I did. And then he said, Yeah, seems like they have no leads. Seems like it was a crime of passion.

At the time of our conversation, it was only a few days after it happened so there wasnt much details out.

Conflict of interest concerns raised as it emerges Bryan Kohberger attorney previously represented victims family

Tuesday 24 January 2023 14:30 , Rachel Sharp

Concerns about a possible conflict of interest have been raised in the Idaho murders case as it has emerged that Bryan Kohbergers attorney previously represented a family member of one of the victims.

Court documents, filed on 5 January, reveal that public defender Anne Taylor stood down from as the attorney for Xana Kernodles mother.

Ms Taylor is now representing Mr Kohberger as he faces the death penalty for the murders of Kernodle, her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, and two roommates Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen.

Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer tweeted that this marks a conflict of interest in the case.

Cant understand how a conflict of interest didnt exist when AT took the case. IME w/the Public Defenders Office, when their office represented a client associated with a case they could NOT except the client, she said.

Have never seen a conflict like this overlooked by a court.

Court documents, filed on 5 January, reveal that public defender Anne Taylor stood down from as the attorney for Xana Kernodles mother (Idaho state records)

Kaylee Goncalves previously called in missing person sighting to same police officer who then investigated her murder

Tuesday 24 January 2023 13:45 , Rachel Sharp

True crime follower Kaylee Goncalves previously called in a potential missing person sighting and spoke to one of the same police officers who then investigated her murder, it has been revealed.

In September 2021, Sharon Archer, a 62-year-old woman who lived in Goncalves hometown of Coeur dAlene, went missing.

An Idaho State Police incident report, seen by Fox News Digital, reveals that Goncalves called police on 5 October to report a sighting of a woman matching Archers description at the Walmart in Moscow.

Kaylee told me the females name is possibly Sharon Archer, Sgt. Dustin Blaker wrote in the report.

Kaylee told me the female was staring at her and her boyfriend when they were in the store and as they checked out.

Investigators did not find Archer and it remains unclear if the woman was indeed her. She was found dead inside a submerged vehicle about three weeks later.

Sgt Baker later became a lead investigator in Goncalves murder case.

How strong is the case against Bryan Kohberger?

Tuesday 24 January 2023 12:59 , Rachel Sharp

Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DAs office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, spoke to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case and what to expect next as it makes it way through the courts.

Based on the damning evidence outlined in the probable cause affidavit, Mr Levin said that the prosecution has a very strong case against Bryan Kohberger.

Its an exceedingly detailed probable cause affidavit and frankly its pretty surprising that the prosecutors would include the level of detail they included in it, said the attorney at Levin & Associates who has represented clients including Harvey Weinstein and Anna Delvey.

He added: I have to say looking at it it is a perfect case of where theres smoke, theres fire.

Theres so many damning pieces of evidence. The information here all points to Kohberger as the only person to have committed the crime.

The suspect - who is presumed innocent until proven guilty - was tied to the murders through DNA evidence, cellphone data, an eyewitness account and his white Hyundai Elantra, according to the bombshell probable cause affidavit released earlier this month. The DNA evidence in particular is one very, very important piece of information, Mr Levin said.

The affidavit revealed for the first time that a knife sheath had been left behind at the crime scene on the bed next to the bodies of Mogen and Goncalves. DNA found on the sheath was matched to Mr Kohberger, using DNA obtained from trash taken from his parents home and a genetic genealogy database, the affidavit states.

Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed the three female slain University of Idaho victims on Instagram

Tuesday 24 January 2023 12:15 , Rachel Sharp

Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed all three slain female University of Idaho victims on Instagram and repeatedly messaged one of them prior to the brutal stabbings, according to a report.

An investigator familiar with the case told People that the 28-year-old criminology PhD student followed the accounts of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle but neither of them followed him back.

Then, in late-October  around two weeks before the 13 November slayings  Mr Kohberger allegedly messaged one of the victims repeatedly on the social media platform, the source said.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the story:

Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed Idaho murders victims on Instagram

Kaylee Goncalves was no longer living at student home when she was killed

Tuesday 24 January 2023 11:45 , Rachel Sharp

Idaho murders victim Kaylee Goncalves had already moved out of the home where she and three other students were brutally murdered  but tragically returned to Moscow to visit her best friend that fateful weekend.

Goncalves parents told NBCs Dateline that the 21-year-old had recently left the student rental property on King Road, Moscow, ahead of her upcoming graduation that December and a move to Austin, Texas, for a new job at a tech firm.

Then, on the weekend of 12 November, she decided to go back to the college town to visit her best friend Madison Mogen.

The two young women had been inseparable since meeting in the sixth grade and Goncalves wanted to show Mogen her new Range Rover that she had saved up for and bought.

The pair also planned to go to a party together on the night of Saturday 12 November.

These girls were best friends since sixth grade, like inseparable, said Goncalves mother Kristi Goncalves.

That was the last time that I saw Kaylee.

Bryan Kohberger met local police chief and sent him gushing email  months before murders

Tuesday 24 January 2023 11:06 , Rachel Sharp

Bryan Kohberger sent a gushing email to a local police chief months before he allegedly murdered four University of Idaho students in a brutal attack in Moscow, Idaho, it has been revealed.

The 28-year-old PhD student applied for a research assistant position in public safety with the Pullman Police Department in Washington in early 2022 and was interviewed by Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins for the position.

After the 12 April meeting, Mr Kohberger sent an email to the police chief saying it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share my thoughts and excitement regarding the research assistantship for public safety.

Mr Jenkins responded: Great to meet and talk to you as well.

It is unclear if Mr Kohberger was offered the position, which was due to start in August.

What was found inside Bryan Kohbergers home:

Tuesday 24 January 2023 10:45 , Rachel Sharp

Last week, police in Washington unsealed search warrants for Bryan Kohbergers apartment in Pullman and his office at Washington State University (WSU).

The unsealed documents reveal that investigators seized a string of items from his home.

This included:

- one nitrite type black glove

- one Walmart receipt with one Dickies tag

- two Marshalls receipts

- dust container from a vacuum

- multiple possible hair and hair strands

- one possible animal hair strands

- two cuttings from uncased pillow of reddish/brown stain

- two top and bottom mattress cover with multiple stains

- items with a dark red spot

- a computer tower

- a Fire TV stick

No items were seized from his office which he shared with other PhD students.
 Flash

Iran on Tuesday strongly condemned new sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) and Britain and vowed to take retaliatory measures.

Iran reserves the right to take retaliatory measures against such "failed policies" and will soon announce its new list of sanctions against the "human rights violators and sponsors of terrorism" in the EU and Britain, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement, which was posted on the ministry's website.

The EU on Monday imposed sanctions on more than 30 Iranian officials and organizations, including units of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, for their response to the recent protests in the country. Britain and the United States also slapped new sanctions on Iran on the same day.

The move by the EU and Britain indicates that they failed to have a correct understanding of Iran's realities, Kanaani said, adding the sanctions by EU and Britain on Iranian parliament members as well as judicial, military, police and cultural officials are signs of their "desperation, frustration and anger" over their recent "abject failure" to sow unrest in the country despite their efforts and heavy costs.

"The sanctions will not affect the Iranian nation's determination and will to confront foreign interference and conspiracies," he noted.

Protests erupted in Iran after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in a Tehran hospital on Sept. 16, 2022, a few days after her collapse at a police station. Iran has accused the United States and some other Western countries of "inciting riots and supporting terrorists" in the country.
Harmeet Dhillon, left, and current RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Brian Cahn/ZUMA Press Wire, Laurence Kesterson/AP)

At the center of the fight for who will control the Republican National Committee through the 2024 election is a dispute over whos drawing money from the party and whether the expenses are appropriate in a party committee that one veteran Republican consultant coyly called a slush fund.

Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who is vying for a rare fourth term running the party, and California Republican committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon, her challenger, have both been paid by the party while overseeing its spending  and both have criticized each others handling of party money.

McDaniel, the niece of Mitt Romney and a longtime trusted confidant of former President Donald Trump, collected an increased salary from the party for the past six years and had the party put her up in a luxury Washington apartment near the waterfront to the tune of more than $400,000 in rent paid over six years, according to a review of campaign finance records.

It is 100% normal and routine for the committee to pay for the reasonable monthly rent for the chairman of the RNC, former RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in response to questions from Yahoo News sent to McDaniels team. This is a topic that is not even debated on the budget committee.

President Donald Trump listens as attorney Harmeet Dhillon addresses his social media summit at the White House, July 11, 2019. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Dhillon, a veteran conservative operator who ingratiated herself with Trump as one of his lead attorneys in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, billed the committee for a total of $1.3 million in legal work.

It is unique to say the least. I never remember anybody making that kind of money, or close to it, whos a member of the committee, said an RNC committee member supporting McDaniel, of Dhillons legal fees. If youre going to live in a glass house, its best not to throw stones.

After Yahoo News sent questions to Dhillon late Monday night, the RNC committeewoman responded in an email to the other RNC members Tuesday morning.

I have been disappointed to hear that my firms legal work on behalf of the RNC is being used by those opposing my candidacy as a way to disparage or discredit me, Dhillon wrote in the email obtained by Yahoo News. Dhillon argued that her firms fees accounted for only less than 3% of the partys $50 million in fees paid to outside counsel.

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The fight between the two will come to a head on Friday, when the 168 members of the RNC will gather to select their next chairwoman. (MyPillow executive and conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell is also running, but has not received any noticeable support despite his ardent pushing of 2020 election lies.)

McDaniel at a "Get Out to Vote" rally in Tampa, Fla., Oct. 18, 2022. (Chris O'Meara/AP)

It has been one of the nastiest intraparty fights in more than a decade as the GOP decides who will lead them into the 2024 election. Dhillons allies have accused McDaniel of virulent racism for attacks on her Sikh faith. McDaniels supporters have accused Dhillon of betraying McDaniel after she helped the conservative star win plum assignments on the committee.

The party chair has immense power in determining who is able to make the primary debate stage  something which proved immensely helpful to Trump in 2016 as he used primary debates to tear his opponents to shreds  and ultimately sets the rules that decide how the Republican Party picks its nominee for president.

The Republican Party chair is also responsible for raising heaps of money and then doling it out to campaigns, consultants, operatives and a slew of other pieces in the national machinery of politics  something Dhillon and her supporters have latched on to in the fight to win the chair from McDaniel.

Dhillon speaks at America Fest, a right-wing event organized by Turning Point USA, in Phoenix, Dec. 20, 2022. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

Dhillons supporters have accused the party, under McDaniels leadership, of spending lavishly on expenses for McDaniel and committee staff, during her six years leading the party.

But the irony of the heated public debate is that McDaniel and Dhillon both approved each others expenses as members of the committee and never tried to block the spending before. McDaniel, as party chair, approved hiring Dhillons law firm and disbursing $1.3 million to the firm. And Dhillon, as a member of the partys executive committee, reviewed the party budget  including spending on McDanielss posh D.C. apartment  annually and never raised an issue with it, according to Yahoo News interviews with nearly a dozen Republicans close to the fight.

Party spending has long been an issue for the GOP. In 2011, RNC members ousted former chairman Michael Steele after a raft of spending woes came to light, including news that the RNC reimbursed a staffer for an expensive night at a BDSM-style strip club in Hollywood.

Following the Steele spending woes, RNC members set new rules and guidelines on how consultants are paid by the committee. Now, more than a decade later, the members are expected to expand those ethics rules to the members themselves, potentially curbing something like Dhillons legal work.

But that vote wont come until the partys next meeting in the spring, long after the battle for chair has been decided this week.
NEW DELHI (AP)  India and Egypt agreed Wednesday to boost trade between their countries during a visit by the Egyptian president that underscores Prime Minister Narendra Modis efforts to fortify ties with other emerging economies.

Modi and President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi agreed on measures to increase two-way trade within five years to $12 billion. Trade totaled $7.3 billion in 2021-22. The two countries also signed agreements on expanding cooperation in cyber security, information technology, culture and broadcasting.

Modi and El-Sissi expressed concern over disruptions to food supplies and other critical resources due to the war in Ukraine. Modi sought Egypts cooperation in fighting cross-border terrorism, extremism, and cyber threats.

Egypts economy has been strained by the pandemic and Russias war in Ukraine, which pushed prices for oil and other commodities to record highs. One of the world's biggest importers of wheat, it obtained help from the World Bank last year to finance its grain purchases as supplies from Ukraine were disrupted.

Imports from India, which made an exception for countries like Egypt facing severe shortfalls even as it banned most wheat exports, helped to bridge the gap.

India is among the top five importers of Egyptian products, including crude oil and liquefied natural gas, salt, cotton, inorganic chemicals and oilseeds. Major Indian exports to Egypt include cotton yarn, coffee, herbs, tobacco, lentils, vehicle parts, ships, boats and electrical machinery.

El-Sissi invited Indian businesses to invest more in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. More than 50 Indian companies have invested around $3.15 billion in various parts of the Egyptian economy, including chemicals, energy, textiles, garments, agri-business and retailing, according to Indias External Affairs Ministry.

India is the host country for the Group of 20 major economies this year and Modi has invited El-Sissi to attend as one of its special guests.

El-Sissi will be the chief guest at Indias Republic Day parade on Thursday marking the anniversary of the adoption of the countrys constitution on Jan. 26, 1950. India won independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
INDIA-ECONOMY

Chairperson of Indian conglomerate Adani Group, Gautam Adani, speaks at the World Congress of Accountants in Mumbai on Nov. 19, 2022. Credit - Indranil MukherjeeAFP via Getty Images

Billionaire Gautam Adani has slipped from being the worlds third richest man to the fourth, after an activist investment firm released a report Tuesday accusing his company, Adani Group, of brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud worth $218 billion, wiping $5.51 billion from his personal net worth by Thursday.

Hindenburg Research, which in the past has shortedor bet againstcompanies like electric truck maker Nikola Corp and Twitter, said it holds short positions in Adani companies through U.S.-traded bonds and non-Indian-traded derivative instruments.

Tuesdays report sent shares tied to seven of the Adani Groups listed companies falling by more than 5% on Wednesday, taking a $10.8 billion hit, and forcing the company to issue a strong denial of its contents.

Below, what to know about Adani and the corporate corruption allegations.

Read More: How a Historic March Could Revive Indias Opposition Movement

Who is Gautam Adani?

Gautam Adani is a self-made billionaire, and Indias richest man, with a net worth of roughly $118 billion as of April 2022. Much of this wealth was accumulated during the past three years through his company Adani Group, as the share prices of his key listed companies climbed, pushing the billionaires rank to the third-richest man in the world, behind Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

The industrialist began as a commodity trader in the 1980s before he founded his company Adani Group in 1988, eventually expanding it into a private infrastructure empire that operates ports, airports, and coal mines across India and the world. The group also has multiple subsidiaries through its data and cable centers and the manufacturing of defense goods. It plans to expand further through a $70 billion investment in green energy businesses in the coming year.

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The companys success has often been linked to lucrative government concessions, thanks to Adanis close ties with Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. In the past, Adani has been a vocal supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision for a self-reliant India.

What do Hindenburgs findings reveal?

Among other allegations, the report says that Adani Group engaged in stock price manipulation and accounting fraud over the course of decades, and found evidence that the groups key listed companies fell in value by 85% despite sky-high valuations. It also said that substantial debt puts the group on precarious financial footing.

The report names several family memberslike Gautam Adanis brothers, Rajesh and Vinod Adani, as well as associates of the Adani Groupfor their involvement in major bribery and tax evasion cases. Members of the Adani family have been the subjects of past corruption investigations carried out by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Directorate of Review Intelligence. The Hindenburg report also claims that Adani family members allegedly cooperated in the creation of offshore shell entities worth $4.5 billion through forged documents, primarily in tax-haven jurisdictions like Mauritius, the UAE, and the Caribbean islands. Hindenburg said that SEBI was still investigating a case in Mauritius in September 2022, but that no action has been taken against the group so far.

Hindenburg said the reports findings were based on interviews with dozens of individuals, including former senior executives at Adani Group, thousands of documents, and due diligence site visits in almost half a dozen countries.

Read More: Indias Richest Man is Buying a Major TV Channel. Its a Blow to Independent Media in the Country.

How has the Adani Group responded to the allegations?

Adani Groups chief financial officer Jugeshinder Singh said in an official statement Wednesday that the company was shocked by the report, calling it a malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless, and discredited allegations.

Adani Group did not address specific allegations in its official statement but said it has always been in compliance with the law. The conglomerate also said that the timing of the report suggested malicious intent to undermine the Adani Groups reputation with the principal objective of damaging the upcoming follow-on Public Offering from Adani Enterprises, referring to the groups plans for increasing the amount of freely traded shares.

On Thursday, Adani Group said in a new statement that it is considering legal action against Hindenburg. We are evaluating the relevant provisions under US and Indian laws for remedial and punitive action against Hindenburg Research, said Adani Group Legal Head Jatin Jalundhwala. He added that the report created volatility in Indian stock markets that was of great concern and has led to unwanted anguish for Indian citizens.

The report was published days before bidding for a $2.5 billion stock sale for Adanis secondary shares begins Friday, which will include anchor investors like the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Morgan Stanley.
Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, on November 29,2022. Contributor/Getty Images

Indian authorities are investigating the mysterious death of a Russian lawmaker.

Russian sausage magnate Pavel Antov died in India in late December and was a longtime Putin ally.

In June, he spoke out against the war in Ukraine. Indian authorities are now investigating.

Indian authorities have provided new details about a Putin-linked Russian lawmaker and sausage company owner who mysteriously fell to his death from an Indian hotel where his travel companion died just two days prior.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Indian police have discovered new details about the pair of deaths in late December. Russian lawmaker Pavel Antov died in Rayagada, India, two days after his friend, Vladimir Bydanov.

The pair had been traveling through the jungle and drinking heavily, sources told The Journal. But their deaths add to a growing list of executives and military officers linked to Putin who have died privately, and at times suspiciously, during the course of the war in Ukraine.

Antov, who was a member of the ruling United Russia party, a sausage company owner, and the chairman of the agriculture and environment committee in Vladimir, Russia, had been critical of Putin ahead of his death in December. In June, the BBC reported that Antov shared a Whatsapp message criticizing the war in Ukraine, which he later deleted.

"It's extremely difficult to call all this anything but terror," the message said. He later backtracked on social media and offered his support for Putin.

Months later, Antov and Bydanov traveled to India to visit jungle areas in the eastern Odisha state of the country, according to The Journal. Indian investigators told The Journal that the trip was marked by binge drinking, which began during their plane rides into the country and continued as they visited rural areas.

"If they don't stop drinking they're going to kill themselves," driver Natabar Mohanty said that he thought to himself during the trip, according to The Journal. So far, Indian investigators have said that there was no foul play.

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Bydanov, who shared a room with Antov, died of a heart attack on Antov's birthday. His body was cremated the next day and Antov was visibly affected by his friend's loss, The Journal reported.

Two days after his friend's death, a hotel staff member saw Antov  who had stopped eating food and drinking water in his grief  punching the air and heading to the roof of the hotel.

The staff member rushed to alert the lobby, The Journal reported. When hotel staff reached the roof, they saw Antov's lifeless body at the side of the three-story building.

Indian investigators are working on recreating Antov's fall with a dummy fitted to his dimensions to figure out whether he threw himself, was pushed, or fell accidentally  and whether he was still alive at the time of his fall.

The bodies of both men were cremated before their remains were sent back to Russia, according to The Journal. Manish Tewari, an Indian parliamentarian, questioned why the men were not buried, per The Journal.

Though no foul play has been reported, the deaths come amid a hardening of relations between India and Russia.

Antov is at least the 19th Russian executive who has mysteriously perished throughout the course of the war, according to The Journal. Russian energy oligarch Ravil Maganov, 67, died after falling from a hospital window in September. His company had released a statement expressing "deepest concerns" about the Ukraine war.

During the same month, another Russian executive with ties to Putin mysteriously fell off of his boat to his death, and in October, a senior military official was found dead in what was officially ruled a "suicide," a cause of death that was deemed suspicious by people close to him.

Read the original article on Business Insider
People gather during a protest for Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested by morality police allegedly not complying with strict dress code in Tehran, Iran on Sept 22, 2022. Credit - Middle East Images/Iranwire/Redux

Somehow, the satellite dish arrived in its original packaging, a gray cardboard box clearly labeled STARLINK, handed over in broad daylight in the middle of Tehran. As if Elon Musk himself is delivering to me, Reza, the young Iranian who accepted the package, recalls with a laugh. He took the delivery not from Musk, who owns the satellite internet company, but from a visibly nervous and irate professional smuggler. The man wanted the $300 hed been promised, and an explanation for the device hed just risked his life sneaking into the Islamic Republic.

They kept me like five hours at the border for that, the smuggler said, gesturing at the box.

What the Iranian border guards had finally, and foolishly, allowed into the country may well be the means to sustain the rebellion there. Now in its fifth month, the slow-motion uprising depends first on the zeal of protestersbut at least as much on being able to show the world what is happening.

The most important thing is to have the protests on the internetits crucial, says Reza, who asked not to be further identified.

Irans authoritarian government not only controls the internet in the country, but also uses that control as a weaponslowing service to a crawl when protesters go into the streets, and shutting it down altogether when the decision is made to slaughter them. The last time spontaneous protests erupted across Iranover a fuel-price hike in November 2019the regime responded by cutting off all external web portals and opening fire: all told, more than 1,500 people were reported killed.

So when nationwide protests erupted in Septembersparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by the loathed morality policehuman-rights activists outside the country were primed to act. Within days, elaborate efforts got under way to provide a nationwide but leaderless movement with an alternate internet. Operating largely underground and on private funds, the most ambitious of the various efforts spans continents, communicates on encrypted messaging platforms, and involves about a dozen activists, five of whom spoke to TIME.

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Their secret campaign, they say, was made possible by two public announcements: on Sept. 23, after protests had erupted in more than 80 cities, the Biden Administration cleared the way for U.S. communications companies to operate in Iran while keeping other sanctions in place. Later the same day, Musk announced, Starlink is now activated in Iran. That was the good news. But his message continued: It requires the use of terminals in-country, which I suspect the government will not support, but if anyone can get terminals into Iran, they will work.

In a way, the effort to get the terminals there was already under way. We had started to think about it in January 2021, with a feasibility study, says one organizer, who asked not to be named for security reasons. (The Iranian regime, which since September has arrested an estimated 18,000 protesters and killed more than 500 inside the country, also has a track record of abducting and killing critics overseas.) Karim Sadjadpour, a fellow at the Washington, D.C.based Carnegie Endowment think tank, has functioned as the public face of the effort. Sadjadpour was among those who solicited Musks cooperation and tweeted his approval; he stays in touch with activists, financiers, and senior U.S. officials, as well as senior officials in the countries around Iran, a nominal theocracy that functions as a security and intelligence stateand now faces an existential challenge.

Led by young women, the overwhelmingly nonviolent movement that has swept Iran found a slogan in Woman, life, freedom and an anthem in Because of, a ballad that took its lyrics from tweets listing the ways life in Iran had become intolerable. Like word of the protests, the song spread across the country online. For those living under dictatorships like the Islamic Republic, Sadjadpour says, unfettered internet access is like oxygen.

A Starlink dish in Tehran, with the iconic Milad Tower in the background photographed in early November. Activists inside Iran looked for photo sites that could communicate that the dishes were in fact there. Courtesy

Heres how Starlink works: Several thousand small satellites in low orbit around the globe beam broadband internet down to earth. The signal can be picked up only by a Starlink dish, which works only with a subscription that runs $110 a month. Musk created the pioneering service as a blend of commerce and altruism, making the net accessible in places either remote, under siege, or both. Though other companies have explored the model, Starlink is essentially the only game in town for that needand, at a time when its founder is more likely to be associated with the fight over free speech on social media platforms, the company has played a significant role in preserving open information in some of the places it is most at risk. In Ukraine, Starlink effectively replaced the internet that was taken down during the Russian invasion, with the U.S. government and its allies contributing thousands of Starlink dishes. Musks privately owned SpaceX, which operates Starlink, contributed 3,667 of the dishes, and Musk waived the subscription fee.

The same largesse has not been extended in Iran.

Each one is $700  so 100 devices is almost $70,000, notes an activist involved in organizing the largest smuggling effort, which has had to seek out monetary contributions from individuals. And then with shipping and everything, he says, referring to the process of smuggling them into the country, it can easily come to $200,000.

And 100 devices is not nearly enough to create an alternate internet. The idea is not to use the dishes the way the French Resistance, for example, used clandestine radio transmitters that were few and far between during World War II. Organizers estimate that a shadow web could be effective in Iran with about 5,000 Starlink dishes.

The main goal is not really equipping all Iranians with satellites, one organizer says, but basically sending a few thousand devices and getting them to the right people, so an internet shutdown is not a problem.

But how to send them? Direct shipping is hardly an option. Western package services do not serve Iran, and Irans national postal service is notorious for its intrusive inspections. (Western magazines sometimes arrive with images of female models defaced.) The biggest challenge is the logistics, says an activist who traveled to western Asia to arrange passage of the receivers.

Fortunately, the region has a rich culture of smuggling. Iran shares a land border with seven countries and has been a trading crossroads for millennia. Much of the worlds opium passes through Iran from Afghanistan to Turkey. Beer and liquor, strictly forbidden in the Islamic Republic, are nonetheless readily available, often by way of Armenia. So porous is the border between the adjoining ethnic Kurdish sections of Iran and Iraq that a motorist on the Iraqi side can choose between Iranian and Iraqi gasoline, sold in translucent jugs because one is noticeably darker.

All in all, a promising geography.

So far, Id say we have six separate channels that we are trying, one organizer tells TIME. We are not just relying on one channel. We try to diversify and see if we can get the job done.

Some routes are more treacherous than others. Its an open secret in Iran that regime insiders are heavily involved in smuggling. That includes elements of an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that has taken over whole swathes of the nations economy. A lot of what I do is vetting, said the activist tasked with finding partners in countries neighboring Iran. Another organizer said the search was particularly fraught in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates port city popular among comrade smugglers.

The IRGC also poses a danger inside Iran, where it has joined assaults on protests first left to riot police and paramilitaries. In the Kurdish region from which Amini hailed, mechanized divisions are deployed. There are a lot of checkpoints at Kurdistan and Kermanshah, and they are specifically looking for guns and Starlink, one organizer says. But there are different routes. They cant stop every car. So far weve been lucky that no one has been harmed in this operation.

The dangers figure in whom the activists now ask to move the contraband. The professional smuggler who brought Reza the packaged dish was on a test run, organizers said, and not used again. The goal is to use only people who are committed to the mission, trustworthy, and willing to accept the risk.

Having unauthorized communications devices could basically make you a spy, says one activist, who, while imprisoned in Tehrans notorious Evin prison, met a jailed journalist whose employer had issued him a satellite phone. Whats standard equipment for a foreign correspondent had brought a charge of espionage in Iran.

Its simply life and death, says one activist. You get caught, theres no middle ground. Maybe they throw you from the 20th floor instead of the 40th floor, thats the middle ground. Like, moderate beheading.

A scene during a protest in Tehran for Mahsa Amini on Sept. 22, 2022. IranWire/Middle East Images/Redux

Once inside Iran, the dishes open a new front in a dangerous battlefield.

It was no surprise that after Aminis death, the first software the regime took down were gaming platforms. That was because they couldnt monitor the chat forums and communications between players, says one activist. The chat rooms are superactive. They had worked together, they trusted each other  coming out to the streets, strategizing, coming up with new ideas. Gaming culture has a role to play, especially among younger people.

In authoritarian countries, mobile phones double as listening devices. The spyware built into Irans cell infrastructure has been well documented by the Intercept. And though VPNs and encrypted messaging platforms like Signal may circumvent the system, protesters rightly regard their phones as loaded guns.

Reza says his most terrifying moment came at a demonstration he was leading in November. An undercover agent wrapped him in a bear hug and pulled him toward a waiting car.

Unfortunately, I had my phone with me. He thought of a friend who had recently been sentenced to five years in prison after authorities opened his phone and found messages cursing the regime on an encrypted chat with his father. Reza managed to avoid a similar fate by squirming away, but a month later was still mortified: If they capture my phone, the information on it 

Starlink brings its own risks. When the network arrived in Ukraine, where its heavily used by the military, experts worried that Russian forces would track the signal and direct bombs to the terminal locations, as they have done elsewhere with satellite phone signals. But even after improvements to the software, vulnerabilities likely remain. Any novel new technology has the promise of moving faster than the regime trying to track it down, notes John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the University of Torontos Citizen Lab project. At the same time, novel technologies come with risks. Some we know, some we speculate on, some we wont know until the risks are translated to people getting arrested. He, like others, declined to be more specific for fear of alerting Iranian authorities.

That Iranian American entrepreneur personally purchased 100 Starlink dishes, picking them up at a SpaceX facility. We reboxed them to kind of make it look like something else. And then it gets hidden in other cargo, he says. The effort is separate from the smuggling campaign organized by the network of activists. We have three different routes, says the entrepreneur. Even if there were nine [dishes], if theyre in the right hands, then a lot of information can get sent to the world from within the country.

Public opinion is an important weapon in the uprising. But with foreign journalists barred by the Iranian government, and domestic reporters jailed, ordinary people must tell the story. Citizen journalism is a big thing, says Saman Arbabi, who posts cell-phone videos from the protests to his 700,000 Instagram followers. Even with the shaky internet, Arbabi, an Iranian American who lives in New York, says he receives hundreds of videos from inside Iran on a slow day. A day when a protester is hanged, as four have been so far, will bring thousands.

They understand that they are the people who are communicating with the outside world, and theyre very important, he says of the senders. Its very significant, to get reaction from governments and also powerful and influential people in the West.

If Iran gets free internet, uncensored internet, Arbabi says, then the regime is in big trouble.

At Amnesty International, Matt Mahmoudi documented the surge in deaths during the internet blackout, and helped develop an online tool to verify footage that surfaces on social media. He described a free internet as a channel of counter-power, as it were, where protesters and organizers can speak to each other, but also speak to the world about whats happening in Iran.

The 100 Starlink dishes that the unnamed Iranian-American entrepreneur bought, seen in Hawthorne, Calif. Courtesy

Since Russias invasion nearly a year ago, Ukraine has restored much of its internet with 22,000 Starlink dishes, with 10,000 more on the way, the Kyiv government says. Reza says Iranians are hoping for the same. Theres a rumor that like in Ukraine, it would be free, you dont have to pay to activate it, he says. But when he powered up his dish, he learned it wasnt true. (His subscription is paid overseas, by the activist network.)

Asked by TIME if the company would lift the fees in Iran or donate dishes, a SpaceX spokesman declined comment. The spokesman also demurred on the question of whether the company is working with the U.S. government to bring Starlink to Iran.

The same question, put to the National Security Council, produced four pages of statements about the Biden Administrations support for an uncensored internet for the Iranian protesters. But, said a statement attributable to a senior State Department official, were not going to get into the details of what tools or partners we may or may not be working with to advance that goal.

This dismays the activistswho state flatly that the U.S. government has offered only rhetorical supportand advocates for American leadership in free communication. In the wake of the Arab Spring, which promised to replace despots with democracies, the U.S. partnered with Silicon Valley to set up the Open Technology Fund, which funds practical methods to promote access to the internet, and battle censorship in the name of human rights.

A free Iran, both in terms of national security and many other ways, is in line with the free world, says Ahmad Ahmadian, who runs a West Coast technology nonprofit that develops tools resistant to internet shutdowns. Its very obvious: Putin and China? Or the West? The Iranian people are very clear about who they want to be allied with. Theyre chanting in the streets.

Every previous technology banned by the Islamic Republicfrom satellite television to the iPhonehas eventually become readily available inside its borders. This leads some activists to believe the fastest way to get Starlink dishes into Iran is by making them available in bordering countries. Starlink terminals and other devices that circumvent governmental repression and censorship will invariably find their way into Iran because of the enormous demand, Sadjadpour says.

Reza says that when a dish arrived without a tripod, he went to a local vendor who installs satellite TV, long illegal in Iran. The guy sold him a stand, and Reza set up the Starlink dish on the roof of his apartment building. It looks different enough from other satellite dishes that he worried it could be identified from the sky. So he asked his mother for one of her chadorsthe billowing black cloaks favored by devoutly religious women, of which his mother is one.

She chooses hijab, her son explained, but opposes a regime that thinks it can make the choice for her or anyone else. She gave one to Reza, who draped the fabric over the Starlink receiving dish to conceal it. It still worked fine.

Im not a professional. Im not, like, an FBI agent, CIA agent. I dont know how to behave or respond in these situations. For sure Im worried and Im scared, Reza says. But when I see someone taking someones rights, I cannot be silent. I dont see any value in this life without standing with people, standing up against the cruelty of this regime.
Invesco (NYSE:IVZ) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: US$6.05b (down 12% from FY 2021).

Net income: US$683.9m (down 51% from FY 2021).

Profit margin: 11% (down from 20% in FY 2021). The decrease in margin was driven by lower revenue.

EPS: US$1.50 (down from US$3.01 in FY 2021).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Invesco EPS Misses Expectations

Revenue was in line with analyst estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) missed analyst estimates by 6.6%.

Looking ahead, revenue is expected to decline by 13% p.a. on average during the next 2 years, while revenues in the Capital Markets industry in the US are expected to grow by 7.1%.

Performance of the American Capital Markets industry.

The company's shares are down 2.7% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

You should learn about the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Invesco.

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MADRID (Reuters) - An Iranian chess player who defected to Spain after she competed without a hijab and was warned not to return to her country met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid on Wednesday.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, 25, better known as Sara Khadem, arrived in Spain in early January. She had taken part in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships held in Kazakhstan's Almaty in late December without a hijab - a headscarf mandatory under Iran's strict Islamic dress codes.

"How much I have learned today from a woman who inspires me," Sanchez posted on his Twitter account after hosting Khadem at his official residence, the Moncloa Palace.

"All my support to women athletes. Your example contributes to a better world," he added.

In footage provided by the prime minister's office, Khadem is seen chatting with Sanchez on a couch while sporting a black suit and without wearing a hijab. They later appear to engage in a game of chess at a table.

Demonstrations against Iran's clerical leadership have swept the country since mid-September when a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died in the custody of the morality police, which had detained her for wearing "inappropriate attire".

Laws enforcing mandatory hijab-wearing have become a flashpoint during the unrest, with a string of sportswomen competing overseas appearing without their headscarves in public.

In a recent interview with newspaper El Pais, Khadem - who holds the title of Woman Grandmaster - said she only used to wear the headscarf at tournaments when there were cameras because she was representing Iran.

"With the hijab, I'm not me, I don't feel good, and so I wanted to put an end to that situation," she said. "So I decided not to wear it anymore."

Khadem is ranked 771st in the world, according to the International Chess Federation's website, and 9th in Iran.

(Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Thousands of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are still buried in Iraq after the war with ISIS. Meethak Al Khatib/Insider

At its height in 2014, the Islamic State planted IEDs across Iraq but mostly in and around Mosul.

The homemade explosive devices can be set off by the slightest touch or movement.

Now, trained deminers are risking their lives seeking out and destabilizing the explosives.

As the Islamic State militant group tried to take over Iraq in 2014, it left behind IEDs.

A member of the Iraqi Civil Defense unit with an IED disarmed June 24, 2004, in Baghdad. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

The prominence of these improvised explosive devices around Iraq has meant that highly trained deminers are now going around searching for and dismantling thousands of IEDS.

"Our job has a saying that goes: 'There's no room for mistakes to happen twice. Because the first mistake will be death,'" Falah Hassan, a deminer, told Insider.

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, planted most of the IEDs almost a decade ago.

Falah Hassan digging up an IED. Meethak Al Khatib/Insider

Hassan told Insider that ISIS planted most of these IEDs in 2014. At its height, the militant group controlled as much as 40% of Iraq.

Most of the IEDs have been found in and around Mosul, which is the second-largest city in Iraq and was the largest city controlled by ISIS.

Hassan said the IEDs were meant to keep Iraq's army from advancing on Mosul and also to keep civilian residents from leaving.

Insider followed Hassan and his team as they demined a site several miles outside Mosul.

Hassan enrolled in the Basmaya School in Baghdad to become a deminer instead of a high-school teacher. He'd initially studied Arabic literature in college. Meethak Al Khatib/Insider

The team met at a base where local NGO groups that specialize in demining met before driving to the village of Abzakh, about 240 miles north of Baghdad.

The team starts by searching for the precise location of an IED with metal detectors.

Hassan uses a metal detector to find IEDs. Meethak Al Khatib/Insider

Hassan told Insider the equipment used in the search and stabilization efforts is "heavy" and affects workers' bodies.

But beyond that, workers risk accidentally detonating the devices that are typically buried underground and can detonate by the slightest touch.

"IEDs can be detonated in three different ways," Hassan said. "First, by a timer, and second, by an initiated order  by a wire or wirelessly using a phone. Third and last is by the victims themselves, either by pressure or movement."

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The process requires precision and steadiness.

Explosive remnants of war in a bombed-out IED factory in East Mosul. Noe Falk Nielsen/NurPhoto via Getty Images

IEDs typically have a detonator, a battery, a main charge, and a pressure plate that acts as a switch. While some may be covered in plastics, others are metal that could turn into shrapnel if the device explodes.

"The digging process is very, very scary and very hard," Hassan said. "It requires steadiness and self-confidence in order to do it."

Even if a device doesn't have an obvious switch, it's usually loaded with chemicals that make it just as likely to explode; or, worse, the switch could be hidden.

IEDs killed or injured thousands of people in Iraq during the decade when ISIS advanced through the country.

Hassan makes $1,700 a month doing this.

A street in Mosul during heavy fighting in 2017. (Photo by Martyn Aim/Corbis via Getty Images)

Despite the risks, Hassan sees a lot of reward in his job, which sometimes includes disassembling 15 IEDs a day in the blazing heat of the Iraqi desert.

"I can see my achievements right away," he told Insider. "But, if I were a teacher, I would have to wait an entire year to see the results of my teaching on the students. The energy I get here is linked to being a humanitarian."

Correction: January 26, 2023  In an earlier version of this story, the captions for the photos showing a member of the Iraqi Civil Defense unit and a street in Mosul included outdated information. The information was removed. The story also inaccurately described a statistic about IEDs' toll in Iraq. The story linked to a report indicating that explosive attacks, including IEDs, had killed or injured more than 50,000 civilians in Iraq from 2011 to 2020, not that they killed that many people in Iraq in the past 10 years.

Read the original article on Insider
DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's central bank governor urged lawmakers on Wednesday to ban the advertising of crypto assets targetted at young adults, likening crypto not linked to any underlying assets to a Ponzi scheme.

A long-time critic of crypto assets, Gabriel Makhlouf said that while they presented minimal financial stability risk for now, the Irish regulator was very concerned about the impact on retail customers.

"There's a reasonable number of young adults who have put their money into crypto and there is an uncomfortable level of advertising that is targeted at that cohort. If you could find a way, I would recommend that adverts to that cohort are banned," Makhlouf told an Irish parliamentary committee.

"Unbacked crypto is essentially a Ponzi scheme... People who put their money into unbacked crypo, and most of the significant stock of crypto out there is unbacked, they are essentially gambling."

"When you gamble you can win, but most of the time when you gamble, you're actually losing."

Makhlouf, a member of the European Central Bank's governing council, said recently agreed EU regulations will provide much-needed "guardrails" for stablecoins - a type of crypto designed to hold a steady value - but that more regulation would likely be needed in the future.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) -Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in separate incidents across the occupied territories on Wednesday, Palestinian officials said, the latest deaths in a year-long surge in violence.

In the West Bank, the Israeli army said it shot a Palestinian man who tried to stab Israeli soldiers near the settlement of Kedumim.

In CCTV video the army said was of the attack, a man emerges from a car at a bus stop, apparently brandishing something in his hand. The footage shows the man running at the soldiers, before collapsing when they appear to shoot him.

The Islamist group Hamas identified the 20-year-old man, Aref Lahlouh, as a member.

Later on Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said 17-year-old Mohammad Ali, who was shot by Israeli forces during clashes in East Jerusalem's Shuafat refugee camp, succumbed to his wounds.

A statement from the Israel Police Spokesperson Unit said its forces fired at a suspect who was pointing at them with what looked like a firearm but was later found to be a dummy weapon.

Clashes in Shuafat camp erupted Wednesday when Israeli forces arrived to demolish the house of another Palestinian man, Uday al-Tamimi, who was accused of killing a female soldier at a checkpoint near the camp in October. Tamimi was shot dead by Israeli forces 11 days later, while attempting another attack near a West Bank settlement.

During the demolition, "a number of masked terrorists threw pipe bombs and molotov cocktails at police forces, who responded accordingly", the police statement added.

Israel says such demolitions deter potential Palestinian assailants. Palestinians and rights groups condemn the policy as collective punishment.

Violence in the West Bank has escalated over the past year, following stepped-up raids by Israel in response to a spate of Palestinian street attacks in its cities. At least 20 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied territories since Jan. 1, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

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There were no Israeli fatalities in Wednesday's incidents.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem - areas the Palestinians want for a state - in the 1967 Middle East war. U.S.-brokered peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state collapsed in 2014.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Dan Williams and Henriette Chacar;Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Jonathan Oatis)
 Flash

Tourists from China are welcomed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City, the Philippines, Jan. 24, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]



"The Philippines is open and ready to welcome our friends from China," said Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco while receiving hundreds of Chinese tourists who arrived in Manila Tuesday afternoon.

Frasco said the arrival of these people aboard a commercial flight "signals a very auspicious start" to the Chinese New Year, adding her country, famous for world-renowned pristine beaches, is anticipating more tourists from China.

She invited Chinese tourists to "feel the warmth of the Filipino people and to enjoy our award-winning beach destinations and all other nature-based offerings" across the country.

"Our intention is not only to regain but to exceed our pre-pandemic numbers, knowing how the relationship between the Philippines and China will only further improve in the years to come," Frasco added.

As a key economic driver, the tourism industry's contribution to the Philippines' gross domestic product stood at 12.7 percent in 2019.

Over 1.74 million Chinese tourists visited the Southeast Asian country in 2019, an increase of 38.58 percent from 2018. Chinese tourists spent more than 2.3 billion U.S. dollars while vacationing in the country, official data showed.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to the tourism sector, slashing foreign arrivals and displacing almost 1.1 million service workers across the country.

"The tourists will help the Philippines in its efforts to transform and recover the tourism industry," Frasco said Tuesday at the airport, adding the returning of Chinese tourists will have a positive impact on the sector.

The Philippines received over 2.65 million foreign tourists in 2022, earning roughly 3.82 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. The Southeast Asian country's target for 2023 is to lure some 4.8 million international visitors, with the Chinese tourist market remaining on its priority list.

In a message on the eve of the Chinese New Year, Frasco had expressed her wishes to make the Year of the Rabbit "a truly prosperous year for Philippine tourism," noting the rabbit symbolizes "longevity, peace and prosperity."

Earlier this month, an agreement to promote tourism cooperation between China and the Philippines was signed during a visit to China by Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos.

China has recently identified the Philippines as one of the first batches of countries where Chinese group tours are allowed to resume.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian predicted more Chinese tourists will put the Philippines on their voyage list after the two countries agreed to deepen people-to-people exchanges.

Shi Huating, aboard the flight arriving from China's eastern coastal city of Xiamen, is expected to have a reunion with her Filipino friends in Binondo, a five-century-old Chinatown in Manila.

"I feel excited. It's been a long time because of the pandemic," the Chinese teenager told Xinhua, saying she missed her Filipino friends.
Italy is morning the death of a mischievous mountain bear that made global headlines years ago when it broke into bakery and feasted on biscuits.

The Marsican brown bear, which had been named Juan Carrito, was killed after it was hit by a car near the town of Castel di Sangro in central Italy Monday night, the national park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise posted on Instagram.

"There are no words to express our sadness at what has happened," the park posted Tuesday. "Juan Carrito was a troubled bear but at the Park we did everything... to give him a chance and let him stay free."

The person who struck the bear with their car was not hurt, park officials wrote.

Italy is morning the death of a mischievous mountain bear that made global headlines years ago when it broke into bakery and feasted on biscuits. The Marsican brown bear, which had been named Juan Carrito, was killed after it was hit by a car on a mountain road near the town of Castel di Sangro in central Italy on Jan. 23, 2023.

The bear's name came in part from the village of Carrito in Abruzzo where local media reported he was first spotted crossing a road, Reuters reported. Carrito is also a Spanish word, hence the first name Juan.

Before the accident, he had been spotted over the weekend in a ski resort, the outlet reported.

Idaho boy killed by four dogs: Four dogs fatally maul 7-year-old Idaho boy; mother injured while trying to protect son

The 150-kg bear was captured last year and taken to a more remote region after his bakery break-in but the 4-year-old liked brown bear to return to his old haunts in search of food, the outlet reported.

Marsican bears, a cousin of North Americas grizzly bear, are rare in Italy and only about five dozen are left in in the country.

"Tonight we're all a little poorer because a family member has left," said the president of the park, Giovanni Cannata.

Man killed after dog steps on gun: Dog steps on rifle in backseat of truck, fatally shoots Kansas man, officials say

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Italy mourns death of Juan Carrito, beloved and greedy mountain bear
January has been a damp, gray month, making it pretty easy to curl up under a blanket, find something to stream and order some takeout.

If you find yourself in that pattern, this weekend could be the motivation to breakout.

Relax with a yoga movie night, or even build a local getaway by getting a great meal to celebrate the Lunar New Year and take advantage of some great hotel deals.

If you're looking to get out of Newport County, there's also an opportunity to enjoy some of Rhode Island's best craft breweries all in one place.

RI Hotel Month

Now's the time to get away without going too far. This weekend marks the last weekend of the now annual RI Hotel Month with hotels across the state, including six here in Newport County, offering deals of 30% or more from normal rates.

The weekend can serve as a win-win for guests and the hotels, offering a quick couples getaway, or find a hotel with a pool to take the kids and break the doldrums of January.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year

Yagi Noodles has a Chinese New Year menu that runs through Saturday, Jan. 28, that includes both appetizers, noodle dishes and a sweet coconut entremet dessert. The appetizers include a Good Fortune Citrus Salad and Lettuces in Oyster Sauce. The salad is for wealth, prosperity and good luck (in Chinese, lettuce is a homonym for making money). You will also find Steamed Fluke, dumplings, Garlic-Stuffed Shrimp, and Fried Sticky Rice with Chinese sausage.

Castle Hill Inn is offering a three-course lunch created by executive chef Andy Taur, who has Chinese roots. The Lunar New Year meal is offered at $35 per person from Jan. 27 through Feb. 5 at the Newport resort.

Lobster Yi Mein is among the featured dishes on the Chinese New Year menu at Yagi Noodles in Newport.

The menu will include Pork Shumai and Vegetable Dumplings made with chili crunch and black vinegar and Long Life Noodles with rabbit ragu and fried shallots. Lobster Sticky Rice and Caramelized Egg Tart are also on the menu.

Yoga Movie Night

In need of a relaxing night? Then head over to Common Fence Point on Friday for an evening of yoga, dinner and a movie.

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Join Rev. Shelley & Greg from The Sacred Center for gentle yoga from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by a community potluck dinner and a yoga-themed movie from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The night will then wrap up with dessert and conversation from 8:30 to 9 p.m.

Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yoga-dinner-movie-night-tickets-508359445787.

RI Brewfest

The 10th annual Rhode Island Brew Fest will take place at the WaterFire Arts Center, a celebration of American craft breweries featuring the best brews the Ocean State has to offer, on Saturday, Jan. 28 with over 55 breweries and more than 175 beers to sample from. The event will have two, three-hour sampling sessions from 1 to 4 p.m. and 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Each session will feature live music, local vendors and a food court, however as of Tuesday session one was sold out.

The Rhode Island Brew Fest, hosted by the RI Brewers Guild, is an event for people ages 21 and older. No one under the legal age will be admitted, including minors, children, infants and babies. No pets allowed.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Newport County weekend events Jan. 28-29
Japan plans to introduce regulations by June this year that will allow domestic investors to trade certain stablecoins issued overseas, Cointelegraph reported, citing the countrys regulator, the Financial Services Agency (FSA).

See related article: Japans Web 3.0 lawmaker urges further easing of countrys crypto regulation

Fast facts

Once the new regulations are in place, the FSA will examine stablecoins for compliance, including having the required assets to back the stablecoin and ensure user protection, an FSA spokesperson told Cointelegraph.

The FSA declined to confirm whether popular stablecoins such as Tether or USDC will be accepted in Japan under the new rules.

The revamp of the regulations  which overturns a ban on stablecoins introduced in June last year  is seen as part of efforts by Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to support digital finance and Web3 adoption in his strategy to reinvigorate the economy in what he has called new capitalism.

Japans stablecoin ban came a month after the US$40 billion collapse of the Terra-Luna stablecoin run by Singapore-based Terraform Labs, which caused losses to hundreds of thousands of investors around the world.

Cryptocurrency exchanges Kraken and Coinbase have since shuttered operations in Japan, citing local market conditions.

See related article: Coinbase asks Japan customers to withdraw holdings as it halts operations
(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would consider an invitation extended by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to visit Ukraine, as Japans ruling party No. 2 publicly urged the premier to go ahead with the trip.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Kishida told lawmakers Wednesday a decision would be based on the circumstances. Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi told parliament it would be desirable for Kishida to go ahead with the visit.

Kishida was invited by Zelenskiy when they spoke earlier this month. The premier has said he plans to strengthen coordination in support of Ukraine when Japan hosts the Group of Seven summit in May. But Japan and the US are the only two countries among the group whose leaders have not made the visit.

Japan threw its support behind Ukraine following Russias full-scale invasion, imposing sanctions and sending military equipment, albeit nonlethal, in a break with the traditions it has maintained under its pacifist constitution. Japan generally avoids having its leaders visit dangerous places, so a trip would be one of its strongest public displays of support for Ukraine. Tokyo has, however, retained energy ties to Russia.

Japans Kishida Calls for International Unity Against Russia

Kishidas comments on Ukraine came a day after top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno urged people not to visit for any reason, in line with government policy. Matsuno was asked about a trip by 82-year-old Dewi Sukarno, one of the wives of former Indonesian president Sukarno and a celebrity in Japan, who made the journey to deliver winter clothes and diapers, local media said.

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The Yomiuri newspaper reported at the weekend that Kishida was considering a visit to Kyiv in February, depending on the war situation, citing government sources. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this month Russia was expected to commence an offensive in the spring.

--With assistance from Takashi Hirokawa, Alan Crawford, Andrea Dudik and Caroline Alexander.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will make a decision on the next Bank of Japan (BOJ) governor while watching future economic trends, he said on Wednesday.

Kishida will appoint the next BOJ chief based on the candidate's aptitude at the end of incumbent Haruhiko Kuroda's term, he said.

The prime minister said on Sunday he would nominate a new BOJ governor next month as Kuroda's second five-year term ends on April 8.

(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Tom Hogue)
Jeremy Renner was trying to save his nephew from injury when he was crushed by a snow-plough on New Years Day, it has emerged.

A report apparently reveals that the Marvel star was attempting to pull his adult nephews truck out of the snow near his home in Nevada, when he was pulled under and crushed.

The incident left the 52-year-old in critical condition with serious injuries, including 30 broken bones.

According to CNN, Renners PistenBully snowcat vehicle began sliding sideways after he used it to pull the truck.

The Pistenbully snow groomer began sliding causing Renner to exit the vehicle without setting the emergency brake, the report says, according to CNN.

Although the Pistenbully had some mechanical issues, it is believed based on our mechanical inspection that the parking brake would keep the Pistenbully from moving forward. When Renner attempted to stop or divert the Pistenbully to avoid injury to (his nephew), he was pulled under the vehicle by the track and run over.

Renners nephew was reportedly able to help the actor until help arrived.

After being airlifted to a local hospital with blunt chest trauma and orthopaedic injuries, he received emergency surgery the following day, according to a statement from his representative.

More to follow...
Jan. 24JOHNSTOWN, Pa.  The Johnstown Police Department and the Cambria County District Attorney's Office are asking for the public's help in identifying an individual caught on camera near the scene of Monday's homicide in the Moxham section of Johnstown.

Police released images captured on cameras in the area of the shooting.

If anyone can identify this person, contact police at the nonemergency number (814-472-2100) and ask to speak to Detective Sgt. Cory Adams.

Anonymous tips can be sent by texting the keyword JPD to 847411. Add a space, then type information and send.

Check back for additional information on this developing story.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri; Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California Getty Images

Sen. Josh Hawley is trying to taunt Nancy Pelosi by renaming a stock trading ban bill.

His PELOSI Act is a retread of a proposal that garnered no support in the last Congress.

House lawmakers recently reintroduced a bipartisan stock trading proposal with broader backing.

Sen. Josh Hawley took a parting shot at former Speaker Nancy Pelosi by slapping her name on a languishing congressional stock trading ban proposal that would stifle her husband's livelihood.

The Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments (PELOSI) Act is a performative rewrite of the bill Hawley floated in the 117th Congress which failed to get a single cosponser. The only major change to the bill this session is it has been tweaked to specifically ding the California Democrat since she stepped down from her leadership role.

"Members of Congress and their spouses shouldn't be using their position to get rich on the stock market," Hawley wrote online, taking an obvious swipe at Pelosi and her investment-flipping husband, Paul Pelosi.

Pelosi famously pushed back against any stock trading prohibitions during the 117th Congress  "We're a free market economy." she declared in December 2021  but later tasked colleagues with sorting it out amongst themselves.

Pelosi's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about the latest political jab.

Donald Sherman, chief counsel at government watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, chided Hawley for the cheap shot.

An Ethical Donald (@donaldonethics) January 24, 2023

"Way to undermine an important issue with political stupidity," Sherman wrote online.

Hawley's proposal, which is one of the least stringent put forth since Insider's Conflicted Congress investigation revealed rampant STOCK Act violations on Capitol Hill with no significant consequences, would block congressional members and their spouses from owning or trading individual stocks while in office.

Story continues

Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas have reintroduced a more comprehensive stock trading ban bill (H.R. 345) that's already attracted nearly four dozen co-sponsors from both parties.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (@RepSpanberger) January 26, 2023

Their bipartisan TRUST in Congress Act  which would require congressional members, their spouses, and any dependent children to relinquish control of their finances by transferring their assets to a qualified blind trust  was a front-runner in last session's push to bolster ethical governing.

That effort crumbled last December after Democratic leaders in both chambers failed to reach consensus on a substantive fix.

Hawley managed to work in a different type of dig against Pelosi a few months earlier, telling Insider that he was mostly fine with aging political leaders but that "I'd love to see Speaker Pelosi move on."

Hawley's sniping in that case came in response to Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" project, which explores the costs, benefits, and dangers of life in a democracy helmed by those of advanced age.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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A six-seater Cessna 206 plane was missing shortly after taking off in the northern Philippine province of Isabela, local media reported late Tuesday.

The aircraft with tail number RPC 1174 took off around 2:16 p.m. local time (0616 GMT) at Cauayan City airport in Isabela, bound for the coastal town of Maconacon, reports said.

Local officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) confirmed that six people were aboard the missing aircraft, including the pilot.

Local radio channel Bombo Radyo quoted Mary Sullen Sagorsor, the area manager of the CAAP in Tuguegarao province, as saying that authorities has launched an aerial search but did not find the wreckage.

The search and rescue operation will resume on Wednesday morning.
Rising costs of living and a desire to start anew are two on the growing list of reasons people are considering expat life. The decision to live abroad is an exciting yet overwhelming undertaking that, for many, requires extensive research and trial visits.

Black Girls Travel Too (BGTT) Founder Danny Rivers Mitchell is preparing to change the remote work and travel game; filling the need for an experience that centers Black people.

BGTT has been a force in the Black travel movement since its founding in 2015. Its private Facebook group has more than 12,000 members. Now, the brand is launching Journey To Expat Experiences (JTEE) which Rivers Mitchell describes as an appetizer to living abroad.

Travel Noire spoke with Rivers Mitchell about Journey to Expat Experiences and her vision for supporting Black peoples journey to living abroad.

Photo Credit: Tom Jur

TN: What Inspired You To Create Journey To Expat Experiences?

Rivers Mitchell: Three to four years ago we thought about expanding the BGTT brand into a space where we teach women to live where they vacation, but the time wasnt timing. It just wasnt time for us to do that. We were still in the process of growing and expanding Black Girls Travel Too as its traditional core.

When the pandemic happened, all travel stopped. Everything stopped. There were no experiences we could promote because many of the countries we offer service to, their borders were locked tight. After seven months of doing nothing and actually relaxing and catching up with self-care for myself, I booked a three-week ticket to Barbados.

The day before I was supposed to leave Barbados after being there for three weeks, I heard God say, youre not going back home right now. I didnt know why. I just knew He communicated that. I called my husband, who had the kids and was running a whole house, and said, so, Im not coming home; Im about to cancel my ticket.

After sharing the revelation with her husband, Rivers Mitchell began following her Divine assignment. She immersed herself in Barbadian culture like a local, including acquiring a property on the island. Three weeks turned into eight months of cultural immersion and program development.

Story continues

Quickly, I understood there was something more I was supposed to learn and develop within the Black Girls Travel Too brand, she continues.

TN: How Does JTEE Differ From Other Remote Work and Travel Companies?

Rivers Mitchell: We dont exclude anyone, but it was created with Black people in mind. Ive had people reach out to say theyve done other companies and they just did not feel at home. They did not feel welcome. They didnt have certain systems and processes in place to combat racism. They found themselves actually ejecting themselves off the trip early after investing a lot of money.

They were always maybe one or two Black people out of 60 to 90 people. So, I knew that was a problem and I always want to create these safe spaces because there are a lot of things we want to do, but we want to do them with our people. We want to do them with our people where we can laugh; where we have cultural similarities. Its very difficult when you put yourself in a program where youre the only one.

The yoga, the centering of yourself, being in rural parts of Barbados with the sun rising. Its all about the healing of the Black woman. We work so hard; we have been carrying this world on our backs for thousands of years  let it be known. So, I believe there is a great reward that we deserve, and often times it doesnt come to us. We have to go get it  and thats why I created Journey to Expat.

Photo Credit: Tom Jur

TN: How Has The Response Been To Journey To Expat Experiences So Far?

Rivers Mitchell: We started promoting this amazing experience, and when I tell you we were overwhelmed with emails and inquiries about what this experience is. How does this experience work for an attorney or doctor; someone that just wants to take a sabbatical?

We started to hear a lot of black women, specifically, communicating that theyre tired and they want to get their umph back. They want to find that higher level of self-love.

We ran the beta [test]. We did one-, three- and six-month experiences. We even had women who came for six months who started driving, and renting vehicles and motorcycles. It went way beyond what I could have ever imagined. I had women crying saying, they did not want to leave; they didnt know life could be this kind of good.

Its something to really be told about that type of experience. Its not about for the gram; its about becoming a better version of yourself. And sometimes, it takes you switching the game up in terms of your geographical location to identify who you truly are meant to be.

Theres nothing like finding the greatest version of yourself abroad.

Were intentional about activating Journey to Expat Experiences in spaces where we already have relationships. We do experiences in Barbados; it makes it easy. We pour additional money into the local economy. Now, we have vetted South Africa and are looking to have a continuation of JTEE in Cape Town, South Africa.

This is for individuals who are able to work remotely; for individuals who need to take a sabbatical. We have women that travel with us that are very high-profile professionals that always reach out and say, I need a break.

We celebrate Black women through and through.

Plans to Expand

Expansion to other markets is planned in the near future in addition to growing the program to a year-long offering.

Were expanding in such a beautiful way. When I started Black Girls Travel Too, I didnt envision Journey To Expat. It came after I started Black Girls Travel Too. God was like, but wait, theres more.

Soon JTEE participants will be able to go to Barbados for three to six months and then well fly them over to South Africa  Cape Town, that is  and they will spend the remainder of their time there, Rivers Mitchell shares.

I took a leap of faith and I was guided. Im literally doing Gods work.

JTEE offers three-, six- and nine-month experiences that include accommodations, coworking space, two activities per month, and weekly housekeeping and grocery shuttle runs. Program capacity is limited to 30 participants, priding itself on intimate group travel but also understanding the increased demand for remote travel curated for Black people. Participation in the groups monthly voluntourism is also a requirement of the program.

Participants have access to an on-site program leader along with a monthly morale check-in.

Registration for Journey to Expat Experiences opens at the beginning of the second quarter of 2023. The waitlist is currently open and, according to Rivers Mitchell, has already garnered over 2,000 sign-ups. Additional details about Black Girls Travel Too and Journey To Expat Experiences is available at blackgirlstraveltoo.com.

Related: How These Black Travel Mavens Are Creating A Table For Black Travelers Everywhere
As Alex Murdaughs trial in the murders of his wife and son begins, a portion of the Murdaugh saga came to a close Tuesday.

Circuit court judge Daniel Hall approved a settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Mallory Beach, who was killed in a boat crash in 2019. The lawsuit had accused Alex Murdaughs son Paul of piloting the boat while drunk.

The settlement will result in Pauls brother, Buster, and the estate of their his mother, Maggie, dropped as defendants from the lawsuit. The settlement is being mostly funded by the sale of Moselle, the Murdaughs hunting property, which is under contract to be sold for $3.9 million, according to Mark Tinsley, the attorney representing the Beach family.

We are pleased with the courts decision and feel like it was not only the best decision given the circumstances, but the only decision for all who had any real interest in the matter, Tinsley said. We also believe the ruling will help give some closure to the people who so desperately deserve it.

The settlement leaves Alex Murdaugh and Gregory Parker, the owner of Parkers Kitchen convenience stores, as the main remaining defendants. The lawsuit accuses Murdaugh of negligence in enabling his son Pauls drinking. Parker was named as a defendant because one of his clerks sold the underage Paul the beer that began a night of the boat crash, according to the lawsuit. The case is expected to go to trial in August.

The settlement was approved after a Jan. 19 hearing brought last minute drama when John Parker, Alex Murdaughs former law partner, opposed the proposed settlement. In a court filing, Parker argued that in November 2021 he was awarded a confession of judgment against Murdaugh for $477,000 following an unpaid loan.

Alex Murdaughs trial on charges he murdered Maggie and Paul began this week and prosecutors say the wrongful death lawsuit played a key role in Murdaughs alleged motive to murder his wife and son. In court, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters has said that litigation following the crash threatened to expose an alleged web of lies that Murdaugh built to hide a decade of financial crimes.

Story continues

Buster was named in the lawsuit because he allegedly allowed Paul to use his drivers license to buy alcohol on the night of the boat crash, according to the lawsuit.

According to the settlement, $530,000 from the sale of the 1,772-acre hunting estate where Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were killed on the night of June 7, 2021, will go to Buster.

The Beach family feels like Buster had suffered enough, and it was important to get Buster out of the lawsuit, Tinsley previously told The State.

Roughly $700,000 will go to settle the various outstanding debts and legal claims of Maggie Murdaughs estate. But the balance will go to Tinsley, on behalf of Mallory Beachs family and two other survivors of the boat crash, Morgan Doughty and Miley Altman

The terms of the settlement will divide up the proceeds of the sale. Other beneficiaries include:

 $12,305.28 for John Marvin Murdaugh, Alexs brother, for personal funds that he advanced to the estate.

 $6,511.52 to Laura Jones, LLC, a creditor to the estate.

 $25,000 to resolve an outstanding creditor claim held by Palmetto State Bank.

 $100,000 to Connor Cook, a survivor of the 2019 boat crash, to release a claim he has made against Buster Murdaugh.

 $275,000 for the court-appointed receivers account.

 $290,000 to settle Maggie Murdaughs estates legal expenses.

John Marvin Murdaugh, who represented the estate, agreed to waive his fee as a gesture of good faith.

Maggies 2021 Mercedes SUV will be signed over to Tinsley, who is authorized to sell the car and disburse the proceeds to his clients, who include the Beach family. Tinsley said he valued the used vehicle at $75,000.

The sale of the estate certainly does not accrue to the benefit of Alex Murdaugh, according to the filed documents.

In agreeing to the settlement now, the parties hoped to avoid a drawn out and complex fight, including litigation over whether Murdaugh fraudulently transferred to the property to his wife in 2016.

However, were Murdaugh to be found guilty of murdering his wife, he would be excluded from inheriting any of her estate due to South Carolinas slayer statute.

John Monk contributed reporting to this article.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, one of the judges who stayed then-President Donald Trump's executive order restricting immigration into the United States, has been named to oversee the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc's Google over its alleged abuse of dominance in online advertising technology.

The government on Tuesday argued that Google should be forced to sell its ad manager suite, tackling a business that generated about 12 percent of Google's revenues in 2021 but also plays a vital role in the search engine and cloud company's overall sales.

Google said on Wednesday that the complaint was "without merit."

According to a filing to the docket late Tuesday, Brinkema, 78 and whose court is in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, was assigned to oversee the case. The government has asked for a jury trial.

It is the second antitrust lawsuit filed by the department, with the first coming near the end of the Trump administration in 2020. That will go to trial in September.

In addition to putting a stay on Trump's executive order, Brinkema, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, also oversaw the trial of Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, who is now in a maximum security prison in Colorado.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Julian Sands brother Nick has said that he knows in my heart that his sibling is no longer alive, as the search for the missing British actor entered its 12th day.

In comments to his local Yorkshire paper, the Craven Herald, Nick said: He has not yet been declared missing, presumed dead, but I know in my heart that he has gone. However sibling rivalry being what it is, it would be just like him to walk out of there and prove me wrong.

Sands was reported missing on 13 January, sparking a major search and rescue effort led by the San Bernardino Sheriffs Office.

In the most recent update, the San Bernardino Countys rescue team has located the second hiker who went missing on the mountain where Julian Sands disappeared.

A 75-year-old hiker named Jin Chung, who went missing on Sunday (22 January), was located on Tuesday (24 January).

On Tuesday, an official statement from the sheriffs office said that fresh searches on higher ground for Sands are still not possible due to poor conditions.

Last week, Sands family released the last known images of him mountaineering, telling The Independent: This is how he would love to be seen, doing what he loved best  a heroic mountaineer.

Key points

A missing hiker has been located on Mt Baldy

Julian Sands brother says he fears missing actor wont be found

Sands family issues statement thanking authorities for search effort

Julian Sands: A timeline of missing actors disappearance

The sheriff departments update about the search

Past clips of Julian Sands reshared by fans

23:30 , Inga Parkel

As the search for the British actor continues, many fans have shared some of their favourites Sands scenes from his former projects. Enjoy!

This breathlessly honest, beautiful speech delivered by Julian Sands as George Emerson to Helena Bonham-Carter's Lucy Honeychurch in #ARoomWithAView



I really hope that Julian Sands is ok and found soon  pic.twitter.com/5CVfNldj56  Cromwell (@Cromwell606) January 19, 2023

Star Wars Battlefront II' actor Anthony Skordi shares photo of friend Julian Sands

22:30 , Inga Parkel

Story continues

#JulianSands still missing. I keep checking to see if hes been found. pic.twitter.com/4DT1SMW7U9  Anthony Skordi (@AnthonySkordi) January 25, 2023

Is the climate crisis behind Californias string of hiker tragedies?

21:30 , Inga Parkel

This month, as climate-amped superstorms battered California, first responders have carried out 14 rescue missions on Mount Baldys peak, the highest summit in the San Gabriel mountain range.

The mountain is emblematic of a growing threat: the deadly impact of the climate crisis on one of Americas favourite pastimes, the great outdoors.

Two people have died and a third man, the British actor Julian Sands, is still missing after nearly a week.

The Independents Josh Marcus investigates the link between climbing accidents and climate.

(Getty/iStock/Orange County Sheriffs Department/cbsnews)

Extreme winter weather is becoming more common in the Golden State, Josh Marcus reports

At least 19 people killed in California storms

20:30 , Inga Parkel

California has been hit by a string of violent winter storms that have brought flooding and major snowfall, prompting power cuts and evacuations and leading to the deaths of at least 19 people.

According to the sheriffs department, it has launched 14 search and rescue missions in the Mount Baldy area alone over the past month, with two hikers found dead in the mountains.

In addition to Julian Sands, rescuers in Los Angeles county are also currently searching the San Gabriel range for missing 61-year-old hiker Robert Gregory.

Earlier this week, 75-year-old hiker Jin Chung was located and rescued after he had gone missing on Sunday (22 January).

How many siblings does Julian Sands have?

19:30 , Inga Parkel

In addition to his older brother Nick Sands, who recently spoke to a local news site about the British actor, Julian Sands has three more brothers.

Julian is the third of five children, all boys, of his since-divorced parents William and Brenda Sands.

Before Julians disappearance, he was scheduled to meet Nick and his other three brothers Robin, Jeremy, and Quentin for their weekly Monday Club.

Julian Sands brother knows in his heart actor is gone

18:39 , Inga Parkel

Julian Sands older brother Nick Sands has shared that he knows in his heart the missing British actor is no longer alive.

Nick told the Craven Herald that he had accepted that the prospects of finding the Leaving Las Vegas actor 11 days after he went missing in treacherous conditions in a Californian mountain range alive had all but gone.

He has not yet been declared missing, presumed dead, but I know in my heart that he has gone, Nick told the local news site.

However, sibling rivalry being what it is, it would be just like him to walk out of there and prove me wrong.

Julian Sands (Mike Lawn/Shutterstock)

Julian liked to say I have never had a holiday but I do rest occasionally  well hes resting now in a place he would truly approve of, his brother Nick says

Julian Sands family are frantic with worry'

17:30 , Inga Parkel

With the search for Julian Sands now entering its 13th day, his family are frantic with worry, a close friend told The Independent.

On Monday (23 January), the British actors family sent their heartfelt thanks to authorities and search teams for their heroic efforts.

Julian Sands (PA Wire)

Sands has appeared in more than 150 films and TV series

Sands' friend will remember actor as a Renaissance man

16:30 , Inga Parkel

As the prospects of finding missing Hollywood actor Julian Sands grow dimmer by the day, the mountaineering community is mourning.

The climbing community kind of deals with this a lot, but its still a tragedy for all of us, Gordon Janow, director of Alpine Ascents International, told The Independent.

Janow said he would remember his friend of 20 years as a Renaissance man who was just as at home in the mountains as he was in front of the camera.

Julian Sands (REUTERS)

He was a wonderful man to deal with. Always pleasant, upbeat, erudite, interesting to talk to

Sands still missing as second missing hiker located

15:30 , Inga Parkel

On Sunday (22 January), over a week after Sands was reported missing, authorities were requested to start a search for a second missing hiker, Jin Chung.

A few days later on Tuesday (24 January), the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department successfully located Chung. The 75-year-old Los Angeles resident was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

He had suffered some weather-related injuries and a leg injury but was able to walk out with the assistance of the crew members.

Weather conditions in Mount Baldy

15:00 , Inga Parkel

Last weeks weather in the Mount Baldy area prohibited ground teams from continuing the search via foot due to avalanche and trail conditions. Instead, air searches via helicopters and drones were deployed.

The current weather forecast for today, Wednesday (25 January), is 25 F (-3 C), but with current wind temperatures, it actually feels like 16 F (-8 C). There are no snow predictions until Sunday (29 January).

Authorities continue the search for Julian Sands

14:27 , Inga Parkel

On Tuesday (24 January), the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department maintained that the search will continue, weather and ground conditions permitting.

The search for the British actor is nearing the end of its second week. And while numerous ground and air search efforts have taken place the new statement reads, as of this time, Mr Sands has not been found and no evidence of his current location has been discovered.

Authorities added that fresh searches on higher ground for Sands are still not possible due to poor conditions.

At least 19 people killed in California storms

12:00 , Peony Hirwani

California has been hit by a string of violent winter storms that have brought flooding and major snowfall, prompting power cuts and evacuations and leading to the deaths of at least 19 people.

According to the sheriffs department, it has launched 14 search and rescue missions in the Mount Baldy area alone over the past month, with two hikers dying on the mountain.

In addition to Julian Sands, rescuers in Los Angeles county are also currently searching the San Gabriel range for missing 61-year-old hiker Robert Gregory.

Frank Marshall sends wishes to Julian Sandss family

11:00 , Peony Hirwani

Hope and thoughts going out to the family of my dear friend and wonderful actor, Julian Sands, who is missing on Mt Baldy. Lets all pray for a miracle, Frank Marshall wrote on Twitter.

Hope and thoughts going out to the family of my dear friend and wonderful actor, Julian Sands, who is missing on Mt. Baldy. Let's all pray for a miracle.  Frank Marshall (@LeDoctor) January 19, 2023

Julian Sands family are frantic with worry after the British actor went missing

10:00 , Peony Hirwani

The search for Julian Sands is now in its 11th day, with his family issuing a statement on Monday thanking authorities for their heroic efforts.

His family are frantic with worry, a close friend told The Independent.

Julian Sands, the prolific star of Arachnophobia, missing in California

Watch: Who is the British actor missing in California?

09:00 , Bevan Hurley

Watch below for a short history of Julian Sands biography, career milestones, and the details surrounding his missing persons case.

Julian Sands: Who is the Hollywood British actor missing in California?

Is the climate crisis behind a string of California hiker tragedies?

08:00 , Bevan Hurley

On a clear day, the peak of southern Californias 10,000ft Mount Baldy looms over the Los Angeles skyline.

The mountain is emblematic of a growing threat: the deadly impact of the climate crisis on one of Americas favourite pastimes, the great outdoors.

This month, as climate-amped superstorms battered California, first responders have carried out 14 rescue missions on Mount Baldys peak, the highest summit in the San Gabriel mountain range.

Two people have died and a third man, the British actor Julian Sands, is still missing after nearly a week.

The Independents Josh Marcus investigates the link between climbing accidents and climate.

Julian Sands is the latest hiker to go missing. Is climate change to blame?

High-ground efforts delayed as Julian Sands search nears end of second week

07:30 , Peony Hirwani

An update shared by San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department on Tuesday (24 January) said numerous ground and air searches for Julian Sands had previously taken place in lower areas, but no evidence of the actors location had been found.

The official statement added that fresh searches on higher ground for Sands are still not possible due to poor conditions.

The Sheriffs Department is closing in on the second full week of the search for missing hiker, Julian Sands, the online statement read.

Numerous ground and air search efforts have taken place. As of this time, Mr. Sands has not been found and no evidence of his current location has been discovered.

The search will continue, weather and ground conditions permitting.

The statement added: Regardless of precautions taken by hikers, the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department highly recommends hikers avoid hazardous mountainous areas, such as Mt Baldy, at this time.

Julian Sands brother says he knows in his heart his brother is gone

07:00 , Bevan Hurley

Julian Sands brother has revealed that he knows in his heart that his missing sibling is no longer alive.

Nick Sands, from Gargrave, Yorkshire, told the Craven Herald that he had accepted that the prospects of finding the Leaving Las Vegas actor 11 days after he went missing in treacherous conditions in a Californian mountain range alive had all but gone.

He has not yet been declared missing, presumed dead, but I know in my heart that he has gone, Nick Sands told the local news site.

However, sibling rivalry being what it is, it would be just like him to walk out of there and prove me wrong.

Julian Sands brother says he fears missing actor wont be found

Julian Sands family thanks heroic efforts of search and rescue teams

06:00 , Bevan Hurley

On Monday, the Leaving Las Vegas stars family thanked authorities for their heroic efforts in the search.

Our heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, not least the heroic search teams listed below who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home, the statement read.

As we enter day 11 of the search for Julian Sands on Mt. Baldy, we are reminded of the sheer determination & selflessness of all of the people who have aided in this search. We will continue to utilize the resources available to us. The family would like to share this statement: pic.twitter.com/owO2o97f16  San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) January 23, 2023

San Bernardino County Sheriffs update on Julian Sands search

04:30 , Peony Hirwani

The sheriffs department also announced that theyre closing in on the second full week of the search for missing hiker, Julian Sands.

Numerous ground and air search efforts have taken place, the new statement reads. As of this time, Mr Sands has not been found and no evidence of his current location has been discovered.

The search will continue, weather and ground conditions permitting.

Julian Sands family are frantic with worry after the British actor went missing

04:00 , Bevan Hurley

The search for Julian Sands is now in its 11th day, with his family issuing a statement on Monday thanking authorities for their heroic efforts.

His family are frantic with worry, a close friend told The Independent.

What he loved best: Last pictures actor Julian Sands sent from snow-clad mountain

A missing hiker has been located on Mt Baldy

03:30 , Peony Hirwani

The San Bernardino Countys rescue team has located the second hiker who was missing on Mt Baldy.

A 75-year-old hiker named Jin Chung was located on Tuesday (24 January) by the search and rescue team, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriffs.

Jin suffered some weather-related injuries and a leg injury but was able to walk out with the assistance of the crew members, the statement read. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. No further information is currently available.

Search teams find second lost hiker in area where actor Julian Sands went missing

Watch: Who is the British actor missing in California?

03:00 , Bevan Hurley

Watch below for a short history of Julian Sands biography, career milestones, and the details surrounding his missing persons case.

Julian Sands: Who is the Hollywood British actor missing in California?

Is the climate crisis behind a string of California hiker tragedies?

01:45 , Bevan Hurley

On a clear day, the peak of southern Californias 10,000ft Mount Baldy looms over the Los Angeles skyline.

The mountain is emblematic of a growing threat: the deadly impact of the climate crisis on one of Americas favourite pastimes, the great outdoors.

This month, as climate-amped superstorms battered California, first responders have carried out 14 rescue missions on Mount Baldys peak, the highest summit in the San Gabriel mountain range.

Two people have died and a third man, the British actor Julian Sands, is still missing after nearly a week.

The Independents Josh Marcus investigates the link between climbing accidents and climate.

Julian Sands is the latest hiker to go missing. Is climate change to blame?

Its a tragedy for all of us

00:45 , Bevan Hurley

The mountaineering community is in mourning as the prospects of finding missing Hollywood actor Julian Sands grow dimmer by the day.

The climbing community kind of deals with this a lot, but its still a tragedy for all of us, Gordon Janow, director of Alpine Ascents International, told The Independent.

Mr Janow said he would remember his friend of 20 years as a Renaissance man who was just as at home in the mountains as he was in front of the camera.

Climbing friends pays tribute to missing actor Julian Sands as search enters 12th day

Julian Sands brother says he knows in his heart his brother is gone

Tuesday 24 January 2023 23:45 , Bevan Hurley

Julian Sands brother has revealed that he knows in his heart that his missing sibling is no longer alive.

Nick Sands, from Gargrave, Yorkshire, told the Craven Herald that he had accepted that the prospects of finding the Leaving Las Vegas actor 11 days after he went missing in treacherous conditions in a Californian mountain range alive had all but gone.

He has not yet been declared missing, presumed dead, but I know in my heart that he has gone, Nick Sands told the local news site.

However, sibling rivalry being what it is, it would be just like him to walk out of there and prove me wrong.

Julian Sands brother says he fears missing actor wont be found

Julian Sands family thanks heroic efforts of search and rescue teams

Tuesday 24 January 2023 22:45 , Bevan Hurley

On Monday, the Leaving Las Vegas stars family thanked authorities for their heroic efforts in the search.

Our heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, not least the heroic search teams listed below who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home, the statement read.

As we enter day 11 of the search for Julian Sands on Mt. Baldy, we are reminded of the sheer determination & selflessness of all of the people who have aided in this search. We will continue to utilize the resources available to us. The family would like to share this statement: pic.twitter.com/owO2o97f16  San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) January 23, 2023

Efforts to find second missing hiker boosts ground search for Sands, say rescuers

Tuesday 24 January 2023 21:50 , Andy Gregory

It has emerged that a second hiker has gone missing in the Mt Baldy area  which sheriffs say has allowed ground crews a renewed opportunity to search for Julian Sands.

Jin Chung, 75, from Los Angeles has been missing since Sunday after last being seen at around 6am in a carpool to Mount Baldy with two others, the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department said.

A search was conducted overnight but the hiker wasnt found. The search for Jin Chung was set to carry on Tuesday but without the aid of helicopters because of warnings of strong winds.

The agency revealed that the ground search for the 75-year-old has allowed crews a renewed opportunity to search for Mr Sands.

Sands always pleasant, upbeat and erudite, says friend

Tuesday 24 January 2023 20:46 , Andy Gregory

Julian Sands is an intellect in some ways and down to earth in others and always pleasant, upbeat, erudite, interesting to talk to, a friend has told The Independent.

Gordon Janow, the director of Alpine Ascents International, who has known Sands for 20 years, said: We discussed art, literature, travel, architecture. Our conversations spanned a lot of fields. He was very easy to talk to.

As the search expanded, a team from Mr Janows mountaneering guide firm Alpine Ascents International were brought into help Sands family and officials to locate the 65-year-old.

Friends pay tribute to missing actor as search enters 12th day

Tuesday 24 January 2023 19:45 , Sam Rkaina

The mountaineering community is in mourning as the prospects of finding missing Hollywood actor Julian Sands grow dimmer by the day.

The climbing community kind of deals with this a lot, but its still a tragedy for all of us, Gordon Janow, director of Alpine Ascents International, told The Independent.

Mr Janow said he would remember his friend of 20 years as a Renaissance man who was just as at home in the mountains as he was in front of the screen.

Click here for the full story.

(PA Archive)

Another hiker disappears on mountain where Sands went missing

Tuesday 24 January 2023 19:12 , Sam Rkaina

Another hiker has disappeared on the mountain where actor Julian Sands went missing, the authorities have said.

Jin Chung, 75, from Los Angeles has been missing since Sunday after last being seen at around 6am in a carpool to Mount Baldy with two others, the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department has said.

The group of three agreed to meet back at the car at around 2pm, but the 75-year-old never appeared.

Click here for the full story.

Julian Sands family are frantic with worry after the British actor went missing

Tuesday 24 January 2023 18:00 , Andy Gregory

The search for Julian Sands is now in its 11th day, with his family issuing a statement on Monday thanking authorities for their heroic efforts.

His family are frantic with worry, a close friend told The Independent.

Julian Sands, the prolific star of Arachnophobia, missing in California

Sands brother Nick says he knows in his heart sibling is no longer alive

Tuesday 24 January 2023 16:54 , Andy Gregory

A brother of Julian Sands has said that he knows in his heart that his sibling is no longer alive.

Nick Sands, who lives in Gargrave, Yorkshire, and last saw his brother in October, told the local Craven Herald newspaper: He has not yet been declared missing, presumed dead, but I know in my heart that he has gone. However sibling rivalry being what it is, it would be just like him to walk out of there and prove me wrong.

On Monday, he had planned to join his brothers for our Monday Club for a beer in Skipton; he will be missed, and I guess we will raise a glass to him.

He added: When in LA, the Mt Baldy mountain range was his favourite place, he would go there as often as he could, Julian liked to say I have never had a holiday but I do rest occasionally  well hes resting now in a place he would truly approve of.

Video report: Who is the Hollywood British actor missing in California?

Tuesday 24 January 2023 13:09 , Peony Hirwani

Sheriffs department now searching for two missing hikers on Mt Baldy

Tuesday 24 January 2023 12:19 , Peony Hirwani

On Sunday 22 January, personnel from Sheriffs Search and Rescue and the Fontana Sheriffs Station were requested to search for the missing hiker, Jin Chung.

Chung initially carpooled to Mt Baldy with two others but separated from them when they arrived, with an understanding they would meet back at the vehicle at 2 pm.

The other hikers returned safely but Chung has not been seen or heard from.

Last pictures actor Julian Sands sent to his grandson from snow-clad mountain peak

Tuesday 24 January 2023 11:29 , Peony Hirwani

The family of Julian Sands released the last known images of him mountaineering.

A family member told The Independent: This is how he would love to be seen, doing what he loved best  a heroic mountaineer, and thrilled to send a picture of him looking so happy to share with his beloved grandson, Billy.

And a friend described him as a Byronesque romantic and an adventurer who is drawn to the extremes of nature, relishing the freedom of mountains.

Read more:

What he loved best: Last pictures actor Julian Sands sent from snow-clad mountain

At least 19 people killed in California storms

Tuesday 24 January 2023 10:49 , Peony Hirwani

California has been hit by a string of violent winter storms that have brought flooding and major snowfall, prompting power cuts and evacuations and leading to the deaths of at least 19 people.

According to the sheriffs department, it has launched 14 search and rescue missions in the Mount Baldy area alone over the past month, with two hikers dying on the mountain.

In addition to Julian Sands, rescuers in Los Angeles county are also currently searching the San Gabriel range for missing 61-year-old hiker Robert Gregory.

Tuesday 24 January 2023 10:09 , Peony Hirwani

Air search continues for missing British actor in California.

Julian Sands: Air search continues for missing British actor in California

Frank Marshall sends wishes to Julian Sandss family

Tuesday 24 January 2023 09:29 , Peony Hirwani

Hope and thoughts going out to the family of my dear friend and wonderful actor, Julian Sands, who is missing on Mt Baldy. Lets all pray for a miracle, Frank Marshall wrote on Twitter.

Hope and thoughts going out to the family of my dear friend and wonderful actor, Julian Sands, who is missing on Mt. Baldy. Let's all pray for a miracle.  Frank Marshall (@LeDoctor) January 19, 2023

Tuesday 24 January 2023 08:49 , Peony Hirwani

As we enter day 11 of the search for Julian Sands on Mt. Baldy, we are reminded of the sheer determination & selflessness of all of the people who have aided in this search. We will continue to utilize the resources available to us. The family would like to share this statement: pic.twitter.com/owO2o97f16  San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) January 23, 2023

Actor Matthew Modine prays for Julian Sandss safe return

Tuesday 24 January 2023 08:29 , Peony Hirwani

Julian Sands is a wonderful man, husband, father, and friend to so so many. A gentle, kind soul. Keep candles burning for his safe return from the mountain he loves, Matthew Modine wrote on Twitter.

#JulianSands is a wonderful man, husband, father, and friend to so so many. A gentle, kind soul. Keep candles burning for his safe return from the mountain he loves.   Matthew Modine (@MatthewModine) January 19, 2023

Mount Baldy conditions extremely dangerous since Sands went missing

Tuesday 24 January 2023 07:49 , Peony Hirwani

The conditions on Mount Baldy, where rescuers are searching for Julian Sands, are adverse and extremely dangerous and are not favourable even for highly experienced hikers, police warned this week.

Due to the high winds, the snow has turned to ice making hiking extremely dangerous, San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department said on Friday.

Sheriffs Search and Rescue efforts are often hampered by poor weather along with dangerous avalanche conditions. The recent storms that brought the snow and ice conditions are not favorable for hikers, even those that feel they have a high level of experience.

The sheriff departments update about the search

Tuesday 24 January 2023 06:59 , Peony Hirwani

As we enter day 11 of the search for Julian Sands on Mt Baldy, we are reminded of the sheer determination and selflessness of all of the people who have aided in this search, the authority said.

We will continue to utilise the resources available to us.

Is the climate crisis behind a string of California hiker tragedies?

Tuesday 24 January 2023 06:19 , Peony Hirwani

Josh Marcus writes:

Julian Sands is the latest hiker to go missing. Is climate change to blame?

Sands family have shared a statement thanking authorities for the heroic search effort, which is still ongoing.

Tuesday 24 January 2023 05:30 , Peony Hirwani

Our heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, not least the heroic search teams listed below who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home, it read.

No fixed deadline for end of search, authorities say

Tuesday 24 January 2023 04:45 , Peony Hirwani

US authorities have said that there is still no hard deadline for calling off the search for Julian Sands.

San Bernardino County Sheriffs department said that the incident was still being classified as a search and rescue operation.

We will schedule another ground search when the weather improves, and it is safe for our ground crews, a spokesperson from the department said.

British film producer Cassian Elewes shared a heartfelt message

Tuesday 24 January 2023 04:01 , Tom Murray

Elewes also shared a note about Sands on Twitter.

Ive known since Friday that my friend Julian Sands has been missing on mt baldy. Im devastated. A very close family friend who was an adventurer in everything he did. Ive said many prayers, he wrote.

Ive known since Friday that my friend Julian Sands has been missing on mt baldy. Im devastated. A very close family friend who was an adventurer in everything he did. Ive said many prayers.  cassian elwes (@cassianelwes) January 18, 2023

Reverand Richard Coles called Sands dazzling

Tuesday 24 January 2023 03:00 , Tom Murray

I knew #JulianSands a bit back in the 80s when his brother shared a mouse-infested flat with my best friend, Coles wrote on Twitter.

He was so dazzling and so delightful and everyone who loves him is beside themselves with worry.

I knew #JulianSands a bit back in the 80s when his brother shared a mouse-infested flat with my best friend. He was so dazzling and so delightful and everyone who loves him is beside themselves with worry. Im praying for his safe return. pic.twitter.com/t8gkDtzDEE  Richard Coles (@RevRichardColes) January 19, 2023

Federal agencies have joined the search for Sands

Tuesday 24 January 2023 01:58 , Tom Murray

A reminder that both national and state officials are now working with the San Bernardino County Sheriffs office to locate Sands.

We are working with state and federal agencies that have cell phone forensics to assist us in pinpointing a location, but so far no new info has been developed, The San Bernardino County Sheriffs office said in a statement shared Friday (20 January).

Read more:

Federal agencies join the search for missing British actor Julian Sands

Tuesday 24 January 2023 00:30 , Louis Chilton

Heres a bit of a breakdown of Sands career and life, for anyone less familiar with his backstory.

An actor of talent and unusual range, Sands has appeared in more than 150 film and TV projects across his career.

Read more:

Julian Sands, the prolific star of Arachnophobia, missing in California
A Kansas City, Kansas firefighter is suing the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, saying he was punished by superiors and ultimately suspended for speaking up about racism in the fire department.

Leejamahl A. Washington, a 20-year veteran of KCKFD, filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District of Kansas Kansas City, Kansas office on Monday, seeking damages for disparate treatment based on his race, a racially hostile work environment and workplace retaliation.

In the lawsuit, Washington, who is Black, says over the years he has been threatened repeatedly for conduct that white employees do without reprimand and has heard co-workers make racist statements. Near the beginning of his tenure, Washington says he once saw co-workers wear Nazi memorabilia in a break room, and found a noose hanging in front of his locker.

Over the past two years, the lawsuit says he began to see increasingly worse treatment at work since he testified in court 21 months ago during a civil trial for Jyan Harris, another Black firefighter who sued the local government for discrimination and retaliation.

For example, the lawsuit says Washington has been forced to float between the citys fire stations, despite his seniority and in violation of official policy, for his 24-hour shifts in a manner that white employees are not.

It also says he was suspended without pay in November 2021 for turning off a light switch inside a firehouse after a superior instructed him not to  an event described as a petty offense no white firefighter would have been formally punished for.

The lawsuit alleges senior firehouse members sought to punish him by embellishing details of his actions even if it was not truthful because of his prior complaints about discrimination. Washington says his complaints to human resources, meanwhile, have been unanswered, according to the lawsuit.

The UG, which oversees the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department and is the sole defendant named in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to The Stars request for comment late Tuesday afternoon.

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According to the civil complaint, Washington began working for KCKFD around 2001. During his career, the lawsuit says Washington witnessed a pattern and practice of discrimination and retaliation directed toward Black employees.

Allegations outlined in the lawsuit come as UG officials have acknowledged previous issues within the culture of the fire department.

In April 2021, a federal jury found that the UG discriminated against Harris  Washingtons former coworker and retaliated against him for raising complaints. He was awarded $2.4 million for back pay, future pay and compensatory damages.

At the time, witnesses testified and evidence appeared to support that Black firefighters were frequently moved into one fire station, were often passed over for promotions and were not actively recruited to work for a predominantly white fire department serving a racially diverse city.

In February 2022, Washington filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, the federal agency responsible for investigating racial discrimination in the workplace. Last month, the agency issued a right-to-sue letter to Harris after opening a case file in its Kansas City, Kansas office, but apparently the agency did not take further action.

Reached by phone Tuesday evening, Sarah Liesen, of Kansas City law firm Edelman, Liesen & Myers, LLP, which also represented Harris during the earlier lawsuit against the UG, said her firm would fight for justice for Washington in the latest civil case.
More than six years after he was convicted in one of the Southern Tier's most high-profile murder cases, Michael Beard is still proclaiming his innocence  this time on national TV.

Beard, found guilty of first-degree murder in November 2016 for the brutal bludgeoning death of Kelley Stage Clayton more than a year earlier, granted an interview to ABC's 20/20 as part of a two-hour program that revisited the highly-publicized case.

The show, titled "What the Little Girl Saw," aired Jan. 20 on ABC affiliates nationwide.

Beard, who initially confessed to the murder and told police Kelley's husband, Thomas, offered to pay him to kill his wife, later recanted and claimed he was hired only to burn the house down for insurance money, and that Kelley was already dead when he arrived.

He said he asked for the 20/20 interview to set the record straight, claiming he was set up  by both Clayton and the police  and that he had nothing to do with her death.

"I go down there, get the key, open the door and get the shock of my life," Beard told the interviewer. "I seen her (Kelley) laying on the floor."

A murder that shocked and gripped the Southern Tier

It was shortly after midnight Sept. 29, 2015 when the Steuben County 911 center received a frantic call from Thomas Clayton, informing them his wife was dead.

By the end of the day, police had charged Clayton with second-degree murder for his wife's death, before a family member of Kelley's mentioned another name  Michael Beard.

Beard had recently been fired as a laborer with a Horseheads franchise of ServPro, a company that specializes in home remediation after fires or floods. Clayton was operations manager for the local franchise, and Beard had also previously worked for him at another business.

Kelley Clayton

Beard initially denied any involvement in the murder, but he eventually confessed, and said Clayton offered him $10,000 to kill Kelley and burn down his Town of Caton home for insurance money.

The revelation led prosecutors to consider Kelley's death a murder for hire, enabling them to charge both Beard and Clayton with first-degree murder.

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Beard later changed his story, but ample forensic evidence, including the presence of his DNA on the murder weapon, led a jury to convict him on all charges following a two-week trial.

The case against Clayton was more complicated.

Chemung County District Attorney and special prosecutor Weeden Wetmore couldn't use Beard's confession or call him to testify against Clayton because he had changed his story.

So Wetmore had to rely on a mountain of circumstantial evidence and testimony during a lengthy trial. It took the jury only six hours to come back with a guilty verdict on all charges.

More:10 things to know about the Thomas Clayton murder-for-hire case

More:Thomas Clayton and Kelley Clayton case: The anatomy of a murder

Michael Beard speaks out

The 20/20 segment focused on the story of Clayton's young daughter Charlie, who witnessed her mother's murder.

But it also gave a rare public voice to Beard, who said his relationship with Thomas Clayton was mostly work-related, adding he did spend a fair amount of time at Clayton's home performing various tasks.

"There were a few times she wanted to go pay bills or something and the kids didn't want to go. I'd watch them until she got back," he said. "That gave me time to quit working plus I'm getting paid to do it, so it was pretty cool. I basically seen them grow up."

Beard, who has changed his story about what happened the night of Kelley Clayton's murder a few times, now says Thomas Clayton didn't ask him to do anything illegal.

More:Appeals court upholds Michael Beard first-degree murder conviction, dismisses other counts

Murder suspect Thomas Clayton, left, walks with his lawyer Ray Schlather to Steuben County Court on Dec. 17, 2015.

Beard told interviewers Clayton, who was also Beard's landlord, knew he was broke and merely offered him some work. He asked Beard to meet him late at night at the Clayton home, according to Beard.

"It was not a proposal of anything like they portrayed it. It was just a proposal that asked me if I wanted to take a side job," Beard said. "Being a 24/7 restoration company, calls came in at any time. I've been to (Clayton's) house at like 3 o'clock in the morning."

Beard said when he entered and saw Kelley's body, he didn't check to see if she was alive or call for help.

He said he knew what it would look like  a Black man in a white woman's house in the middle of the night with her lying dead on the floor.

"I got scared at that point, which I'm not using for an excuse, but I never called 911 that night," Beard said. "I wanted to get out of that situation. I walked into something that had nothing to do with me. I didn't expect to walk into what I walked into."

Beard also said he encountered another person in the Clayton house, but he couldn't see the person's face, even though he "knocked him down getting past him."

When asked why he signed a confession if he didn't kill Kelley, Beard said those weren't his words, but most of it was written by investigators, and he thought it would go easier on his family if he confessed.

Looking back, he also believes Clayton arranged the whole late-night meeting to implicate him in Kelley's death.

The aftermath of the Clayton case

Both Clayton and Beard were sentenced to life in prison without parole following their convictions. Each has exhausted appeals of their verdicts.

Family members of Kelley Clayton told 20/20 her children Charlie, who was 7 at the time of the murder, and Cullen, who was then 3, are doing well, considering all they've been through.

Many organizations used the Clayton case to highlight the problem of domestic violence, and during and after Thomas Clayton's trial, purple ribbons and "Justice for Kelley" signs dotted the landscape.

The Clayton murder case has been the subject of numerous national broadcasts, including news magazine programs aired on ABC, CNN and Headline News Network.

Beard is serving his life sentence at the Auburn Correctional Facility. Clayton, who reportedly declined to be interviewed for the 20/20 program, is incarcerated at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York.

To watch the recent 20/20 episode on the Clayton case, go to abc.com/shows/2020/episode-guide/2023-01/20-what-the-little-girl-saw.

Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Kelley Clayton killer Michael Beard speaks out on ABC's 20/20
A recent video of Kendall Jenner has fans divided after the supermodel appeared to describe her recent trips to the United Arab Emirates at the grand opening of the Atlantis, The Royal Dubai hotel.

Jenner, 27, attended the grand opening of the A-list hotel over the weekend  the same accommodation where Beyonce gave an exclusive concert performance for the first time since 2018.

In one viral video shared to TikTok, Jenner can be seen wearing a green Victoria Beckham dress with long black gloves as she chats with friends Simon Huck and Jonathan Cheban at a party.

Many viewers claimed the model mouthed the words, This is my third time. The first two times were horrible. Horrible! This is so fun, which led people to assume she was describing her previous experiences in the UAE city.

The clip received 5.8 million views on TikTok, but some fans had mixed reactions to Jenner complaining about her past trips to the expensive destination.

She really gives off a bad vibe, sorry not sorry, commented one TikTok user.

So unlikeable in [her] mannerisms alone to me, said someone else.

Yall care too much leave her alone, one fan replied.

She could be speaking about the event or the location of the event, so many things but haters gonna hate, another person noted.

I literally dont see anything wrong with what shes doing lol, a third wrote.

During the lavish trip to Dubai, Kendall Jenner made an appearance at the grand re-opening of Nobu Dubai, where she helped restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa perform a traditional Japanese sake ceremony. Following the event, Jenner hosted an after-party for her 818 Tequila brand, where the viral video was allegedly filmed.

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The Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum previously travelled to Dubai in 2015, where she rang in the New Year with friends Gigi Hadid, Cody Simpson, Selena Gomez, Devon Windsor, and Shay Mitchell.

The Victorias Secret model also appeared to visit Dubai for a second time in 2016, after she shared on her website that she spent a total of 17 hours in the air during a flight from Los Angeles to the UAE.

Many celebrities flocked to Dubai over the weekend for the grand opening of Atlantis, The Royal Dubai hotel where Beyonce gave a private concert for the first time in four years. Guests at the event included Kendall Jenner, Liam Payne, Ronan Keating, Rochelle and Marvin Humes, Chloe and Halle Bailey and British Vogue editor Edward Enninful. Cast members from Bravos The Real housewives of Dubai and Netflixs Dubai Bling were also in attendance.

Beyonce was reportedly paid $24m for the one-hour exclusive performance.
A Kentucky State Police captain and mother was passed over for multiple promotions because higher-ups didnt want to take her away from her family, a discrimination lawsuit filed against the agency alleged.

Capt. Jennifer Sandlin, the commander at KSP Post 13 in Hazard and the highest-ranking woman in the agency, filed the complaint in August in Franklin District Court.

In 2017, Sandlin became the Hazard posts first-ever female commander and prior to that spent much of her career at Post 9 in Pikeville.

A year after becoming the commander at Post 13, Sandlin sought two different open positions at the rank of major  which are appointed by KSPs commissioner  but men were selected to fill each of the positions, the lawsuit stated. Last July, Sandlin sought another position at the rank of major, but again a man was selected to fill the job.

The selection of men instead of Sandlin established a pattern of discrimination on the basis of sex, the lawsuit stated.

In a responding court filing, KSP denied Sandlins allegations of discrimination and asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed.

KSP does not discriminate based on gender, age, race, sex or religion and follows the promotion guidelines set by the agencys policies and procedures, Capt. Paul Blanton, the agencys spokesperson said in a statement. Due to pending litigation, KSP cannot comment further.

Thomas Clay, the attorney representing Sandlin, said there is further evidence that the agencys work environment is hostile to women.

These other items, to me, indicate that theres a culture within KSP of discriminating against women, Clay told the Herald-Leader.

Within the KSP, only five women have ever risen above the rank of captain, Clay said. The agency was first established in 1948 and KSPs first female trooper graduated from the academy in 1978.

In a recent filing responding to discovery requests from KSPs attorneys, Sandlin shared texts and emails between agency staff as well as a handwritten journal which describes different events that have occurred during my career with KSP that demonstrate how I have been discriminated against because I am a female, Sandlin wrote in the filing, which was provided to the Herald-Leader.

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Sandlin graduated from the KSP Academy in 2003 and has raised two children during her career. When Sandlin graduated, her password to an internal KSP website was brEast6ed, she wrote in the journal.

While pregnant with her first child in 2005, Sandlin was told by her commander that she had to bring in verification of the pregnancy. When she asked why she had to bring in verification, Sandlin was told that verification was required because some women may fake a pregnancy to get off the road and then just say they miscarried, she wrote.

Seeking promotion to major

In the summer of 2018, two different positions at the rank of major became vacant and Sandlin expressed interest in both. Richard Sanders, the KSP commissioner at the time, appointed men to both positions. Sanders told Sandlin that he didnt select her because he didnt want to take me away from my family, Sandlin wrote in the filing.

Sanders wrote in a separate court filling that he never turned down Sandlin for either position and that instead Sandlin had declined both positions because she didnt want to move her family and was ok with staying her home Post.

The position of Chief Information Officer, another major position, became vacant in July 2022 and Sandlin met with Phillip Burnett, Jr., the current KSP commissioner, at a Cracker Barrel in London to discuss the job.

Burnett told Sandlin that the position would require a lot of seat time in Frankfort, she wrote in the journal. Sandlin and her husband, who previously worked for KSP but has retired, had purchased land on Lake Cumberland in Wayne County and were wanting to build a house there and move. A job in Frankfort would help facilitate the move, Sandlin wrote, and added that she would be willing to stay at the agencys Frankfort headquarters three nights a week to cut back on commuting.

Kentucky State Police Commissioner Col. Philip Burnett Jr. speaks about operation United Front that targeted human trafficking that resulted in the rescue of 21 victims and the arrest of 41 individuals during a press conference at the Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., Wednesday, September 1, 2021.

Burnett told Sandlin that she should speak with her husband about it, she wrote in the journal. Sandlin said shed already spoken with her husband about the job but Burnett again requested that I go home, talk to my husband, and then let him know if I would take the position if it was offered. Sandlin later texted Burnett that shed talked with her husband and would take the position if offered.

A few days later, Burnett informed Sandlin that Capt. Jeremy Hamm had been chosen to fill the position, noting that Hamm had had experience with body-worn cameras that Sandlin didnt and would be able to spend the time necessary in Frankfort.

The position would be responsible for the agencys largest capital projects  one dealing with radios and another dealing with body cameras  and Hamm had prior experience with overseeing financial grants management and state government purchasing projects, stated a court document filed by KSPs attorneys that sought to explain why Hamm had been chosen.

In the journal, Sandlin disputed Hamms experience with body-worn cameras. On Aug. 5, a few days after Hamm took over the position, Sandlin wrote that hed told her hed been allowed to work remotely that day.

Further allegations of discrimination

Around the same time, KSP was seeking troopers from around the state to volunteer to come to the Eastern Kentucky counties that had been most affected by deadly flooding in late July. Sandlins Post 13 covers all of the counties which took the brunt of the damage and Sandlin wrote in the journal that shed worked two straight weeks in response.

Volunteer troopers were to be sent into the flooded areas in two separate weeklong phases. An email, included in the filing and which Clay said was sent to all troopers, stated that female troopers would only be allowed to participate in the second phase.

As part of the discovery process, Sandlins attorneys requested that KSP admit that female troopers were not eligible to work the first phase of flood relief. KSP objected to the request and deemed it irrelevant.

Clay said that lodging requirements for KSP events are different for male and female troopers. He referenced emails between Sandlin and KSP staff noting that female troopers attending the annual Kentucky Womens Law Enforcement Network Conference in November were required to share rooms. While at that conference, Sandlin was given the lifetime achievement award.

In court documents, KSP objected to a request that they admit that the lodging requirements for male and female troopers are different. They also declined to provide documents showing travel requests made by KSP command staff.
 Flash

A sheriff deputy works at the scene of a shooting in Half Moon Bay in California, the United States, Jan. 23, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Monday mass shootings in Half Moon Bay, Northern California, appear to be a case of workplace violence, officials said on Tuesday.

"All of the evidence we have points to this being the instance of workplace violence," San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said.

The only known connection between the 66-year-old suspect and the victims is that they may have been coworkers, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

The mass killing took place at two mushroom-growing locations. Multiple victims were found in both scenes.

The victims, seven men and one woman, were Asian or Hispanic, Corpus said. Their identities will be released publicly following notification of next of kin.

"As some of these victims were members of our migrant community, this represents a unique challenge when it comes to notifications and identifications," Corpus said.

As of Tuesday, the one injured victim was in stable condition after receiving surgery, Corpus noted.

The suspect was taken into custody peacefully on Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a San Mateo County Sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay. A semi-automatic handgun was found in his vehicle.

The Sheriff's Office said the firearm was legally purchased and owned.

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the exact charges against the suspect have not been determined yet, while he is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.

"We're not going to be giving out a lot of precise detail on what was said," Wagstaffe said. "This is a case that is at the beginning stage. It has a long road to travel over the coming months and years."

"Too many guns. Semi-automatic guns and automatic rifles need to be banned, period. There's no excuse for it," said Half Moon Bay Mayor Deborah Penrose on the tragedy.

"There are lots of tragedies hitting our country right now, more mass shootings than the number of days in a month, and to hit our small town is really shocking," Half Moon Bay resident Evany Sullivan was quoted as saying in a report by NBC Bay Area.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday released a statement addressing the mass shootings.

"For the second time in recent days, California communities are mourning the loss of loved ones in a senseless act of gun violence," Biden said, adding that "even as we await further details on these shootings, we know the scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action."

According to Biden, a federal Assault Weapons Ban and legislation were reintroduced to raise the minimum purchase age for assault weapons to 21 after the mass shootings. "I once again urge both chambers of Congress to act quickly and deliver this Assault Weapons Ban to my desk, and take action to keep American communities, schools, workplaces, and homes safe," he noted.
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Wednesday found a Venezuelan diplomat guilty of murdering the Latin American nation's acting ambassador a decade ago at her home in an upmarket Nairobi neighbourhood.

Dwight Sagaray, who was the first secretary at the embassy, was found guilty of the July 2012 killing of Olga Fonseca, Judge Roselyn Korir said in her ruling.

The court also convicted three Kenyan nationals who had been charged alongside Sagaray, saying they were involved in a common plan to carry out the murder.

Another suspect who fled after the murder is still at large and the court said his arrest warrant should remain in force.

Sagaray, who wore a suit and tie in the dock, clasped his hands and held them against his face when the verdict was read.

Sagaray could be tried for the murder because he did not enjoy diplomatic immunity after Venezuela waived it following the crime, the court ruled.

Fonseca was found strangled in her bedroom less than two weeks into her posting to Nairobi, which followed the abrupt departure of the previous ambassador after he was accused by his domestic staff of sexual harassment.

Sagaray, who had been heading the mission before the arrival of Fonseca, was angered by her presence since he wanted to continue overseeing the embassy, the court found.

He intended to be the main beneficiary of the crime, Korir said, adding there was evidence he had tried to interfere with Fonseca's ability to take over as the head of the embassy, before she was killed.

Sagaray and his co-accused will be sentenced at a later date, the judge said.

(This story has been corrected to change the date of the murder to July 2012, instead of May 2012, in the second paragraph.)

(Reporting by Duncan Miriri and Humphrey Malalo in Nairobi; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has avenged Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) by blocking two Democrats from serving on a House committee.

McCarthy announced Tuesday he would refuse to seat Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff of California on the House Intelligence Committee  pure political payback for Democrats removing Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) from committees in 2021.

In a public letter to Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who had named the pair to the intelligence committee, McCarthy said that in order to maintain a standard worthy of this committees responsibilities, he would reject the appointment of the two Democrats.

Greene has emerged as McCarthys top ally on the far-right flank of the Republican Party. Democrats booted her from committees in 2021 when it came out that she had trafficked online in conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric toward political opponents, especially Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), before coming to Congress. McCarthy won Greenes support for his speakership partly by promising to put her back on committees if Republicans controlled the House  a promise he has kept.

McCarthy did not explain in his letter why Swalwell and Schiff shouldnt serve on the committee, but he has repeatedly claimed Swalwell would be unable to get a security clearance due to a past affiliation with a Chinese spy and that Schiff had lied to the American people. Both allegations are specious.

This is not anything political, McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol earlier on Tuesday. This is not similar to what the Democrats did. Those members will have other committees, but the intel committee is different.

Blocking the committee appointments is an obvious act of political retribution. McCarthy first suggested Republicans would do so in November 2021 when the House voted to boot Gosar from committees after he posted a weird cartoon video depicting himself killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

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McCarthy can unilaterally deny seats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence because the speaker has more control over select committees than standing committees. He has also threatened to block Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from committees, but doing so would likely require a House vote.

In a Sunday letter to McCarthy, Jeffries said removing Republicans from committees for their threatening behavior toward colleagues shouldnt be used as a precedent for removing Swalwell and Schiff. He described the appointment of serial fraudster George Santos (R-N.Y.) to two committees as a double standard.

McCarthy insisted Tuesday that a secret briefing hed received from the FBI warranted Swalwells removal from the intel committee.

The FBI was concerned about putting a member of Congress on the intel committee  that have the rights to see things that others dont  because of his knowledge and relationship with a Chinese spy, McCarthy said.

Whats publicly known about the allegation stems from a 2020 Axios story that said a Chinese spy ingratiated herself with elected Democrats from 2011 through 2015, including by raising money for Swalwells reelection, and that Swalwell immediately ceased all contact with the person after the FBI briefed him. The story didnt lay out any wrongdoing by Swalwell.

McCarthy offered a list of grievances against Schiff, the former chair of the intelligence committee, including a dubious claim that he personally knew the whistleblower who sparked the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump.

In a joint statement, Swalwell, Schiff and Omar said McCarthy had capitulated to the right wing of the Republican Party and struck a corrupt bargain that required political vengeance against the three of us.
Kevin McCarthy Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Among the things House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) promised a group of 20 hard-right holdouts in order to win the speaker's gavel was a vote on legislation that would scrap the Internal Revenue System and U.S. taxation system and replace it with a 30 percent national sales tax. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) has already filed legislation for this "Fair Tax Act," but McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday he opposes the bill.

McCarthy isn't alone. Three GOP congressmen from New York swing districts have already pledged to vote against it  effectively dooming the long-shot legislation.

Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist called the steep national sales tax "a political gift to [President] Biden and the Democrats," telling Semafor that the Fair Tax Act is "the first significant problem created for the Republican Party by the 20 people who thought that there was no downside to the approach they took." The Wall Street Journal editorial board agreed and suggested that if "Carter and other supporters insist on a masochistic vote, the GOP could invoke the Freedom Caucus's demand for 'regular order' and kill the Fair Tax in the Ways and Means Committee."

And that's the approach McCarthy and his allies are taking, Axios reports. "Any legislative proposal by any member would have to go through committee in regular order, have hearings, be marked up, and be subject to amendment," said Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), one of McCarthy's negotiators. The hardliners may believe they were promised a floor vote on the bill, Axios reports, but top Republicans say McCarthy only committed to giving the bill a hearing in committee.

Replacing all current federal taxes with a national sales tax "is not a new idea," or a popular one, CNN notes. An independent analysis of a similar national sales tax in 2011 "found that, on average, most income groups would pay more tax than they did under the federal tax system at the time  except the top 5 percent of earners who would see a tax cut." Not surprisingly, "outside the deepest trenches of conservatism, a 30 percent sales tax is mostly seen as an obvious political loser," Semafor adds. "Democrats, for their part, can hardly seem to believe their luck that their opponents might attach themselves to it."

Story continues

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A look at the shareholders of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE:KFS) can tell us which group is most powerful. We can see that hedge funds own the lion's share in the company with 40% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Since hedge funds have access to huge amounts of capital, their market moves tend to receive a lot of scrutiny by retail or individual investors. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Kingsway Financial Services.

See our latest analysis for Kingsway Financial Services

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Kingsway Financial Services?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

We can see that Kingsway Financial Services 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 Kingsway Financial Services, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

It would appear that 40% of Kingsway Financial Services shares are controlled by hedge funds. That's interesting, because hedge funds can be quite active and activist. Many look for medium term catalysts that will drive the share price higher. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Stilwell Value LLC with 32% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 11% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 8.0% by the third-largest shareholder. In addition, we found that John Fitzgerald, the CEO has 7.8% of the shares allocated to their name.

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A more detailed study of the shareholder registry showed us that 3 of the top shareholders have a considerable amount of ownership in the company, via their 50% stake.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.

Insider Ownership Of Kingsway Financial Services

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

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 a reasonable proportion of Kingsway Financial Services Inc.. It has a market capitalization of just US$195m, and insiders have US$43m worth of shares in their own names. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 22% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 11%, of the shares on issue. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private 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. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Kingsway Financial Services (including 1 which is concerning) .

Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. Therefore, you may wish to see our free collection of interesting prospects boasting favorable financials.

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 former Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office deputy who was arrested Tuesday night was charged with molesting an 11-year-old in 2016, according to his arrest report.

The report states the now-17-year-old girl told her therapist that ex-school resource officer David Clifton Daniels inappropriately touched her while she was sleeping between Daniels and his wife.

"(She) was sleeping in the middle, and she woke up to David rubbing her (inappropriately) with his hand underneath her clothes," the report states. "(She) told David to stop and he did."

Daniels later allegedly "made excuses" for the incident such as he was drunk and was asleep while it happened.

SRSO announces arrest:SRSO school resource officer arrested, charged with felony lewd or lascivious behavior

Deputy charged with fraud:Insurance fraud that led to SRSO deputy's firing was over falsifying car insurance coverage

SRSO's Major Crimes Division received transcripts of a deposition between Daniels and an unidentified person who asked Daniels if he believed the victim was lying about the incident in Deerborn, Missouri, to which he responded, "Yes."

"I remember the incident she's talking about. I woke up and had my hand on (her) waistline, and that's when I woke (redacted) up," the reports states. "So no, (she) was never sexually assaulted."

Daniels claimed he woke up his wife after he discovered he was touching the girl's waist. However, the report notes the girl "had a clear and consistent disclosure of the incident" and Daniel's wife denied his claim of being awoken after the incident.

Before he was fired, Daniels was a school resource officer at High Road School in Santa Rosa School District.

The SRSO announced Daniels's arrest and subsequent firing from his position with the department Tuesday.

"This is another case of an individual that has tarnished the badge," Sheriff Bob Johnson said in the release. "Once we were made aware of it, we responded appropriately, arrested him, and terminated his employment. At the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, we put our citizens first and any deputy who breaks the law will be immediately held accountable."

Daniels is held in Okaloosa County Jail without bond.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Santa Rosa County Florida deputy charged with molesting 11-year-old
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Countries from Latin America and the Caribbean on Tuesday called for more international funding in the region following economic and climate crises, in a final declaration after a summit held in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires.

"We stressed the need for international regional financial institutions, such as the Multilateral Development Banks, to improve credit facilities through clean, fair, transparent and accessible mechanisms," the document said.

The 111-point "Declaration of Buenos Aires" from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States' (CELAC) seventh summit described how effects of COVID-19, climate change and the war in Ukraine had rippled across the region.

"We express our concern that several countries emerged from the pandemic with higher levels of public debt," it said.

The statement also stressed the importance of democracy across the region, expressed support for negotiations between the Venezuelan government and its opposition, and demanded the United States lift its blockade on Cuba.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sent a recorded message saying he had chosen not to attend due to "permanent conspiracies, the permanent threat, calculated ambushes."

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's presence at the summit meanwhile marked his first trip abroad since taking office on Jan. 1, as well as Brazil's return to CELAC after his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro left the community.

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou was a dissenting voice, calling on leaders to not have a one-sided vision according to their ideology, and saying "there are countries here that respect neither democracy nor institutions nor human rights."

He did not identify any nation by name.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was voted to take over CELAC's rotating presidency for 2023.

(Reporting by Lucila Sigal; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
Chinese and Djibouti guests participate in the cultural exchange event held by the Chinese PLA support base in Djibouti on the evening of January 24 to celebrate the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year.

DJIBOUTI, Jan. 25 -- On the evening of January 24, local time, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) support base in Djibouti held a cultural exchange event themed "Inclusive China, Win-Win Cooperation", to celebrate the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year.

More than 170 guests from military and government departments of Djibouti, foreign troops in Djibouti, the Chinese Embassy and Chinese-invested enterprises in Djibouti were invited to the event.

This activity was designed to convey good wishes of openness, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, further deepen the friendly relations between the PLA support base and Djiboutis military and government departments, and enhance mutual understanding among the troops stationed in Djibouti.
Four people were taken to the hospital, including two people who were unconscious after cleaning a pit at a Dayton business Wednesday.

Around 3:30 p.m., Dayton fire and hazmat crews were called to a business in the 1100 block of West Stewart Streets for four people who were in a 12-foot pit unconscious, according to District Chief Adam Landis.

Fire crews entered the confined space and were able to remove the four people from the pit and take them to the hospital two of the people were unconscious and two were conscious, Landis said.

>> PHOTOS: Large investigation involving hazmat fire crews underway at Dayton business

Their current conditions are not known.

Landis believes that the pressure washer the workers were using to clean the pit could have been responsible for them losing consciousness, but crews are still investigating.

He reminded the public to make sure when they are using anything that has exhaust or uses gas to make sure it is well-ventilated.

>> Stolen U-Haul crashes into pole in Springfield; Deputies searching for male suspect

You have to make sure that everythings ventilated, that carbon monoxide can build up and can cause you to go unconscious and ultimately cause death, Landis said.

He did not confirm if carbon monoxide gas was present in the pit the workers were in.

Crews were able to rescue the workers within in an hour of arriving on the scene. Something Landis called outstanding for a confined space incident of this size.

We will update this story as we get new information.
KFAR TIBNIT, Lebanon (AP)  On the outskirts of this southern Lebanese village, workers in a pickup truck parked at a nature reserve named after a fallen fighter of the militant Hezbollah group. They took two large eucalyptus tree seedlings out of the truck and planted them.

The men are from Green Without Borders, a non-governmental organization that says it aims to protect Lebanons green areas and plant trees.

But Israel, the United States and some in Lebanon accuse the NGO of being an arm of Hezbollah to hide its military activities. They say the organization has been setting up outposts for the militant group along the border with Israel. Last month, residents in the southern Christian village of Rmaych near the border said they encountered armed men at an outpost of the organization that was blocking them from farmlands.

Green Without Borders denies any link to Hezbollah, which also says it is not connected to the environmental group.

We are not an arm for anyone, the head of Green Without Borders, Zouher Nahli, told The Associated Press. We as an environmental association work for all the people and we are not politicized. He spoke at the Bassam Tabaja Nature Reserve, named for a Hezbollah fighter killed in Syria in 2014, where the NGO has planted hundreds of trees.

He said the organization's funding comes from the ministries of environment and agriculture as well as from wealthy Lebanese who care about the environment and municipalities, mainly in the eastern Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. He said he is an Agriculture Ministry employee.

Since it began operations in 2009, the group has helped plant about 2 million trees, Nahli said.

Israel and Hezbollah are archenemies and have fought several wars over the past decades, the last of which ended in August 2006. The 34-day conflict killed 1,200 in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

The U.N. Security Council resolution that ended that war said the border area should be free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons, other than those of the government and U.N. peacekeepers. After the war, thousands of Lebanese troops were deployed in the border zone and the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, which has been present there since 1978, was beefed up.

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In a November report, UNIFIL said shipping containers and prefabricated buildings, some of them with visible Green Without Borders markings, had been set up at 16 sites along the border. In several instances, UNIFIL patrols were prevented from nearing the locations, it said.

The Israeli military says Green Without Borders outposts on the border are used by Hezbollah to gather intelligence information.

At a Security Council meeting in September, the U.S. deputy U.N. ambassador, Richard Mills, said the proliferation of the groups outposts along the border obstructs UNIFIL access and is heightening tensions in the area, further demonstrating that this so-called environmental group is acting on Hezbollahs behalf.

At the meeting, the council unanimously approved a resolution strongly condemning harassment, intimidation, attacks and restrictions on UNIFIL.

Last month, an Irish U.N. peacekeeper was killed and several others were wounded when attackers opened fire on a UNIFIL convoy in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah denied any connection to the attack.

Nahli said he was not aware of any shipping containers or buildings being set up by his organization. All we do along the border is protect forests and all the claims are illogical and baseless, he said.

Residents in border Shiite villages that support Hezbollah praise the organization. It is doing good for the environment and planting trees along the border. We are very happy with their work, said Salah Rammal, a shop owner in the border village of Odaisseh.

Residents of the Christian village Rmaych, however, have complained for years about a position set up by Green Without Borders on farmland belonging to village families in a nearby valley. They say the organization did not plant any trees there and actually chopped down trees and cut a 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) dirt road on their land.

It is a cover for Hezbollah to have positions. We have no problems with Hezbollah, but it should be outside our lands, said Bassam al-Haj, a Rmaych schoolteacher.

In December, al-Haj and other residents went to the outpost and confronted the men there. Al-Haj said some of the men at the site were masked and armed, and that the outpost included several rooms, a tent and a fence that blocked off village farmland.

The residents and the men argued, he said. One resident who was videoing the encounter was told by one of the men, We will crush you if you dont delete the photos that you took, al-Haj said.

Days after the confrontation, a Hezbollah official and members of the organization visited the village and met residents at the mayors office, said Father Najib al-Ameel, a priest from Rmaych who attended the talks.

The mayor and residents asked that the post be removed, he said. Al-Ameel said he told the Hezbollah official, We will not accept anyone but the Lebanese army to protect us. A few days later, Green Without Borders removed the post and now residents can freely access their land, he said.

Nahli said the media had blown the incident in Rmaych out of proportion and refused to discuss details. In the past, Hezbollah has blamed frictions at Rmaych on members of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, which is among Hezbollahs harshest critics.

When asked if peacekeepers could visit the organizations sites, UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said, We had the possibility, of course, to monitor the whole area of operations and also areas and places where Green Without Borders operated.

He said there has not been a breach of 1701, the Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 war.

Nahli argued that Green Without Borders work is sorely needed. Over the past few decades, Lebanon has experienced one of the worlds worst deforestation rates, which he said has accelerated since the economy collapsed, starting in late 2019, as poor people cut trees to use the wood for heating. The forested area has dropped from 25% of the country's territory to only around 3% now, he said.

We are trying by all our means, in coordination with all concerned authorities, to prevent more deforestation, he said.
Authorities throughout Bethlehem are still on the lookout for a Lehigh University student who went missing over the weekend.

According to the university, Daniel Lee, a second-year engineering student originally from East Hanover, New Jersey, has been missing since Friday, Jan. 20. Lee was last seen wearing a grey shirt with red sleeves, black-and-white athletic-type pants, and black sneakers.

No foul play is suspected in Lee's disappearance, and authorities have noted there is no danger or threat to the community that is connected to the incident.

The university, along with the Lehigh University Police Department, the Bethlehem Police Department and other law enforcement agencies, have been searching for Lee and encouraging anyone within the community who may have information that may be helpful in locating him to contact campus safety at 610-758-4200, or by reporting a tip through Hawkwatch.

Bethlehem Police confirmed state police had provided assistance searching for Lee on Tuesday.

"We received assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police Aviation (Patrol) Unit with a helicopter that flew over the Lehigh River area and the city, and just east of the city, searching for Mr. Lee. Obviously, we were not successful in finding him," Bethlehem Police Department Captain Nicholas Lechman said.

Daniel Lee, a Lehigh University second-year engineering student from New Jersey, has been missing since Friday, Jan. 20. Lee was last seen wearing a grey shirt with red sleeves, black-and-white athletic-type pants, and black sneakers.

Since releasing an alert on Jan. 21, police have been following available leads and tips while continuing search efforts through all means, including electronic, and are following standard state protocols regarding missing persons.

"Even as we begin a new semester this week, Daniel, his family, and those close to him are at the forefront of our hearts and minds. If you are personally struggling to process your thoughts and emotions, The Employee Assistance Programs are available, and we encourage you to enlist these tools to support your own well-being," a staff release from Lehigh University states.

"Our deepest thanks go out to law enforcement officials who continue to work diligently to locate Daniel, and to everyone in the Lehigh community who has expressed their support and wishes for Daniels safe return," the release states.

This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Police searching for missing Lehigh University student from New Jersey
More than half of Democrats now identify as liberal, suggesting that the long-vilified L-word may be losing its potency as political kryptonite.

A generation of Democratic presidential contenders, from Michael Dukakis to Bill Clinton, ducked the liberal brand. Republicans disparaged liberals as weak-willed softies. Democratic candidates faced perennial accusations of closet liberalism.

In the millennial era, the L-word seems to be shedding its stigma. The share of avowed Democrats who describe themselves as liberal has more than doubled since 1994, reaching 54 percent in 2022, according to Gallup polling.

When you look at the way conservatives brand Democrats, theyve gone way past liberal, said Marc Hetherington, a political scientist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Now, its socialist.

Presidents Obama and Biden both fended off the socialist tag. In 2021, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and other conservatives mockingly referred to Bidens economic recovery plan as Build Back Socialist.

The L-word has taken a circuitous journey through the annals of American politics. From FDR through JFK, liberalism was a positive term, politically, said Matt Dallek, a political historian at George Washington Universitys Graduate School of Political Management.

Liberals and liberalism helped save the country from the Great Depression, Dallek said. Liberal internationalists helped save the world from Nazi fascism.

In the 1960s, conservatives William F. Buckley Jr. and Barry Goldwater helped redefine liberalism as a philosophy of big government and overspending. By the Reagan 1980s, Republican strategists had painted the liberal as a lover of bureaucracy and criminals, whose hobbies are raising taxes, flag burning and gay marriage, Michael Kinsley wrote in a 1992 column.

In the 1988 campaign, Republican candidate George H.W. Bush branded his Democratic opponent, Dukakis, a card-carrying liberal, clearly implying that was bad. Dukakis waved off the label until the final days of the election, which he lost.

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In the 1990s, Newt Gingrich and GOPAC instructed conservative candidates to wield liberal, welfare and taxes as defining terms against their opponents.

He had this list of words: These are the words that you should use to describe Democrats, said Alan Abramowitz, professor emeritus of political science at Emory University.

In the 1992 campaign, Clinton deflected the L-word by portraying himself as a centrist. Many rank-and-file Democrats followed suit. Gallup polls from that era show more than 40 percent of Democrats identifying as moderate, with smaller groups claiming to be conservative or liberal.

Over the next two decades, liberals gradually supplanted moderates as the largest group of Democrats. The conservative camp shrank away: 10 percent of all Democrats identified as conservative in 2022.

Both parties, it seems, have drifted toward the ideological poles. The share of Republicans identifying as conservative rose from 58 percent in 1994 to 72 percent in 2022. Most of that increase has come at the expense of moderates, who dwindled from 33 percent to 22 percent of Republicans in those years.

For Democratic politicians, some of the L-word stigma endures. Older pols may never forget the once-ubiquitous putdowns bleeding-heart liberal, tax-and-spend liberal and limousine liberal that invoke liberal cliches.

If you reviewed most of the advertising running from Democrats in the midterm elections or Joe Bidens campaign, I dont think youd find any touting themselves as liberal, Dallek said.

Left-leaning Democrats of the Biden era populate the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group formed in 1991, near the high-water mark of Republican attacks on liberalism.

Its the Progressive Caucus, Abramowitz said. Its not the liberal caucus.

The term progressive carries mostly positive connotations, at least to the Left, political scientists say. Bernie Sanders, the Independent Vermont senator, famously denies being a liberal but embraces the progressive label.

I would say most Democrats who fall more on the left end of the spectrum probably describe themselves as progressives now, said Mike Freiberg, a Democratic state representative in Minnesota. There are Democrats who self-identify as socialist now.

Research by Pew has uncovered an ideological split within the left. One group, Establishment Liberals, makes up roughly 23 percent of the Democratic tribe. Another group, the Progressive Left, represents 12 percent.

The groups agree on nearly every issue, from gun control to climate change to racial justice to abortion. But progressives support far-reaching changes to the establishment to effect those policies, Pew reports. Establishment liberals do not.

The term liberal is still associated kind of with the Establishment, in quotation marks, said Dru Dunn, 19, a sophomore at American University and president of the College Democrats.

The Establishment Liberal: It means youre kind of OK with how things are running right now.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) came to President Bidens defense on Tuesday, days after a fourth trove of classified documents was discovered in the presidents Wilmington, Del., home. Graham told reporters on Tuesday that he stands by his support of a special-counsel investigation into the documents, but offered an endorsement of Bidens character.

Let me just say this: Im known President Biden for a long time, Graham said. Id be shocked if theres anything sinister here.

However, in an interview with Fox News, Graham questioned why Bidens attorneys sat on information about the first trove of documents that was discovered days before the midterm elections. If you come to my house, youll find Chick-fil-A bags all over the floor, but youre not gonna find any classified information, Graham said.

Graham told reporters that he has the same questions for Biden that he does for former president Donald Trump, whose residence at Mar-a-Lago was searched in August as part of an investigation into allegations that he had mishandled documents that the government claimed as its property and over which the National Archives claimed authority.

The FBI uncovered the Biden documents, some of which trace to his time as a senator, during a search on Friday. This came after a set of classified records from Bidens time as vice president were first recovered by Bidens lawyers on November 2 at the Penn Biden Center, according to a statement from the lawyers. The center served as Bidens private office from 2017 to 2019, after his time as vice president came to an end. The White House Counsels office searched Bidens homes in Delaware earlier this month and discovered two additional sets of documents with classified markings, including in a storage space in Bidens Wilmington garage.

Grahams comments about Biden and Trump came as former vice president Mike Pence notified Congress on Tuesday that he discovered classified documents from his time in the Trump administration in his Indiana home on January 16.

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Meanwhile, Senator Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) said he could not understand how classified documents from Bidens time as a senator could turn up at the presidents home.

The process we go through is so elaborate . . . that I cant understand how any individual senator can take possession of a classified document, let alone remove it to another location, Durbin told CNN. Its just unthinkable, and the time Id been in the Senate . . . its never happened, and I cant explain how it happened here.

More from National Review
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., walks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Lindsey Graham says there aren't any classified documents at his home, just "Chick-fil-A bags all over the floor."

Graham's love for Chick-fil-A has been well-documented.

In 2021, he said he'd "go to war" for the fast-food company.

Sen. Lindsey Graham wants everyone to know that unlike other politicians, he doesn't have classified documents at home, just lots of Chick-fil-A bags.

Graham mentioned the fast-food chain on two separate occasions on Tuesday.

"You've got Trump, you've got Pence, you've got Biden. The only thing I think you'll find at my house is a bunch of Chick-fil-A bags on the floor," Graham said during a news conference.

The senator was commenting on the classified-file scandals that have plagued three 2024 presidential frontrunners. Classified documents have been found at the homes of President Joe Biden, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former President Donald Trump.

"Maybe we're over-classifying things, that may be part of the problem. Count me in for getting this fixed," the South Carolina senator said.

Graham also made a similar comment when speaking to "Fox & Friends" host Brian Kilmeade earlier the same day.

"He loves Chick Fil A. A long time fan," a spokesman for Graham told Insider.

The spokesman added that Graham was "joking about the bags"  but just "a bit"  and sent several links documenting occasions where Graham was seen eating Chick-fil-A.

Graham's love for Chick-fil-A has been well documented. In July 2021, the senator was incensed when students at the University of Notre Dame fought to keep the fast-food chain off their campus. The Notre Dame students were protesting the university's plans for a Chick-fil-A outlet, citing the company's history of giving millions of dollars to anti-LGBTQ groups.

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In a tweet on July 14, 2021, Graham called the anti-Chick-fil-A protests at Notre Dame a "dangerous precedent."

"I want everyone in South Carolina and across America to know I have Chick-fil-A's back. I hope we don't have to, but I will go to war for the principles Chick-fil-A stands for," Graham tweeted. "Great food. Great service. Great values. God bless Chick-fil-A!"

Representatives for Chick-fil-A did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Lloyd Morrisett, the co-founder of the nonprofit organization behind the beloved children's show "Sesame Street," has died, Sesame Workshop announced on Monday. He was 93.

His cause of death has not been publicly announced.

Morrisett and Joan Ganz Cooney paired up in 1966 to develop an idea of how they could help educate children. Three years later, the first episode of "Sesame Street" aired on television. And ever since, the show has sought to help address complicated and sometimes painful issues that children often face, including racism, addiction and homelessness.

Morrisett served as the chairman of the board of trustees for Sesame Workshop, the parent nonprofit of "Sesame Street," for 30 years before becoming a Lifetime Honorary Trustee.

Sesame Workshop tweeted that Morrisett was a "wise, thoughtful, and above all kind leader" who was "constantly thinking about new ways" to educate.

In 2019, his show became the first television show to ever be honored by the Kennedy Center. Upon the news of the honor, Morrisett told CBS Mornings that he and Cooney got the idea for "Sesame Street" over dinner.

"The goal was to have children entering school prepared to succeed," he said. "...After dinner I asked her, 'Joan do you think television could be used to teach young children?' That's the beginning."

The company said upon the news of his death that Lloyd left "an outsized and indelible legacy among generations of children the world over, with Sesame Street only the most visible tribute to a lifetime of good work and lasting impact."

Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of our esteemed and beloved co-founder Lloyd N. Morrisett, PhD, who died at the age of 93. pic.twitter.com/I9cSez95Px  Sesame Workshop (@SesameWorkshop) January 23, 2023

Along with running Sesame Workshop, Morrisett was also the president of the John and Mary R. Markle Foundation from 1969 to 1998 and also spent time as the vice president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

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The company continued to say that Cooney, Morrisett's longtime business partner and friend, said it best: "Without Lloyd Morrisett, there would be no Sesame Street."

"It was he who first came up with the notion of using television to teach preschoolers basic skills, such as letters and numbers," Cooney said through the Workshop. "He was a trusted partner and loyal friend to me for over fifty years, and he will be sorely missed."

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Former Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) joined Summit Strategies as a senior strategic adviser. DeFazio, who served as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he is forging a strategic collaboration with the transportation-focused firm. The 18-term lawmaker, who retired at the end of last Congress, recently launched his own consulting practice.

Mercury hired former Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) as co-chair of the firms Washington, D.C., office and head of its Illinois team. During her 10 years in Congress, Bustos served as co-chair of Democrats Steering and Policy Committee and was chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2020 election cycle.

Josh Hsu will join Jenner & Block as a partner in the firms government controversies and public policy litigation practice. Hsu most recently served as counsel to Vice President Harris.

Lawrence Bell will join the government affairs team at Cornerstone Government Affairs. Bell most recently served as deputy chief of staff and senior adviser to Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).

Samm Gillard joined Strategic Marketing Innovations as a director. Gillard comes from the Department of Energy, where he served as technology development manager for battery research and development and worked on implementing the bipartisan infrastructure laws battery supply chain program.

Luz Eleane Martinez joined Fulcrum Public Affairs as chief of staff. Martinez previously served as chief of staff and communications director for D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau.

Theresa Fariello, a top lobbyist at United Airlines, joined the board of energy storage firm Energy Vault. She previously was deputy assistant secretary for international energy policy at the Department of Energy in the Clinton administration.

Lobbying World documents the top lobbying hires in the nations capital every week. Send tips to Karl at kevers@thehill.com.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NEWARK  Local law enforcement and academia leaders converged at the Department of Homeland Security's office on Wednesday to explain a joint effort between Montclair State University and the department's law enforcement arm to combat human trafficking in New Jersey.

The top priority of the joint effort is to develop an app and website that will educate law enforcement agencies on human trafficking, a severely underreported crime that can be difficult to identify.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by Ricky Patel, the special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigation's Newark office, and Montclair State President Jonathan Koppell.

"I'm pleased to be here today to highlight this forging relationship with [the university] by growing our shared goal," Patel said, "to end human trafficking together with academia and law enforcement."

Ali Boak, director of the Global Center on Human Trafficking, speaks during a press conference held to announce the partnership between HSI, the Global Center on Human Trafficking and Montclair State University to combat human trafficking on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Newark.

Homeland Security Investigations is the chief law enforcement arm of DHS. Human trafficking falls under the wide umbrella of transnational crimes that it investigates. Montclair State is home to the Global Center on Human Trafficking, which works with survivors to "transform the response to human trafficking," according to the center's About Us page.

"[Human trafficking] is a very complex crime," Global Center on Human Trafficking Director Ali Boak said Wednesday. "You often can't identify it with one meeting of a situation. It often takes a lot of intelligence, a lot of investigation, a lot of interviewing. The idea behind this project is to put the education and awareness tools at the fingertips of law enforcement."

The Record and NorthJersey.com published a series in 2022 exploring the issue of human trafficking in New Jersey including how it's combated in the state and the complexities around it.

The app, which Boak says will hopefully be available to law enforcement later this year, will contain short educational videos, including best practices for interviewing trafficking victims and survivors, or how to collect evidence in a human trafficking investigation.

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The app will also include contact information for different sources to aid law enforcement, particularly at the local level.

NJ newsDaring thief robs four Bergen County businesses at gunpoint in single night, police say

The app will first be made available to law enforcement agencies, but could become accessible to the general public, Boak said.

"We are a university that exists to serve the public good," Koppell said, explaining the new partnership. "We are a university that exists to advance the well-being of the people of New Jersey and beyond."

Other key state law enforcement members were in attendance. Phillip Sellinger, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, state police Col. Pat Callahan, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stevens, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez and Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage all spoke at the press conference before the signing.

Jonathan Koppell, president of Montclair State University, speaks during a press conference held to announce the partnership between HSI, the Global Center on Human Trafficking and Montclair State University to combat human trafficking on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Newark.

It's rare that human trafficking cases result in a criminal conviction because the vast majority go unreported. But Callahan noted that law enforcement's role goes beyond just securing a conviction.

"That trauma just doesn't end with an arrest or a successful prosecution," he said. "We need to surround these victims ... the understanding that the compassion, the caring has to go along with it."

Getting trafficking victims, who often come from marginalized and preyed upon communities, to trust law enforcement can be a challenge. Some victims don't even realize they are being trafficked. That's where the Global Center on Human Trafficking comes in.

"We're about empowering and supporting survivors to work hand-in-hand with us as thought partners," Boak said. "Partners in the way we respond to and address this issue."

The room applauds Treia Boozier after she speaks on her own experience as a survivor and now youth activist during a press conference held to announce the partnership between HSI, the Global Center on Human Trafficking and Montclair State University to combat human trafficking on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Newark.

Treia Boozier is a young human trafficking survivor. She spoke candidly Wednesday about her experience as a foster child who ran away from home and was preyed on at age 16 by someone she thought cared about her. She now works as an advocate with the center.

Boozier's trafficker was brought to justice, due in large part to her cooperation with law enforcement.

Boozier, now 23, said the center allows her to use her voice in order to make a living. She speaks at schools and other smaller groups, educating people on the risks of human trafficking. Speaking from her own experience, she noted that as a gay, Black girl growing up in foster care made her especially vulnerable.

In 2019, Boozier spoke at the Department of Justice's National Youth Summit in Austin, Texas. Recently she was featured on a radio show on Voices of America.

"No one knows human trafficking like a survivor," Boozier said. "When you look at me, you don't see a survivor, you see a person. But behind me there is a story."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Human trafficking in NJ target of Montclair State partnership
By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The arraignment of a Libyan intelligence operative suspected of making the bomb that blew up Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 and killed 270 people was deferred on Wednesday due to delays and challenges securing a defense attorney.

Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, 71, is the first suspect in the attack to face criminal charges in the United States.

The bomb exploded aboard a Boeing 747 over Lockerbie as it flew from London to New York in December 1988. All 259 people on board were killed, and another 11 people died on the ground.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya formally appointed federal public defender Whitney Minter to represent him on Wednesday, after Minter said Mas'ud's family was unable to retain a defense lawyer on their own.

Minter said Mas'ud has no substantial assets and has not been employed for a decade. He makes mortgage payments on a home in Libya, and his children help cover his living and medical expenses.

Minter asked for additional time to review the indictment with him before entering a plea or addressing the government's request to keep him detained pending trial.

He is due to be arraigned on Feb. 8, and the judge set a detention hearing for Feb. 23.

The Justice Department has alleged that Mas'ud, who is from Tunisia and Libya, confessed his crimes to a Libyan law enforcement official back in September 2012.

It took many years for the FBI to piece together enough evidence before he could be apprehended and extradited to the United States.

In 1991, two other Libyan intelligence operatives, Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, were charged in the bombing.

At a Scottish trial before a court at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands, Megrahi was found guilty of the bombing in 2001 and was jailed for life. He was later released because he was suffering from cancer and died at his home in Tripoli in 2012.

Fhimah was acquitted of all charges, but Scottish prosecutors have maintained that Megrahi did not act alone.

In the Mas'ud case, prosecutors do not intend to seek the death penalty because it was not legally available at the time the crimes were committed.

(Reporting by Sarah N. LynchEditing by Alistair Bell and Lisa Shumaker)
FREEHOLD - A Long Branch man has been indicted in connection with an October shooting that left one victim injured, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Wednesday.

Donte Gibson, 27, is charged with one count of first-degree attempted murder, one count of second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, according to a press release.

Around 9:45 p.m. on Monday, October 10, 2022, West Long Branch Police responded to a convenience store on the 800 block of Broadway for a report of shots being fired, Santiago said. It was later discovered that a shooting victim had been dropped off at a local hospital for treatment. The victim - who sustained injuries to his hip and forearm -was treated and later released.

This shooting incident was one of three that took place that same day, said Santiago. The two other incidents, both in Long Branch, are still under investigation at this time.

Authorities believe the incidents are related, previously saying they are not random but targeted.

Santiago is urging anyone with information about these incidents to contact Monmouth County Prosecutors Office Detective Joshua Rios or Brian Migliorisi at 800-533-7443, Long Branch Police Department Detective Nicholas Romano at 732-222-1000, Ext. 2, or West Long Branch Police Department Detective Ryan Buck at 732-229-5000.

Jenna Calderon covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Long Branch NJ man indicted in shooting, police seeking help
The City of Clermont, in partnership with the South Lake Chamber of Commerce, Career Source Central Florida, and Elevate Lake, will host a Career Fair Feb. 7.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Read: How much money will you get after taxes if you win the Powerball jackpot?

The job fair will be held Tuesday, Feb. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Clermont Arts and Recreation Center, 3700 South Highway 27, in Clermont.

See map of location below:

Read: XFL Orlando Guardians to be welcomed at Camping World Stadium

Some departments looking to fill positions include police, parks and recreation information technology, and building services.

Representatives from Amazon, City of Mascotte, Kroger, Lake County Schools, Orlando Health, and other employers will also be conducting interviews.

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.
Three new lynx are now viewable to the public in the Woodland Park Zoos Living Northwest Trail.

The Canada lynx were shipped across the United States before making a home in Seattle last year. Yukon came from Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo, Monty from Fort Wayne Childrens Zoo and Marty from the Minnesota Zoo. Each lynx is three years old, according to the Woodland Park Zoo.

They live in a new exhibit with elaborate pathways and branches that allow them to move through the entire habitat, the zoo said.

Monty and Yukon were recently renamed by friends of the zoo, who are generous supporters of the zoos wildlife conservation efforts. Their names were inspired by the mighty Yukon River in Canada and Montreal, the zoo said.

Globally, lynx have a low risk of extinction but are endangered in Washington State, according to the zoo. Lynx rely on healthy forests and snowpacks to hunt their prey. Climate change is reducing snowfall and causing wildfires, making their prey scarce, the zoo said.

Woodland Park Zoo said they are studying lynx and wolverines to help recover populations in the Cascades. The zoo restores species through its Living Northwest Program. They also provide visitors with actions they can take to help conserve these species on their We Are Living Northwest website.

For more information about the Woodland Park Zoo, visit www.zoo.org or call 206-548-2500.








Jan. 24A lawmaker in the House of Representatives is being asked to resign over allegations he violated Maine's Clean Election Act during his 2022 campaign.

Rep. Clinton E. Collamore, D-Waldoboro, was indicted last month on multiple counts of aggravated forgery, unsworn falsification and violations of the Clean Election Act, according to the Dec. 15 indictment filed in Lincoln County Superior Court.

Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, issued a statement Tuesday afternoon through her spokesperson, Mary-Erin Casale, asking Collamore, 62, to step down.

"In light of these allegations, the speaker of the House is requesting Rep. Collamore's immediate resignation," the statement said. Casale said Ross would have no further comment on the matter.

The indictments came to light Tuesday when Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics, issued a memo to commission members on election misconduct allegations involving Collamore and Matthew Toth of Sanford, an unsuccessful Republican candidate for House District 143. Toth eventually withdrew from the November 2022 general election. Both matters are scheduled to be brought before the Maine Ethics Commission at its Jan. 30 meeting.

Wayne said that about 200 candidates for the Legislature participate in the Maine Clean Election Act program each election year. To qualify for public campaign funds, candidates must collect qualify contributions or QCs of $5 from at least 60 registered voters in their district and submit them to the commission's office by April 20 of the election year. The contributor must give $5 in the form of a check, cash or online payment and sign a form affirming they made a contribution with their personal funds. The contributor must sign the form.

During the course of their investigation, commission staff verified that Toth and Collamore forged several contributor signatures. Collamore received more than $14,000 in Maine Clean Election Act funds.

After identifying irregularities, the commission referred both cases to the Office of Attorney General for further investigation. The AG's office sought and obtained criminal indictments for both candidates, Wayne said.

This story will be updated.
William Hicks, left, faces a judge during a Tuesday, Jan. 24 hearing.

William Haven Hicks made his first appearance in a New Hanover County courtroom on Tuesday afternoon after being charged in the presumed death of transgender woman KC Johnson.

Hicks, a 26-year-old man from South Carolina, faced a judge after being escorted by bailiffs towards the bench.

Hicks is facing charges of first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping and financial card theft. A court appointed attorney will represent him. Hicks will remain in jail with no bond. The next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 9.

According to the Wilmington Police Department, Johnson was killed in the 1300 block of King Street on Friday, Jan. 13. The 27-year-old was last seen in the 1900 block of Tradd Court and reported missing the following day. Police believe Johnson and Hicks met on social media.

Hicks was first arrested in Myrtle Beach on charges of first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and kidnapping in connection to the disappearance, Wilmington police said. Before being transported to Wilmington, Hicks was held in jail there without bail. According to reports, he appeared in a Horry County court and waived his rights to an extradition hearing.

More:Presumed death of transgender woman becomes rallying point for Wilmington LGBTQ+ groups

More:SC man charged with murder in disappearance, presumed death of missing Wilmington woman

Information about Hicks' arrest came the same day officials in Georgia announced the discovery of a body there, saying in a news release the Wilmington Police Department was the lead on the case. As of Monday, WPD officials would not confirm if the remains were Johnson. Positive identification and a cause of death are awaiting an autopsy, officials said.

According to a news release from the Chatham County Police Department, the remains were found in a rocky area on the edge of the Savannah River near a sugar refinery there. WPD is working in conjunction with the department.

On Friday, Jan. 20, candlelight vigils were held at Wilmington City Hall and from Archie Blue Park to King Street, the latter where police believe Johnson was killed.

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Participants, many of whom didn't know Johnson personally, said they felt compelled to show solidarity with her family and Wilmington's LGBTQ+ community.

"The more numbers the better for everybody," said Anna Hursley, a recently out transgender woman. "We're here and we're just trying to live our lives."

Police are asking for anyone with information to contact the Wilmington Police Department at 910-343-3609 or use the WPD Tip411 app.

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the areas latest news by signing up for the StarNews newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Man charged in Wimington woman's presumed death makes court appearance
An Andrews man charged with murder in the 2019 slaying of a U.S. Postal Service carrier delivering mail in rural South Carolina was found guilty Tuesday after a federal jury trial in Florence, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

Trevor Seward will be sentenced at a later date, and he faces a maximum punishment of life in prison.

The jury was out just for an hour and a half, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brook Andrews told The State.

Seward was convicted of killing Irene Pressley, 64, while she was carrying out her official duties as a mail carrier in rural Williamsburg County.

Irene Pressley, a longtime employee of the U.S. Postal Service, was killed while delivering mail in rural South Carolina.

Pressley, who had worked more than 20 years with the U.S. Postal Service, was found shot to death in her vehicle near her mail route in Andrews the afternoon of Sept. 23, 2019.

The killing took place about 3 p.m. at the intersection of two rural two-lane roads, Senate Road and Morrisville Road, about 20 miles east of Kingstree, according to a state warrant.

Another man charged with killing Pressley, Jerome Davis, has not yet been tried.

According to evidence in the case, Seward and Davis shot Pressley multiple times with a semi-automatic weapon in an attempt to steal a package containing marijuana.

Seward was seen with an AR-15 before the shooting, and several .223 shell casings were found with Pressleys body, the Williamsburg County Sheriffs Office said in 2019. That is a type of ammunition used in an AR-15.

Additionally, Sewards fingerprints were found on mail at the crime scene, according to the sheriffs office.

A third man was charged in connection to the death.

Ricky Jesus Barajas, of Santa Rosa, California, was charged by the federal government for his role in a drug conspiracy that investigators said was connected to Pressleys shooting, the U.S. Attorney said in 2020.

In June 2022, Barajas pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in connection with the killing.

Federal prosecutors, called assistant U.S. Attorneys, in the case were Elle Klein, Robert Bianchi and Katherine Flynn.

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Sewards lawyers were Josh Kendrick and Lindsey Vann.

Federal Judge Donald Coggins presided.

Pressleys killing drew national law enforcement attention to Williamsburg County. Over 70 law enforcement agencies were ultimately involved in the investigation.

When a member of our postal family is attacked, we pull out all stops to track down the perpetrator and deliver justice, Tommy D. Coke, the postal inspector in charge of the Atlanta Division, said in 2020.

The various investigators worked more than 25,000 hours to deliver justice for Irene, Coke said.

Pressley was survived by her husband and their five children, among other family members. She was a leader in her church, and was known as The Mother at the U.S. Postal Service by her co-workers, according to her obituary.
Ivan Toney shared on his Twitter account an image of an abusive message he had received (Nigel French/PA) (PA Wire)

A man has apologised in court for racially abusing Brentford striker Ivan Toney online, and told a district judge he is disgusted and ashamed.

Antonio Neill, 24, of Robert Street, Blyth, Northumberland, appeared at Newcastle Magistrates Court to admit a charge of sending an offensive message.

Police launched an investigation in October after Toney shared on his Twitter account an image of an abusive message he had received.

I'm sorry for what I said to Ivan. I'm disgusted and ashamed and want to become a better person

Antonio Neill

Officers treated the incident as a hate crime and traced the message to an address in North Shields, North Tyneside.

District Judge Paul Currer said the message, which was not read out in court, was exceptionally offensive and had racial overtones.

The district judge said he considered the matter to be very serious and adjourned sentencing until a separate, violent offence has been dealt with at the crown court.

After the judge told Neill to return for sentencing on March 30, the defendant said: Im sorry for what I said to Ivan (Toney).

Im disgusted and ashamed and want to become a better person.

Earlier, Kash Khan, defending, told the court: He is extremely remorseful, he was under the influence of a significant amount of alcohol at the time.

Khan said Neill was living away from his family at the time, bailed to an area where he did not know people, and behaved in a way he would never dream of acting.

The solicitor said Neills family had tried to extend an apology to Brentford even before the police became involved.
Albert Ian Schweitzer, accused of 1991 sexual assault, kidnapping, and murder of Dana Ireland, appears in a Hilo, Hawaii court on Monday, (2000 AP)

A Hawaiian man who spent more than 20 years in jail for rape and murder of a white woman was set free by court after an advanced DNA test proved his innocence.

Albert Ian Schweitzer, 51, was convicted in 2000 and sentenced to 130 years in prison for the rape and murder of Dana Ireland.

The 23-year-old white woman died on Christmas Eve in 1991 on the Big Island following an accident and sexual assault. The case was one of Hawaiis biggest murders and grabbed national headlines.

Mr Schweitzer was among the three people convicted in the case and the lone man still behind bars.

But New DNA evidence, according to the petition, shows a Jimmy Z brand T-shirt found near Ireland and soaked with her blood belonged to an unknown man, and not to one of the three men, as prosecutors claimed.

Additional evidence also showed that Mr Schweitzers Volkswagen Beetle car didnt leave the tire marks at either location where Ireland and her bicycle were found.

This led to his lawyers from Hawaii Innocence Project and New York Innocence Project attorneys filing a motion in court on Monday asking a judge to vacate his conviction.

On Wednesday, a judge in Honolulu court vacated the conviction on Tuesday, freeing Mr Schweitzer after over two decades in jail.

The new DNA evidence ... conclusively proves a jury would likely reach a different verdict of acquittal, Judge Peter Kubota told the court, following a daylong hearing on a motion to vacate the conviction.

That prompted applause in the Hilo courtroom and hugs for Mr Schweitzer, who was flown to the Big Island for the hearing from the Arizona prison where he was serving his sentence.

The ruling also meant that the killer of Dana Ireland remains at large.

Following the ruling, Mr Schweitzer told AP: My feelings were all over the place. Nerves, anxiety, scared.

The justice system is flawed, he said, calling himself one of many imprisoned for crimes they didnt commit. He earlier told reporters that he was grateful for the judge doing the honourable thing.

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The new evidence emerged after Mr Schweitzers attorneys and Hawaii County prosecutors entered into a conviction integrity agreement in 2019, a first such agreement in Hawaii, to re-examine the evidence in his case.

Such agreements are increasingly being used in the US to investigate questionable convictions and guard against future errors.

Ireland, 23, was riding her bike on Christmas Eve in Kapoho when she was struck by a vehicle. She was later found in the bushes of a fishing trail along Waa Waa Road, five miles from the accident scene. She was nude from the waist down, barely conscious and lost her life at the hospital from blood loss.

The slaying of the blond-haired, blue-eyed visitor from Virginia gained national attention and remained unsolved for years, putting intense pressure on the police to find the killer.

Whenever you have a white, female victim ... it gets a lot more attention than people of colour and Native Hawaiians, said Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project.

The parents, understandably, were becoming more and more infuriated. ... There was insurmountable pressure to solve this case. And when that happens, mistakes are made. Some intentional and some unintentional.

Additional reporting by agencies
MIAMI (AP)  A man suspected of being the pillowcase rapist in connection with a string of South Florida rapes back in the 1980s was convicted Wednesday in one of the attacks.

Miami-Dade County jurors found Robert Koehler, 63, guilty of sexual battery, kidnapping and burglary. He faces up to life in prison at sentencing March 17. He is also charged in six more attacks in neighboring Broward County.

The Miami-Dade case focused on a single victim, a then-25-year-old woman who was attacked in December 1983.

Authorities say the pillowcase rapist" terrified his victims by breaking into their homes at night. The attacker used a pillowcase or other fabric to cover his face  or the face of his victims  before assaulting them, tying them up and stealing items from their homes.

The assaults attracted extensive media attention in South Florida and prompted the creation of a task force to investigate the sex crimes. Authorities said the trail eventually turned cold until 2020, when a DNA hit for one of Koehler's relatives led police to the man.
Help Find Maya / Via helpfindmaya.com

A man accused of killing his wife, who disappeared from the San Diego area in January 2021, will go on trial even though no one has ever found her body.

A judge ruled on Wednesday that there is enough evidence against Larry Millete in the alleged murder of May Maya Millete for the case to go to trial. Over the 10-day preliminary hearing, witnesses testified that Maya, the 39-year-old mother of three young children with Larry, 40, was planning to leave her husband  the last call recorded on her phone was to a divorce attorney, police said  while he desperately wanted her to stay. He even purchased spells online, investigators said, asking one spellcaster to punish her and incapacitate her enough so she can't leave the house.

Larry was arrested and charged with murder on Oct. 19, 2021. The criminal case was halted in 2022 while Larry underwent a mental health evaluation, but proceedings resumed in September when he was found competent to stand trial . He has been held in jail without bond since his arrest.

Maya was born in the Philippines and grew up in Hawaii, where she met and married Larry Millete, according to a website created by her family . She worked as a civilian contract specialist for the US Navy in San Diego.

Prosecutors believe that Larry killed Maya in the evening of Jan. 7 and disposed of her body the next day. He was away from their Chula Vista, California, home for more than 11 hours on Jan. 8, and his phone was off from 6:45 a.m. to 6:34 p.m. He said he had taken his 4-year-old son to the beach , but according to weather reports from that day, it was foggy and cool. The couples two daughters, a 9-year-old and a girl about to turn 11, remained at home.

Maya was last seen on surveillance footage around 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 7, walking to her house after parking on the street, Chula Vista police Detective Jesse Vicente testified on Jan. 20. The last call recorded on her phone was to a divorce attorney, at 3:48 p.m., he said, and her last known communication was at 8:15 p.m. when she shared an ad with her family on Facebook Messenger.

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Vicente recounted an interview with a neighbor who saw the Milletes young children playing outside after 10 p.m. on Jan. 7, a cold weeknight, and which the neighbor described as very unusual. At 9:57 p.m., a neighbors security camera captured the sound of nine loud bangs, which police theorized could be gunshots. (Audio analysis, however, could not conclusively support this.) Larry owned a massive gun collection , including a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handgun that police have been unable to locate, according to court documents .

Vicente testified that Larrys Lexus was recorded on neighbors security cameras being repositioned and backing up to the garage early on the morning of Jan. 8. (He has claimed he was loading tangerines and trail mix.)

During the preliminary hearing, prosecutors played video from an argument between the couple that Maya apparently secretly recorded in October 2020, in which her husband seems to confront her about having an affair with a coworker. So thats enough for you to wish death on me, all the time? she asks her husband in the video.

Maya had a secret Instagram account that she used from September to January almost exclusively to communicate with her boyfriend, who was also married. They had broken up but still communicated up until the day she disappeared, San Diego County district attorneys office investigator Matthew Grindley testified on Monday.

Mayas sister, Maricris Drouaillet, said that Larry initially downplayed his wifes disappearance , saying she had gone hiking when she came to the house on Jan. 9 and that he didnt seem concerned that Maya missed their daughter's 11th birthday celebration the next day.

James Rhoades, an investigator for the district attorney, testified Jan. 24 about Larrys many attempts to cast spells on his wife, including one asking for a love spell to bind her to him forever and accusing her of becoming very promiscuous and selfish.

The investigator noted that Larys requests from spellcasters from September 2020 to January 2021 became increasingly desperate and violent in nature. Larry contacted numerous spellcasters in the hours before Maya was last seen with an easily noticeable sense of urgency, Rhoades said.

Im shaking inside ready to snap, he told a spellcaster in a message sent at 3:02 p.m. on the day Maya disappeared.

Larry sent no messages to spellcasters on Jan. 8. On Jan. 9, he asked a spellcaster for all hexes to be lifted on his wife  but requested that further hexes be placed on the man he believed to be Mayas boyfriend.

A trial has been set for Sept. 14.

Subscribe to our true crime newsletter, Suspicious Circumstances for more on the Millete case and to get true crime deep dives delivered straight to your inbox every week. Sign up here.

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The Philippine government has condemned the grisly murder of a pregnant overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Kuwait and has vowed to work closely with the Kuwaiti government for justice.

The charred remains of Jullebee Ranara, a 35-year-old domestic helper, were found in a desert in Kuwait on Sunday, days after her friends and family reported her missing.

According to an autopsy report cited by Philippine senators, Ranara was reportedly pregnant when she was beaten, ran over by the perpetrators car twice and burnt and left for dead in the desert.

The Philippines Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) called on Kuwaiti authorities for a fast resolution of the case and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

More from NextShark: Asian Family Targeted By Racist Former SF Tech CEO Says He Only Apologized to 'Save Face'

On Monday, Secretary Susan Ople coordinated with Ranaras family and promised them justice and all necessary support, including burial assistance and scholarships for Ranaras four children.

According to the mother, Jullebee has been complaining about her employers son, who was abusive. In fact, there was a time that he threatened her. [He] is now under the custody of the Kuwaiti police. We will reach out to the Kuwaiti government. Maybe its time to review the 2018 bilateral labor agreement so it would be similar to the bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia which has more safeguards for our workers. More from NextShark: 30 Miss Thailand Pageant Contestants Fall Into a Pond as Bridge Collapses

Migrant Workers Secretary @susanople vows justice for slain OFW Jullebee Ranaza as she consoles the mother of the murdered OFW. The 35-year old domestic worker was found dead Sunday in the desert, her body burned. Kuwaiti authorities have arrested the son of her employer. pic.twitter.com/6D937XVqUP

 Department of Migrant Workers - Philippines (@DMWPHL) January 23, 2023

More from NextShark: Fresno Mother Whose Daughter Was Killed By Street Racer Pushes for Stricter Laws

The DMW and the Department of Foreign Affairs are awaiting the official report on the incident from the Kuwaiti authorities. Ranara is the latest victim of abuse or murder while deployed in Kuwait in recent years.

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In 2018, former President Rodrigo Duterte banned the deployment of workers to Kuwait following the murder of 29-year-old Filipino domestic worker Joanna Daniela Demafelis.

Demafelis employers hid her body in a freezer at an abandoned apartment.

More from NextShark: Patsy Mink, first woman of color elected to Congress, to be honored with portrait in US Capitol

In 2019, 47-year-old OFW Constancia Lago Dayag was also murdered by her employer in Kuwait after being physically and sexually assaulted.

In 2020, it was reported that 26-year-old Jeanelyn Villavende was killed by her employer due to jealousy on Dec. 28, 2019.

The Philippine government only agreed to lift the deployment ban of Filipino migrant workers to Kuwait in February 2020 after Kuwait agreed to improve working conditions.

However, Ranaras murder may not lead to a deployment ban due to Kuwaits quick response in arresting the suspect, according to Ople.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Migrante Philippines, a grassroots global alliance of Filipino migrants organizations, called for an end to the governments labor export program.

Despite the sufferings of our countrymen, the DMW still wants to continue the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait and similar countries. Instead of selling Filipino workers abroad, the government must find a sustainable reintegration program for overseas Filipino workers.

The news of Ranaras killing comes as the DMW works to repatriate all distressed OFWs in Kuwait by the end of January this year. As of Jan. 17, the country has repatriated 142 out of 421 distressed workers.
Olympia Della Flora, left, has been appointed to be the new superintendent of Marion City Schools. The school board voted 3-2 on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, to offer her a 3-year contract. She will begin her term as superintendent on Aug. 1, 2023. She is shown seated next to interim Superintendent Steve Mazzi during Monday's meeting.

The Marion City School District board of education has appointed Olympia Della Flora to serve as its next superintendent. She is the first woman and first person of color to be named superintendent of the school district.

We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Della Flora as the next superintendent for our district, Board President Kelly Mackay said. Olympia has a vision for our district that we hope will inspire everyone to do great work for ourchildren, parents, grandparents, and other stakeholders in the Marion City Schools community. We would alsolike to thank Mr. Mazzi for the exceptional job he has done as our interim superintendent during this period oftransition.

Della Flora joined Marion City Schools as the assistant superintendent in June 2022 to replace former assistant superintendent Jennifer Lawson. The board has offered Della Flora a three-year contract that is in effect from Aug. 1, 2023, through July 31, 2026. Her salary will be $152,500.

Interim Superintendent Steve Mazzi will remain with the district during the transitional process until Della Flora's contract goes into effect in August.

The board of education voted 3-2 on Monday to approve the contract for Della Flora. Mackay, Tara Dyer and Ted McKinniss voted in favor of offering her the contract. Rocky Ratliff and Scott Weibling cast "no" votes.

"I'm excited. I'm honored to serve in this role," Della Flora said in her comments to the board. "I value and understand the importance of a strong partnership between the board and the superintendent. I look forward to building that with you over the next few years.

"I know we all have concerns and concerns are okay, but we cannot let the concerns of the past get in the way of the work that we must do now to close the learning and opportunity gaps that currently exist in Marion."

Della Flora said she is concerned about and will continue to address problems the district is facing, including chronic absenteeism, student discipline, recruitment and retention of "high quality staff," supporting teachers so that they can help students "reach or surpass academic growth and achievement goals."

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In his comments prior to the vote on Della Flora's contract, Weibling said while the board is "divided" and "polarized," its "divided discussions" have resulted in some positive developments, including "a renewed focus on discipline" and "a safe platform for the (district) staff to speak their mind publicly so their voices can be heard." Despite voting against offering Della Flora the superintendent's position, Weibling said he "will support her 100%."

"I've already reached out to her to set up face to face conversations ... so the two of us can start to work together," Weibling said. "During the interview process, she mentioned numerous initiatives that I truly believe will benefit Marion City Schools and I genuinely intend to assist her in her pursuit."

New Marion City Schools Superintendent Olympia Della Flora, right, is shown with her husband Percy Lipsey following the board of education meeting on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, at Marion Harding High School.

Ratliff stated that he believes the hiring of Della Flora is "about a political agenda taking precedence over our children's education and I, for one, will not partake."

McKinniss, Dyer, and Mackay each voiced their overwhelming support for Della Flora in comments they made prior to the vote.

"Her experience is impeccable. Her knowledge of literacy and other areas and in discipline, I like what she is bringing to the table," McKinniss said. "I've watched her for the last six months and what she has been able to accomplish with Steve (Mazzi) has been very much appreciated."

Della Flora, a Columbus native, was a teacher and principal with Columbus City Schools for many years. Prior to joining Marion City Schools, she was an associate superintendent with Stamford Public Schools in Stamford, Connecticut.

At the time Della Flora was named assistant superintendent last summer, the board of education said she fit the bill because she is passionate about supporting principals, fostering family and community engagement and addressing student discipline holistically.

Marion City Schools had to replace its superintendent and assistant superintendent within a three-month period in 2022.

Lawson resigned as assistant superintendent last May to pursue a new career with Focus 3, an Ohio-based advisory firm. An alumnus of Marion City Schools, Lawson worked for the district for nine years.

Former Superintendent Ron Iarussi resigned July 31, ending a four-year stint with the district. He noted that he was leaving to pursue other opportunities, but didn't specify what those might be at the time of his departure.

In other district office personnel action, the board of education accepted the retirement of Treasurer Veronica Reinhart. She has served as the district's chief financial officer since July 2015. Prior to joining Marion City Schools, Reinhart was the chief financial officer for Hopewell-Loudon Local Schools (2001-2015), Elmwood Local Schools (1998-2001), and Old Fort Schools (1996-98). Her retirement is effective July 31, 2023.

The full Marion City Schools board of education meeting from Jan. 23 can be viewed at HHS Telecom on YouTube.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion City Schools names Olympia Della Flora new superintendent
Parts of the MBTAs Orange and Green Lines will temporarily shut down on January 28 and 29.

The transit agency announced that it will close the Green Line between Government Center and North Station on Saturday and Sunday. The Orange Line will be shut down between Ruggles and North Station. The two-day shutdown is due to work on the Government Center Garage.

According to the Boston Globe, the T will also eliminate slow zone that were supposed to be removed from the Orange Line during the month-long shutdown.

The goal was to repair the tracks and improve travel times but with reduced trains, riders have experienced even slower wait times.

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Two men imprisoned for killing a California gas station manager are trying to get their cases overturned by arguing that Los Angeles County investigators broke the law when they had Google scour location data for millions of devices in search of potential suspects.

The appeal is part of a growing attempt by defense lawyers and privacy advocates to curtail police use of geofence warrants, an investigative tool powered by the publics reliance on phones that track their movements.

Driving the resistance is concern that the warrants give police too much discretion in deciding where to search and whose movements seem suspicious. Opponents say the warrants violate the U.S. Constitutions protections against unreasonable searches by combing through the location data of innocent Google users in search of possible suspects. They also point to cases in which geofence warrants led police to the wrong people: a bicyclist swept into a burglary investigation, a warehouse worker mistakenly charged with murder.

Its really unlimited in how they can be used, and thats what we are concerned about, said Jennifer Lynch, the surveillance litigation director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit digital rights group that filed a brief Tuesday supporting the appeal of the two men in the killing of the Los Angeles County gas station manager.

Geofence warrants, which compel Google to provide a list of devices whose location histories indicate they were near a crime scene, are used thousands of times a year by American law enforcement agencies, helping them solve murders, arsons, burglaries, sexual assaults, home invasions and many other crimes  including the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The warrants are typically sealed by a judge until after a suspect has been arrested.

Police and prosecutors say geofence warrants are legal because they are signed by judges or magistrates and are limited to circumstances when investigators have strong reason to believe they will find the culprits.

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The California challenge, filed with the states 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles, involves the March 1, 2019, shooting death of Abdalla Thabet, 38, who managed gas stations owned by his uncle, according to court documents. After he collected money from the businesses, Thabet drove to a Bank of America branch in the city of Paramount. Two cars pulled up behind him. The driver of one shot him, and the driver of the other took his backpack full of cash. Security video showed that the two suspect cars had been at locations where Thabet had collected money, according to court documents.

Unable to identify the drivers, Los Angeles County sheriffs investigators asked a judge to force Google to provide a list of devices that had been in the area of the bank and five locations Thabet visited before he was killed. That required Google to search its database of all devices running apps or software that collected location data.

The list of devices was so large that investigators asked Google to winnow it down to devices that had been at two or more of the locations. Google provided eight such devices. Two had been at four of the locations. From there, investigators identified Daniel Meza and Walter Meneses, whom they charged with the fatal attack.

The mens defense lawyers asked a judge to rule the geofence warrant unconstitutional and throw out any evidence that came from it. The judge declined. Meza pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Meneses pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 15 years to life.

Both men were allowed under state law to appeal the judges ruling on the geofence warrant. In September, they did.

The appeal accuses investigators of violating not only the Constitutions Fourth Amendment, but also Californias Electronic Communications Privacy Act. The mens lawyers argue that the geofence warrant invaded the privacy of everyone whose data was collected, including the defendants, with a search that did not have anyone specific in mind.

In all likelihood, most people have no idea such a detailed history of their comings-and-goings can be retrieved and examined by law enforcement without their ever knowing, Mezas lawyer, Sharon Fleming, wrote in a brief.

A lawyer for the state attorney generals office countered in a response: Here, law enforcement did not stop and seize random members of the public as a matter of course looking for some potential unknown crime. Rather, a search warrant was issued based upon probable cause to help identify two suspects who already committed a known crime.

Fleming and other lawyers representing the men declined to speak about the case. The attorney generals office also declined to comment. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

Lynch, of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the appeal reflects wider concerns about police investigative powers.

Geofence warrants sweep in everybody who might have been at a given location at a given time period and leave up to police to decide who to target for further investigation, she said.

Lynch noted that law enforcement agencies could use geofence warrants to monitor people involved in protests. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reportedly used geofence warrants to investigate riots and arsons after the 2020 killing of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. After the May 2020 police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, police investigating vandalism reportedly obtained a geofence warrant that scooped up data about people who gathered in the area, including some who went to protest.

If police can use these kinds of warrants whenever they want, then they will be used to target people for First Amendment-protected speech, to target people for their reproductive choices, to target people who go to gun shows, Lynch said.

A backlash has slowly gained traction in U.S. courts. Last March, a federal judge in Virginia ruled that a geofence warrant used to find a suspect in a bank robbery was unconstitutional. In September, a state court in San Francisco ruled against the use of a geofence warrant in a burglary investigation.

Brian Owsley, a former federal magistrate who teaches the Fourth Amendment at the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law, said geofence warrants are flawed because they do not specify whom they are targeting. But because police are already seeking them so frequently, it will be difficult to curb their use, he said.

The growing legal challenges could lead to a patchwork of decisions that might restrict law enforcement in some states or jurisdictions but not in others, Owsley said. Law enforcement agencies may then try workarounds, like teaming up with agencies in jurisdictions that lack restrictions.

This is a tool that law enforcement is hellbent on using, and I understand why, Owsley said. But at the end of the day there is a tension there, and Im not sure how you overcome that.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Facebook had lost billions in value since his de-platforming. The company has been swept up in a downturn that has affected most major tech companies amid a slowing economy. Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images

Donald Trump will regain access to his Facebook account in the coming weeks, Meta announced.

Axios first reported the news on Wednesday that Trump's two-year ban was coming to an end.

Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, defended the decision ahead of the 2024 election.

Former president Donald Trump's Facebook account will be restored in the next few weeks after a two-year ban, Meta announced Wednesday.

In an interview with Axios, which first reported the news, Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, said the company had decided to allow Trump to regain access to his account shortly ahead of the 2024 election cycle.

Clegg added that he hoped Trump wouldn't want to "delegitimize" the 2024 election as he did the 2020 election, should he decide to return to the platform.

"We just do not want  if he is to return to our services  for him to do what he did on January 6, which is to use our services to delegitimize the 2024 election, much as he sought to discredit the 2020 election," Clegg said. "We've always believed that Americans should be able to hear from the people who want to lead the country."

Trump, who was booted after the January 6, 2021 insurrection, would be subjected to new policies and restrictions, Clegg added.

"Like any other Facebook or Instagram user, Mr. Trump is subject to our Community Standards," Clegg said in a statement on Meta's website. "In light of his violations, he now also faces heightened penalties for repeat offenses  penalties which will apply to other public figures whose accounts are reinstated from suspensions related to civil unrest under our updated protocol."

Trump could be banned for between one month, and two years if he is to violate past or new policies, the company added.

"We may limit the distribution of such posts, and for repeated instances, may temporarily restrict access to our advertising tools," Clegg added. "This step would mean that content would remain visible on Mr. Trump's account but would not be distributed in people's Feeds, even if they follow Mr. Trump. We may also remove the reshare button from such posts, and may stop them being recommended or run as ads."

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In a post on Truth Social, the social media platform founded by Trump after his Twitter and Facebook bans, Trump weighed in on his reinstatement, writing: "FACEBOOK, which has lost Billions of Dollars in value since "deplatforming" your favorite President, me, has just announced that they are reinstating my account. Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting President, or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution! THANK YOU TO TRUTH SOCIAL FOR DOING SUCH AN INCREDIBLE JOB. YOUR GROWTH IS OUTSTANDING, AND FUTURE UNLIMITED!!!"

Meta banned Trump on January 7, 2021, one day after a pro-Trump riot stormed the U.S. Capitol building to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election.

In a Facebook post announcing the decision, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company would block his Facebook and Instagram accounts "indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete."

Months later, the company's Oversight Board, which is Facebook's independent body that rules on content moderation decisions, upheld the company's initial decision to ban Trump, and Facebook announced a decision to keep the former president suspended for at least 2 years, beginning on his initial date of suspension, January 7, 2021.

Trump lashed out at the company's decision, calling Zuckerberg and other tech leaders "sick" in an interview with Fox News that year.

He filed a lawsuit against Facebook, Twitter, and Google in 2021, claiming censorship, but it was dismissed by a California judge last year.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Sen. Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque, sits at the House Judiciary Committee, at the Capitol on Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, in Santa Fe, N.M. Democratic state Sens. Maestas and Jerry Ortiz y Pino introduced a bill Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, that would prohibit local governments and state agencies from contracting to detain immigrants in civil cases with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private detention facilities. The bill could unwind contractual agreements that help detain immigrants at three privately operated detention centers in New Mexico within close driving distance of the U.S. border with Mexico.

SANTA FE - New Mexico legislators introduced a bill Tuesday that would prohibit local governments and state agencies from contracting to detain immigrants in civil cases with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private detention facilities.

The bill could unwind contractual agreements that help detain immigrants at three privately operated detention centers in New Mexico within close driving distance of the U.S. border with Mexico.

The proposal was sponsored by Democratic state Sens. Jerry Ortiz y Pino and Moe Maestas, both of Albuquerque, with the backing of advocacy groups that are critical of U.S. policies and practices in migrant detention.

The bill resembles recently enacted legislation in New Jersey, Virginia and Illinois aimed at ending detention in civil immigration cases in local facilities.

It was unclear whether Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham supports the newly filed legislation.

Proponents of the proposed legislation include the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, Innovation Law Lab and New Mexico Dream Team.

California's 2019 ban on privately owned immigration detention facilities was rejected last year by a federal appeals court that cited interference with the federal government's authority to enforce immigration law.

In New Mexico, private companies operate the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan and the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral under service agreements with county governments and ICE.

New Mexico State Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino testifies during a hearing for former Sen. Phil Griego in District Court on July 5, 2016, in Albuquerque, N.M. Democratic state Sens. Ortiz y Pino and Moe Maestas introduced a bill Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, that would prohibit local governments and state agencies from contracting to detain immigrants in civil cases with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private detention facilities. The bill could unwind contractual agreements that help detain immigrants at three privately operated detention centers in New Mexico within close driving distance of the U.S. border with Mexico.

The Torrance County Detention Facility, privately operated by CoreCivic, was the focus of a scathing inspection report after an unannounced visit in early 2022 by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General, which found unsafe and unsanitary conditions and recommended the relocation of detained migrants.

The findings were disputed by CoreCivic and ICE. A follow-up inspection by the inspector general showed compliance with 10 of its 14 recommendations.

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U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan last year urged the federal government to terminate its contract at Torrance County with CoreCivic.

Morgan Lee is a reporter for the Associated Press.

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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico bill would ban contracts for migration detention
Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon delivers a State of the Judiciary speech to a joint session of the New Mexico Legislature in Santa Fe, N.M., on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Bacon urged legislators to be cautious and remember the principle of innocence until proven guilty as they consider toughening the state's bail laws in response to violent crime.

SANTA FE - New Mexico's top judicial official urged state legislators Tuesday to be cautious and remember the principle of innocence until proven guilty as they consider toughening the state's bail laws in response to violent crime.

Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon delivered a State of the Judiciary speech to a joint session of the New Mexico Legislature  the first in several years. She outlined efforts to streamline court procedures to keep law enforcement officers in communities and on the streets, as lawmakers grapple with public frustration over violent crime, including a record-setting spate of homicides in Albuquerque.

She also recalled advances in public safety that came with New Mexico's overhaul of its pretrial detention system, starting in 2017, to eliminate money-bail and ensure dangerous individuals can be jailed pending trial.

"With the elimination of money-bail, judges now have the ability to assess dangerousness, something they could not do before," Bacon said. In Albuquerque and "Bernalillo County, this has resulted in the detention of over 3,000 defendants pending trial. Something that could not happen before."

Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon delivers a State of the Judiciary speech to a joint session of the New Mexico Legislature in Santa Fe, N.M., on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Bacon urged legislators to be cautious and remember the principle of innocence until proven guilty as they consider toughening the state's bail laws in response to violent crime.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and some legislators from both political parties have voiced support for changes that would make it easier to keep certain criminal defendants in jail while awaiting trial. Currently, people charged with a felony can be held without bond only if prosecutors can persuade a judge that no conditions of release would protect the public, or that a defendant is unlikely to appear in court.

An unsuccessful bill last year would have created a presumption that defendants should be held if they are charged with a serious violent offense, such as crimes involving a firearm.

But Bacon also cautioned against rash changes to the state bail system, invoking the wrongful 2019 detention of a 17-year-old high school student in a case of mistaken identity that was dismissed after efforts by prosecutors to deny pre-trial release.

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"We must remember why our Constitution protects the rights of every person, including those accused of crime," Bacon said.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth says he doesn't support a major expansion of pretrial detentions.

"I do think there's a number of things on the crime front we need to do," Wirth told The Associated Press. "I don't support adding new presumptions that I think would result in thousands of people being held that don't need to be held."

Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon, center, holding water bottle, enters the Legislature to deliver a State of the Judiciary speech in Santa Fe, N.M., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Bacon urged legislators to be cautious and remember the principle of innocence until proven guilty as they consider toughening the state's bail laws in response to violent crime.

Democratic state Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil of Albuquerque introduced a bill that would modestly change the way judges assess a defendant's risk to the community.

Republicans in the legislative minority are proposing a constitutional amendment that would expand possible pre-trial detention without bail to crimes beyond felonies. Another GOP-sponsored bill would revive money bail in limited instances and prohibit state courts from relying on analytic tools to judge the risk of a defendant fleeing justice.

Morgan Lee is a reporter for the Associated Press.

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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico chief justice urges caution with bail law reform
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos president said Monday his country wants to recover a big chunk of money from former Mexican security official Genaro Garcia Luna, who is on trial in New York.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his government wants to recover $700 million that Garcia Luna allegedly accumulated as a result of corruption.

Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico has filed a lawsuit in Florida, where Garcia Luna lived after leaving Mexico.

Formerly the countrys top security officer, Garcia Luna is on trial in New York, accused of accepting briefcases full of cash  millions of dollars, in all  to let the notorious Sinaloa cartel operate with impunity as it sent tons of cocaine to the U.S.

He served as secretary of public security to then-President Felipe Calderon from 2006 to 2012. His lawyers say he was a legitimate businessman who did consulting in Florida before he was arrested in 2019.

Lopez Obrador has long complained that when corrupt politicians and drug traffickers are convicted in the United States, the U.S. seizes and keeps their fortunes, which were often largely made in Mexico.
LONDON (AP)  Microsoft said it's seeing some improvement to problems with its online services including the Teams messaging platform and Outlook email system after users around the world reported outages Wednesday.

In a status update, the tech company reported service degradation for a number of its Microsoft 365 services.

Thousands of users reported problems with Teams, Outlook, the Azure cloud computing service and XBox Live online gaming service early Wednesday on the Downdetector website, which tracks outage reports. Many users also took to social media to complain that services were down.

By later in the morning, Downdetector showed the number of reports had dropped considerably.

Were continuing to monitor the recovery across the service and some customers are reporting mitigation," the Microsoft 365 Status Twitter account said. Were also connecting the service to additional infrastructure to expedite the recovery process."

It tweeted earlier that it had isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue" and that a network change suspected to be causing the problem was rolled back.

It comes after Microsoft reported Tuesday that its quarterly profit fell 12%, reflecting economic uncertainty that the company said led to its decision this month to cut 10,000 workers.
Multiple Microsoft 365 services went down for thousands of users around the world, prompting the tech giant to investigate the incident affecting several of its products. In an announcement about the outage posted in the early morning (ET time) of January 25th, the company said users were unable to access its services, including Microsoft Teams, Exchange Online, Outlook, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Microsoft Graph, PowerBi and Microsoft 365 Admin Center. The tech giant admitted that the outage might not be limited to those products, however, and true enough, over a thousand users also reported having problems with accessing Xbox Live on Down Detector.

In an update to its announcement, Microsoft said it "isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue." The company added that it had to plan its next troubleshooting steps carefully and analyze "the best mitigation strategy" in order to come up with a solution that wouldn't cause any additional impact. By 4:26AM ET, Microsoft tweeted that it "rolled back a network change" that it believed was causing the outage and that it was monitoring its services as they start coming back online.
Two students at a middle school in Lexington were charged with making threats to multiple classmates, the Lexington County Sheriffs Department said Tuesday.

The Carolina Springs Middle School students who were charged are not being publicly identified because they are under 18 years old.

Both were charged with making direct threats against students at their school, the sheriffs department said in a news release. Carolina Springs is a Lexington 1 school on Platt Springs Road, about 2 miles from White Knoll High School.

The students who were charged used an app to create a fake telephone number to text threats to multiple students, according to the release.

No injuries were reported.

Specific information about the threats was not available, and there was no word if the students had weapons, were considered dangerous, or if the school was placed on lockdown or another safety protocol.

After being charged, the students were released to the custody of their parents and will appear in Lexington County Family Court at a later date, the sheriffs department said.

There was no word if the students are facing any discipline from the school district, in addition to the criminal charge.
The family of a missing Sacramento-area teenager has obtained text messages showing she was planning to meet her boyfriend the night she disappeared.

Nykari Johnson, 16, has been missing since Dec. 28. Her family is gathering support from family and community organizations as they search for the young woman.

Her mother, Tiearrar Subia, this week shared the text messages during a news conference with the community group Voice of the Youth.

When Subia asked the young man about the messages, she was told that they never met up.

Sacramento Sheriffs Department spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi said all investigative leads have been exhausted regarding the case.

We cannot provide any further steps for the family, said Gandhi. If the community has more information they would like to bring forward, please submit them online at sacsheriff.com, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or they can call us at 916-874-5115.

Berry Accius, founder of Voice of the Youth, joined Johnsons family at the news conference Monday. He urged police and other organizations to escalate their search for Johnson.

We all need to be held accountable for how we react in moments like this, said Accius. There should be no way that a young girl, a 16-year-old Black girl, after a month should (still) be missing and no one knows anything.

What we know so far

After playing Twister and listening to music, according to Subia and family members, Johnson spent time with her cousins on the night of Dec. 27.

According to text messages shared with The Sacramento Bee, Johnson and the young man made plans to meet up shortly after midnight on Dec. 28.

She told him that she would leave her phone at home with her cousin.

The last message she sent before her disappearance was telling her boyfriend that she was leaving now at 12:13 a.m.

Alright baby, be safe, he replied.

Johnsons cousin took the phone and communicated with the young man in subsequent messages. They cut off communication that night as Johnsons cousin grew concerned about Johnsons whereabouts. Her family has been searching for her ever since then.
Jan. 24The Missouri Department of Economic Development has awarded $30 million to help companies address workforce shortages by recruiting and training employees.

The funds were awarded through the American Rescue Plan Act's Workforce Training Grant Program. They are competitive grants to train workers for a variety of industries, including child care, health care, broadband deployment and manufacturing.

"This program is going to help employers in critical industries find the workers they need to propel our economy forward," said Maggie Kost, acting director of the Department of Economic Development, in a statement. "At the same time, it will equip real people with job skills that improve their lives, provide for their families and benefit their communities."

Companies receiving grants that will provide assistance in Southwest Missouri are:

BioSTL, $2.08 million to train a biotechnology and biomanufacturing workforce for the health care industry. Area counties served: Jasper, Newton, Barry, Lawrence, Barton, Vernon and McDonald.

Codefi Foundation on Rural Innovation, $1.45 million to train workers in computer programming, codes, languages and framework. Area counties served: Jasper, Newton, McDonald, Lawrence, Barry, Barton and Vernon.

Community College District of Central Southwest Missouri, $1.34 million to train workers in plumbing. Area counties served: Lawrence.

Freeman-Oak Hill Health System, $1.78 million to train workers as certified medical assistants, emergency medical technicians, rural primary care providers and more. Area counties served: Jasper, Newton, McDonald, Vernon, Barton, Barry and Lawrence.

Meet the Need Inc., $2.54 million to train workers in shipyard welding, driving and computer coding. Area counties served: Jasper, Newton, Barry and Lawrence.

Missouri Incutech Foundation, $1.57 million to train workers for warehouse, manufacturing and supply chain jobs. Area counties served: Barry and Barton.

Practical POCAS LLC, $2.99 million to train workers in point-of-care ultrasound. Area counties served: Jasper, Newton, Vernon, Barton, Lawrence, Barry and McDonald.
A model has earned praise for her iconic multitasking capabilities after sharing a photo of herself breastfeeding backstage during the Schiaparelli fashion show.

Maggie Maurer walked the runway during the Schiaparelli Spring/Summer 2023 couture show in Paris this week. During the show, the model and mother-of-one modelled an ankle-length dress, while her face and glasses were completely covered with metallic gold face paint applied by celebrity makeup artist Pat McGrath.

The over-the-top makeup didnt prevent Maurer from fulfilling her parenting duties, however, as the model shared a photo of herself taken backstage, in which she could be seen breastfeeding her newborn Nora-Jane.

In the photo, which Maurer shared to Instagram, she could be seen wearing the full face of gold makeup and a white robe as she fed her newborn in her lap. To prevent the makeup from transferring, Maurer wore a plastic covering around her neck and shoulders.

#BTS [behind the scenes] #Mommy, Maurer captioned the photo, which has since been liked more than 12,900 times.

The photo prompted an outpouring of praise from Maurers followers and peers, with one person writing: Best photo from the entire day.

Youre simply ICONIC, another person wrote, while someone else commented: This is amazing. Youre amazing.

This is the only thing that matters, celebrity chef Sophie Roe added.

This is not the first time that Maurer has celebrated her role as a mother while modelling, as she previously walked the runway during Nensi Dojakas Autumn/Winter 2022 show while pregnant with her daughter.

Maurers post comes after Schiaparellis show sparked a debate over the use of faux-taxidermy on the catwalk. The Italian fashion houses latest collection, which was inspired by Dantes Inferno, featured dresses adorned with the lifelike busts of a lion, snow leopard and wolf.

The controversial collection sparked a debate on social media, where some accused the brand of encouraging trophy hunting.

However, on Schiaparellis Instagram, where it shared photos from the fashion show, it noted that no animals were harmed in making this look.
Watch: Minister left speechless over foodbank queue

A Tory minister was left speechless on Tuesday after a Labour MP challenged him over widespread use of foodbanks amid the soaring cost of food in the UK

Mark Spencer, minister for food, farming and fisheries, claimed consumers could bring down high prices in stores by adopting a "herd mentality".

"I think the UK consumer is savvy enough to continue to shop around and to make sure the marketplace drives those costs down," he said.

However, he was challenged by senior Labour MP Barry Gardiner who suggested the government needed to do more to help those struggling to afford groceries.

"It seems to me, minster, you're putting the responsibility - the blame, in effect - on the consumer instead of on the retailer here," said Gardiner.

He then shared a story from his constituency, telling Spencer: "I drove down Ealing Road in my constituency on Saturday morning, the queue for the food bank was over a quarter of a mile,"

"Those people don't feel that they have power, they feel that they are the victims of a system that doesn't take their right to eat seriously."

Spencer, temporarily lost for words, subsequently responded: "I mean, that is a statement, not a question."

The exchange came as the cost of living crisis continues to deepen, with economists warning the average household's disposable income is set to fall by 4.3% this year as the UK faces its biggest drop in living standards on record.

According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), food inflation hit 16.8% in the 12 months to December.

And on Sunday, Tesco boss John Allan said food firms may be rising prices unnecessarily.

"We do try very hard to challenge [price hikes], I think," Allan told the BBC.

"We have a team who can look at the composition of food, costs of commodities, and work out whether or not these cost increases are legitimate."

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Read more: Poorest in UK have 40 a month less to spare than a year ago, study finds

Labour MP Barry Gardiner said he witnessed a queue in his consituency that was a quarter of a mile long. (parliamentlive.tv)

Read more: Archbishops call for tax rises to help fix 'unethical' social care crisis

Last week, leading public health expert Professor Sir Michael Marmot said the cost of living crisis in the UK was a human catastrophe.

He told LBCs Tonight with Andrew Marr programme: One in four households with children were in food insecurity, that means missing meals, not eating when youre hungry, that will damage health, living in cold homes that will damage health, the stress of the struggle to try and make ends meet will damage health.

It will damage physical health, and it will damage mental health. So, the cost-of-living crisis is indeed a humanitarian catastrophe.

Watch: Food firms raising prices unnecessarily, Tesco's John Allan says
BERLIN (Reuters) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expects the alliance's member states to raise their current spending target on defence of 2% of national output when they meet for a summit in Vilnius in July, he told German newspaper Die Welt.

"I assume that there will be a new target for defence spending when we meet for the NATO summit in Vilnius in July this year," Stoltenberg told Welt.

"The two percent target was initially for a decade, so until 2024, so we have to update it now."

Stoltenberg said he could not yet say what the member states would agree on. "But I assume that it will be a more ambitious target than before, because everybody sees that we need to invest more," he added.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, many allies have increased their military spending.

(Writing by Paul Carrel, editing by Kirsti Knolle)
An iceberg almost the size of Greater London has broken free from an ice shelf and is floating away from Antarctica.

A crack known as Chasm-1, which has been developing naturally over the last few years across the Brunt Ice Shelf, extended northwards, severing the west part of the ice shelf on Sunday during a spring tide, the British Antarctic Survey said in a statement.

Scientists say the impact of this new huge iceberg, around 600-square-miles in size and 490 feet thick, is unpredictable.

The break off is the second major calving from this complex glaciological structure in the last two years. In February 2021, another giant iceberg, around 490-square-miles, broke off from the northern section of Brunt.

The left image was taken on the January 20, 2023, and the right on January 24, 2023

Scientists at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) who monitor the behavior of the ice shelf  the part of a land-based ice sheet that floats on the ocean  first observed this crack extending in 2012 after having been dormant for some decades, according to the European Space Agency.

The BAS Halley Research Station, which relocated 14 miles inland of Chasm-1 a few years ago after it began to widen, was unaffected by the recent break off. With six Halley research stations on the Brunt Ice Shelf since 1956  the calving event, although unexpected time-wise, has long been anticipated.

GPS instruments surrounding the station take multiple daily measurements of the ice shelf and researchers' observations provide key information on atmospheric and space weather in a climate-sensitive zone.

Unlike the Larsen C Ice Shelf  which had extensive surface meltwater at the time of its collapse in 2017  there is no evidence that climate change played a significant role in the changes with the Brunt Ice Shelf. When ice shelves like Larsen C are lost, it allows land-based ice to flow into the ocean more quickly, contributing to sea-level rise.

Fact check: Greenhouse gases are a driving factor in global warming, contrary to post

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This calving event has been expected and is part of the natural behavior of the Brunt Ice Shelf, Glaciologist Dominic Hodgson said. It is not linked to climate change.

When an iceberg breaks from an ice shelf, an adjustment in the flow of ice into the ice shelf follows, which may influence the behavior of other cracks in the area and contribute to destabilization of the Brunt Ice Shelf over time.

Camille Fine is a trending visual producer on USA TODAY's NOW team.

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: London-sized iceberg breaking off Antarctica 'natural' scientists say
By Dawn Chmielewski, Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Milana Vinn

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Large shareholders in News Corp on Wednesday applauded Rupert Murdoch's decision to withdraw a proposal to reunite the owner of Dow Jones and Fox Corp, as News Corp decided to pursue a sale of Move Inc instead.

News Corp is in talks to sell Move, which operates the Realtor.com website, to CoStar Group, the company said on Tuesday confirming an earlier Reuters report.

On Wednesday afternoon, News Corp shares were up over 5%, paring some earlier gains, as shareholders hailed the decision to abandon the deal with Fox to instead pursue the sale of Move at a significant premium to what News Corp first paid for the company it bought in 2014.

News Corp bought Move for about $1 billion in 2014. It is in talks to sell the stake in Move for more than $3 billion, Reuters has reported.

Since the move to renuite Fox and News Corp was first announced in October last year, a number of large shareholders on both sides had opposed the deal.

T. Rowe Price, the biggest investor in News Corp with a roughly 12% stake, had previously expressed concerns that the deal would undervalue News Corp. On Wednesday, portfolio manager Vincent DeAugustino cheered News Corp's decision to scrap the deal.

"We applaud the decision to forgo such a transaction as News Corp considers other options to unlock value," he said in a statement.

On Tuesday, activist investment firm Irenic Capital, which had also opposed the proposed reunion of Fox and News Corp, applauded the decision to not move forward.

Cowen & Co's Doug Creutz said investors were pleased by the decision to walk away from a potential combination, saying that pressure from investors like T Rowe Price weighed on the Murdoch's decision to pursue the deal.

A rally in News Corp shares in recent weeks meant Fox would have had to pay a significant premium for the merger to be agreed, something that the Murdochs did not believe they could justify to shareholders. Fox shares were up about 2% on Wednesday.

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While News Corp's decision to sell Move has been positively received, questions now remain on the future of the company's non-media assets, which include its stake in Australian real estate company REA Group Ltd.

"The other big question is  does News Corp give their shareholders their pro-rata shares of REA in addition to selling Move? That would clean out the real estate holdings of the company and simplify the structure of News Corp, which is greatly needed as the company is overly complicated," said Craig Huber, media analyst at Huber Research.

(Reporting by Milana Vinn and Svea Herbst-Bayliss in New York and Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Writing by Anirban Sen; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Isla Bryson - Mike Gibbons

Nicola Sturgeons government has refused to order that a male-bodied rapist be removed from a female jail, after insisting the rights of the sex offender had been properly considered.

Keith Brown, the Justice Secretary, insisted that he trusted the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to make correct decisions about where transgender prisoners should be housed after Isla Bryson was sent to Cornton Vale womens jail after being found guilty of rape.

The 31-year-old, who is awaiting sentencing, was previously known as Adam Graham and transitioned after being accused of the sex attacks.

There has been an outcry after the SPS opted to take the prisoner to the womens jail in Stirling, rather than a male facility, where it is understood Bryson is being held in a segregated unit away from other inmates.

On Wednesday, Downing Street expressed concerns about Bryson being held in a womens jail.

David Blunkett, the former Labour Home Secretary, claimed Bryson being held in a female facility was simply not acceptable.

At Holyrood, Mr Brown was told that under prison rules, he could resolve the issue with the stroke of a pen or with one phone call by directing jail chiefs to send Bryson to a male prison.

Bryson - Mike Gibbons

However, he insisted that he would not do so, claiming he trusted the SPS to deal with the situation properly and describing its record for managing trans prisoners as exemplary.

He said that under SPS policy, detailed risk assessments were carried out before deciding where to place trans prisoners, which took into account the safety of the trans inmate as well as fellow prisoners.

Its a rights-based approach and its one which assesses the risks which are involved. Im content with the process thats there just now. I think theyve got a tremendous track record.

It is understood that there was a presumption that Bryson would be sent initially to Cornton Vale as the rapist had been addressed as a woman during the trial.

Jurors were informed that Adam Graham was the defendants dead name.

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Further meetings will be held to determine whether Bryson should be moved ahead of sentencing, with SPS discussions expected to be held on Wednesday.

The row comes amid a heated debate in Scotland about trans rights after the UK Government stepped in to block a law that would have allowed Scots to change their legal sex by signing a declaration.

Amendments designed to stop convicted sex offenders from changing their sex under the system, or to stop those accused of rape from altering their legal sex before trial, were voted down by SNP, Green and LibDem politicians.

David Blunkett just now on #PoliticsLive

This is just not acceptable re the two time male rapist being sent to a womens jail: pic.twitter.com/bTmdrBAvvK  teresa smith (@treesey) January 25, 2023

Some supporters of the legislation denounced the attempts as transphobic dog whistles.

However, Russell Findlay, the Tory MSP, said the Bryson case had highlighted fundamental flaws in the blocked legislation.

He added: Its entirely inappropriate, unacceptable and wrong for this vile rapist to be housed in a female prison, which is bound to contain women who have been victims of male violence, sexual violence and abuse.

Mr Brown insisted that the legislation made no difference to the SPS policy for housing trans prisoners, which was not dependent on possession of a gender recognition certificate (GRC).

However, SPS bosses have previously said that possession of a GRC is a factor they take into account when deciding where to send prisoners. They have acknowledged they could be vulnerable to legal action should they refuse to house an inmate in line with their legal sex.

Bryson does not have a GRC but it would have been far easier to acquire one had the proposed SNP system been in force.

The author JK Rowling backed calls for Ms Sturgeon to personally be quizzed over the Bryson case and mocked the First Minister on social media.

Imagining a question Ms Sturgeon, in an image of her staring intently into a young childs eyes, might have been asking, the Harry Potter author tweeted:

Do you agree that a convicted double rapist who decided he was a woman after appearing in court belongs in a womens prison, or are you a nasty, far right bigot? https://t.co/yvWmTBwy7H  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 25, 2023

Bryson is due to be sentenced next month and is facing a long prison sentence. It was claimed during the trial that the rapist had known about their trans status at age four. However, they began to be known as Isla after the rape charges.

Bryson was found guilty of raping one woman in Clydebank in 2016 and another in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019.

The Prime Ministers spokesman said on Wednesday: This is a case in which the courts are yet to hand down a sentence so Im not going to give anything on the specifics. Ive seen the reporting and understand the concerns.

Asked about the general policy, he added: The UK has a policy which sees the prison service in England and Wales manage transgender prisoners on a case-by-case basis and transgender women must go through a robust risk assessment which factors in their offending history and anatomy before they can be moved to a womens prison.
Jan. 25Hammond wrestling has a simple mentality in every match: score the next point.

Whether ahead by a sizable margin or in a neck-and-neck match, all that matters is that next point. That mentality was on display in Tuesday night's tri-meet as Hammond first defeated Mt. Hebron before fighting from behind to defeat Reservoir in the final dual of the night.

"We preach to the kids no matter what the score is of the match or the dual meet, we wrestle the same way each time," Hammond assistant coach TJ Guidice said. "That's all it was, just keeping our mentality on scoring the next point."

Both Hammond and Reservoir dominated Mt. Hebron in their opening matches, winning 60-20 and 55-20, respectively. However, the final dual of the evening featured fluctuations of emotion throughout. It ultimately came down to the 113-pound bout between Reservoir's Jack Nataro and Hammond's Jeffrey Acheampong.

Acheampong entered the match with some nerves but left no doubt. He quickly established good positioning, pinning Nataro in less than 45 seconds. That marked his second pin of the evening, as the Golden Bears threw their hands high in the air in celebration, closing out a nail-biting 39-31 victory.

"Hammond wrestling, we have a culture that's centered around team and community," Acheampong said. "When we go into duals, I hear my teammates cheering me on and that makes me feel better knowing they have my back."

Reservoir jumped out of the gates quickly against the Golden Bears. The Gators won four of the opening six bouts highlighted by pins from Andrew Dolezel (120) and Sebastian Meza (132). Olav Jensen (138) and TJ Thompson (152) also earned victories by decision and major decision, respectively. All four wrestlers won both of their matches Tuesday.

Then it was Hammond's turn to respond. Jonathan Neypes (160) pinned Noah Byrum for his second victory of the night, bringing the Golden Bears within 19-12. Then it was Charlie Berry's turn to maintain the momentum. Berry lost his first bout of the evening but didn't allow that to damage his confidence.

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Scoreless entering the second period, Berry executed a quick takedown on Demetrius Battle to take a 2-0 lead. He pinned Battle less than a minute later and the Golden Bears bench smacked their chairs in excitement.

"After my first match I was really ready to go," Berry said. "I needed to get in the mindset, I need this win for myself and for my team. I knew that it was going to be a tough match for me going into it. I wanted to stay heavy the first period and the second period just get him off balance. I could tell that it flipped the momentum. We were going neck-and-neck for a lot of the matches. So, when I got that pin, I think the team realized that we were going to continue pushing and finish the match strong."

Jinan Khan (182) gave Hammond its first lead in the ensuing match after pinning Justin Tallon. However, the pendulum of momentum continued to swing.

Reservoir's Jose Vasquez (195) fell behind Desmond Baker early but rallied to earn a pin, giving the Gators the lead back, erupting both the bench and home crowd. The excitement was just beginning.

The Gators trailed by five after forfeiting the 220-pound match and sent Max Addico to face the Golden Bears' Raynard Kanu in the heavyweight bout. The match started out slowly but quickly picked up. Kanu established an early advantage, but Addico responded. In a back-and-forth third period, Kanu fought off a late escape attempt from Addico to preserve a nail-biting 5-4 victory.

His victory pushed Hammond's lead to eight with two matches remaining. The Gators still had hope after Aaron Aquino (106) pinned Leandro Saavedro, but Acheampong's pin dashed Reservoir's hopes of completing the comeback.

"To pick your spots on some level, giving up an escape instead of a reversal at one point in the match could be the difference between you winning and losing," Reservoir coach Andrew McIntyre said of what his team can learn from the tight matches. "Sometimes it's OK to sacrifice here to get it back a little later. That's what we talked about in the locker room. Six minutes is a long time, there's a lot of time to score that you don't have to win every match in one move, win every match right now."
U.S. Post Office on West Frederick Street in Staunton.

STAUNTON  Wednesday, a Staunton resident wrote a post on Facebook that she had not gotten her mail since the 11th of January.

"This is not the first time," she wrote on the post, which has since been taken down. "I went to the post office on Friday, and they told me they have no carrier for my area. I get copies in my email of the mail I'm to get each day. I had mail that was time sensitive, my water bill, and one piece of mail that had a check in it."

She then asked the Facebook community if anyone else was having an issue with their mail.

"If anyone has a suggestion for what to do next, I'd appreciate it," she wrote.

Several people commented. Many had similar frustrations with not getting their mail, or living in rural areas with no carriers and issues with the post office hiring but not getting those employees trained and working routes in a timely manner. People were clearly frustrated.

When The News Leader saw the post, we emailed a media contact at the post office. Without mentioning the person's name, we asked what they were doing to address the lack of carriers servicing Barterbrook Road. We did mention a resident not receiving mail since Jan. 11.

We had also seen comments about residents in Fishersville and Mt. Crawford having issues, so we asked about those areas as well. We asked what they were doing to hire more people. Then we asked if they could tell us what people can do (that works) to get help when they don't receive their mail.

Have you had issues in your area with postal delivery? Or, have you had a great experience with USPS you want to share? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at localnews@newsleader.com.

A United States Postal Service mail carrier has to walk through snow covering a sidewalk while making mail delivers along South New Street in downtown Staunton on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015.

Here is the post office's response:

"Most post offices are adequately staffed and delivery routes are covered in the area," emailed Philip Bogenberger, media contact for the post office. "We have contingency plans when employees are on leave."

"Still, staffing challenges can arise, which has resulted in brief periods of sporadic mail delivery on a few routes," he said. "Customers with questions about their delivery should contact their local Post Office or call 1-800-ASK-USPS. We thank customers for their understanding and continued support."

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And the questions about staffing...

"The Postal Service is continually hiring for full-time and part-time positions, especially in growing communities," Bogenberger said. "The Postal Service offers employees competitive pay, great benefits, on-the-job training and advancement opportunities. Interested candidates can search open positions and apply at www.usps.com/careers. The site is regularly updated."

Nothing about how to help residents living on Barterbrook Road or in Fishersville and Mt. Crawford.

When we checked the woman's Facebook this morning, the post was gone. Her timeline is now locked down.

The post office is looking to hire mail carriers. Bogenberger is right about that.

In November, a person posted publicly on Facebook that the post office was looking for part-time, weekend help in rural areas in Fishersville. People asked about the job and pay and if part-time would lead to full-time or if part-time really means full-time hours. One person commented that she applied, filled out the paperwork and took a drug test months ago and never heard back.

Read what happens next: Residents talk post office problems, defend carriers

More: 'American Pickers' returning to Virginia and is looking for antiques

Reporter Monique Calello can be reached at mcalello@newsleader.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com and support local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: No carrier, no mail: Post Office blues hit the area
As it does every year, San Francisco senior services agency Self-Help for the Elderly is marking the Lunar New Year by offering its mostly Asian American clients good tidings, special pastries and traditional red envelopes bearing wishes of good health, peace and prosperity.

But this year's mood has been marred by Saturdays massacre in Monterey Park, a predominantly Asian American community near Los Angeles where 11 older people  ranging from 57 to 76 years old  were fatally shot at a dance ballroom. Anni Chung, the organization's CEO, said she is worried about the shooting's mental and emotional effects on her seniors.

Like everyone else, theyre glued to any sort of news on the massacres, and that in itself is not healthy, she said. I worry that if they dont take themselves away that it's all going to sink in, and they will get very sad and very scared.

In the wake of the tragedy and several years of collective trauma endured by the Asian American community, Chung and other advocates said they are worried that recent mass shootings and attacks are creating mental health trauma for many Asian Americans. And they fear many people most in need either won't pursue help or won't be able to access proper care.

Inez Arakaki and her son Zachary pray after bringing flowers to a makeshift memorial in front of the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., on Monday where 11 people were fatally shot two days earlier as they celebrated Lunar New Year just east of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley.

Many Asian Americans grapple with mental health woes

Saturday's rampage took place as Monterey Park was marking its first Lunar New Year celebration since before the pandemic. Then a second mass shooting Monday left seven people dead in Half Moon Bay, California, further exacerbating the trauma. The victims were identified as Latino and Asian American farm workers.

On Twitter, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., wondered whether a better mental health services system could have prevented the violence.

We dont know motives yet, but I wonder how things couldve been different had there been a strong mental health and social service network, Meng wrote. Yes, its about gun safety laws, yes, its about stopping Asian hate, but also a generation of #AAPI elders with a life of unaddressed trauma.

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Charissa Cheah, a professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, said research shows that mental well-being can be damaged by both acts of violence personally experienced or those vicariously experienced through media or otherwise. With both having risen in recent years for Asian Americans, the communitys collective mental health has suffered, she said.

Stop AAPI Hate, a San Francisco-based organization formed during the COVID-19 pandemic to combat and gather data about rising anti-Asian hate, has tallied more than 11,000 reports of anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander hate incidents since it began tracking such data in March 2020.

The violence affecting the community has included six Asian women killed in Atlanta spa attacks in March 2021 and four Sikhs killed with four other victims in a mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility in April 2021, as well as a series of viral videos showing Asian seniors being assaulted without cause on city streets.

Asian Americans unlikely to seek mental health care

Compared to Americans of other racial and ethnic backgrounds, Asian Americans are least likely to get mental health treatment and three times less likely than their white counterparts, according to a 2015 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Reasons include language issues, a lack of culturally relevant and integrated care, cultural stigmas attached to seeking mental health assistance, cost and other systemic barriers. More than half of Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders 65 and older have limited English proficiency, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and community members are less likely to seek care out of fears of what neighbors might think or of bringing shame to their parents.

The stigma against mental health, high financial costs and a shortage of mental health professionals with language and cultural expertise are just some of the many barriers to accessing mental health care, Cheah said. These barriers were present before the pandemic but the need for such services, and the workload for mental health providers, have increased exponentially.

Children joined a protest against anti-Asian violence on April 04, 2021, in New York City. Nearly 3,000 demonstrators, including activists, residents and local politicians, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Language barriers can stop Asian Americans from getting medical services

Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance, an advocacy agency based in Los Angeles, said the stigma among Asian Americans surrounding mental health care echoes attitudes felt more broadly across the general population.

"More than stigma, there are issues around accessibility," Kulkarni said. "Most health care plans have minimal coverage for mental health services, and sometimes they farm them out to other entities. For those who are limited English-speaking, how do they navigate that and the lack of culturally literate providers?"

Kulkarni, who also teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles, said students had told her that campus counseling services featured few, if any, Asian American therapists.

"They're all older white women, and while they may have a strong understanding of cognitive behavioral therapy, they have a very limited understanding of the issues students brought to them," Kulkarni said. "If you have thousands of solely white providers who speak only English, that's the barrier I'm worried about."

Some Asian Americans fear they are being targeted

At Self-Help for the Elderly, Chung said some of her clients had expressed fears of what they see as a gun-happy society and the societal pressures affecting those in their community. The organization has 10 senior centers throughout the California Bay Area.

"In general, our elderly are scared of anyone attacking them unprovoked," she said. "They feel they have not harmed anybody  so why are they being beaten up, stabbed and murdered?

Justin Zhu, co-founder and executive director of Stand with Asian Americans, speaks at a rally in response to Asian elder violence in San Francisco.

Over time, she said, such fears and self-imposed isolation can lead to depression and loss of appetite.

Thats a real worry, she said. The lucky ones have senior centers or clubs, but those who might be handicapped or too frail, or who have no support from family, are isolated. If they dont reach out and arent associated with an existing program, its hard for us to know who and where they are.

Mass shootings create feelings of trauma

Anne Saw, an associate professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, said when news of the Monterey Park shooting first broke, many in the community worried it was yet another act of anti-Asian racism.

That speaks to its pervasiveness, when the first thought is, It must be this, she said.

The gunman, identified as Huu Can Tran, 72, was found Sunday in a white van, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Discovering that the perpetrator was Vietnamese American offered little comfort.

A mass shooting is a traumatic event whether its racially motivated or not, Saw said.

Asian American gunmen targeted community members

In a way, the fact that the suspect was Asian American was more unsettling, said Kulkarni, whose agency compiled a list of mental health and other resources available to the community after the Monterey Park shootings. While the crime wasnt anti-Asian in the traditional sense, it still targeted community members; the perpetrator knew it was Lunar New Year and knew that hundreds of people would be out.

Before, the threats felt like they were coming from the outside," she said. "Now they feel like theyre coming from inside.

In the Half Moon Bay attacks, the shooter was also Asian American. Chunli Zhao, 67, was taken into custody as the suspect in that crime.

'No safe spaces' for Asian Americans

Richelle Concepcion, past president of the Asian American Psychological Association, said there is a growing belief in some Asian American communities "that there are truly no safe spaces for our communities, she said. Places that used to be sources of joy are now associated with immense grief."

Hundreds of people gather in Atlanta on March 20, 2021, to protest the killing of eight people, six of them Asian, in Atlanta area massage businesses shootings on March 16 of that year.

Stop AAPI Hate issued a statement in the wake of the shootings saying the incidents had compounded the pain, fear and trauma felt by the Asian American community over the last several years.

"We have long dealt with multiple forms of hate and violence, coming from outside, within and among our communities," the statement read. "The identity of the shooters in both of these recent massacres does not and should not delegitimize or diminish our pain and fear. We dont know the motivations behind these shootings, and we may never know. But unfettered access to guns turned both of these acts of violence into massacres."

Fighting back can improve mental health

Russell Jeung, an Asian American studies professor at San Francisco State University, said one silver lining is that the growing anti-Asian climate of the last several years has prompted more people to stand up to the problem, from local efforts like chaperone services for seniors to broader pushes for social change. Such actions, he said, can also help address mental health struggles.

"The community is pretty fierce in finding collective strength. And the collective strength is what enables it to bounce back and soldier on, he said.

Mental health resources

Asian American Psychological Association

AAPA Provider Directory

National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

APA resources for coping with mass shootings, understanding gun violence

AAPI Community Mental Health Resources in the Los Angeles Area

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern CA

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anti-Asian violence causing a mental health crisis for Asian Americans
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is seen in the U.S. Capitol, July 14, 2022, in Washington.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is seen in the U.S. Capitol, July 14, 2022, in Washington. Credit - Tom WilliamsPool/AP

This week, Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego announced he would challenge Sen. Kyrsten Sinema for her U.S. Senate seat.

Sinema, the erstwhile Democrat who recently switched her party allegiance to independent, had come under fire from her fellow Democrats for voting down the $15 minimum wage, protecting the carried-income tax loophole that gives tax breaks to hedge fund managers and private equity executives, and blocking voting rights legislation. Former canvassers have said they feel betrayed by the Senator they helped elect, and her critics in the Arizona Democratic Party have accused her of avoiding public events. Her popularity is underwater in her state, and she has the second-lowest approval rating in the Senate, according to Morning Consult.

All that has left Sinema vulnerable to a 2024 challenge. Democratic Rep. Gallego, a Marine Corps Iraq combat veteran who is serving his fifth term in Congress, is the first serious candidate to put his hat in the ring.

TIME spoke to Gallego in a coffee shop in the bowels of Rockefeller Center on Jan. 24 about his platform, his dark times after returning from the war, and how he turned from supporting Sen. Sinema to challenging her for her seat.

The following interview has been lightly edited and condensed.

TIME: Why are you challenging Sen. Kyrsten Sinema for this seat?

Gallego: Shes just abandoned Arizona. We hardly see her anywhere, she doesnt have an unscripted moment, we see her fighting for pharmaceutical companies, for hedge fund managers. She skipped votes to go do the Iron Man in New Zealand. Her priorities arent the priorities of Arizonans anymore. Theres an opportunity to change that, and Im going to do that.

What would you say are your three most important issues?

Passing the Child Tax Credit. My mom did amazing work, raising four kids on her own on a secretarys salary; we were on school free lunch program, but she prides herself on never being on welfare or food stamps. I slept in the living room because we couldnt afford a bigger apartment. That woman had so much stress on her. She didnt want to raise these kids on her own, she would have loved to have stayed married, except my father was an ahole; it was an extremely dangerous situation for her to stay with him. He was abusive to me, he was abusive to my mother. Every night Id hear her crying because shes just trying to figure out how to make this work. Theres millions of Americans who deal with this every day.

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And for six months, we had this beautiful period where Americans had a little stress relief. I heard from parents all over the country who said for those six months, I didnt have to worry about how Im going to pay for childcare this month. For those six months, I didnt have to go to overtime, I actually got to stay home with my kid. It reduces child poverty by 60%. This is the kind of thing that could be revolutionary to this country, and we just kind of gave it up.

Second, we have to deal with climate change and drought in Arizona. Our future is entirely tied with how were going to manage this.

And lastly, immigration reform. We cant ignore what is happening at the border, we clearly have a refugee and asylum crisis. We can fix it, but right now everyones solution is one-sided. We passed three bipartisan immigration reform bills out of the House and they got to the Senate, and even though we had control of the Senate, we didnt really because of the filibuster.

Where are you on the filibuster?

I think at a minimum, we should be reforming the filibuster. Its clearly been abused over the last couple years, and now its now used as a tool of obstruction instead of to create room for compromise.

You mentioned in your launch video that there were some dark moments after you got back from serving as a Marine in Iraq. Can you tell me about that?

The biggest problem is you dont really know who you are when you get back from the war, because you were a totally different person when you went. I was a lot more anxious, I was quick to get angry. You have survivors guilt. There were a couple times when I should have died instead of my friends dying because we switched places. There were times where instead of dealing with it in a smart, sane way, I decided to drink instead of going to a therapist. I never got into a DUI or anything like that, but its also not a healthy way to deal with anything. And instead of healthy relationships I focused on a superficial idea of success. Focusing on getting a job, getting a better job, when I was really internally just breaking apart.

It took years for me to accept where I was in terms of that problem, and finally got help. I never felt the urge for suicide or anything of that nature, but its a weird situation where you dont feel like yourself anymore. Whenever I feel a flare-up coming, I go back to a therapist. But its never going to ever go away, its part of my life. A lot of times people think veterans or people with PTSD cant function, like were these ticking time bombs and you cant trust them with anything. Thats one of the reasons why Im really open about talking about it. But its something you have to actively work on.

What were the most difficult periods?

The breaking point was when my son was coming, because I was afraid I was going to be a bad father. Especially coming from my background where I didnt have a good father, it was a scary moment. I knew I was going to be a bad father if I didnt work on my PTSD.

But you dont really have good years or bad years, you just have years. Were 17, 18 years removed. Sh-t, my PTSD can vote!

You used to be a strong supporter of Senator Sinemas, what do you anticipate her pushback will be?

Nobody trusts her. She has a lot of trust to repair with voters, and shes not gonna take the necessary steps to do that: talking to people that youve pissed off the last four years, people youve ignored, people you dont return phone calls from. A lot of us were with her from day one. Ive been a big supporter of hers since even before she got to the Senate. There are thousands of people in Arizona that feel that way that are gonna have their say.

What was your breaking point? Take me through your period of disillusionment.

That sounds like a Gabriel Garcia Marquez title right there. We always knew that Sinema was maybe more conservative than we would have liked, but we all felt that when push came to shove, she was going to be with us.

But post-January 6, after talking about being friends with John Lewis and John Lewis being her mentor, she uses the filibuster to stop the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

And then it was other things that kept on moving in that direction, whether it was rejecting the $15 per hour minimum wage or negotiating for pharmaceutical companies to keep their pricing. Or lastly, when she went to the floor to fight for private equity managers and hedge fund managers, while the poor in Arizona are hoping to get a Child Tax Credit.

So how did you get from there to deciding to challenge her?

Knowing Kyrsten, and knowing Arizona, I also knew that nobody would take her on. In Arizona she has a reputation for being a very fierce fighter. We know she has a lot of support from the money groups. At the end of the day you can complain all you want, but she doesnt change because of that; she doesnt really care about the opinions of Arizonans, she doesnt care about the opinions of anybody except for a few people. And so in order to make change, we have to get her out of the way.

Obviously theres going to be a Republican challenger, and Arizona has a lot of independents. What is your strategy to make sure Democrats come out on top?

Our first place strategy is to solidify Democrats, and we think we have that in hand already. She is really, really unpopular and has been for quite a while. Theres also a large segment of Latinos that have not been engaged, that are going to be engaged, and are going to get excited about our race. People are talking about how proud they are that there is a Latino running, and theyre proud that its a Latino that comes from a working class background they actually understand. And I think energizing that young base is going to be extremely important. In Arizona, close to 5-6,000 Latinos turn 18 per month, and a lot of them are registering as independents. Were going to be able to attract that vote. Were going to energize the Native American vote; were probably one of the first campaigns to ever have a kickoff on Native American land. And were going to talk to people in red areas, were going to talk to anyone who wants to come to a town hall. Were going to hit every county in Arizona.

What happens if potential Republican challengers like Kari Lake or Blake Masters create a narrative that youre a far-left progressive?

So the same narrative they used on Sen. Mark Kelly and every Democrat last year? And in 2018, 2020, and 2022? They can say all they want about that, but the problem is that narrative doesnt work.

Are you a progressive?

I definitely am in some areas and in some areas Im in the mainstream norm. My voting record is almost the same as Mark Kellys.

What are the areas in which youre a progressive?

Those labels keep moving around. I feel like now theyre just thrown at anything where people just want to say that persons bad.

What is your message to independent Arizonans?

It is not independent nor is it moderate for you to be negotiating for pharmaceutical companies in Arizona. Weve got Arizona seniors who are driving to Mexico to get cheaper drugs in Mexico than they could at Walgreens or CVS. Thats not moderate. Its not moderate to be negotiating for private equity managers. Your Senator is supposed to be negotiating for you, not for people who have power. You may not agree with me 100% of the time as a citizen of Arizona, but I guarantee youre always going to know where I stand.
A Norwalk man pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl and possessing a firearm after he sold drugs to undercover agents, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

Gregory T. Wills, also known as G Money, G and Greg Jamison, appeared in court in New Haven on Monday and pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

In the summer of 2020, undercover agents from the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and Norwalk Police Department bought fentanyl from Wills multiple times, according to court records.

Investigators searched a Norwalk home that Wills used as a stash house on Sept. 23, 2020, and seized about 60 grams of fentanyl along with four handguns, multiple rounds of ammunition and items used to process and package narcotics for street sale, records show.

Investigators found 40-year-old Wills at another location in Norwalk later that day. He discarded a loaded handgun as he tried to run away, but police caught him, federal officials said.

Wills, who has been in custody since his arrest, has an extensive criminal history that includes a 2003 federal conviction for distributing crack cocaine under the name Greg Jamison, for which he was sentenced to 108 months in prison, federal officials said.

The charge of possession of fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum prison term of five years and a maximum of 40 years, while the firearm charge carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least five years, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Wills legal team and prosecutors have agreed to a 10-year sentence if accepted by the court.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 10, federal officials said.
Norway plans to send Leopard 2A4 to Ukraine, Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said on Jan. 25.

He didnt specify the number of tanks Norway would send to Ukraine, but Norwegian newspaper Dagens Nringsliv wrote on Jan. 24 that Norway is considering sending eight out of the 36 Leopard 2A4 tanks it currently has.

Norway said on Jan. 5 that it had already sent 10,000 ammunition shells to Ukraine. The Norwegian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Jan. 4 that donated artillery shells can be used in the M109 howitzers that Norway has donated in the past.

Germany confirmed on Jan. 25 that it would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries, such as Norway, to send their own Leopards to Kyiv.

The long-awaited tanks will be delivered from the stocks of the German army, Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Bloomberg in an emailed statement.This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability, Scholz said, as quoted by Bloomberg.

We are acting in a way that is closely agreed and coordinated internationally.
By Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian police said on Wednesday they would not seek to intern a former commander of Russia's Wagner mercenary group who recently fled to Norway, ordering him instead to stay at a secret location for security reasons.

Andrei Medvedev fled Russia by crossing into Norway on Jan. 13. He has said he fears for his life after witnessing what he said was the killing and mistreatment of Russian prisoners brought to the front lines in Ukraine to fight for Wagner.

On Monday police said he was detained by immigration police and held at the Trandum immigration detention centre outside Oslo, due to "disagreement" about measures taken to ensure his safety.

Trandum is where asylum seekers who have been turned down are held before they are deported. Police have denied suggestions Medvedev might be deported to Russia.

"The police's immigration unit releases Medvedev from ... Trandum under an order to be at a specific place of residence," police said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

Police had until Wednesday to decide whether to seek a court order to intern him.

Medvedev's Norwegian lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, was not immediately available for comment.

On Monday, Risnes had said Medvedev had been detained due to "disagreement" about measures taken to ensure his safety and said that there was "zero chance" he would be deported to Russia.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; Editing by Alex Richardson)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Norwegian authorities said Wednesday that they have released a former high-ranking member of the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group who has sought asylum after entering the country illegally.

Andrey Medvedev was released from a detention center against an order for a specific place of residence," said Jon Andreas Johansen, of Norway's Immigration Police. He added that the reasons for Medvedev being held in detention "are no longer present.

Medvedev, who says he fears for his life if he returns to Russia, had crossed into Norway, which has a 198 kilometer (123-mile) -long border with Russia earlier this month. He was immediately transferred to Oslo, which is the normal procedure for asylum-seekers.

Vladimir Osechkin of the Russian dissident group Gulagu.net, which helped Medvedev flee, said he had been in protective custody in a safe house until he was moved without explanation to a secured immigration facility.

Medvedevs Norwegian lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet on Wednesday that his client had been dissatisfied with the strict security measures, so Norwegian police placed him in detention.

Risnes called it a sensible decision to release him again. "I dont know yet what the arrangement around him will be like, he was quoted as telling Dagbladet.

In a video posted by Gulagu, Medvedev said he came under Russian gunfire before crossing into Norway. Norwegian police said they were notified by Russian border guards about tracks in the snow indicating that someone may have crossed illegally.

Norways National Criminal Investigation Service, which takes part in the investigation of war crimes in Ukraine, said its questioning Medvedev who has the status of a witness. Gulagu's Osechkin said the former fighter spoke to investigators on Friday.

Medvedev, who has been on the run since he defected from the Wagner Group, has reportedly told Gulagu.net that he is ready to tell everything he knows about the shady paramilitary group and its owner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev said he left the Wagner Group after his contract was extended beyond the July-November timeline without his consent. He said hes willing to testify about any war crimes he witnessed and denied participating in any himself.
Octavia Spencer recently discussed her experiences with racism in Hollywood compared to her experiences growing up during a podcast interview with Marc Maron.

The actress and native of Montgomery, Alabama, moved to Los Angeles in 1996, thinking it would be a more liberal and accepting place. Ultimately, Spencer received a surprise when she encountered the opposite.

While talking to Maron, Spencer opened up about some of her deplorable experiences in Tinsel Town.

I remember going into a shop and being followed. Like, at first, I didnt even  I was just like so excited, like just walking around, and then I realized that I was being followed, she said. It was kind of strange in that way.

She called that specific incident glaringly obvious and noted it was due to her race.

Spencer also talked about her Alabama upbringing. Despite the states history, she has fond memories.

Everywhere has its history.  You cant deny that Southern history is intense. [But] whats beautiful for me is that stuff preceded me, she explained. You know, I was a child of the 70s.  You know, as you grow older and the things that you can remember. That wasnt a part of my history. I learned about it. Its not everything  anything that I experienced.

Check out Spencers full interview on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast below:
One of five former Memphis, Tennessee, police officers accused of fatally beating 29-year-old Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop this month was accused in 2016 of participating in a prison assault that left an inmate unconscious, according to a federal civil rights complaint.

The complaint, filed in April 2016 in U.S. District Court in Tennessee, said the officer, Demetrius Haley, was one of three corrections officers alleged to have assaulted Cordarlrius Sledge while he was behind bars in Shelby County, according to the suit.

The suit, which Sledge filed without a lawyer, was dismissed in 2018 after a judge found he did not properly serve one of the defendants with a summons.

Judge Thomas Anderson did not address Sledge's allegations in the March 2, 2018, order.

According to the complaint, Sledge said that on May 16, 2015, the officers searched his cellblock at the Shelby County Division of Corrections, which houses inmates serving misdemeanor sentences and felony prison terms of up to 12 years.

The officers accused him of flushing contraband after they saw smoke in the area where he was, according to the suit.

Sledge accused Haley and another officer of punching him in the face, according to the suit. A third officer picked Sledge up and slammed him face first into the sink and onto the floor, the suit alleges.

This image provided by the Memphis Police Department shows officer Demetrius Haley. Memphis is city on edge ahead of the possible release of video footage of a Black mans violent arrest that has led to three separate law enforcement investigations and the firings of five police officers after he died in a hospital. Relatives of Tyre Nichols are scheduled to meet with city officials Monday, Jan. 23, 2023 to view video footage of his Jan. 7 arrest. (Memphis Police Department via AP) (Memphis Police Department via AP)

After that I blacked out, Sledge said in the suit, adding that he awoke in the prison's medical unit.

Sledge said he wanted the officers to be held for their actions, the suit says.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Sledge declined to comment.

Haley did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Efforts to reach the two other officers were unsuccessful. A lawyer who represented Haley and one of the other officers did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday; neither did a spokeswoman for the Memphis mayors office.

The Shelby County Division of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.

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In a court filing from June 2017, Haley and a second officer acknowledged searching Sledge after he allegedly flushed contraband, but they denied beating him. In a separate filing later that year, they argued the suit should have been dismissed because Sledge did not properly follow the jail grievance process system.

The judge dismissed Sledge's complaint after he failed to provide a correct address for a defendant who could not be located.

In the case of Nichols, who died three days after a Jan. 7 traffic stop, Haley and four other officers were fired after an administrative review accused them of violating multiple policies, including use of excessive force, during the stop.

Preliminary findings from an autopsy released Tuesday by lawyers for Nichols' family show he suffered "extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating" before his death. The Shelby County medical examiner's office has not released an official cause of death. Nichols' family hired a forensic pathologist to review his case.

After having reviewed body camera video of the traffic stop, the family's lawyers compared the beating to the one Rodney King suffered in Los Angeles in 1991.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Diners at a Greek restaurant in Bowling Green, Kentucky were able to hear the sounds of gunshots and unsettling police footage from an upstairs event held by a local Republican group hosting one of the officers who fired into the home of Breonna Taylor.

The Republican Womens Club of South Central Kentucky held a dinner event last week at Annas Greek Restaurant for Jonathan Mattingly, a former sergeant with the Louisville Metro Police Department who was among the officers who performed a botched police raid that killed the 26-year-old Black woman while she was in her apartment in 2020.

Complaints fielded by a local chapter of the NAACP revealed that Annas patrons were not aware of the event, which they claimed included graphic descriptions of her killing, broadcast throughout the restaurant, according to the organisation.

A week after the event, the former officer turned author and conservative pundit who was the honoured guest has denied that such footage was shown and apologised to restaurant patrons who believed they were hearing unsettling footage of Taylors killing.

On 24 January, Mr Mattingly released a video statement denying that the event showed footage of Taylors death and condemning the lies surrounding the event. The sounds of gunshots, he said, came from news broadcasts about police who were shot during protests that were included in a presentation.

He also offered to pay for affected diners meals.

There was no ill will, no malice. We did not want the other patrons to hear this, he said in the video. I apologise to you. I really do. I know, if I were in your shoes, and there was something that I disagreed with being played  I would be very upset as well.

A statement in from the NAACP Bowling Green-Warren County chapter said the organisation is profoundly dismayed and outraged over reports of the event, which has drawn several protests in Bowling Green.

It is beyond reprehensible to subject anyone, let alone children and customers of African American descent, to such indecent exposure, graphic and upsetting images while they were attempting to enjoy their meal, according to a statement shared with The Independent from NAACP Bowling Green-Warren County president Ryan Dearbone.

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Such disturbing occurrences must not be tolerated especially in places of public accommodation, he added. At a minimum, these acts are devoid of humanity and violate the most fundamental principles of human decency.

Mr Mattingly was the first officer to enter Taylors apartment on 13 March, 2020, as police executed a search warrant and used a battering ram to break down her door.

Believing the police were intruders, her boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired one shot as officers broke through. Mr Mattingly was shot in the leg, and officers returned fire.

Mr Mattingly was never charged in connection with the incident; he retired after he was placed on administrative leave.

Unfortunately its been a total disaster ever since, Mr Mattingly said in his video statement, criticising the subsequent investigations into the incident.

Last year, the US Department of Justice indicted three police officers  Kelly Goodlett, Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany  on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and civil rights violations for allegedly conspiring to mislead the judge who approved the search warrant on Mr Walkers house.

Detective Brett Hankison also was charged with civil rights violations, alleging that the now-former officer willfully used unconstitutionally excessive force, while acting in his official capacity as an officer, when he fired his service weapon into Taylors apartment through a covered window and covered glass door, according to the indictment.

The Republican Womens Club of South Central Kentucky initially planned to host the event at a different location, the Bowling Green Country Club, which declined after it became aware of the guest speaker, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles also was set to appear, but he also backed out of the event due to the controversial nature of another speaker at this event, according to Spectrum News.

Before the event, the group said in a statement to Spectrum News that Mr Mattingly was invited to speak so attendees could obtain a firsthand account of what happened the night Taylor was killed.

Restaurant patron Cayce Johnson told The Courier Journal that audio from the event could be heard throughout the restaurant and that Mr Mattingly was introduced to raucous applause.

She told CNN that Mr Mattinglys presentation went through everything, talked about the investigation and then played several tapes during his presentation.

Another patron, Katelyn Jones, told CNN that she was unable to see what was happening upstairs but heard the sounds of sirens and gunshots that drowned out their own dinner conversation.

Towards the end of our meal, the lights shut off and we heard police radio chatter and sirens on a recording. We heard the gunshots, too, and it was so loud and chaotic. It was really loud, she told CNN.
District Attorney Ernie Lee and Assistant District Attorney Brittany Smiley.

The Onslow County District Attorney's Office has determined that the November shooting death of a 17-year-old boy by a Jacksonville detective was justified.

On Nov. 8, 2022, Jorge Miguel Lopez, 17, of Jacksonville, was shot and killed by a detective assigned to the Special Operations Division and Tactical Team with the Jacksonville Police Department, according to a news release from Onslow County District Attorney Ernie Lee.

After reviewing the investigation of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Lee said he has determined that Lopezs death, while tragic, was justified because his actions caused a detective to reasonably believe it necessary to use deadly force to protect his life and the lives of others at the scene.

At approximately 3:52 p.m. on Nov. 8, the detective in question was called by another detective to assist in a possible armed robbery at the Jacksonville Mall involving an alleged gang member. After determining there was no robbery, the detectives left together to return to the JPD.

The release said that at approximately 4:54 p.m., the detectives observed a dark-colored Chevrolet Malibu accelerate on Hargett Street and then change lanes to the middle turn lane to pass an SUV. The detective in question estimated the Malibu to be driving in excess of 60 miles per hour, nearly 30 over the speed limit.

The detectives decided to stop the Malibu, which was registered to Elizabeth Aquirre Chavez of Onslow County. The Malibu then conducted a U-turn at a high rate of speed into on-coming traffic. The detectives began pursuit of the vehicle.

The release added based on his experience in law enforcement, the other detective recognized the driver immediately as a gang member in Jacksonville. He radioed JPD communications that they were in pursuit of the car and the direction of travel. The Malibu was not traveling in a straight course and not maintaining lane control.

The release said the Malibu approached the intersection of Hargett Street and Bell Fork Road at a high rate of speed. The light was red, and several vehicles were stopped. The Malibu proceeded into the opposite lane of travel, facing oncoming traffic and turned right, narrowly missing two vehicles on Bell Fork Road. The detectives then observed the Malibu turn left onto West Huff Drive as they continued pursuit.

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The Malibu passed Onslow Memorial Hospital and was estimated to be driving in excess of 70 mph, the release said. The Malibu abruptly turned right onto Old White Street and lost control, coming to a rest at the bottom of a ditch approximately 100 feet from the intersection of Station Street. The ditch is directly in front of Southeastern Medical Oncology Center.

The detectives pulled up as the occupants were exiting the vehicle and beginning to flee, the release explained. The detective in the passenger seat observed the driver, and two passengers exit the vehicle from the drivers side and begin fleeing on foot. They ran into the parking lot of Southeastern Medical Oncology Center. The detective in question entered and stumbled into the ditch, which was full of thick mud.

The release said the detective in question observed the right front passenger of the Malibu struggling to exit the vehicle through an open window on the passenger side. The detective climbed out of the ditch and began moving toward the passenger who was later identified as Lopez. Lopez exited the Malibu on the passenger side and began running out of the ditch, not complying with the detectives command.

The detective drew his service weapon and pointed it at Lopez. The release said the detective told Lopez in a loud voice, Police! Get on the ground. As Lopez got closer to the detective, the detective said he clearly observed a handgun in Lopezs left hand. The detective stated he was approximately 7-10 feet away directly to the right of Lopez. The detective continued to give loud commands and continued to point his firearm at Lopez.

The release said the detective stated that Lopez turned his body to face the detective while raising his left arm up and pointing the handgun at him. The detective stated he fired four rounds in immediate succession at Lopez, adding he is trained to shoot until the individual is no longer a threat and that he believed Lopez was going to shoot him, so he fired his firearm in self-defense.

District Attorney Ernie Lee uses maps to explain the incident on Nov. 8.

The release said the detective rendered aid to Lopez by applying pressure over his wound. Additional officers and EMS personnel attempted lifesaving measures on Lopez who pleaded with them not to let him die. However, Lopez was pronounced dead at 5:34 p.m. after arriving at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune.

There is no evidence that Lopez ever fired his weapon, the release said, and evidence shows that Lopezs firearm was unloaded.

Upon investigation, 13 grams of cocaine, more than 100 grams of marijuana, bullets, a digital scale, clear plastic bags and an additional firearm were discovered in the Malibu.

The release said one of the other passengers was apprehended and charged by the Jacksonville Police Department with possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana, manufacture of marijuana, misdemeanor hit and run leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and resisting a law enforcement officer. He was secured under a $12,000 bond and placed in the Onslow County Detention Center.

On Nov. 9, the driver was found and arrested.

The release said he was charged with felonious speeding to elude arrest, no operators license, resisting a public officer, misdemeanor hit and run leaving the scene with property damage, possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana, manufacture of marijuana, possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver cocaine, manufacture of cocaine, second-degree trespass and several motor vehicle infractions. He was secured in the Onslow County Detention Center with a $500,000 secured bond.

A 17-year-old juvenile was in the rear passenger side seat and the release said no juvenile petitions have been filed with the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.

The release said that due to the detectives operating in an undercover capacity, there was no dash camera or body cameras worn by detectives. There was also no video of the incident from the nearby businesses.

Lee said he determined there was insufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to show that the detective who fired the fatal shots, acted in a manner that was inconsistent with his perception of an apparent threat. He added his review of the incident indicated there is no evidence that the detective who fired the fatal shots, acted in any manner that is inconsistent with the threat he perceived and certainly no evidence that the detective acted in any way contrary to or in violation of North Carolina law.

Reporter Morgan Starling can be reached at mstarling@jdnews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily News: Onslow DA says November shooting death of 17-year-old by JPD detective was justified
The 2023 Oscars will take place on 12 March. (ABC via Getty Images)

The 2023 Oscars are just days away, and all eyes are on the battle for Best Picture.

Ten films will battle it out for the coveted award, including sci-fi blockbuster Everything Everywhere All At Once and dark Irish comedy The Banshees of Inisherin.

Most of the nominated films are available to stream, buy or rent from the comfort of your home, although some are only out in cinemas.

Ahead of the Academy Awards ceremony this Sunday, 12 March, here's how you can watch all of the Oscar Best Picture contenders.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Felix Kammerer in All Quiet on the Western Front. (Netflix)

Based on the 1929 novel of the same name, Netflix's All Quiet on the Western Front portrays the grim reality of the First World War.

All Quiet on the Western Front is streaming on Netflix.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Avatar: The Way of Water has grossed more than $2bn worldwide. (20th Century Studios)

James Cameron's long-awaited sequel to his 2009 sci-fi adventure sees Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana reprising their roles. Expect a Disney+ streaming release in the future.

Avatar: The Way of Water is out in cinemas now, and will be available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV, and Sky Store on 4 April.

The Banshees of Inisherin

Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan in The Banshees of Inisherin. (Searchlight Pictures)

In Bruges director Martin McDonagh reunites with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for this darkly comic tale set on a remote Irish island.

The Banshees of Inisherin is streaming on Disney+.

Elvis

Austin Butler and Tom Hanks star in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis. (Warner Bros.)

Austin Butler makes an uncanny transformation into Elvis Presley for Baz Luhrmann's flashy musical biopic, which also stars Tom Hanks and Olivia DeJonge.

Elvis is streaming on NOW with a Sky Cinema Membership, or available to buy or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Everything Everywhere All At Once is nominated for Best Picture. (A24)

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, this multiverse epic hops through multiple genres, from action and sci-fi to comedy and kung fu.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is streaming on Prime Video or available to rent on Apple TV.

The Fabelmans

Paul Dano, Mateo Zoryan Francis-DeFord and Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans. (Universal)

Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical drama is an ode to cinema, starring Paul Dano and Michelle Williams as the parents of an inspiring filmmaker.

The Fabelmans is out in cinemas now.

Tar

Cate Blanchett stars in Tar. (Focus Features)

Best Actress favourite Cate Blanchett shines as a troubled orchestra conductor in this psychological drama written and directed by Todd Field.

Tar is available to rent on Prime Video or on Apple TV.

Top Gun: Maverick

Tom Cruise as Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick. (Paramount)

The biggest UK box-office hit of 2022, Top Gun: Maverick sees Tom Cruise returning to one of his most iconic roles after 35 years.

Top Gun: Maverick is streaming on Paramount+ or available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

Triangle of Sadness

Harris Dickinson and Charlbi Dean in Triangle of Sadness. (Plattform Produktion)

Set on a luxury cruise that goes horribly wrong, Ruben Ostlund's satirical dark comedy features a brilliant final performance by the late Charlbi Dean.

Triangle of Sadness is available to buy or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

Women Talking

Ben Whishaw, Rooney Mara and Claire Foy in Women Talking. (Universal/Orion)

The only Best Picture nominee directed by a woman, Sarah Polley's Women Talking is a moving drama about sexual abuse in a religious colony.

Women Talking is in cinemas now.
Many critics expected Viola Davis to secure a nomination for best actress for her performance in "The Woman King." Sony

"The Woman King" and "Till" got zero nominations for this year's Academy Awards.

The snubs show Hollywood still undervalues Black creatives, especially Black women.

That's according to media researchers and professors, who added that America needs a culture shift.

The nominations for the 95th Academy Awards were announced Tuesday, and critics quickly pointed out one of the biggest snubs: "The Woman King," starring Viola Davis and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, both Black women, received no nominations.

The film led box-office charts when it debuted in September, and had some in Hollywood expecting the movie to nab spots for best picture, best director, or best actress. Twitter was buzzing after the nominations were announced, with film buffs expressing their shock and anger and some resurrecting the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, according to The Los Angeles Times.

"This should have been Viola Davis' like fifth nomination," Meecham Meriweather, a writer in New York, tweeted. "She getting robbed more than the Home Alone house."

Shanita Hubbard, an author and writer, posted: "Wait. No nominations for the Woman King?? It's not surprising but DAMN that's a glaring snub. We don't have to guess why this happened tho. Smh. #Oscars2023."

Others called it an "abomination" and a "shame." But this isn't the first time a Black filmmaker or actress has gone unrecognized.

Critics pointed out that Black creatives involved in making the movie "Till"  about Mamie Till-Mobley's quest for justice after the murder of her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till  were snubbed, too. The film featured a Black female lead actress, Danielle Deadwyler, and a Black female director, Chinonye Chukwu.

In fact, Chukwu called the snub "unabashed misogyny towards Black women."

"This isn't some missed opportunity for diversity, nor is it an oversight  it is a reflection of our country at large," Hubbard told Insider via email. "We live in a world where marginalized people have to fight to keep our literature and history from being banned and erased."

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The subtext of the dozens of tweets and critics' reactions is that the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences again failed to recognize the work of talented Black creatives, especially women like Davis, Prince-Bythewood, Chukwu, and Deadwyler. Other critics noted that women directors of all backgrounds were snubbed, as the list included only men. Granted, no Black woman has ever won the award for best director.

The first and only time a Black woman won the Oscar for best actress was in 2002, when Halle Berry took home the award for her performance in "Monster's Ball." And this is the second year in a row in which no Black woman was nominated for the best actress trophy.

No Black man was nominated for best actor this year, either. In fact, since the first Academy Awards in 1929, this is the 83rd time film voters didn't nominate a Black actress for a lead performance; and for Black actors, it's the 74th lead-performance snub, the LA Times wrote.

For critics, the snubs of "The Woman King" and "Till" are proof that the Academy still doesn't give Black talent, particularly Black women, a fair chance to be recognized. It's a sign that the film industry's commitment to diversity and inclusion is still largely performative, media professors and Black creatives told Insider.

"A Black woman being celebrated for her brilliance and gifts onscreen doesn't seem to be the type of performance worthy of celebration by the academy," Hubbard said. "Even when the performance is executed flawlessly by one of the greatest talents of our time, such as Viola Davis."

Neither Gina Prince-Bythewood nor Viola Davis received nominations for their work in "The Woman King." Emma McIntyre/Getty

More than an oversight

For Samantha Sheppard, an associate professor of performing arts and media at Cornell University, this year's snubs show a devaluation of Black women's stories and storytellers.

"Gina Prince-Bythewood is one of the best directors working today. She, Davis, and the film have been recognized and nominated throughout this award season," she told Insider via email. "For the Academy to snub her directorial work and the category to be so blindingly male continues to show the chasm between excellence and recognition."

Chinonye Chukwu in real life and Danielle Deadwyler in "Till." Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / United Artists Releasing

Hollywood needs a culture shift, said Diana Adesola Mafe, an English professor at Denison University who teaches courses on gender and Black studies.

"Recognizing diversity onscreen and behind the camera means shifting the culture of voters and encouraging them to watch and endorse a rich and varied pool of films," she told Insider via email.

In 2015, a Black woman named April Reign created the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite after two straight years in which no performers of color were nominated in the top acting categories. The hashtag went viral, and shortly after, the Academy committed to increasing the number of women and "minorities" to its ranks.

There has been tangible progress, like an increase in the number of women and people of color nominated for various categories, as well as historic moments like the South Korean film "Parasite" sweeping the major award categories in 2020, or Ariana DeBose's win for best supporting actress for her role in "West Side Story" at last year's Oscars. But issues clearly remain, Sheppard and others said.

A 2021 Insider analysis of Oscar nominations since 2011 found that in the top categories, 89% of nominations went to white people, and over 70% of nominations went to men.

Hubbard, the author of the book "Ride or Die: A Feminist Manifesto for the Well-Being of Black Women," said that change will happen once allies go beyond simple acts like posting black boxes on their Instagram feeds and instead speak out about injustice in their industries.

"In 2023 it is beyond time for more allies to join the fight in a tangible way and not only call out this form of discrimination, but actively leverage their privilege to help Black women in Hollywood," she said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  Miamis nine-game losing streak to Florida State was a major source of frustration for coach Jim Larranaga. The Hurricanes made sure it is now history.

Nijel Pack and Isaiah Wong scored 18 points apiece as No. 20 Miami cruised to an 86-63 win over Florida State on Tuesday night.

Norchad Omier had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Hurricanes (16-4, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who halted a nine-game slide to the Seminoles.

The last few years, the nine-game winning streak was gnawing at me, Larranaga said. I told the players that we needed to come ready to play and we did.

Miami shot 9 of 14 (64.3%) from 3-point range in the first half, taking a 54-28 lead at the break and handed the Seminoles their most lopsided defeat of the season.

Its hard to shoot that well from the perimeter if youre in the gym shooting by yourself with no defense around you at all, Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said.

Pack and Wong each made four 3-point attempts as Miami drilled 50% (11 of 22) from beyond the arc. The Hurricanes have made 10 or more 3-pointers in six games this season.

Miami also outrebounded Florida State 40-23.

The Seminoles streak included a pair of one-point wins in 2021-22.

We were very motivated coming into this game, Wong said. It really hurt us. We came in this season wanting to win and I feel like we proved it today.

Caleb Mills scored 12 points, the 12th straight game he has scored 10 or more points for Florida State (7-14, 5-5). Mills shot 4 of 12 from the floor.

Hamilton lamented the lack of rebounds, including none on the offensive glass in the first half.

Ive never been on a team that got no offensive rebounds in a half, Hamilton said. Ive never seen that. Ive never heard that. Were playing with four guards and a power forward. I get that. But thats part of the game. We did not shoot that well. We had plenty of opportunities to get offensive rebounds.

PACK THEM IN

Pack shot 4 of 7 from 3-point range and continued his hot streak from long range. The Kansas State transfer is 25 of 53 (47.1%) from beyond the arc in his last seven games, a hot streak that dates to a road win over Notre Dame on Dec. 30.

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TAKEAWAYS

Miami: The Hurricanes pulled in front with a 15-0 run to take a 19-4 lead and never looked back, hitting 10 or more 3-pointers for a second straight game.

Florida State: The Seminoles lacked energy from the start and had just six rebounds in the first half while Miami had seven offensive rebounds.

UP NEXT

Miami is at Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Florida State plays host to No. 24 Clemson on Saturday.

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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
GENEVA (AP)  A parliamentary panel in Switzerland has recommended waiving a law that bars countries from re-exporting Swiss armored vehicles, weapons and other war materiel to Ukraine for its defense against Russia, insisting the move would not violate the country's much-vaunted neutrality.

The Security Policy Committee of the lower house of Switzerland's parliament voted 14-11 Tuesday to allow an re-export exception for cases involving a use of force that violates international law  notably, Russia's invasion of Ukraine 11 months ago.

Adherence to the concept of neutrality is enshrined in the Swiss constitution. The National Council committee's vote amounts to only a small first step, and it remains far from certain whether the government would authorize such a waiver.

The majority of the committee believes Switzerland must offer its contribution to European security, which requires more substantial aid to Ukraine, the committee said. It also believes the proposed amendments respect the law of neutrality since they will not allow direct export of war materiel to conflict zones, but only involve non-re-export declarations signed by purchasing countries of Swiss war material.

Any move by Switzerland to allow such re-exportations would unlikely be a game-changer for Ukraine's fight against Russian forces. But the proposed easing of the Swiss restrictions comes as pressure has mounted on friends of Ukraine  like the United States and Germany  to do more to help Kyiv, which has been clamoring for more Western tanks, anti-aircraft systems and other firepower for its defense against Russia.

Ever since the war began last February, Switzerland has faced an often-divisive debate about just how far the country would and could go in taking a stand on the Ukraine conflict. So far, its biggest decisions have involved lining up behind the European Union  the 27-member-state bloc that Switzerland has not joined  when it comes to economic sanctions, which itself has riven the Swiss body politic.

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Authorizations for the re-export of Swiss weaponry to Ukraine, let alone direct shipments from Switzerland, have been off the table. A final decision could rest with the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs, known as SECO, or with the Federal Council, the seven-member governing body that includes Swiss President Alain Berset.

SECO previously received requests from Germany to allow it to pass on 35 mm ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank, as well as 12.7 mm ammunition for an unspecified purpose. Denmark sought the right to ship Piranha III wheeled armored vehicles to Ukraine.

The economic affairs secretariat said the requests were denied under a law that bars exports to any country involved in an internal or international armed conflict.

Last week, Spain requested authorization to transfer to Ukraine two 35 mm anti-aircraft guns that were imported from Switzerland. Switzerland was unlikely to agree to the request, SECO said.

As with counterparts in many other countries, SECO generally has the power to decide whether or not to allow such re-exportations or not. In complex and significant situations like the Ukraine war, it can seek input and decision-making from the Federal Council.

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Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
As his peers prepared for another school year, then 7-year-old Cameron Coppen stood in front of his first grade class, prepared to address them.

"I'm sure you have noticed that sometimes I get stuck on my words and I speak differently," Cameron would begin, his mom, Stephanie Coppen, says.

"Well, I stutter.'"

Cameron would then go on to describe what stuttering is and field questions from his curious classmates.

Then, his mom says, the school year could really begin.

Sixteen years later, the now 50-year-old mother of three says she can still remember the impact of her son's presentation.

"It just got the elephant out of the room  we all acknowledged that things are a little different for him when he speaks, and then it just ceased to be an issue," Coppen tells TODAY.com.

"That was our 'ah ha' moment: To teach him how to advocate for himself."

Cameron Coppen as a child, all smiles. (Courtesy Stephanie Coppen)

Almost 3 million U.S. adults stutter, according to The National Stuttering Association, a non-profit support network for people who stutter.

Still, misunderstandings, stereotypes and harmful depictions of the disorder remain, leaving people who stutter often feeling embarrassed, anxious or afraid to speak.

"People aren't stuttering because they're nervous. They're not doing it because they're unintelligent  it's an actual disorder," Coppen, who lives in Georgia, says. "What somebody who stutters has to say is just as important as what anybody else has to say: It just might take them a little longer to get it out."

What is stuttering?

The Stuttering Foundation, which provides free resources, services and support to people who stutter, defines stuttering as a "communication disorder" in which speech is disrupted by repetitions, prolongation or abnormal stoppages of sounds and syllables.

Approximately 60% of people who stutter have a family member who stutters too, and recent research suggests that people who stutter process speech and language differently than others, leading experts to believe that in addition to child development and family dynamics, genetics and neurophysiology play a role in the development of a stutter.

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A reported 95% of children with the disorder will start stuttering before the age of 4, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The average age of onset is 2 years and 9 months.

Stephanie Coppen pictured with her son, Cameron. (Courtesy Stephanie Coppen)

Coppen noticed Cameron was experiencing "disfluencies" in his speech shortly after he turned 3.

"Initially, we didn't know what to think," Coppen said, adding that she immediately put Cameron in early intervention speech therapy with the goal of eradicating her son's stutter.

Over time, that goal changed.

"(Therapy) was a lot of stuff they wouldn't necessarily do with a child who stutters now," she explains. "It was targeted at trying to get him to slow his speech, which we now know doesn't help at all. As he got older, it switched to being more supportive."

Ellen Kelly, the vice president for professional development at The Stuttering Foundation, says the shift in stuttering therapy is a reflection of how far society has come in better understanding the disorder.

"Historically, speech language pathologists were taught to work toward a 'cure'," Kelly, who is a psychologist and speech language pathologist, tells TODAY.com. "When stuttering is the way you naturally speak, that's impossible. So now, there's a shift: It's about communicating with your voice, and if that voice includes stuttering, well, that's your voice. Interestingly enough, oftentimes when you stop fighting it the tension and struggle reduce."

Kristine Short, 48, watched that shift occur in real time after she paired her then 3-year-old son, Caden, with a speech therapist who said they specialized in stuttering.

Kristine Short, pictured with her son, Caden, when he was 3. (Courtesy Kristine Short)

At first, Short was encouraged to ignore her son's stutter and "not bring it up"  advice she now says she wishes she had ignored, especially as her son entered first grade.

"We weren't saying anything about it to him, but we were taking him to speech therapy twice a week," she explains. "He didn't know why he had to do something that wasn't fun."

Initially, she says she also viewed speech therapy as a way to "cure" her son's stutter.

"It's hard to look back and see that you've made some pretty serious mistakes with your children," Short adds. "For me, one of them is that I gave my son a goal that wasn't attainable or realistic. He tried and was doing his best, but it made him not want to talk to us at all. Every time he would (speak), we would say, 'Slow down, use your techniques.' He thought we didn't care about what he was saying, just how he was saying it."

Ultimately, Caden stopped speech therapy when he was 10. He's now a 21-year-old senior at New York University majoring in American studies.

The importance of representation for people who stutter

Both Coppen and Short say that, as children, their sons had never met someone who stutters until they attended support groups.

"I was reluctant, because at that time I was still thinking that Caden's stutter was going to go away. Why would I need support for something that was temporary?" Short says. Ultimately, she attended a National Stuttering Association "Family Fun Day" event.

"I remember leaving and Caden said: 'I knew that there were people that stuttered, but I never knew anyone who stuttered,'' Short adds. "His whole face lit up."

Kristine Short with son Caden, a 21-year-old senior at New York University majoring in American studies. (Courtesy Kristine Short)

Historically, television shows and movies depict people who stutter as being incompetent, untrustworthy or idiotic. It wasn't until the 2010 film "The King's Speech" was released  a historical drama showing King George VIs effort to overcome his stutter  that, Kelly says, widespread representation started to change. The movie was written by a person who stutters.

"The more we tell these stories and write about them, and get the information out there, the more we can dispel the myths," Kelly says. "That's what slowly starts to change society."

President Joe Biden has discussed his stutter publicly, and in the midst of political attacks equating his stutter to some sort of proof he's experiencing cognitive decline.

How to help people who stutter

John Hendrickson, author of the recently-released memoir "Life on Delay," has also written about his experience as someone who stutters, including what he knows kids who stutter need from adults.

"Treat them normally," Hendrickson tells TODAY.com. "You don't have to be over-protective and at the same time, obviously, you don't have to be negative  you don't have to be counting every block or repetition or prolongation that your child says. Look them in the eye, be patient, don't finish their sentences and help them build that confidence to communicate."

Hendrickson says he has been in communication with "hundreds of stutterers" for years, adding that "every time I have one of those conversations, I walk away with a slightly different and better perspective on life." Now, his book serves as not only an extension of those perspectives, but another source of accurate representation for anyone who is looking to see themselves in others' stories.

"This is a book I wish I could have read during a more uncertain time of my life," Hendrickson says. "Kids who stutter, kids with disabilities and kids in general are resilient. They are so much stronger than we think they are; they're wiser and they're more observant and better listeners than we ever give them credit for."

Stephanie Coppen's son, Cameron, is 22 and preparing to graduate from Georgia Southern University business school with a major in finance. (Courtesy Stephanie Coppen)

Coppen and Short admit that as parents they realize that they don't always have to intervene when their child speaks in potentially awkward social settings.

"You don't want to see your child's feelings hurt, so you have to keep that 'mama bear' or 'daddy bear' thing in check," Coppen, now the event and outreach coordinator for the National Stuttering Association, says. "You're not doing them any favors if you're coming to the rescue all the time."

Short, who the National Stuttering Association Board Chair, agrees, adding that even though her son is in college, "the feeling of being uncomfortable, knowing he's putting himself out there, doesn't go away."

So the proud mom continues to tell herself what she wishes she would have told her former self when her son was first diagnosed:

"'He's going to be OK,' and, 'Don't be so hard on yourself,'" she says. "It's not always going to be easy, but as long as you're there to support your child, love your child, advocate for them and teach them how to advocate for themselves, they'll be fine."

For more information on stuttering, please visit The Stuttering Foundation, The National Stuttering Association or the Ask The Stuttering Foundation YouTube channel.

Related video:

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Story at a glance

The pandemic exacerbated many mental health problems among children and teens.

School social workers are noticing students struggling with social interactions and processing emotions.

Parents expressed concerns about their childrens mental health in a new survey from the Pew Research Center.

A growing youth mental health crisis is fueling concern among parents as children and teens continue to struggle after returning to school in person.

Young peoples mental health declined sharply in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were closed and most students were learning remotely. School administrators and caregivers were optimistic the crisis might ease this year after most students returned to classrooms during the 2021-2022 school year.

It was the hope that after settling for the first year and returning to in person learning that some things would have slowed down, says Terriyln Rivers-Cannon, who has been a school social worker for more than 20 years and is the president of the School Social Workers Association of Georgia.

But that doesnt appear to be the case. Midway through the 2022-2023 school year, school social workers are finding that youth are still experiencing a high level of mental health challenges, and a new survey shows that many parents are worried about anxiety and depression in their children.

Now were getting a true picture of what is actually occurring or has occurred, says Rivers-Cannon.

Many of the mental health challenges young people are currently facing are a result of historical trauma from when they were in close proximity with others in their households during lockdowns early in the pandemic, she says. Now that restrictions have eased, she explains young people appear to be releasing their feelings arising from those traumatic situations, which they may have previously been holding inside them, in a different way.

We have a lot of students that have also had difficulty managing their emotions and are acting out, says Lisa Ciappi of Effective School Solutions.

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Some students are also struggling with forgetting how to interact with peers and socialize face to face, she noted.

The acuity of the challenges seem to have increased for a lot of students, says Ciappi. Were seeing a lot more students with a higher need of support.

Research shows the crisis was a long time coming  but its become supercharged

The youth mental health crisis now impacting the country has actually been probably 15 years in the making, says Duncan Young, who is CEO of Effective School Solutions.

Research and statistics measuring young peoples mental health by a variety of different metrics remained relatively stable until about 2009, says Young. After that, an inflection point marked the beginning of a steady degradation of youth mental health. In recent years, that decline has also been accompanied by a consistent rise in suicide rates and emergency department visits among young people for psychiatric reasons.

The reason for the downturn in young peoples mental health, Young suggests, is the rise of technology and social media. Smartphone and social media use is linked to increased mental distress, self-harm and suicidal ideation among youth.

And the decline, already in progress, has become supercharged during the pandemic.

We have to take seriously the fact that many youth feel socially isolated and marginalized, says Joshua Langberg, the director of the Center for Youth Social Emotional Wellness at Rutgers University, in an email. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with significantly increased stress and social isolation for families, and those happen to be two of the biggest drivers of mental health.

The isolating effect of remote learning and other stressors, like food insecurity worsened by children no longer having access to school meals, may have put a strain on young peoples mental health amid the pandemic.

Some children may have also suffered heightened adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as violence, abuse or neglect.

ACEs have been linked to mental illness, among other negative health impacts, in adolescence and adulthood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And research suggests their impact may be widespread: A recent study found that more than two-thirds of 20,000 Florida adolescents surveyed said they had at least one adverse childhood experience and about 23 percent said they experienced four or more.

Many parents are worried

Amid the ongoing crisis, more than three-quarters of parents are at least somewhat worried about their childrens mental health, according to a report published Tuesday from the Pew Research Center.

The survey included 3,757 U.S. parents with children under 18 years old. Mental health topped the list of the parents concerns, ahead of bullying and kidnapping or abduction. Forty percent of respondents said they were extremely or very worried about their children struggling with anxiety or depression, while another 36 percent said they were somewhat worried.

That concern was most prevalent among White and Hispanic parents, noted lead author on the report and research associate Rachel Minkin at the Pew Research Center in an email.

White and Hispanic parents are more likely than Black and Asian parents to worry their children might struggle with anxiety or depression, and Black and Hispanic parents are most likely to say they are extremely or very worried about their children getting shot or getting in trouble with the police, she said.

Families, schools, peers and doctors can offer some support

Mental health support for children starts at home with caregivers and parents. Families can talk honestly about the stress theyve been under the last few years and honor the hard work everyone did to get through it, suggests Langberg.

Increased stress likely placed tension on some important relationships. People were just surviving and getting by, says Langberg. Maybe some negative communication patterns developed. Start doing little things to change those patterns.

One parent in the Pew survey said, I didnt have a safe place to express my emotions of feeling understood. I try to have weekly talks with my kids to check in on their emotions to see how they are. Even if they had a good week, I have found it is still good to remind them you are there for them.

Parents and school counselors should allow awareness to be a welcoming thought and continuously instill in youth that it is OK not to be OK, says Rivers-Cannon. When conversations come up about it, it cant be something that you allow to lie dormant.

Schools are also a crucial space for youth to receive mental health support and services. However, funding and staff shortages make it difficult for schools to serve their student communities in that way.

With school staff often unable to provide needed support, students may at least be able to turn to their peers.

The plus side is that what Im hearing and noticing is that children are connecting more with their classmates, says Rivers-Cannon. We have more peer groups that are connecting which is wonderful because that means that theyre building up trust within one another.

Another space for support is the doctors office.

In October 2022, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that children and adolescents ages 8 to 18 get screened for anxiety. The agency also recommends screening 12 to 18 year olds for depression. Early screenings can help children and adolescents get the care they need.

Jason Nagata, who is assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco, notes that a growing number of pediatricians are screening young people for ACEs.

It is important that screening leads to improved health outcomes for children and adolescents who have experienced ACEs, he says. He also notes that pediatricians should be aware that girls and youth of color experience the highest rates of ACEs.

Beyond screenings, doctors can share guidelines with caregivers and help direct them to additional sources of support such as local mental health clinics or youth programming.

Ultimately, resources are needed that can be shared with families, the community and stakeholders, because if were not connecting together and networking together, we cannot serve the individuals who are going to be our future, says Rivers-Cannon.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Chicago Bulls want more out of Patrick Williams.

That has been a common refrain throughout the power forwards third season in Chicago. But as Williams continues to build on his scoring and defensive contributions, coach Billy Donovan issued a more focused edict for the 21-year-olds improvement.

Youve got to feel him on the backboard, Donovan said. When he gets in and makes those kind of efforts to get on the backboard, he really is an elite rebounder. We need him to do that. Hes a guy thats got to try to go get double-figure rebounds for us.

Averaging 4.3 rebounds, Williams ranks fifth on the team behind center Nikola Vucevic (11.1), backup center Andre Drummond (6.6), forward DeMar DeRozan (5.0) and guard Zach LaVine (4.6).

Williams had 10 rebounds Monday in a win against the Atlanta Hawks, his first game of the season in double digits. He hopes to keep repeating that statistic in the second half of the season.

I think its pretty clear that I can rebound the ball, Williams said. Ive got to be more consistent with my rebounds. I definitely put that on myself and accept the challenge.

For Williams, the issue never has been athletic ability. His 6-foot-7 frame allows him to muscle out larger forwards and centers, particularly after packing on additional muscle in the offseason. And theres a buoyant quality to the way the forward elevates to retrieve rebounds and finish dunks.

Hes got great explosiveness off the floor, Donovan said. He doesnt need necessarily a big gather or a long run to jump. Hes really explosive off two feet.

After a win, talk in the locker room often evolves into playful back-and-forth between players, reporters and Bulls staff. A new question was asked Monday: Could Williams hit his head on the rim? Coby White snuffed out the conversation with immediate indignance.

Can he hit his head on the rim? White scoffed. He can look in the rim.

So if there isnt a problem getting up to the basket, whats keeping Williams from having multiple double-digit rebounding games? He followed his season high Monday with five Tuesday in a road loss to the Indiana Pacers.

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One piece of the puzzle is Williams positioning. Vucevic and Drummond benefit from their role as centers  Vucevic as a stretch-five or stretch-four who occasionally exits the paint for 3-pointers, Drummond as a big-bodied enforcer who rarely ventures farther than the midrange  meaning they clean up the majority of the easiest rebounds from near the rim.

By contrast, Williams is all over the court on both ends, guarding the top offensive opponents on the perimeter and ranging from the 3-point arc to the rim on offense. This often places him farther from the basket when shots go up.

But that isnt an end-all excuse. The Bulls give up the most 3-point attempts in the league  which also means a high percentage of defensive rebounds are likely to be ricocheting well outside the restricted area and into Williams range.

Williams often emphasizes that rebounding is less about technique than it is about effort. But he still is learning a technical side of rebounding: when and how to pull the trigger on crashing the rim. To Donovan, the difference comes down to timing and tenacity.

Hes just got to go, Donovan said. Hes got to go hard. Hes got to go aggressive.

Whether its effort or technique or both, Williams always can count on one teammate to provide support and provocation: DeRozan.

Its clear DeRozan relishes the opportunity to mentor younger players, even when  or perhaps especially when  that role requires him to press their feet to the fire.

Yall dont see how much I get on (Williams) nerves, DeRozan said, ducking his head with a grin. I really get on his nerves. Like, really get on his nerves. If he plays bad or he dont compete the way I know he can compete, its verbal abuse.

But as much as DeRozan might lay into Williams, he also believes in the young forward. DeRozan has been unwavering in his belief, even in the first month of the season when Williams was averaging a paltry 7.1 points and two rebounds.

Williams has begun to answer the call to improve his aggressiveness, 3-point shooting and defensive rigor. If he can similarly respond to Donovans challenge for double-digit rebounding games, Williams could begin fulfilling the lofty expectations placed upon him when the Bulls selected him with the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft.

Hes one of the most versatile players on this team, DeRozan said. Once he gets comfortable and realizes that, like hes doing now, hes going to get better and better.
A Pennsylvania police chief accused of helping to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and other narcotics faces 20 years in prison, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

If convicted, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, police chief Shawn Denning, 41, also faces a $1 million fine. Denning faces six total counts of drug distribution related charges and prosecutors said the crimes occurred during a 16-month period, from June 2021 to Oct. 2022.

Greensburg Mayor Robert Bell told USA TODAY Wednesday that Denning was no longer with the city in light of the charges. Greensburg is a town of about 15,000 residents in western Pennsylvania. Its police department has 27 officers.

Probable cause affidavit reveals details

Drug Enforcement Administration investigators said they used an informant to collect evidence against Denning. The informant had prior convictions and faced potential federal drug charges in an unrelated investigation and cooperated with the DEA in hopes of receiving a more lenient sentence, according to the affidavit.

The informant first met Denning in summer 2021, when Denning was still a Captain, according to the affidavit. Denning told the informant he knew dealers in California who could send him drugs.

Affidavit gives timeline of alleged crimes

From June 2021 to Oct. 2022, Denning served as a middleman who facilitated the informants purchase of large quantities of drugs by connecting him with multiple suppliers for whom he vouched.

The informant told Denning he knew he was a police officer, but heard he could help him find drugs.

Denning had the informant message him on Wickr because Its how all the heavy hitters conduct business its encrypted so virtually impossible to be intercepted ever, according to the affidavit.

In Nov. 2021, Denning connected the informant with a cocaine dealer. The informant ultimately purchased a quarter ounce of cocaine for $450, which he sent the dealer via Venmo.

The informant asked Denning who would take care (pay) of him. Denning responded I dont sell anything man I just know folks is all. Dude will handle it all hes trustworthy.

The cocaine was sent to the informant via mail. When the package was delayed at one point, Denning checked on its status for the informant.

The informant bought another ounce of cocaine from the same dealer in Feb. 2022.

From May to July 2022, Denning connected the informant to suppliers for other drugs such as Adderall and ecstasy, and helped look into any delays or hang ups the informant ran into when purchasing from the dealers. At one point, Denning sent a photo of a menu of drugs a dealer he knew offered.

When a $500 shipment of Adderall never arrived from one of the dealers, Denning met with the informant in person at a cornhole tournament in October, and gave him a set of cornhole bags to make up for bad business.

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Photo of "menu" Denning allegedly sent to the DEA's informant.

Conspiracy to distribute

Prosecutors charge Denning with five counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of narcotics, and a sixth count of conspiracy to possess with the intention to distribute narcotics. Although Denning never directly sold drugs to the informant, prosecutors said the totality of his actions amounted to conspiracy.

According to the affidavit, Denning:

Connected the informant to suppliers.

Sent menus and product prices to the informant.





Said he had connected other people to suppliers.

Checked the status of at least one of the deliveries for the informant.

Checked on quality of product after it was received.

Sent money to suppliers.





Provided cornhole bags to the informant as compensation after a deal fell through.

Was told multiple times by the informant that he intended to distribute the drugs he bought to other people.

Ex-chief was a Marine

Denning became chief in March, the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review reported. He had been with the department since 2008, and previously served four years as Marine before a stint with the New York Police Department, according to the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review.

A lawyer for Denning was not listed in a court database Wednesday. A message sent by USA TODAY to Denning's work email was not returned.

Denning was released on $250,000 bail Tuesday, court documents show.

According to the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review, on the day the Denning took his oath as chief he said I have the utmost respect for the title of chief of police...I have great expectations of myself."

More coverage from USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pennsylvania police chief faces cocaine, Adderall distribution charges
LIMA, Peru (AP)  Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Peru's capital and were met with volleys of tear gas and pellets amid clashes with security forces just hours after President Dina Boluarte called for a truce in almost two months of protests.

The antigovernment protest Tuesday was the largest  and most violent  since last Thursday, when large groups of people, many from remote Andean regions, descended on the capital to demand Boluartes resignation, immediate elections and the dissolution of Congress.

We cant have a truce when she doesnt tell the truth, Blanca Espana Mesa, 48, said of Peru's president. Even though her eyes were watering from the tear gas, Espana Mesa said she was happy because a lot of people came today. Its as if people have woken up.

Before last week, most of the large antigovernment protests that followed the ouster of President Pedro Castillo took place in remote regions of Peru, largely in the countrys south, exposing deep division between residents of the capital and the long-neglected countryside.

The crisis that has sparked Perus worst political violence in more than two decades began when Castillo, Perus first leader from a rural Andean background, tried to short-circuit the third impeachment proceeding of his young administration by ordering Congress dissolved on Dec. 7. Lawmakers impeached him instead, the national police arrested him before he could find sanctuary and Boluarte, who was his vice president, was sworn in.

Since then, 56 people have died amid the unrest involving Castillo's supporters, 45 of whom died in direct clashes with security forces, according to Perus ombudsman. None of the deaths have been in Lima.

On Tuesday, police fired round after round of tear gas as they blocked the passage of protesters, who seemed more organized than before. The smell of tear gas permeated the air and could be felt even a block away as people leaving work suddenly had to cover their faces to try to diminish the sting.

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Murderers, yelled the protesters, some of whom threw rocks at the police.

Even after most of the protesters had left, police continued firing tear gas to disperse small groups of people in a plaza in front of the countrys Supreme Court.

I have a right to protest in this country, Emiliano Merino, 60, said as he was being treated by volunteer paramedics after pellets grazed each of his arms.

Boluarte had earlier called for a truce and blamed protesters for the political violence that has engulfed the country, claiming in a news conference that illegal miners, drug traffickers and smugglers formed a paramilitary force to seek chaos for political gain. She said numerous road blockades across the country and damage to infrastructure have cost the country more than $1 billion in lost production.

She suggested that the protesters who died with bullet wounds were shot by other demonstrators, claiming investigations will show their injuries are incompatible with the weapons officers carry. And meanwhile, some 90 police officers are hospitalized with bruises, she said: What about their human rights? the president asked.

The government has not presented evidence that any of the injured officers were struck by gunfire.

Human rights advocates say they are dismayed by the lack of international outcry from the regional and global community and are calling for condemnation of the state violence unleashed since Castillos impeachment.

Jennie Dador, executive secretary of Perus National Human Rights Coordinator, said the lack of international response makes it feel like were alone.

None of the states in the region have done anything concrete, she said.

Boluarte was notably absent from a meeting of regional leaders Tuesday in Argentinas capital, where most avoided mention of the civilian deaths in Peru.

Human rights activists have acknowledged acts of violence by some protesters  including efforts to take over airports and burn police stations  but say the demonstrations have largely been peaceful.

Some of the leaders at the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States did blame Perus government for the violence.

Chiles President Gabriel Boric said theres an urgent need for a change in Peru because the result of the path of violence and repression is unacceptable. Mexicos president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a staunch supporter of Castillo, demanded an end to the repression.

During the summits closing ceremony, Argentinas President Alberto Fernandez called for an end to street violence and institutional violence that has taken the lives of so many people in Peru.

The international community has expressed concern, but really I think it could be more forceful, said Cesar Munoz, associate director of the Americas division at Human Rights Watch.

After some feverish closed-door negotiations in Buenos Aires in the afternoon, the situation in Peru was left out of the summits closing documents. Peru is a prickly issue, but pressure from some leaders had led to last-minute negotiations, said an official in Argentinas Foreign Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to discuss policy.

Peru has managed to fly under the radar, said Marina Navarro, executive director of Amnesty International Peru. Given the gravity of the situation, with this number of people who have died, we dont see as much said about it as there could be.

___

Associated Press writers Franklin Briceno in Lima and Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this report.
Law enforcement in Flagler County is investigating after a bomb threat was made at a high school.

Police said a bomb threat was made at Matanzas High School.

Community Alert: There is a large law enforcement presence at Matanzas High School due to a possible bomb threat. Students are secure, and parents are asked not to respond to the school at this time. FCSO and Flagler Schools will provide updates when possible. pic.twitter.com/YsQbH2BA1l  FlaglerSheriff (@FlaglerSheriff) January 25, 2023

Officials said the school has been placed under a Code Blue and all the students are secure.

Watch: Police: Man arrested after being seen walking near West Melbourne school with rifle

School officials are asking people not to show up to the campus while the order is in place.

Updates will be sent out by officials with Flagler County Public Schools.

Watch: Brevard School board discusses student discipline policy at marathon work session

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.
Police in West Melbourne said they worked to secure a school after reports of a man walking around with a rifle.

Officers were called to search for a man with a gun near Pineapple Cove Classical Academy on Tuesday.

The incident caused great concern and prompted a multi-agency police response involving K-9s and a Brevard County Sheriffs Office helicopter for support.

Watch: Death with dignity: Florida non-profit calls for medical aid in dying law

Police said they found Enrique Martinez nearby, but he didnt have a gun.

But upon a second search, they said they discovered the weapon.

Watch: Orange County approves new Tenants Bill of Rights ordinance to protect renters

Martinez was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.

Police said Martinez was recently arrested by the Pasco County Sheriffs Office for two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana over 20 grams and possession of drug equipment.

Watch: Women accused of killing mother during shooting spree had violent history with neighbors

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.
Authorities arrested a New Hampshire man for allegedly causing a multi car crash and fleeing from the scene on foot while in the nude Wednesday morning.

Timothy ORourke of Danville, New Hampshire, was charged with two counts of indecent exposure, 2 counts of simple assault, driving while impaired, resisting arrest, and conduct after an accident. He will be arraigned in Salem District Court on February 6.

Plaistow Police say they responded to report of a three-car accident in the area of Plaistow Road (Rte. 125) and Main Street (Rte. 121A) around 8:53 a.m. Several cars suffered heavy damage, although there were no reports of any serious injuries.

Witnesses told police that the driver of a Black Jeep Compass, later identified as ORourke, caused the crash and took off down Main Street, according to officials.

Officers say they found ORourke a short time later running in the back of a Main Street home completely naked and covered in his own blood. He was promptly arrested.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Jan. 24Update: Arrest made overnight in bank robbery

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Update: Police said the man was driving a newer model Ford F-150. The suspect is White and was seen in surveillance photos wearing a hat, dark clothing and a gray blazer.

No further information was provided.

------

Previous story: Gainesville Police are investigating a robbery Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the Regions Bank on Shallowford Road.

A man entered the bank and pulled out a gun, police said. Police said the man left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money. No injuries were reported.

Police said they were still investigating to determine if the man escaped in a car or on foot.
Springfield police are asking for the publics assistance to identify a man suspected in recent thefts at an area business.

>> Stolen U-Haul crashes into pole in Springfield; Deputies searching for male suspect

The man pictured is a person of interest in recent thefts on Bechtle Avenue that happened on January 18 and January 23, a Springfield police spokesperson said in a social media post.

Additional details about the thefts were not released.

If you have information that can help investigators, youre asked to call Springfield police at 937-328-3430.
Samsung just launched tons of new Galaxy devices and you can pre-order them today for up to $1,000 off.

 Recommendations are independently chosen by Revieweds editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

Samsung announced that new Samsung Galaxy devices will drop in February and we have the inside scoop on how you can pre-order them and save. Right now, you can reserve your spot to pre-order the latest Samsung Galaxy S23 devices and get up to $100 in Samsung credit for free! Keep scrolling for all the details.

Pre-order Samsung Galaxy S23 devices

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S23 devices include the Samsung Galaxy Smartphone and Samsung Galaxy Book, and both are packed with top-of-the-line features. Now through Tuesday, February 1, sign up with your name, email and phone number and Samsung will reserve your spot to pre-order the newest addition to the Galaxy family. You can also expect text messages and emails around the upcoming Galaxy launch. By entering your info, you're automatically eligible for a $50 Samsung credit when you pre-order one device, and $100 Samsung credit when you pre-order two devices. That $50 could go toward a pair of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2, knocking them down to just $59.99 right now. We ranked the Galaxy Buds2 as one of the best wireless earbuds we've ever tested for their light and stylish design, good sound and solid active noise-canceling technology.

Super Bowl TV deals: Save on smart screens at Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy to upgrade your game day view

Looking for a special Valentine's Day gift? Here are the best Valentine's Day gift ideas for all of your loved ones

Along with free Samsung credit, you'll score many other perks when you buy directly from Samsung. You'll receive guaranteed trade-in credit when you purchase multiple Samsung Galaxy smartphones, including trade-in credit for phones with cracked screens. Snag Samsung Care+ extended coverage for unexpected spills, drops or broken screens, and you'll get your replacement as soon as the next business day. From Samsung expert support available 24/7 to special discounts for eligible students, military and first responders, Samsung offers perks and benefits galore.

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If you're in the market to upgrade your essential tech in 2023, you don't want to sleep on these Samsung deals. You'll get regular updates on your pre-order and get up to $100 to spend on extra Samsung goodies. It's really a win-win for tech junkies everywhere.

Pre-order new Samsung Galaxy S23 devices

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews and more.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

This article originally appeared on Reviewed: Samsung Galaxy S23: How to pre-order new Samsung devices and get $100 off
Experts say that pregnant people are particularly vulnerable to misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. (Getty Images)

Getting COVID-19 while pregnant comes with a series of risks. Pregnant people who are infected have a higher risk for severe illness  and, according to a new meta-analysis of 12 studies involving more than 13,000 pregnant women, a significantly increased risk of maternal death compared to uninfected pregnant women  as well as pregnancy complications, preterm births and stillbirth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite the high stakes, vaccination rates remain low for this vulnerable group.

Research has shown that compared to women who were trying to conceive, breastfeeding and other women in general, pregnant women had the lowest vaccination rates  about 30 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. have not completed the primary vaccine series  and vaccine acceptance is significantly lower during pregnancy.

As a result, health organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the CDC, continue to encourage pregnant people, or those thinking about becoming pregnant, to get vaccinated.

So whats causing this vaccine hesitancy in people who are pregnant? Experts break it down.

Why are pregnant women in particular experiencing COVID vaccine hesitancy?

Some of the hesitancy may stem from the fact that initially, pregnant people were excluded from clinical trials for the vaccines and, as a result, had less confidence in their safety.

Dr. Alisa Kachikis, maternal-fetal medicine specialist and assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, points out that its very normal for pregnant people to ask questions about any medications and vaccines during pregnancy because they want to do the best thing possible for their babies. She tells Yahoo Life, There are always questions about any vaccine that is recommended for pregnancy.

In the case of the COVID vaccine, she says, initially there were concerns because only a little bit of safety data was available when pregnant people became eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, adding that now we have really robust data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines given during pregnancy, especially compared to the risks of having COVID-19 infection during pregnancy.

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Underestimating the actual risk of illness is another possible factor. Pregnant individuals are typically young and healthy, Dr. Mark Turrentine, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Childrens Hospital, tells Yahoo Life. There perhaps are misperceptions that they will not get ill from this condition. This feeling of being protected coupled with vaccine safety concerns or mistrust  although not founded  of a new vaccine leads to the underutilization of this preventive measure.

How vaccine misinformation and anxiety create the perfect storm of concern

Both experts and organizations, including the Kaiser Family Foundation, point to widespread misinformation as a key culprit behind vaccine hesitancy. Turrentine says that some pregnant people have absolutely fallen victim to misinformation about COVID vaccines.

While social media outlets can be an easy way to access information, it is not filtered, Turrentine says. Unfortunately, sensationalism draws attention. So claims not supported by evidence may make good headlines  or lead to more clicks to links  and the misleading information can result in harm to the individual, including recommendations to not get vaccinated while pregnant.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 3 in 10 women who are pregnant or planning to get pregnant believe at least one of three false statements about pregnancy and the vaccines, such as Pregnant women should not get the COVID-19 vaccine and It is unsafe for women who are breastfeeding to get a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as COVID vaccines have been shown to cause infertility  none of which are true.

Without a doubt, pregnant people are particularly vulnerable to the misinformation regarding the COVID vaccine, Dr. Michael Cackovic, maternal-fetal medicine specialist and clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Life.

This is likely due to increased feelings of anxiety that can come with pregnancy. While there is a lot of joy with pregnancy, it is also a time of change and responsibility, Cackovic says, and over 10% of pregnant people complain of increased anxiety. Add this to all the misgivings about the COVID vaccine that are rampant, and you have a perfect storm of concern over your pregnancy and baby.

How safe are COVID vaccines for pregnant people?

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for people who are pregnant, per the CDC. As of Jan. 7, 2023, nearly 72% of pregnant people in the U.S. have received the COVID vaccination before or during pregnancy, notes Turrentine. So millions of women have been immunized with the COVID-19 vaccine, and no safety concerns for either the mom or baby have been noted, he says.

Research shows that getting vaccinated while pregnant helps protect both the mother and the infant (thanks to maternal antibodies that are passed to babies in utero and through breast milk), which reduces the risk of COVID-related hospitalization in those younger than 6 months old. This is particularly significant since babies under 6 months of age arent yet eligible for COVID vaccines.

Kachikis explains that one of the wonderful functions of the placenta during pregnancy is to help protect newborns from infection by transferring as much of the mothers antibodies, or germ fighters, to the baby as possible while still in utero. When the baby is born, the mothers antibodies in the baby help protect babies from really severe disorders like neonatal tetanus and whooping cough.

Getting the full COVID-19 series and especially a booster can increase COVID antibody levels in pregnant people to provide even more antibodies for the placenta to transfer to their babies, says Kachikis. This is a great way to provide the best start possible for newborn babies in terms of COVID-19 protection, she adds.

Turrentine says that its important to weigh your personal risk when it comes to COVID and that pregnant individuals should be allowed to make their own decision as to whether to receive the vaccine. Having said this, I would encourage all pregnant women to protect themselves from a virus that could be potentially life-threatening to themselves and harmful to their unborn child, he says.

Cackovic agrees, saying: The vaccine is our best defense against viruses, as always. They are safe, proven and effective. Getting vaccinated should be your first step in protecting your new baby.

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Sign up here.
Jan. 25Related Photo Gallery: Hawaii man imprisoned for 1991 murder is exonerated and freed

More than three decades after a 23-year-old Virginia tourist was kidnapped, raped and left for dead on a remote trail in Puna on Christmas Eve, a Hilo judge vacated the conviction of the remaining prisoner after hearing new evidence that he didn't do it.

Albert "Ian" Schweitzer, 51, was immediately released to his family after 23 years in prison. Third Circuit Court Judge Peter K. Kubota heard testimony from a DNA lab analyst and forensic tire and bite mark experts who outlined how none of the evidence linked him or his two alleged co-conspirators to the 1991 killing of Dana Ireland.

Kubota alluded to a "great outrage in the community" and media that may have contributed to Ian Schweitzer's conviction and noted that DNA analysis technology had significantly advanced since the 2000 conviction.

After hearing the evidence during a more than seven-hour long hearing Kubota ruled that it "conclusively proves that in a new trial, a jury would likely reach a new verdict of acquittal."

None of the DNA evidence collected through a rape kit and blood-stained articles of clothing belonged to Schweitzer, his brother Shawn or Frank Pauline Jr., according to a memorandum in support of a petition to vacate the judgment, filed Monday.

The source of the DNA from "all the biological evidence, in this case, belongs to one individual, Unknown Male No. 1."

The unknown suspect's "skin and sperm cells were recovered from a Jimmy Z' brand T-shirt soaked in Dana Ireland's blood found near her body; Unknown Male No. 1's sperm was also recovered from Ms. Ireland's vaginal swab and hospital gurney sheet that was used to transport her; and Unknown Male No. 1's DNA is consistent with the DNA on Ms. Ireland's pubic comb and her underwear," according to the memo.

"The DNA test results show they are innocent... Unknown male No. 1 committed this horrendous crime," said Barry C. Scheck, speaking in court.

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Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Shannon M. Kagawa, tried to argue that an unknown suspect and the lack of DNA evidence were known to prosecutors and the jury 23 years ago and they still convicted him.

"The theory at trial was always that there was another individual involved," said Kagawa, speaking in court. "The jury knew that, and still found the defendant guilty."

Kubota urged Schweitzer to "hug and love your family" and not focus on the anger and resentment toward the process or people that left him in jail for a third of his life.
John Keith Calvin, a prisoner who maintained he was innocent in a 2002 murder in Kansas City, Kansas, died Wednesday of cancer, his attorneys said. He was 56.

Calvin sued the Kansas Department of Corrections in December, alleging that officials had not properly treated his colon cancer. In an emergency filing, his lawyers asked that he be moved to a hospital  a request that was denied.

In a statement, Calvins lawyers said his family was devastated to share that he died at the El Dorado Correctional Center, northeast of Wichita. His lawyers at the Midwest Innocence Project and the law firm Morgan Pilate said he was innocent.

Everyone knew this, and a whole community fought for him, they said. John Calvin will have a long legacy, and his fight against injustice will continue.

Calvin was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted robbery in the Dec. 12, 2002, killing of John Coates, who was gunned down in the 2700 block of Haskell Avenue. Having spent more than 19 years in prison, Calvin would have been eligible for parole in May, according to his attorneys.

In their lawsuit, Calvins lawyers alleged he was yet another victim of police corruption in KCK as exemplified by former detective Roger Golubski, who was accused in a multi-million dollar lawsuit of framing an innocent man in another case. Golubski now faces federal charges that accuse him of sexual assault and conspiring to sex traffic underage girls in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Calvins co-defendant, Melvin Lee White Jr., got a five-year sentence after taking a plea deal. White admitted he pulled the trigger and has repeatedly said in court and during interviews that Calvin was innocent.

He aint do nothing; I did, White told KCTV5 several years ago. I should be doing the time, not him.

In court, White testified that Calvin was there when he went to Coates house to kill him, but that Calvin knew nothing of his plan to commit murder. Then last month, White broke down in tears while talking about Calvin during a gathering and press conference at a KCK church, where Calvins relatives called for his release.

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At that event, state Sen. Cindy Holscher, an Overland Park Democrat, said attempts had been made to secure compassionate release for Calvin, but that unfortunately, Kansas law keeps providing many obstacles. She pleaded with her colleagues at the statehouse to address the states compassionate release laws this session because it is nearly impossible to obtain now.

Our laws are preventing an innocent man from spending his final days with family, she said.

In a previous interview with The Star, Calvins daughters, Kiardra Calvin and Jalisa Bluford, said KDOC was neglectful in testing Calvin for cancer after he showed symptoms.

They failed him, Bluford said.

U.S. District Court Judge John W. Lungstrum denied Calvin relief in his emergency filing, saying while he was not unsympathetic to Calvins plight, he had failed to exhaust his administrative remedies and did not show a need for court intervention. The judge encouraged the two sides to work to provide him medical and legal help.

The lawsuit had also alleged that KDOC refused to provide Calvin with intravenous nourishment, which his lawyers said amounted to him starving to death in KDOCs care. In his order, Lungstrum found that Calvin had been given sufficient nourishment, noting that records showed he was eating and had been drinking supplemental shakes.

Before he died, Calvins case had been referred to the Wyandotte County district attorneys Conviction Integrity Unit, which investigates complaints of police misconduct and wrongful conviction.
The reasons for such personnel decisions were not explained in the Prosecutor General's Office

"Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin signed orders to dismiss the heads of Zaporizhzhya, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Sumy, and Chernihiv regional prosecutor's offices from their administrative positions at their own request," the statement reads.

Read also: Ukrainian deputy prosecutor general fired after scandal over Spain getaway

The agency did not specify the reasons for these personnel decisions.

The move was announced the day after there was a wave of resignations and dismissals at Ukrainian ministries and other government officials following a government crack-down on corruption and misconduct of state officials.

In particular, a deputy minister at the Defense Ministry resigned amid a scandal over price-gouging during the procurement of food for the Ukrainian army.

Read also: Zelenskyy adviser comments on new Prosecutor-General Kostin

The same day a deputy prosecutor general also resigned after being criticized for taking a 10-day holiday in Spain during the period of martial law, when most Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are not permitted to leave the country.

As part of the crackdown, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Jan. 24 signed a decree restricting public officials and civil servants from leaving the country except on official state business.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
This house in the 1200 block of W. 15th Street was condemned after three people died in a 2021 house fire. Priscilla Mitchell, Shawna Walsh, and Thomas Ortega were killed in the blaze.

A Pueblo man pleaded guilty Monday to one count of criminally negligent homicide in a house fire that killed three people in March 2021.

In exchange for his plea, two additional counts of negligent homicide levied against Mark Balfour, the landlord of the property in the 1200 block of West 15th Street where the fire occurred, were dropped by the 10th Judicial District Attorney's Office.

Balfour was sentenced to three years of supervised probation with the condition that any home in which he leases rooms in the future will need to be inspected by county officials to ensure they meet code.

Balfour did not start the fatal fire but was charged with negligent homicide due to multiple code violations found in the house by an investigator, including failure to obtain permits for work he performed on the house and a lack of exits in all rooms to allow people to escape in the event of fire.

He originally was charged with three counts of negligent homicide, while his co-defendant, Josey Spets, was charged with three counts of reckless manslaughter and one count of arson.

Priscilla Mitchell, Shawna Walsh and Thomas Ortega died as a result of the fire. Walsh and Brown died of smoke inhalation and had signs of heavy carbon monoxide poisoning. Ortega died in a hospital nearly two weeks later due to complications of smoke inhalation.

According to Walsh's fiance, Shawn Baker, who was a friend of Spets, the fire started when Spets grabbed a bottle of alcohol and sprayed it on the floor of his room. He ignited it with a small handheld torch before dumping camping fuel on the ignited alcohol. The fire spread instantly, catching Spets and Baker on fire.

It then spread through the house, fully engulfing the structure.

In court Monday, Balfour stated he was "deeply affected" by the deaths of the three victims, and was unaware that Mitchell and Walsh were present in the basement room when the fire began.

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"Sometimes being a survivor of these things is not the best outcome," he said. "This was one of the worst tragedies of my life. If I'd known they were down there, I wouldn't have left."

Balfour stated that in his mind, he had been simply trying to help people by giving them a place to stay when they otherwise would have been living on the street, although he admitted he "probably let things continue that he shouldn't have."

Balfour told investigators he was aware many of his residents used drugs, and that the house had been referred to as a "trap house" where drug users could go to use drugs, according to an affidavit authored by police.

District Court Judge Thomas Flesher told Balfour he viewed the incident as the result of a choice made by Balfour, and stated that it could not happen again.

"Sometimes accidents happen, Mr. Balfour, but if you'd been doing what you were supposed to be doing, I have a feeling that maybe it wouldn't have happened," Flesher said.

Spets pleaded guilty in April 2022 to one count of reckless manslaughter in a plea deal. He was sentenced to six years in the department of corrections, and ordered to serve a term of three years of parole upon his release.

During court proceedings, Spets admitted to starting a fire in the basement of the house when he lit a can of camping fuel and the fire "got out of control" and spilled onto the floor, spreading until it engulfed the entire structure, he told the court.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo man pleads guilty to negligent homicide, sentenced to probation
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has said that US "occupation troops" are allegedly still in Germany.

Source: Putin on a meeting with students at Moscow State University on 25 January

Quote: "The largest country in Europe, an economic giant, is the Federal Republic of Germany. Germany has been divided into four sectors following World War II: American, British, French, and Soviet. So, the Soviet Union formalised the termination of this occupation status. The United States did not.

Formally, legally, there are American occupation troops on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, and in fact, there are a lot of them."

Details: As Putin claims, German politicians themselves allegedly say that after World War II, Germany "has never been a sovereign state in the full sense of the word".

"And its not me who says this. This is said by prominent, and I would like to emphasise that, not Russian-oriented, but German-oriented politicians," Putin said, adding that "one way or another, sovereignty will be returned to Europe."

Background:

On 25 January, the German government decided to provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with Leopard 2 main battle tanks.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin avoided commenting on Germany's landmark decision on Wednesday to supply tanks to Ukraine during a visit to Moscow State University, instead dispensing career advice to students and fielding questions on other topics.

Germany's announcement that it would send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine after weeks of pressure from its allies prompted a furious reaction from Russia's foreign ministry and its embassy in Berlin, but the president steered clear of the issue.

Putin, a fluent German speaker who served in the former East Germany as a KGB officer, spent more than an hour responding to students' questions on issues ranging from lost dogs to quantum technology, though the war in Ukraine also kept cropping up indirectly.

A student named Vladislav from the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine told Putin he had taken part last year in Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine and his dream was to work for the FSB security service, which Putin once headed.

Putin, 70, thanked him for his service and said he would definitely take his FSB ambitions into account.

"People like you understand most acutely the importance of action to protect people... and Russia itself," the president said. "Thank God that you are alive and well, people like you will be needed both in special services and the FSB."

'PART OF WORLD CULTURE'

Another student said he had looked after his siblings aged 9, 10 and 16 when his mother left last year to work as a nurse at the front. Putin said he saluted her with a "deep bow".

A young woman named Darya told Putin she dreamed of working in the presidential administration, and he responded that he would "definitely tip off the personnel department".

Putin took a swipe at Western countries by suggesting some were using the Ukraine war as an excuse to "cancel" Russian culture - an oft-repeated but unsubstantiated claim by Moscow - but said Russians would continue to enjoy Beethoven and Bach.

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"We are part of world culture," he said.

In his remarks, Putin made only an indirect allusion to current international tensions, commenting that Germany "strictly speaking" remained under U.S. military occupation - a reference to allied troops stationed in the NATO country.

"Much of what is happening (now) has deep roots... Sovereignty will be returned to Europe, but it seems this will take time," he added.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Getty

It didnt take long for Russian officials to start foaming at the mouth and ranting about global conspiracies after Germany agreed to deliver its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine on Wednesday.

After weeks of resistance, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that, along with allies, the country would provide 88 of the battle tanks to Ukraine, effectively giving Kyiv more firepower to launch new offensives. The Biden administration was also expected to announce a deal to send 30 M1 Abrams tanks to the country.

The Russian Embassy in Berlin was among the first out of the gate after the news brokeoffering a bizarre, if not deranged, take: Berlins decision signifies the unequivocal refusal of the Federal Republic of Germany to recognize historical responsibility to our people for the terrible, timeless crimes of Nazism, Russian Ambassador Sergei Nechayev said in a statement.

The statement went on to say the tanks would also put an end to postwar reconciliation between Russians and Germans and take the conflict to a new level of confrontation.

Kremlin mouthpiece Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT, joined Russian diplomats in offering up far-fetched Nazi comparisons.

After a flogging by Washington, Germany will send 14 tanks to Ukraine. Closer to summer, deliveries of gas chambers are also expected, Simonyan tweeted.

TV propagandist Vladimir Solovyov called European leaders Nazi scumbags and argued that the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine makes all of Germany a legitimate military target for Russia.

He claimed Germany has forgotten its historical guilt and must pay for it.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlins man in charge in occupied Crimeaone of the territories Ukrainian authorities may use the tanks to take backpublished what he said were the schematics of Germanys Leopard 2A4 tank on Telegram.

Swarm of Tanks Is Just the Start of Putins New Nightmare

I am sure that everyone will be able to find more detailed information about the vulnerabilities of this on their own, and the command will provide our fighters with everything necessary to destroy the descendants of the fascist Tiger and Panther [tanks used in WWII], Aksyonov wrote.

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Pro-Kremlin pundits unanimously bent themselves into knots (and broke their brains) trying to prove a global Nazi conspiracy.

Tank conspiracy. 14 Challenger tanks will be supplied by Britain to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And it was also announced that Germany will supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine with 14 Leopard tanks. Is this some kind of secret number they have, 14? It turns out yes. 14 is a secret fascist number, wrote political analyst Sergei Markov, noting that 14 is the number of words in two slogans used decades ago by the American neo-Nazi David Lane.

Thus, the number of Challenger and Leopard tanks is a secret message from the governments of Britain and Germany: We know that these tanks are for the Nazis, Markov said.

He did not explain how his 14 theory holds up in light of several other countries sending an entirely different number of tanks.

Is 30the number of Abrams tanks reportedly to be supplied by the U.S.also a secret fascist number? The Kremlin has yet to confirm, though Vladimir Putins spokesman on Wednesday blasted the purported deal for U.S. tanks as absurd and bound to fail.

This is a really disastrous plan, and most importantly, this is a clear overestimation of the potential this will give to the armed forces of Ukraine, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russias Interfax news agency.

The Abrams tanks, he said, will burn just like all the others.

Despite Peskovs bluster, some pro-Kremlin military bloggers appeared fully aware the tanks could give Ukrainian forces a new competitive edge on the battlefield.

The ice has broken and NATO tanks are heading to Ukraine. It looks like all the arguments about who would be the first to send them led to everyone sending them all at once, wrote one popular pro-war Telegram channel.

Russians Urged to Keep Kids Indoorsas Wagners Freed Convicts Come Home

Other prominent figures appeared to suggest the decision to send tanks simply means the rest of the world isnt frightened enough of Russia.

Russias impotence in the field of foreign policy must be compensated for with military successes. Or the threat of military success. Or just a threat, argued state TV host Sergei Mardan.

Why not then arrange a random visit to Estonia of a Russian tank squadron, or a guided-missile cruiser in the Gulf of Riga? Or a random flight of Kalibr [cruise missiles] over all of Poland? Then we dont even need to apologize, no one needs our apologies. We need local horror and an understanding that Russia is unavoidably nearby and stronger than ever.

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CAIRO (AP)  A boat carrying Europe-bound migrants capsized off Libya, killing at least eight people, while 58 others were still missing, the country's Red Crescent said Wednesday.

Tawfik al-Shukri, spokesman for the Libyan Red Crescent, said the shipwreck took place Tuesday off the Mediterranean town of Garabulli, around 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital of Tripoli.

The boat was carrying at least 150 migrants, of whom 84 survived and were taken to government-run detention centers for migrants, he said.

Al-Shukri said the dead who were recovered were all men. He shared images purporting to show workers in Red Crescent uniforms packing black body bags with the Mediterranean Sea in the background.

Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants from Africa and the Middle East trying to make it to Europe. The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Tuesday's shipwreck was the latest sea tragedy in the central Mediterranean, a key route for migrants.

In 2023, at least 17 migrants were reported dead and 18 others missing off Libya as of Jan. 21, according to the U.N. International Organization for Migration. More than 1,100 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya this year, the IOM said.

Last year, at least 529 migrants were reported dead and 848 others missing off Libya, while over 24,680 were intercepted and returned to the chaos-hit country, according to the IOM.

Human traffickers in recent years have benefited from the chaos in Libya, smuggling in migrants across the countrys lengthy borders with six nations. The migrants are then packed into ill-equipped vessels, including rubber boats, and set off on risky sea voyages.

Those who are intercepted and returned to Libya are held in government-run detention centers rife with abuses, including forced labor, beatings, rapes and torture  practices that amount to crimes against humanity, according to U.N.-commissioned investigators.

The abuse often accompanies efforts to extort money from families before migrants are allowed to leave Libya on traffickers boats.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Louisiana's prison system routinely holds people beyond their release dates, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday in a report concluding that the state has failed for years to develop solutions to systemic overdetentions that violate inmates' rights and are costly to taxpayers.

The federal department said the state could face a possible lawsuit in mid-March if it doesn't fix the problems, according to a letter to state officials.

Corrections officials have been cooperating in the investigation but are deliberately indifferent to the situation despite having been put on notice about it more than 10 years ago, according to the justice department's 27-page report.

Between January and April 2022 alone, 26.8% of the people released from LDOCs custody were held past their release dates. Of those overdetained people, 24% were held over for at least 90 days, the federal department's news release said.

In that four-month period, the state paid an estimated $850,000 to parish jails holding state inmates beyond their release dates, according to the report.

The Department of Corrections issued a statement saying the Department of Justice report was being reviewed. Without a full review of the reports findings and documentation supporting said findings, it would be a challenge to provide a comprehensive response at this time, the emailed statement said. The Department of Corrections has been cooperative for the entire duration of the investigation, and we will continue to work with DOJ throughout this process.

Wednesday's report included minimal remedial measures. Among the recommendations, it said the corrections department needs to develop a system to share documents and information electronically among courts, parish jails and prison officials to better communicate when an incarcerated person's release date is set and any changes that might result in eligibility for earlier release.

Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the state by people incarcerated past their release dates. Last year, a panel of three 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges refused, in a 2-1 ruling, to dismiss corrections Secretary James LeBlanc and two other state prison system officials from one such lawsuit filed by attorneys with the Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center. The corrections officials have asked for a rehearing by the full 5th Circuit, currently with 16 judges.

Other such lawsuits are being handled by another advocacy group, the Promise of Justice Initiative. "We have known for a long time that the Louisiana DOC is deliberately indifferent to the systemic overdetention of people in its custody, Mercedes Montagnes, Executive Director of the organization, said in a news release. We are grateful that the DOJ investigated this matter and were hopeful that DOC will finally take its constitutional obligations seriously.
U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, who led the effort to expand gun rights in Missouri when he was a member of the state Senate, is now going after a cornerstone federal gun law used by the Department of Justice to reduce gun violence.

As a state senator in 2021, Burlison successfully pushed for a state law that stops local police from enforcing certain federal gun laws. On Tuesday, the freshman Republican from southwest Missouri introduced his first bill in Congress, a plan to repeal a 1934 law that taxes the manufacturing and sale of certain guns and requires owners to register those guns.

The Repeal the NFA Act will strip the ATF of its authority to criminalize lawful gun owners and will undo nearly 90 years of assault on fundamental freedoms, Burlison said in a press release. Im proud to stand with and support Americans nationwide as we take this issue head-on.

The American Firearms Association, a group that advocates for lax gun laws, said its federal legislative team helped Burlison craft the bill, which would overturn the National Firearms Act.

The National Firearms Act (NFA) was tyrannical when it was first passed almost 90 years ago, said Aaron Dorr, a spokesman for the American Firearm Association in a press release. But over the years, it has become the number one way for the federal government to target law-abiding gun owners, as the ATF can add accessories like pistol braces to the NFA without needing a vote in Congress!

The original 1934 act imposed a $200 tax on shotguns and rifles shorter than 18 inches along with machine guns, silencers and mufflers. The tax, which in todays dollars would be more $4,000, was intended to discourage the purchase of those weapons in response to gang violence in that era. The tax has not been raised since it was introduced.

Burlisons bill comes after at least 18 people were killed in two, high-profile mass shootings in California. There have already been 40 mass shootings in the U.S. this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a group that tracks mass shootings, which they define as four or more people who are shot or killed, not including the shooter.

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His bill is unlikely to become law. Democrats control the U.S. Senate and Democratic President Joe Biden is unlikely to sign a law loosening gun restrictions when he has repeatedly called for a ban on assault weapons.

Its a talking point, said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat. But the fact that its even rising to this level of being introduced is kind of a slap in the face to all the family members of people who just got killed recently, and the thousands across the country.

Earlier this week, White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre again urged Congress to pass a law banning assault weapons.

We have mourned lives lost in mass shootings after mass shootings, Jean Pierre said Tuesday. The flags at the White House were already at half-mast in honor of those murdered in Monterey Park when we learned of the shooting in Half Moon Bay. President Biden, like most Americans, believes that this is an urgent issue; that too many of our neighbors, colleagues, kids are losing their lives to gun violence.

Adzi Vokhiwa, the federal affairs director for the gun control advocate Giffords, said the National Firearms Act has been effective for nearly 90 years and has helped keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals.

At a time when the nations gun violence crisis is worsening, it is irresponsible to introduce legislation that would make it easier for criminals to get their hands on dangerous weapons, Vokhiwa said. Repealing the NFA would only endanger public safety. Any policymaker who is serious about reducing crime and violence in this country should condemn this legislation.

While Burlisons bill is unlikely to become law, he has maintained the aggressive support for gun rights that characterized his time in Missouris legislature.

In the Missouri Senate, Burlison spearheaded a state law, the Second Amendment Preservation Act or SAPA, that declares certain federal gun laws invalid if they do not have an equivalent in Missouri statutes and prohibits local police from helping federal agents to enforce them.

It isnt enforced by any one agency. Instead, people are authorized to sue law enforcement officials over alleged violations. Fines of up to $50,000 per violation are possible.

The law, signed by Republican Gov. Mike Parson at a gun store in June 2021, capped a years of effort by Burlison to insert what proponents say are necessary protections against federal instructions on gun rights into state law. As a state senator, and as a state representative before that, Burlison repeatedly pushed Second Amendment-related legislation.

But it has also led to confusion among law enforcement over what is and isnt allowed. Some departments restricted cooperation with federal authorities, such as joint drug task forces, or limited gun serial number information sent to federal databases. In one case, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper released a federal fugitive.

The Department of Justice sued Missouri over the law in February 2022, alleging it hampers their activities and violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which ensures federal law supersedes state law. Oral arguments were held in July, but U.S. District Court Judge Brian Wimes has yet to issue a decision.

I think the legislature spoke loudly when we passed this law. Theres no such thing as perfect law. We have to see how this operates and see how this works. I think its working well, Burlison said last May.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty

In a polarized political environment, the cause of reining in Big Tech companies (Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook) is one supported across party lines.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden wrote a rare op-ed in The Wall Street Journal urging bipartisan cooperation to hold Big Tech accountable. More than an aspirational plea for bipartisan unity, the article is also a direct challenge to Republican leadership to put up or shut up on taking Big Tech to task.

While Republicans feign outrage about the tech giants on the campaign trail, the likes of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Jim Jordan continue to drag their heels on meaningful antitrust reform. Though public discourse around Big Tech often centers on the issues of misinformation or alleged censorship, holding the tech giants (among the largest and widest-reaching enterprises in human history) accountable means taking on their market power.

Break Up the Big Tech Giantsthe People Want It!

By launching its long-awaited antitrust suit against Google, the Biden administration isnt just taking the initiative to protect consumers from corporate abuses. Indeed, the Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit is a welcome sign that the White Houseand by extension, the Democratic Partyrefuses to cede the popular cause of reining in Big Tech to the GOP.

The antitrust lawsuit against Google filed on Tuesday is the second filed by the DOJ since 2020. While the ongoing suit filed over two years ago centers on Googles unlawful dominance in the search engine market, the 2023 suit challenges Googles monopoly in the advertising technology (adtech) sector. The United States has had federal laws against illegal monopolies since 1890, and the reinvigoration of antitrust under Biden is a welcome development after decades of hands-off enforcement.

Jonathan Kanter, head of the DOJs Antitrust Division, stated that Google has illegally built an advertising monopoly by driving out rivals, diminishing competition, [and] inflating advertising costs. In doing so, Kanter notes that this has meant more than just diminished publisher revenue and a decrease in viable competitors to Google: Its also resulted in harming the exchange of information and ideas in the public sphere.

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In other words, the harms of monopoly power are not abstract concerns. On the contrary, when the government gives a free pass to companies that monopolize markets in violation of federal antitrust law, theyre also enabling them to commit harm with impunity.

At a glance, antitrust may not be as sexy a tech policy cause as, say, protecting online privacy or stopping misinformation. But make no mistake: Unless Big Tech is cut down to size by directly challenging its monopoly abuses, the tech giants will continue to feel emboldened to harm users and markets.

And while tech policy in general may seem academic, an estimated 90 percent of Americans are online, which means that building a safe and fair digital ecosystem is of utmost importance. For this reason, it should be no surprise that surveys have consistently shown that limiting Big Techs monopoly power is a political winner across party lines.

Inside Googles and Metas Arms Race to Build the Most Deceptive AI

Polling by American Family Voices last fall, for example, found that 75 percent of respondents want to modernize antitrust law to deal with tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Facebook. This number includes 78 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of Democrats, respectively, a rare instance of a policy that unites Americans across party lines. Polling by Morning Consult found that Democrats, independents, and Republicans alike were far more likely to support tech regulation efforts than oppose such proposals.

As such, the Biden administrations tech antitrust efforts arent just good policy, but politically smart as well. Going into 2024, Biden and the Democratic Party would benefit from having concrete accomplishments on holding Big Tech accountable as they face the voters. This is especially true when one considers that Bidens most likely Republican opponents, former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, have made animosity towards the tech giants central to their rhetoric.

With this in mind, both the White House and Democratic congressional leadership should make passing bipartisan antitrust legislation a top priority. Despite momentum and support from lawmakers of both parties, the two major bipartisan antitrust bills ultimately failed to make it into law in the 117th Congress.

In a way, pushing to pass the bipartisan tech antitrust legislation in the new Congress would be a guaranteed win-win for the Democrats. After all, there are only two ways it could turn out, both of which would be a point in the Democrats favor. If sufficient pressure leads the McCarthy-run House to pass the legislation, that will give Biden the opportunity to sign transformative, bipartisan legislation into law. And if McCarthy drags his heels, even as key members of his own party push for tech antitrust measures, that will expose his own failure of leadership on the issue.

Dont Buy Big Techs BS That Regulating Them Is a Threat to National Security

There are few times in politics when everyone from democratic socialist independent Sen. Bernie Sanders to Republican Sen. Mike Lee can agree on something. When it comes to the DOJs lawsuit to take on Googles adtech monopoly, though, its a clear winner across the political spectrum. The White House should pay close attention to this positive bipartisan reception and lean deeper into the cause of holding Big Tech accountable to the public.

In the meantime, the Biden administration should make sure to build up its own tech policy team. After working tirelessly to rein in monopolies over the past two years, Biden adviser Tim Wu left the White House this month. Given the DOJs new Google suit, the FTCs antitrust suits against Meta, and the likelihood of a DOJ Apple antitrust case, the White House needs firm advocates of anti-monopoly policy in advisory positions.

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To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. However, after investigating Vipshop Holdings (NYSE:VIPS), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Vipshop Holdings is:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.15 = CN5.4b  (CN58b - CN21b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).

Therefore, Vipshop Holdings has an ROCE of 15%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 12% generated by the Online Retail industry.

See our latest analysis for Vipshop Holdings

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Vipshop Holdings compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Vipshop Holdings Tell Us?

In terms of Vipshop Holdings' historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 15% from 22% five years ago. And considering revenue has dropped while employing more capital, we'd be cautious. If this were to continue, you might be looking at a company that is trying to reinvest for growth but is actually losing market share since sales haven't increased.

On a related note, Vipshop Holdings has decreased its current liabilities to 36% of total assets. So we could link some of this to the decrease in ROCE. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE.

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In Conclusion...

We're a bit apprehensive about Vipshop Holdings because despite more capital being deployed in the business, returns on that capital and sales have both fallen. And, the stock has remained flat over the last five years, so investors don't seem too impressed either. That being the case, unless the underlying trends revert to a more positive trajectory, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

If you're still interested in Vipshop Holdings it's worth checking out our FREE intrinsic value approximation to see if it's trading at an attractive price in other respects.

While Vipshop Holdings may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list 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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Like most things, the title of Mia Hansen-Lve's One Fine Morning sounds better in French.

Un Beau Matin" doesn't have that same rom-commy ring. But it's kind of nice to imagine a moviegoer, expecting a Hallmark movie, strolling instead into Hansen-Lve's sublimely melancholic drama about the ineffable impermanence of life.

For anyone, though, there's a wistful, warm feeling when wandering into a Hansen-Lve film. Hers are delicate dramas keenly tuned to the rhythm of daily life, and One Fine Morning is her most radiant film yet.

Sandra (Lea Seydoux) is a Parisian single mother with a young daughter, Linn (Camille Leban Martins), and a father, Georg (tenderly played by Pascal Greggory), whose memory is going due to Bensons syndrome. As Sandra and her mother (Nicole Garcia), long divorced from Georg, make arrangements for him to enter a nursing home, a dormant part of Sandra's life (Linn's father died five years earlier) is rekindled by an unexpected romance with an old friend, Clement (Melvil Poupaud).

Though One Fine Morning" sways between youth and old age, sensuality and incapacity, it's not a neat dichotomy. Hansen-Lve's film, which first moved moviegoers at last year's Cannes Film Festival and which arrives in theaters Friday, is more gracefully concerned with the constancy of loss. Loved ones come and go, painfully; both the increasingly disoriented Georg and Clement, unhappily married but not separated, are there one moment and gone the next. In the film's first scene, Georg fumbles with the lock to his front door, while Sandra waits on the other side, trying to guide him.

Hansen-Lve, who also wrote the script, is a committed naturalist whose stories build with the steady accumulation of quotidian detail and shift with the unexpected undulations of relationships. As in the best of her films but more so, One Fine Morning gathers a moving poignancy without you ever realizing it. One moment, you might feel as though the narrative focus is drifting or sliding into repetition; the next, you can hardly imagine a more cohesive and affecting encapsulation of bittersweet human truths.

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Much of that is owed to the tender performance by a never-better Seydoux. For an actress capable of such glamour, it's a powerfully unadorned performance, filled with joy and sadness, often at the same time. Scenes of One Fine Morning toggle between hospital wards and Sandra's apartment. Seydoux plays the head-spinning back-and-forth between love affair and elderly care with calm composure and occasional eruptions of emotion.

Words, we sense, are fading. One of the tasks of Sandra and her mother is to sort through the extensive library of her father, a former philosophy professor. The heaps of books are a kind of physical manifestation of what Georg  described before his downturn as obsessed with clarity and rigor  is losing and leaving behind. Sandra, herself a translator, grows increasingly aware that the same fate, inevitably is hers. But if to love is to lose, it's a bargain worth making  for a beau matin and more. In this achingly luminous drama drawn from the familiar stuff of daily life, it's a nurse who puts it most succinctly: Make the most of being together."

One Fine Morning, a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for some sexuality, nudity and language. In French with subtitles. Running time: 112 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 04: (L-R) Kenya Moore and Marc Daly attend the 26th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Academy Awards Viewing Party at The City of West Hollywood Park on March 4, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images); https://www.instagram.com/kenya/?hl=en. Kenya Moore/Instagram

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty; Kenya Moore/Instagram

Kenya Moore received a sweet gift on her 52nd birthday.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star shared a photo of a pink orchid that she received from her estranged husband Marc Daly and their 4-year-old daughter Brooklyn on Tuesday.

"Thank you for my flowers Brooklyn and Marc," she shared on her Instagram Story.

RELATED: RHOA's Kenya Moore Says She Has the 'World's Longest Divorce' Nearly 2 Years After Filing

In addition to the floral arrangement, Moore also received a social media shoutout from Real Housewives of Dubai's Lesa Milan, who shared, "Happy Birthday Gorgeous" on her Instagram Story.

The thoughtful gesture from Daly and Brooklyn comes after Moore revealed earlier this month that she hopes the pair's divorce will be finalized "soon" on Watch What Happens Live.

"The world's longest divorce," Moore told host Andy Cohen about the nearly two years that had passed since her split from Daly in May 2021.

Kenya Moor and Marc Daly

Paras Griffin/Getty Kenya Moore, Marc Daly

RELATED: Kenya Moore Confirms She and Ex Marc Daly 'Unfortunately' Didn't Sign a Prenup

Moore later revealed the holdup in finalizing her divorce from Daly. The Special Forces: World's Toughest Test star admitted they didn't sign a prenuptial agreement before tying the knot.

When asked why the divorce was yet finalized, Moore told TMZ: "No prenup, so yeah, unfortunately."

However, the reality star reiterated that she felt "confident that it will get resolved soon."

Earlier this month, the Bravo star also opened up about having their marriage troubles exposed on RHOA during an appearance on Tamron Hall.

"It was a struggle just to work through our differences even during the show," she admitted. "A lot of it was exposed, just how we weren't getting along or weren't on the same page."

"As I said before, I felt like my voice was stifled a lot because I felt like I had to be a certain kind of wife to get along with him and his personality," she added. "That's not what a marriage is about."

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Kenya Moore attends FOX's 'Special Forces: The Ultimate Test' Los Angeles premeire at Fox Studio Lot on December 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

Emma McIntyre/Getty

RELATED: Kenya Moore Says She Felt 'Stifled' and Had to Be a 'Certain Type of Wife' to Marc Daly Before Divorce

Moore and Daly first wed in June 2017. They split for the first time in September 2019. Though they seemed to briefly rekindle their romance in February 2020, Daly confirmed in January 2021 that the couple had split once again.

That May, Moore filed for divorce, with court documents stating that she had been living in a "bonafide state of separation" since September 2019 and that their marriage was "irretrievably broken."

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The Real Housewives of Atlanta can be streamed in full on Peacock. Special Forces: World's Toughest Test airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
Jan. 25ROCHESTER  For the second year, Rochester Public Schools is bracing for the process of having to make some steep budget cuts, this time amounting to as much as $14 million.

Half that deficit will be made up with a reduction in teaching staff  nearly 77 full-time equivalent positions amounting to a savings of $7.7 million if recommendations to the board are approved.

The Rochester School Board discussed the budget and the upcoming cuts during a study session Tuesday. The board will revisit the issue Feb. 7, when it will vote on a set of guidelines that will determine what those cost reductions will be.

Superintendent Kent Pekel outlined the process in a memo to the board, detailing both the reductions that need to be made as well as background information that led to the situation. Half the deficit, he said in the memo, comes from increased expenditures due to higher compensation in the last round of union contracts.

The size of the proposed cuts for 2023-24 has grown from $7 million to $14 million since the district initially introduced the multi-year budget reduction plan.

"Broadly stated, the budget strategy outlined in this memo continues implementation of the strategy that the RPS school board approved a year ago," Pekel said in the memo. "However, the amount of the reductions that must be made to achieve a balanced budget is higher due to the contract settlements that our district reached with many of the unions that represent our employees during the last round of negotiations."

The guidelines presented to the school board include budget reductions or fee increases in 14 categories, ranging from administrative and clerical positions to reductions in transportation costs and contracted services.

The largest single category to be impacted will be the teaching staff. If the board goes on to approve the recommended cuts, the teaching staff would be reduced by 5.2%, representing 76.8 full-time equivalent positions representing a saving of $7.7 million.

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The proposed reductions also would have a large impact on the number of educational support professionals, formerly known as paraprofessionals. If the reductions are approved, there would be a 8% reduction in those positions, representing 42.6 full-time equivalent positions with a financial impact of saving $2.01 million.

RPS Director of Finance John Carlson clarified that some of the positions to get cut may be those that are built into the budget but aren't actually staffed at the moment.

The district has a total budget of $388 million. Of that total, $256 million is in its general fund.

In addition to outlining the recommended reductions themselves, Tuesday's study session included context about the reasons that lead to the need for the reductions in the first place. One reason for the proposed cuts, according to Pekel's memo, is that state and federal education funding have not grown in proportion to inflation.

On a similar note, the memo also explained that state and federal funding for special education have not "covered the cost of the services that are required by law." As a result, RPS has to "reallocate approximately $15 million from the general fund to cover shortfalls in funding for special education each year."

Although funding has not increased in proportion to the cost, Pekel also explained that the district has proportionally added more staff than students over the last decade. That creates a financial imbalance since the main factor in state funding is school enrollment. While the enrollment of students has increased 7% over that time, the staff has grown nearly 27%.

One particular area where that has happened is special education.

"We are overstaffed in special education in key areas relative to best practice in the field," Pekel explained at Tuesday's meeting. "We need to treat it with real compassion and emphasize a do-no-harm approach, but we also cannot get to budget stability if we don't take a look at our staffing in special education."

While the school board's current process is focused on reducing costs, Pekel also reiterated that RPS is getting ready to overhaul its financial strategy.

At previous meetings, he's explained part of that will include finding additional revenue streams through grant funding. The district has already seen a glimpse of what that could look like when it received a $1.2 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to support the district's work around the concept of "deeper learning."

However, Pekel explained the overhaul process will also focus on making sure the existing revenue streams are focused on driving the goals outlined in the district's strategic plan.

"It's critical I think that we all keep in mind that we are on the cusp next year of designing a budget and a funding system that reflects our values and priorities through investments," Pekel said. "We are on a path to fundamentally rethinking how we utilize our resources."
Three Florida high school students are threatening to sue Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida over a recently announced statewide ban on a new Advanced Placement course on African American history.

The threatened legal action was announced Wednesday on behalf of the AP honors students who accuse the state and its Republican governor of censoring public education while heavily favoring white history over Black.

Certainly there are other advanced placement histories, such as AP European History, AP U.S. History and AP World History, all predominantly generated towards white people, high school junior Victoria McQueen, one of the potential plaintiffs, said at a press conference alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who would be representing them.

Crump, left, stands with the three Leon County high school students who are threatening to file a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration over Florida's ban of a proposed AP course on African American studies.

Crump, left, stands with the three Leon County high school students who are threatening to file a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration over Florida's ban of a proposed AP course on African American studies.

If he does not negotiate with the College Board to allow African American studies to be taught in classrooms in the state of Florida, these three young people will be the lead plaintiffs in a historic lawsuit, Crump said of DeSantis.

The pilot program on African American studies was banned in Florida under DeSantis so-called Stop WOKE Act, which he signed into law last year. The legislation places restrictions on how racism and other aspects of history can be taught in schools and workplaces. It includes a ban on teaching critical race theory, a college-level framework of study which argues that racism is embedded in legal systems and government policies.

Floridas Department of Education (DOE) said a number of topics  including on critical race theory, Black queer studies and intersectionality  need to be removed in order for the course to be taught in the states schools.

A

A "Stop the Black Attack" rally in Tallahassee, Florida, on Wednesday, protests recent state legislation and policies that are seen as racist.

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As Governor DeSantis said, African American History is American History, and we will not allow any organization to use an academic course as a gateway for indoctrination and a political agenda, said Florida Department of Education Communications Director Alex Lanfranconi in a statement Wednesday.

The College Board announced Tuesday that it will present its official framework on the course on Feb. 1 after considering feedback it has received from high schools and colleges that have already participated in the pilot program nationwide.

This framework, under development since March 2022, replaces the preliminary pilot course framework under discussion to date, the nonprofit organization said, without sharing any specifics on how the official course may differ from the pilot.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called the AP course

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called the AP course "indoctrination, not education."

Floridas DOE, in a letter to the College Board last week, said the AP course includes historically inaccurate content and significantly lacks educational value. It suggested that the course be amended for any future consideration.

The pilot course is indoctrination, not education, DeSantis said at a press conference Monday.

Who would say that an important part of Black history is queer theory? he said. Thats the wrong side of the line for Florida standards. When you try to use Black history to shoehorn in queer theory, you are clearly trying to use that for political purposes.

Related...
Jan. 24A 56-year-old neonatologist stood for nearly an hour Tuesday in a federal courtroom in Spokane and tried to explain to a federal judge that he was not the "magnificent monster" a former colleague, whose hands he'd sought to break, had called him.

Instead, Dr. Ronald Ilg was sentenced to eight years in federal prison and will pay a $100,000 fine in what U.S. Senior District Court Judge William Fremming Nielsen called behavior that was "egregious, abhorrent and evil."

The sentence brings to a close a bizarre criminal case that involved cryptocurrency, the dark web and accusations of sexual abuse that evolved from a dominant/submissive lifestyle. Nielsen stressed that the sentence, equal to prison time requested by federal prosecutors, was based on the solicitation of violence and extortion Ilg believed he was making to criminals and members of a cartel in early 2021, not his personal life.

"It was unconscionable, the things that you were asking unknown people on the dark web to do to people you love," Nielsen told Ilg before sentencing.

Ilg pleaded guilty in August to sending messages on an untraceable part of the internet to people he believed would assault the colleague, and kidnap his wife who was seeking an divorce, inject her with heroin daily and extort her into returning to the marriage. That solicitation happened during a time Ilg said his life was in a spiral. But victims told Nielsen on Tuesday that he was a manipulative man who'd shown little interest for others, including a biological child with his ex-wife for whom he was making minimum child support payments despite owning real estate and a $1 million retirement fund.

"All I wanted to do was get out of a toxic marriage," Ilg's ex-wife, who sat in the first row of the courtroom on Tuesday, told Nielsen.

Ilg, told the judge he still loved his ex-wife, and the woman who traveled with him to Mexico and whom he had placed in a dark, underground, tanklike structure on his property in Otis Orchards. That woman was not in the courtroom Tuesday, opting instead to have a statement read by her attorney.

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"I fear for my safety, even with the defendant in jail," the woman wrote.

Ilg sent a letter to the woman in June 2021, after he'd been in jail several months. In that letter, he suggested they get married to potentially stop her from testifying against him.

That letter was sent when Ilg was weaning himself off medication to help his anxiety and depression while in jail, he told Nielsen.

"It was out of desperation, and hope," Ilg said, that he would be released from custody.

Vanessa Waldref, U.S. attorney for Eastern Washington, was among the several dozen people in the courtroom Tuesday to see the sentencing. She praised the victims for being willing to stand up and speak about the damage Ilg's crimes had caused.

"I think it's really important to focus on the impact on the victims of Mr. Ilg's crimes," Waldref said in an interview. "This is a case where we have a doctor who is hiring hitmen on the dark web. This type of cybercrime can often be very difficult to detect and prosecute."

Ilg spent the past 21 months in jail in lieu of bond while awaiting sentencing. His defense attorneys, Carl Oreskovich and Andrew Wagley, were arguing for a five-year prison sentence and no fine because of the loss of his medical practice.

After Ilg's guilty plea in August, the Washington Medical Commission initiated disciplinary proceedings against Ilg based on his guilty plea to federal crimes. He will likely lose the medical license he has had to practice in Washington since September 2003, and even if he keeps it, he probably won't be able to resume practice as a physician, his attorneys said.

"There's not a practice in the Pacific Northwest, and probably the entire country, that's ever going to hire Dr. Ronald Ilg," Oreskovich told Nielsen before sentencing.

Prosecutors on Tuesday also introduced new letters Ilg sent while in jail to a different woman, described during proceedings as Ilg's "fiancee." Richard Barker, assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, also played a recorded phone call from jail in which Ilg suggests selling his story to be made into a film or book.

In one of the letters, Ilg suggests that his story would be "the next '50 Shades of Grey,' but on steroids," referencing the popular romantic fiction novel that explores dominant/submissive themes.

Oreskovich said after the sentencing hearing that he had only received the letters the night before sentencing and called their introduction "interesting timing."

Barker, in an interview after the hearing, said it was important for Nielsen to see all of Ilg's statements while in jail and awaiting sentencing, not just the apology he offered in the courtroom.

"The reality is he hasn't changed a bit," Barker said.

Nielsen said the contents of the letters would not influence his sentencing decision.

"It's not surprising," Oreskovich said of Nielsen's decision to hand down the lengthier sentence, particularly after the statements of the victims.

That included the physician who worked with Ilg, and whose hands he'd sought an assailant to break. She called him a "magnificent monster" because of his outward calm demeanor.

The physician said she was informed of the dark web plot by a phone call from an FBI agent while she was vacationing with her young children on the Oregon Coast.

"I felt like someone had taken the breath from me," the woman said, saying she had to fight the urge to vomit.

Ilg told Nielsen that when he posted the messages on the dark web, he felt like another person. His wife was seeking a divorce, and he felt that his sexual preferences had led to the human resources investigation that had cost him his job at his medical practice in December 2020. The tens of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency he paid to carry out the deeds was like "Monopoly money," he told the judge.

When the FBI interviewed him upon his return from Mexico in April 2021, Ilg said he used lies that he had written on his phone to attempt to explain away his actions. He then attempted suicide with pills, and was in the hospital for a week before he was arrested and taken to jail.

Ilg said he was "paraded through the hospital that he'd worked at for almost 20 years."

Nielsen said he appreciated the hardship Ilg was facing when he went on the dark web.

"You know, Dr. Ilg, all of us have problems from time to time, and we push through," Nielsen said.

Nielsen agreed with the prosecution on the prison sentence, but reduced the fine requested by prosecutors. They wanted Ilg to pay a $250,000 fine; Nielsen reduced it to $100,000 and ordered Ilg to spend three years of supervised release after he's out of prison.

The judge suggested such a sentence was preferable to what Ilg might have faced. He pleaded guilty to two counts of threats made in interstate commerce, but prosecutors had filed additional charges that included witness tampering and kidnapping.

"I feel that the plea agreement, for you, was a big break," Nielsen said.

Ilg was led from the courtroom in handcuffs. He averted his gaze from witnesses as he left.
Rory McIlroy (right) has had his say on an incident with Patrick Reed (left) in Dubai (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Archive)

Rory McIlroy insists he did not feel the need to acknowledge Patrick Reed after an incident on the range at the Dubai Desert Classic.

According to a report on Spanish website ten-golf.com, Reed threw a tee towards McIlroy after being snubbed by the world number one.

Asked what had happened in his pre-tournament press conference, McIlroy said: I was down by my bag and he came up to me, and I was busy working and sort of doing my practice, and I didnt really feel like I didnt feel the need to acknowledge him.

So I didnt see a tee coming my direction at all, but apparently thats what happened. And if roles were reversed and Id have thrown that tee at him, Id be expecting a lawsuit.

That was a reference to the legal action Reed is taking on several fronts following his decision to join the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series.

The former Masters champion is one of 13 players involved in an arbitration case with the DP World Tour over sanctions imposed for playing the first LIV event last June and has also launched a defamation lawsuit against several media members and organisations.

The lawyer representing Reed in that case also subpoenaed McIlroy and Tiger Woods in regards to the players-only meeting that was held prior to the BMW Championship in August.

The subpoenas are part of a civil lawsuit filed in June by Larry Klayman which claims that Florida residents who bought tickets to PGA Tour events, or would in future, were damaged by the PGA Tour allegedly weakening fields by suspending players who joined LIV.

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Asked if it was naive of Reed to expect a warm welcome given the circumstances, McIlroy told Sky Sports: I was subpoenaed by his lawyer on Christmas Eve.

So of course, trying to have a nice time with my family and someone shows up on your doorstep and delivers that, youre not going to take that well.

Im living in reality, I dont know where hes living. If I were in his shoes, I wouldnt expect a hello or a handshake.

McIlroy also ruled out the possibility of repairing his previously close relationship with another LIV player, Sergio Garcia, and dismissed claims that LIV CEO Greg Normans position had been strengthened by Majed Al Sorour reportedly stepping down as managing director.

If the chief executive doesnt have an executive team, I dont know how strong that is, said McIlroy, whose call for Norman to step down to allow a settlement in golfs civil war to be negotiated has been echoed by Tiger Woods.

He cant do it himself. He needs to rely on a team just like all of us rely on teams, right, to do things.
A women walks pass a tent at Covid-19 testing center on January 19, 2023 in Hong Kong, China. Vernon Yuen/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Rural areas in China are running out of coffins amid a COVID-19 outbreak, the BBC reported.

There's no official COVID-19 death count or estimate in some rural areas in China.

One villager told BBC that funeral industry workers were "earning a small fortune."

Rural areas of China are running out of coffins and experiencing skyrocketing funeral costs because of a rapid increase in COVID-19-related deaths, BBC News reported.

One villager in the Chinese province of Shanxi told BBC that coffins had sold out in some regions and that funeral industry workers were "earning a small fortune" during the current COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the World Health Organization, China, a country of 1.4 billion people, has reported at least 34,000 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Reuters reported last week that WHO has accused China of underreporting the scale of the current data. Insider reported in December, citing Airfinity, a health data company, that more than 5,000 people were likely dying a day from COVID-19 in China.

In rural areas of the country, it's hard to gather data on COVID-19. The BBC reported that there is currently no official estimate for the number of deaths in rural Chinese villages, because most village residents are dying at home or in small village clinics.

BBC staffers who visited the Chinese province of Shanxi reported that crematoriums were busy, funeral homes were facing a shortage of coffins, and deaths were mounting.

"One day someone would die, then the next day someone else. It's been non-stop over the past month," one villager told the BBC.

One doctor who operates a small clinic in rural china told BBC that he is hopeful the worst is over and that most of the residents in his town had already caught COVID-19.

"We haven't had any patients in recent days," he said.

But there is a concern that more COVID-19 deaths are still to come, the BBC reported. Millions of younger people visited their rural hometowns over the Lunar New Year, potentially bringing COVID-19 back to older, more vulnerable residents.

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The BBC interviewed one man, Wang Peiwei, whose sister-in-law had passed after catching COVID-19.

"She was a great person. We must hold a grand event to send her off, the best we can afford," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By Mark Trevelyan

(Reuters) - Russia reacted with fury on Wednesday to Germany's decision to approve the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, saying Berlin was abandoning its "historical responsibility to Russia" arising from Nazi crimes in World War Two.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a Telegram post that the move was confirmation of Germany's involvement in "a war planned in advance" against Russia.

The Russian embassy in Berlin said the decision - which paves the way for other NATO members also to send German-made tanks - would escalate the 11-month conflict in Ukraine, which Moscow casts increasingly as a perilous face-off between Russia and the U.S.-led alliance.

"This extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation," Ambassador Sergei Nechayev said. He added it would cause "irreparable damage to the already deplorable state of Russian-German relations".

There was no immediate reaction from President Vladimir Putin, who shortly after the announcement took part in a long televised meeting with students but referred only briefly to the "complicated" security situation facing Russia.

Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched on Feb. 24 last year, amounts to an unprovoked war of aggression aimed at seizing territory. Moscow says the West is using Ukraine to weaken Russia's own security.

'HISTORICAL RESPONSIBILITY'

Germany's decision on tanks followed weeks of agonising by the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, prompted by concerns about escalating the war and provoking Russia.

More than 80 years after their country invaded Soviet Russia and Ukraine in World War Two, some Germans recoil at the idea of sending tanks into a new conflagration there, out of a sense of historic guilt that the Russian embassy statement directly tapped into.

"Berlin's choice means the final refusal of the Federal Republic of Germany to recognize its historical responsibility to our people for the terrible, timeless crimes of Nazism during the Great Patriotic War, and the consigning to oblivion of the difficult path of post-war reconciliation between Russians and Germans," Nechayev said.

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"With the approval of the leadership of Germany, battle tanks with German crosses will again be sent to the 'eastern front', which will inevitably lead to the deaths of not only Russian soldiers, but also the civilian population."

Kyiv has for months asked for Western tanks that it says it desperately needs to give its forces the firepower and mobility to break through Russian defensive lines and recapture occupied territory in the east and south.

Russia has repeatedly said foreign tanks will "burn" in Ukraine. It says they will only extend the war and prolong Ukrainian suffering, and that the West is "deluded" to think otherwise.

(Reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Gareth Jones)
(Bloomberg) -- Rwandas defense force shot at a Democratic Republic of Congo fighter jet that allegedly violated its airspace, as tensions between the neighboring countries escalate.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Its the third time a Congolese military aircraft entered Rwandan airspace in recent months, the office of the spokesperson of Rwandas government said in a statement. Congo denied the plane entered Rwanda, according to a statement on Twitter.

Rwanda took defensive measures against the Sukhoi-25 jet, it said. Rwanda asks the Democratic Republic of Congo to stop this aggression.

Relations between the two nations are being strained by conflict in eastern Congo, where the army is fighting the M23 rebel group that Congo says is backed by Rwanda  an allegation the Rwandan government denies. The violence has displaced 450,000 people.

Congos mineral-rich east  adjoining Rwanda  has been beset by conflict since the mid-1990s, when the aftermath of a civil war and genocide in Rwanda spread over the border, enveloping more than a half-dozen African nations. Despite a 2003 peace agreement, fighting persists, with about 100 armed groups active in the region.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday declined to attend a meeting in Qatar with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to discuss the conflict, the United Nations-backed Radio Okapi reported.

The attack on the jet caused minor damage, Congos government said.

The government considers this umpteenth attack by Rwanda as a deliberate act of aggression that is equivalent to an act of war, it said. Congo does not intend to let it stand and warned that continued attacks by Rwanda and the M23 may affect voter-registration efforts as the nation prepares for presidential elections scheduled for December.

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Its no lie  Rep. George Santos is poised to be immortalized as a talking bobblehead, complete with a feature that plays some of the New York Republicans biggest lies.

Two miniature versions of Santos will be offered by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, it announced Wednesday.

For $30, customers can choose to purchase via a pre-sale either a standard Santos, sporting glasses and his signature crew-neck sweater over a dress shirt, or similar one with a Pinocchio-style elongated nose.

The lengthy schnoz, the Wisconsin-based museum said, represents the mounting number of lies and fabrications surrounding Santoss background that have been documented.

In addition to the lying look, the bobblehead will feature some of Santoss reported fabrications in his own words at the touch of a button.

The House freshman has come under fire from colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress and is facing investigations from federal authorities over potential campaign finance violations, following multiple instances of apparent fabrications involving his work history, education and family heritage.

The retailer said it would donate a portion of sales from each of the Santos bobbleheads to dog-related GoFundMe campaigns.

Earlier this month, two veterans accused Santos of running off with thousands of dollars that the now-congressman had helped to raise in a 2016 GoFundMe effort for a lifesaving surgery for a dog that belonged to one of the homeless servicemembers.

Santos called the veterans claims shocking and insane.

National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder Phil Sklar said that the Santos souvenir was created in response to a growing number of requests for a diminutive likeness of the 34-year-old lawmaker.

No one knows how and when the drama surrounding George Santos will end, Sklar said in a statement, but we know the bobblehead will be the perfect collectible to commemorate this unbelievable story for years to come.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Kylie Jenner wore the Italian brands lion design to attend Couture Fashion Week in Paris (AP)

Bondage bears. A runway covered in mud. Spray-painting a dress. These are just a handful of viral moments created by the fashion industry in recent months. All of them provoked outrage. Some caused offense. Others led to criticism. Now, the industry can add another notch onto its online scandal belt: giant fake taxidermy.

On Monday, at Couture Fashion Week in Paris, models Irina Shayk, Naomi Campbell and Shalom Harlow walked the Schiaparelli runway in garments adorned with the heads of a lion, wolf and leopard, respectively. Kylie Jenner also wore the lion design to attend the show. The life-size mock-ups were made entirely from foam  and designer Daniel Roseberry has keenly stressed that no animals were harmed in their creation. The collection was inspired by Dantes Inferno, with the animals intended to serve as a reminder there is no such thing as heaven without hell; there is no joy without sorrow; there is no ecstasy of creation without the torture of doubt.

Its a somewhat tenuous link, made more so by Roseberrys comments to Vogue: The animals are one of the four literal references that I took from Dantes Inferno, he said. In the first cycle of Dantes journey, he faces terrors. He confronts a lion, a leopard, and a she-wolf. They each represent different things. But the lion and the animals are there as a photorealistic approach of surrealism and trompe loeil in a different way.

What exactly they represent, though, beyond showing how easy it is to create lifelike taxidermy, remains somewhat unclear. Hence why the brand has sparked online furore, with people criticising it for depicting dead animals. Grim! Real or fake, this just promotes trophy hunting. Yuck! wrote Carrie Johnson, the wife of former prime minister Boris Johnson, in a post on her private Instagram. Be better, wrote photographer Misan Harriman in a post on his Instagram.

Others took the stunt as a slight on conservation, with one person tweeting: The world today has only 20,000 lions, [which are] not evenly distributed. India has just 600 Asiatic lions in its western region. Governments have worked hard for their preservation. @KylieJenner this isnt fashion, its a grave insensitivity towards a critical animal.

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However, not everyone agreed that the collection was quite so offensive. Animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has spoken out in favour of the collection. These fabulously innovative three-dimensional animal heads show that where theres a will, theres a way  and Kylie, Naomi, and Irinas looks celebrate the beauty of wild animals and may be a statement against trophy hunting, in which lions and wolves are torn apart to satisfy human egotism, Ingrid Newkirk, president of Peta, told Metro in a statement. Meanwhile, on Tuesdays episode of Good Morning Britain, the former MP and now presenter Ed Balls said criticism of the designs was political correctness gone mad and asked whether Johnson would be offended by The Lion King.

Regardless of whether you have an opinion on Schiaparellis show or not, few can deny just how much noise its created. Anyone on social media in the last 24 hours will have had a hard time avoiding the photographs  if not from Kylie Jenner herself, who has more than 379 million Instagram followers, then from one of the other millions of people that have since shared them alongside their respective takes.

Animal conservation aside, all of this taps into a wider question about whats dictating the modern fashion industry. Sure, its provocative to put giant animal heads on clothes. Just as its provocative to put a topless Bella Hadid on the runway and spray her with a chemical that turns into a dress. And some would say that fashions role in culture is  and has always been  to spark shock and, subsequently, conversation. But just how valuable is that conversation when almost none of it is actually about fashion, or even art?

Irina Shayk on the Schiaparelli runway (Shutterstock)

Nobody who is talking about the Schiaparelli show is talking about Dantes Inferno, for example. Nor are they reflecting on what it means to blur the boundaries between whats real and what isnt, as Roseberry posits in his show notes, or any of the other meticulously crafted pieces he created in the collection. Theyre just sharing photos of a dead lion.

Similarly, with the aforementioned Coperni stunt starring Hadid, nobody outside of the industry spoke about the great artistry of a spray-on dress, or the revolutionary chemical that was used to create it. Instead, they were mostly talking about Hadids lithe limbs, which were prominently on display, and then using the footage for TikTok videos.

Fashion has a long history of staging stunts, of course. But compare these modern-day iterations to those from a distant pre-social media age and the distinction is stark. The late Alexander McQueen, for example, famously put Harlow in a white multi-layered strapless tulle dress in his Spring 1999 show, before robotic arms began spraying it in black and yellow paint. It was a moment of pure performance art, particularly because Harlow herself is a trained ballerina, and interacted with the robots with grace and poise as the turntable she stood on moved.

Despite the obvious parallels with Coperni, nothing can quite compare to that moment. Nor could it compete with the hologram of Kate Moss that graced McQueens runway in 2006, in which she appeared as an apparition in a white frothy gown. Or the model that resembled an angel and was suspended in mid-air during Thierry Muglers 10th anniversary show in 1984. All of these were tangible artistic moments that feature prominently in fashions history books. Today, though, that cultural capital is only achieved if something goes viral on TikTok. And whats more likely to do that? A beautiful piece of performance art, or Kylie Jenner wearing an animal on her chest?

Naomi Campbell on the Schiaparelli runway (Shutterstock)

There are a few reasons why the latter hits differently. The first is where it hits: on social media, where everything is reduced to a 30-second video you barely acknowledge, or a photograph you scroll past while youre on the loo. When something goes viral, it captures our full attention for a certain amount of time. But because of the fast-paced nature of the internet, it becomes disposable overnight  a relic from just another day online. It takes a lot for something to transcend todays throwaway culture and carry some sort of meaning in years to come. Putting a lion on the body of one of the most famous reality TV stars in the world doesnt quite cut it.

Sadly, though, this is the way many of us now consume fashion, and therefore how designers are tailoring their shows: standout moments that dont require context for impact, because the internet doesnt have time to digest it anyway. Its the antithesis to art, which requires focus, analysis, and examination  things that were far easier to achieve in an analogue world. Perhaps we simply dont have the patience for it anymore.

And so none of this is necessarily the fashion industrys fault, of course. Wanting to cause a scene on social media makes sense from a business perspective  not only does it introduce the brand to new audiences, it helps to present it as relevant, or at least an integral cog in the wheel of online discourse. But perhaps Schiaparelli has shown us that things are going too far.

Besides, if you actually wanted to celebrate the glory of the natural world, as Roseberry stated in an Instagram caption, there are arguably far better ways to do that than by recreating an incredibly lifelike decapitated animal.
Messages of support for teacher Abigail Zwerner, who was shot by a 6-year-old student, grace the front door of Richneck Elementary School Newport News, Va., on Jan. 9, 2023. AP Photo/John C. Clark, File

Administrators at a school where a 6-year-old shot his teacher ignored warnings, a lawyer said.

An official thought the boy couldn't hide gun because he had "little pockets," the attorney alleged.

Abigail Zwerner, who was shot on January 6, intends to sue the school district over the incident.

An administrator at a Virginia school where a teacher was shot by her 6-year-old student on January 6 dismissed a warning that the boy could be hiding a gun because he had "little pockets," the wounded educator's attorney said on Wednesday.

Diane Toscano, an attorney for first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner, told reporters during a press conference that administrators at Richneck Elementary School were warned three times that the young student may have had a gun in the hours before Zwerner was shot.

"On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different times  three times  school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people. But the administration could not be bothered," Toscano said.

Toscano said the shooting at the Newport News, Virginia, school could have been "entirely preventable" if administrators who were "responsible for school safety had done their part and taken action when they had knowledge of imminent danger."

"But instead, they failed to act, and [Zwerner] was shot," the attorney said.

Toscano alleged that around 12:30 p.m. on the day of the shooting, a teacher at the school told an administrator that she searched the backpack of the boy who was suspected of having a gun but did not find one. Toscano alleged that the teacher then reported back to that same administrator that she believed the boy put the gun in his pocket before going outside for recess.

"But the administration could not be bothered," Toscano said. "The administrator downplayed the report from the teacher and the possibility of a gun, saying, and I quote, 'Well, he has little pockets.'"

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She went on to allege that shortly after 1 p.m. and roughly an hour before the 2 p.m. shooting, another teacher at the school reported to administrators that a student who was "crying and fearful" told his teacher "that the perpetrator showed him the gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anybody."

"What did administrators do? Did administrators call the police? No. Did administrators lock down the school? No. Did administrators evacuate the building? No. Did they confront the student? No," said Toscano.

Additionally, the attorney said, another school employee who "heard about the danger asked the administrator for permission to search the boy," but was denied.

"He was told to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over," said Toscano. "Let that sink in."

Nearly an hour later, Zwerner was shot in the chest by the 6-year-old boy in front of her "horrified students," Toscano said.

Toscano said that on the day of the shooting, Zwerner had also gone to a school administrator to report that the 6-year-old boy had "threatened to beat up another child."

"They didn't call security. They didn't remove the student from the classroom. The school administration failed to act," said Toscano.

During the press conference, Toscano announced that Zwerner intends to sue the Newport News School District over the incident.

"This should have never happened," Toscano said. "It was preventable."

The Newport News School District did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Insider on Wednesday.

Erin Davis, an attorney at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, told Insider that Zwerner and her lawyer feel they have enough evidence to bring a credible lawsuit against the school district.

Davis agreed with Toscano that the incident appears to have been preventable.

"If they had taken action, it sounds like they probably could have discovered the gun and stopped the shooting," Davis told Insider.

"It's extremely telling that there was so much warning provided to the school about this child, about the child having the gun," Davis added.

A school has a duty to keep its community safe and to investigate and take action in response to any knowledge of a threat or violent act, Davis said.

"Action is really what keeps these kids and these teachers and these communities safe. There are so many situations where choosing not to act ends up in deadly violence," she said. "This is certainly one of those situations where based on what they said so far seems like they should have acted."

Davis said she expects Zwerner's attorneys to lean on her close relationships with the other teachers to build and flesh out her case.

Zwerner "is a school employee," Davis said. "She knows all the people who were involved, hopefully pretty closely. So her facts are probably pretty credible."

Read the original article on Insider
Photo Illustration by Erin OFlynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images

How is real life like the plot of the movie Terminator 2? Let me count the ways.

A scarily powerful artificial intelligence based on a neural network? Check.

Humanity as close as it's ever been to an apocalypse? Check.

And a shapeshifting object made out of a liquid metal? Until now, it wouldve been a miss. But researchers in the U.S. and China have created an object made from microparticles embedded in liquid gallium that, when heated with magnets, melts into a liquid that can pass through the bars of a cagejust like the T-1000 did in the movie.

Dont believe me? See for yourself:

Theres one important caveat: The video that the researchers made of the materials great escape is stop motion. The material self-hardens but had to be recast into the shape of the Lego minifigure at the very end. We can have a T-1000 that melts. Getting it to reshape and restore itself backthat's still an open challenge, Carmel Majidi, a mechanical engineering researcher at Carnegie Mellon University who helped lead the study, told The Daily Beast.

The study containing this absolutely bone-chilling display was published on Jan. 26 in the journal Matter. And yes, the Terminator 2 reference in the video was intentional.

One of the original drafts of the paper made reference to The Terminator and the T-1000, and I actually had it taken out just because of copyright reasons and all that, Majidi said.

This Robot Floats Like a Butterfly to Swim Through the Sea

While the recreated T-1000 scene was a fun demonstration of the materials capabilities, Majidi said that sea creatures were, in fact, the true inspirations. Sea cucumbers, for instance, can stiffen up in the face of dangera trait which has long captivated materials science and robotics researchers. Such an attribute could allow a device to maneuver into tight spaces while soft and then harden to resist wear and tear.

The team of researchers based the new material on gallium, a so-called liquid metal due to the fact that it melts at around 86 degrees Fahrenheit. They embedded magnetic microparticles within the metal that allowed it to be moved or heated with magnets, then got to work testing it in different situations.

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The material may also be helpful in removing foreign objects from organs. To test this, the researchers put the material into a model of a human stomach filled with water, where it liquefied and wrapped itself around a steel ball. Then, once it solidified again, it could leave the stomachall within two minutes, demonstrating a very feasible application.

In practice, [a foreign] object could cause gastrointestinal damage or even be life threatening, the authors wrote in the study.

Next, they created a capsule of the material that contained fluorescein sodium, a salt used to diagnose problems in the cornea. The researchers again liquefied the material, this time to deposit the salt in the faux stomach, and tracked the model drugs spread by how much of the water it stained. The material could even stir the drug to diffuse faster when magnetic energy made it rotate in a circle.

This paper is quite impressive to me, and it reminded me of that movie, The Terminator, Li Zhang, a micro and nanorobotics researcher at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, who was not involved in the study, told The Daily Beast. It would be very cool if we could design this T-1000 liquid metal-based robot at a very small scale, and then deploy it inside of our body for some medical task.

Existing soft robots and materials that can change from liquid to solid states often dont have very much mechanical strength, Zhang said. In contrast, this materials ability to bear loads when solidified suggests that it could one day serve as an extra hand for surgery inside a patients body, he said. One day, swallowing the surgeon might even become a reality.

Boston Dynamics and Other Tech Companies Promise Not to Weaponize Their Robots

However, Zhang said that he wished the researchers had chosen a different organ model for their drug delivery and foreign body clearing experiments. The stomach is not that difficult to reach using an endoscope, he said. What I'm interested in is whether we can use this kind of technique, for example, in the small intestine, which is very long and tortuous.

Majidis colleagues at Sun Yat-sen University in China were initially interested in these biomedical applications for the material but decided to tack on the extra nonmedical experiments once they saw what it could do. The researchers then demonstrated the materials ability to solder and repair an electrical circuit; flow into a socket and harden into a universal screw that can fit any gap and support a 10 kilogram weight; and of course, melt a la T-1000 to escape a jail cell.

Its unlikely that gallium, microparticles, and magnets will replace career welders anytime soon, but there could be certain niche cases where this material could help, Majidi said.

This Magnetic Robot Quickly Crawls Up Walls Like a Spider

If you can easily access a damaged area, you can just manually weld it, he said. This is more intended for those cases where something is very difficult or impossible to reachyou could still have electromagnets control the magnetic field in the vicinity, but you might have difficulty getting directly to that area.

One such region may be outer space, said Zhang, who has also worked on engineering soft robots for inaccessible regions.

Right now, Majidi is studying the toxicity of liquid metals, including gallium, to living cells. A further wrinkle is that the human body rests at a temperature above galliums melting point. However, gallium-based alloys could be engineered to raise this property, Majidi added.

If this material will one day be used in biomedicine, it could be beneficial to integrate sensors or even an algorithm into a future shapeshifting device, Zhang said. This way, it will be able to navigate the human body on its own and know to release drugs at a certain time or in a particular region.

If we really want to use this for medical applications, it will be important to think about including [these tools], to realize autonomy, he said.

The T-1000 created by the researchers for the demonstration was only a few millimeters tall, but Majidi said that scaling the material wouldnt be an issue. Rather, it would take larger and larger amounts of energy (and by extension, bigger and bigger magnets) to heat the material enough to make it melt.

A life-size T-1000 that melts on command and has a mind of its ownhavent we seen this movie before?

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison filed a lawsuit Monday against car manufacturers Kia and Hyundai for failing to install anti-theft technology in some vehicles, which has contributed to an increase in car thefts in the area.

According to the city, Kia and Hyundai are aware of public safety issues surrounding the spike in theft with their vehicles and have not made steps to alleviate those concerns.

From 2021 to 2022, Kia and Hyundai thefts increased by 363% and 503%, respectively, in Seattle. In July 2022, the Seattle Police Department saw an increase of 620% in reports of stolen Kia and Hyundais, compared to July 2021.

Kia and Hyundai chose to cut corners and cut costs at the expense of their customers and the public. As a result, our police force has had to tackle a huge rise in vehicle theft and related problems with already stretched resources. Now Seattle taxpayers must shoulder the burden of the increase in theft, said Davison. Kia and Hyundai need to take responsibility for the public safety hazard that they created.

Police believe viral videos have taught thieves how easily these vehicles can be stolen  some with just a USB cable.

According to the media release, many of the stolen vehicles have been involved in major accidents, while some have also been used to commit further violent acts, such as armed robberies.

The city is seeking to recover damages and to compel car manufacturers to install anti-theft technology in unprotected vehicles.

In a statement to KIRO 7, a Hyundai spokesperson called the lawsuit improper and unnecessary, and said the company is sending free steering wheel locks to police departments across the country:

Hyundai believes this lawsuit is improper and unnecessary. In response to increasing thefts targeting our vehicles without push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices in the United States, Hyundai Motor America has made engine immobilizers standard on all vehicles produced as of November 2021. Additionally, Hyundai has taken a series of actions to deter thefts of affected vehicles, including an upcoming software update scheduled to be available beginning next month and provided at no cost to customers. Hyundai is also providing free steering wheel locks, as available, to select law enforcement agencies across the country, including in the Seattle area, for distribution to local residents who own or lease affected models. Owners may also bring their vehicles to a local Hyundai dealer for the purchase and installation of a customized security kit. We apologize for the inconvenience to affected customers. Hyundai is committed to ensuring the quality and integrity of all our products through continuous improvement. Hyundai quality is among the best in the industry, ranking third among all brands in the 2022 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and historically above the industry average in J.D. Powers U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS).

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Jan. 24MORGANTOWN  The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved the governor's TikTok ban bill.

SB 426 says the Chief Information Security Officer will develop standards regarding banned high-risk technology platforms or products. All levels of government  local governments, K-12 schools, higher education, and state entities  must enforce those standards.

In addition, all levels of government "must remove, restrict, and ban those high-risk technology platforms or products that pose a cybersecurity threat from all government systems, services, networks, devices, or locations."

A Judiciary Committee tweak of the bill adds a specific reference to TikTok.

Committee counsel told the senators that since 2020, at least 25 states have targeted these issues, with many specifically aimed at TikTok  which is closely tied to the Chinese Communist Party. The bans are bipartisan, occurring in red and blue states.

"This is a growing trend that crosses ideological lines, " counsel said.

The bill says, "It is in the best interest of the citizens of West Virginia and to the national security to enact measures designed to purge and prevent untrustworthy and high-risk technology from interfering with or damaging critical state networks and infrastructure."

Governor's General Counsel Berkeley Bentley elaborated on that. He said the bill reflects a policy in place in the executive branch for several months and aims to take into account all technologies and platforms tied to foreign entities that pose a high risk of infiltrating state systems. Infiltrating at a low level  such as a local government device, can open up infiltration all the way to the top.

Chief Information Security Officer Danielle Cox said her office needs to be able to address concerns in a rapidly changing environment. Committee chair Charles Trump, R-Morgan, said he believes the bill allows that flexibility.

Cox said she participates in a group chat with all the other 49 state CISOs and with federal officers to keep up date on trending and evolving threats they need to react to and be prepared for.

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Bentley said the feds are assembling a list of high-risk platforms and products that the CISO's office will adopt, and update as it grows and changes.

The bill now goes to the full Senate.

Tweet David Beard @dbeardtdp Email dbeard @dominionpost.com
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) is calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate soaring egg prices.

Egg prices have more than doubled since last year, from $1.79 in December 2021 to $4.25 in December 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In a letter on Tuesday, Reed called on the FTC to investigate whether the egg industry is using a record outbreak of bird flu as a cover for price gouging.

Reed is on the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

At a time when food prices are high and many Americans are struggling to afford their groceries, we must examine the industrys role in perpetuating high prices and hold those responsible accountable for their actions, Reed wrote.

He also noted that small producers, which have faced many of the same market challenges as the biggest producers, have managed to keep prices under control.

Reeds letter builds on a campaign by farm rights group Farm Action, which called last week for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Cal-Maine Foods, which controls 20 percent of the retail egg market.

Amid the flu crisis, the company reported quarterly sales up 110 percent and gross profits up more than 600 percent over the same quarter in the prior fiscal year, according to Farm Action.

In a statement to Equilibrium, Cal-Main argued that its prices are a result of more demand, higher input costs and fewer chickens.

The domestic egg market has always been intensely competitive and highly volatile even under normal market circumstances, a Cal-Main spokesperson wrote.

Even in this time of higher prices, the nutritional content of eggs remains a great value for consumers, the statement continued.

Avian flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), is a virus that primarily affects birds, particularly chickens and turkeys.

The current outbreak, which began in early 2022, is the worst in U.S. history and has led to nearly 58 million poultry deaths in 47 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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But Farm Action says thats unpersuasive. Yes, there has been an avian flu epidemic, but at no point have flocks been more than six percent below where they were last year, Joe Van Wye of Farm Action told Equilibrium.

And though the flu is ravaging the industry, Cal-Maine hasnt reported a single case of avian flu  but theyre raking in 10 times the profits they were last year, Van Wye added.

In the broader grocery market, prices went up about 12 percent  not this, you know, 130 percent increase that were seeing in the egg market, he said.

Similarly, he said, production and input costs are 22 percent higher than they were in 2021  which is again much lower than the observed price increase.

However, the price increases observed in the egg sector was much larger than the decreases in production caused by the avian flu.

Farm Action believes the spike in egg prices is part of a larger problem. The group has long argued that overconsolidation in the animal protein industry has allowed corporations to act like monopolies  charging ever more from consumers while paying farmers less, as we reported.

It points to a 2019 fire at Tyson slaughterhouse in Kansas, which led to widespread beef price increases.

They used that [fire] to justify an increase in prices  but then you know, continue to continue to slaughter more cattle than they did before that the fire, so that there was really no impact on their actual supply, Van Wye said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Relatives of those killed by a gunman at Uvalde's Robb Elementary School stand Tuesday with state Sen. Roland Gutierrez during a news conference at the Capitol as Gutierrez announced four bills to tackle gun violence in Texas.

Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, whose district includes Uvalde, has unveiled four bills he's filing to reduce gun violence, increase support for school shooting victims and survivors, and push for accountability for the flawed law enforcement response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in May.

Several families of the Uvalde school shooting victims joined Gutierrez for his announcement Tuesday, eight months to the day since the horrific mass shooting left 19 children and two teachers dead. In emotional testimony, they demanded lawmakers act to pass measures to reduce gun violence.

When will it be enough bloodshed? Are you waiting for it to happen to you or your family, before you stop to think about your gross negligence? said Velma Lisa Duran, the older sister of Irma Garcia, one of the two teachers killed in Uvalde on May 24.

More:Six mass shootings and 90 dead. What has Gov. Abbott done and has it been enough?

I urge you to take the time to visualize our loved ones pieced back together in a coffin knowing that their last breath on earth was the most frightening event in their lives," she said. "The hopelessness and bravery that these children had to endure, similar to that of a soldier at war, but without any protective gear or high-caliber weapon. How do you sit in your high-powered offices and not want to do anything to put an end to this violence? ... Americans are killing Americans, and our government leaders are the enablers.

Uvalde victims' families said they plan to return to the Capitol weekly to join Gutierrez in releasing additional gun safety bills this legislative session, and to push lawmakers to support those measures. Several Democratic lawmakers, including state Sens. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, and Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, as well as state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, joined Gutierrez and the Uvalde families for the announcement Tuesday.

Felicia Martinez, mother of Uvalde school shooting victim Xavier Lopez, tries to hold back tears after speaking Tuesday at a Capitol news conference. She described in heartbreaking detail about how painful it was for their family to spend the holidays without Xavier.

It has to be the session where we do something on gun safety, Gutierrez said. Were not asking for the moon and the stars; were asking for commonsense solutions. These families are broken. They're mad as hell, theyre angry, and theres not one damn thing that anybody's going to be able to do that is going to bring their children back, but under no certain terms should we allow their childrens deaths to be in vain.

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What do the proposals say?

Of the four measures Gutierrez announced Tuesday, one bill would create a school violence victims compensation fund for any child or adult who is killed or injured by gun violence on a public school campus. The program would be funded by creating a new tax on firearms and ammunition in Texas, charging 50 cents per bullet sold and $50 per firearm.

Under Gutierrezs proposal, the families of those killed in a school shooting would be eligible to receive $1 million each, anyone seriously physically injured would be eligible to receive $250,000, those experiencing mental or emotional injuries would be eligible to receive $100,000, and those physically injured would be eligible to receive $50,000.

Another bill Gutierrez said he plans to file would eliminate qualified immunity protections for police officers, and it would allow "individuals harmed by the officers actions, or failure to act, to hold those officers liable for damages and/or the violation of their rights, according to a new release from Gutierrez.

You can sue a lawyer, you can sue a doctor, but you can't sue cops when they're negligent. It's astounding to me, Gutierrez said. What happened on that day (at Robb Elementary), this state agency, the Department of Public Safety that failed these children for 77 minutes for a lack of leadership, under no circumstances should they be allowed to walk away and not compensate people. Theres not an amount of money that's going to bring back their children, not one bit, but there should be justice.

Gutierrez on Tuesday also filed two resolutions, the first of which would allow the Uvalde victims families to sue the state and its ancillary agencies for their negligence during the mass shooting response. Hundreds of state and local law enforcement officials waited more than 77 minutes to confront and kill the shooter, despite desperate 911 calls from terrified children trapped in the two classrooms the gunman targeted.

The second resolution Gutierrez filed would demand that Congress repeal the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which protects gun manufacturers from lawsuits when crimes are committed with their products. Gutierrez particularly criticized Daniel Defense, the manufacturer of the gun used in the Uvalde shooting, slamming the companys irresponsible marketing and dangerous advertising geared toward young men, according to the resolution.

You can sue big tobacco, you can sue big beer, but you cant sue big guns? Gutierrez said. We need to allow that.

While the four measures revealed Tuesday centered on justice, Gutierrez said other legislation he plans to file in the coming weeks focuses on appropriations, emergency management and preparedness, and gun safety solutions.

He already filed bills this session to create extreme risk protective orders, raise the minimum age to purchase military-style semi-automatic rifles, and create a separate Uvalde Victims Compensation Fund.

Uvalde victims' families call for more gun restrictions

Raising the minimum age to purchase military-style rifles is one of the top priorities the Uvalde victims families have been calling for since the massacre, and they have made multiple trips to Austin and Washington to plead with lawmakers to pass a ban on assault-style weapons.

The Uvalde gunman, who perpetrated the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, purchased his firearms legally just days after his 18th birthday.

In tears, Uvalde victim Irma Garcias younger sister, Marissa Lozano, described seeing her sisters body in her casket, emphasizing why she wants lawmakers to enact increased restrictions on access to military-style semi-automatic rifles.

Color del dolor:21 Uvalde murals of Robb Elementary victims use paint to heal pain

Viewing my beautiful sister in her casket was heartbreaking. The face that was always laughing and smiling was now something I didn't recognize, Lozano said in between tears. The reconstruction done on her face was a valiant effort, but that wasn't my sisters face. We couldn't even touch her hair, for fear that the prosthetics would fall apart.

"Though they covered her hands with a piece of fabric, I can still see the bullet wounds in the back of her hands. Her bullet-riddled body laying in front of me in her casket and my brother-in-law, just a few feet away in his casket, is a vision that is seared on my mind.

Cost of the Uvalde delay: Austin doctor leading expert team to analyze victim survival chances

Irma Garcias husband died days after his wife's killing. His family says he died of a broken heart.

I look at my sister's orphaned children and wonder  what if (the gunman) was never able to purchase these types of weapons at all? You say raising the age limit would not prevent these atrocities from happening because criminals don't follow the law. Well, this shooter did, Lozano said. I wonder if it had been 21 abortions that were being performed in those classrooms if our elected officials would step in and do the right thing."

Bills face an uphill battle

The bills Lozano and other shooting victims' families want to see passed, including universal background checks and red flag laws, face uphill battles in the GOP-dominated legislature.

Republicans, who have in recent legislative sessions loosened gun restrictions, have often shifted the focus from gun access to mental health resources and school hardening. And the states top leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, have said they believe raising the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles is unconstitutional, though the Supreme Court has yet to rule on the issue.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan last week told reporters that while he is willing to let a debate on the issue play out on the House floor, he doubts it has the votes to pass. The measure has an even higher threshold to pass in the Senate, where Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has not proven to be open to increased gun control restrictions. Abbott, Phelan and Patrick have all said that school security and safety are among their priorities this legislative session.

More:Texas lawmakers signed NDAs to quietly obtain Uvalde shooting case file. What do they know?

But while the Uvalde families hope lawmakers take action to funnel more resources into the states mental health infrastructure and public education system to increase school security, the families said Tuesday enacting more restrictions on access to military-style firearms is a critical to reducing gun violence.

Please don't look away, and do something, said Duran, Irma Garcia's older sister. You need to ban all assault weapons. Arent human lives more valuable than the money you pocket to support the NRA?

Felicha Martinez, the mother of shooting victim Xavier Lopez, spoke in heartbreaking detail about how painful it was for their family to spend the holidays without Xavier.

This was our first Christmas that my husband and I did not sit with our children to open gifts, Martinez said, in tears. Instead, we were locked in our room, crying, full of hurt and anger, because the one person that was the loudest during Christmas was no longer here. Our Xavier was the wild one that made sure everyone had a good holiday.  Instead, we were all around a gravesite, telling Xavier how much we miss him and how much we wish he was here with us.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Legislature: Sen. Gutierrez demands accountability after Uvalde
Some senators are eyeing a divided Congress as an opportunity to tackle reforms to Social Security, as the program faces significant solvency issues in little more than a decade.

Changes to Social Security are a perpetually heavy lift for Congress, but theyve gained traction as some House Republicans float cuts to it as part of debt ceiling negotiations.

A wise senator said that whenever you see reforms shore up those kinds of programs, it usually takes a divided Congress, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) told The Hill this week.

So, maybe that historically bodes well for something that would make sure that Americans have a secure retirement system, he added.

Senate Republicans are generally leaving debt ceiling negotiations to the GOP-controlled House.

But separately, there has been growing chatter from both parties in the upper chamber about potential ways to help protect Social Security, which some estimates say is on track to becoming insolvent in about 12 years.

Reports surfaced last week that Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Angus King (I-Maine) are working toward a bipartisan compromise to help protect the program, unrelated to debt ceiling negotiations. Semafor, which broke the news, reported the effort could lead to an investment fund specifically to help shore up Social Security.

The senators offices confirmed to The Hill last week that both Cassidy and King have been working on a legislative solution, but said the plan is not finalized.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) told The Hill on Monday that she plans to meet with Cassidy later this week about a proposal, when asked about the prospects of a bipartisan compromise to protect the program.

Hes got a proposal, and I dont know how many senators he has vetted his proposal, but Im anxious to learn about it, she told The Hill, adding she thinks hes making the rounds.

On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a key centrist, recently suggested raising the taxable wage cap for the program.

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If you want to have a quick fix, you have enough cash so people can continue to get the benefits that theyve earned and worked for, the easiest ways to raise the cap, he told The Hill, though he wouldnt say whether the idea would be able to pass in the divided Congress.

The proposals in the Senate come as House lawmakers and the White House spar over whether to include Social Security and other entitlement programs like Medicare in negotiations over raising the debt limit.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified congressional leaders last week that her office will begin to implement extraordinary measures to keep the U.S. government from defaulting on its debt, which recently surpassed the roughly $31.4 trillion threshold set by Congress more than a year ago.

Yellen said the steps should buy Congress until early June to hash out a bipartisan plan, setting off a high-stakes battle in Washington.

Raising the debt limit would allow the government to pay for programs it has already approved, not authorize any new spending. But House Republicans have pressed for any action on the debt ceiling to be paired with significant fiscal reform, but the party is still working out its strategy mapping out demands for the months ahead.

There are divisions over whether those reforms should include entitlement programs, which eat up large chunks of federal spending  federal data showed Social Security alone accounted for about 20 percent of government spending in fiscal 2022, while Medicare made up 12 percent.

Democrats, by contrast, have instead insisted on a clean bill to address the debt ceiling, while demanding Republicans provide specifics about the areas they want to cut.

If Republicans are talking about draconian cuts, they have an obligation to show Americans what those cuts are and let the public react.  Does that mean cuts to Social Security or Medicare or child care or Pell Grants? Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said from the Senate floor on Monday.

But despite some support in the Senate for taking on entitlement funding reforms sooner rather than later, there is doubt among lawmakers and experts of the chances of Congress being able to move legislation to help protect either Social Security or Medicare in the current session.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said ideally reforms for the programs would be on the table for debt limit talks, but added the debt ceiling has proved to be very poor leverage for those kinds of fights, primarily because theres very little interest in defaulting on debt.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) also cast doubt on the likelihood of Congress reaching a bipartisan compromise, sizing up some hopes from lawmakers as whistling past the graveyard.

I was on the Simpson-Bowles commission, he said. We spent a year laboring to put together a bipartisan bill and the Republicans walked out at the end of it. So, Im not very encouraged.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
"Arson is an extremely violent crime that not only destroys property but also places firefighters, first responders and the general public at great risk," an ATF official said. Matt Gush/Getty Images

Fires at two Walmarts in December and a Target on Monday are being investigated as arson.

Officials tell local media the blazes appear to have been used as diversions for shoplifting.

Similar incidents have occurred around the US, including a Home Depot fire that was detected from space.

Retail thieves appear to be using ever more brazen methods to steal merchandise.

Officials in Atlanta confirmed to local media Tuesday that a fire at a Target on Monday was being investigated as arson, along with a pair of similar incidents at local Walmarts in December.

The three blazes appear to have been set by shoplifters in order to distract attention from their heists, the Atlanta Fire Department said.

"Arson is an extremely violent crime that not only destroys property but also places firefighters, first responders and the general public at great risk," Henry Countryman, an arson supervisor with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, said in a statement.

The National Retail Federation says that retail theft is a significant portion of a nearly $95 billion inventory shrinkage problem each year  and that's before property damage and other costs are factored in.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in December that the company would have to close stores across the country if the problem doesn't begin to turn around.

"Theft is an issue," he told CNBC at the time. "It is higher than what it has historically been."

Similar theft-related fires have broken out in cities and towns across the US, mostly at big-box stores including Walmart, Target, and Home Depot.

One California man was charged last year with setting a Home Depot on fire while stealing thousands of dollars worth of power tools. The resulting blaze reportedly required 100 first responders, destroyed $17 million in inventory, and was detected by a satellite orbiting the earth.

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Biden will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, matching a German announcement to immediately provide Leopard tanks that Kyiv says are essential in its fight against Russia.

The Abrams tanks are not expected to reach the battlefield for months due to the time needed to procure the tanks and carry out the training necessary for Ukrainian forces to operate them, senior administration officials told reporters Wednesday.

The decision to provide the tanks marks a stunning reversal for the Biden administration, which had previously argued they would be of little benefit to Ukraine.

But the decision to send the Abrams tanks helped get Germany to move forward with a separate effort to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine, which the U.S. had seen as benefitting Kyiv.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday that Berlin would send Leopard tanks to Ukraine and allow for other European nations to also send the German-made tanks to Kyiv.

Todays announcement really was the product of good diplomatic conversations as part of our regular and ongoing close consultations with allies and partners on security assistance to Ukraine, a senior administration official said. Certainly very appreciative of Chancellor Scholzs announcement today.

Ukraine lobbied hard for the U.S., Germany and other countries to supply the tanks, which it said would be critical to a spring counteroffensive against Moscow.

So the tank coalition is formed. Everyone who doubted this could ever happen sees now: for Ukraine and partners impossible is nothing, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

A senior administration official, responding to a question over whether the delivery of Abrams was a precondition for the Germans to greenlight Leopards, said Biden and Scholz spoke several times by phone over the past month and that the tank discussion was part of an iterative conversation between the U.S. and Germany.

We have closely coordinated our security assistance with allies and partners throughout the conflict, including Germany, the official said.

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Biden spoke Wednesday morning with Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, officials said.

A senior administration official said the U.S. expects other nations to announce contributions of additional armored capability, including some that will be readily available for use on the battlefield in the coming weeks and months.

The administration expects that Russian President Vladimir Putin will push for the Russian military to go on another offensive as the weather improves, another senior administration official said. The tanks decision is meant to help give the Ukrainians the the ability to retake, to reclaim their sovereign territory and that means everything that is recognized by international borders.

The British Ministry of Defense said in a recent intelligence assessment that Ukraine has liberated around 54 percent of the maximum amount of extra territory Russia seized since it launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

Russia still controls around 18 percent of internationally recognized areas of Ukraine, including the eastern region of the country, called the Donbas, and the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow seized in 2014. The Russian annexations of these regions have been rejected by the U.S. and other international partners.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the full liberation of Ukrainian territory, and in particular Crimea, is necessary for any peace talks with Russia.

The Biden administration has been careful in offering military support to Ukraine, wary of Putins threats to use nuclear weapons.

Russias ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechaev, reportedly said in a statement Wednesday that Germanys decision to approve the delivery of Leopards is extremely dangerous and takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation.

Western support of advanced military capabilities is viewed as essential for Ukrainians to mount a counteroffensive that could threaten Russias control of the Crimean Peninsula.

The senior administration official, responding to a question of whether the administration supports Ukraine retaking territory in the Donbas and Crimea, said that the U.S. does not tell the Ukrainians where to strike, where to attack, where to conduct offensive operations.

Crimea is Ukraine. Weve never recognized the illegal annexation of Crimea, the official continued. But where the Ukrainians decide to go and how they decide to conduct operations in their country, those are their decisions to make.

It is expected to take months before the Abrams tanks reach the battlefield. Training of Ukrainian forces for operating and maintaining the tanks is expected to take place outside of Ukraine, the officials said.

A senior administration official described the coordination on tanks for Ukraine as an impressive display of unity nearly a year into the conflict, underscoring Bidens focus on coordination with allies and partners.

The president has been extremely focused on the importance of alliance unity, of transatlantic unity, and we have tried to make that a hallmark of everything that we have done for Ukraine throughout the 11 months of this conflict, the official added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
32-year-old Kiegan Tan Ming Ren was given 17 months in jail and a fine of S$60,000 for faking CPF contributions (PHOTO: File Digital Trends)

SINGAPORE  A 32-year-old man was sentenced to 17 months' jail and fined $60,000 on Wednesday (25 January) for joining an online gambling syndicate and using criminal proceeds to fake CPF contributions for a home loan.

CNA reported that Kiegan Tan Ming Ren had earlier pleaded guilty to five charges related to the Remote Gambling Act and Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. Another eight charges were considered during sentencing.

The court allowed Tan to begin his jail term on 6 February, and pay his fine by then.

Accepting role in an illegal remote gambling syndicate

CNA reported that Tan accepted a position in an illegal remote gambling syndicate, collecting 4D and Toto bets for co-accused Tan Chee Seng.

He initially had an agent account on one of the illegal gambling websites to find punters to place bets with. Later on, he had a master agent account, which gave him a credit limit of $5 million, as well as greater oversight and control over the syndicate such as coordinating agents under him.

For his role, Tan was entitled to a 10 per cent commission on all the bets he received, plus 5 per cent on the winning amount if the bet was successful.

Subsequently, he took a position against the bets received, which meant he could share in the profits and losses instead of merely collecting commission.

Cash payments were given to companies to falsely declare Tan as a staff

Tan also admitted to offences of transferring criminal proceeds, reported CNA.

He had wanted to secure a home loan from the Housing Board for his flat but needed to show he was gainfully employed and receiving a stable income.

To build his credit rating, he decided to make cash payments to companies that would falsely declare him as an employee and make contributions to his CPF account.

Between August 2016 and November 2017, Tan paid a person called Lim Poh Kian 11 payments of $600 each, amounting to a total of $6,600. Lim was a shareholder of a company called BKDL, and arranged for an online submission of CPF contributions to Tan as a purported employee of BKDL.

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From March 2018 to June 2019, Tan also paid a total of $17,824 in 16 payments of $1,114 to Tan Chee Seng, who arranged for an associate of another company called Revitalize Trading to contribute to Tan's CPF savings.

Tan was arrested at Waterway Point in July 2019 as part of an islandwide operation to nab 36 members of the illegal gambling syndicate.

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
MiG-29

According to Nad, the country currently has 30 T-72 tanks at its disposal, and is ready to make them available to Ukraine  provided its Western allies will replace them with more modern tanks.

Read also: Germany to send Ukraine 10,000 Starlink terminals

In summer 2022, we reached an agreement with Germany about us giving Ukraine 30 IFVs in exchange for 15 Leopard tanks, said Nad.

We received one tank in December 2022. We expect to be getting two tanks every month, until all of them are delivered. Theres no discussion of Slovakia transferring its Leopards to Ukraine.

Read also: Leopards finally free and Abrams too, court politics in RF, resignations in UA

The minister added that deciding what to do with MiG-29 jets is now Slovakias priority.

As of Oct. 1, 2022, Slovakia no longer uses MiG-29s; we are prepared to discuss handing these jets to Ukraine; were waiting for a corresponding decision from the Slovak government, he said.

Read also: Czechia, Slovakia ready to transfer Leopard tanks to Ukraine  FAZ

Nad said his country is willing to train Ukrainian pilots in operating F-16 jets, once Slovakia receives them from the United States.

Previously, Slovakia requested Poland and Czech Republic to help patrol its airspace, while it waits for U.S.-made F-16s to be delivered.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
SMART

Every year, the Southern Most HIV/AIDS Ride (SMART Ride), the second largest AIDS bicycle ride in the country, holds a fundraising bike ride in Florida to raise money for HIV causes. This year, at the end of the 19th annual ride, they were $12,000 short of a million dollars when founder Glen Weinzimer challenged everyone to raise the remainder of the goal. According to the South Florida Gay News, the crowd cheered  and then smashed their goal.

On January 15, 2023, Weinzemer announced the final total for the Ride came to $1,043,270, making the organizations lifetime total $15,954,344 since its inception in 2003.

I feel grateful and emotional, said Weinzimer in a statement. To see all the riders and the crew in the room. The emotion of them seeing each other warms your heart to see humanity can be so good.

The money from the SMART Ride provides a big boost to Florida-based organizations that offer HIV services. AH Monroe, a beneficiary since SMART Ride started, has received a total of $2,367,723 in donations so far.

All of the money raised goes back to the community, making the SMART Ride the largest bike ride in the country to do so. While Smart Ride 20 is underway and rider registration is strong, Weinzimer also hopes next year they can raise a record $2 million.

Weinzimer is also passing along leadership of the SMART Ride to Todd Delmay, who will take over as executive director.

Todd is embedded in our community and is a part of our community, he said. Hes not doing it because he needs a job. Hes doing it because he wants to lead something that at the end of the day he knows made a difference.

Delmay and Weinzimer will handle the planning of SMART Ride 20 to ensure a smooth transition, and Delmay plans to partake as a rider this year.
Jan. 24PIERRE, S.D.  Lawmakers are taking aim at "lewd and lascivious content" that stems from any public dollars, facilties or state institutions.

The specific naming of the Board of Regents in the newly introduced

House Bill 1116,

as well as the final section of the bill specifically banning shows "where a performer exhibits a gender identity that is different from the performer's biological sex," stems from the outrage that resulted from a drag performance at South Dakota State last year, according to proponents of the bill.

While opponents say the proposal goes too far in its provisions and harms free expression, the bill's drafters say the actions taken would sit well within the state's ability to regulate content that is purely "prurient" and lacks scholastic value.

According to Samantha Chapman, the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota's advocacy manager, the wide scope of the bill undermines free speech on public campuses in the state.

"This bill violates the First Amendment rights of students and student organizations in South Dakota to build community and express themselves through drag performances. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech and expression, no matter what you are wearing," Chapman said. "It's discriminatory and unconstitutional to single out male and female impersonators in a bid to shut down their speech."

Chapman added that the bill's proposed banning of "literature presenting obscene live conduct" would have several consequences in the classroom: she pointed to Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' and 'Merchant of Venice,' among several other examples, of "classic literature depicting the existence of transgender individuals and drag performances that have long been included in educational standards."

Yet Rep. Chris Karr, the prime sponsor of the bill in the House, disagreed with what he called the ACLU's "knee-jerk reaction," saying that the carving out of obscene conduct and materials from free speech and free expression  and, conversely, the protection of works with some scholastic value  is well spelled out in constitutional jurisprudence, pointing to

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Miller v. California,

where the Court ruled that purely prurient acts, defined under state law, could sit outside free speech and expression protections.

"We are using that language in that test called the Miller test. And there's three criteria. It also spells out that it wouldn't include something that is for scientific use or artistic use," Karr said. "So if it's a book, it's a play, if it's got some redeeming value, then it doesn't fall into that category here, but it does if it's for just simply what they call prurient use."

Though the Board of Regents during its Dec. 21 meeting

vowed to develop a "Minors on Campus" policy

at the state's public colleges and universities in response to the event, Board of Regents President Pam Roberts also indicated that legislation on the subject would arrive during the oncoming session.

"We respect the First Amendment, but none of us are happy about children being encouraged to participate in this event on a university campus," Roberts said. "I have asked our presidents to place a moratorium on minors attending events sponsored by student organizations on campus, for now. In addition, I have instructed our staff to work with the administration and legislative leaders on legislation to clarify the law in this area."

That clarification appears to have arrived. The proposed legislation, which currently has 17 total sponsors and co-sponsors, defines "lewd or lascivious content" in various ways  "any program, event, or literature presenting obscene live conduct... or obscene material...that depicts, describes, or simulates...specific sexual activity...specific anatomical areas...nude or seminude adults" as well as "adults who remove clothing for the entertainment of one or more individuals."

The final point of "lewd or lascivious content" takes specific aim at drag shows, banning "any physical human body activity...where a performer exhibits a gender identity that is different from the performer's biological sex through the use of clothing, makeup, or other physical markers, for the predominant purpose of appealing to a prurient interest."

The proposal also adds definitions to state laws meant to protect intellectual diversity, carving out these protections for materials spelled out in the bill.

"We're not just going to pick out one specific event or issue," Karr said. "We are going to use what is considered as obscene and say we're not using our state resources to fund something that falls into that category. That's simple."

Another bill,

introduced by Rep. Scott Odenbach on the afternoon of Jan. 24,

includes drag performances in a list of harmful materials that may not be disseminated to minors.

"What people do in their private lives at a private venue, that's one thing," said Odenbach, who added his name as a co-sponsor on Karr's bill as well. "But what they do on public property and when they invite little children to something like this that we thought was pretty clearly within the obscenity statutes, many of us in the legislature had a problem with that."

Jason Harward is a

Report for America

corps reporter who writes about state politics in South Dakota. Contact him at

605-301-0496

or

jharward@forumcomm.com.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  Frigid winter weather gripped East Asia for the second straight day on Wednesday, causing several deaths and multiple injuries in Japan and a scramble for flights out of South Korea's resort island of Jeju following delays by snowstorms.

Heavy snow and record cold temperatures brought widespread disruptions in Japan.

South Koreas Ministry of the Interior and Safety didnt immediately report any major damage or injuries from subzero temperatures and icy conditions that have affected most of the country since Tuesday.

But at least eight roads and 10 sea routes remained closed as of Wednesday afternoon. About 140 homes in capital Seoul and nearby regions reported busted water pressure pumps or pipes as temperatures dipped to around minus 15 to minus 20 degrees Celsius (5 degrees to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit) across the mainland.

A man died in Oita, southern Japan, after being hit by a fallen tree and two more deaths in the northern prefecture of Niigata were being investigated in connection with the cold weather, officials said.

Two other people were found without vital signs in Okayama, western Japan. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told reporters that the deaths could be linked to accidents while removing snow and urged residents to refrain from such activities when nobody else is around to help in case of an emergency.

About 400 homes around the country were without electricity due to power line damage caused by fallen trees, the Economy and Industry Ministry said. It said traffic disruptions caused by the snow also caused delivery delays at convenience stores in western Japan.

Thousands of people using train services in Kyoto and Shiga prefectures in western Japan were forced to stay overnight in carriages or stations, and 13 were taken to hospitals, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Vehicles on major roads across the country were left stranded and hundreds of flights canceled. Kyoto prefecture reported more than 30 injuries, mostly by falling.

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Air traffic returned to normal after hundreds of flights in and out of Jeju were grounded Tuesday because of strong winds and snow, stranding an estimated 40,000 travelers who had visited the resort island for Lunar New Year holidays.

Around 540 flights, including nearly 70 that were temporarily added by transportation authorities in an emergency response, were scheduled in and out of Jeju on Wednesday alone, mostly to take passengers back to mainland cities.

The Korea Airports Corporation said the operating hours at Gimpo airport near Seoul was extended until 1 a.m. to accommodate the increased flights, which were expected to bring back 70% to 80% of the passengers who were stuck in Jeju.

The island saw more than 19 centimeters (7.5 inches) of snow since Tuesday morning, while southern mainland cities and towns such as Gwangju and Gangjin reported around 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 inches) of snow. More than 70 centimeters (27.5 inches) of snow fell on the small eastern island of Ulleung.

The winter storms appeared to be moving toward the greater Seoul area and nearby regions, where heavy snow was expected from late Wednesday to Thursday afternoon, according to the Safety Ministry, which warned about dangerous road conditions.

Officials in Gyeonggi province, which surrounds Seoul, said nearly 7,000 cold-weather shelters will be open across the region and that several thousand tons of snow-clearing chemicals would be used to improve the safety of roads that may turn icy.

Cold weather warnings were also issued in North Korea, where authorities reportedly called for thorough measures to prevent freezing temperatures from causing economic damage. Temperatures in capital Pyongyang was forecasted to dip to minus 19 C (minus 2.2 F) during Wednesday morning, South Koreas Yonhap news agency said, citing a North Korean state-run radio broadcast.

North Korean state media didnt immediately report any major damage or injuries caused by the weather.

___

Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.
By Belen Carreno

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's defence minister said on Wednesday Madrid was open to providing Ukraine with German-made Leopard 2 tanks, after Germany agreed to send the tanks and said NATO allies could do the same.

Defence Minister Margarita Robles told EFE news agency that Madrid would act in coordination with its Western allies to help Ukraine fend off Russia's invasion.

"Spain is willing, within this coordination, to work with our allies to do whatever is necessary including the sending of Leopards, training in the use of these Leopards and also to help in their maintenance and upkeep," she said.

Spain has 108 2A4 tanks, according to security and defence researcher Felix Arteaga of the Elcano think-tank. The 2A4 is an older, standard model for many European countries, and Ukrainian tank crews can receive standard training on them.

About half of Spain's tanks are in its north African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, and 53 are mothballed at a military base in Zaragoza and would need to be refitted, Arteaga said.

A source with knowledge of the matter said Spain had already assessed the overhaul needs, that both Germany and Ukraine agreed with the cost, to be paid from a special fund, and estimated the tanks could be operative within two months.

Some are in a worse condition than the others, having been used for spare parts, the source added.

The tanks would be transported overland across Europe by flatbed trucks in a journey that would take about a week, the source said.

In late 2022, Spain delivered its largest package of defence materiel for Ukraine to date, sending to the logistics hub in Poland heavy weapons, long-range and anti-tank ammunition.

Spain has sent four U.S.-made HAWK air defence systems and has committed to sending two more. It is also offering medical treatment to wounded Ukrainian soldiers, and air defence training at its air base in Toledo.

(Reporting by Belen Carreno, Emma Pinedo, writing by Andrei Khalip, editing by Aislinn Laing and Timothy Heritage)
MADRID (AP)  A museum in northwest Spain returned two 15th-century paintings to Polish officials on Wednesday after it was determined that they had been looted by Nazi German forces during World War II.

The paintings Mater Dolorosa (Mother of Sorrows) and Ecce Homo were handed over to a delegation from Polands culture ministry. According to Spain's Museum of Pontevedra, the works were originally believed to be by Dieric Bouts, a Flemish master born in the Dutch town of Haarlem, but now they are attributed to a member of his school or group.

The museum said that in 2020 Polish officials made it aware that the works had been looted by Nazi forces. The museum quickly decided to send them back to Poland, but the completion of official permits for the transfer had delayed it until now.

Nazi forces stole the works from the Czartoryski collection in Gouchow when the city was occupied by the German military in WWII, Polish officials said. They appeared in Madrid in 1973 and had been in the Pontevedra museum since 1994 when they were acquired among over 300 works purchased from a Spanish private collector.

Poland saw much of its cultural patrimony destroyed or looted during the countrys wartime occupation by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and about 500,000 items remain missing.

The country has been making efforts to recover as much as possible. The Culture Ministry has a division for looted art that keeps a database of missing objects and scours foreign collections and auctions. When they locate a looted Polish painting, book or other object, they inform the law enforcement officials of that country.

___

AP writer Vanessa Gera in Warsaw contributed to this report.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Debt-stricken Sri Lankas Central Bank chief said Wednesday that the country is making good progress in talks with its creditors to obtain financial assurances for debt restructuring, an important step toward finalizing an International Monetary Fund rescue plan.

Sri Lanka is bankrupt and has suspended repayment of its $51 billion foreign debt, of which $28 billion must be repaid by 2027.

It has reached a preliminary agreement with the IMF for a $2.9 billion rescue package over four years. Its completion hinges on assurances on debt restructuring from creditors that include China, India and the Paris Club, a grouping of major creditor nations.

India announced last week that it has given its assurance to the IMF to facilitate the bailout plan. India has extended $4.4 billion in official credit to Sri Lanka, excluding other forms of lending.

Other bilateral creditors, Paris Club, China and small bilateral creditors are in the process of issuing financial assurances, Sri Lankan Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said.

The process is making very good progress, Weerasinghe told reporters at his office, saying the country hopes to receive the necessary financial assurances from all our creditors in a very short period.

Sri Lanka borrowed heavily from China over the past decade for infrastructure projects that include a seaport, airport and a city being built on reclaimed land. The projects failed to earn enough revenue to pay for the loans, a factor in Sri Lankas economic woes.

China accounts for about 10% of Sri Lankas loans after Japan and the Asian Development Bank. However, its assent for restructuring its loans is crucial.

Sri Lanka's economic crisis and resultant shortages of food, medicine, fuel and cooking gas sparked riots last year, forcing the president to flee the country and later resign.

Sri Lanka has since shown some signs of progress, with shortages reduced and day-to-day functions restored. However, daily power cuts continue due to fuel shortages and the government is struggling to find money to pay government employees salaries and conduct other administrative functions.

It announced this month that it is cutting 6% from the budgets of each ministry this year and plans to downsize the military, which had swelled to more than 200,000 personnel due to a long civil war. The government plans to reduce the militarys size by nearly half by 2030.
Starbucks is inviting social workers to assist homeless people in its cafes. Jeff Greenberg / Getty Images

Since 2018, Starbucks has had an open-bathroom policy for nonpaying customers.

But as homeless people seek refuge in cafes, Starbucks has invited outreach workers to talk them.

Starbucks contracts with outreach workers in eight US cities, including Los Angeles and Seattle.

Starbucks' "third place" ethos has evolved beyond being a community hub for coffee lovers.

Over the years, cafes have become makeshift offices for remote workers as well as temporary shelters for homeless people. But the latter can challenge store workers who are not trained to help people in crisis. Recently, the Seattle-based chain has opted to bring in outreach workers to assist homeless people, The Guardian reported.

Starbucks cafes in eight US cities, including Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago, are part of the two-year-old program, according to the article. The chain contracts with various nonprofit partners who send outreach workers to visit cafes to consult with and offer services to homeless people, such as information on local shelters and soup kitchens.

Starbucks did not immediately return a request for comment.

A chain spokesperson told The Guardian that the program, launched in 2020, aims to support and strengthen the communities around its stores.

With this program specifically, Starbucks "wanted to be a part of the solution" alongside nonprofits with experience in this area, the spokesperson told the Guardian.

The Starbucks program underscores how top national chains have adopted policies to assist employees and the wider public, filling a role traditionally met by local and federal agencies. In 2020, Starbucks, Chipotle, and Costco led the way in mandating mask-wearing in their stores.

Since 2018, Starbucks has had an "open door" policy to give bathroom access to nonpaying customers. The company changed its bathroom policy after a racial-discrimination incident in which a Black customer was denied access to the bathroom.

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"We don't want to become a public bathroom, but we're going to make the right decision a hundred percent of the time and give people the key," Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told the Seattle Times at the time.

But last year, citing safety concerns for its employees, Schultz, who is now the interim CEO, hinted that the policy might change. "I don't know if we can keep bathrooms open," he said during the New York Times's DealBook D.C. policy forum.

In 2022, Starbucks said it closed 16 stores to protect the health and safety of its employees. At the time, the company said modifying bathroom policies and "partnering with local outreach workers" is one way Starbucks is working to help stores.

"We want you to know that creating a safe, welcoming, and kind third place is our top priority. Because simply put, we cannot serve as partners if we don't first feel safe at work," company executives told employees last year.

According to federal data, the number of homeless people has remained relatively flat since the pandemic. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development said in a December report that about 582,462 people were without shelter on a single night in January 2022. That's up .3%, or 1,996 people, since 2020.

Last year, Starbucks pledged nearly $500,000 to support homeless programs in Seattle, where the chronic homeless population has increased 42% annually over the past four years.

Are you a fast food insider with insight to share? Got a tip? Contact this reporter via email at nluna@insider.com or via Signal encrypted number 714-875-6218.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Five people riding in a stolen vehicle were arrested after leading troopers on chase that spanned multiple highways in Revere and Boston early Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials said.

A trooper patrolling the southbound side of Route 107 in Revere shortly after midnight spotted a black 2017 Honda Accord that had been reported stolen in Taunton on Monday, according to Massachusetts State Police.

Additional troopers were called to the area as the driver of the vehicle entered Brown Circle rotary in Revere and exited onto Route 60 East toward Route 1A and East Boston, state police said.

The driver of the vehicle, who state police identified as 20-year-old Ailton Lopes, of Brockton, allegedly refused to stop on Route 60 East as troopers gave chase and continued onto Route 1A South and passed the Logan Airport ramps.

The chase ultimately came to an end near the entrance to the Ted Williams Tunnel when Lopes crashed into the back of a Subaru Outback, according to state police.

Lopes, along with 18-year-old Jaylani Cole, of Roxbury, 18-year-old Syncere Lindsay, of Brockton, 19-year-old Nia Owens, of Lynn, and a 17-year-old girl from Lynn, were all arrested as they reportedly attempted to escape the Accord from the backseat.

Lopes if facing charges including receiving a stolen motor vehicle, failure to stop for police, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating after license suspension, and marked lanes violation.

Cole, Lindsay, Owens, and the 17-year-old were charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle.

All of the suspects are expected to face a judge at a later time.

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Vice President Kamala Harris visits a memorial site Wednesday outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, where 11 people were killed in a mass shooting Saturday night. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris joined in what has become a nightly ritual in Monterey Park, as hundreds gathered in front of the dance studio where 11 people were gunned down amid Lunar New Year revelry Saturday night.

Weaving through a crowd that included dozens of reporters, people carried lighted candles and stopped in front of 11 flower memorials, seven of them adorned with photos of the victims. They chalked Chinese characters reading "tiao duo yi zhi wu," or "one more dance," and other messages outside Star Ballroom Dance Studio.

They left notes.

"Dear Andy, thanks for your love for dancing," read one letter in front of a memorial for Yu-Lun Kao, 72.

Harris placed a bouquet of yellow lilies, white roses and palm fronds among the other memorials. She looked at the photos of the victims, pausing in front of each one.

She offered her condolences on behalf of President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

"I have had the unfortunate experience of visiting many of these sites," Harris said, noting that more than 40 mass killings have already taken place in the U.S. this year.

"I have had the unfortunate experience of visiting many of these sites," Harris said during her visit to the Monterey Park dance studio where 11 were killed in a mass shooting. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

The vice president urged Congress to act on passing "reasonable gun safety laws."

Can they do something? Yes," Harris said when asked whether the current Congress, now split after Republicans narrowly took control of the House this month, has the capacity to act on gun violence. "Should they do something? Yes. Will they do something? That is where we all must speak up and speak to our elected representatives about what we have a right to expect that they will do in the interest of the safety and the security and the well-being of people like those whose lives were ended here.

Harris left the studio to meet with the families of six of the victims for more than two hours.

Meanwhile, hundreds continued to congregate in front of the dance studio and its parking lot.

Corrine Martin, 69, said that she did not know anyone affected by the shooting but that the attack had reminded her of her daughter, who died a year ago.

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She said she hoped the tragedy would bring an outpouring of support for the community of Monterey Park.

"I am pretty sure people will recognize Monterey Park," she said. "People will come to enjoy the food. Maybe people will come to the studio to dance."

Robert, an Arcadia resident who declined to provide his last name, came to the vigil to pay his respects and remember his "best friend," Wen-Tau Yu, 64, who died in the shooting.

Though they knew each other for only a year, Yu became "our group leader," Robert said.

Yu was talkative, Robert said, and their dinner conversation was filled with any and all subjects: dancing, jobs, families, ladies.

Robert said he watched a video from inside the ballroom minutes before the shooting. Yu was near the side door. Two women next to him escaped through that door, but Yu didn't.

"I think he tried to save lives," Robert said.

A pastor led the crowd in a meditation session. A monk recited a Buddhist prayer. Jason Chu performed a song.

"We can show up for one another. We can show up with open hearts," Chu said, his voice rising. "If we have to start with the reality of the tragedy around us, let's start the year with the reality of community and of care and of humanity around us."

But to longtime visitors of the dance studio, that community was missing the bright star around whom it had long orbited.

Mr. Ma was always sitting there, smiling for us, Marlene Yu said as she motioned past an overflowing pile of flowers toward the studio's locked front gate.

Ming Wei Ma, 72, ran the studio and was beloved by his students.

During her seven years of lessons at the studio, that door would usually be open, Yu said. Ma kept a chair just inside the gate for his one-man welcoming committee.

Cindy Mathews, another student of Ma's who wore her dance clothes Wednesday night, also recalled his constant presence outside the studio, smoking just inside the gate or standing at the corner and always joking around.

Kevin Leung, who spoke at Wednesday's vigil holding a long candle, said Ma had given his kung fu class a home for eight years.

Many venues said no, but "Mr. Ma" gave Leung the space to teach, he told the crowd.

"They really took us in to be part of the family," he said.

Cindy Wu said she first met Ma six or seven years ago when she was looking for an ethnic performance group for a community event.

"When you see the happiness of everybody dancing," she told the crowd, "it really shows the incredible happiness he bought to the community."

Former student Yu, standing by the studio's front gate, said, "His voice, his sharing, caring, loving  it's all gone." She brought her hand to her face as she began to weep.

Yu frequently took Latin dance classes with Mymy Nhan, 65, who was killed in the massacre. Nhan was quiet but always smiling, and she would often bring fruit or cookies to share with her fellow students after class.

I can't believe it," Yu said as she recalled those recent evenings.

Another of the shooting victims, Xiujuan Yu, had never been to the studio before Saturday night, but she accepted an invitation from two friends to celebrate the Lunar New Year there.

Yu, 57, emigrated from Guangdong province in China in the 2010s to start a new life with her family in the United States. She and her husband settled in Temple City but spent a lot of time in nearby Monterey Park.

Xiujuan Yu's portrait is part of a street memorial to victims of Saturday's mass shooting in Monterey Park. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

"A lot of immigrants from China go to this area because there's a central hub and there's already a community built here," Yu's niece, Kathleen Fong, 22, told The Times in an interview. "There's a strong sense of togetherness here."

Monterey Park, known as Americas first suburban Chinatown, became a safe haven, for the family, Fong said.

That all changed Saturday night.

Yu attended the dance hall's Lunar New Year event with two of her friends and had arrived shortly before the shooting began, according to Fong. One of Yu's friends went to the bathroom. When she returned, the friend found that Yu and Lilan Li, 63, had been shot. Yu was lying on the floor and Li was slumped in a chair.

Fong said Yu's husband read about the shooting online and started frantically calling Yu, but she didn't pick up. He contacted Fong's parents to ask for their help to find her. The three of them drove to different hospitals looking for Yu. Eventually, they ended up at the Langley Center, which was converted by the city into a crisis response center, seeking information about their loved one.

The family found out Monday that Yu had died at the studio and never made it to the hospital.

"I don't know if she even spent an hour there, maybe less than an hour," Fong said. "It really is a feeling of wrong place, wrong time. It still doesn't feel real at times."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
One person suspected of stealing a U-Haul in Springfield is on the run, while another is in custody after a crash Wednesday.

Clark County Sheriffs Office located the U-Haul that was reported stolen off of Leffel Lane late Wednesday morning.

After a short pursuit of the truck, it crashed into a power pole at the intersection of Cedar and Light Streets, according to deputies on scene.

>> 7 people, including police officer injured in 2 separate crashes in Huber Heights

Two suspects, a male and female, jumped out of the truck after the crash and ran from the scene. Deputies were able to take the female suspect into custody, but theyre still looking for the male.

Its currently unknown if anyone was injured in the crash.

The incident remains under investigation.

Well update this story as we learn more.




Amazon warehouse workers in Coventry, UK, are striking over pay. ane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images

An Amazon warehouse worker told the BBC the company's robots are treated better than human staff.

More than 300 workers at a UK Amazon warehouse took part in a strike Wednesday, the GMB union said.

A spokesperson for Amazon said a "tiny proportion" of its workforce was involved in the strike.

A striking Amazon warehouse worker has said the company treats its robots better than its human staff.

"I wish we were treated like robots because the robots are treated better than us," Darren Westwood, who works at an Amazon warehouse in Coventry, UK, told BBC Breakfast in an interview that aired Wednesday.

Westwood and another Amazon worker, Garfield Hilton, told the BBC show that Amazon robots could rely on a team of technicians to help them when they broke down, whereas workers didn't receive the same support.

The strike at the Coventry warehouse, called by the GMB union, is the first for Amazon in the UK. The GMB said Wednesday that more than 300 workers walked out. Amazon said there are nearly 2,000 staff at the site.

The strike, over pay, came after Amazon raised hourly wages at the warehouse by 50 pence (60 cents) an hour.

A spokesperson for Amazon told Insider that a "tiny proportion" of its workforce was involved in the industrial action, adding that the company was "proud to offer competitive pay."

Stuart Richards, a GMB senior organizer, said in a statement shared with Insider: "After six months of ignoring all requests to listen to workers' concerns, GMB urges Amazon UK bosses to do the right thing and give workers a proper pay rise."

Westwood and Hilton told the BBC they were constantly monitored at work. Hilton said pausing work for bathroom trips could lead to questions from managers.

"The thing with stopping work is that they want to know why," Hilton said. "So if the time is beyond a couple of minutes they can see it on the system."

A spokesperson for Amazon told the BBC: "Performance is only measured when an employee is at their station and logged in to do their job. If an employee logs out, which they can do at any time, the performance management tool is paused."

Amazon has faced organized walkouts from staff around the world in recent months, with workers citing unfair pay and unsafe practices.

Read the original article on Business Insider
DHAKA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has banned the suckermouth catfish species, which has become a cause for grave concern among fish farmers in the country.

Bangladesh's Fisheries and Livestock Ministry has issued a gazette notification banning suckermouth catfish, considered a big threat to native fish species, a handout said here Wednesday.

In line with the directives of the Bangladeshi president, Deputy Secretary of the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry Mrinal Kanti Dey issued the notification on Jan. 11, banning the catfish, also known as pleco in some countries.

As per the notification, now nobody will be allowed to import, culture, transport, sell, supply or conserve the suckermouth catfish.

On Sept. 25, 2022, the ministry issued a notification as a proposal to amend Section 18 of the Protection and Conservation of Fish Act 1950, aiming to ban the sucker fish.

Bangladesh in 2008 prohibited farming, hatchling production, breeding, marketing and trading of African piranha in Bangladesh.

A ban was also imposed on the import, production and marketing of African catfish to protect local fish in 2014.

The suckermouth catfish was banned for similar reasons, Md Khaled Kanak, deputy director of the Department of Fisheries, had earlier said. 
The campus sexual assault prevention and survivor advocacy group End Rape on Campus on Wednesday is launching a first-of-its-kind tool meant to help students and advocates hold their schools accountable and inform better policymaking in regard to Title IX.

The groups new campus accountability map, shared first with The Hill, will allow users to easily access and compare sexual assault statistics, prevention efforts and survivor support resources between more than 750 colleges and universities nationwide.

Until now, statistics and resources have been scattered across a variety of federal databases and university websites, making it difficult for students to collect detailed information on services available to them and how they can hold their campus leadership accountable.

Kenyora Lenair Parham, the executive director of End Rape on Campus, told The Hill in an interview this week that she hopes the tool will empower current and prospective university students and their families to push for widespread change.

Our hope is to centralize all the data, instead of having students go through pages of digital PDFs on the schools website and find information to no avail, she said. The mapping tool makes it much easier for those students to have those resources, that data and that knowledge readily available to them. That also, in turn, allows them to hold their campus leadership accountable.

The accountability maps numerical statistics  including the number of rapes and fondlings and instances of stalking and domestic and dating violence reported at each university  were collected using campus safety and security data compiled by the Education Department and represent the total sum of incidents reported between 2018 and 2020, the most recent time period for which data is available.

A spokesperson for End Rape on Campus said the organization plans to update those numbers later this year, when 2021 crime statistics become available.

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The groups accountability map also provides users with easy access to information related to colleges and universities survivor support policies and definitions of assault, consent and retaliation, as well as whether a school has claimed a religious exemption from Title IX or is currently under investigation for sexual misconduct-related violations.

Preliminary data shows a definitive lack of survivor resources, the group says  particularly trauma-informed resources  on campuses across the U.S.

Only 5 percent of schools, for instance, require Title IX investigators and adjudicators to receive cultural competency training or have campus police who are trauma informed.

Just over a quarter of campuses partner with local rape crisis centers, according to the accountability map, and only 52 percent refer student survivors to local hospitals for forensic exams. Roughly 60 percent offer an amnesty policy protecting students who report an assault.

Parham said End Rape on Campus plans to use the tool to provide the Education Department with recommendations that would make Title IX work better for student survivors.

Heres an opportunity to make change on the policy front, where we can not only make recommendations, but potentially mandate some of these policies to go into effect from a federal level, she said.

In June, the Biden administration issued a slate of proposed changes to Title IX that would, in part, alter how schools handle reports of sexual assault and harassment by rolling back a set of Trump-era rules that have been criticized by survivor advocacy groups for prioritizing the rights of the accused.

Federal legislation has also been introduced to that effect, and the Students Access to Freedom and Educational Rights Act, or Safer Act, proposed in December by Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) would strengthen Title IX protections for student survivors of sexual assault or harassment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
It's not what you say, it's the speed at which you say it, at least according to one recent study that ranks U.S. states by speech rates.

On TODAY Jan. 24, Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Craig Melvin learned which states have the fastest speaking residents and which have the slowest talkers across the U.S.

Preply, an online language learning platform, analyzed two studies based on YouTube videos and call recordings to make up the report's findings  and some of the results left the co-hosts speechless.

Minnesota took home the gold as the state with the fastest talking residents, clocking in at 5.34 syllables per second, followed by Oregon, Iowa, Kansas and North Dakota.

The fact that New Yorkers, who are often stereotyped as fast talkers, didn't make the shortlist stunned Savannah, and she didn't even try to hide her surprise.

Jogger crossing Minneapolis' famous stone arch bridge. (Jim Kruger / Getty Images)

"How is that possible?" Savannah asked after Hoda read the verdict out loud on TODAY.

"I just can't believe it's not in the top five," Savannah said of New York, which ranks 37 out of all 50 states. She went on to give a prime example of feeling rushed in New York City  when one is in the most stressful situation of ordering sandwich.

However, Al mentioned people from New York City might talk differently than people who live upstate.

"That's a good point," Craig added.

As for the slowest talking states, Louisiana, where Hoda used to work, came in first, with Craigs home state of South Carolina coming in second, Mississippi in third, Alabama in fourth and Georgia in fifth.

Couple on balcony in New Orleans, Louisiana, drinking coffee and leaning over the railing. (Jupiterimages / Getty Images)

When discussing how South Carolina made it so far up the list, Craig said, "We're never in a hurry down there."

"Because it's God's country," Al added.

"There you go!" Craig agreed.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Story at a glance

Despite the drop off in formal volunteering rates, rates of informal helping remained steady from 2019 to 2021.

Data were gleaned from the Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement.

The survey is carried out every two years by AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau.

From 2019 to 2021, rates of formal volunteering in the United States dropped 7 percentage points, according to new survey results.

The Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement is carried out by AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau every two years and measures both formal and informal volunteering at the state and national levels.

The latest data reflect rates from September 2020 to 2021, while the decline seen in formal volunteering marks the largest change since the organizations began tracking the data in 2002. For women, rates fell by 8 percentage points, while mens rates declined by 5 percentage points.

The findings are similar to a recent Gallup poll which found volunteer activity remains below pre-pandemic levels.

The pandemic increased demand for many nonprofits services, while diminishing their volunteer workforce and changing the ways volunteers were able to serve. Even so, Americans found new ways during the pandemic to help their community, Mary Hyde, director of AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation, told Changing America.

It will take time and a concerted effort  from AmeriCorps, from local and federal governmental entities, and local organizations  to raise awareness about opportunities for people to get involved in formal volunteering efforts in and around their communities.

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

The AmeriCorps data show 23 percent of Americans or around 60 million people formally volunteered with organizations during the time period studied. That total equates to around 4 billion hours served and an economic value of $122.9 billion, researchers found.

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Rates of informal helping, or assisting others outside an organizational context, also remained largely the same between 2019 and 2021.

Despite the devastating impact of the pandemic, Americans continued to serve one another and their communities, the report reads.

They helped neighbors by doing favors like watching each others children, running errands, and more. Americans also helped their communities by supporting COVID-19 testing and vaccination, conducting wellness checks on isolated seniors, supporting food banks, assisting other public health efforts, and helping students stay on track in school.

In 2021, Utah, Wyoming and Minnesota had the highest rates of formal volunteering, respectively. Women also volunteered more than men on average, and Generation X adults between the ages of 41 and 56 had the highest rate out of all age groups, at 27 percent.

In addition, more parents with children under the age of 18 formally volunteered compared with those without children.

When it comes to non-organized volunteering, just over half of all Americans, or nearly 125 million people, said they exchanged favors with their neighbors between September 2020 and 2021.

Montana, Nebraska and Maine had the highest informal helping rates in the country, with over 68 percent of Montanans saying they informally helped others in 2021.

Baby Boomers had the highest rates of informal helping at 59 percent. The same percentage of veterans said they helped their neighbors. Nearly 60 percent of those with children under 18 also informally helped their neighbors compared with 49 percent of those without children in their households.

Researchers compared formal and informal volunteering rates among the nations 12 largest metro areas. While the Philadelphia Metro Area had the highest rate of formal volunteering at 28.7 percent, the Boston Metro Area had the highest informal helping rate at nearly 58 percent.

The research underscores that we are in a defining moment of our time. While we saw the first ever decline in formal volunteering with organizations, we also saw that despite the COVID-19 pandemics devastating impact, Americans support to their neighbors remained steady and tens of millions continued serving their communities, AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith told Changing America.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Flag of Switzerland

The move would see around 200 individuals and organizations face restrictions on doing business with Swiss nationals and enterprises.

Read also: Swiss government to provide Ukraine with $100 million winter aid action plan

The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) set about amending the annexes of the relevant ordinance within its competence and approved, among other things, the sanctioning of around 200 additional individuals and entities, the message reads.

Read also: Switzerland pivots to allow re-export of weapons to Ukraine

The restrictions include oversight of dual-use exports to Russia, and a ban on Swiss companies providing the Russian market with services related to product testing, advertising, market and opinion research.

In addition, the export ban on goods for the aerospace industry will be extended to include engines for aircraft and drones, Swiss Federal Council said.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The Virginia teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student texted a loved one before she was wounded that the boy was armed and that school officials were failing to act, according to a source close to the situation.

The source on Tuesday said Abigail Zwerner sent the text about an hour before she was shot on Jan. 6, saying that the student said he had a gun in his backpack and administrators at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News werent helping.

The text showed her frustration, said the source, who only disclosed details of the single text message to NBC News and not the messages that came before or after it. She was frustrated because she was trying to get help with this child, for this child, and then when she needed help, no one was coming.

Abigail Zwerner (Abby Zwerner via Facebook)

When asked about Zwerners text message and previous safety concerns from teachers and staff, Newport News Public Schools spokesperson Michelle Price said, Anything that has been reported to our school leadership team in regards to concerns at Richneck from teachers and staff members is part of the investigation. Its being thoroughly investigated.

On Wednesday morning, Zwerners attorney Diane Toscano held a news conference and said three teachers went to the school administration about the boys behavior on Jan. 6 and that he was believed to have had a gun on campus.

Zwerner first went to a school administrator between 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and said the student threatened to beat up a classmate, Toscano said. A second teacher went to a school administrator at 12:30 p.m. and told the administrator the teacher took it upon herself to search the 6-year-old boys backpack.

The administrator downplayed the report from the teacher and the possibility of a gun, Toscano said.

A third teacher told an administrator shortly before 1 p.m., the boy showed a student the gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anybody, Toscano said.

A fourth employee asked an administrator for permission to search the boy and was denied, Toscano said.

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The administrator told the employee, to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over, Toscano said.

Toscano said the administration could not be bothered and the tragedy was entirely preventable if the administration had taken action when they had knowledge of imminent danger. But instead, they failed to act and Abby was shot.

Toscano said she plans to bring forth a lawsuit on Zwerners behalf.

Prior to the news conference, the law firm representing the Zwerner family said it could not confirm the text and did not respond to requests for comment from the family.

The news of the direct warning from Zwerner comes after the school systems superintendent, George Parker III, said at a virtual town hall this month that the boy had come to school late and that his book bag was inspected upon his arrival at the office to sign in, according to parents who watched the meeting.

At least one administrator was notified of a possible weapon, Parker said in a video reviewed by NBC News.

A Newport News police spokeswoman said authorities also determined through their investigation that a school employee was notified of a possible firearm at Richneck Elementary before the shooting occurred, adding, The Newport News Police Department was not notified of this information prior to the incident.

Further details werent made available about who conducted the search, why the gun wasnt found and whether the childs clothing was physically examined.

Zwerner, 25, was hailed as a hero by police who said after she was intentionally shot and seriously wounded in her hand and chest, she still managed to safely escort about 20 students out of her first-grade class at Richneck. She was released from the hospital last week.

I believe she did save lives, because I dont know what else might have happened if those kids would have stayed in that room, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said during a news conference earlier this month.

No charges connected to the case have been publicly announced.

Last week, The Washington Post reported that administrators at the school had downplayed earlier warnings about the student despite repeated requests for help. School employees told Parker that Zwerner had asked for help with the student several times throughout the school year, according to messages obtained by the Post and not independently verified by NBC News. The messages do not indicate who Zwerner sought help from.

Another message from a teacher obtained by the Post details disturbing behavior from the student that preceded the shooting, though the dates of the alleged behavior are unclear.

The principal and vice principal of Richneck did not respond to requests for comment from the Post on the teachers account. School district spokeswoman Michelle Price told the Post that she could not share any information in a childs educational record and also cited the ongoing police investigation and internal inquiry by the school.

Drew has said that the childs mother legally bought the 9 mm Taurus firearm used in the shooting and that the boy took the gun from his home. Whether it was properly secured is a key element in the investigation, he has said.

The family of the boy who shot Zwerner said in a statement last week that the gun was secured when the child took it from their home but didnt go into further detail.

Our family has always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children. The firearm our son accessed was secured, said the statement, released by the familys attorney James Ellenson.

The statement also said the boy suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day. Additionally, our son has benefitted from an extensive community of care that also includes his grandparents working alongside us and other caregivers to ensure his needs and accommodations are met. The week of the shooting was the first week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.

Since the shooting, the statement added, the boy has been in a hospital receiving the treatment he needs.

Ellenson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening about Zwerners text message before the shooting.

Richneck has been closed since the shooting. It is set to reopen on Monday and will be outfitted with a metal detector, school officials have said.

The district has secured funding for 90 state-of-the-art metal detectors that will be placed at all district schools, officials said.

The school district has had three instances of gun violence in 17 months.

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
UCLA Lab School teachers and supporters march through UCLA campus on Wednesday. They are on strike because the university is not bargaining with them on their proposals. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

For the record:

4:51 p.m. Jan. 25, 2023: An earlier version of this report identified LaToya Baldwin Clark as LaToya Baldwin, a lecturer.



For decades, UCLA Lab School, an elite pre-K-through-sixth-grade school nestled in a quiet corner of the UCLA campus, has offered a nurturing environment for students whose parents won a coveted spot for their child.

Run by the university's School of Education and Information Studies as its hands-on education laboratory, multiple expert teachers curate lessons based on evolving practices. The student body is diverse, students are selected for admission, and tuition is up to $25,000 with about a third of students on financial aid, the school website says.

But the teachers  who welcome UCLA researchers into their classrooms, conduct studies themselves and report their findings to educators  have become dispirited over working conditions and went on strike Wednesday morning. Their public actions offer rare insight into long-simmering conflicts at a school dedicated to modeling the best practices in education.

Cristina Paul, right, a dual-language demonstration teacher, and supporters take part in a protest at UCLA Lab on Wednesday. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The teachers say management no longer values the school's core mission of research and outreach because administrators have refused to negotiate terms that serve those interests. Their two-day strike is not about salaries or benefits. Instead, they walked out over alleged unfair labor practices.

"We have a leadership that does not seem to be concerned about the mission and vision of the school ... and very little understanding of the culture of the lab school, who we are and what we represent," said Rebecca Heneise, a dual-language demonstration teacher at the lab school.

On Wednesday morning, about 25 demonstration teachers on strike stood in the pickup and dropoff area behind the school and rallied together. Then they marched to the office of the dean of the education school, Tina Christie. They chanted: "When our school's integrity is under attack, what do we do? Rise up, fight back!" And in Spanish, "Escucha, Escucha, estamos en la lucha!" Listen up, listen up, we are in the fight.

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No one answered the door to Christie's office. Instead, an employee of the university's labor relations department greeted the group and collected its petition of nearly 2,000 signatures.

"I could have never dreamed that teachers would be on strike at the lab school," said Judith Kantor, who has been a teacher at the school since the 1970s. "We're working in an environment where people are afraid."

UCLA Lab School teachers and supporters are on strike because the university is not bargaining with them on their proposals. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Research, once a key part of the school's mission, has become less of a focus, teachers said. Planning days have been reduced. Some classrooms have become limited to one teacher. A $2,000 annual stipend for dual-language teachers, who create curriculum in two languages, was taken away without notice, teachers said.

The faculty, who are members of the University Council-American Federation of Teachers, say that UC management has violated their rights to bargain by delaying the process and denying them the right to negotiate a side letter that includes working conditions specific to the needs of a lab school.

Teachers also say that the administration has made changes to the school's practices, including extending the number of school days without their input or negotiation. The university is open only to negotiating salary, which is part of their primary contract, ratified in 2021.

On behalf of the teachers, the union filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the state Public Employment Relations Board in June. A hearing on the complaint is scheduled in spring.

The university declined to comment on specifics of the negotiations.

We value the work of our UCLA Lab School Demonstration Teachers represented by UC-AFT. UCLA is negotiating in good faith with the union, and we are hopeful that an agreement can be reached soon, the university said in a statement.

Lab school faculty have been under the same contract as UC lecturers, but school administrators had negotiated a side letter with terms specific to the school after the main contract was ratified. Side letters for the years 2011, 2014 and 2016 were successfully negotiated without issue, said Bill Quirk, lead UC-AFT negotiator for the lab school faculty.

Heneise said that the teachers asked management to come to the table to negotiate their new side letter in January 2022 and that they did not agree to meet until the summer.

That right there was them not bargaining in good faith, she said. They kept stalling and stalling and stalling. It was then that they told us they would only talk about compensation. We passed 20 proposals to them, and they said they would look only at the one on compensation.

However, even negotiations on compensation have been unsuccessful. The teachers asked for a 15% raise, which the university countered with 4%, which Heneise said doesn't account for the rising cost of living over the last three years, during which they have not received a raise.

The teachers say their demands are about maintaining the essence of the UCLA Lab School education that distinguishes it from other private schools and public schools in L.A.

The campus is surrounded by redwoods, green space and gardens, and a stream flows through the school, allowing the children to study and appreciate nature. Its 430 students, ages 4 through 12, from diverse backgrounds learn not only the mandated state curriculum, but also about topics that interest them and about current events and social justice issues.

Other schools in the UC system, including the UCLA Geffen Academy and the Preuss School at UC San Diego, have negotiated side letters that include similar terms.

Were not even saying you have to agree to everything, said Jane Parkes, a demonstration teacher and alumna of the school. Weve been scratching our heads at a lot of this. Its been a very sad time for a lot of us.

Parkes said she remembers attending the school as a girl with a deep sense of autonomy and curiosity. Its a feeling that teachers have been able to re-create for decades.

The last eight years Ive been a demonstration teacher, Ive really seen the amount of planning that goes into giving children that experience, she said. We believe teaching conditions are learning conditions.

While teachers picketed, students in 19 classrooms were taught by six teacher apprentices, said Sylvia Gentile, a demonstration teacher on the bargaining team.

Gentile, who teaches sixth-graders, said the students have been curious about the strike.

"They're all over it. They're like, 'What are you striking for? What's the classroom going to be like?' They asked the brilliant question, 'If we support you, should we come to school tomorrow or should we stay home?'"

Ayla, a 9-year-old student of the school who was joining her mother, Kim Morchower, a demonstration teacher, on the strike, said she was there to support her teachers.

"They make learning fun and it's always exciting, because before I came, I didn't like all the subjects. Now I love them," she said. "They're striking today because they're not listened to and they feel the need to be heard ... so the school can be a better place."

Rosie Torres, a dual-language demonstration teacher who has been with the school for 12 years, said she fears the culture that makes the school so special is being taken away.

The lab school has always been a place of creativity, joy and innovation, she said. Its a place where collaboration was valued and encouraged, and where students are taught about advocacy. Thats really why Im here.

But without notice, Torres said, some of those planning and professional development days were taken away.

LaToya Baldwin Clark, an assistant professor at the UCLA School of Law whose 10-year-old son attends the lab school, said she is standing behind the demonstration teachers because she has seen the difference they have made for her son.

Its that he feels happy to go to school, he feels comfortable to go to school, " she said. "The smile on his face is a smile that says, I trust my teacher."

These are people tasked with educating my child every day, and if they feel their work conditions arent reasonable, I tend to believe them, she said. I tend to believe the things theyre asking for are the things they need.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
To pay for the shipments, which can cost about $10,000 to fill a tractor-trailer, the sisters Child2Child Book Foundation has raised more than $64,000.

Two teenage sister duos are making a difference in Africa by distributing 60,000 books to Ghana and Nigeria. Now, the four girls have their sights set on the French-speaking nation of Togo.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Nigerian sisters Azzarree and Amirrah Uwhubetine, who are 17 and 16 respectively, were for years regularly using iBooks or depending on family members traveling abroad to bring books back for them, citing the African nations lack of big-box stores, easy library access or Amazon delivery. In 2016, the sisters and their families relocated to Atlanta.

When I came here, Barnes & Noble was like a culture shock, said Azzarree, The AJC reported. I had never seen so many books in one place.

A shipment of books arrives in Africa thanks to a collaboration between the Child2Child Book Foundation, which was formed by two sets of sisters from the country, and the Minnesota-based nonprofit Books for Africa. (Photo Credit: Books for Africa)

Shortly after, their friends Sedinam and Eline Asase, two sisters from Ghana, migrated stateside to Washington, D.C.

The four girls, who were classmates at a Nigerian private school, remained close and eventually started a book club. They thought about the children in Africa and how challenging it was to have books to ensure a well-rounded education.

Sedinam, 16, said books there are frequently outdated, and one classroom may have 30 to 40 students relying on a single text.

We realized if it was hard for us to get these books, it was harder for people in underserved communities to get that access, said Amirrah, according to The AJC. Even though we were really young, we still wanted to make that change.

The girls established the Child2Child Book Foundation in 2019 and began raising funds to ship books to Africa. They joined forces with the Minnesota-based nonprofit Books for Africa, which runs a book storage and shipping business out of Marietta, Georgia.

For the shipments  which can cost about $10,000 for enough books to fill a tractor-trailer  Child2Child has raised more than $64,000. So far, the girls have distributed more than 60,000 school textbooks, well-known childrens literature books, and novels for all grade levels.

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Azzarree praised the books high quality, pointing out that they didnt have torn pages covered in notes or damaged binding.

We want to have kids excited about learning, she said, according to The AJC, and excited about their education.

The girls have traveled to schools in Ghana and Nigeria that use the books theyve sent, supervising the students creative projects and reading aloud to them. They created a community library named after the Asase sisters great-grandmother during their trip to Ghana last summer.

Amirrah said meeting the youngsters allows them to interact and relay their love of reading with them one-on-one.

Everybody is extremely grateful, she shared, according to AJC. Parents and students are excited about getting these books and having access to books with a fully-stocked library.

Child2Child also collaborates with several African nonprofit organizations operating in communities and schools  groups that make book requests and ensure students read them.

The girls maintain their nonprofit with help from GoFundMe and are hoping to secure corporate sponsors and grants. Although Azzarree and Sedinam will head to college in the fall, they have no plans to halt Child2Childs shipments.

As someone who is such a big reader, Im so passionate about how important books are for our society, said Azzarree, The AJC reported. The perspective you get from reading books and discussing books is so amazing and important.

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The post Teen sisters send 60,000 books to Nigeria and Ghana, set sights on Togo appeared first on TheGrio.
MANILA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- A Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane crash-landed in Bataan province during a training flight on Wednesday, a military spokesperson said.

PAF spokesperson Ma. Consuelo Castillo said in a statement that an SF260 aircraft with two pilots aboard went down in Bataan province, west of Manila, around 10:34 a.m. local time.

Castillo said the plane took off from a military base in Sangley Point in Cavite province around 9:59 a.m. local time. She said the aircraft was one of the PAF's attack planes under the 15th Strike Wing.

"We lost track of the plane more than 30 minutes into their flight," she added.

Castillo did not confirm whether the two pilots were killed in the accident or not.

Local radio DZBB said the plane's wreckage was found in Pilar town in Bataan with the bodies of the two pilots, which looked lifeless.

On Tuesday afternoon, a six-seater private plane went missing in Isabela province, north of Manila. A search and rescue operation is on to find the Cessna plane, the pilot, and its five passengers. 
Tension over the impending closure of Alan Shawn Feinstein Elementary School at Broad Street boiled over this week as Providence community members impacted by the closure showed up to a Rhode Island Department of Education meeting with signs and shouts.

Partway through the meeting, chants broke out, with members of the crowd shouting, "Keep our schools open!" One man, addressing the council, yelled, "You guys have failed Providence! You know that!" Another cried, "Say something!"

Around that point, the council recessed for about 25 minutes before returning to finish its meeting.

"During the Providence update on curriculum, community members began voicing concern while the board conducted its scheduled business," department spokesman Victor Morente said in a statement. "The chair called for a recess, which the council voted for, and a few minutes later, the meeting resumed to continue with the remaining items on the agenda."

Morente added that "we understand people are passionate about this matter," though he cited Providence Public School District's more than $500-million facilities plan for what the district is calling "new or like new buildings" as part of it's "newer and fewer" strategy.

Public speaks out about Providence school closure plan

The interrupted meeting, held by the Rhode Island Department of Education's Council on Elementary and Secondary Education, offered attendees a roughly 20-minute public comment period. Nine people signed up to speak, many of whom criticized the Providence Public School District's abrupt announcement that it would shutter the elementary school, which is in poor condition and, the district says, suffering from a decline in enrollment.

More:As PPSD moves forward with closing schools, parents call for a pause

For locals, the issue has been clear: They were not consulted about the closure of that school and two others in the city: Carl G. Lauro Elementary School and Gilbert Stuart Middle School, the latter of which will be phased out.

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"It saddens me knowing that the decision of closing ASF Broad Street was a decision that the teachers, parents, and most importantly, the students, were not part of," said Jaylean Suriel, a sixth-grader at Roger Williams Middle School who graduated from Broad Street. "You never asked the students how they would feel and what impact this would have on them. Its almost as if their voices are not important."

Patrick Shelton, who teaches fifth grade at the school, cited its improvement in math, science and English language arts test scores, contending that "instead of building on the successes, the district wants to split us apart."

More on the school closuresRIDE, Providence school district grilled over school closures. Heres what happened.

Katelyn Crudale, the head of Broad Street's Parent Teacher Organization, was also present to protest the closure, as was Broad Street teacher Carol Winter, who called for it to be stopped.

All three closures were announced late last year by the Providence Teachers Union. The district blamed the union for breaking the news and for the outrage it caused.

Since then, PPSD and RIDE have been facing backlash, including from state lawmakers in the House Oversight Committee, which grilled district and department leadership in December. During the hearing, it became clear the community was never involved in the decision making process.

RIDE defends school closures, saying it wants schools to be better

Addressing Suriel, council Chairwoman Patricia DiCenso acknowledged there was a "failure to communicate," saying, "if the kids didnt know, it was probably because their parents didnt talk to them about it because the parents didnt know."

"However I want to tell you that the reason why this is happening is because people really want the schools to be better," DiCenso added, defending the decision and stating that when it came to community involvement, "somehow that step was skipped."

More:Why changes to midterms in Providence schools have some students, parents frustrated

Families with students in the two elementary schools that are closing are now being asked to complete preference forms to identify where they would like their children to be relocated. So far, Morente said more than half of families have submitted the forms.

However, not everyone is in agreement about the timeline. Outgoing Providence School Board member Jesus Nunez said in a text that he wants RIDE to pause the closures  something to which the state has not agreed  to offer more opportunity for input from teachers and families.

"More time = more transparency," he wrote.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Broad Street School closure draws protests to RIDE meeting
Tesla announced billions of dollars of investment in its Nevada Gigafactory, which makes battery packs for Tesla's EVs. Tesla

Tesla is pouring additional resources into its Nevada battery factory as it looks to ramp up production.

The company's $3.6B investment will add 3,000 jobs and 4 million square feet to its manufacturing footprint.

Elon Musk has set a goal for Tesla to deliver 20 million cars annually by 2030.

Tesla is pouring more resources into its Nevada Gigafactory, according to a company announcement.

The EV maker said Tuesday it plans to invest $3.6 billion, add 3,000 additional jobs, and build two factories at Tesla's facility just outside Sparks, Nevada.

The new factories will build battery cells for light-duty vehicles and Tesla's Semi truck, which began making deliveries early last month after years of delay.

According to a tweet by the company, Tesla's additional investment will add 4 million square feet to the Nevada factory's manufacturing footprint.

The company has plans for the factory to be the largest building in the world, though as of now, it's only about 30% complete, according to CNBC.

Tesla's Gigafactories, which are located in Texas, Shanghai, Berlin, and Nevada, build batteries for the company's electric vehicles.

The massive investment comes as EV competition in the US heats up as traditional automakers add more electric vehicles to their lineups.

To compete, Elon Musk's company has begun offering steep discounts for some of its cars: prices of the company's Model 3 and Model Y have been slashed by as much as 20%, according to a calculation by Reuters.

The company has said it needs to ramp up production in order to meet Musk's goal of delivering 20 million cars per year by 2030. In 2022, Tesla delivered 1.31 million vehicles, a 40% increase from the year before.

Read the original article on Business Insider
OSHKOSH  The trial for a former Oshkosh West High School student accused of stabbing a school resource officer in December 2019 has begun, with the defense meeting roadblocks to arguing their case the way they hoped.

Grant Fuhrman, 20, is charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide for the 2019 stabbing of Officer Michael Wissink. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to 60 years in prison.

During the remainder of the trial, which is scheduled to last three weeks, the prosecution aims to prove that Fuhrman acted with intent to kill Wissink. In Wisconsin law, "intent to kill" means Fuhrman either meant to cause the death of Wissink, or was aware that his behavior was "practically certain" to result in Wissink's death  and that Fuhrman would have killed Wissink if not for the intervention of someone else or another outside factor.

Fuhrman's defense attorneys Corey Mehlos and Tim Casper argue that Fuhrman did not try to kill Wissink. Since 2021, they've been seeking to pursue an involuntary intoxication defense, arguing that Fuhrman's high dosage of Adderall, which he had a lowered tolerance for due to taking it infrequently, caused him to not be in his right mind at the time of the attack. However, it's unclear how much testimony about Fuhrman's medication can be brought up at trial; Judge Daniel Bissett has repeatedly denied the admission of the involuntary intoxication defense. According to court records, on Monday the Wisconsin Court of Appeals denied a petition filed by Fuhrman's attorneys to appeal Bissett's order.

Grant Fuhrman appears in court Tuesday in the Branch 6 courtroom at the Winnebago County Courthouse in Oshkosh. Grant Fuhrman, 20, is charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide for the 2019 stabbing of an Oshkosh West school resource officer. At the time of the incident, Fuhrman was a 16-year-old junior at Oshkosh West High School. He is accused of stabbing Officer Michael Wissink in the neck with a barbecue fork at the school on Dec. 3, 2019.

Investigators say on the morning of Dec. 3, 2019, Fuhrman, then a 16-year-old junior at the high school, walked into Wissink's office during the start of second period and asked the officer to look something up on his computer. While Wissink's back was turned, Fuhrman attacked Wissink with a barbecue fork he brought from home. Wissink fired his gun in self-defense, shooting Fuhrman in the chest and himself in the arm.

The trial started Monday with a daylong jury selection process, during which a 15-person jury was selected out of a pool of around 90 people. On Tuesday, attorneys presented their opening statements, then the prosecution presented its first six witnesses.

In their opening statements, both Assistant District Attorney Tracy Paider and Casper discussed the events of Dec. 3, 2019. Paider used the metaphor of a shark circling its unsuspecting prey to describe Fuhrman's actions the morning of the attack, as he avoided going to his second period class and instead walked around the school hallways, repeatedly peeking into Wissink's office and waiting for the officer to be alone.

As the school resource officer, Wissink was not only at Oshkosh West to help enforce the law, but also acted as a friendly face at the school and someone who students could come to if need be, Paider said. He sometimes rode a bike around the hallways and had fruit in his office for students.

"He wanted the kids to know his office was a safe space," Paider said.

Assistant District Attorney Tracy Paider questions a witness as Grant Fuhrman appears in court Tuesday in the Branch 6 courtroom at the Winnebago County Courthouse in Oshkosh.

On the morning of the attack, after Assistant Principal Aaron Herm left Wissink's office, where the two had been having a brief meeting regarding vandalism in the school bathrooms, Furhman walked into Wissink's office, closed the door and repeatedly stabbed the officer when his back was turned.

Had Wissink not fired his weapon, Paider argued, Fuhrman would have killed him.

In the defense's opening statements, Casper presented a different picture. He described the attack as "a half-baked scheme" Fuhrman came up with in the middle of a sleepless night. Fuhrman was dealing with multiple stressors, including a breakup with his girlfriend, the recent death of his grandfather and having a difficult time with his Adderall medication, Casper said. He was engaging in social media conversations with peers all night and hardly got any sleep.

Investigators found searches on Fuhrman's phone included "how to stab somebody and not kill them," Casper said. The weapon he chose to bring to school from home also did not reflect an intent to cause the most damage possible; multiple steak knives were in Fuhrman's home's kitchen, and Fuhrman had two pocket knives in his bedroom. Out of those, he chose a two-pronged serving fork, Casper said.

Additionally, Casper said, in the "melee" that ensued in Wissink's small office between a 16-year-old kid and a "very strong" adult man, it's not clear how Wissink received each of his injuries. And neither Wissink nor the first officer arriving to help on scene had their body cameras turned on initially, Casper pointed out.

"Had (Wissink) used his body camera, I don't think we'd be here today," Casper said.

After opening arguments, the prosecution called its first witnesses to testify. Among them was Ken Levine, an Oshkosh West teacher who ran to Wissink's office after hearing the gunshots and provided his own belt as a tourniquet for Wissink's arm wound; Dr. Mark Westfall, an emergency physician at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah who helped care for Wissink's injuries; and Officer Joseph Gogo, who in December 2019 was the school resource officer at Oshkosh North High School and was the first officer to respond to Wissink's calls for help on the radio.

Westfall testified that Wissink's laceration injuries to his neck and gunshot wound to his wrist were potentially life-threatening. During cross-examination, Mehlos suggested Westfall might have a broad definition of life-threatening. Further, Mehlos pointed out that Westfall did not know what caused Wissink's neck injury.

During cross-examination of Gogo's testimony, Mehlos pointed out that Gogo did not turn his body camera on until after his initial reaction of arriving on scene. Mehlos also presented Gogo's body camera footage as evidence that officers may have unnecessarily moved parts of the crime scene while attending to Wissink's and Fuhrman's medical needs.

The trial may continue for three weeks, or it may end sooner. The defense has not yet decided if Fuhrman will testify.

Decisions about what testimony relating to Adderall medication and Fuhrman's state of mind will be allowed will be addressed as they come up during the trial, Bissett said.

RELATED:Trial for former Oshkosh West student charged with stabbing school resource officer set to start Monday

Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Trial underway for Oshkosh West student accused of attempted homicide
Jan. 25CATLETTSBURG  A man was booked into Boyd County Detention Center early Wednesday morning following an indictment warrant charging him with a sole count of second-degree rape of a person with an intellectual disability.

According to court documents, the charge against Jamarious Reynolds, 33, of Mount Pleasant, Texas, stem from an incident that occurred in April 2022.

While the citation obtained by The Daily Independent doesn't consist of many details, including victim information or a precise location of the violation  it does state the alleged crime occurred in Boyd County.

Previous arrest records for Reynolds show he was picked up in Titus County, Texas, in August for burglary and for the outstanding rape charge in Kentucky.

Reynolds's cash-only bond is set at $250,000.

Reynolds will appear Friday before Boyd County Circuit Judge George Davis for arraignment.

(606) 326-2652  mjepling@dailyindependent.com
The University of Texas at Dallas has added its name to the growing list of institutions in Texas that have outlawed using TikTok on-campus Wi-Fi. In December, Gov. Greg Abbott banned TikTok on all state-issued devices.

Gov. Abbott ordered all state agencies to take several other immediate measures regarding the app, citing security and privacy concerns.

The University of North Texas has issued a statement explaining that, per the Governors order, TikTok has been removed from all UNT System devices, and access to it has been disabled across all University-owned networks.

In order to comply with the governors directive, we blocked access to TikTok from university-owned networks and removed the application from any UNT System devices, UNTs System Chief Communications Officer Laken Rapier said.

We will be monitoring any further developments and requirements as outlined by the Office of the Governor, Texas Department of Public Safety or the Texas Department of Information Resources to ensure our continued compliance, the statement read.

More than a billion people use TikTok to watch and share videos, but back in December Gov. Abbott ordered that the app couldnt be used on government devices. https://t.co/6yM2zOXEcE  WFAA (@wfaa) January 19, 2023

According to CBS News, UT Austin implied in an email to students that the app collects a significant amount of data from users devices, including when, where and how they use the internet, and provides this vast collection of potentially sensitive data to the Chinese government.

The University of Texas at Dallas and Texas A&M University are among the other Texas universities whose spokespeople have said they are limiting the apps availability on campus since the initial announcement was made Tuesday morning, as per Texas Border Business.

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[W]e are in the process of putting in place network-based filtering that will block both wireless and wired access to downloading or accessing the app from our campus network, which means students, faculty, staff, and visitors will not be able to use the app when connected to an A&M network, system spokesperson Laylan Copelin said.

According to Texas college students, the recent statewide TikTok bans on campuses have not bothered them, and they can easily get around them. Theyll use VPNs or their cellular service to access the app.

The way that I am planning to circumvent the ban is to simply turn my school WiFi off when I want to use the app on campus, one student explained.

i spoke with Texas college students about the mass TikTok bans by universities in the state last weekthey said they were going to easily circumvent the ban by using their own data or VPNs (or they said yes, good riddance)https://t.co/RHKaK6XoQG  Kieran Press-Reynolds (@kieranpressreyn) January 23, 2023

Even so, TikTok remains one of the most widely used apps worldwide, particularly among young people. Four University of Texas at Austin students, some of whom have thousands of TikTok followers, who spoke with Insider said the ban wouldnt prevent them from using the platform.

In addition to remaining unbothered about the Wi-Fi blockage of the app, the censorship of TikTok over guns, according to Texas college students, speaks volumes about how officials value public safety.

Students at a university in Texas say their institutions have more pressing concerns than whether or not they can use TikTok.

A student who wishes to remain nameless commented on the TikTok censorship debate, saying that the government seems less concerned with public safety and more concerned with whats happening on social media apps.

The censorship of TikTok over guns lets you know how serious the government is about the safety of the younger generation, the 22-year-old public health student at the University of Texas told Insider.
The director of a Texas high school theater program has been sued by a group of students, who accuse the teacher of leading a sexually abusive environment, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed on Friday, Jan. 20, by three former students at James Bowie High School in Austin. The same alumni and six others also initially sued Austin Independent School District in the fall of 2022.

Diane Elizabeth Betsy Cornwell, the longtime theater director at the school, was placed on paid administrative leave following the first lawsuit as the district began investigating, the Austin American-Statesman reported in October.

During theater production rehearsals, Cornwell forced the students to engage in open-mouth kissing, groping and simulated sexual intercourse, according to the lawsuit. These intimacy sessions, the former students say, were nothing more than choreographed sexual assaults.

Some of the former students said Cornwell was aroused during the rehearsals and at one point yelled, More, more, more! as scene partners were lying on the floor and kissing, the lawsuit states.

Cornwell told KVUE on Tuesday, Jan. 24, she had not yet been served the lawsuit. The school district declined to comment on the initial lawsuit last fall to KVUE and the American-Statesman.

Groping, lap dances and simulated sex

Cornwell has been the director of the schools theater program  the Starlight Theatre Company  since 1988. The schools fine arts center was named after her in August, with the Austin high school saying Cornwell has given so much to students for so many years.

While Cornwell has been celebrated by the district, some former students said Cornwells actions caused them humiliation, extreme anxiety and anguish. One student, because of her experiences in Cornwells rehearsals, was hospitalized with suicidal thoughts, according to the lawsuit.

The alumni detailed the alleged accounts of sexual abuse they experienced while in the theater program.

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Two students said they were cast as a Vietnamese sex worker in the schools productions of Miss Saigon. In the role, the students were forced to give lap dances and imitate sexual acts on male classmates, the lawsuit states.

Other students were groped, with male students fondling the breasts of their cast partner under the guidance of Cornwell, the alumni allege.

Despite Cornwells direction for the students to have sex in front of her, they often felt compelled to carry out her orders.

They knew that if they did not do exactly what she told them to do, Cornwell would retaliate against them in a multitude of ways, including refusing to cast them in roles, blacklisting them from leadership positions and targeting them for increased abuse in front of their peers, according to the lawsuit.

The alumni are seeking monetary relief of more than $1 million, as well as compensatory damages for past and future physical and mental suffering.

Federal lawsuit amended this month

A federal lawsuit against the school district, originally filed in September by five former students, has been amended to include four additional alumni.

The nine students, who attended the high school between 2004 and 2019, allege Cornwell subjected them to inappropriate touching; inappropriate sexual comments; harmful and abusive language; assault; battery; emotional and psychological abuse and manipulation; allowing sexual assaults to happen under her direction; declining to remove or otherwise discipline perpetrators of same; and her provision of drugs to at least one student.

Multiple students complained to the district about Cornwell, who they say later targeted and embarrassed them by playing phone messages from parents complaining, according to the federal lawsuit.

The students chose to sue after the district named the theater after her.

This public praise of Cornwell allowed (the alumni) to revisit their damaging experiences as children at the hands of Cornwell, prompting them to finally recognize as adults the abuse they suffered and (the school districts) role in recklessly disregarding it, attorneys said.

The nine alumni are requesting Cornwells name be removed from the theater and for the hiring of intimacy coordinators. They also seek monitoring of the theater program and harassment awareness training.

Student pressured into relationship with teacher giving him an A, Missouri cops say

High school librarian sent nudes to student she sexually abused for months, NC cops say

High school counselor was grooming our girls for his pleasure, Missouri mom says
Three people were taken to the hospital early Tuesday morning after a crash that involved a person who fled a traffic stop in Kansas Citys East Meyer neighborhood, according to police.

Shortly after midnight, officers with Kansas Citys Metro Patrol attempted to pull over the driver of a white Chevy Malibu near the intersection of 82nd Street and Troost Avenue on a traffic violation, police said.

The driver allegedly fled the stop, heading north on Troost at high speed before blowing a red light at 75th Street. Another driver headed east through the intersection was struck by the Chevy, police said.

The suspect who police say fled the traffic stop was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The driver of the other vehicle and a juvenile passenger were also taken to the hospital, and police described their condition as stable.

Police say officers stopped chasing the driver about a block south of the crash.

As with many police departments, KCPD has a written policy governing how and when police chases are conducted  and how long they go on  that directs officers to weigh the potential risks of a pursuit relative to the safety of the general public.
Laid-off cleaning staff and their supporters rally with their union outside Twitters New York City officers on 25 January after they were abruptly fired on 19 December, 2022. (Alex Woodward/The Independent)

On 19 December, two hours after leaving her job at Twitters office in New York City, Lucy Calderon received a text message telling her that she would no longer be working there, effective immediately.

The single mother from The Bronx and a dozen of her fellow janitorial workers lost their jobs days before Christmas after Twitter abruptly canceled a contract with their employer, joining what workers have called the other wave of tech layoffs impacting tens of thousands of workers in recent months.

Elon Musks sweeping layoffs during his chaotic tenure at the platform have reached janitorial staff at his companys San Francisco and New York offices, leaving lower-paid workers scrambling in cities with skyrocketing living costs.

The workers could lose their union-provided health insurance coverage  on which the workers and their families have relied for their medication and medical care  if no action is taken by the end of January.

It was shocking, Ms Calderon told The Independent. I had just left my work  what happened in two hours?

Flagship Facility Services served as the janitorial service for Twitters office in the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan. A termination notice from Twitter to the company was forwarded to workers without any explanation why the contract was terminated, according to a notice reviewed by The Independent.

Joined by a crowd of union leaders and supporters, laid-off workers rallied in the rain outside Twitters office on West 17th Street on 25 January to demand that the company reinstate their jobs.

Its been a nightmare, said Laureta Gjoni, a single mother with a six-year-old and one-year-old. She has cleaned the building for eight years, as long as Twitter has been in the property.

We take care of these buildings more than our houses, she told The Independent. These jobs are our life, for our family, for our kids. The insurance from the union, thats our life, too.

Yoeni Bylorenzo, 29-year-old single father with a three-year-old daughter, said the workers were deemed essential at the onset of the pandemic but have now been thrown out like trash.

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Twitters got to remember the stuff that we went through with the pandemic. We were still coming, every day, he told The Independent. Thank God I have a little savings, but its really not going to go that long. Unemployment [payments] are not giving much, too.

In brief remarks to the rally crowd, New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher condemned the layoffs as a horrible, indefensible action by Twitter against these workers who deserve to keep their job.

Service Employees International Union 32BJ, which represents the workers, is working to determine whether Twitters actions violate the Displaced Building Service Workers Protection Act.

The law was first enacted in 2002 to protect workers who are outsourced by building owners or managers to a third-party contractor. When one contractor takes over the work of another in the same building, those workers must be rehired by the new contractor and cannot be terminated without cause, according to the law.

Workers can then sue the building owners to get their jobs back and receive back pay and damages.

A spokesperson for the union told The Independent the union is still trying to figure out what exactly is going on in the building to determine whether Twitter hired cleaning staff after laying off workers, which would violate the law.

If cleaning is taking place in the building, that would be a violation of the Displaced Building Service Workers Protection Act. But we havent been able to verify anything yet, according to the unions statement to The Independent.

SEIUs New York City chapter represents more than 20,000 commercial office cleaners in the city.

The unions Local 87 chapter in San Francisco  where 20 unionised cleaning workers at the companys headquarters were abruptly laid off last month  represents 5,000 janitors in the city.

Those layoffs also could violate city law that stipulates that new agreements for cleaning services must include retaining existing workers after switching contractors.

Janitors also reported some conference rooms inside the San Francisco office were turned into makeshift bedrooms or nurseries, prompting investigations from the citys Department of Department of Building Inspection and the city attorneys office.

The Independent has requested comment from the offices of the New York Attorney General and New York Citys law department.

The Independent also has requested comment from Twitter, which has largely eliminated its communications department.

After Mr Musk acquired the influential platform in October, he fired its board of directors and top executives and began laying off 3,700 employees, roughly cutting the companys workforce by half.

On 19 December, Twitter disconnected cleaning workers ID access after the company notified the New York cleaning staffs employer that their contract would immediately be terminated, Ms Calderon told The Independent.

Confused and terrified workers called her looking for answers, facing the holidays without an income and bracing for the loss of their employer-connected health insurance for themselves and their families.

Those are the things that are in my head every single day  how are they gonna do it? I dont even know how Im gonna do it. How are they gonna do it? Ms Calderon told The Independent in a phone interview. Im in the same corner as them and I have to be there for them.

Twitters decision to cancel the cleaning contract  has upended the lives of these dedicated cleaners, many of whom have worked at this location since Twitter moved in seven years ago, according to a statement from union vice president Denis Johnston to The Independent.

They put their lives on the line to keep workers and the public safe throughout the pandemic and are essential to the citys economic recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic, he added. These union members and their families now face extreme hardship because of the loss of their good paying jobs with quality health insurance..

As the end of January approaches, Ms Calderon and other laid-off workers told The Independent that they plan to keep fighting alongside the union to get their jobs back.

It was very shocking  no reason, no notice, no nothing, she saod. I dont think we deserve that.
Watch: Trailer for Andrea Riseborough drama To Leslie

In March 2022, the South by Southwest Festival played host to the premiere of To Leslie, a new film starring beloved British screen actor Andrea Riseborough. The drama received strong reviews, with Riseborough singled out for particular praise for her performance as an alcoholic Texan woman trying to repair her relationships with her family after squandering lottery winnings on drugs and booze.

The film got a limited cinema release in the States in October, followed by its UK bow in November. It's a small movie, and nobody noticed it. According to Box Office Mojo, it has earned just over $27,000 (22,000) worldwide. Avatar: The Way of Water made around 5,000 times that figure in just the USA in its opening weekend alone.

Read more: Explaining the awards season campaign trail

But people are noticing To Leslie now. Seemingly out of nowhere, Riseborough has made it on to the shortlist for Best Actress at the Oscars. Highly-fancied, big-hitting performances like Danielle Deadwyler in Till, Margot Robbie in Babylon and Viola Davis in The Woman King didn't make the cut, but Riseborough did.

So how has this happened, and could Riseborough actually win her first Oscar for the film?

An underdog tale

Andrea Riseborough has secured a surprise Oscar nomination for her performance in gritty drama To Leslie. (eOne)

It's not quite fair to say that To Leslie came out of nowhere. It was one of the more respected indie releases of 2022 and has a 98% approval rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. That's a better critical hit rate than any of the 10 nominees for Best Picture  albeit from a much lower number of reviews.

Riseborough has also received some acclaim from awards bodies. She was nominated in November for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance and the National Board of Review selected To Leslie as one of its 10 best independent releases of the year. The film and Riseborough also won a handful of festival awards, including on UK shores at the Raindance Film Festival, where To Leslie was recognised for Best Actress and as Film of the Festival.

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Read more: Hollywood comebacks that led to awards glory

But this is all pretty quiet in terms of awards buzz. Riseborough got nothing when nominations arrived from the Golden Globes, Baftas or Screen Actors Guild Awards. Even among the myriad critics' associations and smaller precursor awards bodies, it was only the Chicago Film Critics Association which nominated Riseborough for Best Actress.

So in order for that to translate to the Oscars, something somewhere had to happen.

An unusual campaign

Andrea Riseborough plays an alcoholic mother in To Leslie. (eOne)

Oscar campaigning is often perceived as a business of dark arts. Before he was imprisoned for his horrific array of sex crimes, Harvey Weinstein was considered to be the master of this underbelly of the awards season. He could take a liked-but-not-loved movie  Shakespeare in Love, for example  and transform it into a Best Picture winner via aggressive campaigning and smearing the competition if necessary.

However, it doesn't seem like there has been a Weinstein-like figure behind To Leslie. Money has been in short supply, with director Michael Morris telling The Hollywood Reporter that the movie couldn't even afford a campaign ad. He added: "We live or die by peoples reactions to the film. Weve been so under the radar and our only strategy has been to get people to see the film."

Read more: Tuppence Middleton on unorthodox Andrea Riseborough sex scene

That doesn't sound like enough, until you see the list of names of people who have not only seen the film, but chose to champion it publicly. To name just a few: Gwyneth Paltrow, Edward Norton, Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Zooey Deschanel, Howard Stern, Alan Cumming, Amy Adams, Kate Winslet and Minnie Driver.

Paltrow  a friend of director Morris  was among those to enthusiastically share their enjoyment of the film, writing on Instagram that "Andrea should win every award there is and all the ones that havent been invented yet".

So it seems that Riseborough's awards strategy ultimately used the most simple tool in the book for a business like Hollywood  "it's not what you know, it's who you know".

Friends in high places

She's a well-liked figure who has never really made the awards season splash she inarguably deserves and Morris  a feature debutant, but a veteran of TV like Better Call Saul and 13 Reasons Why  has his fair share of famous buddies too. A lot of them were seemingly happy to take just a few moments to post about a film they enjoyed, starring a colleague for whom they have a great deal of respect.

Read more: Everything that happened at the 2022 Oscars

But it's not quite as wholesome as that sounds. An eagle-eyed Redditor on the /r/OscarRace page noted earlier this month that many of the tweets from celebs praising the film used very similar text, including the now-viral phrase "a small film with a giant heart".

We're all familiar with this technique from the onslaught of near-identical tweets from Conservative MPs whenever they respond to a government scandal, having presumably been sent some example text in a WhatsApp group somewhere.

This movie that I've never heard of that only grossed $23,000 is suddenly being pushed by all these celebrities trying to get Andrea Riseborough a Best Actress nomination by tweeting the same copypasta, this is kind of weird. pic.twitter.com/oXQVWLKsEi  AlexH (@DryToast2810) January 15, 2023

So in summary, the To Leslie nomination likely came about as a combination of many things  canny use of Hollywood relationships, WhatsApp group campaigning and the genuine desire to support an underdog star for their daring work.

Playwright Jeremy O. Harris tweeted that Riseborough's manager Jason Weinberg deserves much of the credit, saying: "This man did a group chat Oscar campaign for a client he has seen work her ass off for years with little to no recognition who gave a daring performance in a small picture and it worked. This should be studied."

Read more: Halle Berry explains why her Oscar win didn't open the door for POC

Some have expressed concerns at the optics of a white actor using her array of predominantly white friends to secure a nomination, ahead of Black performers like the aforementioned Deadwyler and Davis. While this might seem a churlish criticism  Riseborough didn't "take a slot" any more than Michelle Williams or Ana De Armas did, for example  it's certainly valid to question whether people of colour in the industry could call upon the same groundswell of goodwill to trigger a last-minute voting surge.

ONE LAST THING. You can think Andrea Riseborough is an *insane* talent, that awards campaigns are inherently unfair anyway, and also ask if those in the actors branch would similarly cob their weight behind a Black woman. Esp in a year with no noms for Black women in Lead Actress  Terri White (@Terri_White) January 24, 2023

And Im not even mad that Andrea Riseborough swung her way in there. Its a great performance. But systematically its broken for Black women. And both can be acknowledged.  Robert Daniels (@812filmreviews) January 24, 2023

Whatever happened, Riseborough is now a bona fide Oscar contender  albeit very tertiary to the main race between Cate Blanchett's bold work in Tar and Michelle Yeoh's gonzo action turn in Everything Everywhere All at Once  and there are many more eyes on To Leslie than there were before.

The movie is available to stream in the UK via various digital platforms.

Andrea Riseborough poses at a New York Special Screening of Roald Dahl's Matilda: The Musical. (Bruce Glikas/WireImage)

Even those who are critical of the dynamics that led to Riseborough's nomination have very little that's negative to say about the star, who has worked extraordinarily hard during her career.

Last year alone, she appeared in five incredibly varied movies, including Amsterdam and Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical as well as the considerably more serious To Leslie.

Sometimes, Hollywood is just driven to get behind something like this  a small film with a giant heart.

Watch: Andrea Riseborough responds to Oscar nomination
ROME, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Last-ditch efforts to avoid a national strike of gasoline and diesel distributors fell short Tuesday, as nearly three-quarters of Italy's 21,000 fuel stations stopped operating at 7 p.m.

The strike, which was called to protest against new price display rules put in place amid rising fuel prices, was originally scheduled to last 60 hours.

The rules required distributors to post the full breakdown of their prices alongside a list of national price averages. The move is designed to increase transparency on prices and reduce price speculation.

But distributors said the new rules cast them as the entities responsible for the recent increase in prices when their fees amount to around 2 percent of the price charged to consumers.

On Monday, during a visit to Algeria aimed at securing new sources of fuel to replace imports from Russia, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the new rules were not aimed at shaming fuel station operators.

After negotiations with government officials last week, the strike was briefly called off and then rescheduled with a shortened duration of 48 hours.

On Tuesday, FAIB, one of the three major trade unions organizing the strike agreed to allow its members to begin operations again after just 24 hours.

But that still left millions of Italian drivers without the means to refuel their vehicles before late Thursday. 
A damaged home in Pasadena, Texas. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

At least one tornado passed through areas southeast of downtown Houston on Tuesday, causing "catastrophic" damage in some places.

In Pasadena, the storm ripped roofs off of homes, downed power lines, and destroyed the city's animal shelter, leaving two dogs injured. "We've seen plenty of damage," Mayor Jeff Wagner told reporters. "We've seen buildings that have collapsed." Pasadena Police Chief Josh Bruegger said in his 25 years in the city, "this is probably the worst damage I've seen," calling it "catastrophic." So far, one person in Pasadena has been reported injured.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that his department had high-water rescue vehicles ready to go before Tuesday's storm hit, and sheriffs are "responding to a high number of stranded motorists." It's also been reported that several commercial trucks overturned near Beltway 8, and in Deer Park, 59 people were evacuated from the San Jacinto Manor nursing home, after a structural collapse.

Tornados are "not unheard of" in the Houston area, the Houston Chronicle writes, with about seven recorded annually, but they "do not typically arrive and wreak the amount of damage" seen on Tuesday.

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Workers at a Trader Joes store in Louisville will vote this week to determine whether they become the chains third store to form a union in less than a year. Trader Joes has told employees there it welcomes a fair election, but the company doesnt sound thrilled with the prospect of another organized store.

A photo shared with HuffPost shows the Louisville locations break room door filled with what the union supporter called anti-union propaganda. One flier offered scary-sounding facts about collective bargaining, warning that unions promise whatever they need to in order to secure votes.

A union can trade away things that you might want, it noted forebodingly.

Another flier warned that workers flexibility could vanish under a collective bargaining agreement. Think of every time an exception or adjustment was made for you. Will that be allowed under a contract?

Yet another took aim at the upstart union, Trader Joes United, that has successfully organized two stores so far, one in Hadley, Massachusetts, the other in Minneapolis. The union refuses to accept other opinions, the flier charged, including that there are Crew who do not want a union.

Is this the organization that you want representing you and speaking for you? it asked.

The Louisville store's break room door.

The Louisville store's break room door.

Connor Hovey, a worker at the store active in the union campaign, said the company was to blame for any antagonism surrounding the organizing campaign. He called the content of the fliers either untrue or very grossly misrepresented.

Its just another way to try to keep crew members at our store divided and to keep having that divisive mentality, said Hovey, who has worked at the chain for four years. Its very one-sided. Most people see right through it.

Hovey said fliers that the union had put out in the break room were promptly removed.

Trader Joes didnt respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. It isnt clear who put the fliers up in the Louisville store, but they were written from the perspective of management.

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Its just another way to try to keep crew members at our store divided.Trader Joe's worker Connor Hovey

The Louisville election is an important one for the young labor campaign. Trader Joes United, which is not affiliated with an established union, won its first two votes last summer by healthy margins: 45-31 in Hadley and 55-5 in Minnesota, creating the first unionized stores in the California-based chains history.

But it lost a third vote at a store in October in Brooklyn, New York, where workers voted 94-66 against unionizing. (The company shut down its wine store in New York City shortly before workers there planned to announce their intention to join the United Food and Commercial Workers union.)

A victory in Louisville would not only add another store to the unions column but plant a flag in the South, where union density tends to be lower. Just 7.9% of workers in Kentucky are members of labor unions, compared to 10.1% for the U.S. writ large.

Trader Joe's is one of several food and retail chains that are facing new organizing campaigns in the U.S.

Trader Joe's is one of several food and retail chains that are facing new organizing campaigns in the U.S.

A union needs to gather signatures from 30% of workers at a site in order to get an election scheduled by the National Labor Relations Board, but must receive a majority of votes cast in order to win and become the workers representative. Hovey declined to say how many workers signed union cards. Roughly 100 workers at the store are eligible to unionize.

Trader Joes has been encouraging as many workers to vote as possible. Remember you can vote no union even if you signed an authorization card, one flier noted. Hovey said in recent days managers have pulled workers aside and told them not voting is the same as a yes vote.

The Trader Joes campaign is part of a wave of new organizing that has hit major food and retail employers over the past year and a half. Workers have formed the first U.S. unions at Starbucks, Amazon, Apple, REI and Chipotle, among others, and are now trying to bargain first contracts at all of those companies. The labor board recently said last fiscal year saw the largest increase in union election petitions since 2016.

Much of the organizing was spurred on in part by the stresses of the pandemic, when many workers came to feel their employers were indifferent to their safety and well-being. In the case of Trader Joes, benefit reductions have also played a role. Many workers were furious when the company reduced its discretionary 401(k) contribution for most employees by half last year.

Higher-ups have crafted this lovely image that they take care of us so well, but that isnt the case when benefits get slashed, Hovey said.

The Trader Joes campaign is part of a wave of new organizing that has hit major food and retail employers over the past year and a half.

Trader Joes United recently circulated a document entitled Trader Joes Union Busting Campaign  A Guide for the Crew, by the Crew. It rebutted a number of tactics and talking points the union said the company had deployed, including disciplining workers for wearing union buttons, pulling workers aside and encouraging them to vote against the union, and telling them a union will lead to rigid rules and schedules.

We are hearing the same false talking points at every store thats filed for an election, the workers wrote.

The document drew a direct response from Jon Basalone, Trader Joes president of stores, who sent a letter to workers at the Louisville store in early January, a copy of which was provided to HuffPost.

Basalone denied that he or other Trader Joes higher-ups were visiting particular stores expressly because of union activity (Basalone had spent time in the Hadley store before the election there).

Visiting stores and talking with Crew Members is what we do, Basalone wrote, noting that he worked in Trader Joes stores for 11 years.

He called the implication that those in the corporate offices dont care about workers in the store as humorous as it is insulting.

Hovey said the Louisville store has not received a visit from Basalone since going public with their union campaign, though a regional manager for the company has dropped by at least twice.

Related...
By Curtis Williams

PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - Trinidad and Tobago would pay Venezuela for natural gas produced at an offshore development with humanitarian supplies like food and medicine, Prime Minister Keith Rowley said, to comply with a U.S. license prohibiting cash payments to the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday issued a license allowing Trinidad to co-develop the Dragon gas field, which holds 4.2 trillion cubic feet of reserves on the Venezuelan side of the maritime border with Trinidad. The project would have Trinidad import the gas and turn it into exportable liquefied natural gas (LNG).

"We have done that before. So we buy the gas and we pay for it in a variety of ways," Rowley told journalists late on Tuesday. Trinidad previously supplied Venezuela with about $50 million in humanitarian goods, he said.

Venezuela has resorted to swaps to make its economy work amid stiff U.S. sanctions prohibiting financial transactions or the use of dollars to pay Venezuela or the country's state companies.

Maduro has been pressing Washington and other governments to free over $3 billion frozen in foreign bank accounts - money which could be used to import food, medicine and other goods.

The United Nations has been called to administrate a fund that would be financed with those resources, but there has been no agreement between Maduro, the United States and the country's political opposition on how to implement it. The opposition controls most of the country's foreign assets.

NEW OPERATOR

Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA owns and operated the Dragon gas project when it was last active about a decade ago. A new operator would have to be appointed to bring new investment, said Latin American energy expert Francisco Monaldi.

"From the perspective of opportunities, PDVSA does not have better options at this time to sell that gas under sanctions," even if it means relinquishing operations, he said.

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Shell, which operates the neighboring Hibiscus field in Trinidad, ideally could become the operator, said Trinidad's Rowley.

Trinidad and Venezuela would have to decide on how to compensate PDVSA for past exploration and infrastructure, said Monaldi, a director at the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

PDVSA did not reply to a request for comment. Shell declined to comment.

(Reporting by Curtis Williams, writing by Marianna Parraga, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Donald Trump issued a potentially revealing statement on Truth Social as news broke Tuesday that authorities in Fulton County, Georgia, are nearing a decision on charges for multiple members of his inner circle  including potentially Mr Trump himself.

The ex-president, out of nowhere, brought up his now-infamous 2 January 2021 call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he instructed the state elections chief to find more than 11,000 votes he would have needed to surpass Joe Bidens total in the state.

My phone call to the Secretary of State of Georgia, and a second call which the Marxists, Communists, Racists, and RINOS dont even want to talk about, were PERFECT calls. Many people, including lawyers for both sides, were knowingly on the line. I was protesting a RIGGED & STOLEN Election, which evidence proves it was, claimed the former president.

He went on to reassert a number of completely false claims about his vote total in Georgia: I won Georgia by a lot, but only needed a small number of votes from that total number. They cheated in many ways including STUFFING Ballots, ALL CAUGHT LIVE ON TAPE.

And then he questioned why Mr Raffensperger or others on the call declined to say at the time that his instruction to the elections chief had been inappropriate.

[H]ow come not one person said, while on the call, that I acted inappropriately, or made a statement of protest at what I said, & then slammed down the phone[?] asked the ex-president. Not one, even with so many opposing people, lawyers, and others on the line. NO ADMONISHMENT at all.

It appears to be a weak defence for his actions that coincidentally (or maybe not) comes just as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says that her offices decision regarding criminal charges stemming from that phone call and other efforts by the Trump campaign to overturn the election results in the state is imminent.

She added in a statement picked up by news agencies that multiple defendants could be charged in the investigation. Numerous members of Mr Trumps former legal team, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, were known to be potential targets of the probe.

The House of Representativess select committee investigating January 6 previously recommended that the former president be indicted on several criminal charges stemming from the attack on Congress, but the Justice Departments investigation has not yet led to any charges against Mr Trump or his inner circle.
Donald Trump speaking at the NRA convention in Houston, TX, on May 27, 2022. New York Attorney General Letitia James, right, speaks in Washington, DC on Nov. 12, 2019. Left, Brandon Bell/Getty Images. Right, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump on Tuesday withdrew his last appeal of New York's three-year probe of the Trump Organization.

The withdrawal clears the way for an October trial in Attorney General Letitia James' $250 million fraud lawsuit.

Trump had claimed James' probe of his real-estate business was fueled by political "animus."

Donald Trump is set to face trial in October after he dropped his last legal challenge to New York Attorney General Letitia James' $250 million fraud suit against his real-estate business.

The decision to drop that final challenge  a federal appeal he'd filed with the Second Circuit in Manhattan  was made Tuesday for "strategic" reasons, a lawyer for Trump said.

"This appeal was voluntarily withdrawn for strategic purposes," said the lawyer, Alina Habba.

Trump's federal appeal had sought to revive a December 2021 federal lawsuit that he'd hoped would end what he described as James' politically biased attack on the Trump Organization.

A federal judge in Albany, US District Judge Brenda Sannes, had tossed that suit in May after lawyers for the attorney general's office argued that evidence of fraud at Trump's business was overwhelming.

Tuesday's move is the latest legal retreat for Trump, who has fought for nearly three years to stop James' efforts against the Trump Organization through a series of lawsuits and appeals filed in civil and federal courts in New York and Florida.

All of Trump's attempts to stop James have now been rejected by judges or abandoned by Trump himself.

The appeal Trump dropped on Tuesday was the only action remaining that could have delayed or halted James' four-month-old lawsuit alleging Trump falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars over 10 years.

On Friday, Trump dropped another November lawsuit against James that was filed in Florida and sought to dismiss her suit.

Trump gave no reason for that withdrawal. But it came one day after the same Florida judge fined Trump $1 million over his "frivolous" lawsuit alleging that Hillary Clinton and some 30 other Democrats had conspired against him.

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The lawsuits Trump filed against Clinton and James "had all the telltale signs of being both vexatious and frivolous," US District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks warned Trump on Thursday.

"I am pleased that Donald Trump has withdrawn both of his pending actions against my office," James said Tuesday.

"As we have shown all along, we have a legitimate legal case against him and his organization, and we cannot be bullied or dissuaded from pursuing it."

A decade of lying about his worth saved Trump hundreds of millions of dollars in his dealings with lenders, insurance firms, and tax authorities, James alleges in her lawsuit, which names Trump, his business, and his three eldest children as defendants.

The Manhattan DA had separately tried the Trump Organization criminally, and a Manhattan jury found the company guilty of a payroll tax-fraud scheme in December.

James' office is seeking steep financial penalties and to permanently ban Trump and his three oldest children from doing business in New York, where the Trump Organization is headquartered and where the bulk of its assets are kept.

Trump has a Thursday deadline to file an answer to James' lawsuit. Trump's appeal of a $110,000 contempt fine set by the judge presiding over the lawsuit in May is still pending but would not delay an October trial.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Former President Donald Trump hosted the conservative influencers behind Libs of TikTok and The Babylon Bee at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as part of a new charm offensive as he runs again for president, according to a source with knowledge of the strategy.

In addition to the creator of the controversial Twitter account Libs of TikTok, Trump also hosted Seth Dillon, who owns The Babylon Bee, a conservative political satire website, the source said. Dillon could not immediately be reached for comment.

It was one of the first of many wine-and-dine events that Trump has planned with social media influencers, the source said.

Trump, who last year announced he is running again for president, has been slow to start holding public rallies or events for his re-election campaign. On Saturday, he will head to New Hampshire and South Carolina for events.

The creator of Libs of TikTok, which has gained widespread popularity among far-right figures, on Tuesday tweeted a photo with Trump, who she says invited her to dinner.

Bumped into this guy and he invited me for dinner. He seems nice! Chaya Raichik, owner of the Libs of TikTok account, wrote in a tweet including a photo of her and Trump giving a thumbs-up seated at a dining table.

Raichik is considered influential in the political circle of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seen as a potential primary opponent of Trump.

Bumped into this guy and he invited me for dinner. He seems nice! pic.twitter.com/IgP0WdIpuY  Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) January 25, 2023

In a separate tweet, Raichik said she asked Trump if his first tweet back can be retweeting this, with a crying laughing emoji. Trump has been absent from Twitter following his suspension after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Twitter owner Elon Musk reinstated Trumps account in November, but Trump has yet to post anything. He has, however, sought input for weeks about hopping back on Twitter, and his campaign advisers have workshopped ideas for his first tweet, NBC News reported.

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It is unclear why Trump met with Raichik. NBC News asked Trump for comment.

The Washington Post identified Raichik as the creator of Libs of TikTok last year. It has more than 1 million followers on Twitter and more than 300,000 on Instagram.

Raichik started Libs of TikTok months after the Trumps suspension from Twitter, the Post reported. Posts to the account, which largely consists of mocking TikTok videos and social media posts from people who identify as part of the LGBTQ community, have been widely shared by right-wing media figures, politicians and influencers amid a recent surge in anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country.

In now-deleted tweets under a former Twitter handle, Raichik reportedly stated her support for Trump, according to the Post. Raichik talked about traveling to Washington, D.C., to support Trump at the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6 amid his refusal to concede his loss in the 2020 presidential election. Raichik also reportedly tweeted videos and her account of events as the Capitol attack unfolded.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Amid declining ad revenue and advertiser exits, Twitter announced today that it has teamed up with adtech companies DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science (IAS) to tell advertisers if their ad is placed around inappropriate content. The program, available first for U.S.-based advertising campaigns, allows brands to analyze the content adjacent to  primarily tweets above and below the ad  all types of ads, including promoted tweets.

Now, Twitter says brands running their ad campaigns will have insights into what kind of tweets are appearing around their ads and the reason behind that. Companies can also use Twitter's adjacency control tools to fine-tune their campaign to filter out keywords.

DoubleVerify and IAS said that their tweet scanning solutions will cover Twitter's Home timeline first and then expand to profile and search placements.

In addition to addressing brand safety concerns, the new system aims to provide suitability scores to help brands figure out if their ads are shown alongside tweets that might not go well with the brand's image. For instance, an electronic brand may not want its ad to appear alongside a tweet talking about e-waste.

In a call with TechCrunch, Nayef Hijazi, VP of product marketing at DoubleVerify, said that the company is able to look at the tweets before and after the ad and classify them according to the company's own safety and suitability settings. This provides them insight into how their ads are appearing on Twitter.

The company said that Twitter will promote this partnership in its own way to let advertisers know of this service. But it is not clear how the social media platform will package this up.

"Twitter is committed to promoting a safe advertising experience for people and brands, and this commitment has never been stronger," AJ Brown, Twitter's head of Brand Safety, said in a statement. "Validation of the context in which ads serve according to Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) industry standards is incredibly important to us and our customers.

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Both DoubleVerify and IAS will have access to real-time data from Twitter to measure ad performance, we understand. This follows Twitter's recent crackdown on third-party apps, signaling that Twitter is concentrating on developer initiatives that could bring in revenue -- and arguably, much-needed revenue at that. Twitter's various monetization plans around subscriptions or payments are ideas that may only pan out in the long term, if at all. In the near term, however, Musk is facing the first interest payment on the debt he took on to buy Twitter. The only real solution to Twitter's financial crisis is getting advertisers to come back.

Twitter first teased this advertising initiative in a December blog post, published shortly after Elon Musk's takeover of the social network in late October. The post also detailed the launch of adjacency control tools to help brands present their ads from appearing around content with certain keywords.

The announcement had arrived at a time when the Tesla and SpaceX exec had already made a number of missteps that worried advertisers enough to see many pause spending on the network. Specifically, brands were concerned about changes to moderation policies and layoffs impacting trust and safety teams, which could lead to their ads being shown alongside toxic content. Over 40 civil rights groups also wrote an open letter pressuring advertisers to pause spending, and many brands seemed to agree a reassessment was in order as Twitter worked through its transition in leadership.

The social network also lost its trusted top ad exec Sarah Personette in November. Reports at that time noted that companies like General Mills, Audi, and Pfizer had already paused spending on Twitter, and soon others followed. Data from analytics firm Pathmatics provided to TechCrunch noted that several companies, including Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Coca-Cola, and Best Buy, didn't spend any ad money on the platform in December.

Musk, however, downplayed the concerns, blaming "activist groups" for the drop in social media companies' decline in ad revenue.

Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue, due to activist groups pressuring advertisers, even though nothing has changed with content moderation and we did everything we could to appease the activists. Extremely messed up! Theyre trying to destroy free speech in America.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2022

But his posturing was not representative of reality. Days later, Musk hosted a Twitter Spaces conversation to reassure advertisers that the company is committed to stopping fake accounts and reducing hateful content. The conversation stemmed from the fact that some users were able to take advantage of the ill-thought-out Twitter Blue subscription, which offered anyone a verification mark that some used to then impersonate brands.

According to Pathmatics, Twitter spending of the top 30 advertisers dropped 29% year-on-year in 2022. The data suggested the top 30 brands spent $11.3 million in the first week of September on Twitter. That spending came down to $6.5 million the last week of the year. Pathmatics' estimates don't include any data about incentives offered by Twitter.

Last month, Twitter tried to lure advertisers back with multiple incentives, including added impressions and matched spending, according to a report from the Financial Times. The company also launched a keyword search module under beta today to allow marketers to show ads when people search for specific terms.

Today we are rolling out Search Keywords Ads to all advertisers as a beta test   Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) January 25, 2023

Musk has tried to boost the company's money-making ability by pushing the Twitter Blue paid plan on multiple platforms along with a discounted annual plan. He has also proposed a costlier plan to get rid of ads.

Earlier this month, The Information reported that Twitter's fourth-quarter revenue fell by 35% year on year according to internal documents seen by the publication.

While Twitter's latest partnership with DoubleVerify and IAS focuses on increasing insights into brand safety, its latest moves have not always been reflective of that agenda. The company today reinstated the account of white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who had praised Hitler in the past. Twitter had to ban him hours later following the outrage. The social media company is facing a lawsuit in Germany for failing to filter antisemitic speech.
Consequences of Russian shelling in Beryslav, January 25, 2023

The Russians reportedly intentionally attacked a site where civilians gather  a grocery store. Two people died in the shelling, and three more were hospitalized with injuries of varying severity.

Read also: Russians shell nine communities of Sumy Oblast in 24 hours, causing death and injuries

The invaders shelled Kherson Oblast 52 times, and the city of Kherson 12 times on Jan. 24. One person was killed, and six were injured. In the city of Kherson, the enemy hit a maternity hospital, a school, a polyclinic, a seaport and residential buildings.

Earlier, the Ukrainian militarys South Operational Command spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk said that the invaders were suffering significant losses in the south of Ukraine, and they were having to bring in fresh forces.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency have been committed to the preservation, conservation and management of wildlife, habitats, fisheries and waterways since we were founded in 1949. Upholding that mission has resulted in the successful restoration of native Tennessee species like the lake sturgeon, brook trout and musky. Plus, we have seen the creation of nationally significant fisheries like the largemouth bass fishery at Chickamauga and the smallmouth bass fishery at Dale Hollow. In fact, Tennessee fisheries have brought home world-record catches for smallmouth bass, walleye and black crappie.

We take our job of managing fisheries seriously, and for the past decade we have been intensively working on the prevention and control of invasive silver carp. Because carp are a multi-state challenge, we work closely with national experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey and other state agencies to develop and implement extensive strategies. Simply put, TWRA does not act alone in the decision-making process for invasive carp.

A worker from a natural resources agency uses a net to drive invasive carp to a fish pump that removes them from Kentucky Lake near Golden Pond, Kentucky, on Feb. 17, 2020. The harvesting method mainly targets bighead and silver carp, two of four invasive carp species in the U.S.

Our current policy is based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Management and Control Plan for Bighead, Black, Grass, and Silver Carps in the United States. The plan was developed by the Invasive Carp Working Group of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force and is built around seven core goals that are put into practice through 48 step-down strategies and 131 recommendations to manage and control invasive carp. All funding for management actions is authorized through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with oversight from the Invasive Carp Advisory Commission.

TWRA doesn't own or operate locks and dams

The question of where to place invasive-carp deterrents captures much of the conversation. These experimental deterrents would be placed at locks and dams, which TWRA does not own or operate, making it critical for these decisions to be made with multi-agency cooperation. These deterrents are also incredibly expensive, with multi-million-dollar price tags. In 2020, federal lawmakers amended the Water Resources Development Act, authorizing $25 million to complete up to 10 pilot projects in multiple states. However, the funding has not been appropriated yet. Because of this, available funding is limited and must be used in the most effective and targeted method possible.

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Previous guest column:Invasive silver carp will destroy our lakes unless TWRA takes the right steps | Opinion

Hear more Tennessee voices:Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought-provoking columns.

TWRA has faced criticism from the Watts Bar Ecology and Fishery Council for sticking to a plan developed by our partners in the Tennessee-Cumberland River Basin. Understandably, Watts Bar residents would like to see the first deterrent placed at Watts Bar Dam to protect their local body of water. It is true that placing a deterrent there, as well as additional deterrents downstream, would eventually provide additional protection for Watts Bar from invasive carp. However, it would do so at the immediate expense of every downstream reservoir, specifically Wilson, Wheeler, Guntersville, Nickajack and Chickamauga reservoirs.

Angie Box

As a regulatory body, we have to ask ourselves how people in the area of those reservoirs would feel if we abandoned the protection of their waterways to show preference to one body of water further upstream. The plan supported by the TWRA and national partners would place the first deterrent above Wilson Lock, which is at the leading edge of carp populations, and at Kentucky Lock above the primary source of carp in the Ohio River.

The TFWC and the TWRA are always listening to our stakeholders and appreciate passionate advocates who want to be involved in the conversation. Opinions expressed by the Watts Bar Ecology and Fisheries Council about deterrents have been extensively heard and documented over the course of multiple years by TWRA leadership but have failed to sway the direction of the state and federal experts we work with throughout the Tennessee, Cumberland and Mississippi River Basins who collectively make the management plans for invasive carp.

Additional measures TWRA is taking

Experimental deterrents can use a combination of lights, sound and air to turn carp around and prevent their movement upstream. However, they are not ready to be widely implemented and have not proven to be 100% effective. Thats why we are pursuing additional measures to tackle the challenge in ways we can. In 2018, the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a $500,000 budget request to create the Tennessee Carp Harvest Incentive Program to support the commercial harvest of invasive carp in Kentucky, Barkley, Cheatham and Old Hickory lakes.

That investment, plus additional state and federal dollars, have resulted in more than 21 million pounds of carp being removed through our program since 2018. We even hold annual carp fish fries to promote commercial demand for the harvested product. Our biologists also collect and tag adult carp to study their movement patterns and annually collect larval-stage fish to monitor for carp-spawning success. Since we started this tracking in 2016, we have found no evidence of successful carp spawning in the Tennessee or Cumberland River systems.

At this time, TWRA plans to continue doing our part to remove as many invasive carp from Tennessee waters as possible, and when funding becomes available, we will continue to support the plan we have agreed to with our partners to prevent the further spread of the species.

Angie Box serves as the chair of the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission. She resides in West Tennessee, where invasive carp populations currently exist.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Opinion: TWRA working to protect Tenn. lakes from invasive silver carp
By Charlotte Greenfield and Michelle Nichols

KABUL/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations is pushing the Taliban administration in Afghanistan for more exemptions to its ban on most female aid workers, top U.N. officials said on Wednesday, while also expressing concern that foreign women working for international organizations and embassies could next be targeted.

Speaking to Reuters during a visit to Kabul, U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths said that his message during meetings with Taliban officials had been: "If you can't help us rescind the ban, give us the exemptions to allow women to operate."

Last month, the Taliban authorities - who seized power in August 2021 - banned most female aid workers and stopped women from attending university after stopping girls from attending high school in March. Griffiths traveled to Afghanistan after a visit last week by U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.

Griffiths said some exemptions to the female aid worker ban had been granted in health and education and that there were indications there could be a possible exemption in agriculture. But he said much more was needed, with nutrition and water and sanitation services a priority to prevent severe illnesses and malnutrition during a severe humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

"We have not seen the history of the Taliban reversing any edict. What we have seen is exemptions that, hopefully, if we keep pushing them, they will water down those edicts to a point where we will get women and girls back into school and into the workplace," Mohammed told reporters in New York on Wednesday.

ANOTHER BAN?

Griffiths told Reuters that, following his recent discussions with the Taliban authorities, he was hopeful they would create a set of written guidelines to allow aid groups to operate with female staff in more areas with certainty in coming weeks.

"The next few weeks are absolutely crucial to see if the humanitarian community ... can stay and deliver," he said, while cautioning: "I don't want to speculate as to whether we're going to come out of this in the right place."

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The Taliban administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its plans over guidelines.

During her visit last week, Mohammed met with the Shura - the leadership council that issues the bans - in the southern Taliban heartland of Kandahar. She said there is a concern that they may next prohibit "international women from international organizations and embassies."

"It hasn't happened so far," said Mohammed, adding that they had been expecting a possible announcement all month. "I don't say that it won't, but clearly the pressure that we're putting on has stopped that rollback as quickly."

Griffiths said the United Nations would continue operating in Afghanistan wherever it could, but there was a concern that international donors might not want to commit to the huge financial cost of aid at around $4.6 billion a year.

"I lose sleep about this, I really do," Griffiths said, adding that he would meet with donors in coming weeks to make the case for why Afghanistan needed help during an intense humanitarian crisis in which 28 million people were in need of aid, including 6 million on the brink of famine.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)
US soldiers train with M777 howitzers at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, June 3, 2021 US Army/Spc. Jessica Scott

The US is aiming to increase production of a key artillery shell used by Ukraine.

The hope is to manufacture 90,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition by 2025.

The US currently makes just over 14,000 rounds per month.

The United States is planning to dramatically ramp up production of a key artillery round that Ukraine has used to beat back Russia's full-scale invasion of the country, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Under the latest proposal, the US aims to within two years produce up to 90,000 rounds 155mm of ammunition every month, The Times reported, citing a US Army report.

That's more than double the goal detailed just last month by Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, who told reporters the goal was to manufacture "20,000 rounds a month" by this spring and 40,000 by 2025.

The increase comes after some US officials have expressed concern that US aid to Ukraine has depleted the country's stockpile of the ammunition. Last summer, one defense official told The Wall Street Journal that the country's supply of 155mm rounds was "uncomfortably low" and "not at the level we would like to go into combat."

As of January 18, the US had already committed to providing Ukraine with at least 160 M777 Howitzers and just under 1.1 million of the 155mm artillery rounds they use. But it is burning through them fast.

Currently, the US produces just over 14,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition every month. As The Washington Post reported last month, Ukrainian forces have previously fired that many rounds in the span of 48 hours.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
KYIV (Reuters) - Five top regional prosecutors were dismissed from their jobs on Wednesday, a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy launched Ukraine's largest political shakeup of the war.

The officials, who were the most senior prosecutors in their respective regions, were dismissed "voluntarily" by Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, his office said in a brief statement.

"Andriy Kostin signed orders on voluntary dismissal from administrative positions of the heads of the Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Sumy and Chernihiv regional prosecutors' offices," it said on its website.

Over a dozen senior officials, including one of the prosecutor general's deputies, were removed from their posts on Tuesday in what analysts said was a reaction to recent corruption and abuse of office scandals.

(Reporting by Max Hunder; editing by Tom Balmforth)
According to intelligence, Russia is preparing for a new offensive

We will have at least two weeks; our reconnaissance works very well, consistently, said Deineko

Read also: Belarus unlikely to invade Ukraine, believes Ukrainian military intelligence

No enemy plans can remain concealed from our intelligence officers.

He added the enemy hasnt created a single offensive task force on the territory of Belarus so far, so there is no imminent threat to Ukraine from the northern direction.

The official also added that there are 6,000-10,000 Russian soldiers in Belarus, who are participating in joint military exercises.

Read also: Zelenskyy meets former UK PM Johnson in Kyiv

In an interview with The Economist in December 2022, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said that Russia may launch a new major offensive in February 2023. The operation could be another Russian invasion from across the Ukraine-Belarus border.

On Jan. 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was now building up forces for a new large-scale offensive.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian forces have conducted an organized retreat from a town in the eastern region of the Donbas, an official said Wednesday, in what is a rare but modest battlefield triumph for the Kremlin after a series of setbacks in its invasion that began almost 11 months ago.

The Ukrainian army retreated from the salt-mining town of Soledar to preserve the lives of the personnel, Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for Ukraines forces in the east, told The Associated Press.

The soldiers pulled back to previously prepared defensive positions, he said.

Moscow has portrayed the battle for Soledar, which lies near the city of Bakhmut, as key to capturing the entire Donbas.

The accomplishment takes the Russian forces a step closer to Bakhmut, but military analysts say capturing Soledar is more symbolic than strategic.

Ukraines military, which has held out in Soledar against a monthslong onslaught of superior Russian forces, has said its fierce defense of the eastern stronghold helped tie up Russian forces.

Russia claimed almost two weeks ago that it had taken Soledar, but Ukraine denied it.

Many of Russia's troops around Soledar belong to the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group, and the fighting reportedly has been bloody.

Since its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has prioritized taking full control of the Donbas  a region made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, where it has backed a separatist insurgency since 2014. Russia has seized most of Luhansk, but about half of Donetsk remains under Ukraines control.

Taking control of the town would potentially allow Russian forces to cut supply lines to Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, though the strength of Ukraines new defensive positions was not known.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington, said earlier this month that the fall of Soledar wouldnt mark an operationally significant development and is unlikely to presage an imminent Russian encirclement of Bakhmut.

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The institute said Russian information operations have overexaggerated the importance of Soledar, which is a small settlement. It also argued that the long and difficult battle has contributed to the exhaustion of Russian forces.

Perhaps more worrying for Moscow, Western military help for Ukraine is now being stepped up with the delivery of tanks.

Elsewhere, Russian forces have continued to pummel Ukrainian areas, especially in the south and east.

Russian strikes wounded 10 civilians in the eastern Donetsk province on Tuesday, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the provincial governor, said.

Five were wounded when Russian shells slammed into apartment blocks, he said.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Wednesday that over the previous 24 hours Russian forces had launched four missile strikes, 26 airstrikes and more than 100 attacks from rocket salvo systems.

Russian forces are concentrating their efforts on establishing control over Donetsk province, conducting offensive operations around the embattled cities of Bakhmut, Lyman and Avdiivka, and the village of Novopavlivka, according to spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun.

In addition to Donetsk, the Russian attacks struck settlements in the countrys northeastern Kharkiv and Sumy, northern Chernihiv, easternmost Luhansk, southeastern Zaporizhzhia, and southern Kherson provinces.

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukraine president who has gone from professional comedian to an internationally recognized wartime leader, turned 45 Wednesday.

His wife, first lady Olena Zelenska, said that though he is the same person as when they met at 17, Something has changed: You smile much less now.

I wish you to have more reasons for smiling. And you know what it takes. We all do, she wrote in a tweet.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Ukraines foreign minister on Wednesday called on the countrys Western allies to send as many tanks as possible, following Germanys announcement that it would allow Leopard 2 battle tanks to be sent to Kyiv.

So the tank coalition is formed. Everyone who doubted this could ever happen sees now: for Ukraine and partners impossible is nothing, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet on Wednesday. I call on all new partners that have Leopard 2 tanks in service to join the coalition and provide as many of them as possible. They are free now.

Ukraine has long sought heavy combat vehicles in its nearly yearlong war with Russia, and Germany, as the maker of the Leopard tanks, has faced increasing pressure from Western allies to approve their requests to send the tanks to Kyiv.

Berlin announced on Wednesday that it would send 14 Leopard tanks to Kyiv and approve requests from other countries, like Poland, to also supply Ukraine with tanks.

German main battle tanks, further broadening of defense support & training missions, green light for partners to supply similar weapons. Just heard about these important & timely decisions in a call with @OlafScholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on Wednesday. Sincerely grateful to the Chancellor and all our friends in [Germany].

The move comes as President Biden is reportedly also poised to make a U-turn on the tank issue, with the potential transfer of M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Kyiv.

Zelensky warned again on Tuesday that Russia is preparing for a new wave of aggression and urged the international community to increase its support for Ukraine.

But it is important to see the reality: it is not about five, or ten, or fifteen tanks. The need is greater. Every day we are doing everything necessary to fill the deficit. And I am grateful to everyone who supports us in this, he said in his nightly address to the Ukrainian people. However, discussions need to end with decisions.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) -- The US joined Germany in promising to supply Ukraine with battle tanks, providing Kyivs forces with a significant upgrade against their Russian invaders.

Most Read from Bloomberg

President Joe Biden said the US will send 31 of its M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, without giving details of the timing. Germany has promised more than 100 Leopard 2 tanks, with the first consignment possibly arriving within three months. Ukraine said it hopes that deliveries of planes and long-range missiles will follow.

The Kremlin warned that tanks supplied by allies to Ukraine would be destroyed on the battlefield.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Key Developments

What Tanks Ukraine Will Get and Why It Wants Them: QuickTake

Biden Says US Will Send Tanks to Ukraine in Broad Allied Effort

Germany to Boost Ukraine Firepower With Leopard Battle Tanks

Abrams-Tank Maker General Dynamics Gets Boost on War in Ukraine

Ukraine Seeks Weapons to Beat Back Russia: Heres What Its Got

Former Japan PM Mori Criticizes Ukraine Support, Kyodo Says

Treasury Warns of Russia Elites Evading Sanctions in Real Estate

On the Ground

The Russian army launched 21 air and five missile strikes across the front line, as well as 27 attacks from multiple-launch rocket salvo systems, according to a statement by the Ukrainian General Staff. Dozens of civilian settlements in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions were shelled. Clashes in Donbas intensified, but the superiority of Russians in the number of fighters and weapons faces Ukrainian superiority is in the professionalism of the military command and the courage of the soldiers, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said on Telegram.

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(All times CET)

Former Japanese Leader Assails Support for Ukraine (12:40 a.m.)

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori criticized the governments supportive stance on Ukraine, Kyodo News reported, even as the current premier, Fumio Kishida, considers a visit to Kyiv.

Mori, a veteran ruling party member known for his strong ties to Russia, expressed doubt about the degree to which Japan is throwing its weight behind Ukraine, adding Russia could not lose the war, the agency said. He was speaking at a reception in Tokyo on Wednesday evening, also attended by Kishida.

Japans government has sanctioned Russia and provided various forms of aid for Ukraine, which have been backed by the public. Kishida told parliament Wednesday that he would consider an invitation to visit Kyiv extended by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Zelenskiy Says Planes, Missiles Must Follow Tanks (9:30 p.m.)

In his nightly video address to the nation, Zelenskiy thanked Germany and US for their promises to deliver tanks to Ukraine, and expressed the hope that supplies of other kinds of advanced weaponry will follow.

We have to unlock the supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine, he said. It is important for us to expand our cooperation in artillery, we have to achieve the supply of aircraft to Ukraine.

Biden Says Tank Pledges Show NATO Unity (7:45 p.m.)

Biden said the delivery of US tanks will help Ukraine achieve its strategic objectives. The president, who earlier spoke with European leaders, said Ukraines allies are maintaining their common front.

The expectation on the part of Russia is were going to break up, were not going to stay united, Biden said. But we are fully, thoroughly, totally united.

US Warns Banks to Look Out for Sanctions Dodge (6:40 p.m.)

The US Treasury warned financial institutions to be on the lookout for Russians seeking to evade sanctions by investing in US commercial real estate.

The Treasury said sanctioned Russians could take advantage of the industrys complex financing methods and opaque ownership structures to continue investing in the US. It warned banks to keep an eye out for the use of offshore vehicles to purchase commercial real estate.

Ukraine Confirms It Pulled Out of Soledar (12:50 p.m.)

Ukrainian troops have pulled out of Soledar in order to spare lives of servicemen, Suspilne.media news website reported, citing military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi.

A week ago, the UKs Ministry of Defence intelligence update already suggested the Ukrainians had completed the pullback from Soledar as of Jan. 16, but this was the first confirmation coming from Kyiv.

Germany to Send Leopard 2 Tanks (11:49 a.m.)

The aim is for Germany and its partners to supply two battalions totaling 112 Leopards and the government in Berlin will give allies authorization to supply their tanks, according to a statement. The package includes training in Germany for Ukrainian troops, logistics, ammunition and maintenance.

This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. We are acting in a way that is closely agreed and coordinated internationally.

Ukraine Sanctions Businessman, Top Russian Clergy (11:41 a.m.)

Zelenskiy signed a decree on personal five-year sanctions against businessman Vadim Novinskiy and senior clergymen with the Russian-subordinated part of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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By Tom Balmforth

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine will now push for Western fourth generation fighter jets such as the U.S. F-16 after securing supplies of main battle tanks, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister said.

Ukraine won a huge boost for its troops on Wednesday as Germany and the United States announced plans to provide heavy tanks for Kyiv, ending weeks of diplomatic deadlock on the issue.

"The next big hurdle will now be the fighter jets," Yuriy Sak, who advises Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, told Reuters by phone.

Ukraine's Air Force has a fleet of ageing Soviet-era fighter jets that came off the assembly line before Kyiv even declared independence more than 31 years ago. The warplanes are used for intercept missions and to attack Russian positions.

"If we get them (Western fighter jets), the advantages on the battlefield will be just immense... It's not just F-16s (U.S. multirole fighter jets): fourth generation aircraft, this is what we want."

Western military support has been vital for Kyiv and has rapidly evolved during the war. Before the invasion, even the idea of supplying lethal aid to Ukraine was highly controversial but Western supplies have since shattered taboo after taboo.

"They didn't want to give us heavy artillery, then they did. They didn't want to give us Himars systems, then they did. They didn't want to give us tanks, now they're giving us tanks. Apart from nuclear weapons, there is nothing left that we will not get," Sak said.

Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia last February, has also said it wants to receive long-range missiles from the West.

Moscow reacted furiously on Wednesday after Germany approved the delivery to Ukraine of Leopard 2 tanks, the workhorse of armies across Europe, in a decision that is certain to gird Ukraine's offensive power.

Justin Bronk, a researcher at the RUSI think tank in London, said Ukraine's Air Force would benefit greatly from Western fighters in terms of air-to-air and potentially air-to-ground lethality.

Story continues

But he said on Twitter they would still be at high risk from Russian surface to air missiles, forcing them to fly very low near the front line, something that "would dramatically reduce effective missile range and limit strike options".

Deputy White House national security adviser Jon Finer told MSNBC on Thursday that the United States would be discussing the idea of supplying fighter jets "very carefully" with Kyiv and its allies.

"We have not ruled in or out any specific systems. We have tried to tailor our assistance to the phase of the fight the Ukrainians are in," Finer said.

Sak said he expected the United States could play a key role in getting a decision to supply fighter jets over the line.

Despite any lack of significant palpable movement on the matter, Ukraine's Air Force has yearned for better aircraft throughout the war.

A Ukrainian pilot codenamed Juice told Reuters last month that many of his peers in the Air Force were taking English lessons in their free time in anticipation that Kyiv would one day receive foreign aircraft such as the F-16 fighter.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth; additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington; Editing by William Maclean)
DTEK announced the start of importing electricity from Europe

"In January, DTEK started importing electricity from Europe to improve the situation in the Ukrainian energy system," the statement reads.

This allows us to reduce the deficit and support the population and economy of Ukraine.

Read also: Power consumption goes up slightly to cold weather, daily limits increase, reports Ukrenergo

The company said the current electricity transmission capacity "allows us to import about 500 million kWh of electricity per month, which is equal to the monthly consumption of 2 million households."

Earlier, the head of NPC Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, noted that a special financing mechanism was needed to ensure electricity imports could be made.

Read also: Electricity deficit still 25%, despite generation growth, Ukrenergo says

The technical possibility of importing electricity from Europe has existed since the synchronization of the European and Ukrainian power systems in March 2022.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian television and radio host Vladimir Solovyov (r), pictured with Vladimir Putin, hit out at Germany's decision to send tanks to Ukraine. (AP)

One of Vladimir's Putin's most visible propagandists has launched a rant against Germany's decision to send tanks to Ukraine.

Kyiv has been urging Western nations to send tanks to Ukraine for months, in order to give its forces more firepower and mobility it hopes will be able to break through enemy defensive lines and recapture territory occupied by Russia.

Germany has previously resisted the calls but chancellor Olaf Scholz has now confirmed Berlin will send 14 Leopard tanks while also approving the export of Leopards by third countries such as Poland.

Reacting to the news, Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian television journalist and apologist of the Kremlin leadership who has been dubbed "Putin's voice", described German leaders as "Nazi scumbags".

Solovyov reacts to media reports that Olaf Scholz has decided to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine



He urges Russia to carry out strikes on Germany so that Germans "know which new Nazi leaders they've raised and brought to power"



"You European Pharisees, you Nazi scumbags!" pic.twitter.com/FmSBTAkyY1  Francis Scarr (@francis_scarr) January 24, 2023

During his show, Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, the propagandist ranted: "I think it's time to send a clear, resolute message that we consider Germany a party to the conflict and that German tanks appearing in Ukraine will definitely lead us to considering Germany territory, military bases and other sites to be legitimate targets.

"Nato wants to fight in this cunning way, pretending that it's not fighting. In your dreams."

The comments were shared on Twitter by journalist Francis Scarr.

Solovyov, who has previously called on the death penalty for soldiers, described German defence minister Boris Pistorius as a "cretin who led Germany to ending up as a zone of direct destruction", and also aimed his fire at Scholz.

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Watch: British men killed in Ukraine hailed as 'inspiring'

He went on: "We're the aggressor? For eight years you b****rds have nurtured the Nazi Ukrainian regime. For eight years you've been killing the people of Donbas...

"But what are you posing as now? You European Pharisees, you Nazi scumbags."

Solovyov urged Russia to carry out strikes on Germany so that Germans "know which new Nazi leaders they've raised and brought to power".

German chancellor Olaf Scholz is reportedly planning to allow German tank to Ukraine. (Getty)

Scholz had previously held back on the call to send tanks to Ukraine over fears it could cause Moscow to escalate the conflict further.

The company of German-made Leopards  that usually comprise of 14 tanks  will be sent in conjunction with other countries in possession of the units.

Berlin is also giving its permission for export licences for countries such as Finland, Sweden and Poland to send the tanks to Ukraine.

The decision would mark the first time that German tanks will be used on the battlefield in Europe since the Second World War.

A company of German-made Leopards is usually comprised of 14 tanks. (Getty)

Solovyov's rant about the decision will come as no surprise to many, as the US government has previously identified him as a key Putin propagandist.

He uses his television platform to "spread Russian government propaganda and disinformation", according to US government reports.

They note he has made several false claims, including that Ukrainians are killing their own civilians to frame Russia and blaming the poisonings of Sergei Skripal and Aleksey Navalny on the West in an attempt to frame Moscow.

Solovyovs channels are blocked by YouTube because he violated the sites policy on the promotion of violence.
A special forces unit of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine together with servicemen from the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted a reconnaissance mission to the rear of the occupiers near the town of Nova Kakhovka and killed at least 12 occupiers on the night of 23-24 January.

Source: Ukraines Defence Intelligence

Quote: "Preliminary reports indicate that thanks to the cooperation with local resistance and the use of special technical equipment, members of the intelligence established the exact location of the Russian forward command post.

Despite the heavily-mined coastline and strong fortifications, the unit managed to cross the river and landed on the opposite bank.

Members of the intelligence engaged the occupiers and destroyed a forward command post building using mortars."

Details: The occupiers considered the landing to be an attempt to breach the defence line and immediately deployed their combat reserves - a special operations forces unit, aircraft and armoured vehicles.

Thanks to this, Ukrainian intelligence received full information concerning the number, make up and location of Russian reserves.

Reportedly, the occupiers suffered big losses during the battle.

Ukrainian soldiers killed at least 12 Russians, took 1 prisoner and destroyed an 82A armoured personnel carrier.

After completing the task the unit returned to the right bank of the Dnipro river. ;

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!








Andrii Kostin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine, has signed decrees on the dismissal of the heads of five prosecutors offices in oblasts.

Source: press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General

Details: It is noted that the heads of prosecutors offices in Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts have been fired of their own accord.

Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda reported that there would be changes among the staff in the Office of the Prosecutor General.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
BERLIN (Reuters) - The Ukrainian Red Cross is preparing for more aid to the civil population in the country's war-plagued zones in light of a possible new Russian offensive, the organization's general secretary said.

"Everyone expects some intensification of the fighting," Maksym Dotsenko told Reuters during a visit to the German capital Berlin.

Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February last year, around 11 million people have fled their homes, with 7 million internally displaced and four million refugees in neighbouring states.

The Red Cross, Ukraine's biggest civil organization, has no access to Russian-occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine, but is operating in the rest of the country.

The organisation has increased its staff to 1,500 employees from 400 before the war and more than doubled the number of volunteer workers, Dotsenko said.

Five of its volunteers have died in the conflict, Dotsenko reported, one of them during Russian shelling of the city of Kherson in the south.

"I cannot say that all the needs are covered. But I can say that in general the situation is under control," Dotsenko said.

The Red Cross, he said, is ready to provide generators to hospitals and other places in case of more Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.

"Of course, we need more financial support," he added, but there was no need for donations of clothing.

Front lines in the war, which stretch more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) through eastern and southern Ukraine, have been largely frozen in place for two months despite heavy losses on both sides, but both Russia and Ukraine are widely believed to be planning new offensives.

(Reporting by Alexander Ratz; Editing by Riham Alkousaa and Mark Heinrich)
A Ukrainian soldier on the front line near Soledar, January 14, 2023

The information about the withdrawal of Ukrainian defenders from Soledar was confirmed by the spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serhiy Cherevatyi, in comments to Suspilne, BBC News Ukraine, and AFP.

Cherevatyi did not specify the date of the withdrawal, adding that the Ukrainian Armed Forces left Soledar "after many months of heavy fighting,in particular in recent weeks."

Here are the main facts about the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the town of Soledar (Donetsk Oblast), as reported by Cherevatyi:

The defenders of Soledar fulfilled their main task : they did not allow the enemy to systematically break through the defense on the Donetsk axis and enter the rear, and then move further into the operational space;

The Armed Forces of Ukraine depleted the Russian forces in this sector as much as possible: according to Cherevatyi, "they knocked out the enemy's manpower as much as possible," and the enemy suffered huge losses in personnel, comparable to the aggressor's losses in the two Chechen wars;

The front line was leveled: there was no encirclement or capture of Ukrainian troops;

The Defense Forces have now withdrawn from Soledar and have consolidated their positions on the previously prepared defense lines ;

The decision to withdraw from Soledar was made "to save the lives of the personnel" ("This is war. Every military commander makes decisions based on the maximum benefit for his troops. We can't afford the luxury that our enemy has of just throwing fighters to the slaughter. We are trying to maneuver, fire, and use small-group tactics to maximize the enemy's exhaustion," explained Cherevatyi.)

The defenders of Soledar achieved a real feat : they defended the town and "held their positions powerfully" despite the enemy's three- to five-fold superiority;

Russia threw all its forces at Soledar to draw attention to "a small town against the background of the fact that the enemy had previously suffered significant defeats in Kyiv Oblast, and during the Kharkiv, Lyman and Kherson operations."

Russian troops focused on trying to capture Soledar, a small town adjacent to Bakhmut, starting in the first weeks of 2023, although they had been trying to take the settlement since May 2022. According to the Ministry of Defense, in January, the Russians deployed almost all of their main forces in this area, using both Wagner PMC assault units and other types of troops as cannon fodder. As a result of intense fighting with the active use of artillery and aviation, Soledar was almost completely destroyed.

NV is following the aftermath of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' withdrawal from Soledar and will have additional comments on this decision.

2:55 p.m. Ukrainian Armed Forces will not withdraw from Bakhmut as long as they can defend themselves, General Staff has said.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine will not withdraw from Bakhmut as long as they have the ability to defend themselves. The situation remains under control, Andriy Kovalyov, spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said on Ukrainian national television.

Read also: Russia sends tens of thousands poorly trained soldiers to assault Bakhmut, Pentagon says

According to him, the issue of withdrawal from Bakhmut is not yet on the table, despite numerous media reports.

"It's strange when they say that the Armed Forces have to leave somewhere," Kovalyov said.

The task of all the Defense Forces is to fight for Ukrainian territory. That is why Bakhmut is still standing, because the soldiers are not leaving.

He noted that the situation in the town is under control, Ukrainian soldiers are repelling the Russians and holding Bakhmut.

The General Staff spokesperson added that Soledar was razed to the ground by the Russian military, and that is why the Ukrainian Armed Forces left the town. "As long as there are basements in Bakhmut and the ability to hold this territory, the soldiers will stay there," he concluded.

2:35 p.m. What does the occupied Soledar look like now?

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Too much talent to lose: BBC Introducing has helped boost some of musics best and brightest (Getty/The Independent)

For underground music talent, its back to the BBC barricades. In 2010, a high-profile campaign was launched to save leftfield-leaning new music station 6 Music. Were it not for the 25,000 emails that bombarded the BBC in support of the station, we might never have heard of Fontaines DC, Idles or Jockstrap. And now a similar groundswell of objection is rising to the news that all 32 of the stations talent-hunting BBC Introducing DJs nationwide have been put on notice of redundancy, following leaked proposals that suggest the Beeb is considering culling two-thirds of their output, or merging shows into larger regional broadcasts.

Now this might, at first glance, look like a very post-Brexit sort of streamlining; cutting down on frivolous, niche-interest expenditure so that more of our precious license fee can be syphoned into Claudia Winklemans Traitors knitwear budget. Plus, the most high-profile acts discovered through the network  Ed Sheeran, George Ezra, Blossoms, Florence + The Machine, James Bay  strongly suggest that UK culture might be better off if BBC Introducing were encased in concrete and kicked off a boat into the North Sea.

But forget these pop culture travesties  theyre more representative of the conservative (with an increasingly capital C) tendencies of the big boy stations that BBC Introducing feeds acts into. Whats key is that the network discovers and encourages rising British talent across the board. From the 5,000 tracks by unsigned or little-known artists uploaded to the Introducing website and trawled through by its regional micro-John Peels each week since 2007, a vast array of acts have gained crucial early exposure. Artists as varied as Lanterns On The Lake, Arlo Parks, Stornoway, English Teacher and Yard Act owe local leg-ups to the service; great acts that, as struggling unknowns, no streaming site would ever happen to randomly chuck your way because it sounds exactly like what you last listened to.

Uproar has been industry wide. Tom Robinson of 6 Music has dedicated his blog to messages of support for the service, receiving 4,000 posts in a matter of hours. Danni Brownsill of SJM Concerts told The Guardian that the plans to merge shows may lead to already marginalised regional acts getting further overlooked, and therefore giving up: Artists in Staffordshire and Cheshire would suddenly be competing with Manchester and Birmingham. A group of industry figures have penned an open letter of objection to BBC chair Richard Sharp, who appears to care more about helping keep Boris Johnsons soft furnishings allowance in the pink than British music alive.

Their point is simple yet irrefutable  for BBC radio to shy away from its dedication to discovering new British music is to turn down the nozzle on its own oxygen supply. Over its 15-year existence, BBC Introducing has become the most vital and effective means of developing the playlist-hoggers of the future. From my own ill-fated forays into band management, Ive seen first-hand how integral it has become to the UKs music ecosystem. Labels want to sign acts with local followings and healthy numbers online. National radio producers want to promote bands with regional airplay under their belts. At every step of navigating these groundwork stages, two words come up relentlessly. And they certainly arent Greg James.

We need to acknowledge the changing listening habits of audiences, a BBC statement read, which roughly translates as human curation is dead, and we welcome our new algorithmic overlords. True, the nations musical tastes are now dictated by computer code, and if youve ever seen an AI attempt at a Smiths lyric youll know how terrifying that idea is. The suspicion is (Spotify are a little opaque on the actual numbers) that British pop culture has become a slave of the passive play; those popular tracks from major names that rachet up phenomenal numbers by dint of being the default songs that a platform gravitates toward when listeners leave it running in the background. The more release day plays a Bad Bunny track gets, the more popular the algorithm thinks Bad Bunny is, the more it cues up Bad Bunny to passive listeners who like things like Bad Bunny, the more Bad Bunny invades your waking nightmares like a Latin trap Candyman.

With the very means of consumption gently guiding listeners away from the little-known and towards the monumentally popular, theres now zero chance of the next Sex Pistols, Stone Roses or KLF having enough of an impact on pop culture to shift its course an inch. You can understand why the BBC might surrender to this inexorable rise of the machines. But lets not forget, it was human curation that kept British music so exciting for the past six decades or so, upending the zeitgeist every few years with psychedelia, prog, punk, new wave, new romanticism, acid house, Britpop and so on. And its now streamings fundamental methodology  ceaselessly feeding you more of what you already like to maintain maximum passive engagement, a model lifted wholesale from the Dave channel  which has kept it in a lucrative stasis since about 2013. A 10-year holding pattern of grime versus electro R&B, occasionally shaken by the supersonic boom of a fly-by from Adele.

The BBC insist their new music output will remain extensive. Their BBC Sounds website, they claim, will still support the original, challenging, taste-making and identity-altering music that might be cut from the airwaves. But, crucially, youll only discover it if youre inclined to go looking for it. The entire point of the Introducing shows is that they put those sounds in the path of casual listeners, labels and higher-ranking DJs, exposing people to the shock of the new that keeps culture evolving. They might not have the clout to start a youthquake in the modern age, but its these sort of fearless independent sources that unearth and champion the most interesting and surprising new acts: your Matt Malteses, your Little Simz, your Wet Legs. Introducing isnt just a lifeline for both the deep pools of nonconformist talent in the UK, but for its more individualistic and open-minded music fans.

Whats more, it appears to be one of the very few corners of the music industry where you cant simply buy your way out of obscurity. Where you get treated the same whether youre Billy Nomates or Bonos nepo baby. Were it to fall, denying the outsiders a sliver of spotlight to steal, expect even more zero-risk, big-budget mundanity dominating the airwaves of the future; more Sam Smith, more stasis. And Britain, deep down, is just too talented for that.
PARIS (Reuters) -The United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO, said on Wednesday that it had designated the historic centre of Odesa, a strategic port city on Ukraine's Black Sea coast, a World Heritage in Danger site.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine 11 months ago, denounced the designation, saying the only threat to Odesa came from the "nationalist regime in Ukraine".

The status, awarded by a UNESCO panel meeting in Paris, is designed to help protect Odesa's cultural heritage, which has been under threat since Russia's invasion, and enable access to financial and technical international aid.

Odesa has been bombed several times by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

In July 2022, part of the large glass roof and windows of Odesa's Museum of Fine Arts, inaugurated in 1899, were destroyed.

In a statement, UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay said that Odesa, "free city, world city, legendary port" had made its mark on cinema, literature and the arts.

"As the war continues, this inscription reflects our collective determination to protect this city from greater destruction," Azoulay said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the decision "will help us protect our Odesa ... Russia is incapable of defending anything other than terror and strikes."

Earlier on Wednesday, UNESCO inscribed the Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib in Yemen and Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli in Lebanon to its list of World Heritage in Danger sites.

RUSSIA: UKRAINE THE SOLE THREAT TO ODESA

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had no quarrel with the decision to celebrate and protect Odesa's legacy.

"But this requires a clarification that the sole threat to the city's rich history stems from Ukraine's nationalist regime which systematically destroys monuments to the founders and defenders of Odesa," it said in a statement.

It cited in particular a monument to Russian Empress Catherine the Great - widely reputed to be the city's founder - that was dismantled by an order of city authorities last year.

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The UNESCO debate over Odesa took hours as Russia unsuccessfully tried to have the vote postponed.

Founded in the final years of the 18th century, near the site of a captured Ottoman fortress, Odesa's location on the shores of the Black Sea allowed it to become one of the most important ports in the Russian empire.

Its status as a trading hub brought significant wealth and made it one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Eastern Europe.

The city's most famous historic sites include its Opera House, which became a symbol of resilience when it reopened in June 2022, and the giant stairway to the harbour, immortalised in Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 silent film Battleship Potemkin.

Although the city suffered significant damage in World War Two, its famed central grid square of low-rise 19th century buildings survived mostly intact.

Odesa was a key Ukrainian tourist hub before Russia's invasion. War changed all that, as the Black Sea became a battlezone. Sea mines still wash up near the city's shoreline.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Himani Sarkar)
The entrance to Universal Studios Hollywood (Getty Images)

A stunt performer working at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park was rushed to hospital following an incident at its Waterworld show.

The live event, adapted from the 1995 blockbuster movie starring Kevin Costner, is a regular fixture at the popular Los Angeles tourist attraction.

According to Henry Narvaez, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, paramedics were called to the scene at 2.09pm on Monday 23 January.

EMTs then moved the performer, who was receiving CPR from others when they arrived, to a nearby hospital, per theLos Angeles Times.

We can confirm a performer with one of our long-standing show vendors was transported to the hospital following a stunt during an afternoon performance yesterday, and our thoughts are with him as he receives care, a spokesperson for Universal Studios Hollywood told the outlet.

Details surrounding the event are being reviewed.

No further details regarding the incident or the status of the theme park employee were officially divulged.

TV news channel KABC7-TV reported that, per eyewitness testimony, a stunt performer had fallen from a tower into a pool of water while lit on fire, for part of the shows grand finale.

However, cast members were quickly seen rescuing the person from the water, after they fell unconscious.

Everyone in the staff and the crew is doing this together not letting this person die, said theme park guest Daisy Anguiano. He was unconscious while dragging him from the water.

Following the incident, the Waterworld show was called off and guests were escorted away from the venue.
Following a tremendously challenging year in air travel that saw rafts of flight cancellations and industry issues, the Wall Street Journal has released its annual ranking of the major US airlines.

The list includes one surprise: Southwest Airlines, whose holiday meltdown stranded thousands of passengers at airports across the country over Christmas, finished in third place, trailing only perennially strong entrants Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines.

Jet Blue finished in last place out of the nine airlines ranked, trailing budget airlines Frontier and Spirit. United Airlines, Allegiant Air, and American Airlines finished in fourth through sixth.

The top three airlines were unchanged from last years ranking, in which Delta also triumphed. Frontier fell two places, with Spirit rising one.

The Journal determines its rankings by compiling quantitative data on each airlines performance, tracking metrics like flight cancellations, on-time arrivals, delays, lost baggage, and complaints.

In total, it provides a fairly comprehensive look at qualitative performance in an industry that is increasingly under the microscope after the myriad issues of the last several years.

The federal government spent billions to bailout the airline industry when air travel all but stopped overnight during the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic, then watched as the airlines laid off numerous workers and struggled to match their pre-Covid performance when air travel resumed in earnest in 2021.

Airlines offered more flights again last year, increasing their offerings to match back-to-normal demand for air travel, but in some cases lacked the necessary staff and technological investments to deliver solid flying experiences to customers.

On-time arrival data compiled by the website Anuvu found that Delta led the way with 81.7 per cent of their flights arriving on time last year  but that number was down significantly from the 87.9 per cent they achieved in 2021.

Alaska Airlines, which operates primarily in Alaska and the western United States, had a particularly strong year but suffered from the year-end storm that led Southwest to cancel thousands of flights.

Insider reported that cancellations in flights in total jumped 69 per cent last year, though the majority of those cancellations came in the first half of 2022 before progressive lawmakers like Rep Ro Kahana and Sen Bernie Sanders demanded stronger protections for travelers.
Hawk air defense system

Read also: Spanish HAWK air defense systems arrive in Ukraine

According to the article, Israeli military decommissioned Hawk systems ten years ago. A senior Israeli official told the publication that around ten Hawk batteries remain in storage in Israel.

Senior Israeli and U.S. officials said the Pentagon contacted the Israeli Defense Ministry two weeks ago, requesting the Hawk systems be transferred to Ukraine.

A U.S. official said similar requests were made to several other countries that also have these SAN systems available.

Read also: Russian parliamentary speaker blusters at U.S. and NATO over Ukraine aid

Another source said that head of policy at the Israeli Defense Ministry, Dror Shalom, told his U.S. counterparts that Israel's policy on the issue hadnt changed.

According to another Israeli official, Shalom told the Pentagon that Israeli Hawk systems were obsolete and unable to function, due to having been in cold storage without maintenance for a long time.

Read also: US to transfer additional Avenger, NASAMS systems to Ukraine, Pentagon chief says

But other Israeli officials say Shalom's response to the Pentagon's request was inaccurate. They stressed that although those systems might be out of order, they can be repaired and put to use.

Read also: Ukraine to get Israeli missile and drone alert smart technologies, says envoy

The Israeli Defense Ministry confirmed to Axios in a statement that the position of the Israeli security establishment (on providing military assistance to Ukraine) hasnt changed. Each request is considered on an individual basis.

On Dec. 2, Spain handed over the first Hawk anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine and announced it will provide training to Ukrainian troops. Washington subsequently promised to transfer Hawk missiles to supplement Spanish security assistance.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Gazprombank will no longer be able to make transfers in dollars

"Due to the unilateral decisions of U.S. financial institutions, Gazprombank's correspondent accounts in U.S. dollars with JPMorgan Chase Bank and Bank of New York Mellon will be terminated," the Russian bank said in a statement.

Read also: New EU sanctions against Russia expected in February

Gazprombank asks its customers not to use its services for cross-border transfers in U.S. dollars starting from Jan. 27.

Read also: Russia uses smart stickers to replace defunct Apply Pay

"This will not affect Gazprombank's operations  servicing of our clients' accounts and deposits in dollars, as well as cross-border transfers in other currencies, will continue," the bank stated.

Earlier, many Russian banks were forced to suspend all or part of their foreign currency transfers (mainly in dollars and euros) due to the actions of foreign correspondent banks.

Ukraine has repeatedly called for expanding sanctions against the Russian banking system, including disconnecting Gazprombank from the SWIFT system.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Retail investor using a mobile trading app

As you begin investing, youll likely hear about two popular online investing companies: Vanguard and TD Ameritrade. These are two of the largest brokerage firms in the U.S. While the companies have a few similarities, they each cater to vastly different investors. In either case, its wise to work with a financial advisor to develop financial goals and realistic steps to reach that goal. Here is what you need to know before deciding to work with Vanguard or TD Ameritrade.

Vanguard vs. TD Ameritrade

Both Vanguard and TD Ameritrade offer robust online brokerage solutions to investors who are looking for some guidance while also investing on their own. Both allow investors to buy and sell a variety of investment types, from stocks to mutual funds. With either platform, youll have access to a very similar assortment of funds and stocks. In fact, you can even buy many of Vanguards funds through TD Ameritrade.

The best online brokerage for you is going to depend on more than just the types of available investments. Youll want to analyze how much help you need to make investment decisions, how much each brokerage will charge you in fees and what their overall experience is like. Everyone is likely to have a different answer as to what is most important to them. With that said, lets analyze how each option stacks up against one another.

Brokerage Fees

There are usually four types of fees to look out for when choosing a trading platform. You should look out for these when evaluating any investment or trading service:

Trading Fees: Any fixed charge attached to each trade that you make. This can come in the form of a flat fee or whats known as the spread. This is when your broker charges you based on the difference, if any, between the buying and the selling price of an asset.

Trading Commissions: This is when a broker will charge you a percentage based on the volume or value of each trade.

Inactivity Fees: Any fees that the broker charges you for not trading, such as for keeping money in a brokerage account.

Non-Trading/Other Fees: Any form of fee for trading on this platform not covered above. For example, a brokerage might charge you for making deposits into your brokerage account, taking money out of it or signing up for additional services.

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In recent years, online trading platforms have had to be increasingly competitive. Therefore, many have dropped or reduced their fees for certain kinds of trades.

Account Trading Fees

Both Vanguard and TD Ameritrade have a $0 account minimum. Additionally, they allow for $0 fees for trading stocks and exchange traded funds (ETF). However, outside of these necessary trades, their fee schedules are different.

Options Trading Fees

Vanguard charges a $1 fee for all options contracts traded under $1,000,000. After a person has traded over that threshold, a sliding scale decreases the fees associated with options trading. Additionally, Vanguard charges $1 for every $1,000 of bonds traded and $0 for mutual fund purchases. Vanguard does not charge for the trading of stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.

TD Ameritrade charges $32.50 for 50 options contracts. Per-contract options commissions are $0.65 when made online. All broker-assisted options, stock and ETF trades cost $25. Users can trade no-transaction-fee mutual funds without commission, but no-load mutual funds cost $49.99 to trade. TD Ameritrade does not charge for online trading of stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.

Services and Features

Woman using her mobile trading app

Vanguard caters to buy-and-hold investors who do not need streaming data and up-to-date charts, technical indicators and more. Therefore, their desktop services and features are relatively limited. The buy-and-sell process on the desktop app can be relatively cumbersome. Additionally, their data has a short delay of 20 minutes when making a trade. This delayed trading fits with building a long-term portfolio rather than doing day trading.

TD Ameritrade has an online platform called thinkorswim that provides users with advanced charts and tools to evaluate their potential trades. Their website follows the market in real time and helps users master their trading skills through charts that show trends and more. Users can also use the online platform to make trades, customize order templates and more.

Mobile Experience

Vanguards online mobile app offers quotes and trading options. Users can use the app to monitor their positions, analyze their portfolios, read up-to-date news about the market and place some orders. However, due to Vanguard focusing on buy-and-hold investors, the app is not as comprehensive as other online brokerages.

TD Ameritrade has two mobile apps. The first, TD Ameritrade Mobile App, is designed for active traders and allows for real-time data and asset trading. The second, thinkorswim Mobile, offers to chart, watch lists and trading.

Vanguard vs. TD Ameritrade: Who Should Use It?

Vanguard is generally designed for buy-and-hold investors. Therefore, if you have a long-term investing strategy that does not include frequent trades, Vanguard can be the best option for you.

TD Ameritrades mobile and desktop platforms have robust information for users to research the latest trends and information, allowing them to generally make the best buying and selling decisions. TD Ameritrade is typically the better option for people that intend to buy and sell often.

The Bottom Line

Black man using his mobile trading app

Both TD Ameritrade and Vanguard are online brokerages that have proven track records. However, different users might use each company for different reasons. TD Ameritrade has more robust reporting software and is better for people that are making frequent trades. Vanguard is better for buy-and-hold investors and has less real-time information available to users.

Tips for Investing

All investing should start with a carefully thought-out financial plan and corresponding investment strategy. Therefore, you should consider talking to a financial advisor for expert help in both areas. SmartAssets matching tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If youre ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Now that you know how these platforms stack up, its a great time to learn more about them. In our dedicated brokerage reviews, we go into the details on both Vanguard and TD Ameritrade.

Photo credit: iStock.com/scyther5, iStock.com/RichVintage, iStock.com/Tempura

The post Vanguard vs. TD Ameritrade: Which Is Best? appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.
By Tyler Clifford

(Reuters) -Authorities at a Virginia school were warned three times that a first grader had a gun before he shot and wounded his teacher, her lawyer said on Wednesday, while the school board voted to oust the superintendent.

Abigail Zwerner, 25, was "shot purposely" in front of other students at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News earlier this month after administrators ignored warnings the 6-year-old student posed a threat, lawyer Diane Toscano said at a press conference.

The warnings were made over three hours on the day of the shooting, according to Toscano, who said she planned to file a lawsuit against the Newport News School District on behalf of Zwerner.

"This tragedy was entirely preventable if the school administrator responsible for school safety had done their part and taken action when they had knowledge of imminent danger," said Toscano. She did not say what damages she would seek on behalf of the teacher, who was wounded in the chest.

At a special meeting Wednesday evening, the school board voted 5-to-1 to relieve Superintendent George Parker of his duties with severance. Parker came under pressure after saying that at least one administrator was aware the boy may have had a gun on the day of the shooting.

After the vote, Chairwoman Lisa Surles-Law said the decision to terminate was made without cause as defined in Parker's contract.

"Dr. Parker is a capable division leader who has served Newport News for nearly five years through some extremely challenging circumstances," she said. "This decision is based on the future trajectory and needs of our school division."

Zwerner was the first to tell a school administrator on the morning of Jan. 6 that the student threatened to beat up another child, but the boy was not removed from class, according to Toscano. The administrator was not named.

In the afternoon, a second teacher who suspected the boy had a weapon did not find a gun when she searched his book bag. She then told the same administrator that she believed the boy had put the gun in his pocket before going to recess, the lawyer said.

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Toscano said another student told a third teacher that the boy showed him a gun during recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone. The teacher reported the account to school administrators, she said.

A fourth employee who learned of the threat asked for permission to search the boy, but was denied by the same school safety administrator, the lawyer said.

"He was told to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over. Tragically, almost an hour later, violence struck Richneck Elementary School," Toscano said.

Police plan to present findings from an investigation to the commonwealth's attorney in Newport News, who would make any decision regarding possible charges against the boy's mother.

The school board on Wednesday voted 5-to-1 to appoint Michele Mitchell as interim superintendent until a permanent replacement is found. Mitchell, who is currently executive director of special education, will receive an additional 25% base pay as she assumes the role, according to the board.

(Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Leslie Adler)
A Virginia teacher who was shot by a six-year-old student during class will sue the school district, the teachers attorney announced Wednesday.

Diane Toscano, a lawyer for Abigail Zwerner, said Wednesday that on the day of the shooting, concerned teachers and employees warned administrators three times that the boy had a gun on him and was threatening other students, but the administration could not be bothered.

The boy show Zwerner, 25, on 6 January as she taught class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, a city of about 185,000 people roughly 70 miles (113 kilometers) southeast of Richmond.

Police Chief Steve Drew has repeatedly characterized the shooting as intentional, saying the boy aimed at Zwerner and fired one round, striking her in the hand and chest. Zwerner was hospitalized for nearly two weeks but is now recovering at home, a hospital spokesperson said.

Superintendent George Parker III has said that at least one administrator was told on the day of the shooting that the boy might have had a weapon, but no weapon was found when his backpack was searched.

Police have said school officials did not tell them about that tip before the shooting, which happened hours later.

The boys mother legally purchased the gun used in the shooting, police said. The boys family said in a statement last week that the gun was secured. The family's attorney, James Ellenson, told The Associated Press that his understanding was that the gun was in the womans closet on a shelf well over 6 feet (1.8 meters) high and had a trigger lock that required a key.

The family also said in its statement that the boy has an acute disability and was under a care plan that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day. The week of the shooting was the first when a parent was not in class with him, the family said.

The Newport News School Board will hold a special meeting Wednesday evening to vote on a separation agreement and severance package for Parker, according to a posted agenda. The board is also scheduled to vote on a new interim superintendent.
A new analysis from CIBC Capital Markets shows Brookfield is one of the most popular stocks among Canadian mutual fund managers.

Retail investors can now invest like institutional money managers after a new CIBC Capital Markets analysis identified some of the most popular TSX stocks held in Canadian mutual funds.

The report examines Canadian-focused mutual funds and analyzes whether fund managers were overweight or underweight securities compared to the stocks' benchmark weighting. The report, which was released on Tuesday and led by CIBC's head of portfolio strategy, Ian de Verteuil, used data from Dec. 2019 to June 2022.

"For a portfolio manager to carry a position that differs in weight from the benchmark, there must be either incremental confidence in the management team or business model, or incremental perceived risk," the report said.

Brookfield Asset Management, Canadian Pacific Railway and Suncor Energy were the "most popular" S&P/TSX 60 stocks among fund managers as of last June, according to the report.

Top 10 most overweighted TSX 60 stocks

Brookfield Asset Management (BAM.TO) (BAM) Canadian Pacific Railway (CP.TO) (CP) Suncor Energy (SU.TO) (SU) Alimentation Couche-Tard (ATD.TO) Telus (T.TO) (TU) Sun Life Financial (SLF.TO) (SLF) Intact Financial (IFC.TO) Fortis (FTS.TO) (FTS) Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (BIP-UN.TO) (BIP) Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO) (TRI)

One drawback to the analysis, however, is the difficulty for a fund manager to be meaningfully overweight some large-cap stocks, such as Royal Bank of Canada.

At a market cap of $186 billion, the largest in Canada, its already hefty weighting in the TSX 60 makes it hard for a money manager to be significantly overweight the stock in their fund, according to the report.

The smaller the market cap, the easier it is for a money manager to overweight the position.

The note gave "special mention" to the Brookfield family of companies.

"If Brookfield was on Facebook, it would have the most 'likes,'" the authors wrote, noting the popularity extends to Brookfield Asset Management, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners and Brookfield Renewable Partners.

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Some other conclusions of the report include: CP Rail seems more popular compared to its rival CN Rail; Intact is well-liked among fund managers despite its higher valuation compared to peers; and Couche-Tard and Thomson Reuters have been long-time favourites.

The lesser-liked names

"We can start with the unsurprising names," the report says.

"Shopify is essentially ignored by Canadian mutual fund managers  and that has been a rewarding investment decision in 2022."

Over the course of 2022, Shopify shares fell roughly 70 per cent as the pandemic-fuelled e-commerce boom continued to fade as the economy reopened.

Top TSX 60 firms that were underweighted

Enbridge (ENB.TO) (ENB) BCE (BCE.TO) (BCE) Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM.TO) (CM) Shopify (SHOP.TO) (SHOP) Waste Connections (WCN.TO) (WCN) Barrick Gold (ABX.TO) (GOLD) Franco-Nevada (FNV.TO) (FNV) National Bank of Canada (NA.TO) Pembina Pipeline (PPL.TO) (PBA) Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM.TO) (WPM)

It was notable to the report authors that BCE Inc. was chronically underweighted in institutional portfolios compared to Rogers and Telus.

We are not surprised that a Canadian PM might want to limit exposure to the sector, but the disparity in holdings is meaningful. Clearly, Canadian mutual fund managers carry a cautious stance on BCE, possibly perceiving that growth in EBITDA and dividends will lag either of its closest peers, TELUS and Rogers, they said.

Mutual fund industry still influential despite outflows

Canadian mutual funds saw billions of dollars in outflows last year, but overall, the industry still plays a significant role in financial markets.

The latest data from the Investment Funds Institute of Canada on Tuesday showed investors pulled net $8.7 billion from Canadian mutual funds in December alone.

For 2022, the industry suffered a net outflow of $44 billion amid market volatility, compared to a net inflow of $113.6 billion in 2021.

Total assets for Canadian mutual funds dipped to $1.8 trillion in December month-over-month. Thats still significantly higher than the Canadian ETF industry, which had total assets of $313.7 billion as of December.

Michelle Zadikian is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @m_zadikian.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
The author. Courtesy of Jess Ekstrom

I'm pregnant with my first child and looking back at things my parents did that I want to replicate.

They taught me how to be entrepreneurial, and that's something I want to teach my daughter too.

I want to help future generations create solutions for their problems.

I'm seven months pregnant with my first child. I've never thought more about how I was raised until now, as I'm faced with raising our baby girl. In fact, I have a countdown app that tells me how many days until I'm responsible for another human life, which is as terrifying as it is exhilarating.

I think about what my parents did that I want to replicate, like celebrating with a cake when I got my first warning in school for talking too much  they'd been afraid I was turning into a goody two-shoes. And I think about what I might want to leave behind, like my mom texting me a breaking-news headline every morning.

But the biggest thing I want to take with me as I raise my own kid is about being an entrepreneur. Maybe that'll look like becoming an entrepreneur in the literal sense and starting a business just like her mom. More importantly, I want to teach her how to be entrepreneurially minded, just as my parents taught me.

My dad left his job to start a new business

I didn't always grow up in an entrepreneurial household. For years both of my parents worked in the fitness industry  until one Wednesday in middle school my dad came home from work and sat us down for a family meeting. He told us he wanted to leave his job and start his own business because the idea he'd been thinking about for years couldn't wait any longer.

My mom and sister hugged him and asked him countless questions about his idea, and I asked what we were having for dinner. I couldn't have cared less, because I didn't understand what being an entrepreneur meant. All I knew was that he would renovate the upstairs bathroom into his new office and that we had to cut back on spending until the business got off the ground. Neither of these adjustments was exciting to my middle-school self.

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About six months into his business  which he and my mom grew for 10 years and eventually sold to live full time in an RV as volunteer park rangers  we went on a family camping trip. I was entering my rebellious teenage years, so I decided to bring my Walkman and listen to Backstreet Boys rather than the babbling brook.

As I was trying to plug in my headphones, the cords kept getting tangled in a knot, and I grew more frustrated with each attempt to untangle them.

"Dad!" I shouted. "Headphone cords should just roll up like a Slinky so they don't get tangled." Then a light bulb flicked on as I said, "I'm going to invent that!"

I remember this next moment so clearly because it changed the course of my life.

He sat me down and said: "Jess, that has already been invented, but I really want you to keep thinking that way. Keep looking for problems and creating solutions."

That was the moment I became an entrepreneur. I started to live by three words: inspiration from frustration. I started to look at the world through a lens that I could fix it.

I've launched several businesses

It eventually led me to start Headbands of Hope, an accessory company that donates headbands to kids with illnesses, out of my dorm room in college.

It also led me to start other businesses, including Mic Drop Workshop, an e-learning company that helps women get paid speaking engagements, and Prompted, a guided online journal with prompts from experts.

Most recently, it led me to write my newest book, "Create Your Bright Ideas," which helps tweens do exactly what my parents taught me: create what you wish existed.

My parents never told me to marry a doctor or to color inside the lines; they taught me to be the architect of the world I want to live in. That's exactly what I hope to inspire in the next generation of creatives, including my little girl. I just won't be sending her daily news articles.

Read the original article on Insider
Leopard 2

The right decision by NATO allies and friends to send main battle tanks to Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted on Jan. 25.

Alongside Challenger 2s (tanks), they will strengthen Ukraines defensive firepower. Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace, Sunak said.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki thanked German Chancellor OlafScholz for the decision.

The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia. Together we are stronger, Morawiecki tweeted.

The press service of the Elysee Palace said that France welcomes Germanys decision, which continues and increases the support that France has started with the supply of the AMX-10 RC armoured fighting vehicles.

Lithuanias Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis reacted to Germanys decision with a picture of the Ukrainian flag, adding Tanke schon, a pun on the German phrase Danke schon, which translates as Thank you very much.

Germany approved the transfer of 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and their re-export from partner countries on Jan. 25.

Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine: what is known

At the Ramstein format summit on Jan. 20, Ukraines military allies failed to agree to supply Leopards to Ukraine, with the German government in particular foot-dragging on taking a decision.

Some of Ukraines partner states had expressed their readiness to provide Ukraine with German-made Leopard tanks but were waiting for Berlins permission to re-export the tanks.

Following the summit, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that countries have achieved a positive breakthrough regarding the Leopard-2 tanks. He explained that the meeting participants agreed that countries with Leopard 2s in service could begin training Ukrainian tank crews.

Prior to that, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said several countries (Poland, Finland, Spain, Portugal, etc.) were ready to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2s, and were only waiting for Germanys permission for their re-export.

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Read also: How Western tanks will help Ukraine, what Gerasimov's new attempts to justify war mean

Following numerous Ukrainian requests, Poland has decided to transfer German-made Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda said during his visit to Lviv, Ukraine, on Jan. 11, where he met with his Ukrainian and Lithuanian counterparts, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Gitanas Nauseda.

In turn, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Warsaw would build a smaller coalition of the countries ready to supply Ukraine with some of their stocks of Leopard 2 battle tanks without Germanys consent, if it wasnt provided.

Meanwhile, according to U.S. newspaper the Wall Street Journal, the Biden administration is leaning toward sending a significant number of Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine and an announcement of the deliveries could come this week.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to provide Ukraine with 14 Challenger 2 tanks, making the United Kingdom the first Western country to supply the heavy tanks that Kyiv has long been pleading for.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The most important bit? The whisky. (Getty Images)

We don't have many days of celebration for poets, it's fair to say  but today, Scotland's beloved Robbie Burns takes centre stage.

January 25th is Burns Night, traditionally celebrated with Haggis, neeps, tatties and a wee dram or two.

But while the event originated North of the border, there's nothing to stop the rest of the nation bringing a little light to a dark January night with a celebration of our own.

First, however, you'll need to know what you're actually celebrating.

What is Burns Night?

January 25th is Scottish bard Robert Burns' birthdate.

Born in 1759, the poet went on to become generally regarded as Scotland's national poet, often writing in Scots dialect  though he wrote in English too.

After his death in 1796, his life and work became a source of inspiration and strength to the founders of socialism and liberalism, and Burns grew into an iconic figure in Scotland.

Burns Night commemorates the birth of poet Robert Burns. (Getty Images)

Burns Night is celebrated by more people across the world than St Andrew's Day, which celebrates the patron saint of Scotland.

The annual celebration was begun by Burns' friends after his death, to highlight his legacy (and drink whisky).

Read more: Some of the best Burns Night events across Scotland

What's a Burns Supper?

There isn't much leeway when it comes to food choices and running order. It starts with a welcome  and traditionally, the Selkirk Grace is spoken:

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it,

But we hae meat and we can eat,

Sae let the Lord be thankit.

(Some have meat and cannot eat, And some would eat that want it, But we have meat and we can eat, So let God be thanked.)

Haggis, neeps and tatties. (Getty Images)

The company is then treated to skirling bagpipes, when the haggis is brought in. Someone reads aloud the Burns poem, "address to a haggis" ("Great chieftain o' the puddin' race') as it's cut.

It's always served with neeps (mashed turnips), tatties (potatoes) and perhaps a whisky sauce. There may be the traditional Scottish dessert cranachan served afterwards.

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After the food, there's several toasts, including one to "the immortal memory", of Burns' life and work. And before everyone goes home, 'Auld Lang Syne'  written by Burns  is sung.

Throughout the night, Burns poems and songs may be recited.

A group re-enact the first ever Burns Supper, inside the cottage where he was born in 1759 in Alloway. (Getty Images)

What exactly is a haggis again...?

Brace yourself. It's "a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach, though now an artificial casing is often used instead."

A dramatic haggis. (Getty Images)

You can also now purchase vegetarian haggis, made with nuts and oatmeal, which more squeamish guests might prefer.

The Tatties are served two ways  boiled and mashed  and the 'neeps' can be mashed with cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg. (Swede is often used nowadays.)

Read more: How to make classic haggis, neeps and tatties

What should I serve?

Start with cullen skink, a traditional Scottish fish soup, with haddock, potatoes, onions and milk, then the main event  the haggis, neeps and tatties with cream whisky sauce.

Follow with cranachan, a Scottish dessert made with oatmeal, cream, whisky, raspberries and honey.

Of course, you'll want to accompany your supper with a good single malt.

Cranachan - Scottish and delicious. (Getty Images)

What should I wear?

Be careful wearing tartan  there are strict rules about this, and only those who belong to the clan may wear its unique tartan.

For those who don't, Queen Victoria launched the Stewart Tartan, which can be worn by anyone. You can also choose from Black Watch, Flower of Scotland, and Patriot or Caledonia tartans.

No tartan to hand? Formal dress and a sprig of heather should do the trick.

Slainte mhath!
The White House on Wednesday pushed back on Speaker Kevin McCarthys (R-Calif.) opposition to having three House Democrats serve on certain committees.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took issue with McCarthy blocking Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) from serving on the House Intelligence Committee, and with McCarthys pledge to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Jean-Pierre said all three members bring a lot to the table when it comes to foreign policy and national security.

Well say that when it comes to that committee, it should not be politicized, Jean-Pierre added, speaking specifically about the Intelligence Committee. It should be independent. And again, those congressional members bring a lot of expertise to that committee, and Ill leave it there.

McCarthy on Tuesday formally rejected Schiff and Swalwell from serving on the House Intelligence Committee, saying the two were not qualified for a panel that has access to sensitive and classified materials.

McCarthy has accused Schiff of lying to the public about former President Trumps ties to Russia  a charge that Schiff has dismissed as political retribution.

In Swalwells case, he was associated with a suspected Chinese spy who had fundraised for his 2014 campaign, a revelation that was made public in 2020. McCarthy has said that a confidential FBI briefing on the episode has left him convinced that Swalwell is a national security risk.

Omar has drawn backlash from Republicans for her critical remarks about Israel in recent years. McCarthy has said she should be removed from the House Foreign Affairs panel, but blocking her from that committee requires a majority of the chamber to vote in favor.

Democrats have argued the McCarthy moves are political retribution for last Congress, when Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) were removed from their committees following revelations that they had promoted violence against some of their Democratic colleagues.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Biden administration on Wednesday announced several steps meant to ensure access to affordable housing and protect renters from eviction.

The measures unveiled Wednesday are part of the White Houses broader attack on the national affordable housing crisis, which has left millions of Americans struggling to find safe and secure housing within their budgets. The White House also aims to empower renters with new resources to challenge unfair treatment from landlords, leasing agents and others who may infringe on their legal rights.

Our nations rental market is defined by a patchwork of state and local laws and legal processes that renters and rental housing providers must navigate, wrote the White House Domestic Policy Council and National Economic Council in a policy paper outlining the proposals.

That patchwork of renters rights, a shortfall of affordable housing, and a longstanding challenge of rents rising faster than incomes contribute to housing insecurity that millions of American renters experience every year.

A key focus of the administrations plan is breaking barriers within the rental process that often keep lower-income and minority Americans out of affordable housing. Affordable housing supporters, tenants rights advocates and civil rights groups have expressed concerns about how inequities in the criminal justice system and financial sector could reflect negatively on tenants background checks and credit reports.

The Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced they will begin collecting information and soliciting feedback on how the creation and use of tenant background checks, the use of algorithms in tenant screenings, the provision of adverse action notices by landlords and property management companies, and how an applicants source of income factors into housing decisions, the White House announced.

The agencies will also coordinate efforts to crack down on unreasonable background check procedures and inaccurate information on credit reports, both of which can prevent a potential tenant from being approved.

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The administration is also attempting to defend tenants from rapid rent increases and abrupt evictions. A pending Department of Housing and Urban Development rule would require public housing authorities to give tenants 30 days notice before being evicted over non-payment of rent.

Todays announcements recognize there are responsible housing providers  large and small, national and local  willing to treat renters fairly, but it also holds accountable those who exploit market realities at the cost of renters housing access and stability, the White House said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is sworn in during a swearing-in ceremony at Government House on Jan. 25, 2023 in Wellington, New Zealand.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is sworn in during a swearing-in ceremony at Government House on Jan. 25, 2023 in Wellington, New Zealand. Credit - Hagen HopkinsGetty Images

As the dust settles on Jacinda Arderns five-and-a-half-year premiership, New Zealand swore in her successor, Chris Hipkins, as its 41st Prime Minister Wednesday. But Hipkins could be braced for a brief tenure ahead of Octobers general election, as the ruling Labour Party trails in the polls and recession looms.

Arderna revered global figurecited burnout as she announced her shock resignation on Jan. 19, and Labour MPs swiftly rallied behind Hipkins, the 44-year-old Education Secretary. He was unanimously selected as their formal endorsement last week.

This is the biggest privilege and responsibility of my life, Hipkins said, after a swearing-in ceremony at Government House, Wellington. Im energized and excited by the challenges that lie ahead.

Hipkins has vowed to focus on bread and butter issues and economic improvement in the nine months preceding the next general election.

Below, what to know about New Zealands new Prime Minister, and the challenges that lie ahead for him and his party.

Who is Chris Hipkins?

Chris Hipkins, known affectionately by peers as Chippy, has been a Labour MP for Remutaka since 2008. He grew up in the Hutt Valley, north of the capital Wellington, with parents who he has said came from relatively humble beginnings and worked really hard to provide a good life for himself and his brother.

In the late 1990s, when Hipkins was a first-year university student, he was arrested for entering parliament grounds to protest against an education bill put forward at the time by the center-right National-led government. He fought an almost decade-long battle to dispute the arrest and was awarded compensation and an apology. He has reportedly cited this as the defining moment that ignited his political career.

Hipkins was later a senior advisor to two education ministers and served in the office of former Prime Minister Helen Clark. Since then, he was selected as a Cabinet Minister by the Labour Party caucus in 2017, as the party formed a coalition government with the Greens. He has served as minister of education, public service, the police, and leader of the House of Commons. He is a father to two children.

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Read More: Jacinda Ardern Led With Her Heart. Thats One Reason Shes Leaving Now

What is Hipkins known for?

Hipkins is a familiar face in New Zealand. His profile grew in July 2020, as he led the governments response to the COVID-19 pandemic as Arderns health minister, and later that year the COVID-19 response minister. New Zealand adopted a strict zero-COVID-19 approach that kept the countrys total death toll at 2,437, low by global standards.

But while New Zealands record on COVID-19 is favorable, anger had been mounting over the length and severity of lockdown restrictions. Like Ardern, Hipkins may similarly struggle to move beyond his association with the pandemic.

Beyond New Zealands pandemic response, Hipkins has a Mr. Fixit reputation, with Ardern having often called upon him to support her in tackling policy issues. Ive dealt with some challenging situations over the last five and a half years, the last couple of years particularly, Hipkins said Saturday. And, you know, Im a human being. Ill make the odd mistake from time to time. I try and own the mistakes that I make.

Viewed as a competent figure, the new leader has previously leaned into gaffes with humor. In August 2021, amid a nationwide lockdown where the government was urging people to maintain social distancing while spending time outdoors, Hipkins appeared on live television and urged people tospread their legs instead of stretch their legs. He later posed at a news conference in September 2021 with a mug that said spread your legs, not the virus.

Hipkins also made international headlines in September when his unusual weakness for sausage rolls resulted in him being given a sausage roll birthday cake by police officers.

What challenges does Hipkins face as Prime Minister?

Hipkins made it clear in his speech Saturday that he knows its a challenging time for New Zealanders. COVID-19 and the global pandemic created a health crisis, and now its created an economic oneand thats where my governments focus will be, he said.

Hipkins added that his government will prioritize tackling the cost-of-living crisis. The new leader said he would achieve this by reining in non-essential projects.

While Ardern was a broadly popular figure on the global stage, her decision to step down was partly motivated by the Labour Partys tumbling poll figures. According to a 1News-Kantar poll released in December, Labours support fell to 33% from 40% at the start of 2022a figure that would rule out forming a coalition with the Green Party. As things stand, the opposition National Party is likely to claim a victory in October unless Hipkins can reverse these numbers.

Hipkins has drawn a lot of comparisons to Ardern. Christopher Luxon, leader of the National Party, congratulated him on his new role but made a jibe that he could not steer the country to a better place. New leader, same story, he said.

Hipkins has sought to distance himself from his predecessor, telling a television journalist Monday, I supported Jacinda Ardern as our Prime Minister, I think she did an amazing job. But lookwere different people, and well have a different style.

On Saturday, Hipkins said that his priority was to provide opportunities for all Kiwis who want to work hard, to be able to work hard and get ahead and provide a better life for themselves and for their families.

The leader has nine months to prove it.
screenshots from TikToks made by influencers on a trip to Dubai

Credit - @monetmcmichael/TikTok; @alixearle/TikTok; @meredithduxbury/TikTok

Last week, several influencers known for uploading makeup and lifestyle content began posting that they were heading to Dubai with Tarte Cosmetics for the launch of a new foundation product. They included TikTokers like Meredith Duxbury, a makeup influencer with over 16 million followers; Alix Earle, a relatively new influencer who recently gained popularity for her get ready with me content and has over 4 million followers; and Monet McMichael, a beauty and lifestyle blogger with over 2 million followers. As the creators started posting their travel vlogs on their way to Dubai, people began noticing they were sitting in business class. Once they got to their destination, they showed off their own personal villas at The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah and a wealth of beauty products, clothes, and gifts that awaited them.

Shortly into their trip, questions began to arise online. One of the first videos to call the trip into question was from a creator named Jack McGuire, which he uploaded last Thursday. In two separate videos, McGuire, who works for Barstool, attempted to poke holes in the trips feasibility. These videos and many others began circulating on the platform, gaining hundreds of thousands of views. Some followers on TikTok wondered how much money the extravagant trip cost the brand and whether Tarte paid the influencers in addition to travel, room, and board (its CEO later confirmed that they did not). Some took it upon themselves to investigate exactly how much money Tarte spent on the trip. Others shared their opinions about how the trip was tone-deaf as the United States is on the verge of a recession. All of the conversations, commentary, and questions surrounding this trip did exactly what the company set out to do: get people talking about their brand. The hashtag #TrippinWithTarte has over 140 million views, and #TarteDubaiTrip has over 20 million views.

Brand trips are not typically this widely discussed, especially back in the early days of YouTube. In fact, they were staples among the beauty and lifestyle vloggers who were invited by brands like Benefit to different destinations where they could create content while using the brands products. Even Tarte has done many similar brand trips in the past. But to social media users who were not deeply aware of the height of beauty and lifestyle YouTubers in the 2010s, these extravagant trips can feel off-putting and seemingly wasteful. For the brand, however, even the bad press may be paying off.

the amount of money that tarte is putting into this dubai trip is quite baffling fr  pic.twitter.com/S1NmhP1z9P  big tek (@claireateku) January 20, 2023

The trip inspires strong reactions, followed by explanations

Brands have understood, long before the influencer age, that traditional advertising is not the only way to promote their products; now, its hard to find a major brand that hasnt partnered with an influencer or celebrity whose social media following can translate into dollars when they hawk their wares.

In the case of the Tarte trip, the makeup brand invited a group of 50 influencers and their plus ones from eight different countries around the world to join them in Dubai for the launch of their foundation. But rather than sheer excitement, one of the predominant reactions to the resulting content inspired was shock at the overwhelming extravagance of the trip. Fueling these reactions were, naturally, a lot of unchecked assumptions.

Some creators jumped in to dispel those assumptions. One TikTok creator who says she used to manage influencer trips, @jill_justine, uploaded a video in which she explains that in her experience, these types of trips are a lot more affordable than you think. In the video, she says that trips she organized included destinations like the Bahamas, Grand Cayman Islands, and Jamaica, where guests would stay in places like the Ritz-Carlton and go on various local excursions. Most of the time, all of those things were free because we were partnering with the hotels, with the event, with the experience, because all of them are getting exposure as well, the creator says.

The brand also got exposure from the creators without having to pay them per post. Someone like Earle, who is estimated to charge anywhere between $40,000 to $70,000 per brand-sponsored post, uploaded 15 posts from her trip. Maureen Kelly, the founder and CEO of Tarte, spoke exclusively with Glossy and confirmed the brand did not pay the content creators in addition to the trip, nor did they have any requirements for posting. Some noted that the creators who went were not creating content solely with Tarte products, which has been customary for other brand trips in the past.

Kelly also spoke about the perceived controversy surrounding the trip and countered many of the rumors that loomed over the trip. She first explained that Tarte has long prioritized their marketing budget into building relationships with influencers. Although she declined to share the total amount spent on the trip, she confirmed the brand partnered with Sephora Middle East. Glossy writes that the rooms are filled with gifts from other like-minded brands, many of which Tarte has now partnered with for years. As for the flight, whose expense had become a focal point after McGuire estimated that it would cost upwards of $22,000 per ticket for each influencer and their plus one, she argued that these influencers were putting their lives on pause to get on a 14-hour flight, so they wanted to make this as seamless and pleasant [an] experience for everyone.

The evolving optics of the extravagant influencer trip

A common feeling among influencers critics is that they make too much money or are afforded opportunities by doing little to no work, deeming them unworthy of the perks they receive. On the surface, it seems like an easy job to be an influencer. But while its certainly not hard labor, theres still plenty of work that goes into creating contentcoming up with original ideas, filming, editing, brand deals, travel, and more. This Tarte trip to Dubai is yet another example of that feeling manifesting online.

There was also the question of the optics of the ostentatious trip. Kelly did not address criticism over tone-deafness during the interview. But the Tarte trip is hardly doing anything unique here when it comes to lavishnessbeauty and lifestyle YouTubers like Emma Chamberlain have gone on brand trips with cosmetic or beauty brands in the past. Now, though, in the age of TikTok, and following an uptick in the apps popularity during the pandemic, the concept is new to many users who did grow up watching these influencers. For years, it was expected that influencers would live a certain lifestyle and receive certain once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to make content out of them. But as that style of content creation has spilled over to TikTok, its facing more criticism with a more politically and socially aware Gen Z audience, prompting conversations and controversy.

In the end, though, even if the optics of trips like Tartes Dubai experience are becoming strained, the attention this trip received suggests that were not quite finished with them yet. Both the brand and the influencers got exactly what they wantedfor people to talk about them.
A woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to mailing ricin to then-President Trump and eight Texas state law enforcement officials in September 2020.

A release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia states 55-year-old Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier, who has dual citizenship in Canada and France, admitted she sent the threatening letters to Trump and the law enforcement officials along with the highly toxic substance.

Ricin is a toxin made from waste material left over from processing castor beans.

The release states Ferrier was detained in Texas for about 10 weeks during spring 2019, and she believed that the law enforcement officials played a role in the time she spent in custody. She also tweeted in September 2020 that someone should shoot Trump in the face.

The letter sent to Trump told him to [g]ive up and drop out of the 2020 presidential race. She sent the letters from Canada and then drove into Buffalo, N.Y., on Sept. 20 of that year.

U.S. Border Patrol officials stopped her after finding her in possession of a loaded firearm, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and other weapons. She was arrested and has remained in federal custody.

Ferrier pleaded guilty to prohibitions with respect to biological weapons in two separate criminal cases. One originated in the District of Columbia, while the other originated in the Southern District of Texas and was later transferred to the District of Columbia.

She is scheduled to be sentenced on April 26. The plea agreement will have her sentenced to 262 months in prison, or more than 21 years, if accepted by the judge.

There is no place for political violence in our country, and no excuse for threatening public officials or endangering our public servants, said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves. We hope this resolution will serve as a warning that using our mail system to send a toxic substance and other threats of this type will cost you your freedom for many years.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The New York legislature on Tuesday passed an amendment to the state constitution that would enshrine abortion rights and other protections in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn the federal right to abortion in Roe v. Wade.

As other states take extreme measures to stymie progress and roll back reproductive rights, New York will always lead the way to combat discrimination in all forms and protect abortion access, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said in a statement on the passage.

Its the second time the amendment has cleared the state Assembly and state Senate, and the matter now heads to voters in the state, to be on the ballot in 2024.

Today, we passed the Equality Amendment for the second time, which, if approved by the people, would enshrine in our constitution expanded protections for the civil rights of New Yorkers and ensure that no one is denied the opportunity to fully participate in society on the basis of their identity, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D) said in remarks.

Across this country, at all levels of government, we have seen a worrying trend in rolling back and limiting the rights of Americans. We will not allow that to stand in New York. I look forward to voting for the Equality Amendment once again when it goes before the voters in 2024, Heastie added.

The Supreme Courts decision last year in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization overturned Roe and handed the regulation of abortion over to the states, prompting some legislatures to tighten abortion restrictions and spurring others to shore up protections.

Womens rights and LGBTQI+ rights are under attack across the country, that is why it is essential that New York continues to lead the way in protecting reproductive health access and championing equality rights, said state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D).

The amendment would add to the state constitutions Equal Protection Clause and protect against discrimination based on a slate of factors, including national origin, sexual orientation  and reproductive health care and pregnancy outcomes.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Netflix said it expected to roll out paid sharing more broadly later in the first quarter. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Netflix told shareholders it planned to start rolling out paid account sharing later this quarter.

It's trying to stop users from sharing passwords for free with people outside their households.

It follows a trial in Latin America where Netflix charged $3 a month to add users outside the home.

You may have less than 10 weeks left to share your Netflix password with people outside your home before the company starts charging for the privilege.

Netflix first hinted at a crackdown on password sharing in July after its first subscriber loss in over a decade  200,000 users  during the first quarter of 2022.

In a letter to shareholders Thursday, Netflix said it expected to "roll out paid sharing more broadly" later in the first quarter. This means that by the end of March, it's possible you won't be able to give out your password for free.

Netflix said account sharing affected over 100 million households, which "undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve Netflix." It added that while its terms of use already limited account use to a single household, "we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly."

"As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don't live with," the shareholder letter said.

Subscribers will be able to transfer a user profile to a new account, it added.

Paid sharing has already been trialed in Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru, where it cost $2 to $3 to add an extra member account for someone living outside a given household. Peruvian Netflix subscribers told Rest of World that the policy was confusing and they hadn't been subject to any enforcement of the rule.

The shareholder letter said some Latin American users canceled their subscriptions as a result of the sharing charge. Netflix added that it expected near-term engagement to fall. But as people who borrowed accounts begin subscribing themselves, overall revenue should improve, it said.

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The planned broader rollout of the sharing charge follows the November launch of an ad-supported subscription tier, where users are showed up to five commercials an hour. At $7 a month, "Basic With Ads" costs $3 less than the cheapest ad-free tier.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference following the tripartite meeting on January 11, 2023 in Lviv, Ukraine. Stanislav Ivanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired a slew of senior officials on Tuesday.

Some of Ukraine's top civil servants are facing accusations of bribery and taking lavish vacations.

Zelenskyy has since pledged to take a zero-tolerance approach to corruption in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired at least nine top officials on Tuesday as his government battles claims of bribery and officials splurging on lavish lifestyles during the war.

Four deputy ministers and five regional governors were sacked by Ukraine's cabinet on Tuesday, according to the Telegram channel of Oleg Nemchinov, the secretary of the cabinet of ministers.

Ukraine's deputy prosecutor general, Oleksiy Symonenko, also announced his resignation on the same day, the BBC reported.

The wave of dismissals and resignations comes as some of Ukraine's top leaders were accused of buying military food at inflated prices and taking luxury holidays as their countrymen fight Russia's invasion.

In December, Symonenko went on holiday to Spain using a Mercedes owned by a prominent Ukrainian businessman, The Guardian reported.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's border guard was also maligned for partying in Paris as the war continued in eastern Ukraine, per Bloomberg.

In response, Zelenskyy on Sunday vowed to stamp out longstanding corruption within Ukraine's leadership.

Ukraine would see "no return to the way things used to be," he said in a video address, adding that the coming week would be the "time of appropriate decisions."

"Of course, now the main focus is the issue of defense, this is the issue of foreign policy, this is the issue of war," he said. "But this does not mean that I do not see and hear what is being said in society at various levels, both at the central level and in the regions."

On Monday, Zelenskyy banned officials from traveling abroad until the end of the war, except for when performing government duties.

"If they want to rest now, they will rest outside the civil service," he said.

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Another sacked official, former Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, resigned after Ukrainian newspapers reported that he had purchased food for the military at prices inflated two or three times higher than in grocery stores.

Shapovalov spent $360 million for the food, Ukrainian newspaper ZN UA reported.

The country's defense minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, said the inflated prices were due to a contractor mixing up data in a "technical error," claiming the reports of corruption were manipulating the facts.

Meanwhile, the defense ministry said Shapovalov denied the corruption claims, but asked to be fired to maintain public trust in the government.

Zelenskyy's press office and Ukraine's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The relevant decree was published on the presidential website on Jan. 24.

Read also: SBU says Russian propaganda found in raids of Moscow Patriarchate church premises

The list includes the following people:

Vadym Novynskyi , a businessman and cleric of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church;

Petro Lebid , Metropolitan Pavlo of Vyshgorod and Chornobyl;

Rostyslav Shvets , the so-called Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea of the Russian Orthodox Church;

Kostiantyn Chernyshov , the so-called Bishop of Bakhchisarai, Vicar of the Simferopol Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church;

Oleksandr Ovsiannikov , the so-called Bishop of Dzhankoi and Rozdolne of the Russian Orthodox Church, in charge of the Dzhankoi Diocese;

Oleksandr Taranov , the so-called Archbishop of Rovenkyv and Sverdlovsk of the Russian Orthodox Church;

Oleh Ivanov , Metropolitan of Izyum and Kupyansk of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church;

Oleksiy Maslennikov , bishop of Romny and Buryn of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church;

Viacheslav Opanasenko , the so-called Bishop of Koktebel of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vicar of the Feodosia Diocese;

Volodymyr Udovenko, head of the Feodosia Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, aka Metropolitan Platon.

Sanctions have been introduced for five years, including freezing of assets. Monitoring of their implementation is entrusted to the secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).

Read also: SBU chief says Russian Orthodox Moscow Patriarchate church in Ukraine is spying threat

The decree comes into force from the day of its publication.

On Dec. 1, 2022, Ukraines NSDC instructed the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience to conduct an examination of the statute on the UOCs management for the presence of a connection with the Moscow Patriarchate, as well as submitting a bill to the government stating that religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence in Russia cannot operate in Ukraine.

On Dec. 2, the NSDC imposed sanctions against 10 UOC-MP persons, including Metropolitan Pavlo and former Ukrainian MP Vadym Novynskyi. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the document imposing sanctions.

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Read also: Zelenskyy imposes personal sanctions against religious organizations affiliated with UOC MP

On Dec. 11, the NSDC imposed sanctions against seven more UOC-MP persons.

Ukraines SBU conducted a counter-intelligence operation at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery of the UOC MP on Nov. 22 after controversial footage of a religious service glorifying the Russian world appeared on social media.

In addition to the Lavra, SBU agents also searched the Koretsky Holy Trinity Monastery and the premises of the UOCs Sarny-Polissia eparchy in Rivne Oblast.

On Nov. 12, a video of people praying for Russia in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was shared on the Internet, prompting Ukrainian law enforcers to open criminal proceedings.

On Nov. 15, the head of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavlo, admitted that while praying in the church, those present were singing a song about Russia, but he claimed it wasnt connected to the churchs liturgical services.

Read also: Ukraines SBU seizes pro-Russian books, cash, Soviet passports amid raid on Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

Another UOC representative, Archimandrite Polikarp, said the priest overseeing services that day was busy and did not hear what this group of activists was singing. After that, the priest was banned from conducting religions services.

The SBU said that all of its actions had been carried out as part of a special operation to counter the subversive activities of the Russian special services in Ukraine.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Before the first piece of fried chicken was served at Amherst County Public Schools Community Connections Dinner of Jan. 19, laughter and conversations filled the building like the busy hallway of a school before the start of class.

Roughly 200 people, including schoolchildren and families, schools staff and county residents, showed up for a banquet-style evening of fellowship that ACPS Superintendent William Wells said is much needed after nearly three years of enduring a pandemic and all the challenges it brought.

Its important for us to re-engage and reconnect with the community, Wells said as people trickled into the center. This is one way to do that. During COVID it seems to be something we have lost as a community.

Wells and other educators greeted families and children as they walked in and encouraged them to sign a large poster to mark the occasion.

Showing up is perhaps the most-used phrase in the Amherst schools division this school year.

The #ShowUpAmherst initiative has been strongly pushed this year to encourage students to come to school as the school system has worked to get back to normalcy and bridge the learning loss the COVID-19 pandemic has generated. At an Amherst County School Board meeting in October, a staff report stated 26% of students at the time had missed more than 10% of school, or more than 17 days, a trend that negatively affects state accreditation for schools.

While virtual school was a necessary tool during the height of the pandemic, Wells said the most effective way for students to learn is in school, in person. The initiative also pushes for families to become more involved in their childrens education and for stronger partnerships in the community.

The division partnered with the Amherst County Public Schools Foundation and IRON Lives, a local nonprofit that provides youth mentoring, for the dinner.

Allison Jordan, executive director of IRON Lives, said the event was a good way to highlight available resources in the Amherst community.

We really wanted to bring the community out to celebrate this partnership so far, Jordan said of #ShowUpAmherst. Its a great visual way to have the three partners, the whole community show up for each other

The partnership supported by a grant from Amherst County-based Glad Manufacturing/Clorox, an Amherst County and Merrediths Restaurant and Catering in Madison Heights provided the buffet meal.

Wells called up six elementary-age students to lead the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance and Amherst County School Board member Priscilla Liggon said a prayer of blessing over the food. She said the board is thankful so many people families and residents showed up and prayed for a peaceful and successful night where people could socialize and not be absorbed by their phones.

In the spirit of that, I didnt even bring my phone in, Liggon said.

The boards chair and vice chair, Chris Terry and Abby Thompson, and board members Eric Orasi, Dawn Justice and John Grieser attended, along with various county law enforcement and public safety departments. The evening featured a range of door prizes.

Wells said the division plans to hold another community dinnernext year and encouraged families to stay involved in their childrens education.

We want our kids to show up, Wells said. We all cant do this by ourselves.

He also encouraged families to keep communication open in their homes and to make sure phones are not dominating dinner conversations and family time.

We need to remember to talk to each other, Wells said. Thats vital.

Jess Pruitt and her daughter, Emma, a fourth-grader at Central Elementary School, were among families who attended. Pruitt said it was nice for so many people to spend time together because it doesnt happen often.

So this has been really nice, Jess Pruitt said. Its a great way to meet people and celebrate community.
Bedford Town Council on Tuesday unanimously approved matching a grant awarded to the town fire department that will allow installation of three training towers at a regional fire service training facility.

The Virginia Fire Services Board awarded the Town of Bedford a tower rescue training grant up to $19,203. The town is among only three localities in the commonwealth selected for this particular training program and funding. The installation of three towers  standing at 42 feet high, 44 feet and 62 feet  will be used for tower training, adding to firefighters skillsets. The new addition to the training facility will help them practice scenarios like rescuing someone in distress up on a cell tower, electrical pole or other high place.

The towers were donated by Roanoke Regional Airport Authority, and labor is being donated by Lynchburg Crane as well as some volunteer firefighters, Bedford Fire Chief Todd Stone said. The donations helped to significantly offset the typical cost. In total, Stone said the tower installation at the local training facility will cost about $38,000.

Improvements to the regional fire service training facility will not only be beneficial for local firefighters but will draw others from all over Virginia to share the facility and important training offered, Stone said. Two regional training sessions are held there each year, he said.

Also at the town council meeting, a demonstration grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation was approved to continue the towns Otter Bus operations.

The Bedford Otter Bus was launched as a pilot program in September of 2021, a public service collaboration between the Bedford Community Health Foundation and the Town of Bedford in response to an identified need for local public transit.

Since August 2022, town documentation shows, the bus provided more than 2,900 trips to 17 stops at no cost to passengers. The bus is getting good use, town officials said.

Last year, this grant paid for 80% of operating costs, and BCHF paid for the remaining 20%. BCHF has, to date, paid almost $50,900 in local match money, according to town documentation.

The intent of the demonstration grant project, town documentation said, was to apply for state funding during the course of three years, with each year putting more of the Bedford Otter Bus operating costs on the town entities and relying less on state money.

During the buss second year of operation, entering phase two of the project, town documentation said officials plan to develop a payment model for passengers to help cover continued operating costs, now that the program has had a chance to get off the ground and has received a positive, growing community response.
BEDFORD  Internet service provider Shentel, which is a partner in a broadband project funded by a Virginia Telecommunications Initiative grant, shared an update this week with Bedford County supervisors and staff regarding its endeavors in parts of the county.

Shentel will use both buried fiber, and aerial poles  or overhead builds  to bring internet service to unserved and underserved houses within the companys coverage areas, said Jessica Wilmer, Shentel representative and a project manager.

About 20% of Shentels Bedford County coverage area will have buried fiber. Another 70% will have either new aerial utility poles built, or have attachments added to existing aerial poles to deliver internet to more homes. The remaining 10% of the build will be overlashes, or the addition of more cables to existing cables already attached to a Shentel pole.

Wilmer said aerial poles are typically the fastest, and less costly, internet infrastructure to build and use.

Shentel workers are walking more of the areas they will be covering to determine whether overhead lines or buried lines would suit the locations best. The survey teams also are identifying existing poles that could be used for overlashing.

At present, Shentel is waiting on multiple permits to be approved so they can start construction on some of the broadband work. The permitting process can take weeks to months, depending on project location, type and the entity which has to approve the permits, Wilmer explained.

Just south of the town of Bedford, 22 miles of fiber are ready to be built or installed as soon as the associated permit is approved. Shentel hopes construction on this stretch will begin within 60 days, Wilmer said.

Another 276 miles in Shentels designated service area have permits pending, she added.

The total estimated timeline for the VATI broadband project runs through October 2024, Wilmer said.

Later this year, Wilmer said construction and connections in parts of the Big Otter, Huddleston and a few Montvale areas are expected to be complete. By 2024, she said the company expects to be ready to begin working in the Big Island area.

A few days prior to construction, Wilmer said crews will go through the neighborhood they will be working in and leave informational door hangers for residents, letting them know what to expect. The company, she said, is working to continually communicate with residents and potential customers in Shentels VATI coverage areas.

A coverage map and more information can be found online at Shentels recently launched VATI website: Shentel.com/VATI
The 712 Initiative received three Best Development Awards from 1000 Friends of Iowa Tuesday at the State Capitol in Des Moines.

The awards were for the restoration of the Cohen Building (Mixed Use), 712s Housing Revitalization Program (Renovated Residential) and, unexpectedly, Innovative Leadership.

It was nice to be recognized for our innovation and hard work in the Council Bluffs community by a statewide organization, said Sheryl Garst, CEO of The 712 Initiative.

The third award was not listed on the program and came as a surprise to 712 personnel, Garst said.

1000 Friends of Iowa added the award after reviewing our submissions, she said. They were impressed by our projects and programs and wanted to give us recognition for our efforts.

The Best Development Awards Ceremony showcases development projects and programs in Iowa that best reflect the principles of smart growth and sustainability, according to a press release from 1000 Friends of Iowa. The awards program is designed to bring attention to cities, companies, nonprofit organizations and individuals who demonstrate how responsible development and planning practices provide benefits to the community, the environment and quality of life for future generations.

The Best Development Awards program recognizes work that thoughtfully considers the connections between building, land, natural resources, development and quality of life, the press release stated. Nominated buildings and projects help advance sustainability across the state by considering site placement, design, water efficiency, energy management, materials and resources used, indoor environmental quality, public use and long-term benefits.

The Renovated Residential Category features the use of an existing structure to create single or multi-family permanent or temporary housing. Notable aspects include, but are not limited to, reinvestment in an existing property and community, as well as use of sustainable building materials, salvaging of existing materials, promotion of connectivity, public transportation, walkability, accessibility to affordable or mixed market-rate housing and adherence to historic preservation practices if applicable.

The final touches are being added to the historic Cohen Building, and the restoration will likely be finished by the end of the month, Garst told the Nonpareil earlier this month.

The buildings anchor for most of its life was the Iowa Clothes Shop, later shortened to Iowa Clothes. The store once offered everything from work boots to formal suits for the communitys men and boys. Now, the building will now provide 18 to 19 new housing units. Response to the newly opened housing units has been very positive, said Shari Williams of NP Dodge Real Estate, who manages the building.

There are two commercial bays on the ground level, and the rest of the 27,000 square feet of space is devoted to apartments, including one on the first floor, Garst said. That includes nine one-bedroom, five two-bedroom and four studio units. The assortment is designed for mixed-income tenants, and rent ranges from $700 to $1,250 per month.

Historic touches such as claw-foot tubs, wardrobe closets and old interior doors or woodwork are sprinkled throughout the complex, and a former skylight between the second and third floors has been preserved and enhanced with special lighting. An elevator has been installed in the building, and there are two accessible apartments.

The structure was built in 1856-57 and housed commercial businesses on the ground floor with storage space and apartments on the upper levels. The Daily Nonpareil, founded on May 2, 1857, originally leased space on the corner but moved to 400 W. Broadway in December 1900. Storz Brewing Co. purchased the property in 1901 and demolished the old Nonpareil portion in 1902, replacing it with new construction from 1902-03.

Iowa Clothes was founded in 1919 by Harry Cohen and continued to conduct business out of the facility until 1996. Cohen retained ownership of the building until his passing in 1974. His grandson, Richard Pete Lee, then took ownership and oversaw the stores operation.

Along the way, it had shared the property with Storz, the brewerys Blue Ribbon Saloon, Wilcox Flowers, Martins Drugs and later Eves Pastry Shop and Lane Brothers Pharmacy, as well as tenants of the upstairs apartments, which fell out of use in the late 1970s. During a renovation in 1976-77, Iowa Clothes expanded from two to all four of the facilitys bays (530, 532, 534 and 536 W. Broadway), becoming its sole commercial occupant.

The EQ School of Hair Design was the buildings most recent occupant. The 712 Initiative purchased the building in August 2018, Garst said.

Design work for the restoration was done by Alley Poyner Macchieto and construction was done by Lund-Ross Constructors. Funding came from Cohens granddaughter Patty Nogg and her husband, Steve; the Iowa West Foundation; the State of Iowa; the City of Council Bluffs; the Peter Kiewit Foundation; MidStates Bank; and the Pottawattamie County Housing Trust Fund.
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Princess Lalla Hasnaa, President of the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat, chaired, on Tuesday in Paris, the signing ceremony of a five-year partnership agreement between the Foundation and UNESCO.

The agreement was inked, in presence of UNESCO Chief Audrey Azoulay, by Ernesto Ottone, UNESCO Assistant Director-General and Nouzha Alaoui, Secretary General of the Foundation.

It will enable the two partners to focus on education program of young people on world heritage and UNESCO and to carry out activities with Moroccan and African youth.

The Foundation has adapted to the local context, for the first time in the world, an educational kit designed by UNESCO to help young people discover and understand the heritage of their city.

On January 8th, an exhibition Rabat, a heritage of humanity was held to celebrate the outstanding universal value of the city of Rabat through informative boards and a series of photographs.

The Foundation and UNESCO are committed to carrying out an action of primary importance to the African continent. This joint action will consist of implementing the World Heritage Convention on the sites listed in Morocco and Africa.

On this occasion, Princess Lalla Hasnaa held a meeting with Mrs. Audrey Azoulay in the presence of several Moroccan and UNESCO officials.
France and Algeria have signed a military and security cooperation deal during the visit by the figurehead of the ruling military junta in the oil and gas rich country Said Chengrigha.

The deal came after a series of visits including a visit by Emmanuel Macron in which French and Algerian officials talked about the past more than the future.

Chengriha is also said to have met with Macron but the media was not allowed to film.

The visit by Algerian chief of staff is said to be preparatory for an upcoming visit to France by the civilian facade of the Algerian regime President Tebboune.

The cooperation deals are expected to have a negative impact on worsening Moroccan-French relations. Giving a warmongering regime a cover of legitimacy and cooperation promises would only be at the expense of Morocco.

It also shows the extent to which France is willing to compromise to maintain ties with an Algerian regime that has ironically made of anti-French sentiment a basis to win popular legitimacy.

Macron and his administration are however myopic to the warnings by former diplomats who have served in Algeria including former ambassador Xavier Driencourt.

In an op-ed on Le Figaro, Driencourt warned that Algeria is economically and socially collapsing and that it will drag France with it.

This romance between Macron and the Kingmaker of Algerias military dictatorship is taking place at a context Morocco endures repeated attacks instigated by French members of the European Parliament.

The same parliament chose to zoom on three Moroccan journalists indicted on rape and sexual assault charges while ignoring the cases of thousands of Algerian pro-democracy activists, journalists and Kabyle activists held arbitrarily in Algerian jails.

The Moroccan parliament has reacted strongly to the double standards of the European Parliament and deplored the active role played by MEPs from an ironically friendly state, hinting at the anti-Morocco activism of French representatives.

For the sake of gas, France and Europe are willing to put hand in hand with a regime that is stoking instability in the southern Mediterranean due to its failing social and economic policies and its unwillingness to cooperate to curb illegal migration.

Military cooperation between France and Algeria at a context where Chengriha and Tebboune are describing Morocco as an enemy and threatening to wage a war against Rabat is an act that shows a French disregard for its partnership with Morocco.

France seems to be more concerned with taking a chunk of Algerias colossal defense budget of 23 billion dollars than contributing to regional stability in the EUs southern neighborhood.
The African Fertilizer Financing Mechanism (AFFM) has received a $10.15 million financing from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) destined to support agricultural projects for small scale farmers in Kenya, Mozambique and Uganda.

NORADs contribution will enable the AFFM to provide credit guarantees for up to 36 months in the three countries, with the expected leverage of at least ten times the credit guarantee amount, enabling access to at least 85,000 MT of fertilizer for 850,000 smallholder farmers. The funds will buttress the African Emergency Food Production Facility, the African Development Bank Groups (ADF) rapid response initiative for addressing Africas current food crisis, which has been exacerbated by climate change, conflicts, pests and disease.

The AFFMs role is to strategize on innovative financial solutions to foster access to quality and affordable fertilizers in Africa. This funding will allow the Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism to provide financing and credit guarantees for the large-scale supply of fertilizer to suppliers, to enable access to fertilizer on credit to Agro-dealers, and contribute to bridge the supply gap of fertilizer in sub-Saharan Africa, said Marie-Claire Kalihangabo, AFFM Coordinator.

NORADs financial support comes as the ADF is hosting the African Food Summit in Dakar this week, which will be held under the theme: Feed Africa: Food Sovereignty and Resilience. The summit will bring together stakeholders from across Africa and the world who will explore ways to meet the escalating challenges of food security on the continent. The event will also include discussions on the impact of rising fertilizer prices on African smallholder farmers.
Morocco and Saudi Arabi have signed Tuesday in Rabat a cooperation agreement providing for further cooperation in matters of combating terrorism and its financing.

The agreement was signed between Moroccos National Security and Territory Surveillance (DGST), and Saudi Arabias State Security agency after talks between the Director General of National Security and Territory Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, and Vice President of Saudi Arabias State Security, Abdullah Fahad Salih Al-Owais, who is on a working visit to Morocco at the head of a large security delegation.

The agreement covers the organization and development of cooperation and security coordination in various areas related to the fight against terrorism and terrorist financing operations, the DGST) said in a statement.

The DGST and the Saudi State Security aspire to develop their security and intelligence relations, coordinate efforts to fight terrorism and extremism, in order to deprive terrorist organizations of any rear base, recruitment grounds and financial resources, said the statement.

The Saudi delegations visit reflects the strength and depth of cooperation relations in intelligence and security coordination between the DGST and the Presidency of the Saudi State Security, illustrates both parties shared desire to consolidate their cooperation in the service of security and safety of their citizens.

The Saudi delegation included the head of the Directorate General for Countering Extremism and boss of the Directorate General for Conventions and International Cooperation, as well as experts and security officials at the Saudi State Security.
Spanish Prime minister Pedro Sanchez has highlighted the excellent cooperation ties existing between his country and Morocco, affirming that it is in the interest of the EU to maintain good relations with Rabat.

Addressing on Tuesday the Spanish lawmakers, Pedro Sanchez stressed the strategic importance of maintaining good relations with neighboring Morocco not only for the sake of Spain but also for the sake of the entire European Union.

Last year, trade with Morocco has increased by 33%, reaching nearly 10 billion euros, while inbound irregular migrants declined significantly thanks to Moroccos engagement, said the Spanish PM who distanced himself from the hostile resolution passed lately by the European Parliament against Rabat.

The upcoming meeting of the High-Level Moroccan-Spanish meeting will give new impetus to bilateral cooperation based on the new roadmap set by two neighbors and strategic partners, underlined Mr. Pedro.
UPDATED, Feb. 16., 2023, 7:50 pm: Corrects expected time frame of reconstruction of U.S. Highway 83 one-ways.

***

The state-spearheaded rebuilding of South Jeffers Street is expected to be the city of North Plattes only street construction project this year, City Engineer Brent Burklund told Planning Commission members Tuesday.

Burklund offered a preview of the citys draft 2023 one-and six-year road plan, which will be the subject of a formal public meeting and City Council action in the coming weeks.

He said the city will also keep working this year on designing West Ninth Street improvements and a short street to run off the south end of Industrial Road.

But with the city picking up one-third of the Jeffers projects cost, he said, that will mostly take care of its budget for one-year street projects.

The Nebraska Department of Transportation will take bids Thursday for rebuilding Jeffers between West A and Leota streets, Burklund said.

That project opens an expected multiyear rebuild of the U.S. Highway 83 ones through south central North Platte. Design work for rebuilding South Dewey Street from Leota to the "S-curve" also shows up on the citys draft one-year plan.

Burklund, who also reviewed the citys long-term street projects and 2023 repaving plan, alerted the Planning Commission to the start of talks by city officials about future extensions of key streets north of the South Platte River to accommodate future growth.

This is all pencils on a page. Its no commitment by anybody, Burklund said. But theres development that may happen in those areas, and Planning Commission members need to keep that in mind as projects come before them.

On the citys west side, West Philip Avenue could be extended from its current west end northwest to West A Street, he said. That could open up more areas for housing there.

On the east, Burklund added, city officials are beginning to examine extensions of both East Francis and East Leota streets to provide more ways in and out of the shopping area anchored by District 177, Bomgaars and Walmart.

East Leota, which now stops just past Walmart, could be extended to Newberry Access. It now roughly lies on a line with Golden Road, slated to be the main access road to the Sustainable Beef LLC meatpacking plant.

You can see some definite appeal to connecting Newberry to the one-ways, Burklund said.

South Welch and Bicentennial avenues could be extended south, he said, with Bicentennial running south and east past an extended Leota to also intersect with Newberry.

East Francis, meanwhile, could be stretched farther east but likely would stop at an extended Welch Avenue.

Burklund said its unlikely the city would move toward design and construction of any of those extensions until and unless projects develop that call for them.

I dont see either of these being done speculatively by the city, he said, referring to a West Philip extension and the group of potential street extensions east of Walmart.

In other business, the Planning Commission:

Re-elected David Fudge as chairman and Nelson Jett as vice chairman/secretary for 2023.

Unanimously recommended approval of a replat splitting the Iron Trail Industrial Park into seven lots at the north end of Twin Rivers Drive. The City Council will take up the replat Feb. 7, said Planning Administrator Judy Clark.
leave her alone you leather mitt!

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lol i lowkey love when celebs forget they're famous and get weirdly petty and stupid on social

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I didn't think he was serious when I saw the tweets. I've noticed a lot of the British and other commonwealth actors tend to joke around more so I just took for that.



Although that pay disparity is interesting.....lol I can't imagine him getting the same pay as her since she's bigger than him in terms of popularity and recognition????

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She was also the artistic director of the company lmao, ofc she was earning more than him!

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Even 14 years ago, Cate had more awards than Guy Pearce has even now, so he can go sit down and be glad he got to work with her.

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I love this petty shit. But people praising Blonde just....no. Not even for Ana.

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Maybe he was being sarcastic in that twt as well

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.what? Lmao whats going on????

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First Miss Flo now Miss CB lol.



Online sarcasm is a risky business, especially if you're someone with loads of eyes on you.

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Lol this seems so random.

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I really don't care for Cate so I would love to be on his side...but I just can't do it. A man being this fixated on a woman making more than him (which make sense since she's a much bigger box office draw) to the point of constantly bringing it up on his public socials is gross.

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exactly where i am with this

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mte If that's the case he's delusional but I can't with the Woody Allen shit. Cate's excuse was not ok. Everyone knows about Woody there's no way she didn't know. She just didn't care because awards.

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Her naming her son after Roman Polanskia choice!

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idk who I thought Guy Pearce was all these years, but...it wasn't an actor.

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Wow the Andrea Riseborough campaign knows no limits!!! First the last minute campaign to get into Best Actress, now shes digging up dirt on her opponents to win it all. Next well be hearing from the person Michelle Yeoh cut in line once in high school in Malaysia.

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these two probably go at it in person like drag queens. just the thought makes me giggle.

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Im so confused about his gripe with her STC salary, she was the artistic director of the entire company then, like of course she was earning more than one actor for one show??

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Rip to him she has a big twitter fanbase

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men are so transparent when it comes to Ana de Armas

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Similar to what they do with Scarlett

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Uzbekistans natural gas exports are in the spotlight as statistics contradict the governments narrative.

The county is facing its coldest winter in half a century.

As Uzbekistan freezes amid rampant power shortages in its coldest winter for half a century, there is a million-dollar question on the lips of its shivering citizens.

Is the government exporting gas that could be powering heating plants and pumping warmth into peoples homes?

Officials are adamant that Tashkent is not sending the valuable commodity abroad.

All exports of gas, including exports to China, have been 100 percent halted, Behzot Narmatov, head of the Uztransgaz transportation company, stated last month, when public outrage over power outages soared as Arctic temperatures gripped Uzbekistan.

He had more reassurance to offer: Gas exports, the bulk of which go to China, would not resume until the situation stabilized.

Uzbekistan exported precisely zero gas to China in December, its Statistics Agency reported, in what sounded like good news for the long-suffering populace.

Yet Chinese statistics tell a different story: China imported $40.1 million worth of Uzbek gas last month, Beijings customs data say. (The data show the monetary value, rather than the quantity.)

This glaring disparity was revealed by independent news agency Gazeta.uz in a report based on exhaustive number-crunching of official stats.

This was not the first time the website had reported on differences between the two countries data. It pointed to a disparity in November, when China reported receiving $114.2 million in Uzbek gas imports, nearly triple the $39.6 million Tashkent reported exporting.

Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamahmudov put this down to China counting Uzbekistans transit fees for the passage of gas from Turkmenistan to China.

But Gazeta.uzs calculations suggest this explanation does not stand up, at least not for all discrepancies.

If the transit fees were included, the news outlet pointed out, Chinese data on gas imports from Uzbekistan would always be higher than Uzbek data on exports, since Turkmenistan was exporting every month.

But this is not the case: Last year there were five months when Uzbekistan reported exporting more gas than China reported receiving.

Over the whole year, Chinese statistics showed it imported more gas, at $1.07 billion, than Uzbekistan reported exporting, at $910.9 million. That is a disparity of just over $159 million, or a little more than 18 percent.

Uzbekistans Statistics Agency hit back with the explanation that this was a perfectly normal, natural situation, given differences in statistics reporting between various countries.

To illustrate this, it published a table highlighting data differences on the gas trade between the U.S. and Mexico.

ADVERTISEMENT

In any case, the question of gas exports will soon be moot, if all goes to plan.

Tashkent has pledged to end exports completely by 2025, to free up more gas for domestic power generation as well as for the petrochemical industry.

But the row once again highlighted how this winters energy crisis  just the latest and most severe in a litany of them  is undermining public confidence in the administration of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

By Eurasianet.org

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
After an extended period of reduced engagement in the Middle East and a refocusing inwards on itself, which allowed China and Russia to exploit the resultant power vacuum, there have been several signs recently that the U.S. has decided that now is a good time to take up where it left off a few years ago. In the energy sector, there have been several high-profile deals in regions of great geopolitical sensitivity in recent weeks that have been made by U.S. companies or companies of countries alongside the U.S. in its sphere of influence. The latest one is Chevrons discovery of a potentially huge offshore gas field in Egypt that, according to comments last week, is due to be fast-tracked by Chevron and its partner in the site, Italys Eni.

Chevron and Eni, which each hold a 45 percent stake in the 1,800 square kilometre (sq.km) Nargis offshore area concession (with Egypts Tharwa Petroleum Co. holding the remaining 10 percent stake), announced that they have made a new gas discovery in the concession, focused on the Nargis-1 well. The state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) stated in the past few days that the precise quantity of reserves in the well were being evaluated but that it was working with Chevron, Eni and Tharwa to begin production as soon as possible. This should not take long as, according to data from marine intelligence firm VesselsValue, Eni has a platform in Thekah, around 40 kilometres to the south-west of the Nargis site. This discovery follows the announcement in December 2022 that Chevron had hit at least 3.5 trillion cubic feet of gas with its Nargis-1 exploration well in the eastern Nile Delta, about 60 kilometres north of the Sinai Peninsula.

Related: U.S. Gasoline Prices Continue To Climb



Chevron, along with most notably ConocoPhillips, has been at the vanguard of a broad-based resurgence in the successful re-engagement of the U.S. in several highly strategic regions across the wider Middle East, including the Eastern Mediterranean. Chevron only entered the Egyptian upstream sector in 2020 but now operates the huge Leviathan and Tamar fields in Israel and the Aphrodite project offshore Cyprus. According to the president of Chevron International Exploration and Production, Clay Neff: The East Mediterranean has abundant energy resources, and their development is driving strategic collaboration in the region.

The previous strategic collaboration in the region worthy of note was concentrated around China, Russia, and Irans efforts to rope its key players  including Egypt  into their vision of how the area should be configured. A core strand of this strategy was centred on the creation of a unified power grid  in every senses of the words  as analysed in depth in my last book on the global oil markets. Suffice it to say here that the idea runs along the same lines as the famous quote on how to maintain power from former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt - that is: If youve got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow. In this context, if one country can shut off the ability of other countries citizens to cook, and to heat and light their houses and offices, then they will be highly receptive to any suggestions that the country might make.

The attempt to concentrate the wider Middle Easts power grid has been going on for some time now, driven by China and Russia through the practical machinations of Iran. Last year saw an announcement that Egypt and Jordan were increasing their cooperation in gas delivery projects inside Jordan with Egyptian expertise through specialised petroleum sector companies. Just prior to this, it was announced that Iraq had agreed to re-start the export of crude oil from Iraqs Kirkuk to the refinery at Zarqa in Jordan. Electricity supply originating from Iran was also factored into this deal, given that Iran has historically supplied Iraq with 30-40 percent of all its electricity needs, and had just signed the longest-ever single deal between it and Iraq to continue to do the same at that point.

At around the same time, Iraqs then-Electricity Minister, Majid Mahdi Hantoush, announced that plans had been finalised for the completion of Iraqs electricity connection with Egypt within the next three years. This network was to be bolstered by the parallel network connections that Iran had consolidated in terms both of direct electricity and gas exchanges. These, said Irans then-Energy Minister, Reza Ardakanian in 2019, would be part of the overall project to establish a joint Arab electricity market. The establishing of broad and deep cooperation in oil, gas, and electricity was a key part of the wide-ranging 25-Year Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement, first broken by me in an article published on 3 September 2019.

A near-term tactic for the U.S. to regain ground lost to the China-led bloc in recent years appears to be addressing the shortfall in, particularly, gas supplies left in many countries after sanctions were placed on Russian supplies following its invasion of Ukraine. ConocoPhillips played a crucial role in the recent liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deal between Qatar and Germany, with Germany being seen by Washington as the most likely European country to renege on such sanctions. This would have been disastrous for any cohesive response from Europe as a whole in this context, given Germanys effective position as leader of the European Union bloc.

In a similar vein, this gas discovery in Egypt not only drives a wedge between Egypt and the idea of a unified Middle East power grid beholden ultimately to China but also provides a new source of gas into Europe as and when required through the participation of European heavyweight oil and gas company, Eni. Eni itself has also been notable for its entrepreneurial and aggressive approach to finding and safeguarding new oil and gas supplies across the Middle East, as has Frances TotalEnergies, with the Italian firm looking at consolidating and expanding its presence recently in Libya and the UAE, among others. In the context of the latest Nargis discovery, Eni has said the Nargis-1 well find confirms the validity of its focus on Egypt offshore: [] which [we] will further develop thanks to the recent award of exploration blocks North Rafah, North El Fayrouz, North East El Arish, Tiba and Bellatrix-Seti East. This all follows Enis discovery of the huge Zohr field in the East Mediterranean in 2015 and is in line with the companys aim of completely replacing gas imports from Russia by 2025.

This very active re-engagement of the U.S. in highly strategically sensitive areas of the broader Middle East follows a period of considerable withdrawal from the region during the presidency of Donald Trump, as explained in his Endless Wars commencement address to the United States Military Academy at West Point on 13 June 2020. His comment that the days of the U.S. being the policeman of the world were over found resonance in the U.S. withdrawal from, most notably, Syria (in 2019)  including protracted internal White House discussions about withdrawing from the strategically vital At-Tanf exclusion zone that was the tri-border junction of Syria, Jordan, and Iraq - Afghanistan (2021), and Iraq (2021).

The reason for this very active re-engagement right now from the U.S. appears to be that Russia, and by extension, China, have never been so weak in geopolitical terms in recent years as they are right now. This is a direct consequence of the omni-shambolic invasion by Russia of Ukraine that has significantly damaged the credibility of President Vladimir Putin as a shrewd geopolitical operator and of his country as a major military force. By extension, it has done the same for Chinas President Xi Jinping and his country too. Xi knows this, as reflected in the quick 180-degree turn that his country did after Russias invasion, from the two countries enjoying a no limits relationship to one that suddenly had a lot of limits indeed.

According to sources in the European Unions energy security apparatus spoken to exclusively by OilPrice.com last week. If Putin had just waited five years to make his move in Europe then things would probably have been very different: Nordstream 2 would have made Europe firmly captive to Russian gas, Russian oil supplies would have cemented this dependence, and the highly-placed European leaders in various fields that Russia had been cultivating would have smoothed the way, but he [Putin] didnt wait, he said. Perhaps Putin did not wait because the rumours of his being terminally ill are true and he simply could not wait, but whatever the reason his actions in Ukraine have re-galvanised the U.S. and Europe and NATO, and left the door wide open internationally for that alliance to start rolling back some of the ground it lost to China and Russia in the previous few years.

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By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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Britains nuclear industry is taking part in a growing chorus from the energy industrymore government support and more clarity regarding its future, the industry told British Parliament on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.

The oil and gas industry began singing the tune calling for a clearer future and additional government support over the last couple of years. Particularly in the United States, U.S. oil companies balked at government-led criticism that they were not doing enough to invest in oil production growth. The Biden Administration had offered in the way of appeasement future purchases to replenish the nations Strategic Petroleum Reserves to ensure future demand for crude oil, but oil and gas companies were looking for more: infrastructure approvals, a streamlined permitting process, a halt to calling on banks shunning lending to the dirty industry, and a general change in tone from the Administration about the industry.

Britains nuclear industry is now sharing frustrations with its government, which has called for an extra 24 GW of nuclear capacity over the next 27 years. This, according to Bloomberg, could be enough capacity to power as many as 18 million homes. But the nuclear industry, according to their Parliamentary pleas, is struggling to come up with the $25 billion financing it would take to complete such an ambitious mission.

What we dont currently have is the necessary clarity from government about how do we get from where we are today to where we need to be very soon, a Westinghouse spokesman said to Parliament on Wednesday. The UK government needs to give the market and potential investors clarity.

The UK has plans to develop a supportive organization known as Great British Nuclear to help the industry carry out its plans.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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The Sakhalin-2 LNG project could see its revenues double in 2023 compared to before the Russian invasion of Ukraine as LNG prices are now higher and many of the long-term Asian buyers have renewed their deals, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing analysts and its own calculations.

Most long-term LNG buyers of the Sakhalin-2 project, including from Japan and South Korea, have continued to buy gas from the venture, even though Western majors quit en masse operations in Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including Shell, which said it would leave the project.

Utilities in Japan and South Korea, however, continued to buy LNG from Sakhalin, citing energy securityand many of them renewed their long-term deals.

In 2021, the latest available data, the Sakhalin-2 project booked revenues of $5.7 billion, according to Reuters estimates. This year, the revenues could double on the back of higher LNG prices and continued demand from Asian buyers.

In August last year, Tokyo Gas, the largest city gas supplier in Japan, signed a long-term LNG agreement with the new Russian operator of Sakhalin-2 to keep supply volumes from the project.

A decree from Vladimir Putin stipulated in early July that a newly set up state Russian company would take over the rights and obligations of Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., the joint venture running the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project. Shell and Japans Mitsui and Mitsubishi were minority shareholders in Sakhalin Energy Investment Co.

In early August, the Russian government gave Sakhalin-2 minority foreign investors  Shell, Mitsui & Co, and Mitsubishi  one month to claim their stakes in a new entity that will replace the existing project. Shell confirmed it is looking at ways to exit the project, while the Japanese companies kept their stakes.

Mitsui, which still has 12.5% in Sakhalin-2, said in November that the project had enough technical know-how to run operations without Shell.

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Equinor has hired Standard Chartered to assist in a sale of the Norwegian energy majors stake in an offshore oilfield in Nigeria, industry sources told Reuters on Wednesday, in what could be the latest attempt of a major oil firm to divest operations in the African OPEC member.

The potential sale of Equinors 20% stake in the Agbami field offshore Nigeria could fetch up to $1 billion, according to Reuters sources.

Equinor is reportedly looking to sell its Nigerian oilfield stake to focus on more profitable and newer projects, the sources said.

U.S. supermajor Chevron is the operator of the Agbami Field, which lies 70 miles off the coast of the central Niger Delta region and spans 45,000 acres. Chevron has a 67.3% interest in the field, whose production has dropped in recent years. To offset field decline, infill drilling continued in 2019, Chevron says.

In 2020, the field produced 29,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), down from 36,000 boepd in the previous year, according to Reuters.

The rumored sale makes Equinor the latest oil major looking to either exit or downsize operations in Nigeria.

Exxon is trying to sell shallow water assets offshore Nigeria, but Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari made a U-turn in August on his initial approval of the asset sale to Seplat after the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission declined to approve the deal.

TotalEnergies and Shell are also looking to sell assets in Nigeria. In May 2022, TotalEnergies launched the sale of its 10% stake in a joint venture, SPDC.

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Shell said as early as in 2021 that it did not see its upstream oil operations in Nigeria as compatible with its strategy to become a net-zero energy business. Last year, Shell put on hold the sale of its onshore assets in Nigeria to comply with a Nigerian Supreme Court ruling to wait for the outcome of an appeal regarding an oil spill in 2019.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

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French bank BNP Paribas has made a commitment to reduce lending to the oil and gas industry by 80 percent by 2030 as part of entering a new phase in its decarbonization efforts.

In a press release, the bank reported it had already stopped lending to new oil projects in 2016 and planned to reduce current funding for oil production by 25 percent by next year. It would also exit coal, with the process to be finalized by 2030.

BNP Paribas also noted its outstanding loans for low-carbon energy projects were about 20 percent higher than its exposure to fossil fuels, having topped 28 billion euros last September.

The French banks announcement is the latest in a string of similar announcements from large lenders as they rush to declare their commitment to the energy transition by vowing an end to financing oil, gas, and coal production.

There is virtually no large international bank left in the world that has not made such a commitment, and yet Reuters reported earlier this week that up until now, at least, there has been little substance behind these declarations.

The amount of money banks are putting into renewable energy has changed little over the past six years, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing a report commissioned by several environmentalist nonprofits, including the Sierra Club and Fair Finance International.

Bank loans and bond underwriting for renewable energy businesses since 2016 has averaged 7 percent of a total $2.5 trillion in loans and bond underwritings for the energy industry as a whole, the report found

The reason for this was that although the amount of money being poured into renewables increased over the period, so did the amount of money going into fossil fuels.

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Banks financing to fossil fuels should be phasing out as financing to renewables increases drastically to have any chance of reaching the worlds - and their own - climate goals, according to Ward Warmerdam, a researcher with Profundothe entity that authored the report.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Los Angeles County has voted to ban new oil and gas drilling in the country, following a similar ban enacted by the City of Los Angeles last month.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed unanimously the ordinance that bans new oil and gas well drilling and phases out existing wells. The ordinance will take effect in 30 days.

Last month, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to ban new oil and gas drilling and agreed to phase out existing wells over the next 20 years.

The ban of the city is already being challenged in court. Warren Resources, an oil firm with a drilling project in Wilmington has decided to sue the city over the ban. The company accuses the city council of failing to carry out the necessary environmental review over the potential impact of halting extraction. The lawsuit, filed in the L.A. Superior Court, states that the decision violates the California Environmental Quality Act, the citys General Plan, and the state and federal constitutions. Warren has good reason to be unhappy about the ban, as it would mean the closure of all its operations, which are all located in Los Angeles.

Other firms, E&B Natural Resources Management Corporation and Hillcrest Beverly Oil Corp, are also suing the City of Los Angeles over the ordinance to ban new drilling and phase out existing operations.

Now the ban is extended to Los Angeles County with this weeks ordinance.

We cant afford to make the same mistakes of the past, LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said at a briefing carried by Bloomberg. Thats why our county is committed to developing an equitable and data-informed approach to phasing out oil drilling as we know it.

Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling, or STAND-L.A., rejoiced at the decision, which makes Los Angeles the first county in the U.S. to phase out oil drilling.

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By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The U.S. Treasury has granted a license to Trinidad and Tobago, allowing the Caribbean nation to develop a gas field offshore Venezuela and do business related to the gas field with Venezuelas state oil firm PDVSA, Reuters reports, quoting officials from the U.S. and Trinidad.

Trinidad and Tobago asked for a license from the U.S. Department of the Treasury in the middle of 2022, and the exemption was recently granted by the U.S. Administration.

Trinidad and Tobago expects to gain access to around 350 million cubic feet of gas per day from the offshore field Dragon, Prime Minister Keith Rowley told a news conference, as carried by Reuters.

Despite the license, the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro will not receive any cash payments from the project, and all remaining U.S. sanctions on Venezuelas energy industry will be left unchanged, an anonymous senior U.S. official told Reuters.

The license is aimed at boosting the energy security in the Caribbean basin and is another small step in the easing of the U.S. sanctions on Venezuelas oil and gas industry.

The Biden Administration has recently eased part of the sanctions imposed on Venezuela  initially slapped by former President Donald Trump  including granting U.S. supermajor Chevron, the only American company still operating in Venezuela, a six-month license that allows Chevron to import some Venezuelan crude oil to the United States for sale to U.S. refiners.

Earlier this month, reports had it that Chevron Corp recently sold 500,000 barrels of heavy Hamaca grade to U.S. refiner Phillips 66 to be used in its Sweeny, Texas refinery, anonymous sources told Bloomberg. It would be the first such sale since the United States sanctioned Venezuelas crude oil. Venezuelas heavy crude oil is prized by U.S. refiners, who, until recently, looked to Russias heavy crude to replace it. In December, it was reported that several refiners were hitting up Chevron to get their hands on the rare Venezuelan crude oil.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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A little optimism can help propel you when things get difficult in the homebuying market. But if youre feeling too good about your chances of buying this year  good in ways simply not justified given the current economic conditions  you could find yourself disappointed, at best, and unsuccessful or overextended, at worst.

About 28 million Americans plan on buying a home in the next 12 months, according to NerdWallets recent annual Home Buyer Report. Typically, theyre hoping to spend $200,000. This will be extremely difficult when the national median sales price of all homes, including condos, is $342,000, according to the latest data from Zillow.

Home prices have skyrocketed over the past two years. The housing market was overrun with buyers competing for too few available homes; pair that with low mortgage rates, and prices were driven skyward. Theyve come down a bit since their peak of $363,000 in June 2022, according to the Zillow data, but are unlikely to sink significantly in a broad-based fashion in 2023.

So, where will buyers find homes selling for $200,000? Not likely in the markets theyre hoping; high-demand markets command higher prices, and thats always the case. And this analysis of recent sales prices and a generous forecast of where prices could fall in the coming year find buyers will be hard up for that kind of bargain in most areas across the nation.

Buying at current prices

Even if home prices stop growing this year, a $200,000 budget wont go far in most markets. In fact, median sales prices havent been that low since early 2016. Of the 614 areas with available October 2022 Zillow pricing data, just 204 have median sales prices of $200,000 or lower. Most are smaller towns, as the dataset includes metropolitan and other areas with populations as low as 10,000 people. The largest of the metro areas with a sub-$200,000 sale price is Dayton, Ohio, with a population of 807,000.

Among the 50 largest metro areas, the average, typical price for this past October (the most recent data available) was $419,000, according to the Zillow data. Buyers who hope to purchase in these more populated areas should brace themselves for sales prices far above $200,000. These geographic areas are not only city centers, but generally include surrounding neighborhoods and even suburbs, so dont assume a commute will knock six figures off the prices you see.

Even if prices fall, they wont likely fall far

But just for fun, what if prices do fall in a measurable way? Growth in sales prices was fast and painful for buyers over the past few years, and those high prices arent sustainable in some markets. The most likely scenario in 2023 is that prices will come down slightly in some areas but stabilize in others. Theyre unlikely to plummet in a broad-based fashion.

Even if prices gave up half of their recent growth, few would be within that median buyers budget of $200,000.

From 2020 through October 2022, the most recent month for which data is available, sales prices grew 30% across the nation and as much as 50% or more in some metropolitan areas. In Austin, Texas, for example, sales prices rose 51%, from $347,000 in 2020, on average, to $525,000 in 2022. In Phoenix, AZ, they rose 48% during that period, from $312,000 to $462,000.

But what if all markets nationally gave up half of their steep 2020-22 growth? Still, fewer than half would have homes priced below the $200,000 threshold. Among the 50 most populous markets, just 6% would fall below $200,000. And the typical national sales price would still be $294,000.

Click here to view a table with current median sales prices and 2020-2022 growth rates in more than 600 areas across the country.

Glimmers of hope for 2023 buyers

This isnt all to dash dreams of buying in the next year. If the history of buying and selling homes in the United States has taught us anything, its that millions will be successful, even in tough economic times. But hopefuls should be more realistic than optimistic. Knowing what headwinds you might face can help anchor your expectations and drive the kind of planning that ensures you wont get in over your head.

Consult with a local real estate agent to learn a realistic budget for the area where you hope to buy. Also, use a home affordability calculator to understand better how a mortgage payment will fit in with your other financial obligations.

Some good news for 2023: Sellers no longer have sole control; the market is more balanced than it has been, mainly because demand has come down due to higher mortgage rates. This means theres more room for negotiations on things such as price, closing date, inspections and so on. But buyers will need to remain flexible, especially if their budget is at the lower end. A few hundred thousand may not go far enough in the hottest markets, but careful hunting in other areas and a willingness to forgo some must haves on your wishlist can make homeownership more likely a reality than a dream.

Elizabeth Renter writes for NerdWallet. Email: elizabeth@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @elizabethrenter.

The article 2023 Home Buyers Hope to Spend $200K  Heres Whats Realistic originally appeared on NerdWallet.
A total of 83 projects from across Nebraska will receive a share of nearly $20 million in federal pandemic recovery funds to bolster the development of the states behavioral health workforce.

The money is the first and largest installment of the $25.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds the Nebraska Legislature allocated to the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska last year. In total, the Legislature designated approximately $40 million of the federal funds for behavioral health projects in the state.

Among projects that will receive a portion of that funding are a planned pediatric mental health center on the campus of Childrens Hospital & Medical Center and Community Alliances new headquarters and expanded services, both in Omaha.

The Behavioral Health Education Center was tasked with distributing the funds in a way that would address the impacts of the pandemic and the shortage of behavioral health professionals. The center received nearly 200 applications totaling nearly $50 million in requested funds.

That speaks to the unmet need, said Dr. Marley Doyle, director of the center, which is housed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Center officials decided they wanted money to be available to providers and organizations across the state, she said. Of the 83 projects funded through the competitive application process, 43  or 52%  were in rural areas.

Were thrilled about that, Doyle said, noting that the behavioral health workforce shortage is a challenge. But the rural areas are where we see the most need.

The center soon will open a second round of applications. Updated information will be made available on the centers website.

The workforce money was awarded in four categories: behavioral health training and education; tele-behavioral health in rural areas; behavioral health projects to address the COVID-19 pandemic; and funding for supervision of provisionally licensed health providers.

Doyle said the education funding will allow clinics and organizations to take on more behavioral health students and trainees and pay them for their work.

Most training programs require students and trainees to spend time in clinical settings under supervision. But many of those internship programs are unpaid. Not all students can take an unpaid position. The hope, Doyle said, is that the funding will allow programs to train more people and to increase the number of trainees who go on to full licensure.

Separately, the fourth category, which provides funding for supervision of provisionally licensed providers, provides funding for existing providers to be paid for providing supervision. That way, more will be likely to do so.

To receive tele-behavioral health funding, Doyle said, applicants had to have a specific plan outlining how the funding would affect their current system or help them build a new one. Bryan Telemedicine, which provides a long list of telemedicine services in rural areas including behavioral health, received $1 million, which will allow it to further expand its services.

Such services are particularly important in areas of the state where there are no behavioral health care providers, Doyle said.

We know that tele-behavioral health is not the answer to access to behavioral health services, she said. ... But its a big part of the answer, because it is better than nothing.

Doyle said the state is fortunate that legislators saw mental health as a priority and chose to put resources toward it.
An Omaha man will spend more than 10 years in federal prison for his role in a series of bank robberies that netted nearly $1 million.

Kevin Brown, 34, was sentenced Tuesday to a total of 161 months on robbery and weapons charges, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Nebraska.

Brown was previously convicted for one of the robberies that was part of the scheme, the release said. He received credit for the 33 months he previously served, so he will now serve 128 months.

Brown and his co-defendant, Charles Ware, were part of a conspiracy to rob federally insured banks across Nebraska, the release said.

Brown was responsible for 10 armed bank robberies, according to the release. In total, the scheme robbed banks of over $959,000 between June 2015 and June 2018.

Brown and Ware used an old man mask that would give them the appearance of being an elderly man when first entering the banks, the release said. After the masked robber would enter the bank, the other man would rush in and take control of the employees.

The men would then jump the teller counter and access the bank vaults, the release said, and they usually used stolen vehicles to flee the scene.

Ware was sentenced on Dec. 15 to 170 months in federal prison, according to the release.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Omaha Police Department and the Lincoln Police Department. Restitution for the bank victims will be determined at a future hearing, the release said.
Students can take a break to visit a new vending machine at Westgate Elementary School, but they wont find any snacks inside.

The appliance instead offers books that can be taken home permanently with the use of a shiny gold token.

Westside Community Schools staff gathered Wednesday to unveil a new book vending machine, which was donated by the Christ Child Society of Omaha as part of a pilot literacy program.

Students can earn tokens either by having positive referrals or by buying them with their gator bucks  fake money given to students who demonstrate good behavior in the classroom.

Sue Seline, vice president of the National Christ Child Society board, said Omahas pilot program will start with Westgate Elementary but could expand to other metro schools depending on its results. Besides the installation of the vending machine, volunteers will visit the school throughout the year to host reading events.

Back when I was a kid, learning how to read  it made a difference in my life. And so I hope that will happen here, Seline said.

The Christ Child Society of Omaha, which has been around the metro area for more than a century, focuses on serving children in need. Seline said local members got the idea of the vending machine after the national organization introduced two others in different states. The Westside school district houses the third book vending machine so far.

The machine itself cost $6,000, and the school also will receive up to $1,500 a year to fill it with books, Seline said.

Breezy Parker, a Westgate Elementary reading specialist, said the books are picked out through Scholastic, a childrens book publisher commonly used in schools. Only time will tell how fast students will go through the books currently in the machine.

Parker said all of her students have been excited while waiting for the installation of the vending machine. In the past few weeks, her colleagues would routinely ask when students can start getting books out of the machine.

This is just a really special opportunity to get books in the homes of our students, Parker said.

A small group of students helped unveil the machine by being its first customers. After sliding in the gold token, they punched in the combination of what book they wanted, and it was dispensed below, just like regular vending machines.

Each student used markers to sign their names on the inside covers of their books, which will go home with them. Some of the students said they didnt know they were going to be chosen to receive a book until Wednesday morning. Others said the only time they get access to many books is at the school library.

There are kids who dont have books in the home. You dont think that, but there are. And the teachers always know, Seline said. So if we can help get books in the homes, and especially books that they pick out  I hope that will resonate.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2023
Omaha City Council members unanimously approved a resolution that will pay an Omaha firefighter more than $250,000 to settle claims of sexual harassment and retaliation.

Hunter Mathieu, who began her career as a firefighter in 2018 and was promoted to fire apparatus engineer in early 2022, filed claims in 2021 and 2022 that the Fire Department retaliated against her and failed to investigate in a timely manner after she reported sexual harassment.

Details about the allegations made by Mathieu are scarce because the complaints were filed with the Nebraska Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which are not public record.

A complaint filed with the commission is often the first step needed before moving forward with legal action.

Council members spent about half an hour in executive session to review the complaint, including a confidential memorandum outlining legal details of the settlement.

The payment will come from the citys judgment fund, which is funded through Omahas property tax levy.

The city admits no fault in the settlement agreement and continues to deny the allegations. However, the agreement states that an independent administrative investigation into Mathieus complaints confirmed that violations of Omaha Fire Department policy occurred.

The settlement will provide Mathieu with a lump sum payment of $253,000 to cover alleged damages and legal fees. She will be placed on administrative leave until December and be paid her full salary and benefits. When the administrative leave ends, the agreement stipulates that Mathieu must voluntarily resign, although she can apply to be rehired.

Reached by phone Monday, Mathieu said she did not wish to comment on the settlement.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2023
A Southington man was arrested and charged with negligent homicide on Tuesday after a fiery multi-car crash on Interstate 84 in Farmington in 2022 that killed a man and a woman, according to the Connecticut State Police.

Sean Jackson, 57, of Southington was arrested on an active warrant after he turned himself in to state police at Troop H in Hartford around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, state police said. He was charged with two counts of negligent homicide, speeding, failure to maintain proper lane, failure to renew his registration and operating a motor vehicle without the minimum insurance.

Charges stem from a crash involving four cars on Interstate 84 between Exits 37 and 38 in Farmington on Jan. 11, 2022. Five of the seven people involved in the crash reported injuries, two of which were fatal, according to the arrest warrant.

Witnesses reported that Jacksons Ford F-150 was traveling in the left lane of the eastbound portion of I-84 when it sideswiped a Chrysler PT Cruiser driven by a 38-year-old Middletown woman. The truck then veered to the left, crossed over the snow-covered center grassy median and went airborne before striking a Toyota Camry in the I-84 West center lane. The truck then landed on its roof on the right shoulder and caught fire. The Toyota was forced into a Jeep Compass in the center lane and the Jeep rolled over on the right side of the highway, the warrant said.

The driver of the Toyota, identified as Nia McDougald, 21, of Windsor, was seriously injured in the crash and later pronounced dead at Hartford Hospital on the day of the crash. A passenger in the Toyota, 23-year-old Chancellor Ross of Hartford, was seriously injured in the crash and died at Saint Francis on Jan. 15 from injuries sustained in the crash, the warrant said.

The Chief Medical Examiners Office declared the cause of McDougalds death to be blunt impact injury of torso and extremities and the manner of death as a motor vehicle collision. Ross death was ruled complications of blunt force trauma of head, torso, and right lower extremity and the manner of death was a motor vehicle collision, the warrant said.

Jackson and his passenger, Jason Keyes, 49, of Coventry, were seriously injured in the crash and transported to Hartford Hospital. Jackson was intubated on a breathing tube for days following the crash. Keyes, who said he believes he was ejected from the pickup truck, suffered multiple broken bones but was in stable condition following the crash.

The driver of the Jeep, identified as 38-year-old Jason Didomenico, suffered minor injuries in the crash, the warrant said.

Jacksons truck was determined to be going anywhere from 77 to 85 mph in a 65 mph speed limit zone before the crash. Medical records from the hospital show that he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash.

Jackson was held in lieu of a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Feb. 3.
LINCOLN  A former prison guard caught smuggling methamphetamine and marijuana into the Nebraska State Penitentiary got prison time for it Tuesday.

Edgar Gomez, 35, of La Vista pleaded no contest to possession of methamphetamine, delivery of marijuana and unlawful acts in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

His attorney, Edward Wintroub, said that when an inmate initially approached Gomez, he was distressed, needed the money and didnt know what to do, so he agreed to do the smuggling.

When he was asked to do it again, he threw the package away, but the inmate told him there would be consequences if he didnt do it.

In arguing for probation, Wintroub said Gomez had been manipulated and made bad decisions, but he was concerned for Gomezs safety if he were sentenced to prison, something Gomez echoed when he was given an opportunity to speak.

I feel like there would be a huge target on my back, Gomez said. Mentally, I wasnt all there when this happened.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Charles Byrd pointed out inconsistencies in Gomezs statements. At one point, he said hed thrown the package away the first time. He told another investigator that hed brought in contraband successfully twice before and was caught the third time, on Feb. 18, 2022.

Byrd said Gomezs phone records show he was paid $2,500 between Jan. 30, 2022, and Feb. 18.

He minimizes his role in this and offers excuses instead of taking responsibility for his actions, the prosecutor said.

On Feb. 18, staff at the State Penitentiary found Gomez with a beverage can with a hidden compartment as he entered the prison for work, according to the affidavit for his arrest.

Correctional staff found plastic baggies with 57.2 grams of meth and 65.1 grams of marijuana inside.

Gomez ultimately was arrested and charged.

Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson called the amounts Gomez was caught smuggling astonishing and said for him to suggest that he didnt know what he was bringing into the prison was very difficult for her to believe.

This was a business transaction, she said. I recognize that it was something that you got into and, quite frankly, I dont doubt that you got in over your head rather quickly. But in the line of work that you were in you also knew that that was one of the consequences of doing this.

Nelson said Gomez had full ability to say no or to stop it and should have considered the consequences of getting caught when he decided to do it.

You violated a position of trust by engaging in this behavior, she said.

Nelson said she also recognized that Gomez had little criminal history before this but said sometimes that first offense is a doozy.

And she sentenced Gomez to six to 10 years in prison.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2023
LINCOLN  The perennial effort to repeal, or at least loosen, Nebraskas law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets returned to the Legislature on Tuesday.

State law has required anyone riding a motorcycle to strap on a helmet since 1989, even as other states have reversed course and eliminated or relaxed their requirements.

Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, who is leading the push this year with 15 others, sponsored a measure, Legislative Bill 91, that would allow any motorcyclist or passenger over age 21 who has completed a basic certification course by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation to ride without a helmet.

That would keep Nebraska one of the most restrictive states in the region  most states with some type of helmet law require helmets for riders under age 19  while also giving riders the freedom to make a personal choice about their own safety, Hansen said.

I would personally wear a helmet and would encourage everyone else to wear one, Hansen told the Legislatures Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. But this is a risk they are free to take.

Backers of repealing Nebraskas helmet law said that the current statute denies them a freedom granted by other states and that motorcyclists will avoid traveling through the Cornhusker State in order to not be burdened by the helmet requirement.

Former State Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Wakefield, who fought for similar measures in previous years, said the helmet law has resulted in Nebraska losing out on thousands of riders who would otherwise stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and spend their money here.

A freedom has been lost and a right has been denied, Bloomfield said. We are due for a rebirth of basic freedoms.

Randall Geer, a district leader of American Bikers Aiming Toward Education of Nebraska  better known as ABATE  said helmets will only do so much to protect riders, adding proper training on defensive driving techniques was more important to keep motorcyclists safe.

I know my 700-pound motorcycle will never win a battle royale with a 3,000-pound car, Geer said. Because of that, I do things that minimize risk. I have an endorsement on my license, I make a point to allow adequate space between me and the traffic in front of me, and I make an effort to avoid driving in other drivers blind spots.

Geer said more than half of motorcyclists killed on Nebraska roads between 2016 and 2021 did not have the proper motorcycle endorsement, adding that education would save more lives than helmets.

Former State Sen. Kent Rogert of Tekamah, a lobbyist representing ABATE, said forcing riders to wear helmets doesnt inherently make them safer: One might think were saving a motorcyclist from himself by forcing a helmet on them, but well never save a motorcyclist from an oncoming truck.

What helmet laws do is reduce the enjoyment of life that motorcyclists are seeking on the open road, he added.

Opponents of the bill represented health care professionals, first responders, insurance providers and trial attorneys, all of whom said the helmet law helped save lives and keep the emotional and fiscal costs down.

Eric Koeppe, the CEO of the Nebraska Safety Council, said a study by the University of Michigan found a more than 25% decline in helmet use in the year after the state partially repealed its law in 2012, and a 14% increase in the number of crash-related head injuries.

A mandatory helmet law saves live and quality of life, Koeppe said, and was supported by more than 4 out of 5 Nebraskans surveyed by AAA, a national auto club group.

Daniel Rosenquist, a family physician from Columbus who testified on behalf of the Nebraska Medical Association, told the committee that helmets also reduced health care costs that are often shared by taxpayers because just over half of injured riders have private health insurance.

After Nebraskas helmet law went into effect, there was a 22% drop in serious head injuries related to motorcycle crashes, Rosenquist said, and helmets are estimated to reduce head injuries by nearly 70%.

Brooke Murtaugh, the brain injury program manager at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals, said while she was sympathetic to the idea that riders should have the freedom to choose whether to wear a helmet, those decisions affected others as well.

Individuals with brain injuries used to be cared for during hospital stays lasting six months, she told the committee, while the costs of care and insurance has now reduced the length of those stays to two to three weeks.

The brain does not recover that fast, Murtaugh said, which can have negative consequences on riders injured in crashes, their families and others.

Requiring riders to wear helmets lessens the likelihood of them suffering traumatic brain injuries, which could reduce their quality of life and their ability to work and make their own medical decisions, she added.

Mark Richardson of the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys, told the committee that he had represented too many motorcyclists who had been injured in crashes, and that while he respected each individual, as well as the culture as a whole, he believed helmets were beneficial.

Ive sat across from enough neurologists in my practice that have looked me in the eye and said this helmet saved your clients life, he said. I trust them when they tell me that.

Hansen, in his closing statement before the committee, said the Legislature doesnt issue mandates for other dangerous activities such as putting Christmas lights on roofs, walking on ice or going out in a lightning storm.

Nor do state lawmakers enact statutes regulating how many drinks an individual can have in a bar or how much soda an obese individual can consume, even though the health care costs to treat related conditions can also be passed onto taxpayers.

I dont think its the right of government to protect people from dumb decisions, he said.

The Transportation and Telecommunications Committee did not take action on the bill Tuesday.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2023
LINCOLN  Nearly two years after a frozen pipe broke at the AltEn ethanol plant and contaminated Saunders County waterways, a Nebraska lawmaker reintroduced a bill to give victims more time to sue.

State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue introduced Legislative Bill 7, which would extend Nebraskas statute of limitations for hazardous or toxic chemical exposures from four years to 10 years. She said the change is necessary because many victims of toxic chemicals dont start experiencing symptoms until after four years.

This is the key to the courthouse for people, said attorney Vince Powers, who testified in support of the bill at a Judiciary Committee meeting Wednesday.

LB 7 was drafted in response to the AltEn leak in 2021, which released gallons of wastewater into the groundwater near Mead, Nebraska, from a 4 million-gallon tank. Even before the leak and the plants shutdown, nearby residents complained of foul odors and negative health effects resulting from the plant.

Blood brought similar legislation last year through LB 694, which stalled in the Judiciary Committee. She said the Legislature failed to do what was needed and this years bill now comes a year too late.

The Legislature needs to take a hold of its responsibility, and protect Nebraskans from parties that knowingly, not accidentally, expose their constituents to hazardous chemicals, Blood said.

Eleanor Rogan, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said LB 7 was a reasonable extension to the statute of limitations. She said she has spent years studying latency periods, which refers to the period of time between the exposure of toxic chemicals and when the first symptoms occur. Rogan said latency periods can last anywhere from a year to 35 years, depending on the disease and age of the victim.

Trevor Towey, president of the Omaha Professional Firefighters, said the bill would also benefit local firefighters, who are often exposed to dangerous toxins as part of their job. He said sometimes their exposure to toxins is long-term, as some chemicals sink into their gear. Towey said some firefighters are able to switch into different gear to clean the contaminated ones, but that isnt always possible.

All workers should have the basic expectations that if they develop any health deficits as a result of an exposure at work that they should qualify for the protections that they deserve, Towey said.

Attorney Emily Motto opposed LB 7, arguing that Nebraskas current four-year statute of limitations is long enough because it is measured from when the death, injury or damage occurs, rather than when the victim is first exposed.

Bloods bill would amend state law to start the measurement from when the cause of action occurs that results in the injury or death.

Motto argued that the bill may make it more difficult for victims to successfully sue. The longer plaintiffs wait from the incident in question to introduce a lawsuit, the more difficult it is to pull their case together, she said.

Powers actually echoed this point, although he used it to make a point in support of LB 7, arguing it would give victims a larger window of time to work with.

Blood refuted Mottos point, arguing that 10 years was not excessive, and would not encourage ambulance chasers in Nebraska.

What its going to do is show that we are aware of whats going on right now in Nebraska, Blood said.

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session
LINCOLN  In his first State of the State speech Wednesday, Gov. Jim Pillen unveiled a budget plan heavy on tax cuts and state support for K-12 education.

The new governor called for holding the line on state general fund spending while creating a new fund to significantly boost state aid to all Nebraska school districts.

He also proposed building a new state prison, setting aside more than $574 million to build the Perkins County canal and providing for a $500 million boost in state road-building efforts.

Together, we can deliver transformative tax reform, achieve historic fiscal restraint and make good on our educational promises to Nebraskas next generation, Pillen said in a letter to lawmakers that accompanied his budget plan.

Pillen said he started working on the budget at 9 a.m. Nov. 9, the morning after his victory in the general election. Though he said he initially wanted to be more aggressive, he held back in some areas to build a more sustainable proposal.

The goal of this budget is straightforward: to make clear my commitment to shrinking the growth and size of state government, he said.

The budget proposal Pillen released Wednesday provides for a 1.3% annual average increase in state general fund spending during the two years ending June 30, 2025.

Pillen said he was aided by unprecedented revenue levels that Nebraska and many neighboring states are experiencing, which he referred to as bushel baskets of extra cash. The latest revenue projections expect Nebraska would reach a historic cash reserve of $2.3 billion by fiscal year 2025.

Instead, Pillens budget plan would have the cash reserve sit at around $1.6 billion by FY25. The $574 million for the Perkins County canal would be covered under the reserve, along with more than $95 million to add to the $250 million set aside to build a new state prison to replace the Nebraska State Penitentiary.

The Perkins County canal would run from Colorado through southwest Nebraska. Under a century-old compact, Nebraska can lay claim to water from the South Platte River if the state builds such a canal. The new prison, previously pushed by former Gov. Pete Ricketts, had $250 million earmarked for it, although lawmakers have yet to officially authorize it.

Pillen previewed his biggest budget initiatives last week. For schools, they included a proposal to create a new Education Future Fund, which would be used to provide $1,500 per student for all schools and to increase special education funding in the coming school year. Those changes add up to more than $260 million annually.

Together, they would increase state support for K-12 education, even as rising property valuations would mean less money for the older school aid formula. That formula provides state dollars to fill the gap between a districts educational needs and the money it can get from property taxes and other sources.

We cant let one kid fall through the cracks, he said.

State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln said she liked the idea of increasing support for education, especially special education, which should help with property taxes.

But she raised concerns about meeting state needs while keeping spending at a 1.3% average increase. She also raised concerns about Pillens plan for income taxes.

The governor proposed tapping the states flush tax coffers for the initial investment of $1 billion into the new fund, then providing for a $250 million infusion each following year. He wants the increased support coupled with a 3% cap on school revenue growth.

On the tax side, Pillens plan calls for bringing down the top income tax rate to 3.99% by 2027 and speeding up the elimination of income taxes on Social Security. Conrad criticized the plan for leaving out middle- and low-income taxpayers.

Pillen proposed to tackle property taxes by putting more money into the states long-standing property tax credit program. He also proposed to increase a separate program that provides income tax credits for property taxes paid to community colleges to cover 100% of the taxes paid.

The income tax credits would be replaced in 2027 by the elimination of community colleges property tax authority. Community colleges currently account for about 5% of property taxes statewide.

Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, who chairs the Revenue Committee, said she was very happy with the governors proposals, noting that she has long advocated for similar tax cuts and education funding increases.

Big picture, I think hes being careful but strategic, she said.

Nebraskas existing school aid formula is projected to drop by $111.5 million in the second year of the biennium, from $1.08 billion down to $971 million under Pillens proposal. That offsets spending increases needed to pay for the historic raises negotiated with unions representing most state employees.

The budget proposal includes $99.4 million over the two-year period for the employee pay raises. However, that figure was based on early estimates of 6% annual increases in state employee pay. The raises negotiated with the Nebraska Association of Public Employees ranged from 10% to 27% over the course of two years.

Pillen proposed a few new programs. One would provide $5 million annually for mentorship programs in early elementary grades, with a goal of supporting teachers and helping students learn to read. Another would provide $5 million annually for grants aimed at retaining teachers, nurses, veterinarians and other needed health care professionals.

He also threw his support behind a proposal to help private and parochial schools by offering $25 million worth of tax credits to people donating to private school scholarship funds.

State Budget Director Lee Will said the $1.6 billion remaining in the cash reserve would be enough to help the state weather future recessions, even after making the proposed tax cuts. He said lawmakers would also have roughly $218 million in additional funds to work with during the session, although Pillen said he would not be shy about rejecting some proposals.

I didnt get into this to make friends. Im in this to make a difference for Nebraskas taxpayers, Pillen said.

Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, said the 87 bills pending before the committee would add up to much more than $218 million.

Pillen said hes already said no to a plethora of pie in the sky requests from various state departments when drafting his proposal, including a request for funding IT systems for the State Department of Health and Human Services. Some departments, including Agriculture, will see spending reductions from Pillens proposal removing some vacant positions.

A coalition of groups representing a wide range of health and human services providers panned the governors budget, saying that it ignores the crisis those providers face as costs increase and services close down.

Pillens budget would cover the continued costs of rate increases put in place last year but does not include additional funds. The coalition includes hospitals, nursing homes, doctors, child welfare providers and others.

Aside from the budget, Pillen voiced his thoughts on some policy areas, most notably pledging his support for legislation that would ban all abortions around six weeks past gestation, once embryonic cardiac activity can be detected. The bill, introduced by Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston, has already been criticized as a thinly veiled total abortion ban, with opponents arguing that most women dont realize theyre pregnant until after the six-week deadline.

Pillen said the debate on abortion has gotten too complicated, and claimed it isnt about in vitro fertilization, contraception or patient-doctor relationships.

Its simply about ending the abortion of babies growing in mothers wombs, Pillen said. I am fighting for the rights of every baby ... with a beating heart, pure and simple.
BLOOMINGTON  Snow is coming down throughout Central Illinois, with more on the way.

"I cannot stress enough: If you do have to venture out this morning, give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination," said Matt Holiner, Midwest chief meteorologist for Lee Enterprises.

Roadways in McLean County were shown to be partly covered in ice or snow on the state's winter road conditions map as of 7:45 a.m., while those in DeWitt, Livingston and Ford counties were listed as fully covered.

The National Weather Service at Lincoln also urged caution, having issued a winter weather advisory for a swath of counties including McLean. It advised drivers to plan on slippery roads for their morning commute, but also to be aware that snow showers could maintain slick patches on roads in the afternoon as well.

Holiner said light to moderate snow, with pockets of heavy snow, would continue across Central Illinois through the morning. By 2 p.m., he said, the chance for heavy snow will have passed through the region, though scattered snow showers could continue.

Bloomington has issued a snow route parking ban until further notice, and Normal's parking ban is underway until noon Thursday.

Farmer City schools are having an e-learning day.

The National Weather Service at Lincoln has predicted a total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches for the Bloomington area. Winds could gust as high as 24 miles per hour.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

Looking for something lighter? Here are some Flying Horse submissions about winter.

Flying Horse: Winter Annie Jackett, grade 3, Calvary Jackson, grade 3, Calvary Elizabeth Knowles, grade 5, Calvary Parker, grade 3, Calvary Emma Poland, grade 5, Calvary Hanna Joy Shiff, grade 5, Calvary Gemma Smith, grade 5, Calvary Julia, grade 2, Fox Creek Evalynn Rettick, grade 2, Fox Creek Tremaine Jr. Becton, grade 1, Glenn Varshita Karri, grade 1, Glenn Mithra, grade 1, Glenn Nevaeh, grade 1, Glenn Ciara Nteke, grade 1, Glenn Kriti Reddy P., grade 1, Glenn No name, grade 2, Glenn Oliver, grade 1, Glenn Manu Subbiah, grade 1, Glenn Katie Carr, kindergarten, Grove Henry Babbit, grade 2, Parkside Elsa Bell, grade 2, Parkside Brynnleigh Best, grade 2, Parkside George Dicken, grade 2, Parkside Logan Fincham, grade 2, Parkside Ethan Gibb, grade 2, Parkside Liam Glenn, grade 2, Parkside Noelia Gonzalaz, grade 2, Parkside Aleah Hepburn, grade 2, Parkside Johnathan Huey, grade 2, Parkside Oliver Hunt, grade 2, Parkside Annabelle Lin, grade 2, Parkside Decklyn Olson, grade 2, Parkside Kennedy Roberts, grade 2, Parkside Norah Julien, grade 2, Prairieland Saanvika Aiagiri, grade 2, Washington
BLOOMINGTON  McLean County received between 3 and 4 inches of snow in its first winter storm with accumulation in 2023, according to estimates from local meteorologists.

Matt Barnes of the National Weather Service's Central Illinois office said a report near Towanda at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday showed about 4 inches of snowfall. Another report near Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington showed about 3 inches.

South of that, Barnes said the measurements tapered off.

Roadways in McLean County were shown to be partly covered in ice or snow on the state's winter road conditions map as of 7:45 a.m., while those in DeWitt, Livingston and Ford counties were listed as fully covered.

McLean County was under a winter weather advisory until 6 p.m. Wednesday along with a swath of other counties. The weather service advised drivers to plan on slippery roads for their morning commute, but also to be aware that snow showers could maintain slick patches on roads in the afternoon as well.

Barnes said conditions weren't expected to worsen after Wednesday evening.

The Normal Police Department reported no major crashes as a result of the weather. The Bloomington Police Department and McLean County Sheriff's Office could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Matt Holiner, chief meteorologist for Lee Enterprises, said there was no immediate chance of heavy snowfall in Central Illinois after Wednesday morning. However, light showers were expected off and on for the rest of Wednesday afternoon and evening.

"This will add to the final snow totals a little," Holiner said. "Occasional snow flurries will continue to be possible late (Wednesday) through the early afternoon Thursday, but little to no accumulation is expected."

Although initial reports estimated 4 to 5 inches of snow to fall this week, Holiner said the lower totals were the result of a layer of dry air in the atmosphere that caused rain and snow to evaporate before hitting the ground Tuesday night. Therefore, snow started to accumulate later than expected.

Above-freezing temperatures also helped with gradual melting in several locations.

Holiner said isolated rain and snow showers are expected Friday as a warm front lifts over Central Illinois.

The best chance of precipitation will be Saturday night as isolated rain showers turn to snow. These snow showers will continue into Sunday and end Sunday afternoon.

Pantagraph reporter Brendan Denison contributed to this story.

Brrr! All-time snowfall records Records from the Lincoln Climate February 23, 1914 Big snow, big news January 13, 1927 December 25, 1909 November 17, 1926 March 16, 1960 April 4, 1920 October 23, 1929 A rare second photograph Traces of snow in May Looking for more?
Wingimall, the newest and most dynamic e-commerce platform, officially launches today in Ghana. With the slogan "Abundance of Choice" and an elephant as a symbol representing plenty, loyalty and a strong sense of community, this new marketplace promises to offer its customers the best selection of products.



With the important goal of providing Ghanaian customers an exceptional shopping experience, the platform will offer quality products from top brands from around the world, including those not readily available in the country, and a hassle-free shopping process. Wingimall is here to stay!



Powered by iParama - a payment solutions platform that gives Africans ease of access to global inventory  Wingimall's vision is to become the leading e-commerce platform in Ghana, and eventually, take over the entire African continent.



Wingimall offers a wide variety of products including fashion, electronics, health and wellness, sports, mom and baby, automotive, and home appliances. All of which are carefully curated to ensure that customers have access to unique and hard-to-find products from the best brands around the world. The platform also makes it easy for customers to make purchases by accepting payments from all mobile money wallets in addition to Visa cards and of course ensure a fast delivery process. Orders are delivered in less than 7 days!



With its abundance of choice and quick delivery, Wingimall is the premier e-commerce platform for customers looking for unique and high-quality products.



Experience an exceptional online shopping experience by visitinghttps://www.wingimall.com/ today.



Wingimall has it all!





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 recent hikes in electricity and water tariffs could dampen hopes of business recovery and employment prospects, the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has warned.



The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) last week announced an upward review of electricity and water tariffs for the first quarter of this year. The new tariffs  which take effect February 1, 2023  will see monthly electricity and water bills go up 29.96 percent and 8.3 percent respectively across the board for all customers. With this, it means within a period of less than six months, electricity tariffs have shot up significantly on two occasions  26.6 percent in September 2022 and 29.9 percent for this quarter, totalling 56.5 percent; water has gone up 48 percent over the same period.



The AGI has however described the level of increments as excessive. Businesses, it said, were hoping to see signs of recovery this year, having been under pressure from an unstable business environment coupled with so much uncertainty since last year; hence, the recent increase in utility tariffs could spell doom for recovery and employment prospects.



The level of utility tariff increments for water and electricity as captured in the PURCs release are too high for industry to bear, particularly at this time, its Chief Executive Officer, Seth Twum-Akwaboah, said in a statement to the B&FT.



While acknowledging that the review is in line with the quarterly automatic adjustment as required of the regulator, it said the timing and level of increments will throw cold water on businesses ability to recover from economic downturns of the last few years.



We reckon that our utility companies need to recover cost to sustain their operations, but when end-user tariffs get to unbearable levels the effect could be dire for both industry and the utility companies, AGI said.



It further bemoaned that elements of cross-subsidy, industry subsidizing tariffs for residential consumers are still embedded in the tariff structure, with the latest review failing to honour PURCs effort to correct this anomaly.



We therefore urge the PURC to expedite action toward full reversal of the tariff structure in support of governments industrial transformation agenda, Mr. Twum-Akwaboah added.



Apart from asking the PURC to address what it believes is a punitive tariff regime, AGI urged government to ensure efficient utility infrastructure and logistics management to save cost in these difficult times. We expect government to control macroeconomic instability  a major trigger and driver for such sudden changes in tariffs-level and price hikes.

Source: B&FT









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Connecticut State Police K9 helped troopers and local police locate a suspect in a reported car theft in Ellington on Tuesday.

Troopers assigned to Troop C and the Ellington Police Department responded to an address on West Road in Ellington around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday for a reported stolen red Chevrolet CK 1500 pickup truck. The person who reported the vehicle stolen said the trucks last known direction of travel was westbound on Route 83 toward the Rockville/Vernon area.

Troopers gave the Vernon Police Department a description of the truck and asked for them to be on the lookout.

While troopers were speaking with the individual, Vernon police received a report from a caller that said a suspicious red pickup truck just parked in their apartment complex on Regan Street in Vernon. The caller said a man was seen exiting the drivers side of the vehicle.

Troopers and Vernon police located the red pickup truck at the complex and confirmed it was the same one reported stolen earlier in the day.

A state police K9 was deployed and led troopers to an outside apartment door in the complex. Troopers and Vernon officers spoke with a resident of the apartment and located the suspect, identified as 58-year-old John Hansen of Willington. During the investigation, troopers said Hansen was allegedly in possession of the keys to the truck and was displaying signs of possible impairment.

Hansen was taken into police custody and transported to Troop C in Tolland where he agreed to participate in field sobriety tests, which he allegedly failed, state police said.

Hansen was arrested and charged with third-degree larceny, use of a motor vehicle without permission, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and operating without a license.

He was held on a $25,000 bond and transferred to Hartford Correctional Center. He was scheduled to appear in Rockville Superior Court on Wednesday.
It has become common these days to find interesting stories on social media where people share their frustrations about what they ordered online versus what they got. Although some of these stories are hilarious, they show how some online business people are riding on shoppers' ignorance to exploit them by presenting enticing images of products online yet selling inferior ones to customers because they know it may be challenging to track them down.



In the past, companies did not prioritise transparency and honesty in business. Most organisations operated opaquely, and not even employees had first-hand information on all the companys operations. In todays market, however, companies must learn that honesty and transparency inspire trust, and as the level of trust increases, so does the likelihood of success.



Businesses need to do more to gain and maintain customer trust through transparency and honesty in an age where customers have more options and understand customer rights and privileges with easy-to-access regulatory agencies and multiple social media platforms to express their dissatisfaction. A consulting firm, Label Insights survey, found that 94% of consumers prefer brands that practice transparency. Studies show that 52% of Millennials research background information about products before purchasing, and 42% expect to know what goes into products and how goods are made before they purchase them.



The two fundamental elements of honesty and transparency have emerged as the benchmark for businesses in todays society, and companies are reaping remarkable benefits economically while at the same time building their reputation. Treating employees, partners and customers how the business owner would want to be treated aids in creating an environment of trust and support. Such become the building blocks of long successful relationships, a phenomenon no different in the direct selling business, which has penetrated the African market somewhat aided by the COVID-19 pandemic.



What is Direct Selling?



Direct selling is a method of marketing and retailing goods and services directly to consumers in their homes or any other location away from permanent retail premises. It is a sales channel companies use to promote their products away from a physical retail location, directly to the end consumer, primarily relying on word-of-mouth promotion of existing users. According to the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) report[3], Africa in 2020 saw a 17.3% year-on-year increase in the number of individuals involved in direct selling with brands like QNET tapping into the trend by expanding its presence in the region.



Why are Transparency and Honesty Important in the Direct Selling Business?



The direct selling business relies heavily on salespeople getting in front of customers in non-traditional settings to sell products. When marketing products and services, every salesperson has no choice but to be honest, and truthful. If they deal honestly in business and consumer confidence is positive, customers will forge a long-lasting relationship with the brand. Dishonest business practices will only lead to a long brand reputation damage and a trust deficit.



On the other hand, honest business practices in direct selling build foundations of trust with customers and every other individual and entity. By putting credible information in peoples hands, they can make more informed and, therefore, better decisions and choices.



QNET, for instance, launched in Nigeria last year to give Nigerians access to high-quality products and offer a unique opportunity to earn additional income in an internationally tried-and-true business model. The company discloses essential business operations, goals, values, and information.



Firms and individuals involved in direct selling must deal with customers with integrity by backing up their work and products to be everything they have been advertised because consumers expect this as a bare minimum.

The value and importance of honesty and transparency in direct selling have apparent and subtle implications. Small and big direct-selling business owners should operate based on a commitment to provide valuable services or products. Failing to meet your corporate responsibilities establishes a climate of mistrust and potential illegality.



From the foregoing, businesses have no choice but to remain transparent. Integrity in business enhances your reputation  which can help attract and retain customers, boost employee loyalty and become a more attractive investment proposition. Business integrity is strongly correlated with financial performance, so organisations must espouse transparency and integrity to thrive in the increasingly competitive market.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Huawei Ghana has been adjudged one of Africas top employers alongside ten other country offices in Sub-Saharan Africa namely South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Angola, Botswana, Mauritius, Uganda, Mozambique and Tanzania, at the 2023 Top Employer Awards.



The company has seen its country office presence in the Top Employer Institute's Top Employer rankings grow from nine in 2022 to eleven this year, and has even been accredited as the Continental HQ Top Employer for 2022 in Sub-Saharan Africa. The increased representation in the prestigious annual rankings is a testament to the work Huawei has put into employee wellbeing across the region over the past 12 months.



Being certified as a Top Employer showcases an organisations dedication to a better world of work and exhibits this through excellent HR policies and people practices. The Top Employers Institute programme certifies organizations based on the participation and results of their HR Best Practices Survey. This survey covers six HR domains consisting of 20 topics including people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning, diversity, equity & inclusion, wellbeing and more.



Commenting on the award, the Human Resource Director for Huawei Ghana, Mr. Chen Xuli said, We are honored to be recognized for our effort in creating exceptional employee experiences for our staff. The award is a recognition of Huawei Ghanas commitment to the development of its workforce and the provision of a comprehensive set of benefits and practices for its employees.



At Huawei, we believe in creating an environment of professional growth, innovation and employee engagement and have consistently implemented a number of policies and practices to ensure that our employees have an optimal working experience which include career development opportunities and a safe and inclusive work environment.



Through systematic training programs, our employees at different stages of their career, get to learn the skills they need, adapt to their new roles and quickly grow. Huawei will continue to strive to create an exceptional employee experience and provide its staff with the tools and resources necessary to excel in their roles. He added.



Human Resource Director for Huawei Southern Africa Region, Mr. Yu Chen indicated that, Huawei is proud to have seen improvements in its rating for employee wellness, which is due to programmes designed to enhance the physical and mental health of employees.



Under its Leadership Employability Advancement and Possibility (LEAP) program, Huawei, partnered top ICT industry players and successfully connected 200 fresh graduates to industry relevant jobs in 2022. The company has trained over 10,000 tertiary students in advance ICT certification courses under its ICT Academy initiative to equip them with the requisite digital skills and prepare them for the job market. Between 2021 and 2022, 70,000 young girls and female traders have been trained in Financial Technology (FinTech), Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Privacy Protection, Data Storage & Transfer and Coding with them aim of leaving no one behind in the digital journey.



Top Employers Institute CEO David Plink says, Exceptional times bring out the best in people and organisations. And we have witnessed this in our Top Employers Certification Programme this year: exceptional performance from the certified Top Employers 2023. These employers have always shown that they care for the development and well-being of their people. By doing so, they collectively enrich the world of work. We are proud to announce and celebrate this years group of leading people-oriented employers: the Top Employers 2023.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Local pig farmers are in danger of being pushed out of business as the country officially opens its borders to large quantities of imported pork and meat products from the United States of America.



Per a market access report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has sealed a deal with USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) by which the two parties have agreed to allow the products into the Ghanaian market.



The report, which is available to the B&FT, indicates that MoFA acknowledged receipt of the FSIS proposed certificate of export for pork and pork products, and confirmed its acceptance, adding: The Ghanaian market is now officially open to US exports of pork and pork products in addition to other meat products from the United States.



The agreement was reached as a result of a request made by the USDAs FSIS on October 24, 2022 for Ghana to allow pork products to be imported into the country in huge quantities.



The deal has however sparked concerns among stakeholders of possible dumping and the risk it poses to local meat production and the cedi. Livestock industry players are also worried over whether there are designated laboratories in place to check the wholesomeness of these impending imports.



For instance, the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana (CAG) has expressed worry over the deal, saying it does not augur well for local piggeries and the economy at large.



As it stands, pig farmers are finding difficulties in sustaining the industry due to high feed and operational costs, and now an undue advantage is being offered to American producers who have subsidies from their country as well as cheap technology to produce more, lamented CAGs CEO, Anthony Selorm Morrison.



According to the report, the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Veterinary Services Directorate of MoFA signed and responded to the request on January 12, 2023  that the country will not only accept pork products onto its market but also other meat products including beef, goat, lamb and poultry, among others.



Pork products have become a major delicacy for many Ghanaians in recent years, with some piggeries in the country, according to CAG, exporting the commodity to the Chinese market  the largest pork consuming nation in the world.



CAG however disclosed that lack of data on the livestock industry, particularly pork production, has been a major problem in the country: Data would have informed government about the gains being made, and whether we need to import in large quantities or rely on government for funding in order to expand production.



The Chamber also lamented the lack of consultation with stakeholders by government before entering into the pact.



Pork import



Ghanas imported pork and pork products market was valued at US$16million in 2021, according to the USDA.



Total imports have increased progressively from 2017, hitting 15,000 metric tonnes in 2021 as the market is dominated by the EU, with the United States not being a significant player  not even counted among the top-ten importers into the country.



The USDA has however noted that opening the market to US pork and pork products is an opportunity that will be exploited by businesses from that country.



About 70,000 metric tonnes of pork and pork products have been imported into the country in the last six years  from 2017 to 2022  according to Trade Data Monitor LLC, with the top-ten countries being Belgium, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Romania, Spain, Ukraine, the UK and France.

Source: B&FT









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Below is the full statement



The Association of International Certification Schools (ASICS) has taken note of the ongoing dispute between one of its member schools, Association International School, and a former parent of the school, whose wards are no longer enrolled at the school but are requiring transcripts without settling school fees arrears.



We would like to state that Association International School is a school of very high repute that has contributed immensely to the development of high-quality human capital in our nation as well as internationally.



Under the visionary leadership of the current head, Mrs Audrey Doryumu, the school has been transformed into a first-class educational facility which is run with commendable professionalism, dedication and care for the needs of students and the growing number of parents that they serve.



Our understanding of the current impasse.



It is our understanding that a contractual agreement between the parent and the school was signed on admission to the school, to the effect that any required official documents would not be released until all outstanding fees were paid in full. This is standard procedure in most educational institutions not only in Ghana but worldwide. So what the school is requiring from Mrs Avle is not a new demand being made on her personally, but an application of school procedure which has been in place for many years and which Mrs Avle signed up for when she enrolled her children in the school.



The issue of trust and cooperation between stakeholders in education is at stake here. The school management allowed the students to remain in school in good faith and with the understanding that the outstanding fees would be paid. The alternative would have been to expel the students.



We would like to explain that it is the culture of most, if not all private educational institutions that school fees are expected to be paid at the beginning of the term or semester. However, many schools, in order to assist parents who may be struggling financially, allow students to attend, even though they have not paid. Many schools are prepared to do this in good faith that the fees will be paid as agreed.



Our recommendation.



We regret that this case has been escalated to the courts.



Our real wish and desire would have been that this matter should be addressed within the good family atmosphere that prevails in AIS between Management and Parents, or failing that, recourse sought within the wider community of international private schools currently represented by ASICS. We believe that this option can still be considered.



Yours sincerely,



Mrs Florence Adjepong

President,

Association of International Certificate Schools, Ghana.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Mo Ibrahim Foundation says Africa's progress achieved over the last decade is under threat as overall governance in the continent stagnates.



The London-based Foundation said Africa was struggling to manage the "combined impacts of Covid-19, climate change, conflict and coups, as well as food and energy insecurity".



Its latest report indicates that African governance has flatlined since 2019 and economic opportunities are being undermined by widespread democratic backsliding.



These are challenging times. More than ever, commitment to strengthening governance must be renewed, unless we lose all progress achieved, said Mo Ibrahim, the founder of the foundation.



The foundation runs the world's most valuable individual prize for African ex-leaders to encourage good governance on the continent.



Mr Ibrahim, a Sudan-born telecoms entrepreneur, launched the prize in an attempt to encourage African leaders to leave power peacefully.

Source: BBC









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The Rwandan government says defensive measures were taken on a Democratic Republic of Congo fighter jet that violated" its airspace on Tuesday evening.



Images shared on social media show a military plane being shot at while flying at a low altitude between the towns of Goma in DR Congo and Gisenyi in Rwanda.



Other images show the damaged plane  a Soviet Union-made Sukhoi-25  being cooled down with water at Goma airport.



In a statement, DR Congo's information ministry condemned the incident and denied that its jet had flown over Rwandan airspace.



It said the government "does not intend to let this [incident] go" and had the "legitimate right" to defend itself.



"The government considers this umpteenth attack by Rwanda as a deliberate action of aggression that is equivalent to an act of war," the ministry noted.



Rwanda said this was the third incident involving a Congolese fighter jet on its airspace and asked its neighbour "to stop this aggression.



Last November, a Congolese Sukhoi-25 jet briefly landed at Gisenyi airport in Rwanda. Kinshasa said the fighter jet had mistakenly landed there.



DR Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels, which Kigali authorities have consistently denied.



The latest incident adds to the tensions between the two neighbours.

Source: BBC









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The Ghana Police Service has assured of taking measures to tackle the rising menace of electronic commerce (e-commerce) fraud and impersonation in the virtual space.



The Inspector General of Ghana Police Service, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare  who said criminals in e-commerce and impersonators on social media platforms will no longer have a field day  revealed that the Service is currently setting up special teams to deal with Internet fraud.



There are several levels to it; there is a policing component, there is also the individual persons security component, and also the community component. From the policing side, we have taken some pragmatic steps in recent times and started setting up a team to holistically look at some of these things.



I would like to assure you that a lot will be done, Dr. Dampare said.



The IGP said this when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of parliament to answer questions in relation to the 2020 Auditor-General Report on the Interior Ministry, under which the Police Service falls.



His comments were in response to a question from a member of the PAC and MP for Buem Constituency, Kofi Adams.



The MP, expressing worry about rising numbers in Internet-related fraud  particularly people impersonating MPs on social media, said: There is this continuous increase in scams of various forms, especially people impersonating MPs. These persons operate with mobile phone numbers that unsuspecting victims call on and make payments, and these criminals go and cash-out these monies. So, it is possible for them to be traced and arrested. We do not hear much of some of these things. What is the Police Service doing to help us deal with this canker?



In his response, Dr. Dampare said: For the first time in the history of this country, you are going to hear a whole bunch of things about people who have been duped across the Internet space and how we are dealing with them.



There are couple of instances where people have been swindled through e-commerce market platforms; and as we speak, about 18 people have been identified  and out of the 18, seven have been arrested.



What we have to do going forward, he added, is to pick on all the other cases we have and see what we can do to make sure that, at the end of the day, we send the strongest signal to these people.



Although he acknowledged the recent SIM card registration will go a long way to help police administration deal with the situation, he added that the countrys inadequate addressing system poses a challenge with regard to how quickly police can swoop on suspects.



The challenge used to be the case when we had an environment where people could just walk into any service provider and get a number registered. Fortunately with the registration exercise, for all numbers which are unregistered there is difficulty for those people to continue.



This has helped us in terms of defining the space and how easily you can access these people and have them arrested; but the tail-end of it is also our addressing systems and how to even locate the house of a person you been been able to identify. For instance, in other jurisdictions you always know where somebody lives; and instantly all you have to do is just know the address, know the contact number and walk to the house and pick up the person. And if we have that environment, we can assure that we the police  and by extension other security agencies -will make this country zero-crime rated, he further explained.



The IGP went on by cautioning the general public to be more security-conscious in their dealings. He also urged communities to cooperate with the police to fight these social vices. The final bit is to do with our personal security  our own individual security and the security that comes from the way we handle our personal selves, the way we communicate even on the phone.

Source: B&FT









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The Board of Directors of Ghanas premium high-definition (HD) satellite broadcast service provider SES HD PLUS is pleased to announce the appointment of Adelaide Ahovy Abbiw-Williams as Chief Executive Officer effective from 1 January 2023.



Most recently, Adelaide was responsible for launching HD+ in Ghana where she successfully positioned HD+ as the preferred choice for quality TV viewing experiences within the free-to-air satellite TV broadcasting industry in Ghana.



Adelaides career spans several commercial roles across the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), manufacturing, telecommunications, mobile financial services, and satellite broadcasting industries in Africa for multinational companies such as SES, Vodafone, Nestle and Diageo.



Adelaide succeeds Theodore Asampong who will now oversee SESs broader video business in the West and Central African region.



Wilfried Urner, Chairman of the SES HD PLUS Board, commenting on Adelaides appointment said, Adelaide made an impression on the board with her drive, intellect, and professionalism. She has made a tremendous impact during her time at SES HD PLUS to date, and we have no doubt she will continue this momentum as our new CEO.



Her extensive FMCG and telecommunications background and commercially driven approach to business will help SES HD PLUS develop strategic alliances as well as expand on the success built over the past 2 years and take us into our next phase of growth and innovation.



I am delighted to take on the CEO role of a business with considerable ambition. SES HD PLUS is a group of innovative, talented, and creative professionals who care about delivering quality TV viewing experiences to over 130,000 homes across Ghana. Our goal is to grow the number of homes watching HD+ across the country, said Abbiw-Williams.









Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, Ghana, Rev. Stephen Wengam, has described Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as a model of peace that the world can follow to get rid of religious strife.



Rev. Wengam said Dr Bawumias constant appearances at Christian church functions despite being a practising Muslim is a roadmap for how all people can live peaceably together irrespective of their religious differences.



He made these comments when he led Executive Presbytery (EP) Officers and some EP members of the church to pay a courtesy call on the Vice President.



The visit was to introduce the new leadership of Assemblies of God Ghana to the Vice President.



According to Rev. Wengam, Bawumias constant visit to churches has been instrumental in fostering religious harmony among Ghanaians.



He praised the Veep for upholding Biblical values by promoting peace and goodwill among all men.



On the economic front, Rev. Wengam appealed to the Vice President to use his position as Chairman of the Economic Management Team to help spare individual bondholders and other vulnerable groups from the worst effects of the debt exchange program.



He assured Dr Bawumia, that Ghanas economic recovery is topmost on the churchs prayer topics.



This is why as part of its one-week prayer and fasting programme, prayers were said for the country in all Assemblies of God churches throughout the country. he said.



Bawumia, for his part, commended the Assemblies of God Ghana for being the first Pentecostal Church to use social action activities to evangelise Ghana.



He also thanked the church for investing in the establishment of 350 schools.



Dr Bawumia congratulated the newly elected leadership team of Assemblies of God Ghana and wished them well.



He further assured Ghanaians of the governments determination to resolve the current economic problems and urged the Church to continue to use its platforms to preach peaceful religious co-existence.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Volta region has seen a decline in rape and defilement cases in 2022 as against 2021.



The region recorded 31 and 39 rape and defilement cases in 2022 as against 49 and 136 in 2021, respectively.



There was also a decrease in abduction, non-maintenance, and assault cases in the year under review, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Juliana Mawusi Yuiah, Deputy Coordinator of Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Volta Regional Police Command, has disclosed.



DSP Yuiah who made the disclosure at an end-of-year Volta Child Protection Committee meeting said the reduction in the cases was due to the education carried out by the Unit and that there were plans to intensify the education this year.



The Coordinator said apart from receiving and investigating cases of abuse against children, they also undertook sensitisation activities, especially in schools to educate the pupils and students on sexual-related abuses.



She said the engagement was targeted at both Primary and Junior High students to educate them on the common ploys adopted by perpetrators to abuse or exploit them so they would be vigilant to avoid falling prey to their stratagem.



DSP Yuiah said the consequences of rape and defilement were dire, hence, the education was also aimed to empower and encourage the students to come out boldly to report such cases to the appropriate authorities for proper handling.



Schools visited in the year under review included Philip Akpo R.C Junior High School, Ho Kpodzi Basic Schools, Mawuli Primary, Dora Memorial School complex, Holy schools and Junior high schools, UHAS Basic schools, Islamic Basic School, 66 Artillery Basic Schools, Henry House Basic School, she said.



DSP Yuiah said some parents and guardians were also sensitised during Parent Teacher Association meetings on their roles in providing for their children, especially the girl child so they would not fall prey to unscrupulous men.



On challenges facing the Unit, she said, the Unit was faced with several challenges including lack of means of transport to move swiftly on cases, visit scenes of crimes to pick vital evidence on time and make follow-ups on cases.



There was also a lack of funds to support victims of abuse, especially rape and defilement victims who were extremely poor and cannot afford to pay their medicals to facilitate investigations, she added and appealed for support.



Alfred Dzikunoo, Programmes Coordinator, Plan International Ghana, said some selected youth in their operational communities and districts have been trained on how to demand accountability from their respective assemblies.



Madam Emily Adevor, Partnership Facilitator, Compassion International Ghana, Adaklu-Agotime Cluster, said they implemented several activities in 2022 in safeguarding the rights of children and promoting their welfare.



She said one of their major focus in the year under review was protecting children against social, psychological, and emotional insecurity and distress, noting that a lot of children suffered such insecurities but not much has been done in that regard to addressing them.



Madam Adevor said they also intensified education on abuses including physical and sexual in all their operational areas including churches to draw their attention to the need to protect children against all forms of abuse.





Source: GNA









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Chief Justice of Ghana, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah has called on Ghanaians to have confidence in the judicial system.



He made the call during the inauguration of a District Court Complex at Ngleshie Amanfrom in the Ga South Municipality.



The court is here to serve all of us, let us have confidence in the court processes and make use of the facility, he said, adding that, the establishment of the court was in fulfilment of the judiciarys vision to bring justice to the doorsteps of the citizenry.



It is our resolve to build a justice system that ensures our litigants and countrymen had efficient, timely and quality justice delivery.



He further admonished individuals and groups to resort to the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism (ADR) rather than go through litigation.



According to him, this would improve the turnaround time of cases that went to the court because ADR is faster, cheaper, easier and less acrimonious and there is neither a winner or a loser.



He maintained that there was a collective responsibility to ensure that democracy thrived in the country but emphasized that this can happen with a well-resourced judiciary.



Justice Anin-Yeboah urged court users especially, the staff to ensure the highest maintenance culture of the facility and equipment.



Chief of Ngleshie Amanfro, Nii Kwashie Gbobilor, on his part said the court would impact the image of the town as hitherto the area was served by courts in the Awutu Senya East Municipality or Weija in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality.



The well-furnished court meets the standard of utility and modernity with installed computers, solar power, a generator set and a borehole to ensure regular and uninterrupted water and electricity supply.



The project built within three years was funded by the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) with support from the judicial service.









Source: GNA









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Pressure is mounting on the National Executive Council (NEC) of the National Democratic Congress to reverse its decision to reconstitute the leadership of the NDC caucus in Parliament.



Some two MPs on the ticket of the NDC have spoken publicly against the decision by NEC and are demanding the immediate reinstatement of Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka Mubarak as Minority Leader and Minority Chief Whip respectively.



The Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammad was the first MP to issue an angry reaction to the decision by NEC.



Speaking on Asempa FM, Murtala Muhammaed expressed the hope that the decision will be reversed and that Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka Mubarak will have their roles handed back to them.



According to him the caucus is happy with the performance of the Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka and would want them reinstated.



The timing is completely wrong. What is the basis for changing our parliamentary leadership?



They are only taking away the most experienced leaders and bringing the less experienced ones. Nobody told them we are dissatisfied with the leadership. Who told them we are unhappy with their performance, he said.



Cletus Avoka, the Member of Parliament for Zebilla East Constituency questioned the timing of the decision and rationale behind it.



Our focus should be a collective effort against the NPP for the next two years. Now you are going to have low morale in Parliament. The new leadership will now have to learn to ride leadership both in Parliament and the outside world and that will require time. That will retard the progress of the NDC in its bid to regain power from the NPP in 2024.



This is unstrategic and didnt have to come out at this time. We need the effort of everybody to fight for the 2024 elections. The timing was not the best. I will recommend that the NEC will withdraw the letter and reinstate them and also want the new leadership to step down in the interest of the caucus."



The Tamale South Constituency Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abdul Rauf has also rejected the decision of the NEC, demanding the immediate reinstatement of the Haruna Iddrisu.



We would not accept this decision. Asiedu Nketiah is responsible for this. Asiedu Nketiah, I want to remind you today, when you became the general secretary, you did not have a pesewa to give to anybody but we gave the chairmanship to you.



Now you are a big man, you want to punish people. What nonsense. If you are national chairman and so what. Asiedu Nketiah, I want to tell you, I am the constituency chairman, I dont care about you or Fifi Kwetey, he said.



Meanwhile Joy New is reporting that the National Executive Council of party will meet the minority caucus in the coming days to iron out issues arising out of the move.









Source: ghanaweb.com









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A former Acting General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), James Kwabena Bomfeh, alias 'Kabila', has reacted to the Auditor-General's report recently released into the public domain disclosing some financial malfeasance.



The report outlined government's expenditure made during the COVID-19 pandemic from the period between March 2020 to June 2022.



Expenditure Highlights



Giving an overview of receipts and utilization of the COVID-19 funds, the Auditor-General revealed that records at the Ministry of Finance, Controller and Accountant-General and Ministry of Health indicate that "the Ministry of Finance mobilised a total amount of GH19,112,318,205.12 in 2020 to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The records showed that an amount of GH1,978,551,137.46 was mobilised in 2021 and GH753,319,842.66 (up to June 2022) to finance the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme and the implementation of the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan. In all, a total amount of GH21,844,189,185.24 was mobilised to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana".



The report also gathered that the Ministry of Health "without the approval of the Central Tender Review Committee, increased the cost of five contracts with total contract sum of GH24,256,500.00 by GH4,017,000.00 through variation orders" and recommended that the "Chief Director should seek retroactive approval to avoid disallowance of such variation amount".



The Ministry "entered into a 25-year Finance Lease Agreement at a total lease value of GH15,265,000.00 in 2020 to be used as a holding and isolation centre in Adaklu in the Volta Region. The works, we noted, include remodelling the existing buildings to be used as holding, treatment and isolation centres but could not use the facility for the intended purpose which resulted in an additional cost of GH20,382,247.70. We recommended to the Chief Director to consider outright acquisition of the buildings," it added.



The audit further disclosed that the "Ministry of Health on behalf of Government of Ghana paid an amount of US$120,192,379.80 to UNICEF/AVAT for the supply of vaccines. However, 5,109,600.00 doses of vaccines valued at US$38,322,000.00 were supplied to the National Cold Room leaving a difference of US$81,870,379.80 with UNICEF/AVAT".



To Err Is Human



James Kwabena Bomfeh, speaking during "Kokrokoo" show on Peace FM Wednesday morning, raised concerns about the report.



"Auditor-General's reports in general are not a finality or conclusive in themselves. [2] This Auditor-General's report that has been released is not the usual Auditor-General's report that comes at the end of the year. It is a special purpose Auditor-General's report on COVID-19 expenditure," he said, adding that this report was at the behest of government.



"It was the Presidency that asked the Auditor-General to do this audit," he revealed.



Kabila called for patience to prevail to allow for the right decisions to be taken in respect of the findings by the Auditor-General and accusations made against some people said to have engaged in the financial misappropriation regarding the COVID-19 funds.



"My position is that let's be patient. Some names have been mentioned and allegations leveled against them. We have said some people have mismanaged some money," he said and stressed that, "President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is not working with Angels. He, himself, isn't an Angel. Even Moses who had 80 years of pupilage into leadership even made a mistake. So, the President can err and indeed there can be no great achievement without error".

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Former Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan has cautioned against the eager speed at which Auditor-General's reports are released into the public, claiming it could erode the confidence of the people.



The report, he noted, when released without due process is observed undermines the country's governance system.



Kwamena Duncan touched on the recent Auditor-General's report on government's expenditure on the Coronavirus pandemic.



The report revealed how poor some COVID-19 funds generated from between March 2020 to June last year were used.



"The Ministry of Finance mobilised a total amount of GH19,112,318,205.12 in 2020 to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The records showed that an amount of GH1,978,551,137.46 was mobilised in 2021 and GH753,319,842.66 (up to June 2022) to finance the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme and the implementation of the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan. In all, a total amount of GH21,844,189,185.24 was mobilised to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana."



The Ministry of Health "without the approval of the Central Tender Review Committee, increased the cost of five contracts with total contract sum of GH24,256,500.00 by GH4,017,000.00 through variation orders" and recommended that the "Chief Director should seek retroactive approval to avoid disallowance of such variation amount", according to the report.



It further indicated that the Ministry "on behalf of Government of Ghana paid an amount of US$120,192,379.80 to UNICEF/AVAT for the supply of vaccines. However, 5,109,600.00 doses of vaccines valued at US$38,322,000.00 were supplied to the National Cold Room leaving a difference of US$81,870,379.80 with UNICEF/AVAT".



Following the report, critics have lashed out at the Akufo-Addo administration with political opponents of the government capitalizing on the issues.



Responding to the criticisms, Kwamena Duncan stated that the report "whilst it is a watchdog policy of our democratic governance, it could also be very undermining. It could draw the confidence of our people in democracy backward if care is not taken".



He explained that "if we don't allow the processes to go through, as for auditors, what they see is what they write; so if you are to dwell solely on the Auditor-General's report, you might err".



To him, he prefers, when there is an audit of this sort, the processes of accountability by way of giving the accused persons opportunity to respond to the findings should be thoroughly done before the report comes out.



"Over the years, what has been happening is that the Auditor-General comes public in the raw state . . . What that does is that it continues to undermine public confidence in the governance structures and the governance system," he told Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show.



"I am afraid our democracy will be on the precipice" should this continue to happen, he asserted.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The governing New Patriotic Partys Director of Communications Richard Ahiagbah has said the NDC will likely lose its seats in the Tamale South, Ketu North and Asawase constituencies come 2024.



Mr Ahiagbahs comments come on the back of the recent changes in the leadership of the main opposition National Democratic Congresss (NDC) Parliamentary caucus.



According to the NPPs Communication Director, these changes will affect the NDCs vote in the constituencies of its former caucus leaders in parliament.



In a tweet, Wednesday, January 25, 2023, Mr Ahiagbah said: The NDC should kiss the Tamale South, Ketu North, and Asawase seats, and the 2024 Presidential elections goodbye.



The NPP Communicator added: The NDC preaches virtue and practices vice.



The NDC announced the leadership change on Tuesday.



A letter to the Speaker of Parliament to that effect signed by General Secretary Fifi Kwetey announced Dr Cassiel Ato Forson as the new Minority Leader.



He is to be assisted by Mr Emmanual Armah Kofi Buah as Deputy Minority Leader.



This means Mr James Klutse Avedzi, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, is no longer the Deputy Minority Leader.



The statement named a new Minority Whip in the person of Mr Kwame Agbodza who replaces Muntaka Mubarak.



The First Deputy Whip remains Mr Ibrahim Ahmed and the Second Deputy Whip remains Comfort Doyoe Ghansah.



The statement said the new leadership would be charged to recommend consequential changes in the Ranking membership to the headquarters of the party for approval.



But Constituents of the Tamale Central area, on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, massed up at the NDC office in the Northern Regional capital of Tamale to protest the removal of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, Haruna Iddrisu, from his position as the leader of the Minority in Parliament.



The constituents are calling on the National Executive Committee (NEC) to rescind its decision to change Mr Iddrisu as the minority leader.



The constituents claim if the party fails to rescind its decision, they will advise themselves.



Meanwhile, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson is the best economist the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has to lead economic debates in parliament, thus, his selection as the next minority leader, the Chairman of the biggest opposition party has said.



According to Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the 2024 polls will be centred on the economy, energy and infrastructure, thus, the need to put the party's best men in those sectors in strategic leadership positions in parliament.



Explaining the reasoning that went into the changes, Mr Nketia told the media in an interview that it is part of the partys reorganisation process ahead of the 2024 polls.



We started re-organisation of our structures to be able to position ourselves to fight election 2024. We started more than a year ago. We started at the branch level. We have since done elections in about 40,000 branches and then from there we proceeded to the constituency level. We are done largely with all the constituencies. We have done regional elections and we just completed our national election, and the next is to look at our leadership in parliament. That is what we have just done, he noted.



In terms of the timing, he said: Its in line with the way we are prosecuting the national reorganization. In terms of why? What it tells you is that the only constant thing is change, adding: Since the environment is changing, leadership must change along.



Explaining what he meant by environment, he said: We know, for instance, that going into election 2024, the economy is going to be the major battleground and, so, many of the debates will focus on the economy. So, you better put your best man in the economy forward. That is what we have done.



We also looked at energy. You know the petroleum and electricity challenges, so, we needed to settle on Kofi Armah Buah, our former minister to be the Deputy Minority Leader.



The other area is infrastructure; Kwame Agbodza being our man in infrastructure should play a key role. That, generally, is what informed the changes, Mr Nketia pointed out.













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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has changed the leadership of its caucus in Parliament.



A letter to the Speaker of Parliament signed by the party's General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, announced Dr Cassiel Ato Forson as the new Minority Leader and he is to be assisted by Mr Emmanual Armah Kofi Buah as Deputy Minority Leader.



The statement further named a new Minority Whip in the person of Hon. Kwame Agbodza who replaces Muntaka Mubarak.



The First Deputy Whip remains Mr Ibrahim Ahmed and the Second Deputy Whip remains Comfort Doyoe Ghansah.



The new leadership would be charged to recommend consequential changes in the Ranking membership to the headquarters of the party for approval, the statement noted.



Tackling these changes in the NDC Caucus, the West African Director of Samaritan Strategy and a lecturer at Pentecost University, Dr. Christopher Ampadu registered his dissent.



Speaking to Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Dr. Christopher Ampadu wondered why the NDC would change its leadership in Parliament at this crucial time when it's left with only a year to the general elections.



To him, "this is not the best time to change their leadership in Parliament".



Touching on the removal of the Tamale South MP, Haruna Iddrisu and Asawase MP, Muntaka Mubarak as Minority Leader and Minority Whip respectively, Dr. Ampadu believed the NDC is making a huge mistake stressing these leaders are popular in the Legislative House and command a huge following in the party.



"I don't think a person like Haruna Iddrisu, with his pedigree in the party, you can ignore him and place him aside," he expressed his disappointment.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The image of galaxy GHZ2/GLASS-z12 with the associated ALMA spectrum. ALMAs deep spectroscopic observations revealed a spectral emission line associated with ionized Oxygen near the galaxy, which has been shifted in its observed frequency due to the expansion of the Universe since the line was emitted. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / T. Treu, UCLA / NAOJ / T. Bakx, Nagoya U

A new study led by a joint team at Nagoya University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has measured the cosmic age of a very distant galaxy. The team used the ALMA radio telescope array to detect a radio signal that has been traveling for approximately 97% of the age of the universe. This discovery confirms the existence of galaxies in the very early universe found by the James Webb Space Telescope. The research is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The galaxy, named GHZ2/GLASS-z12, was initially identified in the JWST GLASS survey, a survey that observes the distant universe and behind massive clusters of galaxies. These observations consist of several images using different broad-band color filters, similar to the separate RGB colors in a camera. For distant galaxies, the light takes such a long time to reach us that the expansion of the universe has shifted the color of this light towards the red end of the visible light spectrum in the so-called redshift. The red color of GHZ2/GLASS-z12 consequently helped researchers identify it as one of the most convincing candidates for a distant galaxy they observed.

So many bright distant galaxies were identified in the first few weeks of JWST observations that it challenged our basic understanding of the formation of the earliest galaxies. However, these red colors are only indicative of a distant galaxy, and could instead be a very dust-rich galaxy masquerading as a more distant object. Only direct observations of spectral lineslines present in a galaxy's light spectrum used to identify the elements presentcan robustly confirm the true distances of these galaxies.

Immediately after the discovery of these early galaxy candidates, two early-career researchers at Nagoya University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan used the forty radio telescopes of the ALMA array in Chile to hunt for a spectral line to confirm the true ages of the galaxies.

ALMA pointed at GHZ2/GLASS-z12 to hunt for an emission line associated with oxygen at the expected frequency suggested by the JWST observations. Oxygen is a typically abundant element in distant galaxies due to its relatively short formation timescale, therefore the team chose to search for an oxygen emission line to increase chances of detection.

The radio telescope array ALMA has pin-pointed the exact cosmic age of a distant JWST-identified galaxy, GHZ2/GLASS-z12, at 367 million years after the Big Bang. ALMA's deep spectroscopic observations revealed a spectral emission line associated with ionized oxygen near the galaxy, which has been shifted in its observed frequency due to the expansion of the universe since the line was emitted. This observation confirms that the JWST is able to look out to record distances, and heralds a leap in our ability to understand the formation of the earliest galaxies in the universe. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / T. Treu, UCLA / NAOJ / T. Bakx, Nagoya U.

By combining the signal of each of its 12 meter telescopes, ALMA was able to detect the emission line close to the position of the galaxy. The observed redshift of the line indicates we see the galaxy as it was just 367 million years after the Big Bang.

"The first images of the James Webb Space Telescope revealed so many early galaxies, that we felt we had to test its results using the best observatory on Earth," said lead author Tom Bakx of Nagoya University. "It was a very exciting time to be an observational astronomer, and we could track the status of the observations that will test the JWST results in real time."

"We were initially concerned about the slight variation in position between the detected oxygen emission line and the galaxy seen by Webb," author Tom Bakx notes, "but we performed detailed tests on the observations to confirm that this really is a robust detection, and it is very difficult to explain through any other interpretation."

Co-lead author Jorge Zavala of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan adds, "The bright line emission indicates that this galaxy has quickly enriched its gas reservoirs with elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. This gives us some clues about the formation and evolution of the first generation of stars and their lifetime. The small separation we see between the oxygen gas and the stars' emission might also suggest that these early galaxies suffered from violent explosions that blew the gas away from the galaxy center into the region surrounding the galaxy and even beyond."

"These deep ALMA observations provide robust evidence of the existence of galaxies within the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang, and confirms the surprising results from the Webb observations. The work of JWST has only just begun, but we are already adjusting our models of how galaxies form in the early universe to match these observations. The combined power of Webb and the radio telescope array ALMA give us the confidence to push our cosmic horizons ever closer to the dawn of the universe."

More information: Tom J L C Bakx et al, Deep ALMA redshift search of a z  12 GLASS-JWST galaxy candidate, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2022). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stac3723 Journal information: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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Drosera koikyennuruff. Credit: Thilo Krueger

Scientists have identified six new or rediscovered Western Australian plant species from photos taken and uploaded to the internet by members of the public, including a nature photographer from Jurien Bay, a pair of wildflower enthusiasts from Dongara and a farmer from near the Stirling Range National Park.

Lead researcher, Ph.D. student Thilo Krueger from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences said the newly described species were carnivorous sundews and were identified through images shared on Facebook and to the iNaturalist website, highlighting the value of such platforms for contributing to advances in taxonomic research.

"In spite of the extinction crisis we are facing in the 21st Century, undescribed species are regularly discovered and named by scientists each year," Mr. Krueger said.

"However, rates of discovery are limited by the numbers of specialists worldwide, as well as by the frequency with which they can conduct research expeditions, or access preserved specimen collections at museums and herbaria around the world.

"Increasingly, scientists are discovering new species through online data, usually in the form of photos, shared by naturalists, hikers, campers and photographers, who may be experts, amateurs or simply casual observers. These citizen scientists share their findings online and thereby act as the eyes and ears of professional scientists in the field.

"Australia is the world's richest region for carnivorous plant diversity and also has a thriving community of nature enthusiasts and photographers all eager to capture and share images of plant species on their personal social media pages or that of groups such as The Wildflower Society of Western Australia."

Jurien Bay nature photographer Daniel Anderson said he felt very proud to have played a part in the naming of the sundew he uncovered in the Lesueur National Park about two years ago.

"It has been more than five years since I started my photography, which at first helped me learn about local plants and animals but since finding the sundew it has become a passion of mine to educate others on the importance of conservation of our unique flora and fauna," Mr. Anderson said.

Mr. Krueger said in areas like the Wheatbelt or South West of WA, where more than 97% of all vegetation has been cleared across a vast area, the value of citizen scientists as widely-roaming and unconstrained additional sources of raw biodiversity data could not be overstated.

"This is particularly the case for species that are restricted to small areas, or which emerge for relatively short periods in the growing season before withering away, making them less likely to be encountered," Mr. Krueger said.

"The involvement of members of the public significantly increases the likelihood of chance encounters with such species, allowing scientists to formally document them, to name them if required, and to assess them for their conservation needs."

The sundews, which produce sticky drops of glue on their tentacled leaves to trap their prey, are at their most diverse in Australia, where approximately 115 of the 260 species known worldwide are endemic to southwest Western Australia alone. Many of these species survive the harsh summer by retreating underground as dormant plants before emerging to trap insects, flower and set seed during their autumn to spring growing season.

Published in Biology, the paper is titled "Small leaves, big diversity: citizen science and taxonomic revision triples species number in the carnivorous Drosera microphylla complex."

More information: Thilo Krueger et al, Small Leaves, Big Diversity: Citizen Science and Taxonomic Revision Triples Species Number in the Carnivorous Drosera microphylla Complex (D. Section Ergaleium, Droseraceae), Biology (2023). DOI: 10.3390/biology12010141
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This diagram depicts the estimated influence of halogen emissions on the generation of PM 2.5 by halogens, including chlorine and bromine, based on measurements during NOAA research flights over the Salt Lake basin in Utah in JanuaryFebruary 2017. Credit: Caroline Womack, NOAA/CIRES

The 2.4 million people who live along Utah's Wasatch Front experience some of the most severe winter particulate matter air pollution in the nation. Now, analysis of measurements taken during National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research flights in 2017 indicates that emissions from a single source, a magnesium refinery, may be responsible for a significant fraction of the fine particles that form the dense winter brown clouds that hang over Salt Lake City.

The finding was published this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Lead author Carrie Womack, a scientist with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder working at NOAA, said analysis of airborne measurements directly from the plume rising from the US Magnesium refinery during a 2017 winter air pollution study in Utah found that emissions of chlorine and bromine, known as halogenated compounds, were significant contributors to the persistent winter brown clouds.

"I was struck by the complexity of chemical reactions in the atmosphere," said John Lin, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah and a co-author of the study. "Changes in the chemical ingredients of the atmosphere could lead to unexpected outcomes through inter-linked chemical pathways."

US Magnesium, the largest magnesium producer in North America, extracts the metal from the brine of the Great Salt Lake, at a plant upwind of Salt Lake City.

Particulate matter contains microscopic solids or liquid droplets that are so small that they can be inhaled and cause serious health problems. Particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, also known as fine particles or PM 2.5 , pose the greatest risk to health, affecting both lungs and your heart.

"Understanding what causes this PM 2.5 formation is the first step in reducing it," Womack said. "One aspect of our study was characterizing known point sources in the area."

The Utah Division of Air Quality requires reporting of particulate precursors, such as chlorine and nitrogen oxide emissions, which are then shared with the US Environmental Protection Agency. However, NOAA's measurements also identified significant emissions of bromine, a reactive chemical that is not required to be reported. Modeling demonstrated that the chlorine and bromine emitted by the refinery were responsible for 10 to 25% of regional PM 2.5 during winter pollution episodes.

"Our measurements of chlorine and nitrogen oxides agree with what the facility reports to regulators," Womack said. "But what we found suggests that bromine industrial emissions may deserve a closer look."

Pollution control regulations and cleaner technologies adopted since the 1970s have steadily improved air quality in the US. Yet some valleys in the Intermountain West still experience high levels of PM 2.5 during winter. In Utah's urban Salt Lake Valley, wintertime levels of PM 2.5 exceed national air quality standards an average of 18 days per year. The majority of exceedances occur in December, January and early February during a period when strong, multi-day inversions known as persistent cold air pools develop that trap pollution close to the surface.

These exceedances have been specifically associated with adverse health effects in the region, including a 42% higher rate of emergency room visits for asthma during the latter stages of air pollution events from 2003-2008, according to one study.

Prior to the NOAA study, the chemical composition of PM 2.5 in northern Utah, and how it forms, had received considerably less attention than in other regions of the nation despite the severity of the problem in Utah.

"We could see during our research flights in 2017 that the air around the plant was unlike anything we had sampled previously due to the high chlorine emissions," said NOAA scientist Steven Brown, who led the field campaign. "We were surprised that it had such a large effect on winter PM 2.5 across the entire region."

"Close to the plant, we didn't even need to check the instruments to know we were flying through the plume," Womack added. "We could smell it. It smelled like bleach."

The dominant contributor to regional particulate matter is ammonium nitrate, which is responsible for up to 70% of fine particulate mass during inversion periods and 40% outside of inversions. Ammonium nitrate is a secondary pollutant formed by reactions between ammonia, nitrogen oxides (NO x ), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The NOAA model demonstrated that halogen emissions from US Magnesium speed up the conversion of NO x and VOCs to ammonium nitrate particulate matter.

Researchers have shared their findings with Utah officials, who had sought NOAA's help in understanding their poor winter air quality. A previous paper by Womack in 2019 documented other sources of winter smog.

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is currently conducting a study to identify sources of ammonia.

While the new paper is based on measurements taken in 2017, Womack said emissions of chlorine, which accompany the unreported emissions of bromine, have not shown any sign of significant decline in the last five years.

Researchers from the University of Utah, the University of Toronto, the University of Washington, and the U.S. EPA also participated in the study.
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Mule ear orchid. Credit: Haydee Borrero

Researchers have pinpointed the biggest threats to the only population of rare, endangered mule ear orchids in the U.S.

The Florida International University (FIU) orchid research team found powerful hurricanes can wipe out these fragile plants, but an invasive species of scale insect that feeds on the leaves is the primary culprit of concern.

The findings were published in Ecosphere.

"Mule ear orchids we observed that had scale insects were more likely to die," said Haydee Borrero, the study's lead author and FIU postdoctoral scientist. "This is an invasive species that has impacted other types of orchids on Florida's west coast. So, it's something we need to be worried about."

Borrero, along with FIU conservation ecologist Hong Liu, have long been sentinels for mule ear orchids. These orchids exclusively grow throughout the Caribbean, with the largest populations scattered across remote regions of Cuba. Their northernmost range is south Florida's buttonwood hammocks in Everglades National Park.

As a part of her Ph.D. work at FIU, Borrero traveled to Cuba to conduct fieldwork to better understand these understudied orchids, and found that the ones in Cuba lacked the invasive scale insect that is known to cover the leaves of mule orchids in Florida.

Those leavesas the name suggestsresemble the big floppy ears of a mule. When this species of scale insect attacks the leaves, it cripples the plant, causing it to shrink in size. When the team returned to a study site where the scale insects had been observed on orchids two years prior, many of the affected plants were dead.

The loss of even a single adult mule ear orchid can be devastating, Borrero said. That's one less plant in an already small population to make the next generation of much-needed orchids, moving them closer to extinction.

"This has been a very important and exciting project, because we were able to do an analysis using many years of data to better tease apart which impacts cause more damage," Liu said. "What we found is complex. It's not straightforward. Yes, hurricanes are a threat. But herbivory is a bigger threat."

In 2017, Hurricane Irma caused its share of damage when storm surge from the category 3 storm stretched across the southern Everglades. While the hurricane damaged the orchid population, it also did a lot of damage to the scale insect population. With fewer insects in the years following Irma, the mule ear orchids went into recovery mode.

Borrero and Liu keep watch and are using this data to help devise future management strategies, and possible rescue strategies for the endangered orchid.

The healthier Cuba populations are a sort of blueprint because they also grow in coastal regions prone to hurricanes and flooding. However, the forests they live in have a greater diversity of tree species. This important information can provide clues on which areas in Florida, with similar types of trees, might be a good fit to relocate and expand Florida's imperiled population.

"One of the reasons we did this research was so we could make more informed [conservation] recommendationslike, what do the habitats look like in Cuba? And do we have similar habitats in Florida that we could plant and introduce these plants," Borrero said. "One idea is to look at the Royal Palm Hammock area [within the Everglades National Park], it has [habitat] characteristics that match populations [in] Cuba."

In the meantime, FIU's orchid team refuses to give up on Florida's mule ear orchids. For Borrero, the mission couldn't be simpler.

"They will go extinct if we don't do anything. If we help them, they will survive."

More information: Haydee Borrero et al, Populations of a tropical epiphytic orchid are destabilized in its peripheral range by hurricane and an exotic herbivore, Ecosphere (2023). DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4355 Journal information: Ecosphere
Kelly Ha said she made sure to hug her mother a little longer during her familys Lunar New Year dinner this year.

As a child of Vietnamese refugees and the the co-founder of the #Iamnotavirus. campaign, she said she thinks about how her family is still not safe, despite fleeing their home country for safety and a better life.

The war is not over when bullets and bombs are still being felt in our communities in our own backyards, she said.

She was referring to the 11 victims of the Jan. 21 mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, for whom she, elected officials, and community members gathered in the States Legislative Office Building to hold a vigil in their honor on Tuesday.

They addressed these acts of violence that occurred concurrently with the Lunar New Year celebrations, which are a time of joy for the Asian American community.

The Associated Press reported that 72-year-old Huu Can Tran gunned down patrons on Jan. 21 in the evening at a ballroom dance hall in Monterey Park, where tens of thousands attended Lunar New Year festivities earlier that evening. Tran fired 42 rounds at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, killing 11 people and wounding nine.

The AP also reported that Tran then drove to another nearby dance hall where an employee wrestled a modified 9 mm submachine gun-style semi-automatic weapon away from him. He fatally shot himself Sunday as officers surrounded the van he was inside. A handgun was recovered from the van, which matched descriptions of the vehicle he used to get away from the dance studio.

Kelly Ha said that Lunar New Year is traditionally a time of festivities and celebration, which includes red envelopes being passed around, lion dances performed, and families sharing meals with one another.

For some families, this is the only holiday that they are able to share together. This weekend. More than 20 families had this opportunity ripped away from them with 11 lives lost and nine are wounded, she said.

Lunar New Year is a time for coming together. We must come together to honor the lives past and support each others healing, Ha said. Compassion is the most important  and most necessary at this time for the Asian community  for each other and for ourselves. Today we will mourn, tomorrow we will continue this fight, so these lives lost did not mean nothing.

State Attorney General William Tong speaking during the Jan. 24 vigil at the Legislative Office Building honoring the victims who lost their lives in recent gun violence shootings in California.

The vigil also honored the seven people who were killed in two related shootings on Monday in a coastal community south of San Francisco.

It marked Californias third mass killing in eight days. The San Mateo County Sheriffs office said Chunli Zhao, 67, is in custody as the suspect in the shooting. Authorities say four people were found dead and one critically wounded from gunshots mid-afternoon. Then three others were found dead at a business several miles away. The connection between the locations is unclear but the sheriffs office says both are agricultural businesses. The shootings follow Saturdays massacre that killed 11 people at a dance hall in Southern California.

Other community members and elected officials also spoke about the tragedies and those lost.

State Attorney General William Tong, addressing the mourners, saying that while he feels many emotions around these tragedies, he is also defiant.

I want to say that I feel like all of you do. Im angry. Im sad about the tremendous loss. Im also defiant. This is my country. I was born here in Hartford Hospital. Im an American. I belong here like anybody else and Im going to fight for it. Im going to fight for the communities that are so strong and so vibrant like this one, he said.

He also said that he wants to celebrate the lives of the people of Monterey Park, the AAPI communities across this country and those who suffered with anti-Asian violence in Atlanta, Texas, New Orleans, New York, Boston, Hartford, and eastern Connecticut.

So it is really important that we all honor the people that weve lost in Monterey Park, think of their families and then we do everything we can for them, support them and if we can send resources to that community, we shouldThis is an incredibly important time for us, for our families, for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Tong said, Let us go forward into the year of the rabbit with strength and confidence [and] each other and let us overcome all of this tragedy, this hate and this violence and emerge stronger than ever.

State Senator MD Rahman said that the shootings are a reminder to all to hold one another more tightly, especially family members and friends.

We will continue to stand and fight for dignity, principle and for human rights. So well continue to celebrate. We will continue to hold hands with each other. Brothers, sisters, family. We are not gonna let [anyone] take anything away from us under any condition. Lets celebrate together. Lets honor those who [we] lost tragically, he said.

Assistant Director of Yale University Asian American Cultural Centers Sheraz Iqbal speaking during the Jan. 24 vigil at the Legislative Office Building honoring the victims who lost their lives in recent gun violence shootings in California.

State Sen. Tony Hwang said that the purpose of the vigil was to not just to honor those who were lost in the tragedies, but also to honor all those who have suffered loss from preventable tragedies.

I think its important for us to take a moment to unite, to grieve, to comfort each other  and ultimately to healThe latest tragedy caused fear, anger, [and] uncertainty. We all feel it and this is an important moment for us to unite, to support each other, to comfort each other, to heal with each other. It is also important upon doing that, that we renew our commitment to prevent these kinds of senseless tragedies, he said.

He also said that he believes the underlying cause for both shootings is mental health and solutions need to be found to prevent mass shootings like these.

Mental health is an important point of the discussion that needs to be discussed. Whether it be language, cultural or societal. We need to understand that mental health is part of health and wellbeing. And we need to move away from the stigma.

Hwang said that understanding what caused individuals to get to the point of committing these violent acts that matters most when it comes to solutions.

Mui Mui Hin-McCormick, CWCSEO chair of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders sub-commission, said that she holds back tears daily, as she thinks about her own parents not feeling safe to go out in their own community and about something tragic like these recent mass shootings happening to them.

We should not have to live in fear. But, yet we do. I have a 13-year-old daughter. She heard about this and she was devastated, asking questions I cant answer. But I am so grateful that shes asking those questions and shes bringing these conversations up.

McCormick said that everyone needs to take a learning lesson from this, as it is devastating.

We shouldnt be numb to this. Its also concerning when these conversations arent happening. I work in a behavioral health field. Yet, I had to be the one to educate those around me about this, she said. Why cant somebody reach out to me and check in to see if Im OK? Theres a lot of pressure and a lot of obligation that each of you have. I feel it on a daily basis.

She said that this is due to many within the AAPI community and other communities of color having to be the ones to educate, create awareness, create opportunity, and make a seat at the table  as these groups are not invited or are told what happened after the meetings happen.

What I ask of each of you is to not let that continue. Let us take a seat at the table. Let us create these opportunities. Let us find each other so that we can collaborate, partner and be one.

She noted that it was amazing to see the diversity that was present at the vigil and hopes for those who werent able to attend, but can view it to begin to take action, leadership, and accountability.

How many times do we have to hear about this before were able to take some action and make some movement? I hope that this year  is not marked by the tragedies that weve had. I hope each of us can really take some action steps to lead a better and safer future for all of our loved ones, she said.
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Lions on a commercial lion farm in South Africa. Credit: Blood Lions

A number of serious management and compliance issues were revealed on lion farms in the Free State province, South Africa, by a joint team of researchers from MONITOR, Blood Lions, and World Animal Protection. Potentially fraudulent activities relating to the use of microchips, operating without valid permits, and incomplete, inconsistent, and unclear record keeping were some of the irregularities found on commercial facilities that keep and trade captive lions and other predators.

African lions are legally farmed in South Africa for commercial uses in interactive tourism activities, such as cub petting, voluntourism, or the "canned" hunting industry (where captive-bred lions are released into a confined space to be killed for sport). Other reasons include trade in live animals, or selling their body parts for the needs of traditional Asian Medicine.

All lions born and kept on commercial farms in South Africa should be registered with the provincial authority and fitted with a unique identification microchip, in order for each animal to be followed from birth to death through the system and to avoid the laundering of wild-caught and/or non-registered captive-bred lions.

A multinational team of researchers used permit data legally obtained from provincial authorities to summarize such uses of lions on farms in the Free State and found multiple instances of violation of national and provincial regulations.

It is known that the Free State province is at the heart of the commercial lion industry, with about a third of all lion facilities across the country located on its territory. These farms in the Free State predominantly breed, keep and euthanise lions, as well as trade with other provinces to supply "canned" hunting farms and tourism facilities. They also prepare lion body parts for export, such as taxidermy for trophies, and skeletons for the bone trade with Southeast Asia.

Lions on a commercial lion farm in South Africa. Credit: Blood Lions

Data legally obtained from the Free State Department of Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs show hundreds of reused microchip numbers across permits for keeping, euthanizing and transporting captive lions, indicating potential non-compliance with national and provincial regulations.

During a four-year period (2017-2020), more than 500 unique microchips (11% of the total microchip numbers) could not be followed through the system. For euthanasia permits, the number of potentially fraudulently used microchip numbers of lions was as many as 15%, and in some cases a microchip number had been reused up to four times.

This raises serious concerns that lion farm owners may deliberately be reusing microchip numbers to launder wild-caught and/or unregistered captive-bred lions.

"Although some of these inconsistencies may have legitimate explanations, the number of times microchip numbers were reused is worrisome and requires further investigation by the authorities," states Dr. Sarah Heinrich of MONITOR, one of the researchers behind the study, which was published in the journal Nature Conservation.

The laundering of lions and/or other predators through the fraudulent use of microchips has implications beyond South Africa's borders, in particular, in the trade in lion bones for traditional medicine, where bones, claws, skeletons, and skulls are exported to Southeast Asia.

Lions on a commercial lion farm in South Africa. Credit: Blood Lions

"Looking at live lion exports through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), it is unclear what happens to these animals once they arrive at their international destinations. It is possible that some of these live exports circumvent the zero CITES lion bone export quota and are eventually euthanised at their import destinations to feed the persisting demand for lion bones," said Dr. Jennah Green of World Animal Protection.

Lions that were euthanized in the Free State in 2019 and 2020, during a CITES zero export quota for lion bones, most likely became part of a growing and largely unregulated stockpile of lion bones that exists in South Africa, which warrants further investigation.

Ensuring regulatory compliance in all areas of the commercial captive lion industry is more important now than ever. In 2021, Minister Barbara Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DEFE), stated that the South African government intends to effectively end the commercial captive lion industry through a mandatory phase-out, which eventually was changed to a voluntary scheme.

In its current state, the lion farming industry is governed by a patchwork of contrasting legislation across multiple provincial and national authorities, with disparities and legal loopholes, which create opportunity for harmful and fraudulent activity.

"Our research highlights many areas of grave concern and these issues need the urgent attention of the Minister and the DFFE, as well as the nine provincial nature conservation authorities, to put stricter enforcement of the TOPS Regulations in place," concludes Dr. Louise de Waal, Director of Blood Lions.

More information: Louise de Waal et al, The unregulated nature of the commercial captive predator industry in South Africa: Insights gained using the PAIA process, Nature Conservation (2022). DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.50.85108 Journal information: Nature Conservation
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Locations of the three infected foxes and wild birds from which closely related viruses were isolated during the 2021 to 2022 HPAI H5N1 epizootic in the Netherlands. The map was generated using the R software package tmap. Credit: Microbiology Spectrum (2023). DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02867-22

Mammals can become infected with the highly pathogenic (HPAI) avian influenza H5N1 virus when they feed on infected sick or dead wild birds. Studies by Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) show that there is no spread of the virus between the mammals. However, a zoonotic mutation was found. "That's a sign that the virus is adapting to a new host," says Nancy Beerens, head of the Dutch National Reference Laboratory Avian influenza.

In the winter of 20212022, there was a high mortality rate among wild birds due to bird flu in the Netherlands. That season, several foxes, polecats, an otter and a badger also became infected. The mammals were noticed for their abnormal behavior, with neurological symptoms. The animals were examined by Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) for infection with the HPAI H5N1 virus. The virus was particularly detected in the brains of these animals, while swabs of throat, nose and rectum were often tested negative. This study shows that it is important to test brain samples of mammals that are suspected of HPAI infection.

No spread of bird flu between mammals

In different animals a zoonotic mutation (PB2-E627K) was detected in analysis of mammalian viruses. This allows the virus to multiply better in mammals. The mutation was not found in wild bird viruses. However, multiple mutations are needed before a virus can spread between mammals or to humans.

Recently, an HPAI H5N1 infection was detected at a mink farm in Spain, where there was possible spread of the virus between the animals. The mutations found on the farm were not detected in the wild mammals in WBVR's studies. "Genetic analysis of the wild mammalian viruses showed that they are not closely related. There is no evidence of spread of the virus between these mammals. The mammals have become infected independently of each other by eating infected wild birds," says virologist Nancy Beerens.

Vigilance required

It is important that mammals with abnormal behavior are reported so that they can be investigated for bird flu. At the moment, it is not obligatory in Europe to report mammals that are infected with HPAI H5N1 virus, so information on the number of infections is not centrally available.

"Setting up effective surveillance programs for wild mammals can provide more insight into the infections and the emergence of mutations," says Beerens. "From the One Health perspective, with respect to the risks for humans, it is important to monitor mammalian viruses for the emergence of mutations, and therefore to closely monitor infections of mammals."

The related research is published in Pathogens and Microbiology Spectrum.

More information: Sandra Vreman et al, Zoonotic Mutation of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Virus Identified in the Brain of Multiple Wild Carnivore Species, Pathogens (2023). DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020168 Luca Bordes et al, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Virus Infections in Wild Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) Show Neurotropism and Adaptive Virus Mutations, Microbiology Spectrum (2023). DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02867-22
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TERENO Monitoring Station on Lake Tiefer See, Germany (weather station, water probes, sediment traps). Credit: A. Brauer

In recent years, there have been increasing reports of toxic blue-green algae blooms in summer, even in German lakes, caused by climate warming and increased nutrient inputs. But humans have had an influence on the development of blue-green algae since the Bronze Age from about 2,000 B.C.

This is the finding of a study by researchers from the German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ and colleagues, published in the journal Communications Biology. Since some blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, leave no visible fossil traces in sediments due to their small size, little is known about how they evolved in our lakes during the last centuries and millennia.

Using DNA from sediments, the researchers have now been able to decipher for the first time the history of blue-green algae over the last 11,000 years in the sediments of a lake in Mecklenburg, Germany.

Background: Blue-green algae and their reproduction

Blue-green algae have proliferated in many bodies of water in recent decades. The causes are man-made: increasing nutrient inputs and global warming. Some blue-green algae species are toxic, so that mass blooms in bathing waters can even be hazardous to health. They can cause allergies if they come into contact with the skin orin the case of small woundsinfections andif they get into drinking water, for examplecan even cause liver cancer in extreme cases.

Cyanobacteria, as blue-green algae are known, are among the oldest known organisms that carry out photosynthesis. Today's land plants have ultimately inherited their ability to produce oxygen and fix carbon dioxide from cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria also have another ability that distinguishes them from other algae. They can absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere and use it as a nutrient. This ability is one reason for the proliferation of blue-green algae at the expense of other aquatic organisms, which are increasingly being displaced.

Lake Tiefer See in the Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heide Nature Park; Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Germany); view from the north. Credit: A. Brauer/GFZ

DNA as the key to tracking blue-green algae

Unlike diatoms, for example, most blue-green algae do not leave fossil traces in the sediment to allow extensive taxonomic differentiation as distinct species. As a result, it is poorly known how blue-green algae in our lakes have evolved over several millennia.

"However, new methods now make it possible to detect DNA from various organisms in sediments, and this allows us to decipher the history of these cyanobacteria," explains Ebuka Nwosu of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, lead author of the new study. The work, which involved other partners, was carried out as part of Ebuka Nwosu's doctoral thesis.

It was supervised by Susanne Liebner, GFZ working group leader in the Geomicrobiology Section and professor at the University of Potsdam, and Achim Brauer, head of the GFZ Climate Dynamics and Landscape Development Section and professor at the University of Potsdam.

For this study, the researchers selected sediments from a lake in the Nossentiner-Schwinzer Heide Nature Park in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. "We know Lake Tiefer See very well and have dated its sediments very precisely because it has been part of the TERENO lake monitoring program at the German Research Center for Geosciences for many years," says Achim Brauer, explaining the choice of this lake.

For the study, sedimentary cyanobacterial DNA was determined on an 11-meter sediment core, and then both the number and composition of blue-green algae species and their diversity were analyzed.

Light microscope images of blue-green algae from a surface water sample taken from Tiefer See in July 2019: Anabaena sp. (left), Synechococcus sp. (right). Scale length: 100 micrometer each. Credit: Ebuka Nwosu

Evolution of blue-green algae over millennia: The particular influence of humans

In this way, the researchers were able to show that blue-green algae were already present in the oldest samples studied, 11,000 years ago, shortly after the lake was formed. However, the number and diversity of species were very low and blue-green algae probably did not play a special role in the lake's ecosystem.

This did not change for many millennia. Only with the appearance of the first Bronze Age burial finds near the lake from around 2000 BC did the number and species communities of blue-green algae increase significantly. "This suggests that even early cultures had an impact on the nutrient balance of the lake through agricultural activities," says Ebuka Nwosu.

Subsequently, the natural state prior to these initial changes was never regained. On the contrary, with each subsequent settlement phase, and preferentially during warmer climatic conditions, blue-green algae and their species communities continued to proliferate in Lake Tiefer See.

Since industrial agriculture started with greatly increased nitrogen inputs, this development has accelerated even more. "However, the conditions for these developments were created much earlier than we previously assumed," Susanne Liebner says. And she adds that the nutrient-induced increase in blue-green algae will probably be further favored by the increasingly warmer summers in the future.

More information: Ebuka Canisius Nwosu et al, Early human impact on lake cyanobacteria revealed by a Holocene record of sedimentary ancient DNA, Communications Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04430-z Journal information: Communications Biology
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As NASA's Lucy spacecraft travels through the inner edge of the main asteroid belt in the fall of 2023, the spacecraft will fly by the small, as-of-yet unnamed, asteroid (152830) 1999 VD57. This graphic shows a top-down view of the solar system indicating the spacecraft's trajectory shortly before the November 1 encounter. Credit: NASA/Goddard

NASA's Lucy spacecraft will add another asteroid encounter to its 4-billion-mile journey. On Nov. 1, 2023, the Southwest Research Institute-led Lucy mission will get a close-up view of a small main belt asteroid to conduct an engineering test of the spacecraft's innovative asteroid-tracking navigation system.

The Lucy mission was already on course to break records by its planned visit of nine asteroids during its 12-year mission to tour the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, which orbit the sun at the same distance as Jupiter. Originally, Lucy was not expected to get a close-up view of any asteroids until 2025, when it will fly by the main belt asteroid (52246) Donaldjohanson. However, the SwRI-led Lucy team has identified a small, as-yet unnamed asteroid in the inner main belt as a potential new and useful target for the Lucy spacecraft.

"There are millions of asteroids in the main asteroid belt," said Dr. Raphael Marschall, Lucy collaborator of the Nice Observatory in France, who identified asteroid (152830) 1999 VD57 as an object of special interest for Lucy. "I selected 500,000 asteroids with well-defined orbits to see if Lucy might be traveling close enough to get a good look at any of them, even from a distance. This asteroid really stood out. Without any modifications, Lucy's trajectory would take it within 40,000 miles of the asteroid, at least three times closer than the next-closest asteroid."

The Lucy team realized that with a small maneuver, the spacecraft could get a close look at this asteroid. On January 24, 2023, the team officially added the asteroid flyby to Lucy's tour as an engineering test of the spacecraft's pioneering terminal tracking system. The new system solves a long-standing problem for flyby missions: During a spacecraft's approach to a target, it is quite difficult to determine exactly how far the spacecraft is from the asteroid and exactly which way to point the cameras.

"In the past, most flyby missions have accounted for this uncertainty by taking a lot of images of the region where the asteroid might be, which is inefficient and produces lots of images of blank space," says Lucy Principal Investigator Dr. Hal Levison, of SwRI's Solar System Science and Exploration Division in Boulder, Colorado. The SwRI headquarters is in San Antonio. "Lucy will be the first flyby mission to employ an innovative and complex system to automatically track the asteroid during the encounter. The novel terminal tracking system will allow the spacecraft to take many more images of the target."

Asteroid 1999 VD57 provides an excellent opportunity to validate this never-before-flown procedure. The geometry of this encounterparticularly the angle that the spacecraft approaches the asteroid relative to Earth and the sunis very similar to the planned Trojan asteroid encounters. This flyby allows the team to carry out a dress rehearsal under similar conditions well in advance of the spacecraft's main scientific objectives, the flybys of the never-before-explored Trojan asteroids.

This asteroid was not identified as a target earlier because it is extremely small. In fact, 1999 VD57 will be the smallest main belt asteroid ever visited by a spacecraft, estimated to be a mere 0.4 miles (700 m) in size. It is more similar in size to the near-Earth asteroids visited by recent space missions, including OSIRIS-REx and DART, than to previously visited main belt asteroids.

The Lucy team will carry out a series of maneuvers starting in early May 2023 to place the spacecraft on a trajectory that will pass approximately 280 miles (450 km) from this small asteroid.

More information: For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/planetary-science, http://lucy.swri.edu or https://www.nasa.gov/lucy.
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Artist's reconstruction of Ignacius dawsonae surviving six months of winter darkness in the extinct warm temperate ecosystem of Ellesmere Island, Arctic Canada. Credit: Kristen Miller, Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas

Two sister species of near-primate, called "primatomorphans," dating back about 52 million years have been identified by researchers at the University of Kansas as the oldest to have dwelled north of the Arctic Circle. The findings appear today in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.

According to lead author Kristen Miller, doctoral student with KU's Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, both speciesIgnacius mckennai and I. dawsonaedescended from a common northbound ancestor who possessed a spirit "to boldly go where no primate has gone before."

The specimens were discovered on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, in layers of sediment linked with the early Eocene, an epoch of warmer temperatures that could foretell how ecosystems will fare in coming years due to human-driven climate change.

"No primate relative has ever been found at such extreme latitudes," Miller said. "They're more usually found around the equator in tropical regions. I was able to do a phylogenetic analysis, which helped me understand how the fossils from Ellesmere Island are related to species found in midlatitudes of North Americaplaces like New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Even down in Texas we have some fossils that belong to this family as well."

The Arctic Circle was much warmer when these close evolutionary cousins of primates liveda boreal ecosystem that hosted a plethora of early Cenozoic vertebrates, including ancient crocodilesbut like today was still mostly dark for half of the year. This darkness, according to Miller, may have triggered both species to evolve more robust teeth and jaws compared with other primate relatives of the time.

"A lot of what we do in paleontology is look at teeththey preserve the best," said Miller, who analyzed high-resolution microtomography of the fossil teeth described in the paper. "Their teeth are just super weird compared to their closest relatives. So, what I've been doing the past couple of years is trying to understand what they were eating, and if they were eating different materials than their middle-latitude counterparts."

Miller and her co-authors believe food was much tougher to find during dim winter months when the Artic primate relatives likely were forced to consume harder material.

"That, we think, is probably the biggest physical challenge of the ancient environment for these animals," said corresponding author Chris Beard, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Biodiversity Institute and Foundation Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary biology at KU. "How do you make it through six months of winter darkness, even if it's reasonably warm? The teeth and even the jaw muscles of these animals changed compared to their close relatives from midlatitudes. To survive those long Arctic winters, when preferred foods like fruits were not available, they had to rely on 'fallback foods' like nuts and seeds."

Miller and Beard's other co-author is Kristen Tietjen, a scientific illustrator at the Biodiversity Institute.

Additionally, the researchers found both species were slightly larger than their closest relatives farther to the southa group of primate cousins dubbed "plesiadapiforms."

"But they're still pretty small," Miller said. "Some plesiadapiforms from the midlatitudes of North America are really, really tiny. Of course, none of these species are related to squirrels, but I think that's the closest critter that we have that helps us visualize what they might have been like. They were most likely very arborealso, living in the trees most of the time."

The researchers think adaptations displayed by both Arctic species during a time of global warming show how some animals likely could evolve new traits in response to climate change driven by human activity today.

"It does show how something like a primate or a primate relative that's specialized to one environment can change based off of climate change," Miller said. "I think probably what it says is primates' range could expand with climate change or move at least towards the poles rather than the equator. Life starts to get too hot there, perhaps we'll have a lot of taxa moving north and south, rather than the intense biodiversity we see at the equator today."

Because both fossil species are new to science, the investigators bestowed them with scientific names honoring a pair of paleontologists who worked on Ellesmere Island decades ago. One of these namesake paleontologists was a KU alumna and pioneer for women in the field of paleontology.

"Mary Dawson was an amazing person," Beard said. "She earned her doctorate at KU back in the '50s and was among the first, if not the first, American women to get a Ph.D. in paleontologyand one of the first women to make a name for herself as a paleontologist in the United States. I worked closely with Mary for more than 20 years in my former career at the Carnegie Museum, where she spent her whole career. Mary was the leader of a big project on Ellesmere Island. Of course, we were going to name one of the species after her. The other species is named after Malcolm McKenna, a contemporary, close friend and colleague of Mary Dawson and a former mentor of mine."

Indeed, the fossil species Ignacius mckennai and I. dawsonae were part of a collection of fossils left behind by Dawson and McKenna for further analysis.

"Mary and Malcolm bequeathed me with those fossils and asked me to study them," Beard said. "I said, 'Yes, of courseI'm happy to do that.' They just sat like a fine wine and got better and better through time until Kristen showed upand it was clear that Kristen had everything that it took to carry the ball over the finish line."

More information: Basal Primatomorpha colonized Ellesmere Island (Arctic Canada) during the hyperthermal conditions of the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum, PLoS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280114 Journal information: PLoS ONE
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Credit: Shutterstock/AGCreations

Birds sold in the pet trade are often colorful and charismatic creatures. Some can even be taught to talk, and they often provide owners with much-needed companionship.

But there are negative aspects of the pet trade that warrant a closer look.

Concerns about the billion-dollar global pet industry have usually focused on issues associated with the trade in endangered species, but the industry also plays a critical role in moving invasive species around the globe. For birds, it is the primary source of invasive species.

Our new study highlights how many pet birds, particularly parrot species, are reported as lost by their owners. They are contributing to a consistently large pool of escapees in our suburbs, with the potential to breed and spread.

An ill-fated history of introductions

Unfortunately, Aotearoa New Zealand is famous for its history of deliberate introductions of new bird species through well-organized acclimatization societies. The meticulous record-keeping of these early British settlers has created one of the best global data sets for analyzing the effect of propagule pressure (the number of healthy individuals released) on the establishment and spread of new species.

We now know that propagule pressure is a critical factor in whether a species becomes invasive. It's a numbers game: the more individuals released (or escaped) and the greater the number of release events (at different times and in different places), the higher the chances a species will successfully breed and eventually spread.

This legacy has left us with a large number of introduced bird species, some of which have negative impacts on native birds.

A new wave of bird imports

Although the days of acclimatization societies releasing new species are long gone, the pet trade has spurred a new wave of companion bird imports. Some of these imports are leading to the escape or even deliberate release of new bird species into the wild.

In 2000, authorities eradicated a population of about 150-200 rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus) in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland after they were illegally and deliberately released. Sales of this species have continued since, but Auckland became the first and only region to ban sales last year.

Our study investigated the extent to which owners were reporting pet birds as lost through online websites in Aotearoa. What we found was staggering.

During our monitoring period of three-and-a-half years, 1,205 birds and at least 33 species were reported as lost, and 92% of them were parrots. Given that not all owners will list their lost pets on websites, and given that some are released deliberately, these numbers are likely to be a considerable underestimate.

The parrot problem

Globally, parrots have a well-documented history of invasion and impacts.

Ring-necked parakeets (rose-ringed parakeets, Psittacula krameri) have established in 47 countries and form large, noisy populations. They have severe impacts on orchards and crops, and also on native birds by outcompeting them for food and nest sites. About 100 pet owners reported this species as lost in our study.

Worryingly, 23% of the birds reported as lost were part of a group, often with male and female pairs lost together. That makes finding a mate and breeding in the wild much easier.

We used lost-bird data from Auckland in model simulations to investigate the overall propagule pressure from lost pet birds. For seven species (all parrots), we found there was more than an 80% chance of having a male-female pair at large in the same local area at the same time. For the ring-necked parakeet, this figure was a stark 100%, with an average of ten different local areas hosting a male-female pair at any point in time.

Clearly the pet trade poses a major risk for invasion of new parrot species.

Aotearoa has its own unique parrot species, such as kaka, that would be put at risk by these new invaders. Our native birds are already struggling with the onslaught of invasive introduced mammals. While we have tools for controlling mammalian pests, there are currently very few options for controlling invasive birds, and potentially less public support for this.

The only viable and cost-effective approach to preventing the economic and environmental risks invasive parrots pose is prevention. Regional bans will not be enough to prevent spread beyond regions, especially given the ease with which these birds can be bought online from outside the regions with bans. We need to enact regulation at the national level to ban the sale of parrot species that pose the highest risk.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Atomic structure of mica and a picture taken by an atomic force microscope. Credit: Vienna University of Technology

At first glance, mica is something quite ordinary: it is a common mineral, found in granite for example, and has been extensively studied from geological, chemical and technical perspectives.

One might think that nothing new can be discovered from such an everyday material. But now a team from the Vienna University of Technology has presented a study in the journal Nature Communications, explaining the distribution of potassium ions on the mica surface. The physical surface details of mica have never been studied on an atomic scale, and this information is important for research on electronics with 2D materials.

Atomically thin layers

Atomically thinlayered 2D materials are currently one of the most researched topics in materials science. Certain materials, such as graphene and molybdenum disulfide, consist of only one or a few layers of atoms, which frequently leads to unusual properties.

In a sense, mica is a naturally occurring 2D material: It consists of atomically thin layers that can contain different atoms depending on the type of mica: oxygen is always present, often silicon, often potassium or aluminum as well. The layer structure of the mica is also the reason for its characteristic sheenyou can often see a spectrum of colors, similar to a thin layer of oil on a puddle of water.

Potassium ions in ultra high vacuum

The outermost layer of mica is difficult to examine because it is quickly contaminated by atoms and molecules from the air. The researchers imaged the surface of mica in an ultra-high vacuum, using a new type of atomic force microscope at the Vienna University of Technology.

"We were able to see how the potassium ions are distributed on the surface," says Giada Franceschi, the first author of the current paper, who works in Prof. Ulrike Diebold's team. "We were also able to gain insights into the positions of the aluminum ions under the surface layerthis is a particularly difficult task experimentally."

The images show that the potassium ions are not randomly distributed on the surface, as previously assumed, but are arranged in tiny patterns. These distributions could also be calculated with the help of computer simulations.

Matching insulator for 2D electronics

This work could be important for, among other things, attempts to use 2D materials such as graphene for electronic circuits. Suitable insulators are needed for this, and mica is a very obvious candidate.

"The surface properties of mica will play a crucial role in such electronic components," says Giada Franceschi.

More information: Giada Franceschi et al, Resolving the intrinsic short-range ordering of K+ ions on cleaved muscovite mica, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35872-y Journal information: Nature Communications
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Image from NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft in February 1974 as it traveled away from Venus. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

In a recent paper accepted to Contemporary Physics, a physicist from Imperial College London uses past missions and recent findings to encourage the importance of searching for life in the atmosphere of the solar system's most inhospitable planet, Venus.

This comes as a 2020 announcement that claimed to have discovered the presence of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere was refuted by follow-up observations from NASA's recently-retired SOFIA aircraft in late 2022. Despite this, Dr. David Clements, a reader in astrophysics in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London, recently told Universe Today that "there is something odd going on in the atmosphere of Venus."

"The phosphine detection has not gone away, and there are other anomalies, possibly joined by the presence of ammonia," Dr. Clements told Universe Today. "We don't know the origin of these anomalies, and much further work is needed, but they are persisting in spite of properly rigorous review. We also may be starting to understand why different observations have given apparently contradictory results."

For the study, Dr. Clements asks what life is and how we can search for it in the universe but with an emphasis on Venus, referring to the second planet from our sun in the paper as "an unlikely candidate for astrobiology." He discusses Venus' current and ancient planetary conditions, along with Venus' atmosphere and the alleged detection of phosphine by ground-based telescopes from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii in 2017 and the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array in Chile in 2019, with follow-up observations by NASA's SOFIA aircraft in 2021.

This study comes as NASA's Cassini confirmed the existence of water vapor jets emanating from the south pole of Saturn's moon, Enceladus, in the 2000s; NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers presently scouring the surface of Mars searching for signs of past life; NASA gearing up to launch its Europa Clipper mission to examine Jupiter's water world, Europa in 2024; and launching the Dragonfly mission to Saturn's largest moon, Titan in 2027. But given all those potential targets for astrobiology, how much of a priority is searching for life in the atmosphere of Venus?

"More work is needed before we can add Venus to the list of prime sites for the possibility of life," Dr. Clements told Universe Today. "That work is being done, both from the ground and from space missions. The interesting thing is that Venus is a more convenient target than (say) Europa or Enceladus, so missions there are cheaper and faster."

One such upcoming NASA mission specifically designed to study Venus' atmosphere is the DAVINCI mission, which is slated to launch in 2029 and arrive at Venus in 2031. With its suite of instruments, DAVINCI will examine Venus' atmosphere like never before. This includes dropping a titanium probe through the atmosphere where it will collect thousands of measurements as it makes its hour-long descent to the surface. Scientists don't expect it to survive the landing due to Venus' crushing air pressure and searing heat, but they hope to squeeze almost 20 minutes of extra science if it does.

"I think DAVINCI will be very important as it will be able to provide far better 'ground truth' than we currently have," Dr. Clements told Universe Today. "There is also the chance that some additions to the instrumentation will add to its capabilities to look for specific things like phosphine and ammonia."

With a plethora of data from past observations, along with upcoming missions to Venus, Dr. Clements conveyed to Universe Today that "the phosphine on Venus story continues, more data is coming from the ground and space, and that we still don't know if the presence of phosphine is down to life or some complex abiotic chemistry that we do not currently understand."

More information: David L. Clements, Venus, Phosphine and the Possibility of Life, arXiv (2023). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2301.05160 Journal information: arXiv
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Sperm (red) reaching an egg in the female reproductive tract. Sperm lacking FER1L5 cannot undergo the acrosome reaction, and the acrosome (green) remains when it reaches the egg. Therefore, sperm are unable to fertilize eggs. Credit: 2023, Masahito Ikawa, 2023 Morohoshi et al., Science Advances

Fertilization is the union of two cells: an egg and a sperm. Before the egg and the sperm fuse, an event known as the "acrosome reaction" needs to occur in the sperm. Now, a team from Osaka University has identified a protein called FER1L5 that is essential for sperm to undergo the acrosome reaction.

There is a cap-like vesicle structure called the acrosome over the front of the head of a sperm. As the sperm migrates in the female reproductive tract in mammals, the acrosome reaction occurs, which involves the release of molecules in the acrosome to facilitate fertilization. Although the acrosome reaction is essential for sperm to fertilize eggs, the molecular mechanism that regulates the acrosome reaction remains unclear.

The research team examined FER-1, a ferlin family protein essential for fertilization in the nematode (i.e., roundworm) called C. elegans. Unlike mammalian sperm, such as those of humans and mice, C. elegans sperm move like amoebae. FER-1 has been found to be important for membranous organelle fusion and the initiation of amoeboid movement. In mice, six ferlin family proteins are similar to FER-1: DYSF, OTOF, MYOF, FER1L4, FER1L5, and FER1L6. While DYSF is known to be involved in muscular dystrophy and OTOF in deafness, clarification is needed on whether proteins similar to FER-1 are involved in mammalian sperm function.

Changes to the sperm. C. elegans sperm are activated and exhibit amoeboid movement. Mouse sperm undergo the acrosome reaction, exposing molecules essential for fusion with eggs. MO: membranous organelle. Credit: 2023, Masahito Ikawa, 2023 Morohoshi et al., Science Advances

"When we generated mice that were lacking one particular member of the ferlin family, FER1L5, the sperm of the male mice were unable to fertilize eggs," explains first author Akane Morohoshi. However, the fertility of female mice lacking FER1L5 was unchanged. The team then went on to show that sperm lacking FER1L5 were unable to undergo the acrosome reaction. "Even though we added a strong inducer, no acrosome reaction took place in sperm lacking FER1L5, suggesting that FER1L5 is critical for the acrosome reaction," explains senior author Haruhiko Miyata.

Electron microscopic observation of sperm heads. Even with the addition of a strong inducer, the acrosome reaction (AR) does not occur in sperm lacking FER1L5, leaving the acrosome intact. Credit: 2023, Masahito Ikawa, 2023 Morohoshi et al., Science Advances

"Our results indicate that the function of ferlin proteins is well conserved from nematodes to mice, although their sperm look different," explains senior author Masahito Ikawa. While this study was carried out on mice, FER1L5 protein is known to be present in human sperm. Further research resulting from this study may therefore lead to new treatments and diagnostic methods for male infertility in humans.

The article, "Testis-enriched ferlin, FER1L5, is required for Ca2+-activated acrosome reaction and male fertility," is published in Science Advances.

More information: Akane Morohoshi et al, Testis-enriched ferlin, FER1L5, is required for Ca2+-activated acrosome reaction and male fertility, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade7607. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade7607 Journal information: Science Advances
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The worm that the researchers studied and for which they sequenced the genome. It is a segmented worm that is abundant on the coasts of the UK and Europe. It lives inside a tube that it secretes itself burrowed in the sand. Credit: Chema Martin.

For more than 100 years, biologists have wondered why animals display different types of life cycles. Some species, like humans and most vertebrates, develop directly into a fully formed yet smaller version of an adult. In contrast, many other animals give rise to beautifully diverse intermediate forms we call larvae, which then metamorphose into the adult.

Still, the understanding researchers had of why larvae exist and how they originated was limited. More importantly, large-scale comparative studies addressing this issue had not previously used modern techniques based on sequencing the genetic information of an animalthe genometo find out how the organism uses this information while growing. Until now.

In a study led by a team at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), published in the journal Nature, researchers uncover for the first time the mechanism that likely explains how embryos form either a larva or a miniature version of the adult.

In their paper, they prove that the timing of activation of essential genes involved in embryogenesisthe transformation of a fertilized egg into an organismcorrelates with the presence or absence of a larval stage and with whether the larva feeds from their surroundings or relies on nourishment the mother deposited in the egg.

Francisco M. Martin-Zamora, Ph.D. candidate at QMUL and co-first author of the study, said, "It's impressive to see how evolution shaped the way animal embryos 'tell the time' to activate important groups of genes earlier or later in development. Suppose a larval stage is no longer essential for your survival. In that case, it might be evolutionarily advantageous to, for example, activate the genes to form the trunk earlier and develop straight into an adult instead."

This new study used state-of-the-art approaches to decode the genetic information, activity, and regulation in three species of marine invertebrate worms called annelids. They combined these with public datasets from other species in a large-scale study involving more than 600 datasets of more than 60 species separated by more than 500 million years of evolution.

"Only by combining experimental datasets generated in the lab and systematic computational analyses were we able to unravel this new undiscovered biology," said Dr. Ferdinand Marletaz, a main collaborator of the study from University College London.

"While the techniques had been around for some years, no team had used them for this purpose. The datasets we generated and the methodologies we developed will be tremendously powerful resources for other researchers," highlighted Dr. Yan Liang, a postdoctoral researcher from QMUL and co-first author of the work.

Dr. Chema Martin-Duran, the senior author in this research, expressed that "developmental biology largely focuses on mice, flies and other well-established species we know as model organisms. Our study demonstrates that the fascinating biology of the often-overlooked non-model species is critical to understand how animal development works and how it evolved."

Genes involved in forming the trunkthe body region that follows the head and runs until the tailare paramount. Some species will form larvae with virtually no trunk, known as "head larvae," and might have been present as far back as in the ancestor of all animals with head and tail. Direct development and forming a small adult straight from embryogenesis would have evolved later in many animal groups, like us and most vertebrates, as genes to form the trunk get activated earlier in embryogenesis, and larval traits are progressively lost.

"We are hopeful that other researchers in the field will continue studying the exciting topic of the evolution of animal life cycles and provide further evidence for the hypothesis we put forward," said Dr. Andreas Hejnol, Professor at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany, and collaborator of the team.

More information: Jose Martin-Duran, Annelid functional genomics reveal the origins of bilaterian life cycles, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05636-7. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05636-7 Journal information: Nature
Connecticuts 2023 teacher of the year is in the running for national recognition as well.

Carolyn Kielma, a Bristol Eastern High School science teacher, has been named a finalist for the 2023 National Teacher of the Year Award, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday.

The national teacher of the year is chosen by the Council of Chief State School Officers. Kielma is one of five finalists from across the country in the running for the honor recognizing extraordinary teachers.

Carolyn Kielma, Connecticuts 2023 teacher of the year, is one of five finalists for the national teacher of the year award. Kielma is a science teacher at Bristol Eastern High School.

We are so proud and excited to have Carolyn Kielma represent Connecticut as a National Teacher of the Year finalist, Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, state education commissioner, said in a release. Carolyn is a dedicated educator, focused on providing all her students the best possible, highest-quality learning experience. She believes that learning is not about knowing the right answer  it is a process of discovery. Carolyn is also a model of inspiration for her peers and is so deserving of this honor.

The five finalists will be interviewed by the CCSSOs National Teacher of the Year Programs Selection Committee to determine the winner, which will be announced in the spring.

Kielma said she views the opportunity to bring attention to her profession and needed reforms.

I cannot wait to head to our nations capital and get to work to elevate this career, Kielma said. I am ready to work with my teacher colleagues across all disciplines and grade levels, states and territories to reform policy and practice that continues to promote equity and inclusion, while providing opportunities for all of our scholars to be successful. I am ready to show the nation how valuable and vital teachers are to the health and future of our society as I inspire others to view our job as respected, desired, and prestigious.

Kielma, who teaches biology, biotechnology and forensics, environmental science, anatomy and physiology, and the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) class at Bristol Eastern High School, has been a teacher in Connecticut since 2002. She earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from Susquehanna University and a master of science degree in secondary education from the University of New Haven and calls the successes of her students  not just in science, but in life  her greatest reward.

Ms. Kielma believes teaching is not only about curriculum but also helping young people become better humans. Her goal is to provide an inclusive environment, where all students feel valued, accepted, and treated with equity, according to a release from Lamont. Ms. Kielma works to close the achievement gap by providing opportunities that prepare all students for college readiness and success in a global society. She provides professional development to inspire teachers across her district and travels nationwide to train teachers in engagement strategies that promote equity and inclusion.
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Researchers created a broadband transparent and flexible silver mesh that allows high-quality infrared wireless optical communication while also exhibiting efficient electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The image on the right shows that the university logos are visible through the transparent grid (yellow outline), and the inset shows a microscopic image of the mesh's repeating grid pattern. Credit: Optical Materials Express (2022). DOI: 10.1364/OME.478830

Researchers have experimentally demonstrated, for the first time, a mechanically flexible silver mesh that is visibly transparent, allows high-quality infrared wireless optical communication and efficiently shields electromagnetic interference in the X band portion of the microwave radio region. Optical communication channels are important to the operation of many devices and are often used for remote sensing and detection.

Electronic devices are now found throughout our homes, on factory floors and in medical facilities. Electromagnetic interference shielding is often used to prevent electromagnetic radiation from these devices from interfering with each other and affecting device performance.

Electromagnetic shielding, which is also used in the military to keep equipment and vehicles hidden from the enemy, can also block the optical communication channels needed for remote sensing, detection or operation of the devices. A shield that can block interference but allow for optical communication channels could help to optimize device performance in a variety of civilian and military settings.

"Many conventional transparent electromagnetic interference shields allow only visible light signals through," said research team leader Liu Yang from Zhejiang University in China. "However, visible wavelengths are not well suited for optical communication, especially free-spaceor wirelessoptical communication, because of the huge amount of background noise."

In the journal Optical Materials Express, the researchers describe their new mesh. They show that when combined with transparent silicone and polyethylene, it can achieve a high average electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of 26.2 dB in the X band with good optical transmittance at a wide range of wavelengths, including those in the infrared.

"We take the advantage of the ultrabroad transparency and low haze of a metallic micromesh to demonstrate efficient electromagnetic shielding, visible transparency and high-quality free-space optical communication," said Yang. "Sandwiching the mesh between transparent materials improves the chemical stability and mechanical flexibility of the silver mesh while also imparting a self-cleaning quality. These properties will enable our silver mesh to be applied widely both indoors and outdoors, even on corrosive and free-form surfaces."

A flexible and transparent mesh

The researchers designed the new silver mesh with a very simple structurea repeating square grid pattern applied to a transparent and flexible polyethylene substrate. The continuous grid structure makes the silver mesh very flexible by releasing stress during bending. Because the transparency of the silver mesh is primarily determined by the opening ratio, a measure of the size of the holes in the mesh, it is independent of the incident light wavelength.

"A large opening ratio, for example, is beneficial for a high, broadband transparency and low haze but is detrimental to high conductivity and thus electromagnetic shielding performance," said Yang. "Because the physical parameters for our mesh can be easily optimized by changing the grid period, line width and thickness, it is easier to achieve well-balanced optical, electrical and electromagnetic properties compared with what is possible with other kinds of transparent conductive films such as silver nanowire networks, ultrathin metallic films and carbon-based materials."

To demonstrate their new technology, the researchers fabricated a silver mesh onto a polyethylene substrate. The mesh had a grid period of approximately 150 m, a grid line width of approximately 6 m and a thickness that ranged from 59 to 220 nm. This was then covered with a layer of 60-m thick polydimethylsiloxane. The resulting film showed high transmission for a broad wavelength range from 400 nm to 2000 nm and sheet resistance as low as 7.12 /sq, allowing a high electromagnetic shield effectiveness up to 26.2 dB in the X band. The researchers also showed that the film could shield low-frequency mobile phone signals.

The researchers caution that this work is only a prototype demonstration, so there is much room for improvement. For example, using more conductive materials would improve the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, and materials that are more transparent and have a lower haze could improve not only the visible transparency but also the free-space optical communication quality.

They are also exploring mid-infrared transparent conductive materials, which would extend the FSO communication to longer wavelengths where atmospheric interference is reduced and higher communication quality can be achieved. For commercialization, the mesh would also have to be more practical to install and less expensive.

More information: Qiyun Lei et al, Broadband transparent and flexible silver mesh for efficient electromagnetic interference shielding and high-quality free-space optical communication, Optical Materials Express (2022). DOI: 10.1364/OME.478830 Journal information: Optical Materials Express

Provided by Optica
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Immigration is one of the most controversial social and political issues in American life. Yet little attention is given to the aftermath of U.S. immigration policies or the immigrant Americans who are deported back to their country of origin. What is the resulting impact on mental and physical health disparities, both individually and at the societal level? This question is at the heart of research by scholars at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.

Alice Cepeda, associate professor, and Avelardo Valdez, the Cleofas and Victor Ramirez Professor of Practice, Policy, Research and Advocacy for the Latino Population, have been studying disparities in health among deported Americans in Mexico City. They recently presented their important findings in a private audience with Ken Salazar, the United States Ambassador to Mexico, in hopes of expanding recognition for the impact current U.S. immigration policy is having on the lives of individuals and families.

"There are almost half a million deportees in Mexico City that are Americans," Valdez said. "If you talk to these people, it's like talking to any other U.S. citizen. Some of them have never even been to Mexico, have never even thought of going back, and suddenly find themselves in this strange country, separated and alienated from their families."

Valdez and Cepeda have been working together to illuminate social and public health issues around Mexican American immigration and other factors for over 20 years. Their latest study, "Disparities in Health among Floating Immigrant Populations,"examines the health impacts of the U.S. immigration system. This study interviews recent immigrants in Los Angeles and deported Americans in Mexico City in order to identify mechanisms by which immigration processes expose individuals to distinct environments, increase susceptibility to risk behaviors and contribute to mental and physical health disparities, infectious diseases and alcohol/drug dependence.

"Our goal with this research is to reframe immigration, not as a threat to public health, but instead recognizing immigrants' special vulnerabilities from a human rights perspective," Cepeda said. "The migration processes are something we really need to think about in terms of the health of these deported Americans, including mental health and substance use."

Criminalizing the immigrant experience

When most people think of immigrants from Mexico to America they picture rural agricultural workers coming to work on farms in border states. However, many Mexican migrants to the United States today are from urban areas, and bound for major cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago or Atlanta to work in service sector jobs. Also in contrast to common wisdom, immigration from Mexico has actually decreased significantly in recent years, with 2 million fewer total unauthorized immigrants from Mexico living in the U.S. in 2017 than a decade earlier. This is attributable in part to a significant increase in deportations as a result of changes in immigration policy and the passage of laws specifically targeting immigrants.

In 1996, the passage of the U.S. Illegal Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act began the era of a deportation-carceral system that criminalizes immigrants, militarizes the border and removes long-term immigrants from the interior of the U.S. This law expanded the list of "deplorable" crimes that warranted deportation to include common misdemeanors such as identification or tax fraud, and making unauthorized re-entry into the U.S. a felony. In 2003, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was created and expanded into the interior of the U.S., not just border areas, enlisting local law enforcement to apprehend unauthorized immigrants. Currently, immigration offenses are the most common federal crime, surpassing drug-related crime.

Many of these laws overwhelmingly target immigrants commonly known as "dreamers," who came to the U.S. as children and might otherwise qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to stay in the U.S. Because any criminal history, even misdemeanors, violates the DACA morality clause, these laws have the net effect of criminalizing immigration. For this reason, Cepeda and Valdez often refer to the deported Americans in Mexico City as the "other dreamers." These deportees also create a new form of family separation. Among the deported Americans Cepeda and Valdez have surveyed in their study,45% report they left behind one or more children in the U.S., many of them U.S. citizens, disrupting the family's primary financial support and creating tremendous anxiety and stress across the family.

One of the men Cepeda and Valdez interviewed personifies this dynamic. A 36-year-old married man with several children, residing in Dallas and earning a living as a contractor with six employees, was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. Due to this immigration status, he was deported to Mexico, a place he had not been for over twenty years. His wife and children were suddenly left with no financial support and his employees without jobs. In an effort to keep his family together, he tried moving his wife and children to Mexico, but they were unable to acclimate to the social systems and language, eventually returning to the U.S. Now, his wife visits him occasionally in Mexico, but the children, who feel uncomfortable in Mexico, only communicate with their father by phone.

'Like they deported us to a war zone'

Many of these deported Americans do not remember Mexico or even speak Spanish. Suddenly they find themselves in a country with an unfamiliar system, struggling to survive, and the physical and emotional stresses of this journey taking a significant toll.

"This is a population that is dealing with very high, severe mental health issues and anxiety, distress, ecological distress," Cepeda said. "We really wanted to look at how these distinct immigration experiences contribute to these outcomes. It's not just the immigration itself, it's the transit to the destination, the interception, and then now coming back."

Valdez says that most of the people who are deported to Mexico City have no family ties at all in the area. They are just thrown into the city and then have to find a place to live and a job, with almost no support from the U.S. or Mexico.

"It's like they deported us to a war zone, one we don't know anything about," said one 25-year-old deported American interviewed for the study who came to the U.S. at three years old and lived in Indiana until being returned to Mexico in 2018. "I grew up in the States all my life and they deport me when I'm an adult to someplace where I don't know how to file my taxes, get a job or get my ID. The only option you're giving us is to commit more crimes, because we don't know what to do."

Valdez and Cepeda anticipate their study will stimulate discussion and lead to the implementation of policies and programs by both the U.S. and Mexico governments that address these inequities in mental and health conditions for this population.
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Graphical abstract: Challenges, method and solution. Credit: Scientific Reports (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25278-z

From climate change to global pandemics, the world is facing major environmental and health-related challenges that are driving life science research institutions to pool their data and digital resources in search of solutions.

However, a lot of the data generated by biological and medical research is sensitive, either stemming from their personal nature or due to intellectual property considerations, biohazard concerns or the Nagoya Protocol.

A toolbox for sensitive data

The EOSC-Life project is bringing together research infrastructures to create an open, digital and collaborative space for life science research in which data, tools and analysis workflows are more findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR).

To support this FAIRification process, it has developed a toolbox that provides information to researchers intending to share and/or use sensitive data in a cloud environment such as the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The toolbox is described in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The toolbox is based on a categorization, or tagging, system developed and harmonized across a cluster of six life science research infrastructures involved in the EOSC-Life project. The toolbox does not create new content but rather enables scientists to find resources that are relevant for sharing sensitive data across all participating research infrastructures. It contains links to digital objects relating to sensitive data, such as regulations, guidelines, best practices and software, to support data sharing and reuse.

Development in three stages

The toolbox's categorization system makes consistent labeling and tagging of resources possible. Three different versions of the categorization system were developed, each tested by a subsequent pilot study. This ultimately led to a system with seven main categories: sensitive data type; resource type; research field; data type; stage in data sharing life cycle; geographical scope; and specific topics.

The third version of the categorization system was tested in pilot study 3 with 110 resources, one of which had missing data. A total of 109 resources tagged in this pilot study were therefore used as the initial content for the toolbox demonstrator.

The demonstrator is a software tool that allows researchers to search digital objects linked to sensitive data, with filtering based on the categorization system. The study authors explain further: "The tool allows pre-filtering of resources linked to sensitive data with free text in the title, by DOI or through authors. Further filtering is possible with respect to item type (e.g. journal article, webinar, report, software) and selection of any of the pre-listed tags from the different categories of system version 3. The search result can be saved as PDF or JSON."

According to the authors, the next important steps involve evaluating the toolbox demonstrator's usability and user-friendliness, extending the toolbox to cover more resources, promoting its broader adoption by different life science communities, and developing a long-term vision for maintenance and sustainability. The EOSC-Life (Providing an open collaborative space for digital biology in Europe) project ends in August 2023.

More information: Romain David et al, An iterative and interdisciplinary categorisation process towards FAIRer digital resources for sensitive life-sciences data, Scientific Reports (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25278-z EOSC-Life project website. www.eosc-life.eu/ Journal information: Scientific Reports

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Kyiv, Ukraine. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The number of armed conflicts currently raging around the world is the greatest since the end of the Second World War. These wars can leave toxic environmental legacies and cause untold damage to human health.

One-quarter of the world's population, or two billion people, live in countries experiencing war. They include Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, Myanmar, Sudan, Haiti and the Sahel region in Northern Africa.

Violent conflict causes substantial environmental damagepolluting air, water and soil, and damaging human health over the long-term.

Chemical weapons and toxins are still being used in current wars. The United Nations last month formally adopted principles to protect the environment in armed conflict. Concrete action is now needed to implement them.

What are toxic remnants of war?

Toxic remnants of war are poisonous or hazardous substances resulting from military activities. They include:

radioactive material

white phosphorus

mustard agents

halogens

heavy metals

dioxins and other human carcinogens.

Atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cites of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 are thought to have killed more than 200,000 people immediately; more died from nuclear radiation in subsequent years.

Some toxic remnants are a direct result of armed conflict. Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War contained dangerous dioxins that continue to damage people and the environment today.

The use of poisonous gases and other hazardous substances in warfare has a long history. Chlorine and mustard gas, for example, were used in the First World War.

However, unlike many past wars, today's armed conflicts increasingly take place in urban and industrialized areas, posing a significant risk to civilians and their environment.

And the use of chemical weapons continues. For example, a UN official this month said the Syrian government's "absence of accountability" for using chemical weapons in the nation's long-running civil war was "a threat to international peace and security and a danger to us all."

A threat to human health

Toxic remnants of war can result in many adverse health effects in humans.

In Vietnam, research suggests a greatly increased risk of birth defects among children of parents exposed to Agent Orange. In some locations, extremely high levels of dioxins have been found in soil, sediment and foods, as well as human breast milk and blood.

Research has also linked Agent Orange to human genome instability (or genome mutations) in adults and children.

In Gaza, elevated heavy metal loads have been identified in mothers and newborns exposed to military attacks. Also in Gaza, birth defects have been associated with exposure to white phosphorus and other bombs containing toxic and carcinogenic metals.

In Croatia, higher metal blood concentrations were found in those exposed to heavy fighting.

In Iraq, open burn pits used to dispose of war waste have exposed civilians to poisonous smoke and fumes. And smoke from oil well fires in the 1991 Gulf War, and more recently in Syria, pose a toxic risk.

A scourge on the environment

In addition to human health effects, armed conflicts can cause widespread environmental damage.

Sensitive landscapes can be destroyed by the movement of troops and vehicles. And explosives can release particles, debris and other matter that pollutes the air and soil.

War can also cause toxic pollution indirectly, such as when services and infrastructure are destroyed or break down.

For example, Israel's bombardment of a power plant in Lebanon in 2006 sent 110,000 barrels of oil into the Mediterranean sea, killing fish and turtles and causing an environmental crisis.

And according to the OECD, Russian military strikes on Ukraine refineries, chemical plants, energy facilities and industrial plants have sent toxic substances into air, water and soil. It says ammunition remains and damaged military vehicles also contain materials toxic to people and the environment.

The war in Ukraine is also raising fears of a radioactive incident at Chernobyl and other Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

Toxic remnants of war also interact with the effects of climate change. As ice in Greenland melts, for instance, pollutants from abandoned Cold War-era military infrastructure may enter waterways.

So what now?

Despite the known health and environmental effects, toxic weapons continue to be used in armed conflicts.

In December last year, the United Nations' General Assembly adopted principles to protect the environment in relation to armed conflict. They outline how the environment should be protected before, during and after armed conflict.

The principles include:

designating and protecting important environmental areas during an armed conflict

obligations to remove or render harmless toxic remnants of war.

But this protection isn't binding in the same manner that a treaty or convention would be. Action is needed to ensure the principles are put into practice.

Governments, international organizations, armed groups, business enterprises and civil society all have a role to play.

According to the Conflict and Environment Observatory, such action should include a formal implementation vehicle, such as an engaged group of governments, to ensure the principles are adopted on the ground.

And increased public awareness of conflict pollution will also help create the momentum needed.

Without firm action, toxic remnants of war will continue to pose long term threats to communities and ecosystems.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Type of FGC by year of cutting. Source: Authors calculations on original data from Somalia. Sample includes women aged 17-82 at the time of interview and their daughters aged 12 or older, if cut. Credit: A Stepping Stone Approach to Understanding Harmful Norms (2023)

Female circumcision is so harmful that it is quite clear that society would be better off without this kind of practice, but so far progress has been slow.

The economist Eliana La Ferrara is investigating potential ways to speed up the abolishment of this harmful behavior.

There are several types of female circumcision or female genital cutting. La Ferrara is particularly concerned about the two types of circumcision that are most widespread in Africa.

"One is called pharaonic circumcision and can be traced back to ancient Egypt. According to some historians, it originated as a way for slave masters to retain the virginity of their slaves," La Ferrara says.

The second type is called sunna circumcision. It has grown in prevalence in recent decades. "Both types involve major interventions, including removal of the visible part of the clitoris.

However, pharaonic circumcision is far more invasive.

In the article "A Stepping Stone Approach to Understanding Harmful Norms," La Ferrara and co-authors refer to survey data documenting that 63% of women who were pharaonically circumcised in Somalia experienced major sequelae in the form of bleeding, infections, birth pains, pain during intercourse, reduced sensitivity and a number of other complications.

The same figure for the sunna type of circumcision is 11%.

98% circumcised

It is estimated that 200 million women today have been genitally mutilated.

"This is not a marginal phenomenon. On the contrary, it is a major problem in many parts of the world. In Somalia, 98% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have been circumcised, according to figures from UNICEF," says La Ferrara.

She and her colleagues have collected survey data from 141 different communities in Somalia on the types of FGC practiced and the attitudes of the population.

"The procedure takes place when the girls are between eight and eleven years of age, typically far from any hospital, and with all the attendant risks."

Statistics show that some areas only practice the sunna type of circumcision while other areas are heavily dominated by the pharaonic type. Very few girls end up in the "not circumcised" category.

Eliana La Ferrara's research investigates whether, if we want to change harmful behavior, it would be useful to lay down what she calls a "stepping stone."

"Some parents may not want to go directly from the pharaonic type of circumcision to no circumcision at all for their daughters. In the majority of cases, such a transition is too great. But they may consider going from the pharaonic type of circumcision to the sunna type."

She points out that, if certain modeling assumptions hold, when a sufficient number of girls were to transition to the less harmful option, the path to abolishing the practice would be much easier.

She and her co-authors have developed a comprehensive theory that builds on mechanisms of critical mass in social groups.

This theory predicts that, when a sufficient number of community members have switched to the sunna type of circumcision, some of the remaining practitioners of the pharaonic type will make the "jump" directly from the pharaonic type to no circumcision at all.

Unfortunately, when applying the model to the data, it seems that in the aggregate the conditions for Sunna to act as a stepping stone are not currently satisfied in Somalia.

While a few communities may be transitioning out of FGC, the average community appears to be in an equilibrium where Sunna will be practiced for many more years. This may require interventions other than the natural evolution of the norm, in order to eradicate the practice.

The mothers are the driving force

We often think that it is imams and strict fathers who demand circumcision to control the women in their communities and families.

"The truth is that, based on our survey data, in most cases, it is the mothers who take the initiative and want this for their daughters," she says, adding:

"They do it in good faith that they are helping the girls."

Among other things, mothers assume that girls who are not circumcised will be less integrated in the community.

In collaboration with non-governmental organizations, her research group has tried to influence such attitudes.

"We cannot enter these communities as Western economists and tell them what it is morally right to do. But we can try to change the narrative of female genital mutilation. For example, does it help to tell them that the pharaonic type of circumcision was really about controlling slaves and has nothing to do with religion?"

The statistics she presents is scary. For example, based on Demographic Health Survey data for Sierra Leone, 17 out of 50 women who have been circumcised experienced postnatal death. For non-circumcised women, the figure is 4 out of 50.

'Confirmation ceremony'

In Sierra Leone, information campaigns have focused on the Bondo rituala confirmation-like ceremony in which girls are prepared for adulthood. The ritual traditionally ends with circumcision.

"We have held public meetings in the area and informed communities about the possibility of performing the Bondo ritual without the circumcision. In collaboration with the Amazonian Initiative Movementa non-governmental organization that works to combat female circumcision in Sierra Leonewe emphasize that the symbolic aspects of the Bondo ritual are more important than the surgical procedure itself."

It is also important for mothers that their daughters participate in the Bondo ritual.

"It's a community. The mothers believe that the people their daughters meet during the Bondo ritual will become friends for life, and don't want to deprive them of this opportunity."

It's heading in the right direction.

"We're already seeing a decline of about eight percentage points in the intention to circumcise one's daughters, following the information campaigns."
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An occultation light curve from Webbs Near-infrared Camera (NIRCam) Instrument at 1.5 microns wavelength (F150W) shows the dips in brightness of the star (Gaia DR3 6873519665992128512) as Chariklos rings passed in front of it on Oct. 18. As seen in the illustration of the occultation event, the star did not pass behind Chariklo from Webbs viewpoint, but it did pass behind its rings. Each dip actually corresponds to the shadows of two rings around Chariklo, which are ~4 miles (6-7 kilometers) and ~2 miles (2-4 kilometers) wide, and separated by a gap of 5.5 miles (9 kilometers). The two individual rings are not fully resolved in each dip in this light curve. Download the light curve from the Resource Gallery. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, L. Hustak (STScI). SCIENCE: Pablo Santos-Sanz (IAA/CSIC), Nicolas Morales (IAA/CSIC), Bruno Morgado (UFRJ, ON/MCTI, LIneA).

In 2013, Felipe Braga-Ribas and collaborators, using ground-based telescopes, discovered that Chariklo hosts a system of two thin rings. Such rings had been expected only around large planets such as Jupiter and Neptune.

The astronomers had been watching a star as Chariklo passed in front of it, blocking the starlight as they had predicted. Astronomers call this phenomenon an occultation. To their surprise, the star blinked off and on again twice before disappearing behind Chariklo, and double-blinked again after the star reemerged. The blinking was caused by two thin ringsthe first rings ever detected around a small solar system object.

Pablo Santos-Sanz, from Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia in Granada, Spain, has an approved "Target of Opportunity" program (program 1271) to attempt an occultation observation as part of Webb's solar system Guaranteed Time Observations (GTO) led by Heidi Hammel from the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy.

By remarkable good luck, they discovered that Chariklo was on track for just such an occultation event in October 2022. This was the first stellar occultation attempted with Webb. A lot of hard work went into identifying and refining the predictions for this unusual event.

On Oct. 18, they used Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument to closely monitor the star Gaia DR3 6873519665992128512, and watch for the tell-tale dips in brightness indicating an occultation had taken place. This video shows observations taken by NASAs James Webb Space Telescope of a star (fixed in the center of the video) as Chariklo passes in front of it. The video is composed of individual observations with Webbs Near-infrared Camera Instruments view at 1.5 microns wavelength (F150W) obtained over ~1 hour on Oct. 18. Careful analysis of the stars brightness reveals that the rings of the Chariklo system were clearly detected. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and Nicolas Morales (IAA/CSIC).

The shadows produced by Chariklo's rings were clearly detected, demonstrating a new way of using Webb to explore solar system objects. The star shadow due to Chariklo itself tracked just out of Webb's view. This appulse (the technical name for a close pass with no occultation) was exactly as had been predicted after the last Webb course trajectory maneuver.

The Webb occultation light curve, a graph of an object's brightness over time, revealed that the observations were successful The rings were captured exactly as predicted. The occultation light curves will yield interesting new science for Chariklo's rings.

Santos-Sanz explains, "As we delve deeper into the data, we will explore whether we cleanly resolve the two rings. From the shapes of rings' occultation light curves, we also will explore the rings' thickness, the sizes and colors of the ring particles, and more. We hope gain insight into why this small body even has rings at all, and perhaps detect new fainter rings."

Webb captured a spectrum with its Near-infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) of the Chariklo system on Oct. 31, shortly after the occultation. This spectrum shows clear evidence for crystalline water ice, which was only hinted at by past ground-based observations. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, L. Hustak (STScI). SCIENCE: Noemi Pinilla-Alonso (FSI/UCF), Ian Wong (STScI), Javier Licandro (IAC).

The rings are probably composed of small particles of water ice mixed with dark material, debris from an icy body that collided with Chariklo in the past. Chariklo is too small and too far away for even Webb to directly image the rings separated from the main body, so occultations are the only tool to characterize the rings by themselves.

Shortly after the occultation, Webb targeted Chariklo again, this time to collect observations of the sunlight reflected by Chariklo and its rings (GTO Program 1272). The spectrum of the system shows three absorption bands of water ice in the Chariklo system.

Noemi Pinilla-Alonso, who led Webb's spectroscopic observations of Chariklo, says, "Spectra from ground-based telescopes had hinted at this ice (Duffard et al. 2014), but the exquisite quality of the Webb spectrum revealed the clear signature of crystalline ice for the first time."

Dean Hines, the principal investigator of this second GTO program, adds, "Because high-energy particles transform ice from crystalline into amorphous states, detection of crystalline ice indicates that the Chariklo system experiences continuous micro-collisions that either expose pristine material or trigger crystallization processes."

Most of the reflected light in the spectrum is from Chariklo itself: Models suggest the observed ring area as seen from Webb during these observations is likely one-fifth the area of the body itself. Webb's high sensitivity, in combination with detailed models, may permit us to tease out the signature of the ring material distinct from that of Chariklo. Pinilla-Alonso comments that "by observing Chariklo with Webb over several years as the viewing angle of the rings changes, we may be able to isolate the contribution from the rings themselves."

The successful Webb occultation light curve and spectroscopic observations of Chariklo open the door to a new means of characterizing small objects in the distant solar system in the coming years. With Webb's high sensitivity and infrared capability, scientists can use the unique science return offered by occultations, and enhance these measurements with near-contemporaneous spectra. Such tools will be tremendous assets to the scientists studying distant small bodies in our solar system.

Provided by NASA
QUEENSBURY  A man was convicted in Warren County Court on Friday of violating an order of protection and fleeing from police following a week-long trial.

Robert S. Hedrick, 31, was found guilty of felony aggravated criminal contempt, and the misdemeanors of resisting arrest and false personation.

On June 30, Hedrick violated a court-issued protection order by intentionally having contact with a protected person. A statement from the Warren County District Attorneys Office stated that law enforcement and other witnesses observed Hedrick violating the protection order.

When confronted by Glens Falls police officers, Hedrick gave a false name, ran and resisted arrest.

This crime was solved due to the diligence of a member of the public, along with the quick action of the Glens Falls police officers who secured the defendant, said Warren County District Attorney Jason Carusone in a news release. The defendants flagrant disregard for the courts order, false statements to the police, and resisting arrest have all been proven and now he must account for those choices.

Hedrick was transferred to Warren County Jail. Warren County Court Judge Robert Smith set a sentencing date of Feb. 3. Hedrick could face up to seven years imprisonment for all three convictions.
QUEENSBURY  On Monday, Rachel Seeber submitted her formal letter of resignation to the Town Board, and the board has already received six letters of intent to fill Seebers position as one of the Queensbury supervisors-at-large on the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

Seeber, a Republican, announced in November her intent to resign from her term before it expired at the end of the year.

Democrat Mike Parwana said he intended to run for the position this year in November, before Seeber announced her intent to resign, so now he hopes to fill the empty seat.

Parwana submitted his letter of intent to the Town Board on Monday.

My primary purpose in seeking office is to replace the at-large election with a ward-based system in order to better reflect the needs of town residents. A further goal is to advocate for change to a county legislature to end the problematic and inequitable supervisor form of government at the county level. Obviously I am prepared to represent residents on all the varied issues of county government bearing in mind the admonition of the founders of our nation that Governments are instituted among (people), deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed  , but mostly I feel the board needs a progressive point of view, one that is optimistic, that sees this as a place that can and will grow if we plan and build responsibly, Parwanas letter reads.

Parwana goes on to state the need for more diversity on the boards, at a town and county level.

While I promote the necessity of electing more women I also recognize that there is very little diversity in terms of ethnicity, or religious affiliation. Having been born in Afghanistan, a predominantly Muslim nation, and being related to numerous immigrants who arrived in this country by various means in recent decades (many of them refugees) I feel I bring a set of experiences and valuable insight to discussions around policy, and it is important for members of the community to feel there is opportunity for all, he states.

Parwana continues to suggest that to replace one Republican woman with another Republican woman is an affront to women themselves.

On Saturday morning, Travis Whitehead, a Conservative, also submitted his letter of intent and resume.

My goal is to see the efficient and economical working of local government, by respecting that every dollar we spend was earned by somebody else, and that we are merely the custodians of those funds, Whiteheads resume reads.

A Queensbury resident since 2000, the Long Island native has a corporate background working for industrial companies, but states numerous team building and critical thinking programs aid him in his public service efforts.

While I initially viewed my efforts as giving back to my community in a technical sense  as a consultant, pro bono  I have since discovered that I have a talent for asking the questions that are often overlooked and even less appreciated by local boards that are not used to having their actions critically evaluated  something that is natural in the corporate engineering world I come from, his resume reads.

Democrat and mental health counselor Robin Larkin confirmed her intent on Tuesday, and she was the first to submit her letter to signal her interest in filling the vacancy on Dec. 5, 2022.

I am a local business owner and active community member with professional and personal expertise in identifying issues and building consensus to solve problems. Warren County is an exciting and vibrant place to live; I would like to leverage my expertise to be a part of that continued vibrancy in an official capacity, her letter states.

Larkin has past experience with roles on the Town of Ballston Land Conservation Committee and Farm Market Board and as the secretary of the Queensbury Democratic Committee.

I also have community committee experience through roles with various church and civic organizations. My role as an election inspector taught me the importance of remaining neutral while fulfilling my responsibilities. I believe I would be an asset to the board and our community with my expertise and experience as both a business owner and resident, the letter reads.

Hilary Stec, wife of state Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, also announced her interest in the position to the Glens Falls Chronicle on Jan. 17. She could not be reached for comment by The Post-Star on Tuesday.

Tim McNulty, Town Board member and chairman of the Queensbury Republican Committee, confirmed those four letters of interest have been received as well as two others from Jim Dobkowski and Donald Stack.

Dobkowski, a Fort Ann teacher and former Republican who now identifies as a Conservative, submitted his letter of interest to the board on Friday.

He states his experience as a former press secretary for the Suffolk County Legislature, in addition to advocating for the Town Boards attention to water issues on Northwest Road as well as supporting the towns short-term rental laws along with his wife, Jennifer. Dobkowski recently assisted in crafting the language of a New York State Association of Counties, or NYSAC, resolution to close a loophole in Megans Law which allowed sexual predators to stay in residential neighborhoods unannounced.

My lifetime care and concern for the environment, my love and appreciation for the people of Queensbury and my experience in county government, I believe make me a qualified choice to represent Queensbury, his letter reads.

Stack could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Filling the seat

The Town Board is looking to receive more letters of intent over the next 7-10 days, McNulty told The Post-Star on Tuesday.

We are going to meet on the 15th (of Feb.) at 3 p.m. and the 16th at 6:30 p.m. to interview, hear presentations and talk to the interested parties, with the intent of having a (Town Board) vote on Feb. 27 at our regularly scheduled meeting, McNulty said.

The board had some debate in early January, but decided to hold the announcement for the position until Seebers letter was received on Monday. McNulty said the town will issue a news release about the vacancy this week.

He also explained that the person chosen to fill the position would only serve until the term expires on Dec. 31, unless they run and are re-elected by Queensbury voters in the November election.

We would hope that the folks who have submitted their letters of intent and any others would do so with the intention of running for the position. We think it would be great to have seven or eight months of experience going into the election to go forward representing Queensbury on the county board, he concluded.
SALEM  Salem Elementary School is looking for a new leader after its principal resigned after just six months on the job.

Superintendent of Schools Julie Adams posted a notice on the districts website on Jan. 17 that Karen Jones submitted her letter of resignation.

Adams did not provide a reason for Jones departure.

Jones was appointed in May and started in July. Her previous experience includes serving as principal of Fort Edwards elementary school principal from 2016 until that position was eliminated in 2020 as part of a budget cut. She also has served as a teacher in the Waterford-Halfmoon Central School District.

Jones could not be reached for comment.

In a subsequent email on Jan. 19, Adams said that Mark Fish, who retired as superintendent of the Greenwich Central School District in 2022 after an eight-year tenure, will serve as interim elementary principal. Before he went to Greenwich, Fish was principal of Oliver W. Winch Middle School in South Glens Falls. In 2010, he was named as New York State Middle School Principal of the Year and National Distinguished Principal.

Salem schools have had some turnover.

Both the elementary and junior-senior high school buildings now have interim leaders. Damain Switzer, former Queensbury High School principal, is interim principal at the junior-senior high school. He replaced Adams, who was promoted to superintendent.

Adams served as junior-senior high school principal for 2  years before getting the job as superintendent. She replaced David Glover, who the Board of Education reached an agreement to part ways with in July 2021 after seven years at the helm.

The Board of Education in May voted to offer the junior-senior high school principal position to William Clooney, according to the May 25 minutes. However, Clooney never came to the district. Switzer has filled the role.

Before Jones appointment, the elementary principal went through Shelette Pleat from 2016 to 2017; Sharon Varney, 2017-2018; David Eagle (interim), 2018-2019; Karen Vieira, 2019-2021; and Patrick Cronin, (interim) 2021-2022.

Adams did not return an email or voicemail seeking comment on Tuesday.
TICONDEROGA  The town of Ticonderoga was presented $10 million by Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez to revitalize its downtown economy on Monday.

The New York States Downtown Revitalization Initiative awarded the town of almost 4,800 people with the funds to help Ticonderogas downtown neighborhoods through redevelopment, stimulating job creation and increasing economic and housing diversity.

New York state officials, in a news release, said the $10 million DRI awards are given to each of the states 10 economic development regions to make for a total state commitment of $100 million in funding.

Town Supervisor Mark Wright said the town is grateful for the funds from the state, and approximate estimations of funding needed for projects are already completed. He said town residents have had their voices heard since the beginning of the application process.

Part of application process was identifying projects down to approximate estimation of cost and funding. The projects can be anywhere from building use and improvement of things like the ice rink and street skate, Wright said. In the coming weeks we will be contacted by the state about further proceedings. The public plays a big part in prioritization of projects and was heavily involved in process of applying. We held a couple of meetings to give the public the chance to weigh in what they want to see happen first.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the DRI is key to transforming towns across the state into sustainable, affordable and walkable communities where residents and visitors can thrive.

The infusion of $10 million into Ticonderoga will enhance its natural beauty, revitalize local businesses, highlight its rich history, and ensure it is a community resilient to the challenges the future holds, she said.

Wright added that one of his primary goals when he was elected town supervisor was economic development.

Its an incredible opportunity for the area. A primary goal I had when I was elected was generating economic development. Weve been nickel and diming recently and some of these projects would have taken decades to do. We are combating decades of decline in economic development and we hope this will give us the chance to see some new life, he said.

State Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, in a Monday news release, said that this is a great opportunity for growth in Ticonderoga.

Ticonderoga continues to grow and develop its downtown, Stec stated. The $10 million from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative will further these efforts and ensure Ticonderoga remains a hub of economic and recreational activities for Adirondack Park residents and visitors alike for years to come.

The states Downtown Revitalization Initiative has directed state economic development funds to city downtowns for the past six years, including $10 million for Glens Falls.
PITTSBURGH  You can remove the term tripledemic from your vocabulary  for now.

As respiratory viruses ticked upward in late November, health officials braced for what they called a tripledemic of RSV, flu and COVID-19 cases leading to widespread infection, causing a flood of patients to hospitals and leading to hourslong wait times.

That winter surge represented a respiratory virus peak, and experts say cases are now declining. Nationally, the week ending Jan. 14 saw 72,119 total respiratory cases, down from 235,850 the week of Dec. 3, when cases peaked.

COVID-19 dashboards showed a slight uptick in infections and hospitalizations in November and December, the same time flu and RSV were surging, and patients were visiting hospitals with respiratory complaints. Preliminary data for January shows COVID-related deaths have dipped.

In the past month or two, weve seen a fairly steady decline in the number of children positive for various viruses, said Dr. Raymond Pitetti, chief of pediatric emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Childrens Hospital. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that, nationwide, infants and school-age kids were hit hard by this respiratory virus peak, specifically flu and RSV.

Weve been able to manage ER volume by adding resources like staffing ICU units and recommending patients with mild flu and RSV symptoms see their primary care providers instead, he said. The decline in RSV in the community has helped us tremendously.

Nurse Aubrey Schmeider rushes back to the Meadville Medical Centers triage office, after taking lab work to be processed Dec. 12, 2022, in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Don Whiting, chief medical officer for Allegheny Health Network, said many of the COVID-19 cases caught in his networks hospitals have been a result of secondary diagnoses, wherein patients check in for other reasons like surgery or diabetes and test positive for the virus. Theyre not necessarily symptomatic, he said. People are surprised.

This can be partially attributed to omicron variants causing generally milder infections, although recent research shows theres still a risk of developing long-COVID.

Flu arrived early this season with higher-than-normal cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Some health officials are bracing for a second wave  as is typical, because the two main flu strains, Influenza A and B, peak at different times.

I am expecting an influenza B season sometime in the next month, Pitetti said. But theres no way to predict what the spike will look like.

Alexander Sundermann, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and assistant professor of infectious diseases with a Ph.D. in epidemiology, said a second flu wave is possible but not guaranteed: The early flu peak with more flu cases than previous years may have protected against that.

Its hard to say whats going to happen, he said. But we are going to keep monitoring for it. Sundermann said theyll keep observing trends to make the best recommendations.

Those recommendations right now include much of the usual: staying home if you feel sick, washing your hands, getting vaccinated and masking in crowded places if preferred.

If youre going to be in a crowded environment with a lot of people, its certainly reasonable to mask, Whiting said.

The World Health Organization, in a Q&A last updated Jan. 13, stated that people in public should wear a mask when in a crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilation (sic) area (eg. you are unable to maintain distance), or if you have any doubts regarding the quality of ventilation. Additionally, people who are immunocompromised should wear them, as well as people who live in places with low vaccine uptake.

A new CDC report exploring reasons for not getting vaccinated found that many people simply didnt know the bivalent booster was available, or that they were eligible. The bivalent booster provides protection against emerging omicron subvariants and severe illness. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the Moderna bivalent booster is available:

To people ages 6 months to 5 years of age who have received their primary Moderna series two months ago or longer.

To people 6 years and up, two months or more after any authorized COVID-19 vaccine.

The Pfizer bivalent booster is available:

To people aged 5 years and up, two months or more after any authorized COVID-19 vaccine.

Pitetti reassured that the vaccine is incredibly safe, no matter what you read on social media.

And if youre using an at-home antigen test to detect a possible COVID-19 infection, Sundermann advised that a negative test might mean its not positive yet. Antigen tests are not as sensitive as PCR tests and require a higher viral load to detect presence of the virus. It could also be possible that mild symptoms are reflective of a different virus: like flu or RSV.

___

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ATLANTIC CITY  Residents came out to the first evening CitiStat meeting Wednesday to ask the city to slow down traffic near schools, fix problems with abandoned buildings and crack down on out-of-control parties.

The biweekly CitiStat meetings were established to solve problems and hold municipal department heads accountable. They will rotate between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. this year, officials have said.

The program is designed to use data on problems coming in and results going out to improve city services, according to the state Department of Community Affairs, which launched the program locally.

At the last meeting Jan. 11, residents had complained that repaving parts of Melrose Avenue had left deep depressions around manhole covers, which were potentially damaging to cars.

Public Works Director Crystal Lewis said the Engineering Department is working with the contractor to address the problem. She also said pet waste stations are being installed in all city parks and along the bay on Sunset Avenue to address reports of animal waste being left on city streets by pet owners.

Neighborhood Watch signs that were reported as corroded and unreadable by a resident have been replaced, she said. All city signs are being reviewed, and those that are damaged or badly worn will be replaced.

CitiStat reports on fixing Atlantic City problems get more extensive ATLANTIC CITY  Every two weeks, city directors report to the public on how they have handle

Director of Licensing and Inspections Dale Finch reported that an abandoned house on New Jersey Avenue will take a bit longer to demolish than he had previously said. The city needs to give the owner adequate notice, he said.

American flags will soon fly at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, officials said, after a resident asked that flags be installed there. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has ordered them, officials said.

New complaints also came in.

Resident Deborah Parker asked the Police Department to crack down on speeders near schools at drop-off and pickup times, after two children were struck by a car.

Police said the two children, 10 and 14, were taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Division, with serious injuries after theyd been struck by a car near the intersection of Maryland and Magellan avenues Wednesday morning.

Parker said speeding is a problem on local roads and more needs to be done.

I saw a car go down Martin Luther King Boulevard, had to be doing 70 mph near the MLK school complex, Parker said. There are no signs telling drivers to slow down.

Improvements made to the Atlantic City Police Department in 2022 ATLANTIC CITY  It was a pretty good year for the Atlantic City Police Department.

Police Chief James Sarkos said the department has recently purchased radar equipment for patrol vehicles. Officers will be be trained on the equipment and begin using it for enfocement, the chief said.

Jannet Amaro of Penrose Avenue complained about two abandoned houses in her neighborhood.

Fifteen-nineteen has become a raccoon hotel, and those things are huge. Five came out of the chimney, Amaro said. With those two abandoned houses facing my house ... they are depreciating the value of my home. I put a lot of money into that house because I bought it when I was 24 years old ... working four jobs.

A resident of another house near Amaro feeds feral cats, she said, and leaves food out for them. As many as a dozen at a time are on his property, and she has trouble keeping them from damaging her yard and flowers.

Residents who live near the Caspian Avenue beach in the Inlet said the beach has been characterized by mayhem and lawlessness since the COVID-19 pandemic started, especially during the summer.

John Rosnick said police enforcement of city ordinances must begin before the summer starts.

Trash an issue for Atlantic City residents, visitors ATLANTIC CITY  Thomas Brown says he witnesses littering all day, every day.

He said problems include illegal parking on streets and sidewalks, all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes driving illegally, loud music into the evening, and parties on the beach and Boardwalk with blatant drug use, nudity and sex acts in public.

Rosnick said fireworks caused a fire in a home last summer, and there was a stabbing there.

Department heads will report at the next meeting on how they have either handled problems reported Wednesday or plan to handle them.

Overall from Jan. 11 to 25 there were 114 problems reported to the city; 35 were closed and 79 are in progress. About 97% were responded to within 24 hours, according to the city.

CitiStat meetings are held in the Fannie Lou Hamer Room in the Stockton University Academic Building, 3711 Atlantic Ave., and are open to all. The next meeting will be 10 a.m. Feb. 8.
A 55-year-old Camden County man killed by police was identified Tuesday, as was the officer who fired the fatal shot in Gloucester County on Sunday afternoon. Deptford police Officer Luke Ivey shot Daniel Nevius Sr., of Sicklerville, just after 1:20 p.m. in an area along Fox Run Road, according to the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office, which is investigating the fatal encounter.

Officers from the Deptford Police Department were responding to a 911 call when Ivey shot Nevius. Emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and pronounced Nevius dead at 1:55.

The Attorney Generals Office did not release other details, including what prompted the 911 call.

A nearby resident told 6abc he saw officers, some with shotguns, surround a wooded area near Delsea Drive and Fox Run Road, and then he heard about seven shots fired.

Ivey joined the Deptford Police Department in August 2016, according to the townships website.

Under New Jersey law, the Attorney Generals Office investigates any death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officers official capacity, or while the decedent is in custody.

In 2018, a Deptford officer fatally shot LaShonda Anderson. Sgt. Kevin Clements was cleared by a grand jury later that year. In 2020, Andersons family filed a wrongful-death federal lawsuit. That civil case is pending.
A Bridgeton man who admitted conspiring with others to acquire and distribute cocaine was sentenced to 9 years in prison Tuesday, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Lavinston Lamar, 40, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Renee Marie Bumb on May 5, 2022, to one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine. Lamar also pleaded guilty to violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior conviction for conspiring to distribute cocaine.

Lamar also will be subject to six years of parole supervision upon release, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a news release.

He confessed to conspiring with Carl Lee Holloway, Marvin Murphy and others to possess and distribute cocaine.

Bridgeton man pleads guilty to planning cocaine distribution CAMDEN  A Bridgeton man admitted Thursday to plotting cocaine distribution, U.S. Attorney P

The group planned to facilitate cocaine sales by Holloway to a third party, from who Lamar would be paid for the transaction, according to evidence shared in court.

Undercover agents on July 13, 2021, met both Lamar and Murphy when they separately entered a Mount Laurel, Burlington County, hotel room with bags holding about $243,000. They briefly inspected about 1 kilogram of cocaine brought into the room by the agents. Agents then rushed in and arrested Holloway, Murphy and Lamar.
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For 26 years, David G. Sciarra, a civil rights attorney, has been at the forefront of the fight to level the playing field for marginalized children in the landmark Abbott v. Burke rulings that helped change the educational landscape in New Jersey.

As executive director of the Education Law Center based in Newark since 1996, Sciarra has appeared before the state Supreme Court 18 times to argue groundbreaking cases on school funding, construction and universal preschool in 31 mostly urban, special-needs districts that include Camden, Burlington City, Bridgeton, Gloucester City, Millville and Vineland.

Beginning March 1, Sciarra will be replaced by Robert Kim, an expert in education law and policy. But Sciarra said he plans to remain active in the quest for educational equity in New Jersey and around the country.

We talked to Sciarra, who looked back on his career and the series of Abbott rulings, beginning in 1985, that required the state to boost funding to poorer districts and mandated additional resources to designated special-needs districts based on test scores and socioeconomic factors.

Why did you decide to retire now?

I recently turned 70, and its been 26 years. Ive been running the Education Law Center since 1996. Its been a lot of effort to manage the organization and handle court cases and the work. It just felt like a good time now to turn the reins over to someone else.

How did you get involved in school funding after 10 years championing causes such as affordable housing, welfare rights and homelessness?

Ive been a public civil rights attorney in New Jersey since 1978 [after graduating from Temple University School of Law]. In 1995, I was approached by a trustee of the Education Law Center, Lawrence Lustberg, after Marilyn Morheuser [a former nun-turned-lawyer who brought the original Abbott case] passed away. Lustberg was the chairman of the board, and he needed somebody with experience arguing big cases in front of the New Jersey Supreme Court because the Abbott v. Burke litigation was at a very crucial phase. He asked me, and I said yes, and that was that.

What was going on with the Abbott v. Burke case when you became executive director?

The court had six years prior declared New Jerseys school funding formula unconstitutional because it didnt provide enough funding and resources for students in New Jerseys poor, racially segregated, often-urban districts. In 1994, the court gave the state three years to come up with a new formula, the deadline being 1997. They came up with a formula that was inadequate. What I had to do was to get the case back before the Supreme Court and argue that the second attempt by the Legislature to fix the problem was insufficient. That led to two major rulings in 1997 and 1998, which changed the educational landscape in New Jersey and beyond on school funding for low-income children, preschool and also school construction financing.

What has been your biggest achievement?

I would say the one that stands out is in 1998 when the Supreme Court issued the nations first ruling that our state guarantee of a public education must include high-quality preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds. In other words, that public education in New Jersey has to start for poor kids in poor communities ... to close the well-documented learning gaps. The Abbott preschool program is one of the strongest, most effective, powerful reforms that we have. It serves close to 60,000 children across the state.

How CRDA failed on affordable housing in Atlantic City This article was produced for ProPublicas Local Reporting Network in partnership with The P

Weve come a long way in making sure in places like Camden, Gloucester City, Vineland and Millville that kids have all of the resources they need to achieve academically. We still have a ways to go.

What is on the horizon for the Education Law Center?

Our constitution of a guarantee of an education prohibits segregation in public schools. Theres a court case that is pending right now that is challenging segregated schools ... as unconstitutional. A decision in that case is expected soon. We expect that will be a catalyst for New Jersey to do something that no other state has done, which is to implement remedies, policies that will break down the intense segregation of public schools and give all students  white, Black, Latino, Asian  an opportunity to attend school in classrooms that are racially and socioeconomically diverse.

Whats next for you personally?

Im not retiring. Im staying in New Jersey. Im stepping down from the Education Law Center. I dont have any plans other than to help my successor. Then well see what comes my way. As a civil rights lawyer, theres something about clear injustice that gets me motivated. Im still passionate about it. Its never over.
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  Jeff Pierson, a retired brigadier general who serves on the Cape May County Board of Commissioners, will not seek another term this year.

He said he had health concerns in 2021 and will turn 80 in June. He added he recently married. His wifes name is Sandra.

I thought maybe I need the time to spend with my new bride, Pierson said Wednesday. I spent most of my life in the military or in service. I think its finally time to serve myself and my family.

Pierson served a total of 42 years in the U.S. Army and the New Jersey Army National Guard. He also spent six years as an undersheriff in Cape May County, in the correctional division, and has held positions in the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

He was appointed to the county commission, then called the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders, to fill a seat vacated by Kristine Gabor in 2016. At the time, he was a member of the Upper Township Committee, a seat he had to resign to accept the county position.

Pierson, an Upper Township resident, plans to fill the remainder of his term.

Desiderio to lead Cape May County Board of Commissioners CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  Leonard Desiderio will lead the Cape May County Board of Commissioner

Also up for reelection this year is Will Morey, of North Wildwood. Morey plans to seek another term. He said Wednesday he still has work to do.

Cape May County Republican leader Michael Donohue said he has heard some potential names of candidates, but he will not have anyone confirmed until Feb. 15, when letters of intent are due.

The candidate will be chosen in the middle of March, when the county GOP will hold its convention.

In most cases, the convention avoids a primary vote for the nomination. In 2010, Jerry Thornton and Sue Sheppard successfully challenged the partys choice and went on to handily win the general election in November, but that was an extraordinary example.

The county government is entirely Republican and has been for decades, but for two exceptions when single Democrats have managed to win a seat on the five-member board.

This month, Democrats chose Marie Blistan, of Wildwood Crest, as the new party leader, after former leader Daniel Kurkowski was confirmed as a Superior Court judge last year, after less than a year as county leader.

Cape officials meet to strategize about heading off future unsanctioned events MIDDLE TOWNSHIP  Cape May County officials continue to call for more police authority to de

Blistan did not respond to a request Wednesday for information on who the Democrats may put forward for county commission this year.

Pierson has three grown children, all married and living in Upper Township, and 13 grandchildren, according to a biography posted to the county website. His late wife, Sally, died in 2013.

Leonard Desiderio, director of the board of commissioners, described Piersons dedication as an inspiration to many.

Commissioner Pierson is and has been an outstanding elected official that put his heart and soul in representing the citizens of Cape May County, Desiderio said Wednesday. He said he looked forward to working with Pierson in the coming year.

Pierson is a member of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company, past master of Cannon Lodge #104 Free and Accepted Masons, and past president of the Ocean City-Upper Township Rotary Club.

He has a bachelors degree in public administration from Roger Williams University, a masters degree and a certificate in administrative science, as well as a doctorate in humane letters from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

He attended the Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College, as well as numerous other military and civilian schools.
Local governments up and down the coast are joining state and federal officials in calling for work on offshore wind farms to be stopped after a string of whale deaths over the past six weeks.

Ventnor Commissioner Lance Landgraf said a resolution mirroring one Brigantine passed last Wednesday, seeking to stop all offshore wind development pending a full investigation into the whale deaths by federal and state agencies, is on the agenda for Thursdays commissioners meeting. Margate and Ocean City have also expressed a desire to pass similar ordinances.

Since mid-December, seven dead humpback whales have washed ashore in New York and New Jersey, including in Atlantic City, Brigantine and Strathmere.

We are certainly concerned with anything that is causing the death or injures of marine and other wildlife. We do not necessarily have an opinion on what is causing the deaths of the whales. We are not experts in that field, but we want those answers to be provided by the appropriate agency or consultants, Landgraf said Tuesday. I have certainly seen some social media posts on local sites and saw the gathering on the Ventnor beach over the weekend to support finding out what is causing the deaths. My hope is that bringing recognition to the issue will push state and federal entities into finding out what is causing the deaths.

In addition to Ventnor, Ocean City Council has amended its agenda for Thursday evening to include a resolution calling for an immediate moratorium on offshore wind development pending a thorough investigation into the unprecedented death of whales.

People have blamed underwater sound testing used to map the Atlantic Oceans floor for the deaths. Federal officials say there is no evidence that the work in preparation of wind power projects has contributed to humpback whale deaths this winter. In fact, they say whale deaths have been on the rise since 2016, long before any of the work started.

Officials with Danish wind power company rsted said there is no evidence their work this winter has harmed the whales. They said they try to limit the amount of time they spend in the ocean in winter, due to harsh weather conditions and the potential for serious storms.

Despite surrounding communities moving to pass ordinances seeking an investigation into the situation, Longport Mayor Nick Russo said there is no evidence connecting the deaths of the whales to the work being done on the wind projects.

There is nothing that I have read from any legitimate academic or governmental agency that shows a nexus between the deaths of whales and the wind farm project, said Russo. In fact, just recently, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center and our National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concluded that there was not a nexus with the most recent whale death.

Russo said people cant change the minds of some people once they form an opinion on a topic, which is evident from the fact that there appears to be a local group being formed in response to the whale deaths.

We can all agree that none of us enjoy seeing whales or other animals or creatures die from unexpected or nontraditional deaths. There is no argument that this is sad and alarming, said Russo. However, to draw a nexus between one action and conclude that the action caused a specific result, with no empirical evidence, is not only unacceptable, but also dangerous.

Atlantic City officials said they are taking a wait-and-see approach before wading into the matter.

Upper Township plans for wind power landing UPPER TOWNSHIP  The Township Committee on Monday is set to introduce an ordinance to amend 

The City of Atlantic City cherishes our ocean and marine life, and we are saddened to see these deceased whales washing up ashore, two of them in Atlantic City. We have found whales on our beach in the past, but it has been years since the last one was discovered prior to Dec. 23, said Andrew Kramer, spokesperson for the city. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center has been on scene during both of the recent occurrences in Atlantic City, taking samples, and is working to determine a cause of death. We look forward to seeing those findings to gather more information before any further action is taken.

Landgraf said he has lived in Ventnor for more than 20 years and does not recall a whale washing up on the islands shores.

Ventnor has supported the need for alternative energy and the wind projects, but we want it done without any degradation to the offshore marine life as well as views and vistas from our beaches and Boardwalk, Landgraf said.

Galloway Township Councilman Tom Bassford said Tuesday that pro-wind environmentalists and Gov. Phil Murphy were too eager to exculpate the wind industry in their uncompromising pursuit of green energy. He criticized Trenton for preventing local residents from blocking wind projects off their shores, calling it an example of state overreach. Similar to legislators in Brigantine and Ocean City, Bassford called for the Galloway Township Council to issue a resolution favoring the suspension of preliminary work on the wind.

Nobodys had a vote on it, Bassford said. What most liberals and these climate extremists do, they take things to the extreme and just go way overboard. You give them an inch, and they take a mile.
Visuals of students watching film go viral; university authorities prompted to begin investigation

A group of students at the University of Hyderabad organised screening of the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 2002 Gujarat riots, prompting the university authorities to begin a probe.

Visuals of some students watching the documentary in an open area on the campus went viral on social media after the same were posted by a group called Fraternity Movement.

The organisers had put up a projector to screen the first part of the documentary series.

The BBC series was screened three days ago allegedly without permission from university authorities. BBC documentary India : The Modi Question which was removed from youtube screened in HCU by Fraternity Movement- HCU unit, reads a tweet from the Twitter handle of Fraternity Movement on January 21.

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) lodged a complaint with the university authorities about the screening of the controversial documentary of the British broadcaster. The university officials initiated a probe and were waiting for a report from the security department.

Police said they have received information about screening of the documentary on the university campus but no written complaint was filed.

The screening was reportedly organised at Resistance Area on the campus where massive protests were held in 2016 after a Dalit student Rohith Vemula had committed suicide due to alleged harassment by university authorities. IANS

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Truth always comes out: Rahul

Rahul Gandhi while reacting to the BBC documentary on Gujarat riots said that truth always comes out and it cannot be suppressed by using the ED and CBI.

Cong-CPM & BJP clash

A battle is in the offing over the screening of the documentary with the feeder organisations of the ruling CPI(M) and the opposition Congress stating that they will screen it across the state, while the state unit of BJP said it should not be shown.
If someone is working for the nation, he may think someday his secret files will become public

Union law minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that the Supreme Court (SC) collegium publishing inputs of Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) on candidates recommended by the collegium for judgeship, is a serious issue.

Addressing the media at the felicitation of award winners of the e-courts project, Rijiju said that putting out sensitive inputs of RAW and IB in public is a serious issue and he will speak more about it at a later point in time.

He added that if a person is working for the nation, then he may think one day his RAW and IB files can be made public. It is a matter of concern... It is a serious issue and one day I will speak on this, he said, while responding to a query regarding collegiums recent statements in public domain citing objections raised by the Central government to recommendations made regarding the judges appointment.

The law minister declined to comment further on the collegium resolutions. Last week, the apex court collegium published on its website resolutions reiterating names of some advocates for judgeship in various high courts. The apex court cited inputs by RAW and IB on candidates, whose files were returned by the Centre to the collegium for reconsideration.

Reiterating Kripals name, the collegium said there is no reason to presuppose that the partner of the candidate, who is a Swiss National, would be inimically disposed to our country, since the country of his origin is a friendly nation. Many persons in high positions including present and past holders of constitutional offices have and have had spouses who are foreign nationals, it added. IANS
Man in khaki tries to hoodwink young friends, beats them, lands in police net

A couple on an outing at Karegaon village in Shirur was taken aback when a man impersonating a policeman accosted them and took objection to their clicking selfies.

Not only that, he threatened them and tried to extort money. When they refused, he started misbehaving with the 23-year-old woman. After the matter was reported at Ranjangaon police station, a person was arrested.

According to the police, the incident took place around 7.30 pm on December 21 in the Ranjangoan MIDC area. The complainant woman was taking selfies at the SBI chowk with her friend. A person in khaki trousers and a black jacket came towards them on a moped and introduced himself as Santosh Tile. He told them that he was attached to the Ranjangoan MIDC police station and objected to their clicking photos there.

Later, he led them both to an abandoned COVID centre. There, he started beating them up stating that they had no right to click photos because their act would disturb peace in that area. When he threatened that hed take them to the police station, the couple got scared and requested him to let them go. The impersonator then snatched the womans mobile phone and demanded Rs 10,000 . When they said they cant pay that much money, he again started beating them and told the man to go home and bring the money. He then started misbehaving with the woman. The male friend of the complainant got angry, held his hand, and tried to take him to the police station. Scared, the man immediately ran away.

The police started their investigations and eventually arrested the accused.

Senior police inspector Balwant Mandge said, The accused stole the complainants mobile and switched it off. He ran away from the spot leaving his two-wheeler behind. We kept tracking the location of the stolen phone after it was switched on. The accused is named Amit Baban Aarote (27) and he works in an MIDC company. He has a history of harassing people for easy money. We appeal to people to directly call the police if they are faced with any such situation.

Pune rural SP Ankit Goyal said, We never do moral policing. The common people should keep in mind that pol ice never ask any questions to couples, like why you are roaming around in this place, etc. On the weekends, we always deploy personnel in tourist places. If anybody faces such situations, they can directly dial 112 or 100 and take police help.
The state will begin issuing pandemic bonus payments starting Feb. 1 to more than 150,000 essential workers in the private sector, state Comptroller Sean Scanlon announced Tuesday.

Roughly 120,000 of those payments will be deposited directly into workers bank accounts. And about 35,000 workers  whose electronic account information the state doesnt have on file  will be mailed paper checks in five to six weeks.

During times of difficult uncertainty, Connecticuts front-line workers stepped up and kept our grocery stores open, our hospitals operational, our communities safe and so much more, Scanlon said. They were essential to getting us through the pandemic, and this payment is just one small way we can thank them. By providing some relief, we can show how grateful we are to our heroes.

Workers who earn less than $50,000 per year working full-time in grocery stores, nursing homes and other essential positions will receive $1,000 each  provided they were among those who applied for the relief last summer and were approved by the comptrollers office.

That involves roughly 65,000 of the approved applicants, or 45%.

The rest of the bonus schedule for full-time workers includes:

$800 for those earning between $50,000 and $60,000;

$750 for those earning between $60,000 and $70,000;

$500 for those earning between $70,000 and $80,000;

$250 for those earning between $80,000 and $90,000;

$200 for those earning between $90,000 and $100,000.

Part-timers will receive $200.

The Premium Pay program launched by the legislature and Gov. Ned Lamont last spring was mired in controversy from the start.

The legislatures Labor and Public Employees Committee had envisioned a huge program that would share $750 million, providing bonuses up to $2,000 per person  to essential workers in the public and private sector.

But the full legislature and Lamont backed a $30 million plan, limited to the private sector  but still not to all essential workers, according to one standard.

They specifically limited it to workers from categories 1A or 1B of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions vaccination priority lists. They include health care personnel, food and agricultural workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store staff, teachers and child care personnel.

But Category 1C, a list that includes workers at gasoline stations and soup kitchens, was excluded.

The $30 million program originally promised $1,000 grants to essential workers in the private sector who made up to $100,000 annually during the worst of the pandemic  and bonuses ranging from $200 to $800 for workers who earned between $100,000 and $150,000.

Labor advocates immediately warned the state would run short of funds, and by early fall, it was clear they were right. The comptrollers office estimated last fall it would take $142 million to fully fund all advertised bonuses.

Legislators voted in special session in late November to boost the program budget to $105 million and to scale back payments across several income levels.

Keith M. Phaneuf is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror (https://ctmirror.org/ ). Copyright 2023 (c) The Connecticut Mirror.
In a major shocker, a gang of four persons, including a woman, impersonating Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers, raided and looted a Mumbai bullion dealer of gold and cash worth over Rs 2 crore, police said on Tuesday.

Moving swiftly into the investigations, the LT Marg Police have arrested three of the accused - Mumbaikars M. Fazal S. Gilitwala, 50, and M. Raji Rafiq, 37, and Vishakha Vishwas Mudhole from Khed town in Ratnagiri.

The police have also recovered a major portion of the loot from them even as the incident on Monday sent shockwaves in the glittering Zaveri Bazar area - the hub of gold jewellery business in south Mumbai.

Recounting the details,Deputy Commissioner of Police, II, Abhinav Deshmukh said that on Monday afternoon, Gilitwala and Rafiq barged into the offices of VBL Bullions in the heart of Zaveri Bazar, assaulted an attendant, and announced that this is an ED raid.

When the matter was informed to the police, they set up several teams, used techintel and scanned CCTV footage of the area and finally zeroed in on the culprits to arrest them.

We have recovered Rs 15 lakh cash and around 2.70 kg of the stolen gold. We suspect there may be other associates involved in this operation and are on the lookout for them,said Deshmukh.

Meanwhile the accused Gilitwala and Rafiq were produced before the Esplanade court and have been remanded to seven days police custody, while the formalities for the accused woman Mudhole are underway. IANS
WHAT WE KNOW: Last summer Geneseo completed Phase 1 of the northeast drainage project, rerouting a force main at the Cherry Street lift station to Prairie View subdivision to the south.

WHAT'S NEW: Aldermen on Tuesday voted 5-3 to recommend to council accepting a $493,049.63 bid from Brandt Construction for Phase 2 of the northeast drainage project. Phase 2 involves installing 1,200 feet of storm sewer along the east side of Chicago Street and adding sidewalks. The bid was $93,049.63 over the city's estimate for the work, and aldermen discussed several options including rejecting all bids and eliminating the sidewalk and allowing the contractor to close the road during work hours, saving $100 an hour per flagger.

Ultimately, Alderman Keith Kennett made a motion to recommend to council awarding the low bid as presented and negotiating to reduce the cost of the project. Voting no were Aldermen Craig Arnold, Paula Simosky and Bob James. Mayor Sean Johnson said in a year or two when the discussion of connecting the town to the Hennepin Canal was revisited, the cost of sidewalks would only be higher. Aldermen also talked about the practicality of closing the road and detouring Chicago Street traffic on other roads in town, and whether Chicago Street could be safely crossed to get to the proposed sidewalk on the east side.

"I know for a fact there's no way to get across there safely," James said. City Administrator Brandon Maeglin said doing the project at $493,049 would take the city's motor fuel funds down to $96,000. Treasurer Jamie Matthews said the fund was $595,000, but that was only because of six allotments of Rebuild America money. The next council meeting is Feb. 14.

WHAT'S NEXT: Aldermen also voted 8-0 to recommend to council to approve a resolution in support of tax-increment financing districts in Geneseo. Maeglin said the city was asked by the Illinois Municipal League to support TIFs because the state legislature was talking about changing how the program worked. Maeglin noted TIFs are important for the city's facade program, for example, and for helping small business in general. Arnold asked city attorney Megan Mack why the legislature would want to change the TIF program.

"The legislature does crazy things," she responded.
When Mark Winternheimers 12-year-old tabby cat was diagnosed with diabetes last year, the treatment was daunting: twice-daily injections of insulin, an implanted monitor and frequent visits to the vet.

Despite their qualms, Winternheimer and his wife, Courtnee, of New Albany, Indiana, learned to give Oliver his shots.

For us, theyre part of the family, Winternheimer said of Oliver and their two other cats, Ella and Theo. You wouldnt deny another family member care if its available.

Now, a once-daily pill promises to make treating feline diabetes easier in newly diagnosed animals, without the shots.

A pill is a huge step forward from a needle, said Dr. Audrey Cook, a cat veterinarian at Texas A&M University.

One caveat: The pill called Bexacat cant be used in cats like Oliver, who had previously received insulin.

The biggest benefit may be the ease of use, experts said. While many cat owners successfully treat their cats with twice-daily insulin, often for years, others struggle. Research shows that owners put down 1 in 10 cats with a new diabetes diagnosis. Another 10% are euthanized within a year, in part because of the difficulties of treatment.

Some people are afraid of giving insulin injections. Some people dont have the time to dedicate to the care of their cats, said Dr. Catharine Scott-Moncrieff, a Purdue University veterinarian who consulted with the makers of Bexacat on the product testing.

Made by Elanco Animal Health Inc., Bexacat was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in December and is expected to be available in the U.S. in the next several weeks. Its the first drug of its type approved for animals; similar drugs have been approved for people for about a decade.

Diabetes, whether in people or pets, is caused when too much glucose, or sugar, builds up in the bloodstream because the pancreas doesnt produce enough insulin, a hormone, or use it properly. Bexacat lowers blood sugar by causing it to be excreted in urine. Symptoms of feline diabetes include increased thirst and urination, increased appetite and weight loss.

About a quarter of U.S. households include one or more cats, totaling more than 58 million felines. Between 1 in 100 and 1 in 500 cats in the U.S. are diagnosed with diabetes, which is rising as obesity rates in the species approach 50%, said Dr. Bruce Kornreich, director of the Cornell Feline Health Center at Cornell University.

In studies involving more than 300 diabetic cats, Bexacat improved glucose control and decreased at least one symptom of diabetes in more than 80% of newly diagnosed, healthy animals, company documents show. But several cats in the studies also died or had to be euthanized after taking the drug, prompting a so-called black box warning about possible side effects, including diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication.

Because of those concerns, the drug cant be used in cats previously treated with insulin and animals must be carefully screened for liver, kidney and pancreatic disease and to ensure that theyre otherwise healthy, said Scott-Moncrieff.

It will be life-changing for some cats and some owners, but its not for every cat, Scott-Moncrieff said.

The list price for the drug is about $53 a month, according to Elanco. Most vets will double or triple the cost of the drug, charging pet owners about $100 to $150 a month, said Cook.

Depending on the source, that may be higher than the costs for insulin and the syringes or pens to give it, she said. Cats taking insulin need to be monitored frequently, but cats taking Bexacat will need to be watched, too.

I think costs will be broadly similar, but there are a lot of variables here, Cook said.

In Olivers case, the cat tolerated the injections -- and a glucose monitor that had to be inserted underneath his skin, Winternheimer said. His owners did OK, too, but they were relieved when Oliver's diabetes went into remission last fall.

No question, the idea of giving Oliver a pill instead would have been appealing, Winternheimer said. I would have definitely preferred that if it were available.

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A Davenport man is under arrest, accused of firing a gun at someone on a city street with others nearby.

Davenport police on Monday arrested Salvador Zavala Jr., 35, on a warrant for multiple charges related to a shooting that occurred about 2 a.m. on Jan. 7 at 200 W. 3rd St., according to Scott County Court records.

Zavala is accused of using a 9mm pistol to shoot at a person who was on the sidewalk, records state. The person ran from the gunfire and another dove away from it.

Other people were assembled on the sidewalk, some were in a nearby Nissan Titan, and others were in the Central Grocery store, records show. At least one bullet hit the front of the store and three vehicles were struck.

When police responded to the shooting, they found 17 9mm shell casings in the area, court records state.

Zavala has prior felony convictions, which prohibit him from possessing a firearm, records show. He faces ten charges:

 Two counts of assault while displaying a dangerous weapon.

 Three counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon.

 Four counts of assault while participating in a felony.

 One count of dominion or control of a firearm by a felon.

Zavala remained in custody Tuesday, held on a $50,000 cash-only bond, according to the Scott County Jail website.

His next court date was not available Tuesday.
A 10-year veteran of the North Scott School Board is resigning.

Glen Keppy's resignation was accepted Monday by his fellow board members.

"Due to my health, I cannot be the type of board member I want to be and the district deserves. I am unable to give the proper time and attention to matters," Keppy wrote in his letter of resignation.

Following board approval, the school district has 30 days to appoint a replacement for Keppy. Anyone interested in filling the vacancy must submit a "letter of intent" to board secretary Terina Bruns by email at terina.bruns@north-scott.k12.ia.us or by snail mail by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

Board president Mark Pratt said letters should explain why candidates are interested in serving, what they "bring to the table" and why they're a good fit for the North Scott School Board.

Applications will be reviewed on Feb. 9, and the board will decide whether to interview two or four candidates. The seat is up for reelection in November.

Iowa law requires a special election if citizens petition to hold one. It would require 1,015 verified signatures, submitted by 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 8. The Scott County Auditor's Office would also conduct a special election in the event the board cannot appoint someone in 30 days.

Photos: North Scott boys basketball defeats Davenport West, 57-50

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/9beee1a6-9b5a-43c2-9d5e-17f50541a655
Western Illinois University's student body from Caribbean nations continues to grow, with over 150 students now enrolled and approximately 125 additional prospects for next year.

WIU has formed an encompassing agreement with The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) that fully articulates transfer credit for regional students.

WIU has partnered with with Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, Anguilla Community College, Antigua State College, Charlestown Secondary School Sixth Form, Dominica State College, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, TA Marryshow Community College and the University of Guyana and are currently in discussion with the University of West Indies, Five Islands campus.

"Our partnerships with colleges and universities throughout the Caribbean provide outstanding academic experiences to students and faculty of these nations," said WIU President Guiyou Huang in a news release. "One of our goals is to continue to internationalize our University, which includes increasing international student enrollment and growing our study abroad opportunities for all of our students, faculty and staff. We are well on our way to becoming a more global university."

International Presidential Scholarship recipient Samaria Williams, of Barbados, began her studies at WIU last fall.

WIU is very determined to make the price of education as affordable as possible for students across the world through scholarships, she said in the release. The international community continues to grow and accommodate as the years go by, and the faculty and staff are happy to help me with any issues I may encounter.

Qualified undergraduate students can compete for the International Presidential Scholarship, which covers full tuition and fees. High-achieving students can earn up to $11,000 in scholarships toward tuition.

All Caribbean students earn an additional scholarship, the Undergraduate Regional Diversity Scholarshipsomething Randy Glean, associate vice president for global studies, said he's "delighted" to award.

"I met over 400 prospective students on a recent visit to the region who are struggling to find resources to embark on higher education," he said in the release. "Many students have a preference for the USA, and Western has become their best option."

Over 1,100 international students are currently enrolled at WIUfall 2022 marking the highest international enrollment in WIU's history.

For more information or to apply, visit wiu.edu/global_studies.

Check out photos from Western Illinois University - Quad-Cities' commencement 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad 051522-qc-nws-wiugrad
Iowa House lawmakers advanced legislation supporters say could provide a financial lifeline to Iowas small, rural hospitals that face closure.

The Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to advance a bill to the House floor that would set up a state licensing process for rural emergency hospitals.

New federal rules allow rural hospitals to discontinue inpatient care and instead focus on providing outpatient service and emergency medical care through a stand-alone E.R. Once a critical patient is stabilized, they would be transferred to inpatient care elsewhere, while patients with less acute emergencies could be quickly treated and discharged.

The bill also increases the governments reimbursement rates for Medicare and Medicaid patients treated at a rural emergency hospital.

Anything that we can do to help rural hospitals keep their doors open, and I think this will help reestablish a facility in Keokuk as well as propping up other small, rural hospitals that are in danger of closing their doors, committee member Rep. Thomas Jay Moore, R-Griswold, said.

Congress established the new Medicare provider designation in 2021 as means to preserve access to emergency medical care and other services in areas that otherwise would be without a hospital.

Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley helped push passage of the bill. And, along with Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, pushed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to move quickly in releasing final rules in the wake of a hospital closure in southeast Iowa.

Quincy, Ill.-based Blessing Health closed its 49-bed Keokuk hospital last fall due to operating losses and low demand for inpatient care.

The closure of the Keokuk hospital is just one of many hospital closures occurring in rural America and is not the last, Keokuk Mayor Kathie Mahoney said in a statement in October of community leaders exploring options to maintain high-quality health care services in the community, including as a rural emergency hospital.

Creating the new licensing designation provides rural hospitals the option to right-size their health care infrastructure, while maintaining essential medical services for their communities, Grassley said in a statement at the time.

Enacting the program, though, requires lawmakers in each state to establish state-level requirements and licensing regulations for the new provider type.

The bill applies to a general hospital operating under a valid certificate of need with no more than 50 licensed beds in a rural area with a population between 30,000 and 35,000 people, according to the 2020 census figures.

This is a great opportunity to support rural communities and keep rural hospitals open, HHS Committee member Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, said.

Committee members also voted unanimously to advance legislation expanding the scope of a loan forgiveness program for mental health providers.

Lawmakers last year allocated $1.5 million to the Iowa College Student Aid Commission to pay for a student loan repayment program for mental health care practitioners.

The program was established to increase the number of non-prescribing mental health practitioners serving cities within federal mental health shortage areas in the state by providing loan repayment recipients for up to five consecutive years of full-time service, unless granted a waiver for part-time service.

The bill advanced Tuesday expands the scope to all eligible, licensed mental health professionals who work in the state during a five-year period of full-time practice. The student aid commission would give priority to eligible students who are residents of Iowa upon enrolling in a university and who agree to practice in a service commitment area located in a mental health professional shortage area.

The bill also requires recipients be enrolled as an actively participating Medicaid provider.

This brings into Iowa a number of other mental health professionals that we need, said Rep. Mary Madison, D-West Des Moines. And it does give Medicaid patients care.
WHAT WE KNOW: The last increase in water rates in Colona was in 2016 and before that, the previous increase was 8-10 years earlier.

WHAT'S NEW: Alderman Larry Swemline told fellow aldermen Monday that the Illinois Rural Water Association was looking at city water rates at no cost to the city in order to make a recommendation on future rates. Swemline noted lift stations were over 40 years old, were having problems and the city needed to go out for bids for more generators for city wells.

In other business, Auditor John Timmer told the council the city's $5 million in unrestricted cash assets meant the city was in good financial shape with good liquidity and had paid down its liability substantially. He noted the city still had big revenue bonds and just paid those down by $20,000 for the year ending April 30, 2022.

"Those are also your lowest-interest bonds, so that made sense," he said. He also said the unfunded liability in the police pension fund was $2.675 million, which was a decrease from $3.9 million in 2019. "You've made some good progress," he said.

WHAT'S NEXT: The council plans to vote Feb. 14 on whether to make the campground manager position for Colona's Scott Family Park a year-round position and increase the salary. Alderman Amanda Stablein said the individual would not be eligible for health insurance for the first 90 days, and so the increase in cost to the city for the first full year would be less than $10,000.

"We are not going to have to take out a loan. It's barely much more money at all," she said. At $20 an hour, the total cost with health care and retirement benefits would be $69,880. It's planned that by making the position year-round, the manager would spend more time marketing the facility and would be able to do more maintenance work.
Davenport Police have taken into custody a man wanted in connection with Wednesdays fire at the Timber Knoll Apartments in Moline.

Frederick Jermaine McKenzie, 36, of Moline, was being held in the Scott County Jail on an interstate warrant and $100,000 cash-only bond.

Rock Island County States Attorney Dora Villarreal said that McKenzie is charged with one count of aggravated arson and one count of arson.

Aggravated arson is a Class X felony that carries a prison sentence of six to 30 years, while arson is a Class 1 felony that carries a prison sentence of four to 15 years.

Davenport police found McKenzie in the 2200 block of Telegraph Road.

Moline Police said that McKenzie is a former resident of Timber Knoll.

McKenzie will have a first appearance Thursday in Scott County District Court where he will either waive or fight extradition to Rock Island County.

Meanwhile, Moline fire officials said workers who happened to be at the apartment building when it caught fire also happened to have ladders, which were used to rescue tenants.

"First-arriving company reports several victims standing on their balconies, yelling for help," according to an accounting by the Moline Fire Department. "There were a few property-maintenance personnel working in the area at the time of the fire.

"They, along with workers from Asplundh Tree Service, began using ladders to get victims from the balconies."

Logan Latimer was on his way home Wednesday morning from Two River YMCA when he saw Moline police and fire vehicles roaring down 53rd Street.

Almost instantly, the 20-year-old welding student learned the lights and sirens were headed to the Timber Knoll Apartments, where the building next to the one where he lives with his mother was on fire.

I called my mom and, at first, she thought the ambulances and stuff were for one of the older couples who live near us, Latimer said. As I got closer on 53rd, the road was blocked and my mom said there were firetrucks everywhere.

Then she saw the building next to us and she told me there were flames coming out of the building. I parked and grabbed my camera, because Im really interested in photojournalism.

Fifteen of the 16 units in the building north of John Deere Road were occupied at the time of the fire, said Deputy Fire Chief Kris Johnson. At least five people were treated for smoke inhalation, including two who were transported to the hospital, he said.

Julie, a mother of two who declined to share her last name, said she lives on the lower level of the unit that burned. She was at work and her children were out of the building when the fire started. She said she hoped it was not intentionally started.

Ive lived here for, wow, going on 10 years, Julie said. There are a couple of older people who live here, and I hope they are OK.

While some tenants boarded a MetroLINK bus that was sent to serve as a warming shelter, Julie said she was busy looking for answers about the fire.

There are a lot of police officers around here, and I want to speak with them and find out what is going on, she said.

Both the Moline police and fire departments are investigating the cause of the blaze, which started in a building on the southeast corner of the Timber Knoll complex.

An official from the American Red Cross said an early estimate suggests 11 people will require the agency's assistance. Multiple agencies responded to the scene, where early reports indicated multiple people were trapped.

Johnson said the primary fire was under control shortly before 11 a.m. Some tenants were evacuated and others were rescued from balconies.

Moline firefighters were dispatched to the nearby Homewood Manor Apartments last week, where 11 people were temporarily displaced by fire.

Photos: Fire damages Timber Knoll Apartments in Moline
DES MOINES  Delivery of a drug resulting in a death would carry up to a 25-year sentence under a bill proposed by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird.

The bill passed subcommittees in both the Iowa House and Senate on Wednesday.

Currently, the maximum charge that can be pursued against a person who sells a drug resulting in death is for the delivery itself, a class C felony. Prosecutors can pursue an involuntary manslaughter charge, but that penalty is a lesser Class D felony.

The bill would make the sale of a drug resulting in death a Class B felony, putting it on the same level as attempted murder and killing a person while driving intoxicated. Marijuana is exempt from the bill.

A class B felony is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

Bird, a Republican, said during a Senate subcommittee on the bill that the proposal aims to address a rising rate of overdoses in Iowa.

Its so important that we can seek justice for those victims and their families, so Im very encouraged and looking forward to working with the governor and the Legislature as we move forward, she said in an interview.

Iowa has one of the lowest overdose death rates in the United States  Iowa ranked 5th-lowest of the 50 states in 2021  but the number of deaths has been increasing, following national trends, over the past several years.

In 2021, 470 Iowans died of drug overdoses, according to Gov. Kim Reynolds office.

Iowa elected officials have been sounding alarms about an increase in overdose deaths in the state in recent years, driven in part by an increased presence of fentanyl, a potent opioid.

Bird said raising the penalties would bring the law into line with the severity of the crime.

It is not dealt with the way that it should be, and the way that some other states and even federal law would deal with it, she said.

But some lobbyists and advocates were concerned that the bill would be counterproductive, bringing harsh charges for situations that may not warrant it.

Lisa Davis-Cook, a lobbyist for the Iowa Association for Justice, said the organization, which is registered against the bill, has concerns about whether the bill would act as a deterrent.

What about that college kid who shares drugs with a friend then leaves, and that friend dies? So they cant report the overdose. Are those really the people that we want to be charging with a Class B felony? Davis-Cook said.

Democratic Rep. Ross Wilburn of Ames was the sole lawmaker to not sign on to passing the bill out of a subcommittee. He said hes not opposed to the bill, but he would like to gather informaiton about the bills impact on minorities and see the details of a similar bill expected to come out of Gov. Kim Reynolds office.

Responding to concerns, Bird said she thinks the penalty proposed in the bill is the right approach. She noted the penalty is lower than the federal charge, which carries up to a 40-year sentence.

When someone provides illegal drugs to someone and those drugs kill that person, we need to have a law that takes account of that, she said.

Mahaska County Attorney Andrew Ritland said hes been working to get the law changed for a few years, after a woman died of a drug overdose in his county.

Ashley Shafer, a 24-year-old from Oskaloosa, died in 2019 after being injected with methamphetamine. Three men that gave her the drug took her body to a river and did not report the death. (

In that case, a Class C felony was the harshest penalty Ritland could pursue, he said. The Class D, involuntary manslaughter felony is also very difficult to prove, he said.

It doesnt really even begin to reflect the amonut of harm thats done in these sort of cases, he said.

The bill also creates an exemption for Iowas good samaritan law, which provides legal protections for a person who calls emergency services when they or another person are experiencing an overdose.

Upcoming Reynolds bill addresses fentanyl

Reynolds said in her Condition of the State Address she would be introducing a bill that would increase the sentences for selling fentanyl, and double or triple the penalty if the sale results in a death.

Im calling on the Legislature to increase penalties for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl in any amount, she said during her address on Jan. 10. That means longer sentences and higher fines, even where the quantity is small. And when an overdose leads to death or serious injury, the sentences will be even steeper.

Reynolds has proposed punishing the sale of 5 grams or less of fentanyl with up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000; between 5 and 50 grams with 25 years and up to $100,000; and more than 50 grams with 50 years and a fine of up to $1 million.

If the sale results in a death, the punishment could be two to three times higher, and it would be two times higher if a person manufactures or delivers fentanyl in the presence of a minor.

Reynolds Office of Drug Control Policy is registered undecided on Birds bill because Reynolds will be introducing a similar bill, but a lobbyist said the office is generally supportive of the measure.

We are absolutely supportive of the concept of a stronger deterrent for those folks that are trafficking these extremely deadly drugs into the state of Iowa, said Susie Sher, a lobbyist with Reynolds drug control office.

Tom Barton of the Gazette Des Moines Bureau contributed.
A war of words between Alex Jones lawyer Norm Pattis and the trial judge who suspended him from practicing law for an improper records disclosure has heated up, with Pattis calling the punishment part of a disturbing trend among trial court judges of dispensing summary judgment against aggressive lawyers.

In a separate filing justifying her order of a six-month suspension from the practice of law for disclosing medical records to unauthorized colleagues, Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis said she felt compelled to make it immediately effective because she was concerned Pattis might cause more harm to litigants of the public during what is expected to be a lengthy appeal by Jones.

While (Pattis) continues to minimize his misconduct by referring to it as a single instance of misconduct and a singular instance of unauthorized disclosure. this is simply untrue, Bellis wrote in a filing with the state Appellate Court. Given this lack of an explanation, coupled with (Pattis) repeated argument that there was only a single mistake made, the court remained concerned with protecting the public and other litigants during a lengthy appeal process.

The exchange took place this week in filings with the Appellate Court, where Pattis is trying win an indefinite postponement of the suspension while he tries to have it reversed. Bellis provided an explanation with the appeals court in which she justifies the suspension and opposition to postponement.

During the contentious, four-year long Sandy Hook defamation suit that ended last year in a $1.4 billion verdict against Jones, Pattis was sharply critical of Bellis rulings and at one point moved to disqualify her. He argues, in papers filed by his partner Kevin Smith, that Bellis is biased and should not have been involved in a disciplinary process in which she was the the complainant as well as the adjudicator.

In ordering Pattis immediate suspension on Jan. 5, she said his failure to protect highly sensitive medical and psychiatric records belonging to relatives of Sandy Hook victims caused the records to be carelessly passed around from one unauthorized person to another in violation of her repeated orders. Bellis said it was the second time during Jones case that Pattis had not complied with a confidentiality order.

The records at the center of the suspension, about 4,000 pages of medical records that were among about 390,000 pages of other records provided to Pattis office by relatives of Sandy Hook victims, were never disclosed publicly.

Pattis has acknowledged that he inadvertently set in motion a series of exchanges that distributed the records between his law office in Connecticut and three others in Texas  all of which were involved in some fashion in lawsuits by Sandy Hook relatives against Jones. None of the lawyers read the records, which were originally contained on a portable computer drive, and the final recipient destroyed them.

Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis discusses a question from the jury with attorneys during deliberations in the Alex Jones Sandy Hook defamation damages trial in Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn., on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. (H John Voorhees III/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP)

Bellis asserts that the succession of disclosure was intentional, and in violation of her orders that allowed sharing only with counsel of record in the Connecticut suit.

While (Pattis) continues to minimize his misconduct by referring to it as a single instance of misconduct and a singular instance of unauthorized disclosure, this is simply untrue, Bellis wrote. The court found misconduct because of the respondents abject failure to label or otherwise identify the hard drive as containing protected medical records, or protected by court order.

FILE  Alex Jones talks to media as his attorney, Andino Reynal, left, looks on during a midday break for the trial at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. A Connecticut judge on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 022, ruled that Reynal committed misconduct but will not be disciplined, in connection with the improper disclosure of confidential medical records of relatives of Sandy Hook school shooting victims. (Briana Sanchez/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool, File)

Pattis claims that Bellis had demonstrable bias against him and Jones, that he had previously challenged her abuse of discretion and  in a widely reported pretrial disagreement  her understanding of the first amendment. In addition to moving for Bellis disqualification, Pattis said he twice sought emergency appeals of her pretrial rulings.

It was improper for the court to hear an issue involving him after Pattis had challenged the courts competence and impartiality in a public pleading, the Pattis filing said.

Pattis accused Bellis of being dissatisfied during the Jones trial when an independent disciplinary panel exonerated him of misconduct concerning what Bellis had called the improper preparation of an affidavit.

Unsurprisingly, this dissatisfying exoneration by an independent panel was the chief aggravating fact listed by the court in its decision to suspend Pattis, his filing said.

Pattis also argued that Bellis decision to suspend him was wrongly based on his unusual decision to assert his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination after she ordered him to appear at a hearing to inquire into disclosure of the medical records. Pattis has said the the release of the records in some circumstances could have exposed him to a criminal violation.

Bellis wrote in her decision ordering the suspension that Pattis refusal to participate in the hearing was a factor that weighed in favor of discipline.

In a contorted act of semantic gymnastics, the trial court claimed in its decision that while it did not draw an adverse inference against Pattis for asserting the fifth in the hearing, it is nonetheless a chief aggravating factor considered by the court as a failure to acknowledge the wrong nature of (his) conduct, Pattis said in his his filing.
DES MOINES  Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad will take over as president of the World Food Prize Foundation, considered the preeminent award for global agriculture.

Branstad, the longest-serving governor in Iowas history and former ambassador to China, said hes hoping to raise the visibility of the organization and continue to fund research into the quantity and quality of agriculture.

The organization gives an annual $250,000 award to an individual for their achievements in improving the quality, quantity, and availability of food in the world, according to a press release. Cynthia Rosenzweig, an American agronomist, received the award in 2022.

Im very honored and very pleased to be asked to be the new president of the world food prize, Branstad said in an interview.   Its been a wonderful thing for our state; Weve also helped get young people involved in STEM education and go all over the world.

Branstad will succeed Barbara Stinson in the role, who has been president since 2020. Kenneth Quinn, who led the organization from 2000 to 2020, will serve as a temporary special consultant during the transition period, according to the release.

We are excited to bring on a leader with both global vision and strong roots in agriculture, Paul Schickler, chair of the foundation, said in the release. Amb. Branstad, who was serving as Governor of Iowa when John Ruan, Sr., rescued the World Food Prize and moved it to Iowa, has been a champion of our mission from its earliest days.

The annual award was created by Nobel Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug to award innovations in agriculture. The sponsorship of the program was taken over by Iowa businessman John Ruan in 1990, while Branstad was governor.

Branstad said he hopes to build on the initiatives the foundation is already running, including the annual prize, a research program through Iowa State University, and the annual Iowa Hunger Summit.

Branstad was Iowas governor from 1983 to 1999, and again from 2011 to 2017. In 2017, he was tapped by President Donald Trump to be ambassador to China.

Branstads relationships with food companies during his time as Iowas governor will help in getting contributions to the foundation, he said, and his political experience will help keep up annual state appropriations to the foundation.

Weve always had broad, bipartisan support for the World Food Prize, he said.  We hope that we can get the state appropriation, and also that I can raise private money to help augment that.

Photos: Scott County Republican Party 12th Annual Ronald Reagan Dinner 101420-qc-nws-branstad-087 101420-qc-nws-branstad-085 101420-qc-nws-branstad-103 101420-qc-nws-branstad-056 101420-qc-nws-branstad-106 101420-qc-nws-branstad-104 101420-qc-nws-branstad-105 101420-qc-nws-branstad-107 101420-qc-nws-branstad-109 101420-qc-nws-branstad-108 101420-qc-nws-branstad-058 101420-qc-nws-branstad-110 101420-qc-nws-branstad-113 101420-qc-nws-branstad-112 101420-qc-nws-branstad-070
Surrounded by school-choice advocates and private school students, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an expansive private school education assistance bill into law on Tuesday.

The bill is the culmination of a 3-year effort and notches an early victory in the governor's top legislative priorities of the session.

All public school students and thousands of private school students now are eligible to receive a $7,600 education savings account to pay for tuition and other expenses at a private school. The program is expected to cost $107 million in the first year. By fiscal year 2027, the money will be open to all students in public and private schools, regardless of income, and is expected to cost $345 million.

It was the first bill of the legislative session to be signed into law after a flurry of activity over the first two weeks to advance it to Reynolds desk.

For the first time, were funding students instead of a system, Reynolds said. Were rejecting the idea that the answer to improving education is simply throwing more money into the same system.

Opponents of the law say it will siphon money out of public schools, fund non-accountable private institutions, and argue private schools could turn away students with disabilities or families whose values dont align with theirs.

In hours of floor debate Monday night, Democrats told stories of students with disabilities who were turned away from private schools and said much of the money would go to wealthy families who already pay for private school.

The bill passed in both the House and the Senate on Monday night and early Tuesday morning. It passed 55-45 in the House, where all Democrats and nine Republicans voted against it. In the Senate, it passed 31-18. Three Republicans joined all present Democrats in voting against it. Democratic Sen. Tony Bisignano of Des Moines was not present.

The bill will divert essential funds from 92 percent of our student population and send the funds to just a select population of students admitted into private schools, Iowa State Education Association President Mike Beranek said in a statement. Tonight, some legislators ignored the wishes of most Iowans and voted to spend taxpayer money on private interests.

Reynolds said the program is not at odds with public schools. She acknowledged the vast majority of students are expected to remain in public schools and said the bill will allow school districts more freedom to use their state funds.

Public schools are the foundation of our educational system, Reynolds said. And for most families, theyll continue to be the option of choice. But they arent the only choice. And for some families, a different path may be better for their children.

Public school districts will receive about $1,200 for each student living in that district who is enrolled in a private school. The law also allows schools to use unspent categorical funding designated for other purposes to increase teacher salaries. Supporters say that change will give public schools more flexibility on how to spend state dollars.

I was trying to figure out, how can we provide them flexibility  especially in rural Iowa, to be able to increase salaries so that we can be competitive? Reynolds told reporters after signing the bill. What we saw when we were looking at that was over $100 million in unspent funding.

Supporters celebrate passage

Trish Wilger, the executive director of Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education, said she was excited to see the bill signed into law. Wilgers organization was advocating for a universal education savings account system before the legislative session began.

We worked on it so long and so hard that it doesnt seem quite real yet, but Im just thrilled for the opportunities its going to bring to Iowa families, she said.

The law will provide choice for parents who want to send their children to a nonpublic school but dont have the financial ability to do so, Wilger said, as well as parents with children in private school who are struggling to afford it.

Wilger acknowledged some families with high incomes may apply for the money, but she said it mirrors the public school system, in which students receive the same services, regardless of income.

We feel that this is a similar kind of scenario, where the funding is following the student and not going to the institution, she said.

Dan Zylstra, the head of schools for Pella Christian Schools, argued that the law will not have a negative impact on rural schools. He was a superintendent at a public school in Indiana, which has a more limited private school scholarship program, and he said that program did not hurt public schools.

School choice did not decimate my rural public school district, he said. A few students drove 30 miles to the closest Christian school  but the vast majority of students and families loved and stayed in our school.

But not everyone in the Capitol was in support on Tuesday morning. During Reynolds remarks in the rotunda, Sen. Claire Celsi, a Democrat from West Des Moines, yelled nobody wants vouchers and rural Iowa doesnt want vouchers from the second floor of the Capitol.

Up next

Reynolds said the state will release a request for proposals on Tuesday for a third-party company to administer the state program. Parents will be able to sign up for updates on a new state website that will go online Tuesday.

Similar to Iowas 529 College Savings Iowa plan, the accounts will be created in the state treasury under the control of the Iowa Department of Education and administered by a third party.

The company administering Arizonas program, ClassWallet, has faced criticism for lax oversight. A 2018 audit of the program found $700,000 had been spent on non-approved expenses.

Were going to continue to make sure that we have accountability and oversight as were working on the RFP, Reynolds told reporters. We want to make sure that we do have transparency and accountability in place.
DECATUR  With a soon-to-be refurbished bus barn as the setting and a hybrid trolley as a backdrop, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday nearly $114 million in grant funds for downstate transit providers.

The funds, to be doled out across 44 different projects, are the latest tranche in downstate public transportation funds provided through the state's Rebuild Illinois capital construction program. So far, more than $337 million has been awarded via the competitive grants to downstate transit.

"These are the kinds of investments that have a direct impact on the people of this community and help attract new families and new companies to Illinois," Pritzker said during a stop in Decatur. "Once this bus barn is complete, this very room that we're standing in will have new life."

Decatur received three grants totaling $5.89 million, which will largely go towards an overhaul of the city's transit facilities, which will include the installation of rooftop solar panels and retrofitting in anticipation of the transition to a fully electric fleet of buses by 2035.

With the latest infusion, more than $27 million in local, state and federal dollars have been committed to the project.

The Decatur City Council voted last year to $785,000 in federal grant funds for the purchase of two new hybrid trolleys for the downtown route, which shuttles around the central business district every 15 minutes from early morning until 6:15 p.m. six days a week.

Though only two of the city's fixed-route buses are currently hybrids, there are plans to replace four older diesel-powered buses with hybrids in 2023. The plan after that is to replace diesel-powered buses with electric buses four at a time every two years starting in 2025.

Several other downstate communities benefitted from the latest round of state funding.

The Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System, known as Connect Transit, received two grants worth $9.6 million. Of that, $1.6 million will go towards the purchase of electric microtransit vehicles and $8 million is earmarked for the construction of a maintenance, storage and training facility.

Coles County was awarded $70,000 to build passenger shelters at fixed bus routes.

The Rock Island County Metro Mass Transit District, known as MetroLINK, was awarded four grants worth $10.35 million, which will be used towards purchasing six zero-emission buses, electric car chargers, and an expansion of the system's operations and maintenance center.

A full list of grant recipients can be found on the Illinois Department of Transportation's website.
Rapid City police are searching for three juvenile males following a Sunday morning burglary on Jackson Boulevard.

Video footage reportedly caught the youths burglarizing Elemental, a Jackson Boulevard business that offers CBD oils and products.

The juveniles entered the store through a broken window, according to the Rapid City Police Department. When police arrived after receiving a 2 a.m. phone call reporting the burglary, no one was inside the shop but numerous items had been taken.

The RCPD stated that video footage showed three juvenile males wearing all black clothing.

Anyone with information about the incident of the suspects' identities can contact Detective Brendan Lenard at 605-394-4131. An anonymous tip can be submitted to the police department by texting "RCPD" and the information to 847411.
The bills primary sponsor, Rep. Sen. Anthony Bouchard, is the former director of the hard-line gun rights group Wyoming Gun Owners and was the subject of a highly publicized run-in with students at the University of Wyoming in spring 2017 over their gun reform presentation.

Another bill introduced over the weekend would create an enhanced carry permit, which could be issued by the attorney general in certain cases.

In addition to the pre-existing requirements for a concealed carry permit, an applicant would be eligible for an enhanced permit if they can provide evidence that they were employed as a peace officer in Wyoming within the past year or completed firearms safety training.

These courses provide basic training in the safe use of a firearm and are conducted by an instructor certified by the National Rifle Association or the Wyoming law enforcement academy.

No one under 21 years old would be eligible for this enhanced permit. Applications would be available and distributed by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and local law enforcement.

If the bill is made into law, it would open the door for another bill that would allow concealed firearms on the grounds of the State Capitol for those who acquire the new enhanced permit. Both bills are sponsored by Sen. Dave Kinskey, R-Sheridan.

Those with an enhanced permit would be required to notify the Wyoming Highway Patrol that they intend to have a concealed firearm in the State Capitol building no less than 24 hours beforehand.
The owners of the Chesterfield Observer have announced their decision to close the weekly newspaper.

The Feb. 1 issue will be the newspapers last edition, according to owners Carol and Frank McCracken. The announcement was made in the Jan. 25 edition of the Chesterfield Observer.

For over 27 years, the Chesterfield Observer has been the fabric of the community. We are heartbroken we are no longer able to report the local news and goings-on, owner Carol McCracken said via email.

The independently run newspaper covers Chesterfield County and currently distributes 60,000 copies a week. The local paper employs six full-time staff and three part-time staff.

The owners cited a significant decline in advertising revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The McCrackens reported better-than-average financial performance in 2018 and 2019, but said the newspapers advertising base never rebounded after the pandemic began in 2020.

In 2021, supply-chain stresses brought an 8% increase in the cost of newsprint, and other production costs more than doubled, financially prohibiting the Observers ability to publish the annual Guide to Chesterfield, a key revenue generator, the owners said in a statement.

The owners also said the financial realities largely caused by the 2020 pandemic had become insurmountable and they decided to shutter the newspaper.

Greg Pearson founded the Observer in 1995 and ran it until 2014.

I birthed the Observer in 1995 and it grew to become the largest circulation weekly newspaper in Virginia, with almost 71,000 copies in 2014 when I sold it. I feel as if I have lost a child, Pearson said.

The closure of another local newspaper highlights severe ongoing declines in local journalism. According to a study from Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications released in late June, the United States continues to see newspapers die at the rate of two per week.

According to the report, the country had 6,377 newspapers at the end of May, down from 8,891 in 2005. An estimated 75,000 journalists worked in newspapers in 2006, which was down to 31,000 in 2022, the report said in June. The study also reported that annual newspaper revenue dropped from $50 billion to $21 billion in the same period.

According to an Associated Press story, 360 newspapers have shut down since the end of 2019, all but 24 of them weeklies serving small communities.

In 2019, the Virginia Press Association awarded the Chesterfield Observer the grand sweepstakes prize for overall excellence for a large weekly newspaper in Virginia.

We greatly appreciate the support over the years, Carol McCracken said on Tuesday. We will very much miss the opportunity to bring you the local journalism that you have come to love and expect weekly.

17 archive photos of Regency Mall
Rapidly expanding chicken finger franchise Raising Canes opened a new location near Chesterfield Town Center on Tuesday. It wont be the last  several more franchises are planned for central Virginia.

Raising Canes focused menu has four major items  fresh premium chicken fingers, grade A crinkle cut fries, creamy coleslaw and garlicy Texas toast. The brand is also known for its award-winning Canes Sauce and affectionately calls its fans Caniacs.

The recently-opened Chesterfield location is at 1231 Huguenot Rd. in Midlothian. A second restaurant is set to open in the Bermuda Square Shopping Center at 12721 Jefferson Davis Highway in early February.

Another three restaurants are planned to open in Richmond, Midlothian and Glen Allen by early 2024. Charlottesville is also in the works.

Raising Canes opened its first restaurant on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1997. It largely held its presence within the southern central United States until becoming the nations fastest growing chicken franchise in 2020. The quick service restaurant has rapidly grown out of its base in the past couple of years.

The company has added nearly 200 locations nationwide since 2020 and more than doubled its number of crew members to 50,000. The brands total sales topped $3.2 billion last year  growing $1.7 billion in two years  with an average unit volume of $5.2 million.

A company spokesperson said that Richmond was seen as a big market in the brands expansion plan, which is aggressively targeting the Northeast, from Virginia to New York.

Raising Canes first came to Richmond with a franchise location near Virginia Commonwealth University at 805. W. Grace St.

PHOTOS: Torchy's Tacos
A former youth pastor who used his account name vapastor to distribute child pornography via an encrypted messaging service was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for transmitting salacious videos while he was on probation for similar crimes.

Deric W. Peacocks conduct came to light in late 2021 while authorities were investigating images shared on a chat website used by people involved in exploiting children. Authorities identified Peacock, 39, as a user of the site and identified his Internet Protocol address (IP) as one posting images of child pornography, Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla Jordan-Detamore said in court filings.

Authorities subsequently executed a search warrant at Peacocks Highland Springs home on April 13, 2022, where they located his BLU Tracfone and an Amazon tablet. The devices contained several images, videos and gifs depicting the sexual abuse of children, Jordan-Detamore said.

In addition, Peacocks account on Wickr, an encrypted messaging service, was found to have received and distributed child porn via the internet between April 12 and 13, 2022. About 51 images and four videos of child porn were recovered from Peacocks devices, the prosecutor said.

One video Peacock transmitted depicted a female child, 7 to 8 years old, engaged in sexual activity. Another video was of a girl between 10-16 years old, according to the governments statement of facts.

Peacocks offenses occurred while he was still on supervised probation after being released from state prison on two convictions in Montgomery County in 2014 for procuring a sex act by computer from a person he believed was under the age of 15. The person with whom he was communicating turned out to be an undercover law enforcement officer. He was sentenced to 20 years, with 15 of it suspended.

Rather than abiding by the terms of his supervision, the defendant committed the [new] offense by obtaining unauthorized electronic devices, failing to disclose those devices to his probation officer, utilizing unauthorized chatroom and messaging services to obtain prohibited images, and later destroying and/or wiping those devices after downloading and viewing the images, Jordan-Detamore said.

Before being sent to prison for the 2014 convictions, Peacock was a youth pastor at South Hopewell Church of God, which the U.S. Attorneys Office says no longer exists.

During a sentencing hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Judge John A. Gibney Jr. sentenced Peacock to 240 months in prison on his earlier guilty plea to distribution of child pornography. The punishment is five years higher than the statutory minimum for the offense, but below federal discretionary sentencing guidelines of 292 to 365 months calculated for Peacock .

The U.S. Attorneys Office said a 240-month sentence was sufficient in this case, noting that Peacock will likely face additional state prison time for violating the terms of his probation in the Montgomery County cases. Peacock, through his attorney, agreed that a sentence of 240 months was appropriate, considering the unusually high sentencing guidelines.

Assistant Public Defender Carolyn OGrady, Peacocks attorney, said in court filings that Peacock, a divorced father of three children, feels great shame for his actions and that he openly admitted his guilt to his probation officer and the FBI when confronted with the new offenses.

Peacock had completed all his counseling and sex offender treatment for the earlier crimes, but stopped taking his anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications, which contributed to his relapse, OGrady said.

OGrady also noted Peacocks turbulent childhood during which he suffered abuse from both of his parents. His father mocked him for his asthmatic condition, calling him weak. When his father revealed he was homosexual, Peacock moved in with his mother, who sexually abused him, the attorney said.

As Derics father was molested by a man as a young child, Derics parents believed that being sexually abused by a woman would ensure Deric identified as a heterosexual, OGrady said. The attorney added that Peacock told a clinical psychologist who evaluated him that his first exposure to child pornography was mother and son depictions, which he was drawn to because it reminded him of the abuse he experienced from his mother.
The criminal charges brought against Henrico County police Officer Timothy G. Million III were dismissed Wednesday after a three-day trial.

Million was on trial for manslaughter in connection with the death of Tony E. Singleton, 53, who died on Nov. 6, 2021, after he was shot multiple times by Million while on Interstate 64.

In dismissing the charges, retired Judge Joseph Ellis said Wednesday that the evidence brought forth by Henrico Commonwealths Attorney Shannon Taylor and the prosecution did not prove Millions actions were unreasonable, and that the officers decision to shoot was justified.

Million described the waves of emotion that washed over him the moment the judge announced his decision and tears and cheers from his family and friends flooded the courtroom.

The rush of emotion that came over me was probably the best feeling I had in over a year and a half, said Million.

Since the fatal encounter, Million said he has spent sleepless nights leading up to the trial, but hopes to return to duty.

Taylor said she respectfully disagreed with the courts decision, and that she had felt compelled to try the case given the evidence.

Its important for the public to know that whenever there is a loss of life at the hands of another person, it is incumbent that we review the evidence, said Taylor.

Whether it is a law enforcement officer or an ordinary citizen, Taylor said it is her duty to hold everyone accountable and ensure the safety of the community.

After the verdict, Henrico Police Chief Eric English said during a press conference that Million will remain on paid administrative leave as the Henrico County Police Division continues an independent investigation.

This is a great outcome for Officer Million as well as division, said English. But let us not forget that someone did lose their life and that affects everyone thats involved in this case.

English said the judges decision has certainly lifted the cloud of anxiety surrounding the department as they continue to work hard to maintain their relationship with the community.

Since Ive been here, weve had quite a few officer involved shootings, said English.

We try to be as transparent about the information thats being put out, we dont try to hide anything from our citizens I think thats the best way to mend those relationships is making sure were as transparent as possible, he added.

After the dismissal, Millions defense attorneys, Peter Baruch and Edward Nickel, said they expected this result.

 [The prosecution] essentially suggested [Officer Million] acted in a panic, but the evidence didnt show that, said Baruch.  It showed that he was highly trained and he did everything he was supposed do and frankly we were ready for this day we expected this result.

Much of the case was focused on 25 minutes of video captured by Millions bodycam footage.

During proceedings, the entire courtroom bore witness to the blurred images as Million approached the vehicle with his gun drawn. He made several verbal commands to the driver to put his hands out the window of the car. The driver did not comply.

Million continued to walk toward the vehicle, asking the driver to show him his hands and stop shuffling around in the back of the car. Eventually Million reholstered his firearm as the passenger put his hands out and Singleton came out of the vehicle with his hands to his side, unarmed.

Taylor and prosecutors slowed down the second-by-second interaction that occurs on video as Singleton steps out of the car and Million approaches and grabs him by the shoulders. The two separate and Singletons hands go from his side to his waistband, where a knife could be seen.

On the video, Million is seen firing his service pistol.

Prosecutors argued that this led a grand jury to indict Million for voluntary manslaughter.

But Ellis ruled that the evidence brought forth by the commonwealth did not require a jurys decision.

Although several witness, including a passenger in Millions patrol car and the first responders who arrived at the scene, said Singleton was unarmed, Ellis said the evidence presented to the court made it clear that Millions actions were reasonable.
Chesterfield County police detectives are investigating the location of a fatal shooting Tuesday night after the teenage victim arrived at a local hospital and died.

Chesterfield officers responded at 7:45 p.m. to Chippenham Hospital, at the request of Richmond police, for a person who arrived suffering from a gunshot wound. The hospital is inside the city limits near the Chesterfield line.

The victim, a 16-year-old boy, was later pronounced dead.

Detectives are still working to locate the exact location where this incident occurred, police said in a statement

The victims identity is being withheld pending notification of relatives.

Police urged anyone with information about the shooting to call the department at (804) 748-1251 or Crime Solvers at (804) 748-0660. Tips can also be provided through the P3 app.

17 archive photos of Regency Mall
A Rocky Hill-based homebuilder is proposing to convert the a former high-security Webster Bank building in New Britain into a cannabis cultivation center.

CCC Construction wants to buy the 133,000-square-foot Webster Resource Center on Slater Road and remodel it for growing and commercially distributing cannabis.

The company was drawn to the building partly because it already has an extensive security system installed by Webster, which used it for storing and counting money. Security is a requirement for growing and distribution centers in Connecticut, and is a major expense for companies getting into the business.

But unlike two previous cannabis businesses that the city authorized this winter, the Slater Road project is hitting opposition from some nearby homeowners.

There is no benefit to this facility being in our neighborhood, and only a detriment to our quality of living, reads an unsigned letter that was distributed to several homes last week. Surely the building could be used for something that brings more value to our city residents as it did years ago.

Shelley Vincenzo of Robindale Drive identified the writer as a neighbor who didnt want to be identified. In recent Facebook posts, Vincenzo posted the letter along with statements urging neighbors to turn out in opposition at a hearing next week.

This is a residential neighborhood  it is NOT the place for this type of business. We need you to show up and speak out!, Vincenzo wrote.

New Britain last year wrote zoning rules that would allow up to three marijuana-related businesses  retailers, commercial distributors or growers  in the city. Officials have already approved two applications, and the zoning board of appeals will hear CCCs presentation Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. at city hall.

The former Webster Resource Center on Slater Road in New Britain.

Vincenzo said when she asked last year about what was happening with the Webster property, Mayor Erin Stewart told her a cannabis distributor was looking at the site.

Toward the end of last year, I noted the bank seemed to be gone. The signage was down, there were no cars, Vincenzo said. The mayor said someone wanted it for a distribution center. She never said anything about manufacturing.

Then I heard they plan on manufacturing marijuana, and my whole perspective changed. That building is surrounded by houses, there are schools in the area, she said. The neighbors I talked to were shocked, nobody knew about this. I dont think the mayor was transparent with us.

Stewart said Tuesday that shes been fully upfront about the project.

I can understand how someones judgment would be clouded when they feel that their backyard is being impacted, but my office and city hall have been nothing but transparent through this entire process, Stewart said.

Last year, the city solicited companies to put forward proposals for cannabis-related businesses, saying it wanted the most well-developed models and community-focused visions.

CCC was among the businesses responding. CCC would lease the property to at least two commercial growers. Co-owner Frank DiBacco said the proposed operation would help New Britain.

Not only does the property satisfy the citys need for safe and secure cannabis facilities, but applicants property would also contribute to the citys economic development and grand list, DiBacco wrote. Such use secures a return on investment not only for applicant, but also the city and the local community by enhancing the citys tax base.

DiBacco noted that the building comes with perimeter alarm systems, closed-circuit video surveillance and monitoring systems, electronically operated gates, lockdown double doors, and other advanced features intended to provide maximum security to the facility and its occupant businesses.

Its large parking lot is an optimal site for additional commercial and/or retail facilities. The parking area is large enough for at least three additional 5,000 square-foot buildings  each the ideal size for cannabis retail or hybrid-retail businesses, according to his application.

One city document about the project says the Webster building is 700 feet from the nearest home, seven times what zoning requires.

But Vincenzo said she and many of her neighbors dont want cannabis production or retailing nearby.

Im not against marijuana. I understand its the times we live in, but people have lived here 30 to 40 years, there are schools and homes here, she said.
Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the Virginia Department of Education broadened the scope of their case to allege active involvement of the state education department in denying students with disabilities access to educational services that are guaranteed to them under federal law.

The class-action suit filed in Fairfax County in September challenges the state over the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, asserting that in recent decades hearing officers rarely sided with parents who challenge school plans for how to educate their children. The IDEA, passed in 1975, ensures that students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education.

Parents, teachers and hearing officers across the state who heard about the case reached out to the plaintiffs following the initial filing to share their stories.

It was much worse than any of us had expected, said lead plaintiff Trevor Chaplick, a Fairfax County resident. We were originally focused on a due-process hearing system that was defective, which was bad enough. But what weve been learning is that the entire system, from end to end, from start to finish, is systemically defective, and in violation of (federal disability law).

The case has expanded to include allegations the state education department was not only aware that local school divisions denied appropriate services to students with disabilities, but that the VDOE was also actively complicit in making sure the students did not receive the services they are entitled to under federal disability law.

VDOE spokesman Charles Pyle said the agency does not comment on active litigation.

Attorney General Jason Miyares spokeswoman Victoria LaCivita also said she cannot comment on pending litigation, and did not answer questions from the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Tuesday.

The Office of the Attorney General in December filed a motion to dismiss the case on procedural technical grounds but did not address the claims the defendants put forth.

It should be noted that the Attorney General is required by law to represent every state agency, board, commission, and institution in civil actions as the Attorney for the Commonwealth, LaCivita said.

The suit names the Virginia Department of Education and State Superintendent Jillian Balow as well as the Fairfax County School Board and division Superintendent Michelle Reid.

The amended lawsuit alleges that school divisions and the state education department encouraged the falsification of students grades, illegally withheld information from parents, failed to properly investigate denials of appropriate education services to students and failed to create and update Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in accordance with federal law.

The Chaplicks son lives with severe disabilities that have caused violent behavior from a young age, Trevor Chaplick said, resulting in multiple hospitalizations for himself and others, according to the suit.

His parents wanted him placed in a residential education facility based on recommendations from experts. But school district staff in Fairfax County waved off the request from the Chaplicks and warned against engaging in a due-process hearing because they would lose, the parents alleged. They proceeded with the hearing despite the warning, and lost.

The Chaplicks took their son out of the public school system and placed him in a residential educational facility at their own expense, they said.

Through Freedom of Information Act requests, the Chaplicks say they found that hearing officers in Virginia rarely rule in favor of parents in due-process hearings.

In the 11-year period between 2010 and 2021, hearing officers have only ruled 25 times fully in favor of disabled children out of 1,391 cases, according to the suit. Those rulings represent 1.8% of the total aggregate cases overseen by these hearing officers, according to information from the FOIA requests provided in the lawsuit.

Before the Chaplicks FOIA request, that data was not publicly available.

The private school the Chaplicks son attended requires all parents to take a self-defense course to learn how to protect violent children from themselves.

Trevor Chaplick remembers seeing the other parents in the room with him that day.

It was a cross-section of society. I sat there thinking  Im fortunate that I have the ability to fight and get the resources my son needs. But I saw people burned out, they were haggard, I saw fear in their eyes, he recalled. I said to myself, I will never forget this, and if Im able to do something to help these people to help this community, Im going to do it. Because were fortunate. Most people arent.

Thats why he filed this lawsuit, he said in an interview.

The plaintiffs, which include the Chaplicks and others, are represented in this case by Susman Godfrey LLP, working pro bono, Merritt Law, PLLC, and the Civil Rights Clinic of Georgetown Law School.

The plaintiffs are not seeking damages.

Were seeking reform. We want revelation. We want to expose this scandal, Trevor Chaplick said. We are ordering the Virginia Department of Education and all the school districts to begin complying with the law.

PHOTOS: Va. General Assembly, January 24
The Richmond City Police Department announced it purchased nearly 500 firearms for a total cost of $67,500 during its first gun buyback program  an initiative aimed at curbing gun violence.

Interim Chief of Police Rick Edwards addressed the citys public safety committee Tuesday afternoon with the results of the August event, which saw hundreds of willing citizens come forward to exchange their firearms for gift cards.

In total, the department collected 227 handguns, 117 rifles, 115 unknown classifications, 10 inoperable guns, seven BB guns and five assault rifles for a total of 481 weapons.

In exchange, citizens received a gift card from either Walmart, Kroger, Amazon or Foot Locker ranging from $25 to $250 depending on the class of firearm.

While the department considers the initiative a success, Edwards said he is aware there are mixed reviews for the initiative, stating that, the people that are most likely to use a gun in a crime are not going to turn it over to a police department.

Despite this claim, Edwards said it is a way for folks to safely turn over their weapons.

The city allocated roughly $80,000 for the event and, to date, Richmond has committed $1.5 million from the American Rescue Plan to fund its violence prevention and intervention framework.

With the remaining funds in place, Edwards said the department plans to host another event in the upcoming months.

This is not a panacea. Its one tool in the toolbox, Edwards said. When we look at it holistically, we think its just a big part of our overall strategy to defeat gun violence.

The announcement of the initiatives results comes after the second homicide death by gunshot wound of the year.

According to Edwards, the city recorded 59 homicides in 2022 and 90 in 2021, but a 7% increase in aggravated assault shootings from 2021 to 2022.

This is not a panacea. Its one tool in the toolbox, Edwards said. When we look at it holistically, we think its just a big part of our overall strategy to defeat gun violence.

In August 2022, the police department partnered with the California-based nonprofit Robby Poblete Foundation to host the gun prevention event at Liberation Church at 5501 Midlothian Turnpike.

Participants filled the trunks of their vehicles with their unloaded firearms. From there, Richmond police weapon masters retrieved and inspected the firearms to be later transformed into art materials through the foundations Art of Peace initiative.

I want the community to understand that we take every murder seriously, that were going to leave no stone unturned and were going to get justice for those families so they dont feel like they have to do it themselves, Edwards said.

Interactive: Find out more about mass killings in the U.S. Interactive: Number of mass killings by year Interactive: Mass killings by location scaled by number of victims Interactive: Search mass killing incidents Interactive: Timeline of mass killings scaled by number of victims killed Interactive: Number of mass killings and victims killed this year compared with previous years Interactive map: People killed by shootings, per 100,000 residents
Former Fox News anchors Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky support a workplace protection bill filed by Del. Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax.

House Bill 1895 would prohibit non-disclosure and non-disparagement provisions in employment contracts or settlement agreements that would bar discussion of conduct at a past workplace, at work events, and between employees and employers.

This week, Carlson Tweeted about it to her 114,000 followers and Roginsky called into a subcommittee meeting where the bill was heard Tuesday to offer her support.

At a news conference Tuesday morning, Filler-Corn called her bill a pro-business, law-and-order bill aimed at further improving NDAs.

You might ask me how, she added. By cracking down on illicit behavior and preventing bad actors from getting away with these illegal acts of discrimination, retaliation, assault, harassment, workplace violations, waste and abuse.

Its something Roginsky has had multiple experiences with. She and Carlson fled high-profile lawsuits against their former employer, Roger Ailes, at Fox News asserting sexual harassment  which was depicted in the 2019 movie, Bombshell. Both cases have been settled.

Sadly, [with] my NDA, I cannot tell you how accurate that movie is, Roginsky said in an interview.

Following her job at Fox she worked for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, where she said women staff complained to her about a toxic workplace environment. She said that when she told Murphy, she was fired, and that an NDA she had signed at the beginning of her contract prevented her from speaking out for years.

It was one of the darkest days of my life, professionally, she recalled in a phone call.

Roginsky and Carlson, through their organization Lift Our Voices, have since connected with states in which lawmakers have worked to pass bills like Filler-Corns.

Filler-Corns bill would enable employees to point out harassment, sexual assault, fraud or other conduct that is recognized as against a clear mandate of public policy.

Carlson and Roginsky also wrote a column in The Times-Dispatch this week. They believe that while there is a place for confidentiality provisions like nondisclosure agreements, there is never a good reason for organizations to cover up workplace abuse.

The bill was reviewed by a House subcommittee Tuesday evening, which reported the measure to the Commerce and Labor Committee for consideration. Legislation filters through subcommittees and committees before the full House and Senate vote on surviving measures.

Its unclear yet what bipartisan support the bill could garner in the House and Senate chambers, according to spokespeople for the Senate Democratic Caucus and the House Republican Caucus.

Roginsky said she feels confident it could clear both chambers  noting the bipartisan support for Congress similar Speak Out Act.

This is not an issue that falls along partisan lines and theres no reason that members on both sides of the aisle and the governor of the commonwealth cant join together, she said.

PHOTOS: Va. General Assembly, January 24
Attorney General Jason Miyares said Wednesday that former Virginia Parole Board Chair Adrianne Bennett could have been charged with falsifying parole discharge records, but the alleged violations cannot be prosecuted because the statute of limitations has passed.

He also asserted that Bennett unlawfully suspended Virginias three strikes parole ineligibility statute, but Brian Moran, then Virginias secretary of public safety, rejected her bid for a new, lenient interpretation of the statute.

A new report from Miyares office asserts that Bennett ignored state code and board policies as the board released dozens of inmates in the spring of 2020. It also criticizes limited Northam-administration-led investigations into related matters.

Miyares said during a news conference Wednesday that between February 2020  when Bennett was nominated for a judgeship in Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court  and her investiture in April 2020, the parole board violated a mandate in Virginia law 83 times when it did not endeavor diligently to contact victims before making their parole decisions.

He said the probe found the parole board violated Virginia law 66 times in the spring of 2020 by not notifying local prosecutors of an inmates release.

To be clear, the actions of the Virginia Parole Board endangered public safety, Miyares said. Every Virginian was impacted by this release.

Under the Virginia Code section Miyares cited  which covers false entries or destruction of records by officers  a violation would be a class one misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. State law requires prosecution of most misdemeanors within a year.

Diane Toscano, a lawyer for Bennett, said in a statement: The Office of Attorney General has cherry picked a time period for scrutiny which happens to have taken place during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. In all cases of parole, Judge Bennett was but one vote of the board.

This report grossly targeted her. Judge Bennett is a dedicated public servant who has served with distinction on the bench, on the parole board, and as a respected attorney in the Virginia Beach legal community for decades. No attempt to vilify her changes that.

The Office of the State Inspector General in 2020 found the parole board violated law and policy, including not properly notifying victims and prosecutors about people being released from prison on parole.

Interest in the boards operations began to percolate after the parole board released 95 people from prison in March 2020: the Virginia Parole Boards highest number of monthly releases on record. It coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a justification given by the Northam administration at the time.

Miyares called this time period a parole-granting frenzy.

The Attorney Generals report found in that month the parole board released 35 murderers, 11 rapists and 22 people convicted of armed robbery.

A previous Virginia government watchdog report said the board violated the law and its own policies in releasing Vincent Martin, who was sentenced to life in prison for killing Richmond police officer Michael Connors in 1979.

The new report lists a handful of released people, all of whom committed violent crimes such as murder, rape or repeated armed robbery. In Martins case, the report noted that the group reviewed 528 instances of victim opposition to his release from 39 different Virginia localities and nine states. Martins case pops up a few times in the report, as some stated Bennetts treatment of him was biased, that she believed he was innocent and was rushing to release him.

Parole Board policy and procedure allowed Vincent Martins parole to be rescinded based on the significant victim opposition, the report says. However, the Board took no such action.

State code outlines the process for the parole board to investigate criminals behaviors while in prison to determine if those prisoners could be released. But the report said Bennett failed to notify victims of Martins crimes in spite of the fact that victims are supposed to be able to submit testimony and be informed that the incarcerated person may be released.

The Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission later investigated Bennett and suspended her from the bench in Virginia Beach. Bennett filed a petition at the Supreme Court in 2021 challenging her suspension. The court denied her request but put the entire file under seal, only opening up portions of the records in April 2022 after the Richmond Times-Dispatch challenged the sealing.

The Attorney Generals report asserts that Bennett presided over a culture of ignoring the Virginia code, parole board policies and administrative procedures.

The report says that when the investigators interviewed board employee Crystal Noakes, who assisted with victim contact efforts, Noakes told them Bennett would make up policies that were convenient.

Noakes is quoted saying that Bennetts policy regarding rape victims was that if it was a rape victim, dont traumatize the victim by contacting them.

The report stated that there were also 11 instances of Bennett noting an early discharge request by two employees who oversee the boards post release unit  but they say they never made requests.

Many of the early discharges that Chair Bennett represented as having been requested by Helen or CalVina had been requested by a different parole officer, but in some cases, there was no request from a parole officer whatsoever, the report said.

The report also indicates that Bennett operated as if a change in law had occurred  but it hadnt.

In 2018, Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, briefly carried a bill that would have given the Parole Board chair at liberty discretions, but he ended up tabling it  seeking no further action on the measure  during that session. Bennett and the board went on to implement an unwritten policy that was never posted for public review , the report said.

Moreover, Secretary Brian Moran, secretary of public safety under Govs. Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, specifically rejected the change, stating that it would require action by the General Assembly; finally, the General Assembly declined to take such action, as noted above, it said.

More than lambasting Bennett, the report accuses the Northam administration of bias that obfuscated the actions the parole board took.

The Office of the State Inspector General  a body created to investigate ineffectiveness in state government  conducted an investigation into the parole board as well in 2020. Initially, it released a six-page report, but a longer version was leaked months later.

This led to the General Assembly approving a $250,000 investigation into the OSIG investigation , which the report by the Attorney Generals office said was limited and still failed to more deeply explore alleged issues from the parole board.

While the General Assembly authorized $250,000, a spokesperson for then-Attorney General Mark Herring said the total ended up coming to $232,000.

Nixon Peabody, the firm hired by Herring, a Democrat, left out testimony relating to the parole board from the report because its investigation was focused on OSIG instead.

Recommendations

The report outlines possible actions the parole board and state legislature could take.

First, it suggests the parole board establish a code of ethics for its members and asserts that it is not within the parole boards purview to investigate whether or not someone was accurately convicted. (Currently, Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, has a second look bill that would allow incarcerated people who have served at least 15 years to petition a judge to see if they are deemed able to be released early).

The report also suggests the legislature adjust state code so the parole board can hold public hearings. It says the parole board should ensure victims are notified if an incarcerated person is eligible for release before the board votes on the matter.

It also recommends adjustments to the parole boards structure, additional staffing and updates to the technology it uses.

In noting how former governors pardoned certain offenders, both the Attorney Generals report and the parole board would support the General Assembly passing a law to require governors seek victim input before making pardons.

Though a statute of limitations may prevent her from being charged for the findings, Miyares said in the report that the ball is in the General Assemblys court if the legislative body seeks to issue articles of impeachment for her current judge role.

In a statement from Senate Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City, said we must demand accountability for these egregious actions and derelictions of duty. He called on Bennett to avoid legislative action regarding her status by immediately submitting her resignation from the bench.
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U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, and Mayor Levar Stoney of Richmond earlier this week attended a fundraiser in the citys Fan District for state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, the heavy favorite in the Feb. 21 special election for the Richmond-anchored congressional seat of the late Democrat Donald McEachin.

Spanberger, freshly reelected to a third term in a district reoriented from the Richmond to Northern Virginia suburbs, and Stoney, serving his second term, were all smiles, posing for a photograph with McClellan and three other significant Democrats: U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine; Richmond prosecutor Colette McEachin, the congressmans widow; and the host, Ben Dendy, a gubernatorial aide-turned-lobbyist whose house is paces from McClellans.

All six projected cheer, confidence and certainty. This is what politicians do, even those  maybe that should be especially those  who are rivals, as Stoney and Spanberger are fast becoming for an office for which the former has all but declared his candidacy and the latter apparently is considering: the Virginia governorship.

In recent days, Spanberger and Stoney have put in place new fundraising apparatuses, initially to support their partys candidates in the November elections that decided control of the legislature. Democrats are aiming to build their majority in the Virginia Senate and take back the House of Delegates from Republicans, who narrowly won it in 2021 on the coattails of Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

That Spanberger is taking this step is a subtle but significant signal that she envisions a larger role for herself in Virginia politics and takes to heart the constant murmuring that, having run and won in heavily Republican territory, she has proven centrist credibility that could translate statewide.

The urgency of such appeal is underscored by Youngkins slender victory over Stoneys political rabbi, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe. It was a reminder that Virginia can be more purple than blue.

A former operative and patronage-dispensing secretary of the commonwealth under McAuliffe, Stoney is closely aligned with the dominant Democratic left and has never concealed his ambition for governor. Indeed, Stoneys candidacy for mayor  he was first elected in 2016 and reelected four years later  was routinely depicted as a warmup for a statewide candidacy, never mind that his years at City Hall have not been without embarrassments and setbacks.

Though Stoney and Spanberger are viewed as adversaries ahead of the 2025 gubernatorial campaign, they are allies. Stoney endorsed Spanberger in her first race in the old 7th District in 2018, when she rode the anti-Trump wave to defeat Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Brat. While Richmond was not in that district  it is in the 4th, where McClellan is expected to defeat three-peat GOP candidate Leon Benjamin  the 7th was home to many people who commute to jobs in the city.

Spanberger, from Henrico, one of Richmonds principal bedroom communities, made no endorsement for the mayoralty in 2020, when she won a second term.

Stoneys One Richmond political action committee is being reconstituted as a Better Way. The PAC has already held a fundraising reception in Washington, concurrent with the winter meeting this month of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and is planning a February event in Richmond. Better Way, which recently hired McAuliffes youngest daughter, Sally, as operations manager, was organized under state law, which allows for skys-the-limit contributions.

Spanberger, in a Jan. 19 email to supporters, said she is launching SPAN PAC to assist Democrats running for the General Assembly. She is asking donors to split contributions between her congressional campaign and the new committee. In contrast with the Stoney PAC, Spanbergers is governed by federal law, which limits what SPAN PAC can take in and give out.

Beyond serving as the taproot of a full-blown campaign, the Stoney and Spanberger PACs are identical in an important respect: By sprinkling around money and services, they are vehicles for amassing chits for the future. A candidate, particularly one who wins, will remember who backed him or her with cash, and will reciprocate if and when their benefactors name is on the ballot  in this instance, for Virginias highest office.

Handicappers give greater weight to the prospect of a Spanberger-Stoney matchup in a Democratic primary two years hence, in part because of that aforementioned photograph.

Until McEachins unexpected death in late November created a vacancy in the 4th District, McClellan, a corporate lawyer, was positioning for a second go at the nomination for governor, having run a distant third behind McAuliffe and former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy in a five-way contest in 2021.

Not that Stoney and Spanberger would be the only Democratic candidates.

Two members of the House of Delegates are considering or mentioned for the gubernatorial nomination: Eileen Filler-Corn of Fairfax County, the first woman and first Jew to become Speaker, and David Reid of Loudoun County. Both represent strongly Democratic localities in the Washington suburbs, where Spanberger introduced herself this past year when the 7th Districts center of gravity shifted to Prince William County from Henrico and Chesterfield counties because of redistricting.

A Stoney-Spanberger contest is intriguing.

Both are in the their early 40s and graduated from Virginia universities. Stoney, who is Black, was raised in defense-rich York County on the Peninsula; Spanberger, in Henrico, where she grew up with a number of women activists who are among her most energetic supporters. Stoney made his career in politics, while Spanberger  furious over the rise of Trumpism  veered to politics after years in law enforcement and intelligence.

As secretary of the commonwealth, Stoney assisted McAuliffe in restoring the voting and civil rights of more than 200,000 felons who completed their penalties. Spanberger is multilingual and comfortably campaigns in Spanish  a plus in a state where New Virginians are an emerging force. Stoney, as a McAuliffe protege, is an emblem of the Democratic club. Spanberger, who opposed Nancy Pelosi for speaker and is the eyes and ears of front-line Democrats in the House caucus, is viewed as an independent.

But Spanberger and Stoney are alike in that theyre friends.

And this being Virginia, friends run against each other.

PHOTOS: Va. General Assembly, January 24
The Virginia Supreme Court has appointed a retired juvenile court judge from Suffolk to preside over a hearing Friday about dueling protective orders that Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, and his estranged wife, Myrna, sought against each other.

The court informed the Chesterfield County Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court on Wednesday that it had appointed Judge Robert S. Brewbaker Jr., a retired juvenile and domestic relations court judge for the district that includes the cities of Suffolk and Franklin and the counties of Southampton and Isle of Wight. He retired from the bench in 2017.

Attorneys for Ms. Morrissey had challenged the courts previous appointment of a sitting juvenile court judge in Roanoke because of Sen. Morrisseys influence over the General Assemblys election and his role in the elevation of state judges as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her attorneys had sought the appointment of a retired judge who the legislature would not consider for future judgeships.

Sen. Morrisseys lawyer, Robert Isaacs of Henrico County, accused Ms. Morrissey of turning the case into a media circus with the allegations and public statements.

Isaacs objected Tuesday to a motion by Ms. Morrisseys attorneys asking Roanoke Judge Frank W. Rogers III to recuse himself from presiding over the protective order hearing this week. He said Sen. Morrissey does not know Rogers, has not dealt with him and was not involved in his appointment to the Roanoke Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court in 2014  three years before the senator took his current office.

Mother, through counsel, sets forth wildly false, imaginative, and unfounded allegations regarding Fathers character and perceived influence, Isaacs said his objection to the motion for recusal filed Monday.

Rogers was a candidate for a Roanoke Circuit Court judgeship during a high-profile General Assembly fight in 2020, after Sen. Morrisseys election to the Senate, but the legislature instead chose former Del. Onzlee Ware, D-Roanoke, to fill the seat.

The Supreme Court said Tuesday it had appointed Rogers last week only to preside over the preliminary protective orders. Another order will be entered by the Court designating a judge to preside over these cases on an ongoing basis, Supreme Court Clerk Muriel-Theresa Pitney told Ms. Morrisseys lawyers, Mary Elizabeth White and Darcey Geissler, in a letter Tuesday.

Rogers approved two preliminary protective orders last week against Ms. Morrissey and her live-in boyfriend, while denying one she had sought against her husband. Under the orders, Ms. Morrissey is prohibited from having any contact with her children and can no longer live in the Chesterfield County home that Sen. Morrissey had provided her last month in lieu of spousal and child support in their impending divorce.

Sen. and Ms. Morrissey have traded allegations publicly since he called police on Jan. 12 to report alleged abuse of their son, now 5, by her boyfriend as discipline for disrespecting his mother and refusing to apologize. The incident was initially reported to Richmond police, but Chesterfield police quickly took over investigation of the abuse allegation.

Its still very much under investigation, Chesterfield police spokesperson Liz Caroon said Tuesday.

Ms. Morrissey, in a social media post Sunday and subsequent court filings, contends that what Sen. Morrissey alleged were welts on their sons buttocks from being beaten by a belt was actually a rash her lawyers said was caused by the father insisting on putting him in Pull-Ups at night, even though the child is potty-trained.

Sen. Morrissey said he discovered the marks after swimming with his children at the Jefferson Hotel pool in Richmond, but his wife said the existing rash had been inflamed by a wet bathing suit over pull-up pants.

There is just no evidence to back Fathers salacious untruths, Ms. Morrisseys lawyers stated in their response to objections by Sen. Morrisseys lawyer.

The response notes that no emergency protective order or criminal complaint was issued that night, and she was allowed to pick up their son and his two sisters the next day. Sen. Morrisseys office issued a public statement about the abuse allegation the next night, after his wife posted an account of his alleged marital infidelities and mistreatment on Instagram.

The next day, Jan. 14, Sen. Morrissey sought and received emergency protective orders from a Chesterfield magistrate against his wife and her boyfriend. With the emergency orders set to expire three days later, Sen. and Ms. Morrissey both appeared at Chesterfield Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court expecting a hearing, but all six judges on the bench recused themselves from sitting on the case because of the senators role in judicial elections by the General Assembly.

Late that afternoon, Rogers approved preliminary protective orders against Ms. Morrissey and her boyfriend, while denying protective orders she sought against her husband, subject to hearing on Friday, Jan. 27. The judge also awarded Sen. Morrissey possession of the Chesterfield house, which Ms. Morrissey and her boyfriend had occupied just two weeks before the allege abuse.

I had my own place for two years, Ms. Morrissey said in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Monday.

Ms. Morrissey said in the interview that she asked her husband not to return home from his victory party after his election to the Senate in November 2019. She said she wanted to leave the marriage the previous year, but he persuaded her stay.

I was calling it quits, she said.

The couple had been the focus of intense public interest since their relationship began in 2013, when she was 17 years old and working as an assistant in his law office in Henrico. Subsequently, Sen. Morrissey agreed to an Alford plea on a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 2015. He was sentenced to 12 months in jail with six months suspended. He was allowed to work as a state delegate from Henrico through a work release program, spending nights in jail in 2015.

Sen. Morrissey and Myrna Warren Pride married in 2016 and had three children together. She helped him in his upset Democratic primary victory over Sen. Rosalyn Dance, D-Petersburg, in 2019 and his subsequent general election victory.

But, Ms. Morrissey said this week, I dont want to be in the public eye.

I just want to get through this process, she said. I want to get my kids back.

PHOTOS: Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey
The centerpiece of Gov. Glenn Youngkins proposed tax cut package  bills to increase the standard deduction for state income tax filers and lower the top tax rate  remained alive Wednesday after supporters used a procedural loophole to avoid the fate of other tax cut legislation in the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee.

The committee  which oversees state tax laws and the budget  was quickly killing tax legislation that had already been heard and rejected in subcommittee. But the subcommittee also allowed bill sponsors to ask that their legislation be returned to subcommittee for further consideration. Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City, took advantage of the escape route for his proposal, Senate Bill 1451, to raise the standard deduction and lower the top income tax rate.

Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, followed his leaders example by asking the subcommittee to return his legislation  Senate Bill 1355 , a proposal to lower the corporate income tax rate, create a new business deduction and expand an existing tax deduction  to the Senate Finance Resources Subcommittee. The panel had already recommended killing both bills.

These big tax items ought to stay together, Newman argued.

Senate Finance Co-Chair George Barker, D-Fairfax, who granted other requests to return bills to subcommittee, agreed : I think they need to be treated in a consistent fashion.

The reprieve is likely to be temporary, as Senate Democrats prepare to solidify their position for budget negotiations by killing Youngkins proposed $1 billion tax cut package, which the Republican-controlled House of Delegates has already adopted. When the two chambers adopt their competing budget proposals early next month, the proposed tax cuts will be the main bargaining chips in subsequent negotiations to reconcile the tax and spending plans.

Relying on the recommendations of the resource subcommittee, the full committee quickly killed several proposals to remove the age limit for military veterans to deduct up to $40,000 from their income tax returns. The assembly approved the deduction last year, requiring that it be phased in over four years and limited to veterans at least 55 years old.

The committee also killed tax proposals that were not part of Youngkins tax package, including bills to reduce the state tax on cigars and eliminate a $100,000 cap on deductions of loans that businesses received under the Payroll Protection Program in federal emergency funding packages during the COVID-19 pandemic. A proposal by Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, to impose a state tax on liquid nicotine products was returned to subcommittee at his request.

The finance panel went in a different direction with several bills proposed by Democrats to restrict firearms and childrens access to them. The committee approved four bills that had been supported by the public safety subcommittee:

- Senate Bill 1139, proposed by Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, would require gun owners to store their firearms in locked storage if children under 18 years old live in the household. It would create a Class 1 misdemeanor for violations but include exemptions for firearms that owners carry, storage of antique firearms and minors who have lawful access to them.

- Senate Bill 1181 and Senate Bill 1192, both proposed by Ebbin, would prohibit the open carrying of specified semi-automatic firearms in public and sale of unfinished firearm frames or receivers.

- Senate Bill 1382, proposed by Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, would prohibit the sale, possession or manufacture of guns defined as assault firearms and the ammunition devices that would feed the guns. Current statute defines assault firearms as any semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol which expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine which will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock.

The committee voted 10-4 to advance all four bills. Four Republicans voted against them: Norment, Newman, Sen. Frank Ruff of Mecklenburg County and Sen. Emmett Hanger of Augusta County.
FGE heading investigation into revoking operating permits of Cancun taxi drivers involved in Uber attacks

Cancun, Q.R.  Cancun mayor Ana Patricia Peralta says reviews are being conducted to locate those involved in the latest hotel zone blockade. The involved taxi drivers will have their concessions revoked.

On Tuesday, Peralta said that some concession revocations for members of the Andres Quintana Roo Taxi Drivers Union are already in progress. The permits to operate in the city are being revoked as a consequence of the recent violent acts against Uber drivers.

The processes of some concession revocations are already in place. We do not want to give a specific number on how many because then it hinders the investigations, she said.

Cancun mayor Ana Patricia Peralta

The mayor of Cancun said that the investigations are not being done by the Quintana Roo State Mobility Institute (Imoveqroo), who heads the states mobility concessions, but by the State Attorney Generals Office (FGE).
FGE seizes two Cozumel homes after search

Cozumel, Q.R.  A search of two Cozumel homes resulted in them both being seized by the FGE. In a statement, the State Attorney Generals Office (FGE) reported on the search of both homes after a judge issued warrants.

Inside one of the homes in the Adolfo Lopez Mateos neighborhood, police found drugs. Inside the second house located on Adolfo Rosado Street, police located drugs as well as a magazine and bullets for a gun, but not the weapon itself.

Both homes were seized by state authorities for the illegal items found.
Mexican wanted in 2018 Quintana Roo murder captured in New York

Chetumal, Q.R.  A Quintana Roo man wanted on murder charges since 2018 has been arrested in New York. On Tuesday, the State Attorney Generals Office said that Abdiel G was taken into police custody after being arrested in Goshen, New York.

Abdiel G has been wanted by the state of Quintana Roo for a murder that occurred on October 28, 2018, in the town of Sabidos in the municipality of Othon P. Blanco.

Abdiel G was captured January 13 by American authorities after a request was made by the state of Quintana Roo. He is being held at the Orange County Correctional Facility in Goshen, New York, for his subsequent deportation to Mexico.
Coyote Flaco Hartford will reopen today under new management, but its still all in the family.

New owner Silvia Cabrera, a waitress and bartender at the restaurant since 2005 said Wednesday she is buying the popular eatery from her in-laws, who will continue to help out, because were family.

Cabrera will make the big decisions as owner, but said shell continue to be a waitress because thats her favorite job.

I love to waitress. I love customer service, she said. Im happy I make them happy.

One of the dishes served at Coyote Flaco Hartford, which will reopen today under new management. Camarones a la Diabla: Shrimp sauteed with peppers and onions in a spicy chipotle sauce served with rice, black beans and vegetables. Photo by BuzzEngine

The restaurant was closed for a week during the ownership transition. While there are no changes to the physical eatery or menu, Cabrera said she would eventually like to add some new dishes to the menu.

My dream was to open my own business, she said.

The restaurant at 635 New Britain Ave. will reopen at 4 p.m.
Name change from Solidaridad to Playa del Carmen on city council agenda

Playa del Carmen, Q.R.  Mayor Lili Campos says a name change for the city could be on the next agenda. During her weekly press conference, Campos acknowledged that the name Solidaridad for Playa del Carmen generates a lot of confusion.

On Tuesday during her press conference, Campos proposed a citizen survey to determine whether or not to move forward with the name change from Solidaridad, the name of the municipality, to Playa del Carmen.

She admitted the confusion from attending the recent Tourism Fair in Madrid, saying that Playa del Carmen was one of the most visited kiosks in the Mexico pavilion. She said that most people referenced the city either by Playa del Carmen or Riviera Maya, but not Solidaridad.

Photo: wikipedia

She added that both local and international businessmen made her see the need for a name change in order to position the Playa del Carmen brand.

First, she says she will meet with state authorities to analyze the possibility of a name change and then a public consultation.

The real reason why it is called Solidaridad is because President Salinas de Gortari at that time, launched his Solidaridad program and the municipalities that were created at that time in 1993 were called Solidaridad, Campos explained.
Navy rescues American boat after running aground near Costa Maya

Costa Maya, Q.R.  A boat from Florida ran aground Monday on a coral formation in the vicinity of Cayo Culebra, a small uninhabited island in the middle of the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve.

The two crew members on board were rescued by Navy personnel. According to the Secretary of the Navy, two boats and an aircraft were sent in search of the small vessel which had sailed from Florida.

A plane and two Navy vessels were used to locate the boat which ran aground in the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve.

Once the boat was located and intercepted, the two Americans on board were transferred to the Advanced Naval Station in Puerto Aventuras. The Secretary of the Navy did not report on damage, if any, to the coral reef system.
An investigative unit called the Star City Drug and Violent Crime Task Force and Virginia State Police announced on Wednesday the seizure of a significant drug cache along with money and firearms.

According to a news release, police learned that a package containing the opioid fetanyl had been addressed for delivery to an occupant of a house on Orange Avenue in Roanoke.

A warrant was obtained and more than 2 pounds of fentanyl was seized from the residence, along with approximately 130 grams of additional narcotics, three firearms, and $13,431 in US Currency, according to a state police news release.

The street value of all narcotics seized was $231,700, police added.

Investigators arrested DeAngelo Omer Baker, 34, of Roanoke at the residence. He faces a number of felony drug charges, including posession and intent to distrbute, along with firearm possession by a violent felon.

Baker was released from custody on a $10,000 bond, state police said.

The drug seizure and Bakers arrest occurred Oct. 3. The state police news release did not indicate why it was being publicly announced three months later.

The Star City Drug and Violent Crime Task Force is comprised of investigators from the Virginia State Police and police departments in Roanoke, Salem and Vinton.
A man was hospitalized Wednesday morning after a police officer shot him when he brandished a knife outside a southwest Roanoke apartment complex.

Roanoke Police Chief Sam Roman told reporters Wednesday morning that the city's 911 center got a call around 7:15 a.m. that reported "trespassing and a disorder where two people were engaged in an altercation."

Police responded to the scene at Lee-Hy Manor, an apartment complex in the 3700 block of Stratford Park Drive Southwest, off Brandon Avenue.

Officers arrived on scene and "located an adult male outside on a sidewalk in the area," the police department said in a press release. "The officer attempted to speak with the man, who appeared to be agitated."

"The man grew more aggressive, made several threats to 'kill' the officer, and ignored the officers attempts at de-escalation,"police said. "The male subject produced a knife and began moving towards the officer, who continued attempts to verbally de-escalate the situation while backing away from the male subject."

The man continued advancing toward the officer, who fired one shot from his service weapon, striking the aggressive man, police said.

Roanoke Fire-EMS Department personnel took the injured man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment. No police officers were injured in the encounter.

Roman said the involved officer was taken to the city police station, and Virginia State Police were called to investigate the shooting incident, in accordance with the Roanoke department's policy.

"The officer involved will be placed on administrative leave," police said. "Virginia State Police will be releasing further updates."

Alex Fekas, who manages the Lee Hy Manor property, did not witness the incident, but he said witnesses told him it began as a domestic dispute between a man and a woman.

Fekas said the man, who is not a Lee Hy Manor resident, appeared intoxicated. The dispute escalated, so someone called police.

"When they came up there, they told him to get his hands out of his pockets, and there was a knife in his hands when he pulled them out, and they shot him," Fekas said during an interview Wednesday afternoon.

"It was right at the time when the kids were going to school," Fekas continued. "God forbid one of those kids had to see that."

Roanoke City Public Schools announced on social media that their buses would not enter the apartment complex to "pick students up at their regular bus stop due to police activity in the area" this morning. Instead, students were picked up at the Brandon Avenue Southwest entrance.

"Our transportation vendor, Durham School Services, called families who were affected to inform them the bus stop had changed locations this morning," Claire Mitzel, RCPS coordinator of communications and public relations, said in an email.

Fekas said property management and residents are cooperating with the state police's investigation "in every matter" they could. He suspected students would be dropped off at their usual bus stops Wednesday afternoon.

"Everything is under control with the guy now," Fekas said. "He was the only real threat out there."

The apartment complex is owned by Lee-Hy Manor Associates, according to Roanoke's real estate geographic information system. The housing, which caters to low-income, elderly or disabled residents, is subsidized through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Fekas said there are surveillance cameras near the Lee Hy complex, "but that system was down a long time ago." He suggested the public "obey cops commands, if they're pointing guns at you."

"Stay off of drugs," he advised. "There's no reason to escalate a fight so much that you can't just go back in your apartment and get over it."
Neither city council candidate Jamaal Jackson nor the Roanoke Forward PAC will face fines for reported Stand By Your Ad violations in connection to the 2022 municipal election, the state Board of Elections recently decided.

However, it remains to be seen if late campaign finance report penalties will be imposed on Jacksons campaign by the city registrar.

The federal Stand By Your Ad provision requires sponsorship disclosures on campaign ad materials. Jamaal Jackson ran as an independent in the council election, while Roanoke Forward is a campaign committee that supported Republican candidates in the race.

The state Board of Elections voted Jan. 18 on each partys alleged campaign ad violations, which Matthew Jones reported in the fall.

The attorney who spoke on behalf of Roanoke Forward at the board of elections meeting mentioned Jones involvement, stating that the violation report was filed by the son of a competitor.

Jones is the son of Vivian Sanchez-Jones, one of Jamaal Jacksons victorious competitors in the 2022 council race. Jones managed the campaigns of the four Democratic council candidates, including Sanchez-Jones, all of whom won. Jones told The Roanoke Times the ad reports werent personal.

I wasnt filing them as her son, I was filing them as an operative [of the campaign]. One of the four candidates happened to be my mother, Jones said.

Jones reported Jamaal Jacksons campaign for a violation on a campaign sign, which stated it was authorized by the candidate, rather than stating Jamaal Jacksons name specifically.

The board of elections unanimously voted to dismiss the violation and $100 fine against Jamaal Jacksons campaign, while a motion to fine Roanoke Forward $200 for a similar violation died for lack of a second.

Meanwhile, Jamaal Jackson may still be facing $3,100 in fines for late campaign finance reports. Near the end of October, Roanoke Registrar Andrew Cochran sent Jamaal Jacksons campaign a letter about the fines, which Jamaal Jackson is disputing.

As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Elections campaign finance reporting website showed late initial filing dates for the Jamaal Jackson campaigns first, second, fourth and fifth reports. Jamaal Jackson attributed the late dates to misunderstandings about the operation of the online filing system.

All of the files had been turned in on time but due to updates within those particular filings, it posted a new filing date on each of those. However, the initial filings were all on time and we have proof of that in emails that we received for confirmation, Jamaal Jackson said.

The site shows that amendments to the first, second and fifth filings reported about $1,650, $550 and $2,200, respectively, adding up to the campaigns total spending of $4,400, all of which came directly from Jamaal Jackson except $550 from Peggy Jackson.

Jamaal Jackson said his team has not received a response from Cochran about the disputed penalties. Cochran told The Roanoke Times his office is researching how to respond.

If enforced, the late report penalties will cost Jamaal Jackson about as much as his campaign did. Going by the campaign finance reporting website, though, his campaign wasnt the only one to file late.

Sanchez-Jones campaign reported $150 in its fifth filing, which was late, and an amendment to her campaigns second filing reported an additional $3,285. Council member Peter Volosins campaign filed its last three reports late. Finally, council member Luke Priddys campaign reported nearly $1,000 in its second filing, which was late, and amendments to his campaigns first filing reported roughly $4,150.

According to Virginia law, the fine for the first late report is $100. The fine jumps to $1,000 for each subsequent late report.

Cochran said no other 2022 city council candidates is facing fines from his office.
A bill to prevent public school students from changing their names was tabled by a Republican-majority subcommittee.

Del. Jason Ballard, R-Giles, said a constituent requested him to carry House Bill 1434 to the House Education Committees Early Childhood/Innovation Subcommittee on Wednesday morning.

It simply states the law will prohibit any school board member or school board employee from changing the name of a student enrolled in the local school division, essentially without a court order, Ballard said. I do have the constituent who requested this online willing to speak in support.

Former Montgomery County school Superintendent Mark Miear spoke to lawmakers via video call in favor of Ballard's HB 1434.

My child and mother requested a name-change in school in Montgomery County. Within a week, a change occurred in the student information system, Miear said. I have co-equal custody of my child, and was in opposition to this change.

He said to require a legal name change before changing a student's name in school computer systems is simply common sense.

I was superintendent of Montgomery County when this occurred, Miear said. Due to the circumstances surrounding this, I am no longer the superintendent.

Ballard did not immediately respond to an inquiry Wednesday afternoon on whether Miear was the constituent who requested HB 1434.

A line of people spoke to lawmakers in opposition of the bill, including educators, transgender students and the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, among others. Many in opposition cited concerns with student freedoms.

Subcommittee member Del. Mike Cherry, R-Colonial Heights, motioned to gently lay this on the table.

While I absolutely see what the intent of the patron is, Cherry said. I think were putting the courts in the middle of something that really families should be working with their school divisions on.

That vote to table received a unanimous vote by the 9-member subcommittee, which is made of six Republicans and three Democrats, including Del. Sam Rasoul, R-Roanoke.

Also during the same meeting, a bill by Del. Marie March, R-Floyd, was passed by indefinitely.

HB 1396 sought to create an educational savings account for students and expand scholarship programs to use on private school tuitions or other means of education, she said.

Parents have one of two options: keep their child in the failing system, or remove their child and personally take on the financial responsibility of an alternate form of education, March said. This bill is a solution to the crisis.

People speaking in opposition to the bill said HB 1396 would take money away from local schools, and they voiced concern about academic achievement loss.

Del. Glenn Davis, R-Virginia Beach, said the bill left room for people to earn tax credits worth more than what they paid to the government.

Every millionaire can literally donate as much money as they desire, get a 130% return on their money, and Virginia doesnt cap the amount of tax credits, Davis said. We have to give back the taxpayer subsidy, and that really breaks the bank.

He said it could cost the state $500 million per year to run the program, in addition to other concerns with reversing transparency measures.

Because of all those reasons, it really seems like the drafter of this bill either doesnt know whats in it, or failed fifth grade math, Davis said. Im not quite sure which.

The bill was passed by indefinitely, again by a unanimous vote.
More than $3 million dollars arrived this week to the Office of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, the state body tasked with the distribution of settlement money coming from the distributors and architects of the nations opioid epidemic.

This tranche of cash comes from Mallinckrodt, one of several players who agreed to settlement terms. In total, Mallinckrodt will pay $1.6 billion dollars to the settlements 47 plaintiffs.

The company also marketed the drugs in a manner that downplayed their risk and funded purportedly objective literature promoting opioid use, according to a press release from the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

At the Office of Attorney General, we will continue to pursue important settlement funding for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Securing and executing multi-million dollar settlements will significantly impact Virginias fight against the opioid epidemic, said Miyares.

Of the overall sum it agreed to last year, $24 million in total will go to Miyares office. This weeks payment is the first of many rounds of payments, which the company has said it will complete within 8 years.

In Virginia, settlement money is being distributed to localities through two routes. Some initial payments go directly to localities from the AGs office. A majority, however, will go to a new state agency called the Opioid Abatement Authority.

The Authority will then distribute funds on a grant-application basis. Localities with plans to use the money will have to request it from the Authority, which has said it will be transparent and rigorous in how it vets and approves applicants.

In total, the authority will manage 55% of the states settlement cash. So far, it has received $72 million in total, said Tony McDowell, executive director of the abatement authority.

Guidance on how the money can be spent was included in the original settlement agreement. In December, the Virginia Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts released its own guidance, requiring localities to report to the Abatement Authority if they use money for a non-abatement spending.

Our grant application process opened last Thursday, said McDowell. Im curious to see what theyre going to propose.

The authority, which is being paid for with funds from the settlement, has hired four new employees, including a director of finance, McDowell said. They may hire more to help with accounting and grant outreach.

Many localities have yet to spend the money. McDowell said that each localitys board of supervisors will need to approve its usage.

The Authority has yet to receive applications for funding, but McDowell estimates theyll arrive shortly, and that funds will begin to go to localities in late spring or early summer.

One locality thats looking forward to the application is Tazewell, a southwest Virginia county that was hammered by opioid abuse in the aughts of the millennium.

Eric Young, Tazewell's County Administrator, is leading efforts there to use the funds. Young says they expect to receive $2.3 million in total from the settlement. For Tazewell, its a significant sum, Young said: the countys property taxes bring in about $15 million each year.

Still, its bittersweet to receive.

There is not a sufficient amount of money we could give to these mothers, or these children, said Young. This was a generational plague for our county. This was a scourge.

Tazewell was redefined by opioids. A blue collar region with a low crime rate and many workers in mining adjacent machining industries, opioids like Oxycodone initially helped residents manage pain from physical jobs, before addiction to the painkillers dominated their lives.

Young said the Tazewell Countys Sheriffs Office doubled in size during those years. The Tazewell Commonwealth Attorneys office brought in seven additional prosecutors, up from three. The county jail population tripled, and the number of children in need of foster care skyrocketed.

The county initially considered using the money to fund a scholarship program for those children, however the abatement requirement attached to the settlement may disallow that use.

Young estimated the county will have a better idea of how it will spend the money in a few months
Jonata Middle School students this year will have access to a new swath of elective courses geared toward developing career interests and skills considered important to employers in any field, Buellton Union School District officials recently announced.
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A teens painting of LGBTQ Pride flags that sparked controversy in the town of Lebanon can remain  next to a painted Jesus loves you  after being previously removed, restored and then appealed.

The library board voted Tuesday to allow a small display of LGBTQ Pride flags to remain in the library, at a standing-room-only public meeting dominated by shows of support for the LGBTQ community.

After an hour of public comments, seven members of the nine-member board voted to allow the display to remain. Guthrie Dinda abstained for unspecified personal reasons. Christine Hadyka recused herself.

The Pride flags were painted late last year at Jonathan Trumbull Library in the town in New London County. After a complaint was filed, the display was removed for approximately five minutes or so, board Chairwoman Catherine McCall said. Library Director Matt Earls allowed the display to be reinstalled. Later, the original complainer appealed that decision. Now we must ask the board, McCall said.

A small display of LGBTQ Pride flags is painted on a magazine rack from Lebanons Jonathan Trumbull Public Library. The display was taken down after a complaint and the library board ruled Tuesday night it can remain.

The display, created by a student volunteer, is 20 small painted flags representing the LGBTQ community. Each flag is painted on one segment of a magazine rack that stands in the librarys young readers section.

The flags include the well-known Progress Pride flag: rainbow stripes, a chevron of white, pink, blue, brown and black, and a purple ring against a yellow background. Other less-recognizable Pride flags in the display represent different facets of the LGBTQ spectrum.

Another part of the magazine rack has painted depictions of animals, plants and abstract designs. A third section has Christian messages.

Earls said the magazine rack will be reinstalled by early next week.

After one speaker at the public meeting called the paintings a display promoting sexual immorality, the teen creator of the display responded If you think a flag with a bunch of colors is all about sex, youre wrong. Theyre about representation.

The creators mother asked that he not be identified or photographed because of his minor status.

McCall said 16 letters were sent to the board about the display before the meeting, 15 in favor of keeping it and one in favor of removing it.

Similarly, at the meeting, most commenters supported the display. Many attended wearing Pride colors. One handed out Pride flags to dozens in the 150-plus audience. The meeting was moved from its usual place in the library to the towns Fire Safety Complex in anticipation of the crowd. That crowd was even larger than expected, as chairs had to be added when others filled up before the meeting.

So many wanted to speak that comments were limited to 2 minutes each and McCall requested no applause to make time for more commenters. She lifted the applause ban only once, when a fourth-grade boy charmed the crowd with his support for the display.

Supporters gather before a meeting of Jonathan Trumbull Public Library Board of Directors Tuesday night during which the board discussed and voted on an LGBTQ Pride flag display.

Paul Trubey, a therapist, pointed out that the display is an attempt at representation. As a therapist, I see what invisibility does. It harms young people, he said.

Camryn Kessler, who once worked as an aide at the library, praised the library itself, saying it creates a safe space for queer people of all ages, something I wish I had had myself.

Brett Ford commented a library is a combination of all of our knowledge. Its the first place everyone can be accepted for who they are.

Some commenters invoked the American Library Associations Bill of Rights. That documents seven policies frequently mention equality of representation and access to library materials. One such policy is Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.

A few objected based on religious principles. One called the controversy a collision of two different faith systems.

Another speaker, the Rev. Denise Terry, an interim pastor in the towns Congregational Church, defended the display.

Earls, the library director, said he felt great about the meeting and its outcome.

We were having a community dialogue. Even though it was in my opinion unnecessary, I still thought it was a valuable exercise in democracy, Earls said. The people who objected have a First Amendment right to object and the right to petition the government for grievances.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
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Actor Jeremy Renner was trying to stop his snow-removal tractor from sliding and hitting his grown nephew when he was pulled under the vehicle and crushed on New Year's Day, according to a Nevada sheriff's office incident report.

The parking break was not engaged and would have stopped the snowcat vehicle, which runs on a track, as it started sliding sideways after the 52-year-old "Avengers" star used it to pull his nephew's truck out of snow, according to the redacted Washoe County Sheriff's Office report, filed Friday.

Keep scrolling for photos from Renner's career

"The Pistenbully snow groomer began sliding causing Renner to exit the vehicle without setting the emergency brake," reads the conclusion of the report, which CNN obtained Tuesday through a public records request.

"Although the Pistenbully had some mechanical issues, it is believed based on our mechanical inspection that the parking brake would keep the Pistenbully from moving forward. When Renner attempted to stop or divert the Pistenbully to avoid injury to (his nephew), he was pulled under the vehicle by the track and run over."

The brake indicator light inside the snowcat's cab was not functioning, and "mechanical issues may have been a factor in this accident," the report also notes.

The nephew was able to help Renner until help arrived, the report states. Renner was airlifted to the hospital, where he stayed for more than two weeks, undergoing at least two surgeries and being treated in the intensive care unit.

Impairment was not believed to be a factor in the incident, the report also concludes. CNN has reached out to Renner's representatives for comment.

Moving track pulled actor under, report states

The incident began on New Year's Day, when Renner towed his nephew's truck off the actor's driveway after it had been stuck in snow, he told investigators on January 5 while hospitalized, according to the incident report.

After towing the truck into the street, the snowplow began "sliding sideways," then "it began to roll down the hill," Renner said. At that point, Renner jumped out of the snowcat, he told investigators.

"Once he was off the Pistenbully, he realized it was heading directly toward (his nephew)," the report reads. "He feared the Pistenbully was going to hit (his nephew), so he decided to attempt to stop or divert the Pistenbully."

To enter the snowplow's cab, Renner had to climb onto its moving track and was "immediately pulled under the left side track," the report notes.

Renner was "completely crushed under a large snowcat (vehicle)" and had "extreme (difficulty) breathing," with "the right side of his chest ... collapsed -- upper torso is crushed," a 911 call log obtained by CNN said.

"The Pistenbully rolled over him and continued down the road," the report says. "He laid on the ground and focused on his breathing while (his nephew and others) rendered aid to him until medical personnel arrived on scene."

Renner, who plays superhero archer Hawkeye in the Marvel movie and TV "Universe," broke more than 30 bones in the incident, he's said.

He posted a photo on Instagram last week with a caption that read:

***

Photos: Jeremy Renner through the years
SIOUX CITY  Bishop R. Walker Nickless of the Diocese of Sioux City on Tuesday commended the passage of a state private education assistance bill.

The bill, which allows parents to take $7,598 in public dollars to finance private schooling, was approved by both houses of the Iowa Legislature after midnight Tuesday. Gov. Kim Reynolds, for whom the school-voucher program was a top legislative priority, signed it into law Tuesday.

The program is expected to cost the state around $345 million per year. Catholic schools in the state will in all likelihood be a major beneficiary of these tuition dollars.

The Diocese of Sioux City operates 16 Catholic school systems, including Bishop Heelan in Sioux City, Gehlen Catholic in Le Mars and Remsen St. Mary's in Remsen.

Its a great day for education in Iowa, both for private and public schools," Nickless said in a statement provided by the diocese. "My brother bishops of Iowa and I are so pleased that we were able to be in Des Moines at the statehouse for this historic signing of Gov. Reynolds Students First Act bill to provide school choice in Iowa. We look forward to serving more families in the Diocese of Sioux City who want to enroll their child in a Catholic school. We are also pleased that the Students First Act will also help parents keep their child in the Catholic school of their choice and assist us in enhancing quality education.

Patty Lansink, superintendent of the Diocese of Sioux City Catholic Schools, echoed Nickless' sentiments.

The Diocese of Sioux City Catholic Schools Office and the administrators of our Catholic schools are overjoyed with the signing of the Students First Act bill today," Lansink said in a statement. "After many years of sharing our story of Catholic Schools and the importance of school choice for our parents, we are so happy that parents of all income levels can send their child to the school of their choice. We thank all the supporters of Catholic schools and non-public schools who reached out to their legislators to make Education Savings Accounts a reality for Iowa families.

Prior to the passage of the private school tuition bill, roughly 7 percent of the state's 486,476 students were enrolled in one of the state's 183 private schools. Enrollment in private schools will almost certainly increase with the state footing part of the bill.

Public schools, meanwhile -- including Sioux City's school district -- have expressed a degree of trepidation. Public schools lose per-pupil funding for each student who enrolls in private school.
SIOUX CITY  WinnaVegas Casino Resort will present River-Cade's 20th annual Homemade Cardboard Sled Races, with sign-in beginning at noon Feb. 26 at Cone Park, 3800 Line Drive.

Participants will be able to sled in division for ages 4 - 6, 7 - 9, 10 - 12, and 13 and up. Businesses and clubs may also participate. Trophies, including for most creative sled, will be awarded.

No wood, metal, aluminum or plastic will be allowed. Instead, free cardboard sheets, courtesy of Westrock of Siouxland, will be available at the Sioux City Parks and Recreation Department, 550 Expo Center.

Photos: River-Cade cardboard sled races through the years Close Three teams participated in a 2007 River-Cade-sponsored cardboard sledding event. Participants in the River-Cade sponsored cardboard sledding event Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007, at Grandview Park, wait for the action to begin at the top of the hill. Kolby Rovertson, Dakota City, Nebraska, peeks out of his cardboard sled as he heads down the hill, followed closely by Nick Ehmecke's, Sergeant Bluff, during the 11 and under division in this 2008 Journal file photo. The sledding area got a little crowded in the 12 and over category in this 2008 Journal file photo. Tyler Rothwell, Sioux City, hangs on as his sled starts to spin around during the 2008 race. Rolando Retano, 5, peers out from his cardboard tank sled as youngsters compete in the River-Cade Homemade Cardboard Sled Race at Sertoma Park in this Jan. 24, 2010 Journal file photo. The 2011 River-Cade cardboard sled race at Sertoma Park. A youngster gets his face covered by a scarf while waiting for the annual River-Cade cardboard sled race to start in this file photo. Sam Samuel leads the pack as the others crash and burn into each other while participating in the 2011 River-Cade cardboard sled race. Parents get their children situated to start down the hill again as they participate in the 2011 River-Cade cardboard sled race. Russ Senstad gives his son, David, another push while participating in the annual River-Cade cardboard sled race, Sunday afternoon, Jan 16, 2011, at Sertoma Park. Watt and Jesse Elgert and Alec Nieman made it down the hill to finish in the annual River-Cade cardboard sled race, Sunday afternoon, Jan 16, 2011, at Sertoma Park. Some sledders crash and burned while others made it down the hill while participating in the annual River-Cade cardboard sled race, Sunday afternoon, Jan 16, 2011, at Sertoma Park. Participants pick up the pieces and continue down the hill in the annual River-Cade cardboard sled race, Sunday afternoon, Jan 16, 2011, at Sertoma Park. Some cardboard sleds had clever designs that participated in the annual River-Cade cardboard sled race, Sunday afternoon, Jan 16, 2011, at Sertoma Park. Participants pick up the pieces and finish coming down the hill in the annual River-Cade cardboard sled race, Sunday afternoon, Jan 16, 2011, at Sertoma Park. 96-year-old Alice Marx, center, made it to Cone Park on Feb. 23, 2020 to watch three of her great-grandchildren, Austin, Jordan and Amelia, participate in the cardboard sled races. Laney Johnson, 10, is shown in her Snoopy doghouse sled Sunday at Cone Park. Laney Johnson, left, and her sister Lexi Johnson, sit in their cardboard sleds at Cone Park in this 2020 Journal file photo. The pair took first place for most creative sleds in their age categories at the inaugural Cone Park Winterfest. Lexi Johnson, 6, is shown in her doughnut-shaped cardboard sled on Feb. 23, 2020. +19 +19 +19 +19 +19 +19 +19 +19 +19 +19
James Conlan, 58, entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Conlan and others conspired to sell more than 1 kilogram of meth from January 2021 through December 2021. Conlan further admitted to shipping meth from Las Vegas to Cherokee through the mail.
SIOUX CITY  A Sioux City man has been formally charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting his girlfriend.

Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis on Monday filed a trial information charging Austyn Self with first-degree murder and three counts of child endangerment.

Self's arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 3 in Woodbury County District Court. He is being held in the Woodbury County Jail on a $1 million bond.

Self, 23, is accused of shooting 31-year-old Sarah Zoelle on Jan. 14 at 3319 Nebraska St.

Loomis' filing gave no details of the shooting, instead citing Iowa code that Self "... with malice aforethought, willfully, deliberately and with premeditation killed another person ..."

Police were dispatched to the Nebraska Street address at 9:41 p.m. for a reported domestic disturbance after Zoelle called 911 pleading for help. According to court documents, Zoelle told a 911 dispatcher Self was pointing a gun at her, and while she was on the phone, the dispatcher heard a sound that sounded like a gunshot.

Self then picked up the phone and said to the dispatcher, "I shot her," court documents said.

When they arrived at the scene, police officers found Zoelle with a single gunshot wound to her abdomen and still holding a 6-month-old child in her arms. A 4-year-old and a 5-year-old were also in the house.

Zoelle was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The shooting was the first homicide of 2023 in Sioux City. If found guilty of first-degree murder, Self would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Child endangerment is a Class D felony that carries a five-year prison sentence.
Under a recent Connecticut law enacted this fall, three people committed to the states Psychiatric Security Review Board after being found not guilty of their crimes by reason of insanity or mental defect have been granted so-called step downs from the maximum security Whiting Forensic Division at the Connecticut Valley Hospital campus in Middletown to Dutcher Hall, the less-secure but still locked inpatient unit.

One of the three patients who was recently moved to Dutcher Hall is Chevoughn Augustin, a woman who stabbed a former Hartford police officer during a seemingly routine landlord-tenant dispute that nearly turned deadly.

Officer Jill Kidik responded to Augustins home at 5 Constitution Plaza in downtown Hartford in May 2018. Augustin attacked the now-retired officer, stabbing her repeatedly in the neck until two maintenance workers at the building could pull Augustin off her and take away the eight-inch kitchen knife she was armed with, according to police and court records.

Augustin was charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, assault on a peace officer, carrying a dangerous weapon, third-degree criminal mischief and first-degree unlawful restraint, according to Psychiatric Security Review Board and court records.

She was acquitted due to a history of mental health episodes and schizophrenia and committed in August 2021 to the custody of the Psychiatric Security Review Board for 38 years with an expected release of Aug. 24, 2059. She had been committed to the maximum security setting at Whiting Forensic Division, but in January was moved to the lesser-enhanced security unit in Dutcher Hall, said Vanessa Cardella, executive director of the Psychiatric Security Review Board.

Under the law that went into effect in October of last year  which seeks to improve conditions for patients committed to the board  the board no longer requires public hearings to be held before ruling. That means that Kidik wasnt allowed to share her concerns with the board before the decision was made.

The states attorney has since requested a public hearing regarding Augustins transfer that is slated for Friday, Cardella said.

FILE  The Whiting Forensic Division maximum-security psychiatric hospital, in Middletown, Conn., is shown in this photo, Sept. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/Dave Collins, File)

New procedures

Before the law change, staff at Whiting would have to apply to the board for a transfer change in status. Now, the hospital can make the change at their own discretion with at least 48 hours notice to the board, said Cardella, who is tasked with notifying victims and prosecutors once a transfer is made. Then, states attorneys may request a hearing.

The purpose for requesting a hearing is for the treatment team to say on the record, kind of, how they arrived at this decision to make the transfer and to allow the board and the attorneys the opportunity to ask questions, said Cardella. And it also provides the victims the opportunity to make an impact statement, that I think is really empowering for the victims in these cases.

Cardella said shes interacted with some victims who have concerns about the procedural change. She said she thinks some victims feel disempowered by the hearings happening after a decision has been made. But, she said, she does not think the board has changed what criteria is needed to be met for someone to qualify for a transfer to a lower-security setting. The patients well-being has always been a part of the equation.

As part of the law, which includes plans to build a new facility for Whiting, the board is tasked with considering the safety and well-being of the person committed to the custody of the board.

That means that when considering whether or not someone should step down to a lesser-security branch of the states only mandated psychiatric hospital, they will consider not only the safety of the community at large, but also what will benefit the patients well-being. The only difference is that now it is written into law what they have already practiced, Cardella said.

I think the board has always done that because the well-being of the acquittee equates to public safety. So I think its something that has always been at the crux of decision-making, said Cardella. I think that its good that its something that is now written or considered in terms of mission or the boards role, but I dont think it changed anything in terms of how they approach a case.

Cordella added in a statement that under the new law, the board will approach each notice of transfer with the same careful lens it has always used to evaluate whether there is evidence to support a change in status from a well-being and risk management perspective.

While the Whiting Forensic Division has the highest level of security, Dutcher Hall is a locked inpatient setting with enhanced security where patients start with a low level of privilege, including gradual access to the hospital grounds and staff-supervised community trips but are never granted unsupervised time outside of their treatment unit, according to Arthur Mongillo, spokesperson for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

A consulting forensic psychiatrist from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services works with each treatment team to assess risk and review requests for increased privileges every week, he said.

Mongillo said that moving to the lesser-security Dutcher Hall is a slow step toward reintegration into society.

If a person has shown that theyre adhering to their treatment, theyre clinically stable, they go before the review board and they decide that theyre able to take that step down, I think its in the best interest of their safety as well, he said.

The changes to the boards practices and the commitment to rebuilding Whiting came after the state took a hard look at the facility following legal action and a lengthy investigation into long-term abuse.

Cardella stressed that when a person is committed following an acquittal of not guilty by reason of insanity or mental defect, theyre committed not to Whiting specifically, but to the custody of the Psychiatric Security Review Board and to confinement at whichever facility is deemed most appropriate for their needs.

Augustin was the third person to be moved under the new law.

Michael Karolkowski, who was charged with first-degree arson in connection to an incident on April 16, 2017, was committed to the board on Jan. 6, 2020, for a period of 25 years. He was transferred to Dutcher Hall on Oct. 5, 2022, just after the law went into effect, according to Cardella.

James Ward, who was charged with third-degree assault of a victim 60 years or older, first-degree sexual assault, third-degree sexual assault and first-degree unlawful restraint, was committed to the board for 17 years on Nov. 27, 2006. His crime took place in 2005, and his commitment is set to expire on Nov. 26. He was transferred from Whiting to Dutcher on Dec. 15, 2022 Cardella said.
SIOUX FALLS  A Wakonda, South Dakota, pharmacist has pleaded guilty of stealing prescription painkillers from a hospital and its pharmacy for nearly three years.

Cody Carstensen, 46, entered his plea Monday in U.S. District Court in Sioux Falls to one count of theft in connection with health care.

Sentencing was scheduled for April 17. His charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.

As part of a plea agreement filed in the case, three counts of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception and subterfuge will be dismissed. Carstensen has agreed to pay $4,097 in restitution to Landmann-Jungman Memorial Hospital in Scotland, South Dakota, and Scotland Pharmacy.

Carstensen stole hydrocodone, oxymorphone, oxycontin, oxycodone and morphine from the hospital and its associated pharmacy from June 2019 through February 2022. Carstensen admitted to stealing the drugs from several shipments delivered to the hospital and using them for his own purposes.
SIOUX CITY  Sioux City School Board President Dan Greenwell is worried about how the recently passed state-funded private school financial assistance package will affect the district.

I think its a potential problem for public schools, a significant problem, Greenwell said during a press conference on Tuesday.

The bill, which will give families public dollars to send their children to private schools, was signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds Tuesday afternoon.

Greenwell said the momentum had been building and with the majority Republican member Iowa House and Senate so it wasnt surprising that the bill had been passed. He said now that it has been passed, the district is focusing on ensuring there are no more burdens placed on public schools.

Dan Greenwell reflects on School Choice Bill Dan Greenwell, school board president, speaks about the possible implications of the School Choice Bill during a press conference at the Sioux

The student who participates in the program would receive $7,598 every year to be put toward tuition, textbooks, classroom materials and other types of educational programming expenses.

Public schools would lose out on the per-pupil funding for any student who chooses to utilize the program. The school district would get roughly $1,200 in state funding for each student who leaves the public school system.

Greenwell worries the $1,200 will come with strings such as making public schools manage the categorical activities of the private schools, such as special education and English language learner programs, or the state requiring districts to provide teachers or administrators to the private schools.

Typically if theres dollars sent, theres going to be a string attached from the state, and thats what were worried about, he said.

The program is estimated to cost more than $340 million annually, with a total cost of $918 million over four years.

The state funds 87.5 percent of the districts budget while the rest comes from local property taxes, and if funding is significantly lowered, that will fall on the taxpayers, Greenwell said.

Because state funding is a year delayed, this bill would not impact next years school budget, but in the future, Greenwell said it will definitely impact Sioux City.

"It will have a significant financial impact on Sioux City Public Schools, and an adverse impact quite frankly," he said.

The projections presented for the proposal stated there would be a 4.2 percent increase in state revenue annually for the next five to seven years.

Thats a very, very aggressive revenue growth every year, Greenwell said. In their analysis they took it down to 3.5 percent, but still thats a pretty aggressive growth in state revenue with tax cuts and other things that are going on right now.

Greenwell said he doesnt believe there is a guarantee in state revenue and theres not a guarantee on the amount of state funding for schools.

On Monday the Sioux City school district approved a resolution opposing the bill. The resolution also states the district opposes all forms of educational savings accounts, voucher programs and additional public funds appropriated for private schools.

Carving Iowas education funding pie into more pieces necessarily means a smaller piece of pie for Iowas public-school students, according to the resolution.

Mike Beranek, president of the Iowa State Education Association, the states largest public educators union representing a portion of Sioux City district employees, said the legislators who approved the bill ignored the wishes of most Iowans.

"Make no mistake, this is not a war between public schools and private schools, it is a conflict between how taxpayer money is spent on private schools without equal access and no accountability or taxpayer oversight, he said in a news release.

"Elected officials have a responsibility to serve all the people of our great state. This legislation serves just a few, with all the peoples money.
DES MOINES  A legislative proposal to prohibit Iowas public universities from offering tenure to faculty once again will be shelved.

But not before one Republican state lawmaker warned a regents official about what he described Tuesday as conservative students feeling unwelcome on campuses.

And another Republican state lawmaker, who has proposed banning tenure in the past, said he will not introduce another such proposal this year but will introduce a bill that takes a different approach in addressing his concerns with tenure.

Rep. Steve Holt, a Republican from Denison, had introduced legislation that would ban tenure and held a subcommittee hearing on it Wednesday at the Iowa Capitol. After hearing from multiple speakers who were all against the proposal  including a lobbyist who represents the state board that governs Iowas three public universities and works at the University of Iowa  Holt announced his intention to stop the bill from advancing.

However, Holt also gave a stern warning he urged the regents lobbyists to take back to the universities: Im tired of playing Whac-A-Mole with these issues going on at universities, he said. I hope you take the message back  were watching them.

After the meeting, Holt detailed what he said were complaints from conservative students at the UI, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa.

Ive been contacted by a lot of students in my district, some outside my district, regarding  for lack of a better term  just some of the irrational, woke stuff thats going on on college campuses, the feeling that theyre denied free speech if youre a conservative, Holt said. A university is a place where youre supposed to be exposed to a universe of ideas. So I dont care whether its liberal or conservative. Those thoughts should be welcomed in a university.

Holt also told lobbyists for the universities and business groups that he is not deaf and stupid to the concerns they raised with any proposal to ban tenure. He declined to move House File 48 forward.

Keith Saunders, who lobbies legislators on behalf of the regents, said eliminating tenure would make Iowa universities incapable of competing for the best professors, which would hinder attempts to educate young Iowans and threaten research funding.

It is a literal competition for us to keep the best and brightest, Saunders said, adding that Iowa would become the only state in the nation without tenure if it was banned. Without tenure, were not able to attract those faculty.  Iowa would unilaterally disarm.  If (tenure) is not able to be offered in Iowa, we would become an educational backwater.

Roughly 42 percent of regents university faculty are tenured, and another 12 percent are on the track to tenure, a regents official said during the hearing. The official said roughly six or seven tenured faculty are dismissed over a 10-year period.

In the Senate, Brad Zaun, a Republican, has introduced tenure bans in the past. He said this year he will not introduce another such proposal; instead, he plans to introduce legislation that would require universities to conduct more frequent reviews of tenured faculty. Currently, tenure reviews are conducted every six or seven years, a regents official said. Zaun said his bill could reduce that period to every two or three years.

Ive learned a lot of lessons over the years. And what Ive learned in talking to the professors that are in our regents universities is that I was going about it the wrong way, Zaun said. If I do file a bill, the bills going to be pretty simple, that the tenure reviews are done on a more regular basis.
SIOUX CITY  Mark Nelson has been chosen to fill the vacant Woodbury County Board of Supervisors position.

Nelson was selected by the search committee out of nine candidates Tuesday morning and was quickly sworn in Tuesday night before the regular Board of Supervisors meeting.

A committee made up of Treasurer Tina Bertrand, County Attorney James Loomis and Auditor Pat Gill was in charge of the appointment process.

The committee unanimously voted to appoint Nelson. He is replacing Rocky De Witt who resigned after being elected to the Iowa Senate. Nelson will fill the remaining two years of the term before the general election in 2024.

I appreciate the opportunity to serve and I'm ready to get to work, Nelson said.

Nelson is farmer living in Correctionville and is originally from Moville. He is the owner and operator of Hungry Canyon Cattle Co. and farm manager of Bar N Feedlots.

He attended Woodbury Central before going to Iowa State University for a bachelors degree in agriculture studies.

He is currently involved with eight different community organizations including the Woodbury County Farm Bureau as director and treasurer and the Woodbury County Cattlemens Associate as director and president. Due to his appointment, he will have to step back from leadership roles in both organizations due to their bylaws.

He has also participated in Woodbury County 4-H, local FFA chapters and the Woodbury County Fair, and organized many countywide programs and events.

"I can confidently say I have my finger on the pulse of the people in my district," Nelson said. "I drive nearly 100 miles of county paved and gravel roads daily. [...] I can be found in almost every corner of my district daily."

Nelson has been vocal in the county and at Board of Supervisors meetings on a variety of issues, including the wind turbine issue and co-organized the petition against the turbines.

The seat now filled by Nelson makes up most or the northern part of rural Woodbury County, with a portion in Sioux City. Nelson said he felt it was important to run and have rural representation on the board.

Board of Supervisors Chair Matthew Ung said he has seen Nelson at board of supervisors meetings and throughout the community and said he represents the agriculture community well.

Nelson said the four main issues in Woodbury County right now are the secondary roads improvement project, the construction of the new jail, wind turbine projects and the carbon pipeline project, all of which directly affect rural citizens.

Nelson said six of the town mayors in Woodbury County supported him in running for this position.

"I have knocked on doors, sat at kitchen tables and visited hundreds of county in the past year about their needs and visions of the county," he said.

He said he wants to be a servant leader by listening, understanding, having empathy, and opening the conversation for others.

Each committee member thanked the candidates for participating and said they were excited about the amount of rural Woodbury County residents that applied.

Loomis said all of the candidates had vast experiences in areas such as rural Woodbury County, economic development and more.

Each elected official announced their top candidates. All three said Nelson was in their top choices. Bertrand also put Barbara Sloniker in her top two, while Loomis put Jeanette Beekman in his top two. Gill said all three were his top choices.

Bertrand said she chose her top candidates based on who could best support Woodbury County in the rural areas and economic development, Gill said his top to areas of focus were protecting the autonomy of elected officials and rural Woodbury County representation.

Loomis also said that he felt the chosen applicant should represent the rural areas. After calling references, Loomis said he noticed a pattern of good listeners and people who dont make rash decisions.

If voters do not approve of Nelson's appointment, a petition for a special election can be made within 14 days of the appointment.

The petition must be signed by at least 10 percent of the votes cast in the last general election, which would be at least 2,882, Gill said previously. All voters in Woodbury County can vote for all seats on the board, not just the district they live in.
SANTA ANA, Calif.  California has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, with rules on everything from the types of weapons and ammunition that can be legally owned, to who can and cant own a weapon, to broad funding for community programs aimed at curbing gun violence.

And researchers believe those tight rules do help reduce the odds of dying from a gunshot in California. That contention is backed up by a growing body of research on the effectiveness of gun laws and by federal data about gun-related deaths across the country.

Still, laws cant prevent pure horror.

On Jan. 21, the states gun rules did nothing to stop a man from using what investigators said was a semi-automatic assault pistol to kill 11 people and injure at least nine others. The weapon, as described, is illegal in California. So is transporting it into or within the state, selling it and carrying it. But none of that slowed the shooter when he fired 42 rounds at people celebrating Lunar New Year at a Monterey Park dance studio.

New research suggests mass shootings might be the grim outlier when it comes to the effectiveness of gun laws.

I dont know if there is a law that can be enacted related to mass shootings that would prevent them. Though Id also say that doesnt mean such laws arent useful, or that having scientific evidence that a law would work should be why it should or shouldnt be (enacted), said Andrew Morral, a behavioral scientist at RAND Corp. and co-author of The Science of Gun Policy project, an ongoing study launched in 2018 that issued its third update earlier this month.

The research, part of Santa Monica-based RANDs Gun Policy in America project, has the nonpartisan goal of establishing basic facts about gun violence, legitimate gun use and gun laws. The idea is that those facts, in turn, can be used by people on all sides of the gun debate to craft rules that stem gun-related deaths. In 2021, the last year for which full data is available, nearly 49,000 Americans died from gun violence or gun-related suicide.

In their research, Morral and other RAND scientists track thousands of studies looking at how different types of gun laws affect everything from gun violence, such as homicides and suicides, to the price of guns and the legal use of guns, such as self-defense, hunting and sport shooting. Though such research is relatively new  in part because from 1992 to 2018 federal funding was not allowed to be used to collect gun violence data  RANDs study of the studies has found some patterns.

For example, studies show that gun-related violent crime is more common in communities with stand your ground laws and in communities that make it easy to carry concealed weapons. Also, stricter rules about storing and locking up guns, known as child access prevention laws, may reduce violent crime, suicide and accidents  but possibly at the cost of making it harder to use guns for self-defense.

But RAND didnt find a lot of strong research into how laws prevent mass shootings. Though Morral said there is limited evidence that banning the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines curtails mass shootings, he was quick to point out that limited is our weakest evidence rating short of inconclusive.

Still, Morral said a lack of scientific support for a particular gun law shouldnt be a reason for legislators to abandon any effort to make it harder for mass killings. He noted that strong scientific support isnt the threshold used in non-firearm legislation, and suggested gun research shouldnt be a substitute for common sense.

Others believe gun legislation should be aimed at manufacturers, not gun consumers, and that such legislation could at least limit a broad range of gun violence, including mass shootings.

Its because of the kinds of guns we have available in this country, said Christian Heyne, vice president of policy and programs for the Brady Campaign, a group that works to pass gun laws aimed at reducing gun violence.

We have a lot of questions about how this gunman was able to have access to the kind of weapons he had, considering it is illegal in California. We dont have a common denominator from preventing weapons of this lethality, and we believe some of those rules need to be answered in federal law, Heyne added.

But we do know gun laws work. California is an interesting place. Youre 40% less likely to die by a gun in California than you are anywhere in the country. Thats not an accident. Thats a result of legislation.

Studies show California has the seventh-lowest gun violence rate in the country, with 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people, according to federal data. States with the highest gun mortality rates, including Mississippi (28.6 deaths per 100,000 people), Louisiana (26.3 deaths) and Wyoming (25.9 deaths), all grade out as having the nations most lax gun laws, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that favors gun legislation.

On Monday, the deaths in Monterey Park sparked yet another push to extend California-style gun laws to the rest of the country. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation that would ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines or ammunition feeding devices. The legislation, which also is backed by Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both of Connecticut, would include the gun used by the shooter, Feinsteins office said in a news release.

The announcement about the proposed legislation came just before news broke about the shooting deaths of seven people Monday in the Bay Area community of Half Moon Bay.

Interactive: Find out more about mass killings in the U.S. Interactive: Number of mass killings by year Interactive: Mass killings by location scaled by number of victims Interactive: Search mass killing incidents Interactive: Timeline of mass killings scaled by number of victims killed Interactive: Number of mass killings and victims killed this year compared with previous years Interactive map: People killed by shootings, per 100,000 residents
WASHINGTON  House Republicans renewed their investigation Wednesday into the art dealings of Hunter Biden, pushing for details on who is purchasing his work as part of the party's long-promised probe into President Joe Biden and his family.

Rep. James Comer, the new chairman of the House Oversight Committee, asked for a transcribed interview with Georges Berges, the art dealer who has showcased Hunter Biden's work in New York and Los Angeles galleries since 2021. He requested communications between the galleries and White House, citing Republican concerns the younger Biden is trading in on his father's name.

"Despite being a novice artist, Hunter Biden received exorbitant amounts of money selling his artwork, the buyers' identities remain unknown, and you appear to be the sole record keeper of these lucrative transactions," Comer, R-Ky., said in a letter to Berges.

The White House counsel's office and a representative for Hunter Biden did not immediately return requests for comment.

The Republicans have requested information from Berges before, but those were ignored when the GOP was in the House minority.

Biden aides have derided Republicans' focus on Hunter Biden, who never held a position in the White House or presidential campaign, as hypocritical. They point to the president's predecessor, Donald Trump, who had a daughter and son-in-law working for him in the White House and often spent taxpayer dollars at his own properties.

The Biden White House said it established an arrangement in the early days of the presidency that allows Hunter Biden to sell his artwork without knowing the identity of the purchaser. Officials said it would avoid any potential ethical entanglements with the sales.

Under the arrangement, a private art gallery owner sets prices for Hunter Biden's work and handles all bidding and sales, but does not share any information about buyers or prospective buyers with Hunter or anyone in the administration. Berges also agreed to reject offers he deemed suspicious or that came in over the asking price.

The prices for Hunter Biden's art, according to Comer, range from $55,000 to $225,000 a piece at the SoHo gallery where his latest collection debuted earlier this month. His paintings often depict abstract flowers and trees with the use of a mixture of ink and acrylic on metal.

"It is concerning that President Biden's son is the recipient of anonymous, high-dollar transactions  potentially from foreign buyers  with no accountability or oversight (other than you)," Comer wrote in the letter. "The American people deserve transparency regarding certain details about Hunter Biden's expensive art transactions."

Hunter Biden's taxes and foreign business work are already under federal investigation by a federal grand jury in Delaware. His membership on the board of a Ukrainian energy company and his efforts to strike deals in China have long raised questions about whether he traded on his father's public service.

Joe Biden has said he has never spoken to his son about foreign business. There are no indications the federal investigation involves the president.
Pope Francis has criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as "unjust," and said God loves all his children, just as they are. "Being homosexual isn't a crime," Francis said during an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts o
While locking down growth of spending by state government, Gov. Jim Pillen on Wednesday proposed a state budget that would sharply increase state support for K-12 schools, provide additional local property tax relief, reduce state income taxes and appropriate $95.9 million to complete funding of a new state prison.

Pillen outlined his budget priorities in a 34-minute State of the State address to the Legislature.

"We all agree -- we are taxed way too much," the governor said.

"Our tax policy chases our kids and grandparents out of the state.

"We can't grow Nebraska that way."

The answer, Pillen said is "saying no to overspending ... and giving this money back to Nebraskans via historic property and income tax cuts."

To hammer home that point, the governor said in an accompanying letter to senators: "The goal of this budget is straightforward: to make clear my commitment to shrinking the growth and size of state government."

The new governor's initial budget proposal would increase state funding for K-12 schools by $1.75 billion by fiscal 2026-27 while increasing local property tax relief to $2.4 billion by 2027.

State income taxes would be reduced by $1.5 billion by 2027 through reduction in individual and business tax rates.

Social Security income would be totally exempt from the state income tax by 2024 through an accelerated timetable for complete exemption, which previously was approved by the Legislature.

Growth in annual general fund support for the state budget over the next two years would be held to 1.3%.

"We have asked agencies to tighten their belts and focus on what is needed, not what is nice," Pillen said.

At the top of his list of priorities highlighted in a preview of the budget document for news media were "control spending, cut taxes, invest in our kids."

A 3.2 percent increase in the budget during the first year of the biennium reflects the $59 million in annual salary increases recently negotiated with state employees. The budget growth rate flattens in 2024-25.

The budget proposal would invest $574.5 million to proceed with construction of the Perkins County Canal project designed to secure South Platte River water flowing into Nebraska from Colorado, exercising water rights negotiated in a compact a century ago.

A succinct summary of his legislative goals provided in the budget briefing was "reduce spending, lower property taxes."

The summary pointed to potential valuation of agricultural and horticultural land according to income potential and placing new limits on property tax revenue increases by local government.

The governor's budget proposal calls for an end to property tax support for community colleges with a recommendation that state government assume that responsibility.

"The success of utilizing community colleges in Nebraska for students best suited for trades is a game changer," Pillen said.

Under his proposal, individual income and business tax rates would be "phased down" to 3.99 percent by 2027, he said.

That, the governor said, would enable Nebraska to "be more competitive in attracting and retaining investment, talent and new opportunities.

"This is key to stopping out-migration," he said.

Pillen said "changing from market-based to income-based assessment of ag land and capping ag land valuation growth (can) cut property taxes and keep government growth in check."

But, the governor said, "my top priority, and that of all Nebraskans, is our kids" and that's why he is proposing "creation of an education future fund with an investment of $1 billion in fiscal year 2023-2024 and $250 million in each year thereafter."

That fund would be designed to help schools meet special education needs, he said, ensuring that "Nebraska will never ever give up on a single kid -- ever again."

Pillen recommended a state allocation of $1,500 annually "to every public school student in every Nebraska school district," providing what he described as "much-needed support for rural school districts which have been underserved for far too long."

Accompanying that assistance would be a 3% growth cap on spending by school districts which could only be overridden by 75 percent of local school board members or 60 percent of local voters.

Pillen's budget provides $39.4 million to fund more than 4,200 scholarships for Nebraska students to attend institutions of higher education in the state.

Pillen also proposed a $50 million state appropriation for scholarships outside public schools, interrupting his speech to recognize the principal, teachers and students from Holy Name Catholic School in Omaha who were seated in the balcony to watch the proceedings.

The governor expressed his strong anti-abortion views during the speech.

"Nebraska is a pro-life state," Pillen declared.

"I am fighting for the rights of every baby with a beating heart," he said. "I am fighting to help women choose life and love."

State budget officials said the governor's funding proposal leaves $218 million available for legislative spending proposals while sufficiently funding the state's cash reserve at an estimated $1.6 billion.

The proposed new prison, which would replace the aging State Penitentiary in Lincoln, would have roughly $350 million in funding available if Pillen's additional allocation is approved. Most of the funding already has been set aside awaiting a legilslative decision to proceed.

Also included in the governor's budget proposal is $500 million in transportation infrastructure funding primarily devoted to roads.

Photos: The business of governing in Nebraska in 2023
I grew up in the small Litchfield County town of Roxbury, and attended high school in Hartford at the Watkinson School. We then moved to the coast of Connecticut, in Madison. While I was there, I finished my undergraduate degree major at Yale College in 1983. It was a rewarding experience, and certainly to all the younger undergraduates, the Yale Law School was regarded as something of an icon. It still is. Later, as a graduate student at the University of Chicago, Yales general academic influence in the Midwest was still pronounced among faculty, and in all the professional schools in business, medicine, public policy and law. Yale Law School has an unusual level of representation among professors who graduated from there, and who then take teaching and research positions in other universities and colleges.

When Yale Law decided late last year to voluntarily withdraw from the equally iconic US News & World Report rankings program, it drew a mix of reactions. Some believe that it is a positive step toward lessening the schools reputation as excessively elitist. Some saw it as perhaps more of a necessary gesture toward expanding its law program to less economically advantaged students, including many minorities.

Others, see Yales ranking protest (joined by Harvard, Berkeley and others) as signaling the beginning of an upending concerning the fundamental concept of rank. Im among them.

The U.S. has about 200 law schools across the country that are licensed by the American Bar Association (the ABA). This industry regulatory group sets a number of requirements that all law schools must follow, and what happens as a result is that all the law schools wind up teaching the same basic law courses (in contracts, property, and several other subjects including our federal and state court systems). This makes the teaching of law somewhat of a commodity and therefore the concept of ranking them is somewhat misplaced: they all can do a good job of teaching the fundamentals, and depending on where they are geographically, they also can bring unique insights into the particular problems of their regions. That may include urban crime, or real estate, or natural resource management.

Given those important regional diversities, one would think that all the so-called elite law schools would welcome a much more even or egalitarian approach to how we see law school strengths and reputation. Yale, for example, should be delighted that one of its counterparts in Illinois, Montana, South Carolina or Texas, is considered just as prestigious. Indeed, as Yale Law recently expressed, the No. 1 ranked law school is what is No. 1 for you.

This certainly sounds fair-minded and practical. But yet, the desire for elitism can still linger among Yales faculty and administration, and among all the applicants, their parents, and the many faculty who graduated from there. Moreover, Yale Law School and Harvard Law School together represent eight out of the nine current Supreme Court justices. This monopoly in the judiciary is a somewhat uncomfortable fact that Yale appears in no hurry to change. And for very good reasons: Such influence has many benefits including appointments in government positions and committees, in corporate hiring, and in alumni donations.

Yale Law School is indeed an American icon, as it is one of our oldest institutions of higher education, dating back to colonial New England. It is rightly a source of regional pride. Part of that heritage, however, might include Yale Law recognizing that America is a very big place, with many traditions, and many new ones. If it is to be a continuing part of our national culture and dialogue, then it might be wise for it to broaden its perspectives to that larger realm, including how it sees itself socially and economically, and how law students come to see the law itself: as less of an elite system, and more an accessible and understandable part of our everyday lives.

That means law schools must drop many of their pretenses to ranking, including making fundamental changes to its teaching methods, tuition costs, and how long it takes young adults to get through law school and on to work and life.

Matthew G. Andersson is a science and technology professional, former CEO and author, with an upcoming book, Legally Blind, regarding ideological effects on law schools and the judiciary.
Iowa voters would have the potential to recall an elected official under a proposed amendment that advanced in the Iowa Senate on Tuesday.

The amendment would allow Iowans to file a petition to hold a recall election for an elected official at the state, legislative, or county level.

A petition seeking to recall a politician would need to amass signatures amounting to 25 percent of the votes cast for governor in that district in the previous election. Once that threshold is met, a special election would be scheduled six weeks after the petition is filed.

The incumbent would be automatically on the recall ballot unless they decline within 10 days. Other candidates would need to file nomination papers to be on the ballot.

Nineteen other states have processes to recall a politician. Sen. Cherielynn Westrich, R-Ottumwa, said the amendment would be a valuable tool for voters to react if an official does something that warrants a recall.

The subcommittee passed the bill 2-1. Sen. Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, did not recommend passage, but she said she could support a future version. The amendment would need to be passed in this legislative session, then again in 2025 or 2026, before going to a popular vote.

HANDS-FREE

Iowans would only be allowed to use electronic devices in hands-free mode while driving under a bill in the Iowa Senate.

Current law prohibits sending or receiving electronic messages while driving but allows use of a cellphone for navigation and making a phone call. Under the proposed bill, any use of a cellphone requiring interaction with hands would be illegal.

Drivers could use hands-free and voice-activated functions on a cellphone, and the legislation allows for one-tap actions like answering a phone call. Interacting with a built-in display in the car would not be prohibited.

Representatives for public safety officials and insurance companies said the proposal would reduce fatalities and property damage related to distracted driving. In 2021, one in five drivers involved in a crash was distracted, Iowa State Patrol Colonel Nathan Folk said.

The bill carves out exemptions for public safety and emergency officials, a person receiving emergency or weather alerts or reporting an emergency, a person operating certain farm equipment, a person using a two-way radio transmitter, public transit drivers, and certain other business purposes.

Violation of the bill would be punishable by a simple misdemeanor.

LANDOWNERS URGE LAWMAKERS TO RESTRICT CO2 PIPELINES

A group of at least 50 landowners from across Iowa, including those whose property lies in the path of carbon-capture pipelines proposed to be built in the state, descended on the state Capitol to urge lawmakers to pass legislation that would curtail opportunities for companies to do so using eminent domain, which allows a company to force easements for right of way with compensation.

The group met with Sen. Jeff Taylor, R-Sioux Center, and a handful of other Republican lawmakers who have put forward, support or are drafting legislation that would limit the use of eminent domain for hazardous liquid pipeline companies, limit their ability to conduct land surveys and negotiate easements for that land and require them to identify their investors.

Three companies  Summit Carbon Solutions, Navigator Heartland Greenway and Wolf Carbon Solutions  have proposed building pipelines to transport liquefied CO2 from Iowa ethanol plants to underground sequestration sites in North Dakota and Illinois.

Only one of them  Wolf, whose pipeline would include the ADM plant in Cedar Rapids  has said it does not plan to use eminent domain to acquire easements.

Taylor filed a bill that would eliminate the use of eminent domain for their construction. Failing that, another bill would require the companies to gain the permission of landowners for 90 percent of the route to enable the use of eminent domain for the remainder.

He told the group the proposal, which pits property owner rights against the states powerful agricultural interests, faces an uphill battle in the Iowa Legislature and will require moving leadership.

DOMESTIC ABUSE BILL ADVANCES

The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday advanced a bill supporters say adds new protections for domestic abuse victims.

House Study Bill 7 eliminates a section of code that said if a previous conviction or deferred judgment for domestic abuse occurred more than 12 years before the date of a second violation it shall not be considered a second offense.

Tom Ferguson, a lobbyist for the Iowa County Attorneys Association  which is registered in support of the bill  noted Iowa code does contain the same arbitrary look back provision for drug offenses.

Providing for a higher-level offense will hold individuals accountable for continued behavior thats detrimental not only to victims, but the children of victims who observe the abuse, Ferguson said.

The higher level of offense means we can supervise those individuals longer and put them in more programs  and so we can hopefully eliminate that cycle of violence, he said.

The committee voted 15-5 to advance the bill for a vote on the House floor, with Democrats opposed.

Current law is not written really well. I will agree with that. I think there are better ways to go about it. But, I am concerned about completely eliminating this second chance, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, said.

Wessel-Kroeschell said she prefers the code section be rewritten rather than eliminated.

Ferguson said prosecutors would still have discretion in deciding which and what level of charges to bring against someone accused of domestic abuse.

MULTISTATE LAWSUIT

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird entered the state into a multistate lawsuit, led by Texas, that challenges a federal Department of Homeland Security program that authorizes migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to settle in the U.S. and find employment.

The federal DHS said the program is modeled on what it said was similar, successful processes for Venezuelans and Ukrainians which combine safe, orderly, and lawful pathways to the U.S., including authorization to work. The program also contains significant consequences for those who fail to use those pathways, according to DHS.

Birds office argues the program effectively created a new visa program without legal activity from Congress.

Illegally allowing 360,000 aliens to settle in the U.S. exacerbates the crisis on our borders and the presence of crime and drugs on our streets, Bird said in a news release.

Also, Bird announced new staff hires: David Faith as Deputy Attorney General for Agency Counsel, Ed Bull as Assistant Attorney General and Chief of the Health and Human Services Section, and Alyssa Brouillet as press secretary.

Photos and video: Iowa legislators pass governor's private-school funding bill
RIO DE JANEIRO  Shaking a traditional rattle, Brazils incoming head of Indigenous affairs recently walked through every corner of the agencys headquarters  even its coffee room  as she invoked help from ancestors during a ritual cleansing.

The ritual carried extra meaning for Joenia Wapichana, Brazils first Indigenous woman to command the agency charged with protecting the Amazon rainforest and its people. Once she is sworn in next month under newly inaugurated President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Wapichana promises to clean house at an agency that critics say has allowed the Amazon's resources to be exploited at the expense of the environment.

As Wapichana performed the ritual, Indigenous people and government officials enthusiastically chanted Yoohoo! Funai is ours!  a reference to the agency she will lead.

Environmentalists, Indigenous people and voters sympathetic to their causes were important to Lula's narrow victory over former President Jair Bolsonaro. Now Lula is seeking to fulfill campaign pledges he made to them on a wide range of issues, from expanding Indigenous territories to halting a surge in illegal deforestation.

To carry out these goals, Lula is appointing well-known environmentalists and Indigenous people to key positions at Funai and other agencies that Bolsonaro had filled with allies of agribusiness and military officers.

In Lula's previous two terms as president, he had a mixed record on environmental and Indigenous issues. And he is certain to face obstacles from pro-Bolsonaro state governors who still control swaths of the Amazon. But experts say Lula is taking the right first steps.

The federal officials Lula has already named to key posts have the national and international prestige to reverse all the environmental destruction that we have suffered over these four years of the Bolsonaro government, said George Porto Ferreira, an analyst at Ibama, Brazils environmental law-enforcement agency.

Bolsonaro's supporters, meanwhile, fear that Lula's promise of stronger environmental protections will hurt the economy by reducing the amount of land open for development, and punish people for activities that had previously been allowed. Some supporters with ties to agribusiness have been accused of providing financial and logistical assistance to rioters who earlier this month stormed Brazil's presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court.

When Bolsonaro was president, he defanged Funai and other agencies responsible for environmental oversight. This enabled deforestation to soar to its highest level since 2006, as developers and miners who took land from Indigenous people faced few consequences.

Between 2019 and 2022, the number of fines handed out for illegal activities in the Amazon declined by 38% compared with the previous four years, according an analysis of Brazilian government data by the Climate Observatory, a network of environmental nonprofit groups.

One of the strongest signs yet of Lula's intentions to reverse these trends was his decision to return Marina Silva to lead the country's environmental ministry. Silva formerly held the job between 2003 and 2008, a period when deforestation declined by 53%. A former rubber-tapper from Acre state, Silva resigned after clashing with government and agribusiness leaders over environmental policies she deemed to be too lenient.

Silva strikes a strong contrast with Bolsonaros first environment minister, Ricardo Salles, who had never set foot in the Amazon when he took office in 2019 and resigned two years later following allegations that he had facilitated the export of illegally felled timber.

Other measures Lula has taken in support of the Amazon and its people include:

 Signing a decree that would rejuvenate the most significant international effort to preserve the rainforest  the Amazon Fund. The fund, which Bolsonaro had gutted, has received more than $1.2 billion, mostly from Norway, to help pay for sustainable development of the Amazon.

 Revoking a Bolsonaro decree that allowed mining in Indigenous and environmental protection areas.

 Creating a Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, which will oversee everything from land boundaries to education. This ministry will be led by Sonia Guajajara, the country's first Indigenous woman in such a high government post.

It won't be easy to overcome 504 years in only four years. But we are willing to use this moment to promote a take-back of Brazil's spiritual force," Guajajara said during her induction ceremony, which was delayed by the damage pro-Bolsonaro rioters caused to the presidential palace.

The Amazon rainforest, which covers an area twice the size of India, acts as a buffer against climate change by absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide. But Bolsonaro viewed management of the Amazon as an internal affair, causing Brazil's global reputation to take a hit. Lula is trying to undo that damage.

During the UNs climate summit in Egypt in November, Lula pledged to end all deforestation by 2030 and announced his countrys intention to host the COP30 climate conference in 2025. Brazil had been scheduled to host the event in 2019, but Bolsonaro canceled it in 2018 right after he was elected.
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American infrastructure is designed around a simple idea: We can predict how often the worst storms will come. Take the benchmark that undergirds the $1.2 trillion National Flood Insurance Program: the 100-year flood. Thats a flood thats supposed to occur once a century, on average. A once-in-a-lifetime event. Similar estimates govern basic stormwater infrastructure: Sewers might be designed for a two-year rainstorm (likely to occur once every two years) or culverts for a 25-year rainstorm (once every quarter-century).

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These probabilities are also used in modeling the absolute worst cases, such as Californias ARkStorm scenarioa 2010 U.S. Geological Survey project that imagined how a month of constant rain might turn the Central Valley into a giant lake, flooding 1 in 4 of the states buildings, forcing the evacuation of 1.5 million people, and causing more than three times as much damage as the better-known nightmare earthquake popularly known as The Big One. In addition to offering a potent biblical allusion, ARk stands for atmospheric river 1,000, because scientists originally thought those levels of precipitation would occur once every 500 to 1,000 years.

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But other estimates suggest that such a storm might occur once every 100 to 200 years. And a more recent analysis concludes that climate change has caused the likely recurrence interval of an ARkStorm to creep closer to once each centuryan ARcStorm. The last one was in 1862. Climate change is dramatically upping the odds of a very high magnitude flood event happening in our lifetimes, specifically, the authors wrote last August. This months record-breaking California rain, in other words, is a warmup. How did they come to that conclusion? By plugging more recent weather history into their simulation.

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Its older data, however, that determines much about the way we plan cities, price flood insurance, and build infrastructure, because historical records determine the crucial benchmark of the 100-year storm and all its derivatives. The idea of evaluating storms and floods by their likely interval of recurrence was adopted in the 1960s to help administer the newly created National Flood Insurance Program, and has been complained about ever since.

The 100-year flood metric, wrote the geographer Rutherford Platt, is unique in the annals of resource management policy for its durability over several decades  despite chronic griping and hand-wringing by three generations of floodplain managers. In theory, Americans ought to want to prepare for the 100-year flood, which sounds frightening. But as Platt observed, if you were more likely to die than see one, why bother? Probabilities like this govern the design of everything from storm drains to levees to flood insurance, but they are probabilities from last centuryand the storms are different now.

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When Hurricane Harvey struck Houston in 2017, it was the citys third 500-year flood in three years. Over four days, Harveys 30 to 40 inches of rain across the region made it a storm likely to occur just once every 3,000 to 20,000 years, at least according to the established metrics. Last summer, there were five 1,000-year rain events in five weeks, in Dallas, eastern Kentucky, eastern Illinois, St. Louis, and Death Valley. California just broke a bunch of rainfall records this month, including in well-measured locations like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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The long-term trend is beyond dispute: Between 1958 and 2012, according to the 2014 National Climate Assessment, the amount of rain falling in the biggest storms grew by 37 percent in the Midwest, 27 percent in the South, and 71 percent in the Northeast. Do last centurys weather records still hold water? Some researchers have concluded they dont. One study concluded that a 7.4-foot storm surge flood in New York City has progressed from a 500-year event before the industrial revolution to a 25-year event today, and will be a five-year occurrence in a few decades. Something similar is happening with heavy rain events.

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Unfortunately, yesterdays numbers are currently being used to plan tomorrows stormwater infrastructure, a burst of which will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that President Joe Biden signed in 2021. As NPRs Lauren Sommer put it this month, many cities arent constructing infrastructure to handle increasing amounts of water, because the rainfall records they use to design it are decades-old in most states. Lacking money, expertise, or political will, they are preparing for a bygone world of weather.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been authorized to develop a more modern rainfall atlas, as well as one that takes climate change into account, but that work wont be done in time for current projects. Theres a timing disconnect for sure, said Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers. No doubt this infrastructure is not going to have as much benefit because its authorized at the same time as this NOAA update. But Im not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Better to build something, in other words.

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Some cities are going a step further. After Harvey, Houston officials amended the land use code to apply identical standards to the 100-year and 500-year flood plainseven though one is supposedly five times less likely to flood. In Seattle, planners looked at a climate impact tool and decided to expand a new stormwater tunnel from 14 feet in diameter to 18 feet. After Madison, Wisconsin, flooded in 2018, the city decided to raise its design standards for new developmenta culvert under a road, for example, now must be built for the 100-year event, instead of the 25-year event. But many smaller jurisdictions do not have the expertise, money, or political will to go beyond what the federal government is recommending.

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I dont see how you can look at the information we have available now and not be asking those questions, said Bill Haneberg, the state geologist of Kentucky. We have the tools to start making realistic assessments of what the future is going to be like if we continue on our current trajectory of fossil fuel emissions.

Even before carbon dioxide had soared above 400 parts per million in the atmosphere, there were issues with the 100-year-flood standard. How do you project a once-in-a-century calamity from a few decades of data? Haneberg made an analogy to the Super Bowl coin toss: Over the history of the event, its 26 heads and 29 tails. But there was one five-year stretch of heads, and there have been three four-year stretches of tails. If you wind up with even a normal statistical anomaly in your sample, youre going to get some inaccurate results when you try to imagine 10,000 years of water.

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Right after the big floods in eastern Kentucky, I got the records from the U.S. Geological Survey, Haneberg said. People were talking about thousand-year floods; well I got those records from one stream gauge location, Whitesburg, and they had data only to 1957. So the question is: How do you determine that?

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Meteorologists counsel against looking too closely at such headlines as evidence that the climate has already gone haywire. For one thing, its a big countrytheres always a huge storm somewhere. For another, the number of broken records is a poor judge of a changing climate. For a third, we have more data than ever even across small geographic areas. We werent slicing and dicing things so finely until recently, cautions Bob Henson, a meteorologist and journalist with Yale Climate Connections. Its analogous to getting ever-more fine MRI scans and detecting phenomena you wouldnt see before. In Houston, for example, a 500-year flood on Cypress Creek in 2016 was just a 50-year flood a few miles downstream. A hundred years ago we might have had just one gauge there, if that.

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But the consequences of predicting the future on a flawed set of records are not abstract. Last year marked the 100th anniversary of one of Americas most consequential forecasting mistakes. The Colorado River Compact of 1922, which set the course for a century of infrastructure, agriculture, and development in the western United States, predicted how much water the mighty river would send toward the Gulf of California based on a small, and very wet, sample of years. The river has since receded to the historical mean and then some, as the western United States has faced repeated severe droughts. States are bickering over their river-water allocations. Hydroelectric dams are running low on fuel.

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Its kind of a mess, even in the absence of climate change, said Daniel Wright, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin. Wright helped Madison adopt climate-conscious design guidelines and works with the magically named U.S. Office of Water Prediction. Almost all of [the models] assume that data varies from year to year, but underlying drivers are not changing over time. Those assumptions just dont hold. These days, the 100-year-flood problem is the opposite of the one that haunts the Colorado River. In most of the United States, the warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, leading to heavier and more frequent precipitation.

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But figuring out how much rain falls from the sky is only half the battle. You also have to figure out where it goes once it lands. Here, climate change brings additional problems that toy with our probability tables. Very wet soil, very dry soil, burn scars, or erosion can change the way a fixed quantity of rain hits the ground. Urbanization has also created new flood zones, shaped not by hills and valleys but by parking lots, undersized sewer lines, blocked storm drains, and broken pumps. In urban areas, runoff is increasing faster than rainfall, and urban flooding may be a harbinger of what stronger storms will bring to greener areas in the decades to come.

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When the First Street Foundation mapped flood risk accounting for rainfall flooding and changing storm expectations, it found almost twice as many parcels in the 100-year flood zone as FEMA has in its maps1 in 10 U.S. properties. But even the idea of a 100-year flood zone doesnt sit right with some scientists. Youre not in or out; danger comes on a spectrum. Moreover, some flood zonesa few feet from a crashing ocean, or in a steep and isolated river valleyare more dangerous than others.

All of it adds up to a sense that what happened in the last 100 years may not be the best predictor of the weather todaylet alone tomorrow. How to adjust for changing rainfall and flooding expectations is complicated. Infrastructure, most people agree, should be designed to serve its purpose for many decades. (The Dutch have built the Maeslant Barrier for a 10,000-year storm.) Insurance, most people agree, should reflect current risk, not future risk. But how do you account for future flood risk in land use or building regulations? Often our expanded sense of risk winds up penalizing lower-income Americans on low-lying land with outdated infrastructure. You can choose to spare them the burden of adaptation, but is that fair to prospective buyers, or to their neighbors who will bail them out?

Ultimately, said Haneberg, the Kentucky geologist, the questions here are political. Whats the point? he asked. Are we trying to help people rebuild or prevent flood damage? When it comes to rainstorms, a hundred years aint what it used to be.
We already knew that critics loved Tar, Todd Fields psychological drama about an embattled orchestra conductor. And now that its received six Oscar nominations, we know that the Academy does, too. In fact, theres really only one person whose opinion on Tar were still curious about: Lydia Tar herself.

Theres been much discussion in recent months about whether Tar is a real person, and the critical consensus seems to have landed on no. But how do those naysayers explain the Twitter account @LydiaTarReal, which has been tweeting for months now about things like the conductors close, personal friendship with Marty Scorsese, her thoughts on Emily in Paris, and her never-ending search for a new assistant? It has real right there in its handle, after all.

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Thanks to a deal brokered by the accounts so-called publicist, Chicago-based writer and performer Daniella Mazzio, the totally-not-made-up Lydia Tar agreed to give Slate an exclusive interview, her first since the films release. She claimed to be speaking to us between screenings as she attends the Sundance Film Festival. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

I have arrived in Park City. pic.twitter.com/rmJt8ruhjw  Lydia Tar (@LydiaTarReal) January 19, 2023

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Heather Schwedel: This is Lydia, right? If I may call you Lydia.

@LydiaTarReal: Yes, of course. Correct.

You started a Twitter account a few months ago, around the time the film about you came out. How come?

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Once we started to see the momentum of the film and the publicity, it was a bit frustrating to see a lot of that goodwill go to, of course, the well-earned artistic work of the film. But I was speaking with my publicist, whos also with me right now on the call, and we decided that it was a good opportunity for me to speak directly to the folks who had taken such a liking to my work and legacy.

One thing thats been interesting to observe during the life cycle of this film is that theres all this confusion over whether Lydia Tar is a real person. What do you make of that?

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Well, if I wasnt a real person, would we be speaking at this very moment?

You got me there. Lets talk about Oscar nominations. How do you feel about how Tar made out?

Well, I cant say Im surprised about the nominations. Ive been a part of Academy Award campaigns before, but this is the first time Ive experienced so much overwhelming support for my work, particularly online. Its a new beast, and I have mixed feelings about the film itself, but it feels gratifying to be welcomed so warmly by the films fans.

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Cate Blanchetts portrayal of you got a nomination. I think that was expected.

Yes, and Ive known Cate for a long time. Shes a very hard worker. Id be wrong to deny that we have quite an uncanny resemblance, and I think she really put in the work to try to pick up on all of my mannerisms. This is a little-known fact, but there are a couple of shots in the film of conducting where my hands make an uncredited cameo. Theyre actually my hands, not Cates. But I couldnt be happier for her. And I think shes a very generous performer. I anticipate shell do well during the race.

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I dont know what your relationship is like with Todd Field. Are things contentious there?

Well, if Im being honest, I was quite unhappy when I first saw the cut. Ive spoken to Todd about it, and Ive continued to assert that many events in the film are untrue works of fiction. But I wont deny that I can be a prickly authoritarian at times, and if thats ever rubbed anyone the wrong way, Im sorry for that. But I think those whove known me for a long time are familiar with my warmth and fairness, and I wish a little bit more of that wouldve come through in the film.

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Its water under the bridge between me and Todd. Weve been amicable these past several weeks. And I think part of that has been seeing that, in spite of the betrayal, folks have really come to discover me and my work. Theyve really become supporters of it, and theyve engaged more deeply with classical music, which, thank God for that. But yes, I feel as close as I can to humbled by it all.

So, your publicist has been helping you with your Twitter account?

Yes. I mean, certainly everything that comes through is Lydia Tar, as in myself and my publicist. She purely takes a look now and then.

Do you want to give her a shout-out?

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Well, heres a funny thing about my publicist. As you can imagine, after everything that happened recently, I felt it was time I shook up my team a little bit. And I went in an unconventional direction. I went with this comedian in Chicago. Shes actually here with me today, Daniellaoh, whats your last name? Its something Italian. But I went with a comedian because I thought, who else might know how to navigate these murky, uncertain waters of public outrage?

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Was it her idea to secure your website, lydiatar.com, before the film was able to snatch it from you?

Yes. But I wouldnt say before they could snatch it from us. Of course, its always been mine to have, but we kept it quiet for a while. The internet can be such a treacherous place to be at times that we werent sure that the website was going to be very productive for a while. But again, once we saw the success of the film, we got the website back up and runninglydiatar.comand we figured it was a great place to really remind people about my work separate from the film. And of course, my book, Tar on Tar, is forthcoming.

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Is your Wikipedia page also on your and your publicists agenda?

Yes, thats certainly something weve been looking at. We had to shut my Wikipedia page down because unfortunately, folks just kept adding reckless misinformation to the page. Weve been discussing reinstating it.

Whats it like to interact with people on Twitter? What do you make of film Twitter, if youve waded into that?

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Oh, well, its been a hoot. I used to have a very negative opinion of those sorts of interactions. I think it can be troublesome to be unfiltered or to have unilateral access to folks who support or deride you on the internet. But Ive received quite a bit of support on there. As for film Twitter, Id have to ask my publicist more about what that even means. But Ive certainly noticed a lot of cinephiles and film buffs whove really taken to me and my work. Ive seen some of the opinions of the film, and Ive seen some of the  is it memes? Yes, Ive seen some of the memes, and theyve elicited a chuckle now and then. Ive even L-O-L-ed once or twice, which is not  my publicist is confirming  its not a frequency with me. But Ive really enjoyed it.

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Ive gotten some interesting responses from what Ive been informed is called stan Twitter, which I still only have sort of the faintest of grasps around, but some folks who have started to call me mother, or even at times father, and Im not quite sure why. But Ive been told its a compliment.

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Is Elon Musk someone you know socially? Have you spoken to him about Twitter at all?

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Oh, well, Elon and I, we used to run in similar circles way back when. Ive certainly been at a party or two where weve made conversation, and Im a Tesla driver now and then. But what can I say? Sometimes things are just flat-out embarrassing, and I think folks should feel embarrassed when they behave in such a way in the public forum.

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That said, Id be willing to speak to him if he ever wanted to talk about the Twitter account. I think its very problematic that I havent been verified yet, despite my longstanding history. He knows me. Weve spoken. And Im certainly not going to pay for Twitter Blue to prove that I am who I am.

You do have some controversial friends and associates. I think there are pictures of you out there with Ghislaine Maxwell.

Oh, well, there might be. I mean, when youre out in a gathering, who knows what sort of people you might be in the presence of? Certainly, a camera can make it look like youre in frame with anyone being chummy. I wouldnt say we ever knew each other that closely, and I certainly didnt know much about what she was up to or what others in her orbit were up to. Weve had a couple of meetings before, but it was purely business. Oh, no, my publicist is making a look. No need to include all of that. Shall we move on?

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You have some well-known followers on Twitter. Any favorites?

I havent had the pleasure of meeting the director Rian Johnson in person yet, but Ive been quite charmed by his Knives Out pictures. And when I saw the most recent one, I thought, you know what would be fun? As I think about new directions for my career, it would be fun if we could somehow make a collaboration come together, whether it be in the next Knives Out film, or perhaps a cameo. We actually shot a little something for his upcoming show Poker Face with Natasha Lyonne. Somehow we werent on set at the same time, but I shot a little cameo, though Ive gotten word it might have not made it in. Im hoping we can work together sometime soon. Weve had a few Twitter interactions, and Im just glad to hear that such a charming man is a fan.

Back to the nominations. Were there any categories that were particularly interesting to you?

Well, I will say for all the qualms that I have about the film, I do find it surprising that the parts that I thought were the greatest strengths of the film, like its technical elements, were otherwise left out, save cinematography and editing. I mean, the re-creation of my various dwellings, my home, my apartmentthe attention to detail was really outstanding. And of course, for sound and score to be left out when thats the crux of who I am; of my work  I found that really, really interesting. I suppose it wouldve been more impressive should my counterpart, Ms. Blanchett, have painted herself blue or something like that. But were still really quite pleased.

Will you be attending the ceremony?

Of course. I will be there, though Im sure I will be sat towards the back. We cant have any confusion with Ms. Blanchett.
Look what you made them do, Taylor Swift.

Democrats, Republicans, and even witnesses came armed with their best Swift puns on Tuesday, as the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to address Ticketmasters disastrous rollout of tickets for Swifts Eras tour late last year. Hundreds of thousands of fans were locked out of Ticketmasters site, despite having presale codes. Many faced hourslong wait times, all while ticket prices skyrocketed from the demand. The president of Ticketmasters parent company, Live Nation, blamed it on bots and a cyberattack.

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Lawmakers were not buying it, questioning whether the company was adhering to a Department of Justice antitrust consent decree. They also dug into how Ticketmaster sets ticket prices and fees, and even accused them of intimidating venues into working with them. And during questioning, they dropped plenty of not-so-subtle Swift referenceswhich we could not resist rounding up:

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You cant have too much consolidation, something that, unfortunately for this country, as an ode to Taylor Swift, I will say we know all too well.

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Klobuchar, chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, borrowed lyrics from All Too Well to suggest Live Nation and Ticketmaster have consolidated power and eliminated competition within the ticketing industry.

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To be honest, I had hoped, as of a few months ago, to get the gavel back, but once again shes cheer captain, and Im on the bleachers.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee

Lee, ranking member of the subcommittee, used Swifts 2008 Fearless single You Belong With Me to allude to his own party not winning an expected majority in the Senate.

A lot of people seem to think thats somehow a solutionI think its a nightmare dressed like a daydream.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee

Lee struck again! This time, he was disagreeing with the idea of removing restrictions on consumers that limit how they can resell purchased tickets, referencing Blank Space from Swifts 1989 album.

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And may I suggest respectfully that Ticketmaster ought to look in the mirror and say, Im the problem. Its me. 

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal

The Connecticut senator referenced Anti-Hero from Swifts Midnights album as he congratulated Live Nation President Joe Berchtold on bringing Democrats and Republicans together in agreement on something, for once.

We have a reputation of fighting among ourselves  but we also have a reputation of being able to solve problems for the nation.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham

This may or may not have been a coincidence, but one could interpret this as a reference to Swifts 2017 album, Reputation.

Their growth has allowed them to innovate and make advances that greatly benefit consumers. A few million Taylor Swift fans would respond: This is why we cant have nice things. 

Sal Nuzzo, senior vice president of the James Madison Institute

Nuzzo, a witness during Tuesdays hearing, referenced Swifts This Is Why We Cant Have Nice Things, also from Reputation, to argue that Ticketmaster and Live Nations market dominance precludes them from prioritizing consumer welfare.
President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz cut a deal on Tuesday: Biden agreed to send Ukraine some Abrams M1 tanks; in response, Scholz agreed to send Ukraine some of its Leopard 2 tanksand to let several European allies send Ukraine some of their Leopards, bought from Germany, as well.

Scholz had resisted sending Leopards, fearful of alienating constituents or provoking Russia into escalating the war further. He had demanded that the United States send some of its main battle tanks as a precondition.

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Now the terms have been agreed upon: The U.S. will send 31 tanks, enough to fill a single Ukrainian tank battaliona substantial but not enormous numberand those will arrive not in weeks, but in several months, and possibly not for another year.

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This is because the tanks will be ordered from the General Dynamics factory, which will have to build them from scratch, and will not be drawn from Americas existing stockpile, though the U.S. Army has about 4,400 Abrams tanks, many of them already in Europe.

I could not get a straight answer when I asked officials why they decided not to take 31 tanks from American stocks and later replace them with newly produced tanks. If they were to do so, the tanks would have to be modifiedexport versions of the Abrams dont have all the high-tech features of those built for the U.S. Armybut that would take less time than building completely new vehicles.

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Until today, officials in the Pentagon and the White House had opposed sending any M1s, saying the tanks were too complextoo prone to breaking down and too dependent on staggering supply lines, especially when it comes to refuelingfor the Ukrainians to operate, maintain, and sustain. As recently as Friday, a White House official told me the administration wasnt sending M1s because it was pointless to send weapons that the Ukrainians couldnt use.

These officials havent changed their minds on this question. Many in the Pentagon still insist that the Abrams is not suitable for the war in Ukraine. However, Biden decided, and many top advisers agreed, that he had to send some M1s in order to prod Scholz into sending Leopards. A few outside advisers had suggested sending a handful of M1s, just for show. However, officials, including those opposed to sending any tanks, thought that this would be worse than nothing: a too-transparent sign that the shipment was merely symbolic. So the compromise was for the U.S. to send just enough to make a tangible difference to the fighthence, enough for a Ukrainian tank battalion.

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It is unclear how tangible a difference they will make. At a background briefing Wednesday morning, a senior administration official said that the Abrams tanks main purpose will be to boost Ukraines long-term defenses, emphasizing the phrase long-term, and adding that they would enhance Ukraines security for the months and years to come. By contrast, the official said, the Leopards, provided by Germany and other European countries, would cover Ukraines short-term defense needs. Some of these tanks will arrive in Ukraine in as soon as a few weeks.

Scholz announced that Germany would send 14 Leopard tanks right away, as a first step. In all, Germany and other European countriesincluding Poland, Spain, Norway, Finland, and possibly otherswill send about 80 tanks, enough for two battalions plus some. Britain has also agreed to send 14 of its Challenger tanks, which are similar to the Abrams and the Leopard. The U.S. and the Netherlands are together sending 90 refurbished Soviet-built T-72 tanks, similar to those that Ukrainea former Soviet republichas been using.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who expressed gratitude to the Western leaders for their decision, has said he needs 300 Western tanks to mount an effective counteroffensive against Russian troops and thus regain Ukrainian territory that Russians have captured. It is unclear how he came to the number 300or how the Western nations calculated the number of tanks they would send. There are disagreements, even among officials tracking the battle, about precisely what, and how much, Ukraine needs. One defense analyst also told me, There is a gap between what Ukrainian officials say they want publicly, what their military says they need privately, and what the U.S. assesses is a priority for them.

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Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus told me in an email that one or two battalions worth of modern Western tanks may not seem to be a lot, but, he added, Having seen what a small number of great tanks with skilled soldiers can do in combat, it is significant, especially if combined with infantry, engineers, air defense, electronic warfare, artillery, and drones. M1s and Leopard 2s are really hard to take out without a sophisticated ATGM [anti-tank guided missile] or skilled tank crew, he said.

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In a televised noontime announcement on Wednesday, Biden said Ukrainians would begin training on Abrams tanks as soon as possible, so they would be ready to use them upon delivery. This suggests that some of their troops will train on M1s that are already deployed, perhaps in Germany, though this wasnt spelled out.

Biden began his announcement on Wednesday by noting that Germany has really stepped up in meeting its defense commitments. (It ranks second only to the U.S. in economic and military aid to Ukraine.) He also praised Scholz personally as a strong, strong force for unity within the Western alliance. This is what the agreement to send Abrams tanks is really abouttouting Scholz publicly as a reward for doing something he was very reluctant to do. It is also meant to preserve the political unity of NATO and the 50-member Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which has held together much longer, and much more firmly, than many had predicted at the start of the war 11 months agobut which Germanys refusal to send Leopards was threatening to disrupt.
On Jan. 10, the news site Urban Milwaukee published excerpts from a post-midterms memo sent by a state Republican Party official to other local members of the GOP. The email, though clogged with needlessly capitalized common nouns, is worth reading as written:

In the City of Milwaukee, with the 4th Congressional District Republican Party working very closely with the RPW, RNC, Republican Assembly & Senate Campaign Committees, Statewide Campaigns and RPMC in the Black and Hispanic areas, we can be especially proud of the City of Milwaukee (80.2% Dem Vote) casting 37,000 less votes than cast in the 2018 election with the major reduction happening in the overwhelming Black and Hispanic areas.

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The memo, written by a man named Robert Spindell, went on to describe these depressed turnout figures as a great and important decrease in Democrat votes in the City that was brought about by a well thought out multi-faceted plan including a substantial & very effective Republican Coordinated Election Integrity program resulting with lots of Republican paid Election Judges & trained Observers & extremely significant continued Court Litigation.

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What does Spindell mean by Republican Coordinated Election Integrity program? And why did he capitalize election integrity but not program?

The answer to the latter question may never be known, but a recent Associated Press piece about Spindells message addresses the former:

Under former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, Republicans in Wisconsin flexed their muscle to implement a voter ID proposal and limit the days and hours of early voting. The conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court last year enacted other GOP priorities when it outlawed ballot drop boxes and said voters cannot have someone else return a ballot on their behalf. Courts also have limited clerks abilities to fill in missing ballot information, such as incomplete addresses.

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Ah, so making it harder to votea phenomenon otherwise known, especially by Democrats and voting-rights activists, as voter suppression.

I qualify that term because it is not a universally agreed upon characterization. The National Review has run at least 17 articles about the so-called myth of voter suppression. It has also been a frequent subject of would-be debunking on Fox News.

The phrase voter suppression has likewise been described as alarmist and inappropriate by conservative figures, including Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who present themselves as relatively sane and reasonable. Indeed within the past month, former Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach Trump, wrote in a Twitter thread that Democrats nebulous claims of voter suppression  were analogous to the theories about rigged voting machines and Italian satellite interference and so forth that animated Jan. 6.

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At issue, of course, is the chargeinherent in the phrasethat voter suppression is discriminatory. No one likes to be called a racist! But are we to believe that limitations on voting in the U.S. are not often inspired by a discriminatory impulse? Especially after reading Spindells message about being proud of the major reduction in voting that his party achieved in Black and Hispanic areas? (For the record, Spindell said, in a follow-up interview with the AP, The last thing I want to do is suppress votes, so  thats what he said.)

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Lets pull back: The Brennan Center for Justice counts 15 other Republican-run states in which restrictive laws have been passed since 2020. Many of these laws were passed after Donald Trump and his supporters said or insinuated that Black voters and election officials cheated Trump out of votes or added votes for Joe Biden during that years election. Rudy Giuliani alleged, for instance, that two Black election workers in Atlanta abetted fraud by passing USB drives to each other as if they were vials of heroin or cocaine. (Not subtle.)

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No actionable evidence of organized fraud or ballot boxstuffing ever emerged after 2020 , even in states under the jurisdiction of Republican prosecutors. (The election workers in Atlanta testified that the item passed between them was a ginger mint.) Still, laws were enacted swiftly that limited the methods of voting known to be disproportionately used by members of minority groups.

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Consider some possibly correlated phenomena: Black voter turnout has declined since its most recent peak in 2012. Latino voter turnout typically lags the national average. And Democrats margin of victory among both Black and Latino Americans who do vote has been gradually shrinking (though it didnt shrink as much in 2022 as some preelection forecasts predicted). The detailed data that will allow researchers to understand how restrictive laws influenced 2022 turnout is still being released and assembled, but Spindells email suggests that at least one reason Democrats might not be banking the traditional margins among these voters has to do with the fact that Republicans are designing laws to stop them from voting.

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All of this seems simple enough. But much of the discussion of the Democrats problems with Black and Latino voters, whether in newspaper opinion sections or between strategists like James Carville and Ruy Texeira, is about what would seem to be a different topic altogethernamely, whether the institutional Democratic Party has become too dominated by college graduates whose condescending social liberalism alienates working-class voters of color.

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One manifestation of the allegedly off-putting wokeness that often comes up in this discourse is the use of academic or ideological phrases like systemic racism. This is what strategist David Shor said about the topic in 2021 in a conversation with New York magazines Eric Levitz:

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As white liberals increasingly define the partys image and messaging, thats going to turn off nonwhite conservative Democrats and push them against us.  In liberal circles, racism has been defined in highly ideological terms. And this theoretical perspective on what racism means and the nature of racial inequality have become a big part of the group identity of college-educated Democrats, white and nonwhite. But its not necessarily how most nonwhite, working-class people understand racism.

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Influential center-left pundit Matt Yglesias took issue with the phrase voter suppression even more specifically when Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer used it in January 2022.

Its difficult to quantify how damaging the use of a specific academic concept or phrase like systemic racism or voter suppression is to Democratic politicians, though some polling groups have nonetheless made admirable efforts toward doing so.

But many Democrats clearly believe Shor is correctas do many Republicans, most significantly Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Perhaps no other conservative politician has jumped on the idea that voters hate Democrats for their high-minded academia-ness than DeSantis.

In his time in office, DeSantis has passed many laws, including a Stop WOKE Act that essentially seeks (among other things) to prohibit claims about systemic racism from being made by teachers and employers. This month, the state also announced that it would not allow a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies to be offered in its high schools, saying that the curriculum was contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.

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Separately, interestingly, Florida has passed restrictive voting laws under DeSantis that have added steps to the mail voting process, limited the availability of ballot drop boxes, increased the amount that voter-registration groups can be fined for failing to meet filing deadlines, and created an election police force that made showy arrests of 20 ex-felons last fall for allegedly committing voter fraud. (A follow-up report by NPR suggests that many of those charges will be dismissed or result in plea bargains for which the convicted individuals will face literally no punishment.)

How is one supposed to respond to this reality without making some sort of claim about the nature of racial inequality? Woke language may have its costs, but so does actual systemic racism, whether it shows up in limits on education or limits on voting. Its a conundrum that creates moments like this one, from a speech Biden gave at a Martin Luther King Day event:

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The ideaif we can hold a second herethe idea that were supposed to remain silent on the abuses of the past, as if they didnt occur? the president asked, referring broadly to the backlash, led by DeSantis and others, against education that takes race into account. Thats not being woke; thats being honest. Thats talking about history.

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To be pedantic, though, remembering the abuses of the past (and raising consciousness about their legacy) is what being woke means, or originally meant. Speaking of which: A few days before Bidens speech, his administration announced a $31 million real-estate discrimination (or redlining) settlement, the largest ever of its kind, with Californias City National Bank. According to the government, only 3 of City Nationals 37 branches were in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, despite Los Angeles County being 60 percent Black or Latino; the bank purportedly accepted six times fewer loan applications in Black or Latino areas than did some of its competitors.

Still, with the way things are, you could see why Biden felt he had to say that being woke isnt what it is. Or was.

Continued the president, after the comment quoted above:

Well, folks, we have a lot of unfinished work to do, though. A lot of unfinished work. We have to keep building on it and defend our progress, because this new Congressthis new Congress  (sighs)  (laughter)

Pause, sighs, laughter. Indeed.
Connecticut House Republicans introduced legislation that would tighten restrictions on the states cannabis market, including an outright ban on edible cannabis sales.

At a press conference in Hartford Tuesday, Republican lawmakers expressed concern over an anticipated increase in impaired driving fatalities, pediatric cannabis overdoses, and health risks after recreational cannabis sales became a reality. They said their newly proposed H.B. 5434 aims to tackle these issues with more stringent regulations.

In addition to codifying current Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection policy into state statute, H.B. 5434 seeks to prohibit the sale of all edible cannabis products, curtail public consumption, repeal restrictions on law enforcement for cannabis-related stops and searches, and allow day care and school staff to stop parents from picking up their children when they are under the influence of cannabis.

Among its 13 provisions, the proposal also calls on the state to suspend retail cannabis sales until Connecticuts drug recognition expert certification program becomes operational.

People are now realizing that it is no joking matter, House Minority Leader Rep. Vincent Candelora said. Theres conversations of actually expanding the program and making it even more accessible to the public at a time when we havent even gotten our arms around the enforcement and the safety pieces of this. [This] is looking to put some better guardrails around the system that we have in place.

On Thursday the General Law Committee voted to reserve the bill for a subject matter public hearing. The date of the hearing is not yet determined.

Candelora said that the legislation would clarify Connecticuts requirements concerning child-proofing cannabis containers, the use of non-enticing packaging, THC dosage and servings, and potency, which are currently stipulated in CDCP policy, not legal code.

Among other policies, the CDCP requires that all cannabis containers be child-resistant, tamper-proof, opaque and either all-black or all-white, with clearly defined labels. Edible servings must be physically demarcated and readily separable with no more than 5 milligrams per serving and 100 milligrams per container. THC concentrations can not exceed 30% for flower or bud, and 60% for edibles, vape cartridges, and other consumption methods.

Candelora and others believe that the legislature should determine regulations in the cannabis market.

The law allows for the DCP to impose [restrictions]. The Democrats didnt want to set a [THC] limit statute, we wanted it in statute. And so we have to wait for the mercy of bureaucrats to sit around and make decisions on what this animal should look like, Candelora said. Its left in the hands of bureaucrats and we believe these policies need to come back to the legislature.

Candelora said that his party does not have a specific concentration recommendation at the moment, but he believes all concentrations should fall in the 30% range.

Ranking member of the General Law Committee Rep. David Rutigliano said that the proposal to ban edible sales altogether is aimed at opening up dialogue about the cannabis consumption method to hopefully establish more regulations.

At least were going to have a conversation about edibles, Rutigliano said. This goes back to dosing and concentration.  If youre in Massachusetts and they say, Well, the dose is the ear. Its four doses per gummy. This is ripe for abuse and people getting sick and trips to the emergency room. It should be a single serving. The dosing should be the actual gummy, not an ear or a foot.'

The bill also aims to officially end gas station, smoke shop and convenience store sales of all THC variants by eliminating ambiguity in the public perception of the current law which Candelora said has lacked an enforcement arm.

Rutigliano said a survey in his town of Trumbull found that eight locations were selling delta-8 and delta-9 THC which can induce intoxicating effects. Rutigliano said that one of the locations sold the product in an illegal manner in the form of cookies and knock-off Oreos.

This was a simple vape shop. It wasnt a retail marijuana location, Rutigliano said.

Ranking member of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee Rep. Holly Cheeseman said young people and all motorists need more information about how cannabis can impair function. Language in the bill would require a drivers education module on the dangers of operating a vehicle while under the influence of cannabis before getting a license.

It would also mandate packaging labels stating that cannabis use may be addictive, lead to birth defects, or cause psychosis.

Were asking for the same government health warning that you see on cigarettes, Cheeseman said.

Cheeseman, Candelora and Rutigliano also focused on reports of pediatric THC overdoses from accidental child consumption of cannabis.

With no data analyst on the Connecticut Poison Control Center staff, Dr. Suzanne Doyon, the medical director of the CPCC, said that the center does not have readily available statistics on the number of cannabis overdose calls.

My gut feeling is [the overdose] call volume is unchanged because there are very few edibles sold in [Connecticut] right now, Doyon said.

Doyon estimates that it would take at least two to three more months to gauge the impact of Connecticuts nascent recreational cannabis sales on the number of pediatric exposures.

Alison Cross can be reached at across@courant.com.
Jabs will be available from Monday, January 30.

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The Health Ministry announced last Friday that new Covid-19 vaccines have arrived in Slovakia and will be rolled out by the end of the month.

Is the new Covid-19 subvariant Kraken circulating in Slovakia yet? What kind of vaccines are available? When will people be able to get the new vaccinations and who specifically should get vaccinated against Kraken?

The Sme daily has prepared a special guide for readers, with answers to all the important questions about Kraken and the new vaccines.

Is the Kraken subvariant already in Slovakia?
The Alabama football program recently lost its offensive coordinator to the New England Patriots. On Tuesday morning, news quickly spread that Bill OBrien was headed to Foxborough to join Bill Belichicks coaching staff.

On Tuesday evening, ESPNs Chris Low reported that offensive coordinator candidate Dan Mullen would be continuing his role as a college football analyst. Some Alabama fans may have had Mullen penciled in as the teams future offensive coordinator. Well, that will not be the case.

Mullen has a history of developing quarterbacks like Tim Tebow, Dak Prescott, and Kyle Trask. Through his stops at Mississippi State and Florida, Mullen cemented himself as one of the most prolific play-callers in the country.

Alabama will have plenty of options to choose from in its search for the programs next offensive coordinator. Mullen can be taken off the list for the time being.

In talking to several close to the situation, Dan Mullen is not a candidate for @AlabamaFTBLs OC job. Mullen has enjoyed the time away from coaching to be with his family and also wants to concentrate on his TV career as a football analyst.  Chris Low (@ClowESPN) January 25, 2023

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding Alabamas offensive coordinator opening.

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10 candidates to be Alabama's next offensive coordinator

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BY THE NUMBERS: Bryce Young vs. Will Levis

Story originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230124/nearly-half-of-new-york-republican-voters-want-george-santos-to-resign-poll-finds-1106667526.html

Nearly Half of New York Republican Voters Want George Santos to Resign, Poll Finds

Nearly Half of New York Republican Voters Want George Santos to Resign, Poll Finds

Almost half of registered Republicans in New York agree Rep. George Santos should resign amid a slew of controversies enveloping the politician, a recent Siena College Research Institute Poll has found.

2023-01-24T23:02+0000

2023-01-24T23:02+0000

2023-01-24T22:56+0000

americas

us politics

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Almost half of registered Republicans in New York agree Rep. George Santos should resign amid a slew of controversies enveloping the politician, a recent Siena College Research Institute Poll has found. The Monday poll determined that 59% of surveyed registered voters believe Santos should resign while only 17% believe he should remain in office, and that at least 56% have an unfavorable view of the representative.The poll also detailed that at least 49% of Republican voters believe Santos should resign from Congress compared to 17% of Republicans who say he shouldnt.It is fascinating that Santos has gone from largely unknown freshman representative-elect to being more well known to New Yorkers than Brooklyns Hakeem Jeffries, just elected to his sixth term and the new US House minority leader. Although it must be pointed out that Jeffries is viewed favorably, 33-20%.The poll was conducted among 821 registered voters between January 15 and January 19.Investigations into Santos are underway after he admitted to lying about his educational background, as well as his work history. The representative made false claims he had received degrees from New York University and Baruch College, and had worked for Goldman Sachs as well as Citigroup. Santos even fabricated stories about his religion while on the campaign trail.As Santos admission to lying on his resume went viral, new insights into his personal life came to the surface with a former Santos acquaintance claiming he had performed as a drag queen while growing up in Brazil.George had disappeared for a little while, and then returned to Brazil with a lot of money, and that was about the same time when the picture was taken, said Eula Rochard, Santos former acquaintance. Rochard reportedly stated that while Santos has changed a lot he was always a liar."It's a soap opera, in effect," added Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive and one of the New York republicans urging Santos to resign. "It's very clear to me that he has emotional issues and he needs to get help. And if he wants to rehabilitate his life, it starts with resigning from Congress."Santos has yet to respond to the poll's findings; in fact, he posted to Twitter on Sunday that he was looking forward to being back on Capitol Hill, adding he has a surprise for the "journalists" he predicts will be staked outside his office. This statement was made by the representative a day before his disastrous poll results.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230119/us-republican-congressman-santos-allegedly-performed-as-drag-queen-in-brazil-1106503687.html

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polling, george santos, new york republican voters,
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/at-least-one-person-killed-in-japan-by-heavy-snowfalls-authorities-claim-1106673958.html

At Least One Person Killed in Japan by Heavy Snowfalls, Authorities Claim

At Least One Person Killed in Japan by Heavy Snowfalls, Authorities Claim

Heavy snowfalls that hit Japan on Wednesday morning have resulted in the death of at least one and supposedly killed two other citizens.

2023-01-25T06:10+0000

2023-01-25T06:10+0000

2023-04-06T12:15+0000

asia

snowfall

traffic jam

japan

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At least 400 domestic flights were canceled in Japan due to heavy snowfall, including 177 flights operated by the Japan Airlines and 111 flights of the All Nippon Airways, Japanese broadcaster reported. In addition, the bad weather caused traffic jams stretching from 14 to 30 miles in Japanese prefectures of Shiga and Kyoto and between Mie and Hyogo, Japanese news portal reported. Some drivers have been reportedly stuck in the traffic jams for more than 10 hours already. Japanese media reported earlier in the day that at least 13 people have been hospitalized after spending up to 10 hours on trains that had been blocked by heavy snowfalls between the city of Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture and the Biwako station in Shiga Prefecture. The Japanese media reported that about 100 vehicles had been blocked on a highway near the town of Tarami in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture. According to the media, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways were planning to cancel over 200 flights on Wednesday, and East Japan Railway was set to suspend bullet train service between Fukushima and Shinjo. A cold front hit Japan earlier this week, bringing heavy snowfalls and temperatures below freezing. The temperature in the town of Rikubetsu on Hokkaido Island on Wednesday morning fell to minus 26.9 degrees Celsius (-16.4 degrees Fahrenheit). The temperature in Tokyo was minus 3 degrees Celsius, while the temperature in Osaka was 2 degrees Celsius below zero. Up to 88 centimeters (34 inches) of snow fell overnight in several regions.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/boko-haram-militants-surrender-to-nigerian-army-after-clash-with-rival-iswap-reports-say-1106685777.html

Boko Haram Militants Surrender to Nigerian Army After Clash With Rival ISWAP, Reports Say

Boko Haram Militants Surrender to Nigerian Army After Clash With Rival ISWAP, Reports Say

At least 214 fleeing Boko Haram militants have laid down their weapons, surrendering to the Nigerian Army in the northeast of the country after a deadly clash with the rival ISWAP terrorist group, local media has reported.

2023-01-25T12:21+0000

2023-01-25T12:21+0000

2023-01-25T12:21+0000

africa

west africa

nigeria

boko haram insurgency

boko haram

boko haram violence in central africa

terrorism

counter-terrorism

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At least 214 fleeing Boko Haram militants have laid down their weapons, surrendering to the Nigerian Army in the northeast of the country after a deadly clash with the rival ISWAP terrorist group, local media has reported. ISWAP militants reportedly conducted several attacks on Boko Haram fighters in Mantari and Maimusari in Bama, Borno state. The group dislodged Boko Haram members, killing many of them and forcing those who managed to escape to flee their camps. Following the attack, the Boko Haram fighters who fled the battlefield reportedly surrendered to Nigerian troops based in Konduga and Banki, Borno state. Earlier this month, the Nigerian Army ordered the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in the northeastern region to lay down their arms. The military urged the terrorists to copy the other insurgents who had already surrendered to troops in Borno state, or otherwise face the country's armed forces. The ISWAP group was previously part of Boko Haram before its split about seven years ago, pledging allegiance to Daesh*. The split was mainly caused by religious and ideological disagreements over Boko Haram's actions, in particular, in targeting civilians, to which ISWAP objected. Since, the groups have been in violent rivalry. Boko Haram and ISWAP have been at odds for years. In particular, in 2021, the Islamic State's West African branch launched an offensive into the Sambisa Forest, a hideout for Boko Haram. The offensive resulted in the death of the spiritual leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau. Nigerian officials later stated that Shekau killed himself by detonating a suicide vest. Terrorism and insurgent violence carried out by the terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram, is one of the major drivers of insecurity across northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin. According to UN estimates, several thousands of people were killed and more than two million displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency since 2011.As the Nigerian government has recently made strides in retaking and stabilizing large portions of the region, affected residents are gradually restoring their lives, even though the fight against terrorists is ongoing. In December, according to officials, over 5,700 people from northeastern Nigeria who took shelter in Cameroon and Niger six years ago following attacks by the terrorist group returned to their homes. * terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other states

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210606/boko-haram-leader-dead-by-suicide-says-daesh-west-africa-franchise-1083086304.html

africa

west africa

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west africa, nigeria, boko haram, nigerian army, the islamic state's west africa province (iswap), terrorism, terrorist attacks, insurgency
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/colonial-hubris-behind-french-accusations-of-russian-burkina-faso-interference-analyst-says-1106696161.html

'Colonial Hubris' Behind French Accusations of Russian Burkina Faso Interference, Analyst Says

'Colonial Hubris' Behind French Accusations of Russian Burkina Faso Interference, Analyst Says

"Colonial hubris" is the reason why France does not accept African countries' sovereign decisions and blames Russia for interfering, Bayala Lianhoue Imhotep, Burkinabe civil society actor and political analyst, says.

2023-01-25T15:18+0000

2023-01-25T15:18+0000

2023-01-25T15:23+0000

africa

west africa

burkina faso

france

russia

military

withdrawal

troops

sahel region

africa insight

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"Colonial hubris" is the reason why France does not accept African countries' sovereign decisions and blames Russia for interfering, Bayala Lianhoue Imhotep, Burkinabe civil society leader and political analyst, told Sputnik in an interview.The French military is present in Burkina Faso in accordance with a 2018 agreement, aimed at countering the jihadist threat. The West African state and former French colony is among the countries most affected by an Islamist insurgency, which started in 2011 in the Sahel region.In September 2022, a military government led by Captain Ibrahim Traore came to power in Burkina Faso after a coup. Since, there has been a deterioration of relations between the African country and the former metropolitan power. The government suspended the broadcast of French state-owned RFI Radio and declared the French Ambassador Luc Hallade persona non grata.Recently, demonstrations gathered in Ouagadougou to demand that Hallade leave.Commenting on the French reaction to the development of the situation, the analyst said that French foreign policy is characterized by "a lack of anticipation [...] in relation to the social dynamics of African societies, to the dynamics of African opinion."Earlier, France's President Macron accused Russia of pursuing a "predatory project" in Mali, which is also situated in the Sahel region and is in circumstances similar to those in Burkina Faso. An anti-terrorist French military mission under the label of Operation Barkhane operated in Mali from 2014 to 2022. Relations between Mali and France became strained after the 2021 coup, leading to the withdrawal of French troops in August 2022.According to Bayala, African countries started viewing France as a "true enemy", but in response, the former colonial power claimed that "any action against France, in Africa or in Burkina is Russian manipulation."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230124/lavrov-russia-respects-partners-refusing-to-follow-orders-from-former-colonial-empires-1106642120.html

africa

west africa

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Petr Baryshnikov

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/echr-rules-ukraine-individual-complaints-against-russia-on-2014-events-unacceptable-judge-1106697048.html

ECHR Rules Ukraine Individual Complaints Against Russia on 2014 Events Unacceptable: Judge

ECHR Rules Ukraine Individual Complaints Against Russia on 2014 Events Unacceptable: Judge

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that individual complaints of Ukraine against Russia concerning the transfer of children from eastern Ukraine in 2014 unacceptable.

2023-01-25T15:11+0000

2023-01-25T15:11+0000

2023-01-25T15:11+0000

world

european court of human rights (echr)

strasbourg

european convention of human rights

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In 2014, Ukraine lodged a complaint with the Strasbourg-based court, claiming that the children were abducted in June and August 2014 in eastern Ukraine and temporarily transferred to Russia in violation of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. The judge said that Moscow did not deny the fact that Ukrainian children were transferred to Russia, and that Kiev failed to prove that means of domestic legal protection had no chance of success, so the individual complaints against Russia were declared unacceptable.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/german-to-deliver-14-leopard-2-tanks-to-ukraine-cabinet-confirms-1106683573.html

German Defense Minister: Ukraine Will Get Leopard 2 Tanks in 3-4 Months at the Earliest

German Defense Minister: Ukraine Will Get Leopard 2 Tanks in 3-4 Months at the Earliest

On Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly pledged that Berlin would deliver a company of the countrys Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.

2023-01-25T10:42+0000

2023-01-25T10:42+0000

2023-01-25T13:25+0000

world

germany

ukraine

deliveries

special operation

tanks

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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has announced that the Leopard 2 tanks will be delivered to Ukraine no earlier than in 3-4 months. This came after government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told reporters on Wednesday that Berlin had decided to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The decision was made following intensive negotiations held with Germany's closest European and international partners, the official added.Germany's European partners, in turn, will also hand over Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, the official said.Additionally, Germany's new aid package will include ammunition, system maintenance, and assistance in logistics, according to the spokesman. Berlins choice to supply tanks to Kiev means the final rejection of Germanys historical responsibility to the Russian people, the embassy stressed.The Russian diplomats added that Germany and its close allies are not interested in a diplomatic resolution of the Ukrainian crisis and that they want to escalate tensions.The developments come after German media cited unnamed sources as saying that Scholz had decided to deliver a company of the countrys Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine following months of debate.Washington and its allies increased their military support for Kiev after Russia began its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after a request for help from the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.Moscow has condemned the US and its allies military assistance to Kiev, which the Kremlin says adds to prolonging the Ukrainian conflict. Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned last year that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would become "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221225/poll-almost-half-of-germans-opposing-sending-tanks-to-ukraine-1105784428.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230123/what-is-the-leopard-2-tank-and-why-is-its-possible-delivery-to-kiev-so-explosively-contentious-1106621828.html

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germany's delivery of 14 leopard 2 tanks to ukraine, russian special military operation in ukraine, berlin's military support for ukraine
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/hes-not-picasso-us-house-oversight-panel-looks-into-hunter-biden-artwork-sale-again-1106702895.html

'He's Not Picasso': US House Oversight Panel Looks Into Hunter Biden Artwork Sale... Again

'He's Not Picasso': US House Oversight Panel Looks Into Hunter Biden Artwork Sale... Again

The US House Oversight Committee is again requesting information from the Georges Berges Gallery on the anonymous purchase of art made by Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, Chairman James Comer said on Wednesday.

2023-01-25T18:09+0000

2023-01-25T18:09+0000

2023-01-25T18:11+0000

americas

us

joe biden

hunter biden

gop

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"Your arrangement with Hunter Biden raises serious ethics concerns and calls into question whether the Biden family is again selling access and influence. Despite being a novice artist, Hunter Biden received exorbitant amounts of money selling his artwork, the buyers identities remain unknown, and you appear to be the sole record keeper of these lucrative transactions," Comer said in a letter to gallery namesake Georges Berges. The request comes as part of the Oversight Committee investigation into whether Biden and his family engaged in foreign or domestic influence peddling schemes, the letter said. Republicans on the panel made a similar request during the last Congress, although they held a minority in the House at that time. The committee is also requesting Berges appear for a transcribed interview, the letter said. Hunter Bidens latest artwork sells for between $55,000-$225,000, the letter said, citing gallery advertisements. Comer also issued a statement on Wednesday in which he questioned why anyone would pay top dollar for "arguably worthless" art, adding that Hunter Biden is "no Pablo Picasso." Foreign adversaries of the United States, including China, have used sham art sales to launder money and evade sanctions, Comer said in the statement. The committee is requesting Berges produce information related to communications with the White House and Hunter Biden, the setting of prices for Bidens artwork and the purchasers of the artwork, the letter said. The committee expects Berges to produce the requested information no later than February 8 and to schedule the interview to appear prior to February 15, the letter added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20211207/biden-adm-stresses-art-world-full-of-corruption-as-hunter-sells-his-artwork-for-lots-of-money-1091303363.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/how-afro-colombian-women-braided-escape-maps-and-kept-gold-in-their-hair-1106693765.html

How Afro-Colombian Women Braided Escape Maps and Kept Gold in Their Hair

How Afro-Colombian Women Braided Escape Maps and Kept Gold in Their Hair

Sputnik spoke with a sociologist Lemeva Leidys Valderrama about the examples of resistance of Afro-Colombian communities in her country, as well as the current challenges in the fight against racism.

2023-01-25T16:02+0000

2023-01-25T16:02+0000

2023-01-25T16:02+0000

africa

colonialism

neocolonialism

latin america

columbia

racism

hair

slavery

slave trade

afro-american

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The Afro-descendant heritage is clear and problems of racism and discrimination from the colonial period persist in today's Colombia.According to the Colombian government's National Department of Statistics (DANE), the black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquero population of the South American country totals more than 4.6 million people, or 9.34% of Colombia's population.Sputnik spoke with Afro-Colombian sociologist Lemeva Leidys Valderrama about some examples of resistance by these communities in her country, as well as the current challenges in the fight against racism."These consequences [from colonial slavery] survive, and this epistemic racism is real and tangible, and it survives in reality; Afro-descendant populations in Colombia continue to suffer from it," Valderrama summarized.Black King Against SlaveryAt the end of the 16th century, a period in which the conquest and colonization of several territories of the American continent was consolidated in the hands of the Spanish Empire, a leader emerged against the trafficking of millions of kidnapped and enslaved people of African origin. His name was Domingo Benkos Bioho.Probably originally from Guinea-Bissau, Benkos Bioho was kidnapped by Portuguese traffickers and sent to Cartagena de Indias, "one of the main slave ports that the Spanish had in their colonies in the Caribbean and South America" on the northern coast of Colombia.Thus, Palenqueros and Maroons escaping oppression developed social and cultural networks in their own communities to resist slavery in the New Kingdom of Granada, the name for the region during the colonial period.In addition to his struggle for the Blacks of Colombia, this social leader led the process of building the precursors of the modern state through the organization of palenques, or free towns for escaped slaves, according to the expert consulted, made up of men and women who had escaped from slavery."Benkos Biho became a leader who made it possible to transform the imaginary around the process of colonization and enslavement, showing that it was possible to escape this practice, this institution, and also that new conditions should be generated to inhabit these new territories, these territories built as palenques," Valderrama noted.Importance of HairThe sociologist says that Benko's Bioho remains alive in the resistance of Afro-descendant women who continue to weave their identity processes, in which hair has played a fundamental role.Using braids and combs, these women built maps of freedom on their heads to live, in addition to saving seeds, the sociologist explained, for resistance and food supply in places of struggle.Sociologist Lina Maria Vargas Alvarez, a graduate of the National University of Colombia, studied how hair was used to plan these liberation strategies. "In order to plan the escape from their masters, the women gathered around the heads of the smallest ones and, thanks to the observation from the mountains, they designed a map full of paths and escape routes, locating the highest mountains, rivers and trees," she noted in her thesis Poetica del peinado colombiano (Poetics of the Colombian Hairstyle).A swampy terrain was represented in the hairstyles with furrows, in addition to tracing the displacements according to the direction of the hair, Vargas Alvarez explained in a testimony collected in her academic work."When they went to the fields, when they went to sow, they went through the mountains, so they knew where the mountain was more, more difficult for the others to reach them, so they wove the fabric, let's say, of the strategy," she explained.In addition to collecting seeds, Afro-descendant women also kept valuables such as gold and platinum in their hair to use to their advantage and to protect them from thieves and slavers.Lively Gatherings Around HairSociologist Vargas Alvarez also noted that hair continues to represent a meeting space, as hair salons are used by Afro-Colombian communities to meet and share, as areas of identification.Other examples of creativity toward liberation can be found in Afro-descendant spirituality, she noted, as the ancestors used the Christianity imposed by the conquerors to hide in it the roots of their own religious creed."This spirituality survives and is reflected in the mortuary rites through which the dead are said goodbye, and there are different rites for different ages or different types of representations depending on the rank of leadership or importance that the person has in their community, if they are a wise man or if they are a child, the mortuary rite is different," she explained.Afro-descendant deities, she described, bypassed the ideological vigilance of the Catholic Church to continue to express themselves among Colombians."These Maroons and libertarians built their own language using the elements of the language that was imposed in that colonization - slavery - and the elements that they managed to reserve or preserve from Africa."Violence Still Being ExercisedRacial discrimination is still practiced in Colombia, Valderrama denounced, and it is particularly evident, as she illustrates, in the invisibility of their contributions to the process of nation-building in this South American country.According to Valderrama, these populations practice the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which, according to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), supports the belief that there is a universal human bond that invites mutual care through an essential connection.University Professor Jaco Hoffman, a lecturer in South Africa, explains that the underlying concept of Ubuntu is respect for oneself and others. "So, if you are able to see others, even strangers, as full human beings, you will never treat them badly or as if they were inferior."During Colombian President Gustavo Petro's presidential campaign, the Afro-descendant Francia Marquez, Colombia's first black woman vice president, was the focus of racist attacks because of her background, Valderrama recalled.Making Afro-Descendant President InvisibleThe sociologist denounces that invisibilization contributes to the constant violence that Afro-Colombian populations continue to be accused of being ugly. A clear example of this is the erasure from history of Colombia's first Afro-descendant president.It was not until the administration of Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018) that the figure of Juan Jose Nieto Gil was recovered and his presence in Colombian political life was recognized, the expert noted.The testimonies of resistance of the black and Afro-descendant community in Colombia, despite their political eloquence, have also been erased and minimized by official history, Valderrama said."It has been the Afro-descendant population itself, with a minimal participation of academia, that has been able to make visible these contributions and these other realities of struggle and transformation of Afro-descendant populations," the sociologist acknowledged.The appearance of these populations in official books was allowed only when they articulated discrimination against them and discrediting stigmas, such as accusing them of laziness or encapsulating them in prejudices such as "they were only good for dancing".Importance of RepresentationIt is not in the hands of Vice President Francia Marquez to reverse a structural problem such as Colombian racism, much less with magic formulas, asserts sociologist Valderrama, but it is important to see her occupy spaces of power because it will allow boys and girls to feel capable of reaching them, more confident.In addition, she noted that both Petro and Marquez have promoted policies that address Colombia's racial problem and open the door to the demands of these communities in a process that involves the whole country in recognizing its diversity.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221204/modern-slavery-all-around-us-african-activists-experts-warn-1105020980.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221028/era-of-colonization-is-over-nigerien-activist-says-1102792734.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/how-us-big-tech-is-swarmed-with-ex-spooks--why-this-rings-alarm-bells-1106702182.html

How US Big Tech is Swarmed With Ex-Spooks & Why This Rings Alarm Bells

How US Big Tech is Swarmed With Ex-Spooks & Why This Rings Alarm Bells

Former US intelligence agents are increasingly occupying Big Tech jobs to regulate "free speech" in the US, American investigative journalists warn. 25.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-25T18:09+0000

2023-01-25T18:09+0000

2023-01-25T18:09+0000

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At least 200 former CIA, FBI, NSA, National Security Council and DHS workers have recently landed Silicon Valley jobs, US-based conservative media Just the News has found in a LinkedIn job history review of hundreds of Big Tech senior employees.Many former federal agents, intel analysts and psychological operations experts are likewise currently overseeing content moderation units regulating supposed "disinformation" and dissent, according to the outlet founded by US investigative journalist John Solomon in 2020.To illustrate their point, the US investigative journalists cite a Meta* video featuring Aaron Berman, the company's product policy manager for disinformation. Apparently, some Meta users are unaware that the modest and smiling man spent a decade and a half as a CIA analyst before joining the Silicon Valley giant.Likewise, it appears that nobody cares that Nick Rossmann, former CIA analyst who allegedly compared anti-vaxxers with Nazis on Twitter and called former President Donald Trump a "lunatic and racist" is now a senior manager of trust & safety at Google.According to US investigative journalists, Jacqueline Lopour, another CIA veteran and supporter of Hillary Clinton, is currently working in the role of "Google Senior Manager, Intel Collection, Trust & Safety." According to her LinkedIn profile, she manages "Intel operations spanning multiple threat verticals, including violent extremism, cyber threats, misinformation, hate speech, spam, fraud, security and privacy, and more."In 2017, Lopour promoted the narrative that Donald Trump "colluded" with Moscow in order to win the US presidency. In particular, she told a Canadian broadcaster that "They [Russia] deliberately released the DNC information to Wikileaks ... with the specific motivation of helping Trump get elected." Alas, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's multi-million investigation failed to find any proof of such "collusion."It appears that neither of the aforementioned figures could be regarded as completely unbiased and trustworthy arbiters by Americans.On January 11, Donald Trump released a video address in which he said that "the FBI and other rogue agencies have been systematically colluding with former national security officials placed in high positions at Twitter and very likely other companies to advance their censorship regime."Tesla CEO Elon Musk's bombshell dump of the Twitter Files indicated that the FBI meddled in the social media giant's decision-making process and amplified its censorship practices. Furthermore, the bureau apparently instructed Twitter how and when to suppress the legit Hunter Biden laptop story under the false pretext that it was a Russian "hack-and-leak" operation. Moreover, former FBI counsel James Baker, an ardent defender of the bureau's Trump-Russia probe who was personally involved in securing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to spy on Donald Trump's aide Carter Page, got a good job at Twitter. Baker, Twitter's deputy general counsel, was eventually sacked by Elon Musk after the former tried to "vet" the "Twitter Files" which were made accessible by Musk for US journalists.The US conservative media outlet warns that former spooks are now using skills which they gained while fighting foreign rivals and terrorists to target Americans' opinions and free speech in the name of combating "disinformation."*Meta is designated as an extremist organization in Russia.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221207/musks-twittergate--hunters-laptop-why-fbi-have-a-ton-to-answer-for-1105163585.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221224/twitter-files-fbis-infiltration-of-big-tech-is-step-on-path-to-totalitarian-state-journo-warns-1105753460.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/india-invites-pakistani-chinese-foreign-ministers-to-sco-meeting-in-may-media-reports-1106689539.html

India Invites Pakistani, Chinese Foreign Ministers to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Meeting

India Invites Pakistani, Chinese Foreign Ministers to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Meeting

India has extended invitations to all members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), including Pakistan and China, for the forthcoming meeting of SCO foreign ministers in Goa on May 4-5

2023-01-25T12:42+0000

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2023-01-25T12:43+0000

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India took on the 2022 chairmanship in the SCO in September and will hold key minister-level meetings and a summit this year. The SCO is an international organization founded by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia and Uzbekistan in 2001. In 2017, India and Pakistan were admitted to the organization. India and China have thousands of square miles of disputed borderlands between them, from the Ladakh region, which is triangulated with Pakistan's Kashmir claims, all the way to Arunachal Pradesh to the east of Bhutan. Border conflicts are a permanent fixture of India-China relations, as the countries do not have a marked border but rather the Line of Actual Control, created after the 1962 border war between the nations. India and Pakistan have also fought several wars over Kashmir since gaining independence in 1947. However, their ties hit rock bottom in 2019 after the Indian government stripped the Jammu and Kashmir state of its special status and broke it up into two union territories. India controls the southern part of the Kashmir region, while Pakistan and China hold its northwestern and northeastern parts, respectively.

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Mexican President Condemns Germany's Decision to Send Tanks to Ukraine

Berlin decided to send its Leopard tanks to Ukraine contrary to people's wishes and under pressure from the media, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday.

"The global oligarchy uses media influence to subjugate governments. For example, Germany did not want to get involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and against [the will] of the German people or the majority of Germans, the government decided to send more weapons to Ukraine. [It happened] because of the pressure from the German media, and it happens everywhere," he said at a press conference.

The Russian Embassy in Mexico has expressed its gratitude to Lopez Obrador for his "open and honest position" over the issue.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/massive-us-israeli-war-games-aimed-at-iran-top-us-general-suggests-1106668758.html

Massive US-Israeli War Games Aimed at Iran, Top US General Suggests

Massive US-Israeli War Games Aimed at Iran, Top US General Suggests

Massive joint US-Israeli war games being carried out this week will include simulated bombings of Iranian nuclear sites, Israeli media has claimed.

2023-01-25T01:21+0000

2023-01-25T01:21+0000

2023-01-25T01:15+0000

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Massive joint US-Israeli war games being carried out this week will include simulated bombings of Iranian nuclear sites, Israeli media has claimed.Channel 12 news reported Tuesday that imitation Iranian nuclear sites in the Negev desert will be subjected to 100 tons of explosives. Although the outlet failed to cite a source for the claim, Monday statements from a senior US military official seemed to confirm the sentiment.Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), told NBC News that it would not surprise me if Iran sees the scale and the nature of these activities and understands what the two of us are capable of doing.Kurilla celebrated the war games as the most significant exercise between the United States and Israel to date.Juniper Oak 23.2, as CENTCOM has labeled the live-fire exercise, will reportedly involve around 6,400 American troops, 1,100 Israeli personnel, four B-52 bombers, four F-35 fighter jets, 45 F/A-18 Hornet fighters, two MQ-9 Reaper drones, and 12 ships - including a US carrier strike group.CENTCOM re-uploaded a promotional video for the exercises on Tuesday moments after deleting the original, which incorrectly referred to the war games as Juniper Talk.Kurilla painted the apparent simulated attacks against Iran as a threat to much of the rest of the world, as well  or as a promise that the US military isnt too overextended in Ukraine to continue exerting military hegemony over much of the globe, at least.The war games, which kicked off Monday, are set to end on Friday.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/more-than-half-of-americans-lack-fundamental-knowledge-about-the-holocaust---poll-1106671261.html

More Than Half of Americans Lack Fundamental Knowledge About the Holocaust - Poll

More Than Half of Americans Lack Fundamental Knowledge About the Holocaust - Poll

A new survey by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) has revealed that only half of American adults are aware of how many Jews were killed in the Holocaust, and even fewer were able to answer how Adolf Hitler rose to power.

2023-01-25T04:00+0000

2023-01-25T04:00+0000

2023-01-25T03:54+0000

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A new survey by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) has revealed that only half of American adults are aware of how many Jews were killed in the Holocaust, and even fewer were able to answer how Adolf Hitler rose to power.The Tuesday-published survey polled 1,004 American adults in preparation of International Holocaust Remembrance Daywhich is on January 27and found that just one in four adults (26%) could accurately answer four basic questions about the Shoah.According to the survey, 53% of Americans over the age of 18 were able to accurately answer the number of Jews who were killed in the Holocaust (6 million), about 20% said they were unsure, 2% said less than 1 million, 13% said 3 million, and 12% said more than 12 million. About 76% of respondents were able to correctly answer that the Holocaust occurred between 1930 and 1950, while 10% were unsure, and 1% said it was between 1890 and 1920. Another 10% answered between 1910 and 1930.But when asked about how Hitler rose to power, just 39% were able to correctly answer that he became chancellor through a democratic political process, while 24% said they were unsure, and 34% believed he violently overthrew the German government in a coup.A vast majority of the respondents did accurately describe Auschwitz as a concentration camp and death camp for Jews, whereas 12% were unsure of the its role.Lacking knowledge can open pathways to trivialization and denial of the Holocaust that also contribute to rising antisemitism, said Ted Deutch, the CEO of AJC, whose father fought the Nazis at the Battle of the Bulge. Just 26% of American adults answered all four survey questions correctly, while 30% got at least three answers correct, and 25% only answered two correctly. Those who were college graduates were more likely to answer the questions accurately when compared to respondents who only had some college education, or those with a high school education or less.Shockingly, only 26% of those surveyed have visited a Holocaust Museum or memorialthose with college degrees were more likely to visit.This is not the first time Americans have been surveyed on their knowledge of the Holocaust. In 2020, ABC News found millennials and Gen Z (those under the age of 40) showed a worrying lack of basic knowledge about the Holocaust."The most important lesson is that we can't lose any more time," said Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which commissioned the study 2020 study. "If we let these trends continue for another generation, the crucial lessons from this terrible part of history could be lost."

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/perus-boluarte-refuses-to-bow-to-popular-demands-calls-for-national-truce-instead-1106668594.html

Perus Boluarte Refuses to Bow to Popular Demands, Calls for National Truce Instead

Perus Boluarte Refuses to Bow to Popular Demands, Calls for National Truce Instead

The head of the new Peruvian regime, which has overseen the deaths of over 60 people in its first six weeks, is now calling on the countrys population to observe a national truce.

2023-01-25T00:46+0000

2023-01-25T00:46+0000

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The head of the new Peruvian regime, which has overseen the deaths of over 60 people in its first six weeks, is now calling on the countrys population to observe a national truce.Urging dialogue, peace and unity, a defiant Dina Boluarte refused to step down but also called on Congress to confirm the date of the nations next elections. The move is seen as an effort to mollify protesters, who are also calling for Boluartes resignation, as well as the liberation of ousted President Pedro Castillo, whos been jailed on allegations of rebellion since December 7.I am making a call to Congress to vote on a second date (for the elections) as soon as possible, Boluarte stated in a Tuesday conference. As for a definite date for when the elections may be held, the controversial leader stated she will leave the moment that you, congressmen.Despite her apparent peace overture, Boluarte continued to blame demonstrators for the violence in the streets, claiming the unrest is the handiwork of a paramilitary force comprised of illegal miners, drug traffickers and smugglers.She even went as far as to claim  without evidence  that the 60-plus victims whove been gunned down so far were actually killed by protesters themselves. As for the dozens of police hospitalized with bruises, she asked: What about their human rights?The heavy-handed approach seems to have little support among Peruvian society.Nearly three-quarters of the countrys residents disapprove of Boluartes handling of the country, according to a poll conducted earlier this month.And it seems the repressive response to protests isnt winning her many allies outside the country, either.Speaking before the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Chilean President Gabriel Boric said the images emanating from Peru evoked scenes from the times of dictatorships. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador additionally demanded an end to the repression.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230124/dozens-of-peruvians-detained-in-draconian-crackdown-released-amid-international-outcry-1106632317.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/reports-dr-congo-jet-shot-over-alleged-violation-of-rwanda-airspace-1106689813.html

DR Congo Jet Shot Over Alleged Violation of Rwanda Airspace, Reports Say

DR Congo Jet Shot Over Alleged Violation of Rwanda Airspace, Reports Say

Rwanda has shot at a military aircraft of the armed forces of DRC, which had allegedly violated the countrys airspace, according to media reports.

2023-01-25T13:53+0000

2023-01-25T13:53+0000

2023-01-25T14:23+0000

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airspace

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Rwanda has shot at a military aircraft of the armed forces of the DRC which allegedly violated the countrys airspace, according to media reports. The media stated that a fighter jet was flying near the DRC-Rwanda border heading from the town of Kitshanga, DRC, when it was hit. After that, the plane landed at Goma International Airport, eastern DRC, with its right wing on fire. The fire was extinguished without further damage by a fire truck, which intervened on the runway.Following the incident, Rwandan officials stated that the Congolese fighter jet had violated its airspace, urging the DRC "to stop this aggression.However, the DRCs government responded to the allegation by saying that the aircraft was attacked in its home airspace. It underlined that the fighter plane was shot when it started landing at the airport in Goma, so it didn't "fly over Rwandan airspace." The government stated that the plane managed to land with almost no major material damage.It further condemned the attack, regarding it as an act of aggression, aimed at undermining the ongoing peace process under the Luanda and Nairobi talks. Incidents of this kind with alleged violation of airspace have occurred at least twice. In December, Kigali said that another fighter jet from the DRC violated its airspace along Lake Kivu in the western province of the country. Rwanda's spokesman Yolande Makolo then also stressed that "these repeated violations are against the spirit" of the peace initiatives. A similar situation also happened in November last year. Tensions between the neighboring countries have been increasing recently, as the Congolese government accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, which are active mainly in the eastern part of DRC in the province of North Kivu. However, Kigali denied any involvement.The March 23 Movement, also known as M23, is a largely Congolese armed group, which was formed in 2012. In late 2021, the group started an insurgency, seizing large parts of the country. Even though the DRC repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the M23, in November, leaders of the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and Angola met in Luanda to discuss the peace settlement in eastern DRC as part of a joint effort to ensure stability in the region.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/seventy-years-of-membership-what-is-turkeys-role-in-nato-1106692712.html

Seventy Years of Membership: What is Turkeys Role in NATO?

Seventy Years of Membership: What is Turkeys Role in NATO?

Turkey joined NATO in 1952, becoming the 13th member of the North Atlantic Alliance three years after its creation

2023-01-25T15:52+0000

2023-01-25T15:52+0000

2023-01-25T15:52+0000

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The Turkish Patriotic Party's deputy chairman has argued that Ankara may withdraw from NATO in five to six months. Ethem Sancak cited a whole array of problems, related in particular to Athens-Ankara ties and the NATO bid by Sweden and Finland, as well as latest polls indicating that 80% of the population believes the US to be hostile towards Turkey.His remarks prompted the countrys ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to make it clear that Turkey leaving NATO is out of the question, at least for now. So what role does Turkey currently play in the alliance and how plausible is a scenario of Ankara exiting NATO? Sputnik has the answers.What is Ankara's Role in NATO Missions?Local media estimates that Turkey is among the top five NATO countries that makes the most significant contribution to the alliances missions and special operations.Prior to the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, Turkey took part in the 2015-2021 Resolute Support Mission, being responsible for security and operation of the international airport in Kabul.Between 2005 and 2007, Ankara supported the United Nations-African Union mission in western Sudans Darfur, which was launched under the auspices of the NATO program to support the African Union countries in the field of education and transport.Currently, Turkey contributes to the NATO Mission in Kosovo (KFOR) and supports efforts to prevent illegal migration in the Aegean.Also, Turkey plays an important role in the NATO mission in Iraq, providing refueling of aircraft with the AWACS radar detection system as part of efforts by the international coalition to combat Daesh*.Under my command, they provided combat capability to the 2011 intervention in Libya, something other major allies chose to avoid. Every time I asked for something, they stood and delivered, Stavridis argued.Is Incirlik Base of Importance?Turkeys Incirlik Air Base, constructed in 1955, played an active role in the implementation of NATO missions, both during the Cold War and afterwards.During the First Gulf War, the facility served as the origin point from which coalition forces flew combat missions over northern Iraq. Later on, US-led coalition forces used the base for missions in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.In late 2014, Turkey provided the base as a launch pad for the anti-Daesh coalitions combat operations against the terrorist group.Currently, Incirlik hosts the 39th Air Base Wing of the US Air Force, including approximately 1,500 US troops, as well as a spate of combat and refueling aircraft. In addition, 70 US B61-12 tactical nuclear bombs are reportedly stockpiled at Incirlik.What is Turkey's Stance on Sweden's NATO Bid?Meanwhile, latest developments have indicated that Turkey remains a NATO member to be reckoned with. On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Sweden should not expect Turkish support for its bid to join the bloc as the EU country's right-wing activists burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm after receiving permission from the authorities.On May 18, Sweden, along with Finland, handed over an application to join NATO to the alliance's secretary general. At the moment, 28 of 30 NATO member states had already made a positive decision on the admission of the northern countries to NATO, with the exception of Turkey and Hungary.Has US Congress Ever Looked to Expel Turkey From NATO?Yes. In 2020, the US House submitted a resolution calling for Turkey's exclusion from NATO, in a move initiated by House Democrat Tulsi Gabbard.The Armenian National Council America said at the time that Gabbard accused Ankara of participating in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the side of Azerbaijan, closing the border with Armenia, and collaborating with Syrian militants associated with al-Qaeda** and Daesh.According to Gabbard, all this runs counter to NATO policy, which calls for stable peace in Nagorno-Karabakh. At the end of the day, the adoption of the resolution never saw the light of day.How Can Turkey Be Expelled From NATO?It is safe to assume that the chances of Ankara being expelled from NATO are zero, given that the North Atlantic Treaty stipulates neither punitive measures for its member states nor a procedure for expelling any of them. It is a NATO member itself that can notify of its intention to terminate the contract.Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party, said on Wednesday that the words of those who talk about the withdrawal of Turkey from NATO are extremely surprising."When Did Turkey Enter NATO?With the second-largest army in NATO after the US, Turkey remains one of the oldest members of the alliance. Ankara's NATO accession protocol was signed by then-Turkish President Celal Bayar on October 17, 1951. The country officially became a member of the alliance on February 18, 1952.The North Atlantic Alliance, known as NATO, was created in 1949 by 12 countries, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the UK, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the US. Right now, the alliance comprises a total of 30 countries.*Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/Islamic State), **al-Qaeda , terrorist groups banned in Russia and a number of other countries

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20220826/turkey-remains-the-major-deterrent-to-finland-and-swedens-nato-aspirations-analysts-warn-1100042041.html

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turkey's 70 years of nato membership, turkey's role in nato, importance of turkey's incirlik air base, withdrawal of nato troops from afghanistan
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/somalia-to-join-eac-by-mid-2023-presidential-envoy-says-1106687972.html

Report: Somalia to Join EAC by Mid 2023, Presidential Envoy Says

Report: Somalia to Join EAC by Mid 2023, Presidential Envoy Says

Somalia will become the eighth East African Community member, said Abdusalam Omer Hadliye, the country's presidential special envoy for the EAC in an interview with local media.

2023-01-25T13:09+0000

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Somalia will become the eighth East African Community member by the middle of this year, said Abdusalam Omer Hadliye, the country's presidential special envoy for the EAC in an interview with local media.According to an EAC statement, the organization officially launched the verification mission "to assess the Federal Republic of Somalia's readiness to join the block" on Wednesday. The mission comprises senior officials from all EAC states and will operate in Mogadishu.The launching event of the mission was attended by the EAC's Secretary General Peter Mathuki.He also noted that Somalia has the longest national coastline in Africa (over 3,000 km). The coastline links Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, he underlined, saying that this can help "increase intra-regional trade and improve the lives of East Africans."Somalia officially applied to the East Africa Community in 2012 during the term of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and has been since awaiting accession to the block.The EAC currently consists of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda. In 2010, the block launched a common regional goods, labor, and capital market. The EAC also plans to establish a common currency and eventually a political federation.Peter Mathuki earlier said that a single currency for the EAC could be achieved within the next three or four years.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/south-africa-illustrates-wests-failure-to-divide-world-russian-fm-spox-says-1106678988.html

South Africa Illustrates West's Failure to 'Divide World,' Russian FM Spox Says

South Africa Illustrates West's Failure to 'Divide World,' Russian FM Spox Says

South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor has expressed a "historical" position on international relations that demonstrates demonstrates the failure of the West's attempts to divide the world, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

2023-01-25T09:30+0000

2023-01-25T09:30+0000

2023-01-25T09:30+0000

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South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor has expressed a "historical" position that demonstrates the West's failure to divide the world, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik. The diplomat recalled that over the past year, the world has witnessed many changing viewpoints, in particular of politicians, including those who at first sight didn't seem able to modify their stance. According to her, Pandor is not driven by an attempt to appeal to the sympathy of voters, but by "a clear, principled assessment of what is happening, based on political analysis." She underlined that it's extremely important to praise this kind of position as it demonstrates the "absolute inadequacy and stupidity" of the endless attempts to divide the world into those "who are worthy and consider themselves extraordinary or exceptional," and those who are "in the virtual jungle."The assessments given by African countries based on political principles and their knowledge of history, Zakharova stressed, "put an end to the long-term, centuries-old course of the West towards global segregation." She noted that in this case "pressure, bonuses and promises" don't work.Zakharova also said that Sergey Lavrov will visit another African country as part of his continental tour after visiting South Africa, Eswatini and Angola, without revealing which. Russia's foreign minister started his African tour this week with a visit to South Africa, which is the current BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] host country. During the visit, Lavrov met President Cyril Ramaphosa and held talks with his South African counterpart Pandor on relations between the two countries, as well as on the agenda for the BRICS bloc. After that, he headed to Eswatini, where he held talks with Eswatini Foreign Minister Thuli Dladla on bilateral relations between the countries and ways of strengthening their cooperation. Speaking at a joint press conference following the talks, Lavrov pointed out that the parties expressed mutual interest for a founding agreement on friendship and cooperation between Eswatini and Russia. Moreover, at the beginning of the press conference, the ministers signed an agreement on visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic passports. Lavrov also stated that a list of priority areas of cooperation will be created based on the results of the talks to help the preparation of the RussiaAfrica Economic Forum. The forum will be held as part of the 2023 RussiaAfrica Summit, to which the Eswatini monarch Mswati III, along with South Africa's president and other African leaders, is invited.Yesterday Lavrov arrived in Angola, the third destination in his African tour, where he was welcomed by his Angolan counterpart Tete Antonio. Today, the minister is expected to meet with Angolan President Joao Lourenco. He is also expected take part in the wreath-laying ceremony on the sarcophagus of the two first leaders of the state, who participated in the country's struggle for independence from Portugal.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230123/sergey-lavrov-us-crossing-red-lines-by-threatening-other-countries-not-to-work-with-russia-1106616023.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/stop-whining--turn-tap-on-why-german-politicians-fear-to-tell-truth-about-eu-energy-crunch-1106684121.html

Stop Whining & Turn Tap On: Why German Politicians Fear to Tell Truth About EU Energy Crunch

Stop Whining & Turn Tap On: Why German Politicians Fear to Tell Truth About EU Energy Crunch

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck pinned the blame for the nation's energy crunch and shift to dirty fuels on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who... 25.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-25T12:11+0000

2023-01-25T12:11+0000

2023-01-25T12:11+0000

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"What else is left for Mr. Habeck to do? He cannot say that it were his actions that led to such unfortunate consequences for the German economy and for German consumers," Alexey Grivach, deputy head of Russia's National Energy Security Fund, told Sputnik. "After all, it is precisely because of his rash actions that all German citizens are now suffering - and not only Germany, but the entire European Union. Therefore, Habeck has engaged in such a political, verbal balancing act, trying to convince someone that if there is no gas in the pipe, then Russia is to blame. But, fortunately, everyone knows perfectly well what really happened."Speaking to journalists last Friday, Habeck claimed that half of Germanys entire gas supply had been stopped by Russia. He added that given that Nord Stream pipelines had been destroyed, Germany would not be able to get Russian fuel through them in the foreseeable future.Done by Habeck's Own HandsSputnik's interlocutors have been perplexed by Habeck's whining: it was Berlin that succumbed to Washington's pressure last year and froze Gazprom's Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that would have doubled the total capacity of the Nord Stream system from 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) to 110 bcm.It was Robert Habeck, in propria persona, who on February 22, 2022, instructed the withdrawal of a security-of-supply assessment granted under former German Chancellor Angela Merkels tenure, which was required to authorize Nord Stream 2.It was Habeck, again, who pledged in early May 2022 to replace all Russian energy imports, most notably natural gas, by as soon as mid-2024, following the beginning of Moscow's special operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine on February 24, 2022.The minister gleefully announced at that time that Germany's share of Russian gas had already dropped from 55% in 2021 to around 35% by mid-April 2022, adding that even faster progress was achieved for oil and coal where shares had dropped to 12% and 8%, respectively. To that end, Berlin leased four floating LNG terminals online to supply some 33 bcm/year, seeking to start operating the first of the Floating Storage Regasification Units (FSRU) in late 2022 and 2023.Apparently, Germany did not resist the actions of Canada which slapped sanctions on Russia and had long refused to return a Gazprom turbine for Nord Stream's gas equipment. Russia initially sent the turbine to Siemens Canada in Montreal for a scheduled overhaul.However, in June 2022, Canada imposed restrictions on Russia's energy companies, including Gazprom, and the turbine remained stuck in the North American country. That disrupted the Nord Stream system's work and raised concerns about pre-planned maintenance service for the other five turbines. After back-and-forths, Ottawa agreed to issue a "time-limited and revocable permit" to exempt the return of the equipment.Only in late August 2022, the Canadian authorities said that they would allow for the maintenance of the remaining five turbines used by the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, but the damage was done in terms of reducing the flow of natural gas from Russia to Germany.A month later, a sabotage attack destroyed three out of Gazprom's four Nord Stream pipelines. So far, neither Germany nor its European peers have lifted a finger to initiate repair works. This apparently indicates that they don't need Russian gas, remarked Alexey Fenenko, associate professor of the Department of International Security, Faculty of World Politics of Moscow State University.Furthermore, following the September 2022 sabotage, European leaders immediately pointed the finger of blame at Russia and did not allow Moscow's specialists to participate in EU investigations into the blast.However, in December 2022, the US mainstream press quoted European officials and investigators as saying that they had not found any evidence confirming Russia's guilt. They admitted that Moscow would have nothing to gain from blasting its own pipelines and agreed that there had been plenty of international players interested in Nord Stream's destruction. Nonetheless, western journalists and European officials have not made any step to name potential suspects.Yes, Germany Can Still Receive Russian GasHabeck's gloomy sentiment with regard to Germany's prospects of receiving Russia's gas is sly, according to Sputnik's interlocutors.First, in October 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled his readiness to deliver gas to Germany through a Nord Stream pipeline not damaged by the blast. It has a capacity of 27.5 billion cubic meters per year, which is about eight percent of all gas imports to Europe," Putin stated on October 12, 2022, stressing that the ball is in Europe's court. "Russia is ready for the start of these deliveries () If [European leaders] want it  they have to turn on the tap, and that's it."Second, the same month, Moscow suggested creating a new gas hub in Turkey capable of delivering the fuel to the Old Continent.Third, Russia is ready to restore gas supplies through other gas pipelines, as Vladislav Belov, deputy director of the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences and head of the Center for German Studies told Sputnik.It Was Europe's Decision to Axe Russia's Gas SuppliesThe dramatic reduction of Russia's gas supplies to Europe is the result of a political decision by EU member states, according to observers.For his part, former Greek Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis noted in an interview with Sputnik that he fully supports the position of former Austrian Vice-Chancellor Strache, who said that the German authorities are afraid to tell their own population the truth about the real reasons for rising gas and electricity prices and about a possible shortage of energy resources.What's more interesting, some European countries are continuing to buy Russia's energy commodities nonetheless, Stepan noted."For example, Russian LNG is bought by France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and, of course, the United States are continuing to buy Russian LNG," Stepan said. "The same applies to Russian oil. The UK claims it does not import anything from Russia, and suddenly there is news in the newspapers that several tankers with Russian oil will arrive in Britain () It turns out that there's a double standard approach: on the one hand, politicians issue statements, and on the other hand, in practice, governments pretend that they know nothing about their companies continuing to import Russian raw materials, or they themselves violate their regulations."The allegations that Russia "weaponized" its energy supplies repeatedly voiced by western politicians look ridiculous to say the least, according to Sputnik's interlocutors.Moreover, Europe's energy crisis started long before the Russian special operation in Ukraine, which is routinely cited as one of the causes behind spiking gas prices, according to Mehmet Dogan, a Turkish energy expert and CEO of energy consulting agency GazDay. "Even before the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine, everyone was talking about the threat of an energy crisis," Dogan told Sputnik. "Gas prices skyrocketed even before the outbreak of hostilities."Russia Supplying EU Despite Sanctions & Military Aid to KievThere is yet another aspect to the ongoing debate that is rarely touched upon, according to Alexey Fenenko. The Russian academic considers Habeck's remark about the blocking of the gas valve by Russia strange, given the intention of the EU to defeat the Russian Federation in an economic war.Moreover, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made it clear at the latest World Economic Forum in Davos that to end the conflict in Ukraine Russia's special military operation "must fail." To that end, Germany and other western countries provide the Kiev regime with heavy weapons as long as needed, according to Scholz.Indeed, the German media has reported that Berlin is now planning to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev, something that the German leadership had been previously reluctant to do. Earlier this month, Berlin vowed to supply Ukraine with armored personnel carriers and a Patriot missile battery. In addition, on January 15, expanded combat training of Ukrainian forces kicked off in Germany, according to the US press.European leaders have stepped up supplies of weapons to Kiev since the beginning of Russia's special military operation with prominent leaders rubbishing the idea of a diplomatic solution to the conflict, rather claiming that it should be sorted out on the battlefield.All this time, despite EU bellicose rhetoric and their de facto participation in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, Russia's energy producers continued to observe their obligations and supply Europe with natural gas, oil and petroleum products.Russia is still warming up the Old Continent, be it direct oil and gas exports or ensuring the flow of energy carriers through its territory, energy expert Milos Zdravkovic told Sputnik. Moscow is signaling openness and readiness to provide Europe with energy, even though Russia has enough lucrative opportunities in Asia.European Gamble Doesn't Bode WellMeanwhile, EU economic prospects don't look good, according to Zdravkovic. He noted that the EU does not know what energy prices will be in the foreseeable future both for heating and the needs of industry. European goods are set to become much more expensive than those produced by Asians and Americans due to turbulent gas costs. This will adversely affect the economy of Europe, Zdravkovic warned."Europe consumed at least 500 billion cubic meters (bcm) a year," Zdravkovic explained. "Its consumption grew by about 10 bcm per year."In 2021, the EU imported 83% of its natural gas with Russia delivering over 40% of this volume. Given that, it's impossible to swiftly replace Russia's gas with LNG supplies, according to Zdravkovic."The capacity of the total fleet of LNG tankers and all terminals on our planet, on all continents, is 400 bcm," the Serbian energy expert noted, adding that European leaders shouldn't expect that these volumes will all go to the Old Continent.Moreover, a complete shift to American LNG would require building the appropriate infrastructure, according to Alexey Fenenko. One should also add fuel costs for tankers which will carry LNG from the US to Europe when supplies become regular. All these costs will make energy pretty expensive for Europeans, the Russian scholar remarked.Of course, European countries could also switch to coal and nuclear energy, but it will take at least ten years for them to reorient to these sources of energy, Fenenko added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230122/gaslighting-defined-did-germany-really-resort-to-burning-coal-because-russia-starved-it-of-gas-1106594115.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221222/whats-behind-us-medias-sudden-recognition-that-russia-didnt-blow-up-nord-stream-pipelines-1105702767.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221015/observers-russo-turkish-gas-hub-can-reduce-eu-dependency-on-us-1101878350.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230118/how-russia-diversifies--expands-its-gas-and-oil-supplies-despite-western-pressure-1106453925.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221220/eu-reduces-gas-consumption-by-201-from-five-year-average-eurostat-1105641370.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230124/leopard-2-tanks-armored-beasts-berlin-is-about-to-send-into-ukraine-conflict-1106662864.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221103/eus-economy-may-collapse-in-three-years-after-banning-russian-gas-prof-warns-1103692641.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/sweden-launches-international-campaign-to-stifle-migrant-flow-1106673764.html

Sweden Launches International Campaign to Stifle Migrant Flow

Sweden Launches International Campaign to Stifle Migrant Flow

The campaign features information packages for foreign authorities and targeted communication to foreign media, news agencies and embassies.

2023-01-25T07:53+0000

2023-01-25T07:53+0000

2023-01-25T07:53+0000

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The Swedish government has launched an international information campaign to spread the message about a paradigm shift in its immigration policy. The aim is to discourage more immigrants from coming to the Nordic country.Among others, the campaign features information packages for foreign authorities and the provision of targeted communication to foreign media, news agencies and embassies.The immigration minister emphasised that currently two-thirds of the asylum seekers who come to Europe lack reasons for protection. According to her, informing these people of the regulations that apply in advance will reduce their suffering, if they are ultimately forced to return.Sweden Democrats parliamentary group leader Henrik Vinge stressed that it was important to inform that Swedens once extremely generous asylum policy is no longer quite as generous.The government also emphasized that during its first 100 days in office, it has implemented a series of measures to deal with migration issues. Among other things, internal controls of foreigners have been expanded and the fight against illegal immigration has been bolstered. The government also emphasized its lasting emphasis on "voluntary repatriation."This is a marked shift from the Moderates much more lavish immigration policy, pursued during their previous stint in power under then-Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who aspired to turn Sweden into a "humanitarian superpower" and even called on his compatriots to "open their hearts" and embrace mass immigration.This is often attributed to the influence of the national-conservative Sweden Democrats, which loom large over the government's action plan despite having no minister posts. Previously ostracized by Swedens entire political establishment, the Sweden Democrats have long been the sole party pushing for a limited immigration, earning epithets from "racist" to "bigoted" from the country's left-leaning press. However, in 2022, they had their best showing ever, becoming the country's second-largest party and becoming a key ally to the otherwise frail minority government led by the Moderates.An important milestone in Sweden's approach to immigration was reached several years ago, when former Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, after years of arduous denial, finally admitted the role of poor integration of newcomers in the soaring crime and heavy violence that swept the once-peaceful nation. As gang shootings started to dominate the news cycle, even the left-wing and pro-immigration Social Democrats shifted their rhetoric.Perhaps unsurprisingly, immigration-related crime became the focal point of the 2022 election, with once-shunned concepts like "parallel societies" and "no-go zones" becoming openly discussed. Kristersson himself ran on the platform of "straightening out Sweden," pledging to bear down on immigrant-related crime and violence.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221213/swedes-will-soon-be-a-minority-in-their-own-country-politician-warns-1105407387.html

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immigration policy, influx of asylum seekers, sweden as "humanitarian superpower", poor integration, organized crime
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/thousands-of-healthcare-workers-taxi-drivers-teachers-striking-in-barcelona-spain-1106701909.html

Thousands of Healthcare Workers, Taxi Drivers, Teachers Striking in Barcelona, Spain

Thousands of Healthcare Workers, Taxi Drivers, Teachers Striking in Barcelona, Spain

Several mass strikes are taking place in Barcelona on Wednesday, with thousands of taxi drivers blocking the city center and healthcare workers and teachers rallying to protest poor working conditions, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

2023-01-25T17:45+0000

2023-01-25T17:45+0000

2023-01-25T17:45+0000

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Healthcare workers are staging protests near the buildings of the Catalan parliament and the regional healthcare department demanding a pay rise, the expansion of staff numbers, a reduction of their workload and support for younger workers, with further strikes expected to take place next week. At the same time, over 1,000 taxi drivers have blocked the Gran Via street in the center of Barcelona to protest against the current system of license issuance and demand that the government conduct legislative reforms concerning taxi transport. Thousands of teachers have also taken to the streets of Barcelona urging the authorities to invest more money in education. According to El Pais newspaper, some 10,000 healthcare workers, 5,600 teachers and almost 2,000 taxi drivers have joined the protests in Spain's second largest city.

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spain, barcelona, protest, teachers protest, taxi drivers protest, healthcare workers protest, quality of life
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/two-uk-mercenaries-who-fought-on-the-side-of-ukraine-reportedly-killed-near-soledar-1106672051.html

Two UK Mercenaries Who Fought on the Side of Ukraine Reportedly Killed Near Soledar

Two UK Mercenaries Who Fought on the Side of Ukraine Reportedly Killed Near Soledar

Two UK mercenaries Chris Parry and Andrew Bagshaw, who fought on the side of Ukraine, were killed near the settlement of Soledar in Russia's Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), UK media reported.

2023-01-25T05:20+0000

2023-01-25T05:20+0000

2023-01-25T05:20+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

mercenaries

ukraine

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According to a family statement quoted by in the reports, the UK nationals were killed while "attempting a humanitarian evacuation." Earlier, a female resident of Soledar told Sputnik that there were many foreigners from Poland and the UK among Ukrainian troops. Russia's Defense Ministry reported that the liberation of Soledar was completed on January 12.

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soledar, mercenaries in ukraine, uk mercenaries in ukraine
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/ukraine-government-mired-in-corruption-scandal-burkina-faso-expels-france-gates-wants-ukraine-over-1106668446.html

Ukraine Government Mired in Corruption Scandal; Burkina Faso Expels France; Gates Wants Ukraine Over

Ukraine Government Mired in Corruption Scandal; Burkina Faso Expels France; Gates Wants Ukraine Over

The Ukrainian government is spiraling out of control as corruption and in-fighting begin to take their toll on the US-run Nazi regime.

2023-01-25T04:26+0000

2023-01-25T04:26+0000

2023-02-03T08:26+0000

the critical hour

ukraine

taiwan

julian assange

poland

bill gates

leopard 2

tanks

radio

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Ukraine Government Mired in Corruption Scandal; Burkina Faso Expels France; Gates Wants Ukraine Over The Ukrainian government is spiraling out of control as corruption and in-fighting begin to take their toll on the US-run Nazi regime.

Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Ukraine. Poland and Germany are still bickering over leopard tanks for Ukraine. Also, Ukraine has reportedly offered Belarus a non-aggression pact, and Western puppeteers advise Zelensky to pull troops from Artemovsk (Bakhmut).Dr. David Oualaalou, international geopolitical consultant, veteran, and author of many books, including "The Dynamics of Russia's Geopolitics: Remaking the Global Order," international security analyst, and host of the "Geopolitics in Conflict" Show on YT, joins us to discuss Ukraine corruption. The Ukrainian government is spiraling out of control as corruption and in-fighting begin to take their toll on the US-run Nazi regime.KJ Noh, peace activist and writer, joins us to discuss China. China slams the US over catastrophic debt. Also, The Philippines government will work with China over South China Sea disputes, and House Speaker McCarthy plans a trip to Taiwan.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss US domestic issues. There were two mass shootings in California in the last few days. Also, a young Black man was beaten to death in Memphis, Tennessee.Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, joins us to discuss the Middle East. The US and Israel launched massive military drills. Also, Palestinian prisoners are preparing a massive act of civil disobedience.Dr. Gerald Horne, Professor of History at the University of Houston, TX, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss The Media and Biden's document scandal. President Biden is in a difficult position as more documents turn up at his residences. Also, the New York Times is Orwell's ministry of truth, and Burkina Faso demands that the French leave their country.Ted Rall, political cartoonist, and syndicated columnist, joins us to discuss Julian Assange and billionaires getting off the Ukraine bus. Bill Gates and Elon Musk are arguing that the Ukraine conflict should end. Also, President Biden is getting more pushback over the persecution of Julian Assange.Branko Marcetic, Jacobin staff writer and author of "Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden, joins us to discuss US mission creep. Branko Mercetic fears that the US is moving towards a dangerous escalation in Ukraine.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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tanks for ukraine, ukrainian crisis, conflict in ukraine, war in ukraine, fight for bakhmut, eu investigates corruption in ukraine, us debt, china slams us for debt
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/un-command-concludes-seoul-pyongyang-breached-armistice-in-drone-incident-media-reports-1106695276.html

UN Command Concludes Seoul, Pyongyang Breached Armistice in Drone Incident, Media Reports

UN Command Concludes Seoul, Pyongyang Breached Armistice in Drone Incident, Media Reports

The United Nations Command (UNC) has concluded both North and South Korea breached the 1953 armistice agreement by sending drones to each other's territory last December

2023-01-25T14:34+0000

2023-01-25T14:34+0000

2023-01-25T14:34+0000

asia

north korea

south korea

pyongyang

seoul

drones

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On December 26, a group of drones believed to be North Korean crossed the inter-Korean border. South Korea tried to shoot the drones down and scrambled fighter jets and helicopters to intercept them. One of the aircraft, a KA-1 light attack plane, reportedly crashed during takeoff. In response, Seoul decided to send drones into the North Korean territory. According to the news agency, the UNC had a special team assembled to investigate the incident which found both sides in breach of the truce deal. Media also reported that UNC Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera had been "pondering" whether to announce the results of the investigation due to concerns that it would lead to friction with the South Korean government. Four small North Korean drones flew near Ganghwado Island in South Korea, and another flew up to the northern region of the metropolitan agglomeration, including Seoul. Media later said that one drone managed to return back to the North, while the remaining four disappeared from radars. The South Korean Defense Ministry called the violation of the country's airspace by North Korean drones a provocation. The UNC is a US-led multinational force created during the Korean War of 1950-1953. Its main goal has been to maintain the armistice deal struck by Seoul and Pyongyang following the war and break a diplomatic logjam between the two countries.

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drones, north korea drone incident, korean armistice, south korea
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/us-may-send-up-to-50-abrams-tanks-to-ukraine-this-week-media-reports-1106675202.html

US May Send Up to 50 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine This Week, Media Reports

US May Send Up to 50 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine This Week, Media Reports

The United States may send up to 50 M1 Abrams heavy tanks to Ukraine, with the decision likely to be announced on Wednesday

2023-01-25T06:34+0000

2023-01-25T06:34+0000

2023-01-25T10:35+0000

military

abrams tanks

leopard 2

us

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The unnamed official said that the package would include "a battalion size number of tanks," which would consist from 30-50 machines, as cited by the news agency. On Tuesday, media reported that Washington could announce as early as this week the delivery of a "significant number" of the M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The announcement reportedly would be part of a broader deal with Germany, which would pledge to supply a small number of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine as well. Ukraine has requested at least 300 battle tanks from its Western donors, considering them a game changer in the conflict with Russia. Abrams tanks are complicated vehicles that require proper maintenance and sustainment, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said. Ryder declined to comment on Tuesday on how training on the Abrams tanks would work should the US decide to provide them. Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230124/what-is-the-m1-abrams-main-battle-tank-biden-wants-to-send-to-ukraine-1106666570.html

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us, abrams tanks, leopard 2 tanks, western aid to ukraine
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/us-mccarthy-calls-bidens-refusal-to-negotiate-state-debt-ceiling-irresponsible-1106676540.html

US' McCarthy Calls Biden's Refusal to Negotiate State Debt Ceiling 'Irresponsible'

US' McCarthy Calls Biden's Refusal to Negotiate State Debt Ceiling 'Irresponsible'

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday called President Joe Biden's refusal to discuss the state debt ceiling "irresponsible" and warned that a delay in negotiations would increase financial risks for the United States.

2023-01-25T07:47+0000

2023-01-25T07:47+0000

2023-01-25T07:47+0000

americas

us

kevin mccarthy

joe biden

us debt

debt ceiling

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According to the White House, Biden is expected to hold a meeting with McCarthy soon to convince the Republican-majority lower chamber of Congress to approve additional spending despite their calls for budget cuts. The House Speaker also called the US' state debt surpassing $31 trillion or 120% of the gross domestic product (GDP) "the greatest threat to America" and said that he was not completely against the decision to increase the state spending, but was advocating for a "responsible" debt ceiling. Earlier this month, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the US would soon reach its outstanding debt limit, with the US national debt now amounting to $31.46 trillion. Last week, the Treasury said it had begun taking extraordinary measures to avoid a government debt default by temporarily suspending payments not immediately needed for essential programs.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/us-debt-ceiling-outserved-its-purpose-can-be-abandoned-to-stimulate-growth-experts-claim-1106672573.html

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us debt, debt ceiling, joe biden, kevin mccarthy, negotiations on debt ceiling
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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/uvalde-families-demand-common-sense-gun-laws-amid-wave-of-mass-shootings-1106670576.html

Uvalde Families Demand 'Common Sense' Gun Laws Amid Wave of Mass Shootings

Uvalde Families Demand 'Common Sense' Gun Laws Amid Wave of Mass Shootings

Spurred by the deaths of their children eight months ago in the Uvalde school shooting, parents and families during a press conference at the Texas Capitol urged lawmakers to pass common sense gun laws.

2023-01-25T03:06+0000

2023-01-25T03:06+0000

2023-01-25T03:00+0000

americas

gun control

us

mass shooting

california

uvalde

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The presser, held in the Texas Senate and led by state Senator Roland Gutierrez, comes during a week that saw at least four multi-victim shootings in the United States - three in California and one in the state of Washington. On May 24, 2022, a gunman fatally shot 19 schoolchildren and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The tragedy was made worse when evidence emerged that local authorities failed to meet basis security standards in the handling of the incident. Gutierrez said he introduced four bills and resolutions earlier in the day to address gun violence. During the presser, Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister, Irma Garcia, was one of the two teachers killed, took aim at the country's powerful gun lobby - the National Rifle Association (NRA). The new measures introduced by Gutierrez include a ban on shielding gunmakers along with a repeal of qualified immunity for "peace officers" employed by the state, among others. In June, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said local authorities responding to the Uvalde school shooting could have stopped the gunman within three minutes. Results of the probe into the incident revealed there was no police officer at the school readily available to engage the gunman, who walked into the school unobstructed. In addition, law enforcement took nearly an hour to prepare to enter the school to engage the shooter.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/what-is-behind-scholzs-reported-move-to-send-leopard-2-tanks-to-ukraine-1106673453.html

What is Behind Scholz's Reported Move to Send Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine?

What is Behind Scholz's Reported Move to Send Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine?

On Tuesday, German media reported that Chancellor Scholz had decided to deliver a company of the countrys main battle tanks Leopard 2 to Ukraine following months of debate.

2023-01-25T07:38+0000

2023-01-25T07:38+0000

2023-01-25T07:43+0000

world

russia

us

germany

ukraine

leopard 2

tanks

aid

special operation

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded to Washingtons alleged attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipeline with a concession on Ukraine and restrictions on the Germans, Max Blumenthal, the editor-in-chief of an independent news outlet, has tweeted. On September 26, blasts occurred at three of the four strings of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines built to carry a combined 110 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe annually. Separate probes into the Nord Stream explosions by Denmark, Germany and Sweden confirmed that the incident was caused by deliberate sabotage. Russia was prevented from taking part in the investigation, which is still under way. The Russian chief prosecutor's office said that it had opened its own inquiry into a possible act of international terrorism.Aaron Mate, a columnist for the same outlet, suggested, for his part, that Washington prodded Berlin to provide Kiev with the German main battle tanks in order to drive a wedge between Germany and Russia.Touching upon the Ukrainian conflict, retired US Army Colonel Doug MacGregor meanwhile told a YouTube news channel that the mood in Washington has definitely changed and that they are sensing this a lost cause when it comes to Ukraine.MacGregor claimed that the Biden administration has started to realize the fact that Ukraine is going to lose and they are [] trying to figure out how [] to prolong this suffering and [] this fighting.In his opinion, Washington is trying to avoid a complete fiasco in Ukraine, which is why the US is putting pressure on European countries, especially Germany, to supply military equipment to Ukraine. But I think the Germans are now interested in putting the brakes on it, he added.The remarks followed reports by German media that Scholz had given the green light to sending at least one company of the Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, with the German parliament due to debate the contentious issue on Wednesday morning.The development came on the heels of US media reports that the Biden administration is considering delivering a "significant number" of the American M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Kiev.Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022, following calls for help from the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Moscow has condemned the US and its allies military assistance to Kiev, which the Kremlin says adds to prolongation of the Ukrainian conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, for his part, warned last year that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230123/what-is-the-leopard-2-tank-and-why-is-its-possible-delivery-to-kiev-so-explosively-contentious-1106621828.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230124/what-is-the-m1-abrams-main-battle-tank-biden-wants-to-send-to-ukraine-1106666570.html

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delivery of leopard 2 tanks to ukraine, german chancellor olaf scholz's reported move to send leopard 2s to ukraine, russian special military operation in ukraine, western countries' military aid to ukraine
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/what-is-the-f-16-falcon-fighter-jet-nato-is-debating-shipping-to-kiev-1106706119.html

What is the F-16 Falcon Fighter Jet NATO is Debating Shipping to Kiev?

What is the F-16 Falcon Fighter Jet NATO is Debating Shipping to Kiev?

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has said the EU was preparing to supply Kiev with F-16 Falcon fighter jets made in the US. So whats the story behind the F-16?

2023-01-25T19:55+0000

2023-01-25T19:55+0000

2023-01-26T11:57+0000

sputnik explains

f-16

ukraine

fighter jet

us air force

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Kuleba claimed on his Facebook* page what he said was an exchange with an unnamed European colleague, who told him they were working on it when he asked about when Ukraine was getting F-16s.NATO allies supporting Ukraine as a proxy force have previously debated giving Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to Kiev, which also operates the aircraft, but the issue has been repeatedly scuttled over the last year. Most recently, Slovakia, a former Soviet ally when both nations were socialist, claimed last month it was ready to give its remaining dozen or so MiG-29s to Ukraine, having struck a deal for other NATO allies to patrol Slovak skies.A Tool of US BlackmailBratislava is set to soon receive F-16V Viper jets from maker Lockheed Martin, a recent version of the jet that has been upgraded with a powerful new radar and ability to operate with fifth-generation jets like the F-22 and F-35. Washington has used export of the F-16, especially the V variant, as a way to blackmail its allies into doing its bidding.Turkey, another NATO ally, has struggled to obtain F-16s from the US, with US Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) on Tuesday saying he would pressure the Biden administration to withhold a prospective $20 billion deal until Ankara backs off its decades-long quarrel with neighbor and fellow NATO ally Greece.It is in that context that I have opposed the sale of the F-16s because the reality is that we have not seen a Turkey under Erdogan that lives up to those expectations, Menendez added.Reports also emerged in US media earlier this month that the F-16 deal was an attempt to push Turkey into approving Sweden and Finlands applications to join NATO, which Ankara has been skeptical of due to Stockholm and Helsinkis relationships with Kurdish militant groups fighting against Ankara. However, Erdogans government has swatted down those reports.In that context, Kievs potential reception of F-16s could be a warning sign that Washington may require it to march more closely in line with its interests.So whats the story behind the F-16?Lightweight Fighter MafiaThe program that yielded the F-16 began in 1972 as the US Air Force went looking for a new interceptor. A group of vocal engineers and defense analysts nicknamed the Lightweight Fighter Mafia pushed the Pentagon toward the concept and away from the dart-style interceptors of the early Cold War that were intended to chase down Soviet nuclear bombers at ultra-high speed and shoot down enemy fighters from far away using missiles. Such fighters had struggled in close-in dogfights with nimbler Soviet-built fighters during the US war in Vietnam.The new F-16 was just 49 feet long, making it one of the smallest supersonic-capable aircraft in operation, aside from Northrops F-5 Tiger and Chengdus JF-17 Thunder. It has a single General Electric-made turbojet engine that can propel it to speeds in excess of Mach 2. It entered active service with the USAF in 1979.The F-16s competitor aircraft during the design process, the YF-17 built by Northrop, went on to become the US Navys F/A-18 Hornet fighter, and incorporated many of the same designs as the F-16.In the 1980s, it became apparent the F-16 was also useful as a strike or multirole aircraft, and it began to be fitted with bombs and air-to-surface missiles.What Armaments Does an F-16 Carry?Different variants of the F-16 have different capabilities. The variants operated by the Royal Netherlands Air Force are F-16 A/B variants, some of the oldest in service anywhere. However, some have been upgraded with Block 50 technology dating to the early 1990s. Newer variants, like the F-16V Viper, have an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.Many nations have had specialized versions of the F-16 built for them, including Turkey, Israel, and India, and in each case the modifications include the ability to deploy indigenously designed weapons.Who Flies the F-16?The jet was made for the US Air Force, but was also intended as a high-quality, low-cost export fighter as well. The initial order for the USAF came at the same time as orders for the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Norway.The US has also sold them to Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Chile, Venezuela and Italy.The F-16 has also served as the basis for several aircraft built by other operators, including Taiwans Indigenous Defense Fighter, Japans F-2, and South Koreas FA-50 Golden Eagle aircraft.More than 4,400 F-16s have been built.How Has the F-16 Performed in Combat?The Pentagon boasts the F-16 has never lost a dogfight, although five have been lost to ground fire. Two F-16s reportedly collided in mid-air in 2006 over the Aegean Sea in what observers claim was a mock dogfight between Turkish and Greek F-16s on separate patrols, but both governments officially deny that story. Another Turkish F-16 was also reportedly shot down by a Greek Mirage 2000 pilot in 1996, which Athens has also denied.Nearly all of the remaining aerial kills by the F-16 have been made by Israeli and Pakistani pilots.The F-16 was later used during the US and NATO interventions in Yugoslavia in the 1990s, shooting down Yugoslav aircraft and striking ground targets. It was used again as a strike aircraft in the US invasion of Afghanistan beginning in 2001, and the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, as well as the NATO bombing campaigns in Libya and Syria. Emirati, Bahraini, and Moroccan F-16s have been used in bombing campaigns in Yemen since the civil war started in 2015.Two Venezuelan F-16s were also used to suppress the attempted overthrow of President Carlos Andres Perez in 1992 by military officers led by Hugo Chavez. They strafed ground targets and shot down three rebel-flown aircraft, an At-27 Tucano and two OV-10 Broncos.How Much Does an F-16 Cost?The newest and most advanced models, like the V variant, can cost $80 million - roughly the same as an F-35 stealth fighter. However, older variants can sell for as little as $30 million, making them a bargain if top-of-the-line performance isnt needed.*Facebook and its parent company Meta are recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation

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Yellen to Visit South Africa for Bilateral Trade Talks January 25-27, US Treasury Says

Yellen to Visit South Africa for Bilateral Trade Talks January 25-27, US Treasury Says

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to South Africa from January 25-27 to participate in bilateral trade talks with senior officials, the Treasury Department said.

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"From January 25-27, Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen will participate in bilateral meetings and other events in Pretoria, South Africa," Yellen said in a press release on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Yellen will start her visit with a tour of the Dinokeng Game Reserve where she will refer to the work the Treasury Department is doing to combat illegal wildlife trafficking and illicit finance.On Thursday, Yellen will participate in a bilateral meeting with South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana followed by a bilateral meeting with the South Africa Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago.Later on that day, Yellen will meet with US Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety and US and South African business leaders, the release said. She is also scheduled to visit the Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Pretoria, where she will deliver remarks about Washington's efforts to deepen US-African trade ties, including through expanded trade and investment flows.Yellen will end her trip on Friday with a visit to the coal mining region of Mpumalanga, the release stated, adding that she will emphasize the United States' commitment to South Africas Just Energy Transition Partnership.In addition, she is scheduled to meet with a coalition of leading climate philanthropists who had announced an investment of $500 million over the next three years to accelerate an energy transition in low- and middle-income countries, while boosting sustainable development and creating new economic opportunities.Yellen's visit to Pretoria comes on the heels of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's official visit to South Africa earlier this week. Lavrov met with South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and discussed energy cooperation and other matters of mutual interest.

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Over the course of his Hall of Fame driving career, Canadian expat Yannick Gingras has sat behind some of the sport's most talented horses. As he says goodbye to one champion, he eagerly looks forward to what another has in store for the upcoming season.

Currently fourth in harness racing history with more than $215 million in earnings, Gingras guided a pair of O'Brien Award finalists in 2022 that added significantly to that total  older trotting mare Atlanta and three-year pacing colt Beach Glass.

"That was a nice surprise," Gingras recently told Trot Insider. "I did not expect to be driving him but when I got the call from Brent [MacGrath] in the spring I was obviously really happy. Everybody had their eyes on him last year, right? You don't know how they're going to come back the following year, but he looked pretty good and pretty impressive at The Meadowlands in the couple of starts he had in Canada [in 2021 as a two-year-old].

"I didn't have a three-year-old, really. So that was actually really easy to go for...when Brent mentioned it, I was all in."

The duo clicked instantly, with Beach Glass and Gingras going on a run of nine straight top-two finishes including wins in the Meadowlands Pace, Cane Pace, Max C. Hempt Memorial and Simcoe Stakes for MacGrath and Schooner II Stable. An uncharacteristic fourth-place finish in Lexington prompted throat surgery for the son of Somebeachsomewhere - Im With Her, and the colt responded with an impressive late season return to capture the Progress Pace over divisional rival and fellow O'Brien Award finalist Pebble Beach.

According to Gingras, there's a chance Beach Glass had issues with the displaced palate that required the throat surgery in previous starts but the speedy sophomore was performing well enough that an issue wasn't revealed.

"I think it was here and there throughout the year," stated Gingras. "I think there were a couple of times, looking back at it, where he might have flipped this palate...more than once, and then that's why I think it came to the problem we had in Lexington. The one that comes to mind is the Cane Pace, which he won, but I don't think he was quite as strong. He was pretty grabby early on and then he kind of let me go and then he really never grabbed on again...and he was good but not as great as we know he can be."

Gingras thought Beach Glass was "tremendous" in his Progress Pace performances, a 1:50 elim score and 1:48.4 scorcher in the final to conclude his sophomore season with a 9-3-0 summary from 13 starts and more than $1.15 million in purses.

"He was really aggressive when I let Todd [McCarthy and Pebble Beach] go up right in front of the grandstand at Dover and at the half he kind of finally let me go and at that point, I honestly wasn't sure whether he choked or, you know, if he was just finally relaxed for me. Then Timmy was coming first up and chirping at his horse [Mad Max Hanover] to go and as soon as he heard him chirp, he latched right back onto the bit  and in the right way, just letting you know he's still there. At that point, I felt really confident. He finished the mile really strong, ears right up at the wire.

"I think the surgery definitely helped, now it's going to be our job to make sure he doesn't flip it throughout the year and we keep on top of it."

When Beach Glass returns to the track as a four-year-old in 2023, he'll look to continue the trend of recent divisional standouts in the older pacing ranks that successfully make that jump from three to four. Not all horses do, mind you, but the string of horses just over the last three seasons includes award winners Century Farroh, Bettors Wish, Allywag Hanover and Bulldog Hanover.

Gingras recognizes the four-year-old season isn't going to be easy for Beach Glass but sees no reason why the millionaire won't be able to make the transition to the free-for-all ranks.

"I think he'll fit really well in there, honestly," stated Gingras candidly. "It's not going to be easy competition, there's going to be some quality horses in there...he's likely going to have three or four starts against his own age [in the Graduate Series] before he makes the jump and, ability wise, I think he can do it. I am super confident that he can do it. But, you know, like anything else he's going to have to come onto the racetrack and show it."

One X-factor to consider with Beach Glass in comparison to the likely rivals he'll be facing in the older pacing ranks is his relatively small number of lifetime starts  18. Bulldog Hanover made 16 starts in just 2022 alone. The year prior, Allywag Hanover had 19. Whether the difference in racing depth is a positive or a negative for Beach Glass remains to be seen. Gingras feels it's in the horse's favour.

"What I like, and I'm sure if you ask people that follow horses, is that he hasn't been overraced at two, you know, only has a few starts and he even had a break  an unfortunate break  there in the fall. So he's not an overraced horse that had everything taken out of him at two and three. Sometimes that means nothing also, but it's positive, I think. He's going to have a great chance and I hope that history repeats itself and that a four-year-old is the best one again next year."

Gingras might also be hopeful that a four-year-old is the best in the older trotting mare division in 2023. His mainstay in that division for the past four seasons has been Atlanta, but her connections have pulled the shoes on triple millionaire to begin her broodmare career in earnest.

"It was time. She's had a great career, no doubt, but you could tell the consistency wasn't there at the end. She had great starts and so-so ones in between. And for no rhyme or reason. It was harder and harder to keep her sharp, and that's normal. She's older, and it was amazing that she could still do it here and there at the highest levels and beat the Bella Bellinis and When Dovescrys.

"It just goes to show you how great she was, at that age, to go with them. But it was time to go to the next chapter and she was able to go out on her own terms."

With a mark of 1:49, Atlanta is the co-fastest female trotter and and the fourth-richest female trotter of all time with earnings of $3.8 million. In 2018, she became the first filly in 22 years to beat the boys in the Hambletonian and was named the Dan Patch Award Trotter of the Year. She added a Dan Patch Award plus an OBrien Award the following year as the top trotting mare in the U.S. and Canada.

The daughter of Chapter Seven - Hemi Blue Chip won 37 of 78 career races and hit the board a total of 64 times. In 2022, she won six races in 15 starts and amassed $493,721, with stakes wins that included the Armbro Flight and the Miss Versatility Final. Gingras acknowledged the phenomenal job that fellow Hall of Famer Ron Burke and his team did with the world champion trotting mare during her older campaigns.

"They've done a great job with her, and she's not the only one. I think they they've showed that, time and time and time again. You can go back as far back as the Won The Wests or Foiled Again, This Is The Plan, Buck I St Pat...they have a greater operation that can keep horses year after year and they keep coming back and it goes to show you that they have a great way of dealing with horses.

"I think Ronnie was a huge reason why she is what she is and I was just thankful to be a part of it."

Atlanta is a 2022 O'Brien Award finalist along with HP Mama B, and Gingras would like to see the mare that's provided him with a number of memorable moments go out a champion.

"That would be a nice ending for her, no doubt about that."

Gingras will be one of the many fans of harness racing tuning in as Standardbred Canada presents the 34th edition of the O'Brien Awards on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 at the Hilton Mississauga / Meadowvale Hotel. Details on the event live stream will be announced later this week.
Alabar Farms has reported the passing of Hall of Fame racehorse and stallion Presidential Ball, at the age of 33.

An outstanding racehorse, Presidential Ball won 26 of 38 races and amassed more than $3 million in earnings from his two seasons of racing in 1992 and 1993. The son of Cam Fella-I Marilyn won O'Brien and Dan Patch Awards at ages two and three, and retired as the third richest pacer of all time. He was inducted into the U.S. Harness Racing Living Hall of Fame in 2022.

As a stallion, Presidential Ball sired divisional champions in both hemispheres led by millionaires Cathedra Dot Com ($1,632,543), Bigtime Ball ($1,625,073) and Allamerican Native ($1,499,977).

In the Southern Hemisphere, he was the leading two-year-old sire in Australia from his debut crop.

Presidential Ball was just an outstanding horse both as a racehorse and a sire, said Brett Coffey, Alabar Australia General Manager. He was good to so many people. It was a pleasure to have him retire to our farm and in his later years he became close friends with Village Jasper, which was really cool to see.

Presidential Ball is now buried at Alabar Australia.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Presidential Ball.

(With files from Alabar Farm)
A new major exhibit, 50 Years Beyond: The Vietnam Veteran Experience opens this Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond.

The new show commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords, ending the Vietnam War in January 1973. It will feature personal stories, photos and videos of Vietnam veterans from every corner of Virginia.

Virginia War Memorial Director Clay Mountcastle and his staff began planning for the project over a year ago, according to a release. The team recruited Vietnam veterans to submit stories and photos of themselves taken during their time in Southeast Asia.

There are nearly 200,000 Vietnam veterans living today in Virginia, Mountcastle said.

Over 1,000 submissions were received as part of the outreach. Staff selected 50 men and women from the submissions, and each was contacted to arrange a current portrait for the exhibit.

Professional photographer and Navy veteran Laura Hatcher and videographer and Army veteran Pamela Vines conducted the photo shoots and recording sessions in Richmond, Hampton Roads, Roanoke and Northern Virginia, Mountcastle said.

Virginia is proudly home to almost 700,000 military veterans, including Vietnam vets, said Daniel Gade, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services.

This war touched not only those that served but also their families and friends during the conflict, he said. These photos and video recollections truly comprise a compelling, emotional, educational and very personal exhibit that will be of interest to all who come visit the Memorial over the next year.

The Virginia War Memorial is located at 621 S. Belvidere Street in downtown Richmond. Parking and admission is free. The Paul and Phyllis Galanti Education Center and C. Kenneth Wright Pavilion are open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Shrines of Memory and grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk. For more information, visit vawarmemorial.org or call 804/786-2060.
St. Francis Episcopal Church in Scottsbluff recently welcomed the Rev. Erin Rath as its new rector.

Rath is a South Dakota native and graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary. She previously served in a church near the Appalachian foothills before taking her current position at St. Francis.

Raths upbringing in South Dakota gave her an idea of what to expect from a rural community, and she said that her first few months in the area have been very pleasant due to its natural beauty and welcoming residents.

In terms of geography, the landscape is gorgeous here, said Rath. I do morning prayer on the bluff when the weather is nice. Ill drive up to the top and walk around. And its been interesting to see and experience how tightknit smaller communities are. How you run into people at the grocery store, and to see how they come together for community events.

Rath said that the congregation at St. Francis has been very welcoming since her arrival, and that shes honored to serve as Gods representative for the congregation, which she sees as one of her primary roles.

Its been great to be their priest, she said. To pray with some of them when they were in the hospital or struggling with other issues. Just loving them through the tough times. Being with people throughout life  its an honor to represent God in those moments.

Love and support are some of the core messages that Rath is dedicated to sharing with her congregation and her community. She hopes to encourage everyone to share these things with each other throughout their daily lives as well as through dedicated outreach and ministry programs.

Part of my role as a preacher is to help people see that everything they do is a ministry, said Rath. Even in their daily interactions with coworkers, by loving others in those situations we acknowledge that we are the hands and feet and eyes and ears of Jesus in the world.

Rath said that at the moment shes focusing on learning as much as she can about the church and the community, but that some of her plans for the future revolve around establishing good communication with both of those groups.

Communicating whats going on, being transparent, being willing to take questions and taking a posture that people are comfortable approaching you with questions  thats important internally in the parish, Rath said. "And externally. I want people to know that were here and theyre welcome."

That external communication includes making the community aware of the church's outreach and support programs, many of which are partnerships with other churches and organizations.

When asked what she would like to say to the community at large, Rath emphasized that the doors of St. Francis are open to anyone and everyone.

All people are welcome regardless of background, sexual orientation, age, race  really anything that divides humanity. We love everyone here.
State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering finished his successful District 48 campaign with a nearly 7-to-1 fundraising advantage over runner-up Don Lease of rural Bridgeport.

Final post-election statements cover the period from Oct. 25 to Dec. 31. The accompanying chart for the Star-Herald lists total donations, spending, cash balances and outstanding loans as of years end but only lists donations of $1,000 or more received between Oct. 25 and Nov. 8.

Hardins campaign committee, which showed he had $35,973 in outstanding loans to his own campaign, finished 2022 with a negative cash balance of $3,526.

Such committees for incumbents typically remain active during their time in office, allowing them to continue to collect contributions between elections. State law requires them to file annual as well as several election-year reports.

Hardin received two donations of $1,000 apiece, from BNSF Railway Co. and Invenergy, in the last two weeks before the Nov. 8 vote. Invenergy is a Chicago-based alternative-energy developer.

BNSFs contribution raised its total 2022 donations to Hardin to $3,000, compared with $1,000 for Scotts Bluff Countys other railroad, Union Pacific.

Lease reported no additional donations over $1,000 in the last two weeks before the general election.

Among regional candidates to state-level boards, only defeated University of Nebraska Board of Regents District 7 candidate Matt Williams of Gothenburg reported substantial late donations in the campaigns last two weeks.

Williams, who lost to Kathy Wilmot of Beaver City and finished eight years as District 36 state senator Jan. 3, received donations of $5,000 apiece from former NU Regent Howard Hawks and his wife, Rhonda. They raised the couples combined campaign donations to $17,500.

The Gothenburg banker, who announced his regents bid in 2021, raised $442,557 in donations to lead all state-level regional candidates. Nearly 42% of that total represented a transfer from his Unicameral campaign committee.

Wilmot, a former Nebraska State Board of Education member, didnt enter the District 7 regents race until early 2022. Despite only $58,371 in donations  $20,000 of which came from then-Gov. and newly sworn-in U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts  she defeated Williams by 6,418 votes.

Victorious North Platte challenger Elizabeth Tegtmeier (State Board of Education, District 7) easily maintained her healthy fundraising margin over incumbent Robin Stevens of Gothenburg.

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 5 member Kevin Stocker of Scottsbluff was unopposed in the general election after narrowly unseating incumbent Mary Ridder of Callaway, the commissions 2022 chairwoman, in the May 10 Republican primary.
Military veterans could more easily take on a new mission under a proposal heard by the Nebraska Legislature's Education Committee Monday.

The bill (LB188) would allow veterans to become K-12 teachers without having to get teacher education. Instead, they could get five-year teaching certificates and learn on the job from experienced teachers.

State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, who introduced the measure, said it would accomplish two goals. It would provide a career option for veterans, while helping ease the growing shortage of teachers across Nebraska.

Under the bill, veterans would have to meet certain conditions to get the temporary teaching certificates. Those include serving at least four years in the military and not being dishonorably discharged, having at least 60 college credits with a grade-point average of 2.5 or higher and passing a test in the subject area they would be teaching.

The bill also would require that mentor teachers, with at least three years of experience, be assigned to the veterans-turned-teachers for their first two years in the classroom.

Elizabeth Davids welcomed the idea. She said she has heard from numerous parents and teachers who are "at the end of their rope" trying to cope with vacant teacher positions and a lack of substitute teachers.

"I can't think of anyone else I would trust more than veterans who have served this country," she said.

So did Kevin Naumann, a Catholic school administrator who retired from the Air National Guard. He said veterans have the discipline, patriotism and work ethic needed in the classroom, along with valuable skills and experience. He also said any initiative that would increase the number of teacher candidates would be useful.

Others argued the bill would lower teaching standards for one group of people and said that serving in the military and completing two years worth of college courses does not necessarily prepare someone to handle a classroom full of children.

Isau Metes, a U.S. Army veteran and English teacher, testified for the Nebraska State Education Association. She raised concerns that the bill does not specify what subjects the person took in college nor does it set a high enough standard for the person's discharge. She said veterans can have discharges under conditions that would be troubling, even if the level is above a dishonorable discharge.

Nicole Hochstein, a teacher married to a military veteran, said mentoring veterans-turned-teachers would add to the workload of existing teachers. She also questioned whether the qualifications set in the bill would be sufficient.

"Having the title of veteran doesn't mean you are upstanding and trustworthy," she said. "We are essentially saying that anyone off the street can teach."

Ryan McIntosh, speaking for the National Guard Association of Nebraska, praised the bill's "out-of-the-box" approach, although he suggested limiting the temporary certificates to veterans who have an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions. He testified as neutral on the bill because the association has not yet taken a position on it.

Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2023
An employee of a service providing temporary workers to Iredell-Statesville Schools was found to be impaired while on the campus of Shepherd Elementary School, Iredell Sheriff Darren Campbell said in a news release.

Jessica Sue Proctor, 41, of Barclay Lane, Mooresville, was charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of alcohol on a school campus and child neglect. She was cited and removed from school property, Campbell said.

Campbell said that on Tuesday, Shepherd Principal Kim Miller informed School Resource Officer Sgt. Dallas Hicks that a person working on the campus was possibly impaired.

Mitchell became aware that Proctor, who is employed by Stepping Stones Group, smelled of alcohol, Campbell said. Stepping Stones Group is a company the Iredell-Statesville School System uses to fill positions temporarily.

Hicks immediately began investigating the accusation. Proctor was removed from the classroom where she was working and was escorted to the schools office. Proctor was determined to be impaired and had an empty wine bottle in her possession as well as an insulated cup full of wine she was drinking, Campbell said.

The child neglect charge, he said, stemmed from the fact that she was in a classroom with an open bottle of wine in her pocketbook that the students could have easily accessed.

The Iredell-Statesville Schools issued a statement concerning Proctor. The safety of our students is our top priority. We are thankful that our employees felt empowered to speak up when something was not right. Due to the prompt response by our school administration, with assistance from the school resource officer and I-SS human resources department, the suspected employee was questioned, alcohol was found, and the employee was removed immediately. In the duties of this individual, no child was left alone

with this individual at any time.

Jessica Sue Proctor served as a contracted teacher assistant for two days at Shepherd Elementary School through The Stepping Stones Group.

In an effort to fully staff our schools, our district has used staffing agencies to fill positions.

Proctor has a March 9 court date in Iredell County District Court in Mooresville.
As the volunteers of the Piedmont Animal Rescue moved quickly throughout their office, preparing for an important arrival, there was a palpable buzz in the air.

However, despite all of the work that needed to be done, the feelings werent those of stress, but rather the volunteers were excited.

Its controlled bedlam right now, but were all so excited, Lynn Gullett, PARs canine coordinator said. But its so critical that those dogs get here and get the care that they need. Were all just giddy.

On Monday afternoon, Piedmont Animal Rescue welcomed 26 new dogs, saving them from a hoarding situation in a neighboring county.

All of the dogs are in various states of uncleanliness, with matted fur, fleas, and a handful also suffering from an infection of worms.

The dogs arrived shortly before 3:30 p.m. to the rescues office on Waterlynn Road in Mooresville and the process began immediately to clean all the dogs up, medicate those that were able, and hand them off to the volunteers that offered to foster them while they recovered from the situation they were found in.

We were contacted on Friday because the authorities assigned to the hoarding situation didnt have time to vet new rescues prior to their planned raid, Gullett said. Immediately we started working to find volunteers within our organization that would be able to take on the fosters.

Over the course of the weekend, Piedmont Animal Rescue was able to find enough foster homes to bring in the 26 dogs, which included a handful of puppies no more than a couple of months old, as well as a mother and her litter of five puppies that were no more than a week old. The group also included two more dogs that arrived pregnant and could give birth to their litters any day.

Its so cool to see our group of volunteers come together so quickly, Donald Gullett said. Were blessed at this rescue to have so many volunteers that they were able to mobilize like this.

Upon arrival, the volunteers had an assembly line-like process of getting the dogs bathed and medicated before their foster volunteers arrived to take them home. The process of bringing in all the dogs, caring for them, and sending them off to their foster homes took no more than a couple of hours.

Its so rewarding to be able to rescue these dogs, Donald Gullett of PAR said as he was administering a distemper/parvo shot to one of the handful of puppies. The conditions that these dogs were living in, much less the conditions the humans were living in, were really bad. These animals had been neglected.

With all the dogs now in foster care, the process will begin to make them adoptable. With so many being young, potentially dealing with an infestation of worms and/or fleas, and needing to be spayed or neutered, it may be several months before the dogs go up for adoption.

But this isnt the first time that Piedmont has dealt with a rescue operation of this size. Just last year, a similar situation brought in a whole host of new dogs and, like this new batch will be one day, all of them have since been adopted out to new homes.

The community came together over the last two or three days to make this possible, Donald Gullett said. Its so rewarding to do things like this for the animals and the community.

For more information about Piedmont Animal Rescue, visit their website at https://www.piedmontanimalrescue.com/.
Galloway, N.J. - When Megan Coates 21 and senior Eva Leaverton arrived in Athens, Greece to represent Stockton at the first Pharos Summit 2022: Greek-U.S. Collaboration in Higher Education, they found themselves surrounded by professors and administrators from other institutions like Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, William & Mary and Tufts.

Out of the 30 U.S. institutions at the summit, Stockton was one of the smallest. As Coates and Leaverton looked around, they were surprised to be the only students invited to attend.

At first, it was a little overwhelming, but everyone was so nice and welcoming, said Coates, an alumna from Atlantic City pursuing her doctorate in Archeology and Art History at Princeton University and co-director of the Hellenic Studies Diversity Travel Initiative at Stockton. The professors, deans and personnel were great and very interested in our program, which also helped with our confidence in being able to talk to all of these important, prominent figures.

Stockton developed a successful study abroad program with Aristotle University in Thessaloniki in 2017 to bring more students to Greece to spark interest in Hellenic studies. Since then, the program has expanded and is the only one like it in the U.S.

In recent years, Greece has changed laws to make it easier to host exchange students. In hopes of expanding study abroad partnerships between Greek and U.S. institutions, the International Academic Partnership Program (IAPP) in Greece was developed, a program under the Institute of International Education (IIE) in Washington, D.C. and the host of the first Pharos Summit.

When Stockton applied to attend the summit in 2019, the application was accepted. After being pushed back a couple years due to COVID-19 restrictions, the summit finally took place November 5-11, 2022.

Before traveling to Greece for the summit, Coates and Leaverton were invited to attend an IIE meeting in Washington, D.C. to meet delegates from some of the other universities that would be there. The Greek Minister of Education Niki Kerameus attended this meeting, whom Coates had met previously.

She recognized Megan, so while we were there, she actually met with us, Leaverton, a Languages and Culture Studies in Greek and Latin major from Millville, recalled. She took us aside and we talked to her. She invited Megan and I to go in November.

While being the only students to attend the summit was overwhelming at first, Coates said: Once we felt that what we had to offer was valid, we felt we deserved it. You know, a place at the table.

The goal of the summit was to forge connections and foster collaborations between U.S. and Greek institutions to expand study abroad opportunities for students in both countries.

It was really interesting to see how things ran at other schools like Princeton and what programs they were interested in starting, Leaverton said. I was also interested in talking to people from the Greek institutions. They had a lot of great ideas for possible partnerships that I didn't even think of."

After spending a couple days in Athens getting acquainted with delegates from the other U.S. and 24 Greek institutions there, the four representatives from Stockton - Coates, Leaverton, Professor of Greek Language and Literature David Roessel and Assistant Dean to the School of Arts and Humanities Rosa Perez-Maldonado - divided into separate groups and traveled to different areas of Greece.

Coates visited the Crete area to uncover what types of study abroad programs universities had to offer that coincide with programs at Stockton, particularly in the humanities like modern and ancient Greek language, Latin and classical studies.

The universities had a lot to offer, Coates said. As far as things like marine biology and other social sciences, I'm gathering that information now. Once I get it together, we'll be able to coordinate and see what we can get started as far as other exchange programs at institutions on Crete.

Leaverton toured northern Greece to strengthen existing relationships and prepare for her upcoming semester abroad at Aristotle University from February to June. As part of a new opportunity at Stockton, Leaverton is one of the first students to take three semesters of modern Greek language online with a professor from Aristotle before spending the fourth semester in Thessaloniki.

Meeting President Katerina Sakellaropoulou was a highlight for both Coates and Leaverton in Greece. Being able to say, Hello Madam President and shake a woman presidents hand was really nice, Coates said.

It's funny because the picture we haveit's Megan and I, then across from us is the President of Greece and the Minister of Education, these two amazingly powerful women, Leaverton added. It felt surreal. And the fact we were in the presidential mansion when we met her. I could never imagine this happening back home. So how is this happening here?

For Leaverton, taking part in the summit as one of the youngest people there boosted her confidence. The fact we have the opportunity to hopefully expand and start new programs for other universities has been amazing, she said. Im very excited about the opportunities we have in the future. Hearing what other schools would also like to do and knowing that other students will also get this opportunity is amazing.

While Coates feels hopeful about the future of study abroad opportunities in Greece after attending the summit, her work isnt over.

At this delegation, I was one of three African Americans to show up as a representative of the United States as a whole, she said. A lot of students, particularly students of color and from other underrepresented communities, dont know that these programs exist. And the ones that do, they dont think its for them.

Even though Im at Princeton right now, I wasnt representing them. It was at Stockton that I met the professor who encouraged me to go to Greece for the first time. It was because of Stockton that I had these opportunities. And its at Stockton where were going to reach these people. So we have to keep going.

Students can learn more about the pairs experiences and Stocktons Hellenic Studies program at the upcoming Travelogues of Greece discussion at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24 in the lower Art Gallery in Galloway.

Click here to watch Megan Coates talk about what expanding study abroad opportunities in Greece means to her.

Reported by Eliza Hunt

Photos submitted by Megan Coates, Eva Leaverton and Rosa Perez-Maldonado
Editor's Note This story is one of several in Community Newspapers of Southwest Virginia's Cold Case series. For other stories in the series, follow the link at the end of this story.

In early November 2015, John Wingler Jr. snapped a photo of his 74-year-old father as he sat on the front porch of his Whitetop home.

The two men hadnt always seen eye-to-eye, but in recent years, theyd grown quite close. The younger Wingler wanted to capture his father in that moment.

I had no idea how relevant that picture would be, the son said seven years later.

About a week after the photo was taken, it would become the featured photo on a missing persons poster and run in television and print news reports in an effort to locate John Wingler Sr., who suddenly disappeared on Nov. 12 of that year.

The report came in to the Grayson County Sheriffs Office from Winglers girlfriend, who said shed spoken with him the previous day, but had been unable to get in touch with or find him at his home that morning.

Also gone was Winglers red Ford Ranger pickup.

When investigators arrived, Capt. Todd Perkins said, the home was in slight disarray, but it hadnt been ransacked and nothing appeared to have been missing. A single house slipper belonging to the elder Wingler was found near a ditch line in the front yard. Perkins noted, though, that the wind had been high that day and could have easily blown it to the spot where it was found. The slippers mate was found inside the home.

Being such a small communityeven by rural Southwest Virginia standardsWingler was well-known to locals. Describing him as a man in poor health, Perkins said Wingler never strayed too far from home. When he did go out, it was almost always for a short trip to Whitetop Food & Gas, about a half a mile from his home, where hed often go to buy food and alcohol.

After his disappearance, due to his health conditions, Wingler was quickly labeled an endangered missing person.

He couldnt drive well; he couldnt walk very well. He was elderly and had heart conditions, Perkins explained. He would drive very, very slowly.

John Jr. was working construction several counties away the day he got the call from his brother that their father had gone missing. The thought terrified John Jr., whose father had once confided suicidal thoughts to him and had told John Jr. that if he ever followed through with it, hed go to the top of Whitetop Mountain to do so.

I caught a dump truck to Chilhowie to get my vehicle and I went straight to Whitetop Mountain thinking thats maybe what happened to him, John Jr. recalled.

Though he found some comfort in the absence of his father at the top of the mountain, John Jr.s relief would be short-lived.

Perkins said a neighbor across the street reported seeing Winglers lights on through the night, which was not unusual. Wingler often had difficulty sleeping at night. Another neighbor reported seeing someone peek out the window blinds as she left for work before daybreak the following morning, which, she said, was also not unusual for Wingler to do.

Of course, the question was, Did you see anybody else there? Was there any other vehicles, anything else? Perkins said. And the answer was no.

The investigator said the sheriffs office received an unconfirmed report later that day that Winglers truck had been seen on his road that morning heading in the direction of Whitetop Food & Gas, but that it had turned around and gone in the other direction.

Perkins, who investigated the case for several years  until he was promoted to captain a few years ago, said Winglers age coupled with the areas technology limitations meant investigators couldnt rely on the same investigative strategies as they might in a typical modern-day missing persons case.

In a typical missing persons investigation, cell phones, computers, GPS tracking and debit card transactions often prove helpful in tracking a persons whereabouts or last known location. But in an area where cell phone service is scant and with a missing man from a pre-technology generation, it really kind of sets you back to the barebones investigations of the old days where its just interviewing and talking to people, Perkins said.

We know were looking for him and a truck, he said. So we do our thing and start looking and searching, and we dont find anything. We start talking to people and following leads of Oh, I saw him here, or I saw him there.

None of those tips panned out, with some going unconfirmed and most turning out to be sightings of similar trucks.

It was a red Ford Ranger, an older model, older style little red truck, Perkins said. Its amazing how many of those you will see.

In the days that followed, searchers scoured the area on the ground and through the air, as divers searched a small pond behind Winglers home and state police performed a forensic workup inside the residence. Law enforcement in surrounding counties also joined the efforts, searching adjoining areas in their jurisdictions.

This goes on and on, following leads and doing searches, Perkins said. We had some information that came up  of course, is this a homicide or is this a missing person? Certainly, our No. 1 concern if this is a homicide is weve got to get on it.

Investigators tried to find anyone who may have been at odds with Wingler or who may have benefited from his disappearance, including his girlfriend, but no viable suspects were ever developed.

Though the two werent married, Wingler had added his girlfriend to the deed to his house. Speaking with a relative of Winglers, investigators learned that hed sought advice from the relative the day before he was reported missing on how to remove his girlfriend from the deed.

Of course, she had a financial interest in the house and stuff like that, and certainly, whenever you have someone that goes missing or something happens to them, you start looking at the people close to them, Perkins said.

But Perkins said Winglers girlfriend, whos now deceased, had been cooperative with investigators and had never held back any information they sought from her.

Perkins added, She could not have had any involvement in his disappearance with the way things happened without help, and she knew nobody in the community. So we never found any reason to believe she had anything to do with it other than being the person who called.

Additionally, he said, the home bore no real signs of foul play.

There were some things that were unusual at the house, but not like it had been ransacked, certainly not like there was a fight, Perkins said. Nothing ransacked and nothing missing, so that tells me it wasnt a robbery, there wasnt a fight.

Later on, other sinister reports began to come in, some suggesting that Wingler may have been killed and dumped in a ravine on Chestnut Mountain, or that his truck had gone over the bank and landed there.

But Perkins said searches of that area also came up empty.

Meanwhile, John Jr. and his brother, Jeff Wingler, had been working with The Aware Foundation, a nonprofit that works to draw attention to missing persons cases, as well as reporters in both print and television news to try get the word out.

Any information would be greatly appreciated, John Jr. told WJHL a month after his father went missing. We hope that this will get people thinking and asking questions. I just dont want this to be a case that goes on for 20 years down the road; I dont get any peace that way. I just need closure. The whole family needs closure really bad.

In the years that followed, investigators continued to follow up on tips, which were becoming fewer and farther between.

None of them panned out either.

Four years later, in April 2019, a deer hunter stumbled upon Winglers pickup in the woods about two miles from his home.

Perkins said the truck appeared to have gone off an old logging road near a large Christmas tree farm, where it crashed into a tree. The truck came to a stop, angled on the bank so that the passenger door faced the downward slope.

My first thing was, why did we not find it at the time? Perkins said.

He offered up one explanation to that question, saying that a helicopter had made two passes over the area during the initial searches.

This was all heavy tree cover, but also in flying over that area, your eyes are drawn to a huge Christmas tree field, he said.

The investigator pulled up Google Earth images of the area and was able to identify a small red speck on the map, but that image was taken recent to the time the truck was found. He reached out to federal authorities to find out if previous images had been stored in hopes of determining if the truck had been there all those years.

Perkins learned, though, that records of those images had not been kept.

For certain areas, there probably is like, maybe even daily passes and they keep logs of ityou know, high-security areas and stuff like that, Perkins said. This is not one of them. This is Whitetop, Virginia. Its a great place to live, its a great place to raise kids, but when you start talking about technology and stuff like that, were behind the 8 ball.

Although, Winglers family is skeptical the truck sat crashed in the woods for four years, Perkins debated the more sinister theories, saying that no signs of foul play were found at that scene either. Debris accumulated on and around the truck also supported that it could have been sitting there all along, he said.

Angled on the bank, Perkins said the passenger door to the truck was open and personal items were scattered on the grounda wallet, a pair of glasses, a pocketknife and a cordless house phone, which Wingler was known to carry around with him.

But we could not find him, Perkins said.

At that point, Wingler had been missing for several years. The sheriffs office brought in two anthropologists from Radford University to help in the search. Drs. Cliff Boyd and Donna Boyd are known nationally for their expertise in bone identification.

The Boyds told us that it did not surprise them that we would not find anything, taking into consideration the amount of time that had passed, animal depredation and things like that, Perkins said.

Additionally, a wildlife biologist also explained to investigators that bears had been known to carry off 250-pound calf carcasses for a mile or two and had even been known to cross over fencing with them.

As the investigation stands, particularly because no remains have been found, investigators are keeping an open mind as to what may have happened to Wingler.

Without a body, we dont know the cause of death, and we cant find the body, Perkins said.

Although he and other investigators havent ruled out the possibility of foul play, Perkins acknowledged that the most likely scenario is that Wingler drove off the road, crashing his truck in the remote area, and either couldnt get back to the road due to injury or that he suffered some kind of medical emergency.

John Jr., though, is unconvinced.

He questions what his father would have been doing in the area.

My dad would have never been on that property, he said. He wouldnt even drive though the yard even though his trucks a four-wheel drive. I dont even think he knew how to put it in four-wheel drive.

To add to his doubts, John Jr. said his fathers drivers license was also left behind at his home.

Had the truck been found earlier on, Perkins believes the investigation would have concluded right then.

I hate we didnt find his truck on day-one. I guarantee we would have had all our answers had he been there, he said.

The 2019 discovery of the pickup was the last movement in the investigation.

Ever since we found the truck, theres been no other leads. Nothings been said, nothing else has come in, Perkins said. The case has certainly gone cold.

Although hes since moved up at the sheriffs office and is no longer leading the investigation, the case is still a point of frustration for Perkins.

I cannot stand it when I cant solve something, he said. We worked it. We worked it hard. We used all the resources we could. But, again, because of the location and everything else, youre talking going back in time. Youre investigating something thats not in a big city. You cant use technology, because the technologys not there.

As for Winglers family, they want to know definitively what happened to him. John Jr. said people often try to sympathize with his loss, but he said its a difficult loss to fathom, not knowing what happened to a loved one, not knowing their final resting place.

I dont have closure, he said. I dont know where my dad is.... I dont know how bad his death was. I can only imagine the hell he went through the last few minutes of his life. 

But hes holding on to hope for answers.

It says somewhere in the Bible that everything done in darkness will be brought to light, he said. Everything Ive ever done in darkness has been brought to light pretty quick. I want justice for my dad.

Anyone with any information in the investigation is encouraged to call the Grayson County Sheriffs Office at 276-773-3241.

Cold Case: Southwest Virginia In an effort to bring awareness, renew interest and, hopefully, generate some tips, Community Newspapers of Southwest Virginia has launched a 
Gov. Glenn Youngkins $1 billion tax relief program passed the Republican-controlled House of Delegates on Tuesday, while the governor continued campaigning for measures that now face a tougher ride with the Democratic majority in the state Senate.

The House passed both the individual income tax measures, a cut in corporate income taxes and a deduction targeted at small business.

Virginians are still overtaxed, they deserve to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks and todays significant move by the House of Delegates means Virginians are one step closer to additional relief," Youngkin said in a statement.

Youngkins program calls for cutting the top rate for individual income taxes from 5.75% to 5.5%, while boosting the standard deduction from $8,000 to $9,000 for single filers and from $16,000 to $18,000 for joint returns.

His business tax relief includes cutting the corporate income tax rate from 6% to 5% and creating a 10% credit targeted for small business  a feature Youngkin stressed earlier Tuesday in a speech at the National Federation of Independent Business.

When we see people moving away, they are voting with their feet, he told the small business-oriented group.

Weve got to cut the tax burden, he said.

Youngkin has repeatedly said tackling Virginia's high cost of living is a top priority. More people move out of the state than move in, often headed for lower- or no-income tax states to the South, which Youngkin has repeatedly said is one of his top concerns  high cost of living.

Democrats say the state has too many unmet needs the $1 billion program could address.

They include some $20 billion in school construction needs and state school staffing standards that have not been fully funded since the Great Recession, Del. Sally Hudson, D-Charlottesville, told the House during a muted debate on the corporate tax cuts.

House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, said: We want to give money back to taxpayers, it is not our money, it is theirs."

Youngkin says the states projected $3.6 billion surplus and projections of even larger future surpluses mean Virginia can afford tax relief and still have resources needed to make critical investments.

Senate bills that would implement the relief program are pending before the Senate Finance Committee, with its 11-5 Democratic majority, and are on its agenda for Wednesday.

The House bills must still go before that committee, as well.
The Kelso Police Department is asking for the publics help in locating 58-year-old Crystal Edna Cottle, who was last seen on Allen Street near the Interstate 5 exit on Jan 4.

Cottle, who suffers from mental health issues, was attempting to go home to Springfield, Oregon, via Amtrak, but she never arrived, according to police.

Her last known communication was after she missed her train at the Kelso station. Since then, police state Cottle has not contacted family members or neighbors and her phone has remained inactive.

She is described as 5 foot, 2 inches tall with long blonde hair and hazel eyes, weighing around 132 pounds.

Cottle has tattoos on her left foot and ankle. One reads Natural Beauty, in a scripted font. She also has a 4-inch jagged scar on her left calf and minor circular surgical scars at the base of her skull and neck.

Police suggest calling 360- 577-3413 or 360-423-1270 if you have information on Cottle.
The Longview School Board is reviewing how to balance the upcoming budget as pandemic-related federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds are expected to dry up by the end of next school year.

Superintendent Dan Zorn during Mondays meeting sought board input for the framework of how they should build a budget that keeps a 7 to 9% ending fund balance while they address collective bargaining agreements and meet students academic needs. No action was taken Monday, and budgets are usually voted on in the summer.

ESSER funds

The loss of ESSER funds will lead the school district into a new era  one without the extra backing of dollars that went toward building upgrades, emergency needs and learning recovery.

Longview Public Schools got a total of $27.7 million through ESSER and as of November used $7.3 million, according to data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Board President Don Wittala said the district needed to keep this in mind before budget talks, as some revenue sources may not be sustainable without ESSER.

Weve got to be really careful on this. ... Im really trying to champion that we keep that 7 to 9% balance, Wittala said.

The board in August passed a $109.8 million budget for the 2022-23 school year. It was about $2.1 million more than the 2021 budget  largely due to the influx of ESSER dollars.

Zorn said if the ending fund balance is in jeopardy of dipping below the minimum 6% cap, they may have to make budget cuts.

The concept is to keep those cuts or reductions as far away from the classroom as possible, Zorn said.

Title funding

More money could come in from other sources. Amy Neiman, Longview Public Schools director of state and federal programs, said we might get a little bit more Title funding next school years based upon our current census data.

The district as of now expects to get about $2.5 million in Title I funding with a 15% carryover from last year. Title I funding, in particular, helps schools with low-income students.

Neiman said Title funds fit under the umbrella of categorical funds, which include both state and federal dollars that both contribute to educational materials and new technology.

Behind all of those dollars is our ability to enhance the learning environments for students, Neiman said.

The states Learning Assistance Program, for instance, goes directly to schools, funding tools like an electronic reader board that can display translations in Longviews 11 Title-funded schools, as well as paraeducators and tutoring.

The district can also apply for the states Community Eligibility Provision, which helps schools get rid of the applications required to serve free and reduced lunches to students. Longview is eligible for the funds because about 65% of its students are considered low-income.

The goal to close achievement gaps and help student growth will get a boost from OSPIs Office of System and School Improvement. The funding, which will go to eight identified schools in the district, could range from $30,000 to $75,855 each and an overall district grant for $75,000.

Board Vice President Jennifer Leach asked whether afterschool clubs or other activities could help with student growth. Neiman said some extracurriculars might have dipped below what is normal in recent years, but she had hopes for those extracurriculars would come back.
Apple has reportedly begun hiring employees for its first-ever Apple Store in Malaysia. This is according to reliable tipster Mark Gurman who said that the tech giant was spotted publishing job listing on its websites for locations in our country.

Writing in his Bloomberg column, Gurman revealed that among the job openings are store managers, technical specialists and support staff, salespeople for businesses, and operations experts. Furthermore, the listings indicate that the positions will be for Apples own retail stores and not third-party resellers that have long operated in our country.

Apple already has official stores in Southeast Asia, including in our neighbouring countries Thailand and Singapore. It is unclear where the first Malaysian Apple Store will be, but it will likely be located in Kuala Lumpur.

So, what do you guys think of this development? Are you excited for Malaysia to have its own Apple Store(s)? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for more trending tech news.
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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers from Temple University, Columbia University, and Baylor University published a new Journal of Marketing article that examines the effectiveness of adopting different choices to guide digital consumer behavior and clarifies the underlying psychological mechanisms.

Companies spend over $75 billion annually on advertisements designed to increase app downloads on smartphones. This is not surprising given that over 3.5 billion people worldwide use smartphones and over 200 billion apps are downloaded each year. In addition to advertising, companies use promotions or other incentives to motivate consumers to install their apps and enable their features.

Changing how smartphone users interact with apps can have considerable effects on companies' bottom lines. A prime example is Apple's recent opt-in policy that requires apps to ask permission before tracking or sharing user activity across other apps. This change caused the percentage of users who allow tracking to plummet and resulted in lost income for app developers that rely on data tracking, such as Facebook, which lost over $12 billion after this policy change.

App adoption can influence a range of outcomes. For example, the launch of a news app can increase visits to the corresponding news website and adoption of a physical activity app can cause greater levels of physical activity. Features like in-app purchases and premium upgrades provide direct revenue for firms, while firms can make money from acquiring email addresses, location tracking, or other user data. In some cases, enabling app features is also necessary for an app to function properly; for example, digital contact tracing apps often entail three key features (e.g., exposure notification, exposure logging, and Bluetooth) and these apps don't function properly when users don't enable any one of these features.

Nudging the consumer

How can managers encourage more consumers to fully adopt an app and its key features? This new research examines how app design changes influence adoption of app features and explore how managers can facilitate this adoption. Across seven experiments, the research team shows that several inexpensive techniques can make users more likely to enable important app features and complete app onboarding.

As Reeck explains, "We test these 'nudges' in multiple contexts, including experiments that focus on digital contact tracing apps with a smartphone interface mimicking actual presentations. Because managers and app developers often want to make the funnel smoother from downloading an app to fully enabling the app, we examine three techniques that could help accomplish this goal and explain the mechanisms underlying their influence on digital consumer behavior." These techniques are:

Integrating multiple feature decisions into a single choice rather than separating them increases adoption. This finding is consistent with the notion that presenting separate decisions leads to focus on the attendant risks, thereby diminishing the likelihood of installing the app.

Changing colors to match those commonly found in current digital interfaces appears to increase adoption. For example, since blue is commonly used for "continue" buttons, users are more likely to select blue than gray buttons during installation.

Wording options as if they will be enacted (saying "continue" as opposed to "continue without enabling") makes people more likely to accept the feature during installation.

Small changes, large effects

"App developers, user experience teams, and other industry experts say that failure to enable app features is a major problem. Numerous apps have critical features such as location tracking and other privacy features that users must enable by making several choices," says Posner.

Other consumer behaviors, such as accepting cookies on websites, initiating subscriptions, or signing up for vaccinations, also involve many steps and choices that could be integrated to increase uptake. "The effects of these small changes can influence many types of decisions, with implications for consumer privacy and customer relationship management as well as regulation," adds Mrkva.

The study examines these effects across different app types, including COVID-19 exposure notification apps, health and fitness apps, and employment search contexts. These contexts are used because:

They represent situations where the interests of the firm and consumer are largely aligned, in that both parties would benefit from the app's installation.

The exposure notification software is timely and relevant to multiple stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are contexts in which installation would benefit not only the firm or consumer, but society as a whole.

Johnson says, "Our research comes at a time when practices that shape digital consumer behavior are gathering more interest. For example, the Federal Trade Commission has issued new guidance that subscription sign-ups must be transparent and easy to cancel to address complaints of 'sludge,' meaning cases where designs are intended to exploit consumers."

Government agencies in the United States and Europe are documenting cases where digital practices encourage behavior that may harm consumers or make it much more difficult to make one choice than another (e.g., enabling versus disabling cookies). This research documents the effectiveness of adopting different choices to guide digital consumer behavior and clarifies the underlying psychological mechanisms.

More information: Crystal Reeck et al, EXPRESS: Nudging App Adoption: Choice Architecture Facilitates Consumer Uptake of Mobile Apps, Journal of Marketing (2022). DOI: 10.1177/00222429221141066 Journal information: Journal of Marketing
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Quadruped robot SDU-150 (Shandong University, Jinan, China) is composed of perception and motion control platforms. The quadruped robot perception platform reveals the positional relationship between the depth camera and the LiDAR. The leader wears reflective clothing and maintains a distance of 1m to 6m from robot. The day/night leader-following algorithm framework includes visual leader-following, LiDAR-based leader-following, and Adaptive Federated Filter. Credit: Zhang et al (MDPI, Bio-Inspired Design and Control of Legged Robot).

Legged robots have significant advantages over wheeled and track-based robots, particularly when it comes to moving on different types of terrains. This makes them particularly favorable for missions that involve transporting goods or traveling from one place to another.

One promising approach that allows legged robots to effectively tackle these missions, particularly those that involve long-distance traveling, entails teaching them to follow a "leader," whether a specific vehicle or human agent. However, this can be difficult to achieve, particularly under all lighting and atmospheric conditions.

Researchers at Shandong University in China have recently developed a new framework that could provide four-legged robots with leader-following abilities in both nighttime and daytime conditions. This framework, introduced in MDPI's Biomimetics journal, is based on visual and LiDAR detection technology.

"Leader-following can help quadruped robots accomplish long-distance transportation tasks," Jialin Zhang, Jiamin Guo, Hui Chai, Qin Zhang, Yibin Li, Zhiying Wang and Qifan Zhang wrote in their paper. "However, long-term following has to face the change of day and night as well as the presence of interference. To solve this problem, we present a day/night leaderfollowing method for quadruped robots toward robustness and fault-tolerant person following in complex environments."

To be effective, leader-following frameworks should allow robots to accurately detect and identify specific people under different lighting conditions, so that they can then follow them to a desired location. The method proposed by Zhang, Guo and their colleagues achieves this using three different modules: a person detection, a communication and a motion control module.

"We construct an Adaptive Federated Filter algorithm framework, which fuses the visual leader-following method and the LiDAR detection algorithm based on reflective intensity," Zhang and his colleagues wrote in their paper. "Moreover, the framework uses the Kalman filter and adaptively adjusts the information sharing factor according to the light condition. In particular, the framework uses fault detection and multi-sensors information to stably achieve day/night leader-following."

A unique feature of the leader-following framework introduced by the researchers is its use of a fault detection and isolation algorithm, which is designed to significantly improve its performance in both daytime and nighttime conditions. This algorithm relies on the data collected by several different sensors and on computations ran by a detection algorithm, which allow it to adapt to high-frequency vibrations, different levels of illumination and possible visual interferences caused by reflective materials in the surrounding environment.

Zhang, Guo and their colleagues evaluated their proposed framework in a series of trials using SDU-150, a quadruped robot developed at Shandong University. These tests yielded very promising results, as the robot was able to identify leaders reliably and effectively in various scenarios. The robot was tested in both indoor and outdoor environments, at day and at night and under different lighting conditions.

In the future, the leader-following framework developed by this team of researchers could help to improve the leader-following abilities of other existing and newly developed robots. In addition, it could potentially inspire the development of similar approaches designed to enhance the ability of robots to detect and track specific targets under different lighting conditions.

"The next step will combine sensor fusion with deep learning to perform data-level multisensor fusion, which greatly improves the detection accuracy and adapts to the high-precision operating situation," the researchers conclude in their paper.

More information: Jialin Zhang et al, A Day/Night Leader-Following Method Based on Adaptive Federated Filter for Quadruped Robots, Biomimetics (2023). DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8010020

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Yang Chen inspects an energy-harvesting rail in the Railway Technologies Laboratory. Credit: Alex Parrish for Virginia Tech.

The Virginia Tech Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety (CVeSS) and the Railway Technologies Laboratory want to harness the energy created by moving trains and transform that energy into usable electricity.

Approximately 76% of the total miles on American railroad tracks are in rural areas that lack the electricity required for operating smart rail systems. These smart systems include gear such as wayside safety equipment, wireless communications, and track health monitors. According to CVeSS Director Mehdi Ahmadian, delivering energy to that gear can be challenging. Solar panels are prone to being damaged or stolen, and power generators that use propane require servicing and refueling.

Researchers at CVeSS set about coming up with a more durable solution that would provide energy to these devices, deter theft, and require minimal maintenance.

Research in motion

After several years of design review, CVeSS researchers created a new kind of tie that replaces the conventional wooden variety and is equipped to generate power. Their high-tech tie, placed underneath the rail, is topped with a heavy metal bar mounted on a spring. As the wheels of the train pass over the rail, the train's weight pushes down on that bar, triggering a series of gears. Those gears rotate a generator, creating electricity, which can then be stored in a battery.

After developing this viable idea, the team next created a prototype. The researchers successfully tested the device in the lab, and Ahmadian started conversations about the technology with familiar industry partners. Norfolk-Southern agreed to host the deployment of the new rail on a section of its track this past August. Since that rollout, the CVeSS team has been collecting data to determine the amount of power that can be generated and the best ways to optimize the device's design.

A rail with purpose

As trains passed over the rail, researchers got a clearer picture of how much power it might produce and how that power might be put into use.

"For every wheel of the train that goes by, we are harvesting 15 to 20 watts of power," said Ahmadian. "If we have a long train with maybe 200 railcars, that's 800 wheels, making 1.6 kilowatts. Once we have stored that energy, we are able to use it to make the tracks more intelligent by embedding sensors in them."

Deploying their energy harvesting system could mean greater expansion of the vital sensor systems that keep railways safe.

"The ability to monitor the track with that technology is mostly absent, not because we don't have the technology, but because it is difficult to bring power to the remote locations where those technologies are needed," said Ahmadian. "If we remain successful, this promises to be a leap forward for bringing power accessibility to the railroad tracks."

The research developed for this project was published in Applied Energy and the proceedings of the ASME/ IEEE Joint Rail Conference.

More information: Yu Pan et al, A half-wave electromagnetic energy-harvesting tie towards safe and intelligent rail transportation, Applied Energy (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.118844
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Professor Ning Wang, front right, is joined by researchers, from left, Fazlur Rashid, Kshitij Amar and Parth Bhala. Credit: Fred Zwicky

Scientists have developed a tiny mechanical probe that can measure the inherent stiffness of cells and tissues as well as the internal forces the cells generate and exert on one another. Their new "magnetic microrobot" is the first such probe to be able to quantify both properties, the researchers report, and will aid in understanding cellular processes associated with development and disease.

They detail their findings in the journal Science Robotics.

"Living cells generate forces through protein interactions, and it's very hard to measure these forces," said Ning Wang, a professor of mechanical science and engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who led the research. "Most probes can either measure the forces actively generated by the tissues and cells themselves, a trait we call traction, or they can measure their stiffnessbut not both."

To measure cell stiffness, researchers need a relatively rigid probe that can compress, stretch or twist the tissues and quantify how robustly they resist. But to measure the cells' own internally generated contractions or expansions, a probe must be relatively soft and supple.

Like other scientists, Wang and his colleagues had already developed probes to measure each of these qualities individually. But he said he wanted to develop a more universal probe that could tackle both at once. Such a probe would allow a better understanding of how these properties influence diseases like arteriosclerosis or cancer, or how an embryo develops, for example.

To tackle this challenge, Wang and graduate student Erfan Mohagheghian looked for ways to alter the mechanical characteristics of a probe after injecting it into the tissue of interest. They used hydrogels made of polyethylene glycol, a material already approved for use in human subjects.

For the new study, the team developed a precise method for embedding a magnetic "microcross" into a rigid PEG hydrogel. Study co-author Kristi Anseth, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder, had already developed a method to degrade and soften the hydrogel using ultraviolet light.

In a series of experiments, the researchers injected their probes into 3D lab-grown tumor masses and into zebrafish embryos. By subjecting those tissues to an electromagnetic field, the scientists activated the probes to exert various stresses on the tissues and measure tissue stiffness. Exposing the tumor mass or the embryos to UV light then softened the PEG matrix of the probes, allowing the probes to measure the forces generated by the cells within the tissues.

The probes gave precise information about both the tissue stiffness and traction, revealing for the first time that while malignant tumors may become stiffer in response to surrounding tissues, the cancer cells do not alter their tractions, regardless of their proximity to soft or stiff materials. Wang said this challenges a common perception that the physical characteristics of the underlying tissue drive changes in the internal forces of cancer cells, allowing them to metastasize.

"People thought that the stiffness of the substrate was the driving force for the cancer to progress," Wang said. "Our findings do not support this claim."

The probes also captured the push and pull of cells during embryonic development, which could offer new insight into how such oscillations correspond with the patterning of organs, tissues and limbs as animals develop from single cells into complex tissues, Wang said. The embryonic work was conducted by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China.

"We believe the large force oscillations detected in the embryos are very important in driving the early stages of development," Wang said.

The paper is titled "Quantifying stiffness and forces of tumor colonies and embryos using a magnetic microrobot."

More information: Erfan Mohagheghian et al, Quantifying stiffness and forces of tumor colonies and embryos using a magnetic microrobot, Science Robotics (2023). DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adc9800. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.adc9800 Jose Plaza, Robotic probes at the cell scale, Science Robotics (2023). DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adf9996. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.adf9996 Journal information: Science Robotics
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People walk past a Microsoft office in New York, Nov. 10, 2016. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, Microsoft reported a 12% drop in profit for the October-December 2022 quarter, reflecting the economic uncertainty it said led to its decision to cut 10,000 workers. Credit: AP Photo/Swayne B. Hall, File

Microsoft said it's seeing some improvement to problems with its online services including the Teams messaging platform and Outlook email system after users around the world reported outages Wednesday.

In a status update, the tech company reported "service degradation" for a number of its Microsoft 365 services.

Thousands of users reported problems with Teams, Outlook, the Azure cloud computing service and XBox Live online gaming service early Wednesday on the Downdetector website, which tracks outage reports. Many users also took to social media to complain that services were down.

By later in the morning, Downdetector showed the number of reports had dropped considerably.

"We're continuing to monitor the recovery across the service and some customers are reporting mitigation," the Microsoft 365 Status Twitter account said. "We're also connecting the service to additional infrastructure to expedite the recovery process."

It tweeted earlier that it had "isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue" and that a network change suspected to be causing the problem was rolled back.

It comes after Microsoft reported Tuesday that its quarterly profit fell 12%, reflecting economic uncertainty that the company said led to its decision this month to cut 10,000 workers.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Community fundraiser SML Gives is returning once again after a successful campaign last year. Participating nonprofits gathered at The Barn at SML in Westlake for a kickoff event Friday.

SML Gives raised $86,000 for its first ever day-of-giving campaign last year. It was organized by nonprofit SML Good Neighbors and modeled after Roanoke Valley Gives Day, a similar campaign created by the Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia.

When the Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia announced it would not be holding its Roanoke Valley Gives Day last year, board members at SML Good Neighbors worked to create a similar day centered on lake area nonprofits. SML Good Neighbors joined 12 area nonprofits for the first SML Gives campaign last year.

SML Good Neighbors Executive Director Lisa Lietz welcomed this years 21 participating area nonprofits based in Franklin and Bedford counties for the kickoff on Friday. She set a goal of $100,000 for this years SML Gives set for March 15.

I think we can reach that this year, Lietz said.

Participating nonprofits were given instructions during Fridays event on how to reach out to the public for donations for the 24 hours of giving on March 15. Donations can be given by visiting visiting smlgives.org to make a donation to any of the 21 nonprofits for 24 hours starting at 12 a.m. March 15.

This years campaign will allow 5014 nonprofits in addition to 5013.

We changed it this year so our fire and rescue departments could participate as well, Lietz said. Stewartsville Rescue Squad in Bedford County is the lone fire or rescue department participating this year.

Most participating nonprofits had pragmatic goals of around $5,000 in donations for this years campaign. Some nonprofits such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia only had a goal of getting the word out on what they do by participating in the campaign.

We are really focused on raising awareness, said Emily Pinkerton, director of development for the nonprofit.

Friends of Booker T. Washington National Monument, a new nonprofit participating in the campaign this year, has a goal of $2,000. Kaye Hancock, treasurer for the nonprofit, said that would be enough to provide scholarships to two graduating Franklin County High School seniors this summer.

While Hancock admitted that the goal was modest, she said they were hopeful they would be able to get additional donations about that. Those additional donations would go to supporting functions at the park.

All nonprofits participating in this years SML Gives include Affordable Condo Association, Bedford Humane Society, Bedford Ride, Boys & Girls Clubs Of Southwest Virginia, Childrens Assistive Technology Service, Food For Kids Weekend Pack-a-Sack Program, Franklin County Humane Society, Friends of Booker T Washington National Monument, Helping Hands of Franklin County, Lake Christian Ministries, New Life Center for Thoroughbreds, ONE Forest School, Reel Connections for Kids, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Virginia, SML Good Neighbors, Southern Virginia Child Advocacy Center, Stewartsville Rescue Squad, The Agape Center, Virginia Childrens Theatre, Ferrum College Theatre Arts Department and the Franklin County Family YMCA.

More information on the day can be found at smlgives.org.
CAIRO, Egypt  A Grand Island man died Monday in a shooting in Sudan.

Armed men opened fire on a bus station in southern Sudan, officials said, killing at least four people and prompting authorities to declare a monthlong state of emergency.

One of the four victims was Ibrahim Gebeira of Grand Island. Gebeira was there with his wife, Nafisa Awad Toto, and son, Luis Ibrahim Kander, 3, visiting family. Officials in South Kordofan province said the attack in the provincial capital of Kadugli wounded at least four others.

Gebeira's family has made Grand Island its home for several years and have sent their children through Grand Island Central Catholic and Grand Island Public Schools. Their daughter, Lucy Ghaifan, is a senior at Grand Island Central Catholic. Her older brother, Youhanna Ghaifan, graduated from GICC in 2015. There are three other children in the family.

Two of Gebeira's relatives were also killed in the shooting, but their identities are unknown right now.

Were deeply saddened with the tragic passing of three relatives of GICC student Lucy Ghaifan, GICC Superintendent Jordan Engle said in a statement. Our Crusader family expresses a deep level of love and concern for all those affected by this tragedy. We love and support all members of our student body, and will continue to offer our prayers and resources to Lucy and all in our school in need. We ask the community to join us in offering thoughts and prayers to the family at this time.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family. An account has also been opened at Five Points Bank in Grand Island. Donations will be used to get Nafisa and Luis back home as soon as possible as well as general support to help the family financially. As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, the GoFundMe account had raised almost $8,400; the goal is $10,000.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place as the victims were heading to areas controlled by a rebel group, known as the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, local Sudanese media reported.

Mousa Gaber Mahmoud, South Kordofan's acting provincial governor, called the attack "unfortunate," pledging that local authorities "will spare no effort to regain security and stability" in the province.

He said a state of emergency took effect Monday across the southern province on the border with South Sudan.

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, controls large swaths of the province, including the Nuba mountains. It has been fighting the government in Sudan's capital of Khartoum for decades.

A cease-fire was established between the military and the group following the removal of longtime strongman Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 amid a popular uprising against his three decades of repressive rule.

There were tensions between the two sides after a military coup removed a transitional government in October 2021, plunging the entire country into further chaos.
YORK  If your New Years resolution is to serve your community, look no further than making a difference in a childs life through Yorks Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program.

Since the global outbreak of COVID-19, the number of child abuse cases whether be physical, psychological or neglectful has spiked, reported Elizabeth Hain, York Countys CASA executive director.

We have 66 abused and neglected children in York County, and we are serving 33 of those, said Hain. This is the highest number of children weve ever had at any given time here in York County. In a typical calendar year, we see mid-40s, so the fact that we are seeing more than that is insane. With that said, we are serving a record number.

Hains role as a director is the recruitment and supervision of volunteers who are the voices of children facing domestic violence, neglect and emotional abuse. Every volunteer goes through a thorough interview, background check followed by six to eight weeks of a hands-on, interactive training program to prepare them for advocacy. Once the intensive training is complete, they are sworn in by the York County judge and are sent on their way to serve children in the court system.

Hain said, We never assign a case, they get to decide if there is one they want to work with. I would be doing a disservice to the children if I was just assigning at random. Some people feel called to serve with the teens and others want to work with the tiny ones.

After finding a perfect fit, the trained volunteers are appointed by the judge and assigned to be the eyes and ears of the court.

Hannah Miller, a CASA volunteer of three years said, Ive been involved in my CASA life since May 2020. The impact I feel Ive made on this youth and her family is being the one constant person for them. Over the past three years, my youth and her moms attorneys have changed, she had three caseworkers, multiple foster homes and group homes, and two judges who oversaw her case. The one thing she never had change was me, as her CASA, and Id like to hope that has made an impression on her life. To have an unconditionally committed person who is with that youth through the highs and lows, someone to listen to them and process through thoughts and feelings can make all the difference in helping that youth heal and grow.

These children are not just another statistic or a number, but these are children who have needs and wants. They are children who have dreams and a whole future ahead of them. When the world shut down due to COVID, some children lost their safe haven where they had support and were receiving care throughout the day. Hain said feelings of isolation, depression and stress creeped into the homes of these children, leading to them being neglected and abused.

Hain said, I think COVID put a lot of parents in situations they were not prepared for, whether that be having their children at home and having to homeschool or losing their jobs and having to find other means of financial support. There was a lack of social interaction and support. I think it drove a lot of well-intentioned people to do things they wouldnt normally do. Another big one is I believe we have a very thriving interstate community. There are many hotels, gas stations and food options, and that brings a lot of traffic into York, both good and bad. It can make York a hub for human trafficking and drug trafficking. Parents who already are stressed have access to those vices and in return, the children suffer.

The volunteers play an integral part in opening their hearts to these children and showing them that they matter. Hein said they have a huge responsibility on their hands as volunteers. They visit the child once a month, conduct interviews and make observations with every person in the childs life including the parents, grandparents, foster parents, teachers and therapists. Regularly they communicate through phone calls and emails with this team of providers.

Anna Johnson, a CASA volunteer of two years said, My favorite aspect of this role is building a caring, trusting relationship with these children so they know they truly matter. I want them to know that Im not going anywhere and will be there to support them and cheer them on. My goal is to make a positive impact on the children and families I work with, providing a sense of security to rebuild that foundation of trust and confidence to create a healthy future they can look forward to.

When filling out the CASA report, CASA volunteers have big decisions to make. The reports discuss what they have seen in the households, what the situation is and how it affects the child, and what they want to see happen going forward.

Hain said, CASAs really great because we arent bound by a lot of red tape as the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services or a lawyer. We can be a lot more candid in our reports. Were also known as the friend of the court and the judge really appreciates what we do and values our advocates opinions.

While the CASA volunteers are the voice, Hain said it takes a team of educators, health care providers and people within the community to recognize when a child is in an abusive situation. The common signs are big changes in behaviors or moods, withdrawal from class or friends, poor hygiene and unsuitable clothing for weather, attention seeking behaviors or unexplained injuries.

They can look for physical marks, but a lot of times those dont indicate abuse because children are already playing around, so you have to be careful with that, said Hain.

CASA is always looking for volunteers to help change a childs story. To become a volunteer, you can schedule an interview with Elizabeth Hain by emailing director@casaforyork.org.

If anyone detects a child who may be facing child abuse or neglect, they can call the Child and Adult/Elder Abuse in Nebraska Hotline of 1-800-652-1999 or visit casaforyork.org/hotlines.
YORK  Kurt D. Snell, 45, whose addresses have been listed in court documents as York and Lincoln, was re-sentenced this week for first degree domestic assault, a Class 2A felony, in a case where he seriously injured a woman.

Two years ago, he was given probation.

According to court documents, the York Police Department was dispatched to a residence in York where a woman was asking for help, as she said she feared Snell was going to kill her.

The affidavit says when officers arrived on the scene, they could hear an argument coming from the apartment and when they knocked on the door, a woman came out and indicated where Snell was.

In the affidavit, officers say they observed the woman to be in visible pain from her hip and rib area.

Officers say in the affidavit they observed Snell, who they knew from many law enforcement contracts, to be in the kitchen area.

The affidavit says Snell was taken into a hallway to speak with an officer while the other officer stayed with the alleged victim. They said she was very animated and kept complaining of her pain. She sat on the couch to catch her breath. She was finally able to tell me that the night previous, around midnight, she was in an argument with Snell in the kitchen when he picked her up and dropped her onto the floor. She also explained that she has MS. She said she has been in pain all throughout the day. This altercation is when she sustained most of the injuries to her ribs.

The affidavit says Snell was drinking alcohol and began yelling at the woman for lying on the couch. She said he again picked her up and dropped her on the floor. The officer asked paramedics to check her and they said she had at least a couple broken ribs and possibly more than that.

She was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at York General Hospital.

The officers said meanwhile, it was apparent Snell was under the influence of alcohol by his actions and aggressive words. The affidavit says Snell continued his aggressive language and posturing with police officers and sheriffs deputies, until he was taken to the jail.

During Snells first sentencing hearing, the prosecution said they would agree to recommend probation.

Judge James Stecker examined Snells criminal history, which he said includes trespassing, domestic assault, driving under the influence, driving under suspension, issuing bad checks and theft. He also warned Snell about not complying with probation.

This involved fractures to her ribs, Judge Stecker said to Snell. Your plan to attend just AA is inadequate. The court believes you could benefit (from further and additional programming). If you dont follow through with more than AA, the court will then look at a term in prison. The court believes this was very serious. If you cannot address your problems through programming, you can expect a trip to the Nebraska Department of Corrections.

This week, Snell was back in District Court for re-sentencing as he had violated terms of his probation. Judge Stecker sentenced Snell to a term of 18 months to three years in prison. He was given credit for 187 days already served in the matter.
YORK  The seats of the York County Planning and Zoning Committee are finally completely full and work is set to begin in consideration of new zoning regulations pertaining to wind, solar and pipeline projects.

There has been a vacancy on the planning and zoning committee for some time, as Gary Eberle is no longer a member. He was also a member of the countys board of adjustment, so there has been that vacancy as well.

This week, York County Commissioner Chairman Randy Obermier said Chad Hirschfeld has agreed to finish out Eberles term on the planning and zoning committee.

This will just finish out the term through August, Obermier said. Then, Mr. Hirschfeld said he would think about serving after that, at that point.

Obermier noted that the vacancy still exists on the board of adjustment and work will continue toward finding someone to serve.

The county board members unanimously voted in favor of appointing Hirschfeld to the planning and zoning seat.

Obermier said it was his understanding that planning and zoning meeting dates were being looked at, for the very near future, in order to review the countys zoning regulations and possibly add more pertaining to large energy-related projects proposed in York County.
CARBONDALE  Phase Five of the Restore Illinois plan means large gatherings of all sizes can resume, yet many Catholic churches still offer livestreamed Masses.

Monsignor John Myler, media spokesman for the Belleville diocese believes "All Catholics have an obligation to attend Mass every Sunday and every Holy Day of Obligation."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone became shut-ins, not just the sick and elderly. Catholics were required with everyone else to shelter in place as the virus outbreak prompted the closing of churches. In response, Myler said parishes set up the equipment and personnel to livestream Mass every Sunday.

The Catholic Church was prepared for COVID-19 when it hit. Ever since, according to Myler, televising the Mass has been a common occurrence.

"Long ago, forty or fifty years ago, the archdioceses of Chicago and Saint Louis, for example, began to offer a televised Mass for shut-ins every Sunday morning," said Myler.

At the time, many Catholic hospitals would offer a recording of the Mass for patients in their rooms who were too infirm to make it to the chapel for Mass. "For half a century, the Church has made an effort to make sure that those who are very sick, those who are in nursing homes, were able to see and hear the sacred liturgy."

As rector of the Belleville Cathedral at the time COVID-19 hit, Myler recalls that the diocese invested in over $20,000 worth of equipment and personnel to make the live stream of the Mass a reality.

But reality changes, and the reality is that at least today, there is no recognized health risk by the Illinois government in participating in a large gathering. "It was just the thing to do during COVID. But now, pray God, we are in the end of COVID period." Myler said.

Since the Illinois government has signed off on the return of large gatherings, like Mass, many Southern Illinoisans are deciding how to approach returning to their churches.

"Participation by watching the livestream is not attending Mass in the church with the congregation," said Myler. He mentioned the biblical basis for the Sunday obligation and gathering together in-person by quoting the scripture passage, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst."

"But, the livestream seems to be carrying on," he said. "The question for each parish and for the diocese as a whole is should this continue or not?"

Given that such networks as ETWN exist, which broadcasts masses almost anywhere in the world three or four times a day, Myler asks the question, "Is it necessary, and is it advisable, and desirable for each parish to livestream its own Mass?" Myler continues, "Some have already ceased doing that, some are thinking about it and some are continuing to do it."

One such parish which continues to livestream their Sunday Masses is Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Herrin. "We continue to offer livestreaming because from time to time, parishioners who have COVID, who are physically unable to get to Mass ... it gives them the opportunity to remain connected to their parish community via livestream," said Very Reverend Mark D. Reyling, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Father Reyling said that there are about 30 people who view the livestream, but attendance seems to be growing over time.

"I don't think that continuing the livestream hinders this in any way," Father Reyling added.

But, there are other concerns keeping some parishioners away.

"Initially I was concerned that folks would have either 'got out of the habit' of attending or would come to think they could 'get through life' without attending Mass. Over time, I think that there are still folks who haven't returned, some angry because the churches shut down during the pandemic, some who just needed an excuse not to attend and this one fit. Overall I believe that people missed receiving the Eucharist and that has drawn them back to attending on a regular basis."

According to a Vinea research study on the impact of COVID-19 on U.S. Catholics, many do not want to come back to Mass  they'd rather stay home, and not because of ill health.

The study showed that during the pandemic, 70% of American parishes livestreamed their Masses. That number dropped to 40% in February of 2022. When the survey asked how accustomed Mass-goers were to not attending in-person, 38% responded they were accustomed, because it was easier to watch TV Mass, not have to drive or dress up, and not have to kneel.

For Myler, apathy toward in-person Mass attendance isn't just proved by numbers, but also from experience in his own parish.

"[I, (Myler)] talked with a guy over the phone, a parishioner. I said, 'I haven't seen you, Joe, in months and months. He said, 'I'll tell you what, I'm an accountant. This is my busy time of the year. It is just so much easier for me to wake up on Sunday morning, sit in my living room, do my work, have my hot cup of coffee, and watch Mass on TV.' That is not what this streaming Mass is meant to be," Myler said.

The research study concluded, "We believe that too many Catholics fundamentally do not understand or appreciate the Mass. This makes recovery from COVID-19 more difficult. Further study is needed to explore the underlying understanding of and motivations (obligation versus [sic.] desire versus [sic.] habit) of Mass attendance among Catholics to better understand how best to turn this trend around and have Catholics see the Mass for what it is and not 'settle' for streaming Masses from home."

Myler thinks the livestream for general viewing will be phased out, while the established network telecast will continue on. The guidelines to determine exactly how that plays out may come from the diocese, the region, or the American Bishops as a whole.

"As a pastor, I know I've made over the last several years thousands of telephone calls. Just each evening, four or five calls to people, 'How are you doing? How are you feeling?' That sort of personal contact is very important. I am not sure that livestreaming qualifies as personal contact." said Myler.

For Father Ryeling and his parish in OLMC, community is key. "Being Catholic is about being part of a community, a parish family. You can't be part of a community sitting on the couch watching Mass and you can't receive the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist through a TV screen. It's just not the same. It's one thing if you are sick or are physically not able to attend Mass. It's a whole other thing to be fully capable, but just not willing."
When brothers Neil, David and Dale Clayton prepare to celebrate their business 60th anniversary later this year, the choice of what to serve in celebration is a no-brainer. After all, the Claytons  the family behind Larrys House of Cakes  knows a thing or two about sweet treats.

Originally opened by the boys father Larry, the business has served up sweet tasty treats for decades, first in Marion and then later also in Carbondale.

My father started doing doughnuts in May 1963 and it just evolved from there, explained Neil Clayton, the business executive baker. In the early 1970s, he started offering more birthday cakes than doughnuts and thats been primary focus ever since.

Today, Larrys offers more than just cakes. Theres also brownies, cookies, cupcakes and even chocolate covered bacon. Doughnuts, too, although the pastries come through a partnership with Dixie Cream Donuts in West Frankfort.

The brothers purchased the bakery from their father in 2007 and in October 2009 opened a second location in Carbondale.

I think the key to our longevity has just been offering a good, consistent product, Clayton said, adding the business does not have a mission statement as such, but he feels like perhaps a mantra instead. Baked fresh daily, is what I always come back to. Our ovens are on every day and our goal is to offer good, fresh-baked products for our customers.

With 60 years of business, the bakery has served generations and often, Clayton says those who move away from the area still fulfill their cravings.

We definitely have friends and families that have moved away but still order. In fact, I shipped an order Tuesday, plus we often have customers who will have us send pink cookies to their family members around the states, Clayton said.

Oh, the pink cookies. They are a Southern Illinois tradition and a Larrys staple. In fact, it was Larry himself who started icing sugar cookies in the 1970s.

I dont know if they were pink from the start, but they likely were, Clayton said.

In addition to the pink cookies  which Larrys sells dozens and dozens of each week  Clayton said the bakery is also best known for its Italian cream cake icing.

Larrys House of Cakes is open 6 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Saturday at 905 S. Court St. in Marion and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at 1807 W. Main St. in Carbondale.
In a lineup of classic Southern pies, banana cream pie wins first place for being literal sunshine in a pie dish. Cold pastry cream filling, fresh bananas, a flaky pie crust, all topped with dollops of fluffy whipped cream? Its a recipe for smiles. But the best part about cold pies, like this banana cream pie, is that its the ideal make-ahead dessert. In fact, making this pie ahead is a key component to getting it right  the chilling time is as much of an ingredient as the bananas or cream.
SPRINGFIELD  Before the Illinois' semiautomatic weapons ban cleared the legislature, Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, triumphantly told opponents "we'll see you in court."

The retort came following weeks of Republicans and gun rights advocates labeling the ban as unconstitutional and promising legal action if enacted.

A day later, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the legislation, immediately halting sales of several military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines while forcing gun owners in possession of those items, which are grandfathered if purchased prior to the law taking effect, to register them with the state police by the end of this year.

Echoing Harmon, Pritzker was unmoved by the threats, confidently expressing his belief that the ban could withstand any legal challenge thrown at it.

"The law here that we now have enacted is constitutional," Pritzker said. "There was a lot of thought that went into it to make sure that it would be. And, obviously, things will go through the courts and they'll make their determinations. But, I feel very confident."

Just over one week later, gun rights advocates started making good on their threats, with the Illinois State Rifle Association filing a lawsuit challenging the ban in federal court.

Tom DeVore, the 2022 Republican nominee for attorney general, filed a lawsuit in state court in Effingham County that same day. At the end of last week, a judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the ban from being enforced on more than 850 plaintiffs in the case.

Earlier this week, DeVore and former state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, filed a similar lawsuit in White County, listing more than 1,600 gun owners and a handful of gun shop owners as plaintiffs.

State Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, confirmed earlier this week that he plans to file a lawsuit challenging the ban in Macon County on Thursday. Earlier this week, Caulkins confirmed that more than 250 people had signed onto the suit.

On Tuesday, the National Rifle Association, the country's most powerful gun rights lobbying group, filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of Illinois.

Another federal lawsuit was also filed by gun rights groups Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, Guns Save Life, Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners Foundation.

Clearly, the legal challenges to the state's new law are piling up  and along parallel state and federal tracks.

Those on all sides of this issue recognize that in the long term, the constitutionality of the state's semiautomatic weapons ban will likely be decided in federal court. It is a Second Amendment case, after all.

However, there are short-term benefits to those filing in state court.

"We believe that it's the quickest way for people to get some relief from what many of us believe is an unconstitutional law," Caulkins said, adding that he's also planning to be part of a federal lawsuit, but that it will probably take "a lot longer to get a judgment" in that venue.

He's right. Federal cases can take several months if not years to resolve themselves. Whereas gun rights advocates have a near-immediate recourse in downstate courts, where friendly judges are more likely to grant temporary restraining orders that shield plaintiffs from the law's enforcement.

This means that Illinois gun owners covered under temporary restraining orders can still purchase weapons banned under the law. Gun shop owners covered under it can still sell to those plaintiffs as well.

Pritzker, at an unrelated event in Decatur on Tuesday, was less generous in his interpretation of state court action.

"These are folks who are in the superminority among the public, superminority in terms of elected officials, people who lost elections who, now seeing that they don't like policy that they couldn't win at the ballot box on, now hope they can take to state court and win with a local judge," the governor said. "I think that they'll lose in the end. This is a constitutional law."

So the cases filed in Effingham, Macon and White counties serve a purpose for those plaintiffs. But, it's likely a short-term one.

As more and more of these state level cases sprout up in counties across Illinois, it is likely that the state Supreme Court will consolidate them into one case in one judicial circuit. Such a motion can be offered by the court itself or by any of the parties involved.

This is what happened late last year when nearly 60 Illinois state's attorneys filed lawsuits against the criminal justice reform law known as the SAFE-T Act.

The court consolidated 58 separate lawsuits into one case in Kankakee County. A judge there in late December ruled the portion of the law abolishing cash bail as unconstitutional. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul appealed and the case is now before the state's high court.

If the state-level cases get consolidated or transferred, it is unknown how far up they will go. But, if they reach the state supreme court, it's worth noting that the balance there is 5-2 in favor of Democrats over Republicans.

At the federal level, it's essentially flipped as the U.S. Supreme Court features a solid 6-3 conservative majority. Gun rights advocates are bullish on their chances in federal court given that lean and a recent decision that altered the way courts are supposed to interpret Second Amendment cases.

In the landmark New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen case last year, the court laid out a new process for evaluating Second Amendment cases.

Under the new framework, the government has to prove that the law being defended has a well-established and representative historical analogue," which basically means there's a longstanding tradition of regulation.

A common line of defense by Pritzker and the law's advocates is that there are other assault weapons bans on the books and Illinois is simply the ninth state to enact one.

True, but it is also the first state to enact a ban following the Bruen decision. No decisions have been issued on assault weapons bans since, leaving a lot of uncertainty as to how district level courts will interpret such laws under the new framework.

Certainly now after Bruen, I think most gun regulations are going to be challenged just because it's unclear how this historical test is going to play out, Andrew Willinger, executive director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law, told Lee Enterprises in December. And if judges construe it narrowly, then a lot of gun laws will be on sort of tenuous footing.

Maryland's assault weapons ban is being challenged now in federal appeals court. A decision is expected soon. This could offer a hint as to the Illinois law's chances at the federal level.

But that could still take some time. At the state level, on the other hand, clarity should be achieved in the relative short term.

25 terms you should know to understand the gun control debate 25 terms you should know to understand the gun control debate Gun Control Act of 1968 Firearm Owners Protection Act Title II, NFA weapons Assault weapons ban Second Amendment National Rifle Association March for Our Lives Gunowners of America Assault weapon Automatic weapon Semiautomatic weapon Caliber International gun control Brady Law National Instant Criminal Background Check System Gun show loophole Strawman purchase Mass shootings Bump stocks Binary trigger Pistol grip Flash suppressor High-capacity magazine Open carry Background checks
The Orangeburg County School Districts board unanimously voted Tuesday to extend Superintendent Dr. Shawn Fosters contract and give him a raise, citing an excellent evaluation.

I am extremely grateful for the boards confidence and support in my leadership as superintendent of Orangeburg County School District, Foster said in a release.

I am excited to continue working alongside our school board to ensure the progress in OCSD continues, he said.

Foster's salary increased to $225,000 and his contract was extended one more year, through June 30, 2026.

Trustees met behind closed doors for nearly 2-1/2 hours to conduct the superintendents evaluation and receive legal advice.

He received an excellent overall evaluation.

The board said Foster's accomplishments include:

 His and the administration's leadership in putting forward a districtwide facility improvement plan, including a new Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School.

 His work helping the district improve financially and being taken off the South Carolina Department of Education's fiscal watch list.

 The creation and implementation of Project GROW to encourage non-certified employees to attain certification to teach and the Leadership Academy for district employees interested in leadership and school administration positions.

 The implementation of the employee health day to prioritize mental and physical health for employees.

 The installation of metal detectors in middle and high schools.

 The implementation of dual enrollment programs with Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College for students to get associates degrees before they graduate.

 The development of partnerships with local agencies and organizations to support staff and students during COVID to ensure vaccines were readily available.

 Being actively involved in promoting positive relationships with employees, students, parents and the community at large.

Board Chair Ruby Edwards, reading a public statement on behalf of the board, said, "I wish to announce that Dr. Foster received an overall excellent evaluation.

Based on our discussion, the board believes that Dr. Foster is committed to the success and excellence of this district, she said, according to the release.

Foster was hired as superintendent in July 2020. His contract extended through June 2023.

In June 2021, trustees voted to extend Foster's contract through June 30, 2025.

At that time, Fosters salary increased at a rate no higher than the percentage increase (2%) in salary for all eligible certified staff.

Foster was making $175,000, so a 2% increase brought his salary to $178,500 for the year.
COLUMBIA  A bill that would limit certain teachings on race in public schools and allow parents to challenge educational materials is moving through the Republican-controlled South Carolina House of Representatives.

The proposal is the latest iteration of a GOP-led nationwide effort to crack down on what some conservative politicians have dubbed critical race theory." The South Carolina measure  co-sponsored by several members of the Legislature's newly formed Freedom Caucus  would bar curricula from including or promoting certain concepts around race and other demographics.

Prohibited ideas include the notions that an individual, by virtue of the race, sex, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin of the individual, inherently is privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously and that a person bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members sharing their identity.

Similar measures have been proposed in other Republican-dominated statehouses. The language in the South Carolina bill mirrors sections of a law signed last year by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely 2024 presidential hopeful who has made critical race theory a frequent target. A federal judge in Florida has issued a temporary injunction preventing the law from taking effect in colleges after previously blocking its implementation in businesses. This week, DeSantis' administration rejected the College Boards Advanced Placement African American Studies course.

Critical race theory is a way of thinking about Americas history through the lens of racism, which subscribing legal scholars say is systemic in the nations institutions. But it also has become a catch-all phrase to describe concepts some conservatives find objectionable, such as white privilege, systemic inequality and inherent bias.

The South Carolina bill  which would take effect for the 2024-2025 school year  requires that school district websites include a list of approved textbooks. It would also require that schools create a process for parents to challenge materials potentially violating the guidelines.

A House subcommittee focused on K-12 education in South Carolina gave the bill a favorable report on Tuesday by a 4-2 vote. Lawmakers heard testimony at a public hearing where individuals were each given one minute to speak.

Republican Rep. Raye Felder emphasized that the bill does not prevent classroom lessons on controversial aspects of history or the history of ethnic groups. Rather, Felder said the bill seeks to ensure that teachings on both the inspirational and shameful history of the United States are non-biased.

Public education should be a fair and open system where teachers, educators, and the community are valued and included, Felder said.

Palmetto State Teachers Association Director of Government Affairs Patrick Kelly encouraged lawmakers to adopt an amendment he said would foster critical dialogue by encouraging parents to bring their concerns to the teacher in question before filing a formal complaint.

Other lawmakers sought clarification on the bills requirement that library materials be age and grade appropriate.

Anyone could file a complaint against a teacher because they have a different definition about what is age appropriate, Democratic Rep. Deon Tedder said. For example, its fact-based that African Americans were enslaved and beaten and chained. For some parents, that may not be age appropriate.

Advocacy groups rallied opponents to testify against the measure. The American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina criticized what the group called vague language in the bill that would chill teachers speech and misrepresent American history. Critics feared the measure would create a hostile environment in a state struggling to retain educators amid a teacher shortage.

Democratic Rep. Kambrell Garvin said the bill would have driven him out of the classroom if it had been law when he was teaching.

I would have felt intimidated, Garvin said. "I would have felt worried or concerned had I had to worry about somebody going to report me for teaching a historically significant fact."
Orangeburg County Community of Character will hold its 21st annual Fifth Grade Outstanding Character Recognition Program on Thursday, Feb. 2.

The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Claflin Universitys Jonas T. Kennedy Center. The public is invited. Masks are required.

This years keynote speaker is Gabby Goodwin of Columbia, who will provide motivational messages of inspiration.

Gabby is the CEO of Confidence, a company founded with her mom selling GaBBy Bows, the first patented and non-slip double-face, double-snap barrette.

A business owner at 7 years old, Gabby has been selling barrettes through her online store and has filled orders across the U.S. and in 13 countries.

At 15, Gabby expanded the company with the launch of her plant-based haircare products and the opening of a salon for girls: The Confidence Salon.

The company has grown into a global brand with Confidence products carried in retail and beauty supply stores in the U.S., Canada and South Africa.

Her entrepreneurial spirit has earned her many notable accolades. In 2015, Gabby was named South Carolina Young Entrepreneur of the Year. She was named Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the Year 2018.

The company has received recognition as an Outstanding Diverse Business of the Year by the SCORE Foundation and, in 2022, Gabby was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the state of South Carolina by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

I want to help young girls feel inspired to follow their dreams and achieve their goals with confidence in themselves, Gabby said.

Under the Confidence brand, Gabby has started a mentorship program, teaching young girls how to be entrepreneurs. More than 50 girls and their mothers have enrolled for mentoring and have started their own business.

This marks our 21st year of bringing together fifth-graders from all across Orangeburg County to recognize those who have exemplified outstanding character, Orangeburg County Community of Character Executive Director Candace Berry-Vaughn said.

Each school has selected an honoree who embodies excellence in character and has also written an essay on what character trait they feel is most important.

Participating schools include Orangeburg County School District elementary schools, Felton Laboratory Charter School and Orangeburg Preparatory Schools.

Over the years, students have heard and engaged in inspiring messages from local and nationally recognized presenters. I am particularly excited about this years program because students will hear from a renowned speaker of their own generation letting them know character matters while youre young as well as when youre older, Berry-Vaughn said.

Our children are growing up in a world where everything around them is increasingly leaving no room for strong character. I think confidence is the most important trait a child can possess and Gabbys brand and journey is a great example and reminder of why character development when our children are young is important, she said.
In 2013, after James P. Clements was announced as the next president of Clemson University, he was given the opportunity for three trips to campus to meet with leadership teams and various units before he officially began work in December.

I was very intentional  and the first meeting was with extension personnel. And lot of people asked me, Why do you want to meet with extension? And I said, Thats who we are. Were a land-grant university, Clements said.

Clements relayed the tale nearly 10 years later to a crowd of Clemson Extension and South Carolina State 1890 Extension personnel at a joint conference between the states land-grant institutions. But Clements said the real point to his story was he had never lost sight of the value of extension in the decade since.

Clemson, SC State Extension Clemson University President James P. Clements speaks at the summit.

I would still take that same meeting first if I had to do it again today, Clements said.

As a testament, perhaps, to Clements emphasis on the Clemson Cooperative Extension Service and the land-grant mission, Clemson University hosted the first joint extension conference in the states history with its sister land-grant institution from Orangeburg.

While holding the first joint extension conference in the state had long been talked about, bringing it to fruition was no small feat.

Clemson Extension Director Tom Dobbins says hed long recognized the need for collaboration between the two extension services.

Now that weve got so many new faces, I thought it was time that we come together, Dobbins said. Working with (Associate Extension Administrator) Edoe Agbodjan at South Carolina State, it was just great that we could bring our brothers and sisters together here to meet and work together as a system to address the needs of the people of South Carolina.

Dobbins said in order to accomplish that goal  addressing the needs of all South Carolinians  it would take each person in the room working as hard as they possibly can.

If you work in extension, you will make a difference in a lot of peoples lives and your legacy will be built for you, Dobbins said. You dont have to worry about that.

Looking around the room, Agbodjan echoed Dobbins sentiment, saying that while there were many differences in the people he saw, one thing they had in common was passion to change peoples lives.

Clemson, SC State Extension South Carolina State University Associate Extension Administrator Edoe Agbodjan speaks at Clemson Universitys Madren Center.

We are not here just because we want to be here; we are here because we are serving a cause  the cause is to help people, Agbodjan said. We bring the university to the people. We come to you and sit across the table from you, and we try to find out how we can work together to better your life.

Agbodjan said his first experience with extension came as a child in Togo, West Africa, when an agricultural professional would come to his familys farm to offer advice to his grandfather on best practices. Agbodjan said he got to witness firsthand the effect such insight  and more importantly, the access to such insight  could have on a farms success.

I looked at him and I said, Woah, this is one of the things I can do that means I wont have to do these odds jobs; I can work on the farm without breaking my back. That brought something to me that said, I have to be in that line of work because I can make a difference, he said. So, when I finished high school, I told my grandmother that I wanted to go to America to go to an agricultural school ... because I had that drive to be that extension person.

The history of the national land-grant system is tied inextricably to the state with the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 that created the national Extension service. Frank Lever was the son of a South Carolina farmer and a trustee at Clemson University, as well as a U.S. congressman, who saw the need for a model to bring the knowledge of the university to the farmers and people of South Carolina.

That model, in 1914, became the national extension system. So, Mr. Lever, was right on that model and its impact  and the need continues for services, Clements said. Go way beyond what was there then, to 4-H to Forestry to Wildlife to Rural Health to Livestock ... I could go on and on. Everybody in this state benefits from your work.

Clemson College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Dean Keith Belli said one of the three pillars of the Clemsons Strategic Plan is to make an impact on the state of South Carolina, and that the extension service has "got to be the poster child for that third pillar.

The impact that we have on this state, this is what its all about, Belli said. What you do, how you synch up with the research that were doing, how you help bring new students ... this is where the rubber meets the road. All of you in this room. This is what the land-grant mission is all about. I cant state it any more strongly: This group of people make up the heart and soul of this university, and for South Carolina State University, and its land-grant mission.

S.C. State 1890 Research and Extension Vice President for PSA Louis Whitesides said the real purpose of the conference was to encourage more collaboration on the ground level between the two sister extension services.

While it was relatively simple for himself and other S.C. State Extension administrators to work with Dobbins and Belli and their other counterparts at Clemson, there had not always existed such ease of collaboration on the most basic levels.

Its easy for us to work together because weve known each other for a long time, but a lot of you dont know each other  and yall are in the same counties and same regions. Thats a problem. So, thats why we integrated together to start the process to make sure we sustain our spot as the No. 1 land-grant system in the country.

Established by the Morrill Act of 1862, the land-grant system was put in place to build our nation, and thats exactly what it did. In the years following the Civil War, efforts to rebuild the economy focused largely on supporting the nations No. 1 industry: agriculture.

More than 150 years later, agriculture remains the No. 1 industry in the American economy, and the extension system continues its work in support.

They knew for us to grow our economy, we had to educate the common man. And so land-grant universities were born  to do just that, Whitesides said.

But even still, the first Morrill Act only allowed for the education of white Americans, and so 28 years later, the Second Morrill Act required states to establish separate land-grant Institutions for Black students or demonstrate that admission to the 1862 Land-grant was not restricted by race. The act granted money, instead of land, and resulted in the designation of a set of historically Black colleges and universities as land-grant universities to begin receiving federal funds to support teaching, research and extension intended to serve underserved communities.

State Sen. Thomas Alexander also commended the extension personnel on hand for their work and the impact they have on the state of South Carolina daily.

It means a lot to me to have the opportunity to address you on behalf of the people of the State of South Carolina  the 5.2 million people who make up this great state  and as I look around this room ... I am a great fan and longtime fan of the extension service, Alexander said. I grew up with individuals in the family who were involved in extension, and it gave me a great, great appreciation for the work you do.

I believe in what youre doing in the communities and the counties across South Carolina to make life better for our citizens. For these two great universities to come together and collaborate and cooperate and do all the things that make South Carolina a very special place ... I commend you, not only to the leadership for making it happen, but for everyone here to be a part of this, he added.

S.C. State President Col. Alexander Conyers addressed those gathered by reflecting on success that had already come about due to the collaboration of the two extension services, including the Joint Plan of Work  which eventually became a national model  as well as shared extension office space, the creation of a Joint Extension Advisory Committee, joint federal and state legislative advocacy and inclusion of S.C. State Extension agents in Clemsons EELI program.

We gathered in Orangeburg to celebrate the announcement of the $70 million U.S. Climate-Smart partnership grant, making us the only land-grant recipients in the country.

While both university presidents praised the historic nature of the first joint extension meeting between the two sister land-grant schools, Clements was quick to point out that the conference is just the beginning.

Its not going to be the last time. Were opening a new level of collaboration, a new level of teamwork and a new level of impact, Clements said.
Arthur Andrew Nelson, 57, of West Jordan, Utah, made his initial appearance Wednesday afternoon in Carbon County Circuit Court. During the proceeding, Deputy County Attorney Mark Nugent told the court Nelsons drivers license had been suspended at the time of the crash because of a prior DUI conviction.

After the crash, Nelson failed a field sobriety test, according to a Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers affidavit. He also admitted to using methamphetamine on the previous day.

At one point after the arrest, a highway patrol lieutenant told Nelson he shouldnt have been driving.

Thats a lesson to be learned, Nelson replied, according to the affidavit.

Nelson has been in-and-out of prison for over three decades. His most notable offenses were an escape and burglary in 1988 and aggravated statutory rape in 2008.

Nelson now faces 11 charges, the most serious of which are five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. Each carries a 20-year prison sentence if he is found guilty. Hes also charged with driving while under the influence causing serious bodily injury, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, driving the wrong way on a highway, and driving with a suspended license.

On Wednesday, a judge raised his bond, which had been set at $75,000, to $500,000 cash, citing the severe aggravating circumstances of the case, along with Nelson being considered a danger to society and a flight risk.

Chain-reaction crash

The Wyoming Highway Patrol says Nelson was driving a Dodge Ram pickup the wrong way along Interstate 80 near Rawlins on Sunday night. The pickup struck an Infinity passenger car and a FedEx truck.

As the Dodge collided with the car, a tractor-trailer tried to avoid the approaching pickup by driving in the median. In the process, that tractor-trailer entered the eastbound lanes, where it collided head-on with a Ford F-150 carrying five students and recent graduates from Sylvan Hills High School in central Arkansas. All five died at the scene.

The group of friends  Salomon Correa, Andrea Prime, Ava Luplow, Magdalene Franco and Suzy Prime  were on their way home after a trip to Jackson, where they spent one week visiting Jackson Hole Bible College.

According to the arrest affidavit, a trooper observed several severely damaged cars when he arrived at the scene. The Ford F-150 carrying the five young adults was already engulfed in flames. The tractor-trailer, which was hauling a semi-trailer, was also badly damaged and beginning to catch fire. The Infinity passenger car had heavy damage to its front.

Nelsons Dodge Ram pickup was severely damaged and appeared to have rolled over at least once.

Identified as drunk

A bystander approached the trooper, pointed at Nelsons truck and said, I think that person [is] drunk.

Bystanders and medics discovered there was still a driver trapped within the tractor-trailer that had caught fire earlier. The trooper ran back to his patrol vehicle to get a fire extinguisher.

A woman from Mississippi was inside the burning truck.

I observed plastic begin to melt around her face, the trooper recalled. I observed the majority of her face and head to be burned.

The woman had third-degree burns on her face, neck, back and torso, and she was flown from Rawlins to Colorado for treatment. She is believed to be in stable condition.

There were also three people inside the Infinity passenger car who sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

At the scene, Nelson identified himself as a roofer. He appeared confused about the direction he was traveling in, according to the troopers affidavit. When asked which direction he was headed, he responded west. But he also said he was traveling to Tennessee, which is in the other direction.

Nelson refused to have his blood drawn to be tested, but one was taken anyway due to the loss of life and serious injuries, the highway patrol trooper said. Nelson appeared to nod off while being taken to the hospital.

Nelson is scheduled to return to court at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 1 for a preliminary hearing.

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History of anti-drunk driving advocacy History of anti-drunk driving advocacy 1982 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2019
Wyomings Rep. Harriet Hageman will serve on a congressional subcommittee tasked with investigating the weaponization of the federal government following Republicans takeback of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Republicans in the House voted earlier this month to create the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which has the power to conduct in-depth hearings and issue subpoenas to officials within federal agencies.

The subcommittee will focus on the actions of various federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control.

It will investigate whether efforts related to the collection, analysis, dissemination and use of information on U.S. citizens by executive branch agencies are illegal, unconstitutional, or otherwise unethical.

A key responsibility of Congress is oversight, so this is rightfully something that we must do, Hageman said in a Tuesday statement.

As American citizens, we cannot continue to have our government work against us. Federal agencies have too much power, too much control, too much money, and have taken too much liberty from us.

Hagemans appointment to the subcommittee follows Wyomings former Rep. Liz Cheneys effort as vice chair of the Jan. 6 Select Committee to collect information about former president Donald Trumps involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The committee ultimately voted last month to refer criminal charges against Trump and others to the U.S. Justice Department.

Though the new subcommittee was created ostensibly in part as a reaction to the work of the Jan. 6 committee, Hageman pointed to other situations that the subcommittee will look into.

This committee will examine why there seems to be a double standard for enforcing rules against some of us, but not against others, Hageman said in the Tuesday statement.

It will work to ensure that draconian lockdowns are never again enacted. It will find out to what degree the federal government conspired with social media conglomerates to silence our free speech and suppress factual information. It will examine the practices of IRS audits.

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Youth in crisis have limited resources in Wyoming.

The states two psychiatric residential treatment facilities  St. Josephs Childrens Home in Torrington and Wyoming Behavioral Institute in Casper  are the focal point of care for those children who suffer from a range of acute behavioral or mental disorders, or who are a risk to themselves or those around them.

But growing costs and little change in state Medicaid reimbursement have left beds at St. Josephs empty and both facilities searching for additional money to hire and retain staff and meet the needs of the children they serve.

A bill that would narrow the financial gap for Wyomings two psychiatric residential treatment facilities cleared a significant hurdle Tuesday after passing through the House amid fierce opposition that pitted a no-cost solution proposed by hospitals against anti-government beliefs.

One thing that we heard in committee, and this a quote, is: This is a vehicle for the Lords work, said Rep. Ben Hornok, R-Cheyenne. I dont believe that state government or federal government should be a vehicle for the Lords work. I believe that it is up to us as individuals to be the vehicle for the Lords work.

Hornok told the floor that instead of voting for the funding bill in the House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee he donated his first paycheck as a lawmaker to one of the states psychiatric residential treatment facilities.

That is how we need to handle this, he said.

A succession of House members, including Reps. Jeanette Ward, R-Casper, Sarah Penn, R-Lander, Bill Allemand, R-Midwest, and Ken Pendergraft, R-Sheridan, rose to speak against the bill.

They objected to additional spending by the state and the source of the supplemental money, which would come in part from Medicaid, the federal governments health insurance program for low-income Americans, including children, pregnant women and people with disabilities.

I was a no in committee and I will be a no now, Ward said. It further intermingles private health care with the federal government and state government and for that reason I stand opposed.

But while some lawmakers were adamant that the House should kill bill, others stepped up to highlight the need and clarify the mechanics and misrepresentations around the bill sponsored by Rep Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander.

The Wyoming Hospital Association and other health care groups have led the push for House Bill 81, which would essentially create a self-imposed tax on hospitals that the state would collect and then use to gather additional matching funds from Medicaid and the federal government.

The extra money the state collects, an estimated $2 to $3 million per year, would then be redistributed to Wyomings two psychiatric residential treatment facilities to bolster staffing, support their services and better meet the demands of the states youth.

Until last year, the daily rate Wyoming Medicaid paid psychiatric residential treatment facilities had not increased since 2012, and the states current reimbursement rate only covers around 68% of St. Josephs annual operating costs, according to reporting from WyoFile.

They have the beds open they just cant hire enough staff, said Rep. Ken Clouston, R-Gillette.

Clousten pointed out that the state was not imposing a tax on hospitals. Rather, the hospitals came forward and asked to be assessed so that they could funnel more money to psychiatric residential treatment facilities and address the backlog of youth psychiatric patients.

I asked, Why are the hospitals willing to kick in the extra $25 per day? And the answer is because the emergency rooms are full so they cant get in the other patients, Clouston said. Theyre trying to take care of these psychiatric patients that theyre not qualified for.

While some of those in opposition focused on reducing state spending, those who supported the bill clarified that the supplemental payment program proposed by Larsen and the hospitals would have no impact on the states coffers  all of the money would either come from the federal government or hospitals.

In an impassioned speech, Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, took issue with those lawmakers who pointed out the flaws of Medicaid without offering other solutions for funding the states psychiatric residential treatment facilities.

We can fix [Medicaid] some if you want to raise our Medicaid reimbursement rates, but I havent seen anybody in this body want to spend $50 or $100 million in general fund dollars to do that, Zwonitzer said. So if were not willing to do that, theres no reason to complain about Medicaid and the system were stuck within.

Zwonitzer argued that state lawmakers were standing in the way of private industry and better care for Wyomings youth psychiatric patients.

This body is not solving the funding problem and so the hospitals have come together and said, What can we do  private industry  to help our patients, to help all of our health care costs? And this is the answer, Zwonitzer said. They will assess themselves to get these patients out of their emergency rooms.

If we dont know what to do with these patients [and] they are costing us health care dollars by sitting in this hospital rooms for weeks or two on end, it is in everybodys best interest to get them into treatment as quick as possible. And thats what the hospitals are trying to do, he said.

In his final remarks before the 34-24 vote, Larsen referenced Hornoks vehicle analogy.

I would also agree that taking care of these kids in these institutions that we should be a vehicle to do the Lords work, he said. I would only suggest that most of these vehicles must be broken down.
CHEYENNE  Efforts to improve safety at school crosswalks throughout the state have continued throughout the Wyoming Legislatures general session.

Rep. Bill Henderson, R-Cheyenne, brought forward a bill that would require vehicles to stop for pedestrians in school zone crosswalks and implement video surveillance, making it the second piece of legislation addressing pedestrian safety. He said he believes it is a good place to start.

Henderson explained to the House Transportation, Highways and Military Committee Affairs Committee on Tuesday that House Bill 68 was inspired by the solution for drivers passing stopped school buses. A few years ago, the Legislature allowed buses to record drivers who passed, and the images were used to issue fines to the vehicle owners.

The same model would be used in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Transportation to survey school crosswalk zones on days that school is in session between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., and has been supported by WYDOT Director Luke Reiner.

While the House Transportation Committee didnt have enough time at its meeting to vote Tuesday, committee members did hear initial testimony in support of House Bill 68.

ForMak founder Janelle Jones was one of the people given a chance to speak before the meeting ended, and she shared her own personal experience.

Jones lost her 13-year-old son, Makaili Mak Evans, in November of 2021 after he was struck and killed by a driver while using the crosswalk near McCormick Junior High School. The loss greatly impacted the community, and led to the start of her nonprofit organization that advocates for pedestrian safety in school zones.

The Cheyenne mother asked lawmakers to support the bill for their children, their communities and for her son.

She has since advocated and testified before local governing bodies and state legislative committees. Jones recommended video surveillance at school crosswalk zones to the Joint Judiciary Committee during the interim, and came before the House Transportation Committee again Tuesday to support Hendersons bill. She said it is a win-win, and addresses some of the concerns brought to her attention.

I am a volunteer, and I am dedicated to several hours a week as a crossing guard. It has given me a new perspective on the issues we face, not only as a parent, but as a community member, she said. Speeding and distracted driving are the main issues that I am seeing.

She said automated speed enforcement cameras in school zones would correct driver behavior or reroute drivers to a different route. Jones has also noticed young speed offenders, and she said tickets would create the opportunity for parents to educate their young drivers and be notified theyre driving carelessly.

She said that the revenue generated from the citations received would help communities upgrade crosswalks, and that the safe route to school program plans to pay for the equipment, as well as the administration fee to process or maintain it, along with mail citations.

This bill would be another way to have drivers on the honor system, or they would be cited, she testified. This is how we correct our behavior and prevent another death. We need to have a zero-tolerance policy in our schools for speeding and distracted driving.

Committee members thanked Jones for taking the time to speak on the issue, and offered condolences for her loss. The House Transportation Committee didnt introduce on a motion on the bill, but will likely vote at its next meeting Thursday.

However, action was taken on the issue in the Senate. Lawmakers voted on third reading to pass the other legislation directly addressing school crosswalks.

Senate File 35 was sponsored by the Joint Judiciary Committee and would allocate $10 million from the general fund to the Wyoming Department of Transportation. WYDOT would take applications from communities for funds to improve safety in school zones, whether that be for pedestrian crosswalks, underpasses or tunnels.

SF 35 will cross over to the House after a 20-10-1 vote.
A new bill would strike down local governments ability to regulate residential rental properties. Thats not what sponsor Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, has in mind, though.

The real point of House Bill 216, he said, is to get the state to weigh in on the ongoing dispute over how to enforce landlord-tenant laws.

Zwonitzer isnt happy with the language of the proposal  there wasnt enough time to workshop it, he said. Still, he hopes it provides a jumping off point for deeper discussion.

Like Zwonitzer, co-sponsor Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, doesnt want the bill on the books as is. But its a shot across the bow, to try to get some dialogue about the balancing of private property rights and municipal regulations, he said.

Wyomings rental laws are relatively lax. There isnt a state agency tasked with enforcing them, either.

That means that in most parts of the state, if a tenant thinks their landlord is violating state rental laws, taking them to court may be their only opportunity for recourse.

Thats prompted some Wyoming communities to adopt their own regulations.

Some say local action is necessary to crack down on negligent or predatory landlords  especially if the state isnt going to do it. But others see the laws as an affront to property rights and free enterprise.

In January 2022, Laramie passed an ordinance setting minimum quality-of-life standards for rentals, and creating a way for people to submit rental complaints to the city. The ordinance also requires all Laramie landlords to register their rentals.

Laramie, home of the University of Wyoming, has an unusually high proportion of renters. The new law was held out as a way to finally do something about poorly maintained and hazardous rentals, which have become a pervasive issue in the city, according to the Laramie Boomerang.

A few weeks after the ordinance was passed, a property management company sued Laramie, calling the move an overreach of authority that violated the U.S. and Wyoming constitutions.

An Albany District Court judge in August shed some light on the debate.

On one hand, the ordinance was declared unconstitutional because it didnt specify whether violations would be considered a civil or criminal offense. (The city revised the law later to address that issue.)

The judgment did, however, uphold local governments ability to pass rental regulations. Wyoming doesnt have any existing statues that bar communities from doing so, or that make it the exclusive purview of the state, the Boomerang reported.

Thats what Zwonitzer wants Wyoming to provide further guidance on. Ultimately, he wants the statehouse to formalize local governments ability to pass their own rental regulations, while perhaps setting some limits on just how far communities can take things.

Its a complicated issue that needs a more thorough look than my bill, he said.
Telecoms provider Flow will increase prices next month.

In a notice to its customers on Wednesday, Flow said the 3.5-per cent increase in its Internet and cable packages will come into effect on May 1.

Another notice was sent to customers with multiple cable boxes via e-mail on Wednesday.
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FLASHBACK, 2018: Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley shakes the hand of Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, at the signing of a Dragon deal at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela. Photo: ISHMAEL SALANDY
The Government, through its State enterprises, has created new opportunities for artisans, s
The Government needs to promote discussion and engage the public more on initiatives that have major implications for the people and society of Trinidad and Tobago.

One example is the current push towards a cashless society in a world touted as one of financial inclusion. This initiative is being led by the Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Centre (TTIFC), which heads the Governments digitalisation initiatives in the financial services sector, and Visa, one of the worlds biggest names in digital payments.
The James Beard Award semifinalist list had just started to leak on social media Wednesday morning when an employee of Wendy Garcias west side Mexican restaurant La Chaiteria broke the news to Garcia.

She was up for Best Chef Southwest.

The announcement came as a complete shock to Garcia. She was expecting to be in Tucsons culinary conversation on Wednesday, Jan. 25, but not as a James Beard nominee.

Somebody from Yelp told me a month ago that we are going to be No. 10 on Yelps annual Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S., she said. But this is a surprise for me.

Tumerico was actually No. 8 on the Yelp list released on Wednesday that also included Tucsons Buendia Breakfast & Lunch Cafe on North First Avenue at No. 26.

James Beard Awards are the Academy Awards of the foodiverse, given out by the James Beard Foundation, which works to celebrate, support and elevate the people behind Americas food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity and sustainability, according to its website.

The James Beard Foundation will name the nominees at the end of March and winners will be celebrated in June.

Garcia joins a handful of Tucson chefs who have been nominated including last years winner Don Guerra of Barrio Bread, who took home the best baker award, and two-time nominee Maria Mazon of Boca Tacos y Tequila on North Fourth Avenue.

Garcia, who grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico, learning to cook alongside her dad and grandmother, started her vegan and vegetarian Mexican restaurant Tumerico from a table at the farmers market in 2013. She found an eager audience for her butternut squash tamales and started thinking about how she could use those recipes she learned from her father to create bold flavors in meatless dishes.

In late 2014, she opened the original Tumerico in the Sam Hughes neighborhood at 2526 E. Sixth St. Five years later, in spring 2019, she opened a smaller grab-and-go version with Tumi on 4th, 402 E. Fourth St. downtown.

Tumerico is all about these traditional recipes that I grew up with, she said. Its kind of like family. It reminds me of growing up, taking care of people.

In December 2019, right before the pandemic took hold in early 2020, she opened the non-vegan Mexican restaurant La Chaiteria in a 3,000-square-foot former convenience store at 1002 W. Congress St., in the west side Menlo Park neighborhood.

All three restaurants are scratch-made, meaning everything including the array of fresh salsas, are made on premises using mostly locally-sourced products.

Garcia is no stranger to the national spotlight. In 2018, Guy Fieri featured her on his popular show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

She is the only Tucson-area semifinalist named this year, but others from Arizona also made the list including:

Silvana Salcido Esparza of Barrio Cafe in Phoenix, who is up for the Outstanding Chef honor

Proper Meats + Provisions in Flagstaff is a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant

Christian Lowe of Shift Kitchen & Bar in Flagstaff is up for the Emerging Chef award

JL Patisserie in Phoenix and Scottsdale is a semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery

Crystal Kass of Valentine in Phoenix is up for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

Glai Baan of Phoenix is a semifinalist in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program category

Others up for the Best Chef (southwest) region are: Rene Andrade and Roberto Centeno of Bacanora in Phoenix; Jaren Bates and Brett Vibber of The Table at Junipine in Sedona; Nephi Craig of Cafe Gozhoo in Whiteriver; Fernando Hernandez of Testal in Phoenix; and Yotaka and Alex Martin of Lom Wong in Phoenix
On January 25, 1934, John Dillinger and his crew of criminals, Charley Makley, Russell Clark and triggerman Harry Pierpont, were apprehended by Tucson law enforcement following bank robberies, murders and jailbreaks carried out from Kentucky to South Dakota.

The gang came to Tucson to hide from the heat and get out of the cold, but soon found themselves behind bars. They were eventually transported east to face their fates.

Here are 10 things you might not know about Dillinger's capture, taken from Arizona Daily Star stories written at the time:
The Arizona Game and Fish Department released 30 pronghorn antelopes into a field of grass about 65 miles southwest of Tucson on Tuesday to beef up the population at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.

The new additions will more than double the size of the existing herd, which numbered at about two dozen animals after years of trying to reestablish the once-common species there.

There used to be hundreds of them in the Altar Valley before the native population died out, said Game and Fish spokesman Mark Hart.

The five bucks and 25 does set free on Tuesday were collected from a much larger group of about 200 animals in the San Bernardino Valley northeast of Douglas.

Two of the bucks and eight of the does are now wearing tracking collars so game officials can see where they go and how they use the landscape.

Hart said the collars are designed to last for two or three years and then drop off automatically when their batteries die.

The transplanted animals will most likely live out their lives within the 117,464-acre refuge north of Sasabe, but its kind of up to them, he said.

To make the place safer and more appealing to pronghorns and other wildlife, the volunteer stewardship group Friends of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge has removed some 200 miles of unused fencing from the refuge over the years, Hart said.

The refuges newest residents were captured in nets fired from a low-flying helicopter, then flown to a staging area along state Route 80 south of the Chiricahua Mountains, about 10 miles west of the Arizona-New Mexico border.

The animals were blindfolded to keep them calm, examined and then loaded into trailers for the roughly 200-mile drive to the Altar Valley.

Bad weather delayed the capture, Hart said. We had to shut down operations on Monday because it started to snow of all things.

Despite their common name, pronghorn antelopes arent really antelopes at all. They are much more closely related to giraffes and okapis than to the true antelopes and gazelles of Africa and Asia, though they do fill the same grassland niche.

Tens of millions of pronghorns once roamed the vast plains of North America, but by the 1920s, their numbers had been reduced to less than 15,000 by rampant hunting and habitat loss.

The overall population has since rebounded to about 1 million, thanks to widespread conservation efforts, though three subspecies are still at risk of extinction, including the desert-dwelling Sonoran pronghorn found along the U.S.-Mexico border in southwestern Arizona.

The more common variety of pronghorn, like those released on Tuesday, are mostly found across the northern third of the state, though southeastern Arizona is now home to approximately 600 of the animals.

One of the most successful repopulation efforts to date is in the area around Sonoita and Elgin, where the population has gone from fewer than 100 to more than 300 pronghorns.

Hart said additional animals were moved to the area from New Mexico and elsewhere in Arizona to improve the genetic mix. At the same time, Game and Fish partnered with local landowners to improve the habitat by installing new water holes and tanks, removing mesquite trees to open up the grasslands and modifying more than 100 miles of barbed wire fencing so pronghorns can squeeze underneath them without getting snagged.

Arizona does allow hunters to take about 500-700 pronghorns each year from some parts of the state, but not at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.

The herd is too small to be hunted there, Hart said.

25 endangered animals that live only in America 25 endangered animals that only live in America Salt marsh harvest mouse Utah prairie dog Red wolf Kauai cave wolf spider Laysan duck Yosemite toad Gunnison sage-grouse Devils Hole pupfish Fanshell Giant kangaroo rat Delta green ground beetle Jollyville Plateau salamander California condor American burying beetle Squirrel Chimney Cave shrimp Crested honeycreeper (Akohekohe) Red Hills salamander Louisiana pine snake Woundfin Alabama red-bellied turtle Bruneau Hot springsnail Mountain yellow-legged frog Flattened musk turtle Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard Northern Idaho ground squirrel
Pima Countys top prosecutor says a planned study of how the death penalty is used in Arizona doesnt go far enough.

I applaud them for looking at how its actually carried out, said Pima County Attorney Laura Conover, referring to the decision by new Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs to review the processes and procedures used by the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry to execute death row inmates. That includes what Hobbs said have been botched executions, including situations when prison employees had repeated problems in placing the intravenous line carrying the chemicals into the veins of condemned inmates.

In the interim, new Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, the only person in the state with the power to seek warrants to execute, said she will not do so until the study is completed.

But Conover told Capitol Media Services the study should be broader.

The flaws in the death penalty are at the get-go, said Pima Countys elected Democratic prosecutor. The heart of that is how decisions are made about which cases prosecutors seek the death penalty for and whether there are biases in both that decision and the ability of all defendants to get equal treatment, including by the juries who make the ultimate decision of life or death, Conover said.

Maricopa prosecutor sees no bias

But Rachel Mitchell, Conovers Maricopa County counterpart, a Republican, said Tuesday she has not seen any such bias.

Even defendants who cannot afford private counsel are assigned extremely experienced attorneys and have the opportunity to have court-provided private investigators, Mitchell said. She also doesnt believe race plays a factor at any stage, including the decision by jurors  who get the last word under Arizona law  whether to sentence someone to death or life behind bars.

Figures from Arizona prison officials show that 17 of the 110 inmates on death row, or about 15%, are Black. Blacks comprise less than 5% of the states population.

The data for those classified by the state as Mexican-American is a bit different, encompassing 22 condemned inmates, or 20% of the total.

However, that category, as used by the agency, encompasses only those born in the United States. By contrast, the Census Bureau, which puts the Hispanic population of Arizona at close to 31%, includes all in Arizona regardless of where they were born, a category that includes not just those of Mexican descent but also Puerto Ricans, Cubans and others.

In terms of racial composition of death row, what you have to look at, as I do, is each individual case, Mitchell said.

Im looking at facts of those, she said, including what state law calls aggravating and mitigating factors that prosecutors and jurors can consider in determining whether the death penalty is appropriate versus seeking a sentence of life in prison. All that, Mitchell said, is to make sure that case warrants the ultimate punishment.

Conover, however, said its not that clear cut.

The data is clear across the country historically that both race and class play an absolutely unacceptable role in how its been applied, just leading to terrible outcomes, Conover said.

In other words, the concept of the death penalty being reserved for the worst of the worst has not borne fruit, she said. The data shows that the race of the accused, the race of the victim, and then socio-economic class all play a role.

Disparities among counties?

Mayes also said the state needs to study more than what happens between the time someone is sentenced to death and the time the execution is carried out, the stated purpose of the appointment by Hobbs of a Death Penalty Independent Review commissioner. The issue goes beyond race, the attorney general told Capitol Media Services.

In particular, Im interested in knowing whether there are disparities between counties in Arizona in terms of who receives the death penalty, Mayes said.

It is beginning to look like the death penalty is only being sought in Maricopa County because Maricopa County can afford it, she said, referring to the huge cost of prosecutors and defense counsel devoting years  and sometimes decades  of their time to just a handful of cases. We need to understand that better before we go forward.

The statistics show that about 60% of Arizonans live in Maricopa County, the states most populous, versus close to 73% of death row inmates being sentenced from courts there.

About 14% of the state lives in Pima County. That closely tracks the percentage of its death row inmates.

But that is changing, with Conover, upon taking office in 2021, deciding not to seek the death penalty in any cases.

The balance of the 110 death row inmates includes six from Mohave County, three from Yuma County, two from Yavapai and one each from Coconino, La Paz and Pinal counties.

Hobbs, in issuing her executive order Friday to study the processes used to carry out executions, said she is open to looking at related issues such as whether the death penalty is imposed fairly.

Thats certainly a conversation worth having, said Hobbs, who took office this month. The governor said she certainly would be willing to entertain further action on the broader issue of the whole process.

Victims perspectives differ

Mitchell, for her part, appears less than enthusiastic about even the narrower review promoted by Hobbs and Mayes, as it potentially delays the execution of 21 inmates who already exhausted their appeals.

Families of those murdered by those sentenced to death walk a long and painful path, she said. For most, this is a journey that is decades long.

Mitchell sidestepped the question of whether she supports or opposes the study of the execution process, and the delay in the meantime in carrying them out. I am doing neither, she said.

What Mitchell said she does support is an expeditious study so that executions can resume and victims can have the justice she said they are promised in a 1990 voter-approved Victims Bill of Rights amendment to the Arizona Constitution, including a prompt and final conclusion of the case after the conviction and sentence.

It is my hope that as a state we will not abandon our promise of justice, because justice delayed is justice denied, Mitchell said.

Conover, however, said she sees the issue of the time involved in capital cases from a different perspective  and one she and her prosecutors try to explain to survivors when informing them she will not be seeking the death penalty, she said.

You have to tell them that their grief is raw and their needs are urgent, she said. But a homicide prosecution could take a year or two or three.

And with appeals and post-conviction legal proceedings in death penalty cases, she warns them you may not see this case to resolution in your lifetime.

And, frankly, it wasnt uncommon for families to not want that and to say, I dont want to go that route,  Conover said, but rather to seek a more immediate and final action with a sentence of life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

She acknowledged theres also a fiscal element to her decision to not seek the death penalty.

Youre going to take your best and brightest and youre going to write this blank check of taxpayer money and ask them to just pursue one particular case, ostensibly forever, for the rest of their career, Conover said, given the decades a death penalty case takes.

One Arizona inmate  Ronald T. Williams, convicted of a 1981 murder during a robbery in Scottsdale  has been on death row since 1984. Two others have convictions that date back to 1989.

Hobbs has yet to name the commissioner for the study and has set no deadline for the report.
We have left turns from Michigan and potholes from the pits of hell, but one local traffic oddity is an Old Pueblo original.

What do you call a road that runs diagonally between an east-west street and a north-south avenue? Here  and nowhere else in America, apparently  thats known as a stravenue.

Pima County is home to 40 of them, mostly in mid-century neighborhoods built around Tucsons angled arteries  Aviation Parkway, Benson Highway, the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and Interstate 10 east of I-19.

The U.S. Postal Service even has an official abbreviation for the stravenue (that would be STRA), though mail carriers outside of Southern Arizona dont need to concern themselves with it.

Our records indicate the name is only found in Tucson, Arizona, said Roy Betts, national spokesman for the Postal Service.

Tracing the origins of a made-up word

So who is responsible for coining the term?

Wikipedia gives credit for the stravenue to Mr. Tucson himself, Roy P. Drachman, who reportedly dreamed it up in 1948 as part of Del Webbs Pueblo Gardens development near 22nd Street and present-day Kino Parkway.

But dont believe everything you read on the internet. The apparent source for that historical nugget is a reader comment posted beneath an Arizona Daily Star story from 2008, which is pretty thin gravy, even for an online encyclopedia.

Recent research by historian and preservationist Demion Clinco points to a more likely candidate: another prominent Tucsonan who played a large role in the citys post-war development.

Clinco said the earliest appearance of a stravenue he can find is on the plat map for a subdivision called Country Club Park, a wedge-shaped neighborhood hemmed in by Aviation Road, Country Club and 29th Street.

It features six stravenues that were mapped out in February 1948, three months before the plat for Pueblo Gardens.

The same land surveyor produced both maps: Tony A. Blanton from the Tucson architectural firm of Blanton and Cole.

In December 1948, Blanton submitted another plat map, this time for North Campbell Estates at Campbell and Glenn, and again there were stravenues.

Based on this, I think it would be fair to say Blanton brought us the stravenue, Clinco said. If he did not actually invent the term, he produced the first one and promoted their popularity in the late 1940s.

Blanton helped put Tucson on the map

Longtime Tucson land surveyor Don Rockliffe said details like road names are often handled by the planner who is hired to draw up the subdivision map.

Unless the developer had some pet names in mind, he left it up to the engineering firm to come up with the street names, he said.

Of course, Rockliffe might be a little biased. Tony Blanton was his grandfather.

Rockliffe said his father, Donald Alan Rockliffe, married Blantons eldest daughter, Beverly, and worked as draftsman and design engineer for his father-in-law.

Blanton and Cole was one of Tucsons first engineering and architectural companies, Rockliffe said, and it soon became the preeminent firm of its kind in the city.

By 1958, it had 42 employees and a newly built downtown office at Main Avenue and Pennington Street, though that building was lost to urban renewal about a decade later. Now its buried beneath the county courthouse, Rockliffe said.

Major local clients included the University of Arizona, several public school districts, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Hughes Aircraft Company. Blanton and Cole also worked on projects across Arizona and in eight other states.

From cowboy roots to the citys in-crowd

Rockliffe said his grandfather was part of the in-crowd in Tucson, I guess youd say, but he started out humble.

He was born George Anthony Blanton in Calgary, Alberta, in 1910. His cowboy father was originally from Southern Arizona, and the family moved back here in 1911  first to Willcox and then to Tucson in 1914.

After graduating from Tucson High School and studying at the UA, Blanton got his first engineering job with the Southern Pacific Railroad. He later worked for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads, Pima County and the city of Tucson before launching a private practice with Frederick P. Cole, a former draftsman for the county.

Somewhere along the way, Blanton changed his legal signature to Tony A. Blanton  short (and somewhat redundant) for Tony Anthony Blanton.

Since learning of his familys possible connection to Tucson road-naming lore, Rockliffe has done some research of his own that bolsters Clincos case.

He said there are 10 Tucson subdivisions that include stravenues, all of them mapped between 1948 and 1960. Blanton and Cole was the surveyor for six of them, including the five oldest.

Surveying streets runs in the family

The city planning and zoning commission added the made-up word to Tucsons official street naming and numbering system in November 1948.

In May 1949, the Tucson Daily Citizen ran a piece explaining the new street type, which it described as gobbledygood (sic) for diagonal.

I can remember seeing Cherrybell Stravenue as a child and thinking that was all so strange, said Rockliffe, who retired in 2019 after 39 years as a land surveyor for Tucson Electric Power.

He never dreamed at the time that he might be related to the man who invented them  the man for whom Blanton Drive near Fort Lowell Road and Tucson Boulevard is now named.

Rockliffe said he used to visit his grandfather on Sundays and holidays. Occasionally, he would join him in his box seats at Hi Corbett Field for Cleveland Indians spring training games.

Blanton died in 1969 at the age of 59.

Rockliffe was about 11 at the time. Not long after, he began to learn the family business from his own father. He used to watch him work at his drafting table, and he later helped him draw a few subdivision plats before enrolling at the UA to become a registered professional land surveyor himself.

He taught me surveying, Rockliffe said of his dad, the likely son of the stravenue. It felt like it was kind of in the blood.
As the University of Arizona pursues switching accreditors, some faculty members are raising concerns about their involvement in the process.

To date, planning for this major educational and academic change has not included informing, deliberations with, or approval by the elected faculty governance body, the Faculty Senate, wrote Leila Hudson, elected chair of the UA faculty, in a letter dated Jan. 5, 2023 to Jamienne Studley, president of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College & University Commission. The General Faculty is, thus far, not yet fully informed about nor formally represented in this accreditation process through its elected representatives and institutions.

The Higher Learning Commission has accredited the UA for more than 100 years. Late last year, however, the UA submitted an application to become accredited by WSCUC. The California-based accrediting body also accredits the University of Arizona Global Campus, the online university formerly known as Ashford University, which is still working to get the accreditor to remove a notice of concern related to student retention and graduation rates. The UA, fully aware of the notice of concern, acquired the assets of Ashford in 2020 and rebranded it as UA Global Campus. At that time, UA officials said they intended to keep UA Global Campus a separate entity, governed by a separate board.

But that changed in early 2022, when the UA announced its plan to integrate the online school  and its roughly 27,000 students  into its operation and make UA Global Campus a branch campus. At the time of that announcement, numerous members of the Faculty Senate expressed concern that they had not been properly consulted in the decision to integrate UA Global Campus and demanded a risk-assessment of the deal, which the UA has not provided.

Now one year later, the UA is moving full-steam ahead in its plan to integrate UA Global Campus.

In November, the Arizona Board of Regents approved a $45,000 incentive for UA President Robert C. Robbins if he brings UA Global Campus under the full authority of the UA by June 30.

Soon after that, the UA applied to switch accreditors, because, according to UA spokesperson Pam Scott, the university believes that (WSCUC) is better suited to our mission, values, purpose and strategic plan.

An accreditation team from WSCUC visited the campus last week to conduct a review, which included time for faculty, staff and student input. But the accelerated timeline of the accreditation switch  both the announcement and the visit last week happened in between the scheduled December and January Faculty Senate meetings  frustrated some faculty.

Consequently, our universitys elected faculty representatives were structurally prevented from deliberating a critical decision impacting academic, educational and faculty personnel issues  accreditation  their statutory duty, Ted Downing, a faculty senator, wrote in an email to his colleagues in the Faculty Senate one day before the accreditation team visit. The scheduling, Downing wrote, shows a flagrant disregard for the Senate, colleagues, and statutory, mandatory obligations as an elected faculty member.

Quid quo pro?

In addition to concerns about shared governance, Hudson, the chair of the faculty, also wrote in the Jan. 5 letter to WSCUC that some members of the Faculty Senate have a concern that WSCUC may be entangled in a quid pro quo or a conflict of interest due to its status as the accreditor for (UA Global Campus), which still has a notice of concern.

In response to the Arizona Daily Stars questions about this possibility, a spokesperson from WSCUC said that if the University of Arizona is granted accreditation by WSCUC, it would be required to secure approval for any structural changes it sought to make, and WSCUC would review those changes. There are too many possible forms of arrangements and outcomes that could be brought to the Commission for approval for WSCUC to speculate on the outcome, conditions, or consequences.

The accreditor added that, so long as UA Global Campus and the UA remain separate entities, the online schools notice of concern would not be affected if the University of Arizona were to be granted accreditation by WSCUC.

At a meeting of the Faculty Senate on Monday, members publicly discussed their impressions of the accreditation process so far. While several shared the concerns raised in Hudsons letter to WSCUC, Tessa Dysart, who serves as secretary of the Faculty Senate and as a member of a UA Global Campus integration working group, shared a different view.

We are not necessarily universally thrilled about the accelerated timeline on UAGC integration, but we understand its happening and why its happening, Dysart said. We want to make sure that it happens the best possible way that includes faculty participation in critical decisions.

Others have active role

Several days before WSCUCs site visit last week, Dysart and Caleb Simmons, who is also a faculty senator and a member of the UA Global Campus working group, sent a letter to the accreditor, disputing some of the points Hudsons Jan. 5 letter raised, including a perceived lack of shared governance.

We have taken an active role in reviewing the accreditation application and offering constructive feedback, Dysart and Simmons wrote in a letter dated Jan. 13. We are faculty who will constructively engage with the administration, consistent with the spirit and letter of the Memorandum of Shared Governance.

A WSCUC spokesperson declined to answer further questions about the particulars of either letter as it is the bodys policy to not comment on the substance of a review while it is underway. The accrediting agency plans to consider the UAs application, which includes the reports made from last weeks site visit, at a meeting scheduled for Feb. 22-24.

But at the close of Mondays Faculty Senate meeting, UA Provost Liesl Folks gave some insight into how, from her perspective, last weeks visit went. We clearly made a profoundly positive impact on the reviewers, Folks said, and they went away with an extremely positive view of the institution.

Photos: UA campus and Tucson in 1965 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson 1965 in Tucson
One of them says I will die on this hill.

Another proclaims, I will never give up on this fight.

The third: I have not conceded this election and we still have work to do. We are calling for a new election.

Most Arizona residents have undoubtedly moved on from the 2022 general election. But three Republicans who lost statewide elections  in quotation order, Kari Lake, Abraham Hamadeh and Mark Finchem  are striving to stay relevant as two of them pursue election challenges and public attention naturally wanes.

The bigger the margin the candidate lost by, it seems, the more desperate the measure taken. It is, after all, a challenge to wipe away big electoral margins of defeat that are explainable by careful analysis of votes cast in Maricopa County.

The upshot of that analysis: Tens of thousands of Republican voters turned away from their partys more extreme candidates, handing victories to Democrats.

Accepting a rejection this personal, though, is anathema to dead-enders.

Take Mark Finchem, the GOP candidate for secretary of state from Oro Valley, who lost by 120,208 votes. It takes some gall to challenge an election you lost by a full 3 percentage points, as Finchem did.

But Finchem is displaying the kind of brazenness unique to him in the Tucson areas recent history. He has been raising money in an ongoing barrage of emails that hardly slowed after the election ended and is continuing even after his election challenge is over.

Pay off campaign debt

A recent one said, the illegitimate Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is attempting to abuse the power of the office for political gain, to sanction us for demanding transparency and integrity in elections.

I need your help to fight this abuse of power. Demand transparency in elections!

It was another in an endless series of donation requests, but I didnt notice, until Howard Fischer reported last week, what Finchems emails say at the bottom:

All donations will go toward the 2022 General Election for Mark Finchem to help pay off campaign debt.

As Fischer reported, Finchems campaign-finance filings show no campaign debt. In fact, his Jan. 17 filing showed the campaign had a cash balance of $96,831.13 on Dec. 31. Moreover, every filing by his secretary-of-state campaign has shown a cash balance, and none ever reported that the campaign received a loan.

What this campaign debt is, nobody seems to know, or is saying. It strikes me as something that regulators or prosecutors should be interested in.

But its pretty clear why Finchem lost. An analysis of Maricopa Countys cast-vote record, by Tucson Republican Benny White and two colleagues, shows that Republicans rejected him more than they did any other statewide GOP candidate. White, by the way, was the GOP candidate for Pima County recorder in 2020.

GOP chose bad candidates

He, along with fellow auditors Larry Moore and Tim Halvorsen, analyzed the countys cast-vote record and paid special attention to what they called disaffected voters  those who voted for eight or more candidates from one party on last years ballot, but not others at the top of the ticket.

It turns out that 62,866 Maricopa County voters who voted for at least eight other Republicans did not vote for Finchem. That compares to just 2,737 disaffected Democratic voters who voted for eight other Democrats but rejected Adrian Fontes.

The pattern was similar, but less dramatic, in the gubernatorial race. There were 33,041 disaffected Republican voters who did not fill out the bubble for Lake, as compared to 5,953 disaffected Democratic voters who did not vote for Dem nominee Katie Hobbs.

In the attorney generals race, there were 33,110 disaffected Republican voters who turned away from Abraham Hamadeh, as compared to 6,246 Democratic voters who rejected Kris Mayes.

That tells me this particular set of Republican candidates were simply not supported by a large portion of Republicans and probably most of the non-partisans, White told me. In the primary, he said, the Republicans chose a bunch of bad candidates.

Of course, Kari Lake never accepted that she could lose. She began claiming fraud during the primary election campaign, before election day, then let that drop after she won.

When she lost the general election, by 17,117 votes, she of course claimed that narrow loss was a fraudulent result. Eventually getting her chance in court to put up the evidence of a fault election, she failed, but she of course did not shut up. She has continued saying and tweeting wild claims, such as this from Jan. 20:

The Red Wave happened in AZ. Crooked Dems and RINOs rigged our Elections.

EVERYONE knows Arizonans did NOT vote for Cartel-controlled goons like Hobbs, Fontes & Mayes.

Frauds stole Arizonas state Government.

She too is regularly banging the drum for donations to her perpetual election effort, now with the eye-rolling name Save Arizona Fund. A state appellate court will hear Lakes appeal of the earlier ruling against her on Feb. 1.

The votes are out there

Hamadeh, too, has demanded to be remembered, as the weeks post-election have turned into months and his rival was sworn in as attorney general. But his rhetorical excess has diminished from the days when he called for perp walks over the 2020 elections.

Instead, he regularly conjures up a they who he claims to be fighting against as he seeks a new trial over the election he so narrowly lost  by 280 votes.

They say we are a threat to democracy, he said in a tweet Tuesday. Yet they are the ones who cheered Maricopa Countys Election Day disaster. They are the ones who withheld critical evidence in an election lawsuit. They are the ones threatening to arrest elected officials.

At least, in Hamadehs case, there is an underlying case to be made and a slight chance to win it. He has pointed to uncounted provisional ballots and undercounted votes as areas of legitimate contention where he might garner the necessary 280-vote margin. Its possible, barely.

And at least hes not constantly asking for donations the way Finchem and Lake have been.

The votes are out there. We have more votes than Kris Mayes. Now its a question of which votes will be counted, he claimed in a Twitter spaces interview Sunday night.

The votes were out there before the general election, too, of course. Candidates such as Hamadeh and Lake, if not Finchem, could have gotten them if they had appealed slightly more to the broad electorate. The fact they didnt is their fault and a reason to pay them little mind as they play out their string.
El Tiradito Wishing Shrine in the citys Old Barrio neighborhood, south of the Tucson Convention Center, is said to be a sanctuary dedicated to a sinful man.

You can find candles constantly burning at the site, 420 S. Main Ave., and little holes in the walls filled with letters from visitors. People leave offerings like food, teddy bears and art.

Legend has it that a man involved in a love triangle died on that spot after an altercation about 150 years ago.

El Tiradito is just one of the many places Priscilla Teran shows visitors on her Tucson Behind the Scenes tour.

Teran wears many hats, mainly as a bilingual middle school teacher, teaching English language arts, but also as a translator, bilingual wedding officiant and a tour guide.

Terans tours, which can be booked through Airbnb (tucne.ws/1mg7), originally were something she did for friends visiting from out of town, showing them places around Tucson that she thought were historic.

Whenever we go on vacation I like to take (my kids) on a tour, to go to museums, to learn something about the city we are visiting, Teran said. How cool is it that someone local can tell you about their own city and show you about their own city.

In 2019, Teran was vacationing in Hawaii with her two kids, waiting for a local tour guide to arrive when she had the idea to do her own tours in Tucson. Though there are local biking and walking tours, she couldnt think of anything like what she was imagining in Tucson.

As soon as she got home, she put her tours online and began showing tourists around. It was going well, she said, but shortly after came the Covid-19 pandemic.

At that time, the world was closed, she said.

Earlier this year, Teran restarted her tours, which are held every weekend during busy seasons, like now when people flee snowstorms for Tucsons more tame winters and events like the gem show.

Most of her clientele is elderly couples or groups of friends who come to visit Tucson. About 10% of the tours are for people who want to move to Tucson.

The Tucson Behind the Scenes tours begin with food. When she travels, Teran loves trying the food the locals eat, so she indulges her guests with a Tucson staple: Sonoran tacos.

Here in Arizona we are very Sonoran, it is the only thing that predominates, Teran said.

Being only an hour away from the state of Sonora, the culture penetrates into the U.S. side of the border in food, language and people.

Teran was born in Tucson, but was raised in Moctezuma, Sonora, until she was 14 years old when she returned to the United States.

She attended Sunnyside High School and graduated from the University of Arizona with her bachelors degree in bilingual education, before earning her masters in information resources and library science.

In all of her jobs, being bilingual is essential: teaching students the English language, as a translator, as a tour guide and as a bilingual officiant.

Being bilingual opens a lot of doors for you. Knowing more languages is the best, says Teran. We have the best of both worlds and its also more job opportunities.

Tours are $50 per person and private packages are also available. The tours, which are 3 to four hours, can be booked at tucne.ws/1mg7. Learn more about Tucson Behind the Scenes Tour at facebook.com/TucsonBehindtheScenesTour.
NEW YORK  Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana residence last week, his lawyer said, the latest in a string of recoveries of papers meant to be treated with utmost sensitivity from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials.

The records, which were taken into FBI custody, "appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration," Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a letter to the National Archives shared with The Associated Press.

He said Pence was "unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence" until a search last week and "understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready and willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry."

The revelation came as the Department of Justice is already investigating the discovery of documents with classification markings in President Joe Biden's home in Delaware and his former Washington office, as well as former President Donald Trump's Florida estate.

Democrat Biden has indicated he will seek reelection, Trump is already a declared candidate, and Republican Pence has been exploring a possible 2024 presidential campaign that would put him in direct competition against his former boss.

The newest discovery, which was first reported by CNN, thrusts Pence, who previously insisted that he followed stringent protocols regarding classified documents, into the debate over the handling of secret materials by officials who served in the highest ranks of government.

Trump is under criminal investigation after roughly 300 documents with classified markings, including at the top-secret level, were discovered at Mar-a-Lago. Officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the monthslong criminal investigation.

Biden is also subject to a special counsel investigation after classified documents from his time as a senator and in the Obama administration were found at his properties.

While a very different case, the Pence development could bolster the arguments of Trump and Biden, who have sought to downplay the significance of the discoveries. The presence of secret documents at all three men's homes further underscores the federal government's unwieldy system for storing and protecting the millions of classified documents it produces every year.

Pence's lawyer, Jacob, said in his letter that the former vice president had "engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents" to review records stored at his home on Jan. 16 "out of an abundance of caution" amid the uproar over the discovery of documents at Biden's home.

Jacob said the Pence documents with classification markings were secured in a locked safe. According to a follow-up letter from the lawyer dated Sunday, FBI agents visited Pence's residence Thursday night at 9:30 p.m. to collect the documents. Pence was in Washington for an event at the time.

Four boxes containing copies of administration papers  two in which "a small number" of papers bearing classified markings were found, and two containing "courtesy copies of vice presidential papers"  were discovered, according to the letter. Arrangements were made to deliver those boxes to the National Archives on Monday.

The National Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the discovery. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Tuesday, and a lawyer for Pence did not immediately respond to an email seeking elaboration.

Pence told the Associated Press in August that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office.

In an interview this month with Fox Business, Pence described a "very formal process" used by his office to handle classified information as well as the steps taken by his lawyers to ensure none was taken with him.

On Capitol Hill, members of the Senate intelligence committee expressed incredulity over the mishandling of documents by top U.S. officials.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas noted that classified documents are only moved out of the committee's offices in locked bags. "In my book, it's never permissible to take classified documents outside of a secure facility or by some secure means of transport in between those secure facilities," he said.

House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner, a Republican, said he planned to request a formal intelligence review and damage assessment.
SANTA ANA, Calif.  California has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, with rules on everything from the types of weapons and ammunition that can be legally owned, to who can and cant own a weapon, to broad funding for community programs aimed at curbing gun violence.

And researchers believe those tight rules do help reduce the odds of dying from a gunshot in California. That contention is backed up by a growing body of research on the effectiveness of gun laws and by federal data about gun-related deaths across the country.

Still, laws cant prevent pure horror.

On Jan. 21, the states gun rules did nothing to stop a man from using what investigators said was a semi-automatic assault pistol to kill 11 people and injure at least nine others. The weapon, as described, is illegal in California. So is transporting it into or within the state, selling it and carrying it. But none of that slowed the shooter when he fired 42 rounds at people celebrating Lunar New Year at a Monterey Park dance studio.

New research suggests mass shootings might be the grim outlier when it comes to the effectiveness of gun laws.

I dont know if there is a law that can be enacted related to mass shootings that would prevent them. Though Id also say that doesnt mean such laws arent useful, or that having scientific evidence that a law would work should be why it should or shouldnt be (enacted), said Andrew Morral, a behavioral scientist at RAND Corp. and co-author of The Science of Gun Policy project, an ongoing study launched in 2018 that issued its third update earlier this month.

The research, part of Santa Monica-based RANDs Gun Policy in America project, has the nonpartisan goal of establishing basic facts about gun violence, legitimate gun use and gun laws. The idea is that those facts, in turn, can be used by people on all sides of the gun debate to craft rules that stem gun-related deaths. In 2021, the last year for which full data is available, nearly 49,000 Americans died from gun violence or gun-related suicide.

In their research, Morral and other RAND scientists track thousands of studies looking at how different types of gun laws affect everything from gun violence, such as homicides and suicides, to the price of guns and the legal use of guns, such as self-defense, hunting and sport shooting. Though such research is relatively new  in part because from 1992 to 2018 federal funding was not allowed to be used to collect gun violence data  RANDs study of the studies has found some patterns.

For example, studies show that gun-related violent crime is more common in communities with stand your ground laws and in communities that make it easy to carry concealed weapons. Also, stricter rules about storing and locking up guns, known as child access prevention laws, may reduce violent crime, suicide and accidents  but possibly at the cost of making it harder to use guns for self-defense.

But RAND didnt find a lot of strong research into how laws prevent mass shootings. Though Morral said there is limited evidence that banning the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines curtails mass shootings, he was quick to point out that limited is our weakest evidence rating short of inconclusive.

Still, Morral said a lack of scientific support for a particular gun law shouldnt be a reason for legislators to abandon any effort to make it harder for mass killings. He noted that strong scientific support isnt the threshold used in non-firearm legislation, and suggested gun research shouldnt be a substitute for common sense.

Others believe gun legislation should be aimed at manufacturers, not gun consumers, and that such legislation could at least limit a broad range of gun violence, including mass shootings.

Its because of the kinds of guns we have available in this country, said Christian Heyne, vice president of policy and programs for the Brady Campaign, a group that works to pass gun laws aimed at reducing gun violence.

We have a lot of questions about how this gunman was able to have access to the kind of weapons he had, considering it is illegal in California. We dont have a common denominator from preventing weapons of this lethality, and we believe some of those rules need to be answered in federal law, Heyne added.

But we do know gun laws work. California is an interesting place. Youre 40% less likely to die by a gun in California than you are anywhere in the country. Thats not an accident. Thats a result of legislation.

Studies show California has the seventh-lowest gun violence rate in the country, with 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people, according to federal data. States with the highest gun mortality rates, including Mississippi (28.6 deaths per 100,000 people), Louisiana (26.3 deaths) and Wyoming (25.9 deaths), all grade out as having the nations most lax gun laws, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that favors gun legislation.

On Monday, the deaths in Monterey Park sparked yet another push to extend California-style gun laws to the rest of the country. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation that would ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines or ammunition feeding devices. The legislation, which also is backed by Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both of Connecticut, would include the gun used by the shooter, Feinsteins office said in a news release.

The announcement about the proposed legislation came just before news broke about the shooting deaths of seven people Monday in the Bay Area community of Half Moon Bay.
SAN FRANCISCO  Elon Musk returned to federal court to defend himself against a class-action lawsuit that alleges he misled Tesla shareholders with a tweet about an aborted buyout that the billionaire defiantly insisted Tuesday he could have pulled off, had he wanted.

Musk spent roughly three more hours on the stand during his third day of testimony before being excused by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen. Its unlikely Musk, 51, will be summoned back to the witness stand during a civil trial expected to be turned over to a nine-person jury in early February.

Musk, who also owns Twitter while continuing to run Tesla, spent much of Tuesday depicting himself, while being questioned by his own attorney, Alex Spiro, as an impeccably trustworthy business leader capable of raising as much money as he needs to pursue his visions. He testily sparred with a shareholder lawyer, Nicholas Porritt, who raised his ire earlier in the trial.

At two separate junctures Tuesday under Spiros gentle prodding, Musk left no doubt about his contempt for Porritt with a remark expressing doubt that the lawyer was looking out for the best interests of Tesla shareholders. The remarks drew a quick rebuke from the judge and were stricken from the record. Its inappropriate, Chen at one point admonished Musk.

When he was being challenged by Porritt, Musk purposefully diverted his gaze from the lawyer and delivered his explanations while looking directly at the jurors sitting a few feet to his right. In another instance, Musk asserted, without elaborating, that a question from Porritt wondering if he had ever caused investors to suffer losses contained falsehoods.

On the flip side, Spiro at one point mistakenly addressed Musk as your honor while asking the billionaire how much money he had made for investors during his career. The slipup elicited a moment of levity in the San Francisco courtroom filled with media and other spectators in attendance to listen to Musk.

The current trial hinges on whether a pair of tweets Musk posted on Aug. 7, 2018, damaged Tesla shareholders during a 10-day period leading up to his admission that the buyout he had envisioned wasnt going to happen. The statements resulted in Musk and Tesla reaching the $40 million settlement without acknowledging any wrongdoing.

In the first of the 2018 tweets, Musk stated funding secured for what would have been a $72 billion  or $420 per share  buyout of Tesla at a time when the electric automaker was still grappling with production problems and was worth far less than it is now. Musk followed up a few hours later with another tweet suggesting a deal was imminent.

After those tweets, Musk declared Tesla would remain public a few weeks later. A month after that, Musk and Tesla reached the $40 million settlement with securities regulators who alleged the tweets were misleading.

Musk previously contended he entered into the settlement under duress and maintained he never wavered in his belief that he had the money for a deal.

He spent most of Tuesday trying to persuade the jurors that there was nothing devious about the two tweets indicating he had lined up the money to take the electric automaker private. The judge already declared the jurors can consider those two tweets to be false, leaving them to decide whether Musk deliberately deceived investors and whether his statements saddled them with losses.

While being steered by Spiro, Musk told jurors he had stated only that he was considering a Tesla buyout but never promised a deal would get done. But, Musk said, he thought it important to get the word out to investors that Tesla might be poised to end its eight-year run as a publicly held company.

I had no ill motive, Musk said. My intent was to do the right thing for all shareholders.

While being grilled the day before by Porritt, Musk at times was combative, indignant and exasperated.

Musk has insisted he locked up financial backing for what would have been a $72 billion buyout of Tesla during 2018 meetings with representatives from Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund, although no specific funding amount or price was discussed.

When presented with texts and email indicating that a representative for the Saudi fund never pledged the money for a buyout of Tesla, Musk contended it was nothing more than the words of someone trying to backpedal from a previous pledge made in private.

Not long after Porritt resumed questioning Tuesday, Musk again scoffed at the notion that his belief that he had the financial backing wasnt enough for him to tweet about a potential Tesla buyout.

We are talking about the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Musk testified. They can buy Tesla several times over. This was not a large amount of money for them.

Musk also reiterated that he could finance a Tesla buyout by sharing some of his holdings in SpaceX, a privately held maker of rocket ships that he started. That would be similar to what he did in the Twitter purchase, which led him to sell about $23 billion of his Tesla stock.
NEW YORK  When New York's first licensed recreational marijuana outlet opened last month, the chief of the state's Office of Cannabis Management, Chris Alexander, proudly hoisted a tin of watermelon-flavored gummies above the crowd.

Outside the Manhattan shop, he displayed another purchase: a jar containing dried flowers of a cannabis strain called Banana Runtz, which some say has overtones of "fresh, fruity banana and sour candy."

In the store run by the nonprofit Housing Works, shelves brim with vape cartridges suggesting flavors of pineapple, grapefruit and cereal milk, written in rainbow bubble letter print.

For decades, health advocates have chided the tobacco industry for marketing harmful nicotine products to children, resulting in more cities and states, like New York, outlawing flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

Now as cannabis shops proliferate across the country, similar concerns are growing over the packaging and marketing of flavored cannabis that critics say could entice children.

"We should learn from the nicotine space, and I certainly would advocate that we should place similar concern on cannabis products in terms of their appealability to youth," said Katherine Keyes, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University who has written extensively about the rise of marijuana use among young people.

"If you go through a cannabis dispensary right now," she said, "it's almost absurd how youth-oriented a lot of the packaging and the products are."

Keyes added that public health policymakers and researchers are trying to catch up with an industry and marketplace that is rapidly expanding and evolving.

New York, which legalized recreational marijuana in March 2021, forbids marketing and advertising that "is designed in any way to appeal to children or other minors."

But New York's state Office of Cannabis Management has yet to officially adopt rules on labeling, packaging and advertising that could ban cartoons and neon colors, as well as prohibit depictions of food, candy, soda, drinks, cookies or cereal on packaging  all of which, the agency suggests, could attract people under 21.

"Consumers need to be aware  parents need to be aware  if they see products that look like other products that are commonly marketed to kids, that's an illicit market product," said Lyla Hunt, OCM's deputy director of public health and campaigns.

Hunt recently saw a cannabis product calling itself "Stony Patch Kids" that she said looked like the popular candy "Sour Patch Kids."

Similar products are being sold by the dozens at illegal pot dispensaries that officials worry are selling unsafe products. Once packaging and marketing standards are established, the illicit marketplace likely will not comply, experts say.

State officials hope products bought at licensed dispensaries will help.

"We can regulate until we're blue in the face. But the truth is, it's a partnership between a compliant industry, strong regulations that are robust in their protections for youth and then with parents, too," Hunt said.

Under state law, a minor in possession of marijuana would face a civil penalty of not more than $50. Licensed cannabis retailers who sell to minors face fines and the loss of their licenses, but no jail time.

Science has long established the addictive nature of nicotine and the health maladies associated with smoking tobacco, including cancer and emphysema.

Less settled are the health repercussions from vaping, particularly among children whose bodies and internal organs have yet to fully develop.

While smoking tobacco cigarettes has fallen among teens and young adults, the use of e-cigarettes and vapes has risen.

A handful of states  California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island  have bans on most flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vapes. An increasing number of cities have similar bans.

But those rules need to be broadened to include marijuana, said Linda Richter with the Partnership to End Addiction.

"There is more scrutiny on the tobacco industry, and very, very little in terms of rules, regulations, scrutiny, limitations when it comes to the cannabis industry," she said.

States have yet to coalesce rules on a single national standard, she said. States often look to the federal government to set standards, but marijuana remains illegal on the federal level.

"That's a real issue where you don't have the weight of the federal government in terms of standards of packaging and marketing," Richter said.

Anti-smoking groups have long railed against the tobacco industry for its marketing, such as using cartoon characters to help sell their products. In recent years, they've campaigned against flavored nicotine products, including those in vaping form.

But thus far, such groups have not targeted the marijuana industry.

A study released this month documented the steep rise in poisonings among young children, especially toddlers, who accidentally ate marijuana-laced treats.

The uptick in cases coincides with the rise in the number of states allowing the use of marijuana for medicine or recreation. Medical use of cannabis is currently allowed in 37 U.S. states, while 21 states allow recreational use.
WASHINGTON  In what would be a reversal, the Biden administration will approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Tuesday, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode.

The decision could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months or years for the tanks to be delivered.

U.S. officials said details are still being worked out. One official said the tanks would be bought under an upcoming Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, which provides longer-range funding for weapons and equipment to be purchased from commercial vendors.

The U.S. announcement is expected in coordination with an announcement by Germany that it will approve Polands request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, according to one official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

By agreeing to send the Abrams at an as-yet unspecified time under the assistance initiative, the administration is able to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholzs demand for an American commitment without having to send the tanks immediately.

Meanwhile, several senior Ukrainian officials, including front-line governors, lost their jobs Tuesday in a corruption scandal plaguing President Volodymyr Zelenskyys government as it grapples with the Russian invasion.

Zelenskyy was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft, and the new allegations come as Western allies are channeling billions of dollars to help Kyiv fight Moscow.

Much of the aid so far in the 11-month-old war has been through a separate program drawing on Pentagon stocks to get weapons more quickly to Ukraine. But even under that program, it would take months to get tanks to Ukraine and to get Ukrainian forces trained on them.

Its unknown how many tanks would be approved.

Until now, the U.S. resisted providing its own M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, citing extensive and complex maintenance and logistical challenges with the high-tech vehicles.

Washington believes it would be more productive to send German Leopards since many allies have them and Ukrainian troops would need less training than on the Abrams.

Just last week, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told reporters that the Abrams is a complicated, expensive, difficult to maintain and hard to train on piece of equipment.

One thing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been very focused on, he said, is that we should not be providing the Ukrainians systems they cant repair, they cant sustain, and that they, over the long term, cant afford, because its not helpful.

At the Pentagon, spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said he had nothing to announce on any U.S. decision regarding Abrams tanks. But he said, anytime that weve provided Ukraine with a type of system, weve provided the training and sustainment capabilities with that.

The administrations reversal comes just days after a coalition of more than 50 senior defense officials from Europe and beyond met in Germany to discuss Ukraines war needs, and battle tanks were a prime topic.

Ukrainian leaders have been urgently requesting tanks, but Germany had resisted mounting pressure either to supply its own tanks or clear the way for other countries, such as Poland, to send the German-made tanks from their own stocks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the deployment of Western tanks would trigger unambiguously negative consequences.

Defense leaders from the countries that have Leopard 2 tanks met with the Germans during the Friday conference at Ramstein Air Base in an effort to hammer out an agreement.

On Sunday, Berlin indicated it wouldnt stand in the way if other countries wanted to send the Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv. Germany needs to agree for the tanks to be given to Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Baszczak said Tuesday that Poland has officially requested permission from Germany to transfer its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.

German officials declined to comment on the reports of a tank deal. The news weekly Der Spiegel reported Tuesday, without citing a source, that Germany will provide Ukraine with at least one company of Leopard 2 tanks from its own armys stock.

Scholz is due to deliver an address to parliament Wednesday and field questions from lawmakers, many of whom have been pressing the government to join allies in providing the tanks to Ukraine.

Lawmakers in Congress have also been pushing the U.S. to beef up its aid to Ukraine.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday the Biden administration and allies should send more military aid to Ukraine, and that the U.S. must provide more tanks and weapons to help Ukraine win this war.

Its time, past time, for the Biden administration and our allies to get serious about helping Ukraine finish the job and retake their country.
In a country with more guns than people  and one emerging from three years of isolation, stress and infighting amid the pandemic  Americans are beginning 2023 with a steady barrage of mass slaughter.

Eleven people killed as they welcomed the Lunar New Year at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans. A teen mother and her baby shot in the head in an attack that killed five generations. A 6-year-old shooting his first-grade teacher in the classroom. The list goes on.

Weve been through so much in these past few years, and to continue to see case after case of mass violence in the media is just overwhelming, said Apryl Alexander, an associate professor of public health at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. When does this stop?

The carnage over eight days in California, where the dance hall victims Saturday night were among two dozen people killed in three recent attacks, brought painful reminders to families of last years school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. On Tuesday, several Uvalde families and parents traveled more than three hours to their state's Capitol to renew calls for tighter gun laws, even if they have little chance of winning over the Republican-controlled Legislature.

In 2022, the United States marked its first deadly gun rampage of the year on Jan. 23  a year ago Monday. By that same date this year, six mass killings have claimed 39 lives, according to a database of mass killings maintained by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.

People are dying every day. This shouldnt be happening, said Veronica Mata, whose 10-year-old daughter Tess was among the 19 children and two students slain in Uvalde. If it takes us coming every week, then we are going to do it until we see something change.

Americans have come to endure mass shootings in churches and grocery stores, at concerts and office parks, and inside the homes of friends and neighbors. The violence is blamed on hatred toward other communities, grievances within a group, secrets within families and bitterness among colleagues. But it often ends when a man with a grudge grabs a gun.

Sometimes, its not clear whether a grudge is even part of the equation.

There was no apparent conflict between the parties. The male just walked in and started shooting, Yakima Police Chief Matt Murray said after three people were shot dead at a Circle K convenience store in Washington state early Tuesday, adding to the national grief.

Gun sales in the U.S. hit historic highs as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, the economy stalled and people took to the streets to protest police brutality and racial injustice. Nearly 23 million firearms were sold in 2020, according to industry analysts. The surge largely continued the following year, with sales spiking 75% the same month that a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol, before dipping to about 16 million this year.

Experts believe there are 393 million guns in private hands across the United States, which in 2022 was a country of 333 million people.

Some Americans say they dont feel safe anywhere. A third avoid certain places as a result, according to the American Psychological Association, whose most recent study shows that the majority of Americans feel stressed.

Yet there seems to be little appetite to address some of the potential solutions, such as teaching conflict resolution skills in schools or re-examining our societal views of masculinity, according to Alexander.

Socioemotional learning is just teaching kids how to identify their feelings, how to express themselves, how to navigate conflict  and why is there a ban on that, especially during this particular moment? she asked, referring to efforts to impose state and local bans on school curriculums.

These kids are going to turn into adults," Alexander said. "If they dont know how to handle conflict, were going to see unfortunate events like this happen.

The bloodshed began Jan. 4, when a Utah man, investigated but never charged over a 2020 child abuse complaint, shot and killed his wife, her mother and their five children before killing himself.

The database shows 2,793 people have lost their lives in mass killings  those that involve four or more victims, excluding the killer  since 2006. The recent wave of violence follows a spike in 2022, when the U.S. recorded 42 mass killings, the second highest tally in that time span.

Even gun violence that takes fewer lives, or none at all, can shock the conscience.

That was the case in Virginia this month when the 6-year-old shot and wounded his teacher in front of his classmates. Virginia Beach Mayor Phillip Jones said he could barely wrap his head around it. And two teenage students were killed Monday in a school shooting in Iowa.

In the Saturday night shooting in Monterey Park, 11 people died and nine others were injured when a 72-year-old man opened fire at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio just hours after tens of thousands of revelers filled the streets nearby for Lunar New Year festivities. The gunman killed himself as police approached his van the next day.

Before people across the state could process that horror, seven farmworkers were shot and killed near San Francisco, in the picturesque coastal community of Half Moon Bay. A 66-year-old co-worker is in custody.
Emergency responders in the Houston area say they are responding to reports of damage and stranded motorists after a possible tornado moved through the area Tuesday.

Structural damage from a tornado in Pasadena, about 15 miles southeast of Houston, is "catastrophic," according to the local police chief.

"In my 25 years here, this is probably the worst damage I've seen," Chief Josh Bruegger told reporters outside a damaged animal shelter in the city, where two dogs were injured.

Only one person had been reported injured so far in the city, Mayor Jeff Wagner said, but "we've seen plenty of damage. We've seen buildings that have collapsed."

The police chief said cleanup will require extensive work. "For the coming days, we're going to have our hands full," he said.

The Harris County Sheriff's Department was "responding to a high number of stranded motorists," Tuesday afternoon, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted. The department had prepared its high-water rescue vehicles ahead of the storm, he said.

There were reports of "several commercial trucks overturned" near Beltway 8, the beltway around the city of Houston, the Pasadena Police Department tweeted, and some power lines were reported to be down.

"Our officers and Fire Department are working towards assisting those people with who were immediately affected," the department tweeted.

More than 113,000 electric customers were without power in Texas Tuesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.

A tornado emergency was declared earlier Tuesday for the southeastern metro area of Houston where "a confirmed large and destructive tornado was observed over northwestern Pasadena, moving northeast at 60 mph," according to the National Weather Service in Houston.

Other locations in the path of this tornado included Deer Park, Baytown, Highlands and Channelview, according to the weather service.

The-CNN-Wire
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP)  Concerned staff warned administrators at a Virginia elementary school three times that a 6-year-old boy had a gun and was threatening other students in the hours before he shot and wounded a teacher, but the administration "was paralyzed by apathy" and didn't call police, remove the boy from class or lock down the school, the wounded teacher's lawyer said Wednesday.

Diane Toscano, an attorney for Abigail Zwerner, said during a news conference that she has notified the school board in Newport News that the 25-year-old teacher at Richneck Elementary School plans to sue the school district over the Jan. 6 shooting, which left Zwerner with serious injuries.

"On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different times  three times  school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people. But the administration could not be bothered," Toscano said.

She said that Zwerner first went to an administrator at around 11:15 a.m. on the day of the shooting and said the boy had threatened to beat up another child, but no action was taken.

About an hour later, another teacher went to an administrator and said she had taken it upon herself to search the boy's bookbag, but warned that she thought the boy had put the gun in his pocket before going outside for recess, Toscano said.

"The administrator downplayed the report from the teacher and the possibility of a gun, saying  and I quote  'Well, he has little pockets,' " Toscano said.

Shortly after 1 p.m., another teacher told an administrator that a different student who was "crying and fearful" said the boy showed him the gun during recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone. Again, no action was taken, she said.

When another employee who had heard the boy might have a gun asked an administrator to search the boy, he was turned down, Toscano said.

"He was told to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over," she said.

About an hour later, "Abby Zwerner was shot in front of those horrified kids, and the school and community are living the nightmare, all because the school administration failed to act," Toscano said.

"Were they not so paralyzed by apathy, they could have prevented this tragedy," she said.

School district spokesperson Michelle Price and School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law did not immediately return calls seeking comment on Toscano's allegations.

The shooting raised questions over security at the school and stunned Newport News, a city of about 185,000 people roughly 70 miles (113 kilometers) southeast of Richmond.

Superintendent George Parker III, who has been sharply criticized by parents and teachers in the wake of the shooting, has said that at least one administrator was told on the day of the shooting that the boy might have a weapon, but no weapon was found when his backpack was searched. Police have said that school officials did not tell them about that tip before the shooting, which happened hours later.

Police Chief Steve Drew has repeatedly characterized the shooting as "intentional," saying the boy aimed at Zwerner and fired one round, striking her in the hand and chest. Zwerner was hospitalized for nearly two weeks but is now recovering at home, Toscano said.

"The road to full recovery will be long ... and the psychological scars will be lasting," Toscano said.

The boy's mother legally purchased the gun used in the shooting, police said. The boy's family said in a statement last week that the gun was "secured." The family's attorney, James Ellenson, told The Associated Press that his understanding was that the gun was in the woman's closet on a shelf well over 6 feet (1.8 meters) high and had a trigger lock that required a key.

The family also said in its statement that the boy has an "acute disability" and was under a care plan "that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day." The week of the shooting was the first when a parent was not in class with him, the family said.

The Newport News School Board will hold a special meeting Wednesday evening to vote on a separation agreement and severance package for Parker, according to a posted agenda. The board is also scheduled to vote on a new interim superintendent.
PHOENIX  Lawmakers took the first steps Wednesday to honoring assassinated reporter Don Bolles in the same way Arizona honors various veterans, pioneer women, the Ten Commandments and Jesuit missionary Father Kino.

Without dissent the House Government Committee authorized placement of a memorial to the Arizona Republic investigative reporter in Wesley Bolin Plaza. That area, just across the street from legislative buildings, already is home to more than two dozen plaques, statues and other memorabilia including large guns from the USS Arizona and USS Missouri.

House Bill 2171 to authorize the Bolles memorial needs approval by the full House before going to the Senate.

But even if it survives the full legislative process, that doesnt guarantee anything will be erected.

The measure and its Senate companion, Senate Bill 1039, simply authorize placement of a memorial. It would be up to private sources to raise the funds for the design and construction.

There are some memorials already to Bolles, who died 11 days after a car bomb exploded after he went to the Clarendon Hotel in Phoenix in 1976 to meet with a source, later identified as John Harvey Adamson, who never showed up. Those include one at the hotel, which the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists got designated in 2019 as a Historic Site in Journalism.

Whats left of Bolles 1976 Datsun 710 was on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. until it closed.

Arizonas front yard

But for a man like Don Bolles, I think more is needed than commemorating a place where he experienced the worst day of his life, said Tim Eigo, editor of Arizona Attorney Magazine. He said placement of a memorial in Wesley Bolin Plaza is appropriate, calling it Arizonas front yard where we display our most honored and cherished aspects.

Its where people from all walks of life, all places and ages pause to read, think, smile and sometimes even weep at the sacrifices their fellows have offered on behalf of others, Eigo told lawmakers. And so recognition there is properly reserved for the most deserving which, I believe, makes Don a worthy candidate.

Bolles assassination, unusual in a country like the United States, provoked an immediate and unique response within the journalism community. Nearly 40 reporters from newspapers around the country, sponsored by Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc., launched an extensive probe that resulted in a series of stories about organized crime in Arizona.

The series was printed in the Arizona Daily Star and many newspapers around the country, though not by The Arizona Republic where Bolles had worked.

Eigo acknowledged that the request comes at a time when the work of journalists has come under scrutiny and criticism from those who disagree with their reporting and claim they are biased. But he told lawmakers none of that should undermine efforts to recognize Bolles for his work.

When I think back on journalisms history and Arizonas history, Ill say this: Whatever you may think of news today, no one could ever accuse Don Bolles of fake news or misrepresentation, Eigo said. He was a stand-up guy.

Adamson, seeking to avoid the death penalty, agreed to testify against Max Dunlap, saying he had ordered Bolles to be killed, with police saying that was because of a story the reporter had written about his friend, liquor magnate Kemper Marley.

Dunlap eventually was sentenced to life behind bars after a first conviction was overturned. He died in prison after a clemency plea was rejected.

Adamson and James Robison, who was accused of planting and detonating the bomb, also have since died.

Plaza controversies

Memorials at Wesley Bolin Plaza have not been without their controversy.

In 2011, the Senate voted to tear down part of a memorial to the victims of the 2001 terrorist attack at the World Trade Center after some lawmakers said they were upset by some of the phrases carved into the ring. Sen. Al Melvin, R-Tucson, said the memorial should have only patriotic, pro-American words and not phrases that represented attitudes at the time, like fear of foreigners.

And in 2020, a monument to Confederate troops was removed from the park at the request of the United Daughters of the Confederacy following controversy about whether it was appropriate in a public place.
Rachakonda police commissioner D S Chauhan holds a press meet on Tuesday. (DC)

Hyderabad: The Rachakonda police arrested seven persons who were running a fake educational certificate scam on Tuesday. The gang admitted to having sold over 100 fake certificates to job aspirants and those seeking to go to foreign countries for higher studies, police said.

The LB Nagar zonal team, special operations team and Chaitanyapuri police arrested the gang from Lakshmi Nagar Colony in a joint operation.

According to the police, Akula Ravi Avinash alias Ajay supplied certificates of various universities at 3.5 lakh apiece. He joined hands with prime accused Chintakayala Venkateshwarulu, who has worked as a correspondent at a degree college and a junior college, to sell the certificates to drop-outs, Rachakonda police commissioner D.S. Chauhan said in a press conference.

The police said that Ajay had a website wherein those seeking certificates could fill in their details for procuring the same.

A third accused was identified as Peddukotla Abhilash Kumar, a BTech drop-out who joined a BSc computer course at a college in Kothapet. Despite having 15 backlogs, he wanted to go abroad through placements. He came in contact with Venkateshwarulu, who sold him a fake BTech degree from a renowned university for 3.5 lakh.

Two other accused were identified as Jothi Reddy and Naveen, who acted as agents and canvassed drop-outs to sell them certificates.

The police said that Ajay is a repeat offender and he was arrested thrice in similar cases by the Warangal police.

Info box

What was seized:

86 fake degree certificates

71 fake Intermediate certificates

4 SSC memos

10 fake rubber stamps

37 memorandum of marks

Multiple transcripts, provisional certificates, consolidated mark memos and empty bonafide, transfer and migration certificates with stamp and signature

"Please do not believe fake educational consultancies, mediators or agents of other state universities who make false promises of providing education certificates through backdoor means. If anyone is involved in illegal activities, they may have to face legal consequences"  D.S. Chauhan, Rachakonda police commissioner
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

By Juliet McKenna

Special to the Arizona Daily Star (Jan. 25, 2023)

Juliet McKenna is a hydrogeologist and water planning consultant in Tucson and a member of the City of Tucsons Citizen Water Advisory Committee.

My neighbor recently moved to Tucson from the East Coast and has had a lot to learn about rattlesnakes, cacti, the monsoon, and other things that make southern Arizona unique. Increasingly, this learning curve also includes water security.

Last week, after the Rio Verde development in the Phoenix area made national news because Scottsdale cut off its water supply, he asked me if this could happen to us. His concern was that even though we had just gotten nearly two inches of rain in early January, he didnt think it was going to be enough to fill our aquifers and that we could end up like Rio Verde.

Hes certainly correct about rainwater  for many decades now, local precipitation has not been sufficient to meet our water demands. And like Rio Verde, our neighborhood is on the margin of the Tucson basin and there is very little, if any, groundwater beneath our homes.

But there is a key difference between the residents of Tucson and Rio Verde: in Tucson, we are served by a water utility so as customers of Tucson Water, our water supply situation is much more secure.

State law requires utilities like Tucson Water to prove its water supply is physically available for 100 years and to replenish the groundwater pumped every year. As a result, Tucson Water has invested in a robust water portfolio and resilient infrastructure. The utility maintains hundreds of wells across the Tucson Basin and also has a contract for Colorado River water. Delivered through the 336-mile Central Arizona Project (CAP) aqueduct, our Colorado River water is recharged and stored in an underground aquifer in Avra Valley west of the Tucson Mountains. The utility pumps the water out and delivers it on demand across the basin to its customers.

However, there are challenges ahead. Groundwater levels are declining in some areas of the basin because there are loopholes that allow pumping without replenishment, including private wells, agriculture, and mining. Rio Verde was developed by one such loophole  a wildcat subdivision without a water utility and no long-term water supply. Unfortunately, this type of development can still legally occur outside the boundaries of a water utility service area, leading to regional groundwater level declines.

And even within our service area, our Colorado River supplies are also strained, which is a renewable water supply that has allowed Tucson to grow. Last year, in response to crisis conditions in the Colorado River basin, Tucson Water voluntarily took less CAP water while delivering the same amount to customers. In the future, with more severe Colorado River shortages, deeper mandatory cuts in CAP water deliveries are likely. Fortunately, for the past several years, Tucson Water has annually purchased and recharged more CAP water than it delivers to customers, resulting in a net increase in our balance sheet equal to several years of water deliveries.

Our quality of life and survival requires continued vigilance not only by the water utility, which has been planning for the future, but by all who live here. We need to optimize the use of our local water resources  including rainwater, stormwater runoff, and reclaimed water  and hold others accountable for cleaning up groundwater that has been contaminated. We need to maximize the amount of Colorado River water that we store locally in our basin while CAP water is available. We need to protect our limited supplies through aggressive water conservation by all water users. And we need to close the loopholes that are allowing our aquifers to be drained.

Decades of careful planning and investments in infrastructure and water supplies at Tucson Water have not only allowed Tucson to prosper, but also laid a solid foundation for our future. We are on the right track  it will be up to all of us to make sure we stay on it.
Half a dozen years ago, tattoo artist Jamy Magee was fed up with seeing so much vitriol on social media.

But instead of getting on Facebook, instead of getting on Instagram and Twitter and sharing my worthless opinion with everyone else, he thought, what can I do to actually make the world a better place?

And thats where this came from.

This is the Stop the Hate in the 918 event, when tattoo artists from across Oklahoma will spend a day covering over gang-, hate- and race-related tattoos for free.

Magee said the first event was so popular and hectic that a line snaking down the street formed early and never seemed to end. He worked until 4 a.m. before he finished, exhausted and swearing hed never do such a thing again.

It was horrible, he said. I mean, it was great for them, but for me, this is the dumbest thing Ive ever done in my life.

Not too long afterward, Magee went to the Tulsa State Fair and was in line to buy some corn on the cob when a woman tackled him. She was just bawling, he said.

She told me how I had changed her husbands life. The kids dont see him as the monster that he used to be, and he got a raise at his job, and all of this other stuff.

It was at that moment that it dawned on me, This isnt something that we can quit. Weve got to keep going, Magee said. If I can give one day and make that kind of impact on just one persons life, then how can you quit that?

Apparently, you cant. At least, Magee cant.

Now in its sixth year, Stop the Hate in the 918 is slated for noon-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21. This will be the first year for the event to be held at the Case Community Center, 1050 W. Wekiwa Road.

Magee, who owns the Parlour Hair & Ink at 100 N. Garfield Ave. in Sand Springs, wont be working alone, though. This year, hell be joined by more tattoo artists than ever before, including Dustin Clark from the Parlour as well as Jennifer Tootie Woods, Scott Wilson, Dennis Tucker and Josh Deeds.

Were really super stoked because weve got, quite frankly, some of the best tattoo artists in Oklahoma coming to help us, Magee said. Im really pumped about that.

Hes also a little bit surprised, because these artists not only will be working for free for the day; theyre also losing a days business on their own.

Were just a small shop, so we decided to reach out to our friends for some help, he said. Theres a lot more need than what I realized was out there for this type of event. So were happy to be able to provide that.

As busy as that first year was, the event has grown nearly every year, Magee said.

We see a lot of different reasons why people come, but theres generally just a couple of main ones, he said. A lot of these people have either been in prison or been in a gang,  and now theyre not in prison or a gang, and theyre just not about that life anymore. They need a change.

A lot of these people,  they have that past life. They went to prison; they got whatever they got, and then they got out, he said. And they got a job. They corrected their life. They got married. They have kids, and now the wife is not super happy about the kids seeing a portrait of Hitler (or) a swastika.

And righting that wrong can be really expensive, Magee said, adding that some of the work he and his fellow artists will do at the Stop the Hate event would cost multiple hundreds of dollars in a for-pay setting.

Among the tattoos seen at the event, swastikas have been common since the beginning, but Confederate flags are a newer target, he said.

Literally not that long ago, nobody cared about that, Magee said. It wasnt a talking point. But now that its become that, now people are wanting them covered.

So as times change, the needs change, as well.

Magee said another group of people who tend to show up at the event are those who cant get jobs because their ink has been linked to criminal elements.

For example, he said, the hatchetman is a popular but often-banned tattoo.

Fans of the hardcore hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse  known as the Juggalos  often wear the mascot of the band and the groups record label, Psychopathic Records, as clothing, jewelry or tattoos.

But Juggalo gangs also sport the imagery, and as a result, Juggalos have been classified as a criminal street gang by the FBI, the National Gang Intelligence Center and several states, reports show.

Whether a tattoo is historically associated with hate or perhaps newly linked to criminal enterprise, if a person wants it gone, Magee wants to help.

Ultimately thats who were trying to help is those folks who have things that are either seen as racist now that maybe werent 10 years ago or maybe they are 100% racist and they were just doing it in a time where they needed to survive  prison and such, he said.

As for the event itself, Magee no longer calls it the dumbest thing hes ever done.

Its gotten much better. Weve made some adjustments, so it runs much smoother now, he said.

That includes knowing what tattoos to expect.

Youre going to get a bunch of hatchetmen; youre going to get a bunch of swastikas, and youre going to get a bunch of Confederate flags, he said. Beyond a shadow of a doubt youre going to see those things.

He also knows hell end the day poorer than he started it.

Were not making a plug nickel, he said. As a matter of fact, were probably going into the hole pretty heavy on it. But thats OK. Its one day a year.

There is, however, one kind of hate Magee wont cover up for free.

Just because you hate your ex-wife doesnt make that a hate tattoo, he said.

Featured video: Can tattoos benefit mental health?
The Bengaluru police have arrested two persons in connection with stealing watches worth Rs 57 lakhs. (Photo by arrangement)

BENGALURU: The Bengaluru police have arrested two persons in connection with stealing watches worth Rs 57 lakhs. The police personnel have recovered the 1,282 smart watches stolen on January 15 near Subhash Park under Rajarajeshwari police station limits. The accused Syed and Zameer Ahmed, residents of Bapuji Nagar in Bengaluru have been arrested with a stolen smart watches case, police said.

Syed and Zameer Ahmed were travelling in a vehicle which collided with the goods truck in which smart watches were being transported to the warehouse.

After the minor collision, the duo followed the truck and istopped the vehicle near Subhash Park. The accused assaulted the persons accompanying the truck decampigng the boxes of smart watches. The stolen smart watches were dumped in a godown before police recovered them. Rajarajeshwari Nagar police have registered a case.
Robert Rodriguez believes one of the keys to being successful in the restaurant business is the willingness to listen.

"We are always talking with our customers about our food," said Rodriguez, whose family owns and operates Mi Pueblo Mexican restaurants, the third of which recently opened at 1941 S. Yale Ave., taking over the building most recently occupied by Billy Sims Burgers.

"We want to know what they like, and things that they don't like so much," Rodriguez said. "It's always been our desire to give our customers what they want, instead of giving what we think they want. You really can't be successful if you close your mind to doing things only your way."

The Rodriguez family opened its first Mi Pueblo restaurant in Ponca City about 16 years ago.

"It did all right," Rodriguez said. "Then we opened another restaurant in Sand Springs, and it was so successful, we closed the Ponca City location."

The family later opened a location in Oklahoma City, but it had been thinking about having a Tulsa restaurant for a while.

"I knew of this location when it was a Taco Cabana, and every time I came by here, it looked very busy," Rodriguez said. "I saw that it had been empty for a while, so I got in touch with the owners to tell them I was interested in the location, that my family had a lot of experience in the business.

"This was right before the burger place opened, and the owners said they already had a client for the space," he said. "When it became available again, we got in touch with the owners first thing to let them know we were still interested."

The building has undergone a good deal of renovations and redecorating. The drive-through window is no more, the exterior has been painted yellow with orange accents, and the interior features a full bar as one enters.

In addition, the dining area is filled with tables and booths that have been custom-made for the restaurant. Brightly colored folk art-style paintings are under heavy layers of clear lacquer on the tables, while the chair backs have carved Mexican vignettes that are equally colorful. The booths are adorned with carvings and the restaurant's name.

"We have these at all our restaurants, and they are custom-made for us at a factory in Mexico," Rodriguez said, who is the general manager for the Tulsa location. "It usually takes about three months to make them."

Mi Pueblo's menu is the same as that found at the other locations and features a wide range of dishes that Rodriguez described as popular Tex-Mex offerings, as well as "real, authentic Mexican dishes."

Among the authentic dishes are the quesabirria tacos, slow-cooked beef folded with cheese into corn tortillas and grilled on the flat-top ($11.99); the burrito picoso ($11.99), filled with chuck roast and whole beans cooked in a jalapeno gravy; and the Juanito's Special, a thin sirloin steak that is grilled and rolled around crispy pieces of bacon and cheese, then topped with Mi Pueblo's red sauce and cheese sauce.

We were able to sample Juanito's Special during the photo shoot for this article. The steak was cooked through yet still tender, and well-seasoned, and the blend of the earthy red and the creamy cheese sauce worked well.

We also sampled another dish with the word "special" in its name: the Special Dinner ($13.99), which included a full array of Tex-Mex items: beef taco, chalupa, chile relleno, tamale and shredded beef enchilada. It came with sides of refried beans and rice.

Perhaps the most special thing about this dish was that it took two plates to contain it. At first I thought both plates included servings of beans, but that was the chalupa, a flat, crisp corn tortilla evenly spread with refried beans. I was not certain if the chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, crumbly cheese and scoop of guacamole were considered toppings for the chalupa, or a sort of side salad. Regardless, it was not something one could easily negotiate without implements.

The relleno was a large, skinned poblano pepper in a thick, doughy breading, stuffed with white cheese that melted into a sauce-like consistency. The tamale seemed to be encased with a similar coating  the taste was more bread-like than might be expected. The enchilada's filling was mildly seasoned; we requested the red sauce rather than cheese sauce, and that gave it a little more complexity.

The taco was well-stuffed with shredded white cheese and ground beef, although the beef was not hot enough to melt the cheese, which was a little surprising.

At another visit, we tried the Degollado Garlic Shrimp ($13.99), which included more than a dozen medium shrimp cooked in a garlic butter sauce. It came with rice, which was greatly improved by the additonal garlic butter, and pico de gallo-lettuce-guacamole combination, as well as three hot flour tortillas. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, the garlic just pungent enough to provide a burst of flavor.

Warm, unsalted tortilla chips and carafes of salsa with visible chunks of onion and cilantro are complimentary.

Rodriguez said he is pleased to see that the Tulsa restaurant seems to be drawing Hispanic and Anglo customers in equal numbers.

"To me, that says we are doing what we want to do, which is have items that appeal to everyone," he said.

Although he has noticed one unusual regional variation.

"Our customers in Tulsa seem to really like our white queso," he said. "I don't really know why, but in Oklahoma City, they want their queso to be yellow. So that's what we serve in Oklahoma City."
TUESDAY, Jan. 24, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concludes that the current evidence is insufficient for assessing the benefits and harms of lipid disorder screening in a pediatric population. These findings form the basis of a draft recommendation statement published by the USPSTF on Jan. 24.

Janelle M. Guirguis-Blake, M.D., from the Kaiser Permanente Evidence-based Practice Center in Portland, Oregon, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the effectiveness and harms of screening and treatment of pediatric dyslipidemia due to familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and multifactorial dyslipidemia. Data were included from 26 studies (437,000 participants) of FH; nine (143,265 participants) of multifactorial dyslipidemia; and nine (10,624 participants) of FH or multifactorial dyslipidemia. The researchers found no direct evidence from population-based screening trials addressing the benefits and harms of screening for FH or multifactorial dyslipidemia. The strongest evidence on treatment benefit was seen for statins in FH children and adolescents, which was mainly based on small, short-term studies. Most of the evidence on statin harms came from small, short-term studies and limited longer-term evidence.
A former Claremore business executive and former member of the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents has been charged with tax evasion in Tulsa federal court.

The U.S. Attorneys Office in Tulsa filed the single count of tax evasion against Phillip Barry Albert on Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Albert, 63, of Tulsa was summoned to appear in court Thursday for his initial appearance on the charge, records show.

Prosecutors allege that Albert, the former president of Pelco Structural LLC in Claremore, willfully attempted to evade and defeat income tax due and owing by him to the United States for calendar year 2016 by preparing and causing to be prepared, and signing and causing to be signed, a false and fraudulent U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040, which was submitted to the IRS.

An attorney representing Albert emailed the following statement when asked to comment on the charge:

Phil has been a leader in Oklahoma civic and philanthropic causes for many years, said attorney Paul DeMuro. He looks forward to working with the government to resolve this case as expeditiously as possible.

Albert opened the steel pole manufacturing business in 2005 with Phil Parduhn, whose family owns Pelco Products Inc. in Edmond.

Albert is the second former Pelco Structural employee to face criminal charges in federal court in less than six months.

Prosecutors charged former Pelco Structural controller Donald E. Eagleton Jr. Aug. 9 with one count of misprision of a felony when he failed to notify law enforcement about an alleged scheme by Albert to receive unauthorized payments from the company.

Eagleton pleaded guilty to the charge on Sept. 14. He faces a statutory maximum three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain/loss caused by his acts.

Both Eagleton and Albert left Pelco Structural in April 2019, according to Tulsa World archives and court records.

Albert filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Pelco Structural in Rogers County District Court in November 2019, court records indicate.

Pelco responded to the lawsuit in part by claiming that Albert embezzled at least $7.4 million from the company over a period of years.

Albert indicated in an October 2021 court filing, the last activity on the docket in the case, that he was representing himself in the civil lawsuit.

Eagleton, in his plea agreement with prosecutors, claimed that Albert directed him between 2016 and 2019 to mail 29 checks totaling $1,543,000 from a Pelco Structural bank account to Alberts personal checking account.

Eagleton claimed that Albert never supplied receipts or documentation to support the payments. Rather, Eagleton said in his plea agreement that Albert would instead write on a scrap piece of paper whatever amount he wanted me to submit as a special reimbursement for him.

Albert is not facing any criminal charges beyond the tax evasion count at this time.

In addition to working at Pelco Structural, Albert was also a member of the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents from 2016 to January 2022, when he resigned.

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State Superintendent Ryan Walters informed the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education this week of a new review of its 10-year spending history on and current materials used for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs.

In a letter sent Monday, Walters gave Chancellor Allison Garrett a deadline of Feb. 1 to respond.

Please provide a full outline and review of every dollar that has been spent over the last 10 years on diversity, equity, inclusion. Additionally, I want an overview of your staffing and the colleges underneath your oversight as the Chancellor of Oklahoma Higher Regents within every DEI program  and expenditures, Walters wrote on letterhead of the Office of the Secretary of Education. Lastly, please provide a copy of the materials that are being used in any of these programs.

The label diversity, equity and inclusion describes programs and policies that encourage representation and participation of people of different genders, races, ethnicities, abilities and disabilities, religions, cultures, ages and sexual orientation, as well as diverse backgrounds, experience, skills and expertise.

The Tulsa World obtained a copy of Mondays letter, which was undated, and confirmed its authenticity and date sent with a Walters spokesman.

The purpose of the letter is to provide transparency in budgeting and to have a better understanding of where dollars are being spent and to determine if thats the right direction for higher ed, said Matt Langston, the spokesman. Secretary Walters has requested additional information on diversity, equity, inclusion programs to fully understand the extent of indoctrination happening in higher education.

Walters was appointed to the education secretary position in Gov. Kevin Stitts Cabinet in 2020 and then was elected state superintendent in November. His signature on the letter lists both titles.

Throughout his campaign and in social media posts that have continued since he was sworn in this month, Walters has said his top governance priority is ridding public education of liberal indoctrination, and he has specifically criticized DEI training for employees.

In October, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education voted to request $986 million in state funding for fiscal year 2024, which reflects an increase of $105.1 million, 11.9% over the fiscal year 2023 adjusted appropriation of $880.9 million.

Chancellor Garrett presented the request in a legislative hearing at the state Capitol on Tuesday.

Garrett is CEO of a state system comprising 25 state colleges and universities, 11 constituent agencies, one university center, and independent colleges and universities coordinated with the state system. She reports to a constitutional board whose nine members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

On Thursday, Walters is expected to present to a newly reconstituted Oklahoma State Board of Education a spending plan for prekindergarten through 12th grade public schools that is different from the $3.6 billion request approved under former State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. Once approved, he will be expected to present that request to the Oklahoma Legislature, as well.

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Staff Writer Andrea Egers most memorable stories of 2022 Stitt rescinds parole for Tulsa's notorious 'Crossbow Killer' Saint Francis doctor recalls fallen colleague: 'He called me son, and I called him father' Epic Charter Schools co-founders, former CFO charged in elaborate scheme to defraud and embezzle from taxpayers Internal auditor at school land office ousted amid questions about Stitt appointee Tulsa couple mourning suspected murder-suicide of son, daughter-in-law and six grandchildren in BA Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now
A great nephew of a doctor killed in Tulsas 1921 Race Massacre has sued the Greenwood Rising history center, the nonprofit that raised money for the museum, and the city of Tulsa, demanding compensation for what his petition calls unjust enrichment and unauthorized use of Dr. A.C. Jacksons image and personal history.

The suit cites an Oklahoma statute that makes it a misdemeanor to use a dead persons image for advertising or solicitation without the consent of the surviving spouse, personal representatives, or that of a majority of the deceaseds adult heirs.

The suit identifies Jon Adams of Portland, Oregon, as Jacksons great nephew and says he was appointed special administrator of Jacksons estate on Jan. 9.

The lead attorney in the suit is Damario Solomon-Simmons of Tulsa, who also represents three centenarians who are suing the city and others for compensation as survivors of the massacre. Solomon-Simmons is also an attorney for the family of Terence Crutcher, whose wrongful death lawsuit against the city for Crutchers 2016 fatal shooting by a then-Tulsa police officer is pending.

Solomon-Simmons has been critical of Greenwood Rising and the Tulsa 1921 Race Riot Commission, saying some or all of the $24 million raised for the museum and an operating endowment should have gone to his clients and descendants of people affected by the massacre.

Greenwood Rising did not have an immediate response to the lawsuit. A spokeswoman for the city said it does not comment on pending litigation.

Jackson is generally considered the most prominent victim of the race massacre. A noted physician, he was gunned down in front of his home on North Detroit Avenue while trying to surrender on the morning of June 1, 1921.

Jacksons murder was described in detail by a white neighbor during court proceedings.

Adams lawsuit asserts that Greenwood Rising and the Race Massacre Centennial Commission improperly used and continue to use Jacksons image and story for economic gain.

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The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals agreed Tuesday to Attorney General Gentner Drummonds request to extend from 30 to 60 days the time between upcoming executions at the state penitentiary in McAlester.

Drummond asked the court last week to reset seven scheduled execution dates, saying one a month put too much burden on Department of Corrections employees and was unsustainable.

I am grateful for the Courts ruling, Drummond said Tuesday in a written statement. This decision will help maintain confidence in our protocol in this solemn and important process. The dedicated individuals of the Department of Corrections will continue their rigorous training and preparations for upcoming executions.

As I have stated before, this was not a request I took lightly, Drummond said. Victims families have waited many years to see that justice is done, and I am thankful for their understanding.

Oklahoma leads the nation in executions per capita since 1976 despite having suspended them from 2016 to 2021 after one lethal injection went awry and another was found to have been carried out with a wrong drug.

Under the new timetable, Oklahoma will carry out one execution about every two months through June 2024.

The new execution dates are: Richard Glossip, May 18; Jermaine Monteil Cannon, July 20; Anthony Castillo Sanchez, Sept. 21; Phillip Dean Hancock, Nov. 30; James Chandler Ryder, Feb. 1, 2024; Michael DeWayne Smith, April 4, 2024; and Wade Greely Lay, June 6, 2024.

The order granting Drummonds request was signed by all five appellate judges, with individual justices recusing themselves from cases in which they were involved.

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Thai police seized 1.1 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine in less than a week, officers said Tuesday, as the kingdom cracks down on smuggling that has surged since the country's borders reopened. The haul comes after a spike in clashes between police and smugglers in the kingdom's remote northern hinterlands, long a hub for the trade in illegal narcotics. Following a tip-off, police arrested 10 Thai nationals in a series of raids in the north and south of the kingdom. "Some of these drugs were kept for a period of time before being transported to the southernmost provinces, and they were supposed to be shipped to other countries later," said Police General Chinnapat Sarasin, Deputy National Police Chief. He said Thailand was "surrounded by drugs manufacturing hotspots", but that the COVID pandemic had prevented smugglers from moving their wares. "Now that the country has been reopened, the pent-up products are just being shipped in non-stop," he said. Police said in a statement that a transnational drugs gang was behind the illicit trade. In the first operation, officers found 731 kilograms (1,600 pounds) of crystal meth, also known by the street name "ice", in two raids in the southern Thai provinces of Phatthalung and Surat Thani. Following a tip-off, officers arrested three men Thursday after they discovered 688 kilograms of crystal meth in three pick-up trucks, which they believe was smuggled into Thailand's northeast before being transported south. Police later arrested four more people after finding 43 kilograms of the drug, which was being sold via the popular Thai messaging app LINE. On Sunday, another man was arrested in northern Chiang Rai province as he prepared to transport roughly 300 kilograms of ice -- hidden in tea bags -- south to Satun. Finally, around 114 kilos were confiscated in central Nakhon Sawan and Patum Thani provinces, after the drugs were found hidden in coffee bag packages. Two men were arrested. Southeast Asia is awash with meth, and authorities netted a record billion pills across the Asian region in 2021, according to a United Nations report.

Thai police seized 1.1 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine in less than a week, officers said Tuesday, as the kingdom cracks down on smuggling that has surged since the country's borders reopened.

The haul comes after a spike in clashes between police and smugglers in the kingdom's remote northern hinterlands, long a hub for the trade in illegal narcotics.

Following a tip-off, police arrested 10 Thai nationals in a series of raids in the north and south of the kingdom.

"Some of these drugs were kept for a period of time before being transported to the southernmost provinces, and they were supposed to be shipped to other countries later," said Police General Chinnapat Sarasin, Deputy National Police Chief.

He said Thailand was "surrounded by drugs manufacturing hotspots", but that the COVID pandemic had prevented smugglers from moving their wares.

"Now that the country has been reopened, the pent-up products are just being shipped in non-stop," he said.

Police said in a statement that a transnational drugs gang was behind the illicit trade.

In the first operation, officers found 731 kilograms (1,600 pounds) of crystal meth, also known by the street name "ice", in two raids in the southern Thai provinces of Phatthalung and Surat Thani.

Following a tip-off, officers arrested three men Thursday after they discovered 688 kilograms of crystal meth in three pick-up trucks, which they believe was smuggled into Thailand's northeast before being transported south.

Police later arrested four more people after finding 43 kilograms of the drug, which was being sold via the popular Thai messaging app LINE.

On Sunday, another man was arrested in northern Chiang Rai province as he prepared to transport roughly 300 kilograms of ice -- hidden in tea bags -- south to Satun.

Finally, around 114 kilos were confiscated in central Nakhon Sawan and Patum Thani provinces, after the drugs were found hidden in coffee bag packages. Two men were arrested.

Southeast Asia is awash with meth, and authorities netted a record billion pills across the Asian region in 2021, according to a United Nations report.
Police in Hanoi have arrested a man shortly after he stole nine cellphones from visitors at two local religious facilities on Monday, the second day of the 2023 Lunar New Year. The thief, 30-year-old Chu Van Dung, was detained at 4:00 pm on Monday afternoon, for an investigation into the offense of theft, police in Hanois Tay Ho District said on Tuesday. The arrest was made only about two hours after a woman reported to Tay Ho police that she had an iPhone 14 Pro Max, valued at about VND37 million (US$1,570), stolen during her visit to Tran Quoc Pagoda in Tay Ho on Monday. After launching a probe, police officers detected Dung as a suspect when he was traveling on a motorbike on a street in the district. They pulled him over for a check and found nine smartphones, including the one reported by the woman, in a handbag hidden in the trunk of his bike. Dung confessed that he had stolen them from visitors to the pagoda and Tay Ho Temple, a place of worship dedicated to the Mother Goddess Lieu Hanh, also located in the district. He elaborated that during his visit to Tran Quoc Pagoda, he saw many visitors leave their phones in easy-to-access spots in their handbags, backpacks, and overcoats. He pickpocketed them given the crowding at the pagoda. After Dungs arrest, the district police have received three more reports about the loss of three more cellphones, including two at Tran Quoc Pagoda and Tay Ho Temple. Police officers called for people who lost their phones at the two religious facilities to soon report their cases. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Police in Hanoi have arrested a man shortly after he stole nine cellphones from visitors at two local religious facilities on Monday, the second day of the 2023 Lunar New Year.

The thief, 30-year-old Chu Van Dung, was detained at 4:00 pm on Monday afternoon, for an investigation into the offense of theft, police in Hanois Tay Ho District said on Tuesday.

The arrest was made only about two hours after a woman reported to Tay Ho police that she had an iPhone 14 Pro Max, valued at about VND37 million (US$1,570), stolen during her visit to Tran Quoc Pagoda in Tay Ho on Monday.

After launching a probe, police officers detected Dung as a suspect when he was traveling on a motorbike on a street in the district.

They pulled him over for a check and found nine smartphones, including the one reported by the woman, in a handbag hidden in the trunk of his bike.

Dung confessed that he had stolen them from visitors to the pagoda and Tay Ho Temple, a place of worship dedicated to the Mother Goddess Lieu Hanh, also located in the district.

He elaborated that during his visit to Tran Quoc Pagoda, he saw many visitors leave their phones in easy-to-access spots in their handbags, backpacks, and overcoats.

He pickpocketed them given the crowding at the pagoda.

After Dungs arrest, the district police have received three more reports about the loss of three more cellphones, including two at Tran Quoc Pagoda and Tay Ho Temple.

Police officers called for people who lost their phones at the two religious facilities to soon report their cases.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Police in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam have detained a well-known Vietnamese TikToker, nicknamed Tuan Saker, who is also the administrator of Facebook page Beatvn, for carrying drugs. Tuan Saker, with his real name being Truong Ngoc Anh Tuan, 38, was detained at a hotel in Sa Pa Town, a famous tourist destination in Lao Cai, on Tuesday for an investigation into the crime of illegal possession of narcotics, local police reported. The detention was made after a police team conducted an inspection at the Paos Hotel, as part of its security patrols during the week-long Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, which began last Friday. The team suddenly detected drugs in room 704 of the hotel, where Tuan Saker was staying during his tour of the town. The team seized 29.93 grams of narcotic substances, including 3,4-methylenedioxy-methylamphetamine (MDMA), ketamine, marijuana, and some suspected synthetic drugs. After being escorted to the Sa Pa polices office, Tuan Saker, a resident of Hanois Cau Giay District, confessed he had brought the drugs from Hanoi for use during his tour of Sa Pa. Tuan Saker has been well known on the social network TikTok, which has attracted more than 28,000 followers. The TikToker has also been famous as the administrator of the Facebook page Beatvn with more than three million fans. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Police in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam have detained a well-known Vietnamese TikToker, nicknamed Tuan Saker, who is also the administrator of Facebook page Beatvn, for carrying drugs.

Tuan Saker, with his real name being Truong Ngoc Anh Tuan, 38, was detained at a hotel in Sa Pa Town, a famous tourist destination in Lao Cai, on Tuesday for an investigation into the crime of illegal possession of narcotics, local police reported.

The detention was made after a police team conducted an inspection at the Paos Hotel, as part of its security patrols during the week-long Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, which began last Friday.

The team suddenly detected drugs in room 704 of the hotel, where Tuan Saker was staying during his tour of the town.

The team seized 29.93 grams of narcotic substances, including 3,4-methylenedioxy-methylamphetamine (MDMA), ketamine, marijuana, and some suspected synthetic drugs.

After being escorted to the Sa Pa polices office, Tuan Saker, a resident of Hanois Cau Giay District, confessed he had brought the drugs from Hanoi for use during his tour of Sa Pa.

Tuan Saker has been well known on the social network TikTok, which has attracted more than 28,000 followers.

The TikToker has also been famous as the administrator of the Facebook page Beatvn with more than three million fans.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
File photo of President Droupadi Murmu, (Photo: PTI)

NEW DELHI: As the Election Commission aims to ensure 75 per cent voter turnout in future elections, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday urged people to consider voting as their contribution to nation building.

She said people must vote with the spirit of "nation paramount".

Addressing AN event to mark the 13th National Voters' Day, she said it is a great achievement of India's election process and democracy that the active participation of women in the democratic process is continuously increasing.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the number of women voters was slightly higher than that of men.

She noted that for the first time in the history of Indian Parliament, the total number of women MPs in both the Houses together have reached the 115 mark.

From gram panchayats to Parliament, women are contributing significantly. Their participation and numbers should increase further, she said.

The president said that social revolution has been possible in the country during the past seven decades through the election process. It is a great success of our democracy that the common voter living in remote areas feels that he or she has a major role in deciding who would and how they would govern the country or the state.

She handed over the Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) to five youths who recently became voters.

During the event, President Murmu presented the national awards for the year 2022.

National awards for the best electoral practices will be presented to state and district level officers for their outstanding performance in the conduct of elections during 2022 in different spheres such as IT initiatives, security management, election management, accessible election, electoral roll and contribution in the field of voter awareness and outreach.

National awards will also be given to important stakeholders like government departments, and media organisations for their valuable contribution towards voters' awareness.

A first copy of the ECI publication, "Electing the First Citizen- An Illustrated Chronicle of India's Presidential Elections", will be presented to the president by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

The book, a first-of-its-kind publication, gives glimpses into the historic journey of presidential elections in the country. It throws light on the nuances of the presidential electoral system and associated constitutional provisions through the timelines of the past 16 presidential elections.

A song -- Main Bharat Hoon- Hum Bharat Ke Matdata Hain -- produced by the Election Commission in association with Subhash Ghai Foundation, will also be screened.

The song brings forth the power of vote and celebrates the spirit of inclusive, accessible, ethical, participative and festive elections in the largest and most vibrant democracy of the world.

Since 2011, National Voters' Day has been celebrated on January 25 every year to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission in 1950, a day before India became a republic.
Vietnams south-central Khanh Hoa Province, home to the popular Nha Trang beach city, welcomed about 431,800 visitors from January 21 to 24, according to the provincial Department of Tourism. Among them, 151,800 visitors, including 11,300 international and 140,500 domestic visitors, stayed at local accommodation establishments, up 231.76 percent year on year. The occupancy rate of accommodation facilities is about 77.45 percent. From January 21 to 24, an average of 35 domestic flights and 15 international flights arrived at Cam Ranh International Airports in Khanh Hoa Province. Chinese tourists arrive in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, January 23, 2022. Photo: Thuc Nghi / Tuoi Tre Aside from international tourists from South Korea, Russia, and Kazakhstan, Khanh Hoa welcomed visitors from China on charters flights operated by Vietjet Air. About 15 trains also arrived in the province on a daily basis during this period. Due to the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, about 100 accommodation establishments with over 6,000 rooms, mostly small-scale, temporarily shut down during this years Lunar New Year holiday. Tourists ride kayaks at Hoa Lan Island in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Photo: Thuc Nghi / Tuoi Tre On Tuesday, the third day of the 2023 lunar year, about 3,900 tourists, 85 percent of whom were international visitors, came to the Nha Trang tourist wharf for trips to islands within Nha Trang Bay, said Tran Van Phu, head of the tourist wharf management unit. Visitors mainly went on tours to visit Mun Islet, Tam Islet, and Coral Bay, Phu elaborated. According to Tran Minh Duc, deputy director of Long Phu Tourism JSC, tours to islands in Nha Trang could not reach the full potential due to the rainy and cold weather on the first days of the Lunar New Year. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Vietnams south-central Khanh Hoa Province, home to the popular Nha Trang beach city, welcomed about 431,800 visitors from January 21 to 24, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

Among them, 151,800 visitors, including 11,300 international and 140,500 domestic visitors, stayed at local accommodation establishments, up 231.76 percent year on year.

The occupancy rate of accommodation facilities is about 77.45 percent.

From January 21 to 24, an average of 35 domestic flights and 15 international flights arrived at Cam Ranh International Airports in Khanh Hoa Province.

Chinese tourists arrive in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, January 23, 2022. Photo: Thuc Nghi / Tuoi Tre

Aside from international tourists from South Korea, Russia, and Kazakhstan, Khanh Hoa welcomed visitors from China on charters flights operated by Vietjet Air.

About 15 trains also arrived in the province on a daily basis during this period.

Due to the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, about 100 accommodation establishments with over 6,000 rooms, mostly small-scale, temporarily shut down during this years Lunar New Year holiday.

Tourists ride kayaks at Hoa Lan Island in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Photo: Thuc Nghi / Tuoi Tre

On Tuesday, the third day of the 2023 lunar year, about 3,900 tourists, 85 percent of whom were international visitors, came to the Nha Trang tourist wharf for trips to islands within Nha Trang Bay, said Tran Van Phu, head of the tourist wharf management unit.

Visitors mainly went on tours to visit Mun Islet, Tam Islet, and Coral Bay, Phu elaborated.

According to Tran Minh Duc, deputy director of Long Phu Tourism JSC, tours to islands in Nha Trang could not reach the full potential due to the rainy and cold weather on the first days of the Lunar New Year.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Four Corners returns for 2023 on Monday as Louise Milligans story Purity: An Education in Opus Dei, takes viewers inside the suburban schools connected to the secretive Opus Dei.

Reporter Louise Milligan and the team investigate the disturbing practices of the conservative Catholic organisation and its influence in the NSW Liberal Party.

Milligan reveals in some cases the schools are not following state curriculum and are accused of persistent attempts to recruit teenagers to Opus Dei and have taught misinformation about sexual health, including discouraging girls from getting the HPV cervical cancer vaccine.

Through intimate personal testimonies, former students of the elite schools reflect on the practices they say has scarred them for life, going as far as to call the schools hell on earth.

Monday 30th January at 8.30pm on ABC.
Queensland may have nabbed the AACTA Awards.

Its understood Destination NSW is no longer a partner of the annual industry awards but the Sunshine state appears to have added it to their kitty.

All will be confirmed shortly with AACTAs President Russell Crowe and AACTA / AFI President Damian Trewhella, making a special announcement on Saturday together with the Queensland Government and Major Events Gold Coast.

Queensland also has the Screen Producers Australia Screen Forever conference in May.

TV Week Logie Awards are yet to be confirmed for 2023.
FILE PHOTO: A sign with the logo of TotalEnergies in Bouguenais

By Hadeel Al Sayegh, Maha El Dahan and Ron Bousso

DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) -Qatar is in talks to acquire a stake from French company TotalEnergies' $27 billion cluster of energy projects in Iraq, three sources told Reuters, as Baghdad hopes to stem efforts by Western energy companies to exit the country.

A major investment by a Gulf state would mark an important win for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, who took office last October following more than a year of political turmoil, and would also be considered a step towards countering Iranian influence.

QatarEnergy is looking to acquire a stake of around 30% in the project, one source said. Energy companies rarely own 100% of projects and prefer partnerships to reduce risk.

After a flurry of deals after the U.S. invasion over a decade ago, international oil companies have been trying to leave Iraq due to poor returns from revenue sharing agreements.

When TotalEnergies and Baghdad in 2021 signed an agreement to build four giant solar, gas, power and water projects in southern Iraq over 25 years, hopes for an exodus reversal were high. Exxon Mobil, Shell and BP have all sought to scale back their operations in Iraq in recent years.

But the project, aimed at boosting the country's economy and reducing its dependency on Iranian gas, is yet to take off.

The TotalEnergies deal with Iraq, which will require an initial investment of $10 billion, followed a visit from French President Emmanuel Macron in September 2021.

The terms of the deal, which have not been made public or previously reported, had raised concerns among Iraqi politicians and were unprecedented for Iraq, sources close to the deal told Reuters in February 2022.

The deal includes the construction of a natural gas gathering network to supply local power stations through the expansion of the Ratawi field, building a large-scale seawater treatment facility to boost output from other fields using water injection and a large solar power plant in the Basra region.

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But there has been little progress since then. Sources told Reuters last year that disputes over terms had risked scrapping the project.

QatarEnergy and the Qatari government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the talks.

TotalEnergies did not confirm the deal when contacted by Reuters.

A senior Iraqi oil ministry official said he was not aware of QatarEnergy plans to acquire a stake in the TotalEnergies' project.

SUDANI TO PARIS

Iraq's Sudani is travelling to Paris on Thursday and will meet Macron, a spokesperson for the Elysee said.

One of the sources told Reuters Sudani would also meet TotalEnergies Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne in a bid to end the deadlock.

QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies have been talking about a stake in the project, and even though no final agreement has been reached yet, there was a lot of confidence it would materialise, two of the sources said.

Arab nations including Saudi Arabia have been trying to counter Tehran's influence in Iraq.

Iraq and France in December jointly organised a conference in Jordan to show support for Baghdad, which has faced crises ranging from Islamic State militants, climate change, corruption and instability since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Qatar attended as did Middle East foes Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The French and Qatari energy companies have close partnerships in Qatar's giant liquefied natural gas (LNG) production as well as major energy projects around the world including in Guyana, Namibia and South Africa.

Pouyanne told investors following the deal announcement that Iraq was a core part of TotalEnergies' focus in the Middle East and the deal was a "win-win" for Baghdad and his company which will be paid via oil sales from the Ratawi field, one of four projects in the agreement.

He also said TotalEnergies was looking for partners in the projects, in which it wanted to keep a 40% to 50% share.

(Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh and Maha El Dahan in Dubai, Ron Bousso in London, Ahmad Rasheed in Baghdad, Andrew Mills in Doha and America Hernandez in Paris; Editing by Veronica Brown, Simon Webb and Josie Kao)
FILE PHOTO: The skyline with its financial district is photographed on early evening in Frankfurt

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government has revised up its economic forecast with Europe's largest economy now expected to narrowly avoid recession this year as inflation eases, according to its annual economic report published on Wednesday.

It said gross domestic product was forecast to grow by 0.2% this year, up from the autumn forecast of a 0.4% decline.

Inflation is seen at 6% in 2023, down from the previous 7% forecast, as energy prices ease following the initial shock of the energy crisis triggered by the Ukraine war.

"There are no signs of a significant recession, which many observers have long considered inevitable," Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in the report.

While the energy crisis and central banks' interest rate hikes are making the German government cautious for this year, Habeck said the crisis triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine was now manageable.

"Germany has proven its resilience and has done very well economically," he said.

He added that the initially very pessimistic scenario, with a historic downturn feared in the event of a gas shortage, had been averted.

"Energy supplies remain secure and stable," he said. But the task now is to become even more energetically independent, he said.

German unemployment is seen at 5.4% in 2023, slightly above the 5.3% seen in 2022, the report said.

"Companies are also regaining confidence," the Economy Ministry said.

On Wednesday, the closely watched ifo business climate index recovered further driven by considerably less pessimistic expectations.

Machinery equipment investment was also forecast to grow by 3.3% in 2023, following 2.5% growth the previous year, according to the government forecast.

Despite the improved outlook, headwinds remained. Export growth is expected to slow to 2.2% this year after an increase of 3.2% last year, the report said.

Among the biggest challenges for the economy are the war in Ukraine and its economic consequences, the weaker economic situation globally, persistently high energy and consumer prices and the security of gas supplies, it added.

(Reporting by Christian Kraemer, Writing by Rachel More and Maria Martinez; Editing by Madeline Chambers and Tomasz Janowski)
Documents with classified markings were discovered in former vice president Mike Pences Indiana home last week, his lawyer has told the National Archives - the latest in a string of discoveries of confidential information in private residences.

The records appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration, his lawyer Greg Jacob wrote in a letter to the Associated Press.

Mr Pence served under Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021.

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Ashish Mishra (ANI)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted eight-week interim bail to Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence that had left eight people dead.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J K Maheshwari directed that Ashish shall not stay either in Uttar Pradesh or in Delhi during the interim bail period.

On October 3, 2021, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri district's Tikunia where violence erupted when farmers were protesting against the then deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area.

According to the Uttar Pradesh Police FIR, four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in which Ashish was seated.

Following the incident, the driver of the SUV and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had on July 26 last year rejected the Ashish Mishra's bail plea.

He had challenged the high court's order in the apex court.
A British man has been arrested in Spain for extradition to the US for allegedly helping an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin evade sanctions.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a statement that Richard Masters, 52, was arrested by the Spanish Guardia Civil last Friday, though his Russian-Swiss co-accused Vladislav Osipov remains at large.

The pair are charged separately, in indictments unsealed in the US District Court in the District of Columbia, with facilitating a scheme for oligarch Viktor Vekselberg connected to his 90-million-dollar (73 million), 255-foot yacht Tango.

The DoJ said the pair are charged with conspiracy to defraud the US and to commit offences against the US, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and money laundering.

The US imposed sanctions against Mr Vekselberg in April 2018 following Russias annexation of Crimea, with Washington strengthening the measures in March 2022 following Mr Putins invasion of Ukraine.

The UK, Australia and Poland also joined Washington in March in seizing Mr Vekselbergs assets and imposing travel bans, with the DoJ the next month seizing Tango in Spain.

The department alleges Mr Masters ran a yacht company in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, which he used to manage Tango after initial sanctions were imposed in 2018.

Viktor Vekselberg is a close friend of Vladimir Putin (Nick Potts/PA)

It is claimed Mr Masters and Mr Osipov used US firms and the American financial system to mask Mr Vekselbergs involvement with the vessel, with Mr Osipov using a complex structure of shell companies to hide ownership.

Mr Masters is alleged to have devised a scheme that involved calling the yacht the Fanta to hide from banks the hundreds of thousands of pounds in payments in US currency that were ultimately to Mr Vekselbergs benefit.

US Attorney Matthew Graves said: Facilitators of sanctions evasion enable the oligarchs supporting Vladimir Putins regime to flout US law.

The United States will not allow its financial institutions and persons to be manipulated or defrauded for the purposes of benefitting those supporting an illegal war.

Story continues

Director Andrew Adams of department task force KleptoCapture said Mr Masters had to face the consequences of his actions.

The Department of Justice has been clear. Corporations and executives have a choice: They can participate in the global effort to uproot corruption, sanctions violations, and money laundering, and enjoy the benefits of prompt and fulsome cooperation; or they can, as Osipov and Masters are alleged to have done, attempt to shield themselves and their clients behind a veil of fraud, he said.

These men made their decisions, and now face the consequences of a failed attempt to profit through, rather than standing against, a sophisticated, transnational criminal enterprise.

The Americans international partners were thanked for apprehending Masters.

FBI special agent in charge Alvin Winston said: The FBI will hold accountable those who assist Russian oligarchs in their efforts to hide assets and violate sanctions. We thank our international partners who helped facilitate the arrest of Richard Masters in Spain earlier today.
The rail company has been ordered to make a new plan by February 2 or face formal measures (PA Archive)

Train operator Avanti West Coast has been ordered to stop releasing tickets just a few days ahead of travel.

Rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has warned the company it must submit an improved recovery plan for producing timetables by February 2 or face formal measures.

Avanti West Coast runs trains on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow Central, with branches to Birmingham, North Wales, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Passengers wanting to book tickets for weekend travel this month have only been able to purchase tickets a few days in advance, leading to claims that many people are being denied cheaper tickets.

Weekday tickets have also been released far later than the 12-week booking window normally used by operators.

Avanti West Coast said the delay has been caused by the requirement to produce bespoke timetables  which happens in partnership with Network Rail  during engineering work.

Tickets can only be made available for sale once timetables are confirmed.

Avanti West Coast initially made reasonable progress against an improvement plan created in September 2022 with passengers given more notice to book travel in the run-up to Christmas but the position has deteriorated this year, according to the ORR.

Current plans for February show a better picture for weekday travel, but still fall short of passengers needs for weekend journeys, the regulator stated.

Stephanie Tobyn, director of strategy, policy and reform at the ORR, said: Passengers are rightly frustrated that this situation has deteriorated so quickly after a steady start to the recovery plan late last year.

By 2 February we expect Avanti to identify what has gone wrong and set out how it intends to get back to releasing timetables in normal industry timescales so that passengers can plan and book journeys with greater confidence.

Failure to produce an acceptable plan or to deliver improvements may lead to more formal measures.

Story continues

By 2 February we expect Avanti to identify what has gone wrong and set out how it intends to get back to releasing timetables in normal industry timescales

Stephanie Tobyn, Office of Rail and Road

An Avanti West Coast spokesman said: Unfortunately, some tickets for Saturdays and Sundays have only been available at short notice due to having to write unprecedented numbers of bespoke timetables to accommodate industrial action and engineering work which has stretched industry train planning resources.

We know this causes huge uncertainty and inconvenience for passengers, and were sorry for that.

Were working with our colleagues at Network Rail to get tickets on sale as soon as possible and are encouraging passengers to sign up for ticket alerts.

Were also working closely with the ORR and keeping them informed.

Weekend tickets are now on sale up to mid-February, and by mid-March well be selling weekend tickets six weeks out.

Avanti West Coast  a joint venture between FirstGroup (70 per cent) and Italian state operator Trenitalia (30 per cent)  was given until April 1 by the Department for Transport (DfT) to improve its services when it was awarded a short-term contract extension in October 2022.

It emerged on Monday that the operator cancelled the equivalent of about one in five services during the four weeks to January 7.

The company said performance has steadily improved since then.
(Martin Pope Getty Images)

Children are dying, 17, 18, 19-year-olds are being executed. There is no more WhatsApp. The internet doesnt work. Every time I try to speak to my family I get cut off 10 times in a minute. They are under control and I have no idea how they are doing, I just feel their pain. Its a scary time for everyone in Iran but change is happening and we are making history.

I was born in Tehran just after the revolution, at the start of the Iran-Iraq War. What I remember from my childhood are the dark days  the very bad times. Everyone knows about the history of Iran and how everything turned really dark after the 1979 revolution. The Islamic Republic regime has created an atmosphere of fear for the past 44 years. In school we were taught to lie and to think of imaginary enemies. We cant dance, we cant party, we cant drink, we cant gather with boyfriends and girlfriends and have fun. Fear was always in the background for our friends, family and colleagues.

We are seeing people unite again. Iranians have always managed to find some optimism out of the sadness. I remember growing up, we were under a bomb attack and I asked my father if we could go to the rooftop to watch it. I was amazed by the lights in the sky, I didnt really understand. All those nights were full of dances and songs  despite the war we didnt stay underground, we didnt hide.

And this new generation is so brave. We didnt think another revolution of this kind was possible because the last one cost so many lives. That is why Im very proud of those growing up in Iran today. They want to be more connected to the rest of the world. They only want their freedom back. Now, my parents and my peers are braver. Everyone I see is inspired to leave the fear behind. Im so happy to see that women have reached the point where if they take back control of their bodies, no one can control them  what to wear, where to go, what to do. Its beautiful, but at the same time its very sad to see all these executions. Its not easy to open your eyes every day and read the bad news about your country and continue as normal. Us Iranians living outside of the country are trying our best to be their echo.

Story continues

I fled to Paris when an explicit tape of mine was leaked and then sold on the streets, ending my career and life as I knew it in Iran. As you can imagine it was scary but choosing self-exile gave me my femininity back. I became a woman in Paris. All those years in Iran, I was suffering from trying to be accepted in a patriarchal society. Misogyny was always there. Anytime I was just walking in the street, someone would harass and assault me  this is a common story for all Iranian women. I miss Iran  a part of your soul is always in your own country and I think that never faded but it was always tainted with fear.

I started my acting career at 18 and I became well known very fast, then this video came out and I lost everything overnight. No one listened to me. The man who was involved in the video was free and the only one who was under pressure was me. People saw me naked, the same people who were watching me the night before covered by a hijab. Everyone was surprised  Iran is a religious country where everything is censored and forbidden. I was going to be imprisoned and then killed. I was sentenced to 99 lashes. I remember thinking I have two options: either youre going to kill yourself or you fight for your rights. You shouldnt be ashamed because its your body in one of the most beautiful moments of your life. I chose to defend myself and that gave me the motive to stay alive. This incident was the biggest role I played in my life. I would never win their game, I just had to play it in the best way possible to protect myself and my dignity.

(Zar Amir Ebrahimi)

All of this is was what drew me to Holy Spider and the character of Rahimi, the journalist who uncovers the brutal murders of women in the holy city of Mashhad. She was always existing inside of me. With every step she takes, someone stops her, but she continues to put her life in her own hands. That was my story, too  I had to learn to live a lie but I never thought for once that Im a victim. So I brought my experience of life as an Iranian woman to her character.

The film is based on the true story of Saeed Hanaei, who killed 16 female sex workers in 2000 and 2001 and was regarded as a hero in the eyes of the Iranian public. It was terrifying. This was not the only incident of women being murdered; we had two or three years when we were living in a sphere of serial killers cleansing the city around us. Again, there was an atmosphere of fear. I remember going to university and at one point I just decided not to go alone any more. My father or mother would accompany me because I had this idea that if I just sit in a taxi or walk on the streets, someone might kill me. It was horrible for us women because society somehow supported their behaviours.

Self-exile gave me my femininity back. I became a woman in Paris

In light of the protests and death of Mahsa Amini, it was so important that we made a movie of this kind  we wanted to see a real movie from that society just once. Iranian cinema has always been a window into Iranian society, but it is always kind of half the truth because all these movies have been done under the pressure of censorship and control. Filming was difficult and Irans Culture Ministry has since threatened us  they said this movie is in the direction of Salman Rushdie, it goes against our religion and all actors and crew who worked on this project must be punished. After winning Best Actress at Cannes, I would open my eyes in the morning and see death threats on Twitter and Instagram, messages like we will find you and we will kill you.

Actress Taraneh Alidoosti was imprisoned for three weeks after expressing solidarity with the anti-government protests. She said that not taking action was a disgrace to humanity, which I agree with. She took off her scarf and that action, for an Iranian actress, meant you had just said goodbye to your career there. They have taken passports off film-makers and actresses so they cant leave because they are afraid they will come out and say something against them. Shes now out, but shes not free. She is still in a kind of prison. Like many women film-makers who have spoken out, she will face many, many problems and troubles.

I want to see freedom for my country. For the women, I hope their rights are given back to them  and with less blood. Iranian women are saving our country. They are changing things for themselves. Even men are fighting for womens rights now, and thats something very surprising and very important  having this demand for freedom is a basic human right for all of us. Iranian women have always been brave. We were always fighting, we just learned how to play the rules. Little by little we removed our scarves, little by little we changed how to wear things and little by little we found our way to universities, to administration and jobs.

We have to risk our lives, otherwise we cant change this regime. It will be a long way to get there but I really hope we can get our freedom back and for life to change.

Holy Spider is out in cinemas now
The University of North Georgia (UNG) will welcome a keynote speaker, a traveling museum, and host a panel of students, faculty, and staff to mark Black History Month in February.

Award-winning, inspirational speaker and author Jordan Green-Ellis will serve as the keynote speaker and will speak at noon on Feb. 23 in Robinson Ballroom in the Student Center at UNG's Gainesville Campus and at 5 pm on Feb. 23 in Hoag ABC Room at the Dahlonega Campus.

Green-Ellis is one of the leading experts in college readiness and has been pivotal in the educational and personal development of students nationwide. His speech will focus on the impact of historical figures and Black History Month on our lives.

Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) will start the month with a virtual game to test students' historical knowledge. Black History Month Kahoot Trivia will take place at noon on Feb. 6 with prizes for the top three competitors.

MSA will have a Black History Month tabling event that will take place on two campuses at noon on Feb. 13. Tabling in Dahlonega will be on the Hoag Patio. Tabling in Gainesville will be on the Student Center Patio.

On Feb. 15 there will be a Sankofa Traveling Museum event co-sponsored with Dr. Ben Wynne, professor of history, taking place in the Hoag ABC Rooms in Dahlonega. The museum highlights the vast contributions that African-Americans have made to this country and the world. The exhibit includes art, collectibles, and memorabilia. The event will then move to the Gainesville Campus on Feb. 16 and be held in the Robinson Ballroom.

"Celebrating the cultural heritage months is vital to the mission of UNG and MSA, providing opportunities to celebrate and recognize the many cultures within our campus communities," Dr. Andrew Johnson, MSA director, said. "This also contributes to our students' sense of belonging."

Johnson believes Black History Month events provide an opportunity for education and provides room for student leaders to engage in meaningful activities.

"Celebrating Black History Month is about highlighting the contributions of Blacks and African-Americans to both our country and the world," Johnson said.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."

Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.
MADISON, Wis.  The 17th-ranked Wisconsin women's track and field team continues its indoor season, competing at two different meets this weekend. All runners and throwers will be traveling to Bloomington, Indiana, to compete at the Indiana University Relays on Friday-Saturday. Events will start at 5 p.m. CT Friday and 10:15 a.m. CT on Saturday. Athletes competing in pentathlon, long jump, triple jump and pole vault travel to Champaign, Illinois, for the Illini Challenge on Friday-Saturday. Events will begin at 11 a.m. CT on Friday and 10:15 a.m. CT on Saturday.

Here are five events to watch this weekend.

1. THROWING DOWN WITH THE BADGERS: The throwers will compete alongside runners in Indiana with redshirt junior Chloe Lindeman headlining the weight throw. Lindeman is coming off a school record in the event last weekend. She won the event with a throw of 74 feet, 7 inches, improving her previous best by more than two feet. She broke a four-year old UW record, besting the previous mark of 73-3 1/4 set by Banke Oginni in 2019. Her throw now leads the Big Ten and ranks her fourth nationally. She will be joined by fellow Badgers Olivia Roberts and Abby Peeler , who also earned spots on the podium this weekend. In the shot put, redshirt senior Josie Schaefer returns to action this week.

2. LAPS AND MORE LAPS: A strong field of distance runners will compete at Indiana this weekend. Senior Victoria Heiligenthal leads the Badgers in the mile after running 4 minutes, 48.39 seconds last weekend. Six other UW athletes placed in the top 10 last weekend, including graduate student Lucinda Crouch and redshirt junior Shea Ruhly placed in the top five for the team with times of 4:48.81 and 4:50.15, respectively. Junior Samantha Stieve leads the Badgers and ranks fifth in the 3,000 meters in 9:29.96.

3. SPEEDY BADGERS: Sprint star Kiley Robbins leads the Badgers in the dashes. Robbins is coming off a second-place finish in the 60 meters at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational last weekend, running 7.45. Seniors Destiny Huven and Taylor Gilling have both run personal bests this season. Robbins also leads the team in the 200 meters, running 24.73 at the Wieczorek.

4. HURDLING HUVEN: Senior Destiny Huven continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the 60-meter hurdles. Huven finished fifth, breaking her own school record in the event, running 8.14 in the semifinals and final. Her time leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally this season.

5. HOW HIGH CAN YOU GO: Sophomore Julia Moore led the Badger competitors in the pole vault in Iowa and will return this weekend along with other event athletes. Moore had the highest clearance last weekend of 12-9  for a second-place finish, which ties her for 10th on the UW indoor performance list. Two other Badgers placed in the top five alongside her -- Tia Dorshorst came in fourth after clearing 12-5 , and Lauren Bilau tied for fifth place with a clearance of 12-1 .

Fans can follow the action @badgertrackxc on Twitter and Instagram, and a meet recap will be posted on UWBadgers.com shortly after the competition.


Many IT firms are wary of enforcing return-to-office or work-from-office (WFO) policy, fearing that such a policy will result in resignations. (Representational Image)

HYDERABAD: Although the Covid-19 third wave appears to have died down, with fewer cases reported in recent months, most major IT firms are still not keen on asking employees to report back to office, as techies prefer either full-time working from home or a hybrid model in which the pandemic is no longer a factor. Many IT firms are wary of enforcing return-to-office or work-from-office (WFO) policy, fearing that such a policy will result in resignations.

According to an employee of a multinational firm in the city that follows a hybrid model, employees have been given a lot of flexibility. The firm strictly adopted the work-from-home (WFH) model for two years until August this year. Since then, it has followed a system in which employees are required to work-from-office two days each week, a model that several companies have embraced.

However, employees of the firm now have the option to WFH for extended periods of up to a month. Many employees availed this option during Diwali festival. "Even the rule to work from the office for two days is flexible now. We can come for a day in a week and three times the following week. Some people prefer to come to the office every day, and that is fine too," the employee explained.

Another employee at an IT firm stated that, while a hybrid model was currently in place, it had been unofficially communicated to employees that the firm would soon transition to a fully work-from-office model. "I don't think the employees will be happy with that, and some of them may look for other jobs," the employee said.

According to Manisha Saboo, president of the Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA), most major companies are either following a hybrid or WFH model, with only small firms enforcing work-from-office policy.

Six months ago, several firms experienced high attrition rates when they started calling people to offices, as employees, having worked for about two years or more from the comfort of their homes, were unwilling to return to offices. Sahoo said attrition has declined in the past six months, owing to both the news of a slowdown and the fact that very few firms are implementing a fully work-from-home model. "Everyone is being cautious out of fear that their decision will result in attrition," she said.
Over the second half of 2022, the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) continuously announced that many Vietnamese agricultural products had been permitted to enter other countries, such as longan and macadamia nuts to Japan; durian, passion fruit, and sweet potato to China; pomelo to the US; longan to Japan; and lemons and pomelo to New Zealand.

Agri-exports hitting the shelves - photo Shutterstock

2022 could be considered the most successful ever, as many agricultural products of Vietnam gained access to top markets, said Hoang Trung, director of the MARDs Plant Protection Department.

In addition to the Chinese market developments, the two sides last November signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements for Vietnamese sweet potatoes and birds nests imported into China, after nearly four years of negotiations.

Edible birds nests are created by various swiftlets that are harvested for human consumption. They are particularly prized in Chinese culture due to their rarity, high protein content, and rich flavour. Currently, Vietnam has more than 22,000 birds nest houses with an annual output of about 120 tonnes worth over $500 million.

The door seems to be widening for agricultural export to major markets, creating great motivation for Vietnams manufacturing to improve capacity and operate in a more professional and methodical manner.

On November 28, 2022, Chanh Thu Fruit Import-Export Group became the first Vietnamese enterprise to export pomelo that originates from southern Ben Tre province to the United States. General director Ngo Tuong Vy said that 40 tonnes of green-skinned pomelos were exported to the US by using air freight and sea freight.

It is forecasted that pomelo will bring the largest export value compared to the other types of fruits that have been permitted for export to the US before, such as dragon fruit, lychees, and star apples. Vietnams pomelo growing area is not only large but also concentrated, creating a favourable condition to apply the cultivation process that the US requires, which is available to supply export all year round.

Appraising the agricultural sectors results in 2022, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said, The export turnover record in the last year has demonstrated a change in thinking about agricultural production in localities and enterprises which pay attention to improve the quality standards to export to fastidious markets.

For example, Vietnams durians have been allowed to be exported to China via official channels since July 2022. Under the signing of the protocol between the MARD and Chinese customs, an initial shipment of 20 containers of durian was exported via official channels from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak in September. Following that, Vietnam has continued to export many other durian shipments to China.

In October 2022 alone, the export of durian to China reached nearly $50 million, an increase of more than 4,000 per cent compared to the same period last year. Up to now, China has granted over 100 codes of growing areas and codes of packing facilities for Vietnamese durian. This number is expected to rise because there are currently about 300 codes awaiting a licence.

Trung of the Plant Protection Department emphasised that localities and businesses need to focus on particular aspects. Instead of trying to increase the growing area and output, the durian sector should pay attention to building brands and standardising production, from cultivation, harvesting, and processing to transportation and distribution, he said.

By the end of October 2022, the countrys durian export turnover reached $293.6 million, up 91.5 per cent over the same period of 2021. Durian accounted for 17 per cent of Vietnams total fruit export value in the period, only after dragon fruit.

Nguyen Khac Huy,Director, Hoang Phat Fruit On January 3, we successfully exported the first 1-tonne longan batch from the Mekong Delta province of Long An to Japan by air, and four days later, it hit the shelves in Japanese supermarkets. In order to export this batch of longan, the company had to go through many rigorous evaluation processes, being granted codes for growing areas and a factory. The products met the requirements of having no chemical residues, and ensuring the treatment could be processed at 1.3 degrees within 13 days, under the supervision of Japanese experts. We will supply about 70-100 tonnes of fresh longan by sea and air to Japan on a monthly basis, marking the successful opening for Vietnamese agricultural products to enter foreign markets, and signalling a dynamic year for the business in 2023.

RCEP helps Vietnamese agricultural products reach out to the world The mammoth trade deal Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is expected to unlock more export markets for Vietnamese agricultural products, according to insiders.

Factors for Vietnamese agricultural produce to successfully break into UK market Local businesses are looking at rosy opportunities to boost exports of agricultural products to the UK since the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement came into effect from the outset of this year, but more is needed to turn the opportunities into concrete benefits.

Sustainable solutions necessary for agro-products The situation of congestion of agricultural products at border gates has brought into light requirements to diversify export markets and modernisation in the processing stage to improve product value and reach.

Processing prevents EU agro-increase While the sharp increase in food prices across Europe has opened up prospects for Vietnamese agricultural exporters, processing issues remain at the forefront.
Customers can experience a full range of new features and utilities

Welcoming the new year, BAC A BANK has launched a promotion programme for customers who open an online account and/or register for e-banking services via eKYC identification through the banks mobile app or at transaction counters.

With eKYC, customers can open online current accounts on the Mobile Banking application anytime, anywhere, with just a few simple steps. Moreover, without going through a physical branch, customers can still register for e-banking and SMS banking and be issued debit cards quickly and conveniently, free of charge.

From January 5 to the end of March, the promotion is being deployed nationwide. It not only helps to facilitate positive customer service, but also expresses the banks desire for a year full of fortune, prosperity, and happiness.

BAC A BANK is offering VND50,000 ($2.15) for the new accounts and a preferential fee combo for new customers who open an account for the first time and register for e-banking services via the mobile application.

Receiving a super-preferential combo means the customer will get a fee-free package contains nearly 20 services, including maintaining an account; internet and mobile banking; SMS Banking; 24/7 interbank transfer fees; and domestic debit card services such as withdrawals at ATMs inside and outside the system.

Existing customers who already have a current account and now want active e-banking services will receive a reward of VND50,000 ($2.15) on the same account and a combo with preferential fees.

The bank has been offering its super-preferential combo package for individual customers since last September, including all services such as current account, internet banking and mobile banking, and domestic debit cards.

Notably, BAC A BANK does not require a minimum account balance, helping customers access and experience financial services and utilities simply and conveniently.

To get the combo package, customers only need to perform a few simple procedures. They can go directly to any branch or transaction office of BAC A BANK nationwide or take a few minutes to register online on the banks mobile application via phone identification or using eKYC.

Customers who already have an account and want to register for more e-services will receive a discount

New technologies

In fact, the eKYC solution has been applied by BAC A BANK since July last year. It allows customers to open accounts and register for services fully online, which helps improve security, simplify procedures, and optimise user experiences.

Through this system, customers only need to take a photo of an ID card and a photo of their face, and the system will automatically verify and analyse the information for authentication. After successful registration, the system will send the username and password via email or SMS to the customer.

To allow users to open a current account without maintaining a minimum balance, eKYC can also enable them to register for a range of essential banking services through the banks mobile banking, such as e-banking services, SMS banking service, or domestic debit cards.

The bank has also been deploying over-the-top notifications via the banks mobile app to customers when they conduct transactions. Just by connecting to the internet, customers can receive notifications anytime and anywhere, regardless of phone signal, even when customers are abroad.

With this service, customers can easily receive notifications of account balance changes, card-based spending transactions, service information, outstanding promotions, and many other types of information from BAC A BANK free of charge.

In 2021, the bank officially upgraded its e-banking service with an entirely new version of mobile banking. With just a few simple gestures, customers can immediately discover and experience new utilities, which can meet most of their personal needs.

With the upgraded version, the entire online interface is unified in design, bringing a seamless experience to customers. Simultaneously, users can change their avatars and wallpapers, choose their favourite utilities for quick access, and actively set up the homepage to suit their needs.

Outstanding service

Along with the smart interface design, the e-banking application is also integrated with a series of features to help customers perform many types of transactions, from paying bills and charity money transfer to other transfers via ID and data recharge. All transactions are secured with a modern authentication method called Smart OTP.

The new version allows customers to log in with their phone number registered for e-banking or by fingerprint or face recognition with high security and accuracy. The new mobile banking app is also simple and fast. Customers only need to update the application on Google Play or the Apple Store, log in and reactivate Smart OTP following the online instructions.

Customers can experience the full range of new features and utilities that can meet most of their trading and financial management needs.

Since the beginning of 2022, BAC A BANK has launched a function named VietQR on BAC A BANK Mobile Banking. Instead of inserting account number, beneficiary bank and transfer amount, just by scanning the QR code at the payees phone screen, customers can easily transfer money with just a few touches. All transactions are processed automatically and accurately, minimising risks and errors in information input. The maximum limit of each transaction is up to VND500 million ($21,320).

Moreover, BAC A BANK Mobile Banking application also allows customers to create static VietQR or dynamic VietQR promptly. With a static VietQR (fixed for payment accounts), customers can easily save the QR code from the application to their phone, creating more convenience in sharing transfer information. In addition, customers can create dynamic QR - flexible according to each specific transfer transaction. Dynamic VietQR allows customers to add transfer information, just scan the QR code to quickly complete the payment process.

Capturing customers needs to expand investment channels, also in 2022, BAC A BANK has officially launched the feature of opening securities accounts right on Mobile Banking and Internet Banking applications. With a no-fee policy of opening and maintaining securities accounts, BAC A BANK helps investors to easily transact and conveniently use added utility services for securities investment activities.

Over the past 29 years of development, BAC A BANK has continuously been improving service quality and introduced optimal products in order to provide the most modern utilities for customers.

The super-preferential combo package not only optimises costs for customers, but also creates favourable conditions to encourage and promote cashless payments  a trend that is becoming increasingly popular worldwide.

BAC A BANK offers fresh credit programmes In order to facilitate individual consumers to access preferential loans, BAC A BANK has launched a special credit programme with attractive lending rates titled Receiving preferential loans - Realising your life goals.

BAC A BANK launches Kiosk Banking in Hanoi From July 21, BAC A BANK officially operates its new service Kiosk Banking, which is also the lenders first automatic transaction model in Hanoi.

BAC A BANK launches Super Free Combo On September 20, BAC A BANK debuted the Super Free Combo package for individual customers, including all services such as account payment, internet and mobile banking, and domestic debit cards.
The EUVietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is an ambitious free trade pact, which the EU has ever concluded with a developing country, seeking to eliminate import tariffs by up to 99 per cent of the tariffs and trade flows between the two sides.

Peter Bernhardt, Dr. Eduardo Austin, and Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Athanasiadis are long-term key experts of the Technical Assistance for the ARISE+ Programme in Vietnam, a project implemented by DAI Consortium and funded by the European Union. The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Since the enforcement of the EVFTA, Vietnam-EU relations have undergone a spectacular growth in trade turnover. Over two years of implementation, Vietnams export value to the EU reached nearly $83.6 billion, while the country ranked second among the EUs biggest trading partners in ASEAN. The new-generation trade agreement also contributed to accelerating Vietnams structural transformation, with an increasing share of industrial and service sectors in economic activities.

The countrys export basket has gradually shifted from primary products to light manufacturing ones such as electronics, textiles, footwear, and apparel. The great boost in trade relations between Vietnam and different trading partners is an indicator of this dynamic development, which resulted in its annual real GDP growth of 8.02 per cent in 2022. Additionally, Vietnam was able to create a growing surplus in merchandise trade with the EU, worth $31.8 billion in 2022, up 36.8 per cent on-year.

In addition to making good use of tariff incentives to promote the export of commodities, the EVFTA also contributes to attracting high-quality investment flows with EU technology and other partners of Vietnam. This has been demonstrated in EVFTA commitments so as to ensure a more open and transparent investment and business environment.

Up to now, the EU is one of Vietnams key investors. EU enterprises have invested in 18 out of 21 industries in the national economic sub-sector system in Vietnam. With broad market commitments for investment in manufacturing and services sectors, and bound by commitments to protect intellectual property, the EVFTA has created a new motive for attracting investment of EU groups to Vietnam.

With the scale and potential development of the EU, Vietnam has the opportunity to become a trans-shipment area for trade and investment of the EU in the region.

Local authorities should recognise the necessity for developing a consumer protection system, photo Le Toan

Ongoing challenges

Along with positive impacts, the EVFTA also poses many challenges for Vietnamese businesses. The proportion of Vietnamese enterprises exports benefiting from tariff incentives increased from 14.8 per cent in 2020 to 24.5 per cent in the first six months of 2022.

However, according to a Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey conducted last year, only 17 per cent of Vietnamese businesses enjoyed the EVFTAs preferential treatment with at least one export consignment. The percentage was regarded as relatively low in comparison with the prospect of Vietnam-EU trade ties.

To now, Vietnams exports have still relied heavily on process manufacturing, while product branding has been neglected by many local businesses. They have encountered many hindrances in relation to the EUs stringent requirements, including technical standards, animal and plant quarantine measures, fierce competitiveness with EUs other trade partners, as well as environmental protection and labour-related issues.

Challenges will not turn into opportunities for Vietnamese businesses unless they put in place far-reaching reforms in production and branding strategy. One of the major challenges in the implementation of the EVFTA is the compliance with rules of origin (ROO). To enjoy this ideal tariff preference, the key factor is that the exported goods shall meet the ratified ROO. Therefore, Vietnamese companies need to study ROO for their specific export products in the respective FTAs and the destination country.

Different rules must be followed at each step of the process of delivering a product to the market: planning, manufacturing, import (for products manufactured outside the EU), distribution, and final sale to consumers or end-users. For example, for manufacturers, obligations are ensured the same regardless of their nationality.

In practice, over the past years, the preferential rate from the EVFTA was not high. This could be explained by the fact that Vietnamese enterprises do not have sufficient knowledge about the origin problem. To overcome the barrier, domestic businesses are encouraged to actively learn the basic terms and ROO mentioned in the EVFTA, together with formulating long-term plans to adjust the supply chain and input materials to satisfy the strict requirement under the relevant Agreements.

Another hindrance for Vietnamese companies is that the EU was a highly demanding market with strict quality standards, safety for industrial goods, and sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) for imported agricultural products and foodstuffs from abroad.

In this context, enterprises need to acquire knowledge and enrich their understanding of the EUs standards and regulations on sanitary and food safety. It is very difficult to precise any specific points on which the attention of Vietnamese manufacturers should be focused on the framework of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. In terms of SPS, all articles are relevant and interrelated.

The EVFTA is basically relying on a national food safety system supported by services, a residue monitoring plan, the appropriate registration offices, and the assistance of traceability and a rapid alert system. It also follows various international conventions and the transparency necessary for maintaining clear and up-to-date communication with the WTO in terms of relevant regulations.

Besides international market fluctuations affecting the Vietnamese supply chain, Vietnams export products and business methods have not been competitive enough in the European market. This could hinder them from competing against domestic and international enterprises, which have already deep roots in this market.

Many of Vietnams key items are imported and sold to the EU without trademarks or distributed through foreign labels without being registered for ownership. As a result, their added profits fall short of expectations, while high risks remain for products shipment.

Branding building does not go simply with a logo; indeed, it requires businesses to build consumer trust and familiarity. This is an essential prerequisite for their exports to the world, as low prices will be no longer a sufficient competitive advantage in the global market. They ought to understand the importance of positioning their brand in international markets, especially on cross-border e-commerce platforms, thereby making suitable adjustments to their brand development strategies and production plans in line with the EUs technical standards and its consumers taste.

Addressing the issues

Soon, it will be difficult for Vietnams economy to develop at a rapid pace if the existing legislative and regulatory framework remains unchanged or changes made by the government are insufficient. The public sector should disseminate the SPS and agreements on technical barriers to trade in terms of a regulatory framework assuring food safety.

For this purpose, it is essential to improve the capacities of services, such as laboratories, trade inspection, sampling, border inspection points, and customs. Standardisation of services is in this case also necessary, not only for laboratories but inspection services as well.

Local authorities should recognise the necessity for developing a consumer protection system based on the appropriate identification of establishments and products, leading to international impact prevention systems like traceability and rapid alert.

A bottleneck is the creation of registration offices covering the identification of products, producers, vendors, importers and exporters, vehicles, and vessels. Even though the establishment of the registries is the responsibility of the government, the private sector should follow the rules and provide accurate and complete data for effective system operation.

It is obvious that the EVFTA has created a new impetus for Vietnams export to the EU market. The potential for market expansion is huge, but Vietnamese businesses have been facing numerous obstacles in accessing it. Vietnam will fully tap into the advantages of the EVFTA and minimise risks from the implementation process if the country can best reposition itself. This aim requires stronger and proactive policy responses from both the public and private sectors so that the country can build a more sophisticated production capacity and boost export towards more value-added and high-tech prioritisation.

EU keen to cement obligations in EVFTA Vietnam and the EU are increasing trade and investment ties backed by a bilateral free trade agreement, with the EU committing to assist in deployment of the deal despite current geopolitical tensions.

EVFTA advantages threatened by tough competition Although Vietnam is hoping for stunning growth in seafood exports, particularly in the likes of basa fish and shrimp, the nations share in the EU market and utilisation of its trade deal with the bloc remain under some pressures.

Vietnamese businesses trained in EVFTAs Rules of Origin Vietnamese businesses had the opportunity to improve their knowledge on Rules of Origin (ROO) and receive useful information from experts to take full advantage of the recent European UnionVietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) at a workshop organised by the ARISE+ Vietnam Project.

EVFTA gains begin to blossom for Vietnam Vietnam and the EU, home to a market of nearly 450 million people, are witnessing a rise in their trade and investment cooperation fuelled by a bilateral free trade pact, which is offering a slew of benefits since it was established a couple of years ago.
Trade between Vietnam and Korea surged by almost $9 billion

This import-export total is less than the approximately $1 billion that Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) recently reported.

During this period, Vietnam's exports to this market increased by 10.2 per cent, while imports increased by 11 per cent, and the country's trade deficit with Korea remained at $38.3 billion.

Vietnam is implementing three free trade agreements (FTAs) with Korea, which is a substantial boost for Vietnamese products seeking to enter the Korean market. Noteworthy is the Vietnam-Korea Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA), which went into force at the end of 2015 and is producing considerable benefits for import and export operations by using the preferred tariffs of businesses in the two countries.

After more than six years of VKFTA implementation, bilateral commerce between Vietnam and Korea has steadily increased. Statistics from the MOTIE show that bilateral commerce between Vietnam and South Korea exceeded $87.7 billion in 2022.

Vietnam has become Korea's key trading surplus partner for the first time. Numerous robust commodity groupings, including agricultural and aquatic goods, processing, and manufacturing sectors, are exported to Korea by Vietnam. Vietnam's fourth-biggest export market, behind the United States, the European Union, and China, is Korea.

Korea is one of the top three foreign investors in Vietnam in terms of both registered capital and investment projects, with almost 9,500 projects totalling more than $80 billion. Throughout the first eleven months of 2022, Korea continued to invest in Vietnam, with over 370 projects totalling over $4 billion.

According to the MOTIE, Vietnam is rising as a worldwide industrial base among ASEAN nations. Vietnam has become Korea's greatest trade surplus partner as a consequence of Korean companies' continual penetration of the Vietnamese market, and the two nations have developed into close economic allies.

Korea's largest trade surpluses are with the United States ($28.04 billion), Hong Kong ($25.79 billion), India ($9.98 billion), and Singapore ($9.86 billion).

According to the MoIT, the framework of Vietnam's exports has shifted from primarily manufactured agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, raw materials, and low value-added goods to technology, such as electronics, agriculture, forestry, deep processing seafood, mechanical engineering, and high value-added consumer goods.

Approximately 70 per cent of Vietnam's export revenue is contributed by firms with foreign direct investment (FDI), of which more than half are electronic items and about a quarter are Korean enterprises, including Samsung. This demonstrates the significant impact of Korean FDI firms on Vietnam's exports.

During a recent meeting with deputy prime minister Le Minh Khai, Park Hark Kyu, general director of finance at Samsung Electronics, said that the group's export value exceeded $65 billion last year, accounting for about 9 per cent of its overall turnover. The total value of Vietnam's imports and exports is $700 billion.

With an original export goal of $69 billion, 94 per cent of Samsung's strategy has been accomplished. In comparison to the previous year, Samsung's performance declined by around $500 million.

In Vietnam, Samsung maintains six plants in Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as a research and development centre and sales entity in Hanoi.

With the wealth that Korean investors bring to Vietnam, the two countries' governments have set a goal of $100 billion in trade exchange.

Choi Bundo, head of the Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam said, "Vietnam's industrial and agricultural sectors are still growing rapidly. When large corporations such as Samsung enter Vietnam, they bring clients with them. This encourages a fast expansion of import and export activity."

Furthermore, the quality of FTA implementation with Korea is superior to that of many other FTA markets, as evidenced by the rate of preferential tariff treatment.

According to statistics from the Agency of Foreign Trade, the rate of preferential use of original certificates under the VKFTA reached $5.8 billion, or 26.35 per cent; and under the Asean-Korea FTA it reached $5.4 billion, or 24.5 per cent.

Last year, the use of preferential certificates of origin for Vietnamese exports to Korea under two FTAs reached over 51 per cent of the market's total export turnover, only behind India and Chile.

Despite the pandemic, the entire import and export turnover between Vietnam and South Korea reached $78.1 billion in 2021, an increase of 18.3 per cent compared to 2020, with exports reaching $21.9 billion, an increase of 14.9 per cent, and $9 billion after 2022.

Vietnam and South Korea level up comprehensive strategic partnership The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is opening a new stage of development for the relationship and investment opportunities between Vietnam and South Korea.

Vietnam and Korea sign 16 agreements worth $15 billion 16 MoUs on corporation and investment agreements worth $15 billion were signed in the framework of the Vietnam  Korea Business Forum on December 6.
SAN ANTONIO  SpaceX has taken a a major step toward a long-awaited first orbital launch of its giant Starship from South Texas.

Perched on its launchpad at Starbase in Boca Chica, the nearly 400-foot-tall rocket system this week was fueled for the first time and went through a practice countdown. The so-called wet dress rehearsal simulates a launch sequence without igniting the rocket engines as a way to work out potential problems with the equipment and procedures.

Todays test will help verify a full launch countdown sequence, as well as the performance of Starship and the orbital pad for flight-like operations, the company said in a tweet.

The test  called wet because it includes filling the Starship upper stage and Super Heavy booster with more than 10 million pounds of propellant  moves SpaceX closer to a first orbital launch attempt from Starbase. Space X founder and CEO Elon Musk has said it could come as early as next month.

He tweeted his latest flight prediction with a photo of Starship atop its booster on Jan. 12: Starship launch attempt soon. Musk later responded to media questions on whether the company could launch Starship by the end of February or early March: Thats a good guess.

SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

But the next step is likely to include test firing of the boosters rocket engines, the company has said. After Tuesdays dress rehearsal, SpaceX said the rocket would be destacked to test fire its 33 engines on the pad. That would be the biggest static fire test its done.

The company has posted several photographs of Starship on the pad at Starbase since it was reported early this month it was set to raise $750 million in a funding round that values SpaceX at $137 billion.

The private space company has been working for years to develop the reusable Starship rocket system to carry cargo and, eventually, astronauts on missions to the moon and beyond. The company also expects the rocket system to speed deployment of its Starlink network of communication satellites.

FAA license

For more than a year, Musk has set and missed target launch dates. And in October, a senior NASA official who oversees the Artemis program said SpaceX would launch its first Starship in early December. Its a key to Artemis mission to return to the moon.

Despite Musks and NASAs optimism, however, SpaceX is still waiting on the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a license for an orbital mission from Starbase.

The FAA  which completed its environmental review of launch impacts after delays that pushed it six months past its targeted completion date  issued a finding of no significant impact in June. But it required SpaceX to take more than 75 actions to mitigate the potential impacts on the area around Starbase.

Earlier this month, the agency said the licensing process for SpaceX was not complete. The evaluation includes reviews on policy, payload, safety, airspace, integration, financial responsibility and environmental impacts.

FAA will make a license determination only after the agency is satisfied SpaceX meets all licensing, safety and other regulatory requirements, the agency said.

___

2023 the San Antonio Express-News

Visit the San Antonio Express-News at www.mysanantonio.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Photos: SpaceX launches 3 paying visitors to space station (April 2022)
A former Waco parks employee who now works as a bouncer testified Tuesday that he took a knife from a co-worker who was attacking a police officer, then handcuffed the man before more police officers arrived to arrest him.

Ronald Turner, 32, of Waco, is on trial before Visiting Judge Roy Sparkman in 19th State District Court on a first-degree felony charge of assaulting a peace officer and a state jail felony charge of attempting to take an officers weapon in the July 24, 2018, incident. McLennan County assistant district attorneys Rebeckah Lawson and Will Hix called David Harrison and other city employees as witnesses Tuesday in the opening day of testimony.

Harrison, now a bouncer at The Backyard Bar Stage and Grill, and others described a struggle between Turner, who worked for Waco parks and recreation at the time, and veteran Waco police Officer Fabian Klecka, who had responded to a call about Turner and was attempting to arrest him on suspicion of public intoxication. Witnesses said the struggle took place near 1415 N. Fourth St., just outside the gate to a parks department maintenance shop and down a hill from another city building that houses a training room, offices and an environmental health nurse.

Im a bouncer, Harrison said. I saw a situation that could have gone badly if I didnt help.

Harrison said he was walking to his car when Klecka approached Turner.

Barry Barrington, director of safety for the city, also saw the incident and testified Tuesday that, very quickly after Klecka began talking with Turner, Turner put a move on the officer and had him on the ground with the officers hands under him. He also said Klecka had signaled for backup.

Harrison said as he stepped in, Turner held a knife near Kleckas throat with one hand and Turner was attempting to remove the officers sidearm from his belt with the other. Harrison could not remember whether the knife was open at that time.

As he stepped in to help, Harrison described to Klecka multiple times what he was doing and explained that he was helping, he said.

Harrison said the first thing he did was to take the knife away from Turner and toss it away. He then pushed the officers weapon back into its holster.

I told Klecka, This is me, David, Im grabbing your gun and putting it back in the holster, Harrison said. I wanted him to know it was me and not Turner, that I was putting his gun away.

With the gun back in its holster, Harrison said he took Kleckas handcuffs from his belt, again announcing what he was doing, and was able to place Turners hands in the cuffs behind Turners back.

Shortly thereafter, officers responding to Kleckas initial call for backup arrived and took Turner into custody.

Turners supervisor, Jody Cotreras, testified that the incident started when he told Turner to leave from a city training room and go to the nurse to be tested for intoxication.

Cotreras said he had coordinators follow Turner and observe him for signs of intoxication at work earlier that day before training and for about two weeks before that day because Turner had been dancing and acting strangely while on duty. Turner had been standing up and dancing during the training rather than paying attention like everyone else, Cotreras said.

Turner said he was not going to the nurse, Cotreras said. Cotreras explained under questioning from Hix that an employee refusing to be tested for intoxication would be grounds for termination of employment.

Cotreras said Turner took Cotreras hat off his head and began to play with it. He said he asked for it back and Turner put a hand on his shoulder saying he wouldnt. Turner also refused to remove his hand when Cotreras asked that as well, he said.

As Turner began to walk around the edge of the city building toward an exit, other city employees including Barrington began to follow Turner, because of Cotreras hat, witnesses said. Both Cotreras and Barrington said they called for police to assist in removing Turner.

Barrington said he saw Turner walk toward the maintenance shop and go inside.

Harrison said he had been inside the maintenance shop clocking out and observed Turner to appear intoxicated. Harrison said he offered Turner a ride home from work, but Turner declined and walked out.

Barrington said he had stayed outside the maintenance shop, because he believed Turner was intoxicated and he hoped to ensure Turner did not drive away.

I asked Turner to go back up and give Jody his hat, Barrington said.

On cross examination, Barrington told defense attorney Jonathan Sibley that he did not talk to Turner about driving. He said he kept Turner talking so he would stay there until police arrived.

Sibley asked Barrington if he believed Klecka had been there in his official capacity or had been there to collaborate with the parks department employees in some way. Cotreras had testified earlier that Waco police officers and parks department employees collaborated from time to time.

Barrington said he had called for police so he was sure Klecka was there for Turner. Harrison also testified, in response to questions from Sibley, that he was sure Klecka had been there on official business speaking with Turner, not there to collaborate with parks employees.
Police parade rehearsals were also held at the Governor's official residence on Wednesday. (Representational Image/PTI)

Hyderabad: Following the High Court's orders on Wednesday, the

Telangana government has decided to hold the Republic Day celebrations along with the police parade at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday.

Chief Secretary A.Santhi Kumari held a meeting with the police personnel and the general administration department (GAD) officials at the BRKR Bhavan to discuss arrangements for the celebrations. After the high-level meeting, the police and GAD officials visited the Raj Bhavan to supervise the arrangements.

Police parade rehearsals were also held at the Governor's official residence on Wednesday. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan will unfurl the national flag at 7 am on Thursday and felicitate eminent personalities from six different fields in recognition of their valuable

services.
WAHOO  There was laughter, but there were also moments of quiet reflection as five local men were honored for their military service.

Ron Bottorff, Ron Brueggemann, Patrick Lostaglia, Richard Cihacek and Troy Paisley were recognized during the Saunders County Veteran of the Month ceremony at the Wahoo Vets Club on Friday, Jan. 20.

Bottorff of Ceresco joined the Army National Guard while he was an engineering student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1971, serving until 1977 as a parts specialist in inventory.

He trained in various places around the country, including Camp Ashland, but his most memorable duty was during the cleanup of the 1975 tornado in Omaha.

Wahoo resident Brueggemann enlisted in the Army in 1968 before he was drafted. He was a fire control operator and acquisition radar operator, serving in Germany for 18 months during his two years in the service.

Brueggemann talked proudly about his familys military legacy. His great-grandfather was wounded in the Civil War and shook hands with President Abraham Lincoln when the president visited the military hospital. Brueggemanns father served in the Philippines as a soldier in World War II.

Lostaglias military career began while he was a resident of Boys Town in 1956. He joined the Air Force, which was only 10 years old at the time.

The Ashland man had a twin brother who was also in the Air Force. The two were stationed together, working on a switchboard. When his brother got in an argument with a superior officer, Lostaglia ended up on 30 days KP duty because the officer couldnt tell them apart.

Lostaglia was also stationed in Roswell, New Mexico, Greenland, Alaska and Guam during his time in the service, as well as Peru and the Dominican Republic during uprisings there. He was sent to Vietnam in 1969.

Cihacek joined the Navy at age 17, after surviving cancer three years earlier. The Yutan resident was assigned to the USS Oriskany, an aircraft carrier. He remembered being called to his captains office to be told him mother had phoned to let the captain know that Cihacek was behind on his cancer checkups. The captain had Cihacek flown by helicopter to Hawaii for the appointment.

Wahoo area resident Paisley originally wanted to join the Marines, but ended up enlisting in the Army in 1991 with a friend. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington but was awarded an ROTC scholarship to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. After receiving a history degree, the Cambridge native was commissioned as an infantry officer in May 1996.

Paisley left the regular Army and became a full-time member of the National Guard in 2001, serving until retirement in 2015. He was deployed to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom where he was a mentor to the Afghan civilian police force. During his time in the National Guard, Paisley was an assistant professor of military science at the University of Nebraska and later taught Junior ROTC at Boys Town.

The Veteran of the Month program was initiated in 2018 by the late Larry Mach, who was a member of the Saunders County Board of Supervisors. The program originally honored one veteran a month on the second Tuesday of the month. Each veteran received a plaque and recognition during the short ceremony.

In 2021, the Saunders County Veterans Service Committee (VSC) chose to change the ceremonys location and format, opting to honor more than one veteran at a time and to do it at a time and place other than during the supervisors meeting, saying the program had outgrown the original format.

The informal format that has been adopted for the Veteran of the Month program allows veterans to share their own stories and bond with other veterans, said Bill Bonney, the veterans service officer for Saunders County.
INDEPENDENCE  An Independence man who pleaded to misleading officials when he bought a gun has been sentenced to probation.

Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Dallas Wade Shannon, 47, to five years of supervised release on a charge of making a false statement during a firearm purchase on Monday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids.

Authorities allege Shannon failed to disclose that he used marijuana when he filled out ATF paperwork to purchase a .22-caliber Heritage Rough Rider revolver when he bought the weapon from Hardware Hank on Feb. 14, 2022.

Shannon came to the attention of Independence Police in May 2022 when they were investigating his roommate on an unrelated matter, according to court records.

When police came to their First Street West home to look for the roommate, they saw Shannon with the holstered revolver and noticed the odor of marijuana.

While police were applying for a search warrant, the roommate allegedly texted a juvenile living at the home to hide his marijuana, records state. Another youth at the home was found with $543 in cash from drug sales. The roommate, Timothy Lovell Williams, was later convicted of distribution of marijuana to a person under age 18.

During the search, police also found a .22-caliber Marlin rifle and a 12-gauge Hopkins and Allen Arms single-shot shotgun in Shannons basement bedroom along with drug paraphernalia, records state.

In arguing for leniency, Shannons attorney said the arrest cost Shannon his job, and he is attending treatment.
WATERLOO  A federal grand jury has charged a Waterloo man accused of attacking a woman in December with immigration violations.

Jesus Mira Pineda, 31, was detained Tuesday on a charge of illegal re-entry into the United States a day after he was ordered to be released from the Black Hawk County Jail for the assault charge.

The indictment, unsealed Wednesday, alleges Mira had been removed from the country March 26, 2014, and didnt have permission to return.

He was then found in Waterloo on Dec. 19 when he allegedly came over to a womans home on Wellington Street uninvited and intoxicated. The woman locked herself in a bedroom, and Mira allegedly entered through another door, slammed her to the ground and asked her to have sex, according to court records.

The woman escaped the bedroom, and a relative called police.

Mira was arrested for assault causing bodily injury.
WATERLOO  Waterloo police arrested a driver after they found a single, unfired bullet in his vehicle following traffic stop.

According to court records, Malik Desean Richard, 30, had crashed into a snowbank during a Jan. 19 traffic stop for a broken tail light in the area of East Fourth and Newell streets.

Officers found a live .40-caliber round in a box in his trunk along with marijuana pipes, court records state. Authorities allege Richard is prohibited from possessing ammunition because of a 2016 domestic assault conviction.

Richard wasnt detained at the time, and police later obtained an arrest warrant.

On Tuesday night, a patrol officer noticed Richards Audi on Independence Avenue and attempted to pull him over for the warrant.

The Audi sped off, reaching speeds of 90 mph and passed another vehicle before stopping at a relatives home on Colfax Drive, according to court records.

Police arrested Richard for domestic abuser in possession of ammunition and eluding. Bond was set at $12,500.
CEDAR FALLS  Season 22 of the Final Thursday Reading Series returns to the Hearst Center for the Arts on Thursday.

The 7 p.m. program starts with a creative writing open mike and includes a reading by a notable writer.

Joyce Milambiling, professor emeritus of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at the University of Northern Iowa, will read from her forthcoming book, The Skyscraper Settlement: The Many Lives of Christodora House. It tells the story of the Christodora Settlement House in New York Citys East Village.

According to Milambiling, the project began when she found a collection of letters that were housed at the New York Historical Society and which were written in 1918 by Helen Schechter, an immigrant from Eastern Europe, to her English teacher. The lessons, what would now be called English as a Second Language classes, took place at Christodora House, one of several settlement houses on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

She proceeded to delve into the history of Christodora House, and the impact of the settlement house movement in America.

The Final Thursday Reading Series is a collaboration of Final Thursday Press, the Hearst Center for the Arts, and the University of Northern Iowa College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences with support from Sidecar Coffee Roasters and Hansens Farm Fresh Dairy.

For questions or to request a Zoom link to virtually watch the program, the Hearst Center for the Arts can be reached at: (319) 273-8641.
As kids' behavior reaches crisis points after the stress and isolation of pandemic shutdowns, many schools are facing pressure from critics to rethink their approaches to discipline  including policies intended to reduce suspensions and expulsions.

Approaches such as "restorative justice" were adopted widely in recent decades as educators updated exclusionary policies that cut off students' access to learning and disproportionately affected students of color.

But more students have been acting out, and some school systems have faced questions from teachers, parents and lawmakers about whether a gentle approach can effectively address problems that disrupt classrooms.

The latest example came in Newport News, Virginia, where teachers complained at a school board meeting that the school system where a 6-year-old shot his teacher had become too lenient with students. Students who assaulted staff were routinely allowed to stay in the classroom, they said, because of a misguided focus on keeping them in school.

The local school board said it would take "the necessary steps to restore public confidence" in the school system.

Both anecdotally and according to federal data, instances of misbehavior have been on the rise since students returned to classrooms from the COVID-19 pandemic. A National Center for Education Statistics survey of school leaders last summer found 56% of respondents said the pandemic led to increased classroom disruptions from student misbehavior and 48% said it led to more acts of disrespect toward teachers and staff.

New scrutiny of approaches to discipline could halt momentum for policy reform, said Rachel Perera, a fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies education.

"There's a lot of pressure on schools right now," she said. "Schools also say they don't have the resources to address more behavioral problems, and I worry that that will translate to schools falling back on old practices that are not effective in terms of supporting students in the way they need."

Policy reversals are already underway. In Gwinnett County, Georgia, the school board approved the use of a "restorative practices" program in August that was meant to focus on conflict resolution, repairing harm and rebuilding relationships in the classroom. But the district paused the program in December, with plans to restart it in the 2023-2024 school year, after concerns were raised over incidents in school, including a video of a student assaulting a teacher at a high school.

In Clark County, Nevada, district leaders announced in March that they would take a harder line on fighting and physical altercations, saying they would be grounds for expulsion. Some in the community had blamed a "restorative justice" approach for an increase in violence.

As of 2020, 21 states and the District of Columbia had passed legislation supporting the use of restorative practices in schools, according to research from the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality.

Implementing the practice properly takes time, resources, and community support, said Rebecca Epstein, the center's executive director.

"Change is hard," Epstein said. "Change takes work and it also takes resources and educators are spread really thin. It can't be up to individual teachers alone to shift the culture of automatically resorting to excluding students in response to disruptive behavior. It really takes a whole school cultural shift."

Using restorative justice does not mean a school cannot remove a disruptive student from the classroom, said Thalia Gonzalez, a professor at the UC College of the Law, San Francisco. But unlike other forms of discipline, restorative practices aim to address the root cause of student's behavior and reintegrated them into classroom.

"That's the problem with punitive discipline such as suspension and expulsion," Gonzalez said. "You get removed and then you just come back. There's nothing done to reintegrate into the community and rebuild the climate, the connectedness, the sense of safety, all the things that we know are so important to young people learning."

Traditional discipline has widened inequities. Black children often are suspended or expelled at rates far higher than white children. Research has found that these discipline disparities can have lifelong consequences for children, such as worsened educational outcomes and higher rates of incarceration.

Newport News has its own history with restorative justice.

At a school board meeting in 2017 district officials discussed efforts to reduce school suspensions while implementing restorative practices. Tracy Pope, then the school system's restorative practices specialist, said at the time that such practices did not do away with anything already in place, but was rather "another way to look at how we do discipline."

Well before the Jan. 6 shooting of a first-grade teacher, not all educators were happy with the handling of student discipline. According to a spring 2022 survey of teachers and staff, only 60% of respondents said administrators were addressing negative student behaviors.

Michelle Price, a spokesperson for the Newport News schools, said in an email that the district's code of conduct "fosters the school division's mission to ensure all students graduate 'citizen-ready.'

"It provides guidance for students, families, and staff, and details the many options available to NNPS staff to address student conduct," she said.

Most states have a school counselor shortage. Here's where they're needed the most Most states have a school counselor shortage. Here's where they're needed the most #51. Vermont #50. New Hampshire #49. Hawaii #48. Colorado #47. Montana #45. Maine (tie) #45. North Dakota (tie) #44. Tennessee #43. Wyoming #42. Virginia #40. Missouri (tie) #40. West Virginia (tie) #39. North Carolina #38. Maryland #37. South Carolina #36. New Jersey #35. Connecticut #34. New York #33. Pennsylvania #32. Arkansas #31. South Dakota #30. Massachusetts #29. Kentucky #28. Nebraska #27. Iowa #26. Oregon #25. Delaware #24. Wisconsin #23. Texas #22. Kansas #20. Oklahoma (tie) #20. Mississippi (tie) #19. Ohio #18. Rhode Island #17. Alabama #15. Georgia (tie) #15. Alaska (tie) #14. Florida #13. Washington #12. New Mexico #10. Louisiana (tie) #10. Nevada (tie) #9. District of Columbia #8. Indiana #7. Idaho #6. Utah #5. California #4. Minnesota #3. Michigan #2. Illinois #1. Arizona
Weather Alert

.Warming temperatures this weekend will bring renewed snowmelt and streamflow rises, especially for snow covered terrain below about 7000 feet. Creeks that brought impacts this past week are likely to be problematic again and potentially reach higher levels, especially by late Sunday. ...FLOOD WATCH FOR SNOWMELT IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Flooding caused by snowmelt is possible. * WHERE...Portions of California and western Nevada, including the following areas, in California, Greater Lake Tahoe Area, Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties and Surprise Valley California. In western Nevada, Greater Lake Tahoe Area, Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area and Mineral and Southern Lyon Counties. * WHEN...From Saturday afternoon through Monday morning. * IMPACTS...Creeks and streams will be running high and fast. Low-water crossings may be flooded. Minor mainstem flooding along the Susan River, Forks of the Carson River, and the East Walker River below Bridgeport Reservoir cannot be ruled out. Anyone participating in outdoor recreation this weekend should use caution as water will be running high, fast, and potentially out of banks for some creeks and streams. The water will be extremely cold as well, quickly causing shock. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. &&
Since Modi won the 2019 elections from Kasi (Varanasi constituency), he would like to represent Rameswaram (Ramanathapuram constituency) in Parliament from 2024, sources saidFile Image

Chennai: The BJP is said to have assigned a private agency with the task of ascertaining the chances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi winning from a Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu in the coming 2024 elections and sample surveys were being held in constituencies like Coimbatore and Ramanathapuram.

Since Modi won the 2019 elections from Kasi (Varanasi constituency), he would like to represent Rameswaram (Ramanathapuram constituency) in Parliament from 2024, sources said adding that the other constituency that was being explored was Coimbatore as the region is seen as more friendly to the BJP.

Whether the opinion polls come out with results recommending Modi to contest from Tamil Nadu or not, there are several other senior BJP leaders who would like to fight the Lok Sabha polls since an impression has been created that the partys popularity has soared of late and that there is a resentment against the DMK government on various fronts.

Enthused by such predictions, it is learnt that even Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundarajan herself would like to fight it out from Thoothukudi constituency, from where she lost the electoral fight to Kanimozhi Karunanidhi of the DMK in 2019.

Others nurturing hopes of contesting the Lok Sabha polls are C P Radhakrishnan from Tiruppur, L Murugan from Nilgiris, K Annamalai from Coimbatore, H Raja from Sivaganga and Pon Radhakrishnan from Kanyakumari.

Most of the leaders are said to have already started the ground work by visiting the constituencies and also developing local level functionaries to work for them in the elections.

However, the rumour is that the BJP would like to field young people in the next elections and the old timers in the party might not be given opportunities, while is still not clear if the constituencies that the senior BJP leaders want would be allocated to them by the coalition leader, the AIADMK, when the bugle for polls is sounded.

Meanwhile, the ongoing fight between Annamalai and ousted functionary of the party Gayathri Raguramm is all set to hit the road with two yatras crisscrossing the State. Raguramm, who had threatened to take out the yatra to Kanyakumari from January 27 demanding safety and security for women in the BJP has postponed it to April 12.

When Raguramm will be travelling from Chennai to Kanyakumari, Annamalai would take out a yatra from Thiruchendur to Chennai with a view to reaching out to the people ahead of the 2024 elections.

By naming her protest march as Shakti Yatra, Raguramm is mobilizing women to participate in it as she is raising an issue concerning all women.

Rumours have it that an anti-Annamalai lobby working within the State BJP was encouraging the disgraced woman leader to put up the fight in a bid to oust Annamalai from the post. Though several attempts were made earlier to evict Annamalai from the chair he is occupying now, the old timers in the party could not do it for various reasons.

Now that the elections were coming close, the old timers would like to revive their demand for a change in the State leadership, which could not only give them the pre-eminence they enjoyed earlier and also win them seats to contest in the next elections.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V. Muraleedharan speaks at the BJP state executive meeting in Bhimavaram on Tuesday. - (Photo by arrangement)

KAKINADA: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will prepare a charge-sheet exposing corruption within the YSRC government and highlighting its misrule, union minister of state for external affairs V. Muralidharan declared.

His was addressing a meeting of the BJP state executive body at Bhimavaram in West Godavari district on Tuesday. Party state president Somu Veerraju presided over the meeting in which BJP leaders including union minister of state for medical and health Bharati Praveen Pawar, party national secretary Sunil Deodhar, state general secretary Madhav and Rajya Sabha members C.M. Ramesh and G.V.L. Narasimha Rao participated.

Muralidharan said Andhra Pradesh has a glorious history of giving birth to great freedom fighters who fought selflessly for freedom of the country. But now, family-run parties are ruining the future of the state. "People must be rescued from the clutches of these parties by forming a double engine government in Andhra Pradesh," he remarked.

The union minister maintained that there is no point in re-electing one discarded family party (TD) in place of the present family-run party (YSRC). "People with nationalist ideals must choose the third alternative of BJP with nationalist fervour," he observed.

Muralidharan said the world is now looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as head of G-20, who has proven his efficiency within India by facing and preventing the Covid-19 pandemic.

BJP state president Veerraju said their party will organise its "Praja Poru" programme from March 10 to March 31 at 8,000 places within Andhra Pradesh, highlighting the failures of ruling and opposition parties of the state and the way central government is helping Andhra Pradesh.

Veerraju underlined that all previous governments that had led India had laid 4,000 kilometres of National Highways. But the BJP government alone at the centre has formed additional 4,000 kilometres of national highways within its eight years of rule.

The BJP state president declared that his party is forming an alliance with three crore people of Andhra Pradesh and is sure to win the forthcoming assembly general elections in the state.


Update of CERENERGY Battery Project

Perth, Jan 25, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Altech Chemicals Limited ( ASX:ATC ) ( A3Y:FRA ) is pleased to provide an update on its CERENERGY(R) battery joint venture with Fraunhofer IKTS ("Fraunhofer").



On 14 September 2022, Altech executed a Joint Venture Shareholders' Agreement with the world-leading German battery institute Fraunhofer to commercialise Fraunhofer's revolutionary CERENERGY(R) Sodium Alumina Solid State (SAS) battery. On 26 October 2022, Altech appointed leading German company Leadec Automation & Engineering GmbH (Leadec) as the lead engineer for the Definitive Feasibility Study in relation to its CERENERGY(R) 100MWh battery project. On 7 November 2022, Altech announced that it had designed and launched the CERENERGY(R) SAS 60 KWh battery pack (ABS60) designed for the renewable energy and grid storage market.



Since then, there has been outstanding progress and advancement of the CERENERGY(R) project.



During this period, two critical expert workshops were held on 13-14 October 2022 and 8 December 2022, at Altech's site in Schwarze Pumpe, Germany. The workshops were attended by Altech personnel, Leadec's process and automation engineering team, and the Fraunhofer CERENERGY(R) expert battery team. The workshops were headed and led by Managing Director Iggy Tan with the objective to bring forward detailed design requirements as well as efficient industrial production plant design. The team was able to finalise the design basis for the 100MWh battery with the production of the 60-kilowatt hour (KWh) ABS60 battery packs amounting to 1,666 packs per annum. The Fraunhofer experts have been involved in technical information transfer so as to ensure an optimal production process and progressing thermal modelling of the 60 KWh ABS60 battery packs to optimise the battery pack casing design and battery management systems.



Leadec, the lead engineering company, is currently developing technical specifications for potential suppliers to quote on. A preliminary layout of the battery plant has been completed. Major milestones have been achieved in a very short period of time.



As part of the workshops, potential equipment suppliers recommended by Fraunhofer were invited to present their proposals in terms of technical capabilities, cost and timelines. The key equipment suppliers have now been finalised and are being integrated to work closely with the various project teams. During the period, Altech also appointed ARIKON Infrastruktur GmbH (Arikon) to manage the approval process, site infrastructure requirements, and balance of plant for the CERENERGY(R) SAS battery facility. Arikon will be responsible for managing the application process and working with relevant regulatory bodies to obtain all necessary approvals for the project. This includes securing necessary permits and licenses, coordinating with local authorities and arranging utility connections. Additionally, Arikon will be responsible for designing the site infrastructure requirements for the site.



On the marketing front, Altech's business development team is communicating with potential customers that have expressed interest in the supply of CERENERGY(R) batteries and the technology. This includes a leading German energy producer that has expressed an imminent requirement to secure energy storage solutions. As the world transitions from a fossil fuel economy to a sustainable energy economy, scale and ramp up of battery storage solutions are required. Altech is aiming to secure off-take interest as part of the DFS as support for funding the project.



On the finance front, Altech is exploring various grant schemes within Germany at state and federal level as well as the EU, to support financing the project. Altech has also held discussions with leading European banks in preparation for the funding stage.



Managing Director Iggy Tan was extremely pleased with the progress of the CERENERGY(R) Battery Project and stated "We have moved very quickly on the opportunity and managed to close the joint venture Agreement with Fraunhofer and incorporated two companies in just two months, with one month being the August holidays in Germany. Since that time, we have raced to get the project moving with several commencement workshops. We have also appointed key engineering companies like Leadec and Arikon.



We have also launched the design for the 60 KWh battery pack for the renewable energy storage sector.



To date, all plant and equipment suppliers have been selected. On the marketing front, the team have been having discussions with potential interested off take parties. I am very pleased with the team we have assembled, and the outstanding progress made thus far".



*To view tables and figures, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/A2X1ZNCB





About Altech Batteries Ltd





Altech Batteries Limited (ASX:ATC) (FRA:A3Y) is a specialty battery technology company that has a joint venture agreement with world leading German battery institute Fraunhofer IKTS ("Fraunhofer") to commercialise the revolutionary CERENERGY(R) Sodium Alumina Solid State (SAS) Battery. CERENERGY(R) batteries are the game-changing alternative to lithium-ion batteries. CERENERGY(R) batteries are fire and explosion-proof; have a life span of more than 15 years and operate in extreme cold and desert climates. The battery technology uses table salt and is lithium-free; cobalt-free; graphite-free; and copper-free, eliminating exposure to critical metal price rises and supply chain concerns.

The joint venture is commercialising its CERENERGY(R) battery, with plans to construct a 100MWh production facility on Altech's land in Saxony, Germany. The facility intends to produce CERENERGY(R) battery modules to provide grid storage solutions to the market.
Copyright  2023 Albuquerque Journal

The states top judge offered a cautionary tale Tuesday for New Mexico lawmakers to keep in mind as they consider the thorny issue of holding criminal suspects in jail while they await trial.

In her State of the Judiciary address to the Legislature, Chief Justice Shannon Bacon recounted the tragedy of an innocent 17-year-old girl, Gisell Estrada, who was wrongfully identified as a murder suspect and locked up for six days in 2019.

She spent a week in jail and was strip searched several times, Bacon told lawmakers. However, the arrest stemmed from a mistaken identification.

Prosecutors filed a pretrial detention motion to hold the girl in jail pending trial, which a 2nd Judicial District Court judge denied. Prosecutors later dismissed charges against Estrada and charged another person in the killing.

If a judge did not have the ability to assess the facts, this young woman would have been detained even longer, Bacon said. This is an example of the human impact on the wrongfully accused, which we dont discuss very often.

Bacon used the case to illustrate the need to balance the rights of accused persons while protecting the public.

We all feel deep sorrow and fear when we read about a senseless death and other tragedies as a result of crime, she said. Yet we must remember why our Constitution protects the rights of every person, including those accused of crime.

New Mexico voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 2016 that largely abolished the system of money bail bonds. The old system resulted in most criminal defendants being free until trial, Bacon said.

With the elimination of money bail, judges now have the ability to assess dangerousness, Bacon said. In Bernalillo County, this has resulted in the detention of over 3,000 defendants pending trial  something that could not happen before with the bail bond system.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham supported legislation in 2022 that would have made it more difficult for defendants charged with certain crimes to be released while awaiting trial. Lawmakers rejected the idea last year.

Three state representatives are co-sponsoring a proposed constitutional amendment, House Joint Resolution 9, that would allow conditions for denial of bail to be set by the Legislature, among other changes. If approved, the measure would require the approval of statewide voters in the next general election. No action has been taken on the measure so far in the 60-day session.

Bacon also discussed the judiciarys top legislative priorities for the session, leading with increased pay for judges.

Lujan Grisham in March vetoed legislation cleared in both chambers what would have boosted the pay of judges by 33% last year.

That spending bill would have brought the pay of Supreme Court justices in line with the salary of federal magistrates, or about $205,000 a year. Lower court judges would have seen corresponding increases. Lujan Grisham noted at the time that New Mexico judges already were in line to receive a 17% raise in 2022.

Bacon said Tuesday the judiciary will push for passage of a similar measure this year.

It is consistently reported that low salaries interfere with competitive recruitment of judges from private practice, Bacon told lawmakers. Passing this legislation will improve the judiciarys ability to recruit and retain high-quality judges with diverse practice backgrounds.

The judicial branch also will seek pay raises for judicial staff to match salaries paid to those in the executive branch doing comparable work, she said.

Another judiciary-backed proposal would eliminate fees paid by people convicted of certain criminal offenses, such as misdemeanor and traffic offenses, to pay for programs ranging from jury and witness payments to magistrate retirement funds.

Eliminating the fees would end the unjust practice of paying for government functions on the backs of those who can least afford it, she said.

The proposal does not reduce the fines attached to crimes.

New Mexico courts responded well to the COVID-19 pandemic, introducing measures such as virtual hearings, Bacon said, that allowed the judiciary in 2022 to perform more than 450,000 hearings and bench trials, and about 1,200 jury trials.

Courts cleared more cases than were filed in the 2022 fiscal year, she said.

The judiciary also oversaw a court-based eviction prevention and diversion program that distributed more than $217 million in federal funding through Jan. 12 to help New Mexicans with rent, utility payments and other housing costs, Bacon said.

The pandemic has taught us lessons and inspired incredible changes that would not have otherwise happened, she said.

A Twitter List by ABQJournal
SANTA FE  A Republican filibuster killed election legislation at the Roundhouse in the final hours of last years session.

But Democratic lawmakers and their allies launched a new campaign Tuesday in favor of a voting rights bill they expect to move forward with time to spare.

At least one factor  the calendar  is on their side. The Legislature last week opened a 60-day session, twice as long as last years.

The new proposal, supporters say, would phase in automatic voter registration during Motor Vehicle Division transactions, allow voters to sign up once to get absentee ballots before every election and restore the voting rights of felons when they leave custody rather than after they complete probation or parole.

The bill, however, doesnt include some of the ideas that triggered intense opposition in last years debate, such as allowing 16-year-olds to vote in school and city elections.

In a news conference Tuesday, newly elected House Speaker Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, said the protection of voting rights will be a priority during his tenure.

As other states are rolling back voting rights and restricting access to the ballot box, Martinez said, New Mexico will continue to work hard to ensure we remove unnecessary barriers so that all eligible voters can make their voices heard.

Republicans, in turn, said they were right to block last years voting bill. But they expressed willingness to pursue a bipartisan compromise on election security.

Last year, we followed the lead of our County Clerks and unanimously passed a bipartisan election bill out of the Senate that strengthened voter rights and improved election security, Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca, R-Belen, said in a written statement. Unfortunately, that consensus bill was hijacked and derailed in the House by the majority party.

Election security and integrity are more important than ever, and we will continue to engage in good faith efforts to make needed changes to our Election Code.

Among the groups supporting this years measure are the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, Organizers in the Land of Enchantment and NM Native Vote.

This years voting bill hasnt been introduced yet. But supporters said it would include:

 Phasing in a system of automatic voter registration, such as during MVD transactions, for citizens who are qualified to vote but arent registered. Supporters say it would include an opt-out for those who dont want to register, similar to whats used in Colorado.

 Creation of a permanent absentee voter list. Voters would have the option of opting in to receive ballots by mail before every election rather than having to apply each time.

 Establishing a Native American Voting Rights Act intended to better coordinate access to the polls on tribal land and allow the use of tribal buildings as a voter-registration address for people without a traditional address.

 Automatic restoration of voting rights for inmates exiting prison. Under the current system, they must complete probation or parole before registering to vote again.

Twenty-one states automatically restore voting rights after incarceration. Another 16  New Mexico now among them  require someone convicted of a felony to complete their entire sentence, including probation and parole, before registering to vote.

Justin Allen of Organizers in the Land of Enchantment said the automatic restoration of voting rights after incarceration is particularly important. After his own time in state custody, Allen said, it was difficult to register to vote at a county clerks office even though he had the right documents.

Im here today because civic engagement is how I was able to break the cycle of recidivism for myself, he said.

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat reelected last year, called the proposal a strong step forward for New Mexico.

More from the legislative session
The unemployment rate continues to drop in New Mexico and last month was no exception.

According to data released Tuesday by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, the unemployment rate came in at 3.9% in December  a nearly 15-year low and the lowest rate in 2022. The last time New Mexicos unemployment rate stood at 3.9% came in April 2008, state data shows.

New Mexicos unemployment rate continues to trend closer to the national average, which was 3.5% last month and had tied for a 53-year low, according to federal data.

In a statement, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called the unemployment rate  which the state says is the largest year-over-year decrease in the unemployment rate across the nation  is a good sign for New Mexico.

Its crystal clear  our economic investments are working and jobs are growing, she said.

Deep dive

The states unemployment rate  which measures the percentage of the labor force that is unemployed and is actively applying for work  dropped each month or remained the same with the exception of October, when the rate had climbed to 4.3% from 4.2% the previous month.

Data shows Decembers unemployment rate is a drop from 4.1% in November and from a high of 5.9% at the beginning of the year.

Decembers number is also largely different from the rates in 2020, when unemployment had hit a new high during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and when many businesses were closed and forced people out of jobs. At the time, the unemployment rate had reached a high of 9.8% in May 2020.

Reilly White, an associate professor with the University of New Mexicos Anderson School of Management, told the Journal the unemployment rate has followed the same trend as that seen at the national level, for the most part coming in lower each month.

But he said the nature of the workforce is changing, in New Mexico with fewer government workers compared to a decade ago and an increase in workers in other areas such as education. That drop in government workers, along with the loss of workers in other industries, coincides with New Mexicos low labor force participation rate  which stood at 55.7% in December  he said.

This is due to a number of factors, especially increased retirements, White said. Despite the oil boom bringing in record revenues to state coffers, employment in the cyclical mining and logging sector is 27% lower than at the end of 2014.

Year-over-year data shows, though, that some sectors are recovering. Mining and logging, for instance, grew by 1,800 jobs. Manufacturing added 700 jobs year over year and construction added 2,500 jobs. Large increases have also come in education and health services, as White pointed out. In the last year, that sector grew by about 6,200 jobs, or 4.4%, the data shows. Leisure and hospitality also grew by about 5,000 jobs  a trend that held for much of last year.

County by county

Non-seasonally adjusted rates for unemployment show that more dense counties  including Santa Fe, Dona Ana and Bernalillo  tend to trend lower than in less populated counties.

Bernalillo County, for instance, had an unemployment rate of 3% last month, the data shows, while Santa Fe County dropped to 2.8%. Dona Ana County saw its unemployment rate drop from 4% in November to 3.7% in December.

In Eddy and Lea counties, where oil and gas drilling operations reign supreme, the unemployment rate stood at 2.5% and 3.7%, respectively.

Luna County had the highest unemployment rate in the state last month at 11.6%, an increase from 11.1% in November. The lowest rate was in Los Alamos County at 1.5%, according to the data.

Looking ahead

White, who also serves as an associate dean of teaching and learning for the Anderson School of Management, said New Mexico doesnt follow the same trends as other states, mainly because of the large population working in government and the lack of large companies with work forces stationed in the state.

We have few large companies and a larger amount of government employees than other states, so large layoffs are uncommon, White said. Although we feel recessions less than other states, it takes us longer to recover.

But White said if  or when  New Mexico enters a recession, unemployment will likely rise and taxes received by state and local governments will shrink with people spending less money.

Its still too early to determine when or if the layoffs in the tech sector will spread to other industries, he said. Construction, retail and manufacturing employment are often hit hard by recessions.  How severe the recession will be ultimately depends on the response from the federal government and the Federal Reserve.

Keep reading
SANTA FE  A bill aimed at addressing the public health impacts of climate change is on the move at the Roundhouse after surviving its first committee hearing.

The Public Health and Climate Resiliency Act, if passed, would create a new program under the Department of Health and a fund in the state treasury to support communities in New Mexico in preparing for and responding to health emergencies related to extreme weather and climate change.

It comes as scientists in New Mexico project an average temperature rise of 5 to 7 degrees over the next 50 years and runoff and recharge water to go down 3% to 5% per decade, according to a report by the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources.

Sen. Liz Stefanics, D-Cerrillos, a co-sponsor of the bill, Senate Bill 5 said that her district saw three major wildfires last year alone.

She also expressed concern about the impact of the smoke on residents respiratory systems combined with issues that arose as people lost their homes and water sources.

I believe that there were real-life consequences that could be looked at in advance before these climate change events happen, Stefanics said.

The new program would oversee an initial $5 million infusion over five years and the Department of Health would have the authority to make grants to municipalities and tribal agencies. It would hire about a half dozen new staff members to carry out the work. That would include assistance to communities to apply for the grant money, which is often a barrier to smaller communities receiving funds.

Stefanics said there are federal funds that could be available to the state for climate resiliency once it has a structured program and staff dedicated to the issue, and added that the program was a first step.

This bill doesnt really set up the money to build a bridge, she said. It really is about evaluating that if we had a flood I might need a bridge.

Stefanics said the Department of Health was consulted on the bill and was expected to send staff to the hearing, though no DOH employees were present.

The bill passed the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee on a 7-2 vote, and now advances to the Senate Finance Committee.

Sen. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, was one of the two senators who voted against the bill, saying it was loosely written.

Ive been here a number of years, and Ive voted on so many of these things that I thought were so good, and in reality, they accomplished very little, he said.

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SANTA FE  The first significant gun bill of the session  a proposal focused on the safe storage of firearms  began moving through the House on Tuesday, sailing through its first committee hearing on a party-line vote.

The legislation, House Bill 9, jointly sponsored by five Democrats, would make it a crime to store a firearm in a way that negligently disregards the ability of a minor to access it.

Criminal charges could be brought only if the minor later brandishes or displays the firearm in a threatening way or uses it to kill or injure someone.

The measure passed the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on a 4-2 vote  with Democrats in favor  during a two-hour hearing that drew testimony from dozens of gun owners, law enforcement leaders and other New Mexicans.

Retired engineer Regina Griego, whose nephew shot and killed five family members in 2013, said the proposal could save lives by ensuring youngsters cannot take a parents gun.

Im convinced, without easy access to these firearms, my family members would be alive today, she said.

Also offering testimony Tuesday was Vanessa Sawyer, grandmother of Bennie Hargrove, a middle school student shot and killed by a peer in 2021.

Lawmakers also heard from opponents  who questioned whether the law might leave gun owners without quick access to a firearm for self-defense. They also suggested firearms are being singled out inappropriately when knives, cars and other items also do tremendous harm.

Louie Sanchez, an owner of Calibers indoor shooting ranges, said his business sells safes and other items intended to promote safety. But the proposed legislation, he said, is misguided.

Were opposed to a punitive law, he told lawmakers. Theres no substitute for education, and we all know that.

The proposal heads next to the House Judiciary Committee, potentially its final stop before the full House of Representatives. Senate approval would also be required.

Rep. Pamelya Herndon, an Albuquerque Democrat and one of the co-sponsors, said the bill has exemptions intended to protect good-faith efforts to safely store firearms.

Adult gun owners couldnt be charged  even if a minor gained access to their gun  if theyd stored the firearm in a secure container or other place a reasonable person would believe is secure; the firearm was locked and inoperable; a minor broke into the home; or the gun was used in self-defense.

More from the legislative session
A Shiprock man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for sexually assaulting a teenager while he was acting as the girls medicine man, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Mexico announced Tuesday.

Leonard Lewis, 66, pleaded guilty in October to the assault, which happened on two consecutive days in the spring of 2021, according to court documents. The 15-year-old girl became pregnant as a result, Lewis wrote in his admission of facts.

Lewis said in the admission that he is a Navajo medicine man and the girls grandmother brought the child to Lewis to preform a traditional Navajo ceremony, and he assaulted her in an RV on his property in San Juan County.

I did this again the next day after asking her grandmother to bring her back for another ceremony, Lewis wrote in the court document. Ultimately, Jane Doe became pregnant and bore a child of whom I am the biological father.

After he is released from prison, Lewis will face a lifetime of supervised release and must register as a sex offender, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Dennis Candelaria, Lewis attorney, wrote in a sentencing memorandum that his client suffers from anxiety and is grieving after losing four siblings and a daughter during the COVID-19 pandemic. Candelaria said Lewis is in poor health and uses a walker.

U.S. District Judge Kea W. Riggs handed down the sentence during a hearing Monday in Albuquerque.
Telugu Desam leader Nara Lokesh (Photo:Twitter @naralokesh)

Anantapur: Telugu Desam national general-secretary Nara Lokesh family experienced tense moments on Wednesday while he was leaving the home at Hyderabad for his Yuva Galam padayatra through AP for the coming 400 days at a stretch.

Lokesh left his home after taking blessings from his father Nara Chandrababu Naidu and mother Bhuvaneswari as also father-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna, mother-in-law Vasundhara and other family members.

Left: Lokesh takes blessings from his father Nara Chandrababu Naidu and mother Bhuvaneswari; right from his father-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna, mother-in-law Vasundhara. (Photo: Twitter @naralokesh)

He would start the 400-day yatra at Kuppam on January 27. Prior to this, Lokesh and his wife Brahmani offered puja at the house in the presence of their son Devansh and other family members.

Lokesh said he would be away from home for long but would speak to his son over video calls everyday till the completion of the yatra from Kuppam to Srikkakulam.

Lokesh with his Brahmani and son before leaving for his 400-day yatra. (Photo: Twitter @naralokesh)

Brahmani held the ritual of offering a coconut in front of the vehicle, for divine blessings and safe journey.

Lokesh reached NTR Ghat in Hyderabad, where he offered floral tributes to his grandfather and Telugu Desam founder N.T. Rama Rao and proceeded to the International Airport. From there, he flew to Kadapa and reached the historic Devuni Gadapa Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple and offered puja there.

Later, he went to the Ameen Peer Dargah in the town and offered traditional offerings there. Accompanied by a large number of TD activists and leaders from Kadapa, Lokesh visited the local church in Mariyapuram and offered prayers.

Lokesh later left for Tirumala for prayers at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple. After staying at the guesthouse in Tirumala, Lokesh will have darshan of Lord Venkateswara Swamy there on January 26 and reach Kuppam by afternoon.

Lokesh wrote a letter to the public, explaining the aim of his Yuva Galam padayatra in the state and sought blessings from the people. "Everybody in the state is a victim in the badudu palana as YSRC leaders are targeting opposition parties instead of finding solutions to the peoples grievances. No new industries are coming to AP and the existing industries are shifting to other states due to harassment from the Jagan Mohan Reddy government," he alleged.

Lokesh alleged that the police department was being misused for the purpose of provoking a faction in the state. "It is time to teach a lesson to Jagan Mohan Reddy by weeding out his government. Hence, the padayatra will be held with a commitment to highlight lapses of Jagan Mohan Reddy," he said.
SANTA FE  Alec Baldwin faces two types of manslaughter charges in a reckoning on gun safety and the film industry, with two potential standards for proof and possible sanctions of up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors have vowed to file those charges before February against the 64-year-old actor and weapons specialist Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie Rust in October 2021.

Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies says the case is about equal justice under the law and accountability in the death of Halyna Hutchins, regardless of the fame or fortune of those involved.

She says the Ukrainian-born cinematographers death while rehearsing a scene was tragic  and preventable.

Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed maintain their innocence and have vowed to fight the charges, which were announced Thursday. Here is a look at the case:

The charges

One charge of involuntary manslaughter will require proof of negligence. Its punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine under New Mexico law.

The second manslaughter charge is for reckless disregard of safety without due caution and circumspection. It carries a higher threshold of wrongdoing and includes a firearm enhancement that could result in a mandatory five years in prison because the offense was committed with a gun.

Prosecutors say a jury may ultimately decide which definition of manslaughter to pursue. But first a judge will have 60 days to weigh whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed.

Santa Fe District Defender Julie Ball says initial evidence of probable cause is typically weighed in favor of prosecutors, using a lower burden of proof than later at trial.

Involuntary manslaughter can involve a killing that happens while a defendant is doing something that is lawful but dangerous.

The defense and the prosecution

Baldwin has said he had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun he discharged.

That defense is complicated by his role as both lead actor and co-producer on Rust. State workplace safety regulators have fined Rust Movie Productions based on a string of safety failures, including testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two misfires of blank ammunition on the set prior to the shooting.

Defense attorneys also maintain the innocence of Gutierrez-Reed, the daughter of veteran sharpshooter and film consultant Thell Reed. Gutierrez-Reed was hired at age 24, with limited prior experience on a handful of films, to supervise weapons, ammunition and training on Rust.

Carmack-Altwies says a movie set armorer has the responsibility to ensure ammunition and guns are handled safety and has the authority to halt rehearsals or filming at any time when concerns arise.

The district attorney alleges that Gutierrez-Reed without noticing somehow loaded a bullet into the gun that killed Hutchins and should have noticed the difference between a live and a dummy round.

Dummy rounds typically rattle when shaken  the sound of a BB inside  and have a dimpled base or other possible markings. Blanks contain a charge but have no slug or bullet at the tip.

At the same time, New Mexico workplace safety regulators say Rust managers limited Gutierrez-Reeds ability to require safety and weapons training for people including Baldwin, and that a request for more training was rebuffed. Rust Movie Productions disputes the findings and sanctions.

The rehearsal

The fatal shot was fired at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe shortly after a lunch break, as Baldwin gathered inside a clapboard chapel with a dozen cast and crew members  the director, a scriptwriter, lighting and sound technicians, a safety coordinator and Hutchins  to rehearse a scene in which Baldwin draws a pistol from across his waist.

Law enforcement interviews indicate that Gutierrez-Reed remained outside.

Authorities say Baldwin was pointing the gun at Hutchins when he fired it, striking her in the chest and hitting director Joel Souza in the shoulder.

No movie cameras were filming at the time, but lapel camera video from law enforcement officers shows a chaotic aftermath as Hutchins slips in and out of consciousness and an evacuation helicopter arrives, to no avail.

The assistant director who handed Baldwin the gun, David Halls, has agreed to plead guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon. Its unclear if he has agreed to testify in court.

Responsibilities

Defense attorney Luke Nikas says Baldwin relied on professionals who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. The actor has sought to clear his name by suing people involved in handling and supplying the weapon.

In that lawsuit, Baldwin says that while working on camera angles with Hutchins, he pointed the gun in her direction and pulled back and released the hammer of the weapon, and it discharged.

Prosecutors say they will rely on an FBI analysis that shows the gun would not have gone off without the trigger being pulled. They say it was incumbent on Baldwin to know the gun and its ammunition and to handle them safely.

Live rounds

A yearlong investigation by Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza did not establish how live ammunition wound up on the film set, something that industry experts say should never happen.

Investigators initially found 500 rounds  a mix of blanks, dummies and what appeared to be live bullets.

Carmack Altwies says her team is unlikely to resolve how they got there  and that she isnt that interested in doing so. For her the important matter is that nobody detected the live rounds and one was allowed to be loaded into the gun.

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Susan Fink joins in on a qigong class during Yoga in the Wellness Yurt at Los Poblanos Historic Inn in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (Jon Austria/ Albuquerque Journal) Yoga instructor Pam Hong leads a qigong class during Yoga in the Wellness Yurt at Los Poblanos Historic Inn in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (Jon Austria/ Albuquerque Journal) Susan Finke of Albuquerque, participates in a Qigong class during Yoga in the Wellness Yurt at Los Poblanos Historic Inn in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (Jon Austria/ Albuquerque Journal) Students can participate in Yoga in the Wellness Yurt at Los Poblanos Historic Inn in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (Jon Austria/ Albuquerque Journal) Pam Hong, center, leads a Qigong class during a Yoga in the Wellness Yurt at Los Poblanos Historic Inn in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (Jon Austria/ Albuquerque Journal) Community members participate in the Yoga in the Wellness Yurt class at Los Poblanos Historic Inn in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (Jon Austria/ Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 6 Next

Inhale, yoga instructor Pam Hong says to the class as she guides them, fill your lungs completely, then exhale, out to the side, relax your shoulders, relax your jaw, inhale.

Nestled in a wooded area tucked away on Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, a yurt  a circular tent with a lattice structure  with a wooden deck offers a serene and quiet place for the reflective practice of yoga.

Los Poblanos offers classes in the yurt for a range of skill levels, from the beginner Gentle class which involves slow-paced stretching and breathing, to the Flow and Breathe and Vinyasa classes which incorporate a series of flowing sequences of movement to calm the mind and address tension and stress in the body, according to their website.

Built almost 2 1/2 years ago, the yurt was born in the era when the COVID-19 pandemics impacts on physical and mental health were fresh. As the business began to see a demand for classes, it expanded its new spa area to include the yurt and began to host them there.

It was the missing piece to just kind of our overall well-being model, Melissa Rivera, the spa and wellness manager, said. And after coming out of COVID it was like, what are people really looking for? And that was wellness and well-being and just really taking care of yourself.

The yurt also hosts meditation classes, Rivera said, as well as an astrology and yoga class during each new moon.

On Tuesday, noon light spilled into the circular structure through its large windows and crown skylight. Peaceful music filled the air as candles flickered and shoes were stacked near the door.

Instructor Pam Hong led the class from the center of the room, with others mats stretching outwards from the middle like sunbeams as the participants stretched and flowed with their teacher.

Inhale, Hong said to the class as she guided them, fill your lungs completely, then exhale, out to the side, relax your shoulders, relax your jaw, inhale.
Instagram Celebrity

The 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' actor has condemned the horrifying mass shooting that occurred on a Lunar New Year celebration in California.

Jan 25, 2023

AceShowbiz - Simu Liu claims Asian American people feel "unsettled and unsafe" after the Monterey Park mass shooting. On Saturday, January 21, 2023, a gunman opened fire on a Lunar New Year celebration in the California city leaving 11 people dead and nine more injured, and the 33-year-old actor has reflected on the horrific events.

"This is what it feels like to be Asian American today, SWAT teams and red lanterns. It's what we all saw as we waited for details to unfurl surrounding the horrific shooting in Monterey Park that left 10 people dead and many injured," he wrote while sharing a photo of two armed police officers in a street decorated for Chinese New Year.

"A shooting in the wake of the Lunar New Year? In the pits of our stomachs, we felt fear of the very real possibility that this could have been a hate crime committed against our community. Was that so far fetched? Asian Americans continue to be attacked on the streets, so much so that many local police departments have set up dedicated hate crime units. Seeing these images stirred up our worst fears and made us feel unsettled and unsafe."

The gunman has been revealed as an elderly Asian immigrant, who also took his own life as police approached. Simu continued, "As more details emerged about the shooter, a 72 year old Asian man, we feel no sense of 'relief.' People are dead, and a community is still in mourning."

"This is what it feels to be Asian in America today, during what should have been a joyous time. We are confused, sad, and heartbroken for the families of everyone affected by this senseless act. Please have compassion for us as we sort through it all."

The "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" actor also reflected on the tragedy on Twitter. He wrote, "For those who are unfamiliar, Monterey Park is a city in LA County that is majority AAPI. It's home of Asian American families, parents, grandparents, siblings, sons and daughters, aunts and uncles."

Simu Liu reacts to Lunar New Year mass shooting

"All of whom were looking forward to celebrating the New Year this weekend. I am shocked, saddened, angered, and heartbroken for the families who have been affected tonight."

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Cover Images/Jennifer Graylock Celebrity

In a new episode of her 'Unlocked' podcast, the daughter of the 'Chrisley Knows Best' couple opens up about how she's dealing with the matter, admitting that her life is 'falling apart.'

Jan 25, 2023

AceShowbiz - Savannah Chrisley is having a hard time after her famous parents Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley entered prison for their tax evasion and bank fraud scheme. In a new episode of her "Unlocked" podcast, Savannah opened up about how she's dealing with the matter.

"So for those of you that are familiar with my family and have followed our lives and have also followed my podcast, you know that last week was an extremely difficult week for my family as a whole and for each of us individually," the 25-year-old shared in the Tuesday, January 24 episode.

The former "Chrisley Knows Best" star went on saying, "We kind of had to say goodbye to my parents for a little bit of time, for the foreseeable future. And that was really, really, really tough."

Savannah also explained why she felt the need to address her "happy-go-lucky" attitude in the episode, which was recorded on her mom's birthday before she reported to jail. "The podcast that is going to be airing today that you're watching was filmed prior to my life falling apart, so it may seem happy-go-lucky," the 25-year-old explained. "I think it's because there was a lot of hope that was had and I wasn't faced with the reality of the situation."

Additionally, she revealed that next week's episode of "Unlocked" will dive deep into how she and her family are doing now now that their famous parents are no longer physically present with them. "I'm really looking forward to giving that update because I've seen God work in the craziest of circumstances.  Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for supporting me, my family and 'Unlocked'," she noted.

After being found guilty of fraud and tax evasion in June 2022, Todd and Chrisley were sentenced to a combined 19 years behind bars. The couple reported to two separate prisons on January 17. Todd is serving his 12-year sentence at the Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida. Meanwhile, Julie is doing her 7-year sentence at Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky.

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The 'Baddies South' star isn't having it after the 'Love and Hip Hop: Miami' star warns her not to have a child just yet, suggesting that she's 'not ready' for motherhood.

Jan 25, 2023

AceShowbiz - Chrisean Rock isn't taking advice about motherhood from Bobby Lytes. The raptress has clapped back at the San Francisco-based DJ after he weighed in on her pregnancy, warning her that she's not ready for a baby.

Bobby gave his two cents on Chrisean's personal life via Twitter on Tuesday, January 24. "Since everybody wanna be fake and not keep it real on Beyonce's internet, I'll go ahead and say it," he began his tweet.

"Chrisean my sweet baby, you are NOT ready for a baby," the "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" star continued, before adding, "One day, yes! I say this with so much love just take this time to grow and evolve. You can do it! I believe in you!"

Catching wind of Bobby's remarks, Chrisean quickly clapped back. In an Instagram live session, she responded to Bobby's advice, "Shut up before you lose a bag." The on-and-off girlfriend of Blueface seemed to be shocked that he would say something like that especially because she considered them to be friends.

"You coulda hit me in person. People be doing s**t for clout. I don't f**k with that. Who gives a f**k what you think," she went on lashing out. "Mind your business. Like, I could take care of your ugly a** if I wanted to," she added, before calling him "weird."

Some social media users were not shocked to see Chrisean's reaction. One person said, "Like my point is, if she don't listen to her family, friends, or boyfriend, what makes you think she gonna listen to a Tweet from Bobby Lytes."

Another agreed with Chrisean that Bobby should've not spoken negatively about the "Baddies South" star. "I mean honestly I think we should all just mind our business and keep people in our prayers," the said person commented.

Chrisean announced her pregnancy on Friday, January 20. Blueface quickly denied that he's the father of her baby, accusing her of getting intimate with ten other men during their relationship. He also announced that he's done with her.

Chrisean responded by claiming that she has not had sex with any other guy than Blueface. "So what happens wen you eat all ya evil words," she replied to one of his tweets. "I haven't sexually been active with no one but u n plus there's can a DNA test... n ion need yo money I got my own I don't need a baby Daddy I'm just having this child because I don't want to keep aborting."

Recently, Chrisean revealed that she had fertility issue after getting some abortions. "I went to the doctor and she's like 'You're not fertile, so you gotta calm down with the abortions or you will not be able to have a baby,' " she shared.

"I remember just praying one day, 'Hey God, just know this time if you send me a blessing from heaven I'm gonna keep it,' " she revealed. "And then, through the darkest time of my relationship or career, I got pregnant, and I'm not scared! I have my own money, my own name. I'm good, for real."

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The 52-year-old filmmaker described making the Netflix programme as a polarising experience which gave her an insight into the 'alleged palace mind games' that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have experienced.

Jan 25, 2023

AceShowbiz - "Harry & Meghan" director Liz Garbus has accused Buckingham Palace of trying to "discredit" the series. The 52-year-old filmmaker described making the Netflix program, which followed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they stepped down as senior royals to start a new life in California, as a polarising experience which gave her an insight into the "alleged palace mind games" that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have experienced.

She told Vanity Fair magazine, "For instance, Buckingham Palace said that we didn't reach out for comment [on the docuseries] when we did. They did that to discredit usand by discrediting us, they can discredit the content of the show. We lived through some of those moments that were a little bit like 'Alice Through the Looking Glass'."

The "Lost Girls" filmmaker admitted she had a different vision for the series than Harry & Meghan, who have children Archie, three, and Lili, 19 months, together. She said, "They certainly did see this documentary, and do see it, as very much their love story. Their interest was very much in telling their love story from their point of view, as opposed to the love story as told by others, and to share their personal archive in order to have that look behind the curtain."

She continued, "For me, what was really important was to connect the dots to these larger historical issues [of racism and colonialism]. They were, to their credit, very open and willing to journey down some of the paths that they might not have originally considered. [The love story] is the spine, but, for me, it was always necessary toconnect the dots to the personal story and the larger historical context."

And Liz thinks it is right to subject the monarchy to scrutiny. She said, "I don't feel that [questioning] the monarchy is sacrilege, in the way that I don't feel [questioning] the American government is sacrilege. It's our role as storytellers and critical thinkers to raise these questions."

At the beginning of the six-part docuseries, a message was shown on screen which told viewers, "Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within the series."

But a palace source later insisted no one had been approached for comment.

However, a Netflix insider responded afterwards to say representatives for both Harry's father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William, had been contacted in advance and given the right to reply.

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Despite their recent trip together, the 'Mystic River' actor and his ex-wife are reportedly not back together romantically as they are 'both single right now.'

Jan 25, 2023

AceShowbiz - Apparently nothing romantic is going on between Sean Penn and Robin Wright right now despite their recent sightings together. After much speculation about their relationship, the former spouses are reportedly not back together as a couple after all.

"They are both single right now and get along great," a source tells PEOPLE. Despite enjoying each other's companion, the two stars are not a romantic item as the so-called insider stresses, "Sean has always said that Robin is the love of his life. He regrets many things that happened during their marriage. He really enjoys spending time with her now."

Sean and Robin were seen together at LAX on Sunday, January 15. At the time, the "Mystic River" star could be seen carrying a black backpack while the "House of Cards" alum walked behind him with a black suitcase. He kept it simple in a casual beige tee, cargo pants, a black jacket and winter boots.

Robin, meanwhile, kept warm in a black turtleneck, jeans and brown boots. The Golden Globe Award winner also brought a white puffer jacket in her arms.

Two days later, the duo were seen together again as they left LAX, fueling the speculation that they were traveling together 13 years after their divorce. It appears that they have returned from their short trip together.

Sean and Robin were married from 1996 until 2010. They share son Hopper, 29, and daughter Dylan, 31.

Their trip comes four months after Robin called it quits with her husband Clement Giraudet. She filed for divorce from the Saint Laurent executive in September 2022 to end their four-year marriage.

As for Sean, he finalized his divorce from Leila George in April 2022 following their 15-month marriage. The Oscar-winning actor and the daughter of actor Vincent D'Onofrio dated for four years before tying the knot in July 2020.

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Movie

The news comes a month after it was announced Gil Kenan will be directing the sequel, with 'Ghostbusters Afterlife' filmmaker moving into a writer-producer role.

Jan 25, 2023

AceShowbiz - The surviving cast members of "Ghostbusters" will appear in the "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" sequel. Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver and Dan Ackroyd are among the stars from the 1984 classic who will be feature in the next movie in the franchise, with filmmakers planning to shift the action from New York to London.

A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column, "Studio bosses are taking a classic franchise, setting it in a new location but keeping the magic of the original. It's going to be brilliant. 'Ghostbusters' has always been synonymous with New York, but to mix things up this time the team was thinking of other great cities with a haunted history. London is perfect. It gives so much license to look back at classic landmarks and British history, but still in an urban setting. The plans look very cool, and getting the original stars interested wasn't difficult. They all love the movies and look back at them very fondly."

The news comes a month after it was announced Gil Kenan will be directing the sequel, with "Ghostbusters Afterlife" filmmaker moving into a writer-producer role. Gil said, "It's an absolute honour to pick up the proton pack and step behind the camera for the next chapter of the Spengler family saga. I just wish I could go back to 1984 and tell the kid in the sixth row of the Mann Valley West that one day he was going to get to direct a 'Ghostbusters' film."

Jason, the son of the late "Ghostbusters" director Ivan Reitman, said, "A few years ago, my father handed me the keys to Ecto-1, and together we made 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife'. Words will never express how grateful I am to have made a film with my father by my side. It's now time to hand those keys to my creative partner and fellow Ghostbuster Gil Kenan, a brilliant director who will keep the Spengler spirit alive. I can only hope to provide him the same producorial care and support that my father showed me."

"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" cast members Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace and Carrie Coon are all set to return for the new movie.

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Upendrra Rai led upcoming National Hindi News Channel Bharat Express has appointed Mr Nishant Mishra as Marketing Head before its official launch. In his new role, he will be closely working with the management for the launch of the channel and create successful brand strategy, curate content-led events & IPs, strategic alliances and customized brand solutions for the channel.

Prior to joining Bharat Express, Nishant played a crucial role in the successful launch of Bharat24 and channels other marketing initiatives in his national role. In his career spanning over 15 years, Nishant has worked with leading media brands like TV Today, TV18, Zee and iTV Network.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Nishant Mishra said, Launch is the most exciting and thrilling phase of a media brand. I am privileged to have this opportunity and look forward to working with the incredible and seasoned team of professionals already at Bharat Express.

Upendrra Rai, CMD & Editor-in-Chief, Bharat Express, said, As the channel is gearing up for its official launch on 1st February 2023, we have made a slew of senior-level appointments in critical roles. Nishants appointment will add more heft to our remarkable team at the channel and I am confident that Bharat Express will benefit from Nishants rich experience.

Commenting on the appointment, Varun Kohli, CEO, Bharat Express said, Having worked with Nishant before, I have witnessed Nishants growth as a marketing professional. I have always admired his solution-based and result-oriented approach which will further bolster our growth plans for Bharat Express.
DeepMind Technologies, which is owned by Alphabet, mentions Sparrow as a dialogue agent in their article. Thats useful and reduces the risk of unsafe and inappropriate answers. Our agent is designed to talk with a user, answer questions, and search the internet using Google when its helpful to look up evidence to inform its responses.

The introduction of ChatGPT last year reportedly made Google jittery. According to numerous reports, Googles senior management appears concerned about the popularity of OpenAls Al chatbot despite Google being significantly invested in artificial intelligence (AI).

An engineer who claimed that an undisclosed AI system had developed sentience was dismissed by Google, and the corporation later warned against releasing an AI technology too soon for fear of damaging its reputation.

The New York Times claims that Google plans to demonstrate a version of its search engine with chatbot teachers this year and uncover over 20 Al-powered projects. It seems that things are now moving in a new direction.

Although no precise date for the debut has been given, a few projects might be presented at this years I/O conference in May. As per the sources, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai invited the founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin last month to give leadership advice and approve plans for ChatGPT. Googles Al resembles ChatGPT in some ways.

Similarities between OpenAls ChatGPT and Googles Sparrow

Sparrow is useful and reduces the risk of unsafe and inappropriate answers. Our agent is designed to talk with a user, answer questions, and search the internet using Google when its helpful to look up evidence to inform its responses says Alphabet-owned DeepMind Technologies.

The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.

According to OpenAL, one of ChatGPTs drawbacks is that it sometimes writes plausible-sounding but inaccurate and nonsensical answers. Additionally, the Microsoft-backed company specifies the number of other restrictions.

Because Google hasnt discussed Sparrow much, we dont know much about its limitations, but it did state that Sparrow also has room for improving its rule-following. Sparrow isnt immune to making mistakes, like hallucinating facts and giving answers that are off-topic sometimes according to DeepMind.

Googles Sparrow vs OpenAls ChatGPT

The training data creates variation. Al Charbot from Google is supposed to have the most recent information. The company wants its chatbots to be focused on getting things straight, making sure everyone is safe and getting rid of false information. The knowledge of ChatGPT is limited to 2021 data.

Second, Google wants Al to be able to communicate in several languages.

Further work is needed to assure similar results [received in the English language] across other languages and cultural contexts, DeepMind stated in their research paper. It is clear since during the past several years, Google has introduced Al technology into its goods and services. According to both companies, they are addressing the limitations of these Al models.
On Wednesday, Microsoft Corporations Teams and Outlook stopped working for thousands of users in India. According to Downdetector.com, an outrage tracking website, there were over 3,700 incidents of Microsoft Teams users in India having issues with Microsoft. Due to the outrage many users were unable to access services like exchange of messages, join calls or use any features of the Team application. The tech giant said it was investigating issues impacting multiple Microsoft 365 services.

#MicrosoftTeams was a trending hashtag used by the users on the social media site like Twitter.

Around the world, Microsoft Teams has more than 280 million users, who use Microsoft for daily operations like businesses and schools. They also use it for services like to make calls, schedule meetings and organize their workflow.

Azure, a cloud platform of Microsoft, is used by multiple users in Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Only services in China were not hit. Microsoft added in a tweet it had rolled back a network change that it believed was causing the issue. Were monitoring the service as the rollback takes effect, it said.

We're investigating issues impacting multiple Microsoft 365 services. More info can be found in the admin center under MO502273.  Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) January 25, 2023
She Feeds the World focuses on strengthening the role of small-scale women producers through sustainable agriculture training and economic support to help them increase their crop yields, incomes, and access to nutrition locallyThrough the program, which was launched by Shri Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Minister for Agriculture, Government of West Bengal and Dr Subrata Gupta*, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal, PepsiCo and CARE aim to reach more than 48,000 women, men and children and indirectly benefit 1,500,000 individuals in West Bengal

The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo and CARE, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowerment for marginalized women and girls, announced today the expansion of their She Feeds the World program in India.

Aimed to address gender inequality in the agriculture sector, the program was launched in the presence of Shri Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Minister for Agriculture, Government of West Bengal. Also present at the occasion were Dr Subrata Gupta, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal; Dipika Sanyamath, IAS, Senior Special Secretary, Agriculture Department, Government of West Bengal; Roberto Azevedo, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at PepsiCo and Chairman of Board of Directors for the PepsiCo Foundation; Ahmed ElSheikh, President of PepsiCo India; and Puneet Bali, Executive Director, CARE India.

As part of the companys pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) commitment to Positive Agriculture, She Feeds The World focuses on strengthening the role of small-scale women producers through sustainable agriculture training, economic support and by improving linkages, including with the PepsiCo supply chain, to ensure sustainable and stable incomes for the farmer community. In India, the program will be implemented in the Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts of West Bengal.

She Feeds the World will drive impact for women farmers and their families across the three dimensions of a sustainable food system: economic, social and environmental. At the economic level, it will build capacity for small-scale farmers to improve their cultivation practices, increase yield, and diversify livelihood options to generate more sustainable income. Socially, the project will also promote more equitable access to knowledge, resources and inclusive markets for vulnerable farmers. From an environmental perspective, the project will tackle soil, water, biodiversity and carbon footprint issues to minimize impact on the natural ecosystem.

Through the programs expansion in India, PepsiCo, the PepsiCo Foundation and CARE aim to reach more than 48,000 women, men and children and indirectly benefit 1,500,000 individuals in West Bengal.

She Feeds the World will help women farmers build a secure and resilient livelihood with access to nutrition and water by:Improving capabilities: Training and resources to improve understanding of financial and digital inclusion and sustainable agricultural practices

Improving nutrition in communities: Training women participants on nutrition and WASH, celebrating Village Health and Nutrition Days and identifying nutrition champions

Improving womens access and control over resources: Hosting workshops for participants on power and gender analysis and gender dialogues

Multiplying impact for women small-scale producers: Design and development of digital training packages and audio-visual content to highlight and recognize the efforts of participants

Additionally, at the event, the PepsiCo Foundation recognized women farmers through the continuation of the PepsiCo-USAID Women Farmer Economic Empowerment Program in West Bengal. The farmers were acknowledged for their extraordinary work in the field of agriculture and breaking stereotypes in their local communities. The first edition of the awards took place in 2022.

Shri Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Minister for Agriculture, Government of West Bengal said, West Bengal has been working towards building social security for farmers. Such joint efforts by industry and communities drive true change and are an effective way of creating much-needed awareness around existing resources and opportunities. We are thankful to the PepsiCo Foundation, CARE and USAID for their initiatives in the state which will benefit small-scale women farmers.

Roberto Azevedo, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer and Chairman of Board of Directors, PepsiCo Foundation, said, She Feeds the World project is a key pillar of our pep+ commitment to spreading regenerative agriculture practices and improving the livelihoods of more than 250,000 people in our agricultural supply chain and communities by 2030. We are proud to continue our partnership with CARE and kickstart this global campaign in West Bengal, India. The program will further empower women farmers across the region with resources and training.

Ahmed ElSheikh, President, PepsiCo India, said, At PepsiCo India, we are focused on bringing farmers into the companys supply chain, recognizing them as farmers, and developing them as entrepreneurs. We have been working and engaging with women farmers in West Bengal, who have been active participants and are breaking gender stereotypes. We are glad to bring She Feeds The World to India with CARE, and are confident that such initiatives will further help women farmers build resilient livelihoods.

Mr. Puneet Bali, Executive Director, CARE India, said, The launch of She Feeds The World in India demonstrates CARE, PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation's commitment to the public-private partnership for Sustainable Agriculture. The program aims to identify training needs and skills, and empower 1.5 million women farmers in India by improving their capabilities, nutrition in communities, and access to and control over productive resources.

Ms. Subrataa Chakraborty, India Country Director, ILRG said, At USAID, we believe programs that help increase income for women have a direct impact on entire communities, economies, and countries. Since the launch of Womens Land Rights and Economic Empowerment program, USAID with PepsiCo India, the PepsiCo Foundation and our partners, have successfully provided trainings to over 1,500 women farmers. Today we are honoured to recognize women farmers for their extraordinary work in the field of agriculture and we look forward to further impact more than 300,000 women as part of the program.
Content creator and actress Prajakta Koli, popularly known as MostlySane online, is celebrating a year-long engagement with UNDP India. Prajakta - with over 7 million followers on Instagram and 6.8 million on YouTube - was appointed UNDP India's first Youth Climate Champion last year. She has since been the face of many campaigns to highlight the impact of climate change and engage people, especially young people, to act now.

Together with UNDP India, Prajakta lent her voice to raise awareness about climate action through a YouTube vlog  "Climate Change is Real." To bring stories of real-life heroes leading change in communities, Koli visited UNDP supported plastic waste management project in Chembur, Mumbai, and women-led mangrove tourism in Sindhudurg.

Through UNDP Youth Co:Lab, Prajakta encouraged young social entrepreneurs to effectively utilize their skills to solve some of the country's pressing issues. Likewise, her engagement with other UN Ambassadors through live chats and participation in the 16 Days of Activism campaign stirred meaningful conversations about climate action and violence against women.

"The world today is facing multiple crises. With the largest youth population in the world, India's response to these issues has been innovative and skilfully diverse. UNDP's initiatives on climate action enabled me to propel the youth of this country to take constructive, actionable steps to save our rapidly changing environment. My collaboration with UNDP not only helped me build critical perspectives on several issues but also created awareness about the same. I am excited to engage in new, exciting projects with UNDP India to garner more support for the SDGs this year," said Prajakta Koli.

Prajakta supported UNDP's global campaign, Dear World Leaders, through a powerful video message broadcast widely at the climate conference - COP27 in Egypt last year. She also lent her voice to UNDP's award-winning 'Don't Choose Extinction' campaign to urge humanity to accelerate Climate Action.

Dennis Curry, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP India, said, "Over the last year, Prajakta has been advocating for urgent climate action and using her voice to influence young people to act now. She demonstrates that in young people's leadership lies hope for humanity. Climate change is the defining issue of our lives, and young people are the solution-bearers and the changemakers for a better tomorrow. We look forward to continuing our engagement with her for people and the planet."
The Type Directors Club, the worlds leading typography organization, today opened the call for entries for its global Ascenders competition, celebrating international typographers, letterers, and type designers age 35 and under.

Ascenders is a fast-growing portfolio-based competition dedicated to type in all its versatile forms, and the inspiring up and coming designers  individuals or duos  who are elevating the medium. Entrants submit six projects  typography, use of type, design, lettering, etc.  with short descriptions, a statement of their role in the project's creation, and a list of individual credits where applicable.

Entries are now being accepted, with entry fees increasing after the regular deadline of March 15, 2023. The extended deadline is April 15, 2023, and winners will be announced in June.

This years entries will be judged by a diverse jury of global leaders in the field, including some past Ascenders winners. The 2023 Ascenders jury is as follows:

Frank Adebiaye, type and document designer, Forthcome, Paris

David Barnett, co-owner, Noble Signs, Brooklyn

Alia Bright, self-employed artist and designer, Portland

Chris Campe, designer, writer, All Things Letters, Hamburg

Marina Chaccur, designer, The Hague

Vincent Chan, director, type designer, Matter of Sorts, Naarm/Melbourne

Cyla Costa, lettering artist, Cyla Costa Studio, Curitiba (Brazil)

Liza Enebeis, creative director, partner, Studio Dunbar/DEPT, Rotterdam

Golnar Kat Rahmani, founder, art director, Studio Katrahmani, Berlin

Kenneth Kuh, visual designer, San Jose (California)

Susana Machicao, brand consultant, Visual Communications and Design, Machicao Design, La Paz

Masashi Murakami, graphic designer, art director, emuni, Tokyo

Kiel Mutschelknaus, designer, educator, Baltimore/Washington DC

Shivani Parasnis, senior designer, Spotify, Baltimore

Claudia Rubin, senior designer, The New York Times Magazine New York

Tre Seals, founder, Vocal Type, Washington DC

Matthew Tapia, lettering and graphic artist, Honolulu

Li Zhiqian, cofounder, type director, 3type (), Shanghai

In order to make Ascenders affordable around the globe, TDC offers a four-tier price structure with significant discounts  up to 66%  based on the country where the entrant is located. TDC members also qualify for discounts.

Last years Ascenders winners, selected from the highest number of entrants in the competitions history, included 25 talented young creatives from 13 countries and regions. Prominent past Ascenders winners include Au Chon Hin (Macao, 2022), Kevin Cantrell (Mantua, USA, 2018), Roxane Gataud (Brussels, 2022), Gemma OBrien (Sydney, 2022), Juan Carlos Pagan (New York, 2018), Tre Seals (Maryland, 2018), and others.

Ascenders is the space to confront yourself and overcome the biggest obstacle: the limited perception that we have of ourselves when we are starting out, said Fer Cozzi, graphic designer and type designer based in Buenos Aires who was an Ascenders winner in 2019 and judge last year.

This competition isnt about having the perfect portfolio, but more about looking toward the future, she added. Ascenders entries should contain conviction, not just show off technical skill. I cant wait to see what this years winners will show, since it will certainly reveal where the discipline is headed.

This years Ascenders branding and award are designed by Anl Aykan, graphic designer at Barnbrook Design in London and member of the TDC Advisory Board. The design depicts the ascending creatives by embracing the idea of growth and invasion, with the journey demonstrated by visual metaphors of steps toward further growth and expansion.

For more information and to enter, please visit the Ascenders website.

The One Club for Creativity, producer of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, ONE Asia Creative Awards, Type Directors Club competition, TDC Ascenders, Young Guns, and more, is the worlds foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programming under the organizations four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality, and Creative Development.
Zee Bihar Jharkhand, one of the leading Hindi news channels of Zee Media Corporation Limited, hosted The Iconic Brands of Bihar Jharkhand, felicitating the achievements of iconic brands of the region that converted every challenging situation into an opportunity for growth and expansion in their respective areas of innovation, expertise and emerging businesses. This initiative was further appreciated by the trade community as well as the public.

The on-ground event was held in Ranchi, highlighting the relevance of how Never give up attitude can enable brands/ entrepreneurs to attain iconic success, breaking all barriers of language, community, geographies etc. To name a few, some of the iconic brand awardees are as follows: TufconXT, Vaastu Vihar, State Bank Of India, Satyamev Group, Law Prep Tutorial, Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Pvt Ltd, Ashirwaad

Engicon Group, Hari Lal Ventures Pvt Ltd, Edurise India, Goal Bio Oil, Elegant Steel, S.K Mandal Group Of Institutions and Panorama Group were awarded for excellence in their respective sectors.

The Iconic Brands of Bihar Jharkhand was graced by Chief Guest - Shri Mithilesh Kumar Thakur, Minister, Drinking Water & Sanitation Department, Government of Jharkhand, Actresses- Neha Dhupia & Akshara Singh and several other dignitaries.Shri Mithilesh Kumar

Thakur, Minister, Drinking Water & Sanitation Department, Government of Jharkhand, congratulated the Zee Bihar Jharkhand team for supporting the vision and appreciating the efforts of go-getters of the region. He also emphasized on how such platforms can encourage many more brands to step forward toward the development of the economy.

Speaking on the success of The Iconic Brands of Bihar Jharkhand, Zee Bihar Jharkhand Editor Rajkamal Choudhary, said We are honored to host the The Iconic Brands of Bihar Jharkhand and be a part of the success journey of brands who have attained Iconic status over the years. These visionaries have done exceptionally well in their respective fields. The Zee Bihar Jharkhand team has been consistently encouraging brands and stakeholders to expand and explore new horizons for the future by providing national recognition.

This event was powered by TufconXT and The State Bank of India and Vastu Vihar was the banking partner and special partner respectively.
There may have been cheating in the 2022 midterm election, in the view of 57 percent of people recently surveyed by Rasmussen.

In that same survey of 1,000 likely voters, 30 percent indicated that cheating was likely. Thats where I fit in: the 30 percent group.

To restore faith in our elections, we need to take some simple but controversial steps:

A national standard

Many people, especially Republicans, oppose the idea of a national standard because they see this it a states rights issue. On the other hand, most Democrats are eager to have a national standard but their idea of a standard is more like a plan for election organized crime.

How long would it take for the United States to become a fascist nation if we were to adopt some of the ideas that were recently offered in the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and/or the Freedom to Vote Act? Democrats have proposed...

complete legalization of ballot harvesting so that a ballot could be submitted, on your behalf, by paid operatives.

automatic voter registration for all adults (with no verification of citizenship).

universal ability to vote by mail, for any reason.

no voter ID requirement in states that choose not to have one. States that already have an ID requirement would be forced to weaken it by accepting a broad array of documents, including copies of utility bills or sworn statements (in lieu of ID).

voting by convicted felons, unless they happen to be in prison on the day of the election.

a ban on post-election independent audits, such as the Arizona Senate audit of Maricopa Countys 2020 election. Only official audits would be allowed.

The proposals (above) are truly scary, and this may be the reason for GOP opposition to any national standard. However, a country-wide standard is essential. We can no longer allow some states to cheat by allowing non-citizens to votes, or by allowing political operatives to cast votes on behalf of unsuspecting residents. That is why we need a national baseline of a few essential voting requirements, such as these:

A ban on ballot harvesting, with a few limited exceptions for spouses or for people with disabilities

A hard ID requirement preferably with photos

Mandatory citizenship verification when a person registers for the first time

A uniform national Election Day cutoff for voting

State standards

At the state level there are several other actions that could improve the integrity of our elections:

There should be a ban on the use of private funding for the administration of elections (no more Zuckerbucks).

Registration lists must be updated continuously, and people should be removed when they stop voting in elections. When multiple people register at the same address, extra verification is required. (There have been instances of hundreds of people voting from a single parking lot, commercial building, etc.)

Mail voting should be allowed, but only for people with legitimate reasons, such as travel or disability.

Drop boxes should be legal, but only if they are in secure areas, monitored with video, and fairly distributed to all areas of the state.

Partisan observers are an important part of election integrity and security. When ballots and ballot envelopes are processed, Republican and Democrat representatives should be given close access so they can monitor the processes. Their comments and objections should be recorded so that follow-up action can be taken.

There should be severe penalties imposed when observers are harassed, as was the case in Detroit and other locations. (See Debunked? pages 152-54.)

Immediately after each federal election, independent auditors should commence limited procedures (not just counting) to ensure the integrity of close elections. Testing should be performed on a sample basis, to keep costs low. Specific items tested should be selected on a surprise basis.

All voters should be able to determine, via the internet, that their votes were tabulated. Documents that are not confidential should be posted online.

States should have law enforcement dedicated to investigating election complaints. Florida provides a model.

What if the state administration does not believe in election integrity?

Many states have administrations that do not want tighter election standards. In fact, some want to liberalize voting rules. An example is Nevada, which virtually gutted election controls a couple of months before the 2020 election:

In Nevada there is automatic mailing of ballots (not just ballot applications) to everyone, on the basis of voter registration lists that are obviously out of date. Hundreds, if not thousands, of ballots were found ...in post office trays, outside apartment complexes, and on community bulletin boards in and around Las Vegas.

Ballot harvesting has been legalized in Nevada, without restrictions. Drug addicts, homeless people, and political operatives can anonymously harvest ballots in unlimited quantities.

Drop boxes are legal, and have no monitoring or special security arrangements.

And, of course, Nevada also has no ID requirement, aside from weakly-enforced signature standards. How weak? A reporter for the Las Vegas Review Journal conducted an informal test using his own handwriting to transmit ballots for 9 of his friends. Eight of the nine bogus signatures were accepted. (The weak drop box requirements are found in Nev. Rev. Stat  293.8861.)

Achieving election integrity in states like Nevada (or California, Oregon, Washington State, Colorado, etc.) will be exceedingly difficult, but some actions may be possible:

Recruit a huge number of very tough-minded attorneys and other observers to monitor unguarded drop boxes, ballot processing, and recounts. Record video when possible. Be prepared to clash with left-wing agitators.

Immediately after each election, request important records, such a chain of custody documents and qualified voter files. It may be necessary to use Right-to-Know laws.

If the election is in doubt, and ballot harvesting is the suspected reason, immediately commence door-to-door voter canvassing. Remember, harvesting may be legal in some states, but stealing ballots or tricking voters is not. A professional organization with impeccable credentials should organize the effort. A representative sample of voters should be asked whether or not they voted and the means by which they voted. If the results differ significantly from voter records, ballot theft or trickery are the likely reasons. A canvass report by a professional organization, such as a large CPA firm, could be strong evidence for a lawsuit.

Offer rewards for information regarding election fraud, including harvesting operations.

Last but not least, make sure that you vote, in every election, and only support candidates who have the courage to speak out for and support election integrity.

Joe Fried is an Ohio-based CPA who has performed and reviewed hundreds of certified financial audits. He is the author of the new book, Debunked? An auditor reviews the 2020 election and the lessons learned (Republic Book Publishers, 2022). It provides a comprehensive overview of irregularities that affected the 2020 election.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
You can already tell by our title the direction this piece is going.

But it's much more than just a bunch of selfish crybabies. Today's story is about a fundamental shift in how the country thinks and acts, whereby we have lost another critical piece of what made us unique.

Let's step back for a moment, and I'll share a story highlighting the problem as I see it.

I live in a small rural county run by a five-person Board of Commissioners. Virtually every decision of consequence is made in a consensus-focused manner. During one of the recent department reports, commissioners were advised that some employees had been put on standby status in case a quick response was required to a recent cold snap. The department head acknowledged that employees would be paid if they were called to work.

But a dispute followed over whether employees should be paid for "standing by" in case of need, whether ultimately activated or not.

I argued that the essential nature of public service employment is that they might be inconvenienced from time to time, but such emergency call-ups were or should be part of their job description.

A decision was not reached, but it made me think.

I've employed individuals continuously for nearly fifty years. During that time, I've seen a change from gratitude for employment to an attitude that turns the relationship on its head.

Today, employers bend over backward to accommodate the needs and seemingly arbitrary desires of hires to a degree that would have been unthinkable in years past.

A recent Fox and Friends program featured employees quitting their job without notice and even going so far as to place their joyful resignations on TikTok!

It seems there is a not-so-subtle disdain for employers in general, and it's cool and hip to "shove it to the man," so to speak. Of course, not all employees behave in such a manner, but too many no longer feel loyal to their employers. Indeed, a lack of gratefulness or partnership is much more common than I can remember in my lifetime.

The situation with my county commission and TikTok antics highlight an absence of gratitude.

Our historical work ethic is now associated with White Privilege. The White Privilege war has become the go-to weapon the Left has embraced to destroy traditional American society and families. Those people whom I term the 'Destroyers' accuse the government of being predicated on a virtually unchallenged assumption that America was formed, run, and exists for the benefit of white people in general and privileged whites in particular.

Quitting your job without giving the standard two-week notice (or more if you are in a critical position) is considered by molly-coddled younger workers to be nothing more than leveling the playing field. The prevailing thinking seems to state that companies are exploiting their workers through the very requirement to show up for work. Many of those young believe they have better things to do than punch a clock or make money for someone other than themselves and detest the inconvenience of having to work for money. To them, this is literal proof of White Supremacy.

How did this come to pass? Growing up in the '60s and early '70s, I was anxious to work. I wanted to build businesses and create opportunities. I wanted to hire people smarter than me, not to exploit them, but to create wealth and prosperity for all of us. And I did. I speak to many entrepreneurs who still believe in that pathway. Still, large companies, government workers, and many non-profit employees have been inculcated into an anti-free market culture and subsequent entitlement and victimhood.

Fortunately, many good old-fashioned workers and employers still think and act as I do. However, the contaminated individuals who believe the Left's tripe can and are pulling the rest of us down.

Here's an analogy to explain how this will inevitably come to pass:

Remember the Titanic? She would not have sunk except for one flaw; its watertight bulkheads were not sealed at the top. So, as the water rose in one compartment, it spilled over to the next compartment and then the next until it was inevitable that the Titanic would founder and sink. I believe it is now that way with our country. Attitudes toward work, family, savings, debt, and entitlement are like flooded compartments, ultimately sinking our ship.

In addition, millions of illegal aliens are like surging water overtopping the nation's bulkheads, leading to the ship of state sinking rapidly to the bottom.

But unlike the Titanic, we have a little time to find a solution before it is too late. We could right the ship if we tried hard. The question is, will we? On one side, we have the people, institutions, companies, and others intent on reinventing the U.S. into something foreign and unworkable. On the other side, we have the silent majority. President Nixon popularized that term in 1969. Why don't people speak out in defense of their self-interests? The fact that so many are silent is telling. Many of the remaining producers remain modest and frugal, keeping to themselves, be that church, social circles, or even immediate family. That silent majority is quite the opposite of those individuals shouting their opinions loudly and often to any target they think is a threat to their view of how the world should be as far as they are concerned.

In my life, each day, I pray to do something "decent and right" that will help someone that day. In an imperfect world, it is up to the individual, not the government, to make this world better than how we found it. Government interferes with our duty and obligation by trying to be something that it can never beDaddy.

Distortion of reality of all kinds, exhibited by millions, is a condition I will call 'Woke Brain. It is observable within those mentally weak or adrift from reality who are disengaged from traditional life requirements that have defined us since our inception.

Wrongheaded thinking derived from decades of brainwashing has left us where we are today. Can you believe that 18% of those under 34 don't believe we landed on the Moon? Think about that! This statistic encapsulates everything you need to know to understand what's wrong with our society. Those naysayers don't believe we went to the Moon because they can't imagine they/we could do it again today based on their observations of lazy society, waning intelligence, and the drive among their friends. Add to that a deep distrust of anything and everything that constitutes our collective history and culture.

Their starting point was 1619 when slaves were first brought to America, which the New York Times now says defines us as a predator nation to this day.

Millions of our young live with a profound distrust for America, its systems, fairness, and perhaps, even a question of how long the America of their parents and grandparents will continue to exist. These issues constitute the root cause of our current predicament and where we must collectively make our stand.

God Bless America!

Allan J. Feifer is a patriot, author, businessman, and thinker. Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com

Image: Screen shot from National Geographic video, via YouTube
If incoming email is any judge, there are large swaths of our citizen friends who want to get involved in fighting voter fraud  "just do something!"

Two years ago, most Americans thought phantom voters were comic book characters. Nobody had ever seen one.

This week, we reached our 5,000th volunteer request (in 60 days) to help clean voter rolls  and we never asked for a single volunteer. We are just technology guys.

Americans are fed up; they get it that their elected officials are not going to clean voter rolls. Perhaps some people did not dig the Big Steal for the Trump election  but after Kari Lake, the Senate in Nevada, and dozens of local races, they are on fire now.

We track comments on the www.Omega4America.com site.

The single most repeated phrase is "what can I do to help?" The second most repeated is "can you run our voter rolls in Fractal?" The third most common phrase, often with colorful adjectives, is "why don't you tell us what we can do?"

The messaging has some alarming similarities.

The most surprising, by far, comes from Alex, whose comment represents hundreds of others: "in our local school board election, we saw people voting who don't live here. We had overwhelming support, and a 'nobody' got elected!"

Another comment indicative of thousands of others: "The Supervisor claims to be cleaning the rolls regularly, but this is impossible, given what I have found. She said she removed one of the names but would not tell me which one."

This was a note from a New Hampshire voter:

Before November 4, 2020, almost nobody in America looked at voter rolls  at least not anyone normal. Now voter rolls in every state are being evaluated, line by line, by tens of thousands of concerned citizens.

Some use Fractal technology from us. Many use desktop computers and lead pencils.

Everyone is finding phantom voters  people who are registered at that address but who do not live there. They may never have lived there. They may have moved years ago. They may be dead or confined.

The big phantom voter story of early 2023 is that phantoms are almost impossible to take off the rolls. There is eternal life for anyone on an election roll if he is of use to the leftist cause.

People, the strategy must change and change fast. Identifying phantoms is no longer the objective.

Getting them off the rolls is the singular objective. How does one do that?

The voter integrity movement is breaking in three directions.

One group has expensive offices in Washington, D.C.; raises dough; writes reports; does seminars; and initiates occasional lawsuits. They have big names on their boards, and if their activity were effective, Donald Trump would be president today. They slept through November 4, 2020!

Another wave are the hundreds of voter integrity teams spanning every state who use ancient technology, find people who moved in the NCOA data (National Change of Address Database), attend weekly or monthly Zoom calls, and listen to one another's horror stories.

Such low-tech efforts create casualties.

We did an expert witness report, for a 2022 governor race  last month  and we can say with precision and certainty that if that state's voter integrity team had monitored the voter rolls in a single county, constantly, the 90 days before the election  costing less than Ronna McDaniel spent on flowers in one year  a Republican woman would be governor today.

Neither group is cleaning voter rolls.

Neither group is persuasive.

Neither group is attracting the droves of newly interested citizens who want to "do something!"

Neither group is helping thwart the leftist treasure trove of phantom voters who cast phantom ballots, electing people who do not campaign.

Voter roll cleanup is almost impossible because the good guys who might want to do it cannot  they are afraid they will be smacked with "voter suppression." They know that even dead voters have rights with leftists, and those voters will not willingly be taken off the rolls.

The leftists are all in with fat, obscenely fraudulent voter rolls. They will fight to the death to make sure phantoms remain in case Trump surprises them again.

The leftist billionaire class funds all this.

Alas, the Republican big money is nowhere to be found supporting the valiant state voter teams fighting incredible odds. The Republican Party is useless, while the Democrat party apparatus is organized down to the street level.

A third strategy is emerging  from the thousands of volunteers regularly signing up on www.Omega4America.com. That group believes in persuasion through technology.

The ancient Greeks taught that rhetoric, the art of persuasion, was one of the highest arts. We agree.

So how does one persuade county clerks to clean voter rolls when they do not want to do it, are afraid to do it, or do not know there is a problem?

Some of the Omega4America volunteers are seeing success applying technology to gentle persuasion. When that is not quite enough, they are using technology to make recalcitrant clerks or judges look really stupid. And when that is not enough, they are using the county's own data to tie it up in knots. Let's go there.

Every county has a voter roll. Every county has a property tax roll. Every physical address appears on both.

Using Fractal technology, we inventory every address in the county. If it is a business, we know the type of business, the square footage, the utilities, everything. Using artificial intelligence developed for telco companies, Fractal "personalizes" each address.

Can it have a registered voter there? If it is a grocery store, maybe. If it is a school, probably not.

It's persuasion time.

Our team member sits with the county clerk. Here are gentle questions:

"Why does Bill Jones vote when his residence in your county property tax record is a bank?"

"How is it you have 26 people in this address? Your property tax records show one bath and 600 square feet. We are going to challenge the certificate of occupancy!"

These questions are gently persuasive. Perhaps not quite enough. How about this?

"Hey, we are monitoring your county voter rolls. We have them from 15 different days in the last 2 months. Why did you change the ZIP codes of 33,000 people who did not move? Why did that change happen the week mail-in ballots were sent? Why did you change ZIP codes back?"

People, we are in felony land here  pretty persuasive.

Here's another one: "Why did you add 22,000 voters after October 11? It is the legal cut-off date for changing voter rolls."

Orange jumpsuits dance in the mind of county clerks.

What's different?

We have better data tools than they do.

We see every transaction, every change, every nuance in the data. They, the county clerks, have junk SQL, Excel technology  and they know they are screwed through citizen visibility.

There is a third way voter integrity teams are moving  challenging with technology leading to persuasion.

We are collecting these intrepid souls at www.Omega4America.com. We will shortly have a newsletter, followed by a map of the U.S. where volunteers can sign up with voter integrity teams.

We are doing the major fundraising to make the Fractal system available to any state that wants to use it. Pennsylvania and Georgia are next.

We, like the Greeks, believe in gentle persuasion.

If that is not enough, well, orange is a very nice color.

Jay Valentine led the team that built the eBay fraud detection engine and the underlying technology for the TSA No-Fly list. The website is www.Omega4America.com, and Jay's Twitter account is @jayvalentine99.

Image via Pxhere.
In any normal world, thugs accused of stealing $12,000 from a department store would be put on the first plane out if they got their start here by breaking into the country illegally.

Not a problem for them in New York, where uttering the magic word 'asylum' conveys a host of benefits well beyond the free hotel rooms, free laundry, free food, free medical, free transport and more.

According to the New York Post (emphasis mine):

Four migrants who were busted for allegedly shoplifting at a Long Island Macys after being bused to the Big Apple from Texas wont face deportation  unless theyre convicted, sources and legal experts said Tuesday. The men, who are charged with stealing more than $12,000 in merchandise from Macys Roosevelt Field earlier this month, are getting a break because they are asylum seekers, not illegal immigrants who crossed the US border. They are given the benefit of the doubt because they have a pending application with the [US Citizenship and Immigration Services], Queens-based immigration lawyer Luis Nicho told The Post. [The Department of Homeland Security] would normally disqualify you for asylum and put you in the process of being deported, Nicho said. Law enforcement are likely waiting to see how the case will shake out, and if the shoplifters cop to a lesser crime, they may still be eligible for asylum, he said.

All it takes is the magic word of 'asylum' and it's all but certain the criminals will be able to stay -- free to rob again.

Because the fact of the matter is, there are a thousand things that can go wrong with obtaining a conviction. Cops could write faulty police reports or lose evidence. District Attorneys could "not have enough resources" to prioritize their cases in court, or claim their crime was too piddly to bother about. Some judge could rule that they didn't get adequate representation from their freebie public defenders that they paid nothing to have at their "service." The legal process could drag out and be dropped on those grounds, too. Worst of all, a bleeding heart D.A., could lower the charges explicitly to prevent their deportation. Over in San Francisco, Chesa Boudin famously did this, but there have also been cases in Oregon and Connecticut where the same miscarriage of justice went on. This is far from the only group of likely scenarios that work in thugs' favor, and they are all highly operative in New York, meaning, lots of scum remains free to walk the streets as a result.

These thugs should have their asylum applications torn up in their faces at this police pickup with all its proponderance of evidence and they should be permanently banned from ever trying to enter the U.S. That their asylum applications are shielding them from any legal action to protect the public and being taken so seriously by officials points to a broken, pathetic, outrageously abused asylum system, that ought to be scrapped altogether. Asylum used to be for people who'd been persecuted by their governments.

Getting emptied out of a Venezuelan jail by a dictator for the express purpose of making it to America to be a human plague there is not what asylum laws were created for. And not every claim to asylum should be treated in the same solicitous way. Junk cases should be tossed immediately and don't need a long and expensive court series that takes years.

But that's what the Biden open-borders policy is. We can't even throw out instantly a group of smash and grab robbers from some foreign hellhole. All of the burden is on law-abiding Americans to prove that they shouldn't be able to stay. As for them, they get time and resources and NGO blubbering advocacy, all to keep them here to prey on Americans.

It's trash like this that makes a lot of Americans sick of the current asylum law as it is, and raises public support for getting rid of it altogether. If authorities can't distinguish between smash-and-grab robbers and actual legitimate asylum cases, then maybe it's time to get rid of the law altogether. No nation should have to keep predators like this in its berth.

Image: Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free
See also: DirecTV Drops Newsmax from their satellite feed

Newsmax suffered a major blow overnight as satellite television provider DirecTV ended its carriage, cutting its 13 million subscribers from the potential audience for the conservative cable news outfit. This amounts to 25% of the 50 million viewers Newsmax claims to reach. The two companies are making contradictory claims about the imbroglio, and while censorship of conservative views cannot be ruled out as a causal factor, there appear to be purely commercial considerations affecting the decision.

Any discussion of the matter must begin with the raw fact that the era of "cord cutting," where subscribers dump their monthly fee to receive cable and satellite channels and rely instead on streaming services, is seriously challenging the industry, diminishing the revenue of DirecTV, Comcast, and everyone else in the business. DirecTV has downsized its staff by hundreds of employees and claims it doesn't have new financial resources to spend on programming content. Newsmax, after charging nothing to DirecTV as a carriage charge since its inception, was seeking to begin receiving such revenue, and DirecTV cited that as the reason for dropping the channel:

"On multiple occasions, we made it clear to Newsmax that we wanted to continue to offer the network, but ultimately Newsmax's demands for rate increases would have led to significantly higher costs that we would have to pass on to our broad customer base," a DirecTV spokesperson told The Daily Beast shortly after midnight on Wednesday.

Newsmax, however, points out that other channels, including its news channel competitors, do receive a carriage fee:

DirecTV pays cable license fees to all top 75 cable channels and to all 22 liberal news and information channels it carries. Almost all of these channels are paid hefty license fees significantly more than Newsmax was seeking  and despite the fact most of the channels have much lower ratings than Newsmax. "This is a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax," Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax said. "The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&T's DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN need to be deplatformed," Ruddy added.

The key sticking point appears to be the fact that Newsmax streams its content for free on YouTube, on NesmaxTV.com, and on multiple streaming services. I am able to watch Newsmax on my Roku box, for example, with no subscription fee. A DirecTV spokesman said:

Anyone, including our customers, can watch the network for free via NewsmaxTV.com, YouTube.com and on multiple streaming platforms like Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Google Play. We continually evaluate the most relevant programming to provide our customers and expect to fill this available channel with new content.

I'd like to see Newsmax flourish and reach a large audience. It has achieved a respectable size. As I pointed out a few days ago, at times, Newsmax pulls in more than a third of the audience of MSNBC and almost as large a share of CNN's viewers.

Some GOP politicians are speaking out in support of Newsmax:

Last week, as news spread in Congress that AT&T DirecTV was moving to deplatform Newsmax, 41 Republican Congressmen led by Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, sent a letter to the CEO's of AT&T, DirecTV, and hedge fund TPG Capital, the minority operator of the satellite system, warning of hearings.

Needless to say, lefty media are celebrating the blow with specious claims that Newsmax is less reliable than, well, they are. MSNBC, which labeled the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis "mostly peaceful" as a building burned in the background of its reporter, and which hyped the Russia hoax continuously, huffed:

GOP lawmakers are up in arms that DirecTV might pull the plug on a major source of right-wing disinformation, and they're trying to throw their weight around to stop it. In a letter late last week, more than 40 Republicans decried the possibility that DirecTV would no longer offer Newsmax  the archconservative, Trump-loving network known for spreading lies.

The business environment of the mass media has become increasingly difficult. I hope that a compromise can be reached that leaves Newsmax on DirecTV.
See also: DirecTV deplatforms Newsmax, cutting off its 13 million subscribers from the fourth-rated cable news channel

Just yesterday, Fox Business host Charlie Gasparino reported, citing anonymous sources, that theres a "90% chance" that Newsmax will be "de-platformed" by AT&Ts DirecTV by Tuesday.

SCOOP: People close to @NEWSMAX say there's a 90% chance channel is de-platformed by @DIRECTV tonight, 2nd conservative-leaning network to go dark on carrier setting up a political battle w GOP congress & possibly @realDonaldTrump w DTV's owners @ATT & TPG Cap. 345 @FoxBusiness  Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) January 24, 2023

Usually, the media use anonymous sources to peddle propaganda.

But here the claim turned was factual. DirecTV stopped carrying Newsmax when an extension of its carriage agreement expired yesterday at 11:59 P.M. E.T.

DirecTV, claims that the reason was that Newsmax was seeking a carriage fee after being available free previously.

Newsmax's CEO Christopher Ruddy however has a different story.

He wrote to Congressional Republicans claiming that DirecTV's actions were discriminatory against conservative viewpoints..

The following is an excerpt from the letter:

The most important fact about this dispute is this: in response to pressure from Congressional Democrats, AT&T and DirecTV have twice demonetized a conservative news channel in just one year. Yet they continue to carry and pay many liberal channels with a fraction of Newsmax's audience share. This is prima facie evidence of viewpoint discrimination. The marketplace has confirmed that Newsmax is a valuable channel deserving a fair and equitable rate, as our renewals with Dish, Verizon, and NCTC demonstrate. It is AT&T and DirecTV that are acting in a discriminatory manner.

Ruddy urged the GOP-majority House to demand that DirecTV and all pay TV systems be fair to conservative media and suggested that Congress should hold hearings into how Democrat pressure resulted in Newsmax and One America News being targeted by AT&T and DirecTV.

In response, Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas and 41 other congressional Republicans wrote to DirecTV expressing concern that it is stifling conservative voices.

The following are excerpts from that letter:

It has recently been revealed that Congressional Democrats and the White House coordinated closely with private companies to de-platform, de-monetize, or otherwise limit the reach of viewpoints they oppose and classify them as 'misinformation.'

On February 22, 2021, Democratic members of the Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to AT&T and DIRECTV encouraging the censorship of conservative television networks One America News Network (OANN), Fox News, and Newsmax.

Given the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce Committee over your companies' business interests, it is reasonable to assume you took this letter seriously and complied with these demands.

The letter noted that DirecTV carried a number of left-leaning networks, including VICE media, and that VICE received higher fees than Newsmax, and warned of oversight hearings should AT&T drop Newsmax.

Taken together, these two actions lead us to believe that DIRECTV, one of the nation's largest Multichannel Video Programming Distributors, is actively working to limit conservative viewpoints on its system.

Republicans voiced support for Newsmax:

Its absurd @DIRECTV caved to the woke mob and partisan demands of Democrats to censure @NEWSMAX.



America deserves to hear ALL points of view!  Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) January 23, 2023

This isn't the first time DirecTV has dropped a conservative channel.

DirecTV dropped One America News Network (OAN) last April after capitulating to pressure from far-left extremists.

Targeting right-leaning media isn't a recent phenomenon; it has been happening since the days of the Obama presidency.

Back in November 2010, Obama reportedly told then-incoming House speaker John Boehner, "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done."

Obama frequently attacked Fox News from his White House podium and continues to do so now.

Obama staffer Tommy Vietor published an op-ed titled "Why Joe Biden Must Sideline Fox."

If you study the myriad of violative actions from the modern left today, you will discover they have their roots in the Obama presidency. Obama laid the foundation, and the activists on the ground and on social media are taking it to the next level.

In this particular case, they are silencing opposing voices by calling the organization bigoted conspiracy theorists.

This happened all through the Trump presidency.

The crescendo reached its peak when most of the mainstream media buried and discredited the Hunter Biden laptop story that affected the 2020 presidential election.

Following the Jan. 6 protests at the U.S. Capitol in 2021, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to several cable TV providers  including DirecTV's majority owner, AT&T  asking whether and why the providers would continue giving a platform to outlets that they claimed spread disinformation which caused the Jan. 6 "insurrection."

The request certainly was complied with.

First, OAN was de-platformed, and now Newsmax.

Making a case for censorship on MSNBC was columnist Ja'han Jones.

He claimed that "Republicans are trying to establish a new definition of censorship, one that apparently means 'not giving us the freedom to spread dangerous lies on independently owned platforms.'"

As always, the sanctimonious have a total lack of self-awareness. MSNBC, which is the vilest among Democrat mouthpieces on TV and the foremost peddler of propaganda and dangerous falsehoods, calls Newsmax names without realizing the hypocrisy or the irony.

The reason behind this lack of awareness is that they have convinced themselves that they are on a higher moral pedestal. Hence, they think everything they do, including peddling baseless lies about Trump colluding with Russia to rig the 2016 election, is for the greater good. They did not care about the instability it caused and the long-term consequences of eroding trust in the electoral process.

However, when Trump and his supporters asked questions based on genuine concerns, they were called conspiracy theorists, and it was used to censor them.

What about those who claim that a service provider has a right to de-platform any channel it deems unworthy, and D.C. should not interfere in the marketplace by supporting any one player?

To compete in the marketplace, there has to be fairness  i.e., each player is given an equal opportunity to prove his worth before he is dismissed as unviable. When any particular business is discriminated against, it ceases to be a free market.

The situation is identical to Big Tech manipulating the narrative. A search on Google news will seldom yield content from any conservative news platforms.

The intervention is required to take on an ecosystem where liberals are trying to establish a monopoly.

Anyone confident about the ideas he is proposing would welcome the presence of opposing perspectives, so viewers will consume them and prove them to be inferior.

But the left know that their abominable and unsustainable ideas will be rejected by the public. The only way to win over or retain voters is to censor every other idea.

Why is it so important that the House GOP advocate for Newsmax? Because information affects elections.

One of the reasons that the Democrats didn't receive the emphatic routing they deserved in the 2022 midterms, apart from the irregularities, is that the media manage to drive the narrative that anachronistic election-denying domestic terrorists were about to take over the country if the public voted for the GOP. It is quite likely that casual consumers probably believed this narrative and voted for Democrats out of caution.

Newsmax is essential to combat the Democrats' falsehoods.

So how must the GOP react?

There must be real action in addition to televised congressional hearings that often are political theatre.

But in addition to holding DirecTV and others accountable, they must make an effort to bring prominence to Newsmax.

Perhaps the superstars of the GOP such as President Trump should do exclusive interviews with Newsmax to give it more prominence.
Maricopa County is the most populated part of Arizona. When it comes to local government, its strongly conservative. However, abruptly and surprisingly, in both 2020 and 2022, Maricopa County suddenly started voting Democrat. The courts shut down 2020 election challenges, but gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is fighting the good fight for the 2022 electionand today she released bombshell information about voting machine problems and bizarre signature analyses. If a judge accepts this data, it shows an election-changing pattern of suppressing Republican votes and overcounting Democrat votes.

Maricopa County had 4,420,568 residents according to the 2020 census, making it the fourth most populous county in America, with over 60% of Arizonas total population. Historically, its been a consistently conservative county. Before 2020, the county voted for every Republican presidential candidate going back to Eisenhowers first run.

In 2022, the voter registration balance in Maricopa County was 34.5% Other/Independent (which often means conservatives disgusted with the Republican party), 34.3% Republican, 30.4% Democrat, and 0.9% Libertarian. Moreover, if county elections are anything to go by, its the Republicans who show up. At least since the year 2000, four of the five members of the Maricopa County board of supervisors have been Republican.

Image: Kari Lake. YouTube screen grab.

In 2020, bizarrely, this heavily Republican county, one in which the Republicans regularly showed up to vote, suddenly elected the newly radicalized Joe Biden over Donald Trump. This was a little strange when you consider that the voters generally preferred Republican candidates in the same election. However, judges were hostile to reports of cheating, as well as to any recount, so claims of election malfeasance went nowhere.

In 2022, the formerly Republican county again chose a Democrat over a Republican, throwing its votes behind Katie Hobbs over Kari Lake for Governor. Or did it?

Kari Lake filed suit alleging that election wrongdoing in Maricopa made the difference between winning and losing the race. What happens in Maricopa matters because Lake allegedly lost all of Arizona by a hair over 17,000 votes. Significant wrongdoing in Maricopa should invalidate the whole election. So far, the judge hasnt yet tossed the caseand, after todays bombshells, he may not be able to do so, no matter how much he wants to.

Shelby Bush, who is the Chairman of We the People AZ Alliance PC and the Maricopa County Republican Committee Vice Chair, reported to the Arizona Senate Elections Committee that a review of the system log files from the tabulators in Maricopa on election day, which the county finally returned in response to a FOIA request, revealed that nearly a quarter-million ballots were misread:

Breaking



Shelby Bush confirms after reviewing the system log files from the tabulators on election day, nearly a quarter-million ballots were misread.



With 446 tabulators across the county, there's no doubt the integrity of the election in Maricopa County was compromised. pic.twitter.com/GKyW8kFNQz  Kari Lake War Room (@KariLakeWarRoom) January 23, 2023

Thats a staggering number of misreadings, showing that the machines were failing at a spectacular rate. In addition, testimony established that the potential for fraudulent mail-in ballots was extremely high because 10% of the absentee ballot signatures were manifestly mismatched. Despite that, the ballots were counted anyway:

Signature Verification



"What was most concerning to us overall was that 10% of the signatures that were reviewed fall into what we consider an "egregious" category."



Meaning these signatures fail multiple points & cannot pass.



They were passed anyway & added to the count. pic.twitter.com/j0kx9TGdcH  Kari Lake War Room (@KariLakeWarRoom) January 23, 2023

This tweet highlights just some of the signatures that were passed as matches in order to allow 40,000 ballots to be counted, despite their failing to meet the minimum prerequisites for counting them:

 BOMBSHELL DISCOVERY 



Todays Senate Testimony CONFIRMS nearly 40,000 ballots illegally counted (10% of the signatures reviewed).



I think all the Election Deniers out there deserve an apology. pic.twitter.com/3g2x5zgd2c  Kari Lake (@KariLake) January 23, 2023

Put that evidence together (and well as prior evidence of wrongdoing in Maricopa), and you see a voting system that canceled out in-person votes (which living, real, registered Republicans prefer) and overcounted mail-in ballots (which can come from anybody or nobody, and which are almost entirely Democrat in nature).

If Shakespeare were alive, he wouldnt be writing Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Instead, hed undoubtedly say, Something is rotten in the state of Arizona or in the County of Maricopa. Now well see whether that rot extends to the state judiciary or not. Given my low opinion of judges, I am, sadly, not optimistic. Kari Lake, however, still has hope:
Wokeism doesnt always involve huge, hard-charging institutions or whacked out leftists, and pushback doesnt always have to be brutal and ugly. In New Jersey, a small community college thought it should segregate meetings by race. In response to low-key pushback (because do you see any blaring headlines?), the college reversed its decision. Thats how things can and should work, without screaming and hatred.

Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) is what it says it is: A community college located in New Jerseys Atlantic County, as well as Cape May County. An employee anonymously sent an email to Seth Grossman, at Liberty and Prosperity blog, saying that the community college was segregating its staff focus groups by race and doing so in a way that non-minority staff would receive less money for their time at the meeting.

Heres the notice:

Image from Liberty and Prosperity.

The relevant language states as follows:

We are also excited to share that the ATD [Achieving the Dream] team will be on our Mays Landing Campus January 26 and 27, 2023. During their time here, division meetings are scheduled to discuss leveling equity as it relates to both instruction and student services. In addition to the leveling equity meetings, ATD will host focus group meetings to discuss the results of the Climate Survey, which staff/students completed December 2021. If your schedule allows, please join us for the following focus groups: Staff who identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, or Pacific Islanders: Thursday, January 26th | 3 p.m | B209 Staff who do not identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, or Pacific Islanders: Friday, January 27th | 4 p.m | B209

(Achieving the Dream, in case youre wondering, is an organization that works with community colleges to transform them to ensure all students can access learning that propels them into rewarding careers. A lot of what they process sounds like gobbledy-gook to me: We provide institutions with integrated, tailored support for every aspect of their work  from foundational capacities such as leadership, data, and equity to intentional strategies for supporting students holistically, building K-12 partnerships, and more. Words such as equity and antiracist often appear on their site. I dont need to do a deep dive to know that ATD is bringing leftist values to community colleges.)

Image: Atlantic Cape Community College, May Campus, by Sasae86. CC BY-SA 4.0.

But back to that announcement. I have no idea if the segregated meeting idea emanated from the college itself or from ATD, and Im not going to speculate.

What we do know from the anonymous whistleblower is that the differently timed meetings (the minority-only meeting at 3; the Whites-only meeting at 4) have real-world consequences. Seth Grossman writes:

This anonymous source, claiming to be an ACCC employee, wrote that because the paid workday ends at 4:30 pm, the group that meets Thursday at 3pm will be paid for most of their attendance at the focus group meeting. However, the group that meets at 4pm on Friday will be paid only for thirty minutes of their time.

I have no intention of lambasting ACCC for its initial decision-making. This is what all of academia, from the rancid Ivy Towers and massive state universities to small community colleges like ACCC, are doing. Some do it out of conviction; some because theyre sheep.

What I want to talk about is the fact that sunlight has again proven to be the best disinfectant. Burned by the Aretha Franklin hoax, I called ACCC. In response to my question about whether the notice was real, a woman in the personnel department tersely replied that, yes, its real, but it was a mistake, and were retracting it. End of conversation because that was all that needed to be said.

Thats a perfect outcome. Whether out of ignorance, because of principle, or because everyone does it, ACCC decided to segregate its employees. When people learned about this and objected, ACCC saw the error of its ways and changed its approach. Its to be congratulated for doing the right thing. We should always celebrate when disputes get resolved in a civil fashion.

The whole thing is a great lesson for those of us who prefer a country in which institutions do not put their thumbs on the racial (or sexual identity or gender or whatever) scale: If we make our displeasure known, politely and in a non-threatening way, the average community institution will see the light and back off. Our voices still count, and thats a wonderful thing.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of peace. He understood that true cultural revolutions happen when men come to understand and accept one another  not when one side crushes the other under a boot of force. He repeatedly faced down violent opposition with peaceful demonstrations. Despite his untimely death, he won. He was right, and the America we live in now proves it.

Having learned nothing from Reverend King, Joe Biden commemorated MLK Day by threatening his fellow citizens. Speaking at the National Action Network's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast, he said:

I love my right-wing friends who talk about the tree of liberty is water of the blood of patriots. If you need to work about taking on the federal government, you need some F-15s. You don't need an AR-15.

Mangling of the quote aside, it was another classless speech from that down-to-earth guy from Scranton. At least he didn't threaten us with nukes this time.

So now we know the new rules. Mean tweets are a valid cause to attempt removal of a chief executive  twice. Strutting around like the bully in a neighborhood bar and threatening to target Americans with Hellfire missiles is a sign that the "adults are back in charge." Have you got that?

Joe's threat tells us a couple of things about Joe. The first is that he lacks moral character. Only a person of poor character goes so quickly to threats of violence in lieu of rational debate. Apparently, violence is not his means of last resort. It's his first.

His threat also tells us that he's historically illiterate. Only a person with no understanding of history would make such an idiotic claim. He has no understanding of how wars are won or lost  and he's lost one himself. The winners of wars are not those with the most military might. The winner is the side with the most determination. War ends when one opponent's will to fight collapses. The application of force serves to soften up an opponent's will, but the stronger of the two opponents doesn't always win.

America won its independence from a militarily superior England through sheer determination. We won when King George III gave up. North Vietnam beat our vastly superior forces. We won every battle, but they won the war when our internal divisions caused us to give up. History is replete with military victories by inferior forces.

I'll leave it to the military experts to debate the technical ability of a 2.1-million-soldier military to put down a 332-million-citizen population (many with military training) armed with an estimated 393 million firearms. However, there's a non-technical way to analyze Joe's hypothetical of AR-15-wielding citizens challenging an F-15-equipped military. We can simply look at Joe Biden's first year in office to see how it might turn out.

How many F-15s did the Taliban have? Were they well equipped with tanks, helicopters, and artillery? Did the Taliban have anything that couldn't be carried in the back of a pickup truck? What chance did the Taliban's estimated 80,000 soldiers have against the awesome power of America's 2,100,000 soldiers?

And yet our bully in the Oval Office surrendered and ran. He left behind an estimated $8B in advanced weaponry, thousands of American citizens, and tens of thousands of allies whom we had promised sanctuary. The Taliban didn't have any tanks before, but they do now. Our fearless commander in chief had the men, the technology, and the logistics to win. And he still lost to a bunch of 7th-century thugs. Yet Joe Biden thinks he can crush a heavily armed 21st-century American citizenry.

How wise is it to presume that 331 million Americans  who have the farms, factories, and firearms  won't be able to do what a ragtag bunch of poorly trained and underequipped cave-dwellers have already done?

Does our "most experienced president in history" know what he's talking about? Or is it all BS and bluster from a little man, with poor character, trying to feel superior by threatening his own people?

John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He has written for American Thinker and American Free News Network. He can be followed on Facebook or reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.

Image: Gage Skidmore.
Pope Benedict XVI is dead but apparently has left behind a book to be read, highlighting a Church near "collapse," its seminaries' gay "clubs," and plenty of criticism for the man presiding now over it all, Pope Francis.

According to Robert Spencer at PJMedia:

When Pope Benedict XVI died on December 31 at the age of 95, it turns out that he had a completed book ready for publication upon his death. Written in Italian, that book, Che cos'e il Cristianesimo: Quasi un testamento spirituale (What Is Christianity: Almost a Spiritual Testament), is full of explosive revelations and trenchant criticism of his woke successor, Pope Francis. Could Pope Benedict begin a counter-revolution within the Roman Catholic Church from the grave? Stranger things have happened, although it would take any one of us a good while to think of one. Pope Benedict explains that he did not want the book published while he was still living because of the furious reaction his writings inspired: "For my part, in life, I no longer want to publish anything. The fury of the circles against me in Germany is so strong that the appearance of my every word immediately causes a murderous shouting from them. I want to spare myself and Christendom this." It's easy to see why this book would inspire "murderous shouting" from some corners of the Roman Catholic Church. Benedict writes that the Church is close to "collapse" and paints a picture of seminaries in the United States as centers of promiscuous homosexuality and perversion. "In various seminaries," the pope explained, "homosexual 'clubs' were formed which acted more or less openly and which clearly transformed the atmosphere in the seminaries."

All of this has been known for years by the Catholic faithful. I remember observing how many obviously gay priests there were as a student at the Jesuit University of San Francisco as early as the 1980s. With gayness came advocacy of the gay lifestyle. A then-"scandal" I covered for the university newspaper, The Foghorn, as a cub reporter was the leasing of the St. Ignatius cathedral to the Gay Men's Chorus for a concert. Someone made that decision, and at the time, it drew controversy. I doubt it would draw controversy now.

Since then, we have seen problems with this bowing to the gay lifestyle. The first I noticed was that all the straight young men in my circle, who sought to become priests, a heckuva lifetime commitment, were being dismissed from the seminaries as not suited to the priesthood. Maybe so, but not based on the character of the young men I knew. There was a growing suspicion that they weren't part of a sort of gay "club." It was strange how many of the devout they rejected.

When the pedophile scandals broke, there were an inordinate number of gay incidents among the perpetrators. I personally knew one of the pedo priests, the Rev. Donald McGuire, S.J., who taught at USF. He was into sodomy with young boys, particularly those who were new to the Church. Any moves to hose out these kinds of people? Seems he had been shifted again and again from assignment to assignment every time a scandal broke. To be fair, there were hetero perverts, too, but the gay component in these scandals was out of proportion to its numbers.

Now we have open advocacy for gay causes, with Pope Francis coming out with sympathetic statements for gay causes, and making that very odd statement that a priest in confession should forgive a sinner who has no intention of ending his sinning. Andrea Widburg wrote about that in this post here. What else could that be but a green light to the gay lifestyle?

We also have a synodal message from our cardinal, Robert McElroy, wondering about the "demonic" rejection of parishioners of gay advocacy in the Church. McElroy is a nice guy, and I hate to single him out, but his stance is one that doesn't seem to be necessary, given that the Church laws are exactly the same for gay and straight people: that sex is for procreation. As for "rejection," Catholics reject bad acts, not people. Why the sudden emphasis on this "inclusion" of gays, given that everyone knows that they aren't excluded? Why the activism? Most Catholics know a few gay Catholics who have full understanding of Church teaching and do all they can to follow it. I know one gay Catholic who is a deep devotee of the Latin Mass, now being repressed by the Church under Pope Francis. He joined the Church to get away from the gay lifestyle. I haven't talked to him in a while, but I doubt he wants to see it following him in.

The "inclusion" thing, in any case, is kind of a weak argument coming from McElroy, who famously says he would give abortion-promoting Joe Biden Communion, while Joe himself excludes little babies in the womb from a basic right to life and favors of cutting them up and selling them for spare parts at a profit. If an unrepentant Hitler wanted into the Church, would McElroy let him in, too, in the name of "inclusion"? The moral disorder here is obvious.

The Gay Men's Chorus in the cathedral was the scandal of the '80s, but now that the lavender mafia has gotten entrenched in the Church, we are seeing scandals like this:

NEWCASTLE, England (ChurchMilitant.com) - The Vatican is investigating a homosexual "sex party" at an English cathedral after its bishop quit and the cathedral dean, who organized the event, killed himself following allegations of abuse. ... Individuals complained about the party and said "the cathedral had become a laughing stock." The party, which reportedly featured a drag queen, was held in the presbytery adjoining St. Mary's Cathedral in Newcastle during the COVID-19 lockdown. Father Michael McCoy, the cathedral dean abruptly appointed by Bp. Byrne to replace the popular previous incumbent Fr. Dermott Donnelly, is said to have approached several worshippers in the diocese and asked them if they would like to attend the party. On April 10, 2021, Canon McCoy's body was found hanging in an apartment on City Road in Newcastle, four days after Northumbria police informed the priest that they were investigating "a non-recent allegation" of child sex abuse against him.

Open that story with caution; you may feel you need a shower after reading it.

And this, which I wrote about in 2018:

Was the man who who's widely believed to be the next cardinal for the Washington archdiocese, Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, bunking with a houseboy? It looks like it, given the reporting of the indefatigable George Neumayr.

Well, where do these events come from, other than a long downhill slide into tolerance for the gay agenda (notice I didn't say "gay people," which is a separate matter) being promoted by activists, and then an embrace of it, slowly, then quickly, by what Pope Benedict called a gay "club" within the Church leadership.

The book is a bombshell for Pope Francis, and it follows from two other books also critical of his papacy.

Some observers call it chaos or civil war within the Church, and there are those who see it coming from a couple of directions  not just the conservatives upset that traditional Church teachings are being replaced by intolerant wokester ideology, but from the far left, too, among the crazed German Church leadership, which seems to be in opposition to all Church teachings. It may be overcalling it, but Pope Benedict did warn that the Church was looking at a potential collapse. It's obviously a sign of trouble. And it may be a sign that the Church needs some new leadership.

Image: Peter Nguyen via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Just yesterday, households across the U.K. were paid to use less electricity from 17:00 and 18:00 GMT. This was part of a scheme to conserve energy.

The scheme is called Demand Flexibility Service , whose stated goal is to prevent an overload of the electric grid. An overload and an eventual collapse could leave most of the U.K. in darkness.

A total of 26 energy suppliers have signed up for the service. According to National Grid's electricity system operator, more than a million households and businesses have signed up to refrain from using high-consumption appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, etc.

The scheme has been extended to today, the targeted hours this time being 16:30 to 18:00  i.e., 30 minutes longer than yesterday.

Some people across the U.K. could receive up to $24 for drastically reducing their electricity usage yesterday evening.

This is perhaps the first time in the history of the U.K. that practices have been put in place.

This is occurring at a time when parts of the U.K. experienced their coldest night in 12 years on Sunday night (January 22) as temperatures dropped to as low as -8.4 degrees Celsius in some parts.

Simultaneously, three coal-fired power plants in the U.K. have been ordered to be prepared for emergencies.

The National Grid insists that there are no chances of blackouts, but the fact that they are urging consumers to cut down on consumption for two consecutive days and are asking coal plants to be prepared shows that the crisis is grave.

Back to the power saving scheme: the National Grid's website claims that the scheme "will allow consumers, as well as some industrial and commercial users (through suppliers/aggregators), to be incentivized for voluntarily flexing the time when they use their electricity."

Some are predicting that similar energy-saving events could become a regular feature of winters in the U.K. and is likely to run until March when spring begins and the mercury rises.

So why is the U.K. on the brink of such an energy crisis?

Quite simply, the overreliance on alternative/green energy and abrupt abandonment of conventional energy.

Last year, various media outlets including the BBC carried reports on an Oxford University study that stated that switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy could save the world as much as $12T by 2050.

This is the standard modus operandi for climate change advocates. They make predictions about a very distant future that are unverifiable but compel people to fall in line for a "better tomorrow."

The U.K. government has invested heavily in wind turbines.

The National Grid claimed a record amount of wind-powered electricity in 2022. The BBC reported that more electricity came from renewable and nuclear power sources than from fossil fuels gas and coal.

The problem is that these renewable sources are not dependable.

Strong winds can provide electricity to most of the U.K. But when the conditions are calmer  i.e., the way it has been for the past week  there is no power generation at all.

There seem to be no mechanisms to store the excess power generated for times when there are no winds.

On Saturday, the calmer conditions provided less than a quarter of Britain's electricity. Since the weather was very cold, it caused more natural gas to be used to keep households warm.

Forecasts say that the U.K. isn't going to be very windy in the subsequent weeks. This is one of the causes of the emergency that prompted voluntary Demand Flexibility Service, which has been in the pipeline since last year.

A country cannot depend on anything as arbitrary as wind for its energy, which is its lifeblood.

What about other alternative energy sources?

Nuclear electricity is regarded as a low-carbon source of energy for the U.K., but currently, it provides only 15% of the U.K.'s electricity. Besides, there are serious objections regarding safety risks and the cost of building and maintaining nuclear power plants.

Solar energy is out of the question because of the usually cloudy weather for most of the year in the U.K.

Some in the U.K. are blaming Putin for it, as all Western governments seem to do whenever they find themselves in a bother for which they are to blame.

Ever since the war in Ukraine, Russia has reduced energy supplies to Europe in response to punitive economic sanctions imposed on it by the West.

Nord Stream 1, Russia's largest gas pipeline to Europe, was closed indefinitely last September after an unexplained explosion.

Nord Stream 1 would normally supply European Union states with about 35 percent of all the gas they import from Russia.

But the U.K. was never dependent on Russia for oil and gas.

Yes, any disruption to the EU  or international supplies on the does affect Britain, but the impact isn't considerable.

In the end, the fault lies with the powers that be in the U.K. who not only jumped on the alternative power bandwagon but terminated sources of conventional energy.

Each year there are on average about 10,000 excess deaths caused by an inability to afford to heat homes. Yet nobody seems to care.

Each and every coal mine was shut down even before the alternative was proven to be reliable.

So why did the powerful in the U.K. jump without looking?

Are they such true believers?

Perhaps relentless indoctrination has caused some to become devotees.

It is more likely that alternative energy producers donated generously to parties and powerful individuals in the U.K. to further their agenda. Even U.K. conservatives such as Boris Johnson supported these green initiatives.

The alternative energy producers and advocates have close ties with the media to push their message.

The result is the U.K. finds itself on the brink of a crisis.

This Demand Flexibility Service is being promoted as a grand idea, where citizens are contributing to a better future.

But in reality, it is a cynical move to exploit those struggling to make ends meet as a result of the massively inflated price of fuel, food, and electricity. They know that these people have no option but to accept any scheme that boosts savings.

In the coming weeks, expect large-scale publicity stunts to give the impression that everyone is making sacrifices. Perhaps all of the U.K. will be asked to turn off all lights for 10 minutes, and a big deal will be made out of it on social media with selfies in the dark.

After that, regular people struggling due to the economy will make sacrifices while the policymakers and the "elite" remain unaffected.

It seems unlikely that there will be mandates because it will compel the "elites" to make sacrifices and compromises.

If the Democrats have their way, this is what they will do in the U.S. In fact, there are signs that this may be happening in California.

As always, millions of regular people will be compelled to do the heavy lifting for the follies of a few.

This is once again it is a reminder of how big government works.

Trump predicted this years ago.
To step up the display quality of notebooks, Samsung Display is preparing to launch a new display. The announcement of this new screen panels launch came from Samsung a few days ago. Some details on this coming panel are also available.

This coming panel will mainly be in use on notebooks, and itd come with an impressive feature. According to the available reports, this panel might make a debut on the Samsung Galaxy Books, set to launch in 2023. Samsung has confirmed that the coming Galaxy books will launch with the new panels.

Details on the coming notebook panel from Samsung Display

The coming panel is said to feature on-cell touch AMOLED (OCTA) technology. This panel will enable direct touch controls, unlike a few other panels that are available in the market. With this, the touch response on the Galaxy Book for 2023 promises to be impressive and come with a thinner design.

Other details include a 16:10 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, and support for 3K resolution. This panel is not new to smartphones, but this would be its first entry into the notebook industry. Finally, there would be no need for notebooks to feature a protective cover on the touchscreen display.

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The coming Samsung Galaxy Book will launch together with the Galaxy S23 series in a few days. Once it goes official, the global community will be able to put the on-cell touch AMOLED panel to the test. Also, this notebook will feature some improvements from the already existing Galaxy Book in terms of specifications.

Some reports claim that the Galaxy Book will launch with more than one model. Regardless, we still expect all models to come with the on-cell touch AMOLED panel from Samsung Display. The performance of this display will tell if other notebook brands will also adopt it in their coming products.
(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 25 - Russia said Wednesday that Europe must wake from its "lethargy" and alleged dependence on the US after Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Brussels always took Washington's lead.

"Europe urgently needs to wake up from its lethargic slumber" because the US is "dragging it into a big war, .said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting on her Telegram channel on an interview with La Stampa in which Tajani complained that "Europe has no real foreign policy, as well as defence policy" and comes "always after the Americans".

photo: Zakharova with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 25 - Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said Wednesday he had invoked an EU infraction procedure on Austria for its restrictions on Italian trucks passing through the Brenner Pass.

"I have written to the EU transport commissioner asking to start an infraction procedure against Austria, because i cannot damage Italian businesses and haulage companies because that is unfair competition," said the minister, who is also infrastructure minister and deputy premier behind Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

He said that Austria "is impeding the free circulation of men and vehicles". (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 25 - More substantive cooperation is needed from Egypt on the torture and murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni who disappeared on the Cairo metro exactly seven years ago, a week before his horribly mangled body was found in a ditch outside the Egyptian capital, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the House in marking the anniversary Wednesday.

Tajani said last Sunday that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah e-Sisi had shown greater willingness to cooperate in talks in Cairo while Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Egyptian cooperation would be "100%" in bringing to trial the four Egyptian security officers whom Rome prosecutors have charged in the case, but so far no concrete action has materialized from the Egyptian authorities.

A Rome trial of the four officers - National Security General Tariq Sabir and his subordinates, Colonels Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim and Uhsam Helmi, and Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif - has been stymied by unsuccessful efforts to inform them they are on trial, because of Egypt dragging its heels on the case.

Tajani told the House at Wednesday's question time: "Italy will do everything to remove the obstacles (to progress in trying the four spies), and in my meetings in Cairo I saw a different willingness on Egypt's part even if the process is at a standstill. (ANSA).


Substantive Egypt Regeni coop needed-Tajani on anniversary Italy's FM, 'no justice without the truth, but dialogue can't stop'

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JAN 25 - More substantive cooperation is needed from Egypt on the torture and murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni who disappeared on the Cairo metro exactly seven years ago, a week before his horribly mangled body was found in a ditch outside the Egyptian capital, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the House in marking the anniversary Wednesday.



Tajani said last Sunday that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah e-Sisi had shown greater willingness to cooperate in talks in Cairo while Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Egyptian cooperation would be "100%" in bringing to trial the four Egyptian security officers whom Rome prosecutors have charged in the case, but so far no concrete action has materialized from the Egyptian authorities.



A Rome trial of the four officers - National Security General Tariq Sabir and his subordinates, Colonels Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim and Uhsam Helmi, and Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif - has been stymied by unsuccessful efforts to inform them they are on trial, because of Egypt dragging its heels on the case.



Tajani told the House at Wednesday's question time: "Italy will do everything to remove the obstacles (to progress in trying the four spies), and in my meetings in Cairo I saw a different willingness on Egypt's part even if the process is at a standstill. (ANSAmed).




Secessionist leaders urge Spain to revoke all penalties Appeals filed after criminal code reform

(ANSAmed) - MADRID, JAN 25 - Some of the Catalan political leaders sentenced in 2019 by the Spanish judiciary for attempted secession of the region in 2017 have filed appeals to revoke all penalties imposed at that time, reported La Vanguardia and other Spanish media this week.



The appeals were filed at the Supreme Court by the lawyers of Oriol Junqueras, Raul Romeva, Dolors Bassa and Carme Forcadell, all representatives of the Esquerra Republicana party, which at that time had held high-ranking positions in Catalonia.



The leaders in question say that, after a recent reform of the criminal code on sedition (replaced by a misdemeanour of public disorder) and embezzlement (which in some cases entails lighter sentences), the acts they are charged with are no longer considered crimes and thus they should be acquitted.



All four of the politicians were released from detention after the central government under Pedro Sanchez pardoned them.



(ANSAmed).




The funeral of a beautician shot at a pub on Christmas Eve will be held on Wednesday.

Elle Edwards, 26, was celebrating Christmas with friends when a gunman opened fire at the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, shortly before midnight.

She is not believed to have been the intended target of the attack, which also hurt four men.

Police officers on duty at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village, near Liverpool, after a woman died and multiple people were injured in a shooting incident on Christmas Eve (Peter Byrne/PA)

Ms Edwards funeral will be held at St Nicholass Church in Wallasey.

In an interview with Sky News last week, her father Tim Edwards said: She was beautiful looking and she was a great hugger. She was just a fantastic human being with a heart of gold.

Mr Edwards hopes a foundation in his daughters name will combat gun violence in the region.

Connor Chapman, 22, has been charged with murdering Ms Edwards and is due to go on trial on June 7.
Levelling Up minister Michael Gove has promised to harness the spirit of Thatcherism to help the north of England, with Labour promising to go much further in devolving power out of London.

Mr Gove cited the active government of Margaret Thatcher and her 1980s transformation of the London docklands as inspiration for levelling up  the plan to narrow economic and social disparities between the North and South.

The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was speaking at the Convention of the North, a major gathering of political and business leaders in Manchester.

Other guests include the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, and Jamie Driscoll, Mayor of the North of Tyne.

Labours Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up minister, told the convention the UK was in a national malaise and its political system, broken, that had to change or die.

She promised a significant expansion of devolution under Labour, with local authorities, not Whitehall, deciding how government money is spent  Town Halls having powers over housing, transport, energy, childcare, skills, employment support and training.

Lisa Nandy (James Speakman/PA)

Earlier, in a wide-ranging 40-minute speech, Mr Gove summarised the Governments Levelling Up agenda, speaking of the enduring and entrenched geographical and social divide  while calling London a priceless asset of the economy.

He cited Mrs Thatchers administration in the 1980s, a decade marked by the closure of coal mines and industrial strife in the North, as a model for elements of levelling up.

He said: And the experience of successful economic transformation demonstrates that growth is not secured by absent government but by active government.

A government that plays a strategic role, irrigating the soil for growth as Mrs Thatcher did, specifically in the Docklands.

When the Thatcher government took office in 1979, Londons docklands were a derelict economic desert.

The original vision for regeneration of the area, from the Treasury of the time, was simple: just cut taxes and deregulate and a thousand flowers will bloom in the dusty and contaminated soil of the docklands.

Metro mayors Steve Rotheram, Jamie Driscoll, Tracy Brabin and Andy Burnham (James Speakman/PA)

But he said Mrs Thatcher helped set up deeper government intervention through the London Docklands Development Corporation, bringing jobs and housing and transforming that area of the capital.

He said: Government created the environment, the private sector created the jobs. London Docklands today is an economic success story.

One of the most signal successes we owe to Mrs Thatchers government, and it is that spirit that animates our levelling up policies: active government.

Mr Gove said he wanted to see devolution powers deepen and expand to other areas.

Ms Nandy said Labour would pursue devolution everywhere and decried the current begging bowl approach of councils bidding for cash from central government.

She said: A Hunger Games-style system where ministers choose who gets a leisure centre, some picnic areas and traffic light improvements from behind a desk in Whitehall.

We cant go on like this. Time is up. Were going to do things differently.
Fresh searches on higher ground for Julian Sands are still not possible due to poor conditions, authorities said as efforts to find the missing British actor approached the end of their second week.

An update shared by San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department on Tuesday said numerous ground and air searches had previously taken place in lower areas, but no evidence of the actors location had been found.

Sands was first reported missing on January 13 in the Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel mountains in southern California.

It comes as the department announced that a second hiker who had gone missing in the same area was found alive.

But a spokesperson for the department told the PA news agency that although the ground searches for the second hiker had provided an opportunity for secondary sweeps, Sands had still not been located.

They added that further ground searches in areas of higher elevation were still not possible due to the conditions.

The Sheriffs Department is closing in on the second full week of the search for missing hiker, Julian Sands, the online statement read.

Numerous ground and air search efforts have taken place. As of this time, Mr. Sands has not been found and no evidence of his current location has been discovered.

The search will continue, weather and ground conditions permitting.

The statement added: Regardless of precautions taken by hikers, the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department highly recommends hikers avoid hazardous mountainous areas, such as Mt Baldy, at this time.

UPDATE: The search for Julian Sands continues by air only. The California Highway Patrol Valley Division Air Ops from Auburn, California, is currently assisting us in the search using a RECCO device RECCO  Be Searchable. RECCO technology can detect RECCO reflective material,  San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) January 25, 2023

On Wednesday, searches continued by air with the US authorities confirming they were using technology that can detect reflective material such as electronic devices and credit cards.

The Sheriffs Department tweeted: The search for Julian Sands continues by air only. The California Highway Patrol  Valley Division Air Ops from Auburn, California, is currently assisting us in the search using a Recco device.

Recco technology can detect Recco reflective material, electronics, and in some cases, credit cards. We are hopeful our @CHP_HQ partners, Officers Hertzell & Calcutt, can pinpoint an area where we can focus our search efforts, and we thank them for their assistance. Additional information will be released when it becomes available.

It comes after Sands family has praised the heroic efforts of Californian authorities conducting the search efforts.

In a statement, also shared by the sheriffs department, his family said they were deeply touched by the support they had received in the days since his disappearance.

As we enter day 11 of the search for Julian Sands on Mt. Baldy, we are reminded of the sheer determination & selflessness of all of the people who have aided in this search. We will continue to utilize the resources available to us. The family would like to share this statement: pic.twitter.com/owO2o97f16  San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) January 23, 2023

Our heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, not least the heroic search teams listed below who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home, the statement read.

We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support.

The statement went on to list various organisations involved in the search, which included local and out-of-county forces, as well as specialised canine and cave teams.

On Monday a spokesperson for the sheriffs department told the PA news agency that conditions were still too dangerous for ground crews to operate, and that searches would be conducted by helicopter only.

They said infrared devices have been used but there was no sign of Sands.

Federal agencies are now part of the efforts to find Sands, using mobile phone forensics to help pinpoint the actors location.

It was previously revealed that pings from Sands phone appeared to show he had been on the move heading further into the mountainous area of Baldy Bowl on the day he was reported missing.

Sands was born in Yorkshire and moved to Los Angeles in 2020.

His breakout role came as the free-spirited George in the period drama A Room With A View, in which he starred opposite Helena Bonham Carter.

He later moved to the horror genre, featuring in films such as Warlock and Arachnophobia, as well as dramatic parts on television.

More recently he played the chief medical officer in the 2021 Jack Lowden and Peter Capaldi-led drama Benediction.

From 1984 to 1987 Sands was married to future Evening Standard and Today editor Sarah Sands, with whom he has a son. He also has two daughters with journalist Evgenia Citkowitz, whom he married in 1990.
Housebuilder Redrow has said homes in all its new developments will be fitted with a heat pump rather than a gas boiler from this month, in the industrys first pledge of its kind.

The company said it was overtaking its competitors in meeting Government proposals to ban gas boilers in newbuild properties from 2025.

Air source heat pumps will be installed as standard in homes across its upcoming developments, with ground floor underfloor heating in detached properties, amid plans to fit new properties with alternative heating systems.

Heat pumps use air and a small amount of electricity to produce heat, and are more environmentally friendly than a gas-powered boiler when installed in an energy-efficient and well-insulated home (Octopus Energy/ PA)

It will have the biggest impact to date on improving the efficiency of the homes it builds, Redrow said.

Gas boilers are being phased out as part of the Governments commitment to become net zero by 2050.

But Redrow said its pledge is an industry first, as other builders have been slow to commit to the move away from traditional gas boilers.

The move is expected to significantly improve the energy efficiency of newbuild properties, and save people money on heating their homes.

Matthew Pratt, Redrows chief executive, told the PA news agency its customers are asking for reassurance their homes will help them to future-proof their heating.

Our customers want premium homes that are good for their pocket and good for the planet too, he said.

Making the transition ahead of changes in regulation in 2025 will help the builder get ahead of industry transformation and make it easier for customers to understand, he argued.

The boss said there is a small increase in the cost to install a heat pump compared to a gas boiler.

However, we know that customers are very happy to invest in energy efficiency and when it comes to future proofing their home, he said.

As these technologies become more widespread we expect costs to come down further.

Mr Pratt went on: We know how important energy efficiency is to our customers and were proud to be investing in newer, greener technology and leading the way by offering these energy efficient features.

This will provide the opportunity for our customers to reduce their costs and carbon footprint simultaneously.

Heat pumps use air and a small amount of electricity to produce heat and are more environmentally friendly than a gas-powered boiler when installed in an energy-efficient and well-insulated home.

Redrow trialled the energy consumption for heating and hot water with a heat pump, compared with a traditional gas boiler, and found that the heat pump used significantly less energy, operating at an efficiency of around two to three times that of an A-rated boiler.

The builder has partnered with manufacturers Mitsubishi, Vaillant and Daikin to install the new heating systems.
Dozens of Natos modern battle tanks are to be sent to Ukraine to bolster the fight against Vladimir Putins invasion, ending weeks of diplomatic deadlock over the supply of armour to the country.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz approved the supply of the Leopard 2 to Kyiv, which would also allow other allies operating the tanks to re-export them.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was the right decision, and the move would bolster Ukraines defensive firepower.

Rishi Sunak said Nato allies and friends were accelerating efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war (Victoria Jones/PA)

The US confirmed it will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to the warzone.

The UK had already become the first Western nation to promise main battle tanks, with around 14 Challenger 2s pledged by Mr Sunak.

In response to Germanys announcement, Mr Sunak said: The right decision by Nato allies and friends to send main battle tanks to Ukraine.

Alongside Challenger 2s, they will strengthen Ukraines defensive firepower.

Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace.

The Prime Minister spoke to Mr Scholz and US president Joe Biden as the tank announcements were made, in a group call with French president Emmanuel Macron and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

Mr Sunak said that decisive, collective action would be a catalyst for other countries to follow suit, according to Downing Street.

The Prime Minister said it was now clear Russia was on the backfoot, and there was a window for international partners to accelerate efforts to secure lasting peace for Ukraine.

He called on allies to intensify their support in the coming weeks and months, a spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, UK defence officials suggested that Russias most modern tank had been rushed to Ukraine before it is operational.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine  25 January 2023 Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/c8as8hYBrr  #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/YiIweSI6hI  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) January 25, 2023

The Ministry of Defence, in its latest published intelligence update, suggested that Moscows most advanced tank was unlikely to be fully operational.

Russia has worked to prepare a small number of T-14 Armata main battle tanks for the types first operational deployment in Ukraine, the MoD said.

However, in recent months, deployed Russian forces were reluctant to accept the first tranche of T-14 allocated to them because the vehicles were in such poor condition.

It is unclear exactly what aspects of the vehicles prompted this reaction, but within the last three years, Russian officials have publicly described problems with the T-14s engine and thermal imaging systems.

In 2021, defence minister Sergei Shoigu described the planned production run for 2022 as only an experimental-industrial batch.

German main battle tanks, further broadening of defense support & training missions, green light for partners to supply similar weapons. Just heard about these important & timely decisions in a call with @OlafScholz. Sincerely grateful to the Chancellor and all our friends in .    (@ZelenskyyUa) January 25, 2023

Therefore, it is unlikely that any deployed T-14 tanks will have met the usual standards for new equipment to be deemed operational.

Germanys decision to supply Leopard 2s comes after difficult negotiations which have strained relations within Nato.

Other allies operating the Leopard 2 needed permission from Berlin to send them to the Ukrainians, something Mr Scholz was reluctant to authorise unless the US also committed tanks.

The pressure on Mr Scholz mounted after Poland formally asked Germany to approve sending Leopard 2 tanks from Polish stocks to Ukraine.

The long-awaited decision in Berlin followed US officials saying a preliminary agreement had been struck for the United States to send its M1 Abrams.

Thank you @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz. The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia. Together we are stronger.  Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) January 25, 2023

The German government said it would initially provide Ukraine with one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks  14 vehicles  from its own stocks.

The goal is for Germany and its allies to provide Ukraine with a total of two battalions, or 88 tanks.

Vadym Prystaiko, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, told Andrew Marrs programme on LBC that Berlins announcement was being described in Kyiv as the game changer.

He said: This gives us the ability for us to go on offensive.

We hope that this is qualitative change will allow us to bring the war in a totally different level.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki thanked Mr Scholz and said: The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia. Together we are stronger.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for hundreds of tanks to help repel an expected spring offensive.

The expected deployment of Leopard 2s, Challenger 2s and the Abrams was dismissed by Russia, which predicted they would burn on the battlefields of Ukraine.

I am convinced that many specialists understand the absurdity of this idea, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Simply because of technological aspects, this is a rather disastrous plan.

The main thing is, this is a completely obvious overestimation of the potential (the supply of tanks) would add to the armed forces of Ukraine. It is yet another fallacy, a rather profound one.
The Razzie Awards have issued an apology after targeting a young actress in its annual nominations.

The awards show, which "honors" the worst movies and performances of the year, nominated Ryan Kiera Armstrong for worst actress for playing a girl with pyrokinetic abilities in last summer's "Firestarter."

Armstrong, 12, was included in the category alongside Hollywood veterans such as Alicia Silverstone ("The Requin") and Diane Keaton ("Mack & Rita"). "Firestarter," adapted from Stephen King's 1980 novel, was also nominated for worst remake, ripoff or sequel.

Following Monday's nominations announcement, the Razzies received immediate blowback on social media, with Twitter users calling Armstrong's nomination "ignorant," "hateful" and "bullying."

Razzie Awards: Tom Hanks, 'Blonde,' 'Morbius' lead nominations for worst of the year

Young Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) unleashes her pyrokinetic abilities in

In response, Razzies' co-founder John Wilson released a statement Wednesday apologizing to Armstrong and calling the criticisms "valid."

The backlash "brought our attention to how insensitive we've been in this instance," Wilson said in a statement obtained by USA TODAY. "As a result, we have removed Armstrong's name from the final ballot that our members will cast next month. We also believe a public apology is owed Ms. Armstrong, and wish to say we regret any hurt she experienced as a result of our choices."

Wilson added that going forward, actors and filmmakers under age 18 will no longer be considered for "awards."

"We have never intended to bury anyone's career," Wilson said. "We all make mistakes, very much us included."

Since 2019, Armstrong has appeared in a number of high-profile films with A-list casts, including "It Chapter Two," Marvel's "Black Widow" and "The Glorias" with Julianne Moore. She'll next star opposite Nicolas Cage in western "The Old Way."

USA TODAY has reached out to Armstrong's representatives for comment.

Now in its 43rd year, the Razzies will announce their "winners" March 11, the night before the Oscars. Netflix's Marilyn Monroe drama "Blonde" led this year's nominations with eight, including worst picture.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Razzie Awards apologize to 12-year-old for worst actress nomination
During a third day on the witness stand, Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk stuck to his position that he was honest when he tweeted in 2018 that he had secured funding to take the electric-vehicle company private.

Its absolutely what I believed, Musk said Tuesday under questioning from his lawyer, Alex Spiro, about his disputed tweet. During three plus hours of testimony, Musk elaborated on the main themes from his prior testimony to back up his contention that funding was secured.

Musks testimony promises to serve as key evidence for the jury to weigh in the ongoing federal-class action lawsuit brought by a group of Tesla shareholders who say they lost money when they traded the companys stock based on the tweets.

August 7, 2018 Tweet from Elon Musk

On Tuesday, Musk again noted that multiple sources of funding were available for a take-private transaction, including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund that had verbally committed in meetings before the tweet to help him privatize the company.

"We are talking about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia here. They have the money to take Tesla private several times over," Musk said.

Alternatively, he said, he could have raised funding from other sources, or sold SpaceX shares, if Saudi financing fell through.

"Funding was absolutely not an issue," Musk said, adding that he ultimately scuttled take-private plans after smaller Tesla shareholders expressed a preference to keep the company public.

Other wealthy individuals and investment funds had also expressed interest in supporting or participating in a take-private transaction, Musk said, including Egon Durban, managing partner for Silver Lake; Ron Barron, a billionaire investor; and Dan Dees, co-head of global investment banking for Goldman Sachs.

According to Musk, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, a Saudi fund representative who is outside the U.S. jurisdiction and declined to testify in the case, called Durban to confirm the fund wanted to take Tesla private. And Dees, Musk said, wrote an email to Musk saying that Musk's proposed structure and rationale for the deal made "perfect sense.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is questioned by the investors' attorney Nicholas Porritt before Judge Edward Chen as a screen displays one of Musk's tweets, during a securities-fraud trial at federal court in San Francisco, California, U.S., January 23, 2023 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Vicki Behringer

On Monday, Musk said that advance notice he received of a soon-to-publish Financial Times news report was the driving factor behind his decision to post the tweet at the heart of the case.

"I was trying my best to keep shareholders informed and insure that all shareholders had the same information," Musk reiterated during Tuesday's testimony.

Musk admitted that no specific dollar figure for funding had been discussed with any of Tesla's perspective investors. Doing so, he said, would have been premature because he had not yet asked shareholders if they would vote for privatization, or if shareholders would want to retain any ownership in a private Tesla. The amount of investor funding needed, he said, would increase or decrease depending on shareholder interest in retaining ownership.

Musk further testified that his track record of raising more than 100 oversubscribed funding rounds, sometimes within hours, gave him additional assurance that he could easily raise money to take Tesla private, regardless of commitments from outside investors.

I believe every funding round Ive ever done is oversubscribed, the billionaire said.

Pressed about his claim that a sale of his private SpaceX stock was a viable financing alternative, Musk pointed to the value of his holdings, and to his recent acquisition of Twitter.

I am the majority shareholder in [SpaceX] and that would enable me to sell a large portion of SpaceX to take [Tesla] private," Musk testified. "That is exactly what I did to take Twitter private."

Musk also said that he expected his "funding secured" tweet to be read together with his subsequent tweets posted the same day and with a blog post that Tesla posted to its website.

However, he recanted Monday testimony saying that he thought Tesla's stock price would probably go up after the controversial tweet.

On the stand Monday, Musk also admitted that the purported Saudi deal hadn't been memorialized in any signed documents.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Musk testified at a trial regarding a lawsuit that has investors suing Tesla and Musk over his August 2018 tweets saying he was taking Tesla private with funding that he had secured. The tweet was found to be false and cost shareholders billions of dollars when Tesla's stock price began to fluctuate wildly allegedly based on the tweet. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

At sake is an approximate $12.6 billion swing in Teslas market capitalization during a 10-day window that the shareholders say is at least in part attributable to Musks tweets. The shareholders' lawsuit alleges that Musk's tweets caused the fluctuation, with the stock rising in the wake of the tweet, then tumbling once the deal was off the table.

According to the shareholders, Musk illegally manipulated the stock price and he and Tesla's board should be held accountable for an unspecified portion of billions of dollars in damages sustained by those who bought or sold the company's stock after the tweet and up until Aug. 17, 2018.

To win their case, the shareholders must prove that, at the time of the tweets, Musk knew the information within them was materially false and that the information caused them to buy or sell Tesla shares to their detriment.

Senior District Court Judge Edward Chen, who is presiding over the case, has already ruled and instructed the nine-member jury that Musks funding statement was untrue. Jurors are therefore tasked with deciding whether the tweets were material  those that a reasonable investor would rely on in making investment decisions  and whether Musk believed his tweets to be true or false.

In a separate case brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in response to the funding tweet, Musk and Tesla settled the matter, each paying a fine of $20 million. Musk also agreed in the accord to step down as Tesla's board chairman and to have Tesla's general counsel review potentially "material" tweets before they are posted. Musk is currently seeking to have that part of the settlement dissolved.

Musk's testimony concluded Tuesday. The trial is scheduled to continue with additional witnesses taking the stand on Wednesday. The trial is expected to last approximately two more weeks.

Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on Twitter @alexiskweed.

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Holocaust events more important than ever in face of mass killings 78 years on

A Holocaust survivor has spoken about why commemorating the 78th anniversary of the atrocity is particularly important amid mass killings which are still being committed around the world, including in Ukraine.

During a Holocaust Memorial Day event in central London attended by Cabinet ministers, MPs and faith leaders, Dr Martin Stern spoke about his wartime experience surviving horrific conditions in Netherlands Nazi camps.

He addressed an audience which included Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chief Rabbi, Labours deputy leader Angela Rayner, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Holocaust survivor Dr Martin Stern speaking at the commemorative ceremony in St Johns Smith Square (James Manning/PA)

Victims of the Holocaust are remembered each year on January 27  the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.

Speaking to the PA news agency at the Westminster event two days prior, Dr Stern said it saddened him that decades on genocides are still being committed around the world  but he still has hope for a brighter future.

We have a gigantic task ahead, he said. Each of these memorial events can only do a small amount.

The key to solving the problem of recurring genocides has to lie in the education of every human child, everywhere in the world, forever.

It is a huge task, but not a hopeless one. The human race has made progress, but boy does it need to make more.

Candles were lit at a commemorative ceremony (James Manning/PA)

Dr Stern also said that Holocaust survivors were saddened to hear gangster criminal Vladimir Putin accusing his opponents of being Neo-Nazis to justify his invasion.

Speaking about Russia, Dr Stern said: The biggest state on earth is ruled by a gangster.

Not only do they not have democracy, they have allowed the direction of their country to be controlled exclusively by a gangster criminal.

At the lectern, Dr Stern, who was born to a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother, recounted surviving life at Westerbork and Theresienstadt camps in what was then Nazi-occupied Netherlands as a young boy.

His father died in a separate camp in 1945, and his mother died due to an infection during childbirth in 1942.

Dr Stern described the moment police pulled him out of school when he was five years old, after his teacher had attempted to save him by pretending that he was not present.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove, speaking at the commemorative ceremony at St Johns Smith Square in London (James Manning/PA)

Several others also spoke at the event, which was hosted in the Concert Hall of St Johns Smith Square, Westminster  including Mr Gove, Ms Rayner, Justin Welby and Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Many speakers drew attention to people currently being persecuted en masse in countries including Cambodia, Rwanda, and Darfur in Sudan.

In a video message, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak showed support for the event and spoke about the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre which is being built next to Parliament.

Addressing survivors, Mr Sunak said: Your message will stand immortalised in the memorial, your testimonies will be heard in the learning centre, and your call to fight hatred will echo eternally across the generations, so long after we are all gone, your truth will remain and humanity will never be allowed to forget.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, speaking at St Johns Smith Square in London (James Manning/PA).

The Chief Rabbi closed the ceremony by paying tribute to those still suffering, including the Uyghurs in China and the Rohingya people in Myanmar.

He said: Today the welfare and wellbeing and the very lives of Uyghurs in China and the Rohingya in Myanmar are in the hands of ordinary people, just as the security of millions of innocent men women and children right across Ukraine is today in jeopardy.

Surely the time has come for ordinary men and women right across the globe to determine that never again means never again.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner speaking at the ceremony (James Manning/PA)

Olivia Marks-Woldman, chief executive of Holocaust Memorial Day, said Wednesday evenings event marked the first anniversary survivors had been able to attend in person for three years due to the pandemic.

She said: Holocaust Memorial Day feels more important than ever.

The world is feeling quite fragile for a lot of people.

Many of people are feeling under pressure from the cost of living crisis and from the war in Ukraine, and we know that in times of pressure extremism often flourishes.

We know that incidents of anti Semitism have increased in the UK and other forms of hate crime still persist, so to have an annual Holocaust Memorial event where we are learning where hatred ultimately led when it wasnt challenged is hugely important.
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP)  A farmworker accused of killing seven people in back-to-back shootings at two Northern California mushroom farms was charged Wednesday with seven counts of murder and one of attempted murder.

Chunli Zhao, 66, will make his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Meanwhile, the San Mateo County coroner's office identified six of those who died in shootings the sheriff's office has called workplace violence without further detailing a motive. It was Californias third mass shooting in eight days, including the killing of 11 in the Los Angeles area amid Lunar New Year celebrations Saturday.

Authorities believe Zhao acted alone Monday when he entered a mushroom farm where he worked in Half Moon Bay, shot and killed four people and seriously wounded a fifth. He then drove to a nearby farm where he worked previously and killed three more people, said Eamonn Allen, a sheriffs spokesperson.

The charges include additional allegations that could result in the death penalty or life in prison without parole, though Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a moratorium on executions. Among those allegations are that Zhao used a gun, caused great bodily injury and killed multiple people. A prior felony enhancement was also listed in online court records, but it was not in the official charging documents Wagstaffe filed. Wagstaffe said he didn't believe Zhao had any prior felony convictions in the county.

The coroner's office named six of the victims: Zhishen Liu, 73, of San Francisco; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, of Moss Beach, California; Aixiang Zhang, 74, of San Francisco; Qizhong Cheng, 66, of Half Moon Bay; Jingzhi Lu, 64, of Half Moon Bay; and Yetao Bing, 43, whose hometown was unknown. The name of the seventh victim has not been released publicly as officials work to notify relatives, the coroner's office said.

Officials have said some of the people killed were migrant workers.

Servando Martinez Jimenez said his brother Marciano Martinez Jimenez, one of the victims, was a delivery person and manager at one of the farms. He never mentioned Zhao or said anything about problems with other workers.

He was a good person. He was polite and friendly with everyone. He never had any problems with anyone. I dont understand why all this happened, Martinez Jimenez said in Spanish.

Marciano Martinez Jimenez had lived in the United States for 28 years after arriving from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Servando Martinez Jimenez said he is working with the Mexican consulate to get his brothers body home.

It would not have been Zhaos first fit of workplace rage, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. In 2013 Zhao was accused of threatening to split a coworkers head open with a knife and separately tried to suffocate the man with a pillow, the Chronicle reported, based on court documents.

The two were roommates and worked at a restaurant, and the man, identified as Jingjiu Wang, filed a temporary restraining order against Zhao that was granted but is no longer in effect. Wang could not be immediately reached, the Chronicle reported.

The shootings hit California Terra Garden, previously known as Mountain Mushroom Farm, and nearby Concord Farms.

The majority of farmworkers in the area are Latinos but the Mountain Mushroom Farm was one of the few that employed Asian workers, said Belinda Hernandez, executive director of ALAS, a farmworker advocacy group based in Half Moon Bay. She said that mushroom farms offer the benefit of year-round work.

David Oates, a California Terra Garden spokesperson, said that he did not know how long Zhao worked there and that he was one of 35 employees who had stayed when ownership changed. He declined to comment further Wednesday, saying he would defer to law enforcement. And Aaron Tung, part owner of Concord Farms, did not respond Wednesday to a request for additional comment.

Half Moon Bay is a small, laid-back, coastal and agricultural city about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of San Francisco. Its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean make it a popular spot for hikers and tourists, who flock there to surf and for an annual giant pumpkin festival.

The new year has brought six mass killings in the U.S. in fewer than three weeks, accounting for 39 deaths. Three have struck California since Jan. 16, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. The database tracks every mass killing  defined as four dead, not including the offender  in the U.S. since 2006.

The shootings in Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park followed the killing of a teenage mother, her baby and six others at a home in Californias Central Valley on Jan. 16. Officials discussing the investigation mentioned a possible gang link to the killings.

___

Gecker reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Janie Har in San Francisco and Sophie Austin in Sacramento, along with researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York, contributed.
A woman was forced to work for her husbands family  acting as a servant inside their home during 12 years of extreme abuse, federal prosecutors said.

Now the three family members accused of abusing her, and encouraging the womans children to participate in the abuse as she was forced to work in the Virginia home, are going to prison, according to prosecutors and court documents.

A judge sentenced the womans mother-in-law and family matriarch Zahida Aman, 80, of Midlothian, to 12 years in prison on Jan. 23 in connection with the forced labor, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced in a Jan. 24 news release.

Immediately after the woman married her husband and moved to the U.S. from Pakistan, Aman told her if you want to be happy in your married life, the way to your husbands heart is through me  and if you want him happy, you have to make me happy, court documents show.

Amans two sons, the brothers of the womans husband, were also sentenced in the case on Jan. 23, according to prosecutors. Mohammed Rehan Chaudhri, 48, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and Mohammad Nauman Chaudhri, 55, was sentenced to 5 years in prison, officials said.

The three family members exploited the victims trust and inflicted cruel and inhumane physical and mental abuse on her, all so they could keep her working in their home as their domestic servant, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement in May when the trios convictions were announced.

Attorneys separately representing Aman and Rehan Chaudhri denied a request for comment from McClatchy News on Jan. 24.

Craig Sampson, an attorney representing Nauman Chaudhri, told McClatchy News in a statement on Jan. 24 that his client is not evil.

This case was complicated and featured many issues and circumstances that commonly present themselves in difficult divorce cases, Sampson said and added that his client has the love and support of many friends and colleagues.

The woman lived in a climate of fear

In 2001, the womans marriage to her husband was arranged by Aman, who prosecutors said gave the woman an engagement ring, court documents show. By 2002, the couple were married following a year-long engagement.

After the wedding, and after the woman moved from Pakistan to her husbands familys home in Midlothian, Aman asserted her role as the leader and organizer of the family, a sentencing memo says.

Aman took away the womans personal items, jewelry and immigration papers and started ordering her to perform house work, according to the sentencing memo.

For the next 12 years, the woman was physically and emotionally abused by Aman and her two sons in the home while living in a climate of fear, prosecutors said.

During this period, the womans husband left the home to practice medicine in Pennsylvania in 2006 before moving to California to do the same in 2008, according to a superseding indictment.

To keep the woman working in the home, Aman and her two sons slapped, kicked, and pushed the victim, even beat her with a wooden board, and, on one occasion, hog-tied her hands and feet and dragged her down the stairs in front of her children, prosecutors said.

Additionally, the trio alienated the woman from her children, who she shared with her husband, and had some of them take part in the abuse, according to the superseding indictment.

When the children expressed a need for their mother they were punished, the sentencing memo says.

Prosecutors said the woman lived under the constant threat that shed be separated from her children and was threatened with deportation if she didnt perform labor inside the home even though she had valid immigration status.

As a result of a seven-day trial in May, Aman and her two sons were all convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor, according to prosecutors. Aman was also convicted of forced labor and document servitude while Rehan Chaudhri was also convicted of forced labor, a May release said.

Aman and Rehan Chaudhri must also pay the woman $250,000 in restitution as part of their sentencing, according to officials.

Midlothian is about 15 miles west of Richmond.

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Lynnette Hardaway, left, and Rochelle Richardson of Diamond and Silk attend the 2018 premiere of "Death of a Nation" in Los Angeles. (Willy Sanjuan / Invision / Associated Press)

Lynnette Hardaway, better known as Diamond of the conservative sister duo Diamond and Silk, died of a heart condition, the Associated Press reported.

The right-wing internet personality's cause of death was confirmed Tuesday with the release of the death certificate obtained by the AP. Hardaway died Jan. 8 at age 51 of heart disease due to chronic high blood pressure, the death certificate said.

Hardaway and sister Rochelle Richardson, also known as Silk, were both born in 1971, according to NBC News. For years, the pair filmed themselves delivering far-right commentary and posted the videos on Facebook, YouTube and other platforms.

They are primarily known for their staunch support of Donald Trump during his presidential campaigns and found fame during his 2016 run.

Diamond and Silk also briefly worked as contributors at Fox News, which ended their employment in 2020 after they spread baseless COVID-19 conspiracy theories on air. They later hosted the series Diamond and Silk: Crystal Clear on Newsmax and published a book called Uprising.

At Hardaway's memorial service Saturday in Fayetteville, N.C., her sister Rochelle and their followers spread similar unsubstantiated rumors about Hardaway's cause of death and blamed COVID-19 vaccines.

Richardson took to Twitter on Tuesday as news of the official cause of her sister's death circulated. "Instead of emailing me about my sister's death, use your investigative journalism skills to investigate why Americans are Falling Dead Suddenly!," she wrote.

Trump attended Hardaway's funeral over the weekend, along with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, according to the Fayeteville Observer. The service also included a prerecorded message from Ben Carson, former U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Trump.

The world has lost one of its brightest stars, Trump said during the service. Weve lost one of our purest hearts, and thats for sure.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A man set fire to his condo as an act of revenge against the homeowners association in charge of his property, according to Florida court documents.

After setting the fire, Marc Lane Hermann, 53, shot himself in the neck, according to an affidavit for his arrest.

Officials responded to a fire at a complex in Longwood on Jan. 14, according to the affidavit.

A deputy found Hermann draped in towels with blood on his face, the affidavit says. He said the blood was his and the injuries were caused by a gun.

He also told a paramedic that hed set the fire in an act of revenge against his homeowners association and that hed shot himself in the neck, according to the affidavit.

Neighbors said a huge explosion shook the building, according to the affidavit. One neighbor who lived below Hermanns condominium said water and smoke started pouring in to her home from the direction of his, and she had to dodge flaming debris as she escaped, the affidavit says.

Another neighbor said he was inside his residence when he started to smell gasoline, and an explosion threw him into his closet, the affidavit says. Heavy smoke prevented him from leaving through his front door, and he had to escape out his second-story balcony.

Hermanns residence had catastrophic fire destruction, and three more addresses connected to it were also damaged, the affidavit says.

Investigators found a strong odor of a gasoline-type smell in the residence but couldnt find the exact source of ignition, according to the affidavit. They determined the fire was caused by an unspecified human act.

Hermann was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree arson on a building with people present, according to Seminole County Jail records. His bond was set at $15,000 for each count. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 7.

Longwood is about 15 miles north of Orlando.

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Albert "Ian" Schweitzer, left, looks on as Innocence Project attorney Susan Freidman speaks during Schweitzer's court case Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Hilo, Hawaii. Attorneys for Schweitzer, imprisoned for more than 20 years after his conviction for the 1991 sexual assault, kidnapping, and murder of a white woman visiting the Big Island, ask a judge Tuesday to dismiss his conviction due to new evidence, including DNA testing in the case. (Marco Garcia/The Innocence Project via AP Images)

HONOLULU (AP)  A judge on Tuesday ordered a man released from prison immediately after his attorneys presented new evidence and argued that he didnt commit the crimes he was convicted of and spent more than 20 years locked up for: the 1991 murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman visiting Hawaii.

Albert Ian Schweitzer, who was convicted in 2000 and sentenced to 130 years in prison, should be released from his shackles immediately, Judge Peter Kubota ruled.

That prompted applause in the Hilo courtroom and hugs for Schweitzer, who was flown to the Big Island for the hearing from the Arizona prison where he was serving his sentence.

"My feelings were all over the place," Schweitzer told the AP during a phone interview in recalling the moment of his release. Nerves, anxiety, scared.

The justice system is flawed, he said, calling himself one of many imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit. He earlier told reporters that he was grateful for the judge doing the honorable thing."

A petition filed late Monday outlined additional evidence in one of Hawaiis biggest murders, which unfolded on Christmas Eve in 1991 on the Big Island.

Dana Ireland, 23, was found barely alive in the bushes along a fishing trail in Puna, a remote section of the island. She had been sexually assaulted and beaten, and later died at Hilo Medical Center. The mangled bicycle she had been riding was found several miles away and appeared to have been run into by a vehicle.

The slaying of the blond-haired, blue-eyed visitor from Virginia gained national attention and remained unsolved for years, putting intense pressure on police to find the killer.

Whenever you have a white, female victim ... it gets a lot more attention than people of color and Native Hawaiians, said Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project. The parents, understandably, were becoming more and more infuriated. ... There was insurmountable pressure to solve this case. And when that happens, mistakes are made. Some intentional and some unintentional.

Irelands relatives couldnt immediately be reached for comment on the petition and Schweitzers release. Prosecutors didnt immediately comment on Schweitzers release.

With help from the Innocence Project in New York, the co-counsel in the case, Lawson's group represented Schweitzer, the last of three Native Hawaiian men convicted in Ireland's death who had remained imprisoned.

DNA evidence previously submitted in the case belonged to an unknown man and all three of the convicted men were excluded as sources.

New DNA evidence, according to the petition, shows a Jimmy Z brand T-shirt found near Ireland and soaked with her blood belonged to the same unknown man, and not to one of the three men, as prosecutors claimed.

Additionally, a new tire tread analysis concluded Schweitzer's Volkswagen Beetle car didn't leave the tire marks at either location where Ireland and her bicycle were found. A forensic odontologist also concluded an injury on her left breast wasn't a bitemark, as previously believed, the petition said.

At a new trial today, a jury would not convict Mr. Schweitzer of Ms. Irelands sexual assault and murder, the petition said. In fact, a prosecutor would likely not even arrest Mr. Schweitzer for this crime.

The likelihood that all three men participated in a sexual attack and left no trace of biological evidence  including a lack of evidence uncovered with advanced forensic testing  is extraordinarily improbable, the petition said.

In 2019, Schweitzer's attorneys and Hawaii County prosecutors entered into a conviction integrity agreement to reinvestigate the case. It was the first time in Hawaii there has been this type of agreement, Lawson said, which is increasingly being used to reexamine questionable convictions and guard against future errors.

"Over the last three years, we have shared information and re-examined forensic evidence. No matter the outcome in these post-conviction proceedings, we remain committed to identifying unknown male #1 and seeking justice for Dana Ireland and her `ohana, Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen said in a statement before the ruling, using the Hawaiian word for family.

However, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Shannon Kagawa asked the judge to deny the petition, saying the new evidence wouldn't change the outcome of a new trial.

Kubota disagreed, saying that based on the new evidence, a jury would acquit Schweitzer.

Much of the background on the Ireland case is detailed in a document filed with the petition listing facts that defense attorneys and prosecutors have stipulated.

In 1994, police made what they believed to be a major breakthrough. A man facing charges for his role in a cocaine conspiracy contacted police and claimed his half-brother, Frank Pauline Jr., witnessed Ireland's attack, according to the stipulated facts document.

Police interviewed Pauline, who was in his third month of a 10-year sentence for an unrelated sex assault and theft. He claimed brothers Ian and Shawn Schweitzer attacked and killed Ireland. But he was interviewed at least seven times and gave inconsistent accounts each time, eventually incriminating himself, the stipulation document said.

Despite the lack of evidence linking them to the killing, the two Schweitzers and Pauline were indicted in 1997.

At one point the charges were dismissed because all three men were excluded as the source of semen found in Ireland and on a hospital gurney sheet. They were indicted again after another informant claimed Ian Schweitzer confessed to him in jail that Pauline raped and killed Ireland.

Pauline later said he offered details to police about the Ireland murder in order to get drug charges dropped against his half-brother.

In a prison interview with the A&E show American Justice, Pauline compared his story to the tale of the boy who cried wolf. Wasn't me, he said in a strong Hawaii Pidgin accent. But when he started telling the truth, he said no one believed him.

Shawn Schweitzer took a deal to plead guilty to manslaughter and kidnapping  and receive credit for about a year served and five years of probation  after seeing juries convict Pauline and his brother in 2000.

In October, Shawn Schweitzer met with prosecutors and recanted. According to the stipulation document, he pleaded guilty because his parents did not want to risk losing another son and encouraged Shawn Schweitzer to do what he needed to do to come home and not suffer the same fate as his brother.

Shawn Schweitzer continues to feel immense guilt about agreeing to the confession and entering a guilty plea for a crime he did not commit and falsely implicating his brother," the document said.

A polygraph test in November showed he was telling the truth when he denied any involvement in the murder, the document said.

Pauline was killed in a New Mexico prison by a fellow inmate in 2015.

Being back in Hawaii tastes great, Schweitzer told the AP.

The air is good, he said. The water is good.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly in her State of State address on Tuesday night warned the Republican-controlled Legislature that she would oppose irresponsible tax proposals and education measures that pit parents against teachers, even as the Democratic governor seeks GOP support for her agenda.

Kelly has called for immediately eliminating the state sales tax on food, creating a back-to-school sales tax holiday and providing a tax break for some retirees. Kelly also wants Kansas to fully fund special education after the state has gone more than a decade without meeting mandatory funding levels.

The governor, in the first weeks of her second term, emphasized that she wants to work across the aisle, including the possibility of compromise to legalize medical marijuana in Kansas, one of just three states without any public marijuana or THC program. She also made clear that action must be taken to address diminishing water supplies in western Kansas, saying politicians had kicked the can down the road for decades.

But Kellys annual State of State address also signaled she is ready to deploy her veto pen as she begins a second term.

Warning that the classroom isnt a place for politics, the governor said she would oppose efforts designed to turn parents against teachers to turn communities against their schools to turn young people away from the teaching profession, Kelly said.

Republicans, both in Kansas and in states across the country, have pursued legislation to prohibit critical race theory  a college-level academic concept that examines the role of institutions in perpetuating racism  and divisive concepts in K-12 classrooms. A Missouri bill, for example, would ban teaching any form of form of race or sex scapegoating.

I will resist politicians who want to score political points at the expense of our students and our families. Our students should not be used as political pawns. Not ever, Kelly said.

GOP legislators have also called for bans on transgender athletes competing in girls sports, a proposal Kelly has twice vetoed. Republicans have also promised to propose a parents bill of rights that aims to give parents more control over curriculum but have yet to release it.

A Florida version of the parents bill of rights became known as the dont say gay bill for prohibiting classroom instruction related to gender identity or sexual orientation. Previous versions of the legislation in Kansas have not been as wide reaching.

We want high quality classical education that focuses on academic excellence, preparing our kids for a successful future, not the sexualized woke agenda we see permeating the system today, Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said in a response to the speech pre-recorded two weeks ago.

The sad reality is her party, Masterson said, referring to Kelly, remains beholden to the public union leadership, which fears and resists parents having any form of school choice, just wanting a blank check to their system.

Kellys major education priority this year centers on significantly increasing the amount of aid the state provides to schools to educate children with special needs. As Kansas enjoys a historic, nearly $2 billion budget surplus, Kelly has proposed an additional $72 million each year for special education to bring the state into compliance in five years.

The amount of funding holds the potential to affect the kind of services and instruction upwards of 90,000 Kansas students receive. Nearly one in five students in the state receive special education services, which includes students with both developmental and physical disabilities, as well as those enrolled in gifted programs, according to the Kansas Association of School Boards.

The Special Education funding gap doesnt just impact students with special needs, Kelly said. It impacts every student, because schools end up diverting funds away from other areas to provide these services.

Kelly introduced Danny Robeson, a 5th grade student in the Shawnee Mission School District, who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and impaired vision.

Kelly said Dannys mother, Laura, frequently volunteers at his school and has experienced the consequences of not enough funding, including times when she has had to keep him home from school because there arent enough staff for him to learn safely.

Some Republicans are either resistant to approving the additional special education dollars, or want to attach major strings attached.

We are going to spend a lot of time looking at alternatives to address the issues that already exist in statute, said Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican. The statutes got flaws. So rather than just add money to a flawed statute lets fix the statute and then address the funding and make sure its fair for everyone.

Call for medical marijuana

The governor was originally scheduled to speak to a joint session of the Legislature two days after her second inauguration, but it was postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19.

Kellys office then said she did not in fact have the virus but had a false positive. Additional tests came back negative, the governors office said. Tuesday was Kellys 73rd birthday, and after lawmakers sang Happy Birthday, she joked that the delay was so I would hear you sing happy birthday to me.

The speech, delivered to a packed House chamber full of lawmakers, state officials and special guests, was anticlimactic in some respects. Typically, the State of the State allows the governor the chance to offer a preview of her agenda ahead of the release of a budget proposal that details exactly how the governor wants those goals funded.

But with Kellys budget already released two weeks ago, Republicans have been skeptical of some of her goals. Few issues will test Kellys ability to negotiate with Republicans as much as medical marijuana.

Legalization has stalled since the House passed a bill to legalize the drug in 2021. Masterson has repeatedly said it isnt a priority in the Senate and that he wants to see more research before he is comfortable moving forward.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said hes leaving the issue to the Senate this year. Some supporters are hopeful a breakthrough will occur, despite Mastersons hesitation.

I think there may be some movement over there. There are some encouraging signs, said House Minority Leader Vic Miller, a Topeka Democrat.

Kansas is surrounded on three sides by states that have legalized the drug, including Missouri whose voters just approved a constitutional amendment legalizing recreational use.

Kelly referenced a case in Hays, when police raided the hospital room of a terminally ill man using marijuana products to ease his pain.

We all know that was ridiculous, Kelly said. This is not to blame the police  the police were just enforcing the law. That means the law itself is ridiculous.

After the speech, Masterson said his position had not changed. He called the Hays case an interesting example because shes trying to get marijuana to a guy that couldnt breathe. Marijuana can be consumed in many forms other than smoking, such as oils and edibles.

There is a role for potential palliative care, theres gonna be bills, theres gonna be hearings. Im not going to be shamed in to doing it from some bad examples, he said.

On taxes, Kelly and Republican leadership are fairly close on tax policy this year with a shared goal of reducing income taxes on social security. Republicans, however, have introduced legislation that takes that a step further, eliminating income tax on social security and reducing it on other retirement benefits.

Republicans have indicated a willingness to negotiate with Kelly on immediately eliminating the state sales tax on food. Lawmakers approved, and Kelly signed, a gradual repeal this spring that will eventually cost the state about $400 million in revenue a year.

Some lawmakers want to explore a flat tax that would almost certainly garner a veto from Kelly. The Kansas Chamber of Commerce introduced legislation in both chambers that would institute a flat income tax at 2.25%. The bill includes a mechanism that could gradually draw state income tax down to zero if the state is drawing in more tax revenue than estimated.

Hawkins said Republicans will pass policy reducing Social Security income, but that it would be tied to other tax policy.

She will make a choice whether shes going to veto it or not, he said.

Kelly on Tuesday night didnt directly respond to any specific proposal, but promised to oppose ideas that erode the states fiscal foundation. Kansas experienced years of budget shortfalls until lawmakers largely rolled back former Republican Gov. Sam Brownbacks 2012 income tax cuts in 2017.

We have been there before. We know where it leads. And we cant go back, Kelly said.

Not to debt. Crumbling roads. An overwhelmed foster care system. And perhaps most devastating of all, underfunded schools, she said. We cannot go back to the days where financial irresponsibility here in Topeka robbed our Kansas students of opportunity.

Kelly wants action on water

Kelly will once again have to work with a supermajority Republican Legislature to accomplish her agenda. Republicans in the House and Senate this year have shown a greater level of cooperation between the chambers than in previous years.

The Democratic governor has long pushed for Medicaid expansion, which would provide health coverage to an estimated additional 100,000 residents or more, every year in office. After the speech Hawkins said, Medicaid is not going to go anywhere despite yet another plea from Kelly.

Now I know, I sound like a broken record, but its only because we have a broken healthcare system, Kelly said.

Kelly also called for action on another long-standing issue: the states water supply.

Some estimates indicate parts of western Kansas could run out of water in 10 years as the Ogallala aquifer depletes. While there is a bipartisan acknowledgment of the issue little has been done in the Legislature to address it.

Waiting for some miracle to happen is not an option. We have to do something, Kelly said. All that weve achieved in the past four years is put at risk by inaction.
A suspect was found dead Tuesday hours after three people were killed in a "random" shooting in Yakima, Washington, authorities said.

The triple homicide happened about 3:30 a.m. at a Circle K market, Yakima Police Chief Matt Murray said.

There was no apparent conflict between the parties," he said. "The male just walked in and started shooting."

Late Tuesday afternoon, Murray announced that a suspect in the shooting had been discovered near a Target store.

Someone phoned 911 at 2:16 p.m. to report a suspect in the shooting was possibly in the area of the retailer, Murray said. Responding officers heard gunfire and discovered an injured man, he said.

He was later declared dead at the scene, Murray said.

"The suspect apparently shot and killed himself, and that was prior to officers' arrival," Murray said.

Police earlier identified the suspect as Jarid Haddock, 21, of Yakima County.

While Murray said positive identification will take some time, he added, "I can say with pretty good confidence that we believe that is the person involved in those incidents today."

Murray said the suspect, who did not disguise himself, first tried to enter a convenience store where the doors were locked and then stepped inside the Circle K, where two customers were, and began shooting. The gunman also shot someone outside the convenience store, Murray said.

The gunman then went across the street to return to the first gas station and shot multiple times into his own vehicle to get inside because he appeared to have locked his keys in it, he said.

Police initially believed the shooting may have involved a fourth victim but later determined no one was struck when the man opened fire to gain access to the car, Murray said.

The suspect was last seen driving a gray or silver Chrysler 200 eastbound on State Route 24 toward Moxee, Murray said.

This is a dangerous person. And its random, so there is a danger to the community, Murray said. We dont have a motive. We dont know why.

On Monday afternoon he acknowledged the suspect had been at large much of the day.

"He was out in the community," Murray said at a news conference at police headquarters. "The threat was never really gone."

He credited a woman near the Target, whose phone the suspect borrowed to call his mother, for helping police find him. She relayed information to authorities, Murray said, including that the man appeared to have confessed to the attack during the call.

The woman also said he had threatened to commit suicide, Murray said.

Investigators were looking at security video to determine what happened.

We do have video from security at the store, and were collecting other video," Murray said. "There were also eyewitnesses who have given us information.

He said that the motive might not ever be known but that investigators so far believe the homicides in and outside the convenience store were random.

"Literally as he opened the door, he started shooting at the people," Murray said. "He walked out, saw somebody else in a car and shot them."

When the suspect was found, he had a gun and "a large amount" of ammunition, he said.

The country has been plagued by a spate of gun violence. On Saturday night, a gunman fatally shot 11 people and wounded at least nine more in Monterey Park, California.

Ten hours later, at least 12 people were wounded after gunfire erupted in a Louisiana nightclub, according to authorities, who called it a targeted attack.

Two students were fatally shot Monday afternoon at a charter school in Des Moines, Iowa.

In Northern California on Monday, at least seven people were killed and one person was seriously injured in a shooting in Half Moon Bay, a coastal city of roughly 11,000 about 30 miles south of San Francisco.

And one person was killed and seven others were injured in a shooting Monday evening in Oakland, California.

The U.S. has had at least 39 mass shootings in the first 24 days of 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group that defines a mass shooting as a single incident in which at least four people  other than the shooter  are shot.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday formally rejected two Democrats  Reps. Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (Calif.)  from serving on the House Intelligence Committee, escalating the two-year tit-for-tat battle between the parties over who is qualified for certain positions on Capitol Hill.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) had written to McCarthy on Saturday asking that both Schiff and Swalwell be seated on the Intel panel, where membership assignments come solely at the discretion of the Speaker.

But McCarthy said Schiffs and Swalwells previous actions make them unfit to serve on a panel with jurisdiction over and access to sensitive issues of national security.

In order to maintain a standard worthy of this committees responsibilities, I am hereby rejecting the appointments of Representative Adam Schiff and Representative Eric Swalwell to serve on the Intelligence Committee, he wrote in a letter to Jeffries on Tuesday.

The move was no surprise.

Republicans have been up in arms over the issue since 2021, when Democrats staged votes to remove GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.) from their committees following revelations that they had promoted violence against some of their Democratic colleagues. The eviction votes came after McCarthy declined to punish either lawmaker internally within the GOP conference, which is typically where such disciplinary actions are meted out.

Still, McCarthy on Tuesday denied that his decision regarding Schiff and Swalwell was retribution for Greene and Gosar.

This is not not anything political. This is not similar to what the Democrats did, McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday evening just outside his office in the Capitol.

Schiff, the former chairman of the Intelligence Committee, had led a series of investigations into former President Trump, serving as the lead impeachment manager of Trumps first impeachment, which both heightened his national profile and made him radioactive among Trumps supporters.

McCarthy has accused him of lying to the public about Trumps ties to Russia  a charge that Schiff has dismissed as political retribution.

His objection seems to be that I was the lead impeachment manager in Donald Trumps first impeachment and that we held him accountable for withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid from Ukraine in order to try to extort that country into helping his political campaign, Schiff told reporters Tuesday night.

Schiff also noted that McCarthys road to the Speakership was successful only after he secured the support of former critics, including Greene, charging that the process had left him beholden to those conservatives.

I think its just another body blow to the institution of Congress, that hes behaving this way, but it shows just how weak he is as a Speaker that he has to give in to the most extreme elements of his conference, in this case the Marjorie Taylor Greenes and Paul Gosars, Schiff said.

The accusations surrounding Swalwell are of a different sort. The California Democrat was associated with a suspected Chinese spy who had fundraised for his 2014 campaign  a revelation that was not made public until 2020  and McCarthy has said that a confidential FBI briefing on the episode has left him convinced that Swalwell is a national security risk.

When Eric Swalwell would be in the private sector and cant get the security clearance there, we are not gonna provide him with the secrets to America, McCarthy told reporters.

McCarthy has also vowed to block Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from sitting on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as a rebuke for previous comments she made that were critical of Israel and its supporters, some of which have sparked allegations of antisemitism. In 2019, the congresswoman  who is a Somali refugee  apologized after suggesting that wealthy Jews were buying congressional support for Israel.

Omars situation, however, is different from that of Schiff or Swalwell. While McCarthy has the unilateral authority to block appointments to the Intelligence Committee, the full House must ratify committee membership for the Foreign Affairs panel  meaning a majority of the chamber will have to vote to block the congresswoman from serving.

That effort is already proving to be an uphill battle. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) announced Tuesday that she will not support keeping Omar off the Foreign Affairs committee, and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) has expressed a coolness to the idea.

Republicans can afford to lose only four votes in the narrowly split House amid united Democratic opposition, which means the party can afford only two more defectors to still block Omar. That number could shrink to one if Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), who is recovering in Florida from a fall, misses the vote. The congressman on Monday said he will be sidelined in Sarasota for several weeks.

It is unclear when a vote to block Omar from the panel will come to the floor. The House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee is slated to meet this week and finish committee assignments, and Omar is expected to return to the Foreign Affairs Committee. The full chamber would then be tasked with ratifying the rosters.

Asked on Tuesday how confident he is that there will be enough support to block Omar from the Foreign Affairs panel, McCarthy told reporters that it would be odd to me that members would not support that based upon her comments against Israel.

Pressed on those character allegations Tuesday, Omar told reporters that all of those have been addressed three years ago.

Schiff, Swalwell and Omar issued a joint defense minutes after McCarthy sent his letter, tying the GOP leader to the right flank of his party.

Its disappointing but not surprising that Kevin McCarthy has capitulated to the right wing of his caucus, undermining the integrity of the Congress, and harming our national security in the process, the trio said. He struck a corrupt bargain in his desperate, and nearly failed, attempt to win the Speakership, a bargain that required political vengeance against the three of us.

Updated at 8:26 p.m.

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Two nuclear bombs that fell onto North Carolina in 1961 were just one step from detonating.

The state narrowly escaped disaster after a military plane carrying the nuclear weapons crashed on Jan. 24, 1961. As the bomber exploded, the two weapons plunged to the ground near Goldsboro, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources said on the 62-year anniversary of the crash.

Billy Reeves told National Geographic he was getting ready to go to sleep when he saw a plane with a missing wing come down about a quarter-mile from his home.

Everything around here was on fire, Reeves told the news outlet in 2021. The grass was burning. Big Daddys Road over there was melting. My mother was praying. She thought it was the End of Times.

Officials said three crew members died in the crash, which caused the bombs to release over a rural area.

Seven of the eight arming, fusing and firing switches and devices in one bomb automatically activated, state officials wrote in a blog post. Only a crew-controlled switch prevented a nuclear detonation.

The weapons came from a B-52G Stratofortress bomber, which was flying during the Cold War, a decades-long period of tension between the United States and the former Soviet Union. The crash was reported about 10 miles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, southeast of Raleigh.

At the height of the Cold War, U.S. policy was to keep armed nuclear aircraft in the air at all times in the event of a conflict, according to the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Historians said one of the bombs stayed mostly intact and fell to the ground with a parachute, while the other broke apart on impact. The U.S. Air Force said part of the bomb sank into the ground and that there is no detectable radiation or hazard in or around the area.

Historians believe that the Goldsboro incident was one of the closest near-disasters of the Cold War because safety interlocks on the weapons failed, having gone through all of the steps to detonate, save one, according to state officials.

Two people from North Carolina killed in fiery plane crash in Virginia, officials say

Beloved NC doctor and his wife killed when plane crashes in Tennessee, officials say
Diners at a Greek restaurant in Bowling Green, Kentucky were able to hear the sounds of gunshots and unsettling police footage from an upstairs event held by a local Republican group hosting one of the officers who fired into the home of Breonna Taylor.

The Republican Womens Club of South Central Kentucky held a dinner event last week at Annas Greek Restaurant for Jonathan Mattingly, a former sergeant with the Louisville Metro Police Department who was among the officers who performed a botched police raid that killed the 26-year-old Black woman while she was in her apartment in 2020.

Complaints fielded by a local chapter of the NAACP revealed that Annas patrons were not aware of the event, which they claimed included graphic descriptions of her killing, broadcast throughout the restaurant, according to the organisation.

A week after the event, the former officer turned author and conservative pundit who was the honoured guest has denied that such footage was shown and apologised to restaurant patrons who believed they were hearing unsettling footage of Taylors killing.

On 24 January, Mr Mattingly released a video statement denying that the event showed footage of Taylors death and condemning the lies surrounding the event. The sounds of gunshots, he said, came from news broadcasts about police who were shot during protests that were included in a presentation.

He also offered to pay for affected diners meals.

There was no ill will, no malice. We did not want the other patrons to hear this, he said in the video. I apologise to you. I really do. I know, if I were in your shoes, and there was something that I disagreed with being played  I would be very upset as well.

A statement in from the NAACP Bowling Green-Warren County chapter said the organisation is profoundly dismayed and outraged over reports of the event, which has drawn several protests in Bowling Green.

It is beyond reprehensible to subject anyone, let alone children and customers of African American descent, to such indecent exposure, graphic and upsetting images while they were attempting to enjoy their meal, according to a statement shared with The Independent from NAACP Bowling Green-Warren County president Ryan Dearbone.

Such disturbing occurrences must not be tolerated especially in places of public accommodation, he added. At a minimum, these acts are devoid of humanity and violate the most fundamental principles of human decency.

Mr Mattingly was the first officer to enter Taylors apartment on 13 March, 2020, as police executed a search warrant and used a battering ram to break down her door.

Believing the police were intruders, her boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired one shot as officers broke through. Mr Mattingly was shot in the leg, and officers returned fire.

Mr Mattingly was never charged in connection with the incident; he retired after he was placed on administrative leave.

Unfortunately its been a total disaster ever since, Mr Mattingly said in his video statement, criticising the subsequent investigations into the incident.

Last year, the US Department of Justice indicted three police officers  Kelly Goodlett, Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany  on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and civil rights violations for allegedly conspiring to mislead the judge who approved the search warrant on Mr Walkers house.

Detective Brett Hankison also was charged with civil rights violations, alleging that the now-former officer willfully used unconstitutionally excessive force, while acting in his official capacity as an officer, when he fired his service weapon into Taylors apartment through a covered window and covered glass door, according to the indictment.

The Republican Womens Club of South Central Kentucky initially planned to host the event at a different location, the Bowling Green Country Club, which declined after it became aware of the guest speaker, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles also was set to appear, but he also backed out of the event due to the controversial nature of another speaker at this event, according to Spectrum News.

Before the event, the group said in a statement to Spectrum News that Mr Mattingly was invited to speak so attendees could obtain a firsthand account of what happened the night Taylor was killed.

Restaurant patron Cayce Johnson told The Courier Journal that audio from the event could be heard throughout the restaurant and that Mr Mattingly was introduced to raucous applause.

She told CNN that Mr Mattinglys presentation went through everything, talked about the investigation and then played several tapes during his presentation.

Another patron, Katelyn Jones, told CNN that she was unable to see what was happening upstairs but heard the sounds of sirens and gunshots that drowned out their own dinner conversation.

Towards the end of our meal, the lights shut off and we heard police radio chatter and sirens on a recording. We heard the gunshots, too, and it was so loud and chaotic. It was really loud, she told CNN.
Newly elected U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) stands alone on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Embattled Republican freshman U.S. Representative George Santos skipped his invitation to a White House reception on Tuesday evening and appears to have been joined by several hardline newcomers in snubbing President Biden.

All first-time lawmakers were invited to the bipartisan reception hosted by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, but dozens of Republicans were missing from the list of more than 40 registrants that was distributed by the White House for the event.

Among the missing were several who tried to block Republican Kevin McCarthy from being elected speaker earlier this month, before relenting once he offered them extensive concessions.

Those representatives were Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Eli Crane of Arizona, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Andy Ogles of Tennessee and Keith Self of Texas. Their spokespeople did not respond to a request for comment after normal business hours.

Santos, who has faced calls from fellow New York Republicans to step down over fabrications about his career and history, told reporters on Capitol Hill earlier on Tuesday: "I'm not going."

Eleven Republican newcomers were expected to attend the White House event.

"Everyone is invited who is part of the new Congress," said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday.

Biden is expected to soon launch his campaign for re-election to a second, four-year term in 2024, and he needs support in Congress to raise the debt limit, pass a new budget and help deliver on a host of promises to voters.

Many Republicans in the House have instead promised to block government spending and investigate Biden's family and use of office. Biden's fellow Democrats have narrow control of the Senate, while Republicans won a slim majority in the House during the 2022 midterm elections.

McCarthy was elected as speaker only after agreeing to a demand by hardliners that any lawmaker be able call for his removal at any time. That will sharply cut the power the Californian will hold when trying to pass legislation.
Russias ambassador to Germany on Wednesday condemned the countrys decision to send tanks to support Ukrainian defenses, saying it is extremely dangerous and will push the war to a new level of confrontation.

Ambassador Sergey Nechaev argued Germanys action shows it is not interested in a diplomatic resolution to the conflict and wants to have permanent escalation and unlimited flooding of Ukraine with weapons, according to a statement posted on the website of Russias embassy in Berlin and reported by the Russian state-run media outlet TASS.

With the permission of the German leadership, battle tanks with German crosses will be dispatched again to the Eastern front which will inevitably lead to the deaths of not only Russian soldiers but also civilians, Nechaev said.

Germany announced on Wednesday that it plans to send 14 of its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine after weeks of pressure to do so from Western allies. It will also approve requests from other countries to send the German-made tanks to Ukraine.

Poland has been among the Western countries most vocal about wanting to send the tanks to Ukraine, but Germany needs to sign off on sending any of its tanks to countries outside NATO.

Germanys decision appears likely to help spur the Biden administration to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to support Ukraine. The United States has also shown hesitancy to send its tanks to Ukraine in recent weeks despite encouragement from its Western allies.

Nechaev said the German government sending the tanks abandons the difficult path of post-war reconciliation between Russia and Germany, referring to when the two countries fought each other during World War II.

It destroys the remnants of mutual trust, brings irreparable damage to already poor Russian-German relations and cast doubt on the possibility of their normalization in the foreseeable future, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A subtle eastward shift in a winter storm that will cut across Missouri overnight might mean less snow for the Kansas City area, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

Snow is still expected to fall in the Kansas City area, but only one to two inches is likely for most of the metro. Some areas in the southern part of the metro could see more, according to the weather service.

A winter weather advisory will be in effect from 6 p.m. Tuesday to noon Wednesday for much of the Kansas City region.

Plan on slippery road conditions, the weather service said. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute Wednesday.

Drivers were urged to slow down and use caution while traveling.

A winter storm warning has been issued for areas along and south of Interstate 44 in southern Missouri where heavy snow is likely. Between five and nine inches is expected, with as much as a foot of snow possible in some areas, according to the weather service.

Travel is expected to be impossible in southern Missouri as roads and bridges become slick and hazardous. Drivers were urged to consider delaying travel until the storm has passed.

In the Kansas City area, a light rain and snow mix could start falling as early as 6 p.m. It will quickly turn into all snow by 9 p.m. The bulk of the accumulating snow will fall between midnight and 6 a.m., according to the weather service.

Slick roads can be expected through much of the region especially during the Wednesday morning commute, the weather service said. The snow is expected to gradually come to an end around noon.

Temperatures are expected to be around freezing on Wednesday and Thursday before rebounding into the 40s on Friday and Saturday. Temperatures will tumble into the single digits Sunday morning and only warm into the mid-20s by the afternoon. Light snow is also possible on Sunday.
Texas and 19 other states sued the Biden administration Tuesday, looking to block a new program that allows up to 30,000 would-be asylum-seekers to enter the United States by air each month.

The lawsuit centers on the administrations use of parole under immigration law to grant entry to the migrants, who otherwise would likely not qualify for entry visas.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS or Department), under the false pretense of preventing aliens from unlawfully crossing the border between the ports of entry, has effectively created a new visa programwithout the formalities of legislation from Congressby announcing that it will permit up to 360,000 aliens annually from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to be paroled into the United States for two years or longer and with eligibility for employment authorization, reads the lawsuit.

The Texas lawsuit comes as the Biden administration seeks to extricate the border and immigration issues from each other, creating avenues for migrants to bypass the border while cracking down on migrants who arrive unauthorized by land.

The administrations plan to admit 30,000 Cuban, Venezuelan, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants every month came coupled with the threat to immediately expel to Mexico an equal number of migrants from those countries apprehended at the border.

While the move is designed to ease pressure from border states by lowering foot traffic along the border, immigration hawks have balked at the plan.

Every state in America, especially border states like Texas, is being crushed by the impacts of illegal immigration, said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in a statement.

The Biden open borders agenda has created a humanitarian crisis that is increasing crime and violence in our streets, overwhelming local communities, and worsening the opioid crisis. This unlawful amnesty program, which will invite hundreds of thousands of aliens into the U.S. every year, will only make this immigration crisis drastically worse, he said.

Paxtons suit alleges that the Biden administration plan violates the precepts of immigration parole.

The parole program established by the Department fails each of the laws three limiting factors. It is not case-by-case, is not for urgent humanitarian reasons, and advances no significant public benefit, reads the lawsuit.

The administrations use of parole is unprecedented both in scale and scope  the authority has generally been used in large scale to respond to humanitarian crises, such as the 1980 Cuban Mariel boatlift.

And while immigration statute does not explicitly limit the administrations use of parole, a 2008 DHS policy memo stated that parole is not to be used to circumvent normal visa processes and timelines.

According to the American Immigration Council, however, while humanitarian parole is explicitly authorized by the [Immigration and Nationality Act] for urgent humanitarian reasons, there is no statutory or regulatory definition of an urgent humanitarian reason,' giving the executive a wide berth in defining parole.

In his suit, Paxton asked the court to enjoin, declare unlawful, and set aside the Departments lawless parole program, in part because the Department does not have the authority to invite more than a third of a million more illegal aliens into the United States annually as it has announced with this program.

But in the press release announcing the lawsuit, Paxtons office wrote that the program unlawfully creates a de facto pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of aliens.

Would-be asylum-seekers who enter the United States via air with parole would not be undocumented  or illegal aliens, according to statute  and would likely have an easier time than other asylum-seekers if they ultimately sought permanent residency and citizenship.

Many asylum-seekers who first enter the United States without prior authorization face bureaucratic hurdles to getting permanent residency because of their initial illegal entry.

Paxtons lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court Southern District of Texas Victoria Division, where Trump-appointed Judge Drew Tipton in 2021 issued an unprecedented ruling in an immigration case.

Tiptons 160-page ruling, among other things, ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to drop its enforcement priorities, which directed the agency to focus its resources on dangerous foreign nationals.

A three-judge 5th Circuit panel overruled most of Tiptons ruling the following month, writing that while the district courts interpretation of these statutes is novel, executive branch memos listing immigration enforcement priorities are not.

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After days in the cold, some residents of an apartment complex in Northeast Kansas City are getting their gas and power back, but tenants and a tenants rights group say problems remain with the company that owns the apartments.

Late Thursday into Friday, Kansas City firefighters turned off gas at some of the buildings in the apartment complex on Lawn Avenue to respond to a small blaze, but determined it was too dangerous to turn it back on, leaving residents without heat throughout the cold weekend and into the day Monday.

Then, late Sunday, a gas leak at another building in the complex forced fire officials and the Kansas City Health Department to evacuate tenants.

FTW Investments, the group that owns the properties, said it provided residents with temporary housing. But some tenants chose to stay and deal with the cold because they needed to remain close to work and their childrens school, or had health concerns or other reservations about leaving their homes.

Jason Merrill, a spokesman for Spire, said gas was back on at the buildings affected by fire, and inspectors were spending Tuesday restoring gas unit by unit to the other building as its deemed safe. Spire and property maintenance worked throughout Monday to identify the source of the gas leaks, but faced issues because there may be more than one leak, according to Michelle Pekarsky, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City Health Department.

Evergy also restored power to one of the larger buildings in the complex Monday evening, meaning residents had the ability to run space heaters and other warming devices, Pekarsky said.

Healthy Homes, a rental inspection program run through the city, was on site throughout the day to ensure progress in repairs, Pekarsky said. The team determined that all shut off valves in the building would be replaced. Gas to vacant units will be capped so that officials can more easily identify the four active lines in the building.

On Tuesday, Pekarsky said work was continuing on the property, particularly focusing on the largest building with the most occupied units.

Tenants on Monday stood outside the apartment complex in the 100 block of Lawn Avenue shivering.

Sofia Be stands outside of a northeast apartment building near her apartment home on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Kansas City. Be and dozens of other tenants were left without heat over the weekend.

One of the residents, Sofia Be, has helped rally her neighbors together in the last few days by connecting with the Kansas City Tenants Union and translating information about the issues and options like temporary housing to her neighbors, many of whom primarily speak Burmese.

I want to help my neighbor. I want to support them, she said. When I support into them, they support into me, too. I want to be warm. They want to be warm, too.

Be didnt leave her apartment because her husband needs to stay close to his job, and she cant drive to take her children to and from their nearby elementary school.

While the gas issues that began last week seem to be getting fixed, Be, who lives with her husband and four young kids, said issues at the apartments have dated back far longer, and residents have rarely heard from the buildings owners.

Until he came to the building Monday, Be said she had never seen Parker Webb, the CEO and co-founder of FTW Investments, which purchased the buildings in 2021. Webb is also a board for reStart, an organization that works to help people experiencing homelessness.

Community support

Be reached out to Janie Taylor, her daughters former first grade teacher at Gladstone Elementary, when she experienced problems at the apartment. Taylor has taught at the school, a few blocks from the apartments, for six years and frequently gives out her personal phone number to families in case they need help.

Be first reached out to Taylor about issues at the apartment at the beginning of the school year, when a squatter performed a sexual act in front of her. Taylor came to Bes home to help her call police, file an incident report and navigate the legal system. It took about a month to remove the man from the property and get him charged.

When the gas and heat turned off, Be reached out to Taylor again by phone and the next day at parent pickup to let her know the issue wasnt getting fixed and families were cold. Taylor contacted the fire department to get more information, connected Be with the tenants union and praised her throughout the weekend for speaking out.

Other teachers started asking how they could help, so Taylor started a GoFundMe that has raised around $1,300 as of Tuesday morning to help families with the increased expenses for meals and electricity bills from space heaters.

I just knew that there was going to be a lot of financial burdens coming up for them, Taylor said.

The tenants union also held a supply drive to get warming supplies donated to residents, and has helped support Be and other tenants as they gathered information and communicated with the city.

Tara Raghuveer, director of the KC Tenants Union, was at the apartments throughout the weekend and Monday helping residents navigate problems and get access to about three carloads of warming supplies. While Webb was on the property Monday, she said interactions between them were tense.

Chaw Noud, a resident that has been without heat since Friday morning, carries her nephew outside of her apartment building on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Kansas City.

A history of problems

In a statement Monday, FTW Investments claimed that squatters who illegally entered the property caused the fire on Thursday, and said representatives were on site that evening to help with relocation. The problems with squatters, trespassing and fires, they said, have been an issue throughout the Historic Northeast neighborhood.

Webb wrote that companies like FTW that work to make housing affordable and nice for all residents of Kansas City should not be blamed for these problems. Instead, Webb, who is also a board member for homelessness services organization reStart, that all community stakeholders need to commit to finding solutions to the citys homelessness problem.

FTW, he said, has and will continue to contribute to that work.

It is unacceptable and highly regrettable that the people who did this did so without regard for the lives of those around them who legally live in that building and rely on it to be close to their childrens schools, their work, and their community, Webb said. FTW Investments will continue to make sure this property is livable, even as we prepare to sell it to another company, and will not leave the people who rely on us for their housing without options.

The company said it will continue to cooperate with police and fire officials and said they will work toward holding individuals who committed this act of potentially deadly arson accountable. FTW also said it would continue to work to get families back in their homes and restore all services quickly.

But residents and neighbors say there are many more problems at the apartments.

Inside, tenants run power cords between units. A window shattered by a stray bullet months ago hasnt been fixed. On the outside, duct tape and wood have been used to cover splintered glass, and holes on exterior walls remain unfixed. Despite the break-ins, Be said she has never seen a security presence at the property.

Taylor Zink, whos lived behind the apartments on Elmwood Avenue since 2019, said she and her neighbors have filed numerous complaints to the city about the apartments. She said the complex has declined in the last few years, resulting in fires from illegal dumping, trash overflowing into yards, and rat and mice infestations that impact Zink and her neighbors. Right now, she pays $50 a month for an exterminator to handle rats in her yard.

Until recently, Zink didnt think anyone lived in the buildings because theyre in such poor condition and had Do not enter and No trespassing signs posted on fences and doors.

If hes truly investing in something, why is it falling apart? Zink said. Why isnt he caring about his tenants? His tenants should be his investment. His tenants deserve better than what theyve been doing.

While Webb and FTW said they have little control over squatters who they claim have caused the problems at the apartment, Raghuveer said the company needs to be held accountable.

She also said theres a larger question of why the city hasnt done more despite numerous health code violations and complaints at the property.

They have the right to strip a license or permit and they rarely do, Raghuveer said. Kansas City Tenants think they can and should exercise that more freely and keep people in better homes.

The city did not specify what additional steps it would be taking to ensure problems at the property were under control.

Tara Raghuveer, director of KC Tenants, records comments made by Mike Hardin, a public relations consultant for FTW Investments, outside of a northeast apartment complex on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Kansas City.

The Stars Jenna Thompson contributed to this report.
I keep thinking of the Bible on Mike Pompeos desk.

If you ever read a profile of Pompeo during his years as CIA director and secretary of state during the Trump administration, you probably saw references to that Bible. He mentioned it frequently to journalists and other audiences, a symbol of the deep piety he brought to his very important work on behalf of the country.

The message: Mike Pompeo is defined by his Christian faith.

In my office, I keep a Bible open on my desk to remind me of God and his word, and the truth, the Republican who served as Kansas congressman before he went to work for Donald Trump, told a Cairo audience in 2019. It informs everything I do, he told a New York Times reporter that same year.

Now Pompeo is gearing up for a likely presidential run. He has just released a book, Never Give an Inch, that serves as both a biography and campaign advertising. And it raises a question:

What does Mike Pompeos Bible say about sneering at murder victims?

I ask because his new book is dripping with disdain for Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post contributor who was assassinated and literally butchered by Saudi agents in 2018. Pompeo and Trump came under fierce criticism in the months after the murder for not more forcefully condemning Saudi Arabias de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman  the man who most likely ordered the heinous crime.

But Pompeo has no regrets.

He offers a he had it coming assessment of the murder, and describes Khashoggi as cozy with the Muslim Brotherhood and sorrowful about Osama bin Ladens death. (Khashoggis widow has refuted both allegations.)

The media made Khashoggi out to be a Saudi Arabian Bob Woodard who was martyred for bravely criticizing the Saudi royal family through his opinion articles in The Washington Post, Pompeo writes. In truth, Khashoggi was an activist who had supported the losing team in a recent fight for the throne in Saudi Arabia, and he was unhappy with having been exiled.

The former secretary of state cant be bothered to condemn Salman. His real ire is directed  naturally  at the faux outrage of American journalists.

Just as the media spent years trying to drive a wedge between me and President Trump, they spent the ensuing weeks trying to fracture Americas relationship with Saudi Arabia, he writes. Why? Because the progressive left hates Salman, even though he is leading the greatest cultural reform in the kingdoms history.

Get that? Murdering tyrants are great men. Reporters and progressives who point out the blood on those tyrants hands? Theyre the real villains.

Again: Where do we find this kind of attitude in Pompeos Bible?

Thou shalt not kill? Well, sure, unless the killer is a visionary leading a nations greatest cultural reform.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted? Unless the deaths of their loved ones make good campaign fodder, apparently.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy? Not applicable, clearly.

Or how about this? Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

All you can do is shake your head.

The backlash has been fierce. Khashoggis widow, Hanan Elatr, said Pompeo should be silent and shut up the lies about my husband. Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan called Pompeos remarks shameful. He was right.

And Pompeo doubled down.

Americans are safer because we didnt label Saudi Arabia a pariah state, he tweeted Tuesday, adding: I never let the media bully me.

The 2024 presidential campaign is coming. Pompeo is probably running, and he will probably brandish his faith at every stop along the campaign trail. Theres nothing necessarily wrong with that.

But voters will have to ask themselves which represents the real Mike Pompeo: The Bible on his desk? Or his sympathy for the devil?
An Afghan asylum seeker and convicted triple killer has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 29 years after murdering an aspiring Royal Marine outside a Subway takeaway shop.

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai was on the run from murder charges in Serbia when he arrived in the UK but his violent past went undetected and he even managed to dupe officials into believing he was 14  up to six years younger than his actual age.

According to reports, police were warned seven times that Abdulrahimzai had been carrying a knife before he went on to stab 21-year-old Thomas Roberts in Bournemouth, Dorset, in March last year in an act of extreme, senseless violence.

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai walking in Bournemouth on the night he killed Thomas Roberts (Dorset Police/PA)

Mr Roberts tearful family watched on from the public gallery at Salisbury Crown Court as their victim impact statements were read to the court  before the sentencing judge described the defendant as at all times the aggressor.

The fugitive killer was put in foster care on his arrival in the UK despite being convicted and handed a 20-year prison term in his absence for murdering two people with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in Serbia.

The Home Office said it will investigate the red flags missed and look at the full circumstances surrounding the case.

Dorset Police said matters concerning Abdulrahimzais background had been shared with relevant agencies to ensure appropriate reviews are carried out and areas for learning are identified.

The court previously heard the killer believed he was the younger age because he was told that by an uncle while in Afghanistan.

Sentencing Abdulrahimzai, Judge Paul Dugdale told the court there was no doubt as to the effect of growing up in the horrors of Afghanistan would have on a young child.

But he said the triple killer was at all times the aggressor that night and by his behaviour created a situation that led to Thomas Roberts death.

He added: Over and above that, he was looking for trouble.

Turning to Abdulrahimzai, the judge continued: You started the conflict, and throughout you were the threatening aggressor.

In seconds you took the life of a thoroughly decent man with a bright future who was loved greatly by so many people.

Your momentary act of extreme, senseless violence has left a family with a tragic loss that they will feel for the rest of their lives.

During the trial in Salisbury, the defendant, who had a fascination with knives, admitted stabbing Mr Roberts, who died of his injuries.

The court was told Mr Roberts was acting as the peacemaker in the early hours of March 12 2022, after his friend James Medway got into an argument with Abdulrahimzai over an e-scooter.

Abdulrahimzai had claimed the scooter for himself and left it propped against the window of the Subway sandwich shop in Old Christchurch Road.

The confrontation, which lasted only 24 seconds, saw Mr Roberts slap the defendant in the face.

Abdulrahimzai then revealed the knife he had hidden between the two pairs of trousers he was wearing and stabbed Mr Roberts twice before running away into nearby woodland.

He had previously been seen carrying a knife by his foster parent, who had told him not to, and also been warned by police and social workers of the dangers of carrying a knife.

Abdulrahimzai also shared pictures of himself posing with a knife about 10in long on TikTok in the months leading up to the incident.

He was refused asylum in Norway in December 2019 but arrived in Poole, Dorset, in the same month.

Before the judge passed sentence, victim impact statements were read to the court from Mr Roberts mother, father, stepfather and partner.

His father, Philip Roberts, the only one to read his statement to the court, said: Tommy was my only son, I always wanted a son to carry on the family line but now he has been taken away from me, leaving a terrible void.

I miss him every day, every hour, every minute. Now I ask justice is served.

Mr Roberts mother, Dolores Wallace, submitted a victim impact statement which said she was the proudest mummy in the world.

The statement, read to the court on her behalf, said: My heart bleeds, broken-hearted, knowing you are not here any more.

Since you were born until the day of your death, I will never forget you.

His partner, Gemma Walker, told the court she has been in an endless cycle of disbelief since the aspiring Royal Marine was killed.

Her victim impact statement said: Now theres nothing but complete and utter sorrow with no reason to keep going.

The opportunity to have children with the man I love has gone.

My world, my life and my hopes have been ripped away. I cant look at photos without sobbing.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick later told MPs large numbers of people were arriving in the UK saying that they are minors when they might not be, and we need to put in place more robust procedures than we currently have so that we can test the veracity of their claims.

Home Office director of asylum, protection and enforcement Dan Hobbs said: We no longer have access to the Eurodac database, which provides evidence on people who have claimed (asylum) in other European countries. As part of our leaving the EU, we dont have access to that system.
Elon Musk. Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Getty Images

Twitter's landlord in SF accused the company of skipping out on rent since December.

The rent amounted to roughly $3.4 million each month in December and January.

It's the latest landlord scuffle for Twitter, which was sued in the UK by King Charles III's firm.

The landlord of Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco says things have taken a turn since Elon Musk took over the platform.

In a lawsuit filed this month in San Francisco state court, SRI Nine Market Square LLC, an entity related to the real estate company Shorenstein, accused Twitter of shirking its rent payments over the last two months, amounting to roughly $3.4 million in each December and January. The building is located at 1355 Market Street, where Twitter occupies several floors, according to the suit.

The real estate firm said that it has gotten by so far by using Twitter's letter of credit to help cover some of the unpaid rent, but that Twitter currently still owes some $3.2 million this month, according to the suit which was previously reported by the San Francisco Business Times.

The landlord is also accusing Twitter of violating their agreement by allegedly refusing to raise the size of its letter of credit since Musk officially bought the platform in October. The landlord's suit alleged that the change in ownership triggered a requirement for Twitter to increase the size of its letter of credit, but noted that Twitter denied this was the case.

Twitter's headquarters at 1355 Market Street, where its landlord is suing over unpaid rent. Matt Rosoff

An email to Twitter's press address and Musk's tesla email address did not receive a response ahead of publication. Shorenstein declined to comment.

The lawsuit is the latest since Musk imposed a change in style to running the platform, which has involved laying off thousands of workers and reportedly not paying rent. Earlier this month, the landlord of Twitter's Hartford Building at 650 California Street, sued the social media company over some $136,260 in unpaid rent.

It seems that not even royalty is safe from Twitter's alleged rent shenanigans. In the UK, a real estate firm for King Charles III is also pursuing claims against Twitter there for unpaid rent.

Twitter has also been sued by laid off employees alleging that they weren't being offered the severance package they'd expected based on the assurances of Twitter's former management before Musk's takeover.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Quick-hitting storm dropping snow in the Midwest before it aims for Northeast

Residents from South Dakota to Wisconsin and Illinois woke up to a fresh covering of snow at the beginning of the weekend as a quick-hitting storm that AccuWeather meteorologists have been tracking all week swept through the region. By the end of the weekend, the snow is expected to reach interior portions of the Northeast.

The fresh snowfall is occurring ahead of a new intrusion of Arctic air that was building over northern Canada and is poised to move southward into part of the United States in the storm's wake.

A look at the snow sweeping through portions of the Midwest Sunday morning, Jan. 29, 2022. (AccuWeather)

"There have not been many Alberta clipper-type storms so far this winter," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. "So, people may not be used to the fast-hitting nature of the storms and their snow."

Most storms that have brought snow have taken a slower southwest-to-northeast path from the southern Plains to the Great Lakes region. Instead, this storm will do what the name implies -- drop quickly southeastward from British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, and turn eastward and race across the central U.S.

Road conditions deteriorated quickly from west to east along portions of Interstates 80 and 90 this weekend. Interstate 29 in South Dakota had some travel troubles on Saturday morning, with vehicles seen off the road stuck in snow while snowplows attempted to keep roads clear as over a foot of snow fell in some areas.

From Saturday night to early Sunday, snow will extend into portions of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

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Travel conditions can deteriorate quickly as the storm moves swiftly along to the east, forecasters say.

In central Michigan, accumulations on the order of 6-10 inches appear more likely, according to the latest forecasts. This is similar to initial totals across Lake Michigan in portions of Wisconsin, where heavy snow moved through the Madison and Milwaukee metro areas. Madison, home to the University of Wisconsin, declared a snow emergency for Sunday evening, with officials stating that cleanup efforts will "take multiple days."

This will also continue eastward into some of Canada's largest cities, such as Ottawa and Montreal.

A man cleans the snow off of his vehicle Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, in Wheeling, Ill. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Both Chicago and Detroit were running well behind the average pace for their seasonal snowfall totals as of Saturday. Chicago typically receives about 19 inches of snow by the last week of January, while Detroit averages about 23 inches. Chicago has recorded a mere 11.4 inches. Detroit is now closer to normal, with a total snowfall of 18 inches. On Wednesday, the Motor City received a daily record for Jan. 25 with 6.5 inches of snow.

On the other hand, Des Moines was already close to its average of 19.1 inches entering Saturday with a seasonal total of 16.7 inches. The most recent storm largely missed central Iowa, with just a trace falling in Des Moines.

This clipper system is not expected to move into northeastern cities such as New York City or Boston. Instead, meteorologists expect the storm to track toward the northeast and produce a stripe of snow along the U.S. and Canada border, near the St. Lawrence Valley, later this weekend.

However, as cold air continues to press to the east into early February, snow may begin to encroach on part of the Interstate 95 corridor of the Northeast.

Much colder air will follow the storm, especially over the Central states. In many cases across the region, this will result in the coldest Arctic outbreak since Christmastime.

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.
Not at all. It just seems like a lot of back-and-forth talk.

Yes. I'm growing very worried over what might happen.

If it keeps up, I might be a little more concerned.

I think there are much larger things to concern us as a country.

It's hard to tell; I can't take the leader of either country seriously.

Vote

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Press Release

January 25, 2023 STATEMENT OF SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN ON THE MURDER OF JULLEBEE RANARA The gruesome murder of an overseas Filipino worker, Ms. Jullebee Ranara, begs the question of whether we have done enough as a nation to protect OFWs who have made the grand sacrifice of leaving their loved ones behind just so they can provide for their families. The answer is obviously negative. I call on the Department of Migrant Workers to ensure the resolution of this case until justice and reparation have been achieved and provide all the necessary support and assistance to the family of Ms. Ranara. The incident, which follows similar incidents in the past, necessitates the need for the government to provide our people with much-needed employment opportunities in the country with competitive compensation to alleviate the need for them to look for jobs elsewhere. This was foremost in our mind in pursuing amendments to the Foreign Investments Act and Retail Trade Liberalization Act to attract international investors to set up and fully own domestic enterprises in the country and subsequently, generate more jobs. Dahil sa mga insidenteng ito, lalo dapat tayong magpurisigi na palakasin ang ating ekonomiya para sa kalaunan ay hindi na kailangan pang umalis para magtrabaho ang karamihan sa ating mga kababayan na ngayon ay nakikipagsapalaran sa ibang bansa.
A scheduled visit of the US ambassador to the United Nations seeks engagement from African Union states as Joe Biden fights slide-in relations that are shifting to Moscow and Beijing. Linda Thomas-Greenfield is trying to shift away Africa's pivot to Russia significantly, and recent snubs did not help, according to Republic World.

US Ambassador Visits African Union States

It is part of the White House's attempt at another shot to get more interaction from African countries that are more crucial to the sliding influence in the second-largest continent full of resources.

Last Sunday, the US Mission to United Nations announced that Thomas-Greenfeild would go to Ghana, Mozambique, and Kenya, commencing on January 25. Its goal is to bolster the partnership with present and ex-UN security council members, Today News Africa reported.

The US envoy's visit is on the heels of an earlier tour of 10 days by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in a major US diplomatic drive. She went to Dakar, Senegal, last Wednesday and will visit Zambia and South Africa.

In December, after the U.S.-Africa Leaders' Summit held by the Biden administration, it was announced that the US president would visit Africa in 2023. This would be the first visit to Africa by a US leader in 10 years.

This US Summit's goal is to reset the US-Africa relationship as the continent stated its preference for more money on the table, not promises but in infrastructures and more capital. Claims by the Biden administration that China wants more military muscle, with Russian ties to Mali and the Central African Republic, per Asharo Al-Awsat.

Read Also: What is Doomsday Clock?

US Seeks Engagement with African Nations

A key message by the US leader during the African summit that was stressed to all attendees totaled 49 leaders. Compared to the former concerns of Washington in the geopolitics of Africa, not these nations are primary, not secondary, members in any discussion concerning them.

Thomas-Greenfield, ex-assistant secretary of state for Africa, will be in Ghana, holding its second year as a member of the Security Council. There on January 25, she will meet women leaders and other sectors.

Next will be another junket to Mozambique, which is beginning its first two-year term as a council member. Those she would meet on January 26-27; will include UN officials, entrepreneurs, US exchange program alumni, and other specialists working with climate change, noted the US mission.

The last stop for the envoy is Kenya on January 28-29, with its position on the council that ended on December 31. Kenya is a vital participant based on the perspective of the US missions headed by the envoy with these concerns, according to her.

These are humanitarian help regarding drought and refugee assistance, highlighting the allegation that the Ukraine conflict is the consequence that led to global food security. But the US envoy will be meeting refugees concerning resettlement and converting the African state to alternative energy.

Though the US ambassador seeks engagement from these African Union states that leaned to Moscow and Beijing's side, another is the US allegedly seeking alliances with these states.

Related Article: South African President Tells Washington Not To Force Its Bill

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YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. On January 24, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan delivered remarks at the discussion held by Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, where he noted:

Dear Chairman,

First of all, thank you for accommodating our request to have an exchange of views in this format. Its definitely not the first time that AFET is focusing its attention on Armenia. Nevertheless, I highly value this opportunity to address the AFET in person and have an open discussion.

Dear members of the European Parliament, dear colleagues,

I would like to continue with sincere words of gratitude to the European Parliament as a whole and to each of you personally, for the clear positions on issues of utmost importance to my country.

The holding of urgency debates and adoption of resolutions in the course of the past two years on the issues of the Armenian prisoners of war, the destruction of cultural heritage and most recently the humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh, were all adequate and objective responses to the unprecedented challenges that the people in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are facing, challenges that also continue to threaten the stability and security in our region. All of them were perfectly summed up in the 2022 CFSP report. For that, I would like to extend special thanks to you, Mr McAllister and all MEPs who worked on this report and contributed to the inclusion of the paragraphs on Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh which objectively reflect the situation in our region.

Of course, I could not but welcome the unambiguous statements and every vote in the European Parliament cast in favour of resolving the mentioned humanitarian issues. Your strong voice was heard in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. I hope it was heard and heeded in Baku as well. I really hope that other European Institutions will be brave and fair enough as the European Parliament regarding the issues of the South Caucasus.

The strong and clear messages from the European Union, including its legislative body, are truly important: firstly, the EU remains Armenias primary partner in promoting the institution-building and supporting our reform agenda based on our shared values, and secondly, despite all the challenges, we continue to expand the scope of our partnership based on the EU's commitment to contribute to the stability in our region.

We do believe that our security architecture cannot be comprehensive without respect for human rights and democracy. Weve been undertaking reforms aimed at strengthening human rights and rule of law, consolidating good governance and fighting against corruption, aiming to ensure prosperity for our people. I have many things to say about Armenias achievements in democratic reforms however today I wont go into details due to time constraints. I can reassure you that we are committed to continuing the path of democratic reforms and hope for further support from our partners.

With regard to the EUs valuable contribution to the stability of our region, I would like to applaud Foreign Affairs Council for yesterdays decision to deploy a long-term Monitoring mission to Armenia. I would like to highlight that this mission is about human security - people living in the bordering regions, children going to schools, farmers carrying out their agricultural duties, and families that want to live in their houses without fear of being targeted. Concrete people, concrete schools, concrete houses.

Dear colleagues,

For the last two years, the Armenian government, receiving the vote of our citizens to pursue peace agenda and having the political will to normalize relations with Azerbaijan, has been engaged in good faith in talks on three separate tracks: first, the opening of all transport communications in the region, second, delimitation and border security, and the third, the agreement on normalization of relations or peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Without overloading you with all the details, I would like to bring to your attention a few points.

Right after the establishment of a working group on the opening of communications, Azerbaijan, self-interpreting the text of the Trilateral Statement of November 9th 2020, started to demand an extraterritorial corridor. I want to state that Armenia is ready to open all communications at the very moment when Azerbaijan will accept that the roads should be operating under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the states they are passing through.

Months after the establishment of Commissions on the delimitation of borders, Azerbaijan not only raised new territorial claims but also tried to justify its last aggression with a fake argument that the border is not delimited. Ironically, these Commissions were established after the first Azerbaijani invasion into the sovereign territory of Armenia in May 2021, aiming also to prevent any further hostilities.

Third, we started to negotiate the text of a peace treaty between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Regrettably, the vast majority of fundamental suggestions on the peace treaty proposed by the Armenian side have been rejected by Azerbaijan.

Among the suggestions are clarification of parameters for the delimitation of the state border, as we think that without clearly agreed parameters on the delimitation of the international borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, real peace is impossible. Next is the distancing of forces from the state border and the creation of a demilitarized zone for preventing any possible future escalation as well as confidence-building measures and security mechanism, Institute of Guarantor(s) of the Peace treaty, which will ensure the implementation of the obligations.

In a nutshell, Azerbaijan expects Armenia to only accept all its demands, and when not getting it, Azerbaijan uses all possible instruments of pressure: from keeping Armenian POWs as hostages to the state-sponsored spread of hate speech against Armenians, from warmongering rhetoric to concrete use of force.

We accepted Azerbaijans suggestion to discuss the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh issue in parallel, separate tracks. In contrast, Azerbaijan started to claim that Nagorno-Karabakh is their internal issue, opposing Armenias concrete suggestion to create an international mechanism of talks between Baku and Stepanakert.

It is also clear that so far Azerbaijans actions, including the blockade of the Lachin corridor, once again have proven the absolute necessity of international engagement to address the issues of rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Dear colleagues,

At this very moment, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh remain under inhumane siege because of the blockade of the Lachin corridor - the lifeline, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Having had the urgency debate and adopted the resolution on the Humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh last week, you are well aware of the situation.

There is one aspect that I would like to emphasize: it is not an isolated episode but must be seen as part of a widespread and systematic policy of Azerbaijan aimed at the ethnic cleansing of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. By creating unbearable living conditions, Azerbaijan aims to coerce the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to leave their homes and native land. The recent statement of the President of Azerbaijan suggesting the deportation of those Armenians who do not want to become citizens of Azerbaijan comes to prove once again their intention of ethnic cleansing.

As the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh is worsening with each passing day, the immediate intervention of the international community is required. As indicated in the EP urgency resolution last week, it is imperative to send an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground, as well as to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh for relevant UN bodies.

We cannot stand by and watch how people are slowly starving to death, because of political games and perhaps geopolitical considerations. Let me put it straight: there are two theoretical options for lifting the blockade of the Lachin corridor: military or diplomatic. Armenia adheres to the second option, but thats possible only with a decisive intervention and strong pressure on Azerbaijan and tangible actions towards that end by the international community. The time to act is now. Azerbaijan should face consequences for its actions. It should be explained to Azerbaijan that there are certain international rules to which everybody has to abide.

Following the remarks, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan answered the questions of the members of the European Parliament.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Thousands of Azerbaijanis living in the municipality of Sabuncu in Baku are being poisoned with high levels of mazut and waste pollution, meanwhile the Azeri self-described eco-activists are busy with blocking the Lachin Corridor under fake environmental pretexts, having caused a humanitarian crisis for 120,000 people living in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh).

The Azeri government-sponsored eco-activists are turning a blind eye on the real environmental problem in their capital city of Baku, and by doing so they are exposing their real goals in Lachin Corridor, i.e. to terrorize the peaceful population of Artsakh, while the residents in Sabuncu are already terrorized with Azeri leader Ilham Aliyevs oil refinery waste.

An Azeri journalist wrote an article titled Life in Sabuncu is poisoned with mazut and waste in Haqqin.az (the story was later deleted), noting that thousands of local residents have an impression that they are living in an oil production plant which has turned into a landfill. Moreover, a nearby 4-hectare pond of mazut is used by residents as a waste disposal site for household garbage.

Local residents say that the horrible smell makes it impossible to breath in summers. Seemingly the situation had to be a bit easier in autumns and winters, but that is not the case. Even a little rain causes a flood here. The channel of the pond is filled with garbage and waste. The same happens after snowfalls. In autumns and winters we cant do anything about it and we simply close our homes and leave this place to live with our relatives, one of the residents said.

The journalist described the situation in the settlement, We saw several children playing near the polluted mazut lake. Upon seeing our confused and baffled looks, the locals gestured left and right and said that they are constantly facing danger. And its not just about oil, which can catch fire at any moment. The mud has made the track impassable.

The residents of Sabuncu have lost any hope of their government, which is feeding them with promises, solving the worsening situation and they arent even asking why the eco-activists blocking the Lachin Corridor arent demonstrating against the real problem which has been deteriorating for years.

The article was published by the Azerbaijani haqqin.az but was deleted afterwards.

Photos: Haqqin.az

Below is a screenshot of the article.
While nothing stops the govt from appointing an IPS officer to a post traditionally held by IAS cadre, such appointments are extremely rare

When the Sikkim government appointed 1989-batch IPS officer, A. Sudhakar Rao, as additional chief secretary of the home department, the move drew some comment. This is because Mr Raos previous posting was as special director general of police, special branch, and he even held the additional charge of DGP, Sikkim.

While nothing stops the government from appointing an IPS officer to a post traditionally held by the IAS cadre, such appointments are extremely rare, say observers. Apparently, the pay scale decides the seniority and hierarchy, not the cadre. In this instance, however, it may also be the officers chequered past that caused tongues to wag.

When Mr Rao was given charge of state DGP last year, the appointment was challenged in the Supreme Court due to serious allegations against the officer. Mr Rao apparently had been found guilty by the CBI on a complaint from two junior officers and the matter was sent to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) for action, which is still awaited.

By making Mr Rao an interim DGP, the state government probably made its choice clear but because of the pending allegations against the cop, it clearly was finding it difficult to sustain his claim to the post. The appointment as additional chief secretary (home) is, therefore, being seen as a way out of the dilemma. Amrendra Kumar Singh has replaced Mr Rao as the new DGP of Sikkim for a tenure of two years.

Babus split over Maharashtras duelling power centres

The metaphorical double-engine ki sarkar in Maharashtra is also a two-headed one  led by chief minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, with the latter as the more assertive leader and clearly the real power centre. It is an uneasy and unequal relationship between the two, which is now reflected in the state administration.

Observers point to the recent decision of the Maharashtra government to appoint Deven Bharti, an IAS officer considered close to Mr Fadnavis, as Mumbai Polices first-ever special commissioner even as the present police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar is still in office as a sign of the fierce tussle going on between Mr Fadnavis and Mr Shinde. Apparently, there are many more such instances babu watchers cite about a state administration torn between two political rivals-turned-allies.

Those in the know have told DKB that Mr Shinde is widely perceived as a token chief minister whereas his deputy Mr Fadnavis is seen as an adept administrator and the one calling the shots in the state government. The discord has percolated into the secretariat and even in the districts, with babus caught in the middle of this tussle. There is considerable discontent brewing in the babu ranks, which does not bode well for the Shinde Sarkar.

Telangana for sending AP cadre officers back to allotted state

The after-effects of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 are still lingering, with growing calls in Telangana state for AP cadre officers who are still continuing to serve in the state, to be repatriated to Andhra Pradesh. The issue has attained political overtones, with a senior BJP leader of Telangana, recently complaining to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) against 15 IAS and IPS officers of the AP cadre who are still working in Telangana, even though the Supreme Court had given its clarification on the issue.

Sometime ago, former chief secretary Somesh Kumar was sent back to his allotted AP cadre, and sources say, there is growing pressure that Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar too should be sent back to Andhra Pradesh. Sources have informed DKB that many officials who belonged to Andhra Pradesh wanted to opt for Telangana and a few from Telangana also opted for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, which created some delays, but the process was completed, leaving aside a few officers, whose decision to stay put in Telangana is now under scrutiny.

Meanwhile, 12 IAS and IPS officers who were transferred to AP by the Centre in 2014 have now approached the Supreme Court challenging their transfer, after the high court cancelled their stay and ordered the transfer of Somesh Kumar to the Andhra Pradesh cadre. They are clearly not giving in without a legal tussle.
It is good to see gender sensitivity take a higher platform in India

The recent news item in the media outlining the convening and conduct of a selection board for the rank of Colonel, exclusively for women officers (WOs) from the 1992 to 2006 batches of WOs of the Indian Army, has generated public interest and many queries. It is good to see gender sensitivity take a higher platform in India. A short historical background is necessary to understand the context. As an initiator it may be good to know that the entry of women as officers in the Indian Army began in 1992 in the form of a five-year Short Service Commission (SSC) with no scope for Permanent Commission (PC). This was, however, unlike their male counterparts who had the choice to go for PC or SSC. Male officers with SSC had the opportunity to seek the PC once again at a subsequent juncture after the completion of a fixed engagement period. Male officers who enter the ranks for such short engagements are known as Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs).

It was in 1992 that the Indian Army threw open its portals to women to enter the Army through the SSC for five years, extendable by five more but without the option of applying for a PC that their male counterparts could if they opted for the longer engagement. Eventually all male SSCOs came to be engaged for 10 years and extendable to 14 should they not opt for consideration for PC. For WOs there was no such choice for PC, but they too could serve till 14 years of service as SSCOs. Some WOs later challenged the discrimination about PC by taking the case up legally, and obtaining a court reprieve until final adjudication. That is how some WOs remained in service beyond 14 years of service awaiting the final outcome of the case on PC.

The decision to reduce the gap in gender parity by introducing SSC for WOs restricted the entry of WOs only into the Supporting Arms and Services: Engineers, Signals, Air Defence, Intelligence, Aviation (ATC only), Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC) and the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME). For public knowledge, these are various departments of the Army but they are not involved in direct war fighting with the enemy, except in some contingencies. This does not detract in any way from the highly challenging role they play in any operational situation with direct threats to their lives. WOs could not be commissioned into the Arms: Infantry, Mechanised Infantry, Armoured Corps and Artillery (a supporting arm), all of whom have direct roles in combat through contact with the enemy. They are usually called upon to destroy the enemy physically by direct engagement, human to human, with firearms or even with bayonets or any other implements of war. Women were restricted from this combat role. In 2020, when the Supreme Court eventually granted WOs the right to be considered for PC and thereafter also for a command role, it stopped short of granting them the right to be commissioned in the arms to participate in an active combat role.

Many from the public are enquiring about the meaning of command as they presume that WOs have already been in charge of different sub-units with the men under their command. This is slightly complicated. Any officer, male or female, commands the jawans placed under him or her, but the real epitome of command responsibility comes when an officer is placed in charge of a unit of any arm of service (such as a unit of Corps of Engineers or of ASC); the unit consists of a number of sub-units which any officer can command. The real command responsibility devolves on selected officers who command these units which control a number of sub-units under them; he is then called commanding officer, or the hallowed term CO. This responsibility has been denied to WOs thus far because they did not have a PC. However, with the Supreme Court ruling, the immediate impact was that they were cleared for PC. Now with PC and the right to career progression at par with their male counterparts from the designated arms and services, all WOs are eligible for consideration for command. At present, those commissioned from the 1992 to 2006 batches, are being put through a selection board, which is examining which of the 245 eligible WOs, can be promoted to the 145 vacancies that the ministry of defence has released specially, so that the promotion of male officers is not affected. Some appointments have had to be upgraded to accommodate these vacancies. Hereafter, there will be no reservation of vacancies for promotion of WOs to rank of Colonel; they will be considered at par with male officers, since they will hereafter be PC officers and eligible for command. The Indian Army is a command-oriented army. Career progression can only take place after successful command of a unit of the concerned arm of service. WOs will therefore have to compete with their male counterparts for the limited number of vacancies that exist for each rank beyond that of lieutenant-colonel.

The other query being aired is related to combat role, that is the inclusion of WOs in the contact battle arms -- Infantry, Mechanised Infantry and the Armoured Corps. It is learnt that the Army Chief has recently announced the eligibility of WOs to enter into the Artillery, which was earlier not permitted. The loosening of perception about what constitutes an arm involved in the contact battle is likely to continue as we progress into an era of standoff battles. Its a debate that will not cease for long. What the clinching argument is for anyone who wishes to discuss this issue, is simple. Lives are at stake but if a WO proves she is capable in every way to lead men and women in combat situations, demands no special privileges and meets all the exacting qualitative requirements to be a part of a fighting sub-unit or unit, there is no reason why she should be denied that privilege. I have had WOs under my command from different arms or services who made me proud of our association and could do many tasks which male officers may have hesitated in doing. As long as those exacting standards are met, WOs in combat arms is but a matter of time. The bottom line is there for us to ensure: no compromise in qualifying standards or nature of tasks.
Increasingly, criminal gangs are abducting migrants for ransom with impunity. Victims relatives are asked to pay as little as US$ 500. Irans crackdown against protests sparked by the Mahsa Amini affair is overshadowing the migrants issue. Meanwhile, Turkey continues its policy of repatriating refugees.

Istanbul (AsiaNews)  Since the Taliban came back to power, tens of thousands of desperate people have fled Afghanistan, making their way into and across Iran and Turkey. Here Afghan refugees have faced abuses and violence as well as kidnappings for ransom.

One of them is Sami, not his real name. Like many others, he fled Kabul when the Taliban came back, reaching Turkey, where he was deported. His story highlights a growing problem, that of migrants held for ransom along the border between Turkey and Iran.

Afghans arent familiar with the area, so they find themselves in tiny villages where they become easy prey for armed men, Sami explained.

Such men have formed gangs who can consist of just a few people and demand as little as US$ 500. They take advantage of exhausted refugees who walked for weeks through rough, mountainous terrain in Iran before entering unfamiliar areas in Turkey.

They find Afghans at their weakest points, when they are tired, hungry, and lost, Sami noted. Even if its ten Afghans against only two or three of the criminals, the Afghans are too tired and weak to try and fight back.

While Turkey continues to send refugees back, hundreds in January alone, with some 5,000 set to leave coming days, videos of Afghans held for ransom have begun to appear.

In one video, a group of young Afghan men cower by a rock face, hands tied behind their backs. One of them, gagged, is threatened with a large combat knife, which then slices down his ear. In another, topless Afghan men, chained together, kneeling on sand, cry and plead as they are whipped with a belt.

Ali Hekmat, who has been aiding Afghan refugees in Turkey for more than a decade, told Middle East Eye that he has heard countless stories of criminal gangs abusing Afghans, particularly near the Iranian border.

Most Afghans try to enter Turkey without documentation, so there are no accurate statistics, but a constant flow of messages from Afghans held for ransom makes its way to families after they were captured by kidnappers.

More than a year and a half after the Taliban came back to Kabul, Afghan refugees are still a source of deep concern since so many travel a risky route through Iran and Turkey in an attempt to reach Europe, the United States or Australia.

NGOs report scores of cases involving arrests, abuses and deaths, picked up by media, like the migrant who froze to death in an attempt to cross the Turkish border in early 2022. For Europe, this emergency is a humanitarian bomb.

A source told AsiaNews that "many people have died along the border in a "desperate attempt" to start a new life away from the Taliban after their introduced a sleuth of restrictions inspired by Islamic law (Sharia).

The problem has been compounded even more by Irans brutal repression of protests that broke out after 22-year-old Kurdish Mahsa Amini died four months ago in custody of the morality because she was not wearing the mandatory headscarf correctly.

The violent crackdown by Irans clerical regime has overshadowed the endless tragedy of migrants, often forgotten by international institutions and governments.
A year after Dang Dinh Bach was convicted for "tax evasion", environmental groups want G7 countries, with which Vietnam signed a decarbonisation agreement, to press for the activists release. In 2022, Nguy Thi Khanh, who had worked with local authorities to promote the ecological transition, was also arrested.

Hanoi (AsiaNews)  A group of international NGOs is urging G7 countries to pressure the Vietnamese government to release a local environmentalist sentenced to five years in prison on charges of "tax evasion".

To this end, they issued a joint statement on the first anniversary of Dang Dinh Bachs sentence; the latter had criticised the decarbonisation plans proposed by the authorities.

The signatories argue that industrialised nations cannot finance the development of clean energy in Vietnam by turning a blind eye to the treatment of environmentalists.

In 2021, almost half of the energy produced in Vietnam came from coal-fired power plants; and according to analysts, as the economy grows, energy needs will increase accordingly.

In 2000, the country produced just 0.65 metric tonnes of CO2 per capita; in 2019 that rose to 3.51.

Late last year, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan, and other countries signed an agreement to help the Communist-ruled Southeast Asian nation to reach its goal of "zero emissions" by 2050.

Called the Just Energy Transition Partnership, the agreement provides funding of up to US$ 15.5 billion over the next three to five years for the green transition.

According to the monitoring group 88 Project, at least 208 activists were in prison last year.

International observers note that Vietnam's government is not so much opposed to environmentalism  given recent investments in solar power generation  as to excessive criticism from civil society groups, which the Communist Party fears could damage economic development plans and lead to greater political participation from below.

A lawyer by training, Bach heads the Centre for Legal Studies and Policy for Sustainable Development.

In addition to a five-year prison sentence, he was fined nearly 1.4 billion dong (US$ 60,000) for receiving funding from abroad, even though NGOs in Vietnam are exempt from paying corporate taxes.

Last year, another activist, Nguy Thi Khanh, was also arrested. She was given a two-year prison sentence for failing to pay taxes after receiving the US$ 200,000 Goldman Prize, an award given annually to six environmental activists around the world.

Khanh, who grew up in a village in northern Vietnamese near a coal-fired power plant, founded a network of environmental NGOs and worked with local authorities to reduce the country's dependence on coal.
by John Ai

This is the first celebration in three years after zero-Covid restrictions were lifted. Families gather and crowds fill buses, trains, and plains. The number of infections is still high, hospitals are full, and funeral homes are working overtime. The authorities have shifted the focus to economic growth and boosted online censorship.

Rome (AsiaNews)  A Wuhan resident told AsiaNews that his family went to Baotong Temple on the first day of the lunar new year to wish luck and happiness for the coming year. The temple was full of people.

He said life is back to normal and people are relaxed enough to celebrate the festival. He confirmed that in Wuhan many people died during the pandemic. On New Year's eve, chrysanthemums (which represents grief) are sold everywhere in the streets.

In Wuhan, where the virus was first found three years ago, people set off fireworks to greet the new year. Following tradition, many people offered bouquets and burnt incense on the first day of the lunar new year to commemorate the family members who passed away during the pandemic.

China marked the first lunar new year without lockdown since the outbreak of Covid three years ago. People are returning to their hometowns for family reunions during the holiday. Public transportation is becoming busy as before the pandemic.

Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said that about 80 per cent of the population was infected with Covid and that China had passed the peak of infection, and that infections were declining.

He admitted that mass movement during the festival would increase the infections; however, the possibility of a second wave in the coming two to three months is still low. Chinese official media say that the number of patients in critical condition is declining but hospitals still have a heavy burden.

It seems that Chinese authorities decided to adopt the tactic of getting as many as possible infected to achieve herd immunity sooner in order to revive the economy. Chinas top leaders have announced that the focus will be on growth to revive the economy after the three-year zero-Covid policy.

Chinas GDP grew by 3 per cent in 2022, lower than the 5.5 per cent target set by the authorities at the beginning of last year. Liu He, a Chinese vice premier who is expected to retire soon, gave a speech at Davos, signalling that China is returning to the world and promised that the country was open for business.

According to Bloomberg, Chinas foreign direct investment dropped 29 per cent in December after a 33 per cent slump in November 2022, while in February 2020, when Wuhan announced to lockdown, it was 26 per cent. It seems that foreign businesses are losing faith and confidence and that time is still needed.

For the authorities, the number of deaths is a sensitive topic after lifting the lockdown. Usually for those who passed away in the pandemic, the reason for death given on the death certificate is not Covid infection.

In the beginning, Chinese authorities claimed that only dozens of people had died from Covid, but later announced about 60,000 deaths in hospitals. This number does not include those who died at home.

Medical experts warn that the virus can spread to the rural area where the healthcare system is weak and poses more threats to vulnerable groups and the elderly.

Given the overburdened healthcare system and overwhelmed funeral homes across China, the number of deaths will be much higher than officially announced.

Airfinity, a health intelligence and analytics service provider based in the UK, estimated 674,000 deaths as of 19 January. The journal Science estimated in December that over one million would die from Covid in the coming months.

Reports and online videos show overwhelmed funeral homes and bodies piled up to be processed. The cost for cremation has soared. Reuters says that many funeral parlours are running at maximum capacity, purchasing body bags, cremation furnaces, and refrigerators.

Meanwhile, the authorities have tightened online censorship before the lunar new year. Chinas internet supervisory body announced a crackdown on false information about the pandemic and speeches that foster a gloomy mood during the festival. This is seen as an effort by the authorities to prevent social panic over infections and deaths.
The T-90 heavy tank was kept from closing Russian production if India had not signaled interest in acquiring the MBT. This unexpected move led to the development of the T-90M Proryv, which has seen action in the Ukraine war in limited numbers.

India Saw Potential of the R T-90 Heavy Tank

In comparison, the Proryv is the best variant of the series and surpasses the T-72. Moves faster and better maneuverability with advanced fire control, active protection, and improved combat armor, Indian Defense News reported.

The series was only one of several weapon systems competing for financing. UralVagonZavod added that lack of interest came close to ending production. Russian production of the 90 series MBT had begun.

Early in the 90s, the firm UralVagonZavod poured in all the know-how gained from the earlier T-72 MBT, according to Military Today.

The design chief for the tank project, Vladimir Potkin, specifically cited the 72-series chassis held a promise as the basis for a new tank design. Blueprints of the first designs of the new tank were seen that were followed by building and producing the unit. It was later put in service in 1992, unlike the older T-72.

The successor of the older T-72 had strengthened combined armor with improved protection. Other equipment includes a new targeting system (1A45T Irtysh) with an improved aiming system called the PNK-45.

A new 90 series MBT got an upgrade of 5000 meters maximum distance to hit any target with the use of the 9K119 Reflex weapon control system. Another first is equipping a complex optical-electronic suppression system called TSHU-1, per Army Guide.

Read Also: Russian Federation's New Main Battle Tank T-14 Armata Seen on Footage

The Chechnya Conflict

The first units were in service in 1993 as the Russian army used the new tanks. It was looked for by tank crews waiting to use it. The variant saw combat in 1995 during the war in Chechnya, where it served on the front lines and was unaffected by the Chechen weapons. But it would not get the increased investment it deserved due to its good performance. Until today, it's not clear why the Kremlin did not order more units.

The Urals tank factory, with no orders, was close to bankruptcy; no interest from the Kremlin or foreign buyers almost shut down the factory permanently.

India Saved Firm of Longtime Russian Ally

The Chechen war had a secret onlooker in New Delhi that came at the last minute. The T-90 was examined closely by Indian military experts. Potkin's reputation as a tank designer was respected by the Indian Military too.

New Delhi needs an excellent MBT to counter Pakistan as it got 320 Ukrainian-origin T-80UD tanks. They saw the need to get the next-gen T-90 MBT and gave specs for an improved version of the variant. Potkin was their choice to design it further. But they gave him two years to complete the unit and three test prototypes to see if the new improved T-90 cut desert operations. It was tense for the designer and the tank factory.

The result is the T-90 Bhisma with maxed specifications for desert ops and shooting accurately on the move. This tank saved the tank from ending production, per Army Technology.

India got what it wanted from an improved T-90 Heavy Tank that saved the Russian production line of the Urals tank firm.

Related Article: Russian Advanced T-90M Main Battle Tank Allegedly Deploys in Ukraine

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Construction starts on hydrogen ship Neo Orbis which will serve Port of Amsterdam #hydrogen #greenhydrogenhttps://t.co/TiftR3XGXy  EnergyNews.biz (@EnergyNews_Biz) January 24, 2023

Claiming to be the largest petroleum port in the world, Port of Amsterdam has also been participating in numerous clean energy projects . Last year, it became the pilot port for H2Ships, a European initiative thats all about the use of hydrogen for shipping.As part of H2Ships, the port will operate a brand-new hydrogen-fueled vessel, called the Neo Orbis (Neo is Latin for new, and Orbis is Greek for world). The ship, for which the keel was recently laid, will have an interesting role. Its meant to literally demonstrate the benefits of this innovative hydrogen-based technology, not by carrying cargo, but by taking customers (and even Royalty) around the area.Until now, the port had operated a so-called saloon boat to take potential clients around the harbor locations, Amsterdam city center, and up the North Sea Canal. Once the Neo Orbis is ready to enter service, it will replace this conventionally-powered boat, while also acting as a demonstrator for the hydrogen technology that powers it. Its future passengers will include members of the Dutch royal family and government officials, and it will also serve as a floating platform for various meetings and events.The main innovation is related to the way in which hydrogen is stored. Thats because storage is one of the most notorious challenges that come with this alternative fuel. Hydrogen gas takes up a lot of space to be safely stored, and its also highly inflammable. A new solid form of it, sodium borohydride ((NaBH4) would minimize this risk, while also being much more compact.According to the Port of Amsterdam, this new form of hydrogen is comparable to fossil fuel in terms of energy density and safety, making it a much better option than the gaseous form. The Neo Orbis would use it to generate electricity as its only source of power, and the residual product (spent fuel) would be stored on board and processed once the boat reaches shore.If youre wondering about the costs of this new technology, they do seem to be a source of concern. However, it seems that the pilot project will simply ignore them for now, and focus on proving that the technology works, and that it can result not in lower emissions , but no emissions at all.The sodium borohydride installation will be provided by TU Delft Fuel, the inventor of this technology, and the vessel is being built by Next Generation Shipyards.In the future, the intention is to improve the system so that the spent fuel can be used to generate new sodium borohydride onboard, for a circular energy production cycle.
ADAS

EV

Apart from the leader, Tesla also lagged behind Super Cruise (GM), Driver Assistance (Mercedes-Benz), Driving Assistance Professional (BMW), Safety Sense 3.0 (Toyota), and Travel Assist (Volkswagen). Rivian, Nissan, Honda, Volvo, and Hyundai offer worse systems than Elon Musks company.One of the critical elements of BlueCruise and Super Cruise is the use of direct driver monitoring systems (DDMS). They help thesekeep the driver more engaged than any of the other software. Consumer Reports states DDMS is crucial to avoid overreliance on the ADAS, which has been pointed out as a critical element in most fatal crashes involving these systems.DDMS points two infrared cameras to the drivers face. If they look anywhere other than the road, the ADAS sounds an alarm to warn the person behind the wheel to keep paying attention. If the driver fails to do so, the system begins to slow the vehicle.Driver monitoring requires a careful study of perception-reaction times, something that the Autopilot director said in a deposition he would have to guess what those words mean. Ashok Elluswamy also confirmed the 2016 Autopilot video that states the car is driving itself was staged, something The New York Times anticipated in 2021.The deposition was taken under oath during Teslas trial on the lawsuit Wei Walter Huangs wife filed against themaker. Huang was involved in one of the first known fatal crashes involving Autopilot. With all automakers using ADAS obliged to inform any such cases to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) , the number is currently at 26 deaths, including one in China that may be the very first. Gao Yaning died on January 20, 2016, months before Joshua Brown, which was supposed to be the first person killed in a crash involving Teslas ADAS.Bloomberg recently revealed that Elon Musk commissioned that video. Although he told his engineers the footage would just present the softwares potential, he eventually said the video had to feel like one continuous take. He also dictated the disclaimer the footage presents: The person in the drivers seat is only there for legal reasons. He is not doing anything. The car is driving itself. Few people seem to have realized how serious this is.According to Consumer Reports, one of the reasons for Tesla to drop so much in its ranking is that the EV maker did not change it so much since it was first released. Instead, Tesla just added more features to it. DDMS would be a welcome one.
Turkey gave its ultimatum that Sweden and Finland follow the conditions of the agreement to complete its NATO bid. Istanbul said the two Nordic states would do what was needed and stop vile attempts to undermine it.

Sweden and Finland Given an Ultimatum

In a serious demand that Ankara told Stockholm and Helsinki to follow all demands under the June memorandum or lose its NATO bid, remarked the Turkish defense chief, ANews reported.

The Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar attended a virtual meeting with officials in the military, emphasizing the provocations directed at his country. They are the PKK rallies and the burning of the Quran in Stockholm, cites Anadolu Agency.

Sources disclose that Akar commented on the disappointment in how these Nordic nations are acting. He called how they do not acknowledge what is s offensive against Ankara, President Tayyip Erdogan, its flag, and religion, with values they condone.

He got serious about the slight and added that their actions would lead to consequences. As he indicated, it is why Ankara will not agree to finish their bid, all security concerns must be complied with.

Turkey Is the Final Arbiter

Last May, Stockholm and Helsinki wanted to join the western military block that signaled the end of these nations dropping neutrality. The initial NATO member opposed them joining for allowing terror groups like the PKK.

The June memoranda signed by the three nations are for security concerns that would have admitted the Nordic nations a way to join the alliance, according to TRT World.

Read Also: Kim Jong Un Orders To Execute North Korea's Ex-Minister

Instead of a positive turn of events that would have gotten it okay, terrorist supporters and those opposed to Islam are doubted if they want to comply to enter NATO.

Akar remarked his country was all for the open door policy and mentioned that the NATO hopefuls are okay. No problem exists between them; they are free to join but agree on those terms. He clarified that Ankara is willing to defend his nation with the military bloc. Needed is cooperation and support against terrorists.

Nordic Nations Lose Bid If Ankara Objects

Stockholm and Helsinki want to get Ankara's support to acquire the military umbrella for their states, except to deny Ankara's security demand. Istanbul is trying to harness its international relations and diplomacy to curb terrorism.

Recently Stockholm, in slight, had allowed the leader of the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) Party, Rasmus Paludan, with police protection was allowed to burn the Quran in protest in front of the Turkish Embassy last Saturday.

A week before, Stockholm was asked to commit definitive action after terror groups took to the streets. The PKK made an effigy of Erdogan with threats against Ankara and its president.

Turkish officials met in Moscow with Russian and Syrian representatives in discussions; the Turkish government intends to oppose terror groups.

One point stressed by the Turks to the other participants was how the end to migration is desired, so Syrians will return to their homes when everything is better. A month ago, about 134 terrorists were eliminated.

Turkey stressed an ultimatum that Sweden and Finland must comply with, as doubt if they want to do something about it.

Related Article: Sweden Can Join NATO if Signed Agreement Is Followed

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Collision Avoidance System

Like with all other military aircraft, age is not an issue, as upgrades can continuously be performed to keep the multi-role fighter relevant. In the early 2010s, the most recent upgrade pack was introduced for this machine, making it the most advanced 4th generation fighter ever built.Its called Block 70/72, and it applies to both existing aircraft and new ones being rolled new off the assembly lines. Upgraded ones have been around for a while, but the first brand-new F-16 to feature the new systems just conducted its maiden flight.The milestone happened on January 24 at the Lockheed Martin facility in Greenville, South Carolina. It saw the plane and its two pilots spend about 50 minutes in the air conducting airworthiness checks, a series of procedures that included looking at the performance of the planes engine, flight controls, and fuel system. Apparently, everything checks out.As you can see in the two official photos released by the manufacturer (the first two in the gallery), the F-16 does not wear the markings of the U.S. Air Force (USAF). Thats because it's not meant for the USAF, but for the Kingdom of Bahrain, which back in 2018 ordered 16 such brand new aircraft.The one that flew this week is the first of the batch and packs all the goodies Block 70 comes with.First up, theres a new Northrop Grumman radar, capable of giving the 4th gen F-16 5th gen capabilities, including quicker all-weather targeting and target area details. Then, a new Center Pedestal Display (CPD) offers color-moving maps, larger air-to-air Situation Displays, zoom, and a color/night helmet-mounted display, among others.A new Automatic Ground(Auto GCAS) is on deck to prevent controlled flight into terrain, which basically means when pilots unintentionally fly into the ground for whatever reason. This is one of the most common accident causes for fighter pilots, with Lockheed Martin data showing 26 percent of F-16 aircraft losses and 75 percent of F-16 pilot fatalities are caused by this.Last but not least, the new F-16s come with 12,000 hours of structural life, 50 percent more than the previous version.At the time of writing, says Lockheed, theres no telling when the entire fleet of Bahrain-bound F-16s will be ready. The company says six other countries have chosen this variant of the aircraft, and when taking those into account, production backlog is at 148 units.
How does it work? Well, this online tool mixed and matched a large number of pictures from several car models, allowing them to be juxtaposed so that visitors could have a visual representation of how different these vehicles are in terms of size. There are three angles available: front, rear, and side. Car 1 is always in front of car 2, but you can swap their positions whenever you want. It is advisable to keep the smaller car always as number 1  otherwise, the larger vehicle will naturally eclipse it.You can also select how to align those images. There are five options: the middle of their wheelbase, the front axle, the rear axle, the front edge, or the rear edge. Front and rear pictures are not juxtaposed: the vehicles are presented as if they were really parked next to each other.Below each car description, Carsized states where it photographed the vehicles. Switzerland is where most of the pictures were taken, but we can also see cars photographed in the UAE, such as the Cadillac Escalade . Curiously, there's only the side view of the American behemoth.Several websites are already writing stories based on what this tool allows them to compare. As there are classic vehicles in the database, we have already read comparisons of the Escalade with small British sports cars and Japanese kei cars  if they were also sold in Europe. It is incredible how small the Daihatsu Trevis (Mira Gino) looks tiny close to a modern Ford F-150. A 1962 Triumph Spitfire is just slightly taller than the wheels of a GMC Yukon  thank the windscreen of the classic car for that.The answer to the question of why no one came up with the idea before is simple: thats because it is complicated to get something like this right. Just having the pictures in the exact perspective needed is tricky. It would be cheaper to find them among images released by the manufacturers. However, when those aren't enough, the only thing left to do is to photograph the actual cars from the right angles.After that, the online tool had to scale the pictures so that they could be compared appropriately. Furthermore, the windows have to be transparent, and the image in the back has to be a little translucid so the pictures do not compete for the viewer's attention.Whether you are looking for a used or new vehicle or just trying to remember how two cars visually compare, this website promises to be useful. Meanwhile, car enthusiasts might even start using it simply to entertain themselves.
Back in November last year, we learned of American company Rocket Lab trying to expand the reach of its launches far beyond its usual site in New Zealand by going stateside. The state chosen to support Rocket Lab missions was Virginia, not in small part because thats where the NASA Wallops Flight Facility is located.By the end of 2022, an expansion of the complex called Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 should have supported the first Electron rocket from U.S. soil. For whatever reason, the deadline was not met, and we only now can safely say a new space company is up and about over in America.On January 24, a Rocket Lab Electron lifted off carrying with it three satellites for radio frequency geospatial analytics company HawkEye 360. The mission, called Virginia Is for Launch Lovers , deployed the satellites at the desired altitude of 550 km (342 miles), marking the 33rd successful launch for the company.The Electron is a two-stage rocket that can only carry 300 kg (661 lbs) of cargo, but as the world's satellite needs and appetite are shaping up, thats more than enough.The Virginia site will probably continue to support Electron launches in the future - it can sustain up to 12 missions per year for civilian and government customers according to the company  but more importantly, it will be the place from where another piece of hardware will depart once its ready.Called Neutron , its scheduled to fly for the first time next year. Its larger than the Electron, towering at 40 meters (131 feet) tall. Unlike its smaller sibling, which is powered by a combination of liquid oxygen and kerosene, this one uses liquid oxygen and methane and should be capable of lifting 13,000 kg (28,660 pounds) of cargo to low-Earth orbit, or 1,500 kg (3,300 pounds) if the target destinations are places like Mars or Venus. Oh, and its reusable.Officially founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is only now beginning to enjoy the fruits of its labor. The company performed its largest number of launches last year, nine, but says it can accommodate up to 130 between its two facilities. That may seem like a lot, given how many other space companies are doing the same, but there seems to be no shortage in demand.To date, 155 satellites reached orbit courtesy of the Electron. In the case of the HawkEye 360 deal, the three satellites launched this week will increase to 15 through departures scheduled to take place throughout the year, but also in 2024.
SUV

Acura has been around since 1986. Initially, Honda wanted to name its luxury division Channel II in the U.S. but they decided against it and time has shown that it was the right way to go. The brand debuted its activity with a network of 60 dealers across 18 states. It needed less than a year to expand it to 150 dealerships in 50 cities from 36 states. After just 18 months since its introduction in America, Acura climbs to the top spot in the J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Index. The brand ends 1987 with a network of over 200 dealers.Well-known for manufacturing popular vehicles like the NSX, the Integra, and the MDX, Acura is now on a cleansing path that will eventually lead to a lineup made entirely from zero-tailpipe emission vehicles. But before launching its battery-electric vehicles, Acura is making sure to give customers a dealership-free buying experience. Essentially, it plans on following in Teslas footsteps. But it wont be a definitive solution.In a meeting with the press, Hondas VP of sales Mamadou Diallo confirmed that in 2023 Honda intends to sell around 1.2 million cars, while Acura targets the 160,000 mark. Moreover, the on-hand inventory already increased in the U.S. by almost double the last years amount.But Honda doesnt want to reach these sales figures all by itself. Diallo said the company will keep a close connection with its dealership network so customers can experience more interesting things this year.On the other hand, the same cant be said about Acura. The premium brand will kickstart the digital sales experience for the 2024 Acura ZDX and ZDX Type S. Pre-sales will happen first by the end of 2023, while normal orders will only be possible through an online platform starting in 2024.Its unclear if Acura intends to allow dealerships to cash in on the ZDX pre-sale phase until the end of the current year. Its also not known if prospective customers will get early access to the all-new platform so they can submit their pre-orders for the made-in-America ZDX and ZDX Type S before 2023 ends, and without having to deal with the middleman.Hondas premium division also promises a couple of modest upgrades for the TLX sedan. It does not say what those are, but specifies an enhanced appeal in the competitive midsize luxury sedan segment.Both Honda and Acura remain committed to the total electrification of their portfolios. For now, the brands set 2040 as the limit. But therell be another decade until the automaker will become zero-emission.As part of the early electrification strategy, Honda will increase the sales of the hybrid-powered CR-V and Accord, while the electrified Civic will come next year in both sedan and hatchback forms. Also in 2024, the auto company will launch its first all-electric the Honda Prologue The Japanese automaker also confirmed that it will soon break ground on a new $3.5 billion joint venture EV battery plant in Ohio, with another $700 million in re-tooling set to begin on three Honda auto plants. The plan in question is being co-developed together with LG Energy Solution.
kWh

Yes, you will have to pay. However, the idea behind teaming up with ChargePoint and Qmerit is a good one. It essentially streamlines the whole accustoming to an EV experience. For traditional Lexus customers, this could be a great initiative since they expect a Toyota level of reliability and the pamper thats provided by the companys luxury division.For starters, only some Lexus dealers will be participating in this program. Youll have to make sure that the selling party is knowledgeable about the new partnerships. Otherwise, you risk losing the perks down below.So, if you are currently awaiting your RZ 450e or intend on buying one soon, Lexus tapped ChargePoint to offer customers the option of adding a Level 2 Home Flex Charger before (or after) the delivery happens. The 240-volt charging station delivers a maximum of 50 amps of power. If youre not familiar with these terms, then all you need to know is that your all-electric crossover will be able to replenish the battery at a maximum rate of 25 mi (40 km) per hour  nine times faster than plugging into a standard outlet.To help support a home charging experience, participating Lexus dealers will offer an option to purchase a ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 charger at the dealership or directly from ChargePoint online, says Lexus.Given that voltage fluctuations are always a possibility, you will need around eight or nine hours tops for a full charge, starting from under 5%. Topping up the battery overnight is easily achievable in such an extreme scenario regarding the state of charge, so for most future RZ 450e owners, it might take even less because the vehicle comes with a 71.4-battery thats good for a trip of around 225 mi (362 km).You also dont have to deal with installing the charger yourself. Qmerit provides end-to-end services and can help locate an electrician thatll take care of everything. The quote will be disclosed in advance because this is also something youll have to pay for. Keep in mind this service is also available only at select Lexus dealerships, so you may want to ask about its availability in advance.Lexus also thought of your longer trips, so youll be able to use ChargePoints network of public Level 3 DC fast chargers in North America. The navigation details will be included in the Lexus app.For now, it looks like Lexus does not plan on offering complimentary charging like BMW, Lucid , or Tesla did. This might not affect the crossover sales but it might give prospective customers an extra reason to debate the acquisition.Finally, Lexus doesnt tell us how much the Home Flex Charger will cost RZ 450e owners who will choose to buy it, but we looked around and have seen prices starting from around $740. Be sure to check if you are eligible for rebates in your area. For some Americans, installing a home charger can be heavily discounted.
The most recent one is the partnership Nikola did with Fortescue Future Industries (FFI). The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate and evaluate the co-development of large-scale green hydrogen factories in the U.S. Nikola would be a potential offtaker of this production, which shows it wants massive quantities of green hydrogen to power all the Tre FCEV trucks it intends to sell.What the companies have to figure out is how to distribute the green hydrogen, but Nikola already has a plan. While it is building permanent hydrogen stations, it will deploy mobile fuelers. The vehicles will be presented on January 25.The other example of Nikolas will to have a hydrogen network is its deal with GP Joule. The German company announced it would buy 100 Tre FCEV units. The interesting bit is how it will use them.GP Joules business is to provide renewable energy for anyone that wants it. The Reussenkoege company started with solar and wind farms and expanded that to hydrogen stations and more. The green hydrogen it produces now needs vehicles to consume it, which is why it is buying 100 Tre FCEVs.The German company will offer these trucks to customers who want to decarbonize their transportation needs. That said, GP Joule will provide them with the vehicles that use green hydrogen , the gas, and the filling stations they need to be distributed. For Nikola, it is a way to present its trucks to a broader audience with the necessary infrastructure for them to bloom. Nikola will make the Tre FCEVs for Europe in partnership with Iveco, which will also take care of maintenance. The first 30 trucks will be delivered to GP Joule within 2024, and the other 70 should arrive by 2025. The deal will only move forward if the German companys application for KsNI funding is approved. Thats Germanys program for clean vehicles. Iveco will also offer GP Joule the possibility to acquire the trucks through its Green & Advanced Transport Ecosystem (GATE), an all-inclusive electric truck rental model. That would prevent us from using the word purchase to qualify the deal, but 100 Tre FCEVs would still be in GP Joules hands. Perhaps even more: starting in 2026, the German company and Iveco have agreed to market additional FCEVs to customers in Europe. As long as they have somewhere to buy hydrogen, that may be an enticing proposition for several fleet owners.
That would make it the second Ford factory that ends up in BYDs hands. The Chinese automaker reportedly bought the Camacari industrial complex in Brazil. The former governor of Bahia was supposed to announce the deal in December, but that still did not happen. Rui Costa left the state government when his term finished and is now the chief of staff of the Brazilian Presidency. He managed to elect his candidate in Bahia for governor. If BYD waited to see who would win the elections, that is now solved.In Germany, the factory that BYD may purchase is in Saarlouis. Ford announced it would end production there in 2025, leaving about 4,600 employees without jobs. The American automaker would have told union leaders that 700 of them would remain in the plant producing components. If BYD buys the plant, it should keep all these workers there, either making electric cars or their batteries.WSJ said the discussions are still in the preliminary stage. Ford would have 15 other companies interested in that factory. Anyway, the American newspaper noted that Ford executives are planning to travel to China next week to discuss the potential sale with BYD. We suspect they will meet other Chinese automakers with similar plans: most of these 15 interested parties must come from that country. Ford will only sell some factories in Europe  not stopping car production there for good, as it did in Brazil and India. That said, it will make its electric vehicles in the Old Continent in its main factory in Germany (Cologne) and also in Valencia, Spain.Legacy automakers face a massive problem with idle capacity in many countries. Closing factories can become a political issue, especially if the plants to be closed are in the countries where the headquarters of these automakers are. In Fords case, the manufacturing operations in Brazil and India frequently reported losses. Even without the electrification push, the American automaker had considered closing its factories there for ages.The supreme irony of these factory sales is that Ford may escape political and union controversies, but it is also helping its competitors establish in markets where it still has ambitions. We would not be surprised if BYD eventually outsold Ford in Europe with vehicles made in its former Saarlouis plant.BYD said it was considering having more than one factory in Europe. It is even developing a station wagon and a convertible, car bodies that are rather popular in the Old Continent. If Ford only stops its German plant in 2025, the Chinese automaker may find it easier to just build its new plant there from scratch. Next week should be crucial for both companies.
Photo: Supreme Caravans

Photo: Supreme Caravans

Photo: Supreme Caravans

Photo: Supreme Caravans

There are many reasons why one would like to buy a mobile home  some want to make a radical change, sell their belongings, and move full-time into a camper, while others simply wish to spend weekends or holidays with friends and loved ones in the wilderness. Whichever category they're in, everybody wants to enjoy as much comfort as possible in their home. Furthermore, having a vehicle with off-road capabilities is always nice, as finding peace in a spot just beside the road is usually challenging.Although I've seen campxers from across the globe, when it comes to creating vehicles that can go off the beaten path, nobody does it better than the Aussies. This makes sense for those even remotely familiar with the Australian environment; the harsh conditions mean that people must be equipped with capable vehicles.Today's trailer camper, the Classic Tourer, is also Australian-made. Its manufacturer, Supreme Caravans, is headquartered in Victoria, Australia, where it has custom-built its vehicles for more than 30 years. What initially started in a small workshop has now grown into a full-blown brand with a vast range of products, with a simple mantra: "Live Your Life, Live Your Dream, Live Supreme!"The Classic Tourer is one of the five premium models currently offered by Supreme Caravans, and it's become a best seller due to its budget-friendly price tag. It's available in two series: Family and Tourer. The Tourer versions sleep up to three people, while Family variants can accommodate a whopping nine souls in the largest, full-option model. Each series comes in many floor plans and sizes, so chances are you'll find one that best suits your needs and wants.Today, I'll be presenting the 20' Tourer, which can sleep two people  so if you're looking to embark on an adventure with your partner or a friend, this might be a good option. Before I go any further into detail about this camper, let me tell you about its price. According to Australian Caravan Centre, a 2023 Classic Tourer 20' can be acquired at a drive-away price of AUD84,199 ($59,316). Let's see if it's worth it!The Classic Tourer is designed with longevity and durability in mind  Supreme Caravans describes it as a "semi-off-road caravan." This term can mean something else for each person. For this company, it means you can take its vehicle on the beach, in national parks, or basically on any dirt roads without any form of extreme off-roading such as rocks, water crossings, and more hardcore environments. Supreme Caravans' Territory range of trailers is a better choice if you're looking for an even more capable vehicle.Regarding its construction, you can choose between double-ribbed aluminum cladding or aluminum composite panels, which offer full insulation. The body features a crewed and glued Meranti frame, which sits on a 6-inch box section A-frame chassis connected to Roller Rocker load sharing suspension. The 16-inch J-Tracks tires have been specifically chosen for their off-road capabilities, with a spare on the hot dipped galvanized rear bumper bar, which can hold up to 120 kg (265 lbs.).Let me tell you what else you can expect to find on its exterior  one of the critical elements is a large roll-out awning covering the side of the trailer. There's also a full tunnel boot toward the front, as well as another handy boot just near the hitch. A nice touch for it is that it has drain holes on both sides, so it allows you to store some wet equipment such as fishing gear or a wet suit.There are two gas bottle holders above the hitch, although a stone guard is missing- it would be an excellent addition to the vehicle, as going off-road might throw some rocks into the canisters and puncture them. You'll also find a picnic table on the vehicle's side and 240 V, 12V, and USB connections. Other notable elements are the front, rear, and side checker plates, LED lights , and a reversing camera.Now, let me move on to the interior  I'll guide you through it and tell you what you can expect to find. As soon as you enter through the triple lock main door, you'll discover a modernly styled interior with premium. Keep in mind that Supreme Caravans offers different designs for its interior, including various options for its upholstery, flooring, benchtops, and more.I'll start with the lounge area first  this is probably where you'll be spending most of your time inside, except perhaps the bedroom. It features two cafe-style seats and a tri-folding table, which maximizes the available space. There's enough room for two people to have a meal there, and if you work remotely, you and your companion can fit your laptops, connect to nearby plugs and go on about your business.Some people might think that cooking possibilities are limited when living in a camper  however, they've probably never seen a genuinely well-equipped model. Admittedly, you probably won't have enough space to fit specific equipment, such as an air dryer, but that doesn't mean you have to limit yourself to really simple dishes.The Classic Tourer's kitchen features a Dometic 188-liter (50-gallon) fridge/freezer complete with a thermostat and an LCD screen, a 12 V vented range hood with external venting, a timber countertop, a large sink, a stovetop, and an oven. The stovetop comes with a cover, so you'll have some extra counter space. Moreover, there's a bunch of storage space in the form of cabinets and drawers, and if that's not enough, there's a massive pantry.Another critical space for any camper that some people might overlook is the bathroom  in this RV , you'll find a well-equipped space where you won't have issues taking care of your daily hygienic needs. It has a luxurious look, with modern fixtures, a shower cabin with a glass door, and a ceramic toilet. Another nice and useful feature is a fully automatic washing machine, although it only works with cold water. Above it, you'll find a small pantry to store all bathroom necessities.A notable detail for the Classic Tourer is the windows  not only are they double-glazed, but they're fitted with five locking points, as the last thing you'd want is a window flying off when off-roading . They can easily be fully opened, and they come integrated with a privacy screen.The last space I'd like to touch upon is the bedroom  it boasts a full queen-size mattress, heaps of room to move around, spacious wardrobes on both sides of the bed, as well as nightstands. It's the standard arrangement you'll find on premium campers, and of course, you'll find all necessary elements, such as plugs, storage spaces, and plenty of lights, reading lights included.Behind the finely arranged spaces are many systems that make your journey in the Classic Tourer as enjoyable as possible. Among others, it's equipped with a roof A/C and two batteries partly powered by two roof-mounted solar panels. Furthermore, a 28-liter (7-gallon) gas/electric system provides hot water at the touch of a button, and you'll also find two 95-liter (25-gallon) water tanks and a 100-liter (26-gallon) grey water tank. These are just some of the features you can find on this camper, and the best part is that the controls for all the systems are easily accessible in a single spot, in what the manufacturer calls the mains cupboard.By this point, you've probably understood the multitude of premium features you can find on the Classic Tourer. It's genuinely well-furnished, especially when you take into consideration its price. Compared to campers I have covered from other brands , this model stands out with an affordable price and an excellent setup. If you want more information about this Supreme Caravans vehicle, check out their website
The 12 journalists representing sailing magazines across Europe have decided that the Oyster 495 deserved to be crowned Best Luxury Cruiser of this year, after comparing it to the other two nominees in this category, the Oceanis Yachts 60 and the Ice 62 Targa.The sleek yet imposing sailing yacht represents a milestone for the British manufacturer Oyster Yachts, who is now reaching its fifth decade of activity. As the company fleets baby, measuring just 50 feet (15.2 meters) in length, it might be surprising that the Oyster 495 conquered the hearts of the judges for this important category. But this is precisely one of the things that make it stand out  it boasts many of the qualities of the brands superyachts, with the added benefit of a compact size.Interestingly enough, one of the jury comments described this award-winning yacht as perfect for a couples globetrotting dreams. Indeed, we are seeing more and more couples and families deciding to ditch conventional housing and turn sailboats into their floating homes. In the case of Oyster 495, were talking about a powerful blue water cruiser with the onboard comfort of modern superyachts.Blue water cruisers are sailing boats that are capable of crossing oceans, compared to ones that only stick to coastal or offshore sailing, for example. This means that they can handle long-term cruising at open sea, which requires a resilient build and certain features that enable self-sufficiency.The Oyster 495 was designed in collaboration with Humphreys Yacht Design to deliver impressive sailing power , while also being easy to handle even for inexperienced owners. Fitted with automated sailing technology that makes things easier and more effective, the Oyster 495 cruises comfortably at nine knots (10.3 mph/16.6 kph).The balanced configuration includes an ergonomical, protected cockpit, a generous deck saloon, a U-shaped galley, and surprisingly-elegant cabins. The luxurious feel onboard is owed to the impeccable design, sumptuous furniture and fabrics throughout, mood lighting, and advanced connectivity.The latest satellite technology is available for optional Wi-Fi, and the vessels chart table is like a miniature technology hub, fitted with an integrated, fold-out PC, radios, switchboard, and multiple power sockets, among others. Plus, the various systems onboard can be easily managed through the brands digital switching system.The only downside is the price tag. Now officially an award-winning yacht, this luxury cruiser will cost future owners at least 1.35 million ($1.6 million).
The man accused of killing four people at a California mushroom farm and three more at a neighboring location on Monday was an employee of the farm, according to San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus.

The murders are the second in three days to involve Asian American victims and suspects in California. Corpus stated that the victims in San Mateo County were either Asian or Hispanic. The United States has had 39 mass shootings this month, more than any other January on record.

Half Moon Bay Shooting Suspect

While the motives for the Half Moon Bay murders remain unknown, they are similar to the Monterey Park massacre. According to CNN, the authorities said that here is where 72-year-old Huu Can Tran shot and killed 11 people during Lunar New Year celebrations.

Both instances involve the Asian American community. According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, the shooter or suspect in each case is of Asian heritage and significantly older than the 33-year-old average age of mass shooting perpetrators.

In San Mateo County, Chunli Zhao was arrested around two hours after the initial call to police when he was parked at a sheriff's department carrying a semi-automatic weapon, according to the sheriff.

Officers in San Mateo County discovered four bodies and one injured person at a mushroom farm. Minutes later, three more bodies were found near a trucking company two miles away in Half Moon Bay, according to county officials.

Authorities described the deceased as five adult males, two adult females, and the injured one as a male being treated at a trauma facility. In a press release, the sheriff's office stated that Zhao was a "co-worker or former co-worker" of each gunshot victim.

The suspect, described by investigators as a "disgruntled worker," was apprehended two hours later when he was observed sitting in his car in front of a local sheriff's station.

As the agricultural community reels from the double attack, which is thought to have occurred in front of children, many concerns remain, including who Zhao is and what may have driven him to go on a shooting spree.

Chunli Zhao, 67, spent decades working at one of the two locations in the Half Moon Bay area where the shooting occurred on Monday - Concord Farms or Mountain Mushroom Farm. Concord Farms released a statement on Tuesday stating that the shooter was unknown to the company, suggesting that Mountain Mushroom Farm employed Zhao, The Independent reported.

Dave Pine, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, said that Zhao was a "disgruntled worker" at the farm but provided no other information. On Monday, just before 2:30 p.m., seven people were shot and murdered at two agricultural business locations: a mushroom farm and a trucking operation.

According to officials, the shooter shot and killed four victims, injured a fifth at the Mountain Mushroom Farm, and then shot and killed three more victims at Concord Farms, situated around two miles away.

The eighth victims were transported by helicopter to a hospital. Their current status is unclear. Investigators continue to identify which shooting occurred first. Numerous youngsters are said to have witnessed the horrific incident since many agricultural employees reside on the property with their families.

Sheriff Christina Corpus of San Mateo County stated at a press conference that Zhao was discovered two hours later sitting in his car in the parking area of a substation. Dramatic footage shows the man being pulled to the ground before being arrested by armed cops.

The video, obtained by Half Moon Bay resident Kati McHugh, shows three cops with their firearms drawn approaching a parked automobile. The suspect exits the vehicle as cops drag him to the ground, arrest him, and bring him away.

Officials stated that a semi-automatic weapon suspected to have been used in the mass shooting was discovered in his vehicle. The sheriff said they are operating on the assumption that the suspect turned himself in at the police station. However, this has yet to be confirmed. Zhao is reportedly cooperating completely with law police.

The sheriff called the incident "horrific," stating, "It's a tragedy that we hear about far too frequently, but tonight it has struck close to home in San Mateo County."

Read Also: Missing Ana Walshe Case Update

California Gun Violence

The Half Moon Bay tragedy is one of three mass shootings in the state over the past three days, following a slaughter at a ballroom dancing club in Monterey and a shooting at a gas station in Oakland, where eight people were slain.

Thousands of Asian-Americans gathered at Monterey Park on Saturday night to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. Huu Can Tran, 72, visited the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park and started fire hours later.

Eleven individuals were murdered in the incident; the death toll increased from ten to eleven on Monday, when another victim succumbed to their injuries. Tran then drove to a second dancing school, the Lai Lai Ballroom in nearby Alhambra, where a courageous employee could seize a pistol from him.

The shooter exited the site, and no one was hurt during the second incident. A massive manhunt was started to find the gunman, culminating 12 hours later in a standoff in Torrance, some 30 miles from Monterey Park. In his white vehicle, Tran died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The cause of this crime remains unknown. However, it had come to light that the perpetrator, Tran, was paranoid that his family had attempted to poison him decades before and had reported these suspicions to authorities weeks before he went on a shooting spree.

Additionally, Tran met his ex-wife at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio. The couple separated in 2006. Hours after the Half Moon Bay massacre, a kid was murdered, and seven others were injured in a third mass shooting at a gas station in Oakland.

According to the Oakland Police Department, the incident occurred at a Valera gas station at Seminary Avenue and Macarthur Boulevard shortly after 6 p.m. on Monday. At least eight persons were shot in the event, with 18-year-old Mario Navarro recognized by his family as the fatal victim. The remaining seven patients were in stable condition and are anticipated to survive.

The police have not confirmed the circumstances that may have led to the incident, but their preliminary investigation indicates that many parties may have traded gunfire. Witnesses said that the incident occurred as a music video was being filmed.

After discovering that Navarro, who had just graduated from high school this year, had died from his injuries, the victim's distraught family members were spotted sobbing outside Highland Hospital.

The Oakland Police Department has not said if any arrests have been made or whether they are pursuing any suspects. Local leaders condemned the incident, the third mass shooting in California in as many days.

Governor Gavin Newsom was visiting with the victims of Saturday's deadly shooting in Monterey Park when he learned about the incident in Half Moon Bay.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden issued a stern statement on Tuesday morning regarding the "senseless act of gun violence" that claimed the lives of seven people in Half Moon Bay the night before - the second mass shooting to occur in California within days. After at least 18 people were slain between the two heinous murders, the White House encouraged Congress to raise the minimum age for purchasing an assault weapon to 21.

After the "heinous attack," Biden said he is providing federal support to Half Moon Bay's local leaders and the larger community, as per Daily Mail. As part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a federal prohibition on selling more than a dozen assault-style weapons was in place from 1994 to 2004.

Those who previously had such weapons were not required to surrender them. However, research indicates that the frequency and chance of mass shootings decreased during this time.

Related Article: Half Moon Bay Shooting Death Toll

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Mahatma Gandhi on Ship to London for Round Table Conference

Saquib Salim

One (Mustafa Kemal Ataturk) is a hero, the other (Mahatma Gandhi) is a Prophet (nabi), wrote celebrated Egyptian journalist Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad in Abtal al-Wataniyya (Nationalist Heroes), a book published in 1923. The book contained five nationalist heroes revered in Egypt and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was one of them.

Noor-Aiman Khan, who teaches history at Colgate University, believes, the relationship of the Egyptian nationalist movement to the Indian would fit this description (Benedict Endersons definition of a nation) in all aspects except the issue of sovereignty. What the two colonies shared was something akin to nationalism, a deep horizontal comradeship that is amply demonstrated in the language of brotherhood that dominates Egyptian descriptions of Indian nationalists.

The popular historiographies in India and Egypt have largely overlooked the connections between the nationalists of both countries during their struggles for freedom from British colonialism. In one of my previous articles, I pointed out how Savarkar and Shyamji Krishnavarma-led India House collaborated with Egyptians led by Mustafa Kamil Pasha and Mohammad Farid before the first World War.





Mostafa Nahas



After the War, Egyptian nationalists developed close contacts with the Indian nationalists working with Congress. Often, colonial apologists try to portray these connections as a Pan-Islamic Movement in which Hindus had no role to play. But, closer scrutiny of the facts tells us that people like V. D. Savarkar, Bhikaji Cama, Chattopadhyay, etc. were instrumental in bringing these two nations closer. Later, Lala Hardayal took up the mantle during the War.

With the changed geo-political scenario in a post-World War world, Gandhi emerged as one of the tallest Indian political leaders. Professor Noor-Aiman writes, No Indian excited the Egyptian imagination more than Gandhi. Egyptian nationalist newspapers freely referred to him as al-rooh al-azeem, an Arabic term for Mahatma. In 1929 and 1931 Wafd Party, a nationalist organisation in Egypt gave calls for boycott and passive resistance on the lines of Gandhis Indian methods. Newspapers like al-Balagh al-Usbui carried several articles describing how Gandhis methods had terrified the mighty British empire.

Mahatma Gandhi stayed for a few hours at Port Said while passing through Suez Canal on 7 September 1931 while going to attend the Round Table Conference in London. Rajputana, the ship on which Gandhi was traveling, was under heavy surveillance as the British were terrified at the prospect of Gandhi meeting the general public. Though the ship stopped for a few hours it created a stir in Egypt.

Mostafa Nahas, who was the President of the Wafd Party at that time, sent an invitation to visit Egypt on his return from London. Several journalists met Gandhi and wrote pieces eulogising him. Mahmud Abul-Fath of Al-Ahram wrote that he spent the most memorable hour of his life with Gandhi and wished that every Egyptian would get this chance. Abbas al-Aqqad and several others claimed that Gandhi was a saint.

When Gandhi returned from London, the British authorities in Egypt were more than worried. The High Commissioner threatened Gandhi with action in case his visit created any internal political disturbance. Gandhi decide not to step out of the ship and spent a night on the ship at the port where several Egyptian leaders met him.





Fathy Radwan



Another group Misr al-Fataa (Young Egypt) was founded in the 1930s by Fathy Radwan. Radwan held an important position in Egyptian politics. In 1934, he wrote a book on Gandhi. In the book he wrote, like many youths, I experienced anxiety which grew to depression. The more I read, the farther I felt from people. Both liberal and conservative thinkers failed to satisfy me. But God said He makes the difficult easy, and I found a biography of Gandhi. I found that Gandhi was writing to me personally and bringing my heart joy and peace. Then I found another book and then read his letters, and I read all I could find on him. When I stopped, I was no longer angry and lost.

Gandhi was celebrated in Egypt despite being a Hindu. He was a symbol of Eastern civilization. For the Egyptian nationalists, nation and not religion was the priority. In contrast, colonial officials stated it was the tendency of Indian Muslims to not recognize that Near Easterners were far more interested in nationalist matters than religious.

Wafd, the Egyptian Nationalist party, stood up for a united secular India in 1939 when at the height of the Muslim Leagues demand for separate Muslim land they sent a delegation to Tripuri Congress Session presided over by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The delegation consisted of Mahmoud al-Basyuni (President of the Senate), Ahmad Hamza, Ahmad Qasim Gouda, and Mahmud Abul-Fath. Muslim League initially tried that the delegation accepts their invitation as well but when declined Jinnah openly criticised the delegation.

Ahmad Qasim Gouda later recalled, We saw at the Bombay train station, as at all stations, big signs carefully designed by the British to be noticeable in big letters Water for Muslims and next to it for Water for Hindus! And so were the British careful to promote difference between Muslims and Hindus by making notable these signs, which the British pretended were for no other reason than to prevent clashes they imagined would always take place between Hindus and Muslims.

The delegation was cautious enough not to help communal forces in any manner. Noor-Aiman writes, the delegation was most impressed by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, who they met in Lahore. Both Goudas book and British reports confirm that the Redshirts of the Frontier Gandhi turned out in impressive numbers to greet them. Among the many invitations the visiting Egyptians received was one to attend a reception in their honor with the Muslim League. Supposedly, the Egyptians discussed the invitation and decided to send their regrets, as they were worried that it would be seen as supporting a communal cause.

Muhammad Lutfi Gomaa, another nationalist journalist, who worked closely with India House as well, wrote criticizing divisive communal Muslim politicians, the Indian Muslims remain apart from the noble peaceful struggle for freedom. For India is not a nation only for Hindus but it is the nation of all. He praised Maulana Azad for being a true leader of Indians who doesnt nurse communal feelings.

Gomaa cautioned Indian Muslims, The renaissance of the East is not a religious renaissance limited to the renaissance of the Muslim peoples, nor is it ethnic limited to the renaissance of the Arab countries or the renaissance of Hindus, rather it is a general human rebirth. About him, Noor-Aiman writes, his defense of his people could easily have been written by Savarkar or Krishnavarma.

ALSO READ : Egypt and India fought against the British Raj together

Indian and Egyptian Nationalists worked closely since at least 1906, if not before. There are mentions that Azimullah Khan tried to establish contacts with Egypt in 1857 but those are unverified accounts of which we dont know much. The basis of these connections was not a common religion, Islam, but the oppressed nationalities and Eastern civilization. Egyptian nationalists stood with the Indian nationalists against the demand of the Muslim League, their co-religionists, based on a shared national struggle against a common enemy.
Borrell said that they discussed the blockade as well as the security situation in the wider region and prospects for resuming peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Need to avoid a humanitarian crisis, he wrote on Twitter after the good meeting with Mirzoyan.

Visiting Yerevan earlier this week, the EUs special envoy to the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, said that solutions have to urgently be found to the unfolding crisis. Klaar held a separate meeting with Mirzoyan in Brussels.

The EU, the United States and Russia have repeatedly urged Baku to reopen the Lachin corridor blocked by Azerbaijani government-backed protesters on December 12.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken telephoned Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for that purpose on Monday. Aliyev again defended the protesters demanding that the Azerbaijani government be allowed to inspect illegal copper mines in Karabakh.

The U.S. State Department insisted on Tuesday on a full restoration of free movement through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world.

Ongoing obstruction of normal commercial and private travel along the Lachin corridor is causing shortages of food, fuel, and medicine for the residents who depend on the corridor for those very basic supplies, the department spokesman, Ned Price, told reporters. Periodic disruptions to natural gas and other basic utilities exacerbate the worsening humanitarian situation.
A local law firm asserted in a claim against the city of Bakersfield that two city officers involved in a collision that left a man dead and a
Former Vice President Mike Pence is the latest to come under fire over classified documents found in the Republican's home in Indiana.

The situation has added a new chapter to the Donald Trump scandal over individuals who hold high positions in office were found to have taken classified documents outside of the White House. The lawyer Pence made the latest discovery.

Handling of Classified Documents

It comes as special counsels are looking at the handling of classified documents by United States President Joe Biden and former President Trump. The latter faces a criminal investigation for allegedly mishandling files found at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

A letter was sent by representatives for the former vice president to the National Archives, notifying them about the classified documents. Then, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) came to Pence's home to collect the documents without going through "standard procedures" and requesting "direct possession" of them.

Under the Presidential Records Act, White House records are required to go to the National Archives after an administration ends. Furthermore, regulations mandate that such documents must be stored securely, as per BBC.

In a letter shared with US media, Pence's lawyer said that several documents with classified markings were "inadvertently boxed and transported" to his Indiana residence at the end of Trump's presidency.

The latest discovery came after the former vice president sought legal assistance from specialists in handling classified documents due to an abundance of caution. The letter read that Pence asked the lawyers for help after the public found out about documents stored at Biden's Wilmington residence.

The legal experts noted that a small number of documents that potentially contained sensitive or classified information were found inside a locked safe in Pence's residence. After the letter was made public, the former president immediately came to the defense, posting on his Truth Social media platform that a former vice president is an innocent man.

Read Also: Did Hunter Biden Rent His Father's Delaware Home?

Mike Pence Cooperates With Law Enforcement

Pence's legal team on Monday drove the boxes containing the classified documents back to Washington, DC, and handed them over to the National Archives for review. According to CNN, the representative for the National Archives, Greg Jacob, said that Pence was unaware of the documents at his residence.

Officials also searched Pence's Washington, DC advocacy group office for potentially classified documents, but no sensitive material or other record was found. The situation comes as the former vice president is allegedly preparing for a potential 2024 presidential campaign.

Before the discovery of the documents in Indiana, Pence, in an interview in August last year, was asked whether he retained any classified material upon leaving office. The former vice president answered, "No, not to my knowledge."

The situation also underscores the mounting pressure that Biden has faced in the last few days over the classified documents found at several residences. However, unlike former President Trump, Biden and Pence were willing to cooperate with law enforcement to handle and return the sensitive materials to the National Archives, said the Washington Post.

Related Article: Joe Biden Classified Documents Scandal Update

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Former Kern County Sheriffs deputy Michael Duffy testified he cannot remember exactly what his colleague said to him nearly 40 years ago, but
It wasn't novel enough that three separate companies were bidding last fall to lease a single distribution center that had only just finished 
Germany has now decided to send Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine to assist in the latter's fight against Russian aggression after allowing other nations, such as Poland, to do the same in helping Kyiv.

By Tuesday, there was still yet to be an official confirmation from Berlin or Washington regarding equipment sending, but two sources said it would push through. It comes as officials in Ukraine swiftly praised the potential game changer on the battlefield, the tanks, in a war almost a year old.

Germany's Leopard 2 Tanks

In a Telegram post, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration, Andriy Yermak, said that a few hundred tank tanks for their tank crews would give their military forces a stronger fighting chance against Russian troops.

For months, Kyiv has pleaded for Western tanks that it desperately needed to give its military stronger firepower and mobility to break through Russian defensive lines. They argued that such equipment would help them retake occupied territory in the eastern and southern parts of the country, as per Reuters.

A spokesperson for the German government, along with the foreign and defense ministries in Berlin, did not respond to questions for comments regarding the sending of tanks. The assistance concerns at least one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks, where one company is commonly made out of 14 tanks.

In a statement, parliamentary leader of the co-governing Free Democrats (FDP) Christian Duerr said that the German chancellor decided that no one took lightly. He added that for Germany to support Ukraine with Leopard tanks is a vital sign of solidarity.

The situation comes as the front lines in the war between Russia and Ukraine stretch more than 620 miles through eastern and southern Ukraine. They have been frozen in place for the last two months amid heavy losses on both sides.

Read Also: Poland To Send Leopard Tanks to Ukraine

Assisting Ukraine Against Russia

On Wednesday, the German parliament is set to debate the contentious issue, which is seen as a landmark moment in the West's support for Kyiv. According to CNN, it also follows several days of mounting pressure on Berlin from some of its partners in NATO.

Furthermore, the decision came after American officials revealed on Tuesday that President Joe Biden's administration finalized plans to send US-manufactured tanks to Kyiv. Last week, German authorities indicated to the US that they would not send Leopard tanks unless the US also agreed to send its own M1 Abrams tanks.

The Leopard 2 tanks will provide Ukraine with a modern and powerful military vehicle company to defend itself and reclaim lost territory. Furthermore, it also signifies a loss for the Kremlin, which has continuously seen a growing campaign to aid its opposition using high-tech fighting systems.

The German government's hesitancy to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine can be attributed to authorities' concerns that it could escalate the conflict with Russia. But after mounting pressure, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has agreed to send 14 units of Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, said BBC.

Related Article: Is The UK Sending Attack Helicopters to Ukraine?

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An advertisement for the 'shooting and spa' offer at Rosnashane House in Ballymoney

A Ballymoney country house that offered an infamous Bikinis and Balaclavas package has announced it will be renaming the offering to Relax and Reload.

The Rosnashane House retreat had been accused of showing a lack of respect to those affected by violence after promoting the shooting and spa deal online.

In a social media post on Wednesday, the hotel thanked those who had supported them and confirmed the name change.

Wed like to thank the public for all their fabulous suggestions and support over the last number of days, they said.

As a team we have come to the decision that our new name for Bikinis & Balaclavas will be Relax & Reload.

The new name was suggested by a social media user, who will now get the chance to try the package out.

The country house also said that they had so many suggestions for new names, theyve decided to use some of them for new packages.

We will not be issuing any further statements on this package as we would like to get back to what we do best - putting our guests at the forefront and ensuring everyone has an amazing experience here at Rosnashane House, the post concluded.

The original package had been advertised on Facebook last week.

The description read: Arrive to let off some steam at our private gun range... then enjoy a 30-minute private hot tub with drink of choice.

Finish off with a 30-minute spa treatment of choice... then head home and get ready for a night on the town or a night in after a great days fun.

Along with the message were pictures of a model in a bikini and of three masked individuals wearing combat gear and carrying airsoft guns.

Within a few fours, the country house had posted a statement reading: It has been brought to our attention that some people may have found our bikinis and balaclavas package offensive.

This was in no way our intention. As a business, we have always strived to put our guests wellbeing at the forefront of everything we do.

This has been one of our most popular packages since it was announced over a year ago.

Rosnashane House is a diverse company with a team made up of members both sides of the community, in addition to supporting many fundraising events for cross-community organisations.

We apologise for any offence (the offer) may have caused.

The announcement was met with support from fans of the venue, who said they did not agree the promotion was offensive.

On Monday victims campaigner Kenny Donaldson expressed concern that mocking the horrors of the past has become acceptable in the mainstream, and warned it is traumatising for many people.

These things are being excused as a bit of craic about violence which is spoken about in the past tense as if it has no impact on the present  but there are still masked gunmen killing people in Northern Ireland, he said.

Rosnashane Houses website boasts of the businesss links to the royal family, explaining: Parts of the house date back 300 years. When it was built, an equerry of the queen once buzzed through the gated entrance.

It is billed as sitting within a 500-acre working farm just outside Ballymoney, with the area described as an enchanting setting.

The country house has views of the Sperrin Mountains and offers glamping pods, a treehouse, hot tubs and a wood-burning pizza oven.
Three Northern Ireland restaurants have been named in the latest Michelin Guide.

Blank on the Malone Road, Fontana in Holywood and Artis in Londonderry are among 24 new additions from across Britain and Ireland.

The guide, which celebrates high-quality food and service, has been published by the tyre company since 1900.

Inclusion on the list is not the same as being awarded a Michelin Star, but both are highly sought after.

The honour marks a first for both Blank and Artis, but Fortana previously won a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

Belfast Telegraph restaurant critic Joris Minne said: This is excellent news, particularly for Artis in the north west as the Legenderry Food Month kicks off in Derry and Strabane. This is the first such recognition for a Derry restaurant.

Blank only opened in Belfast last year, but it has made a lasting impression with its surprise menus. This is well-deserved acknowledgment of the consistent levels of quality produced by Blank.

Im also delighted to see Fontana back on the list, one of Holywoods stalwarts.

Blank owner Christina Taylor was delighted with the award, saying that when her restaurant opened its doors, she knew there was an appetite in Belfast for a high-end food offer based entirely on ingredients sourced from within the island.

The businesss no menu concept made headlines when it launched. Diners do not order. Instead, the kitchen prepares dishes using whatever seasonal Irish produce suppliers deliver on the day.

[You] simply choose the number of courses, as well as the wine-pairing package, and sit back and relax, Ms Taylor said.

That concept has truly caught on. Our offer of local foods, carefully curated and proudly presented, has proven to be a hit with our customers from Belfast and well beyond.

Inclusion in the guide was a true vindication of the restaurants unusual concept, Ms Taylor told this newspaper.

We are very confident that our restaurant will continue to grow in reputation at home and abroad, she added.

Northern Ireland really is making a mark globally as a high-dining destination, and I congratulate Fontana and Artis in making the guide as well.

Two restaurants in the Republic of Ireland were also added to the list  the Terre restaurant at the Castlemartyr Resort in Co Cork, and the Bishops Buttery at the Cashel Palace Hotel in Co Tipperary.

The guide will be officially launched in Northamptonshire, England, on March 27.

After two years without being able to organise a physical event in Great Britain and Ireland, we are thrilled to be back with what should be a warm, exciting and friendly gathering, said Gwendal Poullennec, Michelin Guide international director.

The team is busy organising a celebration to fully reflect the talent, commitment and resilience of the British and Irish gastronomic scenes  a celebration all the more welcome in the current challenging economic climate.
Val Wilson has responsibility for BTs recently opened Security Operations Centre in Belfast.

An Iraq War veteran is heading up the fight against cyber attacks in Northern Ireland.

Val Wilson, from Co Armagh, has overall responsibility for a newly opened cyber security centre in Belfast which operates around the clock to prevent hackers gaining access to both private and public sector networks.

The Security Operations Centre (SOC), which is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, is being operated by BT after the company was awarded a 6.3 million Stormont contract to protect ICT assets across the Civil Service.

The SOC deals with attempted cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure networks, including within the health service, and online threats targeting the banking and retail sectors in the region.

Ms Wilson, who is currently BTs head of operations and control across the UK, was a former captain in the Territorial Army and took a break from the company in 2005 to serve in Iraq.

She said BT deals with an average of 6,500 cyber attacks a day across its entire network.

Val Wilson (Liam McBurney/PA)

The company employs 3,000 cyber security professionals to handle the constant barrage of attacks. One team of experts is based at the SOC in BTs Waterside Tower in Belfast city centre.

The attacks are coming from all over and weve seen a real rapid growth in that over the last few years, primarily driven by the pandemic and the move to the digital era where more information is stored in the cloud, said Ms Wilson.

She said hybrid working models are also providing more opportunities for criminals to intercept valuable data.

The customers we look after are quite wide-ranging, particularly from a Northern Ireland point of view, she added.

We look after the government services, we look after the hospitals, anything of critical national infrastructure, as well as the retail and banking sectors as well.

We look after our customers infrastructure and we make sure we try to keep the bad guys out.

Were always on high alert to protect our customers and their workforce.

Val Wilson said her experience in the military has given her valuable grounding for her current role (Val Wilson/BT/PA)

Ms Wilson, who has been with BT for 21 years, said her experience in the military has given her valuable grounding for her current role.

Theres a real synergy actually between the military and working in the cyber world, she said.

I think primarily that mentality of risk management is really important. I think equally, from a leadership point of view, making decisions with threat intelligent information is also similar in both worlds.

And I think, most importantly, whenever something goes wrong, so whenever theres an incident where you have to react, the preparation, the training that you put in practice every day, that comes to the fore and thats a default mechanism for many people whove all been in the military.

Recently, BT actually won the Employer of the Year for the veterans in Northern Ireland and we love to have veterans coming in because of those synergies.

From a personal point of view, its been something thats really helped me in my career and hopefully itll help me going forward as well.
Puma Property Finance in London is backing Vita Group's student accommodation block in Bruce Street (impression pictured) with funding of 24m.

A property loans company in London is to back the developer of a block of student accommodation in Belfast with 24m.

Puma Property Finance is providing the funds to English company Vita Group for its proposed 269 rooms on a site in Bruce Street.

The site, which was originally developed by Co Tyrone company MRP, is to be ready for students in time for September this year.

Vita Group said its location was a convenient site between Queens University and the city centre.

According to the group, it will offer the very best student living experience including private dining and study rooms, gyms and a daily events roster promoting physical and mental wellbeing.

Kevin Davidson, managing director of Puma Property Finance, said: Were delighted to support this development in what we hope will offer best-in-class service to Belfasts bustling student population.

Read more Belfasts biggest student development yet a step closer at old Tele car park

This development will represent Vitas debut and expansion into Northern Ireland. Vita is already well-known for providing significant amounts of amenity space in comparison to other developers and this will carry across to its latest Belfast development.

Moreover, with reports of widespread student accommodation shortages creating challenges across the UK, we are proud to continue our ongoing efforts to support developments of this nature.

Max Bielby, chief operating officer for Vita Group said: Pumas track record in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) makes them the perfect finance partner for Belfast, providing the business with relevant funding to deliver this exceptional building, creating a stand-out product in this new territory.

Around 10 new blocks of student accommodation have been completed in Belfast in recent years in a rush to cater for students, including those at the new Ulster University campus in the city centre.

A further five are being built, while another three have been granted planning permission. Last week, Belfast City Councils planning committee deferred a decision on a block of 790 rooms proposed by Mandeville Developments at the junction of Library Street, Union Street and Little Donegall Street.
In a survey of 1,000 Bangladeshi manufacturers, researchers found large brands paying below the cost of production.

Calls have been made to set up a watchdog for the fashion industry (Liam McBurney/PA)

Campaigners have called for a fashion watchdog to be set up to stop the unacceptable purchasing practices uncovered by researchers, who named High Street shops Zara and Primark as among those treating suppliers unfairly.

In a survey of 1,000 Bangladeshi manufacturers, researchers found large brands paying below the cost of production, with the majority of factories selling to the largest retailers paying the same prices despite the cost of raw materials increasing.

In the research by the University of Aberdeen and charity Transform Trade, published on Sunday, report authors said the suppliers named 1,138 brands they had contracts with in February 2020 and of those 37% were reported as having engaged in unfair practices.

Only when suppliers are able to plan ahead, with confidence that they will earn as expected, can they deliver good working conditions for their workers Fiona Gooch, Transform Trade

More than half of suppliers said they had suffered unfair purchasing practices, including cancellations, failure to pay, delays in payment and discount demands, with knock-on effects including forced overtime and harassment.

Fiona Gooch, senior policy adviser at Transform Trade, described the findings as a wake-up call.

We need a fashion watchdog to stop unacceptable purchasing practices of the clothing retailers benefiting from large consumer markets, along the same lines as existing protections for food suppliers, she said.

Only when suppliers are able to plan ahead, with confidence that they will earn as expected, can they deliver good working conditions for their workers.

Zara, the report said, had 90 factories producing for the brand in March 2020.

Researchers said 31% of factories reported cancelled or partially cancelled orders, 27% had price reductions, 10% had orders which the firm refused to pay for while in transit or production, and 30% had reported payment being delayed for at least three months.

Meanwhile, Primark, which had 35 factories working on products according to the report, cancelled or partially cancelled orders from 34% of surveyed factories, reduced the price of orders at 20%, and 11% of factories reported payments being delayed.

The study, called Impact of Global Clothing Retailers Unfair Practices on Bangladeshi Suppliers During Covid-19, also said large numbers of firms were reported to be buying from factories facing rising costs for raw materials and nearly one in five were struggling to pay the Bangladeshi minimum wage of 2.30 per day.

Larger brands buying from many factories were engaging in unfair purchasing practices more often than smaller brands, the supplier survey said, and every brand buying from 15 or more factories was reported to be engaging in at least one of these practices.

The survey also found that post-lockdown, garment factories cut a quarter of their workforce, which report authors said suggested up to 900,000 workers could have lost their jobs.

The report said Zara had 90 factories producing for the brand in March 2020 (Yui Mok/PA)

Making clothing has become Bangladeshs most important manufacturing sector, accounting for 20% of its GDP. Employing around four million workers, more than 12 million are dependent on the sector for their livelihood, researchers said.

Ms Gooch said when retailers treat suppliers badly by breaching previously arranged terms, its workers who suffer.

If a retailer fails to pay the agreed amount, or delays payments, the supplier has to cut costs some other way, and this is frequently passed on to their workers, who have the least power in the supply chain, she said.

Reports of being rehired on worse pay and conditions, bullying and unpaid overtime are the predictable result. We need a fashion watchdog to regulate UK garment retailers, along the same lines as the existing supermarket watchdog.

Supermarkets have the Groceries Code Adjudicator, a watchdog which enforces a statutory code of practice which bans certain unfair purchasing practices by large retailers towards their food and groceries suppliers, irrespective of location.

A Primark spokesman said the rights and conditions of the workers who make our products are extremely important to us and we know how devastating Covid-19 has been for the global garment industry.

The unprecedented nature of the pandemic meant all our stores across the world were forced to close. At the time, and with no online presence, we had no way of knowing how long this would last for, the spokesman said, and added it was for these reasons the company took the incredibly difficult decision in March 2020 to cancel all orders which had not yet been handed over to us.

All orders which had been handed over were paid within 30 days and there were no payment delays or renegotiation of prices in connection with these, the company said, and through 2020 it set up several initiatives to support suppliers and their workers.

The company said compliance with its code of conduct was mandatory when working with Primark, and the firm is a founding member of the Action Collaboration Transformation initiative.

In the report, Inditex, which owns Zara, said it had devised a strategy for supporting those workers early on in the pandemic and guaranteed payment for all orders already placed and in process of production and worked with financial institutions to facilitate the provision of loans to suppliers on favourable terms.
Panic! At The Disco will be no more says frontman Brendon Urie (Ian West/PA)   Ian West

Panic! At The Disco will be no more, the bands frontman Brendon Urie has announced.

The US musician also announced that and his wife Sarah Orzechowski were expecting their first baby together and thanked fans for their immense support over the years.

It comes as Urie prepares to embark on a final European tour, which is due to finish in Manchester in March.

Announcing the news in a lengthy post on Instagram, he said he was looking forward to this next adventure.

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Well, its been a hell of a journey Growing up in Vegas I couldve never imagined where this life would take me. So many places all over the world, and all the friends weve made along the way, he wrote.

But sometimes a journey must end for a new one to begin. Weve been trying to keep it to ourselves, though some of you may have heard. Sarah and I are expecting a baby very soon!

The prospect of being a father and getting to watch my wife become a mother is both humbling and exciting. I look forward to this next adventure.

He continued: That said, I am going to bring this chapter of my life to an end and put my focus and energy on my family, and with that Panic! At The Disco will be no more.

Thank you all for your immense support over the years. Ive sat here trying to come up with the perfect way to say this and I truly cant put into words how much it has meant to us.

Whether youve been here since the beginning or are just finding us, it has been a pleasure to not only share the stage with so many talented people but also share our time with you.

It comes as Urie prepares to embark on a final European tour, which is due to finish in Manchester in March (Ian West/PA)   Ian West

I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Europe and the UK for one last run together.

I love you. I appreciate you. Thank you for existing. Brendon.

Panic! At The Disco was originally formed in 2004 by high-school friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson  though Urie would ultimately lead it as a solo venture.

As a group, the band has released four studio albums, and Urie went on to release three more alone, with the most recent, Viva Las Vengeance, dropping in 2022.
Ruby Wax is set to find herself marooned on a desert island as part of an upcoming Channel 5 show.

The 69-year-old comedian and actress will become an authentic castaway on a remote island off the coast of Madagascar as part of a new two-part series, Ruby Wax Castaway.

Speaking about the upcoming show, in which Wax will document her entire experience using her own handheld camera and body-cams, she said: If people are expecting Love Island, imagine how disappointed theyre going to be

I like to do things that take me by surprise. Im used to doing something a little hardcore.

I know what it is in the beginning, its hell but by the end you find out why you did it.

That may happen Or I may sue the production company.

Ruby Wax will find herself marooned on a desert island for a new Channel 5 series (Ian West/PA)   Ian West

Channel 5 confirmed that the shows production team will be stationed offshore, in case of emergency, and Waxs mental health and safety will be monitored as the experience progresses.

On Wednesday, Channel 5 announced that the new series will air later this year, in addition to a host of other new shows for 2023 featuring the likes of Ross Kemp, Tim Peake and Jay Blades.

Viewers will be taken on a journey into space in a mission to uncover the mysteries of the universe in the three-part-series Tim Peake: Secrets Of Our Universe, and treated to a look at the extraordinary history of Londons East End as 52-year-old Blades steps back in time to explore the area in which he grew up in Jay Blades: History Of The East End.

Ross Kemp will star in new Channel 5 series Blindspot (Ian West/PA)   Ian West

Meanwhile, documentarian and former EastEnders star Kemp, 58, is set to make his return to acting after 15 years to star as police detective Tony Warden in four-part thriller Blindspot.

Kemp is cast alongside newcomer Beth Alsbury who plays Hannah, a disabled woman with a wry sense of humour who believes she has witnessed the prelude to a murder while monitoring the CCTV on a rough estate.

Undeterred when her fears are dismissed by the apathetic, and possibly corrupt, policeman in charge of the case, Hannah finds her own life in danger as she fights to discover what really happened in the blind spot.

Also on Channel 5s drama line-up for 2023 is The Inheritance, starring Robert James-Collier, Gaynor Faye and Jemima Rooper as siblings who are left reeling after the unexpected death of their Father, played by Larry Lamb.

Other new releases coming to Channel 5 in 2023 include a new Ben Fogle series, Endurance: Race To The Pole, The Pet Psychic, Challenge Anneka, Nick Knowles Into Death Valley and dramas including The Catch, Black Cab and The Good Friend.

Alongside an array of new titles, the broadcaster has also confirmed the return of a number of fan favourites, including Susan Calmans Grand Day Out, The Yorkshire Vet, Motorway Cops, Cause Of Death and All Creatures Great And Small.
Most teachers in Northern Ireland will take industrial action

Teachers across Northern Ireland have been left with no choice but to take industrial action following disputes over pay, it has been claimed.

The strike will take place on February 21, with educators from all major teaching unions, Ulster Teachers Union (UTU) and Irish National Teachers Union (INTO) taking action from midnight until 12pm. The NASUWT Teachers Union confirmed it will be joining the strike.

Its expected the majority of schools will be closed until midday when the action ends.

The confirmation from unions follows previous reports they were considering joint strike action in late February following the half-term break.

The action is being taken due to a stalemate over a pay deal which has lasted almost a year.

Teachers have asked for a 10% uplift in pay, which ministers and councils have deemed as untenable.

General Secretary of NASUWT Dr Patrick Roach said industrial action was the only option.

We have been left with no choice but to take strike action as a result of the failure of the education employers to offer any improvement on the miserly two year proposal made last February, he said.

At a time when teachers are facing the biggest squeeze on their finances in a generation, offering what amounts to a further real-terms pay cut is simply not good enough.Our members are not prepared to stand by while their pay dwindles and their living costs rise.

Justin McCamphill, NASUWT National Official for Northern Ireland, echoed Dr Roachs comments, saying the current pay offer is simply insufficient.

Teachers are not willing to accept yet another real-terms pay cut and are continuing to fight for a better deal.

The cost of living crisis has brought this situation to a head and unless the Department and employers act to offer teachers a fair and decent pay award we cannot rule out further strike action in the months to come.

Alliance education spokesperson Connie Egan said that the strike action shows for too long teachers have been undervalued.

We all know the huge impact and influence teachers can have on children, so it is only right that this is recognised through fair pay, she said.

Alliance supported the unions recent campaign for fair pay in education because we need to ensure teachers are properly rewarded for carrying out a vital job.

We need to urgently see a negotiated solution which reflects the important work teachers do and ensure some are not forced out of the classroom to find other jobs.

Northern Irelands teachers will join colleagues across the UK in striking, with some teachers in England and Wales set to begin their strike action on February 1.

Teachers are currently taking part in a wave of strikes across Scotland.
Harry Doherty (left) and a clip posted by a curry house which his widow says shows him and his son

Two children of a Derry journalist who died in 2014 have denied he is shown in a video that sparked social media conspiracy theories he was still alive.

Father-of-three Harry Doherty won accolades for his coverage of the Troubles. His career began at the Derry Journal, where he reported on Bloody Sunday.

He later moved to England, relaunching his career as a music journalist and working for the now-defunct Melody Maker following encouragement from the Irish rock band Horslips.

Mr Doherty also wrote the only official book on Queen, published in 2011 to tie in with the bands 40th anniversary.

He died at the Royal Free Hospital in London in 2014.

His widow, Lucy Watson, said her late husband and his son Alex appeared in a video shared by the Indian restaurant Spice Cottage, located near her home in Emsworth, West Sussex.

Speaking to MailOnline, Ms Watson was adamant the man in the clip was her late husband.

But she rubbished conspiracy theories he was still alive, insisting the footage must have been shot prior to his death  a theory the restaurant has dismissed.

Ms Watson said: The moment I saw the thing, I thought, Oh my God, thats Harry. It was so instant. I didnt even have to think. Hed be eating a chicken korma because thats all he ever ate. There was no doubt in my mind it was my husband. I couldnt pause the thing, so I had to replay it about 30 times. Each time I was surer and surer.

Harry was a big, distinctive man. He had white hair. His build and his glasses were distinctive.

I recognised the blue sweatshirt he was wearing and he is sitting there with his son.

I just thought, Thats an old video. I posted asking [the restaurant] how old the footage was.

I was only asking out of interest, then it all went crazy.

It annoyed me when they [said] it was filmed last week. It cant have been.

Im totally bemused by the response. I dont understand how people have picked it up in this way, and theres all these crazy theories.

Harry died in 2014. Theres absolutely no doubt about that.

But Mr Dohertys daughter, Kiera, denied it was her father in the video. She said: The person Lucy Watson is mentioning was my dad, Harry, and my brother. This is 100% not him.

Harrys son, Alex, also told MailOnline: No way. Its not my dad and its not me. She [Ms Watson] got it wrong.

You can see from the comments that people are really intrigued about it.

They really want to know the answers. The answer is that its not my dad  thats it.

Harrys brother, Father Michael Doherty, said he hadnt a clue about the story until he spoke to his family yesterday.

They told me the mystery was now solved, he added in reference to Kiera and Alex claiming it was a case of mistaken identity.

Writing on behalf of the management at Spice Cottage, Bodrul Islam said the business would like to clarify some misunderstandings.

He added: I run the social media side of the business and recorded a promotional video to portray our new wooden tables and interior refurbishment.

The refurbishment was completed in early January and the promotional video highlights these changes. All videos used in the video were recorded in the week commencing January 9.

Before January, all of our tables were covered by white and red cloths. Hence, it is evident this footage is recent. This is a very unusual situation. We hope this clarifies any confusion.

In his role as a music journalist, Mr Doherty grew close to acts such as Thin Lizzy, The Boomtown Rats and Kate Bush as they burst onto the scene.

He was closest to Queen, and having followed the members throughout their careers, he was asked to write a history marking their 40 years in the business. After he died, guitarist Brian May described Harry as one of the good guys and one of the first to write about the band.

He said: He remained passionate about music and kept his freshness  a rock and roller with a very good heart.

He was a trusted friend, one of the very few I have ever had in the music press, and I will miss him greatly. RIP Harry. Rock on.
In a formal ceremony on Wednesday, Labor leader Chris Hipkins was sworn in as the next prime minister of New Zealand after the resignation of Jacinda Ardern last week.

On Sunday, the Labor party elected 44-year-old former COVID-19 Response and Police minister Hipkins to lead the party and the nation. This follows the unexpected resignation of 42-year-old Ardern, who stated she had "no more in the tank" to govern the country.

Chris Hipkins Sworn in as New Zealand's PM

Hundreds gathered on the grounds of Parliament as Ardern departed for the last time, hugging each of her parliamentary colleagues, many of whom were sad.

She then traveled to Government House, where she submitted her resignation to Governor General Cindy Kiro, who represented King Charles in New Zealand. In a brief ceremony, Hipkins and his deputy Carmel Sepuloni - the first person of Pacific Islander heritage to occupy the position - were sworn in, according to Reuters.

Hipkins, who has not spoken on his plans since becoming leader, will conduct his first cabinet meeting Wednesday evening.

Known as "Chippy," Hipkins is well-known among New Zealanders for his proficiency in combating COVID-19. However, he has admitted to making some mistakes in handling the pandemic and faces a difficult struggle to maintain power in the October general election.

According to a December 1News-Kantar survey, Labor's popularity would drop to 33% from 40% at the start of 2022, preventing it from forming a majority even with the usual coalition partner, the Green Party, at 9%. The fall of the Labor Party has aided the opposition National Party.

Read Also: Half Moon Bay Shooting Suspect's Connection to Victims

Jacinda Ardern Bids Farewell

On Tuesday, her last full day in office, outgoing New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stated that she is "ready to be a sister and a mom."

Ardern made her final public appearance in government alongside her successor, Chris Hipkins, the new head of the ruling Labor Party, at a Maori settlement outside Wellington.

Last week, Ardern stunned New Zealand by announcing she was resigning after more than five years in office. She told reporters she did not want her choice to be perceived as a "bad statement on New Zealand" in response to rumors that a flood of misogynistic and sexist insults on social media by right-wing extremists prompted her resignation.

"I have encountered such love, compassion, empathy, and kindness in this position," added Ardern, as per VOA News.

Ardern, who in 2018 became the second female leader of the government to deliver birth, stayed in Parliament as a backbencher on Wednesday when Hipkins was sworn in. The Labor-led government lags in voter opinion polls ahead of the national election in October.

As Jacinda Ardern exited the New Zealand Parliament for the last time following her abrupt resignation as prime minister, she was greeted by a cheering crowd. When Ardern exited the Executive Building - or the Beehive - on the parliament forecourt, Labor MPs, government employees, and members of the general public applauded her.

She hugged each member of her party who had gathered to bid her farewell, many of whom seemed distraught as she did so. Clarke Gayford, Ardern's fiance, followed her as she walked through the crowd to her car. At one point, she stated, "I can't see where I'm going."

She reached her vehicle and was then transported to the government house. There, she will meet with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro and formally retire as head of the country. Ardern stunned New Zealanders and the majority of her party last Thursday when she announced her resignation at the Labor Party's annual retreat in Napier.

Ardern stated that New Zealanders will continue to see her, but not in public discussions. Chris Hipkins will return to parliament, preside over his first Cabinet meeting, and conduct a news conference. Ardern has hailed the former minister of police as "personable, grounded, and pragmatic." Ardern will spend three months on the backbench after vacating her seat in April in preparation for an election on October 14, Daily Mail reported.

Related Article: Incoming New Zealand Prime Minister's Reprioritization Plans

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Two men have been charged following the seizure of 125,000 worth of Class B drugs.

The pair, aged 30 and 57, were arrested in the Springfield Road area of Belfast on Tuesday.

Its believed both men have links to an organised crime network involved in the importation and distribution of drugs in Northern Ireland, which has ties to organised criminals in England and North America.

Both are expected to appear before Lisburn Magistrates Court tomorrow, Thursday 26 January.

In addition, a police spokesperson said a number of items were seized following searches across six premises in Belfast and Mid & East Antrim.

Detective Inspector Kelly said: The arrests are linked to an investigation whereby a number of drug seizures were made in the past eight months.

During this time Class B controlled drugs with a potential street value of 2.4 million were seized by officers from UK Border Force, the Metropolitan Police and Leicestershire Police.

Proceeds of this criminality not only fund this crime network but other local criminal and paramilitary gangs they supply to.

These seizures and arrests will no doubt have had a significant impact to their criminal enterprise.

A police spokesperson added: I would ask if anyone has any information about suspected drug dealing in their area to call the non-emergency number 101.

Alternatively, information can also be given anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.
A popular plan for a new primary school car park in west Belfast has been agreed by Belfast councillors after a headmaster said it was a matter of when and not if a child is hurt by traffic on the Springfield Road.

The application had been delayed from last year for councillors to have a site visit, but at the recent meeting of Belfast City Councils Planning Committee, elected representatives unanimously agreed the provision of a car park with 24 spaces for Springfield Primary School, including access road and fencing.

The site is at 425 Springfield Road, and the application is by the Colin Bingham Education Authority, Armagh. The plan involves a new turn off from a nearby roundabout into the planned car park.

The application was recommended by council officers despite running contrary to council policy on issues of loss of zoned economic land, loss of open space, access, movement, parking, drainage and flood risk.

School principal Mr Osborne told the committee: I go out twice in the morning and once in the afternoon and see cars actually trying to drive around the lollipop lady as children are crossing the road. We have seven car park spaces plus one disabled spot.

We have tried everything, we have tried to supervise children in the playground, nothing seems to be working.

"We have one area in the school for bicycles, which we provided ourselves. We are continually trying to encourage the children to cycle to school, but then they are having to cycle on Springfield road, one of the arterial routes into Belfast.

He added: Our children come for the breakfast club, and they are walking on the hill as staff are trying to arrive at school to park. That is on top of the cars going along the Springfield Road that time of the morning going to work.

Seven spaces plus one disabled for the staff for the drop off for all of those things  its not enough.

For me its not if a child gets hurt, it is when. Our lollipop lady has had to pull children as the cars fly down the Springfield Road. And they really dont have any care. The PSNI came to us in September and they were in shock at what they were witnessing.

The Department for Infrastructures roads and rivers divisions made no objection to the proposal, subject to conditions. No third-party objections were received in relation to the proposal from residents or business.

235 letters of support were received, which include 26 letters from members of staff, individual letters from pupils and parents, two emails from parents to the headmaster raising concerns with safety, a group letter from the pupils council, a letter from the governor of Springfield Primary School and a letter from family support groups.

The council planning report summarised the support, stating: Springfield Road as a main arterial route experiences a large volume of accidents, speeding cars and car crashes which is exacerbated by the neighbour police and fire stations and college. Childrens safety should override zoning issues.

On-going complaints from neighbours regarding parking  the off-road parking should be favourably considered. Between December 2010 and November 2020, 186 road casualties took place between Isadore Avenue and Mill Race, according to PSNI statistics.

"Lack of parking forces cars to park along the road which forces prams and wheelchairs off the footpath onto the road. This proposal creates a safe drop off/ pick up area for children.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Sandra Duffy in London for the meeting with BBC chiefs

Politicians from Derry have reiterated their strong opposition to proposed cuts at BBC Radio Foyle during a meeting with senior BBC figures in London.

Under current proposals, 28 jobs (5%) could be lost from a workforce of around 600 in Belfast and eight (27%) at Foyle.

Politicians and past managers at the station have made it clear this would decimate a workforce of around 30.

Foyle MP Colum Eastwood, East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell and Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Sandra Duffy once again invited the BBC chiefs to the north-west of Northern Ireland to hear first-hand about the importance of the station to the region.

Welcoming the opportunity to meet with BBC Director of Nations Rhodri Talfan Davies and BBC NI interim director Adam Smyth, Ms Duffy said the meeting was a frank and open discussion.

BBC senior officers set out their rationale for the proposed cuts and their commitment to enhancing and focusing on digital services at the station.

The trio were united in their strong opposition to the cuts and firm in their joint support for the BBC to reverse its decision to cut BBC Radio Foyles breakfast programme, the hourly news bulletins and reduce the number of newsroom staff.

Ms Duffy said that while she appreciated the opportunity to speak to the officials directly on the issue, and to share with them the level of opposition to the cuts from the local community, she was disappointed they hadnt come to Derry.

Speaking after the meeting, Ms Duffy said: I stressed the importance of having a regional station in our city and the pivotal role it plays in the local community.

I spoke about the uniqueness of Derry and the wider north-west region and shared with them details of the recent public meeting that was held in the Guildhall and the huge outpouring of support that exists across all communities in the north-west.

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SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, who has been raising the issue at Westminster, also met with BBC chiefs, including Mr Smyth.

We made the point that we have our own political environment that is very different from anywhere else and needs its own voice, said Mr Eastwood.

Derry is unique in this and has been left behind in so many ways. It needs its own output.

The big point we made to them was that weve heard promises before and they havent followed through on them.

The difference in staff between Belfast and Derry shows the cuts are hugely disproportionate.

There has been no commitment to enhance Foyle, even though we had promises during the City of Culture (2013), we had promises when Nolan took some of the morning slot, but it just never happened.

Yesterday, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) Committee said there should be an audit of public money that supports local news and an analysis of whether this could be distributed more fairly.

One of the main recommendations from a report on the sustainability of local journalism stated: The BBC should reconsider its proposed changes to local radio provision.

The strategy for digital first should not come at the expense of local radio.

The BBC has said it is committed to Foyle as a production centre for local and regional content.

The savings plans we have announced affect many different people and teams within BBC NI, a spokesperson added.
The Policing Boards human rights adviser has criticised the PSNIs endless excuses over how it records the community background of people arrested or stopped and searched.

Investigative website The Detail has previously revealed that almost twice as many Catholics as Protestants were arrested and charged in Northern Ireland between the start of 2016 and the end of 2020.

However, the available figures do not provide a complete picture. The Policing Boards annual human rights report, published last week, noted that a significant number of people also refused to tell police about their background.

There may be a number of different reasons for this disparity, including the possibility that people from the Catholic community are more willing to answer questions about their religious background, the report read.

Human rights solicitor John Wadham said while he was impressed with much of the PSNIs work, he had concerns peoples community backgrounds were not being properly recorded.

I am not persuaded by the endless excuses [from] the PSNI on why it cant do community background [recording], he said.

Its very depressing. Ive read the legal advice: [it] says theres no problem in just doing it.

The PSNI did not share its figures on the community background of people arrested or stopped and searched with the Policing Board until an investigation by The Detail.

The boards annual human rights report, written by Mr Wadham, noted that it was surprising that the information had not been shared with board members, nor had the force investigated the disparity between the number of Catholics and Protestants arrested and charged.

Mr Wadham said that the issue of two-tier policing had been raised for many years from both perspectives.

When we have seen some evidence of the difference, particularly between the two communities in Northern Ireland, the evidence appears to be that about twice as many Catholic, nationalists and republicans are subject to stop and search, subject to arrest, subject to charge, subject to spit/bite guards, subject to strip-search of young people. Twice as many as the Protestant, unionist, loyalist community, he said.

The report recommended that the PSNI employs an independent expert to look at the figures.

The Detail asked the PSNI if it was going to do so but did not receive a direct response.

Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the PSNIs approach to recording the community background of people arrested or stopped and searched has been evolving for a couple of years.

It hadnt been published [previously], so we accept that. We also accept that, the data set that we have, we havent been robust enough in recording it, he said.

It also sits alongside the very fundamental question about asking for community background information from people, which has been raised with us in a number of forums.

We discussed this as a service executive board last week and the strong view is that we should just get on with being more direct now in asking those questions and getting those answers out.

In March 2022, the PSNIs Police Powers Development Group (PPDG) was asked to investigate the arrest figures. The PSNI did not respond to questions from The Detail regarding an update on the PPDG investigation.

In a statement, PSNI Chief Superintendent Jon Henry said the force had been looking into how to record the background of those arrested for some time.

The PSNI continues to explore how community background might be recorded, in consultation with the NI Policing Board, the Information Commissioners Office, the Department of Justice, the NIO, the Independent Reviewer of Justice and Security Powers and other relevant stakeholders, he said.

Of those stopped and searched by the PSNI between August 2020 and July 2021, 45% were Catholic and 24% were Protestant, the Policing Board report stated.

A further 28% did not have their community background recorded by the PSNI, while the remaining peoples background was listed as other or none.
Fire Fighters at the scene of the fire

Thirteen fire engines attended an incident on board a Stena Line ferry in Belfast last night.

According to Stena Line, smoke started to come out of a container filled with scrap metal. The ship reached Helens Bay before coming back to the port with 22 crew members and 10 truck drivers on board.

As many as 68 firefighters and the NIFRS Specialist Marine Response Team were sent out to the smoking trailer on Victoria Terminal on Dargan Road.

Despite initial reports of a fire on board, a spokesperson for the company instead said a trailer was overheating with some smoke coming out, and confirmed the vessel returned to port as a precaution.

The vessel was the Stena Scotia, which is a freight vessel. It left at 2030 on route to Heysham, he said.

At about 9PM last night, the crew reported that there was trailer onboard that was heating, with a small amount of smoke coming from it. So our crew cooled it with hoses. But as a precaution the vessel returned to port and the fire brigade were called.

Once in port, we drove the trailer off the vessel and handed it over the fire brigade. The ship then proceeded to Heysham.

He also thanked the crew for how well they handled the situation.

The swift action of the ships crews prevented the situation developing into anything worse. We are grateful for the assistance of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, he said.

He said he believed the trailer was filled with waste aluminum, which was oxidising.
Police during the launch of the winter 2022/23 anti-drink and drug drive operation (Pacemaker).

The youngest person arrested for drink driving over the Christmas period was aged just 16-years-old, new PSNI figures have revealed.

Police confirmed 308 people were arrested on suspicion of drink or drug driving between December 1, 2022 and January 1, 2023 according to the preliminary figures released on Wednesday.

This is nine more than during the same period last year.

The highest number of arrests were made in Belfast (54), while Ards and North Down experienced the largest decrease in arrests when compared with the same period last year (from 27 to 14).

Commenting on the figures, superintendent Gary Busch said: When we launched our winter drink and drug drive operation, we warned drivers not to take any risks by drinking or taking drugs and driving.

Read more Father of tragic Tyrone teenager criticises police officers caught drink-driving

Those 308 arrests reflect 308 occasions where your police service has prevented a potentially serious or fatal road traffic collision.

It is disappointing that a minority of people continue to disregard the safety of themselves and others, by taking the incredibly dangerous risk of driving after drinking or taking drugs.

The youngest person detected was 16 years of age and the eldest 83 years of age. The highest detection was 157g/100ml over four times the legal limit of 35g/100ml. This detection is not only one of highest recorded, but also one of the most shocking,

Men accounted for the vast majority of arrests, and almost half of those arrested were between the ages of 30 and 49.

It is also clear from our arrests, that significantly more men than women are being detected (males accounted for 86.4% of arrests), while almost half of those arrested were aged between 30 and 49 years of age, police added.

The PSNI concluded with a stark warning to those who may be thinking of driving while impaired by drink or drugs.

Our message is clear. Never ever drink and drive. Just one drink can impair decision making. Just one drink can cause a collision. Just one drink could kill.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the DUP, at the Great Hall, Parliament Buildings at Stormont, speaking about the appointment of Joe Kennedy III as US special envoy to Northern Ireland. Picture date: Monday December 19, 2022 Photo credit: PA   PA

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has claimed that the arrest of an English anti-abortion campaigner calls into question how much value the UK puts on religious freedom.

At Wednesdays Prime Ministers Questions, Mr Donaldson asked Rishi Sunak if he would commit to examine the laws of the United Kingdom to ensure that this country remains a beacon for freedom of religion or belief.

Freedom of religion or belief is important in this country, he said.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was praying silently outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham when she was arrested and questioned by the police - not about her written or spoken words but her thoughts.

Vaughan-Spruce is the director of anti-abortion group March for Life UK.

She was standing outside the BPAS abortion clinic in Birmingham praying when she was arrested. She had allegedly breached the councils buffer zone, which bans protests nearby.

The 45-year-old was charged with four counts of failing to comply with a Public Space Protection order. She will appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on February 2.

The Prime Minister said that while religious freedom is important in the UK, so are womens rights to access abortion.

Of course we believe in freedom of religious expression and belief in this country, he said.

We also are balancing that with the rights of the women to seek legal and safe abortions. That is currently being discussed in this parliament.

These matters are always matters of free vote and I know members will treat them with the sensitivity they deserve, he concluded.
An independent Newry councillor who topped the poll in the last local government election has announced that he wont be running again in May.

Gavin Malone, who secured a staggering 23% vote in 2019, said he found it very challenging to combine his council role with doing shift work in Norbrook Laboratories.

Mr Malone was a binman when elected four years ago, but was told he couldnt keep that job due to a conflict of interests.

Ive had the time of my life as a councillor but I just cant keep holding down two jobs and looking after my family. Its very hard as an independent when you have no political party behind you, he told the Belfast Telegraph.

I gave a commitment to voters that Id give them 100%. I dont think thats possible any more  its just too challenging for me.

So its with a heavy heart that Ive made up my mind not to stand again. It was such a difficult decision. Its been an honour and a privilege to serve as a councillor.

Ive enjoyed every single minute of it. Im an all-or-nothing guy and I didnt want to continue and not be able to maintain the commitment that I made when I was elected four years ago.

Mr Malone won 2,296 votes in 2019 to sit on Newry, Mourne and Down Council.

He unsuccessfully stood in last years Assembly election, securing 3,157 votes.

Read more Newry councillor condemns brutal assault on teenage girl and issues warning to parents

In a Facebook post, he said: Being elected as an independent councillor for Newry was one of the proudest and most humbling moments of my life.

Taking the leap in 2019 to stand was a momentous decision for me. I heard myself reported on the local news with the headline, from binman to councillor. And that summed me up.

I hope that my journey will inspire anyone out there, reach for your dreams, you define your own life, do not let others write your story. Do not wait until life gives you perfect conditions to begin.

Mr Malone added: The people I have met over the last four years have been incredible. The friends I have made. I have been humbled beyond belief by the kindness of others.

My only request to all of you, is, come May 2023, vote. Every vote counts. Think about the world you want, for yourself, for the people you love, for your family, your friends. Vote. We all have a part to play and together we can still make the world we want.
Blair opens up about his life and peace process role during UTV interview with journalist Mallie ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has spoken of how his staunchly Presbyterian grandmother told him never to marry a Catholic  not knowing he was already dating one.

The ex-Labour leader discusses his experiences in Ireland from childhood holidays in Co Donegal to the Good Friday Agreement in an interview for UTV tonight.

In Eamonn Mallie Face To Face..., Mr Blair speaks to the veteran journalist in advance of the 25th anniversary of the peace deal in April.

He admits the 1998 accord is not working at the moment as it should and advises both sides on the protocol issue to be flexible... and take the ideology out of it if a solution is to be reached.

Mr Blair shares fond memories of holidays in Co Donegal with his maternal grandmother.

He recounts how, on her deathbed, she told him: Whatever else you do son, dont marry a Catholic and I did.

I didnt actually have the heart to tell her at the time that I was going out with one.

Mr Blair was dating future wife Cherie Booth. He converted to Catholicism himself soon after leaving Downing Street.

In his exclusive hour-long interview with Mr Mallie, he reflects on his involvement in events leading up to the Agreement, and gives his insights into the personalities of the politicians involved.

He speaks of his commitment to address the issue of Northern Ireland right from his early days as Prime Minister.

I believed it was possible to make a peace. I had a passion for doing this, he says. This is an old-fashioned dispute  if you come at this with a determined attitude maybe we can find a way through.

He shares details on several key points in the process, including his relationship with Bill Clinton and the important role the President had speaking with David Trimble and Gerry Adams.

He recalls Mr Trimble was convinced there would be proper peace, and how a straightforward Martin McGuinness desired that the next generation of people should have something different.

He says: I think it was on a knife-edge right up until the very last moment.

Mr Blair reveals it took some time for him to establish a relationship with Ian Paisley.

Eamonn Mallie shaking hands with former Prime Minister Tony Blair

He describes Mr Adams as having the capacity to think strategically he was very shrewd and very tough, which were necessary qualities in bringing about peace.

He sees John Hume as very much the original author of this process.

The late SDLP leader had the foresight and political courage... was vital, and the first to think this can be settled.

When Mr Blair is asked if he believes the Good Friday Agreement can still succeed, he replies: It has worked in a way, mostly, but its not working as it should at the moment.

He later states: I still think the peace will hold. And I think that people on the island of Ireland are determined not to go back to the past.

Discussing Brexit and the protocol, he suggests: If both sides are flexible and you take the ideology out of it if you approach this in a practical way, you can find a solution.

He concludes the interview by saying: We could never have made peace in Northern Ireland if we hadnt had people prepared to put the politics to one side and concentrate on what was right.

Mr Mallie says: Some 25 years ago I was part of the press corps witnessing every twist and turn of the peace process in the run-up to the Agreement.

During that period, I jousted several times with Tony Blair. Exchanges were always lively and challenging.

All these years later when I sat down with him in his London headquarters to look back and forward on political developments... I found him straight-talking on the making of the Good Friday Agreement and on the lessons to be learned for todays politicians faced with lesser political problems.

He added: Like Tony Blair, we have all had time to reflect in a non-violent community on the political miracle that was the Good Friday Agreement.

Back then our politicians found a way forward with Tony Blair in the lead. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement proved that the most intractable political problem can be overcome, in the words of Mr Blair, when politicians put people before politics.

UTV programmes editor Tony Curry says: This is a must watch for those viewers who remember darker days in Northern Ireland and how the Good Friday Agreement was a springboard for peace.

For younger viewers, its a perfect opportunity to hear from one of the history-makers himself how he and the leaders of that time all worked together to bring about peace in Northern Ireland.

Eamonn Mallie Face To Face With... is on UTV tonight at 9pm
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis urged an Atlanta judge on Tuesday to keep the findings of a Georgia grand jury inquiry over former United States President Donald Trump's election interference to remain sealed.

She also recommended multiple indictments related to the issue and added that her decision on whether or not to bring charges against the former president is "imminent." The Democrat said during a hearing in Atlanta that she was opposed to making the findings of the investigation public, citing her ongoing deliberations on charges.

Georgia Grand Jury's Report

Willis added that they wanted to ensure everyone was treated fairly in the case, saying that for future defendants to be treated as such, it was not appropriate to release the report findings at this time.

The Georgia special grand jury, barred from issuing indictments against Trump, considered the final report as a culmination of its work that lasted seven months. It included interviews with witnesses from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, as per CNN.

The Atlanta DA also said on Tuesday that the special grand jury heard from 75 witnesses for the case. The panel's final report was expected to include some summary of their investigative work. It would also have recommendations for indictments and the alleged conduct that led investigators to their conclusions.

Fulton County's chief senior assistant district attorney, Donald Wakeford, argued to the judge that it would be dangerous to release the report before an announcement about potential charges is made.

He said that it is dangerous to the people who may or may not be named in the special grand jury's report for various reasons. Wakeford said that it would be a disservice to the witnesses who came forward to the grand jury and spoke about their truths to the panel.

Read Also: Mike Pence Classified Documents Scandal

Donald Trump's Alleged Election Interference

There are nearly 20 people who were named targets of the criminal investigation that could face charges. The list includes Giuliani and David Shafer, the head of the Georgia Republican Party. Trump's legal team released a statement this week, noting that "the grand jury compelled the testimony of dozens of other, often high-ranking, officials during the investigation, but never found it important to speak with the President," according to the New York Times.

The statement noted that neither the panel nor anyone in the Fulton County District Attorney's Office ever subpoenaed Trump nor asked the former president to come in voluntarily. They said that they took this as a sign that the grand jury did their job and looked at the facts and the law, and concluded that there were no violations of the law by the Republican businessman.

The situation comes as Trump's attorneys did not appear at a Georgia hearing on Tuesday when a judge was expected to issue a decision for the public release of the report. Atlanta attorneys Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg released a brief statement saying that they have never been a part of the process, according to USA Today.

Related Article: Oath Keepers Members Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy

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Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai has been found guilty of the murder of Thomas Roberts (Dorset Police/PA)

A double killer who sought asylum in the UK will be sentenced on Wednesday for murdering a man after an argument about a scooter.

On Monday, Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai was found guilty by majority verdict of murdering 21-year-old Thomas Roberts in Bournemouth, Dorset, last year.

After the verdict was delivered at Salisbury Crown Court, prosecutor Nic Lobbenberg revealed Abdulrahimzai had been previously convicted of murdering two people in Serbia.

He was found guilty of two counts of murder as well as a related firearm offence in 2020 following a trial in his absence, having already fled Serbia.

He had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the offences, which took place between July 31 and August 1 2018.

Abdulrahimzai fled his home country of Afghanistan after he says his parents were killed by the Taliban and he was tortured by them.

Mr Roberts was acting as the peacemaker in the early hours of March 12 2022, after his friend James Medway got into an argument with Abdulrahimzai.

Mr Medway wanted to take an e-scooter Abdulrahimzai had claimed for himself and left propped against the window of the Subway sandwich shop in Old Christchurch Road.

CCTV captured Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai riding the e-scooter shortly before the killing (Dorset Police/PA)   Dorset Police

The confrontation, which lasted only 24 seconds, saw Mr Roberts slap Abdulrahimzai in the face.

Abdulrahimzai then revealed the knife he had hidden between the two pairs of trousers he was wearing and stabbed Mr Roberts twice before running away into nearby woodland.

He buried the knife in the woods before burning the trousers, jacket, and Afghan flag he was wearing as a scarf.

However, he dropped his mobile phone as he fled and it was traced to his home address.

In the months before the incident, Abdulrahimzai shared pictures of himself posing with a knife about 10in long on the social media and video sharing app TikTok.

He had been seen carrying a knife by his foster parent, who had warned him not to, and had also been warned by police and social workers about the dangers of carrying a knife.

Abdulrahimzai told the court that he carried a knife because he was fearing for his life because there were people from Afghanistan who wanted to kill him, and he had also had death threats in Bournemouth.

The defendant said he posted photos of his knife on TikTok to get followers from people out there liking knives.

Abdulrahimzai, who lived in Poole at the time of the offence, arrived in the UK in December 2019, and told the authorities he was 16 when he was arrested, but the court has since determined that he is now 21.

In his defence, Abdulrahimzai said he had no intention to kill or cause really serious harm to Mr Roberts  he acted instinctively, said he feared for his life, and felt he had to defend himself.

He will be sentenced at the same court by Judge Paul Dugdale on Wednesday.
Several diplomats at the Kyiv and Moscow embassies have been made OBEs.

British diplomats, doctors and a grassroots fundraiser have been recognised in the New Year Honours list for their response to the war in Ukraine.

Melinda Simmons, the ambassador in Kyiv, and Deborah Bronnert, ambassador in Moscow, have received damehoods for their services to foreign policy, including work supporting Ukraine and countering Russias aggression since the invasion in February.

We will continue to work together to support them just as we continue to be inspired by their incredible resilience Melinda Simmons

Ms Simmons called it a huge honour, adding: I am proud of everyone I have worked with and everything we have done to support Ukrainians unwavering determination to live free, especially over the last year.

We will continue to work together to support them just as we continue to be inspired by their incredible resilience.

Ms Bronnert said she was hugely privileged to receive the recognition, adding that the year had been bleak and scarred by the awful invasion of Ukraine and its terrible consequences.

Like all of us, I have been inspired by the bravery of the Ukrainians and my colleagues in Ukraine, she said.

I also want to pay tribute to colleagues past and present in Russia and indeed the many, many Russians who want and hope for a better future.

Three other diplomats at the Kyiv and Moscow embassies  Kate Davenport, Sarah Docherty and Nicolas Harrocks  have also been made OBEs for services to British foreign policy.

Kate Davenport and Melinda Simmons outside the British embassy in Kyiv (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office/PA)

Rachel Kessler, an independent consultant working with the Foreign Office on sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine, has also been made an OBE, as has Fergus Drake, chief executive for the non-profit Crown Agents, for his work helping to deliver medical supplies and equipment to the country.

Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Kent, a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, and Dr Paul Ransom, an emergency medicine consultant  who both worked on the ground in Ukraine  were also made OBEs.

Meanwhile, a nanny from Cambridgeshire has been awarded a British Empire Medal after she gathered six containers full of essentials from her local community for Ukrainian refugees in Poland and raised 190,000 for refugees in Moldova.

Louenna Hood, told the PA news agency she was completely stunned and absolutely over the moon, calling the award a massive, massive honour.

She also thanked the people who helped her along the way, saying: I started the campaign but I would never have been able to do it without the community behind me.

Everybody that I asked a favour of, every person said yes. So its for everybody, really.

(Yui Mok/PA)

Ms Hood, who has been a nanny for 20 years, said that a few days after the war broke out in Ukraine, she spoke to a friend in Poland who told her Ukrainian families were arriving in their city with nothing.

It really just broke my heart to think that people were being told to leave their homes, she said.

The thought of having to pack up your home with your children with simply what you can carry is inconceivable.

So offering some aid and comfort in those first few weeks was really important.

Ms Hood said she put a post on Instagram on a Sunday evening asking friends and followers to donate essentials, and by the next day her home was full.

It completely snowballed, she said, adding that she had no prior experience of working with donations and fundraising.

It was all down to my friends, family, the community, who just all got completely behind it which is why it took off the way it did Louenna Hood

I initially thought about sending a few boxes, that turned into a small van, that turned into a container, and then we ended up with six containers.

So I had absolutely no experience whatsoever, and it was all down to my friends, family, the community, who just all got completely behind it which is why it took off the way it did.

Ms Hood said she also raised 190,000 from people donating money, and travelled to the border in Moldova to make sure the money went directly where it was needed.

We have still got really amazing contacts for when we went over to Moldova and especially with the Ukrainian embassy, so they keep in touch and if they need specific help we will be there to help them, she said.

Ms Hood said the initial momentum for donations has dwindled over the months, saying: My message is: just because you dont necessarily see it on the news every day its not that its still not happening.

So its very much still happening at this moment.
The former MP for Halifax was an outspoken critic of Sir Tony Blair and the war in Iraq.

Tributes have been paid to the former Labour MP Alice Mahon who has died at the age of 85.

Ms Mahon, an outspoken left winger, represented Halifax in West Yorkshire for 18 years from 1987 to 2005.

In a statement to the Halifax Courier, the towns current MP Holly Lynch said: Alice Mahon always had a track record of fighting tirelessly for Halifax, and was much loved for it.

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She was a proud trade unionist and achieved a great deal both inside and outside of Parliament.

My thoughts are very much with her family as I know she will be dearly missed as a mother and grandmother.

During her time in Parliament, Ms Mahon was a fierce critic of the then leader and prime minister, Sir Tony Blair, and was bitterly opposed to the war in Iraq.

After standing down at the 2005 general election, she quit the party altogether in 2009 in protest at the tactics of Sir Tonys successor, Gordon Brown.

Her fellow left winger and former party leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: An utterly brilliant working-class campaigner, Alice was one of one of my best comrades in Parliament. I will miss her terribly.

Current party leader Sir Keir Starmer said: Alice Mahon was a tireless champion for the people of Halifax. My thoughts are with her friends and family.
The Home Office expects to spend 3.6 billion on the police recruitment programme by March (Kirsty OConnor/PA)   Kirsty OConnor

More than 3,000 police officers need to be hired in less than three months in England and Wales if the Government is to hit its target to sign up 20,000 new recruits.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman insisted forces are on track to reach the milestone by the end of March despite claims from some opponents that the Government is lagging behind its 2019 manifesto pledge.

So far 16,753 officers have been hired as part of the recruitment campaign, Home Office figures to the end of December show. This means 84% of the target has been reached, with 3,247 recruits still needed.

Ms Braverman said she was delighted we are on track to deliver our bold promise to the British people of putting 20,000 additional officers on the streets, adding: This next generation of brave police officers will add to efforts to drive down invasive crimes like burglary and neighbourhood offences, return to common sense policing and make our communities feel safer and stronger.

Labours shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused the Government of failing to keep communities safe and said ministers were on course to miss their police recruitment target.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said the Government was letting down people across the country with their failure to recruit police officers and tackle crime.

But officials are confident the target will be met.

Policing minister Chris Philp said: In a matter of months, when this once-in-a-generation recruitment drive is complete and we have a record number of officers across England and Wales, our police forces will be more representative than ever of the communities they serve.

There has been great progress with the recruitment campaign from all forces, Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council, said.

The Home Office expects to spend 3.6 billion on the recruitment programme by March, with a total cost of 18.5 billion over the next 10 years, according to Whitehalls spending watchdog.

In June, the National Audit Office (NAO) warned the recruitment campaign would exacerbate pressure on a criminal justice system which is already under strain in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

It also said hiring Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), special constables or police staff to fill the roles could lead to vacancies elsewhere in the service.

A month earlier, outgoing chief inspector of constabulary Sir Thomas Winsor repeated warnings that the sheer magnitude and speed of the recruitment campaign inevitably carries risks, adding that there is a heightened danger that people unsuited to policing may get through and be recruited.

The Home Office said all recruits are subject to a rigorous vetting process and must meet national standards in order to be hired.
As he successfully helped roll out the coronavirus vaccines that saved countless lives and ended punishing restrictions, Nadhim Zahawis political stock was rising fast.

The Conservative was a clear and effective communicator with a compelling story, having become a multi-millionaire businessman after moving to the UK as a child refugee without any English.

It was for these qualities  and a touch of desperation on scandal-plagued Boris Johnsons part  that he was appointed chancellor in the dying days of that administration.

But it was while serving in the Treasury that he cut a multimillion-pound deal to settle a tax dispute with HMRC.

The estimated 4.8 million bill included a penalty, and to make matters worse he was ultimately the minister in charge of the department.

Nadhim Zahawi is causing Rishi Sunak a political headache (House of Commons/PA)   House of Commons

Rishi Sunak, having become Prime Minister in October, considered Mr Zahawi to be the MP to prepare the Tories for the next general election as party chair.

But now, after his tax affairs were dragged into the limelight, the 55-year-old is battling to save his political career while under investigation by Mr Sunaks ethics adviser.

What Mr Sunak knew about his Cabinet-attending minister and when is unclear, but there had long been reasons to inspect Mr Zahawis past with a scrutinous eye.

It was a backstory being set out in his memoirs A Boy From Baghdad: My Journey From Waziriyah To Westminster, which  rewrites pending  was due for publication in September.

Born in 1967 in Baghdad to an influential Kurdish family, Mr Zahawis family fled Iraq having fallen foul of Saddam Husseins regime.

He grew up in Sussex and went on to study chemical engineering at University College London, before following in his fathers entrepreneurship footsteps.

Mr Zahawi went on to meet the then prominent and later disgraced Tory politician Jeffrey Archer while campaigning for Iraqi exiles who wanted the overthrow of Hussain.

Lord Archer hailed the young man as a born organiser, once telling the BBC: If you said I need six taxis, three aeroplanes and a double-decker bus, all in 30 minutes, he went and did it.

He put Mr Zahawis talents to use during his bid to become London mayor in 1999. Lord Archer, however, was forced to abort that campaign in scandal.

Two years later, Lord Archer was jailed for four years having been convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice.

In 2000, Mr Zahawi founded YouGov with another alumni of the Archer campaign, Stephan Shakespeare.

They would grow the polling company into a hugely successful one, and would float it on the stock exchange after five years.

Shares held by Balshore, the Gibraltar-registered Zahawi family trust, were sold off for an estimated 27 million. The mixing of family and business led to the HMRC dispute.

He is linked to a property empire valued at more than 58 million, according to records at Companies House, including a townhouse in Londons lavish Belgravia.

With his business credentials impressive, Mr Zahawi stood down from YouGov to run for Parliament and was successful, winning the safe Conservative seat of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Mr Zahawi is known as being one of the richest MPs but he was forced to apologise in 2013 for claiming parliamentary expenses for electricity for his stables and a mobile home.

Mr Zahawi worked with Lord Jeffrey Archer (Dominic Lipinski/PA)   Dominic Lipinski

He said he had made a mistake which he was mortified about, and he pledged to pay back any money that was wrongly claimed.

Then, as children and families minister in 2018, it emerged he attended a men-only Presidents Club charity dinner that went on to be at the centre of allegations of sexual harassment.

He was reprimanded by No 10 but said he left early and did not see any of the horrific events, which he said he was shocked by.

The following year he was a junior minister at the business department, which is where he was when the coronavirus pandemic began in late 2019.

It is another period that is under scrutiny. David Cameron contacted him as he was seeking Government loans for the since-collapsed Greensill Capital.

Mr Zahawi told officials, according to the Times, that he had not exchanged WhatsApps with the Conservative former prime minister. It later emerged messages had been deleted from Mr Zahawis phone.

Covid-19 was straining the nation and Mr Johnson looked to his old ally to roll out the vaccine programme in 2020.

Mr Zahawi described the role of vaccines minister as the most important job Ill ever do, and his handling was widely seen as a massive success.

Mr Johnson also looked to him to replace Sir Gavin Williamson, who was this time sacked as education secretary over the exams fiasco.

In need of a chancellor after Mr Sunaks resignation helped trigger Mr Johnsons own downfall, he appointed Mr Zahawi to lead the Treasury.

Mr Zahawi made a failed attempt to win the party leadership during his two months as chancellor  a period in which he settled his tax dispute with HMRC.

Boris Johnson trusted Mr Zahawi as vaccines minister and as chancellor (Andrew Boyers/PA)   Andrew Boyers

Under scrutiny while trying to succeed Mr Johnson in No 10 in July last year, Mr Zahawi told Sky News he was clearly being smeared about his tax and insisted: Ive always declared my taxes, Ive paid my taxes in the UK.

A political survivor, he became chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during Liz Trusss fleeting leadership, before Mr Sunak made him Conservative Party chairman.

The trickle of stories about his tax affairs came to a head when The Sun On Sunday revealed he paid a seven-figure sum to HMRC.

Mr Sunak first defended his minister, saying he had given a full account. But then the Guardian revealed his settlement included a 30% penalty, taking the estimated total close to 5 million.

Under intense pressure, Mr Zahawi said it was a careless and not deliberate error linked to YouGov founder shares given to his father.

This changed the Prime Ministers mind. He now believes there are questions that need answering and has ordered ministerial standards adviser Sir Laurie Magnus to investigate.

Mr Zahawi welcomed a chance to give his account to Sir Laurie, saying he is confident he has acted properly throughout.

He remains in post while under investigation, despite Mr Sunak acknowledging it would have been politically expedient to sack Mr Zahawi.

But with the fiasco straining the Prime Ministers pledge to lead a Government of integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level, many in Westminster believe it is not a case of if Mr Zahawis time is up  but when.
Teachers gather at The Mound in central Edinburgh to highlight the need for a fair pay deal for Scotlands teachers (Jane Barlow/PA)   Jane Barlow

A poem about teachers and written in Scots was recited at a rally in Edinburgh to mark the anniversary of Robert Burns birth and the halfway point of 16 days of rolling strike action.

Hundreds of educators braved the cold on Wednesday as the EIS union held a rally outside the Scottish National Gallery on The Mound, echoing their previous calls for a 10% pay rise.

Tom Britton, assistant secretary of the Edinburgh EIS association, recited a poem, written in Scots, by Thomas Clark called Tae a Teacher to mark Robert Burns birthday.

The pay dispute between teachers, Cosla and the Scottish Government has become increasingly entrenched, with unions accusing the Scottish Government and councils of having little to no interest in finding the funding to resolve the matter.

Teachers gather at The Mound in central Edinburgh to highlight the need for a fair pay deal for Scotlands teachers (Jane Barlow/PA).   Jane Barlow

Teachers were joined by STUC general secretary, Roz Foyer, who said: I want to give you my thanks as one of Scotlands parents, as well as a worker.

Parents across Scotland are with you, we remember the pandemic, we know what you did for our kids and we know what you do day-out-day-in to help support our children.

You are on the front line of many of the problems that workers and communities are facing.

The way we are going to get the Scottish Government to stop talking, start listening and pay attention is to keep coming together, to keep going.

Teachers from the EIS gather outside the cottage in Alloway, Ayrshire, where Robert Burns was born (Andrew Milligan/PA)   Andrew Milligan

What you are doing right now is inspiring workers right across Scotland to recognise that we do deserve to be paid properly for the work that we do.

Members of other striking unions such as the CWU also came to show their support.

School pupil Adam Ballard, from the Edinburgh High School Students Union, said: When we as Scotlands largest school students voice organisation held a vote on our support of the teachers strikes, it passed with almost 100% support.

Everyone in the education system are saying the same things, students and teachers alike can see the problems.

When I was sitting my National 5s, I had nine different English teachers in a year. That is a direct result of teachers leaving the profession due to unfair conditions and unfair pay. This is the disruption that harms school students, not teachers striking.

EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley, said: It is testament to the strength of feeling of teachers about what is increasingly perceived as Governments real contempt for them, dressed up in warm words and sophistry, that in spite of the deliberately restrictive anti-trade union legislation that remains in force, that our respective unions were able to beat the ballot thresholds and achieve industrial action mandates.

She advised politicians south of the border against seeking to divide teachers and support staff in schools on the issue of pay, as she said that the Scottish Government, for all its claims about its trade union-friendly credentials, is shamefully seeking to do this.

But Scottish Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville maintains the unions demand for 10% is not affordable.

She said: The union demands for a 10% increase for all teachers  even the highest paid  is not affordable within the Scottish Governments fixed budget and a more pragmatic approach is needed before we can reach a compromise.

The Scottish Government values the hard work that our teaching workforce put in for our learners and we remain absolutely committed to ensuring they receive a fair pay deal.

We remain in talks with unions and hope that these will continue to progress towards a compromise to ensure a sustainable deal for all involved.

Ms Somerville has called for industrial action to be reconsidered while talks continue, but unions say the Scottish Government has failed to bring a better offer than 5% and 6.85% for probationers to the table for the last five months.

Four offers have been made to teaching unions via the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) which brings the Scottish Government, unions and Cosla together  but these have all been rejected.
Thousands of people who suffer from migraines could benefit from a drug that has been approved on the NHS.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said it was recommending eptinezumab (also called Vyepti) for preventing migraine in around 164,000 adults where at least three previous preventive treatments have failed.

The drug is taken in hospital every 12 weeks as an intravenous infusion and works to stave off migraines.

Nice said medical opinion suggests eptinezumab would be reserved for people with severe migraine attacks or who may be unable to take other jabs at home.

The drug has been found to be as effective as three other drugs already approved for injection at home (erenumab, fremanezumab and galcanezumab).

All four medicines are calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors, which work by targeting how proteins cause blood vessels in the brain to swell.

Migraines are common, affecting around one in every five women and around one in every 15 men. They usually begin in early adulthood.

As well as throbbing head pain, many people suffer other symptoms such as feeling sick, being sick and increased sensitivity to light or sound.

Eptinezumab costs around 5,870 for a years treatment, though the pharmaceutical firm Lundbeck has agreed to provide it to the NHS at a discounted price.

Rob Music, chief executive at the Migraine Trust, said: While it is great news that there is another treatment option for people living with this painful, debilitating and exhausting brain disease, its crucial that those who are eligible can actually access it.

This new class of drugs has been life-changing to many people with migraine in the UK.

It has allowed many to do things that migraine had prevented them from doing, from being able to work full-time to being able to enjoy travelling.

Unfortunately, too many people whose lives are currently being severely impacted by migraine, and who are eligible for these treatments, are unable to access them.

As we start 2023, we hope that integrated care systems will do more to ensure that there is greater access to this potentially life changing treatment.
The 91-year-old actress said she and her husband Bill Travers shared a belief in the power of everyone to change society.

Virginia McKenna said her damehood really belongs to campaigners who are fighting to end wild animal suffering and keep wildlife in the wild.

The 91-year-old actress, co-founder of the Born Free Foundation, has become a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to wildlife conservation and to wild animal welfare, in the New Year Honours.

Her charity campaigns for animals to remain free from captivity and promotes the protection of endangered species and natural habitats.

As one of the most popular and acclaimed British film actresses of the 1950s and 1960s, McKenna became a wildlife campaigner alongside her husband Bill Travers and their son Will, after McKenna and Travers featured in the 1966 film Born Free, set in Kenya.

McKenna said of her damehood: This award may be in my name, but I feel it really belongs to all those striving to end wild animal suffering and keep wildlife in the wild.

Virginia McKenna, winner of the lifetime achievement award at the Animal Hero awards (Ian West/PA)

Bill and I shared a belief in the power of one. One animal that needs rescuing; one species that needs protecting; one human community that needs supporting; one ecosystem that needs conserving.

And the power that resides in each of us every day to do something about it.

Speaking to the PA news agency alongside son Will, who is president of the foundation, McKenna said she had been speechless to discover she was to become a dame.

I just didnt know what to say because you never expect things like that, she added.

The rewards Ive had in my life have been so amazing. But really its because of the people Ive worked with and our charity and the animals that Ive got to know.

You are not expecting presents and gifts for doing what you love doing, and Ive got this amazing honour.

That is the word, I feel  I am honoured to receive it because I feel its not about me. Its about everybody who, like me, cares deeply about the issues we try and battle with. Thats really what it boils down to.

McKenna said her husband, who died in 1994, would have given her a big hug had he still been alive.

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She added: Without him we never could be where we are now and this amazing situation would never have arisen. So he is part of it. Absolutely right, and profoundly so.

Will Travers added to PA: As mum has alluded to, this is recognition of the incredible work of the Born Free team as well, over all those years.

People who have come and gone, people are are still working with us, whether thats in Kenya, Ethiopia, the United States, South Africa, UK, Sri Lanka, even Australia.

We have an incredible team who have achieved an enormous amount on relatively little.

This is the springboard for the next phase of Born Free and all the organisations that share our values and share our principles.

So Im energised by the fact that my mum  my dear mum  has received this extraordinary honour.

McKenna previously told PA in 2021 that her Golden Globe-nominated role as Joy Adamson, and Travers playing the conservationist George Adamson, was a life-changing experience.

While filming in Africa, she said she and Travers learned to read the body language and signs that lions use to tell humans what is and what is not OK.

The actress added: We just got to understand them, and they us as well.

Virginia McKenna and her son Will Travers with her OBE for services to the arts and animal conservation in 2004 (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)

McKenna, Will Travers and Bill Travers founded an organisation called Zoo Check, which aimed to end the exploitation of wild animals in zoos and circuses, in 1984, and later, in 1991, the Born Free Foundation.

Born on June 7 1931 in London, she trained as an actress at the Central School of Speech and Drama and at Dundee Repertory Company and made her film debut in 1952 with The Second Mrs Tanqueray.

McKenna won a Bafta for best actress for her performance in the film A Town Like Alice in 1956, and three years later was nominated for best actress again in Carve Her Name With Pride.

She became a key British export, with the international films The Wreck Of The Mary Deare in 1959 and Waterloo in 1970, and won awards including the BBC best actress award for Juliet in the TV production of Romeo And Juliet in 1955

She and Travers also starred in The Lions Are Free in 1967, a documentary about the lion cubs of Born Free, and several animal orientated films, including An Elephant Called Slowly in 1969.

Her stage performances have been significant and included winning the Olivier Award for best actress in a British musical for her performance in The King And I in 1979 opposite Yul Brynner, and playing Queen Gertrude to Kenneth Branaghs Hamlet in the 1980s.

McKenna also appeared fleetingly in Sliding Doors, playing John Hannahs mother, in 1998, and recently in Wings in 2020 opposite Miriam Margolyes.

She was made an OBE in 2004 for her services to wildlife and to the arts, received honorary doctorates from Nottingham Trent University and the University of Bedfordshire, and a lifetime achievement award at the Animal Hero awards in 2017.

She has also been responsible for helping create and furnish the Gavin Maxwell Museum on the Scottish island of Eilean Ban, the last home of the author and naturalist, most famous for his book Ring Of Bright Water.

Mckenna continues to work on biodiversity and animal welfare, and to help develop alternatives to trophy hunting.
President Roberta Metsola asked all services and committees to give the procedure priority, with the aim of completing it by February 13.

The president of the European Parliament has launched an urgent procedure to waive the immunity of two MEPs following a request from Belgian judicial authorities investigating a major corruption scandal rocking EU politics.

The European Parliament said on Monday that President Roberta Metsola asked all services and committees to give the procedure priority, with the aim of completing it by February 13.

From the very first moment the European Parliament has done everything in its power to assist in investigations and we will continue to make sure that there will be no impunity, Ms Metsola said. Those responsible will find this Parliament on the side of the law. Corruption cannot pay and we will do everything to fight it.

The EU Parliament press service did not identify the two MEPs. According to two people familiar with the case who were not allowed to speak publicly because the investigation is ongoing, they are Italian Andrea Cozzolino and Belgian Marc Tarabella.

Lawyers for Eva Kaili speak to the media at a court in Brussels (Olivier Matthys/AP/PA)

Both men are members of the Parliaments Socialists and Democrats group. Mr Tarabella, whose home was raided last month, has denied wrongdoing. The two were asked for comment.

A third member of Parliament, Eva Kaili, has already been charged in relation to the scandal, which allegedly involves Qatari and Moroccan officials suspected of influencing economic and political decisions with gifts and money.

Prosecutors accuse Kaili of corruption, membership in a criminal organisation and money laundering. A Greek socialist MEP, Kaili has been in custody since December 9. Her partner, Francesco Giorgi, an adviser at the European Parliament, is being held on the same charges.

Kaili was relieved of her duties of parliament vice-president after being charged. She would have normally enjoyed immunity from prosecution but was brought before a judge after Belgian police launched raids on premises across Brussels last month and large sums of cash were reportedly found at her home.

Kaili and Giorgi are suspected of working with Giorgis one-time boss, Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former EU politician. According to arrest warrants, Panzeri is suspected of intervening politically with members working at the European Parliament for the benefit of Qatar and Morocco, against payment.

The Parliament has halted work on files involving Qatar as it investigates what impact the cash-and-gifts-for-influence bribery scandal might have had. Qatar vehemently denies involvement and Morocco has yet to respond to allegations that its ambassador to Poland might have been involved.

Seals are pictured on Eva Kailis office door at the European Parliament in Strasbourg (Jean-Francois Badias/AP/PA)

Belgian prosecutors are also seeking the handover of Panzeris wife and daughter from Italy, where they were put under house arrest on similar charges.

A fourth suspect in Belgium  Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, secretary-general of the non-governmental organisation No Peace Without Justice  was also charged over the affair.

The scandal came to public attention after police launched more than 20 raids, mostly in Belgium but also in Italy. Hundreds of thousands of euros were found at a home and in a suitcase at a hotel in Brussels. Mobile phones and computer equipment and data were seized.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands with German soldiers beside a Leopard 2 main battle tank during a training exercise in Ostenholz in October (Moritz Frankenberg/dpa/AP)   Moritz Frankenberg

The German government has confirmed it will provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks and approve requests by other countries to do the same.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday Germany is acting in close co-ordination with its allies.

In a statement, the government said it will initially provide Ukraine with one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks, which comprises 14 vehicles, from its own stocks.

The goal is to provide Ukraine with a total of two battalions  88 tanks  together with other countries.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described German and US intentions with the tanks as a a rather disastrous plan (Michael Sohn/AP   Michael Sohn

The long-awaited decision comes after US officials said a preliminary agreement had been struck for the United States to send M1 Abrams tanks to help Kyiv push back Russian forces entrenched in the east almost a year since the start of the war.

Mr Scholz had insisted that any move to provide Ukraine with powerful Leopard 2s would need to be closely co-ordinated with Germanys allies, chiefly the United States.

By getting Washington to commit some of its own tanks, Berlin hopes to spread the risk of any backlash from Russia.

Ekkehard Brose, head of the German militarys Federal Academy for Security Policy, said tying the United States into the decision was crucial to avoid Europe facing a nuclear-armed Russia alone.

But he also noted the deeper historic significance of the decision.

German-made tanks will face off against Russian tanks in Ukraine once more, he said, adding that this was not an easy thought for Germany, which takes its responsibility for the horrors of the Second World War seriously.

And yet it is the right decision, Mr Brose said, arguing that it is up to Western democracies to help Ukraine stop Russias military campaign.



German defence minister Boris Pistorius said it will take about three months for the first tanks to be deployed in Ukraine. He described the Leopard 2 as the best battle tank in the world.

This is an important game change, possibly also for this war, at least in the current phase, he said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described German and US intentions with the tanks as a a rather disastrous plan.

I am convinced that many specialists understand the absurdity of this idea, he told reporters on Wednesday.

Simply because of technological aspects, this is a rather disastrous plan. The main thing is, this is a completely obvious overestimation of the potential (the supply of tanks) would add to the armed forces of Ukraine. It is yet another fallacy, a rather profound one, the Kremlin official said.

Mr Peskov predicted these tanks will burn down just like all the other ones Except they cost a lot, and this will fall on the shoulders of European taxpayers, he added.

Members of Mr Scholzs three-party coalition government welcomed the news ahead of the official announcement.

The Leopards freed! said German politician Katrin Goering-Eckardt, a senior Green party member.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a member of the Free Democratic Party who chairs the parliamentary defence committee, said the news is a relief for a mistreated and brave Ukraine.

The decision to approve (other countries requests) and supply the Leopard 2 was arduous but unavoidable, she said.

Ms Strack-Zimmermann was one of the loudest voices calling for a swift decision on arms supplies to Ukraine.

Two smaller opposition parties criticised the move, however.

The far-right Alternative for Germany called the decision irresponsible and dangerous.

Germany risks being drawn directly into the war as a result, its co-leader Tino Chrupalla said. The party, known by its acronym AfD, has friendly ties to Russia.

The Left party, which also has historic links to Moscow, warned of a possible escalation in the conflict.

The supply of Leopard battle tanks, which ends a further taboo, potentially takes us closer to a third world war than in the direction of peace in Europe, the partys parliamentary leader, Dietmar Bartsch, told German news agency dpa.

Recent opinion polls showed German voters split on the idea.

The pressure on Mr Scholz mounted this week after Poland formally asked Germany to approve sending Leopard 2 tanks from Polish stocks to Ukraine.

Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accused Germany of delaying, being evasive and acting in a way that is difficult to understand when it came to supplying tanks, and went so far as to claim Berlin appeared not to want to help Ukraine.

The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia, Mr Morawiecki wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. Together we are stronger.

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Other European nations have also indicated a willingness to part with their own battle tanks as part of a larger coalition.

Germany news weekly Der Spiegel said Berlin could initially approve the supply of one tank company, comprising 14 vehicles.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made it clear late on Tuesday he hopes to receive a more substantial number of tanks from western allies.

It is not about five or 10 or 15 tanks. The need is greater, he said.

The German government said it plans to swiftly begin training Ukrainian tank crews in Germany.

The package being put together will also include logistics, ammunition and maintenance.

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The UK had already announced plans to send 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed Germanys decision to further strengthen Ukraines defensive firepower.

Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace, he said on Twitter.

Still, it is not clear whether Ukraine will receive the estimated 300 tanks that analysts say are required to keep Russia from advancing in Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia provinces and to press a counteroffensive in the countrys south-east.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidents office, said on Telegram after Germanys announcement that many Leopards are needed.
The symbolic Doomsday Clock has crept closer to midnight than ever before, indicating that humanity is perilously close to catastrophe.

The clock, set to 90 seconds before midnight, indicates how near our world is to extinction due to human activity. According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS), the clock shifted significantly due to Ukraine's conflict.

What is Doomsday Clock?

The concept of warning humankind of the dangers of nuclear war emerged in 1947. Based on the scientists' assessment of existential risks at a given time, the hands of the clock are pushed closer to or further from midnight. Midnight represents the theoretical moment of extinction, as per BBC.

The selection is determined by the BAS scientific and security board, which consists of thirteen Nobel Prize winners. Due to the situation in Ukraine, the announcement was made accessible in Ukrainian, Russian, and English this year. According to the board, the conflict has prompted significant issues about how states engage and an apparent decline in international behavior.

"Russia's thinly disguised threats to deploy nuclear weapons are a reminder to the international community that escalation of the conflict - whether by accident, design, or mistake - is a dreadful danger," the report stated.

Climate change, biological hazards, and disruptive technologies are also highlighted this year as threats. Countries relying on Russian oil and gas have increasingly sought other natural gas supplies. And while the globe continues to feel the effects of COVID-19, the board stated that world leaders would need to continue identifying and addressing biological threats, regardless of their natural, accidental, or deliberate origin.

The board stated that a pandemic is no longer a once-in-a-lifetime threat. In 2020, the clock hands were shifted 100 seconds closer to midnight. In 2021 and 2022, the hands of the clock remained in the same position. The clock hands were at their furthest distance following the end of the Cold War, 17 minutes before midnight, as per TODAY.

Rachel Bronson, the chief executive officer of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, stated that even though people caused these problems, the board thinks humans can lessen the dangers via global involvement. Bronson stated that the clock's movement from 90 seconds to midnight signifies the urgency of the world's crisis, which may have far-reaching and long-lasting ramifications.

According to the Bulletin's statement, the clock advanced primarily, but not completely, because of the nuclear hazards posed by the war in Ukraine.

Read Also: New Zealand Prime Minister Update

Russia-Ukraine War

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the stresses it placed on European energy have led to an increase in the usage of coal and oil that produce greenhouse gases.

Sivan Kartha, a senior scientist at the Stockholm Environmental Institute and a member of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board, stated that there has been a great development in innovation surrounding renewable energy and that the upcoming generation is highly invested in the subject.

Decades after decade, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced a new Doomsday Clock setting, indicating how near or distant its experts feel mankind is from the precipice. According to the organization, the clock "illustrates how near we are to destroying our civilization with deadly technology of our invention."

At 90 seconds till midnight, the Doomsday Clock has never been closer to midnight. This is the first time it has changed since it was set to 100 seconds before midnight in 2020. Per USA Today, more than seventy-five years ago, the clock began to tick seven minutes before midnight.

At 17 minutes to midnight in 1991, the clock was the farthest from midnight due to the conclusion of the Cold War and the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union, which significantly decreased both nations' nuclear arsenals.

Related Article: North Korea Uranium Mine Collapses

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According to the UNHCR, more than 2,000 people are reported to have taken risky sea journeys in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal this year.

Indonesian soldiers help ethnic Rohingya women and children out of a military truck as they arrive at a temporary shelter in Pidie, Aceh province (Rahmat Mirza/AP)

At least 26 Rohingya Muslims died in dire conditions during a month at open sea while making a dangerous voyage that brought scores of others to safety in Indonesia, a UN agency has said.

Exhausted women and children were among 185 people who disembarked from a wooden boat on Monday in a coastal village in Acehs Pidie district, authorities said.

A distressing video circulated widely on social media showed the exhausted and emaciated Rohingya, many crying for help.

The boat used to carry the ethnic Rohingya to Indra Patra beach in Ladong village, Aceh province, Indonesia (Rahmat Mirza/AP)

They are very weak because of dehydration and exhaustion after weeks at sea, said local police chief Fauzi, who goes by a single name.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that survivors told the agency that 26 people had died during the long journey.

One of the refugees, who identified himself as Rosyid, told The Associated Press that they had left the refugee camp in Bangladesh at the end of November and drifted on the open sea.

He said at least 20 of us died aboard due to high waves and sick, and their bodies were thrown into the sea.

Refugee workers take photographs of an ethnic Rohingya man at a temporary shelter in Pidie, Aceh province (Rahmat Mirza/AP)

According to the UNHCR, more than 2,000 people are reported to have taken risky sea journeys in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal this year, and nearly 200 have reportedly died.

The UNHCR had also received unconfirmed reports of one additional boat carrying some 180 people who were still missing. All passengers were presumed dead.

In the absence of an immediate, resourceful, and co-ordinated response by regional governments to help Rohingya refugees still aboard imperiled vessels, lives may be lost, Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said in an statement.

This is unacceptable.

Ethnic Rohingya women and children sit on the floor upon arrival at a temporary shelter after their boat landed in Pidie, Aceh province (Rahmat Mirza/AP)

Chris Lewa, the director of the Arakan Project, which works in support of Myanmars Rohingya, said the latest arrivals were among five groups of Rohingya who had left refugee camps in Coxs Bazar district in Bangladesh by smaller boats to avoid detection by local coastguards before they were transferred onto five larger boats for their respective journeys.

More than one million Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar over several decades, including about 740,000 who crossed the border starting in August 2017, when the Myanmar military launched its crackdown.

Myanmars security forces were accused of mass rapes, killings and torching thousands of homes, and international courts are reviewing charges of genocide against them.

This year could be one of the deadliest in recent memory for Rohingya people making the dangerous journey by sea. They continue to risk it all because of harsh conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh, where security and other living conditions have deteriorated, and the ever-worsening situation at home in Myanmar, which has been under military rule since a coup almost two years ago, the Amnesty director said.

Ethnic Rohingya men wait for a registration process by UNHCR at a temporary shelter in Pidie, Aceh province (Rahmat Mirza/AP)

Malaysia has been a common destination for many of the refugees arriving by boat, but they also have been detained in the country. Engine troubles make others seek safety in Aceh province in Indonesia, on the way to Malaysia.

The UNHCR praised authorities and Indonesias local community who brought ashore more than 200 desperate Rohingya, many of whom were in need of urgent medical attention.

Indonesian fishermen and local authorities rescued and disembarked two groups, 58 on Sunday and 174 on Monday, said Ann Maymann, the UNHCR representative in Indonesia.

We welcome this act of humanity by local communities and authorities in Indonesia, Ms Maymann said.
Russian army T-90M tanks roll into position at an undisclosed location in Ukraine (Russian Defence Ministry Press Service/AP)   Uncredited

Ukrainian forces have conducted an organised retreat from a town in the eastern region of the Donbas, an official said.

It marks a rare but modest battlefield triumph for the Kremlin after a series of setbacks in its invasion, which began almost 11 months ago.

The Ukrainian army pulled back from the salt-mining town of Soledar to preserve the lives of the personnel, Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraines forces in the east, said.

The soldiers retreated to previously prepared defensive positions, he said.

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Moscow has portrayed the battle for Soledar, which lies near the city of Bakhmut, as key to capturing the entire Donbas.

The accomplishment takes the Russian forces a step closer to Bakhmut, but military analysts say capturing Soledar is more symbolic than strategic.

Ukraines military, which has held out in Soledar against a months-long onslaught of superior Russian forces, said its fierce defence of the eastern stronghold helped tie up Russian forces.

Russia claimed almost two weeks ago it had taken Soledar but Ukraine denied it.

Many of Russias troops around Soledar belong to the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group and the fighting reportedly has been bloody.

Since its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has prioritised taking full control of the Donbas  a region made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, where it has backed a separatist insurgency since 2014.

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Russia has seized most of Luhansk but about half of Donetsk remains under Ukraines control.

Taking control of the town could allow Russian forces to cut supply lines to Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, though the strength of Ukraines new defensive positions is unknown.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington, said earlier this month the fall of Soledar would not mark an operationally significant development and is unlikely to presage an imminent Russian encirclement of Bakhmut.

The institute said Russian information operations have over-exaggerated the importance of Soledar, which is a small settlement.

It also said the long and difficult battle has contributed to the exhaustion of Russian forces.

Perhaps more worrying for Moscow, western military help for Ukraine is now being stepped up with the delivery of tanks.

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Elsewhere, Russian forces have continued to pummel Ukrainian areas, especially in the south and east.

Russian strikes hurt 10 civilians in the eastern Donetsk province on Tuesday, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the provincial governor, said.

Five were wounded when Russian shells hit apartment blocks, he said.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Wednesday that over the previous 24 hours Russian forces launched four missile strikes, 26 airstrikes and more than 100 attacks from rocket salvo systems.

Russian forces are concentrating their efforts on establishing control over Donetsk province, conducting offensive operations around the embattled cities of Bakhmut, Lyman and Avdiivka, and the village of Novopavlivka, according to spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun.

In addition to Donetsk, the Russian attacks hit settlements in the countrys north-eastern Kharkiv and Sumy, northern Chernihiv, easternmost Luhansk, south-eastern Zaporizhzhia, and southern Kherson provinces.

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Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukraine president who has gone from professional comedian to an internationally recognised wartime leader, turned 45 on Wednesday.

His wife, first lady Olena Zelenska, said though he is the same person as when they met at 17, something has changed: you smile much less now.

I wish you to have more reasons for smiling. And you know what it takes. We all do, she wrote in a tweet.
A Canadian woman has pleaded guilty to sending a threatening letter containing the poison ricin to then-US president Donald Trump at the White House.

The letter from Pascale Ferrier directing Mr Trump to give up and remove your application for this election was intercepted at a mail sorting facility in September 2020, before it could reach the White House.

The 55-year-old Quebec woman also pleaded guilty to sending similar threatening letters to Texas law enforcement officials.

She is expected to be sentenced to 262 months in prison, just short of 22 years, under the terms of a plea deal with prosecutors.

Donald Trump (Lynne Sladky/AP)   Lynne Sladky

A sentencing hearing is set for April.

There is no place for political violence in our country, and no excuse for threatening public officials or endangering our public servants, the US attorney in Washington, Matthew Graves, said in a statement.

Prosecutors said Ferrier made the ricin, a potentially deadly poison derived from processing castor beans, then mailed it to Mr Trump with a letter that referred to him as The Ugly Tyrant Clown and read in part: If it doesnt work, Ill find better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when Ill be able to come. Enjoy! FREE REBEL SPIRIT.

She was arrested trying to enter a border crossing in Buffalo, New York, carrying a gun, a knife and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, authorities said.

The investigation also turned up eight letters to Texas officials affiliated with facilities where Ferrier had been jailed in 2019.

The notes created fear and stress, even though they did not succeed in poisoning their targets, said Alamdar Hamdani, the US attorney for the southern district of Texas.

Ferrier pleaded guilty to violating biological weapons prohibitions in two separate criminal cases filed in Washington and Texas.

She immigrated to Canada from France and is a dual citizen of the two countries.
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Experiencing Jesus love encourages us to share that love with those around us. We realize Jesus called us to spread the gospel, but evangelizing can be difficult. How can we share our faith using methods that inspire people to pay attention? Here are some new ways to spread the gospel.

Spreading the gospel means sharing the good news: a loving God gives people a chance to enjoy true love through relationships with their Creator forever. Gospel means good news, so when we spread the gospel, we share the news of how Jesus sacrificed Himself so eternal salvation is possible for all souls who believe in Him, as described in John 3:16.

Jesus wants everyone who believes in Him to assist others with believing in Him by sharing the gospel message. Mark 16:15-16 tells us to go into the world and share the gospel with everyone. Whoever is baptized and believes in God will be saved. However, those who dont believe will be condemned.

The Bibles message on spreading the gospel.

The call from Jesus to preach the gospel to all creation is called the Great Commission, the assignment that Jesus gave people before His ascension to heaven. The Great Commission is in several places in the Bible, like Matthew 28:19-20, Luke 24:47, and John 20:21. In Acts 1:8, Jesus illustrates sharing the gospel as His witness to others, saying that well get power when the Holy Spirit comes to us. Well be His witnesses in Judea, Jerusalem, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

The Bible explains that Christians are ambassadors for Jesus as we interact with others. 2 Corinthians 5:20 reminds us that we are Christs ambassadors, as if God were making His appeal through His people. Therefore, we should be settled with God. This idea means that God is counting on us to share the gospel. We can do that by setting an example of what faith in action is.

Numerous people are looking for the hope that Jesus can give, but not enough people are sharing the gospel to reach them all yet. In Matthew 9:3-38, Jesus told His disciples that the harvest was bountiful, but there were few workers. Still, we should ask the Lord for the harvest to send out workers into the harvest field. We dont have to be concerned about anything but sharing the gospel message faithfully. When we do that, we can trust God to bring positive outcomes from our efforts.

2 Timothy 2:15 inspires us to do our best to be present to God because workers dont need to be ashamed if they correctly handle the truth. Romans 1:16 also encourages us to keep the power of the gospel in mind. When thinking about the best way to spread the gospel to people you know, it may be best to start with prayer. We should ask the Holy Spirit to help us on a daily basis with knowledge on how to share the gospel and bring people into our lives who need to hear His message. Here are some new ways to spread the gospel.

Allow Gods love to flow through your life.

Allowing Gods love to move through your life and into others lives is the best way to share the gospel because, at His core, God is love. Whenever people feel love by intermingling with you, those feelings will point them toward God. Being intentional about loving someone can open your heart and mind to make that love a reality. Choosing to love others can lead us to experience more happiness, less stress, and awe. Once you love people, theyll feel comfortable talking with you, and you can tell them about how God loves them.

Pay attention to peoples stories.

Everyone has valuable stories. You can display your adoration for others by paying attention and listening to their stories. It would be best to listen more than you talk. After youve gotten to know them, tell them how you see God working in their lives. Then, you could ask them to consider how their stories mesh with the more significant narrative of Gods actions in their lives and the world. God made our minds to react to stories. Because of this, Jesus used to speak in stories, or parables, to share spiritual truths. Stories connect our emotions and intellect. You can connect with people on both levels and help them connect to the gospel by listening to their stories.

Accept people for who they are.

Sometimes, people are frightened to talk about God with others because they fear that others will judge them. However, we should remember that only God can judge someone, as described in Romans 2. If we judge others, we will also be judged, as stated in Mathew 7. You could help people relax around you by trying not to judge them, no matter how much you disagree with their choices. Like God meets you where you are, try to meet others where they are and show them unconditional love. If people know they can open up to you, theyll be open to discussing the gospel message with you.

Encourage questions instead of giving answers.

Its crucial to answer peoples spiritual questions, but dont stop there. You can help them engage on a deeper level with the gospel by inspiring them to ask more questions and motivating them to seek God more. Spark peoples curiosity and challenge them to try praying, even if they dont know if God exists or if Hell answer their prayers. It may help to ask them to try studying the Bible and ask if they want you to help. It may also be best not to limit conversations to topics youre comfortable with, but be willing to discuss whatever interests them. If you dont have an answer, tell them the truth instead of giving a pat answer. Help them uncover more about what they want to know.

The hope God gives is too good to keep to ourselves. Jesus wants all believers to spread the gospel to others, so dont hesitate when you have the opportunity to do so. Do your best and trust God with the outcome. As you share the gospel with people in new ways, Gods love will move through you into their lives.
Papuans cremate relatives who were allegedly killed by Indonesian soldiers, in Mimika regency, Papua province, Sept. 16, 2022. Six Indonesian soldiers were arrested after being accused of killing four indigenous Papuans and mutilating their bodies, authorities said on Aug. 30.

The Indonesian military said on Wednesday that a tribunal sentenced an army major to life in prison for his involvement in the murder of four Papuan civilians, whose mutilated bodies were found in August in the restive region.

Human rights activists and victims relatives welcomed the conviction of Maj. Helmanto Fransiskus Dakhi before the military tribunal in Surabaya as progress in holding members of security forces accountable for abuses committed in Papua.

The defendant  was found guilty of premeditated murder, Herman Taryaman, spokesman for the Indonesian military command in Papua, told journalists. The tribunal also dismissed Helmanto from the military, he said.

Four other soldiers charged in connection with the killings are being tried by a tribunal in Papua provinces capital, Jayapura. A sixth military suspect  a captain  died in December after falling ill, Herman said.

Four civilians are also facing trial in a civilian court in the case, police said.

The four victims were beheaded and their legs cut off before their bodies were placed in sacks and tossed into a river in Mimika Baru, a district in Mimika regency.

Activists had said the violence degraded the dignity of indigenous Papuans amid allegations of ongoing rights abuses by government security forces in Papua.

The largely underdeveloped and impoverished region at the far-eastern end of Indonesia is where a separatist insurgency has simmered for decades. Both the Indonesian security forces and rebels have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians.

Helmanto is the third Indonesian Armed Forces member to be sentenced to life by a military court in a murder case since June.

In September, police said that the killings were linked to an illegal arms purchase and that the motive was economic. The suspects were posing as gun runners and the victims came to them with 250 million rupiah (U.S. $16,500) in cash to purchase the weapons, officials had said.

However, rights advocacy group KontraS said that the polices allegation that the victims tried to buy firearms was not backed by evidence because a homemade rifle, which was cited as evidence, was missing.

Police investigators had said that the suspects threw the gun into a river along with the victims bodies.

Good decision

A spokesman for the victims families, Aptoro Lokbere, said he was satisfied with the conviction and sentence.

On behalf of the victims families, I would like to thank the panel of judges for handing the sentence in accordance with the wishes of the families, he said.

Gustaf Kawer, an attorney for the victims families, said the life sentence for Maj. Helmanto was a brave decision that should be emulated by military and civilian courts in similar cases.

I think that a good decision will certainly positively affect the image of the state, the TNI [armed forces], and the publics trust in the judiciary, Gustaf told BenarNews.

The verdict could raise public confidence that perpetrators of rights abuses could be held accountable, said Atnike Nova Sigiro, chair of the National Commission on Human Rights.

This decision also shows that the publics wish for justice in Papua is beginning to become a reality, she told BenarNews.

This can increase public confidence in military justice.

Pizaro Gozali Idrus in Jakarta contributed to this report.
The United Kingdom's government has admitted that roughly 200 young asylum-seekers have gone missing from hotels in which they have been housed since 2021.

The number represents a group of missing children out of about 4,600 asylum-seeking children who arrived in the UK. Britain's immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, said that the situation is "extremely concerning" as while 440 children have disappeared, roughly half were returned to their accommodations.

Hundreds of Missing Child Asylum-Seekers

It was customary for asylum-seekers who arrived in the UK to be housed in hotels while the government was processing their cases. The process usually takes up to several months to be resolved, leaving immigrants in a state of limbo.

Jenrick said that most children who were reported missing were teenage boys from Albania, adding that he had not seen evidence to support that they were abducted. In a statement, opposition lawmaker Yvette Cooper claimed that a criminal network was involved in the disappearances, as per CBS News.

Cooper added that the government failed to address the issue by stopping the criminal network she spoke of. Dozens of children were reported kidnapped by gangs over the weekend. They were supposedly taken from a hotel that housed asylum-seekers in the English coastal city of Brighton.

An unnamed whistleblower from a company that the British government contracted said that children were literally being picked up from outside the building where they were staying. They added that the young immigrants were being taken from the street by traffickers.

In a statement, Britain's Home Office said that it was not accurate news that children were being kidnapped, noting that they were free to leave their accommodations if they wished. Cooper said that the situation was a total dereliction of duty.

Read Also: New Zealand Prime Minister Update

Lack of Government Support

Roughly 13 of the 200 children reported missing were aged under 16 years, and one is believed to be female, based on government data. According to CNN, approximately 88% of the missing children were of Albanian origin, while the remaining 12% were either from Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Vietnam, Pakistan, or Turkey.

While Cooper blamed the government for the situation, Jenrick related it to an increase in migrant boat crossings through the English Channel to the UK. He said that this left the government with no alternative other than to use "specialist hotels" to accommodate the immigrant minors as of July 2021.

While the contracted use of the hotels was designed as a temporary solution, there are still four in operation, with more than 200 rooms designated to child migrants as of October last year. For a long time, British charities and migrant rights groups have argued against bad conditions in the country's overwhelmed and underfunded asylum system.

Ministers were under pressure last year over poor living conditions and overcrowding at a migrant holding facility. They also faced threats of legal action from various rights groups and a public sector workers' union that criticized the lack of effective measures by the government, said Reuters.

Related Article: Doomsday Clock Moves Closer to Midnight

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In this April 26, 2022 photo, the four structures with blue roofs at the top of the photo have been identified by analysts as surface-to-air missile sites on Woody Island in the South China Sea.

A new satellite image shows a Chinese air defense facility on the Paracel islands, which analysts said indicates the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) now has surface-to-air missiles at the ready permanently in two contested archipelagos in the South China Sea.

The Paracel islands, or Xisha islands in Chinese, are claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan but occupied entirely by Beijing since 1974 after the Chinese Navy defeated the then South Vietnamese Navy in a brief but bloody sea battle.

China also occupies some of the Spratly islands (Nansha islands in Chinese) which are claimed by other neighboring countries including Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

A satellite image of what appears to be a new completed missile battalion on Woody island within the Paracel group has surfaced this week on Twitter.

The image  credited to Maxar Technologies, a space technology firm, and apparently taken in April 2022  shows four buildings with retractable roofs at a site on Woody (Yongxing in Chinese), the largest of the Paracel islands in the South China Sea.

One of the buildings has its roof partially open, showing what appears to be surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers inside.

ImageSat International (ISI), a space intelligence company, detected the appearance, removal and reappearance of HQ-9 SAM launchers on Woody Island in 2016.

But the new satellite image, which BenarNews could not verify independently, shows that the PLA has completed building an air defense base resembling those on the three artificial islands that it has fully militarized.

Similar structures with retractable roofs were detected on Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross reefs, part of the Spratly islands in the South China Sea, Tom Shugart, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, wrote on Twitter .

They are permanent facilities that can house long-range missile batteries that would expand Chinas reach in disputed areas.

Militarized artificial islands

A Getty Images photographer in October obtained access to flights near reefs and rocks that China has reclaimed and turned into military bases. His photos provide extensive details of PLA structures in the Spratly archipelago.

But up to now, the extent of militarization in the Paracels has not been fully documented as foreign journalists are not permitted to access the archipelago that China occupies in its entirety.

A satellite image shows Woody Island two years ago, Dec. 14, 2020. [Planet Labs Inc.]

Some analysts said the alleged missile base on Woody island is consistent with their research.

The PLA has maintained air defense capabilities on Woody island for many years, said Zoe Haver, an analyst at cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

Some of these capabilities likely fall under a Woody island-based battalion of Unit 92155, which is very likely an air defense brigade within the naval aviation branch of the PLA Navy, Haver told BenarNews.

The analyst, who had done intensive research on Chinas development on the Paracels, said Unit 92155 very likely performs air defense duties on Woody island.

The Chinese HQ-9 SAM system has an operational range of 200 km (124 miles) at high altitude and can pose a serious threat to military and civilian air traffic.

Woody island is the largest natural land feature that China occupies in the South China Sea.

The island serves as the headquarters for Sansha City which China established in 2012 to administer all the islands it claims in the South China Sea and their surrounding waters  though these are areas contested by several other governments in the region.
Soldiers march during the 121st founding anniversary of the Philippine Army, at Taguig city in Metro Manila, March 20, 2018.

Updated at 7:49 a.m. ET on 2023-01-26

Philippine Police filed murder charges Wednesday against seven soldiers, including a general who was a military aide to ex-President Rodrigo Duterte and headed his bodyguard, in connection with the slaying of a model-turned-businesswoman last month.

Brig. Gen. Jesus Durante III, Col. Michael Licyayo and five other soldiers under their command, were charged for participating in the killing of Yvonette Chua Plaza in southern Davao city on Dec. 30. A civilian helper and another man identified only as a master sergeant were also charged in the case with obstruction of justice.

Police said Durante planned the killing of Yvonette Chua Plaza, who was slain by two unidentified attackers in front of her home in Davao city. In a social media post last April, Plaza had accused Durante of hurting her.

Based on our investigation, its a crime of passion, Col. Albert Lupao, the Davao City police chief, told a press conference on Wednesday.

In light of the allegations, military officials announced Wednesday that Durante had been relieved of his command of the 1001st Brigade, an army unit based in Davao.

The Philippine Army will not condone any criminal act committed by its personnel, Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner told reporters.

Durante previously served as commander of the elite Presidential Security Group, the detail guarding Rodrigo Duterte who ended his term as president in June 2022.

Durante earlier had denied involvement in the killing of Plaza, saying the victim had retracted her social media post against him before her death. He said Plaza was his friend and that he was saddened by her demise.

Brig. Gen. Benjamin Silo, the police chief for the Davao region, said the motive behind the murder was extortion.

Silo said the victim had very sensitive information against Gen. Durante and she proceeded to blackmail the respondent.

Police said a witness had identified a soldier as the triggerman and another soldier as the driver of the get-away motorcycle. Both men confessed to the crime, surrendered evidence, and named other suspects, police said.

At that point, we were able to connect the leads and identified the mastermind, said a report by a special investigation group tasked with looking into the killing.

Durante could not be immediately reached for comment about the filing of the cases against him and his co-accused.

This story has been updated to include the name of the chief of police for Davao city.
Officials examine the wreckage of a Philippine Air Force plane that crashed in a rice paddy in Bataan province, killing two pilots, Jan. 25, 2023.

Two air force pilots died when their plane crashed during a training flight in the northern Philippines on Wednesday, military officials said, while a search was under way for a small civilian aircraft that went missing with six people aboard a day earlier.

The Philippine Air Force said the pilots were flying the Marchetti SF-260, a turboprop plane with the 15th Strike Wing, on a training mission from a base near Manila when it crashed in a rice paddy in Bataan province.

At around 10:40 a.m., the aircraft was reportedly seen to be descending to a field in Sitio Tabon, Barangay del Rosario in Pilar, Bataan where it eventually crashed, Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo, the spokeswoman, said in a statement. Two PAF pilots perished in the mishap while no civilian casualties were reported.

The military did not release the victims names. The spokeswoman said an investigation team traveled to the crash site.

Castillo said the turboprop was highly maneuverable and fully aerobatic basic trainer aircraft of the PAF that serves as a light attack-combat aircraft.

This type of plane was used against armed Islamic State extremists, who had taken over the southern city of Marawi in 2017, to provide aerial cover to ground troops chasing the militants. The five-month battle killed more than 1,200 militants, government troops as well as civilians and destroyed parts of the city.

Cessna missing

Meanwhile on Tuesday afternoon, a Cessna airplane carrying six people took off for a planned 30-minute flight from the Cauayan Airport in Isabela province, but never arrived at its destination, officials said.

Castillo, the air force spokeswoman, told reporters on Wednesday that the military branch had joined in the search for the civilian plane.

Bad weather forced the Civil Aviation Authority to suspend those efforts later in the day, the state-run Philippine News Agency reported.

The crash of the trainer plane was the latest disaster to strike the Philippine militarys largely aging air fleets.

Among recent disasters, an Air Force helicopter used as an air ambulance crashed in September 2020 while heading to the southern island of Jolo. Four crew members were killed.

Two months earlier, four soldiers died when their UH-1H Vietnam-era craft, commonly known as a Huey, crashed after takeoff in Isabela province.

In January 2021, seven troops died when their Huey went down in the mountains of Bukidnon province.

That June, an S-70i Black Hawk chopper crashed during a training mission near the Crow Valley in Pampanga province, killing all six onboard.

Jeoffrey Maitem in Davao, southern Philippines, contributed to this report.
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.
South Africa: Cele urges detectives to find policeman's killers

The Police ministry has urged detectives to pursue all available avenues to find the killers of a Port Edward warrant officer and his family at the weekend.

Led by Police Minister Bheki Cele, the ministry made the call while visiting the bereaved family of slain warrant officer, Roger Mavundla and three of his family members.

Cele, Police Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale and the SAPS management, led by General Fannie Masemola, on Tuesday descended on Port Edward in KwaZulu-Natal.

Mavundla was gunned down with his family just meters away from their family home.

He and his fiance, Khanyisile Mthulisi, 39, their children Siyamthanda Mthulisi 10 and 17-year-old Thando Mavundla all succumbed to their injuries.

Simthandile Mthulisi, seven, the sole survivor of the incident, is in a critical condition in hospital.

Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba in a statement said: While the motive is yet to be confirmed, investigators from the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations (DPCI) are following-up on leads with the aim to find and prosecute the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

The 49-year-old policeman was on Tuesday described by his colleagues and many in the community as a respected and dedicated public servant.

Minister Cele has assured the bereaved family and community at large that this crime will not go unpunished.

While we are aware that policing is a dangerous job, it is very shocking and truly disturbing that an officer who has been described as a good man dedicated to his work, is killed along with his young family so brutally. Our thoughts and prayers are with the young girl who is fighting for her life in hospital and hope she recovers from this tragedy. Ours as law enforcement is to ensure a thorough job is done during the investigative work and the results can bring the affected families the community and the nation, some closure, Cele said.

Warrant Officer Mavundla and his family will be laid to rest at the weekend.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-01-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Press Release

January 25, 2023 MWSS must find new tack in dealing with Maynilad's habitual violations--Poe Sen. Grace Poe said the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) needs to do more to ensure that its concessionaires fulfill their obligations, as "slapping fines on those who fail their obligations is not enough." The MWSS Regulatory Office (RO) penalized Maynilad P27.48 million this week for failing to supply water to consumers in the south of Metro Manila who are serviced by its Putatan Water Treatment Plant. This is the third time Maynilad has been fined for problems in relation to its Putatan plant. Last year, they were already fined twice for the same problem. "The MWSS must step up and take its role as regulator accordingly and effectively," Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, stressed. Customers in Las Pinas, Paranaque, Muntinlupa and some parts of Cavite suffered serious water interruptions during the Christmas holidays that started early in December, with some experiencing water interruptions even until this week. Customers in these areas also had the same water interruptions in the Christmas holidays of 2021. "At some point, the MWSS RO should recognize that its fines are not working with Maynilad," Poe said. The senator said the MWSS RO needs to reexamine its approach and understand why it isn't effective at this point. It can be recalled that when MWSS fined Manila Water over P1 billion in 2019, the latter improved its services and had not been fined again. Maynilad's net income exceeded P6 billion in 2021 and 2020, according to its 2021 financial statement. "Regulators are expected to primarily protect consumers and take it to heart. Maynilad customers in the south of Metro Manila have had to deal with the harrowing situation for two consecutive Christmases now. This is too much," Poe said. "With all that declared income earned by the concessionaire as many consumers' taps turned dry, not only do they ask why the fine remains small in relation to the extent of their suffering, but also why they have to continue to live with such inconvenience," Poe added.
After months of resistance, the United States and Germany allegedly wanted to send tanks to Ukraine, which Kyiv believes would be a military game-changer.

The government of US President Joe Biden is likely to announce plans to deliver at least 30 M1 Abrams tanks. According to reports, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also decided to send at least 14 Leopard 2 tanks.

US, Germany to Reveal Tanks Deal

The Russian ambassador to the United States condemned the revelation as "another brazen provocation," as per The Independent. According to Ukrainian authorities, such shipments might help their forces retake territory from the Russians.

The United States and Germany have resisted internal and global pressure to send tanks to Ukraine up until this point. The United States has emphasized the high-tech Abrams' significant maintenance and training requirements. Per BBC, Berlin has cautioned against NATO's active involvement in the conflict with Russia.

US media sites, citing unknown sources, say that an announcement about Abrams supplies to Ukraine might come as early as Wednesday. According to unnamed officials, at least 30 vehicles might be dispatched. It may take months or years for the US combat vehicles to reach the battlefront, and it is unknown when any possible delivery could occur.

German authorities reportedly stressed in secret that they would only agree to the supply of Leopard 2s to Ukraine if the United States also delivered M1 Abrams. This week, Poland announced its intention to deliver Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. However, these tanks are manufactured in Germany; thus, Berlin must authorize their shipment.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, at least 16 European and NATO nations own the Leopard 2 tank. Not everyone will deploy tanks to Ukraine, but Scholz's decision now allows them to if they want.

Spiegel, which first reported the news of Scholz's agreement to transfer tanks to Ukraine, stated that Germany would provide at least one company of Leopard 2A6 tanks from the Bundeswehr's inventory. Typically, equipping a firm requires the transfer of more than 14 tanks.

Read Also: What is Doomsday Clock?

Russia Says Ukraine Can't Change The Situation

The German government issued no official statement. The Kremlin has stated that delivering tanks to Ukraine would not alter the situation and that the West would come to regret its "delusion" that Kyiv could defeat Russia on the battlefield. The United States has avoided giving Ukraine M1 Abrams tanks, citing the high-tech weaponry's considerable maintenance and logistical hurdles.

Washington felt it would be more efficient to deliver German Leopards, as many of its allies already owned them. Ukrainian forces would require less training on the Leopards than on the more sophisticated Abrams. By agreeing to supply Abrams tanks, the US administration appears to comply with the German Chancellor's demand that Berlin march in lockstep with the United States.

Scholz had resisted the swelling chorus of those pressing him to send tanks to Kyiv, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO allies, and coalition government members for months. Zelenskyy adopted a particularly hard stance, stating that Berlin's inaction cost Ukrainian lives. The Leopard tanks might offer the Ukrainian army an advantage over the Russians.

Germany is one of the largest military donors to Ukraine. However, widespread skepticism exists among the German people over the utility of deploying tanks, as many are concerned that it may further entangle Germany in a growing conflict in Eastern Europe.

While the German government was willing to supply armored personnel carriers and its anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems to Ukraine, there was reluctance to send the offensive Leopard 2 battle tank. For months, Ukraine has demanded Western-designed battle tanks to combat the invading Russian army. The eastern Ukrainian battle line has not advanced in recent weeks.

With the tanks, Ukraine intends to reclaim additional territory that Russia has occupied. According to analysts, Russia is also planning a major onslaught in Ukraine's spring, which begins in March. After media rumors of Germany's decision surfaced on Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities quickly praised it as a potential game-changer on the battlefield in the 11-month-old conflict.

Green Party members of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, also applauded the decision. Large tanks of Western design have yet to be sent to Ukraine for use against Russian forces. To date, Ukraine has only acquired Soviet-made tanks formerly in the stockpiles of Eastern European NATO members.

Only Finland and Poland, out of the fourteen European nations that own Leopard tanks, have officially indicated a willingness to provide them to Ukraine. The United Kingdom has committed to fourteen Challenger tanks, Al Jazeera reported.

Related Article: UK Not Sending Attack Helicopters to Ukraine

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Bennington Assessor John Antognioni, left, and Assistant Town Clerk Kayla Thompson consult one of the real estate deed books in the vault at the clerk's office. Bennington and numerous other Vermont towns could face a reappraisal of all property because of soaring sale prices during the pandemic.
A phlebotomist takes samples during a blood donation in 2016 in the Berkshire Health Systems bloodmobile. Studies have shown there are physical and emotional benefits of giving blood.
Meet Charleigh Mae Maloney, a healthy baby born in a Dodge Ram just minutes from the welcome sign for the town of Windsor Charleigh Mae Maloney was delivered in a pickup truck on the way to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. Several first responders from Dalton received stork pins for their role in the success story.

When Charleigh Mae Maloney grows up, shell always have a great story to tell about how she entered this world. One of the Berkshires newest residents was born Dec. 28.

In a pickup truck.

With an assist from the fire department.

Not every chaotic story has a happy ending, but were so glad this one does.

When Brittany Maloney first started feeling the contractions on that fateful Wednesday morning, she and husband Michael had to wait for Brittanys mother to arrive to watch their 2-year-old son before they could leave their Savoy house for Berkshire Medical Center. And en route to Pittsfield, Charleigh just couldnt wait.

Michael said Brittany was a champ  Not a single tear came out of that ladys eye. Meanwhile, Michael showed some super-dad dexterity by catching their newborn daughter with one hand while using the other to steer the familys Dodge Ram. They still needed to cut the umbilical cord, clean the baby and get the rest of the way to the hospital. And they still had a ways to go.

Thats where the first responders came in. The 911 dispatcher on the phone with Michael told him to pull into the nearest fire station at 20 Flansburg Ave. in Dalton. The station doors were already open for them when they arrived. Its the sort of call the Fire Department doesnt get very often, according to Dalton Fire Chief James Peltier, who said its the first time hes seen it since he started as chief.

But they were ready. After scrounging for the necessary equipment because the stations ambulance was already out on call, they prepared baby and mom for the completed trip to BMC and sent off both in good health. In total, 13 first responders  eight from the fire department, two from the police department, one emergency dispatcher and two paramedics from County Ambulance  assisted in the process.

Kudos to the first responders who sprung into action in a team effort to help this family in need, and in turn show us all the caliber of the folks we call on in emergencies. Congratulations to parents Brittany and Michael Maloney, whose superheroic parental toughness shows us the extraordinary things that everyday people are capable of when it comes to caring for loved ones.

And last but not least, a warm welcome to the world for Charleigh Mae Maloney. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Sometimes it takes a village just to deliver one safely, as Charleighs story reminds us. We hope she tells that story for the rest of a long, happy and healthy life.
Pope Francis condemned laws that outlaw homosexuality as "unjust" and urged Catholic bishops to welcome members of the LGBTQ community into the congregation.

The pontiff said in an interview on Tuesday that being homosexual is not a crime.

Pope Francis noted that certain Catholic bishops in other areas of the globe support legislation that criminalizes homosexuality or targets the LGBTQ population with prejudice, and he referred to the matter as a "sin," as per AP News.

However, he did attribute such prejudices to cultural origins and stated that bishops, in particular, needed reform to respect everyone's rights.

Read Also: Hundreds of Children Asylum Seekers Went Missing Since 2021

The Human Dignity Trust, which campaigns to remove such laws, estimates that 67 nations or jurisdictions worldwide outlaw consenting same-sex sexual practices and that 11 of them may or may not execute the death sentence.

Experts believe the laws lead to harassment, shame, and assault on the LGBTQ community even when they are not implemented.

Pope Francis' Advice to LGBTQ Catholics

Pope Francis recommended LGBTQ Catholics study the book of Acts of the Apostles in an interview that the Vatican News released.

The pope said, "There they will find the image of the living Church."

Last year, Francis urged parents not to reject their homosexual children, and a Jesuit priest who serves LGBTQ Catholics revealed a letter from the pope complimenting his work dated June 2021, Axios reported.

However, a rule from the Vatican and Pope Francis from March 2021 stated that Catholic priests couldn't bless these kinds of marriages. The edict states that God "does not and cannot bless sin."

Related Article: King Charles III Coronation Detailsaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

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PRIVACY POLICY: Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH

DATE: 24 MAY 2018



Welcome to the Billionairecouture.com website.

At Billionairecouture.com we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This notice sets out key information regarding Billionairecouture.com and how any personal data you provide to us will be processed. For all other information regarding our services, please refer to our Terms & Conditions.

If you would like more information about how we collect, use and store your personal data, you can contact us at any time by emailing onlineservice@philipp-plein.com or writing to the Privacy Team at Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH, Via Pietro Capelli 18, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland.



About us



The Billionairecouture.com website is owned and run by Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH.

Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH (referred to here as "we", "our", "us") is part of Philipp Plein International AG. If we use the term "our Group", this means us and our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries (or any of them). The term "our online services" refers to Plein.com, Pleinoutlet.com, Pleinsport.com, Pleinkids.com, Billionairecouture.com our mobile and tablet applications, our pages on third party social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google+ and any other websites or apps we own or run from time to time. If you use any of our services, we will refer to you using the terms "user", "visitor", "you", "your", "yours" in this policy.

For the purpose of the General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR), the data controllers for any personal information we hold about you are Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH Via Pietro Capelli 18, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland and Philipp Plein International AG, Via Pietro Capelli 18, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland.



What personal data do we collect and why?



We collect your personal data when you place an order, call our Customer Care team, sign up for our marketing communications, browse our website or use the other services offered by our website (www.Billionairecouture.com). The data we collect includes details you provide to us, such as your given name and surname and your shipping and billing addresses. We also collect data regarding your shopping habits and the pages and products you have viewed from your use of the website. We use this data to:

 Take your orders, process your payments and deliver the items you have purchased;

 Provide any additional services you have requested, such as our marketing communications;

 Give you access to services reserved for registered users, such as Wish Lists and product notifications;

 Deliver your Billionairecouture.com POST, if you are a customer or account holder;

 Provide you with help and assistance via our Customer Care team;

 Personalize your visit to the website and ensure that content from our site is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer.

Under the Law, we must have a valid legal basis to process your data. In most instances, we will process your data because we have a contract with you e.g. to deliver your purchases or Billionairecouture.com POST, or to provide you with other services you have requested. We will also use your personal data to send you sales and marketing communications that we believe may be of interest to you if we have your explicit consent for this activity, or if you are an existing customer where we have a legitimate interest in communicating with you. You can opt out of sales and marketing communications from us at any time.



Who will process your data?



Your personal data will be processed by Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH and Philipp Plein International AG, as the data controllers, and may also be processed by other Group companies acting under our instructions.

We may also retain the services of external suppliers to help meet our business needs and may share your data with these suppliers. These suppliers have been selected after a rigorous evaluation process and chosen for their security, reliability and competence. They will process your data only under our instructions. Some of these suppliers and some Group companies may be based in non-EU countries. Where this is the case, the transfer of your personal data to these countries is carried out in compliance with the guarantees provided by law.



How long do we keep your data?



We will not retain your personal data for longer than is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which you provided that personal data, unless the law permits or requires that we retain it for longer. The retention period varies depending on the purpose of the processing. For example, the data collected during your purchase of goods on www.Billionairecouture.com are retained in accordance with local tax law, while those data used to send you our marketing communications are retained until you ask to be unsubscribed.



What are your rights regarding your personal data?



Under the Law, you have the right to:

 Know what personal data of yours we are processing, where that data came from and how we are using that data;

 Ask us to update, correct or supplement the data we hold about you;

 Withdraw consent for processing for a specified purpose;

 Ask us to delete or erase your data from our systems;

 Limit or oppose our processing of your data;

 Ask us to supply the personal data we hold about you in an easy readable electronic format or transfer that data direct to a third party nominated by you.

You can exercise these rights at any time by emailing onlineservice@philipp-plein.com or writing to the Privacy Team at Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH, Via Pietro Capelli 18, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland.

If you believe that the processing of your personal data has been carried out unlawfully, you can file a complaint with the supervisory authority responsible for compliance with the rules on personal data protection in your jurisdiction.

This Privacy Policy may undergo changes and additions from time to time. Where possible we will inform you of any changes, but please check the contents periodically. The date of issue and version number are shown at the beginning of the notice.



1. Who is the data controller?



Under the data protection law, the data controller is responsible for ensuring that your data is held securely, that you are given accurate information about how your data is used, and that your rights regarding your data are respected.

The Billionairecouture.com website is owned and run by Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH. For the purpose of the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR Law), the data controllers for any personal data we hold about you are Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH (referred to here as "we", "our", "us") is part of Philipp Plein International AG. If we use the term "our Group", this means us and our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries (or any of them).



2. What personal data do we collect?



We collect and process only the data that is required to allow us to provide our services to you. We collect the following data when you browse or shop at www.Billionairecouture.com:

a) We process the personal data required to complete and dispatch your purchase, including your name, billing address, delivery address, payment details, mobile number, telephone number and email address. We collect your email address in order to send you confirmation of your order; we collect your telephone number so that we can contact you if there are any issues with the order.

b) We collect your email address when you sign up to receive Newsletters

c) If you register for a Billionairecouture.com account, we collect your name, email address, password, country and additional data regarding your marketing preferences.

d) When you contact our Customer Care team, we may collect additional data to help us resolve any queries relating to your order, delivery, payments, marketing, the website or any other queries.

e) We collect and process data about your browsing on www.Billionairecouture.com, including the pages you visit and how you interact with these pages. If you have registered for an account, we collect browsing data about your access to the dedicated areas of the website.

f) If you are a customer of www.Billionairecouture.com, or if you have given us your consent, we collect and process your personal data for direct marketing activities.

g) If you provide us with someone else's data - for example, if you purchase a product to be delivered to a friend or as a gift - we will collect and process the personal data required to complete the transaction such as the name, delivery address and other contact details for your friend.

If you are receiving an item as a gift, we will process your data only to fulfil the gift request and our contractual obligations.

h) When you call our Customer Care team, your call will be recorded for training and fraud prevention purposes.



3. How do we use the personal data we collect?



We collect and process your personal data for the following purposes:

a) When you purchase a product from www.Billionairecouture.com we ask you for the personal data necessary to allow us to fulfil our contract with you including taking payment, any related anti-fraud checks if you choose to pay by credit/debit card, billing, shipping and delivery of the product and possible handling of the return.

b) When you visit www.Billionairecouture.com, we will collect the minimum personal data necessary to allow us to provide you with the services of the website, such as placing and holding items in your shopping bag.

c) When you visit www.Billionairecouture.com, we will use some data about your use of the website to help us improve the website and our promotion of the website. This will include data about how you came to the website; the date and time of your visit; products you viewed or searched for; page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction data (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page.

d) We also collect data about your use of www.Billionairecouture.com by using cookies. More information about how we use cookies and how you can, if you wish, turn off cookies is included in our Cookie Policy.

e) When you register on www.Billionairecouture.com, we will collect the data necessary to ensure that we can recognize you on return visits and provide you with the services registration offers, such as creating a Wish List or subscribing to emails. If you would prefer not to continue receiving these emails, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link on the bottom of the email, or by contacting our Customer Care team.

f) When you sign up for our marketing communications, we will ask you for your email address. If you would prefer not to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link on the bottom of the email, or by contacting our Customer Care team.

g) If you have purchased from www.Billionairecouture.com, we will use the personal data we hold about you, including your purchase history, to contact you regarding products and services that may be of interest to you. This contact will normally be via email, but in certain circumstances we may contact you via other methods e.g. we may call you if an item we know you have been eager to purchase comes back into stock. If you would prefer not to be contacted in this way, you can unsubscribe from emails at any time using the link on the bottom of the email or update your contact preferences on www.Billionairecouture.com or by contacting our Customer Care team.

h) We analyze contact data, purchase history, web browsing data and lifestyle data to tailor our marketing communications, web site presentation and internet advertising to meet your preferences. For example, if you have been browsing or have previously purchased a particular shoe model we may send you an email to tell you that these are now on sale or display similar products to you as part of our internet advertising.

i) When you contact our Customer Care team, we will use the personal data you provide and that we have collected to respond to your requests for help or information.



4. What is our legal basis for processing your personal data?



Under the Law we must have a valid reason for using your personal data and we may not collect, store or use data about you that is not compatible with that reason. There are four valid reasons for our use of your personal data:

I. Most of the data we collect from you is necessary to allow us to fulfil our contract with you or to enter into a contract with you e.g. you provide a billing address and email address when your purchase an item from www.Billionairecouture.com so that we can process your payment and send you your order confirmation.

II. In certain circumstances we will ask for your permission or consent to use your personal data e.g. if we would like to send you marketing information about items we believe may be of interest to you via email. If you have given your consent to our use of your personal data, you are entitled to withdraw this consent at any time.

III. We may also have a legitimate interest in using your personal data e.g. to ensure that the content of our website is presented to you and your device as effectively as possible, or to ensure that our marketing communications are relevant to your interests. If this is our reason for using your data, we must make sure that our interests do not override yours and you are entitled to object to this use of your data.

IV. Lastly, we may be required to use your data to meet a legal obligation or to protect your interests e.g. we may exchange data with other specialist organizations for the purposes of fraud detection and credit risk reduction and we will retain financial data long term to meet our statutory obligations.





The legal basis for each of the ways in which we use your personal data is as follows:



Our use of your data Our legal basis for processing a) When you purchase a product from www.Billionairecouture.com we ask you for the personal data necessary to allow us to fulfil our contract with you including taking payment, completing any related anti-fraud checks if you choose to pay by credit/debit card, billing, shipping and delivery of the product and possible handling of the return. 1.The provision of your personal data for these activities is a contractual obligation. You are free to communicate your data or not, but in the absence of the requested data it will not be possible to finalize or execute the contract and your requests. This means that while you will continue to be able to browse www.Billionairecouture.com, you will not be able to purchase products and you will not be able to use the services of our website such as the Wish List.

2. When you make a purchase at www.Billionairecouture.com, we are required to process your personal data to meet our legal obligations in accordance with the tax provisions and other statutory rules which apply.

You are free to decide whether or not to purchase from us, but if you do make a purchase this use of your data will be necessary to meet our legal obligations.

3. When you make a purchase at www.Billionairecouture.com, we will use some of your personal data to carry out anti-fraud activities: we have a legitimate interest in carrying out this activity to prevent and prosecute any fraudulent activity. b) When you visit www.Billionairecouture.com, we will collect the personal data necessary to allow us to provide you with the services of the website, such as placing and holding items in your shopping bag. Our use of your data is necessary for our legitimate interest in ensuring that the service we provide to you is managed correctly. c) When you visit www.Billionairecouture.com, we will use some data about your use of the website to help us improve the website and our promotion of the website. This will include data about how you came to the website; the date and time of your visit; products you viewed or searched for; page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction data (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page. Our use of your data is necessary for our legitimate interest in ensuring that the service we provide to you is managed correctly. d) We also collect data about your use of www.Billionairecouture.com by using cookies. More information about how we use cookies and how you can, if you wish, turn off cookies is included in our Cookie Policy. You have given your consent to our use of cookies via the cookie banner that appears on the website. You can choose which cookies to accept via our Cookie Policy. Some cookies are necessary for our legitimate interest in ensuring that the service we provide to you is administered correctly e.g. retaining items in your shopping basket. e) When you register on www.Billionairecouture.com, we will collect the data necessary to ensure that we can recognize you on return visits and provide you with the services registration offers, such as creating a Wish List or subscribing to emails. If you would prefer not to continue receiving these emails, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link on the bottom of the email, or by contacting our Customer Care team. The provision of your personal data for these activities is a contractual obligation. You are free to communicate your data or not, but in the absence of the requested data it will not be possible to finalize or execute the contract and your requests. This means that while you will continue to be able to browse www.Billionairecouture.com, you will not be able to use the services of our website such as the wish list or alerts about new arrivals f) When you sign up for our marketing communications, we will ask you for your email address to enable delivery of our marketing communications. If you would prefer not to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link on the bottom of the email, or by contacting our Customer Care team. You have given your consent and asked us to send you our marketing communications. g) If you have purchased from www.Billionairecouture.com, we will use the personal data we hold about you, including your purchase history, to contact you regarding products and services that may be of interest to you. This contact will normally be via email, but in certain circumstances we may contact you via other methods e.g. we may call you if an item you have been eager to purchase comes back into stock. If you would prefer not to be contacted in this way, you can unsubscribe from emails at any time using the link on the bottom of the email or update your preferences via www.Billionairecouture.com or by contacting our Customer Care team. Our use of your data is necessary for our legitimate interest in ensuring that you receive information about goods and services that may be of interest to you. h) We analyze contact data, purchase histories, web browsing data and lifestyle data to tailor our marketing communications, web site presentation and internet advertising to meet your preferences. For example, if you have been browsing or have previously purchased a particular shoe, we may send you an email to tell you that these are now on sale or display similar products to you as part of our internet advertising. Our use of your data is necessary for our legitimate interest in ensuring that you receive information about goods and services that may be of interest to you. i) When you contact our Customer Care team, we will use the personal data you provide and that we have collected to respond to your requests for help or information. The provision of your personal data for these activities is a contractual obligation. You are free to communicate your data or not, but in the absence of the requested data it will not be possible to finalize or execute the contract and your requests. j) When you call the Customer Care team, your call will be recorded for training and fraud prevention purposes. Our use of your data is necessary for our legitimate interest in ensuring that our employees receive adequate training and for fraud prevention. k) We will use the contact information that you provide to deliver service messages such as any change to our Terms and Conditions or Privacy Policy, delivery updates or other non-marketing communications such as fraud prevention checks. Our use of your data is necessary for our legitimate interest in ensuring that you receive information relating to our contract with you.

5. Who will process your data?



Your personal data will be processed by the internal staff of Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH who have been specifically trained and authorized for this processing. In carrying out the processing, the data may also be transmitted to companies belonging to Philipp Plein International AG, to which Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH belongs.

Your personal data will also be transmitted to third parties that we use to provide our services; these parties have been rigorously assessed and offer a guarantee of compliance with the legislation on the processing of personal data. These parties have been designated as data processors and carry out their activities according to the instructions given by Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH and Philipp Plein International AG and under our control.

The third parties in question belong to the following categories: banking operators, internet providers, companies specializing in IT and telematics services; couriers; companies that carry out marketing activities, including social media organizations; companies specializing in market research and data processing; companies offering contact center services; companies providing publishing and distribution services.

Under some circumstances we may be required to disclose or share your data without your consent, for example if we are required by the police, the courts or for other legal reasons. Your data may be transmitted to the police, judicial and administrative authorities, in accordance with the law, for the investigation and prosecution of crimes, the prevention of and protection from threats to public security, to allow Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH to ascertain, exercise or defend a right in court, as well as for other reasons related to the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.



6. Data transfer outside the European union



Some of the third parties listed in the previous paragraph 'Who will process your data?' may be located in countries outside the European Union that nevertheless offer an adequate level of data protection as offering adequate levels of protection will be performed only:

I. after the completion between Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH and said parties of specific agreements containing safeguard clauses and appropriate guarantees for the protection of your personal data (known as "standard contractual clauses" and approved by the European Commission), or

II. if the transfer is necessary for the completion and execution of a contract between you and Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH (for the purchase of goods offered on our website, for registration on the website or use of services on the website), or

III. for the management of your requests.



7. How long do we keep your data?



We keep your personal data for a limited period of time in line with our data retention policy. The specific retention period will vary according to the reason for processing your personal data. After this period, your data will be permanently erased or otherwise irreversibly rendered anonymous.

Your personal data are retained in accordance with the following criteria: When you have purchased goods from www.Billionairecouture.com, we will retain the billing data until the end of the relevant accounting period.

When you make a payment, we will retain your payment details up to the certification of the payment and the completion of the relevant administrative-accounting formalities regarding your right of withdrawal and the terms applied for the disputing of the payment;

When you provide us with personal data in order to use the services of www.Billionairecouture.com, such as marketing communications, we will keep your data for this purpose until the termination of the service or until you cancel your subscription to the service;

When we use your personal data and browsing history to analyze your behavior in order to customize the website and to show you personalized sales offers, we will keep the data for analytical purposes until you ask us to delete it;

When we use personal data for market research and satisfaction surveys, we will keep the data until you ask us to stop.

When you contact our Customer Care team, we will keep any additional personal data you provide that is specific to your enquiry for as long as you remain an active customer of www.Billionairecouture.com.

When you contact our Customer Care team, we might keep the call recording up to 3 Moths. Credit card details are not recorded as part of the call.



8. Your rights



You have the right to request a copy of the data that we hold about you (and we will provide this to you free of charge once we have confirmed your identity).

If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal data, please email or write to us using the contact details in this policy.

If we do hold data about you we will:

 give you a description of it

 tell you why we are holding it

 tell you who it could be shared with

 tell you how long we will keep the data

 if the data was not provided by you, we will give you any available information such as the source of the data

 tell you if the data has been used for automated decision making

 tell you if the data is stored outside of the European Economic Area, and if so what safeguards are in place to protect your personal data



You have the right to ask us to correct any inaccuracies in the personal data we hold about you and to stop us using your data until it has been corrected. We want to make sure that your personal data is accurate and up to date and we will be happy to correct or remove data you think is inaccurate.

If you have given us your consent to use your personal data for marketing, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by calling our Customer Care team, clicking "unsubscribe" on a marketing email. You may receive a small number of further communications immediately after unsubscribing but we will implement your request as quickly as possible.

You have the right at any time to oppose our processing of your personal data on the basis of our legitimate interest. You will need to explain the reasons behind your request and allow us to consider your request and respond.

You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data. After receiving and reviewing your request, if legitimate it will be our responsibility to cease processing promptly and to delete your personal data.

You have the right to receive a copy of your data that we process based on your consent or on the basis of a contract with you in a standard format. If you wish, where technically possible, we can transfer your data directly to a third party indicated by you.

To exercise any of these rights, you can sign in to your account, contact our Customer Care team at onlineservice@philipp-plein.com write to our Privacy Team at Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH, Via Pietro Capelli 18, 6900, Lugano, Switzerland.

To ensure that the data of our users are not subject to breaches or illegitimate use by third parties, we will ask you to confirm your identity before carrying out your request.



Security



We protect your personal data with specific technical and organizational security measures aimed at preventing your personal data from being used illegitimately or fraudulently.

In particular, we use security measures that guarantee: encryption or pseudonymization of your data; the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your data as well as the resilience of the systems and services that process them; the ability to restore data in the event of a data breach. Furthermore, Cream Della Cream Switzerland GmbH undertakes to test, verify and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of technical and organizational measures in order to guarantee continuous improvement in the safety of processing.



10) CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE



We keep our Privacy Policy under regular review in order to reflect changes in our services and in privacy regulation. This Privacy Policy was last updated on 24 May 2018



How this information may be used



Whenever you give us your personal information we will use it in accordance with applicable privacy laws and for the purposes set out in this policy, on the data entry forms you complete, in any relevant terms and conditions and on pages or emails which link to the data entry forms.

When you use our services:

If you use any of our services, register for or attend one of our events, set up, look at or change your account details or contact your personal shopper or a member of our Customer Care team, we will record your personal details. Your information will be used in the first place to provide the products, services or information you have asked for and to provide you with a personalized shopping experience. We keep the information you provide and may use it for several purposes, including: (i) accounting, billing, reporting and audit; (ii) credit checking or screening; (iii) authentication and identity checks; (iv) credit, debit or other payment card verification and screening; (v) debt collection; (vi) safety, security, health, training, administrative and legal purposes; (vii) data matching and dedupe, statistical and market analysis, and marketing information; (viii) advertising and marketing for us, our Group and third parties; (ix) developing, testing and maintaining systems; (x) studies, research and development; (xi) customer surveys; (xii) customer care and to help us in any future dealings with you, for example by identifying your requirements and preferences; (xiii) where required by law or in connection with legal proceeding or disputes; and (iv) any other uses set out in the terms and conditions for use of our services. For these purposes we may disclose your information to one or more of the other organizations listed in the section called "who we will share your personal information with".

Saved payment card details will only be shared with our payment partner and not with any other third parties and will only be used to process your order, using our payment partner's systems.

We may also use your personal information to send you marketing updates, as detailed in the next section.

Tracking how our online services are used:

We collect and use third parties to collect and share with us, information from lots of visitors to our online services and analyze it to build up a picture of how people use our websites. This helps us improve the services we offer. We may also give anonymous statistics about visitors to other, reputable organizations, but the information we provide will not include details that would allow these organizations to identify you. For more information on our use of cookies, please read our cookie policy.



Customization of our online services and advert targeting:



We may use the information you give us about yourself and the information we collect via cookies when you use our online services to build up a picture of your interests. We may then use this information to try to make sure that when we send you marketing communications and when you visit our websites or use our online services, you don't miss offers and information that might interest you. This information may also be used by our third-party advertising agencies and networks, to advertise our own or third-party products and services to you when you visit third party websites and online services. This is called advert targeting or interest-based advertising. For more information on how to reject targeted advertising or interest-based advertising cookies please read our cookie policy.



Testimonials:



If you give us feedback, we may use it to improve our services and we may publish it online or offline to promote our business and our services. We will ask for your permission before we publish it.

Comments and reviews submitted to our online services:

If you wish to submit a comment or feedback on a blog or article featured on our services, we may (but are not obliged to) publish your comment online or offline to promote our business and our services. We will collect your name or username which will be displayed next to your comment and e-mail address, which will not be published, but which we may use to contact you in relation to your comment.



Social networks:



If you follow us or interact with us on any of our pages on third party social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Google+, information you provide will be subject to the third party's privacy policy, as well as this privacy policy.



Direct marketing:



For information on how we may market to you, please read the section called "marketing opt-in and opt-out provisions".

Customer surveys:

Every now and again, we may ask you for your opinion on our services and the products you have purchased through our services. When we do research or surveys, we may use cookies and may combine the information collected by those cookies with your answers.



Who we will share your personal information with



We will share your information with other companies in our Group, who may use it for their own business purposes, as set out in their privacy policy. These purposes may include financial reporting and analysis, strategic planning, the development of customer segmentation and metrics to provide a consistent view of our customer base, research and analytics, to help us source the right products in future and make better product recommendations, more effective targeting of our marketing campaigns, the creation of inspiring content and editorial features, the development of new products and collaboration opportunities with designer brands. It will also be used to provide more tailored marketing by phone, post, email, SMS or any other means (electronic or otherwise) and you expressly agree to such use.

From time to time, we may engage third party business partners to provide information about you or to collect personal information on our behalf. We may also share or match your data with third party business partners to provide you with the products, services or information you ask for or for interest-based advertising. We may pass your information onto one or more of the following organizations: (i) data processing companies, mailing houses and other third party suppliers working on our Group's behalf; (ii) ad-serving agencies and other advertising intermediaries; (iii) credit reference or fraud prevention agencies, which may keep a record of that information; (iv) research students, universities and other research and development organizations; (v) regulatory bodies, government and enforcement agencies, such as the police.

Every now and again, we receive requests for information from government departments, the police and other enforcement agencies. If this happens, and there is a proper legal basis for providing your personal information, we will provide it to the organization asking for it.

We collate information about site traffic, sales, wish lists, and other commercial information which we may pass onto third parties, but this information does not include any details which can identify you personally.



Where we process your personal information



When we use your information as described in this policy, this may involve sending your information outside the European Economic Area (EEA). When we do this, we make sure that appropriate steps are taken to protect your personal information and your rights. By providing us with your personal information, you agree that we may transfer, store and process your information outside the EEA. Governments in certain countries such as the USA have broad powers to access data for security, crime prevention and detection and law enforcement purposes.



Marketing opt-in and opt-out provision



We offer you the chance to receive news and updates which, depending on your preferences, we will discuss with you by phone or live chat or send to you via email, SMS and/or direct mail. These include alerts for new products, features, enhancements, special offers, upgrade opportunities, contests, events of interest, and one-off marketing promotions. You can opt-out of receiving these updates, if you wish.

We, or our third-party business partners, may also ask you if you want to receive marketing if you enter a promotion or attend an event thrown or sponsored by us. Other companies in our Group may also pass your personal information to us for marketing use.

Marketing communications you subscribe to will only be sent by our Group.

You have the right to ask us not to use your personal information for marketing. At all times, we will offer you the opportunity to unsubscribe from any service or update to which you have subscribed, if you change your mind. Whenever you receive direct marketing from us, we will tell you how to unsubscribe or by email at onlineservice@philipp-plein.com.

If you tell us that you do not want to receive direct marketing, we will still contact you in order to provide you with products and services you request and for administration purposes.



Safeguarding your personal information



We will take reasonable care to maintain appropriate safeguards to ensure the security, integrity and privacy of the information you have provided to us. We have put in place technology and security policies which are designed to protect the personal information we hold about you. We also follow the security procedures that applicable privacy laws require. These covers storing, using and releasing any information you have provided and, as well as measures designed to prevent unauthorized access or use. When you place an order or access your account information, we use a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption which encrypts your information before it is sent to us to protect it from unauthorized use.



How we can make changes to this policy



We may update this privacy policy from time to time so you may want to check it each time you give us personal information or use our websites.

If you require more information, please contact our privacy officer at onlineservice@philipp-plein.com



Cookie Policy



What is a cookie and what is its purpose?

A cookie is a small file that is sent to the browser and saved on your device when you visit a website like Billionairecouture.com ("the website").

Cookies allow the site to function efficiently and improve its services, in addition to providing information to the site owner for statistical or advertising purposes, primarily to personalize your navigation experience by remembering your preferences (for example, remembering the language and currency you set, in order to recognize you at the next visit, etc.)

Which cookies do we use and for what purposes?

Our website uses various types of cookies and similar technologies, each of which has a specific function. Below is a table explaining them.

Type of cookie function

1. Navigation cookies

From the first access these cookies allow the website to function correctly and allow you to view content on your device by recognizing the language and market of the country from which you've chosen to connect. If you are a registered user, they will allow you to be recognized and to access the services offered from the dedicated areas. Navigation cookies are technical cookies and are needed for the functioning of the website.

2. Functional cookies

These cookies allow, based on your express request, for you to be recognized when you subsequently access the website, so that you do not have to enter your information each time (for example: Remember me").

If you have added items into your Shopping Bag and closed the session without completing the purchase and without eliminating those items, these cookies allow you to continue the shopping experience the next time you access the website (within a limited period,) finding the same articles that were selected.

Functional cookies are not essential to the functioning of the website, but rather improve navigation quality and experience.

3. Analytical cookies

These cookies are used to prepare statistical analyses on the navigation methods of our website's users. Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH treats the results of these analyses anonymously and exclusively for statistical purposes only if the service provider uses the cookies to connect to the browser used or other devices used to navigate on the website. The website uses certain third-party services which, entirely independently, install their own cookies.

Our own and third-party marketing and profiling cookies

These cookies are aimed at creating user-related profiles to send commercial messages that meet the preferences shown during the visit, or to improve your navigation experience: while you navigate on our website, these cookies are useful for showing you products of interest to you or which are similar to those you have viewed. Third party cookies are those that have been sent by our trusted third-party companies. These cookies allow you to be provided with our commercial offering on other affiliated websites (retargeting). With third party cookies we do not have control of the information provided by the cookie and we do not have access to this data. This information is entirely controlled by third party cookies as described in the respective privacy policy.

4. Social Network cookies

These cookies are necessary to allow your social account to interact with our website. For example, they are used to express your appreciation and to share it with your social networking friends. The social network cookies are not needed for navigation.


Tonight's rundown:

 Talking Points Memo: Joe Biden continues to decline with the world watching and remains out of the press reach

 Presidential Historian Larry Cook weighs in on how Bidens relationship with the press compares to past presidents

 US Special Forces have been confirmed to be in Ukraine

 OReilly describes Democrats hosting the DNC in Chicago as Crazy Arrogant

 The trial of Fox News gets underway

 58% of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck even as inflation begins to cool off

 Smart Life: Utilizing Kelly Blue Book when searching for a new car

 This Day in History: FDR dies in office

 Final Thought: what to do when someone is disrespectful to you

In Case You Missed It:

 Read Bill's latest column, "Reason to Believe"

 Join 'Team Normal!' Order your gear now at BillOReilly.com!

 Pre-order Bills next bestseller Killing the Witches NOW

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Rights groups are calling on Meta Platforms to seize the opportunity to improve its content moderation in Africa after its main third-party contractor in the region said it would no longer screen harmful posts for the social media giant.

Kenya-based outsourcing firm Sama said on Jan. 10 it would no longer provide content moderation services for the owner of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram in March as it moves to concentrate on data labelling work.

Sama said it would be laying off 3% of its staff - about 200 employees - to streamline its operations and boost efficiency. It will continue to provide data labelling services to Meta.

The announcement comes as both Sama and Meta face a lawsuit over alleged labour abuses and preventing workers from unionising in Kenya. Another lawsuit accuses Meta of allowing violent posts to flourish on Facebook, inflaming civil conflict in neighbouring Ethiopia. Both companies have defended their record.

Digital rights campaigners said efforts made by Meta to curb harmful content in African countries were woefully inadequate compared to richer nations, and called on the company to drastically improve its moderation processes.

"With the exit of Sama, now would be a good chance for Meta to put things right and ensure better labour conditions for African moderators in the region," said Bridget Andere, Africa policy analyst at Access Now.

"Meta should increase the number of moderators for the region to adequately cover local languages and dialects, and also be more transparent about their algorithms which are promoting harmful content," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Meta did not provide any details on whether it had found a new third-party contractor for East Africa, but said Sama's withdrawal would not adversely impact users on its social media platforms.

"We respect Sama's decision to exit the content review services it provides to social media platforms," a Meta spokesperson said.

"We'll work with our partners during this transition to ensure there's no impact on our ability to review content."

Legal challenges

Meta's legal challenges in East Africa began in May last year after former moderator Daniel Motaung filed a lawsuit over poor working conditions in Kenya.

The petition, also filed against Sama, alleges that workers moderating Facebook posts faced irregular pay, inadequate mental health support, anti-union activity, and violations of their privacy and dignity.

Sama denies the allegations, while Meta said it requires "its partners to provide industry-leading pay, benefits and support to workers".

A judge is expected to rule on 6 February on whether a Kenyan court can hear the complaint.

Last month, Meta was landed with another lawsuit that accuses the company of allowing violent posts to flourish on Facebook, inflaming Ethiopia's civil war.

The lawsuit, filed by two Ethiopian researchers and Kenya's Katiba Institute rights group, argues that Facebook's recommendations systems amplified hateful and violent posts in Ethiopia, including several that preceded the murder of the father of one of the researchers.

The plaintiffs are demanding that Meta take emergency steps to demote violent content, increase moderation staffing in Nairobi, and create restitution funds of about $2bn for global victims of violence incited on Facebook.

Meta said it has strict rules outlining what is and is not allowed on Facebook and Instagram.

"Hate speech and incitement to violence are against these rules and we invest heavily in teams and technology to help us find and remove this content," the Meta spokesperson said.

"Our safety and integrity work in Ethiopia is guided by feedback from local civil society organisations and international institutions."

Ending outsourcing, review algorithms

Globally, thousands of moderators review social media posts that could contain violence, nudity, racism or other offensive content. Many work for third-party contractors rather than directly for tech companies.

Meta has faced previous scrutiny over content moderators' working conditions, and criticism of its action to stop hate speech and violent content.

In July 2021, a California judge approved an $85m settlement between Facebook and more than 10,000 moderators who accused the firm of failing to protect them from psychological injuries due to their exposure to graphic and violent imagery.

The same year, Rohingya refugees from Myanmar filed a lawsuit, suing Meta for $150bn over allegations the company did not take action against anti-Rohingya hate speech which contributed to violence against the minority group.

Rights groups say moderation processes fail to understand specific cultural and societal contexts, and lack knowledge of local languages and dialects, allowing problematic content to spread quickly and be amplified with serious consequences.

Cori Crider, director of Foxglove - a London-based tech-justice advocacy group that is supporting both lawsuits in Kenya - called on Meta to end its outsourcing practices and increase the "pitiful" resources it puts into safety in Africa.
The search engine giant, Google, is jumping in on the explosion of AI-enabled text with the announcement that it is entering the AI race, with plans to release its own chatbot this year.

Source  Aoruba 123rf Google is entering the AI race, announcing it has plans to release its own chatbot in 2023

Its been hard to ignore the news about artificial intelligence (AI) in recent weeks. The advancement of AI-driven copywriting and image creators has made a splash in both business and popular culture, quickly putting us on the cusp of a new digital era.

News that Google is releasing its own chatbot comes hot on the heels of the rising popularity of ChatGPT, a type of AI technology that uses natural language processing to generate natural language responses to user input. It can be used to generate creative writing, create automated translations, and even generate personalized responses to emails. Its impressive capabilities quickly catapulted the tool to reach more than one million users in under one week.

ChatGPT

Users having fun with the varied responses that can be generated using ChatGPT.

ChatGPTs quick success has sounded an alarm over at Google.

The New York Times reported that management at Google declared a Code Red after ChatGPT rose to fame, acknowledging its ability to completely disrupt the industry, particularly in the world of search. Microsoft has already announced that it plans to add ChatGPT features to its search engine, Bing, in the coming months.

SEO writer Danny Goodwin provides a good example of the potential impact ChatGPT could have on the SEO industry over at Search Engine Land: If you thought featured snippets were stealing your traffic, just wait until Google starts being able to accurately answer some even more complex questions which your existing content is designed to answer.

This year, Google intends to launch over 20 new products and showcase a version of its search engine with chatbot features, according to a slide presentation reviewed by The New York Times.

In that presentation, Google listed priorities for its new AI-enabled search, including getting facts right, ensuring safety, and eliminating misinformation.

Click here to read the full report in The New York Times.
Microsoft announced Wednesday that it has restored all of its cloud services after a networking disruption crippled Azure, Teams, and Outlook, used by millions worldwide.

Services throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa were affected, according to Azure's status page, per Reuters. Only Chinese services and its government platform remained unaffected by the Microsoft cloud outage.

Azure said that the Microsoft Wide Area Network had fully recovered by late morning and that most users should have had services restored around that time.

Users were unable to send messages, join calls, or utilize any other part of the Teams app during the Microsoft cloud outage. As a result of the widespread outcry about the service outage, the hashtag #MicrosoftTeams began trending on Twitter.

With over 280 million monthly active users, Microsoft Teams is widely used in offices and classrooms worldwide for facilitating communication, arranging meetings, and managing projects.

Read Also: US To Send Tanks To Ukraine

Microsoft Blames Possible Networking Problem

Microsoft discovered a "potential networking issue" Wednesday morning, CNBC reported.

Around 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday, a surge in reports of disruptions with Microsoft products was reported on Downdetector, a service where individuals can register difficulties and outages with apps and websites.

The tech company tweeted an update at 9:26 GMT (4:26 ET), saying that the company has "rolled back" a network modification that they suspect is causing the Microsoft cloud outage.

"We're monitoring the service as the rollback takes effect," Microsoft stated.

We've rolled back a network change that we believe is causing impact. We're monitoring the service as the rollback takes effect.  Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) January 25, 2023

Since the pandemic led to a change in which more people were working from home, companies have grown progressively more reliant on online services, per NDTV.

Related Article: Spotify Cuts Jobs

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
China is now the African continent's largest trading partner, accounting for $254bn in 2021. It's also the main country of origin for African manufacturing imports, providing 16% of Africa's total in 2018.

In most African countries the influx of Chinese products has become a major concern because of the implications for industrialisation.

A flood of cheaper Chinese products could set back Africas infant or domestic industries. Domestic manufacturers that couldnt compete would be forced to exit the market and would not create jobs.

There are serious implications for the continents economic development, because

industrialisation is widely seen as critical to improving living standards.

There are also concerns about the impact Chinese manufactured exports are having on wages in importing countries.

We explored these issues in a recent paper. We analysed the relationship between Chinese import competition and labour market outcomes as they related to women and men workers in Ethiopia. We merged a rich data set on manufacturing firms with trade data between 1997 and 2010.

We mapped out the effect of import surges on labour force participation and compensation. The impact of the influx of Chinese products in Ethiopia on employment and wages differed for men and women, we found.

Employment levels declined overall for male and female manufacturing workers. But women bore a disproportionate burden. Manufacturing firms exposed to increased Chinese competition employed fewer female production workers than men.

Our findings matter because equality in the labour market is a starting point to improve womens economic and social status. It also helps to improve their bargaining power in households.

Chinese imports and gender

The rise of Chinese imports has come at a time when most African countries have very low industrialisation levels.

Manufacturings share of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa declined from 17% in 1995 to 10% in 2010, before recovering slightly to 12% in 2021. Participation in global value chains is another measure of industrial development. The continents is still very low. Africa participates in global trade mostly by exporting natural resources and primary products.

Its therefore important to look closely at the impact of Chinese trade relations on employment in the manufacturing sector. The comparison between male and female employment and wages is particularly notable for policy makers.

Evidence shows African women lagging behind men in most measures of economic opportunity. Womens participation in the labour market is lower than mens. And women workers earn less than men.

China and Ethiopia

China is the largest source of imports for Ethiopia.

Figure 1 shows that Ethiopia imports more manufacturing commodities from China, in terms of percentage of GDP, than any other sub-Saharan African country. Ethiopias share of GDP spent on Chinese imports shot up from almost zero in 1996 to 15% in 2015.





Under competitive pressure from imported goods, Ethiopian firms usually lay off female production workers rather than males. Also, in labour-intensive jobs, firms have a preference for men because of their physical strength.

Total male employment hasnt been adversely affected by the Chinese import competition. But wages of men in firms facing greater import competition from China have decreased. This implies that Ethiopian manufacturing firms cope with competition by cutting down on female employment and reducing male wages.

As low-wage competition from China has increased, Ethiopian manufacturing firms have reduced female production workers. This is most pronounced in firms that rely heavily on labour-intensive methods of production.

Lessons from the Ethiopian case

Africas trade relationship with China isnt entirely negative for the continent. African countries have the potential to benefit from their trade relationship with China as well. Cheaper imports from China have the potential to generate jobs in wholesale and retail trade. Chinese import competition can potentially boost the incomes and job opportunities of women in informal retail trading in Africa.

In addition, if imports from China are dominated by inputs such as capital goods or heavy industrial machines, this could potentially boost the manufacturing sector in Africa.

But lessons from the Sino-Ethiopian relationship point to the need for African policymakers and leaders to be strategic in their interaction with China, to achieve mutual benefit.

African industrialisation must not be sacrificed on the altar of cheap consumer goods from China or a one-sided trade relationship. The Africa Continental Free Trade Area can be used to achieve Africas industrialisation, economic integration and transformation.

The free trade area can address market fragmentation, the small size of national economies, the lack of industrial capacity and the exportation of primary commodities to traditional markets of the north.

The industrial policies of African states must ensure that Chinese manufacturing investment diffuses technology to local manufacturing firms. It is especially important for African leaders to prevent the use of Chinese investment as a conduit to flood the market with cheap Chinese manufacturing imports that undermine local manufacturing.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Consumers across the globe are being exposed to more allergens, as urbanisation, industrialisation, and pollution, increase rapidly. This has amplified the prevalence and severity of allergic rhinitis and hay fever symptoms, thereby increasing consumer demand for remedies that treat these conditions. As such, global and local market players are catering to these demands for allergic rhinitis treatment through product innovation and product line expansion.

Insight Surveys latest South African Allergy Care Industry Landscape Report 2022 carefully uncovers the global and local Allergy Care market, based on the latest intelligence and research. It describes the latest global and local market trends, innovation and technology, drivers, and challenges, to present an objective insight into the South African Allergy Care market environment and its future.

The global Allergy Treatment market reached a value of approximately $18.9bn in 2021. Furthermore, the market is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.9%, to reach a value of approximately $38.9bn by 2032, as illustrated in the graph below.

Graphics by Insight Survey Source: FutureMarketInsights

In South Africa, the local Allergy Care market is expected to grow at a slightly stronger rate, with an expected CAGR of 8.3%, for the 2022 to 2026 forecast period. Tellingly, the local Allergy Care market has experienced astounding growth in recent years, having achieved a CARG of 11.9% between 2016 and 2021.

Globally, greater numbers of consumers are experiencing allergic rhinitis and hay fever symptoms, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimating that allergic rhinitis affects between 10% and 30% of the global adult population, and up to 40% of children. As a result, key market players are launching new and innovative products that treat allergic rhinitis and hay fever symptoms, in order to cater to this robust and growing consumer demand.



For example, Altamira Therapeutics recently launched Bentrio Nasal Spray in the United States (US). This product is formulated to specifically treat symptoms of allergic rhinitis, triggered by inhaling airborne allergens, through its key ingredient of the clay mineral, bentonite. Moreover, Thea Pharmaceuticals recently announced that the company was launching a new eye spray, namely Zaspray, which assists in the relief of dry eye symptoms caused by hay fever and other allergic conditions.

Similarly, the South African market is also experiencing growth caused by the increasing prevalence of allergic rhinitis, with the Chief Executive of the Allergy Foundation of South Africa, Professor Mike Levin, estimating that allergic rhinitis affects up to half the population. As such, this high local prevalence of allergic rhinitis has also stimulated advancements in the local industry, as key players launch new products targeted at treating allergic rhinitis and hay fever, and expand their existing product lines, by offering consumers novel formats of these products.

As an illustration of this local advancement, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited recently launched Ryaltris nasal spray for the treatment of allergic rhinitis in the South African market. This product offers consumers a first-of-its-kind combination inhaler treatment, that contains an antihistamine and a steroid, designed for the relief of symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis. This nasal spray offers allergic rhinitis sufferers a new and innovative way to treat the inconvenient symptoms associated with this allergic condition.

Additionally, Aspen Pharmacare recently announced that it was expanding its Allergy Care range, BETADEXAMINE, with the launch of a new product format, BETADEXAMINE Tablets. This product is specifically formulated for the treatment of acute allergic rhinitis, that is not responsive to conventional therapy, thereby also working to meet the growing consumer demand for effective allergic rhinitis amongst South African consumers.

The South African Allergy Care Industry Landscape Report 2022 (89 pages) provides a dynamic synthesis of industry research, examining the local and global Allergy Care industry (including the impact of Covid-19) from a uniquely holistic perspective, with detailed insights into the entire value chain  market sizes and forecasts, industry trends, latest innovation and technology, key drivers and challenges; as well as manufacturing, distribution, retailer, and pricing analysis.

Some key questions the report will help you to answer:

What are the key market dynamics of the global and South African Allergy Care industry?



What are the latest global and South African Allergy Care industry trends, innovations and technology, drivers, and challenges?



What are the market size value and volume trends in the South African Allergy Care market (2016-2021), and forecasts (2022-2026), including the impact of Covid-19?



Which are the key manufacturers, distributors, and retail players in the South African Allergy Care industry?



What is the latest company news for key players in terms of products, new launches, and marketing initiatives?



What are the prices of popular Allergy Care brands across South African pharmacies and retail outlets?

Please note that the 89-page report is available for purchase for R35,000 (excluding VAT). Alternatively, individual sections can be purchased for R15,000 (excluding VAT). For more information, please email info@insightsurvey.co.za, call our Cape Town office on (021) 045-0202 or Johannesburg office on (010) 140- 5756.

For a full brochure please go to: South African Allergy Care Industry Landscape Report 2022

About Insight Survey:

Insight Survey is a South African B2B market research company with more than 15 years of heritage, focusing on business-to-business (B2B) and industry research to ensure smarter, more-profitable business decisions are made with reduced investment risk.

We offer market research solutions to help you to successfully improve or expand your business, enter new markets, launch new products or better understand your internal or external environment.

Our bespoke Competitive Business Intelligence Research can help give you the edge in a global marketplace, empowering your business to overcome industry challenges quickly and effectively, and enabling you to realise your potential and achieve your vision.

From strategic overviews of your businesss competitive environment through to specific competitor profiles, our customised Competitive Intelligence Research is designed to meet your unique needs.

For more information, go to www.insightsurvey.co.za
Online reviews are the new word-of-mouth marketing. Although it's not exactly new, it has become even more valuable as more consumers started writing and reading reviews in the past couple of years. As a result, what customers are saying about your business online has a far greater ripple effect than you might realise.

The good news? If you use this to your advantage, you can use reviews to boost your business strategy in 2023 like you won't believe.

The power of online reviews

You can market your business as much as you want, but nothing will compare to the unbiased opinion written publicly by a past customer. When you read a review, there's inherent trust, whereas any marketing material is always taken with a pinch of salt.

As a result, online reviews can boost sales conversions considerably because it adds confidence to the customer's decision-making and removes hesitation. Furthermore, with so many scams continually arising in South Africa, reviews help your customers to filter through fake businesses to get to real ones  like yours!

Collecting online reviews also boosts your online presence on search engines like Google, which means that more customers will find your business quicker when searching for words related to your business.

How to use reviews to boost your business in 2023

There are a couple of simple ways to leverage your business reviews to see growth in your business in 2023. What might seem like small steps will add up to show real tangible growth in your business next year.

Tip 1: Choose the right review platform

When choosing where customers should write their reviews, you should consider the reach of the website they're posting them to. Reputable online review platforms like Hellopeter are great because millions of South Africans use it to write reviews every day. In fact, in 2022, a review was posted almost every minute on hellopeter.com.

Furthermore, search engines like Google see the platform as a reliable source, prioritising its content and pushing it higher in search results.

"Consumers prefer to come to Hellopeter instead of social media because it's a well-known brand for the review space, whereas social media platforms are baked with a lot of noise. You might have adverts, reviews, brand mentions, consumers chatting, etc. It's not one defined place where you can go and understand the credibility of the business, whereas Hellopeter is exactly that," says Alon Rom, CEO of Hellopeter.

At the moment, Hellopeter Business is running an exclusive sale offering South African businesses up to 50% off their selected Premium Plans. Dont miss out on these massive savings.

Tip 2: Be proactive about review collection

You should actively ask customers to write you online reviews to build an online reputation for your brand.

A review strategy should include sending a link to your customers via your preferred channel shortly after their experience, asking them how you did. With Hellopeter Business's software, you can set this up in a breeze and send it via SMS, email, or even WhatsApp.

By sending it as soon as possible and making it easy for them, you increase the chances that they'll end up writing a review for you.

Tip 3: Reply to all reviews

A big misconception is that you should only reply to negative reviews. However, it's not enough to just be reactive and address negative reviews only. If someone has taken the time out of their busy day to write you a review, they deserve a response  regardless of what they had to say.

"With Hellopeter Business, we've made it easy for you to sync your Facebook, Google and Hellopeter reviews into one inbox. This means that you can simply open one tab and see at a glance which new reviews came in, which ones you replied to, and which ones still need your attention. Furthermore, your team can make internal notes and sort reviews into categories. We've seen that this has been immensely valuable to businesses," says Rom.

Tip 4: Show off 5-Star reviews, deal with 1-Star reviews

Showing off top reviews on your website and social media pages can drastically increase your sales conversions. People follow other people's actions, which is a psychological phenomenon called social proof. This gives your customers extra confidence to check out their purchase or contact you for your service. Hellopeter Business offers tools to help you take your best reviews and turn them into social media posts to further extend your reach.

However, that does not mean that you should turn a blind eye or try to hide bad reviews. Customers generally understand that you're only human, and all they really want is to see that you're doing your part to give customers issues the attention it deserves.

"If reviews are only positive, it's too good to be true. If it's only negative, it's too one-sided. We want to balance and show what lengths a business will go to to make a wrong right and enable them to showcase their hard work and resulting positive experiences. That brings a very powerful brand presence for businesses," says Rom.

Tip 5: Keep an eye on your (and competitors') analytics

You should not only stay focused on your business and customers. Take a look at what your competitors are doing and how they're tracking in comparison. With Hellopeter Business, for example, you get access to tools to help you keep an eye on competitor ratings and reviews.

This not only shows you where they're overtaking you or lacking, but it can give you insight into what you can improve to stand out and potentially convert their customers to buy from you instead.

Start growing your business

"The success stories about how reviews helped South African businesses is our own form of social proof and show us that we're succeeding in our goal of helping businesses become more discoverable, and building a consistent online reputation. We want to empower them to do this without relying on huge expenses or being married to agencies to deliver this digital presence. Therefore, with Hellopeter Business, you just need to collect and reply to the reviews, and we'll do the heavy lifting in the background." explains Rom.

The Hellopeter Business Plans are designed to offer you an effortless way to do all this without costing you a lot of money, particularly if you're a smaller business.

The most satisfying success stories have been the ones where the businesses were initially hesitant and negative about Hellopeter. However, they have become our biggest advocates after seeing first-hand what a positive effect our tools and strategies have had on their business," adds Rom.

You can read some of Hellopeter Business's success stories here.

Tap into growth this 2023

If you're ready to start taking your business to new heights, sign up for one of Hellopeter Business's plans, starting at free (no credit card required). Dont forget about the special offer theyre running on their selected Hellopeter Business Plans too. Reach out to get your custom deal here.
Warmer days are here, and Objekt South Africa's Issue 38 for summer 2023 has everything to keep you cool with a move towards digital for all who want a glimpse into a life of discerning tastes. This luxury quarterly magazine is now available for free online, in addition to the annual high-quality print edition coming out in December 2023.

ObjektSouth Africa is the South African rendition of internationally acclaimed ObjektInternational; the authoritative and unique title for the upscale urban modernist with a passion for interiors, art and antiques, modern design and outstanding architecture.

We are very excited to be the first publisher in SA to be using this feature, as this will not only change our audiences experience engaging with our content, but also change the advertising capabilities for our clients, Gareth Bouwmeester, publisher owner.

Rich media experiences elevate key pieces in this interactive issue, with the Absa LAteliers 2022 Ambassadors offering art masterclasses in the Absa Art Hotspot. Prestigious artists like Marguerite Kirsten, discuss the limited resources available to artists due to the Covid-19 pandemic and how artists have embraced it in order to pivot and survive, and Pauline Gutter, winner of the 2013 Absa LAtelier art competition, who takes us through her personal studio and creation process. Discover the ins and outs of art investment here too, get to know artists and curators, and explore the Absa LAtelier winners exhibitions.

Absa 2022 Pinotage Awards offers a dazzling display of the Absa Top 10 Pinotage Winners and clickable images to find out all about the decadent vino brands. Steeped in Stellenbosch history, this infamous wine has developed into an award-winning proudly South African beverage enjoyed by many connoisseurs and laypersons alike  Read more about the past, present and future of Pinotage in this Objekt South Africa issue, accompanied by an alluring splash of interactive rich media as stunning photography.

Three43 on B redefines connected convenience with an exciting new development from property developer Blok. In this issue, you can tour this striking property through video inserts and see why it is perfectly geared to make its mark on the Sea Point scene. Bloks niche style focusses on connected city living, with this latest beauty blending form and function to offer sophisticated, comfortable and convenient living at its best. With all the amenities any city dweller could ask for, like the rooftop pool with both ocean and mountain views as well as an urban courtyard and more, Three43 on B offers the comfiest, most stylish crib in the hood.

Included in the Summer Spoils Special Feature, we find Jimmy Choo I Want Choo Forever, a bold new scent with an even bolder feature including a video insert and an option to shop the fragrance online directly from the feature. This soft, elegant fragrance will send notes of powerful rose, spicey pink peppercorn and bitter almond oil wafting through the night air. The heart is a potent black cherry liquor, jasmine sambac and warm feminine vetiver, finished with earthy moss, vanilla and tonka bean, to create a captivating and intoxicating scent to complete any look and evoke memories of fabulous summer nights on the town.

Carrol Boyes joins the Summer Spoils Feature, offering a stylish scroller displaying their iconic Host All sculptured cast aluminium cutlery canteen holder and lustrous stainless-steel Cut Above cutlery set. Summer gatherings are sure to be enriched by this collectors piece conceptualised by Carrol and her brother Charles. The feature delves further into the life of Carrol Boyes and the history of the brand, and how the legacy is living on and shining brightly.

Find out more about each feature by clicking on the Read Now button for Summer Issue 38.

Visit the website for more information, or head to Objekt South Africas Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn pages.
The Bookmark Awards 2023 is calling for nominations to its jury panels.

Imag supplied. Nominations for the 2023 Bookmark Awards juries are open

Selecting the jury is an integral part of each Bookmark Awards season as these jury members play an important role in which work is awarded excellence status, says Khensani Nobanda, Bookmarks jury president and group executive for marketing and corporate affairs at Nedbank Group and a member of the Nedbank Group executive leadership.

This year, we are placing an emphasis on diversity that represents all South Africans, which will further assist in transforming an industry that is driven by constant change and evolution across all areas, adds Nobanda.

Jury selection criteria

In striving for diversity that represents all South Africans, the following criteria are central during the jury selection process and should be a consideration when submitting nominations:

Gender and race as well as diversity across companies in relation to size, skillset, and expertise.



Experts with the most relevant expertise for each chosen panel.



No more than one person per company for each panel.



No more than one Bookmarks panel per person.



Jurors will need to be available for both rounds of judging: Round 1 from 2-13 June 2023 and Round 2 from 29-30 June 2023.

Benchmark for digital media, marketing, and technology

2023 marks the 15th year of The Bookmark Award.

The Bookmark Awards sets the benchmark for digital media, marketing, and technology, and rewards excellence by recognising the powerful impact digital has within the marketing sector.

The successful candidates for the jury panels will select the award-winning work that inspires and educates the industry about creative digital executions that build brands, deliver measurable results and is a reflection of audiences and societies.

To nominate your industry experts for this years Bookmark Awards Jury Chairs and Panels, click here. Nominations close on Tuesday, 21 February at 4 pm.

For more information on the 2023 Bookmark Awards, visit thebookmarks.co.za.

Companies interested in sponsoring the 2023 Bookmark Awards categories, can view the sponsor pack here.
According to Lightstone data, in 2021 there were 9,495 sales to foreign buyers in South Africa and, of these, 2,120 were in the Western Cape whilst 3,670 were in Gauteng.

The top three preferred cities were Johannesburg (1,024 sales), Sandton (890) and Pretoria (776), with Cape Town in fourth place (686)  and, except for Milnerton in sixth place, the rest of the top 10 cities were all in Gauteng.

Cobus Odendaal, CEO of Lew Geffen Sothebys in Johannesburg and Randburg says that over and above the usual investors from Europe and the States, theyve been seeing a fast-growing number of buyers from other African countries.

With Johannesburg not only being the largest city in Africa but also the wealthiest, its regarded as a power and financial hub and weve been receiving many enquiries from a number of countries, but especially from buyers from Botswana, Kenya, Malawi and Nigeria.

The Northern Suburbs are the most sought after, and many prefer to buy in and around Sandton because they consider this area to be a financial safe haven.

Residential property investment

Odendaal says that the majority of investors are buying residential homes, often as second permanent homes and, as many are families that are splitting their time between two countries, proximity to good schools is important.

Some of the buyers are also business people who travel to Johannesburg often and would rather stay in a proper, well-equipped living space than an impersonal corporate hotel.

And, whats common across the board is that most of these investors are looking for immaculate properties at the upper end of the market with one of highest recent sales being a R42m home in Bryanston to a Botswana national.

He adds that slightly further afield, Pretoria East has become a popular residential destination for foreign diplomats and industry leaders who are attracted by the estates in the area, with diplomatic communities established in the most exclusive estates.

More bang for their buck

We are also starting to see an increase in commercial investment and, once again, these buyers arent looking for fixer-uppers or development projects but rather for buildings in a better-than-fair condition and in AAA locations.

Despite South Africas political turmoil and energy crisis, there is still significant interest from international property buyers who are drawn by the countrys inimitable lifestyle and temperate climate and the fact that that they can get considerably more bang for their buck here than in comparable areas abroad.

Certainty and security

Additionally, South Africa has one of the best Deeds Registry systems in the world, offering certainty and security in respect of property ownership and tenure and non-residents are subject to the same well-established laws and regulations as South Africans when buying property.

Real estate investment has shown remarkable resilience over the years, and remains one of the best ways to accumulate wealth, and I think that the interest we are now seeing in Johannesburg is only the beginning and that we should prepare for a spike in foreign buyer activity, especially from investors from other African countries, concludes Odendaal.
Astral Foods expects a 90% plunge in mid-year profit, the poultry processor said on Wednesday, 25 January, citing rolling power cuts in South Africa that have hit production and hiked costs.

Chickens are seen at a poultry farm outside Klerksdorp in the North West province, South Africa, File. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

One of South Africa's largest poultry firms, Astral processes nearly six million chickens per week and accounts for about a quarter of the country's broiler meat production.

The company supplies chicken meat to major fast-food brands in the country, as well as wholesale and retail outlets.

It expects headline earnings per share (HEPS) - the main profit measure in South Africa - to drop to R1.42 ($0.0828) in the six months to March 2023, from R14.20 during the same period a year earlier.

"The poultry division has experienced severe operational disruptions through 1Q2023 due to Eskom load shedding. This has continued and led to abnormal additional costs as well as substantial production cutbacks of at least 12 million broiler placements for the 1H2023," Astral Foods said in a trading update.

Ageing coal-fired power stations, corrupt coal procurement deals and criminal sabotage have impacted utility Eskom's capacity to supply adequate electricity to South African businesses and households, which are having to go for as long as 10 hours without power.

Erratic electricity supplies affect poultry ventilation systems, slaughter schedules and chicken processing. Delayed slaughter schedules also lead to additional feeding costs.
Mark Dommisse, chairperson of the National Automobile Dealers' Association (Nada), commented on the current energy crisis and its effect on car retailers: "Ongoing load shedding and uncertainty of stable power supply are having a severe and disastrous impact on businesses across South Africa. In the automotive retail sector, load shedding is putting a great deal of extra stress on vehicle retailing and servicing, as well as affecting the viability of dealerships as they are forced to spend large amounts of money to install alternative energy sources as well as fuel for generators."

If load shedding persists at varying stages of severity, as has been predicted for at least the next 24 months, dealerships who have not installed generators or solar backup will experience delays in completing vehicle purchases and financing, services and repairs. The motoring public will need to factor these possible delays into their planning when booking vehicles in for service or repairs, or when visiting a dealership to purchase vehicles.

Backup solutions, which most dealers are taking or will be forced to take, mean a substantial amount of unbudgeted investment and, in the case of generators, significant ongoing fuel and maintenance costs. Unfortunately, these costs will, at some stage, need to be passed on to the already cash-strapped consumer while also negatively affecting a dealerships bottom line, he said.

Dommisse noted that among the effects of load shedding at dealerships is the inability to use certain tools and lifts in workshops because lighter-duty generators do not generate adequate power to cater for heavy electricity requirements. This then impacts the turnaround time for servicing and repairs.

Constant load shedding and schedule changes on a frequent basis make planning extremely difficult. Most franchise motor vehicle dealers have put in contingency plans to address the situation when it comes to a reliable supply of electricity.

Another major impact of frequent high stages of load shedding at the level we are currently experiencing is the significant impact on cellular network towers and other forms of communication. This significantly slows down the ability to communicate with clients, suppliers, fitment centres and banks, for vehicle finance, explained Dommisse.

Franchised dealers which are supplied by local manufacturing plants are also concerned about the supply of new vehicles and replacement parts as load shedding impacts the automotive manufacturing sector. Although vehicle manufacturers themselves are exempt from load shedding this is not the case with most of the component manufacturers and suppliers. Their inability to supply components on time to assembly plants will affect vehicle production, while many of these companies provide replacement parts as well as those needed for vehicle production.

This is indeed a very worrying time for vehicle retailers, coming so soon after the two-year hiatus due to the COvid-19 pandemic, the flood damage in KwaZulu-Natal and a time when many dealerships were just getting back on their feet, concluded the Nada chairperson
Recent deals between US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and African heads of state promise eye-popping profits for US mining multinationals and fewer protections for African laborers toiling in subhuman conditions to drive the digital revolution.

The US Africa Leaders Summit held this December in Washington DC provided a platform for the Biden administration to advance its agenda across the African continent. With topics ranging from COVID-19 to climate change to closing the digital divide, to strengthening democracy, Washingtons agenda united around the belief that African collaboration with US multinational corporations would prove mutually beneficial, and advance long-term progress.

The weekend of discussions was conducted Davos-style, with heads of US industry seated directly beside African heads of state and members of the Biden administration. At the top of the corporate titans agenda was the relaxation of regulatory requirements, which they argued would make the continent more inviting for outside investment.

One set of regulations that the US would especially like to loosen are those relating to the mining sector. This includes miners rights, child labor laws, slavery laws, environmental regulations and mineral tariffs.

Deloitte, a US corporate giant and strategic partner of the World Economic Forum, published a paper in 2018, The Future of Mining in Africa, which spells out the agenda Washington is advancing across the continent.

The paper argued that facilitating the digital transformation known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution would require African nations to loosen mining regulations intended to protect human rights and the environment. The paper lamented that the mining sector continues to experience scrutiny by regulators in Africa, which supposedly creates uncertainty, delayed investment in mining expansion, and stops the development of new mines.

Deloitte went on to argue that Africa needs to move away from enforcing [regulatory] compliance for compliance sake and move toward delivering value. It was clearly implied that that value would be determined by corporate America, and not necessarily the African people.

The script put forward by Deloitte helped set the stage for the US Africa Leaders Summit this December. There, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented a memorandum of understanding to DRC Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula and Zambian Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo. The agreement, according to Blinken, opened the door for US and like-minded investment in the respective countries vast green mineral wealth, referring to massive deposits of nickel, cobalt, and copper.

US Secretary of State signs a memorandum of understand with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thegrayzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Blinken-DRC-Signing.jpg?fit=300%2C169&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/thegrayzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Blinken-DRC-Signing.jpg?fit=960%2C540&ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1" />

The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the worlds cobalt. Zambia is the worlds sixth-largest copper producer, second-largest cobalt producer in Africa, Blinken said.

Global demand for critical minerals is going to skyrocket over the next decadesElectric vehicles help reduce carbon emissions and they support the global response to the climate crisis, the Secretary of State continued, draping the plundering of Africas wealth in friendly green-speak.

Siddhartha Kara, an academic and author of four widely-praised books exposing the business of human trafficking and slavery in Africa, has spent several years in rural Congo documenting the most hideous  and largely hidden  abuses of US multinational supply chains and mining operations.

Kara remarked to The Grayzone that the agreements hashed out at the US Africa Summit will mean more demand for minerals used in EVs, leading to more exploitation, abuse, and misery for the women, children, and men who scrounge the worlds cobalt out of the dirt in the DR Congo.

Gates-backed KoBold President Josh Goldman in the Deal Room " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thegrayzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-21-at-10.48.25-PM.png?fit=300%2C168&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/thegrayzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-21-at-10.48.25-PM.png?fit=1024%2C572&ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1" />

Transnational billionaires aim to control all the worlds reserves of key minerals

The US Africa Summit culminated with an event called The Deal Room in which leaders of industry announced and celebrated successful agreements with African nations. Among the corporate executives to appear inside the Deal Room was KoBold Metals Josh Goldman.

KoBold Metals is a new tech-mining company founded by Microsofts Bill Gates and backed by Amazons Jeff Bezos and Virgins Richard Branson. The company relies on AI and advanced imaging systems to find and mine rare earth mineral deposits that other mining giants have missed.

Our job at KoBold is to invent better ways to find the metals to electrify the world economy. Copper, cobalt, nickel and lithium. We are working to discover the deposits that will become the next generation of mines and produce the materials that we need to avoid catastrophic climate change, Goldman said at the event.

How many rare earth minerals does this Gates, Bezos, Branson company aim to mine and own? All of them, in fact.

The KoBold website candidly states that the company aims to secure control over all of the worlds reserves of [nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper.]

In the Deal Room, KoBolds Goldman announced a new mining project in Zambia:

Im here to announce the largest investment yet in our companys history. An investment to own, develop and explore. Zambia is a place where the laws support investing and where the government supports our investment with actions that are transparent and fair and fast, Goldman said.

According to the World Economic Forum, by 2030, U.S. multinational corporations like Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla and Google will require 17 times more rare earth minerals to power western consumers smart devices and electric cars for the coming green revolution.

In 2021, The U.S. Department of Defense explained that Africa has a plethora of strategic materials, describing those resources as critical to 21st century progress.

And according to The New York Times, the latest line of electric vehicles rely on a host of minerals and metals often not abundant in the oil-rich Middle East, which sustained the last energy era. These minerals are in another historical target of rapacious colonialism: Africa.

In Siddhartha Karas view, the growing demand for green batteries is driving a scramble to extract vital metals out of the ground as quickly as possible. The mineral rush has left thousands of workers with no protections while toiling in subhuman conditions for a few dollars a day to feed vital battery minerals up the chain to consumer-facing tech and EV companies worth trillions.

Draping exploitation in the language of sustainability

Industry participants in the Davos, Switzerland-based World Economic Forum proudly embrace what they believe is a kinder, gentler economic model known as stakeholder capitalism. No longer will these corporate giants obey the will of shareholders at the expense of human rights and equity; instead, they are collectively moving forward toward a seemingly progressive vision that sees all of humanity as a stakeholder, and are working in its interest.

The mentality of stakeholder capitalism is clearly reflected in the tech and electric vehicle industrys public relations campaign around their supposedly sustainable supply chains.

A 2019 class action lawsuit filed on behalf of injured Congolese miners shatters the industrys rhetoric about ethical operations. The suit alleged that Alphabet (Google), Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla are aiding and abetting the cruel and brutal use of young children to mine cobalt.

However, the complex nature of the tech industrys raw material supply chains, which change hands dozens of times between a wide array of unofficial and official groups, has made it practically impossible to pinpoint the origin of cobalt minerals. It was this deliberately opaque process that enabled the tech giants to dodge the Congolese miners lawsuit.

Apple, for its part, has released an official 20 page document promising that the companys supply chains have been certified ethical by a third party supply chain investigator.

Kara, the researcher of slavery in the African mining industry, dismissed claims like those by Apple as little more than optics and marketing campaigns that rarely, if ever, touch the bottom of corporate supply chains. The assumption is  if we say we are ensuring dignity and sustainability all the way down our supply chains, people will believe us and business can carry on as usual.

The truth, Kara explained, is that there is a global subclass of humanity in appalling conditions at the bottom of our global economic order [in the mining sector].

Today I'm across the road from Parliament covering a Supreme Court case for @M_Star_Online  British mining giant Vedanta is trying to dodge a law suit about it's pollution in Zambia, saying UK courts don't have jurisdiction pic.twitter.com/xeZSmbgzqw  Phil Miller (@pmillerinfo) January 15, 2019

With the demand for materials for EV batteries set to increase by 87,000 percent according to a 2020 study by Sussex University, the mining industry will be compelled to continually exploit new areas of the developing world  and new populations  to keep pace.

And just as the US waged regime change wars and conducted long-term military occupations across the Middle East to secure control over the fossil fuel energy sources Western consumers demanded, similarly coercive tactics could supplement memoranda like the one the US signed at its recent summit with Zambia and DRC.
Changing phone carriers may seem like a massive hassle, but it's actually quite simple with the right preparation and understanding of what you're doing. If you're unhappy with your current carrier and want to reduce your monthly bill, increase your coverage, or get more out of your plan, switching carriers is a viable option.

In this article, we'll go over the steps you need to take to properly switch phone carriers, so you can make the transition as smooth and stress-free as possible.

1. Research Different Carriers

Finding the best carrier and plan for your needs requires doing some preliminary research. Don't forget to think about things like pricing, data limits, international roaming, and coverage. Reading reviews and consulting with trusted family and friends about their experiences with various carriers is also recommended. Numerous resources are available to you, including the carrier's website and retail outlets.

2. Check Your Contract

If you have a contract with your carrier but would like to switch without being charged a termination fee, you should review the contract's terms. Paying an early termination fee or waiting until your contract expires are your only options if you are still bound by its terms.

3. Check Your Phone's Compatibility

Verify that your cell phone can connect to the new service provider's system. If not, you will have to either buy a new phone or bring your existing one (BYOD) to the new service provider. Before making the switch, you can check to see if your phone is compatible by visiting the website of your prospective new carrier.

4. Prepare Your Account Information

If you switch carriers, the new one will need your account information, including your account number and the last four digits of your social security number. Adding your billing information and contact details is also required.

Related Article: What to Do When Your Phone Gets Soaked Wet, According to Apple, Samsung, and More

5. Keep Your Old Number

You must request a porting of your number from your current carrier to your new carrier if you wish to retain your current phone number. It's important to give yourself a few days for this procedure.

6. Notify Your Contacts

Those you've been in touch with should be informed of your new phone number after you switch carriers. You can do this in a number of ways, including updating your social media profiles or sending out a mass text or email.

7. Canceling Your Service

In order to complete the switch to a new carrier, you must terminate your service with the previous carrier. Don't forget to do this after your new service has been activated. You have the option of canceling your subscription via the website, by phone, or in person.

8. Keep An Eye On Your Bill

After switching service providers, you should carefully review your monthly bill to check for any unauthorized charges. Verify that you are receiving accurate billing for the plan you selected and that all of the services you ordered are functioning as expected.

9. Check For Promotions And Deals

You can also see if your new provider has any deals or discounts available for new customers by contacting them directly. You can cut costs and maximize the benefits of your new plan with this.

Read Also: Home Phone Systems Are Making a Modern Comeback
On January 13 of this year, Hasibullah Ahmadi, head of Afghanistans Ministry of Interiors counternarcotics department, asserted that drug trafficking from the country has dropped, but admitted this illicit trade continues in some provinces. These comments raise the question of the Talibans ties to the narcotics market and previous attempts to curb drug production. The declassified documents featured in todays post, all released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), are a selection from the new Digital National Security Archive collection, Afghanistan War and the United States, 1998-2017, which was published in December of last year. The three documents examined in this post detail the Talibans ties to international trafficking networks in the late 1990s and attempts to regulate the market in the early 2000s in an effort to curry favor from the international community. Taken together, the documents describe the Talibans ties to drug trafficking schemes and how poppy bans, even when effective, financially benefited the Taliban and associated trafficking consortiums.

As the early Taliban movement emerged, from 1994 to 1996, narcotics production skyrocketed in Afghanistan, with declassified documents asserting that the group aligned themselves with international drug traffickers. There were indications from U.S. officials that narcotics production in the country significantly increased following the Talibans control over large swaths of the country. In a now-declassified Secret May 2001 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence outlined that by 2000 the country supplied an estimated 72% of the worlds illicit opium. This heavily redacted document included a map noting opium poppy growing areas in Afghanistan (page 26), and a chart showing rising opium cultivation between 1991 and 2000. The NIE noted that producers in Afghanistan had switched to supplying and producing more heroin over several years before 2001.

This analysis was reinforced by a now-declassified Top Secret December 1998 CIA research paper, prepared by the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) Crime and Intelligence Center, and recently released under the FOIA to the National Security Archive. This heavily-excised Top Secret report details the explosion of the narcotics market under Taliban rule, noting the ties of the group to Quetta Alliance, an international drug trafficking ring, which shared ties to Osama bin Laden. Furthermore, this report asserts that the Talibans increasing role in the country caused the narcotics business to explode. The paper also assesses the groups involvement in illicit drug traffic, stating that it included top Taliban leaders and that this trade intensified over the last several years, leading to immense profits for the fundamentalist organization. Notably, the DCI Crime and Intelligence Center states that Afghan narcotics suppliers had shifted towards international markets, beyond distributing to drug traffickers in Turkey. The paper outlines that Taliban fighters provided logistic support and protection for drug trafficking and laboratories within the country. Most significantly, the paper argues that the Taliban forged ties to the Quetta Alliance, a major regional trafficking group, and terrorist sponsor of Osama bin Laden.

This paper was not alone in describing the Quetta Alliance. A publicly-available August 1994 report compiled by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Intelligence Division, describes the Quetta Alliance as an alliance between three powerful trafficking groups operating out of Quetta, within Pakistans Baluchistan Province. The DEA report stated that this loose alliance was based on familial ties, and described the operation as similar to a large manufacturing or service consortium. This connected to the assertion in the aforementioned paper by the DCI Crime and Intelligence Center, which argued that once the Quetta Alliance became the dominant narco-trafficking group in southern Afghanistan, it provided financial support and recruits to the burgeoning Taliban.

By late 1999, the Taliban had banned poppy cultivation. This would be followed by a ban of opium cultivation and trafficking in July 2000, the latter in an edict by Taliban leader Mullah Omar. However, these bans did not interfere with trafficking and sale of opium or poppy. A declassified Secret July 2001cable from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) stated that while the ban was primarily effective, it still substantially increased the Talibans revenue from illicit drug trafficking. The ban followed the U.N. Security Council resolutions 1267 and 1333, in 1999 and 2000 respectively, which condemned the significant rise in the illicit production of opium and demanded that the Taliban work to virtually eliminate the illicit cultivation of opium poppy. Later, the DIA cable notes that the Taliban likely weighed recognition from the international community from its own interests when considering an extension of the ban.

This now-declassified DIA cable further stated that while the Talibans ban would likely reduce the worldwide opium production by at least 50%, the ban resulted in the quadrupling of the Afghan price for opium, morphine base, and heroin  which were previously at record lows. The cable explicitly states that one year after the ban the Taliban was still benefiting substantially from drug revenues,  chiefly from its taxes on continuing narcotics trafficking and from Taliban-owned narcotics stockpiles, whose value has increased substantially. The DIA cable also notes that the ban would likely not have an impact on the U.S. over the coming months, because its main heroin sources were from Southeast Asia and Latin America. While the Taliban never faced having to weigh its interests in extending the ban due to the U.S. invasion beginning in October 2001, the DIA cable notes all of the influences that the Taliban would likely weigh in the decision making processing, including the potential recognition from the international community, major narcotics traffickers reactions to an extension, the size of stockpiles, and the impact on their own finances.

For more documents on the Taliban, see the Archives numerous sourcebooks, including the September 23, 2021, post, Newly Published Documents Cast Doubt on Claims Taliban Will Give Up al Qaeda.
Former Telstra chief executive Andy Penn has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia, for his distinguished service to business, to charitable organisations, to youth and to the arts.

But the British-born executive  who has held a number of senior positions including at AXA and National Mutual before joining Telstra  would probably be working on the national holiday if he was still in the top job at the nations largest telco.

Former Telstra CEO Andy Penn has been made an Officer of the Order of Australia. Credit: AFR

Australia Day has become increasingly contentious as support for the Change the Date campaign reaches new heights. A handful of companies have this year acted on this support by offering to swap the date, with organisations across the public and private sector including Woolworths, PwC, Deloitte, and Telstra giving employees the choice to take the public holiday on another day.

Penn, who initiated the change in his time as chief executive before he departed Telstra in August last year, said he believes business leaders are in a unique position to shape these debates.
Kamilaroi artist Rhonda Sampson would like us to know a little bit more about Barangaroo, the Indigenous woman whose name is given to the six-hectare reserve in Sydney where the 20th WugulOra morning ceremony takes place on Thursday morning.

The ceremony, a sacred and reflective celebration of First Nations culture, has taken place on January 26, the same day the First Fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788, since 2003.

Just before a flame is lit on Me-Mel (Goat Island) and transported via the Tribal Warrior to Barangaroo to be used in the smoking ceremony, one of Sampsons artworks, Diyan Warrane, will be projected onto the Sydney Opera House.

Proud Kamilaroi woman Rhonda Sampsons artwork will be projected on the Sydney Opera House. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

It is a celebration of First Nations women around the waters of Sydney Harbour, specifically, four skilled fisherwomen who have made significant contributions to Indigenous history  Barangaroo, Patyegarang, Daringa and Boorong.
A visitor moves her arm in front of the generative and interactive virtual-reality installation, "Complex Meshes" (2023), produced by French artist Miguel Chevalier at his solo exhibition, "Digital Beauty 2023," at the Ara Art Center in central Seoul, Jan. 17. Chevalier has been using digital technology as a central means of artistic expression for the last four decades. Newsis



By Park Han-sol



The kaleidoscopic digital carpet twists and turns according to the viewer's footsteps. The virtual "action painting" swirls forcefully whenever a spectator takes a stroll in front of it.



For French artist Miguel Chevalier, it is the viewers' physical interaction with the digital work that brings his psychedelic universe to life.



Heralded as a pioneer of computer-generated virtual art since the late 1970s, when such an artistic practice was still in its infancy, he has transformed facades and ceilings of galleries and historic architecture  like the Grand Palais and Saint-Eustache Church in Paris  with projections on a monumental scale.



This time, the artist's immersive digital kingdom has arrived at the Ara Art Center in central Seoul as part of his first solo exhibition in the Korean capital. "Digital Beauty 2023" comes a year after his show on Jeju Island, "Digital Abysses," drew over 320,000 visitors throughout its year-long run.





Visitors pose in front of Miguel Chevalier's interactive media installation, "Machine Vision" (2023), at the Ara Art Center in central Seoul, Jan. 17. Newsis



Spanning the walls and floors of the five-story building are nine of Chevalier's interactive virtual-reality installations in addition to a five-armed drawing robot and 3D-printed sculptures.



"Liquid Pixels," on view, is the French creator's virtual ode to the pioneers of gestural abstraction in the 1950s  Jackson Pollock, Sam Francis and Pierre Soulages. But of course, his version of the action painting is born through the spectator's real-time choreography.



The interactive painting is in perpetual motion, with its colors ready to flow and gush forth in all directions when the viewer enters the "canvas." "Their body is what becomes a digital paintbrush," according to the artist.



Other projected installations like "Complex Meshes," "The Origin of the World," "Digital Moires" and "Fractal Arborescences" similarly feature eye-popping colors and patterns drifting across an imaginary landscape that are all activated by audience participation.



"The Eyes of the Machine" and "Machine Vision" further utilize this element of viewer participation to pose a question on the new types of digital images produced by today's surveillance cameras with facial recognition systems.



Once an individual stands in front of the electronic screen with a camera installed above, their virtual silhouette is deconstructed in real-time into thousands of multihued polygons until it becomes an almost unrecognizable self-portrait.





French digital and virtual artist Miguel Chevalier / Courtesy of Ara Art Center



"Normally, when you are in a museum, you are passive as you stand in front of the painting, photography or video that is fixed. Here, you can (physically) interact with the piece. You become an actor who can actually modify the work," he told The Korea Times.



"This (element of) interaction is then something that gives another opportunity for you to understand the piece."



Explaining how trailblazers like Man Ray and Nam June Paik established the technology of photography and video, respectively, as a credible medium for creative expression in the 20th century, the artist viewed his digital art in a similar light.



Computer-generated digital tools can be wielded in the realm of fine art as they can bring to life the new notion of audiovisual immersion and space adaptability, he noted. "I am sure that it will be a (defining) part of the art of the 21st century."



"Digital Beauty 2023" runs through Feb. 11, 2024, at the Ara Art Center.




His disciples move in pairs, colonising al fresco Italian dining venues on Barefoot Date Nights. They divvy up their pay into five separate bank accounts, fawn over swelling savings, and slurp spanner crab linguine. Not a crease of worry marks their financially unburdened foreheads.

If theres any doubt youve spotted a pair of Scott Papes acolytes in the wild, keep an eye out for a flash of an ING debit card. Theyre a shade of Nickelodeon orange that reminds me of a pool of regurgitated juice I once scraped off a table during my first job at McDonalds, as well as every awful financial decision Ive ever made since. (That includes spending the last of those Maccas savings on a $1000 hysterectomy for my geriatric pet rat. Sometimes death is a mercy.)

I cant subscribe to Pope Papes financial rules.

The first iteration of what would become Australias biggest-selling book arrived in 2004 when Pape, a 26-year-old stockbroker-turned-writer, published The Barefoot Investor: Five Steps to Financial Freedom with a small, now-defunct publisher. According to Goodreads, readers also enjoyed Don Quixote, Madame Bovary and a romance manga titled Sweat and Soap: Volume 5, perhaps a portent for The Barefoot Investors future as a titillating classic.

But it was the books 2016 incarnation, released by educational publisher Wiley, that took The Barefoot Investor to biblical status.
This story is part of the January 29 edition of Sunday Life.

Supermodel Kate Moss is a changed woman. The former party girl has traded dancing on tables at all-night celebrations for clean living, with sunscreen replacing hangover cures in her morning routine.

This is new to my regime: sunscreen, Moss, 49, says in a video for US Vogue demonstrating her skincare routine. My daughter tells me off all the time: Mummy, you have to wear sunscreen. I do know its important.

If youre working inside, a morning sunscreen application should be enough. Credit: Lacey/Trunk Archive/Snapper Images

The founder of Australian e-tailer Adore Beauty, Kate Morris, has a head start on Moss, having prioritised sun protection as part of her skin routine for many years. Do whatever you want with your skin but you have to wear sunscreen, Morris says. We are in Australia, after all. Its part of the reason Adore Beautys first in-house products under the label AB Lab, launched in October, were SPF50+ sunscreens with active ingredients.

Skin cancer expert Professor Adele Green is concerned were not doing sunscreen correctly. She welcomes the new focus on skincare products with an SPF 50 rating but still recommends using a dedicated sunscreen.
Property experts say there is a window of opportunity for cashed-up investors who have been keeping their powder dry during the pandemic to take the plunge before house prices start another cycle of growth.

With most of the slide in prices likely over, interest rates not expected to rise by much more, and rents to remain elevated, analysts say the stars are aligning, however, much will depend on what the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) does from here.

After the falls in prices since the start of COVID-19, property investors who make their move could get in at bargain prices before the next upswing in prices. Credit: Simon Schluter

SQM Research founder Louis Christopher expects prices to start to recover in the second half of this year as long as the cash rate set by the RBA peaks below 4 per cent. Currently, the cash rate is 3.1 per cent.

He expects Australias central bank may lift rates in February and perhaps also in March as inflation peaks, and then leave rates on hold. The RBAs next meeting is on February 7, with markets expecting the cash rate to peak at 3.5 per cent in the first half of this year.
Warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: This story contains images and references to a deceased person.

Every society and culture is united by a single, shared tradition: singing. Humans sing when they are happy, and when they are sad. They sing alone and in groups. But everybody everywhere sings.

We have it as children, as adults, when were dying. Its tied in with how we identify in our world, says Professor Linda Barwick. It is something we need in our lives.

Corroboree performers at Mandorah in 1987. Bobby Lambudju Lane is at the back, second from left. Credit: Sydney University Press / Supplied

Human history is encoded in these songs. In cultures that practise oral traditions, songs may be the only historical record. But that means as the singers grow old and die, the songs can be lost and a link to the past severed.
And to Western Australia, where hundreds of Invasion Day protests have flooded the heart of Perths CBD to demand a change of date.

The rally began with an impassioned speech by Yamatji-Noongar woman and Stolen Generations survivor Rhonda Collard-Spratt before a packed crowd at Forrest Chase, which set the tone for the rest of the proceedings.

Protesters rally against Invasion Day in Perth this afternoon. Credit: Jesinta Burton

She hailed the strength of the Aboriginal people and promised their culture would continue to live on.

They tried to make us disappear, but guess what? Were still here standing strong, she said.

We havent been here for 40,000 years, weve been here since the beginning of time.

Many speakers reflected on Australias dark history, the treatment of Aboriginal people and the impact intergenerational trauma continues to have today.

Protesters are expected to march down Barrack Street and towards the riverfront shortly,

where the City of Perths contracted Australia Day celebration is expected to begin within the hour.
Son of missing Gold Coast woman arrested as search continues

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A supermarket is one of the last places youd expect to see a dingo.

But its where Bayswater resident Trent Emery and his son Wayde take their pure-breed dingo Bindi for their nightly shopping trip.

Three-month-old WA dingo Bindi likes to get away from it all.

The shop owners dont mind as long as I dont put her on the ground, Emery, a single father of two, said.

Having a dingo is like having another child. They need to be with you 24 hours a day or they will become very stressed and mischievous. Theyll rip your house apart to get out, if left alone.
Dating apps are being urged to deliver real-time red flag warnings to users they think are in danger and introduce nudge functions to caution people who use abusive language, as Australian governments push to improve womens safety online.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has warned the multimillion-dollar tech companies behind popular dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and Grindr  which are collectively used by 3 million Australians  they must improve their platforms or face tougher laws and regulations.

Online dating is exposing more people to sexual harassment and violence. Credit: iStock

An Australian Institute of Criminology Data survey of 10,000 Australians last year showed almost three in four dating app users had experienced technology-facilitated sexual abuse, while 27 per cent reported experiencing in-person sexual violence by a person they met online, including incidents of sexual assault, coercion and drink spiking.

The tech companies did not make any concrete commitments at an online dating roundtable led by the federal government in Sydney on Wednesday, which was attended by dating app executives as well as police, state and territory government representatives and womens safety stakeholders.
Australians have increased their support for a republic at a time of intense publicity over Prince Harry and his falling out with the royal family, with some voters saying his revelations have influenced their shift towards breaking ties with the monarchy.

Support for the republic increased from 36 to 39 per cent among eligible voters over the four months since the death of Queen Elizabeth, while the number of voters against the change fell from 37 to 31 per cent.

The exclusive findings in the Resolve Political Monitor, conducted for this masthead by Resolve Strategic, are a boost for the republican cause after support for the monarchy rose in the weeks after Queen Elizabeths death in September, but 30 per cent of voters remain undecided on the issue.

Asked about Prince Harrys disclosures about the royal family in recent weeks, 21 per cent of respondents said the stories had an impact on their view, but they were divided on whether it increased or decreased their support for the republic.
Last week, participants from nearly 50 countries assembled for their eighth Ramstein summit to discuss support for Ukraine in its defence against the Russian invasion. With the recent Russian mobilisation of troops, the appointment of the countrys most senior soldier, General Gerasimov, as overall commander, and the step-up in missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, the need for military assistance is acute. The Russians will be launching more offensives in Ukraine. It is only matter of time and geography.

Europe and the United States have now evolved their strategy for Ukraine. They have shifted from a strategy focused on defending Ukraine, to one encompassing the defence of Ukraine and the defeat of Russia. The quality and quantity of military aid being provided ensures Ukraine has the capacity and confidence to conduct offensives in 2023 to reclaim its territory.

A Ukrainian tank drives down a street in the heavily damaged town of Siversk, near the front line of the war with Russia, at the weekend. Credit: Getty

Importantly, this summit, like those before, has breathed new life into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. An alliance established at the beginning of the Cold War to provide for the collective defence of Western Europe, it had been an institution in search of a cause until February 24 last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine. The existence of NATO, while often used by Putin to justify his invasion, has checked Russian aggression beyond Ukraine and has co-ordinated essential military intelligence and other support to Ukraine.

It is an alliance that has no parallel in the western Pacific.
Yun Hyong-keun's "Burnt Umber" (1980) / Courtesy of David Zwirner, PKM Gallery





By Park Han-sol







Late "dansaekhwa" (monochrome painting) master Yun Hyong-keun has come under the spotlight at the heart of the French capital this month with his never-before-exhibited pieces unfurled on "hanji" (traditional Korean paper made with mulberry trees).







Exhibition "Yun Hyong-keun" mounted at David Zwirner's Paris location  his first solo show held in the city since 2006, a year before his passing  presents the artist's oeuvre dating from 1979 to 1984.







The period encompasses Yun's two-year-long stay in Paris, where he and his family found refuge in 1980 in pursuit of peace and freedom of expression amid political turbulence in his home country.







The artist is best known for painting monolithic, dark columns on canvas in a concentrated mixture of burnt umber and ultramarine that best represented his tumultuous state of mind following his brush with the Korean War and South Korea's postwar authoritarian regimes.







He was incarcerated several times for his political beliefs and openly critical remarks against the administration, including in 1973 when he spoke up against corruption in the school system while teaching at Sookmyung Girls' High School. His "crime," the authorities deemed, was having violated the Anti-Communist Act.







That year at the age of 45, after decades of struggle against the corrupt authorities, he turned to art to express his pent-up frustration and sorrow.







Yun Hyong-keun's studio in Paris in 1981 / Courtesy of PKM Gallery





The artist declared his new series to be called, "Cheonjimun" (Gate of Heaven and Earth): "Blue is the color of Heaven, while umber symbolizes the color of the Earth. Hence, I call them Heaven and Earth, with the gate serving as the composition."







His brushstrokes bled naturally across the linen or cotton raw canvas  appearing light brown as its fabric was not bleached  reminiscent of traditional East Asian calligraphy or ink and wash paintings.







It was during his residence in Paris that Yun furthered the artistic vocabulary he had already established by actively incorporating hanji into his practice and adding variations to the composition of his dark pillars on canvas.







This creative exploration was partially fueled after he learned of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, when hundreds of civilian activists and students protesting against South Korea's Chun Doo-hwan administration were brutally persecuted and killed. This massacre was what prompted his family to relocate to France in the first place.







The Paris show features a curated selection of 25 of Yun's seminal pieces, including 12 hanji works produced in 1981.







"Yun Hyong-keun," held in collaboration with Seoul-based PKM Gallery, runs through Feb. 23 at David Zwirner Paris.








Billionaire Gautam Adanis flagship firm Adani Enterprises Ltd. and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. dropped as much as 2.5% and 5% respectively on Tuesday after Hindenburg, an US-based investment research firm that specializes in activist short-selling, made wide-ranging allegations of corporate malpractice following a two-year investigation into the tycoons companies. Cement makers ACC Ltd. and Ambuja Cements Ltd., acquired by Adani recently, also plunged. Shares in Adani Group companies fell after well-known US activist investor Hindenburg Research LLC said it was shorting the empires stocks and accused firms owned by Asias richest man of brazen market manipulation and accounting fraud.



Representatives for the Adani Group didnt immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment, saying the company would issue a statement in response later. Hindenburgs report details a web of Adani-family controlled offshore shell entities in tax havens, from the Caribbean, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates, that it claims were used to facilitate corruption, money laundering and taxpayer theft, while siphoning money from the groups listed companies.





The report was released on the same day that a key share sale from Adani Enterprises, aimed at attracting a broader network of investors, is set to open for subscription.

Also Read Billionaire Julian Robertson, hedge-fund guru to 'Tiger Cubs,' dies at 90 Adani Enterprises Q1 results: Company's performance in last four quarters India's billionaire club shrinks to 120, Gautam Adani tops rich list The $14 billion feud that splintered the billionaire Hinduja family Chinese billionaire Jack Ma living in Tokyo after China's crackdown: Report Hindenburg says it holds short positions in Adani Group, flags risks Murdochs drop proposal to recombine Fox and News Corp, say 'not optimal' Blackstone in talks with Bain to sell $480 million stake in top Indian REIT JPMorgan gets RBI nod for new India chief executive officer Prabdev Singh Jaypee Infra insolvency: Lenders, except ICICI Bank, assign debt to NARCL



Adani rocketed up the Bloomberg Billionaires Index last year past the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and his fortune now totals $118.9 billion, making him the fourth-wealthiest person in the world. The broadside from Hindenburg comes at a critical time for the ports-to-power tycoon. Adani is seeking to raise his international profile and is aggressively branching into new businesses, including cement and media, in his power base of India, where he is seen to enjoy a close relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Adani empires expansion plans are closely aligned to the governments development and economic goals.



Hindenburg said it had taken a short position in Adanis companies through U.S.-traded bonds and non-Indian-traded derivative instruments. Even if you ignore the findings of our investigation and take the financials of Adani Group at face value, its 7 key listed companies have 85% downside purely on a fundamental basis owing to sky-high valuations, Hindenburg said in the report. A prominent research outfit, Hindenburg is best known for its critical reports on the electric vehicle space. It was instrumental in bringing down the founder of e-truck company Nikola Corp., which was accused by Hindenburg in 2020 of being built on dozens of lies. Nikola founder Trevor Milton eventually stepped down as chairman and was found guilty of securities fraud. More recent targets include Clover Health and Lordstown Motors.


This follows the Supreme Courts refusal to grant Google any interim relief against a National Company Law Appellate Tribunal order that had upheld a Competition Commission of India (CCI) antitrust ruling. Manufacturers will be able to license individual Google apps for pre-installation on smartphones, and Android users will now have the option to pick a default search engine on their devices, the tech giant said on Wednesday.



In a blog post, Google said: We take our commitment to comply with local laws and regulations in India seriously. The CCIs recent directives for Android and Play require us to make significant changes for India, and today weve informed the CCI of how we will be complying with their directives. The CCI had slapped a Rs 1,337.76-crore penalty on Google for anti-competitive practices and also a second fine of Rs 936.44 crore on the company for abusing its dominant position through its Play Store policies.



It listed multiple key changes that Google will make to its platforms and business in India. For instance, OEMs will be able to license individual Google apps for pre-installation on their devices. Android users have always been able to customise their devices to suit their preferences. Indian users will now have the option to choose their default search engine via a choice screen that will soon start to appear when a user sets up a new Android smartphone or tablet in India, it added. Google said that it was making required changes, whose implementation will be a complex process that will demand significant efforts including from its partners, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and developers.

Also Read Google may face a third CCI fine in less than a month. Now for Android TV Why does Google find itself in CCI's crosshairs? Indian developers benefit from Android, Play: Google on CCI penalty NCLAT directs Google to pay 10% of Rs 1,337 crore penalty imposed by CCI Reviewing SC decision, will cooperate with CCI on way forward: Google Adani Enterprises allots Rs 5,985-cr worth shares to anchor investors From packaged food to hotel menus: ITC goes gung ho on millets Akasa Air faces operational disruptions due to outage at facility Kishore Biyani resigns as executive chairman and director of Future Retail Google makes changes to Android in India after it faces antitrust setback



Android has always supported the installation of apps from a variety of sources, including via sideloading that involves app downloads directly from a developers website, the blog post pointed out. Google recently made changes to the Android installation flow and auto-updating capability for sideloaded apps and app stores while ensuring users understand the potential security risks. Google is also updating the Android compatibility requirements to introduce changes for partners to build non-compatible or forked variants. Another change that it noted was availability of user choice billing for all apps and games starting next month. Through user choice billing, developers can offer users the option to choose an alternative billing system alongside Google Plays billing system when purchasing in-app digital content.
Bajaj Auto on Wednesday said its consolidated net profit increased 3 per cent to Rs 1,473 crore in the third quarter ended December 31, 2022, aided by sales growth in the domestic market.

The Pune-based company had reported a net profit of Rs 1,430 crore for October-December period a year ago.

Total revenue from operations rose to Rs 9,319 crore in the quarter under review from Rs 9,022 crore in the year-ago period.

The company said its total sales across domestic and export markets stood at 9,83,276 units in the third quarter as compared with 11,81,361 units in the same period last fiscal, a dip of 17 per cent.

In the domestic market, the company reported sales of 5,44,188 units, up 4 per cent from 5,23,299 units in the year-ago period.

Exports, however dropped 33 per cent to 4,39,088 units as against 6,58,062 units in October-December period of last fiscal.

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"On exports, macro-economic challenges continue to subdue industry volumes across overseas geographies. While the company continues to navigate this situation through decisive actions, market share remains stable and the resilient performance in the ASEAN is alleviating in part, the drop in volumes across other regions," Bajaj Auto said.

The balance sheet continues to be healthy with surplus cash of Rs 14,894 crore as December 31, 2022, providing the capacity for growth investments, it added.

Shares of the company on Wednesday ended 0.87 per cent up at Rs 3,717.40 apiece on the BSE.
JandK Operations, which wants to commercialise the model, is also aiming to rope in organisations that want safe communication among their e

At present, BharOS is compatible with Google Pixel phones and steps are being taken to rope in other OEMs. On Tuesday, Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Ashwini Vaishnaw successfully tested BharOS. Whichever vendor or OEMs comes to us and opens up their development manual or trusted execution manual, we will port and give it to them. We welcome them, said V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras.


If you want to move from any other market to India as a domicile it is treated as a capital gains event for existing investors. So you have to do a fresh market valuation and pay tax on the delta. Our investors have paid almost Rs 8,000 crore in taxes just to allow us to come back to India, said Nigam during the firms first Youtube Live session along with company co-founder Rahul Chari on Wednesday. PhonePes investors had to pay about Rs 8,000 crore in taxes to allow the fintech firm to domicile in India from Singapore, said PhonePes co-founder and chief executive officer Sameer Nigam.



The Bengaluru-based unicorn recently raised $350 million in funding from General Atlantic at a pre-money valuation of $12 billion, making the Walmart-owned start-up the most-valued financial technology (fintech) player in India. Other investors which have backed PhonePe include Qatar Investment Authority, Microsoft, Tiger Global and a couple of smaller hedge funds. That is a very stiff shock, if the business is not yet at maturity, and is a few years away from an IPO, said Nigam. I think it worked for us because we have long-term investors, and are blessed to have Walmart and Tencent and a lot of balance sheet investors who can take a multi-decade view.



Last year, PhonePe completed three steps to move its domicile to India. It had moved all businesses, including insurance and wealth broking, and subsidiaries of PhonePe Singapore to PhonePe Pvt Ltd-India. PhonePes board had approved creating a new employee stock ownership plan and migrating more than 3,000 PhonePe group employees ESOPs (employee stock option plan). The funding is expected to help PhonePe scale up its operations and help it compete with Google Pay, Paytm, and Amazon Pay in the Indian fintech space, which is expected to touch $350 billion in enterprise value by 2026, according to a report by Bain and Company.

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Because the law in India says if you migrate, you still have to start with a new one-year cliff, said Nigam. It's very hard for startups, particularly early-stage startups, to convince employees that their ESOP vesting status reverts back to zero. Nigam on Wednesday said that another challenge was to convince several thousand employees that their ESOPs are back to zero vesting at a one-year cliff.



I think there is engagement happening at the highest level of government as well, to make it easier for businesses to come back, said Nigam. I think that this law needs to change. Its not progressive, because it is disincentivising India-focused startups from changing domiciles. Nigam said that there are at least 20 unicorns who already reached out to PhonePe along with their investors looking for ways to move back to India. They have said, if the law becomes smoother, they would like to move domicile here in the country. He said this is a testament to the fact that India as a market is becoming very very attractive.



In this case, by domiciling to India, as things stand, unless the law changes by end of March, we stand to lose about $900 million of accumulated losses, because it is considered a restructuring event, said Nigam. Essentially there is no distinction in Indian law, between a restructuring, where the pre and post-beneficial owners are the same, versus another acquisition event. I think that is at the heart of the challenge. "One of the things that is very common in the startup world pre-profit, is you're accumulating losses. Later as the company becomes profitable, you get to actually offset the losses which saves you some tax," he added.



Learning from the 2021 IPOs, I think it'll take a while before the Indian markets will really appreciate pre-profit listings, that too at significant valuations, said Nigam. I think profitability at scale will be the two markers, and the third would be the diversification of the business. I think it'll take us a few years, I wont say when. Five years ago, PhonePe had told the Board that it will list in 2023. A lot has changed in those 5 years. The companys ambitions have grown. The opportunity to tap e-commerce and ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) account aggregators, insurance, lending, and other markets, have opened up.



We will be looking at launching new products and offerings be it lending on the merchant side, lending on the consumer side, a lot of new open API initiatives like account aggregator and ONDC, said Chari. I think India is just going to explode on the digital front. With the kind of patient capital backing us, we would love to actually play a small role and a large part over time. Rahul Chari who is also the chief technology officer of PhonePe said the firm wants to play a very important role in fulfilling the ambition of taking digital payments in India to a billion transactions a day, from close to half a billion.
Hot cups of chai, snacks, patriotic songs and dollops of camaraderie -- this is how AAP members sustained their nearly five-hour-long peaceful protest inside the chamber of the municipal House which failed to elect a mayor on Tuesday.

Soon as the House was adjourned till a further date by presiding officer Satya Sharma around 3 pm, AAP members, including its 13 MLAs and three MPs, refused to budge from it, and accused the BJP of "running away from the mayoral poll".

The protest was finally called off around 8 pm when party MP Sanjay Singh and MLA Durgesh Pathak addressed the AAP leaders, and asserted that their mayor and deputy mayor will be eventually elected.

Earlier, the AAP members seemed to made merry while lodging a protest sitting in the Aruna Asaf Ali hall.

Many councillors took turns to sing songs, largely patriotic numbers like 'Rang de Basanti', 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon' and 'Dil Diya Hai', and one member even recited 'Vande Mataram'.

The House proceedings began around 11:20 am and nominated members were first administered the oath by presiding officer Satya Sharma, followed by elected councillors.

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AAP members had objected to aldermen being administered the oath first and chanted "shame, shame" when it was being done.

Sharma had briefly adjourned the proceedings after the oath-taking ceremony. Later around 3 pm, she adjourned the House till further date after a brief ruckus among members of the AAP and the BJP.

While BJP members walked out with many chanting slogans against Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP members sat in their seats, refusing to move out of the House in protest.

The mayoral election could not be conducted as the newly-elected House convened on Tuesday for the second time in over two weeks. AAP MP Sanjay Singh hit out at the BJP, alleging that the mandate given by the two crore people of Delhi to Arvind Kejriwal and his party has been "strangulated".

Addressing his party members in the premises of the MCD House after it was adjourned till next date, the Rajya Sabha MP alleged the BJP was running away from mayoral election as it is "losing it badly".

Mayoral election is "not being allowed" to take place. The BJP is starting a "very dangerous tradition ('bhayanak parampara')," Singh alleged.

In the evening, cups of chai were served to the AAP members and many shared slices of sandwiches and fruits.

Many younger councillors from the AAP were seen taking blessings of their elder counterparts, while a few others huddled for some selfies as they went on with their protest in the House.

Around 7 pm, the lights were still switched on in the MCD House as AAP members occupied it, leaving many civic officials in a fix.

"We don't know when will this protest end. Tea, snacks and songs keeping them going," an official source told PTI, requesting anonymity. "We have never seen something like this," he said later in the evening.

Earlier in the day, there was tight security arrangements for the House proceedings with heavy deployment of security personnel on the Civic Centre premises, and in the House as well.

After the oath-taking when the House was briefly adjourned, several BJP councillors started chanting 'Modi, Modi' and targeted AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and raised slogans against him.

An AAP councillor, after taking oath, thanked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from the podium, prompting AAP members in the House to shout in support, following which BJP members objected to Kejriwal's name being taken on the dais and they countered AAP members' cries with 'Modi Modi' chants.

Later, the AAP paraded its 151 members on the premises of the MCD House -- 135 councillors, 13 MLAs and three MPs -- to prove that it had the numbers in its favour to have the mayor from the party.

Party MLAs Atishi and Durgesh Pathak also interacted with their party members in the House and exhorted them to go on as the evening slipped into night.

Around 8 pm, the AAP members dispersed from the House amid chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', 'Arvind Kejriwal Zindabad', 'Aam Aadmi Party Zindabad' and 'Bhagoda Party Sadan Mey Aao'.

"We waited till 7:30 pm so that the mayoral election could be held, but it didn't happen," Singh told reporters after emerging from the House.

"We waited hoping that the LG would let the election happen today. But, democracy is being diminished and the LG is not doing anything," MLA Atishi alleged.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks on China at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., Dec. 9, 2020. EPA-Yonhap



North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-un are not bothered at all by the U.S. military presence in South Korea, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo argued in a memoir published Tuesday.



They rather consider U.S. troops in South Korea as a protection against Chinese dominance, according to Pompeo.



Pompeo said the North Korean leader had raised the issue of U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises during their first meeting in Pyongyang.



"I insinuated that he was a little hypocritical to get worked up about them, given how his planes and rockets could within minutes, or perhaps seconds, lay waste to the city of Seoul, South Korea, a city of ten million people and only a few dozen kilometers from the demilitarized zone (DMZ)," he wrote.



Pompeo frequented the reclusive country during the height of U.S.-North Korea summitry that led to three historic meetings between then U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader in 2018 and 2019. The U.S. has some 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea.



Pompeo said he had also told Kim that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had "consistently told the United States that American forces leaving South Korea would make Chairman Kim happy."



"At this, Kim laughed and pounded on the table in sheer joy, exclaiming that the Chinese were liars," wrote Pompeo.



"He (Kim) said that he needed the Americans in South Korea to protect him from the CCP, and that the CCP needs the Americans out so they can treat the peninsula like Tibet and Xinjiang," he added.



Pompeo also offered to U.S. policymakers: "expanding U.S. missile and ground capabilities on the Korean Peninsula won't bother the North Koreans at all."



The former state secretary said Kim had made three commitments during his short visit to Pyongyang.



"He committed to completely getting rid of his nuclear weapons, saying they were a massive economic burden and made his nation a pariah in the eyes of the world," said Pompeo.



"He further committed to putting a moratorium on his nuclear and missile development programs. He also committed to meeting with President Trump," he added.



Kim and Trump held the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore in June 2018, two months after Pyongyang declared a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range ballistic missile tests.



The second Trump-Kim summit, held in Vietnam in February 2019, ended without a deal. The two met again briefly inside the DMZ during Trump's trip to Seoul in June 2019, but the meeting again ended without any progress.



North Korea ended its self-imposed moratorium on weapons testing last year, firing 69 ballistic missiles, including eight intercontinental ballistic missiles, replacing its previous record of 25 ballistic missiles launched in one year. (Yonhap)


The indefinite strike by 'Asha' workers in Jharkhand entered the third day on Wednesday as they stuck to their charter of demands, including a hike in their remuneration.

Health services, such as immunisation, antenatal and post-natal check-ups in rural areas, have been adversely impacted as more than 42,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (Ashas) joined the agitation, an official said.

Sahiyas, who help mobilise the community and facilitate access to health and health-related services in rural areas, warned of intensifying the stir if their demands are not met.

The 'Asha' workers have been staging demonstrations at primary and community health centres of the state and participated in rallies at block levels.

Jharkhand Pradesh Swasthya Sahiya Sangh (JPSSS) secretary Maya Singh said, We will not have any alternative option but to intensify the agitation if no one pays attention to our demands."



She said the association has been demanding that the remuneration be increased to at least Rs 18,000 per month besides benefits of EPF and pension along with regularisation of services.

Meanwhile, contractual employees of the state government, who have been observing a strike since January 17 demanding regularisation of their jobs, have decided to intensify the agitation.
Slamming the NDA government over reports that India is not able to patrol at 26 out of the 65 Patrolling Points in Ladakh, AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "gave a clean chit to China" in 2020 by saying that the nieghbouring country has not entered into our territory.

Citing media reports on the issue, he said every citizen should be concerned about the country not being able to patrol at those points and that the Prime Minister is not concerned.

"And, why it happened? Because, June 20, 2020... the Prime Minister of this country gave a clean chit to China that China has not entered," Khera, Chairman of AICC's Media and Publicity department, told reporters here.

The valour of 20 of our brave soldiers has been insulted, he said.

China is feeling confident now that, whatever it does, PM "Narendra Modi ji would close his eyes" to save his image and say that China has not done anything wrong, he alleged.

Khera, who claimed that the country has lost its land on the border with China, alleged that a BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh has written to the Prime Minister to check China and that there was no reply to the letter also.

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Media reports claimed that the Army's approach to restrict the movement of district administration and local people in forward areas has turned the areas that were once accessible into informal "buffer" zones.

Asked about senior Congress leader A K Antony's son Anil resigning from all his posts in the party following "intolerant calls" and "abuses" over his tweet against a controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi, he appeared to disapprove of Anil's tweet.

"I don't understand why should anybody in the Congress or anybody in public life be opposed to free speech of the media. Anybody who wants to oppose free speech of the media will find his or her own way. As far as our party is concerned, we strongly believe in free speech," he said.

Khera further observed that there is a small "lakshman rekha" which is followed when one is part of an organisation. A K Antony is deeply respected in the party, Khera said.

Saying that he and other party leaders have learnt discipline from A K Antony, the Congress spokesperson said he wishes that Anil also learnt something from his father.

The AICC leader also attacked the Modi government over the handling of the country's economy, MSMEs getting destroyed, divisive politics and others.

He also claimed that "more than half of BJP's cabinet is upset with their own party" but could not speak out of fear.

He added that the 'Haath se Haath Jodo' campaign to spread the message of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' would start from January 26.
The Congress is sharply focusing on women voters promising cash transfers and separate manifesto months ahead of Assembly elections in Karnataka as it aims to wrest power from the BJP.

Seeking to raise the pitch, women aspirants have also been pushing for allotment of at least 15 per cent of the tickets.

The Congress has announced that Rs 2,000 would be credited to the account of woman head of households every month if it's voted to power.

Days earlier, it promised 200 units of free power a month to all homes in the State, where Assembly elections are due by May.

A separate manifesto for women is also in the works.

The Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra recently announced 'Na Nayaki' ('I am the woman leader') project here under which the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme offering Rs 2,000 was promised.

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According to her, a separate manifesto for women, as was done in Uttar Pradesh, will be brought out in Karnataka.

Conceding that the Congress experiment of women-centric manifesto did not translate into electoral gains in Uttar Pradesh, she, however, had said it compelled other political parties to give space for women in their manifesto.

Congress women leaders are upbeat about the party's prospects in the polls.

Kavitha Reddy, who is aspiring to contest the election from Bommanahalli assembly constituency said the 'gender based politics' was necessary as women have to "realise" their power.

Gender based politics is very important. People fight for the rights of 'Panchamasali', 'Vokkaligas' and various other communities but no one stands up for women's cause", she said.

The women are paid less compared to men in most of private sector, especially in the unorganised sector for the same work done by men. Their salaries and wages stagnated. Women are the worst sufferers of the price rise. Hence, the 'Na Nayaki' scheme, she told PTI.

Of the 1,350 people who had applied for ticket in 224 constituencies, 120 are women.

According to Reddy, the number of women ticket aspirants was only 35 in 2018.

A Mahila Congress leader told PTI on condition of anonymity that the women in Congress had given a representation to the KPCC president D K Shivakumar demanding at least 35 tickets to women or at least ticket to one woman in each of the 31 districts of Karnataka.

"If our demands are not met we will escalate it to Congress High Command. We will also meet AICC general secretaries Randeep Singh Surjewala, K C Venugopal and others," she said.

Lavanya Ballal Jain, the Congress state general secretary heading the media and communication division in the party, too said the participation of women in politics was necessary.

This pitch for women-centric policies and more women participation in politics is necessary to create a difference in the society, Jain pointed out.

However, this has not impressed some non-government organisations focused on social welfare, who said freebies and "stuffing money" into the pocket will not do much for women empowerment.

Given that women lack financial independence because of "all the unpaid work that they do", it seems justified to give them social assistance of Rs 2000 as promised by the Congress party but the rush to announce freebies by all political parties seems to expose their lack of ideas on how to create mass-based productive employment, the Executive Trustee of Civic-Bangalore, Kathyayini Chamaraj said.

Why not make anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, etc. regular government workers with enhanced pay and benefits? she asked.

Rather than giving freebies, government should enhance paid employment opportunities, prescribe living wages as minimum wages, and collect contributions from all employers employing unorganised workers, she said.

Dr Meenakshi Bharath, a noted gynaecologist said women cannot be empowered by giving them money.

The moot question is where Rs 24,000 a year for each woman head of the family will come from. Is it robbing Peter to pay Paul? Is that the definition of empowerment? Dr Bharath questioned.

Dr Annapoorna Ravichander, Head, Policy Engagement and Communication and Training at the Public Affairs Committee, sought to know how the money would be dispensed and how it will be spent.

As we have seen in many schemes, it is the women who get it, but it is the men who rule it. Now how is this Rs 2,000 going to be dispensed to the women? How much of the right she has on it, especially when you are thinking of the community? Dr Ravichander said.

Ravichander, however, admired the scheme saying that it was a good idea provided it is implemented in a planned manner.
A Delhi court on Wednesday granted two days to the ED to reply to an application of Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez seeking permission to travel to Dubai.

Fernandez, an accused in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case also involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, has sough the court's permission to travel to Dubai from January 27 to 30.

Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik, who was scheduled to hear arguments on the actor's application on Wednesday, posted the matter for January 27 after the agency sought time to file a detailed reply to her application.

The actor did not appear before the court on Wednesday and was represented by her lawyer.

Fernandez had on December 22 withdrew from the court her plea for permission to go abroad to meet her family members, after the judge suggested that let the question of charge first be decide.

She was granted regular bail in the case on November 15, 2022. Fernandez was not arrested in the case.

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The judge had on August 31 taken cognisance of a supplementary charge sheet filed by the ED and had asked Fernandez to appear before the court.

Fernandez, who was summoned by the ED several times in connection with the investigation, has been named as an accused for the first time in the supplementary charge sheet.

The ED's earlier charge sheet and a supplementary charge sheet did not mention her as an accused.

The documents, however, had mentioned the details of the statements recorded by Fernandez and fellow actor Nora Fatehi.
The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday said that even if Oreva Group pays compensation to kith and kin of Morbi bridge collapse victims, criminal trial against its director will continue.

A bench of Chief Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice A J Shastri made the observation after Oreva group director

Jaysukh Patel, in an affidavit submitted to the court, offered to pay suitable compensation to kith and kin of victims.

In the affidavit, Patel submitted that he is willingly and unconditionally ready to take responsibility of seven children who have lost their parents in the tragedy.

He further said that he took the repair work not for any commercial work but to preserve the heritage and some influential people had helped him to get this work.

The director submitted that he is even given maintenance and repair work of Jamsab tower clock in Rajkot.

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The state government in its reply stated, "There are 1441 over bridges across the state, of which 63 major bridges need repair, of total over bridges, 168 major bridges and 180 minor bridges are in the municipal corporation areas, other over bridges are in nagar palika area, of 100 odd bridges, 32 are major bridges, 27 of them are under repair."

On October 30, 2022, a suspension bridge on Machchhu river in Morbi collapsed, in which 135 persons were killed.

The said bridge's repair and maintenance work contract was given to Oreva group by Morbi Nagar palika. Without proper permission and fitness certificate, the Oreva group director had thrown the bridge open for public.

The High Court taking suo motu cognisance of the tragic incident, had impleaded Oreva group director as respondent in the PIL.

--IANS

har/svn/
Houses located in upscale localities of Delhi and Mumbai, restaurants, 50 vehicles and bank deposits worth Rs 76.54 crore of various accused, including an AAP functionary, an alleged close associate of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and an associate of Telangana chief minister's daughter, have been attached in the Delhi excise policy money laundering case, the ED said Wednesday.

It said in a statement that the agency has issued a provisional attachment order, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), for freezing the properties.

The properties belong to arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in-charge Vijay Nair, Arun Pillai, a Hyderabad-based liquor businessman and a partner in a company called Robin Distilleries LLP whom the ED had said represented the 'south group' alleged cartel linked to Telangana chief minister's MLC daughter Kavitha and others, liquor businessman Sameer Mahandru, his wife Geetika Mahandru and their company Indospirit Group.

The assets of Dinesh Arora, a businessman considered close to Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia who has been designated as an "approver" in the CBI case and Amit Arora, director of liquor firm Buddy Retail Pvt Limited have also been attached.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also investigating the alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 that was scrapped after the Delhi LG sought a probe into it.

The attached assets worth a total Rs 76.54 crore include residential properties worth Rs 35 crore in central Delhi's posh Jor Bagh area owned by Sameer Mahandru and Geetika Mahandru and 50 vehicles worth Rs 10.23 crore owned by the Indospirit Group (Mahandru's business entity).

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A residential premise worth Rs 7.68 crore located in 'Magnolias', Gurugram owned by Amit Arora, another such unit worth Rs 1.77 crore located at 'Crescent Bay' in Mumbai's Parel area owned by Vijay Nair and assets valued at Rs 3.18 crore of 'Chica', 'La Roca', 'Unplugged Courtyard' restaurants owned by Dinesh Arora and a land parcel worth Rs 2.25 crore located in Vattinagulapally area of Hyderabad owned by Arun Pillai apart from bank deposits, FDs and other financial instruments worth Rs 14.39 crore have been attached in the case of Delhi Liquor scam, the ED said.

The ED's money laundering stems from a CBI FIR.

Sisodia and other excise officials of the government were named as accused in the CBI and the ED complaints.

"Investigation by ED found that acts of corruption and conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 led to the loss of at least Rs 2,873 crore to the government exchequer," the agency said.

"Proceeds of crime generated....to the tune of Rs 76.54 crore have been traced so far and have been attached," the agency said.

According to the scheme of the PMLA, the attachment order can be challenged by the accused before an adjudicating authority within six months time.

The ED, till now, has filed two charge sheets or prosecution complaints in this case and has arrested a total of six people.

Those arrested include Vijay Nair, Sameer Mahandru, Amit Arora, Benoy Babu, general manager of leading French wine company Pernod Ricard, P Sarath Chandra Reddy, whole-time director and promoter of Aurobindo Pharma and Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinpally. All are in judicial custody at present.

The ED earlier informed a court, through the filing of a charge sheet, that the excise policy was allegedly formulated to provide monetary benefits to certain AAP politicians and the accused involved in the case "formed a cartel" with the South group which was controlled by Kavitha and YSRCP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy among others.

Besides Sisodia, who holds the excise portfolio in the Delhi government, the CBI had named the then excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, the then deputy excise commissioner Anand Kumar Tiwari, assistant excise commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar, nine businessmen and two companies as accused in the FIR filed in August, 2022.

In its FIR, the CBI has alleged that Sisodia and other accused public servants recommended and took decisions pertaining to the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority with "an intention to extend undue favours to the licensees post tender."



Sisodia has also been questioned by the CBI in the case.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked a special court in Ghaziabad, which has summoned journalist Rana Ayyub in a money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), to adjourn the proceedings scheduled for January 27 to a date after January 31.

The apex court said it will hear on January 31 the petition of Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by the special court.

A bench of Justices Krishna Murari and V Ramasubramanian was informed by advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for Ayyub, that the petitioner has been summoned by the Ghaziabad court on January 27.

"List on January 31. In the meantime, the Ghaziabad special court is requested to adjourn the proceedings...fixed for January 27 to a date after January 31," the bench said.

The top court said this order is being passed because the hearing could not be concluded before it on Wednesday due to paucity of time and it is not a reflection on the merits of the matter.

At the outset, the bench asked why the petition has been filed directly in the apex court.

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Grover said Ayyub can't be subjected to the jurisdiction of Uttar Pradesh in the matter which pertains to an alleged offence that was committed in Mumbai.

"Can't this question be decided by the jurisdictional high court?" the bench asked.

Grover raised the jurisdictional issue and said the complaint in the matter cannot be filed in a court in Uttar Pradesh as no part of the alleged offence has taken place in this state.

"Is the high court powerless to hold that?" the bench asked, adding, "Why cannot the high court look into this question, take a call and decide it. Tell us this."



"My (Ayyub) liberty is at stake," she said, adding that investigation was done by the Delhi zonal office.

She said Ayyub has never been arrested throughout the investigation and neither any charge sheet filed in the predicate offence. The lawyer said Ayyub was never summoned in the predicate offence.

"All I am seeking then, if my lordships think that this should not be heard here, to give me at least four weeks protection. It will take that much time for my matter even to be heard before the Allahabad High Court," Grover said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, urged the court not to accede to the request and said the complaint has not been placed on record by Ayyub.

"This is the most serious case. There is crowd funding. It is a new device," Mehta argued.

When Grover said some interim protection be given to Ayyub, Mehta responded, "File anticipatory bail. Everybody files anticipatory bail. Every litigant is equal before the eyes of law."



"Not in the jurisdiction of Uttar Pradesh," Grover replied.

The bench observed it will post the matter for hearing next week and, instead of passing any interim order, it will request the court concerned to postpone the proceedings on January 27.

In her writ petition, Ayyub has sought quashing of the proceedings initiated by the ED in Ghaziabad citing lack of jurisdiction as the alleged offence of money laundering occurred in Mumbai.

On November 29 last year, the special PMLA court in Ghaziabad had taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed by the ED and summoned Ayyub.

The ED charge sheet was filed under section 45 read with section 44 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

"I have perused the above mentioned prosecution complaint and have also gone through the prosecution papers as well as documents including statements.

"From the perusal of the entire record there is sufficient evidence as to a prima facie case for taking cognisance against Ms Rana Ayyub with regard to commission of offence," the special court judge had said.

The special court had said Ayyub's alleged crime involves taking money illegally from the general public in the name of charity via Ketto -- an online crowdfunding platform -- in three campaigns without any approval, raising a huge sum in the bank account of her sister and father, and transferring it into her own bank account which was not used for the intended purpose.

On October 12 last year, the ED had filed a charge sheet against Ayyub, accusing her of cheating the public and using Rs 2.69 crore she got in charity for creating personal assets, and also violating the foreign contribution law.

"Rana Ayyub launched three fundraiser charity campaigns on the 'Ketto platform' starting from April 2020 and collected funds totalling Rs 2,69,44,680," the ED had said in a statement.

The campaigns, it had claimed, were meant to raise funds for slum dwellers and farmers, relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra, and help Ayyub and her team help those impacted by COVID-19 in India.

"Ayyub utilised these funds to create a fixed deposit of Rs 50 lakh for herself and also transferred Rs 50 lakh to a new bank account. Investigations found that only about Rs 29 lakh was used for relief work," the ED had claimed.

"In order to claim more expenses towards relief work, fake bills were submitted by Ayyub and subsequently, bank balances in the accounts of Ayyub amounting to Rs 1,77,27,704 (including FD of Rs 50 Lakh) were attached under the PMLA vide a provisional attachment order dated February 4, 2022," it had said.

The ED had initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered on September 7, 2021 by the Indirapuram Police Station of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh under various sections of the IPC, Information Technology Amendment Act 2008, and Black Money Act against Ayyub.

It also alleged that Ayyub received foreign contributions without registration under FCRA.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks during daily press briefing at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Feb. 22, 2021. AFP-Yonhap



The United States may consider appointing a special envoy solely dedicated to issues related to North Korea should there be active dialogue with the reclusive country, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday.



The department spokesperson, Ned Price, also underscored Pyongyang continued disregard for U.S. overtures as a reason for Sung Kim concurrently serving as special envoy for North Korea and U.S. ambassador to Indonesia.



"If we are to arrive at a position where it does make sense to have an individual singularly focused as special envoy for the DPRK, we can cross that bridge. But right now Sung Kim has been doing a really tremendous job as our ambassador and as a special envoy," Price said when asked if the U.S. would consider appointing a special envoy solely dedicated to North Korea issues.



DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.



Price blamed the current lack of North Korea's interest in dialogue for Kim having to serve two positions.



"There's a very practical issue at play. We have made very clear that we seek to engage directly with the DPRK and see if we can arrive at practical, pragmatic steps we can take towards what is our ultimate objective, which complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he told the press briefing, adding the North has shown no interest in engaging in dialogue so far.



"So it may be a different story were there active diplomacy ongoing with the DPRK, were there active dialogue ongoing. In the absence of that, Sung Kim has been very focused on working with our Japanese allies, our South Korean allies, other allies in the Indo Pacific, other allies and partners around the world," he added.



President Joe Biden recently nominated a state department official, Julie Turner, to serve as special envoy for North Korean human rights, a post that has been vacant for over six years since January 2017.



The state department spokesperson noted there were "few people" with the experience and knowledge that Julie would bring to the post if appointed.



However, Price insisted the department has worked tirelessly to help improve human rights conditions in North Korea and elsewhere.



"Even as this position has been vacant, and of course, it is a position that wasn't filled by the previous administration so it's been some time since we've had Senate confirmed individual in this position, state department officials at all levels from the secretary on down have been actively engaged on issues of human rights," he said.



"This administration, as you know, is committed to placing human rights at the center of our foreign policy. And for decades, the United States has championed efforts to improve respect for human rights and indignity of North Koreans and will continue to promote accountability for the DPRK government, for its egregious human rights record," added Price. (Yonhap)


India has lost access to 26 of 65 patrolling posts in Eastern Ladakh, a senior police officer in the union territory has said, reported NDTV.

In a worrying new revelation amid the nation's standoff with China at several flashpoints along the precarious 3,500-km border, the police officer said, "Presently there are 65 PPs (Patrolling Points) starting from Karakoram pass to Chumur which are to be patrolled regularly by the ISFs (Indian Security Forces). Out of 65 PPs, our presence is lost in 26 PPs (i.e. PP no. 5-17, 24-32, 37, due to restrictive or no patrolling by the ISFs."



"Later on, China forces us to accept the fact that as such areas have not seen the presence of ISFs or civilians for long, the Chinese were present in these areas. This leads to a shift in the border under the control of ISFs towards the Indian side and a "buffer zone" is created in all such pockets which ultimately leads to the loss of control over these areas by India. This tactic of PLA (China's People's Liberation Army) to grab land inch-by-inch is known as 'Salami slicing'," the report by the officer added. The report was presented at the annual meeting of the nation's senior police commanders, which took place last week in Delhi and was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.



"They object to our movement even in the buffer zone, claiming it to be 'their' area of operation and then further ask us to move back to create more 'buffer' areas," the officer wrote. The officer wrote that PLPA has taken advantage of the buffer areas in the de-escalation talks by placing their best cameras on the highest peaks and monitoring the movement of Indian forces.

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The government is yet to comment on the disclosure. Speaking to The Hindu newspaper, which first reported the police officer's research paper, a defense source countered its assertions, saying "there is no loss of territory due to disengagement in friction areas".


The free trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated between India and the UK has all the hallmarks of being a genuine global standard, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Wednesday.

Addressing the annual India Global Forum (IGF) UK-India Parliamentary Lunch co-hosted by the Indian High Commission, the foreign minister highlighted the partnership between the two countries in the field of climate action and indicated plans to visit India in the coming months during its G20 Presidency.

"On trade, we are well into the negotiations of what has all the hallmarks of being a genuine global standard bilateral trade relationship, because we have this wonderful bilateral relationship which I like to think of as unique," said Cleverly.

"The similarities enable us to work so easily together, and the differences mean that we don't have that group think which so often hampers innovation India is really pushing at the front edge of green economic development and we are very, very keen to be good partners with you, he said.

Labelling the India-UK relationship as "wonderful, unique, intimate and familial, the minister shared reflections from his first ever visit as Foreign Secretary to the country last year as a "sensory overload" and the "vibrant entrepreneurs and forward thinkers" he met.

"People who have been absolutely the foundation stone of the UK's economic vibrancy over many, many decades and a whole range of exciting technological ideas. These ideas will help to make the world cleaner, greener, healthier, happier and more prosperous place, he said.

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"I very much look forward to India hosting the Presidency of the G20 and I have no doubt that it is going to be every bit as exciting and energising as every other part of Indian society. And, I cannot wait for the opportunity to go back, he added.

Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami focussed his address on the importance of building on the historic ties to look to the future of the relationship.

"The essence of a partnership is identifying what we are respectively good at, what we need from each other and finding ways in which we can jointly achieve those goals in a manner that is mutually beneficial, said Doraiswami.

"History is an important guide, it tells us what we have, where we came from and how we came to be together. But no friendship moves forward by looking only at the past and our friendship must be based on the values of the past, values that we share, but in the road ahead that we see," he said.

With reference to the 74th Republic Day celebrations this week, the diplomat hailed India's remarkable Constitution which created "equality of expectation in every citizen of India, regardless of race, creed, ethnicity or gender" from the very start and reiterated the shared belief in democracy as the cementing force behind the bilateral ties.

The parliamentary lunch, on the banks of the River Thames, also marked the launch of a new UK-India Future Forum (UKIFF) to facilitate high-level engagement between business leaders and policymakers.

"UKIFF will focus on advancing high impact strategic partnerships and investment flows, with technology and modern science at the core," said Professor Manoj Ladwa, Founder and Chairman of UK-based India Global Forum.

"Its launch at this important event in the UK-India calendar comes at a time when this partnership is well poised for the next phase of impactful growth, he said.


A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J K Maheshwari directed that Ashish shall not stay in Uttar Pradesh or Delhi during the interim bail period. The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted eight-week interim bail to Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence which claimed eight lives.



"With a view to ward of any direct or indirect influence on the material witnesses, who are yet to depose, the petitioner is directed to leave the state of Uttar Pradesh within one week from the date of his release on interim bail," it said. "The petitioner is directed to be released on interim bail, initially for a period of eight weeks subject to furnishing bail bond to the satisfaction of the trial court," the bench said.



"Any attempt by the petitioner or his family or supporters to influence or threaten the witnesses, directly or indirectly, shall entail cancellation of the interim bail," the top court said. The apex court said Ashish shall surrender his passport to the trial court and not enter Uttar Pradesh except to attend the trial proceedings.

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The bench said he shall mark his presence in the jurisdictional police station once in a week. It said Ashish shall disclose the place of his residence to the trial court as well as the jurisdictional police station where he would stay during the period of interim bail within one week of his release.



It observed that there are two separate FIRs with different narratives regarding the incident and the question as to who are the aggressor or responsible for the "unfortunately ghastly incident" would be ascertained only after a full-fledged trial. The bench also ordered that four persons, accused in a separate case lodged over the killing of three occupants of the SUV which allegedly mowed down farmers, be released on interim bail till further orders subject to furnishing bail bonds to the satisfaction of the trial court.



The bench directed that the accused and their lawyers would extend full cooperation to the trial court during the trial proceedings. It directed the trial court to prioritise the deposition of the protected witnesses, followed by other crucial witnesses.



The bench has posted the matter for further directions on March 14. It also directed the trial court to send progress report to the apex court along with details of witnesses examined on each date.



According to the Uttar Pradesh Police FIR in the case, four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in which Ashish was seated. On October 3, 2021, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri district's Tikunia where violence erupted when farmers were protesting against the then deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area.



The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had on July 26 last year rejected Ashish Mishra's bail plea. Following the incident, the driver of the SUV and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence.



On December 6 last year, the trial court had framed charges against Ashish Mishra and 12 others for the alleged offences of murder, criminal conspiracy and other penal laws in the case of death of the four protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, paving the way for the start of the trial. He had challenged the high court's order in the apex court.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held wide-ranging talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, focusing on ways to enhance bilateral ties in a range of areas, including agriculture, digital domain, culture and trade.

The 68-year-old influential Arab leader, who arrived here on Tuesday on a three-day visit, is the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations.

"Deepening our bond with Egypt -- the natural bridge that connects Asia with Africa. PM @narendramodi and President @AlsisiOfficial hold talks adding momentum to the multifaceted India-Egypt relations marked by civilisational, cultural & economic linkages and deep-rooted P2P ties," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

The Egyptian president visited India in October 2015 to participate in the third India-Africa Forum Summit. This was followed by his state visit in September 2016.

This is the first time that the Egyptian president has been invited as the chief guest to India's Republic Day celebrations. A military contingent from the Egyptian Army will also participate in the Republic Day parade.

India is keen to further expand ties with Egypt, a key player in the politics of both the Arab world as well as Africa. It is also seen as a major gateway to markets in Africa and Europe.
As the Election Commission aims to ensure 75 per cent voter turnout in future elections, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday urged people to consider voting as their contribution to nation building.

She said people must vote with the spirit of "nation paramount".

Addressing AN event to mark the 13th National Voters' Day, she said it is a great achievement of India's election process and democracy that the active participation of women in the democratic process is continuously increasing.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the number of women voters was slightly higher than that of men.

She noted that for the first time in the history of Indian Parliament, the total number of women MPs in both the Houses together have reached the 115 mark.

From gram panchayats to Parliament, women are contributing significantly. Their participation and numbers should increase further, she said.

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The president said that social revolution has been possible in the country during the past seven decades through the election process. It is a great success of our democracy that the common voter living in remote areas feels that he or she has a major role in deciding who would and how they would govern the country or the state.

She handed over the Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) to five youths who recently became voters.

During the event, President Murmu presented the national awards for the year 2022.

National awards for the best electoral practices will be presented to state and district level officers for their outstanding performance in the conduct of elections during 2022 in different spheres such as IT initiatives, security management, election management, accessible election, electoral roll and contribution in the field of voter awareness and outreach.

National awards will also be given to important stakeholders like government departments, and media organisations for their valuable contribution towards voters' awareness.

A first copy of the ECI publication, "Electing the First Citizen- An Illustrated Chronicle of India's Presidential Elections", will be presented to the president by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

The book, a first-of-its-kind publication, gives glimpses into the historic journey of presidential elections in the country. It throws light on the nuances of the presidential electoral system and associated constitutional provisions through the timelines of the past 16 presidential elections.

A song -- Main Bharat Hoon- Hum Bharat Ke Matdata Hain -- produced by the Election Commission in association with Subhash Ghai Foundation, will also be screened.

The song brings forth the power of vote and celebrates the spirit of inclusive, accessible, ethical, participative and festive elections in the largest and most vibrant democracy of the world.

Since 2011, National Voters' Day has been celebrated on January 25 every year to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission in 1950, a day before India became a republic.
Several students, who gathered at the JNU students' union office for a screening of a controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, claimed the varsity administration cut power and internet to stop the event, and staged a protest after stones were thrown on them.

They claimed that they were attacked when they were watching the documentary on their mobile-phones as the screening could not be held. Some alleged that the attackers were members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a charge the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated student body denied.

Later in the night, raising slogans of "Inqlaab Zinadabad" and against the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration, the protesting students marched to the Vasant Kunj police station to lodge a complaint against the "stone pelters".

On the power cut at the campus, a JNU administration official, requesting anonymity told PTI, "There is a major (power) line fault at the university. We are looking into it. The engineering department is saying it will be resolved at the earliest."



There was no immediate official response from the JNU administration to the allegations and claims of the students. It had on Monday in an advisory said that the union had not taken its permission for the event and it should be cancelled, warning of strict disciplinary action.

However, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) earlier in the day in a statement had said that there is no intention to create any form of disharmony through the screening of the documentary or movie.

It also sought a clarification from the administration regarding rules which mandate that prior permission is required for screening of any film or documentary on the university premises



JNU-All India Students Association (AISA) secretary Madhurima said, "Some students had seen ABVP activists pelting stones and recognised them."



She added that "also, a teacher had called sometime back (informing) that there were some goons, wearing masks, around the main gate and were talking about weapons."



The ABVP denied the allegation, saying they were not present at the spot. "We did not go the spot and no one from us (the students' body) was there. They are just taking our names to get more coverage," ABVP Delhi media convenor Ambuj told PTI.

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On the screening not taking place, AISA national president N Sai Balaji, who was present at the spot, said, "They (the JNU administration) have cut off the power and internet."



He said students had downloaded the documentary on their mobile-phones through an application to watch and share it.

Asrar Ahmed, who had gone for the screening said, "We were watching the documentary peacefully (on our phones) but some people threw stones at us. As it was dark, the people who threw the stones could not be identified."



However, a senior police officer said that no stone pelting incident was reported to police.

"The JNUSU organised a screening of the documentary. However, the JNU administration said no prior information was given for the event. No such permission is required before such an event. They cut the power supply and stones were pelted on students who were watching the documentary on their phones," student activist Qasim said.

"There is an atmosphere of fear on the university campus. We tried to mobilise students towards the gate but goons were there too. So, we decided to march towards the police station demanding that electricity be restored," he said.

In a statement the AISA-JNU said, "The JNUSU had organised the screening of India: The Modi Question today at Teflas at 9 pm. Just 30 minutes before the scheduled screening time, electricity connection to the entire JNU campus strangely failed."



Nevertheless students gathered at the venue for the screening with their laptops and bluetooth speakers, it said.

"The students had resolved to watch the documentary despite the numerous obstacles. While the students were peacefully watching the documentary on laptops, ABVP goons suddenly started pelting stones and broken glass bottles at the the students in the dark," it said.

The students' body said the students somehow escaped from the venue and marched towards the main gate in protest. "Even during the peaceful protest of students, ABVP goons repeatedly pelted stones and attacked numerous students. Several female students were harassed amidst the growing chaos," it said.

The government had on Friday directed social media platforms Twitter and YouTube to block links to the documentary titled "India: The Modi Question". The Ministry of External Affairs has trashed the documentary as a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset.

However, opposition parties have slammed the government's move to block access to the documentary.

The JNU administration, in an advisory on Monday, had said that the union had not taken its permission for the event and it should be cancelled as it could disturb peace and harmony.

The university in an advisory on Monday had said, It has come to the notice of the administration that a group of students have in the name of the JNUSU released a pamphlet for screening a documentary or movie (titled) India: The Modi Question scheduled for 24 January 2023, at 9:00 pm in Teflas.

No prior permission for this event has been taken from the JNU administration, it had said.

The two-part BBC documentary India: The Modi Question claims it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Modi was the chief minister of the state. The documentary has not been screened in India.
Pentagon spokesman U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon, in Washington, Jan. 24. AP-Yonhap



The United States continues to closely monitor North Korea for a possible nuclear test, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday.



The spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, said the U.S. is also working closely with its allies in preparation for a potential nuclear test.



"You have heard us say before that we do remain concerned that North Korea is prepared to conduct a seventh nuclear test," the Pentagon spokesperson told a daily press briefing.



"It would certainly be a destabilizing action in the region, and so it's something that we continue to keep a close eye on," Ryder added.



North Korea conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017. However, officials in Seoul and Washington have said that Pyongyang may conduct a nuclear test "at any time," adding it appears to have completed all preparations for a test.



"We will work closely with our partners and our allies in the region to be prepared in that eventuality," Ryder said when asked about U.S. countermeasures in response to a North Korean nuclear test. (Yonhap)


The Delhi Police Wednesday said they have detained four students after the Left-affiliated Students' Federation of India (SFI) announcement plan to screen a controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Jamia Millia Islamia campus.

The university administration said the screening will not be allowed and that they are taking all measures to prevent people and organisations with a "vested interest to destroy the peaceful academic atmosphere of the university".

A Delhi Police official said four SFI members were detained, just hours before the screening planned for 6 pm by the student body. The SFI called for a protest at 4 pm against the detention.

The SFI's Jamia unit has released a poster informing the documentary will be screened at 6 pm at the MCRC lawn gate no 8.

The SFI issued a statement following the detention.

"In an atrocious manner, Azeez, a student of Jamia Milia Islamia and SFI Jamia Unit Secretary; Nivedya, a Jamia Student and SFI South Delhi Area Vice President;



Abhiram and Tejas, both Jamia students and SFI Unit members have been detained by the Delhi Police prior to the screening of the documentary," the SFI said.

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"The SFI Jamia Unit had decided to screen the BBC documentary today on the campus," it added.

The university administration also issued a statement, saying no permission has been sought for the screening of the documentary and it will not be allowed.

"It has come to the knowledge of the university administration that some students belonging to a political organisation have circulated a poster about screening of a controversial documentary film on the university campus today," the university said in a statement.

The university earlier issued a memorandum/circular reiterating that no meeting/gathering of students or screening of any film shall be allowed on the campus without the permission of the competent authority.

The varsity said strict disciplinary action shall be taken against organisers in case of any violation.

"The university is taking all possible measures to prevent people/organisations having a vested interest to destroy the peaceful academic atmosphere of the university," it said.

The SFI attempt to screen the documentary at the Jamia campus comes a day after a similar event was organised at the Jawaharlal Nehru University during which students claimed that power and internet were suspended and stones were thrown at them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted people of the country on National Voters' Day.

"Greetings on National Voters' Day. Inspired by this year's theme of 'Nothing Like Voting, I Vote For Sure', may we all work together to further strengthen active participation in elections and strengthen our democracy. I also laud ECI for their efforts in this area," he tweeted.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is celebrating the 13th National Voters' Day today.

On this occasion, President Droupadi Murmu will be the chief guest at a function being organised by the poll body.

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju will grace the function as guest of honour.

The theme for this year's National Voters' Day, 'Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure' is dedicated to voters which conveys individual's feeling and aspiration towards participation in the electoral process through power of their vote.

Also Read Assembly by-elections: More than 45% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm MCD elections 2022: Here's how to check your name in the voter list EC to start campaign on linking Voter ID with Aadhaar from Aug 1: Deshpande Yechury writes to EC flagging concerns over voter ID-Aadhaar linking Gujarat Assembly polls phase-1 end: 59.2% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm Telangana BJP chief slams CM Rao for not attending all-party meet on G20 Congress woos women voters with cash transfers in poll-bound Karnataka Excise policy 'scam': ED attaches Rs 76.54 cr worth assets under PMLA Poll official suspended for 'defacing' PM Modi's photo in Tripura Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes amid rains in J-K's Ramban

--IANS

ans/svn/
The primary purpose of the National Voters Day celebration is to encourage, facilitate, and promote voter registration and participation, particularly among first-time voters, Delhi's Chief Electoral officer Ranbir Singh said on Wednesday.

The Election Commission launched a song named 'Main Bharat Hoon, Hum Bharat ke Matdata hain' while observing the 13th National Voters' Day with the theme 'Nothing like voting, I vote for sure' in Delhi.

The National Voters' Day has been celebrated on January 25 every year since 2011 to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India, January 25, 1950.

Representatives of various political parties of the state along with state icons also attended the event.

Singh said all participants took a pledge to uphold the democratic traditions of India and to vote in an ethical manner in every election.

Several young voters of Delhi of diverse categories were given their Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) at the National and the State level functions on the occasion.

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Certificates of achievement and cash prize to winners of various competitions were also given.

Awards for the best electoral practices were granted to 42 officers and officials at the state and district levels for their performance in election administration.

"All stakeholders must work together to address the issues of youth and urban apathy in electoral participation. Voters are the backbone of a democracy.

"Our constant endeavour is to educate, motivate, facilitate, engage and empower the voters so that they can play their democratic role more and more effectively," Singh said.

District Magistrates R Menaka, Isha Khosla, Monica Priyadarshini were awarded as best DEOs while Kaanchan Azad, who has been the officer on special duty, was also felicitated with the special category award for 'Dedicated and Sincere Service', a statement said.
The traditional 'at home' function at the Raj Niwas ahead of Republic Day presented a scene of bonhomie on Tuesday as Lt Governor VK Saxena and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal warmly greeted each other, amid their ongoing power tussle.

Besides Kejriwal, senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi, BJP MPs Manoj Tiwari, Parvesh Verma, Ramesh Bidhuri and Gautam Gambhir, and AAP MLA Somnath Bharti were also present.

The function was hosted by the Lt governor and his wife Sangita Saxena.

Held after a gap of two years due to COVID-19-related restrictions, the 'at home' function saw guests from diverse and varied backgrounds, including freedom fighters, Padma awardees from Delhi, and students of government and private schools and colleges.

Families of martyrs of Delhi Police and Delhi Fire Service personnel, sportspersons, paralympians, Swachhagrahis, 'divyangjan', priests and religious heads, senior officers of the Delhi government and police also attended the function, said a statement from the LG office.

Officials working "dedicatedly" on key innovative developmental projects like cleaning of Najafgarh drain, landfill sites of the MCD and rejuvenation of the Yamuna floodplains, representatives of foreign missions, academicians, doctors, vice-chancellors, lawyers, members of civil society were also present, it added.
- For the first time, 12 women riders will be part of the Camel Contingent of the Border Security Force (BSF) and among the 16 marching contingents from the armed forces, Central Para Military Forces, Delhi Police, National Cadet Corps (NCC), NSS along with 19 military pipes and drums bands in the Republic Day parade this year.

India will be celebrating its 74th Republic Day on Thursday. The parade this year is expected to be extra special with many first-time events scheduled. As the participants prepare to showcase India's growing prowess and cultural diversity during the parade on the Kartavya path (formerly known as Rajpath), here are some of the 'firsts' to be expected:
The Federation of Indian Pilots on Wednesday wrote to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia seeking his intervention to revoke the suspension of licence of the pilot-in-command of the Air India flight in which peeing incident occurred on November 26, 2022.

The pilots' body said that DGCA's 'knee-jerk' reaction appears to have been triggered by sensational media reports.

"Prima facie, there was no effort on the part of the DGCA to conclude its own independent enquiry to establish facts on the basis of credible evidence and nor was the suspended licence holders was given an opportunity to be heard by his own employer's internal complaint committee," said the letter written to the Minister on Wednesday.

The pilots' body requested the Civil Aviation Minister's immediate intervention to revoke the suspension of the pilot's licence.

"It is a matter of great concern that DGCA continues to wield autocratic, colonial-era powers derived from archaic legislation that effectively makes it a rule-making, investigating, punishing and appellate authority all rolled into one without adequate checks and balances, such arbitrary actions have become the norm rather than an exception," said the Federation of Indian pilots.

Aviation regulator DGCA on January 20 imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and suspended the licence of pilot-in-command for three months in the Air India peeing case which occurred on November 26, 2022.

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Moreover, the regulator also imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh on director-in-flight services of Air India for failing to discharge duties.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Air India joint action forum, a group of six unions, on Tuesday appealed to aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation to withdraw the suspension of the pilot-in-command of the Air India flight in which peeing incident occurred.

--IANS

kvm/uk/
Shankar Mishra, the man accused of urinating on an elderly woman co-passenger on board an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi, on Wednesday moved a Delhi court seeking bail.

Mishra, currently in judicial custody, moved an appeal before a sessions court against an order passed by a magisterial court that had denied him bail on January 11.

The sessions court is likely to hear the arguments on his application on January 27.

Mishra was arrested by a joint team of Bengaluru and Delhi police after he had gone incommunicado following the sordid incident on an Air India flight on November 26, 2022.

Mishra allegedly urinated on the woman, a senior citizen, in an inebriated condition in the business class of the Air India flight from New York to Delhi. The Delhi Police registered an FIR against him on January 4 on a complaint by the woman.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Wednesday said foot marches and tractor rallies will be held in 20 states and a mahapanchayat convened in Haryana's Jind on Thursday to mark Republic Day and pay homage to those who died during the protests against three farm laws, which have since been repealed.

"On the call of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, farmers all over the county will mobilise again on January 26 to observe Republic Day and hold tractor rallies, foot marches and conventions after hoisting the national flag," it said in a statement.

The foot march and tractor rallies will cover 300 districts in 20 states. Homage will be paid to all "kisan martyrs who lost their lives in the historic struggle of farmers against the anti-farmer government". Memorandum will be given to district collectors, the SKM said.

A kisan mahapanchayat will be held in Jind in Haryana and the SKM will expose the conspiracy of the BJP government to break its unity, it said.
This undated file photo, provided by Kang Dong-wan, professor at Dong-A University, and carried in his book, shows North Korean workers at a construction site in Russia. Yonhap



Nine North Korean workers dispatched to Russia for dollar earnings defected to South Korea late last year amid Moscow's protracted war with Ukraine, according to a professor in the South on Wednesday.



The North Koreans, all men aged between 20s and 50s, came to the South in December 2022 and have been receiving education at the state-run resettlement center for the North's defectors, according to Kang Dong-wan, professor at Dong-A University.



"The outbreak of Russia's war with Ukraine caused a stir (among the North's workers) and prompted them to decide to go to the South," Kang said of their motive for defection.



The professor said two of them were soldiers in their 20s, and others included longtime loggers aged between 40s and 50s, adding they were not acquainted with each other, as they have different social backgrounds.



U.S.-based media outlet Radio Free Asia (RFA) earlier reported North Korean workers in Russia are trying to flee on concerns that they could be forcibly sent to Russian-occupied east Ukraine.



Seoul's unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs said the government cannot confirm whether the North's workers in Russia defected to the South.



"We cannot confirm issues related to North Korean defectors due to safety concerns," a ministry official said. (Yonhap)


Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said on Tuesday technology has become a powerful tool in the legal system for improving efficiency, accessibility and accuracy in the administration of justice.

He said the success of any initiative and innovation depends on the ability to collaborate with stakeholders and incorporate critical feedback of those who will be using it.

Justice Chandrachud, who was speaking at the inauguration of Online e-Inspection Software' of the Delhi High Court, said the Delhi High Court has been at the forefront of modernising courts across the country with information technology. He said even the first paperless court in the country was established in Delhi HC in 2009.

Today's inauguration completes the digitisation loop. The Delhi High Court has been at the forefront on e-filing, digitisation, virtual courts and now to provide for inspection of the digitised records completes the entire circle. In many ways I believe that we (at the Supreme Court) lay down law for the whole country.

"The Delhi High Court is way ahead of the Supreme Court in the facilities which are provided not just to the judges but to lawyers and to the litigants as well, he said, adding You are being watched and followed as well.

Justice Chandrachud said the apex court has constituted a monitoring and implementation committee to shoulder a part of his burden and several judges of the high courts are involved in it.

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...Because I thought that we must pass on the baton to the younger generation and create administrative skills, the capacity for learning, the capacity for understanding India beyond the confines of our own high courts.

"So, before I deal with what we are here for today, I must share with you that part of my mission is that our work in the Supreme Court must also be facilitative to create a new band of judges who will be looking for the future of the Indian judiciary. And what better way to equip our young judges for the future of the nation and of our judiciary than to really get them involved in national projects which we are doing, he said.

Chandrachud added that instead of holding these projects close to "our heart in the Supreme Court", he thinks the important need of the hour is for us to open up to new ideas, and the ideas which are given by the young judges of the high court are mind boggling.

the kind of input, which I get from younger judges of the high courts from across India, really is a cause for great optimism for the future of the Indian judiciary, the CJI said.

He further said the IT resolution constitutes a resource which has changed the way we work together and envisage the justice delivery mechanism.

Chandrachud said technological innovations by the judicial system should be designed to meet the needs of all its users judges, court staff, lawyers, litigants, community leaders, researchers and the public at large.

Technology has become a powerful tool in the legal system in improving efficiency, accessibility and accuracy in the administration of justice. However, the success of any initiative and innovation, whether in law or in technology depends on the ability to collaborate with stakeholders and incorporate critical feedback of those who will be using it, the CJI said.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher of the Delhi High Court, the chairman of the IT committee of the high court, said the e-software was a significant step as with this a person while sitting at home or office can inspect the entire case file electronically which can be saved like in PDF form.

He said the Delhi High Court has decided it will not start live streaming till they have the requisite wherewithal.

Justice Chandrachud said the district judiciary plays a crucial role in ensuring access to justice for citizens of grassroots and e-inspection of judicial records at the district level would reduce the dependence on physical document handling and allow to move beyond the constraints of space.

He also spoke about the initiatives taken by him since he took over as the CJI on November 9, 2022.
India seems to be moving carefully in negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs) with the UK and Canada, given both countries compete with India in the manufacturing sector to some extent, indicates Trade Minister Piyush Goyal. In conversation with Shreya Nandi on the sidelines of the Business 20 (B20) India Inception summit in Gandhinagar, Goyal admits to difficult times ahead for exporters due to looming recession in the developed world. Read more...
Around 1,300 staff of Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC), the PSU that some years ago built a launch pad for ISRO, have not been paid their salaries for over a year forcing them to live in penury, and now they have threatened to move court if the issue is not addressed soon.

The employees alleged that because of this situation, they are unable to pay their children's education fees or treat ailing family members properly, and some of them including officers have started selling fruits or tea to make both ends meet.

Workers and officers of the Ranchi-based PSU have formed a combined forum, HEC Adhikari Evam Karmachari Jankalyan Sangh, to fight the battle.

Its president Prem Shankar Paswan told PTI that they have drawn the attention of President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, the NHRC and others to their plight through emails on January 23.

If our problem is not resolved soon, we will have to move court in February, Paswan said.

The total salary due for officers is for 15 months while that for workers is for 12 months, said Subhash Chandra, a deputy manager rank official.

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The chairman and managing director of BHEL, who sits in Delhi, holds the additional charge of CMD of HEC. The official did not respond to phone calls, messages and email by PTI till the publication of this report.

The company, set up in 1958, used to be one of the leading suppliers of capital equipment in India for steel, mining, railways, power, defence, space research, nuclear and strategic sectors.

Employees are staging protests against non-payment of salaries since November 2022.

"My mother died without treatment. My senior colleague's wife died and he had no money to hire a vehicle to carry her body so he took it inside a car trunk. Shopkeepers don't give us goods on credit. We can't afford to send kids to school. We will die here, Shashi Kumar, 35, a deputy manager at HEC, broke down while talking to PTI.

Despite several revival attempts and the High Court of Jharkhand directing the central and state governments to look into the problems, the situation at HEC did not improve.

A worker, Ramjanam Sharma, said he ekes out by selling fruits while several others including IIT pass-outs are forced to sell tea, fritters or flowers for existence.

Purnendu Dutt Mishra, 37, who is a manager at HEC, said: "India used to import ISRO's launching pad at much higher rates. In 2005-06, we got an order. An organisation hidden in the country provided the indigenously built launching pad at much less price.

After the launch of GSLV Mark III on December 18, 2014, the PSU had said in a statement: It is a matter of great pride for HEC to have contributed to the Second Launch Pad Project of ISRO at Sriharikota. With every launch from the second launch pad, ISRO makes HEC proud.

Mishra alleged that mismanagement, corruption and bad policies were behind the plight of HEC.

"Unlike private organisations, we don't work for profit but work for the nation. We have saved a huge foreign exchange, he said.

Dr Rana S Chakravarty, who retired from HEC as Director of Marketing on January 16, is keeping his fingers crossed that the company will be back on track.

"HEC has played a stellar role in India's growth... We are focussing on certain specific areas. We have a Rs 1300 crore work order... Hopefully, it will be on track again," he said.

According to the HEC's latest annual report, the company bagged orders totalling over Rs 188 crore in FY 21-22.

However, the pending up-gradation / modernisation, as well as severe stress of working capital and impact of COVID-19, adversely affected the financial performance of the company and it could achieve turnover of Rs 184.69 crore against Rs 202.76 crore during the previous year, it said.

HEC registered a net loss of Rs 256.07 crore in 2021-22.

Frequent breakdown of the ageing machinery has affected the execution of orders while also indirectly affecting the cash flow cycle, the annual report said.
The Bihar government on Wednesday urged the Centre to consider extending for another five years the GST compensation awarded to states, which was discontinued last year.

State Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary flagged it as one of the expectations from the upcoming Union budget.

"Several other concerns were also raised by me at Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's pre-budget meeting with state representatives. One of these was, of course, the long-standing demand for special category status to Bihar," Chaudhary told PTI in an interview.

"Another thorny issue has been the increasing load on the states with regard to centrally sponsored schemes. Earlier, the Centre used to bear 90 per cent of the total expenditure," he said.

The ratio has "changed" and, now, states are required to "bear 50 per cent of the financial burden", Chaudhary claimed.

"This is not proper. After all, the Centre claims all credit for such schemes", said the JD(U) leader, whose party snapped ties with the ruling BJP at the Centre less than six months ago.

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Chaudhary also spoke about the need for granting relief to states by restoring GST compensation which was introduced after the new tax regime came into force.

"I think the GST compensation should continue for at least five years. The Centre should give it a serious thought," he said.

Notably, when a nationwide Goods and Services Tax subsumed 17 central and state levies from July 1, 2017, it was decided that states would be compensated for any loss of revenue from the new indirect tax regime for five years. That timeframe had ended on June 30 last year.

GST Council, in its 42nd meeting, had recommended extending the period of levy of GST compensation cess beyond June 2022 to cover the entire shortfall as well as servicing the back-to-back loan released to states to meet their resource gap.


Currently, the trade between the two countries is around $7.2 billion. India and Egypt have decided to strengthen defence industry co-operation and take bilateral trade to $12 billion in next 5 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday after bilateral talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.



Modi said that both the countries are concerned over security threats and are unanimous that terrorism is "most serious threat to humanity". "Both sides agreed that concrete measures are needed to end cross-border terrorism," he said. "We've decided to further strengthen defence industry cooperation, exchange of counter-terror information and intel," Modi said as reported by news agency PTI. "We have decided to take bilateral trade to $12 billion in next 5 years," he said.



"Deepening our bond with Egypt -- the natural bridge that connects Asia with Africa. PM @narendramodi and President @AlsisiOfficial hold talks adding momentum to the multifaceted India-Egypt relations marked by civilisational, cultural & economic linkages and deep-rooted P2P ties," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. The 68-year-old Arab leader arrived in New Delhi on a three-day visit and is the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations.

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This is the first time that the Egyptian president has been invited as the chief guest to India's Republic Day celebrations. A military contingent from the Egyptian Army will also participate in the Republic Day parade. The Egyptian president visited India in October 2015 to participate in the third India-Africa Forum Summit. This was followed by his state visit in September 2016.


"A well-clarified and progressive taxation regime would provide an immense boost to this sunrise sector. Such a move will make gaming a cornerstone of Digital India and be the catalyst for India to achieve its goal of a trillion-dollar digital economy," said Roland Landers, chief executive officer of the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF). India's online gaming industry has the potential to scale rapidly, and the Centre should provide a clear and progressive tax structure for the sector in the Budget 2023, experts told Business Standard.



The Centre had proposed 28 per cent GST on the gross gaming value (GGV) of all games played, over the current 18 per cent on the commission of the gaming companies. According to experts, this would have an existential impact on the segment. "We hope the government provides clarity on the tax slab applicable on skill gaming," said Sai Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of gaming platform MPL.



"The increase in GST and TDS cumulatively would completely wipe out the homegrown industry that has the potential to be the largest next generation of exports of consumer tech products made in India for the world. In this budget announcement, we are hoping to see a continuation of the current GST slab and TDS threshold as a sharp increase in tax will deter growth, sink early-stage startups further into losses and overall make the industry unviable. A clear and supportive tax policy will not only generate revenues for the exchequer but will also create great value in the long run for the country and the gaming ecosystem," said Paavan Nanda, co-founder of gaming platform WinZO games. Further, a reduction in the TDS threshold from the current winnings exceeding Rs 10,000 was also proposed.

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Experts said that 2023 is likely to be a tough year for the global economy, and the gaming sector has the potential to bring substantial export revenue. Gaurav Agarwal, co-founder of the online platform Gamezop said that a Duty Credit Scrips scheme could be introduced to boost forex. In December 2022, the Finance Ministry said that claims from betting and gambling, including those from online gaming, would attract GST at 28 per cent. It added that there was no differentiation between games of skill and games of chance.



The Centre introduced duty credit scrips to boost exports. They allow the exporters to pay their tax liability by setting off import duties like customs duty and anti-dumping duty. This incentivises exports and saves tax for the exporters. "I am hopeful that the FM takes note of this and considers a well-defined Duty Credit Scrips scheme for India gaming companies bringing in foreign currency into the economy," he said.



Also, "the government may impose lower tax regulations on skill-based games than the existing. The government should also not impose any taxation on games associated with education or e-learning," he added. Lately, many gaming platforms have been focussing on educating consumers. This has become more rapid since the Centre released draft online gaming rules. Apurv Modi, managing director and co-founder at ATechnos Group, suggested that the Centre can also consider levying separate tax slabs for each game category, like casual games, fantasy games and esports.

The rules proposed a self-regulatory mechanism, physical Indian address, and mandatory verification of players for online gaming companies. The ministry and the industry have met several times to discuss the draft.


While goods will constitute 70 per cent of the order and attract 12 per cent GST, services will constitute 30 per cent of the order drawing an 18 per cent rate. A company receiving separate orders from the Adani group for inverter duty transformers and supervision services is liable to pay the goods and services tax (GST) on the entire project, ruled Gujarat Appellate Authority for advance rulings (AAAR).



The applicant, Shilchar Technologies Limited, is a manufacturer of electronics, telecom, and power & distribution transformers. It received a purchase order from Adani Green Energy Limited for the supply of aluminium foil-type winding inverter duty transformers (IDT) along with the mandatory spares for transformers. Further, as per the technical specification for IDT, services are also included; therefore, they got a separate contract for service with regard to the supervision of the said project. In this connection, the appellate authority upheld the order of the state AAR.



The appellant submitted that their service would draw 18 per cent GST. However, the supply of transformers would be liable to 5 per cent GST. The appellant submitted that since two separate contracts had been issued to them and have separately been bid by them, these two should be separately taxed. If it is considered a single order, the value of the supply of goods shall be deemed as 70 per cent of the gross consideration charged for all such supplies, and the remaining 30 per cent of the gross consideration should be considered the value of the said taxable service. Goods are charged 12 per cent, while services draw 18 per cent GST.

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Aggrieved, the appellant approached the AAAR. However, the AAR ordered that the applicant be liable for GST on the total value of the purchase order -- the supply of goods and services. Out of the gross value of the supply, 70 per cent will be deemed to be on account of goods and 30 per cent deemed to be on account of service.



The applicant argued that the AAR order interpreted the two separate contracts into one indivisible contract, resulting in treating the contract as a 'Composite Supply'. It was submitted during the hearing that the purchase order for the supply of IDT, along with their parts, was received from Adani Green Energy Limited. In contrast, another purchase order for supervision was received from Adani Solar Energy Chitrakoot One Limited.



It found that the appellant had been harping on the fact that they had received two separate purchase orders from two distinct entities. AAAR held that the contracts had been artificially split into two separate contracts, one for the supply of material and the other for rendering services, but they are, in fact, one single contract.



Therefore, based on the above discussion, it can be concluded that the activities relating to the supply of the transformers and the supervision of the erection, testing and commissioning of the transformers supplied by the appellant are inextricable for the supply of transformers. The aforementioned artificial splitting of the contract into two separate orders being placed by two different entities is merely an afterthought to circumvent the GST on a single contract.
In India, while the number of children enrolled in primary schools (up to fifth standard) shows an encouraging trend at 98.6 per cent in the age group of 6-10 years, the learning outcomes of children at the primary level leave much to be desired.

The findings of the Annual Survey of Education Report (ASER) 2022 indicate the worst fears coming true about 'learning loss' caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on learning outcomes of children in the age group of 4-9 years.

Vyjayanthi Sankar, founder at Centre for Science of Student Learning, weighed in on the effective ways to conduct competency-based assessments.

"For us, to build an effective strategy for conducting these assessments, one must have clarity on what is the outcome being assessed as well as which body is collecting the data," said Sankar.

Delving deeper into learning outcome-based reforms, experts from the education sector brainstormed on identifying key reforms to accomplish the end objectives of the National Education Policy 2020 at a forum hosted by the Central Square Foundation (CSF).

The forum's key objective was to adopt a framework and common understanding for the timely adoption of reforms suggested by NEP 2020 to improve learning outcomes in school education.

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"While India has made substantial improvements in ensuring access to education to each child by providing new infrastructure and massive recruitment of teachers etc., the need of the hour is to progress from access to education to ensuring delivery of quality education to all children," said Harish Doraiswamy, project director at CSF.

Effective and transparent approaches to deliver on school, system, and student-level outcomes have been correctly identified as key systemic drivers of improvement by NEP 2020. While steps are being taken to implement NEP 2020 in letter and spirit, these systemic drivers should also be prioritised, he added.

Echoing the opinion, Geeta G. Kingdon, Chair of Education and International Development at University College London, spoke about the need for setting up an autonomous regulator, as also suggested in NEP 2020.

Citing global and local examples, she said, "The road is certainly challenging but we must try to uphold the spirit in which the recommendation of setting up the State School Standards Authority (SSSA) has been documented in the policy."

The experts at the forum also realised the critical need for states to prioritise setting up the SSSA as envisaged by NEP 2020 and conduct competency-based census assessments in a phase-wise manner to improve learning outcomes.

--IANS

gcb/arm
BENGALURU (Reuters) - SBM Bank (India) is engaging with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to address "supervisory concerns", the lender said in an email to a customer reviewed by Reuters, days after the regulator barred it from some transactions.

The RBI, on Monday, ordered SBM Bank to stop all transactions under the liberalised remittance scheme (LRS) until further notice, citing "material supervisory concerns" but no further detail.

The central bank had concerns that certain overseas money transfer practices of SBM's fintech partners did not follow the appropriate procedures, a banking source told Reuters earlier this week on condition of anonymity as the discussions were private.

The LRS scheme allows Indian residents to send up to $250,000 abroad each financial year.

"We would like to state that SBM Bank (India) Ltd. is committed to upholding the highest standard of banking. SBM Bank (India) Ltd. remains open for business in all other areas," the lender said in the email.

SBM Bank India is a unit of the State Bank of Mauritius and became the first foreign bank to receive a universal banking licence under an Indian scheme for wholly owned subsidiaries, which allowed foreign lenders to compete with Indian banks.

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(Reporting by Chris Thomas in Bengaluru and Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)
US President Joe Biden understands first-hand the crushing impact of losing a job can have on a family, the White House has said, amid the massive layoffs by major tech companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook that have rendered thousands of Indian-American IT professionals jobless.

On January 20, Google axed 12,000 jobs across the globe, its CEO Sundar Pichai announced, becoming the latest tech giant after Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon to retrench staff en mass amid the global economic downturn.

Last week, Microsoft announced 10,000 job cuts, or nearly 5 per cent of its workforce.

Amazon is also cutting 18,000 jobs and Facebook parent Meta was trimming 11,000 positions.

The bloodbath in the tech sector that began last year is continuing into 2023.

The President understands first-hand how the impact of losing a job can have on a family. He understands that very personally, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference on Tuesday, when asked on the layoffs by tech companies.

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Jean-Pierre assured that President Biden would do everything to make sure the US economy works for everyone.

He's going to do everything that he can to make sure this is an economy that works for everyone, that works from the bottom up, middle out, and that's what you've seen from his economic plans, she said.

Jean-Pierre said the layoffs notwithstanding, unemployment rates were plummeting in the US, a testament to the steps taken by the Biden administration to resurrect the economy.

When you look at the CPI data, you look at PPI. And so more broadly, again, when it comes to the economy, layoffs remain near record lows according to job opening data. I'm just not going to get into specifics or why this is happening. This is something for individual companies to speak about. I can speak of how the economy has actually been more stable and steady because of the President's actions," she said.

Digital consumption soared during the years of the pandemic, prompting tech companies to diversify portfolios and scale up hiring.

But as consumers cut back on their digital footprint as normalcy returned after the pandemic, companies have been forced to restructure and cut costs.

Thousands of Indian IT professionals in the US, who have lost their jobs due to the series of recent layoffs are now struggling to find new employment within the stipulated period under their work visas following the termination of their employment to stay in the country.

Jean-Pierre, however, refrained from commenting on the difficulties being faced by IT professionals who are not getting an extension of their H-1B visas.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Indians make up a large proportion of the recipients of H-1B and other work visas granted to skilled foreign workers, many in the tech industry.
North Korean men work at a construction site in Vladivostok, the Far East of Russia, in this Nov. 9, 2015, file photo. Nine North Korean workers dispatched to Russia as part of the regime's efforts to collect U.S. dollars recently defected to South Korea amid Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, according to an expert familiar with the issue Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han



Russia's war in Ukraine may have scared NK laborers into fleeing, says expert



By Jung Min-ho



Nine North Korean workers dispatched to Russia as part of the regime's efforts to collect U.S. dollars recently defected to South Korea amid Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, according to an expert familiar with the issue Wednesday.



The North Koreans, all male aged between 20s and 50s including two soldiers, arrived in the South last month and have been attending a three-month cultural adjustment program at Hanawon, a state-run facility for North Korean defectors, said Kang Dong-wan, a professor at Dong-A University in Busan and former director of the facility.



"The outbreak of Russia's war with Ukraine caused a stir (among the North Korean workers) and prompted them to decide to come to the South," Kang was quoted as saying by Yonhap.



Speaking to reporters, an official at the Ministry of Unification declined to comment on their status, saying it could impact their safety.



The North Koreans used to work as loggers and constructors in different regions and had no personal connections to the South before coming here, Kang added.



Their escape happened soon after media reports that North Korea was selecting workers for reconstruction efforts in Russian-occupied areas of eastern Ukraine, which might have scared the escapees as they would be the first to be deployed to the regions where fighting is still intense.





A view of the city from a cemetery in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Jan. 24. EPA-Yonhap
Nepal will send to Singapore for examination the black box of Yeti Airlines that crashed in Pokhara, killing all 72 people, including five Indians, on board, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, who is a joint secretary at Nepal's Tourism Ministry and also a member of the probe committee of the air crash, said that three members of the investigation panel would be flying soon to hand over the black box to Singapore's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau.

"Our team is heading towards Singapore in a couple of days carrying the black box," Lamichhane said, amid reports that the team would leave on Friday.

Nepal decided to take the black box to Singapore as the two countries have a memorandum of understanding to assist in the field of aviation.

The examination of the black box in Singapore is free of cost, Lamichhane was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post newspaper.

The black box contains two types of recording devices - a flight data recorder (FDR) and a cockpit voice recorder (CVR). It is likely to give the investigators an insight into the last conversations between the pilots and the aviation control room.

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All 72 people-- 53 Nepalese passengers, 15 foreign nationals, including 5 Indians, and four crew members -- were on board the ATR-72 aircraft when it crashed in a river gorge in Pokhara on January 15.

On Tuesday, Nepal's health officials said they have handed over 60 bodies, including that of 5 Indians, to the relatives of the victims.
The Chinese government says the United States should stop pressuring it on debt relief for Zambia and get its own financial house to avert a default and possible repercussions for the global economy.

The Chinese embassy in Zambia responded Tuesday to remarks by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who said on a visit to the African nation this week that it's crucial to address its heavy debt burden with China.

The biggest contribution that the U.S. can make to the debt issues outside the country is to cope with its own debt problem and stop sabotaging other sovereign countries' active efforts to solve their debt issues, the Chinese Embassy said in a statement.

Chinese development banks have emerged as major lenders to poorer countries around the world for natural resource, transport and power projects, though that lending has fallen sharply in the past five years, according to Boston University's Global Development Policy Center.

In responding to Yellen, China zeroed in on the battle between Republican lawmakers and the Democratic Biden administration over raising the U.S. debt limit to allow more borrowing to keep the government running.

The embassy statement then turned to Zambia, saying that China has made some progress as co-chair of a creditors committee seeking a sustainable solution. It said China looks forward to the U.S. playing a constructive role in the process.

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Even if the U.S. one day solves its debt problem, it is not qualified to make groundless accusations against or press other countries out of selfish interests, the statement said.
A small number of classified documents have been found at the residence of former vice president Mike Pence, and have been handed over to the National Archive, his counsel revealed on Tuesday.

The revelation comes in the wake of classified documents found at the private office and residence of President Joe Biden from his term as vice president between 2009 and 2016.

In a letter to the National Archives, Greg Jacob, an attorney for Pence, wrote that these classified documents were found recently at his residence.

Pence, he said, was not aware of their existence, according to multiple media outlets.

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents collected documents from Pence's Indiana home on January 19 at the request of the Justice Department, The Wall Street Journal reported, referring to the content of the second letter from Jacob to the National Archives dated January 22.

Pence agreed to the search, the financial daily cited the letter as saying.
The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has confirmed that at least 124 people have been killed across the country due to the freezing weather.

While confirming the fatalities, a spokesman for the State Ministry for Disaster Management said that about 70,000 livestock had also perished in what has been deemed as the coldest winter in a decade, reports the BBC.

Acting Minister of Disaster Management Mullah Mohammad Abbas Akhund told the BBC that many areas of Afghanistan were now completely cut off by snow; military helicopters had been sent to the rescue, but they couldn't land in the most mountainous regions.

Akhund said the forecast for the next 10 days indicated temperatures would warm. But he was still worried about a rising death toll of Afghans, and their livestock.

"Most of the people who lost their lives to the cold were shepherds or people living in rural areas. They didn't have access to healthcare," the Minister told the BBC.

"We're concerned about those who are still living in the mountain regions. Most of the roads which pass through the mountains have been closed due to snow. Cars have got stuck there and passengers have died in the freezing temperatures."

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Winters are always harsh in Afghanistan but this is the worst weather in a decade.

This year's relief operations have been hampered by last month's Taliban government edict barring Afghan women from working in aid agencies.

But Mullah Akhund categorically said that the edict could not be lifted and the international community had to accept Afghanistan's Islamic culture.

"Men are already working with us in the rescue effort and there is no need for women to work with us. The men from every family are already participating in relief efforts, so there's no need for women," he told the BBC.

Aid officials, including the UN, are urgently trying to find ways to work around this ban.

--IANS

ksk/


Kyiv has been calling for months for Western main battle tanks that would give its forces greater firepower, protection and mobility to break through Russian defensive lines and potentially swoop through territory occupied by the invaders. Germany cleared the way on Wednesday for Europe to send scores of battle tanks to Ukraine, and Washington was poised to make a similar announcement  moves hailed by Kyiv as a potential turning point in the war and condemned by Moscow as escalation.



The aim would be to supply Ukraine with two battalions of Leopards, typically comprising three or four companies, each with around 14 tanks. Berlin said the first would arrive within three or four months, and that it would also provide training, ammunition and maintenance. Germany, said it would send an initial company of 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks from its own stocks, and also approve shipments by other European countries.



Germanys decision immediately paves the way for pledges from other countries that also use the same tanks. This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability. We are acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement.

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Britain has offered a company of 14 of its comparable Challengers and France is considering sending its Leclercs. Spain and the Netherlands said they too could send Leopards and Norway was were considering the matter. Poland and Finland had already pledged to send some as soon as Berlin approved.

US to follow?

Two sources in the United States said Washington would announce later on Wednesday that it would provide dozens of its Abrams M1 tanks.



Russia reacts with threats The right decision by Nato Allies and friends to send main battle tanks to Ukraine. Alongside Challenger 2s, they will strengthen Ukraines defensive firepower, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote on Twitter.



Moscow court shuts down countrys oldest rights group Russias embassy in Germany denounced Berlins extremely dangerous decision, which it said could draw Germany into the war  something Berlin explicitly denied. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any US tanks sent to Ukraine would burn like all the rest. Moscow says supplies of modern offensive weaponry to Ukraine will prolong the war and postpone what it says will be its inevitable victory.

A court in Moscow on Wednesday ruled to shut down Russias oldest human rights organisation, in the latest move amid a relentless crackdown on independent media. The Moscow City Court sustained the petition of Russias Justice Ministry to close the Moscow Helsinki Group.
The deal, first announced in October, promised to reunite the parents of Fox News and the Fox broadcast business with the print news operation that includes the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and HarperCollins book publishing. The recombination, coming a decade after the companies had first split up, was a controversial one, however.

Fox said Tuesday that it had received a letter from Murdoch saying that he and his son Lachlan, the chief executive officer of Fox, had determined a combination was not optimal for the shareholders at this time. News Corp issued a similar release. Special committees of the boards that were examining the merger have been dissolved.
Pakistan is considering different proposals, including slashing the salaries of government employees by 10 per cent across the board, according to a media report on Wednesday, amidst the looming economic crisis in the cash-strapped country.

Pakistan is grappling with one of the country's worst economic crises in recent years amid dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

The National Austerity Committee (NAC) constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is considering different measures, including cutting down the salaries of government employees by 10 per cent across the board, Geo News reported.

The NAC is also considering cutting down expenditures of ministries/divisions by 15 per cent, reducing the number of federal ministers, ministers of state, and advisers from 78 to 30 only while the remaining should work on a pro bono basis, the report said.

The recommendations would be finalised on Wednesday and the committee will send the report to prime minister Shehbaz.

The government is finalising recommendations on austerity as it seeks another International Monetary Fund (IMF) tranche but the government is reluctant to implement the conditionalities.

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This hesitation created a deadlock for the last two and a half months with the IMF.

Cash-strapped Pakistan revived a stalled USD 6 billion IMF programme last year which was initially agreed upon in 2019 but is finding it hard to meet the tough conditions of the Washington-based global lender.

There are reports that the IMF may not release more funds under the programme until the pledges made by the government are met.

The IMF board in August approved the seventh and eighth reviews of Pakistan's bailout programme, allowing for a release of over USD 1.1 billion.

Islamabad is waiting for the 9th review of a loan arrangement that the previous government signed with the IMF. The review would lead to the release of the next tranche of funds to Pakistan which has been pending since September.

IMF officials have indicated that they are willing to continue working with Pakistan, but the country should first meet some basic requirements.
Pakistan is yet to decide on India's invitation to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa, foreign ministry sources said on Wednesday.

All SCO members are expected to attend the meeting of foreign ministers in May to be hosted by India which has taken over the rotating presidency of the SCO in 2022-2023.

Sources in the foreign ministry confirmed that the invitation has been received but no decision has been taken if the foreign minister would travel to India.

Responding to a text message sent by PTI to Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch asking if her office would issue a statement on the matter, she simply responded: "No."



Launched in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has eight full members, including its six founding members, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017.

It is for the first time that India has been given the opportunity to host the member in a high-profile setting.

If accepted, it would be the first visit of any Pakistani foreign minister to India since 2011 when Hina Rabbani Khar visited the country. She is currently the minister of state for foreign affairs.

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The invitation came just days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in an interview called for talks with India over all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, before clarifying that talks cannot take place until the illegal actions of August 5, 2019 are reversed.

If materialised, Bilawal's visit would be under scanner as protests were organised in India over his "uncivilised" remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the United Nations Security Council meeting.

Over the years, Beijing-based SCO has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.
gettyimagesbank



By Kang Seung-woo



Against the backdrop of 38 ballistic missiles launched last year, North Korea has shown its intention not to give up on its nuclear ambitions, raising speculation that nuclear arms control is emerging  in the United States  as an alternative method to contain Pyongyang's evolving nuclear program.



However, the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, a Seoul-based think tank, claims that negotiations with North Korea on nuclear arms control would be the starting point from which the South Korea-U.S. alliance could begin to fragment.



An arms control deal would mean curbing North Korea's nuclear development and avoiding the use of its existing weapons, but there are lingering concerns that, should the U.S. reach such a deal with the North, it would formally recognize the Stalinist state as a nuclear power  a status the country has been aggressively seeking.



"Negotiations on arms control between the U.S. and North Korea will open a Pandora's box that could break the alliance and that is what North Korea is aiming for," its latest report said, Wednesday.



"North Korea has so far insisted on halting the South Korea-U.S. combined military exercises, the deployment of U.S. strategic assets and withdrawing U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula as prerequisites for denuclearization, which have played a role in deterring North Korean provocations. However, with the beginning of arms control talks, it will ultimately seek to dismantle the ROK-U.S. alliance."



The ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, the official name of South Korea.



The report also said that the arms control talks are likely to spark questions among American citizens on why Washington is keeping the alliance with South Korea and keeping U.S. Forces Korea on the peninsula, with threats from North Korea decreasing.



The Asan report came as the U.S. government, seemingly, hasn't ruled out the possibility of engaging in arms control talks with the Kim Jong-un regime.



"If they would have a conversation with us  arms control can always be an option if you have two willing countries willing to sit down at the table and talk," Bonnie Jenkins, State Department undersecretary for arms control, said last October.



In addition, experts, who advocate for the non-proliferation of North Korean nuclear weapons, claim that the international community should admit that North Korea has secured nuclear capabilities and that arms control negotiations are necessary in order to prevent its nuclear and missile programs from advancing further.



Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear non-proliferation expert at Middlebury Institute, said in his New York Times op-ed in October that it is time to recognize North Korea as a nuclear power.



However, the Asan report says that arms control talks are against the U.S. national interests because that is an idea that China and Russia, the two main foes of Washington, are supportive of.



"As for China and Russia, the breakup of the South Korea-U.S. alliance would undermine the U.S.' global leadership and make it lose its presence in Northeast Asia," it said.



In addition, the arms control talks are likely to result in shaking the international non-proliferation regime that the U.S. has consistently tried to maintain since the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entered into force in 1970.



"Arms control negotiations cannot prevent North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations," the report said.



"North Korea will interpret the U.S.' willingness toward arms control talks as the success of its tactics and further modernize its nuclear and missile programs before the negotiations. Eventually, the arms control talks will promote North Korea's provocations."



Amid concerns that North Korea succeeds in its seventh nuclear test and test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile, this would back up the argument for arms control talks. The think tank advised government and private groups to seek countermeasures.



"The government should ask the U.S. to establish a clear position related to arms control negotiations, while private and academic groups should actively point out the logical contradiction," it added.


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Stocks to Watch Today: The markets are likely to start Wednesdays trade on a tepid note amid subdued global cues. At 07:30 AM, the SGX Nifty February futures quoted at 18,174 as against the spot Nifty close of 18,118 yesterday.

Meanwhile, following stocks are likely to be in focus in trades on Wednesday. The markets are likely to start Wednesdays trade on a tepid note amid subdued global cues. At 07:30 AM, the SGX Nifty February futures quoted at 18,174 as against the spot Nifty close of 18,118 yesterday.

Earnings Watch: Amara Raja Batteries, Arvind, Bajaj Auto, Bikaji Foods, Blue Dart Express, CEAT, Chennai Petroleum, Cipla, Dixon Technologies, DLF, Dr.Reddys, Equitas Holdings, Go Fashion, Indraprastha Gas, Indian Bank, Jindal Saw, Jyothy Labs, Kirloskar Electric Company, Patanjali Foods, Shanti Gears, Solara Active Pharma, Sundaram Clayton, Swaraj Eninges, Tata Exlsi, Tata Motors, Tata Motors DVR, Tata Steel Long Products, Thirumalia Chemicals, Torrent Pharma and VIP Industries are few of the notable companies scheduled to announce December quarter results on Wednesday.

Maruti Suzuki India: The auto major on Tuesday reported a 129.7 per cent YoY surge in consolidated net profit for Q3FY23 to Rs 2,391 crore, primarily due to price hikes, better demand for its top-end models, and declining raw material costs. Total income jumped 26.9 per cent YoY to Rs 29,918 crore. The auto major on Tuesday reported a 129.7 per cent YoY surge in consolidated net profit for Q3FY23 to Rs 2,391 crore, primarily due to price hikes, better demand for its top-end models, and declining raw material costs. Total income jumped 26.9 per cent YoY to Rs 29,918 crore. READ MORE Amara Raja Batteries, Arvind, Bajaj Auto, Bikaji Foods, Blue Dart Express, CEAT, Chennai Petroleum, Cipla, Dixon Technologies, DLF, Dr.Reddys, Equitas Holdings, Go Fashion, Indraprastha Gas, Indian Bank, Jindal Saw, Jyothy Labs, Kirloskar Electric Company, Patanjali Foods, Shanti Gears, Solara Active Pharma, Sundaram Clayton, Swaraj Eninges, Tata Exlsi, Tata Motors, Tata Motors DVR, Tata Steel Long Products, Thirumalia Chemicals, Torrent Pharma and VIP Industries are few of the notable companies scheduled to announce December quarter results on Wednesday.

Tata Motors: The company, which is scheduled to report its earnings on Wednesday, January 25. It could see margin expansion on the back of operating leverage benefits, and fall in input costs.

TVS Motor Company: The company posted a 28 per cent YoY rise in net profit for Q3FY23 at Rs 303.60 crore from Rs 236.56 crore in Q3FY22. Total income rose 22 per cent YoY to Rs 8,066 crore. The company, which is scheduled to report its earnings on Wednesday, January 25. It could see margin expansion on the back of operating leverage benefits, and fall in input costs. READ PREVIEW

Also Read Indus Towers to raise Rs 2,000 crore via NCDs after weak Q2 result Easing material costs to aid Pidilite margins, near-term pressures weigh Vi to lose access to towers if it fails to clear dues, says Indus Towers Stocks to watch: Maruti, SpiceJet, SBI Card, Indus Towers, Tata Chemicals Pidilite Industries may not raise prices as raw material cost moderates MARKET LIVE: SGX Nifty signals tepid start; TaMo, Airtel, TVS Motor eyed Former Sebi-chief Damodaran launches midcap corporate governance index ATOM Colocation case: Sebi likely to challenge SAT's relief to NSE in SC Colgate-Palmolive Q3 results: Net profit down 3.6% to Rs 243 crore Lupin Digital launches Lyfe, a 24x7 monitoring ecosystem for heart patients

Coffee Day Enterprises (CDEL): The Sebi imposed a penalty of Rs 26 crore on CDEL for alleged violation of securities laws. The regulator also directed CDEL to initiate steps to recover dues of Rs 3,535 crore - the amount diverted from seven subsidiaries of CDEL to Mysore Amalgamated Coffee Estates (MACEL).

Indus Towers: The company posted a net loss of Rs 708 crore in Q3FY23 as against a net profit of Rs 872 crore in a year ago period, has it made a doubtful debt provision of Rs 2,298.1 crore against receivables from Vodafone Idea (Vi). Total revenue declined 15.1 per cent YoY to Rs 6,765 crore. The company posted a net loss of Rs 708 crore in Q3FY23 as against a net profit of Rs 872 crore in a year ago period, has it made a doubtful debt provision of Rs 2,298.1 crore against receivables from Vodafone Idea (Vi). Total revenue declined 15.1 per cent YoY to Rs 6,765 crore. READ MORE The Sebi imposed a penalty of Rs 26 crore on CDEL for alleged violation of securities laws. The regulator also directed CDEL to initiate steps to recover dues of Rs 3,535 crore - the amount diverted from seven subsidiaries of CDEL to Mysore Amalgamated Coffee Estates (MACEL). READ MORE

Bharti Airtel: The telecom major has scrapped the minimum recharge plan of Rs 99 in seven circles - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Northeast, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh (West). The entry-level plan now starts at Rs 155.

Nykaa: The company was profitable before it went public and that remains the case for the online fashion and personal care retailer. This is unusual for a digitally-driven startup, since the sector focuses on growth rather than profits. Through financial modelling, experts arrive at a fair value that ranges between Rs 145 and Rs 360. The company was profitable before it went public and that remains the case for the online fashion and personal care retailer. This is unusual for a digitally-driven startup, since the sector focuses on growth rather than profits. Through financial modelling, experts arrive at a fair value that ranges between Rs 145 and Rs 360. READ ANALYSIS The telecom major has scrapped the minimum recharge plan of Rs 99 in seven circles - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Northeast, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh (West). The entry-level plan now starts at Rs 155. READ MORE

SBI Card: The company reported a 32 per cent YoY jump in net profit at Rs 509 crore for Q3FY23, aided by healthy interest income and drop in impairment losses and bad debts. Interest income increased by 26 per cent YoY to Rs 1,609 crore, while income from fees and services was up 14.6 per cent at Rs 1,670 crore.

Colgate-Palmolive India: The companys Q3FY23 net declined 3.6 per cent to Rs 243.2 crore compared to last year. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 1,281.2 crore, up 0.8 per cent YoY. The company reported a 32 per cent YoY jump in net profit at Rs 509 crore for Q3FY23, aided by healthy interest income and drop in impairment losses and bad debts. Interest income increased by 26 per cent YoY to Rs 1,609 crore, while income from fees and services was up 14.6 per cent at Rs 1,670 crore. READ MORE

Strides Pharma: The company narrowed its consolidated net loss to Rs 82 crore in Q3FY23 as against a net loss of Rs 127 crore in Q3FY22. Total income grew 9 per cent YoY to Rs 865 crore.

Lupin: The companys wholly-owned subsidiary - Lupin Digital Health has launched its digital therapeutics solution Lyfe for cardiac patients in India as it aims to go beyond the pill and provide a support ecosystem for patients. The company narrowed its consolidated net loss to Rs 82 crore in Q3FY23 as against a net loss of Rs 127 crore in Q3FY22. Total income grew 9 per cent YoY to Rs 865 crore.

HFCL: The company has won an Export Contract worth Rs 82.97 crore for supply of Optical Fiber Cables and Accessories.

CarTrade Technologies: The company reported a turnaround in Q3FY23 with a net profit of Rs 14.05 crore as against a net loss of Rs 18.49 crore in Q3FY22. Total income was up 13.2 per cent YoY at Rs 115.86 crore. The company has won an Export Contract worth Rs 82.97 crore for supply of Optical Fiber Cables and Accessories.

Macrotech Developers (Lodha): The realty firms Q3 net rose 41 per cent YoY to Rs 404.98 crore. However, total income fell 11.7 per cent YoY to Rs 1,902.44 crore.

United Spirits: The liquor maker posted a 27 per cent drop in consolidated net profit at Rs 214 crore for Q3FY23 as against Rs 295 crore in the year ago period. Total income was down 25.6 per cent YoY at Rs 6,631 crore. The realty firms Q3 net rose 41 per cent YoY to Rs 404.98 crore. However, total income fell 11.7 per cent YoY to Rs 1,902.44 crore.

Pidilite Industries: The Fevicol makers net profit dipped 17.4 per cent to Rs 296.26 crore in Q3FY23 as against Rs 358.61 crore in Q3Fy22. Total income was up 0.8 per cent YoY at Rs 2,712.91 crore.

HDFC Asset Management Company (AMC): The company reported a 2.7 per cent YoY growth in profit at Rs 369.4 crore for Q3FY23. Revenue from operations was up 1.8 per cent YoY at Rs 559.56 crore. The Fevicol makers net profit dipped 17.4 per cent to Rs 296.26 crore in Q3FY23 as against Rs 358.61 crore in Q3Fy22. Total income was up 0.8 per cent YoY at Rs 2,712.91 crore.

PNB Housing Finance: The companys net profit rose 43 per cent YoY to Rs 269 crore in Q3FY23 on the back of improved margins and net interest income (NII). Total income jumped over 20 per cent YoY to Rs 1,797 crore.

Nazara Technologies: The companys Q3FY23 net increased 31 per cent to Rs 22.40 crore when compared with Rs 17.10 crore in Q3FY22. Total income soared 71.9 per cent YoY to Rs 326.30 crore. The companys net profit rose 43 per cent YoY to Rs 269 crore in Q3FY23 on the back of improved margins and net interest income (NII). Total income jumped over 20 per cent YoY to Rs 1,797 crore.
Sales rise 61.53% to Rs 16054.44 croreNet profit of Chennai Petroleum Corporation declined 37.96% to Rs 144.20 crore in the quarter ended December 2022 as against Rs 232.44 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2021. Sales rose 61.53% to Rs 16054.44 crore in the quarter ended December 2022 as against Rs 9939.29 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2021. ParticularsQuarter EndedDec. 2022Dec. 2021% Var.Sales16054.449939.29 62 OPM %2.695.49 -PBDT328.94436.95 -25 PBT187.51304.95 -39 NP144.20232.44 -38

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The pharma major's consolidated net profit rose 9.93% to Rs 800.96 crore on 6.05% increase in total revenue from operations to Rs 5,810.09 crore in Q3 FY23 over Q3 FY22.

Consolidated profit before tax stood at Rs 1,218.06 crore in the quarter ended 31 December 2022, registering a growth of 15.55% from Rs 1,054.11 crore posted in the same period a year ago.

EBITDA jumped 13.2% year on year to Rs 1,408 crore in Q3 FY23. EBITDA margin stood at 24.2% in Q2 FY23, as compared with 22.7% reported in the corresponding quarter previous year.

During the quarter, Cipla's One India business reported robust double-digit traction in core portfolio across therapies and business segments; 11% YoY ex-covid growth.

In SAGA region, South Africa (SA) supply challenges being addressed; evolving business mix of private and tender. In secondary terms, strong demand continues with overall South Africa private business growing faster than the market. SAGA includes South Africa, Sub-Saharan and Cipla Global Access business.

US business reported highest ever quarterly revenue of $195 million and 30% YoY growth; strong traction in the differentiated portfolio including market share expansion in key respiratory and peptide injectable products.

Also Read Power Grid Corp Q1 PAT drops 37% YoY to Rs 3,801 cr Cipla EU to acquire additional 19.16% stake in Cipla Moroc SA Cipla Q2 PAT rises 11% YoY to Rs 789 cr Indraprastha Gas gains after Q1 PAT rises 72% YoY; gas volumes up 48% YoY Bharti Airtel Q2 PAT climbs 89% YoY to Rs 2,145 cr, ARPU Rises 24% YoY To Rs 190 Zomato Ltd leads losers in 'A' group Adani Group shares tumble after Hindenburg report Accelya Solutions India Ltd leads losers in 'B' group Volumes jump at Sharda Cropchem Ltd counter Swaraj Engines Q3 PAT up 15% YoY; sells nearly 27k engines

Cipla's R&D investments stood at Rs 363 crores or 6.2 % of sales; Higher 39% YoY driven by on-going clinical trials on a respiratory asset and other developmental efforts continuing including biosimilars.

Umang Vohra, MD and Global CEO of Cipla, said, Our Q3 FY23 performance reflects sustained momentum in core One-India and US businesses driving our overall revenue growth of 6% reported and 11% on a excovid basis. Our One India franchise delivered strong performance across therapies and segments with double digit market beating growth in prescription on a covid adjusted base.

He further added, We achieved the highest ever quarterly revenue for the North America region of $195 million driven by the contribution of differentiated products and market share expansion in flagship respiratory and peptide franchises. Our reported operating profitability of 24.2% reflects our focused efforts on navigating external headwinds and continued higher R&D spends stemming from ongoing respiratory trials and initiation of biosimilar programs.

As on 31 December 2022, Cipla's total debt (including lease liabilities) stood at Rs 1,042 crore while its cash and cash equivalents stood at Rs 6,232 crore.

Cipla is a global pharmaceutical company focused on agile and sustainable growth, complex generics, and deepening portfolio in our home markets of India, South Africa, North America, and key regulated and emerging markets.

Shares of Cipla declined 2.59% to Rs 1,034 on the BSE.

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On a consolidated basis, the real estate developer's net profit jumped 41.41% to Rs 404.98 crore despite of 13.87% surge in net sales to Rs 1,773.80 crore in Q3 FY23 over Q3 FY22.Consolidated profit before tax shed 1.6% to Rs 393.06 crore in Q3 FY23 as against Rs 399.46 recorded in the same period last year.

Macrotech Developers reported Q3 pre-sales at Rs 3,035 crore, registering a growth of 16% YoY as against the corresponding quarter previous year. Collections increased 26% at Rs 2,680 crore in Q3 FY23 over Q3 FY22.

Adjusted EBITDA stood at Rs 565 crore, rising 19% YoY in Q3 FY23. Adjusted EBITDA margin stood at 32% in Q3 FY23 as against 34% posted in Q3 FY22.

The company reduced its net debt by Rs 753 crore to Rs 8,042 crore. In spite of rising policy rates, the company said that it has also been able to reduce its interest cost consistently.

PAT adjusted for forex increased by 6% YoY to Rs 296 crore in Q3 FY23 during the period under review.

Commenting on the performance, Abhishek Lodha, MD & CEO, Macrotech Developers, said: "Combined with the consolidation on the supply side and our strategy of capital light expansion through JDAs, we believe that we can deliver 20% CAGR in pre-sales and around 20% ROEs over medium term.

Also Read Macrotech Developers posts good Q2 performance Wipro, M&M, NHPC, Bharat Electronics, Macrotech Developers in focus Macrotech Developers gains about 9% in four days Macrotech Developers rises on launching QIP issue Macrotech Developers announces closure of QIP issue Indus Towers slides after reporting dismal Q3 earnings United Spirits slides as Q3 PAT slumps 64% YoY Metal shares gain CarTrade Tech spurts after good Q3 numbers Adani Transmission Ltd Slips 1.96%

"Lodha achieved its best ever Q3 Presales performance at Rs 3,035 crore showing 16% YoY growth. This strong pre-sales performance has helped us achieve 9M FY23 pre-sales of 9,039 crore - surpassing the pre-sales recorded in the entire full year of FY22. This makes us confident of surpassing our guidance for FY23 of Rs 11,500 crore pre-sales. Secondly, the company also added four new projects during the quarter in MMR & Pune aggregating to 5 million square feet of saleable area and a combined GDV of Rs 8,500 crore. With this we have already added Rs 17,800 crore of GDV in the 9M FY23 exceeding our full year guidance of Rs 15,000 crore," he stated.

Lodha further added, Finally, in spite of the heightened business development, we reduced our net debt by another Rs 753 crore during the quarter to Rs 8,042 crore. We are confident of achieving our leverage goals of net debt being lower than 0.5x of equity and 1x of operating cash flow, over the course of next six months.

Macrotech Developers (Lodha Group) is primarily engaged in the business of real estate development.

Shares of Macrotech Developers were down 0.67% to Rs 1,071.75 on the BSE.

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Quick Heal Technologies dropped 8.27% to Rs 167 after the company reported consolidated net loss of Rs 9.3 crore in Q3 FY23 compared with net profit of Rs 14.3 crore in Q3 FY22.Pre-tax loss stood at Rs 12.07 crore in Q3 FY23 as against pre-tax profit of Rs 19.57 crore in Q3 FY22. Revenue from operations declined 16.1% to Rs 66.8 crore in Q3 FY23 compared with Rs 79.6 crore in Q3 FY22.

Total expense rose 29.3% to Rs 63.68 crore in Q3 FY23 as against Rs 82.34 crore in Q3 FY22. Cost of raw material stood at Rs 0.21 crore (down 25% YoY), employee benefit expense rose 21.04% YoY to Rs 40.38 crore.

The company reported negative EBITDA of Rs 11.4 crore in Q3 FY23 as against positive EBITDA of Rs 20.5 crore in Q3 FY22. EBITDA margin declined to 17.0% in Q3 FY23 from 27.72% in Q3 FY22.

Enterprise and Government segment grows sustainably showing YoY growth for the 10th straight quarter. Revenues rose 13% to Rs 24 crore in Q3 FY23 as compared with Rs 22 crore in the same period of the corresponding year.

Retail segment revenue declined by 20% to Rs 51 crore for Q3FY23 as compared to Rs 64 crore in the same period of the corresponding year.

Dr. Kailash Katkar, managing director and chief executive officer, Quick Heal Technologies, said, We are witnessing signs of short-term contraction in the consumer market due to lowering of global IT spends. We have taken several initiatives towards the businesses and is showing early signs of success during the initial phase. While some parts of the business might be under stress in the short term, we will continue to invest in research and development (R&D) and S&M for our long-term success. Through these efforts we have pivoted ourselves from a consumer AV player to a wholistic cybersecurity player with new age products under our umbrella.

Also Read Information Technology shares edge higher Information Technology shares fall Quick Heal Technologies consolidated net profit declines 36.01% in the September 2022 quarter Quick Heal Technologies reports consolidated net loss of Rs 9.29 crore in the December 2022 quarter Stove Kraft CEO Rajiv Mehta intents to resign Sonata Software reports PAT of Rs 118 cr in Q3 FY23 MRO-TEK Realty Ltd leads gainers in 'B' group Sona Comstar spurts after Q3 PAT rises 24% YoY to Rs 107 cr Sharda Cropchem Ltd leads gainers in 'A' group Nazara Tech jumps on strong Q3 performance

Navin Sharma, chief financial officer, Quick Heal Technologies, said, We will continue to invest for our long-term win as our balance sheet is strong and we are a zero-debt company. We have completed our recent buy-back worth Rs 185 crore, inclusive of taxes.

Quick Heal Technologies is engaged in the business of providing security software products. The company caters to both domestic and international market.

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Zomato dropped 6.62% to Rs 48.65, its lowest level since July 2022.The counter clocked volumes of 1.14 crore shares on the BSE, as against an average quantity of 46.28 lakh shares in the past one quarter.

The counter clocked volumes of 16.75 crore shares on the NSE, as against an average quantity of 6.65 crore shares in the past one quarter.

The counter hit a record low of Rs 40.55 on 27 July 2022.

The stock underperformed the market over the past one month, falling 9.24% compared with 0.85% rise in the Sensex.

The scrip underperformed the market in past one quarter, sliding 24.69% as against Sensex's 1.36% decline.

The scrip also underperformed the market in past one year, dropping 51.59% as against Sensex's 4.31% rise.

Also Read Ramco Systems tumbles after Q1 net loss widens to Rs 51 cr Thirumalai Chemicals tumbles after Q1 PAT skid 8% YoY UTI AMC tumbles after clarification Australia Market tumbles 1% on negative offshore lead Nifty settles above 17,550, NSE India VIX tumbles over 6% Sona BLW Precision Forgings Ltd soars 4.67%, Gains for third straight session TVS Motor Company Ltd up for third straight session Sonata Software reports PAT of Rs 118 cr in Q3 FY23 MRO-TEK Realty Ltd leads gainers in 'B' group Kamat Hotels to raise Rs 297 cr via debentures

On the technical front, the stock's daily RSI (relative strength index) stood at 29.49. The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Traditionally, the RSI is considered overbought when above 70 and oversold when below 30.

On the daily chart, the stock was trading above its 50-day, 100-day and 200-day simple moving averages (SMA) placed at 59.74, 61.60 and 62.19, respectively. These levels will act as resistence zones in near term.

Meanwhile, the media reported that Zomato on 24 January 2023 relaunched its loyalty programme, Zomato Gold. Customers may use this service to get savings on food delivery and in-restaurant dining. To use this service, users need to pay an initial registration fee of Rs 149 for a three-month membership.

Zomato suspended Pro Plus in July 2021 as it was aiming to revamp its loyalty programme to focus more on dining in. Zomato has also discontinued its 10-minute meal delivery service due to difficulties in expanding the business, media reports added.

Zomato connects customers, restaurant partners and delivery partners. Customers use Zomato to search and discover restaurants, read and write customer generated reviews and view and upload photos, order food delivery, book a table and make payments while dining-out at restaurants. On the other hand, it provides restaurant partners with industry-specific marketing tools which enable them to engage and acquire customers to grow their business while also providing a reliable and efficient last mile delivery service. The company also operates a one-stop procurement solution, Hyperpure, which supplies high quality ingredients and kitchen products to restaurant partners.

The company reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 250.80 crore in Q2 September 2022, as against net loss of Rs 429.60 crore in Q2 September 2021. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 1661.30 crore in Q2 September 2022, up 62.2% from Rs 1024.20 crore reported in Q2 September 2021.

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The whole country knows that it was the Congress Party that gave birth to corruption and illegality, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said while responding to Congress' complaint filed against former water resources minister and BJP leader Ramesh Jarkiholi.

Reacting to the complaint filed by Congress leaders with the High Ground police station against BJP leaders accusing them of indulging in illegal practices to woo the voters, he told media persons here on Wednesday that this shows to what level they have stooped.

"Somebody will give reply and others will give the clarification and reply. The Congress Party has promised to give Rs 2,000 for every woman and 200 units of power free for every family. Everyday they are announcing new promises. If the same yardstick is applied, are the Congress leaders not guilty? Are they not making new promises to woo the voters?" Bommai questioned.

The Chief Minister said the distribution of the pressure cookers to the voters with the pictures of four to five MLAs have been found with evidence.

The Commercial Tax officials have caught and fined four persons in Kunigal. Details will be collected and get it enquired. In spite of all these, the Congress leaders are trying to create confusion among the people, he said.

They are sure of losing the election because of which they are filing such complaints. There is police and law and let there be inquiry, he said.

Also Read BJP's 'Janaspandana' rally marking 3 yrs of BJP rule in Karnataka today Karnataka will soon be on international tourism map: CM Basavaraj Bommai Carry out relief work on priority in flood-hit areas: Karnataka CM Bommai Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai tests Covid-19 positive with mild symptoms CM Bommai vows to bring 'pro-people' BJP govt back to power in Karnataka Kerala Guv questions BBC documentary's timing when India assumed presidency Cong files complaint against Nadda, Bommai after MLA's bribe remark MNM extends support to Cong on Erode East bypoll in TN: Kamal Haasan Telangana's KT Rama Rao trains guns on BJP over price rise, communal issues Aero India this year will be biggest airshow: K'taka CM Basavaraj Bommai

"We can also file hundreds of such complaints against them but ultimately it is the people who will decide. People also know them well and will take a decision. We need not learn from them. They are free to do whatever they want," he added.

While addressing a public gathering on Tuesday, former water resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi announced that the BJP would give Rs 6,000 per vote.

On AICC General Secretary and incharge of Karnataka Affairs Ranjit Singh Surjewala, Bommai said, "It was old. The inquiry was going on into all those who got selected as teachers without writing the examination when the Congress Party was in power. They owe reply for it."

"If the jobs have been sold it was during the Congress government regime. The inquiry will reveal everything. In Kalburagi, a police constable was made DIG and filed FIR after his retirement. This is the Congress policy. The business of the Congress Party was to sell jobs while in power and leave the accused when they were arrested. Knowing this, the people had sent the Congress Party to home and they will do it this time also," he explained.

--IANS

mka/uk/
U.N. Command (UNC) soldiers are seen on guard duty at the Joint Security Area (JSA) or the truce village of Panmunjeom inside the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea. Newsis





The U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC) has concluded both South and North Korea violated the armistice by sending drones into each other's territory last month, an informed source said Wednesday.







The UNC recently reached the conclusion after its special team investigated the North's Dec. 26 drone infiltrations, which led the South to send its drones into the North in a "corresponding" step.







UNC Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera has been briefed on the investigation outcome, the source told Yonhap News Agency, requesting anonymity.







LaCamera, who also heads the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and the U.S. Forces Korea, is said to have been pondering whether to disclose the outcome amid concerns that it could risk friction with the Seoul government.







Seoul's defense ministry defended its sending of the drones into the North's territory as the exercise of its right to "self-defense," stressing the right is not restricted by the armistice.







Yonhap News Agency has requested official comment from the UNC on the issue, but it was not immediately available.







The UNC is an enforcer of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. (Yonhap)


Actor Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Wednesday extended unconditional support to Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan for the February 27 Erode East bypoll, saying it was a "moment of national importance" to fight for the common cause of joining hands against "communal forces."



Elangovan, senior Congress leader and former union minister, is the candidate of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Aliance (SPA). The bypoll was necessitated due to the recent death of sitting local legislator and his son Thirumahan Everaa.

Briefing reporters after chairing a meeting of the party's Administrative and Executive councils, Haasan said they unanimously decided to extend "unconditional support" to the DMK-led SPA candidate and "my friend" Elangovan.

"Myself and my partymen will extend whatever assistance is required for Elangovan's win," and ensure a big victory margin for the Congress leader, Haasan added.

This is the first time the actor-politician is extending support to a candidate of another party in the elections as MNM had faced the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 state Assembly elections by itself.

Asked about his supporting the DMK backed candidate, Haasan said he had joined hands to fight against communal forces and those that were trying to "intrude" into every aspect of people's life including food.

"When it comes to national importance, you have to rub off differences," he said, responding to a question but indicated any decision over possible alliance for the 2024 Parliamentay elections will be taken then.

Also Read In a first in Tamil Nadu, mobile electric crematorium launched in Erode How Kamal Haasan's Congress tilt may impact politics in Tamil Nadu Terrorist group Al-Shabab seize control of hotel in Somalia's Mogadishu Rahul Gandhi's ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra beyond politics, says Kamal Haasan Joined Bharat Jodo Yatra for 'united India': Veteran actor Kamal Haasan Telangana's KT Rama Rao trains guns on BJP over price rise, communal issues Aero India this year will be biggest airshow: K'taka CM Basavaraj Bommai Siddaramaiah won't contest Assembly polls from Kolar, claims Yediyurappa Cong releases 10-point manifesto ahead of K'taka Assembly elections Cheap, not part of K'taka politics: CM Bommai on Siddaramaiah's remarks

Elangovan had earlier met Haasan.
Android 14 will start blocking the installation of apps that target outdated versions of Android to help reduce the potential for malware.

According to a newly posted code change, Android 14 is set to make API requirements stricter, entirely blocking the installation of outdated apps, reports 9to5Google.

This modification would prevent users from sideloading specific APK files and would also prevent app stores from installing those same apps.

Initially, Android 14 devices will only block apps that specifically target older Android versions.

However, Google intends to gradually raise the threshold to Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), with a mechanism in place to "progressively ramp it up", according to the report.

Although, it will probably still be up to device makers to determine the threshold for outdated apps or whether to enable them at all.

Also Read CDSL malware attack hits broking ops; Sebi, Cert-in to probe incident Banks alert customers about mobile banking malware targeting over 200 apps Top headlines: CDSL malware attack, removal of penal offences from GST law Bank, crypto apps under attack: Everything you must know about SOVA virus Google opens the door for Android apps that work across all devices Facing user complaints, DoT considers launching 5G service quality test Several countries expected to adopt India's tech stack in Feb: Minister OnePlus TV 65 Q2 Pro to launch alongside OnePlus 11, Buds 2 Pro on Feb 7 'India Stack' conference to showcase our innovations to the world: MoS IT 5G IoT connections to surpass 100 mn globally by 2026: Juniper Research

The tech giant intends to reduce the spread of malware apps on Android by blocking these outdated apps, said the report.

The report further mentioned that the developer who made the change notes that some malware apps have purposefully targeted older versions of Android in order to circumvent certain protections that are only enforced on newer apps.

Meanwhile, Google said that the upcoming Android 14 will "support our partners in enabling all of this" after SpaceX and T-Mobile unveiled plans to deliver direct satellite connectivity to smartphones.

On Twitter, Hiroshi Lockheimer, Senior Vice President of Platforms and Ecosystems at Google, described how it "was a stretch to get 3G + Wifi working" on the first shipping Android phone (HTC Dream/T-Mobile G1) in 2008".

--IANS

shs/vd
IT services company HCL Technologies has signed a pact with the Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad, to collaborate in the field of petroleum engineering and earth science, according to a statement.

HCL Technologies and IIT (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad (Jharkhand), will also develop a knowledge management system using technologies, it added.

As part of the agreement, HCL Tech will offer projects and internship opportunities to students and research scholars of IIT (ISM) to develop digital solutions in the fields of exploration, drilling and production of hydrocarbons to reduce carbon footprint.

"Both HCL Tech and IIT (ISM) will also undertake sustainability initiatives and programmes, including discussions, podcasts and joint presentations at international forums on transformative initiatives in the oil and gas sector," according to a statement.

The memorandum of understanding will help HCL Tech strengthen its collaboration with the IIT (ISM), Dhanbad, while HCLTech customers will benefit from solutions in low-carbon sustainability.

The pact between HCL Tech and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad was signed in the presence of Sagar Pal, Dean (Research and Development), IIT (ISM) and Somnath Das and Deepak Bhardwaj, Directors - Oil and Gas, HCL Tech.

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"This strategic initiative will help the oil and gas industry generate enhanced value from data and introduce cutting-edge, low-carbon sustainability solutions," Ajay Bahl, Corporate Vice President, HCL Tech said.


Here are some of the Budget expectations for the manufacturing sector. As Union Budget 2023 approaches, experts from the manufacturing sector, which contributes 15 per cent to Indias gross domestic product (GDP), are hoping for a reduction in import duties, and a revision in the taxation system, among other things from the government.

Electric Vehicle industry

As the Centre pushes for wider adoption of electric vehicles to meet the countrys decarbonisation goal, CEO of JLNPhenix Energy, Sunil Gandhi told Business Standard that reduction in import duty on the raw material of lithium-ion battery is what the manufacturers of the EV batteries hope for, along with a cut in the present GST rates.



To meet the vision 2030 planned by NITI Ayog, Gandhi said that the government shall put a thrust on developing home-grown industrial units of Li-Ion cell manufacturing, BMS R&D and mass manufacturing, EV Motors and motor controllers. Expecting big announcements for EVs, the Energy Storage System (ESS) and EV charging infrastructure, Gandhi said, Reduction of imports duty especially on the parts used in the lithium-ion batteries can also be presented in the upcoming budget. There is a need to relook at the GST rate for Lithium-Ion batteries and reduce it from the current rate of 18 per cent and match it with the GST rate applicable on EVs i.e., 5 per cent.

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Naivedya Agarwal, the CEO and Co-Founder of Runaya suggested an extension on the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the space sector for indigenising the Aluminium Powder, while also requesting additional schemes for rare earth and magnet manufacturing industries. Apart from FAME-II subsidies and new quality norms, the JLNPhenix Energy CEO said that the EV-battery manufacturers also expect avenues where they can invest to improve the supply chain and cost of raw materials.



India has six per cent of the world's rare earth reserves, underscored Agarwal saying that the country only produces one per cent of global output and meets most of its requirements from China. In the 2023-24 Union Budget, we would like to request an extension in the existing period for the new and emerging companies. Additionally, to extend the PLI scheme for the space sector for indigenising the Aluminium Powder. It will boost local manufacturing and promote capacity building within the country, Agarwal said.



The government has unveiled incentives of at least $3.4 billion for manufacturing the costliest component of EVs batteries  locally, to make the end product more affordable for the mass market. We have the scope, capacity, and capability at the same time to not only support the requirement locally but also export globally. This year we expect PLI schemes for rare earth and magnet manufacturing industries. This year we are looking forward to a clear tax policy along with a PLI scheme for rare earth minerals to boost EV production in India, he added.



Employment in the manufacturing sector According to a recent report, India is exploring ways to secure supplies of metals such as copper and lithium from some of the world's top producers by acquiring overseas mines and has identified one copper and two lithium mines in resource-rich Argentina to either acquire or secure long-term leases.



Ullal added that while ease of documentation, registration, tax benefit, easy credit, and government aid has been really helpful for the industry, there is much more that is to be done to reap the benefits of the scheme. A key to the growth of an economy is skilled manpower, Subramanya Ullal, the CEO of SASMOS HET Technologies Limited said that being the largest job creators, MSMEs would look forward to the schemes and benefits for the companies hiring on a large scale and upskilling the youth. Like the previous year the government should continue its focus on the creation of skilled professionals, he said.



ASSOCHAM said that the Union Budget 2023-24 is likely to focus on employment generation with the help of schemes like PLI which extends to 13 different sectors of manufacturing. An investment of nearly Rs 50,000 crore has already been committed. Most of the government procurements, at least as we see in the aerospace and defence industry, are driven by the L1 process, which is very difficult for most companies to deliver along with superior quality and highly invested manpower. Our request to the government is to look at this issue and open up the chance for the MSMEs to provide high-quality products, he said.
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The Securities and Appellate Tribunal or SAT has set aside the Sebis 625-crore rupee disgorgement order against NSE in the alleged colocation scam case, saying that it was patently erroneous. The tribunal also slammed the markets regulator for not conducting its own probe and, instead, asking the bourse to probe the allegations against itself. SAT also observed that Sebis decision to disgorge 25% of the salaries of two former NSE CEOs was erroneous and set it aside. So, does SATs order change the whole course of the case?



Sebi is also busy drafting guidelines for financial influencers, who, off late, have been giving tough time to the markets regulator. Meanwhile, the central government has also come out with a set of guidelines governing social media endorsements. Under it, the influencers will now have to mandatorily disclose all material benefits they receive in exchange for promoting a product or service. There is also a provision for a six-month and a fine or both for violations. So what impact will it have on the influencer industry?



Moving on, equity markets have remained muted for most part of January amid pre-budget volatility. As we enter the last leg, how will the market trajectory play out in the run up to the Union Budget and in the following days? We look at the past trends to bring you the answer.

Last Friday, over two lakh depositors heaved a sigh of relief when Bombay High Court set aside Yes Banks decision to write off additional tier-1 or AT-1 bonds. In this episode of the podcast, we tell you more about these high-yielding but unsecured bonds.




By Jon Dunbar







Up past Itaewon's colorfully named Hooker Hill and Homo Hill, medical professionals showed up in an innocuous clinic space, located above a pizzeria and a transgender bar, for one day a week to collect medical samples from anyone who showed up. The anonymous patients getting tested for sexually transmitted infections received the test results by text message a few days later.







A sign hanging out front identifies the Korea Federation for HIV/AIDS Prevention (KHAP), which since 2003 has been running a service here to provide free STI testing, counseling and information to foreign residents. It also operates public health campaigns and provides funding support for patients in need.







KHAP is run by the National Health Promotion Fund, a subsidy of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, under the supervision of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), although donations are also accepted from private individuals.







"KHAP exists for all foreign residents in the country and does not target specific groups," said Hong Min-wook, the manager of KHAP. "Matters concerning personal diseases, as well as venereal disease tests, are about privacy, and there is no reason to leak them to the outside world unless there is a special reason. The reason for anonymous testing is not to hide it from family, work or government, but to protect sensitive personal information of individuals."







People who want the center's STI testing services need to visit khap.org to check availability, because the center operates in different locations on different days of the week, and also offers only certain testing services on particular days. It's run almost like a pop-up business, except, rather than selling some hot new product, they're drawing blood, collecting urine samples and swabbing oral mucosal cells.







KHAP is operated by employees as well as volunteers. "Clinical pathologists necessary for the examination are present, and doctors are recruited as external personnel for examination days," Hong said.







KHAP is usually active at its Itaewon office on Fridays and Saturdays, and operates in northeastern Seoul's Gireum area on Thursdays. It also operates monthly in Gyeonggi Province's city of Ansan, which has a large foreign population, and Busan. There are one-off testing days at special events all over the country as well.







"It is currently difficult to operate more regularly due to the lack of clients, lack of personnel, and administrative work," Hong said. "If the number of foreigners coming to get tested increases, the inspection dates will be increased, and for this, more manpower and budget support will be needed. For the sustainable operation of KHAP, more foreign residents of Korea should be aware of the existence of KHAP centers."







KHAP operates based on the system established by the

run under the same umbrella, which caters mainly to Korean sexual minorities such as gays, bisexual men and all men who have sex with men (MSM). It also caters to transgender women.







"The iSHAP examination system has been a stable model for many years," Hong said. "KHAP has established its current inspection system by conducting simulations using the iSHAP model several times and correcting and supplementing problems."







Hong cited KDCA data showing that 975 HIV infections were newly reported in 2021, of which he said 773 were Korean nationals and 202 were foreign nationals. He added that among the 773 patients of Korean nationality, 345 were men who reported having sexual activity with other men, while 187 stated they were heterosexual and 240 did not respond.







However, Hong stresses that these services are not being offered out of perceptions that minority populations such as people of foreign nationality or men who have sex with men are to blame or are some kind of dirty carriers of disease.







"KHAP Center disagrees with the perception that foreigners such as U.S. Forces Korea, English teachers, migrant workers, etc. are the main culprits of the inflow and spread of HIV," Hong said. "The vulnerable group of HIV infections doesn't mean they're the main culprit of the spread of HIV, but they're the victims of HIV. That's why KHAP is conducting this project for foreigners  to reduce foreign victims of HIV."







He added that the center has never come under direct attack or opposition by hateful forces. "But," he added, "It is operating carefully due to homophobia and hatred directed towards HIV-infected people in Korean society."







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Participants offer flowers during a ceremony to bury the remains of the Netherlands' Mathias Hubertus Hoogenboom and Eduard Julius Engberink, who fought during the Korean War, at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in South Korea's largest port city of Busan in this Nov. 11, 2022 file photo. Yonhap



South Korea's veterans ministry on Wednesday unveiled an emblem marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.



The emblem is composed of the word "amazing" and the number "70" to highlight the progress the country has made since the armistice was signed in July 1953 by the U.S.-led U.N. Command, North Korea and China, according to the ministry.



The number "70" in the emblem is tilted by 22 degrees to represent the number of countries that participated in the war to support the South, while its red and blue colors are meant to represent the "taegeuk" symbol of South Korea's national flag.





The emblem of the 70th anniversary of the armistice signing of the 1950-53 Korean War is shown in this image provided by the veterans ministry, Jan. 25. Yonhap
Rep. Kim Gi-hyun, one of the leading contenders in the ruling People Power Party's leadership race, speaks in the National Assembly, Seoul, on Jan. 19. Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon



By Lee Yeon-woo



Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, one of the leading contenders in the ruling People Power Party's (PPP) leadership race, plans to submit a bill on Wednesday that requires women to participate in civil defense training.



"Men and women are equally responsible for protecting themselves and families during war or an equivalent state of emergency, or terrorism," Kim said while explaining his new bill.



Under the Civil Defense Framework Act, men aged from 20 to 40 should receive a maximum of 50 hours of civil defense training annually. The training not only includes emergency measures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but also survival tactics including chemical, biological and radiological attacks and other accidents.



Kim proposed to include women aged from between 20 to 40 in the defense training, except for those who are pregnant or have recently miscarried. Kim plans to gradually widen the training to obligatory military instructions in the near future.



Since Kim unveiled the plan on Sunday, he has been criticized for pushing a bill as a way to attract votes from men in their 20s and 30s, who are sensitive about gender-related issues.



Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, one of the other contenders in the PPP leadership race, said he cannot help but think the policy is not about "security" but "gender," and added that separating men and women "isn't good."



Rep. Kwon In-sook from the Democratic Party (DPK), who is also the chairperson of the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee, said the bill is "populist" as it targets certain generations and gender while the government is "egging on war." She quoted President Yoon Suk-yeol's recent remarks about likening Iran to North Korea as the country's biggest threat during his visit to UAE.



"This is the national defense version of [gender-related] policies such as the gender ministry's abolishment, which the PPP comes up with to seek a rebound whenever they drop in the popularity polls," Kwon said.





In this photo taken in 2008, men are practicing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a dummy during civil defense training held in Seocho District, southern Seoul. Korea Times file
This image provided by the Korea Coast Guard shows a search operation under way after a cargo ship sank off the southern island of Jeju, Jan. 25. Yonhap



A Hong Kong-registered cargo ship carrying 22 crew members sank off the southern island of Jeju on Wednesday, and 14 of them were rescued, while a search is under way for the others, the Coast Guard said.



Fourteen Chinese and eight Myanmarese crew members were aboard the Jin Tian, a 6,551-ton, wood-carrying ship, when it sent out a distress signal at 3:07 a.m. in international waters 148.2 kilometers southeast of the city of Seogwipo on Jeju, according to the Coast Guard.



The ship was completely submerged when Coast Guard personnel arrived at the scene.



Fourteen of the crew members were rescued by other ships that were sailing by and other rescuers, but nine of them were in a state of unconsciousness, officials said.





This image provided by the Korea Coast Guard shows a search operation under way after a cargo ship sank off the southern island of Jeju, Jan. 25. Yonhap
Gettyimagesbank



The number of Korean workers who took time off to take care of their children rose 18.6 percent in 2022 from a year earlier on the back of more government support for parental leave, government data showed Monday.



A total of 131,087 workers took parental leave to take care of their children last year, up 20,532 from the previous year, according to the data by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.



Women accounted for 71.1 percent of the workers on leave last year, far outnumbering their male counterparts, the ministry said.



Yet, the number of male workers going on paternity leave gradually increased to account for 28.9 percent of the total last year, the data showed. The percentage was a mere 8.5 percent in 2016.



The increase can be attributed to more couples raising their children together and policies encouraging men to take leave, such as increased monthly allowances, it said.



The country first introduced parental leave in 1987 for mothers only with a child under 1 year old, before it was offered to fathers in 1995. But the allowance system was not properly established until the early to mid-2000s.



In an effort to encourage more people to take parental leave, the government introduced a system in 2014 of giving a larger monthly allowance if the second parent of a family takes time off after their spouse uses up all of his or her paternity leave.



Since last year, the maximum allowance for those taking such parental leave for the first time for their family was increased from 1.2 million won ($972) per month to 1.5 million won ($1,216) per month.



Also since last year, the upper limit of the first three-month allowances for a couple either taking their leave together or in order was increased to 100 percent of their ordinary wages. This policy requires for their child to be less than 12 months old.



The data showed that the average length of parental leave was nine months last year.



A total of 64.3 percent of parents went on leave when their children were younger than 12 months old, followed by when they were 7 or 8 years old with 13.6 percent, around the time they start school, the ministry said.



Many parents also took advantage of a policy that allows them to reduce working hours for up to a year while raising a child under the age of 9, the ministry said. Their number totaled 19,466 last year, up 16.6 percent from a year earlier. (Yonhap)


NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg AA Images

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday condemned Russian nuclear threats in the wake of remarks by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who warned the western military alliance that Moscows defeat in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war.

BERLIN (AA) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday condemned Russian nuclear threats in the wake of remarks by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who warned the western military alliance that Moscows defeat in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war.

The risk of using nuclear weapons is low. But Russian nuclear rhetoric is utterly irresponsible. It is dangerous. Russia should know that a nuclear war can never be won and therefore should never be fought, Stoltenberg said in an interview with the daily WELT newspaper.

Of course, we are watching what Russia is doing very closely. If that were the case, we would of course react. But even if we allow Russia to blackmail us with this rhetoric, then the world will become more dangerous. Then Russia would keep coming up with this nuclear threat when it wants to achieve something, he added.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago on Feb. 24, Medvedev has repeatedly raised the threat of a nuclear attack.

The defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war may trigger a nuclear war, Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Putins powerful security council, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Nuclear powers have never lost major conflicts on which their fate depends, said Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012.

The Kremlin was quick to endorse Medvedevs remarks, saying they were in full accordance with Moscows principles.

Moscows doctrine allows for a nuclear attack after aggression against the Russian Federation with conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is threatened.

Oliver Towfigh Nia/AA
Screenshot of the Korean East-West Mind Science Association website after being compromised by a hacker group that calls itself "Dawn Cavalry." Korea Times file



Group attacks 12 South Korean research, academic agencies



By Jack Lau



A foreign hacker group, apparently a Chinese one, attacked the websites of a dozen mostly research and academic institutions in South Korea over the Lunar New Year holiday, the country's cyber-safety agency said on Wednesday.



The hacker group, which identifies itself as Dawn Cavalry, said on its public channel on messaging app Telegram that its next target is the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA), which is the first government agency to be identified as a target of the group's cyberattacks.



"The next target is KISA," a Dawn Cavalry administrator wrote in a message in Chinese and English on Telegram. "The specific invasion list is waiting for the official reply from South Korea."



"So far, the South Korean government has reported breaches from only 12 agencies, but I've deleted more databases and websites than that."



Some of the compromised websites have recovered and are functioning normally, but most are still reeling from the attack and could not be accessed on Wednesday afternoon. Hacked homepages feature a message of the hacker group's logo and name in Chinese characters and English. Underneath them is a phrase that reads, "We Declare an Invasion of the South Korean Internet."



KISA told The Korea Times that it cannot confirm if the hackers were Chinese nationals and whether they were state-sponsored. Dawn Cavalry wrote in its Telegram channel in English and simplified Chinese, which is used mainly in mainland China.



The Korea Research Institute for Construction Policy (RICON) became Dawn Cavalry's first target, KISA said. The hacker group said Friday on its website that it had leaked the personal information of the institute's staff members and research fellows, including their names, email addresses and job titles. Its website remained inaccessible.



Two days later, on Tuesday, 11 other South Korean academic institutions sustained similar cyberattacks by the group, including The Korea Association for Education and The Korean East-West Mind Science Association, a non-profit group dedicated to the rehabilitation of visually impaired people, and The Korean Society for the Study of Educational Principles.



The hackers broke into their web servers and replaced the website hosted on them with their messages written in Korean.



"We will continue to hack Korea's public and government networks, and looking forward to our next move, we will hack a wide range of internal South Korean networks," said the message, written in Korean, set against a background inspired by The Matrix's digital rain. "Yes, we are back."



Most of these institutions have websites that do not support encrypted data transfers from the user and the web server, making them vulnerable to cyberattacks and eavesdropping of private information.



The source code of the website included hidden comments written in simplified Chinese, which is used primarily in mainland China. The same code could be found in Chinese developer blogs and tutorials for creating the Matrix-inspired background.



"Our team is an independent team. Our team will use South Korea as a training ground for members, and every one of them will take part in actions invading South Korea," Dawn Cavalry said on Telegram. The group's name apparently refers to the ancient Chinese military contingent.



Only the administrator can upload posts on the Dawn Cavalry channel, and its subscribers can leave only comments. As of Wednesday, the channel had over 500 subscribers.



Regarding the question of how South Korea became a target, the administrator wrote that they were annoyed by some streaming stars from Korea.



The group warned on its website on Jan. 7 that its actions against South Korea would cause "data leaks to happen for a long time."



"An investigation into the cyberattack is underway," a KISA staffer said on condition of anonymity. "We find it difficult to identify who those hackers are and why they targeted South Korea, and so on, mainly because the cyberattack occurred during the holiday and many of our inquiries were not answered yet."



Jack Lau is a reporter with the South China Morning Post. He is currently based in Seoul, writing for both The Korea Times and the South China Morning Post under an exchange program.




By Yun Sun



The year 2022 was not what can be called a stable and peaceful year for the Korean Peninsula. The well-speculated nuclear test by North Korea did not happen, but Pyongyang conducted dozens of missile tests. Most observers still believe that another nuclear test is just a matter of time. Many might see that new nuclear test as potentially the most significant challenge for the peace and stability of the Northeast Asia region. However, for China, the geopolitical consequences of such a provocation will be the true crisis and a real test of China's policy toward the Korean Peninsula.



Sanctions, COVID-19 and the continued tension/stalemate between the U.S. and North Korea have buried Pyongyang's hopes for economic opportunities and development. Many observers see the policy of the Biden administration as a new version of "strategic patience," which keeps the door for diplomacy open without lowering the bar for engagement and increases military deterrence against North Korea while maintaining international pressure. For China, North Korea's suspension of nuclear tests and missile tests since 2018 was not received with any reciprocal reward from the international community. For instance, China and Russia both called for the U.N. to ease some sanctions but that did not occur.



Nonetheless, in the context of the U.S.-China strategic competition, China's mentality about North Korea has undergone subtle shifts. For the longest time, the North Korea nuclear issue had been regarded as a potential area of cooperation between the U.S. and China as well as an important area of strategic leverage for Beijing vis-a-vis Washington. The great power competition inevitably increased the space for North Korea to manipulate the great powers so as to improve its own external environment.



Under the circumstances, the negative outlook that China is watching for is the return to "bipolarity" in Northeast Asia, that between a "northern triangle" (China, Russia, and North Korea) and a "southern triangle" (the U.S., Japan, and South Korea). Such a scenario not only solidifies the hostility and adversarial nature of regional dynamics, but also directly undermines China's desired regional security structure, which includes a relatively neutral Japan, a relatively pro-China South Korea, and an absolutely pro-China North Korea. Such a structure would best serve China's goal of weakening the U.S.' security presence and influence in the Western Pacific.



As Brookings Institution research has noted, within this strategy South Korea is the "lynchpin." Since President Park Guen-hye's inauguration in 2013, over the past ten years, China has developed high expectations for South Korea's external alignment choices. South Korea's support of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and President Park's attendance at China's 2015 military parade both demonstrated to China the malleability of Seoul's preferences.



Although South Korea's THAAD deployment and Chinese reactions to this event sank bilateral relations, the following Moon Jae-in administration largely followed a balancing diplomacy toward the U.S. and China. Given that South Korea is a U.S. security ally, its willingness to stay neutral between the U.S. and China was of great encouragement to China.



As such, the focus of U.S.-China discord on the Korean Peninsula in past years appears to be on the North Korea nuclear issue. But in reality, the competition for South Korea, especially over influencing and shaping Seoul's strategic choices, is the most profound and contentious issue.



However, the political tide in South Korea does not appear to be in China's favor since the 2022 election. The new-in-2022 Yoon Suk Yeol administration has been seen as bringing major uncertainty to Sino-ROK relations. Yoon has vowed to pursue deterrence as the core of his policy toward North Korea  a reinforcement of the pursuit of security cooperation with the U.S. and a 180-degree shift from the previous Moon administration's focus on engagement, diplomacy and dialogue with North Korea.



As long as South Korea does not seek engagement and reconciliation with North Korea, China's diplomatic influence is rendered obsolete and useless, hence depriving China of key leverage vis-a-vis South Korea. In addition, Yoon's commitment to democratic values in his diplomacy, his aspiration for the Indo-Pacific Strategy, as well as South Korea's cooperation with the U.S. on supply chain issues, are all touching a nerve for China.



China, so far, has adopted a pacifying policy toward the Yoon administration. Despite its concern over Yoon's policy, Beijing still arranged for the Xi-Yoon meeting in Bali during the G20 Summit. Many have wondered why China has not played hardball with Seoul yet. It could be because no serious offense like the 2016 THAAD deployment has taken place. It could also be because Yoon is still early in his presidency, while Park was already at the end of hers in 2016. In addition, South Korea's strong relationship with the U.S. has to make Beijing think twice about whether its punitive measures might push Seoul further into Washington's arms.



What this means is that any serious provocation by North Korea, especially a nuclear test, will raise questions that are impossible to answer for China's South Korea policy. If North Korea does conduct another nuclear test, South Korea will undoubtedly demand China take necessary punitive actions and sanctions measures. But in the U.S.-China strategic competition, considering North Korea's strategic value, China will expectedly fail to meet Seoul's expectations.



A disappointed South Korea will instead seek to deepen its security ties and deterrence with the U.S. to counter the North Korean threat. The more disappointed Seoul is with Beijing, the stronger it will wish to seek such cooperation with the U.S. The measures South Korea will take to defend its national security will inevitably pose a threat to China's national security. The history of the 2016 THAAD episode will inevitably repeat itself.



Therefore, for China, the risks and crises on the Korean Peninsula might begin with the North, but will eventually manifest in China's relationship with South Korea.





Yun Sun is a senior fellow and co-director of the East Asia Program and director of the China Program at the Stimson Center. This article is published in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (APLN) (www.apln.network).


Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsis long-gestating animated feature The Siren holds the distinction of opening this years Panorama section at the Berlinale. The screening will also mark the films world premiere.

Farsi is a France-based filmmaker with extensive experience in live-action, but The Siren is his animation feature debut. The film is a France-Germany-Luxemburg co-production between Special Touch and Bac Films.

Set in Abadan in 1980, the film begins as the oil capital of Iran is found under Iraqi siege. There, 14-year-old Omid stays with his grandfather after failing to enlist for military service. While waiting for his older brother to return from the frontlines, Omid meets several strangers and learns their reasons for staying in a seemingly doomed town. As the violence increases, Omid begins fixing up an old traditional ship, a lanj, to sail away from danger and save those whom he loves.

The Berlinale Special section will host Loriots Great Cartoon Review and 100 Years of Disney Animation  a Shorts Celebration, a collection of classic Disney animated shorts.

This years Berlinale shorts section also hosts a trio of animated titles, Morten Tsinakov and Lucija Mrzljaks Eeva, Stephen Vuillemins A Kinds of Testament, and Volker Schlechts The Waiting.

Eeva heads to the Berlinale after premiering at Tallinn Black Nights back in November. The film is a 2d animated short from Estonia and Croatia that takes place at a rainy funeral where its titular protagonist endures the saddest day of her life after suddenly becoming a widow. Its produced by Drasko Ivezic (Adriatic Animation), alongside Kalev Tamm from the Estonian studio Eesti Joonisfilm. Filmmakers Morten Tsinakov and Lucija Mrzljak previously impressed with their films A Demonstration of Brilliance in Four Acts (2015) and The Stork (2018).

A Kind of Testament is a French production that will celebrate its world premiere in Berlin. Helmed by Gobelins graduate Stephen Vuillemin, the short turns on a young woman who finds internet animations that were clearly made using her private selfies and tracks down the person trying to steal her identity.

The Waiting is the latest from German filmmaker Volker Shlect, whose animated documentary Kaputt screened at the Berlinale back in 2016. The filmmaker will be back in Berlin with another doc, this time about frogs in Costa Rica that inexplicably disappear. Volker Schlecht & MobyDOK produce.

One animated feature made it into the Berlinales Encounters section, Tibor Banoczki and Sarolta Szabos Hungarian film White Plastic Sky. Making its world premiere in Berlin, the film is a dystopian eco-fantasy set in a future Budapest devoid of wildlife. It combines 2d and 3d animation, harnessing rotoscoping; the artwork weve seen is atmospheric.

As has traditionally been the case, Berlins Generation Kplus section has several animated titles as part of its lineup.

Aaaah!  This French animated short by Osman Cerfon is produced by Miyu Productions and highlights all the joys and terrors shared by kids on a playground.

 This French animated short by Osman Cerfon is produced by Miyu Productions and highlights all the joys and terrors shared by kids on a playground. A fully restored version of Disneys 1950 classic Cinderella will screen as part of Disneys 100th anniversary.

will screen as part of Disneys 100th anniversary. Czech short Dede is Dead by Philippe Kastner examines the hole left behind and the grief suffered after the loss of a pet dog.

by Philippe Kastner examines the hole left behind and the grief suffered after the loss of a pet dog. Anne-Sophie Gousset and Clement Ceards French short To Be Sisters is the story of two young sisters and how the dynamics of their relationship shift over time. Folimage produces.

is the story of two young sisters and how the dynamics of their relationship shift over time. Folimage produces. Christer Wahlberg and Sebastian Rudolph Jensens Swedish short George Peterland is world premiering in the section. In the film, five friends invent a magical chicken forest where they can escape the boring adults in their lives.

is world premiering in the section. In the film, five friends invent a magical chicken forest where they can escape the boring adults in their lives. Based on Roddy Doyles book of the same name, the feature A Greyhound of a Girl is directed by Enzo dAlo and tells the coming-of-age story of Mary, an 11-year-old who dreams of becoming a chef. Aliante, Jam Media, GOAG Productions, Rija Films, and Amrion produce. Another world premiere.

is directed by Enzo dAlo and tells the coming-of-age story of Mary, an 11-year-old who dreams of becoming a chef. Aliante, Jam Media, GOAG Productions, Rija Films, and Amrion produce. Another world premiere. Norwegian feature Just Super is the story of a superheros daughter who will do anything to convince the world that shes capable of following in his footsteps. Rasmus A. Siversten directs and Qvisten Animation produces.

is the story of a superheros daughter who will do anything to convince the world that shes capable of following in his footsteps. Rasmus A. Siversten directs and Qvisten Animation produces. Chinas Deep Sea is one of the most exciting-looking features coming in 2023, and will get its international premiere in the section. Directed by Monkey King helmer Tian Xiaopeng, the cg animated feature follows a young girl thrust into a once-in-a-lifetime journey set in a new and mysterious underwater world.

is one of the most exciting-looking features coming in 2023, and will get its international premiere in the section. Directed by Monkey King helmer Tian Xiaopeng, the cg animated feature follows a young girl thrust into a once-in-a-lifetime journey set in a new and mysterious underwater world. Sonja Rohleders German short Somni is another of Berlins world premieres. Unspooling in a vibrant dream world, the film plays out like a colorful lullaby featuring a sleeping monkey.

is another of Berlins world premieres. Unspooling in a vibrant dream world, the film plays out like a colorful lullaby featuring a sleeping monkey. An Vrombauts Spin & Ella is a Belgian short unspooling in a spiderweb where Ella the fairy and her spider friend begin to quarrel, creating a big mess.

is a Belgian short unspooling in a spiderweb where Ella the fairy and her spider friend begin to quarrel, creating a big mess. Domonkos Erhardt is world premiering their Hungarian short From the Corner of My Eyes , about a chance encounter on a late-night bus and featuring an aesthetic that emulates expressionist woodcuts.

, about a chance encounter on a late-night bus and featuring an aesthetic that emulates expressionist woodcuts. Swiss world premiere Pound is a short about a fish that gets lost in a tidal pool and, through the magic of a fart, finds a community in the new environment. Lena von Dohren and Eva Rust direct.

This years Berlinale takes place in the German capital February 16-26.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleges in his new memoir that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un once told him that he needed the US military in South Korea in order to protect himself from the dominance of China.

In his new memoir titled "Never Give an Inch, Fighting for the America I Love" the former US Secretary detailed a conversation with the North Korean leader during his first trip to Pyongyang on March 30, 2018, ahead of the US- North Korea summit held three months later.

North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-un are not bothered at all by the US military presence in South Korea, Pompeo said, as reported by The Korea Times.

Pompeo said he told Kim Jong-un that the Chinese Communist Party was repeatedly telling the United States that the North Korean leader wants US Forces Korea (USFK) to withdraw from South Korea. In his response, Kim Jong-un said that the Chinese are liars.

In his memoir which was released on Tuesday, Pompeo said Kim talked about his concerns about China, which is considered as North Korea's ally. Pompeo said he told Kim that China believes North Korea wants US forces out of South Korea, "Kim laughed and pounded on the table in sheer joy, exclaiming that the Chinese were liars."

"He (Kim) said that he needed the Americans in South Korea to protect him from the CCP, and that the CCP needs the Americans out so they can treat the peninsula like Tibet and Xinjiang," Pompeo wrote according to The Korea Times.

Pompeo who was sent by then US President Donald Trump to met Kim Jong-un recounts his his candid conversation with the North Korean leader.

According to Washington Post's review of Pompeo's book, the meeting of the former US Secretary began with Kim saying: " 'Mr. Director, I didn't think you'd show up. I know you've been trying to kill me.' Pompeo says he replied, 'Mr. Chairman, I'm still trying to kill you." Smiles all around. The tyrant swore he would give up his nuclear arsenal. Trump believed him. Spoiler alert: Kim was lying."

Pompeo also notes how India and Pakistan were on the verge of nuclear war in 2018 and that US had to intervene to de-escalate the situation. The former US Secretary of State claimed that the world was not aware about the situation between India and Pakistan.

"I do not think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over into a nuclear conflagration in February 2019," Pompeo wrote in his memoir, "Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love."

In 2019, India launched airstrikes in Pakistan after terrorist attack killed 41 Indian paramilitary soldiers in the Kashmir region.

Pompeo, who was in Hanoi for a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, said he was woken up with an call from a senior Indian official.

"He believed the Pakistanis had begun to prepare their nuclear weapons for a strike. India, he informed me, was contemplating its own escalation," Pompeo wrote in his book. In response, Pompeo in the call said, "I asked him to do nothing and give us a minute to sort things out."

According to Pompeo, US diplomats convinced India and Pakistan that neither was preparing for the nuclear. In his book, he wrote, "No other nation could have done what we did that night to avoid a horrible outcome."

(ANI)

Also Read: White House on job cuts in major US IT companies: Washington understands impact of job cuts
Holcim expands presence in US roofing market

25 January 2023

Holcim has acquired a state-of-the-art fibreglass mat facility in Maryland, USA, from an affiliate company of Maryland Paper. This transaction expands Holcims technology platform for high-performing and durable roofing systems. By integrating fibreglass mat into its business, Holcim aims to deliver more value for its customers with an enhanced supply chain. According to the company, this investment supports Holcims expansion in the fast-growing US$45bn North America roofing market.

Jamie Gentoso, global head, Solutions & Products, said, This acquisition is a perfect fit for our building envelope business. Fibreglass mat is a key component in Malarkeys sustainable shingles and Elevates highest performing ISOGARD insulation boards. It enables us to deliver more value for our customers from an innovation, performance and supply chain perspective. I look forward to welcoming the fibreglass team to our Holcim family to accelerate green growth together.

The new facility, based near Hagerstown, Maryland, will start by enhancing Malarkeys range of sustainable and resilient shingles in the US residential roofing market. As of next year, Holcim will further leverage this facility to advance its range of ISOGARD insulation boards, delivering the highest level of energy efficiency in the US commercial roofing market.

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Puerto Rican cement sales decline 7% in 2022

ICR Newsroom By 25 January 2023

Cement sales in Puerto Rico fell by 6.8 per cent YoY in 2022 to 14.5m bags of 42.6kg, or 618,247t, according to the Puerto Rican Statistics Institute. It is the first decline since 2019.



In 2021 cement sales reached their peak since eight years. However, in June they started to fall and this trend was maintained until December 2022, when they decreased by 3.4 per cent.



Cement production advanced 11.6 per cent YoY in 2022 to 8.3m bags, or 353,893t. It is the first increase in four years. In 2021 output fell by 29.5 per cent YoY.

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The Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia responded to the statement of the Sochi Port Administration, according to which they are 'negotiating' with Georgia and occupied Abkhazia to start traffic to the ports.According to the Maritime Transport Agency, the Russian side did not address them and it is unclear what the Sochi Port Administration is talking about."Regarding the information spread in the media, which concerns the start of sea passenger traffic between Georgia and the Russian Federation, we announce that Georgia does not have sea passenger traffic with Russian seaports.In addition, the Russian side did not address the Georgian side, and therefore, we do not know what negotiation the Sochi port administration is talking about," the statement reads.The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said that Georgia still has several recommendations to fulfill and hopes that it will soon become a candidate country of the European Union.According to her, the number of candidate states of the European Union is expanding, including countries located in other parts of Europe."We strongly support Moldova's and Ukraine's acceptance of candidate status for EU membership. Georgia has several points to fulfill and probably, hopefully, will soon become a candidate country. So the number is growing beyond the Western Balkans, including our Member States in other parts of Europe. So I think we have standards, ways and means through which we can be very helpful and useful," Marija Pejcinovic Buric said.


By Bernard Rowan



In politics and human relations, today's friends may be friends for a long time, or not. They may be enemies in the future. This applies to current enemies and neutral parties. They may be the fastest of friends or bitterest of enemies in time. Sages have stated this maxim. I'm familiar with Plato's version in "The Republic."



Truth isn't necessarily comforting or convenient. The trouble with the claim about friends and enemies is it is dissatisfying. It means there is no certain, lasting refuge in politics. It means citizens and leaders face unknown changes in alliances and friendships. This also applies to opposed nations and powers.



Plato mentioned this in discussing war and international relations. The same equation plays out in domestic politics and various other settings. There are truths of human nature and society.



Today's allies of autocracy have tried to ramp their individual and collective muscles worldwide. They know their friends  and make new ones. Look at Bolsonaro and company on Jan. 8, 2023, Trump and company on Jan. 6, 2020, or the thwarted "coup" in Germany. These efforts failed. However, turning to Russia, Iran and China, not to mention Pyongyang, the story is different.



Sizable parts of national populations in these countries worship or appear forced to bow at the altars of autocracy. There is a counter drive, witness the freedom fighters in Iran and those opposing COVID lockdowns in China, for example. Ukraine is perhaps the world's most progressive force for facing down autocracy. The "new stability" this century is a division between nations dedicated to autocracy and those dedicated to freedom.



The enemies of freedom favor unqualified and hyper versions of nationalism and ethnic prejudice. The cocktail that spawns autocracy often stems from the idea or goal of national development, growth, and progress. However, autocracies insist on scapegoating and ideological constructions of presumptive others. Autocracy invariably exits the grid of rationality and reasonableness.



South Korea under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration also is modulating its alliance trajectories. There is greater openness to military cooperation with the United States and a growing suspicion of Japan and China. The investigation into Chinese policing on domestic soil and the cool reception given to recent plans for the Japanese defense budget comes to mind. The administration has stood firm against the bluster and bluff tactics of North Korea, dangerous though they are in many respects.



Whatever the pretenses of the minority of elites in Japan who pine for days gone by, I say Japan is not South Korea's enemy. The United States, South Korea and Japan are the backbones of democracy in Northeast Asia. The collaboration must include a consideration of military development, given what the friends of autocracy continue to aim for.



The South Korean people choose their friends and enemies. However, "opposing Japan" lacks a certain amount of regard for national interests. Japan doesn't aspire to colonize South Korea and lacks the means to do so. The U.S. defends South Korea from any such bizarre scenario to boot. And South Korea has a powerful military and citizenry in its own right.



In 2023, facing the alliance of autocratic states won't be easy: domestic politics limit what Yoon, Kishida and Biden can do. European powers' domestic realities limit their responses. They provide support to Ukraine. They still organize under the "new EU" and without the EU scenarios. Putin and Xi bid time for the alliance for freedom to dwindle or split. More publicity should highlight the role of North Korea and Iran in their reactionary and backward teamwork.



Clear-sightedness about past evils and misdeeds foregrounds any reasoned alliance. Japan still has work to do to atone for its sins against many nations, including South Korea. Their economic and military potential remains important in the alliance for freedom. Democracies should widen and deepen their friendships now.



The United States and what is today the United Kingdom were enemies, and a bloody war occurred to decide their conflict. Enmity persisted until much later. The same holds for other international friendships and their opposites. Today's war between Ukraine and Russia finds former Soviet friends in bitter conflict. Peace requires reevaluation and constant and vigilant attention to alliances, for the good of peace and mutual interests.





Bernard Rowan (browan10@yahoo.com) is associate provost for contract administration and academic services and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University.






By John J. Metzler







There's a significant sea change occurring in Japanese defense policy. Some would say it's the result of a political Tsunami. Others would argue it's a long overdue wake-up call.







After years of scrupulously keeping within the limits of its post-war Constitution, and maintaining self-imposed spending norms of keeping military spending at 1 percent of GDP, Tokyo has green-lighted a doubling of defense spending and taken a more assertive political stance on the global stage.







The doubling of defense spending; from one to two percent within five years, may not sound like much but before anyone smirks, the increase makes Japan's military budget the world's third largest, only behind the United States and communist China.







Talismans for change in Tokyo's policies include the enduring missile threat from nearby North Korea and China's widening military shadow over Taiwan and the South China Sea. Russia's war against Ukraine refocused the threat from policy hypotheticals to a clear and present danger facing Japan itself.







A new National Security Strategy has emerged. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Washington and met with President Joe Biden in what's described as "a historic moment for our Alliance, the Indo-Pacific, and the world."







A Joint Statement affirmed, "Our security Alliance has never been stronger."







Significantly the partners agreed on "the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community. We encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues."







It added, "President Biden commended Japan's bold leadership in fundamentally reinforcing its defense capabilities and strengthening diplomatic efforts." Japan's emboldened stance at the United Nations, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, and its unequivocal statements on North Korea are clear examples.







For a generation, policy analysts decried Japan as an economic giant with feet of clay. Others viewed a prosperous Japan as getting the proverbial "free ride" from the United States through the Mutual Defense Treaty, where American military forces defended Japan while the Japanese factories turned out improved products often devastating U.S. companies.







Back in the 1980's I recall the focus of U.S./Japan relations reflected on trade deficits and how to convince the Japanese to assume a greater share of their defense responsibilities.







First, a bit of history. Following the defeat of militarist Japan in 1945 at the end of WW II, the U.S.-led occupation under General Douglas MacArthur had the foresight to establish a democratic Constitution enshrining free political parties, land reform, Women's suffrage, a free press and trade unions. Most controversially, the Constitution created a working parliamentary system but retained the Emperor, in this case, wartime Hirohito, as a figurehead and symbol of the state.







Equally the Constitution's Article 9, viewed as the "no war clause" forbade Japan from having a formal military force and outlawed war as a policy option. Thus Japan was given a legal reason, many would say excuse, to avoid costly defense spending as the Cold War was heating up, especially in nearby Korea and China.







Following the formal end of the U.S. occupation in 1952, the Yoshida Doctrine became the agreed template for Tokyo's policy with Washington. Japan's democratic Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida relied upon U.S. military security while maintaining limited Self Defense Forces. At the same time, Japan redoubled its efforts on rebuilding and economic growth. The results produced Japan's economic miracle.







In recent years, during the tenure of nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the political tide was turning towards a more assertive geopolitical stance. The widening missile threat from North Korea and China's ominous moves towards both the South China Sea and Taiwan were openly discussed. Moreover, Prime Minister Abe's particularly close friendship with President Donald Trump formed the foundation for the current expansion; both men agreed on creating a militarily strong Japan as a counterweight to China. However, Abe was tragically assassinated last year.







Nonetheless, Japan's more muscular defense role must not be unilateral but placed within the wider context of East Asia, especially partnering with countries like South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia, all of whom suffered at the hands of the Japanese militarists during WW II. The Washington Statement stressed, "We commit to strengthening vital trilateral cooperation among Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States, in security and other domains."







Yet while Washington provides the cornerstone of Japan's defense relationships, the Tokyo government is widening its diplomatic partnerships in Europe to help in its efforts to deter China militarily. Equally, Japan looks to India, a fellow democracy, as a counterweight to China. Kishida is not putting all his eggs in the Biden basket.

















John J. Metzler ( jjmcolumn@earthlnk.net ) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism  The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China."
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HHM CPAs, a full-service accounting and consulting firm with locations in Chattanooga, Cleveland, and Memphis, announces the promotion of two partners in its Chattanooga and Cleveland offices. The professionals, Blake Bennett and Weston Porter, join the firms leadership team, bringing the total number of partners to 23.



HHM is honored to admit these two talented individuals to partnership at our office, said Donnie Hutcherson, managing partner. Both professionals have continued to demonstrate their commitment to the firm and individual talents over the past decade. Blake has proven his depth of tax knowledge year after year, being a vital resource to our tax department. Weston has been an integral part of our audit department, successfully leading audit teams for various industries. I have no doubt they will continue to help our firm provide superior client service as well as embrace their leadership roles within the firm.



Mr. Bennett, CPA, joined HHM CPAs in 2011 after graduating from Lee University and works in the Chattanooga office. He reviews tax returns and studies tax law changes to provide tax consulting for complex business organizations and their owners. In addition, Mr. Bennett leads the firms construction cost segregation team, completing analyses of new construction sites or newly acquired facilities to increase cash flow for his clients. His experience includes analyses of various facilities in industries including manufacturing, automotive and retail. When performing cost segregation studies, Mr. Bennet looks for opportunities to increase cash flows by identifying allowable tax credits and leveraging green tax incentives. Mr. Bennett is a member of the Young Professionals Association of Chattanooga, Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Society of Certified Public Accountants and Chattanooga Tax Practitioners.



Mr. Porter, CPA, joined HHM in 2012 after completing his education at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and works in the Cleveland office. He provides audit services to governmental, non-profit, construction and manufacturing clients, in addition to local and regional trade contractor unions. Mr. Porter executes a wide array of tasks from leading and planning audits, reviews and compilations, to field work and financial statement preparation. In addition to his audit responsibilities, he is involved in HHMs tax practice. His tax experience includes solving complex tax issues and preparing state and federal tax documents for nonprofit, construction, real estate, manufacturing and individual clients. He serves as the treasurer of the Chattanooga Autism Center and is a member of Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants.



This internal promotion of two new partners comes after the firm was named a Top 100 Accounting Firm by Inside Public Accounting, ranking at number 94.
The recent controversy over the ages of the potential candidates in the 2024 Presidential Election has become a topic of discussion by the conservative and progressive media on a slow news day.

Joe Biden (Democrat) and Donald Trump (Republican) are already being anointed as the likely combatants for their parties nominations to engage in the most expensive and potential biggest mudslinging event in the history of America.

Biden is already the oldest president and, while Trump is a little younger, his portly physique increases his chances for health problems.

Enter Tecumsehs Curse from a historical perspective:

The great Shawnee chief Tecumseh, who died fighting with Canada against the United States invasion in the War of 1812, placed a curse on the American presidency. He proclaimed that every president elected in a year with a zero would die during his term. Until 2000, every president elected in such a year had died in office, with the exception of Ronald Reagan, who was shot but survived. Here is a complete list of presidents affected by the curse:

1. William Henry Harrison, elected in 1840, died of pneumonia one month into his presidency

2. Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860, was assassinated in 1865 at the beginning of his second term.

3. James A. Garfield, elected in 1880, was assassinated in 1881.

4. William McKinley, elected for his second term in 1900, was assassinated in 1901.

5. Warren G. Harding, elected in 1920, died of ptomaine poisoning in 1923.

6. Franklin D. Roosevelt, elected for his third term in 1940, died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1945 at the beginning of his fourth term.

7. John F. Kennedy, elected in 1960, was assassinated in 1963.

8. Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, survived an assassination attempt while in office. Some say that by surviving he broke the curse.

(Good luck and good health, gentlemen if you get the nominations!)



* * *

You can reach Jerry Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com
The owner of a business on S. Holtzclaw Avenue called police and said an older white male wearing a heavy green rain jacket was seen on camera walking around the property. While responding to the above location, police observed a man matching the description walking north on Holtzclaw Avenue. An officer got out with the man, who identified himself, and when asked about being around the business up the street, he said he was just looking for a spot to get out of the rain. The man was then instructed to stay away from the business and he agreed.

* * *

While monitoring traffic in the 900 block of East 38th Street at 6:44 a.m., an officer observed an off-white or light-colored Chevy Tahoe or Suburban heading east on 38th. Upon attempting to get behind the vehicle, the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed towards Rossville Boulevard. Police observed it to make a sharp left hand turn onto Calhoun Avenue, where it continued north. While attempting to get closer to the vehicle, it was observed passing vehicles recklessly as well as failing to stop for stop signs. Due to the speed and reckless nature of the driver, the officer did not continue attempting to stop the vehicle. Police will be attempting to gain access to the video footage from A-1 Towing to better identify the vehicle.

* * *



A broken down and abandoned vehicle was reported at 2900 Churchill Road. An anonymous caller reported a green Mustang on the side of the road at this area that had been there for a few days. Police found the green Mustang (TN tag) that appeared to be stuck in the mud on the side of the road. The vehicle was unoccupied. It was not creating an immediate traffic hazard and the registration came back with no stolen vehicle hit. Police applied a "48-hour" warning sticker to the vehicle and will check on it after that time has passed to take the appropriate actions at that time.

* * *

Police responded to a crash at 4500 Bonny Oaks Drive. The driver of vehicle 1 was traveling west on Bonny Oaks Dr and attempted to turn left across lanes of traffic to proceed south on Industry Drive. Vehicle 2 was traveling east on Bonny Oaks Drive. Vehicle 1 failed to yield right of way to vehicle 2 and this resulted in a "T-Bone" style crash. Vehicle 1 was given a traffic citation for failure to yield right of way (accident). Both vehicles were towed by Ford's Garage. One driver was found to have no insurance and driving on a suspended license. He was issued a misdemeanor citation for the offenses of driving on suspended and financial responsibility. No injuries were reported.

* * *

A man told police someone damaged his vehicle while it was parked at his apartment complex at 1802 Hamill Road. He said he is not sure when it occurred or who caused the damage. He said he needed a report for his insurance.

* * *

A man told police he left his phone unattended at the host stand where he works (Rain Thai Bistro, 6933 Lee Hwy.) and, when he returned, he discovered it was not there. He said he has been able to use "find my iPhone" through his iPad to ping his phone and it showed the phone was in Baker sector one minute and was now showing it could possibly be at the Waffle House on Highway 58. He has no suspect information and the last time he saw it was around 4 p.m. The phone is a blue iPhone 12, the back is shattered and it has a black phone case.

* * *



A man on Foust Street told police he believes two people were attempting to take his A/C unit. He said he saw the two, including one wearing a brown jacket, on the outside of his property fence. He said he assumed they were attempting to take his A/C unit due to a past theft a few years prior. He said the two did not enter into his property and left the scene prior to police arrival. Police searched the area and located two men walking down the street. One of them was wearing a brown jacket. Police identified the two. They said they were walking to his uncle's residence and were not near the scene of the incident. The caller said that no theft of property had occurred but that he had called to prevent it.

* * *

A man on Hixson Pike told police another man had hacked into his phone and was harassing him. He said the man was his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend, and she had set up a mirror on his phone, and the man was using this to disrupt his use of his phone and his Facebook account. The man tried to show police the problems he was having with his phone, which mostly consisted of him turning off the cell service, and then getting frustrated that phone calls and things that required service were not functional. The man was unable to provide any more details on the other man, other than he stays on Signal Mountain. He said that he knew it was that man doing this since his ex-girlfriend told him so. Police suggested he try to contact his cell phone provider to see about their assistance in securing his phone, and then contact Facebook to see about doing the same with his Facebook account. He said he thought the best idea would be to forget about it all and just get a new phone. With no proof of any actual harassment, no suspect evidence, if there was one, and no statements that he wished to do anything about it from the man, no further police action was taken.
4/13/2023

An attempted carjacking charge at Birchwood in late February has been dismissed against Bradley Wayne Kilgore. A woman said a man had hit on the window of her car. She called her son, who ... more
The Salvation Army of Chattanooga was presented with a check for $500,000 from the Chattanooga Gas Foundation.

The gift will support The Salvation Armys three main areas of focus: prison release and reentry, early intervention and prevention and the Pathway of Hope program.

Leaders and representatives from Chattanooga Gas presented the donation to The Salvation Armys board of directors and leadership at the Chattanooga Area Command on Monday.

We are blessed to have received the extremely generous donation from Chattanooga Gas Foundation, which will allow us to better serve Chattanoogas most underprivileged, unhoused and in need communities, said Captain Mark Love of The Salvation Army.

We offer sincere gratitude to Chattanooga Gas for their outstanding support of The Salvation Army; thank you for helping us help those in need.
A 28-year-old Whitfield County 911 dispatcher died in a crash on I-75 on Wednesday morning.

She was identified as Haley Cunningham.

The Georgia State Patrol said Ms. Cunningham was traveling north on I-75 when she lost control of her vehicle and struck the median guardrail. The vehicle wound up backward in the center lane.

The GSP said the car was then struck by a flatbed tractor-trailer, and Ms. Cunningham was ejected from her car. The tractor-trailer then overturned. The driver and passenger of the tractor-trailer were taken to the hospital.

The wreck was near mile marker 318 in Gordon County, Ga.

Whitfield County 911 posted: "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Whitfield County 911 employee, Haley Cunningham. Haley passed away earlier this morning. She had been a valued member on our team and will be missed. Please keep Haleys family in your thoughts as they go through this difficult time."
A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, Wednesday. Reuters-Yonhap



Microsoft on Wednesday said it had recovered all of its cloud services after a networking outage took down its cloud platform Azure along with services such as Teams and Outlook used by millions around the globe.



Azure's status page showed services were impacted in Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Only services in China and its platform for governments were not hit.



By late morning Azure said most customers should have seen services resume after a full recovery of the Microsoft Wide Area Network (WAN).



An outage of Azure, which has 15 million corporate customers and over 500 million active users, according to Microsoft data, can impact multiple services and create a domino effect as almost all of the world's largest companies use the platform.



Businesses have become increasingly dependent on online platforms after the pandemic caused a shift to more employees working from home.



Earlier, Microsoft said it had determined a network connectivity issue was occurring with devices across the Microsoft WAN. This impacts connectivity between clients on the internet to Azure, as well as connectivity between services in data centers, it said.



Microsoft later tweeted that it had rolled back a network change that it believed was causing the issue and was using "additional infrastructure to expedite the recovery process."



Microsoft did not disclose the number of users affected by the disruption, but data from outage tracking website Downdetector showed thousands of incidents across continents.



The Downdetector site tracks outages by collating status reports from various sources including users.



Microsoft's cloud business had helped shore up its fiscal second-quarter earnings on Tuesday. It forecast third-quarter revenue in its so-called intelligent cloud business would be $21.7 billion to $22 billion despite worries that the lucrative cloud segment for big tech companies could be hit hard as customers look to cut spending.



Azure's share of the cloud computing market rose to 30 percent in 2022, trailing Amazon's AWS, according to estimates from BofA Global Research.



Microsoft joined other big tech companies in turning to layoffs to ride out the weaker economy, announcing last week it was cutting over 10,000 jobs.



Its shares were down 2.4 percent in pre-market trading.



Outages of Big Tech platforms are not uncommon as several companies ranging from Google to Meta have seen service disruptions. Azure, the second largest cloud services provider after Amazon, faced outages last year.



During the outage, users faced problems in exchanging messages, joining calls or using any features of Teams application. Many users took to Twitter to share updates about the service disruption, with #MicrosoftTeams trending as a hashtag on the social media site.



Microsoft Teams, used by more than 280 million people globally, forms an integral part of daily operations for businesses and schools, which use the service to make calls, schedule meetings and organize their workflow.



There were few signs of significant disruption at major UK-based financial services firms, where multiple messaging applications offered by providers like Movius and Symphony are used alongside Microsoft Teams to connect bankers with clients, and office-based staff with colleagues working remotely.



Two London-based sources, working at two major global banks, said they hadn't even noticed a problem.



Deutsche Boerse Group, which operates the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, said there had been no impact on trading. Frankfurt-based Commerzbank AG said in a statement that Microsoft was investigating several issues impacting the bank.



Among the other services affected were Microsoft Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, according to the company's status page. (Reuters)




The Chattanooga Hamilton Place Rotary Club presented Hamilton County Sheriffs Office Reserve Deputy Coordinator Jerry Mauldin its prestigious Service Above Self in Law Enforcement Award at their monthly luncheon held at the Metro Tab Church on Wednesday.Each year, the Chattanooga Hamilton Place Rotary Club takes the opportunity to recognize members of their local law enforcement community who have gone above and beyond to serve the needs of their respective communities and embody their organizations motto of Service Above Self.As part of the award, the Chattanooga Hamilton Place Rotary also included a donation to Deputy Mauldins charity of Choice.Deputy Mauldin currently oversees the HCSO Reserve Deputy Unit as well as assists in various other support positions throughout law enforcement services as required.Reserve Deputy Mauldin began his career with the HCSO as a volunteer reserve deputy in July of 2010 and transitioned to working part-time for the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office in March of 2022. Throughout his consistent tenure as a reserve deputy, Mr. Mauldin has donated over 1,500 hours to serving the HCSO and the citizens of Hamilton County.Professionally, Mr. Mauldin began work for the City of Chattanoogas Forestry Division in 2004 where he served for 18 years until retiring in February of 2022. Throughout majority of this time, he served faithfully as a reserve deputy for this agency in addition to his professional duties.Deputy Mauldins values and selflessness embodies the true definition of a servant leader. His dedication, service and commitment to his family, the HCSO, and the citizens to which he serves exemplifies the Rotarys motto of Service Above Self, said Sheriff Austin Garrett.On behalf of the Hamilton Place Rotary Club, we are pleased to be able to honor Reserve Deputy Coordinator Mauldin with this award. Law Enforcement Officers do so much to help others in our community and do not receive the recognition they deserve for their service, said Betsy Gibson, president of the Hamilton Place Rotary. We created this award as a way to say thank you to the Law Enforcement Community and we hope that this will be a small step in the right direction to recognize the service they provide every day, she further noted.Deputy Mauldin was joined by his daughter, Heather Mauldin, as well as Sheriff Austin Garrett, Law Enforcement Services Captain Spencer Daniels, and numerous other HCSO personnel. Also on hand for the ceremony was Melissa Blevins, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. Deputy Mauldin selected the Food Bank to be his charity of choice for the monetary donation from the Chattanooga Hamilton Place Rotary.
Fourteen Chattanooga Police Department officers have resolved their appeal following Chief Celeste Murphys August 2022 decision to strip them of their law enforcement duties.

Nine of the officers were represented by the local lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police and attorneys Janie Parks Varnell and Logan Davis, of Davis & Hoss, P.C., and have been permanently restored to their previously assigned positions and will continue to serve the community, it was stated.

Further, the officers were compensated for lost wages and other economic and non-economic damages.

Attorney Varnell said the city has also agreed to remove any Brady letters from the officers internal affairs files.

She said, The mayors office and the city attorneys office apparently recognized early on that what happened in August was a mistake and made the correct decision to try to resolve this case. As a result, this matter was settled and now these officers can move their careers forward.

Attorney Logan Davis said, While the damage of the chiefs decision will follow these officers throughout their career, this settlement goes a long way to correct this mistake and allows everyone to begin to move on from it.

City officials said, "The city of Chattanooga has reached a settlement agreement with 14 officers who were temporarily reassigned following enhancements to the truthfulness policy for the Chattanooga Police Department.

"In the course of raising department standards for officer truthfulness, several process and legal concerns were raised by affected employees asserting that related reassignment and personnel changes were out of compliance with existing department policy. This issue was complex and took lawyers months to untangle, due to questions that involved HR policy, state law, due process, and other issues.

"The officers in question had previously sustained lesser allegations, some decades old, which had already been adjudicated under prior rules. The officers have now been reinstated and made whole for lost earnings during the two-week period during which they had been reassigned.

"However, the department will proceed under the new, higher standards for truthfulness and officer conduct, which mandates termination for any officer who lies or knowingly misstates facts. Going forward, there is no gray area in CPDs policy manual between terms such as misrepresentation versus untruthfulness. Officers will be held to the highest standards of truthfulness and integrity, and a sustained finding of lack of truthfulness will result in termination."

Joda Thongnopnua, chief of staff for the city of Chattanooga, said, Chief Murphy has worked to raise the standards for police integrity and eliminate gray areas from CPDs policy manual, which the administration supports, and we must also be compliant with state law and department policy.

This discussion could have dragged out quite a bit longer, but after consulting with our attorneys, all parties agreed that it was in the best interests of our residents to settle the legal questions of the past, and focus on moving forward with the departments new, higher conduct standards.

The settlement costs are expected to be less than $60,000, including attorneys fees. All affected officers were offered identical settlement terms, it was stated.

We are grateful for the cooperation of CPD, the Citys legal and human resources departments, as well as the various employee groups who participated to help reach a resolution on this complex matter, Mr. Thongnopnua said.
90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 4: Where To Follow the 6 New Couples on Instagram

90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 4 will feature six new couples. In preparation for the upcoming season premieres, heres a list are the new cast members Instagram usernames and what kind of content to expect from these 90 Day Fiance stars online.

Nicole and Mahmoud, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 4 | TLC

Daniele and Yohan

The 90 Day Fiance: Love in Paradise Season 2 alum, Yohan, is active on Instagram under the handle @yohangeronimo. He shares fitness videos and cute couple photos with his fiancee, Daniele, with his 4,000 followers.

Daniele and Yohan, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way | TLC

90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 4 kicks off with Daniele moving from New York to the Dominican Republic to be with him. Meanwhile, Daniele can be found on Instagram under the username @liveyinsa. The self-proclaimed healer, retreat leader, and educator boasts over 11,000 followers, where she posts about wellness and nutrition.

Jen and Rishi

Rishi is on Instagram under the username @rishisinghdhakar. As a model, influencer, and personal trainer, he already has over 24,000 followers. The India natives Instagram bio boasts hes also a certified nutritionist, company secretary, and lawyer.

Jen and Rishi, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way | TLC

Meanwhile, Jen is on Instagram with only a few hundred followers under the new account @jen_90day. Her feed comprises mainly promo clips for 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 4 and some moments from her daily life in California.

Kris and Jeymi

Kriss Instagram account, @crazykboog1, shows her life in Alabama, from riding Harleys to playing with her dogs. She is joining season 4 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way to give up rural living for city living in Colombia for love.

Kris and Jeymi, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way | TLC

Shes going to meet her Colombian girlfriend, Jeymi. She is on Instagram under @jeyminoguera. Her grid consists of many smiling selfies, nights out with friends, and her dog, Zoe.

Gabe and Isabel

Gabriel Gabe Pabogas Instagram feed is all about fitness, fun, and family. The 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 4 star already has 14,000 followers because of his brand-building for his company that offers specialty underwear company for transgender men called GMPwea. Gabes Instagram username is @paboga1.

Gabriel and Isabel, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way | TLC

Meanwhile, Isabel Posadas Instagram is brand-new and seems to have been created to connect with fans for her 90 Day Fiance debut. Isabels new Instagram account is @isabel1pos.

Nicole and Mahmoud

Neither Nicole nor Mahmouds Instagram accounts have been revealed yet. Fans will have to find out more about this couple on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 4. On the final day of Nicoles spiritual tour of Egypt, the California native fell in love with Mahmoud.

Nicole and Mahmoud, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way | TLC

After a whirlwind romance, Nicole returns home, engaged. Just three weeks later, Nicole returns to Egypt to get married to Mahmoud. This couple soon realizes that some cultural differences may be too significant to overcome.

Debbie and Oussama

There is a 43-year age gap between Georgia peach, Debbie, and her Moroccan partner, Oussama. Unfortunately, neither of them has an Instagram account. Fans will have to learn more about this couple when the new season airs.



Debbie and Oussama, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way | TLC

90 Day Fiance fans are excited about this new season with all new couples. It will be interesting to see if any of these couples will make it in the end.

90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 4 premieres Sunday, January 29 at 8 pm ET on TLC.
The infamous Gilmore Girls town, Stars Hollow, was supposed to be nestled somewhere in the middle of Connecticut. The state is known for its fall foliage, and the series absolutely used that as inspiration for its intro. While the intro for Gilmore Girls captures the fall colors that Connecticut is known for, the overhead footage was shot in a completely different state.

The town used in the Gilmore Girls intro is actually in Vermont

The Gilmore Girls intro offers fans an overhead view of a quaint New England town surrounded by trees in various shades of orange and red. It makes for the perfect opening, and if you only took a quick look once, youd assume it was the town of Stars Hollow shown from a birds eye vantage point.

Royalton, Vermont | Spencer Grant/Getty Images

The opening credits utilized a real New England town, but it isnt in Connecticut. The town in the opening shot of the Gilmore Girls intro is actually Royalton, Vermont. Royalton is a tiny town in Windsor county, Vermont. The town, with under 3,000 residents, is flanked by the Green Mountains on one side and the White River on the other.

Royalton, Vermont, didnt inspire Stars Hollow, but a real town did

Royalton, Vermont, may not be Stars Hollow, but the tiny town is a fairly good stand-in. The town even has a Gazebo, just like Stars Hollow. Still, it isnt the town that inspired the famed series and its beloved tiny hamlet. The inspiration for Stars Hollow is Washington Depot, Connecticut.

Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore and Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore | Saeed Adyani/Netflix

Washington Depot is a neighborhood inside the small town of Washington, Connecticut. With a population of just over 3,000, the town embodies small-town living. Just like Stars Hollow, Washington has a neighborhood eatery and even a bookstore similar to Stars Hollow Books. According to the towns official tourism page, Gilmore Girls creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, was inspired to create Gilmore Girls by the warmth of the town during her stay at the Mayflower Inn & Spa.

How far is Royalton, Vermont, from the fictional town of Stars Hollow?

Stars Hollow doesnt actually exist. Still, Gilmore Girls offered enough context clues to decipher roughly where in Connecticut it was supposed to be located. Stars Hollow was about 25 minutes from Hartford, Connecticut, and just over 20 miles from Yale in New Haven, Connecticut.

Macedonia Brook State Park, Connecticut | Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

While Stars Hollow doesnt actually exist, based on clues from the series, the town would sit right where Meriden, Connecticut, is located. Meriden is in New Haven County. With a population of over 60,000 residents, its much larger than Stars Hollow. It still has a quaint downtown shopping district and the distinct fall vibe that Gilmore Girls fans have grown to love, though.

If we assume Stars Hollow sits where Meriden sits in real life, the town used in the Gilmore Girls intro isnt exactly nearby. Royalton, Vermont, is nearly 200 miles north of Meriden. It would take 3 hours to drive between the two towns.
Xylem Inc. and Evoqua announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Xylem will acquire Evoqua in an all-stock transaction that reflects an implied enterprise value of approximately $7.5 billion.

As water risks rise in global importance, this transaction unites two companies with a shared focus on solving the worlds water challenges by addressing customers and communities most critical needs. Building on Xylems global leadership in water solutions and Evoquas leadership in advanced treatment solutions and services, the combined company will be uniquely positioned to develop and deliver an even more comprehensive offering of innovative solutions.

Evoqua, a leader in North America water treatment, complements Xylems distinctive portfolio of solutions with advanced water and wastewater treatment capabilities, a powerful and extensive network of service professionals and access to a number of attractive industrial markets with resilient, recurring revenue streams. Evoquas solutions, including digitally enabled offerings, optimize and outsource mission-critical water treatment systems for customers in high-growth sectors such as life sciences, microelectronics, power and food and beverage. In addition, Evoqua is a leader in the remediation of emerging contaminants, including PFAS.

Xylem and Evoqua generated over $7 billion in combined revenue in the 12-month period ending September 30, 2022, with $1.2 billion in adjusted EBITDA. The combination unlocks compelling new growth opportunities and is expected to deliver run-rate cost synergies of $140 million within three years, driven by scale efficiencies in procurement, network optimization and corporate costs. In addition, the transaction allows Xylem to maintain its strong balance sheet, which provides the combined company with significant strategic flexibility and optionality.

"Solving the worlds water challenges has never been more urgent. Our acquisition of Evoqua creates a transformative global platform to address water scarcity, affordability and resilience at even greater scale, said Patrick Decker, President and CEO of Xylem. The combined company delivers an unparalleled portfolio of advanced technologies, integrated services and application expertise across the water cycle.

Together, our complementary businesses will be even more strongly positioned to help our customers and communities tackle their most challenging water needs, continued Decker. We are excited about building the worlds most powerful platform for solving water alongside our Evoqua colleagues.

Joining forces with Xylem is an exciting opportunity for Evoqua and for our team members. This combination provides a platform to leverage our combined strengths and increase our impact to better address the most pressing and increasingly complex global water challenges, said Ron Keating, Evoqua's President and CEO. "I am incredibly proud of what our team at Evoqua has achieved to date, providing mission-critical water treatment solutions to the market and for our customers. Along the way, we have earned a reputation for quality, safety and reliability around the world. Together with Xylem, we will drive innovation on a larger scale for our customers, positioning us to create even more value for our stakeholders.
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The prevention of human trafficking takes all of us, looking out for the needs and rights of everyone in our communities.

When I first witnessed human trafficking, there wasnt a name for it.

At the time, I was working in Brazil as a missionary and living in its favelas (slums). The conditions that community endured would be foreign to most Americans. There, I met people who started their day walking across dirt floors and could only count on rainwater to quench their thirst. To survive, they worked and ate in a trash dump.

What would you do if you had no way to put food on the table? When our basic needs are not being met and we have no one to turn to for help, we are more vulnerable to the coercion of others.

Driven to make decisions by empty stomachs and fear, many people I met in the slums were forced into drug or sex trafficking with little to no way of freeing themselves. I worked to change their plight, with various international organizations providing services to help those being exploited.

Witnessing these conditions opened my eyesand mind. I began to understand that human trafficking is often an underlying problem; its symptomatic of unmet needs and other fundamental causes that are impacting communities. Essentially, these people became human trafficking victims because they were doing anything they could to survive.

Over the next decade, I worked for various organizations in the U.S. to help these survivors escape their plight and address the root of the problem.

Things began to change when the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 was passed in the U.S. Prior to the bill, each state or jurisdiction was reporting this crime differentlyor not reporting it at all. We were suddenly able to see the full extent of human trafficking and understand all the underlying issues causing it.

The data collected over time also began to reveal some trends, including showing that persons of color are more likely to be victims of human trafficking. The 2018 National Human Trafficking Hotline report indicated the top-three reported races and ethnicities for victims were Latino, Asian and Black.

Before human trafficking even had a name, faith and community groups were on the forefront of preventing it and helping victims recover.

One thing, however, had not changed. Before human trafficking even had a name, faith and community groups were on the forefront of preventing it and helping victims recover. In my work, I saw how these organizations focused on caring for the whole person, looking at all needs (from physical to psychological to spiritual).

These efforts highlight the importance of community in combating human trafficking. It is the basis for many of the ideals of the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Community Partnerships and the work we do with the DHS Blue Campaign. Together, we have worked to develop free resources and materials for different audiences, such as youth or emergency responders. These tools give communities across the country and around the world the ability to continue the work theyre doing to prevent human trafficking.

So, how can you help to stop human trafficking on an individual level?

Every person has the power to help combat and prevent this atrocity. You can start with taking or providing online training that will help you recognize the indicators of trafficking. One such resource is a brand-new webinar on Preventing Human Trafficking in Disasters: What You Need to Know and How to Respond.

You can also download or order the Blue Campaign indicator card to keep in your wallet or purse as a reminder of how to report the crime to authorities and react to common signs that might indicate someone you know is in trouble, such as:

If the person appears disconnected from family, friends, community organizations, or houses of worship.

If the person has stopped attending school.

If the person had a sudden or dramatic change in behavior.

In my 23 years of work in this field, I have seen what desperation can drive a person to do, but preventing human trafficking is not a one-person job. It takes all of us, looking out for the needs and rights of everyone in our communities. Our awareness can change the lives of vulnerable people so no one has to suffer while pursuing the most basic of human needs.

You can visit the DHS Blue Campaign website for more information on human trafficking and resources available for your community.

The Better Samaritan blog is produced by the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, which offers a M.A. in Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership and a Trauma Certificate. To learn more and apply, visit our website

Nicole C. Wood, MPH, MA serves as the deputy director for the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, a center of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She brings expertise in responding to communities impacted by violence, neglect and exploitation, human-caused and natural disasters, disparities in health and in response to the safety and security of places of worship and community spaces.
SK Innovation Vice Chairman Kim Jun, fifth from left, poses for picture after delivering mutual growth fund to the partner companies' representative at SK Innovation Ulsan Complex in Ulsan, Tuesday. Courtesy of SK Innovation



By Kim Jae-heun



SK Innovation said Tuesday that it raised a 3.6 billion won ($2.9 million) fund in 2022 for its partner companies under the spirit of "Growing Together."



The firm held the fund delivery ceremony at SK Innovation Ulsan Complex in Nam District, Ulsan. SK Innovation Vice Chairman Kim Jun participated in the event to deliver the money to six representatives of its partner firms.



The fund was created by collecting contributions from 1 percent of SK's Happiness Sharing Fund and 1 percent of employees' basic pay donations as well as from the government and cooperative firms using the matching grant method.



The money will be delivered to 6,658 workers at 74 partner firms to mark the Lunar New Year. The remaining funds will be used to renew the accident insurance of companies and welfare programs to improve the working conditions of the allied employees.



"SK Innovation took a leap and achieved growth with its cooperative firms over the past 60 years by overcoming small and big difficulties together. The past journey of shared hardship with our partners has given us deep trust and this will be the driving force for our relationship to continue in the next 60 years," Kim said.



SK Innovation' union head Park Yul-hee also said the company is strengthening trust, co-prosperity and cooperative relationships with its partners by delivering the fund for six straight years.



"I hope that SK Innovation will continue to build and settle its own style of donation culture for the next 10 years," Park said.


Last week marked 50 years since the monumental Roe v. Wade case legalized abortion in our countryand seven months since it was overturned.

Amid the articles discussing implications for the pro-life movement, one argument in Compact Magazine sparked a ripple of related headlines. In it, Catherine Glenn Foster with Americans United for Life and Kristen Day with Democrats for Life of America proposed that to address the financial motives for abortion, giving birth should be made free in the United States.

This proposal isnt newElizabeth Bruenig penned an op-ed with the same title for The Atlantic last yearbut the Make Birth Free movement seems to be gaining greater traction in recent days, as people of faith and folks on both sides of the political aisle are lining up to share their thoughts on the subject.

One response for the Institute for Family Studies explains that making it easier to have a child doesnt require making birth freearguing instead that existing resources should be made easier to access. Another piece for the National Review lists other objections and ultimately argues that the same ends could be achieved through private rather than governmental support.

But what are some other views on the matter? Four pro-life Christian thinkers with a background in politics and family advocacy weigh in on the merits and challenges of the Make Birth Free proposal.

Daniel Bennett, politics professor at John Brown University:

The end of Roe v. Wade was a necessary result for the American pro-life movement, but it was far from sufficient in its fight against abortion. Pro-life Americansincluding many Christiansnow find themselves in new territory, no longer fighting a constitutional battle but instead one focused on how to best respond in this new environment.

If the end of Roe really does result in more children being born, we must focus on how to support these children, their mothers, and their families with all means at our disposal. This includes continuing to lift up women and children in our private lives, yes, but also being creative in how we marshal government resources to invest in some of the most vulnerable among us.

Americans United for Life has set a high bar in its proposal to make birth free in the United States, modeled on existing programs funding organ donation and essential medical care.

I am encouraged to see an unapologetically pro-life group recognize the complexity of living in a post-Roe world, combining personal efforts with public programs to support the preborn, newborns, and the women who care for them.

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Pro-life Americans rightly rejoiced with the end of a constitutional right to abortion. Now, we must be equally zealous in adopting an all-hands-on-deck posture in serving women and children in our midst, regardless of where this aid comes from.

Kelly M. Rosati, former vice president of Advocacy for Children and Community Outreach at Focus on the Family:

I was heartened to see the proposal from Democrats for Life and Americans United for Life calling on policymakers to make birth free in the United States.

There can be no better fiscal or policy priorities than those that elevate practical support for children and families. According to the pro-abortion rights research organization, the Guttmacher Institute, 73 percent of women who have had abortions indicated they chose abortion because they couldnt afford a baby. A 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation study found the average cost of giving birth is almost $19K, with almost $3K out of pocket for families.

These numbers dont include the rising price of health insurance premiums and additional charges for any out-of-network care or services required to keep both mom and baby healthy. And these amounts are just the beginning. The Brookings Institute in 2022 estimated from government data that the annual cost of raising a child is now around $18K.

Policies that alleviate these monetary burdens on families arent the solution to solving the abortion crisis in our country, but they are most certainly part of the solution. Creating a welcoming environment for new life is critical, both culturally and economically. A proposal to make birth free recognizes the unique, sacred, and practical imperatives to structure a society whose fiscal priorities include welcoming new life and fostering the next generation.

These are the kinds of bold proposals the pro-life movement needs to place high on the agendaalong with providing paid family leave and ensuring health care for moms and babies.

To those with concerns about spending and fiscal accountability, Id say there are ample places in the federal budget to offset additional spending. Its all a matter of priorities. Support for childbirth, infants, and families ought to be at the top of our pro-life policy lists.

Lyman Stone, research fellow at the Institute for Family Studies (IFS):

It is laudable to see pro-life organizations getting behind the call to make birth and delivery free for all Americans. If the proposal on offer became law tomorrow, we would have fewer abortions, more healthy babies, and a stronger culture of life in our society.

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However, we would also be overpaying for this, as the proposal calls to essentially cover all birth costs in the United Statesat a level not even covered by many private insurance plans currently (such as by covering doulas)and also to provide an allowance for the childs first two years of life. This is all well and good, but to effect serious change, it would be more helpful to advance concrete policy proposals that are attainable in the short run and at a reasonable cost.

To make birth free, a straightforward option would be to push for a legislative fix to the laws governing Medicaid, allowing presumptive eligibility for pregnant women to be extended from 60 days to 300 days, covering a whole pregnancy and the immediate perinatal period. This would give all Americans a free option without disrupting the private market for people who like their current insurance. Many people would still choose to pay for a more amenity-rich, privately insured birthbut everybody would have a free option, providing some price discipline across the industry.

This approach is a lot more economical and nondisruptive than the current Make Birth Free proposal. If there's an interest beyond that in covering costs for private births, a straightforward option would be to establish a total out-of-pocket, maximum cost for pregnancy-related care. The average total out-of-pocket cost for birth right now is around $3,000, which could be capped at a much lower threshold. This wouldn't cost the government anything, but it would cause insurance rates to rise for people who are not having babies.

Of course, if we believe all of society has an interest in the next generation, paying a little more for insurance to make birth free may be a worthwhile tradeoff. Regardless of the approach, both of these proposals are far cheaper than the $30$70 billion per year quoted by the Make Birth Free proposal: Total costs would be no more than $20 billion per year, possibly as little as $5 billion.

Rachel Anderson, founder of the Families Valued project at the Center for Public Justice:

The Make Birth Free proposal is one in a series of signals that families in the United States, though occupying a vital and unique place in human society, are themselves in a vulnerable place. Kristen Day and Catherine Glenn Foster illustrate this by citing the out-of-pocket expenses incurred during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. But the reality is even more challenging.

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Families not only incur new costs when they have a childthey face these costs with even fewer resources than they did before. American households experience, on average, a 10 percent drop in income in the months before and after childbirth. Prenatal medical appointments and the physical realities of late pregnancy often mean time away from work, and many jobs still do not provide adequate paid parental leave.

Researchers at Seattle Pacific University conducted interviews with faith-based employers indicating that even well-meaning organizations are offering, on average, only four to six weeks of paid time off after an employee welcomes a new child by birth or adoption.

Many Americans find that the structures and cycles of their jobs are often out of sync with the rhythms and seasons of family lifecreating gaps of lost income, exhaustion, and stress.

Day and Fosters proposal tackles the needs around health care costswhich many states are currently addressing through expanding Medicaid to cover a full year after birth and cost-effective, culturally sensitive services such as doula care. Pro-family Christians should be on the frontlines of these efforts in their states.

Employers should stretch to provide at least 12 weeks of paid family leave for major family-care events and at least two weeks of paid medical-caregiving leave annually. They should also advocate for public programs that extend family stipends in the months surrounding childbirth and paid-leave benefits to all who work. Last year, a diverse group of Christian leaders convened by the Center for Public Justice offered policymakers such a proposal.

As a society, we have grown used to assuming that families will be able to serve their vital role without making the real shifts needed to assure that they do. Too often, our attitude around families is much like the posture toward the poor criticized in the Book of James: Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, while failing to provide the necessary resources to clothe and feed the needy.

The call to make birth free is a reminder that promoting healthy families is work we all need to do.
Tom Kehler has worked in artificial intelligence for more than 40 years, as a coder and a CEO. He grew up a preachers kid and got into mathematical linguistics in high school. After earning a PhD in physics, he wanted to do linguistics with Wycliffe Bible Translators, but God kept closing that door, he says, and instead he found himself working with natural language processing in computing.

He had a stint in academia before joining Texas Instruments in 1980, where he began working with top AI researchers. He ended up in Silicon Valley, founding and leading several startups involving AI, including IntelliCorp and CrowdSmart.

Developments in AI appear to be speeding along: This week Microsoft announced that it is investing $10 billion in OpenAI, which created the popular chatbot ChatGPT. One of OpenAIs top researchers described current neural networks as slightly conscious. Kehler has his doubts.

What were the questions about AI in the 1980s when you were first working on it?

Is it going to replace my job? In many cases, the answer is yes. We need to be thinking about continuous educationyou may not be doing the assembly line, but you may be operating the machinery that does the assembly line. The other question that comes up is this notion of the singularity [when AI outstrips humans]. The sentient question comes up. But I think were a very long way from that.

Why is there an obsession with sentient AI?

If you are a person of nonbelief, you want to create something that gives you hope in the future. On the AI side, we want something that will cause us to have eternal lifemy consciousness is going to go into eternity because its in a machine. I think that drives some of these notions of generalized AI, like [Ray] Kurzweils singularity obsession. It speaks more of the human desire than of where we are in terms of our progress.

What do you make of the Google engineer last year who said his chatbot had become sentient and had a soul?

I think he spent too much time with his laptop, honestly. We work with the same kind of large language models. Its called transformer models. My whole career, Ive been focused on natural language processinga field thats been around for some time. All of those models were built by aggregating information off of things like Wikipedia. It was the echo of human intelligence.

The way these systems work, well say, This is the number seven. We keep reinforcing until the neural network can recognize that seven. That correlation of events is the core way AI works now.

Here is a system that will turn my head: You take an empty system, and it has the capability of learning language at the speed of a child. The way kids acquire language is truly mind-blowing. And not just language, but even if you go open the cupboard doorthey see something once, and they figure out how to do it.

The system that this Google engineer was talking about, it was given trillions of examples in order to get some sense of intelligence out of it. It consumed ridiculous amounts of energy, whereas a little kids brain requires the power of a flashlight, and its able to learn language. Were not anywhere close to that kind of general AI.

We underestimate how little we know about how the brain works. And theres overconfidence in the tools we have so far. [Computer scientist] Judea Pearl in The Book of Why makes a case that deep learning gives us animal levels of intelligence, which is correlation on inputs and data. Thats going to get really good. Thats what helps us with cool things like ships that can go across the ocean now without any pilot. What we can do with AI is incredibly powerful, but its not the same thing as saying this is now an intelligent being.

So where do you want AI to go?

There is scientific evidence that the problems we need to solve are way too complex for any one person. And we need to use collective intelligence to figure out how to solve some of these big problems. I believe AI can be a huge benefit, and not a threat, to human development.

The popular new AI chatbot, ChatGPTwhats good about it?

It puts in a very accessible form the knowledge that has been captured for a very long time. Its a very useful utility if youre asking it general-knowledge questions, like an encyclopedia. It presents it in a much better form than doing a search where youre going to get a group of links and you have to put the story together yourself.

But you think it has problems too.

Its taking inputs to build its knowledge. It doesnt check the truth value or, whats called in information systems, data lineage. Where did this data come from? Do we know its true? Its translating input text to output text based on some objective.

Lets say youre using ChatGPT for taking action or making a decision. What happened over the last six, seven yearsin the bad old days of AIAI was used to manipulate peoples opinions. There were campaigns to mimic the truth but twist it.

You can do that with something like ChatGPT. You cant use it like how we would use science, where we might make a decision based on science to create a drug. There needs to be a human process of finding out if its trustworthy or not.

How do we create a trustworthy chatbot?

If you think about how scientific knowledge or medical knowledge was developed, its by peer review. We as a human race have considered that trustworthy. Its not perfect. But thats how we normally build trust. You have 12 of the worlds best cardiac surgeons say a certain procedure is good, youre going to say, Yeah, thats probably good. If ChatGPT told you to do that procedure, youd better have it reviewed by somebody, because it could be wrong.

I believe its ethically critical that we keep humans in the loop with developing artificial intelligence technology. Weve seen where AI systems can beat somebody at chess, but thats a skill set. Thats not demonstrating that they can be trusted for the things we humans call wisdomhow to live.

Why does truthfulness in chatbots matter to Christians?

Faith is about the evidence of things hoped for. When people think of faith as just a leap, thats kind of not true. We have decisions in faith because of evidence.

Now, think about what happened in Christianity when there was misinformation. It caused fragmentation, right? QAnon stuff started to get propagated. Information is getting propagated where its truth value hasnt been determined. It causes divisions in families.

At the very core, we should be focused on what is true. This notion fits in with Philippianswhat is true, what is of good report, what is creating a greater common good. This is the original plan of Christianity, the kingdom of God emerging.

This belief that we can try to find agreement and come together is at the very core of what I have envisioned for artificial intelligence. Its a scientific principle: We have peer-reviewed evidence that we trust and that moves science forward.

Youve argued certain mathematical models themselves help build more trustworthy AI.

Every AI engineer on the planet knows about Bayesian applications, because thats fundamental to most of AI now. Bayesian learning has its roots in a Presbyterian minister in the 1700s.

Bayesian thinking says, How does evidence change my beliefs? I form new beliefs based on evidence. You can use Bayesian models to build much richer kinds of intelligent systems, and you can have it be explainable. It can tell you how it got an answer.

The Silicon Valley crowd that really believes in the singularitythat this is the way that were going to achieve eternal lifethey dont realize that a lot of the underpinnings of this were invented by people who had a deep faith in God. I find that interesting and fun.

Have you used ChatGPT?

I asked it to write an essay about how large language models will destroy human society as we know it. And it does a beautiful job of saying why this will destroy human society as we know it.

Its a great piece of technology. Im not trying to negate it but to say, This is how far you can go with it. And Ive got a deeper ethical problem: Its a bit of a dangerous thing to start thinking of the machine as superior in intelligence to humans, particularly if its not based on any foundation of ethics.

You dont want an automaton that starts to do things and you dont know why or how its doing them. Explainability is very important. Theres probably not enough elevation of thinking about where this is taking us and where we want to guide it. We need people who are thinking deeply about the spiritual implications.

[ This article is also available in Francais. ]
At least 17 Christians killed in 2 days across Nigeria, sources say

ABUJA, Nigeria  Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed five Christians early Sunday morning in northeast Nigeria following the slaughter of 12 Christians last Friday in the countrys Middle Belt, sources said.

In Bauchi states Tafawa Balewa County, area residents said herdsmen attacked the predominantly Christian community of Gambar Sabon Layi, killing five Christians and kidnapping another.

Fulani herdsmen at about 3 a.m. this Sunday, 22 January, invaded my community of Gambar Sabon Layi, area resident Godwin Moses told Morning Star News in a text message. The Fulani herdsmen killed five members of our Christian community and a sixth Christian, Mr. Daniel Dabwa, was captured and is being held captive in an unknown place.

Manasseh Danladi, another resident, concurred that the assailants were armed Fulani terrorists, saying in a text message to Morning Star News that one of those slain was a member of his family, and that Dabwa was taken away at gunpoint.

Area resident Princess Ella added, This is a black Sunday for us in Gambar Sabon Layi, as five of our Christian members were killed and one kidnapped.

Tafawa Balewa, a Christian-majority area, has been attacked by Islamic terrorists and predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen for several years. Many of the villages lie in ruins, made desolate by attacks that drove Christian survivors to other parts of Nigeria.

In Benue state, in the countrys Middle Belt, armed Fulani herdsmen in the pre-dawn hours of Friday invaded the predominantly Christian community of Abagena, near Makurdi, the state capital, and killed 12 Christians, area residents said in text messages to Morning Star News.

The herdsmen attacked shortly after midnight for more than three hours, area residents said.

Paul Hemba, state special adviser on security matters, said the attacks were carried out against these Christian communities by armed Fulani herdsmen a few minutes after midnight and into the early hours of Friday, Jan. 20.

He identified some of those slain as Gbashaor Acho; Gbashaor Joseph; Anshe Dekera; Ancho Kpor; Eunice Gbashaor; Sewuese Gbashaor; Terlumun Ajah; Emberga Gbashaor; and Donald Gbashaor.

A man, his wife and four children were among the Christians killed during the attack, Hemba said.

Catherine Anene, spokesperson of Benue State Police Command, confirmed the attack and said officers had been deployed to the area.

Area resident Ivor James identified the assailants as Fulani herdsmen. She added that many more villagers were wounded. Resident Joseph Atom said two predominantly Christian communities nearby were also attacked.

Beside Abagena village, Mbagwen and Utyondu were also attacked at that same time Abagena was attacked by the terrorists, Atom said. Many Christians were also killed in these communities. Casualty figures are yet to be ascertained.

From Jan. 3 to Jan. 5, armed herdsmen also attacked Nagi and Tse-Girgi Dajo villages, predominantly Christian communities in Gwer West County of Benue state, area sources said. Four Christians were injured.

Two Christians were badly injured in the Nagi attack while two more Christians were also wounded in the Tse-Girgi Dajo attack, said Andrew Ayande, a local council official of Gwer West Local Government Council.

Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith in 2022, with 5,014, according to Open Doors 2023 World Watch List (WWL) report.

The country also led the world in Christians abducted (4,726), sexually assaulted or harassed, forcibly married or physically or mentally abused and had the most homes and businesses attacked for faith-based reasons. As in the previous year, Nigeria had the second-most church attacks and internally displaced people.

In the 2023 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to sixth place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 7 the previous year.

Militants from the Fulani, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and others conduct raids on Christian communities, killing, maiming, raping and kidnapping for ransom or sexual slavery, the WWL report noted. This year has also seen this violence spill over into the Christian-majority south of the nation Nigerias government continues to deny this is religious persecution, so violations of Christians rights are carried out with impunity.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdoms All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a recent report.

They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity, the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigerias Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.
In sermon after plane crash that killed 5 members, pastor reflects on 'God of comfort amidst chaos'

On the first Sunday since four Harvest Church members died in a plane crash, congregants gathered at the Germantown, Tennessee, church to hear a message about Gods promises and faithfulness amid suffering.

On Jan. 17, the Memphis-area church lost an executive pastor, an elder, and two staff members when the plane Steve Tucker was piloting crashed in a Texas field. Senior pastor Kennon Vaughan, who founded both Harvest Church and Downline Ministries, was the sole survivor and remains in the hospital in stable condition.

In a message delivered Sunday morning, Jamie Trussell, Harvests ministry development and teaching pastor, said the church has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support it has been shown over the last week.

To all the churches and believers across the country and, honestly, across the world that have sought to provide us comfort and cover us in prayer  please know that, from us to you, we are forever and immensely grateful, he said.

Trussell told Harvest Church members, This past week has been your finest moment. ... I know what it means for Jesus to say in John 13 that everyone will know you are my disciples by the way you love one another. Your actions this week were the profound sermon my heart needed.

Trussell said, We turn to [Gods] Word knowing this: that in turning to the Scriptures were actually turning to God Himself. For we believe in His Word God still speaks, and in speaking, God promises to be a God of comfort amidst chaos.

During the service, congregants sang songs full of words of comfort, including My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less, Crown Him with Many Crowns, Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me, and When Peace Like a River. Cathy Tucker, whose husband was killed in the accident, helped lead worship.

Trussells sermon focused on Romans 8:1822, which reads, in part: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

If youre like me, it is that tension that has defined this week  suffering and glory, pain and promises, anticipation for a future actuality, he said. "If you put the two on a scale, Paul says the glory of the life to come far outweighs the suffering of today."

So then why does it hurt so bad? Trussell said. If youve corrected my perspective and I know future glory outweighs earthly pain, why does it still feel like it feels?

The pastor said that verse 19 answered such a question: For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God  now that phrase, revealing of the sons of God, that is a future state, he said. That is a hope and longing for and begging for an existence we have not yet tasted.

We have these longings because things hurt, but we have hope because there was a promise, and that promise was fulfilled when God came to Earth in the person of His Son, lived a sinless life, took His wrath upon Himself, died on that cross, rose from the dead so that we can be called children of God, he said. But even so, suffering and glory continues.

Trussell reminded congregants that the pain they are feeling now is going to produce something new: Just like the pain in childbirth progresses to new life, the pain were feeling now progresses till we get to glory, we see Jesus, and in the revealing of the sons of God we become something we have never been before  glorified body, restored, sin removed, looking like our Savior.

Citing Romans 8:26, Trussell stressed that God doesnt let His people suffer alone: Someone else is involved in that groaningthat my groaning to which I could not find words is taken by the Holy Spirit, he assigns the proper words, and he takes it to our Father. He knows were groaning.

Just like the four church leaders who flew into glory, Trussell reminded the congregation, One day, all of us who are in Christ, we get to fly home too.

The funeral for executive pastor Bill Garner was Saturday, while the visitation and memorial service for Steve Tucker, a Harvest elder, will be held Saturday. A funeral service for church member Tyler Patterson will be held next Sunday.

"One of the core values at Harvest is family and Tyler took that to heart  embodying every aspect of what it is to lead and love his family. Please keep his wife Mary Elizabeth 'Emme,' his daughter Elsie, his son JB, and his extended family in your prayers, the church wrote in an update Wednesday.

The church also revealed that Pastor Vaughan is doing well in his recovery, though he is in pain and is being treated for a minor infection.

Kennon is doing extremely well in his progress overall and the doctors continue to be encouraged with how quickly he has progressed, the church said. We know that this is due to the many prayers of saints across the county and world interceding on his behalf. For that we are eternally grateful. The Lord is doing a mighty work. Blessed be His name!
Kamala Harris omits 'right to life' when quoting Declaration of Independence on Roe's anniversary

Vice President Kamala Harris' omission of the right to "life" when quoting the Declaration of Independence Sunday has drawn the ire of pro-life activists, with one progressive pro-life leader calling her a "traitor" to the Democratic Party's values.

During a speech Sunday commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade abortion ruling, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide, Harris cited the Declaration of Independence, the 1776 document signed by the Continental Congress as the 13 colonies severed their ties to Great Britain.

The court overturned Roe this summer in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, allowing states to once again enact more stringent abortion restrictions or outlaw the practice entirely.

"We collectively believe and know America is a promise.  It is a promise of freedom and liberty, not just some but for all. We are each endowed with the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Harris said.

The document's original text reads: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Katie Glenn, state policy director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told The Christian Post that the omission of "life" seemed "intentional" considering the administration's stance on abortion.

"Unfortunately, this administration has made it a point to say that the only policy that they'll support is the most extreme abortion on demand agenda," Glenn said, noting that Harris appears to have held up "liberty" and "pursuit of happiness" to justify an "unfettered right to abortion."

Glenn noted that these rights don't exist "if you don't make it down the birth canal."

"Liberty and pursuit of happiness and property and any number of other rights that our founders described as important are out of reach," Glenn said.

Terrisa Bukovinac, the founder and executive director of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, believes "there are few people in Washington more complicit in the mass murder of the unborn than Kamala Harris."

"She is a traitor to our party and to the values of non-violence and non-discrimination," the pro-life atheist told CP. "We will continue to fight for a future where her treachery is remembered with contempt and shame."

Glenn acknowledged that Harris' speech might seem "discouraging" for pro-life Democrats, highlighting how "extreme" the party has become on abortion in a "relatively short amount of time." Public opinion polls have shown abortion restrictions are favored by many Democrats.

According to a recently released Marist poll conducted on behalf of the Knights of Columbus, nearly half of the survey's Democratic respondents supported abortion restrictions after the first trimester.

While 32% of Democrats participating in the survey believed "abortion should be available to a woman any time she wants one during her entire pregnancy," the rest favored restrictions. Nineteen percent stated that "abortion should be allowed only during the first six months of a pregnancy," and 49% said there should be greater limits on abortion access.

"If pro-life Democrats are looking at the polling, they should feel that they can speak into this issue honestly and step away from their party and certainly at the state level," Glenn said.

As The Christian Post reported, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed two pro-life measures earlier this month, with one bill requiring abortion providers to care for infants born alive after an abortion. Another bill condemned the wave of violence and vandalism against pro-life pregnancy resource centers and churches.

The measures passed mostly among party lines, with only one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, voting in favor of the bill mandating medical care for infants who survive abortions. Three Democrats  Vicente Gonzael of Texas, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Marie Perez of Washington  voted in favor of the resolution condemning violence against pro-life groups.
Man faces criminal charges for saying he left gay lifestyle on TV

The headline sounds like something created by a far-right website to make gay activists look bad, but it is absolutely true and totally accurate: Ex-Gay Man Faces Charges for Sharing His Testimony About Finding Freedom in Christ. Yes, Matthew Grech, who lives in Malta, is facing criminal charges for allegedly promoting conversion practices in his own country during an online interview about how he chose to leave his former homosexual lifestyle after finding salvation in Jesus Christ.

In other words, because he testified on TV that Jesus changed his life and he no longer practiced homosexuality, he could potentially go to jail for up to 5 months and be fined over $5,000. The TV station has been charged too. And to repeat: I am not making this up.

If you are still rubbing your eyes and saying to yourself, There must be more to the story, the only thing you need to know is that Malta forbids all conversion therapy for all people of all ages. This is similar to a bill almost passed in California that I dubbed the Must Stay Gay Bill.

As reported by BBC News in 2016, Under the new law, anyone who tries to change, repress or eliminate a person's sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression will be fined or even jailed.

It doesnt matter what your religious beliefs might be. It doesnt matter if you were sexually abused and became confused about your sexual identity. It doesnt matter if you would really like to be heterosexual simply to marry and have a natural family.

No! You must stay gay (or trans, as the case may be), and it is illegal for anyone to help you explore the roots of your same-sex attractions with the view towards change.

Tragically, this conversion therapy ban is in place for minors in multiple states in America as well as abroad, while a complete ban for people of all ages, similar to that in Malta, exists in several countries as well.

Talk about extreme overreach. Talk about the exact opposite of live and let live. Talk about making a mockery of tolerance and acceptance. That street only goes one way.

In my book The Silencing of the Lambs, I noted how in Norway, if you make a private comment deemed hateful to an LGBT person or persons you could get a one-year jail sentence. If you dare to make the comment in public, youre looking at three years in jail, the same penalty for third-degree murder (meaning, by neglect) in Norway.

And in nearby Finland, I pointed to the case of Paivi Rasanen, a medical doctor and a longtime member of the Finnish Parliament who was potentially facing 6 years in prison. Her crime was that she shared her opinion on marriage and human sexuality on social media, on television, and in a pamphlet, taking issue with the teaching of the State Church.

But what happened to Grech is more extreme still. He simply shared his personal story on Maltese TV, explaining the transformation of his life through the Gospel.

As reported by CBN News, I understood that in the Bible, homosexuality is not an identity as we make it nowadays. And neither is it a feeling, but a practice.

This means that no matter what sexual feelings a man or a woman is experiencing if they have sexual relations with a person of the same sex, they commit the homosexual act in Gods eyes, and that is a sin. Just like every other sin, one can repent from it and ask God for forgiveness and ask Him for strength to overcome  I'm talking here from a Christian perspective ...

He actually took issue with the term conversion therapy during the interview, and at no point did he recommend such therapy to the public. But by sharing his own story publicly he crossed a forbidden line.

Back in 2004, I began saying that those who came out of the closet (meaning gay activists) wanted to put us (meaning Christian conservatives) in the closet.

At first, people said to me, No one wants to put you in the closet!

But after a few years that changed to, Bigots like you belong in the closet.

Then, while talking with an attorney with the ADF about this, he said to me (to paraphrase his words), Those who were once put in jail for homosexual practice will want to put us in jail for opposing their agenda.

When I referenced his words during an interview on Christian TV, I was met with mockery and scorn, with a number of websites playing a clip from the interview online. No one wants to put you in jail! was the refrain.

That was before LGBTQ+ activists and their allies howled with delight at the jailing of Kim Davis for her refusal to issue a same-sex marriage license in 2015.

That was also before this obscene and draconian ban was put in place in Malta.

And you thought Ive been exaggerating all these years?

All the more, then, should we encourage ex-gay and ex-trans individuals to share their testimonies boldly and publicly if they so desire. And all the more should we stand by their side and push back against bans against change, offering help and hope to all who desire it.

May the case in Malta serve as a wake-up call for the world.
NASA astronaut says science 'doesn't contradict' Christianity; Bible museum opens new exhibit

WASHINGTON  A former NASA astronaut said he believes the study of nature and science are intertwined with Scripture at the opening of a new exhibit at the Museum of the Bible about the Good Book's role in the relationship between science and Christianity.

Jeff Williams, a retired NASA astronaut who traveled to space on four separate occasions, told The Christian Post during a visit to the exhibit, titled "Scripture and Science: Our Universe, Ourselves, Our Place" that he spent 534 days in space from 2000 to 2016.

A devout Christian, Williams previously attended a Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod congregation for many years and now attends a Bible church in Washington state.

Williams, who has been heavily involved in scientific research relating to astronomical studies for roughly 26 years, said the new exhibit reaffirmed his belief that science goes hand-in-hand with Christianity, each complimenting the other.

"Science does not contradict Christianity. There is no contradiction. The contradiction comes into your philosophy going into your science," said Williams. "And your philosophy acknowledges a God that has either revealed Himself specifically in the scriptures of the Bible or your philosophy discounts or doesn't allow a God. Then, you have to explain the existence of everything by chance over time."

Williams believes there is a God who has revealed Himself in creation as well as in His Word.

"The exhibit reaffirmed all of the elements that I believe in, in terms of my faith and also applying the faith to the question of science and Scripture," Williams said.

"Many of the scientists in the age of science  who we all read about in our textbooks about the laws of physics and chemistry  were believers first. They were theologians first. People like Kepler and Newton and Faraday and Maxwell, and many others. They were driven by their faith and their understanding of their calling before God to fulfill that calling."

Williams said the first Great Commission, which can be drawn out of Genesis 1:28 to "subdue God's Creation," was obeyed by many early scientists.

God has provided His creation with everything, including the scientific order of Creation, the mathematical order of Creation  chemistry, physics, and optics  which are all clear demonstrations of God's order in creation.

"I believe in the biblical account of creation recorded in Genesis 1 and 2 bearing the image of God. He gave man not only the calling but the ability to seek out that order," Williams stated.

"I think this exhibit will certainly help people reexamine questions that they have in life if they think that there's a conflict between science and the Bible."

Williams delivered a presentation on what it's been like to be a practicing Christian living the life of an astronaut.

"I hope to share with people how I was selected as an astronaut in 1996, and I came in with a mature faith and understanding of the doctrines of creation," Williams, a retired U.S. Army colonel, said right before his presentation.

"And because of the public perception that science and the Bible were in conflict, I dedicated a lot of studying in those early years so that I could be equipped to answer these kinds of questions going into my career as an astronaut. Because I know this topic comes up all the time."

Williams discussed the awe and wonder of going to space, the vantage point of Earth's orbit.

"I want to talk about how the Bible supports and informs science with the elements of the mathematical order of God's Creation, our calling as humans, bearing the image of God, and how God has equipped us to explore and extract that order and utilize it for the glory of God and the good of mankind," Williams said.

"And that gives the foundational understanding for the biblical worldview of how we can understand the history of technology development, for example, and the history of human progress; it's the God-given ability that stems from His call to subdue His Creation."

Also attending the opening of the new exhibit was Lawrence Principe, a member of an advisory board that helped bring the exhibit to the museum.

"The purpose of the new exhibit is to bring together two of the major features of human culture. That is Scripture, religious belief and scientific investigation, and to look at the interactions between the two over time," Principe told CP.

"I'm hoping people will see that science and faith have a complicated history of relationship with one another. Sometimes working in the same direction and sometimes in debate with one another. But many of the questions both are trying to address are similar about life, human beings' place in the universe, the structure of the cosmos and so forth."

Principe, a practicing Catholic, said one "interesting fact" about the advisory board that created the exhibit is that there is substantial representation from various Christian denominations as well as Judaism.

"I and my Greek Orthodox colleagues were all making sure that we would have a balanced exhibit that shows the different approaches of different faith traditions in relation to the issues of science and religion," Principe said.

"There's a widespread belief that science and Christianity always have to be in conflict, but what we're trying to show here is that people of faith have been involved in science, texts out of the Bible have inspired people to do science, and science has, in turn, helped us gain overtime a better understanding of what the Bible really says."

The hope for the new exhibit, Principe said, is for visitors who are exploring Christianity and wondering how science coincides with it to understand both in a way that enhances their scientific knowledge and increases their faith.

"I think there's a lot of misinformation out there about what the relationship between science and religion is supposed to have been, and this exhibit is an attempt to tell a more historically accurate depiction of the complex interactions between the two," Principe said. "I would hope that people who are concerned about what is the impact of religion on science and what's the impact of science on religion will come here and come away with some new ideas of how that interaction can exist."

The museum contracted Storyline Studios to design the exhibition.

The executive producer of Storyline Studios, Jeff Wyatt, who helped lead the team of artists, designers and fabricators in facilitating the creation of the exhibition's visual impact and design, attended the exhibition's opening.

"I hoped that in creating and designing this exhibition, people would see that Scripture and science are not in conflict but are in a conversation that is ongoing. And in recent years, it seems like there is more conflict, but there is a longer history that proves that faith and science are not at odds with each other," Wyatt said.

Wyatt noted that reading the Bible inspires curiosity about the world, while scientific discovery has encouraged some people to look at the Bible in different ways, which creates a back-and-forth that has happened across history.

"Faith provides meaning, while science provides 'the why.' It all comes back to that. This whole exhibition shows that both science and religion have their place and that they don't necessarily need each other, but they are in constant conversation with each other and the world," he said.

"They are hand-in-hand. One inspires the other."
Pope Francis says 'being homosexual is not a crime' but still a sin

Pope Francis said in an interview this week that while homosexuality is sinful, countries should not criminalize homosexual practices.

In an interview with The Associated Press Tuesday, Pope Francis acknowledged that homosexuality is a sin while stressing the importance of distinguishing between sin and crime.

Being homosexual is not a crime," the pontiff said.

We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us has to fight for our dignity, he added.

Addressing the distinction between sin and crime, Francis asked: Its also a sin to lack charity with one another, so what about that?

Noting that dozens of countries criminalize homosexual behavior and several classify homosexual practices as a death penalty offense, the pope described such laws as unfair. He argued that the Catholic Church must advocate against such laws.

Data compiled by Human Rights Watch shows that 67 countries, primarily located in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and small island countries in the Caribbean and Pacific, outlaw same-sex relations. Countries where homosexual acts are punishable by the death penalty include Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Francis comments mark the latest example of the Bishop of Rome calling for a welcoming stance towards those with same-sex attraction while declining to change the denominations teachings that marriage is a union between a man and a woman and that homosexuality is a sin.

In 2020, Francis expressed support for a civil union law, stating in a documentary that Homosexual people have a right to be in a family."

"They are children of God and have a right to a family," he said. "Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it.

After his remarks generated pushback, the Vatican clarified that Pope Francis was referring to particular state regulations, certainly not the doctrine of the church, which he has reaffirmed numerous times over the years.

The following year, the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a statement affirming the Catholic Churchs teaching on marriage, proclaiming that it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage.

The statement, issued in response to a question about whether or not Catholic churches had the power to bless same-sex unions, indicated that positive elements in unions between persons of the same sex cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creators plan.

Last year, Pope Francis delivered a message to parents who are facing their childrens problems, specifically parents who see different sexual orientations in their children. The pontiff told parents of children with same-sex attraction to accompany their children and not hide in an attitude of condemnation.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which contains the Catholic Churchs official teachings, describes homosexual acts as intrinsically disordered and contrary to the natural law. According to the catechism, because homosexual acts close the sexual act to the gift of life and do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity, under no circumstances can they be approved.

The denomination calls on those experiencing same-sex attraction to practice chastity, as must all the baptized regardless of their sexual orientation. The catechism includes rhetoric similar to Francis comments about refraining from condemnation, asserting that persons with same-sex attraction must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Additionally, the catechism advises that every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.
5 Christian students killed in crash after visiting Bible college: 'They knew Jesus as their redeeming Savior'

Five students who were killed in a series of crashes by a wrong-way driver while on their way home to Arkansas from a Bible college in Wyoming have been remembered by their community for their strong faith and commitment to evangelism.

According to KATV, Sylvan Hills High School seniors Susana "Suzy" Prime and Ava Luplow, both 18, and three recent graduates, Salomon Correa, 21, Maggie Franco, 20, and 23-year-old Andrea Prime, Suzy's sister, were driving home from Jackson Hole Bible College on Interstate 80 on Sunday when a Dodge Ram was reported heading east in the westbound lanes.

The pickup truck collided with a passenger car and commercial truck, forcing another truck to swerve into the other side of the road where the driver collided head-on with the students' Ford F-150.

The truck and the students' vehicle were engulfed in flames, killing the five young adults and leaving others with critical injuries.

Authorities said the driver of the Dodge has been arrested on suspicion of impairment and could face other charges as the investigation unfolds.

On Facebook, Faith Bible Fellowship, the church all five students attended, mourned the deaths of the students and announced that a combined funeral service will be held on Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. at the Sylvan Hills High School Performing Arts Center.

"Our fellowship is mourning the loss of five of our young adults," the church said.

Following the deadly crash, more than 100 people gathered at the Faith Bible Fellowship, in Arkansas, the church that the young adults attended, for a candlelight vigil.

Quint Scruggs, who is an alum of Sylvan Hills High, told the station the community is in disbelief.

Scruggs said he went to school with some of the victims, adding that they were "always joyful, I mean there was never a dull moment, always made you laugh.

Two of the young adults, Susana and Ava, worked at the Humble Crumb bakery near their high school, where Maggie had also worked along with family members.

Ruth and Betsy Peters, owners of the bakery, told local KARK that they were devastated to learn of the girls death. Betsy Peters told the outlet she takes comfort in a recent Bible verse both Susana and Ava had posted on their Instagram accounts: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

I just couldn't believe it because that's what's happening.  God is being glorified through them and that's what they wanted, Betsy said.

The bakery said they would be closing for two weeks to allow employees to grieve the girls' deaths.

"Our lives are forever changed and the bakery will continually feel this void. Our small team lost two of our own, two of our gems, on Sunday," the Facebook post said. "The news has broken our hearts and we are still trying the wrap our minds around this new reality.

"We have ONE comfort and ONE hope and that is the comfort that comes only from God," the business posted on Facebook. "Ava and Suzy loved Jesus and they knew Jesus as their redeeming Savior. They wanted to serve him with their lives and they were trusting in HIM for their salvation. They are now with HIM in glory and while we suffer their loss, our hearts are also filled with hope."

Lydia VanderVate, who grew up in the Faith Bible Fellowship with all five victims, told the outlet the community is devastated by the accident.

It feels like my heart is broken, she said. They all had such bubbly personalities, could get along, always laughing with each other.

Both Peters and VanderVate told the outlet they are hoping to share the Gospel that is currently carrying them through this time of loss.

Ruth said she hopes this story reassures readers and viewers of the character of God and what He has done for them and can do for everyone else, too, the story added.

On social media, Sylvan Hills High School said counseling will be offered to students and staff who need it.

Our thoughts are with the families and school community as they grieve the loss of such young lives, the school said in a Facebook post. You all will be greatly missed.


Revelation 7: Who's behind the weather? The supernatural

Historian and International Affairs Specialists Arnold Toynbee once said, The fundamental need of our world today is a rebirth of belief in the supernatural. The current age is dominated mainly by reliance only on what can be seen and tested. We live in a period of rank materialism, which essentially dismisses the spiritual and argues that all life movements result from material interactions.

For instance, if one were to ask what controls the wind, most people would probably answer it has to do with the relationship between the earth and the sun, temperature, and pressure imbalances. Few people think of God as the winds cause or its lack thereof. Yet Revelation 7:1-3 says:

Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, Wait! Dont harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.

In this text, the Bible says God employs his angels to restrain the winds to accomplish a specific purpose. The wind belongs to God. The winds are under his control and subordinate to his will. Its not so much whats behind the winds and storms; its who.

In his commentary on Revelation, William Barclay, the renowned Scottish Bible scholar, says that the Old Testament often pictures the winds as Gods agents employed in his acts of judgment. Here are a few of Barclays examples:

Zechariah has the picture of the chariots of the winds, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth (Zechariah 6:1-5). Nahum speaks of the Lord who has his way in the whirlwind and the storm (Nahum 1:3)  The winds are Gods chariots (Jeremiah 4:13). God comes with his chariots like a whirlwind (Isaiah 66:15). [Chariots were utilized for warfare and judgment on ones enemies.] The wind is the breath of God (Job 37:9, 10). The wind rends the mountains (I Kings 19:11) and withers the grass (Isaiah 40:7, 24) and dries up the stream, the river and the sea (Nahum 1:4; Psalm 18:15). Gods day [Judgment Day] would be the day of the whirlwind (Amos 1:14). The whirlwind of the Lord goes forth in its fury and falls on the head of the wicked (Jeremiah 23:19; 30:23). The wind of the Lordwill come from the wilderness and destroy the fertility of the land (Hosea 13:15). God will send his four winds upon Elam and scatter the people (Jeremiah 49:36).

Other passages of Scripture provide a window for looking inside Gods pilothouse, not only for the winds but the weather in general.

God can use the weather to either bless or punish. Job 37:11-13 reads:

He loads the clouds with moisture, and they flash with his lightning. The clouds churn about at his direction. They do whatever he commands throughout the earth. He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love.

Perhaps one of the strongest passages which present the way God uses climate conditions to display his sovereignty is in Haggai 1:9-11:

You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heavens Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. Its because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops. I have called for a drought on your fields and hills  a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.

In Gods economy, angels are also associated with affecting weather patterns. Angels have a ministry concerning the earth. They are linked to winds, fires, storms, and pestilence (Psalm 103:20; 104:4; I Chronicles 21:15, 16, 27). Throughout the book of Revelation, they are connected with fire, hail, blood, a plague of locusts, and the poison of scorpions. At certain times in history, God authorizes and directs them to use their tremendous powers to affect meteorological conditions.

The Bible knows nothing of secondary causes. Barclay concludes:

We say that atmospheric conditions, variations in temperature, land and mountain configurations, cause certain things to happen. The Jews described it all to the direct action of God. He simply said, God sent the rain; God made the wind to blow; God thundered; God sent his lightning. Surely both points of view are correct, for we may still believe that God acts through the laws by which his universe is governed.

Does this mean every natural disaster is judgment for sin? Definitely not.

Since Adam and Eve, who were initially placed in a perfect environment, rebelled against God and fell into sin, this universe, this planet, has been negatively impacted.

We live in a fallen world. Nature itself is broken like humanity and doesnt work correctly, and it cant until the redemption of humankind is complete (Romans 8:19). Therefore, natural disasters are often simply the result of an ailing earth in convulsion.

Nevertheless, when a nation or nations operate grievously in sin, ignore God, reject his ways, and despise Christ and His people with increasing intensity, it shouldnt surprise us if he intervenes and sends catastrophic natural calamities to get peoples attention. These extraordinary misfortunes mercifully remind us of who is in control. They are warnings with redemptive messages to be reconciled with our Maker.

In Where Do We Go from Here? Dr. David Jeremiah, evangelist and pastor, writes that he and his wife, Donna, were watching the television news one morning while having breakfast. Dr. Jeremiah said:

Every story was more distressing than the one before. We sat there viewing the burning cities, backbiting politicians, runaway infections, heated elections, social upheaval, racial tensions, skyrocketing crime, shouting pundits, deafening lies, eroding sands, and cracking foundations. I began to look at these crises in a new way. I realized they are not isolated movements, philosophies, or events. They are interconnected as a spiders web. Add to that emerging globalism. Were only one existential crisis from a one-world government. And what about the worldwide economy hanging by a strand? Think of the degradation of our culture. It seems as if every member is a lover of self, a lover of money, a lover of pleasure  and eager to cancel anyone who disagrees with them. This translates to extreme persecution for the church in much of the world and to eroding religious liberty at home. Across our country, an unprecedented spiritual famine is causing an epidemic of emaciated hearts. In the process, many professed Christians are abandoning the faith. This has created a vacuum for the rising tide of socialism to flood into our land.

Dr. Jeremiahs words reflect the words of the apostle Paul to young Timothy, his fellow worker and companion:

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Could there be a better description of the current times? Probably not!

Therefore, should we be surprised that in this dispensation, we are witnessing an increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions: drought, rampant wildfires, incredible floods, terrifying tornadoes, above-normal hurricane seasons, abnormally powerful thunderstorms, and uncommon heat waves globally.

In their book, Gods Answer for America, Darrel and Cindy Deville rightly state these environmental conditions are referenced as global warming or climate change. But the Devilles point to a more likely cause, arguing:

No matter what they call it, these things are all part of the birthing pains and natural disasters that will increase as Jesus prophesied (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11, 25-26). These are not global warming (or climate change), but they are part of Gods global warnings as signs for these last days. These will continue to increase and shift as the return of Christ gets closer to birth a new age, his millennial reign. We also believe things will be happening and shifting in the days ahead that will cause scientists to be baffled. Politicians claim we all need to work together to battle climate change, but there is nothing they can do to stop it. Like a woman in labor, the contractions will become more frequent and more intense the closer the new birth gets. So, this is not about climate change. But the earth is instead preparing for a kingdom change  the coming glorious kingdom and reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 11:15).

Dont be blinded to the supernatural behind the natural  the material.

Moreover, it should be remembered the same God who sends large-scale disasters in response to gross collective sinning can also employ his angels to restrain these judgments when there is repentance.

Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity (Joel 2:13).




Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong visits Samsung SDS in, Seoul on Aug. 30, 2022 and takes a photo with female employees. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Vimeo takes down 'Dead Name' documentary, forces film to launch new site

Vimeo has removed Dead Name, a documentary featuring three parents whose lives have been shaken and forever altered because their children have declared (or have been given) a transgender identity, from its platform.

On Monday, CP learned that Vimeo took down Dead Name less than two months after the documentary was published on the platform. The former video page now reads, Gone, baby, gone. Sorry, this page is no longer available.

"I was very distressed to find 'Dead Name' vaporized from Vimeo and without warning," filmmaker Taylor Reece of Broken Hearted films told The Christian Post on Monday. "The film had been up for 34 days. Sales and rentals were brisk. The response has been incredible from more than 16 countries around the world. But I wasn't 100 percent shocked because I am familiar with the force that the trans activists use to silence anyone who checks or questions their dogma."

She added: "No doubt this is disheartening and caused a temporary disruption, but we circumvented this setback ... Ironically, every time the trans activists cancel someone, whether it is a journalist, a filmmaker, or a comedian, inadvertently they raise the profile of the piece of work at hand and ultimately give it more sunlight and play than it might have had in the first place."

The film is now available to watch at deadnamedocumentary.com where viewers can purchase the film for $14.99 or rent it for $9.99.

Vimeo subscribers who purchased the film have not been refunded by the company, nor have they received an email about its decision to take down the film from its site.

Released on Dec. 20, Dead Name is an hour-length documentary that weaves back and forth between the stories of three parents whose children struggled with gender confusion due to outside influences.

Reads the film description: We learn how shocking it is for parents to hear that their children in their mid to late teens have seemingly out of nowhere decided to switch from female to male or from male to female. In another story, we follow one parent's nightmarish descent into the transgender world as her ex assigns a female gender to their very young son. In all these stories, we find parents struggling with disbelief, loneliness, helplessness, isolation and despair. Ultimately, each one's ultimate fear is the medicalized transition of their child  though in one story, the path to medicalization may have proven to be fatal.

It adds: Dead Name lets us in on the inner thoughts, the struggles, and the declarations to fight for children who feel lost to them. We have made 'Dead Name' to open the conversation, humanize the subject from the perspective of parents, and give them a voice.

CP commentator Brandon Showalter, who is featured in the film, tweeted that even those who paid for the film no longer have access to it.

What gives? Trans activists censor, that is what they do, he tweeted.

Just as this film was starting to gain some traction and moving people deeply because of its truly unique angle, POOF! Gone.

CP reached out to Vimeo for comment and will update this piece once a response is received.

On its website, Vimeo said it does not allow videos that are hateful, harass others, or include defamatory or discriminatory speech." It also claims to forbid content that displays a demeaning attitude toward specific groups," including videos that promote Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE).

In a previous review of the film, Showalter wrote that Dead Name spotlights issues that have largely gone unexamined.

As public scrutiny continues to grow about the long-term repercussions of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and the hastiness with which psychologically troubled young people are being prescribed such drugs, the potential medical harms are finally being debated more widely. But much less attention has been given to the splintering of families that gender medicalization has wrought, other than firsthand accounts from parents in spaces like the PITT substack and other online forums, he wrote.

Dead Name punctures the prevailing narrative around this highly fraught topic and is a poignant call to consider the perspectives of families that know what it feels like to be on the inside of this struggle.

This is not the first time a major platform has removed content that critiques the transgender movement.

In February 2021, Amazon removed scholar Ryan Andersons book, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment, from its website. The book explores the meaning of human embodiment and public policy considerations related to transgender issues.

Amazon also removed the Kindle or Audible versions of the book from its website.

At the time, Anderson told CP that critics of his book had clearly not read it, as it earned praise from prominent medical experts and legal scholars.

"People who have actually read my book discovered that it was a thoughtful and accessible presentation of the state of the scientific, medical, philosophical and legal debates, Anderson said. Yes, it advances an argument from a certain viewpoint. No, it didnt get any facts wrong, and it didnt engage in any name-calling.
Colorado town refuses to take down veterans memorial after groups complain about its Christian message

A Colorado town has refused to take down a veterans' memorial following complaints from a church-and-state watchdog group that's opposed to the monument because it includes a Christian message.

Last year, the Town of Monument had a veterans memorial erected in its official cemetery, which was designed by teenager Michael Carlson, an Eagle Scout, who raised some $46,000 in private donations for the project.

The memorial included a plaque that read, Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American soldier. One died for your soul, the other died for your freedom. We honor those who made freedom a reality.

The project recently garnered the attention of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which argued that the memorial was a violation of the separation of church and state.

The First Liberty Institute, which is representing the Town of Monument, sent a letter to MRFF President Mikey Weinstein on Monday, explaining that the town refuses to remove the memorial.

Signed by First Liberty Senior Counsel Stephanie N. Taub and Town of Monument attorney Andrew Richey, the letter explained the background of the veterans memorial.

Eagle Scout Michael Carlson spent almost two years raising private donations for a memorial to honor veterans like his father, reads the letter, in part.

Your letters and public communications to the media seek to disparage his efforts and the private speech of this 16-year-old resident of the Town of Monument.

The attorneys labeled Weinsteins rhetoric against the memorial as an attack on a minor and profoundly disrespectful, adding that the memorial was privately designed, privately maintained, and located on private burial plots in Monument Cemetery.

The Town of Monument appreciates all efforts by members of our community, including the Boy Scouts, to honor our veterans. We respectfully request that you issue an immediate apology to Michael Carlson and his family, stated the letter.

In response to the First Liberty letter, Weinstein told the Colorado Springs Indy that he considered the letter preposterous, adding that he and his organization have no issue with the Boy Scout.

We have issues with the Boy Scout troop and the town of Monument, and government dollars being used to place it and maintain it, said Weinstein, as reported by the Indy.

Weinstein also took issue with the memorial using the logos of various military branches, questioning whether they were legally used, given they are trademarked images.

The veterans memorial was completed last September, with a ceremony being held Oct. 3 that featured other scouts and leaders of Boy Scout Troop 8 of St. Matthias Episcopal Church.

In addition to the religious statement, the memorial features a crescent stonewall, a flagpole, a marker thanking donors to the project, and a Battlefield Cross sculpture.

Also called the Fallen Soldier Battle Cross, the sculpture features a pair of combat boots, a rifle placed upright and a combat helmet on the end of the barrel.

A story by the Tribune at the time of the October ceremony said Monument helped to clear out and dig up the space for the memorial, with it being considered gifted to the Town.

Michael saw veterans were underrepresented here. He didnt go to the government and say Fix this. He decided to fix it himself and asked the government to help, Mayor Don Wilson told the Tribune at the time. His leadership and patriotism has bettered our community.

Some local residents took issue with the memorial's religious content and contacted the MRFF, which sent a letter of complaint to the mayor.

Days later, Americans United for Separation of Church & State joined the MRFF in denouncing the memorial, sending its own letter to local officials.

Displaying a message that indicates that the Town is affiliated with a Christian belief unmistakably sends the message that the Town favors those who follow its preferred religion and that members of other faiths and nonbelievers will be treated differently, stated Americans United.

It is also profoundly disrespectful to the Towns fallen non-Christian veterans and a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Navy chaplain accused of violating Constitution for encouraging soldiers to 'lead like Jesus'

A U.S. Navy chaplain has been accused of violating the U.S. Constitution for teaching an optional 12-week seminar called "Lead Like Jesus" at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island.

According to the religious liberty legal organization First Liberty Institute, Cmdr. Richard Smothers is being antagonized by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation  a group that argues for a strictly secularist interpretation of the Constitution  for promoting the seminar at the base.

MRFF sent an email demanding that Capt. Ian Johnson, commander of the Naval base, investigate Smothers and anyone else who promoted the seminar through emails or fliers. The organization argues that service members were being "voluntold" to attend the Christian-oriented event.

Michael L. Mikey Weinstein, founder of MRFF, accused Smothers of having weaponized Christianity in an interview with the Navy Times published in January. He added that those behind the discussions should be visibly and aggressively investigated and punished.

Nothing could be more disruptive to good order and discipline and unit cohesion than a message like this, he said.

Commenting on the matter, First Liberty noted that encouraging troops through faith is in the job description of a chaplain.

"Most chaplains are endorsed by a particular church or religious organization, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim or a host of other religions. They agree to uphold that organizations beliefs and to carry out their duties as a representative of their faith. If they dont, they lose their endorsement," the organization said Friday.

"Thats why its so absurd when chaplains are attacked for sharing certain aspects of their faith  like a Christian chaplain giving a seminar about Jesus. It goes against their very job description."

Cmdr. Elizabeth Baker, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman, said in response to the complaint that no one was being coerced to attend the seminar.

Its not any kind of directive from the chaplain to lead like Jesus  its a discussion series after services only for those who volunteer to attend, she said in a response to Navy Times.

An advisory board member of MRFF countered that discussions called Lead like Mohammed or Atheist Leadership would likewise not be "tolerated" on the base.

Mike Berry, general counsel for First Liberty Institute, said in an interview with Fox News earlier this month that Jesus was a leader and it's perfectly legal to study His leadership.

"Its perfectly legal to study his leadership. In fact, some of our military leaders would do well to study Jesus leadership a bit more. None other than our first commander in chief, George Washington, looked to Jesus as a model of leadership.

First Liberty Institute is the law firm that won a 7-2 victory at the United States Supreme Court last year in a case concerning the Bladensburg World War I "Peace Cross" in the case of American Legion et. al. v. American Humanist Association. The high court ruled that the monument, which has stood on public land in Maryland for approximately 50 years, does not violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Pro-life group warns Republicans not to seek 'middle ground' on abortion

A pro-life group is warning Republicans not to make concessions with their Democratic colleagues on any abortion legislation, asserting that there is no "middle ground" and appeasing the abortion lobby is a "losing political strategy."

This came after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, on the 50th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Last year, the court overturned Roe as part of its Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling, enabling each state to decide the legality of abortion.

Host Chuck Todd asked Mace whether she thought Roe constituted an acceptable "middle ground" for a national abortion policy. She rejected the idea of Roe as a "middle ground," stating that "Roe, if you look at the details, would have allowed abortion up until birth of the baby."

However, Mace detailed conversations she's had with "Republican and Democrat women" in her district, explaining that "swing voters are willing to find some middle ground here."

"Everyone recognizes abortion up until birth is not something that they want. At the same time, banning all abortions with zero exceptions isn't something people support," she said. Democrats' position on abortion, she added, is 24 weeks with "gestational limits," while Republicans support banning abortions after 12 to 15 weeks on average. "Can we find some middle ground around 20 weeks, for example?"

Mace responded to her own question, declaring, "I don't know if we can get there because both sides are really, really entrenched and I see that because I'm repeatedly attacked by pro-life groups even though I am pro-life." She reiterated her support for securing "concessions" on the issue of abortion and finding "middle ground" on behalf of the "vast majority of people I represent."

Mace's congressional district, while more competitive than other districts in South Carolina that strongly favor one party or the other, supported former President Donald Trump by nine points in the 2020 presidential election. Her comments about the possibility of achieving "middle ground" with congressional Democrats, who almost unanimously voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, drew backlash from pro-life activists.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, issued a statement in response to Mace's comments on "Meet the Press."

 ... Nancy Mace stated that she is pro-life while implying that her Democrat colleagues are currently willing to reach a national compromise on abortion. Yet she failed to mention that every Democrat except one just voted against a bill that would have required babies born alive after a failed abortion [to] receive basic health care rather than be left to die, said Dannenfelser.

Being pro-life requires opposition to the destruction of children and tragic underestimation of women that abortion is  this is first and foremost a human rights issue. And failure to take a strong, coherent stand and contrast it with the extremism of the other side  for example by supporting a minimum national standard limiting abortions when unborn babies heartbeats can be detected or when they feel pain  is an abandonment of leadership. Its also a losing political strategy as we saw in the midterm elections.

Concerns about the impact of the abortion issue on the results of the 2022 midterm elections loomed large in Mace's discussion with Todd. Republicans secured a razor-thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, controlling 222 seats to Democrats' 213. In the Senate, Democrats actually gained a seat, holding onto the majority.

While Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has repeatedly insisted that attempts to ignore or downplay the abortion issue cost Republicans seats in the midterms, Mace contended that failure to embrace a middle ground on abortion explained the Republicans' disappointing results in the midterms: "It's the reason why didn't get more of a majority. We should have had a dozen or two-dozen seat majority this legislative session but we don't because this was one of the issues that was top of mind for swing voters."

Former President Donald Trump has offered a similar assessment of the midterms, asserting in a statement on Truth Social earlier this month that "it was the 'abortion issue,' poorly handled by many Republicans, especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother, that lost large numbers of voters."

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America rejected the former president's analysis, however.

"The approach to winning on abortion in federal races, proven for a decade is this: state clearly the ambitious consensus pro-life view on abortion and contrast that with the extreme view of Democrat opponents," the organization maintained in a statement released at the time. "We look forward to hearing that position fully articulated by Mr. Trump and all presidential candidates."
Tim Keller on how cancel culture, therapeutic age has created 'crisis' around forgiveness

Tim Keller believes there is a cultural crisis going on.

In recent years, he began noticing that with the rise of the punitive movement known as "cancel culture" came a disturbing trend: Young people were becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of forgiveness.

They dont know how to forgive, and theyre not even sure they should, the 72-year-old pastor and New York Times bestselling author told The Christian Post. The emphasis of young people on doing justice is important, and forgiveness seems to contradict justice. It seems like, Well, I can forgive or I can pursue justice. That's one problem. And then secondly, we live in a culture where people don't do face-to-face stuff  they don't know how to deal with conflict or disagreement.

There's a cultural moment here where I think forgiveness is very important to talk about. We live in a culture that is very fragmented, polarized, there's an awful lot of anger, and people are really after each other. Forgiveness is not in the air.

It was this concern that prompted Keller to write his latest book, Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?The longtime pastor, whose books have sold more than 3 million copies, said forgiveness is an essential part of the Christian life; in fact, its at the heart of the Gospel.

In the Lord's Prayer, the only statement that Jesus repeats is, Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, he said. And then, at the end of the prayer, Jesus adds, If you do not forgive other people, then there's no reason why God should forgive you. Its very, very central to what the Bible teaches.

In response to secular skepticism, Keller addresses the seeming contradiction between forgiveness and justice. He stresses that unless the two are pursued together, its impossible to enact justice.

Instead of saying, I can forgive or pursue justice, no, you need to forgive in order to pursue justice, because if you don't forgive all, you'll be pursuing his vengeance, Keller said. Your motivation will tend to be anger. Anger is more exhausting than love  as an emotion, anger spends you, love fills you up. Anger can twist you.

And if that's the main reason you're going to try to do justice, I think you will overreach; often, when you're talking to people that you think are doing injustice, you won't persuade them or win them over  in many cases, you'll make them worse, because theyll feel like theyve got to protect themself.

Keller, the founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church and City to City, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in May 2020 and is undergoing immunotherapy. He said the treatments have kept his cancer at bay, keeping him exactly where I was two-and-a-half years ago when I got the cancer diagnosis.

Most people are gone within months or a year; I'm still going strong and I'm going into two-and-a-half years. I'm very, very grateful to God, he said.

Since his diagnosis, Keller has continued to write and teach, sharing biblical wisdom surrounding topics including race, social relationships, systemic injustice and sexuality. In Forgive, he addresses how the Church has sometimes restored abusers to positions of power  a timely topic as some denominations grapple with decades of sexual abuse in their ranks.

He quotes Rachel Denhollander, a Christian attorney who led the charge against USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, about how the Church has historically mishandled abuse allegations or pressured victims to forgive and forget.

In the '70s and '80s, there was a tendency on the part of Evangelical churches to feel like, All we have to do is get people to repent and forgive and not go outside to the world; we can solve everything, he said. But when it comes to actual child abuse, or sexual abuse or wife abuse, these things are against the law. And if you think, We don't want to go out there, we're going to just deal with it right in here, then it really is very bad for victims.

It doesn't get rid of the necessity of forgiveness, he added. But we have to admit that the Evangelical churches use that as a weapon against victims, and that's another reason why it's been discredited to some degree.

According to Keller, there are four actions that constitute real forgiveness: Naming a trespass instead of ignoring it; identifying the perpetrator as a fellow sinner; releasing the wrongdoer from liability by absorbing their debt, and finally, aiming for reconciliation.

Though he stresses reconciliation is always the goal of forgiveness, Keller does address how to truly forgive when such a result isnt possible or safe.

He cited how, when Moses disobeyed God, God forgave him  yet prevented Moses from leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. And when David committed adultery with Bathsheba, he faced severe consequences.

Forgiving somebody does not mean you have to trust them; I think trust comes back, gradually, he said. Maybe they haven't changed or maybe they haven't changed fast enough. It's never loving to make it easy for a person to sin against you.

The same principle applies when a pastor or church leader publicly fails, Keller said.

I would say, pastors who fall should certainly step out of ministry completely, but not just for a few weeks, or for even a few months, and then come back as if nothing had happened  and I do see that happening. I think you need to acknowledge what happened and say, I can never go back and act as if that never happened because I'm calling people to come and trust me when I've really done something quite wrong, a real breach of covenant, a real breach of trust.

They probably shouldn't be the main preacher  especially if there's been a sexual misconduct of some kind, or financial misconduct of some kind," he added. Essentially, I would say forgiveness does not mean a complete restoration to exactly where they were before. In fact, that probably generally shouldn't be.

Keller examines common obstacles to forgiveness, including the rise of social media and how todays therapeutic age focuses on self-interest instead of the true reason Christians are called to forgive: For the glorification of God and the common good.

If the main purpose of forgiveness is, how do I get happy? you're not doing all the forgiveness you actually should do, he said. I think what forgiveness is supposed to do is not only give you inner peace but make you an agent of reconciliation in the world.

Christian forgiveness understands that Christ has forgiven, while the therapeutic model is all about getting your mind off of the past, Keller said, adding: We're not trying to reconcile with anybody, and we're not drawing on God. We're all about making ourselves feel better.

In an age where forgiveness is increasingly unpopular, Keller urged Christians to regularly take inventory of their own hearts and repent of their sin on a regular basis. A good repenter, he said, is able to extend forgiveness and love instead of harboring bitterness.

Basically, what prepares you to forgive other people, is you going and getting forgiveness from God and weeping and crying and thanking Him for it, and realizing that only because of what Jesus has done is He able to give you this incredible mercy, the pastor said.

Then, if you are in a position where you have to forgive people, it won't be hard  or at least, it won't be as hard.

Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? is now available.
US Merchant Marine Academy covers up massive Jesus painting with white curtain after complaints

Updated Jan. 26 at 4:30 p.m. ET

A massive painting of Jesus walking on water will no longer be visible at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in New York after an advocacy group complained about the artwork.

In a Jan. 10 letter addressed to USSMA Superintendent Vice Admiral Joanna Nunan, Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, issued a demand that Nunan expeditiously remove a massive, sectarian painting illustrating the supremacy of Jesus Christ from the Elliot M. See Room inside Wiley Hall, which serves as an administrative building at USMMA.

According to Weinstein, MRFF is representing 18 midshipmen, faculty, staff and graduates in their appeal to the Kings Point academy. The USSMA is not under the Defense Department but rather the Department of Transportation under Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was also copied on Weinstein's initial email.

The 10-foot by 19-foot painting titled "Christ on the Water" depicts an image of Jesus and merchant seamen adrift in a lifeboat "presumably after being torpedoed in the Indian Ocean during World War II, according to a USMMA spokesperson.

Also known as Jesus and Lifeboat, the piece was painted in 1944 by U.S. Maritime Service Lt. Hunter Wood to hang in the chapel built at the USMMA Basic School in San Mateo, California.

When the San Mateo campus closed in 1947, officials say the painting came to the Academy, and was installed in its current location, which served as the Academys interfaith chapel from 1942 to 1961.

The American Merchant Marine Museum has custody of the painting and holds it as a heritage asset under the USDOT Maritime Administration (MARAD).

Calling the artwork a display of sectarian Jesus supremacy, Weinstein noted the room in which the painting is hung is used for various administrative meetings, disciplinary hearings and other events.

The outrageousness of that Jesus paintings display is only further exacerbated by the fact that this room is also used regularly for USMMA Honor Code violation boards where midshipmen are literally fighting for their careers, and, often even more, as they face the shameful ignominy of potential expulsion with prejudice if found guilty of USMMA Honor Code violations, wrote Weinstein.

Weinstein told The Christian Post his clients quite correctly believe that the display of the Jesus painting is totally violative of the clear time, place and manner requirements of the No Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Given the utterly illicit and unconstitutional time, place and manner of its prominent display in one of the main Administration buildings at USMMA, and during absolutely mandatory attendance gatherings there, it clearly projects the sectarian supremacy of Jesus Christ in some sort of obvious ocean rescue scenario for what appears to be distressed mariners in an open boat, Weinstein said via email.

It's as though USMMA is screaming that Jesus Christ is the only approved solution to all of lifes difficulties."

Following the decision to cover the painting, USMMA alum Peter Lynch launched an online petition calling for any form of covering [to] be removed to allow the original artwork to be viewed and that a plaque describing the historic significance of the painting be placed alongside it.

After only 48 hours, the petition garnered over 2,600 signatures as of Thursday.

The petition description stated in part: The decision to cover the painting was made with no opportunity for discussion. The artwork was completed in 1944 during World War II and the first days of the Academy. It is an historic painting that has conveyed hope and inspiration to nearly every class of midshipmen to come through the Academy.

Noting that his clients represent a number of different religions, including Judaism, Roman Catholicism and Protestant Christianity, Weinstein shared emails from clients, including one who wrote: The painting of Jesus standing over an open lifeboat carrying survivors of a sunken merchant ship has hung in the Elliot M. See room for decades denigrating non-Christians. Its location in the administration building implies that the Academy officially endorses Christianity over other faiths.

The email added: It marginalizes non-Christian members of the Academy. In addition, the Elliot M. See room serves as the backdrop for Midshipmen Honor Boards, creating a hostile atmosphere for non-Christian midshipmen defending themselves against alleged honor violations. The painting does not ensure a diverse, equitable, or inclusive environment for non-Christian USMMA midshipmen, graduates, staff, or faculty.

According to Weinstein, Nunan responded within hours of the initial email and acknowledged she had already identified similar concerns with this painting, and I am taking steps to address it.

Acknowledging the size of the painting prohibits moving it to another location, Nunan said she asked her staff to buy a curtain to place in front of the painting, which will completely block the painting from view, but also allow those who wish to view it the opportunity to do so.

The Vice Admiral also said she would work with the director of the American Merchant Marine Museum to prepare a plaque that explains the history of the painting, which will be installed near it.

In a statement released Thursday, a USMMA spokesperson said immediate steps were taken in response to the constitutional concerns related to the painting.

After weighing multiple options to comply with the law while seeking to balance the interests of everyone in our community, the USMMA decided to cover the painting with white curtains, and plans to install a plaque describing its history at a later date.

The curtains will remain closed when official Academy meetings and events are conducted.

Our priority is to ensure the Academy is a welcoming environment for all and that it respects all religions without endorsing one over any othersThis solution balances legal requirements with the concerns of those who have an interest in the painting, the statement added.

We value the opinions of all in our community, and we are committed to making the Academy a better place."

Weinstein told CP that while he would have preferred the painting be moved to another location, such as the Mariners Chapel, he is satisfied with the response and hopes the USMMA can use it as a teachable moment.

We feel that the use of the curtain covering the painting will serve to create even more positive teachable moments when observers inevitably ask why it is there at all and what is underneath, he said.

Upon assuming command of the USMMA last month, Nunan became the first woman in the Academys history to serve in the role of vice admiral. She spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, and, according to her bio, helped spearhead efforts to expand diversity and inclusion in the Coast Guard.
What does it mean to be anointed? Tony Evans answers

Pastor Tony Evans recently explained what it means to be anointed, saying the key for Christians is "knowing what it is and how to use it."

In a sermon preached at his Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday, the 73-year-old preacher said that every Christian has what he calls the anointing or the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit designed to do His work in [a Christians] life, as shown in 1 Corinthians 6:19.

If you are saved, you have it. You possess it. You own it. It is there.  God has turned everything in history over to His Son. It is only by you bringing glory to the Son that the Spirit kicks off, Evans preached.

Jesus Christ, privately and publicly, must be able to be exalted in your life. Give the anointing a chance. Put it first. Take the written Word. Put it in the face of the Holy Spirit. Do it on the front end and lets see what programming God brings into your life.

In recent weeks, Evans has been preaching about the Trinity and wanted to focus on the Holy Spirit, explaining that "this third member of the Trinity is the one given to do work on Earth on behalf of the Godhead in Heaven."

"God the Father was the point person in the Old Testament. Jesus the Son was the point person on Earth during the Gospels, Evans said.

God, the Holy Spirit is the point person during this which we call the Church age. He is that member of the Trinity who has been assigned to act on their behalf in history."

"The Father functions from the third Heaven. The Son sits on His right hand to rule spiritually in Heaven to Earth and He does that through the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, he added.

Evans pointed to 1 John 2 to derive a look into the anointing or the Holy Spirit's indwelling. He also pointed to Acts 10:38, which states how Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit.

This word is a word that speaks to a specific work of the Holy Spirit that you dont want to leave home without, Evans said. "The anointing and the Anointed One is speaking of the work of the Holy Spirit in a persons life, including in the life of Jesus Christ."

You cant be a Christian and not be anointed. If you are a Christian, you have the anointing. So, the key is knowing what it is and how to use it so you can benefit from it.

Evans said that the purpose of the anointing is "to illuminate, bring to light, elucidate," the messages of God to a Christian or "to take from up there and show it to you down here."

"The job of the anointing is to give you the data from Heaven to your operation and my operation in history. If you dont know you have it and you dont know how to use it, you wont benefit from it, even though you possess it, Evans stressed.

Evans said he believed many, if not most, Christians in the modern day dont know they have access to the anointing of the Holy Spirit, even though they do.

"When the soul gets the information from the human spirit that has been illuminated by the Holy Spirit, the soul feeds that data to the body, Evans said. When the body gets the data from the soul that is received from the human spirit, that has been anointed by the Holy Spirit, the body now functions differently because it has new data that has been in it."

Evans believes the "reason why we have problems with our bodies is we have an infection in our soul. But the reason we have an infection in our soul is because we have a human spirit that's been contaminated by sin."

When the anointing enters the human spirit, because the anointing is perfect, the human spirit is now perfect because it has been anointed," said Evans. "So, youve got a perfect resident in your human spirit that now wants to give information to your infected soul."

Christians can experience newfound healing in their soul when they receive the messaging that the Holy Spirit sends to them, Evans added.

If you want to fix your body, you got to clean up your soul. But if you want to clean up your soul, its got to get information from your spirit. But to get information correctly from your spirit, it's got to be inhabited by the anointing, Evans said.

The Holy Spirit Googles God, Evans told his congregation, which means He knows the deep things of God.

The Spirit of God has a search engine," he said. "It says [in Scripture] He searches the deep things of God. So, He can go deep like a deep sea diver into the thinking of God and His job is to transfer Gods thoughts to your life."
Appeals court rejects Christian therapist's lawsuit against Wash. state over 'conversion therapy' ban

An appeals court has declined to rehear an appeal in the case of a Christian therapist suing Washington state over its ban on therapy for minors experiencing unwanted same-sex attraction.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit voted on Monday to deny a full court rehearing for a lawsuit filed by therapist Brian Tingley, who is challenging Washingtons law.

Circuit Judge Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain authored a statement respecting the order to deny the en banc rehearing, but also believed that the earlier panel opinion was erroneous in its reasoning.

In sum, under binding Supreme Court precedents, conversion therapy consisting entirely of speech cannot be prohibited without some degree of First Amendment scrutiny, wrote O'Scannlain.

The panel cites no evidence for the implausible proposition that conversion therapy conducted entirely by means of speech risks direct physical harm  Speech which risks psychological harm does not thereby become non-speech conduct entire without First Amendment protections.

Circuit Judge Patrick J. Bumatay authored a dissenting opinion to the vote, concluding that the full court should have considered the First Amendment arguments of Tingley.

Because the speech underpinning conversion therapy is overwhelminglyif not exclusivelyreligious, we should have granted Tingleys petition for en banc review to evaluate his Free Speech claim under a more exacting standard, Bumatay wrote.

It may well be the case that, even under heightened review, Washingtons interest in protecting minors would overcome Tingleys Free Speech challenge. But our court plainly errs by subjecting the Washington law to mere rational-basis scrutiny.

LGBT activist groups like the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which intervened in the case on behalf of Washington state's conversion therapy ban, celebrated the court's decision.

NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter said in a statement that the appeals court "has affirmed that states can require licensed mental health providers to comply with ethical and professional standards prohibiting the use of unnecessary, ineffective, and harmful treatments on their minor patients. These are common sense protections that unfortunately are necessary to prevent unethical therapists from defrauding parents and causing severe harm to LGBTQ youth."

In 2018, Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5722 into law, which prohibited licensed therapists from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts therapy on minors.

Also derisively known as conversion therapy or reparative therapy, SOCE therapy involves trying to reduce or eliminate same-sex sexual attraction in an individual.

Although the law provided an exemption for religious organizations, Tingley filed suit against Washington over the law in 2021, arguing in part that the exemption did not go far enough in protecting the freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

Last September, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled unanimously against Tingley, with Circuit Judge Ronald M. Gould authoring the court opinion, in which he argued that the state had the power to regulate medical practices.

States do not lose the power to regulate the safety of medical treatments performed under the authority of a state license merely because those treatments are implemented through speech rather than through scalpel, wrote Gould.

Washington's law prohibits therapists from practicing conversion therapy on minors. It makes no reference to religion, except to clarify that the law does not apply to practice by religious counselors.
Va. lawmaker introduces Sages Law after girl is trafficked, kept from grandparents deemed unfit for 'misgendering'

A Virginia lawmaker has introduced a bill that would require schools to inform parents if their child is confused about their sexual identity in response to a girl being the victim of trafficking due to the system refusing to give custody to her grandparents who were deemed unsafe due to an incident of "misgendering."

State Delegate Dave LaRock announced Thursday that he introduced a bill, known as HB 2432 or "Sages Law, which requires anyone licensed as administrative or instructional personnel by the Board of Education and employed by a local school board to contact at least one parent of a student who self-identifies as trans to ask whether such parent is aware of the student's mental state and whether the parent wishes to obtain or has already obtained counseling for such student.

The inspiration for the proposed legislation was a recent story published by The Federalist about a 2021 incident in which a then 14-year-old girl named Sage (last name withheld) was trafficked and sexually assaulted in part because a court would not allow her grandmother (who had adopted her) to return home because she had not used the child's chosen male pronouns. At the time, the girl's grandparents were unaware of her gender confusion or that, while at school, the girl was identifying as a boy.

Sage, who at the time identified as male, enrolled at Appomattox County High School in August 2021 and experienced harsh bullying by some of the boys because of her confusion about her sexual identity. School officials had also delayed telling her grandmother because of their policy of keeping such information secret from parents and guardians.

Later, Sage was trafficked and ended up in Maryland, where she was forcibly kept in temporary custody and forced to live in a home for troubled boys with boys because a court had decided that her adopted grandparents were wrong to not affirm her trans identity, reported The Federalist.

From there, as the courts continued to deny custody to her adopted grandparents because they would not affirm her chosen sexual identity at the time, Sage was again trafficked and assaulted, eventually being rescued in Texas by U.S. Marshals in January 2022.

Sage has since renounced her former self-identification as a boy, according to The Federalist, with the teenager wanting the system to do a better job of protecting other youths who might be experiencing gender dysphoria.

In a statement posted on Facebook, LaRock said that Virginia law needs to be absolutely clear that affirming a childs biological sex does not justify taking a child away from their family.

Teachers, school counselors, social service workers and courts must respect the parents fundamental rights in the parent-child relationship by involving parents immediately when a child is experiencing serious challenges, stated LaRock.

The horrific treatment of Sage has shown the need to provide protections for parents and children in Virginia.

However, Democratic Delegate Danica Roem, an openly trans-identifying person elected to the General Assembly back in 2018, expressed opposition to the bill.

Even more children will be put in danger if the government interjects itself into the most personal of family discussions like this, regardless of whether its safe for the child to be out, claimed Roem, as quoted by WTKR.

The Virginia bill also states that if a student says that the reason for being at imminent risk of suicide relates to being an abused or neglected child  as the result of parental abuse or neglect, this contact shall not be made with the parent.

Instead, the person shall, as soon as practicable, notify the local department of social services of the county or city wherein the child resides or wherein the abuse or neglect is believed to have occurred or the state Department of Social Services' toll-free child abuse and neglect hotline, the bill adds.
Gay couple accused of raping sons, filming abuse used Christian adoption agency: report

A now-defunct Christian adoption agency was reportedly used by a same-sex couple in Georgia who were arrested last August on charges of allegedly sexually abusing their two adopted sons and filming the abuse to upload and share on the internet.

William Dale Zulock, 32, and Zachary Jacoby Zulock, 35, were charged with child molestation and sexual exploitation following their arrest on July 27 in Loganville, Georgia, after officials with the Walton Countys Division of Family and Child Services joined deputies in a raid at the mens home.

During the raid, authorities said investigators found evidence the Zulocks were engaging in sexually abusive acts and video documenting this abuse.

Now an investigation by Townhall has uncovered new details about the Zulocks, including that Zachary was the focus of a pedophilia investigation in 2011 in which he was accused of engaging in sexual acts with a 14-year-old boy in Walton County.

That investigation was ultimately shut down and no charges were filed. Since the Townhall report was published, however, authorities have reportedly reopened the 2011 investigation.

Its unclear whether the earlier allegation was considered when the Zulocks used All Gods Children, a special needs adoption agency located in Watkinsville, Georgia, to adopt their sons in 2018.

According to Townhall, All Gods Children, Inc. worked specifically with special needs children who were "considered more difficult to place because they are older, need to be placed with their siblings or have physical, mental or emotional/behavioral challenges.

While the agency is no longer active, a listing for All Gods Children remained on the Georgia Association of Licensed Adoption Agencies (GALAA) website as of Jan. 23.

All Gods Children worked in partnership with the Georgia Department of Human Services to find families for Georgias waiting children, according to a description on AdoptionCenter.us. The Department of Human Services oversees the state's Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS), Townhall reported.

A family member told Townhall the brothers  now ages 9 and 11  were raised by struggling heroin addicts. Another relative of the boys said they believe the Zulocks had full knowledge of that information and targeted the boys for that very reason.

"I do think they had every intention, and this is why they adopted them for this purpose," another family member who was not identified told Townhall.

According to the Georgia Corporations Division, All Gods Children, Inc., was dissolved on Oct. 28, 2022, just weeks after the Zulocks were arrested.

Private messages uncovered by Townhall between Zachary Zulock and All Gods Children former executive director Emily Bailey in October 2021 indicate Bailey said the agency was forced to close due to a combination of factors.

When Zulock asked Bailey for a recommendation on agencies to possibly help them adopt a girl, Bailey recommended two agencies that are open to same-sex families, including Bethany Christian Services, which the New York Times profiled in March 2021 as one of the countrys largest adoption and foster care agencies.

The couple frequently criticized the adoption process, taking to social media to rant about a range of related topics, including arguing in favor of reforming Americas foster-care system.

Zachary wrote in one February 2021 post, All kids deserve a loving and safe home. Another post read, "How many may be tempted by...prostitution?"

In August 2020, he took to Facebook to rant about a speech by Billy Graham's granddaughter, Cissie Graham Lynch, at the 2020 Republican National Convention in which she defended the rights of Christian adoption agencies to hold deeply held beliefs.

Zachary wrote: And if you have an issue with my family because of who we are and who we love, maybe you shouldnt be reading this and keep it moving. If we had not been allowed to adopt them, that's taking our rights away.

What about all the [LGBT] couples out there that have been stopped from adopting?! What about their rights?" he added.
This photo shows a Samsung Electro-Mechanics official explaining the manufacturing process of semiconductor substrates in the company's Busan plant. Courtesy of Samsung Electro-Mechanics



Samsung Electro-Mechanics on Wednesday reported its 2022 net profit of 993.5 billion won ($805.3 million), up 8.5 percent from a year earlier.






Grand jury indicts abortion activists for vandalizing pro-life pregnancy centers

Two activists have been indicted for vandalizing pro-life pregnancy centers in Florida as pro-life advocates continue to raise concerns about an inadequate response to the rash of pro-abortion violence from federal law enforcement.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of two pro-abortion activists Tuesday in connection with the vandalism of three pro-life pregnancy centers in Florida.

A grand jury based in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida indicted Caleb Freestone, 27, and Amber Smith-Stewart, 23, for engaging "in a conspiracy to prevent employees of reproductive health services facilities from providing those services."

The indictment accuses the defendants of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act by "using threats of force to intimidate and interfere with the employees of a reproductive health services facility in Winter Haven because those employees were providing or seeking to provide reproductive health services" as well as "intentionally damaging and destroying the facility's property because the facility provides reproductive health services." If convicted, they face up to 12 years in prison and fines of up to $350,000.

According to the DOJ, the indictment alleges that the two defendants, in addition to other "co-conspirators," spray-painted graffiti on the side featuring phrases such as "if abortions aren't safe than [sic] neither are you," "YOUR TIME IS UP!!," "WE'RE COMING FOR U" and "We are everywhere" on the side of the facility.

While the statement did not mention the facility by name, LifeChoice Pregnancy Center in Winter Haven posted pictures of vandalism it sustained, which included graffiti proclaiming such phrases, in a June 26 Facebook post. The indictment also holds Freestone and Smith-Stewart responsible for defacing similar facilities in Hollywood and Hialeah, two cities in South Florida.

Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie, an EWTN radio host and member of the Florida State Board of Education, posted a picture on social media of vandalism at the South Broward Pregnancy Help Center in Hollywood.

Phrases emblazoned on the wall of the facility include "if abortions aren't safe then neither are you" and "Jane's Revenge," suggesting involvement with a group that has claimed responsibility for multiple instances of pro-abortion vandalism over the past several months.

The Pregnancy Care Center at which I volunteer as a radiologist was vandalized. Violent threats are terrifying and I hope they are prosecuted to the max. Also, this hurts our poor clients the most, who need help to bring their VERY wanted children into the world. pic.twitter.com/S9CbYwIjUy  Grazie Pozo Christie, M.D. (@GChristiemd) June 8, 2022

Video footage obtained by Catholic News Agency shows four masked vandals spray-painting the clinic under cover of night on Memorial Day weekend. On July 3, the Heartbeat of Miami Pregnancy Help Medical Clinic in Hialeah informed the public in a social media post that "pro-abortion terrorists" damaged the pro-life pregnancy center's security system and spray-painted pro-abortion graffiti on the building reading "our rage will not stop" and "Jane's Revenge."

Two of the three acts of vandalism allegedly perpetrated by Freestone and Smith-Stewart took place in the days immediately following the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organizationdecision determining that the U.S. Constitution doesn't contain a right to abortion.

The June 24 ruling and the publication of a leaked draft of the decision by Politico on May 2 launched a wave of vandalism and arson targeting pro-life pregnancy centers and churches that continued throughout the summer and into the fall.



Tuesday's indictment of Freestone and Smith-Stewart, identified as members of the Miami Antifa cell by the Twitter account Antifa Watch, comes as federal law enforcement agencies face criticism from pro-life activists who contend that they are not doing enough to secure justice for those responsible for pro-abortion vandalism.

In November, the FBI offered a $25,000 reward for anyone with information about the firebombing of Compass Care Pregnancy Center's Amherst, New York location, which took place five months earlier. In early January, CompassCare hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation searching for the perpetrators of the firebombing as law enforcement investigation has not resulted in any arrests.

While the FBI has offered rewards for information pertaining to the targeting of nine additional pro-life pregnancy centers, CompassCare CEO Rev. Jim Harden contends that the efforts are "a day late and a dollar short."

In a statement, Harden maintained that it's "heartening to see that the FBI may be realizing what pro-life people have been saying for decades: pro-abortion ideology is extreme and almost always leads to violence."

"If people are willing to end the life of a preborn boy or girl, threatening and attacking people who wish to protect those little ones is of little concern to them," he added.

Harden previously insisted, "If they are serious about finding the perpetrators, they will offer a $25K reward for each of the 150 pro-life organizations that have been attacked  $3.75 million."

Harden expressed suspicions about the motivations behind the FBI's establishment of rewards for several additional attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers.

"Curiously, this move comes ahead of the House Judiciary Committee's demands for cooperation in their inquiry into the 'allegations of politicization and bias [against pro-life people] at the FBI.' Adding reward money for nine more pro-life victims makes FBI Director Wray look like the hero absent results."

The FBI's expanded reward offers follow the Republicans' recapture of the U.S. House of Representatives in last year's midterm elections. The House passed a resolution condemning the attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers and churches in a 222-209 vote on Jan. 11. Except for three Democrats, all support for the measure came from House Republicans.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, offered a similar analysis in a statement responding to the indictment of Freestone and Smith-Stewart.

"These charges are good first steps, but the fight for equal justice is far from over. With a new House GOP majority positioned to exercise its oversight powers, we are finally beginning to see some accountability," she said.

"Congressional Democrats had the opportunity to condemn the violence and all but three refused, and again we have had to call on the White House to stop vilifying pro-life Americans. The pro-life movement is keeping a watchful eye on this administration and we will not be silent in the face of violence and intimidation."
More Americans say they want to grow spiritually amid growing openness to other faiths: study

Despite a growing rejection of organized religion, with fewer than 50% of Americans holding formal church membership, spiritual openness is on the rise, with a majority of U.S. adults saying they believe in God or a higher power and want to grow spiritually, new data from the Barna Group suggests.

The data comes from a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted in October 2022 by the Evangelical polling organization. It shows that 77% of respondents expressed belief in a higher power, and 74% said they want to grow spiritually.

Less than half of the survey sample, 44%, said they are more open to God than before the pandemic.

Some 80% of respondents said they are certain or think there is a spiritual or supernatural dimension to the world. Another 11% said even though it could be possible, they don't believe the spiritual world exists, while 9% expressed no belief in the spiritual world.

The findings are similar to Pew Research data published in 2018, which showed that although 80% of Americans say they believe in God, only a slim majority of the nation's approximately 327 million people were found to believe in God as described in the Bible.

Barna CEO David Kinnaman noted that "our new data give Christian leaders cause for hope."

"Though religious affiliation and church attendance continue to decline, spiritual openness and curiosity are on the rise. Across every generation, in fact, we see an unprecedented desire to grow spiritually, a belief in a spiritual/supernatural dimension and a belief in God or a higher power," Kinnaman noted.

The Barna CEO said one of the most inspiring features of the open generation for him is based on findings from The Open Generation study, which show that "young people may be fueling this rise in spiritual hunger."

"Overwhelmingly, Christian teens today say that Jesus still matters to them; 76 percent say 'Jesus speaks to me in a way that is relevant to my life,'" Kinnaman said. "In a culture that has generally downgraded the reputation of Christians and relegated Sunday worship and other church-related activities to the sidelines of society, teens remain refreshingly open to Jesus as an influence in their lives."

However, the challenge for Christians witnessing to teenagers today is that the faith market is competition from other faiths.

"They are open to different faiths, including Christianity, and they're open to friends, causes, and ideas," Kinnaman said. "Though parents, educators, and others who mentor young people have a tall task to provide wise guidance to emerging adults, today's teens are confronting the church with something that I think we haven't seen before  a kind of blank slate; a chance to imagine a different future."

Beyond appealing to teenagers, the rising spiritual openness could also be a challenge for traditional Christian ministries.

"Our data on the rising spiritual openness in America, coupled with The Open Generation research, reveal a tremendous opportunity for faith leaders. The majority of Americans has signaled that they're willing to consider exploring spirituality. They are open to more that truly satisfies," Kinnaman noted.

"The challenge facing the Church and parachurch ministries is whether they are ready and able to meet the spiritually open  where they are, as they are," he added. "Our data show the Church has real work to do to bridge the trust gap for people who are spiritual but not religious."
Planned Parenthood 'sex educator' pushing sex toys on kids, talks how to 'unlearn purity culture' TikTok influencer calls her Evangelical Christian upbringing 'toxic'

A TikTok influencer who teaches young people how to buy sex toys online and unlearn purity culture has been outed as a sex educator who works for a Planned Parenthood chapter in California.

Mariah Caudillo, who has over 418,000 followers on TikTok, works for Mar Monte Community Clinic in San Jose, a Planned Parenthood affiliate that offers sex education services to more than 220,000 people annually in California and Nevada, Fox News reported.

On her TikTok page @sexedfiles and other social media platforms, Caudillo advocates for pleasure-based sex education and argues that age need not be a determinative factor when it comes to deciding when to become sexually active.

In one video, Caudillo  who often takes sex-related questions from young people  is asked how old one must be to purchase a sex toy, which she calls a spicy toy.

It's not illegal to buy spicy toys online, even as a teen, which most people do, Caudillo replied. You just have to purchase them with a valid credit card, debit card or gift card.

She also recommends any of her followers who are interested in sex toys to purchase them online, adding, Do keep in mind that some of these stores also have age restrictions on their website, but like this app, people can access them anyway.

Caudillo suggests her followers make their own sex toys, including using everything from fruits and vegetables to an XBOX controller and an electric toothbrush.

The revelation of Caudillos popularity on social media comes just days after a tweet went viral with images of young students playing with sex toys and simulating sexual acts as part of club funded by Planned Parenthood.

The Rainbow Room is a club which is funded by Planned Parenthood. They partner with teachers to offer support for discussing topics relating to LGBTQ in school.



Heres a photo from one of their programs. Kids are pictured playing with sex toys and simulating sexual acts. pic.twitter.com/pFhNy1tc6f  Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 19, 2023

The Rainbow Room, an initiative of Planned Parenthood Keystone in Pennsylvania, opened in 2002 with a mission to provide a supportive environment and programs for LGBTQ+ youth ages 14-21.

As anti-[LGBT] sentiment continues to grow, Planned Parenthood Keystone is fighting back by expanding our educational programming and giving youth the platform to be seen and heard, Melissa Reed, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, said last June.

Planned Parenthood did not respond to a request for comment Monday from The Christian Post.

In a post from last March on her now-deleted LinkedIn account, Caudillo appeared to advocate for sex education for minors that is focused on how to experience pleasure.

"Everyone deserves pleasure in the way they want to experience pleasure, Caudillo wrote.

Reminder: pleasure-based sex education can be tailored to meet the needs of the youth you might be working with, in other words it can be age-appropriate and culturally relevant."

On her now-private Instagram account, Caudillo describes herself as an inclusive sex educator who advocates for trauma-informed, shame-free, comprehensive sex ed.

Last June, Caudillo appeared on the self-described feminist podcast Sex Ed with DB, in which she took questions and discussed unlearning purity culture through sex education.

During the podcast  which begins with promos for lubrication products and "incredible" sex toys  Caudillo described her childhood in terms of her familys faith.

"I grew up very religious, she told host Danielle Bezalel. I grew up very conservative and in a Christian Evangelical home, so this really set the tone for the way that I understood myself, the way I understood the world, and it was very toxic."

Caudillo then explained her lack of sex education and purity culture, and revealed she experienced sexual abuse and violence in her formative years.

"Purity culture, that's what my life was riddled with, so I didnt get sex education. My main sort of belief or understanding was that my body didn't belong to me, or it only existed to either make people happy or make people uncomfortable, she said. That's how I grew up for a very long time.

According to the Planned Parenthood website, comprehensive sex education refers to programs starting as young as kindergarten all the way through 12th grade and focuses on sexual behavior including the full spectrum of ways people choose to be, or not be, sexual beings, and sexual health topics, including abortion, birth control and STDs.

The website also offers additional sex education resources, including Power to Decide, whose stated mission is to ensure that all young people  have the power to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child.
Supreme Court rejects Daystar's lawsuit against Vimeo's removal of COVID-19 vaccine videos

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from the Daystar Television Network, which is suing Vimeo over the website's decision to remove multiple anti-vaccine videos uploaded by the Christian ministry.

In an orders list released Monday morning, the high court denied certiorari without comment in the case of Word of God Fellowship v. Vimeo, Inc. et al., which allows a lower court ruling against Daystar to remain in effect.

On July 24, 2020, amid the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, Vimeo opted to remove five videos that Daystar uploaded promoting the claim of a causal link between vaccines and childhood autism.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing ASD."

In response, Daystar filed a lawsuit against Vimeo in New York County, claiming that the video-sharing website engaged in unjust enrichment and breach of contract.

The lower court dismissed the lawsuit, arguing that Vimeo was protected under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives legal immunity to technology companies regarding removing content on their platforms.

In March of last year, the First Department of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division upheld the lower court ruling against Daystar, with Justice Anil Singh authoring the unanimous opinion.

"The motion court held that liability was precluded by section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. We agree. Section 230 prevents lawsuits against Internet service providers for their good-faith decisions to remove content that they consider objectionable," wrote Singh.

"If service providers had to justify those decisions in court, or if plaintiffs could circumvent immunity through unsupported accusations of bad faith, section 230 would be a dead letter. This is as true for commercial users as for any other plaintiff. Therefore, we affirm dismissal of the complaint."

Vimeo General Counsel Michael Cheah said in a statement last year reported by the New York Post that he was "pleased" with the court's decision, adding that Vimeo "will continue to be diligent in removing content that spreads misinformation which can cause real-world harm."

In November 2021, Daystar joined the American Family Association in suing the federal government over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, arguing that the measure violated their beliefs.

"AFA and Daystar must obey God's Word. They have no other choice," stated the suit, in part. "AFA and Daystar have a sincerely held religious belief that they cannot force their employees to test their beliefs or conscience by requiring them to obtain any of the COVID-19 vaccines."
What does a New Testament church look like? (part 2)

Jesus transforms everything He touches, and the continuation of that touch is to be through the New Testament church that takes itself seriously as the body of Christ with vision for its locale and the world.

I once saw the beauty and power of that reality work in helping avert a war that could have gone regional.

I was part of an informal delegation from Washington meeting with a president and several other leaders of bordering nations. At one point, our host stared intensely across the table at the delegate from a neighboring country and accused him of attempting to lead an overthrow of the very leader in whose house we had gathered to talk peace.

READ: Building a Jesus church and lifestyle for a turbulent world (part 1)

An awkward silence shrouded the room, stifling the diplomatic courtesies with which the session had begun. We all knew that the next words could set the whole region ablaze.

Richard Halvorson, chaplain of the U.S. Senate, was part of the Washington delegation. Suddenly, he spoke: Senor President, lets pray about your problem. Then Dr. Halvorson prayed.

He was followed by others, until we had gone all around the table. The prayers were in the regional language, and I understood only a few of the words. However, the sense of Christs presence was its own translation. It seemed that the awareness of Jesus through the Holy Spirit had displaced the spirit of war and anger.

I learned that all spiritual warfare is about displacement  Jesus, manifested by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, unseats, displaces, the spiritual adversary that seeks to unseat and displace Him.

The New Testament church is not a new incarnation, but it is to continue walking in the world as the body of Christ, manifesting His truth and love in local communities and entire nations. The genuine Church is to carry on His incarnate ministry wherever it is placed. So that day I watched a dozen Jesus-followers pray for and show Christs love to a man who had the power to set whole nations at war.

Peace was fragile then, and especially so now. We desperately need the touch of Jesus upon current world affairs.

Some years after the encounter in Latin America, I was a pastor, and sought to understand the nature of the New Testament church. Here are characteristics I discovered:

The Jesus church is Jesus-centered. At the center of every development plan is a vision statement that reflects the true worldview and values of an enterprise. The person and ministry of Jesus should be the core of every churchs vision statement. Such a focus will provide a new perspective regarding the preferred future and the nature of the Jesus church. Jesus-centeredness then should guide the lifestyle and practical ministry of the Church.

At the center of every development plan is a vision statement that reflects the true worldview and values of an enterprise. The person and ministry of Jesus should be the core of every churchs vision statement. Such a focus will provide a new perspective regarding the preferred future and the nature of the Jesus church. Jesus-centeredness then should guide the lifestyle and practical ministry of the Church. The Jesus church is Spirit energized. The Jesus church values Christlike transformation of individuals, families and societies. This calls for the recognition of the Holy Spirit in bringing dynamic transformation rather than mere institutional change.

The Jesus church values Christlike transformation of individuals, families and societies. This calls for the recognition of the Holy Spirit in bringing dynamic transformation rather than mere institutional change. The Jesus church has firm anchorage in sound doctrine. Good biblical teaching brought through the pulpit and small groups and classes gives the stability that keeps the Church from being tossed to and fro by fleshly dynamism.

Good biblical teaching brought through the pulpit and small groups and classes gives the stability that keeps the Church from being tossed to and fro by fleshly dynamism. The Jesus church is Kingdom envisioning. The Jesus church has, and cultivates continually, vision for the Kingdom of God, and Christ as Lord over the whole world, including nations, the people that inhabit and shape them, and other parts of the body of Christ that share this vision.

But what did Jesus do specifically to reach people and minister to them, and how do we do it today? I learned much about Jesuss practical contemporary ministry from Dr. Ed young, pastor of Second Baptist, Houston. He was my pastor, boss and mentor for almost 20 years. The church has grown under his ministry from about 500 to more than 70,000. Growth, however, has not been the primary focus, but the development of ministry has and continues to be.

Here are components of Jesuss practical ministry:

Attract . Jesus attracted people because He started by addressing their need, not as a trick to make His movement larger, but from His great heart of love, and His continual caring.

. Jesus attracted people because He started by addressing their need, not as a trick to make His movement larger, but from His great heart of love, and His continual caring. Attach . Jesus placed high priority  and gave His Church a commission to do the same  of making disciples, learners, of those He reached. They were equipped to minister as Jesus did, and themselves make disciples of those they reached.

. Jesus placed high priority  and gave His Church a commission to do the same  of making disciples, learners, of those He reached. They were equipped to minister as Jesus did, and themselves make disciples of those they reached. Assimilate . Adding numbers is not to the goal of the Jesus church but assimilating those reached into the fellowship and helping them grow in the life of the congregation.

. Adding numbers is not to the goal of the Jesus church but assimilating those reached into the fellowship and helping them grow in the life of the congregation. Advance . Jesus focused on helping people grow as disciples, and in an awareness of their spiritual gifts. As churches developed under the Apostle Paul and his companions, much importance was placed upon helping them apply the spiritual gifts to carry out Jesuss ministry through the churches established post-Pentecost. He trained His followers to spread His incarnational work

. Jesus focused on helping people grow as disciples, and in an awareness of their spiritual gifts. As churches developed under the Apostle Paul and his companions, much importance was placed upon helping them apply the spiritual gifts to carry out Jesuss ministry through the churches established post-Pentecost. He trained His followers to spread His incarnational work Assign. Jesus instructed His initial band of men and women to Go into all the world and make disciples He gave specific assignments to His disciples to go into cities with His message and ministry.

Jesus instructed His initial band of men and women to Go into all the world and make disciples He gave specific assignments to His disciples to go into cities with His message and ministry. Affirm. As Jesuss followers returned with their mission reports, Jesus celebrated with then what God had done through them.

That is the style of ministry needed in the world across the ages. May the Lord raise it up in our present needy hour.

Next week: Steady balance midst turmoil
The perfect balance between grandeur and comfort: treasures from an English country retreat

Some of the great artists and artistic movements of the 18th and 19th centuries  from Reynolds to Constable, Dubois to Cresson  are represented in the sale of an important collection in London on 9 February, which will also include silver, porcelain and sculpture

For Hume-Sayer, the sale is a brilliant opportunity for new collectors to acquire a diverse range of objects with fantastic provenance. There are works from the Fermor-Heskeths at Easton Neston, the Sackvilles at Knole, the Earls of Home, and many more, he says. Most are ready to go straight into new collections  and so, their stories continue. Behind the 18th-century facade lay suites of resplendent rooms, each with its own distinct identity, from the Venetian overtones of the red drawing room to the traditional aesthetic of the formal dining room. The interiors were designed according to the collectors specification, and so are brighter and bolder than the familiar English country-house aesthetic, explains Hume-Sayer, who notes that many of the pieces in the collection were acquired at auction. The dramatic colours used in the enfilade of principal reception rooms served as a spectacular backdrop to the objects on display. Hume-Sayers favourite space was the red drawing room, with its high panelled ceiling, rusticated limestone fireplace and parcel-gilt Venetian doors. It struck the perfect balance between grandeur and comfort, he says. Despite its scale, the density of the furnishings, arrangement of pieces and dramatic wall colour made it surprisingly intimate.

Among the rooms notable works of art was an 18th-century ormolu Europa and the Bull striking mantel clock with enamel dial by Georges-Adrien Merlet. Designed in the Louis XV picturesque manner, the clock features a scene from Ovids Metamorphoses. Related models reside in the collections of the Louvre in Paris, Schloss Johannisburg in Aschaffenburg and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Adorning the crimson walls was a collection of assorted mirrors, animal still lifes and genre scenes. Plush velvets, embroidered cushions and a 1920s Manchester Kashan carpet with indigo field and columns of flowering vases and stems completed the look.

The formal dining room was painted in mellow mid-green. At its heart was a splendid 19th-century Irish mahogany dining table from Bantry House near Cork, adorned with a Regency surtout-de-table centrepiece and four-light candelabra, including an early-19th-century pair attributed to Bridge and Rundell. There was also an impressive pair of 18th-century Japanese nodding figures. The porcelain is wonderful, with deep underglaze blue contrasted with reds, blacks and golds applied over the glaze, says Hume-Sayer. The two figures have been mounted as fanciful candelabras and I can imagine just how amazing they would look lit at night. On the wall hung The Return (1859), a hunt scene by Alfred de Dreux (1810-60), a French painter celebrated for lively equestrian pictures characterised by their luminous colour and bold modelling. Also offered is The Death (1859) by the same artist, featuring a young man holding a dead fox, eager hounds pawing at his feet. Both pictures were exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1859 and are today considered among the most important late works by the artist, who was a favourite of French royalty and the English aristocracy.

These rooms contrasted with the more informal style of the bar, furnished with deep tartan sofas, hunting trophies and bronze animal sculptures. Lining the walls was a sizeable collection of dog paintings in a stacked, salon-style hang. Central to the display was Richard Ansdells large 1847 work The Wounded Hound, a poignant depiction of a dog with a bandaged foreleg being tended to by its master. A leading rival of his fellow animal painter Sir Edwin Landseer, Ansdell exhibited the imposing portrait to considerable acclaim at the British Institution in 1848. It was a pivotal moment in the artists career: with its clear emotive narrative and fine detail, the painting marked a departure for Ansdell into a fashionably sentimental genre. Alongside this were works by other celebrated animal painters, including the British artist George Earl, the Dutch-Belgian Henriette Ronner-Knip and the French artist Rosa Bonheur, who is currently the subject of a solo exhibition at the Musee dOrsay. The surfaces and shelves were peppered with decorative glass and silver objects, including goblets, cups, decanters and hip flasks.

The study was richly furnished with precious objects, including a late-19th-century patinated-bronze sculpture of a mounted jockey, cast by the celebrated Parisian founder Hippolyte Peyrol from a model by his brother-in-law, Isidore-Jules Bonheur. In addition to the English furniture, there was an important pair of Louis XVI giltwood armchairs by Adrien-Pierre Dupain, each covered in original 18th-century Beauvais tapestry.

The private suite on the first floor, which encompassed the morning room, was an intimate space where important albeit smaller works were placed for the private enjoyment of the collector. Among these was a pair of Louis XVI ormolu-mounted brule-parfums (incense burners) made for the Russian market, and an 18th-century bronze depicting the death of Dido, Queen of Carthage, based on a sculpture by Claude-Augustin Cayot (1667-1772).
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Lower prices behind soaring imports of country's staple food



By Kim Jae-heun



A 59-year-old housewife surnamed Lee has recently begun purchasing kimchi products made in China because they are cheaper than locally made ones.



"As living costs rise in all aspects, I have been looking to cut expenses in any possible areas and food is one of them. Before, I would buy kimchi products made in Korea only," Lee said. "But because their prices went up too high, I have been getting Chinese products these days, which are much cheaper."



A 35-year-old restaurant owner surnamed Kim changed the kimchi served at his store from Korean to Chinese too.



"Kimchi products made in China cost just one-fifth what local kimchi costs. People don't come to my restaurant for kimchi anyways, so I decided to change it to Chinese," Kim said.



Korea's kimchi imports last year recorded an all-time high of $169.4 million (208.8 billion won), up by 20.4 percent, year-on-year.



According to the Korea Customs Service, the growth rate of kimchi imports was the highest in 12 years since 2010. The volume of kimchi imports increased from $130 million in 2019 to $150 million in 2020, but decreased to $140 million in 2021 due to a controversial Weibo video that showed what looked like kimchi being made in China with an excavator and a man standing in the pool of kimchi.





In this screenshot of a Weibo video from March 29, a man who appears to be naked wades in a pool of cabbage and grabs some of the vegetables soaked in a murky liquid while an excavator stirs them at a kimchi factory in China. Korea Times file
Law enforcement officers walk toward the scene of a mass shooting at Mountain Mushroom Farm in Half Moon Bay, California, Jan. 24. UPI-Yonhap



An agricultural worker killed seven people in back-to-back shootings at two mushroom farms that had employed him in Northern California and the massacre is believed to be a ''workplace violence incident,'' officials said Tuesday as the state mourned its third mass killing in eight days.



Officers arrested 66-year-old Chunli Zhao on Monday after they found him in his car in the parking lot of a sheriff's substation, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said.



Authorities believe Zhao acted alone when he entered the Mountain Mushroom Farm in Half Moon Bay, California, where he worked, and opened fire, killing four people and leaving another seriously wounded. He then drove to another nearby farm where he had previously worked, and killed another three people, said Eamonn Allen, a spokesman with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.



At a news conference Tuesday, Allen declined to answer questions about whether Zhao had any previous criminal history, saying, ''there were no specific indicators that would have led us to believe he was capable of something like this.''



''All of the evidence we have right now points to a workplace violence incident,'' Allen said. The dead were five men and two women. The eighth gunshot victim, a man, remained in the hospital. Some were Asian and others were Hispanic, and some were migrant workers.



But it would not have been Zhao's first fit of workplace rage, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday. In 2013 Zhao was accused of threatening to split a coworker's head open with a knife and separately tried to suffocate the man with a pillow, the Chronicle reported, based on court documents.



The two were roommates and worked at a restaurant at the time, and the man, identified as Jingjiu Wang, filed a temporary restraining order against Zhao, which was granted and is no longer in effect. Wang could not be immediately reached.



The owner of Mountain Mushroom Farm, where Zhao allegedly killed four and injured a fifth person, could not immediately be reached.



After the first incident, Zhao allegedly killed three others at nearby Concord Farms. Owner Aaron Tung said in a statement that the facility was waiting for more information before it could comment. He said the farm was a family-owned operation for 37 years, and he thanked the community for its support.



Half Moon Bay is a small laid-back coastal city with agricultural roots about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of San Francisco. Its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean make it a popular spot for hikers and tourists, who flock to the beaches for surfing and to an annual giant pumpkin festival.





Sunlight illuminates buildings at the scene of a shooting off Cabrillo Highway, Jan. 24, after a gunman killed several people at two agricultural businesses in Half Moon Bay, Calif. AP-Yonhap
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz talks to German army Bundeswehr soldiers at a "Leopard 2" main battle tank during a training and instruction exercise in in Ostenholz, Germany, Oct. 17, 2022. AP-Yonhap



Germany on Tuesday said it would decide "shortly" whether to authorize the export of powerful German-made Leopard battle tanks long sought by Kyiv and encouraged allies to start training Ukrainian forces to use them.



While Western nations have pledged ever more sophisticated military hardware in recent weeks to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion, all eyes in Kyiv are on the battle tanks.



Berlin stopped short of a final green light on Tuesday, but German media including newspaper Der Spiegel and news channel NTV reported late in the evening that Chancellor Olaf Scholz would grant approval.



The announcement would probably come Wednesday and would also include permission for other countries, including Poland, to transfer their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the outlets reported.



The Free Democratic Party, a member of Germany's ruling political coalition, tweeted Tuesday night: "Germany sends Leopard-Panzer tanks to Ukraine!" But in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was battling a deepening corruption scandal within his government, sacking several officials over graft while others resigned.



Ukraine and several of its allies have been urging Germany for weeks to allow the delivery of the Leopards, but a US-led meeting of Kyiv's allies in Germany last week failed to yield a decision.



German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius indicated on Tuesday that the moment of truth could be imminent, saying he had "expressly encouraged partner countries that have Leopard tanks that are ready for deployment to train Ukrainian forces on these tanks".



"I expect a decision to be made shortly," he added following talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin.



"We must provide heavier and more advanced systems to Ukraine, and we must do it faster," Stoltenberg said, adding that he expected a decision by Berlin "soon".





German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks to soldiers in front of a Leopard 2 main battle tank after the Army's training and instruction exercise in Ostenholz, Germany, Oct. 17, 2022. AP-Yonhap
On Christmas Eve last year, shortly after midnight, plainclothes policemen walked into the home of Ihsane el-Kadi, an Algerian journalist, and arrested him. According to a press release by Radio M, a local independent radio station where Kadi worked, he was placed in detention without trial, and has still not been released. He faces charges of carrying out or inciting acts likely to undermine state security. Kadi was also the director of Maghreb Emergent, a news site that, along with Radio M, was shuttered at the same time as Kadis arrest. Daikha Dridi, an Algerian journalist who once worked for Radio M, described the outlets, to the Financial Times, as the last remaining media space where people could still discuss politics and publish critical articles without censoring themselves.

Kadis arrest and the closure of his outlets sparked an uproar from media organizations and human rights defenders demanding his release. His case comes as journalists are fighting for press freedom against increasingly authoritarian regimes across North Africa, and as new voices are expressing solidarity with them. Recently, for instance, the European Parliament, which has historically been very friendly with Morocco, voted to condemn the countrys human rights record for the first time in more than twenty years, citing its mistreatment of journalists, amid a scandal alleging corrupt Moroccan influence within the Parliament.

Recently, Reporters Without Borders referred Kadis case to the United Nations, asking the body to intercede and help in securing his release. Last week, I spoke with Khaled Drareni, a prominent Algerian journalist who has spent time in prison in the country in the past and is now RSFs representative in North Africa, about Kadis arrest and the state of media freedom in Algeria. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.



Why is the case that has been referred to the UN important?

The case of el-Kadi has been forwarded to the United Nations because we believe that it is a grave case of violation of human rights and freedom of the press. This journalist has only done his job of writing articles that are critical of the authorities. So the decision to arrest him and close these media outlets is totally unjustifiable. This is the reason why we decided to forward the case to the United Nations organization, and alert them to this violation of the freedom of the press in Algeria.

What does RSF hope to achieve with this case that has gone to the UN?

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The objective of the referral is to alert the UN to this violation of freedom of the press and freedom of the journalist, but also to get a clear reaction from the United Nations organization. We are hoping to get the attention of the special rapporteur for freedom of the press and freedom of opinion, Irene Khan. The goal is to get her to react to and put into consideration this violation in her report so that the Algerian authorities are officially challenged by the United Nations.

You last spoke with CJR in February 2021, following your release from jail. What has been the general state of press freedom in Algeria since then?

The situation is worrying year after year. There are several journalists who have been imprisoned. Two in particular have been imprisoned for press offenses, while the Algerian Constitution, in its Article 54, states that the press cannot be deprived of freedom. Dozens of journalists are being prosecuted. Many are under judicial supervision. Others are awaiting trial. Several newspapers disappeared, including the newspaper Liberte. The newspaper El Watan is experiencing enormous difficulties that may lead to its disappearance.

What are you doing these days? Are you actively practicing journalism?

Currently, I am the representative of Reporters Without Borders in North Africa. I deal with the situation in six countries: Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan. I try to list the violations of press freedom in these six countries and to help journalists who are prosecuted or harassed in these North African countries. Since I have this new mission as a representative of RSF in North Africa, I no longer practice journalism.

What does the future of journalism look like in Algeria?

Despite all the difficulties that exist in Algeria, I remain optimistic because the profession of journalism is important in Algeria. Many students, after the baccalaureate, choose to do journalism; it is a specialty that remains quite popular among students. There is a great potential for journalism in Algeria. Algerians need a free press that informs them honestly and with credible information. So despite the difficult situation, I remain optimistic for the future of journalism in Algeria.

Algeria is ranked very low in press freedom globally. (Last year, the country ranked 134th out of a hundred and eighty countries and territories worldwide in RSFs World Press Freedom Index.) What do you think should be done to change that?

Indeed, the ranking of Algeria by Reporters Without Borders is not good. It has moved up a few places, but the situation remains worrying. I think the authorities must understand that Algerians need a press, and should also appreciate the importance of a free press. It is good for information in the country but also for the brand image of Algeria. We cannot draw a modern and democratic state without a free press.



Other notable stories:

Yesterday, the Washington Post moved, as had been expected for several weeks, to lay off staffers: the paper cut twenty positionseliminating sections that, respectively, covered video games and aimed at child readersand said that it would not fill thirty vacant positions. Management stressed that the papers overall head count will not decline this year as it expands in other areas. The papers union was unimpressed.

Also yesterday, we learned that Rupert Murdoch has ditched plans to recombine News Corp and Fox Corphis two media businesses, which split in 2013on the grounds that such a move would not be optimal for shareholders of News Corp and Fox at this time. Murdoch had hoped that a merger of the companies could lead to cost savings and the integration of their assets, the New York Times reports, but shareholders pushed back.

For CJR, Steve Waldman lays out the mission of Rebuild Local News, a new coalition, with Waldman as its president, that is advocating certain types of urgent government action as part of a multifaceted effort to revitalize community journalism. Among other ideas, the group is pushing for tax credits for subscribers, donors, and advertisers to local news organizations, as well as to help those outlets hire and retain journalists.

The New Yorkers Molly Fischer profiled Pamela Paul, a Times columnist who has produced a body of workdeliberately contrarian or notthat reliably results in buttons being pushed. Last year, Semafors Ben Smith wrote that Paul had become a blunt object. Paul, unsurprisingly, disagrees. What Im trying to do is write about things with a little bit more nuance and complexity than you might find on, lets say, Twitter, she said.

And some sad news from the home front: Victor Navasky, a longtime editor and publisher of The Nation who also wrote for CJR and served on our Board of Overseers, has died. He was ninety. I think it was Walter Cronkite who used to end his nightly newscasts by saying, Thats the way it is, Navasky once said. Well, I wanted to put out a magazine which would say: Thats not the way it is at all. Lets take another look.

ICYMI: The would-be president and the press (that he owns)

Mercy Tonnia Orengo is a CJR fellow.
Former Vice President Mike Pence sits for an interview with the Associated Press, Nov. 16, 2022, in New York. AP-Yonhap



Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence 's Indiana residence last week, his lawyer says, the latest in a string of recoveries of papers meant to be treated with utmost sensitivity from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials.



''A small number of documents,'' taken into FBI custody last Thursday, ''were inadvertently boxed and transported'' to the former vice president's home at the end of the last administration, Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a letter to the National Archives shared with the Associated Press.



He said that Pence had been ''unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence'' until a search last week and that he ''understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information'' and stands ready to cooperate with ''any appropriate inquiry.''



The revelation came as the Department of Justice was already investigating the discovery of documents with classification markings in President Joe Biden's home in Delaware and his former Washington office, as well as former President Donald Trump's Florida estate. Democrat Biden has indicated he will seek reelection, Republican Trump is already a declared candidate, and Pence has been exploring a possible 2024 campaign that would put him in direct competition against Trump, his former boss.



The newest discovery thrusts Pence, who had previously insisted that he followed stringent protocols regarding classified documents, into the debate over the handling of secret materials by officials who have served in the highest ranks of government.



Trump is currently under criminal investigation after roughly 300 documents with classified markings, including at the top secret level, were discovered at his Mar-a-Lago. Officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the months-long criminal investigation. Biden is also subject to a special counsel investigation after classified documents from his time as a senator and in the Obama administration were found at his properties.



Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, reacted to the new development on his social media site: ''Mike Pence is an innocent man. He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!!'' Trump and Pence have clashed over Pence's refusal to go along with Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.



While a very different case, the Pence development could bolster the arguments of Trump and Biden, who have sought to downplay the significance of the discoveries at their homes. The presence of secret documents at all three men's residences further underscores the federal government's unwieldy system for storing and protecting the millions of classified documents it produces every year.





An aerial view of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., Aug. 31, 2022. AP-Yonhap



Pence's lawyer, Jacob, said in his letter that the former vice president had ''engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents'' to review records stored at his home on Jan. 16 ''out of an abundance of caution'' amid the uproar over the discovery of documents at Biden's home.



Jacob said the Pence documents with classification markings were immediately secured in a locked safe. FBI agents visited the residence the night of Jan. 19 at 9:30 p.m. to collect the documents that had been secured, according to a follow-up letter from the lawyer dated Jan. 22. Pence was in Washington for an event at the time.



A total of four boxes containing copies of administration papers - two in which ''a small number'' of papers bearing classified markings were found, and two containing ''courtesy copies of vice presidential papers''  were discovered, according to the letter. Arrangements were made to deliver those boxes to the National Archives Monday.



Congressional leaders were notified of the discovery by Pence's team on Tuesday.



The boxes, according to a Pence aide, were not kept in a secure location, but were taped shut and were not believed to have been opened since they were packed. The former vice president's staff also searched the Washington office of his advocacy group last week and did not discover additional documents, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the search.



Material found in the boxes came mostly from Pence's Naval Observatory vice presidential residence, the packing of which would not have been handled by the vice president's office or its lawyers. Other material came from a West Wing office drawer, the person said.



The National Archives declined to comment on the discovery. A Justice Department spokesman also declined to comment, and a lawyer for Pence did not immediately respond to an email seeking elaboration.



Pence told the Associated Press in August that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office.



Asked directly if he had retained any such information, he said, ''No, not to my knowledge.''



In an interview this month with Fox Business, Pence described a ''very formal process'' used by his office to handle classified information as well as the steps taken by his lawyers to ensure none was taken with him.



''Before we left the White House, the attorneys on my staff went through all the documents at both the White House and our offices there and at the vice president's residence to ensure that any documents that needed to be turned over to the National Archives, including classified documents, were turned over. So we went through a very careful process in that regard,'' Pence said.



On Capitol Hill, members of the Senate intelligence committee expressed incredulity over the mishandling of documents by top U.S. officials.



Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas noted that classified documents are only moved out of the committee's offices in locked bags.



''In my book, it's never permissible to take classified documents outside of a secure facility'' except by a secure means of transport between such facilities, he said.



House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner, a Republican, said he planned to request a formal intelligence review and damage assessment.





President Joe Biden arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, Jan. 23, in Washington. AP-Yonhap
By Trend

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is interested in financing the construction of a wind power plant in the Absheron peninsula, Matteo Patrone, Managing Director, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus (EEC) at the EBRD, told Trend.

"Notably, we invested in the construction of the first privately owned, utility-scale solar power plant in Garadagh. We are also interested in financing the construction of a wind power plant in the Absheron peninsula. All this, of course builds on a multiyear technical assistance work provided to the Ministry of Energy. Among other things, we have supported the introduction of a the legislative framework for renewable energy, the setting up of the energy regulator, and helped the ministry conduct a grid strengthening study, which we hope will be conducive to invest in grid improvements across Azerbaijan," he said.

More recently, the EBRD signed a MoU with the Ministry of Energy. Once the current engagements will be brought to fruition, the Bank will continue supporting the development of low carbon and climate resilient power sector in Azerbaijan, in line with the countrys commitments under the Paris Agreement.

"This may include further development of renewable energy, development of sectoral low carbon pathway for the power sector, grid enhancement, improved energy efficiency, methane emissions reduction and gradual introduction of innovative technologies, including hydrogen," Patrone explained.

The EBRD also stands ready to support Azerbaijan in the expansion, upgrade and digitalization of Azerbaijans energy grid to assist the country in transporting green energy to Europe.

"We very much support bringing the Caucasus closer to the European Union, be it in renewable energy, transport infrastructure, or policy reform. As I mentioned earlier, Azerbaijan has a great potential when it comes to the development of renewables. As for different routes for transportation, we will have to look at them on project-by-project basis. This can only be done in case there is a relevant proposal to our Bank. Recently we saw that President Ilham Aliyev, together with leaders of Romania, Georgia, Hungary, and the President of the European Commission von der Leyen signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of the Black Sea Energy submarine cable," he said.
Bohol (CNN Philippines)  The province of Bohol is prominent as a haven of natural beauty, mouth-watering dishes, breathtaking tourist attractions, and locals known for hospitality and warmth to tourists. Recognized as the Jewel of the Philippines and cradling some of the countrys most precious wonders, this province boasts a thriving tourism industry which was then heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the industry paves for recovery, Ocean Suites Bohol Boutique Hotel is winning the hearts of local and foreign travelers, accommodating their various travel and lodging needs. This hotel lives up to its core of delivering genuine experiences to its guests, offering top-notch amenities, services, food, and travel experiences like no other.

We are not treating our guests as guest lang talaga. But we treat them as our family, said Geann Competente, Assistant General Manager at Ocean Suites Bohol.

Ocean Suites Assistant General Manager Geann Competente in front of the hotels amenities, which includes the hotel restaurant and the pool lounge area. Photo from Converge ICT

"We want our guests to enjoy and relax, so that while theyre staying here in Ocean Suites, they would feel the warm welcome here. Lahat ng mga staff dito, they are all friendly. So, Im sure you will be satisfied when you're staying here in Ocean Suites, she added.

Check out this video to know more about Ocean Suites.

Located on a cliffside property in Bool District, Tagbilaran, Ocean Suites features a panoramic view of the sea which allows tourists to laze around while admiring the majestic scenery. It has cozy, spacious rooms, a delightful cafe and restaurant, and a stunning infinity pool that makes a perfect relaxing spot.

It is also strategically located near some famous tourist destinations in Tagbilaran, including the historical Blood Compact Shrine where Spanish navigator Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Rajah Sikatuna sealed the first treaty of friendship in 1565.

Ocean Suites has a very nice location kaya patuloy kaming binabalikan ng mga turista. Nasa sentro rin kami ng Tagbilaran kaya ideal kami sa mga turista dahil malapit kami sa tourist spots. Our guests can also enjoy the breathtaking scenery from the infinity pool because our location is very interesting and amazing, Competente shared.

Despite its difficulties during the onset of the pandemic and the aftermath of typhoon Odette last year, the business remains relentless in its resolve to maintain the brand of service quality it is known for.

From the amenities, food, activities, and hospitality of the staff, Ocean Suites offers superior services which are suited to cater to the varying needs of travelers. Whether for leisure travelers who would like a chill, relaxing stay; business travelers who need to attend meetings and functions or for guests craving for an adventure, the hotel provides fantastic avenues to satiate all kinds of wanderlust.

Digital life

As part of the warm hospitality it offers, Ocean Suites also strives to enrich the hotel experience of guests as it tapped an internet service provider that can best support the always-on, digital lifestyle of todays travelers.

Providing complimentary high-speed internet for guests, Ocean Suites partnered with Converge ICT Solutions to enable a robust digital foundation that could serve the connectivity requirements of its guests, as well as the operations of the business.

Ocean Suites fast internet connectivity is perfect for tourists and long-term guests who come to the island for business. Photo from Converge ICT

We started to partner with Converge because we know that they have the speed and reliability that is mostly needed by our guests. Mabilis yung internet connection nila, Competente noted.

She also shared the importance of internet connectivity as it is the first thing guests would ask from the moment they step inside their rooms. As people nowadays become more digitally active, she said that a reliable and high-speed connection is essential to seamlessly visit sites, watch videos, share experiences, browse social media accounts, and connect to families and friends even if they are on the different side of the globe.

Natulungan ng Converge yung mga guest namin whether they need to go online for their business or meetings; they provide a fast and reliable connection. Our guests are now more confident to stay with us because of our wifi connection, Competente noted.

As the tourism industry gears for recovery amid loosening restrictions, Ocean Suites is optimistic that more tourists will visit the hotel soon. And as their operation continues, Converge will be its partner in enabling fast and reliable internet connection to help guests reach their friends and families wherever they are in the world.

Visit the Ocean Suites Bohol Boutique Hotel to see the amenities of the hotel and the value for money deals it has to offer.

To know more about Converge, visit convergeict.com.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  A number of Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) personnel are currently under investigation for their possible involvement in a mobile wallet corruption scheme inside the national penitentiary, acting chief Gregorio Catapang said on Wednesday.

We are investigating about 30 personnel, he told CNN Philippines The Source, noting the concerned prison guards have been put under preventive suspension.

On Jan. 23, Catapang and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla bared that BuCor guards reportedly operated a corruption scheme through a popular e-wallet application.

Authorities have confiscated over 300,000 from the BuCor guards supposedly running the scheme, according to Catapang.

Given the minimal food and medicine allowance that the inmates receive, Catapang said persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) are allowed to receive money from relatives through the mobile wallet of prison guards.

However, some PDLs have complained that some Bilibid guards are collecting 100 for every 1,000 sent through them as service charge.

Aside from the preventive suspension of the guards involved, Catapang said they will now implement a system setting 30 as fee for every 1,000 sent to PDLs via the app to address the issue.

Theres an ongoing investigation about this and we will file appropriate charges to the guards doing illegal activities inside the BuCor, he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  Two Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilots died after their plane crash-landed in Pilar, Bataan Wednesday morning, according to PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo.

In a statement, Castillo said the SF260TP Marchetti aircraft with tail number 701 took off at around 10:00 a.m. at Danilo Atienza Air Base in Sangley Point, Cavite City for the pilots' recurrency or training flight.

"At around 10:40 a.m., the aircraft was reportedly seen to be descending to a field in Sitio Tabon, Brgy. Del Rosario, Pilar, Bataan where it eventually crashed," she said.

Castillo said no civilian casualties were reported.

She earlier told reporters they received the last signal from the military plane at around 10:34 a.m. before losing track of its flight.

"Our aircraft accident investigation team is already at the site for a thorough investigation, while our SF260TP fleet has been grounded," she said.

According to the Northern Luzon Command, the bodies of the pilots were transferred to Martinez Funeral Homes in Pilar town.

Castillo described the SF260TP as a light attack combat aircraft which is a "highly maneuverable and fully aerobatic basic trainer aircraft of the PAF."

"It was used during the Marawi siege and various combat missions of the PAF," she said, adding that it is capable of performing various tasks including close air support, battlefield air interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, persuasion flight, and aerial demonstration.

The PAF vowed to assist the bereaved families and that it will continue its usual mandate of giving air support for focused military operations and disaster response.

The crash comes after a Cessna plane with six people on board went missing in Isabela province on Tuesday.

READ: Search for missing Cessna plane with 6 passengers now at 'full scale'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  Acting Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gregorio Catapang on Wednesday said they plan to soon file a plunder case against suspended BuCor chief Gerald Bantag regarding the questionable release of funds for the construction of prison facilities worth 1 billion.

Hopefully this Friday or early next week because you have to document this properly so that you have sufficient evidence to file a case against him, Catapang told CNN Philippines The Source.

He claimed they already have the evidence to prove that around 300 million was released even if the project was unfinished.

Catapang said they will be meeting with Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) authorities on Wednesday to ask them how to go about the filing of a plunder case.

The AMLC will also be tapped to look into the bank accounts of Bantag and his family members to know if there was a transfer in the released money, Catapang added.

Meanwhile, more BuCor personnel and inmates are willing to testify regarding the abuse and torture they experienced during Bantags time as director general, Catapang said.

He noted that there are up to two persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who witnessed the death of their fellow inmate and they want to testify.

The acting BuCor chief said there was indeed abuse of power during Bantags time.

Catapang said at least 20 of Bantags people who occupied key positions in the bureaus directorial staff and the prison penal colonies, eventually becoming a syndicate.

Thats why the mission of BuCor failed because you can just imagine the inmates were dying, they even forgot to bury them, Catapang noted.

It is only now that these personnel who were tortured, maltreated by Bantag are talking because during those times, he ruled in a strong arm that nobody wanted to testify against him, he added.

CNN Philippines has reached out to Bantags camp for comment.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. may soon meet again with his US counterpart Joe Biden should their schedules permit, according to Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez.

In an exclusive interview with CNN Philippines on Wednesday, Romualdez said preparations are underway for a possible meeting between the two leaders, tentatively set for April.

"Clearly, we need to have President Marcos come to Washington, DC. He is okay to have a meeting again with President Biden and these meetings have already been discussed extensively and I hope it will happen also around that timeframe," Romualdez said.

The Philippine envoy noted that this is different from Marcos' attendance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in November.

He said it remains to be seen if the meeting will be part of an official or state visit.

"Pres. Marcos is not choosy when it comes to the invitation. The most important is the substance of the meeting," Romualdez stressed.

He said the possible meeting may cover a number of topics  from the economy to security.

"Food security, the US is very cognizant of that as one of the priorities of the Marcos administration. There will also be economic activity discussions between the two countries. It all boils down to our relationship with the United States so in terms of cultural, defense, security and economic issues," he added.

Marcos and Biden first met in September last year on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

2+2 Ministerial Meetings in Washington, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in PH next month

Apart from the possible meeting between Marcos and Biden, top foreign and defense officials are also set to meet in Washington in April.

"This is very important again as far as our relationship with the United States. To be able to talk about issues not necessarily the West Philippine Sea but our overall global situation that we're facing," Romualdez said.

Romualdez also confirmed that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be in the Philippines in the first week of February.

"President Marcos agreed to meet with him. They will discuss our defense treaty concerns," the envoy added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  The Department of Justice (DOJ) has dismissed the charges against an online gaming service provider tagged in kidnapping activities.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) said in a statement that the charges filed against Pasay City-based POGO service provider MOA Cloudzone Corp. (MCZ) were already dismissed by the DOJ on Nov. 15, 2022.

MCZ corporate counsel Ronald Aala on Wednesday also said state prosecutors "found no probable cause or any evidence of the firm's involvement in the alleged trafficking of POGO workers."

The 13 complainants were rescued in Paranaque City by the Philippine National Police-Women and Children Protection Center in September.

The PNP-WCPC claimed MCZ and two other firms were the employers of the complainants who were forced to work.

The claim, however, was "never substantiated," according to Aala.

"Basic rule is that mere allegation is not evidence and is not equivalent to proof," Aala said, quoting the decision of DOJ prosecutors

"Charges based on suspicion and speculation likewise cannot be given credence," he added.

State prosecutors said it was only a certain "Christine Chue Ni Quian" who recruited, advertised, and interviewed the workers.

The DOJ filed criminal charges against the recruiter "Christine" for syndicated trafficking.

The kidnapping case was floated during a privilege speech of Sen. Grace Poe in December.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalin then slammed Pagcor for still allowing the operations of POGO firms linked to alleged abductions.

On the issue of its third party auditor Global ComRCI, Pagcor said the 6-billion contract has been under review since September.

READ: Pagcor: Contract with third-party POGO auditor under review

Gatchalian earlier warned of legal action against Pagcor officials over its "questionable" multibillion-peso contract with Global ComRCI.

While Global ComRCI appears to have met the 1-billion operating capital requirement, it was certified by a certain Soleil Chartered Bank, which is not registered with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the senator noted.

"We have been in contact with Global ComRCI and are currently assessing the contract's terms and conditions and the company's performance," Pagcor said.

It also assured that the review would be released "at the proper time."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  Postings on social media platform Facebook about job offers in Cambodia are scams, a human trafficking victim said.

Roy, not his real name, testified during a Senate hearing on Wednesday and narrated how he was forced to work as a scammer in Cambodia.

READ: Hontiveros: Filipinos lured to work as crypto scammers in Cambodia

Initially exploited as a crypto scammer preying on people in certain dating apps to invest, Roy shared that he was then tasked to recruit fellow Filipinos through Facebook posts.

"Nagpo-post kami sa Facebook groups, sinabihan kami na Pilipino lang ire-recruit," he revealed.

[Translation: We posted in Facebook groups and were told that only Filipinos would be recruited.]

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who bared about the human trafficking scheme in Cambodia last week, asked Roy if all the postings on Facebook about customer support or call center are fraud.

Ron said: "Yes po, 100 percent po. Papalabas nila na customer service, chat support, pero pagdating dun gagawin kang scammer."

[Translation: Yes, 100%. They will say it is a customer service or chat support job, but they will make you a scammer when you get there.]

Facebook was invited to the hearing, but the company declined.

Hontiveros said Filipinos must be wary and not entertain such posts.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait is now working to bring home the remains of the 35-year-old Filipina domestic worker allegedly killed by her employers 17-year-old son.

The embassy on Wednesday said it is coordinating with the Kuwaiti government for Jullebee Ranara's remains to be immediately released and repatriated to her family in the Philippines, as well as for the early resolution of the case.

The Embassy and the Filipino community in Kuwait extend their deepest condolences to the family of the late Ms. Ranara as they mourn the loss of their loved one, it wrote in a statement.

Over the weekend, Ranaras burnt body was recovered by police at a desert in Salmi, Al-Jarah Governorate.

The embassy said it is still confirming with Kuwaiti authorities the other details surrounding the death which were reported by news media there.

According to an Arab Times report, autopsy results showed that the slain Filipina was pregnant.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) earlier said the suspect has been arrested.

READ: DMW vows justice for slain OFW in Kuwait

The Embassy greatly appreciates the swift action and response of the Kuwaiti Police, especially in the apprehension of the suspected perpetrator, and in the investigation of Ms. Ranaras death, the Philippine Embassy said.

Ranara is the latest overseas Filipino worker killed in Kuwait, host to over 240,000 Filipinos.

The Philippines had earlier imposed a labor deployment ban to the Middle Eastern country after the gruesome deaths of Filipino domestic workers there.

However, the DMW on Tuesday said it is not yet considering another ban, adding it is looking into forming additional safeguards for now to ensure the safety of OFWs in Kuwait.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has committed to certify the proposed E-Governance Act of 2022 as urgent, the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) said Wednesday.

The PSAC said the commitment was made by the President during a meeting on Jan. 12.

The certification as urgent of the E-Governance Act is a vital step in the right direction towards becoming a digital nation," said Henry Aguda, PSAC Digital Infrastructure Sector Lead and Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) Chief Technology and Operations officer in a statement.

"It also provides the impetus to the PSAC Digital Infrastructure Sector's work plan," he also said

"We are encouraged by the Presidents commitment to shaping a future-ready nation and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on every Filipino," Aguda added.

A bill certified as urgent would expedite the traditional time between second and third readings, allowing it to be read and passed the same day.

Once enacted into law, it will digitalize the services of all government agencies.

It proposes the creation of a service portal where the public can transact business with agencies and for state offices to conduct business online.

Ilocos Norte Representative Sandro Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez were among the proponents of the measure at the House of Representatives.

The bill is currently at committee level in both chambers of Congress.

Malacanang earlier said that digitalizing government services is among the top priorities of the Marcos administration to ensure the delivery of efficient government services to the people and fight corruption by eradicating all forms of red tape.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday ordered the Department of Agriculture (DA) to investigate the illegal use of palm olein in fuel blending.

The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) said Marcos order came after its chairman Jesus Arranza informed the Office of the President about the illegal use of palm olein as a blending agent.

Under the Department of Energy rules, only coconut oil can be blended with diesel to produce biodiesel. According to the FPI, palm olein is supposed to be used as an additive to produce animal feeds.

The Presidential Management Staff, in a correspondence to Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban, told the department to evaluate and take appropriate action on the issues discussed by [FPI chair Jesus Arranza] in his letter to the President, the FPI said in a statement.

According to Arranza, the government is losing billions of pesos in revenues because a big portion of the imported palm olein is being diverted for sale to either producers of biodiesel as an additive to diesel fuel and to the retail market (public markets, groceries, supermarkets and sari-sari stores) as cooking oil for eventual sale to the consuming public.

Since coconut oil is more expensive than palm olein, Arranza said importers are getting another windfall of cash from substituting coconut oil with palm olein in producing biofuels.

Arranza also sent letters to the Senate and the House of Representatives to request the chambers of Congress to investigate the illegal sale of palm olein.

According to the FPI, the inquiry will also help protect the nation's coconut industry as palm olein directly competes with coconut oil.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has intensified the search in Isabela for the missing Cessna plane with six people on board, after authorities failed to contact the aircraft.

The Cagayan Valley Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) confirmed to CNN Philippines that the pilot is Capt. Eleazar Mark Joven.

In a Facebook post, the Cagayan Provincial Information Office also identified one of the passengers as Josefa Perla Espana.

Speaking to CNN Philippines, Anna May Kamatoy said her two children, a nephew, her brother Val Kamatoy, and a female passenger boarded the missing Cessna 206 plane, identified by CAAP as RPC1174.

Kamatoy said her family was going to Maconacon to attend the funeral of Val's father-in-law.

She added that five of her relatives, who traveled first around noon, arrived safely in Maconacon.

However, one of them said they already experienced turbulence during their flight.

"Nagtataka nga ako kung bakit sinugod pa ng eroplano. Sabi ng kapatid ko may turbulence na [sa kanilang biyahe], paparating na 'yung bagyo at mahangin na daw," Kamatoy said.

[Translations: I was wondering why the plane took off when my other sibling already said they encountered turbulence during their flight, that the storm is coming and the wind is getting strong.]

On Tuesday, the aircraft left Cauayan Airport at 2:15 p.m. and was expected to land at Maconacon Airport at 2:45 p.m.

The air traffic controller last contacted the plane at 2:19 p.m. within the vicinity of Naguillian Bridge.

Kamatoy said the last update she had was from a Facebook video post of her son Mark aboard the aircraft around 2:30 p.m.

In an interview on "News Night," Kamatoy said she and her sister-in-law in Maconacon have yet to receive any update from authorities.

"Gusto ko lang mahanap 'yung pamilya ko as soon as possible," she added. "Ang hirap kasi ng na more than 24 hours akong naghihintay kung anong balita."

[Translation: I just want my family to be found as soon as possible. It's difficult to wait for more than 24 hours for the news about them.]

CAAP said the alert level was raised to "Distress Phase" at 4:00 p.m. and search and rescue was initiated after the communication search failed.

According to CAAP, an aircraft in distress means it is in "a condition of being threatened by serious and/or imminent danger and of requiring immediate assistance."

The RDRRMC on Wednesday said the phone of one of the passengers was located within a 20-kilometer radius from a cell site in Maconacon.

A telecommunication provider tracked the number after a family member contacted one of the passengers.

According to the local disaster response team, the phone rang but no one responded.

Col. Ma. Conseulo Castillo, Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson, told CNN Philippines that the PAF has two helicopters on standby for the search and rescue operation.

In a statement, Col. Sadiri Tabutol, PAF Tactical Operations Group 2 commander, said the search and rescue operation will resume once the weather improves.

Meanwhile, the military and local police officers are conducting a ground search in Maconacon, Isabela.

Tabutol earlier said the PAF will dispatch drones in Barangay Sapinit and Barangay Dicambangan in Divilacan, Isabela.

According to soldiers assigned near the area, these are the places where the plane may have crashed.

The PAF said bad weather may have caused the disappearance of the Cessna plane.

The local disaster response team also said they have received reports of residents hearing a loud sound that appeared to be from an airplane engine near Susong Dalaga in Diffun, Quirino and another report of an explosion within Barangay Sapinit.

The RDRRMC stressed that the reports they have received have yet to be confirmed.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Stanley Gajete contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  Families of the Special Action Force (SAF) commandos killed in the Mamasapano clash in Maguindanao continue to cry for justice eight years since the controversial encounter.

For Kristine Clemencio, wife of the late PO1 Mark Lory Clemencio, justice can only be achieved once all those involved face jail time.

"For me, justice means ang mga (the) people liable [for the] death of our loved ones, they have to be behind bars," Clemencio said after a commemoration ceremony at the Philippine National Police's (PNP) regional office in Leyte.

Aslyn Acob, also a widow of a SAF member, has a different appeal for government officials.

"Sana po magbiyan ng pagkakataon ang aming mga anak, most especially sa gusto pumasok sa akademiya nangangarap na masundan ang yapak ng kanilang mga ama," she said.

[Translation: We hope that our children  especially those aiming to get into the academy  can be given a chance to follow in their fathers' footsteps.]

The "SAF44" were gunned down on Jan. 25, 2015 after an encounter with Moro rebels in the Maguindanao town. They were on a mission to capture top terror suspects.

A number of rebels and civilians also died during the day-long firefight.

READ: Hearings on SAF 44 cases impeded by the pandemic

PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. also paid tribute to the fallen troops and highlighted their sacrifices for the nation.

"May the memories of the gallant 44 help us strengthen our faith in God and continue our sworn duty to protect the public from lawless elements, criminal acts, terrorism and illegal drugs that ruin the future of our children," he said.

Meanwhile, Malacanang expressed hope that their noble acts would continue to serve as an inspiration for the Filipino people.

Tacloban City-based correspondent Wil Mark Amazona contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25)  Authorities have arrested a suspect in the 2000 killing of publicist Bubby Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito.

The accused, former police officer William Reed, was nabbed in an operation on Jan. 22 in Bulacan, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said on Wednesday.

According to the NCRPO, the suspect has a pending arrest warrant since 2001 in connection with the double murder case.

No bail was recommended.

Reed  who's also part of the police's most wanted list  is currently detained at a facility of the Regional Special Operations Group, the NCRPO added.

Dacer was the publicist of former President Joseph Estrada. He and Corbito were abducted in November 2000, with their charred remains found months later.

Former Philippine National Police chief Panfilo Lacson was among the accused in the case, but was cleared by the court in 2011.

READ: Lacson: No laws broken in Dacer-Corbito case
(CNN) -- All 11 victims of the mass shooting at a dance studio on Lunar New Year in Monterey Park, California, were between the ages of 57 and 76, the LA County Coroner Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement.

The victims, five men and six women, were all publicly identified on Tuesday by the coroner's office. The female victims were named as Xiujuan Yu, 57; Hong Jian, 62; Lilian Li, 63; My Nhan, 65; Muoi Ung, 67; and Diana Tom, 70. The male victims were identified as Wen Yu, 64; Valentino Alvero, 68; Ming Ma, 72; Yu Kao, 72; and Chia Yau, 76.

As investigators work to determine a motive, the community faces a long road to recovery, the city's mayor said.

"People are just in disbelief and shock, and are feeling very numb," Mayor Henry Lo told CNN on Monday night.

The Saturday night shooting came as the city's majority Asian community was marking the Lunar New Year, transforming one of the most auspicious days of the calendar into a tragedy.

"There is a lot of fear and anxiety out there. People are fearful of this kind of situation where our joyous Lunar New Year celebration was turned utterly upside down into tragedy and fear," Rep. Judy Chu, who represents Monterey Park, said Monday at a candlelight vigil for the victims.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was meeting with victims of the shooting Monday when he was pulled away to be briefed on another fatal mass shooting in Half Moon Bay -- the state's second mass shooting in three days. "Tragedy upon tragedy," Newsom said in a tweet.

Authorities revealed new details Monday from their search of the home of the Monterey Park shooting suspect, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, in Hemet, about 80 miles east of Monterey Park.

Detectives executed a search warrant and found "hundreds of rounds" of ammunition, a .308-caliber rifle, various electronic devices and evidence leading officials to believe he was "manufacturing homemade firearm suppressors," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Still, as investigators probe the large cache of ammo they found, it remains unclear what motivated the Saturday night attack at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio and later at the Lai Lai Ballroom.

"Did he plan this? Was it the day of? Was it the week before?" Luna said at a news conference Monday. "We don't know. But we intend to find out."

Three people who knew Tran, including his ex-wife, told CNN he had once been a familiar face at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where he gave informal dance lessons. But it's not clear how often he visited in recent years, if at all, and authorities are still investigating whether he knew any of the victims.

"There is certainly the appearance that this was targeted," Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon told CNN. "Clearly, he knew where he was going, and he was familiar with both of the locations."

Mayor Lo said Tuesday he hopes the dance hall can again become a safe place for the community.

"It was a place for people to socialize, to learn how to dance," he said. "We want to make sure that this dance hall continues to thrive and that people feel safe that they can socialize."

42 rounds were fired inside the ballroom, sheriff says

The shooting at Star Ballroom Dance Studio happened around 10:22 p.m. Saturday. The gunman fired 42 rounds of ammunition from a semi-automatic handgun at the dance hall before leaving the scene, according to Sheriff Luna.

At least one person was shot in a vehicle outside the dance studio, and police believe Tran shot that person first before he entered the dance studio and opened fire on the crowd of civilians, the sheriff said.

Monterey Park officers were at the studio within three to four minutes, arriving to a scene of "carnage" as people lay wounded and others were pouring out of the venue, Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said.

About 20 minutes after the shooting, the suspect -- still armed -- showed up at a second dance studio in nearby Alhambra. There, a 26-year-old civilian charged him and wrestled the gun away from him, saving countless other lives, he told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday.

"I just had this rush of thought and adrenaline. I was able to come to the conclusion that I needed to do something, I needed to grab the gun. I needed to save myself and people inside," Tsay said.

The suspect fled and Tsay called police to the site, where investigators traced the firearm to Tran, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case. The weapon was described as a 9 mm semi-automatic MAC-10 pistol with an extended large-capacity magazine, according to Luna, who added the assault weapon appears to have been modified.

California has banned the use of large-capacity magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

Less than a day later, Tran was found dead inside a white van about 30 miles away in Torrance as a SWAT team swarmed the vehicle. The sheriff said he died following a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators also recovered a Norinco 7.62 x 25 handgun registered to the suspect inside the van, Luna said.

Ballistic and forensic comparisons will need to be done on all the items recovered from the alleged shooter's home, as authorities also look into Tran's history.

So far, the sheriff has said the suspect had a "limited criminal history," noting an arrest in 1990 for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Suspect had bad temperament, dancer says

Those who had met the suspect said he had a hot temper and a difficult temperament.

Ilie Bardahan, a dancer at the Lai Lai Ballroom in Alhambra, said Tran had a "very bad temperament," adding "people say he was a little bit psycho in a sense."

"Very sharp movement, pushing a little bit, not being satisfied with certain, I don't know, improvements of whatever students he had," Bardahan said.

Adam Hood said he rented an apartment from Tran and knew him for 20 years, but they had a falling out and haven't seen each other in about 8 or 9 years. He said Tran went by the name "Andy."

"His personality can be summed up in two words: distrust -- he did not trust anyone -- and hatred. He could hate people to death. He pushed it to the extreme," Hood said. "(He hated) whoever he thought was not nice to him. There were other dance instructors he did not like at both (dance studios)."

Hood added Tran thought "the instructors were not nice to him, he thought they spoke evil of him. That was baseless. He was always unhappy with the people in the studios, always complaining about studio bosses and other instructors, not about the students. It was all in his mind."

All 11 victims identified

Rep. Judy Chu said the gunman who killed 11 on Saturday night "took them away from their families at a night that was supposed to be joyous, Lunar New Year."

Two Taiwanese Americans were also among the victims, according to Taiwan's de facto diplomatic representative in Los Angeles, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

At least one of those killed was a Chinese citizen, and one of the victims, Alvero, was a US citizen of Filipino descent, according to the countries' consulates in Los Angeles.

Alvero's son told CNN his father had hoped to retire in about a year to return to the Philippines, and he said his father spent his free time at the dance studio.

"He'd dance around the house," Val Anthony Alvero said of his father. "He loved that kind of stuff."

Nhan, known as "Mymy," loved to dance and spent many years at the dance studio where she was killed, according to a statement from her family.

Nhan's dance instructor, Maksym Kapitanchuk, told CNN she was a delight to have around.

"She would always smile," Kapitanchuk said. "I don't even think I've ever seen her without her smile -- even through the mask I can see her eyes smiling. She was the delight of the class, of any party, any class."

At Monday's vigil, leaders described the shock and the loss being felt across the Monterey Park community.

"This hit too close to home," said Chun-Yen Chen, executive director of the Asian Pacific Community Fund.

On Saturday, community members had been celebrating the Lunar New Year at the ballroom alongside dancing grandparents. "Now some of them are no longer with us," she said.

Many leaders praised the community for coming together in the wake of the tragedy.

"We will not let this murderer defeat us," Former Assembly member Mike Eng said at the vigil. "We will move forward with more enthusiasm and more love, because the only thing that defeats hate is love."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "11 victims of Monterey Park mass shooting ranged in age from 57 to 76 years old, coroner says"
When a juvenile is accused of a crime in Colorado and found incompetent to stand trial, they can spend years in the criminal justice system, unable to resolve their case until theyre deemed competent or age out.

House Bill 1012 aims to change that, establishing time limits for how long an incompetent juvenile can remain in the criminal justice system before charges have to be dismissed.

If passed by the state legislature, the bill would give courts six months to determine whether a juvenile cannot be restored to competency to stand trial, and drop the charges for misdemeanor offenses, with the time limit increasing based on the crimes severity.

You could literally have stolen a candy bar at 14, be found incompetent to proceed and then youre caught up in the legal system and you cant get out, said bill sponsor Rep. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder. This fixes that. Nobody wants these kids, especially for low-level stuff, to be stuck in the criminal justice system.

Under the current system, Amabile said incompetent juveniles suspected of committing the highest felonies can remain in the criminal justice system for up to five years or until they turn 21, but there is no specific limit for low-level offenses.

The bill would establish the following maximum time limits: six months for a misdemeanor, misdemeanor drug offense, petty offense or traffic offense; one year for a class 4, 5 or 6 felony; two years for a class 2 or 3 felony; and, five years for a class 1 felony.

Once the time limit is reached and charges are dismissed, courts would also have the power to implement a treatment plan for the juvenile if they determine it to be necessary.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 12-1 in support of the bill on Tuesday afternoon, advancing it to the House Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

As a former juvenile public defender, I know firsthand the stress, the disruption, the unnecessary delay that these proceedings can cause for everyone involved, said Katie Hecker of the Colorado Office of the Child's Representative while testifying in support of the bill. The bill shortens the amount of time that proceedings can go on. This provides closure for everyone involved.

James Karbach, who is with the Office of the State Public Defender, said the current system often leads to juveniles staying in the competency system longer than adults.

The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health and the Colorado Department of Human Services also spoke in support of the bill.

In addition to the time limits, the bill would clarify that courts can reevaluate a juvenile for competency, allow juveniles to choose their own evaluator and waive a juveniles claim of confidentiality or privilege when they are found incompetent to allow the court to determine issues related to the juveniles competency, restoration and treatment plan.

What this does more than anything else is provide clarity, said Tim Lane of the Colorado District Attorneys Council. Clarity in a statute where there wasnt clarity before. Clarity in a process so that we can go forward to make sure that these cases are handled responsibly and appropriately.

No one testified in opposition to the bill.

The bills only no vote came from Rep. Stephanie Luck, R-Penrose. Luck didnt comment on her opposition, but questioned the waiver of privilege portion of the bill, asking Karbach if his office is concerned about it.

He said the office does not love that part of the bill but added that it aligns with adult court competency cases.

This bill fixes some parts of our juvenile competency system, Amabile said in defense of the bill. Theres a lot more work to do, but it is important to do this now and move this process forward to make it more fair. These are kids ... and the best thing we can do for them is get them into care and out of the criminal justice system.
In Rock Canyon High School, senior Bhavya Surapaneni said it is the norm to walk in on her fellow students vaping in the bathrooms, hear stories of their weekend binge drinking and occasionally watch her peers be suspended for possessing illicit drugs  sent home with nothing more than a brochure on the dangers of substance abuse.

Though theyve received education aimed at preventing substance use since middle school, Surapaneni said substance abuse still runs rampant among her peers, and efforts to help students who already struggle are virtually nonexistent.

"Intervention is not a priority in many schools, including mine," Surapaneni said. Substance abuse is pushed to the side, dealt with as quickly and quietly as possible, without any emphasis on treatment.

Now, Surapaneni is working to change that.

Surapaneni and the other members of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council helped draft House Bill 1009. If passed by the state legislature, the bill would create a committee tasked with developing best practices for middle and high schools to identify students who need substance use treatment, offer intervention and refer the students to treatment resources.

Colorado is the seventh most pervasive state for substance abuse in the country, according to a 2022 study. Colorado teenagers are also 37.4% more likely to have used drugs in the last month and 15.1% more likely to use alcohol than the average American teenager, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.

Every single young person, including myself, can point to at least one peer who struggles with substances, said Siddharth Nareddy, a student at Peak to Peak High School and another member of the Youth Advisory Council. This bill is a necessary investment in the future of Colorado.

The bill would aim to combat the use of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, prescription drugs and illicit drugs. The committee would have until Jan. 5, 2024 to submit its report to every school district and charter school in the state, as well as the Colorado Department of Education. The committee would consist of 16 people, including students, parents, school staff and medical professionals.

The committee would start by building off of and modifying the states existing Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Program, which is already in place at some of Colorados school-based health centers and is designed to detect early substance use disorders in students and refer them for treatment. The bill would not implement any programs in schools, leaving the final decision up to the schools and school districts.

The House Education Committee voted 7-4 in support of the bill Wednesday morning, advancing the bill to the House Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

The vote was split along party lines, with Democrats in support and Republicans in opposition. Some Republican opponents raised issue with the bill not explicitly requiring the best practices developed by the committee to include notifying a students parents if the student is abusing substances.

My concern really is that once a student has been identified by the school as having a substance abuse issue, I dont see that the parents are immediately contacted and involved in the therapy, said Rep. Mary Bradfield, R-Colorado Springs. If you could address that in the bill, I think many of us would feel better.

Rep. Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs, also argued that the $54,000 to fund the bill should come from the states Marijuana Tax Cash Fund instead of the General Fund  which bill sponsor Rep. Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora, said she would look in to.

Half a dozen organizations spoke or registered in support of the bill Wednesday: Children's Hospital Colorado, the Colorado Education Association, Colorado Psychiatric Society, Colorado Society of School Psychologists, Peer Assistance Services and Mental Health Colorado. No witnesses spoke in opposition.

This is one step and this is one piece of the solution, Lindsay said. We cannot let these problems go unaddressed.  Our kids are clamoring for help and support. Its best that we listen to them.
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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
A new study of in-house research by ExxonMobil has revealed that the oil giant had detailed and accurate predictions of the impact of fossil fuels on global warming as early as the 1970s. And yet, the company continued to downplay and cast doubt on man-made climate change until as recently as the last decade. The lies and deceptions of fossil fuel magnates will surprise no one, but this study reveals the true depths of cynicism that the capitalist class are capable of plumbing in defence of the crimes they commit for profit.

Published this month, Assessing ExxonMobils global warming projections analysed 32 internal reports and 72 scientific publications produced by scientists working on climate and environmental models at ExxonMobil between 1977 and 2002.

Their findings were astoundingly accurate. They projected a warming of 0.2C per decade; they dismissed the idea of an ice age in the near future; they gave an accurate approximation of the amount of CO2 needed to cause a dangerous increase in temperatures; and they correctly estimated that global warming would be detectable between 1995 and 2005.

Had these models been brought to light at the time, they would have been consistent with the most cutting-edge research of the period. In fact, according to Professor Geoffrey Supran, co-author of the article, Exxonmobils climate researchers were at least comparable in performance to one of the most influential and well-regarded climate scientists of modern history.

Supran noted the shocking accuracy and skill of the research conducted at ExxonMobil, with 83 percent of the estimates made by the companys climate scientists having since been shown to be accurate.

Emphasise uncertainty

Naturally, the ultra-rich owners of the oil giant were less than keen on sharing these findings with the public. In fact, for almost four decades after this research, ExxonMobils public communications put out messages that directly contradicted their own evidence.

Ex-CEO of ExxonMobil Rex Tillerson stated that climate models are not competent / Image: U.S. Department of State

In 1999, Lee Raymond (then CEO of ExxonMobil) stated that climate projections are based on completely unproven climate models, or, more often, sheer speculation. Raymond is of course no stranger to speculation  albeit of a financial kind  having received a large portion of his $400 million retirement plan from the company in stock options, the largest retirement package in history for a US public company.

Rex Tillerson  who took up the mantle of CEO in 2006 before becoming US Secretary of State under Donald Trump  continued ExxonMobils tradition of denying the value of climate research. In 2013, Tillerson stated that climate models are not competent and in 2015 claimed: We do not really know what the climate effects of 600 ppm versus 450 ppm will be because the models simply are not that good.

This latter statement was directly contradicted by the companys own researchers over thirty years earlier. In a 1982 projection it was found that 600 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere would cause an additional warming of 1.3C compared to 450 ppm.

Yet ExxonMobils climate coverup was not restricted to a few bad apples who just happened to have risen to the post of CEO. A 1988 internal memo on the companys public affairs strategy stated that there was a need to emphasize the uncertainty in scientific conclusions regarding the potential enhanced greenhouse effect.

Later internal memos demanded that the company stress environmentally sound adaptive efforts and in 1998 it was suggested that victory will be achieved when average citizens understand (recognize) uncertainties in climate science. This is not a victory for the environment or for the working class, of course, but a victory for the bosses, victoriously pulling the wool over the eyes of the public in order to lead them like lambs to the slaughter.

As late as 2000, downplaying climate change was an integral part of ExxonMobils marketing strategy. An advert published in The New York Times stated that climate science suffers from fundamental gaps in knowledge and claimed that not enough is known about the potential positive impacts of climate change. This was despite overwhelming certainty both in public and among ExxonMobils own researchers that the opposite was the case.

Criticism or class struggle?

This study has revealed breathtaking cynicism and barefaced hypocrisy by the likes of ExxonMobil. But in reality this is no aberration. Indeed, it is quite logical for the capitalist class to hide the facts when the facts get in the way of making a good profit. The tobacco companies hid the truth about how smoking causes lung cancer. In the 1960s, the sugar industry hid the truth about sugars role in causing heart disease. No doubt thousands, and perhaps millions, died as a result. The consequences of climate change threaten to be orders of magnitude more terrible.

Moral condemnation is insufficient; we must expropriate these energy giants and run them as part of a planned economy / Image: Socialist Appeal

The article lists numerous US and EU hearings, divestment campaigns, lawsuits and hashtags, as well as Joe Bidens repeated commitments to hold fossil fuel companies accountable as examples of how political movements have responded to oil companies disinformation campaigns. Yet none of the pressure from pressure groups, nor the hot air from politicians that work hand-in-glove with the oil and gas giants, have stopped the latter from merrily coining our planets future into shareholder dividends.

Only recently, Exxonmobil showed how it can dictate to governments by suing the European Union over its plan to introduce a windfall tax on energy companies. The company also threatened to halt multibillion Euro investments in Europe, unless the EU became attractive and globally competitive  that is, unless governments give them free reign to profiteer.

If we want to tackle the pernicious role of energy corporations in fuelling climate change, if we want to punish them and bring them to justice for their crimes, then moral condemnation is insufficient. Climate change will not be solved by making oil bosses tell the truth, nor by hoping that capitalist politicians will climb out of bed with them and take our side. The way will begin to be laid for a solution, and we will begin to deliver real justice, when we expropriate these energy giants and place the democratic management of energy production under the control of the working class as part of a planned economy.
(Editor's note: Two weeks after this story was published, Outlook and Teams suffered another global outage.)

Microsoft on Wednesday said it was investigating a network issue that has seen users across the globe struggling to access Microsoft products, including Outlook and Teams.

Microsoft Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business were also among the services that were impacted, according to the companys status page.

At 7.31AM GMT, the Microsoft 365 Status twitter account said the company was investigating issues impacting multiple Microsoft 365 services. Two hours later, the same account updated users, saying we've rolled back a network change that we believe is causing impact. We're monitoring the service as the rollback takes effect.

According to Downdetector, a website that provides real-time outage monitoring, about 5,000 people in the UK had reported that Microsoft 365 services were inaccessible. Incidents have also been reported by users in Japan, Australia and India, while Teams and Outlook became a trending topic on Twitter after thousands of people took to the social networking platform to discuss the outage.

When approached for a statement, Microsoft pointed to the Microsoft 365 Status twitter page for the latest updates regarding the incident.

On Tuesday, Microsoft announced its Q2 2023 financials, reporting that Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions, which includes the companys Windows product suite and Teams collaboration platform, were up by 12% this quarter, reaching 63.2 million subscriptions in total.

The news comes as Microsoft launched a new $1.99-a-month M365 Basic subscription and announced the forthcoming release of its Microsoft Teams Premium offering.
An investor with a $6 billion stake in Google parent Alphabet is calling for more layoffs at the company, although it has already cut 12,000 jobs.

The managing partner of London-based TCI Capital Fund Management wrote to Alphabets chief executive, Sundar Pichai, asking him to cut thousands more jobs and to reduce the compensation of its remaining employees.

Alphabet already plans to cut its workforce by 6%, it said on January 20, 2023, a move that will affect staff across the company including in its enterprise cloud computing division.

This is the second time that TCIs managing partner Christopher Hohn has written to Alphabet. In his first letter to Pichai in November he asked the company to take aggressive action to correct rising headcount, employee compensation and operating losses in the companys Other Bets division.

His second letter, written on the day Alphabet announced the layoffs, argued that the company should reduce its cost base further by cutting its workforce back to the 150,000 it employed at the end of 2021. Before the recent round of layoffs it had 187,000 staff.

However, the possibility of further job cuts at Alphabet has sparked concerns it could affect service in such as Google Cloud, one of the companys more profitable and fast-growing businesses. In October 2022, Google Cloud grew 38% year-on-year to reach $6.9 billion in revenue, while Alphabets overall revenue growth slowed to 6%.

Further layoffs at Google could impact quality of Google Cloud services, said Hyoun Park, principal analyst at Amalgam Insights. They have already laid off technical staff from the cloud computing division as well, mostly in India, despite it being a growing business for the company.

Despite its reliance on automation, the sheer scale of Googles cloud infrastructure means that it needs a significant number of workers to keep it running. Companies that radically downsize their data center staffas Twitter has done recentlywill quickly run into problems, Park said: Cloud takes a lot of people to support, as an enterprise is basically outsourcing its workloads to another organization. So, this is a concern that Google needs to answer, especially since these layoffs are public, which in turn could lead to support issues potentially presenting themselves quickly.

Serving investors, not customers

Park sees layoffs like those at Alphabet, intended to please investors, as a threat to future services offered to enterprises.

These layoffs, including the ones at Google, seem to be an attempt at appeasing investors rather than simply making the best business decisions from a pure cashflow profit perspective, he said, adding that these layoffs are really changing the bottom line by a few percent.

Its hard to figure out how these layoffs will change the amount of profit that the company gets by more than a few percent. So, this is not a fundamental shift of profit, he explained.

Further, some of these layoffs would translate to companies doubling down on their core product and reducing the level of innovation, he said.

However, another analyst believes that the layoffs were a necessary evil."

The downsizing at Google was healthy for the company as companies should be focused on growing revenue faster than headcount. The company should cut more roles, said Gene Munster, managing partner at consulting firm Deepwater Asset Management.

Munster said he doesnt expect the initial reduction in Alphabets workforce to affect any of its services, although he wasnt certain about further layoffs at the company.

Alphabet has an attrition rate of 10% and that is likely to come in play reducing the number of total employees at the company in the coming months, he said.

Call for pay cuts

TCIs Hohn has repeatedly urged Alphabet to reduce employee compensation. In his first letter, he criticized Alphabets median salary of $295,884 for being too high. Its 67% higher than Microsofts ($176,858) and far above the $117,055 median for 20 of the largest technology companies, according to figures he cited from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Management should also take the opportunity to address excessive employee compensation, Hohn wrote in the second letter. Competition for talent in the technology industry has fallen, which should allow Alphabet to cut pay without losing staff, he said.

Much of the employee compensation differential at Alphabet is down to stock options, according to Park.

Alphabets higher compensation doesnt necessarily come from base salary but from its offering of stock. Thats where that 50 to $100,000 delta exists between Alphabet and most of its peers, he said.

Hohn, in his letter, also alludes to stock-based compensation and urges Pichai to limit such form of compensation to employees.

At Deepwater, Munster agreed with Hohns assessment, saying Alphabet should reduce employee compensation to bring it close to what its peers are offering currently.
We are very happy to share the recollections of a member of our French organisation (Revolution), who was born in Moscow in the 1960s, and later moved to Paris, joining the PCF (Communist Party of France) and eventually the IMT. There, he discovered Trotskys writings, which accurately reflected the comrades experiences of the bureaucratic regime in the USSR. This is a fascinating insight into what life was really like in the USSR (both good and bad), and a personal testament to the correctness of Trotskys ideas.

Read the original in French here and here.

My youth in the USSR

I was born in the USSR in 1965, grew up there, and studied in the Brezhnev era. Leonid Brezhnev was the most-known figure of power. In each election, the ballot had only one name, and Brezhnev was re-elected with 99.9 percent of the vote. This gave rise to sarcastic remarks, in private: where are the 0.1 percent who voted against? Jokes targeting leaders of the regime and the KGB were very common, and were a form of passive protest.

At that time, the bureaucracy had not yet begun the process of restoring capitalism. Some of the gains of the October Revolution were still present, such as work for all, universal free medical care and education. These were very important achievements. For example, if someone fell ill at night, emergency services arrived quickly, gave first aid, and then transported the patient to the hospital. And all this, hospitalisation (whatever the duration), and all the care received, did not cost the patient a kopeck.

Nationalism

The bureaucratic nature of the regime manifested itself in a thousand and one ways. For example, the regime preached internationalism, in theory. But in practice, it conveyed a narrowly nationalist point of view. I remember a fairly significant incident in this regard. By the age of 9-10, Soviet school children became pioneers. We then wore a red scarf. One day, our school welcomed Cuban pioneers. Their delegation was large. But just before the meeting, we were strictly forbidden from exchanging our pioneer scarves with our Cuban comrades. However, the exchange of scarves was a tradition among the pioneers. The most daring Soviet pioneers braved the ban and traded. For us, Cuba was the symbol of resistance to American imperialism.

However, many grassroots Communists were very much internationalists, in contrast to the bureaucracy. In fact, people often stood up for me (my father was a Comorian) against the racist elements of the population, which unfortunately did exist. Racism was fueled by the regime's Great Russian nationalist propaganda.

The official history

The ideas of Marx, Engels and Lenin were part of the regimes official rhetoric. Our history lessons devoted a great deal of time to revolts and revolutions: the slave insurrection (led by Spartacus against Rome), the peasant wars of the Middle Ages, the bourgeois revolutions in England and France, the Paris Commune of 1871  and, of course, the October Revolution of 1917. But the bureaucracy had rewritten or torn out certain pages of the history of the October Revolution. For example, our lessons carefully avoided naming the main Bolshevik leaders of the revolution, for a simple reason: since the reign of Stalin, these leaders had almost all become enemies of the people in official propaganda!

Lessons in the USSR avoided naming the main Bolshevik leaders of the revolution, as they had become enemies of the people / Image: public domain

The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1956 condemned Stalin and the cult of personality. But under Brezhnev, there was a sort of rehabilitation of Stalin. Amongst the population there were always supporters of Stalin. This was the case for one of my history teachers in high school.

One day, one of my comrades took the floor to explain that if, at the start of the war against the Nazis, the Red Army had suffered terrible defeats, it was because they had not been prepared for war. The day before the Nazi invasion began, no action had been taken to put the Red Army on alert. Additionally, the most qualified military leaders, like Tukhachevsky, had been executed during the Stalinist purges at the end of the Thirties.

This was all correct, and many people said that in 1941 it was impossible not to realise that Hitler was concentrating troops on the other side of the German border. But these were truths that our teacher could not bear. She got very angry and exclaimed: It is easy to criticise today, forty years after the events!

This divide  for or against Stalin  was found at the university faculty. One day, when a history professor was showing us around the university library, he pointed to a bookshelf and said, Here are encyclopaedia volumes published in the Stalin era. They have zero historical value. We all understood that he advised us not to use them to prepare our presentations!

Economic stagnation

Despite the bureaucratisation of the regime and the enormous waste it generated, nationalisation and economic planning had torn Russia out of its semi-feudal quagmire. Under Stalin and Khrushchev, the Soviet economy had developed at much higher rates than the capitalist world could imagine. But at some stage, the bureaucracy became an absolute obstacle to the development of the productive forces. Under Brezhnev, the USSR entered the period of stagnation. The bureaucracy had completely exhausted the relatively progressive role it had been able to play. The dysfunctioning economy became unbearable.

Under Brezhnev, the USSR entered the period of stagnation / Image: The Central Intelligence Agency

This was particularly apparent in the area of agriculture, the Achilles heel of the Soviet economy. One day, when I was a student, our local secretary of the Communist Youth (Komsomol) addressed us over the amphitheatre microphone: Comrades, our leadership of the Communist Youth decided that we are to help the workers of the food storage centre. We were taken there by bus. This storage centre received trucks from kolkhozes (agricultural cooperatives), and our first job was to unload them. We loaded fresh cabbage from the collective farms into the bags. Then, other trucks came to pick up the goods and deliver them to stores. But rather than loading the fresh cabbages, the officials asked us to take other bags, containing rotting cabbages, to tear off the rotten leaves and load them into the trucks bound for stores. During this time, the bags of fresh cabbage that had just been unloaded remained in the open air, rotting

In the same storage centre, we were then asked to package potatoes. However, we were given bags of half-rotten potatoes and bags containing undamaged potatoes in equal quantities. The manager asked us, without blinking, to mix the fresh potatoes and the rotten ones in the same packages. Shocked by this absurd instruction, a number of us didnt strictly apply it. Instead of mixing the two types of potatoes, we would fill every other package with rotten potatoes, but covered them with a healthy row (because we knew that most suspicious Soviets would lift the first row before buying). Wed fill the other package with fresh produce only.

Other students followed the instructions to the letter and bragged about it, without thinking about how they were cheating ordinary workers like their own parents. But this form of cynicism was itself a consequence of bureaucracy. If the Soviets had real power, many students would have been willing to participate. They would have proposed their solutions, such as the construction of new refrigerated hangars, a better connection between the collective farms and the stores, etc. But because the bureaucracy held all the power and nobody wanted to create problems for themselves, many people were content to follow their immediate and personal interests. This laid the political and moral foundations for the restoration of capitalism later on.

Moving to Paris and discovering Trotskys writings

I lived in the Soviet Union until 1985, and I studied at Moscow State University. From the 20th Congress of the CPSU, in 1956, we were no longer taught certain crude falsehoods, such as those which attributed a prominent role to Stalin in the revolution of 1917 and the Civil War. Having said that, the official line was complicit in a certain rehabilitation of Stalin. Above all, our history textbooks always referred to Leon Trotsky as an anti-Bolshevik who had fought against the peace of Brest-Litovsk, and who had been guilty of the crazy idea of permanent revolution. They also denounced his alleged tendency toward terror. I remember one of our history teachers telling us that Trotskys ideas had been put into practice in China during the Cultural Revolution and the terror that followed.

USSR history textbooks always referred to Leon Trotsky as an anti-Bolshevik, and denounced his ideas /Image: public domain

We were taught Lenin's political testament, but the censors omitted certain passages, including the one in which Lenin writes of Trotsky: personally, he is undoubtedly the most capable man of the current Central Committee. This radically changed our appreciation of Trotsky.

The official history, as it was taught to us, did not correspond at all to what my grandparents, who had experienced the revolution of 1917 and the Civil War, told me. My grandfather, from a very poor family, had joined the Bolshevik Party during the revolution of 1917. During the Civil War, he was first a Red Guard, before being entrusted with running a theatre company that was agitating amongst the soldiers of the Red Army.

My grandparents told me that, at the time of the October Revolution and the Civil War, Lenin and Trotsky were the most famous people in the population. My grandfather added that Trotsky was a remarkable speaker. He also said that, during this revolutionary era, the press was remarkably honest. During the Russian Revolution, the communist press was the expression of popular democracy. In The Revolution Betrayed, Trotsky speaks of the revolutionary era in these terms:

While the dictatorship had a seething mass-basis and a prospect of world revolution, it had no fear of experiments, searching, the struggle of schools, for it understood that only in this way could a new cultural epoch be prepared. The popular masses were still quivering in every fibre, and were thinking aloud for the first time in a thousand years.

In the USSR, two major events were in the spotlight: the October Revolution of 1917 (celebrated on 7 November) and the formation of the Red Army on 23 February 1918. However, at the time, it was unknown how closely Trotskys name is related to these two events. In 1917, Trotsky chaired the Revolutionary Military Committee, which prepared for the October uprising and the taking of the Winter Palace. As People's Commissar of War from 1918 to 1922, he was also the creator and leader of the Red Army.

The reality of life in the USSR was mixed. On the one hand, there were great social achievements, such as free medical care, compulsory free education, which was, despite everything, of a good standard, and work for all, that is to say effective full employment. But at the same time, there were no elections: the Soviets did not hold power. Like under the Tsarist regime, antisemitism was rampant, for instance. It took the form of hiring discrimination in certain occupations and promotion in political bodies. Antisemitism even spilled over into the press, which officially professed internationalism. Discrimination is a plague known in all capitalist countries, but it was shocking to see it flourish in a workers state.

I arrived in France in 1985. Disillusioned by my experience of official communism, I did not think of getting involved politically, at first. I even believed in the benefits of capitalism with a human face. But the reality of French life and capitalism pushed me to join the PCF (French Communist Party) in 1988. However, I only discovered Trotskys writings in 2006, thanks to my comrades of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT). The first of his books that I read was The Revolution Betrayed, which made a huge impression on me.

In this book, Trotsky provides an explanation for the bureaucratic degeneration of the Soviet Union. After the revolution, the USSR was an isolated workers state, where the working class was largely in the minority against the peasantry, which represented 90 percent of the population. Salvation could only come from the victory of workers in an advanced country. But this victory did not take place. The defeat of the German Revolutions of 1918 and 1923, in particular, was decisive. The isolation of the Russian Revolution in conditions of extreme economic and cultural backwardness allowed the bureaucracy to usurp power. The Stalinist years were accompanied by the elimination of revolutionaries from all positions of power.

Trotsky noted in his time that capitalism would not be satisfied with a half-victory over communism, that is to say, with having to deal with a deformed workers state. Capitalism needed total victory, that is, the restoration of capitalism in Russia. The accuracy of Trotskys analysis is evident today. He also wrote that the restoration of capitalism would be accompanied by a spectacular economic and cultural collapse. This is exactly what happened. By 2000, the industrial production of the Russian economy had fallen to 60 percent of the level of the Soviet era, and the decline was equally dreadful in the other Republics of the former USSR. This fall was accompanied by black reaction in the field of political thought: Marxist ideas are false; the working class cannot build a classless society; rich and poor are needed, etc. Religious obscurantism, racism and antisemitism have exploded. As one of my Russian friends sadly wrote to me, it was like a fire in a madhouse.

In The Revolution Betrayed, there is the following passage, on youth:

All revolutionary parties, to begin with, draw support from the young generation of the rising class. Political senility is expressed in the loss of capacity to sweep the youth along.

When I read these lines for the first time, I remembered all the ambitious young people I knew in the USSR, for whom politics was reduced to the prospect of making a career. Revolutionary ideas were good in their eyes only for public meetings. It was enough to hear privately from our Communist Youth leaders to understand that they did not believe it. Among them, cynicism prevailed. Some were out-and-out xenophobes and antisemites. Rejected by this suffocating atmosphere, the most honest young people did not push their political commitment very far.

For its part, the bureaucracy made sure to promote only young people in its image. No wonder all these ambitious young people espoused ultra-liberal ideas after the fall of the USSR!

Citizens of the USSR who went abroad had to sign a charter on the behaviour of a Soviet [citizen] outside the country, in which a paragraph formally prohibited Soviet citizens from participating in political demonstrations, even those organised by foreign communist parties. For some, this was no problem. But one can imagine how it disturbed all those who believed in international communist solidarity. We were asked to be wary of the western communists, on the pretext that the latter were facing capitalist propaganda, and were therefore not very safe. The bureaucrats who dictated these orders to us have long since done a 180-degree turn: they fervently serve the capitalists! When I lived in the Soviet Union, it became clear that the bureaucracy felt drawn to the lifestyle and privileges of the western capitalist classes.

The confrontation of ideas and political debate were not to the taste of bureaucracy. Certainly, mass repression, with its deportations and mass executions, stopped with the death of Stalin. The 20th Congress of the CPSU rehabilitated many Bolsheviks  with the exception of Trotsky, to whom official history continued to attribute adventurist and ultimately counter-revolutionary ideas and strategy. This is no doubt because his ideas continued to harm the bureaucracy and its power. Trotsky continued to embody the possibility that Soviet workers would move to demand the safeguarding of the gains of the October Revolution and the power of the Soviets. His writings were forbidden because his ideas gave food for thought to the working class and left-wing intellectuals who did not want the pure and simple return of capitalism  and who are today the victims of its restoration.

On this point, world capitalism and bureaucracy had the same interests, and it was ultimately the bureaucracy that restored capitalism, exactly as Trotsky predicted would happen if that bureaucracy maintained itself in power.

In conclusion, I would say that the correctness of Trotskys analysis comes from Marxism itself, of which Trotsky simply  but with genius  applied the method to the events of his time. It is an effective argument against all those who claim that Marxism is dead. The strength of Marxism is the scientific method applied to the evolution of society. Armed with this method, I am confident that the working class will overthrow capitalism and replace it with a classless society.
Microsoft on Tuesday said it expects the growth across its cloud business to temper down through 2023 as enterprises brace for economic headwinds.

The Windows-maker reported 29% growth in total cloud revenue to $21.5 billion for the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, slowing from Q1, 2023 where the company posted 31% growth for the segment. These numbers exclude the impact of currency fluctuations. Microsoft said it expects its third quarter cloud gross margin to decrease by one percentage point, driven by Azure.

Microsoft Azure and other cloud services grew 38% in constant currency terms on a year-on-year basis, slowing down by 4% from the previous sequential quarter.

As I noted earlier, we exited Q2 with Azure growth in the mid-30s in constant currency. And from that, we expect Q3 growth to decelerate roughly four to five points in constant currency, Amy Hood, chief financial officer at Microsoft, said during an earnings call.

The growth in cloud number is expected to slow down further through the year, warned Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella.

As I meet with customers and partners, a few things are increasingly clear. Just as we saw customers accelerate their digital spend during the pandemic, we are now seeing them optimize that spend, Nadella said during the earnings call, adding that enterprises were exercising caution in spending on cloud.

Explaining further about enterprises optimizing their spend, Nadella said that enterprises wanted to get the maximum return on their investment and save expenses to put into new workloads.

at some point, the optimizations will end. In fact, the money that they save in any optimization of any workload is what they will invest into new workloads, Nadella said, adding that Microsoft was getting ready to ensure that it gets a large pie of the spend on new workloads.

Nadella asserted that the optimization phase for enterprises was temporary and was expected to last about a year.

The companys financial results weakened through December, and geographically the US performed weaker than expectations, Hood said, according to the earnings call transcript.

Microsoft has also scaled back its outlook for other segments of the business for the next quarter.

Within the segments, we anticipate roughly four points of negative impact on revenue growth in Productivity and Business Processes, three points in Intelligent Cloud, and two points in More Personal Computing, Hood said.

In our Consumer business, Windows OEM and devices will see continued declines as the PC market returns to pre-pandemic levels. And LinkedIn and search will be impacted as ad market spending remains a bit cautious, the CFO added.

Microsoft to bet heavily on AI

Nadella, during the earnings call, made it clear that Microsoft was betting on infusing AI into all of its products and services as the company believes that artificial intelligence will be in demand across enterprises.

The age of AI is upon us, and Microsoft is powering it. We are witnessing non-linear improvements in capability of foundation models, which we are making available as platforms, Nadella said, adding that the company was positioned to capture new AI-based workloads.

Microsoft has been investing billions more into OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, and plans to roll out new enterprise services based on the companys generative AI products.

Other AI-based Microsoft products include GitHub Copilot and Azure ML services, which the company said has grown over 100% in revenue for the past five quarters.

Segment-wise results

Microsoft posted a total revenue of $52.7 billion for the reported quarter, an increase of 7% when compared to the corresponding quarter last year, without considering the effect of currency fluctuations. Net income for the company rose by just 1% year-on-year.

The company also took a charge of $1.2 billion during the quarter on expenses over severance, hardware-related impairment, and lease consolidation costs.

Across different segments, the company saw increase in revenue with the productivity and business processes unit posting total sales of $17 billion, up 13% in constant currency.

Revenue for LinkedIn, which is a part of the productivity division, increased 14% in constant currency.

However, revenue for personal computing division of the business declined 16% in constant currency to $14.2 billion. Several parts of the personal computing division, such as Xbox, Windows OEM and Windows Commercial products, registered a decrease of 8%, 39% and 3% respectively.

Devices revenue, which also forms a part of the personal computing division, showed a decrease of 34% in constant currency.
Text:



I request your urgent intervention in this case by fulfilling the following demands of the villagers:

Farmers should allow harvesting of the land, which is the outer periphery of the border fence, and can cultivate commercial crops like jute and corn.

The gate should be open for 12 hours in day time during the harvesting season.

Villagers need to access the CPWD road.

Adequate support like access to drinking water and electricity should be provided at the Indian territory which is on the other side of the fence.

BSF should provide monetary compensation for the poles dug on private property while acquiring the land illegally and forcefully.

BSF authority should duly compensate villagers for the loss they are incurring due to the prohibition by the BSF for not allowing the cultivation of commercial crops like jute and corn.

BSF authority should duly compensate villagers for the loss they are incurring due to their ineligibility to protect them from Bangladeshi miscreants who loot their finished farm produce from the field.

Henceforth, farmers will not do manual work, as slavery, for BSF.

Villagers should be allowed to use the CPWD road which BSF can not restrict them.

The Government of India and the Government of West Bengal should abide by the Chapter III of the Indian Constitution where the fundamental rights of Indian citizenry are enshrined.

Disciplinary action should be against the BSF Company Commander and all others for imposing illegal restrictions upon the villagers and harassing them.

BSF should not restrict the life and livelihood of the villagers, particularly of the farmers. They should provide the villagers with all sorts of agricultural support for which they can access drinking water and electricity. Agricultural income is the sole means of earning for the farmers. The unethical way BSF stopped them is to harvest maize and jute which will bring a stake to their livelihood either to migrate or they will seek alternative income opportunities. Ultimately, this is a loss to the state agri-production. Farmers need your help to resolve this impasse. Repeatedly, they seek your intervention for the resolution of the issue but that not happening of that them feel agitated, and frustrated. The DM, Uttar Dinajpur, is the head of the district, and the welfare of the people is one of your prime concerns, for which they informed you on 14th November 2022, and since then, no activities took place to stop this menace. My earnest request to you kindly look into the issue for an urgent resolution of the impasse where farmers live at the mercy of the frontline BSF security persons. Let me know for further information which Im happy to provide you. The plight of the villagers and denial of their proper livelihood practices is against Articles 6 (Right to Work), 7 (Right to enjoyment just and favorable condition of work), 9 (Right to Social Security), and 11 (Right to Adequate Standard of living) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Articles 13 and 17 of the UN declaration on the rights of peasants and Goal No. 8 and 16 of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) of the UN. In all these international instruments, the Government of India is a party and has taken a pledge to adhere.I request your urgent intervention in this case by fulfilling the following demands of the villagers:Agricultural income is the sole means of earning for the farmers. The unethical way BSF stopped them is to harvest maize and jute which will bring a stake to their livelihood either to migrate or they will seek alternative income opportunities. Ultimately, this is a loss to the state agri-production. Farmers need your help to resolve this impasse. Repeatedly, they seek your intervention for the resolution of the issue but that not happening of that them feel agitated, and frustrated. The DM, Uttar Dinajpur, is the head of the district, and the welfare of the people is one of your prime concerns, for which they informed you on 14th November 2022, and since then, no activities took place to stop this menace. My earnest request to you kindly look into the issue for an urgent resolution of the impasse where farmers live at the mercy of the frontline BSF security persons. Let me know for further information which Im happy to provide you.

In a representation to the additional chief secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal, a senior civil rights leader, protesting against the prohibitory order by the Border Security Force (BSF) on the farmers of Chaingor, Asmanhat and Matiadob villages, situated next to the borders with Bangladesh, has said that the action is causing a loss of Rs 1.80 crore of earnings to the villagers.Kirity Roy, secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), said, the unethical way in which BSF has stopped the farmers to harvest maize and jute would adversely affect their livelihood and they would be forced to migrate to seek alternative income opportunities. "Ultimately, this is a loss to the state agri-production", he added.Im writing this mail for your immediate attention to the situation where the farmers of Chaingor, Asmanhat, and Matiadob, under Chaingar Gram Panchayat, Police Station and Block Hemtabad whose livelihood is at stake because of the unethical restriction by the BSF BOP Chaingar 175 Battalion D Company.The villagers from the Chaingar, Asmanhat, and Matiadob, have to use border gates 35, 36, and 37, respectively, to access their farmland, nearly 1500 bighas which is outside of the border fence. This land is ideal for harvesting jute and corn, the most profitable crops. In aggregate, the village loses nearly Rs.1.80 crore of earnings, which can well pay off for their economic upliftment.On 5th November 2022, the SDO during inspection at the village had conveyed the people to lodge a complaint to the DM Uttar Dinajpur, about their ongoing issue along with others like Bangladeshi miscreants loot their farm produce, irregularity in the opening of border gate by BSF.On 14th November 2022, villagers submitted a mass petition to the DM, Uttar Dinajpur which he on 24th November 2022, then instructed the Commandant, 175 Bn, BSF Khagra Camp, Khagra, Bihar to take necessary steps to sort out the disputed issue in discussion with villagers and copy of the same forwarded to SDO, Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur. In earlier, the SDO Raiganj assured the villagers that they can harvest jute and corn at the inside periphery of the border fence but on the other side he will let them know that communication is yet to be.On 4th December 2022, at 10.30 am in Chingarh BOP, a meeting occurred with the presence of the villagers, the panchayat - pradhan & its members and the Company Commander Mr. Suvasish Sinha. The Company Commander in his authoritative voice, claimed to have a letter of the DM, Uttar Dinajpur, on the prohibition of harvesting jute and corn within 300 meters on either side of the border fence. While he failed to produce of the order to the villagers.On 5th December 2022, dissatisfied with the outcome of the meeting, villagers collectively wrote to the DM, Uttar Dinajpur, Uttar Dinajpur about the order to be made publicly for authenticity, otherwise they will move to the judiciary. Later, the DM, Uttar Dinajpur, instructed the BDO Hemtabad to have a meeting with the villagers in which BDO assured them, will take necessary actions to restrict BSF about their actions on the local populace.On 22nd December 2022, at 2 pm at Hemtabad BDO, SDO Raiganj, BLRO Hemtabad, OC of Hemtabad PS, and Commanding Officer of the BSF had a meeting with the presence of 150 villagers from Chainagar 1 Gram Panchayat - where villagers from Paharpur, Mohisagaon, Makorhat, Santara, Dharampur, Matiadob, Asmanhat, and Chainagar were present. During the meeting the Commanding Officer who claimed to have a copy of an order from the West Bengal government about the prohibition. In the meeting, those who spoke against the BSF, on the same day in the evening, BSF restricted their movements on the CPWD road.Some of the aggrieved villagers who have land outside of the fence:On 22nd December 2022, a letter issued to SDO copy to BDO by the agitated villagers of their issue which continues without any resolve.These whimsical actions and arbitrary restriction imposed by the Border Security Force personnel of Poriyal Border Outposts upon the villagers of Poriyal is not only challenging their life and livelihood but also violating Article 21 and Article 19 (1) (g) and 39(a) of the Constitution of India and Article 2, Article 12, and Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Johanna Wood was an armored crewman with Lord Strathconas Horse, a Canadian Army regiment. At first glance, Woods military role may seem incompatible with civilian work; theres not a lot of call for tank operators in private companies. But Wood believes her experience working in tanks gives her a significant edge as she enters the cybersecurity profession.

I was trained in reconnaissance, so Im already trained to look for threats, Im already trained to look for something thats unusual and that shouldnt be there. And its that reconnaissance mindset, looking for things that dont belong, that I find myself drawing on [in cybersecurity work], she says.

Wood, who served from 2007 to 2012, worked in public relations for several years after leaving the military. A full-time parent since 2017, she is now preparing for a cybersecurity career through training offered by the nonprofit Coding for Veterans. Wood initially thought about studying web development but changed course when her aptitude tests and a mentor suggested her skills and experience made her a good fit for the security profession.

Other veterans now working in cybersecurity have similar perspectives.

I know what I learned during my time in the Army was incredibly valuable to me, says Austin Berglas. Berglas served in the US Army for six years, rising to the rank of captain. He then worked in cybersecurity with the FBI and is now global head of professional services at BlueVoyant, where he leads incident response and forensic teams as well as consulting services.

Veterans understand discipline and teamwork

Berglas cites developing discipline, working on a specialized team, and knowing how to be a leader when you need to be a leader and a follower when you need to be a follower as particularly valuable takeaways from the military experience.

Lesley Carhart served 15 years in the US Air Force Reserve and is now director of incident response at Dragos. She says she, too, has felt the positive impact her military experience brings to her civilian cybersecurity work, explaining that as a veteran she developed a heightened recognition of the dangers posed by cyberattacks.

I have an awareness of the physical and real-life consequences [of a security incident]. Im conscious of what can go wrong in the real world, especially against critical infrastructure. Thats a big part of my thinking, she says.

Berglas and Carhart both have other veterans on their teams, and they advocate for other security chiefs to consider veterans as an important resource for talent. They and others say that military training and military experience provide veterans with perspectives valuable in cybersecurity and not as readily found in civilian professionals. Moreover, they say that doing more to train and recruit veterans into the profession could help ease the persistent talent shortage that plagues the cybersecurity field.

We should expand who we consider for cyber positions and realize that diversity creates better results, and one way to do that is to have a veteran workforce. And if you want to tap into that workforce, youre going to have to put a plan or program in place to recruit in the veteran space, says US Army veteran Curt Aubley, managing director and the US detect and respond leader with Deloittes Cyber & Strategic Risk practice.

Veterans have unique experience and skills

Security leaders say they see veterans approach cybersecurity work in subtle ways that set them apart from non-veterans. Berglas, for example, says veterans more readily grasp how cybersecurity is a national security interest. Im not saying that civilians dont feel that sense of protection of national interests, but when you have a vet, theres a deeper sense of understanding about what having [sensitive] information fall into malicious hands could do, he explains.

Security chiefs, hiring managers and veterans share a list of reasons why vets are a good fit for cybersecurity roles.

Vets are mission-focused with an ingrained sense of duty.

Many have had training in leadership and team building, so theyre used to both taking charge and working collaboratively,

Theyve been schooled to think on their feet, so they can take charge and work on their own.

Theyve had practice skilling up on the fly. They know how to deal with operational constraints, so they know how to think of solutions under a given set of circumstances, says Alex Spivakovsky, vice president of research at security software maker Pentera.

They have grit, either naturally or learned, as they need it to get through military training.

Theyve been trained to work under extreme pressure, an incredibly helpful experience when responding to cyber threats or escalating security incidents.

Those are all tangible skills you can put on your resume that other new professionals may not get in college, Carhart says.

Some service members just leaving the military may also already have security clearance, a time- and cost-saving bonus for firms that need workers with such clearance. Another bonus: they tend to have a strong network of other vets with similar skills whom they can recruit and recommend for jobs.

Ex-military candidates have broad experience

These are, of course, generalizations. Security executives and hiring managers stress that each candidateincluding a military veterancomes with his or her own unique mix of strengths and skills. They note, too, that they evaluate candidates as individuals; they wont hire someone simply because she or he is a veteran.

However, enterprise security leaders say military experience can put one candidate ahead of another with all else being equal for all the reasons shared above. We dont hire veterans with no cybersecurity experience, but we will put [resumes from veterans] higher in the stack. Its something we consider; its a plus, says Marc Vael, platform CISO for Packaging & Color Management at the global conglomerate Danaher and past board director for governance association ISACA.

Vael and others also acknowledge that non-veterans can also offer many of these traits and come with similar experiences and skills. However, they say theyre more confident that a veteran has cultivated these elements through his or her military experience.

As Spivakovsky says: Im not saying that civilians dont have these, but we know veterans do.

On the other hand, veterans often need additional training that civilians do not, according to multiple sources. For example, the military is very structured and hierarchical, and many of its roles are very specific and siloed; as a result, veterans often learn to work in ways that fit well with the flat, cross-functional organization structure that dominates the business landscape today.

Veterans also have to speak the language of business, letting go of the acronyms and lingo unique to the military. (Thats on top of learning to drop the tech and security jargon that businesspeople generally dont understand.)

They may also have to learn to work within the workflows and methodologies that are common in civilian organizations but not prevalent in the military. And they need to have the business knowledge, technical acumen and actual cybersecurity skills needed to do the work theyll be hired to do.

Retraining vets to enter the cybersecurity field

Not surprisingly, many veterans have worked in technology or cybersecurity during their military service. Vael worked in IT procurement during his service with the Belgian Royal Air Force in the early 1990s. Carhart worked in technology, too, ending her Air Force service as a section chief with cyber transport. Spivakovsky served with the Israel Defense Forces units responsible for protecting critical state infrastructure

Cybersecurity roles are far from the typical positions within the military, but a number of government and nonprofit organizations as well as corporate programs have sprung up in recent years to help veterans transition into security work.

The nonprofit Coding for Veterans in Canada is one such organization. Founded in 2019, it serves military veterans and family members as well as reservists and current serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces. In partnership with the University of Ottawas Professional Development Institute, Coding for Veterans offers an eight-month online course of study in either software development or cybersecurity.

Executive director Jeff Musson says the organization considered what industries would be a good fit for veterans and landed on technology and security. We draw mostly from artillery and infantry, and there isnt a civilian occupation related to those, but [veterans] are familiar with and have been around technology and they understand calculations, he says. Musson says the organization has a 90%-plus placement rate for program graduates, with pay averaging around $85,000 annually.

The UK-based nonprofit TechVets operates similarly. Launched in 2018, it serves as a bridge between military service and civilian employment by providing community, employment support and training.

Luke Spencer, who served in the British army from 2009 to 2019, leaving as a tank commander with the Royal Tank Regiment, decided during his last year of service to pursue a career in cybersecurity, saying another soldier had encouraged him to think about the profession. He found cybersecurity courses offered for free to veterans and then connected with TechVets to sharpen his skills and to network.

Spencer now works as a penetration tester with Cybaverse, a consulting and managed security service provider. He says TechVets and other such services are essential for helping him and other veterans enter the cybersecurity field.

Hiring managers also benefit, as organizations such as TechVets and Coding for Vets, bring needed workers into the profession. Theres not enough of the right people to fill all the roles for cybersecurity, and everyone is dipping into the same talent pool. But veterans have a core skill set that we see as very valuable, adds TechVets CEO James Murphy.

Elaine Hum, director of cybersecurity partnerships at Scotiabank in Canada, can attest to that. Like other employers, she says her company has been contending with a shortage of cybersecurity professionals for a while at the same time cyberattacks have become more complex. We have to build a pipeline of talent with diverse mindsets; we need all kinds of individuals, she says.

To do that, Hum's company has partnered with various institutions, including Coding for Vets, to diversify the candidates it recruits. Veteran candidates really provide a new perspective and new ways to address cyber issues, she adds. They have unique skills, and they also help create this diverse talent pipeline were seeking.
Organizations in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China have been recently facing attacks from Chinese threat actor DragonSpark. The threat actor was observed using the open-source tool SparkRAT for its attacks, according to a report by SentinelOne.

SparkRAT is multi-platform, feature-rich, and frequently updated with new features, making the remote access Trojan (RAT) attractive to threat actors.

DragonSpark was observed using Golang malware that interprets embedded GoLang source code at runtime as a technique for hindering static analysis and evading detection by static analysis mechanisms. This uncommon technique provides threat actors with yet another means to evade detection mechanisms by obfuscating malware implementations, SentinelOne noted.

The infrastructure for staging the payloads is located in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and Singapore, some of which belong to legitimate businesses. The command-and-control (C2) servers are situated in Hong Kong and the US, the cybersecurity firm noted.

Initial intrusion vector

The initial indicators of the DragonSpark attacks were the compromised web servers, and MySQL database servers exposed to the internet. Exposing MySQL servers to the internet is an infrastructure posture flaw that can lead to data breaches, credential theft, or lateral movement across networks, SentinelOne noted.

At the compromised server, researchers observed the use of China Chopper webshell, a webshell commonly used by Chinese threat actors. After gaining access to environments, the threat actor conducted a variety of malicious activities, such as lateral movement, privilege escalation, and deployment of malware and tools hosted at attacker-controlled infrastructure, the report said.

The threat actor was found to be using open-source tools such as SparkRAT, SharpToken, BadPotato, and GotoHTTP, which are developed by Chinese-speaking developers or Chinese vendors.

In addition to the tools above, the threat actor used two custom-built malware for executing malicious code: Shellcode loader, implemented in Python and delivered as a PyInstaller package, and m6699.exe, implemented in Golang, SentinelOne said.

The genesis of SparkRAT

SparkRAT is remote access Trojan developed by Chinese-speaking developer XZB-1248. The RAT is developed in Golang and released as open-source software. It supports Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems.

SparkRAT uses WebSocket protocol to communicate with the C2 server and features an upgrade system. This allows the RAT to automatically upgrade itself to the latest version available on the C2 server upon start-up by issuing an upgrade request. This is an HTTP POST request, with the commit query parameter storing the current version of the tool, researchers noted.

In the attacks analyzed by the researchers, the SparkRAT version used was built on November 1, 2022, and deployed 26 commands.

Since SparkRAT is a multi-platform and feature-rich tool, and is regularly updated with new features, we estimate that the RAT will remain attractive to cybercriminals and other threat actors in the future, researchers said.

DragonSpark also uses Golang-based m6699.exe, to interpret runtime encoded source code and launch a shellcode loader. This initial shellcode loader contacts the C2 server and executes the next-stage shellcode loader.

Likely a Chinese-speaking threat actor

Based on several indicators, the researchers say it is highly likely that DragonSpark is a Chinese-speaking threat actor. We are unable at this point to link DragonSpark to a specific threat actor due to lack of reliable actor-specific indicators. The actor may have espionage or cybercrime motivations, the researchers said.

In September 2022, researchers observed the Zegost malware communicating with the same C2 server that is being used by DragonSpark. Zegost malware is an info-stealer historically attributed to Chinese cybercriminals and has also been observed as part of espionage campaigns.

Research by Weibu Intelligence Agency claimed that Chinese cybercrime actor FinGhost was using Zegost malware and a variant of the sample used by DragonSpark.

The researchers also noted that the malware staging infrastructure is located exclusively in East AsiaTaiwan, Hong Kong, China, and Singapore, which is common amongst Chinese-speaking threat actors targeting victims in the region.

This evidence is consistent with our assessment that the DragonSpark attacks are highly likely orchestrated by a Chinese-speaking threat actor, SentinelOne noted.
Opinion: The Idaho murder investigation took the internet by storm, leading to misinformation and victim blaming running rampant among social media users.

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On Nov. 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students were found dead: Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21. The murders shocked not only the city of Moscow, Idaho, but the entire nation.

Murder suspect Bryan Kohburger, a 28-year-old Ph.D student at Washington State University, was arrested on Dec. 30, 2022. Much happened leading up to his arrest, as the investigation has been a whirlwind of information, rumors, false accusations and unshared reports.

People across the country grew heavily invested in the case, gathering most of their information through social media. Reddit, Twitter and TikTok became platforms for police updates and discussion. This created a whole new community on social media: true crime. At first, their engagement stemmed from genuine concern. However, users began victim blaming and spreading misinformation, prompting harm to the Idaho community.

Dylan Mortensen, one of the surviving victims, became the face to blame after the affidavits release. The report revealed details about Mortensen seeing the suspect in the house the night of the murder. Inevitably, the true crime community jumped to various conclusions; many put Mortensen at fault for not calling 911 sooner.

In a TikTok video by @Kingdee1.0, users commented Nah she [couldve done] better, not just lock the door and go back to sleep please, and Heard everything, yet didnt save her friends by calling 911. Another comment thread on @crimedivewithjess made false accusations, saying I imagine she was on heavy drugs or heavy alcohol. She doesnt care the way others would.

Olivia Niemi, a junior at the University of Idaho, knew all of the victims through mutual friends and classes. Being in Gamma Phi Beta, Niemi said they all played a big part in the Greek Life community. When the rumors began circulating, students responded in two different ways. One side was trying to stay silent and not get involved, and on the other side, a lot of people were sort of fighting back and reaching out and getting into arguments over social media to try to share the truth, Niemi said.

In the six weeks it took to arrest Kohburger, social media threw around all kinds of accusations. In a Fox 13 article, TikTok user Ashley Guillard accused Rebecca Scofield, an associate professor and chair of the history department at UIdaho. Scofield filed a lawsuit against Guillard, as her false statements put Scofields reputation and safety at risk.

Cases like Scofields took a lot of resources and time away from the actual investigation that the police were conducting. They were forced to look into different theories that people would come up with to be able to disprove them, Niemi said. Crime fanatics tried taking the investigation into their own hands, believing the police werent doing their job well enough. But in reality, the police were withholding information until they arrested a suspect.

Ultimately, the Idaho murder case took over social media due to its randomness. People connected to the investigation because it could have been any college student. It could have been anyone. And with that, their obsession was also out of fear.

I think [this investigation] shows the fine line between how social media can help and how it can really hinder a large case. Social media can do a lot in helping make sure a case doesnt die, Niemi said. However, it can also do a lot of damage to those directly involved. Its easy to forget this is a true story rather than a piece of fiction. The Idaho community is real, and they are grieving. False accusations hurt the healing process.

UIdaho adopted the slogan Stay Strong in hopes of bringing the community together throughout the investigation. From this investigation, I think we can learn how influential social media and the true crime community can be. We forget these victims are real people who experience grief and trauma. Moving forward, social media must be more conscious in how they engage and respond to life-changing events.
By Azernews

Laman Ismayilova

President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva has met with Head of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) Abdullah Eren as part of her visit to Ankara, Turkiye, Azernews reports.

During the meeting, Gunay Afandiyeva informed Abdullah Eren about the foundation's projects, events, and publications aimed at preserving the rich culture of the Turkic people.

She pointed out that the foundation has extensive ties with minorities of Turkic ethnicities living in different countries, adding that the headquarters of the organization hosted conferences and exhibitions with the participation of officials and community representatives.

Abdullah Eren praised the attention paid to the Turkic people by the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation.

He underlined that YTB primarily focuses on studies related to the Turkic nations with a common history and culture, adding that the institution is always ready to work with the organization.

The sides further discussed the prospects for mutual cooperation.

Initiated in 2012, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation focuses on the preservation of Turkic heritage in member countries as well as conducting projects in collaboration with partners in third nations.

The foundation provides assistance in the protection, study, and promotion of Turkic culture and heritage through supporting and funding various activities, projects, and programs.

The organization carries out its activities in cooperation with TURKSOY and the Turkic Academy.
PHILLIPSBURG, N.J.  An estimated 2,500 union workers protested during Tuesday mornings rush hour outside the Phillipsburg Commerce Park over the use of out-of-state labor.

Erin L. Murphy, principal of Opus Investments LLC, which is developing the former Ingersoll Rand property, called the unions protest premature and inappropriate. The only portion of the redevelopment that we have gone to bid on was for the demolition contractor.

She said officials chose Metro Industrial Wrecking & Environmental Contractors Inc. of Huntington Station, N.Y., out of 11 bidders for the demolition and asbestos abatement. She said the company has begun to raze some buildings on the 400-acre campus, which straddles Phillipsburg and Lopatcong Township.

Murphy was surprised by the protest. We dont know why they are protesting this when none of the other components is ready to begin, she said. I dont know who they [Metro] hire; we have nothing to do with the hiring process.

Murphy also said Metro Industrial tried to hire local people, and they didnt get any response.

Efforts to reach Metro Industrial were not immediately successful.

Phillipsburg Mayor Stephen Ellis said in a news release that the town cannot dictate that Opus hire union laborers. He said there is a written agreement between the town and Opus to make a best attempt to hire local, not necessarily union labor.

Ellis said he earlier helped negotiate with Opus officials and several union leaders about the contractor hiring a few union workers from one trade. The labor groups included International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 102 and Steamfitters Local 475, both of New Jersey.

A miscommunication, or misunderstanding, on the part of a union representative may have led to what appears to have become an open invitation to all unions that overwhelmed the plan, Ellis said.

Union leaders at IBEW and Steamfitters did not return telephone messages seeking comment.

Murphy said her company is an open shop, meaning it doesnt discriminate based on whether workers are union or nonunion. We hire the companies that are best qualified with the best numbers.

Lopatcong police Chief Jason Garcia said the protesters dispersed about 8:30 a.m. after beginning their march some three hours earlier from the Phillipsburg Mall, about a 11/2 miles east of the Commerce Center. He estimated the crowd at about 2,500 people, calling it quite a showing.

Garcia said nobody took responsibility for organizing the protest. But I must say the people I did speak with were easy to deal with and very respectful, he said. There certainly wasnt any type of public alarm.

He said police had to close one lane of Route 22 east to allow the workers to march.

I conveyed to them notice would have been nice, said Garcia. They said this was going to be a one-time deal.

Local and state officials have touted the redevelopment of the former Ingersoll Rand manufacturing site to revive the Phillipsburg-areas economy. In its heyday, Ingersoll Rand employed more than 4,000 workers who made compressors, pumps and other large equipment. During the last couple decades, most of the industrial campus went unused, leaving the area with an economic development double whammy of lost jobs and diminished taxes.

asalamone@mcall.com

610-820-6694
Mutiny at the BBC! Perhaps Netflix should produce a series if Auntie doesn't want to do one herself.

The mutineers would be, well, most journalists who work for the organisation, including those who have been recently speaking on air in sepulchral tones about an evidently very wicked man.

He is Richard Sharp, the chairman of the Beeb, and already a hate figure for many of its employees. One, he is a spectacularly rich former banker. Two, he is a Tory who donated 400,000 to the party. And, thirdly, he is a close friend of Boris Johnson, whom he calls 'Al', as only close friends do.

All very bad things to be, especially at the BBC. Mr Sharp, who has been chairman for nearly two years, was already a marked man before he committed the unpardonable sin that has filled the hearts of the Corporation's journalists with righteous anger.

He is Richard Sharp, the chairman of the Beeb, and already a hate figure for many of its employees

I wonder who could play Mr Sharp. In the old days, it would have been a shoo-in for Boris Karloff, but sadly he is no longer with us and hasn't been for some time. I expect Netflix will find someone.

And what, you may ask, is Mr Sharp's heinous crime? A close and rich friend of his, who happens also to be a distant cousin of Boris Johnson's, asked him whether 'Al' might welcome a loan to assuage his well-publicised financial problems.

He might do, replied Mr Sharp, to the wealthy friend, whose name is Sam Blyth. I'll have a word with Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary. Now at the time, Mr Sharp was doing some work at No 10  not for the money, of course, since he has so much of it  so he knew Mr Case well.

A conversation took place in which Mr Sharp reminded Mr Case that he had just put his name forward to be BBC chairman. Mr Blyth was contacted, and a loan was duly agreed, though possibly for less than the widely quoted figure of 800,000.

Former PM Boris Johnson is facing criticism over allegations of a conflict of interest involving BBC Chairman Richard Sharp

Where is the great crime? Mr Sharp didn't seek the loan, which had already been offered, nor did he benefit from it in any way. He was simply putting the improvident Mr Johnson together with his considerate relative.

His error  and I think it was an error  was not to mention his minor role during the selection process for the chairmanship of the BBC. Though Mr Case, who is, after all, the country's most senior civil servant, knew all about it.

Perhaps Mr Sharp had forgotten, or didn't think it relevant. It is surely absurd to suggest that he was given the job as a reward for having facilitated the loan.

No, Mr Sharp became chairman of the BBC partly because he is obviously very able, and also because he is rich, a Tory and a long-standing friend of Boris Johnson's. And to outraged souls pressing smelling salts to their disbelieving faces, I say: it was always so.

Mr Sharp became chairman of the BBC partly because he is obviously very able, and also because he is rich, a Tory and a long-standing friend of Boris Johnson's

In the early 2000s, when New Labour's sun shone brightly on the land, the Beeb's chairman, Gavyn Davies, was a party stalwart, while his wife was a private secretary of Gordon Brown's. Like Mr Sharp, oddly enough, Mr Davies had made a fortune at the rapacious American bank, Goldman Sachs.

The BBC director-general at the same time was Greg Dyke, who like Mr Davies was enormously rich. Mr Dyke had donated 55,000 to New Labour, and was a cheerleader of Tony Blair's.

Some of us grumbled, of course we did, especially about Mr Dyke because of his editorial role, but no one took a blind bit of notice. Ironically, both men were swept away by the Hutton Inquiry on the Iraq War, but that's another story.

My point is that the BBC's journalists didn't openly object when two Left-leaning panjandrums were set over them by the Labour government. Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner, have hypocritically wiped from their memories New Labour's far worse excesses.

What is extraordinary is that when the Tories won power with the Lib Dems in 2010 they continued to appoint Labour types to many key jobs in preference to their own people

New Labour didn't just bag the two senior roles at the BBC for its henchmen. Most quangos were run by its supporters. Throughout its 13-year rule, more than half of all appointees with declared affiliations were backers of Tony Blair or Gordon Brown. For seven years, more than 60 per cent were.

What is extraordinary is that when the Tories won power with the Lib Dems in 2010 they continued to appoint Labour types to many key jobs in preference to their own people, and did so even after winning an overall majority in 2015.

It was only after the 2019 election that the Tories finally made a concerted effort to appoint like-minded people to important jobs. Michael Grade was crowbarred into the chairmanship of Ofcom. Richard Sharp became chairman of the BBC, actually a job with very limited powers.

For many Leftish journalists at the Beeb, it is an offence against the natural order for a Tory ex-banker who is a friend of Boris Johnson's to be appointed to the most high-profile role at our national broadcaster.

The reported talk of mutiny reflects the continuing lack of political balance in BBC ranks. Who can doubt that, if Mr Sharp were of the Left, his minor errors would have been overlooked, and he wouldn't be in the process of being drummed out of the Corporation?

He is even being criticised for taking part in a job interview last year of Deborah Turness as the BBC's new head of news, though as her role includes a place on the board he was right to do so. Former BBC journalist Jon Sopel has wrongly suggested in a podcast that Mr Sharp was exerting Tory influence.

This was also a barely concealed attack on Ms Turness, who is seen by some at the BBC as an enemy of 'woke' in her mission to establish it as an impartial broadcaster which should command the trust of its audience.

Mr Sharp has also set himself up as a champion of impartiality. In an interview on Tuesday, he suggested that the BBC is 'world class when it comes to scrutinising and evaluating our impartiality'. That is highly debatable.

I happen to think that Conservative chairman Nadhim Zahawi has behaved improperly over his tax affairs, and will probably have to resign. Yet he hasn't received a fair hearing in the past few days from Auntie, who is excited by the prospect of Tory blood.

On Tuesday's Newsnight on BBC2, for example, former Tory malcontent Dominic Grieve and ex-head of the civil service cum Labour adviser Bob Kerslake were given free rein to blacken Mr Zahawi's name without any countervailing voice.

Impartial? I don't think so. The unfair treatment of Mr Zahawi shows how much work Richard Sharp, Deborah Turness and other senior executives at the Beeb have to do.

Mr Sharp wouldn't have been my choice in his job  I'd have preferred someone with experience of broadcasting  and I admit to having a personal prejudice against anyone who has worked for Goldman Sachs.

But he isn't a bad man, and he hasn't done anything bad. His mistakes have been grotesquely magnified by politically motivated people who simply can't bear the idea of a wealthy Tory being chairman of the BBC.
An 18-year-old woman who authorities said drove the getaway car in a 2014 Bethlehem attempted homicide will face trial in Northampton County Court.

Leah Cadwallader was arrested in November after police said she fled to Florida and remains in prison under $5 million bail in a shooting that nearly killed a man outside his South Side home.

Cadwallader waived her right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to commit homicide and to commit aggravated assault. A waiver typically acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to merit the charges.

Police have charged her boyfriend, 19-year-old Evan Castellanos, in the June 15 shooting. Castellanos remains in a Florida prison awaiting extradition. Castellanos, of Upper Macungie Township, is accused of attempted murder, aggravated assault and related conspiracy allegations.

Cadwalladers attorney, Jim Burke, declined to comment on whether his client may be offered a plea deal.

Castellanos and Cadwallader were charged in November in the shooting near Yosko Park after an investigation by the grand jury. The grand jurys presentment offered no motive for the shooting, though it identified Castellanos as a drug supplier.

Police said the pair fled Pennsylvania after the gunfire that wounded 19-year-old Anthony Berliner. Police said Berliner was hit in the chest and told police he heard a second bullet pass by his head as he ran away.

District Attorney John Morganelli has said investigators believe the shooting was drug-related.

pamela.lehman@mcall.com

Twitter @pamelalehman

610-820-6790
Britain is at war with Russia. It might seem incredible. Your politicians may not understand it. But believe me  Vladimir Putin thinks the friends of his enemies are the bitterest enemies of all.

Britain has loyally supported Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion last February. And the dictator will never forget or forgive you for it.

Today, many Mail readers might be worrying that, by increasing armed aid to Ukraine, Britain and Nato are escalating the risk of all-out war with Russia.

But you have to overcome that fear. Putin feeds on weakness.

BORIS BONDAREV: Britain is at war with Russia. It might seem incredible. Your politicians may not understand it

Thats why Boris Johnsons cri de coeur in the Mail this week was so vital.

In typically Shakespearean language, the former Prime Minister called on the West to stiffen its sinews. Thats just the spirit the world needs now.

I speak as a deeply patriotic Russian. For 20 years, I worked in the Russian diplomatic service, before resigning in disgust last May as a protest against the invasion  the only Russian diplomat to have done so thus far.

I see how deluded Putin and his henchmen are, and how they remain convinced, despite everything, that the West is too weak to resist their aggression.

But the truth is that for as long as Putin remains in power, Europe will never be safe from the threat of war with Russia, its state-backed terrorism or the spectre of nuclear annihilation it represents.

Thats why the fight must go on.

Putin holds thousands of strategic and long-range nuclear weapons in his arsenal. Their use might be unthinkable to you  but not to him and his cronies.

This devastating armoury threatens all Nato nations, especially the U.S., which has provided more supplies to President Zelensky in Kyiv than any other ally.

Britain has loyally supported Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion last February. And the dictator will never forget or forgive you for it. Putin is pictured on January 25

Germany, too, by agreeing this week to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks (matching the 14 Challengers sent by the United Kingdom), has taken a brave and irrevocable step.

Its a bold gesture. But Zelensky has made it clear that a couple of dozen tanks will not be enough. He needs at least 300.

The West has the capability to supply them  and it must do so without hesitation.

Why? Because this is not a small war. Putin can call up an almost limitless number of conscripts as cannon fodder.

But although he will throw away huge numbers of other mens lives, that is not the same as an army.

When the invasion began early last year, the world overestimated Russias strength.

Several of my colleagues at the Russian Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva believed the absurd claims of Putins generals that the special military operation would be over within 96 hours at most.

Now the West will take notice, they said with satisfaction. The Americans are cowards and the Europeans are weak. They do not dare oppose us.

That proved a delusion. Ukraine was doughty and defiant, and many Western leaders, with Boris Johnson at the forefront, swiftly demonstrated their resolve.

But now, despite the latest military offerings, that early determination is turning to complacency. Instead of pouring out support, even the UK is reluctant to commit all the assistance Kyiv needs. Germany hesitated for weeks before deciding to send its Leopard tanks.

Ukraine cannot afford such delays if it is to win. For now, it is defying the odds. It would be a terrible mistake to underestimate Russia this year  as it plans a devastating fresh offensive in the spring  as it was overestimated in 2022.

I made a similar mistake as Putin was preparing for war. I underestimated his capacity for crimes against humanity.

Throughout my career, Id had a growing sense that the corruption in my country would eventually overwhelm us. Ruled by a megalomaniac, fed on propaganda, with venality crippling every aspect of our economy, Russia was slowly being strangled.

But I believed in the resilience of the Russian people, and I hoped desperately that our country could recover  even if it took another 20 years and the rest of my career.

I was born in Moscow in 1980, into a deeply patriotic family. My grandfather had been a hero of the Soviet Union, a fearless general who led a Red Army rifle division against the invading Nazis during World War II, which we Russians call the Great Patriotic War.

Though I never knew him, he was an inspiring presence in our family: the stories of his courage had become legends. Thats why I felt so sickened when Russian troops marched into Ukraine last year.

In 1944, our army was one of liberation, driving out the fascist murderers. But now, in 2022, we were the invaders. My grandfather would have been appalled.

But unlike someone living in a democracy, I could not make a simple gesture of protest. If I spoke out, I would lose my job and be exiled from my country, which would never again be safe for me.

Zelensky has made it clear that a couple of dozen tanks will not be enough. He needs at least 300. Here Ukrainian servicemen fire a gun towards Russian positions on January 24

At the Mission in Geneva, I could tell no one how I felt. Fortunately, 20 years in diplomacy is good training for maintaining a professional smile. Perhaps some of my colleagues shared my unease, but we kept it from each other.

The only person I could trust with my secret was my wife, Stanislava. She, too, had been increasingly disillusioned: she worked in the semi-private sector, with connections in industries supplying the military complex, and the corruption and incompetence she encountered were blatant.

Last January she decided to quit, pre-empting my own decision.

She understood how frustrating I found it that my communiques to Moscow could never tell the truth. There were no open lies or fabrications, but facts had to be dressed in layers of cautious wording.

Putin hears only what he wants to hear, so no senior functionary ever wants to be told something that might displease the president.

At every layer of Russian officialdom, subordinates are chosen not on merit, but for their loyalty, often from among friends and family.

This, above all, is why the generals promised Putin that his invasion of Ukraine would be welcomed with cheers and flowers.

They half-believed it themselves  because it was dangerous to believe anything else.

The sooner they  as well as Putins kleptocrat friends  realise the war is lost, the sooner the dictator will be gone and his regime will crumble.

During the past few years, I have been repeatedly amazed to see how many diplomats  including some who have lived in the West for years  take it for granted that democracies are no different from Russia.

In the Kremlin and in Russian embassies, officials confidently claim that collective power and freedom are illusions.

They imagine Joe Biden can phone a state governor and issue orders, just like their own president does. They believe the judges do as the chief of police tells them, and that the chief of police is in the pay of organised gangs.

It was a huge relief for me to tell my boss that I could not condone the war in Ukraine. But before I could do that, Stanislava and I had to think of Simeon.

Simeon is our cat. He came to us as a stray kitten on the streets of Moscow, and early last year he was still in Russia, where friends were looking after him.

We were not prepared to leave him behind. After returning home to save him in early 2022, my wife found that all flights to Switzerland from Moscow had been halted. She flew instead to Kaliningrad, a Russian city between Lithuania and Poland, took a taxi to the border, and tried to cross on foot.

A Lithuanian guard turned her back, claiming our pets documents were not in order. The weather was bitterly cold, and it took two days before Stanislava was finally able to leave Russia.

She landed, exhausted, in Geneva  with our beloved Simeon.

In May, when we had done everything we could to secure our safety, I issued a statement, declaring my opposition to the war.

Yes, my wife and I are now in danger from Putin, but so is everyone in Europe. We all need to stop pretending: the continent is at war. Now all that matters is that the right side wins.

Boris Bondarev was a diplomat in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2002-22, latterly as a counsellor at the Russian Mission to the UN Office in Geneva.
Between 2016 and 2019, a shaven-headed thug by the name of Adam Graham carried out two violent rapes.

Graham  complete with facial tattoos akin to those sported by the boxer Mike Tyson, another convicted rapist  first appeared in the dock for these crimes in July 2019. But by the time this individual stood trial last week, a dramatic transformation had taken place.

The jury at Glasgow High Court was told that Adam Graham was a dead name (meaning one a transgender person is given at birth and no longer uses) and that the defendant was now a woman who went by the name of Isla Bryson. This led to the once-unthinkable spectacle of a prosecutor alleging that Isla had used her penis to commit a heinous rape.

This alone should be enough to demonstrate the chilling extent to which the legal profession has fallen victim to the clamour of trans activists. But what unfolded next was even more horrifying.

Between 2016 and 2019, a shaven-headed thug by the name of Adam Graham (pictured) carried out two violent rapes

The jury at Glasgow High Court was told that Adam Graham was a dead name and that the defendant was now a woman who went by the name of Isla Bryson (pictured). This led to the once-unthinkable spectacle of a prosecutor alleging that Isla had used her penis to commit a heinous rape

Nicola Sturgeon insists there's 'no automatic right' for convicted trans offenders to be sent to women's prisons: Click here to read more Clydebank rapist Bryson is in the segregation unit at Cornton Vale (pictured) for up to a month before being sentenced Advertisement

Cynical

Graham  the name I will be using throughout this article to describe a biological male, whatever his recent claims  has now been dispatched to an all-female prison, pending further assessment.

Graham is not the first trans woman to be housed in an all-female prison. But this is surely the most horrifying case of that kind. Not only does Graham have two convictions for rape  he began the process of gender-transition only after being charged.

This deeply suspicious timing has led SNP MP and barrister Joanna Cherry to suggest, entirely reasonably, that Graham had gamed the system while Grahams estranged wife has said that she thinks he is just bullsh*****g the authorities.

As far as I am concerned, it is nothing less than the cynical exploitation of a legal system that it is happy to sacrifice the welfare and safety of vulnerable female prisoners on the altar of trans rights.

How else to view it when a smirking Graham  now sporting a blonde wig and fake nails  chose to arrive at court on at least one occasion clad in tight leggings, through which his male genitalia was clearly visible?

One can only imagine how devastating this must have been for the two victims, who were already having to cope with the ignominy of their male-bodied rapist being referred to as she.

Not only does Graham have two convictions for rape  he began the process of gender-transition only after being charged

Self ID is not yet law anywhere in the UK. Even north of the border, Nicola Sturgeons controversial Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill  which would allow anyone over 16 to self-identify as the opposite sex without needing medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria  has not yet been legally ratified.

Yet those in the UK justice system are bending over backwards to accommodate the needs of trans-identified prisoners, despite startling evidence from the Ministry of Justice showing that a disproportionate number of these individuals are convicted sex offenders.

Of the 230 inmates in the UK currently living under a different gender identity, 97  some 42 per cent  are in jail for sex crimes. This compares to the 20 per cent of male prisoners who are sex offenders.

Isla Bryson, was previously known as Adam Graham and born a man. She began transitioning in 2020, aged 29

(The statistics do not show if the inmates are biological males living under a different gender as women or vice versa  although I would hazard a guess on the former, given that the overwhelming number of sex offences are committed by men.)

Among these jailed inmates living under a different gender identity are 44 who have been convicted of rape and 14 who forced underage children into sexual activity. Eleven were convicted of sexual assault and seven for possessing or making child abuse images.

These numbers are only likely to grow, given that the Ministry of Justice has also revealed a 17 per cent surge in trans prisoners in England and Wales during the past year alone.

Of course, this does not mean that trans people or those with gender dysphoria are somehow more likely to commit sex crimes. No: one does not have to be a world-weary cynic to suspect that many of these male-bodied inmates  like Graham, who said in evidence to the court that he experienced gender issues from the age of four  have adopted a new female identity to be housed in the less febrile environment of a womens prison.

Mens prisons are tough. But the argument that trans women would be more vulnerable in them than many other groups is short-sighted. What about very young or weak men, or those with serious physical and mental health problems? Should we place them all in womens prisons too?

Beyond the dry statistics, of course, lies a litany of abuse of vulnerable women dating back to 2017, a year after male-born trans prisoners were first allowed to request to transfer to womens jails in England and Wales.

The risks of this bold new policy were made immediately clear when convicted rapist Karen White  branded a highly manipulative predator by a judge  was moved to HMP New Hall in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and sexually assaulted two female inmates.

There have been several more offences since then. Eighteen months ago, I wrote in this newspaper about Amy Jones  not her real name  a vulnerable sexual abuse survivor who had been viciously assaulted at the all-female HMP Bronzefield prison in Surrey by a transgender woman called J.

Graham is not the first 'trans woman to be housed in an all-female prison. Pictured: Cornton Vale jail

Cornton Vale (pictured) is Scotland's only all-female prison, other jails have female wings

I married the man who became 'transgender' rapist Isla Bryson: Click here to read more Shonna Graham and Isla Bryson - then Adam Graham - on their wedding day Advertisement

Dangerous

J also enjoyed intimidating female prisoners by flashing his male genitalia.

Less than a year later, another male-bodied prisoner at Bronzefield was caught having sex with a young and vulnerable female prisoner, having got her drunk on prison hooch.

The same prisoner also committed a sexual assault against a second female inmate at Bronzefield and had allegedly been heard saying: I love p***y  why would I want to be in a mans prison?

Whats more, you only need to look across the Pond to understand how dangerous this growing trend could become.

The data suggests that there were some 5,000 transgender detainees in the US in 2020  mostly men who identified as women.

Back then, only about 15 of them were granted requests to serve their time in womens prisons.

Yet it emerged in October last year that in California alone, 334 male-to-female transitioners had asked to switch to womens prisons  with 43 of those requests approved and others under review.

This trajectory is deeply worrying. Most female prisoners, whatever their crimes, remain highly vulnerable.

Many are no strangers to sexual and domestic violence and coercive control.

Now, they are effectively being told that they must accept male-bodied offenders  often convicted sex criminals to boot  into their midst.

And the one thing that unites women the world over is a fear of male violence, particularly sexual violence.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (pictured oon Tuesday) insisted her reforms would not give predatory men more access to women

Predatory

Of course, most men are not  and never will be  sex offenders. And most trans people live their lives entirely blamelessly. But the risks are sufficient that, until now, the legal system has been weighted so that women can ensure access to single-sex facilities in changing rooms, hospitals, refuges and prisons.

Yet the fanatical pro-trans lobby continues to exert its dangerous grip on legislators. Never has this been more evident than last month, when members of the Scottish parliament chose to reject an amendment to the Gender Recognition Bill that would have ensured those charged with rape would be unable to obtain a gender recognition certificate to change sex.

Questioned on the issue, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon insisted her reforms would not give predatory men more access to women.

How hollow those words ring now, as twice-convicted rapist Adam Graham is held in Cornton Vale womens prison.

That Graham should be sitting there today is an insult to what I insist are his victims  and a blight on our justice system.
Delighted Ukrainians shared selfies on social media today in which they showed off their leopard-print clothes.

Women donned coats, tops and leggings. One soldier draped a blanket over his shoulders. A child apologised for only being able to find slippers.

The reason was simple: Germanys cautious chancellor, Olaf Scholz, had bowed to growing pressure at home and abroad to sanction the use of its Leopard 2 tanks in Kyivs existential struggle for survival against Vladimir Putins assault.

This move is a boost for Ukraine after 11 months of war. There are more than 2,000 of these German-designed tanks in the arsenals of 13 European nations, but it needed Berlins approval before any can head to the battlefront.

Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun (left) posed in a leopard-print shirt, while awaiting the decision on the Leopard tanks, while Victoria Yarkaya (right) posted a selfie in a leopard-print blouse with the tag 'Free the Leopards'

Ukrainian activists rally outside the German embassy in Tbilisi today to demand Germany to send Ukraine Leopard battle tanks

Ukraine's official Instagram account wrote: 'Put on your favourite leopard clothes and post a selfie with #FreeTheLeopards'

Scholz brazenly claimed Germany will always be pioneering support for Ukraine as he made his historic move to send 14 tanks to Ukraine and permit the likes of Finland and Poland to do the same.

The reality is rather different. Last week Britain offered 14 Challenger 2 tanks to prod others into action  but Scholz prevaricated, seeking to appease factions in his party and in Germany generally.

Bear in mind the last German chancellor from his Left-leaning Social Democratic Party was Gerhard Schroder, a close friend of Putin who has made millions promoting the Kremlin policies that left Europe so dependent on Russian energy.

Yet as Boris Johnson wrote in a passionate article for this newspaper on Tuesday, there were no grounds for delay.

Why are we not giving the Ukrainians all the help that they need, now, when they need it? he rightly asked, following a visit to Kyivs scarred suburbs. Just what the hell are we waiting for?

Ukrainian officials first asked for these tanks ten months ago, and it will be three more months until they are ready for combat operations. The US is also sending more than 31 M1 Abrams tanks.

One Instagram snap featured a Bichon Frise wearing leopard-print sunglasses while sitting on a matching blanket, with a banner #freetheleopards

Another meme on social media showed a man in a leopard-print jacket, with the hashtag #freetheleopards

These machines can make a difference, since they are faster and technologically superior to Ukraines Soviet-era tanks, while their guns are compatible with Nato ammunition at a time when supplies for their existing equipment are dwindling.

Time is critical, as both sides use winter to regroup ahead of expected spring offensives. Moscow is fortifying defences along the 600-mile front line, sending in freshly mobilised reserves and trying to fix tensions between its military chiefs and Wagner Group mercenaries. Ukraine is adjusting to the traditional Russian tactic of throwing waves of men into battle regardless of the losses, as it integrates Nato gear into its forces.

Yesterday, Kyiv confirmed it had pulled back from the shattered town of Soledar to preserve the lives of service personnel, with officials claiming their forces were confronting up to five times as many Russians. This underlines the scale of the challenge. Yet Ukraine remains confident of ultimate victory, with sufficient help.

Now we need to step up support. Kyiv needs fighter planes and longer-range missiles  especially ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) ammunition to use with the US-made HIMARS rocket launchers already in Ukraine.

These weapons could strike anywhere inside Ukraine  including Crimea  to disrupt Moscows logistics, sever supply lines and force ammunition dumps back.

A protester holds a sign that reads 'Free the leopards Olaf Scholz' in Berlin

A Ukrainian woman posted under the #freetheleopards on Twitter to celebrate Ukraine receiving Leopard 2 tanks from Germany

Although Germany had to be pushed into sending tanks, the West has again defied Putins expectations that the alliance backing Ukraine would crumble as war dragged on. Instead, widespread recognition that his bungled invasion was an assault not just on an independent nation, but on the very nature of European democracy is fuelling that support.

There are understandable fears of escalation. These are inflamed by the Kremlin, with blood-chilling warnings of nuclear war and absurd allegations that the despatch of Western tanks proves Russia is the victim of a pre-planned war.

But it is too late to worry: Ukraine is the proxy battleground between democracy and dictatorship. And this finally became clear to the West from the moment Russian missiles started raining down on Kyiv and Kharkiv last February.

Have no doubt the blame lies entirely with Putin, nor that defeat for Ukraine would be disastrous for democracies and our shared liberal values of freedom.

Few countries understand this better than those nations that threw off Moscows shackles three decades ago after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Take tiny Estonia, which has given more per capita than any other nation to aid Ukraines defence.

Estonians know from their painful history what happens when evil triumphs and a large country swallows up smaller ones, said prime minister Kaja Kallas. If Ukraine falls, freedom is in danger elsewhere in the world as well.

She is right. This is why we must ignore the fainthearts and Kremlin fellow travellers to focus on doing everything possible to speed up Putins defeat, halt his genocidal atrocities, preserve the global order  and send a warning to other despots.
According to the doctor, ill-fitting footwear can cause injuries and long-term issues, shoe design and quality matters, and you should shop for shoes at the end of the day after you've been on your feet for awhile

Board certified podiatrist and star of TLCs 'My Feet Are Killing Me', Dr. Brad Schaeffer, reveals everything you need to know about wearing heels without hurting your feet

found that women in high heels are perceived as being more physically attractive

A study done at Bucknell University found that women in high heels are perceived as being more sexually attractive, physically attractive, feminine, and of a higher status.

These findings can potentially have an effect on your day-to-day shoe decision-making process.

But before you reach for your tallest pair of stilettos, check out what board certified podiatrist and foot surgeon at Central Park SOLE and star of TLCs 'My Feet Are Killing Me', Dr. Brad Schaeffer, has to say to avoid the havoc heels can cause.

A study done at Bucknell University found that woman in high heels are perceived as being more sexually attractive, physically attractive, feminine, and of a higher status

Before you reach for your tallest pair of stilettos, board certified podiatrist, foot surgeon, and star of TLCs 'My Feet Are Killing Me', Dr. Brad Schaeffer, reveals everything you need to know

Fit is crucial

Almost all of us are guilty of choosing beauty over comfort and squeezing our precious tootsies into a pair of trendy shoes without thinking about the consequences.

According to the doctor, Ill-fitting shoes can cause injuries and long-term issues.

'You should have a bit of extra wiggle room (between a quarter inch and half an inch of space) in the front so that your toes are not scrunched together.

'You also want to make sure that you choose the size based on your largest foot since most people have one foot that is slightly larger than the other.'

Shoes that are too small or too big can wreak havoc on feet.

'Tight heels can lead to friction and poor circulation. Conversely, heels that are too loose, can cause your foot to slide around within the shoe.

'This can also cause friction-related problems and can do a number on your toes due to them repeatedly bumping into the front of your shoes.'

Models stormed the catwalk at the Georges Hobeika Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 on Monday January 23 in platform stiletto heels that measured at least 5 inches

Stay closer to the ground, your feet will thank you

Models stormed the catwalk at the Georges Hobeika Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 on Monday, January 23 in platform stiletto heels that measured at least 5 inches tall.

While the super high platform has become very popular with the fashion set, they are not for everyday, all-day wear.

'The higher the heel, the more strain they tend to put on your feet,' shares Dr. Brad.

'Some extremely high heeled shoes put ones feet in a straight drop down to the flatbed portion of the shoe.'

If you're new to walking in heels, the doctor and television star recommends a pair under three inches.

You get what you pay for - design and quality matter

Unlike other fashion categories, buying a fast fashion shoe could potentially cause health problems.

'Quality matters, opt for breathable materials that will prevent your feet from sweating too much, which can lead to friction and can ultimately cause painful sores or blisters.

He lent his expertise to Sole Bliss to help launch the footwear brand's first 6-inch heel called the Miracle Heel'

'If youre choosing leather heels, make sure to choose a higher quality leather. Heels that are made from lower quality, plastic-like materials make it harder for your feet to breathe. They also tend to be less flexible, which can lead to cuts and irritation.'

The podiatrist and surgeon recommends thicker heels (on platforms or wedges) as opposed to thin stilettos for comfort, support and stability.

He lent his expertise to Sole Bliss to help launch the footwear brand's first 6-inch heel called the Miracle Heel.

The style was worn by Julia Roberts at the Critics Choice awards, Viola Davis at the Golden Globes and Rebel Wilson at the AACTA awards

Common problems caused by heels

'One of the most common foot problems that I see in my office with women who wear heels often is Plantar Fasciitis, which is essentially an inflammation of the heel of your foot,' said Dr. Brad.

'We all have a rubber band-like structure, called the plantar fascia, on the bottom of our feet that attaches our heel bone to the front of our foot.

'When the plantar fascia becomes too tight, it can become inflamed and is very painful,' he explains.

Models walked the runway during the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 in sneaker slides

Mix it up and rotate your footwear

Dr. Brad believes that heels should not be worn for long periods of time.

'Its always a good idea to alternate between heels and flats or lower heels throughout the week to give your feet a rest.

'Try switching your shoes throughout the day so that youre not putting pressure on the balls of your feet, your arches, or your heels.'

Fortunately, in a post-covid world, stylish shoes are not limited to high heels.

The luxury designer sneaker market is booming and shows no sign of slowing down, with models walking the runway during the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 in sneaker slides.

For those that commute to work, the 'My Feet Are Killing Me' star suggests wearing sneakers or shoes with a thick sole, shock absorption and good arch support, to and from the office.

Happy feet require comfy toes

'No matter the height or pitch, the key is that you want the toes and front of your feet to have enough room to be comfortable, while the heel is being held snugly at the back of the shoe,' says the podiatrist.

'And I can never repeat this enough: your arches must be supported! The biggest problem with slope and pitch is ball of foot pain and associated fat pad atrophy.

'Another issue can be neuromas! This is a pinched nerve due to tight or poor fitting shoes/heels.'

For those that commute to work, Dr. Brad suggests wearing sneakers or shoes with a thick sole, shock absorption and good arch support, to and from the office. Pictured: Louis Vuitton

Wait until the end of the day to shop for shoes

They say shoes are like desserts, there's always room for one more. And while shoe shopping can sometimes provide an instant dopamine rush, you may want to consider when you shop for them.

'To make sure you are buying a shoe or heel that fits properly, consider shopping later in the day, after youve been on your feet for a while.

'This will give you a more accurate representation of the size of your foot,' says the doctor.

'Never buy a heel with the intent of breaking it in. That usually just means that the fit is not ideal. Trust your gut  your feet will thank you!'

Walking in heels is a workout, stretch it out

'It may seem obvious but massaging and stretching your legs and feet at the end of the day helps,' said the expert.

'For pain in your toes, rub in between each toe, it can help with circulation and usually alleviates some of the pain.

'Heels also cause a lot of strain on your tendons and your calf muscles so stretching those areas can help as well.'

To reduce inflammation, he recommends icing your feet for 5-20 minutes a day. To relieve sore muscles, draw a warm foot bath with Epsom salt, or apply a topical pain-relieving medication with a cooling ingredient like menthol or eucalyptus.

Cushioning for the win

Fashion rules state that shoes can make or break an outfit and that's especially true if you're in excruciating pain.

'Investing in some cushions and insoles can let you be stylish without compromising on comfort,' said the podiatrist and foot surgeon who favors Dr. Scholl's products.

'Cushions for the balls of your feet like Dr. Scholls Stylish Step Ball of Foot Cushions for High Heels are a great option. They can support your feet and help you avoid unnecessary friction. They can also help prevent chaffing and painful blisters or bunions.'

'Dr. Scholls Stylish Step Invisible Cushioning Insoles for High Heels have a cushioned arch support that helps shift pressure off the ball of the foot and flexes with every step. The invisible gel is discreet and perfect for open-toe heels or sandals.'
A loved-up couple is putting their love to the test by getting engaged despite living 8,697 miles apart and on different continents.

Luke Bond, 22, proposed to Sarah Dorough, 21, last month after just one year of dating.

The smitten pair met online in December 2021 and would FaceTime every day before finally meeting in July 2022 when Luke, from New Zealand, travelled for 32 hours to Sarah's home in Suffolk, Virginia.

Sarah then decided to return the favor and flew to see Luke's family for Christmas, where he popped the question.

The couple, who are both fitness instructors, are now set to wed next year and have plans of moving in together one day.

Luke Bond, 22, and Sarah Dorough, 21, got engaged last month after just one year of dating despite living 8,697 miles apart

The couple, who are both fitness instructors, are now set to wed next year and have plans of moving in together one day

Sarah said: 'Our relationship is exciting and adventurous. It is just all-round fun, loving and caring.

'I love that he is funny and kind, we have such strong communication and interest in each other.

'The biggest thing is trusting each other, especially when you're far away from each other, there is always going to be little thought that can pop into each other's head.

'Luke and I never have any concerns about what the other person is doing as we have that bond and trust.'

The pair met on Instagram in December 2021 after bonding over their mutual interest in fitness.

Sarah said: 'He was asking me some questions about fitness as he is also doing personal training.

'The next time he reached out I felt like I kind of knew him, which made me a little more comfortable but also he was asking about my faith and Christianity.

'He was more genuine and asking about bible verses and stuff like that.'

After going long-distance dating for a few months, the pair finally met in July when Luke flew over to the States to see Sarah and officially ask her to be his girlfriend.

She said: 'We would talk around two times every day and talk for a long time and making it work with the time zones is hard.

'We were already invested in each other from the call, so from there that's when we were like if we are going to move forward and have a relationship we need to meet in person as we don't want to be online together.

'When I first met Luke in person it almost felt like a dream.

Luke got down on one knee after taking Sarah to a 'special spot' while on a kayak ride in Lake Taupo

Sarah said her family expected the pair to get into a relationship and get engaged - adding that they were not shocked

'An experience I haven't ever felt before, that first hug was something we had waited so long for, so you can only imagine how exciting that moment was when we ran up to each other and gave each other a hug.

'To this day that moment still blows my mind.'

They both considered the 8,697 miles between them but couldn't ignore how they felt about each other.

Later that year, Sarah flew out to Wellington, New Zealand, to spend Christmas with Luke and his family when the group went on a camping trip in Lake Taupo.

It was there that he got down on one knee after taking Sarah to a 'special spot' while on a kayak ride.

Sarah said: 'It was super exciting, this was something we had to work out - whether we do want to spend our lives together - we did figure that out because we don't want to keep travelling back and forth.

'I knew it was coming but I wasn't exactly sure the day, it was really amazing - such a special moment.'

Sarah said her family expected the pair to get into a relationship and get engaged - adding that they were not shocked.

She said: 'I think everyone knew, ever since he was coming all the way from the other side of the world to see me - most people knew it was coming.'

The next time the pair will meet is in April when Luke is planning a trip to the US to see Sarah and her family once again

Sarah said her and Luke's (pictured together) relationship works so well as they have trust in each other and communicate but it can be hard from time to time

Marking the occasion on her Instagram account, where she has more than 100,000 followers, Sarah wrote: 'Found my forever best friend.

'I always prayed for a relationship like this. One that is healthy, joyful, and strong. Forever thankful that I waited for the right guy because life is so much better with him in it.

'The distance brings challenges, but we have grown so close through everything. We dated with a purpose both knowing what our intentions were, to spend a future together.

'This engagement is a commitment to each other. No matter what gets thrown our way through the time apart, we are tied together. It's gonna be a journey, but a journey worth the fight.'

Luke too shared his own post which read: 'Saying goodbye to you never gets any easier. Even though I'm in my "sad boy" feels right now it doesn't change the fact that I'm so thankful.

'Thankful to God, You, and for our time together - yes our time has been short in the long scale of things yet it's all I needed to realize that you're the love of my life.

'Can't wait for the day when the distance, different time zones, and the bad reception FaceTimes will be no more.

'See you soon fiance. (P.s I feel so cool calling you my fiance).'

The next time the pair will meet is in April when Luke is planning a trip to the US to see Sarah and her family once again.

Sarah said her and Luke's relationship works so well as they have trust in each other and communicate but it can be hard from time to time.

She said: 'We really struggle but we also have a few things that we do to make the long-distance better, like having proper communication, prioritizing our calls and having trust in each other - we really trust each other.

'Communication is important, making sure that you really understand and talk through what you're going through because you are not there with the person a lot of times so you're going day to day about what is going on and walking each other through those steps.'
An unsuspecting teenager only discovered she was pregnant when she was five centimetres dilated and in labour - after having no bump, sickness or cravings.

Bri Blanton, 18, from South Carolina, was rushed to hospital by her mother, Jennifer Blackwell, 36, when she woke up doubled over in pain.

The teen - who thought she had wet herself - was told her waters had in fact broken and that she was pregnant and in labour.

Bri had to quickly adjust to the idea of becoming a mother before giving birth to her little girl, Oakleigh, just two hours later.

Bri, 18, had been in a bikini at eight months pregnant with no bump and even did a negative pregnancy test, her mother said

Despite having had no baby bump or pregnancy symptoms. Bri now loves being a mother to Oakleigh, who is four months old.

Bri, who works as a nanny, said: 'I woke up early and thought I had wet myself. I was doubled over in pain.

'When they told me I was pregnant and giving birth I was in complete shock.

'I kept saying to my mom: "This isn't possible".

Bri Blanton (pictured) didn't know she was pregnant until just two hours before she gave birth to daughter Oakleigh (pictured) in September

Despite having no baby bump or pregnancy symptoms, Bri now loves being a mother to Oakleigh, who is four months old

'They put her on me after she was born, and my mom said I looked like a deer in the headlights looking at her.

'It took me a good four hours after she was born to calm down.

'I told my friends I'd had a baby and they were like "but you weren't pregnant last week."

'They couldn't believe it.'

The young mother was pregnant in this picture, but had no idea. Her mother, Jennifer Blackwell, said her daughter fit into her prom dress at five months pregnant

Bri's mother Jennifer, a branch manager for a care home agency said: 'To us it was like she went to bed and woke up pregnant.

'She'd been in a bikini at eight months pregnant with no bump and even did a negative pregnancy test. We had no idea.

'But Oakleigh is a blessing. Watching Bri be a mom is really beautiful.'

Bri had no pregnancy symptoms and had carried on with her active lifestyle - riding, fishing and hunting - unaware she was expecting.

Bri's 36-year-old mother said that 'Oakleigh is a blessing' and that 'watching Bri be a mom is really beautiful'

'We bought her prom dress four months before and it fit like a glove,' Jennifer said.

'It still fit perfectly on the day of her prom, but she would have been five months pregnant.'

Jennifer suspected something might be wrong when Bri vomited after a heavy meal over the summer, and she got her daughter to do a pregnancy test.

'She took the test in front of me,' Jennifer said.

'It said negative, so I was like "phew". We didn't think about it again.'

When Bri woke up at 4.30am on September 8 last year, with water all over her, she thought she had wet the bed.

Bri didn't have long to get used to the idea of being a mother and said that she looked like a 'deer in the headlights' when she first held her baby

Jennifer said of Oakleigh: 'Her facial expressions are everything. She smiles and laughs all the time'

She suddenly doubled over in pain and rushed to get her mother's help.

'I was freaking out,' Jennifer said.

'I had no idea what was wrong with my kid.'

Jennifer took Bri to Spartanburg Medical Centre in South Carolina and her daughter explained her symptoms to a nurse.

'The nurse asked if she could check Bri's cervix,' Jennifer said.

Bri was taken to the delivery suite and was in labour for two hours before giving birth to 7lbs 4oz Oakleigh at 7.36am, on September 8

'Then the nurse looked at me really eyes wide and said: 'She's dilated and in labour.'

'I was worried for her because she was about to have a baby that she wasn't prepared for.

'We didn't have anything at home for a baby.'

Bri was taken to the delivery suite and was in labour for two hours before giving birth to 7lbs 4oz Oakleigh at 7.36am, on September 8.

After her labour, Bri and Oakleigh (centre) went home to meet Bri's siblings - Mckenzie, 19, (left) and Colton, eight (right)

It took a few hours for Bri to get over her initial shock, but once she did Jennifer said her maternal instincts kicked in.

Bri and Oakleigh stayed in hospital for 48 hours to make sure they were both OK before they were able to come home to meet Bri's siblings - Mckenzie, 19, and Colton, eight.

'For me it was a full circle moment as I had Bri when I was 17,' Jennifer said.

'It was lovely to see how people showed up for Bri and didn't shun her.

'I had felt judged.'

After the initial shock of becoming a mother, Jennifer says Bri is now 'the best mom' to her little girl

Now Oakleigh is four months old, and Jennifer is proud of the mother Bri has become.

'She's hands down the best mom,' she said.

'Oakleigh has got us all wrapped around her little finger. Her facial expressions are everything.

'She smiles and laughs all the time. She's a very happy girl.'
Princess Azemah of Brunei tied the knot in extravagant fashion as her and her new husband kicked off their week of wedding celebrations.

The bride, 38, and her new husband Prince Bahar ibni Jefri Bolkiah - who is her first cousin - held their various ceremonies at her father's official residence Istana Nurul Iman in Bandar Seri Begawan earlier this month.

After billionaire Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, 76, gave his formal blessing, the couple's wedding week began on January 11 with the Royal Powdering Ceremony.

The traditional service - which was held at the Balai Singgahsana Indera Buana on the palace grounds - involves the couple's family blessing them with coloured rice power and rubbing scented oils into their hands to wish them well.

Newlyweds Princess Azemah of Brunei ad her husband Prince Bahar ibni Jefri Bolkiah following their official wedding reception

For this event, the bride dazzled in a fuscia pink full-length dress and gold jewellery to offset her crown.

Following this, the couple then held their their Islamic ceremony at the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, which is one of Brunei's national landmarks.

The ceremony, held at the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, saw the groom pronounce his vows in front of an all-male group of attendees, including the Sultan, who acted as his daughter's representative at the wedding.

After they had officially tying the knot, the Sultan also a reception at his residence for guests.

The couple's week of wedding celebrations began with a Royal Powdering Ceremony, which was held in the grounds of the billionaire Sultan's home

The service involves the couple's family blessing them with coloured rice power and rubbing scented oils into their hands to wish them well

For this event, Azemar dazzled in a sparkling ivory long-sleeved dress with a mermaid skirt.

The bride kept her hair mostly hidden under a matching glittering veil and finished off her look with a silver tiara and sparkly bouquet of faux flowers.

Meanwhile, her husband matched her outfit perfectly in a white military uniform for the occasion.

Sharing snippets from the week on Instagram, Azemah's brother Prince Abdul Mateen wrote: 'So happy for my dearest big sister and BJB.'

The bride bows to her stepmother during her official wedding ceremony in Brunei earlier this month

The newlyweds pose with guests after their first wedding reception. The bride dazzled in a glittering white gown with mermaid-style skirt and matching veil

The couple held their their Islamic ceremony at the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque (pictured), which is one of Brunei's national landmarks

The Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah pictured with his son Prince Abdul Mateen attending the Queen's funeral in September 2022

Princess Azemah is the Sultan's fifth daughter. Last year, the bride's younger sister Fadzillah Lubabul married Awang Abdullah Nabil Mahmoud Al-Hashim.

Kingston University graduate Princess Fadzillah, the ninth of the sultan's 12 children, is captain of the Brunei national netball team and healthcare campaigner who stays largely out of the spotlight.

The newlyweds also have a sister, Azemah Ni'matul Bolkiah, 37, and brother Prince Azim, who died in 2020 aged 38.

Following the Queen's death last September, the Sultan of Brunei became the world's longest-serving living monarch.
A woman who's reached her milestone 100th birthday says the secret of longevity has been avoiding strange men - and working with children to keep her young at heart.

Olive Westerman, from South Kirby, West Yorkshire, spent much of her life travelling the world by the side of her late husband Sam, who worked as a writer and travel clerk, and lived in Singapore for three years.

The couple didn't have children and dedicated their days to seeing the globe.

Centenarian Olive Westerman, from West Yorkshire, has just marked her 100th birthday - celebrating at her care home with an afternoon tea

When asked about how she's lived such a long life, she also said that her job as a nursery nurse had kept her young at heart.

The centenarian celebrated her 100th birthday with an afternoon tea with her fellow care home residents.

And in a touching moment, staff carried on the tradition her late husband Sam started by gifting her a bottle of Estee Lauder perfume for the big day.

The 100-year-old spent her life travelling with her late husband Sam, and says that 'avoiding talking to strange men' has helped with her longevity

Olive from South Kirby, West Yorkshire offered her words of wisdom for longevity, and apparently not speaking to men you don't know is the way forward: 'Avoid talking to strange men and you'll be just fine.

'I think that the best advice I could give is simply to be happy and content to be alive, and to make the most of what you have.

'Over the years I have spent a lot of time working with children, and this will certainly help to keep you young at heart!

'I actually can't believe I'm now 100, but it feels amazing. I was absolutely thrilled to receive a card from King Charles and Camilla.'

Working with children is another tip, says Olive, because they keep you young

Olive turned 100 on 16 January 2022 at Deewater Grange residential home in Chester and enjoyed a high tea at Inglewood Manor.

The centenarian is well known at the home for her sense of humour and love of travelling.

She said: 'I have spent some time living overseas and my favourite place to live was Singapore - I loved it there.

'It was such an interesting and exciting place to be, and so different from England.'

Olive added: 'Me and my husband met at the local church we used to attend every Sunday. We got chatting one day after mass and we hit it off immediately.

'What I loved about him most was his kind and gentle nature, and the fact he was always trying to help others.'
Pregnant Princess Eugenie showed off her growing bump as she stepped out for dinner at the Chiltern Firehouse in London.

The 32-year-old royal, who is expecting her second child with her husband of four years Jack Brooksbank, 36, was spotted as she left the Marylebone restaurant on Tuesday evening.

The mother cut a cosy look as she joined her mother Sarah Ferguson, 63, for dinner.

The Duchess of York, who yesterday declared herself in 'granny heaven' over the happy news, was then later seen leaving Maison Estelle with Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

Pregnant Princess Eugenie showed off her growing bump as she stepped out for dinner at the Chiltern Firehouse in London

Meanwhile, Eugenie's father Prince Andrew, 62, was seen horse riding at Windsor today in the wake of the baby announcement.

Eugenie looked stylish in a chic camel coat and floral dress paired with black leather boots.

She beamed as she left the restaurant holding a black leather handbag, with her brunette locks swept back into a neat bun.

Later Mr Mapelli Mozzi, 39, was spotted leaving in the same car with his mother-in-law Sarah.

The property developer looked dapper in a button-down white shirt which he paired with a black suit jacket.

Sarah Ferguson, 63, and Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were later seen making their way home from private members' club Maison Estelle

The Duke of York was today spotted out horse riding at Windsor, after his younger daughter announced her second pregnancy on Tuesday

The royal, 32, who is expecting her second child with husband of four years, Jack Brooksbank, 36, was seen leaving the restaurant on Tuesday evening

The Duchess of York yesterday declared herself as in 'granny heaven' over the happy baby news

Eugenie looked stylish in a chic camel coat which she paired with a floral dress and black leather boots

She beamed as she left the Marylebone venue holding a black leather handbag and her brunette locks were swept back into a neat bun

Sarah also wore an all-black ensemble and her red locks fell loose in bouncy curls.

The pair later appeared in great spirits as they made their way home from the private members' club  but Beatrice was nowhere to be seen.

Maison Estelle is one of Soho's most prized clubs and is so exclusive that membership fees are only available on request.

The establishment offers a restaurant, several bars and a nightclub whilst members can also take part in exclusive social and networking events.

It comes after the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York shared her pregnancy news by posting an adorable snap on Instagram showing her one-year-old son August kissing her stomach.

She wrote: 'Were so excited to share that there will be a new addition to our family this summer.'

Eugenie was glowing and appeared to wear a light pallet of makeup which enhanced her natural beauty

Later Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo, 39, was spotted leaving in the same vehicle as his mother-in-law Sarah

The property developer looked dapper in a button-down white shirt which he paired with a black suit jacket

Eugenie gave birth to her first son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, who is 13th-in-line to the throne, at London's Portland Hospital in February 2021.

Posting a tribute on Instagram to her youngest daughter, Fergie wrote: 'You will be sharing puddles, Augie! Superb news, Granny heaven. So deeply grateful.'

Meanwhile Fergie also shared a snapshot of the little toddler playing in a puddle in the pouring rain.

In the picture, the youngster, who turns two at the start of next month, donned a bright yellow rain mac as he played in the grounds of a country house.

Princess Eugenie is pregnant with her second child and due to give birth in the summer, it has been announced (pictured, with her son August)

The royal shared an adorable snap on her Instagram page showing her young son kissing her stomach, and taken by her husband Jack (pictured, the caption on the image)

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: 'Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are pleased to announce they are expecting their second child this summer.

'The family are delighted and August is very much looking forward to being a big brother.'

While it is not known where the photo of the princess and August was taken, it appears to have been captured in the past few weeks, with frost on the ground.

In the post, the mother-of-one beams down at her young son, who snuggled into her tummy enthusiastically.

Shortly afterwards, Fergie shared a snap of her grandson August splashing about in the puddles on Instagram, writing she was 'in Granny heaven'

She wrote that August, whom she affectionately called Augie, would be 'sharing puddles' and called it 'superb news'

It is not currently known whether she is expecting a boy or a girl.

Eugenie and Jack began dating in 2011 and confirmed their relationship at Royal Ascot that year.

When Eugenie left London to work for an auction house in New York in 2013, the pair maintained a long-distance relationship.

At the time, Jack told The Daily Mail: 'We spend a lot of time on Skype. It's great. We're still very much together.'

The Princess has had a busy few months, making a number of appearances at royal events, including attending church in Sandringham at Christmas and attending Kate's carol concert (pictured with her husband Jack)

The Duchess of York, 61, has previously praised Eugenie's mothering skills during an interview, saying both of her daughters are 'phenomenal' mothers

In 2015 the princess returned to London where the pair grew ever closer  and they sparked engagement rumours the following year.

But it was not until January 2018 that Jack popped the question while the pair were away in Nicaragua.

Then in October that year, Eugenie announced her first pregnancy in a similar fashion, posting on Instagram at the same time the palace announced the news.

When he was born, August weighed 8lb 1oz and the couple broke with tradition by immediately sharing a black-and-white photo to Eugenie's Instagram of them holding their newborn's tiny hand.

She followed the post with three blue hearts after welcoming her son at the luxury private hospital where Meghan Markle also gave birth to her son, Archie.
Prince Albert of Monaco has tested positive for Covid-19 for the third time in just under three years - as his wife Princess Charlene celebrates her 45th birthday today.

The European royal, 64, is said to be asymptomatic but will remain in isolation under Monaco's current health guidelines.

Last night, a palace spokesperson confirmed that, despite contracting the virus again, there is no concern for his health at present.

However, he has been forced to cancel his engagements at Sainte Devote Day celebrations around Monaco later this week.

Prince Albert of Monaco (pictured in Athens earlier this month), 64, has tested positive for Covid-19 for a third time

The statement did not address whether Princess Charlene - who is turning 45 today - has contracted the virus.

On Sunday, the father-of-four took eight-year-old twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques to enjoy a night at the circus - while his wife was noticeably absent.

Prince Albert became the first known head of state to be infected back in March 2020 and later contracted Covid again in April 2022.

Eight months later, the royal opened up about the 'physical fatigue' he felt during his long recovery from Covid.

Prince Albert first tested positive for Covid in March 2020 and then again in April 2022. Pictured with Princess Charlene, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques last November

Prince Albert, 64, pictured with his eight-year-old twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques as they arrived at the International Circus Festival on Sunday night with the royal's niece Camille Gottlieb (right) and nephew Louis Ducruet (left)

He told PEOPLE magazine: 'There were times during the day when it just hit, but not like the kind of drowsiness you feel after a heavy meal.

'It was really just an experience of physical fatigue, like the kind that comes on when you've done too much or when you're coming off an illness. This virus stays with you quite a while.

'It was really just an experience of physical fatigue, like the kind that comes on when you've done too much or when you're coming off an illness. This virus stays with you quite a while.'

Albert's diagnosis came shortly after Charlene returned to the principality following a series of health issues, which the Palace referred to as a 'state of profound general fatigue'.

The mother-of-two was reportedly admitted to a private Swiss clinic in late November, within days of her return to Monaco following a 10-month absence in her native South Africa.

Last week, Prince Albert confirmed that he and his wife Princess Charlene will definitely be at the ceremony to watch King Charles' coronation in May

Last month, Prince Albert praised his wife, Princess Charlene, for 'turning it around in an incredible way' after her long-running health battle.

Speaking in December, the 64-year-old royal told People he was 'really proud of my wife,' adding: 'Charlene's doing really well.'

He continued: 'As you know, last year was a very tough year for her - and the beginning of this year.'

Albert added that after being admitted to a Swiss treatment facility for exhaustion and keeping out of the limelight, Charlene, 44, has been 'active in any number of different events.'

He highlighted a number of events where the former Olympic swimmer had been visible at lately, including a recent outing to the Monaco branch of the Red Cross.

'She's really enjoying doing things together and with the kids, so this year is ending on a very, a very high note. We're truly thrilled about how things are,' Albert said.
Demolition of Allentowns Neuweiler brewery, one of the citys historic buildings that has been in disrepair for decades, is underway.

Developers from Urban Residential Properties received approval from the Allentown Planning Commission last summer to demolish a vast swath of the brewery to construct a mixed-use residential building.

Plans call for a seven-story building with 286 apartment units, around 38,000 square feet of retail space, a parking garage and amenities such as a pool, gym and conference space.

Developers plan to keep and restore the brewerys tower-like structure at the corner of Front Street and Pump Place, but will demolish the rest of the complex. Renovating the entire building would be too expensive for a feasible project, according to developer John Palumbo, which is why they are rebuilding the rest of it.

An architects rendering shows plans for a redeveloped Neuweiler brewery on 401 N Front Street, which has sat vacant for decades. View from N Front Street.

The brewery was founded by German brewer Louis Neuweiler. The facility was built between 1911 and 1913, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The building has been vacant since the brewery closed in 1968, and has deteriorated since then.

The Neuweiler Brewery redevelopment is part of a 10-year-plan to revitalize Allentowns riverfront and turn it into a destination. The city approved a zoning change in 2021 requested by the developers to allow residential and commercial building in the riverfront area.

Palumbo could not immediately be reached for comment on the Neuweilers demolition and construction timeline.
The BBC's flagship Autumnwatch, Winterwatch and Springwatch nature shows never fail to disappoint when it comes to animal kingdom innuendo, and the latest episode served up plenty of blush-inducing comments for wildlife fans.

The fifth installment of Winterwatch, which is being filmed in Scotland and Norfolk, saw presenter Gillian Burke blithely telling viewers: 'We do like a bit of anal rubbing on the watches here'.

The host was, alongside fellow presenter Iolo Williams, watching wild badgers scent-marking at Edinburgh Zoo.

A live camera watched the stripey animals as they sniffed around each other's derrieres - officially known as allo marking.

However, Burke's attempts to explain the term in simpler terms sparked a slew of comments on social media.

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The latest episode of series 11 of the show saw hosts Iolo Williams and Gillian Burke at Edinburgh Zoo, with Burke's commentary of how the badgers mark each others' scent sparking plenty of posts on social media

@Yorkiebarkid1 wrote: 'Anal rubbing, and the beaver is out! Only on #winterwatch.'

@GemmaTill penned: 'Did she just say "we love a bit of anal rubbing"?! #winterwatch.'

@MarkConway87 added: 'BBCs #Winterwatch gave us a Hall of Fame live TV presenting moment last night! Where else would you go for your anal rubbing!?'

Burke, who was co-presenting alongside Iolo Williams, described how viewers were lucky to see the set emerging while the BBC2 show was on air at 9pm, as they normally surface around 4pm when the zoo's visitors have gone home.

'We do like a little bit of anal rubbing on the watches here' - Burke's comments in the latest episode continue Winterwatch's tradition of embracing innuendo

The pair were wrapped up in winter coats as they showcased the Water of Leith

She told viewers: 'This is more like it, this is eight individuals, we think there's up to ten in this clan. And they're really active when they first emerge.

'They play, but what they also do is allo marking, they're scent marking each other, a more descriptive word would be anal rubbing.

'And we do like a little bit of anal rubbing on the watches here.'

Meanwhile, co-hosts Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan offered an update from the live cameras in Norfolk, with fans again tittering at the 'beaver dam cam' set up to watch the local wildlife.

The stripey mammals appeared unexpectedly while the show was on air - the set of wild badgers at Edinburgh Zoo normally appear earlier, when the zoo closes around 4pm

Meanwhile, co-hosts Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan offered an update from the live cameras in Norfolk, with fans again tittering at the 'beaver dam cam' set up to watch wildlife

The duo spotted an otter snuffling through waters under the cloak of darkness

It was revealed yesterday that Packham has cancelled all TV work for the next three months after feeling completely 'burnt out'.

The host of BBC's flagship Autumnwatch, Winterwatch and Springwatch shows is taking a break from cameras for the first time in nearly four decades after saying he feels like he's been constantly running on a treadmill.

The 61-year-old wildlife presenter is now embarking on a surprising career change, using the start of the year to create abstract sculptures of animals.
The Princess of Wales revealed how she told Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of her 'excitement and nervousness' ahead of a new early years campaign she is launching as she met her team of advisers on the subject for the first time.

Kate Middleton, 41, spoke to the eight professionals, appointed to offer her strategic advice and provide oversight of the work of her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, in Berkshire this morning.

The group will support the princess and the centre as her work to promote the fundamental importance of the first five years of a child's life continues.

Kate, shaking hands with the specialists, said: 'I feel a bit nervous about it! But excited too. I was talking to the children this morning - the excitement and nervousness gets mixed up together in the same pot.'

The Princess of Wales looked smart in an Alexander McQueen blazer as she met with experts specialising in early childhood development at Windsor Castle today

The mother of three, who has made early years work a cornerstone of her royal duties, wore a black blazer from the British label, with a white Holland Cooper blouse.

The princess swept her hair into a bouncy blow dry for the outing and chose a subtle smokey eye and a sweep of blush.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Kate revealed a pair of pearl drop earrings which added a touch of glamour to her outfit.

She has worn Alexander McQueen  one of her favourite fashion brands  on numerous occasions, most notably choosing its creative director Sarah Burton to design her wedding dress.

A favourite of the royal, Kate has worn Alexander McQueen on numerous occasions, most notably choosing the design house's creative director Sarah Burton to fashion her iconic wedding dress

The Princess said she had spoken to her three children about how excitement and nervousness can mix together 'in the same pot' (pictured at the Queen's Jubilee last year)

Her blazer, crafted from structured crepe, creates a fitted and flattering silhouette thanks to its angular pockets and sharp padded shoulders.

The princess paired the blazer with a white bodysuit from designer label Holland Cooper, which she has previously also worn on a number of occasions.

Kate's meeting reflects several years of work in early years, maternal and teenage mental health as she continues her crusade to improve the nation's wellbeing.

The princess told them a key area that might be looked into is how to 'develop the social and emotional skills which are vital for later life'.

The Princess appeared in good spirits as she met with the experts today, opting for a sweep of eyeshadow and a touch of pink lip gloss

The mother-of-three donned a smart black blazer from the British label for the occasion, which she paired with a white blouse from Holland Cooper

Full details about the new campaign were not given but Kate told the group: 'I am really excited for next week, there is lots coming out.'

She added: 'Today I just want to think about and discuss what next, really. How do we keep this conversation going?

'This campaign's really to try and raise the awareness of the importance of this issue. And it's sort of what can we do collectively to keep the conversation going and what we do next.

'This campaign is really laying the foundation of why early childhood matters.'

Kate said it is about what helps shapes us, what shapes our relationships, and the emotional experience of childhood and about creating the 'building blocks and the scaffolding' for how we first start to understand ourselves and others.

The Princess, who has met a number of the experts in the past, said she was 'grateful' for their advice and support

Kate's meeting today reflects several years of work in early years, maternal and teenage mental health as she continues her crusade to improve the wellbeing of the nation

Kate launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021, established to increase focus on the first years of a child's life in impacting later life

'These are really complicated, big issues to look at,' she said. 'But I think, from the centre's point of view, one of the main key areas is how do we develop the social and emotional skills which are vital for later life.

'How do we better manage and regulate our emotions? How do we build better relationships?'

She said they are dealing with 'big questions, big topics' which are 'complicated'.

The centre stems from research which shows that the first five years of childhood fundamentally shape adulthood, with social challenges such as addiction, violence, family breakdown, homelessness and mental health having their roots in the earliest years of life.

Advisory panel member Dr Trudi Seneviratne, a registrar at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, believes that 'our experience in the earliest years lays the foundations for the rest of our lives'.

The mother-of-three has made Early Years work a cornerstone of her royal work and appeared animated as she chatted with the experts today

The Princess was beaming as she spoke with the eight experts, who will be offering advice to her foundation, during the meeting today

She ted that policymaking can be 'quite fragmented', adding: 'Having policy that brings together the importance of the early years and helping people to collaborate on their thinking is really quite crucial.

'That will help with service development. It will help with research. It will help with education. It will help with the workforce who look after young children and everyone, really.'

Dr Seneviratne went on: 'We need all of government to buy into this as a really ambitious long-term programme that actually continues regardless of changes of government - that's really, really important.

The experts who will be advising the Princess! Advisory Group members are:  Professor Peter Fonagy OBE, Head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at UCL and Chief Executive of the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families  Eamon McCrory, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology, University College London  Dr Alain Gregoire, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and President and Founder of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance  Dr Trudi Seneviratne, Registrar at the Royal College of Psychiatrists  Ed Vainker OBE, co-founder of Reach Academy Feltham,  Carey Oppenheim, Project Lead at the Nuffield Foundation  Imran Hussain, Director of Policy and Campaigns for Action for Children  Beverley Barnett-Jones MBE, Associate Director at Nuffield Family Justice Observatory and Trustee at What Works in Children's Social Care Advertisement

'We can't have constant change so policy needs to be embedded in education, in healthcare, in maternity care, post-natal care, in all of health and social care that supports families and it needs to continue. It needs to grow and expand - that's absolutely critical.

'I think we run into lots of problems with projects opening and closing - that's just not good enough for the child or indeed that family.'

Consultant perinatal psychiatrist Dr Alain Gregoire, who is the president and founder of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, said early years research has developed to the point where experts know there are things that can be done to change lives for the better.

He said: 'It's something that can touch the whole of society and every single one of us.

'A critically important message with the early years is that it's never too early - so, we're talking about from the beginning of pregnancy, from conception onwards.

'We can change the life courses, the health, the happiness of individuals.

'But it's also never too late, so, by understanding the early years, we can actually understand ourselves, the people around us, and our communities better.

'And we can do things that can help to improve the quality of life for ourselves just through that understanding.'

Professor Peter Fonagy, the head of University College London's psychology and language sciences division, agreed to be on the advisory panel because he believes the centre 'is going to be the most influential and effective organisation to represent the interests of parents and infants for some time to come'.

Being part of it could 'in a small way benefit the welfare of generations, and generations of this country and beyond', he added.

Eamon McCrory, professor of developmental neuroscience and psychopathology at University College London, is interested to see how research, particularly in neuroscience, might prompt societal change and improve a child's future physical, social and mental health.

He thinks the centre has 'extraordinary potential to transform our understanding and approach to the first five years of life'.

Carey Oppenheim, of the Nuffield Foundation, said 'getting the fundamentals right in early childhood is part of creating a more resilient, productive and just society for us all' and 'the formative early years of a child's life provide the crucial building blocks for their long-term development and wellbeing'.

The Princess swept her hair into a bouncy blow dry for the occasion, tucking it behind one ear to reveal a pair of pearl drop earrings

The mother-of-three, who has made Early Years work a cornerstone of her royal work, donned a smart black blazer from the British label for the occasion, which she paired with a white blouse from Holland Cooper

Kate met a group of eight professionals, who have been appointed to offer her strategic advice and provide oversight of the work of her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood

Beverley Barnett-Jones, an associate director at the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, comes to the panel with more than 30 years' experience in frontline children's social care.

Ms Barnett-Jones, whose work has included being a children's guardian with the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, said: 'Children who experience abuse and neglect often become involved with a social worker - these are some of the most vulnerable children in our society.

'Yet, with the right help at the right time, many of the problems that develop in later life could be ameliorated, even prevented, by earlier intervention in their lives.

'Working with and supporting the Royal Foundation will better aid a non-stigmatised understanding of these children's life journeys, along with their families, as it provides a societal focus on what the village could look like that raises all of our children well.'

Ed Vainker, co-founder of Reach Academy Feltham, a high-achieving free school in a deprived area of west London which he started from scratch, and Imran Hussain, director of policy and campaigns for Action for Children, are also on the panel.

Kate launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021 to increase focus on the development in the first years of a child's life, in order to have an impact on their later years.

In 2018, Professor Fonagy opened up to People magazine about the inspiration behind Kate's favoured projects.

'Part of her interest in prevention is to make sure that she does things right in her own parenting,' he said.

He added that the princess feels it's 'an incredible privilege to be a mum'.

'She's genuinely interested in how to make children's lives better, and what parents and professionals can do to positively influence the lives of children,' he said.

She has also met a number of the experts on previous occasions, including Dr Alain Gregoire and Eamon McCrory.

The group will support the delivery of the centre's work in commissioning research, learning from best practice in the UK and globally, and raising awareness of the extraordinary impact the first five years of life have on future outcomes.

The advisory group members have been chosen for their deep expertise in a range of areas including neuroscience, psychology, perinatal psychiatry, early years services and policy development.

Amanda Berry, chief executive of The Royal Foundation said: 'Working with such an eminent group of people is an absolute privilege.

'I know their advice and experience is hugely valued by The Princess, and the whole Centre for Early Childhood team, as we continue to drive awareness of, and action on, the transformative impact of the early years.

'The Advisory Group's support in our key areas of research, collaboration and awareness raising will be invaluable and I look forward to working closely with them to make a difference for generations to come.'

Several have already played a pivotal role in the work the Princess of Wales has been pursuing for more than a decade in this field, helping to shape her work and adding to her determination to help change the way people think about early childhood.

The appointment of the advisers comes as the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood appointed Christian Guy as director.

Kate's appearance comes after a royal expert said she is 'rising above the drama' following her brother-in-law's explosive memoir.

She was praised for 'putting duty before herself' by Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl.

'She's doing a job that not only puts a smile on her face, but brings smiles to the faces of others,' Ms Nicholl told OK! Magazine. 'She doesn't do drama and she never has.'

The writer of The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth's Legacy And The Future Of The Crown told the magazine King Charles will be channeling the same 'back to business' attitude his family is known for.

'She's leading by example and putting duty before herself,' Katie added.
With its see-through panels, plunging neckline and short hem, God Saves Queens Carmen Dress certainly isn't for the faint of heart.

Australian influencer Gabrielle Epstein set pulses racing when she stepped out in the brand's risque mini-dress earlier this week.

The 28-year-old social media star, who boasts 3m followers, risked baring all as she posed for photos on a pedestrian bridge in south Melbourne while smoked a cigar.

Over the past few months, the daring 130 Carmen frock by the up-and-coming Polish brand has sky-rocketed in popularity.

Aussie model Gabrielle Epstein turned heads as she stepped out for a night on the town in God Saves Queens' daring cut-out dress

Dozens of Instagram users from all over the world have been posting sultry shots of themselves wearing the underwear-inspired dress on hot European holidays, nights out in New York or even to enjoy a concert with friends.

In August, Bali-based yoga teacher Megan Welz shared a photo of herself heading on a night-out with her 3,160 followers.

She captioned the photo: 'Can we make a little commotion for the dress!'

'Bond girl energy,' one fan replied. 'Daaaammnn I want this dress,' another gushed.

Bali-based yoga teacher Megan Welz asked her followers to make a 'commotion' for the dress last August

Spanish fashion influencer Elena Armellini wore the cut-out dress on her birthday last year - prompting the brand to comment: 'SO HOT'

Left: Instagram user Carolina models the daring dress in August. Right: Sinapore-based Instagram user J Cheok paired the frock with some vampy lace-up leather boots

Instagram user Amaira modelled the God Saves Queens dress on holiday in Spain last July and called it her 'revenge dress'

Meanwhile, a third wrote: 'OMG obsessed!'

Despite the risque cut-outs, the brand highlights on their website how the dress is 'ultra-comfortable' thanks to the 'soft stretchy fabric'.

In the product description, the designers acknowledge that their viral dress is intended to be 'scandalous' to others and is aimed at women who 'like to push the boundaries of fashion'.

It reads: 'This beautifully executed dress has strategically placed panels of mesh and ultra-comfortable stretchy fabric, contouring the body.

On their website, God Saves Queens acknowledges that their viral dress is intended to be 'scandalous' to others and is aimed at women who 'like to push the boundaries of fashion'

'The Carmen dress bridges the gap between lingerie and outerwear, with a look so scandalous, it would be a sin not to wear it.'

What's more, the dress has two different tones of nude mesh available so that the wearers' stomach, upper thighs and chest aren't completely exposed.

On top of this, the brand highlighted how the dress features their 'signature mono-wire' to provide chest support.

Founded by designer Karolina Preiss in 2014, God Saves Queens started out as a luxury lingerie brand before taking the plunge into womenswear too.

Describing how each piece is designed in Poland and handmade, the brand writes on their website: 'The mixture of our signature see-through meshes paired with extravagant laces and luscious embroideries have become a staple of the modern era of lingerie.'
READ MORE: Queen Letizia of Spain looks chic at a cancer conference in Madrid

She welcomed ambassadors to Spain at a reception with husband King Felipe IV

Queen Letizia of Spain put her best foot forward as she welcomed diplomats from around the world to a reception at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

The Queen, 50, flanked her husband, King Felipe IV, at the event, as the pair greeted members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Spain.

The King, 54, along with the Queen, offered warm welcomes to dozens of diplomatic delegates and their spouses, and spent almost ten minutes in total shaking hands with them.

The ever-stylish royal wore a flowing powder pink skirt for the occasion, which she paired with a white pussy bow blouse.

King Felipe IV and Queen Letizia of Spain welcomed diplomats from around the world to a reception at the Royal Palace in Madrid

Appearing elegant and composed, Queen Letizia smiled and chatted with ambassadors to Spain from Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Germany, Kenya, and many more states.

She matched the beautiful floor-length skirt with stilettos of the same colour as her skirt.

The mother-of-two glowed as her makeup looked typically flawless with a smokey eye and natural lip.

The ever-stylish royal wore a flowing powder pink skirt for the occasion, which she paired with a crisp white blouse

The mother-of-two glowed as her makeup looked typically flawless with a smokey eye and natural lip

Spain's King and Queen spent almost ten minutes greeting ambassadors from countries across the world

To complete the chic, look her dark brown tresses were pinned back to show off her statement earrings.

The decadent jewellery, comprised of turquoise, white and pink gemstones, also gave a nod to the rosey shade of her outfit.

Meanwhile, the King looked smart in a three-piece tailored suit, which featured a grey waistcoat and matching grey pinstripe trousers.

His morning suit also featured expensive black tails and a crisp white shirt.

The royal couple shared a tender moment as they entered the room where diplomats had lined up to meet them

The King and Queen took their seats in the centre of the room before Felipe made a speech to the diplomats in attendance

Queen Letizia sitting as her husband, King Felipe, delivered a speech to diplomatic delegates

The ruby red tie mirrored the flash of red from his medal, worn on his lapel.

At last year's event, the couple coordinated their outfits, with Felipe opting for a dusty pink tie to reflect his wife's pink floral shirt.

As she did this year, glamorous Letizia also wore a two-piece outfit at last year's gathering of diplomats.

The reception typically takes place in the new year, which the couple has undertaken annually since King Felipe acceded to the throne in 2014.

Photos of Spain's monarch and his wife attending the reception show the grandeur of Madrid's Royal Palace

Stunning photos show the royal couple entering a reception room where diplomats were stood in a line waiting for them

There are a total of 126 embassies and almost consulates-general in Spain, 153 of which are official and more than 600 honorary.

Stunning photos show the royal couple entering a reception room where diplomats were stood in a line waiting for them.

The King and Queen shared a tender moment as they smiled each other, before taking their seats in the centre of the room.

The Royal Palace of Madrid, where the event took place, is the official residence of the Spanish royal family, but is now almost solely used for state ceremonies

The Queen looked calm and collected as she smiled for the cameras in the Royal Palace in Madrid today

King Felipe went on to make a speech thanking the delegates for coming, discussing Spain's friendship with countries like the United States and looking to the year ahead.

The Royal Palace of Madrid, where the event took place, is the official residence of the Spanish royal family, but is now almost solely used for state ceremonies.

Felipe and Letizia spend the majority of their time living with their two daughters, Princesses Leonor, 17 and Infanta, 15 in another residence - the relatively more humble Palace of La Zarzuela, on the outskirts of Madrid.
A former Great British Bake Off contestant has revealed why you should never use eggs straight out of the fridge.

Alice Fevronia, 32, from London, highlighted how using cold eggs affects the texture and rise of cakes in a new Instagram Reel.

Earlier this week, the former Geography teacher - who appeared on the show in 2019 - filmed a video comparing a sponge made with cold eggs versus another with room temperature ones.

Alice wrote in the caption: 'Ok, so Im definitely guilty of being impatient and just ploughing on with a recipe, grabbing ingredients straight from the fridge.



Alice Fevronia, 32, appeared on the Great British Bake Off in 2019. The social media star posted a new Instagram Reel this week urging followers to not bake with cold eggs

'How much difference can it really make? Well, a lot!'

Her video - which has amassed over 82,000 views - showed how a sponge that had been baked using room temperature eggs had risen considerably more than the cake made with cold ingredients.

As result, the cake which had been made with cold eggs appeared denser and more stodgy than Alice's perfect example bake.

Explaining why the temperature of the ingredients makes all the difference, Alice continued: 'Eggs act as an emusifier, which means that they help to bind the mixture together.

Her video - which has amassed over 82,000 views - showcased how the temperature of eggs affects the rise and texture of your cakes

Left: Alice shows a curdled cake batter made with cold eggs. Right: A silky smooth cake batter made with room temperature eggs

'Cold eggs can make softened butter firm up, causing your batter to separate and curdle and affecting the rise and quality of your bakes.'

She then proceeded to show the difference between the cake batters too.

While the cold egg batter was lumpy and dense, Alice's other mix turned out silky smooth - which is the exact texture you need for a light sponge.

If you don't have time to wait for your eggs to reach room temperature, the social media star recommended popping them in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes beforehand.

Left: Alice recommended popping eggs in some warm water to get them to room temperature. Right: She explained how cold eggs can make the batter curdle

Alice's video racked up over 82,000 viewers and prompted viewers to share their gratitude in the comments

In the past 24 hours, Alice's video has amassed over 82,000 views and 4,300 likes - and fans were grateful for the advice.

One wrote: 'Wow, what a difference it makes!'

Another added: 'Thank you for illustrating the difference so effectively! I never thought it was a big deal to have my egg room temp, but now Im convinced that I need to change my ways!'

Meanwhile, fellow Bake Off star Rahul Mandal - who won the series in 2021 - wrote: 'Great tip.'

Alice got all the way through to the final of The Great British Bake Off in 2019 and was narrowly beaten by David Atherton.

Last year, she founded her business On The Cake Stand - which connects users with local independent bakers in their area.
Mr Blair is believed to have coined Diana's nickname 'The People's Princess'

The series will focus on the late 1990s and early 2000s when Blair was PM

It is believed funeral scenes are being filmed as it doubles as Westminster Abbey

Actors playing The Blairs arrived at Winchester Cathedral to film The Crown

Actors portraying Tony and Cherie Blair were dressed up in character today at Winchester Cathedral as series six of The Crown continues filming.

The actors were in costume as the former prime minister and his wife after the Labour Party won a landslide victory in the 1997 general election - just months before Princess Diana's death when he is thought to have coined the nickname 'The People's Princess'.

As the final series of the Netflix drama is set to cover the late 1990s, including Diana's death, and the early 2000s, it will span the years Mr Blair was in Number 10.

The action on set at the Cathedral follows a day of filming yesterday which saw Dominic West recreating scenes from the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002, while Ginger Spice also made a cameo in her famed Union Jack dress.

An actor playing Tony Blair in The Crown has been spotted walking near Winchester Cathedral as series six of The Crown is being filmed. The filming has closed the Cathedral to visitors for two days as the final series of the show covers the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Mr Blair was prime minister

The Blairs were present at both the Queen Mother's funeral and Princess Diana's funeral in September 1997, both of which were held at Westminster Abbey.

Shortly after Diana's death, Mr Blair said he was 'devastated' to hear the news and called her 'The People's Princess' in the first known use of the nickname.

An actress playing Cherie Blair bears an uncanny resemblance to the former resident of 10 Downing Street on set

Tony and Cherie Blair pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey for the funeral of Princess Diana in September 1997, just a few months after Mr Blair took office following a Labour landslide in the general election

He told reporters: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with Princess Diana's famly, particularly her two sons. Our heart goes out to them.'

'We are today a nation in a state of shock, in mourning, in grief that is so deeply painful for us.

'She was a wonderful and a warm human being, although her own life was often sadly touched by tragedy.

'She touched the lives of so many others in Britain and throughout the world with joy and with comfort. How many times shall we remember her in how many different ways - with the sick, the dying, with children, with the needy?

The actor playing Tony Blair wore a puffer jacket over his navy blue suit and red tie on a chilly day at Winchester Cathedral

A young actor playing Prince Harry was spotted in the back of a car as he was on set while filming the Queen Mother's funeral

Other actors on the set were wrapped up in blankets to protect themselves from the cold weather as they filmed outside

It's chilly outside! The actors looked freezing cold in blankets, scarves and gloves as the second day of filming at Winchester Cathedral got underway

The actor playing Prince William appeared in a morning suit alongside other actors dressed in black, suggesting more funeral scenes were in production

Another day of filming: Men wear morning suits as the second day of filming takes place at Winchester Cathedral

Boys and young men dressed as pages arrive on set at Winchester Cathedral as another day of filming is underway

A young actor walked along with his hands in his pockets

The young actor kept his head down and walked with his hands in his pockets as he was spotted on set

'With just a look or a gesture that spoke so much more than words, she would reveal to all of us the depth of her compassion and her humanity.'

It is unclear which scenes were being filmed this afternoon, although many of the men on set were spotted in morning suits, suggesting there are more funeral scenes to be produced today.

However, the actor playing Mr Blair was wearing a navy blue suit and a red tie, suggesting other scenes were in production as well.

For the second day in a row, Winchester Cathedral is closed to visitors while filming is underway for series six of The Crown.

Yesterday Dominic West, who plays King Charles, was spotted in a morning suit, along with two young actors playing Prince William and Prince Harry, as they filmed scenes for the Queen Mother's funeral.

Actor Luther Ford has been among the cast members pictured strolling around the cathedral, as he is believed to be portraying Prince Harry in the final instalment of the Netflix series.

A shot of the inside of the Cathedral, which will be Westminster Abbey in the show, revealed a coffin on a catafalque which is believed to be the Queen Mother's in the show.

An actress playing Geri Halliwell was also spotted on set wearing Ginger Spice's iconic Union Jack outfit as she strolled along in the chilly weather.

It is thought she will be involved in recreating scenes from a 1997 Prince's Trust Charity Gala, where The Spice Girls performed and involved the King in their performance, breaking royal protocol.

During their show, they pulled King Charles on stage and called him 'sexy' while Geri Halliwell patted his bottom and she and Mel B kissed him on the cheek.
The Princess of Wales hosted a meeting for the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood today in one of Windsor Castle's most majestic reception rooms, which has a fascinating history behind it.

The Green Drawing room has long been used by members of the royal family to host guests, with the late Queen Elizabeth welcoming the Indian prime minister in 2009 and the first Irish head of state in 2014 in the emerald room.

Its four walls have also seen more intimate family moments, from the wedding photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, to a gathering of dozens of royals following a baby Prince Harry's christening.

The room has undergone several restoration projects over the last two centuries, with King George IV giving it a lavish makeover between 1824 and 1830.

The Princess of Wales met with experts in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle today to discuss work of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood

After the state room was partially destroyed in the devastating fire at Windsor Castle in 1992, another enormous renovation project began to restore the room.

But what relics can be found inside the Green Drawing Room? FEMAIL takes a look at its most striking features...

1. Morel & Seddon chairs

The entire room is kitted out with Morel & Seddon emerald chairs (pictured) as well as two sofas and an armchair

The Green Drawing Room is kitted out with Morel & Seddon furniture from top to toe, including emerald chairs around the table.

Combined with furnishings from Carlton House, the Morel & Seddon green woven silk chairs were re-designed for the restored version of the Green Drawing Room following the 1992 fire.

The walls above the chairs also feature panels of the same woven silk pattern, matching the furniture in the room.

In addition to the chairs, the room also features Morel and Seddon sofas, which havd a straight back and mahogany frames, with the front legs shaped into lion's paws and the back legs shaped like sabres.

2. Bronze and gilt candelabra

The bronze and gilt candelabras, of which there are several in the room, depict scenes that appear to be from Roman civilisations

The bronze and gilt candelabra in the Green Drawing Room take the form of a group of what appear to be Roman statues.

A close look at the sculpture shows what appears to be a Julius Caeser-style male figure carrying roaring lions on chains.

Meanwhile a woman calls out to the man from lower down as the male figure is risen high.

The candelabra are dotted below mirrors throughout the Green Drawing Room, acting as wall lighting in the space.

Artist William Gibb completed a painting of the candelabra and presented it to Princess Mary in 1935.

3. Pamela Lewis curtains

The curtains in the Green Drawing Room were redesigned after the 1992 fire by Pamela Lewis

The curtains in the Green Drawing Room are some of its newest features as they were designed as part of the restoration following the 1992 fire.

Sketches on the Royal Collection Trust website show the curtains and valances being designed by Pamela Lewis 1995 as she portrayed them in watercolour.

Other sketches on the RCT website show similar designs created by the interior designer for curtains in the Crimson Room and the Octagon Room.

4. Bronze statues of satyrs

The mantlepiece of the Green Drawing room contains two statues of satyrs from Greek mythology

The grand mantlepiece in the Green Drawing Room features two bronze statues of satyrs clutching infants.

A satyr is a creature in Greek mythology which is a male spirit which has the ears and tail of a horse.

The Royal Collection Trust archive shows a photo believed to have been taken in 1914 by Edward Kemp who was an inventory clerk for Windsor Castle.

In the photo, the two statues appeat on the fireplace, with a clock and a pair of lamps.

Although the photo is more than 100 years old, the statues have clearly survived for at least a century and were salvaged from the 1992 fire.

5. Tatham, Bailey & Sanders display cabinet

The display cabinets in the Green Drawing Room are part of a ser of 12 and currently hold a dinner service

The display cabinets in the Green Drawing Room are a set of 12 made by Tatham, Bailey & Sanders.

The cabinets were originally used by George IV at Carlton House, where he stored the overflowing books from his library.

When they were moved in to the Green Drawing Room, the cabinets were adapted by Morel & Seddon into display cases.

Inside the cabinets today are pieces from the Louis XVI dinner service, which was made at the Seves Porcelain Manufactory near Paris, France.

6. Thomas Parker Centre Table

The Thomas Parker table, which is a set of two, originally was placed in the room as a reading table

One of the many tables in the Green Drawing Room is the Thomas Parker Centre Table which dates back to the early 19th century.

According to the Royal Collection Trust, the table (which has a matching second piece) were originally used as reading tables and placed at either end of the room.

Thomas Parker was said to specialise in making elaborate furniture from brass in a classic French style.

Mr Parker worked for George IV's sister Princess Elizabeth, and later for King George himself.
Another day, another traumatised woman revealing how her life was decimated by a stalker. In a statement read to the court at her stalker's sentencing on Friday, The Crown star Claire Foy told how she feared for her life after an incessant year-long campaign from a man who was obsessed with her.

He sent her thousands of abusive emails, including one referring to rape, and turned up at her house and spoke to her seven-year-old daughter. Yet the man in question has been spared jail.

Some reading Claire Foy's story may have thought this sort of thing only happens to the rich and famous  par for the course for any female in the public eye.

Let me assure you, however, that is far from the case. Yes, we may all regularly hear about high-profile women who endure the misery of a stalker  presenter Emily Maitlis and actress Keira Knightley among them  but this crime isn't just the preserve of the well-known.

In a statement read to the court at her stalker's sentencing on Friday, The Crown star Claire Foy (pictured) told how she feared for her life after an incessant year-long campaign from a man who was obsessed with her

Stalking is now so prevalent that no woman can consider herself safe from it. It scars the lives of teenagers, busy mothers and middle-aged women.

I should know. For three years, I had a stalker. His behaviour meant I sought the protection of strangers when alone and vulnerable, called 999, gave statements to the police. And still he continued. I wondered what would bring this horror to an end.

Would it ever stop? Has he really gone away? Even now I dare not answer that question. Little wonder, then, that I literally cheered out loud when I woke to the news in November that campaigners, led by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, have launched a 'super complaint' against police forces who they say are failing to protect women from stalkers, leaving victims at risk because of 'systemic' failures. Police watchdogs must now consider whether to launch a national inquiry.

I dearly hope they do. London's Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman, whose own stalker was jailed  but then, to her great distress, immediately released because of time he'd already spent in prison awaiting trial  also supports it.

Talking to BBC's Newsnight, she revealed she had been stalked for almost 20 years, at times sitting up all night holding a knife. Yet her stalker, Elliot Fogel, an old classmate, breached a lifetime ban on contacting her six times.

My own experience led me to make The Followers, a podcast series about stalking.

In it, I found plain deficiencies in the law; police are often loath to act and prison sentences are pitifully weak, not to mention the 'protection' orders that do little to deter the seemingly growing band of stalkers who exist among us.

In the year ending March 2022, stalking and harassment accounted for 34 per cent of instances of violence against a person. Yet the police recorded crimes and outcomes data shows only 6 per cent of reported stalking cases in England and Wales end in charges being brought.

Shelagh Fogarty (pictured on This Morning in 2014) shares experience with stalker who showed up at her house

I am lucky mine was one of those rare convictions.

I'd seen him a couple of times that week in 2015, sitting on a wall opposite the entrance to the London studios where I present my daily radio talk show for LBC. Nothing unusual about fans of radio waiting to see their favourite presenter coming out. He was fairly young, so I assumed he was there for someone from one of the music stations.

Not so. He was then on the same Underground carriage as me two days running. On the third day, he was right next to me on a different Tube journey. The penny dropped. This might be a problem.

Little did I know these seemingly harmless sightings would escalate to such an extent that almost three years later  when he eventually turned up outside my house  I'd chase after him in my car, shaking, crying, yelling out of the window: 'Why are you still following me?'

That first week I noticed him I called the police. They took it more seriously than me, setting out my options, which included having him arrested. I preferred a more welfare-led approach because of how he seemed. A sad figure with behaviour issues.

That was a mistake. Pretty soon I'd realise my welfare was at risk.

It was only after finding him outside my house, and me calling the police again  I must have called them around 20 times by then  that he was arrested and charged.

I now know my story is atypical. One survey found victims go to police only after their hundredth stalking experience. When they do, unlike the officers who initially advised me, many have experiences minimised. A 'wait and see' approach is taken.

My advice is don't wait and see. Tell and act. Waiting is a green light to a stalker. Waiting can be fatal.

It was for Alice Ruggles.

The 24-year-old Northumbria University graduate ended a short relationship with Trimaan 'Harry' Dhillon in the summer of 2016, but he refused to accept her decision. Alice told friends, family and police about his campaign of stalking, which included threats to kill himself, endless messages and unwanted gifts.

In the year ending March 2022, stalking and harassment accounted for 34 per cent of instances of violence against a person. Stock image used

When I spoke to Alice's parents, Clive and Sue, they described how even they had initially interpreted his insistence as just the pain of romantic loss.

It's a mistake many continue to make, including the police. Extreme behaviour is normalised, which is an open goal for a stalker.

On October 12, 2016, Trimaan Dhillon used it to murder Alice at her home in Gateshead. She had told her sister 'the police will respond properly when he stabs me'. She knew and she was right.

Her parents campaign to educate people about stalking and harassment. Her father said yesterday: 'Too many people still think of stalking as a bit of a joke  or something that happens to other people.'

Dhillon's behaviour was textbook 'rejected' stalker, one of the five identified types. As well as 'rejected' stalkers, normally an ex, you also have 'intimacy seekers', who believe they're in a relationship with you; 'inadequate suitors', who want to be close by, following and watching; and 'resentful' stalkers where the smallest slight can trigger a campaign of revenge or harm to your reputation, career or property.

Lastly, there are 'predatory' stalkers. Overwhelmingly men, they don't target people they know, but hunt a type in order to kill. These include the serial killer Levi Bellfield and also Jordan McSweeney, who stalked other women on the night he murdered Zara Aleena last year.

Dont wait and see  its a green light to a stalker and can be fatal

Ex-partners often pose a similar risk of physical violence to predatory stalkers. If an ex is stalking you and starts using threats to kill themselves, a pet, or you, the advice of Met Detective Inspector Lee Barnard is to take it seriously. Never assume it's merely attention seeking. Women have died by underestimating the threat to them or, indeed, by police doing the same.

As DI Barnard, a key figure in the Met's Stalking Threat Assessment Unit, which works on the police response to stalking, says: 'If you think you might be being stalked you almost certainly are.'

Yet victims are frequently told the opposite by police. The ex who keeps pestering you is just heartbroken. The colleague who sends unwelcome emails is misreading your signals.

From the stories I have been told, there's no doubt police officers often grossly misunderstand the law. Far too many tell victims there's nothing they can do if the stalker hasn't yet physically harmed them or their property.

But while there is no specific legal definition of stalking, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service define it as a pattern of unwanted, fixated and obsessive behaviour which is intrusive. As few times as twice. So challenge anyone who tells you to wait and see, or to wait to be hurt.

There is supposed to be a new line of defence: Stalking Protection Orders, introduced in 2019. Police can apply for a civil SPO to block alleged stalkers from contacting or approaching their victims while a criminal investigation into their behaviour continues. It's a court order with more force than a harassment order and more consequences if broken.

Claire Foy was granted one  yet her stalker still sent her another letter and a parcel from the hospital where he was being treated.

Other recent SPO failures include Wafah Chkaifi, 43, who was killed by her ex-husband, Leon McCaskie, last year after she had dropped off her children at school in North London.

A restraining order against him had been given after their divorce, but he persistently stalked her anyway. Not long before he stabbed her to death the Met Police obtained an SPO to keep him away from her while they investigated him. Then he murdered her.

In hindsight, I can see I waited too long to insist on having the man stalking me arrested and charged. Yes, he has social developmental difficulties, as confirmed to me by the police. But, really, what stalker doesn't?

Anyone who thinks you don't get to say who is and isn't in your life clearly has a behavioural disorder of one sort or another.

When my case went to court in 2018, I must confess I was shocked to hear the defence lawyer open with an argument along the lines of: 'She has her own radio show, goes on television and writes articles for newspapers. She's no victim.' An unexpected twist on the short skirt defence, I must say.

The court was told the offender just wanted to say thank you for my programmes about autism.

The evidence pointed to something more sinister. Despite using everything available to me in law, his behaviour kept escalating, with him showing up at my work, at train stations, at cafes I was in.

Police went to his home and explained to him and his parents he could commit to a harassment order, designed to deter him. They signed one at a police station. Nothing changed.

When he turned up at my local train station, police examined his travel history which showed multiple journeys there, a long way from his home. He once told police he wanted to move to the area I live in. My blood ran cold.

He is now subject to an indefinite restraining order, was fined and ordered to undergo some sort of psycho-social treatment.

So why don't I feel confident it's really been dealt with?

Well, cuts to the criminal justice system and just about every other service make me doubt how much psychiatric treatment is given to offenders. That must be a huge contributing factor to the repeat offending Claire Waxman, among others, have had to endure.

She is calling for automatic increased sentences for offenders who breach restraining orders. She is right to. After all, the only thing that will protect some victims is the imprisonment of the stalker.

Yet even jail didn't halt TV presenter Emily Maitlis's appalling experience of stalking. For more than 20 years, the man who stalked her has repeatedly written to her and her relatives from jail. A judge told him he clearly saw his restraining order as 'meaningless'.

He showed up at my work, at train stations, at cafes I was in

When the man following me appeared at my house it was on a rare Sunday of total freedom. I'd seen friends for lunch, had a manicure and was happily pottering about near home. Then the stab of shock and hopelessness as I walked up my front steps and saw him standing in the street.

All stalking is an act of violence. To lose your emotional and physical privacy is a horribly stressful and isolating thing. A stalker is arrogance made flesh. Unless you've experienced it, it's hard to describe how it can unmoor you.

I haven't seen the man since he was prosecuted, but I don't assume that means he's fully gone away.

The wearying thing about being stalked is it never fully stops, even if you get a half-decent outcome. You don't come out of the experience quite the same person.

I am hyper-vigilant, constantly checking train platforms and carriages. I wake suddenly in the night thinking someone is in my bedroom  something which never happened before.

I see men who look like him and am briefly frozen on the spot. I've shown neighbours his picture in case he tries to 'befriend' them. I vary my journey home because, well, you know . . . It's still there. Even though he might not be.
In 2021 the A-lister favourite was forced to call in administrators amid pandemic

Anyone who has walked it knows the red carpet can be as unforgiving as it is glamorous. Especially for older women, this doesn't simply mean wearing a dress that looks good; it has to feel good, too.

It has to fit in a way that flatters, bestowing the confidence to face a barrage of flashbulbs and fashion critics who may judge her more harshly than her competitive younger peers.

She doesn't simply need a dress. She needs armour.

For many years, the chief armourer to the A-list was Roland Mouret, the French-born, British-based designer whose feminine, structured dresses were simultaneously provocative and protective. His iconic knee-length, cap-sleeved Galaxy dress, launched in 2005, was so flattering that wearers declared it 'better than surgery'.

Jessica Chastain (pictured), Kate Hudson and Lupita Nyong'o have all chosen to wear Mouret's dresses on the red carpet

Fans included Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, Nigella Lawson, Carol Vorderman and Victoria Beckham. It spawned hundreds of bold-hued imitations: at one point, Topshop was selling 5,000 Galaxy-inspired dresses a week for 65 a pop.

But in November 2021, Mouret's label became one of the more high-profile casualties of the pandemic. With no red carpets to walk, demand for his 1,500-plus gowns dried up. Sales slumped by 80 per cent during the first lockdown, while factories still demanded to be paid. He was forced to call in administrators, shutter his label and let go of more than 50 staff.

But suddenly, Mouret is back with a new collection  and reinvigorated, to judge from the number of stars wearing his designs in recent weeks. Jessica Chastain, Kate Hudson and Lupita Nyong'o have all chosen to wear Mouret's dresses on the red carpet, while Gal Gadot and Phoebe Waller-Bridge opted for elegant black trousers from his Resort 2023 collection.

The Princess of Wales, a long-time fan, has also stayed loyal. According to Google Trends data, Kate's black-and-white, off-the-shoulder Mouret gown, worn to the Top Gun premiere last May, was her fourth most searched-for dress of last year. Last week, the Princess attended a daytime reception in a bespoke burgundy Roland Mouret trouser-suit  its second outing in two months.

Fans included Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, Nigella Lawson, Carol Vorderman and Victoria Beckham (right). Left, Kate Hudson looking stunning in one of the designer's looks

Gal Gadot (pictured) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge opted for elegant black trousers from his Resort 2023 collection

Caroline Rush looks stunning in the glitzy black dress, which adds a touch of glamour with a thigh slit

The Princess of Wales (right), a long-time fan, has also stayed loyal. Stella Maxwell (left) pictured looking stunning in a design

According to Google Trends data, Kate's black-and-white, off-the-shoulder Mouret gown, worn to the Top Gun premiere last May, was her fourth most searched-for dress of last year

So how has he managed it, and what's different about the new Roland Mouret? The brand's salvation has been another very distinctive womenswear designer. Han Chong is the Malaysian-born, London-based founder of Self-Portrait, a label with sales of more than 130 million. He stepped in to buy the Roland Mouret brand, on condition that the designer stayed as creative director.

Speaking to industry bible Womenswear Daily, Mouret said: 'Together we're creating our own blueprint. There is beauty in reinvention and starting again.'

He added that the new collection features more 'movement and draping', with 'supple' lines. 'It's as if I'm trying to kill the 'office dress'.' While it may not be namechecked on the red carpet, Self-Portrait is well known to well-dressed famous women. Like Mouret, it has staked its reputation on dresses, worn by a younger set of celebrities including Zendaya, Margot Robbie and Phoebe Dynevor.

But where Mouret's dresses have a defined aesthetic that tends to include block colours, bright hues and origami-style folds, not all Self-Portrait dresses are instantly recognisable.

Mila Kunis (right) and Reese Witherspoon (left) look incredible in looks from the designer

Lupita Nyong'o looks stunning in a figure-hugging Roland dress, which creates a gorgeous silhouette

Fabrics range from laser-cut lace to structured boucle, and there are smarter 'daytime' dresses as well as eveningwear  which has made it something of a go-to among royals. The Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Sussex and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have all been spotted in the brand. Chong, who studied at London's prestigious Central Saint Martins fashion college, has said he sees Roland Mouret as a 'big sister' to Self-Portrait, whose prices  a dress typically costs 300  place it in the more affordable 'mid-range' bracket.

In what is surely good news for Mouret fans, the designer and his new owner have lowered prices, making the Mouret label more accessible than before. While an evening gown will still cost about 1,000, dresses start at 550 for a black chenille knit mini dress, rising to 995 for a floor-length sequin gown. Tops are more affordable still, starting at 295 for a long-sleeved jersey top, while a pair of tailored wool twill trousers are 325.

Lower prices are part of a strategy to appeal to younger customers who love Self-Portrait and want to expand their wardrobes with a storied label such as Roland Mouret. Yet the designer's established fans may well be wondering how those cuts have been possible at that price  and whether any panache has been lost.

Those who have seen the new collection up close claim the fabric is still high quality, albeit with some dresses constructed more simply. The zips that often snaked up the back of Mouret's dresses are also gone: in a recent interview, Mouret explained that Chong prefers details to be focused on the front, where their impact is most likely to be maximised in social media images.

Once made in Italy, Mouret's clothes will now be made in Chong's factories in China, so costs can be more stringently controlled. And while Mouret will still be stocked by prestigious retailers such as Harrods, Selfridges and Matches, he has also launched a website (rolandmouret.com) that will allow him to sell directly to customers for the first time. It's a savvy decision that reflects entrepreneur Chong's influence.

'I have the infrastructure and resources to help the brand grow,' Chong told Womenswear Daily, adding: 'We have to make sure the prices are relevant to how today's women are shopping.'

Mouret's relaunch came in a low-key event at last October's Paris Fashion Week, and is likely to be followed by a similarly quiet unveiling of his next collection in March. Like many designers post-pandemic, he is eschewing catwalk shows in favour of smaller presentations which are less costly and less crowded.

In any case, the true showcase for his wares is the red carpet  and there, it seems, he still has no trouble attracting attention.

Twitter: @LauraCraik Instagram: @lauracraik

What to start saving for

Birkhall woven peplum top In sale, Roland Mouret at net-a-porter.com Shop

Black crepe trousers In sale, Roland Mouret at net-a-porter.com Shop

Or rent a dress for 24
Why am I not surprised that women's health in the UK lags behind most comparable Western countries according to a new Global Women's Health Index? Our provision is as bad as that in Kazakhstan, worse than China and comes out below the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany.

It confirms what women in Britain have suspected for decades: the NHS promises care from the cradle to the grave, but not if you're a woman.

Could this be a hangover from the days before the NHS?

I know from my parents and grandparents that it was rare for an ailing woman to get to see a doctor. It was too expensive. Any cash was saved up to enable a needy husband or son to be seen. The breadwinner's wages were needed for everyone to survive.

The UK lags behind most comparable Western countries according to a new Global Women's Health Index. Stock image used

I'm not sure the NHS, when it launched in 1948, was even prepared for women to need healthcare. Women in labour had been perfectly well cared for by midwives at home until the doctors  pretty well all men  took over responsibility, and I've no doubt the experience my mother went through giving birth to me was miserable and dangerous as a result.

She was forced to lie alone, legs in stirrups, with no painkillers for 48 hours until a consultant  male  did a rare round and thought forceps might be a good idea.

He saved our lives, but there's no doubt the power of the male doctor led to women labouring in discomfort on their backs, legs open, to give easy access to the business end. No walking around, no crouching, screams of agony largely ignored.

I've often wondered if some doctors think women don't feel pain.

One of my worst experiences was being rushed to hospital in the most appalling agony. I suspected an ectopic pregnancy. I was right.

The internal examination carried out by the junior doctor was dreadful. He'd been up for 24 hours on a debilitatingly long shift and kept drifting off to sleep. The consultant was no better. 'Do come on, Miss Murray. I expect someone of your intelligence to know you must relax or I can't examine you.'

It was painful. I just screamed.

We expected it would all get better, especially as more women came into the profession. But no.

My lovely GP has often told me how good the female doctors he works with are, before complaining: 'They're all part-time. It makes running the practice so hard.'

One might wonder, why aren't the men doing their share of childcare, too?

If things were bad when my mother was hoping for first-class healthcare, why have things not improved?

Why does it take, on average, seven years for a doctor to diagnose endometriosis in a woman with terrible period pain?

Why have we read in recent weeks of a shocking deterioration in the quality of the maternity services? A Care Quality Commission report said one in four women is left alone and anxious during childbirth, unable to get help from midwives and doctors during labour. Just like my mum in 1950.

It's also three times more difficult to get an appointment with a gynaecologist than it was ten years ago. Good luck if you've had a mesh inserted to help with incontinence and want it removed.

This week's Hologic Global Women's Health Index found one in five British women experienced pain on a daily basis. More than a quarter of them received no diagnosis.

Then there's the antidepressants to 'cure' the menopause  wrong  and the failure to spot a heart attack in women because some symptoms are different from those in a man. Caroline Criado Perez made it clear in her groundbreaking book Invisible Women that medical research has generally been done on the male body, leading to a huge data gap when it comes to women's health. A major new study has found female patients are 50 to 75 per cent more likely to suffer a bad reaction to drugs than men.

The situation is unlikely to improve until the fact that sex matters is acknowledged to be crucial in medicine.

Jenni Murray (pictured) shared a horrifying experience of suffering an ectopic pregnancy and how her internal exam went

Women's biology is different from men's so it's helpful to no one to erase the word 'woman' from the NHS. Those of us born women need to have our biology researched and understood separately from trans women whose biology remains male.

Let's focus on what has made Latvia number two on the Global Women's Health Index. It makes preventative measures such as screening a priority. Three-quarters of women there have been screened for high blood pressure in the past 12 months. Only 45 per cent of women in Britain had such a check-up. Diabetes tests are common in Latvia. Not in the UK.

British women are screened for breast cancer once every three years  the longest gap in the world. Why, when the government's own women's health tsar says annual checks could save 1,000 lives a year?

Let's never hear again that screening for breast, ovarian and cervical cancer is too expensive, as was said when Edwina Currie pushed through the cervical screening programme in 1988.

And, by the way, women are brave and strong and put up with a lot, but we do feel pain, honestly!

This takes the trophy for poor taste

Naomi Campbell (pictured during the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show) once said she'd rather go naked than wear fur while campaigning for the animal rights group PETA

Naomi Campbell once said she'd rather go naked than wear fur while campaigning for the animal rights group PETA, so why did she parade the Schiaparelli catwalk in Paris with the head of a wolf on her shoulder. Not real, I know, but how can a representation of a trophy hunter's work be considered fashionable? Loved the coat, but the head? Horrible.

Watching my mother stand for hours every Monday ironing everything, even tea towels and knickers, made me vow I'd never do it. Clothes, apart from two cotton shirts and a T-shirt or two, don't need it. Then I bought a handheld steamer. Now my clothes are fresh, with no creases, and the iron's in the bin.

Time we saw the light on pollution

I'll never forget the hours we spent gazing into the night sky when we first moved to the deepest wilds of the Peak District in the early 1990s. We had never seen stars like it. We were mesmerised and learned to identify Orion, Cassiopeia, the Plough and the North Star. Gradually, over 20 years, the stars seemed to disappear. The night sky has brightened by up to 10 per cent a year as light pollution has increased. I know we need street lights for safety, but could they not be softer and all point down rather than up? The natural world is too precious to be lost.

Jenni has slammed Amanda Holden's 'clumpy, vertiginous heels', warning that she's risking a bad back 'in years to come'

Just as you think comfy, flat shoes are fashionable, out comes Amanda Holden in clumpy, vertiginous heels. That's her with a bad back in years to come. Why do women never learn?

A slice of heaven does no harm

Jenni says she 'can't agree' with Professor Susan Jebb, chair of the Food Standards Agency, saying bringing cakes into the office is as dangerous as passive smoking. Stock image used

I'm every bit as concerned about the obesity crisis as Professor Susan Jebb, chair of the Food Standards Agency. But I can't agree with her when she says bringing cakes into the office is as dangerous as passive smoking. At Woman's Hour one senior producer, Beverly, baked like a dream. A small slice of her offerings at the end of a busy day did no harm. The highlight of my career was a leaving gift from Mary Berry. A cake. Sharing it with my colleagues, we all agreed that nobody bakes better than Berry. Sorry Bev.
In what would be a reversal, the Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Tuesday, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode. A decision to send a bit more than 30 tanks could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months for the tanks to be delivered.

U.S. officials said details are still being worked out. One official said the tanks would be bought under an upcoming Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, which provides longer-range funding for weapons and equipment to be purchased from commercial vendors.

The U.S. announcement is expected in coordination with an announcement by Germany that it will approve Polands request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, according to one official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been made public.

By agreeing to send the Abrams at an as-yet unspecified time under the assistance initiative, the administration is able to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholzs demand for an American commitment without having to send the tanks immediately.

Much of the aid sent so far in the 11-month-old war has been through a separate program drawing on Pentagon stocks to get weapons more quickly to Ukraine. But even under that program, it would take months to get tanks to Ukraine and to get Ukrainian forces trained on them. It wasnt clear Tuesday how soon the U.S. will start training Ukrainian troops on the Abrams and roughly how soon they can get to the battlefront.

Until now, the U.S. has resisted providing its own M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, citing extensive and complex maintenance and logistical challenges with the high-tech vehicles. Washington believes it would be more productive to send German Leopards since many allies have them and Ukrainian troops would need less training than on the more difficult Abrams.

Just last week, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told reporters that the Abrams is a complicated, expensive, difficult to maintain and hard to train on piece of equipment. One thing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been very focused on, he said, is that we should not be providing the Ukrainians systems they cant repair, they cant sustain, and that they, over the long term, cant afford, because its not helpful.

A U.S. official familiar with White House thinking said the administrations initial hesitancy was based on concerns about the requisite training and the sustainment of the tanks. The official added that the administration believes that such plans are now in place, but it could take time to implement them.

At the Pentagon, spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said he had nothing to announce on any U.S. decision regarding Abrams tanks. But he said, anytime that weve provided Ukraine with a type of system, weve provided the training and sustainment capabilities with that.

The administrations reversal comes just days after a coalition of more than 50 senior defense officials from Europe and beyond met in Germany to discuss Ukraines war needs, and battle tanks were a prime topic.

Ukrainian leaders have been urgently requesting tanks, but Germany had resisted mounting pressure either to supply its own tanks or clear the way for other countries, such as Poland, to send the German-made tanks from their own stocks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the deployment of Western tanks would trigger unambiguously negative consequences.

Defense leaders from the countries that have Leopard 2 tanks met with the Germans during the Friday conference at Ramstein Air Base in an effort to hammer out an agreement.

On Sunday, Berlin indicated it wouldnt stand in the way if other countries wanted to send the Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv. Germany needs to agree for the tanks to be given to Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO.

U.S. and German officials have given mixed signals about whether the U.S. and German decisions are linked, and whether Berlin was hesitant to send its tanks unless the U.S. sent Abrams.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Tuesday that Poland has officially requested permission from Germany to transfer its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.

German officials confirmed to the dpa news agency they had received the application and said it would be assessed with due urgency. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Sunday that Berlin wouldnt seek to stop Poland from providing the high-tech armor to Kyiv.

German officials declined to comment on the reports of a tank deal. The news weekly Der Spiegel reported Tuesday, without citing a source, that Germany will provide Ukraine with at least one company of Leopard 2 tanks from its own armys stock. A company comprises 15 tanks.

Scholz is due to deliver an address to parliament Wednesday and field questions from lawmakers, many of whom have been pressing the government to join allies in providing the tanks to Ukraine.

Lawmakers in Congress have also been pushing the U.S. to beef up its aid to Ukraine.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday its time, past time for the Biden administration and allies to send more military aid to Ukraine, and that the U.S. must provide more tanks and weapons to help Ukraine win this war.

Its time, past time, for the Biden administration and our allies to get serious about helping Ukraine finish the job and retake their country.

The likely plans to send the Abrams were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Associated Press writers Tara Copp, Kevin Freking and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
Google workers who earned viral fame on TikTok by proudly flaunting their aspirational workplaces are now offering a raw and very candid insight into their new realities after being laid off.

TikToker Nicole Tsai, who worked at the company's LA office, was among those who had used the platform to share a glimpse into her life as one of the tech giant's employees.

Her enviable vlogs, which helped her grow her following to more than 36,000, had previously showcased Google's themed meeting rooms, free lunches and a speakeasy bar that was used during 'happy hours'.

But her latest social media updates have been far less glamorous after being among the 12,000 workers laid off by the company.

TikToker Nicole Tsai, who worked at the company's LA office, was among those who had used the platform to share a glimpse into her life as one of the tech giant's employees

Nicole had been shedding light on what it was like behind the scenes at Google's LA office (left), which was previously used as an aircraft hangar and featured a speakeasy bar (right)

In her early videos, Nicole had been shedding light on what it was like behind the scenes at Google's LA office, which was previously used as an aircraft hangar.

The vlogger, who had worked at the company since July 2021, gave a tour to showcase the zero-gravity and Peter Pan-themed rooms, library, speakeasy bar and arcade games all available to employees.

In another of her clips, she boasted of the office's art installations, coffee shop, glitzy 'confetti room', full-body massage chairs as well as giving a glimpse of the free lunches available to employees.

However, Nicole's Google bubble burst amid the 12,000 lay offs and, in one of her latest TikToks, she documented finding out that she had been made redundant.

Titled 'A Day In My Life Getting Laid Off At Google', Nicole provided a voiceover for the clip and said: 'I woke up to this really ominous text from my boss and I honestly had no idea what it was going to be about so I called her the minute I woke up and saw it...

Nicole's Google bubble burst amid the 12,000 lay offs and, in one of her latest TikToks, she documented finding out that she had been made redundant

'I rushed downstairs to find out that I had lost access to basically everything. I couldn't log into my email or even check my calendar.

'I called my boss back and we just sobbed over the phone because she was also finding out about my lay off for the first time today too.'

She continued: 'It just felt like a really bad game of Russian roulette and there was no consistency around who was let go and it was also not performance based so it was really random.'

Nicole closed the video by admitting that she 'didn't really know what was next' for her but told viewers she would continue to document her journey.

But Nicole is not the only TikTok user to have shared before and after videos around the redundancy announcement.

Vlogger Cedoni Francis, who has more than 230,000 followers on TikTok, had been sharing clips of her time at the Google office in New York

The video showcased her having breakfast cooked at the office (left) and visiting the on-site wellness center (right)

Vlogger Cedoni Francis, who has more than 230,000 followers on TikTok, had been sharing clips of her time at the Google office in New York.

In her clip titled 'Day In My Life: Office Addition', the 24-year-old said that she had arrived in time to have a breakfast cooked for her at the office consisting of French toast and a creme fraiche egg scramble.

She then filmed herself as she worked on projects from her laptop before saying that she had started to feel unwell.

Cedoni then showcased one of the other benefits of working for Google as she popped down to the company's on-site wellness center.

@cedonifrancis norhing is ever out of gods plan. im thankful for the past few years and even more excited for whats to come! put the word on the street that we up!  original sound - Cedoni

The creative, who had been at the company for three years, recently posted on the platform to address the lay offs

But the creative, who had been at the company for three years, recently posted on the platform to address the lay offs.

Sitting at home and speaking directly to camera she said: 'My entire team got laid off from Google. The writing had been on the wall for a really long time...

'Lay offs were not performance based. I received an "exceeds expectations" on my last performance review... it was strictly just people had to go because the company needed to save money.

'The lay offs did not just effect people at my level, there were VPs and directors that were also laid off.'

Cedoni was keen to stress that she had 'not expressed anger or sadness' throughout the entire process as she knows she will be 'perfectly fine'.

She added that she is financial stable and said that she was considering handing in her notice at the company anyway before the news broke.

Google announced that it would be laying of 12,000 people on Friday - equating to around six percent of its workforce.

It is just the latest tech company to announce cost-cutting measures with Meta, Twitter, Amazon and Microsoft among those to have laid off employees.
Lady Amelia Windsor channeled the 1990s in a grunge-style outfit as she graced the red carpet this evening.

The young socialite, 27, layered a black vest on top of a long-sleeved, striped shirt, paired with brown jeans and chunky trainers with rainbow laces as she posed for photos at premiere of Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio with a live orchestra at Abbey Road.

Amelia wore her blonde locks down and straight, accessorising her trousers with a leopard print belt and opting for a gold chain necklace complete with a padlock pendant.

The fresh-faced socialite appeared to be wearing minimal make up, showing off her natural beauty.

Stylish as ever: Lady Amelia Windsor harked back to the 1990s with her grunge-inspired look as she graced the black carpet at the Pinocchio premiere this evening

Amelia, who lives in Notting Hill with her sister Marina, looked relaxed in the casual look as she made her way to the event.

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro was pictured speaking at the event with an orchestra in front of him as the film was about to start.

The movie, which is a Netflix production, stars Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard and Scot actor Ewan McGregor.

Amelia is 44th in line to the throne - a position which has been shifted down since the announcement of Princess Eugenie's second pregnancy yesterday.

Her cool look was a far cry from the socialite's last red carpet appearance at Tatler's Fashion Awards in December at the Royal Albert Hall.

The fresh-faced socialite, who was once dubbed the 'most beautiful royal', looked cool as she channeled the grunge look

Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro addressed the audience before the film, complete with a live orchestra, began at Abbey Road

The conductor directed the orchestra as the live music played to accompany the showing of the film

British actress and director Fuchsia Kate Sumner attended the premiere and looked cool in an all black outfit with a light blue clutch bag

Appearing at the event, the 27-year-old, who has previously been dubbed 'the most beautiful royal', dazzled in a plunging black ruffled dress which accentuated her enviable figure, and wore her hair in a relaxed updo.

Tatler also named her one of their Gown of the Year royal winners last December, praising the model for a black tulle dress from Dior, featuring a butterfly-embellished body chain, that she wore as she stepped out in Paris for the French house's SS23 haute couture show in January 2022.

However she looked every bit as stylish this evening as she embraced times gone by.

Lady Amelia Windsor is the granddaughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who is a cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth.

She has been signed to Storm Models agency for several years and during her modelling career she has been the cover star of Tatler and walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana in 2017 at Milan Fashion Week.

The model has previously used her social status and success in the industry to launch projects supporting good causes.

Last year, she launched a pair of vegan pearl earrings with sustainable jewellery brand SALOME.

Back in 2018, she released a line of shoes in collaboration with Penelope Chilvers, wth 20% of the proceeds from the line donated to War Child.
Celebrities have flocked to France for Paris Fashion Week this month - and in order to stand out from the crowd, some have ensured every eye is on them thanks to daring and quirky outfits.

For instance, Kylie Jenner debuted a stunning black dress at the Schiaparelli Haute Couture show on Monday that hugged her curves, but it was the enormous, realistic fake lion head attached to the front that got the most attention.

Meanwhile, Emily In Paris actor Lucien Laviscounty, 30, caught the eye as he arrived at the Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter menswear show on Thursday, sporting a grey knitted short sleeved T-shirt with Vuitton printed across the front which he teamed with a bold skirt.

Here, FEMAIL reveals some of the boldest looks from the occasion so far...

Kylie Jenner sported a huge lion's head attached to her black dress as she made a quirky appearance at the star-studded Schiaparelli show during Paris Fashion Week. The reality star, 25, turned heads with the huge stuffed accessory as she posed up a storm heading into the venue on Monday. The fake animal was sewn to the front of a chic figure-hugging black velvet dress that had a stylish strapless design

Making an entrance: Lucien Laviscount rocked a grey knitted short sleeved T-shirt with Vuitton printed across the front which he teamed with a bold skirt at the Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter menswear show on Thursday

Jaw-dropping! Jenna Ortega put on a spellbinding display during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday. The actress wowed in a sexy hooded dress which displayed her toned back

Daring: Robert Pattinson, 36, made quite the entrance as he arrived at the Dior Homme show during on Friday. He modelled a navy tweed skirt, teamed with a brown fur bomber jacket

Lady in red! Doja Cat, 27, turned heads as she arrived at the star-studded Schiaparelli show on Monday in a red satin corset along with a lavishly beaded skirt and knee-high boots. She arrived in head-to-toe red body paint and completed her bold outfit with colour-coordinated crystals

Caped crusader! Rebecca Ferguson opted for a beige hooded ensemble with chunky boots as she attended the Dior show

Coco Chanel would not be impressed! Sofia Richie didn't strike quite the right note in her monochrome ensemble at the Chanel show

Mathilde Warnier donned a military style jacket with hearts painted on her cheeks at the Dior show on January 23

Tina Kunakey cut a striking figure in a red and green leather dress as she attended a private dinner celebrating the Gucci High Jewellery Collection at Hotel Ritz

Stunner: Diane Kruger, 46, appeared radiant in a quirky black and white mini dress as she arrived at the star-studded Schiaparelli show during Paris Fashion Week on Monday
A canine behaviourist has revealed the two dog breeds he sees most frequently in his line of work.

Will Atherton, from the UK, said the Cocker Spaniel and Cane Corso can develop hard-to-manage behaviours as they are often adopted for the 'wrong reasons' in a viral TikTok clip.

He said Cocker Spaniels are from a 'working' line but pet owners adopt them to be 'couch potatoes' or 'Instagram dogs' without realising how much training they need.

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Canine behaviourist Will Atherton (pictured), from the UK, has spilled on which dog breeds he thinks are the worst behaved

Will put the Cocker Spaniel (pictured) at number one because pet owners buy them to be 'couch potatoes' or 'Instagram dogs' without realising how much training they need

'As a canine behaviourist, I specialise in working with dogs when things go terribly wrong,' Will said in the video.

'Because of that I see the same breeds cropping up over and over again, displaying the same kinds of negative behaviours.'

He said 'working line cocker spaniels' are the most mischievous pooches and the 'number one breed people get for the wrong reasons'.

The other dog Will sees most often is the Cane Corso (pictured) who he says needs time, dedication and experience to train

'They bring this dog that is bred to do a job and work in the field all day and expect it to be a couch potato, Instagram dog,' Will explained.

'Because of that they display reactivity, barking, pulling, resource guarding and terrible recall.'

The other dog Will sees most often is the Cane Corso which is an Italian mastiff and what he calls one of his 'personal favourite dog breeds on the planet'.

'Again, people get them for the wrong reason without the time, dedication or experience required that lead them to have bad reputation of aggressive reactive dogs,' he said.

Top ten most popular dog breeds in Australia 1. Cavoodle 2. Labrador Retriever 3. Greyhound 4. Border Collie 5. Golden Retriever 6. Goldendoodle 7. Labradoodle 8. German Shepherd 9. English Staffordshire Bull Terrier 10. French Bulldog Source: Scratch Advertisement

Research recently revealed which dog breed is the smartest and two of Australia's most beloved dog breeds scored surprisingly low.

The Border Collie has long been thought of as the smartest dog in the world but a recent study from University of Helsinki in Finland found it is actually the Belgian Shepherd Malinois.

More than 1,000 dogs from 13 different breeds were put through rigorous intelligence testing with the Labrador coming in ninth and the Golden Retriever taking last place.

The Belgian Shephard Malinois (pictured) has been found to be the world's smartest dog breed after a recent study

More than 1,000 dogs from 13 different breeds were put through rigorous intelligence testing with the Labrador (pictured) coming in ninth and the Golden Retriever taking last place.

Study author Dr Katriina Tiira told The Telegraph one breed stood out among the rest throughout the testing.

'The Belgian Shepherd Malinois stood out in many of the cognitive tasks, having very good results in a majority of the tests,' she said.

Top four smartest dog breeds 1. Belgian Shepherd Malinois 2. Border Collie 3. Hovawart 4. Spanish water Dog Advertisement

Belgian Malinois are popular choices for those looking for a canine to make a good sniffer, guard or police dog but they proved themselves to also be independent, good problem solvers, quick to respond to and good at reading humans.

Border Collies proved their smarts and performed outstandingly in the tests but the Belgian Shepherd Malinois pipped them at the post.

Saara Junttila, study author and a PhD researcher in canine cognition at the University of Helsinki, said most breeds studied had their own strengths and weaknesses.

'For example, the Labrador Retriever was very good at reading human gestures, but not so good at spatial problem-solving ability,' she said.

'Some breeds, such as the Shetland Sheepdog, scored quite evenly in almost all tests, i.e., they had neither very high nor very low scores for any test.'

One of the dogs' tasks in which they were presented with two food bowls, one full, one empty, to see if they could identify which was empty yielded no results as there was no difference in behaviour between each breed.

However three tasks which measured a specific aspect of dog cognition were more telling including one where the subjects had to navigate their way around a V-shaped fence.

Border Collies (pictured) proved their smarts and performed outstandingly in the study's intelligence tests but the Belgian Shepherd Malinois pipped them at the post

Out of a potential 39 points, Hovawarts (left), were a close third behind the Border Collie with 25 points, and the Spanish Water Dog (right) was one point off with 24

Another presented the animals an 'unsolvable task' - food placed in a box that couldn't be opened - to see how quickly they would seek a human for help, determining how independent they were.

The third measured how the dogs were able to read humans, rating how they responded to five gestures: constant pointing, brief pointing, pointing with the foot, pointing at something while facing another direction and following a gaze.

The Beligian Malinois came out on top for both the human gestures and the V-shaped fence tasks scoring 35 points out of 39 beating the second-placed Border Collie who scored 26 points.

Hovawarts, which is an old German working breed descended from the Newfoundland and Leonberger, were a close third with 25 points, and the Spanish Water Dog was one point behind with 24.

The beloved Labrador and Golden Retriever scored well on the gesture test but fell behind on the other two tasks coming in at ninth and 13th respectively.
A Canadian woman living Down Under has described the different types of Australian men she sees on dating apps.

Kennedy Chelan, who is from Canada but living on the Sunshine Coast, said 'Melbourne guys', tradies, 'surfer dudes' and bogans make frequent appearances when she's swiping.

She said she's sick of the colour orange after seeing so many tradies wearing their high-vis shirts on dating apps and slammed them for making their job 'their whole personality'.

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Kennedy Chelan, an Canadian expat living in Queensland, has listed the different types of Aussie men she sees a lot on dating apps

'This colour of orange makes me f***ing sick now purely because I have seen it too much and for some reason being a chippy or a sparkie is your whole personality,' Kennedy said pointing to a high-vis shirt in a video posted to TikTok.

Second on Kennedy's list was the 'Melbourne guy' who she said generally includes a picture of themselves 'mysteriously' drinking a cocktail at a bar 'you're not cool enough to know about' on their profiles.

'I'm convinced they put out a public announcement that said to be a Melbourne guy you have to have a picture of you at the races,' she joked.

She said she's sick of the colour orange after seeing it so many tradies donning a high-vis shirt on dating apps and slammed them for making their job 'their whole personality'

'The second requirement is that somewhere on your profile you mention almond croissants, bonus points if you debate where the best almond croissant in Melbourne is.'

Kennedy's 'favourite' type of Aussie bloke is the 'moustache tattoo guy'.

'There are a billion of you out there but only some of you are doing it right. You probably listen to really cool music and have better shoes than me,' she said.

She gave the thumps up to 'surfer dudes', saying they were cool, have long hair, tanned skin, and are usually a little bit skinny.

'There's a lot of you. You take really aesthetic pictures, there's probably a picture of you surfing some close up and then some picture on film,' she said.

Another type Kennedy said she sees on dating apps is the Gold Coast guy whose 'life is the gym'.

'He gets really rowdy on the weekends, probably dips in to some illicit substances and yes, their names are still things like Brad,' she said.

'This kind of profile probably says something about looking for a girl with a nice butt or hanging out with the boys on Saturday having a couple of beers.'

Kennedy's 'favourite' type of Aussie bloke is the 'moustache tattoo guy': 'You probably listen to really cool music and have better shoes than me,' she said

Kennedy finally mentioned the infamous bogans out there, showing an image of a man on a boat wearing fish flip-flops.

'I feel like the word bogan - I don't like saying it seems offensive but everyone still says it,' she said.

'I've seen it, I don't care to see it again.'

Viewers were in stitches over Kennedy's hilarious and 'accurate' observations and suggested she travel the country to encounter more Aussie guy 'types'.

'There are a couple variants you might come across. The Cashed Up Bogan usually in WA, and the Hipster from the Sydney Easter Suburbs,' one man said.

'Oh man, I'm like all these guys in one. Surfer, tradie, gym guy who's into cars,' another replied.

'You forgot the millions of guys who wear a flat brim surf cap, Oakleys, and a Billabong T-shirt and shorts with sandals,' a woman pointed out.
Parts of England logged 50 per cent more deaths than expected in December amid the NHS crisis, a resurgence in flu and the knock-on effects of the Covid pandemic, MailOnline analysis of official figures shows.

Rutland in the East Midlands recorded 49 deaths last month, 17 (53.1 per cent) more than usually seen at that time of year, based on the five-year average.

Excess deaths across England have been on the rise since summer but have spiked in recent weeks, running a fifth above expected levels. Almost 3,000 more people died than usual during the first full week of January alone.

Experts have blamed the NHS crisis  which has seen record waits for ambulances and in A&E  as well as a brutal wave of flu, fewer patients seeking care during the pandemic and the freezing temperatures logged in December.

MPs yesterday called for an 'urgent investigation' to get to the bottom of what is behind the surge in deaths.

MailOnline analysis of regional fatality data in December from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities revealed which areas have been battered most by the wave of excess deaths. Rutland in the East Midlands logged 49 deaths last month  17 (53.1 per cent) more than the 32 fatalities usually seen at that time of year, based on the five-year average. Blackburn with Darwen, in Lancashire, logged the highest number of deaths over and above the five-year average out of 148 local authorities

Mortality data shows that deaths due to heart disease (4,871), respiratory disease (3,150), flu and pneumonia (2,764), as well as those where no specific diagnosis could be made (1,709), are all higher than expected, according to the ONS. Fatalities caused by dementia and Alzheimer's (5,900), cerebrovascular diseases (2,491), lung cancer (2,127), colon cancer (1,184) and blood cancers (958) remain among the biggest killers  though fewer people died from these than expected, the ONS said

Some 17,381 deaths were registered in England and Wales in the seven days to January 13  2,837 above average for the time of year. This is the highest number of excess deaths since 3,429 in the week to February 12, 2021, when the UK was experiencing its second wave of Covid-19 infections and vaccination had only just begun

So what is behind the sky-high excess death toll? NHS crisis Patients have faced record delays for emergency care in recent months, with experts fearing this is a major factor driving England's excess death toll. Heart attack and stroke victims were forced to wait 93 minutes, on average, in December for an ambulance to show up. One in 10 of these category two patients in some parts of the country endured delays of six-and-a-half hours. On top of this, just 65 per cent of A&E patients were seen within the NHS target of four hours  the lowest rate recorded. And a record 54,532 were forced to wait more than 12 hours in December  nearly 1,800 every day. Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said the crisis is responsible for up to 500 excess deaths per week in England. Flu The flu-nami has also been blamed for the high death toll, with hospital admissions due to the bug reaching their highest level in a decade this winter. More than 6,000 influenza patients were in NHS beds at the peak this winter. This winter marked a resurgence of flu, with the bug putting severe pressure on the health service for the first time since the pandemic hit nearly three years ago. Curbs brought in to stem the spread of the coronavirus over the last two winters also had a knock-on effect in limiting the spread of other bugs, largely suppressing flu. Health chiefs admitted this has left a larger pool of people than usual vulnerable to influenza this winter. Knock-on effects of pandemic The public was urged to protect the NHS during the early days of the pandemic  as leaders sought to free up capacity for an influx of Covid patients. But medics have warned that this has led to patients coming to the NHS later for potentially life-saving treatment, while conditions have been diagnosed at a later and more severe stage for some patients. Experts say this is contributing to the rise in excess deaths. Sir Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, has suggested fewer patients being prescribed life-saving statin and blood pressure medicine during the pandemic could be a factor. Cold weather The cold weather spell in December  which saw temperatures fall as low as -17C and the Met Office issue snow and ice warnings  has also been blamed. Health chiefs issued warnings to the public, urging those most at risk from the cold weather to stay warm. This is because the risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections spikes during the cold weather, especially for the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions. Freezing temperatures also raise the risk of car crashes and accidents. Covid Covid itself was behind 1,086 deaths in December, pushing up the excess death toll. A surge in infections saw cases spike at the end of January, when the ONS estimated 2.5million people, or one in 20, were infected. Advertisement

Now, MailOnline analysis of regional fatality data in December from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities reveals which areas have been battered most by the wave of excess deaths.

After Rutland, Blackburn with Darwen logged the highest number of deaths over and above the five-year average out of 148 local authorities.

It saw 40 per cent more deaths than expected in December  with 140 people dying compared to the five-year average of 100 deaths that month.

Three parts of Greater Manchester recorded the next-highest excess death tolls, with 38.8 per cent more than expected in Trafford, followed by Rochdale (36.6 per cent) and Oldham (36.1 per cent).

An extra 35.7 per cent deaths over and above the five-year average were recorded in Herefordshire, West Midlands.

At the other end of the scale, one in eight authorities saw fewer deaths than expected last month.

Islington, north London, logged just 76 deaths in December  14.6 per cent fewer than the five-year average of 89.

Fatalities were also low in Brent, north west London (down 14.6 per cent), Brighton and Hove (down 12.7 per cent) and Southend-on-Sea (down 8.2 per cent).

Overall, there were 49,339 deaths in England in December, 5,871 (13.5 per cent) above the five-year average, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

And there were 50,000 excess deaths throughout 2022  the most in 50 years.

Most recent ONS figures, published yesterday, suggest the excess death trend shows no signs of abating.

This is because there were 17,381 deaths in England and Wales in the week to January 13  2,837 (19.5 per cent) above average for the time of year.

It is the highest number of weekly excess deaths since 3,429 were logged in the week February 12, 2021, when the UK was in the midst of its second Covid wave and the vaccine rollout had only just begun.

At that point, the virus accounted for more than a third of all deaths.

But now, Covid was to blame for just five per cent of the death toll  meaning other factors are driving the high level of mortality.

Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said the crisis in NHS emergency care is responsible for up to 500 excess deaths every week in England.

Patients faced record delays for ambulances in December, with heart attack and stroke victims in England forced to wait 93 minutes, on average, for 999 crews to show up.

One in 10 of category two patients in some parts of the country, which also includes burns and epilepsy victims, endured delays of six-and-a-half hours.

On top of this, just 65 per cent of A&E patients were seen within the NHS target of four hours  the lowest rate recorded  while a record 54,532 were forced to wait more than 12 hours in December.

The flu-nami has also been blamed for the high death toll, with more than 6,000 taking up hospital beds at the peak this winter.

Experts pointed to the knock-on effects of the pandemic for a hike in excess deaths, which saw fewer appointments, operations and checks  leading to some illnesses being spotted late.

Sir Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, has suggested fewer patients being prescribed life-saving statin and blood pressure medicine during the pandemic could be a factor.

The cold weather spell in December  which saw temperatures fall as low as -17C and the Met Office issue snow and ice warnings  has also been blamed.

Covid itself was behind 1,086 deaths in December.

A surge in infections saw cases spike at the end of January, when the ONS estimated 2.5million people, or one in 20, were infected.

Mortality data shows that deaths due to heart disease (4,871), respiratory disease (3,150), flu and pneumonia (2,764), as well as those where no specific diagnosis could be made (1,709), are all higher than expected.

The number of flu patients taking up hospital beds has been trending downwards for a fortnight after peaking at 5,779 on January 2. Latest data, for the week to January 15, shows 3,447 people infected with influenza were in hospital per day, on average, last week. The figure is 35 per cent lower than the 5,262 figure one week earlier

NHS England data shows that ambulance handover delays have fallen to their lowest level this winter. Less than one in four (23 per cent) ambulance patients waited 30 minutes or longer last week before be handed to A&E teams, down from 36 per cent one week earlier (red line)

Just one in 10 ambulance patients (nine per cent) waited more than one hour to be handed over to A&E teams  another record low this winter down from 19 per cent in the previous week

NHS ambulance data for December shows that 999 callers classed as category two  which includes heart attacks, strokes, burns and epilepsy  waited 1 hour, 32 minutes and 54 seconds, on average, for paramedics to arrive (shown in red bar). This is five-times longer than the 18 minute target (shown in green line). This is despite category 2 cases falling slightly to 368,042 (shown in yellow bar)

The graph shows the average response times for each category of 999 calls across 11 parts of England. The South West logged the slowest response time for both category one and category two calls, taking 13 minutes and 11 seconds and 2 hours and 29 minutes on average, respectively

NHS A&E data for December shows that a record 54,532 people seeking emergency care were forced to wait at least 12 hours (yellow bar). Meanwhile, just 65 per cent of A&E attendees were seen within four hours (red line)  the NHS target

Around 7.2million patients in England were stuck in the backlog in November (red line) or one in eight people. More than 400,000 have queued for at least one year (yellow bars)

Fatalities caused by dementia and Alzheimer's (5,900), cerebrovascular diseases (2,491), lung cancer (2,127), colon cancer (1,184) and blood cancers (958) remain among the biggest killers  though fewer people died from these than expected, ONS data shows.

Conservative former minister Esther McVey yesterday called for Health Secretary Steve Barclay to launch a 'urgent and thorough investigation' into the excess deaths.

During health questions, she told the Commons: 'The Chief Medical Officer recently warned that current non-Covid excess deaths is being driven in part by patients not getting statins or blood pressure medicines during the pandemic.

'But when looking at the data on statins on openprescribing.net, which is based on monthly NHS prescribing, there appears not to be a drop.

'So where is the evidence? And if there isn't one, what is causing these excess deaths?

'Will the minister commit to an urgent and thorough investigation on the matter?'
Women could soon be able to monitor the progress of their pregnancy thanks to breakthrough wearable ultrasound technology.

Scientists at the University of California San Diego have developed a dime-sized patch that captures continuous live images deep inside the body for up to 24 hours.

In its current state, the technology has been developed to monitor heart disease patients and look for early warning signs of strokes and heart attacks.

But the team, led by Professor Sheng Xu, told DailyMail.com they are working on a version that could be used in pregnant women.

The wearable device is a small sticker that can remain on the skin for up to 24 hours, even during strenuous exercise. This is the first time ultrasound technology can be used during exercise

The sticker sends and receives the ultrasound waves which are used to generate a constant stream of images in real time of the heart's four chambers

The ultrasound sticker must be physically attached to a computer, but the UC San Diego team is creating a wireless circuit for the patch.

That would be a major breakthrough in the way healthcare workers could prevent and monitor chronic diseases.

Scaling up the machine-learning artificial intelligence technology to keep an eye on the health of a fetus in utero would be a huge boon for pregnant women in the US who are more vulnerable to pregnancy-related mortality than those in the other richest countries in the world, such as France and Canada.

The majority of pregnancies are carried to term without a hitch, but rates of complications are rising. Between 2014 and 2018, the rates of pregnancy complications rose more than 16 percent, while rates for childbirth complications rose more than 14 percent, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The latest technology to emerge from Dr Xu's lab is a major step toward making cumbersome and expensive ultrasounds more accessible.

It could potentially prove especially useful for pregnant women living in harder-to-reach areas with few gynecologists/obstetricians who want to keep tabs on their babies' growth.

The device, which can be worn for a consecutive 24 hours, is currently only suited to monitor heart health and heart disease risk.

The postage stamp-sized patch takes continuous images of the four chambers of the heart at different angles to measure how much blood the heart is pumping, a marker of cardiovascular disease risk.

Dr Xu said: 'The technology enables anybody to use ultrasound imaging on the go.'

'The increasing risk of heart diseases calls for more advanced and inclusive monitoring procedures,' he added.

By providing patients and doctors with more thorough details, continuous and real-time cardiac image monitoring is poised to fundamentally optimize and reshape the paradigm of cardiac diagnoses.'

The portable patch that researchers say is softer than human skin sends and receives ultrasound waves that then generate a constant stream of images in real-time of the heart.

Machine-learning technology analyzes scans using an AI algorithm that considers all functions of a healthy heart: stroke volume (the volume of blood the heart pumps out each beat), ejection fraction (the percentage of blood pumped out of the left ventricle of the heart every beat) and cardiac output (the volume of blood the heart pumps out every minute).

To little blood flow means an insufficient amount of oxygenated blood being pumped through the heart, usually as a result of a partial or complete blockage of your heart's coronary arteries.

Ruixiang Qi, a master's student in the Xu group at UC San Diego said: 'We use this machine learning model to calculate the heart volume based on the shape and area of the left ventricle segmentation. The imaging-segmentation deep learning model is the first to be functionalized in wearable ultrasound devices.

How would the AI sticker work? UC San Diego scientists created an ultrasound device that can assess both the structure and function of the human heart. Once adhered to a person's skin, the portable heart monitor provides real-time, automated insights on the difficult-to-capture blood pumping activity of the heart. It works even when a person is exercising in order to analyze the amount of blood the heart is pumping, the first time that has ever been done. A unique algorithm designed by the researchers relies on a machine-learning model that can spit out numbers reflecting blood flow. It can be worn for up to 24 hours. The current iteration of the patch is connect by cables to a computer that downloads the data automatically while the patch is still on. The team has developed a wireless circuit for the patch. Reporting on that development is forthcoming. Advertisement

'It enables the device to provide accurate and continuous waveforms of key cardiac indices in different physical states, including static and after exercise, which has never been achieved before.'

AI is increasingly being leveraged to diagnose serious health conditions such as breast and bowel cancer. And heart disease is a leading killer of Americans. One person dies every 34 seconds in the US from cardiovascular disease.

The Covid-era lockdowns that caused economies to grind to a halt also drove up deaths due to heart disease.

About 697,000 people in the US died from heart disease in 2020, meaning one in five deaths could be attributed to it. '

The UC San Diego team is not alone in its pursuit of wearable diagnostic technology.

A team of physician-scientists at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles have created an AI tool that can effectively identify and distinguish between two life-threatening heart conditions, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and cardiac amyloidosis, which can be hard for cardiologists to spot.

The team's novel algorithm relied upon over 34,000 cardiac ultrasound videos from Cedars-Sinai and Stanford Healthcare's echocardiography laboratories to identify features related to the thickness of heart walls and the size of heart chambers to identify patients as potentially having one of the cardiac diseases.

Reasearchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a similarly small sticker that can capture live continuous images of what is happening deep inside the body for up to 48 hours
Hospitals are 'the worst place you can possibly be in the health system' - according to the chief executive of an NHS trust.

Nick Hulme, who runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, branded them 'not safe places', adding the public had 'come to accept the totally unacceptable'.

He said: 'They are horrible places - the food's rubbish, we don't let you sleep, we don't let you know what's going on.'

Revealing he had stayed in some 'fairly dodgy' hotels in his time, he added none of them were places where visitors were forced to 'share a bathroom with six people'.

Nick Hulme (pictured with Boris Johnson at Colchester Hospital), who runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, branded them 'not safe places', adding the public had 'come to accept the totally unacceptable'

Mr Hulme (pictured) said: 'They are horrible places - the food's rubbish, we don't let you sleep, we don't let you know what's going on'

How many more people are dying than usual in YOUR area? Heat map reveals worst-hit areas amid calls for 'urgent investigation' into crisis blamed on NHS crisis and flu-nami MailOnline analysis of regional fatality data in December from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities revealed which areas have been battered most by the wave of excess deaths Advertisement

'They're awful and we've got to get that message out,' the head of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust told a meeting of the local Integrated Care Board.

'They're not safe places and, unless you really need to be there, you shouldn't be there.'

Two weeks ago, a patient who went to Ipswich Hospital's A&E department with stomach pains complained she was put on a maternity ward and waited four days to see a doctor.

Michelle Emmerson-Grey, 44, was only seen by someone after she tweeted Mr Hulme.

'To go four days without seeing a doctor and still be in agony is ludicrous,' she said, adding the system was 'not working'.

The hospital was also criticised in 2018 for using taxpayers' money on at least 13 'virginity restoring procedures' between 2012 and 2017, where the hymen is stitched or reconstructed.

Mr Hulme has worked in the NHS for more than 35 years, becoming chief executive at The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust in 2013 and doubling up with the same role at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust from May 2016.

The trusts merged in July 2018.

Official figures show 356 patients waited more than 12 hours to be admitted to the trust's A&E departments in December, with another 9,324 waiting at least four hours.

Two weeks ago, a patient who went to Ipswich Hospital's A&E department with stomach pains complained she was put on a maternity ward and waited four days to see a doctor. Michelle Emmerson-Grey (pictured), 44, was only seen by someone after she tweeted Mr Hulme

Nick Hulme, who runs Ipswich (pictured) and Colchester hospitals, branded them 'not safe places', adding the public had 'come to accept the totally unacceptable'

Overall, just 66 per cent of A&E patients saw a doctor within four hours, compared to a national target of 95 per cent.

Hospitals have been struggling with winter pressures, a backlog caused by Covid-19 lockdowns, bed-blocking and strikes.

At the ICB meeting on Tuesday, Mr Hulme referred to the pre-pandemic era when the hospitals he controls would have been close to declaring a major incident if five patients were without a bed overnight in A&E.

He added: 'Now, if it's five, we're really pleased. We think it's a good night.'

A trust spokesman yesterday said he had been responding to a question in the public meeting about community care.

'[Hospitals are] not always the best place to be cared for,' she said.

Asked what Mr Hulme was doing to improve conditions for patients, she added: 'He's doing a lot.'
The NIH was blasted today by an official watchdog for failing to keep tabs on US-sponsored virus experiments in China, which are feared to have caused the Covid crisis.

A report by the US Office of Inspector General found the country's medical research agency did not properly review whether the tests in Wuhan involved dangerous pathogens with pandemic potential.

The federal audit looked at three taxpayer-funded research grants awarded to the now-notorious EcoHealth Alliance, run by British scientist Peter Daszak, between 2014 and 2021.

It found the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and EcoHealth failed to 'understand the nature of the research conducted, identify potential problem areas, and take corrective action'.

'With improved oversight, NIH may have been able to take more timely corrective actions to mitigate the inherent risks associated with this type of research,' the report added.

Virologist Shi Zheng-li - nicknamed the 'Bat Lady' - is pictured in the lab. She hunted down dozens of deadly Covid-like viruses in bat caves and studied them at the WIV

The question of whether the global outbreak began with a spillover from wildlife sold at the market or leaked out of the Wuhan lab just eight miles across the Yangtze River has given rise to fierce debate about how to prevent the next pandemic. New studies point to a natural spillover at the Huanan wildlife market. Positive swab samples of floors, cages and counters also track the virus back to stalls in the southwestern corner of the market (bottom left), where animals with the potential to harbor Covid were sold for meat or fur at the time (bottom right)

While the lab leak theory was initially dismissed as conspiracy and xenophobic, a growing number of scientists have come around to the idea the virus may have escaped during an accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

The research facility is less than 10 miles from an animal slaughter market where the first series of human cases were clustered. Some experts also claim Covid's unique spike protein, which it uses to infect people, shows hallmarks of engineering.

But others have deemed those scenarios unlikely and say that there is some indirect evidence that Covid did jump from animals at the Huanan Seafood Market, where animals known to harbor Covid including raccoon dogs, hedgehogs, rats and squirrels, were kept in squalid conditions.

Direct evidence for a natural or man-made origin has yet to emerge.

Poll Do you think Covid was the result of a lab leak or natural spillover? Lab leak Natural spillover Other Do you think Covid was the result of a lab leak or natural spillover? Lab leak 515 votes

Natural spillover 23 votes

Other 26 votes Now share your opinion





EcoHealth Alliance was awarded $8million in Government research grants between 2014 and 2021, which it subcontracted to research facilities. The WIV was one of eight teams awarded grants at that time.

Today's audit said there was a lack of oversight by the NIH and EcoHealth at the Chinese facility and other labs that benefitted from Government grants.

The report said: 'Despite identifying potential risks associated with research being performed under the EcoHealth awards, we found that NIH did not effectively monitor or take timely action to address EcoHealth's compliance with some requirements.

'Although NIH and EcoHealth had established monitoring procedures, we found deficiencies in complying with those procedures limited NIH and EcoHealth's ability to effectively monitor federal grant awards and subawards to understand the nature of the research conducted, identify potential problem areas, and take corrective action.'

In the US, groups like EcoHealth that want to conduct research involving 'enhanced potential pandemic pathogens' must have their work approved by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Pictured: The Wuhan Institute of Virology, where crucial data was wiped by Chinese scientists

The OIG report cites three specific awards from EcoHealth, using NIH funds, that had the potential to be gain-of-function research but did not go through proper clearances. Included is the award to the WIV, which has been at the center of the lab leak theory

HHS developed a framework for approval of these experiments in 2017 after a three-year moratorium that paused all agency reviews of research proposals and funding from going toward such experiments.

Under the rules, HHS assembles a panel of reviewers to carry out a risk-benefit analysis.

The review board looks at three criteria: whether the pros outweigh the cons, whether there are no other equally effective but less risky options; and whether the research team and facility have the capacity to do the work safely and securely and to respond rapidly if there are any accidents or security breaches.

But the audit found the NIH did not refer the research for review 'because it determined the research did not involve and was not reasonably anticipated to create, use, or transfer an ePPP.'

The report said: 'Based on these findings, we conclude that NIH missed opportunities to more effectively monitor research.

The NIH's infectious disease arm, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, was led by Dr Anthony Fauci at the time the research was carried out.

Government auditors said three awards given by EcoHealth involved viruses with pandemic potential.

The May 27, 2014, award of $3.7million to the WIV has been at the center of the lab-leak theory.

Titled 'Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence', some have speculated this research created the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid.

British researcher Dr Peter Daszak's (left) role in facilitating risky coronavirus research in China with funding from Dr Fauci (right) and the NIH have been detailed in a report

An award of $3million to the University of North Carolina on June 17, 2020, was cited by investigators too. The research in question was titled 'Understanding Risk of Zoonotic Virus Emergence in EID Hotspots of Southeast Asia'.

A $1.1million award given to a national research facility in Bangladesh to study the Nipah virus in bats and humans 'to understand patterns of human outbreaks' was also cited as a cause for concern.

The report said oversight was crucial for grants given to foreign entities that may become uncooperative with investigators - like the WIV has in recent years.

'Although WIV cooperated with EcoHealths monitoring for several years, WIVs lack of cooperation following the COVID-19 outbreak limited EcoHealths ability to monitor its subrecipient,' the audit added.

Chinese officials were found to have wiped crucial databases from the lab and stifled independent investigations into the facility when questions started to be asked about its involvement.

Researchers who fell ill with a mysterious flu-like virus months before the official Covid timeline were silenced or disappeared.

One of its chief scientists was nicknamed the 'Bat Lady' for her extensive work on coronaviruses like Covid.

Investigators say EcoHealth also did not submit proper progress reports on the use of its fund in a timely manner, with information coming in two years late.

It also says the NIH failed to terminate its grant with EcoHealth after the non-profit broke protocols.

Sen Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has been among the staunchest supporters of the lab leak theory, said in a statement: 'The Inspector General confirms what we already knew - NIH failed to conduct oversight of EcoHealth Alliance's grant awards.

'The continued funding of EcoHeath Alliance despite its repeated noncompliance with federal regulations and policies further demonstrates the need to reform oversight of risky research paid for the the American taxpayers.'

Dr Richard Ebright, a biologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey, told DailyMail.com: 'Both of these conclusions demonstrate major failures in past NIH oversight of high-risk research on enhanced potential pandemic pathogens and underscore the need for both accountability for failures in past NIH oversight and strengthening of future NIH oversight.'

'Despite [EcoHealth] possibly having caused the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite definitely having repeatedly and gravely violated terms of a US-government grant, currently has 12 active US-government grants and contracts, totaling more than $34 million.'

Justin Goodman, from the White Coat Waste Project group, said: 'This audit confirms what we have been documenting since early 2020 when we first exposed NIHs funding of the Wuhan lab: EcoHealth Alliance shipped tax dollars to Wuhan for dangerous animal experiments that probably caused the pandemic, violated federal laws and policies and wasted tax dollars.

'Yet, the Wuhan lab remains eligible for even more taxpayer money for animal tests and just since the pandemic began, EcoHealth has raked in at least $46million in new federal funds from the DOD, USAID, NIH, and NSF.

'As the group that first exposed and ended EcoHealths calamitous collaboration with the Wuhan animal lab, were calling on Congress to defund these rogue organizations once and for all.

'Taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll reckless white coats who waste money, break the law and place public health in peril. Stop the money, stop the madness.'
Dacia is pulling no punches with a complementary offer to drivers in dig at luxury car firm BMW, which is charging customers monthly subscription fees to unlock features already installed in its new cars.

The budget-friendly brand - which currently sells the 12,995 Sandero, the cheapest model in Britain - is offering motorists who visit select Dacia dealers next week a free hot water bottle.

The jibe is aimed at German luxury car firm BMW, which last year caused uproar when it confirmed that customers would be charged 15-a-month to unlock the heated seats function installed in their expensive new motors.

A heated debate: Dacia is offering complimentary branded hot water bottles to drivers next week. It's a snipe at luxury car makers for charging drivers monthly fees to use heated seats

Dacia's jibe is aimed directly at BMW after we revealed in July that its customers must pay a monthly subscription to turn on features that are already installed in their expensive cars

Dacia, the Romanian marque now owned by the Renault Group, said the free branded hot water bottle offer is part of a bid to 'highlight its opposition to the growing wider industry trend of charging consumers a subscription to access in-car features'.

It said: 'Car manufacturer Dacia is coming to the rescue of chilly drivers everywhere in these cold months and giving away free hot water bottles, named "Heated Seat Saviours".'

The jibe is aimed directly at BMW, which faced strong criticism from drivers and the wider consumer world in July when pricing for its 'connected drive packages' were revealed.

The free Dacia-branded hot water bottles are only available between 1 and 2 February from three dealerships - one in London, Manchester and Swansea

The Romanian marque said the free hot water bottle offer is part of a bid to 'highlight its opposition to the growing wider industry trend of charging consumers a subscription to access in-car features'

Dacia's new freebie offer is a sneer at BMW particularly, saying it would never 'charge consumers for stuff their car has already been built with'

This included a monthly charge of 15 per month for heated seats and a 10 fee per month for the high-beam assist system that stops drivers dazzling oncoming traffic.

Dacia dealers giving away free hot water bottles in February Dacia Staples Corner North Circular Road, Brent Cross, London NW2 1LY Dacia Manchester Trinity Way, Manchester M3 7FT Dacia Swansea Fendrod Way, Llansamlet, Swansea SA7 9DG *free hot water bottles are only available in these dealerships on 1-2 February 2023 Terms & Conditions apply. See: www.dacia.co.uk/hot-water-bottle

While the Bavarian car firm launched the service back in 2020, the addition of features many customers would expect to have for free in a premium-priced executive car raised plenty of eyebrows last summer.

The pay-as-you-go upgrades allow BMW to activate features that are built into all its latest models but have been switched off by the company to encourage customers to spend more.

It does this by accessing software in all of its latest models via their built in wi-fi and deletes a line of code in the computer system that had been blocking the feature from being accessed by the user.

Dacia's new freebie offer is a sneer at such these systems that it says 'charge consumers for stuff their car has already been built with'.

Luke Broad, Dacia brand director for the UK said: 'Our "Heated Seat Saviours" are a bit of fun, but they do highlight the direction the wider industry is going regarding subscription-based access to features.

'Asking someone to pay extra to activate factory-fitted equipment certainly isnt Dacia!

'We believe in simplicity, offering our customers technology that makes driving more convenient and comfortable with features included in a cars initial price.

'Whether consumers view heated seats as essential or not, our commitment to value and a fuss-free ownership experience means that we will only ever ask them to push a button to enjoy them.'

The free Dacia-branded hot water bottles are only available between 1 and 2 February from three dealerships - one in London, Manchester and Swansea.

Customers rage at BMW pay-as-you-go features

BMW came under heavy scrutiny when its heated seat subscription package was first brought to the attention of consumers in the summer, with drivers branding the move as 'greedy'.

This came after more pay-as-you-go features - which are already installed in the vehicles - were revealed.

For instance, buyers of its expensive premium cars have the option to have heated front seats turned on permanently for 350, or alternatively have the feature for three years for 250, an annual subscription of 150 or monthly for 15.

This screengrab of BMW UK's Connected Drive section of its website shows the different purchase and subscription options available to have heated front seats

BMWs running Operating System 7 are compatible with the updates system. It adds the feature via wi-fi by deleting lines of code in the computer system that blocks features already installed in the vehicle from being accessed

For the heated steering wheel function to be activated, it is 200 to be fully installed, 150 for three years, 100 for one year or 10 a month.

It's the same pricing structure for BMW's 'high beam assistant', which is a system that automatically dips full beam headlights when there's another road user up ahead.

Owners can also add the 'driving assistance plus' package, which is a version of adaptive cruise control that automatically maintains a pre-set speed, keeps a certain distance from the vehicle ahead and can steer the car in its lane.

This is available for 750 on a permanent basis, 550 for three years, 350 for one year or 35 a month.

Want a heated steering wheel in your BMW for the winter only? You can get it for 10 a month

Drivers of the latest BMW cars now have heated front seats on a 3 year subscription for 250, an annual payment of 150 or monthly for 15. They can also pay 350 to have it permanently available

BMW first unveiled its plans to offer a subscription service for features in 2020, though it has only offered monthly fees for heated seats and a heated steering wheel from last summer

Responding to the news on Twitter, once user said: 'BMW are seriously asking for monthly subscriptions for heated seats, heated steering wheels.

'Components that already exist in your very expensive cars controlled by software #greedy Opportunistic.

'What next? "We are sorry but your car not be driven on Sundays."'

Another Twitter user added: 'Though I have no need for heated seats, I would consider looking at other brands.

'If a company is so greedy to charge for something like that it makes me wonder about the overall quality of their vehicles.'

However, not everyone is completely against the concept of paying for features on demand during specific months.

One user tweeted: 'Sounds mad but on thinking about it it could make sense.

'If there is no extra initial cost to spec heated seats in the car then only paying for the winter months could make more sense.

'You'd need to see the maths!'

And it's not just BMW taking customers for a ride.

Porsche has a Functions On Demand (FOD) service for its electric Taycan range, which is priced from 75,500 to 143,400 before options.

Porsche is also charging Taycan customers subscription fees for some features. For instance, Active Lane Keeping is available for 18-a-month. Customers can also pay extra to have a dynamic headlight feature switched on, costing 32-a-month

To activate a 7GB-a-month data package allowing customers to surf the internet while connected to the car's built-in w-ifi will cost owners 19 per month.

FOD features built into the car that can be unlocked via subscription includes Active Lane Keeping for 18-a-month and the brand's 'InnoDrive' bundle of assistance features - including sign recognition, automatic speed control before making indicated turns and a sporty driving function - also for 18.

Customers can also pay extra to have a dynamic headlight feature switched on, costing 32-a-month.

There are also options to have these features installed on a permanent basis, while others have annual subscription plans.
Citing Pennsylvanias dubious distinction of having some of the most severe shortages of health care professionals in the nation, hospitals want Gov. Josh Shapiro and lawmakers to act.

The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania on Monday called for a health care workforce council to be established, led by a chief health care talent officer.

Ongoing shortages include a 32% vacancy rate for nursing support staff, a 32% vacancy rate for respiratory therapists, and a 31% vacancy rate for registered nurses, according to HAP. It said Pennsylvania has a worst-in-the-nation shortfall of 20,345 registered nurses.

Government leaders, educators, and the health care community must work together to support, attract, educate, and train the health care professionals needed to care for Pennsylvanians, HAP President and CEO Andy Carter said in a statement.

The call from HAP came less than a week after Shapiro was sworn into office, but after years of growing recognition that Pennsylvanias shortages are dire.

HAPs data showed:

The shortfall of 277,711 nursing support staff in Pennsylvania is the third most severe in the nation, and the shortfall of 6,330 mental health professionals also is third worst.

From 2019 to 2022, vacancy rates for nursing support staff  certified nurse assistants, personal care assistants and nurse aides  increased from 31.5% to 32.3%.

Certified registered nurse practitioners vacancy rates increased about 10% in the same time period, respiratory therapists vacancy rates went from about 20% to 32%, and medical assistants vacancy rates increased from 30% to 42%.

HAP said it wanted a mutual commitment from Shapiro, the Legislature and hospitals to prioritize health care talent infrastructure, support workers and strengthen the health care community.

Shapiros spokesperson, Manuel Bonder, said the governor is aware of the health care worker shortages and knows the critical importance of bringing people together to tackle our workforce development challenges.

Bonder said Shapiro will be taking direct, proactive action toward addressing this crisis.

In an unrelated move Tuesday, Shapiro said he signed an executive order to establish the Pennsylvania Office of Transformation and Opportunity, as well as the Economic Development Strategy Group.

In a news release, Shapiro said the office would be a one-stop-shop for businesses looking to grow and will work to aggressively reignite Pennsylvanias economy  fostering innovation, supporting transformational economic development, and creating real opportunity for businesses and workers alike in our Commonwealth, particularly in communities that have too often been left behind.

Sen. Lisa Boscola, a Northampton County Democrat, said the pandemic made it clear hospitals and nursing homes are short-staffed and we needed to do more to help recruit and retain talent.

In 2021, former Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law a Boscola bill intended to qualify more nurses for licensure by letting Pennsylvania join a multistate nurse licensure compact.

There are a host of other compact bills I am advocating for the state to join, Boscola said.

She and Washington County Republican Sen. Camera Bartolotta are pushing fellow lawmakers to approve a bill to let certified registered nurse practitioners work independently, jettisoning the requirement for collaboration agreements with physicians.

Wayne Reich Jr., president of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, said the main focus should be on reasons nurses leave their jobs.

They come out of nursing school, they see what the conditions are like, and they leave the profession, Reich said.

Hospitals, Reich said, could have mitigated the worsening staffing crisis during the pandemic by offering a pandemic stipend to staff nurses, who many times quit hospital jobs to take better-paying positions as travel nurses.

Nonetheless, Reich said, This was happening before the pandemic started. The pandemic made everything worse.

Cheryl Schlamb, president of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners, said the Boscola-Bartolotta bill would help.

People are going to drive across the state line and work where they can apply their skills with limited restrictions, Schlamb said.

She spoke in positive terms of HAPs proposal.

If we can stop the bleeding and get young people to stay in this state and do the work that is needed, that is great, she said.

Asked about HAPs proposal, Dr. F. Wilson Jackson, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, said it supports any effort to develop the health care workforce, adding the society is particularly concerned about the mental health of health care workers who toiled through the pandemic.

The Lehigh Valleys two major health care systems, Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Lukes University Health Network, could not immediately provide data on vacancies in particular staff areas.

LVHN spokesperson Brian Downs said, LVHN is experiencing staffing challenges similar to other health care and non-health care organizations in the region. This data shows why it is so important throughout the industry to recruit and hire qualified candidates.

Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com.
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Electric car charging infrastructure at crisis point: Monthly new device installations need to rise by 288% if ministers are to meet their target of 300k chargers by 2030

The UK's electric car charging infrastructure remains at crisis point with just 800 new devices being added per month, according to the latest official figures published by the Department for Transport.

It confirmed there were 37,055 public charging points in total on 1 January 2023, up from 34,637 devices at the start of October 2022.

This means that, on average, just 806 new chargers are being added to the public network per month - an installation rate that needs to increase to 3,130-a-month (a rise of 288 per cent) if the Government is to meet its promised target of having 300,000 devices nationwide by 2030.

That is the year it intends to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

In response to the disappointing growth in public charging, the Labour Party today accused Conservatives of 'falling asleep at the wheel' in regards to its failure to boost device numbers in recent years.

As ministers continue to push drivers to switch to battery cars now, further analysis of today's figures shows that the current snail-paced growth in the nation's public charging network is failing to keep pace with the acceleration in electric vehicle registrations.

While 8,680 new chargers were installed in the previous 12 months, this number pales in comparison to the 267,203 fully electric cars that entered the roads in 2022.

It means there is just one new device to every 31 EVs purchased last year.

The DfT's official figures out today confirmed that 2,418 new public chargers were installed in the UK in the final three months of 2022. This is a quarterly increase of just 7 per cent.

In order to hit 300,000 nationwide devices that ministers have promised within the next seven years, the remaining quota of charging points as of today is a whopping 262,945.

For the Government to make its 2030 target a reality, quarterly installations will need to grow to 9,391 devices on average, This is Money calculates.

Official figures published today shows there were 37,055 public charging points in total on 1 January 2023, up from 34,637 devices at the start of October 2022. Annually, there has been a 31% growth in the public charging network, the DfT said

In order to hit 300,000 nationwide devices that ministers have promised within the next seven years, the remaining quota of charging points as of today is a whopping 262,945

With around 663,700 fully-electric cars on our roads, there is one public charger per every 18 battery powered vehicle in use in Britain today

Already, the number of available public locations is considered not suitable for the number of EVs being driven by motorists in this country.

With around 663,700 fully-electric cars on our roads, there is one public charger per 18 battery powered vehicles in use in Britain today.

This gulf in chargers to cars has widened dramatically in the last few years. Figures from 2020 show there were roughly 5.5 EVs to every available public charging device.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh (pictured) told the Commons today that the Government is 'asleep at the wheel' in regards to boosting the nation's charging infrastructure

Labour said the current rate of charge point installation suggests the Government is on course to miss its 2030 target of having 300,000 public charge points by more than 20 years.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh, speaking in the House of Commons today, said: 'There is no time to lose on charging infrastructure, but the Conservatives are asleep at the wheel.

'Never-ending chaos in the Conservative Government has delayed key projects and risks stalling the switch to electric vehicles, leaving our world-class car industry in limbo.

'Labour will help drive the electric vehicle transition, helping those on low to middle incomes with the up-front costs, and we will accelerate the roll-out of charging points to make it easier to own an electric car wherever you live.'

The AA says there is a desperate need for strict interim targets between now and the end of the decade to expand the network quicker.

With just 8,680 new public chargers added to our roads in the last 12 months, average installations need to accelerate to 37,564 per year - that's more devices being added annually than there are available chargers in place today.

This level of growth would require a shift from the network's current annual installation increase of 31 per cent to a massive 333 per cent rise in new devices.

The DfT says the number of total public charging points grew 31% to 37,055 devices last year. In terms of the fastest-charging rapid devices, an extra 1,731 were added to the network (up 34%) taking the total to 6,887 nationwide

The latest figures show that the number of rapid and ultra-rapid charging devices increased by 34 per cent with an additional 1,731 public devices installed in the previous 12 months.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the motoring group, said: 'New EVs are flying off the factory floor, but we desperately need charge point installations to keep pace with an ever-growing demand.

Electric car public charging prices rocket 58% in eight months Electric car drivers who want to charge their vehicles en-route are paying 58% more than they were in May, a recent market review by the RAC revealed. The average cost to use a 'rapid' device across the different public charging operators in the UK at the start of January has risen to 70.32p per kilowatt hour, up from 44.55p eight months ago. It says the owner of an electric family car with a 64kW battery will pay 36 to add around 188 miles of range, which works out at almost 20p per mile. In contrast, a driver of an equivalent petrol car will pay only around 17p-a-mile. Driving the soaring cost to access the public charging network is the high wholesale price of electricity, which operators are passing onto consumers via ad-hoc price rises. This has extended the running cost gap between plugging in an electric car at home and more expensive public devices - and in some cases it's more than twice as expensive. The RAC says it is growing increasingly concerned that the high cost of longer journeys in EVs will temper drivers' appetite to switch to greener cars. It said the sky-high cost of using the public network - on top of relatively high battery vehicle prices - 'risks dissuading drivers from opting for them over keeping their existing petrol and diesel vehicles'.

'With a target of 300,000 publicly available charge points by 2030 and just 37,055 installations in place, more focus is needed to accelerate the nations charging infrastructure.

'We urge the government to set marker post targets in place so drivers can see the progress is being made while giving those nervous to switch the confidence to do so.'

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes warns EV drivers will 'quickly become disillusioned and frustrated' if there is not ample charging availability.

'Data already shows a record number of electric vehicles per public charging point, so we strongly urge the Government to introduce annual installation targets and do whatever it takes to make it easier for operators to install new charging hubs,' he said.

'It should also be noted that rapid and ultra-rapid chargers currently account for just a fifth of all the network and are growing at a slower rate.

'If people are to make longer journeys quickly and easily, we need to eradicate the rapid charging deserts that exist and make the fastest possible chargers available much more widely.'

The lack of charging points - as well as expensive plug-in costs - is among the biggest hurdles holding back Britain's electric car revolution.

The challenge was laid bare over Christmas when motorway charging points were overwhelmed and queues of Tesla cars built up as families travelled to visit relatives. And concerns are mounting that parts of the country are being left behind.

With an average of just 26 new public chargers added to the network per day in the last three months, dedicated EV website Electrifying.com has called on the Government to appoint a 'charging lead' to oversee the rollout of infrastructure.

It said: 'The person in this role would work closely with industry to ensure that charge points are installed in places people need them the most, for example on motorways when drivers are making long journeys.'

Thom Groot, co-founder and CEO of The Electric Car Scheme, says there is now an 'urgent need' for more investment in charging infrastructure.

He told us: 'For the electric revolution to really take off, we need electric drivers to have the confidence that there are enough public charge points for them to use.

'Transport is the UK's number one source of emissions, and if we are going to reach our Net Zero goals we will need to move rapidly here.

'Luckily, most people with electric cars are able to charge them at home. But we want everyone to be able to enjoy electric cars - including people who don't have off-street parking available.'

By region, the figures show that London and Scotland have the best networks per 100,000 of population, with 131 and 69 devices per 100k inhabitants respectively

Northern Ireland has the lowest level of charging device provision in the UK, with 19 devices per 100,000, followed by the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber with 31 and 36 devices per 100,000 respectively

Coventry, Milton Keynes, Brighton, London (based on figures published for the capital as a whole and not by borough) and Stirling are among the best towns and cities to own an electric car, based on the number of devices per population

The towns and cities with the best and worst public charging availability

On average, the UK currently had 55 public charging points per 100,000 people.

By region, the figures show that London and Scotland have the best networks per 100,000 of population, with 131 and 69 devices per 100,000 inhabitants respectively.

In contrast, Northern Ireland has the lowest level of charging device provision in the UK, with 19 devices per 100,000, followed by the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber with 31 and 36 devices per 100,000 respectively.

According to analysis the EV charging app Bonnet, the best town or city to own an electric car currently is Coventry - while the worst is thought to be Castle Point in Essex.

Using the latest public statistics published by the government today, it ranked the best and worst towns in the UK for public charging based on how many devices there are per 100,000 people.

Top areas, according to government data, also include Milton Keynes, Brighton and Hove and Stirling.

Due to its small population, Bonnet found that the Orkney Islands had the second most chargers per capita in the UK.

Pictured: A public charging point in Brighton and Hove. The region is listed as being among the best in terms of device availability across the UK

Locations with the least number of chargers per 100,000 people included Brentwood, Bolton, Wigan and Selby, which is referred to as some of the nation's 'charging deserts' that have very few devices available at all.

Bonnet's CEO, Patrick Reich, said the latest Government statistics show a continuation of a clear north-south divide in terms of which regions are best served with public chargers.

'This data shows there remains many large and vast charging deserts in the UK,' he told us.

'As millions more continue to transition into electric cars, we need to see these blown away with new chargers.

'We know from many of the charging operators we work with that this is something that will improve throughout this year.

'Its not surprising that the best towns to charge at publicly are predominately in the South, where fewer people have off-street parking and rely on public chargers, meanwhile regions in the North and East continue to be less well served by public infrastructure.

'This needs to shift quickly if the UK wants to continue to serve its growing EV population and decarbonise transport.'
When will you get your state pension? Experts warn some workers may have to wait till they are 74... read our guide to find out how a new report affects you
A plan to hasten the state pension age rise to 68 by 2035 has sparked warnings that ill and poor people and carers will bear the brunt of the hike.

Younger generations are also likely to struggle, as industry analysis reveals the state pension plus minimum auto enrolment savings mean they will barely scrape together a decent income in old age.

Men and women's state pension age is now 66 and between 2026 and 2028 it will rise again to 67.

But the Government will reportedly announce an earlier-than-expected state pension increase to 68, possibly in the Budget on 15 March, in a move that would affect those born between 1968 and 1979.

State pension age rise: Ill and poor people and carers will bear the brunt of the decision, says Age UK

This would mean those aged between roughly 43 and 54 would face working for longer.

It comes at a time when warnings have been sounded that generations due to retire in decades to come will face a gap between income that pension savings and the state pension will provide and what they need to live even a moderate retirement.

Officially, the rise to 68 is set to happen between 2044 and 2046, but a previous Government review recommended the change should be brought forward to 2037-2039  and it is currently having another look at the state pension age.

'News reports that a decision may have already been made by the Government on further increasing state pension age are extremely worrying,' says Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, adding there is 'no justification' for it.

Her organisation has just published a report on people in their 50s and 60s who will be reliant on the state pension, which claims the move could have devastating consequences for them.

'The people who will lose out the most are those unable to work due to ill health and caring responsibilities, as well as anyone who becomes unemployed in mid-life and then finds it impossible to get another job, due in part to a lack of training opportunities as well as rampant ageism in the labour market,' says Abrahams.

Life expectancy has stalled. Bringing it forward again now would just be a cost-saving exercise - there is no justification for it Steve Webb

'As things stand, any decision by the Government to make today's 50-somethings wait longer for their state pension will consign hundreds of thousands of people to a difficult and impoverished later life.'

Aside from the rise in the state pension age, another looming challenge for savers is that the minimum age to tap private pensions will rise from 55 to 57 in 2028.

Steve Webb, former pensions minister and This is Money's retirement columnist, said: 'The last review, which brought things forward by seven years, was based on the assumption that life expectancy would have increased by two years.

'But life expectancy has stalled. Bringing it forward again now would just be a cost-saving exercise  there is no justification for it.

What does the Government say? A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson says: 'The Government is required by law to regularly review the state pension age, the second of which will be published later this year.' It notes that people over state pension age and on a low income may be eligible for pension credit - find out how to apply here. The average pension credit award is worth more than 3,500 a year and it opens access to many other benefits, such as help with housing costs, council tax or heating bills, and extra cost of living payments.

Six in 10 risk missing out on 'adequate' retirement

The state pension is not enough to live on comfortably and current auto-enrolment contribution levels are too low, savers are being warned.

The state pension age controversy follows an influential industry report which laid bare what annual incomes people need for a minimum, moderate or comfortable retirement.

Those with a full state pension will still struggle financially, and need to save substantial private pension pots to achieve a decent income in retirement - see the box below.

Meanwhile, MPs are also sounding the alarm that minimum savings levels under auto enrolment are too low. This is putting more than 60 per cent of people at risk of missing out on an adequate standard of living in retirement, they say.

The minimum is currently 8 per cent of someone's salary in a band between 6,240 and 50,270, with contributions split between workers, employers and tax relief from the Government.

The Government was accused earlier this week of 'tinkering around the edges' with 'nudging' initiatives rather than tackling the problem of under-saving head on, by chairman of the work and pensions committee Stephen Timms MP.

He decried the Government's rejection of his call to raise auto enrolment minimums. That was despite the Government's acknowledgement to his committee that: 'Current statutory contributions of 8 per cent on a band of earnings are unlikely to give all individuals the retirement to which they aspire.'

Poll Should the Government raise the state pension age to 68 in 2035? Yes No Should the Government raise the state pension age to 68 in 2035? Yes 220 votes

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There are concerns that raising auto enrolment minimums could cause more workers to stop saving into pensions, especially at a time of soaring household bills. However, the opt-out rate remained low even during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, hiking minimums would also increase the Government's pension tax relief bill at a time of straitened public finances.

Pension experts have warned for years that the Government could choose at some point to slash generous tax relief payments into pensions to drum up billions in extra cash for other spending priorities.

The phasing out of salary-related pensions - which provide guaranteed payments until you die - in the private sector has made people more dependent on the state pension, and on auto enrolment schemes where savings are invested to provide a pot of money at retirement.

> When will you reach state pension age: Read our guide here

How much do YOU need for a decent retirement? The state pension age controversy follows an influential industry report which found the cost of a modest retirement has jumped a staggering 18 per cent to 12,800 for a single person and 19 per cent to 19,900 for a couple. Two full state pensions, worth 10,600 per person from April, would just about get a couple to that level. But a single person would need a further income of 2,200 a year, requiring private pension savings of 36,500 on top to achieve it. People aspiring to a moderately comfortable lifestyle in old age would need 23,300 if single, requiring a state pension plus a savings pot of 248,000, or 34,000 with a partner, if they both had state pensions and pots worth 121,000 at retirement. A comfortable lifestyle, with luxury treats and holidays, requires 37,300 for one person and 54,500 for two. A couple both getting full new state pensions would also need retirement pots of 328,000 each, while a single person would need to save 530,000. Source: Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association's latest influential Retirement Living Standards report

What impact would an early state pension age rise to 68 have on older people?

Millions will be condemned to a 'miserable and impoverished' run up to retirement and often beyond too if the state pension age rise is hastened, claims Age UK.

It says people should be individually notified of any changes in their state pension age at least 10 years ahead, and there should be at least a decade between any changes.

'Once people are within 10 years of state pension age they should be given a clear commitment that it will not rise again,' adds Age UK.

Some 3.5 million people aged 50-64 are currently deemed 'economically inactive' in official statistics, but of these 1.3million are sick and 0.5million are caring for family and home, according to the charity.

Many among them also have limited savings, with an estimated 1.5million having less than 5,000 put by, and 120,000 having no savings at all, it says.

'This really matters because we know that people who are unable to work in the run up to their state pension age often have to draw down savings put by their retirements, to make ends meet,' the charity says.

'If there are few or no savings to use then their prospects of a modest but dignified lifestyle during their pre-retirement years are bleak.

'They will also likely be condemned to penny-pinching retirements, because the money they had saved to help bolster their incomes will have been spent.'

Age UK notes that many people are in poor health by the time they reach the current state pension age of 66, because average healthy life expectancy in the UK is 62.8 years for men and 63.6 for women.

It cites research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which found increasing the state pension age from 65 to 66 led to a more than doubling of the rate of poverty among 65 year olds, from 10 per cent to 24 per cent.

And it adds: 'Worryingly, improvements in life expectancy have faltered while inequality seems to be increasing.

'Life is very difficult for many people in the 50-64 year age group who are in low-paid work or not in work at all. Some older carers are trying to juggle work and care, while others have had to stop working altogether to become full-time carers and have suffered financially as a result.

'Other people are unable to work due to ill health or disability, are currently working but struggling to keep going as their health deteriorates or are finding it difficult to get a job again after a period out of the labour market.'

Age UK interviewed people in the run-up to retirement who were aware that the state pension age was around 66 or 67, but it found few had looked into the exact timing or what they would get.

The reasons they gave included that they were focused on simply getting by day-to-day on a low income, sometimes with additional pressures of ill health or caring responsibilities.

Age UK says they also showed 'fatalism that there was little they could do to change their current or future financial position' and they avoided thinking about retirement 'because of fear and other negative connotations'.

They expected that 'if things change, they will change for the worse' and lacked knowledge about where to get trusted information, the charity added.

Age UK called on the Government to improve employment support and opportunities for those who can stay in employment until their state pension age, and provide better support for those who cannot.

'There is a strong case for early access to the full rate of state pension for carers and ill or disabled people in some limited, clearly specified circumstances,' it says.

'There should also be changes to means-tested benefits to support a wider group of people on low incomes who are approaching their state pension age, to ease their transition to retirement if they are unable to work or can't find work.'
Tu Le will seek Labor pre-selection for the Sydney seat of Cabramatta at the March 25 New South Wales election

The young lawyer whose bid for federal parliament was dashed when Labor tried to put Kristina Keneally into a safe seat in Sydney's south-west is having a fresh tilt at politics.

Tu Le rose to national prominence when she was denied the chance of pre-selection for the seat of Fowler when Labor head office insisted Ms Keneally, then a senator, be its candidate at last year's federal election.

Ms Keneally was picked ahead of Tu Le and other local party aspirants despite living on Scotland Island, more than 40km from the electorate, and having no deep connection with the area.

That move ended in disaster for Labor when voters overwhelmingly rejected the former New South Wales premier and elected independent Dai Le with an 18 per cent swing.

Old wounds within the party are now set to be reopened as 32-year-old Tu Le seeks pre-selection for Cabramatta to replace Nick Lalich, the retiring Labor MP.

Ms Le, who worked as an adviser and campaign manager for previous Fowler MP Chris Hayes, is still blamed by some party members for what happened to Ms Keneally.

Mr Hayes had backed Ms Le, who describes herself as Vietnamese-Australian, to run in Fowler before Ms Keneally was parachuted into the electorate but her pre-selection was never guaranteed.

Labor could risk losing Cabramatta if does not field the right candidate this time and support could easily mass behind a popular local and independent candidate, like Dai Le.

The young lawyer whose bid for federal parliament was dashed when Labor tried to put Kristina Keneally into a safe seat in Sydney's south-west is having a fresh tilt at state politics. Tu Le, pictured with husband Kelvin Do, will seek pre-selection for Cabramatta

Branch members have feared Mr Lalich's replacement will also be dictated by Labor officials rather than a local candidate being chosen by them.

Daily Mail Australia can confirm Labor will soon announce a rank and file vote for Cabramatta pre-selection and there will be no intervention from head office.

Multiple candidates are set to seek pre-selection and according to one source Ms Le is not considered the favourite to win.

Already Ms Le has been the subject of a smear campaign from enemies both outside and inside the party, some of whom have been pushing to have her expelled following her criticism of Ms Keneally.

She has been forced to address claims her husband is a property developer and that she is not really a local candidate because she moved to the Cabramatta electorate only recently.

Labor Party rules prevent candidates from being a 'close associate' of a property developer.

Kristina Keneally was picked ahead of Tu Le and other party aspirants for the federal seat of Fowler despite living on Scotland Island, more than 40km away. That move ended in disaster for Labor when voters elected independent Dai Le (above) with an 18 per cent swing

Ms Le's husband Kelvin Do has worked for building and construction companies including one owned by his father, and he boasts about his involvement in property development on Linkedin.

'I have over 10 years experience in property development and have worked as a Project Manager in construction of residential buildings,' his profile states.

Ms Le, who gave birth to the couple's first child in October, told Daily Mail Australia that reference to property development did not accurately reflect her husband's employment history.

'He hasn't actually developed any property,' she said. 'He's been working for other construction businesses but not in development.'

Ms Le's critics claim she would not be a genuinely local candidate because she is not originally from Cabramatta, although she has lived in Sydney's south-west for almost 30 years.

Ms Le has been forced to address claims her husband Kelvin Do is a property developer. Mr Do has worked for building and construction companies including one owned by his father and boasts about his involvement in property development on Linkedin (above)

Born in Adelaide, she moved to Belmore with her parents before her third birthday, then lived in Bankstown and Birrong and has been in Canley Vale since early 2020.

Her Canley Vale apartment is above a shop in a building owned by her husband's mother and has been the couple's residence while renovations on a home they bought at Mount Pritchard are completed.

'I've never lied or been dishonest about that,' Ms Le of where she has lived. 'It is all south-west Sydney.

'For me personally there isn't too much difference between Bankstown, Cabramatta and Birrong. I really do see this whole area as my community.'

The Cabramatta electorate is predominantly working class and has the state's highest concentration of Asian-born Australians, particularly from Vietnam.

Ms Le, who works for Marrickville Legal Centre, is active in community groups across south-west Sydney and is a leader with the Vietnamese Buddhist Youth Association.

She was named winner in the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian Australian Awards in October last year.

After Ms Keneally was announced as the candidate for Fowler, Ms Le slammed Labor for overlooking her and called for greater ethnic diversity in parliament.

Ms Le, who worked for previous Fowler MP Chris Hayes, is still blamed by some party members for what happened to Ms Keneally. She is pictured with Mr Hayes, who had backed her to run in Fowler before Ms Keneally was parachuted into the electorate by Labor head office

She also attacked local community groups who had come out in support of Ms Keneally after it became clear she was being set for the seat.

'I'm calling this out because it is downright WRONG for our leaders to use their positions of power for their own personal gains,' Ms Le wrote on Facebook.

'Whether it's in the highest offices of this country or at the community level, we should NEVER accept this behaviour from those who represent us.'

Ms Le joined the Labor Party's Sefton branch while at university and has been a member of the Cabramatta branch since 2020.

In the wake of Labor's disastrous federal election campaign she incurred the wrath of many within the party's local branches for what they saw as the undermining of Ms Keneally.

Most of the party faithful in the area who were unhappy about Ms Keneally being put up as the candidate stayed quiet at the time, preferring to air their grievances internally.

They believed her actions in going public only helped Dai Le win the seat.

In June last year Cabramatta branch members moved a motion to expel Ms Le.

'We, the Cabramatta Labor Branch condemn Tu Le for undermining the endorsed Candidate Kristina Keneally in the Media,' the motion stated.

'We, the Cabramatta Branch requests the NSW Labor Party head office to consider removing Tu Le from the Labor Party.'

The motion was considered carried and while Ms Le was not expelled, minutes of the meeting were leaked to the media.

Ms Le's critics claim she would not be a genuinely local candidate because she is not originally from Cabramatta, although she has lived in Sydney's south-west for almost 30 years. She is pictured with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

'I think there are various reasons for that,' Ms Le said of the document being leaked. 'Possibly people who are self-interested and wanted to blame someone.

'I think after the result that we had in Fowler people were rightfully very upset. To be completely frank, I think I was probably quite naive.'

Daily Mail Australia has seen a letter from five members of the Cabramatta branch to state Labor leader Chris Minns which called for his support for a rank and file preselection vote in Cabramatta and neighbouring Fairfield.

'For years our community has been looked down upon and disrespected and have not been given the opportunity to serve our communities,' they wrote earlier this month.

'We have a right to be heard without falling prey to factional backdoor deals that are currently going on to install individuals who appear to be local and supported but do not have local support.

'A particular individual rumoured to be installed is also someone who has belittled the party during the Fowler election and has no branch support, as per the recent motions moved against them.'

In the wake of Labor's disastrous federal election campaign she incurred the wrath of some within the party who accused her of undermining Ms Keneally (above). In June last year Cabramatta branch members moved a motion to expel Ms Le

Ms Le said when it was revealed Ms Keneally would be the Labor candidate for Fowler she was 'bombarded' with requests for comment and she did not know how to deal with the media.

'I just answered very honestly - I didn't think it was a good decision,' she said.

'I'd made it very clear of my intention to run for pre-selection, like I have now on this occasion for the state election. It wasn't like I was guaranteed.

'But I didn't know it was going to happen so when it did and the media contacted me I just responded and didn't really think twice about it.

'Afterwards I was told very clearly that was a very stupid thing to do and I should just stay quiet and that's not something that you would do.'

Ms Le said the loss of Fowler, which the retiring Mr Hayes had held with a margin of 14 per cent, came as a shock to the party.

'I think as a reaction to that it was very easy to just blame me,' she said.

'I was quite vocal in the media about what had happened and the decisions that were made that really took the community for granted and that was how the community had felt.'

Ms Le works for Marrickville Legal Centre and is active in community groups in south-west Sydney. She was named winner in the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian Australian Awards in October last year. Ms Le is pictured with her husband Kelvin Do and a litter of beagles

Ms Le, who said she would welcome a rank and file vote to decide Cabramatta's candidate, ignored the post-election attacks on her public criticism of Ms Keneally.

'I think what the wider community and the broader community wanted to see was that we learn from bad decisions and mistakes we made and that we listen to the community,' she said.

'I can understand where it had come from in terms of people were upset and angry and I was probably easy to blame and whether it was self interest or whatever it is.

'I don't think it serves us as a party any favours by doing that.

'Unfortunately internally there's probably a few people who are rightfully upset but I don't take it personally.'
Sean McDermott (pictured) died on Friday night

A senior sergeant and grandfather found dead at a Melbourne police station has been remembered as 'one hell of a cop'.

Sean McDermott's colleagues discovered his body at the Moorabbin station, in the city's inner-south, at about 7.30pm on January 13.

Days later, a family member said on social media: '[He] was one hell of a cop, but more than that he was a great person and brilliant family man.'

'With honour he served.'

According to a funeral notice published on Tuesday, the senior sergeant will be farwelled on February 1 at a funeral service in Glen Waverley.

'In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Sean to the Blue Ribbon Foundation,' the notice read.

In the weeks following his death, friends and former colleagues flooded social media with tributes for Senior Sergeant McDermott.

'In a world where there is so much happiness [and] so many who are in pain,' one colleague wrote.

'To know that one of the most beautiful human beings succumbed to his demons is just gut-wrenching.

Sean McDermott's colleagues found his body at the Moorabbin station, in the city's inner-south, at about 7.30pm on Friday

'You were the most wonderful, kind-heart and funniest human beings and one hell of a cop.'

Another said: 'There are no words to express this - someone who was always smiling and cheery but obviously fighting a battle.

'Always talk with your friends, family and colleagues and ask them how they are. You never know, you might be the person who can make a difference.'

Others remembered him as a 'top bloke' who made people laugh.

The day after his death, Victoria Police said in a statement: 'His death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner.'

The Police Association of Victoria shared their condolences and said the officer's family and colleagues will be taken care of.

Victoria Police confirmed the death on Saturday. His death is not being treated as suspicious (pictured, Moorabbin Police Station)

'Our thoughts are with the family and colleagues of the deceased member who will be supported by The Police Association and Victoria Police,' the association said.

In a Facebook group dedicated to fallen members of the force, one member said it was a 'sad day' for the force.

'RIP Sarge,' he wrote.

'Rally around the troops and make sure they're okay.

'It's going to be hard for them.'

Former police officer and Opposition corrections spokesman Brad Battin also shared his condolences.

'My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of a life gone too soon,' Mr Battin, who is also the MP for Berwick, shared on social media.

'Today, reach out and thank all police for the stress and pressure they put themselves and their family under to protect our community.'

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The route allegedly driven by Bryan Kohberger on the night of the brutal Idaho murders may be a crucial piece of evidence in the state's case against the 28-year-old suspect who is facing four counts of first degree murder.

DailyMail.com recently took the circuitous drive to get a clearer picture of Kohberger's alleged movements on November 13 - the night he's accused of murdering students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle.

In the probable cause affidavit, filed on December 29, Corporal Brett Payne laid out how investigators believe the alleged killer traveled the roughly 10 miles from his Pullman, Washington, apartment to the home in Moscow, Idaho, and subsequently fled the scene after the brutal slayings.

Payne combined cellphone data from Kohberger's number and CCTV footage of 'multiple sightings' of the suspect's white Hyundai Elantra to stitch together a fairly tight timeline surrounding the stabbing deaths.

The night of the crime: DailyMail.com drove the route police claim Idaho murder suspect, Bryan Kohberger, took too and from the quadruple homicide on November 13. Pictured: Bryan Kohberger is seen at court in Pennsylvania before being extradited to Idaho

Kohberger is accused of the murders of Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle on November 13

The first thing that sticks out while driving the route is that it is not an efficient or direct drive from Kohberger's apartment to the crime scene and contains an out-of-the-way detour, as well as a dangerous, round-about ride home.

According to police, suspect Kohberger's phone went off the grid at approximately 2.45am near his Washington State University apartment at a location just before reaching Pullman-Moscow Highway (Route 270), the main thoroughfare between the two cities.

Investigators surmise that Kohberger turned his phone off or put it on airplane mode 'to conceal his location during the quadruple homicide that occurred at the King Road Residence,' per the affidavit.

When Kohberger's vehicle is then allegedly spotted via CCTV at 3.26am, it is on the 700 block of Indian Hills Drive, an out-of-the-way street in a small residential enclave of nicely manicured single family homes in Moscow, Idaho.

Kohberger didn't linger in the area long or appear to make any stops on Indian Hills Drive, and according to the timeline from police, his car is then picked up just two minutes later leaving the neighborhood.

From there, Kohberger's vehicle allegedly makes its way to the victims' home. The residential off-campus neighborhood where Xana, Ethan, Maddie and Kaylee were brutally stabbed to death is surrounded by several other single family homes in very close proximity, as well as a small apartment complex with a parking lot that butts up against the back of the victims' rental property.

Investigators have alleged that Kohberger traveled the roughly 10 miles from his Pullman, Washington, apartment to the home in Moscow, Idaho, and subsequently fled the scene after the brutal slayings

Police combined cell phone data from Kohberger's number and CCTV footage of 'multiple sightings' of the suspect's white Hyundai Elantra to stitch together a fairly tight timeline surrounding the stabbing deaths, beginning at his apartment in Pullman (pictured)

The first thing that sticks out while driving the route is that it is not an efficient or direct drive from Kohberger's apartment to the crime scene and contains an out-of-the-way detour, as well as a dangerous, round-about ride home

As seen in DailyMail.com's exclusive video, the roads around the home are tight - two cars can't pass comfortably - with no easy exit point since it dead ends into a parking lot. It is not a convenient or easy area to cruise around, and police noted 'a very limited number of vehicles that travel in the area during the early morning hours.'

Keeping with the police timeline, the suspect's car is then seen near the home around 3.30am when all of the roommates, as well as Ethan Chapin, would have been inside for the night. It is around then that Kohberger's car is spotted allegedly casing the house by driving past it three times over the course of 30 minutes.

When he exits the street, he does so via Walenta Drive, which offers a direct line of sight into the back of the home. Many people have asked how the perpetrator knew the roommates were asleep and this movement on the timeline may answer that.

The vantage point here would show if any lights were on, indicating that someone may be awake, in the kitchen as well as the three bedrooms facing the back belonging to Kaylee, Maddie and survivor Dylan Mortensten.

Around 3.30am, when all the victims would have been inside for the night, Kohberger's car is allegedly spotted casing the house by driving past it three times over the course of 30 minutes

Entry point: DailyMail.com parked in one of the spots facing the back of the home and could see directly into the house; it would take just a few moments from exiting the car to reach the sliding glass doors

Continuing to follow the timeline, Xana Kernodle gets a DoorDash delivery at 4am. Around 4.04am, cops say Kohberger does a fourth and final pass in front of the house, making a three-point turn at the apartment complex next door.

The apartment parking lot loops around the complex and connects to the victims' sparse wooded backyard which is on a small slope that leads to the patio and sliding glass doors. The slope from the parking lot to the home is short and steep in some parts, but relatively easy terrain on the side near Dylan Mortensten's second floor room.

DailyMail.com parked in one of the spots facing the home and could see into all of the back windows on the second and third floors. It would take just a few moments from exiting the car to reach the sliding glass doors, the killer's believed entry point.

The neighborhood is very compact, with dozens of windows facing all sides of the home. It is known, based on the affidavit, that dog barking, whimpering and a loud thud were picked up on a security camera nearest to Xana's room at 4.17am. The barking is thought to be from the dog Kaylee Goncalves' shared with her ex-boyfriend, which was found unharmed the next day in her third-floor bedroom.

Exit strategy: At 4.20am, the suspect's vehicle was allegedly spotted peeling out of the King Road location at 'a high rate of speed' and taking Walenta Drive out of the neighborhood, according to police

At 4.20am, the suspect's vehicle was allegedly spotted peeling out of the King Road location at 'a high rate of speed' and taking Walenta Drive out of the neighborhood, according to police.

Based on CCTV footage of the white Hyundai and an eye-witness account from surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen, who was awake at the time of the killings, investigators have narrowed down the time frame of the killings to between 4.04am and 4.20am; a window of roughly 15 minutes.

There is a large gap in time where police have to make an educated guess as to the suspect's movements - between 4.20am and 4.48am - since his phone was still off the grid and no CCTV footage has so far turned up during that timeframe.

'I believe that Suspect Vehicle I likely exited the neighborhood at Palouse River Drive and Conestoga Drive. Palouse River Drive is at the southern edge of Moscow and proceeds into Whitman County, Washington. Eventually the road leads to Pullman Washington,' Cpl Payne wrote in his sworn affidavit.

The route from Walenta Drive to Palouse River Drive goes straight through another residential area and DailyMail.com noted many of those well-appointed homes were outfitted with video doorbells and security systems.

Piecing things together: It can be speculated that the route Kohberger is believed to have taken back was chosen due to the lack of any CCTV cameras, but it also may have provided several opportunities to discard any alleged weapon

Dangerous roads: When DailyMail.com took the drive in broad daylight, it was desolate and easy to miss turns; However, in darkness, it was near impossible to see and required driving well below the speed limit in order not to accidentally drive into the deep irrigation trenches

As stated in the affidavit, the road cops think Kohberger took out of Moscow eventually 'leads to Pullman, Washington' which means his most likely route would have taken him through a treacherous journey of muddy, pitch dark back country roads, south of Moscow.

There were no street lights or street signs along much of the drive and the roads were narrow and full of deep potholes in places.

When DailyMail.com took the drive in broad daylight, it was desolate and easy to miss turns. However, in darkness, it was near impossible to see and required driving well below the speed limit in order not to accidentally drive into the deep irrigation trenches that lined the road on both sides.

Without the help of GPS, it would have been extremely difficult to get from point A to point B without intimate knowledge of the area. Bearing that in mind, it's possible that the suspect's phone was allegedly turned back on or taken out of airplane mode to utilize the GPS. Police said Kohberger's phone pinged a cell phone tower south of Moscow, Idaho at 4.48am.

Heading to court: The route allegedly driven by Bryan Kohberger on the night of the brutal Idaho murders may be a crucial piece of evidence in the state's case against the 28-year-old suspect

Charges: Bryan Kohberger, a PhD criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested at his family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, on December 30 for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle

It can be speculated that the route back was allegedly chosen due to the lack of any CCTV cameras, but it also may have provided several opportunities to discard any alleged weapon. It's unclear if police have searched the area, and the fixed blade Ka-Bar knife presumably used in the crime has yet to be located.

By 5.25am, Kohberger's car is allegedly captured again on camera on Johnson Road, which is the route that connects the back roads below Moscow back into Pullman. He is then allegedly seen on no less than five cameras on the Washington State University campus heading back to his apartment.

Despite arriving home at 5.30am on November 13, Kohberger's phone pinged at 9am - suggesting he was on the move again - and cell phone data places Kohberger back in the vicinity of King Rd.

Kohberger, a PhD criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested at his family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, on December 30 for the murders of the four students.

Last week, unsealed court documents revealed that investigators believed that Kohberger likely transferred blood from the crime scene to his apartment in Pullman, Washington after the murders via blood 'spatter or castoff.'

While executing a search warrant on his home, law enforcement seized stained bedding, strands of what looked like hair and a single glove, among other things.

Kohberger has maintained his innocence but has yet to formally enter a plea, and has said through an attorney that he expects to be exonerated.
A Hawaiian man has been released from prison after spending more than 20 years behind bars for the murder, kidnapping, and assault of a female tourist - which new evidence proves he did not commit.

Albert 'Ian' Schweitzer, now 51, was convicted in 2000 of the Christmas Eve 1991 murder of Virginia tourist Dana Ireland, 23.

He was sentenced to 130 years in prison, but always insisted he was innocent.

On Tuesday, Judge Peter Kubota ruled that Schweitzer should be 'released from his shackles immediately.'

Kubota's declaration prompted applause in the Hilo courtroom and hugs for Schweitzer, who was flown to the Big Island for the hearing from the Arizona prison where he was serving his sentence.

Albert 'Ian' Schweitzer is pictured in January 2000, on the opening day of his trial

Schweitzer hugs his mother Linda moments after a judge ordered he be released on Tuesday

'My feelings were all over the place,' said Schweitzer, speaking to AP about the moment of his release.

'Nerves, anxiety, scared.'

Dana Ireland was 23 and visiting from Virginia when she was killed. Her murderer has never been found

He said the justice system was 'flawed,' calling himself one of many imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.

He earlier told reporters that he was 'grateful' for the judge doing the 'honorable thing.'

A petition filed late Monday outlined additional evidence in one of Hawaii's biggest murders, which unfolded on the Big Island.

Dana Ireland, 23, was found barely alive in the bushes along a fishing trail in Puna, a remote section of the island.

She had been sexually assaulted and beaten, and later died at Hilo Medical Center.

The mangled bicycle she had been riding was found several miles away and appeared to have been run into by a vehicle.

Innocence Project Co-Founder and Special Counsel Barry Scheck speaks during Tuesday's hearing

A court officer removes Schweitzer's handcuffs following the judge's decision to release him from prison immediately

The murder of the blond-haired, blue-eyed visitor from Virginia gained national attention and remained unsolved for years, putting intense pressure on police to find the killer.

'Whenever you have a white, female victim ... it gets a lot more attention than people of color and Native Hawaiians,' said Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project.

'The parents, understandably, were becoming more and more infuriated.

'There was insurmountable pressure to solve this case. And when that happens, mistakes are made. Some intentional and some unintentional.'

Ireland's relatives are yet to comment on Schweitzer's release.

Lawson secured the release of Schweitzer with help from the Innocence Project in New York.

Schweitzer was the last of three Native Hawaiian men convicted in Ireland's death who had remained imprisoned.

DNA evidence previously submitted in the case belonged to an unknown man - and all three of the convicted men were excluded as sources.

University of Hawaii law school student Skye Jansen, left, and Hawaii Innocence Project co-director Kenneth Lawson pose with photos related to the 1991 murder of Dana Ireland in Honolulu on Tuesday

Lawson, background center, and law students go over files and photos related to the 1991 murder

New DNA evidence showed that traces found on a 'Jimmy Z' brand T-shirt, near Ireland and soaked with her blood, belonged to the same unknown man.

Additionally, a new tire tread analysis concluded Schweitzer's Volkswagen Beetle car did not leave the tire marks at either location where Ireland and her bicycle were found.

A forensic odontologist also concluded an injury on her left breast was not a bitemark, as previously believed, the petition said.

'At a new trial today, a jury would not convict Mr Schweitzer of Ms Ireland's sexual assault and murder,' the petition said.

'In fact, a prosecutor would likely not even arrest Mr Schweitzer for this crime.'

The likelihood that all three men participated in a sexual attack and left no trace of biological evidence - including a lack of evidence uncovered with advanced forensic testing - is 'extraordinarily improbable,' the petition said.

In 2019, Schweitzer's attorneys and Hawaii County prosecutors entered into a 'conviction integrity agreement' to reinvestigate the case.

It was the first time in Hawaii there has been this type of agreement, Lawson said, which is increasingly being used to reexamine questionable convictions and guard against future errors.

'Over the last three years, we have shared information and re-examined forensic evidence.

'No matter the outcome in these post-conviction proceedings, we remain committed to identifying unknown male #1 and seeking justice for Dana Ireland and her 'ohana,'' said Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen, using the Hawaiian word for 'family.'

Louise Ireland, Dana's mother, gestures towards the last photo taken of her daughter, during a July 1999 hearing

However, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Shannon Kagawa asked the judge to deny the petition, saying the new evidence wouldn't change the outcome of a new trial.

Kubota disagreed, saying that based on the new evidence, a jury would acquit Schweitzer.

Much of the background on the Ireland case is detailed in a document filed with the petition, which lists facts that defense attorneys and prosecutors have stipulated.

In 1994, police made what they believed to be a major breakthrough.

A man facing charges for his role in a cocaine conspiracy contacted police and claimed his half-brother, Frank Pauline Jr., witnessed Ireland's attack, according to the stipulated facts document.

Police interviewed Pauline, who was in his third month of a 10-year sentence for an unrelated sex assault and theft.

He claimed brothers Ian and Shawn Schweitzer attacked and killed Ireland.

But he was interviewed at least seven times and gave inconsistent accounts each time, eventually incriminating himself, the stipulation document said.

Despite the lack of evidence linking them to the killing, the two Schweitzers and Pauline were indicted in 1997.

At one point the charges were dismissed because all three men were excluded as the source of semen found in Ireland and on a hospital gurney sheet.

They were indicted again after another informant claimed Ian Schweitzer confessed to him in jail that Pauline raped and killed Ireland.

Pauline later said he offered details to police about the Ireland murder in order to get drug charges dropped against his half-brother.

In a prison interview with the A&E show 'American Justice,' Pauline compared his story to the tale of the boy who cried wolf.

'Wasn't me,' he said in a strong Hawaii Pidgin accent.

But when he started telling the truth, he said no one believed him.

Shawn Schweitzer took a deal to plead guilty to manslaughter and kidnapping - and receive credit for about a year served and five years of probation - after seeing juries convict Pauline and his brother in 2000.

In October, Shawn Schweitzer met with prosecutors and recanted.

According to the stipulation document, he pleaded guilty because his 'parents did not want to risk losing another son and encouraged Shawn Schweitzer to do what he needed to do to come home and not suffer the same fate as his brother.'

Shawn Schweitzer 'continues to feel immense guilt about agreeing to the confession and entering a guilty plea for a crime he did not commit and falsely implicating his brother,' the document said.

A polygraph test in November showed he was telling the truth when he denied any involvement in the murder, the document said.

Pauline was killed in a New Mexico prison by a fellow inmate in 2015.

Being back in Hawaii 'tastes great,' Schweitzer told the AP.

'The air is good,' he said.

'The water is good.'
Indigenous artists and activists are furious at a lack of representation in Sydney's public art landscape with the 25 statues honouring British colonists but not one celebrating First Nations historical figures.

Among the publicly-funded statues of colonial figures celebrated across the city are Captain Cook, Governor Arthur Philip, Queen Victoria and her dog, Lachlan Macquarie and explorer Matthew Flinders with his pet cat Trim.

Yet there is not a single statue on public land commemorating a First Nations person.

Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council deputy chair and Wiradjuri woman Yvonne Weldon said tourists would be forgiven for thinking there was nobody in Australia before the British.

There are 25 publicly funded statues of colonial figures in Sydney's CBD including Captain Cook (left), in Hyde Park, and Matthew Flinders with his cat Trim (right), on Macquarie St

Cr Weldon, who is also an independent City of Sydney councillor, has campaigned for a statue to commemorate Indigenous historical figure Patyegarang for her role in preserving the Gadigal language - a proposal the council has rejected twice.

The 15-year-old Gamaraigal woman formed a strong bond with First Fleet naval officer Lieutenant William Dawes, sharing with him cultural knowledge and the language of her people.

Lieutenant Dawes wrote down their conversations in a notebook, which is recognised as the earliest recorded first-hand account of the Gadigal language.

Cr Weldon told Daily Mail Australia she was 'shocked and heartbroken' the proposed statue of Patyegarang was opposed and claimed the city wants to hide First Nations history instead of promote it.

'You have so much of history being represented in a non-First Nation sense and it's disappointing,' Cr Weldon said.

'To have Patyegarang represented, what she gave was a gift of the Sydney language, and it's used today. It's practised on lots of sites, and often in speeches.

'Dawes Point is named after him [Lieutenant Dawes] and he's referred to in history. Whereas Patyegarang is more of an afterthought. As a young Gadigal woman that risked so much of her people's lives, her life should be represented.

'She should be standing in a statue because her story is important, it was back then and it's important now and it should be important into the future.'

Despite the role played by Indigenous historical figures in the first decades of European settlement, there are no statues commemorating First Nations people on public land in Sydney (pictured are statues of Queen Victoria, left, and her dog, right, at the Queen Victoria Building)

Cr Weldon, who was the first Aboriginal councillor in the city's 180-year history, claimed the City of Sydney 'cherry-picked' answers before rejecting her proposal.

'They shopped around to get the answers that they wanted to hear rather than what they've been told,' she said.

'I put it up to have a statue commemorating Patyegarang and Mayor Clover Moore used her casting vote to vote her down. She feels that was her right.

'The city's her domain as Lord Mayor and my views are probably not as valid as hers, I think probably in her eyes.'

The City of Sydney instead erected Waanyi artist Judy Watson's sculpture 'bara' - a traditional fish hook crafted and used by Gadigal women for thousands of years.

This statue of Indigenous rights campaigner Mum Shirl is located at the St Vincent de Paul Church in Redfern - however, it was privately commissioned and sits on church land

Cr Weldon said the installation, although beautiful, does not have the same effect as a statue.

'It might not inspire a young Aboriginal person in the same way that a statue of someone who bears their resemblance would,' Cr Weldon said.

'My people are here and we have always been here. But visitors don't see that, they just see fishhooks, traditional art and other symbols.

'If you don't have statues representing First Nations people then we become figments of people's imagination, which we are definitely not.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Lord Mayor Clover Moore for comment.

One exception in Sydney is the statue of Indigenous rights campaigner Mum Shirl at the St Vincent de Paul Church in Redfern.

However, that statue was privately commissioned and sits out-of-sight on land owned by the Catholic Church.

Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council deputy chair Yvonne Weldon (pictured) actively campaigned for a statue to commemorate 15-year-old Gamaraigal woman Patyegarang

Cr Weldon said Lord Mayor Clover Moore (pictured) has rejected the proposal for a statue of Patyegarang on two occasions

Sydney mural artist Tim Guider told Daily Mail Australia the City of Sydney forced him to 'jump through hoops' to get approval for a site to paint murals of First Nations people.

Mr Guider removed his mural in the inner west suburb of Petersham, which depicted a young Indigenous Australian being held in detention, to make way for Australia's first public art depiction of Bennelong and Barangaroo.

'It was sad to remove a mural but it was the only way I could do it because if I applied, the answer would have been no,' he said.

'Bennelong and Barangaroo are well worth admiring and I think we should be admiring them above those English people that came.

'I want to see those faces on walls for people to go "wow, who is that", and for Aboriginal people, to look and feel proud that they came from those ancestors.'

Husband and wife and leaders of the Eora people, Bennelong and Barangaroo were communicators and mediators between their people and the British in the late 18th and early 19th century.

Sydney mural artist Tim Guider painted the first public art depicting husband and wife and leaders of the Eora people, Bennelong and Barangaroo, in western Sydney suburb Petersham

Bronze statue busts of the couple were unveiled in 2021 but are situated on private land, framing the door at St Patrick's Catholic Church in The Rocks.

Mr Guider's mural, titled 'Our Original Heroes', features portraits of Bennelong and Barangaroo separated by spirit hands painted by Indigenous artist Frank Wright.

Mr Guider said the title was a play on the words as the Latin prefix 'ab' which means 'away from' or 'not', giving the word Aboriginal the meaning of 'not original'.

'I don't think our government is deliberately suppressing Aboriginal people today but they have taken away their ability to admire past ancestors,' he said.

'If you don't allow a race of people to have their own heroes of the past they're going to feel like second class citizens.

'This mural, in essence, for me is about that missing part of our culture, and I am doing all I can do to preserve it and the government can't stop me.'

Mr Guider's (left) mural, titled 'Our Original Heroes', features portraits of Bennelong and Barangaroo separated by spirit hands painted by Indigenous artist Frank Wright (right)

Mr Guider wants to repeat these heroic images around Sydney and in cities across the country and hopes Australian companies will sponsor his work.

Thousands of people are set to march in Invasion Day rallies across the country on January 26.

In recent years, statues of colonial figures were vandalised during Invasion Day rallies and Black Lives Matter protests.

This year, protesters will rally against the federal government's plan for a national vote on introducing an advisory body for Aboriginal affairs into the constitution.

Australians will likely be able to vote on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum as early as August.

Cr Weldon said the referendum was a positive 'start' but not the solution to deeper issues including the erasure from the public domain of First Nations history and cultural perspectives.
Former Nomads bikie boss Moudi Tajjour has explosively mocked the leader of the Mongols on social media, just six weeks after he was brutally bashed in a public carpark.

Tajjour taunted Mongols' national president, Nick 'The Knife' Forbes, in a video posted to TikTok.

'These guys aren't proper gangsters  they're not a threat to me  and I'm challenging 'em,' he declared.

'Take me out for what I said. Go on.

'I know you're watching Nick, I know your watching. You're going to know my voice better than you know your own missus' by the end of the f  king year, I promise ya'.

'Cause I'm calling you a dog and a junky. You're gonna have to do something Nicky.

'I'm back at my old place (in Parramatta). What excuse you got now Nick? You can't say 'I'm not from Sydney I don't know where he is', I just told you where I live.

'Take me out for what I said, go on. I know you want to Nick, I know you want to.'

Ex-Nomads bikie boss Moudi Tajjour has explosively mocked the leader of the Mongols on social media, just six weeks after being bashed and humiliated in a public carpark

Former Nomads bikie boss turned influencer Moudi Tajjour issued threats against his enemies after allegedly being bashed and stomped in a Gold Coast Bunnings carpark

A dazed Tajjour, stripped of his shirt and red from the alleged assault, sits up as the men retreat in Nerang Bunnings' car park on the Gold Coast

Since Taijour quit the Nomads in 2019 he has built a following on TikTok and Instagram where he presents a flashy image and discusses life as a bikie

The video comes just weeks after Taijour was beaten up by four heavily tattooed men on December 4 outside Bunnings on the Gold Coast.

There is no suggestion that Forbes was involved.

In videos taken at the scene, Taijour's shirt is stripped off him and four men take turns dragging, kicking and punching and stomping on him.

The convicted 38-year-old former bikie chieftan was left curled up on the asphalt as his assailants screamed: 'Where's your podcast now, dog!'

Taijour claimed he had been attacked out of the blue and struck from behind by a 'steroid head'.

'I was f***ng on my phone, I looked up and got dog-shotted,' he said after the incident.

Harley Cranston, 31, has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm over the attack.

In the video Taijour said cops were sent to his house after the incident.

He said cops told him that the Mongols wanted him to know that Cranston had 'acted without his club's knowledge'.

'Listen, I don't want to hear it, I'm not coming after youse  I swear on the Koran,' he said.

'Youse don't have to move houses or nothin' like that. Youse wanted me to come alive  well I've gone live now.'

Taijour claimed Mongols bikies were called in after a confrontation erupted between him and Cranston at a boat ramp.

'I couldn't take off; I'd rather get bashed,' he said.

'I can't take off, bro. Running is not a scenario for me. I got off my phone, I tried to avoid them, I looked over and seen them all looking at me.

'I thought I'm going to try to get out of this situation, I don't want to escalate it to a level where it's going to get very ugly. And it did.

'If I learned one thing in jail from bashing so many people (it's) how to cover up.

'I could have easily messaged the Nomads or another crew, I'm not going to say their name.

'Hopefully there's a few Mongols watching and they can message me at any point. And like I told you numerous times, I'll drop my location.'

Since Taijour quit the Nomads in 2019 he has built a following on TikTok and Instagram where he presents a flashy image and discusses life as a bikie.

Immediately after the bashing Tajjour vowed revenge but walked back the threats two days later.

'The Mongol club are under my shoe as far as I'm concerned,' Taijour said.

National president of the Mongols, Nick Forbes (right), has been challenged on social media by Moud Taijour

'These guys are punchers, they bluers and [they] punch on in pubs. These guys aren't proper gangsters. They're not a threat to me and I'm challenging 'em.

In the sometimes-erratic clip, Taijour bizarrely claimed Forbes will 'know my voice better than you know your own missus by the end of the year.'

So far one man, Harley Cranston of Park Ridge, 31 has appeared in court on assault changes related to Taijour's alleged attack.
Ana Walshe, the missing Massachusetts mother who vanished on January 1, is now presumed dead - despite police never finding her body.

Her husband Brian is in custody awaiting his next court date on charges of first degree murder.

So far, he has pleaded not guilty, despite a mounting pile of incriminating evidence such as gruesome Google searches and dumpsters full of DNA.

Here, DailyMail.com breaks down everything you need to know about the criminal case - and how a once-loving husband reached breaking point.
The state has reached a settlement with a Philadelphia-area headstone company accused of using misleading customer solicitations and delivering its products and services late, or not at all.

The company, 1843 LLC  owned by Gregory J. Stefan Sr. and his sons, Gregory J. Stefan Jr., and Gerard Stefan  has agreed to pay back customers who were harmed, according to a news release from acting Attorney General Michelle Henry.

Several Lehigh Valley residents were among the customers who filed complaints about the Stefans over the years. One woman told The Morning Call she waited in vain for more than a year to get a headstone for her mother-in-laws grave. Another said she waited that long for the company to etch the date of death on her mothers headstone.

The Stefans didnt just take advantage of people, but preyed on those grieving loved ones at a difficult time in their lives, Henry said. This settlement will finally ensure that all Pennsylvania consumers who were harmed are made whole.

Stefan Sr. was initially sued by the attorney generals office in 2015 as the sole operator of Lifestone by Stefan LLC and Stefan Memorials Inc. Stefan Sr. and his sons later moved their family business to a new company, 1843 LLC.

That lawsuit alleged the defendants charged consumers for stones that were never delivered or were delivered late, denied customers full refunds when requested, and solicited consumers in misleading and deceptive ways.

In January 2021, the office filed a contempt petition against Lifestone, Stefan Memorials, and Stefan Sr., which resulted in a judgment for more than $300,000 in restitution, civil penalties, and costs. It also filed an injunction against the elder Stefan that prevented him from owning, managing, or having any significant involvement in any business that provides or engraves stones for consumers.

Later in 2021, the office filed suit again, this time against 1843 LLC, Stefan Sr., and his two sons for charging consumers for stones that were delivered late or never delivered, and for not paying full refunds to consumers who requested them.

The complaint also says that the defendants called Pennsylvanians who had recently lost loved ones and falsely claimed they were the preferred vendor for a cemetery.

The settlement terms require court approval, the release says. The court will also determine whether to impose civil penalties for violations of the Unfair Trade Practice and Consumer Protection Law.
A young man who had his $24,000 medical bills paid by sympathetic fellow Australians who believed he was mugged in Bali has made a grovelling taped admission to police that his injuries were from falling off a motorbike on a night out.

Perth man Lachie Hunt, 22, spent six days in Kuta's BIMC Hospital earlier this month with a broken leg, bleeding on the brain and a suspected fractured spine.

A friend set up a GoFundMe page, suggesting that Mr Hunt had been brutally attacked in the holiday hotspot - with more than $24,000 donated going towards his medical bills.

However, Daily Mail Australia can reveal that when Bali police investigated Mr Hunt's claims and spoke to witnesses on the night of the alleged mugging, they discovered he had instead sustained his injuries in a motorbike accident.

Police have since released a video where Mr Hunt reads from a piece of paper, seated alongside his stony-faced mother, Mel, with bandages around his ankle, knee and a brace around his neck.

In the video he blamed the media for the public believing he had been mugged and wanting to donate to the fundraising.

'I had an incident in Bali due to falling from a motorcycle,' he admits in the hostage-style video.

Perth man Lachie Hunt spent six days in Kuta's BIMC Hospital with a broken leg, bleeding on the brain and a suspected fractured spine. Despite reports he had been mugged, Mr Hunt has since clarified he fell off a motorbike

Pictured is the statement Mr Hunt read out after suffering a motorcycle accident. Friends and family back home had believed he had been mugged

'I had lost my memory for two days due to concussion, I was in hospital for six days due to the injuries I suffered from.'

Mr Hunt said he was offered to speak to Australian media outlets but 'because Bali is my second home, I did not want to put a bad name on Bali'.

'The Australian media articles that went viral were all incorrect and twisted,' he continued.

'This happened due to me not making any statements to the Australian media.

'The reason the GoFundMe was made, was for friends and family to help pay the hospital bill.

'In no way did I have any intention for this to go viral and be taken over by the Australian media.'

Mr Hunt suffered severe injuries on January 12. Police investigated claims he had been mugged

Mr Hunt, understood to be departing Bali, said he was unable to set the record straight at the time of the reports because he had suffered memory loss and was unconscious.

Head of Bali Police Public Relations Commissioner, Satake Bayu, said a witness saw Mr Hunt allegedly driving the scooter at high speed while allegedly drunk at about 4am on January 12.

The witness claimed that after going over a speed bump, Mr Hunt lost control and fell to the ground, causing him to lose consciousness. He later woke up with a 'face full of blood', police claimed.

Bayu said Mr Hunt had initially told police he had dropped his phone while on his way home, and when he went to pick it up he felt 'pushed by an unknown person'. He had no more recollection of the night.

The police commissioner said 'no elements of robbery were found'.

'We hope that the people of Bali, tourists, will use social media wisely and not easily believe hoax news that can give a negative image of Bali,' he said.

'The Bali police guarantee the safety of tourists so that tourists can feel safe and comfortable visiting the island of Bali that we love.'

Bayu said Mr Hunt did not know who initially claimed he had been mugged, and police will investigate the matter.

Mr Hunt said he had no intention for his incident to be widely reported, and couldn't set the record straight because he had suffered memory loss

'It is unclear if any sanctions would be given to the person who gave the 'fake information', police said.

Mr Hunt's alleged mugging made headlines around Australia earlier this month.

A friend had written on the fundraiser that it 'sounds like he's been mugged and bashed pretty good'.

'He's pretty banged up all round. He's in hospital in BIMC Bali getting the best care but the best care is bloody expensive. So asking if you are able to help out in anyway to dig deep it would go along way and mean a lot to the family,' the fundraiser said.

His mother flew from WA to be by his bedside as he recovered.

Before the accident, Mr Hunt was a Bali regular, posting numerous snaps of himself at luxurious resorts across the island paradise to his social media accounts.

In a post from October - just three months ago - Mr Hunt revealed his hopes of moving to Bali permanently.

'One day I'll get to call this place home' he wrote alongside a photo of him walking down a busy street in Kuta.

Daily Mail Australia understands Mr Hunt and his mother left Bali on Tuesday.
Chris Hipkins will take over following her shock resignation

She was met with a huge, cheering crowd on the forecourt

Jacinda Ardern has left NZ parliament for the final time

Jacinda Ardern has been met with a cheering crowd as she left New Zealand Parliament for the final time following her shock resignation as prime minister.

Ms Ardern stepped outside the Executive Building - or the Beehive - to an outpouring of support and applause from Labour MPs, government staff and members of the public on the parliament forecourt on Wednesday.

She embraced each member of her own party who stood by to see her off, many of whom appeared emotional as she hugged them.

Ms Ardern's fiance Clarke Gayford walked behind her as she slowly made her way through the crowd towards her car.

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) has been met with a cheering crowd as she left parliament for the final time

She received an outpouring of support on the parliament forecourt as she made towards her car on Wednesday

'I can't actually see where I'm going,' she said at one point, reports the New Zealand Herald.

She eventually reached her car and was driven away to government house.

There she will meet with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, where she will formally resign as the country's leader.

Ms Ardern surprised Kiwis and much of her party last Thursday when she announced her resignation at Labour's year-starting retreat in Napier.

She explained that she was burnt out and had 'no more in the tank'.

Ms Ardern said Kiwis would still see her around, but not in public debates.

'You won't find me commentating on domestic politics. I've had my time,' she said.

'I'm ready to be lots of things. I'm ready to be a backbench MP. I'm ready to be a sister and a mum.'

Ms Ardern embraced each member of her own party who stood by to see her off

Chris Hipkins (pictured) has been sworn in as New Zealand's next prime minister by the governor general

Chris Hipkins has been sworn in as New Zealand's next prime minister by the governor general following Ms Ardern's formal resignation.

He will head back to parliament and chair his first Cabinet meeting and hold a press conference afterwards.

Ms Ardern has described the former police minister as a 'personable, down to earth and practical' man.

Ms Ardern will head to the backbench for three months, resigning her seat in April ahead of an October 14 election.
Drone footage showed off the devastation of a powerful storm system that took aim at the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, spawning a tornado that downed utility poles and power lines, overturned vehicles, and ripped roofs off homes in communities east of Houston with winds of up to 100 miles per hour.

Videos showed extensive damage with downed power lines and debris fields running miles wide throughout the Texas suburbs, along with destroyed buildings, including an animal shelter.

The National Weather Service had issued a tornado emergency for the area, warning that a 'large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado' was on the ground Tuesday afternoon and was headed toward Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston. The warning expired as the system moved to the east, leaving behind cooler temperatures.

Strong winds damaged commercial buildings, homes and power lines in nearby Pasadena, a city southeast of Houston. Utility poles and power lines were downed, and several vehicles, including a trailer, were damaged or flipped over in a parking lot.

There were no immediate reports of serious injuries.

Drone footage shows the extent of the damage of a powerful storm system that took aim at the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, spawning a tornado that caused damage east of Houston with wind of up to 100 miles per hours

Drone footage shows the extent of tornado damage in Pasadena, TX to the Southeast of the Houston metro. This is where there was a tornado emergency earlier this afternoon. #TXwx pic.twitter.com/AythDxkupq  WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) January 24, 2023

Extensive #tornado damage in Deer Park, TX after search and rescue mode @accuweather pic.twitter.com/OXcuXIbmpL  Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerAccu) January 24, 2023

A drone camera flying over Pasadena showed roofing and siding completely wrecked, allowing cameras to peak into people's torn up homes. There were also several trees down and some flooding.

Several businesses suffered major damage, including the city's animal shelter. Nearby, fences were laid over and shingles and sections of roofs were torn from homes. The American Red Cross said it was opening a shelter in Pasadena.

Shell Chemicals site in nearby Deer Park was flaring, or burning off natural gas, after it lost steam because of severe weather, according to Shell spokesperson Curtis Smith.

'We are taking steps to minimize any noise, light, or smoke associated with this activity, though it's expected to continue until the units are restarted,' Smith said via email.

'There is no threat to the community, nor are there any indications a nearby tornado touched down within the Chemicals facility.'

The website PowerOutage.us, which collects live power outage data from utilities across the United States, reported about 123,000 Texas customers were without power Tuesday afternoon, mostly in the Houston area and surrounding counties.

An animal shelter in Pasadena announced that it was destroyed by the extreme weather.

A drone camera flying over Pasadena showed roofing and siding completely wrecked, allowing cameras to peak into people's torn up homes. There were also several trees down and some flooding

A camping trailer sits in a retention pond where a tornado was reported to pass along Mickey Gilley Blvd., near Fairmont Parkway, Tuesday, January 24, 2023, in Pasadena, Texas

Radar shows the tornado activity near the Houston area and throughout the southwest

Couple heading to pick up their daughter from school stops to help a driver stuck in an overturned truck at Fairmont and the Beltway

Downed power lines and signs were seen everywhere off of Spencer Highway near Deer Park

Tornado damage along Spencer Highway about a mile east of Beltway 8 near Houston

Videos showed extensive damage with downed power lines and debris fields running miles wide throughout the Texas suburbs and destroyed buildings, including an animal shelter

The National Weather Service had issued a tornado emergency for that area, warning that a 'large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado' was on the ground Tuesday afternoon and was headed toward Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston. The warning expired as the system moved to the east

There were downed power lines and damage to homes and businesses in Baytown, but no reports of serious injuries, said Baytown spokesperson Jason Calder

Footage from Houston TV station KTRK showed damage to buildings and power lines in Pasadena, a city southeast of Houston, including doors knocked off a Harley-Davidson dealership

Several businesses suffered major damage, including the city's animal shelter. Nearby, fences were laid over and shingles and sections of roofs were torn from homes, but there were no immediate reports of injuries

Pasadena's animal shelter wrote a Facebook note confirming the building had been destroyed and asking for help relocating the animals

'We have a volunteer heading there now to see how we can help but all of the dogs are going to need a safe place. If you have any room (even in your garage) and have the heart to open your home to any of these poor animals now is the time to step up! This is going to take the rescue village!'

A camping trailer sits in a retention pond where a tornado was reported to pass along Mickey Gilley Blvd., near Fairmont Parkway

A powerful storm system took aim at the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, spawning a tornado that caused damage east of Houston with wind of up to 100 miles per hours

DRIVER RESCUE: Couple heading to pick up their daughter from school stops to help a driver stuck in an overturned truck at Fairmont and the Beltway. @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/WOlsBlo6SM  Rilwan Balogun (@KPRC2Rilwan) January 24, 2023

The Pasadena Animal Shelter wrote on Facebook: 'We have a volunteer heading there now to see how we can help but all of the dogs are going to need a safe place. If you have any room (even in your garage) and have the heart to open your home to any of these poor animals now is the time to step up! This is going to take the rescue village!'

It was the start of what was expected to be a stormy day along the Gulf Coast. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Areas along the coast from Houston to the Florida Panhandle could see tornadoes, strong winds, and hail on Tuesday.

The storm system was also bringing snow and ice to much of the central US.

A man walks through a parking lot containing multiple overturned vehicles, including a trailer that was in a parking lot across the street, according to people at the scene

A UPS truck is overturned where a tornado was reported to pass

An overturned RV smashes against another RV in a parking lot by a Moose Lodge

People cross under downed power lines where a tornado was reported to pass along Mickey Gilley Boulevard

A man walks through a parking lot containing multiple overturned vehicles, including a trailer that was in a parking lot across the street,

It was the start of what's expected to be a stormy day along the Gulf Coast. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma

Schools and businesses were closed Tuesday and Wednesday across Oklahoma.

Some places saw snowfall totals of between 1 and 6 inches across central and eastern parts of the state.

Several school districts in southwest Louisiana dismissed students early Tuesday in anticipation of severe weather in the area.

The police chief of Deer Park, Texas said that no one had been hurt.
Dave Chappelle confronted recent backlash on his podcast as he slammed trans protesters who claimed his transphobic jokes caused violence against them, but then turned up to his show and became violent in the crowd.

The comedian's show in Minneapolis last summer was forced to change venues because of the backlash from the community. And while Chappelle was met with a line of fans and a standing ovation at the Varsity Theater, he was also met with violent protesters.

In the latest episode of his podcast, 'The Midnight Miracle' podcast with co-hosts Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey, Chapelle said the protesters threw eggs at him, yelled for him to go home, and even threw a barricade at the crowd.

He pointed out the hypocrisy of protesters who have blamed transphobes and those speaking out against trans for recent violence against the trans community, yet are now causing violence themselves.

Chappelle drew a backlash in 2021 for material in his Netflix comedy special 'The Closer' that some in the LGBTQ+ community said ridiculed transgender people. His supporters viewed it as a cry against cancel culture.

Comedian Dave Chappelle confronted the backlash to his transphobic jokes on his podcast, 'The Midnight Miracle' describing how violent protesters threw eggs and a barricade at the crowd outside his show in Minneapolis last summer

His show was forced to change venues because of the backlash and instead held at the Varsity Theater where he was met with a standing ovation but also met with violent protesters

Chappelle's show at Minneapolis' First Avenue club in July was canceled with the venue apologizing to the community for booking him and vowing to keep the club a 'safe space.'

'I guess apparently they had made a pledge to the public at large that they would make their club a safe space for all people, and that they would ban anything they deemed transphobic,' Chappelle said on the podcast. 'This is a wild stance for an artistic venue to take, especially one that's historically a punk rock venue.'

Yet, when his show was rescheduled for the Varsity Theater, large groups of protesters swarmed the outside of the venue and became violent.

'These were grown people of various genders and gender identities. They threw eggs. They threw eggs at the [fans] who were lined up to see the show,' he said on the podcast.

Chappelle also talked about a protester who he said threw a police barricade into the crowd.

'One lady was so mad with the protesters, she picked up a police barricade,' Chappelle added. 'You ever seen one? They look like a bike rack. This bitch picked that barricade up by herself and threw it at the crowd. I gotta tell you, it's an amazing feat of strength for a woman.'

But Chappelle said the protesters did not succeed in getting his show canceled. Instead, when he walked on stage, he was greeted with a standing ovation.

'When I walked on stage, it was a huge ovation because suddenly going to see a comedy show was this huge act of defiance,' Chappelle said.

'I don't think anyone had any malicious intent. In fact, one of the things that these people, the trans and their surrogates, always say is that my jokes are somehow gonna be the root cause of some impending violence that they feel like is inevitable for my jokes.

But I gotta tell you, as abrasive as they were, the way they were protesting, throwing eggs at people, throwing barricades, cussing and screaming, [none of my fans] beat 'em up. In fact, the people in the crowd would just say, 'We love you. Like what are you talking about?''

Chappelle's show at Minneapolis' First Avenue club in July was canceled with the venue apologizing to the community for booking him and vowing to keep the club a 'safe space'

Chappelle said: 'I guess apparently they had made a pledge to the public at large that they would make their club a safe space for all people, and that they would ban anything they deemed transphobic. This is a wild stance for an artistic venue to take, especially one that's historically a punk rock venue'

When Chappelle's show was rescheduled for the Varsity Theater, large groups of protesters swarmed the outside of the venue and became violent

A protester holds up at sign outside the Varsity Theater telling 'Queerphobes' to go home

Chapelle, pictured here with Chris Rock at the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors game in December, said he has faced backlash for what many perceive as anti-trans jokes

Chappelle continued his argument by saying that he's not mad that the groups take issue with his work, but that 'because they don't like it, I'm not allowed to say it.'

'Now I have a belief that the gay community is not monolithic, and I think that in regards to me, that there's probably a variety of opinions throughout that,' he said. 'But there's a thing they do where they deliberately obscure what I think they believe is the intent of my work to make a moment of it that I don't know that the work necessarily merits. You know what I mean?'

Chappelle continued: 'I'm not even mad that they take issue with my work. Good, fine. Who cares? What I take issue with is the idea that because they don't like it, I'm not allowed to say it.'

'Art is a nuanced endeavor,' he added. 'I have a belief that they are trying to take the nuance out of speech in American culture, that they're making people speak as if they're either on the right or the left. Everything seems absolute, and any opinion I respect is way more nuanced than these binary choices they keep putting in front of us. I don't see the world in red or blue.'

'Trying to silence a person like me, I don't think it has anything to do with being loved,' Chapelle said.

'They want to be feared. "If you say this, then we will punish you. We'll come to First Avenue and f--k your show up and we'll come to the Varsity Theater and f--k your show up." And they just don't get to do that.'

Chappelle said the protesters did not succeed in getting his show canceled. Instead, there were long lines of fans and when he walked on stage, he was greeted with a standing ovation

Fans take a selfie outside Chappelle's show at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis last summer

Chappelle generated anger last year after the October release of The Closer, which included remarks about the transgender community and prompted swift backlash from offended onlookers and even staffers at Netflix, which in recent years aired a slew of the comic's specials.

The backlash included a staged walkout from employees at Netflix's LA HQ, after the streaming giant's CEO Ted Sarandos defended Chappelle's jokes as artistic expression and nothing more than an example of the comedian's 'creative freedom.'

The special even spurred a response from transgender star Caitlyn Jenner, who also defended the comedian for his comments.

In the special, Chappelle also jokes women view trans women the same way black people might view white women wearing blackface.

He also joked women are entitled to feel anger toward trans women, since Jenner won Glamour magazine's 2015 Woman of the Year award.

'I'd be mad as sh*t if I was a woman,' Chappelle sarcastically says in one bit that had been deemed problematic.

The star also joked about the anatomy of trans women, joking they lacked real female reproductive organs and that they did not have blood but 'beet juice.'

He joked: 'Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth. That is a fact.'

The comic, who has continued to produce content for Netflix over the past year despite the backlash, has since refused to defend his remarks, saying they were clearly made in jest, while also pointing to his status as a standup comedian - a job that is likely to often offend at least some.

When Chappelle appeared on SNL in November, he declined to discuss is controversial jokes, but instead spent the first part of his monologue on Kanye West's recent antisemitic remarks

After the announcement that Chappelle would be hosting, non-binary SNL writer Celeste Yim posted this to their Instagram

This increasingly politically correct climate has since become a pronounced topic in Chappelle's material - though, notably, his sets, while still rife with his trademark tongue-in-cheek observations, have become markedly more toned down since The Closer.

When he appeared on SNL in November, he declined to discuss anything related to his jokes which drew controversy - but seemed to allude to them somewhat heavy-handedly with his material, which largely focused on topics that underpin enduring stereotypes - anti-Semitic and otherwise.

The appearance was Chappelle's third-ever on the show, following a 2016 appearance and return to the show in 2020, during an episode that saw him lambaste a then ousted President Trump following that year's presidential election.

Ahead of that performance, SNL staff members, seemingly still irate over the comic's past material, threatened to boycott the episode - but ultimately did not make good on those threats.

One took to Instagram to argue 'transphobia is murder and it should be condemned' after Chappelle's slot was announced, while others were rumored to be furious the showrunners chose the controversial comedian.
A Georgia prosecutor investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his defeat in the state's 2020 presidential election told a judge on Tuesday that decisions on whether to bring criminal charges are 'imminent.'

Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, spoke at a hearing on whether to publicly release the final report from a special grand jury that spent months examining the Trump campaign's actions.

She urged county Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney to keep the report secret for now, warning that future defendants could argue that unsealing the document hurt their right to a fair trial, among other concerns.

'We are asking that the report not be released, because - you having seen that report - decisions are imminent,' Willis said, though she did not specify a time frame.

Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, spoke at a hearing on whether to publicly release the final report from a special grand jury that spent months examining the Trump campaign's actions

Former President Donald Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and asked him to 'find' enough votes to overturn the Republican's loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election

The special grand jury, convened last year at Willis' request to aid her investigation, was empowered to subpoena witness testimony and evidence but did not have the authority to issue indictments.

Willis, an elected Democrat, will ultimately decide whether to pursue charges against Trump or anyone else.

Criminal charges would make Trump the first former U.S. president to face prosecution and upend the 2024 presidential campaign, months after Trump announced his latest White House bid.

Members of the special grand jury voted in favor of releasing the report, the contents of which remain unknown.

Lawyers for a coalition of media organizations, including news networks and major newspapers, argued that the report should be published in part due to the overwhelming public interest in the case.

McBurney did not immediately rule at the conclusion of the 90-minute hearing and assured all parties that he would give advance notice if he determines the report should be released, presumably to give the district attorney's office time to file an appeal.

Trump's lawyers did not attend the hearing.

In a statement on Monday, his Georgia-based legal team said the grand jury never subpoenaed Trump or asked him to appear voluntarily.

'We can assume that the grand jury did their job and looked at the facts and the law, as we have, and concluded there were no violations of the law by President Trump,' attorneys Drew Findling, Marissa Goldberg and Jennifer Little said.

Georgia has become a critical swing state, helping to deliver Biden to the White House and control of the Senate to Democrats after years of Republican dominance.

The investigation has centered in part on a January 2021 phone call that Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, asking him to 'find' enough votes to overturn the Republican's loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the November 2020 election.

Days later, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to reverse Biden's victory.

In addition to Trump's January 2021 phone call, the investigation has examined a scheme to appoint an alternate slate of presidential electors in an effort to award Georgia's electoral votes to Trump, rather than Biden, ahead of Congress' certification of the results on Jan. 6, 2021.

The special grand jury heard testimony from 75 witnesses, including state officials such as Governor Brian Kemp and Raffensperger as well as Trump advisers such as U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and attorney Rudy Giuliani.

Many witnesses unsuccessfully sought to quash their subpoenas.

In a series of posts on his social media site Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump defended the phone call as 'perfect' and repeated his false claim that the Georgia election was stolen.

The Georgia investigation is among several civil and criminal probes threatening Trump, his family and his associates.

A special counsel is overseeing U.S. Justice Department investigations into Trump's actions to alter the outcome of the 2020 election and his retention of classified materials after leaving the White House in 2021.

Trump's real estate business, the Trump Organization, was convicted in New York court in December of tax fraud.

The state's Democratic attorney general, Letitia James, has sued Trump, his company and his children, accusing them of lying to banks and insurers about the value of their assets.

The Manhattan district attorney's office is pursuing its own criminal investigation into Trump's business.
Republicans declared a war at the southern border  and said the U.S. is losing the fight against cartels and human traffickers under the leadership of President Joe Biden.

In a press conference Tuesday, a group of seven GOP lawmakers led by Representatives Ashley Hinson and Jim Banks vowed to hold the administration accountable for ignoring and even exacerbating the crisis.

The group blamed Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for the thousands of people who died of fentanyl overdoses and demanded that the administration designate cartels as terrorist organizations.

'The fact of the matter is that there is a war at the southern border and we are losing it,' Banks said.

Representative Jim Banks said there is a 'war' at the southern border during a press conference Tuesday

The sentiment was echoed by Texas Representative Jake Ellzy, a 20-year Navy veteran.

'It's time we declare the cartels a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States and treated them as such,' he insisted.

'Because if this were a war, we'd be losing it. And make no mistake, they're fighting us every day.'

Every one of the seven members who took time to speak at the press conference on Tuesday evening spoke about the threat fentanyl flooding into the U.S. poses to their communities  even those who are hundreds of miles away from the border.

Some told personal stories or paid tributes to constituents who died of fentanyl overdoses, and others listed the exponential growth in the drug being smuggled over the border in the years since Biden has taken office.

'Mexican drug cartels have control over our southern border,' Texas Representative Beth Van Duyne claimed.

'It's time we declare the cartels a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States and treated them as such. Because if this were a war, we'd be losing it. And make no mistake, they're fighting us every day,' Texas Rep. Jake Ellzy said Tuesday

Representative Ashley Hinson led a group of seven House Republicans Tuesday calling on the Biden administration to do more to quell the southern migration and drug smuggling crisis

Specifically, the group appeared peeved that Biden's trip to Mexico for the Three Amigos Summit earlier this month did not result in meaningful plans or future actions to quell the crisis.

Instead, Biden's meetings with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, colloquially called AMLO, appeared focused on a so-called 'woke' agenda that the GOP House lawmakers called out.

Representative Hinson of Iowa mentioned that the top priorities in Biden's seven-tier plan reached with AMLO was 'diversity, equity and inclusion, climate change and integrating gender perspectives into disaster response.'

'So that's what they came up with to present the American people,' she bashed. 'Americans and Iowans have no patience for these woke priorities while fentanyl continues to poison our people, our children. Terrorists continue to come across our southern border, sex offenders are coming into our communities.'

Figures released for December show that the number of encounters at the southern border are continuing to rise  and reached a new all-time single month high of 251,487

'We do not need to be worried about gender inclusivity at our borders,' the GOP representative said in Tuesday's press conference, 'we need to be worried about securing our southern border.'

'Americans elected a Republican majority to hold this administration accountable for these continued failures at our southern border and that's exactly what we will do.'

Before winning a majority in the 2022 midterms, Republicans vowed to open investigations into Biden's handling of the southern border crisis, as well as potentially impeach Secretary Mayorkas for lying to the American people about the border being closed.

Banks referenced that he sent a letter to Biden nearly 100 days ago requesting a meeting to discuss the border crisis  and specifically fentanyl smuggling and an increase in overdoses due to the dangerous drug.

The Indiana Republican said Biden has ignored this request, but has engaged in other meetings that the group feels are much less pressing.

Biden did 'have time to meet with transgender activists, the Golden State Warriors and even George Clooney,' Banks noted.

'So that tells you a lot about where the Biden administration priorities are,' he added.

Customs and Border Protection released new figures showing they encountered 251,487 migrants at the southern border in December.

This was yet another increase from months prior, and adds to the more than 4 million migrants who have hopped the border since Biden took office in January 2021. It is also a new all time high topping the crossings in May 2022.
Wet and stormy weather is forecast to lash multiple states this weekend with wild conditions also refusing to let up for the Australia Day public holiday this Thursday.

Much of Australia's east coast is set to see a rainy second half of the week while vicious storms continue in the north and sunny conditions bring high temperatures to the west.

Lightning storms struck Sydney from 9pm on Tuesday night with bolts flashing across the sky before the arrival of evening storms.

Millions are expected to get out into the sun on Australia Day but Sydneysiders have been warned to brace for an afternoon storm.

'A warm and mostly sunny morning will entice millions of people to head outdoors across the Greater Sydney region,' Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said.

'But the pleasant morning weather will hide the threat of afternoon thunderstorms which could become severe.'

Lighting storms hit Sydney (above) from 9pm on Tuesday with more rain forecast to fall over the city on Wednesday and Friday

Meteorologists warned afternoon storms will ruin Sydneysiders Australia Day holiday (pictured, pedestrians in Sydney)

Storms will start to develop around the ranges and western parts of Sydney by the afternoon, threatening damaging winds, heavy rain and large hail.

Sydney is forecast to reach a top of 31C in the city and 35C in the west, with humidity remaining high.

Meanwhile, flash flooding and power outages struck Victoria on Tuesday afternoon after severe thunderstorms developed.

In the 90 minutes to 3.30pm, at least 24mm of rain fell over Geelong Racecourse.

More than 3,000 homes were left without power when lightning struck the area.

Weatherzone meteorologist Anthony Sharwood said storms remain possible across most of eastern Australia for the coming days.

Cloudy skies and drizzly rain is forecast to push through southern Victoria on Thursday before moving north across the border.

Flash flooding hit regional Victoria on Tuesday with at least 24mm falling in 90 minutes in Geelong (above)

Storms also affected Melbourne's northern and eastern suburbs (pictured, Tuesday afternoon's rain radar)

Fortunately, Melbourne residents can expect mostly sunny conditions for the public holiday before windy conditions set over the city on Saturday.

Tropical Cyclone Freddy is likely to develop in Western Australia on Saturday, bringing damaging wind gusts and significant rainfall totals.

If the cyclone does develop, it could bring gusts of up to 125km/h and intense rainfall with up to 300mm forecast to fall over 35 hours.

However, Perth is expected to avoid the brunt of the storm with mostly sunny weather forecast through to the weekend.

Weather will remain fine in South Australia for most of the week before a cool change brings significant rainfall by the weekend.

Temperatures will stay below 30C before Friday, when sweltering heat will grip Adelaide.

The mercury could reach 37C before the weekend.

Cyclone Freddy (above) could form off WA's coast bringing wind gusts of up to 125km/h and intense rainfall

A band of rain will 'steamroller' through South Australia on Saturday morning, according to Sky News meteorologist Alison Osborne.

Humid and 'unsettled' conditions are forecast in southeast Queensland to kick off Australia Day.

Showers may develop in the afternoon, focused around areas further inland, while coastal areas could be spared.

Brisbane is expected to see light rain on Wednesday and Friday with Australia Day bringing cloudy conditions.

They are likely to remain over the lower end of the state into Friday before clearing ahead of the weekend.

Temperatures will stay in the low 30s for the rest of the week.

Hobart is currently warm, with a high of 26C expected on Wednesday, though a cool change is on the horizon.

Aussies in Adelaide and Perth can expect sunny conditions for their Australia Day celebrations (pictured, Australia Day revellers in 2022)

Tasmanians celebrating the public holiday will have to brace for cooler temperatures with a top of 21C.

The weather is forecast to warm up again by the end of the week before cloudy skies return.

Partly cloudy conditions are expected for the nation's capital, though temperatures are predicted to stay above 30C.

There is a slight chance of showers for the public holiday, with winds of up to 20km/h in the late afternoon.

The skies are due to clear by Saturday, with sunny, warm conditions expected.

The wet season continues to lash the Northern Territory where hot, steamy weather is combining with persistent rainfall.

Up to 15mm of rain is likely to fall on Wednesday and again on Thursday with continued stormy weather forecast for the foreseeable future in Darwin.

Temperatures will stay above 30C throughout the week.
The former PM said bosses should be focused on their job

Tony Abbott says companies allowing staff to work on Australia Day should be more concerned with providing better goods and services and paying employees higher wages over 'politically correct posturing'.

Australia's 28th prime minister spoke about the divisive topic with the Institute of Public Affairs' deputy executive director, Daniel Wild, on the think tank's podcast.

The date of Australia Day - January 26 - has been controversial for several years as it's the day in 1788 when the First Fleet arrived in the country, and Sir Arthur Phillip raised the British flag in Sydney Cove.

Many view the date as representative of the beginning of colonisation's painful and devastating impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

A growing number of companies are allowing their staff to choose to work on Australia Day, but Mr Abbott believes bosses should be focused on their role.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott (pictured) slammed companies choosing to let their staff work on Australia, saying they should be more focused on providing better wages

'I just think that it's politically correct posturing by companies that would be better advised focusing on providing better goods and services, providing more effective competition, providing lower prices to customers and delivering higher wages to their staff,' he said on the IPA podcast.

'I think that's what business should be doing. It should be focusing on its job, which is to provide goods and services at a reasonable price, at high quality, to its customers, and to do the right things by its customers, staff and shareholders.'

The former prime minister said companies were in no position to 'second guess our political leaders' and to 'make grandiose and sweeping cultural statements'.

He stressed that businesses and organisations were 'virtue signalling' on issues they have no 'expertise' in.

'I'm disappointed by it. I guess in a free country it shouldn't be stopped but I wish more people would think better of it,' he said.

Mr Abbott earlier championed how far Australia had come as a multicultural society and said that January 26 was the most appropriate day for everyone to celebrate.

He then heavily criticised people who wanted to change the date, suggesting that they had an agenda that went far beyond simply rallying against Australia Day.

'I'm all for keeping the date. I think the people who want to change the date are not so much being oversensitive to the anxieties of some Indigenous people,' he said.

'I think by and large, their larger project is not to change the date but to change the country. I think they want to change the country for the worst.'

Mr Abbott said that January 26 was the most appropriate date for the country to come together and celebrate and that those who wanted to change the date were changing the country for the 'worst' (pictured, Australia Day celebrations on the Gold Coast)

Many view the date as being representative of the beginning of the painful impact colonisation has had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (pictured, Australia Day protest)

It comes as Telstra's new chief executive, Vicki Brady, publicly announced that she would work on Australia Day on Monday.

She confirmed that she would work on the day on a LinkedIn post as she championed the decision by Telstra to allow staff to have a 'personal' choice in whether to work or not.

'Im proud that at Telstra, our people can now choose to take January 26 as a public holiday, or work that day and request an alternative day off,' she wrote.

'Ill be choosing to work and will take a different day of leave with my family, because that feels right for me.'

The telecommunications boss stressed that it was 'ok' if other staff members had a 'different approach'.

'How each of us recognise and respect the different meanings and complexities of Australia Day is one important part of our reconciliation journey,' she continued.

Telstra's new chief executive Vicki Brady (pictured) publicly announced that she will work on Australia Day as more companies turn away from the controversial date

'For many First Nations peoples, Australia Day is a painful reminder of discrimination and exclusion. It marks a turning point that saw lives lost, culture devalued, and connections between people and places destroyed.

'At the same time, for many people the day is also a chance to spend time with friends and family and celebrate the many things we can be proud of as a community.'

Ms Brady added that 'respectful and inclusive conversations' were needed to make any progress on reconciliation.

She then thanked her Telstra colleagues for treating the debate around Australia Day with respect.

Telstra along with Channel 10, Woolworths, mining giant BHP, financial firms Deloitte and KPMG and bio tech company CSL have joined the growing list of companies and organisations who are allowing staff to work on January 26.
Her family said she is the victim of a love scam

The family of an Indigenous Greens candidate and community leader detained in Japan after she was accused of drug trafficking claim she was the victim of an elaborate online love scam by a Nigerian man.

Ballardong Njaki-Njaki woman Donna Nelson - who was the Greens candidate for the Western Australian seat of Pearce in the 2022 federal election - was intercepted by Japanese authorities at Narita Airport near Tokyo in January.

The 56-year-old woman was arrested for suspected drug trafficking after she was allegedly found with drugs stashed inside a bag.

Donna Nelson, a Greens candidate for Western Australia, was arrested in Tokyo for suspected drug trafficking after she was allegedly found with drugs stashed inside a bag

The family believe Ms Nelson, who is also chair of a West Australian Aboriginal health service, was either forced or tricked into carrying the bag, which she had not packed as part of her luggage before leaving Australia.

They said Ms Nelson had been talking with a Nigerian man online for two years before she was arrested.

She has been detained without charge since January 4, when she suddenly stopped answering messages from family and friends shortly after landing in the Japanese capital.

The family said her last message to her daughters was to stop being 'clowns' after they had bombarded the family group chat with jokes about Japan's freezing weather.

A tracking app later revealed she had not moved from the airport for several hours after landing, sparking fears something was not right.

Three days later, police and consular officials confirmed to the family Ms Nelson had been detained by Japanese authorities on suspicion of drug trafficking.

The family has only been able to contact her through her court-appointed lawyer.

Ms Nelson had travelled to Japan to meet the Nigerian man, known as 'Kelly', who she met two years earlier through an online dating site called AfroIntroductions.

Ms Nelson's family claim she was the victim on an elaborate online scam by a Nigerian man known as 'Kelly' (Donna Nelson pictured bottom centre with family)

He claimed to be the owner of a high-end fashion brand.

Ms Nelson's daughters told The Sydney Morning Herald the pair had messaged back and forth for months and had discussed talking a trip to Brazil.

The daughters also said the pair had planned to marry in Nigeria, donning traditional African attire.

They said the man had gained Ms Nelson's trust by sending her an image of a document he claimed was his Japanese residency card and offering to fund trips overseas for some of her daughters.

After sucessfully convincing Ms Nelson to visit him in Japan, 'Kelly' bought business class tickets to fly her to Tokyo via Singapore, Laos and Vietnam.

The family believes Ms Nelson met with an associate of 'Kelly' during a three-day stop in Laos, where she came to be in possession of the bag that led to her airport arrest.

Donna Nelson (second from right) was the Greens candidate for the Western Australian seat of Pearce at the 2022 federal election

Ms Nelsons daughter Kristal Hilaire said one of the hardest things for her to come to terms with was that her mother's heart would have 'broke' upon realising 'this person didn't love her'.

The daughters said Ms Nelson's lawyer had been able to pass on their messages of support and share photos of her grandchildren.

The family want Ms Nelsons ordeal to serve as a warning to other women searching for love online.

'We call her Mother Teresa because she thinks she can save everyone,' daughter Ashlee Charles said.

'She is a person who tries to see the good in everyone'.

Under Japanese law, people suspected of committing a crime can be detained for up to 23 days without charge and are not allowed to apply to be released from custody while awaiting any charges.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson confirmed to Daily Mail Austraila it was providing consular assistance to an Australian woman detained in Japan and her family.

'DFAT and the Australian Embassy in Tokyo remain focused on ensuring the welfare of the Australian woman,' the spokesperson said.

'Owing to our privacy obligations, we are not able to provide further details'.
A surgeon has admitted botching operations on two patients that left them with life-changing injuries.

Dr Camilo Valero, believed to be in his 40s, severed his victims bile ducts while removing their gallbladders, a tribunal heard.

Lucy Wilson, 35, and Paul Tooth, 65, both required corrective surgery. Dr Valeros fitness to work is now being considered by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.

Mrs Wilson went to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in 2020 for a routine operation to remove her gallbladder. But Bob Sastry, for the General Medical Council, said Dr Valero misunderstood the anatomy.

Doctor Camilo Valero who allegedly botched three gallbladder operations in five days, is now subject to a fitness to practice hearing by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service

She was transferred to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge for 11-hour corrective surgery, the tribunal in Manchester heard, but has continued to suffer complications. In a 2021 interview she said she was receiving treatment for PTSD.

Charles Foster, representing the doctor, apologised on his behalf. Mr Tooth suffered avoidable injuries following similar failings days after Mrs Wilson, Mr Sastry said. He will need reconstructive surgery and a liver transplant in the future.

Dr Valero, who trained in Colombia and faces eight charges in total, is still allowed to perform gallbladder surgery under supervision after an interim tribunal in 2021.

Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has admitted liability for the errors in both cases. The tribunal continues.
Furious campaigners have slammed the 'disgusting' decision to send a transgender rapist who attacked two women while living as a man to an all-female prison.

Isla Bryson was a shaven-headed Adam Graham with a Mike Tyson-style face tattoo when carrying out the violent sex attacks in 2016 and 2019 after meeting the victims online.

Bryson, who claimed to have had gender issues since the age of four, began transitioning from a man to a woman in 2020 after being charged with the rapes. The rapist has been taking hormones but has not had any surgery.

The attacker denied the accusations, telling jurors any sex was consensual - although Bryson insisted to having no joy in sleeping with women and told the court they made the 'first move'.

There was no reference to the 31-year-old having a gender recognition certificate during the trial.

Bryson was found guilty of the two rapes yesterday. It is understood the defendant is being held in a segregation unit at Cornton Vale women's prison, where the attacker will be risk assessed ahead of sentencing on February 28. Officials will decide whether the sex attacker will serve the final jail term in a womens or mens prison.

Activists have slammed the move which follows controversy over Nicola Sturgeon's Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill (GRR), which would allow anyone anyone over 16 to 'self-identify' as the opposite sex without needing medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

Isla Bryson, 31 was known as Adam Graham (pictured) and had a Mike Tyson-style face tattoo during the violent sex attacks in 2016 and 2019

Bryson pictured outside the High Court in Glasgow during the trial

Susan Smith, of campaign group For Women Scotland, said it was disgusting that Bryson is being held at Cornton Vale.

She said: The risk assessment should be perfectly clear.

She insisted Bryson was a danger to women and should be nowhere near the sort of vulnerable women who are in prison.

Miss Smith added: Some of our MSPs must have led incredibly sheltered lives if they think that predatory and abusive men would not try everything they could to further hurt victims and to seek easier access to potential future victims.

The Scottish Government said: Decisions taken by the Scottish Prison Service on the placement of transgender prisoners are based on protecting both the wellbeing and rights of the individual and those around them.

Bryson was found guilty of the two rapes yesterday. The defendant denied the charges, saying in evidence she 'would never hurt another human being'.

Her defence KC Edward Targowski even told High Court in Glasgow: 'If you accept that evidence, that she is transitioning, that she is aiming to continue on that path to becoming female gender, that goes a long way to acquitting her of these charges'.

Scottish Conservative shadow community safety minister Russell Findlay said yesterday: 'This rapist decided that he was no longer a man only after appearing in court on a rape charge.

'We now have the utterly perverse situation where a Scottish court refers to someone who says he identifies as female using "her penis" to rape two vulnerable women.

'We warned of the inevitability of this happening if the SNP's gender self-ID law passed, but for it to have become reality is deeply worrying and an affront to the victims.'

Isla Bryson, 31, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, arrives at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday. Following a six-day trial at the High Court a jury has found the transgender woman guilty of raping two women when she was a man

The first victim recalled repeatedly stating 'no' as her 'muscular' attacker raped her when the then-man got into bed beside her in 2016. The second woman was raped at a flat when they were planning to watch the film Mean Girls in 2019.

Fury as sex attacker transitions before trial and is sent to a women's prison: Click here to read more Isla Bryson, 31, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, arrives at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday. Following a six-day trial at the High Court a jury has found the transgender woman guilty of raping two women when she was a man Advertisement

Bryson had first appeared in the dock in July 2019 as Adam Graham. By the start of her six-day trial the defendant was known as Isla Bryson. Bryson is currently taking hormones and seeking surgery to complete gender reassignment.

In December around 60 protesters gathered outside Cornton Vale when trans woman paedophile Katie Dolatowski was sent there. It came amid ongoing controversy over Nicola Sturgeon's Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill (GRR), which would allow anyone anyone over 16 to 'self-identify' as the opposite sex without needing medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

On Monday Rishi Sunak blocked Ms Sturgeon's controversial gender reforms after receiving clear legal advice that they would undermine women's rights in the UK.

The Scottish law would allow people to seek a gender recognition certificate after living in their new gender for just three months, and without the need for medical evidence.

Campaigners warned it could allow biological males to access women-only spaces such as changing rooms, prisons and hostels for battered women, undermining current protections in the Equality Act, which covers England and Wales as well as Scotland.

The gender law was passed by the Scottish parliament last month, with the backing of Labour and the Liberal Democrats as well as the ruling SNP.

Today Isla Bryson appears to be heading to an all-female jail.

Tory MP Miriam Cates told MailOnline: 'It is almost impossible to believe that in a civilised society a man convicted of raping two women can be remanded in a women's prison.'

At the trial, the defendant was known as Isla Bryson with jurors told Adam Graham was now her 'dead name' - one 'a transgender person was given at birth and no longer uses upon transitioning'.

Isla Bryson, was previously known as Adam Graham and born a man. She began transitioning in 2020, aged 29

Bryson told her trial that she has received hormone treatment and is expecting further, adding: 'I obviously want all the surgery that the NHS can provide'.

The defendant had attacked the first victim at a flat in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire having met on the Badoo dating site while known as Adam.

This was immediately after Bryson's marriage to a woman had ended.

In her evidence, Bryson claimed she had effectively used the 30 year-old for somewhere to stay.

But, the victim told how she had been 'head over heels in love' with Adam. However, she soon suffered as Adam went from 'caring' to flying into a rage at trivial matters.

The rape occurred on September 16 2016 after Bryson locked the door and got into bed beside her.

In pre-recorded testimony played to jurors, the victim said: 'I thought Adam had came for a cuddle and - at that moment - everything felt weird and wrong.

'I did not know what was going on.'

The woman recalled repeatedly stating 'no' as a 'muscular' Adam forced himself upon her.

The ordeal only ended when the victim's mum turned on a light in the hall.

The second woman was raped at a flat in Drumchapel, Glasgow on June 27 2019.

Bryson told jurors how she had shared her 'sexuality issues' with the 34 year-old having met on the social media site Bigo.

She was convicted of rape at the High Court in Glasgow (pictured)

The court heard the pair were together at the flat planning to watch the film Mean Girls.

The victim recalled feeling 'crushed' as the attacker she knew as Adam forced himself on her.

She stated: 'I told him to stop and he did not. He kept going. That is when I closed my eyes and let him do what he wanted to do.'

In her own evidence, Bryson - who said she was 'scared' in the witness box - often became emotional as she refuted the charges.

Bryson said: 'I would never do that. I would never hurt any woman.'

Bryson did admit 'cheating' on the first victim adding: 'She loved me. It kills me because I hurt her like that.'

Regarding sexual contact with the second woman, Bryson told jurors: 'I did not make the first move. I can assure you.'

Bryson's lawyer had also asked her today about her gender issues. Bryson said she was first aware of this when she was four.

Bryson told jurors: 'I was always hanging about with the girls and always doing make up.'

Bryson said she first made the decision about 'transition' from a man to a woman in 2020 after she first appeared to face the rape charge.

Bryson has received hormone treatment and is expecting further. Asked about surgery, the defendant stated: 'I obviously want all the surgery that the NHS can provide.'

After the verdict, prosecutor John Keenan KC said the first rape attack had been reported to the authorities in 2016, but that there were no further 'proceedings at that stage'.

Lord Scott deferred sentencing on Bryson until February 28 in Stirling.

Bryson already had three summary level convictions - not for sexual matters - and has never been jailed before.

But, the judge told her: 'You have been convicted of two extremely serious charges.

'Given what you have been convicted of, a a significant custodial sentence is inevitable.

'I will revoke bail and remand you in custody meantime.'

Bryson had turned up most days with a large suitcase. The media and public had to watch proceedings from a viewing room elsewhere in the court building.

A previous trial was abandoned due to Bryson reporting being unwell after having her photo taken as the defendant arrived at court.

It is understood Bryson will be held in the segregation unit at Cornton Vale women's jail in Stirlingshire.

This is a unit where inmates can be held for their own safety or the safety of other prisoners.

A subsequent move to the general population, alongside other women, is possible pending a risk assessment.

Prisoners can held in segregation for years but it must be kept under regular review to comply with human rights laws.
Erin Molan has given an emotional farewell to her 'hero' father Jim at a moving funeral service for the senator, attended by high-profile politicians and military dignitaries.

Mourners arrived at the Military College chapel in Canberra on Wednesday morning.

The Liberal senator and former Army major general was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2021. He died peacefully with his family by his side on Monday January 16 at the age of 72.

Addressing the packed service, Sky News presenter Erin hailed her father's devotion to his family, remembering him as 'a dad we idolised, we were inspired by, and who was our hero'.

In a brief moment of levity, she recalled the moment the former major general was diagnosed with cancer.

Erin Molan breaks down as her father Jim's coffin is driven away following his funeral

An emotional Erin Molan fought back tears while supporting her mum Anna as her beloved father's coffin was driven away

Erin Molan and her family are seen visibly emotional as they farewell Jim Molan on Wednesday

Erin Molan has given an emotional farewell to her 'hero' father Jim Molan at a moving funeral service for the senator

Erin Molan walks behind her father's casket on Wednesday. Senator Molan died at the age of 72

Distraught loved ones including Senator Molan's wife are seen at his funeral service in Canberra

'We all rushed to hospital,' she told the crowd.

'I was on the couch, heaving and stoic and the rest (of Senator Molan's children) were all being stoic.

Jim Molan died at the age of 72 after losing a battle with prostate cancer

'After a while, my brother Mick came over, put his arm around me and said: ''Erin, I just want you to know, none of us think you're trying to make this about you''.'

The broadcaster said she 'didn't always agree' with her father but there 'was no-one's opinion I respected more'.

His daughter, Felicity, told attendees about her father's 55-year 'love story' with wife Anne, while eldest Sarah spoke about his role as a grandfather  'Jimmy' to his five grandchildren.

Governor-general David Hurley, former prime ministers Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison, opposition leader Peter Dutton and other Liberal frontbenchers were in attendance.

Senator Molan's coffin was carried in with military honours as bagpipes played Amazing Grace, and was followed by his family, who were seen wiping away tears as they approached the chapel.

Erin led the group and carried her father's service medals as defence personnel and parliamentarians joined family and friends at the chapel.

Wednesday was a heartbreaking day for Jim Molan's family, including daughter Erin

Jim's daughter Erin Molan walked behind her dad's coffin carrying his military medals. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

A requiem mass will be held in celebration of the life of Senator Jim Molan. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Erin Molan is seen holding her father's medals at his funeral service in Canberra on Wednesday

Erin said her father Jim Molan was her 'hero'

Once inside, the Senator's coffin was guarded by a catafalque party - a guard that stands watch over the casket.

Liberal leader Mr Dutton choked up as he reflected on Senator Molan's life.

'He was a man thrust into some of the most difficult and challenging circumstances. He was in the middle of war and bloodshed,' he said.

'He saw first-hand what we would call the darker side of humanity.

'Those experiences could have made him angry and cynical, or at the very least, aloof. But for all Jim encountered he was kind and considerate.'

He said the senator remained an optimist throughout his life and had 'kindness' in his heart.

Erin Molan is seen carrying her father's medals at his funeral service on Wednesday

Opposition leader Peter Dutton and his wife Kirilly are seen at Senator Molan's funeral

Liberal senator Marise Payne was also in attendance at Senator Molan's funeral service

Barnaby Joyce was one of many politicians in attendance at Senator Molan's funeral

'He was not just an Australian, he was one of our greatest. May he rest in peace,' he said.

Speaking ahead of the funeral, deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley said she would miss her 'dear friend'.

'I have some wonderful recollections of Jim and his love for regional New South Wales,' she said.

'He just jumped in a car and he drove wherever he needed to, and there are long miles across the patch.

'So he was a soldier. He was a senator. He was a servicemen to his country in so many ways, most recently in the federal parliament.

'I will miss him as a dear friend and a dear colleague and I'm honoured to be here.'

Erin led her family as they walked behind her father's casket. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

In a notice announcing his funeral, Senator Molan's family encouraged a donation to charity in his memory, rather than flowers.

Following his death, his loved ones said the loss was 'immeasurable'.

'He was many things - a soldier, a pilot, an author, a volunteer firefighter, and a senator,' the statement read.

'Most of all, he was an adored husband, father, grandfather and brother.

'Our loss is immeasurable, but we are comforted in our memories of a full life courageously lived, devoted to family and in service of the country he loved.'

The chapel was packed for the funeral service on Wednesday. Picture: Supplied via NCA NewsWire

Senator Molan is survived by his wife Anne, four children and five grandchildren.

Prior to entering politics, the Senator's military career spanned 40 years and has been credited as one of the architects of Operation Sovereign Borders - a hard line military-led policy to deter asylum seekers arriving by boat.

The former Liberal representative for NSW reached the rank of major general in the army during his career that included deployments to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, East Timor, Malaysia, Germany, the United States and Iraq.

He entered parliament in 2017 after Fiona Nash was disqualified over her dual citizenship.

In 2019, he was relegated to the unwinnable fourth position on the Liberal Senate ticket but was later appointed to the casual vacancy caused by the departure of Arthur Sinodinos.

He was re-elected to the Senate at the 2022 federal election.
A Catholic bishop whose cathedral property was reportedly used for a lockdown sex party was himself reported to police for alleged abuse, it has been revealed.

Robert Byrne, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, was reported to police in December following an allegation of abuse made against him by a priest.

The 66-year-old resigned last month, saying the job was too great a burden. The Vatican has since asked the Archbishop of Liverpool Malcolm McMahon to carry out an in-depth inquiry into his resignation.

Robert Byrne, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle (pictured), was reported to police in December following an allegation of abuse made against him by a priest

And the archbishop confirmed that Bishop Byrne had been reported to police in December, according to The Catholic Herald yesterday. The police force informed has not been named. It is understood there is no current inquiry.

It came as The Sunday Times reported at the weekend allegations that a sex party took place in priests living quarters attached to St Marys Cathedral in Newcastle during lockdown. There was no suggestion that Bishop Byrne attended or knew about the alleged party.

As well as conducting his own inquiry, Archbishop McMahon has also asked the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) to review diocesan safeguarding.

In addition the diocese previously referred itself to the Charity Commission, who are conducting their own inquiries into regulatory compliance.

Canon Michael McCoy (pictured), Dean at St Marys cathedral, is reported to have approached a number of worshippers asking them if they wanted to attend a party at the cathedral.

It came as The Sunday Times reported at the weekend allegations that a sex party took place in priests living quarters attached to St Marys Cathedral in Newcastle (pictured) during lockdown

Canon Michael McCoy, Dean at St Marys cathedral, is reported to have approached a number of worshippers asking them if they wanted to attend a party at the cathedral.

McCoy, 57, took his own life in April 2021, just four days after finding out he was being investigated by Northumbria polices child and adult protection department following a historical child sex abuse allegation which was made against him.

He was visited by officers to be informed of the investigation and was later found hanged.

McCoy had been appointed to his cathedral role by the Bishop Byrne in 2019.

According to the Sunday Times the CSSA inquiry would look at the relationship of convicted sex offender Father Tim Gardner with the diocese.

In 2014 Gardner, 42, who taught religious education at a catholic school in London, was given a suspended prison sentence at Southwark Crown Court after admitting making indecent images of children and having more than 500 pictures of children and more than 5,000 prohibited images downloaded onto his computer.

Gardner is alleged to have been offered the chance to stay at church owned accommodation within the Newcastle diocese after his conviction, but this move was said to have been blocked by senior officials in the diocese.
The family and friends of a 29-year-old man who died after coming down with a sudden illness have hit out at suggestions his death was caused by the Covid vaccine.

After Daily Mail Australia first shared the story of Shannen Rissel's touching tribute to her late husband last Friday, Covid conspiracy theorists flooded the comments section.

Ms Rissel told Daily Mail Australia her husband, Connor, who was about to become a father for the first time, had been sick for a couple of days prior to his death but his passing was 'unexpected'.

The expectant mother said his cause of death won't be known until the autopsy results come back as he hadn't seen a doctor since becoming ill.

Expectant mother Shannen Rissel wrote a heartbreaking letter after her husband Connor passed away unexpectedly in his sleep last week (pictured Shannen and Connor Rissel)

After Daily Mail Australia first shared the story of Shannen Rissel's touching tribute to her late husband last Friday, Covid conspiracy theorists flooded the comments section with friends and family calling the speculation 'disgusting' and 'disrespectful'

'He had become unwell and unfortunately, his health declined over the past week,' she wrote in a post.

'However, never did we expect this to happen. Some of his last words to me were 'I'll be okay beet, I just need to get over this sickness and we'll have a happy life.'

Comments such as, 'If you have your head in the sand at this point please snap out of it' and 'safe and effective', as well as other Covid-related jibes were present on almost all posts related to Connor's death, including on Ms Rissel's tribute to her late husband.

'I'm so sorry for the loss of your husband. You must be in shock. Did your husband take the Covid shots? The CDC is looking into this,' one person commented on Ms Rissel's post.

Comments such as, 'If you have your head in the sand at this point please snap out of it' and 'safe and effective', as well as other Covid-related jibes were present on almost all posts related to Connor's death, including on Ms Rissel's tribute to her late husband

Others online hit out at the speculation saying it was 'disgusting' and 'putrid' and those saying such things should be 'ashamed'

Others responded to the speculation by saying it was 'disgusting' and 'disrespectful' and those saying such things should be 'ashamed'.

'It's disgusting and completely unacceptable that you would even speculate something like this on something you know nothing about,' one said.

'You should be ashamed of yourself, this is someone's loved one you are talking about.'

'I think it is absolutely putrid that people are putting their propaganda on a post about someone's loved one that just died, especially not knowing the circumstances, shame on them,' commented another.

Ms Rissel and her husband Connor married in September, 2022 after five years together and lived in Gorokan, on NSW's Central Coast.

The couple had just celebrated finding out Shannen was pregnant with their first child due in August.

'It is with the heaviest heart that I write these words. My husband, Connor passed away unexpectedly in his sleep yesterday morning,' Ms Rissel wrote last week.

'Connor was the love of my life, he was the best husband, the best friend, the best family member, the best fur baby daddy and he was also going to become a father this year in August.

Ms Rissel and her husband Connor had only married in September, 2022 after five years together and lived in Gorokan, on NSW's Central Coast

Ms Rissel said Connor loved to be outdoors, whether that be surfing or just in the water at the beach.

He was always trying to live an exciting life that he was proud of, trying new things like fly fishing, he worked hard, he loved being creative with his art and music,' she said.

'He gave his whole heart to those he loved and had such a huge heart, empathy and care for people he met,' she added.

'He was the most rare person you could meet and I am so proud that I got to become his wife and spend 5 years, and 4 months with him.

'The memories that we have I will cherish forever and I will live the rest of my days reflecting on ways I can be more like him.

'And when I welcome our baby into the world, he or she will be surrounded by everyone that loved him, to share memories about how beautiful of a person he was and his memories will live on.'

Tributes flowed for the tragic young dad-to-be, with more than 200 comments on Facebook.

The couple had only just celebrated finding out Shannen was pregnant with their first child which is due in August

'Shannen I am so incredibly sorry for your loss, my heart is so broken for you. Thinking of you in this incredibly heart breaking time,' one person wrote.

'Connor and I were good mates in high school. I am so sorry for your loss and my thoughts are with you and your family. I have great memories of Connor, truly one of a kind,' a second posted.

'Shannen, I have no words I'm in disbelief. Life is so unfair and this is such a tragedy. It has been such a pleasure to watch your relationship and marriage unfold,' a third wrote.

'The love you shared was palpable and it was wonderful to see you both so so so happy. Sending you so much strength for you and your baby as you navigate this time.'

A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for funeral costs as well as to help Shannen with the expenses involving their unborn child.

The fundraiser has raised more than $35,000.

Mrs Rissel asked for some privacy and time to grieve and 'process what has happened'.

A paddle out tribute has been organised for Mr Rissel at 8am on Sunday at the Norah Head rockpool.
BBC chairman Richard Sharp has been summoned by MPs to explain why he did not tell them about his alleged role in Boris Johnson's finances.

He did not disclose any involvement in helping the then-prime minister obtain a personal loan in his pre-appointment hearing before the Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee.

Mr Sharp is said to have agreed to help with Mr Johnson's finances after a dinner with him and the then-PM's distant cousin Sam Blyth, a multi-millionaire who had offered to act as a guarantor for a credit facility of up to 800,000.

Yesterday the 160,000-a-year BBC boss, pictured, told BBC News he was 'comfortable' with the way the process had been carried out.

BBC chairman Richard Sharp has insisted there was no conflict of interest in his appointment to the role as he faces question over his alleged involvement in helping Boris Johnson secure a six-figure loan

'Having had a discussion with the Cabinet Secretary about avoiding conflict, and the perception of conflict, I felt comfortable and I still feel there was no conflict because at that stage what I was seeking to do was ensure that the process was followed exactly by the book,' he said.

Late in December 2020 Mr Sharp went to Downing Street to discuss the matter with Cabinet Secretary Simon Case and introduced him to the Canadian businessman, an old friend of his, The Sunday Times reported.

Former PM Boris Johnson is facing criticism over allegations of a conflict of interest involving BBC Chairman Richard Sharp and financial help

The Cabinet Office is said to have told Mr Johnson to stop seeking Mr Sharp's advice about his personal finances, given the imminent BBC appointment.

The following month Mr Sharp was announced as the Government's choice for the 160,000-a-year role at the head of the corporation.

Neither Mr Sharp nor Mr Johnson disclosed the matter in their register of interests.

On Monday, public appointments commissioner William Shawcross announced he is to investigate Mr Sharp's appointment as BBC chairman in February 2021 to ensure the process was conducted 'fairly, openly and on merit'.
Robots will have the power to decide patient priority in the NHS after they are employed by the service to help clear the backlog of waiting lists.

Automated calls will be used by the health service to assess people waiting for operations and prioritise their urgency to speed up the handling of referrals.

The plan could see more than 100,000 NHS workers being trained in coding and boy creation to reduce the bureaucratic burden.

The NHS is turning to an automated system to clear Covid backlogs, speed up referral and improve patient care.

Automated calls will be used by the health service to assess people waiting for operations and prioritise their urgency to speed up the handling of referrals (stock photo)

But the risk for error is very real after 1,800 patients were accidently wiped off one hospital list because the robot's 'memory capacity' became full.

The Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospital NHS Trust apologised for the error and promised greater staff oversight.

Pilot schemes are in early stages but one major company told the Telegraph the NHS is looking to use automation in about 100 areas.

But trials have found that 15 percent of those on waiting lists no longer needed the treatment they had been waiting for but with 10 percent of cases requiring more urgent care.

Bots are already being used for waiting lists in hospitals across Lancashire and South Cumbria with 30,000 patients to be assessed by March.

There is great concern for the elderly's response to the automated calling system.

The plan could see more than 100,000 NHS workers being trained in coding and boy creation to reduce the bureaucratic burden (stock photo)

Campaigner Dennis Reed from Silver Voices, a support group for the ageing population, told the Telegraph: 'I really do worry about the risk of errors and the fact that automated responses will not be able to deal with subtleties of healthcare.

'I think for a lot of older people, getting these kinds of automated calls can be confusing and very frightening. Many will fear it is a scam and be at a loss as to what to do about it.'

The news comes as the country's top A&E doctor told the Telegraph that NHS 111 is sending too many people to emergency departments because its computer algorithm is 'too risk averse'.

December was the 'worst ever' in A&E with waits of more than 24 hours in most departments, Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told MPs.

'In terms of how we manage people who could be looked after elsewhere, the key thing to do is to improve NHS 111,' Dr Boyle told MPs.
Communities in central Australia could participate in a formal vote on establishing alcohol bans as federal and territory governments work to combat the Alice Springs crime crisis.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles suggested the Electoral Commission could hold the vote on whether communities want to opt-in or out of widespread alcohol bans.

Her comments were made following Tuesday's meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and community leaders to discuss ways to curb anti-social behaviour.

Ms Fyles said community consultation needed to be a key part of alcohol management plans, particularly in discussions about alcohol bans.

Alice Springs has faced a wave of youth crime in recent years (pictured, a young man attempting to break into Alice Spring's Todd Tavern)

'We can't look at Alice Springs in isolation, we need to look at the broader community and this is something where communities have had the option to opt-in to being a dry community,' she told ABC Radio on Wednesday.

'Do we go out to a ballot? Do we get the Electoral Commission to go out to these communities?

'Then the matter can be settled confidently knowing that all views have been heard.'

Mr Albanese and Ms Fyles announced a three-month ban on the sale of takeaway alcohol in the region on Mondays and Tuesdays and reduced trading hours on other days as well as a limit of one purchase per person daily.

Ms Burney promised tough new restrictions on takeaway alcohol sales were just the beginning of measures to combat surging youth crime in Alice Springs.

She said the government would consider all options and further alcohol restrictions were likely to be on the table.

'I find it very difficult to see a future where there are not further restrictions on alcohol,' she told ABC TV on Wednesday.

The minister also believed a successful referendum to establish an Indigenous voice to parliament would help communities, particularly in the Northern Territory, in the long-term.

'If the voice to parliament had been established previously, I don't think we would be where we are,' she told ABC radio in a separate interview.

'We would have been getting practical advice from people representative of the community in relation to these social issues.

'It is wrong to think that the issue out here is just alcohol. There has been neglect for 10 years of small communities surrounding Alice Springs.

An Alice Springs man posted this video offive children who broke into his house, where they spent 30 minutes trashing the place before leaving

Deputy Opposition leader Sussan Ley said the government had ignored community leaders and called for tougher restrictions.

'Governments have to respond to the situations they face and this government has not responded sufficiently or strongly enough,' she told reporters in Canberra.

A long-term central Australian alcohol management plan will be developed to deal with the 'complex issues' in the region, which include alcohol-fuelled violence, unemployment and youth on the streets.

A regional controller, Dorelle Anderson, was appointed to ensure all levels of government were working together to deliver services to the community.

She will also review opt-in alcohol restrictions that replaced expired Intervention-inspired liquor bans last year and consider if opt-out bans should be implemented.

She will provide an interim report to the government with further recommendations next week.

Northern Territory Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy said she had 'cautious optimism' about the impact of the initial measures.

Mr Albanese promised to spend millions of extra dollars to bolster security, including providing better street lighting, emergency accommodation for domestic violence victims and community services in Alice Springs and the region.
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The Hamptons home of disgraced Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff has finally found a buyer after a 13-year wait.

Madoff - who died in 2021 while serving a 150-year prison sentence - was forced to give up the property, and it was sold by U.S. Marshals in 2009 for $9.41million to Steven Roth, head of the property's original developers, Vornado Realty Trust. Proceeds benefited Madoff's victims.

The 3,000-square-foot estate rests on the oceanfront of the famous Long Island village of Montauk.

It was recently heavily featured on a Netflix docuseries highlighting Madoff's crimes, 'Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street.'

The Hamptons home of disgraced Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff has finally found a buyer after a 13-year wait. It was sold by U.S. Marshals in 2009 for $9.41 million to Steven Roth, head of the property's original developers, Vornado Realty Trust. Proceeds benefited Madoff's victims.

The property sits on about 180 feet of oceanfront real estate in Montauk, on about an acre and a half of land. Tim Davis of the Corcoran Group handled the sale in a co-exclusive with Bespoke Real Estate

Tim Davis of the Corcoran Group has handled the sale in a co-exclusive with Bespoke Real Estate. Davis confirmed the news to DailyMail.com Tuesday night.

'The house is under contract and will close in early March; all other details are confidential at this time,' he said.

The property was initially listed for $ 21 million before lowering the price to $ 16.5 million. It's unknown what the house has sold for.

Madoff originally bought the home in 1980 for $250,000, according to the New York Post. That price inflated for 2023 would be close to $ 1 million, meaning that even when Madoff sold he made over nine times what he would have paid for it.

The home was recently heavily featured on a Netflix docuseries highlighting Madoff's crimes, 'Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street.'

The 3,000-square-foot estate rests on the oceanfront of the famous Long Island village of Montauk

The property sits on about 180 feet of oceanfront real estate on about an acre and a half of land.

The developers who bought from Madoff renovated the place in 2011, complete with a heated swimming pool.

Madoff, pictured with socialite wife, Ruth. The Montauk property was sold by U.S. Marshals in 2009 for $9.41million to Steven Roth, head of the property's original developers, Vornado Realty Trust. Madoff, who ran the biggest Ponzi scheme in US history, died from natural causes at the Federal Correctional Facility in Butner, North Carolina in 2021, 12 years into a 150-year prison sentence

The news comes after Madoff's estate was forced to take it off the market with no buyer.

Madoff, who ran the biggest Ponzi scheme in US history, died from natural causes at the Federal Correctional Facility in Butner, North Carolina on April 14, 2021, where he was 12 years into a 150-year prison sentence.

A year before his death, he'd pleaded to be let out early, claiming he was dying of renal kidney disease and had just 18 months to live.

The judge denied his request, saying he'd committed one of the most egregious financial crimes in history and needed to pay for it.

His wife Ruth was the only member of his family to stand by him.

She never divorced him but claimed not to have spoken to him since their son Mark's suicide in 2010.

Ruth is now holed up in a $ 3.8 million house in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, with the family of Mark's first wife, who he divorced in 2000 after having two children with her. He went on to remarry Stephanie Madoff Mack and was still married to her when he killed himself in 2010.

Madoff robbed victims 37,000 victims in 136 countries of $64.8 billion, taking one's money to pay off the other, for two decades before finally being arrested in 2008 after his two adult sons turned him in. Many of his victims came from the Jewish community, where Madoff had been a major philanthropist.
Emily Maitliss Newsnight interview with Andrew clearly still rankles with his daughter Eugenie.

She came face to face with Maitlis at the World Economic Forum in Davos but made no effort to meet or greet the former BBC presenter.

There was this dynamic  she was there and I was there, recalls Maitlis, confirming they were in the same room.

There was this go-between [saying], She knows you are here and you know she is there. Maybe dont meet, dont talk.

They didnt. Who could blame Eugenie?

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Emily Maitliss Newsnight interview with Andrew clearly still rankles with his daughter Eugenie

Meanwhile, Mailtis wants a blue heritage plaque erected at the Woking Pizza Express where Andrew claimed in the interview to have celebrated daughter Beatrices birthday on the night he allegedly visited Tramp nightclub with Virginia Giuffre.

Shes also bought a gift voucher for the eatery, explaining: I said to my godson, What would you like for Christmas? Come on, you are 16. What would you like? And he was like, Ems, I just want to go to Pizza Express in Woking and I booked [the voucher].

William's anti-racism statement criticising Susan Hussey without making any attempt to hear his godmothers version of events nor offer any private support deeply upset the late Queens principal lady-in-waiting.

It was the bitterest blow, whispers a Buckingham Palace source.

But Im told that the Christmas season brought some healing, with godmother and godson clearing the air in a telephone conversation.

All is well again, says my source, and Lady Susan is on the guest list for the Coronation.

Arriving in Australia to promote her rom-com movie Whats Love Got To Do With It? Jemima Goldsmith, pictured, proudly announces that shes conquered her fear of flying.

Two decades ago, she and her two young sons were aboard a British Airways flight when a mentally ill student attacked the cockpit causing them to plummet 10,000 ft before the pilot regained control, averting a crash into the Sudanese desert by seconds.

Ive finally made it all the way to Sydney, she says.

I didnt think Id ever make it this far.

King Charles is not reviving the Coronation tradition of the Kings Champion, in full armour, riding his horse through Westminster Hall.

Current champion Francis Dymoke, a retired chartered accountant, will have to make do with carrying a banner.

At George IVs coronation in 1821, the Champion, having no horse of his own, borrowed one from Astleys Circus.

Unfortunately, when the guests applauded the horse took it as a cue to perform his circus tricks and eventually unseated the Champion.

Bruce Gowers, who has died aged 82, triggered the pop music video industry by making Queens Bohemian Rhapsody for Top Of The Pops in 1975.

After it was viewed 1.5billion times on YouTube, he tried to claim royalties but as he hadnt signed a contract it was deemed the intellectual property of the band.

His original fee? 500. All together now: Hes just a poor boy
Kanye West could potentially be barred from entering Australia due to anti-Semitic comments he has made.

The rapper, known as Ye, is reportedly planning a visit to Melbourne in coming days to meet the family of his reported new wife, designer Bianca Censori.

Ye was widely criticised last year for praising Adolf Hitler during an interview with American far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

The rapper, known as Ye, is reportedly planning a visit to Melbourne in coming days to meet the family of his reported new wife, designer Bianca Censori (pictured)

Education Minister Jason Clare suggested his past comments could prevent Ye from gaining an Australian visa.

While Mr Clare did not know if the rapper had applied for a visa, he said a quick Google search revealed he 'seems like he's a pretty big fan of a person who killed six million Jewish people last century'.

'People like that who've applied for visas to get into Australia in the past have been rejected,' he told Nine's Today on Wednesday.

'I expect that if he does apply, he would have to go through the same process and answer the same questions that they did.'

On Tuesday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said his inclination would be to not allow the rapper to enter Australia.

'His anti-Semitic comments are disgraceful, his conduct and his behaviour is appalling, and he's not a person of good character,' Mr Dutton told 3AW.

Mr Dutton said the immigration minister had the power to stop people of bad character coming into Australia.

'My instinct would be if I was that decision maker, I think there are better people we could welcome in,' he said.


MBIRA queen Mbuya Stella Chiweshe was buried in Nekati Village under Chief Masembura in Bindura yesterday.

Mbuya Chiweshe succumbed to a brain tumour in Harare on Friday last week.

She was 76.

And her wish to be buried according to her traditional customs was also granted.

Despite Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour providing an expensive casket, her body was removed from the casket and wrapped in a reed mat (rukukwe) and cloth before being lowered into the grave.

The family said this was done in accordance with her desire to easily be connected with her ancestral spirits.

They said they were following her instructions. The media was barred from the graveside.

And as she had requested in the living years, only traditional music was played at the funeral wake.

Mbuya Chiweshe was said to have instructed the family not to play any gospel songs at her funeral.

No gospel song was sung and no Biblical sermon was preached at her funeral and burial. Everything was done according to African traditional rites and rituals.

Addressing mourners at the burial, Mbuya Chiweshes eldest daughter, Maidei Charity Mapuranga, described her late mother as a true fighter.

I am the first born to the late Mbuya Chiweshe. By the way, Chiweshe was not her surname, but a totem she adopted as a stage name. She lost her husband when we least expected it, Maidei said.

She said Mbuya Chiweshe became popular with her totem rather than her real surname.

Chiweshe is not my mothers surname but her totem. Her real name on national documents is Stella Nekati.

Maidei said they tried their best as a family to save Mbuya Chiweshe.

We took her to one of the best hospitals in the world, but the cancer was detected late.

She was a brave woman who showed no signs of sickness. She didnt suffer from memory loss and we are devastated to have lost our mother, she said.

A number of mbira artistes performed at Mbuya Chiweshes homestead on Monday night and yesterday.

These comprise Vee Mhofu and Dzivarembira who honoured Mbuya Chiweshe with song and dance.

Energetic performer, Kessia Magosha, also put up a vintage performance.

Sasha Amadhuve, Ammi Jamanda, Lioness, Mama Rachie, Wilfred Nyamasvisva MaAfrika and a number of traditional dancers from Mufakose also performed.

Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry, her deputy Tino Machakaire and National Arts Council of Zimbabwe representatives attended the burial. Herald
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel has accused the Government of 'dragging its feet' over legislation designed to prevent adult migrants from claiming they are minors when trying to gain asylum.

She is also understood to have been told that implementing scientific age assessments for migrants would be 'too difficult' and 'too controversial' by civil servants during her time in the Cabinet.

Her comments in The Telegraph follow the conviction of an Afghan man for the killing of a man in a row over an e-scooter.

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai - who had previously been convicted of murder in Serbia - was found guilty on Monday of the murder of 21-year-old Thomas Roberts last year outside a sandwich shop in Bournemouth, Dorset.

The defendant, who arrived in the UK in December 2019, told the authorities at the time of his arrest that he was 16 but it was determined at Salisbury Crown Court that his true age now is 21.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel has accused the Government of 'dragging its feet' over legislation designed to prevent adult migrants from claiming they are minors when trying to gain asylum

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai - who had previously been convicted of murder in Serbia - was found guilty on Monday of the murder of 21-year-old Thomas Roberts

Downing Street described the case as 'shocking' and said it underlines the need for 'robust age measurement measures'.

A report earlier this month by the Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee said existing age checks - which rely on interviews with social workers - could be supported by 'biological age assessment'.

That could include X-rays or MRI scans to determine the development of teeth and bones, although campaigners have questioned whether such methods are either ethical or reliable.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said scientific checks are already in place in other countries and that the UK is now looking to follow suit.

'We are considering the report of the Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee on scientific methods to assess the age of asylum seekers - and resolve the age disputes - which are indeed in place in countries like Norway, Denmark and Sweden,' the spokesman said.

'We are taking this issue very seriously and will come forward with further measures in due course.'

Abdulrahimzai murdered Thomas Roberts (pictured) with a '10cm blade' after an argument with his friend about an e-scooter outside a Subway sandwich shop

The Home Office has previously warned that there is a 'significant' problem with migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats lying about their age.

Then home secretary Patel said last year that the introduction of biological tests would stop grown men 'masquerading as children' on their asylum applications.

She told The Telegraph this week: 'We must implement every law available to us now to stop adults from claiming asylum on the basis of a false age.

'They don't just exploit our laws but often children too, in the process of conducting this fraud.

'The key point is that we have the Nationality and Borders Act. The Government must crack on with implementation, because every day we delay we lose momentum.'

The court heard that Abdulrahimzai stabbed Mr Roberts twice and then fled into nearby woodland after Mr Roberts tried to intervene in a dispute between a friend of his and the defendant over an e-scooter.

After delivering its verdict, the jury was told that Abdulrahimzai had previously been convicted of murder following a trial in Serbia and sentenced to 20 years in prison in his absence.

Abdulrahimzai will be sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on Wednesday.

Patel meanwhile said the measures in the Nationality and Borders Act, if implemented, would mean more rigorous scientific checks and streamline a process she described as 'highly subjective and often subject to prolonged and expensive legal disputes'.

'The Nationality and Borders Act was designed to overhaul the process in order to avoid this. It could provide a consistent and robust approach to dealing with anyone whose age is uncertain. But only if it is implemented,' she added.

'Everyone across Government should work together to now put this tough legislation into action. It is a matter of national urgency.'
Ex-Hillsong pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston are selling off a swag of possessions to raise money after Ms Houston revealed a bloody facial injury and described their lives as a war zone.

Ms Houston this week uploaded dozens of images of luxury items - including 11 of Brian's dress shirts plus his Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna and Versace suits, as well as footwear, homewares and furniture - to closetbabycloset on Instagram.

'We have gifted and donated things our entire lives and will continue to do so ... but right now we are selling in order to move things properly and efficiently,' Ms Houston wrote on online.

The Pentecostal power couple, who were last year forced out of the megachurch they founded in 1983, are also reluctantly selling their home in Sydney's Hills District.

'I could pretend I'm a boxer', Bobbie Houston said of her eye injury which she explained happened when she 'fell down my stairs' this week

Ex-Hillsong pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston are selling a swag of possessions online after she revealed a mystery eye injury and said that their lives feel like a war zone.

The four-bedroom, 3647-square-metre gated estate was listed for $4.5million and includes a 26-square-metre dressing room for Ms Houston's outfits.

Mr Houston told Nine newspapers they were selling to reduce debts and simplify their lives.

On Monday, Ms Houston posted a selfie with her right eyebrow covered in blood-soaked bandages.

'Took a wee tumble yesterday,' she wrote online.

'Fell down my stairs.

The Pentecostal power couple, who this year were both forced out of the megachurch they founded in 1983, are also reluctantly selling their home in Sydney's Hills District for $4.5millon

Bobbie Houston is selling 'a bundle' of her husband's dress shirts, including Boss, Armani and Ermenegildo Zegna brands, for $1,100

'I could almost pretend Im a pro boxer with a boxer's eyebrow.

Ms Houston said she avoided damage to her head or face but did suffer bruising and a 'wee gash'.

'Never a dull moment eh. Feel like weve been in the landscape of war this year - spirit, soul and body - yet we persevere.'

Mr Houston resigned as the senior global pastor of Hillsong last March after he was found to have breached the church's 'moral code' with two women.

The church said it had been investigating two complaints made against him over the past 10 years.

One complaint was made after a church employee claimed to have been sent 'inappropriate' texts.

The church investigation found he was 'under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence' when he sent the texts.

Ms Houston put several of her husband's up for sale online as 'pre-loved' clothing including this Ermenegildo Zegna suit, which she claimed was worth up to $7,000 new

Among the items Ms Houston put up for sale is this Positano Italian platter, selling for $200, which she said she 'carried around the world'

The second complaint related to Mr Houston allegedly knocking on the hotel door of a female guest following the 2019 Hillsong Conference entering the room.

'Pastor Brian became disoriented... following the consumption of anti-anxiety medication beyond the prescribed dose, mixed with alcohol,' the church said at the time.

The exact nature of the woman's complaint has not been publicly revealed and Mr Houston has denied any sexual activity took place.

Mr Houston has also been charged by police with allegedly concealing sexual abuse of a child by his father, Frank.

He pleaded not guilty in Sydneys Downing Centre Local Court in an ongoing trial.

Frank Houston abused nine boys between 1965-1977 across Australia and New Zealand, when he led the Assemblies of God church.

A month after Brian Houston quit Hillsong, Bobbie was sacked by text message.

'I don't even have words to express how cold and callous this has all become,' she said at the time.

Brian Houston was charged by Australian police with concealing sexual abuse by his father Frank and is in the middle of a trial at Sydney's Downing Centre Court. He pleaded not ghuilty

The pair founded megachurch Hillsong in 1983 and had been its most senior figures for almost 40 years.

The break from Hillsong allowed the Houstons to go on a speaking tour of the United States, where he spoke about inheriting 'baggage' from his father.

'Inheritance on Earth may sound like a good idea... My parents, financially, what I inherited was small but the reality is it also came through my father with baggage,' he said in a sermon at the James River Church in South West Missouri.

'Because, when I was 45 years of age ... I found out that my father, many years before that, in the '60s and '70s, was a paedophile.'
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy held a press conference on Tuesday evening

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy accused President Joe Biden of 'playing politics' with the U.S. debt limit on Tuesday amid a standoff over how to avoid a massive national default that could tank financial markets across the globe.

'I want to look the president in the eye, and tell me there's not $1 of wasteful spending in government. Who believes that? the American public doesn't believe that,' the Republican leader told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday evening.

'Our whole government is designed to have compromise, but here's the leader of the free world, pounding on the table, being irresponsible, saying "No, no, no, just raise the limit. Make us spend more." No, that's not how adults act.'

It comes the same day as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent a letter to McCarthy notifying him that her department would be temporarily choking off funds to a government employee retirement and healthcare program as part of 'extraordinary' measures taken to keep paying the country's bills.

She notified Congress last week that the U.S had run up against its debt limit - the total amount of monetary debt the federal government is allowed to carry, with which it pays military salaries, social security benefits, and other programs that affect millions of people.

House Republicans have made clear that they will not agree to raising the debt ceiling without offsetting it with spending cuts elsewhere.

The White House and Senate Democrats, meanwhile, are refusing to budge on such negotiations. Biden officials have argued that raising the debt ceiling is an 'obligation' of the government.

A Friday statement said Biden 'looks forward' to sitting down with McCarthy to discuss issues facing the country, including its debts.

McCarthy said he wanted to speak with the White House about spending cuts but that they refused to negotiate on it

Democrats have stated that raising the debt limit is an 'obligation' rather than a 'negotiation'

But the California Republican suggested on Tuesday that such a meeting is far from being on the calendar.

'What I have asked for, is to sit down, let's find common ground, and lets eliminate the wasteful spending to protect the hardworking taxpayers to protect the future of America,' McCarthy told reporters.

'And for the President to say he wouldn't even negotiate, thats irresponsible. We're going to be responsible. We're going to be sensible and we're going to get this done together.'

But they'll have to get it done before the U.S. defaults - something that has not happened in the history of the country.

When the country came close in 2011 amid a stalemate in Congress, the U.S. lost its top tier credit rating from Standard and Poor's Rating Services.

The financial crisis threatened to upend the global economy at the time, much as it does now.

The debt ceiling was last raised by Congress in late 2021.

Avoiding a clean debt limit increase without spending cuts was among the key terms McCarthy agreed to earlier this month to win the Speaker's gavel, clinching enough conservative support after four days and 15 rounds of voting.
An overwhelming number of Mail readers believe the West is not doing enough to help Ukraine win the war against Russia.

In total, 9,287 readers voted on the Mail Plus poll, with 74 per cent in agreement with Boris Johnson and 26 per cent saying the West are doing enough to support the war effort.

In an article for the Mail yesterday, Mr Johnson implored that hundreds more tanks, planes and armoured cars must be sent to Ukraine for a final push to victory.

He said: Lets give Ukrainians all they need to win now. While he praised the UK for sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks, he said: Now is the time for others to follow our lead.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky address students of the State Taras Shevchenko University, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 22, 2023

The former prime minister called on America, Germany, Poland and many other Western powers to provide military arms for Ukraine.

Mr Johnson added: [Putin] is now preparing a counterpunch and [Ukraine] will need our help for that next and decisive phase.

Strategically, Ukraine has to regain control of conquered land between Donbas and Crimea which currently blocks their access to the Sea of Azov.

This, according to Mr Johnson, will ensure a Ukrainian victory and then, it is game over for Putin.

Mr Johnson said: All they (Ukraine) need to do it is the kind of kit the West has in abundance, and which right now could have no higher moral or strategic purpose than to help Ukraine.

The former Prime Minister warned of Putins ever-present danger with the power to conscript Russias vast population and his total contempt for the value of human life.
A pensioner who was allegedly murdered during a mobility scooter robbery outside Tesco was 'living in sheltered accommodation blighted by drugs gangs and prostitutes,' a neighbour has claimed.

Neil Shadwick, 63, was found unresponsive and without his scooter in the supermarket car park in Stroud, Gloucestershire, shortly before 6am on Sunday.

The pensioner, who battled Parkinson's disease, was rushed to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital by paramedics, but died later the same day.

Now, his neighbour claims that drugs gangs and prostitutes had been targeting adults in the community.

Neil Shadwick was 'living in sheltered accommodation blighted by drugs gangs and prostitutes,' a neighbour has alleged

A security video clip showed a man believed to be Mr Shadwick driving up to a cashpoint with a woman in a long grey coat on the back of his scooter

Mental health worker Rob Marsh, 60, told The Times that prostitutes followed men from the Tesco Express and attempted to make conversation. He also claimed a drugs gang was 'cuckooing' an alleged 'vulnerable adult' by taking of their house as a drug dealing base.

Mr Marsh's claims come as police have issued an appeal for more information into the attack.

Security camera video showed a man believed to be Mr Shadwick driving up to a cashpoint with a woman in a long grey coat on the back of his scooter.

The man gingerly climbed off the scooter before withdrawing money, while the woman stood around impatiently. The pair then clambered back on the scooter and drove away.

The victim was found less than a mile away from the cashpoint on Sunday morning, while the scooter was found abandoned by a member of the public on Bisley Old Road over a mile away.

Police believe he was the subject of a robbery and have appealed for information from anyone who saw the mobility scooter being used in the Paganhill area of the town between around 2am and 4am on Sunday.

Officials have not yet formally identified the victim as Mr Shadwick.

The man believed to be Mr Shadwick is pictured at a cashpoint while the unnamed woman stands metres away and looks agitated

The woman steps up to Mr Shadwick as he makes the withdrawal before they both get back on the scooter and leave

The woman in the grey coat clambered onto the back of the scooter and the man thought to be Mr Shadwick drove away

CCTV showing 'final moments' of pensioner, 63, with Parkinson's disease: Click to here to read more A security video clip showed a man believed to be Shadwick driving up to a cashpoint with a woman in a long grey coat on the back of his scooter Advertisement

Officers later arrested a 40-year-old woman on suspicion of robbery and murder. Magistrates yesterday granted Gloucestershire Police additional time to question her.

A spokesperson for the force said: 'Magistrates have granted a warrant of further detention this morning for a woman who had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

'It means the woman, aged 40, can remain in police custody for an additional 36 hours following her arrest in connection with the death of a man in Stroud over the weekend.

'Police were called shortly before 6am on Sunday with a report a man had been found unresponsive in the car park of Tesco superstore on Stratford Road.

'The man, aged in his 60s, had been found without his mobility scooter which he uses as his mode of transport.

'He was subsequently taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital by paramedics and died later that day. His next of kin has been informed.'

A spokesperson added: 'The Major Crime Investigation Team is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and anyone with information which could assist is asked to contact police.

'Anyone with information on what took place is asked to contact police online by completing the following form quoting incident 78 of 22 January. You can also call police on 101.

'Information can be submitted anonymously by calling independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.'

A spokesperson for Tesco said: 'We're shocked and saddened by this terrible incident and our thoughts are with with everyone affected by it.

'We are helping the police with their enquiries.'

A police vehicle is pictured outside a property in Paganhill, Stroud, where officers arrested a 40-year-old woman on suspicion of murder and robbery

A mobility scooter, which is believed to belong to the victim, was found at around 8am, abandoned almost two miles away in Bisley Old Road (pictured)
Authorities in Panama arrested the Texas boyfriend of a DJ who was found strangled to death and stuffed in a suitcase that was abandoned in a dumpster in the Colombian capital city of Bogota.

John Poulos, 35, was taken into custody Tuesday while he was trying to board a flight to another country at an airport in Panama, according to multiple media outlets in Colombia.

His arrest comes just two days after a homeless man searching for recyclables in the south side of Bogota discovered a blue suitcase with the body of Valentina Trespalacios, 23.

Poulos is awaiting extradition to Colombia, where he will be charged with femicide, according to El Espectador newspaper.

John Poulos (pictured) was taken into custody in Panama on Tuesday moments before he was about to board a flight. The 35-year-old from Texas is wanted in Colombia for the murder of his DJ girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios, in the Colombian capital of Bogota

John Poulos (left) had plans of living in Colombia full time and marrying his DJ girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios (right)

Valentina Trespalacios (pictured) was dating her boyfriend John Poulos for eight months

Trespalacios and Poulos have been dating for eight months after the couple met at an event Trespalacios had been hired to perform.

On Friday, she changed residence and moved into a home Poulos had rented in the northern side of the capital where they were expected to live together as they were in the early stages of planning to get married.

The couple spent the weekend dining and partying, and planned to visit her mother's home before it all ended in tragedy.

An autopsy report indicated that Trespalacios was strangled with a rope and that her body was bruised.

Her family has called on the Colombian government to carry out an international search for Poulos, whom they believe is responsible for Trespalacios' death.

As of Tuesday evening, the Colombian National Police was still canvassing the home where the couple had moved into and also searching for the 2021 Volkswagen Voyager that Poulos had rented after arriving from the United States.

A spokesperson with Colombian National Police told DailyMail.com that investigators were analyzing a surveillance video that shows a man tossing the suitcase inside the construction dumpster in the Bogota neighborhood of Los Cambulos before he disappeared.

Authorities have yet to identify the person in the footage, which had not been made public as of Tuesday afternoon.

Valentina Trespalacios had opportunities to DJ in Chile, Mexico and Brazil, her family said

John Poulos (picutured) fled Sunday on a flight from Colombia to Panama on Sunday. He was arrested there Tuesday and is now waiting to be extradited to Colombia to face charges for the femicide of his girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios, who was found dead Sunday inside a suitcase that was abandoned in a dumpster in the Colombian capital city of Bogota

Colombia's migration agency confirmed Monday that Poulos had fled the country for Panama on Sunday, just hours after Trespalacios' body was discovered.

The couple attended Sahara nightclub in Bogota and the rideshare app driver who drove the couple there told Caracol TV that he sensed Trespalacios was in trouble when she showed him a message on the company app that said, Help, I am in danger.

The driver, whose name was not revealed by the outlet, said that Trespalacios started making hand gestures and Poulos arrived at the car and asked if everything was ok with her before she replied yes three times.

The couple got into the car and Poulos asked if he spoke English. The man replied that he did and added that Poulos remained quiet the entire trip. He said that Poulos and Trespalacios were exchanging messages on WhatsApp. He dropped them off at a club at 3:48 am.

On Friday, Valentina Trespalacios sent a video to her mother, Laura Hidalgo, showing the couple listening to music in a car driven by Poulos.

During the recording, Trespalacios aims the cellphone camera toward the back of the car and tells her mother that she had loaded all of her belongings and that she was going to go to her home Saturday.

Hidalgo told RCN Noticias that her daughter was going to move into an apartment with Poulos.

An autopsy report showed that Colombian DJ Valentina Trespalacios was strangled

A homeless man was searching through a waster container in the Bogota neighborhood of Los Cambulos when he discovered the suitcase with Valentina Trespalacios' body

In an interview with Caracol TV, Hidalgo said that Poulos met Trespalacios at a party she was hired to play music at and that he planned to move to Colombia and marry her.

'He had good intentions, he met us, her brothers, he had the intention of getting married, making a life here in Colombia with her, investing in Colombia,' Hidalgo said. 'He supposedly came all the way to Colombia, I don't know what happened.'

According to a recently deleted LinkedIn page, Poulos was hired as a financial advisor by Vanguard in 2022.

A recently deleted LinkedIn account for John Poulos showed that he had been working for Vanguard as financial advisor since 2022

Colombian DJ Valentina Trespalacios was found dead Sunday in a suitcase that was left in a dumpster in Bogota

The distraught mother described Poulos as someone who 'didn't come off as an aggressive person, he seemed calm, very calm.'

However, she noted that he had become jealous of Trespalacios.

'He became very obsessed with my daughter and he was a little jealous. He had an argument in December with my daughter and it was out of jealousy because my daughter had many suitors because she was very beautiful.'

Trespalacios' family said Poulos had deleted his social media pages and broke off all lines of communication with them.

Her uncle, Carlos Trespalacios, told Blu Radio that the couple appeared to be having a good time as evidenced by the photos that she shared of them smiling on her WhatsApp status feed.

'She was in a suitcase, dismembered with the pajamas in which she usually slept and we are asking the authorities to speed up this part,' he said.

'She went out to party with her American fiance on Friday and Saturday, so much so that she shared WhatsApp messages while at the nightclub. There is no doubt that they were (hanging out), so we want him to appear, to show face, to give us his version, to tell us where he left her, what happened to her?'

Daniel Felipe Trespalacios recalled talking with his sister while she spent her first night at the apartment.

The 13-year-old boy told Caracol TV that their mother sensed something was not right when his sister texted her, 'Mommy, life is not easy, everything has a price.'

'My mom took it as the guy treated her badly or something and told her 'daughter, you don't need that, you don't need to give us more, you already give us a lot,'' he said.

Daniel Felipe Trespalacios said the family had nothing but warm feelings about Poulos and never expected him to be involved in his sister's murder.

'He had already gone to Mexico with my sister,' he said. 'We did not distrust him because it seemed to us that too many things had happened to cause us to distrust. If he loved her as they say, he would be the first to be here showing his face to see what is happening with my sister.'
Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed on Tuesday that he will block Democratic congressmen Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell of California from serving on the House committee that oversees national intelligence, saying the decision was not based on political payback but because 'integrity matters, and they have failed in that place.'

McCarthy, as Speaker, has the right to appoint who he wants to the Intelligence committee - unlike other committees.

McCarthy said he rejected Schiff for 'lying to the American public' over Russian interference in the presidential election and Hunter Biden's laptop, saying he thought it was fake when it was real, and rejected Swalwell for having a Chinese spy working in his office.

'What did Adam Schiff do as chair of the Intel committee? What Adam Schiff did is use his power as chairman and lied to the American public,' said McCarthy at a press conference, growing increasingly heated about the subject as he went on.

Kevin McCarthy is seen on Tuesday angrily defending his decision to remove Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee

Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both congressmen representing California, have been blocked by McCarthy from serving on the House Intelligence Committee

'He used his position as chairman, knowing he has information the rest of America does not, and lied to the American public.'

McCarthy also said Schiff lied about not knowing a whistleblower, who met with his staff.

'And if you want to talk about Swalwell - let's talk about Swalwell,' he continued.

'Because you have not had the briefing that I had.'

A Chinese woman believed to be a spy, Fang Fang, targeted California Democrats and took part in fundraising activity for Swalwell's 2014 re-election campaign. Swalwell was told in 2015 by the FBI that they were suspicious of her: he immediately severed ties and she fled the country in around mid-2015.

Republicans insist Swalwell was careless, and are angered that he retained his position on the committee.

'The FBI was concerned about putting a member of Congress on the Intel committee, that has the right to see things that others don't, because of his knowledge and relationship with a Chinese spy,' McCarthy continued.

'I believe he should not sit on the committee. And I believe there are 200 other Democrats who can serve on the committee.'

McCarthy responded in animated fashion when journalists asked him about his decision

In the previous Congress, Democrats booted Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from their committee assignments for incendiary commentary that they said incited potential violence against colleagues.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in a letter sent to McCarthy over the weekend, asked that Schiff and Swalwell be reappointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a prestigious panel with access to sensitive, classified information.

There is no 'precedent or justification' for rejecting them, Jeffries said.

McCarthy insisted that 'this is not similar to what the Democrats did. Those members will have other committees, but the Intel Committee is different. The Intel committee's responsibility is the national security to America.'

'Hakeem Jeffries has 200 other people who can serve on that committee,' he added.

He sent his formal response to Jeffries in a letter he posted Tuesday night on Twitter.

McCarthy was critical of Schiffs actions as chairman of the panel during the first impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump, asserting he used his position to 'lie to the American public again and again.'

He also asserted Swalwell couldn't get a security clearance in the private sector, so 'we're not going to provide him with the secrets to America.'

McCarthy tried to have Swalwell removed from the Intelligence panel in March 2021 based on his contact with the suspected Chinese spy.

McCarthy insisted he was putting national security over partisan politics.

'We're going to make the Intel Committee back to what it was supposed to be. No longer will we miss what happened in Afghanistan. No longer will we miss what's happening in China, Russia, Iran and others. That's what this country believes should happen,' McCarthy said.

Schiff tweeted: 'Kevin McCarthy just kicked me and @RepSwalwell off the Intelligence Committee.

'This is petty, political payback for investigating Donald Trump.

'If he thinks this will stop me, he will soon find out just how wrong he is. I will always defend our democracy.'

Swalwell said he had been cleared of any wrongdoing in his association with the Chinese spy.

'This rejection is based on a claim that the Washington Post independent-fact checker gave 4 Pinocchios.

'Speaker Boehner and Ryan, both Gang of 8 members, appointed me to Intel with access to the same facts McCarthy is distorting.

'He can keep me off Intel, but I'm not going away.'

McCarthy has also vowed to remove Ilhan Omar, a Democrat representing Minnesota and a member of the 'Squad', from the Foreign Affairs Committee.

In a joint statement, the three Democrats being targeted for removal from committees said 'it's disappointing but not surprising that Kevin McCarthy has capitulated to the right wing of his caucus, undermining the integrity of the Congress, and harming our national security in the process.'

They called their removal part of a bargain McCarthy made with GOP hardliners to become speaker 'that required political vengeance against the three of us.'
A Japanese whaling company has provoked a wave of criticism from animal rights activists over the installation of vending machines selling whale meat.

Kyodo Senpaku opened its first kujira (whale meat) stores at two locations in Tokyo this month following trials last year.

Prices range from 1,000 (6) to 3,000 yen (19).

The move has been slated by animal rights campaigners, who labelled it a cynical sales ploy.

A Japanese whaling company has provoked a wave of criticism from animal rights activists over the installation of vending machines selling whale meat

Astrid Fuchs, of Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said in a statement: This latest cynical sales ploy comes at a time when the fisheries agency in Japan is aiming to expand the nations whale-catch quotas  and possibly increase the list of species that can be killed.

Consumption of whale meat has declined since the 1960s as more traditional livestock - including pork, chicken and beef - has become more affordable.

Kyodo Senpaku opened its first kujira (whale meat) stores at two locations in Tokyo this month following trials last year.

Japanese customers ate 233,000 tonnes of whale meat in 1962, according to the countrys agriculture, forestry and fisheries ministry.

In 2021 the Japanese consumed just 1,000 tonnes of whale meat.

The vending machines have been introduced as part of a drive to encourage the Japanese public to eat more whale meat.

Kyodo Senpaku spokesman, Konomu Kubo, said: Sales have outstripped our expectations, even though the products arent exactly cheap,.

In 2014, the international court of justice ordered Japan halt its annual slaughter of about 900 whales in the Southern Ocean

The IWC imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986, but Japan has been permitted to catch whales in the Southern Ocean every winter

Some of the items have sold out.

In 2020 the Japanese government reportedly provided 5bn yen (31m) in subsidies to prop up the whaling industry.

In 2014, the international court of justice ordered Japan halt its annual slaughter of about 900 whales in the Southern Ocean.

Japan had claimed the hunts were carried out for scientific research.

Japan later pulled out of the International Whaling Commission and announced it would end hunts, but resume commercial whaling in its coastal waters.

The IWC imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986, but Japan has been permitted to catch whales in the Southern Ocean every winter.

The Japanese government set a quota of 379 whales across three species, this year.
Like a multi-car motorway collision, the dire economic news continues to pile up.

Our national debt has hit an eye-watering 2.5trillion. December borrowing was the highest on record. We are labouring under the highest tax burden since the 1940s.

And now, in a bid to help balance the books, the Chancellor is considering raising the state pension age to 68 earlier than planned.

There is hardly a single area of private or commercial life that the Treasury is not milking for all its worth.

'This Government has less than two years to get us off this road to ruin. That will happen only if Rishi Sunak can rediscover his inner Tory'

More than 5billion in inheritance tax alone has been grabbed in just nine months and millions have been dragged into paying higher rate income tax by freezing thresholds.

For businesses, the outlook is even more bleak. Just as they try to bounce back from the pandemic slump, they are about be hit with an unprecedented six-point hike in corporation tax. It is a measure guaranteed to stifle growth at exactly the wrong time.

Meanwhile, more than half the population receive more in welfare and other benefits than they pay in tax. How is this being allowed to happen under a Tory government? What happened to small-state, low-tax Conservatism? Rewarding endeavour, personal responsibility and work ethic?

Sadly, it seems to have been replaced by a something-for-nothing culture in which a diminishing number of workers are expected to toil longer and pay ever more tax to fund an army of idlers and a public sector which demands more and more for less.

It simply cant go on. The back of the working population will eventually be broken, businesses will fail, the tax take will plummet and everyone will be poorer.

This Government has less than two years to get us off this road to ruin.

That will happen only if Rishi Sunak can rediscover his inner Tory. Playing Labour at its own tax, borrow and spend game wont do. The country needs a growth spurt.

He should pause the business tax rises, unfreeze allowances and instead of telling the working population they must soldier on to the age of 68, force some of those who could work but wont to start pulling their weight.

Is it really possible 2.5million people in this country are incapable of doing any work at all? Or have many of them simply become accustomed to a life on benefits?

Intolerant Labour

Sir Keir Starmer insists Labour stands for tolerance and respect...

Sir Keir Starmer insists Labour stands for tolerance and respect.

Perhaps he should convey this to his own party membership because they dont seem to have got the message.

The disgraceful intimidation of MP Rosie Duffield by boorish male colleagues merely for defending womens rights against extreme trans ideology was indicative of the deep seam of bigotry and bullying that still exists at Labours core.

And how forcefully her point was made when it emerged a muscular trans woman, convicted of raping two biological women, is being sent to a female prison.

Meanwhile, anti-Semitism has not yet been expunged and Angela Rayners description of Tories as scum shows just how unpleasant they can be.

None of this displays tolerance and respect. It is the very opposite.

A boost for Ukraine

Finally, it appears that Germany has found the moral courage to do the right thing and agree to send its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to German media, is likely to join the US in delivering the crucial hardware to help President Zelenskys plucky forces defeat Putins invaders.

Could it be Boris Johnsons eloquent and haunting piece in yesterdays Mail, calling for the supply of tanks to end Russian aggression, has helped persuade our allies to up the ante in the fight for democracy?
Barack Obama's spokesperson refused on Tuesday to say whether the former president was searching his homes for classified documents, as The New York Times reported that prosecuting Donald Trump for mishandling files could be complicated by Joe Biden's own classified chaos.

With the saga growing - Trump dragged his heels for 15 months and is now being investigated by a special counsel; Biden said he had 'no regrets', yet five searches have now yielded documents - on Tuesday it emerged that Mike Pence, the former vice president, had found also classified documents at his own Indiana home.

Obama's communications director, Hannah Hankins, was asked on Tuesday by Fox News whether he too was searching his homes.

'We have nothing for you at this time,' she told the channel.

Barack Obama is seen at a rally for Senator Raphael Warnock in Atlanta on December 1. The former president's spokeswoman would not say whether he is now checking whether classified material has been mistakenly kept in his own residences

Joe Biden (left) and Donald Trump (right) are both being investigated by special counsels over their handling of classified material

George W. Bush's office has said he turned over all classified documents upon leaving the White House.

Some legal experts have now concluded that Biden's clumsy handling of the classified material could make prosecuting Trump harder - even though the cases appear to be very different.

Biden and his team alerted the Justice Department to the presence of the files and handed them over, while Trump spent months arguing about the circumstances of his own papers.

'Politically it has effectively let former President Donald J. Trump off the hook for hoarding secret papers,' wrote Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.

David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Obama, told Baker that although Trump's actions and Biden's were dramatically different, 'in the court of public opinion' they may be perceived as equal.

At least a few documents were found in Biden's garage at his Wilmington, Delaware, home, where he stores his vintage Corvette. Biden's sons, Beau and Hunter, rebuilt the car for him

A box labeled 'Important Doc's + Photos' appears to have been left unsealed on a table in the Delaware home of President Joe Biden

Pictured are some of the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, following the August 8 raid

The latest poll shows American voters believe both Biden and Trump are at fault - although most concede that Trump's actions were more egregious.

Among those surveyed by ABC News and Ipsos, 77 percent said Trump acted inappropriately in handling classified documents, and 64 percent said Biden had.

Trump is seizing the moment to downplay his own behavior and insist he is being treated unfairly, telling supporters at a rally last week that he was 'being persecuted' by a 'Trump-deranged' special prosecutor - while Biden 'is being given white-glove treatment.'

Stanley M. Brand, a Washington DC lawyer who previously served as general counsel to the House of Representatives, told the paper that Trump could well challenge the process.

'There is also the issue of selective prosecution: treating similar cases differently based on a suspect classification or criteria,' said Brand, adding that Merrick Garland, the attorney general, was now in the complicated position of being appointed by Biden and overseeing the special counsel investigating him.

'I would allege that as an appointee of the president, he is conflicted,' he said. 'A conflict that can't be resolved by appointment of a special counsel, since under the D.O.J. regulation he retains ultimate responsibility.'
A mum living on one of the Gold Coast swankiest streets has called for public help in identifying a serial 'spitter'.

The woman, who resides on on the upmarket Monaco Street in Broadbeach Waters, posted a video and photos to a Facebook community group in a bid to catch the alleged spitter.

The video shows a male, lycra-clad cyclist riding past her car and and leaning in to spit on it.

She claims the mystery man does the vile act almost daily and targets her car only.

The video shows a male, lycra-clad cyclist riding past her car and and leaning in to spit on it

'He has been spitting on our car every time he rides past in the morning on Monaco Street for the past 10 months and we have no idea why,' she wrote.

'It is a disgusting thing to do, especially when I have to wash it off before I take my two young kids to school to make sure they don't touch his spit.

'As we now have a lot of video footage, we have referred it to the police as it has now become harassment and damage to personal property.

'Please help us to try and stop this disgusting and coward(ly) behaviour.'

In some cases in Queensland, spitting can be considered common assault as long as the victim had reason to fear for their safety and the act was done with the intention of intimidating them.

Spitting can also be considered a public order offence, particularly if it takes place near a school or other specified location.

For spitting to be considered a crime, it generally has to be done in an aggressive manner and be directed at a person or property.

The man has allegedly been spitting on the woman's car every time he rides past in the morning on Monaco St for the past 10 months 'and we have no idea why,' she says

A spokesman for Broadbeach Police said he was unaware if the case was under investigation.

'However it could be,' he said.

One nearby resident who commented on the woman's post suggested the cyclist may have a vendetta against her.

'You probably unknowingly had a near miss with him at some stage, still doesn't excuse the behaviour though. We all make mistakes,' he said.

One nearby resident who commented on the woman's post suggested the cyclist may have a vendetta against her

The video shows a male, lycra-clad cyclist riding past her luxury car and and leaning in to spit on it before racing off

Many others labelled the act 'gross' and 'disgusting'.

'What is wrong with people?' another woman commented.

Monaco Street, located on the Nerang River just south of Surfers Paradise, is considered one of the poshest streets on the Gold Coast and is dotted with a string of luxury mega-mansions.

A new purchase record was set in the area back in 2021 when a home sold for $14.5million.
A teenage boy has been arrested moments before he allegedly planned to carry out an attack inspired by a mass school shooting in the US on a busy Adelaide shopping centre.

The 17-year-old faced Adelaide Youth Court on Wednesday charged with possessing an item with intention to kill or cause harm following his arrest outside the city's Rundle Mall on January 20.

The teen was arrested by police from the Counter Terrorism and Security Section shortly after midnight and was allegedly in possession of a Molotov cocktail, knives and scissors, court documents obtained by the ABC revealed.

He was allegedly also carrying several notebooks and a diary detailing plans for a mass killing event.

One section reportedly claimed his attack would kill more people than the 1999 Columbine school massacre in the US state of Colorado - which left 12 students, one teacher and the two teenage perpetrators dead.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested and charged for allegedly planning a mass killing event at Rundle Mall (above) in central Adelaide last Friday

In an interview with police, the boy is alleged to said he had a 'similar look' to one of the shooters and etched the name of one of them onto his knives.

Police also allegedly found a white T-shirt with the words 'natural selection' written on the front in black - similar to that worn by one of the Columbine shooters.

Magistrate Ted Iulian told the court the 17-year-old boy posed a serious threat to the community.

It is expected more charges will be laid against the teen once police complete searches of his digital devices.

The court heard the boy was arrested while allegedly looking for an industrial bin to set fire to - hoping it would create a distraction while he carried out the attack.

'The accused stated that if he was not apprehended by police, he had full intentions of carrying out the attack,' court documents state.

The Adelaide Youth Court (above) heard several items the boy allegedly carried show he was inspired by the 1999 Columbine school shooters

Police allege the boy told officers he had planned to kill some 25 people by burning a busy shop or nightclub before taking his own life in the hopes the sick act would gain him 'notoriety'.

However, the court heard the busy Adelaide CBD district wasn't the first area the 17-year-old assessed.

'The accused travelled by bus and tram to Glenelg, however no suitable high-density location was selected,' the court documents alleged.

'The accused travelled from Glenelg to the city.'

Police were alerted to the plan after the boy - who is in the care of the Department for Child Protection - allegedly told a youth worker he planned to go out and 'kill so many people I will be on the news tomorrow' during a session on Thursday.

The court is still waiting to hear risk assessment advice from a psychiatrist and counter-terrorism team.

The 17-year-old will remain in a youth detention centre until his next court date in March.
A Queensland man has died at a beach near popular NSW surf town Crescent Head - taking the summer's national drowning toll to 51.

The man, believed to be in his 50s, was pulled unconscious from the water at Delicate Nobby about 5pm on Tuesday, police said on Wednesday.

Beachgoers performed CPR until police and paramedics arrived but the man died at the scene.

He is yet to be formally identified but is believed to be a Queensland man aged in his 50s.

An aerial view over Crescent Head itself - with the major surf breaks to the north

The death is the 20th in NSW and 51st nationally since December 1, according to Royal Life Saving's summer drowning toll.

Three in every four deaths have been men or boys.

It comes as Surf Life Saving Australia warns the risk of drowning on the Australia Day public holiday is four times higher than on any other day of the year.

SLSA chief executive Adam Weir suggested increased danger arose from increased alcohol consumption and crowded beaches, which led people to seek out less populated but unpatrolled locations.

"We have lost 28 people along our coastline this summer alone, with all drowning deaths occurring outside the red and yellow flags, either at unpatrolled locations or outside of patrol hours," Mr Weir said.

Rip currents are the biggest concern and are believed to have contributed to at least half of the drowning deaths over the holiday period.

Seventy-five drownings were recorded nationally between December 1 and January 24 last summer.
They convince victims to transfer money to new accounts

National Australia Bank customers have been robbed thousands of dollars via a dodgy text message scam over the past few months.

Dozens of people who have accounts with the Big Four bank have lost between $4000 to $80,000 since November, according to news.com.au.

NAB customers were sent an SMS informing them that their accounts had experienced fraudulent activity before telling them to call a phone number.

Other people received a text showing a fake bank transaction. Customers were then advised to contact the same number if they did not make the transaction.

The texts are often riddled with typos and grammatical errors - a key sign that they are not legitimate.

Dozens of NAB customers have fallen victim to a dodgy text message scam over the past few months (pictured, NAB branch in Launceston, Tasmania)

NAB customers were led to believe the text message was authentic as the scam messages would appear in their inboxes on top of previous messages sent by the bank.

Brisbane resident Manpreet Singh, 37, who works as a truck driver, told News Corp he sunk into a deep depression after he lost $14,550 to the scam.

He was sent an SMS that alleged someone had tried to take $6000 out of his bank account and to call a number supplied in the message if it wasn't him.

After contacting the number, the scammer on the other end convinced Mr Singh to transfer $28,000 to a different account. Only $14,550 went through.

He was called five minutes later by the bank who informed him that he had been scammed and his money had been transferred to a Commonwealth bank account.

Mr Singh described the experience as a 'horrible feeling' that 'broke' his heart.

He explained that he now 'doesn't trust the system' and feels no on has taken responsibility for the actions of the scammers.

NAB offered him $1000 as compensation.

Victims who have come forward claimed they have lost anywhere from $4000 to $80,000 to scammers (stock image)

Manpreet Singh was left in a deep depression after he lost $14,550 to the text message scam

A husband and wife in their sixties, who operate a tourism business in Far North Queensland, lost $20,000 to the same scam.

The devastated couple had saved their money up after their business took a hit during the Covid pandemic.

It began when the husband was sent a text message on November 15 claiming the couple's joint account was the target of fraudulent activity.

He called up the number in the text message and was advised by a con artist to transfer money to a 'safe account'.

After doing so, his wife contacted NAB and was told that the message was a scam and their money had gone through to a Commonwealth bank account.

The pair were told by NAB that they were responsible for transferring the money over and there was nothing they could do to get it back.

'There was no warnings. The day after we called the fraud department when we tried to log in and reinstated our internet banking at the top was a scam warning but before that there were never any warnings anywhere,' the wife told the publication.

'We get nothing from NAB and their opinion is we willingly transferred the money, like I wanted willingly to lose $20,000 out of my pocket just like that.'

She revealed that she hasn't been able to eat or sleep due to the scam and may have to let her employees go as the couple couldn't afford to keep them on.

A Queensland couple in their sixties lost $20,000 to a con-artist who advised them through a text message that their joint account had been the target of fraudulent activity

The couple were told to transfer money to a 'safe account', which was in fact a Commonwealth bank account, before they were informed by NAB that they had been scammed out of their money

This type of scam is referred to as 'spoofing', where con artists use phones or software to appear as a legitimate representative from an organisation, company or group to manipulate their victims.

Chris Sheehan, NAB's Executive of Group Investigations and Fraud, told Daily Mail Australia there had been a significant increase in the number of scams targeting the bank's customers over the past year.

'While we can't comment on individual customer cases, we've seen a significant increase in scams, with scams reported to the bank increasing by 38% in 2022 year-on-year,' he said.

'It's upsetting to see the devastating effects these can have, which are both financial and emotional.'

He revealed that NAB receives about '100,000 calls from customers in relation to scam and fraud matters' every month.

Mr Sheehan said the bank has spent tens of millions on upgrading their systems and security processes and there were more than 400 people working in the scams and frauds team at NAB.

He added that the problem addressing scams was 'no easy issue' and urged customers to contact the bank immediately if they receive a strange message.

'We encourage everyone to remain vigilant and aware of what to look out for to keep themselves safe from scams,' he said.

'The issue requires a comprehensive public and private sector response. There's more we can and will do by working together across sectors including with major telecommunication companies, governments and other organisations to help stop these scammers.'

NAB customers can learn more about recent scams and report suspicious activity through the bank's security alerts page here.
Tributes flow in for the family left devastated by the horror crash

The mum, dad and their one-year-old baby who died in a horror highway crash near Toowoomba have been identified.

Jake Pearce, Katy Tattam and their daughter Charlie were killed in the horror smash when their white sedan collided head-on with a truck on the Warrego Highway near Oakey in Queensland just after 11am on Tuesday.

Another truck then slammed into both vehicles following the initial collision.

The truck driver who originally collided with the family's vehicle was taken to Toowoomba hospital in a stable condition, while the second truck driver did not sustain physical injuries.

Jake Pearce (right), Katy Tattam (left) and their one-year-old daughter Charlie were killed in a highway crash when their white sedan collided head-on with a truck on the Warrego Highway near Oakey just after 11am on Tuesday

As the news broke of the family's tragic death, tributes flowed from family members and friends. 'My heart aches in pain for the three that have passed away,' a family member of Mr Pearce wrote on social media (pictured, one-year-old baby Charlie who died in the horror crash)

Tributes flowed from family members and friends at the news of the family's tragic deaths.

'My heart aches in pain for the three that have passed away,' a family member of Mr Pearce wrote on social media.

'My heart is shattered and I wish I could be up there with you all, comforting you every step of the way.'

'RIP Jake Pearce Katy Tattam and baby Charlie. You all will be sadly missed,' Mr Pearce's best friend said.

'Now there's an empty place in my heart my best mates gone. You may be gone but never forgotten. I'm going to be lost without you guys in my life now.'

A GoFundMe has been set up by Mr Pearce's other daughter Tayla to help pay for funeral expenses (pictured the site of the crash on Tuesday)

Another friend of Mr Pearce posted, 'Such a genuinely beautiful soul, gone far too soon, rest peacefully Jake.'

A relative of Ms Tattam wrote, 'I miss you so much I can't believe you are never coming back'.

A GoFundMe has been set up by Mr Pearce's other daughter Tayla to help pay for funeral expenses.
Lynette 'Diamond' Hardaway, a vlogger and zealous supporter of former President Donald Trump, died earlier this month of a heart condition, with her sister saying she collapsed on the kitchen floor, crying out: 'I can't breathe.'

Known as the star of the conservative political commentary duo 'Diamond and Silk,' Hardaway, 51, died on January 8 of heart disease due to chronic high blood pressure.

The cause of Hardaway's death, which was not released by the family, had become a topic of widespread speculation.

COVID-19 was not listed as a cause or contributing factor on her death certificate, which was provided to the AP by the Hoke County Register of Deeds and was signed by a local doctor. No autopsy was performed.

Lynette 'Diamond' Hardaway (pictured left), a vlogger and zealous supporter of former President Donald Trump, died earlier this month of a heart condition

Hardaway and her sister, Rochelle 'Silk' Richardson, found internet stardom as black women who ardently backed Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign.

After making several campaign appearances with the former president, the two leveraged their notoriety to land regular commentator roles at Fox News.

Their promotion of coronavirus falsities eventually got them dropped, but they landed at the far-right cable and digital media platform Newsmax.

A torrent of social media users suggested COVID-19 was to blame.

Many of the posts were based on an unsourced, and since-deleted, online report from November that claimed Hardaway had been hospitalized with COVID-19.

Both Diamond and Silk vehemently denied that the virus had put Hardaway in the hospital.

The memorial for Hardaway took a dark turn on Saturday as Richardson detailed the late 51-year-old's final moments and alluded to a nefarious poisoning plot she claims caused her death.

Hardaway and her sister, Rochelle 'Silk' Richardson, found internet stardom as black women who ardently backed Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign

After making several campaign appearances with the former president, the two leveraged their notoriety to land regular commentator roles at Fox News

Their promotion of coronavirus falsities eventually got them dropped, but they landed at the far-right cable and digital media platform Newsmax

A memorial ceremony held in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and streamed online Saturday renewed speculation when Richardson suggested her sister's death was somehow linked to the COVID-19 vaccine.

'Instead of asking if Americans are vaxxed or unvaxxed, the real question to ask is: Are Americans being poisoned?' Silk asked the pro-Trump crowd filled with friends and family.

'In the wild, when they want to depopulate and sterilize a large group of animals, they usually inject one animal, and that one animal infect the rest of the animals,' Silk said, suggesting, without evidence, that the COVID-19 vaccine creates harm.

'People are dropping dead around here, and nobody is talking about it! They are dropping dead suddenly and unexpectedly.'

According to research, there has been no evidence to suggest that the COVID-19 vaccine causes people to die, despite far-right pundits amplifying the phrase 'died suddenly' on social media followed by videos of people having seizures to support their theories.

Lynette 'Diamond' Hardaway's, 51, memorial took a dark turn as Rochelle 'Silk' Richardson, detailed her sister's final moments and alluded to a nefarious plot that she believes killed her

Trump paid tribute to Diamond, describing her as one of the world's 'brightest stars' but admitted he 'didn't know Silk at all' despite meeting her countless times

Joined on stage at the memorial by Trump, Richardson said her sister died after returning to her North Carolina home from a relative's birthday celebration. Richardson noticed her sister looking strange.

Hardaway suddenly said: 'I can't breathe,' Richardson recalled. She and her husband performed CPR on the kitchen floor as they waited for emergency services.

Trump followed the radical speech, throwing his support behind Silk, whom he admitted he had 'just learned about' despite meeting her on several occasions with her sister Diamond.
A man allegedly bashed at a McDonald's has died from his injuries days after the horror incident.

South Australian Police were called to the carpark of Elizabeth McDonald's in Adelaide's north at around 10:15pm on Sunday after reports of an alleged assault.

A 51-year-old man from nearby Para Hills West was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a critical condition after suffering a head injury.

He succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday.

A man, 51, died after succumbing to his injuries allegedly sustained from being assaulted by a random customer at the Elizabeth McDonald's carpark (pictured) in Adelaide

After a short investigation, South Australia Police arrested a 35-year-old man from Elizabeth Grove was arrested and charged with aggravated assault causing harm.

He was granted bail and is set to appear in Elizabeth Magistrates Court on March 7.

'While the men are not known to each other, the (alleged) assault is not considered to be a random incident,' South Australia Police said.

'Detectives from Northern District CIB are investigating the matter, with assistance from Major Crime officers.'

Further charges may be laid and investigations are ongoing.

Anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
People looking for love online could soon need a background check as the federal government considers ways to stamp out sexual violence among people meeting on dating apps.

A meeting on Wednesday between dating app companies, government representatives and police was described as 'an important first step' to increasing online protections.

Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said there was a discussion about requiring background checks for dating app users.

But she warned law and policy changes could not be made overnight or without proper consultation.

'None of us underestimate the complex issues around privacy, user safety, data collection and management that are involved ... there's no one law that is going to fix this issue,' Ms Rowland told reporters in Sydney.

'Many instances of abuse are perpetrated by those without a criminal record or any convictions ... and that's why big focus of the discussion was also on what could be done to encourage respectful online interactions.'

Dating app companies, government representatives and police met on Wednesday to discuss how to make online dating safer

Following the meeting, federal, state and territory attorneys-general will be asked to consider criminal justice responses to online violence and abuse as a matter of priority.

Dating app companies were also put on notice and Ms Rowland said there was room for improvement in how user complaints were handled.

'We need industry to improve their action, their transparency and their accountability in how they respond to consumer complaints,' she said.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, who attended the meeting, said there was 'no one silver bullet' to solve sexual violence.

While people with lived experience must have their voices heard in reform, Ms Rishworth said they should not be solely responsible for their safety.

'There does need to be a proactive response, where it is perpetrators and those perpetrating the abuse that are held to account,' Ms Rishworth said.

'That it is their behaviour that is addressed and sanctioned, not the focus on victim survivors.'

Sexual violence includes online abuse such as revenge porn, sexual harassment, abusive language, threats and controlling behaviour.

The meeting heard one in three people were subject to sexual violence by someone they met online - including sexual assault, coercion and revenge porn

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said dating apps needed to take more responsibility for cracking down on bad behaviour.

One in three people told the Australian Institute of Criminology they were subject to sexual violence from someone they met on a dating app, including sexual assault or coercion and revenge porn.

A woman dies at the hands of her partner every 10 days in Australia.

Deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley said technology could be a power for good and many people were happy after meeting partners online, but there were too many harrowing stories from women who used dating apps.

Dating app Bumble Australia and Tinder's parent company Match Group welcomed the opportunity to discuss online dating safety measures with policy makers.

'We know that domestic and sexual violence is not only an enormous problem in Australia, but across the world, and that women, members of LGBQTIA+ communities, and First Nations are the most at risk,' a Bumble Australia spokesperson said.

Dating app users in the US are already able to perform background checks on partners with a representative from Tinder and Bumble's parent group noting it would adopt a similar system for Aussie users is a public crime database was available

Online daters in the US are already able to check whether their potential match has a history of violent or sexual offences through the use of a third-party database search.

Chief Business Affairs and Legal Officer of Match Group Jared Sine said the company would look at implementing a similar system for Australian systems if a similar public database was available.

'We would look to partner with third parties who can house that data. Ultimately we don't want the data but we would work with parties to try and do exactly what we've done in the US,' he told the Daily Telegraph.

The company already bans perpetrators of abuse and harassment from the platform, including taking action against members for unacceptable behaviours on other dating apps.

A Match Group spokesperson said their members' safety was critical.

'We remain focused on building safety in everything we do, from leveraging technology to investing in moderation and machine learning tools to partnering with leading safety experts and building innovative in-app safety features,' they said.
A British expat has issued a stern warning to tourists, revealing the top three things they should never do when visiting Australia.

Queensland radio host Jordan Grace - known online as That British Girl - took to social media this week to share her experiences of living in Australia.

Posting to her hundreds of thousands of TikTok and Instagram followers on Monday, Ms Grace shared an entertaining video outlining her top tips for travellers planning on visiting the country.

The Sunshine Coast woman's first warning was for visitors to refrain from complaining about the scorching Aussie heat.

British expat and Queensland radio host Jordan Grace shared an entertaining video outling her top tips for travellers planning on visiting the country

'Don't complain about how hot it is,' she said.

'We all know Australia's hot. Its half a mile from the surface of the sun, thats why it takes so long to fly here.'

She said it would not 'go down well' with locals if all tourists did was complain about the heat.

She jokingly encouraged visitors to 'ignore the boob sweat, smile and carry on'.

Ms Grace said it would not 'go down well' with locals if all tourists did was complain about the heat

'If youre feeling really hot, just do what we do and hang out in the freezer aisle at the supermarkets.'

Ms Grace's second rule was to never ask where the nearest Starbucks is, explaining it would be an insult to Australians, who 'invented the beloved flat white'.

'Dont disrespect the great coffee culture here and basically ask for sugar dirt water,' she said.

Instead, she recommended tourists approach a local Aussie to find out where the best coffee in town was.

Ms Grace warned tourists about the dangers of not swimming between the flags on patrolled beaches

Ms Grace's third tip was a serious warning about beach safety.

'Dont swim outside the flags,' she cautioned.

'The sea in Australia is a beautiful beast, gorgeous, but the people who get into the most trouble in the water are tourists.'

She added that the lifeguards 'arent just there to be pretty'.

'Theyre there to help you swim safely. So swim between the flags because you dont want them yelling at you.'

Ms Grace's followers strongly agreed with her last point, with many echoing the importance of swimming between the flags at patrolled beaches.

Surf Life Saving Australia has issued a reminder to people about the dangers of swimming outside the flags, as Australians get ready for the Australia Day public holiday on Thursday.

There have been 48 drownings in Australian waterways this summer with most of them occurring on the coast.
A New York pharmacist claims she was a victim of sex discrimination when a Long Island karate center allegedly banned her over an affair she had with one of their instructors.

Kristin Fabbio-Hamelburg, a wife and mother of two boys, said her husband has forgiven her for the tryst, but the owner of the karate center has not, according to a complaint filed with the state Division of Human Rights that was obtained by the New York Daily News.

Fabbio-Hamelburg told the Daily News that she earned her training certificate at the Rockville Centre Tiger Schulmann karate center on Long Island.

But the owner, Jobin George, banned her from the center and through his lawyer, Aaron Kleinmann, said it was not jealousy or puritanical zeal, but her husband's threats and frequent drop-ins that prompted the banishment.

Kristin Fabbio-Hamelburg claims she was a victim of sex discrimination when a Long Island karate center allegedly banned her over an affair with one of their instructors

Fabbio-Hamelburg said she earned her training certificate at the Rockville Centre Tiger Schulmann karate center on Long Island, but it was yanked following the affair

According to the Division of Human Rights complaint, George said that they didn't want her back 'to preserve the health and safety of the gym's committed staff members and students.'

Emails in the complaint show the back and forth between George and Fabbio-Hamelburg, which showed his uneasiness with the couple's domestic issues.

'A scorn [sic] husband can do crazy things, and your presence makes everyone uncomfortable because your husband is a threat,' George wrote to Kristin Fabbio-Hamelburg.

Some of the other emails paint a picture of a jilted spouse about complaining Fabbio-Hamelburg and insisting that he was not a threat to the karate center.

'I am NOT a threat to your school. I know it appears that way,' Daniel Hamelburg wrote in the email.

'You don't know the real me, you only see the cheated-on, beaten-down husband I have become over the past 2 years, which were a nightmare for me.'

He did admit to raising his voice at the center.

'To show you more of who I am, after my visit in August, yes I visited him again, we sat down in the office like gentlemen & I apologize for my first visit,' he wrote. 'Kristin has been pushing me to a breaking point. It isn't fair, not just am I depressed but the kids are affected too.'

Owner Jobin George banned her from the center and through his lawyer, Aaron Kleinmann, said it was not jealousy or puritanical zeal, but her husband's threats and frequent drop-ins that prompted the banishment

The affair between Fabbio-Hamelburg and the karate instructor began in 2019 when she took up martial arts at the center during a special Mother's Day class

The affair between Fabbio-Hamelburg and the karate instructor began in 2019 when she took up martial arts at the center during a special Mother's Day class.

'My oldest son started training there and then there was a Mother's Day class, so I attended the class because my son asked me to,' Fabbio-Hamelburg told the Daily News.

'I never knew it was so satisfying to punch something.'

She became a certified karate instructor in 2021 and started teaching classes.

'It was my outlet  my stress release  for two and half years until Jobin decided randomly to fire me,' she said.

Fabbio-Hamelburg did admit to the affair, meeting up on occasion at the training center.

'We messed around a little inside the school on, like, two occasions, one of which Jobin claimed to have video, but I don't know, he was never able to produce it,' she said.

The owner eventually pulled her certification but did not punish the instructor she had an affair with, who was not named, she claimed.

Fabbio-Hamelburg added that she is working things out with her husband and wants to be able to train and teach at other Tiger Schulmann locations.
Former President Jimmy Carter once found classified documents in his home, according to a new report, illustrating the long-running nature of the records-control issues now plaguing President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Carter found the classified materials at his home in Plains, Georgia, and returned them to the National Archives, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

The revelation comes as former Vice President Mike Pence also admitted discovering classified records in his home, adding that, like Biden, he had turned them over willingly after a search he had requested.

Carter, a Democrat, left office in 1981, but it is unclear at what point the classified documents were discovered at his home and handed in.

President Jimmy Carter is seen on his final day in office, a hectic period marked by negotiations to resolve the Iran hostage crisis

Sometime after leaving office, Carter reportedly found the classified materials at his home in Plains, Georgia (above) and returned them to the National Archives

A spokesperson for the Carter Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com outside of business hours on Wednesday.

Carter himself signed the Presidential Records Act in 1978 - but it did not apply to records from his administration, only taking effect years later when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated.

Before Reagan, presidential records were generally considered the private property of the president individually.

Nonetheless, Carter invited federal archivists to assist his White House in organizing his records in preparation for their eventual repository at his presidential library in Georgia.

The reported discovery of classified documents would have occurred at the Carter family home at 209 Woodland Drive - which was built by Carter and his wife Rosalynn in 1960, and is the only home the couple has ever owned.

January 19, 1981, was the final full day of Carter's only White House term, and was marked by a frenzy of activity as his administration completed 11th-hour negotiations to resolve the Iran hostage crisis.

The fact that Carter, now aged 98, appears to have inadvertently taken classified documents home to Georgia decades ago only serves to illustrate the longstanding issues around control and handling of such records at the highest levels

The reported discovery of classified documents would have occurred at the Carter family home at 209 Woodland Drive, the only home Carter and his wife, Rosalynn (right), have ever owned

The 52 Americans were freed the following day, in the first hours of Reagan's administration, but Carter stayed up through the night as reports of the final negotiations trickled in.

'As Carter waited in the Oval Office all night Monday for news, servants in the White House family quarters packed the last of the Carters' belongings,' a Washington Post report from the time states.

'In the parking lot outside, workmen were busy far into the night loading file cabinets on moving vans. Around the West Wing, staff assistants and secretaries were cleaning out their drawers (one found an "urgent" memo she had lost three years ago) and taking down pictures,' it added.

The fact that Carter, now aged 98, appears to have inadvertently taken classified documents home to Georgia decades ago only serves to illustrate the longstanding issues around the control and handling of such records at the highest levels.

The question gained new significance in August, when an FBI raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate recovered more than 100 classified documents that he had refused to return to the National Archives.

About a dozen classified documents were found in Mike Pence's Indiana home

Joe Biden (left) and Donald Trump (right) are both being investigated by special counsels over their handling of classified material

Then, earlier this month, it emerged that Biden had discovered and handed over classified documents found at his University of Pennsylvania think-tank on November 2, prior to the midterm elections.

A handful of additional classified documents, likewise related to Biden's term as vice president in the Obama administration, were found at Biden's Delaware home in subsequent searches this month.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed special counsels to investigate both Trump and Biden regarding the handling of classified material.

Then on Tuesday, Pence's attorney revealed that documents with classified markings were discovered in his Indiana home last week.

George W. Bush's office has said he turned over all classified documents upon leaving the White House, and Barack Obama's spokesperson refused to comment on whether any searches for such material were underway.

Some legal experts have now concluded that Biden's clumsy handling of the classified material could make prosecuting Trump harder - even though the cases appear to be very different.

Biden and his team alerted the Justice Department to the presence of the files and handed them over, while Trump spent months arguing about the circumstances of his own papers.

Pictured are some of the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, following the August 8 raid

'Politically, it has effectively let former President Donald J. Trump off the hook for hoarding secret papers,' wrote Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for the New York Times.

David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Obama, told Baker that although Trump's and Biden's actions were dramatically different, 'in the court of public opinion' they may be perceived as equal.

Trump is seizing the moment to downplay his own behavior and insist he is being treated unfairly, telling supporters at a rally last week that he was 'being persecuted' by a 'Trump-deranged' special prosecutor - while Biden 'is being given white-glove treatment.'

The latest poll shows American voters believing both Biden and Trump are at fault - although most concede that Trump's actions were more egregious.

Among those surveyed by ABC News and Ipsos, 77 percent said Trump acted inappropriately in handling classified documents, and 64 percent said Biden had.
Her fiancee said online abuse came from 'noisiest dregs'

Jacinda Ardern's partner has slammed trolls who subjected her to vile abuse during her five-and-a-half years as New Zealand's prime minister.

Clarke Gayford said Ms Ardern's shock resignation last week had reduced strangers to tears and that online abuse came from the 'noisiest dregs'.

Hailed by progressives in NZ and around the globe, she won almost universal praise for her leadership, particularly in the aftermath of the 2019 Christchurch massacre.

But her reputation began to sour among many Kiwis when the Covid pandemic struck in early 2020, as she enforced very strict lockdowns and closed the nation's borders leaving citizens around the world stranded.

Jacinda Ardern, right, hugs her fiancee Clark Gayford after announcing her resignation as New Zealand's prime minister on Thursday, January 19, 2023

Jacinda Ardern's partner posted a message on social media on Wednesday (pictured) calling online trolls 'noisy dregs'

There were constant protests outside parliament in Wellington, which sometimes spilled over into violence, and a huge amount of online abuse and threats.

There were also accusations that when their daughter Neve was born that Ms Ardern had become a 'part-time PM'.

When she came to power her fiancee was also the subject of false rumours, that he was under police investigation or due to appear in court.

They became so common that in 2018 the New Zealand Police issued a statement saying he 'is not and has not been the subject of any police inquiry, nor has he been charged in relation to any matter'.

In July 2022, he won a settlement against a New Zealand radio network over remarks made on a podcast that were described as 'damaging and untrue'.

Mr Gayford, who works in television production, wrote on Wednesday about 'the discourse we've seen in ugly places online and via a certain type of public commentator'.

He quoted a Maori elder in explaining how such people come to prominence.

'When you pull the plug on the bath, it's always the last dregs that are the noisiest.'

Jacinda Ardern (left) is pictured with her fiancee Clarke Gayford and their daughter Neve. After Neve was born, Ms Ardern was accused of being a 'part-time PM'

Despite the constant attacks by trolls, Mr Gayford said there had also been 'the most incredible outpouring of thanks and respect.

This ranged 'from spontaneous tears of strangers in airports, to correspondence staff talking about unprecedented inboxes full of overwhelmingly positive messages,' he said.

Mr Gayford also wrote about how Ms Ardern had always tried to understand other people's views on situations.

'There is a saying that nothing is harder than having true empathy for others, because empathy requires you to understand life from someone else's perspective, to suspend your own ego, to walk in different shoes and see through another's eyes.'

Mr Gayford said he remains 'in awe, in love, relieved, exhausted and so incredibly proud of Neve's mum's superhuman efforts' (Ms Ardern pictured)

He said some politicians 'take the sugar hit path of popularity... and avoiding unpopular but necessary decisions.

'(But) there is a better much tougher way of governing in empathy that plants many quiet trees for us all to enjoy the shade of for lots of good years to come.'

Mr Gayford said he remains 'in awe, in love, relieved, exhausted and so incredibly proud of Neve's mum's superhuman efforts'.

He ended his statement with 'First Bloke out,' using the name he had often been jokingly called since Ms Ardern became prime minister in 2017.
The Kansas hunter who was found dead Saturday after he was accidentally killed when a dog stepped on the trigger of his rifle has been identified and is being remembered as a musician, plumber, and family man.

Joseph Smith, 32, from Wichita was found near the hamlet of Geuda Springs, 50 miles south of Wichita and home to 194 people just north of the Oklahoma border after the dog - believed to be owned by Smith - accidentally shot him. Sheriffs believe he died at around 9:40am.

'A canine belonging to the owner of the pickup stepped on the rifle causing the weapon to discharge,' the sheriff's office said. The fired round struck the passenger who died of his injuries on scene.'

Chris Brown, owner of Brown's Plumbing Services and Smith's boss, remembered Smith earlier this week. 'Joe is absolutely the most unique individual I have had the pleasure of meeting,' he wrote. 'He was loved by all of us from all walks of life and loved the same.'

Joseph Smith (pictured), 32, from Wichita was found near the hamlet of Geuda Springs, 50 miles south of Wichita and home to 194 people just north of the Oklahoma border. Sheriffs believe he died at around 9:40am

Brown has begun a GoFundMe on behalf of the family in order to help with the funeral and memorial costs.

'No matter how bad or stressful my or our day was, Joe always had something to lift our spirits,' he added. 'I have been a plumber for a long time and met many many different guys but never have I met another Joe and I am confident there may not be another.'

Smith's sister Jen added her own remembrance: 'Joseph Smith was a truly amazing man. He was kind, funny, smart, and very loving. Every time he walked through the door, he would make someone smile. Either from being a goofball or just his natural presence making everything better.'

'It wasn't hard to love Joe because he always made you feel like you were one of a kind and never left a conversation without letting you know he loved you. Joe is going to be dearly missed by so many. He was a great friend, employee, cousin, brother, son, and dog owner. We have loved and lost one of the best. Rest in Peace Joseph.'

Photos show Smith as not only a plumber and avid dog lover, but a musician.

As of Tuesday, over $9,000 of the $20,000 goal has been raised to 'allow Joe's family to grieve without the burden of financial stress,' Brown said.

Their sentiments echo a friend who defended Smith on social media after many mocked the unfortunate, accidental shooting before he'd been identified.

The Kansas hunter who was found dead Saturday after he was accidentally killed when a dog stepped on the trigger of his rifle has been identified and remembered as a musician, plumber and family man

Chris Brown, owner of Brown's Plumbing Services and Smith's boss, wrote: 'Joe is absolutely the most unique individual I have had the pleasure of meeting. He was loved by all of us from all walks of life and loved the same'

Brown has begun a GoFundMe on behalf of the family in order to help with the funeral and memorial costs

'To all the comedians and weapons experts here: This boy was my friend, having been best friends for over 20+ years with his dad,' he wrote. 'These comments are hateful.

'I know this family very well and cannot tell you how much their hearts hurt right now. Shame on you.'

Shootings by pets are rare, but not unheard of.

In November, a 32-year-old man in Turkey was reportedly shot and killed by his own dog after the canine stepped on the trigger of a shotgun and it fired at him.

Ozgur Gevrekoglu was killed while out hunting with his friend in the Kizlan Plateau, in the Samsun Province of Turkey, the newspaper Turkiye reported, according to Newsweek.

Smith's sister Jen added her own remembrance: 'Joseph Smith was a truly amazing man. He was kind, funny, smart, and very loving. Every time he walked through the door, he would make someone smile. Either from being a goofball or just his natural presence making everything better'

Photos show Smith as not only a plumber and avid dog lover, but a musician

Smith was celebrated by the owner of Brown's Plumbing Services, where Smith worked

While putting his dog into his car, the animal's paw touched the loaded weapon and the rifle fired at Gevrekoglu from a short distance.

He was taken to the hospital after the incident and later pronounced dead.

And in 2015, an Indiana woman was shot in the foot by her dog, named Trigger.

Allie Carter, 25, laid her 12-gauge shotgun on the ground without the safety on during a waterfowl hunt at Tri-County Fish and Wildlife Area, said Indiana conservation officer Jonathon Boyd.

Boyd said Trigger, a chocolate Labrador retriever, stepped on top of the shotgun and depressed the trigger.

He said Carter was shot in the left foot at point-blank range, suffering injuries to her foot and toes.

She was treated at two hospitals and released.
A garbage truck driver who hit and killed an elderly woman has been sentenced to 200 hours of community service after a judge found his driving at the time was not unlawful or implicitly dangerous.

Ruiming Zhang, 83, was crushed beneath the truck as it performed a 'hammerhead' three-point turn in Sydney's Chester Hill on the morning of February 23, 2021.

The 34-year-old driver, Christopher Sultana, pleaded guilty to negligent driving occasioning death, which carries a maximum prison term of 18 months.

During the judge-alone trial, Sultana claimed he didn't see Ms Zhang and expressed his remorse and subsequent trauma over what had occurred.

Pictured is Christopher Sultana arriving to Downing Centre District Court on Tuesday

During the judge-alone trial, Sultana (pictured left) claimed he didn't see Ms Zhang and expressed his remorse and subsequent trauma over what had occurred

Ruiming Zhang, 83, was crushed beneath the truck as it performed a 'hammerhead' three-point turn in Sydney's Chester Hill in February, 2021 (pictured, footage from the scene)

In handing down the sentence, Judge Sophia Beckett said there was a 'critical but momentary' period of inattention by Sultana that led him not to see Ms Zhang while the truck was reversing for a second time.

Judge Beckett said there were about four seconds where Ms Zhang would have been visible in the truck's rear-view mirror which Sultana should have noted and adapted to.

However, she accepted in the moments before Ms Zhang was struck she would have been in the truck's blind spot and that Sultana's driving on the day was otherwise 'exemplary'.

Sultana was placed on a two-year community corrections order, during which he will conduct 200 hours community service, and was disqualified from driving for the minimum penalty period of 12 months.

Sultana was given 200 community service hours and was disqualified from driving for a year

Prior to sentencing Sultana (pictured centre) read aloud from an affidavit expressing how 'truly and deeply sorry' he was for what occurred

He will also take part in a traffic offenders program.

In a victim impact statement delivered on Wednesday, Ms Zhang's daughter said her Christian faith helped her forgive Sultana for killing her mother.

'Because of your mistakes a daughter has lost her mum and these grandchildren have lost their last remaining grandparent,' Cynthia Tang told Sultana.

'I have chosen to forgive you Mr Sultana because God has forgiven me for my sins.'

Prior to sentencing Sultana read aloud from an affidavit expressing how 'truly and deeply sorry' he was for what occurred.

In a victim impact statement delivered on Wednesday, Ms Zhang's daughter said her Christian faith helped her forgive Sultana for killing her mother (pictured, Sultana arrives at court)

'I've wished over and over that I could restart that day,' he told the court.

'I want (the family) to know that regardless of the outcome of the final court day, this is something I will carry with me the rest of my life.'

Earlier in the trial, Judge Sophia Beckett found Sultana not guilty of the more serious charge of dangerous driving occasioning death, saying she was not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt his driving at the time was dangerous.

Two other charges of failing to give way to a pedestrian and disobeying a no right turn sign were withdrawn.

Sultana began working for waste management firm JJ Richard & Sons four weeks before the incident and had driven the truck unsupervised for two days.
Striking Amazon workers have hit out against 'severe' working conditions amid claims they are constantly monitored including timed toilet breaks as they walkout for the first time in the UK in a dispute over pay.

Members of the GMB union who work at the company's fulfilment centre in Coventry are holding industrial action as they demand a wage rise amid big increases in the cost of living.

The union balloted workers in December after they claimed to have been offered a 'pathetic' 50p-an-hour increase from the firm which made 204m in profits in 2021.

Speaking to BBC News, two Amazon workers said there were robots in the warehouse that are 'treated better than us'.

Workers at the Amazon warehouse in Coventry have gone on strike today in a dispute over pay

Members of the GMB union stand outside the Amazon fulfilment centre in Coventry this morning

They also claimed that their toilet breaks are timed and being away from their working stations for 'beyond a couple of minutes' can lead to questions from managers.

Darren Westwood and Garfield Hilton said that they would sometimes be quizzed if they stopped working to go to the toilet - with a trip sometimes taking up to 15 minutes due to the sheer scale of the warehouse.

Mr Hilton said: 'The thing with stopping work is that they want to know why.

'So if the time is beyond a couple of minutes they can see it on the system.

'They will then question you, 'what were you doing?''

An Amazon spokesperson refuted claims that toilet breaks were timed.

They said: 'You can go to the toilet whenever you need to. Its not timed, you can log out of the system and go to the toilet, speak to a manager, get some water, its not an issue.'

Employees joined the picket line outside the Amazon fulfilment centre in Coventry as around 300 workers went on strike today.

Amazon has said it offers 'competitive pay' and that only a 'tiny proportion' of its UK workforce is involved in the strike with deliveries not being affected.

It is the first time the company's workers have held industrial action in the UK, following similar strikes in the Unites States and Germany.

A fulfilment centre is a warehouse where goods are packed and dispatched to fulfil orders.

Nazeret Zemuy works as a receiver, sorting parcels coming in to the warehouse, and is currently on 10.50 an hour following a 50p pay rise last August.

The 23-year-old, from Birmingham, who works 40 hours a week, said: 'We need to be paid more than what we are currently on. I am struggling to support myself.

'Everything is getting so much more expensive and it's hard to cope.

'Petrol and living expenses are going up and we need more pay to cope.

'I would have to work around 60 hours a week to help support myself better but then I wouldn't have a life and would constantly be at work.

'We need more pay, and it is the only way.'

Elena Parascan, 27, from Coventry, is currently paid 10.50 an hour and works around 40 hours a week.

A member of the GMB union stands on the picket line outside the Amazon warehouse in Coventry this morning

She said she often picks up overtime to help support her living costs and can work up to 60 hours a week.

She said: 'I need my salary to be increased. What Amazon gives us does not match the rate that prices around us are going up.

'We need to do something about this and that is why I am on strike. I am standing here to fight and came here to fight for better pay.

'It's very hard working these long hours and I have to pick up overtime to help support myself as what I am on is not enough.

'The work is a lot of manual labour and some of the boxes I have to pick up are 25kg which is very heavy.

'When I signed my contract they said I would only be lifting boxes up to 15kg but now I lift boxes 10kg heavier than that.

'I need to be paid more for the extra weight and work I am having to do. It's very problematic and that is the reality of it.

Members of the union speak to staff as they try to convince them not to cross the line and to go into work

It comes after Royal Mail staff also went on strike over the festive period, causing chaos to people ordering presents and sending Christmas cards to loved ones.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's walkout, Stuart Richards, GMB senior organiser, said: 'Today, Amazon workers in Coventry will make history.

'They've defied the odds to become the first ever Amazon workers in the UK to go on strike.

'They're taking on one of the world's biggest companies to fight for a decent standard of living. They should be rightly proud of themselves.'

Workers set up a brazier at the picket line as they protest and demand a pay rise amid freezing conditions this morning

'After six months of ignoring all requests to listen to workers' concerns, GMB urges Amazon UK bosses to do the right thing and give workers a proper pay rise.'

At its ballot in December, hundreds of union members overwhelmingly voted for strike action after protests took place at Amazon warehouses in Coventry, Tilbury, Essex, Bristol, Rugeley and Staffordshire.

Amazon, which refuses to recognise the GMB, claims its minimum wage for workers has increased by 29 per cent since 2018.

A spokesperson said: 'A tiny proportion of our workforce are involved.

'In fact, according to the verified figures, only a fraction of 1% of our UK employees voted in the ballot  and that includes those who voted against industrial action.

'We appreciate the great work our teams do throughout the year and we're proud to offer competitive pay which starts at a minimum of between 10.50 and 11.45 per hour, depending on location.

'This represents a 29% increase in the minimum hourly wage paid to Amazon employees since 2018.

'Employees are also offered comprehensive benefits that are worth thousands more - including private medical insurance, life assurance, subsidised meals and an employee discount, to name a few.'
A notorious pro-Russia commentator who goes by the name 'Aussie Cossack' has had a warrant issued for his arrest after he refused to turn up to court while seeking refuge in the Russian consulate.

Simeon Boikov, 32, is accused of assaulting a 76-year-old man at a rally in support of Ukraine in December at Sydney's Town Hall.

Following the rally, Boikov posted a video to his YouTube channel which showed him in a scuffle with the man, who fell backwards down the stairs.

The man was taken to hospital with a head injury, with NSW Police called to the scene of Boikov's arrest.

A NSW Police statement issued at the time said he was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.

He was due to face court on Wednesday over the matter but the 32-year-old never showed up as he is currently seeking refuge in the Russian consulate in Sydney.

The elderly man fell down the set of stairs after confronting Boikov at a protest against Russia

Boikov's defence lawyer, Mark Davis, told the court he hadn't heard from him but knew where he was and was hoping to speak with him.

Magistrate Megan Greenwood told the lawyer he 'better tell police' as there has been a parole warrant out for him since he was charged.

'I don't have his instructions; I'm hoping to get direct instructions to plead guilty to the common assault,' Mr Davis said.

Ms Greenwood adjourned the matter and issued a warrant for Boikov's arrest, telling the court he needed to be present to enter a plea.

Videos were circulating on social media in which Boikov said he had to make a 'tough decision' and seek refuge in the Russian consulate.

'I have no faith in the legal system, no faith in the police, no faith in the courts to be fair in this process,' he said in the video.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Simeon Boikov (pictured) as he seeks refuge in the Russian consulate

The elderly protester can be seen on video arguing with Boikov before he falls backwards down the stairs

'So in order to mount the defence, in order to conduct a fair process, I've decided to enter the Russian consulate and ask the Russian government for political asylum.'

Mr Davis confirmed outside court that Boikov was in the Russian consulate.

He said Boikov had not made 'any grand announcements' but was 'close' to doing so.

Mr Davis said his client's action was 'totally defendable' and in normal circumstances he would have a 'good prospect' of winning the case.

Boikov's defence lawyer Mark Davis, told the court on Wednesday he hadn't heard from him but knew where he was and was hoping to speak with him

The pro-Putin commentator regularly posts videos online at various rallies and protests

'Because of the situation... it would take six months to get to a hearing; for good reason he might enter a guilty plea and have it dealt with,' Mr Davis said.

He said he is currently in the process of dealing with the arrest warrant and having it resolved 'promptly'.

Boikov has amassed nearly 230,000 followers across his social media accounts, which include YouTube, Telegram and Facebook.

The 32-year-old was a prominent personality in the anti-vaccine mandate protests in Canberra in 2022 and claims he is the leader of the Australian Cossacks - a group which promotes pro-Russian government sentiment.
Russia today warned that Germany's decision to send dozens of modern tanks to Ukraine is 'extremely dangerous' and will 'take the conflict to a new level'.

Bringing an end to a bitter row, Chancellor Olaf Scholz finally confirmed today Berlin will send its own German-made Leopard 2 tanks to the front lines and allow Nato allies to deliver some of theirs.

Scholz even teased further deliveries of air defence systems, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers and says Germany 'intends to expand what we have delivered', a major U-turn on the chancellor's previous reluctance.

Russia branded the move a 'blatant provocation' and warned the new Nato supplies will 'burn like all the rest', while one raging Putin propagandist called for the German parliament to be destroyed in a nuclear strike.

And Russia's ambassador today said: 'This extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation, and contradicts statements by German politicians about the unwillingness of the German Federation to get involved in it.'

The United States will provide 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in a deal worth $400 million, reports Bloomberg, while Berlin will initially supply 14 Leopard 2 tanks.

German soldiers carry out exercises in 2021 with the Leopard 2 battle tank which could soon be deployed in Ukraine

Ukraine had been relying on Soviet-era T-72 tanks but its military will be modernised with the shipment of Nato vehicles

Russia's own storage facilities have around 10,200 tanks, while an estimated 3,300 have been deployed in Ukraine, with 1,640 destroyed.

Volodymyr Zelensky said he was 'sincerely grateful' and his officials hailed the move as a 'punching fist' for democracy, while Russia had warned it would cause a 'global catastrophe' and escalate the war beyond Ukraine's borders.

Russia had warned the supply of more tanks would 'leave a lasting mark' and lead to 'nothing good', with fears in Moscow that the hi-tech equipment could land a devastating blow on the invading forces.

Pressure has been building for weeks on German chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to send the tanks and allow Nato allies to do the same.

The German leader was wary of moves that could prompt Russia to escalate but he finally relented today.

He said in a statement: 'We must always make it clear in everything we do that we are doing what is necessary and possible to support Ukraine, but that at the same time we are preventing the war from escalating into a war between Russia and Nato.'

The goal was to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, the statement said, adding Germany would in a first step provide 14 tanks from military stocks.

Training Ukrainian troops how to use the armour will begin in Germany soon, and the nation will also provide logistics and ammunition, it said.

Germany will issue the appropriate transfer permits to partner countries that want to quickly deliver the German-made tanks from their stocks to Ukraine, it said.

In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: 'I am certain that many experts understand the absurdity of this idea. The plan is disastrous in terms of technology.

'But above all, it overestimates the potential it will add to the Ukrainian army. These tanks burn just like all the others.'

Putin propagandist Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Moscow Institute of the Middle East, told the Waldman-LINE channel that nuclear-tipped missiles should be used on the centre of German democracy.

He said: 'German tanks with crosses on their armour will again march across Ukraine attacking Russian soldiers.

'I have a natural reaction to this - the Soviet Union bombed Berlin in 1941. And to me this is a signal that the Reichstag, or Bundestag, which now replaces the Reichstag, simply should not remain standing any longer.

'Flat, slightly radioactive, melted-down ground [will remain in its place].'

Meanwhile Putin's favourite propagandist Vladimir Solovyov also ranted about the move, which he plainly sees as a significant blow to the Russian president while also being proof in Russian eyes that Germany has directly joined the war.

Putin's favourite propagandist Vladimir Solovyov ranted over the tank move which he sees as a significant blow to Putin

Putin propagandist Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Moscow Institute of the Middle East, said nuclear-tipped missiles should be used on the centre of German democracy

Washington is expected to announce as soon as today that it will send M1 Abrams tanks (pictured)

Ukrainian soldiers are seen riding on a T-72 Soviet-era tank, used widely in the ongoing conflict, in the Donetsk region, January 20

Who is providing tanks to fight Putin? US: Officials say Washington is poised to send at least 30 of its M1 Abrams battle tanks, reversing its previous position. The tank has a 120mm smoothbore gun. GERMANY: Sources say chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send German-built Leopard 2 battle tanks, which have a 120mm smoothbore gun that is one of the most widely used in the West. He will also allow other countries to send theirs, they say. BRITAIN: The UK government announced on January 14 that it would send a squadron, or 14, of its Challenger 2 battle tanks, which has a 120mm rifled gun. POLAND: Warsaw has said it is ready to send up to 14 of its Leopards and has been pressing Berlin to approve the move. A source said Poland had submitted a request to Germany, which must approve re-export requests of the vehicle. NORWAY: The Norwegian government is considering whether to send some of its Leopard tanks, newspapers reported. FINLAND: The Finnish government has said it could donate a small number of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if a wider group of European nations also decided to do so, but said it would depend on Berlin's approval. FRANCE: French President Emmanuel Macron has asked his defence minister to 'work on' the idea of sending Leclerc battle tanks to Ukraine. Macron said that sending tanks must not escalate the situation, must take into account the time to train Ukrainians to be effective, and must not endanger France's own security. Advertisement

'It's time to send a clear, resolute message that we now consider Germany a direct party to the conflict, rekindling memories of WW2.

'German tanks appearing will definitely mean we consider German territory, military bases and other sites as legitimate targets.

'Nato wants to fight in this cunning way, pretending that it's not fighting.

'In your dreams! In your dreams!

'And [German defence minister Boris] Pistorius will go down in history as an imbecile who led to Germany to become a zone of direct destruction.

'And [chancellor] Scholz too, and [foreign minister Annalena] Baerbock.

'The German people will know which new Nazi leaders they have raised and brought to power. That's my subjective opinion.'

Another leading Putin propagandist, Margarita Simonyan, said Germany will send 'gas chambers' to Ukraine after authorising the tanks.

Alluding to the Nazi's gas chambers during the Second World War, Simonyan wrote on Telegram: 'Germany, after being flogged by Washington, will send 14 tanks to Ukraine.

'Closer to summer, deliveries of gas chambers are also expected.'

One official said the tanks would be bought under an upcoming Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, which provides longer-range funding for weapons and equipment to be purchased from commercial vendors.

By law, Germany needs to agree for the tanks to be given to Ukraine, which is not a member of Nato.

'A few hundred tanks for our tank crews... This is what is going to become a real punching fist of democracy,' Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration, wrote on Telegram.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed the move today, saying: 'Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace.'

Poland's prime minister thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday for his decision to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

'Thank you @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz,' Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Twitter. 'The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia.'

In response, Putin has begun a creeping new stealth mobilisation, even while denying it is under way.

The Kremlin rejected a report emanating from US officials that a new 'quieter' wave of 200,000 recruits is planned.

Yet there is clear evidence of a dramatic new grab of conscripts for fighting and to work in plants to build tanks, missiles and other hardware for his war effort.

The drive was in progress before the expected tank deal, but Moscow could well use the ramp-up as justification for the mobilisation.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send the Leopards and allow other countries such as Poland to do so as well, sources said

A Western source said: 'It is under way without any big announcements, and will increase.'

One tactic is likely to be to press teenage conscripts - who by law should not be sent to the war, only for military training - to rapidly sign up for the conflict with offers of increased salaries.

Separately, new rules will prevent men of military age driving abroad to countries such as Georgia and Kazakhstan to avoid the draft.

Drivers will have to book slots to exit the country, making it easier for authorities to veto their move abroad.

Thousands of men remain outside Russia for fear of being thrust on to Putin's front lines, where he has suffered catastrophic losses.

Meanwhile, migrants from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan - who have received Russian passports - have been suddenly prevented from leaving Russia.

Those trying to do so have been told they are 'included on the mobilisation list', it was reported.

In the Omsk region, a massive new training centre is being built apparently for thousands of draftees required to retrain for defence factories.

Instead of two years of training, recruits will be given crash courses of up to six months to fill labour shortages in plants essential for Putin's war effort, reported Russian news site Readovka.

Draftee soldiers from the Novosibirsk region forced to the front line have begged their wives and sisters to protest on their behalf to the president and other officials.

Men taking new jobs in some regions, for example Kaluga near Moscow, are being ordered to show military registrations - documents they must hold by law - so employers can funnel them to the forces if ordered to do so.

Mr Zelensky, who turns 45 on Wednesday, has pressed Western allies to provide their most modern battle tanks, saying 'the need is larger' in his nightly video address on Tuesday.

Germany and the US have until now held back on providing heavy armour, wary of support that could give the Kremlin reason to widen the conflict.

Russia has warned that supplies of modern offensive weaponry to Ukraine would escalate the war, with some officials saying its allies were leading the world into a 'global catastrophe'.

Deliveries of battle tanks by the US would be a 'another blatant provocation', Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the United States, said on Wednesday.

'It is obvious that Washington is purposefully trying to inflict a strategic defeat on us,' Antonov said in remarks published on the embassy's Telegram messaging app.

'American tanks will be destroyed by our military in the same way all other samples of Nato equipment are being destroyed,' the diplomat added.

Ukraine has pleaded for months for Western tanks it says it needs to give its forces the firepower and mobility to break through Russian lines and recapture territory.

The question of whether to supply Ukraine with significant numbers of the vehicles has dominated debate among Western allies in recent days.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz stands in front of a Leopard 2 tank in October last year (file photo)

Germany has been pivotal because Leopards, fielded by 20 armies around the world, are seen as the best option for Ukraine as they are available in large numbers and are easy to deploy and maintain.

Although the US Abrams is considered less suitable due to its fuel consumption and maintenance needs, a US decision to send the tanks could make it easier for Germany - which has called for a united front among Ukraine's allies - to allow the supply of Leopards.

Mr Scholz had decided to send the Leopards and allow other countries such as Poland to do so as well, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Spiegel magazine said Germany was planning to supply at least one company, which usually comprises 14 vehicles, of Leopard 2 A6 tanks. Some other allies intend to follow in supplying their own Leopards, it reported.

Separately, Ukraine dismissed more than a dozen senior officials in the biggest shake-up of its wartime leadership.

The European Union, which offered Ukraine the status of candidate member last June, welcomed the changes.

Among officials who resigned or were dismissed were governors of the Kyiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the latter three being frontline provinces. Kyiv and Sumy were major battlefields earlier in the war.

Some of the officials who left had been linked to corruption allegations.

Ukraine has a history of graft and shaky governance and is under pressure to show it can be a reliable steward of billions of dollars in Western aid.

It comes just days after a coalition of more than 50 senior defence officials from Europe and beyond met in Germany to discuss Ukraine's war needs, and battle tanks were a prime topic.
Passengers delayed more than 24 hours on a flight from Japan to Australia have been left fuming at Jetstar.

The flight was scheduled to take off from Kansai International Airport in Osaka at 9pm on Tuesday night, however heavy snowfall saw the plane delayed.

But rather than being ushered away to a hotel for the frosty night, one traveller who paid for a $2,500 return ticket to Sydney, said at 4am they were only given a blanket and a muesli bar.

Passengers stranded in Kansai International Airport in Osaka are pictured with the blankets they were given at 4am while waiting for a Jetstar flight delayed by more than 21 hours

A Jetstar flight from Osaka to Cairns has been delayed by more than 21 hours. Pictured is a Jetstar plane

Jetstar was not the only carrier affected by the weather event, with more than 200 flights cancelled at the airport.

'My flight from Japan to Australia was delayed from 9pm to 1pm the following day. They gave us blankets and muesli bars instead of hotels,' the passenger posted to Reddit, adding that 'you get what you pay for.'

The 1pm departure time came and went and the flight was rescheduled again for 4.45pm local time.

That time also passed and the flight was set to leave at 6.15pm Osaka time for Cairns, but it was once again rescheduled.

The Jetstar flight is now delayed until 10am tomorrow.

Among the more than 600 comments under the original post was one from another person waiting for the same flight.

'Hey, I'm literally waiting for this exact same flight at Kansai as well lol,' the passenger wrote.

'To add insult to injury the blankets weren't even from Jetstar, the airport gave them to us instead.

'These blankets were literally handed out at 4am and they kept everyone completely in the dark about the flight delays. No announcements, no nothing,' they said.

The Jetstar flight was delayed due to snow on the ground (pictured) at Kansai International Airport in Osaka

The Jetstar flight was scheduled to leave to 9pm on Tuesday and and then rescheduled several times for departure slots that came and went (pictured)

A Jetstar spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the flight was delayed because of the freezing conditions in Osaka, which is 400km south-west of the capital, Tokyo.

'Due to heavy snow fall, the bridge connecting the mainland of Osaka to Kansai International Airport was closed overnight, preventing our crew from accessing the airport,' they said.

'This caused a significant delay to our flight from Osaka to Cairns.

'Unfortunately, the bridge closure also meant customers already at the airport were unable to leave, meaning they couldn't access hotels in the city.

'We know it would have been an uncomfortable night for our customers and we offered support by providing them with meals, water and blankets.'

The spokesperson added that 'We always do everything we can to avoid delays, but severe weather like this is out of our control.'
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The United States, Germany and more Western allies are poised to join Britain in sending heavy tanks to Ukraine in a move that could prove a gamechanger in Kyiv's war effort.

Washington is sending 31 of its fast-moving M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, while Berlin will initially supply at least 14 Leopard 2 tanks and give permission to other NATO countries - including Poland, Finland and Denmark - to deliver their own to Kyiv.

Britain was the first NATO country to announce it would send 14 next-generation battle tanks to Ukraine in the form of the Challenger 2 tanks.

And French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that he asked his defence minister to 'work on' the idea of sending some of France's Leclerc battle tanks to Ukraine.

Ukraine has been struggling to gain an advantage after battlefield successes as they have the same Soviet-era T-72 tanks that Russia has - meaning a delivery of Western tanks could be a gamechanger for Kyiv after 11 months at war.

Kyiv has pleaded for months for Western tanks that it says it needs to give its forces the firepower and mobility to break through Russian defensive lines and recapture territory.

Here MailOnline looks at how the West's tanks measure up against Russia's and what this might mean for Ukraine's war effort.

LEOPARD 2

Germany's 55-ton Leopard 2 tank combines aspects of firepower, protection, speed and maneuverability - making it adaptable to many types of combat situations.

The tank's manufacturer, Krauss-Massei Wegmann, has touted it as 'the world's leading battle tank' with a 120mm smooth bore gun and a fully-digital fire-control system.

The 5million tank has a crew of four and a range of 342 miles as well as top speeds of about 45 miles per hour (68km/h). Now with four main variants, its earliest version first came into service in 1979.

Germany's 55-ton Leopard 2 tank combines aspects of firepower, protection, speed and maneuverability - making it adaptable to many types of combat situations

The Leopard 2 is also diesel-powered - not driven by jet fuel that powers America's M1 Abrams - and is easier to operate than the big US tanks, and thus has has shorter training times, military analysts say.

Rheinmetall AG, a German defense contractor that makes the 120mm smoothbore gun on the Leopard 2, says the tank has been deployed by 'more nations than any other', with 3,500 units being supplied to 19 countries. More than 2,000 of those have been sent to over a dozen European countries and Canada.

It is this sheer number of Leopard tanks that has meant they are seen as the best option for Ukraine - as they would be easily deployable to Ukraine.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates that three to six weeks of training would be needed for operating crews and support staff to reach basic proficiency.

Ralf Raths, director of the Panzer Museum in Munster, Germany, said experienced Ukrainian tank crews would likely be able to learn to use the Leopard 2 fairly quickly, and training could be shortened to focus on essential knowledge.

Western deliveries of Leopard 2s could help equip Ukraine with needed high-caliber munitions to replace its own dwindling Soviet-era stockpiles, opening a new avenue for supplies of Western firepower to get to Ukraine, Yohann Michel, a research analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said.

M1A2 ABRAMS

The US is expected to send its M1A2 Abrams tank to Ukraine in the coming weeks to help with their war-effort.

The 5million tank is equipped with a 120mm smooth bore cannon which is loaded manually by one of the four crew members and has a range of effective fire in excess of 2.5 miles (4km).

The 26-ft long tank also has a target acquisition system with hunter-killer capability as well as two 7.62 machine guns and another 12.7mm machine gun.

The US is expected to send its M1A2 Abrams tank to Ukraine in the coming weeks to help with their war-effort

The tank is also well-protected against all-known anti-tank weapons as it has Chobham composite armour, which is made up of steel and uranium.

The 71-ton Abrams tank, which was first produced in 1990, also has a range of 265 miles as well as a top speed of about 42mph. Its also features caterpillar tracks which helps it perform well as it moves across country.

But the tank, which is powered by jet fuel, is considered less suitable than the Germany's Leopard 2 and the UK's Challenger 2 tanks due to its high fuel consumption and maintenance needs.

Colin Kahl, the Pentagon's top policy adviser, said last week the Abrams tank is a 'very complicated piece of equipment'. He added that it's expensive and hard to train on.'

A decision on whether to send the fearsome tanks to Ukraine could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months or years for the tanks to be delivered.

US officials said details are still being worked out.

One said the tanks would be bought under an upcoming Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, which provides longer-range funding for weapons and equipment to be purchased from commercial vendors.

CHALLENGER 2

Britain announced it would deploy 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in the coming weeks and train Ukrainian troops to use them.

The 5million Challenger 2, with a 120mm rifled gun and a 7.62mm machine gun, is a battle tank designed to attack other tanks.

It is the UK's only guaranteed 24-hour, all-weather mobile tank with protected precision direct fire and anti-tank manoeuvre capability, the British army says.

Britain announced it would deploy 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in the coming weeks and train Ukrainian troops to use them

An earlier version of the tank claimed the longest-distance tank kill in history, with the war machine destroying an Iraqi tank from three miles away during the Gull War.

The 27ft-long Challenger 2 has a crew of four and a range of 340 miles on-road and 160 miles off road.

However, it has a top speeds of about 37mph (59km), meaning it is slightly slower than Germany's Leopard tank.

The 75-ton Challenger 2 has been described by British military commanders as a modern tank which is 'much better protected, more reliable and quicker' than Russia's Soviet-era tanks.

The diesel-powered tank, which weighs 62.5 tonnes, has been in service with the British Army since 1994 and has been deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Iraq.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has sent his thanks to the UK for providing his country with the much-needed battle tanks.

Zelensky tweeted at the time: 'Always strong support of the UK is now impenetrable and ready for challenges.

'In a conversation with the Prime Minister, I thanked for the decisions that will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners.'

LECLERC

France's 14 million Leclerc main battle tank features a 120mm smoothbore tank gun, which is 52 calibre long, as well as 12.7mm and 7.62mm machine guns.

The fearsome 63-ton tank is said to be able to engage six targets, located around 2km away, within one minutes with a hit probability of 95 per cent, according to Military Today.

A French Leclerc tank of the 501th Tank Regiment based in Mourmelon-le-Grand, takes part in a drill on a shooting field in Suippes, north-eastern France, on December 6, 2018

The 32-ft long Leclerc tank, which was first produced in 1990, is operated by three personnel: a tank commander, gunner and pilot.

It features advanced protection against mines and rockets with a modular armour system, which can be tailored to the threat.

The armour is made up of a combination of steel, ceramics and Kevlar.

The tank, powered by an 8-cylinder diesel engine, has a maximum speed of 44mph and a range of 342 miles.

The tank is also fitted with a battlefield management system, which allows commanders to know the tank's location and the amount of ammunition and fuel they have left.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that he had asked his defense minister to 'work on' the idea of sending some of the battle tanks to Ukraine.

France will make its tank decision based on three criteria, Macron said: that sharing the equipment does not lead to an escalation of the conflict, that it would provide efficient and workable help when training time is taken into account, and that it wouldn't weaken France's own military.

In a joint declaration with Germany, the two countries committed to their 'unwavering support' for Ukraine.

RUSSIAN T-90 AND SOVIET-ERA T-72

Russia, as well as Ukraine, have relied primarily on Soviet-era T-72 tanks, which have been destroyed in their hundreds in 11 months of fighting.

The 45-ton tank, which has a range of 290 miles, is equipped with a 125mm smooth bore gun as well as a 7.62mm machine gun and a 12.7mm machine gun which are mounted on top of the roof.

The T-72, which was produced in 1973 and has three crew, is less agile than the Leopard 2 and other similar Western tanks because it can't reverse at speed.

Russia, as well as Ukraine, have relied primarily on Soviet-era T-72 tanks (pictured), which have been destroyed in their hundreds in 11 months of fighting

Ralf Raths, director of the Panzer Museum in Munster, Germany, said: 'Imagine a boxer who cannot move freely in the ring, but only in one direction.

'The other boxer, who can move in all directions, has a big advantage and that it is the case with the Leopards.'

The T-72 is by far the most common battle tank Russia has in operation in Ukraine but Moscow does have more advanced tanks in existence.

Russia has deployed around 1,000 of its advanced T-90 tank in Ukraine, compared to around 5,000 T-72s.

The 4million T-90 is supposed to be one of the best tanks in the world, and has upgraded armour and missile protection systems compared to the T-72 which make it harder to destroy - at least in theory.

Pictured: A Ukrainian serviceman walks next to a destroyed Russian main battle tank T-90M Proryv, in Staryi Saltiv in the Kharkiv region on May 9

Since Russia invaded, countless T-90M Russian tank have been destroyed by rocket launchers and Javelin anti-tank guided missiles.

Russia may deploy its most advanced tank - the T-14 Armata - to Ukraine but this is likely to be a high-risk decision for Vladimir Putin, British intelligence chiefs said in a briefing last week.

The tank has been in development for 11 years and the programme has been dogged with delays, reduction in planned fleet size and reports of manufacturing problems, Britain's Ministry of Defence said.

The T-14 would also pose a logistical headache for Russia as it is larger and heavier than other Russian tanks.

The MoD said even if Russia does deploy the tank, it will 'primarily for propaganda purposes' as commanders are 'unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat'.
Pressure is mounting to give Aussies the chance to vote on whether to change the date of Australia Day, as the national holiday becomes synonymous with an endless toxic debate - though it's unlikely to stop millions enjoying the sunshine today.

A rapidly rising number of Australians - particularly young generations - now view January 26, commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet and the beginning of British colonial rule in 1788, as a day that should not be celebrated.

Wild protests now mar the occasion every year, with hundreds of thousands again set to turn up on Thursday in every major city across the country demanding to 'change the date'.

But with sunny skies over most of Australia's major cities, with highs of 31C in Sydney, 33C in Brisbane and 32C in Perth, the controversy will seem far detached from millions of Australians happy to spend the day off work with their families.

Under pressure by critics, some large companies have given staff the option to work on the public holiday if they feel uncomfortable and formally stated it's not a day for patriotism.

Smaller businesses and more and more of pubs have also followed suit putting a stop to the flag-waving, beer-drinking celebrations of years gone by.

Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has even led a charge for homeowners to pay First Nation's People and annual 'rent' tax as reparations.

But Nationals MP Matt Canavan wants to end the controversy 'delegitimising' the national holiday once and for all - saying the decision should be put in the hands of the people, rather than 'woke' and virtue-signalling companies.

The staunch conservative has called on the federal government to introduce a plebiscite at the same time citizens vote on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament later this year.

Calls have loudened for Australia to vote on whether to keep Australia Day (pictured, festivities on January 26, 2022)

Poll Should the nation get to vote on whether to keep Australia Day? Yes - Let's decide once and for all No - it should always be January 26 Should the nation get to vote on whether to keep Australia Day? Yes - Let's decide once and for all 270 votes

No - it should always be January 26 426 votes Now share your opinion





'Why don't we, when we have the voice referendum later this year, add a question (such as) "do you want to keep Australia Day on January 26?"' he said on Sky News.

'I'm happy to be guided and listen to the Australian people, so rather than the corporate world trying to impose their woke ideology on the rest of us, why don't (we) listen to the people?

'Here's a voice. Here's a chance to have a voice of the Australian people and let them decide when the date should be.'

Crowds are expected to descend on major landmarks across the country to enjoy spectacular displays of national pride, including thrilling harbour boat shows in Sydney and a 21-gun salute in Melbourne.

These family-friendly events will be a marked contrast from protests being held across the nation.

Mr Canvan's call for a plebiscite comes after Senator Thorpe called for Australia to get rid of 'everything racist' in the constitution and become a 'Blak Republic'.

The outspoken Indigenous Senator has also thrown her support behind the 'Pay the Rent' model under which Australian homeowners would be forced to shell out a weekly land tax that would fund Indigenous social services.

Greens senator Lidia Thorpe has asked Australia Day be rebranded to 'Treaty Republic Day'

Wild protests now mar the occasion with hundreds of thousands again set to turn up on Thursday in every major city across the country demanding to 'change the date' (pictured, Invasion Day protests, 2019)

What's the problem with Australia Day? Australia Day has become increasingly contentious, with many campaigning for the holiday to be abolished entirely or the date changed. The public holiday commemorates the landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Harbour, with Governor Arthur Philip raising the British flag to mark the founding of New South Wales on January 26, 1788. However, since 1938, Indigenous and First Nations people have observed the public holiday as a day of mourning and instead have named it 'Invasion Day'. This year's Invasion Day rallies held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on Thursday will aim to remind people that 'sovereignty was never ceded' and call for a date change, a treaty, and other policies designed to prioritise First Nations people. Advertisement

In an interview with Junkee, she said the move was crucial to the history and survival of First Nations people.

'Having a Blak Republic is about taking back what was ours in the first place and sharing it in a way that we know how best to do,' she said.

'I mean our whole culture is based on sharing and caring. So a Blak Republic would ensure that everybody in this country is looked after.'

The senator said a Blak Republic could only be achieved through a formal agreement with the federal government.

'I think a republic can come from a treaty because that is the end of the war, and that is a way that we can mature as a nation,' she continued.

'And that's why the two go hand in hand. Treaty. Republic. It makes perfect sense.'

The notion of a 'Blak Republic' comes as property owners are urged to start paying a weekly 'rent' tax to Indigenous groups over their claims to ancestral land.

Under the 'Pay the Rent' model homeowners would voluntarily pay a percentage of their income to a body led by Aboriginal elders and administered without any government oversight or intervention.

One per cent of weekly wages is the level suggested by Robbie Thorpe, a veteran Aboriginal rights activist who ran a similar scheme in Fitzroy in the 1990s.

Government statistics from last August that say the median Australian employee's earnings were $1,250 per week.

So spread evenly, all Australian wage earners could pay a median 'rent' of $12.50 a week, adding up to $650 a year.

The 'Pay the Rent' tax could apply to Indigenous people too. Anyone who owns property would pay because it would operate as a form of land tax.

Nationals MP Matt Canavan (pictured) suggested the federal government introduce a plebiscite to settle the debate over the date of the contentious holiday

Australia Day has become increasingly contentious, with many campaigning for the holiday to be abolished entirely or the date changed (pictured, Invasion Day protests)

Australians could also pay extra rent for use of land that one-off events are held on such as weddings to festivals.

For example, if a wedding costs $54,000 to run, the extra rent would cost $540.

The intention is the money collected could cover extra costs Indigenous people have for health, education and housing and reduce the need for government handouts.

Senator Thorpe and feminist author Clementine Ford have thrown their support behind the scheme, which is a rebirth of a 'Pay the Rent' scheme from 50 years ago.

As homeowners are urged to pay First Nations people weekly rent, residents are also being given the option to work on January 26.

Senator Thorpe's (pictured) calls for a Blak Republic comes as Australian property owners are urged to start paying a weekly 'rent' tax to Indigenous groups over their claim to ancestral land

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared it was 'fine' to give workers - whether in the government or private sector - a choice of working on Australia Day or not.

Woolworths, Telstra, Network 10 and some of the Big Four accounting firms said January 26 was 'not a day of celebration' and instead gave their employees the option to work 'out of respect for all First Nations peoples'.

Woolworths claims Australia day - which commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet - is regarded as a painful celebration for Aboriginal groups.

Telco-giant Telstra also recently followed suit, allowing its 29,000 employees to choose whether to work on Australia Day after the company voted in 2022.

The decision comes after Network 10 told staff they can choose how to spend the national holiday, and that it was 'not a day to celebrate' for Indigenous Australians.

Many large companies have given staff the option to work on the public holiday if they feel uncomfortable and formally stated it's not a day for patriotism (pictured, Bondi Beach on January 26, 2022)

Smaller businesses and an increasing number of pubs have put a stop to the flag-waving, beer-drinking celebrations of years gone by. (pictured, Australia Day revellers on the Gold Coast)

Some of the Big Four accounting firms including Deloitte, KPMG and EY have also implemented policies allowing staff to work on January 26.

Australia Day has become increasingly contentious, with many campaigning for the holiday to be abolished entirely or the date changed.

The public holiday commemorates the landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Harbour, with Governor Arthur Philip raising the British flag to mark the founding of New South Wales on January 26, 1788.

However, since 1938, Indigenous and First Nations people have observed the public holiday as a day of mourning and instead have named it 'Invasion Day'.

This year's Invasion Day rallies held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on Thursday will aim to remind people that 'sovereignty was never ceded' and call for a date change, a treaty, and other policies designed to prioritise First Nations people.
By Azernews

Laman Ismayilova

The City Events Group is pleased to announce the upcoming conduct of Miss Aura of Azerbaijan-2023 final, Azernews reports.

The final of the beauty contest will take place at the Badamdar Estates on January 25.

Around 300 guests are expected to attend the final night, where the winners will be determined by the jury in various nominations.

Both external appearance and personal qualities will be taken into account in the evaluation of the participants.

The City Events Group's national directors are Xayyal Abdullayev and Tural Huseyn.

The winner will represent Azerbaijan in the Miss Aura International -2023 world final to be held in Antalya, Turkiye, in September.

The contest will bring together contestants from 50 countries. Adnan Seker (Turkiye) is the project manager of Miss Aura International.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Milli.Az, Day.Az.
The man accused of killing four students at the University of Idaho interviewed for a job with the police department that later helped to arrest him.

Bryan Kohberger, himself a PHD student at Washington State University (WSU), met with Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins on April 12, 2022, according to reports.

A few hours later, Kohberger followed up their meeting with a gushing email, showing that the accused hoped to land a three-year research assistant position in public safety, according to the New York Times, who obtained the emails.

'It was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share my thoughts and excitement regarding the research assistantship for public safety,' Kohberger wrote.

Bryan Kohberger (pictured on Jan 5), who is accused of killing four students at the University of Idaho interviewed, for a job with the police department that later helped to arrest him

Bryan Kohberger, himself a PHD student at Washington State University (WSU), met with Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins (pictured) on April 12, 2022, according to reports

'I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Bryan,' he added.

'Great to meet and talk to you as well,' police chief Jenkins reportedly responded.

The graduate research position was being offered by WSU, where Kohberger was studying for a doctorate in Criminology.

According to the job description posted by WSU, 'the purpose of these positions is to support each agency through data management and analysis, and to position them for success when they seek external funding,' Inside Edition reported.

It was not immediately clear if this was the same position referenced in the probable case affidavit filed in the investigation into the murders of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.

The affidavit claims Kohberger 'wrote an essay when he applied for an internship with the Pullman Police Department in the fall of 2022.'

In that essay, the suspected killer said 'he had interest in assisting rural law enforcement agencies with how to better collect and analyze technological data in public safety operations,' according to Inside Edition.

The emails suggest Kohberger was one of four candidates being considered.

It was also not immediately clear whether he was given the job, which was set to start on August 22. The four University of Idaho were stabbed to death in their Moscow home on November 13, in the early hours of the morning.

Inside Edition said Pullman Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.

It was not immediately clear if the position Kohberger was applying to was the same position referenced in the probable case affidavit filed in the investigation into the murders of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 (pictured)

The four University of Idaho were stabbed to death in their Moscow home (pictured) on November 13, in the early hours of the morning

EXCLUSIVE: 'Girls made fun of him in middle school.' Former cheerleader who rejected Bryan Kohberger's advances in sixth grade interviewed by FBI Kim Kenely, 27, contacted FBI agents after learning about former sixth-grade classmate Bryan Kohberger's arrest Advertisement

The same police department helped located the suspect vehicle and carried out the search on Kohberger's on-campus WSU apartment, as well as the office he shared with two other teaching assistants, hours after he was arrested in December.

On Tuesday, unsealed court documents revealed that investigators seized stained bedding, strands of what looked like hair and a single glove - but no weapon - when they searched Kohberger's WSU student apartment.

Court documents show that eight strands of hair were recovered from the apartment, as well as a 'possible' animal hair.

They also recovered a Fire TV stick, one nitrate-type black glove, one Walmart receipt with a single Dickies tag, two Marshall's receipts and a dust container from a 'Bissell Power Force' vacuum. All the items are now being stored at the Washington State University Police department.

Authorities reportedly said they wanted to see if any hair had been 'transferred' onto Kohberger and then back to his apartment  including that of Ms Goncalves' dog.

Investigators did not find anything noteworthy in Kohberger's office.

It was revealed last week that Kohberger dined at a Greek restaurant where two of the students he is accused of killing worked as waitresses.

Mogen and Kernodle had worked at the Mad Greek restaurant in Moscow for years.

A former employee has now revealed that Kohberger had visited the restaurant in the run-up to their deaths at least twice and ate vegan pizza.

The revelation is the latest in a series that suggests Kohberger may have been stalking the students.

It emerged on Thursday that an Instagram account seemingly associated with the suspect had followed three of the victims - Mogen, Kernodle and Goncalves.

Pictured: Kohberger's apartment in Pullman, Washington, was combed by police for evidence into the ongoing investigation into the killings of the four Idaho students

The affidavit claims Kohberger (pictured) 'wrote an essay when he applied for an internship with the Pullman Police Department in the fall of 2022'

A variety of fake Instagram accounts claiming to be Kohberger have proliferated since his arrest late last month, but People Magazine cited a source who claimed to be familiar with the criminology grad student's real account.

The magazine did not name the account, but said it has since been scrubbed from the service, a step that Instagram parent company Meta often takes for the suspects in high-profile violent crimes.

Experts also speculated last week that suspect Kohberger may have left a knife sheath at the scene of the murders to serve as a calling card.

They also said the 'brutality' of the crime suggested he may have killed before.

Trial attorney Mercedes Colwin told The Dr. Phil Show that the Kabar knife sheath found at the crime scene may have been intentionally left there, noting that the practice of leaving a personal mark after a murder was not uncommon with killers.

Colwin, who appeared on the show alongside DailyMail.com senior reporter Caitlyn Becker to break down the case, added it would not be out of character for a killer, 'especially if you think you're smarter than everybody else,' which she said Kohberger does.

Jonathan Gilliam, a former FBI special agent added that the 'viciousness' of the 'butchering' made him think it was 'most likely' Kohberger had committed violent crimes before the Idaho slayings.

'I think he's killed before most likely,' he said. 'Not four people, but I think he's probably stalked and potentially killed females before.'
Defendant is being held at Cornton Vale women's prison ahead of sentencing

The transgender rapist who changed gender from male to female before the trial deliberately 'gamed the system' to avoid being sent to a men's prison in Scotland, it was claimed today.

Isla Bryson was a shaven-headed Adam Graham with a Mike Tyson-style face tattoo when carrying out the violent sex attacks in 2016 and 2019 after meeting the victims online.

But after being charged with two rapes, Bryson appeared in the dock at Glasgow High Court as a woman despite not fully transitioning and still having a penis. After less than a day of deliberation, a jury found the 31-year-old guilty of both rape charges.

Police Scotland today told MailOnline that Isla Bryson's rapes would be recorded as offences perpetrated by a man  even though the sex attacker has been sent to Scotland's only female prison.

Isla Bryson, 31 was known as Adam Graham (pictured) and had a Mike Tyson-style face tattoo during the violent sex attacks in 2016 and 2019. Bryson declared Adam Graham a 'dead name' and then stood trial as a woman

Bryson pictured outside the High Court in Glasgow during the trial. The rapist has taken hormones but has not had surgery

"A member of my own party was convicted of threatening to rape me because of my views... trans rights activists threatened to murder me."



SNP's @joannaccherry says convicted rapist Isla Bryson, a trans woman, is a man and should be sent to a male prison on #TimesRadio. pic.twitter.com/laU3N5w8c3  Times Radio (@TimesRadio) January 25, 2023

And there was more confusion because the force initially declined to comment on the issue, referring MailOnline to Nicola Sturgeon's Scottish Government around four hours after receiving the request.

The First Minister of Scotland told the BBC there was no automatic right for trans women to be sent to a women's prison if found guilty of a crime.

Speaking to the PM programme on BBC Radio 4, Ms Sturgeon said it would be wrong to comment on the case directly but transitioning did not guarantee a criminal a place in a women's prison.

"The fact of the matter is there is no automatic right for a trans woman convicted of an offense to go to a women's prison," she said.

Around two hours after MailOnline asked the Justice Directorate for clarification on how the crime was being recorded, Police Scotland decided they could answer the question.

A spokesman said: 'The accused was arrested and charged in 2019 as a man and was recorded as such'.

Feminist SNP MSP Joanna Cherry for Edinburgh South West, who is also a barrister, slammed the decision to send the sex attacker to Cornton Vale jail in Stirling - an all-female prison, declaring: 'Under Scots law, the crime of rape can only be committed by somebody with a penis, and that's a man.'And I think we should call out what's happened here. I'm very concerned about the safety of women prisoners, with whom a convicted rapist has been placed'.

She told Times Radio: 'To many people, it will look like this convicted rapist has gamed the system in order to try and garner sympathy, and to end up in a women's prison.

'And I think a lot of people will be shocked by that. So I think we should be talking about these cases...And women in prison are very vulnerable. Many women in prison have themselves been abused, and have suffered injuries over the years. And so they're particularly vulnerable. And perhaps some people would say nobody really cares about prisoners. But the point about human rights is that they're universal, and they apply to everyone'.

Furious campaigners have slammed the 'disgusting' decision to send the convicted transgender rapist to a segregation unit at a women's prison for up to a month while risk assessments are carried out before sentencing.

The hashtag #NotOurCrimes is trending on Twitter today as woman protested the decision.

One said: 'Always a man. Always. Look at him. And he's being held in a women's prison. How dare you disrespect women this way?'

Another tweeted Nicola Sturgeon: 'This is a MAN. He is a RAPIST. No woman should have to be locked up with him'.

On social media one woman said: 'Male when he committed the crimes, male when he was in court and male now he's locked up in a female prison. Stop gaslighting us'.

Some blamed Nicola Sturgeon with the case reigniting public debate over her controversial Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which would allow anyone over the age of 16 to 'self-identify' as the opposite sex against the need for medical evidence or diagnosis.

Tory MP Miriam Cates told MailOnline: 'It is almost impossible to believe that in a civilised society a man convicted of raping two women can be remanded in a women's prison.

'This case illustrates the significant safeguarding risks associated with allowing people to self-identify their gender.

'Proponents of self-ID claim naively that it will not be abused but unfortunately sexual predators will use any available loophole to gain access to vulnerable women'.

Bryson, who claimed to have had gender issues since the age of four, began transitioning from a man to a woman in 2020 after being charged with the rapes. The rapist has been taking hormones but has not had any surgery.

The attacker denied the accusations, telling jurors any sex was consensual - although Bryson insisted to having no joy in sleeping with women and told the court they made the 'first move'.

There was no reference to the 31-year-old having a gender recognition certificate during the trial.

Bryson was found guilty of the two rapes yesterday. It is understood the defendant is being held in a segregation unit at Cornton Vale women's prison, where the attacker will be risk assessed ahead of sentencing on February 28. Officials will decide whether the sex attacker will serve the final jail term in a women's or men's prison.

Susan Smith, of campaign group For Women Scotland, said it was 'disgusting' that Bryson is being held at Cornton Vale.

She said: 'The risk assessment should be perfectly clear.'

She insisted Bryson was a danger to women and 'should be nowhere near the sort of vulnerable women who are in prison'.

Miss Smith added: 'Some of our MSPs must have led incredibly sheltered lives if they think that predatory and abusive men would not try everything they could to further hurt victims and to seek easier access to potential future victims.'

A Scottish Prison Service (SPS) spokeswoman said: 'Decisions by the SPS as to the most appropriate location to accommodate transgender people are made on an individualised basis, informed by a multi-disciplinary assessment of both risk and need.

'Such decisions seek to protect both the wellbeing and rights of the individual as well as the welfare and rights of others around them, including staff, in order to achieve an outcome that balances risks and promotes the safety of all.

'Where there are any concerns about any risks posed by an individual, either to themselves or others, we retain the ability to keep them separate from the mainstream population until an agreed management plan is in place.'

A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Decisions taken by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) on the placement of transgender prisoners are based on protecting both the wellbeing and rights of the individual and those around them, including staff.

'The SPS use comprehensive individualised risk assessments to inform decisions, such as the appropriate location of transgender people in custody, and not the basis of a Gender Recognition Certificate.

'The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill does not change this process in any way.'

The Scottish Government said: 'Decisions taken by the Scottish Prison Service on the placement of transgender prisoners are based on protecting both the wellbeing and rights of the individual and those around them.'

Bryson was found guilty of the two rapes yesterday. The defendant denied the charges, saying in evidence she 'would never hurt another human being'.

Her defence KC Edward Targowski even told High Court in Glasgow: 'If you accept that evidence, that she is transitioning, that she is aiming to continue on that path to becoming female gender, that goes a long way to acquitting her of these charges'.

Scottish Conservative shadow community safety minister Russell Findlay said yesterday: 'This rapist decided that he was no longer a man only after appearing in court on a rape charge.

'We now have the utterly perverse situation where a Scottish court refers to someone who says he identifies as female using 'her penis' to rape two vulnerable women.

'We warned of the inevitability of this happening if the SNP's gender self-ID law passed, but for it to have become reality is deeply worrying and an affront to the victims.'

Isla Bryson, 31, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, arrives at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday. Following a six-day trial at the High Court a jury has found the transgender woman guilty of raping two women before transitioning

The first victim recalled repeatedly stating 'no' as her 'muscular' attacker raped her when the then-man got into bed beside her in 2016. The second woman was raped at a flat when they were planning to watch the film Mean Girls in 2019.

Fury as sex attacker transitions before trial and is sent to a women's prison: Click here to read more Isla Bryson, 31, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, arrives at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday. Following a six-day trial at the High Court a jury has found the transgender woman guilty of raping two women Advertisement

Bryson had first appeared in the dock in July 2019 as Adam Graham. By the start of her six-day trial the defendant was known as Isla Bryson. Bryson is currently taking hormones and seeking surgery to complete gender reassignment.

In December around 60 protesters gathered outside Cornton Vale when trans woman paedophile Katie Dolatowski was sent there. It came amid ongoing controversy over Nicola Sturgeon's Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill (GRR), which would allow anyone anyone over 16 to 'self-identify' as the opposite sex without needing medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

On Monday Rishi Sunak blocked Ms Sturgeon's controversial gender reforms after receiving clear legal advice that they would undermine women's rights in the UK.

The Scottish law would allow people to seek a gender recognition certificate after living in their new gender for just three months, and without the need for medical evidence.

Campaigners warned it could allow biological males to access women-only spaces such as changing rooms, prisons and hostels for battered women, undermining current protections in the Equality Act, which covers England and Wales as well as Scotland.

The gender law was passed by the Scottish parliament last month, with the backing of Labour and the Liberal Democrats as well as the ruling SNP.

Today Isla Bryson appears to be heading to an all-female jail.

Tory MP Miriam Cates told MailOnline: 'It is almost impossible to believe that in a civilised society a man convicted of raping two women can be remanded in a women's prison.'

At the trial, the defendant was known as Isla Bryson with jurors told Adam Graham was now a 'dead name' - one 'a transgender person was given at birth and no longer uses upon transitioning'.

Isla Bryson, was previously known as Adam Graham and born a man. Bryson began transitioning in 2020, aged 29

Bryson told the trial that she has received hormone treatment and is expecting further, adding: 'I obviously want all the surgery that the NHS can provide'.

The defendant had attacked the first victim at a flat in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire having met on the Badoo dating site while known as Adam.

This was immediately after Bryson's marriage to a woman had ended.

In her evidence, Bryson claimed to have effectively used the 30 year-old for somewhere to stay.

But, the victim told how she had been 'head over heels in love' with Adam. However, she soon suffered as Adam went from 'caring' to flying into a rage at trivial matters.

The rape occurred on September 16 2016 after Bryson locked the door and got into bed beside her.

In pre-recorded testimony played to jurors, the victim said: 'I thought Adam had came for a cuddle and - at that moment - everything felt weird and wrong.

'I did not know what was going on.'

The woman recalled repeatedly stating 'no' as a 'muscular' Adam forced himself upon her.

The ordeal only ended when the victim's mum turned on a light in the hall.

The second woman was raped at a flat in Drumchapel, Glasgow on June 27 2019.

Bryson told jurors how she had shared her 'sexuality issues' with the 34-year-old having met on the social media site Bigo.

Bryson was convicted of rape at the High Court in Glasgow (pictured)

The court heard the pair were together at the flat planning to watch the film Mean Girls.

The victim recalled feeling 'crushed' as the attacker she knew as Adam forced himself on her.

She stated: 'I told him to stop and he did not. He kept going. That is when I closed my eyes and let him do what he wanted to do.'

In her own evidence, Bryson often became emotional and refuted the charges.

Bryson said: 'I would never do that. I would never hurt any woman.'

Bryson did admit 'cheating' on the first victim adding: 'She loved me. It kills me because I hurt her like that.'

Regarding sexual contact with the second woman, Bryson told jurors: 'I did not make the first move. I can assure you.'

Bryson's lawyer had also asked about her gender issues. Bryson said she was first aware of this when she was four.

Bryson told jurors: 'I was always hanging about with the girls and always doing make up.'

Bryson said she first made the decision about 'transition' from a man to a woman in 2020 after first appearing to face the rape charge.

Bryson has received hormone treatment and is expecting further. Asked about surgery, the defendant stated: 'I obviously want all the surgery that the NHS can provide.'

After the verdict, prosecutor John Keenan KC said the first rape attack had been reported to the authorities in 2016, but that there were no further 'proceedings at that stage'.

Lord Scott deferred sentencing on Bryson until February 28 in Stirling.

Bryson already had three summary level convictions - not for sexual matters - and has never been jailed before.

But, the judge told her: 'You have been convicted of two extremely serious charges.

'Given what you have been convicted of, a a significant custodial sentence is inevitable.

'I will revoke bail and remand you in custody meantime.'

Bryson had turned up most days with a large suitcase. The media and public had to watch proceedings from a viewing room elsewhere in the court building.

A previous trial was abandoned due to Bryson reporting being unwell after having her photo taken as the defendant arrived at court.

It is understood Bryson will be held in the segregation unit at Cornton Vale women's jail in Stirlingshire.

This is a unit where inmates can be held for their own safety or the safety of other prisoners.

A subsequent move to the general population, alongside other women, is possible pending a risk assessment.

Prisoners can held in segregation for years but it must be kept under regular review to comply with human rights laws.
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan today whinged that authorities are 'trying to steal our cars and money' as they were escorted into Romania's police headquarters.

Tate, 36, who was arrested last month with Tristan on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group to exploit women, claimed he had 'done nothing wrong' as he was led into the Bucharest building.

Both brothers wore handcuffs. Tristan whinged: 'They have no evidence, they're trying to steal my cars, my money, that is why I'm in jail.'

He was followed by Tate, who shouted 'there is no justice in Romania' while insisting there is 'no proof' he exploited girls and forced them to create pornographic content on webcams.

Andrew Tate (pictured, with police officer) and his brother Tristan today whinged that Romanian authorities are 'trying to steal our cars and money' as they were escorted from their prison cell to Romania's police headquarters

Tristan, wearing handcuffs as he was taken into the building by a police officer, whinged: 'They have no evidence, they're trying to steam my cars, my money, that is why I'm in jail'

The grandstanding came after Tate moaned about the conditions of his cell, claiming it is crawling with 'cockroaches, lice and bed bugs' and 'has no light'.

A Romanian court ruled last week the brothers will stay in jail until February 27 after prosecutors requested another 30-day extension on their arrest.

Tate and Tristan, both in black clothes, were today escorted from a police van into the Romanian directorate for investigating organised crime and terrorism building.

The former professional kickboxer turned to reporters waiting outside the building and insisted: 'They know we have done nothing wrong. The case file is empty.'

'Of course it's unjust, there's no justice in Romania unfortunately,' he added as he was escorted into the headquarters.

When asked 'did you hurt any girls', the controversial influencer did not turn around as he replied: 'Of course not.'

He is accused of recruiting scores of woman and holding them under house arrest 'like prisoners' while forcing them to create online pornographic content on webcams.

The brothers' alleged sex trafficking victims claimed they would call them 'slaves' and duped them into becoming webcam porn workers with promises of marriage.

A handcuffed Tate (pictured) shouted 'there is no justice in Romania' while insisting there is 'no proof' he exploited girls and forced them to create pornographic content on webcams

Today, Tate (pictured) and Tristan, both wearing black clothes, were escorted from a police van into the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism building

Police officers escort Tristan Tate outside Romania's organised crime investigation HQ in Bucharest, where prosecutors examined confiscated electronic equipment on Wednesday

Tate, who was raised in Luton, Bedfordshire, sent a moaning message to followers of his website with the title: 'My first email from imprisonment.'

He said he would continue to send rambling emails, which the self-proclaimed misogynist called his 'daily lessons from unjust imprisonment'.

Tate added: 'They are trying to break me. Thrown inside a cell without light.

'Cockroaches, lice, and bed bugs are my only friends at night.

'When the guards bring me to and from the courtroom, I stay absolutely respectful. They try to pour hatred into my heart.'

He also mentions the prison guards on multiple occasions, claiming they 'know I am innocent' and 'are just performing their job' as 'they have families to feed'.

His Twitter feed has continued to post, although it is unclear if tweets are from him or one of his representatives.

And he recently said on the site that he is now allowed to receive mail and encouraged his followers to write to him.

Tate has also continued whining on Twitter, with one post reading: 'In the darkened silence of solitary confinement there is almost no noise. Pray for me, I can hear you.'

He also claimed: 'Every generation's great revolutionaries suffer from unfair imprisonment.'

Andrew Tate sent an email to his subscribers where he complained about conditions in the prison

Tate is accused of recruiting scores of women and holding them under house arrest while forcing them to create online pornographic content. Pictured: Tate on a private jet in an image posted to his social media

Tate - with his younger brother Tristan, and two Romanian women, Luana Radu and Georgiana Naghel - was arrested last month and remanded in custody for 30 days. They deny any wrongdoing.

He is accused of recruiting scores of women and forcing them to create online pornographic content on webcams.

Romanian prosecutors allege Tate recruited them on social media platforms and then lured them to his compound in Bucharest by falsely professing his love and intention to marry them.

Romania authorities seized 15 luxury cars from Tate's villa on the outskirts of the capital, as well as 14 designer watches, and cash worth an estimated 3.6million euros (3.17million).

The British-US citizen currently has 4.7million followers on Twitter, having previously been banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech.

Tate was furious over the decision to extend his detainment to February 27, and told his lawyers that he is 'being arrested for a crime of opinion'.

Constantin Ioan Gliga, one of the defence lawyers, told Romanian news outlet Gandul: 'We continue to maintain that practically at this moment the Tate brothers are being arrested for a crime of opinion, for what they said, at some point, in the online environment and not for what they actually did in their private lives.'

Gliga added that the decision was 'unjustified and totally exaggerated'.

The judge's ruling came after all four - Tate, Tristan, Radu and Naghel - lost an appeal earlier this month at a Bucharest court, which upheld a judge's move on December 30 to follow an earlier decision to extend their arrest from 24 hours to 30 days.
Colleagues paid tribute to an Ohio architect who was found dead with his fiancee and her two relatives in Mexico after going missing on Christmas Day.

Mexican authorities found four 'charred' bodies on Thursday last week in an SUV covered with bullet holes near El Cuidado, Zacatecas, local reports said.

Officials confirmed one of the bodies as belonging to architect Jose Gutierrez, 36, from Hamilton, Ohio. Investigators had to wait for DNA confirmation before identifying the remains after the body was found in a state of 'skeletal reduction'.

Officials previously identified three of the bodies as Gutierrez's fiancee Daniela Marquez, 31, her sister Viviana Marquez, 26, and the women's cousin, Irma Vargas, 27.

Ohio architect Jose Gutierrez, 36, and his fiancee Daniela Marquez, 31, were confirmed dead after going missing on Christmas day

Jose Gutierrez (pictured) was in Mexico visiting his fiancee Daniela Marquez over the holiday season

Champlin Architecture said they would create a scholarship in Gutierrez's honor

Why Mexican state of Zacatecas is on the do not travel to list The US Department of State has warned residents not to travel to Zacatecas due to crime and kidnappings. 'Violent crime, extortion, and gang activity are widespread in Zacatecas state. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping,' the advice says. Across Mexico, at least 666 kidnappings were reported from January to November 2022, in comparison with 625 in 2021. In 2020, there were 1,047 abductions registered, and 1,629 in 2019. Advertisement

Jose's Cincinnati employer Champlin Architecture confirmed his death in a post to their Facebook page.

'It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we inform you of the death of our colleague and friend, Jose Gutierrez, who died tragically while visiting his fiancee, Daniela Pichardo, in Mexico during the holidays.

'His work bettered the lives of those in the community he chose to make his home,' they added.

Ohio-based Champlin Architecture also said they would create a scholarship in his honor.

'We will all miss him more than words can express. Champlin Architecture will be creating a scholarship in his name at Miami University, in order to honor his impact to our firm and the community. We will share details once this has been established.'

Jose Gutierrez was in Mexico visiting his fiancee Daniela Marquez over the holiday season. The two were expecting to get married this year and Jose would often fly down to see Daniela.

On Christmas day, the couple and Daniela's sister and cousin visited a local bar in Jerez de Garcia, Zacatecas, central Mexico.

Daniela's mother Rosa Pichardo told TV Azteca she had spoken to her at around 10pm that evening, before the group was set to return to their home in Colotlan.

The concerned mother then received an alert on her cellphone around an hour-and-a-half later when Daniela shared her location with Rosa's phone. The alert said they were in Vivoras, a neighborhood in the Zacatecas town of Tepetongo.

On Christmas day, the four visited a local bar in Jerez de Garcia, Zacatecas, central Mexico

Viviana Marquez, 26, is among the four people who were reportedly abducted in Mexico and confirmed dead last Thursday

Irma Vargas was reportedly kidnapped with her two cousins and of her cousin's fiancee

After not hearing from them after Christmas day, the family feared they had been kidnapped.

Daniela's mother Rosa Pichardo told TV Azteca that patrons of a local bar reported screaming. 'There were those who saw they were kidnapping them,' she said. 'There was a lot of panic, screams, but they didn't get them out and they took the vehicle.'

'They took the girls, my daughter's fiancee, Daniela. They took off, they went to Vivoras.'

The family filed a police report with Hamilton police, the city in Ohio where Jose lived. They also said they reached out to the FBI for help.

Mexican officials later confirmed they were looking for the group.

The car that the engaged couple was using was then found last Thursday in Vivoras, which borders the state of Jalisco. It was covered in bullet holes.

At least 666 kidnappings were reported from January to November 2022 in Mexico, in comparison with 625 in 2021.

There were 1,047 abductions registered in 2020, and 1,629 in 2019.

The US State Department warned residents to stay away from traveling to Zacatecas due to local crime and kidnappings.
Many families trying to make back money by switching their power off at peak times say they have been left underwhelmed by the scheme  with one woman claiming she earned just 41 pence.

The National Grid said the great British switch-off  called the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS)  could become a feature of everyday life.

Another voluntary outage took place between 4.30pm and 6pm last night but did not impress some participants.

Peter Noyce told MailOnline he was disappointed with the savings he accrued on the Octopus energy scheme.

One of the participants in the energy saving scheme showed how they avoided using power

A smart meter showing weekly budget exceeded as the cost of living crisis grips the country

Antonio De Vecchi was delighted with his saving and went online to praise the initiative

But another social media user Michelle said her endeavours had fetched a paltry 41p off

He said: I have looked at my account for the other sessions and it appears I have been awarded a grand total of 73 pence over four periods.

'It hardly seems worth the effort. Not sure I will bother again.'

And another user called Michelle added: 'Its pointless if the hour was a time you dont use much anyway I had everything off and got a massive 0.41p.

'Delayed shower cooking and making a brew  surely you get a surge at the end of the hour.'

One user posted their dinner table lit just by candles as they tried to save money through the scheme

One lady used a log burner to keep warm as she tried to save gas and electricity for the scheme

Octopus admitted if she was already a low user during that time the savings would not be massive.

But others were more positive about their cost cutting, with one called Antonio De Vecchi revealing a 2.75 discount.

He was thrilled, adding: 'Yeah it works! Getting money back for saving energy has its rewards. We will do it again.'

It came as it emerged one million households who took part earned average rewards of less than 2.50.

Large numbers will collect as little as 1.25 each for their sacrifice of turning off washing machines, dishwashers, ovens, TVs and even the lights.

On average households cut their electricity use by some 60 per cent for one hour on Monday evening, which was ahead of expectations.

This huge reduction meant that there was no risk of blackouts, while the need to use expensive coal and gas-fired power stations was reduced.

Octopus Energy has been in the vanguard of the new regime, which pays customers to cut their electricity use when margins between demand and supply are tight.

More than 400,000 of its customers took part in the scheme on Monday between 5pm and 6pm.

The National Grid is encouraging homeowners to take part in the scheme in a bid to avoid potential sudden blackouts  above is how much they could save by not using different appliances. Experts have suggested its customers could recoup as much as 240 this winter if there are 12 Demand Flexibility Service events called by the National Grid

Rising energy tariffs and the cold weather has seen many households resorting to desperate measures to make savings and one million homes and businesses have rushed to sign up to a scheme that pays them to turn off washing machines, ovens, dishwashers and the lights.

Demand to take part has been so high that some energy companies are turning people away as trial schemes are full.

The measures are designed to save energy without resorting to drastic actions such as black outs.

In general, participants in the DFS scheme are asked to cut their energy by 30 per cent compared to normal peak usage in return for a cash reward.

During trials, most have made a very modest cash saving of around 4, however the top 5 per cent of normally heavy users have been able to save over 20.

Octopus has increased the cash reward for its customers by 50 per cent to 3.37 per kWh of energy saved against targets. As a result, they would typically save around 5.50 and potentially as much as 30.

One lucky participant will win a 500 bonus towards their bills in a customer lottery.

It is understood a record figure  400,000-500,000  of its customers took part last night and will do so again today.

A spokesman said: If you live in a large multiple person household and normally use a lot of energy at 5pm, turning down your white goods, and turning off your oven, your microwave or TV, is probably going to save you quite a lot of money.

We are not encouraging people to sit in the dark and live by candlelight.

Phil Hewitt, director at the energy consultancy EnAppSys, said energy margins between supply and demand are currently tighter because of outages at gas and nuclear power stations.

He said offering people money to cut energy use is cheaper for the National Grid than asking an electricity company to fire up a mothballed power station.

National Grid warned in October that homes could face three-hour rolling power cuts this winter if the country is unable to secure enough gas and electricity imports. It launched the DFS as part of its tool box to help prevent cuts.

The Grid said people should not worry and insisted the implementation of the scheme does not mean electricity supplies are at risk.

The National Grid ESOs head of national control, Craig Dyke, said the DSF has been ordered to ensure that everyone gets the electricity they need.

He refused to rule out using the world-leading scheme every winter, saying it will drive forward towards net zero.

Asked if it could become a feature of British life each winter, Mr Dyke told the BBC: Its something we strongly believe in. This is the start of something much, much bigger.
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Ukraine could win its war against Russia this year but may not be able to do so due to Western military support being 'too little and too late', a military expert said today.

JUSTIN BRONK, a research fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute, has analysed the latest situation in an article for MailOnline today as Ukraine prepares for a crucial spring and summer offensive.

It comes as Germany finally agreed to supply Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 tanks after stalling on the decision for months. An announcement from the US is expected later today.

Mr Bronk said being able to operate new armoured vehicles by early spring could allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's forces to 'achieve decisive breakthroughs' against Russia without suffering 'crippling infantry losses'.

The expert said Ukraine has a chance to win the war in 2023 but 'if it cannot seize it due to Western support arriving too little, too late' then 'the chance may not come again'.

JUSTIN BRONK, a research fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute, has analysed the latest situation in an article for MailOnline today as Ukraine prepares for a crucial spring and summer offensive

After almost two months of brutal but more geographically limited battles in Ukraine, both sides appear to be massing forces for new offensives.

Russian forces have lost many thousands of dead and wounded in repeated attacks against the towns of Soledar and Bakhmut.

They have used heavy artillery and infantry assaults to force slow, extremely costly advances across shell-pocked muddy trench lines which in many ways resemble the First World War.

But Ukraine has also suffered heavy losses defending these areas of the Donbas, but nevertheless one of the key elements of both sides' strategies has been to try and limit how many forces they commit.

Ukraine ended 2022 with two resoundingly successful counter-offensives, in the north and south. In the north, Kharkiv Oblast was liberated along with towns of Kupiansk, Izyum and Lyman.

Meanwhile in the south, the bulk of the Kherson region was liberated including its capital, as the Russian army was ground down and ultimately forced to withdraw from the Western bank of the Dnipro river.

But the effort cost heavy casualties, especially in Ukraine's elite brigades capable of mobile offensive operations at scale.

Likewise, Russian casualties have been extremely heavy, with recent Norwegian intelligence estimates suggesting that around 180,000 Russian troops have been killed, badly wounded or captured since the start of the invasion.

Mr Bronk believes Ukraine could defeat Russia this year but Western support would be vital. Pictured: A Ukrainian artillery crew fires towards Russian positions near the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk region yesterday

Smoke rises after shelling in the town of Soledar, the site of heavy battles with Russian forces in the Donetsk region, Ukraine

Therefore, both sides have tried to disrupt each other's attempts to rebuild their forces with fresh recruits and new equipment this winter, in a bid to regain the initiative first in spring.

Russia mobilised around 300,000 fresh recruits from late September, with about half being sent immediately to Ukraine to stabilise the front lines that had been so successfully rolled back.

Those troops who were sent in rapidly had very little opportunity for training and often very poor equipment, so have suffered appalling casualties in winter battles and have poor morale.

However, the other roughly 150,000 have been training since September and been receiving tanks, artillery and armoured vehicles to form fresh units.

These will likely be used to conduct a new Russian offensive push in February, with a more ambitious goal than the grinding fighting around Bakhmut and Soledar in recent months.

They will not have had time to become good soldiers or professional units, but will be far more capable than the fresh conscripts thrown into the lines before Christmas.

Furthermore, Russia is preparing to begin another wave of mobilisation, reportedly aiming to generate up to 500,000 additional recruits for generating more units.

Russia's military industry is also belatedly being put on to a war footing in response to a serious current shortage of ammunition of all types at the front.

Since Russian president Vladimir Putin did not plan for a long war, his country's industry was not mobilised to meet the sudden demand until it was clear that things had gone very wrong in Ukraine.

A woman walks in front of a damaged house in Bakhmut - a town that has been a focus of vicious fighting

Justin Bronk said being able to operate its new armoured vehicles by early spring could allow President Zelensky's (right) forces to 'achieve decisive breakthroughs. Putin is pictured on the left

The result has been an increasing lack of modern equipment and even artillery ammunition for Russian units at the front and those being trained to form new units.

Now factories are being concentrated on building large quantities of fewer types of ammunition, vehicles and weapons, which over time is likely to result in significantly improved quantities reaching Russian troops.

Ukraine mobilised around 700,000 people when it was invaded in February last year, and has also spent the winter training and equipping as many as it can to be reinforcements for depleted units and to form fresh ones.

However, equipment is a key bottleneck, since much of Ukraine's defence industry and economy has been badly damaged by Russian missile strikes.

Western partners have provided vital aid on a huge scale to supply Ukraine's heroic defensive struggle, with anti-tank missiles, air defence systems, artillery ammunition and the HIMARS rocket artillery system being among the most important deliveries so far.

But what they need now is heavy equipment to take back as much of their stolen territory as possible while Russia is in a weak position.

The Kremlin's anticipated offensive in February will fail to defeat Ukraine and likely suffer further terrible casualties as relatively poorly trained units attempt to storm Ukrainian lines that have been fortified over the winter.

A German Leopard 2 tank at a German army demonstration event. A total of 14 will now be sent to Ukraine

America is expected to supply M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. Mr Bronk says having modern tanks will be vital for Ukraine

The decisive question is how successful Ukraine's own counter-offensive in spring and summer will be.

What Ukrainian troops need are hundreds of armoured vehicles - with firepower that can protect them from artillery as they cross muddy battlefields to assault Russian positions - and main battle tanks and mobile artillery systems to provide the fire support and anti-tank punch.

If enough units can be trained, supplied and supported to operate vehicles such as the American M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and German Leopard 2 main battle tank by early spring, then they may be able to achieve decisive breakthroughs without suffering crippling infantry losses in the process.

This should be the West's goal  to help Ukrainian forces take back as much of their territory as possible before Russia's next wave of conscripts and renewed military industrial production starts to change the balance of forces in the Autumn.

If Ukraine is not supplied with the heavy equipment and supporting fuel, maintenance, assault bridging and engineering vehicles to use it effectively at scale by spring, Russia may yet be able to force a grinding stalemate that will go on well into 2024.

Ukraine has a chance to win the war in 2023, but if it cannot seize it due to Western support arriving too little, too late then the chance may not come again.

For the West too, a stalemate that drags on into next year and potentially beyond will be far more expensive and destabilising in the long run than supplying Ukraine with what it needs to win now.
Pope Francis has declared homosexuality a 'sin' but not a 'crime' as he branded laws which criminalise gay people 'unjust'.

The pontiff has made some steps to modernise the Catholic Church's policy towards homosexuality but has fallen short of condoning it or allowing same-sex marriage.

In an interview on Tuesday, the 86-year-old said God loves his children just as they are and called on bishops supporting the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.

He told the Associated Press: 'Being homosexual isn't a crime.'

Pope Francis has declared homosexuality a 'sin' but not a 'crime' as he branded laws which criminalise gay people 'unjust' (pictured today in his weekly audience)

He acknowledged Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws criminalising homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community - and referred to the issue in terms of 'sin'.

But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds and said bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognise the dignity of everyone.

'These bishops have to have a process of conversion,' he said, adding that they should apply 'tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us'.

Some 67 countries or jurisdictions worldwide criminalise consensual same-sex sexual activity, 11 of which can or do impose the death penalty, according to The Human Dignity Trust, which works to end such laws.

Experts say even where the laws are not enforced, they contribute to harassment, stigmatisation and violence against LGBTQ people.

In the US, more than a dozen states still have anti-sodomy laws on the books despite a 2003 Supreme Court ruling declaring them unconstitutional.

Gay rights advocates say the antiquated laws are used to harass homosexuals, and point to new legislation, such as the so-called 'don't say gay' law in Florida, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from nurseries through to school year four, as evidence of continued efforts to marginalise LGBTQ people.

The pontiff has made some steps to modernise the Catholic Church's policy towards homosexuality but has fallen short of condoning it or allowing same-sex marriage

The United Nations (UN) has repeatedly called for an end to laws criminalising homosexuality outright, saying they violate rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination and are a breach of countries' obligations under international law to protect the human rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Declaring such laws 'unjust', Francis said the Catholic Church can and should work to put an end to them.

'It must do this. It must do this,' he said.

Francis quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church in saying gays must be welcomed and respected and should not be marginalised or discriminated against.

'We are all children of God and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity,' Francis said, speaking from the Vatican hotel where he lives.

Such laws are common in Africa and the Middle East and date from British colonial times or are inspired by Islamic law.

Some Catholic bishops have strongly upheld them as consistent with Vatican teaching that considers homosexual activity 'intrinsically disordered', while others have called for them to be overturned as a violation of basic human dignity.

In 2019, Francis had been expected to issue a statement opposing criminalisation of homosexuality during a meeting with human rights groups that conducted research into the effects of such laws and so-called 'conversion therapies'.

A gay rights organisation waves a rainbow flag during a protest outside the Vatican

In the end, the pope did not meet with the groups, which instead met with the Vatican number two, who reaffirmed 'the dignity of every human person and against every form of violence'.

On Tuesday, Francis said there needs to be a distinction between a crime and a sin with regard to homosexuality.

'Being homosexual is not a crime,' he said.

'It's not a crime. Yes, but it's a sin. Fine, but first let's distinguish between a sin and a crime.'

'It's also a sin to lack charity with one another,' he added.

Catholic teaching holds that while gay people must be treated with respect, homosexual acts are 'intrinsically disordered'.

Francis has not changed that teaching but he has made reaching out to the LGBTQ community a hallmark of his papacy.

Starting with his famous 2013 declaration, 'Who am I to judge?' when asked about a purportedly gay priest, Francis has gone on to minister repeatedly and publicly to the gay and trans community.

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he favoured granting legal protections to same-sex couples as an alternative to endorsing gay marriage, which Catholic doctrine forbids.

Despite such outreach, Francis was criticised by the Catholic LGBTQ community for a 2021 decree from the Vatican's doctrine office that the church cannot bless same-sex unions 'because God cannot bless sin'.

The Vatican in 2008 declined to sign onto a UN declaration that called for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, complaining the text went beyond the original scope and also included language about 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity' it found problematic.

In a statement at the time, the Vatican urged countries to avoid 'unjust discrimination' against gay people and end penalties against them.
A mother wrote a note saying 'I am a bad person' before she stabbed her five-year-old son to death and then took her own life.

The bodies of Yi Chen and her son Xingduan Yuan were discovered by her husband at their London home after he returned from taking their other son to school.

In the run up to the murder-suicide Chen, 37, had been seeking psychiatric support for depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, migraines and insomnia from NHS and private practitioners.

On June 21 last year, husband Shuai Yuan drove back to their 800,000 Barnet home via the pharmacist to pick up medication for his wife - he had been under the impression her condition had been improving.

Upon his return he found their bedroom door was locked and heard no response from his wife or son, panicked he called the police and forced his way in.

Yi Chen, 37, left a suicide note saying that she had taken her son Xingduan with her and said 'I am a bad person'

Husband Shuai Yuan discovered the bodies at their 800,000 Barnet home after dropping off their other son at school

On June 14, less than week before, she had a zoom meeting with a psychiatrist attended by her husband but was not seen in person by him.

Her husband Yuan updated the psychiatrist and they had agreed a management plan.

Mr Yuan told North London Coroner's Court via video link he was under the impression his wife's condition was improving but in hindsight realised she had been hiding what was happening.

He said previously she had been open with GPs, psychologists and a private psychiatrist about her suicidal thoughts.

He added: 'From what I saw, I believed she was getting better but now I realise she was getting worse and chose to hide it from me.'

Senior coroner Andrew Walker recounted father's version of events that day.

Forensic experts were called to the house while police cordoned off a section of the road and carried out patrols

He said: 'You woke up to an alarm on your phone at 7.20am and when you woke up you had a message from your wife at 7.50am saying that she did not want Xuan to go to school.

'You went to take your other son and then came back at 11.20 having dropped him off. Then you realised your son hadn't taken his tie to school.

'At 11.50 you took the tie to the reception area at school.

'Then you went to the pharmacist where you picked up medication for your wife. Around 1300 hours you knocked on the door of the bedroom which you found locked.

'You broke the door using a hammer to gain entry and then you found your wife and Xing Duan Yuan on the bed. You then called emergency services.'

Mr Yuan corrected the statement and said he called the police before he broke into the door.

DS Martin Slatterly, from Hendon Serious Crime Unit, provided a statement read out by the coroner.

He said police received a 999 call to the home on Brookside South: 'The caller said that his wife had killed herself and her son in the room and their throats had been cut and they were cold to touch.

'Mr Yuan was understandably incredibly distressed.'

The coroner ruled Xingduan died by unlawful killing and Mrs Chen by suicide

Forensic officers at the scene in Brookside South, Barnet, north London, after a 37-year-old woman and five-year-old child were found fatally stabbed

The officer explained the found a 'fist-sized hole' by the door used to unlock it from the outside.

A bloody knife and a note in Mandarin was discovered at the scene.

The note include a statement: 'I am not afraid of death, I want to end the physical and mental pain I am suffering, I have taken Xingduan with me. I am a bad person.'

The coroner ruled Xingduan died by unlawful killing and Mrs Chen by suicide.

He said: 'On the 21 June 2022 Yi Chen inflicted on her son and herself a fatal injuries using a knife.

'Xingduan was found on the cot bed having suffered a fatal injury to his neck bluntly caused by his mother who was suffering from a depressive illness.'

'Mrs Chen was suffering with depressive illness at the time of the incident and that mental illness would seemed to have grown worse in the period before her death.'

Both of the deceased were physically healthy at the time, and there were no drugs or alcohol involved.

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here  day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
A hard-left 'vaccine-sceptic' who quit as an adviser to Sadiq Khan's diversity workforce following accusations of anti-Semitism has failed in a bid to sue the Mayor's office for discrimination.

Dr Toyin Agbetu, 55, who once compared Britons to Nazis and confronted the late Queen during a ceremony at Westminster Abbey, was appointed to sit on the Mayor's Diversity Commission in 2021.

But his appointment to the anti-racism taskforce - dedicated to overseeing landmarks in London such as statues - raised eyebrows after anti-Semitic remarks he had made regarding the Holocaust emerged.

Dr Agbetu also previously attracted controversy after he publicly disparaged the Pfizer Covid jab when health chiefs were trying to boost the uptake among ethnic minorities - sarcastically calling it a 'magical vaccine from Viagra specialists'.

Dr Toyin Agbetu, who once compared Britons to Nazis and confronted the late Queen during a ceremony at Westminster Abbey

Sadiq Khan issued a statement saying he was taking the allegations of racism extremely seriously prior to Dr Agbetu stepping down

When the Commission for Diversity became aware of the backlash over his appointment, Dr Agbetu resigned, and Mayor Khan issued a statement saying he takes allegations of racism extremely seriously.

Dr Agbetu has admitted he jumped before being pushed, before accusing critics of 'Afriphobia' and conspiring with Priti Patel's Home Office to discredit him and damage the BLM movement because they wanted dozens of monuments across Britain toppled.

Following a failed bid at the High Court for a judicial review, Dr Agbetu tried to sue Greater London Authority (GLA) at an employment tribunal.

The social rights activist brought claims of unfair dismissal and race discrimination, but lost both after the tribunal ruled he was not technically employed by the GLA.

Dr Agbetu, who founded Pan-African group Ligali in 2000, first made headlines in 2007 when he confronted the Queen at a ceremony to mark the 200th anniversary of abolition of slavery.

He demanded an apology from the late monarch and Government for its role in the slave trade, adding that it is an insult to Africans, before he had to be escorted from Westminster Abbey.

A Jewish News investigation also found he claimed victims of the Holocaust were 'served well by Nazi hunters' compared to African victims of the slave trade.

He reportedly claimed online that there was an 'immoral hierarchy of suffering' which victims and survivors of the Holocaust benefit from but black people do not.

Dr Agbetu also once accused Labour MP Diane Abbott of being 'disloyal to her own community' and called Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy a 'poor example of Africans'.

Toyin Agbetu (pictured when he stormed to the front of Westminster Abbey during a service attended by the Queen in 2007), 53, where he yelled at the monarch

He demanded an apology from the late monarch and Government for its role in the slave trade during the event

His employment tribunal in Croydon, south London, heard he first had ties with the GLA in 2019, when he acted as an adviser for its slave trade abolition event for two consecutive years.

In January 2021, he was subsequently invited to form part of Mr Khan's Commission for Diversity.

A tribunal report said: 'The aim of the Commission is to increase diversity across Londons public realm and ensure that the landmarks across the city reflect its diversity and achievements, focusing on increasing representation among Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, women, the LGBTQ+ community and disability groups.'

His appointment as one of the Commission's 15 members was announced in February 2021, but quickly attracted criticism.

The report added: 'The announcement of his appointment was picked up by the media and politicians, some of whom questioned the appropriateness of his appointment and the robustness of London Greater Authoritys vetting process.

'That was because of his prior public comments on various topics. The media coverage included an allegation... that he had made anti-Semitic remarks in the past.'

Dr Agbetu accused Diane Abbott of being 'disloyal to her own community' in an online blog post

Dr Agbetu also called Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy (pictured) a 'poor example of Africans'

He told the Commission 'he was not a racist, anti-Semite or holocaust denier as was being alleged', it was heard.

But just days later, on February 24, he quit the role.

Announcing his resignation, he wrote: 'I voluntarily decided to step back from the post before being asked, to help reduce the attacks on the important work of the commission, but I have no intention of letting such outrageous lies stand against me.'

Meanwhile, the Commission said: 'Toyin Agbetu has today resigned from the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm and the Mayor believes this is the right course of action.'

Mr Khan added: 'I have a zero-tolerance policy towards racism and prejudice in any form, and all allegations of this nature are taken extremely seriously. Toyin Agbetu has resigned from the Commission.'

In a post alongside the video he labelled the Pfizer coronavirus jab a 'magical vaccine from the Viagra specialists'

Shaun Bailey published an open letter in which he accused Mr Agbetu of spreading 'deeply dangerous information'

Dr Agbetu represented himself at the tribunal, claiming he had been discriminated against on grounds of race and unfairly dismissed.

But Employment Judge Paul Klimov dismissed his case.

he said: 'There was simply no contract of any kind between Dr Agbetu and Greater London Authority.

'Just because a person is expected to abide by certain rules of conduct does not by itself give raise to contractual relations.

'There are thousands of similar informal common interest groups, pressure groups, associations and clubs operating across the country, from political debating societies and environmental pressure groups to neighbourhood watch groups and book clubs.

'To suggest that members of such informal groups are "workers" and the organiser is their "employer" is nonsensical.'

Judge Klimov went on to say Dr Agbetus case failed as he was not an employee.
A mother broke down while giving pleading for information about her son's 'savage murder', as police search for a car with personalised 'Rita Ora' plates.

Father-of-two Liam Smith was found dead at the bottom of his driveway in Shevington, Wigan, on November 24, after being fatally shot and subjected to an acid attack.

Michael Hillier, 38, appeared at Tameside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday charged with his murder.

Greater Manchester Police are continuing to appeal for information on the incident and released images of a Mitsubishi Shogun Elegance car seen close to Mr Smith's home before his death.

Liam Smith's mum Julia made a heartfelt plea for more information at a press conference

Liam Smith (pictured) was found at the bottom of his driveway on Kilburn Drive in Shevington, Wigan, at about 7pm on Thursday November 24

Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand said the Mitsubishi car with 'Rita Ora' number plates had clear linear damage to the near rear side behind the rear wheel arch and a lens missing on the front offside fog light

Mr Smith's father Phil said: 'Liam's savage murder at his home address has sent complete shock waves of grief and despair amongst everyone who knew and loved him.

'Two young boys will now have to spend the rest of their lives without their adoring father, and the rest of our family will be forever haunted by this senseless act.'

Mr Smith senior said had 'absolutely no idea whatsoever' why his son was killed.

He said: 'We are therefore sending out a heartfelt plea to anyone with any information to please, please contact the police.

'This can be done anonymously.

'Anyone withholding information about what has happened, have clearly not witnessed the devastation such a heinous crime has on a family like it has done with mine.'

Images were released by police of a Mitsubishi Shogun Elegance car seen close to Mr Smith's home before his death

Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand said the Mitsubishi car, known to have at least two different registration plates, was seen near Mr Smith's home on November 2 and on November 24 for 10 hours.

She said the car, which used false registration numbers EJ57UPE and R22 ORA, had clear linear damage to the near rear side behind the rear wheel arch and a lens missing on the front offside fog light.

She said: 'We need any information on the whereabouts of this vehicle, which has still not been found.

'Who it was bought from and whether it has been sold recently and also whether it has been in a garage for any repairs, or recently scrapped.

'This may hold the missing information that we need to find answers for Liam's family.'

Hillier, of Ecclesall Road in Sheffield, appeared at Tameside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody to appear at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday.
This is the moment Britain's fastest police officer chased down a van and three suspected car thieves.

PC Luke Watson, of Essex Police, has developed a reputation on the force for making impressive busts, event taking multiple people into custody at the same time.

The cop, who has never been outrun during his six years as an officer, has a 100 per cent success rate when it comes to footraces against suspects.

His proud bosses at Essex Police have released a video of his exploits showing him in action, including him chasing after moving vehicles and ploughing through fences to arrest suspects.

PC Luke Watson (pictured) is so speedy he has never lost a footrace against a suspect during his six years at Essex Police

In one incident in Waltham Abbey PC Watson chased down a van which tried to flee from police on foot after it became too risky for cars to follow between rows of traffic.

In the footage he's seen smashing the driver's window open with a baton before it drives off.

The Essex cop yells, 'stop the car' as he sprints after the vehicle, before apprehending the driver and passenger after the van crashes into another vehicle.

The van was linked to a series of thefts and was full of stolen goods.

PC Watson said: 'The way it was driving was so dangerous we couldn't go after it, so I got out and ran.

'In hindsight I was so close between the moving cars but I thought I just had to stop it.'

The female passenger was holding a Stanley knife but was quickly overpowered by Watson.

The pair were later found guilty of theft, possession of a bladed article and a class A drug.

In another incident Watson singlehandedly chased down three young men in one race.

Video shows the officer chasing down a police van on foot after it tried to get away from police

Another shows him scaling vehicles and jumping through a fence to catch one fleeing suspect

When Watson's police car was spotted after arriving at the industrial site, the three suspects tried to run.

Watson said: 'I ran up the bonnet of the car, jumped over the fence and arrested one of them. I put him in handcuffs and I can see the other two in the distance.

'I know it's just a straight road up to another industrial estate, so I thought I'd go for it - how far could they get?

'I jumped a couple of fences and catch up with the first one and arrest him.

'The other one tries to lay low in the back of the car so I drag him out and then I've got the two of them like naughty school kids.

'I've got no handcuffs and I have to get more units down to deal with them and go and find the car.'

He arrested them at the site of a stolen BMW, where multiple other car parts were also found.

In another incident he chased down three young men (two pictured above) after they tried to run away on seeing his police car

He took all three men into custody at the same time singlehandedly and actually ran out of handcuffs

When he's not getting enough exercise at work Watson plays for Brentwood Rugby Club, Essex, as a winger to keep fit.

But he said his first love is his work: 'I really enjoy my job. We've got a good team and it's great to get out and talk to people.

'We have a good understanding of the area and we deal with the problems that matter to the community. People like seeing police officers.

'Anti-social behaviour is an issue that always comes up and I find that it often comes with other problems.

'If people are making noise on the streets late at night or in alleyways, this might be drugs related.

'If people are hanging around on driveways, they might be involved in vehicle inference or theft.'
The Kremlin expressed alarm today that the 'Doomsday Clock' had edged closer to midnight than ever, even though the scientists who moved the symbolic dial cited Moscow's own 'thinly veiled threats' to use nuclear weapons.

The 'Doomsday Clock,' created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to illustrate how close humanity has come to the end of the world, on Tuesday moved its 'time' in 2023 to 90 seconds to midnight, 10 seconds closer than it has been for the past three years.

Midnight on this clock marks the theoretical point of annihilation. The clock's hands are moved closer to or further away from midnight based on scientists' reading of existential threats at a particular time.

'The situation as a whole is really alarming,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, calling for a sober appraisal of the tensions between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has its Doomsday Clock set at 90 seconds to midnight, a situation described as 'alarming' by the Kremlin

The clock was first unveiled in 1947 (pictured). The clock was originally set to seven minutes to midnight because Langsdorf said, 'it looked good to my eye'

READ MORE: DOOMSDAY CLOCK SITS 90 SECONDS BEFORE MIDNIGHT DUE TO UKRAINE WAR The Doomsday Clock Advertisement

He said there was no prospect of any detente, based on 'the line that was chosen by NATO under U.S. leadership'.

'This imposes on us a duty to be particularly careful, to be alert and to take appropriate measures,' he added.

On Tuesday, the Bulletin's president cited repeated warnings by President Vladimir Putin and other Russian politicians that Moscow might be prepared to use nuclear weapons as a key factor in the decision to advance the dial of the 'Doomsday Clock'.

'Russia's thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that escalation of the conflict by accident, intention or miscalculation is a terrible risk,' Rachel Bronson told a news conference in Washington.

Every January for the past 75 years, scientists have been keeping track of how likely the annihilation of humankind is.

Tomorrow, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will reveal humanity's fate once again, deciding whether the Doomsday Clock needs to be moved closer to, or further away from midnight.

The clock is currently set at 100 seconds to midnight, where it has been for the last three years.

For 2023, the Bulletin said it would take into account the Russia-Ukraine war, bio-threats, proliferation of nuclear weapons, the continued climate crisis, state-sponsored disinformation campaigns and disruptive technologies

But following a year of environmental disasters, Vladmir Putin's ongoing war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 virus still causing issues, the clock could be set to inch closer to midnight. .

What is the Doomsday Clock?

The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947 to warn humanity of the dangers of nuclear weapons.

Ever since, it has warned the public about how close we are to destroying our world with technology of our own making.

It serves as a metaphor to remind humankind of issues, such as climate change, Covid-19 and nuclear warfare, that need to be addressed.

Who created the Doomsday Clock?

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, which provides academic journals on science and global security issues, created the clock.

Artist Martyl Langsdorf was commissioned by co-editor Hyman Goldsmith to come up with a design for the June 1947 cover, that would 'frighten men into rationality', according to Eugene Rabinowitch, the first editor of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, who died in 1973.

Only hours in the last quarter before midnight are shown on the clock's face to reflect the urgency of impending catastrophes.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said on its website that Langsdorf initially considered using the symbol for uranium instead of the clock to issue a warning.

But after listening to scientists who had worked on creating the bomb, she sensed their need for urgency, so the clock was drawn to reflect that humanity did not have much time left under nuclear weapons.

It is unlikely that the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists would not mention the ongoing war in Russia and Ukraine, which not only had a devastating effect on the countries involved but also had global implications, such as the rise of fuel and energy prices. Pictured: A woman walking down the street by destroyed buildings in Toretsk, Ukraine

Since it was first mentioned as a threat in 2007, climate change has been a regular factor in whether the Doomsday Clock is moved forward or backward. This year we have seen devastating floods in Pakistan and in 2022, several severe heatwaves hit Europe and China. Pictured: A flooded residential area in Sindh, Pakistan

What time was displayed on the original Doomsday Clock?

The clock was originally set to seven minutes to midnight because Langsdorf said, 'it looked good to my eye'.

'For 75 years, the Doomsday Clock has acted as a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation,' reads the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' website.

'Since 1947, it has also served as a call-to-action to reverse the hands, which have moved backwards before.'

It then did not move for two years until the Soviet Union successfully tested its first atomic weapon.

At this point, the clock was reset to three minutes to midnight.

Who decides the time?

Shortly after it was first created, Bulletin Editor Eugene Rabinowitch decided whether or not the hand should be moved.

Rabinowitch was a scientist, fluent in Russian, and a leader in the conversations about nuclear disarmament, meaning he was in frequent discussions with scientists and experts all over the world.
Vladimir Putin's nuclear armed navy frigate has staged war games with a 'hypersonic missile launch' in the western Atlantic.

The Admiral Gorshkov armed with 'unstoppable' Mach 9 Zircon missiles conducted an 'electronic' launch at an 'enemy surface target' after allegedly deviating from its route and sailing towards the US.

The exercise, seen on a Russian defence ministry video, involved a drill firing of the deadly weapon, which Putin claims has 'no equivalent in the world' at a range of over 560 miles.

Terrifying footage showing the navy preparing for a nuclear launch as the hatch opening in preparation for the deadly missile.

Vladimir Putin's nuclear armed navy frigate has staged war games with a 'hypersonic missile launch' in the western Atlantic

'The electronic launch and the work by the shipborne combat team confirmed the missile system's designed characteristics demonstrated during preliminary and state trials,' stated the vessel's captain Igor Krokhmal.

The vessel has been closely monitored by NATO navies on its mission armed with the 6,670mph Mach 9 weapon which has a maximum 625 mile range.

A day earlier reports said that the Gorshkov had made an unexpected diversion in the Atlantic amid Putin's war with West-backed Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the frigate was escorted through British waters by the Royal Navy, and French and Spanish ships then escorted it through the Atlantic.

It was scheduled to head south past South Africa to the Indian Ocean then enter the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal.

Terrifying footage showing the navy preparing for a nuclear launch shows the hatch opening in preparation for the deadly missile

The exercise, seen on a Russian defence ministry video, involved a drill firing of the deadly weapon

The Russian frigate carrying 'unstoppable' Mach 9 nuclear-capable hypersonic cruise missiles has deviated from its course and is sailing towards the US coast

The vessel has the hallmark Z war symbol which has become associated with Russia's invasion

The vessel has been closely monitored by NATO navies on its mission armed with the 6,670mph Mach 9 weapon which has a maximum 625 mile range

Footage shows the navy preparing to launch the missile in a simulated attack

But monitoring sites claim it took a sudden diversion and headed west towards Bermuda.

An unconfirmed Russian Telegram channel report says the warship was 'spotted on radar in neutral waters of the Atlantic Ocean - at an effective salvo launch distance from the US coast'.

The Russian defence ministry has not commented on the Navodka channel claim.

Radar monitoring sites suggest the Gorshkov separated from its tailing tanker ship Kama in the Bay of Biscay and headed west.

The Kama has continued its routing to the south, passing the Azores.

The frigate carrying the Mach 9 missiles had been tracked 807 miles west of the Portuguese island of Flores in the Azores, suggested ItaMilRadar.

A Russian frigate carrying 'unstoppable' Mach 9 nuclear-capable hypersonic cruise missiles has deviated from its course

Russia's Admiral Gorshkov is pictured during a test launch of its Zircon missiles in the Barents Sea

Monitoring sites claim it took a sudden diversion and headed west towards Bermuda

Pictured: Launch of an 'unstoppable' Zircon nuclear-capable hypersonic missile from the Admiral Gorshkov

If so, at this distance it would not at this point be in range of the US for its deadly Zircons.

The frigate is also carrying Kalibr missiles, a type used in Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

Putin personally took part - remotely - in the farewell ceremony when the warship departed from Arctic naval base Severomorsk on 4 January.

He made clear this mission was intended as a show of strength to the West.

He boasted that NATO could not match his 'latest-generation' hypersonic firepower.

He said: 'I am sure that such a powerful weapon will allow us to reliably protect Russia from potential external threats and help ensure our country's national interests.'

The cutting-edge frigate Gorshkov is due to sail to the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean on this mission.

Pictured: The Russian frigate 'Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov' armed with Zircon hypersonic weapons leaves the naval base in Severomorsk, January 4, 2023

Next month it will take part in exercises with the Chinese and South African navies near the ports of Durban and Richards Bay.

It is not clear why the frigate would head towards the US.

Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Portland monitored the Russian warship and accompanying tanker Kama as they sailed close to the UK.

Earlier the Norwegian navy paid close attention to Putin's hypersonic mission.

Moscow has boasted that the Gorshkov is 'the most dangerous enemy of surface ships in the world's oceans' now it is armed with the new hypersonic missile.

The frigate's captain Igor Krokhmal has said previously: 'No one will see the missile launch or its flight.

'They will only see when the missile hits the target.

'A surface target, a coastal target. I don't think there will be anything to counter this in the next few years.'
A dopey drug smuggler was caught by police after his 5,000 cargo of American cannabis was forwarded to a Royal Mail sorting office when he missed a home delivery slot.

Gary Patnett, 37, had been expecting his illicit parcel of 'Cali' weed to be delivered to his home after he and his younger sibling ordered it online from a US firm operating legally in California.

But the hapless father-of-two, nicknamed 'B***end' by his sister, missed the delivery by an unsuspecting courier - and he returned shortly afterwards to find a 'sorry we missed you card' on his doorstep.

Mother-of-one Natasha Patnett then went on a tracking app to find the missing package before her brother went on a frantic mission to their nearest sorting office in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, in the hope of collecting it.

But police - who had been called to the depot after staff raised the alarm - ambushed Patnett as he arrived on his bike and arrested him.

Mother-of-one Natasha Patnett, 34, had reminded her brother not to 'forget the parcel' in a text to him on the day of the delivery

Hapless father-of-two Gary Patnett, 37, ordered 5,000 of drugs from the US with his younger sister - but missed its delivery which later led to his arrest. He is pictured grinning outside Chester Crown Court

When searched, Patnett was found with the 'missed delivery' card in his hand - while his phone had a text message from Natasha, 34, saying: 'Morning B***end, do not forget the parcel.'

At Chester Crown Court, the pair, from Ellesmere Port, pleaded guilty to importation of a class B drug.

Ryan Rothwell, prosecuting, said police were notified by Royal Mail postal workers about the 'suspicious package' on January 29, 2022.

'Inside the package was 225g of fairly high-quality cannabis worth between 3,200 and 5,100. It was contained in 64 packets of what had been branded as Cali Weed,' Mr Rothwell told the court.

'The package was addressed to where the defendant was staying with his partner at the time. It was addressed to a fictional female, Janet Baker.'

Patnett's phone was seized by police, with officers later finding messages to his sister that proved she was 'involved', the prosecutor added.

Patnett was was ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work along with 20 days of rehabilitative activity with the probation service

'A message received on January 27, the day before, at 2.34pm indicated that she messaged Mr Patnett: "That parcel has been delivered to yours, tracker says, so you need to answer",' Mr Rothwell told the court.

'The message indicated that Miss Patnett was following the delivery of the parcel on a tracker.

'The following day, January 28, at 9.45am, there was another message: 'Morning b*** ends, do not forget the parcel. Not sure if it shuts at 11 or 1 on a Friday.'

'The day after his arrest, Miss Patnett stopped using that number. A search warrant was carried out at her address in March of last year. She was arrested. In interview, both defendants gave no comment to all questions.'

Patnett had two previous convictions, one from 2002 for aggravated vehicle taking and the other from 2018 for travelling on the railway without paying his fare.

His sister had a previous conviction from 2015 for smuggling steroids into prison for which she was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence.

Defending Patnett, Paul Wood said: 'There is genuine remorse. He has stayed out of trouble and he has been addressing a long-standing cocaine addiction.

Natasha Patnett, pictured, was previously convicted in 2015 for smuggling steroids into prison. She is pictured outside Chester Crown Court

'He has two children aged seven and 12 and stays in contact with them every weekend. On the face of it, he is a responsible father.'

Jonathan Keane, who was defending Patnett's sister, said his client had previously been in an abusive relationship.

He added: 'Remorse has certainly been advanced in two ways. When she thinks of the impact of her offending on her daughter who she is the sole carer for and she has insight about the impact of drugs on society, given the difficulties her brother suffers with and that she had brushes with in the past.'

Patnett was ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work along with 20 days of rehabilitative activity with the probation service.

Due to her previous conviction, his sister was given 140 hours of unpaid work along with 20 days of rehabilitative activity. She was fined 46 at an earlier hearing for possession of amphetamine.

Sentencing, the judge Recorder David O'Mahony said: 'Gary, the presentence report notes your remorse and refers to your efforts to deal with your habit. You are unemployed but hope to get a job when this matter is dealt with.'

Turning to Patnett's sibling, the judge said: 'Natasha, you say in your pre-sentence report that you were motivated by fear and to assist your brother.

'You are a full-time mother on benefits but you have worked in the past and want to again in the future. You have used drugs, mainly cannabis, to deal with your mental health but you are remorseful.'

Cali Weed is cannabis that is grown commercially in California, the first state in USA to legalise medical cannabis and one of the first states to legalise the drug for recreational use.

Due to a strict regulatory and product testing regime, the drug is considered higher quality than that grown illegally in the UK.
Abdulrahimzai then went on to murder Thomas Roberts , 21, in Bournemouth

But he deceived Border Force and Home Office and was granted entry into UK

Horrified parents have revealed how a 'creepy' killer Afghan asylum seeker who posed as a 14-year-old boy was able to chat up teenage girls at his secondary school.

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai posed as a young Afghan orphan after arriving in Britain in 2019 and was allowed to study at Winton Academy in Bournemouth.

But in reality, he was a 19-year-old man who was wanted by police in Serbia after being sentenced in his absence to 20 years' imprisonment for shooting two people dead in an apparent argument over people smuggling.

His web of deception  which fooled Border Force and Home Office officials  was made public this week when Abdulrahimzai was convicted of stabbing aspiring marine Thomas Roberts to death in Bournemouth town centre last March.

The custody picture of Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, 21, following his conviction for murder this week

Outraged mother Abbie Mercy (pictured) said she was furious that Abdulrahimzai was allowed to be with her children on a daily basis

The double-killer who tricked his way into UK Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai was sentenced to a 20-year prison sentence in his absence following a trial over the killing in Serbia, a preliminary hearing for the UK court case heard. Prosecutor Nic Lobbenberg KC said: 'Between July 31 and August 1 in 2018, during the evening in Dobrinci  near the motorway  he murdered two people also from Afghanistan. 'The name he was using was Huan Yasin.' Mr Lobbenberg KC said Afghans were staying in a shed in the area when an argument broke out over trafficking. 'The defendant arrived and an argument broke about the business of transporting migrants. 'He was armed with an automatic assault rifle, two others had pistols one of the group said 'who is the smuggler?' and then aimed their weapons at the victims 'He shot 18 rounds of a 7.62 calibre Kalashnikov. 'It's a military weapon with great firepower and rapid rate of fire. 'The range of the shooting was said to be relatively short, three to 10 metres.' Mr Lobbenberg KC said the killer did not move position and fired six rounds into each victim, with some bullets hitting their heads. 'An enormous number found their target', he said. Abdulrahimzai, who fled Serbia, was later identified by a taxi driver who drove him away from the scene, it was heard. The taxi driver said he was 'sweating' and 'showing signs of anxiety', with the court also hearing he got the weapon from 'gypsies'. In November 2020 he was convicted of murder in his absence by a Serbian court, having been wanted in the country since the attacks. He was understood to be 15 at the time of the killings, it was heard. Advertisement

The Afghani, now 21, was given a foster mother shortly after arriving in the UK  claiming that the Taliban had executed both his parents.

He subsequently enrolled at Winton Academy, but angry parents of his classmates have now described their horror that he was allowed to mix freely with their children  despite being a cold-blooded killer.

Outraged mother Abbie Mercy said: 'This scumbag was placed at Winton in my sons year after he had murdered two people at pretty much point blank range!

'He was allowed to be with two of my children on a daily basis under the assumption he was 14. He was asking girls out.

'My anger is not with the school, I feel their hands were tied. Its the local authority and the government.

'Wheres the duty of care towards my children?'

Cherri Parsons, whose teenage daughter was in the same year as Abdulrahimzai, added: 'I was fuming when I found out he had been placed in my 14-year-old daughter's year group.

'The school did have their hands tied about accepting him as a student, however where they went wrong was not notifying us parents about it instead of trying to sweep it under the rug.

'Any kind of inappropriate behaviour could have occurred as he was asking 14-year-old girls out and changing with 14-year-old boys in PE.'

A third mother, who asked not to be named, described the murderer as 'the school bully'.

She said: He was known as Lo because his name was long and complicated to remember.

He was a school bully. Obviously, he was much bigger and stronger than his classmates and more manipulative.

A lot of the pupils were scared of him. Lo used to get into fights all the time. In fact he was expelled from Winton Academy because of fighting.

What I also find horrifying is that he was brazenly chatting up 14-year-old girls at lunchtime. He would come over and sit with them, it was really creepy. He asked a few girls out even though they were under age.

Im angry with the school because the first we knew about all this was when his picture was featured on the news earlier this week when he was convicted of stabbing a young man to death.

My daughter turned to me and she was in shock and said I went to school with him. Thats Lo!

I appreciate that the school may not have known at the time that he was really an adult nor that hed killed two men in Serbia. But as soon as they were made aware, they should have messaged all the parents to apologise and explain how this man was able to pose as a 14-year-old boy.

Weve heard nothing from the school. I phoned them yesterday and someone there just said that their "hands are tied" and they have to say "no comment" at this stage.'

The mother continued: 'Its just not good enough. A double murderer and drug dealer was able to go to school with our children, something horrific couldve happened. At least acknowledge that!

Luckily, Lo started at the school in 2020 when the kids were in and out due to the Covid epidemic.

An image of the a knife held by Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai in a video posted on his TikTok page

The Afghan national was today convicted of the murder of aspiring Royal Marine Thomas Roberts (above), 21, outside a Subway sandwich shop in Bournemouth on March 12 last year, having stabbed him twice in the chest with a '10cm blade'

Abdulrahimzai had been handed a 20-year prison sentence in his absence after the killings in Serbia.

But he fled to the UK  where he became a street fighter who attacked his foster mother and boasted about his love of knives on TikTok.

Officials were unaware of Abdulrahimzai's previous convictions  carried out under the alias 'Huan Yasin'  until police started investigating Mr Roberts' murder.

They discovered that two people in Serbia had been shot dead by a petrol station, with Abdulrahimzai identified by witnesses as the killer.

He had also been convicted of drug dealing in Italy and was given a non-custodial sentence after pleading guilty.

But Abdulrahimzai was allowed into the UK after deceiving Border Force, the Home Office and officials at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

He had fooled them so comprehensively that he was placed with foster mother Nicola Marchant-Jones.

Dorset Police, which investigated the murder of Thomas Roberts, said they had no idea Abdulrahimzai was a convicted double murderer.

But Abdulrahimzai  nicknamed Lo by Ms Marchant-Jones  was caught with a knife but was only given words of advice by police in Bournemouth.

When he nearly headbutted Ms Marchant-Jones during an argument, he was removed from her care.

On March 12 last year, he murdered a third victim, stabbing Mr Roberts twice in the chest with a '10cm blade' after an argument with the aspiring Royal Marine's friend about an e-scooter outside a Subway sandwich shop.

Mr Roberts, 21, who was also a DJ, was on a night out with friend James Medway, 24, who got into an argument with Abdulrahimzai.

The murder victim intervened and sustained two stab wounds to his chest from an 'aggressive' Abdulrahimzai  with one slicing through his heart.

Firearms officers in balaclavas and full tactical gear swooped on the asylum seeker's flat in Poole, Dorset, 24 hours after the incident and arrested him.

The asylum seeker, seen here on bus CCTV, broke down in tears and claimed his parents were killed by the Taliban and detailed the alleged torture he endured

Abdulrahimzai deceived Border Force and the Home Office so comprehensively that he was placed with foster mother Nicola Marchant-Jones (pictured)

Abdulrahimzai (centre with black hood) was caught on camera headbutting a reveller on a night out just minutes before he murdered an aspiring Royal Marine in a row over an e-scooter

Abdulrahimzai first headed to Serbia through Pakistan and Iran in October 2015, before arriving in Norway later that month with a friend he considered to be like an adopted brother.

He then left Norway and spent some time in Italy and Serbia before returning only to have an asylum application turned down in December 2019.

Fearing he would be deported back to Afghanistan he travelled to Britain, arriving in Poole via a ferry from Cherbourg, France.
Two or three Met Police officers will appear in court each week to face criminal charges in the coming months, the head of the force dramatically revealed today.

Sir Mark Rowley told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee today that more 'painful stories' will emerge as moves progress to remove hundreds of corrupt officers who have managed to dodge vetting processes.

He was speaking in the wake of the case of Pc David Carrick, who served as a Met officer for 20 years before being unmasked as one of the country's most prolific sex offenders.

In the wake of Carrick's guilty plea last week, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said more disturbing cases involving police officers could be uncovered in the short term.

Sir Mark Rowley told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee today that more 'painful stories' will emerge as moves progress to remove hundreds of corrupt officers

A new Met Police integrity hotline has received 'tens of calls' a week, leading to new investigations, Sir Mark said, a third of which relate to other forces.

He told the committee: 'Even though this is a Met appeal, one in three of the calls coming through roughly are for other forces. We're passing information on as well.

'Through our challenges, we're helping the rest of policing confront some issues as well.'

Sir Mark urged the public not to lose heart as the Met roots out hundreds of corrupt officers thought to be serving in the force.

'Lifting the stone and revealing painful truths will not be resolved overnight, and I mustn't pretend it will do, and I hope you understand that that can't be done,' Sir Mark said.

'We have to prepare for more painful stories as we confront the issues that we face.

He was speaking in the wake of the case of Pc David Carrick, who served as a Met officer for 20 years before being unmasked as one of the country's most prolific sex offenders

'We've discussed before, the systemic failings that create these problems of these officers who corrupt our integrity, and as we put in more resource, more assertive tactics, as we are more open to people reporting incidents to us from within and from without the organisation, and as we more determinedly take on these cases, it will tackle the problems that we face but it won't... it won't be rapid and it will be painful.'

In the wake of Carrick's conviction, around 1,000 previous cases involving Met officers and staff who were accused of sexual offences or domestic violence are being reviewed to make sure they were handled correctly.

This is expected to be completed by the end of March.

Sir Mark said that as well as these, in the coming weeks and months he expects two or three officers per week to appear in court charged with offences linked to dishonesty, sexual offences, violence or domestic violence.

In the latest case, police constable Hussain Chehab yesterday admitted having sex with a 14-year-old girl and possessing indecent images of children.

A court was told that Chehab had even served as a school liaison officer during his time on the force.

Sir Mark described the case as 'ghastly' and conceded that the force was dealing with 'more than a few bad apples'.

In the latest case, police constable Hussain Chehab yesterday admitted having sex with a 14-year-old girl and possessing indecent images of children

He apologised for the Chehab case, but warned that more cases were likely to emerge as he implements reforms to root out the criminal and corrupt in the Met's ranks.

'We are going to be surfacing more,' he told the London Assembly's police and crime committee.

Last week campaigners dumped 1,071 rotten apples, representing the number of officers being probed, in front of the Met's New Scotland Yard headquarters.

'We've been told time and time again that it's just one bad apple here and there, but this is actually a fundamental problem right across policing,' said Ruth Davison, head of the domestic abuse charity Refuge, which organised the protest.

She called for any officer facing formal allegations to be suspended while an investigation takes place.
The number of female transgender prisoners placed in women's prisons in Scotland has surpassed England and Wales after rapist Isla Bryson was convicted yesterday, MailOnline believes.

The former DJ, 31, has joined transgender paedophile Katie Dolatowski at Cornton Vale womens jail in Stirlingshire after being found guilty of two rapes at Glasgow High Court.

According to a recent report published by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), there were 11 trans women and five trans men in Scottish prisons at the end of June 2022.

Of the 11 trans women, six were held in men's prisons and five were held in women's prisons. If the figures remain the same today, Bryson and Dolatowski would take that to seven trans women in women's prisons  more than the six in England and Wales cited in a recent Ministry of Justice report.

Isla Bryson, 31, (right), who was born Adam Graham (left), was convicted of raping two woman while a man yesterday

Katie Dolatowski  a transgender paedophile born a man who managed to stay at Leeds Women's Aid refuge for 71 days  is also held at Cornton Vale womens jail

Of the five trans men in Scottish jails, who were born female, one was held in a men's prison and four were held in women's prisons last year.

Rapist Jonathon Mallon is said to now want to be called Charlene and told inmates that he hopes to me moved into a Scottish women's jail by Easter

Bryson, who was Adam Graham when carrying out the violent sex attacks in 2016 and 2019, began transitioning after being charged by police. New figures emerged today revealing eight other male and female trans criminals in Scotland did the same after being convicted or remanded in custody.

Recent analysis by the Policy Exchange think-tank has warned that it is not inconceivable that a man with no trans identity would make a strategic decision to change legal sex in order to move prisons simply because they wanted to get out of the harsh, and often dangerous, context of a male prison.

Clydebank rapist Bryson is in the segregation unit at Cornton Vale for up to a month before being sentenced.

In 2019 transgender prisoner Paris Green, who was ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years in prison for murder, began her sentence at Cornton Vale but was moved after reports about having sex with female prisoners in the cells.

Green, who was born Peter Laing, was moved to the women's wing at HMP Edinburgh while waiting for gender reassignment surgery.

Earlier this week serial rapist Jonathon Mallon, 40, reportedly declared that he now wants to be called Charlene and told inmates that he hopes to me moved into a Scottish women's jail by Easter.

A murderer who changed gender in 2018 is said to be demanding to be treated as a baby by prison staff. Sophie Eastwood was called Daniel and was jailed for life in 2004 for strangling a cell-mate with shoelaces.

Eastwood, who has been living as a woman for five years, is at the all-male Polmont jail where she wants to identify as a baby, wear nappies and have meals blended like baby food.

In England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice said in its annual equalities report that there were just six prisoners who self-identify as transgender women being held in female prisons in 2022.

Sophie Eastwood was called Daniel and was jailed for life in 2004 for strangling a cell-mate with shoelaces. Eastwood, who has been living as a woman for five years, is at the all-male Polmont jail where she wants to identify as a baby, wear nappies and have meals blended like baby food

Clydebank rapist Bryson is in the segregation unit at Cornton Vale (pictured) for up to a month before being sentenced

This is despite Scotland having an estimated 290 women in prison compared to 3,216 females in prisons in England and Wales in 2022.

Bryson, 31, has been accused of gaming the system by changing gender from male to female after being charged with sex attacks on two women.

A Scottish Prison Service (SPS) report last summer said that there were 16 trans inmates in Scots prisons last summer - but eight began their transition while 'being cared for in custody following their remand or conviction for their current offence'.

In response to a Freedom of Information request by the website Back into Society, the SPS disclosed that six trans prisoners have 'current or previous' convictions for sex offences.

Last year it emerged that the number of transgender prisoners in England and Wales surged by almost a fifth.

Official figures show 230 people with a gender identity different to their legal sex were behind bars at the end of March 2022, up from 197 a year earlier.

The majority were in male prisons, the Ministry of Justice data revealed, with 162 of them saying they were transgender women.

But six inmates in female prisons said they were transgender women, having been born male, up from just one in 2021.

Campaign group Keep Prisons Single Sex said: 'There is a marked increase in trans prisoners of male sex allocated to female estate.

'This is concerning as the 2021 data indicated a marked trend away from allocating prisoners of male sex with no GRC to the female estate.'

However, the figures, revealed in the Offender Equalities Annual Report, could have changed since they were compiled in March, particularly as ministers last month pledged to reform the system in order to protect women.

Brandon Lewis, then-justice secretary, announced that 'transgender prisoners with male genitalia should no longer be held in the general women's estate', nor should 'transgender women who have been convicted of a sex offence'.

An updated policy framework is due to be published within months.
Northern England should be treated like Scotland and given a large chunk of cash to spend on levelling-up, Labour's Andy Burnham claimed today.

The Greater Manchester mayor called for a new funding plan akin to the Barnett Formula that would pump more money into struggling areas.

The formula is an algorithm which dictates the level of public spending in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It is used by the Treasury to decide how extra funding, or cuts, should be allocated based on population size and which powers are devolved to them.

Ahead of a gathering of northern leaders today Mr Burnham used a round of media appearances to suggest the reconstruction of postwar Germany be used as a model for levelling up.

Last week the government shared out 2.1billion to projects from the second tranche of the Levelling-Up fund. But it provoked criticism over the way it was handed out. with critics claiming a large chunk of the cash went to areas in the south.

The Greater Manchester mayor called for a new funding plan akin to the Barnett Formula that would pump more money into struggling areas

Ahead of a gathering of northern leaders today Ms Burnham used a round of media appearances to suggest the reconstruction of postwar Germany be used as a model for levelling up.

WHAT IS THE BARNETT FORMULA? The Barnett formula is an algorithm which dictates the level of public spending in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is used by the Treasury to decide how extra funding, or cuts, should be allocated based on population size and which powers are devolved to them. When the UK Government decides to spend more or less on health or education in England, for example, the formula decides how much money the other nations should get. If 1billion was to be added to the education budget in England then the formula would essentially times that money by the devolved nations' population proportion compared to England. This is then multiplied by the extent to which the UK department's services are devolved. The formula is named after its inventor, the former Labour Chief Secretary to the Treasury Joel Barnett, who devised it in the late 1970s. It is widely recognised as being flawed because it looks almost solely at population size and doesn't take into account different needs in different areas. Public spending is significantly different in parts of the UK - for example it has typically been 20 per cent higher in Scotland than in England. Officials in Wales, which has the lowest GDP in the UK, claim the country misses out on up to 300m a year. On why the formula has stood the test of time, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) told MailOnline: 'First, being based on population means it's simple to apply and to explain. 'Second, it's just already there and replacing it with a new, more complex formula would mean losers as well as winners. 'That makes reform politically difficult even if in the end it would be arguably fairer. Agreement would be needed on which other factors to include and what weight to put on them, requiring consultation, debate, and - at least in parts of the country - unpopular decisions to be taken.' Advertisement

Mr Burnham told Sky News: 'What we are saying to the government is, "Please don't continue with this process of creating winners and losers and announcing quite divisive approaches to Levelling-Up''.

'Let's follow what we did when we created modern Germany by having a law, a UK law, which requires equal living standards between each of the regions and nations of the UK.

'And, as a part of that, you would have to have the equivalent of a Barnett Formula for the north of England, so that we would the additional funding we need over the next 30 or so years to close the gap between the north of England and the rest.'

It came as a new report suggested the North of England receives one of the lowest levels of investment among advanced economies.

If the region were a country, Greece would be the only OECD nation to see less public and private investment, according to the IPPR North's State of the North report.

The think-tank researchers found that the UK as a whole ranks 35 among the 38 OECD countries in terms of receiving the least investment.

States including Slovakia, Poland and Hungary all enjoy more investment than the UK.

Report author and IPPR North research fellow Marcus Johns said: 'Of all the advanced economies around the world, ours is the most regionally divided and getting worse  the North is at the sharp end of these divides and that's a barrier to prosperity.

'But what's even more unacceptable is that our country is divided by design. It is the result of decisions.

'The North's strengths are national strengths. Northern prosperity can be national prosperity. It's up to the Government to unlock this potential, by acknowledging that it has to change, and by enabling empowered, well-resourced local government to coordinate and deliver long term local visions for change.'

The report points to other floundering places in the world that have turned their economies around, such as Leipzig in Germany, which has become the fastest-growing city in Europe through industry and investment.

Calls for the new approach will be made at the Convention of the North in Manchester later today, a gathering of business, political and civic leaders from across the region.

Support for the move comes from Mr Burnham, Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region and Jamie Driscoll, Mayor of the North of Tyne.

Last week, the Government announced the latest Levelling Up Fund winners, which saw some local authorities receive funding, while others lost out.

Critics claim the cash being spent is skewed towards areas with Conservative MPs or councils, which the Government denies.

The Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, and his Labour shadow, Lisa Nandy, are due address the convention.

Keir Starmer distanced himself from the idea of a lump sum for the north.

A spokesman for the Labour leader told reporters: 'From the work that the Gordon Brown commission has done, there are a number of proposals that we've put forward in terms of how you can ensure you spread power, wealth and opportunity across the country.

'That specific suggestion that Andy Burnham has made is not one that was in the Gordon Brown report.

'Obviously all of these ideas are looked at and Keir regularly meets with the metro mayors to discuss the ideas that they have.

'But what we want to ensure is we are looking at public spending based on the needs there are in an area, not just based on an arbitrary formula that requires you to spend in London so that somehow there can then be money that goes to another part of the country.'
Disgraced celebrity chef Pete Evans is back in business after lying low for a couple of years after a series of scandals derailed his multi-million dollar career.

The former TV star, 50, had all but vanished into obscurity due to controversies stemming from his anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories.

But Evans, who made his name hosting My Kitchen Rules, is being ruthlessly mocked for his comeback venture and the huge amounts he's charging for courses.

A 'fasting retreat', where participants pay $2,500 to 'not eat', has come in for particularly strong criticism and a healthy dose of skepticism.

Pete Evans (pictured) is back in business after lying low for a couple of years after a series of scandals

After being banned from mainstream social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram, Evans now communicates with his fans through Telegram - an encrypted messaging app often used by conspiracy theorists to broadcast their beliefs.

'Hey I've got a quick update for you, we're going to be launching another fasting retreat late February so we'll probably announce that either tonight or tomorrow or put it up on the website, so if anyone's keen on coming, we'd love to have you,' Evans said on Telegram.

'Our guests are into day four of their fast at the moment and they went through a breathwork ceremony this morning and it's pretty special.

'We've had some wonderful transformations happening so yeah love to see you all I'll put the details in a post tonight, see ya.'

$1,500 will get you a place on a two-night 'Breathwork Retreat' in early February, but that might be a bargain compared to the $2,750 it costs for a two-night 'Wellness Retreat' at the $1million centre near Byron Bay in northern NSW he bought in 2021.

It's not known how much money his call for customers has raised, but he has certainly raised a few laughs, and heckles.

'I wonder if these mugs wake up on day two. Take a few really deep breaths. And realise they have been taken for fools,' said one commenter on the Blocked by Pete Evans Facebook page.

'Even if they realise it was a crock of crap they would still tell all their friends how amazing it all was,' said another.

Pete Evans holds expensive 'Wellness Retreats' at the $1million centre (pictured) near Byron Bay he bought in 2021

Pete Evans (pictured) spoke in Hyde Park Sydney at the anti-vax March Against Mandatory Covid Vaccinations

There was also some praise for Evans, though it may have been a little bit sarcastic in tone.

'Credit where credits due. Fasting retreat !!! That's a f***** awesome grift. Good on him a little bit,' one said.

Evans' use of the word 'transformations' in his spruiking annoyed many commenters, with one suggesting it meant 'Their bank accounts are transforming from having money to not having money.'

Another said: 'I want to know what they transformed to? A pile of dust?'

The answer, according to another poster, is 'I reckon they hold their breath until they pass out and think they've had an out of body experience.'

Once a small screen star, Pete Evans (pictured) all but vanished into obscurity in recent years following a string of controversies stemming from his belief in anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories

Pete Evans, pictured left and right, has been mocked for how much he seems to have aged in recent years

The whole 'not eating' thing continued to confuse users.

'Isn't being a chef his only qualification? Imagine giving the guy lots of money and not even getting a meal,' one said.

His comeback attempt comes after Evans was sensationally dumped from I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! at the eleventh hour for posting a neo-Nazi meme to Facebook in November 2020.

Within 24 hours he was shunned by Channel 10, his publisher Pan Macmillan and retailers Big W and Dymocks.

He offered an apology to those offended by his racist social media post, telling Daily Mail Australia at the time: 'I apologise to anyone who might have taken it out of context.'

It has been estimated that the series of shocking scandals cost Evans millions, and it will take a lot of 'fasting retreat' courses to regain that lost income.
The cost of a fish and chip supper at the shortlisted best UK chippies has been revealed as they battle to win at the National Fish and Chip Awards.

Organised by The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), this year's awards will take place on February 23 with comedian Jason Manford hosting the glitzy occasion.

Running for more than 30 years, the annual awards celebrate Britain's top chippies across 10 categories including best takeaways, newcomers, restaurants and suppliers.

How much does the nation's beloved fish and chip supper cost at each of the shortlisted businesses?

MailOnline reveals the results for the shortlisted best takeaway of the year, best restaurant of the year and best newcomer...

Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year - top 10 shortlisted

Fisherman's Bay in Whitley Bay - 10

Fishermans Bay in Whitley Bay has been shortlisted for best Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year

Grub at the Fisherman's Bay in Whitley Bay including chips, fish and mushy peas

The inside of Fisherman's Bay, in Whitley Bay which serves sustainably sourced cod

Run by the Dhillon family, Fisherman's Bay has been serving the local community in Tyne and Wear for the last 25 years.

Its cod is sustainably sourced and the chippy prides itself on using local source where it can.

On its takeaway menu, a cod and chips will set you back 10, haddock and chips 10.20 and a battered sausage 2.80.

Fish Kitchen 1854, Maesycwmmer, Caerphilly - 9.45

The Fish Kitchen in Caerphilly has been shortlisted for best Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year

The Fish Kitchen is a family-run business in Maesycwmmer, Caerphilly

The inside of the Fish Kitchen in Maesycwmmer, Caerphilly

This traditional family-run business sells freshly caught fish and chips. The 1854 in its name comes from being close to the Viaduct in Maesycwmmer.

It previously won in the Food Awards Wales 2022.

The takeaway was launched by Colin Newbery originally from Ystrad Mynach, a keen cyclist and railway enthusiast.

Its menu includes a regular cod supper for 9.45, a steak and kidney pie supper for 5.95 and ten pieces of wholetail scampi for 6.50.

Whitehead's Fish and Chips, Hornsea, East Yorkshire - 10.25

Whitehead's Fish and Chips in Hornsea, East Yorkshire, has been run by the Whitehead family since 1997

Whiteheads Fish and Chips, Hornsea, East Yorkshire has been shortlisted for best Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year

Whitehead's Fish & Chips has been run by the Whitehead family since 1997 with their takeaway a stone's throw from the East Yorkshire coast.

A regular cod is 8.15, while a regular portion of chips costs 2.10. They have a range of pies including steak and kidney, beef and onion and chicken and mushroom. Or a regular sausage will set you back 1.25.

Customers have praised Whitehead's Fish and Chips for its 'freshly cooked food to order' and 'excellent service'.

Ship Deck, Trethomas, Caerphilly - 10.70

Shipdeck, Trethomas, Caerphilly has been shortlisted for best Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year

A cod supper at Ship Deck in Caerphilly will set customers back 10.70

Partners Ryan and Kimberly Hughes opened Ship Deck three years ago after working in various chip shops in Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Mr Hughes won Young Fish Frier of the Year in 2019. He has been in the industry since the age of 15 and is described by his wife as the 'bread and butter' of the business.

A regular cod supper costs 10.70, a large battered sausage is 2 while an open cone of chips will set you back 2.15.

Reviews praise Ship Deck for its 'excellent service and exceptionally good food' as well as 'plentiful' portion sizes and good value for money.

The Bearded Sailor, Pudsey, Yorkshire - 9

The Bearded Sailor, in Pudsey, Yorkshire has been shortlisted for best Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year

On the menu: fish and chips at The Bearded Sailor in Pudsey, shortlisted for best takeaway of the year at the National Fish and Chip Shop Award 2023

The Bearded Sailor in Pudsey, Yorkshire

The Bearded Sailor prides itself on sourcing sustainable produce, only selling fish from Icelandic Responsible Fisheries. It also uses sausages from a local supplier in Ilkley.

A regular fish and chips (haddock) will set you back 9, while a regular chips costs 3.15. There's also a battered jumbo sausage for 2.75, and a range of specialty sandwiches served in a brioche bun.

Sandwich selections include battered halloumi, battered haddock strips and a Filet O'Sailor (haddock filet, cheese and homemade tartare sauce), all costing under 6.

Customers praise the 'piping hot' and 'best quality' food, with one commenting that the fish was 'chunky and lightly battered that it just melt in your mouth'.

The Fish Bank, Elmet, West Yorkshire - 8.50

The Fish Bank is located in a former bank in the heart of Sherburn-in-Elmet's Low Street

Food from the Elmet in West Yorkshire

Inside The Fish Bank in Elmet, West Yorkshire

Located in a former bank in the heart of Sherburn-in-Elmet's Low Street, The Fish Bank is a family-owned chippy which serves certified sustainable fish, locally-sourced potatoes and breadcakes, homemade fish cakes and other delicious treats.

Its fish and chips (haddock) is 8.50, 12 pieces of Scampi are 5.30 and a battered sausage is 2.20.

It customers said it was 'the fish is beautifully cooked and very fresh and the portions are very good'

Low's Traditional Fish & Chips, Westhill, Aberdeenshire - 10.70

Lows Traditional Fish & Chips was founded 30 years ago by Clifford Low

The family-run business has received numerous gongs including the Best Fish and Chip Shop in Scotland in 2019.

Lows Traditional Fish & Chips was founded 30 years ago by Clifford Low, who has spent his entire life in the fish industry and 17 years ago was taken over by his son, David Low.

The family-run business has received numerous gongs including the Best Fish and Chip Shop in Scotland in 2019.

Its menu includes a standard haddock supper for 10.79, homemade chicken fillets at 6.59 and a range of pies including steak and macaroni with Spanish chorizo. A standard chips costs 3.

The Oyster Shell, Bath, Somerset - 11.95

The Oyster Shell, founded in 2019, is an award-winning fish and chip shop takeaway in the heart of Bath

A large cod loin and chips is 13.95, large fishcake and chips 9.50 and vegan-option chickpea fitters and chips cost 9.50

Inside the Oyster Shell, in Bath, Somerset

The Oyster Shell, founded in 2019, is an award-winning fish and chip shop takeaway in the heart of Bath.

Driven by a life-long love for seafood, The Oyster Shell is a family business run by Dan Rosser along with parents Lisa and Garry, who have 30 years' industry experience.

A medium cod loin and chips is 11.95, or go large with fishcake and chips for 9.50. Their vegan option of chickpea fitters and chips also costs 9.50.

Auckley Friery, Auckley, Doncaster - 10.90

Auckley Friery in Doncaster has been run by second-generation fish fryer David Nicolaou since 2003

Auckley Friery has been run by second-generation fish fryer David Nicolaou since 2003.

His father Theo ran a fish and chip shop in Sheffield in 1979, named the Friery and so grew up around the industry.

After a brief career in software engineering, Mr Nicolaou took over the shop in Auckley to get it back up and running after its previous owner 'let things slip'.

He has been running it ever since, and prides itself on sustainable produce.

A medium cod or haddock costs 7.80, while medium chips are 3.10. A large battered sausage is 2.20, while 12 pieces of wholetail scampi cost 5.40.

The Fish Works, Largs, North Ayrshire - 10.90

The Fish Works in Largs, North Ayrshire, is a family-run business run by husband and wife team Ross and Tiffany Irvin

The Fish Works is a family-run business run by husband and wife team Ross and Tiffany Irvin, both have worked in the food industry for over 40 years

Being Largs locals and working on the promenade daily, they wanted to create a takeaway where people can come to enjoy fresh quality Scottish seafood with views of Firth of Clyde.

A haddock in batter full works (including twice-cooked chips) is 10.90, haggis fritters meal is 8.10 and crab loaded chips 7.90. Other options include black pudding, panko lemon sole and sausage.

Fish and Chip Restaurant of the Year

The Cods Scallops, West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire - 12.10

The Cod's Scallops in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, offers over 20 species of fish daily and prides itself on serving quality, sustainable produce

Everything at the Cod's Scallops in West Bridgford is cooked fresh to order and fish can be served battered or baked

The Cod's Scallops offers over 20 species of fish daily and prides itself on serving quality, sustainable produce.

Everything is cooked fresh to order and fish can be served battered or baked in garlic, lemon and herbs for a gluten free, healthy alternative.

Fish to choose from include cod, haddock, hake, salmon, plaice, lobster, sea bass and monkfish.

Their cod and chips meal costs 12.10. They also do seafood platters with prawns, cockles, whelks among others with a cocktail sauce, as well as a number of light bites and sides.

Eric's Fish and Chips, Thornham, Norfolk - 14.50 (medium)

Eric's Fish and Chips is situated within the grounds of Drove Orchards on the north Norfolk Coast

Customers can eat their food in the apple orchard or in the family-friendly restaurant

Eric's Fish and Chips is situated within the grounds of Drove Orchards on the north Norfolk Coast.

It prides itself on providing a relaxed family-friendly dining environment with plenty of outside dining space too. Customers are given the choice of taking their fish and chips and picnic in the apple orchard.

Drove Orchards is a working apple orchard with a renowned farm shop selling local produce and a selection of award-winning independent shops, restaurants and a play area all within it's grounds.

A medium cod loin costs 10.75 while medium chips are 3.10. Their menu also includes 10 pieces of scampi for 9 and battered king prawns for 4.50.

Fish City, Belfast, Antrim - 12.95

Fish City is situated in the heart of Belfast City Centre

Traditional fish and chips at Fish City in the heart of Belfast

Inside Fish City, Belfast, a family-run business which started in 2013

Fish City is situated in the heart of Belfast City Centre and prides itself on serving local, sustainable fish and seafood in a comfortable, atmospheric setting.

It is a family-run business which started in 2013, and has since won a number of awards including the 'Seafish' regional award for Fish and Chip Shop of the Year in 2014.

Served with 'warm Northern Irish hospitality', customers can expect sustainable seafood with all of its cod, haddock, and hake Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified.

Its cod and chips will set you back 12.95. Meanwhile their daytime menu includes a seafood chowder for 11.25. It also serves dim sum (10.95) and spicy chicken wings (9.95), as well as six fresh oysters for 22.25.

Henry's of Hunstanton, Hunstanton, Norfolk - 11.50

Henry's in Norfolk is named after Victorian nobleman Henry Le Strange

All of its cod, haddock and plaice are caught from government monitored areas in the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea where over-fishing is carefully monitored

The restaurant is committed to providing high quality fish and chips in a stylish, family friendly restaurant

Located in the heart of Hunstanton, Henry's overlooks the green and the Wash, describing itself as 'the perfect destination to enjoy fish and chips'.

The restaurant is committed to providing high quality fish and chips in a stylish, family friendly restaurant, terrace and takeaway.

The restaurant is named after Victorian nobleman Henry Le Strange who dreamed of creating a seaside resort to rival that of Brighton and Southend on the shores of the Wash in West Norfolk.

All of its cod, haddock and plaice are caught from government monitored areas in the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea where over-fishing is carefully monitored.

Its menu includes 10 pieces of wholetail Whitby scampi and chips for 10.95, a chicken breast burger with chips and salad for 10 and a halloumi burger with salad and chips for 9.95.

Other delights include battered king prawns, chicken goujons and steak and ale pie

Malt & Anchor, Cirencester, Gloucestershire - 12

Calling itself a traditional chippy 'with a twist', Malt & Anchor is an award-winning restaurant and takeaway situated in the heart of the Cotswolds

Their menu includes specialty fish and chips (from 8.50)

Inside Malt & Anchor, which serves fresh produce in a 'unique and relaxing dining environment'.

Calling itself a traditional chippy 'with a twist', Malt & Anchor is an award-winning restaurant and takeaway situated in the heart of the Cotswolds.

It serves fresh produce in a 'unique and relaxing dining environment'.

Their menu includes a regular cod meal for 12, panko coated calamari (9.50), locally sourced pies, including wild boar and chorizo and venison (both 8.50), butcher sausages (4.50) and their own fresh fish specials.

Best Newcomer

The Best Newcomer category celebrates businesses that started no earlier than January 2021.

Haughton Fish & Chips, Haughton, Staffordshire - 11.10 (large)

Harjinder Singh opened Haughton Fish & Chips in the Staffordshire village of Haughton in 2021

Its menu offers a cone of chips for 1.60, a large cod for 7.50 and pukka pies including chicken and mushroom, beef and onion and cheese and onion for 3.30

The village chippy prides itself on 'keeping it simple and doing it right', with offerings of cod, haddock and scampi

Harjinder Singh opened Haughton Fish & Chips in the Staffordshire village of Haughton in 2021.

Mr Singh said the secret to its success lies in the batter. The village chippy prides itself on 'keeping it simple and doing it right', with offerings of cod, haddock and scampi.

Its menu offers a large cone of chips for 3.60, a large cod for 7.50 and pukka pies including chicken and mushroom, beef and onion and cheese and onion for 3.30.

The chippy also does burgers, battered sausage and kebabs, as well as meal deals.

Lighthouse Fisheries of Flamborough, Flamborough, East Yorkshire - 9.10

This family-owned fish and chip shop is on the high street in Flamborough

Lighthouse Fisheries of Flamborough serves cooked chips and good quality fish

This family-owned fish and chip shop on the high street in Flamborough serves triple cooked chips and good quality fish, as well as homemade curry sauce and naturally prepared mushy peas.

They also cater for vegan and gluten free customers with, vegan pies, savaloys, halloumi and falafel.

A regular haddock and chips costs 9.10, while a regular portion of chips is 2.30. It also serves cod and hake as well as fish cakes and fish buttys.

One customer said they stumbled across the restaurant after a lovely walk on the cliffs and were impressed by the 'super friendly staff' and signs saying where the fish came from.

Hendo's Fish & Chips, Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk - 12.50

Hendo's was started by businessman Giles Henderson who in June 2021 decided to swap running a clothes shop for a chippy

Hendo's was started by businessman Giles Henderson who in June 2021 decided to swap running a clothes shop for a chippy.

Since he opened less than two years ago, Mr Henderson said it was 'really humbling' when he received high praise from customers.

Talking about how he came about running Hendo's, Mr Henderson told Suffolk News: 'It was sad to close the clothes shop down last August but I felt it was a declining market and wanted a fresh challenge.

'He mentioned fish and chips - and that was the lightbulb moment. I've always loved food and cooking and decided to give it a go.'

Hendo's sells regular cod and chips for 12.50, battered wholetail scampi and chips for 12.50 and homemade fishcakes for 3.50.

They also sell panko breaded king prawns, salt and pepper squid and battered calamari.
Transgender rapist Isla Bryson could be in the 'care suite' of a Scottish women's jail where inmates share communal spaces including showers  and some vulnerable prisoners are so mentally ill they refuse to wear clothes, MailOnline can reveal today.

Bryson, 31, who until 2020 was called Adam Graham, was yesterday found guilty of raping a woman in Clydebank in 2016 and another in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019.

MailOnline can reveal Bryson is likely to be held in Ross House at the all-female Cornton Vale jail in Stirling where inspectors say trans prisoners are placed with pregnant women and other vulnerable people.

A recent review of care there raised concerns about 'issues of privacy and dignity for the women' in a unit where toilets are in cells but 'showering facilities are communal'. The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland said they learned of 'women neglecting their personal hygiene or refusing to wear clothing'.

Critics have said Bryson should be in a male prison to protect female prisoners.

In 2019, transgender prisoner Paris Green, who was ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years in prison for murder, began her sentence at Cornton Vale but was moved after reports Green, who murdered while named Peter Laing, had sex with female prisoners in the cells.

Ross House at Cornton Vale women's prison where transgender inmates are usually housed here with pregnant and other vulnerable inmates

The cells at the all women's jails are not shared - but in 2019 one trans inmate was moved to HMP Edinburgh after reports they were having sex with women

Isla Bryson, 31, (right), who was born Adam Graham (left), was convicted of raping two women while a man yesterday

Amid fears Bryson is also threat to women, at Ross Hall prisoners enjoy shared access to a communal kitchen, gym and to a large outdoor exercise area as well as access to an art therapist who visits twice a week and a walking club, according to the 2021 report.

Murderer Paris Green was moved from Cornton Vale women's jail amid reports the killer was having sex with female prisoners

Inspectors found: 'The care suite comprises fourteen single occupancy rooms on the ground floor and accommodates women who are more vulnerable.

'Women who are pregnant, transgender women or occasionally young persons may be cared for here.

'Most women housed in the care suite however are there due to mental illness or distress. Each room has a sink and a toilet. Showering facilities are communal'.

Downing Street has expressed 'concerns' about the possibility transgender woman Bryson, who was convicted of raping two women, could be held in a women's prison.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'This is a case in which the courts are yet to hand down a sentence so I'm not going to give anything on the specifics. I've seen the reporting and understand the concerns.'

He added: 'The UK has a policy which sees the prison service in England and Wales manage transgender prisoners on a case-by-case basis and transgender women must go through a robust risk assessment which factors in their offending history and anatomy before they can be moved to a women's prison.'

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said it decides where to send transgender prisoners 'on an individualised basis, informed by a multi-disciplinary assessment of both risk and need'.

The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland raised concerns about 'issues of privacy and dignity for the women' there

Cornton Vale (pictured) is Scotland's only all-female prison, other jails have female wings

SNP MP Joanna Cherry said she is 'very concerned about the safety of women prisoners, with whom a convicted rapist has been placed', while other politicians have also voiced concerns.

It comes after the UK Government blocked controversial gender reform legislation in Scotland which would speed up and simplify the process for trans people to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC).

Ms Cherry said that Bryson should be held in a men's prison.

She told Times Radio: 'To many people, it will look like this convicted rapist has gamed the system in order to try and garner sympathy, and to end up in a women's prison. And I think a lot of people will be shocked by that.

Katie Dolatowski - a transgender paedophile born a man who managed to stay at Leeds Women's Aid refuge for 71 days is also held at Cornton Vale womens jail

'So I think we should be talking about these cases. And women in prison are very vulnerable. Many women in prison have themselves been abused, and have suffered injuries over the years.

'And so they're particularly vulnerable. And perhaps some people would say nobody really cares about prisoners.

'But the point about human rights is that they're universal, and they apply to everyone. So I'm very concerned about the safety of women prisoners, with whom a convicted rapist has been placed.

'And under Scots law, the crime of rape can only be committed by somebody with a penis, and that's a man. And I think we should call, I think we should call out what's happened here.'

Interviewer Stig Abell asked: 'So, this is a man who's committed a crime and should be in a male prison?'

To which Ms Cherry replied: 'Yes.'

A court heard in agreed evidence that Bryson now identifies as a transgender woman and was previously known by the 'dead name' Adam Graham.

Giving evidence last week, the rapist admitted currently taking hormones and seeking surgery to complete gender reassignment.

Bryson, who denied the charges against her, told the court 'I've got my top half,' referring to breasts.

Bryson was found guilty of raping two women on Tuesday, January 24, following a six-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Others have also voiced concerns, including former Labour MSP Jenny Marra who on Tuesday tweeted: 'Cannot quite believe that the Scottish justice system has just put a violent man convicted today of raping two women in women's prison Cornton Vale housing some of the most vulnerable women in our country.

'Ministers need to explain why and take responsibility.'

Scottish Conservative MSP Russell Findlay said: 'We now have the utterly perverse situation where a Scottish court refers to someone who says he identifies as female using "her penis" to rape two vulnerable women.

'We warned of the inevitability of this happening if the SNP's gender self-ID law passed, but for it already to have become reality is deeply worrying and an affront to the victims.'

An SPS spokeswoman said: 'Decisions by the SPS as to the most appropriate location to accommodate transgender people are made on an individualised basis, informed by a multi-disciplinary assessment of both risk and need.

'Such decisions seek to protect both the wellbeing and rights of the individual as well as the welfare and rights of others around them, including staff, in order to achieve an outcome that balances risks and promotes the safety of all.

'Where there are any concerns about any risks posed by an individual, either to themselves or others, we retain the ability to keep them separate from the mainstream population until an agreed management plan is in place.'

A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Decisions taken by the Scottish Prison Service on the placement of transgender prisoners are based on protecting both the wellbeing and rights of the individual and those around them, including staff.

'The SPS use comprehensive individualised risk assessments to inform decisions, such as the appropriate location of transgender people in custody, and not the basis of a Gender Recognition Certificate.

'The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill does not change this process in any way.'
Elon Musk has caved in to pressure from India and removed a BBC documentary criticising PM Narendra Modi from Twitter.

The two-part documentary, India: The Modi Question, has not been broadcast in India by the BBC, but the nation's federal government blocked it over the weekend and banned people from sharing clips on social media, citing emergency powers under its information technology laws.

Twitter and YouTube were ordered by the Indian government to block all links to the film within the country, Kanchan Gupta, a senior adviser in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said Tuesday.

He later said that both platforms 'have complied with the directions'.

Pictured: Elon Musk and Narendra Modi. Twitter and YouTube were ordered by the Indian government to block all links to the film within the country, Kanchan Gupta, a senior adviser in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said Tuesday

Musk markets himself as a free speech advocate, but his running of Twitter since October has been criticised as calamitous, with huge layoffs and experts predicting an eventual crash of the company.

On November 16, Twitter staff were told that they needed to sign a pledge to be able to stay on in their roles where they would be 'working long hours at high intensity' or receive three months of severance pay, resulting in a mass exodus.

Days later Musk announced that former president Donald Trump would have his Twitter account reinstated, tweeting: The people have spoken.

After a Twitter poll on the subject, Musk tweeted on December 21: I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job!

The first part of the Modi documentary, released last week by the BBC for its UK audiences, revives the most controversial episode of Modi's political career when he was the chief minister of western Gujarat state in 2002. It focuses on bloody anti-Muslim riots in which more than 1,000 people were killed.

Days after India blocked the documentary and banned people from sharing it online, authorities are scrambling to halt screenings of the film at colleges and universities and restrict clips of it on social media, a move that has been decried by critics as an assault on press freedom.

Pictured: Elon Musk in an August 2022 (file photo). India's federal government blocked the documentary over the weekend and banned people from sharing clips on social media, citing emergency powers under its information technology laws

Tensions escalated in the capital, New Delhi, on Wednesday at Jamia Millia University where a student group said it planned to screen the banned documentary, prompting scores of police officers equipped with tear gas and riot gear to gather outside campus gates.

Police, some in plain clothes, scuffled with protesting students and detained at least half a dozen of them, who were taken away in a van.

The university cut off power and the internet on its campus on Tuesday before the documentary was scheduled to be screened by a students' union.

Authorities said it would disturb peace on campus, but students nonetheless watched the documentary on their laptops and mobile phones after sharing it on messaging services like Telegram and WhatsApp.

The documentary has also caused a storm at other Indian universities.

Authorities at the University of Hyderabad, in India's south, have begun a probe after a student group showed the banned documentary earlier this week.

In the southern state of Kerala, workers from Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party held demonstrations on Tuesday after some student groups affiliated with rival political parties defied the ban and screened the film.

The riots have long hounded Modi because of allegations that authorities under his watch allowed and even encouraged the bloodshed.

Modi has denied the accusations, and the Supreme Court has said it found no evidence to prosecute him.

Last year, the country's top court dismissed a petition filed by a Muslim victim questioning Modi's exoneration.

Pictured: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (file photo)

Pictured: Police detain Students Federation of India activists outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, India, on January 25, 2023

Tensions escalated in the university after a student group said it planned to screen a banned documentary that examines Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role during 2002 anti-Muslim riots, prompting dozens of police equipped with tear gas and riot gear to gather outside campus gates

The first part of the BBC documentary relies on interviews with victims of the riots, journalists and rights activists, who say Modi looked the other way during the riots. It cites, for the first time, a secret British diplomatic investigation that concluded Modi was 'directly responsible' for the 'climate of impunity'.

The documentary includes the testimony of then-British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who says the British investigation found that the violence by Hindu nationalists aimed to 'purge Muslims from Hindu areas' and that it had all the 'hallmarks of an ethnic cleansing'.

Suspicions that Modi quietly supported the riots led the US, UK and EU to deny him a visa, a move that has since been reversed.

India's Foreign Ministry last week called the documentary a 'propaganda piece designed to push a particularly discredited narrative' that lacks objectivity and slammed it for 'bias' and 'a continuing colonial mindset'.

Kanchan Gupta, a senior adviser in the government's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, denounced it as 'anti-India garbage'.

The BBC said in a statement that the documentary was 'rigorously researched' and involved a wide range of voices and opinions.

'We offered the Indian Government a right to reply to the matters raised in the series - it declined to respond,' the statement said.

The second part of the documentary, released Tuesday in the UK, 'examines the track record of Narendra Modi's government following his re-election in 2019,' according to the film's description on the BBC website.

In recent years, India's Muslim minority has been at the receiving end of violence from Hindu nationalists, emboldened by a prime minister who has mostly stayed quiet on such attacks since he was first elected in 2014.

Pictured: A Bajranj Dal activist armed with a iron stick shouts slogans against Muslims as they burned Muslim shops and attacked residences at Sahapur in Ahmedabad, on February 28, 2002. It was revenge for the February 27 attack by a Muslim mob on a train carrying Hindu activists that left 58 people dead in the Northern state of Gujarat

Pictured: Muslims, who had pleaded with police to protect them the day before, sit huddled in the wreckage of their burned out homes after a mob of Hindu neighbours attacked them from across a street on March 2, 2002 in Ahmadabad, India

Pictured: A Hindu mob waving swords at an opposing Muslim mob during communal riots in Ahmedabad, India on March 1, 2002

The ban on the documentary has set off a wave of criticism from opposition parties and rights groups that slammed it as an attack against press freedom. It also drew more attention to the documentary, sparking scores of social media users to share clips on WhatsApp, Telegram and Twitter.

'You can ban, you can suppress the press, you can control the institutions - but the truth is the truth. It has a nasty habit of coming out,' Rahul Gandhi, a leader in the opposition Congress party, told reporters at a press conference Tuesday.

Mahua Moitra, a lawmaker from the Trinamool Congress political party, on Tuesday tweeted a new link after a previous one was taken down.

'Good, bad, or ugly - we decide. Govt doesn't tell us what to watch,' Moitra said in her tweet, which was still up on Wednesday morning.

Human Rights Watch said the ban reflected a broader crackdown on minorities under the Modi government, which the rights group said has frequently invoked draconian laws to muzzle criticism.

Critics say press freedom in India has declined in recent years and the country fell eight places, to 150 out of 180 countries, in last year's Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders. They accuse Modi's government of silencing criticism on social media, particularly on Twitter, a charge senior leaders of the governing party have denied.

Modi's government has regularly pressured Twitter to restrict or ban content it deems critical of the prime minister or his party. Last year, it threatened to arrest Twitter staff in the country over their refusal to ban accounts run by critics after implementing sweeping new regulations for technology and social media companies.

The ban on the BBC documentary comes after a proposal from the government to give its Press Information Bureau and other 'fact-checking' agencies powers to take down news deemed 'fake or false' from digital platforms.

The Editors Guild of India urged the government to withdraw the proposal, saying such a change would be akin to censorship.
A life insurance firm is facing a backlash over an 'appalling' advert featuring prolific serial killer Harold Shipman.

DeadHappy posted an advert on Facebook with an image of Shipman alongside text which said: 'Life insurance: Because you never know who your doctor might be'.

Hundreds of victims are said to have died at the hands of GP Shipman in Hyde, Greater Manchester in the 1990s.

In 1999 Shipman, then 52, was convicted of the murders of 15 of his patients. But further inquiries found evidence he may have killed more than 250 victims during his medical career, 80 per cent of who were elderly women.

The advert by insurance company DeadHappy which many have criticised as 'unacceptable'

Many expressed shock after the advert appeared online, describing it as 'disgusting'.

'As someone whose relative was murdered by Harold Shipman, your latest advert utilising his image is despicable and unacceptable,' one tweet said.

DeadHappy's founder apologised and said sometimes as a brand they may 'step over the line'.

Kathryn Knowles, founder of insurance broker Cura, told the Telegraph she would report the 'absolutely disgusting' advert to the Financial Conduct Authority, as well as the advertising watchdog.

She said people within the industry were 'absolutely appalled'.

'I just don't see how anyone in their right mind could have thought this was the right thing to do,' she said.

She asked why the company would put relatives of Shipman's victims, some of who are still alive, through that.

'WOW. DeadHappy way to get people talking about your product. Shame it included a mass murdering Doctor,' one wrote on Facebook.

Another tweeted: 'So- @DeadHappy youre really going with this ad, with the tagline life insurance to die for?

Many have hit out at the advert, saying there's a 'limit' to advertising and saying it's not funny

'Seriously? Im all for adverts pushing boundaries, but theres a line. And youve gone way past it. And you know you have.'

One shocked critic wrote: '@deadhappy what on EARTH were the marketing team thinking using this as your advert? You should be ashamed of yourself! Those poor families :(.'

DeadHappy founder Andy Knott reportedly accepted the advert was 'provocative' but said the motivation was to raise awareness of the need for life insurance.

'It is our intention to make people stop and think. If however you have been personally distressed by this advert we do sincerely apologise,' he told the Telegraph.

'We do take risks with our brand and sometimes we may step over the line, whatever or wherever that line may be, and whoever chooses to draw it.'

MailOnline has reached out to DeadHappy for further comment.

As a GP, Shipman presented himself as a pillar of the community  but in reality, he used his position as a doctor to murder hundreds of people over 20 years.

He received 15 life sentences with no parole and was incarcerated at Durham Prison.

Shipman was then moved to Wakefield Prison in June 2003.

On January 13, 2004, he took his own life in his prison cell.

The Advertising Standards Authority has also been approached for comment.
A driver who killed a university graduate in a head-on smash while fleeing police on the wrong side of the road is facing jail.

Ashley Loveday, 38, was behind the wheel of the stolen Peugeot Boxer when he slammed into Uber carrying Grace Payne, 21, on the A13 in Dagenham, east London, on November 25, 2022.

Grace, who had just started a job at an architecture firm, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the Uber driver of the Toyota Prius, Sunder Ali, 59, was seriously injured.

Appearing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday wearing a purple jacket and walking with a crutch, Loveday admitted causing death by dangerous driving - a charge which carries a maximum life sentence.

Grace Payne, 21, was on her way home in an Uber when her vehicle was slammed into by a stolen Peugeot Boxer being driven on the wrong side of the road by Ashley Loveday - who was fleeing police

Loveday also admitted aggravated vehicle taking and causing serious injury to Sundar Ali.

He was released on bail by Judge Alexia Durran, but warned to expect a 'custodial sentence of some length'.

Ms Payne had been returning home to Upminster on a regular night out with work colleagues, when she was involved in the horrific head-on smash at 2.55am.

In a statement after her death, Grace's heartbroken parents said they were 'struggling to come to terms with the fact' the daughter will 'never be coming home'.

'Grace's death has left us, along with the rest of her family and friends, devastated,' they added.

'She made us proud in so many ways. She was caring, compassionate, bright, funny, bubbly - her friends always said that she had the ability to brighten up their day.

Ashley Loveday, 38, (above) admitted causing death by dangerous driving and will be sentenced in March

The horror smash caused huge queues on the A13 towards Essex (pictured above) with Loveday having crashed while driving on the wrong side of the road

'When she walked out of a room, she left everyone feeling happier than when she had walked in. She always wanted to help, always wanted to make people happy.

'She loved children, and although happily working in HR, she said her long-term goal was to retrain when she reached 30 and become a primary school teacher.'

Grace graduated form the University of Kent last year with a degree in history.

Before he death, she spent the summer travelling across Europe with university friends, visiting Italy, Greece, Sicily, Barcelona and Amsterdam.

'She was a 21-year-old starting to live life to the full after the confinements of Covid,' he parents added.

'If Grace was out with a group of friends, it was always said she was the one looking after everyone else, making sure they would get home safely. Last week, she joined work colleagues on their regular Thursday night out. Tragically, she never made it home.'

Loveday, of Canning Town, east London, was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on March 9.

Essex Police has referred itself to the Independent Officer for Police Conduct, which is investigating the circumstances leading up to the fatal crash.
Russia has admitted that the fearsome boss of the Wagner mercenary group is at risk of assassination.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, nicknamed 'Putin's chef' after providing catering services to the Kremlin, heads up the despot's private army which carries out his dirty work at arm's length from the state.

The warlord's 50,000 fighters have been accused of a litany of war crimes and their successes in Ukraine have led to a power struggle between the oligarch and Putin.

Prigozhin said yesterday he had been briefed that Volodymyr Zelensky and CIA director William Burns had discussed the possibility of assassinating him.

Yevgeny Prigozhin is pictured providing catering services to Vladimir Putin in 2011. He now heads the Wagner Group

And asked today in a press conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the Wagner chief is at risk.

He said: 'This is more of a question for the special services.

'But as for assassination attempts, Ukraine is involved in both assassination attempts and an absolutely monstrous murder.

'Let's remember the assassination attempts that took place. Let's remember the murder of [Daria] Dugina and so forth.

'The involvement of the Kyiv regime in such assassination attempts is obvious, so there is such a danger to our citizens.'

Vladimir Rogov, a puppet leader in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, made the initial claims about Western collusion to oust Prigozhin.

Ukrainian servicemen fire a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun toward Russian positions in Bakhmut

Ukrainian soldiers are seen on their ways to frontlines with their armoured military vehicles as the strikes continue on the Donbass frontline

He said, referencing an apparent meeting between the Ukrainian president and the CIA director: 'One of the requests Zelensky made was the murder of the Wagner boss, Mr Prigozhin.'

The Wagner chief then joked that killing him is a 'very good idea', relishing his status.

Some believe that an even greater threat to his safety lies in Moscow than in Ukraine.

Prigozhin recently dismissed Putin's generals as a 'bunch of clowns' and has boasted that his mercenary army is superior to the Russian Armed Forces.

His relations with Putin are increasingly strained, say reports, but Prigozhin continues to taunt the Kremlin president and his army top brass as his Wagner mercenaries and Ukrainian forces remain locked in battle over the city of Bakhmut.

Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin has risked further angering Vladimir Putin by dismissing Moscow's generals as 'a bunch of clowns' while boasting his mercenary army is superior to the Russian Armed Forces. Pictured: Prigozhin is seen in footage speaking to Wagner fighters

Ambitious henchman Yevgeny Prigozhin - who runs the 50,000-strong Wagner private army - is increasingly seen as posing a rising threat to Russian president Vladimir Putin with his daily grandstanding and outspoken boasts. Pictured: Prigozhin (left) and Putin together in 2010

The Wagner boss claimed his ragbag fighters, who are mostly convicts plucked from prison and put into uniforms, have achieved heroics greater than Soviet soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad, a key military turning point in the Second World War.

He has also openly mocked General Valery Gerasimov - the Russian commander-in-chief - who ordered that Russian soldiers should shave off their beards as part of a discipline drive in the armed forces.

Russia's defence chiefs were 'a bunch of clowns' seeking the 'glamorisation of the army', raged Prigozhin, a Soviet-era jail inmate who came to fame arranging banquets and managing online troll factories for Putin.

'Female war correspondents go into the absolute heat of [war],' said Prigozhin.

'Jail inmates fight better than units of the Guards. Servicemen with broken spines pass on their military experience at training camps, moving around like robots.

'And a bunch of clowns try to teach fighters exhausted with hard military labour how many times they ought to shave  and what kind of perfume they must use to greet high commanders.'

He hit out: 'I believe we must introduce legal restrictions, and the harshest punishment with a jail term of up to 50 years for the glamorisation of the army.'

Pictured: Scenes of destruction are seen in video footage from Soledar, which Wagner claimed this month to have captured without the help of Russia's military

Prigozhin likened the fighting in Soledar to the battle of Stalingrad lasted from 23 August 1942 to 2 February 1943, resulting in millions of deaths. Russia's victory was a key blow to Hitler

He backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Russian colonel-general, who has also sent thousands of fighters to Ukraine - many of them Muslim, like him, with beards.

Kadyrov said: 'I can only imagine the sense of astonishment among our fighters, who didn't know about such a dangerous enemy in their ranks as facial hair.

'Drop your machine guns, let's go and shave. The Nazis can just wait a while discussing their fascist business (a reference to the Kremlin's repeated false claims that Ukraine is run by a Nazi government).

'As if there are no problems at the front. What kind of stupid thing is this?'

It amounted to 'a provocation meant to stifle the morale of [Russian] fighters'.

He blamed loyalist MP and Gerasimov ally Lt General Viktor Sobolev over the blunder after he suggested shaving was 'an elementary requirement of military discipline'.

Progozhin said: 'I take this opportunity to ask you, Ramzan, to grow your beard twice as long, for yourself and for me.'

Prigozhin also doubled down on his boast that his Wagner force - which includes murderers, rapists, robbers and fraudsters - had taken the town Soledar from Ukraine without the help of Russia's conventional forces, dressing up the achievement as superior to the epic history book Red Army success in Stalingrad, now Volgograd.

Earlier this month, Prigozhin bragged that his fighters had single-handedly taken control of the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar, which has been razed by fighting.

He declared Wagner was probably 'the most experienced army in the world today.'

Prigozhin openly mocked General Valery Gerasimov - the Russian commander-in-chief - who ordered that Russian soldiers should shave off their beards as part of a discipline drive in the armed forces. Russia's defence chiefs were 'a bunch of clowns' seeking the 'glamorisation of the army', raged Prigozhin, who backed Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov and his fighters are Muslim, and have beards

Pictured: A man wearing a camouflage uniform walks out of PMC Wagner Centre, which is a project implemented by the businessman and founder of the Wagner private military group Yevgeny Prigozhin, during the official opening of the office block in Saint Petersburg, Nov. 4

His rant came as he addressed convicts who had served six months in the war zone, who he pardoned from their convictions under a secret decree from Putin.

'I have come to say thank you for what you have done, from myself.and from the motherland,' said Prigozhin. 'You have gone through six months of hard warfare.

'Neither your grandfathers, nor great-grandfathers, were involved in such battles [in World War Two]. Those who were at Soledar know that even Stalingrad pales in comparison, so thank you. The Motherland and our people are in debt to you.'

He urged the newly liberated criminals to forget their past lives but also the barbarism of war as they return to civilian life.

They should keep their 'adrenaline inside' and forget what they had learned at the front. In civilian life 'there are no enemies, everyone's a friend'.

After facing online mockery for his Stalingrad comparison, he posted videos which he said showed similar devastation.

The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from 23 August 1942 to 2 February 1943, resulting in millions of deaths. Russia's victory was a key blow to Hitler.

'I treat the history of our ancestors with respect, but here are videos I made from a car window when approaching Soledar,' said Prigozhin, who is nicknamed Putin's 'chef', even though his blind loyalty is now questioned.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said this week that Prigozhin's 'advertising' of the 'superiority and successes of his own troops' had become 'overbearing and ostentatiously swaggering' and was grating with Putin.
Sir Keir Starmer appeared to mock Rishi Sunak's height as they clashed over the tax affairs of a senior minister at Prime Minister's Questions today.

The Labour leader aimed a low blow at the PM in an exchange about Nadhim Zahawi, who was absent from the Commons showpiece amid questions over a seven-figure sum he had to pay HMRC.

With the Tory chairman having decided to stay away from the Commons chamber, Mr Sunak admitted that he had decided to trigger a standards probe after 'more information' came to light about his multi-million pound tax settlement.

The Labour leader branded him 'hopelessly weak' and made a thinly-veiled jibe at the stature of the PM, who is 5ft 6.

'We all know why the Prime Minister was reluctant to ask his party chair questions about family finances and tax avoidance,' said Sir Keir, who is believed to be 5ft 8.

'But his failure to sack him when the whole country can see what's going on shows how hopelessly weak he is - a prime minister overseeing chaos, overwhelmed at every turn.

'He can't say when ambulances will get to heart attack victims again. He can't say when the prisons system will keep streets safe again. He can't even deal with tax avoiders in his own Cabinet.

'Is he starting to wonder if this job is just too big for him?'

A spokesman for the Labour leader later denied it had been a jibe at his height.

The Labour leader aimed a low blow at the PM in an exchange about Nadhim Zahawi, who was absent from the Commons showpiece amid questions over a seven-figure sum he had to pay HMRC.

Mr Zahawi has insisted he has no intention of quitting and welcomed the prospect of an investigation by the PM's independent adviser

Mr Sunak, who is 5ft6, with former Treasury minister Simon Clarke in 2020

After Sir Keir's attack, Mr Sunak countered: 'The difference between him and me is I stand by my values and my principles even when it is difficult.

'When I disagreed fundamentally with the previous prime minister I resigned from the government.

'But for four long years he sat next to the member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) - when antisemitism ran rife, when his predecessor sided with our opponents.

'That's what's weak, Mr Speaker. He has no principles and just petty politics.'

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said the issue of Mr Zahawi's tax affairs is 'now a matter of the Prime Minister's own integrity and accountability'.

He said: 'May I ask the Prime Minister what advice would he have for individuals seeking to protect their personal finances? Should they seek out a future chair of the BBC to help secure an 800,000 loan?

'Should they set up a trust in Gibraltar and hope that HMRC simply don't notice? Or should they do as others have done and simply apply for non-dom status?'

Mr Sunak replied: 'I'm proud of the record of this Government in supporting the most vulnerable in our society.

'Just this winter helping all families - 900 with their energy bills, raising the National Living Wage to record levels and ensuring that our pensioners get the support they need. That's what this Government is doing to ensure financial security in this country.'

Mr Flynn added: 'Let's be clear about this, this is now a matter of the Prime Minister's own integrity and accountability.

'Is it little wonder that people in Scotland may well just consider the Tory party to be a parcel of rogues?'

Mr Sunak replied: 'What I am standing up for is proper due process, that's why we have an independent adviser. It's right that the independent adviser conducts his investigation - that's how we will ensure accountability and that's what I will deliver.'
The father of 'incel' mass murderer Jake Davison told an inquest today that he tried to stop his son from getting hold of a gun before he slaughtered five innocent people  including his own mother  during a shooting rampage in Plymouth two years ago.

The eight-minute killing spree on August 12, 2021, saw 22-year-old Davison use a pump-action shotgun to first kill his mother Maxine, 51, following a row inside their home in Keyham.

He then went outside and shot dead Lee Martyn, 43, and his three-year-old daughter Sophie as they walked their dog and she pushed her buggy, before killing dog walker Stephen Washington, 59, and artist Kate Shepherd, 66. He turned the gun on himself as armed police arrived at the scene.

Speaking at an inquest into the shooting on Wednesday, his father Mark said he had refused to buy his son an air rifle when he was a teenager, before claiming he warned police to not give him a gun licence some four years before the shooting.

Mark Davison (pictured with his son Jake) said he asked police to take away his son's shotgun and licence in 2017

Jake Davison (pictured), 22, killed his 51-year-old mother Maxine following a row before shooting dead four others in Plymouth in August 2021

'Incel' killer's eight-minute reign of terror: Chilling footage shows Plymouth gunman Jake Davison wielding shotgun as he murdered five - including toddler pushing her teddy in a pram - as inquest hears he 'idolised' mass shooters Chilling: Jake Davison is seen strolling down the road with a gun, before shooting dead multiple bystanders Advertisement

It comes after it was revealed that the licence had been taken away from him after he assaulted two teenagers  but was reinstated by Devon and Cornwall Police just weeks before the mass killing.

Giving evidence at Exeter racecourse in Devon, his father, who lives in Scotland, said Jake was aged 13 or 14 when he asked him for an air rifle, but that he refused over fears he would use it against his mother.

He claimed he then found out from his daughter that Jake had applied for a gun in 2017, which she thought would be good for him as it would give him a hobby and get him out of the house, supervised by his gun holder uncle Robert Chapman.

Mark said he feared his son was living in an 'insular environment always in his bedroom', and in a volatile household where he and his mother 'argued like cat and dog'. He also feared there were no consequences for his actions as he had 'no empathy'.

Upon learning of the licence application in 2017, Mr Davison claimed that he immediately called police to express his concerns, telling them: 'How for pity's sake can you give an autistic person living in a volatile environment a gun?'

He added: 'I knew about his interest in guns. He should not have had a shotgun. I did not want a shotgun going into that house.'

He became angry as he told the inquest jury that he called the police station in Plymouth several times, despite the coroner's barrister Bridget Dolan KC saying no one had found a log of the calls.

He added: 'Why would I want to make this up? Where's the log of that? If you have lost that it's not my fault. I did not want a shotgun in this environment, how for pity's sake can an autistic boy have a gun?'

Jake Davison's mother Maxine was the first to be killed following a row, before he went on a killing spree

Davison first murdered his own mother, Maxine, at her home nearby, before going outside and randomly killing schoolgirl Sophie Martyn, her father Lee, 43, and dog walker Stephen Washington. He then crossed a road to a hair salon where he shot and fatally injured Kate Shepherd, 66

Father-of-three Mr Davison said: 'You have messed up. I don't give a hoot, you have messed up. It wont bring anybody back, it wont change anything.

'We are not talking about a water pistol or someone stealing a bike  every phone call to the police is recorded.'

Mr Davison said a friend witnessed the calls, who the inquest jury heard was interviewed by Police Scotland earlier this month.

But the witness, Brian Cowie, told the force that Mr Davison made the calls in the summer of 2021  not 2017, when his son made the gun application.

Mr Davison said: 'He has got that wrong. He has to be muddled up.'

His father said he could not remember his son's gun being taken away and then given back to him. But Mr Cowie claimed to police that Mr Davison 'hit the roof' when the weapon had been returned to his son.

At the inquest today, Mr Davison, a fisherman, also said 'blaming anyone is not going to improve the system'.

Tragic: Lee Martyn and his daughter Sophie were among those shot and killed by gunman Davison

Kate Shepherd, 66, was Davison's final victim, and was gunned down by Blush hair salon in Plymouth

Three-year-old Sophie Martyn and her father Lee, 43, were shot dead in front of horrified onlookers as they walked their pet dog

He also said he did not know about his son's involvement with the so-called Incel movement and that he thought that he was a virgin because he was just shy with girls, adding that his son's autism meant he was 'not very good at showing emotion'.

Incels, or involuntary celibates, advocate violence and rape against women and have been responsible for a growing number of terror attacks in recent years.

They are part of an online community of young heterosexual men who blame society and women for their lack of romantic success.

Asked about the term Incel, Mr Davison said: 'I did not have a clue. He stopped bothering with me, he was in his own world.'

Under cross examination by Dominic Adamson, KC, representing the victims' families, Mr Davison said he did not know anything about incels and did not know Jake was involved and carrying out internet searches on mass killings and degrading his mother and women in general.

Stephen Washington (pictured) was among the five victims shot to death by Davison in August 2021

He said he did not see Jake very much in the 18 months before the tragedy and thought he had a girlfriend, adding 'why would a man in his early 20s want to go around with his dad.'

Mr Davison also told the inquest jury that his son and his mother 'fought like cat and dog' and claimed she would 'run off with her mouth' and say things she did not mean.

He said a month before the Keyham shootings Jake locked her in a cupboard at their home. He said when he went there at other times he found that there were 'holes punched in doors'.

Mr Davison, who told the jury he has a criminal record but he is now a practicing Christian, said his son knew a lot about weapons and ammunition and that he had encouraged him to join the Army.

He said he never thought he would go on 'to do what he did'.

The decision-making system that returned the shotgun licence to Jake Davison was later branded 'fundamentally flawed' and was in place for at least five years, the inquest heard.

Superintendent Brent Davison, unrelated to the gunman, said he became head of Devon and Cornwall Police's Firearms and Explosives Licensing unit two months after the shooting.

He admitted there was an absence of formalised training in the unit and officers learned through a buddy system whereby they picked up what more experienced officers were doing.

Dominic Adamson KC, representing the victims' families, asked him: 'You would want to know how it was that for five years a fundamentally flawed system had been in place?'

Mr Davison replied: 'Yes, they were overstretched and perhaps the system is not perfect.'

Weatherby pump action shotgun (top) used by Jake Davison next to a police issue tactical single barrel 12-gauge pump action shotgun (below) shown in the inquest into the deaths of five people shot dead by Jake Davis

Mr Adamson said: 'So you are saying that lack of resources resulted in a flawed system and that persisted for five years?'

'Yes,' Mr Davison answered.

Bridget Dolan KC, counsel to the inquest, said a review carried out by Durham Constabulary after the shooting found 'serious concerns' with the decision-making process under the firearms licence unit's previous head Michelle Moore.

Davison had his pump-action Weatherby shotgun and licence returned to him weeks before he killed his mother Maxine, and four other victims.

His licence and gun had been seized in 2020 after Davison assaulted two teenagers in a park, and Ms Moore earlier told the inquest that the decision to return them before the killing on August 12 2021 was high-risk and should have been passed to her but was not.

Mr Davison said Ms Moore is not making as many high-risk decisions as before and he is now mostly responsible, making two to three high-risk decisions a week.

Nick Stanage, representing the gunman's siblings, asked him: 'Devon and Cornwall Police are prioritising the sensitivity of Ms Moore, and possibly other colleagues, over public safety?'

Mr Davison replied: 'I think that is one perspective. There is wider context based around the conversations I have had with Ms Moore, discussing cases and her decision-making and she is part of the training.

Two different types of gunshot cartridges were seized from Davison's home after the deadly attack

The inquest was previously shown photographs of the component parts of the 'trap' shotgun cartridge

'Until the last couple of weeks I have not had concerns about her specific decision-making and knowledge, in my experience.'

He said changes to the decision-making process after the shooting led to a backlog in assessing applications for gun licences that had lapsed as well as other applications for renewal.

He said: 'Clearly such a significant event did have an impact on police service, and if you look at the backlog of grants and renewals from August and September 2021, they have started to reduce from November.'

Coroner Ian Arrow asked him: 'Four thousand people have not renewed their licences. Are you able to say what happened to the guns those licence holders held?'

Mr Davison answered: 'Yes. The Home Office raised this as an issue nationally. We have done extensive work around managing that risk.

'The reality is that because such detailed work was being put into the decision-making process and getting it right, that meant there were backlogs in cases waiting for renewal, unless they needed them for business they were not a priority for us.

'Our process now is, as well as our standard correspondence going out 16 to 18 weeks before renewal, holders get a call a month before.

'We go through a triage process so if there are no immediate concerns they can have a permit. And that is followed up by dedicated officers.'

He also said there were 196 licences that had lapsed which did not have a renewal application and that officers have since got that down to 100.

The inquest continues.
House Republicans are looking to crack down on crime in Washington, D.C. by intervening in the District's attempt to decrease penalties for violent crimes like carjacking and gun possession.

Representative Andrew Clyde is leading the charge and will introduce legislation to block the D.C. Council's recent criminal code reform, which was unsuccessfully vetoed by Mayor Muriel Bowser but overruled unanimously by the council.

Capitol Hill is physically in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Congress holds authority to have final say over local affairs and legislation before it can become law.

Clyde, part of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus, told Axios the bill to block new reforms in coming weeks will look to 'stop this insanity in its tracks.'

Representative Andrew Clyde (pictured speaking with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy) is introducing legislation to crack down on new criminal code passed by D.C. Council this month

Despite a massive rise in crime, D.C. Council voted unanimously to decrease penalties and maximum sentences for carjackings and gun possession

The Georgia congressman wants to strip D.C. of its autonomy completely and have Congress rule over the jurisdiction, and is starting with tackling the city's handling of crime.

Democrats, however, say this is an overstep.

'These Republican staffers don't know the difference between the Home Rule Act and the Magna Carta,' local Democratic consultant Chuck Thies said.

The move from GOP lawmakers is a hard right turn from the Democratic-led House efforts in the last Congress, which was on Mayor Bowser's side when it came to establishing statehood for Washington, D.C.

Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee plans to introduce an identical version of Clyde's bill in the Senate, which still has a Democrat majority and is unlikely to pass and get to President Joe Biden's desk.

Still, Republicans are hoping to drum up hearings and media headlines with the latest proposal even if they are unsuccessful legislatively.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser attempted to veto the bill but was unsuccessful against the unanimous city council efforts

D.C. City Council voted unanimously this month to reform its criminal code and lessen penalties for violent crimes including dropping the maximum sentences for carjacking and gun possession.

Under this new code the maximum sentence for carjackings would drop from the current 40 years to 24 years behind bars.

'I don't support a litany of pieces of legislation that came out of the council related to public safety,' Mayor Bowser told Axios on Tuesday.

Notably, staffing at D.C. Metro Police Department (MPD) has hit a new low dating back to at least 1999. The number of sworn staff is at 3376 to start of Fiscal Year 2023 - as anti-law enforcement sentiments have spread throughout the district and nation.

It also comes after the D.C. City Council voted to slash $15 million for police in its latest budget, which led to a hiring freeze.

Additionally, crime has increased exponentially in the district in recent years with back-to-back years of more than 200 murders and five years of increasing carjackings.

Congress has already started coming after D.C.'s ability to rule itself this year.

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer introduced legislation to block the District from allowing non-citizen residents to vote in local elections - and Senator Tom Cotton is expected to bring a senate version of the legislation soon.
Germany's federal cyber agency is looking into digital attacks by hackers targeting websites in the country.

The BSI is looking into the 'scope and source' of attacks, an interior ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks work by directing high volumes of internet traffic towards targeted servers in a relatively unsophisticated bid by so-called 'hacktivists' to knock them offline.

The investigation comes amid heightened fears about hackers around the world, with a recent report claiming that Russia was behind a cyber attack on Royal Mail that forced the postal groups to halt international deliveries.

Germany's federal cyber agency is looking into digital attacks by hackers targeting websites in the country

And last week, millions of T-Mobile customers in the United States had their personal data stolen after an 'unidentified malicious intruder' hacked the mobile giant's network - its second major security beach in just two years.

The company told the Security and Exchange Commission the breach was discovered on January 5 and said the data stolen included customers' addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.

Based on its investigation to date, the breach did not expose passwords, Pins, bank account or credit card details, Social Security numbers or other government IDs.

It comes after Microsoft services including Outlook and Teams were hit by a global networking outage today.

Thousands of users reported that they were left without email and communication services - as well as use of cloud platform Azure - after the issue.

Microsoft said it had determined a network connectivity issue was occurring with devices across the Microsoft WAN.

This impacts connectivity between clients on the internet to Azure, as well as connectivity between services in data centres, it said.
Top medical schools have said they will stop participating in U.S. News rankings

A number of medical schools, including Columbia, Stanford and University of Pennsylvania, have followed Harvard's lead and withdrawn from U.S. News & World Report medical school rankings.

The schools have all offered similar explanations, arguing that the criteria used to generate rankings do not reward the best learning environments and that its preferences are overly influenced by the prestige and wealth of schools.

It comes just two months after Yale Law School pulled out of the U.S. News law school rankings, which it had topped for 32 years, saying that the list discourages financial aid for low-income students.

The US News list ranks the 'best medical schools' in the country, and is often used by prospective students and parents when determining which colleges to apply to.

It can also influence students' chances when applying for jobs, graduate school and PhD programs, as those who come from the best schools appear to be the most desirable candidates.

This spree of boycotts will see universities cut ties with the U.S. News & World Report, mainly by ceasing to provide it with the data it needs to create its current rankings.

Columbia's medical school was first to make the move after Harvard, announcing its decision on January 20

The schools have said that the criteria used to generate rankings do not reward the best learning environments and that its preferences are overly influenced by the prestige and wealth

Columbia's medical school was first to make the move after Harvard, announcing its decision on January 20, followed by Stanford a few days later on the 23rd and Penn on the 24th. Later that day the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai also withdrew.

The dean of Columbia's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Katrina Armstrong said in a statement that the incentives of the rankings are 'misaligned with the highest goals of medical education', and that they 'perpetuate a narrow and elitist perspective'.

U.S. News has two separate annual rankings for medical schools, one focused on research and another on primary care training. Harvard Medical School was at the top of the research ranking when the 2023 results came out in May.

When it announced its withdrawal on January 17, its dean, George Daley, cited 'philosophical' concerns.

Daley wrote in a statement that the ranking system creates 'perverse incentives' for schools to submit misleading data to boost their positions and to divert financial aid away from those with financial need to higher scoring students.

He said he had been contemplating the decision for six years and was inspired by the dean of Harvard Law School, who pulled his school from the lists very soon after Yale last year.

The statement put out by Icahn School of Medicine suggested that U.S. News would still rank schools. 'In the near term, U.S. news is likely to continue ranking schools that have withdrawn by using publicly available data,' wrote its president and dean in a joint statement.

Harvard was at the top of the ranking when the 2023 results came out last May

U.S. News' Chairman and CEO Eric Gertler said that 'where students attend school and how they use their education are among the most critical decisions of their life'

Dean of Perelman School of Medicine, J. Larry Jameson, suggested that its decision to boycott the rankings was altruistic

Lloyd Minor, dean of Stanford School of Medicine, said that the U.S. News & World Report 'Best Medical Schools' ranking 'does not capture the full extent of what makes for an exceptional learning environment.'

Minor announced that it would take its own measures to help inform potential students. 'To help prospective students better evaluate their options, starting March 1, 2023, we will begin independently reporting data about our medical school's performance,' he wrote.

'Our metrics will reflect and assess the efforts and accomplishments of our faculty in education, research, and patient care as well as the innovation and impact of faculty and trainees on biomedicine and their roles in developing tomorrow's leaders.'

The day after Harvard's announcement it would no longer submit data, U.S. News' Chairman and CEO Eric Gertler made his own statement, saying that 'where students attend school and how they use their education are among the most critical decisions of their life.'

'The fact is, millions of prospective students annually visit U.S. News medical school rankings because we provide students with valuable data and solutions to help with that process,' he wrote.

Icahn School of Medicine which withdrew on January 24 suggested that U.S. News would still try and rank schools using publicly available data

The dean of Yale Law School, Heather Gerken, argued last year when she led the first major boycott of U.S News lists that they were 'profoundly flawed'

Dean of University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, J. Larry Jameson, suggested that its decision to boycott the rankings was altruistic.

'While the Perelman School of Medicine has consistently ranked well by these measures, and we are proud of our reputation, we aspire to be judged more on our innovation, impact, the far-reaching accomplishments of our faculty and graduates, and our ability to keep our sights forward,' he wrote.

The dean of Yale Law School, Heather Gerken, argued last year when she led the first major boycott of U.S News lists that they were 'profoundly flawed.'

'They disincentivize programs that support public interest careers, champion need-based aid, and welcome working-class students into the profession,' she said.

'Its approach not only fails to advance the legal profession, but stands squarely in the way of progress.'

However, some medical schools have held their positions. 'Like a number of our peer medical students, we have concerns about the impact such rankings have on the decisions made by students,' a spokesperson for John Hopkins Medicine told the New York Observer in a statement.

'At this time, we are still sending information to U.S. News & World Report, but, as we do each year, we will consider our future participation.'
Prosecutors are probing if a mechanical fault could have caused a California doctor's Tesla to crash after he was accused of trying to kill his wife and two children by deliberately driving his car off 250ft cliff.

Dharmesh Patel, 41, was initially arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder his wife Neha, 41, their four-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter after veering off the highway at Devil's Slide in California on January 2.

But District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe is now seeking to rule out the possibility that the family's Tesla Model Y had a problem with its brakes.

'Did the brakes fail? Were the brakes working? Were there any other mechanical malfunctions that would have led to him not being able to stop the vehicle?' Wagstaffe told the LA Times. 'We're having the car looked at from top to bottom.'

Scroll down for video.

Dharmesh A. Patel, 41, was initially arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder his wife Neha, 41, and their four-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter after allegedly making a U-turn at Devil's Slide in California on January 2

Miraculously the family of four survived the plunge to the water's edge without sustaining life-threatening injuries. The mangled Tesla Model Y is pictured after the smash

The rescue effort at dusk on Monday January 2 after emergency teams realized the family was alive

The DA's office was still in the early stages of the investigation, he added.

Miraculously the family of four survived the plunge to the water's edge without sustaining life-threatening injuries.

However, the celebration of their rescue was short-lived when Patel was arrested at Stanford Hospital later that day.

Police said Patel was to be charged with attempted homicide and child abuse, with authorities alleging a botched murder-suicide.

The radiologist has since been transferred to San Mateo Medical Center, Wagstaffe said. He has not yet been formally booked as he is still receiving treatment.

It is unclear whether his wife and children are still receiving treatment in the hospital, or if they have been discharged.

Initially there were questions over whether the electric vehicle - famous for its self-driving technology - went rogue and took the family off the road by mistake.

But experts have since said that the car, which has airbags adjacent to the two front seats in addition to in front of them, may have actually saved their lives.

Troopers were dispatched around 10am Monday, January 2, to reports that a vehicle had veered off the cliff on Highway 1, around 20 miles south of San Francisco.

The steep, rocky, winding coastal area is known as Devil's Slide.

Fire Chief Brian Pottenger told reporters: 'We go there all the time for cars over the cliff and they never live. This was an absolute miracle.'

The car was initially said to have flipped multiple times, however experts have since raised doubts, arguing the heavy batteries located in the floor of the Tesla would have stopped it from rolling.

There was no guardrail at the spot where the sedan went off the cliff, officials said.

Patel was seen driving at speed northbound on Highway 1 and it appears he must have performed a sharp turn before reaching the Tom Lantos Tunnel, which is where the Tesla veered off the road, first onto a dirt area and then down the cliff.

Robin Johnson, who called 911 after seeing the crash, recalled: 'Wow, he's driving extremely fast to take that exit. You're not even supposed to be going up that way.

'And I can see in my rear-view mirror this car just go over the edge and straight down.'

The car was traveling northbound on Highway 1 near San Francisco at around 10am on Monday, January 2

Sheriff's deputies work to free the car after the family was airlifted to safety

The huge drop from the highway to the scene of the crash. The family members were airlifted to safety

Rescue teams had to abseil down the side of the cliff while others used helicopters to try to reach the family

About 30 to 50 rescuers immediately responded to the scene where it was initially presumed the occupants of the car must have been dead.

A helicopter and specialist teams were required to rappel down to the wreckage and it was not until hours later that stunned rescue teams discovered the four family members conscious and alert in the car.

The children were pulled out first, through a back window, and hauled up the cliff by hand in a rescue basket using a pulley.

The doctor and his wife were more seriously injured and had to be hoisted out by helicopter and were then flown directly to hospital.

Neighbors expressed their shock after learning the allegations against Patel, describing their family as 'idyllic'.

Roger Newmark, who lives several doors down from the family on a leafy Pasadena street, told CBS: 'They're the sweetest couple and they have the greatest two little kids.'

The hospital where Patel works as a radiologist released a statement after the crash.

'Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is deeply saddened to learn of a traffic incident involving one of our physicians and his family,' it said.

'We are extremely grateful there were no serious injuries. We will not respond further, as this incident is under investigation.'

According to an online profile, Patel graduated from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Michigan and has been practicing for more than a decade.

Witnesses said they saw the vehicle driving at high speed along the highway before it veered off course

The Tesla Model Y - which is the vehicle the family was in - has multiple airbags. There are front airbags, seat-mounted side airbags, and curtain airbags, all of which appeared to inflate. Police are yet to confirm whether this saved the family

Among those to comment on the case was Tesla founder Elon Musk.

In response to a tweet about how the family survived, Musk said: 'Good news.'

Experts said the fact the family survived proves the Tesla vehicles' safety.

Mechanical engineering professor Jingwen Yu said Patel 'probably underestimated how safe a vehicle could be'.

Speaking to NBC earlier this month he described the family's survival as a 'miracle', but noted the quality of the Tesla's seatbelts and hard roof on top of the fact the car's batteries give it a low center of gravity to stop it from flipping.

Jose Granada, a professor of mechanical engineering at California State University Sacramento, said the car could not have flipped or it would have been crushed.

Earlier, Fire Chief Pottenger had told the media that he believed the car 'flipped several times.'

Rather, Granada said that the car made a straight drop, landing on pebbles and sand.

He compared it to landing in a ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese, even though the fall at top speed would have been around 80 mph.
Surveillance footage captured the bizarre moment remarkably polite thieves armed with guns steal a man's car keys.

The video, obtained by CWB Chicago, shows a group of three men dressed in black clothing approaching a 36-year-old victim Saturday at around 7.30pm, when they ask him for his keys.

The carjackers then hold the pizza the man is carrying as he fishes for his keys. They even thank their victim, and call him 'sir.'

Police say the incident is just the latest in a string of thefts committed by the group of armed robbers in recent weeks in the crime-ridden city.

Surveillance footage captured the bizarre moment polite carjackers hold their victim's pizza as he hands over his keys on Saturday night in Chicago

Footage posted online shows four men exit a dark-colored SUV Saturday night in the 600 block of West 29th Street, while an unsuspecting man is walking down the sidewalk across the street carrying at least one pizza box.

Two of the robbers, displaying handguns, then approach the 36-year-old man while a third carrying a rifle sprints across the street. A fourth man could be seen standing near their car.

As the men  dressed in black clothing obscuring their features  surround their victim he screams 'Whoa' and appears to try to defend himself.

But a carjacker to his left simply asks him, 'You got keys?'

When the victim confirms he does, in fact. have car keys on him, the carjacker agrees to hold the victim's pizza so he can dig his keys out of his pocket.

Once he turns them over to the carjacker to his right, the man on the left checks on him, asking his victim, 'You good?' as he returns the man's pizza.

'I'm good,' the victim replies.

'Alright thank you,' the carjacker responds, as his accomplice says: 'Thank you, sir.'

'You betcha,' the victim replies, as he takes a drag from his cigarette then walks away.

Chicago police said the suspects drove away from the scene in the victim's Toyota RAV4. They remain on the loose.

The armed robbers politely ask the man for his keys and thank him when he turns them over

The carjacking came just one week after a man in a black GAP sweater and his friend in a red sweater confronted another victim just two blocks away.

Video from that incident showed the men pushing a victim on top of his white sedan as they fished for his keys outside a local gas station.

They were carrying pistols and a rifle as they jostled their victim, before making off with his car.

Authorities now say both crimes were committed by the same group of men, whom Chicago police have already issued two public warnings about.

They said the group travels in more than one vehicle to rob and carjack people while displaying firearms and pistols.

The armed thugs have apparently committed several thefts over the past few weeks, targeting people at ATMs, gas stations and on the street for robberies and car thefts.

Police said the group comprises four to five black males between the ages of 15 to 35, who wear ski masks and black clothing. However, some of the victims told police they thought the robbers may have been Hispanic.

Motor vehicle thefts are now up 165 percent over the same time last year, according to police statistics, while thefts are up 24 percent and robberies are up 26 percent.

In total, crime in the Windy City is up 61 percent over last year.
Frightening video footage reveals the moment a robber breaks into a woman's car to steal bags of cash after following her for several miles from a nearby Wells Fargo Bank in Texas where she had made a withdrawal.

Authorities in central Texas have released the clip to raise awareness of a lucrative crime known as 'bank jugging' - where thieves mark out their victims at ATMs or retail stores before stalking their car and waiting for them to leave it unattended.

It comes as figures obtained by local site Axios reveal that incidents of jugging in Austin, Texas, have more than tripled in a year.

A criminal in a grey hooded top, pictured, is seen creeping out of his Toyota before smashing through the windows of the victim's car after she had stopped off at a Goodwill store

The clip begins with a man in a grey hooded top and jeans creeping out of a black Toyota vehicle and approaching the victim's car parked next to him.

He quickly punches through the glass window - seemingly with just his hands - and retrieves two bags, throwing them back into his own car.

The crime, which happened in November, is over within five seconds.

Reports of bank jugging have steadily been on the rise across America for years.

Some incidents can be extremely violent with criminals attacking their victim rather than waiting for them to vacate the car.

Horrifying footage released in 2018 shows one man being beaten to the ground by thugs who followed him home in Houston.

Crooks typically watch for customers who have just visited ATMs or are leaving high-end stores, and often target elderly victims.

Footage shows the crime, which happened in November, is over within five seconds

The robber can be seen retrieving two bags from his victim and transferring them into his own car

In Austin alone figures show incidents of the crime been on the rise for five years, more than tripling from 46 in 2021 to 140 in 2022.

And in New York City, banks have warned this week they are struggling to cope with a wave of 'crime and vacancy' running rampant around their branches and ATMs.

Chase Bank announced it was closing some of its ATMs early at 5pm, while other banks have hired security guards at their city center branches.

Incidents of bank jugging have been on the rise for the last five years in Austin, Texas

The latest video was released by the Round Rock Police Department which said the victim had just made a cash withdrawal at the local Wells Fargo Bank.

On her way home, she stopped at a Goodwill store which is when the robber made his move.

In a Facebook post, the Round Rock Police Department wrote: 'Bank Jugging: Silly name. Serious Crime.

'On Nov. 19, 2022, the victim made a withdrawal at the Wells Fargo Bank located at 505 Round Rock Ave in Round Rock.

Why is it called bank jugging? Bank jugging refers to incidents where criminals stake out a victim at an ATM, bank or retail store, follow their car and wait for them to leave it unattended so they can steal their money or goods.

The origin of the name is unclear though some speculate it is refers to a time when people would transport their money in jugs.

Urban Dictionary defines 'jugging' as 'making money' or 'stealing' Advertisement

'She then stopped at the Goodwill located at 17151 Smyers Lane in Round Rock. While the victim was inside Goodwill, her window was smashed in and her property was stolen.

'Surveillance footage captured a Toyota Rav4 following the victim into the parking lot.'

The criminal's vehicle did not have a license place but rather a placard with the words 'SeeDriveSmile.com'.

The post was also shared by nearby Killeen Police Department, which said the same vehicle may have been involved in a similar incident in their county in December 2022.

Cops said the victim had withdrawn a 'large sum of money' from a local bank before driving to a restaurant, where the suspect broke the window of their truck and stole the cash.

Detectives added that they had received information that the same suspect vehicle was involved in two other burglaries in McClennan County.

When questioned about the rise in jugging incidents, Bellmead Police Department Lieutenant Andrew McGee told KWTX: 'It can really happen in a matter of minutes.'

Sergeant Casey Sheppard, of the Temple Police Department, added: 'We've had at least one case where an individual went into a gas station. Within the amount of time it took them to fill up their car and go inside the gas station, the money was taken.'

Anybody with information about the incident in the video or can identify the vehicle or the individuals is being urged to contact Detective Rocco Montorello at (512) 218-3292 or rmontorello@roundrocktexas.gov.

Anonymous tips can be submitted at WilcoCrimeTips.org
An NHS Trust has admitted failures in the care of a baby and her mother after the child died just 23 minutes after being born.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust pleaded guilty at Nottingham Magistrates Court to two counts of being a registered person which failed to provide care and treatment in a safe way resulting in harm or loss over the death of Wynter Sophia Andrews on September 15 2019.

A tragic inquest in 2020 found the infant died from hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy - a loss of oxygen flow to the brain - 23 minutes and 30 seconds after being born.

This could have been prevented had staff at the Queens Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham delivered her earlier.

Wynter Sophia Andrews died at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, on September 15 2019

Sarah and Gary Andrews arrive at Nottingham Magistrates' Court today

Her mother Sarah Andrews said she felt 'humiliated, worthless and forgotten' after arriving at the hospital

The Care Quality Commission, which regulates health services in England, announced in July last year that it would prosecute the trust on two counts, one in relation to Wynter and another to her mother, Sarah Andrews, who is attending the hearing with Wynters father, Gary.

District Judge Grace Leong told the court that she would hear submissions on Wednesday, before delivering her verdict on Friday.

Speaking at the inquest into Wynter's death in 2020, Ms Andrews said she felt 'humiliated, worthless and forgotten' after arriving at the hospital.

Ms Andrews had started having contractions and experiencing pain six days before being admitted to the maternity ward in Queen's Medical Centre on September 14

She had started having contractions and experiencing pain six days before being admitted to the maternity ward on September 14.

Jo Taylor, a midwife at King's Mill Hospital who had conducted a home visit, made the call to midwife Clare Lee at the hospital on Sarah's behalf, the court heard.

Ms Lee said she hadn't taken into consideration that the contractions had started days prior.

This led to Ms Andrews being placed on a ward where she was only seen by midwives, and not clinicians.

A Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch report into Wynter's death also found Ms Lee had failed to act on two high blood pressure readings.

These should have led to a medical examination for Ms Andrews.

To date, dozens of babies are believed to have died or been left with serious injuries as a result of care at the trust, which runs Nottingham's City Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre (QMC)

Donna Ockenden is set to lead the investigation after some 100 mothers wrote to the then health secretary Sajid Javid to criticise the thematic review of maternity incidents at Nottingham University Hospitals

Ms Lee passed the care of Sarah over to Adele Kirk, a midwife who was working the night shift, and she was given diamorphine, which requires a doctor's approval.

Latent labour and established labour Latent labour: It is the initial part of the first stage of labour

At the start of labour, your cervix starts to soften and this is called the latent phase.

Irregular contractions may occur which may be milder than those in established labour.

It can take many hours, or even days, before you're in established labour. Established labour: Established labour is the period of time during which the cervix dilates from about four cm to 10cm.

Contractions will become more regular and painful.

Your midwife will offer you regular vaginal examinations to see how your labour is progressing. Advertisement

This was approved without Ms Kirk speaking or seeing the doctor herself, as she says she believed this had happened beforehand.

Diamorphine can slow down contractions and can cause the baby not to breathe properly.

Both midwives told the court they had made a mistake by believing Ms Andrews was in latent labour and not established labour.

The first stage of labour is broken down into to the latent phase and the established phase.

Latent labour is the initial part of the first stage of labour where there are irregular contractions.

Ms Andrews gave birth later that day on September 15 via a caesarean, but Wynter passed away shortly after being delivered.

Dozens of babies are believed to have died or been left with serious injuries due to poor care at the trust.

Donna Ockenden was appointed by ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid to investigate the horrific stories at Nottingham University Hospitals

Ms Ockenden had previously chaired a damning review into two decades of appalling care at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

The hearing continues.
Half of America's mass attacks from 2016-2020 were sparked by personal, domestic or workplace grievances, a new US Secret Service report that urges people to keep an eye out for potential killers has found.

The attackers were overwhelmingly men, often with histories of mental health issues, financial problems or domestic abuse, says the National Threat Assessment Center report. Guns were typically the weapon of choice.

The report comes days after two mass shootings in California took the lives of 18 people and as authorities searched for motives in the attacks, both linked to older men with grievances.

In Monterey Park, gunman Hu Can Tran opened fire with an illegal semi-automatic pistol at the Star Dance Studio during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations on Saturday. He killed 10 people, and another died in hospital earlier this week.

Attackers are overwhelmingly men, often with histories of mental health issues, financial problems or domestic abuse, says the US Secret Service

In Monterey Park, gunman Hu Can Tran opened fire with an illegal semi-automatic pistol at the Star Dance Studio during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations on Saturday. He killed 10 people, and another died in hospital earlier this week

The motive for the shooting is still unclear, but Tran's ex-wife confirmed he used to teach lessons at the studio and was quick to anger.

Days later, Chunli Zhao, 67, a veteran farm worker, allegedly opened fire and killed seven Chinese agricultural laborers in what is being described as a workplace dispute.

These attacks are part of a wider problem - within the first 24 days of this year, 70 people have been killed and 167 injured in 39 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive, an institute tracking shootings in the country.

Such attacks have become alarmingly coming, but politicians remain divided on the solutions. Democrats seek tighter gun controls, while Republicans focus on mental health and increased security.

'It's just happening way too often,' said Lina Alathari, the National Threat Assessment Center's director, adding that the California killings showcased recurring themes in American mass attacks.

The 70-page report, issued on Wednesday, studied 173 mass attacks in which three or more people were harmed, not including the attacker.

Almost all the attacks were carried out by one person, 96 percent of attackers were men, and they ranged in age from 14 to 87.

Residents leave flowers outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California, where multiple people were killed late Saturday night during Lunar New Years celebrations

A woman holds candles at a makeshift memorial to honor mass shooting victims on January 24, in Half Moon Bay, California, where seven people were killed and one critically wounded in shootings at two locations

They targeted public or semi-public places such as businesses, schools, churches, public transport, and military bases, among other places, killing 513 people and injuring 1,234.

Attackers often had a prior relationship with the business they decided to target, as an employee, a customer or a former employer  and often one with a grievance.

Nearly two-thirds of attackers had exhibited behaviors or communications 'that were so concerning, they should have been met with an immediate response,' the report said.

Alathari urged the public to look out for warning signs and alert the authorities.

'Interest in violence, interest in previous mass attackers, posting about them, talking to people about them, bringing a weapon to [their] workplace, bringing a weapon to school, coworkers fearing them, grievances,' she said.

'These are themes that we do see over and over again.'

Researchers also called for more focus on domestic abuse and misogyny, noting that nearly half of the attackers studied had a history of domestic violence, misogynistic behavior or both.

Firearms were used in 73 percent of incidents, including by some prohibited from owning them, researchers found.

State-level 'red flag laws' that allow for the court-ordered removal of guns from someone presenting a risk could limit such attacks, the report said.

Within the first 24 days of this year, 70 people have been killed and 167 injured in 39 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive, an institute tracking shootings in the country.

Police cordon off the parking lot of a San Mateo County Sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay, California, site of a recent mass killing

Agencies contributed to this report.
A Florida school board has become the latest to remove a book by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison from its classrooms and libraries after a mom slammed it for 'exposing kids to pedophilia' and running 'Marxist indoctrination camps'.

Michelle Stille blasted the Pinellas County school board for including Morrison's 'The Bluest Eye' in her child's advanced literature course.

Stille, a teacher at a Christian school in the district, said she was 'shocked any adult would expose 15-year-olds' to the book's 'explicit descriptions of illegal activities'.

Michelle Stille prompted the Pinellas County school board to remove 'The Bluest Eye' from classrooms after she slammed the district's schools as 'Marxist indoctrination camps'

Toni Morrison's book 'The Bluest Eye' has come under fire in recent years and is routinely one of the most challenged books in America

Stille emailed school board members disturbing excerpts from the book, which led the authority to review and ultimately ban the novel across the county.

The controversial 1970 novel tells the story of a young African American girl who believes she is ugly as she doesn't have blue eyes.

The book includes elements of abuse, pedophilia, sexual assault, racism and incest, and has consistently been one of the most banned books in school districts across America.

Stille claimed she would be pulling all seven of her kids out of the area's public schools in protest.

'When I first read The Bluest Eye back in September 2022 I had a freeze response to it,' she said her in her YouTube clip, titled 'Marxism in Education.'

'I was so shocked that any adult would expose 15 year olds to such explicit descriptions of illegal activities.'

'The Bluest Eye', Morrison's debut novel published in 1970, tells the story of an African American girl's childhood following the Great Depression

Morrison has won numerous awards over the years, including a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993, but her work has been criticized in recent times

Pinellas County chief academic officer Dan Evans responded by banning the book from libraries and classrooms, telling school board members the district was 'erring on the side of caution'.

Stille said her child's teacher informed the class of the ban by saying 'parents don't like to be uncomfortable' and wore a shirt that said 'ban the fascists, save the books.'

Evans referenced new Florida state training, approved by the State Board of Education last week, as one of the key reasons behind the decision to remove access to the book.

The training calls on schools to vet all books for any topics that may be 'harmful to minors'.

'The Bluest Eye' was listed as the fourth most commonly banned book in America from the 2021-2022 school year according to date form PEN America.

Morrison was awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize for her contribution to literature, 23 years after the publication of her controversial novel.

What is Toni Morrison's 'The Bluest Eye'? Published in 1970, 'The Bluest Eye' was Toni Morrison's debut novel. It depicts the life of an African American girl's childhood following the Great Depression. The novel tells the story of the child feeling she is 'ugly', resulting in a desire for blue eyes that she equates with 'whiteness'. The book formed part of a body of work that won has Morrison numerous literary awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. However, the controversial publication has since come under fire for its introduction in school curriculums, and it is routinely one of the most challenged and banned books across America. Advertisement

'Gender Queer: A Memoir' by Maia Kobabe was the most banned book that year after being removed from bookshelves on 41 occasions.

Pinellas County school board was praised in March 2022 by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after it removed the LGBTQ-focused book following protests from parents.

The book was deemed 'inappropriate' for high school readers following a review by the school board, as DeSantis slammed it as 'a cartoon-style book with graphic images of children performing sexual acts.'

Florida's school literary purge has led some districts, such as Manatee County, to close all its classroom libraries while they vet books for harmful content, while others have taken numerous titles out of circulation following challenges from local parents.

'The Bluest Eye', which was not part of the district curriculum but was included in a reading list in a teacher's literature class, was placed under review following Stille's protest.

Evans told the school board that after the principal decided to remove the book from the class, consultations with the district leaders led all schools in the county to ban access to the book.

The decision received widespread support from conservatives, with blogger David Happe thanking the board for listening to the public's objections.

Pinellas school board member Stephanie Meyer also lauded the move, and said she could not see a problem with districts following the law protecting students from 'harmful content'.

She added that, as minors, schools must protect students from inappropriate material, insisting that the books were not banned, but unavailable in schools.

Stille branded the county's public schools 'Marxist doctrinarian camps' and the system a 'dumpster fire'.

'Most of public schools are a dumpster fire, the veteran teacher said.

'Marxist theory is completely embedded in our public school, yes, even in Florida. We don't have isolated problems. We have a Marxist system.

'It is insidious and until something egregious happens it is really impossible to pinpoint.
Britain's mysterious 'Middle Earth' sunken lanes will be mapped in a world-first project revealing hundreds of years old pathways.

Ancient semi-subterranean trenches, also known as holloways, have worn into the earth.

They were created as far back as Roman times in rural areas where the ground is rich in softer sandstone to help farmers move livestock.

They gradually eroded into gullies which became sunken trenches.

The environment within the holloways creates a unique temperate ecology that allows rare plants such as spreading bellflowers, naval wort and hearts tongue ferns to thrive.

Work has now begun to analyse the hidden tracks and understand their ecological, historical and cultural value.

Andy Jeffries from Natural England assesses Shute's Lane near Bridport

Natural England has funded the project to begin in Dorset starting with Shute's Lane

Hartley Mauditt Road, Selborne, Hampshire. A world-first project to map the mysterious 'Jurassic Park' environments of Britain's sunken lanes has begun

What are holloways? A holloway, or a sunken lane, is a road or track that is significantly lower than the land on either side of it. They are described as ancient semi-subterranean trenches which have worn into the earth. Holloways were created as far back as Roman times in rural areas where the ground is rich in softer sandstone to help farmers move livestock. They gradually eroded into gullies which became sunken. The environment of holloways creates a unique temperate ecology that allows rare plants such as spreading bellflowers, naval wort and hearts tongue ferns to thrive. Most people are unaware of hollowyas as they look like hedgerows from above. Advertisement

Natural England is funding the survey which is starting in Dorset where there are hundreds of sunken lanes.

The initial project will be completed by the end of March and the findings will be published by Natural England.

People across the country are being invited to send in pictures of holloways near them to build up a better picture of how many there are in Britain.

Natural England project leaders Andy Jeffries and Rosie Cummings are hoping to create interactive maps for all the lanes in Dorset.

Mr Jeffries said: 'There are hundreds of holloways in Dorset alone, they are forgotten worlds that only a select few people will know about.

'Most people are unaware of the concept of holloways and from an aerial view they look just like any other hedgerow.

'It's impossible to say how many of them might be across Britain.

'We would love to be able to give a rough number of miles but we just couldn't say.

'Using laser scanning we hope to be able to build interactive 3D versions of the holloways for people to explore online.

'It's amazing how some of these beautiful habitats are completely hidden.

'They are like inverted cathedrals lurking in the landscape.'

Rose Cummings, an archaeologist, described the incredible historical importance of the trenches.

She said: 'They are truly forgotten worlds that have faded from memory.

'Using laser scanning we hope to be able to build interactive 3D versions of the holloways for people to explore online'

The ancient semi-subterranean trenches, also known as Holloways, are hundreds of years old pathways which have worn into the earth

The name 'holloway' originated from 'hola weg', meaning sunken road in Old English

Some holloways, or sunken lanes, feature graffiti or carvings at their banks

Work has now begun to analyse the hidden tracks and understand their ecological, historical and cultural value

'When you explore them it's like finding a Jurassic Park environment existing just under our noses.

'At the moment we are just scratching the surface, when we create the 3D version of Shute's Lane it's going to give us a very detailed version to show other people.

'We hope that as awareness of them rises that more people will get in touch and increase the interest in further nationwide research.'

The name 'holloway' originated from 'hola weg', meaning sunken road in Old English.
A British entrepreneur has taken on the task of restoring a stately Tennessee mansion to its former glory, less than six months after a blaze left the local fire chief referring to it as a 'total loss.'

Mike Thakur, a Texas CEO originally from the UK, made his announcement in a YouTube video titled I Bought a Burned Down Mansion! that showed him and his family touring the property and surveying the damage.

Days earlier, the Zillow listing for the mansion went viral as the pictures promoting the property showed the fire engulfing the home. The listing also refers to the mansion as a 'total loss' and said it was being sold 'as is.'

The asking price for the five acre home was $1.5 million but the fee that Thakur paid was undisclosed.

Mike Thakur pictured with his wife Linda outside of their newly purchased home

The roof caved in before firefighters could put out the fire. The blaze started after a construction worker reported an explosion

Thakur said that the renovations done on the mansion will be documented in a YouTube series, which will feature his wife, Linda, and their three children, Troy, Chloe and Zak. The vlog will launch in March.

A Christian entrepreneur, Thakur published his own book on his passion for Jesus as well as his 'unique understanding and practical application of biblical principles' in April 2022.

He described the book saying: 'This book is for Christian Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, & anyone else who sees the world and senses Gods heart pulling them to touch it with His love.'

According to his official website, Thakur is also behind a charitable foundation named ft5k aka Feed the Five Thousand. The charity works to help build schools in Uganda, provide shelter to children in India and feed kids in the US.

Mike Thakur will document the renovations done to the home in a YouTube series that will debut this March

Thakur pictured with his family during the Holiday season

Thakur and family survey the wreckage that occurred after the September blaze

The fire was started during renovations in the home's library when a paint sprayer ignited the fumes left from lacquer paint

The listing price for the five acre home was $1.5 million but the price that Thakur paid was undisclosed

In a press release surrounding the purchase of the Nashville home, Thakur is 'hailed as one of Houston's Most Admired CEOS' and as a 'Guinness World Record participant.'

According to podcast production company Spark Media, in 2020 Thakur participated in a Guinness World Record attempt to create in the largest online podcast conference ever.

In addition, he's called a 'wildly popular content creator, entrepreneur, and impact chaser from Texas,' in the press release promoting his purchase of the home. Thakur has 1.8K subscribers YouTube subscribers.

A Christian entrepreneur, Thakur published his own book on his passion for Jesus as well as his 'unique understanding and practical application of biblical principles' in April 2022

Thakur said that he moved his family to the US in order to work more in the non-profit sector

The release says that Thakur was the co-founder of an Internet consulting company with 'sales that produced almost $100 million for an $8b organization.'

It also says that Thakur was formerly the chief operating officer of the 'Secret Service for Billionaires.'

On his LinkedIn page, Thakur says that he was the COO at The Guidry Group between 2011 and 2015.

The company says that it is a 'global leader for kidnap and ransom resolution, security services, and crisis response/management with experience in 148 countries,' on their website.

Thakur does not list any other job prior his time at The Guidry Group. His page does say that he is the CEO of The Work Lodge, a provider of co-working spaces in Houston.

One online bio says that Thakur moved his family to the US in order to 'pursue work in the 'non-profit arena, spending several years giving back through multiple non-profits and local churches.'

Thakur hails from Rochdale, in the northwest of England. According to a newspaper announcement, he and Linda married in September 1994. The announcement notes that the pair were both students at Bible College at the time of their nuptials.

The Franklin, Tennessee, mansion went up in flames in September and is now being sold 'as is' for $1.5million

Not all was lost, the guest house (pictured) was untouched by the fire

The gorgeous kitchen had a large island and plenty of space to entertain prior to the fire

The home (pictured before the fire) had a clean and open layout

The fire was started during renovations in the home's library when a paint sprayer ignited the fumes left from lacquer paint.

A guest house connected to the house was undamaged.

Speaking to Axios when the listing went viral, former owner Paula Duvall said: 'We had no idea this would create such a buzz. We were simply trying to be transparent about the history of the home.'

She continued: 'We also wanted to show how grand the home was and how grand the home could be if someone chose to rebuild.'

The viral listing began with the words: 'Tragic total loss by fire of a classic mansion!'

The home was formerly owned by a couple Danny Duvall and Paula Duvall who sank thousands into the property as part of a major restoration effort.

Danny told the New York Post: 'The photo was taken just moments after we arrived at the scene  I stood there weeping.'

Speaking about Thakur, Danny said: 'The new family plans to restore the home to all of its original glory. I am thrilled to know that our home will soon be reborn and new life will rise out of our devastating flames.'

Thakur told WSMV: 'We're comfortable with what we paid. Of course, you always want it for less, right?'

He told the station that he was first sent the listing by his wife and that his family had a trip to Nashville planned anyway, so they made an appointment to view the mansion.

Thakur said that he didn't feel that the house was a total loss and added that there was more damage done by water than by fire.

The British-native said that his plan has always been to have a home where his kids could grow up and also live on when they become adults.

He added: 'A house like this gives us the opportunity to build in a way that makes this possible, and the idea of salvaging what we can and reusing those pieces to rebuild something so beautiful just felt like the right thing to do.'
A mother-of-three who says she was told she was 'too young' for cancer has now been told she has 12 months to live.

Emma Louise Clark, 31, had gone to her doctor in January 2022 after concerns over weight loss and sleeping issues.

But she says she was told that it would be her contraceptive coil, and not to worry about it.

Weeks later she received the diagnosis she had stage three cervical cancer, which has now spread to stage four terminal, leaving her with little more than a year to live.

Emma Louise Clark, 31, had gone to her doctor in January 2022 after concerns over weight loss and sleeping issues

Emma Louise Clark, 31, partner David Rice, 34, and kids David Rice Jr, 11, Keeley-May Rice, 10, and Ariella Rice, 5

Now she has decided to spend her remaining time with family, and finally get married to soulmate David Rice, 34.

The pair - who have been together for almost 16 years - set up a GoFundMe in the hopes of raising 5,000 for Emma to experience her 'princess' wedding.

Emma from Claughton, Merseyside also hopes to raise awareness of the disease with the hope that the age for recommended cancer screening be lowered for women - the current age limit being 25.

Emma says she was told in her initial appointment with her doctor that her symptoms would be because her contraceptive coil had 'migrated', and that she was 'too young for it to be anything else'.

Emma Louise Clark and partner David Rice, who are now hoping to have their dream wedding

The mother of three, pictured, has elected to spend her remaining time with family, and finally get married to soulmate David Rice, 34.

However, follow-up appointments to remove the coil left nurses shocked and was fast-tracked for examinations which revealed that she had stage three cervical cancer.

Despite treatments, Emma's condition only worsened, with scans last month revealing that the cancer had spread to her lungs and was now terminal.

David wrote in the fundraiser: 'Hi, I am trying to raise any amount of money so that me and my partner can get married.

'Unfortunately, my partner Emma was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer approximately 12 months ago, after chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Emma Louise Clark with children Keeley-May Rice, Ariella Rice and David Rice Jr (left to right)

Emma Louise Clark, 31, in hospital being treated after her devastating cancer diagnosis

'We have recently been informed that she is now stage four as the cancer has spread to her lungs. They have given Emma roughly 12 months before the cancer gets too much for her to survive.

'We have been together since 2007 but have never had the finances to give Emma the 'princess' wedding she has always wanted and definitely deserves.

'This whole situation has, as you can imagine, turned Emma's, myself and the children's world upside down.

'The least I owe this beautiful girl is the chance to become a wife.

Emma Louise Clark with partner David Rice are facing the heartbreak she had just 12 months to live

'No matter how small, a donation anyone can offer will be extremely appreciated and will no doubt help to make this day happen for Emma.

'Thank you in advance.'

Speaking today, Emma said: 'I had lost loads of weight, wasn't eating or sleeping, it was a very rough time.

'I'm not one to go to the doctors but I had no choice.

WHAT IS CERVICAL CANCER? Cervical cancer affects the lining of the lower part of womb. The most common symptom is unusual bleeding, such as between periods, during sex or after the menopause, but other signs can include: Pain during sex

Vaginal discharge that smells

Pain in the pelvis Causes can include: Age - more than half of sufferers are under 45

HPV infection - which affects most people at some point in their lives

Smoking - responsible for 21 per cent of cases

Contraceptive pill - linked to 10 per cent of cases

Having children

Family history of cervical or other types of cancer, like vagina Source: Cancer Research UK Advertisement

'My doctor basically fobbed me off said 'It'll be your contraceptive coil, it will have migrated but once you've had it removed you'll be fine, you're too young for it to be anything else.'

'He refused to examine me and even after I said I wanted him to check he said no but because I was bleeding, he arranged an ultrasound and a blood count.

'Eventually, after a good three or four week wait I went for the ultrasound at Arrowe Park Hospital and was in and out in five minutes.

'She said 'your coil has migrated to your cervix, you just need it removing and that will solve the issue'.

'I questioned again 'are you sure there's nothing else?' and she said 'I was told to check your coil, thats what I've done' and she sent me on my way.

'I tried to book in at my doctors to have it removed, they initially said yes then said no because the person allocated to do them has left so I would need to go to the place I had the coil fitted.

'I had an examination to remove the coil but the blood was so extreme she couldn't see so she got a senior member of staff to do the same thing - they then went and got the main doctor.

'After looking for less than five minutes, she was out the room on the phone to Arrowe Park and had me booked in and a letter to take straight away and that is when cervical cancer was first mentioned.

'She was disgusted at the state I went into and how bad my cervix looked at even just a glance.

'She was so appalled that she actually asked if I was okay with them putting in a complaint to my doctor which, after the way I have been treated by them, was more than fine by me.

'I went to Arrowe Park, had two examinations and they both said the same thing. I had biopsies done about four or five days later and when I went in for the results they told us it's cervical cancer.

'I had to have a flurry of tests and scans and all kinds, they found it was stage three which is very advanced for cervical cancer - this is why smears are important.

'It's a slow-growing cancer so to get to that point is crazy - you only get symptoms at the later stages, there's no way of knowing before that.

'I had to have a few stays in hospital with infections and sepsis. I also had to have a stoma bag fitted because the tumour was so large my bowels weren't working.

'I had five weeks of radiotherapy everyday except weekends and chemo but after one lot of chemo they had to stop as I was hospitalised again twice with acute kidney damage.

'We found out the treatment hadn't worked at all so I had to have ten more days of a booster version then I had some time off.

'I had my first scan in December and the results came early January to say the tumour had shrunk by about 50% which was great but I had to have a pet scan because they were concerned about my lungs.

'Those came back to say it's spread to my lungs - the cancer is out of control, it's now stage four terminal and they gave me twelve months - a bit longer if treatment works better than they're expecting.'

Despite having to break the news to her three young children, Emma says the trio have been amazing, and that she has been left overwhelmed with the amount of help and support she has received.

She continued: 'The effect has been massive, it's like a domino effect - one thing after another. Not working for me is the hardest part as I adore my job and the work girls are my family.

'I love each and every one of them and the customers - it's like a community.

'Plus the financial side of it isn't great either, but being in pain more often than not and being sick and the treatment being brutal on your system, it takes a lot out of you.

'We have three young children and its mainly them I feel for.

'They have been literally amazing, for their age, they have been so mature and grown up and helpful to say the least but as a mother - the one who does the school mornings and does the girls' hair and sits and does homework - I'm usually too sick for those things.

'It breaks my heart that I can't be more hands-on like I was before.

'But them being so understanding and caring makes me realise we have not done a bad job and we have raised some lovely, kind and caring little people, which makes me happy.

'One thing I hope no one ever has to do is sit and tell their young children that it wasn't good news and watching them break down in tears [left me] just totally heartbroken - that was and will be the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

'We have been truly overwhelmed with the amount of help and support and just how many people we know. Everyone has been amazing, we couldn't have done half of the things without them all.

'This isn't just about having the wedding I have always dreamed of since I was little, this is also about raising awareness - that is so important to me so before I go anywhere, I want to know I've made a change and a difference.

'I would also love to get the age lowered to 16-18 - 25 is just not cutting it and they need to do more when they send out a letter or two, they need to follow up with people who aren't booking in.

'That's the only way to crack down and make sure girls are being safe.'

At the time of writing, the fundraiser has reached 4,710.

To donate to the fundraiser you can visit: https://gofund.me/4d1e6a47
The Biden administration is sending an entire battalion of 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, yielding to President Volodymyr Zelensky's push for heavy armor to counter Russia's nearly yearlong invasion.

President Joe Biden announced the latest tranche of lethal military aide at the White House, after a complicated diplomatic dance that has seen Germany announce its own decision to send 14 tanks to Kiev, with more on the way.

The US is also providing 500 armored vehicles as part of the package.

Biden called the M1 Abrams tanks 'the most capable tanks in the world' and said they would 'enhance Ukraine's capacity to defend its territory to achieve its strategic objectives.'

He added that the Ukrainian military would use the armor to 'liberate their land.'

President Joe Biden announced the US would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. He called them 'The most capable tanks in the world'

The president also cautioned that the move was 'going to take time'  a reference to the complex training involved with the weapons system, which he described as 'extremely complex to operate and maintain.'

And he thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the German government's contribution.

'Germany has really stepped up,' he said.

He also noted that the US tanks, which have a 120mm main gun, could be considered a gift for Zelensky, 45, who visited Biden at the White House a few days before Christmas.

'Today is his birthday, by the way,' Biden said, as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken flanked him.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked repeatedly for tanks as the next phase of the war in looms, but U.S. President Joe Biden has adopted a cautious approach

Russia warns 'nothing good' will come of German tanks fighting in Ukraine Polish soldiers in German-made Leopard 2 tanks which German chancellor Olaf Scholz has been blocking from being sent to Ukraine Advertisement

Biden responded to a question about whether Germany forced him to change his mind on sending the tanks.

'Germany didnt force me to change my mind. We wanted to make sure we were all together. Thats what we were going to do all along, and thats what were doing right now,' the president said.

After the president spoke, security spokesman Adm. John Kirby pushed back on claims the U.S. had done a turnaround to accommodate Germany. 'Tanks were never off the table,' Kirby said. He said it would take months to get the tanks to Ukraine, since the U.S. doesn't currently have any in excess stock that aren't being used. He said training requirements wouldn't slow the process, at least not by much.

'Today well be announcing that the United States will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which is the equivalent of one Ukrainian tank battalion,' a senior administration official told reporters on a call Wednesday.

The Pentagon is also providing eight M88 recovery vehicles, to help keep the Abrams tanks 'up and running,' according to a senior administration official.

The tanks come as the US is stepping up its 'combined forces' training for Ukrainian forces outside of Ukrainian territory  allowing them to better integrate air, ground, and armored forces in a more sophisticated form of warfare.

The Biden administration is sending Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine

Biden called the Abrams tanks 'the most capable tanks in the world.' Here US Army Sgt. 1st Class Corey Troxell, fires blank rounds through a .50 caliber machine gun mounted to an M1A2 Abrams tank during a simulated battle drill

Brigadier General Pat Ryer, the press secretary for the Pentagon, told CNN when asked if fighter jets will be made available to Zelensky, he said that nothing is off the table.

'We're going to continue to adapt, to ensure that Ukraine has the support they need to be successful, not only in defending their territory, but also taking back their sovereign territory.'

The latest lethal aid package 'enables them  to retake territory,' said the senior administration official. The moves come despite the Kremlin blasting it as an 'extremely dangerous' decision and a 'blatant provocation' one year after it invaded its neighbor.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that his country was sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine

Tanks for these: This combination of file photographs created on January 25, 2023, shows (TOP L/BOTTOM R): A British Challenger tank, a French Leclerc tank, a Polish German Leopard tank, and a US Abrams tank

The president spoke with President Macron of France, Chancellor Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, and Prime Minister Sunak of the United Kingdom 'as part of our close coordination on support for Ukraine,' according to the White House.

'It is the most capable tank in the world, but its also the most sophisticated,' said an administration official, noting the training and supply chain issues that come with it.

'That will significantly strengthen their combat capabilities and demonstrates also the unity and resolve of NATO allies and partners in providing support to Ukraine,' NATO Secretary Gen. Jens Stoltenberg said of Germany's decision, speaking to CNN Wednesday, also stressing the ability to improve Ukraine's ability to retake territory.

The US and allies are also providing anti-tank weapons and ammunition. A Ukrainian service member fires a RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher in Zaporizhzhia Region, Ukraine, January 23, 2023

Germany announced that it will send German-built Leopard 2 battle tanks, with an initial company of 14 vehicles. The aim would be to ultimately provide two battalions worth, which would amount to 80 to 100. The Leopards are widely used in western militaries, and other countries have been seeking Germany's authorization to send their own.

The British government announced this month it would send its own squadron of 14 Challenger 2 battle tanks, while the Polish government has been girding to send 14 of its Leopard 2s, after seeking Germany's approval. Berlin gave the green light on Wednesday.

Last week, the UK said it would send Challenger 2 tanks (pictured above) to Ukraine

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday called the moves by the US and Germany 'long overdue.'

'Now that Berlin is taking a step, I hope that other European countries with tanks in their inventory will move expeditiously to send them to Ukraine,' he said on the Senate floor.

But the decision would close a rift between the U.S., Germany and other European nations in how far to go in arming Ukraine ahead of what it is believed to be a key phase of the war, as Vladimir Putin plans major spring offensive.

Last week, the U.K. announced it was sending Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, but that did not spur the U.S. or Germany to immediately follow suit.

German officials are said to be worried about the sight of their tanks operating close to the Russian border, with echoes of the Nazi advance during World War II.

Meanwhile, European diplomatic sources have frequently expressed frustration with President Joe Biden's cautious approach, which they say pays too much heed to Russia's threats of escalation.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that that appeared to change after a Jan. 17 call between Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in which the U.S. president agreed to consider supplying Abrams.

A soldier fires a RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher during exercises earlier this week

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, 'these deliveries would bring nothing good to the future relationship' between Berlin and Moscow, adding: 'They will leave a lasting mark.'

It comes as Ukrainian advances at the end of last year stalled with frontlines static for the past two months.

Ukraine says tanks are crucial for the next phase of the war, giving its ground troops the protection and firepower to move ahead.

'We need tanks - not 10-20, but several hundred,' President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska has watched her husband Volodymyr Zelensky lead their country through 11 months of war - and today she wished her childhood sweetheart a happy birthday in a touching post.

Zelenska, 44, in a post marking his 45th birthday, said though Zelensky is the 'same boy I met when we were 17', he 'smiles much less now' following Russia's barbaric invasion which has seen thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers killed.

The mother-of-two posted a picture of herself in Zelensky's arms as the Ukrainian looks ahead, smiling broadly. Zelenska wrote: 'I wish you more reasons to smile,' adding that she knows that only a Ukraine victory will achieve that.

'I am often asked about how you have changed this year,' Zelenska said of her husband, who has gone from being a professional comedian to an internationally recognised wartime leader.

Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska sent a moving post to mark Volodymyr Zelensky's 45th birthday

Pictured: Ukrainian flags are placed on the graves of soldiers at a Khrakiv cemetery on January 24, 2023 in Kharkiv, Ukraine

Pictured: A woman walks in front of a damaged house in Bakhmut on January 24

'And I always answer: "I have not changed. He is the same. The same guy I met when we were 17," Zelenska wrote.

She added: 'But actually something has changed: you smile much less now.

'For example, like in this photo... And you know what it takes. We all know.

'You have enough stubbornness. The main thing is that you have enough health. So please be healthy! I want to smile with you always. Give me this opportunity!'

Last year, Zelenska posted another heartfelt birthday message to accompany a black-and-white photo of her husband.

It read: 'You know, I'm sure you're looking at me in this picture. Because you always look at me like that.

'I wish every woman had such looks. Only those who truly love look like that. I always feel your love. As long as you look like that, I'm not afraid of anything.

'We still have things ahead of us. So take care of yourself. We have to realise everything we dream of together. Happy birthday, my love! I promise to look back at you. Just like that. Always!'

Pictured: President Volodymyr Zelensky with First Lady Olena Zelenska and their family

The Ukrainian President and the First Lady have been married for two decades

It came just 30 days before Russia invaded Ukraine. The couple, who have been married for 20 years, refused to leave Ukraine when Russian troops crossed the border.

The pair have never been afraid to declare their love for one another in adoring social media posts.

In one posted in January 2020, Zelenska describes a 'real man' who gave her 'butterflies' and made her complete; a lover whose presence she felt when they were apart, and whose shared dreams destroyed all fear.

She wrote: 'Safe. Cosy. Never calm, but always interesting. That's how you feel when a real man is next to you.

'The one you can count on in everything.'

For her birthday in February 2021, Zelensky wrote of Zelenska: 'I love the way you think. Thank you for being there . . . For the truth, for the eyes, for the jokes. For who I wouldn't have become without you . . . Thank you for everything.'

In June 2022, Zelenska said her relationship with her husband was 'on pause' amid the ongoing conflict with Russia and that the pair are 'waiting to be reunited' with their children.

She revealed she was unable to see her husband for long periods and said it was 'not normal' that their kids could only speak to their father on the phone.

Zelensky and Zelenska at the weekend attended a funeral ceremony for seven senior Interior Ministry officials who died in a helicopter crash last Wednesday.

The helicopter carrying Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky and other senior officials crashed into a nursery school building in a residential suburb in Kyiv, killing all nine on board and nine on the ground.

Pictured: President Zelensky and Olena Zelenska lay flowers at coffins draped in Ukraine's flag

Monastyrsky, who oversaw the country's police and emergency services, is the most senior official killed since Russia invaded Ukraine.

At the funeral service in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Zelensky and his wife laid flowers on seven coffins draped in flag of Ukraine and spoke to the families.

Zelensky on Wednesday thanked his German counterpart Olaf Scholz for Berlin's decision to deliver powerful Leopard tanks.

The decision has been hailed by Kyiv and its allies but slammed by Moscow as 'extremely dangerous'.

'German main battle tanks, further broadening of defence support and training missions, green light for partners to supply similar weapons. Just heard about these important and timely decisions in a call with Olaf Scholz,' Zelensky wrote on Twitter, adding that he was 'sincerely grateful to the Chancellor and all our friends'.

Kyiv has been calling for months for Western main battle tanks that would give its forces greater firepower, protection and mobility to break through Russian front lines and potentially reclaim occupied territory in the east and south.

Germany will provide a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its Bundeswehr stocks, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.

It is also granting approval for other European countries to send tanks from their own stocks to Ukraine, with the aim of quickly assembling 'two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine,' he said.

'This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our abilities,' Scholz said.

Zelensky on Wednesday thanked his German counterpart Olaf Scholz (pictured) for Berlin's decision to deliver powerful Leopard tanks

Polish soldiers are pictured in German-made Leopard 2 tanks

Several other European countries, including Finland and Poland, have said they are ready to provide their stocks, but had required Berlin's approval to transfer the German-made armaments to a third party.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who had vocally sought German approval to send on the tanks, thanked Berlin for the decision and called it 'a big step towards stopping Russia'.

'Together we are stronger,' he said, as Britain and France also welcomed the announcement.

But Russia's ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechaev, warned that the 'extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation, and contradicts statements by German politicians about the unwillingness of the German Federation to get involved in it'.

The Kremlin warned Wednesday that if Western countries supply Ukraine with heavy tanks they will be destroyed on the battlefield.

'These tanks burn like all the rest. They are just very expensive,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

US President Joe Biden later approved sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, a reversal on the nation's previous position.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have conducted an organised retreat from a town in the eastern region of the Donbas, an official said.

It marks a rare but modest battlefield triumph for the Kremlin after a series of setbacks in its invasion.

The Ukrainian army pulled back from the salt-mining town of Soledar to 'preserve the lives of the personnel', Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraine's forces in the east, said.

Pictured: Ukrainian servicemen are seen near the frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Soledar in Donetsk region, Ukraine on January 23, 2023

Pictured: Ukrainian servicemen near Soledar on January 23, 2023. Ukrainian forces have conducted an organised retreat from a town in the eastern region of the Donbas, an official said

The soldiers retreated to previously prepared defensive positions, he said.

Moscow has portrayed the battle for Soledar, which lies near the city of Bakhmut, as key to capturing the entire Donbas.

The accomplishment takes the Russian forces a step closer to Bakhmut, but military analysts say capturing Soledar is more symbolic than strategic.

Ukraine's military, which has held out in Soledar against a months-long onslaught of superior Russian forces, said its fierce defence of the eastern stronghold helped tie up Russian forces.

Russia claimed almost two weeks ago it had taken Soledar but Ukraine denied it.

Many of Russia's troops around Soledar belong to the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group and the fighting reportedly has been bloody.

Since its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has prioritised taking full control of the Donbas, a region made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, where it has backed a separatist insurgency since 2014.

Russia has seized most of Luhansk but about half of Donetsk remains under Ukraine's control.

Taking control of the town could allow Russian forces to cut supply lines to Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, though the strength of Ukraine's new defensive positions is unknown.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington, said earlier this month the fall of Soledar would not mark 'an operationally significant development and is unlikely to presage an imminent Russian encirclement of Bakhmut'.

The institute said Russian information operations have 'over-exaggerated the importance of Soledar', which is a small settlement.

It also said the long and difficult battle has contributed to the exhaustion of Russian forces.

Perhaps more worrying for Moscow, western military help for Ukraine is now being stepped up with the delivery of tanks.

Elsewhere, Russian forces have continued to pummel Ukrainian areas, especially in the south and east.

Russian strikes hurt 10 civilians in the eastern Donetsk province on Tuesday, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the provincial governor, said.

Five were wounded when Russian shells hit apartment blocks, he said.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Wednesday that over the previous 24 hours Russian forces launched four missile strikes, 26 airstrikes and more than 100 attacks from rocket salvo systems.

Russian forces are concentrating their efforts on establishing control over Donetsk province, conducting offensive operations around the embattled cities of Bakhmut, Lyman and Avdiivka, and the village of Novopavlivka, according to spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun.

In addition to Donetsk, the Russian attacks hit settlements in the country's north-eastern Kharkiv and Sumy, northern Chernihiv, easternmost Luhansk, south-eastern Zaporizhzhia, and southern Kherson provinces.
Eight Britons have been charged over a Spanish holiday food poisoning scam in which tourists were persuaded to lie they had been ill to claim compensation, a court has said.

The two alleged criminal ringleaders, Laura Holmes Cameron and her brother Marc Cameron Grimstead, were accused of targeting all-inclusive hotels in Majorca with the bogus claims.

Holmes Cameron, the Essex-born owner of a notorious Magaluf bar, now faces trial along with her sibling and six of their alleged accomplices who were hired to convince tourists to make the claims.

Laura Holmes Cameron (right) is pictured with her mother Deborah who was investigated but not charged in the probe

In a hard-hitting six-page ruling issued by an investigating court in Majorca, the suspects are accused of forming a 'profit-motivated organised gang' through a Spanish company the pair set up called Elite Project Marketing SL.

It adds: 'The gang specialised in obtaining the details of British tourists in all-inclusive hotels in Majorca it convinced, through a form they themselves elaborated, to falsely claim they had been ill during their stay in one of those hotels and be able to claim compensation in the UK.'

It adds: 'The amount of compensation obtained in the UK with the consequent damage it caused tour operators and hotels significantly exceeded 176,000.'

Reports at the time of Laura's arrest in September 2017 described hoteliers' losses as a result of the scam as 'multi-million.'

Detectives were also said at the time to have estimated at around 9.5million the losses of the three hotel groups whose fraud claims sparked the Civil Guard-led Operation Claims.

Investigating judge Maria Perez Ruiz admitted in her key court ruling made public today that the final figure defrauded has yet to be determined, as she invited prosecutors involved in the case to submit indictments.

The eight suspects have been accused of fraud and membership of a criminal gang, with the crimes they are alleged to have committed occurring in 2016 and 2017.

The alleged criminal gang was accused of targeting all-inclusive hotels in Majorca with the bogus claims

They are Laura Holmes Cameron, prosecuted under her maiden and not her married name of Laura Joyce; her brother Marc; Ryan Bridge; Simon Robert Flanagan; Tegan Jewel Sumerlee; Susan Amanda Lyle, Nicola Marie Sanderson; and Peter Carl Murphy.

Bridge, previously referred to as the sole director of UK holiday claims, has been described as 'one of the people tasked in England with processing the false claims.'

The other five Brits have been described as people paid on commission 'hired by the two siblings to go to different hotels and get tourists' personal details including details that would enable the consumption of meals in hotels to be linked to supposed food poisoning.'

Four other Britons were identified in the investigation but they have been provisionally archived because their whereabouts is unknown and they have not been formally questioned.

The investigating judge made her key court ruling after rejecting an attempt by lawyers acting for Holmes Cameron and Bridge to shelve the case against them, stating 'several indications of criminality existed.'

She said in her ruling that only 38 of the 800 holidaymakers staying at Club Mac Alcudia who submitted compensation claims had asked for medical assistance.

A state prosecutor and private prosecutors acting for the hotels affected will now be invited to submit indictments failing a last appeal by the suspects. A trial date would then be set.

The judge said in her ruling that only 38 of the 800 holidaymakers staying at Club Mac Alcudia (pictured) who submitted compensation claims had asked for medical assistance

Holmes Cameron's lawyer Gabriel Llado said after his client appeared in court in May 2018 in a closed hearing that she had admitted to passing on the names and phone numbers of holidaymakers for payment but insisted it was part of a pure market research exercise.

He insisted neither Holmes Cameron or any of the so-called 'claims farmers' she used to gather data of tourists she passed on to others in the UK, encouraged them to get chemist's receipts so they could make fake food poisoning claims as police and hoteliers' representatives have claimed.

And he claimed his client had spent just a few months doing it and stopped because she was earning very little.

Holmes Cameron's mother Deborah Cameron was previously held in the probe but no further action was taken.

The wealthy mother was also held at the luxury villa in upmarket Bendinat the pair then shared near the glamorous Majorcan port of Puerto Portals which police raided, but was freed before she went to court.

After Holmes Cameron was arrested, it emerged her Magaluf bar Playhouse had been identified as the venue where a British tourist was filmed performing sex acts on 24 men for a cheap drink in the summer of 2014.

The fallout from the infamous video sparked a crackdown on bar crawls in the party resort after regional governors described the 'outrageous' sex scenes as giving the area and women 'a terrible image' and promised to 'stop it whichever way' they could.

Holmes Cameron, who was not at her bar when the incident occurred, shut Playhouse down soon after.

The British government announced new measures to clamp down on fake holiday sickness claims as a result of scandals like the Majorca fake food poisoning scam.

The same year of the Majorca arrests, Benidorm hotel association HOSBEC estimated British guests' were costing Spanish hotels around 55 million in bogus food poisoning claims.

Some reports at the time even claimed Brits were facing a holiday ban in some all-inclusive Costa hotels.

Many fraudsters were caught out after private detectives hired by hotels trawled their social media and discovered they had been posting photos of themselves eating and drinking when they later claimed to insurers they had been in bed with diarrhoea.

One family who claimed their holiday was ruined by food poisoning were jailed in February 2021 after Facebook photos revealed them enjoying the waterslide and bar throughout the trip.
The Texas resident who is suspected of strangling his DJ girlfriend and leaving her body inside a suitcase in a dumpster in the Colombian capital city of Bogota was about to board a flight for Turkey before authorities arrested him in Panama.

John Poulos, 35, was taken into custody by Panama's National Migration Service and Interpol agents at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City on Tuesday evening after the Colombian National Police requested his capture in connection to the death of 23-year-old Valentina Trespalacios.

Poulos, a native of Wisconsin, had planned to fly on first class to Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight and then connect Thursday to a flight to Montenegro  where there is no extradition treaty with Colombia.

On Wednesday around 11am local time, a judge granted the Office of the Attorney General in Colombia the approval to process his extradition.

John Poulos (left) had plans of living in Colombia full time and marrying his DJ girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios (right). He was arrested in Panama on Tuesday, two days after her body was found inside a suitcase in a dumpster in the Colombian capital city of Bogota. Poulos is awaiting his extradition to Colombia

Cops escort John Poulos after he was arrested at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City on Tuesday evening

One of the mugshot of John Poulos shows that he has a scratch on the left side of his face, perhaps a sign that his girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios, fought for her life before she was killed

According to Noticias RCN, authorities said Poulos attempted to avoid capture by also purchasing a first class ticket from Panama City to Sao Paulo. The tickets to Sao Paulo and Istanbul were purchased with cash to prevent law enforcement from tracing his steps.

Trespalacios was found Sunday afternoon by a homeless man who was searching for recyclables in a large construction waste container in the south side of Bogota.

An autopsy reported showed that the young woman was strangled with a rope and beaten multiple times.

One of the mugshots released by the Panamanian immigration agency showed that Poulos had a scratch on the left side of his face, a possible indication that Trespalacios fought to defend herself from the man who planned to marry her.

Hairstylist Victoria Jimenez told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that Trespalacios had met Poulos via an online dating app.

'She started going out with him. The guy started to come (to Colombia). He was sending her gifts. He was treating her nice,' she said.

Valentina Trespalacios (pictured) was dating her boyfriend John Poulos for eight months

John Poulos (pictured) was taken into custody in Panama on Tuesday moments before he was about to board a flight to Turkey and then connect to Montenegro. On Wednesday, a Colombian judge approved a request by the Office of the Attorney General in Colombia that was required to present to Panamanian authorities to process Poulo's extradition

A homeless man was searching through a waster container in the Bogota neighborhood of Los Cambulos when he discovered the suitcase with Valentina Trespalacios' body

She added that Poulos had asked Trespalacios to show him off on her social media networks, but that her friend declined to do so because she claimed she had only opened her pages to promote her DJ work instead of sharing her personal life.

Jimenez said both couples had planned a mini vacation set for February as a way to introduce their boyfriends, both Americans.

However, Poulos flew into Bogota last week and on Friday moved Trespalacios into an apartment in Bogota's northern side.

The couple went out Friday and also Saturday, when the eight-month relationship appeared to unravel.

An autopsy report showed that Colombian DJ Valentina Trespalacios was strangled and beaten

Valentina Trespalacios had opportunities to DJ in Chile, Mexico and Brazil, her family said

The couple attended Sahara nightclub in Bogota and the rideshare app driver who drove the couple there told Caracol TV that he sensed Trespalacios was in trouble when she showed him a message on the company app that said, 'Help, I am in danger.'

The driver, whose name was not revealed by the outlet, said that Trespalacios started making hand gestures and Poulos arrived at the car and asked if everything was ok with her before she replied yes three times.

The couple got into the car and Poulos asked if he spoke English. The man replied that he did and added that Poulos remained quiet the entire trip. He said that Poulos and Trespalacios were exchanging messages on WhatsApp. He dropped them off at a club at 3:48 am.

Turkish Airlines ticket purchased by John Poulos to travel from Panama City, Panama, to Istanbul, Turkey. The 35-year-old from Texas also had a connecting flight to Montenegro

Surveillance footage that is now in the hands of the Colombian authorities showed a man dumping the suitcase in the dumpster before the homeless man discovered it around 2pm local time Sunday.

As of Wednesday morning, authorities had not publicly released the footage or confirmed the identity of the individual who dumped the suitcase with Trespalacios' body.

El Tiempo newspaper reported that Poulos moved out of the apartment and then headed to El Dorado International Airport, where he took a oneway flight to Panama City, Panama.

The outlet reported that Trespalacios played a set at the bar they visited and then was invited by a female friend to have drinks. But she declined because she was upset with Poulos, who was in a bad mood.

The woman also said that she saw Trespalacios and Poulos get into his rental car with another man.

'I saw everything and the car was the same as in the videos,' she said. 'They left and the next day was when the news appeared that she was dead.'

The friend also revealed that Poulos was a father to three children who lived in the United States and was also involved with another woman.
A grandfather has thanked 'fate' after scooping 500,000 on the lottery after swapping to an early shift so he could attend a hospital appointment.

Jeff Etherington, who works as a machine setter for the automotive industry, said he was convinced it must be a joke when his numbers came up.

The 65-year-old, from Harlow in Essex, bought his winning Thunderball lucky dip ticket at Sainsbury's in Harlow on January 11, after attending a meeting about his knee replacement.

Despite winning the large sum of money, he is not planning to quit his job but will use the funds to tie the knot with his fiancee Kim Read, 60.

Jeff Etherington, 65, won 500,000 on the lottery and thanked 'fate' for buying a ticket after he swapped to an early shift

The machine setter said if he didn't swap shifts and buy a ticket when he did, then 'some other lucky person' could be celebrating instead of him

'I've always believed that one day I would win big,' said Mr Etherington.

'It's taken 28 years but here we are, I'm heading into retirement with 500,000 extra to my name.

'I can't help thinking it's fate, had I not swapped shifts for that hospital appointment, I wouldn't have been buying my lucky dip ticket at that exact moment and some other lucky person might now be celebrating instead.'

He and Ms Read have five children and eight grandchildren between them.

'We've been together for six years, and finally got engaged in 2021,' said Mr Etherington.

'We always knew we would get married eventually but the money was always spent on something else.

'Now that 'eventually' wedding can happen imminently.'

Keen fisherman Mr Etherington said he and his fiancee have booked a break at a holiday park in Leicestershire

He said that after he realised he had won, he told Ms Read and she 'responded by telling me to go away, but in quite colourful language'.

He added: 'I was convinced it must be a joke but the logical part of my brain kept telling me it was a real ticket so must be a real win.

'Using the same logic, I decided to check the National Lottery app.

'Scanning my ticket, the app told me the results were not yet available, I must have scanned it about 100 times until suddenly it pinged and 500,000 popped up in the window.'

He confirmed the win the following morning and shared the news with family and work colleagues.

'I messaged a few of my work colleagues, including my boss, a screenshot of the ticket and my winning 500,000 message from the app,' he said.

'My boss congratulated me and then immediately said "guess that means you'll be handing in your notice".

Jeff said he scanned his ticket 'about 100 times' until the result were ready and the 500,000 figure appeared

'I think he was very relieved when I confirmed he'd have to put up with me for a bit longer.

'When I walked into the workshop the following day, word had spread and everyone clapped and cheered, it was a surreal moment.'

Keen fisherman Mr Etherington said he and his fiancee have booked a break at a holiday park in Leicestershire.

'The day the win was confirmed I did have a look at marlin fishing in Hawaii to celebrate but changed my mind and we booked a four-night break at a luxury lodge, complete with hot tub on the deck, instead,' he said.

Ms Read said: 'He'll be fishing, I'll be in the hot tub.

'We're still trying to get our heads round it.

'It's just numb up there at the moment.'

The couple had both replaced their cars 'relatively recently', had their home redecorated and a new kitchen fitted, and booked for the bathroom to be renovated next month, Mr Etherington said.

He said they had also already booked and paid for a holiday to Lanzarote, adding: 'It's almost like we knew we were going to win.'

Mr Etherington's winning Thunderball numbers on Wednesday January 11 were: 1, 8, 25, 33 and 34 and the Thunderball was 5.
Federal agencies are said to be examining Snapchat's role in the growing fentanyl epidemic as part of a larger probe into the sale of deadly counterfeit drugs.

Agents with the FBI and attorneys at the DOJ are now looking into fentanyl poisoning cases, in which sales of the deadly drug were arranged on the messaging app, Bloomberg reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with the investigation.

At the same time, the app is being sued by grieving parents blaming it for their children's deaths after they arranged to meet with drug dealers on Snapchat.

A spokeswoman for Snapchat told DailyMail.com the company is not aware of any investigations  but said the company would cooperate with law enforcement efforts.

'We are committed to doing our part to fight the national fentanyl poisoning crisis, which includes using cutting-edge technology to help us proactively find and shut down drug dealers' accounts,' spokeswoman Rachel Racusen said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

Federal investigators are said to be looking into Snapchat's role in the fentanyl epidemic

'We are committed to doing our part to fight the national fentanyl poisoning crisis, which includes using cutting-edge technology to help us proactively find and shut down drug dealers' accounts,' she said, explaining that the app blocks search results for drug-related terms and redirect users to resources detailing the dangers of fentanyl.

She added: 'We continually expand our support for law enforcement investigations, helping them bring dealers to justice, and we work closely with experts to share patterns of dealers' activities across platforms to more quickly identify and stop illegal behavior.

'We will continue to do everything we can to tackle this epidemic, including by working with other tech companies, public health agencies, law enforcement, families and nonprofits.'.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic drug, which last year killed an American every seven minutes

According to Bloomberg, FBI agents have already interviewed the parents of children who died after taking fentanyl and are working to access their social media accounts to trace who supplied them with the deadly drugs.

Experts say dealers have flocked to the app due to its encryption technology and its feature which ensures messages disappear.

Subpoena records obtained by the outlet show teenagers using the app thought they were illegally buying prescription painkillers, but were instead handed pure fentanyl  which is 100 times more deadly than morphine.

Families of the victims have claimed that Snapchat is the platform of choice for arranging drug deals because of its encrypted technology and disappearing messages.

Former White House drug czar Jim Carroll also said the drug dealers use the app because it is popular among younger users.

'From everything I have read, I do believe that Snapchat has been more widely used for facilitating drug sales than other platforms,' Carroll, who serves on Snap Inc's Safety Advisory Council and now works for Michael Best Consulting told Bloomberg.

'I think that's because of its popularity among the young.'

Snapchat executives say they are continuing to improve the technology to steer users away from drugs, and will continue to work with law enforcement to crack down on those who use its app to conduct drug deals

Former White House drug czar Jim Carroll said he thinks drug dealers are using the app because it is popular amongst teenagers. He is pictured here in 2019 showing off a block of cocaine officials seized from a ship at a Philadelphia port

In December, Snap Inc.  the parent company of Snapchat  reported it had 363million daily users.

That same month, Bloomberg reports, the National Crime Prevention Council wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging the Justice Department to investigate Snapchat and its business practices.

It claimed that the app allows drug dealers 'to market and sell fake pills to unsuspecting teens and tweens.'

Garland never responded, according to Bloomberg, but federal investigators are now asking questions about the company's business practices.

The FBI, though, would neither confirm nor deny an investigation to Bloomberg, and the Justice Department declined to comment.

Authorities have said teenagers are often taking fentanyl under false pretenses, thinking they are taking some other substance. A whopping 92.5 pounds of the illicit drug was seized in April by the Alameda County Task Force in California

On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to discuss tech company's involvement in the ongoing fentanyl crisis.

One of the speakers will be Laura Marquez-Garrett, an attorney with the Social Media Victims Law Center, who said the committee will specifically focus on Snapchat.

She is representing dozens of families across the United States who are suing the social media giant, claiming it aided and abetted in the sale of counterfeit pills to kids.

They argue that Snapchat was slow to respond to police subpoenas, and can take months to remove known drug dealers from its platform.

In one of these lawsuits, filed in the Superior Court of California, families claim one drug dealer who used Snapchat was responsible for the deaths of two people in Orange County.

The suit alleges 14-year-old Alexander Neville and 20-year-old Daniel Elijah Figueroa both purchased what they thought were prescription painkillers from deals arranged on the app.

It claims that just two days before Neville died, he told his mother he had purchased Oxycodone from somebody on Snapchat, saying he was afraid because he already wanted more.

His mother, Amy, then booked him into a treatment facility, but found him the next morning lying dead on his bedroom floor.

'I don't understand how he could have taken so much oxy he died,' she told Bloomberg. 'That was the day we learned about fentanyl.'

In the aftermath, Bloomberg reports, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency subpoenaed Snapchat for Neville's messages, which showed evidence he met with a dealer called Aj Smokxy.

Three months later, Figueroa was found slumped over a bed at his grandmother's house, and local police once again subpoenaed the social media company for his messages.

They found he had arranged to purchase Percocet from a dealer who used the Snapchat account Arnoldo_8286, who allegedly used Aj Smokxy as a supplier.

The above CDC graph shows estimated (dotted line) and confirmed (black line) drug overdose deaths in the US since 2015. There has been a small downturn, which may just be fatalities returning to pre-pandemic levels

Snap Inc. insists it is working with law enforcement throughout the country to tamp down on illegal activity on its app, and boosted moderation efforts to detect illegal drug sales.

The company uses machine-learning technology to proactively detect drug activity on its platform, and is working with the DEA to identify illicit drug-related content on other platforms that direct users to its app in an effort to proactively identify drug dealers' accounts and shut them down.

Snap Inc. is also working with Senators Roger Marshall, a Republican from Maryland, and Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, to support bipartisan legislation that would establish a standardized reporting regime for social media companies that would better enable the DEA to locate drug cartels.

Additionally, a spokeswoman for Snap Inc told DailyMail.com, the company began a pilot program with Meta  the parent company of Facebook and Instagram  to share patterns of drug-related content and activity on their platforms.

It is also continuing to improve response times, and in cases of imminent threats, a team typically responds within 30 minutes.

And, the spokeswoman told DailyMail.com, it added new protections to prevent users under the age of 18 from showing up in search results or as a friend suggestion to someone else unless they have multiple friends in common and has released an in-app parental tool called the Family Center to empower parents to see all of the friends their teens are communicate with and report any concerning accounts.

But Snapchat is not the only way teenagers are connecting with drug dealers online.

Research conducted by the Tech Transparency Project last year showed Instagram was pushing drug-related content to teen accounts.

It found that the social media platform continued to suggest hashtags related to buying illegal substances to children as young as 13, NBC News reports.

This map shows the change in overdose deaths over the 12 months to June 2022 compared to the 12 months to June 2021

Over the last year, fentanyl drove a 44 percent rise in overdose deaths, which reached 107,000 in the 12 months to January 2022  more than gun and motor vehicle deaths combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

It is 50-100 times stronger than morphine, with one year's supply of pure fentanyl powder for America's market estimated to fit in the beds of two pickup trucks.

Users often have no clue they are taking fentanyl, and in many cases are even trying to avoid the cheaper, dangerous substitute.

The overdose rate is high because of fentanyl's potency. DEA tests show that four in ten pills sold in the US have at least 2mg of fentanyl  the equivalent of about five grains of salt  a dose that is considered potentially lethal.

The agency warns that 'one pill can kill'.

In Seattle, some local coroner's offices are now at capacity or have nearly run out of space for the bodies of those who died from overdoses.

'A key indication of just how bad things are at the end of 2022 and likely to get worse [in] 2023, the medical examiner's office is now struggling with the issue of storing bodies because the fentanyl-related death toll continues to climb,' Seattle-King County Public Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan recently said.

Officials raised alarms back in October when they reported more than 700 overdose deaths in the first 10 months of the year, more than all of 2021.

Already In the first three weeks of 2023, 35 overdose deaths have occurred in King County, according to local outlets.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy fired back at a reporter Tuesday who asked how he could remove Democrats from the Intelligence Committee, but allow embattled Republican Rep. George Santos to keep his committee assignments.

'I'm going to be very clear with you. The Intel Committee is different. You know why? Because what happens in the Intel Committee, you don't know,' McCarthy told PBS NewsHour's Lisa Desjardins.

Desjardins had pressed McCarthy on how 'lying to us' was a factor to remove Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee, but Santos making up his entire backstory didn't count against the New York Republican.

McCarthy pushed back that Schiff, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Swalwell would still be able to serve on other committees, just not those charged with the nation's secrets.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy fired back at a reporter Tuesday who asked how he could remove Democrats from the Intelligence Committee, but allow embattled Republican Rep. George Santos to keep his committee assignments

McCarthy booted Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff (left) and Eric Swalwell (right) from the House Intelligence Committee, tussling with a reporter over the decision Tuesday, saying the decision was made for 'national security' reasons

'But you know what, those voters elected Schiff, even though he lied, those voters elected Swalwell, even though he lied to the American public, too,' McCarthy reasoned. 'So you know what? I respect his voters too and they'll serve on committees. But they will not serve on a place that has national security ramifications because integrity matters to me.'

CNN reported that Schiff will serve on the House Judiciary Committee, while Swalwell told the network he would sit on the Judiciary and House Homeland Security committees.

'I will not be like Democrats and play politics with these. Where they removed Republicans from committees and all committees,' McCarthy also said.

During the last Congress, Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar were stripped of all their committee assignments after they shared social media posts that threatened violence on Democrats including then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

They were removed from committees using a floor vote.

McCarthy was able to unilaterally take Schiff and Swalwell off the Intelligence Committee.

However, if he wants to make good on a threat to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee - over prior comments she made about Israel - it will take a floor vote.

It's unclear if McCarthy has the votes.

Moderate Republican Reps. Victoria Spartz and Nancy Mace have said they opposed the move.

McCarthy is also short one vote due to Rep. Greg Steube recovering from substantial injuries after falling off a ladder at his Florida home.

The new House Republican majority removed the option for members to vote by proxy.

During his spat with Desjardins, McCarthy pointed to Schiff's role in Russiagate during the Trump years and said the California Democrat 'lied to the American public' about the legitimacy about Hunter Biden's laptop while serving as Intelligence Committee chair in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

'So, yes, he can serve on a committee, but he will not serve on Intel because it goes to the national security of America and I will always put them first, alright?' McCarthy said.

At a press conference Wednesday, standing alongside Swalwell and Omar, Schiff pushed back against these charges.

'Well let me just say that Mr. McCarthy's rationalizations, justifications keep shifting,' Schiff said. 'The cardinal sin appears to be that I led the impeachment of his master in Mar-a-Lago for withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid from Ukraine, a nation that was even then at war with Russia, in order to extort that country into helping Donald Trump's reelection campaign.'

McCarthy charged that he and Pelosi were briefed by the FBI over Swalwell's entanglement with a Chinese spy, but not until the California Democrat became a member of the Intelligence Committee, where he'd have access to classified information.

'And if you want to talk about Swalwell, let's talk about Swalwell,' McCarthy continued. 'Because you have not had the briefing that I have.'

Schiff said that McCarthy was misrespresenting what happened in the FBI briefing about Swalwell and alleged Chinese spy Fang Fang.

'As he indicated, I sat in on that briefing and when Kevin McCarthy misrepresents it and does that disservice to the American people, it's shameful,' Schiff said. 'This is a patently unfair smear by Mr. McCarthy.'

Santos - branded the Long Island liar for the bevvy of mistruths he's told about his backstory - was named to the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

'The hypocrisy just grabs you by the throat,' Schiff said about Santos being able to serve on the committees. 'This is a Republican speaker who is seating a human fraud, George Santos, on committees, a serial fabricator about every part of his existence.'
An enraged fan attacked a dog-trainer at a greyhound racing course on Wednesday as he was walking his dog into the trap before a race.

Video footage shared online shows a man in a blue jacket suddenly break from the edge of the course and attack the trainer from behind as the dogs were walked up towards the starting gates at Crayford Greyhound Track in Bexley, London.

The figure jumped on the trainer's back before appearing to attack them with punches and kicks, taking the trainer completely by surprise.

A man has since been arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.

The attacker ran up behind the handler, who was walking with two dogs at the time, and leapt on their back as he began punching them

The trainer was one of five who was walking a dog to the start of the racing course at the time. They had two dogs with them, one in a red coat and one in a blue one.

Suddenly the thug jumped on the trainers' back and appeared to punch him in the head, causing the trainer to let go of the dogs as the others scrambled to pull their own away from the incident.

Another member of staff behind the victim of the attack managed to grab the leads of the greyhounds and pull them away too.

The man grabbed his victim by the hood of their jacket, forcing their head towards the ground as they began hitting it.

The attacker continued the violent assault by aiming a knee for his victim's face, before continuing to punch their victim in the face and head.

The cause of the attack, which took place shortly after 12.30pm on Wednesday, is not yet known. The camera soon panned away from the incident.

The man has been arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm.

The trainer, pictured with a white hood, was holding two greyhounds as he headed towards the traps at the start of the course

The attacker was caught on camera approaching his victim from behind before jumping on top of them

The attacker hit the victim on the head as he jumped onto his back, causing the trainer to double over

The man grabbed his victim's collar and continued punching him around the face and head

The man grabbed the trainer's head by their jacket hood, forcing their face towards the ground

The stadium, which has featured races since 1986, is one of the few remaining dog tracks in the UK.

Racing fans at the track and watching online shared their shock at the violence nature of the incident.

One said: 'What have I just seen from Crayford my word!'

A second added: '[What] is going on at Crayford? Some bloke just started battering the bloke who was leading Dog 1 to the Traps.'

Another said: 'Anyone got that recorded?'

Others praised the actions of staff for immediately ensuring all the dogs were out of harms way.

'That's ridiculous behaviour, well done for getting the dogs out the way quickly and safely. What the hell is wrong with people,' wrote one Twitter user.

MailOnline contacted Crayford Greyhound Track, but staff members declined to comment, saying they had not been given any information about the attack.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: 'Police were called at 12.36hrs on Wednesday, 25 January to reports of an assault at a commercial premises in Stadium Way, Crayford.

'A man was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.'

A spokesperson for Ladbrokes, which owns the venue, said: 'This was a deeply unsavoury incident and one the police are now dealing with.

'Our prime concern is the well-being of the individual who was the victim of this awful assault.

'We are making sure he is okay, which fortunately he seems to be, whilst also assisting the police with their investigation.'
The inspector was released on police bail and will appear at crown court in Feb

He is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Eastbourne on March 10, 2022

Michael Sinden, an officer with Sussex Police, appeared at Brighton Magistrates

A police inspector has appeared in court after being charged with sexually assaulting a woman.

Inspector Michael Sinden, 34, an officer with Sussex Police, appeared before Brighton Magistrates' Court today charged with sexual assault by penetration in Eastbourne on March 10, 2022.

Sinden was suspended from duty after being charged with the offence.

Wearing a white shirt, tie and suit trousers, Sinden, of Eastbourne, stood in the dock and spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth.

Inspector Michael Sinden, 34, an officer with Sussex Police, appeared in court today charged with the sexual assault of a woman last year

He appeared before Brighton Magistrates' Court (file image) and was released on police bail to appear at Lewes Crown Court on February 22

The inspector was released on police bail to appear at Lewes Crown Court on February 22.

Sussex Police said the alleged offence last year happened while the officer was off duty.

The force has voluntarily referred the matter to the IOPC who directed that a local investigation by the Professional Standards Department should be conducted.
At least two people have been killed and seven more injured in a stabbing rampage on a train in Germany today.

The attacker sparked chaos as he lunged at horrified passengers on board the train from Kiel to Hamburg shortly before 3pm, sending commuters screaming down the carriages as they tried to escape his onslaught.

The bloodbath came to an end when the suspect, a 33-year-old stateless Palestinian man according to officials, was tackled by cops and arrested on a station platform in the town of Brokstedt.

A police spokesman said the investigation into a motive was focused on 'all directions' including possible extremism or psychological problems on the part of the assailant.

Three of the seven injured passengers are in a serious condition following the attack condemned as a 'horrible act against all humanity' by regional interior minister Sabine Suetterlin-Waack.

Emergency services work at Brokstedt station in Brokstedt, Germany, on Wednesday

Two people have been killed and several others injured after a man launched a knife attack on a train in Germany today. Pictured: The scene

Forensics staff are on duty on a platform at a regional train, with police officers standing opposite, at Brokstedt station in Brokstedt, Germany, on Wednesday

Sabine Suetterlin-Waack speaks to the media after an incident involving a knife attack took place on a train travelling between Kiel and Hamburg, in Brokstedt, Germany

A passenger said people in his train carriage panicked when three hysterical girls ran into their carriage and screamed that the attacker had stabbed people further down the train.

The attacker is believed to have fled the train once it stopped at the station and continued to stab people on the platform before being tackled by police officers, reports Bild.

The 33-year-old knifeman has not been identified but he is believed to be a Palestinian refugee from Gaza.

He is also in hospital receiving treatment under police guard after he reportedly stabbed himself amid his attack on fellow passengers. The suspect reportedly had a temporary residence permit with him during the attack.

Police and rescue services work at a level crossing at Brokstedt station in Brokstedt, Germany, on Wednesday

Police and forensic teams work at a level crossing near Brokstedt station in Brokstedt, Germany, today following the knife attack

Forensic experts stand next to a train on which an incident involving a knife attack took place, at a railway station in Brokstedt, Germany, January 25, 2023

Regional interior minister Sabine Suetterlin-Waack condemned the attack as a 'horrible act against all humanity'.

'It is terrible,' Suetterlin-Waack told German public broadcaster NDR. 'We are shocked and horrified that something like this has happened.

'For me it is clear that the horrible act is against all humanity,' the interior minister said, adding her 'thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims'.

Suetterlin-Waack is on her way to the scene of the attack 'working closely together' to determine a motive.

There is large-scale emergency operation at the scene, with nine ambulances, three emergency and rescue helicopter all at the station to treat the passengers.

Police have closed the station and forensic teams were seen working at the scene.

There is large-scale emergency operation at the scene, with nine ambulances, three emergency and rescue helicopter all at the station to treat the passengers. The station has been closed by police

A forensic expert walks next to a train at a railway station after an incident involving a knife attack took place on a train travelling between Kiel and Hamburg, in Brokstedt, Germany, January 25, 2023

Police were investigating at the train station in Brokstedt, the German railway Deutsche Bahn said on Twitter, adding that some services between Hamburg and Kiel had been cancelled.

Germany has been hit in recent years by several deadly knife attacks, some carried out by extremists and others by people suffering from serious psychological problems.

A Syrian jihadist was given a life sentence in May 2021 for stabbing a German man to death and severely wounding his partner in a homophobic attack in the eastern city of Dresden.

A German court in December sentenced a Syrian-born man to 14 years in prison for an Islamist knife attack on a train in which he injured four passengers.

Last year a German court committed a Somali man to a psychiatric hospital after he stabbed three people to death in the southern city of Wuerzburg in 2021.
Child asylum seekers could be deported from Britain to Rwanda in a bid to deter people traffickers from packing youngsters on to small boats making the perilous Channel crossing, a minister confirmed today.

Robert Jenrick said that unaccompanied children would not be sent to Africa under the 120million removals deal signed last year.

But facing MPs today he admitted he could not rule out family groups, including under-18s, being removed together.

The Immigration Minister told the Women and Equalities Committee there was a real risk of people smugglers exploiting a decision to rule out sending any children to Rwanda.

'It is not our intention to remove unaccompanied minors (but) as we operationalise the Rwanda policy we will need to consider whether or not we would remove families,' he said under questioning by committee chairwoman Caroline Nokes, a former Tory minister.

'The balance we need to consider is obviously the challenge of minors leaving the country to Rwanda against the risk that the UK then became a magnet for people traffickers focusing on families and I think that is a very real concern if the Rwanda policy was fully operationalised.

'I wouldn't want to see a situation where adult males were deterred from coming to the UK as a result of the Rwanda policy but the people smugglers continued their operations but with a particular focus on families.'

Robert Jenrick said that unaccompanied children would not be sent to Africa under the 120million removals deal signed last year

A group  thought to be migrants  are rescued following a small boat incident in the Channel and taken ashore in Dover today onboard a Border Force vessel

Activists and supporters of the refugee charity Together with Refugees ride on a bus hired for a protest in Parliament Square in London today

At the weekend it was revealed that the number of migrants crossing the Channel on small boats could nearly double this year.

Whitehall projections obtained by The Mail on Sunday from Border Force say that as many as 80,000 could make the dangerous journey in 2023  up from 45,000 last year.

That is described as 'the upper limit' of expected crossings, with a repeat of the 45,000 figure as the likely 'lower limit'.

Mr Jenrick also confirmed that the flights, due to start last year, will again be delayed by months of legal action.

A group of individuals and a charity have been granted permission to bring their legal challenge to the Court of Appeal.

Two High Court judges ruled in December that the Rwanda policy was lawful overall  a decision which Home Secretary Suella Braverman proclaimed as a victory.

But at a hearing earlier this month, the two judges gave the go-ahead for aspects of their ruling to be reconsidered by senior judges  plunging the timescale for the Rwanda flights once again into uncertainty.

The Court of Appeal will be asked to consider a range of issues, including whether the plan is an unlawful penalty under the Refugee Convention, whether sufficient safeguards are in place for asylum seekers at risk of persecution, and crucially, the December ruling on whether the policy was lawful.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after a paedophile drag queen was found dead in an alleyway dressed in full stage costume.

Jeweller Darren Moore, 39, a convicted sex offender, went missing on his way home from his regular Sunday night performance at a gay nightclub in Cardiff.

He was found dead in the city centre still dressed in his luminous yellow dress, blonde wig, full make up and his trademark false breasts.

South Wales Police said a local man, 50, had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and was being held in custody while inquiries continue.

Aman has been arrested following the death of Darren Moore, who also performed under the name CC Quinn, whose body was found in Cardiff city centre in the early hours of January 22

Darren Moore, was last seen in Cardiff while wearing full face make-up, a luminous green dress, blonde wig, heels and carrying a clutch bag

As a teenager, and under his previous name of Darren Sewell, he was convicted of four counts of rape on a boy under the age of 16 and sent to a Young Offenders' Institution for three years

A post-mortem examination has been carried out on Darren, and further tests are ongoing to establish the cause of his death.

Moore, known as Crystal Couture, had worked with TV's RuPaul was popular in the gay scene across the UK.

Members of the LGBT+ community are holding a vigil in his memory tonight in a street close to where his body was found.

Police have appealed for calm and urged people not to speculate after claims were made on social media that Darren was beaten to death.

Superintendent Michelle Conquer, Head of Operations in Cardiff, said: 'We understand there is shock and upset in the local and wider community following the death of Darren Moore who was a well-known drag artist in Cardiff.

'Cardiff has a long and proud tradition of recognising, celebrating, and protecting equality and diversity. South Wales Police is proud to represent and protect all communities that it serves.

'Anyone who has concerns is asked to please contact us in confidence.

'While an investigation is on-going, our Neighbourhood Policing Team as always will continue to provide a visible police presence in the city centre.

Members of the LGBT+ community are holding a vigil in his memory tonight in a street close to where his body was found (pictured)

Moore had worked with TV's RuPaul and was well known on the gay scene across the UK

As a teenager, and under his previous name of Darren Sewell, he was convicted of four counts of rape on a boy under the age of 16 and sent to a Young Offenders' Institution for three years.

He was banned from having contact with children but in 2011 he was convicted of breaching the order by working as a gymnastics and dance tutor with children in Cardiff.

He was sentenced to a three-year sex offender's treatment programme, a 24-month supervision order, 300 hours unpaid work and a six-month curfew on electronic tag.

Crystal Couture's official website describes his act as 'for audiences large and small and of all ages' and 'available for wedding, christening, birthdays, and celebrations of all types'.

But audience members walked out of a 'Pride Without Prejudice' event in 2018 when he made insensitive jokes about prolific child abuser Jimmy Saville.

Darren, of Newport, Gwent, changed his name to Moore when he married his long term partner also called Darren.

Moore changed his name to when he married his long term partner also called Darren

He ran a company called Blingblingbling and exhibited his jewellery at RuPaul's annual Dragcon event in London in 2020.

Flowers have been laid in Windsor Place, close to the city's main shopping street, where Darren's body was found early on Monday morning.

He had been reported missing after failing to return home and he was not answering his mobile phone.

Hundreds of tributes have been paid to the 'outgoing and funny' entertainer who was known on the gay scene across the UK.

Cardiff gay bar the Golden Cross tweeted under the headline Rest in Fabulousness: 'We are deeply saddened to learn of Darren Moore's passing. He was the life and soul of the Party and would always be entertaining the masses, usually accompanied with a round of shots.'

Jeweller Moore, 39, a convicted sex offender, had been reported missing after disappearing on a night out with friends

Darren's husband, also called Darren Moore, has been told about the arrest along with his family.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Raikes, said: 'Initial investigations have so far not revealed or confirmed any obvious cause of death, however extensive inquiries are continuing to establish the cause and circumstances of Mr Moore's death.

'I would like to thank the community for the excellent support they have provided to this investigation so far, which has helped enormously, and I would appeal for anyone with information to please come forward.

'I would also again like to respectfully ask people to refrain from speculating on social media about what has occurred and please let the police investigation take its course.'

Detectives are appealing for anyone who may have seen Darren in Cardiff city centre during the early hours of Sunday to please come forward.

They are keen to speak to anyone who was in the vicinity of Park Lane and Windsor Place between 3am and 7am.

Specially trained family liaison officers are supporting and updating Darren's family.
MRFF ruled it 'outrageous' because it 'clearly projects the sectarian supremacy of Jesus Christ'

A US military academy has been forced to cover up a Jesus painting because it 'denigrates non-Christians.'

A massive painting of Jesus walking on water and helping guide mariners across a rough patch of water has been covered up with a white curtain after being on display for decades at the US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, New York.

The academy covered the painting, which hangs in an administrative building, after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation's founder Michael 'Mikey' Weinstein sent a January 10 letter to USMMA Superintendent Joanna Nunan, the first woman to serve as the school's vice admiral.

Weinstein suggested the painting be moved to the chapel, instead of a room that used for Honor Code violations, advisory board meetings, disciplinary hearings, and as a classroom.

'It would be fine if it was in the chapel, because we always look at time, place, and manner. But it's not in the chapel,' Weinstein said in a video statement.

The US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) covered up a Jesus painting (right) that hangs in an administrative building after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation's founder Michael 'Mikey' Weinstein sent a January 10 letter claiming it was 'unconstitutional'

The academy immediately ordered a white curtain to cover the painting, which also allows those who want to view paint to do so

'It's in a administrative building, in a room that's used all the time, specifically used for Honor board violation deliberations, which are one of the most serious things a midshipman or Cadet at any Military Academy can ever face while they're fighting for their lives their reputation.

'They have to look up at something like that clearly this is in direct violation of diversity equity and inclusion.'

He also called the painting 'outrageous' and 'unconstitutional' and demanded it be removed as it 'clearly projects the sectarian supremacy of Jesus Christ,' he told the Christian Post.

'It's as though USMMA is screaming that "Jesus Christ is the only approved solution to all of lifes difficulties."'

Weinstein is representing 18 midshipman, faculty, and staff who practice various religions, including Judaism, Roman Catholicism, and Protestant Christianity.

'It marginalizes non-Christian members of the Academy,' he told the Christian Post. 'The painting does not ensure a diverse, equitable, or inclusive environment for non-Christian USMMA midshipmen, graduates, staff, or faculty.'

However, Nunan said that the sheer size of the painting made it impossible to move, but that she had 'asked my staff to purchase a curtain to be placed in front of the painting.'

'It would be fine if it was in the chapel, because we always look at time, place, and manner. But it's not in the chapel,' Weinstein said. He said it 'clearly projects the sectarian supremacy of Jesus Christ'

Superintendent and Vice Admiral Joanna Nunan, who is the first female to hold the position, responded immediately and covered the painting. However, she told Weinstein the painting could not be moved do it sheer size

The painting was located at the US Merchant Marine Academy USMMA in Kings Point, New York (pictured)

'This will completely block the painting from view, but also allow those who wish to view it the opportunity to do so,' she reportedly wrote back in response. 'Second, I have asked the Director of the American Merchant Marine Museum to prepare a plaque that explains the history of the painting, which will be installed near it.'

Despite Weinstein failing to have his initial request of removal granted, he said he is satisfied with the USMMA's quick response.

'We feel that the use of the curtain covering the painting will serve to create even more positive teachable moments when observers inevitably ask why it is there at all and what is underneath,' he told the Christian Post.

DailyMail.com has reached out to USMMA for comment.
The 61-year-old felon arrested for the murder of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan rented his Jacksonville home from Bridegan's ex-wife's new husband.

Henry Tenon is in custody on charges of second degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for Bridegan's killing on February 16. His arrest warrant is sealed so many of the details surrounding the case remain unclear.

Police however said at a press conference on Wednesday that he did not act alone, and that they continue to investigate.

Tenon rented his home from Mario Fernandez, the new husband of Bridegan's ex-wife Shanna. The couple sold the house in October 2022 - eight months after the murder, and three months after Tenon was arrested for unrelated gun charges.

Neither Shanna nor Mario, who moved cross country from Florida to Washington state, have been arrested.

Henry Tenon, 61, has been charged with Bridegan's murder. Jared Bridegan, 33, was repeatedly shot in front of his daughter Bexley in Florida last year

Fernandez and her new husband, Mario (pictured right), hired attorney Henry Coxe III, the former president of the Florida Bar who specializes in federal and state criminal matters

Property records list Mario Fernandez, the new husband of Bridegan's ex-wife, as the owner of the property in Jacksonville where Henry Tenon lived

According to sheriff's records, Tenon was arrested in August on unrelated gun charges. He will go before a judge tomorrow on murder charges.

'We know Henry Tenon did not act alone,' said State's Attorney Melissa Nelson at a press conference today.

Bridegan was killed on February 16, 2022, while driving from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, to St. Augustine, after dropping off his nine-year-old twins with their mother. His two-year-old daughter, Bexley, was in the car at the time.

Tenon, in a previous mugshot, has a long arrest record. His previous offenses include felony traffic violations like driving with a suspended license multiple times, along with misdemeanor assault and domestic violence charges

Tenon is facing life in prison on charges of second degree murder. Prosecutors today announced the case would go to a grand jury, and that they hope it will be elevated to a first degree murder charge.

In addition to conspiracy to commit murder and second degree murder, Tenon has been charged with child abuse. It stems to the fact Bridegan's two-year-old daughter was in the vehicle when he was killed.

Tenon was arrested last August by the same police department on charges of owning a weapon despite being a convicted felon, and driving without a license.

His previous offenses include felony traffic violations like driving with a suspended license multiple times, along with misdemeanor assault and domestic violence charges.

His long arrest record dates back to the mid 1990s.

Jared was ambushed by his killer, who'd placed a tire in the middle of the road to ensure he would stop, get out of the car and walk towards it.

The Microsoft executive was found 2.2miles from Shanna's home after dropping off the kids on February 16. It was on a quiet patch of road, where there were no security cameras

Jared was gunned down on a quiet stretch of road, surrounded by trees, in Jacksonville Beach on February 16. No cameras are thought to have caught the killing

The killing was planned to happen in a stretch of residential road where there were no surveillance cameras or Ring doorbell cameras.

Bridegan and his ex, 35, divorced in 2016 but were still arguing over finances and custody at the time of his death.

For the last year, his widow, Kirsten Bridegan, has been told to stay silent on who she believed might have killed him.

She did not allow their twins to attend the memorial service held for Bridegan by his family, and instead hosted her own farewell for him.

Kirsten, Bridegan's widow, told DailyMail.com in an interview last April that he had 'no enemies - for the most part'.

After his death, Shanna and her new partner - Mario Fernandez, 33, - moved across the country from Florida to Washington State.

It's unclear how she and Mario met. He was previously reported to police for animal abuse, having shot and killed a cat with a BB gun.

DailyMail.com tracked the pair down in the months after Jared's death.

Shanna, now covered in tattoos, was stern and refused to comment on the case.

Police are looking for this 2004-2008 Ford F150 truck which they believe may have been involved in the murder

Jared, Kirsten, the twins and their two daughters Brexley, two, and London, seven-months. Kirsten says she wants to find out who killed her husband to be able to explain his death to his children

Last April, Kirsten - Jared's second wife - would not be drawn on whether there were any issues between Jared and his ex-wife, who is remarried and and runs a local baking business.

'I definitely don't feel like it's the time or place for me to discuss someone else's relationship. I know how my relationship was with him and I miss that.

'My husband was a very well-loved man by the majority of the people in his life. He went above and beyond for friends, neighbors, kids.

'Whoever did this, whoever is behind this, is just evil and nasty and I hope we can find them and put them behind bars, if they don't hurt us or anybody else moving forward,' she said.

She added that 'for the most part', he had no enemies. They had been married for four years and met on a dating app.

It has since been claimed that the marriage ended when Shanna had an affair with her personal trainer.

She denied that claim, but the trainer says their relationship turned romantic.

Seven years before his death, in 2015, she'd also asked someone in a local tattoo parlor if they knew someone to help 'shut her husband up'.

She insisted it was in jest, and that she meant no threat by it.
The estranged wife of Isla Bryson, previously known as Adam Graham, today mocked the transgender rapist's decision to become a woman as 'a sham' to seek attention - and receive an easier time in jail.

Shonna Graham, who married evil Bryson when the rapist was a man before going on to attack two women, says she believes the transition is an act to make a mockery of the justice system  and to be placed in a women's prison.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline Shonna, 31, said: 'Never once did he say anything to me about feeling he was in the wrong body or anything. I have a lot of sympathy for real transgender people, it's a hard thing to live with, but he's just bullsh*****g the authorities.'

Shonna Graham, 31, married evil Graham when he was a man before his court case

Shonna Graham and Isla Bryson - then Adam Graham - on their wedding day

Shonna Graham 31 from Falkirk who is still married to transgender rapist Isla Bryson, pictured on their wedding day in 2016

Transgender Isla Bryson at the High Court in Glasgow where the sex offender was convicted of raping two women

She added: 'His gender transition is a sham for attention and an easier life in prison. When I saw the photos of him dressed as a woman with a blonde wig and pink lycra leggings, I fell out of bed laughing.

Fury as sex attacker transitions before trial and is sent to a women's prison: Click here to read more Isla Bryson, 31, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, arrives at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday. Following a six-day trial at the High Court a jury has found the transgender woman guilty of raping two women Advertisement

'I can see why he doesn't want to be in a prison with loads of big scary men, so he's come up with this ploy to get himself a much easier sentence.

'But sending him to a women's prison is outrageous  will one of the vulnerable women inmates be the next victim to be attacked by him? He won't stop, it's in his nature.

'I have been trying to divorce him for seven years, but I haven't been able to find him to serve the papers. He's a monster and I hope they throw away the key.'

Bryson began transitioning in 2020 when facing trial for the rape of two women. The case has highlighted the controversy over Nicola Sturgeon's Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which would allow anyone over 16 to 'self-identify' as the opposite sex without needing medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

Shonna told the Mail how she endured a year of 'controlling' behaviour at the hands of Bryson, then Graham, during which time the abusive partner allegedly stabbed her in the hip with a knife and 'tried to rape her.'

Shonna met the shaven-headed brute with a Mike Tyson-style face tattoo on internet dating app Badoo in 2015 and at first found her new partner 'caring and fun to be with'.

But after Bryson moved into her flat in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, she soon saw a different side.

'He was obsessed with controlling every aspect of my life,' she recalled. 'Even if I spoke to an elderly male neighbour, he'd be on my case accusing me of chatting him up.

Shonna Graham 31 from Falkirk who is still married to transgender rapist Isla Bryson

Shonna told MailOnline how she endured a year of 'controlling' behaviour at the hands of Bryson

'He pushed me around and knew I was vulnerable because I'd been in an abusive relationship before. Looking back, he probably targeted me for that reason.

'One night we had a row and I went into the bedroom while he watched TV in the living room. Suddenly he burst in with a pink-handled kitchen knife in his hand and demanded sex.

'I told him where to go, and he pulled down my pyjama trousers and tried to rape me. Then when I'd pleaded with him to get off, I realised he'd stabbed me in the thigh.

'There was blood everywhere, staining the carpet, but he delayed calling an ambulance for about half an hour and I remember I was starting to feel faint by the time they came.

'When we got to hospital, the police were called, and they saw it as what it was  domestic abuse, but Adam had pleaded with me to say I'd tried to commit suicide and the wound was self-inflicted, which is what I did.

'The police tried to convince me to give evidence against him but I wasn't brave enough. Now I feel guilty, because if I had, maybe he'd have gone to prison sooner and those two poor women who did testify against him wouldn't have had to suffer in the way they did.

'I was terrified of him and what he might do next, so despite that incident, I did go ahead and marry him a few months later. My friends told me to steer clear of him, but I didn't listen.'

The small ceremony at Falkirk Register Office on July 8, 2016 was witnessed by only a handful of Shonna's friends and family. No-one attended on the groom's side.

Shonna said: 'I used to call him no-mates Adam, but that was about right. He told me he'd been brought up in foster care and claimed he'd been abused. He had a sister who was with him in care, but I never met her.

'I knew his dad, a carpenter, also called Adam, was dead, but I never met his mother.

'Once I put out an appeal for him on Facebook to trace his real relatives, and we did hear from an aunt of his, but I don't remember where she was. I think he was brought up in Motherwell.'

Not surprisingly, the marriage did not last long, and according to Shonna, Bryson was texting other women even when with her.

'He walked out on August 16, 2016, about five weeks after we were wed,' she recalled. 'At first I thought something had happened to him and I reported him missing to the police, but then we heard he'd found another woman, and I cannot tell you the relief I felt that he was out of my life.

'He had tried to control everything about me  how I dressed, what I ate, who I saw and where I went.

Isla Bryson, 31, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, arrives at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday. Following a six-day trial at the High Court a jury has found the transgender woman guilty of raping two women

Shonna Graham 31 from Falkirk who is still married to transgender rapist Isla Bryson seen on their wedding day

Isla Bryson, 31, was known as Adam Graham (pictured) and had a Mike Tyson-style face tattoo during the violent sex attacks in 2016 and 2019

'I would have divorced him long before now, but I never knew where he was to serve the papers. Maybe I'll visit him in Cornton Vale [women's prison] and sever my ties with him once and for all.

'What made me really angry when reading the court case was how he claimed to have been abused during our relationship when it was him doling out the abuse.

'However hard I try, I cannot think of him as a woman in any sense. No woman would treat me the way he did.'

Bryson, who claimed to have had gender issues since the age of four, began transitioning from a man to a woman in 2020 after being charged with the rapes. The rapist has been taking hormones but has not had surgery.

Bryson denied the accusations, telling jurors any sex was consensual - but insisted to having no joy in sleeping with women and told the court they made the 'first move'.

There was no reference to the 31-year-old having a gender recognition certificate during the trial.

Bryson was found guilty of the two rapes yesterday. It is understood the defendant is being held in a segregation unit at Cornton Vale women's prison, where the attacker will be risk assessed ahead of sentencing on February 28. Officials will decide whether the sex attacker will serve the final jail term in a women's or men's prison.
Former home secretary David Blunkett today backed the Government's decision to block Scotland's gender identity reforms.

The Labour peer insisted it is 'right' for ministers to use Section 35 powers to stop the Scottish Parliament's controversial bill from becoming law.

The ex-Cabinet minister also admitted his party was 'a bit all over the place' in its response to Holyrood's Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to use Section 35 of the Scotland Act to prevent the bill from receiving royal assent.

He has acted amid warnings the bill, if it becomes law, could cause UK-wide chaos and interfere with equality legislation previously passed by Westminster.

It has set up another bitter row between Mr Sunak and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose SNP-led administration pushed the bill through the Scottish Parliament.

Lord Blunkett insisted it was 'right' for ministers to use Section 35 powers to stop the Scottish Parliament's controversial bill from becoming law

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's SNP-led administration pushed the bill through the Scottish Parliament

Lord Blunkett also put pressure on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to be firmer in his party's response to the controversial Scottish legislation

But Lord Blunkett, who served as home secretary in Tony Blair's New Labour government, supported the PM's action.

'I happen to think on this issue, a very complex issue, that it was right to use Section 35,' he told BBC Politics Live.

'I'm sick and tired of identity politics. I'm sick of having to debate it over and over again. We need respect, we need genuine equality.'

Lord Blunkett also put pressure on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to be firmer in his party's response to the controversial Scottish bill.

Scottish Labour supported the gender identity reforms and almost all of its MSPs voted for the finalised bill in Holyrood.

But Sir Keir has admitted he has 'concerns' over the bill because he considers 16 to be too young to change gender.

He has also expressed worries about the impact of the legislation on UK-wide equality law.

Yet the Labour leader has not said whether he agrees with the Government's use of Section 35 powers to block the legislation.

Asked about Labour's current position, Lord Blunkett said: 'We are a bit all over the place on it, if I'm honest.

'We've just got to be clear. Respect, equality, ensuring people are treated properly, that we don't alienate, that we care about how people are feeling and their development and the emotions they're going through, but not pandering to situations which put aside 50 years of equality campaigning for women.'

Asked what he would like to hear from Sir Keir, the peer added: 'Sex and gender are entirely separate things.

'You can have someone who feels that they are of a different gender, you can help and support them. But in the end, women's equality trumps it all.'

Lord Blunkett noted how the 2010 Equality Act was UK-wide and is supported by Labour, as he said his party 'should be in favour of protecting people' from issues that might arise from the Scottish bill.
A Virginia teacher who was shot by a disabled six-year-old pupil texted a loved one an hour before she was wounded to say the boy was armed and school officials were failing to act, a source has revealed.

Abbey Zwerner, 25, had just finished reading a story when the child pulled out the handgun and shot her in the chest in front of her first grade class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on January 6.

A source close to the investigation told NBC that Zwerner messaged a loved one saying she was 'frustrated because she was trying to get help with this child, for this child, and then when she needed help, no one was coming.'

Zwerner's lawyer Diane Toscano held a bombshell press conference Wednesday announcing a lawsuit against Newport News Public Schools, alleging that administrators were told three times by staff that the boy had a gun on him that day.

Another teacher had also warned that the six-year-old had left a boy sobbing after showing him the gun - and threatening to shoot him if he told anyone.

Scroll down for video.

Abbey Zwerner, 25, had just finished reading a story when the child pulled out the handgun and shot her in the chest in front of her first grade class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on January 6

Attendees hold their heads down for a prayer during a vigil for Zwerner in front of the Newport News Public Schools Administration Building on Monday January 9

Messages of support left by students for Abbey Zwerner at the front door of Richneck Elementary School Newport News

A third teacher informed the administration that she had searched the boy's backpack and told them she believed the child had concealed the gun in his pocket.

An administrator is alleged to have dismissed the concerns, responding: 'Well he has little pockets'.

A fourth teacher asked if he could search the child's backpack but he was denied, Toscano told the press conference.

Zwerner also went to school authorities earlier that day to report the six-year-old had threatened to beat up another student.

Toscano announced that her client still has the bullet 'dangerously' lodged inside her body. She added that Zwerner - who was discharged from hospital last week - is communicating with her daily and gaining strength every day.

However, Toscano said 'the road to full recovery will be long ... and the psychological scars will be lasting.'

The family of the child - who has not been identified - last week put out a statement claiming the firearm had been 'secured.'

They added that the boy 'suffers from an acute disability' and was usually accompanied at school by at least one of his parents.

However, the family said the week of the shooting 'was the first week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.'

Police Chief Steve Drew has repeatedly characterized the shooting as 'intentional,' saying the boy aimed at Zwerner and fired one round which pierced her hand and struck her in the chest.

At Wednesday's press conference, Toscano said: 'On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different times - three times - the school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people.

'But the administration could not be bothered.

'This tragedy was entirely preventable if the school administrators responsible for school safety had done their part and taken action when they had knowledge of imminent danger.

'But instead they failed to act and Abbey was shot.'

'Were they not so paralyzed by apathy, they could have prevented this tragedy,' she added.

The lawyer said the first incident of the day came between 11.15am and 11.30am, when Zwerner told a school administrator the six-year-old had threatened to beat up another student.

Toscano said the school administration failed to call security or remove the child from class.

At around 12.30pm, a different teacher went to a school administrator to tell them that the child was rumored to have brought a gun to school and that she had searched his backpack.

The teacher told the administrator she believed the boy had stashed the gun in his pocket before heading out for recess.

Zwerner's lawyer Diane Toscano (pictured) held a bombshell press conference Wednesday announcing a lawsuit against Newport News Public Schools, alleging that administrators were told three times by staff that the boy had a gun on him that day

Toscano said: 'On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different times - three times - the school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people. But the administration could not be bothered'

Abbey Zwerner, 25, had just finished reading a story when the child pulled out the handgun and shot her in the chest at at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on January 6

The administrator is alleged to have downplayed the teacher's concerns because the six-year-old had 'little pockets.'

Shortly before 1pm, Toscano said, a third teacher reported to the administrators that another boy had come to her in tears, telling her that the child had showed him the gun during recess and threatened to shoot him if he tattled on him.

Toscano says the school administration failed to follow the safety protocols and did not report it to the police.

Concerned about the threat, a fourth member of staff asked an administrator if he could search the boy. This request was denied, Toscano said.

School chiefs allegedly dismissed his concerns, saying that school was almost finished for the day.

Just under an hour later, Zwerner was shot by the six-year-old.

Toscano concluded the press conference by stating that the incident was 'entirely preventable'.

School district spokeswoman Michelle Price and School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law did not immediately return calls seeking comment on Toscano's allegations.

When asked about Zwerner's text to her loved one prior to the shooting, Price told NBC that any claims were being 'thoroughly investigated.'

Price said: 'Anything that has been reported to our school leadership team in regards to concerns at Richneck from teachers and staff members is part of the investigation. It's being thoroughly investigated.'

Police vehicles are seen parked outside Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on January 6

Crowds of concerned parents gathered outside the school following the shooting

The teacher has been hailed a hero in the local community

The shooting raised questions over security at the school and stunned Newport News, a city of about 185,000 people roughly 70 miles southeast of Richmond.

The family of the child - who has not been identified - last week put out a statement claiming the firearm used had been 'secured' and that one of his parents usually accompanied him in class but did not the week the shooting occurred.

The family's statement was released by an attorney and did not elaborate further on where the 9mm handgun was kept. The family was not identified.

'Our family has always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children,' the statement said. 'The firearm our son accessed was secured.'

The family also said the boy 'suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.'

The statement was the first from the family since the shooting and was released through the office of Newport News-based attorney James S. Ellenson.

Police said earlier that the six-year-old's mother legally purchased the gun but that it was unclear how her son gained access to it.

A Virginia law prohibits leaving a loaded gun where it is accessible to a child under 14, a misdemeanor crime punishable with a maximum one-year prison sentence and $2,500 fine.

A spokesman for Riverside Regional Medical Center said last Thursday that Zwerner had been released from the hospital earlier in the week.

The statement read: '(Zwerner) continues her recovery as an outpatient with the support of family, friends, and health professionals. The Zwerner family respectfully asks for privacy during this time.'

In the wake of the statement from the family of the six-year-old, a former psychologist with Newport News Public Schools told WAVY that warning signs among students with 'explosive behaviors' were regularly ignored.

The psychologist told the station: 'These issues had persisted, and it had escalated to a point where it had put a teacher in danger.'

She added: 'Issues are swept under the rug because it's easier to think that there's no problem when there is a problem that needs to be addressed.'

Richneck Elementary was due to remain closed throughout last week with school administrators reportedly working to ensure it had a full-time security guard and metal detectors. Students may be required to have see through backpacks going forward.

At a school board meeting last Tuesday that was open to the public, the parent of one of the students who was in the classroom when the shooting occurred, Desiree Yvette, said her daughter is traumatized following the shooting.

A crowd of parents waited outside Richneck Elementary School after the shooting where the six-year-old allegedly shot his teacher on purpose after an 'altercation'

Zwerner, pictured at her 2019 graduation, suffered life-threatening injuries

Yvette said: 'She's six, she's terrified because the person who was advocating for her got hurt.'

In an interview with 13News Now, Yvette added: 'I was scared for any of the kids to have had witnessed this, but I was more scared that my daughter was witnessing this.'

The mother referred to Zwerner as a 'hero' for her actions.

She continued: 'She has always said those are her kids. It was heartbreaking and it was the most brave thing I've heard. She is honestly an earth angel. She's the kindest person. She's so supportive of her students.'

No charges have been brought against the mother, but the investigation continues, Police Chief Steve Drew said during one of two Facebook live chats he held with the community last week.

During the first chat, the chief was asked at least twice about whether the boy's parents would be held accountable or the mother charged. Drew responded by saying he wanted to ensure detectives were able to conduct a thorough investigation.

'I am not going to rush them,' Drew said. His department has a great relationship with local prosecutors, he said, and he has 'tremendous faith' that 'they will make the right decision based on the evidence that they have in front of them.'

Investigators have nearly finished interviewing the children who were in the classroom, Drew said, and police are working with a psychologist to talk to them about what they saw.

'This is a unprecedented incident that we have had in our city, where a 6-year-old child obtained a firearm, brought it to school, pointed it, fired and shot his teacher in front of other students,' the chief said. 'I have a young teacher who suffered a gunshot wound while teaching her classroom. By the grace of God, shes still with us today.'

The statement from the boy's family also elaborated on the child's relationship with his teacher, who is still recovering from the gunshot wound and has been called a hero by police and educators alike.

'Our heart goes out to our son's teacher and we pray for her healing in the aftermath of such an unimaginable tragedy as she selflessly served our son and the children in the school,' the family said.

Abbey Zwerner, 25, was shot in the chest by the six-year-old after she had finished reading a story to her first graders t Richneck Elementary School on January 6

Newport News Public Schools Superintendent Dr. George Parker (pictured at the vigil on Jan 9) told parents he is considering requiring clear plastic backpacks for Richneck students

'She has worked diligently and compassionately to support our family as we sought the best education and learning environment for our son,' the statement continued. 'We thank her for her courage, grace and sacrifice. We grieve alongside all of the other teachers, families and administrators for how this horrific incident has impacted them, our community, and the nation.'

The family said the child has been under hospital care since the shooting and is receiving 'the treatment he needs.'

'We continue to pray for his teachers full recovery, and for her loved ones who are undoubtedly upset and concerned,' the family said. 'At the same time, we love our son and are asking that you please include him and our family in your prayers.'

The shooting occurred as Zwerner was teaching her first grade class at Richneck.

Authorities said there was no warning and no struggle before the boy pointed the gun at Zwerner.

The bullet pierced her hand and struck her chest, police said. The 25-year-old hustled her students out of the classroom before being rushed to the hospital.

Drew, the police chief, described the shooting as 'intentional.' A judge will determine whats next for the child.

The superintendent of Newport News schools revealed last week that Richneck administrators had learned the child may have had a weapon before the shooting. But a search did not find the handgun, despite staff looking through his bag.

The revelation fueled outrage among parents and particularly teachers. Many criticized school system administrators at a school board meeting for what they called a misguided emphasis on attendance and other education statistics over the safety of children and staff.
The Chinese farm worker accused of shooting dead seven people and wounding another in the Half Moon Bay area of northern California will be arraigned in Redwood City Wednesday.

Chunli Zhao, 66, is believed to have acted alone in the shooting that occurred on Monday at a plant nursery and a mushroom farm in the area.

Zhao is expected to appear in court at 1:30 pm local time at the Hall of Justice in Redwood City, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said.

He was taken into custody hours after the attack while parking his van in a Half Moon Bay police substation. Zhao is co-operating with the investigation.

Chunli Zhao, the man who is accused of shooting dead seven people in Half Moon Bay, California, appears for his arraignment at the San Mateo Criminal Court in Redwood City, California on January 23

Chunli Zhao, 66, is believed to have acted alone in the shooting that occurred on Monday at a plant nursery and a mushroom farm in the area

Wagstaffe told KRON that he expected the suspect to be charged with seven counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, firearm enhancement and a charge of 'multiple murder.' He is being held without bail.

The gun used in the attack was a legally purchased semi-automatic handgun. Investigators have not said publicly what the motive for the shooting is but San Mateo County Sheriff spokesman Eamonn Allen said the signs point to workplace violence.

The charges that Zhao is facing have not been confirmed. His appearance in court comes a day after California Governor Gavin Newsom visited the area where the massacre occurred.

The governor used his appearance in the town to call for gun control.

Community members visit a memorial for shooting victims at Mac Dutra Park in Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay resident Elisabeth Olander, 68, is reduced to tears at the memorial to the victims of the massacre

San Mateo County officials still working the scene of the shooting on Wednesday

Chunli Zhao is expected to face seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder

Officials have not yet released the names of the five men and two women who died, nor the one man who was injured. Some were Asian and at least three were Mexican nationals

Allen said that Zhao entered a mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay, California, and opened fire, killing four and leaving another seriously wounded. He then drove to another nearby farm where he had previously worked, and killed another three people.

Zhao's criminal history has not been made public by authorities. In 2013, Zhao was accused of trying to suffocate his roommate and threatening to split his head open with a knife, reports the New York Times.

The pair worked at the same restaurant with Zhao accusing his friend, Yingjiu Wang, of stealing his pay check. Wang as granted a temporary restraining order against Zhao.

It's not known if the suspect has ever been diagnosed with any kind of mental illness.

Officials are keeping Chunli Zhao's legal history quiet prior to his arraignment

Officials have not yet released the names of the five men and two women who died, nor the one man who was injured. Some were Asian and at least three were Mexican nationals.

Servando Martinez Jimenez said his brother Marciano Martinez Jimenez, who was a delivery person and manager at one of the farms, was among those killed. Servando Martinez Jimenez said his brother never mentioned Zhao or said anything about problems with other workers.

'He was a good person. He was polite and friendly with everyone. He never had any problems with anyone. I dont understand why all this happened,' Martinez Jimenez said in Spanish outside his Half Moon Bay home.

Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, had lived in the United States for 28 years after arriving from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Servando Martinez Jimenez said he is working with the Mexican consulate to get his brothers body home.

Half Moon Bay is a small, laid-back, coastal and agricultural city about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean make it a popular spot for hikers and tourists, who flock there to surf and for an annual giant pumpkin festival.

The shooting occurred while California was still reeling from an attack in Monterrey Park, just outside Los Angeles, that killed 11 and cast a shadow over celebrations of Lunar New Year, an important holiday for many Asian American communities. Authorities are still seeking a motive for the Saturday shooting.
A Florida woman was rescued from a storm drain for the third time in two years, once being pulled out naked after she went missing for two months.

Lyndsey Jane Kennedy was reported to be in distress when a witness found her swimming in a canal near Delray Beach last week. She appeared not to need help as she ignored police upon their arrival and fled into the storm drain.

Firefighters were able to trap Kennedy from both sides of the drainpipe and pull her out with the help of a harness and ladder. She was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries.

Kennedy has a history of disappearing into storm drains and once told her mother that she was taking a 'journey' inspired by the Biblical prophet Elijah before escaping underground.

Lyndsey Jane Kennedy was rescued from a Delray Beach storm drain last week. Kennedy has a history of getting lost underground and was once found naked

Kennedy appeared not to want help. She ignored police upon their arrival and fled into the storm drain. Pictured: Firefighters rescuing Kennedy

It is unclear how long Kennedy was traveling around the Florida storm drain for this time. Her mom previously reported she suffered from psychosis and PTSD from an abusive relationship, and also struggles with drug abuse.

Kennedy first disappeared on March 3, 2021 for 20 days when she went for a swim in a Florida canal near her boyfriend's house. At the time, her family reported her as a missing person.

Police found her naked under a sidewalk in Delray Beach after a pedestrian heard cries for help. She was too weak to stand and had to be pulled out from the drain with a harness while firefighters covered her in a white bed sheet.

Kennedy, who was 43, explained that she'd spotted a tunnel in the canal and went to check it out before quickly realizing she was lost.

She says she was walking around the sewer system for about three weeks before she saw some light in the storm drain and settled there because she could see people walking above her.

The police report - which described Kennedy as 'very lucid' when she was found - said she was not taken into protective custody because she did not meet the criteria under Florida's Baker Act which allows for involuntary institutionalization.

It was later confirmed that Kennedy is a methadone patient and had her last dose on March 2, the day before she went missing. The drug is a prescription opioid used to treat addiction to heroin and other narcotic painkillers.

It is not clear if Kennedy went swimming in the same canal she was most recently found in.

Firefighters were able to trap Kennedy from both sides of the drainpipe and pull her out with the help of a harness and ladder

Kennedy was swimming in the canal before she fled into the storm drain seen in the distance

Kennedy fled into the storm drain when police arrived to help her last week

Firefighters are seen pulling Kennedy out of the eight-foot-deep drain under a sidewalk in Delray Beach in March 2021 after a pedestrian heard cries for help

Kennedy said she had been walking around the sewer system for about three weeks before she saw some light in the storm drain (pictured) and settled there because she could see people walking above her

Cops confirmed that she was reported missing from Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office on March 3, but it's not clear when she went into the drain or why she was naked

Weeks later in May 2021, Kennedy was found in a drainpipe in Grand Prairie, Texas.

She had been reported missing after checking out of a Dallas rehabilitation facility about a week earlier.

Kennedy's family told CBS12 News that police spotted her near a creek, but she jumped into a storm drain when they tried to approach her.

Her relatives started searching for her after tracking her last known location on her phone.

They said they started leaving bags of food and Gatorade at the entrance to the drain and nearby manholes.

At the time, she taken to a nearby hospital where she was placed on a psychiatric hold.

Weeks later in May 2021, Kennedy was found in a drainpipe in Grand Prairie, Texas

She had been reported missing after checking out of a Dallas rehabilitation facility about a week earlier

Aside from her history of adventuring into storm drains, Kennedy has an extensive criminal past.

In July 2021, she was arrested for a hit-and-run after she fled a gas station with stolen beer, according to The New York Post.

She crashed into a car a short distance after leaving the gas station premises where she nearly hit the store clerk.

Kennedy also had her license suspended 17 times between 2007 and 2020.
An antivaxxer has filmed himself hassling Matt Hancock in a Tube station and allegedly pushing him as he was about to walk down an escalator.

Geza Tarjanyi, who has previously targeted Sajid Javid, Chris Whitty and Jonathan Van-Tam, followed the former Health Secretary through Westminster Underground Station yesterday morning and called him a 'murdering scumbag'.

As they approached an escalator, Mr Hancock turned and said 'don't push me' to the 61-year-old conspiracy theorist who then sat next to him on the Tube and continued to rant at him.

A spokesman for the MP, 44, called the 'aggressive and unpleasant encounter' a 'very rare occurrence' and thanked the police and TFL. Mr Hancock was unhurt.

Geza Tarjanyi followed Mr Hancock through Westminster Underground Station yesterday morning. This is the moment the MP said 'don't push me'

The conspiracy theorist has previously targeted Sajid Javid , Chris Whitty and Jonathan Van-Tam

The British Transport Police said: 'We received a report of a man being assaulted and harassed at Westminster Underground station at 8.47am yesterday morning.

'A 61-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of common assault and a public order offence and remains in custody. Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.'

Mr Hancock's spokesman said: 'Unfortunately Matt was subject to a very aggressive and unpleasant encounter with a dangerous conspiracy theorist on the London Underground.

'Both Transport for London staff and the British Transport Police were fantastic and the man has since been arrested.

'Fortunately this sort of behaviour is a rare occurrence, but it's instances like this that reemphasise the importance of shutting down baseless misinformation which causes so much harm.

'Matt wants to put on record his thanks to TFL and the British Transport Police for their extraordinary work.'

Tarjanyi sat next to Mr Hancock on the Tube and continued to rant at him as a Transport for London employee monitored the situation

A spokesman for the MP, 44, called the 'aggressive and unpleasant encounter' a 'very rare occurrence'

Mr Hancock's spokesman thanked the British Transport Police and Transport for London

Tarjanyi has previously found himself in court charged with criminal damage after turning up at Sajid Javid's home with adhesive spray and posters.

The 61-year-old travelled to the then Health Secretary's home in Fulham, south-west London on January 3 to stage a protest against the coronavirus vaccine rollout.

The antivaxxer, from Leyland, Lancashire, had spray adhesive and a number of posters, which prosecutors said he was carrying with the intention of destroying or damaging property - a charge the defendant denied.

After a two-day trial at Isleworth Crown Court in November, the jury found Tarjanyi not guilty.

In 2021, Tarjanyi harassed Chris Whitty as he walked down a street in Oxford after a health summit.

Tarjanyi has also filmed himself harassing Chris Whitty and Jonathan Van-Tam in 2021

Tarjanyi has previously found himself in court charged with criminal damage after turning up at Sajid Javid's home with adhesive spray and posters

The family DJ and producer, who became known online for his activism against fracking and mask wearing, is heard calling the Chief Medical Advisor a 'liar'.

'Is Bill Gates funding this?' Tarjanyi asks, after rattling off a variety of other baseless theories about the pandemic response.

Mr Whitty, wearing a suit and backpack while carrying a briefcase, is shown hurrying down the road away from the man filming and refusing to reply to his comments.

At one point, he is shown stopping beside a police van to ask if the officers can stop the man following him.

'These gentlemen don't seem to want to leave me alone at all,' Mr Whitty is heard saying to the officers in the van.'

In 2021, Tarjanyi was also filmed screaming at former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam outside the Ministry of Defence.
A former actress has come forward for the first time to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room in 2001 - and claims the incident led to a speaking role in Gwyneth Paltrow film 'View From The Top'.

Little-known star Lisa Pekar told The Wrap Weinstein made her strip down to just a pair of red stilettos for a supposed 'audition' where he said she needed to 'lose 10 pounds' before forcing her to perform oral sex on him.

Weinstein's spokesman categorically denied the latest allegation, telling DailyMail.com he is willing to take a polygraph to prove his innocence.

Little-known star Lisa Pekar has come forward to allege Weinstein assaulted her in 2001

Latest allegation comes as Weinstein, pictured attending court in 2020, attempts to overturn his conviction

During the alleged incident, Pekar said she 'froze' as the disgraced movie mogul disrobed before begging him to stop as he was 'smashing my face into his mangled mess of genitalia'.

She claims Weinstein, now 70, then growled 'you're really ruining the mood' and later told her 'I wouldn't mention this if I were you.'

But days after his assistant rang Pekar to offer her a role opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in her critically-panned 2003 romantic comedy 'View From The Top' about an ambitious flight attendant.

In the end Pekar only had one line in the movie, adding her role was originally meant to be more prominent.

Pekar, pictured, describes how she 'froze' after Weinstein disrobed, but told him 'no'

Weinstein allegedly scored Pekar a one-line role in Gwyneth Paltrow's 2003 film View From The Top shortly after he assaulted her

Pekar claimed the assault 'ended' her career, prompting her to quit acting and focus on producing and writing instead.

Her IMDB page shows no acting roles and makes no reference to the View From The Top. She has only a handful of writing and producing credits.

The allegation comes as Weinstein's lawyers launch an aggressive mission to shorten his jailtime.

Earlier this month they submitted a bid to overturn his 2020 rape and sexual assault conviction - for which he is serving 23 years in prison - claiming the Manhattan trial judge had been influenced by public interest in the '#MeToo' movement.

And despite being found guilty of rape and sexual assault in a second trial in Los Angeles in December, sentencing has been delayed as his attorneys seek a new trial in California.

Pekar's role in View From The Top - starring Paltrow, pictured, - is not mentioned on her IMDB page

In a moving post, Pekar says the latest news inspired her to speak out, adding the fear of 'retaliation' and 'not being believed' stopped her from doing so sooner.

She wrote: 'This current period has been particularly challenging with Weinsteins recent Los Angeles trial and the state of New York agreeing to hear his appeal, and so I have come forward now because I feel the weight of not standing with the other victims weighing heavily on me.

'If it took me this long to come forward, how many more victims are out there?'

Pekar says she was working as a hostess in the now-closed celebrity restaurant Ago when she was spotted by Miramax Italy producer Fabrizio Lombardo who told her she looked like actress Monica Bellucci.

Lombardo then introduced her to Weinstein at a 2001 Miramax Oscar party whom she described as a 'gentleman' and 'kind, courteous and full of information'.

Pekar, who had recently moved from Milwaukee to Los Angeles, added their attention was 'an honor for a girl who was fresh out of the boat'.

Months later she was at an audition, wearing a pair of red stilettoes, when Weinstein called, claiming to have another role for her.

She claimed the pair met up in a hotel room where he had a bottle of champagne waiting. She said she had been expecting to audition for a speaking role.

Pekar writes: 'He laughed and said I didnt need to read for this role. I only needed to take off my shirt.

'He said he needed to see my breasts, and he assured me that getting naked gets an actress noticed.

'I decided to trust him. I grew up a ballerina and model. Getting naked in front of other people came with the territory.'

She describes taking off her blouse and bra before Weinstein asked her to remove her skirt as well.

She said: 'I knew he needed to see if my thighs were fat. He asked me to turn around. I complied, in my thong and stiletto red heels.

'He confirmed I was beautiful but needed to lose 10 pounds.

'I was about to ask if I could get dressed but before I could, he disrobed.'

She claims he then forced her onto her knees, attempting to make her perform oral sex on him before 'yanking me up by my hair' and 'trying to pull me onto his lap like a deviant santa'. She adds she explicitly told him 'no',

Years later Pekar says she bumped into Weinstein again At Cannes film festival when she was with her producing partner.

She claims he requested to meet them both again, with Pekar agreeing to the interaction because she was too ashamed to tell her partner about the previous incident.

Representatives for Weinstein, pictured in court in 2021, said he is willing to take polygraph to disprove Pekar's allegation

When they arrived she said Weinstein was in a robe and immediately 'stuck his tongue down' her friend's throat prompting them to leave right away.

Pekar wrote: 'I was frozen, appalled and ashamed. Now, my silence had affected someone else.'

Weinstein's spokesman Juda Engelmayer told Dailymail.com: 'Harvey obviously knows Fabrizio Lombardo and many of the details of the places, events, films and people mentioned are well known to him and by now, many others too.

'He believes that this sequence of events did not happen as suggested here and that the accusation just isn't true.

'The fact is that this narrative is so similar to others it is therefore easy enough to suggest to some that it is a valid recollection, yet it is also possibly being conveniently repurposed for other reasons.

'Harvey said he did not do this and is willing to take a polygraph to prove it.'
Chaya Raichik, who recently revealed herself as the face behind the Twitter account Libs of TikTok, dined with former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago last night.

Raichik posted a shot of the pair cozying up next to each other in the palatial Palm Beach dining room as they both flashed toothy grins and big thumbs ups.

She told DailyMail.com that the Mar-a-Lago staff had arranged a three-course kosher meal for her as she dined and chatted with Trump - sitting next to the powerhouse himself.

Raichik said that it was her first time meeting Trump - and she is looking forward 'to more opportunities and events with him.'

Chaya Raichik (left) posted a picture with a smiling Donald Trump from a dinner earlier this week that she said he invited her to

Chaya Raichik, the creator behind Libs of TikTok, revealed her face for the first time last month during an interview with Tucker Carlson

In jest, she captioned the tweet: 'Bumped into this guy and he invited me for dinner. He seems nice!'

The pleasant shot has been viewed more than four million times and has accrued upward of 72,000 likes since Tuesday.

'I asked him if his first tweet back can be retweeting this,' she added.

Libs of TikTok, which was manned by Raichik anonymously until she revealed herself last year, reposts content by left-wing creators, often mocking their woke politics and social commentary.

Issues surrounding gender reassignment and children's participation at drag events are among some of the topics Libs of TikTok frequently posts about.

Raichik said Trump was in a good mood at dinner as the two discussed his plan to amend Section 230 and his 'Digital Bill of Rights'

Raichik also shared with DailyMail.com that the president, who announced his third bid for high-office in mid-November, was 'in a great mood and in good spirits!'

'We discussed a bunch of ideas and topics over the course of the dinner,' she said.

On the subject of Twitter and Trump's social media presence in general, Raichik said the pair 'talked about his digital bill of rights and he expressed his desire to work on fixing section 230.'

Recently, reports have indicated that as the 2024 White House competition launches into full steam ahead mode, the likelihood that Trump will return to Twitter have gone up significantly.

'Trump is probably coming back to Twitter. It's just a question of how and when,' an anonymous Republican told NBC. 'He's been talking about it for weeks, but Trump speaks for Trump, so it's anyone's guess what he'll do or say or when.'

In mid-December of last year, Trump unveiled a policy proposal that, if elected again, he would recommend to Congress to be called a 'digital Bill of Rights,' which would force government officials to acquire a court order before removing online content from popular platforms.

Furthermore, the law would force officials to inform users is their content is being removed or otherwise restricted - as so many users on Twitter were for years without being told what was happening.

'Digital platforms should only qualify for immunity protection under Section 230 if they meet high standards of neutrality, transparency, fairness and nondiscrimination,' said Trump.

Raichik unveiled her name and face officially late last month during a sit down interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson

Trump's focus on Section 230 began during the latter months of his presidency, when the issue briefly came to the fore of the national conversation.

In late 2020, Trump threatened to veto the national defense policy bill unless it included a section that would end protections for internet companies that protects them from being held liable for material being posted by their users.

The law is a previously little-known part of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which protects companies that host billions of messages (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) from being constantly sued by anyone ho believes they've been wronged by something an individual user posted.
Rep. Pete Aguilar applauded President Biden and Vice President Pence's handling of finding classified documents in their homes while he said he was 'frustrated' they had removed the documents in the first place.

'I'm frustrated if anyone doesn't handle confidential secret documents in the manner in which theyre supposed to,' Aguilar, the chairman of the Democratic Caucus, told reporters in a news conference Wednesday.

'Its clear some protocols weren't followed.'

Aguilar, D-Calif., reflected a growing sentiment on Capitol Hill - lawmakers feel their rules for viewing sensitive material are treated with more care than those across town at the White House.

'I go to the security facility and read documents often. There's a process by which we are allowed to do that,' Aguilar said. 'There's a process by which we leave devices and review that material in a safe and secure environment and then leave. It's clear protocols.'

Aguilar said Biden and Pence handled finding documents 'the way they should - letting everyone know and talking to the Archives and law enforcement agencies about what was found.'

'I'm frustrated if anyone doesn't handle confidential secret documents in the manner in which theyre supposed to,' Aguilar, the chairman of the Democratic Caucus, told reporters in a news conference Wednesday

Aguilar said Biden and Vice President Pence handled finding documents 'the way they should'

He didn't address the fact that the public was informed of the Pence documents days after they were found, but learned of the first tranche of Biden documents months later and after midterm elections.

'It's clear that the former president didn't handle this appropriately,' Aguilar said, referring to Donald Trump.

'[He] obstructed every possible avenue in which authorities could leave that material and lied about the material possessions. So you view them differently. But I think altogether, it's a disappointment,' the caucus chair added.

A lawyer for former Vice President Mike Pence found about a dozen documents with classified markings when conducting a search at Pence's request last week.

The boxes was immediately turned over to the FBI and the Justice Department is investigating. The discovery came after Pence repeatedly insisted he did not have any classified documents.

Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, said in his letter to the National Archives, that the former vice president had 'engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents' to review records stored at his home on Jan. 16 'out of an abundance of caution' amid the uproar over the discovery of documents at Biden's home.

FBI agents visited Pence's residence the night of Jan. 19 at 9:30 p.m. to collect the documents that had been secured. The vice president was in Washington, DC for an event, at the time.

A total of four boxes containing copies of administration papers - two in which 'a small number' of papers bearing classified markings were found, and two containing 'courtesy copies of vice presidential papers'  were discovered, according to the letter. Arrangements were made to deliver those boxes to the National Archives on Monday.

Republican Rep James Comer of Kentucky and chair of the House Oversight Committee, said Pence reached out to offer his cooperation with the congressional panel.

'Former Vice President Pence's transparency stands in stark contrast to Biden White House staff who continue to withhold information from Congress and the American people,' he said in a statement.

Republican Caucus Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik drew a stark contrast between Pence's and Biden's handling of classified documents.

'[Pence] came forward and proactively reached out and is following the process. In the case of Joe Biden, he has had classified documents going back to his time in the Senate where he started serving before I was born,' she said.

'So this is a longstanding national security threat, setting aside the fact that Hunter Biden also had access and used as his home address where those documents were improperly and illegally stored.'
Nicola Sturgeon tonight insisted there is 'no automatic right' for a convicted trans woman to be held in a women's prison amid outrage over the case of rapist Isla Bryson.

The former DJ, 31, is being held at Cornton Vale women's prison in Stirling while she awaits sentencing for raping two women while she was a man.

She first appeared in court as Adam Graham in 2019 and was later named in court papers the following year  around the time she decided to transition  as Isla Annie Bryson.

Her placement at Cornton Vale has prompted fears over the safety of women prisoners and sparked angry accusations that a convicted rapist had 'gamed the system'.

In an interview tonight, Ms Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, declined to comment on the case directly.

But the SNP leader said that transitioning did not guarantee a transgender criminal a place in a women's prison.

Nicola Sturgeon said that transitioning did not guarantee a transgender criminal a place in a women's prison

Isla Bryson, 31, (right), who was born Adam Graham (left), was convicted of raping two women while a man

'The fact of the matter is there is no automatic right for a trans woman convicted of an offense to go to a women's prison,' Ms Sturgeon told BBC Radio 4's PM programme said.

'The Scottish Prison Service, which individually assesses all prisoners or potential prisoners, does detailed risk assessments that are about the safety of the individual prisoner [and] of those that will be around the individual prisoner.

'This idea that because somebody who may have committed crimes as a man - let's not lose sight of that although I'm not talking about the individual case - but then tries to change gender simply to avoid going to a man's prison, there is no such automaticity around that.

'This is about individual risk assessments.'

Ms Sturgeon also denied that the Scottish Parliament's controversial gender identity reforms - which are currently being blocked by Westminster amid concerns at UK-wide legislative chaos - would alter the current situation.

'The Gender Recognition Bill does not in any way change the system,' she said.

The First Minister also suggested that a number of women's groups were in favour of the reforms, despite concerns among some that it could imperil women's safety.

She added: 'If we look at the main, long-established, very high reputation womens groups in Scotland, all of these organisations that work day in and day out with abused women, women that are victims of male violence, have been in favour of this change around gender recognition.

'So, I think sometimes there is a tendency to say that all women and all womens groups are against this. Nothing could be further from the truth.'

It came as MailOnline found Bryson's conviction meant the number of female transgender prisoners placed in women's prisons in Scotland had likely surpassed England and Wales.

Bryson has joined transgender paedophile Katie Dolatowski at Cornton Vale womens jail in Stirlingshire after being found guilty of two rapes at Glasgow High Court.

According to a recent report published by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), there were 11 trans women and five trans men in Scottish prisons at the end of June 2022.

Of the 11 trans women, six were held in men's prisons and five were held in women's prisons.

If the figures remain the same today, Bryson and Dolatowski would take that to seven trans women in women's prisons  more than the six in England and Wales cited in a recent Ministry of Justice report.

Katie Dolatowski  a transgender paedophile born a man who managed to stay at Leeds Women's Aid refuge for 71 days  is also held at Cornton Vale womens jail

Rapist Jonathon Mallon is said to now want to be called Charlene and told inmates that he hopes to be moved into a Scottish women's jail by Easter

Of the five trans men in Scottish jails, who were born female, one was held in a men's prison and four were held in women's prisons last year.

Bryson, who was Adam Graham when carrying out the violent sex attacks in 2016 and 2019, began transitioning after being charged by police.

New figures emerged today revealing eight other male and female trans criminals in Scotland did the same after being convicted or remanded in custody.

Recent analysis by the Policy Exchange think-tank has warned that it is not inconceivable that a man with no trans identity would make a strategic decision to change legal sex in order to move prisons simply because they wanted to get out of the harsh, and often dangerous, context of a male prison.

Clydebank rapist Bryson is in the segregation unit at Cornton Vale for up to a month before being sentenced.

In 2019 transgender prisoner Paris Green, who was ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years in prison for murder, began her sentence at Cornton Vale but was moved after reports about having sex with female prisoners in the cells.

Green, who was born Peter Laing, was moved to the women's wing at HMP Edinburgh while waiting for gender reassignment surgery.

Earlier this week serial rapist Jonathon Mallon, 40, reportedly declared that he now wants to be called Charlene and told inmates that he hopes to me moved into a Scottish women's jail by Easter.

A murderer who changed gender in 2018 is said to be demanding to be treated as a baby by prison staff. Sophie Eastwood was called Daniel and was jailed for life in 2004 for strangling a cell-mate with shoelaces.

Eastwood, who has been living as a woman for five years, is at the all-male Polmont jail where she wants to identify as a baby, wear nappies and have meals blended like baby food.

In England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice said in its annual equalities report that there were just six prisoners who self-identify as transgender women being held in female prisons in 2022.

Sophie Eastwood was called Daniel and was jailed for life in 2004 for strangling a cell-mate with shoelaces. Eastwood, who has been living as a woman for five years, is at the all-male Polmont jail where she wants to identify as a baby, wear nappies and have meals blended like baby food

Clydebank rapist Bryson is in the segregation unit at Cornton Vale (pictured) for up to a month before being sentenced

This is despite Scotland having an estimated 290 women in prison compared to 3,216 females in prisons in England and Wales in 2022.

Bryson, 31, has been accused of gaming the system by changing gender from male to female after being charged with sex attacks on two women.

A Scottish Prison Service (SPS) report last summer said that there were 16 trans inmates in Scots prisons last summer - but eight began their transition while 'being cared for in custody following their remand or conviction for their current offence'.

In response to a Freedom of Information request by the website Back into Society, the SPS disclosed that six trans prisoners have 'current or previous' convictions for sex offences.

Last year it emerged that the number of transgender prisoners in England and Wales surged by almost a fifth.

Official figures show 230 people with a gender identity different to their legal sex were behind bars at the end of March 2022, up from 197 a year earlier.

The majority were in male prisons, the Ministry of Justice data revealed, with 162 of them saying they were transgender women.

But six inmates in female prisons said they were transgender women, having been born male, up from just one in 2021.

Campaign group Keep Prisons Single Sex said: 'There is a marked increase in trans prisoners of male sex allocated to female estate.

'This is concerning as the 2021 data indicated a marked trend away from allocating prisoners of male sex with no GRC to the female estate.'

However, the figures, revealed in the Offender Equalities Annual Report, could have changed since they were compiled in March, particularly as ministers last month pledged to reform the system in order to protect women.

Brandon Lewis, then-justice secretary, announced that 'transgender prisoners with male genitalia should no longer be held in the general women's estate', nor should 'transgender women who have been convicted of a sex offence'.

An updated policy framework is due to be published within months.
The Republican National Committee will this week consider a resolution condemning Kanye West along with other conservative extremists who have made antisemitic remarks.

It follows Donald Trump's dinner meeting at Mar-a-Lago last fall with rapper West, now known as Ye, and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

The resolution, drafted by California national committeeman Shawn Steel, condemns Ye, Fuentes, conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos as well as colleges for becoming 'centers of a new wave of antisemitism' and a number of Democratic politicians including Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.

But it reserves particular ire for Ye.

Ye was dropped by advertisers and his talent agency and banned by social media platforms last year after a string of antisemitic statements triggered outrage

Members of the Republican National Committee will consider a resolution condemning Ye and white supremacist Nick Fuentes, and other figures accused of antisemitism

'WHEREAS, Rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has repeatedly made statements that are antisemitic, shameful, wrong, offensive, bigoted, and contrary to American and Republican principles, among these statements, "the Jewish media has made us feel like the Nazis and Hitler have never offered anything of value to the world weve got to stop dissing the Nazis all of the time," reads the resolution.

Steel told Politico, which was first to report the resolution, that he did not want his party represented by a handful of antisemitic 'nitwits.'

Trump is not named in the resolution, but he attracted widespread condemnation when details of the meeting emerged.

In the weeks before their dinner, Ye had become a cultural pariah for a string of antisemitic remarks.

He was dropped by his talent agency, banned by social media platforms and lost lucrative advertising contracts after several posts, including one of Twitter in which he said he would soon go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.'

Donald Trump was condemned for dining with Ye and Fuentes in November, although the former president said he did not know the identity of Ye's companion in advance

The resolution, drafted by California national committeeman Shawn Steel, also condemns a number of Democratic politicians including Reps. Ilhan Omar (pictured) and Rashida Tlaib

Even so, Trump welcomed Ye and his guests to his regular table on the Mar-a-Lago patio just before Thanksgiving.

'We saw everybody in the dining room get up and start applauding, and then the president entered,' Fuentes later told NBC News.

'He greeted us, and he invited Ye into dinner and Ye said that he wanted to bring us with him to the table. So we walked in and Ye took some pictures with some of the guests in the dining room and then we sat down at the table.'

Trump said he did not know who Fuentes was when details of the meeting just before Thanksgiving surfaced, triggering outrage.

Steel said more than 30 members had signed on to his resolution, enough to ensure that it gets a vote.

Members are gathering at a luxury resort in California for their winter meeting.

Members of the Republican National Committee begin their winter meeting in California on Wednesday, which includes voting to select a new chair. But the decision to hold it at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach hotel, where rooms start at $900, has triggered a row

Harmeet Dhillon is running to unseat Ronna McDaniel as chairwoman, and says the choice of venue shows how the RNC and its profligate spending are out of touch with voters

The main business will be electing a chair, as Ronna McDaniel seeks a fourth term.

However, the party's weaker than expected showing in November's midterms has seen her challenged from the right by Trump lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, who is campaigning on a platform to shakeup the GOP election ground game.

MyPillow founder and election denier Mike Lindell is also running as a longshot candidate.

The campaign has been marked by bad tempered exchanges. And backers of Dhillon, a sikh, claim her faith has sometimes been used in a disparaging way by some of McDaniel's backers.

The resolution concludes that RNC believes there is no place for antisemitism in American politics and 'that the Republican National Committee formally condemns, denounces, censures and opposes Kanye West, also known as Ye, Milo Yiannopoulos, Nicholas Nick Fuentes, Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush and all others promoting their antisemitism beliefs.'

Omar got a ticking off from her party leaders last year when she appeared to compare Israel and the United States with Hamas and the Taliban.
Police have released pictures of two young women wanted after an elderly woman had her lifesavings stolen in a busy city in broad daylight.

The 86-year-old victim believes she was followed into a bank where she withdrew 2,000 in cash and put it in her handbag.

She then left Lloyds Bank and walked to the Victoria Centre in Nottingham city centre at around 2pm on December 6. While she was in a shop, a woman approached her and asked if she could reach an item from the shelf.

The victim agreed but when she left the shop the pensioner realised the envelope containing the money was missing from her handbag.

CCTV images of these two women have been released following a theft in Nottingham city centre

Nottinghamshire Police have released CCTV images of two young women who are wanted in connection with the theft.

PC Madison Moss-Hayes said: 'This was an appalling theft on an elderly victim who is very active and enjoys her regular trips into the city.

'She has lost a considerable amount of money, which has understandably left her distraught.

'We are doing everything we can to catch those responsible and bring them to justice. We have released images of two women we would like to speak to who could help us with our inquiries.

The theft took place in the Victoria Centre in Nottingham at around 2pm on December 6

'If you know the two women or are the two women in the images, then please get in touch immediately.'

Police say the victim had taken a bus from Bulwell to Nottingham city centre at around 12.40pm before having a coffee. She then entered the bank in Lower Parliament Street at 2.12pm.

PC Moss-Hayes warned other bank users to be aware of people watching them withdraw large amounts of cash.

He said: 'We would also like to appeal to anyone taking large amounts of money out of their bank to take precautions or try and avoid doing so.

'Thieves will often use distraction tactics such as appearing like they need help with something or trying to befriend you in order to catch you off guard.'

Anyone who recognises either of the women should call 101 quoting incident number 0500 of 6th December 2022.
The duo of Democrats kicked off the House Intelligence Committee said Wednesday that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was merely getting revenge for former President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, McCarthy decided that Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell were no longer welcome on the House Intel Committee. He's also threatened a House vote to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over comments she previously made about Israel.

'The cardinal sin appears to be that I led the impeachment of his master in Mar-a-Lago, for withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid from Ukraine, a nation that was even then at war with Russia, in order to extort that country into helping Donald Trump's reelection campaign,' Schiff said at a press conference on Capitol Hill alongside Swalwell and Omar.

Swalwell complained that McCarthy is using his power as speaker to 'go after his political opponents and pick them off the field.' 'In my case it's purely political vengeance,' Swalwell added.

Reps. Eric Swalwell (left) and Adam Schiff (center) were removed from the House Intelligence Committee, while Rep. Ilhan Omar (right) is being threatened with a floor vote to oust her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. They held a press conference Wednesday to respond

The Democrats said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (pictured) was doing the bidding of 'his master in Mar-a-Lago' as 'revenge' for impeaching former President Donald Trump by removing them from the House Intelligence Committee

In a heated exchange with a reporter Tuesday night, McCarthy pointed to Schiff's role in Russiagate during the Trump years and said the California Democrat 'lied to the American public' about the legitimacy of Hunter Biden's laptop while serving as Intelligence Committee chair in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

'And if you want to talk about Swalwell, let's talk about Swalwell,' McCarthy continued. 'Because you have not had the briefing that I have.'

McCarthy then brought up an FBI briefing he had with then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as Schiff, about Swalwell's entanglements with an alleged Chinese spy named Fang Fang.

'As he indicated, I sat in on that briefing and when Kevin McCarthy misrepresents it and does that disservice to the American people, it's shameful,' Schiff said. 'This is a patently unfair smear by Mr. McCarthy,' the California Democrat said.

Swalwell said all he did was two things: 'I helped them over and over and I was never suspected of wrongdoing.'

Omar pointed out that she apologized for making anti-Semitic remarks early in her Congressional tenure.

'I have addressed it, I've apologized. It's been two and a half terms ago,' the Minnesota Democrat said. 'I think it is really important in all of our cases to remember it is not the accusations that McCarthy is making against us that is pushing for our removal from these committees.'

'It is about revenge. It's about appeasing the former president,' she added.

She argued that 'all three of us have been a thorn in the back of the previous disgraced president.'

'Republicans have been gunning for our seats and obviously know how effective we have been in upholding the Constitution, in defending our democracy and standing up to extremists,' she said.

McCarthy was able to unilaterally remove Schiff and Swalwell from the Intelligence Committee, but Omar's fate will be in the hands of the full House.

It's unclear if McCarthy has the votes.

Moderate Republican Reps. Victoria Spartz and Nancy Mace have said they opposed the move.

McCarthy is also short one vote due to Rep. Greg Steube recovering from substantial injuries after falling off a ladder at his Florida home.

The new House Republican majority removed the option for members to vote by proxy.

McCarthy was questioned Tuesday night on how he could push Schiff and Swalwell from their committees, but allow serial liar and Republican Rep. George Santos to be assigned to two committees - the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

'I'm going to be very clear with you. The Intel Committee is different. You know why? Because what happens in the Intel Committee, you don't know,' McCarthy told PBS NewsHour's Lisa Desjardins.

Schiff reacted by saying, 'the hypocrisy just grabs you by the throat.'

'This is a Republican speaker who is seating a human fraud, George Santos, on committees, a serial fabricator about every part of his existence,' Schiff said.

In a tense back-and-forth with Desjardins at a Tuesday press conference, McCarthy also pointed out that Schiff and Swalwell would be able to serve on other committees - just not those charged with the nation's secrets.

'But you know what, those voters elected Schiff, even though he lied, those voters elected Swalwell, even though he lied to the American public, too,' McCarthy reasoned. 'So you know what? I respect his voters too and they'll serve on committees. But they will not serve on a place that has national security ramifications because integrity matters to me.'

'I will not be like Democrats and play politics with these. Where they removed Republicans from committees and all committees,' McCarthy also said.

During the last Congress, Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar were stripped of all their committee assignments after they shared social media posts that threatened violence on Democrats including then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

They were removed from committees using a floor vote.
Dramatic video shows the moment a terrified couple had to flee their RV with their two dogs as a tornado touched down near their mobile home in Texas.

Zachary Peck-Chapman filmed the situation outside their RV parked in Orange, Texas and documented how they ran with their two dogs to a nearby water-filled ditch to take cover during the life-threatening storm.

He tweeted that it was the 'scariest moment of our lives,' noting: 'We feel blessed to be alive and to have our tiny home on wheels in tact.'

More than a dozen tornadoes struck down in Texas and Louisiana on Tuesday, leaving windows and roofs blown off buildings, destroying a Houston-area nursing home and injuring three people in a mobile home park in Louisiana.

As of Wednesday morning, nearly 42,000 people throughout the two states were without power.

Terrifying video posted online shows the moment a couple in Orange, Texas had to jump into a water-filled ditch with their dogs to escape a tornado

Zachary Peck-Chapman described it as the 'scariest moment' of his and his wife's lives

Winds could be heard howling in Chapman-Peck's video as rain drenched the Country Livin' RV Park in Orange.

He then turns to his wife, Allyson, who draped herself with a blanket inside the RV they travel the country with and tells her: 'Baby come on.'

Chapman-Peck continues to urge her to leave the small mobile home as she grabs their two dogs, Marlee and Macie, by the leash, and leads them out the door.

Together, they run across a field as Allyson covers herself with her blanket to protect herself from the heavy rain until they reach a nearby water-filled ditch.

The couple jumps into the water, dragging their dogs along with them, in a desperate effort to shield themselves from the storm, which the National Weather Service called 'life-threatening.'

Speaking to Storyful, Chapman-Peck explained that he and Allyson 'knew there was a warning in the surrounding area, but we didn't feel it was safe to ride out in the weather.'

In the end, he said, there was 'only minor damage at the RV park and the owners were out immediately to help move campers back on their blocks and reassure everyone that things would be OK.'

Peck-Chapman and his wife, Allyson, travel around the country in their RV

He documented how he warned Allyson of the danger as she was sitting inside the vehicle

Peck=Chapman urged her to hurry up as she left the RV with their two dogs

The couple and their dogs were then forced to run through the storm to get to the ditch

At least 14 tornadoes that blew through Texas and Louisiana on Tuesday broke windows and tore roofs off of buildings in the Houston area and caused at least three injuries in Louisiana  though no fatalities were reported.

Photos show houses completely destroyed and flooded from the storm.

Josh Bruegger, the police chief of Houston suburb Pasadena, described the damage as the worst he has seen in 25 years.

'For the coming days, we're going to have our hands full,' he told CNN.

Mayor Jeff Wagner added: 'We've seen plenty of damage. We've seen buildings that have collapsed.'

One of the buildings that was damaged was the local animal shelter, the New York Times reports, where two dogs suffered minor injuries but no employees were hurt.

More than 70 animals had to be transported to temporary shelters Tuesday night.

The American Red Cross and Salvation Army are now coordinating meal assistance and finding shelters for anyone who lost their homes.

DEER PARK, TEXAS: Downed power lines cut off power for thousands of residents

HOUSTON, TEXAS: The powerful tornadoes ripped the roofs off of houses. Jorge Amezquila is pictured looking for salvageable items at the one-bedroom apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Cassandra Duarte

DEER PARK, TEXAS: Debbie Allen walked through her office after a tornado ravaged Deer Park

DEER PARK, TEXAS: Allen is pictured taking a call outside her destroyed office

PASADENA, TEXAS: A home was heavily damaged in the aftermath of the tornadoes

HOUSTON, TEXAS: Dick Andrade is pictured carrying his dog's bowl and other belongings from his first-floor apartment after it was struck by a tornado on Tuesday

Meanwhile, in nearby Deer Park, congregants at St. Hyacinth Catholic Church were forced to hunker down in the hallway, where they closed all the doors as they heard what they believed was a tornado rolling through the area just before 3pm.

'It got really loud,' said Father Reginald Samuels. 'We heard glass breaking, and the building was shaking, then it was calm.'

Fortunately, he said, no one was injured.

But San Jacinto Manor, a senior assisted living center, was completely destroyed  prompting the evacuation of nearly 60 residents Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Jerry Mouton said. Nobody was injured.

Shell Chemicals plant was also 'flaring', or burning off natural gas, after it lost steam because of severe weather, according to Shell spokesperson Curtis Smith.

'We are taking steps to minimize any noise, light, or smoke associated with this activity, though it's expected to continue until the units are restarted,' Smith said via email.

'There is no threat to the community, nor are there any indications a nearby tornado touched down within the Chemicals facility.'

The local school district remained closed following the storm on Wednesday, writing in an email to parents: 'We hope this will give families a chance to recover from the stress of today's events, and we believe it is best for children to be with their parents or guardians after a natural disaster.

'It appears many homes and businesses in our area were damaged, and some neighborhoods remain without power at this time.'

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has now directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to prepare the state's response resources.

DEER PARK, TEXAS: Mr. Electric employees Hector Vazquez, left, and Lucas Perry, pass off a phone outside their destroyed office building, where they were working when the storm hit

DEER PARK, TEXAS: Wiring hang from the ceiling at a Little Caesars pizzeria following the tornadoes

Pasadena's animal shelter wrote a Facebook note confirming the building had been destroyed and asking for help relocating the animals

Tornadoes also battered Louisiana on Tuesday, leaving nearly 16,000 homes and businesses there without power.

In the Beauregard Parish, deputies reported significant damage to homes and other buildings, noting that roads were blocked and powerlines were down.

Three people in northwest Baton Rouge were also hospitalized with mild to moderate injuries after the nearly 100mph winds tore through their mobile home, the Advocate reports.

One unoccupied mobile home flipped over, officials said, and two were totaled.

JACKSON PARISH, LOUISIANA: Fallen trees had to be cleared in the aftermath of tornadoes that struck Louisiana on Tuesday

JACKSON PARISH, LOUSIANA: The side of this building was completely ripped off in the storm

Storms are now expected to continue Wednesday in other southern states, bringing with it torrential rain and gusty thunderstorms.

A multi-day storm is also moving through a large swath of the US that will bring winter weather to the interior northeast.

Another snowstorm will then follow early next week, according to Accuweather, and the cold air left behind could mean heavier snow accumulations.

'The potential for this storm to have a negative impact on travel is significant, and from a flight standpoint along is likely to be the most disruptive since a month earlier during the Christmastime Arctic cold and snow break,' senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski warned.

'Heavy rain, poor visibility and gusty winds can result in delays as far south as the major hubs in Washington DC, Charlotte and Atlanta.'
A pizza chef who sexually assaulted two 16-year-old girls in a chip shop has been spared jail after a sheriff said he committed the offences while he was 'lonely'.

Kasim Kocaman, 46, of Renfrew, Scotland, touched the teenage girls on their bottoms at the Golden Chip takeaway where he worked in Raploch, Stirling.

The first victim told Stirling Sheriff Court that Kocaman used to call her 'his girlfriend' and slapped her bottom 'almost every day'.

Giving evidence, she said: 'He'd talk about taking us, 16-year-old girls, to Turkey to visit his cousins. He said he'd marry us off to them.'

Kasim Kocaman, 46, sexually assaulted two sixteen-year-old girls in a chip shop but has been spared jail after a sheriff said he committed the offences while he was 'lonely'

The second victim, a charity volunteer, said she had gone to the chip shop with the first teenager when Kocaman 'asked for a hug'.

She told the court: 'Because he looked sad, I gave him one, but all of a sudden his hand was somewhere it shouldn't have been. His hand touched my bum.'

The victim said she pushed him away and contacted police.

At summary trial, Kocaman - who has been married for 20 years - denied sexual assault but Sheriff James MacDonald found him guilty of both charges.

The incidents happened in January and February last year at the Golden Chip in Raploch, Stirling.

He touched the 16-year-old girls on their bottoms at the Golden Chip takeaway where he worked in Raploch, Stirling

One victim told Stirling Sheriff Court (pictured) that Kocaman used to call her 'his girlfriend' and slapped her bottom 'almost every day'

Solicitor Ryan Sloan, defending, said Kocaman was 'a Kurdish man who has been in the United Kingdom for many years now'.

'He now finds himself convicted of a sexual offence, and there's a certain stigma attached to that,' he said.

He added that Kocaman was been assessed as posing a low risk of re-offending.

On Tuesday, Sheriff MacDonald sentenced the offender to 200 hours of unpaid work and placed him on social work supervision for 12 months. He said this was a direct alternative to custody.

He told Kocaman: 'Both these offences were opportunistic in nature - I detected no element of planning - but they involved a breach of trust.

'Even taking account of the fact that you have no record of similar offences, these offences meet the custody threshold.

'However I'm satisfied they can be regarded as out of character.

'They seem to have been committed at a time in your life when, according to the author of the criminal justice social work report, you may well have been experiencing an element of loneliness.'
Surveillance video footage has revealed a Colombian DJ's last hours alive - a day before she was allegedly beaten and strangled by her boyfriend from Texas.

The footage shows Valentina Trespalacios, 23, stepping out of a taxi with John Poulos, 35, in the early morning of Saturday, a day before she was found stuffed inside a taped and locked suitcase that was abandoned in a dumpster in the south side of Bogota.

The suitcase was discovered around 2pm Sunday by a homeless man who was searching for recyclables.

A security camera picked up Trespalacios holding Poulos' hand as she walked down a hallway before she approached the DJ booth for her set at Nexxus nightclub.

John Poulos (left) had plans of living in Colombia full time and marrying his DJ girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios (right). He was arrested in Panama on Tuesday, two days after her body was found inside a suitcase in a dumpster in the Colombian capital city of Bogota. Poulos is awaiting his extradition to Colombia

The Colombian young woman then greeted the DJ and several other people who were behind the turntable, while Poulos - who is reportedly married with three children - stood in the background.

Trespalacios finished her set shortly before 5am and was then seen leaving the office of the nightclub's owner while Poulos was in the bathroom.

Her friends told local news outlets that the couple took a taxi that was ordered through a ride-share app and headed to the apartment that Poulos had rented out in the north side of the capital city, where they had moved into on Friday.

Poulos was arrested Tuesday night at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, just moments before he was about to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul. He also had a ticket for a connecting flight from Istanbul to Montenegro  where there is no extradition treaty with Colombia.

Valentina Trespalacios (right) behind the turntable Saturday, a day before she was found dead inside a suitcase

Valentina Trespalacios' body was found inside a blue suitcase (pictured) that was tossed inside a dumpster in the Colombian capital city of Bogota

Valentina Trespalacios escorts her boyfriend, John Poulos, at Nexxus bar before she stepped into the DJ booth one last time early Saturday morning, a day before she was found dead inside a suitcase that was left in a dumpster

Valentina Trespalacios worked her last DJ gig early Saturday morning in Bogota

A surveillance camera showed Valentina Trespalacios (in the middle of the circle) and her boyfriend, John Poulos (right side of the circle), entering Nexxus bar in Bogota, where she worked her last DJ gig early Saturday morning before she was found dead the next day

As part of an alleged attempt to throw off Colombia's international manhunt, Poulos had also purchased a flight from Panama City to Sao Paulo, Brazil. All of the tickets were purchased with cash.

A mugshot released by Panama's immigration agency shows Poulos with a scratch on the left side of his face, a possible indication that Trespalacios attacked him while she was being beaten.

The Wisconsin native, who according to the Colombian press is married with three children, told authorities that he had fled to Panama because the Medellin Cartel wanted to kill him.

He told authorities that the cartel was also behind Trespalacios' murder.

Valentina Trespalacios (pictured) was dating her boyfriend, John Poulos, for eight months. It has been revealed that he is a father of three children and also married in the United States

John Poulos (pictured) told authorities he fled from Colombia to Panama because the Medellin Cartel wanted to kill him and also blamed the criminal organization for the murder of his Colombian DJ girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios

A homeless man was searching through a waste container in the Bogota neighborhood of Los Cambulos when he discovered the suitcase with Valentina Trespalacios' body

According to El Tiempo newspaper, Trespalacios' family said Poulos had ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, the Mexico-based drug cartel that was founded by jailed drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.

High-ranking Colombian law enforcement agents flew to Panama City on Wednesday afternoon after a court granted the Office of the Attorney General a request for Poulos' extradition in connection to Trespalacios' homicide.

Poulos was handed over to Colombian authorities late Wednesday and taken back to the South American country.

In the copy of the arrest warrant obtained by El Tiempo, Colombian authorities identified Poulos as the 'alleged perpetrator of causing the violent death of Valentina Trespalacios Hidalgo, who was found in a blue travel suitcase inside a garbage container in the town of Fontibon.'

Victoria Jimenez, a hairstylist, told DailyMail.com that Trespalacios had met Poulos via an online dating app, and that he had planned to travel to Colombia in February to settle down there as part of his plans to marry her close friend.

An autopsy report showed that Colombian DJ Valentina Trespalacios was strangled and beaten

One of the mugshots of John Poulos shows that he has a scratch on the left side of his face, perhaps a sign that his girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios, fought for her life before she was killed

Turkish Airlines ticket purchased by John Poulos to travel from Panama City to Istanbul. The 35-year-old from Texas also had a connecting flight to Montenegro

Laura Hidalgo said her daughter had been dating Poulos for eight months, adding that he had become jealous of her daughter and that he had hired a private investigator to follow her around.

'He was the one who hurt my daughter and he doesn't deserve to be around like if nothing happened. I want justice done,' Hidalgo told Semana news magazine.

'It is not fair that a foreigner comes to excite a Colombian girl and ends up like this. I hope this case does not go unpunished. He was the last person to see her alive and he didn't have to hurt her.'

Noticias Caracol reported that Poulos had traveled three times to Colombia in 2022. In May, he visited for one day and then traveled with Trespalacios to Cancun, Mexico.

Bogota security chief, Anibal Fernandez, told La FM that authorities were looking into the possibility that a second male may have been involved in the gruesome crime.
He also questioned how the White House had arranged to keep buyers secret

'Despite being a novice artist, Biden received exorbitant amounts of money ,' Comer said

House Republicans are now setting their sights on Hunter Biden's art sales, renewing a request for his art dealer turn over a list of who has purchased the works.

The House Oversight Committee also asked for details about how the White House had worked out the agreement with art dealer Georges Berges to keep the list of buyers anonymous to both the White House and the public.

Oversight Chair James Comer said Berges hadn't responded to previous requests for information on the sales in the past Congress, but with Republicans in the majority and the threat of subpoena he expected a response this time around.

'Despite being a novice artist, Hunter Biden received exorbitant amounts of money selling his artwork, the buyers' identities remain unknown, and you appear to be the sole record-keeper of these lucrative transactions,' Comer wrote to Berges.

The House Oversight Committee also asked for details about how the White House had worked out the agreement with art dealer Georges Berges, left, with Hunter and his son Beau Jr, to keep the list of buyers anonymous to both the White House and the public

The chairman said that since Republicans' last request, Hunter Biden had held another exhibit at his SoHo art gallery.

Hunter's latest art work advertised prices between $55,000 and $225,000, according to the Daily Beast.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., top Democrat on the Oversight panel, told the Wall Street Journal the letter 'shows how far and how early our colleagues have already gotten off track in the new Congress.

'The purpose of legislative oversight is to make sure government programs and policies are working for the American people. I dont see how this modern art investigation contributes.'

Amid criticism of the art sales, the White House Counsel's Office came up with a plan to prevent Hunter or anyone in the Biden administration from knowing the identity of those who purchased his work. Berges was directed to keep buyers' identities to himself and reject any offers that seemed suspiciously high.

Comer highlighted the possibility that 'foreign buyers' were making purchases.

Comer requested all communications and documents related to the matter, and for Berges to appear for a transcribed interview by February 15.

In December, the president's embattled son attended the display in Manhattan for his Haiku series, which featured paintings of colorful flower and tree-like designs.

The renewed call comes amid an ongoing investigation into Hunter's finances and allegations of illegal business dealing in China and Ukraine that remain in the public eye.

Berges said the latest paintings were a form of self-reflection for the president's son as he's marred by controversy over his laptop and finances.

House Republicans, led by Oversight Chair James Comer, are now setting their sights on Hunter Biden's art sales, renewing a request for his art dealer turn over a list of who has purchased the works

'Despite being a novice artist, Hunter Biden received exorbitant amounts of money selling his artwork, the buyers' identities remain unknown, and you appear to be the sole record-keeper of these lucrative transactions,' Comer wrote to Berges

Berges is pictured at the opening of Hunter Biden's new show 'Haiku' at his gallery in Soho in New York City

'I think this series is meditative and contemplative, and I think it's reflective of how he is at the moment,' Berges added.

During his previous gallery show last year, Biden told Artnet: 'I don't paint from emotion or feeling, which I think are both very ephemeral.

'For me, painting is much more about kind of trying to bring forth what is, I think, the universal truth... the universal truth is that everything is connected and that there's something that goes far beyond what is our five senses and that connects us all.'

Berges added that the new paintings all have haikus on the back, hence the name of the series.

One such haiku he shared was:

Atoms bloom in my chest

All the room is filled it is full

I can see all the colors

It appeared to break away from the standard 5-7-5 syllable structure of a typical haiku.

During a similar gallery exhibit last year, two former White House ethics chiefs warned buyers could try to curry influence with the president by buying his son's work for inflated sums.

'I just think that's absolutely appalling,' Obama White House ethics chief Walter Shaub told Law & Crime's 'Objections' podcast in August.

Richard Painter, George W. Bush's ethics' chief, told Fox: 'It's going to be very clear with people in the know as to who buys Hunter Biden's art.

'The question is, are the American people going to know? The White House should insist on complete transparency.'

The Oversight Committee has targeted much of its focus on the Biden family's business dealings, specifically if Hunter Biden sold access to foreign officials and to what extent Joe Biden could have been involved.

Fresh scrutiny arose after classified documents were found at President Biden's Wilmington home. They had been there since Biden's time as vice president, and Hunter Biden has listed the address as his own residence in the years since.
'Smiling' nurse Lucy Letby offered to take photographs of a baby girl soon after she had murdered her at the fourth attempt, a court has heard.

Prosecutors say the 33 year-old harmed the premature infant by injecting air into her feeding tube and bloodstream before she eventually died in the Countess of Chester Hospital's neo-natal unit in the early hours of October 23 2015.

Letby denies murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at the unit on various dates between June 2015 and June 2016.

On Wednesday, jurors at Manchester Crown Court began to hear evidence about the nurse's ninth alleged victim, Child I, who was born at Liverpool Women's Hospital in August 2015 before she was later transferred to the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Lucy Letby is accused of murdering babies while working as a nurse in 2015 and 2016

In a statement read to the court, Child I's mother said her daughter was about six weeks old when she thought she might be well enough to go home.

'I started to notice that she was looking different,' she said. 'She was looking around the room now, taking it all in.

'I was able to sit her on my knee. I remember looking at her and thinking "We are going home".

'She looked like a full-term baby, She didn't look frail or small.'

She said that around this time she was allowed to bathe her daughter for the first time and that Letby helped to prepare it.

She said: 'I was so pleased to be able to bathe her. [Child I] was obviously enjoying it because she was smiling, 'Lucy even offered to take some photos using my mobile, which I agreed to.

'I didn't have too much to do with Lucy. She always appeared reserved compared to other nurses. She didn't really interact with parents.'

The prosecution say Letby, originally from Hereford, went on to make her first attempt to kill Child I during a day shift on September 30.

Letby allegedly murdered 'Baby I' after four attempts shortly after she was born in 2015

She is said to have struck again during night shifts on October 12 and 13 before the baby's fatal collapse later that month.

Child I's mother said she was called at home in the early hours of October 23 and told she and her partner needed to go to the hospital immediately.

On their arrival she saw Letby with another nurse, Ashleigh Hudson, and consultant Dr John Gibbs.

She said: 'They were working to try to resuscitate [Child I]. I heard them all counting times. 'I asked Dr Gibbs how long had they been doing this, to which he said 20 minutes.

I could see every time they were pumping her stats would go up, but when they stopped she flatlined every time.

'I remember thinking they can't keep doing it. I said to Dr Gibbs "You can't do any more".'

After Child I was pronounced dead, her parents were moved to a private room at visiting time, she said.

Nurse Hudson and Letby asked her if she wanted to bathe Child I's body, she said, and that the girl's father initially declined before she agreed.

The bereaved mother said: 'She was smiling and kept going on about how she was present at the first bath and how [Child I] had loved it. 'I wished she would just stop talking.

'Eventually she realised and stopped. It was not something we wanted to hear.

'I remember it was Lucy who packaged up [Child I's] belongings to go home. 'Dr Gibbs mentioned about having an autopsy.

'I said I didn't want one because I wanted her leaving alone. He said I didn't have a say because her death was unexpected and the results would be needed to clear the hospital.'

When opening the case last October, prosecutor Nick Johnson KC said the death of Child I was an 'extreme example even by the standards of this overall case'.

He added that Letby had sent a sympathy card to the baby's parents and the defendant had kept an image of it on her phone.

In his opening address, Ben Myers KC said the defence does not accept that Letby caused any harm to Child I and that her series of clinical problems 'may well have been inevitable given her extreme prematurity'.

On the evening of September 30 2015, Letby responded to a text message from a colleague, Dr Alison Ventress, who was planning to travel to New Zealand, the court heard.

Dr Ventress wrote: 'Defo come to NZ then! I could use a friendly face!!'

Letby replied: 'Haha not brave enough to up & leave everything.

'I couldn't leave my parents. They would be completely devastated. Find it hard enough being away from me now and it's only 100 miles.'

Dr Ventress responded: 'Aww where are they based?'

Letby said: 'Hereford. I came here to uni & didn't go back.

'They hate it & I feel very guilty for staying here sometimes but it's what I want. Families are tough aren't they!'

The next day she texted her mother, Susan: 'Guess who will be coming home for Christmas xxx'.

Susan Letby replied: 'That's fab I could cry x'.

Letby said: 'Doesn't take much! Nights 21st 22nd 23rd then Nights new years eve & day. Don't tell Dad yet though xx'.

Susan Letby said: 'Ok he'll be pleased, also Jane x'.

The trial continues on Thursday.
Alex Murdaugh wept during the opening statements of his double-murder trial Wednesday as the prosecutor said a 'family weapon' was used to kill his wife, and gunshot residue was found on his seatbelt.

The disgraced South Carolina attorney, 54, is accused of shooting his wife, Maggie, 52, and younger son Paul, 22, at their sprawling hunting property in Islandton, a rural corner of South Carolina's Lowcountry, on the night of June 7, 2021.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters told jurors how Murdaugh first blasted his son with buckshot before picking up an AR-15-style rifle to shoot his wife Maggie twice in the head. 'It was a family weapon that killed Maggie Murdaugh,' Waters said.

He cited evidence from gunshot residue found on a raincoat that was discovered at Murdaugh's mother's home following the killings. He also said gunshot residue was discovered on the seat belt of his car.

But Murdaugh's defense lawyer Dick Harpootlian said it was 'not believable' that he could have 'butchered' his son and 'executed' his wife so callously, describing him as a 'loving' father and husband.

Attorney Jim Griffin speaks with Alex Murdaugh as he tears up after the jury was excused and the defense and prosecution teams discuss how to handle sensitive crime scene photos during his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023

Murdaugh with his wife Maggie and sons Paul (left) and Buster

Murdaugh appeared inconsolable as his lawyer Dick Harpootlian described how he arrived home to 'find his son lying in his own blood with his brains lying at his feet - shot to hell.' Harpootlian said Paul's 'head literally exploded'.

Murdaugh, who was indicted by a grand jury in July, denies two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in connection with the deaths of his wife and son.

His surviving son, Richard, known as Buster, is expected to testify against his father, and was sitting inside the courtroom during the horrifying evidence.

The trial is taking place at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, a sleepy, rural town 50 miles west of Charleston in a low-lying region of South Carolina over which the Murdaugh family has wielded immense judicial and political power.

Murdaugh, center, and his legal team stands as Judge Clifton Newsman enters the courtroom for double murder trial

Murdaugh holds a tissue as he speaks to his attorney Jim Griffin

Alex Murdaugh pictured with his wife Maggie and their two sons Paul (left) and Buster

Indeed, in the courtroom where Murdaugh faces judgment a portrait of his late grandfather - legendary longtime 14th Circuit Solicitor Buster Murdaugh Jr. - had hung on the wall before it was removed ahead of the trial.

Prosecutor Waters described how Murdaugh shot Paul in the feed room of their hunting property at around 8.50pm - first with buckshot in the chest and shoulder, then a second shot to head, causing catastrophic damage.

He said moments later Murdaugh picked up an AR-15 style rifle loaded with with .300 Blackout ammunition, shot his wife Maggie twice in the lower body, then twice in the head, killing her.

Waters added that the victims never saw it coming.

'They were shot at close range and they did not have defensive wounds,' Waters told jurors.

Murdaugh claims he was not there and at the family's dog kennels when the murders happened.

But Waters said data from 'cell phones are going to show otherwise.'

The prosecutor stressed that phone records will be critical in the case and the jury will hear that the Murdaughs were 'prolific' cell phone users.

Waters added that bodycam footage and audio records of statements from the night of the murders will play a key role in the trial.

'Watch those closely. Watch his expressions. Listen to what he's saying and what he's not saying,' the prosecutor said.

Waters said Maggie was killed by a 'family weapon'. He cited evidence from a ballistics expert who said .300 Blackout casings found throughout the property have matching tool mark patterns. The prosecutor said that a Blackout rifle owned by the family has never been located.

Waters added that a raincoat with gunshot residue was found at Murdaugh's mother's home following the killings. He also said the residue was discovered on the seat belt of his car.

Waters concluded the opening by telling jurors they were assessing a complicated case and there would be a long trial ahead, but that once the 'puzzle pieces' start coming together - the 'building storm' will lead them to the inescapable conclusion that Murdaugh killed his wife and son.

'(Alex) was the storm, the storm was coming for them, just like the storms are coming here right now, and the storm arrived on June 7, 2021. They died as a result,' the prosecutor said.

In his defense, Harpootlian said that Murdaugh's son Paul was the 'apple of his eye' and dismissed the prosecutor's claims as conjecture.

Alex Murdaugh tears up after the jury was excused and the defense and prosecution teams discuss how to handle sensitive crime scene photos during his double murder trial

Alex Murdaugh talks with his lawyer Dick Harpootlian during his double murder trial

Murdaugh is seen arriving at Colleton County courthouse in Walterboro

Alex Murdaugh appeared upbeat Wednesday as he arrived flanked by sheriffs on day three of his double-murder trial over the execution-style killings of his wife and son at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina

Murdaugh was seen getting out of a black sheriffs van at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro

He described a Snapchat video taken by Paul an hour before the killings showing the father and son.

'They're laughing, they're having a good time,' Harpootlian said.

Harpootlian said the shot that hit Paul in chest also struck his arm, indicating that he may have been holding his arms up when he was killed.

Harpootlian said that prosecutors were merely speculating when they said there were no defensive wounds.

He described how 'the gasses from that [second] shot literally exploded his head, like a watermelon hit with a sledgehammer.'

'All that was left was the front of his face, everything else was gone. His brain exploded out of his head. It hit the ceiling in the shed and dropped to his feet. Horrific. Horrible. Butchering,' Harpootlian said.

The courtroom where Murdaugh faces judgment a portrait of his late grandfather - legendary longtime 14th Circuit Solicitor Buster Murdaugh Jr. - had hung on the wall before it was removed ahead of the trial.

'So to find Alex Murdaugh guilty of murdering his son you have to accept that within an hour of having an extraordinarily bonding... you can see it in the Snapchat - that he executes him in a brutal fashion. Not believable.'

He then went on to describe how there were no defensive wounds on Maggie because she was shot while running away - contrary to the prosecutor's claims she was caught unawares when she was killed.

'Who was Maggie running from?', Harpootlian asked.

The defense lawyer said his client was hysterical and inconsolable when he called 911 after finding Maggie and Paul.

Harpootlian said Murdaugh was so 'traumatized' after finding the pair that he loaded wrong-sized shells into a shotgun while fearing their killer was still 'out there.'

He argued it was implausible that Murdaugh used two weapons to kill Maggie and Paul, saying it as much more likely the murders were carried out by two people.

Harpootlian also questioned why no bloody clothes had been found, giving the gruesome way and close-range nature of the shootings.

'Where are the bloody clothes?' he asked.

Harpootlian concluded: 'He didn't do it.'

Following the opening statements by both legal teams, Judge Clifton Newman adjourned the case to 9.30am Thursday when jurors will see body-worn camera video.

Murdaugh is being tried by a jury of four white men, six white women and two black women.

Deciding against the death penalty, state prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life in prison without parole.

THE KILLINGS AND EVIDENCE Murdaugh, 54, told police he found Maggie, 52, and their son, Paul, 22, dead outside their Colleton County home on June 7, 2021. He said he'd been gone for an hour to visit his ailing father and mother. Authorities released little information about the killings beyond saying that Maggie Murdaugh was killed with a rifle and Paul Murdaugh with a shotgun. Prosecutors have not detailed direct evidence linking Murdaugh to the deaths. So far, they have filed no confession or witness statements about the killings with the court and there is no evidence that either gun has been found. Video from Paul Murdaugh's phone timestamped not long before the killings shows the three talking without indication of anger. Alex Murdaugh's lawyers said he has never denied being at his home. There is DNA from the victims on Alex Murdaugh's shirt, but his defense said that came from checking for signs of life when he found their bodies. The defense and prosecution are fighting over whether to allow an expert to testify that the blood splattered onto Murdaughs shirt when his son was shot. Defense lawyers contend the expert testing the shirt is lying and destroyed it before the defense could conduct its own tests. Prosecutors are expected to rely heavily on evidence of Murdaugh's financial problems, which they said led him to kill to garner sympathy and buy time as he covered up his theft of clients' settlement money and other crimes. Murdaugh's attorneys contend it is absurd to say Murdaugh would have thought his wife and son dying violently would reduce scrutiny into his finances. Advertisement

A jury of 12, and six alternates, has been selected and sworn in for the Murdaugh trial. Jury consists of four white men, six white women, two Black women.

Prosecutors have said Murdaugh killed his wife and child to generate sympathy and distract from his financial crimes, an alleged motive that Murdaugh's lawyers have argued doesn't make sense.

But he has adamantly insisted from the moment he found the bodies of his wife and youngest son shot multiple times that he was not the killer.

Following the murder trial, Murdaugh will have to face more than 100 additional criminal charges, ranging from drug trafficking to allegations that he stole nearly $9 million from clients and other attorneys.

Prosecutors say Murdaugh lured his wife and son to their 1,700-acre hunting lodge and shot them dead.

The court also claims that his life was spiraling out of control amid years of opioid addiction and ballooning debts.

Murdaugh pleaded not guilty in June, and the blockbuster trial is expected to include wild allegations of dark family secrets, financial ruin and hedonistic excess.

Among those expected to testify against the legal scion are Murdaugh's own brothers, John Marvin and Randy Murdaugh, as well as his surviving son Buster.

Murdaugh allegedly called John Marvin the night of the murders, and used that call as part of his alibi.

Curtis Smith, who is accused of helping Murdaugh in a twisted assisted suicide scheme is also expected to take the stand, as well as members of his wife's family.

In total, over 220 people could testify against Murdaugh in the trial, it was revealed Tuesday.

From 1920 to 2006, members of the family served as the leading prosecutor for a five-county district including Colleton. Prior to his recent troubles, Murdaugh was a prominent personal injury attorney in the state.

Ahead of a second-day of jury selection on Tuesday, Murdaugh's lawyers filed a slew of motions seeking to bar the testimony of an expert witness who claims the defendant was standing near his wife and son when they were brutally murdered.

Tom Bevel is set to testify that blood stains on Murdaugh's t-shirt taken into evidence by agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division on the night of the murders show he was clearly in close proximity to them when they were killed.

But Murdaugh's lawyers claimed Bevel's findings were 'unreliable.'

The defense attorneys argued in court documents obtained by WCNC that 'Bevel's methodology in reaching his conclusions, and the substance of those conclusions are not reliable.

Murdaugh, right, pleaded not guilty to the murders of Maggie, second from left, and Paul, second from right, in June  but now his surviving son, Buster, left, is expected to testify against him

OTHER CRIMES The murder charges are only two of about 100 criminal counts Murdaugh faces. He also is on trial on two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Still hanging over his head are a broad range of dozens of state charges. They include stealing millions of dollars from clients, diverting a wrongful death settlement from the family of his longtime maid to himself, running a drug and money laundering ring, evading taxes and committing fraud from what police said was an attempt to have someone kill him so his surviving son could collect a $10 million life insurance policy. Murdaugh also faces a number of civil suits from former clients and a 2019 boat crash that killed a teen. Police said Paul Murdaugh was driving the boat while grossly intoxicated and he faced criminal charges when the teen died. The family of the teen was aggressively trying to get information about Murdaugh family finances at the time of the 2021 killings. Advertisement

'Moreover, Bevel's blood splatter opinion testimony directly contradicts the state's scientific forensic serology and DNA testing, which failed to detect human blood anywhere on Murdaugh's shirt and failed to detect Paul's DNA.'

Defense attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, had previously argued that any blood on the shirt was transferred when Murdaugh found the bodies and 'frantically checked them for signs of life.'

Murdaugh's attorneys accused SLED of 'badgering' Bevel into changing his report.

The T-shirt was later destroyed 'for purposes of forensics testing by the unnecessary application of an oxidizing chemical stain,' the court filing states.

A second motion also seeks to exclude blood splatter testimony of Orangeburg County Deputy Chief Kenneth Kinsey, a former SLED agent and a forensics expert, who defense attorneys say based his testimony off Bevel's findings.

And a third motion seeks to limit or preclude firearm ballistic testimony by forensic expert Paul Greer, calling into question his methodology.

But Judge Newman found on Tuesday that the evidence Greer will present 'will assist the jury in its decision.'

He said the underlying science is reliable, and defense attorneys could bring up their questions about the value of ballistics testing in cross-examination.

He was seen smiling as he arrived in court Tuesday for the second day of jury selection.

Video posted online showed the once-powerful South Carolina attorney being escorted out of a black police van in front of the Colleton County Courthouse Tuesday morning, nodding to the press at the scene.

A crime scene photo showing what appears to be blood droplets on the floor, a mannequin and an evidence marker in the feed room where Paul was fatally shot

Several views of the crime scene where Paul had been shot were in the court filings

The 22-year-old was shot in the feed room connected to the Moselle properties dog kennels, while his mother was shot five times, including in the back of the head, with a semiautomatic rifle  the pair dying just 30 yards from one another

POWERFUL FAMILY The Murdaugh name is well-known in judicial circles in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Alex Murdaugh worked for the family law firm that had been in business in tiny neighboring Hampton County for a century, winning a number of multimillion-dollar settlements for fatal accidents and workplace injuries. Murdaughs father, grandfather and great-grandfather were the elected prosecutors for 87 years straight in Colleton, Hampton and three other counties. Typically, a portrait of Murdaugh's father hangs in the Colleton County Courthouse. Judge Clifton Newman ruled that it be removed for his son's trial. Advertisement

But the once-powerful lawyer seemed more anxious as the hearings went on, visibly chewing on the end of a pen.

The 12-member jury will hear all of the evidence presented against the once-prominent lawyer, after authorities took over a year investigating the mysterious deaths to charge Murdaugh in connection with the crimes.

More than 900 potential jurors were sent detailed questionnaires to determine if they were eligible to sit for this case.

When asked if they had heard of the case, all potential jurors confirmed that they had, with several being excused because they had 'formed opinions which cannot be changed'.

Last week prosecutors claimed that a Snapchat video was 'critical to the case', with Paul sending the footage shortly before 8pm on the night he died.

Investigators believe he and his mother died between 9pm and 9:30pm, and are seeking permission to call a Snapchat executive to testify as to the veracity of the video.

Creighton Waters, senior assistant deputy attorney general said: 'Amongst other things, critical to the case is a video sent out to several friends at approximately 7:56p.m. on the night of the murders.

Alex Murdaugh (center) is accused of killing his wife Maggie, 52, (right) and son Paul Murdaugh, 22, (left) in 2021

'The contents of this video is important to proving the State's case in chief.'

The order was approved, with prosecutors not revealing what was in the Snapchat video during the hearing.

The move came as Kinsey described Paul's horrific wounds, explaining he was shot twice  with a second bullet entering the left shoulder into his neck and brain.

Kinsey said his 'brain was completely detached from head', adding that the 22-year-old was first struck in the chest as he stood in the feed room.

The room was connected to the Moselle properties dog kennels, while his mother was shot five times, including in the back of the head, with a semiautomatic rifle.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has disclosed the reason behind a dramatic drop in companies' share prices this week - revealing that the 'root cause' was a 'manual error' made by a person.

Aired by the exchange on Wednesday, the revelation comes after trading for dozens of stocks were halted Tuesday at the start of trading, following what several had assumed was a technical issue.

The complication caused 87 stocks - including those belonging to famed blue-chip firms such as Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and Exxon Mobil - suddenly fall and rise at the opening bell before the problem was resolved.

The issue led to chaos in the NYSE, as traders alarmed at the sudden drops - and, in some cases, surges - questioned what could be causing the 'flash crash' that punctuated the market's open, as several typically reliable stocks fell in value.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has disclosed a reason behind a dramatic drop in companies' share prices Tuesday that sent traders into a frenzy before the issue was resolved

The complication caused 87 stocks - including those belonging to famed blue-chip firms such as Morgan Stanley suddenly plunge at the opening bell before the problem was resolved

In a statement Wednesday morning, officials at the exchange shed some light on what had happened, revealing that it was tied to the companys 'disaster recovery configuration' prior to the market's open.

'The root cause was determined to be a manual error involving the Exchanges Disaster Recovery configuration at system start of day,' the exchange said, referring to the complex system that assigns stocks an opening price at the 9:30am bell.

The exchange said that a manual test of this system - which uses the thousands of orders accumulated overnight and early morning to dish out share prices - on Tuesday somehow went awry.

Electing to not elaborate on the exact nature of the issue, NYSE officials insisted Wednesday that exchange systems are now 'operational,' and that 'a normal opening' for the day is expected.

In a statement Wednesday - roughly 24 hours after the unrest - the exchange dais that the 'root cause' of the incident a 'manual error' that occurred prior to the market open

Typically, when the NYSE opens at 9:30am, stocks are given an 'opening price.' To accomplish this, officials at the exchange compile sprawling lists of buy and sell orders and synthesize a single price that is provided at market open. This practice fell flat on Tuesday, officials said

As the day's close approaches, the exchange has so far proved correct in their promise - with trading, for the most part, resuming as normal.

Typically, stocks open for trading on the NYSE at 9:30am, at which point a stock is given an 'opening price.'

To accomplish this, officials at the exchange compile sprawling lists of buy and sell orders and synthesize a single price that is provided at market open.

Wells Fargo saw its stock dipped by 5 percent on Tuesday morning before returning to normal

McDonald's also saw a plunge, with the stock remaining lower than when it closed Wednesday

Verizon saw a whiplash as its stock opened high 7 percent up before falling by 8 percent

Meant to balance out supply and demand and reduce volatility, the practice seemingly fell flat on Tuesday, with exchange officials having initially said that this pricing process 'did not occur' that day for several stocks.

Following the exchange's statement Wednesday, it can be assumed that a manual test of the system - which is carried out by human staffers - somehow went awry.

That cause shares belonging to famously steady stocks like McDonalds and Walmart plummeting, while others such as Verizon suddenly surged, going up 7 percent, before immediately falling back by 8 during the brief trading pause, which ended just before 10am.

In total, more than 1,300 trades and 87 stocks were impacted by the error, now confirmed to be a result of human error.

In total, more than 1,300 trades and 87 stocks were impacted by the error, now confirmed to be a result of human error

The exchange has since said identified 4,341 trades they said should be canceled. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which was created after the infamous Wall Street Crash of 1929 that spurred the Great Depression, has said that it is investigating the issue.

On Tuesday, Ed Moya, a senior market analyst at Oanda, a leading online trading broker, remarked at the unrest caused by the malfunction, as traders found themselves at a loss as to the sudden surges and plummets of what are typically considered reliable stocks.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Moya commented on the magnitude of the price fluctuations, and the repercussions they could have had on the economy if they had been real and not made in error.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which was created after the infamous Wall Street Crash of 1929 that spurred the Great Depression, said that it is investigating the issue

'These are not your typical meme stock, easily manipulated companies,' the trading expert said. 'These are Morgan Stanley, Verizon, AT&T. These are some of the giants.'

Tuesday's incident was the latest example of a 'flash crash,' which sees stocks suddenly turn volatile on the market due to an error.

One such 'flash crash' occurred last year when a Citigroup trader put in an error in the European market, causing stock indexes to plummet before triggering a halt.

Perhaps the most well-known crash occurred in 2010, when a $1 trillion stock market crash hit Wall Street, triggered by Navinder Singh Sarao.

Tuesday's incident was the latest example of a 'flash crash,' which sees stocks suddenly turn volatile on the market due to an error

Sarao was sentenced to one year of home detention in 2020 pleading guilty to wire fraud and market 'spoofing' - placing large orders to manipulate prices before quickly cancelling them.

US authorities say he sent a jolt of fear through the market which contributed to a sudden tanking of shares on May 6, 2010, in which nearly $1trillion was briefly wiped off the value of companies.

All exchange systems are now operational, the exchange said Wednesday, with no further unrest expected, the NYSE said Wednesday.
The 34-year-old son of a prominent rabbi has tragically drowned in the sea while on his honeymoon in the Philippines.

Rabbi Romain told the Jewish Chronicle that his son Benedict Hayyim Anidjar Romain died on Sunday after the weather 'suddenly turned' and he was caught in a riptide.

The rabbi last saw his son two weeks ago, just before he left with his wife Stella, 30, for their honeymoon on the island country in Southeast Asia.

The couple was married last summer by Rabbi Romain, having been together for four years.

Benedict Hayyim Anidjar Romain, son of Rabbi Romain, died on Sunday after the weather 'suddenly turned' and he was caught in a riptide while on his honeymoon in the Philippines

Rabbi Romain last saw his son two weeks ago just before he left with his wife Stella for the honeymoon

Benedict was a talented sculptor who studied fine art at the Cardiff School of Art and Design and at Oxford Brookes University.

His 'totally distraught' widow Stella works as an online designer.

Stella's parents were on holiday near the island where the newlyweds were staying, and are still there with their daughter.

Rabbi Romain and his wife Rabbi Sybil Sheridan, a part-time minister at Newcastle Reform Synagogue, are waiting for details of their son's repatriation having decided not to travel out to the Philippines.

The couple was married last summer by Rabbi Romain, having been together for four years

Benedict's 'totally distraught' widow Stella works as an online designer

'It's deeply painful. But I know from seeing so many others suffer a massive bereavement that one day we will laugh and sing again. Although I must admit it doesn't feel like that right now,' said the rabbi.

'By the time we get there, a 17-hour flight and then another half-day travel, we hope he will have been brought home.'

Rabbi Romain and his wife have three other sons and are both former chairs of the Assembly of Reform Rabbis and Cantors.

The father said his son, who lived in London, grew up in Maidenhead Synagogue and was part of Reform Synagogue Youth (RSY) where he had been a camp madrich.

His son's work as a sculptor included making fine art props for films.

Benedict was a sculptor who studied fine art at the Cardiff School of Art and Design and Oxford Brookes University

He also made a sculpture of a prayer book transforming into a dove for Maidenhead Synagogue. 'I love walking past it every day,' said Rabbi Romain.

The minister added that being a rabbi is helping him cope with his grief. 'I have officiated at several hundred funeral and grieved with many congregants over the years, which makes me aware, though it's obvious really that my grief is not unique and that many others have suffered searing pain too,' he said.

Members of the Maidenhead synagogue paid their respects to Benedict, who was a chedar volunteer and a High Holidays shofar blower at the shul.

John and Susie Dunston described Benedict as full of 'gentleness, kindness and modesty'.

Stella's parents were on holiday near the island where the newlyweds were staying and have remained there with their distraught daughter

Members of the Maidenhead synagogue paid tribute to Benedict, who was a chedar volunteer and a High Holidays shofar blower at the shul

'We both have the most vivid memory of the last time we saw Ben, vigorously blowing the great shofar at Yom Kippur,' they said.

Another Maidenhead congregant, Sheila Veniar, described Benedict as the 'gentlest of giants'.

'Sometimes there are people who seem to fit so much into a lifetime, who grasp every moment to do what they love, it's as if they knew their time was limited, and I feel Ben was one such soul,' they said.

'Thank you for creating such a gift and a blessing for us all.'
One of Virginia's top education officials denied accusations that at least 17 schools under her jurisdiction withheld handing out merit awards to protect the feelings of students who didn't receive them.

In her first interview since the scandal broke, Fairfax County Schools superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said her department held a third-party investigation into the situation and insisted that the delays were the result of 'human error.'

She added that any talk of 'equal outcomes' for Virginia students referred only to her schools' intentions to help each student 'achieve their unique potential.'

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has said the schools denied students a 'golden ticket' for college admissions by delivering news of merit awards too late for kids to include them in their early decision applications.

Fairfax County public schools superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid denied allegations awards were intentionally withheld

The decision by brass at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax, Virginia, was reportedly part of a new school strategy meant to provide 'equal outcomes for every student, without exceptions'

Reid characterized Youngkin's golden ticket comparison as being an 'inaccurate' assessment of the weight the awards carry.

She also said the perception from Youngkin and some parents that the schools were bent on making sure all students received 'equal outcomes' - which Youngkin called 'maniacal' - was also not accurate.

'What I mean when I talk about equal outcomes is the opportunity for each and every student to achieve their unique potential,' Rede told WFMZ.

'We celebrate each and every one of our students' unique contributions and achievements, and there is absolutely no division-wide effort to withhold recognition or not to honor hard work and achievement.'

The prospective guidance was proposed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in a televised interview aired Wednesday, amid public outcry over 17 schools' decision to delay notifying students

Reid said her district's schools tried to promote the unique abilities of each of its students

The allegations first surfaced when parents at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology - the top rated high school in the country - said administrators confided in them that the awards had been intentionally withheld to avoid hurting students feelings.

Since then, parents at 17 schools across Virginia - predominantly in Fairfax County - have reported having news of merit awards withheld.

Virginia attorney general Jason Miyares has launched an investigation into the allegations, and Governor Youngkin has proposed a law that would bar schools from withholding information from students.

Reid said Fairfax had a third-party conduct its own investigation.

'We did initiate a third-party external review into the situation,' she said, noting the investigation found 'human error' was to blame.

She also said the schools were working to notify any colleges of any students awards that weren't noted on their applications.

'We committed to contacting all the colleges and universities of the early action, early decision schools that otherwise our commended scholars might not have had that information to notify,' she said.

Principal Ann Bonitatibus (left) and Director of Student Services Brandon Kosatka (right)

Among those embroiled in the scandal are superintendents (L-R) Daniel Smith, of Loudon County, Michelle Reid, of Fairfax County, and LaTanya McDade, of Prince William County

Which Virginia schools are accused of failing to inform 'commended pupils' of their awards? Fairfax County: 1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology 2. Westfield High School 3. Langley High School 4. Annandale High school 5. Edison High School 6. Lewis High School 7. West Potomac High School 8. Marshall High School Loudoun County: 9. Freedom High School 10. Loudoun County High School 11. Potomac Falls High School  12. Unnamed High School in Loudoun County Prince William County: 13. Battlefield High School 14. Colgan High School 15. Forest Park High School 16. Patriot High School Stafford County 17. Mountain View High School Advertisement

Virginia mom and author Asra Nomani, whose son's merit scholarship was withheld for an astounding two years, blew the whistle on school's actions last month, and it has since been learned that officials in other schools did the same.

Nomani was seen at a protest procession outside the school earlier this month.

She and with dozens of others demanded that action be taken against officials who decided to keep parents and students in the dark.

'Let it be known that we are not for fake meetings - we are for real action,' Nomani said, visibly irate over the school's decision to keep the awards under wraps.

Nomani was the first to break the story on the allegations against Fairfax County - and now Loudon, Prince William, and Stafford counties.

Thomas Jefforson Director of Student Services Brandon Kosatka admitted to her in November that the approach to withholding students' academic honors was intentional.

Nomani said the director owned up to the allegations when she told him about it by phone asking why her son had not received a letter until that point.

The principal was apparently not available for the query, leaving Kosatka to field it.

When questioned, Kosatka explained the school's side.

He said staffers had wanted to hand the letters out 'discreetly' to avoid hurting the feelings of students who failed to garner the distinction.

'Theres a lot of kids who didnt get either award, and we didnt want them to feel bad about it,' Nomanic qupted Kosatka as saying.

Fairfax County school system officials, meanwhile, could not verify that conversation took place.

Asra Nomani, one of the parents who was part of the effort unearthing these allegations against the Fairfax County Public School system, was one of several moms seen protesting the decision by schools in Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince William counties meant to pursue 'equity'

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares says at least 13 high schools failed to let students know they won merit awards. The AG has opened an investigation into the issue following allegations Asian American students were targeted to ensure 'equal outcomes'

Announcing the probe last week, Miyares condemned the schools' actions as the state launched an investigation over alleged Anti-Asian bigotry.

Miyares told Fox Business Tuesday that in Fairfax, the district paid an equity consultant $450,000 to ensure 'equal outcomes no matter what, even if it means treating some students purposefully unequally.'

He added: 'You hear the word equity all the time. Equity without excellence is actually emptiness. It doesn't really help the student at all. It actually divides us.'

The National Merit awards are only given to 50,000 of 1.5million high schoolers who score well on the PSATS  and they can help students compete for scholarships, honors accolades, and college admissions.

The state's investigation is looking into the administration's decisions to withhold the National Merit Scholarship honors from students and if it violates the Virginia Human Rights Act.

Families are furious they were not informed their children had won awards, with many protesting the schools' decision to keep it quiet

Youngkin spoke out against the schools' allegedly policies in an interview last week.

'There clearly is a real suggestion that their civil rights have been violated. And we need to understand what's at the heart of this,' Youngkin, 56, told Fox News' American Reports Wednesday, before announcing the new bill.

'There's clearly been an effort to bring down the standards for our students in Virginia to stop celebrating excellence. And this is counter to everything we believe.'

Youngking, a vocal opponent of policies limiting parents' rights in schools, slammed officials at Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince Williams counties for secretly implementing the strategy unbeknownst to parents - something the governor slated as un-American.

'This nation was built on the idea of building a better future, of striving and achieving.

'And here we have what appears to be three of three large school districts in Virginia who have been systematically withholding information about excellence.

'This is so counter to everything that we believe.'

The governor proceeded to criticize what he called a 'trifecta' of problems currently affecting schools his home state, who he accused of succumbing to woke progressives with maneuvers that limit parent's rights to make decisions for their children.

In that regard, Youngkin said school officials 'have lowered their expectations.'
A Tennessee high school teacher went viral after she said in a TikTok video that she was quitting her job after being called a groomer on social media over the presence of a pride flag in her classroom.

Randi Lee was responding to a comment left on her TikTok by an anonymous person who wrote: 'You should quit - I see the groomer flag in the background.'

Lee, 30, said in the clip, which has since been posted by the previously banned Twitter account Libs of TikTok: 'Here's the thing, I am going to quit. I am 100 percent going to quit.'

She added that while she wasn't quitting because of that specific quote, it was because people like the commenter are 'taking over education.'

In a video that went viral thanks to Libs of Tik Tok, teacher Randi Lee said that she plans to quit because 'education is not what it once was'

Lee went on to say: 'Education is not what it once was and it's not worth it anymore. I support every single one of my students no matter what they're views are.'

The video ends with Lee pointing to the comment and saying: 'This... it... just... get f****d.'

After the video went viral, Lee posted a new video addressing many of the commenters who were asking about when she was going to quit.

In response to one commenter who asked: 'When are you quitting? Trying to plan the celebration.'

Lee said that in her original video, she didn't mean that she was quitting 'tomorrow' and said: 'I'm trying to buy a house. I gotta stay employed.'

In this photo, you can see the pride flag in the background on the wall of Lee's classroom

She also joked that she would let her followers know when she was quitting because she 'loves a party.'

Lee told DailyMail.com: 'Regarding me announcing Im quitting, that isnt necessarily a big announcement. I decided at the beginning of the school year that I only had one or two more years left in me.'

She added: 'Everyone is just running with that sentence from the video.'

Lee has been working in the school district since 2017 having graduated from the University of Memphis

When asked about those who criticize the presence of the pride flag in her class room and compare it to a 'grooming flag,' Lee said: 'I think theyve never been inside a classroom after graduating high school.'

She added: 'Everyone has an opinion about education because its something everyone has experienced at some point or another. But until they actually experience whats its like to be a teacher or even a student in todays world, they have no idea.

'Displaying a flag often indicates a safe person, especially with the violent rhetoric and physical violence the LGBTQ community has experienced.'

On her brief TikTok bio, Lee says: 'Sometimes I teach teenagers. Catch me on eight wheels

On her brief TikTok bio, Lee says: 'Sometimes I teach teenagers. Catch me on eight wheels.'

The latter being an apparent reference to her hobby of roller derby in Memphis. She jokes on her Instagram page's bio: 'Average at parenting, teaching and, roller derby.'

Chaya Raichik (left) posted a picture with a smiling Donald Trump, in the wake of Lee's video the teacher posted on Instagram: 'I'm beginning to think Chaya is obsessed with me'

Posts on her profile so that she is married with two children. In the fallout from the Libs of TikTok posting her video, Lee said on Instagram: 'I'm beginning to think Chaya is obsessed with me.'

A reference to the founder of the account, Brooklyn-based real estate agent Chaya Raichik.

Libs of TikTok, which was manned by Raichik anonymously until she revealed herself last year, reposts content by left-wing creators, often mocking their woke politics and social commentary.

Issues surrounding gender reassignment and children's participation at drag events are among some of the topics Libs of TikTok frequently posts about.

In June 2022, Lee's roller derby was covered in a feature by ABC's Memphis affiliate.

A month before that, Lee also went viral when she was criticized for a video in which she said that she regularly spoke about race in the classroom.

In the clip, Lee said that she 'bucks the system on a regular basis' by talking about race during math class.

Lee previously went viral when she was criticized for a video in which she said that she regularly spoke about race in the classroom

According to Lee's LinkedIn page, the controversial educator is a graduate of the University of Memphis where she attained a BA and Master's in Social Work. While at the school, she became a member of the Phi Alpha Honor Society.

She has been employed by the Memphis-Shelby County Schools since July 2017. Lee is a special education teacher at Raleigh-Egypt High School.

Lee's rant has gained the attention of conservative activists across Twitter. Robby Starbuck said: 'Congrats Tennessee! Our work to stop the grooming of children in school is more and more successful by the day.'

Starbuck went on: 'Now even radical teachers we've called out are promising to quit because of it. This is just the start. Sanity & safety will be restored.'

While Ty's Tough Talk said: '"Im so upset I cant indoctrinate your children anymore so Im quitting my job." Thats all I got from this.'
he suspect was taken into custody in Miranda de Ebro then taken to Madrid

Police arrested a pensioner Wednesday on suspicion he sent letter bombs targeting Spain's prime minister and the Ukrainian embassy, authorities said.

The 74-year-old Spaniard was taken into custody in Miranda de Ebro in the country's north and taken to Madrid where he will appear before a judge on Friday, said a spokesman for the National Court which deals with terrorism cases.

The arrest came after a weekend report in the New York Times which said Russian military intelligence officers had 'directed' associates of a white supremacist militant group based in Russia to carry out the campaign in Spain.

US officials told the newspaper that the Russian officers who directed the campaign appeared intent on 'keeping European governments off guard' and 'may be testing out proxy groups in the event Moscow decides to escalate a conflict'.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was targeted by one of several letter bombs

Spanish police officers stand guard outside a building after the arrest of a man suspected of being the sender of letter-bombs in November and December to the Ukrainian and U.S. embassies and several institutions in Spain, in Miranda de Ebro, Spain January 25

Investigators searched the suspect's home where he was thought to have made six letter bombs, police and the interior ministry said.

Masked police stood guard outside the property as officers with sniffer dogs searched the interior, TV footage showed.

'This person was very active on social networks and according to National Police investigators, he has technical and computer expertise,' an interior ministry statement said.

'Although it is presumed that the detainee made and sent the explosive devices alone, the police do not rule out the participation or influence of other people.'

Nobody was killed by the six letter bombs sent in late November and early December to various sites in Spain, but a Ukrainian embassy employee was lightly injured while opening one of the packages.

Letters were sent to the official residence of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, to Spain's defence ministry and to an air base near Madrid from which Spain has sent weapons to Ukraine.

Also targeted was a military equipment firm in the northeastern city of Zaragoza, which makes grenade launchers that Spain has sent to Ukraine.

After the Madrid embassy was targeted, Kyiv ramped up security at its embassies around the world.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is pictured in Kyiv, Jan 24. Ukraine boosted security at its embassies around the world after the discovery of letter bombs

Investigators suspect the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), a radical group with members and associates across Europe, is behind the letter bomb campaign.

The group - which is designated a global terrorist organisation by the United States - is believed to have ties to Russian intelligence agencies.

'Important members of the group have been in Spain, and the police there have tracked its ties with far-right Spanish organisations,' the newspaper said.

According to Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation, RIM 'maintains contacts with neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups across Europe'.

'The group has provided paramilitary training to Russian nationals and members of like-minded organisations from other countries at its facilities in St. Petersburg,' it added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pictured at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on January 24, 2023

After the embassy attack, Ukraine's ambassador to Spain, Serhii Pohoreltsev, appeared to point the finger at Russia.

'We are well aware of the terrorist methods of the aggressor country,' he told Spanish public television on November 30 just hours after the incident.

Russia's embassy to Spain condemned the letter bomb campaign.

After congratulating police on the arrest, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said investigators were 'looking at all possibilities'.

Private television La Sexta, which first broke the news of the pensioner's arrest, said the suspect was a former local authority employee in Vitoria, a town in northern Spain, who lived alone.

Following the letter bomb campaign, Spain's National Court opened an investigation into 'terrorism'.

In addition to sending arms to Ukraine in its fight against Russia's nearly year-long war, Spain is also training Ukrainian troops as part of a European Union programme and providing humanitarian aid.
A police officer who 'persuaded' his 'brazen' wife to take speeding points twice when he was actually the driver has been jailed for six months.

Mark Hinchcliffe, 43, who had worked for West Yorkshire Police for 18 years, was caught speeding twice between April and June 2021.

But on both occasions, his wife Lisa Hinchcliffe, who had worked for the force in a civilian role for 17 years, said she was driving.

Bradford Crown Court heard how Hinchcliffe, who was a PC based in Leeds, had five points on his licence at the time of the offences and feared for his job if he received a driving ban.

Mark Hinchcliffe, who had worked for West Yorkshire Police for 18 years, was caught speeding twice between April and June 2021 but he persuaded wife Lisa to take the points

Bradford Crown Court heard how Hinchcliffe, 43, already had five points on his licence and feared for his job if he received a driving ban. He has now been jailed for six months

Mrs Hinchcliffe, 38, told police she was driving the family's Volkswagen Passat when it was clocked doing 37mph in a 30 zone on April 30.

She was offered a driver awareness course, which she accepted.

And when their Renault Megane was clocked doing 36 on the same stretch of road on June 1, she again told police she was behind the wheel.

But after the case was investigated, it was revealed a male driver was pictured on both cars on both occasions.

The court heard Mr Hinchcliffe was identified as the driver by a police officer and the couple, who have two young children, were arrested.

The couple had exchanged messages in which Mrs Hinchliffe offered to take the points for her husband, it was heard.

Lisa Hinchcliffe, 38, falsely told police she was driving the family's Volkswagen Passat when it was clocked doing 37mph in a 30 zone on April 30, 2021

And in what the judge called a 'brazen' act, she discussed taking the awareness course with other family members in WhatsApp conversations.

They both admitted two counts of perverting the course of justice at a previous hearing and were today sentenced.

Mr Hinchcliffe was jailed for six months and banned for driving for 15 months, while his wife was given a four month sentence, suspended for two years.

The court heard they have both resigned from their roles within the police force since their arrest.

Judge Jonathan Rose told them: 'Your case is a perfect example of a couple who thought they could try it on and get away with it.

'A respected police officer, held in high esteem... A loving mum, caring for two young children.

'That's why you did it, because you thought you could get away with it. Those who stand in the dock for these offences are not like you. You were wrong.'

The judge said he accepted that prison would likely be unpleasant experience for a former police officer.

But he told Mr Hinchcliffe: 'Everytime a police officer undermines the course of justice, it brings down the name of the police force.'

The court heard Mrs Hinchcliffe was caring for her elderly father who had been diagnosed with cancer as well as their children, aged 8 and 12.

Judge Rose told Mrs Hinchcliffe she did not think of her children when she committed the offences.

But he was thinking of them in suspending her sentence as he could not 'in good conscience' send her to prison immediately.

He told her: 'You were no soft touch it would seem. You played your role, you discussed it with your husband, you researched it on the internet.

'You approached this with great care.

'Your punishment began the day you were arrested... it continues now having seen your husband taken into custody.'

Mrs Hinchcliffe was also banned from driving for 12 weeks and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Speaking after sentencing, detective chief superintendent Nicola Bryar, of West Yorkshire Police's Professional Standards Directorate, said: 'Both the police and public quite rightly expect our officers and staff to abide by the law.

'Mark Hinchliffe not only committed criminal offences in the first place by speeding, but when caught he has, alongside his wife Lisa, knowingly tried to affect the criminal justice process.

'Honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the police service.

'Both defendants were employees of West Yorkshire Police at the time of these offences but have since resigned their positions.'

The force said the couple now face a misconduct probe to consider whether they should be barred from working for the police in future.
Ukrainian officials last night said they expect Western allies to provide their armed forces with long-range missiles after the UK, US, Germany and several other nations agreed to send battalions of tanks long-sought by Kyiv.

Presidential advisor Mikhailo Podolyak told The Daily Telegraph: 'Right now we are seeing a sharp change in sentiment among the political elites of European countries... we will reach, I am sure, no doubt, an agreement on long-range missiles.'

In a devastating blow to the Kremlin, nine countries joined Britain yesterday in agreeing to send tanks to destroy Russia's forces in eastern Ukraine. The coalition came together just 48 hours after Boris Johnson's rallying cry in the Daily Mail, imploring the UK's allies to end their dithering.

Germany will initially send 14 Leopard 2s to Ukraine, and aims to provide 80 tanks overall. On what Zelensky hailed as a 'historic day', the United States confirmed it will supply 31 Abrams M1 tanks. The UK has already said it will send 14 Challenger 2 tanks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday

The US is sending dozens of M1A2 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in the coming weeks to help with their war-effort

Germany will initially send 14 Leopard 2s to Ukraine, and aims to provide 80 tanks overall

Podolyak's bold claim came hours after his boss Volodymyr Zelensky openly urged NATO allies to send long-range missiles and jets to his war-torn country to help repel Russian troops.

In a nighttime address, Zelensky said: 'I've spoken with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today... We must also open deliveries of long-range missiles to Ukraine, it is important  we must expand our cooperation in artillery. This is a dream. And this is a task.'

Zelensky earlier thanked Western powers for agreeing to provide his nation with tanks. Poland, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal have now also offered to send their stocks of Leopard 2s after receiving the green light from their German manufacturer.

Russia's ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechayev, called Berlin's decision 'extremely dangerous,' saying it 'shifts the conflict to a new level of confrontation and contradicts the statements of German politicians about their reluctance to get involved in it'.

France has not yet committed to sending a squadron of its Leclerc tanks, but Emmanuel Macron is now under pressure to match his allies' offer of heavy armour.

A surface-to-surface missile is fired during a joint military training drill between the U.S. and South Korea in the East Asian country, June 6, 2022

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The allied fleet will face off against the Kremlin's army of tank regiments  the majority of them ageing stocks of T-62s and T-72s, but also its elite T-90 units.

Zelensky, who turned 45 on Wednesday, thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US leader Joe Biden for their decision to send heavy tanks to Ukraine, hours before going on to call for long range missiles and jets.

'It's an important step on the path to victory,' the Ukrainian president tweeted, thanking Biden for his 'powerful' decision.

He also urged Western countries to send tanks quickly and in sufficient volumes.

'Speed and volume are key now,' he said, referring to deliveries and training of soldiers.

'The terrorist state must lose,' Zelensky said, referring to Russia.

'The more defence support our heroes at the front receive from the world, the faster Russia's aggression will end.'

The United States announced earlier Wednesday that it will provide 31 Abrams tanks to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion, mirroring a similar move by Germany in the face of dire warnings from Moscow.

The twin announcements come as a major relief for Kyiv which has pleaded for months for heavy Western tanks to aid its battle.

'A historic day,' Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential administration, said on messaging app Telegram. 'One of those days that will determine our future victory,' he added.

He also thanked Biden, Congress and the American people.

'We'll never forget it,' he added. 'The great time is coming.'

It came as:

Russia captured the town of Soledar, its first significant military breakthrough in Ukraine since July last year, raising fears it could make further progress;

Former Nato commander General Richard Shirreff said the task of the alliance was to ensure the war with Russia 'stays cold and does not become a hot war which engulfs us all';

Concerns were voiced that German dithering means the tanks could arrive too late to ensure Ukraine's offensive is successful;

Ukrainian tank crews are coming to Britain to learn how to operate the Challengers.

Long-range missiles and fighter jet deliveries from Western nations would give Kyiv a considerable advantage over its Russian foes in eastern Ukraine

Russia branded the West's provision of dozens of tanks to Ukraine a 'blatant provocation' and warned the new NATO supplies will 'burn like all the rest'.

Russia's ambassador yesterday took aim at Berlin's decision to approve shipments of Leopard 2 tanks, saying: 'This extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation, and contradicts statements by German politicians about the unwillingness of the German Federation to get involved in it.'

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov added: 'This is a rather disastrous plan,' citing 'a completely obvious overestimation of the potential' the tanks would add to the Ukrainian military.

'It is yet another fallacy, a rather profound one,' he said, predicting that the tanks 'will burn down just like all the other ones... Except they cost a lot, and this will fall on the shoulders of European taxpayers.'

Dr Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told MailOnline that being able to operate new armoured vehicles by early spring could allow Zelensky's forces to 'achieve decisive breakthroughs' against Russia without suffering 'crippling infantry losses'.

The expert said Ukraine has a chance to win the war in 2023 but 'if it cannot seize it due to Western support arriving too little, too late' then 'the chance may not come again'.

After almost two months of brutal but more geographically limited battles in Ukraine, both sides appear to be massing forces for new offensives.

Russian forces have lost many thousands of dead and wounded in repeated attacks against the towns of Soledar and Bakhmut.

They have used heavy artillery and infantry assaults to force slow, extremely costly advances across shell-pocked muddy trench lines which in many ways resemble the First World War.

Zelensky is calling on Western allies to provide long range missiles and jets to help his forces beat back the Russian invaders (F-15 US fighter jet pictured)

Britain announced it would deploy 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in the coming weeks and train Ukrainian troops to use them

JUSTIN BRONK, a research fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute, has analysed the latest situation in an article for MailOnline as Ukraine prepares for a crucial spring and summer offensive

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C), accompanied by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin (L) and Viktor Sadovnichy, rector of the Moscow State University, visits the Moscow State University on the Students' Day in Moscow on January 25, 2023

But Ukraine has also suffered heavy losses defending these areas of the Donbas, but nevertheless one of the key elements of both sides' strategies has been to try and limit how many forces they commit.

Ukraine ended 2022 with two resoundingly successful counter-offensives, in the north and south. In the north, Kharkiv Oblast was liberated along with towns of Kupiansk, Izyum and Lyman.

Meanwhile in the south, the bulk of the Kherson region was liberated including its capital, as the Russian army was ground down and ultimately forced to withdraw from the Western bank of the Dnipro river.

But the effort cost heavy casualties, especially in Ukraine's elite brigades capable of mobile offensive operations at scale.

Likewise, Russian casualties have been extremely heavy, with recent Norwegian intelligence estimates suggesting that around 180,000 Russian troops have been killed, badly wounded or captured since the start of the invasion.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and both George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush turned over all their classified documents to the National Archives, their offices said on Wednesday.

Representatives of the four former commanders-in-chief said all classified materials were given to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) after each man left the White House.

The statements come as President Joe Biden's administration has become engulfed in a crisis over having classified documents and former Vice President Mike Pence was revealed to have his own stash of classified material.

Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and both George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush turned over all their classified documents to the National Archives, their offices said

Obama's office noted that consistent with the Presidential Records Act, all of President Obama's classified records were submitted to the National Archives upon leaving office and that the archives has physical and legal custody of President Obama's materials to date.

'All of President Clinton's classified materials were properly turned over to NARA in accordance with the Presidential Records Act,' said Clinton's office.

'That search was conducted before he left the White House, when all of his Presidential records  classified and unclassified  were turned over to the National Archives,' said a statement from Bush's office, speaking for Geoge W. and his late father, George H.W. Bush.

Representatives for former vice presidents Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Dan Quayle told CNN none of the men are holding classified material.

The National Archives, meanwhile, is weighing whether to ask all the living former presidents and vice presidents to review their personal records to verify that there are no classified materials inadvertently still in their possesion, the Washington Post reported.

Questions arose about what former top-ranking government officials may have classified documents among their papers after it was revealed Thursday that about a dozen classified documents were found in Pence's Indiana home.

About a dozen classified documents were found in Mike Pence's Indiana home

The finding of the classified material raised questions on how the government handles such information and the packing up of administration officials after a presidency ends.

Republican Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida told Fox News that the transition process 'is broken.'

'But I think the difference with Biden here is just how long this goes back,' he said on Tuesday.

And Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Fox that 'when it's all said and done maybe we are overclassifying things, that may be part of the problem. But count me in for getting this fixed.'

Pence's lawyer discovered the material when conducting a search at Pence's request last week. The boxes was immediately turned over to the FBI and the Justice Department is investigating.

It is the third time classified documents have been found on the private property of a recent president or vice president and comes as special counsels are investigating Joe Biden and Donald Trump over similar incidents.

Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, said in his letter to the National Archives, that the former vice president had 'engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents' to review records stored at his home on Jan. 16 'out of an abundance of caution' amid the uproar over the discovery of documents at Biden's home.

FBI agents visited Pence's residence the night of Jan. 19 at 9:30 p.m. to collect the documents that had been secured. The vice president was in Washington, DC for an event, at the time.

A total of four boxes containing copies of administration papers - two in which 'a small number' of papers bearing classified markings were found, and two containing 'courtesy copies of vice presidential papers'  were discovered, according to the letter. Arrangements were made to deliver those boxes to the National Archives on Monday.

Republican Congressman James Comer of Kentucky and chair of the House Oversight Committee, said Pence reached out to offer his cooperation with the congressional panel.

'Former Vice President Pence's transparency stands in stark contrast to Biden White House staff who continue to withhold information from Congress and the American people,' he said in a statement.

The White House wouldn't weigh in on whether a special counsel should investigate Pence's findings.

'That's for the Department of Justice to decide,' said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday.

Pence bought the home in Carmel for $1.93 million

The documents were discovered in Pence's home in Carmel, Indiana, after the former vice president repeatedly said he didn't have any classified material in his possession.

Pence told the AP in August that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office.

Asked directly if he had retained any such information, he said, 'No, not to my knowledge.'

The boxes originally went to a home the Pences had in Virginia and then went to the Indiana location after they purchased their residence there. Pence's Washington D.C. office also was searched but no classified material was discovered.

Pence and Karen Pence purchased the home for $1.93 million in May 2021. The 'picturesque' 10,300 square-foot home sits on a five-acre lot and has seven bedrooms, 7.5 bathrooms and an in-ground pool, according to the listing for the home on realtor.com.

The lower level of the house features a media room next to a 'beautiful' handcrafted bar, another large sitting area and an area for a pool table.

Also on the lower level of the home is a gym room with an accompanying full bath next to it.

Pictures of the home, built in 2008 according to the listing, also show the home has four garages, and a stone fireplace on the main floor.

The purchase came not long after Pence signed a $3 million to $4 million publishing contract with Simon & Schuster to author two books in early April.

The home is located in the city of Carmel, which was recently named the second wealthiest city in the Midwest, according to a study by personal finance site nerdwallet.com

The spacious study with wood paneling and a fireplace in Pence's home

The lower level of the house features a media room next to a 'beautiful' handcrafted bar, another large sitting area, the listing for the home said

Pence, in the past, denied having classified material in his possession.

'I did not,' he told ABC News in November when asked if he took any classified documents with him when he left the Trump administration.

This was shortly after Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago mansion was searched by FBI agents who were seeking classified material from his administration.

'Well, there'd be no reason to have classified documents, particularly if they were in an unprotected area,' Pence said at the time. 'But I will tell you that I believe there had to be many better ways to resolve that issue than executing a search warrant at the personal residence of a former president of the United States.'

Former President Donald Trump, who is under investigation for keeping classified documents at his home in Mar-a-Lago, is defending his former VP, Mike Pence after documents were found in his home last week

After ignoring requests to turn over presidential records, the Department of Justice authorized a warrant for former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. As a result of the search, a Special Counsel to oversee the probe was appointed.

A photo of documents seized during the Aug. 8 FBI search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. The probe into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago continues.

The discovery of documents in Pence's possession comes after he criticized President Biden for having classified material.

Pence called it 'troubling' and accused federal agencies of having a 'double standard' when it came to handling Biden's situation and Trump's possession of classified documents.

He told Howard Hewitt a few weeks ago that the FBI was guilty of a 'massive overreach' in its raid on Trump's home.

'But having now created that standard and now abandoned that standard when the current president of the United States is found to have had classified documents in his possession after leaving office, I have no words right now,' he said, comparing their treatment between Trump and Biden.

The National Archives had requested material from Trump. All presidents turn over the documents to the federal government at the end of their tenure. Trump eventually handed over 15 boxes. The archives found classified material in them and, suspecting Trump hadn't handed everything over, turned to the Justice Department, which ultimately got a federal warrant to search the property.

Ultimately Trump was found to have hundreds of documents with classified documents in his possession.

President Joe Biden's handling of classified information is currently under review by a special counsel appointed by the Department of Justice.

In total, there have been five discoveries of classified materials in Biden's possession: at the Penn-Biden Center, a think tank in Washington, D.C.; in Biden's garage at his Wilmington, Del., home; one document discovered in his 'personal library' in the same home; four more documents found in his home; and then another six found when the Justice Department did another search of his Wilmington residence.

Biden turned over his documents when his lawyers found them and voluntarily gave the FBI access to his Wilmington, Delaware, home, to search for more. Those agents found six more classified documents on Friday after a 13-hour search of the home.

Ultimately, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to look into both Trump and Biden.

Earlier this month Pence described to Fox Business how classified materials were handled when he was vice president.

'Early in the morning, I received a presidential daily brief at the vice president's residence,' he said.

'I'd rise early. I'd go to the safe where my military aide would place those classified materials. I'd pull them out, review them. I'd receive a presentation (on) them and then, frankly, more often than notI would simply return them back to the file that I'd received them in. They went in commonly into what was called a burn bag that my military aide would gather and then destroy those classified materialssame goes in materials that I would receive at the White House.'

He went on to add: 'The handling of classified materials and the nation's secret is a very serious matter and as a former vice president of the United States, I can speak from personal experience about the attention that ought to be paid to those materials when you're in office and after you leave office. And clearly that did not take place in this case.'
Voters were asked if Harry and Meghan affected their choice

Prince Harry's new book has seen more Aussies support Australia becoming a republic but not because they agree with the 'evil Royals' narrative - they're just sick of the drama.

A poll conducted by the Resolve Political Monitor for the Sydney Morning Herald of 1,606 Australian voters found more Aussies want to see the nation become independent from Britain compared with poll results in September last year.

The data collected shows 40 per cent of voters were in favour of Australia becoming a republic with 22 per cent stating they were strongly in favour and 18 per cent somewhat in favour.

When asked the same question following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year, only 35 per cent of voters said they wanted to see Australia become a republic.

A new poll found 40 per cent of Australian voters want to see the country become a republic with 21 per cent saying their opinion was influenced by Harry and Meghan's (above) TV interviews and documentaries, as well as Harry's new book Spare

The poll first asked 1,606 voters whether they were in favour of Australia becoming a republic (results above)

Voters were also quizzed on whether Harry and Meghan's appearances in TV interviews, their Netflix documentary or Harry's bombshell book Spare had influenced their position on an Australian Republic.

Poll Should Australia become a republic? Yes No Should Australia become a republic? Yes 338 votes

No 666 votes Now share your opinion





Among the revelations about the royal family made in his book, Harry claimed Prince William 'knocked me to the floor' during an argument in 2019 and 'lunged' at him in 2021 when he confronted Will about the family's treatment of Meghan.

Of the 21 per cent of voters who said their opinion was affected, 14 per cent said they were more likely to vote for a republic while 7 per cent said they were less likely.

But despite Harry and Meghan's efforts to antagonise the Royal family, Australian Republic Movement national director Sandy Biar said it's more likely Aussies want to move on from the Royals because they're tired of the bickering.

She said the brief jump of Australians expressing support for the monarchy following the Queen's death didn't worry the ARM because the respect would quickly be undone by other Royal shenanigans.

The poll then asked whether the conduct of Harry and Meghan had influenced their support for a republic (results above)

Vocal republic advocate Peter FitzSimons (pictured with wife Lisa Wilkinson) said more Australians would vote to make Australia a republic in a real election because 'actual monarchy nutters are very few'

'The polls last year didn't concern us in the slightest. We knew that once the reality of having King Charles set in, support would swing back towards a republic with a vengeance,' Ms Biar told the Herald.

'The royals are too busy fighting among themselves to represent Australia or stand up for our interests.'

Vocal advocate for a republic Peter FitzSimons, the husband of high-profile TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson, shared the poll on Twitter, writing: 'Royal drama pushes Australian voters towards republic.'

He later added: 'A lot (of voters) are undecided, and when the campaign starts, it will break our way. Actual monarchy nutters are very few.'

The poll data revealed 30 per cent of Australians remained unsure of whether they'd vote for a republic or not.

Assistant Minister for the Republic Matt Thistlethwaite said a new Australia Day date would help Aussies come together once the country became a republic (pictured, Australia Day revellers)

Assistant Minister for the Republic Matt Thistlethwaite said a new Australia Day date when the nation becomes a republic could better unite the nation.

He said the government didn't have any plans to change the date of Australia Day.

'But I do recognise that for many Australians, particularly First Nations Australians, it is a difficult day and it's not a day they do feel pride and wish to celebrate,' he told Sky News.

'In the future, we could look to an alternative and in my view, that alternative could be if Australians vote to become a republic and we recognise our true independence and maturity as a nation.'

The Albanese government has ruled out holding a republic referendum in this term of parliament despite signalling its support for the push.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Australia Day as 'our chance to celebrate just how fortunate we are to live in the greatest country on earth'.

'Importantly, it is also an opportunity to reflect on how we can make it even greater,' he wrote in a Thursday opinion piece.
A church official was killed and a priest seriously wounded late Wednesday when a man wielding a machete stormed two churches in southern Spain, the government said.

Prosecutors immediately opened a terror probe into the attack, which took place in the port city of Algeciras in Spain's southern Andalusia region.

'Just after 7:00 pm (1800 GMT) this evening, a man entered the church of San Isidro in Algeciras, where, armed with a machete, he attacked the priest, leaving him seriously wounded,' an interior ministry statement said.

'Subsequently, he entered the church of Nuestra Senora de La Palma in which, after causing damages, he attacked the (sexton). The (sexton) managed to get out of the church but was caught by the attacker outside and sustained mortal injuries,' it said, indicating he had died on the spot.

'Moments later, (the assailant) was disarmed and arrested and is currently in police custody.'

The assailant is pictured wielding a long blade

The attacker's machete-like blade is pictured lying on the floor following the assault

The two churches are several hundred metres apart and located in an area very close to the port.

Police initially said several people had been wounded but later clarified it was only the priest, with the emergency services confirming he had sustained injuries 'to the neck'.

The mayor of Algeciras said the sexton who died was called Diego Valencia and identified the priest as Antonio Rodriguez.

In a posting on Twitter, the local congregation said Rodriguez, 74, had been celebrating the Eucharist at San Isidro church when he was attacked, describing his condition as 'serious but stable'.

A police source told AFP the assailant was wearing a long robe and had 'shouted something' as he carried out the attack.

Eyewitnesses at Nuestra Senora de La Palma told local media that a man ran into the building at around 7:30pm just as they were finishing the Eucharist service. They said he was shouting and had started to throw icons, crosses and candles to the floor.

Prosecutors opened a terror probe which is being led by a judge from the Audiencia Nacional, Spain's top criminal court which handles terror-related cases.

Police did not identify the suspect but released a video in which he is seen from behind wearing a black, white and grey hoodie and black trousers and being led away, handcuffed, by two police officers.

Algeciras town hall said it would hold an official day of mourning on Thursday when flags would be lowered to half-mast. A demonstration would take place at midday to express outrage at the bloodshed.

A man observes police and rescuers working on the site where a man was killed in Algeciras, southern Spain, on January 25, 2023

The body of a dead man is covered by a medical blanket as police secure the area in Algeciras, southern Spain, on January 25, 2023

The attack drew swift condemnation from across the political spectrum.

'I send my deepest condolences to the families of the (sexton) who died in this terrible attack,' Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on Twitter, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo of the right-wing Popular Party said he was 'appalled' by the incident.

Police have not commented on the possible motives, or political and religious affiliation of the attacker.

However, the incident was denounced by the local Muslim community, which said it condemned 'the brutal and vicious attack in Algeciras' and deplored the sexton's death.

'These criminal acts, which some want to link to Islam or Muslims, tarnish the coexistence that society in Algeciras has historically enjoyed,' it said in a posting on the Facebook account of Ishbilia mosque in Seville, the regional capital.

'These reprehensible acts are far from our religion and the Muslim community.'

Grainy footage shared on social media showed the assailant stalking across a pedestrian street brandishing a long blade in his hands moments before his arrest took place.

A Spanish woman could be overheard saying: 'My God, people are mad. The man you can see there he is carrying an axe in his hand and has just hit someone over the head with it and left him on the ground.'

Several police were filmed marching the man under arrest to a patrol car before taking him away.

Paramedics and investigators are pictured at the scene of a murder in Algeciras, Spain. A victim's body is pictured covered by a medical blanket

Police secure the area where a man was killed in Algeciras, southern Spain, on January 25, 2023

One local named only as Manuel who witnessed the attacks told a Spanish radio station: 'It's a miracle there wasn't a massacre.

'It all happened very quickly. This person tried to attack others.'

Juanma Moreno, the regional president of Spain's southern Andalucia region of which Algeciras is a part, tweeted: 'Terrible and gut-wrenching.

'They've killed a sexton and injured, at least, a priest in an attack in Algeciras. It is still under investigation but I condemn this crime. Intolerance will never be accepted in our society.'

The secretary general of Spain's Episcopal Conference, Francisco Garcia, wrote on Twitter that 'I have received the news of the incident in Algeciras with great pain'.

'These are sad moments of suffering, we are united by the pain of families of the victims and for the Diocese of Cadiz,' he added.

The brutal attack came just hours after a man stabbed two people to death and injured several others on a train in Germany.
After months of staying silent in the face of racist verbal attacks from former President Donald Trump, ex-Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao hit back at her old boss on Wednesday.

The former Trump Cabinet official told Politico that the ex-president 'doesn't understand' the struggles faced by Asian Americans - which she herself said she had to overcome.

'When I was young, some people deliberately misspelled or mispronounced my name,' she began the statement.

Chao has become a target of Trump's tirades against her husband, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell - his chief political rival in the GOP.

'Asian Americans have worked hard to change that experience for the next generation,' she said.

Elaine Chao was Donald Trump's Transportation Secretary for much of his White House term

'He doesnt seem to understand that, which says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.'

While disparaging McConnell as an 'old crow' and a host of other nicknames, usually over his bipartisan work with Democrats on necessary government fiscal matters, Trump has also lashed out against Chao - inexplicably evoking her Chinese heritage to do so.

He's referred to her as McConnell's 'China-loving wife' and called her by a racist monicker that deliberately misspells her last name.

Just this week Trump baselessly linked Chao to the investigation related to President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents.

He questioned on Truth Social if she had 'anything to do with Joe Bidens Classified Documents being sent and stored in Chinatown?'

He's taken to disparaging her in recent months while attacking her husband, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

McConnell is one of Trump's top Republican rivals, with the two fighting a proxy battle for the GOP in the 2022 midterm election cycle

'Her husband, the Old Broken Crow, is VERY close to Biden, the Democrats, and, of course, China. He gives them all whatever they want!' Trump added.

Wednesday marks the first time Chao has responded directly to Trump's taunts. She was asked about them last month but chided the media for echoing the racist comments in their reports.

'I think its very helpful if the media does not repeat that racist tweet,' Chao told CNN This Morning in December.

She compared Trump's rhetoric to using the 'n-word' against African Americans, claiming 'the press would not repeatedly publish it it' if that was the case.

'But the media continuously repeats his racist taunt,' Chao said.

McConnell himself has never publicly commented on the situation.
Aboriginal people would also pay, if they own property

Homeowners could pay one per cent of their weekly wages

Pauline Hanson has slammed celebrity-backed calls for Australians to pay a weekly 'rent' tax to Aboriginal groups to honour their ancestral claim to the land.

The 'Pay the Rent' campaign wants homeowners to voluntarily pay a percentage of their income to Aboriginal elders without any government oversight or intervention.

Veteran Aboriginal rights activist Robbie Thorpe says the rent tax should be set at one per cent of weekly wages after a similar scheme ran in Melbourne in the 1990s.

But the move has been slammed as 'pro-apartheid madness' by the One Nation leader who condemned the proposal as 'deeply flawed and unjust'.

The Australian government currently spends in excess of $33billion on Indigenous expenditure, according to the most recent government figures.

Supporters of the scheme include feminist author Clementine Ford (left) and high-profile Greens senator and activist Lidia Thorpe (right)

Calls for a weekly 'rent' tax to Aboriginal groups to honour their ancestral claim to the land have been slammed (pictured, First Nations Elder Dean Kelly (left) and Yuin Gurungi dancers lead a Dawn Reflection and Smoking Ceremony at Bondi Beach on Australia Day 2023)

The 'Pay the Rent' campaign wants homeowners to voluntarily pay a percentage of their income to Aboriginal elders without any government oversight or intervention (pictured, Gamay Dancers at Bondi Beach)

'This scheme is the worst type of discrimination, and it is not a solution to the problem of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians,' Senator Hanson said.

The row comes as pressure mounts to give Aussies a chance to vote on changing the date of Australia Day, after it became tainted by the relentless debate.

A rapidly rising number of Australians - particularly the young - now believe commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 should not be celebrated.

Protests are now held on the occasion, with hundreds of thousands again expected at demonstrations in major cities across the country demanding to 'change the date'.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson condemned the proposal as 'deeply flawed and unjust'

The row comes as pressure mounts to give Aussies a chance to vote on changing the date of Australia Day, after it became synonymous with endless debate (pictured Koomurri dancers perform an Australia Day smoking ceremony)

Nationals MP Matt Canavan wants to permanently end the controversy, which he says is 'delegitimising' the national holiday.

He believes the decision should be put in the hands of the people, rather than 'woke' and virtue-signalling companies, and has called for a national vote on the issue.

The staunch conservative has called on the federal government to introduce a plebiscite with the referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament later this year.

'Why don't we, when we have the voice referendum later this year, add a question "do you want to keep Australia Day on January 26?"' he told Sky News.

'I'm happy to be guided by to the Australian people.

'Rather than the corporate world trying to impose their woke ideology on the rest of us, why don't (we) listen to the people?'

Australian property owners have been urged to start paying weekly 'rent' to the traditional owners of the land their homes were built on ahead of Australia Day

Luke Currie-Richardson says the 'Pay the Rent' would work as a type of land tax, based only on those Australians who own property paying rent to the traditional owners of that land

Meanwhile, the proposed rent tax is 'a rational, reasonable, responsible means of reconciling 200 years of unchecked genocide, as far as I'm concerned,' said Mr Thorpe.

Based on the median Australia wage of $1250 a week, a one per cent tax would cost each Aussie $650 a year. The government's 2017 Indigenous Expenditure Report said total direct government spending on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians was estimated to be $33.4 billion in 2014/15.

Pauline Hanson's statement in full One Nation strongly condemns a proposal supported by Greens indigenous affairs spokesperson Lidia Thorpe for non-indigenous Australians to pay a race based rent tax. The rent tax scheme would seem millions of Australians thrown further into poverty as their rents balloon or families pay more on top of their ever-increasing mortgages. The model would see Australian property owners pay a weekly 'rent' tax to Indigenous groups based on their ancestral claim to the land. Any 'Pay the Rent' scheme, which is being promoted and backed by celebrities, would see homeowners voluntarily paying a percentage of their income to a body led by Aboriginal elders with no government oversight or intervention. A rent tax proposal is not only unnecessary, its also deeply flawed and unjust. Advertisement

Supporters of the scheme include feminist author Clementine Ford and high-profile Greens senator and activist Lidia Thorpe.

'We need to stop paying lip service to decolonisation and start paying the rent to the first nations people,' Ford said.

Thorpe added: 'Pay the rent from grassroots for grassroots. No strings attached to government agenda. It assists sovereign grassroots fight the many campaigns and struggles we face everyday.'

Proponents say the tax could also apply to Indigenous people as anyone who owns property would pay because it would operate as a form of land tax.

The scheme has plans to extend to all users of the land, including one-off events like weddings or concerts which would also be encouraged to pay.

With the average Australian wedding costing $54,000 to run, local traditional owners could receive a rent payment of $540 for each wedding.

When a music festival is held, the organisers could pay one per cent of the total income collected as rent.

The intention is the money collected could cover extra costs Indigenous people have for health, education and housing and reduce the need for government handouts.

It's proposed as an alternative to government handouts to people in struggling communities, which have been branded unpopular and unsuccessful.

Collecting rent for Aboriginal people based on ancestral claims to historical ownership has been proposed for 50 years.

There have been repeated calls by indigenous activists for non-Aboriginal Australians to pay the rent to local landowners since the 1970s.

Mr Thorpe's 'Pay the Rent' group in Melbourne's inner city suburb of Fitzroy received payment from non-Aboriginal people who passed it on to their Aboriginal counterparts, who then used and distributed the funds as they saw fit.

The organisers of a website, which already collects this type of rent for traditional owners in Victoria, says the scheme could go further than taxing homeowners

Eventually it was developed as a policy by the National Aboriginal and Islander Health Organisation, but both schemes eventually fell by the wayside.

But in recent years a new generation of activists are promoting 'Pay the Rent', including Luke Currie-Richardson, 30, an ex-dancer with Bangarra Dance Company.

Mr Currie-Richardson says the current model of 'Pay the Rent' would work as a type of land tax, based only on those Australians who own property paying rent to the traditional owners of that land.

'[With] those funds, we can fund our own health, our own education, our own housing,' Mr Currie-Richardson said.

He believes January 26 is an appropriate time for people to consider the choices they have to make a difference - and signing up to recurring 'Pay the Rent' instalments is one way of doing that.
The head of the policing 'Line of Duty' unit which failed to flag allegations about serial rapist officer David Carrick went on to land a top job.

Paul Betts ran the Department of Professional Standards (DPS) at the Met which found that Carrick, arrested on suspicion of rape, had 'no case to answer' for misconduct.

The decision was taken just months after Sarah Everard was murdered by another Met Police officer.

Betts and his colleagues failed to uncover Carrick's track record of domestic violence, assault and burglary.

Met Officer David Carrick was revealed to be one of the UK's worst rapists last week

Paul Betts ran the Department of Professional Standards which cleared Carrick before he was allowed to return to work following a rape claim

The DPS investigated itself after Carrick was arrested for rape by Hertfordshire Police in October 2021.

The group found that none of its own members should face misconduct charges and allowed Carrick to return to work, The Mirror reported.

An incident in 2019 when Carrick allegedly grabbed a woman by the neck was also not considered to be worthy of misconduct.

The DPS did not check Carrick's record when they allowed him to go back to work after the rape claim.

Betts went on to become Assistant Commissioner of City of London Police in January 2022.

Carrick has admitted to more than 70 sexual offences against 12 women while he was a Met Police officer.

Police were alerted to his behaviour eight times between 2000 and 2021, most of which while he was serving on the force before he was finally caught.

Last week, Carrick was exposed as one of the UK's worst rapists. He carried out 85 sex attacks on women who he locked in cupboards, urinated on and forced to clean his house naked.

Women said Carrick locked them in a tiny cupboard under the stairs of his Hertfordshire home for 10 hours, controlled what they ate, and cut them off from their family.

Carrick used his position as a police officer to gain the trust of and intimidate the women he attacked

Others described being dragged to the shower by their hair, whipped with belts and being told 'you're my slave, you're a whore'.

Carrick passed vetting procedures to join the Met in 2001 despite allegations of malicious communications and burglary against an ex-partner the previous year.

He was accused of harassment and assault against a former partner while still in his probationary period in 2002 but the matter was not referred to the Directorate of Professional Standards.

Nicknamed 'Ba***ard Dave', he abused and tortured 12 victims over nearly two decades after telling victims 'I'm a police officer, you can trust me' and flashing his warrant card.

Carrick continued to serve while using his position of power as a police officer to violently abuse women until October 2021.
The babysitter of the seven-year-old boy who was mauled to death by four dogs and left his mother severely injured said the dogs were 'scary.'

Melissa Karren, of Blackfoot, Idaho, has babysat Emily Islas' two children since 2020 and last saw them on Friday before Kellan, seven, was tragically mauled to death by the neighbors' four dogs the following evening.

Emily was also severely injured and is currently in the ICU with nerve damage and head injuries.

Since babysitting the youngsters, Karren recalled Emily's daughter Rory, five, had mentioned the neighbor's dogs were 'scary' and they had to be 'careful.'

'Rory had mentioned that the dogs were kind of scary,' Karren told DailyMail.com on Wednesday afternoon. 'I just assumed it was because they were large dogs. She made little comments [about] how they had to be careful around them.

'I responded by saying- "Just be nice to them." I never knew there were four, I thought maybe two.'

Kellan Islas, seven, (right) was mauled to death by four dogs, including two Rottweilers, outside his home on the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho on Saturday. His mother, Emily, 39, (left) was 'severely injured' trying to protect her son

Karren said she doesn't believe Rory (left) understood what had happened to her brother (right), but that her parents Emily and Lyle have told her that Kellan is 'her angel now.' Rory was at home during the attack, but her mother told her to stay inside

Babysitter Melissa Karren (left) told DailyMail.com on Wednesday at Emily's daughter Rory, five, had mentioned that the dogs were 'scary' and 'they had to be careful around them'

Rory was at home when the attack happened, but was inside the RV, according to Karren.

The dogs were owned by the neighbors Benjamin Dominick Wolfchild and Juliana Wolfchild, who have since been given 15 citations by the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Animal Ordinance, including one for not keeping their dogs' rabies vaccinations up-to-date. The couple could also face federal charges.

The Islas family had just recently moved back to the area from Idaho Falls over Christmas break and Karren believed the mother-of-two's living situation was 'temporary.' She did not know if Emily knew the Wolfchilds personally, but their RV was located behind the couple's home.

Emily had let her son outside to play around 5.50pm on Saturday. When he did not return a few minutes later, she found him laying face down on the Wolfchild residence porch while the dogs attacked him, according to Sho-Ban News.

Emily was left 'severely injured' after she tried, but failed, to fight off the dogs. She laid on top of her son to protect him, but by the time the attack was done, the child's injuries had rendered him unconscious.

Both were taken to Portneuf Medical Center.

Karren, who has been in childcare for 20 years, remembered the young boy as 'so smart' and that he loved to read.

'Last Thursday, he brought over books from school and wanted to read to the other children,' she told DailyMail.com. 'He sat on the family room couch and read to them. Word for word, no mistakes. When Emily came to pick up Rory and Kellan, he asked me if he could read to them more often.'

She also remembered Kellan as a 'go-getter' who was 'very active' and 'very creative.'

Emily had let her son outside to play around 5.50pm on Saturday. When he did not return a few minutes later, she found him laying face down on the Wolfchild residence porch while the dogs attacked him. She failed to fight off the dogs and laid down on top of her son to protect him, but he injuries caused him to lose consciousness

Karren remember Kellen (pictured with his mother) as 'so smart' and 'very creative'

She last saw the boy (pictured with his mother) and his sister on Friday and said the day before Kellen had brought books to her room and read to the other children and wanted to do it more often

'He loved drawing and coming up with different ideas for games. All boy!' she told DailyMail.com. 'He recently got a cellphone and was so excited about the wallpapers he found on them and was always playing music and doing dance-offs.'

As for Rory, Karren doesn't believe the little girl fully understands what has happened to her brother, but that her father Lyle and Emily have told her that 'Kellan was now her angel.'

Rory is currently staying with Lyle, who declined to be interviewed as the family is 'taking some time to be private.'

'Its been a lot for the family and they need time to process and heal,' Karren told DailyMail.com.

Emily has undergone emergency surgery following the attack and is still currently in the ICU.

'Ive talked to her every day since Monday,' the babysitter told DailyMail.com. 'Shes hurting- physically and emotionally...She has several severe injuries that need to heal right now.'

The mother-of-two 'sustained nerve damage and [had] a ruptured artery in her right arm, as well as, damage to the back of her head, left arm, and her back,' her friend Samantha Lenay wrote on GoFundMe.

'I know Emily, and I know she did everything in her power to protect Kellan from that attack. She is an amazing woman and mother and sacrificed herself to try and save her little boy,' the mother's friend Samantha Lenay wrote on GoFundMe, which has raised nearly $19,000 of it's now-updated $30,000 goal.

Emily was left 'severely injured' after she tried, but failed, to fight off the dogs. She laid on top of her son to protect him, but by the time the attack was done, the child's injuries had rendered him unconscious

The mother is currently in the ICU and had undergone emergency surgery. She suffered from nerve damage and head injuries

The mom has undergone surgery and remains 'pretty swollen,' Lenay said. She will need physical and occupational therapy due to the nerve and tissue damage in her arms.

Bannock County Coroner Torey Danner called it a 'tragic situation' and said his 'heart goes out to them.'

'To lose a child is every parents worst nightmare. This situation is very difficult to understand and my thoughts and prayers are with them in this tough time,' he said, according to Idaho State Journal.

The Woldchilds were issued 15 citations by the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Animal Ordinance, including vicious animal attack and being over the pet limit, according to Sho-Ban News. They also received a violation for rabies vaccinations for their dogs.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Wolfchilds for comment.

All four dogs were euthanized by the Fort Hall Police Department.

Fort Hall Police, the FBI, and Fish & Game are conducting an investigation into the incident and the case is expected to be submitted to the US Attorney's Office for review.
A daycare fire in Queens left 18 children injured, including one in critical condition, after the blaze broke out in the basement.

Firefighters arrived at the two story home located 72nd Drive to find a 'heavy' blaze in the basement along with one child trapped close to flames.

The daycare was operating on the first floor when the fire occurred around 2pm and was under control 40 minutes later. All children were in stable condition except for one who was transported to the hospital.

Preliminary findings speculate a e-bike that caught on fire was the culprit.

A daycare was operating on the first floor when the fire broke out in the basement of the Queens home

Officials reported 18 children injured, including one in critical condition. Children were seen being examined inside ambulances

New York City saw more than 100 fires started by e-bikes last year. Experts are blaming the fires on cheap e-bikes, the volume of delivery drivers using them and overuse of a battery that is damaged.

The group of lithium battery fires, one in Brooklyn and three in Manhattan, scorched through residential areas in April, leaving behind burnt homes with 12 injured people.

The deaths, one in February and another in March, were two men who were burned by a flames that started while their e-bikes were plugged in at home. They both died from the injuries weeks after the incidents.

Footage from the scene on Thursday showed about 60 firefighters and EMS personal outside the Queens home.

Children were seen inside ambulances with adults who appeared to be parents.

Other parents can be seen holding their children outside of the home while talking to fire officials.

Police are investigating whether the daycare was being run illegally.

The Queens fire adds onto the series of tragic house fires that have left several dead on the east coast within the last month.

Other parents can be seen holding their children outside of the home while talking to fire officials

Police are investigating whether the daycare was being run illegally

A fire official can be seen outside the home while people wait

A stretcher was seen outside the home as fire officials examined the scene

On January 13, a border patrol officer died after running back into her family's burning home to save her six-year-old daughter.

Jacqueline Montanaro and her daughter Madelyn died in a house fire after their family was awakened by fire alarms and a blaze that erupted on the first floor of their New Jersey home.

The mother-of-two was asleep with her husband William when alarms went off and they rushed to find Madelyn, their eight-year-old Elena and the family Goldendoodle.

William, Elena and Jaqueline made it outside before noticing the six-year-old was missing.

'When I rushed back into the house for Madelyn, I became enveloped in a massive amount of thick, hot black smoke,' William said in a statement issued by his brother to NJ.com.

'Without hesitation, Jackie then charged in with a mother's love and the courage of a police officer fueling her attempt to save our daughter.'

William, 39, failed to make it through the home to save Madelyn. Meanwhile, Jaqueline disappeared and never made it back out.

'They basically had 10 seconds to try to get out of the house before they were covered,' Willams brother told the news outlet. 'They did what they could.'

Jacqueline (right circled) and Madelyn Montanaro (left circled), 6, died in a New Jersey house fire on January 13. The mother-of-two was asleep with her husband William when they rushed to find their eight-year-old daughter, Madelyn (second to right) and dog before escaping

Before the start of the new year, three girls were killed in a Buffalo house fire on New Years Eve.

The two-story home where eight people were inside, including six children when the fire erupted at 207 Dartmouth Avenue before 7.30am on December 31.

All but three victims, all girls aged 7, 8 and 10 were unable to make it out of the blaze. The home belonged to the family of Clarence and Lisa Liggans, but the children have not been identified.

Firefighters were able to pull two children in critical condition, aged around three and 10, out of the fire.

An aunt in the home was first to notice the fire and quickly escaped with an infant and the children's grandmother before first responders arrived.

Footage of the fire showed officers entering the second floor of the home with a ladder outside of the home. Smoke was seen leaving the second story as several firefighters attempted to enter inside.

Children were later seen being taken away from the scene on a stretcher. The grandmother, 63, and two children remain in critical condition, but the infant was unharmed.
Labour's Rosie Duffield said it was 'dystopian' that her party leader Sir Keir Starmer has previously been reluctant to say whether a woman can have a penis.

The Canterbury MP, speaking to TalkTV's Piers Morgan Uncensored programme, said she thought the Labour Party was fearful of trans activists due to having a number of male senior leaders.

During the interview on Wednesday, she was shown a clip of a past interview on LBC in which Sir Keir appeared reluctant to say whether women can have penises.

Ms Duffield, asked for her reaction to Sir Keir being 'unable to say whether people with penises are women', said: 'Speechless really.

Labour MP Rosie Duffield said the party's stance on trans rights was 'dystopian' after listening to comments previously made by Keir Starmer

Ms Duffield spoke about the issue on TalkTV's Piers Morgan Uncensored on Wednesday night

Mr Starmer has previously said, when posed with anatomical questions on trans issues, that he did not think that 'discussing this issue in this way helps anyone in the long run'.

He recently spoke about his concerns over the Scottish Parliament's Bill lowering the age someone can legally change their gender from 18 to 16.

The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was blocked by the UK Government after it was deemed to interfere with Westminster-set equalities legislation.

Ms Duffield has faced both abuse and praise for standing up for women's rights and women's spaces in the debate over transgender rights.

She said Sir Keir phoned her when the level of abuse became 'really bad' but said he 'won't show public support' for her.

The politician put the party hierarchy's decision not to offer her position support down to Labour being led by a number of senior male figures.

Labour leader Keir Starmer called for his party to debate the trans issue 'with respect and tolerance'

Asked why Labour were not being more vocal about a perceived erosion of women's rights, Ms Duffield said: 'I think it is fear, I think all of it is fear. I think the fact we have so many senior men... so the chiefs of staff, the general secretary, Keir himself, his head of comms - they are all men.

'They are all men who are based in London. I don't think they are listening to people, I don't think they are hearing people.'

The backbencher, who was elected to the Commons in 2017, suggested women could feel they are not being represented if their rights are eroded in the face of the trans agenda.

'More people in this country are women and women will knock on doors, campaign, donate to parties and vote,' she told TalkTV.

'If women don't feel that we're represented, that's a serious state of affairs politically.'

It is far from the first time that Ms Duffield has criticised the party's position on trans issues.

Ms Duffield has accused male party colleagues of trying to drown her out during a Commons debate last week when she spoke to back the Government's move to block the gender reforms proposed in Edinburgh.

In an article written for the Unherd website, Ms Duffield said she felt 'cold-shouldered by the Labour Party' and compared her membership to being in an abusive relationship.

Sir Keir, asked about her article on Monday, called for the party to debate the trans issue 'with respect and tolerance'.
As Rep. George Santos' campaign tries to clean up the New York Republican's campaign finance mess, it named a new treasurer on updated forms filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission.

The only problem: the individual listed - Thomas Datwyler - turned down the job earlier this week, his lawyer confirmed to DailyMail.com.

'On Monday we informed the Santos campaign that Mr. Datwyler would not be serving as treasurer. It appears that there's been a disconnect between that conversation and the filings today, which we did not authorize,' said Datwyler's lawyer Derek Ross.

According to Datwyler's LinkedIn profile, he identifies as a 'campaign finance compliance consultant' and works for a Wisconsin-based firm. Datwyler's specialty is helping candidates with their FEC forms.

On new Federal Election Commission filings for committees connected to embattled Rep. George Santos, a new treasurer is named. However, the individual's lawyer told DailyMail.com that he turned down the job two days ago

Campaign finance consultant Thomas Datwyler is listed as the treasurer for at least four Santos-related political committees. However, his lawyer says he turned down the job with the Santos campaign on Monday

Mother Jones first reported that Datwyler had turned down the job with Santos.

Ross told DailyMail.com over the phone that he and his client are trying to get ahold of someone at the FEC 'to figure out how to unwind this.'

Datwyler's contact information is now listed on several Santos-related committees, including the Devolder Santos Victory Committee, the Devolder Santos For Congress Recount, the Devolder Santos Nassau Victory Committee and the Devolder Santos Van Duyne Victory Committee, which appears to be a joint fundraising committee with Texas Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne.

Santos' every move is being scrutinized after the Republican congressman was caught lying about almost every major detail of his backstory.

It's apparent by the flurry of amended FEC filings that Santos is trying to clean-up submissions before an important filing deadling at the end of the month.

On Tuesday, amended forms showed he is no longer claiming a $500,000 loan to his Congressional campaign came from personal funds.

The Daily Beast first reported on the amended FEC filing, which shows that Santos unchecked the box that said 'personal funds of the candidate' when detailing the source of the six-figure loan, which still listed the congressman as its primary source.

THE ORIGINAL: An FEC filing from mid-September shows the source of a $500,000 loan to Santos' campaign to be Santos' 'personal funds from the candidate'

THE AMENDED: A new filing from Tuesday shows that the box indicating the loan came from 'personal funds of the candidate' has been unchecked

One of the outstanding mysteries is how he wound up with a six-figure income and was able to self-fund his campaign.

The amended documents, however, shed no light on the source of those campaign funds.

In another updated document, Santos' campaign details that the candidate loaned his campaign $125,000 in October, but the 'personal funds of the candidate' box is unchecked.

Last month, The New York Times reported that the 34-year-old Santos lied about major parts of his resume including where he went to college and that he previously held positions with the prestigious financial institutions of Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.

Since then, even more of Santos' biography has unraveled, including his claim to have gone to the $59,800-a-year prep school Horace Mann, before dropping out when his parents encountered financial difficulty.

All along, one of the biggest head-scratchers has been how Santos was able to loan his campaign at a minimum $700,000 and who his clients were for his company, the Devolder Organization, where he claimed to be making a $750,000 annual salary.

In a follow-up story earlier this month, The Times detailed how Santos was tied to a group called RedStone Strategies, which was soliciting donations for the Republican's Congressional campaign, but is not registered with the FEC, possibly skirting campaign finance laws.

The paper found that one Santos donor gave the campaign a $25,000 donation on October 21 through RedStone, which was described as an 'independent expenditure' group.

Days later, on October 26, Santos loaned his campaign the $125,000.

'The person who solicited the donor said he was asked by Mr. Santos in the weeks leading up to the campaign to approach donors, some of whom had already given the maximum allowed to Mr. Santos' election campaign, and to help coordinate their donations to RedStone, according to a person familiar with the arrangement who wished to remain anonymous,' The Times report said.

Groups like RedStone, otherwise known as Super PACs, are able to exist, but they have to register with the FEC within 10 days of formation.

While they can raise money for specific candidates, they can't coordinate with the campaigns.

Santos had previously said he used funds from his company, the Devolver Organization, to finance his campaign, a move legal experts said could count as an unlawful corporate contribution.

Brendan Fischer, deputy executive director of government watchdog group Documented, told The Daily Beast that Santos' latest move 'isn't a half-measure - it is hardly even a quarter-measure.'

'I don't know what they think they are doing,' Fischer said. 'Santos' campaign might have unchecked the "personal funds of candidate" box, but it is still reporting that the $500,000 came from Santos himself.'

'If the "loan from candidate" didn't actually come from the candidate, then Santos should come clean and disclose where the money really came from,' Fischer continued.

'Santos can't uncheck a box and make his legal problems go away,' he added.
Police divers have been searching the lake behind missing mother Wendy Sleeman's home after she vanished 30 minutes after reporting an alleged home invasion.

The Gold Coast mother's son was arrested on Wednesday afternoon more than 24 hours after the 61-year-old went missing.

He has since been charged with multiple domestic violence offences and is expected to appear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.

A Queensland Police spokeswoman told NCA NewsWire police divers had searched the lake behind Ms Sleeman's home.

Items were in the water, which will be examined by the police forensic unit.

Wendy Sleeman with her dogs. Police divers are searching a lake behind her Gold Coast home

Police hold grave concerns for Wendy Sleeman - with her property in Elanora now a crime scene

Police were seen searching the park neighbouring the house on Ironbark St, Elanora for evidence.

Emergency crews were called to Wendy Sleeman's Gold Coast home at 3.30pm on Tuesday, after she reported a potential home invasion.

She called police after noticing signs of forced entry, saying to police on the phone: "It doesn't look like there's anyone here".

Wendy Sleeman has been missing for more than 17 hours. Above with friends

But 30 minutes later when police arrived on the scene, the 61-year-old was nowhere to be found.

Her disappearance is being treated as high-risk.

"We have grave concerns for her safety," Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith told reporters on Wednesday.

Police are urgently searching for the man pictured and a Blue Honda Jazz

Officers arrested her 30-year-old son Jamie - who is also known by the name Slade Murdok - shortly before 5pm on Wednesday.

Police claim she has had "ongoing issues" with her son since about 2016.

"She clearly has made efforts to try and help him and unfortunately some people have a state of mind where they won't accept help," Detective Superintendent Smith said.

Police are still searching for the blue Honda Jazz with the Queensland registration 952AT4 he was believed to be driving.
Lifesavers are pleading with beachgoers to stay vigilant after three people were swept away by a rip at a popular beach in New South Wales.

Surf life savers performed a mass rescue at Bulli Beach, north of Wollongong, on Thursday morning.

Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce told Radio 2GB that it came as data shows swimmers are four times more likely to drown on Australia Day than any other day.

Surf Life Savers have rescued three people at Bulli Beach, north of Wollongong, after they were swept away by a rip

More than a million people are expected to flock to the state's beaches today - with SLS figures showing drowning deaths almost double on public holidays and long weekends.

Mr Pearce said Australia Day is traditionally one of the deadliest on the water in the calendar year.

'Research and statistics show us that more than if you go for a swim on Australia day you are four times more likely to drown than on any other day,' Mr Pearce said.

'We are throwing so many resources and so many warnings for today.'

Australia Day swimmers are four times more likely to drown than on any other day

Surf Life Saving Australia launched a safety campaign for beachgoers on Wednesday urging swimmers to look for rips before entering the water.

'One in three people rarely or never look for rip currents before swimming,' Surf Life Saving Australia wrote.

'This summer it is vital to take a second and STOP, LOOK and PLAN before entering the water.

'Stop and check for rips, look for other dangers and plan how to stay safe.'

Dark patches of water, fewer breaking waves, a rippled surface and anything - like sand - floating beyond the waves are all indicators that a rip might be close by.

The campaign urges swimmers to look for the red and yellow flags and swim between them at all times.

As of January 25, 2023, there have been 51 drowning deaths reported nationwide this summer, according to the Royal Life Saving Summer Drowning Toll.

Surf Life Saving Australia confirmed the three people rescued at Bulli Beach were all returned to shore safely.
The French added that charities assisted migrants on their journeys to the UK

Authorities in France have requested urgent action to curtail their activities

French officials have demanded a crackdown on British-based charities they accuse of constantly frustrating attempts to intercept Channel migrants.

Authorities in northern France have expressed concerns about UK-funded organisations and handed a dossier of evidence to British counterparts, the Mail understands.

They have also requested urgent action to curtail the charities activities, a diplomatic source said.

In some cases the French accuse charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of assisting migrants in their journeys to the UK.

Several hundred migrants are thought to have crossed the Channel yesterday, after Sunday witnessed the highest number of arrivals so far this year with 442

For example, volunteers are alleged to have acted as spotters on the French coastline to direct migrants away from beach patrols so they can launch dinghies without being intercepted.

The French have raised very strong concerns with our government about British-based NGOs in northern France, the source said.

They are mightily p***** off. There is constant frustration of the process to stop illegal immigration by migrants who set off from northern France.

British officials are understood to have told their French counterparts they would support any decision to deny entry to any charity workers who they believe have been breaking the law

In some cases the French accuse charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of assisting migrants in their journeys to the UK

The French have handed evidence over and said Please stop it. But there is only a limited amount the UK can do, because this is taking place on French soil.

British officials are understood to have told their French counterparts they would support any decision to deny entry to any charity workers who they believe have been breaking the law.

But I dont think they are at that point just yet. Its a watching brief, the source said, adding that at least seven groups are under constant monitoring amid concerns they may be breaking the law.

The Charity Commission began a statutory inquiry into one British-based migrant charity, Care4Calais, in August 2021. Its conclusions have yet to be published.

Pictured: A migrant who arrived without footwear stands in flipflops donated by a volunteer from the refugee crisis charity Care4Calais

At the time, the watchdog said it was looking at whether there has been mismanagement and/or misconduct in the administration of the charity by the trustees, as well as its financial controls and other issues. The inquiry does not relate to volunteers actions in assisting migrants.

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin previously accused UK charities of hindering efforts to stop Channel migrants.

He turned his fire on British aid workers in 2021, saying the NGOs that prevent the police and the gendarmerie from working are largely British NGOs with British citizens who are on French soil.

In November, Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced a 63million deal with France to combat the Channel crisis

Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, one of the main UK groups working with Channel migrants, rejected the claims, saying at the time that her charity existed solely to deliver humanitarian aid.

In November, Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced a 63million deal with France to combat the Channel crisis.

Describing it as a big step forward, she said the settlement with Emmanuel Macrons government will see the British taxpayer foot the bill for a range of anti-people trafficking measures in France.

Volunteers are alleged to have acted as spotters on the French coastline to direct migrants away from beach patrols so they can launch dinghies without being intercepted

UK Border Force officers have already been deployed as observers on the approaches to French beaches, working alongside gendarmes for the first time, as well as in French nerve centres which combat the smugglers. The number of gendarmes on beach patrols is also set to increase by 40 per cent to 350 by April.

Several hundred migrants are thought to have crossed the Channel yesterday, after Sunday witnessed the highest number of arrivals so far this year with 442.
Ex-Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn has been committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria over the murders of secret lover campers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73.

Magistrate Brett Sonnet on Wednesday ruled in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court a jury would have sufficient evidence to find beyond reasonable doubt the 56-year old murdered the couple in the Victorian High Country in March 2020.

Lynn's committal to stand trial followed a preliminary hearing that began on January 16.

Greg Lynn, 56, will stand trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria on two counts of murder

Carol Clay (left) was allegedly shot dead by Lynn before Russell Hill (right) was stabbed to death

Police allege Carol Clay was shot while standing toward the rear of this vehicle, which was damaged by fire after the alleged crime

Lynn remained composed throughout the brief hearing, which was held within a near empty courtroom, apart from media representatives.

Dressed in a suit and carrying a bundle of yellow folders, he had stood to address his barrister despite objections from the clerk.

At the conclusion of the hearing he formally pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, setting up what will be an epic murder trial.

Lynn will now face the Supreme Court of Victoria on February 9 in his first step in finally fronting a jury that will decide his fate.

He has been in jail since November 2021 and again made no application to be released on bail.

While Mr Hill's widow tuned into the hearing via videolink, Lynn's flight attendant wife did not.

The jury trial is not expected to formally begin until later this year after mountains of evidence are discussed before a Supreme Court judge.

Much of the conversation is expected to revolve around Lynn's four-day police record of interview, which Lynn hopes to have wiped from the public record.

The contents of that interview are now subject to a court imposed gag order, which is likely to remain in place up until the time of Lynn's trial.

A previous hearing was told Victorian homicide detectives had compiled a whopping 773-page brief of evidence against Lynn.

Many of those pages contain the contents of Lynn's nine-plus hour interview, which was recorded at Sale police station directly after his arrest in November 2021.

Lynn's barrister Dermot Dann, KC, has long argued his client's interview should be ruled inadmissible from any murder trial.

Greg Lynn, pictured in court last week, was grilled by police for four days

Police made thousands of recordings of Greg Lynn (right) in the 11 months before his arrest in Victoria's high country. Almost 300 relevant recordings came after the airing of a 60 Minutes special on the missing campers

Lynn's barrister Dermot Dann, KC (pictured left leaving court on Wednesday) plans to fight the admissibility of his client's record of interview with police

WHY POLICE BELIEVE CAMPERS WERE MURDERED Russell Hill knew the rugged Wonnangatta Valley as good as anyone brave enough to venture that far into the wilderness. It is bravery that police suspect cost him, and his secret lover Carol Clay, their lives. Those that knew him claimed he would never back down from a fight. Weed sprayer Robert Williams told the court Mr Hill was a 'grumpy old bugger' who had buzzed him with a drone. Campers Damir Javor and Goran Miljkovic had seen the couple as they parked their vehicle at a camp site believed to be shared by Lynn. The pair had been stuck behind the elderly couple as they drove slowly along the track to their campsite, which already had two vehicles parked there. One of those cars was a white Landcruiser, the other was described as a blue Nissan Patrol - the same type of vehicle seized by police when they arrested Lynn on November 22 last year. Advertisement

While the contents of what exactly was discussed with Lynn cannot be revealed, Mr Dann described it as 'explosive'.

'It's just that these items of evidence are potentially game changing in terms of the way the trial will be conducted by the prosecution,' he told the court last week.

'They would have such an impact potentially on how that trial is to be run ... there are very real, very live and very substantial issues in respect to those two items of evidence.'

The second item Mr Dann referred to is a statement Lynn made following a secret recording detectives made after his arrest in the wilderness.

The court heard Lynn was held within the jail cells of Sale police station without legal representation or a mental health assessment for the duration of the interview.

'He was fed, he was watered, he was bedded,' Missing Person's Squad Senior Constable Daniel Passingham told Mr Dann while under cross examination this week.

Without use of the record of interview, detectives would be forced to rely on other evidence, which includes phone tower data, witness statements, forensic opinions and secret recordings police captured in the 11 months it had Lynn under surveillance.

The court heard the police brief contained folders of transcripts of recordings of Lynn captured by detectives as part of 'Operation Lexicon'.

Police allege Lynn had routinely spoken to himself while driving about in his Nissan Patrol.

In the hours before Special Operations Group officers descended on his vehicle in a helicopter, Lynn allegedly described the murders of the couple as another 'chapter in life'.

Respected Detective acting-Sergeant Brett Florence (right) and his flamboyant offsider Detective Leading Senior Constable Daniel Passingham (left) leave court on Wednesday. The pair led the charge to solve the mystery of the missing campers

On Monday, the detective responsible for listening to 3150 secret recordings captured from Lynn's vehicle revealed what he said as police closed in on him.

Senior Constable Passingham told the court he heard Lynn pondering the alleged murders while driving up to the Wonnangatta Valley shortly before his arrest.

'In what I had listened to of the accused, he had expressed it as a chapter in life,' Senior Constable Passingham said.

The detective also claimed Lynn had mentioned while driving alone in his vehicle that his 'book had been written'.

'These are in the recordings that are taken while he is driving the Nissan Patrol,' he said.

On Wednesday, the detective in charge of bringing the case against Lynn, acting-Sergeant Brett Florence, confirmed detectives had been concerned about Lynn's mental health on the morning of his arrest.

'I wouldn't say he was at a mental breaking point,' he added.

Sergeant Florence had been the last witness to give evidence at the preliminary hearing.

He told the court Lynn had been deemed a person of interest within months of the campers vanishing.

'He was not a suspect. He was a person of interest,' he told Mr Dann under cross examination.

The court has previously heard detectives had spoken to Lynn as early as July 14, 2020 as they worked to check the stories of a dozen others who had been in the area at the same time as the campers went missing.

Police had been keen to talk to everyone caught on CCTV driving into the wilderness during the period the campers went missing. It is alleged this is Greg Lynn's car during that period

Police believe Greg Lynn's vehicle looked like this when the campers went missing

It was a conversation covertly recorded by a detective at the time.

The court heard another man - known in the press as 'The Button Man' - had been deemed a particular person of interest in the case after he was nominated by Parks Victoria staff.

Sergeant Florence said police had spoken to the man, who lived in the area the campers went missing, but was subsequently ruled out.

The court heard police intend to make a final search of the wilderness area where the alleged murders took place.

Lynn was arrested at the intersection of Doolans Plains Road and Moroka Road, Arbuckle - some seven hours after he was heard talking to himself in a 'depressed state'.

Leading Senior Constable Passingham stated the decision to arrest Lynn was made upon review of the recording by his superiors.

'Lynn made comments of his time coming to an end, that Melanie (his wife) had three boys to look after her, a good rum, whiskey or cocktail would be good,' Leading Senior Constable Passingham stated.

The detective said after listening to Lynn for more than 3000 recordings, he knew something wasn't right.

'I had a feeling he was going to commit suicide,' he told the court.

Lynn had been armed with a high-powered centrefire rifle on the unexpected trip.

The shattered remains of Mr Hill and Ms Clay would be found just days later about 40km east as the crow flies across rugged bushland near Dargo.
Shocking footage exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com reveals the conditions suffered by animals at a taxpayer-funded lab in Oregon.

Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) provided prairie voles with alcohol equivalent to 15 bottles of wine a day and chained to cages as part of studies dubbed 'innocuous' and 'cruelty for the sake of cruelty' by experts with PETA.

The studies  published in November 2017  aimed to determine if men are more likely to cheat on their partners while drunk using rodent models. And these tests received funding of $3 million from taxpayers.

It saw the animals confined in plastic shoebox-sized cages, bound to cell walls and forced to fight each other before all 150 were killed, along with the fetuses of pregnant females.

PETA Vice President Dr Alka Chanda told Dailymail.com: 'The experiment didn't help anyone or advance scientific knowledge.

'The $3 million used to fund tests could have gone directly to people who suffer from alcoholism.'

The video shows rows of small, plastic cages with two animals inside that have access to two bottles - one with alcohol and the other provided water

DailyMail.com contacted OHSU, which declined to comment but shared a statement it released in 2017.

OHSU responded to PETA's question of 'why these bizarre, pointless and deadly experiments were given institutional approval.'

READ MORE: Elon Musk's Neuralink 'botched experiments' with monkeys 'Botched experiments' by Elon Musk's Neuralink allegedly 'kept suffering animals alive for no reason and malpractice caused monkey's brains to hemorrhage' during rushed brain chip testing, a former Neuralink employee and internal lab notes reveal. Advertisement

The statement said its animal experiments help develop 'new ways to identify, prevent, treat or eradicate disease and to improve human and animal health.

'OHSU's views on this topic reflect those of other academic health centers, universities, physicians and scientists throughout the world.'

Prairie voles are small mice-like rodents found in central North America and were likely chosen by OHSU due to their monogamous bonds in which they mate for life.

However, Chandna said the animal's biology does not mimic that of humans.

PETA became aware of the research when a press release surfaced detailing OHSU's Partner Preference tests, which describes how male and female voles were given free access to alcohol-spiked water.

The video shows rows of small, plastic cages with two animals inside that have access to two bottles - one with alcohol and the other provided water.

Oregon Live reported that 'some voles drank so much they staggered and fell and had trouble getting back on their feet.'

The experiments, published in the journal Frontiers of Psychiatry, describe 150 voles paired together for a week, allowing them to form bonds and mate.

The female was then chained to one side of the cage, while a female 'stranger' to the other.

One issue that comes from this, according to Chandna, is that voles are prey for large animals like foxes and coyotes, so inhibiting their ability to move in the cage 'triggers a response of fear.'

'Voles are prey animals, so for females to be tethered is cruel because it proves unimaginable fear in those animals,' she told DailyMail.com.

The female voles tied to the ends of the cages can be seen struggling to break.

The female was chained to one side of the cage, while a female 'stranger' to the other

The drunk male vole was dropped into the cage, and allowed to roam freely, for researchers to see which female it spent more time with

The intoxicated male vole was dropped into the cage, able to roam freely, as investigators monitored how long it spent huddled with each female.

Chandna explained that the researchers were not looking to see if the male mated with either female but how long the male spent huddling with its partner and the stranger.

However, the male and female were only together for one week.

'It wasn't even real infidelity,' she said. 'The partners were just arbitrary pairs.'

'I just don't think it is revelatory. If you wanted to do a scientific research project, you could design a questionnaire or pull together people who will tell the truth about their behavior. It has been done!'

In another test, a male vole 'intruder' was dropped into a cage occupied by a 'resident' male to see if the two would fight over territory.

One vole climbs on the other and appears to gnaw at its head. And they are both looking for a way out of the cage.

A male vole is in a small cage and a researcher lowers another inside.

The pair immediately began to attack each other - head butting and punting each other to the sides of the cage.

In another test, a male vole 'intruder' was dropped into a cage occupied by a 'resident' male to see if the two would fight over territory

One vole climbs on the other and appears to gnaw at its head. And all while they are both looking for a way out of the cage. All 150 animals were killed after the experiments

Their fur is standing up and they lunge at each other with mouths open.

'The theory around the intruder test is that a male who is more bonded to his 'partner' will be more aggressive in protecting his territory against 'intruders',' said Chandna.

'And so when the experimenters dropped an 'intruder' into a cage where a male was held, they would then count how many times the 'resident' male would attack, chase, lunge at, or bite the 'intruder.'

Those markers for aggression were intended to also indicate how bonded the male was to his female partner. '

After the experiments concluded, the researchers euthanized the 150 voles to dissect their brains and fetus pulled from females, as noted in the study.

PETA told DailyMail.com that Andrey Ryabinin was the lead experimenter for the studies

OHSU's study concludes: 'Our studies provide the first evidence that alcohol has effects on established pair bonds and that partner drinking status plays a large role in these effects.'

'There is human-relevant data regarding the neurobiology of human alcoholics and analyzing that info gives us relevant data,' Chandna said.

PETA had approached the researchers to obtain the videos, but was told no evidence existed.

However, Oregon is one of the many US states with public records laws - state-funded labs must provide the public with documents and media upon request - absent certain exceptions.

An email exchange between Chandna and Reba Kuske, who is the public records Coordinator at OHSU, in February 2018 shows the university 'confirmed there [were] no photographs and/or video footage available.'

Another email, dated October 22, 2018, shows that experimenter 'Dr. Andrey Ryabinin confirmed the videos of resident-intruder test (as well as the partner preference test) are not available because these experiments were performed at the Veterans Administration Hospital.'

This statement would mean that OHSU did not own the videos and was not liable to hand them over to PETA.

DailyMail.com has contacted Ryabinin for comment.

PETA filed a suit in 2020 after OHSU refused to comply with the group's public records request.

PETA had approached the researchers to obtain the videos of the experiments with the prairie voles

The response confirmed there were no photographs or video footage available

In July 2022, the Multnomah County Circuit Court found that OHSU caused 'undue delay' and unreasonably withheld the records in violation of Oregon's public records law.

OHSU was required to provide PETA with the footage as a result of the Freedom Information Act suit,

'OHSU is a public institution that gets lots of public dollars and failed to comply with public record law,' Chandna said.

'We are fortunate to have attorneys who work pro bono. Regular citizens do not have that privilege.

'If regular citizens want to know about what is going on at local institutions and that institution blocks them, they wouldnt have the resources to fight back. But that institution is also happy to take their money.'

A separate email chain in October 2018 states that experiments were not done inside the university, which means OHSU did not own the footage and could not give it to PETA

PETA has previously accused OSHU of mistreating monkeys used in experiments.

In 2012, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) fined OSHU $12,000 after a PETA-prompted investigation. Since then, the USDA has issued warnings to the hospital on two separate accounts for the mistreatment of lab animals.

Most recently, in 2022, the USDA charged the university with breaking federal animal welfare laws.

According to the complaint, a Mongolian gerbil died of starvation during an experiment in which a group of gerbils had their food rationed.

OHSU is followed by a string of other violations in which two lab monkeys were scalded to death after accidentally being placed in a high-temperature cage washer.

Another primate was injured after being caught in a drain cover and two others were euthanized due to delayed treatment after developing brain infections from experiments.
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It has been 55 years since Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders snapped an iconic image that would change humanity's perception of our world forever.

Known as 'Earthrise', it captured the planet's tender blue colour as it floats against the backdrop of the eternal night of space.

Now, South Korea's first-ever lunar orbiter has done its best to emulate Earthrise with a series of stunning black-and-white photos of the Earth and moon.

Danuri  a portmanteau of the Korean words for 'moon' and 'enjoy'  was launched on a SpaceX rocket from the US in August 2022 and entered lunar orbit last month.

Amazing: South Korea's first-ever lunar orbiter has done its best to emulate Apollo astronaut Bill Anders' iconic Earthrise image with a series of stunning black-and-white photos of the Earth and moon

Eye-catching: The pictures include a variety of lunar landscapes and a snapshot of an enormous Earth rising over the moon's horizon

HOW SOUTH KOREA HAS ENTERED THE NEW SPACE RACE Until last year, South Korea had relied on other countries to carry its satellites, with most rocket launches being carried out by the US, Russia, China, Japan, France and India. That changed with the successful launch of its three-stage Nuri rocket on June 21, 2022. This delivered a 357lb working satellite into orbit 435 miles above Earth. The rocket also fired a 1.3-tonne dummy satellite and four small cube satellites developed by universities for research into space. It brought the country closer to its dream of becoming a new player in the space industry, having been late to enter the race because of a Cold War-era agreement with the US which prohibited it developing a space programme. Advertisement

Ever since then it has been sending back breathtaking images of both our planet and the lunar surface, including these ones here that were posted to the Korean Aerospace Research Institute website.

The pictures include a variety of lunar landscapes and a snapshot of an enormous Earth rising over the moon's horizon.

There is also a time-lapse image of the moon's orbit around Earth taken over several hours.

Danuri will begin its scientific mission next month, which includes mapping and analysing lunar terrain, and measuring magnetic strength and gamma rays.

The $180 million (148 million) orbiter will also test experimental 'space internet' technology by transmitting photos and videos to Earth, which will then be used to select potential sites for a South Korean moon landing in 2032.

On its way to lunar orbit, Danuri captured the moon's procession around Earth once a day for an entire month, beginning on September 15.

Ten days later it then took 15 pictures over the course of about three hours, resulting in a fascinating composite image.

The spacecraft will orbit the moon for 11 months, so we can expect to see plenty more of these stunning images for the rest of this year.

South Korea has laid out ambitious plans for outer space, including landing spacecraft on Mars by 2045.

Danuri is currently circling the moon every two hours, and with it reaching its orbit, South Korea has become the world's seventh lunar explorer and the fourth in Asia, behind China, Japan and India.

The 1,495 lb (678 kg) spacecraft's first images, which were taken between December 24 and January 1, show the lunar surface and Earth.

They were shot from less than 75 miles (120 kilometres) over the moon, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said in a statement.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol hailed Danuri's achievements as a 'historical moment' in the country's space programme.

The spacecraft has six science instruments, five of them homegrown and one, called ShadowCam, provided by NASA.

This will hunt for water ice in permanently shadowed lunar craters on the moon.

Measurements from a magnetometer on the orbiter could also help scientists better understand the moon's remnant magnetic field.

The $180 million (148 million) orbiter will also test experimental 'space internet' technology by transmitting photos and videos to Earth, which will then be used to select potential sites for a South Korean moon landing in 2032

More to follow: The spacecraft will orbit the moon for 11 months, so we can expect to see plenty more of these stunning images for the rest of this year

Danuri, a portmanteau of the Korean words for 'moon' and 'enjoy', was launched on a SpaceX rocket from the US in August 2022 and entered lunar orbit last month. The moon and Earth appear on opposite sides in this image, taken during the voyage

On its way to lunar orbit, Danuri captured the moon's procession around Earth once a day for an entire month, beginning on September 15. Ten days later it then took 15 pictures over the course of about three hours, resulting in a fascinating composite image (pictured)

In June last year, South Korea successfully launched its first satellites into orbit in what was also seen as a historic step in the nation's space programme.

Both that and the lunar orbiter mission bring the country closer to its dream of becoming a new player in the space industry, having been late to enter the race because of a Cold War-era agreement with the US which prohibited it developing a space programme.

Space launches have long been a sensitive issue on the Korean peninsula, where North Korea faces international sanctions over its nuclear-armed ballistic missile programme.

In March 2022, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un called for expanding its space rocket launch site to advance its space ambitions, after South Korea and the US accused it of testing a new intercontinental ballistic missile under the guise of launching a space vehicle.

South Korea says its space programme is for peaceful and scientific purposes and any military use of the technology, such as in spy satellites, is for its defence.
New satellite images provide a bird's eye view of the massive iceberg that broke away from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica on Sunday night.

The frozen block has a thickness of 490 feet (150 metres) and an area of 600 square miles (1,550 km) - almost the size of Greater London.

It broke off at a huge crack that bisected the ice shelf, known as Chasm-1, which had been growing by about 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) each year since 2012.

The incredible images were taken by a Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, which orbits the poles in a mission managed by the European Space Agency (ESA).

New images show the massive iceberg that broke away from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica on Sunday night from space

The frozen block has a thickness of 490 feet (150 metres) and an area of 600 square miles (1,550 km) - almost the size of Greater London. The left image was taken on the 20 January 2023, and the right on 24 January 2023

What's a calving event? Glacier calving is a natural occurrence caused by the forward motion of a glacier making its end unstable. During a calving event, part of the end of a glacier drops off, often forming an iceberg. Calving of glaciers is often accompanied by a loud cracking or booming sound before blocks of ice up to 60 metres (200 ft) high break loose and crash into the water. The entry of this ice into the water can cause large and hazardous waves. Advertisement

GPS sensors began to pick up movement at Chasm-1 between 7pm and 8pm on Sunday, when it extended to roughly 40 miles (60 kilometres), across the entire shelf.

At the time, 21 staff with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) were working in the Halley Research Station just 12 miles (19 km) away.

Fortunately, all of them were completely safe, and had been preparing for this eventuality for some time.

In 2016, continuous growth of Chasm-1 prompted the BAS - the national polar research institute - to relocate their site 14 miles (23 kilometres) inland.

The Halley VI Research Station consists of eight units which each sit on skis so they can be easily manoeuvred away from the edge of the the ice shelf when needed.

It has been unoccupied during the last six winters because of the complex glaciological situation which makes the impact of calving events unpredictable.

However, staff are deployed there between November and March to maintain the facilities that allow them to monitor experiments remotely during the winter.

The glaciologists have since confirmed that the area of ice the station is situated on remains unaffected by the recent calving event, and there is no need for evacuation.

Those currently on site are due to be collected by aircraft around 6 February.

At the time, 21 staff with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) were working in the Halley Research Station just 12 miles (19 km) away, as indicated by the red square. Fortunately, all of them were completely safe, and had been preparing for this eventuality for some time

The Halley VI Research Centre (pictured) is an internationally important platform for atmospheric and space weather observations in a climate-sensitive zone

PhD student Ben WAllis, who processed the new images, also said that the channel between the Brunt Ice Shelf and new berg is about (3 km) wide at its northern end (pictured)

Mr Wallis tweeted: 'Before the calving Chasm 1 was filled with a melange of young ice formed from multiyear sea-ice and meteoric ice from compacted snow. This is now disintegrating while the large berg remains intact'

The satellite images of the new iceberg were processed by Ben Wallis, a PhD student at the University of Leeds, who also shared them on Twitter.

A colony of thousands of Emperor Penguins are known to live on the Dawson-Lambton glacier tongue, which sits immediately west of the Brunt Ice Shelf.

Some of the penguins started life in the Halley Bay colony, which was largely killed off in 2016 when part of the ice shelf collapsed.

Therefore, concerns had been raised as to whether they had been disrupted by the recent calving event.

But Mr Wallis confirmed that the sea-ice they call home is still intact, and stains from their poop, or 'guano' can even be seen in the images.

He also said that, as of yesterday, the channel between the Brunt Ice Shelf and new berg is about (3 km) wide at its northern end.

He tweeted: 'Before the calving Chasm 1 was filled with a melange of young ice formed from multiyear sea-ice and meteoric ice from compacted snow.

'This is now disintegrating while the large berg remains intact.'

A colony of thousands of Emperor Penguins are known to live on the Dawson-Lambton glacier tongue, which sits immediately west of the Brunt Ice Shelf. Mr Wallis confirmed that the sea-ice they call home is still intact, and stains from their poop can even be seen in the images

GPS sensors began to pick up movement at Chasm-1 between 7pm and 8pm on Sunday, when it extended to roughly 40 miles (60 km) long - across the entire shelf

The iceberg broke off at a huge crack that bisected the ice shelf, known as Chasm-1 (pictured), which had been growing by about 2.5 miles (4 km) each year since 2012

The iceberg separated from the ice shelf due to a spring tide in what's known as a 'calving event'.

This is a completely natural process that happens regularly in the frozen continent, and is not linked in climate change.

Professor Dominic Hodgson, BAS glaciologist, said: 'This calving event has been expected and is part of the natural behaviour of the Brunt Ice Shelf.

'Our science and operational teams continue to monitor the ice shelf in real-time to ensure it is safe, and to maintain the delivery of the science we undertake at Halley'.

Calving is caused by the forward motion of a glacier making its end unstable so that part of it falls off, often forming an iceberg.

The process enables glaciers to balance out the accumulation of new snow and ice.

While this won't be the largest iceberg to split off from Antarctica, it's the biggest chunk the ice shelf has lost since observations began over 100 years ago in 1915. Pictured: Chasm-1

Chasm-1 (pictured) had lain dormant for the 25 years prior to 2012, when satellite monitoring revealed it was starting to move

The weekend's 'calving event' was completely natural - not at all linked to climate change - and caused by a spring tide. Calving is a natural occurrence caused by the forward motion of a glacier making its end unstable

HOW DO SCIENTISTS MONITOR THE BRUNT ICE SHELF? Scientists use a network of 16 GPS instruments to measure any deformation of the Brunt Ice Shelf, which causes cracks, which report updates every hour. These include the Sentinel 2 satellites from the European Space Agency, NASA Worldview satellites, US Landsat 8 and TerraSAR-X. They also utilise on-site drone footage, as well as ground penetrating radar to image the subsurface The data has provided scientists with a number of ways to measure any cracks with high precision. They have also used computer models and bathymetric maps to predict how close the ice shelf was to calving. Advertisement

While this won't be the largest iceberg to split off from Antarctica, it's the biggest chunk the Brunt Ice Shelf has lost since observations began over 100 years ago in 1915.

Chasm-1 had lain dormant for at least 35 years prior to 2012, when satellite monitoring revealed it was starting to move.

In 2015 and 2016, scientists used ice-penetrating radar technologies and satellite images to determine the path the fracture could take, and the speed it could grow.

By December, Chasm-1 was slicing across the majority of the ice shelf, marking the beginning of the calving event.

The iceberg it has formed is predicted to drift into the Weddell Sea, but glaciologists will track its movement.

It will be named by the US National Ice Center, but it will likely carry the letter 'A' to signify it is in the Antarctic quadrant from 0 East to 90 West.

As the last major iceberg that calved from this quadrant was called 'A80', the latest one may be called 'A81'.

The loss of a section of an ice shelf can result in an acceleration of the flow of the remaining ice, which may put pressure on other features in the shelf.

One of the most notable of these is the 'Halloween Crack', that appeared in October 2016 and extends over 37 miles (60 km) to just a few miles from Chasm-1.

This protrudes from another important feature called the McDonald Ice Rumples, an elevation of the ice as a result of an obstacle protruding from the sea floor.

This ordinarily helps to lock the Brunt Ice Shelf in place, but may be affected by a change in rate of ice flow.

The Halley VI Research Centre sits on the Brunt Ice Shelf, that floats on the frozen continent and flows at a rate of about 1.5 miles per year

Staff are deployed at the station between November and March to maintain the facilities that allow them to monitor experiments remotely during the winter

This is the second major calving from the Brunt Ice Shelf in the last two years, with the first occurring in February 2021.

In November 2020, a major fracture - called the North Rift  began carving its way through the ice and continued to extend through the start of the new year.

This accumulated in a 490 square-mile (1,270 km) iceberg, called A74, splitting off the vast floating ice shelf and drifting into the Weddell Sea.

The Brunt Ice Shelf is made from glacier ice that originally fell as snow on Antarctica and has flowed off the land and out to sea.

It flows at a rate of up to 1.2 miles (2 km) per year west towards the sea where, at irregular intervals, it calves off icebergs.

In 2021, an iceberg with an area of almost 500 square miles grazed past the western Brunt Ice Shelf, but it did not split Chasm-1.

There was concern that if it had hit West Brunt harder, it would finally cause the block to break off from the main ice shelf and create the new iceberg.
A mysterious handprint carved into an ancient dry moat that once surrounded Jerusalem's Old City 1,000 years ago has been uncovered - and its meaning has baffled researchers.

Archaeologists spotted the imprint while excavating around an infrastructure project to expand a road near Herod's Gate, which initially uncovered part of the moat.

While the function of the moat is clear, it stopped crusaders from invading the holy city, the carved hand remains a mystery.

'Does it symbolize something? Does it point to a specific nearby element? Or is it just a local prank? Time may tell,' said the researchers.

Israeli archaeologists are trying to uncover the meaning of a recently discovered hand imprint carved into the stone wall of an ancient moat outside Jerusalem's Old City

The massive moat was hewn into the stone around the Old City, stretching 33 feet across and between six to 22 feet deep.

According to the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA), Crusaders in 1099 needed five weeks to cross it and breach the city's walls and defenses.

READ MORE: First evidence of a wartime campsite used by more than 20,000 Crusaders in the 12th century to invade the Holy Land is unearthed in Israel Archaeologists in Israel have identified the remains of a Crusader encampment in Galilee dating to the 12th century, the first definitive evidence of a wartime campsite used by the Christian invaders in the Holy Land. Advertisement

While the moat's function was clear, the hand's meaning was elusive.

'It's a mystery, we tried to solve it,' IAA's excavation director Zubair Adawi said in a statement.

IAA archaeologists remained uncertain who carved the hand into the rock or its significance.

The impressive walls and gates of the Old City visible today were built in the sixteenth century by the Turkish Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I, the Magnificent.

Dr Amit Re'em, Jerusalem Region Director at IAA said: 'The earlier fortification walls that surrounded the ancient city of Jerusalem were much stronger.'

For the Crusaders to attack the city, the group had to cross the moat and climb over two thick surrounding walls, which were manned by their opponents, who poured fire and sulfur from the top.

'As if this wasn't enough, there were secret tunnels in the fortifications, some of them uncovered by the IAA archaeologists in previous excavations, whereby the city defenders could emerge into the moat and attack the enemy by surprise, and then disappear back into the city,' said Re'em.

The Crusades were some of the bloodiest battles of the later Middle Ages, which were a series of religious wars fought between 1095 and 1291, in which Christian invaders fought to claim the near East.

The crusaders had two goals: to free eastern Christians from the Muslims and the Holy Sepulcher from the Muslims.

The moat was discovered during an infrastructure to expand a nearby road. Archaeologists were called in to excavate the area

The hand imprint is the size of a ground adult's hand, but its meaning has baffled researchers

'Does it symbolize something? Does it point to a specific nearby element? Or is it just a local prank? Time may tell,' said the researchers

Earlier medieval Christians went to Jerusalem as an act of pilgrimage for the remission of their sins.

Since the Crusaders were also helping God by freeing his tomb from the Muslims, they could have counted the war as a pilgrimage

Sylvia Schein, a leading expert on the history and politics of the Crusade States, who died in 2004, believed that the goal of the First Crusade was to liberate the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Pope Urban, who died in 1009, originally planned the crusade as a way to help the Byzantines, but he yielded to popular opinion and made it a war to rescue Jerusalem
The time Netflix 'freeloaders' have long feared will soon arrive - password sharing will be banned by the end of March.

The company shared the news in a letter to shareholders, noting that 'widespread account sharing' has exceeded over 100 million viewers.

These individuals, however, will be able to transfer their profiles to a new paid account, allowing them to carry over their preferences.

Netflix said 2022 had been a 'tough year' due to its first subscriber loss in more than a decade - its customer base fell by 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter.

Netflix told shareholders it will stop users from sharing accounts in late March. The move comes as more than 100 million people are watching the platform for free

'Today's widespread account sharing undermines our long-term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business.' the company said in its letter.

'While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly.'

Netflix, however, is aware some users will cancel their accounts, but those sharing can transfer profiles if they choose to open their own.

'We believe the pattern will be similar to what we've seen in Latin America, with engagement growing over time as we continue to deliver a great slate of programming and borrowers sign up for their own accounts,' the company told shareholders.

Netflix has been working to bring in more revenue, all while catering to consumers.

In November 2022, the company launched a 'Basic with Ads' option for $6.99 a month, compared to the ad-free version for $9.99 a month.

Advertisements, which are either 15 or 30 seconds long, play before and during shows and movies.

And leading up to the recent ban on password sharing, the streaming service revealed plans for a paid sharing option.

This will be for multiple users on the same account.

Under the new rules, people watching Netflix using someone else's account will have to create their own logins and pay for their own access.

Testing of the new feature is already underway, with a platform-wide rollout expected to come into effect by the end of March.

To enable people to share an account, 'paid sharing' will be added, allowing multiple users but costing less than a full subscription.

Accounts already come with five profiles, but these are solely for use by members of the same household.

'Every account comes with five profiles that can be used by any member of the household,' a Netflix spokesperson said.

The new option comes if people wish to share their Netflix account with friends and family living elsewhere.
In the 1991 film 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day' T-1000 liquifies himself to walk through metal bars, and this sci-fi scene is recreated in a real-world robot.

A video of a shape-shifting robot shows it trapped in a cage, melting and then sliding through the bars where it reforms on the outside.

Researchers led by The Chinese University of Hong Kong created the new phase-shifting material by embedding magnetic particles in gallium, a metal with a very low melting point of 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the team does not see the innovation threatening humanity like in the Terminator movie, they foresee it removing foreign objects from the body or delivering drugs on demand.

Scientists tested the robot through a series of 'obstacles.' One saw a person-shaped robot inside of a cage

As well as being able to shape-shift, the engineers say their robots are magnetic and can also conduct electricity.

The robots were tested in obstacle courses of mobility and shape-morphing.

READ MORE: Shape-shifting liquid motor powers itself by 'EATING' metal The terrifying dystopia of shapeshifting metal assassins seen in Terminator 2 may not have been as far-fetched as once thought. Researchers from China created droplets of liquid metal that move through obstacle courses and Petri dishes by 'eating' flakes of aluminum Advertisement

Team leader Doctor Chengfeng Pan explained that where traditional robots are hard-bodied and stiff, 'soft' robots have the opposite problem; they are flexible but weak, and their movements are difficult to control.

'Giving robots the ability to switch between liquid and solid states endows them with more functionality,' said Pan.

Senior author Professor Carmel Majidi, a mechanical engineer at Carnegie Mellon University, in Canada said: 'The magnetic particles here have two roles.

'One is that they make the material responsive to an alternating magnetic field, so you can, through induction, heat up the material and cause the phase change.

'But the magnetic particles also give the robots mobility and the ability to move in response to the magnetic field.'

He explained that the process is in contrast to existing phase-shifting materials that rely on heat guns, electrical currents, or other external heat sources to induce solid-to-liquid transformation.

Prof Majidi says the new material also boasts an 'extremely fluid' liquid phase compared to other phase-changing materials, whose 'liquid' phases are considerably more viscous.

Before exploring potential applications, the team tested the material's mobility and strength in various scenarios.

The robot seems to pull inspiration from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In the 1991 film T-1000 liquifies himself to walk through metal bars

The robot liquifies and slides through the bars. This is because of magnetic particles embedded in gallium, a metal with a very low melting point of 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

With the aid of a magnetic field, the robots jumped over moats, climbed walls, and even split in half to cooperatively move other objects around before coalescing back together.

'Now, we're pushing this material system in more practical ways to solve some very specific medical and engineering problems,' Pan said.

The team also used the robots to remove a foreign object from a model stomach and to deliver drugs on-demand into the same stomach.

The robot can be heated and an external magnet pulls it in a specific direction

Once on the outside of the cage, the robot reforms back into its solid shape

The innovation may also work as smart soldering robots for wireless circuit assembly and repair and as a universal mechanical 'screw' for assembling parts in hard-to-reach spaces.

Prof Majidi added: 'Future work should further explore how these robots could be used within a biomedical context.

'What we're showing are just one-off demonstrations, proofs of concept, but much more study will be required to delve into how this could actually be used for drug delivery or for removing foreign objects.'
By Azernews

Laman Ismayilova

"A new look at national heritage" project has been presented in Baku. The project was implemented jointly by Azerxalca OJSC, AFFFAIR brand, and the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum in partnership with PASHA Holding, PASHA Bank, and Kapital Bank.

The exposition presents carpets woven by Azerxalca masters based on the collection of the world-famous Azerbaijani designer, founder of AFFFAIR Rufat Ismayil with elements of ancient carpets Achma-yumma, Karabakh, Nakhchivan, stored a the National Carpet Museum, as well as Paziriq carpet from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and Shabakali carpet by the People's Artist of Azerbaijan Eldar Mikayilzada.

Speaking at the event, director of the National Carpet Museum, Ph.D. in Art History and Honored Cultural Worker Shirin Malikova noted that national carpet weaving with its stylized pattern language, color, and artistic excellence has an ancient history, and is included in UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

"The Azerbaijani carpet weaving has a long history, it is classical art. The carpet-weaving is one of the oldest types of decorative and applied art in Azerbaijan. Carpets and rugs made in Azerbaijan have been repeatedly praised in many historical books, pieces of classical literature, and folklore, and are stored in the best museums in the world," Shirin Malikova said.

With the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Heydar Aliyev Center successfully hosted the presentation of new carpets and a defile of AFFFAIR in carpet costumes by Rufat Ismayil, based on Azerbaijani carpets in June 2022.

Presented new carpets are those created by the creative team of Azerxalca OJSC, based on the design developed by Rufat Ismayil and inspired by the elements of ancient elements Achma-yumma, Karabakh, Nakhchivan, Ovchuluq, Paziriq.

Special attention was paid to the Sumax clothing collection, created with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, by fashion designer Rufat Ismayil, using motifs, rich colors, and patterns of Azerbaijani carpets and dedicated to Azerbaijan's Karabakh victory. The organizers of the current project decided to continue the trend, but only this time the motifs from the designer's collection were embodied in carpets.

Chairman of the Board of Azerxalca, Honored Art Worker Emin Mammadov stressed that the main idea of the modern carpet collection created jointly with AFFFAIR is to show that the Azerbaijani carpet is an inextinguishable source of art, an adornment of the family hearth, a unique piece of art that gives the interior a special energy.

The main goal of the project, dedicated to the Victory in the 44-day Patriotic War and the liberation of Karabakh, and inspired by the traditions of national carpet weaving, in particular the Karabakh school, is also the preservation of historical traditions in modern directions.

"For the development and promotion of national carpet weaving, it is necessary to take into account modern trends and a creative approach, while maintaining historical traditions. After all, carpet art is on the path of development and the search for new ideas that we are trying to implement. The works of Azerkhalcha presented here, created in five dresses from the collection of Rufat Ismayil and chosen by him for the implementation of the project, were released in limited quantity - 25 copies each. This project has become another embodiment of the conceptual approach of synthesis of ancient traditions and modern trends," Emin Mammadov said.

Each of these samples of modern carpet was donated to the collection of the National Carpet Museum in order to preserve, modernize and pass the cultural heritage on to future generations.

In his speech, Director of Government Relations and CSR Department of PASHA Holding Nazim Safarov emphasized the project's importance and highlighted PASHA Holding's activities in cultural and art fields as well as the implementation of social initiatives.

Fashion designer Rufat Ismayil, who has been living and working in Turkiye over the past years, expressed his gladness to carry out this project in his homeland.

"The Azerbaijani national motifs reflected in my collections, including those with carpet ornaments, are of great interest on world podiums. This is very important for the promotion of Azerbaijani culture, and I will continue my work in this direction," said Rufat Ismayil.

The exposition aroused great interest among the guests, among whom were well-known cultural and art figures, representatives of the creative intelligentsia and youth as well as diplomatic missions.
Hollywood superstar Margot Robbie's uncle has set the record straight about the actress's relationship with her allegedly estranged father.

Wayne Robbie, who operates a large real estate firm on the Gold Coast, denied recent reports that his brother, Doug, has never had a relationship with Margot and that they're on bad terms.

'That has never been the case,' Wayne told Daily Mail Australia.

'He certainly does have a relationship with her. He is very proud of her.'

Wayne confirmed also that his brother - a retired sugarcane farmer and property developer now based in Airlie Beach - recently travelled to Sydney to see Margot when she was in town for the premiere of her new film Babylon.

Margot Robbie at the recent premiere of Babylon in Sydney. Her uncle, Wayne Robbie, says her father isn't estranged from the famous actress despite reports

It comes several years after reports first started circulating that the Wolf of Wall Street star - born and raised by mother Sarie Kessler on the Gold Coast - had cut off all contact with her dad.

Speaking to The Sun UK in 2016, Margot acknowledged that her contact with her father was limited, adding 'I'm not like him at all'.

At the time it was revealed that her younger brother Lachlan - or Lockie - remained close to his father however two other siblings - Anya and Cameron - reportedly shared a similar relationship to that of Margot.

It's understood Doug separated from Sarie when the children were young, leaving the single mum to raise four children alone on the Gold Coast.

Doug Robbie - a retired sugarcane farmer and property developer who now lives at Airlie Beach - pictured with his son Lachie

All four attended the exclusive private school Somerset College before Margot went on to find fame and fortune in Hollywood where she is now on track to snag her second Academy Award nomination for Babylon.

Wayne said his niece's career has been a huge source of pride for the Robbie clan - most of whom remain on the Gold Coast.

'It's Margot's life and we don't get involved in giving comment. But we are very proud of Margot and everything she has achieved,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'We just have a bit of a policy about speaking to the media - that is something that is really up to her if she wants to say anything publicly.

'But we are proud of her. And Doug is exactly the same. He has been down there with the opening of the movie and I know they do have a relationship.

'Doug is retired now he has been for a long time. But he is in contact with Margot and all of the kids.'

Margot pictured with her mum, Sarie Kessler, at the Babylon premiere in Los Angeles

Fiercely loyal to her mum, 32-year-old Margot speaks regularly about their close relationship and has said that any children she has will be raised on the Gold Coast to be close to their grandmother.

The pair recently walked the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Babylon where Sarie - a retired physiotherapist - was likened by reporters to Margot's sister thanks to her strikingly youthful appearance.

Margot, who missed out on an Oscar nomination this year for her work in Babylon, famously used her first big pay check paying her mother back any money she had given her to help build her career while she was starting out.

'I spent it on paying you back, mum. Don't you remember? I was so in debt by the end of grade 12,' she said in a 2019 Vogue interview.

'I had everything I owed you written on a piece of paper, and every time I got a paycheck I paid off my debt, but then I kept the piece of paper because it was so satisfying at the end to know I'd paid it all back.'
Montana Brown showcased her blossoming bump on Tuesday.

The former Love Island star, 27, took to her Instagram to share the snaps marking the 18th week of her pregnancy.

Montana, who is expecting her first baby with boyfriend Mark O'Connor, was all smiles as she posed in white underwear and cradled her tummy lovingly.

Mother-to-be: Montana Brown showcased her blossoming bump on Tuesday, taking to Instagram to post snaps marking the 18th week of her pregnancy

For the relaxed photos, taken in a bedroom, she also posted a close-up photo of her growing belly.

She wore her brunette locks in a loose up do, opting for no makeup and letting her natural beauty shine through.

Montana captioned her post: '18 weeks ft my mysterious belly button which was pierced for 6 months at age 16 and the scar never disappeared.'

Blossoming bump: For the relaxed photos, taken in a bedroom, she also posted a close-up photo of her growing belly

Glowing: Montana, who is expecting her first baby with boyfriend Mark O'Connor, was all smiles as she posed in white underwear and cradled her tummy lovingly

Milestone: Montana captioned her post: '18 weeks ft my mysterious belly button which was pierced for 6 months at age 16 and the scar never disappeared'

It comes after Montana praised natural birth control for 'changing her life' on Monday as she discussed her fertility journey while sharing a sweet video.

Taking to her Instagram, Montana explained how her decision to come off hormonal birth control two years ago taught her 'so much' about her cycle.

In the montage video, the reality star included photographs of herself holding up a temperature monitor, used to track a woman's cycle.

Fertility journey: On Monday, Montana praised natural birth control for 'changing her life' as she discussed her fertility journey while sharing a sweet video to Instagram

She finished it with a clip of herself happily displaying her baby bump while on a beach with her boyfriend.

Montana penned alongside her video: 'New year reflections. It was almost two years ago that I shared my natural birth control journey with you.

'I remember the feeling of getting off hormonal birth control - and feeling I was in control of my body again - I was so grateful for finding naturalcycles.

Pregnant: The Love Islander finished it with a clip of herself happily displaying her baby bump while on a beach with her boyfriend Mark

Life-changing: Montana explained how her decision to come off hormonal birth control two years ago, taught her 'so much' about her cycle

'Two years later I'm even more grateful for starting my hormone-free journey when I did. It helped me prevent pregnancy without having to worry.

'It taught me so much about my cycle that when the time came to make the switch and plan for a baby, I felt so in tune with my body.

'Every single one of our fertility journeys is so different. And whilst I've been open about mine taking a little longer than expected to get pregnant, I truly believe it would have taken me even longer if I didn't make that switch 2 years ago and I didn't start using Natural Cycles.

'There's not many products that can make such a big impact and change your life, but Natural Cycles has. The best thing is that I can go back to using it to prevent pregnancy once Baby O'Connor is here.'

Future planning: 'The best thing is that I can go back to using it to prevent pregnancy once Baby O'Connor is here' shared Montana

Montana recently told her followers how she has been experiencing bad cramps, saying: 'I was waking up last night because I had cramping. Ive had cramps since the start and they feel like my normal period pains.

'I dont hear too many people talking about it during the pregnancy. Its taken up a notch over the last couple of days unfortunately.

'Im so tired all the time and I dont need an extra excuse to stay in bed because I was also a lazy b***h before pregnancy.'

Montana recently revealed she and Mark have not found out the sex of their child yet, penning: 'Also we don't know the gender for all those asking... lots of people say they can tell due to the bump which is cool.

Candid: Montana recently told how she has been experiencing bad cramps during her pregnancy with her first child

'I'm not sure if you can tell with my bump being quite small at the minute but I'd love to hear your theories! I feel like it may be a girl tbh just feeling in my bones! Place your bets!'

It comes after the reality star revealed she was 'so shocked' to find out she was pregnant because she had been trying to conceive at the start of the year but it didn't happen.

She took to Instagram to do a Q&A when she told how her and beau Mark struggled to get pregnant due to her low oestrogen levels.

Montana took to Instagram on Christmas Eve to share the jovial news of her pregnancy with her 1.2million followers.

She shared a video montage documenting the initial stages of her pregnancy, including her and her boyfriend grinning with their positive test.

In her caption, she wrote: 'Baby O'Connor coming next summer [white heart, baby emoji].'

Other clips in the post saw the reality star undergo an ultrasound scan and cosy up to Mark on the beach as he cradled her bump during a recent getaway.

Montana was seen lifting a small child into her arms, whose identity is unknown, before writing 'Baby O'Connor' in the sand.
Dacre Montgomery won't don Wolverine's metal claws anytime soon.

The Australian actor, 28, has revealed he has no interest in replacing his friend and mentor Hugh Jackman in any upcoming Marvel films.

Dacre, who is best known for his role as school bully Billy Hargrove in Netflix hit Stranger Things, had been tipped as a possible replacement for Hugh, but he told The Daily Telegraph this isn't on the cards for him.

Dacre Montgomery (pictured as Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things) has broken his silence on rumours he could replace Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in future Marvel films

The rumours gained traction after it was reported Hugh Jackman would not be reprising his role in the upcoming Deadpool film.

Dacre had supposedly been up against the likes of Taron Egerton, Paul Mescal, Milo Gibson and Daniel Radcliffe for the iconic role.

He said his friendship with Hugh, who offered him guidance early in his Hollywood career, was more important to him than landing a big franchise role.

He said his friendship with Hugh, who offered him guidance early in his career, was more important to him than landing a big franchise role. (Hugh is pictured in X-Men: The Last Stand)

He has instead set his sights on grittier roles.

Dacre, who most recently starred as TV director Steve Binder in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, says he is attracted to meatier scripts with character development.

'I feel like it is an amazing opportunity as a newcomer in the Australian acting world to craft my own story,' he said.

Dacre, who most recently starred as TV director Steve Binder in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, says he is attracted to meatier scripts with character development

Perhaps best known for portraying Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things, he recently became an ambassador for the Australian menswear brand Politix.

'I think that is what is amazing about this is there is an emphasis on sensitivity in masculinity,' he said.

Dacre is expected to star in two films this year: Spider and Jessie and Went Up that Hill.
Cate Blanchett led the Australian contingent in this year's Oscar nominations, securing a nod for her role in Tom Field's psychological drama Tar.

The 53-year-old is nominated in the Best Actress category for her portrayal of Lydia Tar, a manipulative orchestra conductor who rises to become the first-ever female conductor of a German orchestra.

Also nominated in the Best Actress category is Ana De Armas for her depiction of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde; Andrea Riseborough for her portrayal of a recovering alcoholic reuniting with her estranged son in To Leslie; and Michelle Williams for playing a character inspired by Stephen Spielberg's mother in The Fabelmans.

Cate Blanchett led the Australian contingent in this year's Oscar nominations, securing a nod for her role in the psychological drama Tar. (Pictured at the UK premiere of Tar on January 11)

Michelle Yeoh is also nominated for Best Actress in A24's genre-bending action film Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Blanchett is now among a small circle of elite actors who have been nominated for an Oscar eight times, joining the likes of Marlon Brando, Judi Dench, Geraldine Page, Peter O'Toole and Glenn Close.

She has already won two Oscars, one for The Aviator (2005) and the other for Blue Jasmine (2014).

She is nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of Lydia Tar, a manipulative orchestra conductor who rises to become the first-ever female conductor of a German orchestra

Michelle Yeoh is also nominated for Best Actress in A24's genre-bending action film Everything Everywhere All at Once. (Pictured L-R: Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan)

Fellow Australian Baz Lurhmann failed to receive a nomination for Best Director for his Elvis Presley biopic, but the film did receive eight nods in other categories.

These include leading man Austin Butler's nomination for Best Actor, and Lurhmann's creative director wife Catherine Martin's nomination for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

Martin, who also worked on Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, is now the most-awarded Australian in Oscars history, having scooped nine nods and four wins over the years.

Fellow Australian Baz Lurhmann failed to receive a nomination for Best Director for his Elvis Presley biopic, but the film did receive eight nods in other categories

Elvis' nominations include leading man Austin Butler's (centre) nod for Best Actor, and Lurhmann's creative director wife Catherine Martin's (left) nomination for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design

Aussie golden girl Margot Robbie was snubbed from the list of nominees.

The 32-year-old was not recognised for her work in the film Babylon, nor did the film receive a nomination in the Best Picture category.

Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams announced the nominations for the 95th Annual Academy Awards on Tuesday morning.

The Oscars will take place March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Aussie golden girl Margot Robbie was snubbed from the list of nominees. Her film Babylon also did not receive a nomination in the Best Picture category

It comes after Blanchett came under fire for her Golden Globe winning role in Tar.

While many have condemned the critically acclaimed film as 'anti-woman' - because Blanchett's character is revealed to be a narcissistic bully - Blanchett came to its defence in an interview with BBC Radio 4.

She described the movie as 'very provocative' and said it was 'a mediation on power - and power is genderless'.

The backlash to Tar has been spearheaded by the real-life conductor Marin Alsop, who said she was offended by the portrayal of the protagonist.

It comes after Blanchett came under fire for her Golden Globe-winning role in Tar. She plays Lydia Tar, who rises to become the first-ever female conductor of a German orchestra

Marin, 66, who is one of the world's top female conductors, told The Australian last Friday: 'To have an opportunity to portray a woman in that role to make her an abuser, for me that's heartbreaking.'

Blanchett said Alsop was entitled to her opinion but distanced herself from any accusation the film used Alsop - or any other female conductor - as the basis for her character.

Blanchett is tipped to win her second Best Actress Oscar for the role.

The backlash to Tar has been spearheaded by the real-life conductor Marin Alsop (pictured on August 21, 2021, in New York), who said she was offended by the portrayal of the protagonist
The cofounder of the Golden Raspberry Awards, known as the Razzies, responded to an angry response on social media over the newly-announced nomination of 12-year-old actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong, saying he believed the reaction was 'overblown.'

Controversy ensued when Armstrong was nominated for Worst Actress for her performance in the film Firestarter, with many people taking to social media calling out the award show for bullying and a toxic message in nominating a preteen performer.

Cofounder John Wilson chat with Buzzfeed about the row, which comes less than a year after the show last year had to rescind a category mocking actor Bruce Willis after his diagnosis with aphasia was revealed publicly.

The latest: The co-founder of the Golden Raspberry Awards, known as the Razzies, responded to an angry response over the newly-announced nomination of 12-year-old actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong, saying he believed the reaction was 'overblown.' She was pictured in LA last fall

Wilson said that he 'can see how it could be taken' as mean-spirited, but doesn't 'think that was how it was meant.'

He added, 'I think people who get upset about it - I don't even know how to say this. The rage is interesting - perhaps somewhat justified, but I think overblown. There's a righteousness about it. It's the Razzie Awards, for goodness' sake!'

Wilson said that 'the intent' on the nomination 'was to be funny,' and that 'in this particular instance, we seem to have misstepped very badly.'

According to Wilson, the preteen actress is considered an 'experienced actress, even if she's only 12,' and came in fifth in votes from around 1,100 voting members in the category, which also includes Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic Park: Dominion), Diane Keaton (Mack & Rita), Kaya Scodelario (The Kings Daughter) and Alicia Silverstone (The Requin).

The annual award show is earmarked to highlight the worst of Hollywood's output the previous year

Armstrong appeared along Zac Efron in the 2022 adaptation of the Stephen King novel

Among those to vent their displeasure on social media was child actor Julian Hilliard, 11, who tweeted, 'The razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong. Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.'

In response to a user who called the show a joke, Hilliard replied, 'Nope, not when it involves a kid. That joke can have a very negative impact. They crossed a line.'

Another user said of the nomination, 'This is beyond the pale. As a critic, I believe in being honest about movies but there is zero reason to be cruel. Treating a child this way is monstrous.'

Among those to vent their displeasure on social media was child actor Julian Hilliard

One user suggested the show rescind Armstrong's nomination after the decision involving Willis last year.

'Just like when they Rescinded Bruce Willis's Category Razzie Noms Last Year, I'm calling on #Razzies to Rescind Nom of Ryan Kiera Armstrong in Worst Actress,' the user wrote. 'They crossed line. She's a Kid. Kids should be OFF LIMITS when it comes to Razzie. It's Time to Rescind it & End Them!'

Another user suggested that 'nominating a young talent isnt fair,' as they are still learning, and 'its the equivalent of bashing someones first time cooking a complex recipe.'

Another user said nominating a performer who is young and still learning is not fair, while another person said it is 'monstrous'

The show last year had to rescind a category mocking actor Bruce Willis after his diagnosis with aphasia was revealed publicly
Sam Smith recently finished up their trip to Australia where they had an awkward run-in with a young fan while strolling through the streets of Sydney.

Speaking with Drew Barrymore on her talk show on Tuesday, the award-winning artist, 30, recounted the moment a mother confessed her child sang their raunchy song Unholy.

Written about a man who is cheating on his wife and unable to keep the secret from getting out, the woman said her kid loved the song but has to change out some of the lyrics for more age-appropriate phrases.

Sam Smith (pictured) recently finished up their trip to Australia where they had an awkward run-in with a young fan while strolling through the streets of Sydney

'I had a child come up to me the other day in Sydney with a mum,' Smith said.

'And the mum was like, "My child sings barber shop instead of body shop." Because it's a baby, it shouldn't be singing these filthy things.'

It comes just a few weeks after a taxpayer-funded private concert by Smith was ruined when a 'disgusting' influencer went to the toilet in front of horrified fellow concert-goers.

Speaking with Drew Barrymore (pictured) on her talk show on Tuesday, the award-winning artist recounted the moment a mother confessed her child sang their raunchy song Unholy

The South Australian government paid for the flights, accommodation and drinks for 205 guests to attend the non-binary English pop star's show at a McLaren Vale winery venue on January 11.

Among the sponsored guests for the exclusive event were 90 social media influencers as well as media personalities, including former The Project host Carrie Bickmore.

One young woman who attended witnessed a female influencer, who was part of a group behaving 'rudely' all night, urinate directly in front of the stage.

The person urinating was not a media personality.

Written about a man who is cheating on his wife and unable to keep the secret from getting out, the woman said her kid loved the song but has to change out some of the lyrics for more age-appropriate phrases

'One of them literally peed in the mosh. I'm not even joking,' said Kate in a TikTok video. 'A girl pushed past me, she's like "I'm so sorry, some girl is peeing."'

'I look over and I literally see someone squatting on the floor peeing, in the mosh. One, it's disgusting, two, I can't even say anything 'cause I'm so lost for words.'

Kate, who went as her mother's 'plus-one', said the woman who peed in front of concert-goers was with a group of influencers, some of whom deserved to be 'slapped' for their behaviour.

It comes just a few weeks after a taxpayer-funded private concert by Smith was ruined when a 'disgusting' influencer went to the toilet in front of horrified fellow concert-goers. One young woman who attended witnessed a female influencer urinate directly in front of the stage

Some estimates said $1million of taxpayer money was spent on the event at the striking dArenberg Cube venue, but tourism minister Zoe Bettison said the actual amount was lower.

Earlier the SA opposition said it was outrageous that taxpayers were forced to foot the bill for the event that was attended mainly by social media influencers and celebrities.

Opposition tourism spokeswoman Jing Lee said because the deal was kept secret, there was no way of measuring its success.
Tori Spelling enjoyed a fun reunion with her 90210 co-star, Jennie Garth as the two stepped out in NYC on Tuesday.

The reality star, 49, and What I Like About You Actress, 50, previously reunited last month in December to visit their iconic Beverly Hills, 90210 beach house set.

The two close pals first crossed paths while portraying their characters of Kelly Taylor and Donna Martin on the hit 90s series that aired for a total of ten seasons, and have maintained an unbreakable bond through the decades.

Fashionable duo: Tori Spelling enjoyed a fun reunion with her 90210 co-star, Jennie Garth as the two stepped out in NYC on Tuesday

Tori was stylishly chic wearing a pair of satin, rosy pink shorts along with a matching, long-sleeved blazer that was left unbuttoned.

The TV personality, whose daughter Stella, 14, recently returned from the hospital following a migraine attack, added a white shirt underneath that was tucked into the waist of the shorts.

For a contrast of color, the actress slipped into a pair of black, open-toed heels that were secured with a strap around her ankles.

She accessorized the classy look with two gold-chained necklaces but opted to not add any other pieces of flashy jewelry.

Her platinum blonde locks were parted in the middle, and flowed down past her shoulders in light, bouncy curls.

Beautiful: The TV personality was stylishly chic wearing a pair of satin, rosy pink shorts along with a matching, long-sleeved blazer that was left unbuttoned

Jennie, who was previously married to Twilight star Peter Facinelli, donned a monochromatic outfit for the outing and slipped into a black, faux leather dress that fell down towards her ankles.

The fashionable ensemble contained capped sleeves while a thin, rope-inspired belt that was wrapped around her midriff to better accentuate her waist.

The talented star left the top portion of the dress unbuttoned and slipped into a pair of black, high-heeled boots to coincide with the color scheme of her overall look.

The mother of three parted her blonde locks in the middle and allowed the strands to effortlessly fall down straight past her shoulders.

The 90210 co-stars chose to not layer their looks with warm jackets in the chilly temperatures, and posed for a quick snap together while hand-in-hand. Jennie also paused to sign autographs for excited fans while Tori paused for a few additional photos on the crowded sidewalk.

Dressed to impress: Jennie, who was previously married to Twilight star Peter Facinelli, donned a monochromatic outfit for the outing and slipped into a black, faux leather dress

Important stop: Jennie uploaded a snap of herself on Instagram as she stopped by a popular eatery to snack on a delicious slice of pizza

Earlier on Tuesday, the Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country star uploaded a snap of herself on Instagram as she made a quick stop by a popular eatery to snack on a delicious slice of New York style pizza during her trip.

She could be seen wearing a thick, black puffer jacket along with a tan-colored beanie that partially covered her blonde hair.

The actress penned a caption to her nearly 1 million followers, and typed out, '[heart] NYC. Had to stop at Joes for a classic slice.'

Tori and Jennie have been close friends since they worked on the popular Beverly Hills, 90210 series which first premiered in 1990.

During a past interview with E! News, Spelling, who is currently married to Dean McDermott after tying the knot in 2006, opened up about her long-lasting friendship with Garth.

Long-lasting friendship: Tori and Jennie have been close friends since they worked on the popular Beverly Hills, 90210 series which first premiered in 1990; the two pals seen in September 2022 in Las Vegas

Throwback: During an interview with E! News, Spelling stated that Jennie, 'completes me' and has been her 'best friend my whole life'; the two seen in 1992

'As my best friend my whole life, she completes me,' Tori informed the publication. 'She makes me a better person and I think together we compliment each other really well.'

Spelling added that her best friend 'was always confident,' and that, 'she used to speak up for me and beat up all my bad boyfriends when I was a teenager.'

Since the end of ten season series in 2000, both friends have stayed close, and currently host their own podcast titled, 90210MG podcast.

Tori also went on to star in her own reality show with her husband, Dean, called Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. The couple share five children, Liam 15, Stella 14, Hattie 11, Finn 10, and Beau 5. She also became stepmother to Dean's two children, Jack and Lola, whom he shares from a previous marriage to Mary Jo Eustace.

Jennie also is a mother to three daughters, Luca 25, Lola 20, and 16-year-old Fiona, whom she shares with ex, Peter Facinelli. The two tied the knot in 2001 until their divorce was finalized in 2013. Two years later, the actress said 'I do' to actor Dave Abrams in 2015.

The best friends will appear on the Tamron Hall Show later this week on January 27 to reminisce on the 90s era.

There for each other: Spelling added that her best friend 'was always confident,' and that, 'she used to speak up for me and beat up all my bad boyfriends when I was a teenager'

Importance of family: Tori and her husband, Dean McDermott, share five children together, and the actress also became stepmother to his two children from a previous marriage
Bruce Willis stepped out with friends in Los Angeles on Monday amid his battle with the brain condition, aphasia.

The 67-year-old retired actor - whose daughter Rumer is expecting her first child - soaked up some sun as he stepped out for a bite to eat and a fresh-pressed green drink.

The Hollywood icon withdrew from acting earlier this year as he began his fight with the illness that caused his language abilities to deteriorate.

Out and about: Bruce Willis stepped out with friends in Los Angeles on Monday amid his battle with the brain condition, aphasia

The Tears of The Sun star seemed to be enjoying the California weather in a tan hat and overcoat, which he later removed to reveal a black and red button-up.

The Die Hard action hero wore a large ring on his right hand and finished off his casual look with a pair of khakis and white shoes.

Last month, Bruce learned he is going to be a grandfather as his 34-year-old daughter, Rumer announced her pregnancy with boyfriend Richard Thomas.

Soaking up some sun: The Looper star seemed to be enjoying the January California weather in a black and red top, khakis, and white shoes

Looking good: The Hollywood icon seemed to be enjoying the California January weather in a black and red top, khakis, and white shoes

Rumer debuted her bump in some sweet snaps which showed Vista Kicks frontman Derek resting his head on her stomach and looking delighted.

Her mother, Demi Moore, 60, announced the news by posting the same snaps with the caption: 'Entering my hot kooky unhinged grandma era.'

Bruce's wife Emma Heming also shared a sweet post, writing: 'Baby news is happy news!!! Congratulations @rumerwillis and @derekrichardthomas We are elated over here!'

This will be Demi and Bruce's first grandchild. They are also parents to daughters Tallulah, 28, and Scout, 31 together.

Baby joy: Rumer Willis is expecting her first child with boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas - with her mother Demi Moore announcing the happy news last month

Family: This will be Demi and Bruce's first grandchild. They are also parents to daughters Tallulah, 28, and Scout, 31 together. (pictured with Talulah)

In November, Willis was reunited on-screen with his former co-star John Travolta in the action-packed film Paradise City.

The film is one of the last that Willis completed before his family announced in March that he was retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia.

The movie also marks the first major collaboration between Willis and Travolta since they starred in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 crime classic Pulp Fiction.

Willis stars in the film as an aging bounty hunter taking on one of his most dangerous missions yet in Hawaii.

After he is shot and presumed dead, his son Ryan (Blake Jenner) teams up with his father's former partner (Stephen Dorff) to hunt down his killers, all while dealing with a sadistic crime lord (Travolta).

His latest and one of his last: Willis was reunited with his former costar Travolta, 68, in the action-packed film Paradise City. The film was completed before he announced his retirement in March

Reunited one last time: Paradise City is the first major collaboration between Willis and Travolta in a feature film since they starred in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 crime classic Pulp Fiction; seen together in a behind-the-scenes photo from the Pulp Fiction set

The family revealed earlier this year that the legendary actor was retiring from show business as his disorder effects his ability to speak and understand language

Bruce's blended family issued a joint statement at the end of March announcing that he was 'stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.'

The statement revealed he 'has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities.'

After the family went public with news of Bruce's retirement, fans flocked to social media to share their love for Bruce.
Hilary Duff held onto her mini-me daughter Mae, 10 months, when in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old Younger star wore boyfriend-cut jeans with a baggy brown cardigan, sunglasses and red Adidas. Her long hair was loose and slightly disheveled as she carried her daughter and a black and white checked backpack.

This sighting comes after she was seen doing press in New York City.

Mama Bear: Hilary Duff held onto her mini-me daughter Mae, 10 months, when in Los Angeles on Tuesday

Mae looked adorable in a pink sweatshirt and sweatpants with her hair in a messy ponytail. She was wearing red framed sunglasses.

The Lizzie McGuire star is also mom to Luca, 10, with ex-husband Mike Comrie and Banks, four, with current husband Matthew Koma.

The How I Met Your Father actress was in New York City last week to promote the second season of her Emmy winning Hulu Series.

She started her busy day with a pre-dawn appearance on Good Morning America before sitting down with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. She wrapped the day up with an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

Banks in the city: The Lizzie McGuire star held her child who pulled off her sunglasses

Sightseeing: The toddler took her sunglasses on and off as she accompanied her mother

For her Late Night appearance the mom of three went braless in a stunning long black dress with a diagonal cut out section across her chest.

She accessorized her look with a pair of black heels that added inches to her petite 5ft1in frame.

She kept warm in a funky ankle length black leather coat featuring black fur on the collar and a belt around her waist. She wore her long, honey blonde hair loose and slightly wavy.

Casual look: The Raise Your Voice star rocked a casual look in boyfriend cut jeans, a baggy brown cardigan and red Adidas

Hilary shared some behind the scenes snaps from her appearance on Late Night on her Instagram account.

In one snap, she's smiling with fellow Late Night guest Kim Petras.

She captioned the photo, 'Always a fun time with@latenightseth annnnnnnnnd @kimpetras cmooooooon!'
An Australian K-pop star has stoked anti-Chinese sentiment in South Korea after innocently bungling a new year's greeting.

Danielle Marsh, who is a member of the girl group NewJeans, sparked widespread backlash in Korea after referring to the Lunar New Year as 'Chinese New Year'.

The Newcastle-born teenager, 17, made the blunder while messaging fans in the group's own subscription-based app Phoning.

Australian K-pop star Danielle Marsh (pictured), from the girl group NewJeans, has stoked anti-Chinese sentiment in South Korea after innocently bungling a new year's greeting

'What r u bunnies doing for Chinese new year?' she wrote, before quickly deleting it when she realised her mistake.

It's common for Westerners to refer to the Lunar New Year as 'Chinese New Year', but in Korea it's considered to be highly offensive and is seen as a pro-Chinese and anti-Korean statement.

Korean internet users blasted the Aussie star in the comments section of major news websites and forums, per translations by Netizenbuzz.

'So she's Australian, which means it's not like she didn't understand the English she was writing in...' wrote one.

'I wish these agencies would train these idols in more than just singing and dancing and get them some basic sense. It's so embarrassing that she even posted the word "Chinese" at all.'

The 17-year-old star sparked widespread backlash in Korea after referring to the Lunar New Year as 'Chinese New Year' in a post on her group's social media app

'A pity [NewJeans'] member didn't know better than to call it Chinese New Year when she debuted to earn her money in our country,' wrote another.

'I still can't forgive them for the Chinese New Year thing... I don't want to see them again,' raged another.

'Please either keep groups limited to Korean-only members or get them all proper history education,' wrote another. 'I liked this group because of their good vibes but I'm totally over them because of this. I'm going to stick to supporting groups with only Korean members.'

'I bet you she has Chinese blood in her family line somewhere,' one fan said.

Korean internet users blasted the Aussie star in the comments section of major news websites and forums, per translations by Netizenbuzz

Danielle has since issued a grovelling apology for the mistake on the group's official Instagram account.

'Although I deleted it as soon as I realised my mistake, my message had already been delivered to many people, and it became impossible to undo,' she explained.

'Because Lunar New Year is a holiday celebrated by many countries and regions, including our country [Korea], my choice of words was inappropriate, and I deeply regret it.

'I also want to say I'm truly sorry to the Bunnies [NewJeans fans] and many other people who must have been disappointed or hurt by my words.'

'I will not forget this incident, and I will try to be more careful in my words and actions in the future. Once again, I apologise,' she concluded.

'Please either keep groups limited to Korean only members or get them all proper history education,' raged one Korean pop fan

While Koreans have been reluctant to forgive, international K-pop fans have been far more understanding.

'We call it Chinese New Year in my country as well! Please do not apologise! Happy Chinese New Year everyone!' one fan wrote.

'In Australia we call it Chinese New Year, there's no need to apologise, babe,' added another.

The Newcastle-born star has become one of the biggest names in K-pop in the last year and is a global ambassador for the fashion brand Burberry (pictured in the ad campaign)

NewJeans have become the hottest new group in K-pop since they debuted last July.

They've had two No. 1 singles already, with their recent hit Ditto charting internationally in the UK, Australia, and on the Billboard Hot 100, in addition to becoming the most streamed song in history on Spotify in South Korea.

Danielle isn't the group's only Australian member, with Vietnamese-Australian member Hanni hailing from Melbourne.
Savannah Chrisley gave her fans a glimpse into her tumultuous life on Tuesday as her parents Todd and Julie Chrisley begin multi-year federal prison sentences.

The 25-year-old reality star spoke on her Unlocked podcast about how she is dealing with her 'life falling apart' following her parents' conviction for multiple charges, including bank fraud and tax evasion.

Todd was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, while Julie was given a seven-year sentence, for defrauding banks of more than $30 million from fraudulent loans, according to the Associated Press.

'So for those of you that are familiar with my family and have followed our lives and have also followed my podcast, you know that last week was an extremely difficult week for my family as a whole and for each of us individually,' Savannah said in the introduction to her latest episode.

Bad days: Savannah Chrisley, 25, opened up about her 'life falling apart' in the intro to the latest episode of her Unlocked podcast on Tuesday; seen in 2014 in LA

'We kind of had to say goodbye to my parents for a little bit of time, for the foreseeable future,' she continued. 'And that was really, really, really tough.'

Despite the tone of her intro, Savannah kept the rest of the episode upbeat as she conducted a bubbly interview with her friend and producer Erin Dugan.

However, in the introduction, which was seemingly recorded after the interview, Savannah shared that she had not 'filmed a podcast since' recording her most recent interview on January 12, which happened to be her mother Julie's 50th birthday.

'The podcast that is going to be airing today that you're watching was filmed prior to my life falling apart, so it may seem happy-go-lucky,' she continued. 'I think it's because there was a lot of hope that was had and I wasn't faced with the reality of the situation.'

Going away: 'We kind of had to say goodbye to my parents for a little bit of time, for the foreseeable future,' she continued. 'And that was really, really, really tough'; Julie and Todd seen in 2019

Fraudsters: Todd was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison , while Julie was given a seven-year sentence, for defrauding banks of more than $30 million from fraudulent loans, according to the Associated Press; still from Chrisley Knows Best

Savannah suggested that future episodes would reflect her new life after her parents began their lengthy prison sentences.

'So I just kind of wanted to throw this in there to address that because I know a lot of people are gonna be like, "Whoa, what is this?" And this was kind of pre-life falling apart. And now podcasts that I do going forward will be post. So I hope that kind of helps you understand things,' she said.

The Chrisley Knows Best star promised that her next episode would be a 'very intense one-on-one podcast with myself kind of giving an update on where my life's at.'

Savannah previously revealed that her parents' prison sentence is altering more than just their lives, as she will now be assuming custody of her brother Grayson, 16, and her niece Chloe, 10.

Chloe is the daughter of Todd's son Kyle Chrisley  from his marriage to ex-wife Teresa Terry  and Angela Johnson, but she was adopted by Todd and Julie in 2016.

Since they were sentenced to prison, Chloe's mother has been taking steps to regain custody of her daughter.

Contrast: Savannah's dark intro was in contrast to her interview, which was taped before her parents went to prison. She promised updates on her life and mental state in future episodes; seen in 2014

Carrying the load: Savannah previously revealed that her parents' prison sentence is altering more than just their lives, as she will now be assuming custody of her brother Grayson, 16, and her niece Chloe, 10

'I'm really looking forward to giving that update because I've seen God work in the craziest of circumstances. So until then, I hope you enjoy this week's podcast,' Savannah continued in her introduction. 'Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for supporting me, my family and Unlocked.'

Todd and Julie are incarcerated at federal prisons 650 miles apart, with Todd serving his sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola, Florida, while Julie turned herself into the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

Although Julie is imprisoned at a medical center  after her original prison near her husband's in Florida was changed at the last minute  a source told TMZ that she is not currently receiving any medical treatment.
Rick and Morty co-creator and star Justin Roiland has been dropped by Adult Swim after he was charged with felony domestic violence against a former girlfriend.

The animator/actor, 42, pleaded not guilty and is currently awaiting trial over the alleged 2020 incident.

'Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,' a statement published to the official Rick and Morty Twitter account announced Tuesday.

The animated sci-fi sitcom 'will continue' despite Roiland's absence and THR reports that his voice roles are set to be recast.

Along with co-creating the hit series with Dan Harmon, Roiland voiced its titular characters: mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his accomplice/grandson Morty Smith.

Cutting ties: Rick and Morty co-creator and star Justin Roiland has been dropped by Adult Swim after he was charged with felony domestic violence against a former girlfriend. The animator/actor, 42, pleaded not guilty and is currently awaiting trial over the alleged 2020 incident; seen in 2019

Though Harmon is now the sole showrunner, Roiland will continue to be credited as co-creator.

The show's Twitter statement also noted that the 'talented and dedicated cast and crew are hard at work on season seven,' which was expected to premiere sometime this year. It is unknown if Roiland's sudden axing will result in delays

The series is locked in until season 10 as part of a 70-episode order made by Adult Swim back in 2018.

News of Roiland's domestic abuse charges came to light earlier this month when NBC News reported on the case, citing a copy of the criminal complaint, which DailyMail.com later confirmed after a review of court records.

He appeared in an Orange County, California court on Thursday, January 12 in connection with the case, after previously pleading not guilty to felony counts of domestic battery with corporal injury and false imprisonment.

The criminal charges, first filed in May 2020, had not been previously reported.

'Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,' a statement published to the official Rick and Morty Twitter account announced Tuesday

The sci-fi sitcom 'will continue' despite Roiland's absence and THR reports that his voice roles are set to be recast. Roiland voices the show's titular characters: mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his accomplice/grandson Morty Smith (pictured)

According to the complaint, the charges stem from an incident around January 19, 2020, when a woman who was dating Roiland, identified only as Jane Doe, made the allegations against him.

Many of the documents in the case remain sealed, including the police affidavit in support of Roiland's arrest, as well as police bodycam footage and investigation reports.

Roiland was apparently arrested in August 2020 and freed on a $50,000 bond.

He was charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit.

He pleaded not guilty to both charges at an October 2020 arraignment, and the case has proceeded through the court system without attracting public attention.

Under a protective order filed in October 2020, Roiland was ordered not to harass, threaten or surveil the person named in the protective order, whose name does not appear in public court documents.

Hearing: He appeared in an Orange County, California court on Thursday, January 12 in connection with the case, after previously pleading not guilty to felony counts of domestic battery with corporal injury and false imprisonment; seen in 2017

Roiland was also prohibited from coming within 100 feet of the person named in the order, and required to surrender any guns he may have owned or possessed. The protective order extends until October 2023.

At Thursday's court hearing, Roiland's attorney revealed that a plea deal has been offered to his client, but did not provide further details, according to NBC News.

His attorney, Edward Welbourn, told DailyMail.com he was confident the charges would be dropped.

'It is hard to overstate how inaccurate the recent media coverage of this situation has been,' said Welbourn.

'To be clear, not only is Justin innocent but we also have every expectation that this matter is on course to be dismissed once the District Attorney's office has completed its methodical review of the evidence.

'We look forward to clearing Justin's name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible.'

His attorney, Edward Welbourn, told DailyMail.com he was confident the charges would be dropped; Roiland seen in 2019

Origin: Rick and Morty originated out of a short parody film of Back to the Future that Roiland and Harmon created for the Los Angeles media collective Channel101

Rick and Morty originated out of a short parody film of Back to the Future that Roiland and Harmon created for the Los Angeles media collective Channel101.

The series debuted on Adult Swim in 2013, quickly garnering a devoted following and expanded into a franchise worth billions.

The sixth season of Rick and Morty recently concluded, and a seventh season was previously confirmed as part of a long-term deal with Cartoon Network that ordered 70 new episodes.

Little is known of Roiland's personal life, and he has not publicly confirmed any long-term romantic relationships since rising to stardom.

A representative for Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns Adult Swim and sister channel Cartoon Network, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Thursday afternoon.

Roiland is next due to appear in court on April 27. A potential trial date has not yet been set in the case.
She's known for flashing the flesh with her daring outfits.

And Tuesday night was no different for Kylie Jenner, 25, who commanded attention as she stepped out for dinner in Paris donning a daring black cut-out dress.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star paired her racy look with knee-high heeled boots.

Racy: Kylie Jenner, 25, commanded attention as she stepped out for dinner in Paris donning a daring black cut-out dress which revealed a hint of cleavage

Kylie's dress also featured three fasteners and a split at the thigh and she toted a large black bag for her essentials.

She wore her raven tresses loose, with a simple waved curl swept stylishly to the side.

The reality star opted for a classic makeup palette, teaming purple eyeshadow with a berry lip.

Daring: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star paired her racy look with knee-high heeled boots

It comes after Kylie did not look pleased as she watched Irina Shayk strut down the runway in the exact same dress she was wearing to the star-studded Schiaparelli show on Monday.

While the makeup mogul certainly got plenty of attention in her faux lion head dress, she seemed surprised to see the 37-year-old model nearly steal her thunder on the catwalk as people instantly began to assess which of the women wore it best.

In footage of the mother-of-two watching Shayk turn heads in the controversial gown from the Italian fashion house Inferno Couture line, can be seen nodding with a stoic expression across her face.

Who wore it best? Kylie did not look pleased as she watched Irina Shayk strut down the runway in the exact same dress she was wearing to the star-studded Schiaparelli show on Monday

Kylie wearing the Schiaparelli dress before it hit the runway pic.twitter.com/GeQQqb9API  michealla (@PRADAXBBY) January 23, 2023

Fans flooded the comment section of a viral TikTok, which captured the exchange, with hilarious quips about what the reality star could possibly have been thinking in the moment.

One viewer speculated: 'Kylie's like: 'Okay, someone's getting fired today.'

Others joked that she may have thought her look 'was custom made' and this was definitely one way to 'embarrass a billionaire.'

Unbelievable: Fans flooded the comment section of a viral TikTok, which captured the exchange (pictured at the show)

Despite the daring look sparking controversy across social media, it got an unexpected seal of approval for avoiding using animal products.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk praised Jenner and Shayk for possibly making a statement against trophy hunting.

'These fabulously innovative three-dimensional animal heads show that where theres a will, theres a way  and Kylie, Naomi and Irinas looks celebrate the beauty of wild animals and may be a statement against trophy hunting, in which lions and wolves are torn apart to satisfy human egotism,' she said.

Praise: Despite the daring look sparking controversy across social media, it got an unexpected seal of approval for avoiding using animal products

Newkirk also urged the fashion stars to give up using wool products, which PETA says leads to the abuse and injury of sheep, and silk, which results in silkworms being killed in many instances.

The applause from PETA was a surprising turnaround for Kylie, who has been criticized in the past by animal rights advocates for her use of fur clothing.

Kylie's other family members have also come under fire in the past for wearing fur, though it seems to have made the biggest impact on Kim Kardashian.

In 2019, the SKIMS co-founder revealed that she had had all of the fur clothing in her closet remade with faux fur.

Previously, she had been hounded by activists and was once even flour bombed by a person supporting PETA.

Bad blood: The applause from PETA was a surprising turnaround for Kylie, who has been criticized in the past by animal rights advocates for her use of fur clothing; seen in 2017 in NYC

Kylie's striking look at Paris Fashion Week comes after she finally revealed the face and name of her youngest child.

The raven-haired beauty shared photos of herself posing with her 11-month-old son Aire, whom she shares with her now-ex Travis Scott.

The couple had previously strived to keep their son's privacy and had not posted any photos of his face to social media while also keeping him away from public spaces.

They previously announced that his name was Wolf, only to share that they had changed it after deciding it didn't suit the little boy.
Contestants in Netflix's real-life Squid Game were reportedly left screaming 'medic' before they were stretchered off in freezing conditions while filming.

Players felt as if they had frostbite as temperatures at the UK studios plummeted to -3C, according to The Sun.

The streaming platform has been secretly filming a reality version based on the deadly fictional competition, with participants battling it out for a 3.7million prize.

In a statement to Deadline, Netflix and the show's producers Studio Lambert and The Garden said, 'while it was very cold on set  and participants were prepared for that  any claims of serious injury are untrue.'

Out in the cold: Contestants of Netflix's real-life Squid Game were reportedly left screaming 'medic' before they were stretchered off in freezing temperatures while filming for the show

'We care deeply about the health and safety of our cast and crew, and invested in all the appropriate safety procedures,' it added.'

One player told The Sun: 'Even if hypothermia kicked in then people were willing to stay for as long as possible because a lot of money was on the line.

'Too many were determined not to move so they stood there for far too long.

'There were people arriving thinking they were going to be millionaires but they left in tears.'

They added: 'It was like a warzone. People were getting carried out by medics but we couldn't say anything. If you talk then you're out. Some people couldn't move their feet because it was so cold.

Troubles: Players are said to have felt like they had frostbite as the temperatures at the UK filming location plummeted to -3C, according to The Sun

'You could hear someone yell 'medic' and the crew would rush on. We ended up standing there for 30 minutes between takes. Some were crawling by the end. At least one was carried out on a stretcher.'

A total of 456 players, the same as in the original series, took part and some are said to have started to feel unwell during the first game, Red Light, Green Light.

MailOnline has contacted Netflix for comment.

Action: The streaming platform has been secretly filming a reality version of the deadly fictional competition, with hopefuls battling it out for a 3.7million prize (Cardington Studios in Bedford pictured)

Competitors had flown in from as far as the United States and Australia for the show, which was being filmed at Cardington Studios, a former RAF base near Bedford.

Hundreds were eliminated in the first round and then stayed in bunkbeds at the studios, just like in the Korean series.

In the original series, hundreds of cash-strapped contestants accept an invitation to compete in children's games for a tempting prize, but the stakes are deadly.

Brandon Riegg, Netflix's vice president of unscripted and documentary series, previously said of the upcoming reality programme: 'Squid Game took the world by storm with [director Hwang Dong-hyuk's] captivating story and iconic imagery.

'We're grateful for his support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment.

'Fans of the drama series are in for a fascinating and unpredictable journey as our 456 real world contestants navigate the biggest competition series ever, full of tension and twists, with the biggest-ever cash prize at the end.'

The reality series will consist of ten episodes - one more than the original thriller.

The TV production company behind the show Studio Lambert has previously been accused of allowing 'inhumane' working conditions and faced allegations of mistreating staff on previous reality shows.

Some of those working on the popular Gogglebox series described a toxic culture where staff worked excessive hours and were expected to go without breaks.

The trade union BECTU, which represents film production workers, received complaints from staff about the way they were being treated.

One member of staff told the union: 'People have had enough. You don't turn up to be screamed at for 12 hours a day.'

Bectu said they urgently requested a meeting with the company who are behind many contestant led shows, including 'BBC show 'Traitors and 'Race across the world.'

Squid Game became Netflix's most-watched programme in 2021, drawing in 142million people in its first month - nearly double the previous record held by Bridgerton.

The Korean drama is also being praised with adding 4.4million new subscribers, increasing Netflix global subscriptions to 213.5million from 209million.

It boosted the company's profits to 1.1billion - nearly double the amount it took in during the third quarter of 2020.
The Bachelor contestant Greer Blitzer apologized for racially-insensitive tweets from 2016 that leaked on Reddit following the 27th season premiere on Monday.

The 24-year-old avid Trump supporter had been defending a Lamar High School sophomore's decision to wear blackface and a Tupac T-shirt to her off-campus party, which made national news at the time.

'The students involved didn't even know what blackface was so my point exactly. It wasn't an intentional racist act,' Greer allegedly tweeted in 2016.

Damage control: The Bachelor contestant Greer Blitzer apologized for racially-insensitive tweets from 2016 that leaked on Reddit following the 27th season premiere on Monday

'She did not paint herself black because she felt superior to black [people]. Putting white powder on your face isn't okay either. That didn't make the news did it? I apologize if this offended you but you must understand it was not initially supposed to be perceived that way at all.'

But now Greer - who claimed she 'is never embarrassed' and 'isn't afraid to speak her mind' on her ABC bio - is regretting being so outspoken on the social media platform.

'The journey to love is filled with lessons and these lessons are also made on our journey of growth. In my past, I have made some uneducated, ignorant and frankly, wrong comments on my social media accounts,' Blitzer wrote via Instastory on Tuesday.

'In particular, in 2016, I used misguided arguments on Twitter to defend a student who dressed in Blackface as Tupac for Halloween. I am deeply sorry to those I have hurt, especially those within the Black community, not because these screenshots have resurfaced, but because I ever shared those harmful opinions at all.

Hot topic: The 24-year-old avid Trump supporter had been defending a Lamar High School sophomore's decision to wear blackface and a Tupac T-shirt to her off-campus party, which made national news at the time

Greer allegedly tweeted in 2016: 'The students involved didn't even know what blackface was so my point exactly. It wasn't an intentional racist act. She did not paint herself black because she felt superior to black [people]. Putting white powder on your face isn't okay either. That didn't make the news did it? I apologize if this offended you but you must understand it was not initially supposed to be perceived that way at all'

'The journey to love is filled with lessons': But now Greer - who claimed she 'is never embarrassed' and 'isn't afraid to speak her mind' on her ABC bio - is regretting being so outspoken on the social media platform

Blitzer took to Instastory on Tuesday to apologize for 'some uneducated, ignorant and frankly, wrong comments on my social media accounts' and wrote 'this is not a reflection of who I am today. I do not stand by or condone the damaging opinions and behaviors I shared during that stage of my life and will forever regret making those offensive remarks'

'Time and age do not excuse my actions, but this is not a reflection of who I am today. I do not stand by or condone the damaging opinions and behaviors I shared during that stage of my life and will forever regret making those offensive remarks.'

During the episode, the Manhattan-based medical sales rep - who was a Pi Beta Phi sorority sister at the University of Mississippi - charmed The Bachelorette #19 alum Zach Shallcross into receiving his coveted 'first impression rose.'

'With the night that can get chaotic, something with Greer that was really helpful was how comforting she made me feel during that,' the 26-year-old Oracle tech exec gushed to Us Weekly.

'I didn't feel like I was getting rushed or pulled into a million different directions with Greer. She was able to kind of just pull me aside and make me feel relaxed. So when I looked back at who I was gonna give the rose to, it was just a really, really good impression of like, "Okay, it's fine. We can take it easy. It's not this chaotic night one all the time."'

Frontrunner: During the episode, the Manhattan-based medical sales rep charmed The Bachelorette #19 alum Zach Shallcross into receiving his coveted 'first impression rose'

The 26-year-old Oracle tech exec (L) gushed to Us Weekly: 'With the night that can get chaotic, something with Greer that was really helpful was how comforting she made me feel during that'

He added: 'I didn't feel like I was getting rushed or pulled into a million different directions with Greer. She was able to kind of just pull me aside and make me feel relaxed. So when I looked back at who I was gonna give the rose to, it was just a really, really good impression'

Uh-oh! But things might not go well for Greer and Zach considering she's seen in tears in the trailer for the 27th season

But things might not go well for Greer and Zach considering she's seen in tears in the trailer for the 27th season.

Shallcross - whose uncle is actor Patrick Warburton - eliminated 10 of the 30 contestants during the first episode.

The OC native's remaining potential brides range in age between 23-30 with professions like rodeo racer, nanny, content creator, dancer, and many in the medical field including four nurses.

Bloodbath! Shallcross - whose uncle is actor Patrick Warburton - eliminated 10 of the 30 contestants during the first episode

No one over 30! The OC native's remaining potential brides range in age between 23-30 with professions like rodeo racer, nanny, content creator, dancer, and many in the medical field including four nurses

Yikes! The Bachelorette #19 winner Erich Schwer faced backlash in September over a resurfaced yearbook picture of him in blackface (pictured)

'I've had a truly incredible run': Longtime host Chris Harrison was famously fired in 2021 after defending The Bachelor #25 winner Rachael Kirkconnell for attending an antebellum-themed party

The Bachelorette #19 winner Erich Schwer faced backlash in September over a resurfaced yearbook picture of him in blackface.

Longtime host Chris Harrison was famously fired in 2021 after defending The Bachelor #25 winner Rachael Kirkconnell for attending an antebellum-themed party.

It's worth noting that The Bachelor has the absolute worst track record with only two remaining couples still together after 26 seasons - most notably Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici.

By contrast, 13 winning couples are still together after eight seasons of Bachelor in Paradise with only four couples lasting the test of time after 19 seasons of The Bachelorette.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley attended a private Gucci dinner on Tuesday night.

The model, 35, looked effortlessly gorgeous in a blue dress which she paired with a number of pearls.

She complemented the look for the event celebrating the Gucci High Jewellery Collection at Hotel Ritz with thigh-high black boots and a small clutch bag.

Stunning: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley attended a private Gucci dinner on Tuesday night, sporting a blue dress which she paired with a number of pearls

Gorgeous: She complemented the look for the event which was celebrating the Gucci High Jewellery Collection at Hotel Ritz with thigh-high black boots and a small clutch bag

She wore her long, blonde locks straight and sleek and they cascaded down her back.

Rosie's makeup was simple but glam, comprising of brown eyeshadow with pale pink lipstick.

The model was also seen posing at the event with Marco Bizzam, the CEO of Gucci, and Giovanna Battaglia, the creative director of Swarovski.

Sleek: She wore her long, blonde locks straight and they cascaded down her back, opting for simple makeup

Star: She grinned as she enjoyed the private Gucci party in Paris on Tuesday evening, posing by flowers

Pals: The model was also seen posing at the event with Marco Bizzam, the CEO of Gucci (left), and Giovanna Battaglia, the creative director of Swarovski (right)

It comes after Rosie slipped into a gorgeous beige dress from Yves Saint Laurent in December.

'The dress of 2022 @anthonyvaccarello,' the catwalk queen boldly declared in the caption of a video, which included that shout-out to Anthony Vaccarello, the Italian fashion designer who's the current creative director at YSL.

Rosie appeared to be in a sparse room with her right hand and arm leaning up on her hip.

Elegance: Model and actress Rosie announced this beige dress from YSL to be 'the dress of 2022' in an Instagram post

As the smooth sounds of the song Show Me How by Men I Trust played along, Huntington-Whiteley took a few steps forward, while holding her camera up towards a mirror.

The classy number hugged her upper body, gave more than a hint of her back and midriff.

There was also a floral-like bunch in the front that looked to be the fabric securing the top and bottom together.

Smooth touch: As the smooth sounds of the song Show Me How by Men I Trust played along, Rosie took a few steps forward, while holding her camera up towards a mirror

Huntington-Whiteley has been with action film star Jason Statham since 2010, which led to their engagement in 2016.

The couple, who reportedly now live in Beverly Hills, are the proud parents of their five-year-old son Jack and their 10-month-old daughter Isabella.

Statham, 55, a Shirebrook, England native, is best known for portraying gritty characters in various action-thriller films such as the Guy Richie-directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000).

His resume also includes more commercial films such as The Transporter trilogy (2002, 2005, 2008), The Italian Job (2003), Death Race (2008) and the Fast and Furious franchise (2013, 2015) and The Expendables (2010) and its two sequels (2012, 2014), among any others.
Tyra Banks looked youthful in a slew of snaps uploaded to her Instagram on Tuesday, which she took after hosting the Kid Super comedy runway show during Paris Fashion Week.

The supermodel, 49, penned a lengthy caption as she reflected on recently hosting the fashion show, and admitted to her followers that she 'was nervous as heck' but 'pulled it off.'

The former America's Got Talent host was previously spotted showing off her sense of style attending the Louis Vuitton Men's Fall/Winter 2023 event alongside boyfriend, Louis Belanger-Martin, earlier Thursday.

Stylish selfies: Tyra Banks, 49, was radiant in a slew of new selfies she uploaded to Instagram on Tuesday, that were taken after she hosted the Kid Super comedy runway show in Paris

The TV personality uploaded one selfie as she stared straight at the camera with a hand lightly cradling the side of her face in a classic pose.

Her long locks were styled into two separate braids that fell down in front of her from a braided crown on top of her head.

Tyra donned a simple black top with thick, spaghetti straps as she began to wind down in her hotel room for the night after hosting the Kid Super stand-up comedy runway show earlier Saturday.

Glowing: In the selfies, the America's Next Top Model alum donned a layer of black mascara along with a dark, smoky eyeshadow and added a dark pink tint to her lips

Her makeup had been glammed up for the one-of-a-kind event, and firstly comprised of a layer of black mascara along with a dark, smoky eyeshadow.

Contour was added to better accentuate her cheekbones, and a dark pink tint was worn to her lips for a finishing touch. She wore a gold necklace with the Kid Super logo on the front.

The Coyote Ugly actress penned a detailed caption to her fans, and questioned, 'Do you ever do something really great and amazing and then get home and take your clothes off and then take pictures of your make up and hair after youve had dinner and your lipstick is looking crazy while in #Paris?'

She then explained the selfies by typing out, 'Well, this is me here,' and admitted, 'I did something I never did before.'

Hosting the fashion event: Despite her years of hosting duties, such as America's Got Talent and Dancing With The Stars, Tyra revealed, 'I was nervous as heck'

Having a blast: Tyra accessorized her casual look with a gold necklace with the Kid Super logo on the front

'I hosted a comedy show/mens fashion show - wassup @kidsuper!!! - and the amazing designer @colm had me change clothes 10 times!'

Colm Dillane is the founder of the brand, Kid Super, and was also the guest designer for Louis Vuitton's Menswear Fall/Winter 2023 collection which debuted last week on Thursday.

Despite her years of hosting duties, such as on America's Got Talent and Dancing With The Stars, Tyra revealed, 'I was nervous as heck, but pulled it off and even got a few laughs. I was like whatttt!!!!????'

The talented beauty concluded the caption by humorously adding to her 7.1 million followers, 'This is me right before makeup remover hit this face.'

Back to Paris: Tyra also attended the Louis Vuitton runway show held last week on Thursday, and reminisced on her days of modeling when she was a 'teenager'

The runway show lasted for the total duration of one hour, and included Tyra as the host who modeled a grand total of ten looks during the event. Other stand-up comedians performed short sets, including Jeff Ross, who is also known as 'Roastmaster General.'

The founder of the brand, Colm, sat down with Vogue, and opened up about having Tyra as host.

'Shes awesome. Shes down. She came to the [Louis Vuitton] show and she texted me, "Your life just changed. Which was pretty amazing,' the fashion designer explained.

'And Tyra was like, you know I havent been here for nearly 30 years, so that was pretty interesting to think about. I love the idea of having a role in bringing back a legend to Paris,' he continued.

'A legend': The founder of the brand, Colm, sat down with Vogue, and opened up about having Tyra as host, adding, 'I love the idea of having a role in bringing back a legend to Paris'

When talking about the specific theme of the show he had chosen, Colm explained, 'You know me, with Kid Super I like to do non-conventional fashion shows. So the idea is like its a Comedy Central Roast.'

Earlier last week before tackling Paris Fashion Week hosting duties, Tyra was seen attending the Louis Vuitton x Kid Super Menswear Fall/Winter 2023 runway show alongside her boyfriend, Louis Belanger-Martin.

The model confirmed that she has been dating the successful businessman since 2019.

She had donned a long, gold 'kaftan' she had 'picked up from an Abu Dhabi desert hotel gift shop.' The producer slipped into a black top and fitted pants to complete the look, along with a pair of black and white sneakers.

Tyra flaunted the look on Instagram and recalled, 'As a teenager, I walked the streets of Paris, going from casting to casting, hoping to get chosen.'
Showtime has released a preview for its new true crime docuseries The 12th Victim, which reexamines the 1958 murder case of teen couple Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, who were convicted in the slayings of 11 people.

'Told through a stylistic blend of archival and recreated footage and countless film and television series inspired by the killings, The 12th Victim reexamines Fugates guilty verdict ... through a modern lens,' the network said in a statement of the forthcoming series.

The series will question 'the media and judicial systems treatment of' Fugate - who now goes by the name Caril Ann Clair - 'despite her self-proclaimed innocence.'

The latest: Showtime has released a preview for its new true crime docuseries The 12th Victim, which reexamines the 1958 murder case of teen couple Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, who were convicted in the slayings of 11 people

The docuseries covers Starkweather, then 19, who murdered 11 people in Nebraska and Wyoming in 1957 and 1958, accompanied by his girlfriend Fugate, who at 14 was subsequently the youngest female who was put on trial and convicted of first-degree murder.

While Starkweather was executed via the electric chair in 1959, Fugate - whose mother, stepfather and baby half-sister were among the victims - was convicted on one count of first-degree murder and received a life sentence.

The sentence was later reduced and she was paroled from prison in 1976.

The case was one of the initial true crime cases to grab a national spotlight, depicting the couple in a Bonnie and Clyde manner that went on to influence the narrative of movies such as 1973's Badlands, 1993's True Romance and 1994's Natural Born Killers.

The docuseries covers Starkweather, then 19, who murdered 11 people in Nebraska and Wyoming in 1958, accompanied by his girlfriend Fugate, then 14

Fugate at 14 was subsequently the youngest female who was put on trial and convicted of first-degree murder

Starkweather was executed via the electric chair in 1959

The docuseries, which is directed by Nicola B. Marsh, will illustrate how Fugate was 'not as a willing participant but ... an underage girl held hostage by Starkweather.'

The Showtime special will feature interviews with people who were close to the case, Deadline reported, and archival footage to take a contemporary look at the case.

The docuseries, which is directed by Nicola B. Marsh, will illustrate how Fugate was 'not as a willing participant but ... an underage girl held hostage by Starkweather.'

Fugate was denied a pardon in February of 2020 by Nebraska's pardons board in an effort to clear her name.

The 12th Victim begins streaming on Showtime February 17 at 8/7c, and continues with new installments each Friday.

The case was one of the initial true crime cases to grab a national spotlight, depicting the couple in a Bonnie and Clyde manner
Simon Cowell looked strikingly different as he headed home after filming the Britain's Got Talent launch alongside hosts Ant and Dec.

The TV mogul, 63, appeared to be in jovial spirits as he got a ride home after the first day filming auditions at the London Palladium for the upcoming series on Tuesday.

Hosts Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, better known as Ant and Dec, were also seen smiling and greeting eager fans as they headed home after the long day.

Heading off: Simon Cowell looked strikingly different as he headed home after filming the Britain's Got Talent launch alongside hosts Ant and Dec

Simon, who has shocked fans with his radically different features, showed off his smooth visage as he smiled for photographs from the back of his car.

The Britain's Got Talent judge, who has recently lost 3-stone, cut a casual figure in a grey long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans for the first day of filming.

Meanwhile, Ant cut a smart figure in a grey zip-up jumper and dark trousers, which he styled with a smart black jacket.

He styled his dark locks in a slicked-back style and appeared in good spirits as he smiled while fans took photographs.

Hosts: Hosts Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, better known as Ant and Dec, were also seen smiling and greeting eager fans as they headed home after the long day

All smiles: The TV mogul, 63, appeared to be in jovial spirits as he got a ride home after the first day filming auditions at the London Palladium for the upcoming series on Tuesday

Dec also looked suave in black jeans and an olive polo shirt, which he wore underneath a green rain jacket.

He completed his look with a pair of brown lace-up boots and slung a black scarf around his shoulders to keep warm amid the cold temperatures.

The presenter kept his essentials in a black checkered backpack and wore his brunette locks in a tousled style.

It comes after Britain's Got Talent unveiled their judging line-up on Tuesday as the show kicked off for another year - with Bruno Tonioli officially joining the panel.

Look: Simon, who has recently shocked fans with his radically different features , showed off his smooth visage as he smiled for photographs from the back of his car

Good form: The Britain's Got Talent judge, who has lost 3-stone, cut a casual figure in a grey long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans for the first day of filming

Boss: Simon joined his fellow judges Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and newcomer Bruno Tonioli for the first day of filming

Bruno, 67, said: 'Here we are, Britain's Got Talent. I am so excited. It's my first show, I have no idea what's going to happen, but I'm sure it's going to be brilliant.'

And it appears the newest judge, who is being paid a whopping 850,000, is already making trouble, according to the warm-up act Adam Khan.

They said Bruno had pressed the Golden Buzzer, but had done it early to avoid being beaten to the chase by Simon Cowell and Alesha Dixon, and so had pressed it during the act.

As a result, the moment had to be recorded all over again so that the cameras could be set up properly.

Grinning: Simon appeared to be in good spirits after a busy first day of filming for the upcoming series

Good look: Ant cut a smart figure in a grey zip-up jumper and dark trousers, which he styled with a smart black jacket

Busy: Dec climbed into a vehicle as eager fans crowded behind him following the first day of filming

Adam tweeted: 'So I just witnessed #BGT history!!! An act came on it was pretty clear Alesha and Simon both wanted to press the#GoldenBuzzer

'So Bruno beat them to it and pressed it *during the act*! They were performing with confetti falling on them and the BGT theme playing in the back!'

'We now have to re-record the #GoldenBuzzer moment because no cameras were properly in place as nobody expected it to happen during the act.'

Smart look: Dec looked suave in black jeans and an olive polo shirt, which he wore underneath a green rain jacket

Mobbed: Dec was mobbed by eager fans who took photographs as he left The London Palladium and climbed into a car

Chilly: He completed his look with a pair of brown lace-up boots and slung a black scarf around his shoulders to keep warm amid the cold temperatures

Panel: It comes after Britain's Got Talent unveiled their judging line-up on Tuesday as the show kicked off for another year - with Bruno Tonioli officially joining the panel

Inside the auditions, Ant and Dec introduced the four judges to the stage as they walked out to Survivor's Eye Of The Tiger.

Jesting that Simon has 'teased' him with the job for years, one fan filmed from the audience as Bruno told the audience: 'Thank you very, very much. I am thrilled to be here.

Turning to Amanda and Alesha, he continued: 'Look at these girls, they are stunning. And my old friend Simon, what an honour it is to finally work with you, he's teased me with this for years, years and years and years.

Oops! It appears the newest judge, who is being paid a whopping 850,000, is already making trouble, according to the warm-up act Adam Khan

'Honestly, I am thrilled to be here. Emotional, and very, very nervous.'

While Alesha then shared: 'Well, do you know what Bruno? I think you should have a go at pressing the buzzer.'

The judges and audience then counted him down as the pro pushed on the buzzer, with Alesha adding: 'Welcome to the show', before he thanked his fellow panel and gave them each a hug.
Polyamorous tobacco tycoon Travers Beynon has downplayed claims he 'sexualises' the harem of scantily clad women who live with him at his Gold Coast mansion.

The flamboyant businessman, known as 'The Candyman', was asked on The Morning Show about his wild lifestyle and the way he portrays his female companions.

Beynon, who has an estimated net worth of $200million, said he doesn't 'sexualise' women any more than they do themselves on their own Instagram accounts.

Polyamorous tobacco tycoon Travers Beynon has downplayed claims he 'sexualises' the harem of scantily clad women who live with him at his Gold Coast mansion

'I think if you look at my Instagram, I don't sexualise women these days. I think they do that enough themselves on Instagram,' the 50-year-old said.

Beynon, who lives with his wife Taesha and their girlfriends at the 'Candy Shop Mansion' on the Gold Coast, explained the growth of OnlyFans had made young women more comfortable expressing their sexuality on their own terms.

He went on to say successful businesswomen such as Kim Kardashian regularly share provocative content online, but are not called out for it.

The flamboyant businessman, known as 'The Candyman', was asked on The Morning Show about his wild lifestyle and the way he portrays his female companions

'Kim is always presenting provocative photos but she's not looked upon as taking advantage of a woman's body,' he said.

Beynon, who rarely agrees to TV interviews, then answered questions about his personal life with a wife and live-in girlfriends.

'What is the norm these days? Most of us have accepted gay marriage,' he said, noting that polyamory isn't so unusual anymore.

Beynon (left), who has an estimated net worth of $200million, said he doesn't 'sexualise' women any more than they do themselves on their own Instagram accounts

'I live by the one rule: free choice. My relationship is my business, as is your business in your relationship,' he added.

Beynon, who has been married to Taesha for 13 years, said his life philosophy was about 'acceptance and inclusion without judgement'.

He added that the entire household feels like a family unit and there aren't any Kardashian-style arguments.

He went on to say successful businesswomen such as Kim Kardashian (pictured) regularly share provocative content online, but are not called out for it

Beynon, who has been married to Taesha for 13 years, said his life philosophy was about 'acceptance and inclusion without judgement'. (Pictured: Taesha and their former live-in girlfriend Nisha Downes)

'I have a big family and I run a business,' he said.

'We want to be a family unit and that means everyone has to get on.'

'It's not about bitchiness or anything like that, like you see in these reality shows. It's not what we are trying to achieve. We are trying to achieve a family.'
Motsi Mabuse put on a show-stopping display as she posed up a storm for a lingerie photoshoot.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 41, took to Instagram on Monday to share a glimpse at her shoot with Anita and Rosa Faia.

She flaunted her incredible curves in a cream bra and underwear, while wrapping a pink shirt over her arms.

Looking incredible: Motsi Mabuse put on a show-stopping display as she posed up a storm for a lingerie photoshoot

The South African dancer accentuated her striking features with a glamorous palette of eyeshadow and a slick of lipgloss.

Captioning the shot, she wrote: 'Let's celebrate!' and revealed she is a brand ambassador for the company this year.

It comes after last year Motsi revealed her colourful Strictly Come Dancing hairstyles have liberated her after years of living under oppressive Apartheid rule in South Africa.

Celebrate! Captioning the shot, she wrote: 'Let's celebrate!' and revealed she is a brand ambassador for the company this year

The BBC judge, who experienced racism as a young dancer, said she will never forget that treatment and it is something 'you carry all your life'.

The star admitted that styling her locks on the dancing show is helping her to heal from those past traumas.

She told The Sun: 'So even things that I'm really loving to celebrate now, which seem so little to other people, like celebrating my own hair  the way my hair grows, what I can do with my hair  it's something as a child I didn't see. It was always more like, 'Hide your hair, get your hair under control'.'

Looks: It comes after she revealed her colourful Strictly Come Dancing hairstyles have liberated her after years of living under oppressive Apartheid rule in South Africa

It's something as a child I didn't see': The star admitted that by styling her locks on the dancing show is helping her to heal from those past traumas

She told the publication the secret to her hairstyles is working with the stylist and playing around with it, which 'takes the whole day'.

Motsi, who first dreamed of becoming a lawyer before she moved to Germany at 18 to dance.

She married her dance partner Timo Kulczak, 45, but they divorced after 11 years, in 2014.

A year later she found love again with another dancer, Evgenij Voznyuk, 38, and they married in 2017 and share a daughter, who was born the following year.

Incredible: She told the publication the secret to her hair styles is working with the hair dresser and playing around with it which on Saturday's 'takes the whole day'

After becoming a mother, Motsi revealed her past traumas began to heal as she was forced more and more out of her comfort zone.

She explained that when she was a child her parents were always in 'survival mode' and were never affectionate, which she decided was the opposite of the type of mum she wanted to be.

The loving mum explained how her experience with her parents growing up affected the way she is raising her daughter.

She continued: 'I am very affectionate with my child but we didn't have that because, for our parents, in their mind, it was just, 'keep these kids safe'. All of that affects you later on.

Parents: In 2015 Motis found love again, after her first marriage, with another dancer Evgenij Voznyuk (pictured), 38, and they married in 2017 and welcomed a daughter the following year

'At dance competitions when it was clearly unfair and your parents are going 'No, it wasn't unfair, you have to be better'. Quite early on, our boundaries got taken away from us and I'm learning now to kind of say 'no' without having to question myself.'

The dancer found fame in Germany in 2007 while dancing on Let's Dance and later joined the judging panel in 2011.

She later replaced Darcey Bussell on the Strictly panel in 2019 and at the time had to keep the gig top secret by flying into the country using a fake name.
Love Island Australia star Courtney Stubbs broke down in tears as she discussed Aaron Waters following his arrival on the UK version of the show.

Courtney and Aaron coupled up on series three of Love Island Australia in 2021 but the reality star claims the experience left her wanting to 'bawl her eyes out'.

Courtney has made a series of damning claims about Aaron on Instagram, after he debuted alongside Jessie Wynter as late entries to the Winter Love Island series, which is currently being filmed in South Africa.

Aaron Waters' ex Courtney Stubbs (pictured) has accused him of disrespecting her during their time together on Love Island Australia. Aaron is now appearing as a contestant on the popular British version of the dating show

She accused Aaron of 'disrespecting' her during their time together on the show, claiming he body-shamed her and mocked her cystic acne.

'I have never addressed this before... because every time I think about it, it makes me want to bawl my eyes out,' she began.

'[Aaron] has gone on to love Island UK and first thing he wanted to do was in his promotion was drag me. Now this isn't the first time he's dragged me, so it's something I'm quite used to, honestly. But after a year's time, I thought, 'Surely he would just stop talking badly about me?'

Courtney went on to say that Aaron's behavior towards her was 'horrible'.

Courtney made a series of damning claims about Aaron on Instagram, after he debuted alongside Jessie Wynter as late entries to the Winter Love Island series

'He bullied me, belittled me, he skin-shamed me, he body-shamed me. He would constantly tell me to f**k off [and] shut up the whole show, and made it his personal vendetta against me to make sure every single guy felt the same way he felt about me,' she added.

Courtney said she never said anything back to Aaron or called him out on his alleged behaviour because she didn't know how to respond at the time.

She also claimed Aaron would take subtle swipes about her appearance, saying he preferred 'clean girls' and 'girls who took care of their skin' - despite Courtney taking medication for her severe acne.

'I literally had cystic acne on my face, which I obviously already felt so insecure about going on TV with my skin like that,' she said. 'So, to have someone to point that out to you, I'm like, 'Oh great. Guys are going to notice this the whole show.''

'He bullied me, belittled me, he skin-shamed me, he body-shamed me. He would constantly tell me to f**k off [and] shut up the whole show, and made it his personal vendetta against me to make sure every single guy felt the same way he felt about me,' she alleged

Courtney (right) said she never said anything back to Aaron (left) or called him out on his alleged behaviour because she didn't know how to respond at the time

Courtney also alleged Aaron would criticise her weight and say he 'likes [it] when girls take care of their bodies and go to the gym'. At the time, she was struggling to lose weight.

Breaking down in tears, she added: 'So I was going on the show, not feeling confident in my skin, not feeling confident in my body, and then he literally just straight up the first morning in the villa shamed me for my skin and my body.'

She then called out Love Island UK for giving him a platform for a second time.

As two contestants from Down Under make their mark, many Brits are not happy with the show selecting islanders who aren't from the UK. (Pictured: Aaron Waters)

'I don't know how men get away with bullying girls, belittling girls, telling girls they're fat and their skin is bad,' she said.

'All I did was get bullied by him. And then this is what I have to deal with... And it would just be nice for people to actually know what he's like.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Love Island UK for comment.

Courtney isn't the only one unhappy with Aaron's appearance on Love Island, with many Brits annoyed islanders have been cast who aren't from the UK.

Taking to the comments section of Love Island's official Instagram account, fans are saying the Aussie intruders aren't 'necessary at all'.

The Love Island contestants were left shocked on Friday night as two new Aussie islanders entered the villa. (Pictured: Aaron and Jessie Wynter)

Others have pointed out the logistical problems of Brits and Aussies finding love when they live on opposite sides of the world.

'What's the point of bringing Australians? How will it work when they live across the world from London?' one viewer said.

'I don't get this. Will they move their whole life over to the UK?' another questioned.

'I'm from Australia but why? I love Love Island as it's from the UK and this ruins it. Aaron isn't a bombshell either... think he's too into himself,' an Aussie wrote.

Aaron, 24, was a star on season three of Love Island Australia and made it to the top three with partner Jess Velkovski

The Aussie bombshells, Aaron and Jessie Wynter, are new to the South African villa, but are no strangers to the franchise.

Jessie appeared on season two of Love Island Australia, where she coupled up with four different boys.

She sparked controversy when she split with Gerard to pursue a romance with Todd.

Aaron was a star on season three of Love Island Australia and made it to the top three with his eventual partner Jess Velkovski.
Woody Harrelson photobombed Matthew McConaughey's daughter Vida in a funny throwback snap from her 13th birthday party earlier in January.

The 61-year-old actor stood behind Vida while looking at the large cake with a comically inquisitive look on his face in the snap, which was posted by Vida's mother Camila Alves, 40.

Woody stood in a long sleeve green T-shirt, and he added maroon pants to the ensemble as well.

Having a laugh: Woody Harrelson comically photobombed Matthew McConaughey's daughter Vida at her 13th birthday party in a post from her model mother Camila Alves on Monday

Vida wore a white crop top and black pants. A flower crown encircled the top of her head, and she had a necklace of flowers as well.

Camila captioned the snap, 'Uncle @woodyharrelson is questioning if the cake is vegan or not!!! [hands covering eyes emoji, smiley face emoji] how does this go people! Time flies 13!'

She gushed, 'You are my ray of sunshine Vida!!! Your name explains everything about you life (#tb on celebrating her birthday on our family vacation trip January 3rd) [series of green and yellow heart emojis].'

Costars: Harrelson costarred with Vida's father Matthew McConaughey in the first season of the critically acclaimed HBO series True Detective (pictured)

Family: Matthew shares three children alongside Camila: Vita, 14-year-old Levi and 10-year-old Livingston (pictured 2016)

She then wrote the whole caption again in Portuguese as she originally came from Brazil.

Harrelson worked alongside Matthew McConaughey in the show True Detective back in its first season which aired in 2014.

Matthew shares three children alongside Camila: Vita, 14-year-old Levi and 10-year-old Livingston.

It's been a season full of birthdays for the McConaughey having celebrated Livingston's 10 at the end of December.

Lots of birthdays: It's been a season full of birthdays for the McConaughey having celebrated Livingston's 10 at the end of December; pictured in April 2022 in Austin, Texas

Camila shared an adorable photo of their son from the party earlier this month.

Camila remarked in the post's caption how simple her youngest son was when it came to his birthday festivities. 'Nothing fancyjust us,' she shared. 'All he wanted to do is go to Altitude the trampoline place in Austin and an ice cream cake!'

The adorable now 10-year-old wore a Happy Birthday crown and blew out the candles on his ice cream cake in the picture.

Camila, who has been married to the Wolf of Wall Street actor since 2012, shared more: 'May your heart my son keep its simplicity as you grow in this complicated world!! You challenge me and teach me daily for that I am grateful! What a blessing you are!'
Kim Kardashian on Tuesday was granted a temporary restraining order who she said has shown up at her home on more than one occasion, called her his wife and sent her a diamond ring, amid other unwanted gestures.

The reality star, 42 - who has had to deal with numerous stalkers through the legal system over the years - said in court docs reviewed by TMZ that the man, whose name is Jomonie Victor Zigler, initially began contacting her last month.

Kardashian told the court, via her lawyer Shawn Holley, that security stopped Zigler, 28, when he went to her home on numerous occasions, and he posted profane messages about her online while calling her his spouse.

Granted: Kim Kardashian, 42, on Tuesday was granted a temporary restraining order who she said has shown up at her home on more than one occasion, called her his wife and sent her a diamond ring, amid other unwanted gestures

Kardashian said Zigler also sent items to her residence such as the ring and hotel room keys, and that he has a criminal background involving weapons and threats made.

The mom-of-four told the court that she has suffered emotional distress amid the pileup of unwanted advances from Zigler. A hearing is slated for next month in the matter.

Kardashian last month received a five-year restraining order against a man named Andre Persaud, who said he was able to 'telepathically' connect with the reality star, TMZ reported.

Kardashian told the court that Persaud, who she never had met, had appeared at her home three times in August of 2022, and that she was afraid the situation could escalate to violence.

The reality star was pictured at a November 2022 gala in West Hollywood, California

The mom-of-four was pictured in November of 2022 at a Los Angeles-area mall

A Los Angeles judge ordered Persaud from making any contact with Kardashian, coming within 100 yards of her, owning or possessing any firearms, and turning the ones he has over to authorities.

Kardashian is not the only member of her family to deal with the downside of fame, as a number of her relatives have also sought help though the legal system to deal with people who they said intruded on their private lives.

They include her sisters Kourtney Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner, as well as mother Kris Jenner. Khloe Kardashian also spoke about unwanted attention in a 2017 episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, as she and Kendall visited a gun range to practice shooting, but ultimately did not purchase any firearms.

'This is something that we feel like we need to do in order for us to sleep better at night,' she said.
Anastasia Karanikolaou wasn't afraid to get a little silly on Tuesday as she advertised her new home decor line.

The 25-year-old best pal of Kylie Jenner posted some playful photos to Instagram of herself sitting on a kitchen counter while wrapped up in a blanket.

The fluffy white segmented blanket was part of her new home line Stassie by Anastasia Karanikolaou, which she debuted last year.

Stassie highlighted her long, tan legs in one of her photos as she rested them on the back of a chair abutting her sleek white kitchen island.

Cozy: Anastasia Karanikolaou, 25, shared some playful photos of herself on a kitchen counter wrapped in a blanket from her home line Stassie by Anastasia Karanikolaou on Tuesday

She wore a busty gray top underneath that was mostly covered up the fluffy blanket, and she added to the cozy factor with a pair of fuzzy red slippers.

Stassie completed her outfit with tiny gray shorts, and she sipped on what looked like an iced coffee from a jar while showing off a winning soft smile.

The brunette beauty kept her hair casual, pulling it back while leaving thick strands dangling in front to frame her face.

She wasn't afraid to get silly, and a follow-up snap showed her wrapping the towel around herself so that it covered her face below her nose.

Casual: She wore a busty gray top underneath that was mostly covered up the fluffy blanket, and she added to the cozy factor with a pair of fuzzy red slippers

Having fun: She wasn't afraid to get silly and partially covered her face. Stassie launched the home line last year

She beamed ear-to-ear in another humorous photo, this time with the top half of her face covered under the blanket.

'coziest throw to ever exist,' the social media star wrote in her caption, while also tagging the Instagram account for Stassie by Anastasia Karanikolaou.

That account appears to have gone fallow with no posts since October of last year.

Several of the comments on various posts were by fans complaining about the her home decor line's seemingly unwieldy name, while other pointed out how some of the photos of bedding sets were wrinkled.

Others expressed disappointment that they had not been able to find the sets in stores.

The brand does not appear to have a website, and its Instagram bio say that it is simply 'Available at Retail ' without further details, but many interested fans seemed to have difficulty finding the line in their local stores.

Mixed reviews: The brand's Instagram, which hasn't posted since October, is filled with fans complaining about its unwieldy name, poor product presentation and their difficulty in finding it in stores

Inspired: In an interview with People from November, Stassie said she was inspired to create her home line because of her 'love of minimalistic yet sophisticated design, which is simple and light, yet beautiful'

In an interview with People from November, Stassie said she was inspired to create her home line because of her 'love of minimalistic yet sophisticated design, which is simple and light, yet beautiful.'

She got a chance to focus on her tastes in home decor while spending time alone at home at the height of the still-ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

She described her style as 'minimalistic,' adding that she was a fan of 'warm wood finishes, nude, Earthy tones, and chic neutrals that will have a lasting presence in your home.'

Stassie's latest post comes after she highlighted her firm abs and toned legs while she enjoyed the beach in Turks and Caicos on Sunday.

The model looked smolderingly hot in a very tiny bright pink bikini with a halter top and thong bottom as she luxuriated in the warm Caribbean breeze.

Stassie tagged the Heavy Manners clothing brand in the photo.

Smoldering: Stassie looked smolderingly hot in a very tiny bright pink bikini with a halter top and French cut thong bottom as she luxuriated in the warm Caribbean breeze

Both she and best friend, Kylie Jenner, 25, have promoted the brand, which includes high end  but size inclusive  pieces.

The influencer combed her wet hair away from her tanned face and displayed her firm derriere in a photo as she walked away from the camera and into the turquoise water.

She accessorized with earrings and a pendant necklace with a gold chain.

Toned: The model showcased her firm abs and toned legs as she enjoyed the beach in Turks and Caicos Sunday

Tagged: Stassie, as her friends call her, tagged the Heavy Manners clothing brand in the photo, Both she and best friend, Kylie Jenner, 25, have promoted the brand, which includes high end but size inclusive pieces

The former Vine star seemed to be going for a natural look with her makeup, but boosted the look with a bold red lip.

The social media maven summed up her feelings with a brief 'this sh*t feels like paradise,' next to a series of five photos.

Anastasia posed in some sexy poses on the sand and in the water for the carousel of snaps.

Sexy: Anastasia posed in some sexy poses on the sand and in the water for the carousel of snaps

Musician Olivia O'Brien, who appears to be on the sumptuous girls trip with Stassie, seconded the thought, commenting 'Paradise' next to the post.

Bling Empire cast member Tina Leung shared approval, writing 'SO PERFECT.'

The fashionista shared some envy inducing video on Instagram stories Saturday sharing a few highlights from the holiday so far, which included boating and swimming with a dolphin.
Alessandra Ambrosio put her supermodel figure on display in a chic vacation outfit as she enjoyed the warm weather in her native Brazil on Tuesday.

The Victoria's Secret beauty, 41  who recently revealed she was missing her son Noah, 10, while on the getaway  showed off her endless legs in a white halter mini dress with a flirty thigh slit.

The runway sensation was seen having a refreshing beverage as she laughed it up with her friend Matheus Mazzafera, as they waited for a table at a popular eatery in Rio de Janeiro.

Stunner: Alessandra Ambrosio put her supermodel figure on display in a chic vacation outfit as she enjoyed the warm weather in her native Brazil on Tuesday

The brunette stunner paired the outfit with simple brown sandals, and accessorized with a gold chain and bracelet.

She wore her chocolate brown tresses in a straight style, cascading down her shoulders.

The mother-of-two shielded her eyes from the sun with a pair of cat-eye sunglasses.

Beauty: The Victoria's Secret beauty, 41, showed off her endless legs in a white halter mini dress with a flirty thigh slit

Laughing it up: The genetically blessed superstar shared a laugh with her friend

Alessandra appeared to go fresh-faced for the outing, showing off her youthful visage with no makeup.

Meanwhile her pal looked cool in a graphic T-shirt, orange shorts and chunky black sandals.

The duo were seen enjoying their drinks while posing for a photographer outside of the eatery.

Refreshment: The runway star was seen having a refreshing beverage as she laughed it up with pal Matheus Mazzafera, as they waited for a table at a popular eatery in Rio de Janeiro

So chic: The brunette stunner paired the outfit with simple brown sandals, and accessorized with a gold chain and bracelet

Refreshing: She wore her chocolate brown tresses in a straight style, cascading down her shoulders

Natural: Alessandra appeared to go fresh-faced for the outing, showing off her youthful visage with no makeup

Later inside they were pictured chatting it up and laughing.

They also had their cameraman snap a few shots of them on a cellphone, which Alessandra later inspected.

The superstar also took to her Instagram on Tuesday to share some snaps for her 11.6M followers.

Picture time: They had a cameraman snap a few shots of them on a cellphone

Which one is IG worthy? The duo later inspected the snaps

Relaxed: Her pal looked cool in a graphic T-shirt, orange shorts and chunky black sandals

Impromptu photoshoot: They relaxed and chatted over drinks as a photographer snapped pictures

She showed off her incredibly toned tummy in a cropped zebra top and low-rise oversized bell-bottom jeans as she posed in front of a mirror.

In another snap she was seen applying lipstick while posing next to her friend.

Alessandra looked stylish in a black top and white trousers. Yet another photo showed them inside of a restaurant enjoying drinks.

Sensational physique: The superstar also took to her Instagram on Tuesday to share some snaps for her 11.6M followers

Touch up: In another snap she was seen applying lipstick while posing next to her friend

It comes as the homesick GAL Floripa co-founder revealed she was missing her kids, as she shared an old snap of herself in bed with her 10-year-old son Noah Phoenix Mazur on Sunday.

The CAA Model captioned her Instagram post with the Portuguese phrase for 'my cuddle.'

Alessandra shares custody of Noah and daughter Anja, 14, with ex-fiance Jamie Mazur.
An Australian graphic artist has taken to social media to voice his frustration over his 2010 artwork being 'ripped off' by an American rock band.

Cameron Gray was shocked to discover the cover art for Las Vegas band Escape the Fate's latest single H8 Myself was almost identical to a work he designed 12 years ago for a Brisbane band.

The striking artwork depicts a man with a cage where his face should be holding up a stick with his face on it which eerily gazes back at him through a void.

Australian graphic artist Cameron Gray (pictured) has taken to social media to voice his frustration over his 2010 artwork being 'ripped off' by an American rock band

The Melbourne-based artist was commissioned by Queensland band Dead Letter Circus to create this work for them and recently noticed Escape the Fate's cover art bore a striking similarity to his design.

Gray posted photos of the artworks side by side on Instagram and expressed his disappointment over the alleged plagiarism.

He wrote: 'Disappointed to find out today a large band that I've admired for years is ripping off my art, after they approached me to enquire about my album art.'

Gray was shocked to discover that the cover art for Las Vegas band Escape the Fate's latest single H8 Myself was almost identical to a work he designed 12 years ago for a Brisbane band

'I always keep these things private but this one stings quite a lot as it was artwork I created for Warner Bros and Dead Letter Circus who I have a deep love and respect for since they helped me become who I am today.

'As I've gotten older I've become sick of protecting peoples s***ty behaviour,' he added.

TJ Bell, the guitarist for Escape the Fate, was quick to respond and said the issue was due to a 'miscommunication' between the band and their artist.

The striking artwork depicts a man with a cage where his face should be holding up a stick with his face on it which eerily gazes back at him through a void

'Tried to reach out so I could explain. I found this image on Google and sent it to the band and artist to be viewed as a reference ONLY,' he wrote.

He added: 'Plagiarism was never the intention, this is a huge miscommunication on our part. We are sorry this happened! All has been removed.'

Gray told News.com.au he won't pursue legal action against the band as they are no longer using the artwork to promote their music.
Paris Hilton shocked fans Tuesday when she revealed that she secretly welcomed a child, a baby boy, with her husband Carter Reum via surrogate.

The socialite, 41, made the announcement via Instagram, which included a photo of the new mom clutching onto her infant's hand.

'You are already loved beyond words,' wrote Hilton, followed by a blue heart emoji.

Hilton's close pal Kim Kardashian quickly took to the comment section to react to the Simple Life star's surprise baby news, writing: 'So happy for you guys!!! [HEART EMOJI]'

Baby joy! Paris Hilton shocked fans Tuesday when she revealed that she secretly welcomed a child with her husband Carter Reum; the couple seen in November 2022

She made the announcement via Instagram, which included a photo of the new mom clutching onto her infant's hand

Hilton's close pal Kim Kardashian quickly took to the comment section to react to the Simple Life star's surprise baby news

Keeping up with Kim: It was her former assistant, 42, who introduced her to the IVF process

Hilton previously revealed that it was Kim who introduced her to her fertility doctor. Kim used Beverly Hills IVF 'magician' Dr. Andy Huang, according to Vogue.

Hilton previously revealed Kim introduced her to her fertility doctor. Kim used Beverly Hills IVF 'magician' Dr. Andy Huang to conceive three out of her four children

Kim is all too familiar with the IVF process and surrogacy being that it's how she welcomed three of her four children with Kanye West. (They conceived daughter North naturally but turned to IVF to conceive their son Saint. Their children Chicago and Psalm were carried via surrogate.)

In a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Hilton spoke about finally starting a family with husband as well as the love they share for their son.

'It's always been my dream to be a mother and I'm so happy that Carter and I found each other,' it read.

'We are so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy.'

She did not reveal further details about the birth.

Though this is Hilton's first child, Reum, 40, already shares a 10-year-old daughter with reality star Laura Bellizzi, who he has allegedly seen 'only once.'

Along with Kardashian, the likes of Chrissy Teigen publicly congratulated Hilton.

Teigen, who recently gave birth to her third child with musician John Legend, wrote: 'a BABY!!!!!! congratulations so happy for you both!!'

Victoria's Secret models Lily Aldridge, Jasmine Tookes and Sara Sampaio all wrote 'congratulations' to the new mom.

The Great actress Elle Fanning was elated to hear the baby news as she commented: 'CONGRATULATIONS! Most beautiful mommy'

Congrats: Along with Kardashian, the likes of Chrissy Teigen publicly congratulated Hilton

Last month, Hilton shared that she started in vitro fertilization (IVF) back in mid-2020 before Reum ever proposed.

She was recently forced to clarify the status of their IVF journey after her mother Kathy Hilton claimed the pair were struggling to conceive.

'I have tons of embryos that are waiting, we've been stocking up on a lot of them,' Hilton fired back after she was asked about her mother's remark by TMZ.

In early 2022, Hilton told E! News that she wanted 'two or three' kids with the millionaire entrepreneur and even had a desire for twins.

She was recently forced to clarify the status of their IVF journey after her mother Kathy Hilton claimed the pair were struggling to conceive; Paris and Kathy seen in November 2021

She also said she would want 'maybe a boy first' since she always dreamed of having an older brother to 'protect' her.

While appearing on the Trend Reporter With Mara podcast in 2021, Paris described the IVF process as 'tough, but I knew it would be worth it. I did it a couple of times.'

Hilton said at the time that she and Reum were 'planning our babies names and all of that,' adding: 'Just doing it together and having a partner that is just so supportive and always makes me feel just like a princess all the time...that it wasn't that bad.'

It was her former assistant Kardashian who introduced her to IVF. The reality TV star welcomed three of her four children via surrogate.

Kim further helped out Hilton by urging her to visit renown fertility specialist, Dr. Andy Huang, who is based in Los Angeles and was featured on Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

'[Kim] was the one who told me about that. I didn't even know anything about it. I'm happy that she told me that advice and introduced me to her doctor,' she said.

'So, I'm really excited to just move on for the next step of my life, and finally just have like a real life,' Hilton continued. 'Because I really do believe that having a family and having children is the meaning of life.

'And I haven't got to experience that yet, because I didn't feel like anybody deserved that love from me, and now I finally found the person who does.'

Paris revealed in September 2021 they were looking for a baby name for a son.'I have baby London, which is the girl, and I'm trying to figure out a name for the boy,' she said.

Married: The pair wed in a ceremony November 2021 at Hilton's grandfather Barron Hilton's Bel-Air estate. She told her Instagram followers that she 'felt like Cinderella' on her special day and declared Reum her 'soulmate'

'So if you have any suggestions, I'm asking my friends. I don't want a theme of cities, but I don't know  it's hard to decide. London for sure for the girl; the boy, I'm just still trying to decide on.'

The pair wed in a ceremony November 2021 at Hilton's grandfather Barron Hilton's Bel-Air estate.

It was a lavish three-day affair attended by the likes of Kim Kardashian, Paula Abdul and Kimora Lee Simmons.

She told her Instagram followers that she 'felt like Cinderella' on her special day and declared Reum her 'soulmate.'

Honeymoon: They went on to enjoy a months-long honeymoon in tropical destinations like Bora Bora

She wowed in a custom Oscar de la Renta gown for her walk down the aisle, but later changed into five show-stopping dresses for the reception. They went on to enjoy a months-long honeymoon in tropical destinations like Bora Bora.

Also in November 2021, news that Reum was the father of Bellizzi's daughter made headlines. This prompted Reum to release a statement addressing the matter through a spokesperson.

'The people who this story matters to have known about it for 10 years. Carter supports this child,' it began.

'While he does not have a traditional father-daughter relationship with her, he has provided for her since she was born, and will continue to do so.'

Love child: Though this is Hilton's first child, Reum, 40, already shares a 10-year-old daughter with reality star Laura Bellizzi , who he has allegedly seen 'only once'; Bellizzi seen in 2010

Bellizzi famously had a brief fling with actor Mel Gibson, and when she became pregnant both she and Mel publicly denied rumors he was the father.

Reum presented Hilton with a $2million engagement ring when he proposed to her on her 40th birthday in February 2021.

At the time he got down on one knee, the pair had dated for just over two years.

The duo had been friends for years before taking things to a romantic level in December 2019.

The inseparable couple went public on January 5, 2020 while canoodling at the Warner Bros. and InStyle's Golden Globes after-party.
Channel Nine's controversial social experiment Married At First Sight will return for its 2023 season next week.

And Daily Mail Australia has obtained exclusive photos of new bride Bronte Schofield getting ready for her wedding day, which was filmed in Sydney in August last year.

The images show the aspiring influencer, 28, descending the steps of a hotel and climbing into a waiting limousine.

New MAFS bride Bronte Schofield, 28, looked a little nervous as she prepared to meet her mystery groom in these photos taken in Sydney on August 20 last year

Flanked by a cameraman, Bronte looked nervous as she geared up to marry her mystery husband, who has been identified as Harrison Boon.

The brunette, who is the spitting image of former MAFS bride Ines Basic, sported a sleek, fishtail wedding dress featuring thin straps and a plunging neckline.

Bronte wore her dark tresses in a slicked-back bun and completed her look with drop earrings and an ivory bridal veil.

Photos obtained exclusively by Daily Mail Australia show the aspiring influencer, 28, descending the steps of a hotel and climbing into a waiting limousine

The brunette, who is the spitting image of former MAFS bride Ines Basic, sported a sleek, fishtail wedding dress featuring thin straps and a plunging neckline

Bronte wore her dark tresses in a slicked-back bun and completed her look with drop earrings and an ivory bridal veil

Bronte (left) has been compared to her predecessor Ines Basic (right). Aside from looking similar, the women also had the same hair and makeup style for their televised weddings

She clutched a bouquet of cream roses that matched her French-tipped manicure.

Before sliding into the limousine, Bronte was seen giggling and joking during a quick chat with a male family member.

It comes after Daily Mail Australia exclusively revealed Bronte's wedding will be thrown into chaos when a guest, The Bachelors contestant Jessica Tomlinson, sensationally accuses the groom of hooking up with one of her co-stars just days before walking down the aisle.

She clutched a bouquet of cream roses that matched her French-tipped manicure

Before sliding into the limousine, Bronte was seen giggling and joking during a quick chat with a male family member

It comes after Daily Mail Australia exclusively revealed Bronte's wedding will be thrown into chaos when a guest, The Bachelors contestant Jessica Tomlinson, sensationally accuses the groom of hooking up with one of her co-stars just days before walking down the aisle

Footage taken by Daily Mail Australia shows Jessica pulling Bronte aside to let her know she recognised Harrison and he shouldn't be trusted

Bronte and Jessica begin arguing before the MAFS bride storms off in tears

Footage captured by Daily Mail Australia shows Jessica pulling Bronte aside to let her know she recognised Harrison and he shouldn't be trusted.

Bronte and Jessica begin arguing before the MAFS bride storms off in tears.

'Jessica couldn't believe it when she realised it was the guy her [Bachelors] co-star was hooking up with and felt it was right to confront Bronte about it on her wedding day,' a source said.

'Jessica couldn't believe it when she realised it was the guy her [Bachelors] co-star was hooking up with and felt it was right to tell Bronte about it on her wedding day,' a source said

'Jessica was desperate to get her five minutes of fame and decided to tell Bronte on camera by pulling her aside and essentially sabotaging the wedding,' they added

'Jessica was desperate to get her five minutes of fame and decided to tell Bronte on camera by pulling her aside and essentially sabotaging the wedding.'

The new season of MAFS will see the return of Puerto Rican sexologist Alessandra Rampolla, as well as veteran relationship experts John Aiken and Mel Schilling.

A range of topics will be covered this season, include racism, gaslighting, and narcissistic behaviour.

According to sources, one husband has already been labelled 'worse than Bryce Ruthven' from the 2020 season, while another bride and groom accuse each other of 'gaslighting each other' and playing mind games.

Married At First Sight returns to Channel Nine on Monday, January 30, at 7.30pm

The new season of MAFS will see the return of Puerto Rican sexologist Alessandra Rampolla, as well as veteran relationship experts John Aiken and Mel Schilling

A range of topics will be covered this season, include racism, gaslighting, and narcissistic behaviour
Jackie O Henderson has called for the date of Australia Day to be changed.

The 47-year-old told her co-host Kyle Sandilands on KIIS FM's The Kyle and Jackie O Show, she doesn't want to feel 'shamed' for celebrating this country.

'I want to be able to celebrate Australia because I love this country and I am really patriotic,' Jackie explained.

Jackie 'O' Henderson (pictured) has called for an Australia Day date change and says she's tired of feeling 'shamed' for celebrating on January 26

'I want to be able to do it in a way I don't feel shamed about doing it so I'm more than happy to change the date.'

She continued: 'If you change the date, it is not hurting you personally but by not changing the date, it is hurting a lot of people.'

A long-running campaign to abolish Australia Day or change the date has a growing number of Aussies feeling uneasy about our national day of celebration.

The 47-year-old told her co-host Kyle Sandilands (pictured) on KIIS FM's The Kyle and Jackie O Show, she doesn't want to feel 'shamed' for celebrating this country

The date has been controversial for years as it's the day in 1788 when the First Fleet arrived in the country and Sir Arthur Phillip raised the British flag in Sydney Cove.

Many view the date as representative of the beginning of the painful and devastating impact colonisation has had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Telstra along with Channel 10, Woolworths, mining giant BHP, financial firms Deloitte and KPMG and bio tech company CSL have joined the growing list of companies and organisations who are allowing staff to work on January 26.

'I want to be able to celebrate Australia because I love this country and Im really patriotic. I want to be able to do it in a way I dont feel shamed,' Jackie said

Channel 10 bosses told their staff in an email that the network will not be celebrating Australia Day and that employees could come to work instead of taking the day off.

Parent company Paramount ANZ's chief content officer, Beverley McGarvey, and co-lead Jarrod Villani referred to Australia Day as 'January 26' in the email.

The pair told staff it was 'not a day of celebration' for Indigenous people and said employees could decide whether they wished to take the day off as a public holiday or work if they preferred.
Shemar Moore confirmed Tuesday that he and and girlfriend Jesiree Dizon have welcomed a baby girl.

The 52-year-old actor - best known for shows such as S.W.A.T., Criminal Minds and The Young and the Restless - said on Instagram, 'Ya boy is officially a Dad!!! Dreams come true!! The rest of my life is here!'

A rep for the veteran actor, who battled coronavirus in 2020, confirmed to People the news of the baby's birth earlier Tuesday.

The latest: Shemar Moore, 52, confirmed that he and and girlfriend Jesiree Dizon, 39, have welcomed a baby girl. They were pictured at a gender reveal earlier this month

'Shemar Moore and his partner, Jesiree Dizon, are happy to announce the birth of their baby girl,' said the rep. 'The family is very happy and healthy.'

Moore and his wife received words of support from fellow actors such as S.W.A.T.'s David Lim, Nut Devahastin and Bill Bellamy.

Moore earlier this month revealed on The Jennifer Hudson Show that he 'is about to be a daddy' and that he had began to worry 'that ship had sailed' on being a parent. He said that the due date was around the third anniversary of his mother's death on February 8, 2020.

He said: 'On February 8th I'm gonna make one of her dreams come true because in real life Shemar Moore is about to be a daddy,' which prompted the audience to cheer.

Happy: The actor said on Instagram Tuesday, 'Ya boy is officially a Dad!!! Dreams come true!! The rest of my life is here!'

Feedback: The star received a number of upbeat responses to his post

Fame: The actor is best known for shows such as S.W.A.T., Criminal Minds and The Young and the Restless

Daddy! Shemar Moore revealed he is just one month away from becoming a father, after beginning to worry 'that ship had sailed,' on The Jennifer Hudson Show

Exciting: While chatting with the 41-year-old EGOT winner's talk show, the actor, 52, revealed the exciting news that he preparing to welcome his first child

'Congratulations!' Hudson told him. 'That's news! And your mama is gonna be so proud, smiling at you from heaven.'

Moore then said: 'I'm sorry she can't be here. I was worried for a while that maybe that ship had sailed'

Despite feeling that his life is already 'pretty grand,' Moore predicted fatherhood will be 'the best' experience.

On his Instagram, Moore shared a sweet video from his gender reveal party shared a sweet video from his gender reveal party, in which he learned he would be having a little girl as a helicopter released pink smoke.

His loved ones clapped and he beamed with joy while holding up a 'Girl dad' t-shirt.

Girl dad! On his Instagram, Moore shared a sweet video from his gender reveal party

Overjoyed: His loved ones clapped and he beamed with joy while holding up a 'Girl dad' t-shirt

In 2016, the S.W.A.T. star revealed he stepped away from Criminal Minds and his beloved character Derek Morgan to focus on his family.

'I need balance in my life. I love what I do for a living, I love it from action to cut, but I also want to walk my dogs, travel, get married, have kids. I want balance, and it's hard to do with the schedule that we have,' he told TV Line, at the time.

The hunk has done his best to push through a challenging three years, which included the devastating loss of his mother and battling COVID-19.

Making memories: The pair learned they would be having a little girl as a helicopter released pink smoke

'Your boy got butterflies!' he confessed to the camera ahead of finding out his baby's gender

One of each: His partner, who has a son from a past relationship, said she would 'love a boy' because they are so easy, but would thrilled to have a girl too

Look up! Moore couldn't hide his excitement when he saw the pink shirt

Upon announcing her passing to the world, he told fans in an Instagram video that he was 'heartbroken.'

'I don't know life without this woman. I don't know what to do but I will figure it out because that's what she would want,' he said. 'Everything I've accomplished is because of this amazing woman. My mother is gone, she ain't here no more. But she's here,' he wrote.

Additionally, the performer called his mom his 'best friend and partner in crime and that he crime,' in addition to saying he missed her 'more than' he 'ever thought possible.'

In 2016, the S.W.A.T. star revealed he stepped away from Criminal Minds and his beloved character Derek Morgan to focus on his family (pictured in 2017)
JoJo Siwa took to TikTok on Tuesday to insist that she does not regret appearing on the Lifetime reality series Dance Moms.

The 19-year-old Omaha, Nebraska native - who just celebrated two years as a member of the LGBTQ+ community - first appeared on Abby Lee Miller's series Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition before appearing on her flagship series Dance Moms, which helped launch her career.

After she posted a video captioned, 'Reasons I regret Dance Moms,' last week she insisted that this wasn't actually the case, but did reveal one unusual rue from the show - not watching the movie Carrie like Miller had asked her.

No regrets: JoJo Siwa took to TikTok on Tuesday, clarifying that she does not regret appearing on the Lifetime reality series Dance Moms

Movie: Last week Siwa posted a video captioned, 'Reasons I regret Dance Moms,' but she didn't list any reasons, clarifying in Tuesday's video that she doesn't regret being on the show... but she regrets an instance where she didn't watch the movie Carrie like Miller had asked her

'OK that is the truth. I don't regret doing Dance Moms at all, or being a part of Dance Moms at all,' Siwa began.

'It made me who I am today and I have nothing but love for the show,' Siwa continued, before revealing her Carrie regret.

'However... I do have one regret from my time on Dance Moms, and that is that I did not watch the movie Carrie,' Siwa admitted.

Don't regret: 'OK that is the truth. I don't regret doing Dance Moms at all, or being a part of Dance Moms at all,' Siwa began

No watch: 'However... I do have one regret from my time on Dance Moms, and that is that I did not watch the movie Carrie,' Siwa admitted

'Now, if you've ever seen the scene from Dance Moms when I say the quote, "Well, if you yell at me, I'm gonna cry," it's because Abby was yelling at me because I didn't watch the movie my dance was inspired by, which was the horror movie Carrie,' Siwa explained.

She added that she didn't watch the movie, 'because I was scared, I was 12, I was in a hotel room,' and said that she does think she would, 'play the character better if I watched the movie.'

'With that being said, even though I regret that... I really don't regret that because I probably would have never come up with saying, "Well if you yell at me I'm gonna cry" and that would have never happened, so no regrets,' Siwa concluded.

Scene: 'Now, if you've ever seen the scene from Dance Moms when I say the quote, "Well, if you yell at me, I'm gonna cry," it's because Abby was yelling at me because I didn't watch the movie my dance was inspired by, which was the horror movie Carrie,' Siwa explained

After a few years on Dance Moms, Siwa branched out and released her first singles Boomerang and I Can Make U Dance in 2016.

Her popularity began to explode in just a few years, embarking on her first major tour in 2019 and being named one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2020.

Siwa also celebrated her two-year anniversary of coming out as part of the LGBTQ+ community, wearing a shirt that read, 'Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.'

Singles: After a few years on Dance Moms, Siwa branched out and released her first singles Boomerang and I Can Make U Dance in 2016

Anniversary: Siwa also celebrated her two-year anniversary of coming out as part of the LGBTQ+ community, wearing a shirt that read, 'Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever'

'2 years ago today. now looking back on everything. Im SO proud of 17 year old JoJo,' she said in the caption of her post.

She recently started a new relationship with TikTok model Savannah Demers, just a month after calling it quits with Avery Cyrus.

It was also announced in October that she will star in the new horror movie called Sketch, produced by N'Sync's Lance Bass.

Looking back: '2 years ago today. now looking back on everything. Im SO proud of 17 year old JoJo,' she said in the caption of her post
Cameron Douglas made a rare red carpet appearance at the premiere of his new film The Runner in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Tuesday.

The actor, 44, who is the son of Michael Douglas, was joined by his co-star Edouard Philipponnat and John Travolta's daughter Ella Bleu Travolta, 22.

Cameron cut a casual figure for the event, sporting a white short sleeved shirt with a floral print which he wore open to show off his chest tattoo.

Event: Cameron Douglas made a rare red carpet appearance at the premiere of his new film The Runner in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Tuesday

The film star also wore a pair of cream trousers and glasses as he took part in a talk to discuss the project.

The Runner follows troubled teenager Aidan (Edouard) who is forced to go undercover by cops to help bring down a drug pin.

Cameron, who has acted on and off since the late 90s, plays a detective in the action flick.

Cameron, who served seven years behind bars for drug offences, is the eldest son of Michael, 76, and film producer Diandra Luker, 65.

Premiere: The actor, 44, who is the son of Michael Douglas, was joined by his co-star Edouard Philipponnat and John Travolta's daughter Ella Bleu Travolta, 22

Laid back: Cameron cut a casual figure for the event, sporting a white short sleeved shirt with a floral print which he wore open to show off his chest tattoo

His grandfather thrice-Oscar nominee Kirk was also a screen legend who died last February aged 103.

Following his early release in 2016, Cameron welcomed daughter Lua with girlfriend Viviane Thibes, a yoga instructor, in 2017. They are also proud parents to five-month-old son Ryder.

Speaking after his release, Cameron revealed his father Michael and stepmother Catherine Zeta-Jones, 51, 'never gave up on me'.

'My family never gave up on me, not for one second. Catherine is a scrapper, she's someone who came from Wales and clawed her way up to the very top through sheer talent and determination,' he told The Mail on Sunday in 2018.

Casual: The film star also wore a pair of cream trousers and glasses as he took part in a talk to discuss the project

Plot: The Runner follows troubled teenager Aidan (Edouard) who is forced to go undercover by cops to help bring down a drug pin

Role: Cameron, who has acted on and off since the late 90s, plays a detective in the action flick

'She never gives up on anything and she didn't quit on me. The love of my family got me through my darkest days.'

Cameron, who has made headlines throughout his life for drug arrests and trips to rehab, hit rock bottom in 2010 when he was sentenced to five years in jail.

Cameron was arrested in 2009 after police found him with almost a pound of methamphetamine in a New York City hotel, enough to charge him with intent to distribute.

A judge sentenced him to five years behinds bars in April of the following year, but his prison time was extended by four-and-a-half years in 2011 when he pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs into jail.

Family ties: Cameron, who served seven years behind bars for drug offences, is the eldest son of Michael, 76, and film producer Diandra Luker, 65. Cameron and Michael are pictured

Cameron's drug use began early in his life, and was detailed in a 2012 Brief of Amici filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit after his conviction for unlawfully possessing the painkiller Suboxone and heroin while behind bars.

He went on to say: 'When that cell door slammed shut on the first night of my incarceration, I felt like I was in a bad dream, that I would wake up. But the dream carried on and got worse.

'I lived a nightmare for seven years but the love of my family never wavered.'

Cameron celebrated his 44th birthday in December, with both Michael and Catherine sending him well wishes on the day.

Father-son duo: Michael recently wished his son a happy birthday in a heartfelt post

A family affair: Stepmother Catherine Zeta-Jones shared her love for her stepson on social media

Michael posted a photo with his son and wrote: 'Happy birthday Cameron! With my love and admiration, heres to your great new year! Love, Dad.'

The father-son duo shared the screen in the 2003 film It Runs in the Family, and they are set to reunite in a family drama called Blood Knot.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, the wife of Michael and mother of Dylan, took to Instagram to wish her stepson a happy birthday along with the rest of the family.

She posted two photos, one of her and Cameron and one solo shot of him. She captioned the pictures: 'Happy Birthday to my amazing stepson @cameronmorrelldouglas Love you always Cam.'

Michael was married to his ex-wife Diandra from 1977 to 2000 and had one child, Cameron, before marrying Zeta-Jones in 2000 and having two children, Dylan, 22, and Carys, 19.
She's been spending time in Paris this week for the cit's annual fashion week.

And Sofia Ritchie looked typically stylish on Tuesday evening as she headed for a night out in the French capital with her fiance Elliot Grainge.

The model, 24, donned a shimmering purple co-ord by Chanel, consisting of a button-up cardigan and complementing trousers.

Sofia Ritchie shows off her sense of style in a purple co-ord as she steps out with fiance Elliot Grainge in Paris during the city's fashion week

Sofia's glimmering ensemble featured a stitch pocket detail and rhinestone design, as she left the buttons few undone to show some of her torso.

Sticking to the bright colour theme, she teamed the look with a bright pink handbag and a pair of pointed toe wedged heels.

The beauty opted for a bright palette of makeup, tucking her blonde tresses away into a single braid as two sections framed her face.

Sofia kept warm for the evening out with a dark coat on top as she was spotted heading back to her hotel after a busy day.

Suave: The model's fiance Elliot looked smart in a navy blue suit, layered over a T-shirt

Glittering: Sofia's glimmering ensemble featured a stitch pocket detail and rhinestone design, as she left the buttons few undone to show some of her torso

Meanwhile, Record Executive Elliot looked smart in a navy suit and black T-shirt, adding a pair of suede chelsea boots.

The pair enjoyed an evening with Chanel, which featured live music and a meal in a gorgeous candlelit setting.

While she was spotted attending the brand's Haute Couture fashion show earlier in the day.

Ensemble: Sticking to the bright colour theme, she teamed the look with a bright pink handbag and a pair of pointed toe pumps

Although the couple keep their relationship relatively private, Sofia and Elliot went Instagram official in April 2021.

In April 2022, Sofia announced her engagement to the music executive.

The engagement was a surprise to some fans, but the couple reportedly knew each other for years before they started dating.

According to People, Sofia's father Lionel - who has been dating model Lisa Parigi, who is 40 years his junior, since 2014 - was a frequent collaborator and friend of Elliot's father, Sir Lucian Grainge.

Layering: Sofia kept warm for the evening out with a dark coat on top as she was spotted heading back to her hotel after a busy day

Busy: The duo have been spending time in Paris for the city's fashion week

Nearly a week after their engagement announcement, Lionel told Access Hollywood his daughter's fiance was a 'nervous wreck' when asking for permission to marry her and when he gave his approval.

'I love Elliot,' he said. 'I've known him since he was 12 ... It was one of those things where I don't have to go back and check out the kid. I know who it is.'

Sofia previously dated Scott Disick, 39 - reality star and father of Kourtney Kardashian's three children - from 2017 to 2020.

High brow: They spent the evening with Chanel, enjoying a dinner and evening show with the fashion brand
The first week of Love Island 2023 was packed with plenty of drama.

And now, fans have been given the opportunity to see behind-the-scenes action from another lens - their mobile phones.

From selfies to group pictures, this year's batch of contestants have been very busy capturing the best moments in the villa.

Pose! Love Island fans have been given the opportunity to see behind-the-scenes action from another lens - the islanders' mobile phones

Posting the pictures to the official Love Island Instagram, the account wrote: 'First week in the villa completed.

'Take a look at some exclusive snaps from our Islanders' phones!'

In one snap, Kai and Tom can be seen smiling into the mirror as they got ready for the night.

Both had clearly scrubbed up well as they swapped their swimming shorts for something a bit more modest.

Stunning: From selfies to group pictures, this year's batch of contestants have been very busy capturing the best moments in the villa (pictured Tanya and Olivia)

The boys: In one snap, Kai and Tom can be seen smiling into the mirror as they get ready for the night

The pair were joined by their fellow islanders for a group selfie that same evening, as they gather in the outside kitchen.

From peace signs to big smiles, the winter islanders looked to be in good spirits.

Meanwhile, in another selfie, Shaq took some alone time as he smiled from the balcony - with the incredible South African villa backdropped behind him.

Unlikely trio Olivia, Zara and Lana also posed for a photo, all glammed up for the night ahead.

The three girls looked stunning in their monochrome outfits: Olivia rocking an all black fit, Zara donning a raunchy brown crop top and brown leather jeans and Lana putting on a leggy display in a light blue skirt and matching top.

The girls posed with their arms in the air as they take on the evening ahead.

Another unexpected trio - Kai, Haris and Tanyel also pose for a selfie during the evening.

Views: in another selfie, Shaq can be seen taking some alone time as he smiles from the balcony - with the incredible South African villa backdropped behind him

Unlikely: Unlikely trio Olivia, Zara and Lana also pose for a photo as they're all glammed up for the night ahead

Three's clearly a crowd and Tom, Ron and Kai also posed for another picture at night as they relaxed outside.

The three lads uddled with their arms around each other as they smile for the picture.

In another fun selfie, Zara, Anna-May and Lana posed in the girls' dressing room.

Zara offered the camera a cheeky wink and peace sign, while Lana smiled and Anna-May gave a sultry pout.

Three's a crowd: Another unexpected trio - Kai, Haris and Tanyel also pose for a selfie during the evening

Meanwhile, in a sizzling mirror selfie Tanya and Olivia stripped down to their bikinis to show off their stunning figures.

Tanya looked incredible as she showed off her toned stomach in the snap in a purple bikini.

Olivia looked equally breathtaking as she showcases her gorgeous physique in the blue bikini.

In a more artistic shot, Olivia and Haris pose into their window reflection for another snap around the pool.

Close: Tom, Ron and Kai also pose for another picture at night as they chill outside. The three lads can be seen huddled with their arms around each other as they smile for the picture

While the islanders clearly enjoy using their phones for pictures, they are mainly given phones to chat to producers and deliver the iconic 'I've got a text line'.

Much like the famous Love Island water bottles, every year the contestants get issued a mobile phone with their names emblazoned on them.

For every big event, including explosive recouplings, brutal dumpings, and fun challenges, the Islanders will get sent a text informing them of what's about to come, which they often read out loud to inform the rest of the group and viewers at home.

Getting ready: In another fun selfie, Zara, Anna-May and Lana pose in the girls dressing room

Artisitc: In a more artistic shot, Olivia and Haris pose into their window reflection for another snap around the pool

The mobile devices are used to replace the stars' real phones, which are taken away before the start of the show to prevent them from communicating with the outside world.

The phones have no internet access but the Islanders can text each other, which viewers sometimes get to see.

In another cute snap, Tanyel and Kai got together for their first couple selfie - and the pair look great together.

Finally, fan favourite farmer Will Young made an appearance in a photo and was joined by the other boys for a group selfie.

Group pic: While the islanders clearly enjoy using their phones for pictures, they are mainly given phones to chat to producers and deliver the iconic 'I've got a text line'

Romance: In another cute snap, Tanyel and Kai get together for their first couple selfie - and the pair look great together

Former contestants Anna Vakili and Amber Gill, who both starred on the ITV2 dating show in 2019, revealed what happens to the phones during a Q&A session for Closer magazine.

When asked about the selfies on the phones, Anna said: 'We didn't get to keep any of the photos that we took.'

But Amber, who won the show alongside Greg O'Shea, actually got to keep her phone as part of a 'winners pack'.

She said: 'I actually got a lot of the photos that we took. Because I got my Samsung phone after I finished.

Handsome: Finally, fan favourite farmer Will Young makes an appearance in a photo as he is joined by the other boys for a group selfie

'It was part of my... like I got loads of gifts as like a 'winner pack', and I got one of the phones. It had the pictures we took.'

Fellow former Islander Zara McDermott has also revealed more about the phones, as her boyfriend Sam Thompson recently asked her about the texts the contestants receive from producers.

Sam asked: 'Are you told you have to say, 'I've got a text!' because everybody says it, or is it just the done thing?'

Zara replied: 'It's just the done thing.'

She added that the Islanders are somewhat aware of when a text will be coming and that the producers suggest to them: 'Maybe you should all have your phones near you'.
Brookside is making its return to screens across the UK after 20 years off air.

The iconic Liverpool-based soap will be streamed by Scottish TV channel STV, but the channel can be viewed by anyone living in Britain.

The soap, set in Liverpool, chronicled the lives of characters living in 13 houses on a cul-de-sac called Brookside Close.

Rejoice! Brookside is making its return to screens across the UK after 20 years off air

The programme will be shown from the beginning, news which will no doubt delight nostalgic soap fans who watched the show when it originally aired in the 1980s.

The first 10 episodes will be added to STV Plater on February 1 and from then on five episodes a week will be made available.

Brookside originally aired on the first day that Channel 4 was broadcast on November 2 in 1982 and proved an instant hit with viewers.

Fan favourites included Bobby and Sheila and Grant, played by Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston.

The show launched the careers of many industry heavyweights including Anna Friel, Amanda Burton and Claire Sweeney.

The Grants! Fan favourites included Bobby and Sheila and Grant, played by Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston

Ahead of the rerelease of old episodes, they have been remastered by Lime Pictures, the company who originally made the show when it was known as Mersey Television.

A spokesperson said: 'Brookside is a programme that is held in deep affection at Lime Pictures. Its strong social conscience combined with a powerhouse of Northern acting talent and writers made it unmissable viewing and formed a model of storytelling that has stood the test of time.

'We are delighted that audiences will be able to revisit or enjoy investing in this era of ground-breaking television that put Liverpool into the television landscape.'

Conceived by Grange Hill and Hollyoaks creator, Sir Philip Redmond, and produced by his company, the soap drew in millions of viewers.

Shooting to stardom: The show launched the careers of many industry heavyweights including Anna Friel, Amanda Burton and Claire Sweeney (pictured left)

At its peak, the show drew in audiences of nine million viewers before it came to a close on November 4 2003.

Sunetra Sarker said she 'owes a lot' to the beloved soap after she was given the role of Nisha Batra following being spotted at a bus stop at 15.

The Ackley Bridge and Casualty actress added: 'Had I known then that Brookside Close would be the road that led me to my surprising and eventful career, I would never have believed it.'

'I am thrilled that STV Player is airing Brookie again after all these years. I never fail to hear fans tell me how much they still miss the show. Get streaming and see just how ground-breaking this Liverpool-based soap opera was all those years ago.'

Across its run, the show took on issues such as LGBT+ and hard hitting storylines like rape, bullying and incest.

Soap start out: Sunetra Sarker (pictured left) said she 'owes a lot' to the beloved soap after she was given the role of Nisha Batra following being spotted at a bus stop at 15

In 1985, teenage character Gordon Collins came out to his family as gay on the soap.

The character, played by both Mark Burgess and Nigel Crowley, became the first ever openly gay character in a British TV series when the episode aired.

Brookside also had the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss in British history between characters Beth Jordache, played by Anna Friel, and Margaret Clemence, who was portrayed by future Emmerdale actress Nicola Stephenson.

Anna's career has taken her to America where she has appeared in the comedy series Pushing Daisies, opposite Susan Sarandon in country music drama Monarch and alongside Bradley Cooper in the film Limitless.

Career: Anna's career has taken her to America where she has appeared in the comedy series Pushing Daisies, opposite Susan Sarandon in country music drama Monarch and alongside Bradley Cooper in the film Limitless (pictured in Broken)

Silent Witness actress Amanda, Hollyoaks actress Alex Fletcher, and West End musical star Claire Sweeney also began their careers on the soap.

The soap, which is currently available in part on All 4, has been brought to STV after a deal with distributor All3Media International.

Richard Williams, managing director of digital at STV said: 'It may have been two decades since Brookside drew to a close, but the love for the show from its passionate army of fans has never waned.

'We're so pleased to be the first streaming service to bring this legendary piece of TV history back into viewers' living rooms for free, and I hope superfans and new audiences alike enjoy all the nostalgic drama that Brookside has to offer on STV Player.'

Brookside will arrive with the first 10 episodes on February 1 on STV Player and five new episodes will land each week following that.
Spencer Matthews has revealed that he regrets the famous scene where he and Louise Thompson broke up on Made In Chelsea, saying: 'I feel embarrassed about it.'

In one of the most memorable moments of the Channel 4 show the reality TV star turned entrepreneur, 34, met Louise on Putney Bridge where they ended their relationship in explosive fashion after Spencer's cheating had come to light.

During the very heated shouting match Spencer said to the now influencer, 32,: 'It's very hard to respect you when you allow me to cheat on you'.

Throwback: Spencer Matthews has revealed that he regrets the famous scene where he and Louise Thompson broke up on Made In Chelsea, saying: 'I feel embarrassed about it'

Reflecting on the scene Spencer explained on Elizabeth Day's How To Fail podcast that the pair had actually broken up in private the night before and were then told to meet the next day by producers.

He said: 'So I had actually broken up with Louise the night before and I told her about the next scene and she came in steaming hot breaking up with me instead and I was like 'this isn't real anymore!'

'At the time I was a heavy drinker and there was a change in the wind and our relationship was very toxic at the time and it meant we had a huge screaming match that I really regret.

Exes: In one of the most memorable moments of the Channel 4 show the reality TV star turned entrepreneur, 34, met Louise on Putney Bridge where they ended their relationship in explosive fashion after Spencer's cheating had come to light

'You know we're not friends but I have no hard feelings towards her I wish her all the bets but it's a shame I yelled at her that way because I feel embarrassed about it. But had I not told her the night before it would have been different.

'I would have broken up with her and she would have had a different reaction but actually she came in knowing what the scene was about. So it was not real.'

He continued about the show in general: 'I hate being known as Spencer from Made In Chelsea I hate it. I don't like reality TV. I am ashamed and embarrassed at some of my actions, I wish I had cared what people thought of me at that time.

Ouch: During the very heated shouting match Spencer said to the now influencer, 32,: 'It's very hard to respect you when you allow me to cheat on you'

'I behaved in ways that were a bit shocking and I thought it was funny at the time but lads thought it was cool. But actually it was a bit s**t.

'But if I'd been a lovely guy I wouldn't have been in the show then. The worse behaved you are the bigger you are on the show and I wanted to be the biggest.'

Spencer and Louise dated on and off for the first few seasons of Made In Chelsea before finally calling it quits in 2013.

Hurt: Reflecting on the scene Spencer explained on Elizabeth Day's How To Fail podcast that the pair had actually broken up in private the night before and were then told to meet the next day by producers

Viewers saw the couple part ways in an acrimonious fashion which came after ladies' man Spencer admitted to cheating on the tiny brunette multiple times, including sleeping with another girl in Louise's own bed.

Louise quickly went on to date MIC co-star Andy Jordan while womanizing Spencer quickly developed another doomed relationship with Lucy Watson.

Spencer is now married to Irish TV presenter Vogue Williams and the pair share three children Otto, seven months, Theodore, four, and daughter Gigi, two.

Meanwhile Louise is engaged to personal trainer Ryan Libbey with the pair welcoming their first child Leo in 2021.

Toxic: Spencer and Louise dated on and off for the first few seasons of Made In Chelsea before finally calling it quits in 2013

During the podcast chat Spencer opened up about Made In Chelsea and spoke about his decision to leave the show after five years.

He said: 'MIC at the time was great fun, it was original it was interesting to do at that age. But you grow and evolve like with any job and it can become not so great of a match anymore, people change and they move on.

'I loved MIC at the start. You would sit in a scene and you wouldn't actually know what was going to happen.

'But then my character changed very clearly and that was when I had had enough of it. Nobody lives dramatic lives in the way we were told to portray drama - I like to avoid drama! I don't want it.

'I look black on it and became very produced, the outcome is written into the scene before you even go into it - so I thought what is the point .

'I was just over it at that point but it took me five years!'

Spencer left the show in 2015 after securing a place on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Michelle Yeoh made history on Tuesday morning as she became the first Asian nominated in the Best Actress category at the Academy Awards.

Speaking with Ross King at the BAFTA tea party in LA, the Last Christmas star, 60, said 'it's about time' the Asian community are represented in the industry.

She said: 'It's overwhelming and you are like thank you for seeing us, seeing people that look like me, so it's about time'

'It's about time': Michelle Yeoh made history on Tuesday morning as she became the first Asian nominated in the Best Actress category at the Academy Awards

The news comes just weeks after the actress became the first Malaysian to win a Golden Globe.

'I think what it means to me is all those Asians out there go, 'You see, it's possible. If she can do it, I can freaking well do it as well.' That is the most important thing,' she told Deadline following the news.

She continued: 'I'm very ordinary. I just work very hard. There are so many brilliant actresses, actors out there who know that they have a seat at the table.'

Speaking with Ross King at the BAFTA tea party in LA, she said: 'It's overwhelming and you are like thank you for seeing us, seeing people that look like me, so it's about time'

Amazing! The news comes just weeks after the actress became the first Malaysian to win a Golden Globe

The Shang-Chi star went on to encourage others to 'find an opportunity and get there.'

Last month, Yeoh said the win would be for the 'whole Asian community.'

Yeoh went on to reflect on her peers, many of them white actresses, who are constantly recognized for their talents.

'I do look at all my peersCate Blanchett, Olivia Colman, Helen Mirrenand go, Oh God, I envy all the different opportunities you get to showcase your talent again and again,' Yeoh said.

'When you get an opportunity like this, you have to pour your heart and soul into it, because you dont know when the next chance is. I think that is my biggest fear: Please dont let this be the one and only,' Yeoh admitted.

When asked about the prospect of making history at the Oscars, she explained what it would represent.

Role of a lifetime: Yeoh seen above in character as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once

'Its not about needing it. Its that feeling that you dont have to explain: its love from other people. My arms are out open,' she said.

Yeoh continues to be quite busy, filming Avatar 3, the new TV series The Witcher: Blood Origin and Transformers: Rise of the Beast.

Her past credits include a wide range of films like martial arts action projects (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), James Bond thrillers (Tomorrow Never Dies), and superhero films (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2).
AJ Odudu showed off her impressive figure while soaking up the sun during a lavish getaway to Mucura Island in Colombia on Tuesday.

The presenter, 34, looked nothing short of sensational in a strapless blue bikini as she posed up a storm in front of a beach hut with two sun loungers outside.

The television host flashed her toned abs in an eye-catching orange triangle top in another snap as she added a green patterned cover-up skirt.

Hot! AJ Odudu showed off her impressive figure while soaking up the sun during a lavish getaway to Mucura Island in Colombia on Tuesday

In a fourth photo, AJ wowed in a strappy yellow two-piece as she cooled off in the sea.

She rocked a pair of dark sunglasses and swept her long tresses up in a high ponytail.

The beauty accessorised the beachy ensembles with a pair of chunky gold hoop earrings and a simple chain necklace.

Sizzling: The presenter, 34, looked nothing short of sensational in a strapless blue bikini as she posed up a storm in front of a beach hut with two sun loungers outside

AJ was joined on the trip by her sister as the pair were seen beaming on a wooden swing in front of the ocean.

She penned alongside the post: 'Well...all smug things must come to an end. Loved this trip for me and my sis.'

This is not the first lavish trip AJ has been on this year so far, she uploaded a number of sizzling snaps earlier this month while in Miami.

Soaking up the sun: The television host flashed her toned abs in an eye catching strappy yellow bikini in another snap as she cooled off in the sea

She was all smiles in the vibrant bikini as she wrapped a blue and white striped towel around her waist as she spent the day at the exclusive Soho Beach House with friends.

The TV presenter shielded her eyes from the sun in a pair of chic sunglasses and accessorised her swimwear with a simple pair of gold hoop earrings.

AJ enjoyed drinks with pals as they posed up a storm for the stunning snap with the sea behind her.

Sisters: AJ was joined on the trip by her sister as the pair were seen beaming on a wooden swing in front of the ocean

The TV star opted for a radiant palette of makeup and swept her long tresses up in a high ponytail.

AJ later changed into a white ribbed bikini with a colourful striped shirt over the top as she shared a video from her balcony showing the view from her room.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star added a stylish silver choker necklace and a pair of brown sunglasses.
Catherine Zeta Jones has heaped praise on Netflix series Wednesday, revealing that 'It turned out better than anyone anticipated'.

The actress, 53, plays Morticia Addams in the smash hit which has recently been renewed for a second season after becoming one of the most successful shows ever on the streaming platform.

And speaking to Ross King in a chat showed on Lorraine on Wednesday, the actress told of her excitement of being part of the Tim Burton production, while also gushing over 'marvellous' co-star Jenna Ortega.

Success: Catherine Zeta Jones has heaped praise on Netflix series Wednesday, revealing that 'It turned out better than anyone anticipated'

Chatting to the reporter alongside her husband Michael Douglas at a Burns night celebration last week, Catherine told how she didn't hesitate when asked to join director Tim's new project.

She said: 'When Tim Burton asked me to do it, I was like "whatever you want me to do Tim!" and then the idea of me playing Morticia, who's such an iconic, wonderful, juicy character was wonderful.'

Discussing the successful if show, she went on: 'It turned out so much better than I think anybody anticipated.'

Big fan: The actress told of her excitement of being part of the Tim Burton production, while also gushing over 'marvellous' co-star Jenna Ortega (pictured as Wednesday)

On Wednesday actress Jenna, 20, Catherine enthused: 'Jenny Ortega is just marvellous as Wednesday and through the eyes of Tim Burton it's a lot of fun.'

The Hollywood star continued: 'I'm really happy to be part of it I must say.'

And Catherine's screen icon husband Michael, 78, was certainly a fan of his wife's work as he piped up: 'She killed Morticia, she really killed it!'

Catherine looked stunning at the event, the BAFTA Annual Burns Bash in Santa Monica, which took place on Thursday.

`Wow: The actress, 53, plays Morticia Addams in the smash hit which has recently been renewed for a second season after becoming one of the most successful shows ever on the streaming platform

No doubt: Chatting to Ross King alongside her husband Michael Douglas at a Burns night celebration last week, Catherine told how she didn't hesitate when asked to join director Tim's new project

Enthusiastic: 'When Tim Burton asked me to do it, I was like "whatever you want me to do Tim!" and then the idea of me playing Morticia, who's such an iconic, wonderful, juicy character was wonderful'

Loving it: 'Discussing the successful if show, she went on: 'It turned out so much better than I think anybody anticipated... I'm really happy to be part of it I must say'

The Mask Of Zorro star wowed in a plunging black and gold gown while posing for photos with Michael at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows.

The metallic number nipped in at her waist before falling into a long skirt with a small train at her feet.

Catherine wore her long dark dark down and opted for a glamorous palette of bronze-hued makeup with a pair of glitzy chandelier earrings.

Gorgeous: Catherine looked stunning at the event, the BAFTA Annual Burns Bash in Santa Monica, which took place on Thursday

Stunning: The Mask Of Zorro star wowed in a plunging black and gold gown while posing for photos with Michael at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows

Michael opted for a navy suit with a white shirt and polka dot tie as he joined his wife for photos on the red carpet.

The couple have been married for 22 years and have two children, Carys, 18, and Dylan, 20.

Wednesday was officially renewed for a new series earlier this month following its huge success on Netflix.

A hit! Wednesday was officially renewed for a new series earlier this month following its huge success on Netflix

The spin-off about the Addams Family focuses on the gothic teenager Wednesday, played by Jenna Ortega, as she moves into boarding school Nevermore Academy.

In an interview with Tudum.com, Creators/Showrunners/Executive Producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar said: 'It's been incredible to create a show that has connected with people across the world.

'Thrilled to continue Wednesday's tortuous journey into season two.'

'We can't wait to dive head first into another season and explore the kooky spooky world of Nevermore. Just need to make sure Wednesday hasn't emptied the pool first.'

New series: The spooky drama sees Catherine playing Morticia, and her husband Gomez played by Luis Guzman, along with Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) and Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez)
Sophie Kasaei absolutely sizzles in her latest batch of holiday snaps.

The Geordie Shore star, 33, shared a series of racy pictures of herself on Instagram this week from her trip to Antigua with boyfriend Jordan Brook.

In one image, Sophie looks incredible as she shows off her toned figure in a racy string bikini and in another looks like the ultimate beach babe as she feeds a pig at the beach.

If you've got it! Sophie Kasaei showed off her incredible figure this week as she stripped off into a racy string bikini while on a romantic vacation with beau Jordan Brook in Antigua

Sophie looked incredible as she posed in a grey butterfly print bikini, which featured neon green straps.

She stood by a tree and held one hand over her head, showing off her incredibly toned figure.

In another image, the brunette poses in a bright blue backless costume as she feeds a pig in the shallow water.

Beach babe: In another image, she looks like the ultimate beach babe as she fed a pig at the beach

'Just two greedy pigs,' her post was captioned.

Her new boyfriend Jordan also shared a sweet picture of the pair posing up together and he gushed over Sophie.

'Someone once told me, with the right woman by your side you can achieve anything!' his post began.

'I didn't believe them till now. I'm on cloud 9! And it's all thanks to you. You truly are my Little Rock! Having you by my side this week has made me the happiest I've ever been!'

'Here's to our first holiday! And many more to come! Love you always special,' he finished.

Sweet: Her new boyfriend Jordan also shared a sweet picture of the pair posing up together and he gushed over Sophie

'Someone once told me, with the right woman by your side you can achieve anything!' his post began. 'I didn't believe them till now'

Sophie and The Only Way Is Essex star have been dating since November.

Sophie was an original Geordie Shore cast member when the show first launched in 2011 alongside the likes of Charlotte Crosby, Vicky Pattison, Gary Beadle, and Holly Hagan.

It comes after it was revealed earlier this month that Sophie will join the cast of TOWIE, in the first ever crossover between the reality shows.

The TV personality who's in a relationship with TOWIE cast member Jordan, will star alongside her boyfriend in the show's upcoming series, which is being filmed overseas.

An Essex insider told MailOnline that ITVBe producers are hoping Sophie, who was in the original cast of Geordie Shore and has over 2million Instagram followers, will help to resurrect the series, which has lost its popularity in recent years.
Jason Watkins has confessed it was 'very hard to make' a new documentary about the death of his daughter Maude.

The actor, 60, has been working on Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie, with his wife Clara Francis, which will see the couple offer support to other families suffering through grief.

It was in 2011 when Maude, the two year-old daughter of Jason and his wife, Clara Francis, tragically died from sepsis.

'It's never worse than feeling your child never existed': Jason Watkins has admitted it was 'very hard to make' a documentary about the death of his daughter Maude, two, from sepsis

Jason found Maude, who had been suffering from flu, dead in her bed on New Years Day morning. Despite two hospital visits, her flu symptoms masked the sepsis and she went undiagnosed.

The Crown star said during a Wednesday appearance on This Morning: 'I spoke to Sarah Parish and she's lost her own child, so it is about spreading awareness of sepsis, this documentary.

'...About letting people know that if you've lost a child, always mention it. It's never worse than feeling your child never existed. It is a sharing of our story - it was very hard to make. The hope is that people will get an idea.

'It is to say to other families that there is help, by talking about it it can help you and make you feel less alone because it is a very lonely journey.'

Tragic: The actor, 60, has been working on Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie, with his wife Clara Francis, which will see the couple offer support to other families suffering through grief

He also went on the daytime show to promote Channel 5's latest psychological drama, The Catch,

Based on the best-selling novel by The Holiday author, T.M. Logan, Jason harnesses the raw grief of losing his own daughter to play bereaved father Ed in the tense four-part Channel 5 drama which airs Wednesday at 9pm.

He said 'It's a family drama that develops into a psychological drama. In the past they've lost a child, which Ed feels partly responsible for and is struggling to keep his family together.

'It is [one of the hardest things in the world and this is a particular - our family in the show has lost a child, myself and Clara we lost our daughter 10 years ago.

Opening up: The Crown star said during a Wednesday appearance on This Morning: 'I spoke to Sarah Parish and she's lost her own child, so it is about spreading awareness of sepsis'

Coming soon: He also went on the daytime show to promote Channel 5's latest psychological drama, The Catch

'You think why on earth... but it is such a good script, it comes from a real sense of family, so seems to be a good chance to explore with an audience what it's like to lose a child. Some scenes were really, really difficult.'

'There's you at one end of the tightrope and the actor at the other - it depends on how much you give. If you give a lot of yourself and look after yourself, I prepared myself if I knew a day was going to be hard.'

Sepsis, known as the silent killer, strikes when an infection such as blood poisoning sparks a violent immune response in which the body attacks its own organs.

If caught early enough, it's easily treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids, but these must be given as soon as sepsis is suspected - it strikes with frightening speed and, for every hour of delay, a patient's chance of dying increases 8 per cent.

So sad: In 2010 a persistent cough prompted two consecutive visits to a hospital A&E, where Maude was initially diagnosed with croup but two week later died from sepsis

During the filming of his documentary, Jason visited an A&E department of a hospital, with the Line Of Duty star remarking on the 'difficulties' of sepsis in children was 'sadly' down to funds.

He said that while the skills were there in the NHS, the government needed to 'step up' an plough more money into the places it's really 'needed'.

Earlier this month, the star and wife Clara marked 12 years since Maude's death, with Jason also sharing a heartfelt tribute to his girl on Twitter.

Detailing how they marked the occasion, he told the publication: 'Clara and I both get quite emotional on that day and in the lead-up to the anniversary. We just walk to her bench as a family, and with friends, then everyone comes back to our house. Its a nice thing to do.'

In an interview in 2020, Jason revealed he was 'angry for a long time' at fate for taking the child he shared with his wife Clara Francis.

Devastating: 'Clara and I both get quite emotional on that day and in the lead-up to the anniversary. We just walk to her bench as a family' (pictured 2019)

Speaking to The Sunday Times Magazine, he said: 'Clara and I felt cheated.'

He described the pattern of his grief changing over time, from an acute pain to a 'heart-shaped feeling that you carry around for ever.'

Jason and Clara - who already had an older daughter Bessie - decided to try for another child after Maude's death.

He added: 'Life was not going to rob us of our happiness. And Gilbert has brought us so much happiness.'

Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie airs on ITV1 and ITVX later this year.

If you need further support or information about bereavement and grief, mental health charity Mind can be contacted via 0300 123 3393.

What are the key symptoms of sepsis? The 'silent killer' that can cause death in minutes Sepsis, known as the silent killer, strikes when an infection such as blood poisoning sparks a violent immune response in which the body attacks its own organs. It is a potentially life-threatening condition, triggered by an infection or injury. Around 245,000 people develop sepsis in the UK each year and 52,000 die, according to the UK Sepsis Trust. Instead of attacking the invading bug, the body turns on itself, shutting down vital organs. If caught early enough, it's easily treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids, but these must be given as soon as sepsis is suspected - it strikes with frightening speed and, for every hour of delay, a patient's chance of dying increases 8 per cent. Sepsis is a leading cause of avoidable death killing 44,000 people each year The early symptoms of sepsis can be easily confused with more mild conditions, meaning it can be difficult to diagnose. A high temperature (fever), chills and shivering, a fast heartbeat and rapid breathing are also indicators. A patient can rapidly deteriorate if sepsis is missed early on, so quick diagnosis and treatment is vital  yet this rarely happens. In the early stages, sepsis can be mistaken for a chest infection, flu or upset stomach. It is most common and dangerous in older adults, pregnant women, children younger than one, people with chronic conditions or those who have weakened immune systems. The six signs of something potentially deadly can be identified by the acronym 'SEPSIS': Slurred speech or confusion

Extreme shivering or muscle pain

Passing no urine in a day

Severe breathlessness

Skin that's mottled or discoloured Anyone who develops any of these symptoms should seek medical help urgently  and ask doctors: 'Could this be sepsis?' Advertisement

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Helen Skelton posed in a bikini as she took a rare photo with her baby daughter while on a break from the Strictly tour.

The former Blue Peter presenter, 39, proudly beamed as she took her little girl Elsie, 13 months, swimming while wearing a black two-piece and posted the snap on Instagram Stories on Wednesday.

She captioned the photo: 'Little fish', followed by a heart emoji.

Helen Skelton posed in a bikini as she shared rare photo with her baby daughter Elsie on Instagram on Wednesday while on a break from the Strictly tour

Helen is also mother to sons Ernie, seven, and Louis, five, with her ex, Richie Myler, 32, who she split from in April 2022 following a nine-year marriage.

The Strictly live arena tour kicked off in Birmingham on January 20 and runs all the way through until February 12.

The first night of the tour saw Helen and new professional dance partner Kai Widdrington, lift the Glitterball trophy after the audience voted them the winners.

Helen's original partner, Gorka Marquez, did not take part in the live tour.

Pink perfection: Helen has been dancing up a storm on the Strictly tour with Kai Widdrington - pictured backstage with Fleur East

Sensational: Strictly's Helen looked incredible in several stunning outfits when she took to the dance floor for the second night of the tour on Saturday

Helen recently discussed taking to the dance floor without her Strictly Come Dancing partner Gorka Marquez.

She told The Sun : 'It's really difficult not to be with Gorka because we're such good friends'.

'I've been asking him for advice a lot, so it feels like he's here. I'd have loved for him to do it, but it's almost like he's in the group.'

Performance: The television host, 39, who reached the final with the Spanish pro Gorka Marquez, 32, has now been paired with Kai, 27, ahead of the show's live tour

Helen recently thanked Gorka for supporting her after her break-up with Richie, who split up from Helen just months after she gave birth to their daughter.

Helen posted a video of her time on the show and wrote: 'As the frozen Princess said LET IT GO. but before I do, Im posting this flash back to the strictly final for three reasons: one its taken me this long to work out the drop box/video clip situation.

'Two: theres about to be a whole lot of strictly tour spam that doesnt involve @gorka_marquez and I need to mark this chapter with an acknowledgement and appreciation of my wingman.'
Holly Willoughby has scolded her old nemesis Russell The Crow as he destroyed the This Morning sofa six years on from their first terrifying encounter.

On Wednesday morning, Holly and Phil welcomed Helen Motteram and her pet crow Russell after he recently had his eye removed, but the TV host did not enjoy the erratic nature of the bird and looked very on edge while Phil gave it a feed.

In their second run-in with one-another, Holly watched the crafty crow as he guzzled a chicken treat but quickly rubbed its beak on the sofa, much to her dismay.

Get away! Holly Willoughby has scolded her old nemesis Russell The Crow as he destroyed the This Morning sofa six years on from their first terrifying encounter

After getting an update on Russell's wellbeing, Phillip asks if he can feed the animal and owner Helen says yes.

But Holly, who was initially sat closer to the crow than Phillip, is not best pleased, and tells him: 'Can you go over there to feed your new mate!'

As soon as Phillip rises to get closer to Russell, Holly dashes off to the other end of the sofa to try and avoid being within its wingspan if it gets up and flies.

Russell makes a mess on the top of the sofa where he sits enjoying his Wednesday lunch.

Eek! On Wednesday morning, Holly and Phil welcomed Helen Motteram and her pet crow Russell after he recently had his eye removed

Erratic: The TV host did not enjoy the erratic nature of the bird and looked very on edge while Phil gave it a feed

Giggles: In their second run-in with one-another, Holly watched the crafty crow as he guzzled a chicken treat but quickly rubbed its beak on the sofa, much to her dismay

The TV host, 41, and the bird, have previously met in July 2017 and it didn't go down well back then either.

Owner Helen, who is a pet behaviourist, brought her adopted rook onto the set of This Morning and left Holly quivering in fear - prompting viewers to label the moment the 'best interview of the year'.

Helen, 39, from Cheltenham, took in the injured bird - nicknamed Russell Crow - after discovering him outside a Prezzo restaurant in the town in 2016.

First run-in: The TV host, 41, and the bird, have previously met in July 2017 (pictured) and it didn't go down well back then either

Keeping her distance: But Holly, who was initially sat closer to the crow than Philip, is not best pleased, and tells him: 'Can you go over there to feed your new mate!'

As she was sharing the tale with the hosts on today's show, the bird took flight and swooped towards Holly's face, leaving her to cower behind Phillip Schofield.

Phillip had informed guests that a worried Holly had warned him if the bird came anywhere near her she would 'do a Money' - a reference to a previous show that week which saw a miniature pony named Money defecate on the studio floor.

Fortunately her fears proved unfounded - but Russell did end up relieving himself on the sofa beside his owner and her husband Tristan.

Star guest: As soon as Philip rises to get closer to Russell, Holly dashes off to the other end of the sofa to try and avoid being within its wingspan if it gets up and flies

Messy: Russell makes a mess on the top of the sofa where he sits enjoying his Wednesday lunch snack as fed by Philip

During the interview Holly appeared extremely uncomfortable with the animal in the studio and confessed she was 'just battling on' through.

Russell might not be popular with half of the This Morning hosting duo, but he is admired by his namesake, Hollywood actor Russell Crowe.

Russell Crowe is known for more than just his blockbuster films, he's also recognised for his incredible generosity.

Terrified! Pictured back in 2017 during their first run-in with each other, Holly was left quivering in fear - prompting viewers to label the moment the 'best interview of the year'

Support: As she was sharing the tale with the hosts on today's show, the bird took flight and swooped towards Holly's face, leaving her to cower behind Phillip

Laying low: Russell did end up relieving himself on the sofa beside his owner and her husband Tristan

Helen had set up a crowdfunding page in a bid to raise money for Russell the crow's eye surgery after it contracted a serious infection.

She surpassed her $2,650 (1,500) target with the help of the film star's generous donation of 500 late last month.

'A Christmas Miracle happened today as Russell Crow was given amazing support by a very famous actor with a very similar name,' Helen wrote via her Facebook page.

'I honestly couldn't believe it as I opened up my emails today and his campaign! It's incredible.'

'We just pray for another miracle on the 29th that his surgery goes well.'

The crow's surgery was ultimately a success, with an update shared to the bird's Facebook page that read he had returned home 'safely'.

As of Saturday, Helen has raised more than 2,200 which she says will go towards her other avians in need.

Celebrate! Helen surpassed her 1,500 target with the help of the crow's celebrity namesake, Russell Crowe, who donated 500

'Miracle': 'A Christmas Miracle happened today as Russell Crow was given amazing support by a very famous actor with a very similar name,' Helen wrote via her Facebook page

'By helping to fund Russell's surgery we can continue to fund our rescue which costs between 150 and 200 a week. Russell Crow is so truly grateful,' she wrote in another Facebook post.

Actor Russell appeared to discover the crow of the same moniker in 2017 after a clip went viral in the UK.

'Haha cool , what a nice lady Helen is to look after the poor blighter,' he tweeted at the time.

Only last week, Holly found herself face-to-face with a very unusual guest during an episode of This Morning as she spent time with Ham, the 'UK's naughtiest duck'.

Quacky go lucky! Only last week, Holly found herself face-to-face with a very unusual guest during Wednesday's episode of This Morning as she spent time with Ham, the 'UK's naughtiest duck'

Alongside co-host Phillip, the presenter was left in hysterics as she chatted to Ham and his owner Charlotte Taylor-Dugdale in the studio.

Ham is a local feathered celebrity in Lancashire due to his cheeky antics, with the bird often spotted enjoying walks or car rides in the town.

The four-year-old Indian Runner Duck proved to be the perfect guest, sitting calmly and quietly until Holly offered him a cup of tea.

Having learned from his owner that Ham was a fan of a warm brew, Holly couldn't resist offering up her mug.
Geelong great Billy Brownless has opened up about his new relationship after attending the Australian Open with his girlfriend.

The 55-year-old told the Herald Sun on Wednesday, he is 'very happy' with his new girlfriend Justine.

'Everything is going well. Taking it one week at a time as they say. We're very happy and it's nice to be out,' he said.

Footy legend Billy Brownless said he is 'very happy' with his new girlfriend Justine - six years after his marriage ended in betrayal when his wife started dating best mate Garry Lyon

The couple met at the AFL Grand Final September Club in 2019 and began dating almost six months later.

Justine works in customer relations and is a mother of two children.

She recently joined Billy as well as their friends Erinn Montagna and Leigh Montagna for a holiday in Fiji.

'Everything is going well. Taking it one week at a time as they say. We're very happy and it's nice to be out,' he said

Footy fans will no doubt be happy to see Billy open to love again after his 18-year marriage to wife Nicky sensationally ended in 2016 after she started dating his best mate, fellow AFL star Garry Lyon.

Both men's marriages had ended before Nicky and Lyon announced they were a couple, but Billy still felt betrayed because they had assured him they were nothing more than 'just good friends'.

After five years of bad blood, Billy and Garry began steps toward reconciliation in 2021 when Brownless said they were in a 'good spot', before spending Christmas Day together.

Billy and Nicky Brownless (left) are pictured with Garry and Melissa Lyon (right) in 2012. In 2016, Lyon left his wife and started a relationship with Nicky

Billy's daughter Lucy described the lunch between the blended families as 'really special'.

'It worked really well and was all very positive. We're all happy and happy to be all together. It was a great day. We were all really excited about that,' she told the Herald Sun at the time.

Billy addressed the issue with fellow AFL greats Sam Newman and Don Scott on an episode of the pair's You Cannot Be Serious podcast in September.

He admitted though he had not fully repaired his friendship with Lyon, he said the pair 'might' be able to be mates like before at some point.
TOWIE star Pete Wicks has sensationally quit the show after seven years, MailOnline can exclusively reveal.

The reality personality, 34, is set to announce to his loyal fanbase that he is taking a step away from the ITVBe series to focus on new TV projects.

After seven years on the show, which has seen the long-haired hunk rise to fame thanks to his relationships with former cast mates Megan McKenna, 30, Chloe Sims, 41, and Ella Rae Wise, 22, Pete is looking to explore fresh opportunities away from the world of reality TV.

A source told MailOnline Pete's departure has been a huge blow for ITVBe executives, who already suffered the loss of longstanding cast member Chloe, as well as her sisters Demi and Frankie, last year.

TOWIE star Pete Wicks has sensationally quit the show after seven years, MailOnline can exclusively reveal

An insider revealed: 'Pete is a hugely loved member of TOWIE both among viewers and the cast.

'But it's time for him to move on now, he's slightly older than the rest of the cast, and he's hoping to achieve more in his career after being on the show for such a long time.

'It's been a monumental stint and his storylines will go down in TOWIE history but for now he's taking a step away.'

A second source added: 'Pete will continue to cameo on TOWIE when it makes sense to appear alongside his friends, but he will no longer be a fully-fledged cast member.'

MailOnline has approached TOWIE and Pete's spokesperson for comment.

After seven years on the show, which has seen the long-haired hunk rise to fame thanks to his relationship with ex co-star Megan McKenna, Pete is looking to explore fresh opportunities (pictured in 2016)

A source told MailOnline Pete's departure has been a huge blow for ITVBe executives, who already suffered the loss of longstanding cast member Chloe Sims last year (pictured in 2019)

Pete joined TOWIE in 2015 introduced as James Lock's best pal and immediately set eyes on Jess Wright.

He soon became a main character on the series, romancing the likes of The X Factor: Celebrity winner Megan, who he had a tempestuous relationship with.

Their romance came to an explosive end when Megan discovered Pete had been sending explicit text messages to his ex-girlfriend Jacqui Ryland.

He dated Miss Great Britain and co-star Shelby Tribble, who's since had a baby with former TOWIE cast member Sam Mucklow.

He later had a rocky relationship with Chloe, who was left brokenhearted when Pete wasn't prepared to commit and it dramatically impacted their friendship.

Pete joined TOWIE in 2015 introduced as James Lock's best pal and immediately set eyes on Jess Wright (pictured in 2017)

Pete became known for his womanising ways, which in recent years has been captured on E4 series Celebs Go Dating.

He most recently shared a 'flirty friendship' with co-star Ella, who's 12 years his junior.

The TV star is the latest in a long line of veterans that have left the show in recent years including Gemma Collins, Bobby Norris, James Argent, and Liam Gatsby.

After meeting on Celebs Go Dating in 2018, Pete and Made In Chelsea's Sam Thompson became close friends and have collaborated on many social media videos, as well as presenting Pete & Sam's Reality News together on E4.

The duo are also starting to record the second series of their podcast Staying Relevant this week.

Last year, Pete was forced to quit Channel 4 show SAS: Who Dares Wins after he was challenged to jump out a helicopter into a lake but managed to knocked himself unconscious with his huge backpack.

He suffered from broken ribs and admitted the experience would 'f***ing haunt him' because he doesn't usually 'fail things.'
Spencer Matthews became emotional as he spoke about the death of his brother Michael while he was descending Mount Everest aged 22.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 34, was only 10 years old when his brother died and admitted he didn't 'understand' he wouldn't see Michael again at the time.

Speaking on Elizabeth Day's How To Fail podcast, Spencer discussed the emotions he felt at the time as well as the documentary he is making about his brother.

Tragedy: Spencer Matthews became emotional as he spoke about the death of his brother Michael while he was descending Mount Everest aged 22

Spencer said: 'I was ten at the time, we were in St. Barts. I was called up to the room and there was clearly something wrong. My parents told me Mike was lost on the mountain and wasn't coming back.

'I didn't understand death fully then, it didn't register with me. Mike was my superhero. To me, it just couldn't be true.'

Spencer told how he was in such shock at the time that it wasn't until later that he became emotional about his brother's death.

He said: 'I remember not even being physically upset because I thought, well that's nonsense. That's obviously not true.

Heartbreaking: The former Made In Chelsea star, 34, was only 10 years old when his brother died (Michael Matthews, 22, (L), with friend Jamie Everet in front of the summit of Everest)

'As time passed, I realised it was true and that I wouldn't see him again. At the time, that was very difficult.'

Spencer added: 'The film, which comes out in March, explores us trying to bring his body home.

Elsewhere during the chat, Spencer said he will raise his three children Theodore, four, Gigi, two, and Otto, nine months, to be open about their emotions.

He said: 'When I was growing up crying was perceived to be very weak in my family. Weakness was simply not allowed. I won't do that with my kids.'

The businessman is said to be 'hugely passionate' about the film, which will see him retrace the steps of his sibling, who tragically died aged 22.

Family: Spencer previously described his brother (left next to sibling James) as an 'incredible force of nature'

Spencer is said to have the backing of his parents and his brother James, 34, who is married to the Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa Middleton, to create the 'emotional' project, which will see Spencer visit his final resting place.

According to The Sun, Spencer is intent on bringing his brother's body home, and a source said: 'Spencer's documentary about Michael and his final days is at the very early stages and Disney+ have shown an interest.

'Though the Matthews family were never able to recover Michael's body, there is a guide who believes they know his final resting place.

'It is a hugely emotional project and will be a very upsetting journey for many reasons, but Spencer is hugely passionate about embarking on it if he can make it work.'

Experienced mountineer Michael, who had previously conquered Kilimanjaro, died in 1999 on a quest that saw him become the youngest Brit to conquer Everest. He was the 162nd person to die on Everest.

Spencer said: 'My parents told me Mike was lost on the mountain and wasn't coming back. 'I didn't understand death fully then'

Although Michael reached the summit of the world's highest mountain, he became separated from his group during the route down the mountain.

Michael's body has never been recovered and the Matthews' family have never been able to fully understand what happened to him.

Michael was an accomplished climber who had scaled the Pyrenees, the Swiss Alps and Kilimanjaro before he went on to attempt his fateful Everest trek, which cost around 22,000, using a climbing company.

After leading the group, the rest of the climbing pack claimed he began to struggle near the end and on their descent, a storm with 100mph winds hit leading to Michael's separation from the group.

David Matthews, the millionaire patriarch of the family, has always vowed the negligence of the mountain guides was to blame for his death.

He brought a private case against three men working for the firm amid claims the safety briefings were inadequate, his oxygen supply was faulty and the guides failed to keep Michael in their sights during the climb.

Adventurer: Michael Matthews was an accomplished climber who had scaled the Pyrenees, the Swiss Alps and Kilimanjaro before he went on to attempt his fateful Everest trek

The case was dismissed as the judge insisted there was no evidence of negligence.

Spencer and his family have since raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for The Michael Matthews Foundation, created in Michael's memory to support education projects in Africa and Asia.

Spencer previously entered the Ice Ultra, which is a 230km self sufficient foot race (carrying all food and equipment) through the mountains of Arctic Sweden.

In Spencer's 2013 book Confessions of a Chelsea Boy: The Autobiography, he discussed the devastating loss of his sibling.

Speaking about the family, including his other brother James, he said: 'His loss was devastating for the family and over time this became worse because the circumstances surrounding Michael's death have never been fully explained.

'James took the news badly. With just a year and a half between them, he and Mike were the closest of friends. The loss was heartbreaking for James.'

Candid: Spencer told how he was in such shock at the time that it wasn't until later that he became emotional about his brother's death

Of the unanswered questions surrounding the death, Spencer went on: 'We have not been able to say goodbye in person. We have nowhere to go to sit with him.

'He lives on with us in our minds only. On Mike's birthday James and I send mum and dad red roses for the age he would have been. I guess our family's way of dealing with losing Mike is to believe that he goes on with us.'

In a 2001 Guardian article on the tragedy, Spencer and Michael's father David explained how he originally trained with his son and his colleague Jamie Everett for the Everest expedition.

David was forced to drop out of the climb after a training climb up Aconcagua where he discovered that surgery he had had on his carotid artery prevented him from climbing well at altitude.
Jennifer Garner is getting serious with her burger CEO beau John Miller.

The 50-year-old actress - who recently reunited with ex Ben Affleck and his new wife Jennifer Lopez - is envisioning a long-term future with the 45-year-old CaliBurger CEO according to a Wednesday report from UsWeekly.

A source told the publication: 'Jennifer adores John and still sees a long-term future with him. Theres no desire on her part to slow things down, spend less time together or anything like that.'

Settling down? Jennifer Garner (seen in Pasadena last week) is envisioning a long-term future with 45-year-old CaliBurger CEO John Miller according to a Wednesday report from UsWeekly

John was first linked to Jennifer in 2018, when they began dating shortly after she finalized her divorce to Ben Affleck, 50.

The insider added: 'Shes just decided after a lot of thought that shes just not in a hurry to rush down the aisle just yet and that she feels perfectly happy cherishing and enjoying what they have  for now  without a formal label.'

After their relationship was first reported in 2018, a source told Us Weekly that Jennifer had fallen for the lawyer-turned-CEO 'because he is just normal,' unlike her A-lister ex.

A source told the publication: 'Jennifer adores John and still sees a long-term future with him. Theres no desire on her part to slow things down, spend less time together or anything like that,' the couple are seen in LA back in January 2019

Despite being replaced in the Alias star's life, Ben reportedly didn't mind her new beau.

Even though the two were reported to be dating, Jennifer and John never confirmed their relationship and also didn't open up about their split amid the beginning of the spread of COVID-19 in March of 2020.

The LA-born businessman began his career as a lawyer, before moving into business ventures.

Businessman: The once lawyer moved on to business ventures including CEO of the tech company CaliGroup which later launched subsidiary CaliBurger

He was a vice president of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from the mid-to-late 2000s, before becoming the CEO of the tech company CaliGroup.

The company later launched the subsidiary CaliBurger, a chain of fast food restaurants that included innovations like a robotic burger flipper to maximize productivity.

John's rumored love Jennifer was married to her ex Ben from 2005 to 2015, and the former couple share three children: Violet, 17; Seraphina, 14; and Samuel, ten.
Fred Sirieix shared a glimpse into his Amsterdam city break on Tuesday evening as he took to the city with his fiancee ahead of turning 51 on Friday.

The First Dates maitre d'hotel shared a slew of snaps from the city with his 832K Instagram followers as he took in the sights with his partner.

The couple got engaged in March 2020, but Fred has never revealed his partner's identity, simply referring to her as 'fruitcake'.

Fred Sirieix shares a glimpse into his romantic trip to Amsterdam with his fiancee as they tour the city

Jetting off to the Netherlands city, the duo enjoyed a day of sightseeing as they explored the city on foot.

They wrapped up warm for the trip, with Fred donning a padded navy jacket with a grey beanie hat.

While his fiancee opted for a lilac coat with a matching pastel checked scarf, ribbed beanie and black gloves.

But the beauty, who goes by @fruitcake_fundamentals on Instagram, added some glamour to the look with giant silver hoop earrings.

Sweet: Fred shared a slew of snaps from the trip, which appears to be a pre-birthday holiday ahead of him turning 51 on Friday, with his Instagram followers

Bundled up: They wrapped up warm for the trip, as Fred's fiancee opted for a lilac coat with a matching pastel checked scarf, ribbed beanie and black gloves

The couple are staying at the city's Doubletree By Hilton hotel, with Fred sharing a snap from their room to show the gorgeous view of the city.

Despite a jam-packed day of sight-seeing, the pair ensured to make plenty of stops as Fred enjoyed a pint of beer during one pit stop.

While they enjoyed a bite to eat at Mandarin restaurant New King, with Fred dubbing the eatery 'excellent'.

Stunning: The couple are staying at the city's Doubletree By Hilton hotel, with Fred sharing a snap from their room to show the gorgeous view of the city

Refreshing: Despite a jam-packed day of sight-seeing, the pair ensured to make plenty of stops as Fred enjoyed a pint of beer during one pit stop

It comes after the couple enjoyed a night out Cirque Du Soleil's KURIOS premiere in London last week.

During the night out, the duo made a rare red carpet appearance as they beamed for a snap together.

Fred opted for a deep burgundy blazer and matching trousers with a crisp white shirt and tan velvet coat layered on top.

Fruitcake complimented Fred, wearing a fur coat of the same hue with a bold patterned gown.

She accessorised with a pair of statement earrings and opted for a slick of bronze lipgloss to complete her stunning look.

New cuisine: While they enjoyed a bite to eat at Mandarin restaurant New King, with Fred dubbing the eatery 'excellent'
Paul Mescal looked in good spirits as he celebrated his first Academy Award nomination by enjoying a night on the town with his friends.

The Normal People star, 26, who is nominated for Best Actor for his role in Aftersun, headed to 69 Colebrook Row in Islington in the hours after his nod was announced.

The actor was joined by Fleabag star Andrew Scott, his Normal People co-star Fionn O'Shea and Irish actress Alison Oliver as he celebrated the achievement.

Celebration: Paul Mescal looked in good spirits as he celebrated his first Academy Award nomination by enjoying a night on the town with his friends

Paul sported a black T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans as he puffed on a cigarette outside the bar.

The star grinned from ear to ear and happily posed for pictures with fans who spotted him while passing by.

Paul, who is currently starring in the Almedia Theatre's production of A Streetcar Named Desire, wrapped his arms around his pals as he marked the occasion.

During a recent appearance on the Off The Menu podcast, Paul alluded to his recent reported split from Phoebe Bridgers as he discussed taking up smoking again.

Night on the town: The Normal People star, 26, who is nominated for Best Actor for his role in Aftersun, headed to 69 Colebrook Row in Islington in the hours after his nod was announced

Success: On Tuesday Paul was nominated in the Best Actor category for the Oscars which will take place in March

He said: 'I smoke on and off. I've been looking for a reason to start smoking again for a while, it's usually when something bad happens I'll start again - and I am smoking again now so take from that what you will!'

On Tuesday Paul was nominated in the Best Actor category for the Oscars which will take place in March.

In a statement after the announcement he said: 'This is truly a special moment for everyone involved in Aftersun. To be recognised by the Academy is such an insane honour and I'm so utterly grateful.

'I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends Charlotte and Frankie who I love dearly! This is bananas, thank you!'

Pals: The actor was joined by Fleabag star Andrew Scott, his Normal People co-star Fionn O'Shea and Irish actress Alison Oliver as he celebrated the achievement

Laid back: Paul sported a black T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans as he puffed on a cigarette outside the bar

In demand: The star grinned from ear to ear and happily posed for pictures with fans who spotted him while passing by

Paul's younger sister said she felt 'sick with pride' as she shared a photo of the moment her brother discovered he was an Academy Award nominee.

The star looked absolutely delighted after receiving the incredible news.

Shortly after the nominations were announced, Paul's emotional sister Nell, 19, shared photos of the moment on her social media channels.

Nell posted a screen grab of a video call between her family as they learned the news together, each looking equally ecstatic.

Career: Paul is currently starring in the Almedia Theatre's production of A Streetcar Named Desire

Stars: Fleabag actor Andrew Scott (left) was among Paul's pals who turned out to celebrate his nomination

Paul said after his nomination: 'This is truly a special moment for everyone involved in Aftersun. To be recognised by the Academy is such an insane honour and I'm so grateful'

He added: 'I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends Charlotte and Frankie who I love dearly! This is bananas, thank you!'

Talent: Paul's career has gone from strength to strength culminating in an Oscar nomination for his role in Aftersun (pictured)

She then shared an image of just Paul with a beaming smile on his face.

The Normal People actor was sat perched on the side of a sofa, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, holding his phone in his hand.

Nell also shared a full list of the Best Actor nominees on her Instagram Stories, which of course included her brother's name.

Paul's latest bout of good news comes after he was also nominated for a BAFTA for the same role.

He picked up a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 2021 for his role as Connell in Normal People.

Overjoyed: Paul's sister Nell posted a screen grab of a video call between her family as they learned the news together, each looking equally ecstatic

Aftersun tells the story of a girl called Sophie, played by Frankie Corio, who is reflecting on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier.

The nominations were announced by Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams ahead of the 95th Academy Awards, which will take place on Sunday March 12.

Paul joins fellow British and Irish nominees Colin Farrell, Bill Nighy and Andrea Riseborough, who have garnered nods in the Best Actor and Actress categories.

The star-studded Oscars ceremony, due to be hosted by US talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Pamela Anderson has said she knew her boyfriend was cheating when she caught him 'washing his penis in the sink.'

The 55-year-old actress fell in love shortly after graduating from high school, but their relationship collapsed when they moved in together and Pamela realized that he was cheating.

In her new Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story she explains: 'I went on the ferry and I got [to Vancouver], and eventually I met somebody and I moved in with him. He was having an affair with somebody. When you see your boyfriend washing his penis in the sink, that's a sign that they're probably having an affair.'

Looking back: Pamela Anderson has said she knew her boyfriend was cheating when she caught him 'washing his penis in the sink.' The 55-year-old actress fell in love shortly after graduating from high school, but their relationship collapsed when they moved in together and Pamela realized that he was cheating

Hard times: In her new Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story' she explains: 'I went on the ferry and I got [to Vancouver], and eventually I met somebody and I moved in with him. He was having an affair with somebody.' Seen in March 2022

The siren does not name the man.

Pamela has always kept a diary, and she can still remember what she wrote down on that particular day. The Baywatch star said: 'I wrote down, "washing penis in the sink - suspicious."'

Despite this, Pamela is now able to laugh about the situation. She shared: 'Looking back it's funny, but in the moment you're horrified.'

Pamela is releasing her Netflix documentary shortly after she admitted to feeling 'violated' by the makers of Pam & Tommy.

Book time: She also has a new tell all book out titled Love, Pamela

Wild life: Pamela has always kept a diary, and she can still remember what she wrote down on that particular day. The Baywatch star said: 'I wrote down, "washing penis in the sink - suspicious"'

The biographical drama series explored Pamela's whirlwind romance with music star Tommy Lee, and the actress confessed to being frustrated by the Hulu show.

She asked: 'How are they allowed to do that?'

Lily James played Pamela in the show, but the blonde beauty doesn't blame the British actress for agreeing to star in the series.

At the height of her fame: Anderson during 1999 MTV Video Music Awards at Lincoln Center in New York City

Pamela - who was married to Tommy between 1995 and 1998 - said: 'I heard she'd been nominated for an Emmy, but maybe that was a joke.

'It's not her fault; it's a job. But whoever created it - well, it just feels like something else stolen.'

Meanwhile, Lily is looking forward to watching 'Pamela, a Love Story'.

The 33-year-old actress previously said: 'I can't wait to watch and learn more.

'Of course we could only do our best based on the information we had, so for her to be able to tell her story is so important. I'll be watching along with the rest of the world. I'm eager to see what she says and hear what it's all about.'

Her one true love: She has also said that rocker Tommy Lee was her one true love in life; seen in 1998
Keith Richards' granddaughter Ella has given an insight into her 'mad, crazy family' as she appears on the cover of Tatler wearing leopard print and sequins.

The model, 26, whose parents are Marlon Richards and Lucie de la Falaise spoke about her family's eccentric style during an interview with the publication.

Posing braless in a cropped suit creation as well as a flamboyant green silk number she said: 'Most of my family are slightly mad and crazy or weird.

Cover girl! Keith Richards' granddaughter Ella told Tatler the Rolling Stones icon, 79, used to wear her grandmother's clothes and says most of her family is 'slightly mad'

His inspiration: The Rolling Stones rock star, 79, has confessed the majority of the clothes he owns are borrowed from the women in his life [Pictured: Richards with girlfriend Anita Pallenberg in 1969 - she died in 2017 - and was the mother of Ella's dad Marlon]

'They borrow each others clothes. My grandfather used to wear my grandmothers [Anita Pallenberg's] clothes, and she used to wear his, she says, referring to rocker Keith.

The pair were in a relationship in the 70s. Keith famously had three children with model Anita Pallenberg; Marlon and daughter Dandelion Angela. She died in 2017.

He also had another son with the Italian actress, Tara Jo Jo Gunne, who sadly passed away of SIDS in 1976 when he was only two months old.

Wearing a flamboyant green silk number Ella said: 'Most of my family are slightly mad and crazy or weird' but she admits she prefers the quiet life herself

Keith went on to marry Patti Hansen in 1983, with whom he has two children, daughters Theodora Dupree and Alexandra Nicole.

Back in 2016, Keith himself confessed the majority of the clothes he owns are borrowed from the women in his life, including his current wife, Patti Hansen.

The rocker was bemoaning the fact his wardrobe was raided for the bands first ever major exhibition, called Exhibitionism, held at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, south west London.

Iconic: Keith has said he likes to 'tap up his old lady' when it comes to his wardrobe - pictured with his wife Patti Hansen back in 2016

He said: 'All I know is that Ive been stripped of half my wardrobe. I still wear these damn things. Theyre not history to me  theyre my clothes.

Ill find some more. Ill tap up my old lady. Thats where most of my clothes come from.

And speaking about her self-confessed cross-dresser grandad Keith, she said: '[He] is very quiet and sweet and loving. Hes a lot more shy than people think.

'My dads more loud You can definitely feel his presence in a room. He is highly intelligent. He knows everything about everything. Hes read every single book ever. So you cant really beat him.

Cool: Despite her rockstar family tree, she insists she lives a quiet life She asserts: I dont like having to go out anywhere after six. I dont really go to many pubs. Im not a big drinker'

Ella reflected on watching The Rolling Stones perform in Hyde Park to 65,000 people last year.

She said: 'I was exhausted just standing and watching. Theyre high on adrenaline, and it keeps them young. Its so inspiring that they continue to do what they love, as long as they can.

During the shoot, Tatler surprised Ella with a copy of the May 1993 issue and she realised the cover star is her mother.

Oh my God! she said, stunned. Can I take a photo? Thats so funny.

We are family: (L-R) Model Patti Hansen, Alexandra Richards, Ella, Theodora Richards, and musician Keith pictured together in 2013

More like sisters: Ella pictured with her mother Lucie de la Falaise in May 2022 at a charity fundraiser

Wow! During the shoot Tatler surprised Ella with a copy of the May 1993 issue and she realised the cover star is her mother. Oh my God! she said. Can I take a photo? Thats so funny.

Who would have thought it? She said her father, Marlon Richards, who is Keith's son from his relationship with Anita Pallenberg, is much louder than rocker Keith (pictured in 2015)

Inside is a shot of her mother and uncle, lounging on a chaise with great-aunt Loulou, a chandelier in the foreground.

Thats at Loulous apartment in Paris, she said.

I went there when I was younger  it looked exactly the same, full of antique furniture and fabrics. There was a lot of jewellery dangling everywhere.

Ella is currently dating photographer Sascha von Bismarck, and his brother Nikolai is in a relationship with supermodel Kate Moss.

Love: Ella is currently dating photographer Sascha von Bismarck, (pictured in March 2022) and his brother Nikolai is in a relationship with supermodel Kate Moss

But despite her rockstar family tree, she insists she lives a quiet life

She asserts: I dont like having to go out anywhere after six. I dont really go to many pubs. Im not a big drinker.

Ella recalled the outfit she wore recently to Tish Weinstocks wedding, a black vintage John Galliano lace dress with black Miu Miu flats,

She said: I fractured my foot the night before running down the stairs at home and I had to go to A&E. I made it [to the party], but I was hobbling and my foot was black  and I couldnt wear heels, so I was really upset.

Ella likes to spend her time on quite a surprising hobby.

She said: [Everyone makes fun of me because I love video games. I have always loved GTA [Grand Theft Auto] and Red Dead Redemption.

'My heart starts beating fast when theres a scary moment or you have to creep up on someone. I love adrenaline.

'I play by myself or when Im at home [in West Wittering]. I dont have [one of those headsets] because I would never [go] anywhere.

The March issue of Tatler is available on newsstands and via digital download from Thursday 2nd February.
Ant and Dec rocked up to the Britain's Got Talent auditions in style on Wednesday, arriving in a New York taxi- style vehicle.

Ant McPartlin, 47 was seen brandishing a megaphone while co-host Declan Donnelly, also 47, was in the driving seat as day two of the auditions got underway.

The Geordie duo looked in great spirits as they turned heads in the yellow and black motorised rickshaw, dubbed 'Tyneside Taxis'.

Here come the boys: Ant and Dec rocked up to the Britain's Got Talent auditions in style on Wednesday, arriving in a New York tax- style vehicle

While Ant wrapped up warm in a smart black jacket, his pal Dec kept off the chill in a forest green coat and black gloves.

The pair both finished their smart/casual attires with dark jeans and boots.

Like fellow BGT star Amanda Holden, the pair were sporting the same outfit as the previous day - no doubt for continuity reasons.

It comes after Britain's Got Talent unveiled their judging line-up on Tuesday as the show kicked off for another year - with Bruno Tonioli officially joining the panel.

Make some noise: Ant McPartlin, 47 was seen brandishing a megaphone while co-host Declan Donnelly, also 47, was in the driving seat as day two of the auditions got underway

Bruno, 67, said: 'Here we are, Britain's Got Talent. I am so excited. It's my first show, I have no idea what's going to happen, but I'm sure it's going to be brilliant.'

And it appears the newest judge, who is being paid a whopping 850,000, is already making trouble, according to the warm-up act Adam Khan.

They said Bruno had pressed the Golden Buzzer, but had done it early to avoid being beaten to the chase by Simon Cowell and Alesha Dixon, and so had pressed it during the act.

Arriving in style: The Geordie duo looked in great spirits as they turned heads in the yellow and black motorised rickshaw, dubbed 'Tyneside Taxis'

As a result, the moment had to be recorded all over again so that the cameras could be set up properly.

Adam tweeted: 'So I just witnessed #BGT history!!! An act came on it was pretty clear Alesha and Simon both wanted to press the#GoldenBuzzer

'So Bruno beat them to it and pressed it *during the act*! They were performing with confetti falling on them and the BGT theme playing in the back!'

Panel: It comes after Britain's Got Talent unveiled their judging line-up on Tuesday as the show kicked off for another year - with Bruno Tonioli officially joining the panel

'We now have to re-record the #GoldenBuzzer moment because no cameras were properly in place as nobody expected it to happen during the act.'

Inside the auditions, Ant and Dec introduced the four judges to the stage as they walked out to Survivor's Eye Of The Tiger.

Jesting that Simon has 'teased' him with the job for years, one fan filmed from the audience as Bruno told the audience: 'Thank you very, very much. I am thrilled to be here.

Turning to Amanda and Alesha, he continued: 'Look at these girls, they are stunning. And my old friend Simon, what an honour it is to finally work with you, he's teased me with this for years, years and years and years.

Oops! It appears the newest judge, who is being paid a whopping 850,000, is already making trouble, according to the warm-up act Adam Khan

'Honestly, I am thrilled to be here. Emotional, and very, very nervous.'

While Alesha then shared: 'Well, do you know what Bruno? I think you should have a go at pressing the buzzer.'

The judges and audience then counted him down as the pro pushed on the buzzer, with Alesha adding: 'Welcome to the show', before he thanked his fellow panel and gave them each a hug.
Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler are starting to promote their next project, Murder Mystery 2.

And on Wednesday fresh images from the film were shared by Netflix. The highly anticipated action-packed sequel, which is set in France, debuts on March 31.

Aniston, 53, is reprising her role as Audrey Spitz while Adam plays her bumbling husband Nick Spitz.

New look: Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler are starting to promote their next project, Murder Mystery 2. And on Wednesday fresh images from the film were shared by Netflix. The high-anticipated action packed sequel, which is set in France, debuts on March 31

In one of the images Jennifer has her hair up as she models a black coat and holds luggage in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

Adam appears to have gotten a haute couture makeover as he has on chic clothing.

The next photo shows Jennifer in a fluffy off white coat with her hair down as Adam stands behind her.

The synopsis for the sequel reads: 'Full-time detectives Nick and Audrey are struggling to get their private eye agency off the ground. They find themselves at the center of international abduction when their friend Maharaja, is kidnapped at his own lavish wedding.'

In April they wrapped the film in Paris and Jennifer shared images from the set.

So chic: The next photo shows Jennifer in a fluffy off white coat with her hair down as Adam stands behind her

The Friends alum looked remarkably youthful with her blonde hair worn down as she stood behind her pal.

The Hollywood icon also shared photos from the set where she was getting made up and posing with her glam team.

And in her caption, the ex-wife of Brad Pitt revealed that they have finished filming the sequel in Paris. 'Merci Paris, that's a wrap,' the Morning Show actress wrote.

Friendly in France: Aniston shared a fun selfie on the set of Murder Mystery 2 in Paris to Instagram with pal Sandler in April

Forever young: The Friends alum looked remarkably youthful with her blonde hair worn down as she stood next to Adam

Aniston looked wrinkle free as she smiled while putting a hand on Adam's shoulder. Sandler looked shockingly like another actor - Ben Affleck - in his snap where he had a beard while in a blue shirt.

She also shared photos from the set where she wore a funny costume: a purple hat and cream fur coat.

And in another shot, the star was seen being touched up by her makeup artist as she stood on The Pont des Arts which has been called the Lock Bridge as visitors attach personalized padlocks to its railing and throw the keys away in the Seine River for good luck.

Done! She also shared photos from the set where she was with her glam team

One of the last scenes: The star was seen being touched up by her makeup artist as she stood on The Pont des Arts which has been called the Lock Bridge as visitors attach personalized padlocks to its railing and throw the keys away in the Seine River for good luck

Watching their scene together: Jennifer and Adam were side by side as they took in the film's playback

In February she stood side by side with Sandler in Hawaii as she wrote, 'Back to work with my buddy.' The two posed in front of the ocean as waves crashed behind them. Soon after Adam shared the exact same image and caption.

The two looked like an old married couple.

Jennifer was camera-ready in a floral wrap top and a pair of white shorts. She wore a pair of dark shades and let her blonde locks fall around her face in loose beach waves.

Adam wrapped an arm around his cast mate in a striped salmon and white collared t-shirt.

The original Murder Mystery is about a married couple who were framed for the death of an elderly billionaire while vacationing overseas.

Set life: Here the co-stars are seen in February in Hawaii as she said, 'Back to work with my buddy'

Initially on holiday to rekindle the flame in their marriage, the pair is subsequently forced to go on the run.

Its sequel, Murder Mystery 2, was announced in September 2021, over two years after the first film was released on Netflix.

The streaming service announced that the movie stars will be back for 'another international adventure full of intrigue and hijinks,' per TV Line.

Jennifer and Adam first worked together on the romantic comedy film Just Go With It, which was released in 2011.

The busy Hollywood favorite is also busy with her series The Morning Show which stars Reese Witherspoon.
Randall Emmett and ex Ambyr Childers are reportedly working on a settlement in their restraining order court battle.'

The 51-year-old embattled film producer and 34-year-old actress are attempting to settle their issues out of court according to new legal documents obtained by Page Six on Tuesday.

The ex spouses were scheduled to have a hearing but have since opted to reschedule to January 26 as they are 'working on a settlement'

DailyMail.com has reached out to both parties for comment as a representative for Emmett declined to comment and Childers's reps did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

Interesting: Randall Emmett and ex Ambyr Childers (pictured in June 2013) are reportedly working on a settlement in their restraining order court battle according to new legal documents obtained by Page Six on Tuesday

Nearly two months after she first sought a restraining order against ex-husband, Childers was finally granted one three days before Christmas.

Emmett was ordered to stay 100 yards away from Childers who he was married to for eight years from 2009 to 2017, according to The Los Angeles Times.

He was also forbidden from contacting Childers, unless it is a, 'brief and peaceful interaction' about visitation for London and Rylee.

Childers' first request for a domestic violence restraining order was denied due to lack of evidence, though she submitted a new request.

Developments: The ex spouses were scheduled to have a hearing but have since opted to reschedule to January 26 as they are 'working on a settlement,' she is seen in April 2022

At the center: DailyMail.com has reached out to both parties for comment as a representative for Emmett (pictured in November) declined to comment and Childers's reps did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

Emmett came under fire back in June when an investigation by the L.A. Times accused the producer of exchanged acting roles for sexual favors.

The investigation also added that he still owes various investors millions of dollars and that he forced assistants to engage in illegal behavior on his behalf, all of which Emmett denied.

Childers claimed in her latest court filing that Emmett was 'physically and emotionally abusive' while they were married.

Nearly two months after she first sought a restraining order against ex-husband , Childers (Pictured in April 2022) was finally granted one three days before Christmas

Contentious: Emmett was ordered to stay 100 yards away from Childers who he was married to for eight years from 2009 to 2017, according to The Los Angeles Times, they are pictured in January 2015

She added that when he asked her to sign a post-nuptial financial agreement in 2015, and she refused, he got so upset and put his left hand on her neck, 'squeezing with such force that [Childers] had difficulty breathing.'

Childers claimed that in 2016, when he brought up the proposed agreement again, Emmett, 'again attempted to strangle' Childers.

Emmetts litigation attorney, Suann C. MacIsaac, said in another statement, 'Mr. Emmett adamantly denies all of the allegations in Ms. Childers recent declaration.'

Under fire: Emmett (seen in November) came under fire back in June when an investigation by the L.A. Times accused the producer of exchanged acting roles for sexual favors. The investigation also added that he still owes various investors millions of dollars and that he forced assistants to engage in illegal behavior on his behalf, all of which Emmett denied
Nicky Hilton has wished her older sister Paris Hilton well after news broke the 41-year-old DJ has welcomed a baby boy with her husband Carter Reum.

The 39-year-old mother-of-three took to Instagram to share a flashback photo with Paris and their mother Nicky Hilton from the 1980s.

And she added a touching caption: 'Welcome to mommyhood @parishilton! So so incredibly happy for youuu! Its the most beautiful ride. There is no greater love. You are going to be the best mommy. What a lucky boy!'

Happy sister: Nicky Hilton has wished her older sister Paris Hilton well after news broke the 41-year-old DJ has welcomed a baby boy with her husband Carter Reum; here are Nicky and Paris with mom Kathy Hilton

A less Simple Life: Paris is a long way from her party days 20 years ago; seen with Nicky in Beverly Hills in the aughts

Perfume designer Paris revealed the happy news on Instagram on Tuesday evening by sharing a close up of her hand holding her son's tiny hand.

'You are already loved beyond words,' she captioned the post.

For the Simple Life star, becoming a mother is fulfilling a lifelong dream.

'It's always been my dream to be a mother and I'm so happy that Carter and I found each other,' she revealed to People.

The baby is here: Paris shared this sweet photo where she was holding her baby's hand

'We are so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy.'

The Hottie And The Nottie star used a surrogate to have her baby after undergoing IVF procedures to retrieve her eggs.

In January 2022, Paris revealed that she would like to have 'probably two or three' children to E! News, saying that she 'cannot wait' to be a mother, 'That is definitely one of my top priorities.'

Cute siblings: The ladies seen at Paris' splashy wedding last year; Nicky was the maid of honor

As it turns out, Paris' bestie Kim Kardashian turned her onto the idea of IVF.

'Kim was the one who told me about that,' she said oh The Trend Reporter with Mara podcast. 'I didn't even know anything about it. I'm happy that she told me that advice and introduced me to her doctor.'

This is the second child for Reum, 40, who allegedly has a secret child, a 10-year-old daughter from a previous relationship with with reality star Laura Bellizzi, known for appearing on the short-lived VH-1 show Secrets of Aspen, according to Page Six.

Old friends: Paris' friend Kim Kardashian congratulated the new mom and offered her insights into her own IVF journey

Paris and Reum got engaged in February 2021 after a bit more than a year of dating. The Chicago native is an entrepreneur and long time friend of the Hilton family.

The new parents tied the knot in a three-day wedding ceremony that November at Paris' late grandfather Barron Hilton's lavish Bel Air, Calif. home.

The ceremony was planned for November 11. "11:11 has always been my favorite time of day," Paris told Vogue. "It's my reminder to make a wish and be open to miracles."
Debra Messing has landed a new job.

The 54-year-old Will & Grace actress is set to co-host and executive produce a new reality series called Mutual Aid Brigade from the Chicken Soup for the Soul Television Group, according to a Wednesday report from Deadline.

Viewers will be able to participate in charitable activities and track the results of their efforts and contributions. 'Our goal is to make real, lasting change in the lives of people who are hurting and in need,' said the TV vet.

New gig: Debra Messing is set to co-host and executive produce a new reality series called Mutual Aid Brigade from the Chicken Soup for the Soul Television Group, according to a Wednesday report from Deadline; seen in December

Author and activist Shelly Tygielski will co-host and executive produce the show alongside Messing.

Tygielski's role on the show stems from her involvement with the charitable organization she founded at the onset of Covid-19 in 2020 called Pandemic Of Love.

The organization pairs people in need with those willing to help and has grown from one person to over 4,000 unpaid volunteers, surpassing more than $100M in transactions.

According to the site Tygielski said, 'Pandemic of Love has proven that a lot of people doing a little bit can create a huge impact.'

Not Messing around: Viewers will be able to participate in charitable activities and track the results of their efforts and contributions. 'Our goal is to make real, lasting change in the lives of people who are hurting and in need,' said the TV vet; seen in September

She added, 'I'm excited that our show will be able to bring the mutual aid model into the collective consciousness of our society.

'So many families in this country are struggling, and my hope is that Mutual Aid Brigade will be able to remind people that one act of kindness, no matter how small, can ripple out and change lives,' said Shelly.

In September, Messing had all eyes on her as she arrived at the premiere for the rom-com Bros in a striking black and white gown covered in floral appliques.

Her big hit: (l-r) Megan Mullally as Karen Walker, Eric McCormack as Will Truman, Messing as Grace Adler, Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland on Will & Grace

The beauty's signature auburn locks were styled in a glamorous half up, half down style and made her green eyes pop a smokey burgundy eyeshadow.

Messing makes a cameo in Bros as a 'very heightened version' of her herself, she dished to PEOPLE.

She also told the outlet that she was 'shocked and just so grateful' when the film's star and co-writer Billy Eichner asked her to be a part of the project.

Bros has been touted elsewhere as the first gay Hollywood romcom from a major studio - despite coming out more than a quarter-century after the 1996 classic The Birdcage starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.

Watch Will & Grace exclusively on Stan in Australia.
Lauren Goodger attended a holistic 'healing' session on Wednesday after a difficult year which included the tragic loss of her baby daughter Lorena.

The former TOWIE star, 36, took to her Instagram Stories to give an insight into her energy 'healing' as she posted a short clip from the session.

In the video, shared to Instagram by Holistic Guidance, Lauren could be seen lying with her eyes closed with a crystal placed on her forehead.

'Healing': Lauren Goodger attended a holistic 'healing' session on Wednesday after a very difficult year

The practitioner appeared to be doing reiki on Lauren, which is a Japanese form of energy 'healing' for stress reduction and relaxation.

In text printed across the video, the company wrote: 'Healing is a journey, not a destination. The more we heal, the harder we chase our dreams.'

Sharing the video to her own Stories, Lauren admitted she was 'exhausted' as she thanked Holistic Guidance for the treatment.

Her 'healing' session comes after Lauren opened up about her 'hellish' 2022 after the tragic loss of her baby daughter Lorena and a bitter split with her partner.

Hard times: Her 'healing' session comes after Lauren opened up about her 'hellish' 2022 after the tragic loss of her baby daughter Lorena

Speaking to MailOnline at The Inspiration Awards in London last week, Lauren reflected on the 'massive trauma' she has been through over the past 12 months.

She said: 'I've been through massive trauma, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it but everyone knows and I feel like one day I want to inspire other women.'

Lauren said she finds her strength in being a mother to her daughter Larose, who she shares with her ex-boyfriend Charles Drury.

It is understood that their relationship ended bitterly last year, and at the funeral of their second daughter Lorena, it is alleged Lauren was attacked. Charles, 25, was later arrested and bailed following the incident.

Relaxing: The former TOWIE star, 36, took to her Instagram Stories to give an insight into her energy 'healing' as she shared a short clip from the session

She said: 'Larose, my daughter, I think being a mum to the most amazing little girl I've ever had in my life.

'Like, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I am a very strong person. I've been through a lot. And I feel like I want to be there...

'I'm strong, independent and I want to inspire young girls and other mum that are going through similar things. And just you know like, everything happens for a reason and just don't like... life goes on.'

Tragic: In July, Lauren confirmed the tragic news of her newborn Lorena's death in an Instagram post. She shared her with her ex-boyfriend Charles Drury (pictured)

In July, Lauren confirmed the tragic news of her newborn Lorena's death in an Instagram post, explaining she was born 'without complications' prior to her death.

Only a few days before the death of her daughter, her ex boyfriend Jake McClean tragically died in a car accident that has left his on-off partner Yazmin Oukhellou seriously injured.

Jake, who was 33, was driving in Bodrum, Turkey on Sunday when his car crashed over a hill before emergency services rushed to save him.
Alesha Dixon has paid tribute to David Walliams after he was axed from Britain's Got Talent.

The judge, 44, took to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday to thank him for a decade on the show after filming kicked off for the new 2023 series.

David, 51, has been replaced on the judging panel by Bruno Tonioli, after the comedian was forced to apologise for describing an elderly contestant as a 'c***' and making vile sexual remarks about a woman taking part.

'I love you': Alesha Dixon has paid tribute to David Walliams after he was axed from Britain's Got Talent

Alesha shared a photo of her and David and wrote alongside it: 'Thank you @dwalliams for 10 amazing years on @bgt.

She added: 'I love you very much and will miss you dearly.'

David's future on BGT was in doubt after he described an elderly contestant as a c*** and made vile sexual remarks about a female who was also competing on the show.

The comments, made in January 2020 during auditions at the London Palladium, were picked up on the programme's microphones and revealed earlier this month.

Replaced: David, 51, has been replaced on the judging panel by Bruno Tonioli (pictured), after the comedian was forced to apologise for describing an elderly contestant as a 'c***' and making vile sexual remarks about a woman taking part

In one incident, picked up on the show's microphones, an older performer engaged in light-hearted banter with the judges in which he made a jibe about Walliams, an expose by The Guardian claimed.

After the audition, the pensioner left, after which Walliams is said to have described him as a 'c**t' three times.

In a separate incident, after a female contestant had walked off stage, Walliams remarked: 'She's like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don't.' He later added: 'I know, she's just like: 'Oh, f*** off!' I was saying, she thinks you want to f*** her, but you don't.

'It's the last thing on your mind, but she's like: 'Yep, I bet you do!'

'No I don't! I had a bit of a b***r, but now it's going, it's now shrivelled up inside my body.'

Revelation: The comments, made in January 2020 during auditions at the London Palladium, were picked up on the programme's microphones and revealed earlier this month

Sources close to BGT said that David's return was 'very much under threat' and he was 'under the microscope', with some senior staff saying that he should be immediately axed.

One source said: 'This could not have come at a worse time in terms of his return to BGT, the discussions are going on right now so David's remarks have now become a huge part of the conversation.

'He hasn't signed any deal yet which has come as a relief because now there are options. It is a family show and this isn't just a negative thing to happen, it is offensive to people.

'It has left David in a very precarious position. There are some people involved in the show who point blank don't want him back, there is a danger of this incident becoming part of the BGT narrative and nobody wants that. It's a lovely show that brings so much joy.

'Some are saying that David's return is now highly unlikely.'

In a statement to The Guardian, the Little Britain star said: 'I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain's Got Talent in 2020.

'These were private conversations and - like most conversations with friends - were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.'

Speaking out: In a statement, David said: 'I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain's Got Talent in 2020

A spokesman for ITV said: 'We do not condone the language outlined in these allegations and we have spoken to the producers of Britain's Got Talent.

'Duty of care towards all participants on any of our programmes is always of paramount importance and we have protocols and guidelines in place for all our production partners.'

Meanwhile, sources at the London-based production company Thames said that they have provided enhanced training and education for BGT judges about their language and enhanced respect for contestants.

A spokesman said: 'Although relating to a private conversation almost three years ago, the language used was inappropriate.

'Even though it was private, those involved have been spoken to and reminded of their responsibilities and the show's expectations as to future professional conduct.'
The 37-year-old actress was seen getting a manicure at an establishment in Toluca Lake, California as sources told Dailymail.com that 'she has been advised to continue to distance herself from her' former fiance, Paul Michael. The Thousand Oaks, California native was seen at Cosmo Nails, where eyewitnesses said she smoked a cigarette while waiting for an Uber after the manicure. Bynes checked out of a mental health facility after a three-week stay Tuesday. She had reportedly worked with the facility's staff to determine that she was ready to get back to her regular routines.
She came under scrutiny from Captain Lee after she fired stew Camille Lamb without notifying him beforehand on Below Deck.

But now Captain Sandy is standing up for herself.

After Lee, 73, expressed his displeasure over her failure to give him the head's up, Sandy posted several eyebrow-raising messages seemingly firing back at him

Hitting back: Captain Sandy appeared to be addressing criticism she had received from Captain Lee over her handling of Camille Lamb's firing on Twitter

Without naming Lee, she posted a message Tuesday reminding readers how receiving poor treatment was not a reflection of the person receiving it but rather of the individual doling it out.

She shared a drawing of a man yelling at a woman which read: 'If someone treats you bad, just remember that there is something wrong with them, not you. Normal people don't go around destroying other people,' the message read.

Sandy posted the photo to her Twitter account and added the hashtags 'Tuesday Thoughts' and 'Be Kind.'

She later posted an uplifting yet telling tweet about hurt people hurting others.

'Be kind': Sandy posted a telling yet mysterious message after the drama unfolded

'Hurt people hurt others': Sandy also posted this eyebrow-raising message

'Hurt people hurt others, but luckily, healed people heal others. Safe people, shelter others. Free spirits, free others. Enlightened people, illuminate others. And love always wins. So shine your light of love on all who may cross your path in life, because what you do matters.'

'Love this!' Sandy tweeted alongside the message with the hashtag 'love always wins.'

After the latest episode of Below Deck aired, Lee criticized Sandy for failing to inform him she was planning on firing Lamb after the stew drank on the job and spent a night partying ahead of a big day.

Venting: Lee took to Twitter to air his grievances with Sandy's handling of things

Sandy, who had replaced Lee as captain amid his health problems, was seen informing Lee of the axing after the fact via FaceTime on the latest episode.

Lee took to Twitter to air his grievances with Sandy's handling of things after the episode aired.

However, he stood by her decision to fire Lamb.

'So I found out after the fact that she fired one of crew, not before. Ok?' he tweeted on Monday.

When one Twitter user defended Sandy for not notifying Lee, Lee pushed back.

'I think under the circumstances captain Sandy made the correct call. No, she didn't need to contact captain Lee before she fired Camille. She's a CAPTAIN and her decision should be respected,' one fan tweeted.

'Then why contact me after and tell me at all?' Lee fired back. 'Plenty of time to call me after, but not before. She made the right call. But lacked in procedure and respect. Just the way I roll.'

Lee said he would have respected Sandy's authority had she called him beforehand.

'I would've said your call, you're there real time to do what you need to do and thanks for the heads up. Appreciate it,' Lee tweeted.
Heidi Klum wore a very skimpy dress to promote the new season of Germany's Next Top Model.

The supermodel, 49, posted a promo for the modeling competition wearing nothing more than some strategically placed silk scarves that could pass for a very skimpy dress.

In the video, the Project Runway star dances while wrapped up in and surrounded by pastel colored lengths of fabric. She captioned the post, 'Okay are you ready for this?'

Pastel paradise: Heidi Klum strips down to promote season 18 of Germany's Next Top Model

Pink's 'Never Not Gonna Dance Again' plays in the background as the mother of four shows off her flexibility as the screen reveals the 18th season of GNTM premieres on February 16.

The America's Got Talent judge also posted a throwback snap with P!nk.

The black and white photo shows the two women mugging for the camera. Both are wearing black and both are showing off a lot of leg.

Heidi captioned the pic, 'I love you and Ill #nevernotdanceagain #keepdancing.'

Let's Dance: Heidi posted a throwback photo with P!nk in honor of her song Never Not Gonna Dance Again being used in the promo for the new season of Germany's Next Top Model

A day earlier, the native of Germany posted a series of photos that appear to have been taken under a concrete overpass, while bright stage lights and a misty fog swirled around her.

Heidi is the host, judge and executive producer of the modeling competition which first aired in 2006.

The America's Got Talent: All Stars judge's eye-catching coat had a pattern of orange, purple and black with and she wore it open over a form-fitting, purple dress with fuzzy fringe on the cuffs and bottom hem.

Strutting her stuff: The model, 49, wore a purple dress and colorful coat in another promo for GNTM

Coat of many colors: Heidi wore her long hair stick straight and donned sunglasses for the photoshoot

The Making the Cut star completed her look with a pair of black, knee-high suede boots, gold earrings and a long gold necklace.

Last year, the former Victoria's Secret Angel discussed changes she'd made in the reality competition show with ET Canada. 'What I've done for the first time [is] I opened the door for casting for all women,' she explained to the publication.

'So, it doesn't matter how old, how short, how tall, you know, what the size is,' she continued. 'So that's kind of something that I'm really excited about because, you know, in fashion a lot of things have changed.'
Lisa Rinna showed off her incredible figure while posing in a hotel bathroom during Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 59, looked fantastic in the Instagram photos in a plunging dress from Ashi Studio.

The beauty struck several poses in front of the mirror to show off her stunning outfit selected for the runway show.

Busty: Lisa Rinna flaunted her fantastic figure in an Ashi Studio dress for Paris Fashion Week

She captioned her post: 'Thank you @ashistudio what a beautiful show #hautecouture.'

The dress featured thin white feathers with gold detailing, cinching at the waist to reveal the star's fantastic figure.

The dress had large shoulder pads with the hem cut off above her knees. The neckline plunged all the way down to her stomach.

Lisa wore her short brunette hair slicked back behind her head and sported purple smoky eye makeup [paired with pink lipstick.

Figure: The 59-year-old struck several poses in her hotel bathroom to show off her stunning outfit

Wow: The dress featured a plunging neckline and was covered in thin white feathers with gold detailing

At the runway show she sat with Diane Kruger, Law Roach, and Jordan Roth, who were all dressed to the nines.

The former Days of Our Lives star has been in Paris for several days to attend various events for fashion week.

Before she sat for the Ashi Studio show, she also took in the Kenzo Menswear Fall-Winter 2023-2024 show and the Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show.

Stars: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star sat with Diane Kruger, Law Roach, and Jordan Roth at the Ashi show, who were all dressed to the nines

Pals: The beauty has been in Paris for several days to attend events for fashion week

The stunner wore a maroon and purple ensemble for the Kenzo Menswear show and added a bright orange beret with a 'Paris' patch sewn on top.

For the Viktor & Rolf show she wore an off-the-shoulder patchwork dress made out of different colored fabrics.

The top of the dress was made from tool and the neckline went up to her chin and was made from white lace.

Stripes: Lisa attended the Kenzo Menswear Fall-Winter 2023-2024 show and wore a maroon and purple ensemble with a bright orange beret

Vintage look: She also went to the Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show sporting an off-the-shoulder patchwork dress made out of different colored fabrics

She also met up with some of her famous friends on her trip, such as her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costar Erika Jayne, and her costar from Melrose Place, Kelly Rutherford.

Lisa recently shocked fans with her announcement that she would be leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

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.

Costars: While in Paris, the beauty met up with her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costar Erika Jayne

'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.

While she will not be returning to RHOBH, which is currently on hiatus after a heavy season, Lisa 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.
Coronation Street fans have slammed its latest racism storyline as too 'shocking' to air before the watershed as Blake stabbed Alya in scenes aired on Wednesday.

Troubled teenager Blake arrived at an event to highlight Weatherfield's refugee drop-in centre armed with a knife as he planned to attack event organiser Maria Connor.

But Alya Nazir jumped in the way after seeing Blake charging at Maria brandishing a knife and was stabbed before the teenager was wrestled to the ground.

Criticism: Coronation Street fans have slammed its latest racism storyline as 'shocking' to air before the watershed as Blake stabbed Alya in shocking scenes on Wednesday

Alya (Sair Khan) was rushed to hospital and Blake (Adam Little) then revealed it was teenager Max Turner's (Paddy Bever) racist propaganda videos that inspired him to carry out the attack.

It was the latest twist in a storyline which saw Max radicalised by Griff Reynolds (Michael Condron), who used the teenager's computer skills to spread his group's racist propaganda before planting a bomb in Speed Daal's van.

However, Corrie viewers were quick to take to Twitter to comment on the tense storyline, describing it as 'shocking' content for before the 9pm watershed on ITV.

Attack: Blake arrived at an event a highlight Weatherfield's refugee drop-in centre armed with a knife as he planned to attack event organiser Maria Connor

One fan wrote: 'Omg I think the way this storyline is being told is downright offensive.'

While another said: 'Wow what's happened to #coronationstreet disgusting airing this!'

A third tweeted: 'Thank God that's over, it's getting worse,' while a fourth added: 'I'm disgusted at what you have shown on coronation street tonight before the watershed.'

'You can literally hear my eyes rolling because of how ridiculous it is,' a fifth penned.

'Disgusting': However, Corrie viewers were quick to take to Twitter to comment on the tense storyline, describing it as 'shocking' content for before the 9pm watershed on ITV

Drama: Other viewers shared their sympathy for Alya as she has been involved in a lot of drama on the show, saving residents' lives by driving a van into a canal after a bomb was planted in it

Racism: In Wednesday's tense scenes, Blake was fuelled by hatred and decided to go to an event at Speed Daal, live-streaming his intent to disrupt the event

Meanwhile, other viewers shared their sympathy for Alya as she has been involved in a lot of drama on the show in recent weeks, saving residents' lives by driving Speed Daal's van into a canal after a bomb was planted in it.

One person said: 'That's TWICE poor Alya has been hurt in the process of protecting people.'

Another wrote: 'F**king hell Alya. They're really using her as a punchbag these past few weeks!'

While a third gushed: 'No one praises Alya enough. She's literally the most selfless person on that street. Took the van with a bomb in to save everyone, then jumped in, and took the stab meant for Maria.'

Event: Blake continued to film Maria (pictured) addressing the crowds at the event, addressing Griff's terror attack, which saw him plant a bomb in Speed Daal's van

Shock: After getting his phone back from David, Max tuned back into the live stream and saw Blake reveal a knife and immediately ran to Speed Daal to warn the guests

Previously speaking of the storyline, producer Iain Macleod said: 'We are exploring a very 21st Century problem: teenagers self-radicalising through watching extreme content online.

'In the end, we wanted this to be a story about communication within families - what are the right and wrong ways to talk to younger family members who are gravitating towards extreme views?'

In Wednesday's tense scenes, Blake was fuelled by hatred and decided to go to an event at Speed Daal, which was organised by local councillor Maria to highlight the Weatherfield refugee drop.

In a live stream, he revealed his intent to disrupt the event, saying: 'It's time to fight back, it's time for somebody to do something that makes people sit up and notice.'

Anger: However, Gary Windass (Mikey North) stopped Max from entering the event, grabbing him by the jumper and saying that people didn't 'want him here'

Attack: Blake then pulled a knife out of his pocket with Daryan Zahawi (Twana Omer) shouting words of warning as the teenager ran at Maria brandishing the weapon

Max was seen smiling as he listened to Blake's racist comments, before his father David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) snatched his phone away from him.

David then asked Max to attend the drop-in centre, saying that he believes it will do Max 'good' to hear other people's points of view, but the teenager describes it as a 'waste of time'.

Blake then talked his way into Speed Daal and continued to live stream from inside the drop-in event, saying: 'You better watch this, because I'm going to be all over the news tomorrow, and you're going to see it live right now.'

Blake continued to film Maria addressing the crowds at the event, addressing Griff's terror attack, which saw him plant a bomb in Speed Daal's van.

Wrestling: But Alya jumped in the way and was stabbed, with Gary and Daryan then wrestling Blake to the floor as he brandished the knife

After getting his phone back from David, Max tuned back into the live stream and saw Blake reveal a knife and immediately ran to Speed Daal to warn the guests.

However, Gary Windass (Mikey North) stopped Max from entering the event, grabbing him by the jumper and saying that people didn't 'want him here'.

Blake then pulled a knife out of his pocket with Daryan Zahawi (Twana Omer) shouting words of warning as the teenager ran at Maria brandishing the weapon.

Noticing what the teenager was doing, Alya bravely jumped directly in front of Blake and he stabbed her in the stomach.

Influenced: As Alya is rushed to hospital, Blake reveals that it was Max Turner's (Paddy Bever) racist propaganda videos that inspired him to carry out the attack, leading to Max's arrest

As horrified guests fled out on to the street, Gary and Daryan wrestled Blake to the floor as he brandished the knife.

Blake was then escorted out of the drop-in centre in handcuffs when he told Max that he was his 'inspiration' for the attack.

Alya was then rushed to hospital for a life-saving operation, with doctors revealing she had punctured a lung in the attack.

In upcoming episodes later this week, Max is set to be arrested and will have to explain his involvement with the radicalised group to the police as he faces a lengthy jail sentence for incitement to commit murder.

It is the latest dramatic twist in a hard-hitting storyline which saw Max groomed and radicalised by older figures as he became more estranged from his own family.

Injured: Alya was then rushed to hospital for a life-saving operation, with doctors revealing she had punctured a lung in the attack

The lonely and vulnerable teenager was targeted by a gang of extremists, ultimately putting his own life and that of his friends and family in danger.

When Max first came in contact with Griff, he was made to feel very isolated and was eventually asked to join the gang alongside his girlfriend Lauren.

Lauren's extremist ideology also influenced him to become worse in his racist ways, with Alya even approaching Max with her concerns about his girlfriend's views, but he defended her actions.

In one episode, Max also watched an alarming propaganda film which further encouraged him to go against Muslims.

Motive: Blake was then escorted out of the drop-in centre in handcuffs when he told Max that he was his 'inspiration' for the attack

After becoming more isolated, Max quickly fell under Griff's spell, who then used the teenager's computer skills to spread his group's racist propaganda.

But after Max learned that Griff had planted a bomb in Speed Daal's van, he told the residents and Alya managed to save dozens of lives by driving the van away from the street.

However, Coronation Street fans were left in shock with the tense storyline, which has been quite extreme in comparison to the usual soap dramas.

Some viewers slammed the 'disgusting' racism storyline, with Ofcom receiving 139 complaints about his radicalisation.

Arrest: In upcoming episodes later this week, Max is set to be arrested and will have to explain his involvement with the radicalised group to the police

More Ofcom complaints were lodged when Max turned against a refugee from Iraq. The TV regulator said that there were 139 complaints which 'related to the racial violence storyline'.

Producer Iain MacLeod said of the storyline when it begun: 'Overall, Max's story is one about the grooming of a vulnerable teenager at a point where he's feeling most alienated and disenfranchised.

'The story will encompass the 'traditional' recruitment techniques of extremists groups, and we'll see Max befriended in person by older, mentor-like figures that will give him a sense of loyalty and brotherhood.'

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Kim Kardashian is certainly thinking pink as she shared more snaps from her daughter Chicago's fifth birthday bash.

The 42-year-old SKIMS mogul - whose other children just landed their first movie roles - took to Instagram on Tuesday morning to share more snaps from the Hello Kitty themed event which took place a week-and-a-half ago.

In one of the sweet snaps, Kim could be seen squatting as she cuddled her third of four children on her special day.

Sweet: Kim Kardashian is certainly thinking pink as she shared more snaps from her daughter Chicago's Hello Kitty themed fifth birthday bash.

Kim was her daughter's biggest cheerleader as she wore a clinging T-Shirt which read: 'I love you Chicago.'

She also sported a pair of baggy light blue jeans ripped at the knees and a pair of light blue suede heels.

Kim's raven-colored hair was worn down as she accentuated her looks with complementary make-up topped off with a swipe of nude lip.

Support system: Kim was every bit the proud mom as she was shown enthusiastically singing the happy birthday song as her daughter blew out the candles

Sweet: Kim and Chicago were joined by big sister North West, 9

Cute: The trio posed for a nice snap together

The boys: Kim also posed with sons seven-year-old Saint and three-year-old Psalm

Chicago was certainly dressed in theme as she sported a pink dress, leggings, and cowboy boots along with matching braids.

Kim was every bit the proud mom as she was shown enthusiastically singing the happy birthday song as her daughter blew out the candles.

The reality star was also joined by her other three children - nine-year-old daughter North, seven-year-old son Saint, and three-year-old son Psalm - for some snaps in front of one of the Hello Kitty installations.

Adorable: Chicago was all smiles as she went down the slide

Sparing no expense: There was a slide which went to a pink ball pit

Yum: There were even Hello Kitty snacks on deck

Back on January 15, Kim threw her daughter Chicago a lavish Hello Kitty-themed party to celebrate her fifth birthday.

At the time The Kardashians reality star took to social media to show off the extravagant party in her all beige $60 million Hidden Hills mansion with pink walls and carpets just for the occasion.

Chicago is one of four children that she shares with her ex-husband Kanye West - who recently 'tied the knot' with one of his Yeezy designers in a private ceremony just two months after their divorce was finalized.

There was no sign of the rapper in any of the social media videos posted by the family.

Celebrating Chicago: Back on January 15, Kim threw her daughter Chicago a lavish Hello Kitty-themed party to celebrate her fifth birthday

Kim's home was adorned with pink balloons and Hello Kitty decorations in every single room.

In her TikTok video, Kim shared that Chicago's birthday party had a ramen bar, 'Chicago's Waffle Pops', and a milkshake station.

Even the Hello Kitty design was toasted into slices of bread that had a pink filling.

A lavish bash: The Kardashian reality star took to TikTok to show off the extravagant party in their $60 million Hidden Hills mansion with pink walls and carpets just for the occasion

All pink everything: Their home was adorned with pink balloons and Hello Kitty decorations in every single room

At the center of a large room was a giant pink ball pit with two slides for the children to play in and a DJ mixing tunes for the event.

The party had activities planned and stations set up for the children to enjoy face painting, slime making, and 'kitty stuffing'.

Over a TikTok video, Kim wrote, 'Happy birthday ChiChi' with a red heart emoji.

Hello Kitty! The party had a Hello Kitty mascot for Chicago's themed birthday party

Think pink: The video panned around showing Kim wearing in a 'I Love You Chicago' baby tee and giving a tour of the birthday bash with pink carpets and decorations

At the beginning of the video, Kim narrated: 'Happy birthday Chicago! I love you so much. I can't believe you're five years old.'

The video panned around showing Kim wearing in a 'I Love You Chicago' baby tee and giving a tour of the birthday bash with pink carpets and decorations.

Even the food and refreshments were designed to match the Hello Kitty theme.

Got it made: Even the food and refreshments were designed to match the Hello Kitty theme

Attention to detail: Everything including the snacks were decorated to fit the Hello Kitty theme

The video ended with friends and family - including momager Kris Jenner, all of Kim's children, as well as Khloe and her daughter - singing 'Happy Birthday' to Chicago.

Khloe recorded the video of Chicago blowing out her birthday cake as Kim moved her hair out of the way.

In the clip, Khloe is heard talking to her four-year-old daughter: 'True, say "Yay!"'

What a ball! At the center of a large room was a giant pink ball pit with two slides for the children to play in and a DJ mixing tunes for the event

Catered ramen bar: The party was also prepared with a DIY ramen bar for the children to enjoy between having fun

Balloons everywhere: Their home was adorned with pink and red balloons in every single room shown in the TikTok clip

And the clip abruptly ends with comedic timing as True starts crying 'mama!' and Khloe stops recording.

Earlier on Sunday, Kim shared an Instagram slideshow tribute in honor of her 'twin' Chicago West's fifth birthday.

The SKIMS/SKKN CEO shared four snaps of herself, back when she was platinum blonde, posing with her youngest daughter in her bedroom.

'My twin. Happy 5th birthday. I really can't believe you're 5!' Kim  who boasts 457.3M social media followers  gushed.

Lots to enjoy! The party had activities planned and stations set up for the children to enjoy

Ample activities: There were stations set up for face painting, slime making, and 'kitty stuffing'

Scented slime: There also was a station to make pink slime with a custom scent

'I'm so so proud to be your mom, it's the best feeling in the entire world. You are the cuddliest sweetest silliest most independent caring girl in the whole world and I just love you so much!'

Kardashian has three other children  daughter North West, nine; son Saint, seven; and son Psalm, three  from her six-year marriage to ex-husband number three Kanye 'Ye' West, which ended in 2021.

The canceled 45-year-old just 'married' his Yeezy head of architecture, Bianca Censori, but the Beverly Hills ceremony was not legally binding as they did not obtain a marriage certificate.

Birthday post: Earlier on Sunday, Kim shared an Instagram slideshow tribute in honor of her 'twin' Chicago West's fifth birthday

Ye only finalized his divorce and 20/80 custody arrangement with the half-Armenian beauty in November, which requires him to pay her $200K/month in child support.

Kim flaunted her admiration for her youngster as she dressed in a short-sleeved t-shirt emblazoned with the sentence 'I love you Chicago.'

She was typically stylish as she paired the tee with light wash denim with slits at the knees and a pair of pointy-toe heels.

Throwback: The SKIMS/SKKN CEO shared four snaps of herself, back when she was platinum blonde, posing with her youngest daughter in her bedroom

Proud mama: 'My twin. Happy 5th birthday. I really can't believe you're 5!' Kim  who boasts 457.3M social media followers  gushed

And North dressed festively for her baby sister's birthday bash, appearing on TikTok in a velvet blue getup with feather trim.

Big brother Saint was all smiles, showing off a toothy grin as he stood in front of a Hello Kitty painting station at the event.

Kim's momager Kris Jenner also shared a substantial birthday tribute to little Chicago with a total 10 Instagram posts.

Proud grandma: Kim's momager Kris Jenner also shared a substantial birthday tribute to little Chicago with a total 10 Instagram posts

'Happy birthday to my beautiful granddaughter Chi Chi!' the 67-year-old grandmother-of-12  who boasts 76.6M social media followers  wrote.

'You are our little doll who lights up every room. You bring the sunshine and the smiles every day and are so kind, sweet, loving, artistic, creative, generous, funny, and give the best hugs.

'You are the most amazing daughter, granddaughter, sister, cousin, niece, and friend and I am so blessed God chose me to be your grandmother! I love you more than you will ever know! Lovey xoxo!'

That same day, Kardashian and Jenner flew her $150M private jet back to Los Angeles after attending the funeral of Tristan Thompson's mother Andrea at Last Days Pentecostal Ministries in Canada.

To Chicago: 'Happy birthday to my beautiful granddaughter Chi Chi!' the 67-year-old grandmother-of-12  who boasts 76.6M social media followers  wrote

Kris (born Kristen Houghton) spoke at the ceremony and called the Jamaican matriarch 'the most amazing, dedicated, devoted, and selfless mom and such a loving, kind, and fabulous grandmother' on Instagram.

Andrea  who suffered a heart attack on Saturday  was the primary caregiver for her epileptic 16-year-old son Amari, who also arrived in Los Angeles with his 31-year-old brother and the Kardashian-Jenner clan on Sunday.

Khloe Kardashian has two children  daughter True Thompson, four; and a four-month-old son  from her onoff five-year romance with Tristan, which ended in December 2021.

Fans can catch more from the famous family in the 10-episode third season of The Kardashians, which began production in September.
Lisa Curry shared a heart-wrenching video on Wednesday revealing she has scattered her daughter Jaimi's ashes at scenic locations all around the world.

The retired Olympic swimmer, 60, posted the bittersweet video to Instagram which captures her releasing some of her daughter's ashes under a tree in the snowy Yukon mountains in Canada.

Lisa is supported by her husband Mark Tabone who holds her hands as she tearfully lays the tribute to her eldest daughter at the base of the snowy tree.

Lisa Curry (pictured) shared a heart-wrenching video on Wednesday revealing she has scattered her daughter Jaimi's ashes at scenic locations all around the world

She captioned the footage with some moving words: 'I decided awhile ago I would take Jaimi with me to any place that was incredibly amazing.

'We started at Kawana Beach, her favourite beach and Mt Coolum. Then she went to Paris, San Diego, Mt Kosciusko and now the Yukon.'

'Those of us who are in this sad situation of losing a child all have our own ways of remembering those we love. This is my way. Our beautiful Jaimi. Never forgotten. Resting. Happy. Free. Forever in nature in the Yukon, Canada,' she added.

The retired Olympic swimmer posted the bittersweet video to Instagram which captures her releasing some of her daughter's ashes under a tree in the snowy Yukon mountains in Canada

Jaimi, Lisa's eldest daughter with ex-husband Grant Kenny, died in 2020 following an 18-year battle with alcohol addiction and an eating disorder.

Lisa and Grant Kenny wed in 1984, separated in 2009 and during their marriage welcomed three children together: son Jett, 28, and daughters Morgan, 31, and Jaimi.

Jaimi died at Sunshine Coast University Hospital on September 14, 2020, surrounded by her family.

Lisa is supported by her husband Mark Tabone who holds her hands as she tearfully lays the tribute to her eldest daughter at the base of the snowy tree

Announcing the sad news on social media, Lisa wrote: 'Our beautiful daughter Jaimi has lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital yesterday morning with her loving family by her side.'

Lisa suffered heartbreak yet again in April after losing her mother Pat at the age of 86.

For confidential support in Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14
Congratulations are in order for Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino and his wife Lauren Sorrentino.

The couple have welcomed their second child, a daughter named Mia Bella Elizabeth Sorrentino, a rep for the Jersey Star confirmed to People.

Mia was born at 8:22AM on Tuesday, January 24, and weighed five pounds and 15 oz.

Oh baby! Mike Sorrentino and his wife Lauren Sorrentino have welcomed their second child, a daughter named Mia Bella Elizabeth Sorrentino

Last week, Mike revealed exclusively to DailyMail.com that Lauren was set to give birth 'any day' now.

'It's happening like any minute, no joke. We are scheduled for the 24th, that would be full term. But the doctor said it could happen at any day, so we are on high alert to meet our baby girl and Situation party of four!' Mike told DailyMail.com.

The couple, who already share 20-month-old son Romeo together, didn't plan on revealing the name of their daughter until she was born but Mike says it will 'definitely' be Italian.

'We have a couple of names but we're going to probably announce it the day of. It's definitely going to be Italian!' he said.

Baby makes four! The couple announced Lauren's pregnancy back in November with this snap

Unlike his early days shooting Jersey Shore, Mike is now juggling parenthood with filming.

While Mike acknowledged it's 'not easy' doing both, he said he was currently living his 'dream' of having a family.

'It's not easy but I'm sure like most parents, you make it up as you go along. And having a family for me is what I've always wanted. I feel like I'm living my dream and I have my baby boy whose 20 months now, Romeo.

'Situation part of 4': Last week, Mike revealed exclusively to DailyMail.com that Lauren was set to give birth 'any day' now

'So I really cherish those moments that I have with the family and also at the same time I'm so grateful to live out my dream and entertain millions on MTV and TV across the country and world!'

The Situation announced Lauren's pregnancy back in November.

'IT'S OFFICIAL, We have a Situation. It's a GIRL. Coming January 2023. Girl dad,' he announced on Instagram.

The proud parents looked as happy as can be as Mike gently placed his hand upon Lauren's blossoming bump.
Love Island's Ekin-Su Culculoglu admitted that she 'doesn't have any friends left' after appearing on the ITV2 dating show last year.

The Turkish actress, 28, and her Italian boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, 27, were crowned the winners of Love Island 2022 after beating runners-up Gemma Owen and Luca Bish.

Speaking to fellow former contestant Joe Garratt in a Reddit chat, Ekin-Su told listeners she ditched her former pals after they 'sold stories' about her.

Tough: Love Island's Ekin-Su Culculoglu admitted that she 'doesn't have any friends left' after appearing on the ITV2 dating show last year

She explained: 'Don't change who you are, don't get caught up in this ego where you think you're this celebrity so you should act a certain way and belittle people  you shouldn't.

'We're all equal, I feel like even the people who clean the toilet, you should respect that person because we're all the same. Stay humble.'

'I lost so many friends coming out, I don't have any friends left because they sold stories of me.'

Winners: The Turkish actress, 28, and her boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, 27, were crowned the winners of Love Island 2022 after beating runners-up Gemma Owen and Luca Bish

Shocked by her revelation, Joe said: 'Oh that's so sad, well they weren't friends then. That's jealousy man, that's sad.'

Seeing the positive side of the situation, she added: 'But then you make new friends who understand you.'

It comes after Ekin-Su sparked controversy with her performance during Sunday evening's Dancing On Ice launch show of the skating competition as she recreated her famous crawling scene from Love Island.

And she gave the routine 100%, with host Holly Willoughby even dubbing the routine the show's 'sexiest dance ever'.

Routine: The controversy came after she recreated her famous crawling scene from Love Island

But the performance didn't quite get the reaction she was hoping for, with Ofcom receiving 112 complaints from the public following the episode.

Many were quick to hit out at Ekin-Su's sequin-emblazoned jumpsuit, which was a recreation of the one Britney Spears wore in her Toxic music video - which the reality star was dancing to.

While the actress also crawled across the ice during the performance, an ode to the famous Love Island scene in which she crawled around the villa's terrace to kiss fellow islander Jay Younger behind partner Davide Sanclimenti's back.

The sultry routine also saw her lie on her back and be swept up into partner Brendyn's arms, with a slew of animated facial expressions.

THAT crawl: The actress crawled across the ice during the performance, an ode to the famous Love Island scene (right)

Ekin-Su and Brendyn were marked middle of the leaderboard by the judges, who gave a score of 21.5.

But while they agreed that the star certainly had sex appeal, they were hoping for a little more from the performance.

'It was very sexy. But what I want more of is the skating,' said judge Jayne Torvill. Ashley was in agreement as he said: 'Skate on your own without holding on to Brendyn, show us what you can do.'

Many viewers also took to social media to brand the routine 'not appropriate' for the family show, which airs before the watershed.

But the performance was a hit with Ekin-Su's boyfriend Davide, who sat in the audience and teased that he 'couldn't wait' to take her home.

Later in the show, the public vote revealed that the Love Island star received the lowest number of public votes and faced the skate-off against John Fashanu, which she later won.
Wireless Festival has announced the first wave of acts for its 2023 edition - with 50 set to perform as a special guest.

This years event is due to take place at its original home, Finsbury Park in north London between July 7-9.

Wireless 2023 line-up and headliners

The first set of headliners have just landed, with Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, D-Block Europe returning to the Wireless Mainstage.

It's back! Wireless Festival has announced the first wave of acts for its 2023 edition - with 50 set to perform as a special guest

On Friday, Playboi Carti is set to headline, with appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Metro Boomin, Lancey Foux, Latto, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonley, Ice Spice and Lola Brooke.

On the Saturday, Travis Scott will take the stage along with Headie One, Bryson Tiller, Joey Bada$, Flo, Clavish and Mariah the Scientist.

Then on Sunday, UK duo D-Block Europe will headline and will star with Lil Durk, Popcaan, Lil Tjay, Dexta Daps, Glorilla, Black Sherif and Dreya Mac.

Further line-up announcements are set to be made in the coming weeks and months.

Line-up: The first set of headliners have just landed, with Playboi Carti, Travis Scott (pictured), D-Block Europe returning to the Wireless Mainstage

Talent: On Friday, Playboi Carti (pictured) is set to headline, with appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Metro Boomin and Lancey Foux

Ahead of the festivals, the official Wireless website will share the stage times for each act.

How much are Wireless tickets?

Prices for tickets range from 88 up to 269 depending on the package and how many days you wish to attend.

Theres three-day weekend tickets, two-day weekend tickets and day tickets available.

Star-studded: Further line-up announcements are set to be made in the coming weeks and months

Festival: Tickets to Wireless 2023 are available to buy from Ticketmaster and go on general sale at 10am on January 27

Plus you can get payment plan tickets, which allows you to pay the ticket across a number of months.

When are Wireless tickets on sale?

Tickets to Wireless 2023 are available to buy from Ticketmaster and go on general sale at 10am on January 27.

The three-day festival, owned and managed by Live Nation, hosts some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B.

While it started as primarily a rock and pop festival in 2005, in recent years it has focused on urban music.

Last years Wireless Festival saw Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, SZA and Megan Thee Stallion appear across the weekend.

Chris Brown also put on a stellar performance as he banged out a a slew of his hits on the night.

The summer festival took over three locations, Crystal Palace, Finsbury Park and Birmingham in 2022.
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(Its first product will be an electric cruiser motorcycle scheduled to be launched in the Indian market this year.Representational Image / Twitter@OkinawaAutotech))

PUNE: Okinawa Autotech, the electric two-wheeler manufacturer on Wednesday said it will invest 25 million euros (over Rs 220 crore) over the next three years on developing new products and powertrain.

Its first product will be an electric cruiser motorcycle scheduled to be launched in the Indian market this year.

In CY2022, Okinawa Autotech, which has a portfolio of both high- and low-speed e-scooters, sold a total of 101,366 units and was the second-placed EV OEM, after Ola Electric.

Okinawa, which is seeing strong demand for its iPraise+ and Praise Pro high-speed models, currently has a network of over 350 dealers in key metro cities and now aims to reach Tier 2-3 cities as well as rural India.

The company said the new products will be developed at its newly opened first research and development centre in Italy, set up in association with its joint venture partner Tacita. At present Tacita produces six electric motorcycles across two brands  T-Cruise (Urban and Turismo) and T-Race (Motard, Enduro, Rally, Cross).

"The first product designed at the global centre will be an electric cruiser motorcycle that is scheduled to be unveiled in the coming months in India," Jeetender Sharma, founder MD at Okinawa Autotech said.

A total investment of 25 million euros over the next three years has been planned for developing new products and powertrain, it added.

"Setting up the global R&D centre showcases our ambition to bring the best technologies from the entire world to our Indian customers. The centre will be working on developing futuristic technologies for next-generation electric vehicles," Sharma said.

He said the company has invested Rs 500 crore along with its key stakeholders towards the development of new products, manufacturing facilities, network expansion and brand building over the last five years.

Okinawa said its global R&D centre will further focus on new product development, upgrading the existing product portfolio and developing an all-new e-powertrain to support the next generation of products.

"The centre will employ nearly 50 specialists both from India and across the world, and soon the company will start its employee exchange programme with Tacita to nurture employees' skills both at domestic and international levels," Sharma said.
The Cyberabad police arrested the duo, Apurva Ashwin Dawda and Natasha Kapoor, for allegedly duping people of money on the pretext of casting their children alongside celebrities in advertisements and movies. (DC)

Hyderabad: A model-turned-small-time Bollywood actor and his wife, who were arrested on Monday in connection with a child modelling racket, were in touch with leading actors and technicians for opportunities in their movies, the police said.

The Cyberabad police arrested the duo, Apurva Ashwin Dawda and Natasha Kapoor, on Monday for allegedly duping people of money on the pretext of casting their children alongside celebrities in advertisements and movies. They held ramp walks in malls to enrol children and used to collect money for costumes and make-up for the shoots, assuring the same would be refunded.

On Tuesday, a Visakhapatnam-based family approached the police claiming they were duped of `4 lakh by the couple. The family said they had come into contact with Dawda at a mall in the city. The police said that more victims had come forward in the city and Andhra Pradesh to complain against the duo.

Police said that the duo was under the police scanner after being booked in similar cases in 2016 and 2021 and had jumped bail in two previous instances. To evade scrutiny, they were frequently on the move, stayed in posh hotels and stopped using social media.

Police said Dawda sourced contact details of malls through their social media platforms and used WhatsApp to contact them for holding ramp walks. He also communicated on WhatsApp with job aspirants who he lured to organise the shows.

Dawda was an expert photographer and used his skills to make money in Goa, police said.

The police moved the court seeking his custody for further interrogation.

Police said Dawda, was born in an African country after his parents emigrated there from Gujarat, had completed his higher studies in the USA and came to India to become an actor. He managed a role in the movie OM but chances dried out due to his criminal past.

The police said that he has a strong penchant for high-end cars. Not being able to afford new ones, he would buy those that were about to be disposed of. His last such purchase was a car for Rs.10 lakh.
(L-R) Swami Chinna Jeeyar and Kamlesh D Patel, who were awarded Padma Bhushan in the field of Spiritualism. (DC Image)

Hyderabad: Spiritual leader Chinna Jeeyar Swami and music composer M.M. Keeravani led the charge of Telugu states in the Padma awards list announced on Wednesday, ahead of the Republic Day celebrations.

Winning a Padma Shri, Keeravani adds another feather to his cap, after

recently winning the Golden Globes award for original song Naatu Naatu from the movie RRR and making the Oscar shortlist for the same.

Telangana is a recipient of two Padma Bhushan and three Padma Shri awards this year, as per the announcement, while seven eminent personalities from Andhra Pradesh won the Padma Shri.

In Telangana, the Padma Bhushan awardees include spiritual leader Chinna Jeeyar Swami (spirituality) and yoga master Kamlesh D. Patel. Among the Padma Shri awardees are biologist Modadugu Vijay Gupta (science and engineering), paediatrician Dr Hanumantha Rao Pasupuleti (medicine) and linguist B. Rama Krishna Reddy (literature and education).

The winners from Andhra Pradesh include M.M. Keeravani (art), Ganesh Nagappa Krishnarajanagara (science and engineering), C.V. Raju (art), Abbareddy Nageswara Rao (science and engineering), Kota Satchidananda Sastry (art), Sankurathri Chandra Sekhar (social work) and Prakash Chandra Sood (literature and education).

Chinna Jeeyar Swami was instrumental in getting the Statue of Equality, the second tallest sitting statue in the world, built and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last February. Jeeyar Swami is known for his spiritual discourses on Vaishnavism.

Kamlesh D. Patel, popularly known as Daaji, is a spiritual leader and a raja yoga master, who is popular for his discourses on the heartfulness of meditation. His organisation holds free mediation classes in around 130 countries.

Modadugu Vijay Gupta is a biologist and fisheries scientist, who has worked majorly in the field of aquaculture and is considered a pioneer of the blue revolution in Southeast Asia.

Dr Hanumantha Rao Pasupuleti is known internationally for his specialisation in developmental paediatrics, rehabilitation medicine and psychology. He has contributed to the rehabilitation of mentally challenged and disabled people.

B. Ramakrishna Reddy is an 80-year-old linguistics professor, who has made immense contributions towards the preservation of tribal and southern languages like Kivi, Manda and Kui. He has also drafted a Manda-English dictionary and co-authored five books.

The Padma awards are given in various disciplines or fields of activities, comprising art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service.

The winners are announced on the occasion of Republic Day.

Among the Andhra Pradesh winners, M.M. Keeravani is a popular Indian music composer, singer and lyricist who works mainly in Telugu cinema.

Ganesh Nagappa Krishnarajanagara is an Indian bio-organic chemist and the founder-director of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Tirupati. He is also a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in chemical sciences, for his contribution to understanding chemical principles of DNA molecular recognition and for his work on various facets of DNA structure and their interaction with drugs and proteins.

C.V. Raju revived the Etikoppaka (wooden) industry by taking back to its organic roots.

Abbareddy Nageswara Rao is credited with the discovery of 33 new orchid species and he is the only scientist in India who has the distinction of discovering the highest number of orchid species.

Kota Satchidananda Sastry is a Harikatha artist and possesses a subtle sense of humour. He is also a good singer and is well-versed in popular Telugu numbers.
Sources said that 70-80 IPS officers are likely to be transferred among law and order, Intelligence, Traffic, Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Rachakonda and districts, including 40 officers who are currently awaiting postings to different places. *Representational Image/File)

Hyderabad: The state government is likely to reshuffle IPS officers across the state in view of the upcoming state Assembly elections later this year.

Sources said that 70-80 IPS officers are likely to be transferred among law and order, Intelligence, Traffic, Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Rachakonda and districts, including 40 officers who are currently awaiting postings to different places.

The government deliberated on the transfers with senior police officers on Wednesday, but orders were yet to be released till late at night.
BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. (Twitter)

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has set a target to mobilise two lakh people for the partys public meeting being held at Parade Grounds, Secunderabad, on February 17.

BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had on Tuesday announced that Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand  M. K. Stalin and Hemant Soren - besides Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, Dr B. R. Ambedkars grandson Prakash Ambedkar, will attend the public meeting.

This will be the second public meeting of the BRS after its massive first public meeting at Khammam held on January 18, which was attended by the Chief Ministers of Delhi, Punjab, and Kerala.

Party sources said that the Chief Minister is giving utmost significance to Parade Grounds public meeting as it is being held in the state capital and also being held days after Prime Minister Narendra Modis proposed public meeting on February 13 at the same venue. Rao is reportedly keen that the turnout for the BRS public meeting should be significantly more than Modis public meeting.

Sources added that the Chief Minister as well as party working president K.T. Rama Rao has asked party leaders under GHMC limits to gear up the partys rank and file immediately and start preparations to make the meeting a grand success.

Sources said that instructions were issued to ministers, party MLAs, and MLCs under GHMC limits to make preparations to mobilise people for the public meeting. Out of 24 Assembly constituencies, all the constituencies are represented by ruling BRS MLAs barring seven constituencies held by AIMIM and one by the BJP.

BRS party in-charges in these eight Assembly constituencies held by AIMIM and BJP were also asked to mobilise the people.

It is learnt that the Chief Minister has appointed minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav as overall in-charge for the public meeting and he will lead the team of ministers, MLAs, MLCs to make arrangements for the public meeting.

The last meeting the Chief Minister addressed at Parade Grounds was in January 2016 as part of campaigning for GHMC elections.
Khairatabad DCC president C. Rohin Reddy(C) with other protesters. (DC Image)

Hyderabad: Khairatabad DCC president C. Rohin Reddy along with other Congress leaders took part in a demonstration held by police job aspirants at Gandhi Bhavan.

The protest programme organised by NSUI was led by state president Balmoor Venkat. Earlier Congress had announced solidarity with the SI, Constable Abhyarthula Samasyala Parishkara Porata Samithi, the umbrella organisations of aspirants who were disqualified in physical tests following state governments altered standards.

"Rather than conducting physical fitness in the old fashion, the government has changed the standards. The long jump was increased from 3.8 to 4 metres, and this was held immediately after the 1,600-metre run. Even standards of other events were altered. I demand that those who qualified in the running event be declared qualified for the mains," Rohin Reddy said.

Later in the evening, as the number of protestors swelled, the number of policemen deployed at the Gandhi Bhavan were increased. In a novel protest, the aspirants and party leaders including AICC secretary Nadeem Javed submitted a memorandum to the effigy of Chief Minister K/ Chandrasekhar Rao.
Jana Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan offers prayers to his campaign vehicle Varahi at Kanakadurga temple in Vijayawada on Wednesday.(DC Image)

VIJAYAWADA: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday offered special puja for his poll campaign vehicle Varahi after a darshan of Goddess Kanaka Durga at Indrakeeladri and sought Her blessings for the state to make it prosperous.

PK along with his campaign vehicle was welcomed in by the temple's executive officer D Bramaramba amid the chanting of Vedic hymns by a set of priests. The actor-politician took darshan of the deity, offered special prayers and presented turmeric, kumkum, sari, bangles and flowers to the goddess.

The temple authorities presented him with teertha prasadams of the goddess and Her portrait.

Addressing the people around, PK said his main objective was to launch his poll campaign vehicle Varahi in the hope of "ending the monstrous rule" of the YSR Congress government. He called upon the young generation to join politics and said he has sought the help of the goddess for both AP and TS to enable the two states have a harmonious relationship and witness development.

As he stood atop the vehicle, many showered flowers on him amid the beating of drums and bursting of crackers. Later, the Jana Sena chief and a few JS leaders proceeded in the Varahi to the party office in Mangalagiri.

SC-ST MEET: At the state-level meeting on SC and ST Sub Plan implementation held at the party office, Jana Sena public affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar called for a comprehensive action plan for implementation of SC and ST Sub Plan and allocation of funds via a legislation.

He deplored the way the Dalit colonies and tribal villages were being "neglected" in AP, saying that these lacked basic amenities. He alleged that the YSR Congress government was diverting funds meant for SC and ST Sub Plan to other purposes.
About 70 startups working across defence and aerospace domains will display innovations as part of an industry showcase at Aero India 2023. The 14th edition of the biennial event  to be held from February 13 to 17 in Bengaluru  will host them at a pavilion by iDEX (innovations for defence excellence), affiliated with the Defence Innovation Organisation under the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

We are interacting with the startups  that include existing and prospective collaborators  and the registrations are being shortlisted. It is early to discuss numbers but we are expecting close to 70 of them at the iDEX pavilion, a senior iDEX official told DH.

The MoD initiated the iDEX framework, in 2018, to encourage indigenous innovation in defence and aerospace. The agency, in line with the Union Governments Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (self-reliant India campaign), provides financial grants, supports startups, MSMEs, R&D institutions, academia, and individual innovators and facilitates the procurement of their products.

Domain range

At Aero India, the startups will showcase prototypes and innovations under four broad themes. Fixed-wing systems, drones and anti-drone technologies (weaponisation and payloads), and defence in the space sector will be some of the themes. Startups that work with AI and robotics, IoT, 5G, blockchain, Industry 4.0, immersive technologies including augmented and virtual reality platforms, and additive manufacturing will display their innovations.

Lt Col Anthony Selva Kumar (Retd), programme director, iDEX, told DH that the agencys collaborations with startups are important markers in Indias pursuit of atmanirbharta in Defence. The idea has been to develop a platform to co-create tech solutions locally. From being one of the largest importers of defence products, India is shifting to a phase of indigenisation, he said.

iDEX handholds the startups to develop these solutions, in partnership with premier institutions including the IITs. It has organised eight editions of the Defence India Startup Challenge where problem statements are presented to the startups for resolution. The iDEX programme director said the scope of the agencys role has widened during the four years, as reflected in the increase in the number of these problem statements. He said iDEX is providing the startups space at Aero India free of cost.

On the third day of Aero India (February 15), iDEX will also organise Manthan 2023, a defence innovation event that brings together startups, MSMEs, innovators, industry, and military representatives.

As part of the indigenisation push, 68% of the capital procurement budget for Defence in the 2022-23 Union Budget was earmarked for domestic industry, and 25% of the Defence R&D budget was set aside for private industry and startups.
The Orchids International School has received one more notice, the fourth in the last few months, from the Department of Public Instruction for allegedly violating norms.

The Block Education Officer (BEO) of Bengaluru South (1) has issued the notice to the Nagarabhavi branch of the school for admitting students although it does not have CBSE affiliation to run classes 5 to 8.

Questioning this, several parents gathered near the school on Tuesday morning demanding a fee refund. As alleged by the parents, the school management cheated them by illegally offering CBSE education.

We were shocked to receive a circular from the school two days ago saying they will be conducting exams for class 5 and 8 according to the state syllabus. When we admitted our children to CBSE, how can they conduct exams in the state syllabus? said protesting parents.

Speaking to DH, an official from the department said that the school management has given in writing that they are following the state board syllabus.

As per our knowledge and the reply given by the school management, they were offering state syllabus. But as per the parents complaints, they admitted students claiming to have CBSE affiliation. The Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) will be

visiting the school on Wednesday to verify this, said an official.

In the first two cases, the schools Sarjapur Road and Magadi Road branches were in the dock for unauthorised admission of students.

In the third case, the BTM Layout branch was accused by parents of shifting pre-kindergarten students to a different building without their consent.

The school management was not available for comments.
A handful of workers of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) protested against Shah Rukh Khan's new film Pathaan by burning its posters in southwestern Bengaluru on Wednesday.

The protesters gathered at the entrance of Veeresh Cinemas in Vijayanagar, Magadi Road. They carried two posters asking for boycotting the film, which was released in theatres on Wednesday.

They later trampled on the posters, doused them in petrol and burnt them.

Also Read | Right wing groups protest against 'Pathaan' in parts of MP; morning shows cancelled in some theatres

While the protest received some media attention, a VHP leader said the agitation was "not authorised" by the organisation. "We didn't even know about the protest until the media covered it," he told DH, adding that the outfit doesn't have a unit in Vijayanagar.

"It looks like some workers did the protest on their own without specific instructions from the organisation," the leader, requesting anonymity. "The top functionaries were not aware of the protest plan."

The leader said the workers would be warned against protesting without explicit permission and prior planning from the top brass.

Hindutva outfits have called for boycotting Pathaan over a dance sequence that shows actress Deepika Padukone wearing a saffron bikini.
India has invited Pakistan's foreign minister to a meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) that it is hosting in May, media reported on Wednesday, signalling a possible thaw in relations between the nuclear-armed rivals.

The invitation came days after Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif called for talks with India over all outstanding issues, including the disputed Kashmir region.

Just a month ago, there were street protests in India over comments Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of United Nations Security Council meeting. India called Zardari's comments "uncivilised".

Also Read: Pompeo says US averted nuclear war between India, Pakistan

Foreign ministry spokespersons for the two countries did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters for comment on the media reports that Zardari had been invited to the SCO foreign ministers meeting being hosted in Goa.

The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan and four Central Asian states.

According to the Indian Express, the invitation was delivered by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

If Pakistan accepts, Zardari would be its first foreign minister to visit India after a gap of nearly 12 years.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence from British rule in 1947. The divided Kashmir region was the root cause of two of those wars.

India accuses Pakistan of stoking the decades-long insurgency in the mostly Muslim part of Kashmir under its control. Pakistan denies India's accusation.

Tensions flared again in late 2019, when India unilaterally revoked the autonomous status of Kashmir. Sharif said New Delhi's actions resulted in "flagrant" human rights violations there.

Official talks between the two countries have been suspended since then, though there have been some attempts to resume negotiations through backdoor diplomacy. The United Arab Emirates brokered the last attempt in 2021, and Sharif has again sought its support to facilitate a revival of talks with India.
Former Congress leader Anil K Antony on Wednesday said that he was getting threat calls and hate messages after his tweet on BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Antony, son of former Defence Minister A K Antony quit Congress citing "intolerant calls to retract a tweet."

Also Read  AK Antony's son quits Cong a day after post on BBC film

Speaking to ANI, he said, "A lot of things that happened in the last 24 hours, especially from certain corners of Congress have hurt me a lot".

From where I come from, I don't think that these are the people I should be working with. It is very disappointing to see where it has reached: Anil K Antony, Digital communications, Kerala Congress on his resignation from the party pic.twitter.com/JQcnkXQrUL  ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2023

"From where I come from, I don't think that these are the people I should be working with. It is very disappointing to see where it has reached," he added.

As the BJP leaders slammed the BBC's controversial documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an unexpected move, Antony also condemned the project.

Anil Antony, who was the head of the IT wing of Kerala Congress, had tweeted: Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in India placing views of BBC, a (UK) state sponsored channel with a long history of India prejudices, and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over Indian institutions is setting a dangerous precedence, will undermine our sovereignty."

Regarding his decision to resign from the party, he said the decision was personal and that he had not discussed it with his father. "I've sent my resignation and I hope that the leadership will accept it. I don't think this Congress has space for me," he said.

His father AK Antony did not comment on Anil's action when he was approached by media in Kerala, saying journalists should have some sense not to seek reactions when he was attending a marriage function.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who received the now-ousted leader's support during the Congress presidential elections, did not extend his support to Antony either, who deemed the young leader's views as "immature".

However, while thanking the Kerala party leadership and Tharoor in particular in the letter, Anil said he has his own unique strengths which would have enabled him to contribute effectively to the party in several ways.

Though he has not resigned from the primary membership of the party, which he took it in 2017, he said he would prefer to continue his "other professional endeavours without being fed this negativity, and being involved in these destructive narratives, many against the very core interests" of the country. "These I strongly believe will end up in the dustbin of history with time," he added.

(With DHNS inputs)
By Mihir Sharma

India is now the worlds largest country by population  or, at least, it will be at some point during 2023. While this shift has been a long time coming, it arrived sooner than anyone expected because Chinas population appears to have begun shrinking in advance of projections.

Undivided India and China have vied across history for the population crown. The partition of India in 1947 appeared to put China permanently ahead in the numbers game. But Indias new position will likely last into mid-century and beyond. The Lancets projections for population in 2100 suggest India will still have over a billion people, while China will have slipped to third position, with 730 million inhabitants to Nigerias 750 million.

Moreover, this shift of demographic weight from East and Northeast Asia to the south is likely permanent. A UN report points out that in 1980, 42 per cent of Asians lived in East Asia; that proportion will be well under a third by 2050. Indeed, by that date almost half of Asians will be South (and Southwest) Asians.

From now until 2050, therefore, South Asia should enjoy an enviable demographic dividend, boosted by a rapidly growing working-age population. Former Asian Tigers such as South Korea used this same moment very effectively to transition to rich-country status.

Also Read | BJP chief Nadda coins HIRA to highlight govts focus on highways, internet, railways, airways

We have long known, however, that the nations of South Asia will be unable to take full advantage of this demographic opportunity because they havent prepared their populations for the task. Indicators for the health and education of the workforce are too low. If the world is less open to trade than it was when the Tigers emerged, many of South Asias governments must also accept their share of blame for failing to support trade, investment, and worker welfare.

The likelihood that we will waste this moment is bad enough. What would be worse is if we compounded the error by failing to think now about what happens when our societies begin to age.

That prospect might seem as though it lies in the ridiculously distant future. For anyone arriving in South or Southwest Asia from, say, Europe, the overwhelming feeling is one of being surrounded by youth. Indias average age is still around 28, compared to 38 in China or 47 in Germany.

But, as we have seen with China, those numbers can change more rapidly than expected. Originally, neither the United Nations nor leaders in Beijing expected Chinas population to begin shrinking until the 2030s. Instead, it started happening last year  and perhaps earlier. When the demographic turn comes, its swiftness tends to take us by surprise.

Within India, there are already signs that this pivot is going to happen sooner than was projected just a couple of years ago. The countrys total fertility rate has now fallen below replacement levels overall. Moreover, that figure masks big differences across regions: Population growth is concentrated in a few northern and central states while many others, particularly in the east and south, have fertility rates that are more like Japans or Russias.

Such uneven demographic trends within one country arent unprecedented. Unfortunately, in Indias case, inter-regional migration, which would normally act as a stabilising factor, isnt as easy as elsewhere. India is too heterogenous, and ethnic and sub-national politics mean that internal migration  while a right, as in China  is rarely a preference.

As we know from watching China, an ageing population means that the government suddenly faces more calls on its resources with fewer taxpayers to support them. The balance between savings, consumption, investment, and growth must change.

Most importantly, entitlements and state services designed for an expanding working-age population might become unaffordable for countries that have more retirees than expected. The United States is perennially worried about the finances of Social Security and Medicare for good reason.

Indias military and state pensions themselves are enough to tip the country into fiscal disaster as and when its demographic structure changes slightly. For state governments, paying pensions already takes up almost 30 per cent of their tax revenue.

Attempts have been made over the past two decades to shift to more fiscally responsible entitlement schemes. But all these keep on being rolled back by politicians looking for votes from retired soldiers or government employees.

As Indian officials prepare to present the new federal budget next week, the countrys status as the worlds largest must be on their minds. New entitlements must be fully financed, and old ones must be re-examined for their fiscal implications. Preparations will have to be made for an India that pays less taxes and wants to run down savings instead of setting them aside.

South Asia may not have prepared for its decades with a growing workforce. It must not repeat that mistake when it comes to the dangerous decades in which that workforce will shrink.
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The Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Sandra Duffy, met with BBC chiefs in London today to reiterate her strong opposition to proposed cuts at BBC Radio Foyle and to reinstate her invitation to them to visit Derry.

Welcoming the opportunity to meet with the BBC Chiefs face to face, the Mayor said the meeting was a frank and open discussion with the BBC senior officers setting out their rationale for the proposed cuts and their commitment to enhancing and focusing on digital services at the station.

The meeting was attended by senior representatives of the BBC, including the Director of National BBC Rhodhri Davies, and the interim Director of BBC N. Ireland, Adam Smyth.

The Mayor was joined by local elected representatives Colum Eastwood MP and Gregory Campbell MP, who were united in their strong opposition to the cuts, and firm in their joint support for the BBC to reverse their decision to cut Radio Foyles breakfast programme, the hourly news bulletins and reduce the number of newsroom staff.

The Mayor said that while she appreciated the opportunity to speak to the officials directly on the issue and to share with them the level of opposition to the cuts from the local community, she was disappointed that they hadnt come to Derry. She reiterated her invite saying it was hugely important for the BBC chiefs to see for themselves the local reaction to the proposed cuts at the station and the level of support that exists across the North West to retain local public broadcasting services and local media jobs.

In addition to outlining the important role Radio Foyle plays in the daily lives of listeners across the North West region, the Mayor presented the BBC chiefs with copies of local press clippings, the online petition, social media posts and messages of support that have been secured as part of the Save Radio Foyle campaign.

Speaking after the meeting Mayor Duffy said: At the meeting I stressed the importance of having a regional station in our city and the pivotal role it plays in the local community. I spoke about the uniqueness of Derry and the wider North West region and shared with them details of the recent public meeting that was held in the Guildhall and the huge outpouring of support that exists across all communities in the North West.

"I outlined that the proposals to cancel Radio Foyles Breakfast Show and hourly news bulletins, with the loss of a number of staff, is totally unacceptable and will be strongly opposed at every opportunity.

"I reissued my invite for them to come to Derry, visit the Radio Foyle station and speak to the local community and hear from us directly about what the station means to us and how we need to retain it. Nowhere will you find a media team as embedded in the local community as the one at Radio Foyle and I want the BBC senior team to see for themselves what that really means to the BBC audience. We are bombarded daily with regional and national news content, but Radio Foyle have a pivotal role in refining and breaking that information down in a local context, and focusing on the issues that really matter to local people.

"I highlighted in particular how The Breakfast Show is a flagship programme that has acted as an institution for the people of Derry and surrounding areas for many years, providing a vital platform for conversations around business, politics and current affairs. I sincerely hope that the BBC chiefs took on board our robust case for scrapping the cuts and allowing the services and jobs to be retained.

Concluding, the Mayor said she hoped the BBC officials accepted her invitation to come to the city but reiterated the call for the public to continue with their support for the #SaveRadioFoyle campaign.

The fight to SaveRadioFoyle continues. We will continue to oppose these cuts every step of the way, she added.

The petition is still open to the public to sign online HERE.
Counsel for the next of kin of one of the men shot dead by the SAS in the grounds of Gransha Hospital on December 6 1984 has said that the question of the training of the specialist military unit involved could be important at the upcoming inquest.

William Fleming (19) from the Waterside and Danny Doherty (23) from Creggan were shot dead by the SAS on the morning of December 6 1984.

Both men were travelling on a motorbike which was rammed and then Fleming was shot 4 times in the head and 56 times to the body while Doherty was shot 3 times to the head and 21 times to the body.

The inquest is due to begin on April 17 in Banbridge and is scheduled to last 6 weeks before Justice Ian Huddleston.

At a preliminary hearing today Karen Quinlivan KC for the Doherty family said going on the experience of other inquests the training of the unit involved would be important.

She said that no training records had been retained but there had been a witness at other hearings who could deal with this issue.

The barrister said that perhaps this hearing should consider if that witness was required in this case.

Mark Mulholland KC representing the bulk of the military witnesses said he was not sure that that particular witness was suitable in this case but added that he would discuss it with the counsel for the next of kin.

Mr Mulholland also said that he hoped to be able to provide statements from those military witnesses who were willing to co-operate with the inquest by February 20.

As regards one military witness, Soldier A who is believed to have rammed the motorbike and also to have been involved in the shooting, counsel said that this witness had attended a consultant psychiatrist and he believed that the report would be available by the beginning of next month.

John Rafferty for the PSNI told the hearing that a police witness known as Witness 2, was also providing a medical report over his fitness to attend the hearing.

Another preliminary hearing will be held on March 3.
By Azernews

Fatima Hasanova

The commission for issues of clemency under the Azerbaijani president had another meeting ahead of the deadline to examine appeals by inmates or their relatives for pardoning, Azernews reports.

The commission has already had several meetings prior to finalizing a list of inmates to be pardoned by the president to submit to the endorsement, going through over 200 pardon appeals.

On May 27, 2022, the president pardoned 213 people on principles of humanism.
As you know from previous blog posts, I attended IEDM in San Francisco in December. There were two presentations about TSMC's N3 process. This is actually a bit of a misnomer since TSMC has two N3 processes, one simply called N3. The other (the second generation) is called N3E.

Click here to read more ...




Microsoft is currently facing an outage which has affected Microsoft services. Users all over the globe are unable to use any feature of the Microsoft applications. Microsoft services, including Microsoft Teams, Exchange Online, Outlook and other services are presently not working for many users and are down. Many users even tweeted about the outage on Twitter.

Downdetector, a website which tracks outages by collating status reports from sources including user-submitted errors on its platform, has detected these service outages with the Microsoft services. Users across the globe are unable to access these services. Even Microsoft's website shows that users will be unable to use and access Microsoft 365. However, Microsoft didnt disclose the number of users affected. But Downdetector showed more than 3,900 incidents in India and almost 900 in Japan. Outage reports can also be seen in Australia, Britain and the United Arab Emirates.

Microsoft has enlisted the following services that have been affected:

-Microsoft Teams

-Exchange Online

-Outlook

-SharePoint Online

-OneDrive for Business

-Microsoft Graph

According to the tech giant, the reason for this outage is a potential networking issue for this and the company has said that it is reviewing telemetry to determine the next troubleshooting steps. Furthermore, they accepted that anyone affected by this outage will not be able to access their services across Microsoft 365.

There seems to be an issue in Microsoft's Azure cloud because of which several services have gone offline.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Samsung is hosting an in-person event on February 1st where it will launch the Samsung Galaxy S23 series and other devices like Samsung Galaxy Book 3 series. The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 series renders have spread on the internet but the laptops are now available for pre-booking. Samsung has already announced the pre-booking of the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 series in many international markets and regions and now in India too.

People who pre-book the laptops will get some benefits along with that. You can pre-book the laptops from Amazon, Flipkart, Samsung eStore, Samsung Smart Cafes, Samsung Smart Plazas, Samsung Shop App and other e-stores. Users who sign into the Samsung Shop App and pre-book the laptop from it will get a 2000 welcome voucher.

If you pre-book it from the Samsung eStore, Flipkart, Amazon, and other retail outlets then you will get an e-voucher worth 5000 which you can redeem while purchasing laptops. Other than that, if you pre-book the laptop from Samsung Galaxy Book 3 series through Samsung Smart Cafes and Smart Plazas then you will get 5000 Smart Club Points which are worth 5000. You should keep in mind that the vouchers should be redeemed on or before March 31st because after that the vouchers wont work.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 series specifications

The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro could roll out in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes. It will feature up to a Core i7-1360P paired with Intel Iris XE integrated graphics.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra will pack the i9-13900H processor paired with NVIDIA RTX 4070 GDDR6 8GB GPU. It will feature a 16-inch 3K AMOLED display with a resolution of 2880x1800p.

Both devices are powered by Intels 13th Gen processors and will support LPDDR5 RAM and PCI-E Gen4 NVME SSDs.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Samsung has introduced multiple 5G phones in India since 2020 and with the rollout of 5G by Indian telecom operators, demand for these phones is expected to rise. Samsung offers a variety of 5G phone options at different price points, including a plan for customers to purchase a 5G smartphone for just 44 per day or 1320 per month through attractive EMI schemes. This allows users to easily access and experience the benefits of 5G technology.

Samsung to prioritise 5G smartphones

Samsung plans to generate 75% of its smartphone revenue through 5G devices in the current year, according to Aditya Babbar, Samsung India's Senior Director. He stated that the company's strategy to launch new 5G smartphones in India early on is to reach this goal. As a step in this direction, Samsung launched two new 5G devices in the Galaxy A series- Galaxy A14 5G and Galaxy A23 5G earlier this month.

Samsungs EMI schemes make buying a 5G smartphone easier in India

Samsung is offering EMI schemes in India to make the purchase of its devices as affordable as possible, with the recently launched Galaxy A14 5G available for as little as Rs 44 per day, according to Babbar, Samsung India's Senior Director. This strategy suggests that Samsung is placing a strong emphasis on its affordable Galaxy A series 5G smartphones in the Indian market. The Galaxy A14 5G starts at Rs 14,999 and the Galaxy A23 5G at Rs 20,999, both of which are already available for purchase through both offline and online retail channels. Babbar also mentioned that Samsung has made sure that both these newly launched Galaxy A series devices are widely distributed.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
The release of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series is imminent, with only a week left until the launch. There have been speculations that Samsung may increase the price of this year's flagship in certain regions, but until now, these were just rumours. However, a recent leak suggests that this may be the case.

Samsung Galaxy S23 estimated prices in India

Prolific leaker Roland Quandt recently tweeted about a new leak that reveals the international pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup. The leak reportedly came from a Spanish retailer. According to Quandt's tweet, the pricing for the S23 models may be as follows:

85,913 for the S23 8GB/128GB model

89,957 for the S23 8GB/256GB model

1,05,857 for the S23 Plus 8GB/256GB model

1,13,857 for the S23 Plus 8GB/512GB model

1,19,857 for the S23 Ultra 8GB/256GB model

1,34,857 for the S23 Ultra 12GB/512GB model

Note: The prices of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series in India may vary depending on the exchange rate and other factors. The prices above are based on the conversion of Euro to Indian Rupees at the time of writing.

Samsung Galaxy S23 launch date

The official Samsung Galaxy S23 launch date is February 1, 2023. The smartphones will be revealed during the brands Galaxy Unpacked event and will make their way across the globe in the week or two to follow. Many believe that the smartphone will launch in India on February 17, 2023.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
A manhunt is under way for two missing prisoners who were both convicted of murder.

Alison McDonagh, 49, and Stephen McParland, 54, were spotted together at Lanyon Place station in Belfast after absconding from the prison service.

They were seen at the railway station at around 1.45pm on Saturday.

Police said they believe the pair are in each others company.

McDonagh was imprisoned for murder following an incident in 2004, and McParland was imprisoned for murder following an incident in 1997.

She is described as being approximately 5ft 2ins tall, of stocky build with auburn hair and green eyes.

She has two tattoos including the words mum and dad on the underside of her right forearm.

She was last seen wearing a sky blue coloured puffa jacket and light-coloured leggings carrying a bag for life and pulling a trolley bag.

McParland is described as being around 5ft 10ins tall, of medium build with blue eyes and balding, dirty-fair hair.

He has a tattoo on his left arm. He was last seen wearing a black hooded coat and grey bottoms with a large amount of luggage including Sports Direct holdalls.

A PSNI spokesperson said despite attempts to contact both individuals, police have so far been unable to locate them.

We are appealing to anyone who has seen them, or who knows of their whereabouts, not to approach them, but to contact police on 101 quoting reference 1972 of 21/1/23, they said.

We would also appeal directly to Alison McDonagh and Stephen McParland to hand themselves in.
A teenager who set alight a hedge which resulted in damage to the car and a home of a Garda, which had to be evacuated as a result of the blaze, was placed under the supervision of the Probation Service for 12 months at Dundalk Circuit Court last week.

The now 16 year old, who cant be named because of his age, had appealed a six month period of detention that was imposed by the district court for arson at Bay Estate, Dundalk on June 7th 2020.

State Solicitor for County Louth, Fergus Mullen, outlined how the juvenile had set fire to a hedge adjacent to the home of the garda, causing extensive damage to the hedge.

Damage was also caused to the gardas private car and to the exterior of his home, which had to be evacuated by the officer and his family.

A Garda from Store Street Garda Station who has been the teens case manager told Judge Patrick Quinn, when he initially began working with him, the teen was coming to adverse attention every one or two weeks, but at one stage he had not seen or heard from him for over a year.

However, the court heard two separate matters are being processed by the Juvenile Liaison Office, where he was allegedly under the influence of alcohol in Dublin at 1.25am and 3.14am just over a month ago and the alleged unauthorised taking of a car from an underground car park in Swords last March.

The Garda stressed that the teen isnt a typical young offender committing crimes with abandon and shows remorse.

The court also heard he had dropped out of school but is engaging with a vocational programme which focuses on pro social behaviour.

The Defence barrister stressed that his client had not deliberately targeted the garda or his home and he was extremely unlucky when the fire took hold as weather conditions were exceptionally dry at the time.

Judge Quinn, who said it was heartbreaking to hear the teen has been in trouble, he substituted the six months detention imposed in the district court with being placed under the supervision of the Probation Service for 12 months.
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St Vincent's Secondary School's 'Fashionably Talented' show returned to the stage on Friday 20 January in the Fairways hotel. After a brief hiatus in live performances due to the pandemic the Transition year class of 2023 certainly made it happen. The lineup included 17 talent acts both individual and class acts, and 42 dresses for the fashion segment.

The show has run since 2003 and has gone from strength to strength. It is the highlight of the school calendar for many students. Its is entirely run by TY students supported by their Business teachers and in particular Mr Ultan Henry who has worked tirelessly over the years to help and support TY students in producing a very professional and thoroughly enjoyable event.

TY mentors worked from early October with junior classes to come up with a dance routine, decide on music and costumes. Auditions were held in October. The talent displayed on Friday night is a testimony to the hard work of all the students involved.

The Art department have worked since September with their TY class to design, create and model fashion, made from recycled items. The variety of dresses on display showed the artistic talent and flair among this years TY students.

The judging panel of Terese Dunne, Blanaid McClean and Adam Fogarty had some very difficult decisions to make given the level of talent on display. The class act winners in their respective categories were 1 Ledwidge and 3 Connolly with second place going to 1 Kavanagh and 2 Maeve. Both 1 Yeats and 2 Niamh received highly commended from the judges.

In the Individual category Dearbhla Tuite was awarded first prize with Isabelle Pentony coming in second position. The judges highly commended first year student Dara Wynne McCarthy for her performance which received a standing ovation on the night.

In the Fashion Segment 1st Place went to Wallpaper Scissors Isabelle Smyth, Iseult Wilson and Caoimhe Leyden, second place went to The Zhou Chrysanthemum, Best use of material prize was awarded to Golden girl and Best performance to Bubblegum. The judges awarded Queen of the Jungle with the highly commended prize.

The audience had a surprise just before the interval when RTE Dancing with the Stars contestants Carl Mullan and Emily Barker took to the stage to perform to Its a Beautiful Day. The evening concluded with a very memorable Teacher act performance.
Louth Labour TD Ged Nash has branded as fiction and fantasy claims by Minister Paschal Donohoe that a donation of poster erection services were made to Dublin Central Fine Gael and not the Minister personally.

Minister for public expenditure Paschal Donohoe told the Dail an unauthorised donation to Fine Gael of corporate vans used to put up election posters in 2020 breached donation limits.

He said the breach has been reported to the ethics watchdog Sipo, and that the amount over the limit  234.20 euro, will be refunded.

The Minister also said he was unaware people were paid to put up posters before the 2016 and 2020 general elections when making his official declarations for both years.

Mr Donohoe said that the payment to workers was a personal one from Mr Stone, and that the use of corporate vans for postering was a corporate donation to the Fine Gael Dublin Central branch.

Speaking in the Dail yesterday evening Deputy Nash said that while he knew standards and integrity matter to the Minister, it gave him no pleasure to say this - that the Minister broke the electoral rules on two occasions, that is, in 2016 and 2020.

The Labour TD went on to say that

At the kernel of this is the fantasy that the donations made were made to Dublin Central Fine Gael and not personally to the Minister, the guy on the poster. He needs to address that fiction and fantasy; he needs to accept and acknowledge that these were donations made to him and that, insofar as we can establish, they did not comply with the law, as described.

He asked the minister who the help offered by Mr Stone was offered through and if it was the ministers election agent because in electoral law, it is only the election agent who can legally authorise expenditure.

He continued:

If the donation was in fact made to Fine Gael in Dublin Central, I would be very annoyed if I were the second candidate in 2020. It seems she has not benefited from the assistance provided by Mr. Stone.

How did the Minister's running mate benefit if indeed the donation was to Fine Gael in Dublin Central? If she did not benefit, this is really starting to look like what we believe it is: a personal donation made by a corporation that went undeclared. It is de facto a donation made to the Minister personally.

In response the Minister acknowledged the mistakes that were made, and that the help was offered through Fine Gael councillor for the north inner city, Mr. Ray McAdam.

In regard to Deputy Nashs second question he said:

All the funding and support received at election time go into the central party political account, which is the Fine Gael Dublin Central account.

If I had received anything personally, I would be revising my personal statements, but I did not. All the funding  any support received  went in there, but I go back to the key point.

It is important to be clear regarding the nature of the donation. The nature of the donation is the value that is attributed to posters put up. At no point was money received that needed to be put into the account.

Deputy Nash responded that:

There is a donation of service and there is a commercial value to be placed on that.

He further called on the Minister to publish fully all his returns to SIPO  his amended returns for 2016 and those for 2020, including all the supporting documentation  to ensure full disclosure.

The Minister said he would make any available information available to SIPO, but the one point I will need to check is whether that will in any way impinge upon or influence the requirements SIPO has of me.

Assuming there is no difficulty in this regard, any information that is available to me that constitutes my input to SIPO- and my amended expenses I will make available.
The Tanaiste and Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs, Micheal Martin, travelled to Lebanon this morning (25 January) for a visit during which he will meet members of the 121st Infantry Battalion UNIFIL, one of whom, Private Sean Rooney from Dundalk, was killed on 14 December.

The Tanaiste will meet with the Lebanese Ministers for Foreign Affairs & Emigrants and Defence.

The Tanaiste said that these meetings will enable him to reiterate the Irish Governments determination that all of the facts and circumstances of the incident in which Private Rooney was killed are fully established and that those responsible are brought to justice.

The primary purpose of the visit will be to visit the members of the 121st Irish Polish Battalion of UNIFIL at their camp  Camp Shamrock (UNP 2-45)  and to visit the memorial at Tibnine in honour of Irish personnel who died while serving with UNIFIL.

Speaking ahead of the visit, the Tanaiste said that:

It will be an opportunity for me to convey my sympathies and those of the government to the colleagues of Private Sean Rooney on their loss and to express our heartfelt appreciation as they continue to fulfil their duties with the professionalism and dedication that one associates with the Defence Forces.

The Tanaiste is accompanied by the Secretary General of the Department of Defence, Ms Jacqui McCrum, and the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lt Gen Sean Clancy.

As well as visiting the personnel of the 121st Infantry Battalion , the Tanaiste will also meet the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, as well as the Lebanese Minister for Defence, Mr Maurice Sleem, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs & Emigrants, Dr Abdullah Bou Habib.

In his meeting with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Mr Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Tanaiste will reiterate Irelands continued commitment, within its capability, to contribute troops to UN missions, including UNIFIL.

They will also discuss the events relating to Private Rooneys death, which is currently the subject of a number of parallel investigations, including one being undertaken by UNIFIL and another by a Defence Forces Multi-disciplinary Team, which is also being supported by An Garda Siochana.

Recalling his previous visit to Camp Shamrock as Taoiseach in 2022, the Tanaiste said that:

It is always an honour and privilege to be able to visit Irish troops serving overseas. The outpouring of sympathy and support for Private Rooney and his injured colleagues in Oglaigh na hEireann is a true expression of the regard in which the Defence Forces are held and a reflection of the pride of the Irish people in what they do.
A deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol that does not address unionist concerns about the trading arrangements is bound to fail, a DUP MP has warned.

Gavin Robinson also dismissed speculation that the UK government could move to rewrite powersharing rules to override the DUPs veto and allow a Stormont executive to be formed in the partys absence.

London and Brussels have ramped up negotiations aimed at securing a resolution to the impasse over the protocol.

The DUP collapsed powersharing last February in protest at arrangements that have created economic barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The DUP has made clear it will only countenance a return to devolution if radical changes are made to the protocol which, according to the partys judgement, restores the regions place within the UK internal market.

That has raised the prospect of the UK and EU potentially reaching a solution that they are both content with, but the DUP opposes.

Stormonts powersharing rules established under the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday peace agreement mean an administration can only be formed with the participation of the largest nationalist and largest unionist parties.

There has been some speculation at Westminster that the Government may look to change these rules if the DUP maintained its boycott despite a deal being reached by the EU and UK on the protocol.

Such a change could potentially facilitate the formation of an executive even if the DUP declined to take up its seats on an executive.

East Belfast MP Mr Robinson said such a move would be exclusionary and he did not anticipate the Government following through with it.

The idea that you could just rip up entirely the notion of powersharing in Northern Ireland, that we would proceed, or that any government would seek to proceed on an exclusionary basis, must cause pause for thought, he told BBC Radio Ulster.

It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Designed as a means to keep the Irish land border free-flowing, the protocol moved regulatory and customs checks on goods to the Irish Sea, creating economic barriers on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Many unionists in Northern Ireland are vehemently opposed to arrangements they claim have weakened the regions place within the union.

While the UK and EU are seeking to find way to reduce the red tape associated with Irish Sea trade, the DUP has insisted that any agreement must go further, and end arrangements whereby the EU sets laws on trade for Northern Ireland.

Mr Robinson said changing the basis for forming a Stormont executive would shatter the foundations of powersharing in Northern Ireland.

Its not going to wash and youll not see in any circumstance a coalition of the willing built on the proposition of exclusion, because thats essentially what it would be, he said.

He added: If the EU and the UK think that they can solve the current impasse by agreeing a solution that doesnt touch on the concerns that have been raised by unionists, its bound to fail.

Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister said her party supported the potential of voluntary coalition and the removal of unionist and nationalist vetos on powersharing.

We have said that if the DUP want to exclude themselves, then reforms should be made so that they should be able to do that and that we could go on governing by parties like ourselves and others willing to take their seats in the government, she told the BBC.

The nationalist SDLP recently proposed a more minor rule change at Stormont that would potentially enable MLAs to elect an Assembly speaker in the absence of DUP approval.

SDLP MP Claire Hanna said while reform at Stormont was required, it would not be appropriate for the UK government to unilaterally change fundamental rules.

Its fair to say change is needed, she told the BBC.

The structures unfortunately arent delivering very good government, even when theyre not being held back by veto, and the Good Friday Agreement provides for change and has been changed a couple of times in the last two and a half decades.

But that should be done in a managed way and in as an inclusive a way as possible, rather than a unilateral stroke by London.

Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister added: I think its the richest of ironies that those who want to celebrate the Belfast Agreement the most are now those who want to rip the powersharing heart right out of it, I think that is quite incredible.

And they want to do that for the purpose of coercing unionists into accepting a protocol which operates on the basis that GB is a foreign country and we must be subject to foreign laws.

I dont know any unionist of credibility who is prepared to operate Stormont on that basis.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that it has not been possible to find another year on record where more social homes were built than had been in 2022.

In acknowledging the Government did not meet its social housing targets in 2022, Mr Varadkar argued the administration had still built a record number of social housing under its Housing for All plan.

During Leaders Questions, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy asked the Taoiseach: What is the point in your modest housing targets when you keep missing them?

Mr Varadkar admitted the Government had missed its target to build 9,000 social homes in 2022.

In relation to the social housing target, youre correct. We did miss the social housing target last year: 6,500 new social homes were provided, he said.

What you didnt acknowledge  and I think you should have really, quite frankly, deputy, to be fair  what you should have acknowledged in your question is that that was still the highest number of new social homes provided in Ireland for a very long time.

We actually dont know how long. It might have been the highest since foundation of the state.

I know people talk nostalgically about the 1920s when the Free State built a lot of social housing, the 40s, the 50s, the 70s, the 80s.

We actually cant find on record a year in which more new social housing was provided by the Government in its many forms than last year.

Were not happy with it either, deputy. We wanted to be much higher this year, closer to 9,000/10,000, and thats our objective.

Ms Murphy responded: Were certainly not seeing the scaling-up of the direct builds by the state that has been talked about.

Mr Varadkar responded that he does not accept that there is an over-reliance on the private sector to supply houses.

That implies that we should maybe have the same number of houses, but have more that are public and less that are private. I have a different view. We need more public housing and we need more private housing, he said.

The Taoiseach also said his Government was working really hard to make sure that recent indications of a slowdown in building commencements does not result in a slowdown in the completion of homes.

You might not know this, deputy, but 16,000 people/couples/families bought their first home last year  that was the highest in 16 years. I know thats cold comfort to people who cant buy a home yet, but the highest in 15 or 16 years is not a small thing.

Under Housing for All, a target of 9,000 new-build social homes was set for 2022, with a target of 4,100 affordable and cost rentals, and 11,500 private ownership/rental homes.

This is an overall target of 24,600  which the Government said was exceeded in 2022.

For 2023, the target is 9,100 social homes, 5,500 affordable and cost-rental homes, 14,400 private ownership/rental homes, leading to an overall target of 29,000 new builds.

Mr Varadkar also told the Dail on Wednesday there would be no cliff edge when it came to cost-of-living measures that have been introduced alongside Budget 2023.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald asked for clarity on whether the reduced VAT rate for gas and electricity; the reduction on excise duty on petrol and home-heating oil; and the moratorium on energy disconnections and evictions would be extended beyond the end of February.

People now need to see the colour of your money, they have to see the shape of the plan, she said.

Mr Varadkar responded: Those are very fair, and those are very legitimate questions to ask, but I cant answer them today because the Government hasnt made decisions in relation to the measures that expire at the end of February.

We will and we make sure that people have certainty, long before the end of February comes.
 

EBRD deploys 1.7 billion in 2022 Ukraine investments, plus 200 million from partner banks

This represents over 10 per cent of the total business of the Bank

Almost 1.4 billion of EBRD donor funding collected to support Ukraine

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has deployed 1.7 billion in Ukraine in 2022 and mobilised a further 200 million via partner banks. This represents more than 10 per cent of the total business of the Bank.

This means the EBRD is on track to deliver on its commitment to invest 3 billion for Ukraine by the end of 2023, with the exceptional support of shareholders and donors who share part of the risk of the investments the EBRD has taken on its own book.

The results come in the face of the extremely challenging global economic environment in the wake of Russias war on Ukraine  confirming the EBRDs countercyclical role in support to its countries of operations and clients.

The Bank and its shareholders moved swiftly, following the beginning of the war, to provide adequate support, said EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso. This impressive operational performance is testimony to our resilience and determination to support our countries of operation and clients.

To support the real economy in Ukraine through investments in vital infrastructure, energy and food security, trade and support for the private sector, the EBRD deployed 1.7 billion. A further 200 million were mobilised from partner banks.

The Bank raised 1.4 billion of donor funds in 2022, including unfunded guarantees, which are dedicated to Ukraine and other countries most affected by the war in 2022 and 2023. The Bank bore 60 per cent of the risk related to the investments deployed in Ukraine in 2022.

Highlights of EBRD work in Ukraine in 2022  which has successfully attracted further foreign grants - include providing Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraines railway company and Ukrenergo, the national power grid operator, with 150 million each of emergency liquidity last summer, to keep the countrys trains running and the lights on.

The Ukrzaliznytsia financing was supported by partial risk coverage from France and the European Union, and the financing for Ukrenergo by the European Union, United Kingdom, USA and The Netherlands.

A later financing package of 370 million to Ukrenergo in the autumn was made up of a 300 million EBRD loan and a 70 million grant from The Netherlands, for emergency repairs to the national power grid necessitated by Russias strikes on civilian infrastructure.

Likewise, the EBRD provided the gas company Naftogaz with a financing package of just under 500 million to compensate for the loss of natural gas production following the Russian invasion. Norway will provide a 190 million grant, which complements the 300 million financing line from the EBRD, which is supported by partial risk coverage by the US, Canada, Germany and France.

The EBRD provided Ukraine with a total trade finance turnover of 459 million during 2022.

Together with partner financial institutions, it also supported food security by providing over 280 million to the agribusiness value chain, and bolstered the resilience of other private sector companies, including SMEs, with 170 million.

Policy activity remains very intense, via the Ukraine Reforms Architecture programme (a comprehensive technical assistance programme jointly managed by the EBRD and the European Union since 2016, following requests by the government of Ukraine for support with the implementation of key reforms), promoting good governance in state-owned enterprises with which the EBRD works, and support of human capital in partnership with Ukraines Ministry of Education.

The EBRDs focus in 2022 has been on providing emergency liquidity  to keep the lights and heating on and the trains running, supporting communities and sustaining companies. This is now shifting to providing finance for emergency repairs and rebuilding of infrastructure that is coming under Russian attack.

In the future, we also intend to expand our work with municipalities, including in de-occupied zones. For this, we foresee that we and our partners will need new financial instruments - a higher proportion of grants rather than loans. We have been requesting further support from shareholders or donors, either in form of donor funds or guarantees, to continue sharing the risks of investing in Ukraine with us this year, said President Renaud-Basso.

The EBRD President added: We will remain agile in 2023, responding to changing circumstances and making adjustments according to the needs on the ground as we did last year.

When circumstances allow, we will help launch a reconstruction programme for Ukraine to rebuild livelihoods, jobs, and businesses, vital infrastructure, good governance, and access to services. As the largest institutional investor in the country, one with an unrivalled presence on the ground, the EBRD is ready and willing to play a central role in reconstruction."
Tom Tuite

A man accused of causing permanent and life-long lasting deformities to a garda's finger following a traffic stop in Dublin must remain in prison custody until his passport is found.

Alleged attacker Daniel Quinn, 32, has been unable to take up bail since Monday.

A judge heard on Wednesday that he believes the passport is somewhere in the Mercedes car that gardai seized from him at the weekend.

He must hand it over as a bail condition and remains in custody on remand.

Gardai responded to a call about a car involved in a driving incident at Gullivers Retail Park, north of Ballymun, at approximately 11:30 am on Saturday.

Charges

The forklift operator, with an address at Farnham Drive, Finglas, was arrested and charged with assault causing harm to the injured officer and theft of two cans of the Red Bull soft drink worth 6 from a shop.

Mr Quinn was also charged with dangerous driving, criminal damage to a roadside steel bollard, allegedly hit by his car, and a garda station cell door and blanket.

The wounded officer was taken to James Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown.

Following a contested bail hearing on Monday, bail was set in Mr Quinns bond of 500 with a 1,000 independent surety.

He faced his second hearing when he appeared before Judge Cephas Power at Cloverhill District Court on Wednesday via video link.

Court Garda Sergeant Olwyn Murphy told Judge Power that directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) would be sought, and a case file had to be prepared.

The defence consented to a four-week adjournment.

Mr Quinn had told gardai his passport was in his car, which had been seized, but the court heard yesterday/today (Wed) that officers conducted a search and could not find it in the vehicle.

Judge Power refused to accede to his request to make an order letting the defendants girlfriend check the car because "she might know where it is".

Mr Quinn spoke to confirm his name and said he could cancel his passport if it could not be located.

Judge Power remanded him in continuing custody with consent to bail to appear again on February 22 for the DPPs directions to be given.

CCTV evidence

At Mondays bail hearing, Garda Sergeant Aidan Monahan alleged the accused was caught red-handed assaulting an officer on duty. He furnished the court with photos of the injury, which he described as life-long lasting deformities to his finger.

The sergeant later described the injuries as permanent, and said the full extent was unknown.

The court heard other gardai witnessed the incident, and there was CCTV evidence.

Defence solicitor Tracy Horan argued that the garda objections did not reach the threshold to deny bail.

The solicitor said the accuseds partner intended to be his surety, and he would reside with her at Northwood, Santry, in north Dublin.

First, however, he must hand over his passport. Then, on release, he must sign on daily at Finglas Garda station, not drive any motor vehicle, and reside at the new address provided to the court.

Mr Quinn, who has yet to indicate a plea, was granted legal aid after the court heard he was a forklift driver but had been off sick and getting social welfare since before Christmas.
A gigantic iceberg nearly the size of Greater London has broken free from the 492-foot-thick Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Cracks that had been developing naturally in the ice shelf over the past few years had expanded across the entire shelf, causing the iceberg to finally calve on Sunday, according to a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) press release.

A crack known as Chasm-1 had extended all the way through the ice shelf when the iceberg split off. The event happened ten years after the expansion of vast cracks were first discovered by BAS scientists. It was the second major calving event from the same area in the past two years.

The mammoth iceberg broke free close to Britains Halley Research Station, BBC News reported. The 21 staff members operating the research station are not in danger and will continue maintaining the base until they are picked up by aircraft around February 6.

Due to the complicated structure of the Brunt Ice Shelf, the effect calving events will have is difficult to anticipate, so the station is only staffed from November to March, during the Antarctic summer, the press release said.

Our glaciologists and operations teams have been anticipating this event. Measurements of the ice shelf are carried out multiple times a day using an automated network of high-precision GPS instruments that surround the station. These measure how the ice shelf is deforming and moving, and are compared to satellite images from ESA, NASA and the German satellite TerraSAR-X. All data are sent back to Cambridge for analysis, so we know what is happening even in the Antarctic winter  when there are no staff on the station, it is dark for 24 hours and the temperature falls below minus 50 degrees C (or -58F), director of BAS professor Dame Jane Francis said in the press release.

An iceberg slightly smaller than the new one, known as A74, broke free from the Brunt Ice Shelf in February of 2021 and went adrift into the Weddell Sea, reported The Independent. It is likely that the new iceberg  which will be named by the U.S. National Ice Center  will follow a similar path.

The floating Brunt Ice Shelf calves icebergs on a regular basis as it flows toward the sea at a rate of up to 1.24 miles per year, the press release said. The evolution of the Brunt Ice Shelf is a natural process and not the same as that of the Larsen C Ice Shelf, which has seen major calving events due to considerable surface meltwater. This calving event has been expected and is part of the natural behaviour of the Brunt Ice Shelf. It is not linked to climate change. Our science and operational teams continue to monitor the ice shelf in real-time to ensure it is safe, and to maintain the delivery of the science we undertake at Halley, added BAS glaciologist professor Dominic Hodgson in the press release.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Taliban to lift the ban on girls' access to secondary and higher education on January 24, the International Day of Education. He emphasised the importance of education as a fundamental right and urged all nations to create inclusive and welcoming learning environments for all, as per a report by ANI.



In his context, the official spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General in a release said, "Now is also the time to end all discriminatory laws and practices that hinder access to education. I call on the de facto authorities in Afghanistan in particular to reverse the outrageous and self-defeating ban on access to secondary and higher education for girls." Further, taking to Twitter, Guterres tweeted which read, "Now is the time to end all discriminatory laws and practices that hinder access to education."



Additionally, the theme of this year's International Day of Education reminds us "to invest in people, prioritise education," the official release of the UN added. However, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to dedicate the International Day of Education 2023 to Afghan girls and women, TOLOnews quoted director-general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay as saying.



As per UNESCO, currently, around 80 per cent of school-aged Afghan girls and young women are out of school under the Taliban rule, as they denied them access to secondary schools and universities. After the Taliban ordered an indefinite ban on university education for Afghan girls, several humanitarian organizations, including Education Cannot Wait (ECW), a United Nations global, billion-dollar fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises called on the Taliban authorities in Kabul to revoke their decision to suspend the university education of Afghan women, as stated in a report by ANI.



Further, the ECW called on the interim Taliban government to allow all girls to return to education, saying that the UN-led humanitarian body stands in solidarity with women in Afghanistan, it added that each one has an inherent human right to education. In this regard, OCHA announced on Tuesday that now 1.1 million Afghan girls are banned from secondary school and more than 100,000 others are banned from universities.



Sharing views about this, US mission charge d'affaires, Karen Decker tweeted, "It is difficult to commemorate the International Day of Education today knowing Afghan women & girls are now denied this right. Education is an investment in Afghanistan's future and must be available to boys and girls."




Queensland, Australia, set to have more potent surveillance for major animal diseases with funding

Australia's Queensland state, in partnership with the Northern Territory and Western Australia, will have even stronger surveillance and preparedness for emergency animal diseases with an injection of $4.33 million in federal funding.

Northern Australia is at the forefront of biosecurity threats and on alert following the detection of foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease in Indonesia last year. The north also requires a unique approach to stakeholder engagement given the complex range of livestock industry stakeholders operating in isolated and remote regions.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said Queenslands share would be $1 million over two years, which would help to maximise resources and enhance our capability.

"We'll be investing the money to boost early detection capacity with an initial focus on foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease," the minister said. "The funding supports the newly-established Northern Australian Coordination Network, which brings together Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australian governments in partnership with key industries and local communities.

"Queenslands contribution will be a partnership with the Queensland Government, AgForce, James Cook University and the federal government."

Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said while Australia remains free from lumpy skin disease and foot-and-mouth disease, the country must continue to stay alert to these risks.

"Our proximity to Southeast Asia, where these diseases are present, poses an increased risk of an outbreak occurring here, particularly in Northern Australia," Watt said.

"The network will support preparedness activities by partnering with industry groups on the ground to maximise available resources, enhance communication and training, and boost our foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease surveillance efforts.

"Our strict biosecurity system includes import conditions and measures at the border to manage the risks, but everyone has a role to play. I am delighted we are part of this multi-governmental approach and joining with other key organisations and industry groups."

AgForce chief executive officer Michael Guerin said the continuation of strong and collaborative work with the Australian government and the broader community is critical in providing best protections and outcomes for industry in the face of ongoing biosecurity challenges.

"AgForce welcomes the chance to be a strong ongoing contributor to this work," Guerin said.

- The National Tribune




Netherlands' pig exports rose in 2022 following slump in previous year

TheNetherlands saw a turnaround of its pig exports last year, with a total of 817,960 head exported, an increase of 13% over the previous year.

The development came after years of continuing decreases in the number of Dutch pigs exported, from over three million in 2018 to 704,155 in 2021.

Germany is still the leading destination with a 67.7% share of total Dutch pig exports. Spain has positioned itself in recent years as the second leading destination and, in 2022, doubled the number of pigs imported from the Netherlands, from 48,238 in 2021 to 94,217 last year.

Other leading destinations are Belgium (with 67,205 pigs imported in 2022, an increase of 32%), Poland (which tripled its imports in 2022 with 65,331 pigs imported, compared to 24,107 in 2021) and Italy (with an increase of 14%; 24,789 in 2022 versus 21,806 in 2021).

- Pig333
Google is changing how Android works in India in response to landmark antitrust ruling Users will be able to choose their default search engine and uninstall Google apps.

After a last-ditch attempt to block Indias landmark Android ruling failed last week, Google has detailed how its mobile operating system will change to accommodate orders from the countrys Competition Commission. In a blog post spotted by The Verge, Google said it would give Android users in India the option to decide on their devices default search engine via a choice screen that appears when they first set up a new phone or tablet.

Additionally, starting next month, all apps and games downloaded from the Play Store will support third-party billing options, allowing developers to pay a smaller fee on in-app purchases. The company will also begin allowing users to uninstall the first-party apps that came with their devices.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined Google the equivalent of $162 million last October, alleging the company had abused its dominant position in search, video and the web to unfairly disadvantage competitors. Besides changing what Indian consumers can expect from Android, the order will reshape the companys relationship with Android manufacturers. On Wednesday, the company said it would allow OEMs to license individual first-party apps to pre-install on their devices. The company will also update Androids compatibility requirements to better support forked operating system variants.

Naturally, Google is not enthusiastic about re-engineering Android to accommodate the CCIs orders. Implementation of these changes across the ecosystem will be a complex process and will require significant work at our end and, in many cases, significant efforts from partners, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and developers, the company said. In the meantime, it plans to respectfully appeal certain aspects of the Commissions decisions. We take our commitment to comply with local laws and regulations in India seriously, Google added.

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Google has tried to mollify regulators and avoid this kind of intervention by introducing programs like its User Choice Billing pilot, which allows developers to implement alternative in-app purchasing systems within their apps. At this point, Google could be swimming against the tide. On Tuesday, the US Department of Justice sued the company in a bid to break up its ad tech division. The tech giant also faces the prospect of US lawmakers ordering it to open the Play Store to more competition.

Correction 01/26 2:27PM ET: A previous version of this article mistakenly said developers could use the User Choice Billing to avoid paying Google a commission on in-app purchases. We regret the error.
The potential laws would also allow cross-company unions and other benefits.

Massachusetts bills would set a minimum wage for rideshare drivers The potential laws would also allow cross-company unions and other benefits.

Massachusetts politicians are still pushing for better working conditions for ridesharing drivers. New bills in the state House and Senate would not only pursue collective bargaining rights across companies, as with past measures, but would guarantee a minimum wage, paid sick leave and other benefits. Companies like Uber and Lyft would also have to cover some driver expenses and pour money into the government's unemployment insurance system.

The new legislation wouldn't decide whether drivers are employees or independent contractors. However, Senate bill co-sponsor Jason Lewis told the State House News Service his bill would establish requirements that apply regardless of a driver's status. Previous bills would have tasked workers with negotiating for benefits that are now included, Lewis says.

Massachusetts sued Uber and Lyft in 2020 for allegedly misclassifying drivers as contractors and denying protections granted under state labor law. The companies responded with a proposed ballot measure that would have offered benefits in return for requiring that drivers be treated as contractors. The state's Supreme Judicial Court rejected that proposal last June.

We've asked Uber and Lyft for comment. In a statement, the Service Employees International Union (a bill proponent) says the bill "rewrites the rules" and gives condition drivers have sought for over a decade. The Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work, an industry-run organization that opposes the legislation, previously claimed that measures granting employee status don't reflect a "vast majority" of drivers that want to remain contractors. The coalition prefers bills that would bring the anti-employee ballot proposal to the legislature as well as create portable benefit accounts.

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The state has been one of the major battlegrounds for ridesharing work conditions, but it's only one part of a larger fight. Uber and New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission have fought over pay raises, while a California law meant to reclassify many gig economy workers as employees has faced unsuccessful attempts to carve out exemptions for companies like Uber and Lyft.
The Morning After: Ticketmaster wants Congress to fix its bot problem The CFO said its not Ticketmaster's fault.

In November, millions of Taylor Swift fans logged on to Ticketmaster to grab tickets for her 2023 tour. However, the site crashed, rendering verified users unable to purchase. Ticketmaster's parent company, Live Nation, explained that while 1.5 million people had signed up as legit customers, over 14 million hit the site when tickets went on sale  many of which were bots.

Live Nation president and CFO Joe Berchtold told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that the company "learned valuable lessons" from the Swift debacle. Three senators shoehorned in Taylor Swift quotes into their statements and questions  which I loved.

Berchtold called for Congress to expand the BOTS Act to "increase enforcement." Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal reminded Berchtold there are already legal options for going after scalpers using bots to procure tickets. "You have unlimited power to go to court," Blumenthal said. "Your approach seems to be that everyone else is responsible here."

 Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

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The agencies hope to demonstrate the tech as soon as 2027.

NASA

NASA is teaming up with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to test a nuclear thermal rocket engine in space, to use the technology for crewed missions to the red planet. The agencies hope to "demonstrate advanced nuclear thermal propulsion technology as soon as 2027," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said. "With the help of this new technology, astronauts could journey to and from deep space faster than ever  a major capability to prepare for crewed missions to Mars." There are, of course, risks involved with NTP engines, such as the possible dispersal of radioactive material in the environment should a failure occur in the atmosphere or orbit. Nevertheless, NASA says the faster transit times NTP engines can enable could lower the risk to astronauts  they could reduce travel times to Mars by up to a quarter. Nuclear thermal rockets could be at least three times more efficient than conventional chemical propulsion methods.

Continue reading.

It has medications for 80 common health conditions.

Amazon has launched a new subscription service for customers in the US to get as many eligible medications as they need for $5 a month. The new service, called RxPass, is part of the e-commerce giant's Pharmacy business, which launched in 2020 as a two-day prescription drug delivery service. RxPass is a $5 add-on for Prime, which sets users back $139 a year or $15 a month in the US. Customers will need to pay $5 out of pocket, since the service does not take insurance, like Amazon Pharmacy does, for purchases outside of the program. People enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and any other government healthcare program will not be able to sign up for RxPass, either.

Continue reading.

Fluid battles, uneven plot.

Square Enix

In Forspoken, you control the agile, angry Frey, slinging elemental attacks (and f-bombs) at multiple monsters before leaping off a cliff face and swinging from a molten outcrop. You keep moving, through the lands of Athia, through the adventure, because it's enjoyable and satisfying, but also because when you slow down, you start to see the cracks. Delayed twice, while the fighting system is generally solid, Forspoken has a lot of sub-quest padding, and most of it's pretty dull.

Continue reading.

It's optimized to run fast and efficiently on Mac hardware.

Mac users now have a native version of WhatsApp. The new app is optimized for Mac hardware and built with Mac Catalyst, so it should be faster and more efficient than the current web-wrapped Electron version. You also get a new interface with three panels to easily flip between chats, calls, archived and starred messages, while seeing contacts and interactions at a glance.

Continue reading.
The Montana state Capitol in Helena on the opening day of the 2023 legislative session on Jan. 2, 2023. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

Democratic senators wondered Tuesday if a bill would give the state government immunity from a district court judges restraining order if the state was not immediately notified it had been sued.

A portion of Senate Bill 191 contains language saying such an order may be granted without notice if the state or states departments, agencies, or officers being sued in their official capacities are not the adverse party.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, led to questions from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the lone person who testified in opposition.

This is coming from the Attorney Generals Office. First of all, doesnt it seem a little bit awkward that we would be saying that we cannot bring suits against the government? asked Sen. Jen Gross, D-Billings.

Generally, Fitzpatrick said he feels temporary restraining orders are too easy to obtain in Montana.

While the state notice drew scrutiny from Democrats because several Republican-passed laws from 2021 were challenged in court  some successfully  Fitzpatrick said the main focus of the bill was putting Montanas standards in line with federal standards for such orders.

Fitzpatrick said the bill was requested by the Attorney Generals Office, but Brent Mead, deputy solicitor general, testified only as an informational witness. He responded to the queries from Olsen and Gross by saying they were misinterpreting the bills intentions.

A judge can grant a temporary restraining order against the state under statute, but the measure as introduced would mean the state first needs notification, he said.

In order to get a TRO, you simply have to serve notice with the application for a restraining order. Thats the very small change, he replied.

But the two Democrats, as well as Derf Johnson, who testified in opposition on behalf of the Montana Environmental Information Center, said they had questions about why the state government should be exempt when private businesses and local governments were not also exempted.

It seems to me that youre putting a burden in there when the TRO requires an affidavit, proven facts of immediate harm, that youre asking us to take away that tool just because its the state thats causing the harm, and thats what my concern is, Olsen said.

Mead said the impetus behind the request to change the law came from an incident last year, when plaintiffs sued the Department of Justice, among others, to stop signature gathering on a proposed property tax ballot measure.

Mead said the group had sought an ex parte temporary restraining order that was granted before the state and signature gatherers were served with the order.

The bill heard Monday is seeking to undo the law that led to the challenge.

Thats the kind of problem this is seeking to address, Mead said. Without notice is there when you cant find the defendant or there is some critical need that you cant contact them to get that opposing viewpoint before the issuance of a TRO.

Mead and Charles Robison, who testified in favor of the bill on behalf of the Montana Chamber of Commerce and Montana Manufacturers Association, argued the state government should be exempted because their office addresses are publicly listed and they should be easy to find and notified of the lawsuit against them.

Theres no need for a preliminary injunction without notice to the state because its just nearly impossible not to find an officer of the state in order to give that notice, Robison said.

Gross argued corporations also had fixed addresses and could be found and served notice after Mead said it was difficult at times to serve notice to private-sector parties.

Fitzpatrick said at the hearing he was open to amending the bill to remove the language, something he told the Daily Montanan was not a key part of the measure.

So, if you want to pull that out, thats fine with me, he told the committee.

Fitzpatrick said he felt another bill he is running, Senate Bill 134, addressed most of what he was concerned about with temporary restraining orders. That bill would change the amount of time a temporary restraining order without notice could be in effect to 10 days.

The measure passed the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. Fitzpatrick said it could see further action this week.

The more important part of the bill heard Tuesday, Fitzpatrick said, is aimed at putting federal court standards for preliminary injunctions in place of Montanas current standards, which he said were less stringent and more fair.

The bill, as introduced, would change the threshold that needs to be met in order for a judge to grant a preliminary injunction.

Under current statute, when someone files a motion for an injunction, a court must first give reasonable notice of where and when the motion was filed to the party it was filed against. That party will have to show cause at a hearing as to why it should not be granted.

Before or after that show-cause hearing takes place, a court or judge can block the party from taking further action on what the motion is seeking to stop by issuing a temporary restraining order.

Currently, an order can be granted when it appears that the applicant is entitled to the relief demanded; if it appears a person or entity is violating the rights of the person who applied for an injunction; or if performing or continuing an act would produce a great or irreparable injury to the applicant, according to statute.

Fitzpatrick wants to make the requirements more strict. The bill would change law so a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order can be granted when the person applying for it is likely to succeed in their case on the merits, is likely to suffer irreparable harm if relief is not granted, if the balance of equities tips in their favor, and if the order is in the public interest.

All of those thresholds would need to be met in order for an order or injunction to be granted. The burden would be on the applicant to prove the need for an injunction.

Fitzpatrick said he thinks his bill would make the process a more fair version of court procedure.

Youre gonna examine the case and say, Is this guy likely to win or not? Fitzpatrick said. Not, I meet the basic elements and then well worry about what happens later with the evidence.

The post Bill aims to put federal injunction thresholds in place in Montana appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, speaks at a press conference on "Slate of Hate" bills on January 24, 2023. (Photo by Nicole Girten/Daily Montanan)

Legislators, transgender Montanans and the Montana Human Rights Network called out a number of Republican proposed bills as a Slate of Hate during a press conference on Tuesday.

Shawn Reagor with the Montana Human Rights Network said that the organization was tracking 54 bills going through the legislature that they see as anti-LGBTQ, including Senate Bill 99, which would prohibit minors from undergoing gender confirming surgery.

We recognize that given the supermajority and the legislature, that we have quite a battle ahead of us, Reagor said. However, we are determined whether it is in the state legislature or in the courts, to make sure that none of these bills go into effect and do devastating harm to our community and to the state that we love.

SB 99, introduced by Sen. John Fuller, R- Kalispell, will have its first hearing on Friday in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Fuller introduced legislation similar to SB 99 during the 2021 legislative session but it died on the Senate floor.

Rep. Laurie Bishop, D-Livingston, said part of what makes the strategy in this session different is that there are transgender representatives in the legislature.

Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, the first trans woman to be elected to the Montana statehouse, said shes been approached by moderate Republicans who have told her they dont want to see anti-trans legislation pass and are working within their party to try to tamp down on these attacks.

Its incumbent on all of us in the legislature, but particularly for myself and Representative (SJ) Howell, to make sure we are in front of these people and they understand the direct impact it has on our lives and the people we care about, Zephyr said.

Also included in the Slate of Hate is HB 234, sponsored by Rep. Bob Phalen, R-Lindsay, would open public library, museum and public school employees to criminal charges, potential fines up to $500 and six months of jail time under Montanas obscenity law.

The bill was heard in the House Judiciary Committee last week, but there has yet to be executive action on it, according to the LAWS tracker.

Reagor said they would like to see increased engagement from the Governors Office.

We have been immensely disappointed with the response of the Governors Office to show any effort in preventing these bills from passing, Reagor said.

Zephyr spoke about anti-trans legislation from a national perspective as well, saying more than 200 bills have been introduced across the county.

The ACLU is tracking 185 pieces of legislation in the U.S. and listed SB 99 as one of the anti-LGBTQ bills in Montana, along with the draft bill from Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, that would ban minors from attending drag shows.

Kyndra Nevin said shes been advocating for transgender lives since 2008.

Im glad that were finally calling it out for what it is: The slate of hate, she said.

Nevin said these bills insist on untruths and dehumanizing and defamatory language.

Its done by people who I know do not know us as a community, trans people like myself, she said.

Lauren Wilson, a pediatrician and president of the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said her organization is against SB 99, along with a slew of other medical associations in the state including the Montana Medical Association and the Montana Hospital Association.

A spokesperson for the Senate GOP could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Jaime Gabrielli, a parent of a trans child, said theres no legitimate rationale behind any of these bills, only harmful misinformation.

Im here to tell you that our childs lives are not up for debate regardless of whether these bills pass, she said.

List of Slate of Hate bills, as provided by a MHRN release:

SB 99 Sponsored by Sen. John Fuller, R- Kalispell,  Denying healthcare to transgender youth and creating penalties for physicians, therapists, and school officials who support trans youth, even those transitioning socially.

HB 234 Sponsored by Rep. Bob Phalen, R-Lindsay,  Revises dissemination of obscene material to minors laws

LC 1471 Sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R  Columbia Falls,  Prohibit minors from attending drag shows and drag story hours

LC 2033 Sponsored by Rep. Caleb Hinkle, R  Belgrade,  Codify definitions of male and female

LC 2034 Sponsored by Rep. Caleb Hinkle, R  Belgrade,  Constitutional amendment defining gender

LC 2268  Sponsored by Brandon Ler, R-Savage,  Provide that use of a name and sex by a student is not discrimination

LC 4178 Sponsored by Rep. Jeremy Trebas, R  Great Falls  Generally revise human rights

LC 4349 Sponsored by Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, R  Great Falls,  Generally revise common law marriages and unions

LC 4423 Sponsored by Rep. Carl Glimm, R- Kila,  Define sex in Montana law

The post Legislators, trans Montanans speak out against Slate of Hate bills appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Devolution gives the Welsh farming industry the opportunity to create specific solutions to the food and energy crisis, the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) has said.

The union's president Glyn Roberts made the comments when he addressed Members of the Senedd on Tuesday (24 January).

His speech highlighted that the Agriculture Bill currently being considered by the Senedd - a Bill representing the biggest changes for Welsh agriculture since the UK joined the EU - had the potential to solve many of the issues facing Wales.

Almost by definition, farmers are food producers, and it is worth remembering at this," Mr Roberts told Members of the Senedd.

Our supply chains continue to suffer the after-effects of the darkest days of the pandemic, on top of which we are now facing the impacts of Russias war on Ukraine - a war in which Putin has weaponised not only energy, but also food."

Mr Roberts reminded Members of the Senedd that as politicians they were expected to consider and act on global, national and local challenges for their constituents.

Global events, he stressed, which impact farming, and therefore everyone who eats, had led to increases in farm input costs of over 30% in the UK, while consumer food prices had risen alarmingly - but by a fraction of that rate.

In addition, he said climate change was creating difficult growing conditions for farmers, with 2022 being the warmest year on record for the UK.

This, Mr Roberts said, was against a background whereby the UKs reliance on other countries for food had almost doubled since the mid 1980s, with 40% of UK food now imported compared with around 22% in the mid 1980s.

This includes indigenous foods that can be produced in the UK, with the reliance increasing five fold, from 5% to 25% during the same period.

Mr Roberts warned that this may worsen as the UK government struck trade deals with major food exporting nations such as Australia and New Zealand.

But devolution gives us the opportunity to create local and Wales specific solutions to these problems, in the form of the Agriculture Bill currently being considered by the Senedd," he said.

"And at the heart of those solutions are the family farms that are the backbone of our food production, our rural economies and culture, and our valued environments and landscapes.

Members of the Senedd heard that such an important piece of legislation must explicitly seek to ensure the economic viability of farming families and the rural economy in Wales - "not just in narrative, or by accident, but by design".

This would ensure that the Bill is truly holistic - that is, balancing the internationally recognised pillars of environmental, social and economic sustainability," he said.

"And we all know what happens when one of the legs is removed from a three legged stool."

The FUW president also reminded Members of the Senedd of another role Wales family farms increasingly play - renewable energy production.

I need not remind you of the energy security crisis that Putin's actions have revealed so starkly," he said.

"We have only tapped into a fraction of the potential for our family farms to further contribute to tackling this while reducing their own carbon footprints and continuing to feed our nations populations."

Mr Roberts concluded: Whatever path Westminster decides to follow, let us ensure that our devolved administrations here in Wales take a holistic approach to our responsibilities to local, national and global populations."
Farmers who are also social media influencers will discuss those women in farming who are driving money-making diversification activities on their farms.

When I came back from Dubai, I knew we needed to do something different on the farm to not just survive, but thrive.

These are the words of Angharad Williams, a fourth-generation farmer and driving force of Dolau Ifan Ddu farms diversification enterprise - the Bridgend Pumpkin Patch.

Attracting visitors from across the South Wales valley and further afield, the PYO patch welcomed hides of visitors for the second year running in autumn 2022.

Angharad, who can be found through her Instagram handle @angwills, is one of the three women who will be speaking at a diversification event.

The event, Women as a Driving Force YouTube Live event on the 31 January at 7:30pm, will focus on the role women play in driving farm diversifications forward.

Joining Angharad to share their experience of branching out from traditional farming practices and adding additional money-making activities to the business will be farming influencer Zoe Colville.

A familiar face to her 40K followers on Instagram, Zoe, or the Chief Shepherdess as she is known, will be sharing her journey from a Soho based hairdresser to a full-time farmer and business owner.

This includes the Little Farm Fridge, which is an on-farm butchery selling meat boxes online direct from farm to fork.

Having captured the hearts and minds of her vast following on social media through her no-nonsense attitude and openness towards sharing life lessons learnt through farming, Zoe will bring a different dimension to the panels discussions.

Similar to Angharad and Zoe, the event's third guest is also making a big contribution to the rural economy, while satisfying sweet cravings along the A40 between Brecon and Llandeilo.

Sophie Jones established Truly Scrumptious, a baking and catering business from her home farm, Aberbran Fach in 2017 after graduating from Harper Adams University.

Having always had a passion for baking from a young age, Sophie developed her catering skills during her final years at school and developed industry knowledge studying a degree in Food and Consumer Studies.

Fuelled by passion and knowledge, Truly Scrumptious continues to grow from strength to strength supplying personal, events and business orders.

For the first time, the event will be held as a YouTube Live on Farming Connects channel @CyswlltFfermioFarmingConnect.

It will also include a question-and-answer session, giving attendees and followers the opportunity to ask any questions to the businesswomen.

Individuals are encouraged to register for the event through the Farming Connect website to receive exclusive pre-event content.

To submit questions for the speakers, contact teleri.thomas@menterabusnes.co.uk.
A new method to evaluate an items quality from A to F and whether it can be resold, recycled, or tossed has been developed by researchers from the University of Waterloo and Seneca College, Canada. In testing this method, they found that more than half of textile waste in Canada could be reused and almost a quarter could be recycled.

The study is the first of its kind to determine the quantity and quality of textile waste in Canada. Canada doesnt have a standardised process for sorting textiles. The researchers used a broader definition of textile waste by recognising accessories, shoes, and soft toys, in addition to clothing and home textiles. They also used a team of Waterloo and Seneca students and professionals from the fashion industry to sort the materials to ensure consistency in grading and proper evaluation of the items condition. A pair of ripped and stained jeans might receive a D grade and be flagged for repair before being donated and resold, according to a press release by the University of Waterloo.

A new method to evaluate an item's quality from A to F and whether it can be resold, recycled, or tossed has been developed by researchers from the University of Waterloo and Seneca College, Canada. In testing this method, the researchers found that more than half of textile waste in Canada could be reused and almost a quarter could be recycled.

Fashion consumption is at an unparalleled high, said Olaf Weber, University research chair and professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development at Waterloo. Consumers buy, use, and dispose of new garments, which end up in the landfill, and less than one per cent of the materials are recycled. This new method is an important step to curbing our waste.

Overall, this new comprehensive assessment delivers more data and insights into waste management and prevention. The study determined that items graded A to D made up more than half of the current waste stream, so could be resold or reused. This finding emphasises that there are many opportunities to divert textile waste in Canada, yielding massive benefits.

Reducing our waste is a crucial step to addressing climate change, added Weber, who is also the senior author of the paper. Avoiding the textile waste assessed in our study could conserve resources and divert a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissionsin just one year the equivalent of driving 310,000 cars, plus supplying energy to 218,000 Canadian homes and filling 35,000 Olympic pools of water.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)
The Embassy of India recently organised a textile business meet in Azerbaijan. Representatives from both nations participated in the meet physically and virtually to explore the potential for business cooperation in the textile sector. Trade data suggests that Indias apparel exports to Azerbaijan has remained negligible and declined after 2017.

Organised in association with Texprocil and Founder Club on January 19, 2023, the India-Azerbaijan Business Meet on Textiles sector was attended by about 20 Azerbaijani Companies in physical mode, while their Indian counterparts joined the event in virtual mode, the Embassy of India in Baku said in a press release.

The Embassy of India recently organised a textile business meet in Azerbaijan. Representatives from both nations participated in the meet physically and virtually to explore the potential for business cooperation in the textile sector. Trade data suggests that India's apparel exports to Azerbaijan has remained negligible and declined after 2017.

In his opening address, Vinay Kumar, Charge d'Affaires of India in Baku, highlighted that there is a huge scope for diversifying India's economic engagement with Azerbaijan. He mentioned that Indian apparel and ready-made garments like in many parts of the world are already well known in Azerbaijan both through sale by local entrepreneurs and other global franchises and underlined the huge potential for increasing market share of India in this sector in Azerbaijan.

India had exported apparel worth $3.453 million in 2017 which declined by around 85 per cent to $0.522 million in 2018 before increasing again to $1.239 million in 2019, according to Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro.

However, due to the COVID pandemic, apparel exports from India to Azerbaijan slipped by around 70 per cent to $0.357 million in 2020. Indias exports to the partner country inched up to $0.516 million in 2021 and $0.436 million in the first ten months of 2022.

The outbound shipment was negligible in Indias total apparel exports. Therefore, Indian exporters can explore the new market in the country. Turkiye is a major supplier of apparel for Azerbaijan. It exported apparel worth $87.620 million in 2021, as per TexPro.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
critic's rating: 4.0/5

Trailer : Pathaan

Shah Rukh Khans last proper release was in Zero (2018). Yes, he did have a much-liked cameo in last years Brahmastra but fans were clamouring for more. All we can say it, Pathaan is everything a true SRK fan can wish for. Its truly worth the wait. In one of his recent interviews, SRK had said that he always wanted to be an action hero but circumstances turned him into a romantic hero. Perhaps he was destined to do action as he finally got his wish. Taking inspiration perhaps from another superstar who refuses to age  Tom Cruise, Shah Rukh has invested in a film that puts him in and out of improbable situations every five minutes. We advise you to keep your phones off. Otherwise, if you take your eyes off the screen for some reason, youre bound to lose out on something extraordinary.The film is a visual spectacle designed to please the senses. It has been extensively shot in beautiful locations across the world, ranging from Antartica,Spain, Morocco, Dubai, Afghanistan to even the North Pole. The cinematography is world class and youre bound to fall in love with the picture perfect locations and call your travel agent pronto. But its not a travel diary by any means. The action choreography is truly out of this world. Theres a sequence, for example, where a zipline is spread across two helicopters hovering parallel and a man is sent across from one to the other. Another has John Abraham and SRK flying minijets and indulging in aerial combat. No expense is spared to create one over-the-top action sequence after another. The best sequence perhaps is set atop a train which falls into a ravine after a massive explosion. The makers have managed to pull off sequences to the scale of Mission Impossible and The Fast And The Furious franchises and thats saying something.Pathan was touted as Shah Rukh Khans comeback film and hes back alright. He holds the screen from the first frame to the last. And lends an inimitable touch of humour even in an action film. Theres a sequence where he sings a lullaby to an elderly woman named Karen, crooning Tu hai meri karen to her. His repartee is evident in his scenes with Deepika Padukone as well. Their interaction lends extra spice to the film. SRK looks good doing action. His josh, his commitment is unparalleled. What has always set him apart is the way he makes every character believable and such is the case here too. Hes also known for the emotional gravitas he lends to his roles and the makers havent forgotten that. Hes been given a poignant backstory that makes you empathise with his character. In fact, both Deepika Padukone and John Abraham get backstories which make you understand them better. They come across as living, breathing human beings, rather than mere killing machines.John Abraham plays a mercenary who kills for money, rather than for his ideological beliefs and looks apt for the role. His confrontation scenes with SRK are the highlight of the film. Hes the antagonist but as said earlier, an attempt has been made to humanise him. Deepika Padukone looks ethereal in every frame. Whether jumping off buildings fully clothed in a jumpsuit or wearing the skimpiest of bikinis, you just cant take eyes off her. And shes not here as eye candy but carries out some pretty heavy duty action scenes, including handling a heavy duty Gatling gun in a way that would have made Arnold Schwarzenegger proud. Dimple Kapadia lends grace as the caring special operations head and Ashutosh Rana is perfect as the grumpy colonel who loves to throw the rulebook around.All-in-all, Pathaan announces in no uncertain terms that Shah Rukh Khan is back. After conquering romance, he looks set to scale new heights as an action star. Write him off at your own peril.PS: The film is the start of YRFs spy universe. That means stars from their different spy films are going to intermingle. Tiger fighting alongside Pathaan is both the icing on the cake and the tip of the iceberg.
Q2 results strengthen growth potential across expanding exploration portfolio

At Brucejack, drilling continues to enhance the resource growth potential at the Valley of the Kings (VOK) deposit and the surrounding area, with intercepts expanding the strike extent at the 1080 HBx Zone and demonstrating continuity at Golden Marmot which are located outside the current Pretium published resource.

At 1080 HBx Zone, drilling to expand the VOK deposit continues to confirm the continuity of higher grade mineralisation at depth and to the south, with 6 of 20 holes returning intervals in excess of 5 grams per tonne gold. Mineralisation now extends over 145m of strike length and remains open. Results include, VU-4624, 10.5m @ 917g/t Au from 235.5m, including 1m @ 9,618g/t Au from 244m, which is the highest grade returned from the 1080 Hbx Zone to date. In addition, VU-4626 returned 11m @ 269g/t Au from 173.5m, including 1m @ 2,954g/t Au from 174.5m.

At Golden Marmot, located ~3.5km north of the VOK, assays were received for a further 22 holes. Holes were drilled to infill the main zone demonstrating continuity of the higher grade over an area 100m wide, 200m long, and 300m high with 5 of 22 holes returning intervals in excess of 5 grams per tonne gold. Results include, SU-893, 18m @ 12g/t Au from 211.5m, including 1m @ 184g/t Au from 227m. In addition, SU-899 returned 1m @ 8,000g/t Au from 164.67m, which is the highest grade returned from Golden Marmot to date.

At Red Chris, drilling at East Ridge continues to confirm continuity and expand the footprint of higher grade mineralisation and strengthen the potential for resource growth.

At East Ridge, drilling continues to expand the vertical extent of the mineralisation within the Exploration Target area previously reported on 21 July 2022. Drilling has returned the deepest significant higher grade intercept at the project to date with RC857 intersecting 266m @ 0.43g/t Au & 0.57% Cu from 1,534m, including 34m @ 1.1g/t Au & 1.6% Cu from 1,706m. These results have extended the higher grade mineralisation, which remains open at depth, by a further 100m to a depth of more than 700m vertical.

At Havieron, drilling continues to reinforce the potential for incremental resource growth with higher grade extensions to the mineralisation in the Northern Breccia and the Eastern Breccia.

In the Eastern Breccia, results outside the current Mineral Resource are HAD134, 82m @ 2.1g/t Au & 0.25% Cu from 1,508m, including 30m @ 2.4g/t Au & 0.19% Cu from 1,540m, HAD163, 86m @ 1.2g/t Au & 0.04% Cu from 1,415m, including 26m @ 1.9g/t Au & 0.09% Cu from 1,452m and HAD167, 78m @ 1.9g/t Au & 0.19% Cu from 1,516m.

At the Northern Breccia, drill results include HAD098W7, 84m @ 3.2g/t Au & 0.14% Cu from 1,008m. Drilling is ongoing to define the extents of higher-grade zones of mineralisation.

At the new Spring Peak low sulfidation epithermal project in Nevada, initial exploration drilling has confirmed the presence of higher grade mineralisation in the Disco Zone with SP22-013 returning 34.72m @ 2.7g/t Au from 256.12m, including 2.01m @ 10g/t Au from 262.46m, 2.38m @ 16g/t Au from 275.26m and including 0.34m @ 70g/t Au from 275.96m. Mineralisation on the Disco Zone structure remains open at depth and along strike.

Melbourne, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 24, 2023) - Newcrest (ASX: NCM) (TSX: NCM) (PNGX: NCM) Interim Chief Executive Officer, Sherry Duhe, said, "We are delighted by our ongoing exploration success at Brucejack, Red Chris and Havieron, with the latest set of drilling results continuing to support the potential for significant resource growth across each of these key projects. At Brucejack, we delivered some outstanding results with mineralisation remaining open across the Valley of the Kings deposit and Golden Marmot area, further supporting this exciting opportunity which is being aggressively pursued by our exploration team.

"Positive initial results at the Spring Peak Project in Nevada indicate further growth potential and we were also very pleased to add the Mount Coolon project into our pipeline during the quarter, further enhancing our impressive global exploration portfolio," said Ms Duhe.

Brucejack, British Columbia, Canada(1)

The Brucejack Property hosts the Valley of the Kings (VOK) high-grade gold deposit. The VOK is characterised by multiple occurrences of higher grade mineralisation over selected intervals hosted within broader zones of stockwork and vein arrays. Growth activities are focused on both resource expansion within the existing mine area, as well as brownfields exploration activities within 4km of the mine area.

Resource expansion drilling during the quarter was focused on targets in the 1080 HBx Zone and Bridge Zone North. A total of 7,665m in 33 drill holes was completed using 2 underground diamond drill rigs. Assay results were received for three drill fans in the 1080 HBx Zone. Assay results were also received from a further 22 drill holes at Golden Marmot, which was part of the surface brownfields diamond drilling completed last quarter. All other assays are pending.

At 1080 HBx Zone, assays were received for 20 drill holes (three drill fans). 16 drill holes intersected gold mineralisation, with 6 of the 20 drill holes intersecting higher grade mineralisation, in excess of 5 grams per tonne, including the highest grade intersection returned to date. Drill holes at 1080 HBx are collared within the current Pretium published resource for the initial 90 to 135 meters, depending on the orientation of the drill hole, and only results outside the resource are reported. The drill program was designed to follow up on the extensions of the high-grade gold mineralisation intersected in the 1080 East drill program (previously reported).

Results demonstrate the continuity of higher grade gold mineralisation hosted in the HBx Domain, sub-parallel to Domain 20, which is currently being mined in the VOK. Drill fans were spaced at 15 meters horizontally in order to rapidly advance this new zone. Assays received to date cover an area of 105m x 300m x 250m, and the HBx Domain has now been defined over a strike length of 145m. Drilling is currently in progress to test the HBx Domain further along strike.

Results for the reporting period include:

VU-4624 10.5m @ 917g/t Au from 235.5m including 1m @ 9,618g/t Au from 244m

VU-4626 11m @ 269g/t Au from 173.5m including 1m @ 2,954g/t Au from 174.5m



At Golden Marmot, assays were received for 22 drill holes. 11 drill holes intersected gold mineralisation, with 5 of 22 drill holes intersecting higher grade gold mineralisation, in excess of 5 grams per tonne, and include the highest grade returned to date.

The focus for the calendar year 2022 drill program at Golden Marmot was to infill the main zone identified in 2021 and began to step out from known mineralisation. Results to date have confirmed the presence of gold mineralisation within the main zone with dimensions of 100m wide, 200m long, and 300m high. Mineralisation encountered at Golden Marmot displays many of the salient geological features that characterise hanging wall domains in the VOK deposit immediately to the south. Future exploration drilling will focus on continuing to test the extent of the mineralisation which remains open to the south and at depth.

Results for the reporting period include:

SU-893 18m @ 12g/t Au from 211.5m including 1m @ 184g/t Au from 227m

SU-896 1.5m @ 113g/t Au from 141m 9m @ 10g/t Au from 160.5m

SU-899 1m @ 8,000g/t Au from 164.67m

SU-903 1m @ 1,740g/t Au from 414m



Approximately 54,000m of resource expansion drilling and 35,000m of brownfield exploration drilling targeting mineralisation definition and continuity are planned during calendar year 2023 with three drill rigs operating underground and four drill rigs operating on surface during the summer months.

Refer to Appendix 1 for additional information, and the drill hole data table for all results reported during the period.





Figure 1. Plan view map of the Brucejack Property, spanning the 4km gossanous trend from Golden Marmot and Hanging Glacier in the northwest to Bridge Zone in the southeast.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_003full.jpg





Figure 2. Long section view (looking west) of the Brucejack Property. Refer to figure 1 for the location of the cross section. Viewing window is +/- 150 meters.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_004full.jpg





Figure 3. Plan view of the 1080 Level in the VOK, showing Domain 13, Domain 20, and the newly defined HBX Domain. The previously published Pretium resource is outlined in red.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_005full.jpg

Red Chris, British Columbia, Canada(2)

Red Chris is a joint venture between Newcrest (70%) and Imperial Metals Corporation (30%) and is operated by Newcrest.

The Brownfield Exploration program is focused on the discovery of additional zones of higher-grade mineralisation within the Red Chris porphyry corridor, including targets outside of Newcrest's Mineral Resource estimate. During the quarter, there were up to seven diamond drill rigs in operation. A further 13,854m of drilling has been completed during the quarter from 18 drill holes, with all drill holes intersecting mineralisation. This contributed to a total of 300,154m of drilling from 291 drill holes since Newcrest acquired its interest in the joint venture in August 2019.

At East Ridge, located adjacent to the East Zone, drilling is ongoing with 71 holes completed and 5 in progress. Assays were received from 12 holes during the quarter. The follow up drilling is being completed on a nominal 100m x 100m grid to determine the footprint, characterise the mineralisation and to demonstrate the extent of continuity of the higher-grade mineralisation. Drilling to date has tested a corridor 900m long, 250m wide and to a vertical extent of 1,000m where zones of higher grade mineralisation have been identified.

East Ridge is outside of Newcrest's Mineral Resource estimate. Diamond drilling continues to define the extent and continuity of this higher grade mineralisation. A further 25 diamond drill holes at minimum are planned to test and close out the target mineralisation. This program is expected to be completed by the second quarter of calendar year 2023.

Results for the reporting period include:

RC843 202m @ 0.47g/t Au & 0.64% Cu from 810m including 78m @ 0.83g/t Au & 1.0% Cu from 864m including 32m @ 1.2g/t Au & 1.3% Cu from 908m

RC848 248m @ 0.33g/t Au & 0.46% Cu from 1,320m including 52m @ 0.84g/t Au & 0.82% Cu from 1,492m including 34m @ 1.0g/t Au & 0.86% Cu from 1,510m

RC857 266m @ 0.43g/t Au & 0.57% Cu from 1,534m including 56m @ 0.83g/t Au & 1.2% Cu from 1,694m including 34m @ 1.1g/t Au & 1.6% Cu from 1,706m



Drilling continues to expand the vertical extent of the East Ridge mineralisation. The latest drilling results from holes RC848 and RC857 extend the higher grade mineralisation by a further 100m at depth to more than 700m vertical. The result from RC857 is the deepest significant higher grade intercept at the project to date. All holes remain open at depth.

These results demonstrate further support of the upside range of the Exploration Target defined in the June 2022 Quarterly Exploration Report dated 21 July 2022. The Exploration Target potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature, there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource.

Drilling within the Exploration Target area also continues to define the continuity of the higher grade mineralisation in hole RC843, located 100m west of RC808 (previously reported) and 700m below surface, making it one of the shallowest significant higher grade intercepts at East Ridge.

The East Ridge mineralised corridor contains higher grade (>0.8g/t Au and >0.8% Cu) in several smaller pods over an area 700m high, 400m long and 125m wide. Drilling to test the eastern extent of the mineralised corridor has returned some lower grades and intervals of unmineralised porphyry in several holes including RC851, RC854 and RC855 with follow up in progress.

Approximately 35,000m of growth-related drilling targeting mineralisation definition and continuity is planned for the second half of FY23 from four drill rigs.

Refer to Appendix 2 for additional information, and the drill hole data table for all results reported during the period.





Figure 4. Schematic plan view map of the Red Chris porphyry corridor spanning East Ridge, East Zone, Main Zone and Gully Zone showing significant Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report), 0.3g/t Au, 1g/t Au, 0.3% Cu and 1% Cu shell projections generated from a LeapfrogTM model.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_006full.jpg







Figure 5. Long section view (looking North West) of the Red Chris porphyry corridor showing drill hole locations, gold distribution and Exploration Target (previously released).

To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_007full.jpg

Havieron Project, Western Australia, Australia(3)

The Havieron Project is operated by Newcrest under a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with Greatland Gold Plc (Greatland). Newcrest is the manager and holds a 70% interest in the Havieron Project (Greatland holds a 30% interest). The JVA includes tolling principles reflecting the intention of the parties that, subject to a successful exploration program, Feasibility Study and a positive decision to mine, the resulting joint venture mineralised material will be processed at Telfer.

The Havieron Project is centred on a deep magnetic anomaly located 45km east of Telfer in the Paterson Province. The deposit is overlain by more than 420m of post mineral Permian cover. The Joint Venture commenced drilling during the June 2019 quarter and has completed 288,664m of drilling from 327 drill holes to date (excluding holes in progress, abandoned holes, or drill holes which have not been sampled).

Drilling activities in the quarter have produced a further 19,079m of drilling from 22 holes with up to 6 drill rigs operating during the quarter. This includes 4 infill drillholes within the current Eastern Breccia Inferred Resource which are not included in this report and 6 abandoned holes which failed to reach target depth. New assay results are reported from 12 drill holes (8 were assays pending from the previous quarter). Of the reported holes, 7 holes returned significant assay intercepts in excess of 50 gram metres gold (Au ppm x length m). Further infill drilling has commenced to support ongoing resource assessment of the lower South East Crescent zone.

Growth drilling targeting mineralisation definition and continuity continues to show potential for resource additions outside of the existing Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource limits, including:

Extensions of the Eastern Breccia incorporating definition of identified internal higher grade zones - assay results reported for 7 drill holes, 2 holes awaiting assays.

incorporating definition of identified internal higher grade zones - assay results reported for 7 drill holes, 2 holes awaiting assays. Extensions to the Northern Breccia at depth between the current Northern Breccia Resource and Eastern Breccia Resource - assay results reported for 2 drill holes, 4 holes awaiting assays.

at depth between the current Northern Breccia Resource and Eastern Breccia Resource - assay results reported for 2 drill holes, 4 holes awaiting assays. Drilling to assess geophysical targets outside of the main Havieron system - 3 drill hole results reported and 2 holes awaiting assays from step-out drilling to the northwest and southeast of the Havieron system.

The Eastern Breccia is developed below the 4,100RL with a footprint of over 500m in strike, up to 200m in width, and over 250m in vertical extent. Within this zone, multiple northwest trending internal higher-grade (>1 g/t Au) sulphide dominated domains are observed. The Eastern Breccia remains open at depth and to the northwest and southeast.

Results include:

HAD134 82m @ 2.1g/t Au & 0.25% Cu from 1,508m including 30m @ 2.4g/t Au & 0.19% Cu from 1,540m

HAD152W4 86m @ 0.88g/t Au & 0.05% Cu from 2,056m 10m @ 4.0g/t Au & 0.04% Cu from 2,120m

HAD152W5 62m @ 0.92g/t Au & 0.40% Cu from 1,607m

HAD163 86m @ 1.2g/t Au & 0.04% Cu from 1,415m including 26m @ 1.9g/t Au & 0.09% Cu from 1,452m

HAD163W1 171.1m @ 0.68g/t Au & 0.04% Cu from 1,458m. including 32m @ 1.5g/t Au & 0.09% Cu from 1,492m

HAD167 78m @ 1.9g/t Au & 0.19% Cu from 1,516m



At the Northern Breccia results include:

HAD098W7 84m @ 3.2g/t Au & 0.14% Cu from 1,008m



Drilling to test geophysical targets outside of the known Havieron mineralised system, including evaluating the Havieron dolerite at multiple intervals north and south of the Havieron mineralised envelope, revealed no significant intercepts from three drill holes (HAD165, MEC001 and NOR002). Two additional holes are awaiting assays.

The initial campaign of growth programs, in the March 2023 quarter, will progress assessment of growth targets, and ongoing resource infill of the lower South East Crescent zone, with drill programs reducing to three drill rigs over the Western Australian wet season.

Refer to Appendix 3 for additional information and drill hole data table for all results reported during the period.





Figure 6. 3D Plan view schematic showing the spatial association of the South East Crescent, Northern Breccia, North West Pod and Eastern Breccia in relation to the current exploration growth target areas and the Mineral Resource extents. Also highlighted are selected previously reported^^ and new (highlighted in yellow - refer to Figure 6) intercepts >100 gram metres (Au ppm x length) that have been intersected outside of the Inferred Mineral Resource. Intercepts are projected to the 4600RL.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_008full.jpg





Figure 7. 3D oblique view of the Havieron system viewed from the south-east, showing the position of high-grade intercepts (previously^^ reported and new (highlighted in yellow - refer to Figure 7)) and mineralised zones >100 gram metres (Au ppm x length) that have been intersected outside of the Mineral Resource extents. Further higher-grade mineralisation and assay results continue to support incremental expansion of the Northern Breccia and Southeast Crescent, as well as extensions to the Eastern Breccia (refer to Figure 5 for spatial relationship of drill holes and zones).

To view an enhanced version of Figure 7, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_009full.jpg





Figure 8. Plan view schematic of a horizontal slice at 3900mRL through the Crescent Sulphide Zone and Breccia-hosted Zones, showing the extents of the 0.5 and 1.0 g/t Au LeapfrogTM grade shells with highlighted newly reported intercepts for this period. This diagram highlights >50 gram metres intersections drilled during the period, refer to inset diagram for relationship to all Havieron drilling.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 8, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_010full.jpg

Western USA

Spring Peak Project, Nevada

In August 2022, Newcrest entered into four separate definitive option and earn-in agreements with Headwater Gold Inc. (Headwater Gold) and purchased a 9.9% equity interest in the company (previously reported). Newcrest has the option to acquire up to a 75% interest individually in each of the Agate Point, Midas North and Spring Peak Projects in Nevada and the Mahogany Project in Oregon.

The Spring Peak project is located approximately 35km southwest of Hawthorn, Nevada in the Aurora mining district. During the quarter Headwater Gold completed an RC and diamond drilling program at Spring Peak designed to follow up results from their 2021 exploration program and continued target definition work including mapping on other targets. A total of 3,170m was drilled in 10 holes across the project area including both RC pre-collar with diamond tails and three RC only holes. All holes encountered epithermal veining and alteration with the thickest intercepts located in four drill holes completed on a single section at the Disco Zone offsetting the intersection previously reported by Headwater (on 22 November 2021) in RC drill hole SP21-03 which returned 38.1m @ 1g/t Au. One RC pre-collar was drilled off section but was not completed with a diamond tail due to the arrival of winter weather conditions.

Assay results have been returned for the diamond tail for SP22-13 with all other assay results from the project pending.

Results include:

SP22-013 34.72m @ 2.7g/t Au from 256.12m including 2.01m @ 10g/t Au from 262.46m including 2.38m @ 16g/t Au from 275.26m and including 0.34m @ 70g/t Au from 275.96m



SP22-13 is the deepest and highest grade intercept reported to date at Spring Peak. The mineralised structure is drill constrained to this section only and remains open at depth and along strike. A follow up drill program is being planned for the upcoming field season.





Figure 9. Plan view of the Spring Peak project illustrating the location of drill hole SP22-13, previous drilling, and the drill constrained cross section. Coordinates are NAD83 UTM Zone 11 north.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 9, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_011full.jpg





Figure 10. Geological and geophysical cross section of the Disco Zone with drill results from SP22-13 and SP21-07, the structure is open both down dip and along strike. A drill program to further test the zone is currently being planned. Section view is to the southwest.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 10, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_012full.jpg

Appaloosa Project, Nevada

In September 2022, Newcrest entered into an option and earn-in agreement (previously reported) with Gunpoint Exploration Ltd. (Gunpoint) to acquire up to 75% of the Appaloosa property located in Nevada, USA (with an option to acquire the remaining 25% of Appaloosa post the earn-in period). Appaloosa is an underexplored mineralised structural zone situated within Gunpoint's Talapoosa gold-silver project. Newcrest is currently performing target definition work including mapping, geophysics and rock chip and channel sampling with assay results pending. In January 2023, Newcrest provided notice to Gunpoint to enter into the Option Phase of the option and earn-in agreement at Appaloosa.

Australia

Wilki Project, Western Australia

The Wilki Project is an exploration farm-in and joint venture with Antipa Minerals Limited (Antipa). The project area covers a strategic landholding of ~2,200km2 surrounding the Telfer operation and is adjacent to the Havieron Project. Newcrest entered into this exploration farm-in and joint venture agreement with Antipa in March 2020. Newcrest currently also has a 9.9% shareholding in Antipa.

As previously highlighted, Newcrest has elected to proceed to the next stage (Stage 1) of the farm-in agreement following completion of the initial exploration expenditure commitment (A$6 million). Newcrest has the potential to earn a 51% joint venture interest in the Wilki Project through expenditure of a further A$10 million by March 2025 during Stage 1. As of 1 July 2022, Newcrest is the manager and operator of the Wilki Project.

Field activities were suspended for the summer period and will resume in the first half of calendar year 2023, with planned soil sampling and follow up drilling to be completed, subject to successful attainment of heritage clearances.

Juri Joint Venture, Western Australia

The Juri Joint Venture is a farm-in and joint venture agreement with Greatland with respect to the Black Hills and Paterson Range East projects, located within the Paterson Province approximately 50km from the Telfer operation and in proximity to the Havieron Project. The joint venture covers an area of approximately 248km2. Newcrest currently has a 51% interest in the Juri Joint Venture, and the Joint Venture is currently managed by Greatland. Under the terms of the agreement, Newcrest has the potential to earn an additional 24% joint venture interest through expenditure of a further A$17 million by October 2024.

Drill programs completed at A9 and Tama in the September 2022 quarter returned no significant new results. Target generation and project review activities are underway during seasonal suspension of field programs.

Mount Coolon Project, Queensland

In October 2022, Newcrest entered into a farm-in agreement with GBM Resources Ltd (GBM) in relation to the Mount Coolon Project to advance gold exploration in the Drummond Basin in Queensland. The agreement provides the potential for Newcrest to acquire up to a 75% interest in the Mount Coolon Project tenements by spending A$25M and completing a series of exploration milestones in a 3 stage farm-in over six years.

Newcrest considers the Drummond Basin to be highly prospective for discovery of new higher grade gold resources related to known epithermal gold deposits within the Mount Coolon Project area. The project is undergoing establishment activities and initial targeting has identified a number of high priority targets below and along strike to previously identified gold-bearing low-sulphidation epithermal veining. On ground activities are expected to commence in the first half of calendar year 2023.

Northern Andes

Gamora Project, Ecuador

Planning is in progress for the second phase of scout drilling at the Gamora Project, located in southeast Ecuador. This work is being conducted by Newcrest as the operator under an earn-in agreement with Lundin Gold Inc. (Lundin Gold) pursuant to which Newcrest can earn up to a 50% interest in eight exploration concessions. The concession area covers strategic landholdings to the north and south of Lundin Gold's Fruta del Norte mining operation. The next phase of drilling at Gamora will focus on testing priority copper-gold porphyry targets starting in the March 2023 quarter.

Appendix 1

Brucejack (100% Newcrest): JORC Table 1

Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data

Criteria Commentary Sampling techniques Core samples are obtained from core drilling. HQ diameter diamond core was drilled on a 3m run. Whole core was sampled at 1.5m intervals except where visible gold was identified, in which case the sample length was shortened to 1.0 or 0.5m. Drilling techniques Core drilling was advanced with HQ diameter coring configuration.



Core from select inclined drill holes are oriented on 3m runs using an electronic core orientation tool (Reflex ACTIII). At the end of each run, the bottom of hole position is marked by the driller, which is later transferred to the whole drill core run length with a bottom of hole reference line. Drill sample recovery Core recovery is systematically recorded from the commencement of coring to end of hole, by reconciling against driller's depth blocks in each core tray with data recorded in the database. Drillers depth blocks provided the depth, interval of core recovered, and interval of core drilled.



Core recoveries were typically 100%, with isolated zones of lower recovery. Logging Geological logging recorded qualitative descriptions of lithology, alteration, mineralisation, veining, and structure (for all core drilled - 7,665m).



Geotechnical measurements were recorded including Rock Quality Designation (RQD) fracture frequency, solid core recovery and qualitative rock strength measurements.



All geological and geotechnical logging was conducted at the Brucejack Mine.



Digital data logging was captured, validated and stored in an Acquire database. The Acquire database replaces the previous Geospark database.



All drill cores were photographed, prior to sampling the core. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation Sampling, sample preparation and quality control protocols are considered appropriate for the material being sampled.



Whole core HQ samples. Whole core samples were collected in plastic bags together with pre-numbered sample tags and grouped into shipping bins for dispatch to the laboratory by dedicated transport. Sample lengths were typically 1.5m, and weights typically varied from 11 to 15kg, with an average weight of approximately 12.5 Kg. Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the style of mineralisation.



All drill core samples were freighted by road to the laboratory via hired transport.



Sample preparation was conducted at the independent ISO 9001 certified and ISO 17025 accredited ALS Global preparation laboratories including Terrace. Kamloops, Yellowknife, Vancouver,. Samples were dried at 600C, and crushed to 90% passing 2 mm, and split to obtain up to 1 kg sub-sample, which was pulverised (using LM2) to produce a pulped product with the minimum standard of 85% passing 75m.



Duplicate sample data are available from crush and pulp samples at a rate of approximately 1:20. Duplicate results show an acceptable level of variability for the material sampled and style of mineralisation. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests Assaying of drill core samples was conducted at ALS in North Vancouver. All samples were assayed for 33 elements using a 4-acid digestion followed by ICP-OES determination (method ME-ICP61). Gold analyses were determined by 50g fire assay with atomic absorption finish (method Au-AA26; with trigger to Au-Gra22 50g gravimetric overlimit method at 18 ppm).



Sampling and assaying quality control procedures consisted of inclusion of certified reference material (CRMs), coarse residue and pulp duplicates with each batch (at least 1:20).



Assays of quality control samples were compared with reference samples in the Acquire SQL database and verified as acceptable prior to formal use of data from analysed batches.



Laboratory quality duplicates including replicates and preparation duplicates are captured in the Acquire SQL database and assessed.



Prepared pulp splits for mineralized samples were sent to MS Analytical Labs in Langley BC for secondary lab check work by comparable Au and ICP methods to ensure agreement with original results; check pulps were prepared for 20 samples, from 5 of the Golden Marmot holes, and overall a representative 5-7% of mineralized samples for VOK drilling was sent for secondary lab checks, including North Block Phase 4 and 1080 East level drilling. Comparisons are acceptable.



Analysis of the available quality control sample assay results indicates that an acceptable level of accuracy and precision has been achieved. The database contains no analytical data that has been numerically manipulated.



The assaying techniques and quality control protocols used are considered appropriate for the data to be used for reporting exploration drilling results. Verification of sampling and assaying Sampling intervals defined by the geologist are electronically assigned sample identification numbers prior to core sampling. Corresponding sample numbers matching pre-labelled sample tags are assigned to each interval.



All sampling and assay information were stored in a secure Acquire database with restricted access.



Sample submission forms providing the sample identification number accompany each submission to the laboratory. Assay results from the laboratory with corresponding sample identification are loaded directly into the Acquire database.



Assessment of reported significant assay intervals was verified by review of visible gold identified in the drill core and review of high resolution core photography. The verification of significant intersections has been completed by company personnel and the Competent Person/Qualified Person.



No adjustments are made to assay data, and no twinned holes have been completed. Drilling intersects mineralisation at various angles.



There are no currently known drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data. Location of data points All collar coordinates are provided in the North American Datum (NAD83 Zone 9N).



1080 HBx: Underground drill collar locations are marked up by the survey department with spray paint, and a back site and foresight are provided to enable alignment; Drills are then aligned by the drill contractor based on the markup and sights, and a TN-14 collar Gyro is used to confirm orientation prior to drilling.



Golden Marmot: Surface drill collar locations are marked with a stake, and a back site and fore site are provided to enable alignment. Collar locations are picked up using a Trimble 7-series differential GPS and a TN-14 collar Gyro is used to confirm orientation prior to drilling.



Topographic control is established from 2014 Lidar. Data spacing and distribution 1080 HBx: Drill hole spacing is 15m laterally. Assays have been received for six drill fans to date, which is insufficient for estimation of a Mineral Resource.



Golden Marmot: Drill hole spacing was at 30m horizontal spacing within an area of 0.75km2. The current drill hole spacing does not provide sufficient information for the estimation of a Mineral Resource.



No sample compositing is applied to samples. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Drill holes at 1080 HBx are oriented towards 205 degrees in order to drill perpendicular to the broadly WNW-ESE oriented mineralization domains. Drilling at 1080 HBx intersected a mineralized structure oriented sub-parallel to Domain 20, hosted in the Eastern Promises Porphyry unit.



Drill holes at Golden Marmot are oriented towards either 145 degrees or 325 degrees in order to drill perpendicular to the mineralization domains which broadly strike towards 115 degrees. Sample security The security of samples is ensured by tracking samples from drill rig to database and by using trusted transportation services, and third party laboratories with security protocols.



Drill core was delivered from the drill rig to the Brucejack Core Facility. Geological and geotechnical logging, high resolution core photography and whole core sampling was undertaken at the Brucejack Core Facility.



Sample numbers are obtained from pre-made sample tag books, first ensuring no duplication of sample ID's in the database. Sample tags are inserted into labelled plastic bags together with the sample, and the bagged sample secured with a zip tie.



Samples were grouped in sequence into rice bags, then placed into dedicated sample shipment bins for transport offsite. Samples are transported by road to the preparation lab where transfer of custody occurs.



Verification of sample numbers and identification is conducted by the laboratory on receipt of samples, and sample receipt advice issued to Newcrest.



Details of all sample shipments are recorded in a shipment tracking table and require offsite removal forms prior to leaving the Brucejack site. Shipping dates, Hole IDs, sample ranges, and special instructions are recorded with the dispatch of samples to the laboratory analytical services. Receiving laboratories have a workorder template of methods and duplicates by which to process the samples unless otherwise specified. Any discrepancies noted during sample login at the laboratory are communicated and addressed. Audits or reviews Due to the limited duration of the program, no external audits or reviews have been undertaken.



Internal verification and audit of Newcrest exploration procedures and databases are periodically undertaken.

Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results

Criteria Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Brucejack comprises 346 mineral tenures including four mining leases and is 100% owned by Newcrest Mining Limited.



All obligations with respect to legislative requirements including minimum expenditure are maintained in good standing. Exploration done by other parties Granduc, Esso, Newhawk, Lacana Mining Corp., and Silver Standard conducted exploration in the area between 1960 and 2010.



Pretium Resources acquired the Brucejack Property in 2010 and drilled the discovery hole at the Valley of the Kings in 2011. North Block and 1080 level were first drilled in 2020. Golden Marmot was previously drilled in 1988 and 2011. Geology The Brucejack Project is located in the Stikine terrane of north-western British Columbia, 50 km north of the town of Stewart. Early Jurassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Lower Hazelton Group host mineralisation. A pervasive quartz-pyrite-sericite alteration event predates the main stage of epithermal mineralisation. Gold mineralisation at Brucejack consists of electrum hosted in vein stockworks, sheeted veins, and veinlets. Drill hole information As provided. Data aggregation methods Significant assay intercepts are reported as length-weighted averages using a cut-off of 1.0 g/t Au and a minimum length of 7.5m, with less than 7.5m of consecutive internal dilution. Also reported are intervals greater than 100g/t Au. Intervals below a cutoff of 1.0gt Au were not reported as significant results. No top cuts are applied to intercept calculations. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. Insufficient geological information is available to confirm the geological model and true width of significant assay intervals. Diagrams As provided. Balanced reporting This is the fourth release of Exploration Results for this project made by Newcrest. Exploration results have been reported by Newcrest since April 2022.



Exploration drilling programs are ongoing and further material results will be reported in subsequent Newcrest releases. Other substantive exploration data Nil. Further work Drilling is currently underway at 1080 HBx to complete the remaining 1 drill fan in the program. Follow up drilling is also being planned for the Bridge Zone, Eastern Promises, and West VOK.

Drillhole data(1)

Brucejack, British Columbia, Canada

Reporting Criteria: Intervals are reported as length-weighted averages using a cut-off of 1.0 g/t Au and a minimum length of 7.5m, with less than 7.5m of consecutive internal dilution. Also reported are intervals greater than 100g/t Au. Intervals below a cutoff of 1.0gt Au were not reported as significant results. Gold grades are reported to two significant figures. Samples are from core drilling which is HQ in diameter. Core is photographed and logged by the geology team before being whole core sampled and sent for assay. Each assay batch is submitted with duplicates and standards to monitor laboratory quality.

Hole ID Hole

Type Easting

(m) Northing

(m) RL

(m) Total

Depth

(m) Azimuth Dip From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Au

(ppm) Cut

off VU-4623 DD 426844 6257849 1089 321.2 205 -38.1 70.5 103 32.5 2.1 1.0















139.5 156 16.5 2.5 1.0















228 259.5 31.5 1.0 1.0















301.5 321.2 19.7 3.3 1.0 VU-4624 DD 426844 6257849 1089 372.1 204.8 -30.2 121.5 166.5 45 1.4 1.0















187.1 195 7.9 1.0 1.0















235.5 246 10.5 917 1.0













incl. 244 245 1 9,618 100















268.5 281.7 13.2 1.7 1.0 VU-4625 DD 426844 6257849 1089 348.2 205.1 -21.7 75.5 88.5 13 2.5 1.0















304.5 318 13.5 1.1 1.0















327 346.5 19.5 1.1 1.0 VU-4626 DD 426844 6257849 1089 327.2 205.27 -13.2 46.5 57 10.5 3.7 1.0















173.5 184.5 11 269 1.0













incl. 174.5 175.5 1 2,954 100















306 326.5 20.5 1.8 1.0 VU-4627 DD 426844 6257849 1089 434.8 205.1 -3.7 37.5 55.5 18 2.3 1.0















297 348 51 1.3 1.0















369 376.5 7.5 1.2 1.0 VU-4628 DD 426844 6257849 1089 322 204.99 5 223 232.5 9.5 2.4 1.0 VU-4629 DD 426844 6257849 1089 290.8 205.13 15 No significant assays VU-4630 DD 426844 6257849 1089 230.8 205.1 24.5 No significant assays VU-4666 DD 426723 6257839 1088 453.2 205.03 -37.2 102 114 12 1.1 1.0















213 264 51 2.3 1.0















274.5 327 52.5 1.4 1.0















342 373.5 31.5 1.1 1.0















393 412.5 19.5 1.6 1.0 VU-4667 DD 426723 6257839 1088 432 205.3 -30.2 97.5 106.5 9 1.4 1.0















205.5 224 18.5 2.0 1.0















238 249 11 12 1.0













incl. 238 239 1 113 100















331.5 408 76.5 3.2 1.0 VU-4668 DD 426723 6257839 1088 429.2 205.27 -24 114 123 9 2.4 1.0















136.5 172.5 36 1.1 1.0















181.5 193.5 12 1.9 1.0















226.5 234 7.5 1.3 1.0 VU-4669 DD 426723 6257839 1089 405.1 205.1 -17.2 384 385.5 1.5 135 100















433.5 442.5 9 1.1 1.0 VU-4670 DD 426723 6257839 1089 447.9 205.2 -9.2 90 145.5 55.5 1.9 1.0















292.5 300 7.5 2.3 1.0















328.5 358.5 30 1.1 1.0 VU-4671 DD 426723 6257840 1089 342.1 205.5 0.1 187.5 208.5 21 3.1 1.0















280.5 291 10.5 1.1 1.0 VU-4672 DD 426723 6257840 1090 243.3 204.8 8.8 78 117 39 3.3 1.0















132 142.38 10.38 1.5 1.0















190.5 207 16.5 1.0 1.0 VU-4673 DD 426723 6257839 1090 215.7 205 17.9 No significant assays VU-4674 DD 426723 6257839 1091 191.9 205.1 26.4 Assays pending VU-4675 DD 426723 6257839 1091 173.7 205.1 33.5 Assays pending VU-4676 DD 426723 6257840 1091 158.8 205 40.1 Assays pending VU-4771 DD 426844 6257849 1089 244.6 194.01 20.33 52.5 60 7.5 5.1 1.0 VU-4772 DD 426844 6257849 1089 308.9 194.14 10.64 No significant results VU-4773 DD 426844 6257849 1089 330.3 193.98 0.73 57.75 68 10.25 1.5 1.0















260.3 261.3 1 570 100 VU-4774 DD 426844 6257849 1089 342.3 193.99 -9.16 63 84 21 1.7 1.0















165 178.5 13.5 1.7 1.0















204 211.5 7.5 2.6 1.0















276 300.18 24.18 2.1 1.0 VU-4775 DD 426844 6257849 1089 356.9 194.49 -16.96 Assays pending VU-4776 DD 426844 6257849 1089 396 194 -24.5 Assays pending VU-4777 DD 426844 6257849 1089 450 194.1 -35 Assays pending SU-885 DD 425828 6261612 1780 442.4 21.57 -49.63 No significant assays SU-892 DD 425627.66 6261868.67 1723.06 367.9 145.29 -70 No significant assays SU-893 DD 425541.77 6261892.98 1710.32 442.8 146.06 -44.5 75 84 9 5.5 1.0















145.5 153 7.5 3.3 1.0















165 187.5 22.5 1.4 1.0















211.5 229.5 18 12 1.0













incl. 227 228 1 184 100















293 294 1 280 100 SU-894 DD 425542.23 6261892.42 1709.43 547.6 145.17 -54.9 No significant assays SU-895 DD 425447.53 6261451.76 1577.7 494 55.11 -45 No significant assays SU-896 DD 425447.12 6261451.44 1577.34 666 55.37 -59.7 141 142.5 1.5 113 100















160.5 169.5 9 10 1.0 SU-897 DD 425754.39 6261642.83 1764.69 310.4 324.82 -65.36 111 118.5 7.5 1.1 1.0 SU-898 DD 425611.19 6261796.49 1726.57 351.4 146.16 -44.1 197.85 198.85 1 472 100 SU-899 DD 425611.14 6261796.48 1727.23 448.2 144.98 -52.6 61.5 72 10.5 1.5 1.0















164.67 165.67 1 8,000 100 SU-900 DD 425610.89 6261795.65 1726.58 388.4 145.13 -60.1 No significant assays SU-901 DD 425972.36 6261429.95 1748.36 676.8 23.61 -75.33 No significant assays SU-902 DD 425569.26 6261694.9 1704.85 311.2 324.31 -55 No significant assays SU-903 DD 425569.74 6261693.69 1704.23 469.9 323.62 -64.8 414 415 1 1740 100















456 466.5 10.5 1.2 1.0 SU-904 DD 425827.78 6261613.57 1781.96 796.8 21.11 -65.69 238.5 250.5 12 1.3 1.0 SU-905 DD 425289.51 6261556.51 1540.91 19.1 53.87 -45 Hole abandoned at 19.1m SU-905A DD 425356.09 6261510.79 1564.67 605.1 53.87 -45 Assays pending SU-906 DD 425289.35 6261556.27 1540.81 800.4 56.46 -59.53 Assays pending SU-907 DD 425696.87 6261727.13 1754.38 186.2 323.56 -50 102 109.5 7.5 2.3 1.0















132 180 48 2.6 1.0 SU-908 DD 425697.96 6261725.58 1754.55 271.4 324.34 -79.8 109.5 127.5 18 1.0 1.0 SU-910 DD 425453.33 6262036.02 1634.72 653.5 55.02 -50.1 Assays pending SU-911 DD 425450.39 6262038.13 1635.51 511.6 79.54 -49.9 Assays pending SU-912 DD 425321.17 6261829.28 1639.79 604.3 148.31 -50.35 No significant assays SU-913 DD 425222.98 6261822.75 1591.9 600.3 145.05 -49.98 Assays pending SU-914 DD 425419.46 6261916.25 1660.35 544.4 144.7 -50 361.5 370.5 9 2.8 1.0 SU-915 DD 425419.12 6261916.5 1660.41 557.74 144.51 -60.2 No significant assays SU-916 DD 425462.34 6261903.42 1678.81 466.3 146.46 -45.89 No significant assays SU-917 DD 425462.49 6261905.24 1678.21 487.5 145.34 -51.7 123 134 11 2.3 1.0















142.5 154.5 12 1.1 1.0















267 274.5 7.5 2.9 1.0 SU-918 DD 425462.41 6261905.31 1678.88 514.8 144.74 -60.1 Assays pending 00SU-919 DD 425502.43 6261901.92 1694.57 550 145.1 -57.6 Assays pending SU-920 DD 425061.69 6261988.04 1497.51 402 339.01 -49.8 Assays pending SU-921 DD 425486.7 6261960.91 1665.65 538.3 143.65 -50.92 Assays pending SU-922 DD 425486.45 6261961.28 1665.49 596.6 143 -58 Assays pending SU-923 DD 425718.25 6261799.54 1753.76 249 325.25 -50.35 No significant assays SU-924 DD 425514.01 6262025.6 1633.65 521 145.74 -60.17 Assays pending SU-925 DD 425532.24 6261957.65 1675.4 445.9 145.13 -44.9 Assays pending SU-926 DD 425532.66 6261957.11 1674.56 566.6 144.92 -60.1 Assays pending SU-927 DD 425852.69 6261723.96 1768.94 558.3 336.44 -50 Assays pending

# drilling in progress, **partial intercept, assays pending. ^updated intercept ^^previously reported intercept





Figure 11. Cross section for drill fan 1080_37_ELAT17_41_L1 (location shown on Figure 3) showing all drill holes and significant intercepts. Due to window size (+/- 30m) and section orientation (270) holes may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 11, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_013full.jpg





Figure 12. Cross section for drill fan 1080_37_ELAT17_41_L2 (location shown on Figure 3) showing all drill holes and significant intercepts. Due to window size (+/- 30m) and section orientation (270) holes may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 12, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_014full.jpg





Figure 13. Cross section for drill fan 1080_37_WLAT18_34 (as shown on Figure 3) showing all drill holes and significant intercepts. Due to window size (+/- 30m) and section orientation (270) holes may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 13, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_015full.jpg





Figure 14. Schematic plan view map of the Golden Marmot drilling showing the location of the drill fans and previous drilling.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 14, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_016full.jpg





Figure 15. Cross section for drill holes SU-902, SU-903, SU-914, SU-915, SU-916, SU-917 (as shown on Figure 14) showing all significant intercepts. Due to window size (+/- 30m) and section orientation (060) holes may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 15, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_017full.jpg





Figure 16. Cross section for drill holes SU-893, SU-894, SU-898, SU-899, SU-900 (as shown on Figure 14) showing all significant intercepts. Due to window size (+/- 30m) and section orientation (060) holes may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 16, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_018full.jpg





Figure 17. Cross section for drill holes SU-892, SU-897, SU-907, SU-908 (as shown on Figure 14) showing all significant intercepts. Due to window size (+/- 30m) and section orientation (060) holes may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 17, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_019full.jpg





Figure 18. Cross section for drill holes SU-885, SU-895, SU-896, SU-904 (as shown on Figure 14) showing all significant intercepts. Due to window size (+/-20m) and section orientation (060) holes may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 18, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_020full.jpg

Appendix 2

Red Chris (70% Newcrest): JORC Table 1

Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data

Criteria Commentary Sampling techniques Core samples are obtained from core drilling. HQ and NQ diameter diamond core was drilled on a 3, 4.5m or 6m run. Core was cut using an automatic core-cutter and half core sampled at 2m intervals. Cover sequences were not sampled. Drilling techniques Core drilling was advanced with HQ3, HQ, NQ3 and NQ diameter coring configuration.



Core from inclined drill holes are oriented on 3, 4.5m or 6m runs using an electronic core orientation tool (Reflex ACTIII). At the end of each run, the bottom of hole position is marked by the driller, which is later transferred to the whole drill core run length with a bottom of hole reference line. Drill sample recovery Core recovery is systematically recorded from the commencement of coring to end of hole, by reconciling against driller's depth blocks in each core tray with data recorded in the database. Drillers depth blocks provided the depth, interval of core recovered, and interval of core drilled.



Core recoveries were typically 100%, with isolated zones of lower recovery. Logging Geological logging recorded qualitative descriptions of lithology, alteration, mineralisation, veining, and structure (for all core drilled - 13,854.0m in 18 holes - all holes intersected mineralisation, including orientation of key geological features).



Geotechnical measurements were recorded including Rock Quality Designation (RQD) fracture frequency, solid core recovery and qualitative rock strength measurements.



Magnetic susceptibility measurements were recorded every metre.



All geological and geotechnical logging was conducted at the Red Chris Mine.



Digital data logging was captured, validated and stored in an acQuire database.



All drill cores were photographed, prior to cutting and/or sampling the core. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation Sampling, sample preparation and quality control protocols are considered appropriate for the material being sampled.



Core was cut and sampled at the Red Chris Mine core processing facility. Half core samples were collected in plastic bags together with pre-numbered sample tags and grouped in wood crates for dispatch to the laboratory. Sample weights typically varied from 5 to 10kg. Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the style of mineralisation. Drill core samples were freighted by road to the laboratory.



Sample preparation was conducted at the independent ISO 9001 certified and ISO 17025 accredited Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd Laboratory, Vancouver (Bureau Veritas). Samples were dried at 650C, and crushed to 95% passing 4.75 mm, and the split to obtain up to 1kg sub-sample, which was pulverised (using LM2) to produce a pulped product with the minimum standard of 95% passing 106m.



Duplicate samples were collected from crush and pulp samples at a rate of 1:20. Duplicate results show an acceptable level of variability for the material sampled and style of mineralisation.



Periodic size checks (1:20) for crush and pulp samples and sample weights are provided by the laboratory and recorded in the acQuire database. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests Assaying of drill core samples was conducted at Bureau Veritas. All samples were assayed for 59 elements using a 4-acid digestion followed by ICP-AES/ICP-MS determination (method MA250). Gold analyses were determined by 50g fire assay with ICP-ES finish (method FA350). Carbon and Sulphur were determined by Leco (method TC000) and mercury using aqua regia digestion followed by ICP-ES/MS determination (method AQ200).



Sampling and assaying quality control procedures consisted of inclusion of certified reference material (CRMs), coarse residue and pulp duplicates with each batch (at least 1:20).



Assays of quality control samples were compared with reference samples in the acQuire database and verified as acceptable prior to use of data from analysed batches.



Laboratory quality control data, including laboratory standards, blanks, duplicates, repeats and grind size results are captured in the acQuire database and assessed for accuracy and precision for recent data.



Due to the limited extent of the drilling program to date, extended quality control programs are yet to be undertaken, whereby pulped samples will be submitted to an umpire laboratory and combined with more extensive re-submission programs.



Analysis of the available quality control sample assay results indicates that an acceptable level of accuracy and precision has been achieved and the database contains no analytical data that has been numerically manipulated.



The assaying techniques and quality control protocols used are considered appropriate for the data to be used for reporting exploration drilling results. Verification of sampling and assaying Sampling intervals defined by the geologist are electronically assigned sample identification numbers prior to core cutting. Corresponding sample numbers matching pre-labelled sample tags are assigned to each interval.



All sampling and assay information were stored in a secure acQuire database with restricted access.



Electronically generated sample submission forms providing the sample identification number accompany each submission to the laboratory. Assay results from the laboratory with corresponding sample identification are loaded directly into the acQuire database.



Assessment of reported significant assay intervals was verified by re-logging of drill core intervals and assessment of high resolution core photography. The verification of significant intersections has been completed by company personnel and the Competent Person/Qualified Person.



No adjustments are made to assay data, and no twinned holes have been completed. Drilling intersects mineralisation at various angles.



There are no currently known drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data. Location of data points Drill collar locations were surveyed using a RTK GPS with GNSS with a stated accuracy of +/- 0.025m.



Drill rig alignment was attained using an electronic azimuth aligner (Reflex TN14 GYROCOMPASS). Downhole survey was collected at 9 to 30m intervals of the drill hole using single shot survey (Reflex EZ-SHOT). At the end of hole, all holes have been surveyed using a continuous gyro survey to surface (Reflex EZ-GYRO).



Topographic control is established from PhotoSat topographic data and derived digital elevation model. The topography is generally low relief to flat, with an average elevation of 1500 m, with several deep creek gullies.



All collar coordinates are provided in the North American Datum (NAD83 Zone 9). Data spacing and distribution The drill hole spacing ranges from 100 - 200m in lateral extent within an area of 1.5km2 at the East Ridge, 1.5km2 at the East Zone, 1.5km2 at the Main Zone and 1.5km2 at the Gully Zone. An initial Mineral Resource for the East Zone, Main Zone and Gully Zone was released on 31 March 2021.



No sample compositing is applied to samples. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Drilling of reported drill holes RC833, RC836, RC837, RC838, RC840, RC841, RC842, RC843, RC845, RC846, RC848, RC853, RC854, RC855, RC856, RC857, RC858, RC862 are oriented perpendicular to the intrusive complex. The intrusive complex has an east-northeast orientation, with drilling established on a north-northwest orientation.



Drill holes exploring the extents of the East Ridge, East Zone, Main Zone and Gully Zone mineral system intersected moderately dipping volcanic and sedimentary units cut by sub-vertical intrusive lithologies. Steeply dipping mineralised zones with an east-northeast orientation have been interpreted from historic and Newcrest drill holes. Sample security The security of samples is controlled by tracking samples from drill rig to database.



Drill core was delivered from the drill rig to the Red Chris Mine core yard every shift. Geological and geotechnical logging, high resolution core photography and cutting of drill core was undertaken at the Red Chris core processing facility.



Samples were freighted in sealed bags with security tags by road to the laboratory, and in the custody of Newcrest representatives.



Sample numbers are generated from pre-labelled sample tags. All samples are collected in pre-numbered plastic bags. Sample tags are inserted into prenumbered plastic bags together with the sample.



Verification of sample numbers and identification is conducted by the laboratory on receipt of samples, and sample receipt advice issued to Newcrest.



Details of all sample movement are recorded in a database table. Dates, Hole ID sample ranges, and the analytical suite requested are recorded with the dispatch of samples to the laboratory analytical services. Any discrepancies logged at the receipt of samples into the laboratory analytical services are validated. Audits or reviews Due to the limited duration of the program, no external audits or reviews have been undertaken.



Internal verification and audit of Newcrest exploration procedures and databases are periodically undertaken.

Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results

Criteria Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Red Chris (including the GJ Property) comprises 204 mineral claims including five mining leases and is a joint venture between subsidiaries of Newcrest Mining Limited (70%) and Imperial Metals Corporation (30%). Newcrest Red Chris Mining Limited is the operator of Red Chris. In June 2022, Newcrest closed the acquisition of four early stage exploration properties from Hawkeye Gold & Diamond. The Todagin, McBride and Railway properties are expected to be added to the Red Chris Joint Venture.



Newcrest Red Chris Mining Limited and the Tahltan Nation (as represented by the Tahltan Central Government, the Tahltan Band and Iskut First Nation) signed an amended and restated updated Impact, Benefit and Co-Management Agreement (IBCA) covering Red Chris on 15 August 2019.



All obligations with respect to legislative requirements including minimum expenditure are maintained in good standing. Exploration done by other parties Conwest Exploration Limited, Great Plains Development Co. of Canada, Silver Standard Mines Ltd, Texasgulf Canada Ltd. (formerly Ecstall Mining Limited), American Bullion Minerals Ltd and bcMetals Corporation conducted exploration in the areas between 1956 and 2006.



Imperial Metals Corporation acquired the project in 2007 and completed deeper drilling at the East and Main Zones between 2007 and 2012. Geology The Red Chris Project is located in the Stikine terrane of north-western British Columbia, 80 km south of the town of Dease Lake.



Late Triassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Stuhini Group host a series of Late Triassic to Early Jurassic (204-198 Ma) diorite to quartz monzonite stocks and dykes.



Gold and copper mineralisation at Red Chris consists of vein, disseminated and breccia sulphide typical of porphyry-style mineralisation. Mineralisation is hosted by diorite to quartz monzonite stocks and dykes. The main mineral assemblage contains well developed pyrite-chalcopyrite-bornite sulphide mineral assemblages as vein and breccia infill, and disseminations. The main mineralisation event is associated with biotite and potassium feldspar-magnetite wall rock alteration. Drill hole information As provided. Data aggregation methods Significant assay intercepts are reported as (A) length-weighted averages exceeding 0.1g/t Au greater than or equal to 20m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; and (B) length-weighted averages exceeding 0.5g/t Au for greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; and (C) length-weighted averages exceeding 1g/t Au for greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; (D) length-weighted averages exceeding 5g/t Au greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution; and (E) length-weighted averages exceeding 10g/t Au for greater than or equal to 10m, with less than 10m of consecutive internal dilution. No top cuts are applied to intercept calculations. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. Insufficient geological information is available to confirm the geological model and true width of significant assay intervals. Diagrams As provided. Balanced reporting This is the twenty-first release of Exploration Results for this project made by Newcrest. Exploration results have been reported by Newcrest since January 2020.



Earlier reporting of exploration programs conducted by Newcrest and Imperial Metals Corporation have previously been reported. Exploration drilling programs are ongoing and further material results will be reported in subsequent Newcrest releases. Other substantive exploration data Nil. Further work Further drilling is planned to define the extents of the East Ridge, Main Zone and Gully Zone.

Drillhole data(1)

Red Chris Project, British Columbia, Canada

Reporting Criteria: Intercepts reported are downhole drill width (not true width) Au >0.1ppm (0.1g/t Au) and minimum 20m downhole width with maximum consecutive internal dilution of 10m. Also highlighted are high grade intervals of Au >0.5ppm (0.5g/t Au), Au >1ppm (1g/t Au), Au > 5ppm (5g/t Au), Au >10ppm (10g/t Au) and minimum 10m downhole width with maximum consecutive internal dilution of 10m. Gold and copper grades are reported to two significant figures. Samples are from core drilling which is HQ or NQ in diameter. Core is photographed and logged by the geology team before being cut. Half core HQ and NQ samples are prepared for assay and the remaining material is retained in the core farm for future reference. Each assay batch is submitted with duplicates and standards to monitor laboratory quality. Total depth (end of hole) is rounded to one decimal place for reporting purposes.

Hole ID Hole

Type Easting

(m) Northing

(m) RL

(m) Total

Depth

(m) Azimuth Dip From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Au

(ppm) Cu

(pct) Cut

off RC833 DD 451611 6396091 1529 1022.1 149 -58 206 238 32 0.11 0.03 0.1















472 492 20 0.10 0.08 0.1















524 612 88 0.26 0.25 0.1















678 904 226 0.32 0.26 0.1













incl. 834 854 20 0.73 0.60 0.5













incl. 874 890 16 0.55 0.36 0.5















916 952 36 0.11 0.08 0.1















990 1022.1 32.1 0.13 0.05 0.1 RC836 DD 453111 6396595 1442 2030.5 141 -65 680 714 34 0.16 0.01 0.1















900 930 30 0.24 0.04 0.1















1218 1260 42 0.31 0.34 0.1















1276 1410 134 0.17 0.43 0.1















1476 1538 62 0.13 0.28 0.1















1638 1702 64 0.11 0.15 0.1 RC837 DD 451474 6395925 1529 926.4 149 -60 506 538 32 0.12 0.23 0.1















552 598 46 0.20 0.25 0.1















614 852 238 0.25 0.21 0.1













incl. 786 804 18 0.58 0.34 0.5















880 902 22 0.11 0.09 0.1 RC838 DD 451473 6395924 1529 815.1 149 -50 462 618 156 0.21 0.38 0.1















638 684 46 0.28 0.29 0.1















714 766 52 0.11 0.08 0.1 RC840 DD 453667 6396944 1371 1979.2 147 -62 1308 1448 140 0.33 0.47 0.1













incl. 1414 1446 32 0.59 0.59 0.5















1490 1556 66 0.65 0.60 0.1













incl. 1498 1540 42 0.78 0.70 0.5















1600 1652 52 0.17 0.26 0.1















1684 1802 118 0.18 0.25 0.1 RC841 DD 453896 6397057 1098 1576.1 145 -48 510 536 26 0.64 0.06 0.1













incl. 520 534 14 0.99 0.07 0.5















582 640 58 0.28 0.08 0.1













incl. 590 614 24 0.51 0.13 0.5















1306 1348 42 0.10 0.19 0.1















1446 1474 28 0.15 0.23 0.1 RC842 DD 453733 6396993 1363 1754.0 148 -56 1212 1277 65 0.13 0.39 0.1















1286 1356 70 0.48 0.66 0.1













incl. 1314 1350 36 0.62 0.70 0.5















1426 1690 264 0.18 0.39 0.1 RC843 DD 453628 6396537 1403 1189.0 146 -53 14 38 24 0.13 0.01 0.1















810 1012 202 0.47 0.64 0.1













incl. 864 942 78 0.83 1.0 0.5













incl. 908 940 32 1.2 1.3 1















1064 1086 22 0.15 0.06 0.1 RC845 DD 453628 6396536 1404 1085.5 145 -47 732 936 204 0.15 0.27 0.1 RC846 DD 453831 6397026 1352 1790.3 145 -57 1314 1344 30 0.11 0.28 0.1















1594 1634 40 0.11 0.25 0.1















1648 1690 42 0.14 0.27 0.1 RC848 DD 453481 6397024 1443 2006.3 145 -57 1246 1276 30 0.11 0.28 0.1















1320 1568 248 0.33 0.46 0.1













incl. 1492 1544 52 0.84 0.82 0.5













incl. 1510 1544 34 1.0 0.86 1















1684 1900 216 0.19 0.33 0.1















1914 1934 20 0.11 0.16 0.1 RC853 DD 453109 6396596 1442 1551.2 154 -63 522 574 52 0.16 0.02 0.1















942 1402 460 0.21 0.39 0.1













incl. 1184 1194 10 0.64 0.95 0.5 RC854 DD 453896 6397057 1096 1663.5 144 -53 80 106 26 0.18 0.09 0.1















124 148 24 0.23 0.03 0.1















550 678 128 0.22 0.05 0.1















1014 1074 60 0.11 0.19 0.1















1090 1110 20 0.14 0.27 0.1















1452 1476 24 0.11 0.15 0.1 RC855 DD 454037 6397102 1122 1216.9 148 -40 No significant intercepts RC856 DD 451306 6395596 1435 957.0 147 -59 60 90 30 0.14 0.08 0.1















110 178 68 0.13 0.11 0.1















190 264 74 0.18 0.24 0.1















276 304 28 0.17 0.21 0.1















338 920 582 0.26 0.20 0.1













incl. 558 584 26 0.64 0.36 0.5













incl. 644 658 14 0.56 0.37 0.5 RC857 DD 453253 6397066 1471 2171.0 146 -57 1534 1800 266 0.43 0.57 0.1













incl. 1640 1656 16 0.62 0.69 0.5













incl. 1694 1750 56 0.83 1.2 0.5













incl. 1706 1740 34 1.1 1.6 1















1950 2124 174 0.18 0.21 0.1













incl. 2006 2018 12 0.60 0.59 0.5 RC858 DD 451297 6395477 1457 935.6 152 -59 16.16 54 37.84 0.16 0.01 0.1















82 102 20 0.19 0.02 0.1















306 472 166 0.20 0.16 0.1













incl. 406 416 10 0.51 0.32 0.5















500 776 276 0.36 0.31 0.1













incl. 700 768 68 0.65 0.70 0.5















872 935.6 63.6 0.14 0.17 0.1 RC859 DD 453158 6397048 1471 2143.7 149 -58 Assays Pending RC860 DD 454037 6397102 1122 1749.0 148 -60 Assays Pending RC861 DD 453066 6396918 1466 1946.0 144 -57 Assays Pending RC862 DD 453581 6396472 1409 938.0 149 -50 554 616 62 0.10 0.16 0.1 RC863# DD 453896 6397057 1098 1397.7 144 -61 Assays Pending RC864# DD 453404 6397179 1466 1161.4 146 -56 Assays Pending RC865# DD 453337 6397094 1467 1040.0 146 -58 Assays Pending RC866# DD 454038 6397103 1122 1095.0 148 -50 Assays Pending RC867# DD 453597 6397100 1424 740.7 148 -61 Assays Pending RC868 DD 452311 6395713 1423 146.0 320 -50 Development Hole RC869 DD 452297 6395677 1428 161.3 335 -70 Development Hole RC870 DD 452345 6395674 1425 155.0 330 -57 Development Hole RC871 DD 452385 6395672 1424 105.0 155 -75 Development Hole

# drilling in progress, **partial intercept, assays pending. ^updated intercept ^^previously reported intercept





Figure 19. Schematic plan view map of East Ridge showing drill hole locations (Newcrest & Imperial) and significant Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases). 0.3 g/t Au, 1 g/t Au, 0.3% Cu and 1% Cu shell projections generated from a LeapfrogTM model.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 19, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_021full.jpg





Figure 20. Schematic plan view map of Main Zone showing drill hole locations (Newcrest & Imperial) and significant Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases). 0.3 g/t Au, 1 g/t Au, 0.3% Cu and 1% Cu shell projections generated from a LeapfrogTM model.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 20, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_022full.jpg





Figure 21. Schematic cross section of RC858 (Section Line 11N - as shown on Figure 20) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 21, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_023full.jpg





Figure 22. Schematic cross section of RC856 (Section Line 12N - as shown on Figure 20) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 22, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_024full.jpg





Figure 23. Schematic cross section of RC837 & RC838 (Section Line 15N - as shown on Figure 20) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 23, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_025full.jpg





Figure 24. Schematic cross section of RC833 (Section Line 17N - as shown on Figure 20) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 24, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_026full.jpg





Figure 25. Schematic cross section of RC853 (Section Line 32N - as shown on Figure 19) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 25, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_027full.jpg





Figure 26. Schematic cross section of RC836 (Section Line 33N - as shown on Figure 19) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 26, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_028full.jpg





Figure 27. Schematic cross section of RC862 & RC857 (Section Line 36N - as shown on Figure 19) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 27, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_029full.jpg





Figure 28. Schematic cross section of RC843 & RC845 (Section Line 37N - as shown on Figure 19) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 28, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_030full.jpg





Figure 29. Schematic cross section of RC848 (Section Line 38N - as shown on Figure 19) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1 g/t Au, 0.5 g/t Au and 1 g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 29, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_031full.jpg





Figure 30. Schematic cross section of RC840 (Section Line 39N - as shown on Figure 19) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1g/t, 0.5g/t Au and 1g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 30, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_032full.jpg





Figure 31. Schematic cross section of RC842 (Section Line 40N - as shown on Figure 19) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1g/t, 0.5g/t Au and 1g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 31, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_033full.jpg





Figure 32. Schematic cross section of RC846 (Section Line 41N - as shown on Figure 19) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1g/t, 0.5g/t Au and 1g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 32, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_034full.jpg





Figure 33. Schematic cross section of RC841 & RC854 (Section Line 42N - as shown on Figure 19) showing Newcrest and Imperial drill holes and Newcrest intercepts (drill intercepts have been reported in Appendix 2 of this report, and in prior Newcrest exploration releases) 0.1g/t, 0.5g/t Au and 1g/t Au shell projections generated from LeapfrogTM model. Due to window size (+/- 50m) and section orientation (150) hole may appear on multiple sections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 33, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_035full.jpg

Appendix 3

Havieron Project (Greatland Gold Plc - Joint Venture Agreement): JORC Table 1

Section 1: Sampling Techniques and Data

Criteria Commentary Sampling techniques Core samples are obtained from core drilling in Proterozoic basement lithologies. PQ-HQ and NQ diameter core was drilled on a 6m run. Core was cut using an automated core-cutter and half core sampled at 1m intervals with breaks for major geological changes. Sampling intervals range from 0.2 - 2.0m. Cover sequences were not sampled. Drilling techniques Permian Paterson Formation cover sequence was drilled using mud rotary drilling. Depths of cover typically observed to approximately 420m vertically below surface. Steel casing was emplaced to secure the pre-collar.



Core drilling was advanced from the base of the cover sequence with PQ3, HQ3 and NQ2 diameter coring configuration.



Core from inclined drill holes is oriented on 3m and 6m runs using an electronic core orientation tool (Reflex ACTIII). At the end of each run, the bottom of hole position is marked by the driller, which is later transferred to the whole drill core run length with a bottom of hole reference line. Drill sample recovery Core recovery is systematically recorded from the commencement of coring to end of hole, by reconciling against driller's depth blocks in each core tray with data recorded in the database. Drillers depth blocks provided the depth, interval of core recovered, and interval of core drilled.



Core recoveries were typically 100%, with isolated zones of lower recovery.



Cover sequence drilling by the mud-rotary drilling did not yield recoverable samples. Logging Geological logging recorded qualitative descriptions of lithology, alteration, mineralisation, veining, and structure (for all core drilled - 15,352m for 22 drill holes, all intersecting mineralisation), including orientation of key geological features.



Geotechnical measurements were recorded including Rock Quality Designation (RQD) fracture frequency, solid core recovery and qualitative rock strength measurements.



Magnetic susceptibility measurements were recorded every metre. The bulk density of selected drill core intervals was determined at site on whole core samples.



All geological and geotechnical logging was conducted at the Havieron site.



Digital data logging was captured on diamond drill core intervals only, and all data validated and stored in an acQuire database.



All drill cores were photographed, prior to cutting and/or sampling the core.



The logging is of sufficient quality to support Mineral Resource estimates. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation Sampling, sample preparation and quality control protocols are considered appropriate for the material being sampled.



Core was cut and sampled at the Havieron core processing facility. Half core samples of between 0.2 and 2.0 m were collected in pre-numbered calico bags and grouped in plastic bags for dispatch to the laboratory. Sample weights typically varied from 0.5 to 8kg. Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the style of mineralisation. Drill core samples were freighted by air and road to the laboratory.



Sample preparation was conducted at the independent ISO17025 accredited Intertek Laboratory, Perth (Intertek). Samples were dried at 105oC, and crushed to 95% passing 4.75mm, and the split to obtain up to 3kg sub-sample, which was pulverised (using LM5) to produce a pulped product with the minimum standard of 95% passing 106m. Routine grind size analysis is conducted.



Duplicate samples were collected from crush and pulp samples at a rate of 1:20. Duplicate results show an acceptable level of variability for the material sampled and style of mineralisation.



Periodic size checks (1:20) for crush and pulp samples and sample weights are provided by the laboratory and recorded in the acQuire database. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests Assaying of drill core samples was conducted at Intertek. All samples were assayed for 48 elements using a 4-acid digestion followed by ICP-AES/ICP-MS determination (method 4A/MS907), which is considered to provide a total assay for copper. Gold analyses were determined by 50g fire assay with AAS finish (method FA50N/AA), which is considered to provide a total assay for gold.



Sampling and assaying quality control procedures consisted of inclusion of certified reference material (CRMs), coarse residue and pulp duplicates with each batch (at least 1:20).



Assays of quality control samples were compared with reference samples in acQuire database and verified as acceptable prior to use of data from analysed batches.



Laboratory quality control data, including laboratory standards, blanks, duplicates, repeats and grind size results are captured in the acQuire database and assessed for accuracy and precision for recent data.



Extended quality control programs including pulp samples submitted to an umpire laboratory and combined with more extensive re-submission programs have been completed.



Analysis of the available quality control sample assay results indicates that an acceptable level of accuracy and precision has been achieved and the database contains no analytical data that has been numerically manipulated.



The assaying techniques and quality control protocols used are considered appropriate for the data to be used for reporting exploration drilling results. Verification of sampling and assaying Sampling intervals defined by the geologist are electronically assigned sample identification numbers prior to core cutting. Corresponding sample numbers matching pre-labelled calico bags are assigned to each interval.



All sampling and assay information were stored in a secure acQuire database with restricted access.



Electronically generated sample submission forms providing the sample identification number accompany each submission to the laboratory. Assay results from the laboratory with corresponding sample identification are loaded directly into the acQuire database.



Assessment of reported significant assay intervals was verified by re-logging of diamond drill core intervals and assessment of high resolution core photography. The verification of significant intersections has been completed by company personnel and the Competent Person/Qualified Person.



No adjustments are made to assay data, and no twinned holes have been completed.



There are no currently known drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data. Location of data points Drill collar locations were surveyed using a differential GPS with GNSS with a stated accuracy of +/- 0.5m for all drill holes reported.



Drill rig alignment was attained using an electronic azimuth aligner. Downhole survey was collected at 6-12m intervals in the cover sequence, and every 6 to 30m in diamond drill core segments of the drill hole using single shot (Axis Mining Champ Gyro). The single shot surveys have been validated using continuous survey to surface (Axis Mining Champ) along with a selection of drill holes re-surveyed by an external survey contactor using a DeviGyro tool - confirming sufficient accuracy for downhole spatial recording.



A LIDAR survey was completed over the project area in Nov 2019 which was used to prepare a DEM / topographic model for the project with a spatial accuracy of +/- 0.1m vertical and +/- 0.3m horizontal. The topography is generally low relief to flat, elevation within the dune corridors in ranges between 250-265m Australian Height Datum (AHD) steepening to the southeast. All collar coordinates are provided in the Geocentric Datum of Australian (GDA20 Zone 51). All relative depth information is reported in AHD +5000m. Data spacing and distribution Within the South-East Crescent and Breccia zone drill hole spacing ranges from 50 to 100m, to 50 by 50m within the resource extents. Outside the initial resource boundary drill hole spacing ranges from 50 to 200m in lateral extent within the breccia zone over an area of ~2km2. The data spacing is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity.



Significant assay intercepts remain open. Further drilling is required to determine the extent of currently defined mineralisation. No sample compositing is applied to samples.



Drilling intersects mineralisation at various angles. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Drill holes exploring the extents of the Havieron mineral system intersect moderately dipping carbonate and siliclastic sedimentary facies, mineralised breccia and sub-vertical intrusive lithologies. Geological modelling has been interpreted from historic and Newcrest drill holes.



Variable brecciation, alteration and sulphide mineralisation is observed with a footprint with dimensions of 650m x 350m trending in a north west orientation and over 1000m in vertical extent below cover.



The subvertical southeast high grade arcuate crescent sulphide zone has an average thickness of 20m and has been defined over a strike length of up to 550m, and extended to over 700m in vertical extent below cover.



Drilling direction is oriented to intersect the steeply dipping high-grade sulphide mineralisation zones at an intersection angle of greater than 40 degrees. The drilled length of reported intersections is typically greater than true width of mineralisation. Sample security The security of samples is controlled by tracking samples from drill rig to database.



Drill core was delivered from the drill rig to the Havieron core yard every shift. On completion of geological and geotechnical logging, core processing was completed by Newcrest personnel at the Havieron facility.



High resolution core photography and cutting of drill core was undertaken at the Havieron core processing facilities.



Samples were freighted in sealed bags by air and road to the Laboratory, and in the custody of Newcrest representatives. Sample numbers are generated directly from the database. All samples are collected in pre-numbered calico bags.



Verification of sample numbers and identification is conducted by the laboratory on receipt of samples, and sample receipt advise issued to Newcrest.



Details of all sample movement are recorded in a database table. Dates, Hole ID sample ranges, and the analytical suite requested are recorded with the dispatch of samples to analytical services. Any discrepancies logged at the receipt of samples into the analytical services are validated. Audits or reviews Internal reviews of core handling, sample preparation and assays laboratories were conducted on a regular basis by both project personnel and owner representatives.



In the Competent Person's opinion, the sample preparation, security and analytical procedures are consistent with current industry standards and are entirely appropriate and acceptable for the styles of mineralisation identified and will be appropriate for use in the reporting of exploration results and Mineral Resource estimates. There are no identified drilling, sampling or recovery factors that materially impact the adequacy and reliability of the results of the drilling programme in place at the Havieron Project.

Section 2: Reporting of Exploration Results

Criteria Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status The Havieron Project is entirely contained within mining tenement M45/1287, which is jointly owned by Greatland Pty Ltd and Newcrest Operations Limited. Newcrest has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement (effective 30 November 2020) and Farm-In Agreement (effective 12 March 2019) with Greatland Pty Ltd and Greatland Gold plc. Newcrest is the manager of the Havieron Project and holds a 70% interest (Greatland Gold holds a 30% interest).



Newcrest and Jamukurnu-Yapalikurnu Aboriginal Corporation (formerly WDLAC) are parties to an ILUA which relates to the use of native title land for Newcrest's current operations at Telfer and its activities within a 60km radius around Telfer and includes its exploration activities at Havieron. The parties have agreed that the ILUA will apply to any future development activities by the Joint Venture Participants (Newcrest and Greatland Gold) at Havieron.



The mining tenement M45/1287 wholly replaces the 12 sub-blocks of exploration tenement E45/4701 (former part of the exploration tenement on which the Havieron Project is based) and was granted on 10 September 2020. Exploration done by other parties Newcrest completed six core holes in the vicinity of the Havieron Project from 1991 to 2003. Greatland Gold completed drill targeting and drilling of nine Reverse Circulation (RC) drill holes with core tails for a total of approximately 6,800m in 2018. Results of drilling programs conducted by Greatland Gold have previously been reported on the Greatland Gold website.



Drilling has defined an intrusion-related mineral system with evidence of breccia and massive sulphide-hosted higher-grade gold-copper mineralisation. Geology The Havieron Project is located within the north-western exposure of the Palaeo-Proterozoic to Neoproterozoic Paterson Orogen (formerly Paterson Province), 45 km east of Telfer. The Yeneena Supergroup hosts the Havieron prospect and consists of a 9km thick sequence of marine sedimentary rocks and is entirely overlain by approximately 420m of Phanerozoic sediments of the Paterson Formation and Quaternary aeolian sediments.



Gold and copper mineralisation at Havieron consist of breccia, vein and massive sulphide replacement gold and copper mineralisation typical of intrusion-related and skarn styles of mineralisation. Mineralisation is hosted by metasedimentary rocks (meta-sandstones, meta-siltstones and meta-carbonate) and intrusive rocks of an undetermined age. The main mineral assemblage contains well developed pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite and pyrite sulphide mineral assemblages as breccia and vein infill, and massive sulphide lenses. The main mineralisation event is associated with amphibole-carbonate-biotite-sericite-chlorite wall rock alteration. Drilling has partially defined the extents of mineralisation which are observed over 650m by 350m within an arcuate shaped mineralised zone, and to depths of up to 1400m below surface. Drill hole Information As provided. Data aggregation methods Significant assay intercepts are reported as (A) length-weighted averages exceeding 1.0g/t Au greater than or equal to 10m, with a maximum of 5m consecutive internal dilution; and (B) length-weighted averages exceeding 0.2g/t Au for greater than or equal to 20m, with a maximum of 10m consecutive internal dilution, and (C) intervals of >30g/t which are greater or equal to 30 gram metres (Au_ppm x length). No top cuts are applied to intercept calculations. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. Drilling is not always perpendicular to the dip of mineralisation and true widths are less than downhole widths. Estimates of true widths will only be possible when all results are received, and final geological interpretations have been completed. Diagrams As provided. Balanced reporting This is the twenty- fifth release of Exploration Results for this project made by Newcrest.. Exploration results have been reported by Newcrest since July 2019.



Earlier reporting of exploration programs conducted by Newcrest and Greatland Gold have previously been reported. Exploration drilling programs are ongoing and further material results will be reported in subsequent Newcrest releases. Other substantive exploration data Nil Further work Growth drilling is targeting the extensions of the 30 June 2022 Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource estimate and to define the limits of the Havieron mineralised system.

Drillhole data(1)

Havieron Project, Paterson Province, Western Australia

Reporting Criteria: Intercepts reported are downhole drill width (not true width) Au >0.20ppm (0.2g/t Au) and minimum 20m downhole width with maximum consecutive internal dilution of 10m. Average grades are based on length-weighting of samples grades. Also highlighted are high grade intervals of Au >1.0ppm (1g/t Au) and minimum 10m downhole width with maximum consecutive internal dilution of 5m, and intervals of >30g/t which are greater or equal to 30 gram metres (Au_ppm x length) are tabled. Gold and copper grades are reported to two significant figures, the downhole lengths are rounded to 0.1m which may cause some apparent discrepancies in interval widths. Samples are from core drilling which is PQ, HQ or NQ in diameter. Core is photographed and logged by the geology team before being cut. Half core PQ, HQ and NQ samples are prepared for assay and the remaining material is retained in the core farm for future reference. Each assay batch is submitted with duplicates and standards to monitor laboratory quality. Total depth (end of hole) is rounded to one decimal place for reporting purposes. Collars denoted with a * show partial results, with further significant assays to be reported in subsequent exploration updates.

Hole ID Hole

Type Easting

(m) Northing

(m) RL

(m) Total

Depth

(m) Azimuth Dip From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Au

(ppm) Cu

(pct) Cut

off HAD087W1 MR-DD 464338 7598259 258 1603.1 222 -70 Assays Pending HAD098W6 MR-DD 463591 7597381 264 1203 38 -61 906 956 50 0.25 0.14 0.2 g/t Au















1013 1051 38 0.43 0.1 0.2 g/t Au















1065 1094 29 0.48 0.06 0.2 g/t Au















1140 1196 56 0.55 0.12 0.2 g/t Au HAD098W7 MR-DD 463591 7597381 264 1836.8 38 -61 896 928 32 0.56 0.11 0.2 g/t Au















1008 1092 84 3.2 0.14 0.2 g/t Au













incl. 1074 1076 2 56 0.35 30 g.m. Au













incl. 1080 1082 2 65 1.1 30 g.m. Au















1128 1210 82 0.7 0.09 0.2 g/t Au















1242 1320 78 1.2 0.28 0.2 g/t Au













incl. 1260 1292 32 2.4 0.4 1.0 g/t Au















1334 1358 24 0.78 0.17 0.2 g/t Au















1408 1434 26 0.21 0.11 0.2 g/t Au















1496 1566 70 0.61 0.04 0.2 g/t Au















1584 1610 26 2.2 0.17 0.2 g/t Au















1678 1716 38 0.77 0.17 0.2 g/t Au













incl. 1678 1688 10 1.1 0.26 1.0 g/t Au HAD098W8 MR-DD 463591 7597381 264 1540.1 38 -61 Assays Pending HAD098W9 MR-DD 463591 7597381 264 1666.1 38 -61 Assays Pending HAD134 MR-DD 464778 7598425 258 1846.4 225 -66 1508 1590 82 2.1 0.25 0.2 g/t Au













incl. 1540 1570 30 2.4 0.19 1.0 g/t Au













incl. 1576 1588 12 3 0.28 1.0 g/t Au















1620 1690 70 0.34 0.05 0.2 g/t Au















1742 1768 26 0.44 0 0.2 g/t Au















1780 1841 61 0.31 0.09 0.2 g/t Au HAD134W1 MR-DD 464778 7598425 258 1795.1 225 -66 Resource Infill Hole HAD134W2 MR-DD 464778 7598425 258 1774.1 225 -66 Resource Infill Hole HAD152W4 MR-DD 463401 7597059 254 2169.5 33 -64 1447 1495 48 0.95 0.09 0.2 g/t Au













incl. 1483 1493 10 1.9 0.19 1.0 g/t Au















1683 1710 27 0.53 0.13 0.2 g/t Au















1994 2022 28 0.34 0.01 0.2 g/t Au















2056 2142 86 0.88 0.05 0.2 g/t Au













incl. 2120 2130 10 4.0 0.04 1.0 g/t Au HAD152W5 MR-DD 463401 7597059 254 2172.2 33 -64 1494 1530 36 0.29 0.07 0.2 g/t Au















1607 1669 62 0.92 0.4 0.2 g/t Au















1994 2022 28 0.52 0.07 0.2 g/t Au















2042 2069 27 1.4 0.06 0.2 g/t Au















2109 2141 32 0.47 0.03 0.2 g/t Au HAD161 MR-DD 463407 7597519 263 1518.5 38 -61 Assays Pending HAD161W1 MR-DD 463407 7597519 263 1618 38 -61 Assays Pending HAD163 MR-DD 464490 7598141 258 1725 198 -80 1415 1501 86 1.2 0.04 0.2 g/t Au













incl. 1452 1478 26 1.9 0.09 1.0 g/t Au















1582 1604 22 0.66 0.05 0.2 g/t Au HAD163W1 MR-DD 464490 7598141 258 1718.9 198 -80 1458 1629.1 171.1 0.68 0.04 0.2 g/t Au













incl. 1492 1524 32 1.5 0.09 1.0 g/t Au HAD164 MR-DD 464444 7598227 258 1089.6 220 -79 Abandoned Hole HAD164W1 MR-DD 464444 7598227 258 817.5 220 -79 Abandoned Hole HAD164W2 MR-DD 464444 7598227 258 1681.2 220 -79 Resource Infill Hole HAD164W3 MR-DD 464444 7598227 258 1738.3 220 -79 Assays Pending HAD165 MR-DD 464067 7599163 257 996.7 85 -65 No Significant Results HAD166 MR-DD 464338 7598259 258 770.5 218 -81 Abandoned Hole HAD166W1 MR-DD 464338 7598259 258 886.2 218 -81 Abandoned Hole HAD166W2 MR-DD 464338 7598259 258 1772.8 218 -81 Resource Infill Hole HAD167 MR-DD 464625 7598151 258 1888.5 199 -77 1516 1594 78 1.9 0.19 0.2 g/t Au HAD168 MR-DD 464463 7598018 257 1040.3 210 -80 Abandoned Hole HAD168W1 MR-DD 464463 7598018 257 1045.6 211 -80 Abandoned Hole HAD168W2 MR-DD 464463 7598018 257 1634.5 211 -80 1487 1523 36 0.89 0.02 0.2 g/t Au HAD169 MR-DD 464308 7597211 260 865 76 -56 Assays Pending HAD170 MR-DD 463275 7598285 254 780.7 68 -60 Assays Pending MEC001 MR-DD 463151 7595778 253 497.9 45 -73 Abandoned Hole MEC001W1 MR-DD 463151 7595778 253 1143.2 45 -73 No Significant Results NOR002 MR-DD 464229 7600143 258 1177.5 85 -75 No Significant Results

# drilling in progress, **partial intercept, assays pending. ^updated intercept ^^previously reported intercept, +intercept within published resource





Figure 34. Schematic plan view map showing drill hole locations and significant intercepts reported in this release superimposed on the interpreted geology. Previously reported holes are not shown for the sake of clarity. Note some holes and results appear on multiple sections due to the sections orientation and sections overlap.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 34, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_036full.jpg





Figure 35. Schematic cross section of geology and significant new drillhole intercepts (looking northwest, Section Line S1, +/-100m section width, as shown in Figure 34). Due to section window size and orientation holes may appear on multiple sections. This diagram highlights >50gram metres intersections drilled during the period. Reported drill holes are outside of the existing resource.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 35, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_037full.jpg





Figure 36. Schematic cross section of geology and significant new drillhole intercepts (looking northwest, Section Line S2, +/-50m section width, as shown in Figure 34). Due to section window size and orientation holes may appear on multiple sections. This diagram highlights >50gram metres intersections drilled during the period. Reported drill holes are outside of the existing resource.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 36, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7614/152402_b06dce7ac4bcaa13_038full.jpg





Figure 37. Schematic cross section of geology and significant new drillhole intercepts (looking northwest, Section Line S3, +/-50m section width, as shown in Figure 34). The blue intercepts represent results wholly or partially within the Mineral Resource. Due to section window size and orientation holes may appear on multiple sections. This diagram highlights >50gram metres intersections drilled during the period which. Reported drill holes are outside of the ex
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 24, 2023) - Whitehorse Gold Corp. (TSXV: WHG) (OTCQX: WHGDF) ("Whitehorse Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to report the closing of its previously announced non-brokered private placement, whereby the Company issued a total of 12,807,500 Units at a price of $0.40 for gross proceeds of $5,123,000 for the entire private placement that was announced on November 4, 2022.

Whitehorse Gold intends to use the net proceeds of the private placement for working capital requirements and other general corporate purposes.

All securities issued in connection with the private placement are subject to a statutory hold period of four-months and one day. The Company paid a finder's fee in respect of those purchasers introduced to the Company by certain eligible persons (each a "Finder"). Each Finder received a cash payment of up to 6% of the gross proceeds received by the Company from purchasers introduced to the Company by the Finder. An aggregate finder's fee of $108,720 was paid to the three Finders, Leede Jones Gable Inc., Haywood Securities Inc. and Zhu Xiao Wen. The private placement remains subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

As insiders of the Company (including Silvercorp) participated in the private placement, any such subscriptions are considered to be related party transactions within the meaning of TSXV Policy 5.9 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions, which incorporates Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company intends to rely on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of such insider participation.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any United States state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States, nor will there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Whitehorse Gold

Whitehorse Gold is a mineral exploration and development company focusing on tin projects in Bolivia and a gold project near Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. The Company has recently signed agreements to acquire up to a 100% interest in the Porvenir Project and SF Tin Project, which are 70 km southeast of Oruro, Bolivia. The Company's 100% owned Skukum Gold Project is approximately 84 km south of Whitehorse by road. An independent Mineral Resource Estimate update was completed in October 2022. Skukum hosts 418,000 oz AuEq Indicated Mineral Resource and 517,000 oz AuEq Inferred Mineral Resource at respective average grades of 8.2 and 5.3 g/t AuEq. From 1986 to 1988, the project produced approximately 80,000 ounces of gold.

On Behalf of Whitehorse Gold Corp.

signed "Gordon Neal"

Gordon Neal, CEO & Director

For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations, Whitehorse Gold Corp.,

Phone: +1 (604)-336-5919

Email: info@whitehorsegold.ca

www.whitehorsegold.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collective, "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding future plans with respect to the Offering and other future plans of Company, and objectives or expectations of the Company are forward-looking statements. Estimates of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources are also forward-looking information because they incorporate estimates of future developments including future mineral prices, costs and expenses and the amount of minerals that will be encountered if a property is developed. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions, factors and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. The opinions, assumptions, factors and estimates which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to: that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices; that there are no significant disruptions affecting operations, including labour disruptions, supply disruptions, power disruptions, security disruptions, damage to or loss of equipment, whether due to flooding, political changes, title issues, intervention by local landowners, environmental concerns, pandemics (including COVID-19) or otherwise; that the Company will be able to obtain and maintain governmental approvals, permits and licenses in connection with its current and planned operations, development and exploration activities, including at the Skukum Gold Project; that the Company will be able to meet its current and future obligations; that the Company will be able to comply with environmental, health and safety laws; and the assumptions underlying Mineral Resource estimates and the realization of such estimates.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others: social and economic impacts of COVID-19; actual exploration results; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; results of future Mineral Resource estimates; future metal prices; availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms; general economic, market or business conditions; uninsured risks; regulatory changes; defects in title; availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis; accidents or equipment breakdowns; delays in receiving government approvals; unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same; and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

Additional information in relation to the Company, including the Company's Annual Information Form, can be obtained under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.whitehorsegold.ca.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152419
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 24, 2023) - Fission 3.0 Corp (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FISOF)("Fission 3" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed with the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") a notice of name change to "F3 Uranium Corp." The Company does not intend to change its trading symbol. The Name Change is subject to TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") approval and the Company will provide further updates regarding the Name Change, including the effective date which will be on or about January 30, 2023.

No further action is required by existing shareholders with respect to the name change. There is no change in the share capital of the Company and the Corporate Symbol share remain the same. The Company's new CUSIP number is 30330R108 and its new ISIN number is CA30330R1082. Certificates representing common shares of the Company will not be affected by the name and symbol change and will not need to be exchanged.

The new CUSIP and ISIN Numbers for the Warrants issued in September 2021 are 30330R116 and CA30330R1165 respectively and the CUSIP and ISIN Numbers for the Warrants issued in December 2021 are 30330R124 and CA30330R1249 respectively. No action is required by existing security holders of the Company with respect to the name change. Outstanding Common Shares, or Warrants certificates are not affected by the name change and do not need to be exchanged.

About Fission 3.0 Corp.:

Fission 3.0 is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of the world's largest high grade uranium discovery. Fission currently has 16 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of Fission 3's projects are near large uranium discoveries, including Triple R, Arrow and Hurricane.

Fission 3.0 Corp. Contact Information

Investor Relations

Telephone: 778 484 8030

Email: ir@fission3corp.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dev Randhawa"

Dev Randhawa, CEO

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the suitability of the Properties for mining exploration, future payments, issuance of shares and work commitment funds, entry into of a definitive option agreement respecting the Properties, are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

The TSX Venture Exchange and the Canadian Securities Exchange have not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152421
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Rupert Murdoch, who controls both News Corp. (NWS, NWSA) and Fox Corp. (FOXA, FOX), has withdrawn a proposal to explore a possible merger of the media companies. In a letter to the companies, Murdoch said he and Lachlan Murdoch determined that a combination is not optimal for shareholders of News Corp and FOX at this time. Multiple shareholders in the companies had reportedly expressed their opposition to the merger in recent months. As a result of the action, News Corp. and Fox Corp said they dissolved their Special Committee of the Board of Directors. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
A new report on effective Amazon ads practices in 2023 has been released by ScottHall.co

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - ScottHall.co, a leading digital marketing agency and information provider, announced the release of a comprehensive report on "Implementing Amazon Ads Best Practices."

The full report can be found at https://scotthall.co/implementing-amazon-ads-best-practices





ScottHall.co Releases Report On 2023 Amazon Ads Implementation Best Practices

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/152439_e83c3eb0640149d0_001full.jpg

Compiled by the website's team of experts, the new resource provides an in-depth look at how to effectively use Amazon Advertising to drive sales and increase brand visibility on the platform.

According to the report, Amazon Advertising is a powerful tool for reaching a large and engaged audience, but it can also be challenging to navigate. The report provides guidance on how to create and optimize Amazon Advertising campaigns, including how to select the right keywords, set budgets, and target the right audience. Readers will also find tips on how to measure the performance of campaigns and make data-driven decisions to improve results.

The report also covers the various types of Amazon Advertising campaigns available, including Sponsored Product and Sponsored Brands. It explains the pros and cons of each campaign type, as well as the best practices for creating and managing them.

To help advertisers make the most of their strategies, the report emphasizes the importance of data analysis-based ad performance reviewing. ScottHall.co recommends that advertisers look into essential metrics such as ad spend, Advertising Cost of Sale (AcoS) and impressions to gauge the success of their campaigns and optimize future ones accordingly.

The report highlights the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to Amazon Advertising, and that businesses should test different strategies to see what works best for their products and target audience.

"Our goal with this report is to provide businesses with the knowledge and tools they need to effectively navigate the Amazon Advertising landscape," said Scott Hall, experienced digital marketing specialist and the founder of ScottHall.co. "The report is designed to be a valuable resource for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises, that want to take their Amazon Advertising efforts to the next level."

The report is available for download at https://scotthall.co/implementing-amazon-ads-best-practices The website also offers a range of other digital marketing resources, with the agency also providing complete digital marketing solutions for businesses across sectors.

Contact Info:

Name: Scott Hall

Email: scott@scotthall.co

Organization: ScottHall.co

Address: 60 West 23rd St. Suite 638, New York, NY 10010, United States

Website: https://scotthall.co

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152439
Hacking School Discipline, published by Times 10 Publications, is geared toward educators who wish to cultivate good behavior in their classrooms and do away with conventional punishments.

Highland Heights, Ohio--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Written by veteran educators and school leaders Nathan Maynard and Brad Weinstein, Times 10 Publications' Hacking School Discipline introduces novel strategies and approaches to school discipline. The authors leverage their real-world experience to provide readers with practical solutions for classroom management problems.

For more information, please visit https://www.10publications.com/hacking-school-discipline.

School Discipline & Classroom Management Book Announced By Times 10 Publications

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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The book highlights recent research about the lack of effectiveness of conventional school disciplinary practices. Studies have shown that commonly used punishments, such as detentions, do little to change bad behavior and can strain the relationship between a student and teacher over time.

Available as an eBook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook, Hacking School Discipline provides readers with alternatives to detentions and suspensions. Based on their own experiences in the classroom, the authors offer step-by-step strategies with real-world anecdotes to promote a culture of understanding between teachers and their students.

Rather than disciplining a misbehaving student, the authors suggest enhancing communication and identifying the root of the problem, through precise questioning and mediation techniques. They note that restorative practices are particularly effective in correcting disruptive or negative behavior, as restorative circles facilitate discussion and reflection.

The book also contains concrete applications of strategies to reduce repeated bad behavior. The authors include ways to create a collaborative environment within the classroom, where teachers can encourage students to cultivate empathy, mindfulness, and self-regulation. By helping students become productive, independent, and responsible learners, teachers can eliminate the need for punishment altogether.

Hacking School Discipline is part of a series of books intended to help educators and school leaders rethink the culture behind disciplinary action and classroom management in schools. The release of this book goes in line with Times 10 Publications' mission to provide school staff with resources that have practical applications in the classroom.

For other books in the series about restorative justice, anxiety, and equity, please visit https://www.10publications.com/school-discipline-restorative-practice-books.

"I taught for over 20 years and realized that educators are so busy helping kids that they rarely have the time or energy to hone their own craft," says Mark Barnes, founder and president of Times 10 Publications. "I started Times 10 with a single mission in mind: to help educators solve problems. Times 10 books provide practical solutions that busy educators can read today and use tomorrow."

Interested parties learn more by visiting the websites mentioned above or https://www.10publications.com.

Contact Info:

Name: Mark Barnes

Email: mark@10publications.com

Organization: Times 10 Publications

Address: 322 West Legend Court Unit B, Highland Heights, OH 44143, United States

Website: https://www.10publications.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152279
Partners Group / Key word(s): Private Equity

Partners Group continues to strengthen its presence in Japan with the appointment of Teppei Kawai as Country Head



25.01.2023 / 07:00 CET/CEST





Toyko, Japan; 25 January 2023

Mr. Kawai has over 15 years of private markets experience across asset classes

He will head the Tokyo office and oversee the firm's Japanese client relationships

His appointment follows the recent hire of Tatsuya Ochi to lead the firm's direct private equity investment business in Japan

Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, today announces the appointment of Teppei Kawai as Managing Director, Head of Client Solutions Japan, and Head of the Tokyo office starting 1 April 2023. In this capacity, Mr. Kawai will work closely with the existing Tokyo-based team to grow Partners Group's presence in Japan, a key growth market for the firm.

Teppei Kawai brings over 15 years of private markets industry experience in the Japanese market, across asset classes. Most recently, Mr. Kawai was Head of Client & Product Solutions, Japan, at Apollo Global Management for over seven years, leading capital raising and client services for Japanese investors.

Teppei Kawai comments: "I am very excited to take on this new challenge, which comes at an inflection point for the Japanese market. Institutional investors in Japan are increasingly turning to private markets and Partners Group's ability to provide bespoke solutions that address their specific needs is a key differentiator in the market. I look forward to working closely with Shunsuke Tanahashi, Tatsuya Ochi and the rest of the Tokyo team as we expand the firm's business in Japan."

Kevin Lu, Partner and Chairman of Asia, Partners Group, says: "With his in-depth understanding of private markets and substantial profile in the Japanese market, we believe Teppei Kawai is ideally positioned to lead our efforts in Japan. I look forward to working together with him in the future to build out our relationships with institutional investors and distribution partners in this important market."

The appointment of Mr. Kawai is the second management hire in Japan within six months. In August, Partners Group appointed Tatsuya Ochi to lead its direct private equity investment business in Japan.

About Partners Group

Partners Group is a leading global private markets firm. Since 1996, the firm has invested over USD 195 billion in private equity, private real estate, private debt, and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally. Partners Group seeks to generate strong returns through capitalizing on thematic growth trends and transforming attractive businesses and assets into market leaders. The firm is a committed, responsible investor and aims to create sustainable returns with lasting, positive impact for all its stakeholders. With USD 135 billion in assets under management as of 31 December 2022, Partners Group provides an innovative range of bespoke client solutions to institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and private individuals globally. The firm employs more than 1,800 diverse professionals across 20 offices worldwide and has regional headquarters in Baar-Zug, Switzerland; Denver, USA; and Singapore. It has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2006 (symbol: PGHN). For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Shareholder relations contact

Philip Sauer

Phone: +41 41 784 66 60

Email: philip.sauer@partnersgroup.com

Media relations contact

Alec Zimmermann

Phone: +41 41 784 69 68

Email: alec.zimmermann@partnersgroup.com

End of Media Release


MANILA, Philippines, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Provincial Government of Bataan (PGB) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with global blockchain leader NChain with the objective of laying down the framework for the establishment of a digital platform for the province in order to streamline current systems and procedures of government services.

Signed by Bataan Governor Joet Garcia and NChain AG Chairman Stefan Matthews, the MOU is pursuant to Republic Act No. 11032 also known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. This partnership aims to digitalize the operations of the PGB.

NChain's Stefan Matthews said, "NChain is committed to partnering with governments around the world to digitally transform their economies. Through this memorandum of understanding with Bataan, we are thrilled to propel the state forward by providing expert advice and blockchain-based solutions for the digitization of the state services, products, and processes using our robust intellectual property rights portfolio. With BSV blockchain powered by NChain, Bataan can look forward to an efficient, secure, and transparent system in digitalizing various branches and agencies of the state, providing better services and products for its people."

For his part, Governor Garcia lauded the partnership that will utilize NChain's "cutting-edge blockchain technology and improve the efficiency and transparency of our government operations, as well as provide innovative, secure and accessible online services to our citizens."

He added, "We are excited to be at the forefront of the implementation of blockchain technology in government services. This partnership with NChain will greatly benefit our citizens by providing them with fast and secure access to government services, while also ensuring the integrity of these services.

More than that, the Governor emphasized that "the technology will improve the transparency and accountability of government operations, as it provides tamper-proof record of all transactions."

He also disclosed that the roll-out of this technology will happen in the coming months "as the Provincial Government of Bataan and NChain work hard to achieve our common goal of fully enabling blockchain technology in government services."

He added, "We are confident that this strategic alliance will result in improved efficiency within the state's operations and bring many innovative possibilities for the future."

Founded in 2015 and with offices in London, United Kingdom; Zug, Switzerland; Ljubljana and Maribor, Slovenia; Stockholm, Sweden; and Manila, NChain unleashes the potential of blockchain technology through ongoing research and development of inventions, including the maintenance of a robust patent portfolio, and by offering software, IP licensing, and consulting services across several industries, including iGaming, supply chain, and finance.

NChain also offers solutions in the digital payment space, along with professional services that assist enterprises of all types to benefit from blockchain technology. NChain currently has almost 2,800 registered patent applications of which approximately 500 have been granted and is the developer behind the Bitcoin SV Node software, Teranode, LiteClient, Kensei and more.

About nChain:

Founded in 2015 and with offices in London (United Kingdom), Zug (Switzerland), Ljubljana and Maribor (Slovenia), Stockholm (Sweden), and Manila (Philippines), we are the DNA of Blockchain.

nChain unleashes the potential of blockchain technology through ongoing research and development of inventions, including the maintenance of a robust patent portfolio, and by offering software, IP licensing, and consulting services across several industries, including iGaming, supply chain, and finance. nChain also offers solutions in the digital payment space, along with professional services that assist enterprises of all types to benefit from blockchain technology. nChain currently has almost 2,800 registered patent applications of which approximately 500 have been granted and is the developer behind the Bitcoin SV Node software, Teranode, LiteClient, Kensei and more.

Lightning Sharks on behalf of nChain

Key contact: Haris Khan

Email: h.khan@lightningsharks.co.uk

Mobile: +44 (0) 7503 581 563

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/pgb-signs-mou-with-global-blockchain-leader-nchain-301730074.html
LEVALLOIS-PERRET (dpa-AFX) - Alstom SA (AOMFF.PK, ALS.L), a French rolling stock maker, reported that its sales for the third quarter 2022/23 rose to 4.22 billion euros from 3.92 billion euros in third quarter 2021/22. It booked 5.2 billion euros of orders in the latest-quarter. The company confirmed full year outlook and mid-term 2024/25 objectives. Looking ahead for the fiscal year 2022/23, Alstom still expects its adjusted EBIT margin to be in the range of 5.1 percent to 5.3 percent. The company said it expects adjusted EBIT margin will reach between 8% and 10% from 2024/25 onwards. Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, Alstom aims at sales compound annual growth rate over 5% supported by strong market momentum and unparalleled 84.6 billion euros backlog as of 31 December 2022, securing sales of about 36 billion euros to 38 billion euros over the next three years. For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Pharnext supports and participates in the 21st King's College Symposium on Neuromuscular Disease s in London

PARIS, France, January 25th, 2023, 08:30 am CET - Pharnext SA (FR001400BV89 - ALPHA) (the "Company"), an advanced late-clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases with high unmet medical need, today announces its support for the organization of and participation in the 21st King's College Symposium on Neuromuscular Diseases in London, on Friday January 27, 2023.

This medical educational meeting is aimed at clinicians who treat patients with diseases of the peripheral nervous system and muscles, including Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) in which Pharnext's most advanced drug candidate, PXT3003, is in pivotal Phase III of development. This event aims to provide practical general clinical updates as well as an introduction to the last scientific progresses in neuromuscular diseases.

In order to strengthen its ties with the medical community involved in the treatment of neuromuscular diseases such as CMT1A in the UK, Pharnext has decided to support and participate in the 21st Neuromuscular Disease Symposium at King's College in London on Friday, January 27, 2023. Our representative in the UK, Roger Rolph, will be hosting a Pharnext booth throughout the symposium.

This event will be held from 9am to 4pm GMT at the Fetal Medicine Research Institute in London. More information on this medical education event is available here.

About Pharnext

Pharnext is an advanced clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases that currently lack curative and/or disease-modifying treatments. Pharnext has two lead products in clinical development. PXT3003 completed an international Phase III trial with positive topline results for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A ('CMT1A') and benefits from orphan drug status in Europe and the United States. An international pivotal Phase III study of PXT3003 in CMT1A, the PREMIER trial, is currently ongoing. PXT864 has generated encouraging Phase II results in Alzheimer's disease and will be advanced through partnerships. Both of Pharnext's lead assets originated from the Pleotherapy R&D approach. Pharnext draws the attention of investors to the financial and other risk factors detailed in its financial reports. More information can be found at www.pharnext.com.

Pharnext is listed on the Euronext Growth Stock Exchange in Paris (ISIN code: FR001400BV89).

Contacts

Press Relations (International)

Consilium Strategic Communications

Mary-Jane Elliott

Sukaina Virji

Alexandra Harrison

pharnext@consilium-comms.com Financial Press Relations

ACTUS finance & communication

Deborah Schwarz

dschwartz@actus.fr

+33 (0)1 53 67 36 35 Investor Relations

ACTUS finance & communication

Jerome Fabreguettes Leib

pharnext@actus.fr

+33 (0)1 53 67 36 78

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Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Strathmore Plus Uranium Corporation (TSXV: SUU) (OTC Pink: SUUFF) ("Strathmore" or "the Company") is pleased to announce we have teamed with the University of Wyoming's Near-Surface Geophysical Center (UWNSG) to complete research at the Company's Agate and Night Owl projects in the Shirley Basin uranium district of Wyoming. On Monday, January 23rd, the University's School of Energy Resources announced they selected three proposed research projects to receive funding for nuclear-related research at UW, including for research at the Shirley Basin properties.

Dr. Bradley Carr (Director of the UWNSG, Associate Research Scientist in the UW Dept. Geology and Geophysics) applied for the Wyoming Nuclear Capacity Grant after discussions with Strathmore and our voiced interest in participating in the geophysical study by contributing our Agate and Night Owl projects for research. The research study is titled "Pilot Study of Integrated Geophysical Method Characterization of Deposition/Roll Front Uranium Deposits in the Shirley Basin, Wyoming" will introduce, develop, and evaluate geophysical characterization and monitoring strategies for use in Wyoming uranium development projects with private industry partners. The two project sites are ideal for this type of study because of their near-surface uranium occurrences, available historical drilling results and recently obtained geophysical survey data, and their uniquely different geologic settings that provide locations for future exploration by Strathmore accompanied by geophysical research provided by the UWNSG staff and university graduate and undergraduate students.

The research will integrate modern geophysical methodologies and analyses (2D and 3D imaging) and apply them to the differing depositional settings, roll-fronts vs unconformity related, at the Agate and Night Owl projects, respectively. The grant will provide funding (US$199,787) for one year for one Ph.D. graduate research student, one Master's graduate research student, and 4-6 graduate/undergraduate students and UWNSG staff for summer research field assistance. Additional funding is slated for rental of geophysical equipment, travel, per diem, and expenses for conferences and meetings to present the research findings by the graduate candidates.

Dr. Brad Carr, Director of UWNSG said, "I'm very excited to be partnering with Strathmore Plus Uranium on this effort to apply recent geophysical method improvements and developments to uranium exploration and delineation at the Agate and Night Owl properties in Shirley Basin over the next couple of years. Geophysical delineation of these deposits is rarely studied outside of the Athabasca Basin in Canada, but we now have the opportunity to investigate both uranium specific geophysical characterization and address basic geoscience questions of these Shirley Basin deposits that will benefit the State and the Wyoming uranium industry directly within our borders."

Mr. John DeJoia, PG, Strathmore's Technical Advisor said, "This is amazing news. The University of Wyoming has a highly respected Geology and Geophysics school with a long and storied history and world class instructors. I look forward to the expertise and intellectual abilities they bring to our projects. This team should make the school and the State of Wyoming proud with their efforts."

The grant was funded by the Wyoming legislature with support of the governor's office as an initiative to grow nuclear research capacity among the University's community. Strathmore looks forward to working with the University and expanding our knowledge of the projects and their occurrences of uranium mineralization. We anticipate working with additional University personnel, such as archaeologists, biologists, and engineers, on other research opportunities at the project sites as we move them forward through the many permitting steps toward receipt of Permits to Mine from the State of Wyoming.

About Strathmore Plus Uranium Corp.

Strathmore has 3 uranium projects in Wyoming, including Beaver Rim, Agate, and Night Owl. The Night Owl property is a former producing mine that was in production in the early 1960s. The Agate and Beaver Rim properties contain uranium in Wyoming-type roll front deposits based on historical drilling data. Strathmore received an exploration permit for the Beaver Rim project in October and is now applying for both exploration and drilling permits for Night Owl and Agate.

Cautionary Statement: Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of Strathmore Plus Uranium Corp. which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and Strathmore Plus Uranium Corp. disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed on behalf of the company by Terrence Osier, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Strathmore Plus Uranium Corp., a Qualified Person.

Strathmore Plus Uranium Corp.

Contact Information:

Investor Relations

Telephone: 1 888 882 8177

Email: info@strathmoreplus.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dev Randhawa"

Dev Randhawa, CEO

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152329
Highlights

Infinity Stone encounters 3.36% Cg and 0.13% Zn over 101.0m, including 21.96% Cg and 0.78% Zn over 4.32m from RS-22-03, 10.86% Cg and 0.42% Zn over 14.0m including 17.94% Cg and 0.60% Zn over 7.0m from RS-22-04, and 15.68% Cg and 0.56% Zn over 4.83m, including 24.05% Cg and 0.72% Zn over 2.33m from RS-22-01.

All of the drill holes from the Fall Drill Program which returned elevated graphite levels, with significant mineralization and grade comparable with drilling results from other graphite discoveries, including Nouveau Monde Graphite's Matawinie Mine.

Significant continued exploration potential with latest results, including the discovery of gold in VMS-type exhalite mineralization, intersecting 1.70 g/t Au over 2.0 m in RS-22-02.

Infinity Stone intends to immediately mobilise for an extended drill program to extend RS-22-02 to determine further gold mineralization, alongside additional step-out holes.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Infinity Stone Ventures Corp. (CSE: GEMS) (OTCQB: GEMSF) (FSE: B2I) (the "Company" or "Infinity Stone") is pleased to provide an update on its Fall drill program (the "Fall Drill Program") on the Rockstone Graphite project located near Thunder Bay, Ontario ("Rockstone" or the "Rockstone Graphite Project").

The Company has received assays for all of the drill holes from the Fall Drill Program, including RS-22-01, RS-22-02, RS-22-03 and RS-22-04, all of which returned elevated graphitic carbon (Cg) and zinc, with significant mineralization and grade comparable with drilling results from other graphite discoveries, including Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc.'s ("Nouveau Monde") Matawinie Mine.

Hole RS-22-01 intersected 15.68% Cg and 0.56% Zn over 4.83 metres, including 24.05% Cg and 0.72% Zn over 2.33 metres.

Hole RS-22-03 intersected 1.87% Cg and 0.06% Zn over 16.45 metres and 3.36% Cg and 0.13% Zn over 101.0 metres, including 21.96% Cg and 0.78% Zn over 4.32 metres.

Hole RS-22-04 intersected 10.86% Cg and 0.42% Zn over 14.0 metres, including 17.94% Cg and 0.60% Zn over 7.0 metres.

Hole RS-22-02 intersected 1.70 g/t Au over 2 metres from 198 to 200 metres (as previously announced on January 10, 2023). The hole did not intersect significant graphite or zinc mineralization.

See Table 1 below for drill program highlights and Figures 1 through 3 for core photos from RS-22-01, RS-22-03 and RS-22-04.

Table 1: Drill Program Highlights

Drillhole From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Cg (%) Zn (%) RS-22-01 68.17 73.0 4.83 15.68 0.56 including 68.17 70.5 2.33 24.05 0.72 RS-22-03 45.0 61.45 16.45 1.87 0.06 and 80.0 181.0 101.0 3.36 0.13 including 106.0 177.26 71.26 4.67 0.17 including 139.12 143.44 4.32 21.96 0.78 RS-22-04 84.0 98.0 14.0 10.86 0.42 including 89.0 96.0 7.0 17.94 0.60

As previously announced on January 10, 2023, RS-22-02 encountered the 2.0-metre interval of gold mineralization from 198 metres to the drillhole's final depth of 200 metres, terminating in the mineralized lithology of intermediate volcanics with quartz veining. The Company completed drilling of 4 holes, RS-22-01, RS-22-02, RS-22-03, and RS-22-04, totalling 800.0 metres. The Au intersection represents a new regional gold discovery and appears to be associated with Rockstone Cu/Zn/graphite VMS-type exhalite mineralization.

Infinity Stone intends to immediately mobilise for an extended drill program to extend RS-22-02 to determine further gold mineralization, alongside additional step-out holes. The Company also will initiate 3D modelling the results of the Fall Drill Program, ahead of a planned geophysics program, including a down-hole magnetic survey. The Company also looks forward to sharing the results of its metallurgical program with SGS Canada Inc. ("SGS Labs") to refine samples from Rockstone to EV battery-grade graphite concentrate.

"The results of the Fall Drill Program have affirmed the prospective value of the Rockstone Graphite Project and have allowed us to compare Rockstone to significant graphite discoveries, including Nouveau Monde's Matawinie Project," said Zayn Kalyan, CEO of Infinity Stone. "Nouveau Monde has paved the way in terms of the development of natural graphite in Eastern Canada for the production of battery-grade cathode material used in the manufacturing of EVs. Their recently announced offtake deal with Panasonic Energy and Mitsui, a key supplier of batteries to Tesla, demonstrates the potential value of Canadian graphite projects in the rapidly growing North American battery supply chain. We are very excited to continue exploration on Rockstone in hopes of developing a deposit to support this critical sector," furthered Mr. Kalyan.

Figure 1: RS-22-03 - Core Photo from 138.4 to 155.0m



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Figure 2: RS-22-04 - Core Photo from 85.0 to 98.0m



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Figure 3: RS-22-01 - Core Photo from 66.5 to 78.0m



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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About the Rockstone Graphite Project

The Rockstone Graphite Project is located 45 km west of the seaway port at the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada. The Project has excellent access by logging haul roads that connect to paved/gravel roads with nearby railways and a shipping port. Based upon the reprocessed Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetic (VTEM) survey completed by Sabina Silver Corporation in 2007, there are 18 drill-ready electromagnetic targets. Greencastle's drilling in 2012 consisted of 4 diamond drillholes (916 metres). Diamond drill hole GC-12-01 intersected a 24 metre interval averaging 0.82% zinc and 0.15% copper within a graphitic argillite unit. Analysis of the pulps for the 24 metres returned a value of 25% Cg (graphitic carbon) using a LECO analytical procedure. Rockstone graphite morphology appears to be highly-ordered hexagonal graphite crystallites and crystallite agglomerates, likely formed by hydrothermal activity at a formation temperature of 702C.

Qualified Person

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Case Lewis, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" as defined under NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and a director of the Company.

About Infinity Stone Ventures

Infinity Stone's mission is to be a diversified, single source supplier for the critical energy metals being used in the clean energy revolution alongside its established SaaS solution portfolio. Infinity Stone is meeting the demand from battery and wind turbine manufacturers, nuclear and hydrogen energy producers, and energy metals speculators by acquiring 100% interest in critical mineral deposits and occurrences in stable mining-friendly jurisdictions, close to final use destinations in North American manufacturing hubs.

To register for investor updates please visit https://infinitystone.ventures.

Connect with Infinity Stone

Email | Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram |

Infinity Stone Contact

Zayn Kalyan

CEO and Director

Direct: 778-938-3367

zayn@altuscapital.ca

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "projects", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management of Company believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking statements may also be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of the Company, including those described in the Company's public filings available on www.SEDAR.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152325
SHENZHEN, China, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VOOPOO, a globally renowned vape brand, was recently announced the winner of the "Best Vape Brand" for the third consecutive industry at the Ecigclick Vape Awards, the most prestigious awards ceremony in the UK vape industry. VOOPOO won six other awards that night, including the ARGUS POD winning the "Best Vape Kit for Beginners" category, and the ARGUS P1 winning the "Best Pod System."

To add to these award winning vapes in the ARGUS pod series is the ARGUS Z, which recently officially entered the UK market.





Over recent years, VOOPOO has achieved global sales growth with multiple products of the DRAG series, which has gained a userbase of over 50 million worldwide.

As the leading brand for pod mods, VOOPOO has never been less mindful of user needs and innovative technological improvements. Since 2022, VOOPOO has prioritized development of pod mods, which has attracted many professional vapers and vaping adapters, with the ARGUS POD and ARGUS P1 gaining significant market recognition and a growing loyal legion of customers since being launched.

The third addition in the ARGUS series, the compact and delicate ARGUS Z is equipped with a built-in 900mAh battery for portability and long-term endurance. With a patented multi-layer leak-resistant design, it brings users a carefree vaping experience. The original U-shaped anti-blocking air intake on both sides of the cartridge increases the airflow and ensures a smooth taste. Equipped with ingenious ITO atomization technology, the ARGUS Z brings you a delightful mouth-to-lung (MTL) experience.

The ARGUS POD Cartridge is compatible with ARGUS Z, ARGUS POD, and ARGUS P1, which is convenient to switch.





The VOOPOO ARGUS Z is first being sold in the UK in more than 100 officially designated, offline stores, as well as on the online shop. It's on sale now.

About VOOPOO

VOOPOO was established in 2017 and has rapidly risen through DRAG products, which have been widely acclaimed globally in a short period of time. As a high-tech enterprise with R&D, design, manufacturing, and branding, VOOPOO has four major product series - ARGUS, DRAG, VINCI, and V. Currently, VOOPOO has a presence in more than 70 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Website: https://www.voopoo.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voopootech_official/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voopooglobal

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VOOPOO

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@voopoofans

Shop: https://shop.voopoo.com/

CONTACT: nical.zhang@voopootech.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1986581/VOOPOO_ARGUS_Z.jpg

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/on-the-back-of-winning-best-vape-brand-award-voopoos-brand-new-pod-the-argus-z-hits-the-uk-market-301725655.html
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree approving the "Agreement between the Ministry of Health of the Azerbaijan Republic and the Russian Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) on ensuring epidemiological welfare in territories bordering plague natural foci".

According to the decree, an agreement was signed in Baku on November 17, 2022.

After the agreement enters into force, the Azerbaijani Health Ministry should ensure the implementation of its provisions, and the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry should notify the Russian government of the implementation of domestic procedures required for the agreement.
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Representatives of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A., ZE PAK and South Korea's KHNP, namely all entities involved in the Patnow nuclear power plant project, met at the Polish House in Davos, Switzerland. Representatives of Poland's highest state authorities - President Andrzej Duda and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin - were actively involved in defining further stages of this breakthrough investment.

"Diversification of energy sources has been one of our priorities on which we have worked very actively over the past few years. The final outcome of this process will be a power system based, among other sources, on modern, safe nuclear power plants. This solution will enable Poland to achieve full sovereignty and guarantee access to a stable energy source that meets the needs of our dynamically developing economy," said President Andrzej Duda.

Other participants in the panel were the Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin, President of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A., Wojciech Dabrowski, South Korea's Minister for Trade Ahn Dukgeun, Maciej Stec from ZE PAK and Whang Joo-ho from the Korean KHNP Group. The consortium of these companies plans to build together Poland's first commercial nuclear power plant.

"Nuclear energy, perceived as a tool for building our country's security and strengthening its economic potential, is one of the main topics discussed in the Polish pavilion in Davos this year. It is worth recalling that over the last few years Poland has really done a lot in terms of increasing the share of low- or zero-emission sources in its energy mix. However, without the nuclear energy, we will not be able to meet the growing demand." - emphasised Wojciech Dabrowski, President of the Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A.

The exact completion date for the Patnow investment has not yet been set, however the determination of all parties involved in the project and the potential of their expertise background allows us to consider the unofficial deadline (ten to thirteen years) as very plausible.

Wojciech Dabrowski noted that thanks to nuclear energy, which is free of carbon dioxide emission fees, the Polish economy would become competitive to other world and European economies, and this transformation would be the driving force of its development.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/pge-in-davos-the-first-commercial-nuclear-power-plant-in-poland-may-be-operational-by-2036-301729210.html
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Tullow Oil Plc (TLW.L), a British oil and gas exploration company, in an update on Wednesday posted a rise in revenue and oil production for the fiscal 2022. Rahul Dhir, CEO, Tullow Oil, said: 'Strong operational delivery, rigorous focus on costs and capital discipline, the increased equity in our key operated fields in Ghana and higher oil prices drove material, expectation-beating free cash flow generation in 2022, accelerating the Group's deleveraging towards a net debt to EBITDAX ratio of 1.3 times by the year-end.' For the full-year, the company recorded revenue of around $1.7 billion, compared with last year's $1.27 billion. Oil production was at 61.1 kboepd, higher than last year's 59.2 kboepd. Full year capital expenditure stood at circa $354 million as against $263 million of 2021. Looking ahead, for 2023, the Group expects oil output of 58 kboepd to 64 kboepd. For 2023, Tullow plans to invest around $400 million, of which circa $300 million in Ghana, primarily in Jubilee, including over $100 million in infrastructure. In 2023, the firm forecasts Jubilee production to exceed 100 kbopd once the new wells drilled in the southeast of the field are brought on stream. The company anticipates its capital investment this year, in particular in Ghana to support production growth through to 2025 and material free cash flow generation. The Group's 2022 fiscal results are scheduled to be released on March 8. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks were little changed on Wednesday as concerns that a recession might be coming offset investors optimism that the U.S. Federal Reserve will slow its pace of rate increases. Microsoft Corp reported a sharp decline in the second quarter profit and warned of a slowdown in corporate sales, denting sentiment. The benchmark DAX was little changed with a positive bias at 15,102 ahead of German business sentiment data due later in the day. Banks led losses, with Commerzbank down 1.5 percent and Deutsche Bank losing 2.3 percent. Jungheinrich AG, a manufacturer of advanced materials handling equipment, rallied 2.3 percent after announcing that it has signed a deal to buy Indiana-based Storage Solutions group for approximately $375 million. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Construction has started on a 93 MW solar project in the Australian state of Victoria. The installation, which has been under development for at least five years, was sold to Enel Green Power in 2019.From pv magazine Australia The AUD 130 million ($92.3 million) Girgarre Solar Farm is expected to take around 18 months to construct. It will produce around 200 GWh of energy per year once operational, with 167,000 PV modules to be deployed, alongside civil and electrical infrastructure. In 2019, the 93 MW project was sold to Enel Green Power, the Australian renewables unit of Italy's Enel Group. ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Ricardo plc, a global strategic, environmental and engineering consulting company, today announces the acquisition of a 93% shareholding of E3-Modelling S.A., a consultancy specialising in delivering advanced empirical modelling of the energy-economy-environment nexus.

E3M's 34-strong team develops and maintains large-scale models across the energy, environment and transport sectors. Its expertise focuses on the design and impact analysis of the transition of all possible types of power generation technologies, several types of alternative green fuels, energy demand efficiency and mobility restructuring, taking into account the impact of major energy policies on the economies of European countries and globally, with details for more than 50 economic activities. Its integrated modelling tools provide informed, transparent and robust analysis as well as recommendations for its high-profile clients which include the European Commission, national governments, energy regulators and a number of private companies in the energy and transport sectors, financial institutions and strategic consultancies.

Over the past 30 years, E3-Modelling has carried out consultancy on all major European energy and climate policy initiatives, and its large-scale energy, economy and transport models have been applied at the very heart of European Commission policymaking.

"Ricardo's acquisition of E3-Modelling is fully aligned with our ambition to become a global leader in strategy and engineering consultancy for environmental and energy-transition solutions." said, Graham Ritchie, Ricardo CEO. "It provides an opportunity to deliver repeatable digital models focused on energy markets, climate change and the decarbonisation of transport to governments and corporate clients globally. We already have a strong working relationship with E3-Modelling having worked together for over 10 years, and this acquisition is a natural advancement, combining our skillsets to offer a transformational contribution to Ricardo's energy and environmental services portfolio."

Prof. Emeritus Pantelis Capros and Dr. Leonidas Paroussos of E3-Modelling S.A. added: "We are very excited to be joining an energy environmental consultancy of Ricardo's pedigree and to see the business we've built embark on its next stage of growth. By leveraging Ricardo's scale and resources, we will be able to expand our reach beyond Europe and broaden our modelling services as we assess the implications of energy, climate and sustainable development policies for our clients."

E3M provides digital modelling capabilities right across the markets that Ricardo serves, making the acquisition highly complementary to Ricardo's unique position at the intersection of the energy, environment and mobility agendas. To date, the use of E3M's models has largely focused on Europe and neighbouring countries. The combination of E3M's capabilities and expertise with Ricardo's global footprint, services and diversified market expansion will support the Group in creating additional value for its global client base that are focused on their transition towards a low-carbon future.

~ENDS~

About Ricardo

Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and close to 3,000 colleagues in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering innovative cross-sector sustainable outcomes to support energy transition and scarce resources, environmental services together with safe and smart mobility. Our global team of consultants, environmental specialists, engineers and scientists support our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world. Visit www.ricardo.com

About E3-Modelling

E3-Modelling is a societe anonyme (S.A.) company, established in Greece, as a knowledge-intensive consulting company. We deliver consulting services based on the large-scale empirical modelling of the economy-energy-environment nexus: PRIMES, GEM-E3 and Prometheus. We focus on the design of transition in the energy market and systems, both demand and supply of energy, towards green and climate-friendly structures and technologies. With the modelling, we help to assess the transitions from economic, policy and implementation perspectives putting emphasis on the functioning of the system and the markets as a whole when policy instruments influence behaviours and market outcomes. Visit www.e3modelling.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230123005530/en/

Contacts:

Media contacts:

Natasha Perfect, Ricardo Natasha.perfect@ricardo.com

Elisabeth Cowell, SECNewgate ricardo@secnewgate.co.uk
EDINBURGH, UK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Illuminate, a data solutions company that provides tools and services that collect and analyze information for key decision-makers, announced today it has been selected to provide a Roaming Visibility capability with one of its key customers in a European Country.

4G Voice over LTE (VoLTE) is being increasingly deployed on a global scale to free up spectrum in 2G and 3G as well as to improve quality of service and security. To avoid complex interoperability problems with roaming networks, operators are using home routing so all calls from roamers are handled on the IMS switch in their home network. Illuminate has developed a range of ETSI compliant solutions that support the expanded complexity of the lawful intercept mission.

Due to Illuminate's understanding of the changes in the telecommunications networks, the company has developed several ETSI compliant solutions to meet the emerging challenge that roaming visibility brings to the telecommunications sector. The roaming visibility solutions from Illuminate are vendor and network architecture agnostic and have been deployed in a range of different customer networks.

This latest contract award is further proof that Illuminate's Roaming Visibility capability meets the exacting needs of its customers.

"We are proud that our roaming visibility capability has been selected for this valuable national monitoring service, as it will play a critical role in keeping citizens safe and helping authorities in that region better understand the threats within their borders," said Iain Goodfellow, Managing Director, Illuminate. "Illuminate has a proud heritage of monitoring telecommunications mobile networks and delivering actionable information, where it is needed, and when it is needed. This mission is just the latest example of how our technology is playing a leading role in mobile communications surveillance around the world."

About Illuminate

Illuminate provides data collection and analysis services and software to clients in the defense, intelligence, and Federal Law Enforcement sectors. The company's innovative capabilities include network monitoring, intelligence analysis, cybersecurity, and data engineering. More information can be found at OneIlluminate.com.

Media contact:

Neal Stein

Technology PR Solutions

Ph: (321) 473-7407

nealjstein@techprsolutions.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/illuminate-selected-for-european-roaming-visibility-contract-301730000.html
Italian researchers have analyzed different ways to assess the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) of perovskite solar cells and modules. They said a common approach should soon be defined to increase the market maturity of the tech.Researchers from the University of Pavia in Italy have made an initial attempt to define the criteria for developing a novel method to calculate the LCoE of perovskite solar cells. They said they are trying to clarify the many models and assumptions that are used by academics to determine LCoE values for PV technologies. "The variety of reported values, produced by different ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices traded higher on Wednesday after falling sharply in the previous session on worries of a global recession. Benchmark Brent crude futures rose 0.6 percent to $86.65 a barrel, while WTI crude futures were up 0.4 percent at $80.45. Oil prices received some support today amid bets that a less hawkish Fed will help the U.S. economy avoid a hard landing. The focus is now on the fourth-quarter U.S. GDP data due Thursday, which could set the tone for the Fed's Jan. 31-Feb. 1 policy meeting. Investors also await cues from the scheduled meeting of OPEC's monitoring committee on February 01 to review current price policy. Amid growing hopes for higher Chinese demand, analysts say that the oil cartel is likely to endorse the producer group's current oil output policy. Meanwhile, U.S. crude stockpiles rose by 3.4 million barrels during the week ended Jan. 20, the American Petroleum Institute reported. This was much above market expectations and suggested that there is enough supply of the commodity in the market to meet the demand in near term. Inventory data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration is due later in the day. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SODANKYLA, FINLAND / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / FireFox Gold Corp. (TSXV:FFOX) (OTCQB:FFOXF) ("FireFox" or the "Company") is pleased to provide a summary of results from the 2022 exploration programs at its 100% held Jeesio, Sarvi, Lehto and Kolho gold properties in Lapland, Finland (see Figure 1).

Trenching and bedrock sampling in the southern part of the huge Jeesio Project returned anomalous gold over a large area, including 33.60 g/t Au from a bedrock grab sample at the Katajavaara Hill prospect. Nearly a kilometre away, FireFox geologists collected a rock chip channel sample at the Kataja South prospect that averaged 1.33 g/t Au over 0.8 metres. Another sample in the area contained 1.43 g/t Au, and numerous other samples in the area were highly anomalous in gold. These are the latest sampling results from the first excavations in the area, which was first identified by FireFox reconnaissance sampling late in 2019. The extent of gold mineralization at both prospects is not known, as the gold anomalies remain open along strike and at depth.

Bedrock mapping at the Sarvi property identified several new locations exhibiting strong alteration in metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks, as well as mineralized chert with disseminate sulfide and gold values of 0.31 g/t in surface rock samples. The team noted similar geology farther north while mapping at the Company's Lehto Property. During the 2022 field campaign, geologists collected a grab sample at Lehto that contained 0.97 g/t gold. At the Kolho property, the field team completed preliminary reconnaissance bedrock mapping in preparation for the first round of mechanized base-of-till (BoT) sampling expected during the spring of 2023.

Carl Lofberg, FireFox CEO, commented about these results "At FireFox, we continue to advance several projects at various stages among our large portfolio of properties. We are always excited to see more than 10 g/t gold from early-stage exploration, and this is something we often observe on gold projects in Lapland. We have been heavily focused at Mustajarvi, but these results from Katajavaara, Sarvi, and Lehto warrant more work. We are confident the team will transform these strong early indications into viable drill targets by late this year."

In 2023, FireFox plans additional mapping and sampling at the Katajavaara prospects in order refine the targets for follow-up drilling. At Sarvi, the FireFox team will conduct more follow-up work from the 2022 BoT sampling to include mapping, sampling, ground geophysics, and core drilling. Initial exploration permits are expected before the end of the second quarter at Kolho, so the Company expects to continue with its target development at Lehto and Kolho and to add a BoT drill rig in that area during Q2. This work is in addition to the ongoing program at the Company's 100%-held Mustajarvi gold project, from which results for the first three holes of the Q4 2022 drilling campaign were recently reported, including 15.5m of 13.09 g/t gold (see Company news release dated January 18, 2023). The final results from that drill program are expected in February.

Jeesio Project Program Details

The 100%-controlled Jeesio Gold Project covers approximately 75.8 km2 along the Sirkka Shear Zone, a trans-crustal structure that controls the emplacement of most of the known orogenic gold deposits in Lapland. The main Jeesio targets include the Utsamo and Kataja Belt areas. From south to north, the Kataja Belt consists of three gold prospects: Saittavaara, Katajavaara South (KJ South) and Katajavaara Hill (KJ Hill). The prospects span at least 3 kilometres, apparently related to en echelon northerly striking younger ("D3" or "D4") structures. The recently acquired high-resolution airborne magnetics data reveal multiple generations of folding and faulting across the entire Jeesio Project area. Younger asymmetric folding west of the Kataja Belt shows evidence of disruption by right-lateral shearing broadly parallel with northeast trending axial planes. These shears appear to be associated with the gold showings in the Kataja Belt.

The 2022 trenching campaign was focused on the KJ South and KJ Hill prospects, which emerged from FireFox reconnaissance work in 2019 and 2020. The team excavated 9 small exploration trenches and collected 68 chip/channel and 34 grab samples from bedrock. In summary, approximately 68% of the total samples exceeded the detection limit for the method (0.005 g/t gold), and 15% of the samples contained anomalous levels of gold more than 0.100 g/t gold. Channel samples were taken perpendicular to observed mineralized veins and structures to represent true width. Most anomalous gold samples were hosted within quartz veins and lenses. The team recorded detailed information on the geology, alteration, veining, and structures from the trenches that will guide future work and drilling on these emerging targets.

Figure 1- FireFox Land Position with Jeesio and Northern Properties Highlighted (Click here to enlarge)

Katajavaara South

At KJ South, FireFox geologists identified high gold in the area (10.5 g/t Au) from quartz-magnetite-sulphide vein samples from outcrop in 2019 and 2020 (see Company news release dated October 6, 2020). These anomalous samples are associated with the southwest margin of a magnetic body believed to represent mafic intrusives or volcanic rocks. This outcrop area was the target of the 2022 exploration trenching campaign, the results of which are summarized in Figure 2 and Table 1.

Figure 2 - Kataja Permit Area with Rock Sample Results (Click here to enlarge)

The trenches exposed the intensely sheared contact between siliciclastic metasedimentary and mafic intrusive rocks, revealing several mineralized quartz-sulphide veins and lenses within both units. In addition to pyrite and magnetite, geologists also noted the presence of chalcopyrite and copper oxides in these samples. The gabbro in the area is likely attributable to mafic sills that are related to a younger continental rift setting (Haaskalehto-type), which are common at the Jeesio Project.

The mineralization encountered in the trenches is clearly controlled by shearing, as it crosscuts both lithologies and the contact between them. Among several samples in the area containing strongly anomalous gold, one chip channel sample averaged 1.33 g/t gold over 0.8 metres. Another grab sample contained 1.43 g/t gold. When considered in concert with the high gold values previously reported in the area (Figure 2), it is clear that this gold target is open and unconstrained in all directions and undrilled.

Katajavaara Hill

KJ Hill is located approximately 900 metres to the north of KJ South along the trend of a N-S oriented magnetic feature. Along the eastern slope of the hill, there are fields of locally derived boulders displaying abundant mineralized quartz veins intruding metasedimentary (arkose and quartzite) and mafic rocks. FireFox teams collected grab samples from boulders of these quartz veins in 2020, including one sample with 4.73 g/t Au (see Company news release dated October 6, 2020). This trend of anomalous samples is approximately 400 metres long and appears to be associated with a younger structure that crosscuts the north-trending magnetic anomaly in a northeasterly direction. This outcrop area was another focus of the 2022 exploration trenching campaign; and the geology and gold values are summarized in Figure 2 and Table 1.

At KJ Hill, the team cut three trenches that exposed several quartz lenses and veins hosted in siliciclastic metasedimentary rocks. The mineralization exposed in the trenches was relatively simple, quartz with chlorite and minor sulfides (partially oxidized). The highest-grade sample was 33.60 g/t Au from a bedrock grab sample of quartz vein. The extent of this system is not known, and it is undrilled.

FireFox had intended to continue the trenching at this prospect but the 2022 program was cut short due to weather. The majority of the Kataja Belt is on high ground and accessible year-round, so the team will return during 2023 for follow-up work.

Table 1. Selected highlights of the 2022 Katajavaara sampling campaign.

Target Sample Type Rock Type Sample Weight (kg) Gold (g/t) KJ Hill Grab Quartz vein with minor chlorite, slightly weathered 1.53 33.60 KJ Hill Chip - channel Quartz vein with mica and chlorite, minor weathering, 2.52 0.72 KJ Hill Grab Quartz lens-vein, rusty surface, with weathered sulphides 2.65 0.59 KJ South Grab Quartz vein pieces with red staining, vuggy texture 5.02 1.43 KJ South Chip - channel Mafic intrusive. Silicified matrix with pyrite nest 1.49 1.33 KJ South Chip - channel Quartz lens with pyrite, chalcopyrite, magnetite, and Cu and Fe-oxides 1.8 0.65 KJ South Grab Quartz lens with pyrite, chalcopyrite, and minor Cu and Fe-oxides 3.64 0.64 KJ South Chip - channel Quartz lens with pyrite, chalcopyrite, and minor Cu and Fe-oxides 7.11 0.49 KJ South Chip - channel Quartz lens with chlorite and traces of disseminated pyrite 1.71 0.48 KJ South Grab Quartz vein with pyrite, malachite, goethite, and magnetite stringers 2.09 0.46

Kolho and Northern Properties Program

FireFox also conducted limited reconnaissance bedrock mapping on its vast Kolho Property during the field season of 2022. Much of the Kolho area is situated within low-lying areas and swamps, where winter conditions are needed to conduct mechanized exploration. FireFox has several permit applications at Kolho and expects at least one expedited permit to be granted in the first half of 2023.

Reconnaissance bedrock mapping was also conducted on the Company's Sarvi and Lehto properties, which have valid permits in place. At Sarvi, Company geologists identified several locations of intensely carbonate-altered metavolcanics, massive carbonate units, and sulphide-bearing chert formations. These samples from the chert unit with disseminated sulphides contained anomalous gold, including one sample with 0.31 g/t. The FireFox team considers such intense alteration and polymetallic anomalies associated with mafic metavolcanics and major crosscutting structures (D2 and D3) as key elements for hosting an orogenic gold deposit at the Sarvi Project.

Similar sulphide-rich sedimentary and volcano-sedimentary rock units in close proximity to high-volume mafic volcanism are also often seen at the nearby Lehto Property. A limited sampling campaign at Lehto in 2022 also resulted in anomalous gold samples, including one sample containing 0.97 g/t Au.

Methodology & Quality Assurance

Channel samples were sawed by a diamond saw in solid exposed bedrock and taken out by chisel and hammer. Geologists took the chip-channel samples with chisel and hammer from exposed bedrock, which was sometimes strongly weathered. Both types of channel samples were approximately 10 cm wide and taken perpendicular to observed mineralized veins and structures to represent true width. In some areas where continuous channel sampling was not possible, geologists collected grab samples. The grab samples discussed in this release are believed to be from in situ bedrock. FireFox geologists maintained chain of custody and sampling procedures according to best industry practice and with due attention to quality assurance and quality control, including sampling field duplicates and insertion of certified standard and blank samples.

FireFox team members transported the samples to an ALS sample prep lab in Sodankyla. The samples were then crushed to -2 mm, split and pulverized into 1kg pulps, before being shipped to the ALS facility in Rosia Montana, Romania for gold by fire assay of 50 gm aliquots with AAS finish (method Au-AA24).

ALS Laboratories is a leading international provider of assay and analytical data to the mining industry. All ALS geochemical hub laboratories, including the Irish facility, are accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for specific analytical procedures. The Firefox QA/QC program consists of insertion of certificated standard material and blanks inserted by Firefox into the analytical batches did not show deviations from recommended values.

Patrick Highsmith, Certified Professional Geologist (AIPG CPG # 11702) and director of the Company, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Highsmith has helped prepare, reviewed, and approved, the technical information in this news release.

Dr. Sven Honig, Certified European Geologist (EFG EurGeol Title # 1789) and General Manager of Exploration for the Company, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Dr. Honig has supervised the field work reported herein and has helped to prepare and approves, the technical information in this news release.

About FireFox Gold Corp.

FireFox Gold Corp is listed on the TSX Venture Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FFOX. FireFox also trades on the OTCQB Venture Market Exchange in the US under the ticker symbol FFOXF. The Company has been exploring for gold in Finland since 2017 where it holds a huge portfolio of prospective ground.

Finland is one of the top mining investment jurisdictions in the world as indicated by its multiple top-10 rankings in recent Fraser Institute Surveys of Mining Companies. Having a strong mining law and long mining tradition, Finland remains underexplored for gold. Recent exploration results in the country have highlighted its prospectivity, and FireFox is proud to have a Finland based CEO and technical team.

For more information, please refer to the Company's website and profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Carl Lofberg"

Chief Executive Officer

CONTACT:

FireFox Gold Corp.

Email: info@firefoxgold.com

Telephone: +1 778-938-1994

Forward Looking Statements

The information herein contains forward looking statements that are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include changes in world commodity markets, equity markets, the extent of work stoppage and economic impacts that may result from the COVID 19 virus, costs and supply of materials relevant to the mining industry, change in government and changes to regulations affecting the mining industry.

Forward-looking statements in this release may include statements regarding: the intent to conduct additional exploration and drilling; the likelihood of exploration permits being granted, the belief as to the location of the most prospective gold targets; the location of targets for future drill programs; and the current and future work program, including the extent and nature of exploration to be conducted in 2023. Although we believe the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, results may vary.

The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the expectations of FireFox as of the date of dissemination and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking statements and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. FireFox does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

SOURCE: FireFox Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736643/FireFox-Gold-Provides-an-Exploration-Update-for-the-Jeesi-and-Northern-Group-Projects-Finland
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Blackrock Silver Corp. (TSXV: BRC) (the "Company" or "Blackrock") is pleased to report final assays from, and a recap of, the 2022 drill program at the 100 percent controlled Tonopah West project located within the Walker Lane trend in west-central Nevada.

In 2022, the Company drilled 23,227 metres of reverse circulation ("RC"), pre-collar and core tail - see Table 3 for the breakdown. The objective was to identify key areas for resource expansion with a focus on four target zones:

Northwest Step Out target; Footwall, hangingwall and down dip extensions of the Victor mineralization; New Discovery target; and, DPB expansion.

2022 Drill Program Highlights:

Northwest Step Out Target: TXC22-074 cut 4.36 metres grading 2.367 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au") and 162.5 g/t silver ("Ag") (399.3 g/t silver equivalent ("AgEq"), including 1.5 metres grading 712 g/t AgEq (3.78 g/t Au and 334 g/tAg), suggesting a strongly mineralized northwest structure, and expands on the intercept discovered in TXC22-052 (see Table 1). RC hole TW22-118 intersected 1.52 metres of mineralization grading 1.70 g/t gold and 0.1 g/t silver or 171 g/t AgEq a full 1.6 kilometres northwest of the DPB resource area (AgEq_= Ag_g/t + Au_g/t*100);

TXC22-074 cut 4.36 metres grading 2.367 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au") and 162.5 g/t silver ("Ag") (399.3 g/t silver equivalent ("AgEq"), including 1.5 metres grading 712 g/t AgEq (3.78 g/t Au and 334 g/tAg), suggesting a strongly mineralized northwest structure, and expands on the intercept discovered in TXC22-052 (see Table 1). RC hole TW22-118 intersected 1.52 metres of mineralization grading 1.70 g/t gold and 0.1 g/t silver or 171 g/t AgEq a full 1.6 kilometres northwest of the DPB resource area (AgEq_= Ag_g/t + Au_g/t*100); Victor Target 5: drill holes confirm the gold and silver continue down dip and multiple high-grade gold and silver veins exist below the underground workings within the footwall of the Victor system. TXC22-063 returned 0.7 metres grading 3.95 g/t AU and 448 g/t Ag (843 g/t AgEq);

drill holes confirm the gold and silver continue down dip and multiple high-grade gold and silver veins exist below the underground workings within the footwall of the Victor system. TXC22-063 returned 0.7 metres grading 3.95 g/t AU and 448 g/t Ag (843 g/t AgEq); New Discovery Target: Core hole TXC22-057 delivered the highest-grade intercept at the project to date, intersecting 0.91 metres of 37.86 g/t Au and 2,740 g/t Ag or 6,526.7 g/t AgEq within 1.52 metres grading 22.88 g/t Au and 1,654.1 g/t Ag or 3,942.2 g/t AgEq starting at 191.42 metres down-hole along the southern edge of the DPB resource area;

Core hole TXC22-057 delivered the highest-grade intercept at the project to date, intersecting 0.91 metres of 37.86 g/t Au and 2,740 g/t Ag or 6,526.7 g/t AgEq within 1.52 metres grading 22.88 g/t Au and 1,654.1 g/t Ag or 3,942.2 g/t AgEq starting at 191.42 metres down-hole along the southern edge of the DPB resource area; DBP Expansion: Drilling extended the resource 200m to the west and 100m to the east.

Andrew Pollard, the Company's President and CEO, commented, "Our 2022 drilling was successful in daylighting significant upside potential beyond where our previous mineral resource estimate ("MRE") left off, expanding the footprint of mineralization at our project across 3-dimensions on limited drilling a blind discovery is emerging at our Northwest Step Out target, with multiple high-grade pierce points that have been established on a newly identified northwest trending structure that appears wide open. This area has the potential to deliver a significant amount of new high-grade tonnes at the project, representing low-hanging fruit for expansion drilling. At Victor, we've yet to find the bottom, though it's apparent the system has deep roots as we continue to intersect high-grade mineralization down dip, while also encountering new veins well below the historic workings and where our MRE left off. South of our MRE area, we encountered our highest-grade intercept at the project to date, in what was also our shallowest, at our New Discovery target, warranting significant follow-up drilling over the coming months. Now, backstopped by some of the highest-grade undeveloped silver equivalent ounces in the ground1, Tonopah West represents one of the only safe-haven, pure play silver-gold projects in the industry, and we're excited to see it continue to grow."

Table 1: Tonopah West 2022 drill program significant gold and silver assay above a 150 g/t AgEq cut off

Hole ID Drillhole Type Year Drilled Area From (m) To (m) Drillhole Interval (m) Gold g/t Silver g/t AgEq g/t TXC22-051 RC/Core 2022 NW Step NVACO TXC22-052 RC/Core 2022 NW Step 583.94 588.54 4.60 0.627 148.1 210.9 Including 584.61 585.28 0.67 1.890 513.0 702.0 TXC22-052 RC/Core 2022 NW Step 592.38 594.64 2.26 0.325 132.3 164.8 TXC22-053 RC/Core 2022 NW Step 674.52 676.05 1.52 1.610 3.4 164.4 TXC22-054 RC/Core 2022 DPB 440.13 440.44 0.31 1.810 127.0 308.0 TXC22-055 RC/Core 2022 NW Step NVACO TXC22-056 RC/Core 2022 New Discovery NVACO TXC22-057 RC/Core 2022 New Discovery 191.42 192.94 1.52 22.881 1654.1 3942.2 Including 192.02 192.94 0.91 37.867 2740.0 6526.7 TXC22-058 RC/Core 2022 New Discovery 220.07 221.29 1.22 1.650 10.2 175.2 TXC22-059 RC/Core 2022 New Discovery 237.44 239.94 2.50 0.755 83.6 159.1 TXC22-060 RC/Core 2022 New Discovery 225.28 225.89 0.61 0.869 75.0 161.9 TXC22-061 RC/Core 2022 DPB 79.25 80.77 1.52 2.380 2.4 240.4 TXC22-062 RC/Core 2022 Victor 434.83 435.25 0.43 0.852 75.0 160.2 TXC22-062 RC/Core 2022 Victor 547.27 548.03 0.76 0.923 159.0 251.3 TXC22-062 RC/Core 2022 Victor 561.47 562.42 0.94 0.815 138.0 219.5 TXC22-063 RC/Core 2022 Victor 431.20 431.75 0.55 1.060 99.3 205.3 TXC22-063 RC/Core 2022 Victor 487.59 488.29 0.70 3.950 448.0 843.0 TXC22-064 RC/Core 2022 DPB NVACO TXC22-065 RC/Core 2022 DPB NVACO TXC22-066A RC/Core 2022 DPB 32.00 33.53 1.52 2.010 1.0 202.0 TXC22-067 RC/Core 2022 Victor 546.51 549.55 3.05 2.062 0.2 206.4 TXC22-068 RC/Core 2022 Victor NVACO TXC22-069 RC/Core 2022 Victor 541.93 543.46 1.52 1.320 25.5 157.5 TXC22-069 RC/Core 2022 Victor 639.47 640.08 0.61 0.818 114.0 195.8 TXC22-069 RC/Core 2022 Victor 682.33 682.78 0.46 1.280 125.0 253.0 TXC22-070 RC/Core 2022 NW Step NVACO TXC22-071 RC/Core 2022 NW Step NVACO TXC22-072 RC/Core 2022 NW Step NVACO TXC22-073 RC/Core 2022 NW Step NVACO TXC22-074 RC/Core 2022 NW Step 570.59 574.94 4.36 2.367 162.5 399.3 Including 570.59 572.11 1.52 3.780 334.0 712.0 TXC22-074 RC/Core 2022 NW Step 727.10 727.86 0.76 0.504 103.0 153.4 TXC22-075 RC/Core 2022 NW Step NVACO TW22-118 RC 2022 NW Step 428.25 429.77 1.52 1.700 0.1 170.1 TW22-123 RC 2022 S Step NVACO AgEq_g/t = Ag_g/t + Au_g/t*100. True thickness unknown. NVACO = No intervals above cut off

Northwest Step Out Target

Ten core holes were completed at the Northwest Step Out Target, 1000 metres northwest of the DPB resource area, to follow up on the geochemical intercepts in TW22-119 and -120. TXC22-052 returned 4.6 metres grading 211 g/t AgEq beneath the Mizpah Andesite. This intersection is significant, and the additional core holes that followed facilitated understanding of the mineralization and how it is related to the rest of the Tonopah district. The original direction of drilling assumed an east-west orientation to the mineralized structures. The completed drilling suggests a north-northwest orientation to the mineralized structure. This orientation aligns with the mapped 76 fault (see figure 1).

TXC22-052 and TXC22-074 cut a northwest-oriented fault, the 76 fault, which may be controlling high-grade gold and silver. TXC22-074 intersected 399.3 g/t AgEq (2.367 g/t Au and 162.5 g/t Ag) over 4.36 metres, including 1.5 metres grading 712 g/t AgEq (3.78 g/t Au and 334 g/t Ag). Additional drilling is warranted to understand the extent of high-grade gold and silver along the 76 fault structure. If mineralization is following the 76 fault, this opens up approximately 2,000 metres of strike potential along the fault from the Northwest Step Out target to the high-grade intercepts within the New Discovery target. Gold and silver are open to the northwest and southeast.

TXC22-051, -052, -053, -055, -070, -071, -072, and TXC22-073 tested the vein structure beneath the Mizpah andesite; however, the drillholes were completed on the footwall side of the northwest oriented fault and did not return assay values above the cut-off grade. The northwest-oriented fault, 76 fault, appears to control the high-grade gold and silver intersected in TXC22-052 and TXC22-074, serving as a focal point for future targeting.

TW22-118, 600 metres west of TXC22-052/TXC22-074, encountered a mineralized structure and returned 170 g/t AgEq over 1.52 metres within the Mizpah Andesite. TW22-117 is 500 metres west of TW22-118. With the expanded land position, following the inclusion of recently staked BLM claims to the north and west, we have significant room to expand and grow the Northwest Step Out Target upon further drilling.

Victor Target

Five core holes drilled at the Victor target tested down-dip extensions of the Victor vein and parallel footwall and hangingwall veins. On the hanging wall side, TXC22-062 and TXC22-063 confirmed that gold and silver veins are open at depth. TXC22-063 cut 0.70 metres grading 3.95 g/t gold and 448 g/t silver down dip on the Victor vein, and TXC22-062 encountered three zones down dip. The drill test confirms the mineralized structures are open down dip.

TXC22-067, -068 and -069 were drilled to test footwall mineralization beneath the Victor vein set. All three drillholes encountered mineralized vein material indicating that unmined veins exist beneath the old Tonopah underground workings; however, only TXC22-067 and TXC22-069 returned assays above the 150 g/t AgEq cut-off. TXC22-069 encountered three distinct zones which require follow up drilling.

Drilling confirmed the Victor Target is open down dip, has multiple unmined footwall veins, and can deliver additional high grade gold and silver.

New Discovery Target

Five core holes drilled at the New Discovery Target followed up Coeur Mining's 2018 drillhole TW18-004 intercept. This drillhole encountered a 4.5 metre zone grading 4.933 g/t Au, 337 g/t Ag or 830 g/t AgEq.

TXC22-056, -057, -058, -059 and TXC22-060 were completed in the target area, and TXC22-057 returned one of the highest grade gold and silver intercepts at Tonopah West, with over one ounce of gold (37.8 g/t Au) and 2.7 kilograms of silver reported over a 0.91 metre interval. Drillholes TXC22-058, -59 and TXC22-060 all returned significant results. The drill intercepts indicate a northly structural control which may be associated with the 76 faults. The expansion potential is evident, and additional drilling is warranted.

DPB Expansion

5 core holes were drilled in the DPB Target and the holes focused on expanding the resource to the east and west. TXC22-054 expanded the resource westward by 200 metres and returned 308g/t AgEq (Au 1.81g/t, Ag 127g/t over 0.31 metres). TXC22-066A also expanded the resource to the west by 100 metres and intersected 1.52 metres grading 2.01g/t Au and 1.0g/t Ag. TXC22-061 expanded the resource to the east along the projection of the Bermuda vein. The drillhole returned 1.52 metres grading 2.38g/t Au and 2.4g/t Ag.

Figure 1: Map showing location of the Tonopah West 2022 drill program

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/676/152432_65a5511e64c11a07_002full.jpg

Table 2: Tonopah West 2022 drill program drillhole location information

Drillhole ID UTM11 NAD27 E UTM11 NAD27 N Elevation (m) Total Depth (m) Azimuth Dip Drill Year TW22-117 475734.9 4215296.0 1710.9 762.0 0 -90 2022 TW22-118 476242.1 4215180.1 1726.0 641.6 0 -90 2022 TW22-119 476769.1 4214871.8 1743.4 762.0 0 -90 2022 TW22-120 476769.2 4214870.9 1743.4 762.0 0 -90 2022 TW22-121 476931.1 4215498.0 1754.4 710.2 0 -90 2022 TW22-122 479169.3 4213149.0 1856.1 396.2 0 -85 2022 TW22-123 478043.1 4212591.8 1790.5 714.8 0 -90 2022 TXC22-051 476929.7 4215492.2 1758.1 1212.5 180 -90 2022 TXC22-052 476769.5 4214867.8 1743.4 695.9 180 -80 2022 TXC22-053 476765.2 4215197.7 1744.1 852.8 180 -80 2022 TXC22-054 477345.6 4214041.4 1759.3 599.8 180 -55 2022 TXC22-055 477188.0 4214642.8 1756.7 788.8 180 -75 2022 TXC22-056 477900.1 4213241.9 1776.4 351.4 180 -70 2022 TXC22-057 478047.4 4213253.0 1786.3 296.0 180 -70 2022 TXC22-058 478148.2 4213045.0 1790.9 338.9 180 -70 2022 TXC22-059 478053.7 4213420.3 1777.0 319.1 180 -80 2022 TXC22-060 478053.6 4213419.7 1777.0 299.6 180 -65 2022 TXC22-061 478397.4 4213671.8 1788.5 362.1 180 -70 2022 TXC22-062 479200.2 4214273.8 1810.1 651.7 180 -70 2022 TXC22-063 479102.0 4214311.4 1812.2 605.6 180 -70 2022 TXC22-064 477439.4 4214037.2 1758.2 551.1 180 -70 2022 TXC22-065 477439.6 4214036.6 1758.2 555.3 180 -60 2022 TXC22-066A 477598.2 4213992.4 1766.2 662.3 180 -70 2022 TXC22-067 478655.7 4214021.0 1799.1 589.2 180 -85 2022 TXC22-068 478699.7 4213887.6 1796.8 502.3 180 -70 2022 TXC22-069 478668.8 4214225.6 1801.3 706.5 180 -75 2022 TXC22-070 476702.3 4214850.3 1742.2 807.1 180 -80 2022 TXC22-071 476768.9 4214873.6 1743.2 778.8 0 -90 2022 TXC22-072 476828.0 4214871.5 1744.6 766.0 180 -80 2022 TXC22-073 476766.0 4215003.8 1742.4 811.7 180 -75 2022 TXC22-074 476894.5 4214750.8 1747.1 746.2 180 -60 2022 TXC22-075 477003.1 4214737.9 1750.5 914.4 180 -60 2022

Table 3: Tonopah West 2022 drill program drillhole type showing completed footages

Drill Type Feet Metres Pre-collar 33,170.0 10,110.2 Core 27,454.0 8,368.0 RC 15,580.0 4,748.8 Total Completed 76,204.0 23,227.0

Quality Assurance/ Quality Control

All sampling is conducted under the supervision of the Company's project geologists, and a strict chain of custody from the project to the sample preparation facility is implemented and monitored. The reverse circulation samples are hauled from the project site to a secure and fenced facility in Tonopah, Nevada, where they are loaded onto American Assay Laboratory's (AAL) flat-bed truck and delivered to AAL's facility in Sparks, Nevada. A sample submittal sheet is delivered to AAL personnel who organize and process the sample intervals pursuant to the Company's instructions.

The core, reverse circulation, and QA/QC samples are crushed and pulverized, then the pulverized material is digested and analyzed for Au using fire assay fusion and an Induced Coupled Plasma (ICP) finish on a 30-gram assay split. Silver is determined using five-acid digestion and ICP analysis. Over limits for gold and silver are determined using a gravimetric finish. Data verification of the assay and analytical results are completed to ensure accurate and verifiable results. Blackrock personnel insert a blind prep blank, lab blank, or a certified standard approximately every 15th to 20th sample.

Blackrock's exploration activities at the Silver Cloud, Tonopah North and Tonopah West projects are conducted and supervised by Mr. William Howald, Executive Chairman of Blackrock. Mr. William Howald, AIPG Certified Professional Geologist #11041, is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.

About Blackrock Silver Corp.

Backed by gold and silver ounces in the ground, Blackrock is a junior precious metal-focused exploration company driven to add shareholder value via the drill bit. With 2.97 million tonnes grading 446 g/t silver equivalent2 at its Tonopah West project, and a new bonanza-grade gold discovery at Silver Cloud, the Company has a proven track record of exploration success. In addition to its gold and silver project portfolio, the Company is credited with a lithium discovery, the Tonopah North project, which is under option to a major lithium exploration group. Anchored by a seasoned Board, the Company is focused on its 100% controlled Nevada portfolio of properties consisting of low-sulphidation, epithermal gold and silver mineralization located along the established Northern Nevada Rift in north-central Nevada and the Walker Lane trend in western Nevada.

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Pollard, President & CEO

Blackrock Silver Corp.

Phone: 604 817-6044

Email: andrew@blackrocksilver.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements concern, without limitation, the exercise of the First Option and the Second Option and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the completion of the Initial Earn-In and the Additional Earn-In, the entering into the Joint Venture, the Company's strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration and drilling programs, estimates of mineralization from drilling, geological information projected from sampling results and the potential quantities and grades of the target zones. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; accuracy of assay results; geological interpretations from drilling results, timing and amount of capital expenditures; performance of available laboratory and other related services; future operating costs; and the historical basis for current estimates of potential quantities and grades of target zones. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors, including the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; the interpretation and uncertainties of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project costs overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; availability of funds; failure to delineate potential quantities and grades of the target zones based on historical data, and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

________________________________

1 Source: S&P Global; Company reports as of Dec 30, 2022. AgEq resources and grade reflect only silver and gold (M&I and I) resources (excludes base metals) for deposits larger than 40 million ounces AgEq.

2 Technical information relating to the Tonopah West Project is based on and derived from the NI 43-101 report prepared for Blackrock entitled "Technical Report and Estimate of Mineral Resources for the Tonopah West Silver-Gold Project, Nye and Esmeralda Counties, Nevada, USA" effective April 28, 2022 (the "Technical Report"). The MRE outlines 2.97 million tonnes at a block diluted grade of 208 grams per tonne (g/t) silver (Ag) and 2.5g/t gold (Au) for a total inferred mineral resource of 19,902,000 ounces Ag and 238,000 ounces Au, or 446 g/t silver equivalent (AgEq) for 42.6 million oz AgEq. AgEq equivalent grade is based on silver and gold prices of US$20/ounce and US$1750/ounce, respectively, and recoveries for silver and gold of 87% and 95%, respectively

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152432
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Exploits Discovery Corp. (CSE: NFLD) (OTCQX: NFLDF) (FSE: 634) ("Exploits" or the "Company") announces its results from the 2022 drilling program at the Titan gold target, located approximately 40 kilometres north-northeast of its Bullseye claims adjacent to New Found Gold's Keats and Lotto high-grade gold discoveries. This program successfully confirmed the presence of the gold mineralization system identified by a compilation of historic data; and traced the system to a vertical depth of 150 metres distributed over a strike-length of approximately 300 metres along the main drilling trend.

Ken Tylee, Vice President of Exploration of Exploits, commented, "Our drilling indicates that gold mineralization at our Titan property is preferentially hosted within several discordant gabbro blocks that our geologists have now confidently traced to at least the -150 metre depth-level and remain open along their interpreted strike-lines. This work solidifies our opinion on the prospectivity of Exploits' extensive land package along the Dog Bay Line structural setting. Additional work is warranted; however, we are now 100% focused on preparing for the mobilization of the drill rig into Bullseye by mid February."

Jeff Swinoga, Chief Executive Officer of Exploits, added, "While exploration efforts continue at our highly prospective Bullseye gold target, we are pleased that the results from Titan add to our pipeline of future gold discovery opportunities outside of the Appleton Fault corridor."

Drilling Highlights from Titan:

Confirmed the presence of gold mineralization distributed within altered and sulphide-bearing gabbroic sills as indicated by the Alpha IP electromagnetic survey.

Established that the orientation of the mineralized zone strikes to the northeast, the shallow-dipping (eastwards) units extend 'away' from the limited near-surface drilling reported by Crosshair in 2004.

Fine grains of visible gold were observed in centimetre-scale veins (TI-22-002 and TI-22-004).

The new drilling results were integrated with surficial mapping and historical data to develop a 3D geological model to better understand the structural controls on gold mineralization at Titan.

Selected intercepts from the 20-hole program (6,059 metre, NQ diameter core) are as follows:

3.10 g/t Au over 3.23 m including 16.10 g/t Au over 0.40 m in Hole TI-22-004



2.29 g/t Au over 2.09 m including 3.48 g/t Au over 0.39 m in Hole TI-22-001



2.82 g/t Au over 3.50 m including 14.80 g/t Au over 0.40 m in Hole TI-22-002



4.99 g/t Au over 0.35 m, and 2.21 g/t Au over 1.90 m including 4.68 g/t Au over 0.50 m in Hole TI-22-005



3.86 g/t Au over 0.99 m including 7.96 g/t Au over 0.43 m in Hole TI-22-009



2.33 g/t Au over 2.00 m including 4.90 g/t Au over 0.52 m in Hole TI-22-010



3.69 g/t Au over 1.65 m including 5.66 g/t Au over 0.70 m in Hole TI-22-015





Figure 1: Titan plan map displaying drill collar locations and drill hole gold grade intersections.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6393/152434_7fbb738bb41669fa_002full.jpg





Figure 2: Vertical section A - A' of the Titan prospect based on 2022 drilling (looking northeast). Interpreted mineralized zone highlighted in yellow.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6393/152434_7fbb738bb41669fa_003full.jpg

Table 1: Significant drilling results

Titan Hole_ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m)* Au (g/t) TI-22-001 19.41 21.50 2.09 2.29 Incl. 19.41 19.80 0.39 3.48

TI-22-002 17.50 21.00 3.50 2.82 Incl. 19.80 20.20 0.40 14.80 And 21.50 23.00 1.50 2.11

TI-22-004 63.00 66.23 3.23 3.10 Incl. 64.85 65.25 0.40 16.10 And 68.00 69.56 1.56 1.05 Incl. 69.17 69.56 0.39 1.49 And 72.75 73.68 0.93 1.10

TI-22-005 64.25 64.60 0.35 4.99 And 71.80 73.70 1.90 2.21 Incl. 72.60 73.10 0.50 4.68 And 74.85 77.35 2.50 1.33 Incl. 76.50 77.00 0.50 1.69

TI-22-006 59.10 62.50 3.40 1.33 Incl. 61.12 61.84 0.72 2.51 And 65.85 72.81 6.96 1.41 Incl. 67.55 68.33 0.78 2.37 And 75.00 75.54 0.54 3.14

TI-22-007 99.36 99.76 0.40 1.73

TI-22-009 139.17 140.16 0.99 3.86 Incl. 139.17 139.60 0.43 7.96 And 143.79 145.00 1.21 3.32 Incl. 143.79 144.60 0.81 4.66 And 147.11 149.89 2.78 1.41 Incl. 149.07 149.50 0.43 2.15

TI-22-010 145.00 147.00 2.00 2.33 Incl. 145.39 145.91 0.52 4.90 And 148.00 150.09 2.09 2.02 Incl. 148.50 149.00 0.50 2.95 And 150.64 151.50 0.86 1.02 Incl. 150.64 151.00 0.36 1.23 And 151.92 154.00 2.08 1.05 Incl. 153.64 154.00 0.36 2.40

TI-22-011 153.31 154.00 0.69 1.17 And 157.50 158.27 0.77 1.01 Incl. 157.50 157.91 0.41 1.10

TI-22-013 57.70 59.80 2.10 1.71 Incl. 59.10 59.80 0.70 1.80

TI-22-014 167.28 167.70 0.42 2.16

TI-22-015 32.00 34.00 2.00 1.59 Incl. 32.40 33.00 0.60 2.26 And 72.50 74.15 1.65 3.69 Incl. 73.45 74.15 0.70 5.66 And 127.45 128.43 0.98 1.75 *All intersections are core intervals and do not represent true thickness

2022 Titan Diamond Drilling Program:



The 2022 drill program at Titan consisted of 20 NQ sized (4.76 cm diameter coring) drill holes totaling 6,059 metres which was completed by November 25th, 2022. Drill holes tested the mineralized gabbroic intrusions that produced historic drilling intercepts of up 10.22 g/t Au over 3.35 metres (Crosshair, 2004 - Drill hole WP-1). Holes TI-22-017, TI-22-018, and TI-22-020 tested additional geological structures interpreted to control gold mineralization at Titan.

Holes throughout the program were also designed to target geophysical responses highlighted by the Alpha IP survey completed for Exploits by Simcoe Geoscience. Interpretation indicated several zones of combined conductivity (elevated metal content) / resistivity (potential silicification-veining) responses.



Table 2: Titan drill collar locations (Datum - NAD83)

Hole ID East North Elevation (m) Azimuth Dip Depth (m) TI-22-001 675459 5465491 69 315 -45 307 TI-22-002 675459 5465491 69 315 -60 352 TI-22-003 675506 5465440 68 315 -45 271 TI-22-004 675596 5465352 71 315 -50 349 TI-22-005 675596 5465352 71 315 -70 220 TI-22-006 675588 5465350 60 335 -50 250 TI-22-007 675628 5465314 69 315 -65 250 TI-22-008 675660 5465287 70 315 -65 235 TI-22-009 675685 5465260 66 315 -65 283 TI-22-010 675685 5465260 66 315 -75 349 TI-22-011 675669 5465271 67 270 -45 340 TI-22-012 675430 5465320 65 315 -45 280 TI-22-013 675526 5465276 65 315 -45 169 TI-22-014 675666 5465418 69 315 -45 499 TI-22-015 675843 5465693 75 270 -45 310 TI-22-016 675845 5465700 76 135 -45 352 TI-22-017 674735 5465230 55 315 -45 394 TI-22-018 674735 5465230 55 270 -45 349 TI-22-019 675735 5465210 66 315 -65 250 TI-22-020 677416 5466280 80 135 -45 250

Quality Assurance - Quality Control ("QA/QC")

The NQ core that was selected for sampling was halved by core saw, placed into sample bags with unique sample tags for identification by Company personnel. The bags are then sealed and transported directly to SGS Canada Inc. ("SGS") Mobile Sample Preparation Unit (MSPU) located in Grand Falls - Newfoundland by Company personnel for sample preparation. After preparation, the samples are sent to SGS's analytical laboratory in Burnaby - British Columbia for analysis. At the analytical lab, 30-gram splits are digested by multi-acid (4-Acid) digestion and analyzed for gold by fire assay (method GE_FAI31V5) plus 33 elements by ICP-AES (method GE_ICP40Q12). Certified reference materials and blanks are inserted at defined intervals for QA/QC purposes by the Company, representing approximately 10% of all samples sent for assay.

SGS is an ISO/IEC 17025 certified laboratory and independent of Exploits Discovery Corp.

National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure

Ken Tylee, P.Geo., VP of Exploration with Exploits, is a qualified person within the Provinces of Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Tylee has reviewed and approved the technical information presented herein.

About Exploits Discovery Corp.

Exploits is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of mineral projects in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The Company is actively exploring its gold projects in the Exploits Subzone, covering approximately 2,000 square kilometres of mineral tenements. The Company's Exploration 2.0 methodology is focused on discovering high-grade structurally hosted epizonal gold similar to New Found Gold's success at the Keats and Lotto Zones in the Appleton zone. Exploits is leveraging its local team and geologic understanding to become one of the most extensive explorers in the Exploits Subzone.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

/s/ "Jeff Swinoga"

President and CEO

For more information, please contact:

Shanda Kilborn

VP, Investor Relations

+1 (778) 819-2708

investors@exploits.gold

https://exploitsdiscovery.com/

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, but not limited to, market conditions, availability of financing, actual results of the Company's exploration and other activities, environmental risks, future metal prices, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry. All the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required by applicable law.

Acknowledgments

Exploits Discovery would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Junior Exploration Assistance Program from the Department of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152434
Veriff's identity verification capabilities seamlessly verifies Baanx users, helping to prevent fraud and money laundering

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Veriff , a global identity verification provider, today announced that it has partnered with Baanx , a Web3 fintech company and FCA-approved for crypto asset license, to provide identity verification services as a means to help protect Baanx and its users against fraud and money laundering risks. With this partnership, Veriff adds an extra layer of safety and security to Baanx's online crypto platform, which offers Web3 fintech solutions to clients and their communities, including Cryptodraft and payment authorisation integration into VISA, Mastercard, and other transaction payment systems.





Crypto fraud is on the rise as the industry continues to fluctuate, leaving more room for fraudsters to slip through the cracks. Veriff's streamlined, AI-powered identity verification technology enables Baanx to confirm the identity of their users during the onboarding process, and ensure that their services are being used only for legitimate purposes. Veriff's ability to verify more than 11,200 government-issued IDs from more than 190 countries and in 47 different languages, helps Baanx ensure compliance with the local regulations of their global customer base, reducing the risk of fraud and money laundering on a global scale.

"As a crypto-friendly company, we are more than aware that the crypto space attracts fraudsters, as they often take advantage of crypto's decentralization to scam victims out of their funds. Moreover, due to the market's bearish conditions, the risk of fraud is currently much higher," said Mark Evans, CCO & CFO at Baanx. "Our mission is to transition the world from Web2 to Web3 and help bridge the gap between decentralized finance (DeFi) and traditional finance. But we must continue to manage digital assets with maximum privacy and security in order to establish the trust needed to make this evolution possible. With Veriff, we are in a strong position to accomplish this."

Since integrating Veriff's technology, Baanx has already reduced the time of their verification process, enabling them to onboard users more quickly and safely than ever before. Currently operating in the United Kingdom and Europe, Baanx plans to securely expand their services to more countries and grow their user base, with the goal of helping more customers manage their digital financial assets.

"Cryptocurrencies are disrupting the world of finance, and the crypto industry has evolved dramatically over the past few years. However, transactions between users are generally anonymous and instantaneous, providing more opportunities for fraudsters and criminals looking to evade conventional anti-money laundering controls. And right now, fraud rates for crypto transactions are at an all-time high," said Indrek Heinloo, COO of Veriff. "As a result, it's never been more important for online banking platforms that offer crypto services to be several steps ahead of these bad actors. We're thrilled to partner with Baanx and work together to help build more trust in the crypto and Web3 space."

For more information about our partnership, please visit us at www.veriff.com .

About Baanx

Baanx offers Web3 Fintech Solutions to the digital asset sector, including Cryptodraft and payment authorisation integration into VISA, Mastercard & other transaction payment systems. Baanx's mission is to transition the world from Web2 to Web3 by building on DLT, blockchain, automation and AI. Baanx manages digital assets with maximum privacy and security. The company is launching services for more than 25 top tier clients, including Ledger. The Baanx team have exceptional experience in banking, financial technology, cryptography, finance and digital marketing.

About Veriff

Veriff is the preferred identity verification partner for the world's biggest and best digital companies, including pioneers in fintech, crypto, gaming and the mobility sectors. We provide advanced technology, deep insights and expertise from our foundation in digital-first Estonia and honed over decades in leading the digital identity revolution. With more than 550 people from 60 different nationalities and offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, and Estonia, as well as robust backing and funding from investors including Accel, Alkeon, IVP, Tiger Capital and Y Combinator, we're dedicated to helping businesses and individuals build a safer and more secure world.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1875368/Veriff_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/veriff---baanx-partnership-ensures-trusted-user-onboarding-for-online-banking-platform-301729754.html
First placebo-controlled efficacy study completed to date exploring a short-duration psychedelic for depression demonstrates rapid and durable response



Primary endpoint met with a statistically significant -7.4 point difference between SPL026 (21.5mg) and placebo at two-weeks post-dose as measured by MADRS change from baseline (p=0.02)

Antidepressant effect of SPL026, with supportive therapy, demonstrated a rapid onset at one-week post-dose with a statistically significant difference in MADRS of -10.8 versus placebo (p=0.002)

Durable antidepressant effect with a 57% remission* rate at 12-weeks following a single SPL026 dose with supportive therapy

No apparent differences identified in antidepressant effect between a one and two dose regimen of SPL026

Favourable safety and tolerability profile demonstrated with no drug-related serious adverse events reported. All adverse events related to treatment were considered mild or moderate

Company to host conference call at 8:30am (EST) / 1:30pm (GMT) January 25, 2023 to discuss results

LONDON, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Small Pharma Inc. (TSXV: DMT) (OTCQB: DMTTF) (the "Company" or "Small Pharma"), a biotechnology company focused on short-duration psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental health conditions, today announces that SPL026, intravenous N,N-Dimethyltryptamine ("DMT"), with supportive therapy for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder ("MDD") met the primary endpoint in its Phase IIa clinical trial, demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically relevant reduction in depressive symptoms at two-weeks post-dose, as compared to placebo. Further analysis of key secondary endpoints demonstrated a rapid and durable antidepressant effect to 12-weeks.

The trial investigated the efficacy and safety of intravenous ("IV") SPL026, with supportive therapy, in 34 patients with moderate/severe MDD. Participants who entered the trial on pharmacological antidepressant medication were withdrawn from their treatment prior to dosing. Patients were dosed with a short IV infusion of 21.5mg of SPL026, resulting in a 20 to 30-minute psychedelic experience. The dose was selected as a result of data analysis from the Company's Phase I study confirming that it was well tolerated and delivered a consistent psychedelic experience in healthy volunteers.

The two-staged Phase IIa study included a blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled phase, where the primary endpoint was to assess the efficacy of a single dose of SPL026 with supportive therapy (N=17) versus placebo with therapy (N=17) at two-weeks post-dose. All study participants were subsequently enrolled into an open-label phase of the study where they received a single dose of SPL026 with supportive therapy, and were followed-up for a further 12-weeks in study**. This open-label trial design enabled the assessment of durability of antidepressant effect, as well as the comparative efficacy and safety of a one versus two dose regimen of SPL026.

Efficacy was assessed using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating scale ("MADRS") to measure any potential change in patients' depression from baseline. MADRS was assessed by independent raters who were not present at dosing and were blinded to the overall treatment.

The Phase IIa study met the primary endpoint demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically relevant reduction in depressive symptoms two-weeks following a dose of SPL026 with supportive therapy, compared to placebo, demonstrating a -7.4 point difference in MADRS (p=0.02). Analysis of key secondary endpoints demonstrated a rapid onset of antidepressant effect one-week post-dose, with a statistically significant difference in MADRS score between the active and placebo groups of -10.8 (p=0.002).

Across the 12-week open-label phase, patients who received at least one active dose of SPL026 with supportive therapy reported a durable improvement in depression symptoms. No apparent difference in antidepressant effect was observed between a one and two dose regimen of SPL026. The total mean reduction in MADRS from baseline after a single dose of SPL026 was -15.4 at 12-weeks.

Dr. Carol Routledge, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer said: "We are pleased that a significant number of patients benefited from the treatment in our trial. SPL026 with supportive therapy was shown to have a significant antidepressant effect that was rapid and durable, with a remission rate of 57% at three months following a single dose of SPL026. It was encouraging to see that SPL026 demonstrated a favourable safety and tolerability profile in MDD patients in this study, consistent with our Phase I study. The results are clinically meaningful and enable us to progress into an international multi-site Phase IIb study where we seek to further explore the efficacy and safety profile of SPL026 in a larger MDD patient population."

Key Findings

Active, Active (Two dose regimen) Blinded phase

Active Open-label phase Active, Active Phase-related weeks post-dosea W1 W2 W12 MADRS Change From Baseline ("CFB") -12.7 -11.0 -7.8 p-value (MADRS CFB difference active vs. placebo) 0.002 0.02 n/a Response % 44% 35% 42% Remission % 44% 29% 33% Placebo, Active (One dose regimen) Blinded phase

Placebo Open-label phase Placebo, Active Phase-related weeks post-dosea W1 W2 W12 MADRS CFB -1.9 -3.6 -15.4 Response % 6% 12% 50% Remission % 13% 12% 57%

Notes:

a) refers to weeks following dose administered in either the blinded or open-label phase

Rapid onset of antidepressant effect

Primary endpoint met with a statistically significant -7.4 point difference between SPL026 and placebo (p=0.02) at two-weeks post-dose, as measured by MADRS change from baseline

Statistically significant -10.8 point difference between SPL026 and placebo (p=0.002) at one-week post-dose, as measured by MADRS change from baseline

Clinically meaningful difference in response* rates of SPL026 at week one and week two, 44% and 35%, respectively

Clinically meaningful difference in remission rates of SPL026 at week one and week two of 44% and 29%, respectively

Durability of antidepressant effect

Durability was measured by a change in MADRS from the original baseline of the study, at one, two, four and 12-weeks after the open-label dose of SPL026

Durable improvement in depression symptoms from baseline in groups receiving at least one dose of SPL026 observed to 12-weeks following the open-label dose

No apparent differences identified in antidepressant effect between a one and two dose regimen of SPL026

Treatment group receiving an open-label dose of SPL026 following placebo showed: Total change in MADRS from baseline of -10.6 and -15.4 at one and 12-weeks post open-label dose Durable response rate from week 1 (43%) to week 12 (50%) post dose Durable remission rate from week 1 (43%) to week 12 (57%) post dose





Safety and tolerability

SPL026 was well tolerated by all patients receiving an active dose

No drug-related serious adverse events reported, including no reported suicidal ideation or behaviour

Adverse events ( "AEs" ) deemed possibly related to treatment in the blinded phase: 19 in the SPL026 group 4 in the placebo group All were deemed mild or moderate in severity

) deemed possibly related to treatment in the blinded phase: 24 AEs deemed possibly related to treatment in the open-label phase

Majority of drug-related AEs (~80%) resolved during the dosing visit

No clinically significant safety concerns in any treatment group, including with vital signs, electrocardiogram (ECG) or clinical laboratory findings



The detailed results of the Phase IIa trial are expected to be presented at upcoming scientific meetings and published in a peer-reviewed journal.

George Tziras, Chief Executive Officer of Small Pharma said: "MDD affects the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The scale of the unmet need indicates the importance of investigating alternative new treatments. Our goal is to develop proprietary, scalable and reimbursable short-duration psychedelics with supportive therapy to address this need. I am delighted with our top-line results, which demonstrate proof-of-concept for SPL026 and provide encouraging support for our broader portfolio. I want to thank each patient who took part in this trial, as well as their families, the trial investigators, the employees of the trial sites and everyone who has supported the successful completion of this study."

Dr. David Erritzoe Clinical Psychiatrist at Imperial College London and Chief Investigator of the Phase I/IIa study added: "The results are exciting for the field of psychiatry. We now have the first evidence that SPL026 DMT, combined with supportive therapy, may be effective for people suffering from MDD. For patients who are unfortunate to experience little benefit from existing antidepressants, the potential for rapid and durable relief from a single treatment, as shown in this trial, is very promising."

Conference Call and Webcast Details:

The Small Pharma management team will host a conference call at 8:30am EST / 1:30pm GMT on Wednesday January 25, 2023. To access the call and webcast presentation, select the relevant dial-in number and webcast link below.

Time: 8:30 a.m. (EST) / 1:30 p.m. (GMT) Dial-in number (from US): +1-877-423-9813 Dial-in number (from outside US) +1-201-689-8573 Conference ID: 13735973 Webcast (to view presentation slides): https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1595427&tp_key=af827d4034

Following its completion, the webcast will also be available on the Investor section of the Small Pharma website under 'Events & Conferences'. The webcast will be available for 30 days.

About MDD

An estimated 280 million people globally suffer from Major Depressive Disorder, which is a leading cause of disability and a major contributor to the overall burden of disease worldwide. It is a condition characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities1.

About Small Pharma

Small Pharma is a biotechnology company progressing a pipeline of short-duration psychedelic-assisted therapies for the treatment of mental health conditions. The Company's current focus is on exploring new therapeutic approaches for depression. Small Pharma's lead candidate, SPL026, is a proprietary synthetic formulation of DMT. The Company is advancing clinical programs of SPL026 and SPL028 with supportive therapy for the treatment of mental health conditions and was granted an Innovation Passport designation from the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (the "MHRA") for intravenous SPL026 with supportive therapy for MDD. In addition, Small Pharma has a pipeline of proprietary preclinical assets in development.

Legend:

*remission = MADRS score =10; response = =50% reduction in MADRS from baseline

**patients are followed up to 6-months out of study

Source:

WHO (2021), Depression fact-sheet.



For further information contact:

Small Pharma Inc.

George Tziras, Chief Executive Officer

Email: ir@smallpharma.co.uk

Tel: +1 (646) 751-4363

Investor Relations Contacts:

Eric Ribner

LifeSci Advisors

Email: eric@lifesciadvisors.com

Tel: +1 (646) 889-1200

Media Relations Contacts:

Jaber Mohamed

MHP Communications

Email: smallpharma@mhpc.com

Tel: +44 (0)7720 326 847

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" ("forward-looking information") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Company's Phase IIa study of SPL026, including the anticipated impact on the application of SPL026 and the treatment of mental health conditions, as well as the presentation and publishing of detailed trial results; the impact of further analysis of the top-line SPL026 trial data on assumptions made based on top-line data; the anticipated commencement, timing and design of the Company's Phase IIb international multi-site trial of SPL026, including the potential impact of such trial on a larger MDD patient population; the potential effect and impact of SPL026 on individuals suffering from MDD: the Company's ability to develop proprietary, scalable and reimbursable short-duration psychedelics with supportive therapy to address the needs of the MDD community; and the Company's ability to progress short-duration psychedelic assisted therapies for the treatment of mental health conditions.

In disclosing the forward-looking information contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking information will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: compliance with extensive government regulations; domestic and foreign laws and regulations adversely affecting the Company's business and results of operations; the impact of COVID-19; and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking information or otherwise.

Small Pharma makes no medical, treatment or health benefit claims about its proposed products. The MHRA or other similar regulatory authorities have not evaluated claims regarding DMT-assisted therapies and other next generation psychoactive compounds. The efficacy of such therapies has not been confirmed by MHRA-approved research. There is no assurance that such DMT-assisted therapies and other psychoactive compounds can diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition. Vigorous scientific research and clinical trials are needed. Any references to quality, consistency, efficacy and safety of potential therapies do not imply that Small Pharma verified such in clinical trials or that Small Pharma will complete such trials. If Small Pharma cannot obtain the approvals or research necessary to commercialize its business, it may have a material adverse effect on Small Pharma's performance and operations.

The TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Orefinders Resources Inc. (TSXV: ORX) (OTCQB: ORFDF) ("Orefinders" or the "Company") is pleased to provide shareholders with an update on its investments, exploration activities and corporate strategy.

Equity and Property Investments in: American Eagle and its discovery and drilling of its NAK Copper-Gold Porphyry Project Quebec Copper & Gold and its developments at Opemiska Mistango, its agreement with Agnico Eagle and investment in Metal Energy

Update on Orefinders option arrangement with Agnico Eagle

Drilling Update for the Grizzly Gold Project in Quebec

Update for the GSL Zinc Project in Alberta

"As shareholders will see from the below update, Orefinders has amassed a broad portfolio of physical projects and equity investments that give the Company diversity, optionality and exposure to a wide range of commodities, including gold, copper, zinc and nickel. Orefinders also maintains a strong cash treasury with over $5 million. Shareholders can expect Orefinders to continue to grow its portfolio through exploration, creative transactions and other incubation opportunities that it and the management team at the Ore Group facilitates," said Stephen Stewart, Orefinders' CEO.

American Eagle Investments - Orefinders owns 7% of shares & 20% of NAK Project

American Eagle Gold (TSXV: AE) ("American Eagle") was a spin-out of Orefinders in 2021, which resulted in 10 million shares of American Eagle going to Orefinders. Orefinders then dividended 5 million of those shares directly to Orefinders shareholders and retained 5 million shares for its treasury, which are still owned.

In addition to the 5 million shares of American Eagle it owns, in December 2022, Orefinders announced the closing of an exploration option agreement to acquire a 20% interest in the NAK Copper Gold Project, located in British Columbia.

After this, American Eagle announced a discovery on the NAK project. NAK is a classic porphyry copper-gold mineralized target that exhibits many signs of a robust and large-scale system. Highlights of American Eagle's recently completed a 6,000-metre drill program include:

NAK22-01 returned 851 m of 0.37% CuEq, including 126 metres of 1.05% CuEq from surface

NAK22-02 returned 956 m of 0.37% CuEq, including 301 metres of 0.61% CuEq from surface

NAK22-03 returned 906 m of 0.21% CuEq from surface, including 645 metres of 0.24% CuEq

NAK22-04 returned 527 m of 0.45% CuEq from surface, including 89 metres of 0.98% CuEq



Assay results for NAK's holes 5 to 7 are pending.

QC Copper Mineral Resource Estimate Expected Soon - Orefinders owns 5 million shares

QC Copper and Gold Inc. (TSVX: QCCU) is another spin-out from Orefinders, which resulted in 10 million shares of QC Copper going to Orefinders. Orefinders then dividended 5 million of those shares directly to Orefinders shareholders and retained 5.2 million shares for Orefinders treasury, which are still owned.

QC Copper recently announced the resumption of drilling on the Opemiska Property as a part of its Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") update. They also provided an update on its plans for 2023, which includes a 10,000-metre three-rig drill program currently underway and expected to complete in February. This drill program is part of a broader strategy to bring the Opemiska copper project to a development decision. The highlights of the Opemiska project include the following:

Maiden open pit-constrained MRE released in September 2021 of 82mt at 0.88% Copper Equivalent ("CuEq") Measured and & Indicated and 21mt at 0.73% CuEq Inferred

Aggressive drilling over 2022 focused on resource expansion within the pit

The 2022 program has met or exceeded expectations, leading to increased confidence in a significantly expanded resource and better potential mine economics

The final 10,000m underway will be included in the expanded MRE, whose timing is expected around June 2023

QC Copper is increasingly confident in bulk tonnage and lower strip mining potential and will move toward the Preliminary Economic Studies post-finalization of MRE

For highlights of 2021 and 2022 drill results, please click here

Mistango River Resources - Orefinders owns 25 million shares

Orefinders owns 25 million shares of Mistango River Resources (CSE: MIS) ("Mistango"). Like Orefinders, Mistango has an option agreement with Agnico Eagle pursuant to which Agnico Eagle has the right to acquire up to a 75% interest in Mistango's Kirkland Lake West property which is located adjacent to Agnico Eagle's Macassa mine and the Omega property which is located adjacent to the Kerr-Addison mine, by spending $60 million over a ten-year option period starting from April 2021. Agnico Eagle also owns approximately 9.9% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Mistango.

Mistango also recently completed two drill programs. The first was on its Ledden Copper-Gold Project in Chibougamau, Quebec, and the second was on its Goldie Gold Project in the Shebandown Trend near Thunder Bay, Ontario. Assays results for both programs are pending.

Mistango also owns a 15% interest in Metal Energy's (TSXV: MERG) (OTCQB: MEEF) Manibridge Mine located in the Thompson Belt, Manitoba. Metal Energy recently completed a 10,000-metre drill program at Manibridge with highlights including:

85.7 composite metres of 0.67% NiEq (57.6 GT) starting at 156 m vertical depth

79.8 composite metres of 0.65% NiEq (51.7 GT) starting at 215 m vertical depth

47.6 composite metres of 0.82% NiEq (39.1 GT) starting at 273 m vertical depth

Results from 9 drill holes closer to the old mine workings are still pending. For more information, please see Metal Energy's news release of Jan 23, 2023.

Agnico Eagle Option Arrangement

As previously disclosed, Orefinders and Agnio Eagle Mines Limited ("Agnico Eagle") entered into an exploration option agreement dated April 19, 2021 (the "Option Agreement") pursuant to which Agnico Eagle has the right to earn up to a 75% interest in the Company's Mirado, McGarry and Knight properties (the "Optioned Properties"). The Option Agreement is designed to explore these three properties located in the world-class gold district of Kirkland Lake, Ontario while preserving Orefinders' treasury. Agnico Eagle also owns approximately 9.9% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Orefinders.

Pursuant to the Option Agreement, Agnico Eagle may earn a 50% interest in the Optioned Properties by spending $10 million over a five year period. Thereafter, Agnico Eagle has a further right to acquire an additional 25% interest in the Optioned Properties by spending an additional $50 million on the Optioned Properties. During the first two years of the Option Agreement, Agnico Eagle has spent approximately $1 million and $1.5 million, respectively, which represent the minimum commitments provided for under the Option Agreement. In order to keep the Option Agreement in good standing and earn the initial 50% interest, Agnico Eagle will need to spend a minimum of $7.5 million over the next approximately three years. For further information on the Option Agreement, see the Company's news release dated April 21, 2021.

Drilling on Orefinders' Grizzly Gold Project is Complete, Assays Pending

In November 2022, Orefinders announced an agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the Grizzly Gold Project ("Grizzly") in the Chibougamau District of Quebec. Grizzly allows Orefinders to explore near-surface gold and copper deposits in a prolific mining camp proximal to QC Copper and Gold's (TSXV: QCCU) Opemiska project. The Grizzly property is located 60 kilometres west of Chapais and is proximate to all major infrastructure from Chibougamau's mining camp, including road, rail, hydropower lines and a skilled local workforce.

Orefinders recently completed a 3,000 metre drill program on Grizzly, with assays results pending.

GSL Zinc Project in Alberta Update - Drill permits pending

In October 2022, Orefinders acquired a 100% interest in the GSL Zinc Project ("GSL") through staking. GSL is a grassroots generative opportunity that provides exposure to a potential new large-scale zinc discovery. GSL is within the Great Slave Lake Shear Zone in Western Canada's Sedimentary Basin, which hosts the Pine Point mining camp 330 kilometres northeast. Pine Point was a large open pit mine built and operated by Cominco, which produced lead and zinc for nearly 35 years. GSL has excellent access and infrastructure as it sits along the McKenzie highway and has a railroad crossing the claims. The area of GSL is covered by glacial till ranging from 15-50 metres in depth, with few outcrops and the Company's exploration thesis has never been effectively tested. Orefinders is currently awaiting permits to begin drilling.

To learn more about Orefinders, the Ore Group, and all things mining, please go to our YouTube Chanel: youtube.com/@theoregroup

QP Statement

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Charles Beaudry, P.Geo and geo., Director of Orefinders, a Qualified Person, as defined in "National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects."

For the latest updates, please contact or follow us on Twitter @Orefinders

To speak to the Company directly, please contact:

Stephen Stewart, Chief Executive Officer

Phone: 416.644.1567

Email: sstewart@oregroup.ca

www.orefinders.ca

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Orefinders' assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to Orefinders. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by Orefinders with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under Orefinders' profile at www.sedar.com.

All dollar amounts set out in this press release are in Canadian dollars.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152423
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Idaho Champion (CSE: ITKO) (OTCQB: GLDRF) (FSE: 1QB1) ("Idaho Champion" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company signed Binding Letters of Intent (the "LOIs" or "Acquisition") to acquire prospective properties in the pegmatite-rich Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory of Quebec. The prospective properties are adjacent to the previously acquired Blanche and Charles Projects and are comprised of 235 claims (See Figure 1).

Idaho Champion now controls 522 contiguous claims covering 283.13 km2 (See Figure 2) in the La Grande Greenstone Belt, rich in lithium pegmatite and including Patriot Battery Metals' ("Patriot") Corvette Project which recently intersected 156.9 m at 2.12% Li2O (176.4 m to 333.4 m), including 25.0 m at 5.04% Li2O or 5.0 m at 6.36% Li2O (CV22-083)*. All Idaho Champion properties have good infrastructure, including power and road access.

"We have received valuable feedback from the recently completed desktop study of Blanche and Charles, which prompted our pursuit to increase our land package in the area. The new properties include prospective exploration targets which will be worked into our exploration plans for 2023. Armed with a contiguous large position along the La Grande Greenstone belt, rich in lithium pegmatites, we believe we now have an immediate opportunity for a discovery of magnitude," commented Jonathan Buick, President and CEO.

Figure 1: Quebec Lithium Pegmatite Property Location Map

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8681/152422_f751e29c44382884_001full.jpg

Figure 2: Quebec Lithium Pegmatite Properties Area Map

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8681/152422_f751e29c44382884_002full.jpg

As part of the LOIs, Idaho Champion will acquire 235 claims for cash consideration of $70,000, 7,500,000 common shares of the Company, and 250,000 warrants priced at CAD$0.15 for two years from the date of signing of the Definitive Purchase and Sale Agreement and claims transfer. The Vendors will retain a 2% net smelter royalty ("NSR"). The Company has the option to repurchase 1% of the NSR from the Vendors for $1 million. Subject to closing, the Company will issue 445,000 common shares of the Company in connection with Finder's Fees. Closing of the acquisition is subject to all the required regulations, including a 45-day due diligence period and regulatory and stock exchange approval.

*The Projects are at an early stage of exploration, and the Company cautions that the qualified persons who have reviewed and approved this news release have not verified scientific or technical information produced by third parties, and proximity to projects containing lithium resources offers no assurance that the rock types or lithium resources reported by Patriot and others extend onto the Projects and such proximity is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization reported by third parties with projects in the district.

Qualified Person

Patrick Highsmith, Certified Professional Geologist (AIPG CPG # 11702) and director of the Company, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Highsmith has helped prepare, reviewed, and approved the technical information in this news release.

About Idaho Champion Gold Mines Inc.

Idaho Champion is a discovery-focused exploration company that is committed to advancing its highly prospective cobalt properties located in Idaho, United States and lithium properties in Quebec, Canada. In addition, the Company owns the Baner gold project in Idaho County and the Champagne polymetallic project in Butte County near Arco.

The Company's shares trade on the CSE under the trading symbol "ITKO", on the OTCQB under the trading symbol "GLDRF", and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "1QB1". Idaho Champion strives to be a responsible environmental steward, stakeholder and contributing citizen to the local communities where it operates, taking its social license seriously, employing local community members and service providers at its operations whenever possible.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF IDAHO CHAMPION

"Jonathan Buick"

Jonathan Buick, President and CEO

For further information, please visit the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com or the Company's corporate website at www.idahochamp.com.

For further information, please contact:

Nicholas Konkin, Marketing and Communications

Phone: (416) 567- 9087

Email: nkonkin@idahochamp.com

THIS PRESS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY ANY SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION, NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY OFFER, SALE, OR SOLICITATION OF SECURITIES IN ANY STATE IN THE UNITED STATES IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SALE, OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.

Cautionary Statements

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release This press release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business of the Company. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of the Company, including suggested strike extension. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based on are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152422
Retailers can autonomously reduce energy costs and Scopes 1 and 2 GHG emissions across their portfolio, while optimizing store comfort for associates and customers

MONTREAL, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BrainBox AI, the market leader in autonomous artificial intelligence for commercial real estate, today announced an expansion of its product offering, dedicated to multi-site retail portfolios. With in-store retail nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, retailers are looking for solutions to reduce energy costs and emissions, while still optimizing customer and employee comfort. As brick-and-mortar stores are being called on to lead the way in the green real estate revolution, BrainBox AI addresses the needs of retailers by offering a solution that can meet or exceed a company's sustainability targets.



"Retail supply chains are responsible for 25% of global GHG emissions, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Our product offering enables retailers to quickly and efficiently reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint so that they can become part of the climate change solution," said Sam Ramadori, Chief Executive Officer, BrainBox AI. "When it comes to fighting climate change, speed, scale and impact matter. Here, our mission is to empower brick-and-mortar retailers and warehouses to reduce their carbon emissions and play a critical role in adopting energy efficient climate solutions to address the GHGs they are emitting."

Built on the foundation of BrainBox AI's core solution; this new offering for multi-site retailers can be connected to an existing building management system or via wireless cloud-connected AI-enabled thermostat upgrades.

Today, a number of retailers have already signed up to experience the benefits of BrainBox AI's groundbreaking artificial intelligence technology. Sleep Country, Canada's leading specialty sleep retailer, installed BrainBox AI across 214 stores, representing 1.1 million square feet of retail space across Canada. BrainBox AI has also been deployed in hundreds of other multi-site real estate locations including grocers, discount retailers, big box stores, medical clinics, sporting goods stores, and more. To date, BrainBox AI has decreased its multi-site retail clients' HVAC electricity spend by an average 26% and gas spend by an average 34%, enabling an overall average 28% reduction in the HVAC emissions of their buildings.



Additionally, retailers will experience up to a 15% reduction in maintenance costs, up to a 50% extension of equipment service life, and a 60% improvement in comfort level for customers and associates.

Continued Ramadori, "BrainBox AI's expansion of our capabilities will enable brick-and-mortar retailers to lead the way among their peers in the multi-site real estate sector in achieving their sustainability goals. We invite retailers to join BrainBox AI in the effort to make a positive impact on the environment, reduce energy consumption, and help achieve our climate targets."

Visit BrainBox AI's multi-site retail page to learn more.

Register and tune in to our webinar on Thursday February 23 at 12:00pm ET/ 9:00am PT; Case Study: A National Retailers Decarbonization Journey with BrainBox AIto hear about national retail chain Sleep Country's decarbonization journey firsthand.

About BrainBox AI

Founded in 2017, BrainBox AI was created to address the dilemma currently facing the built environment, its energy consumption and significant contribution to climate change. As innovators of the global energy transition, BrainBox AI's game-changing HVAC technology leverages AI to make buildings smarter, greener, and more efficient. Working together with our trusted global partners, BrainBox AI supports real estate clients in various sectors, including office buildings, hotels, commercial retail, grocery stores, airports, and more.



Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, a global AI hub, our workforce of over 150 employees, bring with them talent from all sectors with the common thread of being in business to heal our planet. BrainBox AI works in collaboration with research partners including the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Media Enquiries

Rebecca Bender

Montieth & Company

rbender@montiethco.com
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - As per media reports, the German prosecutors are currently conducting raids at the Frankfurt office of BNP Paribas (BNPQY.PK, BNP.L) in connection with the cum-ex tax fraud scheme. The investigation related to the cum-ex tax fraud started in 2017, and the French bank was fully cooperating since then. The investigation related to the fraud involves nearly 100 banks. BNP Paribas is the European Union's leading bank. It operates in 65 countries and has nearly 190,000 employees, including nearly 145,000 in Europe. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Cresco Labs (CSE:CL) (OTCQX:CRLBF) ("Cresco" or "the Company), a vertically integrated multistate cannabis operator and the No. 1 U.S. wholesaler of branded products, today announced the opening of a new Sunnyside dispensary in Lutz, Florida. Sunnyside Lutz joins its sister locations in Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburgh in serving patients residing around the Tampa Bay area. The new store is Cresco Labs' 22nd dispensary in Florida and 56th dispensary nationwide.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005221/en/

Cresco Labs opened its newest Sunnyside dispensary in Lutz, Florida. (Photo: Business Wire)

"We are pleased to expand the reach of Sunnyside and Cresco Labs' leading portfolio of products to another group of patients residing in the Tampa region," said Charles Bachtell, Cresco Labs' CEO Co-Founder. "We have plans to continue expansion in 2023, and we are excited to continue winning over more patients through a combination of excellent service, approachable prices and top-quality products."

Sunnyside Lutz is located at 21708 FL-54 on State Road 54, an east/west throughfare and convenient access point for customers. The store offers a variety of cannabis products from Cresco Labs' branded portfolio that includes Cresco, One Plant, Supply, Good News, Remedi and Sunnyside. The store also has a curated selection of accessories.

Patients can place orders today in store and online through the Sunnyside.shop website. Sunnyside Lutz store hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 AM to 8 PM, and Sunday, 9 AM to 6 PM.

About Cresco Labs

Cresco Labs, one of the largest multistate cannabis operators, strives to normalize and professionalize the cannabis industry through best-in-class cultivation, manufacturing, branded products, retail and initiatives that support and uplift the communities it serves. The largest wholesaler of branded products in 2021 and 2022, the company develops and distributes a robust portfolio of brands created to meet different customer needs, including FloraCal Farms, Cresco, High Supply, Mindy's, Good News, Remedi and Wonder Wellness. Cresco Labs has operations in 10 states, with stores operating under its top-performing national retail brand, Sunnyside, in seven markets. Headquartered in Chicago, Cresco Labs launched in 2019 the cannabis industry's first social equity initiative, SEEDTM (Social Equity and Educational Development), to address the absence of people, businesses and communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs in cannabis. The company was recognized on Crain's Chicago Business' Fast 50 list in 2022 and Inc.'s Best Led Companies list in 2022. Learn more about Cresco Labs at www.crescolabs.com.

Facebook: Cresco Labs

Twitter: Cresco Labs

LinkedIn: Cresco Labs

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005221/en/

Contacts:

Media:

Jason Erkes, Cresco Labs

Chief Communications Officer

press@crescolabs.com



Investors:

Megan Kulick, Cresco Labs

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations

investors@crescolabs.com



For general Cresco Labs inquiries:

312-929-0993

info@crescolabs.com
The Deep-Tech Company's Quantum-Safe Messenger Platform

Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Quantum eMotion Corp. (TSXV: QNC) (OTCQB: QNCCF) (FSE: 34Q) ("QeM" or the "Company") announces the launch of Sentry-Q its Quantum-safe messenger platform.

Francis Bellido, CEO of QeM, commented: "QeM is thrilled to announce the launch of its revolutionary Quantum-safe messenger platform, designed for the secure communication of large and complex messages, including entire database structures. After the completion of our quantum random number generator (QRNG2) last year, we realized that to maximize the value of this game-changing technology we needed to develop complete cybersecurity solutions based on truly random numbers. We now have a platform, named Sentry-Q, that has the potential to perform as a cloud-based solution or as a physical hardware device. It is versatile and flexible enough to be used in a multitude of applications, as a whole or in part."

Larry Moore, CTO of QeM, said: "The Sentry-Q platform is comprised of three modules that each have several advantages as cybersecurity weapons:

QRNG2: QeM's first QRNG exploits the inherent randomness of quantum mechanics to generate truly random numbers that are impossible to predict, and vastly better than pseudo-random numbers created by traditional algorithms. This makes QRNG2 particularly useful for generating cryptographic keys, which are used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data. Our QRNG can also generate random numbers at a much faster rate than traditional systems, making it possible to generate a large number of keys in a relatively short amount of time, enabling the use of quantum-safe cryptography.

QXCP: QeM's cryptographic platform designed to be agile and extensible enough to be adapted to a wide range of attack vectors, including "man-in-the-middle" attacks, and has just been extended to be Quantum-safe. As a result, the QXCP platform includes the strongest encryption systems that exist to date.

QGPS: The Push Server Platform that is responsible for asynchronously1 sending large messages greater than one Gigabyte as push notifications to clients, even when the client is not active. QGPS enables Multi-Part Transmissions for fast communication while being independent from User Interface (UI) and Client Operating Systems."

Francis Bellido, added: "Sentry-Q will initially function as a cloud-based solution and will be progressively applied and evolved with hardware-based modules, such as PCI Express cards2, mini-HSM devices3 and embedded processors. We expect that Sentry-Q will position QeM as a significant player in the quantum-safe cybersecurity space. By coincidence, as we are announcing today in Montreal the launch of Sentry-Q, almost at the same time Quebec's government announces the availability for 2023 second half of the world's 5th quantum supercomputer, based on the 127-qubit Quantum System One architecture developed by IBM and operated by PINQ2, click HERE to read the full press release. The first generation of Quantum computers are already here and the threat they will pose to our security as their formidable power of calculation continues to increase with every new generational version could create havoc in our daily lives by exploiting data breaches of sensitive health and financial personal data, challenging the integrity of digital documents, and breaking most cryptocurrency encryption. The transition toward quantum-safe cybersecurity is becoming increasingly urgent."

About QeM

The Company's mission is to address the growing demand for affordable hardware security for connected devices. The patented solution for a Quantum Random Number Generator exploits the built-in unpredictability of quantum mechanics and promises to provide enhanced security for protecting high value assets and critical systems.

The Company intends to target the highly valued Financial Services, Blockchain Applications, Cloud-Based IT Security Infrastructure, Classified Government Networks and Communication Systems, Secure Device Keying (IOT, Automotive, Consumer Electronics) and Quantum Cryptography.

For further information, please contact:

Francis Bellido, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 514.956.2525

Email: info@quantumemotion.com

Website: www.quantumemotion.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from targeted results. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in the Corporation's periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Quantum from time to time with securities regulatory authorities.

Any type of communication where one person provides information, and then there is a time lag before the recipients take in the information and offer their responses. Hardware such as graphics cards, CPUs, solid-state drives (SSDs), or HDDs. Hardware security modules.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152403
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Astra Exploration Inc. (TSXV: ASTR) (OTCQB: ATEPF) ("Astra Exploration" or the "Company") is pleased to announce exploration updates on its Pampa Paciencia flagship gold and silver asset in the Paleocene Belt of Northern Chile.

Highlights:

Detailed mapping of the Pampa Paciencia project was completed in Q4-2022.

Mapping discovered areas of new vein float in the western side of the Impaciencia claims with anomalous gold and silver up to 5.33 grams per tonne (g/t) gold equivalent.

2,000 metres of new interpreted low sulphidation epithermal veins were identified.

Two new targets added for follow up with trenching program.

CEO Brian Miller commented: "The discovery of 2,000 additional metres of vein would nearly double the known vein strike at Pampa Paciencia. The grades continue to demonstrate the potential for a large, mineralized gold and silver deposit. This low cost, but very effective exploration conducted by our team further demonstrates the exciting potential we believe exists at Pampa Paciencia. It is reasonable to expect that further work like that just completed will identify additional veins in this under explored district. The Company will proceed with a trenching program to better define this gold mineralization ahead of a drill program."

The lithologies at Pampa Paciencia are known to host epithermal and porphyry mineralization yet remain mostly unexplored. The geological information received from the last two phases of drilling confirmed the need for detailed mapping to further reveal the potential for additional vein-style mineralization. The mapping results demonstrates this potential and was completed by Astra personnel at a 1:5,000 metres scale.

Pampa Paciencia is host to multiple gold and silver bearing Low Sulphidation Epithermal ("LSE") vein subcrops and areas of float material. These subcrops and float materials are in partially covered areas, resulting in the concealed veins only being discovered in 2015.

Mapping has defined two lithological and mineralization domains that are separated by the major Cerro Dominador NNE-striking fault. The Western domain is characterized by the presence of Cretaceous volcanic rocks as well as Cretaceous and Paleocene intrusive rocks with LSE vein mineralization and alteration, whereas the Eastern domain is characterized by Cretaceous to Paleocene intrusive rocks with porphyry-related hydrothermal alteration (Fig. 1).





Figure 1: Geological and mineralization map of the Pampa Paciencia project, with an inset of the stratigraphic column.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8951/152425_a53cd4d1c4cdf8c8_002full.jpg

A total of 2,000 metres of new interpreted vein strike length was added at the Impaciencia Oeste target area, with anomalous precious metals values of up to 3.36 ppm Au equivalent (0.75 ppm Au and 209 ppm Ag) in the north portion of this area (Fig. 2).

At Torres, another newly identified target located 1.5 km southeast of Impaciencia Oeste, LSE vein float was identified and accounts for up to 10% of the subcrop and float. The area was sampled with a 100 m by 100 m grid and samples returned up to 5.33 ppm Au equivalent (3.93 ppm Au and 112 ppm Ag). NW and NE structures can be interpreted from the geochemical results at this grid sampling. (Fig. 2).

The Torres and Impaciencia Oeste areas are interpreted to be part of the same trend, which aligns with the Faride mine LSE veins to the SE (Fig. 1 & 2). This trend, and in particular these two new targets, are ready for a trenching program to define thickness and grade of the veins and to define new drill targets in the Impaciencia claim area.





Figure 2: Detail of the new mineralized areas discovered at Impaciencia claims at the Pampa Paciencia project.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8951/152425_a53cd4d1c4cdf8c8_003full.jpg

Cambridge House - VRIC Participation

Astra Exploration will be participating at the Cambridge House - Vancouver Resource Investment Conference from January 29th-30th held in Vancouver, Canada and will be located at booth #508.





Figure 3: Location of the Pampa Paciencia epithermal gold-silver project in the Paleocene Belt of northern Chile.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8951/152425_a53cd4d1c4cdf8c8_004full.jpg

About Pampa Paciencia

Pampa Paciencia is a 3,840 hectare road-access low sulphidation epithermal ("LSE") gold-silver project located within an active mining district less than 15 kilometres from two major mines (Sierra Gorda and Spence) and about five kilometres from the Faride LSE mine.

Astra has completed drilling, mapping and sampling, geophysical surveys, and localized trenching, at the Pampa Paciencia Project, and in doing so has defined a vein boulder (float) field over approximately 75% of the project area. The veins do not outcrop as the majority of the project area is covered by a thin layer of gravels and caliche but the vein float can be used to identify areas of high prospectivity.

About the Company

Astra Exploration Inc. is an exploration company based out of Vancouver, BC. Astra is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of epithermal gold-silver properties in Chile and is building a portfolio of high-quality projects. Astra's current focus is the development of the Pampa Paciencia Project.

Qualified Person

The technical data and information as disclosed in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Darcy Marud. Mr. Marud is a Practicing Member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario and is a qualified person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

For further information please contact:

Brian Miller

Chief Executive Officer

Tel. 604.428.0939

Email: brian.miller@astra-exploration.com

OR

Nikki McEachnie

Manager of Investor Relations, Marketing & Business Development

Tel: 416.209.4940

Email: nikki.mceachnie@astra-exploration.com

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby and/or geologically similar properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's properties.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward- looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to the Company's business activities; exploration on the Company's properties; completion of the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement; receipt of all required regulatory approvals; and marketing initiatives. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation: development of the industry in which the Company operates; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's business activities; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; laws and regulations governing the industry in which the Company operates; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and other risk factors disclosed in the Company's public disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152425
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Competition and Markets Authority or CMA, the UK's market regulator, said on Wednesday that it is opening a probe into Broadcom Inc. 's (AVGO) proposed $61 billion acquisition of Vmware Inc. (VMW). The regulator will start its investigation into the matter on January 26, 2023. The deadline for the CMA to declare its verdict on whether to refer the merger for a Phase 2 probe is March 22, 2023. In December 2022, the European Commission had launched an investigation into the merger deal citing concerns that the transaction would allow Broadcom to restrict competition in the market for certain hardware components. This may result in higher prices, lower quality and less innovation for business customers, and ultimately consumers. In May 2022, Broadcom had agreed to buy VMware in a $61 billion cash-and-stock deal. In addition, Broadcom would assume $8 billion of VMware net debt. Broadcom is a provider of semiconductor and infrastructure software products, whereas VMware is a software provider offering mainly virtualization software which interoperates with a wide range of hardware, including NICs, FC HBAs and storage adapters. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The North America chlorinated paraffin market is expected to grow by 2025 due to huge growth in the North America PVC industry. Medium-chain sub-segment is expected to be the most profitable. Market in the US is likely to be the most dominant.

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Research Dive has added a new report to its offering titled, "North America chlorinated paraffin Market by Product Type (Short-chain (less than 40%, 40%-70% and more than 70%), medium-chain (less than 40%, 40%-70% and more than 70%) and long-chain (less than 40%, 40%-70% and more than 70%)), by Application (Lubricating Additives, Plastics, Rubber, Paints, Metal Working Fluids, and Adhesives) - North Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025".





As per the report, the North America chlorinated paraffin market is predicted to grow at a noteworthy CAGR of 2.7% in the 2018-2025 timeframe, thereby gathering $748 million by 2025.

Dynamics of the Market:

Drivers: The advantages offered by chlorinated paraffin such as flame retardancy, low-temperature strength, and high flexibility are expected to be the primary growth driver of the North America chlorinated paraffin market in the forecast period. Along with this, growth in the PVC industry of the North America region is predicted to help this market grow in the forecast period.

Opportunities: The increasing pace of technological advancements in the field of chlorinated paraffin product manufacturing is anticipated to offer huge growth opportunities to the market in the forecast period. Moreover, an increase in disposable incomes of the people in this region is anticipated to push the growth rate of the market even higher.

To get access to the All-Inclusive PDF Sample of the North America chlorinated paraffin Market Click Here!

Segments of the Market:

The report has fragmented the North America chlorinated paraffin market into different segments based on product type, application, and country.

By product type, the medium-chain chlorinated paraffin sub-segment is predicted to be the most dominant sub-segment in the North America region. The wide use of medium-chain chlorinated paraffins as a substitute for short-chain chlorinated paraffins is expected to push the market in the forecast period.

region. The wide use of medium-chain chlorinated paraffins as a substitute for short-chain chlorinated paraffins is expected to push the market in the forecast period. By application, the metal working fluids sub-segment of the North America chlorinated paraffin market is expected to be the most dominant during the forecast period. The increase in demand for extreme pressure additives in metalworking fluids is expected to be the important factor behind the growth of this sub-segment.

chlorinated paraffin market is expected to be the most dominant during the forecast period. The increase in demand for extreme pressure additives in metalworking fluids is expected to be the important factor behind the growth of this sub-segment. By country, the US is expected to be the most lucrative market by 2025. The growing economy, expanding construction sector, and rising purchasing power of its population are anticipated to be the leading growth drivers of the market in this country.

Schedule a call with an Analyst to get Post COVID-19 Impact on North America chlorinated paraffin Market

Significant Market Players:

The significant market players in the North America chlorinated paraffin market are

Ajinomoto Fine-Techno

JSC Kaustik

Caffaro Industries

Petroleum Additives

Dover Chemical

Pioneer Americas Inc.

INOVYN ChlorVinyls

Ferro Corporation

These key market players are developing different business strategies like product development, merger and acquisitions, collaborations and partnerships to gain a commanding position in the market.

For instance, in May 2021, Lockhart Chemical Company, a Michigan-based company manufacturing different metalworking fluid additives, announced that it was acquiring Qualice LLC, a leading chlorinated paraffin products manufacturer. This acquisition is expected to help the acquiring company i.e., Lockhart immensely as it will be able to fulfill the demands of the market in a much more comprehensive way.

Request Customization of North America chlorinated paraffin Market Report & Avail of Amazing Discount

The Research Dive report also summarizes many crucial aspects of the North America chlorinated paraffin market including SWOT analysis, latest strategic developments, financial performance of the key players, and product portfolio.

More about North America chlorinated paraffin Market:

North America Chlorinated Paraffin Market to Grow Substantially Due to Acquisitions Like That of Qualice LLC by Lockhart Chemical Co.

A Short Guide for Chlorinated Paraffins: Definition, Properties, and Applications

Benefits and Applications of The Chlorinated Paraffin in Various Industrial Usage

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About Research Dive

Research Dive is a market research firm based in Pune, India. Maintaining the integrity and authenticity of the services, the firm provides the services that are solely based on its exclusive data model, compelled by the 360-degree research methodology, which guarantees comprehensive and accurate analysis. With an unprecedented access to several paid data resources, team of expert researchers, and strict work ethic, the firm offers insights that are extremely precise and reliable. Scrutinizing relevant news releases, government publications, decades of trade data, and technical & white papers, Research dive deliver the required services to its clients well within the required timeframe. Its expertise is focused on examining niche markets, targeting its major driving factors, and spotting threatening hindrances. Complementarily, it also has a seamless collaboration with the major industry aficionado that further offers its research an edge.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/north-america-chlorinated-paraffin-market-predicted-to-gather-748-million-by-2025--growing-at-a-cagr-of-2-7-in-2018-2025-timeframe-100-pages--acclaimed-by-research-dive-301730288.html
MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 25, 2023, a leading global provider of managed network and security services to multinational organizations, announced today that Johan Broekhuysen has joined the GTT leadership team as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In this role, Broekhuysen will lead GTT's global finance group, including financial operations, investor relations and all banking and advisory relationships.



"I'm very pleased to welcome Johan Broekhuysen as our new CFO," said Ernie Ortega, CEO, GTT. "Johan brings strong leadership experience and a proven track record in creating value for a number of public and private equity technology companies that will help us develop GTT into a leading managed network and security services provider to global enterprises."

Broekhuysen's career spans more than 25 years in a variety of roles, including senior leadership positions with Open Water Advisory Group LLC, BlackSky Technology Inc., Lumos Networks Inc. (now Segra), and AOL (America Online). He has managed the finance organizations for public companies and private equity firms, where he also played a key role in raising debt and equity, strategic transformation and workforce management initiatives.

Before joining GTT, Broekhuysen founded and served as principal leader of Open Water Advisory Group LLC, where he provided strategic and tactical guidance to some of the largest global private equity funds. Prior to Open Water, he was executive vice president and CFO at Lumos Networks, where he was instrumental in helping successfully transform a local exchange carrier into a regional fiber-based telecommunications company, resulting in its sale to private equity investors.

Broekhuysen is a CPA and graduate of the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

About GTT

GTT is a managed network and security services provider to global organizations. We design and deliver solutions that leverage advanced cloud, networking and security technologies. We complement our solutions with a suite of professional services and exceptional sales and support teams in local markets around the world. We serve thousands of national and multinational companies with a portfolio that includes SD-WAN, security, Internet, voice and other connectivity options. Our services are uniquely enabled by our top-ranked, global, Tier 1 IP backbone, which spans more than 260 cities on six continents. The company culture is built on a customer-first service experience reinforced by our commitment to operational excellence and continuous improvement in our business, environmental, social and governance practices. For more information, visit www.gtt.net .

GTT Media Inquiries: Americas: Europe: Brad Bass, GTT Siria Nielsen, GTT +1-240-418-0168 +31-6-2835-4259 brad.bass@gtt.net (mailto:brad.bass@gtt.net) siria.nielsen@gtt.net (mailto:siria.nielsen@gtt.net) Ed Stevenson, LEWIS +44-207-802-2626 gttuk@teamlewis.com (mailto:gttuk@teamlewis.com) GTT Investor Relations: Charlie Lucas, VP of Finance, GTT InvestorRelations@gtt.net (mailto:InvestorRelations@gtt.net)

Press releases can be downloaded from gtt.net.



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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Sun Summit Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SMN) (OTCQB: SMREF) is pleased to report final drill results from its fall 2022 exploration drill program at the Buck Project, central B.C. The program consisted of 10 diamond drill holes totalling approximately 3,000 metres.

The focus of the drill program was to test the expansion potential of the Buck Main gold-silver-zinc epithermal-related system along strike and at depth, with step-out distances between 50 to 100 metres. Results from this phase of drilling successfully demonstrates strong expansion potential for both disseminated and high-grade gold-silver-zinc mineralization beyond the existing extent of the known Buck Main zone to the west, northwest and south of previous drill programs. The newly expanded zone of mineralization remains open in multiple directions and is expected to see further step-out drill testing in the next phase of drilling.

Highlight intervals include:

Hole BK22-080, drilled into an untested area, significantly opens the expansion potential of near-surface gold-silver-zinc mineralization to the northwest: 81.2 metres of 0.58 g/t Au, 11.8 g/t Ag and 0.08% Zn,

including 10.1 metres of 1.4 g/t Au, 26.6 g/t Ag and 0.20% Zn 5.6 metres of 1.18 g/t Au, 43.9 g/t Ag and 0.34% Zn,

including 1.1 metres of 5.5 g/t Au, 208 g/t Ag and 1.5% Zn This high-grade interval is located ~250m to the northwest of drill hole BK22-083 (see January 19, 2023 news release) which intersected 7.0 metres of 6.4 g/t Au, 27.6 g/t Ag, and 1.1% Zn, including 1.1 metres of 38.0 g/t Au, 137.0 g/t Ag, and 5.9% Zn.

Hole BK22-077 extends broad zones of strong gold-silver-zinc mineralization intersected in previous holes to the south: 54.6 metres of 0.83 g/t Au, 9.2 g/t Ag and 0.21% Zn,

including 3.0 metres of 6.06 g/t Au, 62.5 g/t Ag and 0.52% Zn

Hole BK22-079 represents the largest step-out to the west and extends the footprint of mineralization at Buck Main to over one kilometre along strike: 4.7 metres of 0.91 g/t Au, 17.3 g/t Ag and 0.66% Zn,

including 1.1 metres of 3.4 g/t Au, 68.6 g/t Ag and 2.05% Zn

1 metre of 5.1 g/t Au, 2.7 g/t Ag and 0.56% Zn at bottom of hole



Notes:

Intervals are downhole core lengths. True widths are unknown. Calculations are uncut and length-weighted using a 0.10 g/t gold cut-off. Actual values may slightly differ from Table 1 due to rounding.

"We are very encouraged by results from all holes drilled during our last drill program, particularly holes BK22-080 and BK22-079," stated Sun Summit's President, Sharyn Alexander. "These holes tested new areas, previously undrilled, and expanded the known footprint of gold-silver-zinc mineralization.

"Our primary goal for the fall 2022 drill program at Buck Main was to investigate the scale potential along strike, primarily to the west, south and northwest of previous drilling. We hit mineralization in all but one step-out hole and consider the program to be an outstanding success. We now have multiple compelling target areas for ongoing exploration and drilling and anticipate an aggressive exploration campaign for 2023. Our next phase of exploration at the Buck Project will include additional step-out drilling at Buck Main, which remains open for possible expansion potential in multiple directions, and activating plans for other high-priority drill targets elsewhere on the property that could lead to additional discoveries."

Table 1. Assay Results

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Zn

(%) AuEq

(g/t) BK22-076 23.0 27.5 4.5 0.14 2.6 0.32 0.29 and 39.5 47.0 7.5 0.17 1.1 0.29 0.29 and 108.3 113.2 4.9 0.25 2.7 0.82 0.63 and 119.2 132.5 13.3 0.15 1.7 0.43 0.35 and 190.5 207.5 17.0 0.31 3.9 0.59 0.58 and 222.5 229.4 6.9 0.28 21.5 0.49 0.65 and 236.9 280.7 43.8 0.20 9.0 0.30 0.39 and 319.5 331.5 12.0 0.21 8.1 0.24 0.36 and 365.9 370.4 4.5 0.31 4.3 1.79 1.16 and 382.3 388.2 5.9 0.34 1.2 1.34 0.94 and 409.0 436.5 27.5 0.14 1.7 0.41 0.33 and 474.5 479.0 4.5 0.18 1.6 0.07 0.20















BK22-077 109.8 119.0 9.2 0.13 1.0 0.27 0.25 and 164.8 219.4 54.6 0.83 9.2 0.21 0.88 inc 170.2 173.2 3.0 6.06 62.5 0.52 5.90 inc 186.7 203.5 16.8 1.06 5.2 0.30 1.09 and 238.5 272.5 34.0 0.42 9.3 0.24 0.55 inc 250.0 262.3 12.3 0.70 20.7 0.23 0.87 and 302.3 325.0 22.7 0.13 1.9 0.48 0.36 and 349.5 354.0 4.5 0.35 0.8 0.16 0.38 and 422.5 463.5 41.0 0.21 3.7 0.06 0.24 and 471.9 481.9 10.0 0.17 1.2 0.22 0.26















BK22-079 65.9 73.0 7.1 0.29 2.8 0.21 0.37 and 118.5 145.8 27.3 0.19 5.1 0.61 0.49 and 211.5 215.8 4.3 0.33 10.7 1.13 0.91 and 223.6 228.3 4.7 0.91 17.3 0.66 1.23 inc 227.2 228.3 1.1 3.39 68.6 2.05 4.43 and 296.0 299.0 3.0 0.31 2.2 1.52 1.01 and 365.0 366.0 1.0 5.07 2.7 0.56 4.60















BK22-080 6.3 122.0 115.7 0.47 9.3 0.06 0.50 inc 6.3 87.5 81.2 0.58 11.8 0.08 0.62 inc 13.3 23.4 10.1 1.38 26.6 0.19 1.48 inc 13.3 14.8 1.5 5.85 50.3 0.02 5.39 inc 72.5 87.5 15.0 1.01 20.5 0.06 1.05 and 166.7 172.3 5.6 1.18 43.9 0.35 1.53 inc 166.7 167.8 1.1 5.50 208.0 1.53 7.11 inc 195.5 207.0 11.5 0.12 2.5 0.12 0.18 and 228.3 236.5 8.2 0.27 2.7 0.25 0.37 and 268.0 271.3 3.3 0.20 8.8 0.07 0.27















BK22-078

No Reportable Intersections





Notes :

Intervals are downhole core lengths. True widths are unknown. Calculations are uncut and length-weighted using a 0.10 g/t gold cut-off. Actual values may slightly differ from Table 1 due to rounding. Gold Equivalent (AuEq) calculations use metal prices of $1795/oz Au, $22.55/oz Ag and $1.325/lbs Zn using the equation: AuEq(g/t) = ((Au(g/t) x $Au/oz x 0.032151) + (Ag(g/t) x $Ag/oz x 0.032151) + (Zn% x $Zn/lbs x 22.0462)) / ($Au/oz x 0.032151). The Company has used conceptual metallurgical recoveries of Au 85%, Ag 65%, and Zn 95% based on assumptions that it believes to be reasonable in the circumstances. There is no guarantee, however, that the actual metal recoveries determined from metallurgical testing will be the same as the conceptual recoveries used to determine the AuEq.

Drill Program

The primary objective of the fall 2022 drill program at Buck Main was to investigate the lateral and vertical extents of near-surface gold-silver-zinc mineralization covering the mineralized footprint outlined so far over an east-west strike length of one kilometre and an approximate width of 600 metres. A total of 10 diamond drill holes were completed over 3,000 metres, two of which were terminated early due to poor ground conditions (see January 19, 2023 news release). Most holes were drilled on similar sections as previous drill programs to better facilitate modelling and structural interpretation. All five holes in this release were drilled on the western side of the Buck Main system with step-out distances between 50 to 100 metres from previous drilling (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Map showing drill collar locations with selected highlights

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6142/152404_e5ca5455c4f91ba4_001full.jpg

Hole BK22-080, collared on the same section as BK22-070 and drilled to the northeast (Figure 2), was designed to test a previously undrilled broad zone of strong gold-in-soil anomalism. The hole collared in strong disseminated mineralization highlighted by an interval of 81.2 metres of 0.58 g/t Au, 11.8 g/t Ag and 0.08% Zn including 10.1 metres of 1.4 g/t Au, 26.6 g/t Ag and 0.20% Zn from surface. The hole successfully defined a new zone of near-surface disseminated gold-silver-zinc mineralization that remains open in most directions. Additional drilling is clearly warranted to the northwest of Buck Main (Figure 1).

Holes BK22-076, -077 and -078 were collared on the same section as holes BK22-072 and BK22-083 (Figure 3; see May 3, 2022 and January 19, 2023 news releases) and were drilled to the southwest. The holes were designed to test for the southern extent of gold-silver-zinc mineralization previously intersected in BK22-070 and -072 and to investigate lithological controls on mineralization. Drill hole BK22-083 (see January 19, 2023 news release) clearly demonstrated the high grade potential of the section, which intersected 7.0 metres of 6.4 g/t Au, 27.6 g/t Ag, and 1.1% Zn, including 1.1 metres of 38.0 g/t Au, 137.0 g/t Ag, and 5.9% Zn. Numerous broad zones of disseminated and veinlet-hosted sulfide mineralization were intersected in holes BK22-076 and -077, yielding intervals such as 54.6 metres of 0.83 g/t Au, 9.2 g/t Ag and 0.21% Zn including 3.0 metres of 6.06 g/t Au, 62.5 g/t Ag and 0.52% Zn in BK22-077 (Table 1). Hole BK22-078 collared in altered but unmineralized volcanic and sedimentary rocks, likely part of the hanging wall to the Buck Main system.

Hole BK22-079 represents the largest step-out drilled along strike west of the Buck Main system. The hole intersected multiple zones of gold-silver-zinc mineralization highlighted by 4.7 metres of 0.91 g/t Au, 17.3 g/t Ag and 0.66% Zn including 1.1 metres of 3.4 g/t Au, 68.6 g/t Ag and 2.05% Zn at 223.6 metres, and 1 metre of 5.1 g/t Au, 2.7 g/t Ag and 0.56% Zn at the bottom of hole. The hole extends the strike-length of the Buck Main system to over one kilometre east-west and defines a new target to test in upcoming drill programs.

Figure 2. Cross section 4450 showing selected highlights

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Figure 3. Cross section 4350 showing selected highlights

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6142/152404_e5ca5455c4f91ba4_003full.jpg

Table 2. Drill Collar Locations

Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation (m) Azimuth Dip Depth (m) BK22-076 654125 6019748 885 200 -57.0 632 BK22-077 654125 6019747 885 199 -44.9 494 BK22-078 654081 6019631 879 200 -45.2 224 BK22-079 654026 6019783 861 200 -44.9 366 BK22-080 654225 6019798 883 19 -59.9 336



Coordinates are in UTM NAD83 Zone 9N

Upcoming Sun Summit Events

January 23-26, Vancouver AME Roundup BC, Yukon and Alaska Session, Technical Talk January 26 at 9:45 am

January 29 to 30, Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) Booth # 309 Corporate Presentation January 30: Workshop 2 at 1:30 pm

February 11 to 12, Whistler Capital Event (CEM)

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

All sample assay results have been monitored through the Company's quality assurance / quality control (QA / QC) program. Drill core was sawn in half at Sun Summit's core logging and processing facility in Houston, B.C. Half of the core was sampled and shipped by a bonded courier in sealed and secure bags to the ALS Global preparation facilities in Langley, B.C. Samples were prepared using standard preparation procedures. Following sample preparation, the pulps were sent to the ALS Global analytical laboratory in North Vancouver, B.C. for analysis. ALS Global is registered to ISO / IEC 17025:2017 accreditations for laboratory procedures.

Core samples were analyzed for 33 elements by ICP-MS on a 0.25 gram sample using a four acid digestion (method ME-MS61L). Gold was analyzed by fire assay on a 30 gram sample with an AAS finish (method Au-AA23). Samples with >10 parts per million (ppm) gold were re-analyzed by fire assay using a gravimetric finish on a 30 gram sample. Samples with >100 ppm silver were re-analyzed using a four acid digestion and ICP-AES finish. Samples with >10,000 ppm zinc were re-analysed using a four acid digestion and ICP-AES finish.

In addition to ALS Global laboratory QA / QC protocols, Sun Summit implements a rigorous internal QA / QC program that includes the insertion of duplicates, standards and blanks into the sample stream.

National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure

This news release has been approved by Sun Summit's Vice President Exploration, Ken MacDonald, P. Geo., a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He has also verified the data disclosed, including sampling, analytical and test data, underlying the technical information in this news release.

Community Engagement

Sun Summit is engaging with First Nations on whose territory the Buck Project is located and is discussing their interests and identifying contract and work opportunities, as well as opportunities to support community initiatives. The Company looks forward to continuing to work with local and regional First Nations as the project continues.

About Sun Summit

Sun Summit Minerals is an exploration company focused on expanding its gold, silver, and zinc discovery at its flagship 100% controlled Buck Project located in north-central British Columbia near the town of Houston.

The Company is exploring multiple high priority targets through systematic exploration campaigns. The project benefits from excellent developed infrastructure and year-round drilling access. The Buck Project has high-grade and bulk-tonnage gold, silver, and zinc potential and is located in an established mining region that includes many former operating mines and current exploration projects.

Sun Summit is committed to environmental and social responsibility, with a focus on accountable development and building respectful and beneficial relationships with Indigenous and local communities.

Further details are available at www.sunsummitminerals.com.

Link to Figures

Figure 1:

https://sunsummitminerals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Fig1_Buck_Drilling_Overview_Jan25-NR.jpg

Figure 2:

https://sunsummitminerals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Fig2_Buck_Sxn_4450_Jan25-NR-final.jpg

Figure 3:

https://sunsummitminerals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Fig3_Buck_Sxn_4350_Jan25-NR-final.jpg

For further information, contact:

Sharyn Alexander

President

info@sunsummitminerals.com

Roger Blair

Acuity Advisory Corp., Corporate Communications

rblair@acuityadvisorycorp.com

Tel. 778-588-9606

Forward-Looking Information

Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences, without limiting the generality of the following, include: risks inherent in exploration activities; volatility and sensitivity to market prices; volatility and sensitivity to capital market fluctuations; the impact of exploration competition; the ability to raise funds through private or public equity financings; environmental and safety risks including increased regulatory burdens; unexpected geological or hydrological conditions; variations in anticipated metal recoveries; changes in government regulations and policies, including trade laws and policies; failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities; weather and other natural phenomena; and other exploration, development, operating, financial market and regulatory risks. Except as required by applicable securities laws and regulation, Sun Summit disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152404


BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Germany's business confidence improved further as expected at the start of the year to the strongest level in seven months, as companies were considerably less pessimistic about the future, although they were slightly less satisfied with the current situation, survey results from the Munich-based ifo Institute showed on Wednesday.



The ifo business confidence index rose to 90.2 in January from 88.6 in December. That was in line with economists' forecasts.



The index has been rising since October and the latest score was the highest since June last year, when it was 92.3.



Thus, the German economy started the new year with more confidence amid a less pessimistic production outlook, but companies were somewhat less satisfied with their current situation, President of the ifo Institute Clemens Fuest said.



'Overall, the reading confirms that the German economy has avoided the deep downturn that many, including us, had anticipated at the onset of the energy crisis,' Franziska Palmas, a senior economist at Capital Economics, said.



Read more: Can German Economy Avoid A Recession?



The recent measures taken by the Chinese government to reopen boundaries after lifting the Covid pandemic restrictions, coupled with lower wholesale gas prices have boosted economic confidence in Germany.



The index measuring business expectations increased from 83.2 to 86.4. Economists were looking for a score of 85.0.



Meanwhile, the current conditions indicator dropped slightly to 94.1 in January from 94.4 in December. Economists had forecast a reading of 95.0.



Among sectors, the ifo business climate index for the manufacturing sector continued to maintain its rising trajectory in January.



Manufacturing firms assessed their current situation as better, and their production expectations in the next 6 months improved noticeably. Despite showing a falling trend, orders volumes remained at a high level.



Data also showed that the business climate indicator for the service sector strengthened, as firms were less pessimistic about the coming months, but they were unhappier with the current business, especially in the transport, logistics, and hospitality segments.



The latest purchasing managers' survey, conducted by S&P Global, showed that Germany's private sector downturn softened to a stable footing at the start of the year amid a moderation in price pressures. A renewed positive outlook due to the easing recession fears and the ongoing strength in the job market also underpinned activity in January.



Business morale in the trade sector showed strong positive momentum in January, thanks to their noticeably higher expectations along with current better conditions, the ifo survey showed.



At the same time, the index for construction rose marginally to -21.6 from -21.9 amid an improvement in expectations, despite a slight fall in the assessment of present conditions.



Read more: Why Are Companies In Germany Finding It More Difficult To Get Loans?



The German economy is still facing a series of structural challenges which are likely to weigh on growth this year and beyond, ING economist Carsten Brzeski said.



These include energy supply in the winter of 2023/24 and the broader energy transition towards renewables, changing global trade with more geopolitical risks and changes to supply chains, high investment needs for digitalisation and infrastructure, and an increasing lack of skilled workers.



And, like every eurozone economy, the German economy still has to digest the full impact of the ECB rate hikes, Brzeski noted.



'In short, the German economy will still be highly affected by last year's crises throughout 2023,' the economist added.



In contrast to the hard economic data, the ifo business climate indicates that a recession is imminent as the index is still at a level at which GDP has usually contracted for at least two quarters in succession in the past, Commerzbank Chief Economist Jorg Kramer said.



'All in all, a mild recession remains the more likely scenario,' the economist said. Commerzbank expects German GDP to decline by 0.5 percent on average this year.



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Acquisition expands global service offering to include access and analysis of unique clinical biospecimens

Crown Bioscience, a global contract research organization (CRO) and a JSR Life Sciences company, has announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the IndivuServ business unit of Indivumed GmbH. A Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) between both parties was executed on December 29, 2022, and subject to customary closing adjustments the transaction is expected to close in April 2023.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005114/en/

Indivumed GmbH, founded in Germany in 2002, has an industry-leading and global reputation for the provision and analysis of clinical biospecimens. The transaction will generate two separate Indivumed entities, 'Indivumed Therapeutics' and 'Indivumed Services'. The latter, which is the current IndivuServ business unit of the company, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crown Bioscience and will incorporate all associated laboratory operations and staff located in Hamburg, Germany and Frederick, MD, USA. 'Indivumed Therapeutics', currently known as the IndivuType business unit will continue its groundbreaking work of translating high-quality biospecimens into multi-omics data and focus together with its international clinical partners on data- and AI-driven therapy development in oncology.

Crown Bioscience's proposed acquisition of 'Indivumed Services' includes both the expertly curated and characterized biobank comprising of almost one million samples with associated clinical data, and an extensive network of more than 60 clinical divisions in the US, Europe, and Asia. This network provides direct and controlled access to surgical biospecimens and blood samples annotated with comprehensive clinical data, all obtained in accordance with Indivumed's unique SOPs to assure unrivaled quality, and thereby be suitable for multi-omics analyses and model development. The collection and associated network will also enable and support further expansion of Crown Bioscience's biomarker development service offerings, as well as market-leading patient-derived xenograft (PDX), ex vivo patient tissue (EVPT), and in vitro tumor organoid platforms.

'Indivumed Therapeutics' will continue its global clinical cooperation with leading cancer clinics in Europe, Americas, and Asia and leverage its unique multi-omics database and advanced AI analytics to focus on identifying and validating novel targets and biomarkers to develop individualized cancer therapies.

As part of the Agreement announced today, 'Indivumed Therapeutics' and Crown Bioscience with 'Indivumed Services' have additionally committed to a multi-year strategic partnership covering sample access and CRO service provision, while Hartmut Juhl, Founder and CEO of Indivumed Group, will join Crown Bioscience's Scientific Advisory Board.

Commenting on the Acquisition, Armin Spura, PhD, CEO of Crown Bioscience stated; "The acquisition of 'Indivumed Services' reflects Crown Bioscience's commitment to expanding our translational research platforms to provide our customers with superior options for bridging the gap between preclinical and clinical research. Everyone at Crown Bioscience is delighted to be welcoming the talented staff of 'Indivumed Services' to the company, and excited about the long-term potential of our new relationship."

Prof. Dr. Hartmut Juhl, Founder and CEO of Indivumed Group, added "I am thrilled about the strategic partnership with Crown Bioscience, the first-in-class CRO. For 20 years Indivumed has driven the advancement of precision oncology by both its CRO services and its own R&D activities. Now, we can focus on our data analytics-driven drug and diagnostic development while we also benefit from the enhanced strength of Crown Bioscience's R&D oncology offerings. With this partnership Crown Bioscience and Indivumed create a powerhouse for the advancement of precision oncology. Further, it fills me with great pride that my hometown Hamburg is emerging as a leading oncology biotech location."

About Crown Bioscience

Crown Bioscience, a JSR Life Sciences company, is a global CRO that provides preclinical and translational platforms to help our customers advance their research and development in oncology, immuno-oncology, and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. We are the exclusive preclinical CRO to offer tumor organoid services with the well-established Hubrecht Organoid Technology. In addition, we have developed the largest commercially available PDX collection in the world. We focus on helping our customers develop novel therapies to maximize the chances that patients receive the right treatment at the right time. Founded in 2006, Crown Bioscience has 13 facilities across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

For more information or to get in touch, please visit www.crownbio.com.

About Indivumed

Driven by our mission to unveil the complex mechanisms of cancer and to advance precision oncology, Indivumed combines the world's most comprehensive multi-omics data with extensive medical experience, bioinformatics expertise, and AI-integrated advanced analytics. Our global clinical network enables us to collect and analyze thousands of patient samples using a standardized approach to ensure biospecimen quality across our business areas. The unparalleled depth and quality of our data coupled with our robust product and service offerings gives us the ability to obtain novel insights and accelerate cancer research. For more information, visit www.indivumed.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005114/en/

Contacts:

Media Inquiries:

Crown Bioscience

Louise Stenson

pr@crownbio.com

Indivumed

Kristin Maack

press@indivumed.com
The free trial and demo options will allow anyone to experience Unbabel's award-winning, AI-powered LangOps solutions

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Unbabel, the AI-powered Language Operations (LangOps) platform that helps businesses deliver multilingual customer experience at scale, today announced Unbabel Self-Service .





The free 14-day trial solution gives anyone access to Unbabel's full capabilities, and enables them to quickly and easily set up translation pipelines using AI combined with human editors, request translations, and integrate with Zendesk within 5 minutes. Unbabel also announced free public access to its Quality Intelligence solution enabling anyone to receive a demo using Unbabel's industry-leading quality estimation technology.

"This is an exciting time for AI as ChatGPT and other recent innovations have demonstrated the power of AI and its ability to make us more efficient. Unbabel has been harnessing this power through our machine translation and quality estimation AI technology to eliminate language barriers and enable brands to deliver positive customer experiences in any language," said Joao Graca, CTO, Unbabel. "We're excited to make our technology more accessible with these new free options. This is a key step towards our goal of breaking down language barriers in CX and providing the world's translation layer."

With the introduction of Unbabel's Self-Service trial and Quality Intelligence demo, both businesses and the general public can benefit from features including:

Setting up translation requests that utilise a combination of Unbabel's AI-powered LangOps solutions and a team of translators.

Enabling Zendesk agents to deliver a multilingual customer experience by utilising Unbabel's Zendesk integration .

. Access to Unbabel's award-winning quality estimation AI-technology developed using reams of human input data - derived from translation corrections and quality evaluations - to predict the quality of every translation.

Full setup support from Unbabel's team to ensure success.

Unbabel's LangOps technology is used to support multilingual customer experiences across several industries. Sign up for beta-access to Unbabel Self-Service here or try out Unbabel's Quality Intelligence demo here .

About Unbabel

Unbabel empowers enterprises that are seeking to conquer new markets to deliver multilingual customer support at scale. The company's award-winning Language Operations (LangOps) platform blends advanced artificial intelligence with human editors for fast, cost-effective, high-quality translations that get smarter over time. Unbabel integrates seamlessly into existing workflows within all major CRM systems, including Zendesk, Salesforce, Freshworks, and Intercom, to make your customer service agents instantly multilingual. This enables businesses to provide exceptional experiences to customers in their native language, anywhere they are in the world.

With headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal, and hubs spanning the globe, Unbabel facilitates multilingual customer service interactions in more than 130 language pairs for leading brands such as Facebook, Microsoft, Booking.com, Panasonic, Logitech, and more.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / NV Gold Corporation (TSXV:NVX)(OTCQB:NVGLF)(FSE:8NV) ("NV Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an exploration activity update for 2023, outlining its highest drill priorities and early-stage project evaluation. Of the Company's seven active projects in Nevada, NV Gold intends to prioritize three projects: (1) SW Pipe Gold Project ("SW Pipe"); (2) Slumber Gold Project ("Slumber"); and (3) Triple T Gold Project ("Triple T"), subject to capital availability. In addition, the Company plans an intensive "boots on the ground" exploration campaign to evaluate over 30 new potentially prospective areas generated through its Data Library Project, a collaborative exercise conducted with GoldSpot Discoveries Corp. ("GoldSpot"), and recent land acquisitions, such as the Gold Bell and Teton projects in the Bell Mining District in Nevada.

Drilling Priorities:

1. SW Pipe Gold Project:

SW Pipe is located in Lander County, approximately 6 km (3.7 miles) southwest of the world-class Pipeline gold mine in the central Cortez gold belt of north-central Nevada. SW Pipe is comprised of 84 unpatented mining claims and is 100%-owned by NV Gold. Historical drilling established a near-surface, oxide-gold zone characterized by multiple intercepts of 15 m+ @ 0.5-1.0 g/t Au (see Company's press releases dated releases October 26, 2022, and December 14, 2022). After the evaluation and analyses of two extensive geochemical surveys (see Company's press releases October 26, 2022, and December 14, 2022), the Company recently submitted a notice of intent to drill-test a potentially multi-million-ounce Carlin-type gold deposit on the SW Pipe project in Q1 of 2023 (see Figures 2 & 3)1.

2. Slumber Gold Project:

Slumber is located approximately 80.5 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Winnemucca, and 36 kilometers (22.4 miles) west of the Sleeper Gold Deposit in Humboldt County, Nevada. The property, comprising 82 unpatented mining claims, is 100%-owned by NV Gold. In Q1 2022, the Company conducted a Phase 3 drilling campaign and completed 12 reverse circulation ("RC") holes totaling 2,350 meters (7,710 feet). The current target is an untested, wide-open zone of resistivity in the northern extent of the property. The 2023 drill program is scheduled to commence in Q2, subject to capital availability, and consists of 3-6 RC holes to test for a potentially a "sleeper-type" gold deposit.

3. Triple T Gold Project:

Triple T is located in the Humboldt Range, 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) east of the Rochester silver-gold operation and 42 kilometers (26.1 miles) southeast of the Florida Canyon gold mine. The Triple T property, comprising 41 unpatented mining claims, is 100%-owned by NV Gold. The Company has received approval of the Triple T Notice of Intent (NOI) for 10 additional RC holes and commencement of drilling is projected for Q2 2023, subject to capital availability.

Additionally, the Company hopes to add 5-7 new greenfield exploration projects into its project pipeline in 2023 through a detailed analysis of over 30 targets identified by its Data Library Project conducted in collaboration with GoldSpot in 2022. The Company will also evaluate several of its most prospective early-stage properties that are already in its portfolio.

About the Data Library Project:

NV Gold's Data Library consists of multiple data compilations, covering Nevada and elsewhere, including extensive proprietary exploration files created by AngloGold, USMX, Canyon Resources and others. Multiple significant regional geological, geochemical, and geophysical exploration programs generated this data, comprising over 40 years of effort, and at a historical cost of more than US$20 million (refer to press release August 11, 2022). GoldSpot handled the legacy data inventory and identified 31 targets using its proprietary AI technology, which will be field-evaluated in Q1 and Q2 of 2023.

About the Gold Bell and Teton Projects:

NV Gold's previously-acquired Gold Bell and Teton projects are located in the Bell Mining District (Walker Lane), in the immediate neighborhood to Fortitude Gold Corp.'s Golden Mile property in Mineral County, Nevada (see Figure 4). The Golden Mile District is characterized by intrusion-related gold-copper exo- and endoskarn associated with massive replacements of carbonate rocks and shear hosted gold. Historical drill intercepts were reported in the multiple grams up to ounces per ton gold ranges. The Teton project, with potential for near-surface, oxide-gold mineralization, underwent some limited drilling in the 1980s (assays are unknown); while the Gold Bell property, a potential extension of the known Golden Mile high-grade gold mineralization, has never been drill-tested. Evaluation of the Gold Bell and Teton properties will go hand in hand with evaluating the GoldSpot targets in Q1 and Q2 of 2023.

Thomas Klein, VP Exploration stated, "I am excited to enter the new year seeing the gold price rising again and to get started with a new drilling campaign, beginning with our SW Pipe project in Q1, which will be followed by drilling our Slumber and Triple T projects after its successful completion. SW Pipe has prominently-defined geochemistry anomalies suggesting it has the potential to host a Carlin-type gold system at depth. In addition, the Company did its homework by generating multiple new discovery-opportunities through the data Library Project and through continuous land acquisitions. The Company holds strategic land positions throughout the state and is well positioned to kick-off 2023 by making the next multi-million-ounce gold discovery in Nevada".

Figure 1: NV Gold Landholding Map.

Figure 2: SW Pipe Location in Proximity to the Cortez and Pipeline Gold Mines.

Figure 3: SW Pipe Soil Geochemistry and Mercury Vapor Target, and proposed Drill Hole Location.

Figure 4: Gold Bell and Teton Project Locations.

About NV Gold Corporation

NV Gold Corporation (TSXV:NVX)(OTCQB:NVGLF)(FSE:8NV) is a well-organized and well-financed exploration company with ~80 million shares issued and no debt. The Company is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Reno, Nevada and is focused on delivering value through mineral discoveries in Nevada, USA. Leveraging its expansive property portfolio, its highly experienced in-house technical team, and its extensive geological data library, 2023 promises to be highly productive for NV Gold.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

John Seaberg, Director, and CEO

For further information, visit the Company's website at www.nvgoldcorp.com or contact:

Freeform Communications at 604.245.0054

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by those laws. "Forward-looking information" includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as "may", "plans to", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "potential" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking information includes, without limitation, information with respect to the Company's expectations regarding the prioritization of certain projects, capital availability, exploration campaigns, anticipated schedule of drilling plans and potential results, the ability of the Company to take on new exploration projects, the ability of the Company to evaluate its properties, and the anticipated sequence of events with respect to drilling events and/or priorities.

Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

The Company cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this

press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

1 The potential quantity and grade of the resources in the SW Pipe project is conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.

SOURCE: NV Gold Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736654/NV-Gold-Corporation-Outlines-Its-Planned-2023-Drill-Priorities-and-Exploration-Activities
Public Listing Debut Led by Significant Increase in Clients Utilizing its Digital Marketing Technology Solutions

TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / Specificity Inc. (OTCQB:SPTY) (the "Company"), a full-service digital marketing firm that delivers cutting-edge marketing solutions, is pleased to provide a corporate update.

Dear Shareholders,

In 2022, we accomplished all of the items we initially set out to do and exited the year with Specificity in position for accelerated growth in 2023. We are proud of our past but even more enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead for Specificity. We recently held investor meetings throughout Florida, in Orlando, Boca Raton, Miami, Naples and Sarasota and appreciate all of the people we met and the shared enthusiasm for our future prospects.

We made our public listing debut on the OTCQB in early August 2022.

We increased revenue by 73% to $0.9 million year-to-date thru September 30, 2022.

We increased gross profit by 48% to $0.4 million year-to-date thru September 30, 2022.

Original Shark on Shark Tank Kevin Harrington joined our Advisory Board. Fortune 100 investor and inventor of the Infomercial, Shark on Shark Tank, Kevin Harrington, brings his expertise to Specificity, as he joins the advisory board of the Tampa-based digital marketing company.

We successfully raised $750,000 from a mix of existing and new shareholders, including friends, family and retail investors, and was highlighted with an additional $300,000 participation by Chief Revenue Officer and Director of Sales Kevin Frisbie.

We retained ClearThink, a strategic advisory firm, and Bear Creek Capital, a capital markets advisory firm, to develop and deploy a comprehensive investor outreach and communications program.

On September 13, 2022, Specificity Inc. filed an S-1 Registration Statement in order to raise up to an additional $5 million, consisting of 2 million shares priced at $2.50 with an additional warrant at $5.00 per share. This S-1 was declared effective on September 26, 2022. The additional capital raise will be utilized to grow the sales team to increase revenue as well as the launch of Pick Pocket.

We have readied the launch of PickPocket, a revolutionary location-based device ID targeting tool. PickPocket exemplifies Specificity's mission to deliver the latest digital marketing technology to companies of all sizes making them nationally, regionally and locally competitive.

We are very excited about our latest product, PickPocket, which is readying its launch and we believe the timing is ideal for a location-based device ID extraction in a self-serve platform wherein users can define the parameters of their own campaign. We are confident that PickPocket addresses the void left in the market due to the recent fallout from the iOS update, as 96% of users opting out of app tracking. When fully launched, we believe PickPocket will compete on price and granular targeting against Big Tech and Social Media. We look forward to introducing PickPocket to existing clients and believe it will be a key differentiator in us gaining new clients and gaining recognition in the industry.

As we look forward to 2023, the entire executive team at Specificity is grateful for your support and commitment to our success. With your help, we have been able to lay the groundwork for even greater financial growth, commercialization of our digital marketing services and products, and an increase in shareholder value. We are looking forward to the coming year, and the future success it holds for us.

Sincerely,

Jason Wood

Chief Executive Officer, Specificity

About Specificity, Inc.

Specificity, based in Tampa, Florida, is a full-service digital marketing firm that delivers cutting-edge marketing solutions to business-to-business clients as well as business to consumer clients. Our core mission is to offer our clients the most advanced audience targeting capabilities out there. We believe that precision targeting is the key to building the most successful marketing campaigns possible. Specificity has developed tools that allow it to identify and market to people who are actively in the buying cycle. Specificity takes advantage of the real-time messaging opportunities digital marketing offers to give small and medium-sized businesses a fair chance at online traffic.

For further information about Specificity Inc. and the range of digital marketing solutions offered, visit - https://www.specificityinc.com/ . Specificity also has a growing online community across social media, including Facebook and LinkedIn . Specificity is a publicly traded company, ticker symbol SPTY.

For more information, please contact:

ClearThink Investor Relations

Investor Relations

nyc@clearthink.capital

Jason Wood, CEO

jason@specificityinc.com

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer:

This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "plans," "suggests," "may," "should," "could," "intends," or similar expressions. Many forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results implied by such statements. Many factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the Specificity's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

Although forward-looking statements contained in this presentation are based upon what management of Specificity Inc. believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Specificity Inc. undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Specificity Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736633/Specificity-Surpassed-Goals-in-2022-and-Sets-Higher-Targets-to-Reach-for-2023
The contract includes a local government office, community centre, and arena.

Vancouver, British Columbia and Devon, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Hypercharge Networks Corp. (NEO: HC) (FSE: PB7) (the "Company" or "Hypercharge"), a leading, smart electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions provider, is pleased to announce the Town of Devon, Alberta, has selected Hypercharge to provide EV charging to multiple municipal properties, with installation planned to be completed by March 2023. In total, one Level 3 DC Fast Charger and ten Level 2 charging stations will be installed.

Devon is a town in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of Alberta. The project is leveraging the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre's (MCCAC) Electric Vehicle Charging Program to support the deployment of eleven Hypercharge EV charging stations throughout the community at the Municipal Office, Community Centre, and Dale Fisher Arena.

"This installation will provide public charging for local residents, as well as destination charging stations to promote tourism and economic activity within the town," said Chris Koch, Head of Growth & Partnerships at Hypercharge. "Our goal with this project was to deliver a turnkey charging solution, including installation, with hardware that met all requirements of the MCCAC's program to help the Town of Devon secure funding for 100% of the project's costs."

Hypercharge worked in partnership on the project with Sustainable Projects Group, which offers expertise from industry-leading energy auditors, engineers, and project managers focused on sustainable energy management and energy efficiency.

"We had the great pleasure of working with the Town of Devon's Environment and Sustainability division to successfully complete the funding application and installation," said Lance Giesbrecht, Operations Manager at Sustainable Projects Group. "Hypercharge's exceptional network and high-quality products will support the transition to sustainable transportation for the residents of the Town of Devon and surrounding communities."

-##-

About Hypercharge

Hypercharge Networks Corp. (NEO: HC) (FSE: PB7) is a leading provider of smart electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions that offers turnkey technology to multi-unit residential and commercial buildings, fleet operations, and other rapidly growing sectors. Driven by its mission to accelerate EV adoption and enable the shift towards a carbon neutral economy, Hypercharge is committed to providing seamless, simple charging solutions by offering industry-leading equipment and a robust network of public and private charging stations. Learn more: https://hypercharge.com/

Hypercharge Networks Corp.

David Bibby, President & CEO

Investor Relations:

invest@hypercharge.com

604-881-1730

Media Contact:

Kyle Green | Senior Marketing Manager

kyle.green@hypercharge.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "will", "estimates", "believes", "intends", "expects" and similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements concerning Hypercharge's installation of eleven charging stations in the Town of Devon, and the anticipated timing thereof. Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and the actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, assumptions and expectations, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as such information, although considered reasonable by the respective management of the Company at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and are expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statement. Except as expressly required by securities law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the NEO Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in policies of the NEO Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152327
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Northstar Gold Corp. (CSE: NSG) (OTCQB: NSGCF) ("Northstar" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce the results of a surface exploration program and high resolution airborne magnetic survey over the Company's 100%-owned, 615 hectare Milestone Property, situated 3 km southwest of the town of Temagami, Ontario.

Highlights

Significant Cu-Ni-Co and anomalous precious metal (Au, Ag, Pd, Pt) assays have been returned from numerous surface samples containing massive to semi-massive sulphides recently collected over a 1,000 metre distance along a metagabbro sill contact.

Historic surface assay results were verified in both the Diadem and O'Connor zones and a new Cu-Ni-Co massive sulphide "Central zone" has been discovered between them.

Massive sulphide "pods" hosting chalcopyrite and anomalous precious metals were discovered in the footwall rhyolite of the O'Connor zone.

Nickel and cobalt concentrations from recent surface sampling are higher than previously reported from the Property.

A 76.7-line km, high resolution UAV magnetic survey was successful in delineating the Diadem and O'Connor zones from near surface to depths of 280 metres and 400 metres, respectively. Two new anomalies have been identified along the metagabbro contact , with one anomaly possibly extending the massive sulphide trend another 500 metres along strike to the ENE. The newly discovered Central Zone magnetic anomaly hosts massive sulphides with Cu-Ni-Co mineralization.

3D Inversion results of the magnetic data indicates that historic drilling failed to intersect the core of the magnetic anomalies associated with the Diadem and O'Connor zones, suggesting considerable exploration upside.

Management Commentary

"Northstar is pleased to have completed this timely and integrated surface exploration program at Milestone," stated CEO Brian Fowler. "Program results have identified a number of near-surface, precious metal-enriched Cu-Ni-Co (Critical Minerals) exploration targets that warrant follow-up exploration. Northstar intends to pursue a critical minerals designation by a qualified professional geoscientist to certify, in the prescribed form and manner, that Milestone exploration expenses will be incurred in accordance with an exploration plan that primarily targets Critical Minerals. Completion will qualify Milestone exploration work eligibility for the Critical Mineral Exploration Flow Through Shares Tax Credit (CMETC) of 30%. While the Miller Gold Project remains Northstar's flagship property, the Company is excited to further explore Milestone for Critical Minerals this year."

Milestone Surface Exploration Program

Northstar carried out a brief surface exploration program consisting of prospecting and sampling of the key metagabbro trend on the Milestone Property between November 10th and 16th, 2022. A total of 72 representative surface samples were collected over a 1.5 km strike length of the lower metagabbro contact and include 29 samples with massive pyrite +/- pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, magnetite mineralization collected both in-situ from historic workings or surface gossan and from historic muck piles (Table 1. - Figure 1). Assay results of the 29 samples ranged from 0.20 - 1.52% Cu, 0.05 to 0.61% Ni and 0.005% to 0.134% Co. Surface sample copper grades from the O'Connor and Diadem zones were consistent with historically reported grades from both drilling intercepts and surface sampling. Nickel and cobalt assays, however, were generally higher than previously reported, which could be related to historic under-reporting due to incomplete sample digestion with the commonly used aqua regia digest preparation method vs. the current, more reliable four acid digest + ICP-MS analysis method utilized by Northstar.

One in-situ sample (E455246) of massive pyrite with chalcopyrite collected within the footwall rhyolite 50 metres below the metagabbro contact in the O'Connor zone assayed 1.25% Cu, 1.31 g/t Pd, 0.46 g/t Pt, 0.41 g/t Au and 6.35 g/t Ag. The discovery of this massive sulphide "pod" within the footwall rhyolite is significant as massive sulphide pods with chalcopyrite and precious metals in the footwall rhyolite formed the main ore constituent at the historic high-grade copper Temagami Mine, located along strike 20km to the southwest.

In addition to the discovery of multiple sulphide pods below the gabbro contact, another zone hosting massive sulphides with Cu-Ni-Co mineralization was discovered between the Diadem and O'Connor zones with one sample (E455258) assaying 1.25% Cu, 0.61% Ni and 0.081% Co from a historic muck pile. Samples collected from another trenched area 50 metres to the west of the previous sample produced similar results with one sample (E455255) assaying 1.0% Cu, 0.34% Ni, 0.066% Co with 0.2 g/t Pd and 0.3 g/t Au. No records of drilling or previous sampling had been reported for this area along the contact which was identified as a linear magnetic anomaly at a high angle to the main body of gabbro (Figure 2). This could possibly represent a zone of structurally hosted sulphides extending below the metagabbro contact or a mineralized gabbro dike. Radial "Offset" dikes associated with the Sudbury Igneous Complex are responsible for a significant proportion of the total Cu-Ni-Co production of the Sudbury mining camp.

Follow up surface work is required on the Milestone Property to fully investigate both this new discovery as well as the sulphide pods in the footwall of the O'Connor zone.

Table 1 (below) illustrates weighted average grades of 29 samples collected along the lower metagabbro:

Table 1. Weighted Average Muck and In-Situ Assays from 4 zones on the Milestone Property

Zone No. of

Samples Total

Sample Weight (kg) Cu

(%) Ni

(%) Co

(%) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Pd

(g/t) Pt

(g/t) Cu Eq

(%)* Diadem 8 21.17 0.72 0.26 0.047 0.16 2.57 0.12 0.06 1.93 O'Connor 13 25.98 0.70 0.23 0.068 0.19 0.72 0.15 0.06 1.97 Central 5 13.14 0.89 0.33 0.064 0.23 1.86 0.13 0.06 2.17 Footwall Sulphide Pods 3 6.90 0.98 0.11 0.053 0.25 2.39 0.46 0.18 2.10 Total 29 67.19 0.77 0.25 0.059 0.20 1.70 0.17 0.07 2.06

*Cu Eq results are based on spot USD spot metal prices for January 13, 2023 of Cu- $4.215/lb. Ni - $12.065/lb., Co- $22.226/lb., Au- $1904.05/oz, Ag-$23.675/oz, Pd-$1789.94/oz, Pt-$1064.76/oz and calculated using the following formula: CuEq = Cu% + (12.065/4.215)*Ni%+(22.226/4.215)*Co%+(Aug/t*(1904.05/31)/4.215*22)+(Agg/t*(23.675/31)/4.215*22)+(Pdg/t*(1789.94/31)/4.215*22) +(Pt g/t*(1064.76/31)/4.215*22). Recovery is estimated at 100%. Source dailymetalprice.com/metalprices.php.

High Resolution UAV Magnetic Survey

A 76.7-line km, high resolution UAV magnetic survey was conducted by Quebec based Vision4K on the Milestone Property on November 8th, 2022, utilizing a stabilized MAG-drone survey system equipped with a Scintrex Cs-VL Cesium Vapor magnetometer and collision avoidance sensors. The line spacing was 25 metres, and the line orientation was 355.5 true, chosen to be perpendicular to geological strike.

Ronacher Mckenzie Geoscience leveled the detailed TMI data and inverted it to produce a 3D model of the magnetic vector amplitude in the survey area (Figure 2). The data were inverted on a 12.5 m square horizontal mesh over the entire survey area. The vertical mesh cells started at 6.25 m thickness, increasing with depth. In addition, Ronacher McKenzie produced magnetic filter products.

Based on the magnetic data, the metagabbro unit is interpreted to be a broad, 200 m wide anomalous zone of high magnetic response, oriented ENE-WSW over a strike length of approximately 1.5 km (Figure 1). The metagabbro unit is not uniform and is interrupted by NNW and NW striking linear magnetic features. Previous structural interpretation of LiDAR data on the property are also generally consistent with the magnetic data indicating disruption of the gabbro. Cross cutting structures frequently hosted massive chalcopyrite mineralization at the Temagami Mine and are prospective for follow up work.

The Diadem zone is coincident with a strongly magnetic ovoid anomaly, approximately 150 m x 250 m in area (Figures 2 and 3). An unexplored group of three smaller (50-100 m) magnetic features lie approximately 450 m to the ENE of the magnetic high associated with the Diadem prospect (Figure 1) with the largest of these features appearing very similar to the Diadem anomaly in the 3D inversion results (Figure 2). This new discovery could represent an extension of the massive sulphide zone along the metagabbro contact to the ENE. Ground truthing and sampling is being planned in this area.

A slightly weaker magnetic anomaly exists around the O'Connor zone; however, it extends from surface to at least 400m vertical depth based on the 3D inversion model (Figure 2) and appears to be dipping steeply north while plunging towards the southwest.

A fourth significant magnetic anomaly was discovered between the Diadem and O'Connor zones (Figure 2). This central anomaly or "Central zone" is oriented at a high angle to the main trend in a NW-SE direction and was found to host massive sulphides including one sample (E455255) assaying 1.0% Cu, 0.34% Ni and 0.066% Co (2.67% CuEq) in the center of the anomaly. Additional ground truthing and sampling is being planned for the Central anomaly area.

Much of the historic drilling at both the Diadem and O'Connor prospects did not reach the core of the magnetic zones in the inversion model, indicating potential for better drilling results at depth.





Figure 1. Milestone Property - 2022 Assay Results (CuEq) and UAV Magnetic Survey



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6839/152437_ee1eceeeb4f96a0d_002full.jpg

*Cu Eq results are based on spot USD spot metal prices for January 13, 2023 of Cu- $4.215/lb. Ni - $12.065/lb., Co- $22.226/lb., Au- $1904.05/oz, Ag-$23.675/oz, Pd-$1789.94/oz, Pt-$1064.76/oz and calculated using the following formula: CuEq = Cu% + (12.065/4.215)*Ni%+(22.226/4.215)*Co%+(Aug/t*(1904.05/31)/4.215*22)+(Agg/t*(23.675/31)/4.215*22)+(Pdg/t*(1789.94/31)/4.215*22) +(Pt g/t*(1064.76/31)/4.215*22). Recovery is estimated at 100%. Source dailymetalprice.com/metalprices.php.





Figure 2. Milestone Property -3D Inversion Results of UAV Magnetic Survey with Historic Drilling Results

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6839/152437_ee1eceeeb4f96a0d_003full.jpg

About the Milestone Property

The Milestone Cu-Ni-Co Property consists of 28 contiguous, unpatented claim units covering 615 hectares within the Temagami greenstone belt in Strathcona Township, Ontario.

The Property has seen bulk sampling, numerous geophysical surveys and 2724 metres of diamond drilling in 27 holes between 1952 and 2001 by 5 previous operators including Geoscientific Prospectors Ltd. and Copperfields Mining Corporation which later became Teck Corporation.

In 1956 Diadem Mines drilled 13 holes on the Milestone Property defining a continuous sulphide zone of 700 feet (200m) in length with widths of approximately 15 feet (4.6m) to vertical depths of 300 feet (90m) steeply dipping to the south ("Diadem deposit"). The Diadem deposit was estimated to contain a non-43-101 compliant historic estimate of 500,000 Tons grading 0.5% Cu and 0.1% Ni and remains open along strike and at depth* (3). The O'Connor zone, which has reported historic drilling intercepts of 0.71% Cu over 11.6m including 7.04% Cu and 1.79% Ni over 0.36m (2), and 1.0% Cu and 0.17% Ni over 4.25m (4) also remains open along strike and at depth.

The Milestone Property exhibits similar geology, mineralization, stratigraphic setting and alteration as Teck Resources former high-grade Temagami copper mine located 20 km southwest along strike. The Temagami Mine produced approximately 900,000 Tons at an average grade of 6.0% Cu during the period 1955 to 1972 (1). Both the Milestone Property and Temagami Mine share some similarities with the "footwall breccia" type ore deposits found in the Sudbury basin.

*This estimate is historical and cannot be relied upon. The key assumptions, parameters, and methods used to prepare the estimates are not documented or known. The estimate does not use the categories set out by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. A more recent estimate does not exist. A substantial amount of drilling would have to be completed to verify the estimate. Sufficient work has not been completed to classify the historical estimate as current and Northstar is not treating the estimate as current.

The reader is referred to Northstar's previous Milestone News Release dated December 7, 2022 to review previous Milestone Property exploration highlights and historic exploration results.

Quality Control

Samples collected in the 2022 Milestone surface exploration program were delivered to ALS Global in Timmins, Ontario for preparation and assayed for gold by ALS Global in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Northstar has implemented a quality control program for its Milestone Property to ensure best practice in the sampling and analysis of surface samples, which includes the insertion of blanks, duplicates, and certified standards into the sample stream.

Surface samples were submitted to ALS Global at their Timmins, Ontario facility for sample preparation where the entire sample was crushed to better than 70% passing 2mm, 250g riffle split and pulverized to 85% passing 106 microns. Pulps are forwarded to ALS Global in Vancouver, British Columbia for analyses. Gold and PGM analyses are obtained via industry standard fire assay with ICP finish using 5 g to 30 g aliquots. For samples returning greater than 10 g/t gold follow-up fire assay analysis with a gravimetric finish is completed. Based on initial fire assay gold indications as well as visual indication of mineralization and alteration, samples are selected for re-assay by the screen metallic fire assay method. Samples are also analyzed for 48 trace and major elements by ICP-MS following a four-acid digestion. ALS Global are ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited (Lab No. 579) for the preparation and analyses performed on the Milestone samples.

Qualified Person

Brian P. Fowler, P.Geo., a 'Qualified Person' (Q.P.) as defined under Canadian National Instrument NI 43-101, has reviewed technical aspects of this news release.

About Northstar Gold Corp.

Northstar's primary exploration focus is the advancement of the Company's flagship, 100%-owned Miller Gold Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake and Agnico Eagle Mine's Macassa SMC gold mine. The Company's strategy is to develop either a minimum material (+1 million ounce) high-grade gold mineral resource to potentially supplement a nearby mining operation or a stand-alone mining operation at the Miller Gold Property.

Northstar has 3 additional 100%-owned exploration projects in northern Ontario, including the recently acquired 1,200 ha Rosegrove Property situated 0.5 km from the Miller Gold Property, the 4,650 ha Bryce Gold Property (includes the recently optioned Britcanna Lease), an intrusive-gold / PME VMS project located along the projected east extension of the Ridout Break, and the recently expanded Temagami-Milestone Cu-Ni-Co Property located in Strathcona Township. Northstar recently filed a NI43-101 Technical Report on the Bryce Gold Property and is advancing all 3 properties to enhance monetization opportunities.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Mr. Brian P. Fowler, P.Geo.

President, CEO and Director

(604) 617-8191

bfowler@northstargoldcorp.com

Connect with us on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, delays, and uncertainties not under the control of Northstar Goldcorp. which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Northstar Gold Corp to be materially different from the results, performance or expectation implied by these forward looking statements. By their nature, forward looking statements involve risk and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on factors that will or may occur in the future. Actual results may vary depending upon exploration activities, industry production, commodity demand and pricing, currency exchange rates, and, but not limited to, general economic factors.



(1) Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines Mineral Deposit Inventory Record MDI41I16NE00004: Temagami Copper Mine, Copperfields Mining Corp., Abex Mines Central Group.

(2) Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Mines Assessment File #41I16SW9408, Prospectus of Milestone Mines Ltd. 1956

(3) Bennett, G.1978: Geology of the Northeast Temagami Area, District of Nipissing; Ontario Geological Survey Report 163, 128p. p. 111.

(4) Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Mines AFRO File #2.21014, Lithogeochemical Sampling Program, Milestone Property, Strathcona Township, June 2001, by Temex Resources and AFRO File #2.21650, Report on Milestone PGE/Copper/Nickel Project Preliminary Drilling Program West Diadem and Teck Corporation Claim Groups Strathcona Twp. June 2001, by Temex Resources.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152437
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / Kaya Holdings, Inc., ("KAYS" or the "Company") (OTCQB:KAYS), a pioneer in the U.S. cannabis industry, announced today that it has launched Fifth Dimension Therapeutics ("FDT"), which will seek to provide psychedelic "mind care" treatments to veterans suffering from PTSD, addicts seeking to break addiction, individuals with eating disorders, and others with a wide array of treatment resistant mental health disorders.

It is estimated that approximately every 40 seconds someone in the world commits suicide.

Psilocybin may soon be available as a mainstream medical treatment for treatment resistant depression (TRD)

and other mental health diseases, potentially providing a new lease on life

for millions worldwide for whom current medications do not work.

The Company is pleased to announce that one of its senior employees, Bryan Arnold, has been enrolled in one of the first training courses to qualify for an Oregon Psilocybin Facilitator License, permitting him to oversee the cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms and related products as well as operate up to five (5) state licensed facilitation clinics where psilocybin treatments will be administered. Bryan is expected to complete his training and apply for licensure in April.

Additionally, the Company is proud to welcome attorney Glenn E.J. Murphy to the FDT Board of Director. Glenn will assist FDT with introductions to pharmaceutic companies seeking data and access to psychedelic patients, as well as advising on the development of intellectual property, structure of potential joint ventures, funding opportunities, acquisitions, and other related endeavors.

"The operation of a psychedelics treatment enterprise has many parallels to the cannabis industry, and we feel that KAYS is among the companies uniquely qualified to deliver the highest quality of care to the patients wishing to avail themselves of these promising new treatments", stated W. David Jones, a KAYS Senior Advisor and driving force behind the Company's entry into the psychedelics arena. "We believe we can help provide meaningful benefits to the millions suffering from treatment resistant mental health conditions while significantly enhancing shareholder value."

"We have effectively shifted our cannabis operations toward the European market where we believe a substantial market exists without the same regulatory burdens of the fragmented and nationally stymied U.S market", adds KAYS' CEO Craig Frank. "By bringing all we have learned from our cannabis operations to the psychedelics market, I believe we have an excellent opportunity to secure a leadership role in the 'mind care' market".

The Market

Mental health disorders account for several of the top causes of disability in the United States. A 2021 Harvard University study forecasted the annual medical cost of mental health conditions to reach $6 trillion by 2030.

It is estimated by the National Institute of Mental Health Disorders that 26% of Americans over 18 years of age suffer from a diagnosable form of depression (major or clinical depression, manic or bipolar depression), and an additional 40 million American adults suffer from an anxiety disorder (panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobias). Depressive illnesses tend to co-occur with substance abuse and anxiety disorders

In 2021, Data Bridge Market Research estimated the current U.S. psychedelics market value to be $2.8 billion, with a forecasted 2029 market expected to reach $8.9 billion.

The Science

The growing evidence suggests that psychedelics act on the brain's default network, or those regions of the brain that remain active when your brain is not engaged in active tasks. Psilocybin increases activity in certain neurons that respond to the neurotransmitter serotonin, which has wide- ranging functions in the human brain (many of which are being researched). Ketamine is most active in the glutamate system.

The default network provides a "framework" for the brain's activity, providing structure and making order of all that is happening in the cortex and keeping external neurological information (delivered via our senses) distinct from internally generated activity thoughts, emotions, and memory).

Psychedelics seem to suppress the default network, relaxing the separation of our senses, memories, thoughts, and emotions, and enabling each to influence each other more easily. This ability to break down of the brain's "framework" has led to a focus on psychedelics as a groundbreaking opportunity to address a wide range of mental health disorders.

Glenn Murphy's Biography

Glenn has twenty-five years of private and corporate practice, including ten years in-house with the Henkel Group and more than fifteen years in private practice, Glenn's experience has touched on most every aspect of intellectual property practice.

Glenn's current practice primarily focuses on building and managing domestic and international utility and design patent portfolios and opining on the validity and infringement of U.S. patents. In addition to drafting and prosecuting patent applications filed in the U.S. and foreign patent offices, Glenn has briefed and argued before the U.S. Patent Office Board of Appeals, assisted with the preparation and argument of appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and assisted with the conduct of bench and jury trials in the U.S. District Courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission. He has provided due diligence and advice in acquisitions, divestments, licenses, and other transactions involving intellectual property rights. He has particular experience in building and managing domestic utility and design patent portfolios for non-U.S. clients.

After receiving his B.S. in chemical engineering in 1984 from the Pennsylvania State University, Mr. Murphy worked as an engineer for the Cochrane Division of Crane Company, designing and delivering large-scale water treatment systems for industry. In 1990 he received his J.D. with honors from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he served as an editor of the school's Journal of Law and Commerce and received the Faculty Award for Excellence in Legal Scholarship.

Mr. Murphy is a member of Ratner Prestia's Biotechnology, General Chemistry and Polymers and Pharmaceutical Chemistry Groups. To review Mr. Murphy's biography, please go to https://www.ratnerprestia.com/professionals/glenn-e-j-murphy/

KAYS SHAREHOLDERS AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES - PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION

We routinely receive calls and emails from shareholders asking us questions about KAYS, so we are asking all KAYS shareholders to email us and confirm their contact info. Please email info@kayaholdings.com with "KAYS shareholder update" in the subject line and include your name, address, phone number and number of shares you own so that we may make sure you receive all updates and can respond to any shareholder inquiries.

About Kaya Holdings, Inc. (www.kayaholdings.com)

Kaya Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:KAYS) is a Mind Care Company with longstanding operations as a touch-the-plant, vertically integrated legal cannabis business operating a number of majority-owned subsidiaries to retail, cultivate, produce and distribute premium medical and recreational cannabis products. The Company is evolving into a full mind care enterprise with the planned introduction psilocybin at-home and in-facility treatments, as permitted by law. KAYS is a fully reporting, US-based publicly traded company, listed for trading on the OTCQB Tier of the over-the-counter market under the symbol KAYS.

Summary of Operations

KAYS corporate structure includes the following four majority-owned subsidiaries, each responding to various demands and opportunities in the cannabis or psychedelic industry:

Fifth Dimension Therapeutics, Inc., serves as the Company's operating branch to the psychedelic treatment sector, including operation of mushroom cultivation facilities, in-facility treatment centers, and at-home treatment programs.

Marijuana Holdings Americas, Inc. owns the Kaya Shack brand of licensed medical and recreational marijuana stores (www.kayashack.com) and the Kaya Farms brand of cannabis production and processing operations that operate in the United States.

Kaya Brands International, Inc., serves as the vehicle for the Company's non-U.S. operations including cultivation activities in Greece and Israel.

Kaya Brands USA, Inc. owns a wide range of proprietary brands of cannabis extracts, oils, pre-rolls, topicals, edibles and beverages, cannaceuticals and related accessories.

Important Disclosure

KAYS is planning execution of its stated business objectives in accordance with current understanding of state and local laws and federal enforcement policies and priorities as it relates to cannabis and psychedelics. Potential investors and shareholders are cautioned that KAYS and subsidiaries including FTD will obtain advice of counsel prior to actualizing any portion of their business plan (including but not limited to license applications for the cultivation, distribution or sale of marijuana and psychedelic products, engaging in said activities or acquiring existing production/sales operations). Advice of counsel with regard to specific activities of KAYS, federal, state or local legal action or changes in federal government policy and/or state and local laws may adversely affect business operations and shareholder value.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements, usually containing the words "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect" or similar statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, acceptance of the Company's current and future products and services in the marketplace, the ability of the Company to develop effective new products and receive regulatory approvals of such products, competitive factors, dependence upon third-party vendors, and other risks detailed in the Company's periodic report filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.

For more information contact Investor Relations: info@kayaholdings.com or 561-400-1971.

SOURCE: Kaya Holdings, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736624/Kaya-Holdings-Inc-OTCQBKAYS-Launches-Fifth-Dimension-TherapeuticsTM-to-seek-to-Provide-Innovative-Psychedelic-Based-Treatments-for-Depression-and-Anxiety-Related-Conditions-and-address-the-Growing-Multi-Billion-Dollar-Global-Psychedelics-Market
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / A new sustainability advisory partnership seeks to support companies in Japan to raise the quality of their sustainability reporting, by delivering Japanese language services built around the methodology of the world's most widely used standards for sustainability impacts - the GRI Standards.

The agreement between GRI and the International Development Center of Japan (IDCJ) will see the IDCJ deliver GRI content index services for Japanese sustainability reports. Companies can submit their reports to the IDCJ who will complete an assessment and offer feedback on how to improve and align the content index.

GRI reporting is already common practice by many organizations in Japan. Research from KPMG (October 2022) revealed 87% of the top 100 companies in Japan use the GRI Standards, with 75% undertaking external assurance of their reports. The full suite of the GRI Standards can be accessed in Japanese.

The content index is a key requirement for GRI sustainability reports because it enables stakeholders and users to easily access relevant information. At the global level, GRI delivers an English-language Content Index Service, however, this is the first time the offering is being provided in a local language.

John Knight, GRI Head of Services, said:

"At GRI we are always looking for ways to support sustainability reporters to improve their practice, raising the quality and useability of their reports. Each year we provide content index feedback to over 500 companies around the world. I am really pleased that, through this new partnership with IDCJ, we will be able to offer tailored support to companies that publish their reports in Japanese."

Hisaaki Mitsui, IDCJ SDGs Office Manager, said.

"We are honored that GRI is working with IDCJ as its sustainability advisory partner in Japan. The Japanese translation of the latest GRI Standards was released in October 2022, and use of the revised GRI Universal Standards has been mandatory since January 2023. The GRI Reporting Service will be helpful in preparing a GRI Content Index based on the updated version. We hope many Japanese companies will use this service."

GRI and IDCJ will participate in a webinar for UN Global Compact Network Japan (GCNJ) member companies, as an activity of the GCNJ's Reporting Study Subcommittee, at 16:00 JST on 8 February 2023. At the webinar, the updated GRI Universal Standards will be introduced and information shared on the new reporting services partnership for the Japanese market. GCNJ member companies using the GRI Standards are encouraged to attend.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the independent, international organization that helps businesses and other organizations take responsibility for their impacts, by providing the global common language to report those impacts. The GRI Standards are developed through a multi-stakeholder process and provided as a free public good.

International Development Center of Japan (IDCJ) is a think tank established in 1971 with the support of the Keidanren and other business circles of Japan. In 2018, IDCJ was accredited as a GRI Certified Training Partner and regularly conducts GRI Standards and other training courses. To date, 218 participants from 124 organizations have taken the courses.

???????????????? (read this news in Japanese).

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from GRI on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: GRI

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/gri

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: GRI

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736684/GRI-and-International-Development-Center-of-Japan-Launch-Partnership
Five9 is recognized for strengths in omnichannel, no-code IVA development, and seamless handoff between IVAs and live agents

Five9 Inc., a leading provider of the intelligent cloud contact center, today announced that it has been named a Leader in the Aragon Research Globe for Conversational AI in the Intelligent Contact Center, 2023.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005183/en/

Aragon Research Globe for Conversational AI in the Intelligent Contact Center, 2023

Aragon Research analysts evaluated 14 providers that are including conversational AI technology within their intelligent contact center offerings, or providing solutions focused exclusively for the ICC. Providers were ranked based on Strategy, Performance and Reach, and Five9 earned top positioning on the Strategy scale for strengths including its focus on Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs), its no-code IVA development platform, full support for digital and voice channels and agent assist, and the ability to provide real-time information to help live agents handle calls.

"Five9 has continued to make AI, automation, and analytics part of its core product strategy and its march to be a global provider is seeing success," said Jim Lundy, Founder and CEO of Aragon Research. "Five9's focus on its IVA platform, market expansion into Europe, and white glove implementation service are helping it continue to win new customers and retain existing ones."

This acknowledgment comes on the heels of Five9's announcement of a new European research and development hub in Porto, Portugal, which will continue to accelerate investments in artificial intelligence and cloud operations and further extend the company's expansion into Europe. Five9 also recently announced new product capabilities, including rich media for self-service digital and voice channels, multi-modal engagement capabilities, real-time language translation, enhanced developer tools for Five9 IVA Studio users, and integrated analytics to optimize interactions.

"Five9 is honored to be identified as a leader in providing conversational AI for the contact center," said Callan Schebella, EVP, Product Management, Five9. "We believe this acknowledgement reflects the success of our vision to deliver solutions that make AI persistent throughout the customer and agent experience, along with tools that make it easier for contact center teams to build, deploy, train and derive insights from the AI and the data that feeds it."

For more information, read a reprint of selected content from the Aragon Research Globe for Conversational AI in the ICC, 2023.

About Five9

Five9 is an industry-leading provider of cloud contact center solutions, bringing the power of cloud innovation to more than 2,500 customers worldwide and facilitating billions of call minutes annually. The Five9 Intelligent Cloud Contact Center provides digital engagement, analytics, workflow automation, workforce optimization, and practical AI to create more human customer experiences, to engage and empower agents, and deliver tangible business results. Designed to be reliable, secure, compliant, and scalable, the Five9 platform helps contact centers increase productivity, be agile, boost revenue, and create customer trust and loyalty.

For more information, visit www.five9.com.

Engage with us: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Blog, Dare to Reimagine podcast.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005183/en/

Contacts:

Allison Wilson

allison.wilson@five9.com
The digital employee experience management company eyes growth by planting roots in North America

1E, a leader in Digital Employee Experience (DEX), today announced the grand opening of its North American headquarters in Austin, Texas. Currently, the plurality of the company's customers are based in the U.S., making a more permanent presence in the region necessary for growth. Austin was a natural fit. Now, the growing team of Austin-area employees can collaborate in person and host customers in the beautiful Barton Springs neighborhood just south of Ladybird Lake.

"Austin is truly the perfect place for our North American headquarters," said 1E CEO Mark Banfield. "At 1E, we're immensely proud of our London roots, it's my hometown, and it is our global HQ. But most of our clients are in the U.S., so we need to make sure to have the right level of focus here. I fell in love with Austin while working at LogicMonitor, and you can be sure I'll be visiting my second home even more now."

The new headquarters, within the WeWork located at 801 Barton Springs Rd., offers 29 workstations within open-concept office space geared towards hybrid work and options to expand. This move and expansion to a permanent location in North America provide the DEX company with a homebase in North America's hottest tech city.

"I've lived and worked in Austin for 24 years. Here we have a deep and diverse pool of engineering, sales, marketing, and customer success talent, a thriving economy, and a business-friendly climate. Some of the world's best tech talent call Austin home, so it's a huge recruiting draw," explained Stephen Tarleton, CMO of 1E. "Customers love visiting this town, and we're excited to show them what makes it so special."

Read more about 1E's new office and hear about recent milestones here.

About 1E

More than 500 organizations in 42 countries trust 1E to help them create a better Digital Employee Experience (DEX). The 1E Platform provides real-time diagnosis, remediation, and automation to proactively fix issues before they ruin the workday. Reduce costs, move faster, and increase employee happiness with 1E. For more information, visit 1E.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005199/en/

Contacts:

Media

Cara DiFabio, Inkhouse for 1E

1E@inkhouse.com
Agreement underlines the growing global demand for private and flexible orbital launches

European launch service company Isar Aerospace, and U.S.-based Spaceflight Inc., the leading global launch services provider, announced they have signed a multi-launch services agreement. Under the agreement, Spaceflight secured one dedicated launch in 2026 to a sun-synchronous orbit taking off from Andya, Norway and an option to add an additional dedicated launch to occur in 2025.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005273/en/

Isar Aerospace and Spaceflight Inc. Sign Launch Agreement to Service Global Market (Photo: Business Wire)

"We've seen an increased demand for flexible and affordable launch options around the globe, but especially for our European-based customers," says Curt Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight. "We're very much looking forward to working with Isar Aerospace to help us meet that growing need. They have been successful in securing launch infrastructure and have made significant technological developments over recent years, and we welcome them into our launch vehicle portfolio."

Spaceflight has more than a decade of launch and in-space transportation services expertise, successfully delivering more than 450 spacecraft across 55 launches, including both rideshare and dedicated launches. The company provides a host of launch and mission management services, from security capacity to providing comprehensive integration and logistics services. In addition, the company executed the launch of five next-gen Sherpa orbital transfer vehicles which successfully carried more than 50 customer payloads, including cubesats, microsats and hosted payloads, to their desired orbits.

The agreement underlines the trust and growing global interest in Isar Aerospace's flexible launch service solutions as the company expands into the U.S. market. Spectrum, Isar Aerospace's completely in-house developed two-stage launch vehicle, can deliver up to 1,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit (LEO) and up to 700 kilograms to sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). The vehicle design and testing are progressing well, and the company is working towards the first test flight of Spectrum, which is planned for 2023. Since its founding in 2018, Isar Aerospace has raised private funding of more than $180 million and attracted both international commercial and institutional customers.

"We thank Spaceflight for the confidence it has placed in Isar Aerospace's team and are excited to welcome Spaceflight customers on board Spectrum's flights! Adding the first U.S.-based company to our international client roster, we clearly see the growing market need for flexible space access and international alternatives. Across the globe, a growing number of vital technologies are dependent on easy access to space and private launch services like Isar Aerospace offer the solution," says Stella Guillen, chief commercial officer at Isar Aerospace.

Private commercial launch services stemming from Europe not only create a real alternative in the current international market environment but become an essential part of meeting the growing international demand in the future.

About Isar Aerospace

Isar Aerospace, based in Ottobrunn/Munich, develops and builds launch vehicles for transporting small and medium-sized satellites as well as satellite constellations into Earth's orbit. The company was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from Technical University Munich. Since then, it has grown to more than 300 employees from more than 40 nations with many years of hands-on rocket know-how as well as experience within other high-tech industries. The company is privately financed by former SpaceX VP Bulent Altan as well as world-leading investors including Airbus Ventures, Apeiron, Earlybird, HV Capital, Lakestar, Lombard Odier, Porsche SE, UVC Partners, and Vsquared Ventures.

Find more information via: https://www.isaraerospace.com

About Spaceflight Inc.

As the premier global launch services provider, Spaceflight is revolutionizing the business of space transportation through its comprehensive suite of launch services and Sherpa orbital transfer vehicles. The company provides unprecedented launch flexibility to ensure customers' smallsats get to orbit exactly when and where they want through a combination of long-standing relationships with a diverse portfolio of launch partners, innovative satellite integration capabilities, including flight and ground support hardware, licensing and logistics management, and extensive mission management expertise. Based in Seattle, Spaceflight has successfully launched hundreds of satellites and is a part of the Mitsui Co., Ltd. portfolio, operating as an independent, U.S.-based company.

For more information, visit http://www.spaceflight.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005273/en/

Contacts:

Press contact Isar Aerospace

Tina Schmitt

M +49-170-8584834

E tina.schmitt@isaraerospace.com

Press contact Spaceflight Inc.

Christie DeWald, Communique PR

+1-206-282-4923 x127

Christine@CommuniquePR.com
International SOS, the world's leading health and security services company, has been recognised as a Top Employer in the UK for the fifth consecutive year. Only 99 companies in the UK have been awarded this certification by the Top Employer's Institute (TEI), endorsing International SOS' continued people-first progress.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005491/en/

International SOS certified as a Top Employer 2023 in the UK. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The TEI is a worldwide independent accreditation body, which assesses many companies around the world against a very competitive set of assessment criteria. International SOS' 'People Development' practices were assessed across six key HR topics, such as Work Environment, Talent Acquisition and Diversity Inclusion. International SOS was ranked above the benchmark score for numerous categories including:

Wellbeing score 19% above benchmark

On-boarding score 18% above benchmark

Career score 14% above benchmark

Ben Dale, International SOS Human Resources Director for Northern Europe, said:

"The selected certified Top Employers lead the way in outstanding 'people-first' HR practices, and we are delighted that we have once again qualified as one of these successful organisations.

"I am very proud that this year our Wellbeing score is 19% above benchmark as we have invested heavily in SHINE, our wellbeing programme as this is a key element of our HR strategy. Our program is dedicated to supporting and offering a consolidated approach to wellbeing. We aim to provide the tools to support our employees by focusing on our four key pillars: personal health, mental wellbeing, physical work environment and sustainability. Our Health and Wellbeing has been central to our people agenda in the UK and across Northern Europe during COVID and beyond. As a result, we can see we have benchmarked very favourably in this area against the other 98 Top Employers in the UK. We continue our focus on Health and Wellbeing into 2023 and physical health and mental health related to the cost living crisis are priorities going into the New Year."

About the International SOS Group of Companies

The International SOS Group of Companies is in the business of saving lives, protecting your global workforce from health and security threats. Wherever you are, we deliver customised health, security risk management and wellbeing solutions to fuel your growth and productivity.

In the event of extreme weather, an epidemic or a security incident, we provide an immediate response providing peace of mind. Our innovative technology and medical and security expertise focus on prevention, offering real-time, actionable insights and on-the-ground quality delivery. We help protect your people, your organisation's reputation, as well as support your compliance reporting needs. By partnering with us, organisations can fulfil their Duty of Care responsibilities, while empowering business resilience, continuity and sustainability.

Founded in 1985, the International SOS Group, headquartered in London Singapore, is trusted by 9,500 organisations, including the majority of the Fortune Global 500 as well as mid-size enterprises, governments, educational institutions, and NGOs. 13,000 multi-cultural security, medical, logistics and digital experts stand by you to provide support assistance from over 1,000 locations in 90 countries, 24/7, 365 days.

To protect your workforce, we are at your fingertips: www.internationalsos.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005491/en/

Contacts:

For further information, please contact:

Sam Burgess, Senior Consultant, Sermelo

M: +44 7753 107953, E: sam.burgess@sermelo.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Copland Road Capital Corporation (CSE: CRCC) ("Copland Road" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") of up to 2,400,000 common shares (the "Common Shares") in the capital of the Company at a price of $0.25 per Common Share for gross proceeds of up to $600,000. Gross proceeds raised from the Offering will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. Closing of the Offering is anticipated to occur on or about January 27, 2023.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

About Copland Road Capital Corporation

Copland Road is a Canadian investment firm that invests in assets across multiple industries, with the aim of creating tangible value for its shareholders.

For more information, please visit https://copland-road.com.

For inquiries, please contact:

Bruce Langstaff, Executive Chairman

langstaff@copland-road.com

(647) 242-4258

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under Canadian securities laws. Without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various degrees of risk. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current views with respect to possible future events and conditions and, by their nature, are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific to the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements and such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. Additional information regarding the material factors and assumptions that were applied in making these forward-looking statements as well as the various risks and uncertainties are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of the annual Management's Discussion and Analysis of the Company and other continuous disclosure documents and financial statements under its profile available at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update this forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. The Company relies on litigation protection for forward-looking statements.



Neither the Canadian Securities Purchase nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Purchase) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152456
The "Cannabis in Switzerland" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Cannabis in Switzerland market report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of this emerging market opportunity at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (historic date range), allowing you to identify the key cannabinoid categories driving growth.

Following the current liberalisation of medical cannabis, the trend towards liberalisation of adult-use cannabis is also expected over the forecast period.

The consumption of products bought on the black market carries the risk of containing dangerous harmful substances or synthetic cannabinoids. For this reason, Swiss authorities will likely seek a compromise between prohibition and absolute legalisation of cannabis.

It outlines the regulatory, cultural and commercial context and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market legislative developments both current and future, economic/lifestyle influences, illicit consumption, product innovation, distribution and pricing trends. Forecasts to 2027 illustrate how the market is set to expand and change.

Product coverage: Adult-Use Cannabis, CBD, Medical Cannabis.

Data coverage: Market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

Why buy this report?

Get a detailed picture of the Cannabis market;

Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;

Understand the competitive environment, the market's major players and leading brands;

Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

Key Topics Covered:

CANNABIS IN SWITZERLAND

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CANNABIS BACKGROUND

COUNTRY INSIGHT

CANNABIS LEGISLATION

CANNABIS DISTRIBUTION

CANNABIS TAXATION

CANNABIS PRODUCTION

ILLICIT CANNABIS MARKET

MARKET INDICATORS

Cannabis User Population by Legal vs Illicit 2019-2022

MARKET DATA

Sales of Cannabis by Category: Value 2019-2022

Sales of Cannabis by Category: Value Growth 2019-2022

Sales of Cannabis by Legal vs Illicit 2019-2022

Distribution of Cannabis by Format: Value 2019-2022

Distribution of Cannabis by Format and Category: Value 2022

Forecast Sales of Cannabis by Category: Value 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of Cannabis by Category: Value Growth 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of Cannabis by Legal vs Illicit 2022-2027

MEDICAL CANNABIS

Market Sizes

Cannabinoids

Brands

Distribution

CATEGORY DATA

Sales of Medical Cannabis by Category: Volume 2019-2022

Sales of Medical Cannabis by Category: Value 2019-2022

Sales of Medical Cannabis by Category: Volume Growth 2019-2022

Sales of Medical Cannabis by Category: Value Growth 2019-2022

Sales of Medical Cannabis by CBD vs THC content: Value 2019-2022

Distribution of Medical Cannabis by Format: Value 2019-2022

Forecast Sales of Medical Cannabis by Category: Volume 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of Medical Cannabis by Category: Value 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of Medical Cannabis by Category: Volume Growth 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of Medical Cannabis by Category: Value Growth 2022-2027

ADULT-USE CANNABIS

Forecast Sales of Adult-Use Cannabis by Category: Volume 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of Adult-Use Cannabis by Category: Value 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of Adult-Use Cannabis by Category: Volume Growth 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of Adult-Use Cannabis by Category: Value Growth 2022-2027

CBD

Sales of CBD by Category: Volume 2019-2022

Sales of CBD by Category: Value 2019-2022

Sales of CBD by Category: Volume Growth 2019-2022

Sales of CBD by Category: Value Growth 2019-2022

Distribution of CBD by Format: Value 2019-2022

Forecast Sales of CBD by Category: Volume 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of CBD by Category: Value 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of CBD by Category: Volume Growth 2022-2027

Forecast Sales of CBD by Category: Value Growth 2022-2027

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ezqqm-in?w=4

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005544/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - InZinc Mining Ltd. (TSXV: IZN) ("InZinc" or the "Company") is pleased to report a new occurrence of zinc with copper, nickel and cobalt from drilling and additional results from the 2022 exploration drill program at the Indy project (100% option) ("Indy" or the "Project") located 100 kilometres (km) southeast of Prince George in central British Columbia. Additional results from expansion drilling at the B-9 Zone are expected shortly.

Keel Red Occurrence - 27.1 m of Zinc Oxides with Nickel, Copper and Cobalt

Drill hole IB22-020 (Table 1), exploring between the Keel and Echo Central geochemical targets (Figure 1), has intersected 27.1 m of buried oxide material starting at 47.3 m downhole and averaging 0.67% zinc and 0.13% nickel. Named Keel Red, the upper part of the core interval (from 47.3 m to 55.0 m) also returned 0.11% copper over 7.8 m. Additionally, the 27.1 m interval is anomalous in cobalt content averaging 163 ppm with values up to 962 ppm over a 1 m core length.

"This is the first exploration drilling of this area and the first time we have seen the presence of nickel-copper-cobalt with zinc at Indy. It is also the first known occurrence of the important 'battery suite' of metals in this unexplored region of BC," commented Wayne Hubert, CEO of InZinc. "InZinc's extensive geophysical and soil geochemical coverage, which includes nickel, copper and cobalt, provides the depth and flexibility to develop new targets at Indy when new metal potential from a discovery such as Keel Red is identified."

Table 1: Indy Project - 2022 Drill Hole Intersections - Keel Red Oxide

Drill Hole Interval From To Zinc Nickel Copper Cobalt Depth

Below

Surface

(m) (HQ) (m) (m) (m) (%) (%) (%) (PPM) IB22-020 27.08 47.25 74.33 0.67 0.13 0.06 163 30

















includes 7.75 47.25 55.00 0.66 0.14 0.11 154



6.00 58.00 64.00 0.93 0.17 0.09 280





Note: Drill intervals represent apparent width. True widths are unknown.

Oxides as a Pathfinder to Sulphide Mineralization

Keel Red is interpreted as an oxide occurrence and a secondary deposition of metals. A primary sulphide source of these metals, potentially located at depth (Figure 2) and/or along trend, is of significant interest as a new exploration target at Indy.

Keel Red is located approximately 5 km north of the mineralized B-9 Zone, which was expanded in the 2022 drill program (news release December 15, 2022). B-9 is primary sulphide mineralization now traced by drilling over a 400 m length and 80 m at depth. A zinc oxide occurrence located downslope of B-9 is the only visible surface expression of this mineralization and highlights the importance of recognizing oxide type mineralization as a pathfinder to primary sulphide mineralization in the district.





Figure 1: Indy Project - 2022 Targets and Drill Results - Plan Map



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6480/152435_a96d0315f419d87c_001full.jpg







Figure 2: Indy Project - Keel Area - Drill Hole Plan and Section



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6480/152435_a96d0315f419d87c_002full.jpg

Additional Results 2022 Exploration Drilling - Keel and Echo Central (Figures 1 and 2)

Seven holes were completed at the Keel and Echo Central targets in the 2022 exploration drill program (Holes 16 to 22 totaling 1192 m). As previously stated, challenging terrain and lack of water prevented the planned drilling at the Echo South target (Figure 1) in 2022. Echo South remains one of the strongest geochemical targets on the project.

Highlights of drill intersections in the Keel area (in addition to hole IB22-020) are as follows:

Hole IB22-017: Designed to intersect strongly anomalous zinc in soil geochemistry between the Keel and Echo targets. The hole was terminated at 104 m downhole due to technical difficulties (faulting). A series of mafic dikes/sills were intersected near the end of this hole which may be related to the mineralization at Keel Red, located 40 m west.

Holes 16, 21 and 22: Explored the Keel (zinc) geochemical target. Holes 21 and 16 collared in weak to strongly altered, oxidised and bleached shales which may be related to the Keel Red mineralization, located 80 m to the east.

Hole 18: Collared 90 m east of Hole 17 to complete the 400m cross section between the Keel and Echo targets. This hole intersected massive to brecciated carbonates with strong faulting at the end of the hole.

Hole 19: Drilled at Echo Central, a lower priority section of the 1.9 km long Echo target. Several narrow intersections returned zinc and nickel which are associated with mafic dikes/sills and similar to the Keel Red oxide in Hole IB22-020 located 300m northwest.

Project Earn-in Expenditures Completed

With completion of the 2022 exploration expenditures, InZinc has now completed its total work commitment earn-in expenditures for the Indy option.

Cordilleran Roundup 2023

InZinc will be exhibiting at Booth #127 at the AME Roundup 2023 taking place in Vancouver January 25-26.

About InZinc

InZinc is an active explorer and through earn-in, equity and royalty interests is exposed to a diverse portfolio of active North American base metals and precious metals projects. Since the 2018 discovery of high grade, near surface mineralization at the Indy project (100% earn-in), InZinc has outlined over 10 km of high quality exploration base and precious metals targets and has expanded its mineral tenure to 200 km2 in a new and unexplored mineral region of central British Columbia, Canada. In late 2021, a Canadian subsidiary of South32 (ASX, LSE, JSE) became a major tenure holder in the belt by staking approximately 200 km2 of adjacent claims. InZinc has a significant equity investment in American West Metals (ASX) which is advancing multiple North American base metals projects. In addition, InZinc has a production royalty and will receive 50% of the revenue (NSR) from the sale of indium mined from American West's West Desert project.

InZinc Mining Ltd.

Wayne Hubert

____________

Chief Executive Officer

Phone: 604.687.7211

Website: www.inzincmining.com

For further information contact :

Joyce Musial

Vice President, Corporate Affairs

Phone: 604.317.2728

Email: joyce@inzincmining.com

Qualified Person

Brian McGrath, B.Sc., P.Geo. a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has approved the technical content of this news release.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Drill core was collected from the drill site and delivered to the Indy Camp by InZinc staff. The core was logged, sample intervals were outlined and photographic records were collected. Core samples were split using a diamond saw or manually chipped at the camp with one-half of the core submitted for assay and the remainder stored in wooden core boxes. The core was bagged in individually marked plastic sample bags and shipments were compiled in labelled rice bags. Core shipments were delivered by InZinc contract geologists to Bandstra Transportation Systems Ltd. in Prince George, B.C. for furtherance to MSA Labs in Langley, B.C., Canada for analysis. Samples were prepared by MSA and analyzed by ICP- AES multi-element and select AAS-Fire Assay. In addition to the labs QA/QC procedures, InZinc inserted blind standards, blanks or field duplicates every tenth sample. The results from the QA/QC samples were within industry norms.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information includes, but are not limited to, statements that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "design", "postulate" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results, performance, or actions and that actual results and actions may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2021 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 filed with certain securities commissions in Canada and other information released by the Company and filed with the appropriate regulatory agencies. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152435
Data intelligence platform Similarweb has identified the top 100 fastest-Growing digital brands of 2022

The list reviews 10 key consumer categories to find the 10 fastest growing website from each, as well as key trends that influenced markets

The cost-of-living crisis was identified as the number one trend affecting markets in 2022, leading to a rise in DIY car repairs and fashion reselling

A major new piece of research has revealed the fastest growing digital companies in the UK over 2022 and the potential consumer trends that underpinned their rise.

Data intelligence platform Similarweb has analysed desktop and mobile web traffic to brands and businesses in Britain to create its 2022 annual Digital 100 winners list the 10 fastest growing companies across 10 key consumer categories.

The categories and the winner from each are as follows:

Automotive : IAAI, a second hand car and parts marketplace, took first place with 396.7% increased traffic in 2022.

: IAAI, a second hand car and parts marketplace, took first place with increased traffic in 2022. Beauty Cosmetics : MAKEUP, a competitively priced beauty and fragrance retailer, took first place with 194.6% increased traffic in 2022.

: MAKEUP, a competitively priced beauty and fragrance retailer, took first place with increased traffic in 2022. Business Consumer Services : Attentive, a personalised text messaging service, took first place with 233.5% increased traffic in 2022.

: Attentive, a personalised text messaging service, took first place with increased traffic in 2022. Consumer Electronics : HONOR, a leading provider of smart devices, took first place with 248.5% increased traffic in 2022.

: HONOR, a leading provider of smart devices, took first place with increased traffic in 2022. Fashion Apparel : Catalove, a high-end fashion aggregator with personalised product suggestions, took first place with 2456.2% increased traffic in 2022.

: Catalove, a high-end fashion aggregator with personalised product suggestions, took first place with increased traffic in 2022. Financial Services : Shawbrook, a personal loan provider, took first place with 129.7% increased traffic in 2022

: Shawbrook, a personal loan provider, took first place with increased traffic in 2022 Food Drink : Go Puff, a US grocery and fresh food delivery service, took first place with 293.3% increased traffic in 2022.

: Go Puff, a US grocery and fresh food delivery service, took first place with increased traffic in 2022. Health Fitness : Set For Set, a premier health and fitness educational resource, took first place with 291.5% increased traffic in 2022.

: Set For Set, a premier health and fitness educational resource, took first place with increased traffic in 2022. News Media : SussexWorld, a south of England focused digital newspaper, took first place with 1321.1% increased traffic in 2022.

: SussexWorld, a south of England focused digital newspaper, took first place with increased traffic in 2022. Travel: Trip, an online travel agent, took first place with 330.5% increased traffic in 2022.

Benjamin Serror, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder at Similarweb, said about the list: "We've seen some exceptionally high levels of growth for many sites in the 2022 Digital 100 that may surprise most readers At the same time, many unique brands and services really created a name for themselves in the UK market."Serror continued: "In a year where consumers were careful with every purchase they made, the winners of the Digital 100 demonstrated that they understood the market and delivered strong products and services."

Biggest Trends of 2022

Alongside identifying the fastest growing businesses of 2022, Similarweb analysts also took the time to understand the trends that forged the markets of 2022 and influenced the winners of the Digital 100.

Major trends identified by Similarweb analysts include:

The rise of budget brands and second-hand shopping: With the cost-of-living crisis denting consumers' wallets, many turned to cheaper alternatives. Second-hand fashion stores, such as Laced (304% increase), proved popular among consumers.

With the cost-of-living crisis denting consumers' wallets, many turned to cheaper alternatives. Second-hand fashion stores, such as Laced (304% increase), proved popular among consumers. Transport was a pain point for consumers: With cars being essential for a great deal of workers and families, many consumers turned to DIY car repairs to ensure they maintained access to them during the cost of living crisis, with Trupart increasing traffic by 104% and PartSouq increasing traffic by 126%

With cars being essential for a great deal of workers and families, many consumers turned to DIY car repairs to ensure they maintained access to them during the cost of living crisis, with Trupart increasing traffic by 104% and PartSouq increasing traffic by 126% Ukraine-centric news: With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, news sites in the country and others covering the conflict grew exponentially. Key players include Live UA Map, which grew by 963%" a digital map of events from the warzone, and Ukrainian online news source Pravda, which grew by 955%.

With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, news sites in the country and others covering the conflict grew exponentially. Key players include Live UA Map, which grew by 963%" a digital map of events from the warzone, and Ukrainian online news source Pravda, which grew by 955%. Lipstick effect : While budget shopping is ruling the consumer markets, high quality, personalised services have still maintained a place in the market. Skin Me, which grew by 69%, is a prime example, as they provide full consultation on skin care to match consumers with the right products for them.

: While budget shopping is ruling the consumer markets, high quality, personalised services have still maintained a place in the market. Skin Me, which grew by 69%, is a prime example, as they provide full consultation on skin care to match consumers with the right products for them. Automation in business: Tight wallets may also be a trend within the business space. Many winners within the Business Consumer services category's area of focus was automating business processes, such as attentive, an automated and personalised messaging service, which grew by 233.5%.

"Unsurprisingly, the cost-of-living crisis and war in Ukraine are the key trends which defined the UK consumer markets for 2022" said Richard Robinson, Area Vice President UK Northern Europe at Similarweb. "However, it's interesting to see how the economic crisis specifically has manifested beyond basic bargain hunting. Traffic to fashion reselling sites rose dramatically as people began selling old clothes to raise cash. Used car part sites also saw high increases in traffic as people were opting to fix their own cars to avoid using garages. In 2022, every penny really counted."

- ENDS -

About Similarweb

Similarweb is the most trusted platform for understanding online behaviour, used by millions of people every day to create insights and strengthen their knowledge of the digital world. We empower anyone from the curious individual to the enterprise.

Eligibility criteria

The rankings are based on industry categories Similarweb tracks on an ongoing basis, ranked based on year-over-year change in their total traffic for 2022 over 2021. To qualify for the UK ranking, a domain had to average at least 100,000 monthly views for 2022 and above 0 visits in January 2021.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005357/en/

Contacts:

David Marshall, April Six

similarweb@aprilsix.com
Regulatory News:

Sopra Steria (Paris:SOP), a European Tech leader recognised for its consulting, digital services and software development, is proud to join Euronext's CAC SBT 1.5, a stock index including 38 companies investing solely in companies within the SBF 120 Index that have emission reduction targets approved to be in line with the 1.5C goal of the Paris Agreement.

Launched with the support of Amundi, CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) and SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative), the CAC SBT 1.5 will provide a climate-focused version of the CAC 40 and respond to the growing demand for sustainable investment tools from investors and from the market.

The CAC SBT 1.5 Index is designed to facilitate the adoption of mainstream ESG investment approaches by institutional and private investors while providing a strong focus on climate change considerations:

It first incorporates negative screening and norm-based exclusion filters applied in accordance with the UN Global Compact Principles as well as exclusion screening for companies involved in unconventional oil gas, coal, controversial weapons and tobacco activities.

The index is composed of companies having defined clear targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with 1.5C, which have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

"Sopra Steria's inclusion in Euronext's CAC SBT 1.5 index rewards the strategy, performance and transparency of our Group, which has been committed to the fight against climate change and environmental protection for over ten years. As a European tech player, Sopra Steria made significant commitments in 2017 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its activities, with targets validated by the SBTi. Only a general mobilisation will enable us to meet the major challenges we face. This is why we are doing everything possible to reduce our environmental footprint by implicating our entire value chain, thus helping to shape a more sustainable future for all," says Cyril Malarge, CEO of Sopra Steria

About Sopra Steria

Sopra Steria, a European Tech leader recognised for its consulting, digital services and software development, helps its clients drive their digital transformation to obtain tangible and sustainable benefits. It provides end-to-end solutions to make large companies and organisations more competitive by combining in-depth knowledge of a wide range of business sectors and innovative technologies with a fully collaborative approach. Sopra Steria places people at the heart of everything it does and is committed to making the most of digital technology to build a positive future for its clients. With 47,000 employees in nearly 30 countries, the Group generated revenue of 4.7 billion in 2021.

The world is how we shape it.

Sopra Steria Group (SOP) is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment A) ISIN: FR0000050809

For more information, please visit our website www.soprasteria.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005557/en/

Contacts:

Press

Alexandra Paleologue, +33 (0)6 79 75 48 83 alexandra.paleologue@soprasteria.com
PlumCare RWE and Lifebit enter a three-year partnership to support Greece's pioneering national newborn genomic sequencing program, BeginNGS.

Researchers will be able to access and analyse data securely in combination with global cohorts, whilst ensuring data is kept safe, private and in place in their secure environment using Lifebit's federated technology.

This will help detect approximately 400 early onset but actionable genetic conditions in newborns, ensuring appropriate treatments can be given as early as possible, to help limit the impact of the diseases.

LONDON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lifebit, a leading UK-based precision medicine software company, was awarded a three-year contract with PlumCare RWE to support the scaling of BeginNGS Greece, a pioneering newborn sequencing program.





"We are thrilled to partner with Lifebit as it will allow us to securely connect data from Greece's first newborn screening program with global cohorts. With this, our researchers can gain crucial insights to better understand rare diseases and ultimately save lives," said Petros Tsipouras, Chief Executive Officer at PlumCare RWE.





Worldwide, thousands of children are born with rare genetic conditions that severely affect their quality of life. For approximately 400 early onset but actionable genetic conditions, these can be detected easily using genomic sequencing and appropriate interventions given, allowing affected families to lead lives unburdened by disease.

The BeginNGS program, backed by PlumCare RWE, the Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, and the National Organization of Public Health (EODY) in Greece, aims to sequence the genomes of 1,000 newborns by the end of 2023, scaling to all newborns in Greece by 2027. The program will use whole genome sequencing to diagnose many rare but actionable genetic conditions and identify treatment options before symptoms begin, a major advance over current practices that focus on children who are already critically ill.

Rare genetic conditions are, by definition, uncommon within the general population, therefore, to maximise and validate insights from the data, researchers critically need access to multiple large-scale cohorts of clinical-genomic data that are often in different places. Lifebit's powerful federated technology will advance these efforts, making this data interoperable and securely connected with global data cohorts.

Lifebit's Chief Executive Officer Dr Maria Chatzou Dunford commented, "We believe all biomedical data that can be used to save lives should be used. We are thrilled to support PlumCare to harness the power of securely connected clinico-genomic data. Our federated technology means that the data remains safe and private throughout by never leaving their secure environment and is used only by trusted researchers. By enabling secure data analysis, our technology will help to deliver life-saving breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases."

About Lifebit Biotech Ltd.

Lifebit builds enterprise data platforms for use by organisations with complex and sensitive biomedical datasets. Lifebit's patented federated technology securely unlocks access to biomedical data. From providing Trusted Research Environments for national precision medicine programmes to enabling pharmaceutical companies to discover new drug targets faster, Lifebit empowers customers to transform how they leverage sensitive biomedical data. Web: www.lifebit.ai/

About PlumCare RWE:

PlumCare RWE (Delaware, USA) is a Biotechnology and Healthcare data company. It combines real world evidence and multi-omics analysis to deliver actionable insights for individuals, companies and populations focusing on children. It is building a Global Pediatric Databank that can impact individual and population health and facilitate drug development and discovery. Its European headquarters is based in Athens, Greece. Web: https://www.plumcarerwe.com/

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Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1752754/lifebit_logo.jpg





View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/plumcare-rwe-partners-with-lifebit-on-greeces-newborn-genomic-sequencing-program-beginngs-301728323.html
The company closed its 25th anniversary year having consolidated itself as a leader in the IT training sector and ready to focus on its main project for 2023, ITalentUp.

MIAMI, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MeasureUp , a provider of certification practice tests in the IT sector and for large multinationals such as Microsoft, Cisco, AWS, CompTIA, and PMI, ended 2022 with a growth of 15%, having sold more than one million practice tests and assessments in more than 140 countries through its platform.







Over the course of the past year, MeasureUp has added 29 new titles to its range of training materials, which now includes the complete Microsoft certification path, and it offers more than 400 tests and 37,000 questions. Furthermore, MeasureUp has continued to prioritize the excellent quality of its content, ensuring that its practice tests remain fully in line with the changes made by the different providers. As a result, in 2022, MeasureUp updated 58 of its tests with new content.

The new MeasureUp website, launched in September 2022, opened up a new world of possibilities, bringing more benefits to the user. Among other things, users can now take advantage of improved upload speeds, faster transaction processing times, and advanced payment options. Additionally, the company further enhanced transaction security and added more payment options.

MeasureUp also took center stage at several IT industry conferences in 2022, including the 'Innovations in Testing' conference, hosted by the ATP (Association of Test Publishers), its European Edition, the E-ATP, and the CertMatters conference. In all of them, MeasureUp was able to demonstrate the tremendous benefits of studying through practice tests and assessments. Also, with the situation having returned to normal after the Covid pandemic, MeasureUp was able to resume its trips to the headquarters of its partner Pearson Vue, holding meetings that were key to strengthening strategic ties and setting new goals for 2023.

CEO of MeasureUp, Sam Brocal, stated that: "2022 has been a year in which we have worked very hard to offer the best possible products to our clients, especially through our new e-commerce platform." He then went on to explain that in 2023: "We will continue to innovate and find new ways to help professionals certify their technological skills."

Strategic plan for 2023

Looking ahead to 2023, the company is going to put special focus on 'ITalentUp', a new project which is based on initial evaluation processes for candidates applying for technical positions. The project will allow recruitment companies and human resources teams to save a great deal of time and money, especially considering how difficult it is becoming to evaluate the technological skills of candidates and teams.

ITalentUp will allow HR companies to create their own technical evaluations for their candidates, basing these evaluations on the technological profile that they require, and using the complete MeasureUp catalogue, which covers the most in-demand technologies on the market.

Laura Morillo, CHRO of the Media Interactiva Group explains that: "When companies are looking to hire IT professionals, their HR teams often have to depend greatly on the assistance of specialists in a particular field; ITalentUp will allow these teams to streamline their recruitment processes and automate technical tests, which will result in considerable savings in terms of time, resources, and money. Above all, it will give them autonomy and guarantee the objectivity of the selection processes for these profiles. All professionals in the sector are aware that current profiles tend to be cross-functional, which means that they often require a range of technical skills. ITalentUp allows you to evaluate several technical skills at the same time, meaning that when HR professionals are assessing candidates for a specific profile or position, they can obtain all of the results they need from a single test, which is 100% adapted to the job, project, or specifics of the company."

MeasureUp is also launching its Teams Plans for 2023; packs of practice tests which are aimed at teams, academies, and companies. With Teams Plans, users can combine any of the tests from MeasureUp's prodigious catalog in the way that best suits their needs, saving them money compared to buying practice tests individually. Team Plans are one of the new possibilities that MeasureUp is offering to EMEA, a market that is sure to benefit from these great prices on MeasureUp services and products.

About MeasureUp

MeasureUp , part of the Media Interactiva business group, is the world leader in exam simulations and evaluations for official certifications in the IT sector.

With over 400 tests and more than 37,000 questions, its customers can prepare for the certification exams of the largest technology manufacturers. MeasureUp is the official practice test provider for companies such as Microsoft, and is an authorized provider for Cisco, CompTIA, VMware, AWS, and PMI, among others.

Since joining Media Interactiva in 2014, MeasureUp has sold around five million practice tests and assessments in 189 countries.

More information:

www.measureup.com

https://www.facebook.com/MeasureUpCertPrep/

https://twitter.com/DoYouMeasureUp

https://www.linkedin.com/company/measureup/

https://www.instagram.com/measureupcertprep/

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/measureup-closes-2022-with-15-growth-and-more-than-one-million-practice-tests-sold-301729572.html
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / The PNC Financial Services Group

PNC | Insights

There's a problem in the labor market, and PNC has emerged as a corporate leader in helping to solve it through an impactful program.

Pre-pandemic, 70% of employers in Pittsburgh, where PNC is based, cited a skills gap between what they needed and what was available in the current talent pool1.

That skills gap, combined with the 22% of workers expected to retire within 10 years - and no comparably sized group to replace them - concerns business leaders.

This workforce landscape prompted PNC to seek input from nonprofit, business and school leaders to create PartnerUp with high schools and major employers in southwestern Pennsylvania. The program offers high school seniors the opportunity to build their resumes, sharpen their interview skills and develop other skills in preparation for interviews with potential employers. Since its February 2018 launch, the program has created a talent pipeline of early career professionals ready to enter the workforce after high school graduation in entry-level roles.

"PartnerUp empowers high school graduates to enter and thrive in a job market that's in need of their skills," says Brianna McMeekin, talent program manager at PNC. "Employers partner with teachers and parents to provide committed guidance, real-world opportunities and ongoing assistance. Graduates then take the first step on a path that leads to a fulfilling and secure future - for themselves and the community they call home."

The Program and Its Impact

The program has been rolled out in 50 high schools and to more than 6,000 students to date, offering an in-school curriculum for 11th- and 12th-graders. The focus for 11th graders centers on teaching students about career decision-making, financial literacy and professionalism, among other topics.

In 12th grade, the students focus on resumes, interview preparation and identifying skills they can use to market themselves. This program level is only for students who have determined they want to start their career right out of high school, rather than going on to post-secondary education.

Throughout the program's five-year existence, 16 partner employers have participated and offered students the chance to land positions in a variety of industries. PNC has offered roles at the company to over 70 graduates of the program. Niko Haughey, senior detection and investigation analyst at PNC, was among those 70 PartnerUp graduates to receive an offer from the bank.

"PNC offered me a way to get my foot in the door and demonstrate what I was capable of doing," says Haughey, who joined PNC in 2019 as a bank teller. "The combination of coursework that is focused on the hard and soft skills you need to be successful, and the mentoring and job shadowing opportunities we were given, all really prepared me to step into my first role."

Expanding the Effort

In 2022, the need to fill the skills gap remains prevalent. Three in four global employers saw a talent shortage of about 75%2.

In an effort to meet talent development needs beyond Pittsburgh, PNC expanded PartnerUp into its Cleveland market and has plans to offer the program in the Birmingham, Alabama, market during the 23-24 school year. The PartnerUp team also is building resources and support for PNC markets interested in bringing components of the program to their regions.

Vicki Henn, chief human resources officer at PNC, says the vision for the program always has been to develop a scalable model that could be deployed in other regions.

"With PartnerUp's expansion, we're working with more employers and local education partners to provide local high school graduates with the skills needed to land entry-level careers in high-demand industries such as healthcare and financial services, without the burden of student loan debt," Henn says.

Investing in the Talent Pool and Community

PartnerUp represents a shift in how PNC and other employers view the labor market, investing in talent in new ways instead of just consuming it, Henn says.

"As a talent-focused company, we're committed to investing in impactful skills development programs and educational initiatives that help drive career growth and economic opportunity in the communities we serve," she adds.

McMeekin sees PartnerUp as more than a way to leverage early career talent, stating that the program is also about adding to the communities PNC serves.

"Ultimately, our goal is to invest in communities," McMeekin says. "We want to ensure our high school graduates have a clear understanding of all the opportunities available to them post-graduation and are ready to productively apply their talents to make a difference in their community, the local economy and their futures."

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The PNC Financial Services Group on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: The PNC Financial Services Group

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/pnc-financial-services-group

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: The PNC Financial Services Group

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736706/PNC-Taps-High-Schools-as-Means-of-Solving-Entry-Level-Skills-Gap
64,000 RSF features office and BSL-2 lab space for emerging biopharmaceutical company

BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England's most innovative architectural and interior design firms, announced that it has completed the architectural interior design and lab fit-out for Strand Therapeutics, an emerging biopharmaceutical company applying synthetic biology to RNA therapeutics. The renovation project transformed 64,000 RSF across two floors at 20 Overland Street in Boston into a BSL-2 laboratory and open plan office.

Photos by Warren Patterson Photography

Strand Therapeutics is developing the first platform for the creation of programmable, long-acting mRNA drugs capable of delivering precise, multi-functional, potentially curative treatments with a single dose. Co-founded by world-leading mRNA researchers from the MIT Synthetic Biology Center, Strand's technology potentially has broad applicability across a spectrum of diseases. The company will initially focus on the development of mRNA therapies that act through multiple immune mediated mechanisms to deliver potentially curative treatments in oncology. In solid tumors, Strand's mRNA approach has the potential to significantly improve response rates to checkpoint inhibitor therapy. In hematological tumors, Strand's early work may have the potential to revolutionize CAR-T therapy.

"Coming out of a smaller lab space in Cambridge, we are proud to have a new space which represents our brand and vision as a company that we can call our own," said Tasuku Kitada, Ph.D., president, head of R&D, and co-founder at Strand Therapeutics. "Our space feels expansive yet visually connected, and the design of the shared spaces creates more space for each employee. The labs are visible from the reception and office area, allowing us to show off the revolutionary work of our scientists to visitors and employees alike."

Photos by Warren Patterson Photography

Before Strand selected 20 Overland, Margulies Perruzzi had been providing design services for converting 20 Overland Street into a highly desirable location for a variety of life science tenants. Repositioning the 202,167 SF building for a more demanding use required upgrades to its infrastructure, and most significantly, a combination of upgrades to existing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems (MEP) to handle the additional loads imposed by laboratory facilities. The building had been a vehicle manufacturing plant during World War II, and consequently has substantial floor-to-floor heights, ample fenestration for natural light, and plenty of structural capacity. This conversion, along with other factors, led to Strand's interest in the building.

Strand's open work environment is supported by a variety of meeting room types, phone booths, scientist write-up space, and work cafe spaces, allowing employees the option to choose between the workspace that best supports their needs. An existing interconnecting stair between the two floors was retained and a custom-designed helix sculpture was installed in the center of the stair structure to represent the synthetic biology in which Strand specializes.

A connection between the lab and office spaces is supported by glass walls, permitting a clear visual into the lab from the office, and vice versa. The reception area is right off the building lobby and provides a direct sight line of the lab space and connecting stair, enabling guests to see the scientists at work. Branding based on the blue from the Strand logo is carried throughout the space, including the lab. Wall graphics were added in the lab to reinforce the company's culture. The building is a triangle-shape, and the floor plate shape was unusual, presenting some challenges in determining where to place the labs to maximize usable square footage.

The project team for this project includes:

Architect, Interior Design, and Lab Planner: Margulies Perruzzi

Construction Manager: Suffolk Construction

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) Engineer: BR+A

OPM: Anchor Advisors

Code Consulting: Jensen Hughes

About Margulies Perruzzi

As one of New England's top architectural and interior design firms, Margulies Perruzzi (MP) designs Workplace, Health, Science, and Real Estate projects that inspire and nurture human endeavor. More information may be found at https://mparchitectsboston.com.

Media Contact:

Susan Shelby, FSMPS, CPSM

Rhino PR

978.985.4541

MPArchitects@rhinopr.com

SOURCE: Margulies Perruzzi

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736632/Margulies-Perruzzi-Completes-LabOffice-Space-for-Strand-Therapeutics
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / Our approach

Throughout the life cycle of our projects, we seek to avoid, minimize, restore and/or offset impacts to biodiversity from our operations. We do this by:

incorporating the principles of the mitigation hierarchy, integrated land use and management planning processes into project design, operation, reclamation and closure

using tools such as constraints mapping and wildlife sweeps to understand and ensure our development and construction activities avoid sensitive environmental areas and species potentially impacted by our activities

minimizing disturbances to the greatest extent possible while considering multiple factors

employing mitigations such as wildlife crossings, low-impact seismic, waste management procedures and managing human-wildlife interaction to reduce conflicts

working internally, with industry peers and with multi-stakeholder organizations to monitor, conserve, restore and reclaim habitat for birds, mammals, fish and other species, including those at risk such as caribou.

To protect both people and wildlife that use our sites and nearby areas, our internal Wildlife Standard describes the responsibilities of all on-site employees and contractors. This is supported by a wildlife committee with representatives from each of our operating sites coming together to discuss wildlife-related best practices.

Biodiversity monitoring and evaluation

We monitor biodiversity in and around our oil sands operations and reclaimed sites in accordance with our regulatory commitments and aligned with broader regional initiatives. Reclaimed terrestrial, wetland and aquatic areas are monitored according to site-specific reclamation monitoring plans that assess the components of biodiversity, while vegetation regrows and ecosystems develop over time. This monitoring allows us to collect soil, vegetation, wildlife use and water quality information to support reclamation certificate applications once it's determined requirements have been met. We further evaluate biodiversity across our sites through wildlife monitoring, conducted in accordance with approved site-level wildlife mitigation plans that include bird deterrents at ponds; the use of wildlife crossings over above-ground pipelines; and effectively managing human-wildlife interactions.

Through remote cameras, we've captured images of wildlife in reclaimed areas and in proximity to our oil sands operating sites. No endangered or critically endangered species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species have been identified within our operating areas in northern Alberta. Notable wildlife observed using reclaimed habitat on our sites include the Canadian Toad, Canada Warbler and Olive-sided Flycatcher.

In collaboration with our industry peers, stakeholders and regulatory agencies, we work with organizations such as the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI), the Canada-Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring (OSM) Program and Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) to:

mitigate and monitor the impacts of our operations

understand and reduce the cumulative effects of oil sands development

address regional biodiversity risk.

The OSM Program was formed out of a recognized need for a robust, reputable, and science and traditional knowledge-based monitoring system in the oil sands region. The program's goal is to provide assurance to local communities, the province, the country and the international community that oil sands resources are being developed responsibly. As key funders, Suncor and Syncrude have significant interests in ensuring the program succeeds and believe we add value as the OSM Program aims to highlight key questions and pursues increased transparency, improved governance and meaningful stakeholder engagement.

Under the OSM Program, the Terrestrial Biological Monitoring (TBM) theme area brings together multiple investigators and research programs to consider the relationship of oil sands development to biodiversity in a regional context. Through the TBM workplan, Suncor and Syncrude support programs such as the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship program - one way researchers monitor bird populations to assess the return of bird species to reclaimed land, as well as to gather demographic information that contributes to bird and habitat conservation continent-wide. Other aspects of the workplan incorporate monitoring technologies including wildlife cameras and acoustic recording units.

Caribou recovery and conservation

In the oil sands region, complex combinations of natural- and human-caused factors have created landscape changes and indirectly increased predation, resulting in declining caribou populations. We recognize the importance of caribou recovery and conservation and have implemented initiatives designed to support this objective. For example, in 2021, a section of road at our Firebag site, within the Richardson caribou range, was decommissioned with the intention of returning the land to boreal forest caribou habitat to assist species recovery.

Suncor is a member of COSIA's Regional Industry Caribou Collaboration joint industry project. The project works with academics, the Government of Alberta and the ABMI Caribou Monitoring Unit to co-ordinate restoration in priority areas, find new ways to improve biodiversity understanding and restore habitat throughout northeast Alberta. These efforts all play a role in caribou recovery.

Land conservation

Both Suncor and Syncrude believe in the value of multi-stakeholder approaches to address industry impacts on the environment.

For almost 20 years, Suncor has partnered with the Alberta Conservation Association through the Boreal Habitat Conservation Initiative to secure areas of intact boreal forest and wetlands that preserve biodiversity. We have done this by ensuring components of the larger boreal forest ecosystem have remained undisturbed. To date, we have helped secure more than 4,000 hectares (ha) of ecologically sensitive land across 43 different conservation sites in Alberta as voluntary offsets.

In 2018, Syncrude joined the governments of Alberta and Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Tallcree First Nation to create the Birch River Wildland Provincial Park, a conservation area of 330,000 ha, located near Wood Buffalo National Park. This partnership helped create the world's largest protected area of boreal forest and is intended to offset future Syncrude land disturbance.

Read Suncor's full 2022 Report on Sustainability.





View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Suncor Energy on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Suncor Energy

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/suncor-energy

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Suncor Energy

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736705/Suncor-2022-Report-on-Sustainability-Biodiversity
Capital for Colleagues plc - Notice of AGM

Capital for Colleagues plc / EPIC: CFCP / Market: AQSE / Sector: Financials

25 January 2023

CAPITAL FOR COLLEAGUES PLC

('Capital for Colleagues', 'C4C' or the 'Company')

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Capital for Colleagues, the investment vehicle focused on opportunities in the Employee Owned Business ('EOB') sector, is pleased to announce that Notice convening the Company's Annual General Meeting for 2pm on Wednesday, 22 February 2023 at the Bolton Stadium Hotel, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL6 6SF, is being posted to shareholders in the Company today. The document will also be available on the Company's website at www.capitalforcolleagues.com.

The Directors of the Company are responsible for the contents of this announcement.

**ENDS**

For further information, please visit www.capitalforcolleagues.com or contact:

CAPITAL FOR COLLEAGUES PLC

Richard Bailey, Chairman

Alistair Currie, Chief Executive

John Lewis, Finance Director 01985 201 980 PETERHOUSE CAPITAL LIMITED

Mark Anwyl 020 7469 0930

Capital for Colleagues plc

Capital for Colleagues is an investment company focused on the UK EOB sector. The Company has a proven management team, with a wide network of contacts and affiliates, as well as established access to investment opportunities, enabling the Company to execute its strategy and capitalise on EOB-focused investment opportunities. In addition, the Company educates and assists companies that are looking to launch employee ownership schemes, advising them, amongst other things, on how to secure investment and achieve their objectives.

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation EU 596/2014 as it forms part of retained EU law (as defined in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018).
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / Sustainable business operations are on the rise, with more and more leaders recognizing that long-term operational resilience and financial performance are contingent on shifting to a low-carbon economy and increasing participation in the circular economy. But what are companies really doing on a day-to-day basis to build sustainability operations and meet the needs of their customers' sustainability goals?



Recently, Lenovo released its FY2021/22 ESG report, sharing progress toward our 2025 and 2030 goals. As a global corporate citizen, we understand the decisions we make, big or small, impact future generations and determine our tomorrows. Lenovo has a duty to make a positive impact wherever we do business. This duty guides our vision to create smarter technology for all. That's why we innovate to create solutions that are more sustainable, more accessible and empower our customers to help solve the world's most urgent problems.

From the customer standpoint, infrastructure technology is at the heart of the digital economy, unlocking intelligence that expands business opportunities, fuels economic growth, and helps businesses achieve their sustainability goals.

Lenovo's Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) main call to action is to innovate the future-defined data center, today. From the simplest to the most complex IT environments and for all types of workloads, Lenovo servers, storage, networking, and solutions help maximize data center potential. Establishing a data center is a feat in and of itself. But doing so sustainably adds a layer of complexity. As a result, Lenovo employs the circular economy approach that includes Smarter Design - Smarter Use - Smarter Return, to address internal and customer-focused sustainability goals. While each segment has many facets, let's dig into how Lenovo ISG plugs into each.

Smarter Design

Lenovo ISG embraces smarter designs that mitigate waste and pollution, particularly through use of innovative recycled materials and packaging design. In 2019, Lenovo ISG began offering a more flexible and less wasteful packaging solution than traditional packaging methods: the innovative rack integration method. Using this approach, servers are pre-installed and shipped in the rack versus shipping individually packaged server nodes, chassis, and racks. As a result, this reduces the number of cardboard boxes and the amount of foam, plastic, and paper used. For illustrative purposes, a typical rack can house between 18 and 42 servers. When shipping 36 1U servers in the rack, the estimated savings of packaging materials are 105 pounds (48 kilograms) of cardboard alone.

Lenovo is increasing the use of Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) in the packaging of some of our server products. OBP is derived from abandoned plastic waste, such as milk jugs, shopping bags, and laundry detergent bottles, that is at risk of ending up in the ocean. According to Zero Plastics Ocean, OBP is estimated to generate 80% of plastic marine litter. OBP materials can be used to breathe new life into everyday products such as sunglasses, swimwear and running shoes. Lenovo is expanding its use by composing packaging materials made of 30% OBP material. Some of the foam used in the packaging is composed of recycled cushion material. Additionally, Lenovo ISG is leading the way in using recycled content material composed of at least 65% pre-consumer recycled content, in its packaging. By the end of 2021, over 2,500 tons (2,300 tonnes) of recycled content were used, reducing CO2 emissions by nearly 2,700 tons (2,500 tonnes).

Another facet of Smarter Design is designing products with sustainable materials and recycled content. Lenovo uses post-consumer recycled content (PCC) and closed-loop PCC, that's recycled plastic from end-of-life IT and electronics equipment, to advance recycled material innovation. These materials are used in the manufacturing of some Lenovo server products, such as the ThinkSystem ST50 V2.

Smarter Use

Smarter Use means optimizing the use of products and services for sustainability through product energy efficiency and carbon-optimized operations and logistics. Let's tackle product energy efficiency first.

The traditional air-cooled data center consumes a massive amount of power, every watt of which produces heat. Data centers use 50 times more power per square foot than typical office space, and this power consumption is the largest contributor to CO2 emissions. In a typical 700W 1U server, 10% of the power is consumed by fans alone. That's 10% of power not being used for moving, storing, or computing data but to solely operate fans to cool the servers.

One of the hallmarks of our ISG solutions is the industry-leading Lenovo NeptuneTM liquid cooling technology. NeptuneTM has several key features and benefits including:

Direct water cooling (DWC) reduces up to 40% of power costs by using water circulated through the system to remove heat from the CPUs, memory, storage, PCIe and voltage regulation infrastructure. Using water means fans can be eliminated.

Energy Aware Runtime (EAR) and xClarity Energy Manager are software solutions that help minimize power consumption by optimizing power states, turning off unused devices, and routing workloads to the most appropriate systems. Energy management software is the key to delivering performance at the lowest energy consumption level.

Adaptive air technologies like the Thermal Transfer Module (TTM) or Liquid to Air heat exchanger (L2A) which uses closed loop liquid with an air-cooled system to help reduce power consumption or increase processing power.

Rear door heat exchanger is 3.5 times more efficient than air alone and removes enough heat to power 4,000 LED lightbulbs.

Smarter Use also includes carbon optimized operations and logistics. Lenovo addresses this with the CO2 Carbon Offset Service-which recently passed the milestone of offsetting 1 million metric tonnes of CO2. Lenovo's carbon offset service funds projects around the world that help reduce carbon emissions by a measurable and verifiable amount such as planting trees or setting up renewable energy sources. Investing in reforestation can help protect the biodiversity of the planet and respond to the CO2 being emitted.

Originally rolled out for personal devices such as ThinkPad laptops, the Carbon Offset Service is now available for many ThinkSystem servers and storage products. While we innovate to reduce the amount of energy consumed by our devices, we make it easier for businesses to offset the estimated carbon footprint associated with Lenovo devices and products. By providing offsets at the point of purchase or beyond, we enable customers with the ability to support UN Climate Action approved projects around the world. During purchase, customers can include carbon offset credits. Payment for those credits will go to a partner organization that supports United Nations CO2 offset projects including reforestation, renewable energy and solar. Complete transparency and confirmation are always provided after a device is offset. This can be traced by way of serial number.

Smarter Return

Lastly, Smarter Return means capturing resources and value. Discarded technology products are contributing to growing global environmental issues. According to the United Nations, more than 50 million tons of electronic waste is produced each year, enough to cover an area the size of Manhattan, New York. It is imperative for customers to have proper disposal and recycle plans in place for when their server products reach end-of-life.

To support this, Lenovo offers the Asset Recovery Services (ARS) program. ARS assures customers that the entire lifecycle of their data center assets is planned for, from installation to retirement. Not only does ARS offer the benefit of proper disposal, but it can help offset some of the monetary costs related to refreshing the technology. Customers recover value from their decommissioned equipment, lowering the total cost of ownership for the latest IT investment.

Lenovo delivers peace of mind when it comes to disposing of hardware that houses sensitive and confidential data and customers are supported along the disposal journey. Lenovo will:

Securely transport assets from client location

Disposition storage assets in accordance with both customer practice and applicable laws

Receive, test, and prepare equipment for resale

Recycle to ensure proper disposal of obsolete equipment

Donate equipment to an organization of the customer's choice

Customers can be confident that Lenovo will help their business do its part to be environmentally and socially responsible, as well as maximize the recoverable value for all their technology assets.

Lenovo is delivering sustainable solutions for its own innovations and partnering with customers to support their own sustainability goals. The circular economy approach of Smarter Design - Smarter Use - Smarter Return is one that will continue to influence Lenovo's development of sustainable products, services, and solutions for our customers.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Lenovo on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Lenovo

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/lenovo

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Lenovo

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736720/The-Role-of-Infrastructure-Technology-in-Driving-a-Sustainable-Future
JACKSON, MS / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / Entergy Mississippi, LLC has kicked off a new child savings account program at the Children's Foundation of Mississippi Summit. Kids to College, powered by Entergy, in partnership with the Children's Foundation of Mississippi, announced the program will donate $60,000 to help low- and moderate-income Mississippi families establish 1,200 child savings accounts. Eligible families can sign up for a Kids to College my529 account with the help of our community partners and a $50 match from Entergy.

"Kids to College is an investment in the future of our young people and the future of Mississippi," said Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO, Entergy Mississippi. "We've been a leader in helping advance the support for education and workforce development in the state for years and are excited to be extending that legacy by launching this program for all of Entergy right here in Mississippi. It will help ensure our children will have an equal chance at achieving their dreams."

A child savings account is a savings account designed specifically for postsecondary education. These accounts allow families to put money away to start saving for their children to attend a two- or four-year college, trade school or technical school.

As a corporate leader and service provider, Entergy believes in the dreams of the families we serve. Everyone deserves the opportunity to continue their education and we want to partner with families to help make those dreams a reality. When a family plans for their child's future by setting aside funds for college, the child is four times more likely to complete a degree.

Families may sign up for a Kids to College my529 account for each child under age 16. Eligibility requirements to qualify for Entergy's $50 match include:

Must be an Entergy customer.

Families must meet income thresholds of either single parent or guardians with up to $52,000 annual income or dual earner households with $60,000 annual income.

The child savings account must reach a $50 balance to receive the matching funds.

"We power life today and for future generations, said Patty Riddlebarger, vice president of corporate social responsibility. "We work together to improve lives, create opportunities, strengthen communities and proactively find solutions to break the cycle of generational poverty and help families achieve economic stability."

Entergy is powering Kids to College by dedicating matching funds for child savings accounts across our four-state service area. The program is made possible thanks to an endowment fund created in honor of Entergy's late Chairman and CEO J. Wayne Leonard.

Eligible individuals can sign up for an account through the Kids to College and Children's Foundation of Mississippi program portal here.

About Entergy Mississippi

Entergy Mississippi, LLC provides electricity to approximately 461,000 customers in 45 counties. Entergy Mississippi is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 7,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees.

Haley Fisackerly announces Entergy Mississippi's Kids to College child savings account program at the Children's Foundation of Mississippi Summit.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Entergy Corporation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Entergy Corporation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/entergy-corporation

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Entergy Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736722/Entergy-Launches-Child-Savings-Account-Program-at-the-Childrens-Foundation-of-Mississippi-Summit
Medford, Wisconsin--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Green Light Metals Inc. ("GreenLight" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed, on a non-brokered basis, the third tranche of a private placement of 751,651 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of C$0.40 per Unit for gross proceeds of approximately C$290,225 (the "Offering"). Pursuant to the Offering, each Unit is comprised of one common share (a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"), with each Warrant exercisable for one additional Common Share at a price of C$0.60 for a period of 36 months from the closing of the Offering. Together with the first two tranches of the private placement, which closed in 2022, aggregate gross proceeds total approximately C$999,261.

The securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus one day from the date of completion of each closing date of the Offering, in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

In connection with closing of the Offering, 50,319 Units were subscribed for by related parties of the Company (as such term is defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101")). The participation of the related parties in the Offering constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of MI 61-101. The Company is relying upon exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 based on a determination that the fair market value of the Offering is not more than C$2,500,000 and the fact the Company is not listed on a specified market set out in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101.

For more information concerning the Company, please refer to the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

ABOUT GREENLIGHT

GreenLight's mission is to expand known mineral resources and make new discoveries on the Penokean Volcanic Belt (the "Belt") in Wisconsin, USA. The Belt's deposits are rich in the clean energy metals copper and zinc, as well as gold, that are required to power the imminent green, low carbon economy. The Company's strategy is to capitalize on its first mover advantage to consolidate, secure, and drill dominant land positions.

GreenLight is committed to operating in a responsible and sustainable manner that benefits our local communities, bolsters national security, and assists in building and securing crucial US supply chains, all while protecting the environment. The Company has established an Environment, Sustainability, and Communities Committee and is fully committed to transparency, accountability, environmental stewardship, safety and community engagement.

The Company's key assets on the Belt are the Reef gold-copper and Bend copper-gold properties, each of which contains known historical resources with the potential for expansion. In addition, with the closing of the amalgamation with Can-America Minerals Inc. on July 25, 2022, the Company controls two additional prospective properties in Wisconsin - Lobo and Lobo East. GreenLight has also secured rights to the high-priority Swede anomaly located on the Southern Greenstone Belt. Outside of Wisconsin, the Company controls rights to the Kalium Canyon property, an exciting epithermal gold prospect located in the Walker Lane district of Nevada.

For more information, please contact:

Green Light Metals Inc.

Dan Colton

President & CEO, Director

(612) 839-8286

dancolton@greenlightmetals.com

David Carew

CFO & Corporate Secretary

(416) 786-4867

dave@greenlightmetals.com

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "intend", "may", "will", "expect", and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current beliefs or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual future results may differ materially. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. The material facts and assumptions include the intended use of proceeds remaining in the best interests of the Company. The Company cautions the reader that the above list of risk factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Due to the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities Laws.

THE SECURITIES OFFERED HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES ABSENT REGISTRATION OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. THIS PRESS RELEASE SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY SALE OF THE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152466
Kamloops, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Advance Lithium Corp. (TSXV: AALI) ("Advance Lithium" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed documents with the TSX Venture Exchange to close its previously announced private placement financing (see December 6, 2022 news release). Subject to the receipt of all regulatory approvals, the Company will issue 4,550,000 Units, each Unit consisting of 1 common share and 1 common share purchase warrant, each warrant being exercisable at $0.05 for 24 months, expiring May 25, 2025, for gross proceeds of $91,000, including $30,000 from an officer of the Company. Proceeds from the financing will be used to advance the Lithium and Sarape projects and for general corporate purposes.

The Company intends to close the private placement immediately following the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of all regulatory approvals. There are no material facts or material changes relating to the Company that have not been previously disclosed.

All securities issued pursuant to the financing will be subject to a 4 month plus 1 day hold. Finders' fees have been paid to certain finders in accordance with TSX Venture Exchange policies in the amount of 8% cash and 8% Broker's warrants, each warrant being exercisable at $0.05 for 24 months, expiring May 25, 2025.

About Advance Lithium Corp.

Advance Lithium is a junior exploration company focused on acquiring and exploring mineral properties containing precious metals, battery metals and fertilizer minerals. The company acquired a 100-per-cent interest in the Tabasquena silver mine in Zacatecas, Mexico, in 2017, and the Venaditas project, also in Zacatecas state, in April, 2018.

In March 2020, the Company moved into the lithium space with a purchase agreement to acquire 13 lithium-potassium boron prospective salars in central Mexico, which also includes rights to a patent pending proprietary lithium and potassium extraction method.

In July 2022, the Company acquired a 100-per-cent interest in the Sarape epithermal gold project in Mexico. Orogen Royalties Inc. retains a 1.5% royalty on the project.

For further information, please contact:

Allan Barry Laboucan,

President and CEO

Mexico Cellular Phone: 492-238-5282

Email: allan@advancelithiumcorp.com

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change, except as required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152469
The new research program launched by Capgemini with the Georgia Institute of Technology will develop digital twin technology to create a model-based enterprise and digitally simulate its complex system with the aim to help decision-making and solve organizational challenges.

Capgemini announced today a new research collaboration project with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Capgemini will work with the university to develop cutting-edge technologies that will expand its portfolio of Intelligent Industry1 services for clients around the world. This program will prioritize the creation of assets and services that can simulate the intricacy of an enterprise with a virtual representation designing scenarios for decision-making, assess performance, and identify optimization priorities.

Capgemini and Georgia Tech will collaborate to define and design the future of engineering and Research Development (R&D) processes within the enterprise through the development of digital twin technology.

The digital twin will model and simulate the complex ecosystem of an enterprise, including models of its employees and roles, business processes, tools and resources. It will serve as a platform to demonstrate the impact of modifications, quantify performance, and identify opportunities to improve the enterprise. It will leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to address how technology can help solve the key challenges of a more intelligent industry in society.

"We are excited about this collaboration with Capgemini Engineering," said Dr. Dimitri Mavris, Director of the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL) in the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech. "As a research entity specializing in systems design, architecture, and optimization, in recent years ASDL has focused on the development of digital twins for various applications, with the end result of improving processes and introducing efficiencies into systems. This program will give our researchers the opportunity to advance our work in creating a digital twin for an enterprise, with many potential benefits to organizations

Nicolas Croue, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Chief Technology Officer and Head of Digital Continuity at Capgemini Engineering, together with a team of engineers specializing in data science, will work alongside a dedicated team of researchers led by Dr. Mavris.

"The ability to digitally simulate the complex system of the enterprise is imperative for organizational problem solving. This technology will allow businesses to outline different scenarios for decision-making, assess performance, and identify optimization priorities; areas that are crucial for success," said William Roze,CEO of Capgemini Engineering and Group Executive Board Member. "We are excited to launch a new collaboration program with the Georgia Institute of Technology to tackle this important challenge within the scope of Intelligent Industry and continue to invest in our research program strategy.

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of over 350,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2021 global revenues of 18 billion (about $21 billion USD at 2021 average rate).

Get The Future You Want www.capgemini.com

1 'Intelligent Industry' is the new era of digital transformation: characterized by a growing convergence of the physical and virtual worlds product, software, data, and services across all industries; and fueled by the rapid development of technologies, including cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), edge computing and 5G.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005062/en/

Contacts:

Sabrina Musto

Tel: 347-481-6671

Email: sabrina.musto@capgemini.com
BENGALURU, India, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliance University hosted the inaugural TEDx talk at its Anekal Campus in Bengaluru on January 21, 2023. The event welcomed speakers from different walks of life, who have transgressed boundaries to create inspirational stories and ideas worth platforming. With the central theme as 'Beyond Boundaries', TEDxAllianceUniversity welcomed into its fold achievers who left an indelible mark on the audience through their life trajectories, choices, and willingness to scale great heights both professionally and personally, while continuously challenging status quo and shared ideas that were both transformational and highly inspirational.





The speakers included Candida Louis, an Indian girl from Karnataka who took her passion to global bike touring; Ankita Mehra, a diversity and inclusion leader and a content creator; Ashish Raorane, one of the very few Indian cross-country rally pilots who participated in the Dakar Rally, world's toughest rally raid event as a privateer; Lt. Col. Rohit Mishra(Rtd.), an Indian Army veteran who founded an organization that empowers girls through self-defence; Malavika Avinash, a popular South Indian Film and TV actor and a politician; Ruchir Falodiya, an alumnus of Alliance University who beat every odd to set his feet in the corporate world; Vaishnavi H. S., a media professional who has been creating award-winning shows; and Saiwyn Quadras, a master storyteller who has written scripts for Bollywood movies such as Mary Kom, Neerja and Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran.

Alliance through the TEDx platform upholds its commitment to shaping lives through sharing of ideas, scholarly teaching and holistic development that contributes to the transformation of society at large. TEDxAllianceUniversity stands testimony to Alliance University's commitment to further the cause of learning and its impact on people and communities. TEDxAllianceUniversity brought together students, faculty, staff, alumni, and invitees from various disciplines of business, law, engineering, liberal arts, and beyond. Through the event, Alliance University celebrates the spirit of change and transformation that individuals have determined to bring about in their own lives and that of people around through their stories and ideas worth spreading.

Weblinks:

https://linktr.ee/alliance.edu.in

https://www.alliance.edu.in/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1989907/TEDxAllianceUniversity.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1966520/AU_Logo.jpg





View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/inaugural-event-of-the-tedxallianceuniversity-themed-beyond-boundaries-was-graced-by-inspirational-speakers-who-shared-life-lessons-and-ideas-worth-platforming-301730626.html
Exail's teams recently took part in the "Digital Horizon" exercise dedicated to the deployment of autonomous drones and artificial intelligence. This three-week exercise was organized in December by the US Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain to test new autonomous technologies. It is part of the US Navy's plan to establish the world's first autonomous drone fleet, comprising one hundred drones, in the Persian Gulf.

The U.S. Navy established Task Force 59 in September 2021 to speed new tech integration across the 5th Fleet, and seek alternative, cost-effective solutions for conducting Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) missions.

DriX, Exail's unmanned surface vehicle (USV), was one of 15 USVs and aerial drones (UAVs) selected to participate in the exercise, which staged an MDA mission. The USVs and UAVs were tasked with gathering data on the surface in order to detect and identify potential threats and communicate with each other using a common system.

With its highly hydrodynamic monohull, DriX showed high reliability with excellent seakeeping and speed results, accomplishing its mission of gathering data on the surface and proving its capacity to integrate third party radar and cameras. The ability of DriX to integrate within a military communications network was also successfully proven and the USV further meets requirements in terms of communications redundancy, crucial for minimizing risk during military operations.

The success of these trials, which demonstrated the added value that autonomous technologies can bring to the maritime domain, confirms the prospects for large-scale deployment of robotic systems in applications beyond mine-hunting.

About Exail Technologies

Exail Technologies is an industrial company specialized in advanced technologies in the fields of autonomous robotics, navigation, aerospace and photonics. Based on a strong entrepreneurial culture, Exail Technologies ensures performance, reliability and safety for its civilian and military customers operating in harsh environments. From the bottom of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, the group expands its customers' capabilities through its components, products and systems. Exail Technologies generates revenues in nearly 80 countries.

Exail Technologies is the new name of Groupe Gorge, adopted following the merger of ECA Group and iXblue, now united under a common banner.

Exail Technologies is listed on Euronext Paris Compartment B (EXA).

www.exail-technologies.com



Contacts : Investor Relations

Hugo Soussan

Tel. +33 (0)1 44 77 94 86

h.soussan@exail-technologies.com





Anne-Pauline Petureaux

Tel. +33 (0)1 53 67 36 72

apetureaux@actus.fr Media relations

Manon Clairet

Tel. +33 (0)1 53 67 36 73

mclairet@actus.fr

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Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-78215-cp_exail-technologies_essais-drix-us-navy_en.pdf
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Advance United Holdings Inc. (CSE: AUHI) (OTCQB: AUHIF) (FSE: 9I0) (the "Company" or "Advance United") is pleased to provide an update report from James Atkinson, CEO and Chairman.

Dear fellow shareholders, service providers, and followers of Advance United,

Thank you for your support in 2022 and continued help as we move into 2023 which is shaping up to be an exciting year for Advance United and the gold industry.

While 2022 saw volatile commodity prices and challenging market conditions for gold which proved to be a difficult year for junior gold exploration companies, Advance United was able to successfully execute on all key exploration plans and add significant value to our portfolio of properties.

We expanded our land positions on the Buck Lake and Doyle projects and expanded our prospects in the United States with commissioning work reports of our two South Carolina prospects.

We deployed over $2million in flow-through financing and significantly advanced the work programs across Melba, Buck Lake, Doyle, and Paint Lake projects. Work was completed on all properties with significant drill programs at Buck Lake and Melba.

Drilling and channel sampling at the Buck Lake Property has increased the extent of the massive sulphide mineralization and returned critical metals intersections with high-grade copper and zinc showings.

Buck Lake Project Highlights

An extensive program of prospecting, mapping, overburden stripping, channel sampling and diamond drilling was completed to explore the VMS-style massive sulphide mineralization on the property.

The stripping work program consisted of 13 areas of overburden removal and collection of 94 channel samples from 11 of these areas of interest.

The channel samples returned values up to 4.9% Zinc and 1.5% copper in two areas and anomalous copper, zinc, and lead in other areas; anomalous gold was also associated with the high-grade copper findings.

The drilling program comprised 2,545metres in 15 drill holes which intersected massive sulphide mineralization over a distance of 500metres and to a depth of 140metres.

The drill hole samples returned high-grade copper values of 4.6 % copper over 3.1metres in an 11.5metre zone which proved 1.5% copper and 1.1 g/t gold.

Based on these results and additional reconnaissance prospecting, we increased our land position at Buck Lake to over 4,000 hectares to cover additional known and suspected areas of VMS mineralization.

Melba Project Highlights

We acquired the Melba property - a past producing gold mine in the Kirkland Lake area of Ontario, Canada.

Mining commenced in 1936 and ended with the war.

Past work included an 80metre inclined shaft with two working levels on one of the veins (the Blue Vein).

The other known veins have not been extensively explored and other veins have been intersected in drilling. The property has four known gold-bearing veins - the Blue Vein, the Rolling Vein, the Contact Vein, and the Mike Vein.

A preliminary (Non NI 43-101 compliant) resource of 28,000 ounces of gold was calculated based on the sampling in the underground workings and shallow drilling.

Rock and chip samples returned 30 examples with gold values greater than 1 g/t and 6 greater then 6 g/t with a maximum of 14.6 g/t gold.

Commenced a 1,500metre drill program in November to test the known gold mineralization in the Blue Vein and to test other veins on the property.

Doyle Project Highlights

Mapping and prospecting were completed in the areas of high-grade gold intersections and in newly discovered structures and mineral showings.

A Lidar survey was completed over the total property to assist in drill targeting and evaluate known and newly discovered structures. This will be incorporated into a new interpretation of the airborne survey completed in 2020 and assist in the definition of drilling targets for 2023.

An application for a drilling permit for the proposed drilling plan was submitted and the plan was issued from the Ministry of Mines.

Consultations and agreements with the local First Nations communities were undertaken.

Paint Lake Project Highlights

Completed a VLF-EM survey over the northern part of the property to locate potential subsidiary and parallel shear zones of the regional Pukaskwa and Iron Lake Shear Zones that pass through the northern part of the property.

At least 5 major VLF-EM anomalies, possibly indication shear zones were detected by the survey.

Both structures contain gold mineralization elsewhere in the area.

The property is surrounded by land being actively explored by Angus Gold and Bold Ventures. The property is a joint venture with Front Line Gold Corp.

Further work in 2023 will include additional VLF-EM, prospecting, and sampling of the remainder of the property.

US Properties Highlights

Commissioned a compilation of data in the area of the former Ridgeway Mine which produced over 1.5 million ounces from a heap leachable deposit.

Additional areas of known gold mineralization, prospective mineralization and drilling have been highlighted for follow-up.

With further drill results from Melba and Buck Lake to come and drilling to commence at Doyle this spring, 2023 is shaping up to be another exciting year for Advance United. We are looking forward to continued success this year we believe that both gold and critical metals will be in high demand.

On behalf of the board of directors, thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Jim Atkinson, PGeo

CEO, Chairman

Advance United

About Advance United Holdings

Advance United brings an entirely different approach to the mining industry. We don't mine. Rather, we've acquired a portfolio of undervalued gold properties and are increasing their value through the application of modern technology. We have a growing pipeline of similar properties that we are looking to acquire. And now we've launched the Au Marketplace. A first of its kind digital platform that connects owners of mineral commodities and deposits with developers and producers.

We are involved exclusively in the acquisition and advancement of past projects - with no intent to bring them back into production or to mine them ourselves. Our expertise is in identifying and acquiring undervalued properties with significant historical work, which were uneconomic at the time, but we believe have economic value at today's prices.

We fund the development of re-working historic data and applying modern technology to underwrite new qualified reports, document quantifiable resources and reserves to current standards, thereby recognizing the current value.

Our purpose is to bring immediate and long-term value to our partners and shareholders while seeking to eliminate exploration risk, so that we can all advance united in the shortest possible time frame.

For additional information about us, our projects, or to find out how you can list your project in the Au Marketplace, visit www.advanceunited.ca.

Contact Information

James Atkinson, P. Geo., CEO

Email: jim.atkinson@advanceunited.ca

Tel: (647) 278-7502

Qualified Person

James Atkinson M.Sc., P. Geo., a Qualified Person ("QP") as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the geological information reported in this news release. The Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to verify all historic information on the Property, particularly with regards to historical sampling, drill results, and technical work provided by Noranda and others. The Qualified Person assumes that sampling and analytical results were completed to industry standard practices. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Property but may not be representative of expected results.

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

This news release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the trading of the Company's securities and the focus of the Company's business. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "contemplates", "believes", "projects", "plans" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Company's ability to increase the value of its current and future mineral exploration properties and, in connection therewith, any long-term shareholder value, the Company's ability to mitigate or eliminate exploration risk, and the Company's intention to develop a portfolio of historic gold properties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the Company will continue its business as described above. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis and other periodic filings made by the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances or actual results unless required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152473
More than 1,000 consumers rank the impact of websites, personalization and customer service interactions on long-term loyalty and first-party data sharing

Pantheon, the SaaS-based website operations (WebOps) platform for developers, designers, and marketers, today published new research that explores consumers' brand experiences and identifies the most influential points for trust-building and trust-breaking along the digital customer journey. Consumers ranked the marketing strategies and missteps that most significantly impact brand trust, which 73% say is their biggest motivator to share first-party data. As marketers rapidly approach a cookieless digital world, the findings demonstrate that the ability to create frictionless digital experiences that build, cultivate, and protect customer trust is a competitive advantage.

The survey, conducted by Pantheon and Hanover Research, asked more than 1,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers to share what they expect from their digital experiences. Consumers said a brand's website is its most important digital touchpoint, with user-friendliness (87%) and speed (81%) as top expectations. Ability to contact a brand through preferred methods (66%) and a modern website and/or mobile app interface (64%) also are important to consumers.

The study also uncovered the lengths to which savvy consumers will go to avoid sharing personal information with brands that haven't earned their trust. Nearly half (48%) say they use guest checkout in online transactions to avoid providing data, and 42% won't create a user profile. Personalization also proves polarizing for consumers; 48% of those who prefer generic communication say it's because they don't want to be tracked. For marketers targeting Gen Z, the dynamics are even more difficult. Only 35% of these consumers are willing to share their data with brands.

Data sharing hesitation compounded by negative experiences

Consumer reluctance to share personal information is not the only barrier marketers face. Negative digital interactions, experienced by 90% of respondents, also erode trust. In fact, more than half of respondents (51%) stopped engaging with a brand altogether following a negative interaction. The top complaints were being spammed with emails (52%), unhelpful customer service (44%), issues with a brand's website (41%), difficulty canceling a subscription (37%), and inability to interact through their preferred communication method (32%). However, on the bright-side, even after negative brand experiences, 81% say they're willing to grant second chances.

"Consumers are incredibly discerning about when and how they interact with brands. The research shows that the stakes are high -- in web time, one misstep can turn a customer away in the fraction of a second. Modern marketers need to be really attuned to delivering online experiences that earn brand trust," said Christy Marble, Pantheon chief marketing officer. "There is so much opportunity to read the signals customers give us throughout the customer journey. Marketers who meet customers where they are, remove friction and remain attentive to customer needs will inspire confidence, deliver value and build trust with customers."

For more detail, download The Rules of the Marketing Game at https://pantheon.io/resources/pantheon-rules-marketing-game-guide.

About Pantheon

Pantheon is the platform for websites that deliver extraordinary performance, running sites in the cloud for customers including Stitch Fix, Okta, Home Depot, Pernod Ricard and The Barack Obama Foundation. Modern organizations choose Pantheon to empower their digital teams to continuously optimize and innovate to deliver more engaging digital experiences. Using Pantheon's WebOps platform, developers, marketers and IT are empowered to work together to develop, test, and release website changes quickly and reliably, knowing their sites will remain stable and secure even during the biggest traffic spikes.

About Hanover Research

Founded in 2003, Hanover Research is a global research and analytics firm that delivers market intelligence through a unique, fixed-fee model to more than 1,000 clients. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Hanover employs high-caliber market researchers, analysts, and account executives to provide a service that is revolutionary in its combination of flexibility and affordability. Hanover has been named a Top 50 Market Research Firm by the American Marketing Association every year since 2015. To learn more about Hanover Research, visit www.hanoverresearch.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005594/en/

Contacts:

Elaine Green

Director, Corporate Communications Pantheon

press@pantheon.io
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

For immediate release

25 January 2023

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 23,795 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 864.60 pence per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company.

The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 17 January 2023.

Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 13,809,887; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 211,181,416.

The figure of 211,181,416 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

For and on behalf of

Frostrow Capital LLP

Company Secretary

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Hale

Frostrow Capital LLP

Tel: 020 3 170 8732
CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Arizton's latest research report, the India data center construction market will grow at a CAGR of 15% from 2022-2028. Adopting advanced technological solutions that include IoT, big data, and AI increases the demand for cloud services across verticals. Some of India's largest cloud service providers will create opportunities for data center operators to develop more facilities during the forecast period. Cloud computing is an innovation that transforms the banking business. Around 80% of corporate banks in India expect to operate their trade finance and treasury workloads on cloud technology by 2024. 5G deployment to increase edge data center investments, procurement of renewable energy in data centers, growing rack power density, and availability of liquid cooling to support AI & ML workloads are driving the growth of the India data center construction market.





India Data Center Construction Market Report Scope

Report Attributes Details Market Size (2028) USD 3.46 Billion Market Size (2022) USD 1.52 Billion CAGR by Revenue (2022-2028) 15 % Market Size -Area (2028) 3.585 Million Square Feet Power Capacity (2028) 575 MW Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023-2028 Market Segmentation Facility Type, Infrastructure, Electrical Infrastructure, Mechanical Infrastructure, Cooling Systems, General Construction, Tier Standards, and Geography Geographic Analysis India Countries Covered Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Other States Page Number 281 Market Dynamics Rise in Investments from Colocation Providers Government Aid in Growing the Digital Economy & Data Center Investments Cloud Adoption Increasing Data Center Investments Big Data & IoT Driving Data Center Investments Customization Request If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.arizton.com/customize-report/3688

Click Here to Download the Free Sample Report

Recent Investments

In November 2022 , AWS announced the launch of its new cloud region in Hyderabad .

, AWS announced the launch of its new cloud region in . The increased data generation will fuel the demand for large storage facilities in India . India witnesses continuous investments in cloud adoption and Big data analytics from small and medium-sized industries.

. witnesses continuous investments in cloud adoption and Big data analytics from small and medium-sized industries. Indian companies, such as Adani Group and Hiranandani Group, and foreign investors, such as Microsoft, EdgeConnex, CapitaLand, Amazon, and the Mantra Group, invest in data centers in India . Existing companies, such as STT India, CtrlS, and Nxtra by Airtel, also increase their presence and capacities in the country.

. Existing companies, such as STT India, CtrlS, and Nxtra by Airtel, also increase their presence and capacities in the country. Yotta Infrastructure, NTT Global Data Centers, and ST Telemedia Global Data Centres India have expanded their presence in India with several hyperscale data center developments across Mumbai , Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.

with several hyperscale data center developments across , Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. In recent years, state governments in India invested in constructing and expanding State Data Centers (SDCs). Data center development in India is also carried out by central government agencies, such as the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the National Payment Corporation of India (NCPI).

invested in constructing and expanding State Data Centers (SDCs). Data center development in is also carried out by central government agencies, such as the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the National Payment Corporation of (NCPI). In 2022, the market garnered investments in over 20 projects, with Maharashtra dominating the market, followed by Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and other states in the country, which also accounted for many projects.

Adani Group formed a joint venture called AdaniConneX with EdgeConneX, a global data center provider, to build multiple hyperscale data centers with a cumulative capacity of 1 GW in Chennai , Mumbai , Noida, Vizag, and Hyderabad .

Geographical Analysis

India has been and will be the preferred market for data center providers. The rising demand for on-demand video, mobile gaming, and online content will be a stronger force for data center procurement in the country. States such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh are witnessing growth in artificial intelligence, IoT, virtual reality, online payment systems, and smart solutions. Such factors are anticipated to attract investments into the country and boost the India data center construction market. Maharashtra led the data center in India, contributing 54.13% of investments, followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and others.

The State Government of Maharashtra has developed a new Renewable Energy Policy, which aims to implement 17.36 GW of transmission system-connected power projects by 2025. In August 2022, the Madhya Pradesh government announced that it had set a target to achieve a green energy generation capacity of around 20 GW by 2030. Further, in August 2022, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that it had released a draft of Solar Energy Policy 2022 and planning to establish 20 solar cities over the next five years.

Click Here to Download the Free Sample Report

The Report Includes the Investment in the Following Areas:

Facility Type

Colocation



Hyperscale



Enterprise Data Centers

Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure



Mechanical Infrastructure



General Construction

Electrical Infrastructure

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems



Generators



Power Distribution Units



Transfer Switches & Switchgear



Other Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems



Racks



Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

CRAC & CRAH Units



Chiller Units



Cooling Towers, Condensers & Dry Coolers



Other Cooling Units

General Construction

Core & Shell Development



Installation & Commissioning Services



Engineering & Building Design



Fire Detection & Suppression



Physical Security



Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)/Building Management Systems (BMS)

Tier Standards

Tier I & II



Tier III



Tier IV

Geography

India



Maharashtra





Tamil Nadu





Telangana





Uttar Pradesh





Other States

Major Vendors

Prominent Construction Contractors

AECOM

AHLUWALIA CONTRACTS ( INDIA ) LTD.

) LTD. DEC Infra

DSCO Group

Emerge Engineering

Larsen & Toubro (L&T)

Prasa

Listenlights

Sterling and Wilson (Shapoorji Pallonji Group)

Turner & Townsend

Tata Projects

Vastunidhi

Prominent Support Infrastructure

ABB

Blue Box (Swegon)

Caterpillar

Climaveneta Climate Technologies (Mitsubishi Electric)

Cummins

Delta Electronics

Eaton

Kirloskar Oil Engines (KOEL)

Legrand

NetRack Enclosures

Panduit

Riello Elettronica

Rittal

Rolls-Royce

Schneider Electric

Siemens

STULZ

Vertiv

Prominent Data Center Investors

Nxtra by Airtel

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

CapitaLand

Colt Data Centre Services

CtrlS

BAM Digital Realty

Equinix

NTT Global Data Centers

Pi DATACENTERS

Reliance Jio Infocomm

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres

Sify Technologies

Web Werks

Yotta Infrastructure Solutions

New Entrants

AdaniConneX

Chindata Group (Bridge Data Centres)

Princeton Digital Group (PDG)

SpaceDC

Check Out Some of the Top-Selling Research Related Reports:

Southeast Asia Data Center Construction Market - The Southeast Asia data center construction market size was valued at USD 2.77 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 3.02 billion by 2028.

U.S. Data Center Construction Market - The U.S. data center construction market size was valued at USD 20.13 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 24.70 billion by 2027.

Data Center Construction Market - The global data center construction market is expected to reach USD 73 billion by 2027.

India Data Center Market - India data center market size witnessed investments of USD 4.35 billion in 2021 and will witness investments of USD 10.09 billion by 2027

Table of Content

1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

3 RESEARCH PROCESS

4 SCOPE & COVERAGE

4.1 MARKET DEFINITION

4.2 BASE YEAR

4.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

4.4 MARKET SEGMENTS

4.4.1 MARKET SEGMENTATION BY FACILITY TYPE

4.4.2 MARKET SEGMENTATION BY INFRASTRUCTURE

4.4.3 MARKET SEGMENTATION BY ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

4.4.4 MARKET SEGMENTATION BY MECHANICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

4.4.5 MARKET SEGMENTATION BY COOLING SYSTEM

4.4.6 MARKET SEGMENTATION BY GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

4.4.7 MARKET SEGMENTATION BY TIER STANDARD

4.4.8 MARKET SEGMENTATION BY GEOGRAPHY

5 REPORT ASSUMPTIONS & CAVEATS

5.1 KEY CAVEATS

5.2 CURRENCY CONVERSION

5.3 MARKET DERIVATION

6 PREMIUM INSIGHTS

6.1 KEY HIGHLIGHTS

6.2 KEY MARKET TRENDS

6.3 SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS

6.4 GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

6.5 VENDOR ANALYSIS

7 MARKET AT A GLANCE

8 INTRODUCTION

8.1 INDIA DATA CENTER CONSTRUCTION MARKET OVERVIEW

8.2 INTERNET PENETRATION

8.3 DATA CENTER SELECTION CRITERIA

8.3.1 KEY FACTORS

9 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES & TRENDS

9.1 EDGE DATA CENTER INVESTMENTS FUELED BY 5G DEPLOYMENT

9.2 USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN DATA CENTERS

9.3 GROWTH OF RACK POWER DENSITY

9.4 AVAILABILITY OF LIQUID COOLING TO SUPPORT AI & ML WORKLOADS

10 MARKET GROWTH ENABLERS

10.1 INCREASED INVESTMENTS BY COLOCATION PROVIDERS

10.2 GOVERNMENT INVESTMENTS IN DIGITAL ECONOMY & DATA CENTERS

10.3 INCREASED DATA CENTER INVESTMENTS DUE TO CLOUD ADOPTION

10.4 DATA CENTER INVESTMENTS DRIVEN BY BIG DATA & IOT IMPLEMENTATION

11 MARKET RESTRAINTS

11.1 POWER RELIABILITY/NETWORK OUTAGE CHALLENGES

11.2 DATA CENTER SECURITY CHALLENGES

11.3 LOCATION CONSTRAINTS

12 MARKET LANDSCAPE

12.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

12.2 INVESTMENT: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

12.3 AREA: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

12.4 POWER CAPACITY: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

12.5 FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

12.5.1 THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS

12.5.2 BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS

12.5.3 BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS

12.5.4 THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES

12.5.5 COMPETITIVE RIVALRY

13 FACILITY TYPE

13.1 INVESTMENT: MARKET SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

13.2 AREA: MARKET SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

13.3 POWER CAPACITY: MARKET SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

13.4 COLOCATION DATA CENTERS

13.4.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

13.4.2 INVESTMENT: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

13.4.3 AREA: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

13.4.4 POWER CAPACITY: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

13.5 HYPERSCALE DATA CENTERS

13.5.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

13.5.2 INVESTMENT: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

13.5.3 AREA: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

13.5.4 POWER CAPACITY: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

13.6 ENTERPRISE DATA CENTERS

13.6.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

13.6.2 INVESTMENT: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

13.6.3 AREA: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

13.6.4 POWER CAPACITY: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

14 INFRASTRUCTURE

14.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

14.2 MARKET OVERVIEW

14.3 ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

14.3.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

14.3.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

14.4 MECHANICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

14.4.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

14.4.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

14.5 GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

14.5.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

14.5.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

15 ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

15.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

15.2 UPS SYSTEMS

15.2.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

15.2.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

15.3 GENERATORS

15.3.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

15.3.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

15.4 TRANSFER SWITCHES & SWITCHGEAR

15.4.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

15.4.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

15.5 PDUS

15.5.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

15.5.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

15.6 OTHER ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

15.6.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

15.6.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

16 MECHANICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

16.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

16.2 COOLING SYSTEMS

16.2.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

16.2.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

16.3 RACKS

16.3.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

16.3.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

16.4 OTHER MECHANICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

16.4.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

16.4.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

17 COOLING SYSTEM

17.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

17.2 CRAC & CRAH UNITS

17.2.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

17.2.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

17.3 CHILLER UNITS

17.3.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

17.3.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

17.4 COOLING TOWERS, CONDENSERS & DRY COOLERS

17.4.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

17.4.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

17.5 OTHER COOLING UNITS

17.5.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

17.5.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

18 GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

18.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

18.2 CORE & SHELL DEVELOPMENT

18.2.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

18.2.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

18.3 INSTALLATION & COMMISSIONING SERVICES

18.3.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

18.3.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

18.4 ENGINEERING & BUILDING DESIGN

18.4.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

18.4.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

18.5 FIRE DETECTION & SUPPRESSION

18.5.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

18.5.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

18.6 PHYSICAL SECURITY

18.6.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

18.6.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

18.7 DCIM/BMS SOLUTIONS

18.7.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

18.7.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

19 TIER STANDARD

19.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

19.2 MARKET OVERVIEW

19.3 TIER I & II

19.3.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

19.3.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

19.4 TIER III

19.4.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

19.4.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

19.5 TIER IV

19.5.1 MARKET OVERVIEW

19.5.2 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

20 GEOGRAPHY

20.1 INVESTMENT: SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

20.2 AREA: SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

20.3 POWER CAPACITY: SNAPSHOT & GROWTH ENGINE

21 MAHARASHTRA

21.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT

21.2 MARKET OVERVIEW

21.3 INVESTMENT: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

21.4 AREA: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

21.5 POWER CAPACITY: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

22 TAMIL NADU

22.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT

22.2 MARKET OVERVIEW

22.3 INVESTMENT: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

22.4 AREA: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

22.5 POWER CAPACITY: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

23 TELANGANA

23.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT

23.2 MARKET OVERVIEW

23.3 INVESTMENT: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

23.4 AREA: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

23.5 POWER CAPACITY: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

24 UTTAR PRADESH

24.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT

24.2 MARKET OVERVIEW

24.3 INVESTMENT: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

24.4 AREA: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

24.5 POWER CAPACITY: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

25 OTHER STATES

25.1 MARKET SNAPSHOT

25.2 MARKET OVERVIEW

25.3 INVESTMENT: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

25.4 AREA: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

25.5 POWER CAPACITY: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

26 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

26.1 SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

26.1.1 ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

26.1.2 MECHANICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

26.1.3 GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

26.2 DATA CENTER INVESTORS

27 PROMINENT CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS

27.1 AECOM

27.1.1 BUSINESS OVERVIEW

27.1.2 SERVICE OFFERINGS

27.2 AHLUWALIA CONTRACTS (INDIA) LTD.

27.3 DEC INFRA

27.4 DSCO GROUP

27.5 EMERGE ENGINEERING

27.6 LARSEN & TOUBRO

27.6.3 KEY NEWS

27.7 PRASA

27.8 LISTENLIGHTS

27.9 STERLING AND WILSON (SHAPOORJI PALLONJI GROUP)

27.10 TURNER & TOWNSEND

27.11 TATA PROJECTS

27.12 VASTUNIDHI

28 PROMINENT SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

28.1 ABB

28.1.1 BUSINESS OVERVIEW

28.1.2 SERVICE OFFERINGS

28.2 BLUE BOX (SWEGON)

28.3 CATERPILLAR

28.4 CLIMAVENETA CLIMATE TECHNOLOGIES (MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC)

28.5 CUMMINS

28.6 DELTA ELECTRONICS

28.7 EATON

28.8 KOEL (KIRLOSKAR GROUP)

28.9 LEGRAND

28.10 NETRACK ENCLOSURES

28.11 PANDUIT

28.12 RIELLO ELETTRONICA (RIELLO UPS)

28.13 RITTAL

28.14 ROLLS-ROYCE

28.15 SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

28.16 SIEMENS

28.17 STULZ

28.18 VERTIV

29 PROMINENT DATA CENTER INVESTORS

29.1 NXTRA BY AIRTEL

29.1.1 BUSINESS OVERVIEW

29.1.2 SERVICE OFFERINGS

29.1.3 KEY NEWS

29.2 AMAZON WEB SERVICES

29.3 CAPITALAND

29.4 COLT DATA CENTRE SERVICES

29.5 CTRLS

29.6 BAM DIGITAL REALTY

29.7 EQUINIX

29.8 NTT GLOBAL DATA CENTERS

29.9 PI DATACENTERS

29.10 RELIANCE JIO INFOCOMM

29.11 ST TELEMEDIA GLOBAL DATA CENTRES

29.12 SIFY TECHNOLOGIES

29.13 WEB WERKS

29.14 YOTTA INFRASTRUCTURE (HIRANANDANI GROUP)

30 NEW ENTRANTS

30.1 ADANICONNEX

30.1.1 BUSINESS OVERVIEW

30.1.2 SERVICE OFFERINGS

30.2 CHINDATA GROUP (BRIDGE DATA CENTRES)

30.3 PRINCETON DIGITAL GROUP

30.4 SPACEDC

31 REPORT SUMMARY

31.1 KEY TAKEAWAYS

32 QUANTITATIVE SUMMARY

32.1 INDIA DATA CENTER CONSTRUCTION MARKET

32.1.1 INVESTMENT: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.1.2 INFRASTRUCTURE: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.2 MARKET SEGMENTATION

32.2.1 FACILITY TYPE: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.2.2 ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.2.3 MECHANICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.2.4 COOLING SYSTEM: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.2.5 GENERAL CONSTRUCTION: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.2.6 TIER STANDARD: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.3 GEOGRAPHY: MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.3.1 MARKET BY INVESTMENT

32.3.2 MARKET BY AREA

32.3.3 MARKET BY POWER CAPACITY

32.4 MAHARASHTRA

32.4.1 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.5 TAMIL NADU

32.5.1 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.6 TELANGANA

32.6.1 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.7 UTTAR PRADESH

32.7.1 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

32.8 OTHER STATES

32.8.1 MARKET SIZE & FORECAST

33 APPENDIX

33.1 ABBREVIATIONS

About Us:?

Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovative and quality-driven firm that offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients worldwide. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.

We offer comprehensive market research reports on consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals, materials, I.T. and media, logistics, and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.?

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emnify's IoT SuperNetwork is industry-leading in the delivery of cellular Internet of Things connectivity

Meet emnify's team at IoT Solutions World Congress Barcelona to learn more about how we are redefining cellular connectivity with our multi-award winning emnify IoT SuperNetwork

BERLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- emnify, the leading cloud native enabler of cellular communications in IoT, is proud to announce that the emnify IoT SuperNetwork has been acknowledged as the Platinum Winner for Best Cellular IoT Initiative at the Future Digital Awards 2023. The Future Digital Awards, presented by Juniper Research, recognizes organizations that have made outstanding contributions to their industry and are positioned to continue to make a significant impact long into the future.





"We are honored to be recognized for the Best Cellular IoT Initiative", says Frank Stoecker, emnify CEO and co-founder. "Juniper Research specifically recognizes challengers and disruptors in the industry. We have been proudly re-thinking and re-shaping the business of IoT connectivity since 2014: The emnify IoT SuperNetwork is industry-leading and is the most unique way of delivering cellular connectivity to the IoT market. We appreciate that our efforts have been recognized by many industry players, as well as analysts. Many thanks to Juniper Research, and to our clients and experts at emnify, who inspire us every day."

emnify will be exhibiting at IoT Solutions World Congress in Barcelona and you can also find Frank Stoecker himself presenting, Redefining Cellular Connectivity with the emnify IoT SuperNetwork on Tuesday, 31 January 2021, 12:55 - 13:25, Room 2.

To further discuss how our market leading Connectivity solution can enable your next IoT use case come and visit us at IoT Solutions World Congress: Stand E 571, Hall 4.

About emnify



emnify is the leading cloud building block for cellular communications in the IoT stack, connecting millions of IoT devices globally - from electric vehicles to energy meters, alarm systems to GPS trackers, thermometers to health wearables. The EMnify API and SIM technology connect and secure any kind of IoT deployment to its application back-end. emnify's cloud-native integrations and no-code workflows ensure seamless lifecycle scalability for deployments of all sizes - from local start-up to global enterprise. The emnify IoT SuperNetwork is the largest globally distributed mobile cloud core network of its kind, supporting local network access (2G - 5G, LTE-M, NB-IoT) in over 180 countries from more than 25 cloud regions - and counting. emnify's solution is built on partnerships with the leading hyperscaler cloud service providers, system integrators and hundreds of radio network operators worldwide.

Founded in 2014, emnify was the first to transform cellular IoT connectivity into an easy-to-consume cloud resource -trusted today by thousands of the world's most innovative companies. To learn more about emnify, please visit www.emnify.com

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / Leaders from more than 50 of the world's largest corporations signed up to a joint initiative, during COP27, to accelerate climate action.

The Action Declaration on Climate Policy Engagement will ensure global companies use their climate policy engagement to accelerate the climate agenda, rather than stall it.

The landmark agreement launched by US independent media and research B Corp firm Corporate Knights and the Global 100 Council, has so far seen signatories from all G7 countries (except Japan), with China, India and Brazil also signed up. It will unite corporate leaders to improve public-private policy engagement to move to a cleaner economy.

The companies, with almost $900 billion in annual revenue, represent every major industry excluding oil and gas producers. Signatories include Unilever, Ingka Group (IKEA), Commerzbank, Tech Mahindra and Enel.

Ambitious climate policy is required as current targets have the world on a heated pathway of 2.1C to 2.4C, falling exceptionally short of meeting the Paris Agreement targets (the legally binding international treaty on climate change) and the renewed commitments under the Glasgow Climate Pact.

Corporate Knights primarily invited companies previously included in its Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies and Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada rankings to sign the declaration.

Toby Heaps, CEO and co-founder of Corporate Knights, said: "By uniting forces, we can show governments around the world that they have the support of the private sector and its major trade and industry associations, outsizing and 'out-voicing' laggards who have been actively undermining the Paris Agreement."

The Action Declaration aims to close the 'say-do' gap on countries' emission reductions by supporting climate action aligned with the Paris Agreement when engaging with policymakers and working with their major industry/trade associations to advance such alignment.

It will also monitor and disclose climate policy alignment for their companies and their major industry/trade associations.

Catherine McKenna, chair of the United Nations High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, said: "There's a real opportunity and need for governments to advance ambitious climate policy both domestically and internationally, but for that to happen, major trade and industry associations, which are a dominant force guiding government-business engagement, need to be constructive and solutions-oriented, not rooted in resistance, and businesses need to hold them to that."

Dylan Tanner is executive director at InfluenceMap, the initiative's data intelligence partner. He said: "Pressure on the entire corporate sector to fully support governments globally in efforts to devise and implement meaningful climate policy is growing - from investors, the media, civil society and, increasingly, from parts of the corporate sector who want and need government policy to realize their climate transition plans.

"The initial signatories of the Action Declaration on Climate Policy Engagement represent climate policy leaders and a hugely important force in the reforming of the many powerful trade groups globally delaying climate action. It is clear others will join as this trend mainstreams."

Signatories must publicly disclose their policy engagement activities by the end of 2023 but will choose their own disclosure methods, in a bid to share learnings and new practices.

Antonia Gawel, Head of Climate Change, World Economic Forum, said: "COP27 will provide a valuable forum for business leaders to spotlight one of the biggest issues impacting the pace of climate action - lobbying against positive climate policy and regulation.

"Business must lead to actively support much-needed government action and actively speak out against actions that counter progress. The Action Declaration is precisely the kind of united front that governments need to see coming from the private sector."

Jochen Eickholt, Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, said: "Siemens Gamesa strives to become climate positive by 2040. Our company is rising to this challenge, but we cannot do it alone.

"By signing the Action Declaration, we are aligning ourselves not only with the goals of the Paris Agreement, but with a broader community of sustainability leaders who are proving that actions speak louder than words, and greater impact can be achieved together."

Nigel Topping, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP26, said: "Business giants in the Race to Zero can play a critical role in the success of ambitious climate policies: they can help drive, shape and influence a needed regulatory infrastructure in line with the Paris Agreement, helping national governments to rapidly convert the ambitious groundswell of voluntary momentum into ground rules for the global economy."

Catherine Harris, Director of Sustainable Business - North America, at Acre, said: "This Action Declaration signals a much-needed move by business to hold Industry Associations to account, where some of their most influential members will no longer tolerate the blocking of key climate policies.

"Hopefully this means we'll also start to see Government Affairs & Sustainability functions truly engaging, collaborating and aligning like never before. 50 signatories is a great start - but hopefully just the beginning of a much more significant movement in the months and years to come".

COP27 was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, this month.

About Acre

At Acre, we work with the most aspirational businesses with potential to make real change; from those who are just starting out to those who are well on the journey to crafting a legacy.

Our 18 years' experience in sustainability recruitment, combined with our extensive global network, enables us to provide talent solutions that are designed to deliver this change.

Through our unique behavioural assessment technology, we understand the types of people, skills and behaviours required to create impact. We can develop these qualities within your existing teams too.

We find talented people and develop their skills to ensure they make a true impact in ambitious, progressive organisations.

Acre. Making companies ready for tomorrow.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Acre on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Acre

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/acre

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Acre

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Highlights & business update of the 2nd half of 2022

Progress on green and renewable hydrogen production projects

Industrial and technological agreements to secure access to strategic equipment

Structuring of the company with a workforce of 150 employees by the end of 2022

Continuation of offshore developments

Commercial pipeline at the end of 2022: 9.8 GW of total installed production capacity

Targeted total installed capacity of 55 MW in 2024 and 200 MW in 2026

Targeted consolidated revenues of 200m and Group EBITDA[1] at breakeven in 2026

Nantes (France) - January 25, 2023 - 8:00 pm - Lhyfe (Euronext Paris - FR0014009YQ1 - LHYFE), one of the world's pioneers in the production of green and renewable hydrogen to decarbonize industry and mobility, presents the highlights of the 2nd half of the year 2022 and gives an update on its development and on the advancement of the company's projects at the end of the year.

Progress of projects

Lhyfe Pays de la Loire (Bouin, France)

The Bouin production unit, the first industrial site in the world directly connected to a wind farm, celebrated the delivery of its 100th container of hydrogen at the end of 2022.

The increase in production capacity was initiated in 2022 (authorization and equipment orders). The current production capacity of 750 kW will be increased to 2.5 MW (approx. 1 t./day) in early 2024 to meet increased customer demand in the region. Its storage capacity, currently around 700 kg, will also be increased to almost 5 tonnes.

Lhyfe Bretagne (Morbihan, France)

In the second half of 2022, Lhyfe obtained the building permit for a unit with a total capacity of 5 MW (i.e. approximately 2 t/day of green hydrogen) located in Morbihan in Bretagne. This unit, supported by the ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency) to the tune of 2.8 million and expected to be operational in the second half of 2023, will be the company's second hydrogen production site.

As a reminder, the consortium made up of the companies HyGO, GNVert and Lhyfe has been appointed by the Lorient agglomeration as the successful bidder for a Global Performance Contract for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of two renewable hydrogen refueling stations. Lhyfe will supply the renewable hydrogen for a period of 10 years.

Lhyfe Occitanie (Bessieres, France)

In Occitanie (France), Lhyfe has also obtained the permit for the construction of the 5 MW production unit in Bessieres (Haute-Garonne), which is scheduled to be commissioned at the end of 2023.

This project is the winner of the Corridor H2 tender for projects, supported by the Occitanie region, whose objective is to decarbonize the transport of goods and passengers on a North/South axis running from the Mediterranean to the North Sea, through the development of green hydrogen uses.

Lhyfe Bade-Wurtemberg (Schwabisch Gmund, Germany)

In Schwabisch Gmund, Germany, Lhyfe has submitted the permit for the construction of a plant with a production capacity of 10 MW (about 3 t/day). The plant is expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2024. It will be accompanied by a hydrogen distribution station accessible to the general public, built and operated by a Lhyfe partner, and a pipeline to supply the future "H2-Aspen" technology park with green hydrogen.

This project is part of the HyFIVE (Hydrogen For Innovative Vehicles) project which has received 33 million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Lhyfe Groningen (Delfzijl, The Netherlands)

In the Netherlands, Lhyfe aims to build a large-scale renewable green hydrogen production plant in the Delfzijl chemical cluster in the northern province of Groningen. This plant could reach a production capacity of 200 MW (about 55 t/day).

Lhyfe has already secured the land and the electrical connection of the plant. The realization of the project is subject to obtaining the required operating licenses and building permits, as well as the financial investment decision. It is expected to be commissioned in 2026 at the earliest.

Signing of industrial and technological agreements for the supply of key equipment's

Through these agreements, Lhyfe has secured its access to strategic equipment (electrolysers, compressors, distribution systems) for the construction of its production units, the production of green and renewable hydrogen and its logistical distribution throughout Europe.

Agreement with Hexagon Purus for the delivery of hydrogen distribution systems

Lhyfe and Hexagon Purus, a leading supplier of hydrogen systems, have entered into an agreement for the supply of hydrogen distribution systems with Hexagon Purus Type 4 composite high-pressure cylinders. Lhyfe will be able to deliver up to 19 tonnes of green hydrogen per trip, equivalent to the consumption of 650 buses.

Agreement with Hiperbaric for the supply of high-pressure compressors

Lhyfe and Hiperbaric, a Spanish group and world leader in high pressure technologies, have signed an agreement to supply high pressure compressors for the storage and transportation of green and renewable hydrogen.

The Hiperbaric hydrogen compression technology approaches an isothermal compression process, resulting in high reliability and low energy consumption. The Hiperbaric range of compressors is capable of compressing hydrogen from an input pressure of 20 bar up to 200-950 bar for storage tank filling.

Order of Plug electrolysers for a total capacity of 50 MW

Lhyfe has signed a purchase agreement for ten Plug electrolyser systems of 5 MW each with the American Plug Group, a major player in green hydrogen. These electrolysers, with a total capacity of 50 MW (up to 20 tonnes per day), are intended to enable Lhyfe to produce green hydrogen for mobility in several onshore plants across Europe, with delivery of the equipment from 2023.

The order follows on from a partnership with Plug to jointly develop green hydrogen production plants across Europe. The aim of the collaboration is to co-develop by 2025 a total hydrogen production capacity of 300 MW (up to 120 tonnes of green hydrogen per day) across Europe, which will mainly serve on- and off-road mobility applications.

Structuring & development of the company

Success of the 2022 recruitment plan

Lhyfe is pleased to announce the remarkable success of its 2022 recruitment campaign, a year marked by the arrival of more than a hundred new employees to support the increase in the number of projects and the internationalization of the company, with now 6 subsidiaries across Europe and a presence in 11 countries.

At the end of 2022, Lhyfe's workforce will be 150 employees (vs. 57 at the end of 2021), of which 40% will be dedicated to engineering, in order to pursue the development of solutions and the deployment of production sites, and 40% to business development in all the geographical regions targeted by the company. By the end of 2022, 20% of Lhyfe's workforce was internationally based.

In order to support its development, Lhyfe has continued to structure itself on a human level with the creation of key positions.

Philippe Desorme joined Lhyfe in 2022 as Vice President Sales & Business Development, to enhance Lhyfe's business development capabilities alongside Taia Kronborg, Chief Business Officer. Prior to joining Lhyfe, Philippe Desorme spent most of his career since 1998 in the industrial gases sector at Linde Group where he held several position as Head of Market Segment & Application for the Southern Europe region and Sales Director in Africa and France.

In order to strengthen its health, safety and environment policy, Lhyfe has also recruited Clement Falk as HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) Director. An expert in process safety engineering and chemical technologies, Clement Falk has over 16 years of international experience in the chemical, oil and gas (onshore & offshore) and new energies (offshore wind farms) industries.

For international development, Colin Brown and Frans-Pieter Lindeboom have been appointed Country Manager UK & Ireland and Country Manager Spain respectively, following the incorporation of these two new subsidiaries in 2022. Colin Brown has held various Development positions in groups in the sector renewable energies (Aker, Vattenfall, SSE Renewables, etc.). Frans-Pieter Lindeboom has 20 years of experience in the energy sector, including nearly 15 years in the Spanish group Repsol, in charge of supply chain management for the group's offshore platforms.

Finally, Nathalie Guillot joined Lhyfe in early 2023 as Human Resources Director. Prior to joining Lhyfe, Nathalie Guillot was Deputy Human Resources Director, in charge of France, for the Antargaz group.

Continued progress in offshore green hydrogen production

Inauguration of the world's first offshore green hydrogen production pilot site

In September 2022, Lhyfe inaugurated its offshore green hydrogen production demonstrator, the world's first offshore hydrogen production pilot plant, on the SEM-REV, Europe's first multi-technology offshore test site off the coast of Le Croisic. The Sealhyfe platform has a capacity of 1 MW, which means it can produce about 400 kg of green hydrogen per day.

At the end of the 6-month test phase for all the equipment (desalination systems, cooling, stack behavior, remote control, energy management, resistance to environmental conditions, etc.) the Sealhyfe platform, docked in the port of Saint-Nazaire, will leave for a 12-month period off the Atlantic coast, less than 1 km from the floating wind turbine.

Collaboration with Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port to develop offshore green hydrogen

Lhyfe and Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port, France's fourth largest seaport, have signed a partnership agreement to develop the renewable hydrogen sector at sea and thus accelerate the energy transition in the Loire estuary.

This collaboration should make it possible to identify port spaces and facilities likely to host prototypes and to test innovative solutions. The partnership also covers the identification of industrial needs related to the construction of equipment for the mass production of hydrogen at sea and the port infrastructures necessary for the production, launching and integration of this future equipment. Finally, the two parties are combining their thinking on the issue of repatriating the hydrogen produced massively at sea to land in order to define the industrial and logistical requirements for receiving and injecting the gas into the land network.

Offshore project of 10 MW in Belgium

The HOPE (Hydrogen Offshore Production for Europe) project, led by a consortium coordinated by Lhyfe, has received a positive evaluation under the 2022-TC01-10 call for projects of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, co-funded by the European Union. As a result, the project partners started the preparation phase of the subsidy agreement, which will end no later than May 2023.

The project consists of designing, building and operating by 2025 the first 10 MW renewable hydrogen production unit in the North Sea off the coast of Belgium. The purpose is to prove the technical and financial viability of producing renewable hydrogen offshore and transporting it by pipeline to serve onshore customers. The project will produce a wide range of exploitable results, as well as pre-feasibility studies and techno-economic assessments of large-scale offshore concepts.

Commercial pipeline at the end of 2022: 9.8 GW of production capacity

Supported by the RepowerEU European Energy Independence Plan, Lhyfe's commercial portfolio continued to strengthen in the 2nd half of 2022.

At the end of 2022, Lhyfe's commercial pipeline[2] represented a total installed production capacity of 9.8 GW (unchanged from mid-September 2022).

Within this commercial portfolio, projects at an advanced stage of development[3] represented a total installed generation capacity of 759 MW at the end of the year (vs. 629 MW mid-September 2022).

With this strong commercial pipeline, Lhyfe confirms the objectives set at the time of its IPO to make the company one of the leaders in green hydrogen production in Europe[4].

Lhyfe aims to have a total installed capacity of 55 MW by 2024.

By 2026, Lhyfe aims to have a total installed capacity of 200 MW, as well as:

around 200m in consolidated revenue;

Group EBITDA[5] at breakeven.

By 2030, the company plans to become a green hydrogen production reference player and more specifically to have over 3 GW in total installed capacity.

Long term, Lhyfe is targeting a Group EBITDA margin above 30%[6].

Financial calendar

Date Release Wednesday 22 March 2023 FY 2022 results (audited) Tuesday 23 May 2023 General Meeting Wednesday 20 September 2023 H1 2023 results (audited)

About Lhyfe

Lhyfe is a European group dedicated to the energy transition, and a producer and supplier of green and renewable hydrogen. Its production sites and portfolio of projects aim to provide access to green and renewable hydrogen in industrial quantities, and to enter into a virtuous energy model allowing the decarbonization of entire sectors of industry and mobility.

In 2021, Lhyfe inaugurated the world's first industrial green hydrogen production site in direct connection with a wind farm. In 2022, Lhyfe inaugurated the world's first pilot platform for green hydrogen production at sea.

Lhyfe is present in 11 European countries and has 150 employees at the end of 2022. The company is listed on the Euronext market in Paris (ISIN: FR0014009YQ1 - mnemonic: LHYFE).

For more information go to Lhyfe.com

Contacts

Investor relations

LHYFE

Maria Pardo Saleme - CFO

maria.pardosaleme@lhyfe.com Financial press relations

ACTUS

Manon Clairet

+33 (0)1 53 67 36 73

mclairet@actus.fr Business press relations

Nouvelles Graines

Clemence Rebours

+33 (0)6 60 57 76 43

c.rebours@nouvelles-graines.com

[1] Group EBITDA: current consolidated operating profit before depreciation, amortisation and provisions

[2] The commercial pipeline does not include offshore projects

[3] Projects in "Tender ready", "Awarded, or "Construction" phases. The definitions of these phases are detailed in Section 10.1 of the Registration Document approved by the AMF on 21 April 2022 and available on Lhyfe's website

[4] Based on the assumptions detailed in Section 10.1 of the Registration Document approved by the AMF on 21 April 2022 and available on Lhyfe's website

[5] Group EBITDA: current consolidated operating profit before depreciation, amortisation and provisions

[6] Group EBITDA margin: ratio of "EBITDA to revenue"

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / Herbalife Nutrition



The pandemic has had a drastic toll on many people living in Central and South America and Brazil, who, as a result, are experiencing extreme poverty conditions, reaching 83.4 million people.

A recent report published by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Food and Agriculture Organization said this would entail a significant rise in hunger levels due to the difficulties these people will face in accessing food.

As a global leader in nutrition, we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to help those who need nutritious food and vital resources. That's why we took it upon ourselves to make a difference in a big way. Launched in 2019, our Nutrition for Zero Hunger (NFZH) initiative reflects our commitment to ending world hunger by supporting global nonprofit organizations with critical resources and expertise to ensure people in need have access to good nutrition.

To tackle a big issue like world hunger, we decided to start small and start locally by supporting our community where we live and work and the ones made vulnerable during this time of uncertainty. Through these small acts of kindness, positive impacts were adding up. And starting from 2020, we set a challenge of taking action and contributing to reducing the number of people who don't have food on their plates in our region.

The Power of Local Food Drives: Our Employees in Action

In 2020, to commemorate the first year of our NFZH initiative, we rallied our employees in Central and South America and Brazil to give back to communities in need. Coinciding with World Food Day, we organized a regional food drive campaign to make a difference and move the needle towards reducing hunger while also raising awareness of this important issue.

At the end of 2020, our employees in Central and South America donated 216 food boxes to 15 nonprofit institutions across 13 countries. In Brazil, our employees donated 27 food boxes representing 2,126 kilograms of food to Aldeias Infantis SOS Brazil.

Inspired by this result, we set a challenge of doubling the number of donated boxes in 2021. We invited employees to contribute twice the food and allowed their family members, neighbors, and friends to join the challenge. We also conducted social media outreach to our community and asked employees, brand sponsors, and ambassadors to leverage the campaign's hashtag to spread the word to even more people.

As a result, our Central and South America region collected a total of 911 food boxes, equivalent to a total of 10,648 kilograms of non-perishable food donated to 18 charity organizations in Central and South America. Additionally, Brazil collected a total of 2,443 kilograms of food contributions to the partner SOS Children's Village.

Besides nourishment, we also wanted to provide joy. We encouraged our employee volunteers to decorate food boxes and include messages for recipients and drawings from employees' children and their family members.

How Our Employees Are Driving Hunger to Zero in Their Communities

We are proud of these results because we know we made a positive impact in these families' lives while also making progress towards our bigger goal of bringing hunger to zero. In addition to food drives, our employees have actively sought opportunities to extend a helping hand and give back to their communities. These stories below offer a glimpse of the care and passion that motivate our employees to nourish others in need.

Ignacio Nieto Orbe, Vice President, Finance and Operations, Argentina

I started volunteering for the first time during the pandemic with my partner as part of Corazones Solidario, an organization that provides healthy food to people. We provided meals to families and children and donated meal ingredients. I also helped with logistics and transportation to deliver those meals. This is a family activity, which is what I like the most.

Carlos Rodas Arzamendia, Logistics Analyst, Paraguay

Along with my family, we volunteer at our local church, which supports the unhoused population by providing food and clothing. During celebrations, we collect presents, chocolates, sweets, and cookies and celebrate with our families.

Laura Sanchez, Communications Coordinator, Peru

I started volunteering at my church, and my husband and daughter have always come with me. Our efforts reach many communities, especially the children and the elderly, through the church, which delivers food and anything necessary. We bring canned food, milk, and groceries to those in need. Knowing that our help gets to people who may not be as fortunate as we are, is heartwarming.

Angela Soria, Senior Analyst, Peru

I've been participating in a Cooking Hope program, whereby we collect food donations and fix lunch for about 100 unhoused people. I also travel to remote communities to deliver non-perishable foods and basic cooking sets. The volunteering community feels like a family. If one has a problem, we give support immediately. Volunteering is a lovely solidarity action because our reward is not tangible; it is the other's gratitude.

Our Continued Impact with Food Drives

Our partners are providing nutritious food where it is most needed. Banco de Alimentos, for example, a local food bank in Quito, Ecuador, has been active since 2002 and provides for 485 families and 45 institutions, such as schools.

By coming together to organize multiple food drive programs and partnering with local organizations to support other community activities, our employees are maximizing their reach. These efforts have produced significant results, which we are proud to share with our larger community, to increase the momentum and encourage others to do the same or more.

In 2022, we plan to hold the third edition of this food drive campaign in October to mark World Food Day, with a target goal of increasing our contributions by 20 percent! This is a feat we cannot achieve without the help and passion of our employees. We encourage other regions and companies to join the cause to bring hunger down to zero.

View original content here

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Herbalife Nutrition on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Herbalife Nutrition

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/herbalife-nutrition

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Herbalife Nutrition

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/736772/How-Were-Addressing-Food-Insecurity-in-Latin-American-Countries
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, members of the EB5 Capital team joined developer IDI Group Companies and PTM Partners in celebrating the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Rivergate, also known as Viridium, EB5 Capital's JF28 project located in Woodbridge, Virginia. This event marks a major milestone for the project, which is the second phase of a luxury apartment community totaling 720 rental units across 13.5 acres. Along the banks of the Occoquan River, the new seven-story apartment building includes 318 units with a full range of Class A amenities, just 20 miles outside of Washington, DC. The first phase, Rivergate North, is adjacent to the property with 402 units and was completed in 2018.



EB5 Capital funded $15 million in the project as a preferred equity investment. "We congratulate The IDI Group Companies and PTM Partners on the successful completion of phase two," said Jonathan Mullen, EB5 Capital's Senior Vice President of Investments. "The building's spacious apartments, waterfront location, and best-in-class amenities are a great addition to the Woodbridge community." 30 EB-5 foreign investors from various backgrounds invested in Rivergate and the project is on track to create over 700 jobs.

About EB5 Capital

EB5 Capital provides qualified foreign investors with opportunities to invest in job-creating commercial real estate projects under the United States Immigrant Investor Program for more information.

Contact:

Katherine Willis

Manager, Marketing & Communications

media@eb5capital.com
Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Peruvian Metals Corp. (TSXV: PER) (OTCQB: DUVNF) ("Peruvian Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has changed its auditors from MNP LLP (the "Former Auditor") to Zeifmans LLP (the "Successor Auditor") effective January 17, 2022 (the "Effective Date").

At the request of the Company, the Former Auditor resigned as auditor of the Company effective the Effective Date and the Board of Directors of the Company appointed the Successor Auditor as the Company's auditor effective as of the Effective Date to hold office until the next annual meeting of the shareholders of the Company.

There were no modified opinions in the Former Auditor's reports in connection with the two most recently completed fiscal years of the Company. There are no "reportable events" (as that term is defined in National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations) between the Company and the Former Auditor.

In accordance with National Instrument 51-102, the resignation of the Former Auditor, the Appointment of the Successor Auditor, the notice of change of auditor, together with the required letters from the former auditor and the successor auditor, have been reviewed and approved by the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors and has been filed on www.SEDAR.com under the Company's profile.

More information about the Company can be found at www.SEDAR.com .

About Peruvian Metals Corp.

Peruvian Metals is a Canadian exploration and mineral processing company. The Company's business model is to provide toll milling services for clients and to produce high-grade concentrates from mineral purchases. The Company continues to acquire and develop precious metal and base metal properties in Peru

For further information on Peruvian Metals Corp. please visit www.peruvianmetals.com .

Peruvian Metals Corp. is a Canadian resource company listed on the

TSX Venture Exchange: Symbol "PER"

For additional information, contact: Jeffrey Reeder Tel: (647) 302-3290

Website: www.peruvianmetals.com Email: jeffrey.reeder@peruvianmetals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. We use words such as "might", "will", "should", "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "believe", "estimate", "forecast" and similar terminology to identify forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Such statements and information are based on assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis made by management in light of its experience, current conditions and its expectations of future developments as well as other factors which it believes to be reasonable and relevant. Forward-looking statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements and information and accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on such statements and information. Risks and uncertainties are more fully described in our annual and quarterly Management's Discussion and Analysis and in other filings made by us with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. While the Company believes that the expectations expressed by such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information and the assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis underlying such expectations are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be correct. In evaluating forward-looking statements and information, readers should carefully consider the various factors which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements and forward-looking information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152504
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - T2 Metals Corp. (TSXV: TWO) (OTCQB: AGLAF) (WKN: A2DR6E) ("T2" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the final closing of the flow-through and non flow-through private placement financing (the "Financing") announced on December 15, 2022.

The Company has issued a total of 1,269,800 units in the non flow-through portion of the Financing at a price of $0.29 per unit (a "NFT Unit") for gross proceeds of $368,242. Each NFT Unit consists of one common share (a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant (a "Warrant") is exercisable to purchase one additional Share at a price of $0.45 for three years from the date of issuance.

As announced on December 28, 2022, the Company previously issued a total of 1,820,678 units in the flow-through portion of the Financing at a price of $0.36 per unit (a "FT Unit") for gross proceeds of $655,444. Each FT Unit consists of one flow-through common share (a "FT Share") and one Warrant, exercisable to purchase one additional Share at a price of $0.45 for three years from the date of issuance. Finders' fees of $33,002 cash and non-transferable broker warrants to purchase 91,672 Shares, at a price of $0.29 per Share for three years, were paid on a portion of this closing.

Mr. Saxon, President & CEO, said, "We are pleased to begin the New Year demonstrating the support of existing and new shareholders with this Financing. We look forward to a busy year of discovery at a time when the mining industry has never been more critical."

All Shares and Warrants issued are subject to a four month hold period from the date of closing. Post expiration of the hold period, the Company can elect to accelerate the expiry of the Warrants in the event that the volume-weighted average trading price of its common shares on a stock exchange equals or exceeds $0.90 for twenty (20) consecutive trading days, in which case the Warrants will expire thirty (30) days after the date that the Company provides written notice of acceleration by way of the issuance of a press release announcing the same.

The proceeds from the issuance of the FT Units qualified as "flow-through mining expenditures" (the "Qualifying Expenditures"), as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and will be used for "Canadian exploration expenses". The Company renounced the Qualifying Expenditures to subscribers of FT Units for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. The proceeds from the issuance of NFT Units will be primarily used for exploration activities at the Company's properties, as well as for general working capital purposes.

The Financing remains subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company also announces that Mr. DeMare acquired 277,800 FT Units and Mr. Saxon acquired 200,000 NFT Units in the Company by way of their participation in the Financing. Messrs. DeMare and Saxon are insiders of the Company and their participation in the Private Placement constitute a "related party transaction" pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation or minority shareholder approval in connection with the participation in the Private Placement in reliance on the exemptions contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively, as the fair market value of the transaction does not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the Shares in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements.

About T2 Metals Corp (TSXV: TWO) (OTCQB: AGLAF) (WKN: A2DR6E)

T2 Metals Corp is an emerging copper and precious metal company enhancing shareholder value through exploration and discovery. T2 is focused on the Sherridon Project in Manitoba, the Lida Project in Nevada, and the Cora Project in Arizona.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

"Mark Saxon"

Mark Saxon

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

t2metals.com

1305 - 1090 West Georgia St.,

Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7

info@t2metals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Financing; the Company's ability to complete the Financing and receive acceptance from the Exchange to the completion of the Financing; the Company's proposed plans for the exploration of the Company's properties; and the intended uses of the proceeds from the Financing.. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from results contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the Company does not complete all or any part of the Financing; the Company does not receive regulatory acceptance to the Financing; changes in metal prices, changes in the availability of funding, unanticipated changes in key management personnel and general economic conditions. Mining is an inherently risky business. Accordingly the actual events may differ martially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward looking statements, oral or written, made by itself or on its behalf, unless otherwise required pursuant to applicable laws.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.



To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152495
Extends mineralized zone on previous high-grade gold intercept announced January 9, 2023, on McFarlane's High Lake Property.

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - McFarlane Lake Mining Limited (NEO: MLM) ("McFarlane" or the "Company"), a Canadian mineral exploration and development company, is pleased to provide an update on the progress made at the Company's High Lake property in Ontario, near the Ontario-Manitoba Border. A technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") with respect to the High Lake and West Hawk Lake properties is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com and on the Company's website at https://mcfarlanelakemining.com.

McFarlane's management team will be attending the 2023 Vancouver Resource Investment Conference from January 29-30, 2023, at booth #114 in the Vancouver Convention Centre West Building.

The exploration program, which started early in November 2022, consists of ground geophysical data collection and its interpretation, accompanied by an 8,000 to 10,000-metre program of diamond drilling. To date, McFarlane has completed 36 holes totalling 8,566 metres and received assays for 16 holes. A key focus is the Purdex Zone at the property, which has historically, only been tested to a depth of 100 metres and has significant potential for adding compliant gold ounces. We expect the initial drilling campaign to be complete in February this year, with assay results being released as the program progresses and final results issued later in mid-2023.

Recent Results of the Drilling Program at High Lake

Drilling has intersected 13.52 g/t gold over 6.5 metres in hole MLHL-22-12 from 229.00 to 235.5 metres as measured in drill core length from surface. Visible gold was evident within this high-grade interval. This drill hole is approximately 20 to 30 metres away from the vertical section shown in Figure 1, which highlights previous and latest drilling results and the projection to section of drill hole MLHL-22-12. A second narrow zone was intersected further down in the same hole of 5.35 g/t gold over 0.40 meters.

Further drilling on the vertical section shown in Figure 1, intersected two zones in hole MLHL-22-05 from 242.51 to 250.00 metres grading 4.95 g/t gold over 7.49 metres and from 267.45 to 273.83 metres grading 4.49 g/t gold over 6.38 metres. The upper intersection included a higher-grade gold interval from 242.51 to 244.45 metres grading 11.18 g/t gold over 1.94 metres. This hole potentially extends mineralization 50 to 100 metres above drill hole MLHL-22-06, announced in the January 9th release. This drill hole returned a grade of 24.96 g/t gold over 14.90 metres, as outlined in Figure 1. Details on this intersection and other significant intersections are available in the press release of January 9, 2023, by following this link https://mcfarlanelakemining.com/news-jan-9-2023/.

Drill hole MLHL-22-23 also intersected two zones of 21.67 g/t gold over 1.75 metres from 171.05 to 172.80 metres and 13.30 g/t gold over 0.70 metres from 74.85 to 75.55 metres within the Purdex A zone.

"We are pleased with the progress we are making at High Lake, drilling continues to define a number of mineralized trends which have been traced down to 300 metres below surface," said Bob Kusins, Vice President of Geology for McFarlane. "Ongoing drilling of the Purdex Zone will help us define how extensive these trends continue in and around our current drill results. It is clear that gold mineralization extends beyond historical intercepts."

Drilling on the section, as shown in Figure 1, has outlined a steeply dipping echelon vein system occurring within a structural zone at or about the contact between quartz-feldspar porphyry and mafic volcanics. The porphyry and mafics are often highly sheared and may display silicification or sericitization. The veins are typically quartz-tourmaline, with tourmaline occurring within and along the vein contacts. The veins generally have low sulphide content, often mineralized with up to 1% pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite, with occasional lesser sphalerite and arsenopyrite. Gold occurs within quartz-tourmaline veins and in the adjacent sheared and altered host lithologies.





Figure 1 - Cross Section of Diamond Drill Holes

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8133/152503_f92c7e0be468abfb_002full.jpg

Roger Emdin, COO of McFarlane, added "We continue to see positive results on the Purdex Zone well below the historical drilling which was conducted to only 100 metres from surface. We are excited by what we see so early in the drilling campaign with more than half of the drill assays yet to be received."

Results from the recently completed five holes continue to demonstrate the high-grade nature of the Purdex Zone, as summarized in Table 1. The current program continues to confirm the presence of gold mineralization within the existing historical resources in the Purdex Zone.

Significant intersections are summarized in Table 1. Collar locations and details of the holes with assays received are summarized in Table 2.

Table 1: Significant Intersections.

Hole ID From

metres To

metres Length

metres Gold

grams/tonne MLHL-22-05 242.51 250.00 7.49 4.95 including 242.51 244.45 1.94 11.18 MLHL-22-05 267.45 273.83 6.38 4.49 MLHL-22-12 229.00 235.50 6.50 13.52 MLHL-22-12 237.00 237.40 0.40 5.35 MLHL-22-23 74.85 75.55 0.70 13.30 MLHL-22-23 171.05 172.8 1.75 21.67 MLHL-22-31 56.00 56.75 0.75 16.70

Reported as core length as insufficient drilling to ascertain true width.

Table 2: Collar Location Details (NAD83 Zone 15).

Hole ID Easting

(mE) Northing

(mN) Azimuth

Deg. Dip

Deg. Length

m MLHL-22-05 350132 5509016 202.4 -67.4 327.0 MLHL-22-12 350169 5508986 202.2 -50.4 252.0 MLHL-22-23 350007 5508972 201.0 -69.5 186.0 MLHL-22-31 350109 5508890 202.8 -45.4 87.0 MLHL-22-32 350109 5508891 202.8 -69.4 120.0

Results from the remaining holes of the drill program will be released when they are available.

The High Lake property, like McFarlane's West Hawk Lake property, has historical gold resources listed in Table 3 below, these resources are non-compliant under National Instrument 43-101. Use the following link for the disclosure statement, which is located on the Company's website: mcfarlanelakemining.com/historic-resource-disclosure.

Table 3 - Historical Resources

High Lake Historical Resources Zone Tonnes Grade (g/t) Troy oz. Estimated By Date of Estimate Purdex 227,000 9.43 68,822 Jalna Resources 1989 Electrum P 9,000 9.94 2,876 Calnor Resource 1987 Electrum R 23,000 15.77 11,661 Calnor Resource 1987 Electrum W 11,000 5.49 1,942 Calnor Resource 1987 TOTAL 270,000 9.83 85,301





QA/QC Control Procedures

McFarlane Lake has implemented a Quality Assurance/ Quality Control (QA/QC) program consistent with industry best practices. The drill core is being logged and sampled at a nearby facility with sawn half core samples, including QA/QC samples, being sent to an accredited lab (Actlabs) in Thunder Bay, Ontario for processing. The remaining half core has been retained in a locked facility for future examination. Certified reference material (CRM) standards and blanks are inserted every 10 samples into the sample stream. Gold was analyzed by 30-gram fire assay with AA-finish. Samples above 5 grams per tonne gold were re-assayed for gold with a gravimetric finish, while those above 10 grams per tonne were re-assayed utilizing the pulp metallic method.

Qualified Person

The technical contents of this news release have been reviewed and approved by Robert Kusins, Vice President of Geology of McFarlane. Mr. Kusins is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. However, Mr. Kusins is not independent of the Company by virtue of his position.

About McFarlane Lake Mining Limited

McFarlane is a mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and development of the High Lake mineral property located immediately east of the Ontario-Manitoba border and the West Hawk Lake mineral property located immediately west of the Ontario-Manitoba border. In addition, McFarlane holds the McMillan and Mongowin mineral property located 70 km west of Sudbury, which hosts the past-producing McMillan Gold Mine. McFarlane also owns the Michaud/Munro mineral property situated 115 km east of Timmins along the so-called "Golden Highway". McFarlane is a "reporting issuer" under applicable securities legislation in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.

Additional information on McFarlane can be found by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release, including without limitation; anticipated results of geophysical surveys or drilling programs, estimated timing, geological interpretations and potential mineral recovery processes. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of McFarlane to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Filing Statement dated as of January 14, 2022, which is available for view on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release, and McFarlane disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

McFarlane's operations could be significantly adversely affected by the effects of a widespread global outbreak of a contagious disease, including the recent outbreak of illness caused by COVID-19. It is not possible to accurately predict the impact COVID-19 will have on operations and the ability of others to meet their obligations, including uncertainties relating to the ultimate geographic spread of the virus, the severity of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, and the length of travel and quarantine restrictions imposed by governments of affected countries. In addition, a significant outbreak of contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could further affect operations and the ability to finance its operations.

Further Information

For further information regarding this press release, please contact:

Roger Emdin, Chief Operating Officer

McFarlane Lake Mining Limited

(705) 562-8520

remdin@mcfarlanelakemining.com

Craig McPhail

NATIONAL

(416) 525-5709

cmacphail@national.ca

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152503
San Antonio, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - AN Global Consulting ("AN Global"), which helps its clients to buy or sell businesses in 15 countries and offers over 400 franchise opportunities, has announced the addition of its newest franchisee in San Antonio, Texas. Founder Avinash Nichkawde, a Chartered Accountant/International Business Consultant, states this is a significant expansion for AN Global, as only two months later, after onboarding at the company's headquarters in Dallas, the franchisee decided to open an additional four locations, also in San Antonio.

"We are proud of our franchisee's courage and of his determination to capitalize on an opportunity that will take him to a different level in business," says Avinash. "He represents everything that AN Global embodies: vision, creativity, and tenacity. We look forward to supporting him on his new career journey as a franchise owner in the months and years to come."

AN Global explains that franchises are a core part of its services, which focus on providing franchisees with access to an established brand, a strong business model, a turn-key operation, reduced risk, and no territory restrictions.

"After the success of our franchise program in 2022, we are preparing to present it to expo attendees around the world in 2023," says AN Global. "We have a full schedule that includes the Houston Expo from February 10-11, the International Franchise Expo London/UK from April 14-15, and the Sydney Expo in Australia from August 12-13, to name a few."

At the events, Avinash and other AN Global representatives will help attendees understand their business model, and they will share information about the costs, training, and support their program provides. They will also be networking with other franchisors and industry professionals and, when possible, conducting in-person interviews with interested candidates.

AN Global Consulting is an investment company whose six divisions include AN Global Franchise, Business Sales M&A, Consulting Services, Technology Solutions, Education & Training, and Business Migration. Founded by Avinash Nichkawde, AN Global works each day to be a globally trusted, leading brand that provides out-of-the-box customized solutions for small and medium-sized businesses.

For more information about AN Global and its franchise opportunities, please see the company's website or contact:

Mr. Avinash Nichkawde, AN Global

408-680-1253

avinash@anglobal.us

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152521
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - South Korea will on Thursday release preliminary Q4 numbers for gross domestic product, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. GDP is expected to contract 0.3 percent on quarter and expand 1.5 percent on year after picking up 0.3 percent on quarter and 3.1 percent on year in the three months prior. Singapore will provide December data for industrial production, with forecasts suggesting a decline of 1.1 percent on month and 6.9 percent on year. That follows the 1.2 percent monthly decline and the 3.2 percent yearly drop in November. Hong Kong will see December figures for imports, exports and trade balance. In November, imports were down 20.3 percent on year and exports slumped n annual 24.1 percent for a trade deficit of HKD27.1 billion. Finally, the markets in Taiwan and China remain closed on Thursday for the Lunar New Year holiday, while the Australian bourses are shuttered got Australia Day. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - SuperBuzz Inc. (TSXV: SPZ) ("SuperBuzz" or the "Company") is thrilled to announce the launch of a new website packed with free AI tools for the public to use. The suite includes an advertising copy generator, website analyzer, and AI challenge. In just a few days, the Company has already received an outpouring of positive reviews from users regarding the new website and its free AI tools.

"The future of GPT technology is shining bright with Microsoft's recent multi-billion dollar investment in OpenAI. Our free products on the new website are receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from users, both seasoned AI marketers and newcomers alike. At SuperBuzz, we're excited to continue growing Canada's presence in the GPT technology field and proving our expertise," says Liran Brenner, SuperBuzz CEO.

SuperBuzz Unleashes Revolutionary Free AI Offerings

"At SuperBuzz, we're passionate about making GPT-3 and generative AI technology accessible to everyone, which is why we're excited to offer our products for free on our new website. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity and give our AI engine a run for its money by creating their own advertisements. It's a chance to test your skills and see just how powerful these tools can be," says Brenner.

The free product suite includes three main features: an advertising copy generator, a website analyzer, and an AI challenge.

The Advertising Copy Generator

SuperBuzz's tag generator is an innovative tool that uses GPT-3 and generative AI technology to automatically crawl a website and produce optimal images and text for advertising copy. The tool analyzes various elements of a website, such as the content, layout, and design, to determine the best images and text for marketing. Additionally, the tag generator eliminates the need for manual labor and saves time for marketers and business owners. With the SuperBuzz tag generator, businesses can improve their advertising efforts and increase their online visibility in any language.





Figure 1



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8953/152537_8d72a4f484f7383b_001full.jpg

The Website Analyzer With SEO Optimizer

SuperBuzz's website analyzer is an advanced tool that uses powerful servers to run unlimited health reviews. These reviews allow users to gain valuable insights into their audience and traffic referrals. Additionally, the analyzer provides clear instructions on how to fix SEO issues and offers side-by-side SEO comparisons against similar websites. This allows businesses to improve their website's SEO, increase retention traffic, and ultimately, boost revenue. With the SuperBuzz website analyzer, businesses can make data-driven decisions to improve their online presence.





Figure 2



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8953/152537_8d72a4f484f7383b_002full.jpg

SuperBuzz's AI Challenge

In November 2022, SuperBuzz launched its AI Challenge, a test designed to determine if individuals could distinguish between content generated by its AI engine and content created by a human. With the redesign of its website, SuperBuzz has made the challenge more comprehensive and open to anyone. The purpose of the challenge is to provide an opportunity for the public to evaluate the capabilities of SuperBuzz's AI engine and understand its level of sophistication.





Figure 3



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

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About SuperBuzz's AI Platform

SuperBuzz is revolutionizing how people interact with technology. Its AI platform leverages GPT-3 to automate many processes, including push notifications and content creation. The platform simplifies the user experience, allowing for advanced digital interaction that cuts back on manual tasks. Moreover, SuperBuzz's AI platform intelligently responds to small and medium-sized businesses' unique needs, making it an incredibly reliable and powerful tool for various applications.

Additional information in respect of the Company's business is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

For Additional Information, Contact:

Liran Brenner

Chief Executive Officer

Email: liran@superbuzz.io

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements relating to: the Company's business objectives and milestones and the anticipated timing of, and costs in connection with, the execution or achievement of such objectives and milestones; the Company's future growth prospects; the development of the Company's business and future activities following the date hereof; expectations relating to market size and anticipated growth in the jurisdictions within which the Company may from time to time operate or contemplate future operations; expectations with respect to economic, business, regulatory and/or competitive factors related to the Company or the industry generally; the competitive landscape within which the Company operates and the Company's market share or reach; the performance of the Company's business and the operations and activities of the Company; the Company's ability to obtain, maintain, and renew or extend, applicable authorizations, including the timing and impact of the receipt thereof; the Company's continued work on its product offerings, including the use of OpenAI's GPT-3 model; the potential benefits of the Company's offerings and the continued offering of its advertising copy generator, website analyzer, and AI challenge and the features thereof; and the Company and its AI platform revolutionizing how people interact with technology.

Forward-looking information in this news release are based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events; there will continue to be a demand, and market opportunity, for the Company's product offerings; current and future economic conditions will neither affect the business and operations of the Company nor the Company's ability to capitalize on anticipated business opportunities; current and future members of management will abide by the Company's business objectives and strategies from time to time established by the Company; the Company will retain and supplement its board of directors and management, or otherwise engage consultants and advisors having knowledge of the industries (or segments thereof) within which the Company may from time to time participate; the Company will have sufficient working capital and the ability to obtain the financing required in order to develop and continue its business and operations; the Company will continue to attract, develop, motivate and retain highly qualified and skilled consultants and/or employees, as the case may be; taxes and all other applicable matters in the jurisdictions in which the Company conducts business and any other jurisdiction in which the Company may conduct business in the future; the Company will be able to generate cash flow from operations, including, where applicable, distribution and sale of its products; the Company will be able to execute on its business strategy as anticipated; the Company will be able to meet the requirements necessary to obtain and/or maintain authorizations required to conduct the business; the Company's continuing ability to meet the requirements necessary to remain listed on the TSX Venture Exchange; general economic, financial, market, regulatory, and political conditions will not negatively affect the Company or its business; the Company will be able to successfully compete in the industry; prices offered by competitors will not decline materially; the Company will be able to effectively manage anticipated and unanticipated costs; the Company will be able to conduct its operations in a safe, efficient and effective manner; the Company's ability to continue to work on its product offerings, including the use of OpenAI's GPT-3 model; the ability of the Company to deliver on the potential benefits of the Company's offerings and to continue to offer its advertising copy generator, website analyzer, and AI challenge and the features thereof; and the ability of the Company and its AI platform to revolutionize how people interact with technology.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the risks associated with the industry in general; the inability of the Company to obtain requisite approvals; the Company's inability to attract and retain qualified members of management to grow the Company's business and its operations; the Company's inability to effectively manage unanticipated costs and expenses, including costs and expenses; the risk's associated with the Company's in meeting its business objectives and milestones and the anticipated timing of, and costs in connection with, the execution or achievement of such objectives and milestones; the inability of the Company's to identify and secure future growth prospects; the Company's inability to develop its business and future activities following the date hereof; the Company's inability to meet or exceed expectations relating to market size and anticipated growth in the jurisdictions within which the Company may from time to time operate or contemplate future operations; the Company's inability to meet or exceed expectations with respect to economic, business, regulatory and/or competitive factors related to the Company or the industry generally; the risks associated with the market for the Company's current and proposed product offerings, as well as the Company's inability to capture market share; the risks associated with the distribution methods expected to be used by the Company to deliver its product offerings; the Company's inability to obtain, maintain, and renew or extend, applicable authorizations, including the timing and impact of the receipt thereof; the Company's inability to continue to work on its product offerings, including the use of OpenAI's GPT-3 model; the inability of the Company to deliver on the potential benefits of the Company's offerings and to continue to offer its advertising copy generator, website analyzer, and AI challenge and the features thereof; and the inability of the Company and its AI platform to revolutionize how people interact with technology.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152537
Emperia, a London, UK- and New York-based immersive virtual retail provider, raised a $10m Series A funding.

The round was led by Base10 Partners and joined by investors including Daphni (via its retail fund Dastore), Sony Innovation Fund, Background Capital, Stanford Capital Partners and Concept Ventures, as well as angel Jay Radia.

The company intends to use the funds to grow its team, charge the capabilities of its virtual retail platform and bring metaverse e-commerce to new international markets and retail sectors.

Launched by fashion and retail expert Olga Dogadkina and VR innovation expert Simonas Holcmann in 2019, Emperia has developed a platform which enables the creation of immersive virtual experiences for brands across multiple retail sectors. The platform combines the reach and accessibility of e-commerce with the impact of in-person retail, giving companies the tech and visual infrastructure to build and manage virtual stores.

Founded in 2019, the company is already partnering with globally-renowned retailers including Dior, Bloomingdales, Burberry, Lacoste, Christies, Sunglass Hut, Getty Images and others.

FinSMEs

25/01/2023
Terra Drone Corporation, a Tokyo, Japan-based drone and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) technology provider, raised $14M in funding.

The round was led by Waed Ventures, the venture capital arm of the biggest oil producer in the world, Aramco.

The company intends to use the funds to set up a new subsidiary in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Terra Drone Arabia, in line with the Saudi governments Vision 2030.

Led by CEO Hiroki Shiotsuka, Terra Drone is an industrial drone solution provider. With the establishment of Terra Drone Arabia, the company will provide oil-gas inspection services, and further its expansion globally. At present, Terra Drone provides drone and UAM solutions in 10 countries across the world.

FinSMEs

25/01/2023
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The Lebanon Fire District responded to two house fires and one fully involved motorhome blaze during a five-hour period early Monday morning, Jan. 23.

According to an agency news release, at around 2:45 a.m., firefighters responded to a potential house fire in the area of Tennessee Road after residents awoke to the sound of smoke detectors squawking and their home filled with smoke.

The battalion chief arrived on scene and found no fire showing in the ranch-style home. The incident commander noticed there were still occupants in the structure, according to the news release, and contacted the homeowner.

Before firefighters arrived, the homeowner had found the cause of the smoke: a melted plastic filter in the furnace. Crews checked the home for any fires and using a thermal imaging camera discovered above average heat temperatures in the furnace motor area, according to the release.

The homeowner secured the power to the furnace, LFD said, and firefighters cleared the scene after evaluating one resident for smoke inhalation.

Motorhome in flames

At around 5:28 a.m., crews were dispatched to a motorhome fire around the area of West A Street and South Sixth Street. The battalion chief arrived to find a fully involved RV next to a residence and camp trailer, the news release said.

Firefighters arrived on the agencys engine and ladder truck and brought the fire under control before overhauling the RV to completely extinguish the flames. Crews were on scene for around 1 hours, LFD said. No injuries were reported, and Lebanon police assisted with traffic control.

Another house fire

The final fire of the morning occurred at about 7:51 a.m. at a house in the rural area of Lacomb on Green Mountain Drive, according to the news release.

Firefighters from the agencys Lacomb substation arrived on the scene and discovered a house with smoke coming out from the eves and attic area.

Crews deployed a hose line and put a ladder to the gable end of the house, LFD said. A battalion chief arrived with additional fire crews and engines and water tenders. Crews started to investigate the source of the smoke.

Firefighters discovered the fire in the attic under insulation and near the flue of the familys woodstove and extinguished it, the news release said. Crews remained on scene for around two hours doing overhaul and investigated the cause of the fire, which is still unclear. No injuries were reported.

Pacific Power assisted at the scene and the Albany Fire Department provided coverage for the district.

The Lebanon Fire District would like to remind its residents of the importance of working smoke detectors and having your chimney cleaned and inspected, the agency said.
The Lebanon Police Department, with assistance from the regional SWAT team, arrested a Lebanon man on suspicion of multiple domestic violence charges.

According to an agency news release, officers arrested Matthew Fox, 30, and booked him into the Linn County Jail on suspected charges of strangulation, fourth-degree assault, harassment and resisting arrest.

At around 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, Lebanon detectives saw Fox in the 200 block of East Carolina Street. The detectives knew Fox was wanted for domestic related charges, according to the news release.

When detectives tried to take Fox into custody, he fled into his home. According to LPD, multiple attempts had been made in the past to take Fox into custody.

Police obtained a search warrant and called in the Linn County Regional SWAT Team to assist due to Foxs history. Law enforcement made several attempts to encourage Fox to surrender, and he ultimately complied.

Oregon State Police, the Albany Police Department, Linn County Sheriffs Office and Benton County Sheriffs Office all assisted.

Fox was scheduled to be arraigned in Linn County Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 24 on charges of fourth-degree assault, menacing, attempted assaulting a public safety officer and two counts of strangulation.

Court documents allege the crimes occurred on or around Jan. 21.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective James Glover at 541-258-4326.
The agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Government on media cooperation combating the legalization (laundering) of proceeds of crime and terrorism financing in the cross-border movements of currency and monetary instruments, has been approved following President Ilham Aliyev's decree.

The document was signed in Baku on November 17, 2022.

After the agreement enters into force, the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan should ensure the implementation of the document's provisions, and the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry should notify the Russian government of the implementation of domestic procedures required for the agreement.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Capital, LLC (Imperial Capital or Company) announced today the addition of senior high yield/distressed sales professional, Marc Litofsky, as the Company continues to add industry talent to its credit sales and trading platform. Mr. Litofsky, a credit sales and trading veteran with over twenty-two years of Wall Street experience, joins Imperial Capital as a Managing Director based in New York.

We are pleased to welcome Marc to Imperial Capital and are excited to add the quality of his experience, market creditability and long-standing client relationships to our team, said Denji Yiu, Head of US Fixed Income Sales. Imperial Capital is uniquely positioned to hire senior sales and trading professionals in a constricting employment market amidst current global markets uncertainty.

Prior to joining Imperial Capital, Litofsky spent 22 years at Credit Suisse, 18 of which were in High Yield/Distressed Sales and 4 as an Energy Analyst. He began his career as a CPA with Price Waterhouse after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Syracuse University.

About Imperial Capital, LLC

Imperial Capital, LLC is a full-service investment bank offering a uniquely integrated platform of comprehensive services to institutional investors and middle market companies. We offer sophisticated sales and trading services to institutional investors and a wide range of investment banking advisory, capital markets and restructuring services to middle market corporate clients. Paired with our proprietary research and sales & trading desk analysis, we provide investment analysis across an issuer's capital structure, including bank loans, debt securities, the hybrid/bank capital marketplace (through our ELP Framework), post-reorganization equities, special situations claims and listed and unlisted equities. Our comprehensive and integrated service platform, expertise across the global capital structure, and deep industry sector knowledge enable us to provide clients with research driven ideas, superior advisory services, and trade execution. We are quick to identify opportunities under any market conditions and we have a proven track record of offering creative, proprietary solutions to our clients. Imperial Capital, LLC has three principal businesses: Investment Banking, Institutional Sales & Trading and Institutional Research. More information about Imperial Capital, LLC can be found at www.imperialcapital.com.

For more information regarding Imperial Capital, please contact:

Mark Martis

+1 310 246 3674

mmartis@imperialcapital.com




HOUSTON, Jan. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KA Fund Advisors, LLC (Kayne Anderson), which serves as the adviser to Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (NYSE: KYN) and Kayne Anderson NextGen Energy & Infrastructure, Inc. (NYSE: KMF) announced today the tax characterization of 2022 distributions to stockholders.



KYN

Common Shares KMF

Common Shares Ordinary dividends - - Qualified dividends 100 % 21 % Capital gains distributions - - Nondividend distributions (return of capital) - 79 % 100 % 100 %

Additional information regarding the tax characterization of KYNs and KMFs 2022 distributions is available at www.kaynefunds.com.

This information is provided for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute, and should not be construed as, tax, legal, investment, or other professional advice and cannot be used or relied upon for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties. Investors should consult their tax adviser or legal counsel for advice and information concerning their particular situation.

Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (NYSE: KYN) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, whose common stock is traded on the NYSE. The Companys investment objective is to provide a high after-tax total return with an emphasis on making cash distributions to stockholders. KYN intends to achieve this objective by investing at least 80% of its total assets in securities of Energy Infrastructure Companies. See Glossary of Key Terms in the Companys most recent quarterly report for a description of these investment categories and the meaning of capitalized terms.

Kayne Anderson NextGen Energy & Infrastructure, Inc. (NYSE: KMF) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, whose common stock is traded on the NYSE. The Funds investment objective is to provide a high level of total return with an emphasis on making cash distributions to its stockholders. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its total assets in securities of Energy Companies and Infrastructure Companies. The Fund anticipates that the majority of its investments will consist of investments in NextGen companies, which we define as Energy Companies and Infrastructure Companies that are meaningfully participating in, or benefitting from, the Energy Transition. See Glossary of Key Terms in the Funds most recent quarterly report for a description of these investment categories and the meaning of capitalized terms.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer or sale is not permitted. Nothing contained in this press release is intended to recommend any investment policy or investment strategy or consider any investors specific objectives or circumstances. Before investing, please consult with your investment, tax, or legal adviser regarding your individual circumstances.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This communication contains statements reflecting assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions, or beliefs about future events. These and other statements not relating strictly to historical or current facts constitute forward-looking statements as defined under the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements involve a variety of risks and uncertainties. These risks include but are not limited to changes in economic and political conditions; regulatory and legal changes; energy industry risk; leverage risk; valuation risk; interest rate risk; tax risk; and other risks discussed in detail in the Companys filings with the SEC, available at www.kaynefunds.com or www.sec.gov. Actual events could differ materially from these statements or our present expectations or projections. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Kayne Anderson undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein. There is no assurance that the Companys investment objectives will be attained.
Hyderabad, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dental visits in the country were largely impacted during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the restrictions laid by the government. It was observed that there was a collective decrease in the number of dental procedures performed in the country to nearly 50% during the early period of the pandemic. However, dental procedures less likely to generate aerosols demonstrated a slight reduction during the pandemic. Currently, as the number of COVID-19 cases has been subsidized, visits to dental clinics are expected to resume, creating an increasing need for different types of dental devices for various procedures leading to gaining traction over the next 3-4 years. The market is expected to project its growth at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2022-2027.

In 2021, the General Diagnostic and Equipment segment constituted a large market share. Furthermore, the Dental Consumables segment of the Brazilian dental equipment market accounted faster growth pace over the period studied. In the dental consumables segment, dental implants, crowns, and bridges constitute the higher market share of the country due to increased awareness and adoption of cosmetic dental procedures, says Soumya Goud, Research Manager.

Advancing in the future is the rising trends and awareness of aesthetic dental procedures, technological advancements, government initiatives to make dental care more widely available, and strategies by market players to strengthen their positions. For instance, in May 2022, Ortek Therapeutics Inc. received a patent from the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office that covers the Ortek-ECD, a ground-breaking electronic cavity detection device that can identify tooth decay commonly missed by X-rays. Such innovation in dental devices in the country contributes to the growth of the market. Such factors are anticipated to propel the market toward expansion with a CAGR of 5.8% from 2022 to 2027.



Soumya Goud says that growing government attempts to increase the accessibility of oral health are driving the growth of the market studied in the nation. A Secretaria Especial de Saude Indigena (SESAI) currently has more than 920 oral health professionals in more than 6,000 villages across the country performing a variety of dental procedures like dental restorations, sealants, periodontal scraping, and extractions, according to a March 2021 update from the Ministry of Health, Government of Brazil. Additionally, according to the same source, SESAI carried out more than 38,000 dental treatments nationwide in 2020.

Additionally, the growing collaboration between industry leaders and dental offices enhances Brazilians' access to cutting-edge and globally recognized technology. For instance, in October 2022, Brucalia Clinica Dental entered a partnership arrangement with SIN Sinedent, one of the major producers of dental implants, prosthetic components, and surgical kits in the world, to provide its patients with a novel dental implant called the Epikut. Such partnerships among service providers and market players are paving the way for growth. In addition, strategic initiatives taken by market players bolster the growth of the market.

This will create scope for new entrants and existing market players to witness significant growth opportunities in Brazilian medical devices, Latin American dental devices, and Brazilian dental consumables, among other areas.

The Brazilian dental equipment market is anticipated to gain good traction over the period studied with the approval of products by regulatory authorities and initiatives by the market players. For instance, in May 2022, one of the first dental implants coated with Promimic's implant surface, Hanano surface, was launched by the company's strategic partner Sistema de Implante Nacional (SIN), one of the major providers of dental implants in Brazil and Latin America. The implant was introduced during Congresso Internacional de Odontologia de Sao Paulo (CIOSP), the dental trade expo in Sao Paulo, and drew more than 100,000 attendees. Such strategic steps by market players to expand offerings and product portfolios augment the growth of the market.

The active involvement of major competitors in the market in research and development (R&D) created numerous opportunities for market growth. For instance, in March 2022, a novel dental implant system was introduced by Neodent, a Brazilian dental implant business and a subsidiary of the Straumann Group. The new product, called Zi, uses zirconia, which is renowned for increased strength and beauty. Such approvals and the launch of aesthetic products demonstrate the increasing trend for adopting dental aesthetic procedures, creating opportunities for growth in the country.

About Mordor Intelligence -

Mordor Intelligence is a market intelligence and advisory firm. At Mordor Intelligence, we believe in predicting butterfly effects that have the potential to change or significantly impact market dynamics. Get a glance at the Brazil Dental Equipment Market or ask for a more customized report.
Pune, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Curved Televisions Market [New Research] report 2023-2028 has been prepared by experienced and knowledgeable market analysts and researchers. It is a phenomenal compilation of important studies that explore the competitive landscape, segmentation, geographical expansion, revenue, and consumption growth of the global Curved Televisions market. This report focuses on Curved Televisions volume and value at the global level, regional level, and company levels. From a global perspective, this report represents the overall Curved Televisions market size by analyzing historical data and future prospects. Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. This is accomplished by current knowledge of the most important drivers, current trends, untapped possibilities, risks and restrictions, difficulties, and the most promising development areas. It will also help in analyzing the market growth properly and making better decisions in the coming years.

Get a Sample PDF of the report - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/request-sample/21994853

Moreover, the research report gives detailed data about the major factors influencing the growth of the Curved Televisions market at the national and local level forecast of the market size, in terms of value, market share by region, revenue, and segment, regional market positions, and segment and country opportunities for growth, key company profiles, SWOT analysis, product portfolio, and growth strategies.

Market Analysis and Insights: Global Curved Televisions Market

Curved Televisions market 2023 delivers a comprehensive overview of the growth rate, industry size, share, recent technology, developments and trends update. This report also covers a detailed study of geographical regional segments, market dynamics, trends, drivers, restraints, and challenges faced in the industry. The report also focuses on global major leading industry players in the global Curved Televisions market providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, price, cost, revenue, and contact information. From a global perspective, this report represents the overall Curved Televisions market size by analyzing historical data and future prospects. Furthermore, the report added compelling business systems, deals income, CAGR status and SWOT investigation. It also covers industry segmentations (Manufacture, Type, Applications and Geographical Regions) with value and volume.

Get a Sample Copy of the Curved Televisions Market Research Report 2023

With industry-standard accuracy in analysis and high data integrity, the report makes a brilliant attempt to unveil key opportunities available in the global Curved Televisions market to help players in achieving a strong market position. Buyers of the report can access verified and reliable market forecasts, including those for the overall size of the global Curved Televisions market in terms of revenue.

This report gives a detailed description of all the factors influencing the growth of these market players as well as profiles of their companies, their product portfolios, marketing strategies, technology integrations, and more information about these market players. Some of the key players are as follows:

The Major Key Players Listed in Curved Televisions Market Report are:

LG Electronics

Haier

Sony

Sichuan Changhong Electronics

Samsung Electronics

Global Curved Televisions Market: Drivers and Restraints

The research report has incorporated the analysis of different factors that augment the markets growth. It constitutes trends, restraints, and drivers that transform the market in either a positive or a negative manner. This section also provides the scope of different segments and applications that can potentially influence the market in the future. The detailed information is based on current trends and historic milestones. This section also provides an analysis of the volume of production in the global market and of each type.

A thorough evaluation of the restraints included in the report portrays the contrast to drivers and gives room for strategic planning. Factors that overshadow the market growth are pivotal as they can be understood to devise different bends for getting hold of the lucrative opportunities that are present in the ever-growing market. Additionally, insights into market experts opinions have been taken to understand the market better.

Inquire more and share questions if any before the purchase on this report at - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/21994853

Overall, the report proves to be an effective tool that players can use to gain a competitive edge over their competitors and ensure lasting success in the global Curved Televisions market. All of the findings, data, and information provided in the report are validated and revalidated with the help of trustworthy sources. The analysts who authored the report took a unique and industry-best research and analysis approach for an in-depth study of the global Curved Televisions market.

Global Curved Televisions Market: Segment Analysis

The research report includes specific segments by region (country), company, Type, and Application. This study provides information about the sales and revenue during the historic and forecasted period. Understanding the segments helps in identifying the importance of different factors that aid market growth.

Curved Televisions Market Segmentation by Type:

Large Screen Televisions

Medium Screen Televisions

Small Screen Televisions

Curved Televisions

Curved Televisions Market Segmentation by Application:

Commercial

Institutional

Residential

Geographic Segment Covered in the Report:

The Curved Televisions report provides information about the market area, which is further subdivided into sub-regions and countries/regions. In addition to the market share in each country and sub-region, this chapter of this report also contains information on profit opportunities. This chapter of the report mentions the market share and growth rate of each region, country, and sub-region during the estimated period.

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

South America

Middle East and Africa

Key Attentions of Curved Televisions Market Report:

The report offers a comprehensive and broad perspective on the global Curved Televisions market.

The market statistics represented in different Curved Televisions segments offer a complete industry picture.

Market growth drivers and challenges affecting the development of Curved Televisions are analysed in detail.

The report will help in the analysis of major competitive market scenarios, and market dynamics of Curved Televisions.

Major stakeholders, key companies Curved Televisions, investment feasibility, and new market entrants study is offered.

The development scope of Curved Televisions in each market segment is covered in this report. The macro and micro-economic factors affecting the Curved Televisions market

Advancement is elaborated on in this report. The upstream and downstream components of Curved Televisions and a comprehensive value chain are explained.

Purchase this report (Price 5600 USD for a single-user license) - https://www.industryresearch.biz/purchase/21994853

Detailed TOC of Global Curved Televisions Market Report 2023

1 Report Overview

1.1 Research Scope

1.2 Market Segment by Type

1.2.1 Global Curved Televisions Market Size Growth Rate by Type (2017 VS 2021 VS 2028)

1.2.2 Large Screen Televisions

1.2.3 Medium Screen Televisions

1.2.4 Small Screen Televisions

1.3 Market Segment by Application

1.3.1 Global Curved Televisions Market Share by Application (2017 VS 2021 VS 2028)

1.3.2 Commercial

1.3.3 Institutional

1.3.4 Residential

1.4 Study Objectives

1.5 Years Considered

2 Market Perspective

2.1 Global Curved Televisions Market Size (2017-2028)

2.1.1 Global Curved Televisions Revenue (2017-2028)

2.1.2 Global Curved Televisions Sales (2017-2028)

2.2 Global Curved Televisions Market Size across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2017 VS 2021 VS 2028

2.2.1 Global Curved Televisions Sales by Regions (2017-2022)

2.2.2 Global Curved Televisions Revenue by Regions (2017-2022)

2.3 Global Curved Televisions Market Size Forecast by Region

2.3.1 Global Curved Televisions Sales Forecast by Region (2023-2028)

2.3.2 Global Curved Televisions Revenue Forecast by Region (2023-2028)

2.4 Global Top Curved Televisions Regions (Countries) Ranking by Market Size

2.5 Curved Televisions Market Dynamics

2.5.1 Curved Televisions Market Trends

2.5.2 Curved Televisions Market Drivers

2.5.3 Curved Televisions Market Challenges

2.5.4 Curved Televisions Market Restraints

3 Competitive Landscape by Manufacturers

Continued.

Browse the complete table of contents at - https://www.industryresearch.biz/TOC/21994853#TOC

About Us: 

The market is changing rapidly with the ongoing expansion of the industry. Advancement in technology has provided todays businesses with multifaceted advantages resulting in daily economic shifts. Thus, it is very important for a company to comprehend the patterns of market movements in order to strategize better. An efficient strategy offers the companies a head start in planning and an edge over the competitors. Industry Research is a credible source for gaining the market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs.
Pune, India, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global pharmaceutical packaging market size was valued at USD 95.36 billion in 2021. The market is projected to grow from USD 101.59 billion in 2022 to USD 150.78 billion by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period.

This information is presented by Fortune Business Insights, in its report titled, Pharmaceutical Packaging Market, 2022-2029.

Get a Sample Copy of the Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/pharmaceutical-packaging-market-102860

List of Key Players Mentioned in the Report:

Amcor Plc (Switzerland)

Gerresheimer AG (Germany)

SCHOTT AG (Germany)

WestRock (U.S.)

AptarGroup, Inc. (U.S.)

Berry Global, Inc (U.S.)

NIPRO (Japan)

CCL Industries Inc. (Canada)

West Pharmaceutical Services (U.S.)

SGD Pharma (France)

Ardagh Group S.A. (Luxembourg)

International Paper (U.S.)

Comar LLC (U.S.)

Vetter Pharma (Germany)

Nolato AB (Sweden)

Origin Pharma Packaging (U.K.)

Huhtamaki Oyj (Finland)

Parekhplast India Limited (India)

Regent Plast Pvt. Ltd. (India)

Graham Blow Pack Pvt. Limited (India)

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2022-2029 Forecast CAGR 5.8% 2029 Value Projection USD 150.78 Billion Base Year 2021 Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Size in 2021 USD 95.36 Billion Historical Data 2018-2020 No. of Pages 318 Segments Covered By Type, By Application and Regional Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Growth Drivers Plastics Segment to Remain the Largest Material Used in the Market North America to Lead Backed by Elevated Demand for Packaging due to Rising Healthcare Expenditure

COVID-19 Impacts:

Increasing Demand for Online Shopping Fueled the Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Growth

The coronavirus pandemic has causing hardship in several businesses, which led to a shortage of raw materials and interrupted supply networks. West Pharmaceutical Services businesses, however, were excluded from the lockdown limitations due to the importance of their operations to the neighborhood. In order to produce healthcare items, the pharmaceutical business was established, and government support for prescription meds and generic medications will encourage market expansion. The market's leading manufacturers have automated their processes to keep up with the rising demand for pharmaceutical items connected to COVID-19.

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Segments:

Plastics Segment to Remain the Largest Material Used in the Market

Based on material, the market is segmented into plastics, glass, metal, paper & paperboard, and others. Plastic is the most considerable raw material used in the production of pharmaceutical packaging.

Bottles Segment to Account for the Major Share during the Forecast Period

Based on product type, the market is categorized into bottles, caps & closures, pre-fillable inhalers, pre-fillable syringes, vials & ampoules, blister packs, bags & pouches, jars & canisters, cartridges, and others. Among these, bottles segment is the most significant product type.

Primary Packaging Segment to be the Fastest-Growing Packaging Type in the Market

Based on packaging type, the market is classified into primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary packaging is the most significant packaging type growing at the highest CAGR in this market.

Oral Drug Delivery Packaging to Account for Dominant Share during the Forecast Period

Based on drug delivery mode, the market is segmented into oral drug delivery packaging, topical drug delivery packaging, injectable packaging, ocular drug delivery packaging, pulmonary drug delivery packaging, transdermal drug delivery packaging, nasal drug delivery packaging, and others. Oral drug delivery packaging is the dominant segment in the global market.

The market analysis has been done across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Report Coverage:

The report presents a systematic study of the markets segments and thorough analysis of the market overview. A thoughtful evaluation of the current market trends as well as the future opportunities is offered in the report.

Drivers and Restraints:

Rising Pharmaceutical Industry Around the Globe to Drive Market Growth

In wealthy nations such as the U.S., the U.K., and Germany as well as in developing nations such as China, India, and Brazil, the pharmaceutical sector is expanding quickly. The population is growing, technological advancements are increasing, healthcare awareness is increasing, advanced manufacturing techniques are being adopted, public healthcare system spending is increasing, and new government regulations are being put in place to stop the spread of infectious diseases. Additionally, the rising demand for biological products and emerging treatments such as cell and gene therapies are expected to promote the growth of the pharmaceutical industry. The need for pharmaceutical packaging products will result from this.

Regional Insights:

North America to Lead Backed by Elevated Demand for Packaging due to Rising Healthcare Expenditure

The U.S. is the largest contributor to North America, which has the largest pharmaceutical packaging market share. This area's development is attributable to the pharmaceutical industry's explosive growth. The market in this region is being driven by the increased need for primary packaging goods, rising healthcare spending, and rising disease prevalence.

Germany, the U.K., and Italy in Europe accounted for the second-largest market in the globe. Pre-filled syringes, plastic bottles, containers, vials, and ampoules have all aided in the expansion of this industry.

China, Japan, and India are the top three nations in Asia Pacific contributing to the market expansion.

Competitive Landscape:

Innovative Product Launch Announcement by Key Players to Bolster Market Growth

The prominent players adopt several strategies to bolster their position in the market as leading companies. One such key strategy is acquiring companies to bolster their brand value among users. Another essential strategy is periodically launching innovative products with a detailed study of the market and its target audience.

Key Industry Development:

May 2022: The introduction of EcoPositive, a label for all of the company's sustainable packaging options, has been announced by Bormioli Pharma, a producer of glass and plastic primary packaging for pharmaceutical applications. This includes products made of innovative polymers, recycled glass and plastic, and plastics that are bio-based, compostable, or biodegradable.

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Emerging Trends  For Major Countries Latest Technological Advancement Regulatory Landscape Industry SWOT Analysis Porters Five Forces Analysis Impact of COVID-19 on the Pharmaceutical Packaging Market

Global Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Analysis (USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2018-2029 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Material Glass Metals Paper & Paperboard Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Product Type Bottles Caps & Closures Pre-Fillable Inhalers Pre-Fillable Syringes Vials & Ampoules Blister Packs Bags & Pouches Jars & Canisters Cartridges Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Drug Delivery Mode Oral Drug Delivery Packaging Injectable Packaging Topical Drug Delivery Packaging Pulmonary Drug Delivery Packaging Transdermal Drug Delivery Packaging Ocular Drug Delivery Packaging Nasal Drug Delivery Packaging Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Packaging Type Primary Secondary Tertiary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa

North America Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Analysis (USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2018-2029 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Material Glass Metals Paper & Paperboard Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Product Type Bottles Caps & Closures Pre-Fillable Inhalers Pre-Fillable Syringes Vials & Ampoules Blister Packs Bags & Pouches Jars & Canisters Cartridges Others



TOC Continued!

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Selbyville, Delaware,, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



The geospatial imagery analytics market valuation is anticipated to surpass USD 50 billion by 2032, as reported in a research study by Global Market Insights Inc .

The report reveals that the demand for wireless devices and location-based sensors is growing at a considerable rate every year. These devices allow businesses to collect location-specific information on certain events taking place in a territory, which is predicted to boost the market demand. Geospatial imagery analytics solutions help companies simultaneously analyze various events across different time zones and locations to make smarter & informed decisions.

The defense sector is also expanding at a notable pace in several regions owing to the rise in national security threats. This has increased the need to modernize traditional military technologies and security reforms. Geospatial imagery analytics can play a vital role in helping defense forces make strategic decisions, conduct daily operations smoothly, and counter asymmetric threats.

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The image-based analytics segment accounted for 75% market share in 2022. Businesses are increasingly adopting a wide range of geospatial technologies, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and other positioning systems, which may impact the installation of image-based analytics applications. Geospatial imagery service providers are also using drones and surveillance cameras to analyze video content and improve their daily operations, further contributing to product consumption.

The geospatial imagery analytics market from satellite imagery segment was valued at 30% revenue share in 2022. The spatial sector is witnessing rapid expansion as several new satellite navigation systems are being launched by space research organizations. The usage of advanced technologies, GNSS platforms, and imaging sensors is thus set to spur the demand for analytics software to analyze and interpret geodata sets. Government authorities are also investing in satellite research & development to facilitate improvements in mining, defense, and disaster management, among other application areas, in turn, promoting the usage of satellite imagery systems.





The mining applications is estimated to expand at 25% CAGR through 2032, due to growing demand for safe & secure mining operations is increasing steadily, considering the high risk of accidents in the industry. Many mining companies are therefore increasing their focus on extracting more value from their planning, mining, and data processing operations to make informed strategic decisions. This includes the usage of geospatial imagery analytics to gain more comprehensive insight into mining operations.

Middle East and Africa (MEA) geospatial imagery analytics market is poised to reach USD 2.5 billion by 2032. UAVs are being deployed on a large scale across the regions construction, agriculture, disaster management, and government sectors. Defense and intelligence agencies are also integrating various GIS-based technologies, given the high importance of spatial data in these organizations. This data can support the agencies in making faster and more accurate decisions with respect to national security missions.

Major players involved in the geospatial imagery analytics market include AeroVironment, Alphabet Inc. (Google), Autodesk, Inc., Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), General Electric, GeoSpatila Analytics Inc, Oracle Corporation, Planet Labs PBC., Precision Hawk, Satellite Imaging Corporation, SNC-Lavalin Group, TomTom International B.V., and Trimble, Inc. These firms are focusing on diverse strategies, including partnerships, to strengthen their position in the market.

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Partial chapters of report table of contents (TOC):

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

2.1 Geospatial imagery analytics market 360 synopsis, 2018 - 2032

2.2 Business trends

2.2.1 Total Addressable Market (TAM)

2.3 Regional trends

2.4 Analytics type trends

2.5 Deployment model trends

2.6 Collection medium trends

2.7 Application trends

Chapter 3 Geospatial Imagery Analytics market Insights

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Impact on COVID-19 impact

3.2.1 North America

3.2.2 Europe

3.2.3 Asia Pacific

3.2.4 Latin America

3.2.5 MEA

3.3 Russia- Ukraine war impact on geospatial imagery analytics market

3.4 Geospatial imagery analytics benefits

3.4.1 Enhance data visualization

3.4.2 Analysis of sales performance

3.4.3 Asset management

3.4.4 Augments situational awareness and intelligence

3.4.5 Enhances transportation and logistics planning

3.5 Evolution of geospatial imagery analytics

3.6 Geospatial imagery analytics industry ecosystem analysis

3.6.1 GIS data collection software providers

3.6.2 GIS hardware providers

3.6.3 GIS analytics software provider

3.6.4 UAV providers

3.6.5 System integrators

3.6.6 End-users

3.6.7 Profit margin analysis

3.6.8 Vendor matrix

3.7 Technology & innovation landscape

3.7.1 Big Data Analytics

3.7.2 Artificial Intelligence (AI)

3.8 Patent analysis

3.9 Investment portfolio

3.10 News

3.10.1 North America

3.10.2 Europe

3.10.3 Asia Pacific

3.10.4 Latin America

3.10.5 MEA

3.11 Regulatory landscape

3.12 Impact forces

3.12.1 Growth drivers

3.12.1.1 Increasing demand for location-based services

3.12.1.2 Convergence of geospatial information with mainstream technologies

3.12.1.3 Growing demand for geospatial imagery analytics in the mining and construction sectors

3.12.1.4 Emergence of cloud-based geospatial imagery analytics

3.12.1.5 Rising demand for geospatial imagery analytics for national security and safety

3.12.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges

3.12.2.1 Stringent government policies regarding geospatial data

3.12.2.2 Data integration with enterprise solution

3.13 Growth potential analysis

3.14 Porters analysis

3.15 PESTEL analysis

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About Global Market Insights Inc.

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Paris, 25 January 2023

Bel announces the closing of the tender offer on its bonds due April 2024

Bel has closed the tender offer (the Tender Offer) on its 500,000,000 1.50 per cent. bonds due April 2024 (ISIN: FR0013251329) issued in 2017 and admitted to trading on Euronext Paris (the Bonds).

The nominal amount accepted by the Company in connection with the Tender Offer amounted to 198,200,000. The settlement date for the Tender Offer is expected to be 27 January 2023. The Bonds redeemed will be cancelled. The outstanding nominal amount of the Bonds will therefore represent 301,800,000.

BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole CIB and Natixis were the Dealers Managers.

Important information

This press release and the information contained herein does not constitute an offer to repurchase the Bonds or an invitation to sell the Bonds or an invitation to participate in such an offer to repurchase in, or from, any country in or from which, or from or to any person to whom, such invitation is prohibited by applicable laws and regulations. The distribution of this press release in certain countries may be restricted by law and/or be subject to specific regulations. Persons in possession of this document are required to inform themselves and to comply with all applicable legal and regulatory restrictions.

About Bel

The Bel Group is a world leader in branded cheese and a major player in the healthy snack market. Its portfolio of differentiated and internationally recognized brands include such products as The Laughing Cow, Kiri, Babybel, Boursin, Nurishh, PomPotes, and GoGo squeeZ, as well as some 20 local brands. Together, these brands helped the Group generate sales of 3.38 billion in 2021.

Some 11,800 employees in almost 60 subsidiaries around the world contribute to the deployment of the Group's mission to champion healthier and responsible food for all. Bel products are prepared at 29 production sites and distributed in nearly 120 countries.

www.groupe-bel.com

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Bel contacts

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Attachment
TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The latest results from Lavras Gold Corp.s (TSXV: LGC) LDS project confirm that LDS is a mineral system that hosts extremely high-grade gold, silver, and copper in certain areas. The results are from Matilde Extension, one of 23 known targets at the LDS project in Southern Brazil. Two of the targetsButia and Cerritohave consolidated NI 43-101 resources of 1 million gold ounces. Two new discoveriesZeca Souza and Matildewere announced in 2022.



The results from hole 21MT020 are very exciting, and not just because of the extremely high gold grades, said Michael Durose, President and CEO of Lavras Gold. We are also seeing chalcopyrite and bornite, which are two important copper sulphide minerals that are typically associated with higher temperature fluids and high-grade gold and silver. These results may be directing us to a possibly higher grade core of mineralization in the Matilde Extension area.

Seven holes totalling 3,123 metres were drilled at Matilde Extension, located 675 metres northeast of the Matilde discovery (see Figures 1 and 2). While mineralization was encountered in all seven holes, 21MT020 is the best hole. This hole intercepted three intervals of mineralization, with the third intercept being the most important.

It was characterized by a thick interval of continuous mineralization featuring very high-grade gold, silver, and copper. It assayed 10.00 metres grading 13.21 g/t gold, 22.94 g/t silver, and 0.22% copper from 345.00 metres, including:

5.00 metres grading 23.15 g/t gold, 42.75 g/t silver, and 0.41% copper from 347.00 metres

a 1.00 metre subzone that yielded grades as high as 63.70 g/t gold, more than 100 g/t silver, and 0.63% copper from 347.00 metres.

Table 1 highlights the assays from hole 21MT020. Assays for all seven holes are listed in Table 2.

TABLE 1: HIGHLIGHTS OF ASSAY RESULTS FROM DRILL HOLE 21MT020

From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Gold grade

(g/t) Silver grade

(g/t) Copper grade

(%) Comment 14.00 16.00 2.00 0.39 0.35 0.02 315.00 316.00 1.00 2.93 5.59 0.33 316.00 318.00 2.00 0.47 0.21 0.03 315.00 318.00 3.00 1.29 2.00 0.13 345.00 346.00 1.00 0.56 1.61 0.04 346.00 347.00 1.00 0.55 0.55 0.02 347.00 348.00 1.00 63.70 >100 0.63 gold, silver, copper 348.00 349.00 1.00 9.12 28.20 0.25 gold, silver, copper 349.00 350.00 1.00 12.00 31.90 0.55 gold, silver, copper 350.00 351.00 1.00 6.03 12.65 0.27 gold, silver, copper 351.00 352.00 1.00 24.90 41.00 0.34 gold, silver, copper 352.00 353.00 1.00 0.09 0.73 0.01 353.00 354.00 1.00 0.19 0.39 0.02 354.00 355.00 1.00 14.90 12.40 0.10 gold, silver, copper 345.00 355.00 10.00 13.21 22.94 0.22 gold, silver including 347.00 352.00 5.00 23.15 42.75 0.41 Chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite

Notes:

Assumes a cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t gold and no top cut

True widths have not been determined at this time.

The key takeaways from the results to date at Matilde Extension are:

multiple intercepts of elevated gold mineralization were encountered in all seven holes

three of seven holes21MT020, 22MT030, 22MT038returned high copper grades that correlate to very high gold and silver grades

more intense hydrothermal alteration and thicker zones of copper, gold, and silver mineralization appear to be developing at depth; narrow-scale quartz sulphide veinlets hosting copper with elevated gold values appear closer to the surface

a northeast metal zonation vector from low-temperature iron rich pyrite to higher temperature copper rich chalcopyrite/bornite seems to be developing when moving from Matilde to the Matilde Extension Zone. This may have important implications for gold grade distribution.

The current interpretation is that mineralization at Matilde Extension is associated with a northeast trending structure as defined by aeromagnetic data and oriented core measurements of sulphide-bearing veinlets

Matilde Extension remains open along strike and at depth.

Discussion of results

Matilde Extension is a new blind discovery that was made by drill-testing a coincident gold in soil anomaly overlying the intersection of a northeast-southwest trending structure and an east-west trending structure.

This discovery is 675 metres northeast of the Matilde gold deposit (see Figures 1 and 2). Seven drill holes totaling 3,123 metres tested Matilde Extension. The drilling is part of a 16,000-metre drilling program. To date, 6,000 metres have been drilled.

All holes intersected multiple intervals of mineralization (see Table 2 and Figure 3). Importantly, high-grade gold, silver, and copper mineralization has been encountered in three holes, suggesting a metal zonation vector towards a higher-grade zone of mineralization within the Matilde/Matilde Extension corridor.

MULTIPLE BROAD LOW-GRADE INTERCEPTS

The first hole 21MT018 was drilled from north to south and designed to test a magnetic low feature interpreted to be an east-west structure overlying a coincident gold in soil anomaly (see Figures 2 and 3).

The hole intercepted multiple narrow gold values within altered granodiorite such as:

8.00 metres grading 0.44 g/t gold from 208.00 metres including 1.00 metre grading 1.14 g/t gold from 208.00 metres



10.00 metres grading 0.41 g/t gold from 257.00 metres including 1.00 metre grading 2.17 g/t gold from 263.00 metres.



There were no significant silver or copper values in this hole.

HIGH GRADE CONTINUOUS GOLD-SILVER-COPPER MINERALIZATION

Drillhole 21MT020 was collared 100 metres east of 21MT018 and drilled from north to south. This hole was designed to test the intersection of an east-west and northeast-southwest structure that underlies a gold in soil anomaly (see Figures 2 and 3).

The hole intersected one shallow interval of gold followed by two significant intervals of gold, silver, and copper. Table 1 provides a detailed breakdown of assay results.

The first drill intercept returned 2.00 metres grading 0.39 g/t gold and minor silver and copper from 14.00 metres.

The second intercept returned:

3.00 metres grading 1.29 g/t gold, 2.00 g/t silver, and 0.13% copper from 315.0 metres including 1.00 metre grading 2.93 g/t gold, 5.59 g/t silver, and 0.33% copper from 315 metres.





The third major intercept consisted of 10 metres grading 13.20 g/t gold, 12.94 g/t silver, and 0.22% copper from 345.00 metres. It included:

5.00 metres grading 23.15 g/t gold, 42.75 g/t silver, and 0.41% copper from 347.00 metres.



This zone of mineralization consists of intense hydrothermally altered and brecciated granodiorite consisting of semi-massive zones and veins of sulphide minerals including bornite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite (see Figure 4).

Petrographic work confirms that this zone consists of a red-brown colour attributed to hydrothermal potassium feldspar, albite, and carbonate components of the rock. The rock is comprised dominantly of highly altered medium-grained quartz and feldspar, and relatively coarser-grained white mica (sericite/muscovite and phengite). The coarse-grained muscovite commonly hosts minute inclusions of fluorine-apatite. Compositionally, coarse-grained muscovites have no iron and may represent primary phenocrysts. The finer-grained hydrothermal muscovite has an iron-component making them phengitic.

These results suggest that the mineralization is related to magmatically derived hydrothermal fluids that were carrying significant amounts of gold, silver, and copper.

NARROW QUARTZ-SULPHIDE VEINLETS HOST HIGH GOLD AND ELEVATED COPPER IN RELATIVELY FRESH GRANODIORITE CLOSE TO SURFACE

Hole 22MT029 returned multiple elevated gold, silver, and copper values. Generally, narrow millimetre to centimetre scale quartz-sulphide veinlets cross-cut relatively fresh granodiorite (see Figures 5 and 6).

A weak pink potassic alteration halo is often associated with the quartz-sulphide veinlets. Sulphide minerals consist primarily of chalcopyrite and trace pyrite.

The best intercept was 8.00 metres grading 1.19 g/t gold from 200.0 metres, including 1.00 metre grading 5.17 g/t gold from 200.00 metres.

These results suggest that metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids travelled upward towards the surface through small fractures in the host granodiorite. Metals precipitated out into these fractures. Further work is required to understand where these fractures and veins may widen out.

DISSEMINATED, BLEBBY, AND VEINS OF SULPHIDES HOSTED WITHIN MODERATELY HYDROTHERMALLY ALTERED GRANODIORITE BRECCIA

Hole 22MT030 returned 1.05 metres grading 3.19 g/t gold, 14.10 g/t silver, and 0.76% copper from 304.25 metres.

Mineralization is associated with chalcopyrite and trace pyrite disseminations, blebs, and veins floating in a matrix of medium- to coarse-grained quartz and feldspar (see Figure 7). Dark mafic mineral rimming sulphide veinlet is interpreted to be dark chlorite. The host granodiorite appears slightly more altered than rocks at a shallower level, having a more reddish colouration from hematite dustings and potassic alteration. The higher grade gold, silver, and copper grade is notable.

The higher degree of alteration may be indicating that we are closer to a wider and more intensive zone of mineralization.

SHALLOW LEVEL MINERALIZED MICROFRACTURES DEVELOPING INTO SEMI-MASSIVE BLEBBY AND DISSEMINATED SULPHIDE MINERALIZATION IN INTENSELY HYDROTHERMALLY ALTERED GRANODIORITE AT DEPTH

For hole 22MT038, Figures 8 and 9 show quartz-sulphide (chalcopyrite and trace pyrite) filling microfractures that display strong potassic alteration selvedges that rim the microfractures. These features were observed within relatively fresh granodiorite at a depth of 105.00 and 172.00 metres respectively. Assay results include 1.00 metre grading 7.50 g/t gold, 1.57 g/t silver, and 0.13% copper from 105.00 metres.

At a depth of 340 metres, hole 22MT038 intersected a pervasively hydrothermally altered breccia zone characterized by disseminations and blebs of pyrite chalcopyrite, feldspar minerals being replaced by alkali feldspar, microcrystalline quartz, and mafic minerals being replaced by dark chlorite.

This interval assayed 6.00 metres grading 0.58 g/t gold, 5.51 g/t silver, and 0.14% copper from 340.00 metres. Higher-grade subintervals include 1.33 metres grading 2.39 g/t gold, 22.31 g/t silver, and 0.57% copper from 340.00 metres, and 0.74 metres grading 3.95 g/t gold 37.20 g/t silver and 0.92% copper from 344.59 metres. These subzones are related to chalcopyrite veinlets and blebby disseminations within pervasively altered granodiorite hydrothermal breccia (see Figures 10 and 11).

The current interpretation is hydrothermal fluids containing metals are leaking out to the surface through a network of relatively tight microfractures. However, there are more significant gold, silver and copper areas associated with wider brecciated zones of mineralization at depth. Further work is required.

Next steps

Lavras Gold is continuing with its 16,000-metre drilling program and two drills are on site. Approximately 6,000 metres of the 16,000-metre program have been completed so far. The drills are currently testing targets at the Matilde and Galvo areas. Immediate drilling plans will also test targets at Zeca Souza and Matilde Extension. A regional soil survey program is on-going over the Caneleira area. Material future results will be disclosed when received.

Learn more about these results and the plans for 2023 during January 31 webinar

Join CEO Michael Durose for an exploration webinar on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at 1:00 PM ET.

Click the following link to register now:

https://my.6ix.com/qiYy1Qzy

Qualified person

Michael Durose, Lavras Golds President and CEO, is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this release.

Quality assurance and quality control

Sample handling, preparation, and analysis are monitored through the implementation of formal chain-of-custody procedures and quality assurance/quality control programs designed to follow industry best practices.

All drillhole samples in this drilling program consist of split NQ diamond drill core.

Drill core is logged and sampled in a secure facility located in Lavras do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Drill core samples for gold assay are cut in half using a diamond saw and submitted to ALS Laboratories Inc. in Goiania, Goias State, Brazil for preparation by crushing to 70% passing 2.0 mm, riffle splitting to obtain 500 g aliquots, and pulverizing to 85% passing 75 microns.

Pulps are shipped to ALS Laboratories in Lima, Peru and analyzed by a 30 g fire assay and AAS finish. For assays above 10 ppm gold, a cut of the original pulp was re-assayed with a gravimetric finish.

Certified standards, non-certified blanks and field duplicates are inserted into the sample stream at regular intervals, so that QA/QC accounted for about 10% of the total samples. Results are routinely evaluated for accuracy, precision, and contamination.

About Lavras Gold

Lavras Gold (TSXV: LGC) is a Canadian exploration company focused on realizing the potential of a multi-million-ounce gold district in southern Brazil. Its Lavras do Sul Project is in Rio Grande do Sul State and is primarily an intrusive hosted gold system of possible alkaline affinity. More than 23 gold prospects centred on historic gold workings have been identified on the property, which spans more than 22,000 hectares.

Follow Lavras Gold on www.lavrasgold.com, as well as on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Contact information

Michael Durose Annemarie Brissenden President & CEO Investor Relations 416-844-6284 416-844-6284 investor@lavrasgold.com investor@lavrasgold.com

DISCLAIMER

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as plan, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate, may, will, would, potential, proposed and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur. These statements, including those on planned exploration activities and goals, are only objectives and predictions.



Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information, including the risks and factors that generally affect exploration and the uncertainty of exploration results. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business, refer to the Companys Managements Discussion and Analysis recently filed under the Companys profile on www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or managements estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

FIGURE 1

Location of Matilde Extension discovery







FIGURE 2

Location of Matilde Extension Relative to Matilde Gold Discovery showing implicit 0.25 g/t gold grade shell. Background airborne magnetic data highlights structural zones (magnetic lows shown in blue).





FIGURE 3

Plan View of Matilde Extension showing location of drillholes with implicit 0.25 g/t gold grade shell. Background airborne magnetic data highlights structural zones (magnetic lows shown in blue).





FIGURE 4

Drill hole 21MT020: Hydrothermally altered granodiorite hosting semi-massive bornite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite. From 345.00 metres grading 13.20 g/t gold, 12.94 g/t silver and 0.22% copper. Core width is 4.76 centimetres (NQ).





FIGURE 5

Hole 22MT029: Drill core at a depth of 157.00 metres showing relatively fresh granodiorite hosting a cross-cutting quartz sulphide veinlet consisting of chalcopyrite, pyrite, and trace bornite. Sample grades 0.78 g/t gold over 1.49 metres with elevated silver and copper values.





FIGURE 6

Drillhole 22MT029: Moderately fresh granodiorite cross-cut by quartz-sulphide veinlet consisting of chalcopyrite at 200.00 metres down the drill core. Sample grades 5.17 g/t gold, 2.39 g/t silver, and 0.08% copper.





FIGURE 7

Drillhole 22MT030: Chalcopyrite veinlet and blebs hosted within moderately potassic and trace hematite altered granodiorite at 304.25 metres down the drillhole grading 3.19 g/t gold, 14.10 g/t silver, and 0.76% copper. Chalcopyrite is rimmed by dark mineral interpreted to be chlorite.





FIGURE 8

Drillhole 22MT038: Quartz-sulphide (chalcopyrite and trace pyrite) micro fracture in relatively fresh granodiorite at a depth of 105.00 metres. Sample grades 7.50 g/t gold, 1.57 g/t silver, and 0.13% copper. Note pinch and swell shape of veinlet.







FIGURE 9

Drillhole 22MT038: Potassic alteration envelope surrounding millimetre-scale quartz-sulphide microfractures in relatively fresh granodiorite host rock at a depth of 172 metres.





FIGURE 10

Drillhole 22MT038: Pervasively altered hydrothermal granodiorite breccia at approximately 344.00 metres. Original feldspar phenocrysts have completely broken down, and original mafic (dark) minerals are being replaced by interpreted pinkish alkali feldspar and microcrystalline quartz. Sulphide minerals (chalcopyrite and trace pyrite) occur as fine grain disseminations. Sample grades 2.39 g/t gold, 22.31 g/t silver, and 0.57% copper.







FIGURE 11

Drillhole 22MT038: Blebby and disseminated chalcopyrite with trace pyrite hosted within pervasively hydrothermally altered granodiorite breccia from 344.59 metres. Sample grades 3.95 g/t gold, 34.20 g/t silver, and 0.92% copper over 0.74 metres from 345.50 metres.





TABLE 2: SUMMARY OF ASSAY RESULTS FROM MATILDE EXTENSION

Hole From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Gold

grade

(g/t) Silve

grade

(g/t) Copper

grade

(%) Comment 21MT018 46.00 48.00 2.00 0.57 104.00 106.00 2.00 0.28 163.00 164.00 1.00 0.51 208.00 216.00 8.00 0.44 including 208.00 209.00 1.00 1.14 215.00 216.00 1.00 0.78 227.00 228.00 1.00 0.48 230.00 231.00 1.00 0.29 257.00 267.00 10.00 0.41 including 258.00 259.00 1.00 0.49 263.00 264.00 1.00 2.17 264.00 265.00 1.00 0.63 272.00 273.00 1.00 0.23 286.00 288.00 2.00 0.37 308.00 310.00 2.00 0.85 320.00 321.00 1.00 0.25 324.00 325.00 1.00 1.16 21MT020 14.00 16.00 2.00 0.39 0.35 0.02 315.00 318.00 3.00 1.29 2.00 0.13 including 315.00 316.00 1.00 2.93 5.59 0.33 345.00 355.00 10.00 13.20 12.94 0.22 chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite including 347.00 352.00 5.00 23.15 42.75 0.41 including 347.00 348.00 1.00 63.70 >100 0.63 including 348.00 349.00 1.00 9.12 28.20 0.26 including 350.00 351.00 1.00 12.00 31.90 0.55 including 352.00 353.00 1.00 6.03 12.65 0.27 including 354.00 355.00 1.00 24.90 41.00 0.34 22MT029 157.00 158.49 1.49 0.78 including 200.00 208.00 8.00 1.19 Including 200.00 202.00 2.00 3.25 200.00 201.00 1.00 5.17 262.00 264.00 2.00 0.42 385.00 388.10 3.10 0.76 22MT030 39.00 40.00 1.00 1.14 0.38 0.03 108.50 109.50 1.00 0.55 151.00 152.00 1.00 0.32 0.91 0.01 166.00 167.00 1.00 0.83 1.18 0.02 179.00 179.87 0.87 0.20 6.28 0.29 198.00 200.00 2.00 0.41 0.62 0.02 205.93 211.00 5.07 0.30 0.96 0.03 215.45 217.00 1.55 0.36 4.14 0.14 229.00 231.00 2.00 0.38 0.30 0.02 233.00 234.00 1.00 0.11 1.36 0.07 243.00 251.00 8.00 0.55 0.39 0.01 including 250.00 251.00 1.00 3.06 0.59 0.03 258.00 259.00 1.00 0.71 0.40 0.01 276.00 277.00 1.00 0.47 0.28 0.01 304.25 305.30 1.05 3.19 14.10 0.76 334.00 335.00 1.00 0.88 0.72 0.01 22MT032 153.00 154.45 1.45 0.43 180.00 182.00 2.00 1.88 including 181.39 182.00 0.61 5.43 255.00 256.00 1.00 0.48 282.00 283.00 1.00 0.32 293.00 297.00 4.00 0.48 including 293.00 294.00 1.00 0.70 296.00 297.00 1.00 0.94 326.00 331.00 5.00 0.49 329.00 330.00 1.00 1.65 348.00 349.00 1.00 0.30 353.00 357.00 4.00 0.81 including 354.00 356.00 2.00 1.81 including 355.00 356.00 1.00 2.78 363.00 368.00 5.00 0.46 376.00 382.00 6.00 0.25 including 381.00 382.00 1.00 0.64 385.00 393.85 8.85 0.28 including 385.00 386.00 1.00 0.88 including 389.00 390.00 1.00 0.68 431.74 439.00 7.26 0.38 including 431.74 433.00 1.26 1.01 438.00 439.00 1.00 1.04 22MT033 86.00 97.00 11.00 1.06 including 86.00 87.00 1.00 2.19 including 89.00 91.00 2.00 3.91 including 89.00 90.00 1.00 6.75 including 90.00 91.00 1.00 1.07 106.00 107.00 1.00 0.45 163.00 188.00 25.00 0.32 including 164.00 165.00 1.00 0.97 including 169.00 170.00 1.00 2.02 including 173.00 174.00 1.00 0.54 including 176.00 178.00 2.00 0.53 217.00 218.00 1.00 0.32 223.00 224.00 1.00 0.27 229.00 230.00 1.00 0.36 237.00 238.00 1.00 0.27 243.00 244.00 1.00 0.39 260.00 266.00 6.00 0.53 including 261.00 262.00 1.00 2.29 including 265.00 266.00 1.00 0.51 325.00 326.00 1.00 0.25 350.00 351.00 1.00 0.25 363.00 377.00 14.00 0.35 including 363.00 364.00 1.00 0.42 365.00 366.00 1.00 0.45 369.00 370.00 1.00 0.86 373.00 374.00 1.00 0.92 375.00 376.00 1.00 1.23 22MT038 41.00 42.00 1.00 0.33 0.81 0.02 105.00 107.00 2.00 4.51 1.13 0.07 including 105.00 106.00 1.00 7.50 1.57 0.13 159.00 160.00 1.00 0.34 0.59 0.04 172.00 173.00 1.00 0.60 0.08 0.00 179.00 180.00 1.00 0.33 0.55 0.02 203.00 204.00 1.00 0.45 0.12 0.00 221.00 222.00 1.00 0.26 0.21 0.02 225.00 226.00 1.00 0.28 0.06 0.00 258.00 262.57 4.57 0.39 3.15 0.05 including 260.37 261.70 1.33 0.91 1.43 0.05 340.00 346.00 6.00 0.58 5.51 0.14 including 340.00 341.33 1.33 2.39 22.31 0.57 including 344.59 345.33 0.74 3.95 37.20 0.92 413.00 414.00 1.00 0.35 0.93 0.02 424.00 425.00 1.00 0.42 0.37 0.07 495.00 496.00 1.00 1.45 2.92 0.04

Notes:

Assumes a cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t gold and no top cut

True widths have not been determined at this time.

TABLE 3: COLLAR ORIENTATION DATA FOR MATILDE EXTENSION DRILL HOLES

Hole Azimuth

(degrees) Dip

(degrees) End of hole

(metres) 21MT018 180 -60 391.9 21MT020 180 -60 400.4 22MT029 180 -60 347.7 22MT030 130 -60 406.3 22MT032 180 -60 488.6 22MT033 155 -60 380.6 22MT038 180 -60 600.0

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

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Dublin, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Dump Trucks Global Market Report 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global dump trucks market.

The global dump trucks market is expected to grow from $44.28 billion in 2021 to $48.71 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.99%. The dump trucks market is expected to reach $66.63 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 8.15%.

Reasons to Purchase

Gain a truly global perspective with the most comprehensive report available on this market covering 12+ geographies.

Understand how the market is being affected by the coronavirus and how it is likely to emerge and grow as the impact of the virus abates.

Create regional and country strategies on the basis of local data and analysis.

Identify growth segments for investment.

Outperform competitors using forecast data and the drivers and trends shaping the market.

Understand customers based on the latest market research findings.

Benchmark performance against key competitors.

Utilize the relationships between key data sets for superior strategizing.

Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysis

Major players in the dump trucks market are Hitachi Construction Machinery, XCMG, Komatsu Limited, Sany, Liebherr, OJSC BelAZ, Caterpillar Inc, John Deere, Rokbak, AB Volvo, FAW Group, DUX Machinery Corporation, AEBI, JCB, Navistar International, and Peterbilt.



The dump trucks market consists of sales of dump trucks by entities (organizations, sole traders, and partnerships) that refer to large machinery which carries huge quantities of loose materials including soil, sand, ores, gravel, and construction wastes. The dump trucks are equipped with special tillage opening that allows the dumping of materials. They are used for earthmoving, construction, and mining operations.



The main types of dump trucks include rear dump trucks, side dump trucks, and roll-off dump trucks. The rear dump trucks refer to a truck designed for carrying and dumping particle materials with a dumping door on the rear end of the vehicle. They are differentiated based on the engine into internal combustion engines and electric engines, and they are widely used in daily operations of mining, construction, infrastructure, military, agriculture, and other industries.



Asia Pacific was the largest region in the dump trucks market in 2021, and it is also expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the dump trucks market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.



The increasing government funding for substantial infrastructure is expected to drive the growth of the dump trucks market. There is an increase in government spending on roads, transport, defence, healthcare, and other infrastructures to foster economic growth. The infrastructure activities such as construction require dump trucks for loading and unloading the construction materials and wastes. In turn, it created a huge demand created for dump trucks in response to the increasing government funding for substantial infrastructure as they are widely employed in infrastructure construction.

For instance, according to the Infrastructure Sector in India Industry Report by the Indian government export promotion agency, India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the Indian government announced road projects worth $13.48 billion in September 2021 to improve road infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir. The number of national highways in the region increased from 7 in 2014 to 11 in 2021. In addition, in Union Budget 2021, the Indian government allocated $1.89 billion to support the initiatives such as 'Housing for All' and 'Smart Cities Mission. Therefore, increased government funding for infrastructure is expected to boost demand for dump trucks during the forecast period.



Technological development is a key trend gaining popularity in the dump trucks market. The companies operating in the dump truck sector are focusing on the development of electric dump trucks with AC control and other capabilities to improve efficiency and productivity while reducing the cost of ownership and environmental impact.

For instance, in June 2021, Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Co Ltd (XEMC), a China-based company that manufactures and distributes mechanical and electrical products, successfully rolled off the world's first 120-ton electric mining dump truck with AC drive and CATL batteries.

This product will be utilized for transportation in open-pit mines, boosting the mining industry's progress toward low-carbon, energy-efficient goods, and environmental protection. CATL batteries are large-capacity, ultra-safe lithium iron phosphate traction batteries offering high-power charging with high-voltage, fast charging technology for this dump truck.



In July 2021, Traton SE, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group and German manufacturer of commercial vehicles acquired Navistar International Corporation for an amount of around $3.7 billion and merged with Traton. The acquisition followed by a subsequent merger places Traton in a leading position with a global reach and complimentary vehicle manufacturing capabilities. Navistar International Corporation is an American company involved in offering trucks & buses, parts, and financial services.



The countries covered in the dump trucks market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, and USA.

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 175 Forecast Period 2022 - 2026 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $48.71 billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2026 $66.63 billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 8.1% Regions Covered Global

Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Dump Trucks Market Characteristics



3. Dump Trucks Market Trends And Strategies



4. Impact Of COVID-19 On Dump Trucks



5. Dump Trucks Market Size And Growth

5.1. Global Dump Trucks Historic Market, 2016-2021, $ Billion

5.1.1. Drivers Of The Market

5.1.2. Restraints On The Market

5.2. Global Dump Trucks Forecast Market, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

5.2.1. Drivers Of The Market

5.2.2. Restraints On the Market



6. Dump Trucks Market Segmentation

6.1. Global Dump Trucks Market, Segmentation By Type, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

Rear Dump Trucks

Side Dump Trucks

Roll-Off Dump Trucks

6.2. Global Dump Trucks Market, Segmentation By Engine, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)

Electric Engine

6.3. Global Dump Trucks Market, Segmentation By End User, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

Mining

Construction

Infrastructure

Military

Agriculture

Others

7. Dump Trucks Market Regional And Country Analysis

7.1. Global Dump Trucks Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

7.2. Global Dump Trucks Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mmm9a4-trucks?w=12

Attachment
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asia Broadband Inc. (OTC: AABB) (AABB or the Company) is pleased to announce that February 28, 2023, has been confirmed as the mint event release date for the Companys proprietary Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collection, titled Golden Baboons Mining Club (GBMC). In response to the robust interest in the new collection, AABB and their NFT team are thrilled to have now expanded the marketing program over the coming weeks prior to the release date.

For more information, visit our NFT website at: https://goldenbaboons.com/

The Golden Baboons Mining Club (GBMC) is to be the initial NFT collection from AABB and it is gold-backed like the Companys AABBG token. The website provides more information on the project and has a sign-up feature to register for the upcoming first mint release of NFTs in February. Also, for merchandise lovers, there are new innovative logo designs to purchase GBMC apparel to support the project. In addition, the site hosts a sample gallery of Golden Baboons NFTs and the Lore detailing the originating story of character Ahbibi and the Golden Baboons. In celebration of the GBMC story and collection, the site hosts a captivating hip-hop theme song titled Join the GBMC. The track was produced by musical artist Brandyn Burnette, who has over 100 million internet streams.

This is an amazing synergistic and creative project for AABB because we are a gold mining company and also have our AABBG gold-backed digital token, so it was a logical extension to develop an NFT project related to gold. Our primary goal with the NFT segment is to bring all the elements of AABB together to increase market awareness in an entertaining fashion with the creation of an endearing mascot-like character that embraces the spirit and community of all AABB followers. Consequently, we intend to build shareholder value and loyalty by positioning our own unique GBMC Baboon Army in the NFT space, expressed Chris Torres, AABB President and CEO.

Since the NFT project was announced several months, the Company has opened discussion forums on DISCORD and has been active on twitter. Shareholders, token holders and followers of the Company can now stay current on the most recent NFT project developments by following our twitter account at:

https://twitter.com/GoldenBaboons

The Golden Baboons NFT team will hold question and answer (Q&A) spaces on twitter both before and after the minting of the GBMC collection, so that prospective holders can understand the process, interact and stay informed. Several key aspects of a successful NFT project are community and utility, which already exist with the GBMC. The project is building a strong preliminary momentum based on the early interest and passion for the GBMC of those within the AABB and NFT communities. Additionally, there is a unique utility to the GBMC with the backing of the Companys physical gold.

About Asia Broadband

Asia Broadband Inc. (OTC: AABB) is a resource company focused on the production, supply and sale of precious and base metals, primarily to Asian markets. The Company utilizes its specific geographic expertise, experience and extensive industry contacts to facilitate its innovative distribution process from the production and supply of precious and base metals in Mexico to client sales networks in Asia. This vertical integration approach to sales transactions is the unique strength of AABB that differentiates the Company and creates distinctive value for shareholders. Additionally, the Company has added a digital assets business segment with its AABBG freshly minted mine-to-token gold-backed cryptocurrency within its AABB Wallet, a proprietary digital exchange AABBExchange and a proprietary cryptocurrency payment gateway solution PayAABB.com. AABB expects its token to become a world-wide standard of exchange that is stable, secured and trusted with gold backing, while having the added benefit of demand based price appreciation. These are unique and outstanding qualities relative to other cryptocurrencies.

Contact the Company at:

General Email: ir@asiabroadbandinc.com Exchange Support: https://aabbexchange.com/faq/ Token Support: https://aabbgoldtoken.com/faq/aabb-wallet/

www.AABBGoldToken.com/support/

Company Websites: www.asiabroadbandinc.com

www.AABBExchange.com

www.AABBGoldToken.com

www.PayAABB.com

www.goldenbaboons.com

Phone: 702-866-9054

Forward-Looking Statements are contained in this press release within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the Asia Broadband Inc.s (the Company) expected current beliefs about the Companys business, which are subject to uncertainty and change. The operations and results of the Company could materially differ from what is expressed or implied by the statements made above when industry, regulatory, market and competitive circumstances change. Further information about these risks can be found in the annual and quarterly disclosures the Company has published on the OTC Markets website. The Company is under no obligation to update or alter its forward-looking statements as future circumstances, events and information may change.
Houston, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Herborium Group, Inc. (OTC Pink: HBRM ), www.Herborium.com , www.acnease.com a Botanical Therapeutics Company and the provider of proprietary all botanical medicinal products (Botanical Therapeutics) and interactive advanced content platform targeting dermatological and other health and wellness concerns, shares a Shareholders Update Letter Part 2 from the CEO, Dr. Agnes Olszewski.

To Our Valued Shareholders

Following last weeks Shareholder Letter Part 1, this Part 2 is to present the major focus for 2023 and beyond. This Plan stems from the analysis of lead market and scientific trends that are reshaping our space, and grounded in previously reported changes and advancements made in 2022.

New Products

One of the most important trends in the healthcare and beauty sectors is the merger of clinical skincare with natural skincare to create clinically validated hybrid products that actually work while maintaining their natural ingredient profile.

Herboriums acne treatment represents such a unique product. We are presently working on the second generation of this clinically validated skincare solution that has a better consumer characteristics (broader application and simpler treatment routine) and improved business profile (increased margins)

The Company is also approaching the most advance science in clinical skincare- stem cell based products. We are working to add two highly innovative products in this category, to our 2023 product portfolio

New Partners

Since Herborium has a well established customer base and strong brand recognition, the most economic and expedient way to access innovative products is partnership with the product originators. We are presently in advanced talks with two companies  one from the US and a second from South Korea that is well known in cosmetic and skin wellness industry for high quality biotechnological applications in skincare.

New Platform

As reported in Part 1 of Shareholders Letter, Herborium already commenced the transformation process from A Product Company to A Content & Product Player in the Sector of Natural Skincare and Wellness. As the demand for natural, safe, and sustainable products is here to stay  the important and challenging advances involve blending natural scientific know-how and traditional medical know how (information) in this field and provide it in a user friendly manner to professionals and end users alike. This creates value added to the customer and additional revenues streams (paid counseling in skincare, beauty, nutrition etc.) for the Company.

We expect to progress aggressively with completing and launching this AI (Artificial Intelligence ) driven platform in 2023

Keeping an Eye on Shareholder Value

By harnessing the growing use of technology and the Companys perfect fit in a rapidly expending domestic and global market for natural healthcare products (USD166 Billion in 2023; projected USD 347.5 Billion globally in 2029), Herborium expects to further increase shareholder value. Furthermore, we plan to continue our efforts to minimize debt, control dilution, increase profitability and decrease cost.- all to further improve Corporate valuation and shareholder value.

About Herborium Group, Inc.

Herborium Group, Inc. is a botanical therapeutics company that develops, licenses and markets proprietary, botanical based medicinal products to consumers and healthcare professionals. The Companys business model focuses on emerging market opportunities spearheaded by the growth of a new market sector located between high-cost, high-risk, ethical pharmaceuticals and commoditized classic nutraceuticals (supplements). The Company uses clinical validation and a proactive regulatory strategy based to establish and maintain a differential advantage. Herborium has secured a pipeline of botanical ingredients based products Herborium Group sells its products in the United States, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe through a network of distributors, specialty retailers, and e-commerce.

For more information, please visit www.herborium.com , www.acnease.com , www.acnease.fr , and www.acnease.eu

Safe Harbor Statement: This release contains forward-looking statements with respect to the results of operations and business of Herborium Group, Inc., which involves risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual future results could materially differ from those discussed. The Company intends that such statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other forward looking statements be subject to the "Safe Harbors" provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Trade Credit Insurance Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Coverage, By Application, By Organization Size, By Vertical, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412091/?utm_source=GNW





Additionally, trade credit insurance is frequently used to shield receivables from damage brought on by credit risks such as prolonged default, insolvency, or bankruptcy. The market is experiencing significant growth because of the increased attention being paid to minimizing and guarding against non-payment risk across a variety of goods and services, as well as the expansion of trade in various locations that demand credit insurance.



Additionally, benefits given by credit insurance, such as support for sales and accounts receivable, are becoming important drivers of the market expansion for trade credit insurance. Numerous technical breakthroughs are taking place in the sector, including the introduction of AI-based apps and Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled insurance solutions. In addition, it is anticipated that rising protectionism and ambiguity in international trade will raise the need for trade credit insurance (TCI).



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



The global industry was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The dynamics of international trade have been greatly changed. Due to the pandemic in 2020, governments were compelled to seal off international borders and temporarily close marketplaces, businesses, and other public areas. Businesses and money were lost as a result of the closure of manufacturing facilities. This had a negative financial impact on enterprises and caused numerous well-known firms to file for bankruptcy. The global market was badly impacted by the supply chain disruption, which significantly decreased demand for and sales of TCI in 2020.



Market Growth Factors



Market Growth At A Rapid Pace In New Regions And Growing Commercial Threat



The growth of trade in new areas has gained some traction in the market as a result of an increase in global export and import of products and services. The need for credit insurance has also expanded as a result of the growing commerce, which includes the issuance of letters of credit (LCs), receivables & invoice financing, and other activities. As a result, the need for trade credit insurance in the market has increased due to the surge in demand for products and services from one nation to another and the expansion of commerce in various locations.



Expansion In The Volume Of International Trade



In the modern global economic system, nations trade both final goods and intermediate inputs. As a result, a complex global network of economic relationships is created. Along with that, many companies are increasingly expanding their geographical footprints across different nations, which benefits the companies as well as the nations. The necessity for improving worldwide logistics and cargo tracking is growing along with the amount of international trade. Thus, rising international trade drives the growth of Trade Credit Insurance Market.



Market Restraining Factors



Trade Credit Insurance Ignorance And Diverse And Conflicting Trade Regulations Among Different Jurisdictions



Varying laws have different norms and regulations across various jurisdictions, and financial hubs have adopted a more united approach to trade regulation. This becomes a key consideration for credit insurance businesses as they develop solutions, which creates an inter-regulatory dispute and restrains the markets expansion. For instance, Export Credit Insurance (ECI) in the United States guards against the risk of a foreign buyers failure to make payment. As a result, one of the main factors impeding the expansion of the trade credit insurance industry is the requirement to satisfy the regulatory standards of the individual countries before offering trade credit insurance.



Organization size Outlook



Based on Organization size, the market is divided into two categories as Large Enterprises and Small & Medium Enterprise. The large enterprise category led the market in terms of revenue share in 2021 and is anticipated to hold this position throughout the forecast period. This might be related to the rising interest in, and use of TCI by large businesses, who value not only the protection their credit insurance policy offers but also the knowledge their insurer can give them about the organizations in various regions of the world they wish to do business with.



Coverage Outlook



Based on coverage, the market is classified into Whole Turnover and Single Buyer. In 2021, the whole turnover coverage category dominated the market and held the highest share. The market is anticipated to continue growing at continuous growth and maintain its dominance throughout the duration of the forecast. The fact that the full turnover coverage is less expensive and protects insurers from the initial high-probability credit losses can be attributed to the substantial share of this market.



Application Outlook



Based on Application, the System Integrator Market is divided into Domestic and International. The domestic application segment is expected to attain a substantial revenue share in 2021. Due to an increase in the utilization of trade credit insurance for domestic accounts receivable coverage as well, this markets growth is accelerating. Because it gives businesses the security, they require when their client base shrinks, safeguarding them from significant risk and generating higher receivables from fewer consumers.



Vertical Outlook



Based on Vertical, the System Integrator Market is divided into Food & Beverage, IT & Telecom, Healthcare, Energy, Automotive, and Others. During the forecast period, the automotive sector is anticipated to grow at a promising rate in 2021. The automotive business is another significant industry that faces difficulties because of quick technology improvements, shifting consumer preferences, governmental regulations, and comparative pricing. This sectors expansion can be ascribed to this.



Regional Outlook



Based on geography, the System Integrator Market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. The Europe region held with the major revenue share in 2021 is expected to remain in that position throughout the projection period. The main elements promoting the regions growth are the existence of significant market vendors and the increased adoption of cutting-edge technology in the area. Additionally, governments have started a variety of programs to aid businesses by supporting TCI.



The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; American International Group, Inc., Chubb Limited, Allianz Trade and Zurich Insurance Group Ltd., are the forerunners in the Trade Credit Insurance Market. Companies such as Great American Insurance Company, AON Plc, QBE Insurance Group Limited are some of the key innovators in Trade Credit Insurance Market.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Allianz Trade(Allianz Group), Atradius N.V., Coface SA, American International Group, Inc., Zurich Insurance Group Ltd., Chubb Limited, QBE Insurance Group Limited, Great American Insurance Company, and AON Plc.



Recent Strategies Deployed in Trade Credit Insurance Market



Mergers & Acquisitions:



Jul-2022: Chubb Limited acquired the personal accident, supplemental health, and life insurance business of Cigna, a globally managed healthcare and insurance company. Under this acquisition, Chubb took over the life and non-life insurance companies that backed the personal accident, life insurance, and Supplemental health business of Cigna in six Asia-Pacific markets.



Jul-2020: Coface acquired GIEK Kredittforsikring AS, owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries, which manages a short-term export credit insurance portfolio. Through this acquisition, Coface would brace its market position in the Nordic Region and further would enable it to join the wide range of services offered by Coface and its huge international network to magnify the support to Norwegian exporters and contribute to the economic development of the country.



Jan-2020: AON Plc acquired Cover Wallet, an online insurance platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Under this acquisition, AON Plc would broaden its place in the rapidly growing commercial insurance market for smaller businesses at the same time utilizing CoverWallets technology and data & analytics abilities to advance and improve digital client solutions.



Product Launches and Product Expansions:



May-2021: Chubb Limited unveiled Benchmarq Package, a new insurance product. The product is made for the Lower Middle Market Segment, thus fixing the standard for package policies pondering upon Broader and more scalable coverage and efficiency. Additionally, Benchmarq Package consists of an expanded base coverage suite in both liability and property, resulting in insurance protection that is highly inclusive of than existing industry package policy.



Partnerships, Collaborations & Agreements



Nov-2022: Great American Insurance Group collaborated with Hourly.io, a fast-growing workers comp and payroll startup. Through this collaboration, companies would aim to help businesses secure their employees through hourly cutting-edge technology.



Oct-2022: Allianz Trade came into collaboration with Howden, an International insurance broker. This collaboration would allow Allianz trade to leverage Howdens Systematic capture of structured data to fluently carry a more systematic data-led operating model in the market.



Sep-2022: Zurich Insurance Group Ltd. came into an expanded partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), an Indian multinational information technology services and consulting company. With the partnership, TCS would assist the insurer to modernize, transform and control the whole application estate bracing up its life insurance business, enhancing and standardizing IT and Business processes, boosting cloud and digital adoption, and propelling domain and technical innovation at scale.



Jun-2022: Coface came into partnership with Doha Insurance Group(DIG), one of the five major insurers in Qatar and the third-largest by gross written premiums. In this partnership, both companies would offer credit insurance products to companies based in Qatar and help strengthen their development in their local and export markets.



May-2022: Allianz Trade partnered with Apruve, a company engaged in Trade Credit Automation for global enterprises. Through this partnership, companies would enhance Apruves underwriting speed and accuracy, as well as provide banking partners and customers the added option to layer on trade credit insurance policies for receivables that operate through Apruvs payment platform.



May-2022: Coface signed an agreement with Al Rajhi Takaful, a company that provides Shariah Compliant Solutions. Under this Agreement, Coface would strengthen Al Rajhi Takafuls place in the Saudi Market enhancing its offering of insurance solutions. The Agreement enables Coface to broaden its reach, providing its clients with a customized solution for their subsidiaries in Saudi Arabia.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Coverage



 Whole Turnover



 Single Buyer



By Application



 International



 Domestic



By Organization Size



 Large Enterprises



 SMEs



By Vertical



 Food & Beverage



 Healthcare



 Automotive



 Energy



 IT & Telecom



 Others



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Allianz Trade(Allianz Group)



 Atradius N.V.



 Coface SA



 American International Group, Inc.



 Zurich Insurance Group Ltd.



 Chubb Limited



 QBE Insurance Group Limited



 Great American Insurance Company



 AON Plc



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412091/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________
New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Tractor Implements Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412090/?utm_source=GNW

The three mounting positions for tractor implements are front, middle, and rear. The tractor loader is the tool that is most often front-mounted.



The mower deck is a typical tractor implement for the middle position, while the rear blade of the tractor is a typical rear-mounted implement. Tractor blades, spreaders, landscape rakes, sprayers, tillovators, quick hitchers, rotary tedders, disc mowers, and other similar tractor implements are among the various tractor equipment. Tractor implements may be divided into powered and unpowered.



While unpowered tractor implements are used regularly, powered tractor implements need mechanical and electrical power to move. Increased spending on labor-intensive equipment like cultivators, harrows, and tillers as a consequence of the agricultural sectors rapid modernization has boosted industry growth. Additionally, the lack of competent personnel results in the adoption of new machinery and tools, which promotes industrial expansion.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



The demand for machinery and equipment has already been affected by COVID-19 in the first quarter of 2020. Several tractors implement manufacturers struggled to stay in business during the COVID-19 lockdowns, which had a significant negative impact on business. The first half of 2020 had a negative influence on the sector. However, it recovered and saw growth as a result of several important global economies opening. Additionally, businesses began using creative solutions to combat the pandemic.



Market Growth Factor



Global population increase at an exponential rate, and political policies that are supportive



The need for tractors is rising as the worlds population rises. Rapid urbanization, restricted availability of labor, increased food consumption, and technological innovation is some of the markets major themes. When basic demand-supply economics and the movement of labor from urban to rural regions are taken into consideration, there is a clear correlation between the price of agricultural labor and the proportion of a nations total population working in agriculture. Additionally, as the population and food demand rise, farmers need to increase their yields.



Rising IoT Application Adoption in Agriculture



The growing use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the agricultural sector enables farmers to track the progress of their products by offering real-time support via IoT apps. Utilizing IoT applications with conventional farming techniques helps to cut down on the time and expense associated with managing different agricultural resources, such as water, electricity, and land, and focuses instead on providing consumers with high-quality food. Utilizing precision farming methods, the use of IoT-based devices in the agriculture industry also minimizes the usage of pesticides and fertilizers, further enhancing the health of crops or soil to provide organic food to diverse end users.



Market Restraining Factor



Farmers lack of awareness



Farmers physical and financial safety might be seriously threatened by inexperienced agricultural equipment operating. Lack of information about this equipment may restrict farm size and production, hence reducing the farms capacity to sustainably support a family. On the other hand, a rising number of new farmers (such as apprentices, interns, and workers) have little to no experience using equipment and come from non-farming backgrounds.



Product Outlook



Based on product, the tractor implements market is classified into the Cultivator & Tiller, Plough, Planters, Harrows, Spreaders, Baler, and Others. In 2021, the cultivator and tiller equipment segment dominated the market. Utilizing cultivators and tillers, farming operations are mechanized and automated. It contributes to efficient utility use in addition to raising agricultural productivity. The need for cultivators and tillers has risen as a result of technical development, the modernization of agriculture, and the development of high-performance cultivators and tillers.



Regional Outlook



Based on geography, the tractor implements market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. In 2021, the Asia Pacific region led the market globally and had the largest share. The area is anticipated to continue to develop at the quickest pace, maintaining its leadership throughout the projection period. The need to enhance yields as a consequence of an increasing population is one of the main factors in this area. Automation and precision agricultural procedures are being adopted by an increasing number of farmers in emerging nations, which is encouraging for cultivating and tilling equipment.



The major strategies followed by the market participants are Acquisitions. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; Deere & Company are the forerunners in the Tractor Implements Market. Companies such as CNH Industrial N.V., AGCO Corporation and KUBOTA Corporation are some of the key innovators in Tractor Implements Market.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include CNH Industrial N.V., Deere & Company, KUBOTA Corporation, Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (Mahindra Group), J C Bamford Excavators Ltd., AGCO Corporation, Claas KGaA mbH, SDF S.p.A., KUHN SAS (Bucher Industries AG) and Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited



Strategies Deployed in Tractor Implements market



May-2022: AGCO took over JCA Industries, Inc. a developer of autonomous software for agricultural machines. The acquisition advanced the former companys delivery of autonomous systems and machine automation that improve farmer productivity.



May-2022: John Deere acquired a state-of-the-art algorithm package from Light, an AI startup. Through this acquisition, the company would be able to create and implement AI tech. Moreover, this step would enable the machine to move safely, at a faster rate, and without any human involvement.



Jan-2022: John Deere unveiled a fully autonomous tractor for large-scale production. The machine is equipped with an 8R tractor, GPS, and TruSet-enabled chisel plow. The tractor is embedded with six pairs of stereo cameras, allowing calculation of distance and 360-degree obstruction detection helping it to stop in case an obstacle is detected.



Nov-2021: CNH Industrial N.V. acquired Raven Industries, Inc., a precision agriculture technology company. This acquisition strengthened innovation capabilities for advancing the digital and precision strategy of the company.



Oct-2021: Kubota completed the acquisition of Pulverizadores Fede, a Spanish manufacturer of sprayers and smart spraying technology. Through this acquisition, the company would strengthen its compatibility among tractors and machinery. Additionally, this would reduce the effect of fruit production on the environment through proper spraying.



Aug-2021: John Deere took over Bear Flag Robotics, a company developing autonomous farming technology. This acquisition aims to accelerate autonomous technology in the fields. Additionally, the farmers would be able to generate more profitability and sustainability in operations by using their resources more strategically.



May-2021: CLAAS established the Future Factory, the CLAAS tractor factory in Le Mans, France. The company would uplift the status of the production of integrated and premium farm tractors.



Sep-2020: Deere & Company acquired Unimil, a Brazilian company providing service parts for sugarcane harvesters. This acquisition would enable John Deere to offer an evolution in the business, innovating the production system and operating model in the field of Agriculture.



Dec-2019: CNH Industrial NV announced the acquisition of K-Line AG, an agricultural implement manufacturer. Through this acquisition, the company would add residue management and tillage equipment. Thereby, improving the suite of CNH Industrial NV in crop production.



Nov-2019: CNH Industrial N.V. took over ATI Inc., a manufacturer of rubber track systems for high horsepower tractors and combine harvesters. The acquisition delivers access to factory-fit industry-leading track technology to customers of CNHs agricultural brands, New Holland Agriculture and Case IH. This would expand the available range and allow them to customize their choice based on their specific suspension, floatation, and traction requirements.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Product



 Cultivator & Tiller



 Harrows



 Plough



 Planters



 Spreaders & Baler



 Others



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Australia



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 CNH Industrial N.V.



 Deere & Company



 KUBOTA Corporation



 Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (Mahindra Group)



 J C Bamford Excavators Ltd.



 AGCO Corporation



 Claas KGaA mbH



 SDF S.p.A.



 KUHN SAS (Bucher Industries AG)



 Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412090/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________
New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Retail Core Banking Solution Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Component, By Deployment Mode, By Organization Size, By Application, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412080/?utm_source=GNW

Additionally, the use of retail core banking solutions gives low-cost funding to banks, aids in their establishment, and maintains an efficient Customer Relationship Management (CRM), which are all predicted to propel market expansion over the course of the projection year. The sector is also growing due to customer mobile and online banking demand.



Banks are under pressure to implement better tactics that may offer their customers straightforward payment options due to the increasing competition from different mobile payment wallets and other Fintech applications, which is expected to drive the markets growth. The competitors in the market are also focusing on new product launches to maintain a competitive edge.



For instance, Temenos AG unveiled its Temenos Transact Data Hub in October 2020. It is a real-time core banking Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. Modern banks must employ the data capabilities Temenos Transact Data Hub provides to fully realize the value of the data housed within the core banking platform. Retailers, technology suppliers, and Fintech start-ups are just a few examples of non-traditional companies that are technology-driven, customer-focused, and nimble.



By concentrating on the most profitable parts of their value chains, such as mobile payments, they harness cutting-edge technologies to provide customers with improved accessibility, higher service, and affordability. Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending was introduced to remove complicated procedures. As a result, these businesses are establishing themselves as strong rivals to conventional banks.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



To slow the spread of COVID-19, it is advised that most bank employees globally work remotely. The COVID-19 program is also putting customers long-standing banking habits to the test. Consumers should switch to contactless payment and avoid handling large bills, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This is because COVID-19 may spread more quickly if it can survive on a note for days. By integrating digital and remote customer transactions, banks can guarantee that ordinary and exceptional operations will be carried out with little trouble. This suggests that the use of IoT in banking will increase over time.



Market Growth Factor



Increase in applications for IoT solutions in banking sector



Due to their many high-throughput and productivity-boosting uses, networked technologies like edge computing and IoT devices are gaining significant popularity on the global market. Additionally, many vendors are producing IoT devices, boosting the penetration of linked devices in the contemporary business environment. Radiofrequency identification (RFID), low-energy Bluetooth, near-field communication (N.F.C.), low-energy wireless, LTE-A, low-energy radio protocols, and Wi-Fi-direct are standard protocols and technologies used by IoT systems.



Growing demand for improved customer experience



IoT impacts banking customer service in various ways. Customers receive timely insights and a personalized experience. Visitors can make an appointment and verify it in their smartphone due to device connectivity. Customers now understand when it is their turn to stand in line rather than wait at the counter. Additionally, the bank maintains a record of each customers appointments, the services they utilize each time they come in and any questions they may have.



Market Restraining Factor



Rise in the cases of data and security breaches



The biggest barrier to IoT adoption is data protection and security, which is addressed by most of the banking sector. The banking industry is closely regulated by strict compliance with standards and governance since any data breach, or security breach might be fatal. Businesses are feeding increasingly more user and provider data into sophisticated, AI-powered algorithms, creating novel personal data without being aware of how it will affect customers and employees. This subsequently fuels the escalating privacy concerns.



Component Outlook



Based on Component, the Retail Core Banking Solution Market is classified into Solution (without services) and Services. The Services segment registered the significant revenue share in the Retail Core Banking Solution Market. Modern banks need several complex systems to work together to ensure continuous service delivery and reliability. The retail core banking services model ensures that all the systems are managed at once and have outstanding usability, complete functionality, bug fixes, and timely upgrades.



Deployment Mode Outlook



Based on Deployment Mode, the Retail Core Banking Solution Market is classified into Cloud and On-premise. The on-premises segment accounted for the substantial revenue share in the Retail Core Banking Solution Market during 2021. The banking organization favors on-premise solutions because of their many benefits. One of these benefits is total risk reduction because the data is controlled and hosted on private servers.



Organization Size Outlook



Based on Organization size, the Retail Core Banking Solution Market is classified into Large Enterprises and Small & Medium Enterprises. In 2021, the Small and Medium Enterprises segment showcased the considerable revenue share in the market. The segment is anticipated to rise due to S.M.E.s evolving need to adapt their operations and financing facilities and their growing demand for flexibility. The increasing S.M.E. ecosystem is also accelerating the desire for S.M.E.s to install retail core banking products, which will likely accelerate the segments growth.



Application Outlook



Based on application, Retail Core Banking Solution Market is divided into Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management, Digital Banking, and Others. In 2021, the regulatory compliance segment acquired the highest revenue share in the market. The dominance might be attributed to the importance of client data protection in the banking industry. Every data breach or internet attack could cause irreversible harm to a business. One advantage of a tailored solution is the capacity to provide extra protection layers.



Regional Outlook



Based on geography, the Retail Core Banking Solution Market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. North America led the Retail Core Banking Solution Market with the largest revenue share in 2021. Due to significant continuous technological advancements in core banking solutions and acceptance by well-known firms like Canadian Western Bank and HSBC Holdings plc, the dominance is predicted to last over the projection period.



The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; SAP SE, Oracle Corporation, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. are the forerunners in the Retail Core Banking Solution Market. Companies such as Infosys Limited, Fiserv, Inc., and Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. are some of the key innovators in Retail Core Banking Solution Market.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Oracle Corporation, Fiserv, Inc., Temenos AG, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, SAP SE, Infosys Limited, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS), Kiya.ai, Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. and Silverlake Axis Ltd



Recent Strategies Deployed in Retail Core Banking Solution Market



Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements:



Aug-2022: Temenos partnered with North International Bank, an Antigua and Barbuda-based bank. Temenos platform allows NIBank to develop a comprehensive ecosystem of financial services and technology partners.



Aug-2022: Tata Consultancy Services partnered with Five Star Bank, a US-based provider of banking services. The partnership involves utilizing TCS Customer Intelligence & Insights (CI&I) analytics platform to compute lending risk and provide personalized customer experiences to Five Star Banks clients and furnishing Five Stars relationship managers and business customers with appropriate, well-timed insights and alerts.



Jul-2022: SAP Spain came into partnership with Santander Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), an investment banking firm. The partnership involves focusing on solutions and services related to enhancing client-to-bank connectivity, and invisible banking. Moreover, this partnership integrates SAPs technology and CIBs products and services, reflecting co-innovation.



Jul-2022: Silverlake Axis came into partnership with Finastra, a UK-based company primarily into developing payment infrastructure software. The partnership agreement involves, bringing together Silverlakes expertise in understanding complex technical solutioning and Finastras competence in trade finance to deliver relevant solutions to their clients. Moreover, the partnership involves Silverlake offering Finastras trade finance solutions to clients in ASEAN.



Dec-2021: Temenos extended its collaboration agreement with Microsoft, a US-based global technology corporation. The extended agreement aims at fulfilling the growing needs for SaaS and banking services from banks. Moreover, the partnership aligns with both companies devotion to providing their clients with a road map toward cloud adoption.



Oct-2021: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) extended its partnership with the State Bank of India (SBI), an India-based multinational bank. The extended partnership involves TCS continuing to improve and maintain SBIs application estate.



May-2021: FIS partnered with Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB). The partnership involves using FIS open payment framework to combine ADIBs payment operations, decrease payment processing costs, and comply with dynamic regulatory compliance requirements. Moreover, this partnership aligns with FIS efforts to develop and invest in digital banking solutions.



Mar-2021: Fiserv extended its partnership with SDB Bank, a Sri-Lanka-based company primarily into providing banking services. The extended partnership aims at upgrading SDBs teller solutions and banking platform and including features like multi-entity and multicurrency to better serve the needs of its clients.



Jan-2020: FIS partnered with Union Bank, a US-based chartered savings bank. The partnership aims at delivering a core banking platform to Union Bank and involves using FIS modern banking platform to jointly design and develop systems to innovate and manage the growing needs of its clients.



Product Launches and Expansions:



Apr-2022: FIS unveiled Banking-as-a-Service Hub. The hub provides all financial institutions big or small with unbundled fintech solutions. Moreover, the hub enables credit unions, banks, and fintechs to develop payments and a digital banking ecosystem required to provide innovation to consumers and merchants.



Feb-2022: Temenos unveiled new Temenos Banking Services developed exclusively to meet the distinctive requirements of challenger banks. The new product benefits challenger banks by providing them with reduced costs of ownership, quick innovation, etc.



Jan-2022: Temenos introduced Buy-Now-Pay-Later banking service. The BNPL service would benefit Temenos clients particularly banks and fintechs by unlocking new revenue opportunities.



Oct-2020: Oracle unveiled new cloud services. The new services are intended to support mid-sized banks in the fight against financial crime and money laundering. The new cloud service provides mid-sized banks with the same modern crime detection used by large institutions. The new service features a 360-degree view of events and customers, and the ability to configure and scale to support new services, products, etc.



Acquisitions and Mergers:



Apr-2022: Fiserv took over Finxact, a US-based developer of a cloud-based banking platform. The acquisition aims at advancing the capabilities of financial institutions and fintechs to provide digital banking services to their clients.



Jan-2021: TCS took over Postbank Systems, a Germany-based information technology services company. The acquisition would reinforce and expand TCS market presence in Germany.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Component



 Solution (Without Services)



 Services



By Deployment Mode



 Cloud



 On-premise



By Organization Size



 Large Enterprises



 SMEs



By Application



 Regulatory Compliance



 Risk Management



 Digital Banking



 Others



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Oracle Corporation



 Fiserv, Inc.



 Temenos AG



 Tata Consultancy Services Limited



 SAP SE



 Infosys Limited



 Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS)



 Kiya.ai



 Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.



 Silverlake Axis Ltd



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412080/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________
Dublin, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Germany Elevator and Escalator - Market Size and Growth Forecast 2023-2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Germany elevator and escalator market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.22% during 2023-2029

The maintenance and modernization in the Germany elevator and escalator market accounted for 67.9% and 32.1%, respectively, for the year 2022.

The increasing demand for high-rise structures and the government's focus on infrastructure in key economic cities have propelled the elevator business in Germany to new heights.



The Germany elevator market by the installed base is expected to reach 96.3 thousand units by 2029. The elevators market in Germany in the year 2022 witnessed a more substantial growth than expected, representing medium year-on-year demand of 2.7% for the term 2023-2025 due to high raw material costs, neutral manufacturing activity, as fresh COVID-19 cases weighing on the recovery momentum.

Future elevator industry growth is anticipated to be driven by investments in public sector infrastructure, digitalization, energy-efficient housing renovations, and a green circular economy, all of which are supported by EU financing.



KEY HIGHLIGHTS



In September 2020, the Federal Minister of the Interior, Building, and Community announced that the second round of the national funding program Smart City Model Projects will support 32 Smart City Model Projects with roughly 350 million Euros. In 2021, out of 94 cities, districts, and municipalities participating in the nation's "Smart Cities Model Projects" for funding, only 28 were selected officially.



Germany has allotted EUR 2.5 billion as part of its 2021-2026 National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) for investments in the repair of energy-efficient buildings. The country is anticipated to achieve at least a 30% energy reduction through this extensive remodeling effort.



The government introduced the Energy Efficiency Strategy 2050 initiative in December 2019, intending to meet its 2030 targets by encouraging energy efficiency investments across several sectors. The Energy Conservation Law in Germany specifies the regulations for energy conservation. The Energy Conservation Act (EnEG), the Energy Conservation Ordinance (EnEV), which were substituted by the GEG in November 2020, and the Renewable Energies Heat Act (EEWarmeG) include the most significant regulations governing energy efficiency in buildings.



Under the Basic Law, the German government has earmarked USD 1 billion in program funds to be utilized between 2020 and 2024 to give financial support regarding social housing. The German government has initiated several measures to develop the country's housing market. It has allocated EUR 5.0 billion (USD 5.9 billion) under its housing policies to construct 100,000 rental units in the next four years.



Otis Germany signed an agreement with the Max Bogl Group to develop a new business model allowing clients to get elevator modules in high-quality serial manufacturing from a single source, bringing the Living Modular idea to life. Otis will provide elevator components with cutting-edge technology, which Otis will build at the Max Bogl factory.

The Growth Rate Of Digitalization And Increasing Developments In Buildings To Drive The Germany Elevator And Escalator Market



By developing a roadmap for digital design and construction, Building Information Modelling is regarded as the standard tool for planning and designing a building for all federal infrastructure projects, according to the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure(BMVI). In Germany, companies are using BIM as part of their projects for more than USD 25 million value. Increasing usage of BIM will create more opportunities for international companies which can provide BIM software to local companies.

Germany's residential program aims to complete the extensive renovation of 40,000 homes by 2026, as stated in its 2021-2026 National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). Municipal living laboratories for the energy transition will be used with this measure to perform pilot programs that explore new ideas for an effective and sustainable energy supply in urban areas.

The climb lift system was Schindler's new upgrade of access equipment used for high-rise projects in Germany (Elbtower in Hamburg) and the Middle east. The Schindler Climb Lift's interior design will enable building work to be completed more efficiently, especially regarding the exterior. According to Schindler, these elements can help to cut the cost of constructing high-rise buildings by approximately 5%.

The Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) on Microelectronics and Communication Technologies(USD 1.5 billion) and the IPCEI on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI-CIS) USD 767.6 million) Two significant multi-country digitalization projects are also a part of the NRRP.



Governments Effort To Expand Infrastructure Across Nation To Increase Demand For New Installations

With civil engineering, as a part of the overall funding of USD 276 billion under the 2030 Federal Transport System Plan, the German government has already declared a USD 88 billion investment plan in the country's rail infrastructure.

As part of the initiative for the future of rail in Northern Germany, the northern states of Germany agreed to major new-build and infrastructure upgrades for their rail systems in January 2022. To modernize their rail networks up to 2030, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein will invest a record USD 30 billion.

A total of USD 145.4 billion has been allocated for capital maintenance and investment in replacement infrastructure across all three modes of transportation from 2016 to 2030. The FTIP 2030 also seeks to establish the groundwork for a transportation system that is environmentally sustainable by investing in transportation infrastructure.

Regional Analysis

In the first two quarters of 2022, the Big 5 regions (Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich) occupied over 1.51 million square meters of space, a startling 35% rise over the same period in 2021. This development is not solely attributable to the construction of the new Tesla factory in Grunheide, which added 327,000 square meters to the first-quarter total after receiving planning authorization.

The Bavarian Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Transport decided to invest USD 447.6 million in the German state's rail system in July 2020. The money will be used to build new stations in Brunnen, Regensburg, and LindaWurzburg, as well as to increase accessibility along the Senden-Marktoberdorf route, among other minor regional rail projects. Such factors play a crucial role in the Germany elevator and escalator market growth.

Vendor Landscape

The top four prominent vendors, including Otis, KONE, Schindler, and TK Elevator, account for 49% of the Germany elevator and escalator market share.

Schindler adopted the Top Speed 23 program to accelerate digitization, boost product innovation, strengthen its position in key markets, and address profitability gaps.

KOHLER Elevator GmbH provides complete elevator packages for use with or without machine room traction. The company's SYMPHONY lift generation can be individually configured according to the application's requirements for New installations for office buildings, residential, hotels and shopping centers, airports, and hospitals.

In February 2022, meta100 and meta200 by TKE offer the desired solution for medium-height buildings. Meta200 has an Automatic Rescue Device that will take passengers to the nearest floor they can exit the elevator in case of being stuck in the elevator, a camera system in terms of in-cab security monitoring, and a soft and sensitive device.

Key Vendors

KONE

Mitsubishi Electric

TK Elevator

Otis

Fujitec

Schindler

KOHLER Elevator GmbH

Schmitt+Sohn Aufzuge

Other Prominent Vendors

LIFT-OK.COM

SJEC

AKE ELEVATOR

KLEEMANN Aufzuge GmbH

Stannah Lifts Holdings Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5r7bpo-elevator?w=12

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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LAS VEGAS and LONDON, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Expanse Studios, the fastest growing developer of online casino games, is excited to announce its participation in the upcoming ICE London 2023, the leading global gaming expo. The landmark industry event, to take place on 7-9 February 2023 at the ExCeL London, is the perfect platform for driving revenues through innovative solutions, technology, valuable insights, and unrivaled networking opportunities.



Expanse Studios, founded in 2019, has quickly become a rising star in the innovative casino games development industry. With over 40 slots, table, and skill games already developed, the team has brought a new approach to the industry, offering mobile-first games in HTML5 technology and with an unprecedented level of free spin and jackpot features. The brand's growth in popularity is a result of its outstanding products and its focus on both EU and emerging markets.

At ICE 2023, Expanse showcases their latest games and development plans, including the most recent release Zombie Apocalypse, featuring special bonus buy features; Wild White Whale, and of course their globally mega-popular slots such as Wild Icy Fruits, Clown Fever Deluxe, and Titan Roulette.

More than 40 in-house RNG games in HTML5 technology, including slots, roulettes, turn-based strategies, and table games are available for visitors to test out. The company's games library is connected with some of industrys top aggregators such as Blue Ocean Gaming and EveryMatrix.

Free Spins, Multi-level Progressive Jackpots, and Tournaments are just a few of Expanse Studios' cutting-edge, fully-customizable promotional tools. The combination of the company's avant-garde aesthetic, fantastic soundtracks, and superb animations, as well as its concentration on both European Union (EU) and emerging countries, makes it the next big thing in the slot industry.

Although online slots make up the bulk of Expanse's product catalog, the firm has not ignored fans of table games by including options like Titan Dice, Multihand Titan Poker, Sic Bo, and Instant Keno. The jackpots may be tweaked to perfection, and the free spin bonuses are unrivaled in the industry.

Expanse Studios' dedication to making games that are both fun and accessible has allowed them to build a loyal fan base.

For more information on Expanse Studios and its games, you can write to the firm at sales@expanse.studios or check out their website at https://expanse.studio/.

Expanse Studios invites you to stop by their stand at ICE London 2023 in the ExCeL London to discuss the future of gaming. Don't pass up this chance to sample the product line.

Corporate Communications and Queries

For more information, to make additional queries and appoint the meeting with the Studios team, contact:

Expanse Studios

Lyons Range 20, Office No. 3 Bisazza Street, Sliema

Malta

SLM 1640

www.expanse.studio

contact@expanse.studio

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e462326-d39d-4896-a81e-f261ef0a4cfc
FORT MYERS, Fla., Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Oncology Network, LLC (AON), a fast-growing organization supporting community-based oncology practices across the nation, announced the appointment of medical oncologist Shalin R. Shah, DO, as chairman and medical oncologist Stephen Fred Divers, MD, as vice chairman of AONs Board of Managers, effective January 1.

Newly appointed Chairman Dr. Shah joined the Board of Managers in January 2022 and has served as the vice chairman. He is a medical oncologist with the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute and practices in Tampa, Florida. In addition to being on the AON Board of Managers, Dr. Shah has served multiple terms on various boards including the Florida Society of Clinical Oncology and others in healthcare, technology and education.

Serving as vice chairman this past year has been a rewarding experience, said Dr. Shah. I am eager to continue serving AON as the chairman and look forward to being part of the growth and expansion of the network.

Dr. Shah has brought great value to the company, said AON Chief Executive Officer Todd Schonherz. He is passionate about community oncology and breaking down the barriers to cancer care to ensure equitable access to healthcare in both urban and rural areas. As the company expands its reach and impact, it is important to bring on individuals aligned with our mission, just as Dr. Shah is, to continue providing value to those in our network.

Dr. Divers joined the AON Board of Managers in January 2022 and is a medical oncologist at AONs partner practice Genesis Cancer and Blood Institute in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He has been serving as AONs chief medical officer since May 2022 and is chairman of AONs advisory board. Dr. Divers received his medical degree from Louisiana State University, completed an internal medicine residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and then attended an oncology-hematology fellowship at the University of Alabama.

I am honored to continue my journey with AON as the vice chairman of the Board of Managers, said Divers. AONs mission is one that aligns with my own  ensuring the viability of community oncology practices. Being a part of such an organization has been a rewarding experience, and I look forward to serving in this new position on the Board.

It is with great pleasure that Dr. Divers, one of our very own AON physicians, is appointed as vice chairman, said Schonherz. AON would not be where it is today without the guidance of Dr. Divers and his dedication to the company and its success.

For more information about AON and its executive board, visit https://www.aoncology.com/ and https://www.aoncology.com/leadership/.

###

About American Oncology Network, LLC

The American Oncology Network, LLC (AON), an Inc. 5000-recognized company, is an alliance of physicians and seasoned healthcare leaders partnering to ensure the long-term success of community oncology. Launched in 2018, the rapidly expanding AON network represents 107 physicians and 89 nurse practitioners and physician assistants practicing across 18 states. The executive management team of AON encompasses more than three decades of oncology practice management experience, enabling physicians to focus on what matters most  providing the highest quality care for patients.

The organization provides unique and comprehensive protocols for managing administrative procedures and enhancing ancillary services for its affiliates. AON is able to aggregate volume and attain economies of scale, as it guides its member physicians and practices through the transition to value-based reimbursement models that improve the patient experience and help to reduce the per-capita cost of cancer care.

AON also provides a unique model of physician-led, community-based oncology management. With services such as a centralized specialty pharmacy, diagnostics, pathology, fully integrated electronic medical records, a care management team and a variety of financial assistance programs, an alliance with AON ensures that patients experiences are at the very pinnacle of cancer care today. Learn more at AONcology.com.

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New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Proposal Management Software Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Component, By Vertical, By Organization size, By Deployment Mode, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412076/?utm_source=GNW





This software may help businesses or organizations store, build and manage proposals efficiently in an organized manner. Proposal management software serves a broad range of features & tools which allow businesses to conveniently set up a document in various document formats like MS Word.



Integration of proposal management software with novel technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) improves the capabilities of the software to support auto-suggest functionality and respond quickly to queries. Proposal management software further allows users to personalize their proposals which is helpful in communicating an enterprises identity to their cloud all over the world.



In addition, with the proposal management software, a single document could easily be shared with many team members, irrespective of their location or time zone, in a coordinated manner. The software help users in automating time-consuming tasks and thus save both money & time. This software works as the personal assistant of the user.



The software is designed with the aim to support the sales team and the businesses to enhance sales efficiency by automating the contract and proposal process. By using proposal management software tools like sales content repository, document generation, and merging content, the software automates the primary proposal management operations for better sales results.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



The widespread novel corona virus has created a crisis in social & economic areas and medical life worldwide, which has directly or indirectly affected almost all industries. The travel bans, lockdowns, temporary business shutdowns, and other restrictions imposed by the governments of affected nations have caused severe disruptions in businesses. Despite this, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly benefited the proposal management software market. With the increased number of smartphone users, growing e-commerce sector, and rising adoption of connected devices, the proposal management software market witnessed lucrative growth opportunities.



Market Growth Factors



Incorporation With Existing Tools



A significant benefit of proposal management software is the ability to share information with already existing programs. This allows seamless data sharing and coordination between the employees. The proposal management software allows passing the clients information over two platforms which may add value to the proposal easily. Moreover, by the integration, users would be able to monitor the proposals growth without launching the proposal software. As a result of these benefits of proposal management software, the market is expected to grow substantially in the upcoming years.



Increased Demand For Customized Solutions To Queries



Nowadays, proposals are not only given more frequently, but they are also hard to gather than they were in the past. As it expands and refines the operations, proposal & capture teams are becoming more competent, and the quality of proposals has significantly increased. Because of this, customers today expect greater understanding and personalization than they did in the past. In the past year, the average number of contributors to a proposal has increased. This may result in the rising adoption of proposal management software, thereby supporting market expansion.



Market Restraining Factors



Risk Of Cyber-Security And Integration Capabilities



The proposal management software is employed on the cloud because of the expanded SaaS-based application. However, this comes up with security concerns as the data stored on the cloud is prone to cyber threats. Cyber security threats, including vulnerabilities and malware attacks in cloud-based software, could have a severe impact on proposal management software. As a result of all this, the market for proposal management software may restrict the market growth during the projection period.



Component Outlook



Based on component, the proposal management software market is divided into software and services. In 2021, the software segment dominated the proposal management software market with maximum revenue share. The market growth in this segment is attributed from the increased innovations in different sectors including BFSI, IT & Telecom and others. The continuous digitalization has resulted in grown adoption of the cloud-based software.



Deployment Model Outlook



On the basis of deployment model, the proposal management software market is segmented into on-premise, and cloud. The cloud segment garnered a considerable revenue share in the proposal management software market. The growth of this segment is the result of factors, including an increased shift towards cloud-based technologies. Further, the need for cloud-based proposal management software is growing as a result of the widening integration of AI-enabled tools within the software.



Enterprise Size Outlook



By enterprise size, the proposal management software market is fragmented into large enterprise and SMEs. In 2021, the large enterprise segment registered the highest revenue share in the proposal management software market. As a result of the high affordability of large enterprises, proposal management software is widely preferred them. Efficient collaboration between large teams of large businesses is a difficult task; proposal management supports the collaboration within the team by allowing the whole team working on a project to access the documents at the same time but in a secure way.



Vertical Outlook



Based on industry vertical, the proposal management software market is classified into government, transportation & logistics, healthcare & life science, BFSI, retail & e-commerce, manufacturing, IT & telecom and others. The retail segment garnered a considerable growth rate in the proposal management software market in 2021. The rising competition in the market, declining margins, and reduced brand loyalty are a few issues due to which the retailers are looking for innovative ways to gain profit. In addition, retailers are widely shifting towards procurement teams to reduce supply risks and lessen the cost to be spent.



Regional Outlook



Region wise, the proposal management software market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and LAMEA. In 2021, the North America region led the proposal management software market by generating the largest revenue share. The regions developed nations, such as Canada and the United States, are open to adopting emerging innovative technologies. Besides this, the regions well-established financial position allows people to invest in the adoption of innovative and leading technologies to ensure effectiveness in operations.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Microsoft Corporation, Icertis, Inc., Deltek, Inc. (Roper Technologies, Inc.), WeSuite, LLC, GetAccept, Inc., Nusii Proposals S.L., iQuoteXpress, Inc., Sofon B.V. (Revalize, Inc.), Aarav Solutions Pvt. Ltd., and Practice Ignition Pty Ltd. (Ignition)



Strategies Deployed in Proposal Management Software Market



Oct-2022: Icertis introduced Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) for Banking and Financial Services. The new solution supports teams in increasing their business velocity, and at the same time managing business risk and enhancing regulatory compliance in areas including ISDA credit support, credit risk reviews, and AML.



Sep-2022: Aarav Solutions took over Froot Research, an India-based Artificial Intelligence startup. Through this acquisition, Aarav aims at launching AI-related platforms and products and expanding its organizations branding, research capacity, and operations in the AI domain.



Aug-2022: Icertis came into partnership with Cognitus, a US-based company primarily providing services in spend management, analytics, human resources, etc. The partnership involves providing end-to-end solutions in downstream processes and contract lifecycle management for the aerospace and defense industry and further provides value to the Icertis SAP solutions and their joint customers in the Aerospace and Defense industry.



Jan-2022: Icertis extended its partnership with SAP, a Germany-based management consulting firm. The extended partnership aims at providing improved contract management services to support companies improve efficiency, and realize the full potential of their agreements. Additionally, this partnership reflects Icertis vision to become a contract intelligence platform of the world.



Nov-2021: Icertis partnered with Accenture, an Ireland-based management consulting firm. The partnership combines Icertis contract intelligence technology and Accentures expertise in digital transformation. The partnership further aims at advancing clients contracting migration to the cloud and advancing the process, streamlining business outcomes through the use of AI, thereby providing greater value to stakeholders.



Oct-2021: Practice Ignition partnered with Gusto, a US-based provider of human resource management platforms, cloud-based payroll, etc. The partnership involves rolling out Gustos People Advisory Accelerator program and serving their joint customers in the United States. The partnership further allows users to connect Gusto and Practice Ignition to gain pre-made proposal templates and at the same time populate client and employee headcount through Gusto, thereby benefitting clients.



Apr-2019: Aarav Solutions acquired NEXwhaT Consulting Services, an India-based company, primarily into providing services including marketing, branding, etc. This acquisition reinforces Aaravs digital transformation solutions offerings, and further strengthens and expands its presence in MEA regions, the US, and India.



Sep-2018: GetAccept came into partnership with BlueSnap, a US-based developer of an online payment platform. The partnership involves providing a supreme contracting process and improved efficiency to clients across the globe. With this partnership, the companies aim to provide organizations with trackable sales collateral, real-time editing in quotes and proposals, and electronic signature in the final contract and look forward to combining the strength of both platforms in an integrated product offering.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Component



 Software (Without Services)



 Services



By Vertical



 Government



 IT & Telecom



 Manufacturing



 Retail & Ecommerce



 BFSI



 Healthcare & Life Sciences



 Tranportation & Logistics



 Others



By Organization size



 Large Enterprises



 SMEs



By Deployment Mode



 On-premise



 Cloud



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Microsoft Corporation



 Icertis, Inc.



 Deltek, Inc. (Roper Technologies, Inc.)



 WeSuite, LLC



 GetAccept, Inc.



 Nusii Proposals S.L.



 iQuoteXpress, Inc.



 Sofon B.V. (Revalize, Inc.)



 Aarav Solutions Pvt. Ltd.



 Practice Ignition Pty Ltd. (Ignition)



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412076/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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MARIETTA, Ga., Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SageHome Inc., the aging-in-place specialist, is proud to announce it has expanded to four new states in partnership with Kohler Co. The expansion, covering Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, completes a stellar year of achievements for the company and will form the springboard for SageHome's growth and expansion plans in 2023.

It follows a year that saw the Marietta, GA headquartered company expand its operations from 6 states to 14 through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Following its strategic partnership with Cairngorm Capital Partners in April 2022, SageHome successfully launched its bath division and three highly regarded bath installation brands: New Bath Today, Smart Bath, and Midwest Bath, generating a 70% year-on-year increase in revenues by the close of 2022. The company increased its headcount by 63% to meet this demand, adding 31 new install crews and 43 new in-home design consultants. In parallel, it significantly enhanced its employees benefits, advancing its goal to make SageHome the best employer in the Home Services sector.

The expansion accelerates SageHomes mission to create a full-service, national aging-in-place solution and will drive its ambitious 2023 growth plan, which aims to fulfill the unmet requirements of the US soaring senior population. Now customers in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi will experience the same quality installations and service that its existing customers in the Midwest and Southeast know and trust.

The Kohler name carries strong brand recognition and consumer trust. Its range of luxury senior living products provides safe, innovative, and stylish options and is renowned for its quality. Partner companies are carefully vetted to ensure they meet the same exacting standards, quality of workmanship, and values that underpin Kohlers brand. Sharing the same values and customer demographic, SageHomes expertise in rapid installations of walk-in baths, low threshold showers, and other modifications makes this an obvious alliance.

Brian Hutto, SageHomes President & CEO, commented, We are thrilled to partner with Kohler Co. to expand the SageHome platform into Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. This partnership will allow us to reach and enhance the lives of more seniors in those states. The collective experience of the SageHome team will ensure that our customers receive the best service and best quality home solutions that enable them to remain in place for longer.

He added, We expect 2023 to be another year of growth and in anticipation, we are preparing to recruit another 35 install teams and 30 in-home design consultants to meet demand. To ensure our customer communication and customer service continue to impress, we are also overhauling our entire IT infrastructure. We will also be expanding our range of solutions, to bring the best and most stylish options to people who wish to age in place gracefully.

For further information, please call Katherine Ritchie on +44 20 8347 6183 or email katherine@krconsult.co.uk

About SageHome

SageHome is a home services organization whose mission is to provide stylish home modifications for people who want to gracefully age in place. The companys focus is on building a national solution for all seniors through both acquisitive and organic growth. As the first step, it launched its bath division and three highly regarded bath installation brands: New Bath Today, Smart Bath, and Midwest Bath, in 2022, which now operates in 14 states across the Midwest and Southeast, and is growing rapidly. As most senior slips, falls, and injuries occur in the bathroom, SageHomes initial focus on the bathroom allows it to make the greatest impact societally, by providing safer bathrooms in the states that it operates in.



You can read more about this ground-breaking business at: sagehomenow.com, newbathtub.com, smartbath.com, and midwestbath.com

For more information, call 678.932.8327 or email: service@sagehomenow.com
Hyderabad, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One of the main elements fostering a favorable view of the market is the significant global growth of the advertising sector. Manufacturers and retailers frequently employ graphic films for promotional campaigns to produce dynamic vehicles, window and wall banners, and posters and reach a wider audience. Accordingly, the market is expanding due to consumers' growing choice of color-changing graphic wraps for cars. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the introduction of graphic films with extra features such as an anti-bacterial feature. An increase in demand for these products can compel manufacturers to adjust their operating procedures while assisting businesses, particularly in Europe and Asia, to turn a profit.

Europe is anticipated to lead the market for graphic films as the market in the region is growing at a significant pace due to an increase in the usage of films in vehicle wrapping, and it has the presence of prominent and emerging market players, making the region an innovation hub, states Ashish Gautam, a Research Manager at Mordor Intelligence. In addition, Germany is one of the region's largest markets due to its dominance in the printing industry and film plastic adoption. Globally, the country's dominance in the automotive sector is attracting regional market vendors.

Further, graphic films are witnessing increasing adoption for the protection of automotive coatings, and vendors are focusing on introducing films for such applications. For instance, in August 2022, RODIM, a paint-related product brand of BASF, launched its new invisible Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Paint Protection Film (PPF) in the Asia-Pacific region. It provides multifaceted and long-lasting protection for automotive coatings. The company has launched this film in response to the surging demand from its customers in China.

E-commerce is also driving the adoption of graphic films in retail trade. Also, e-commerce providers are adapting digital printing, which utilizes variable data printing (VDP) to colorize texts or add varnishes to the printed matter's text portions. According to the Office for National Statistics, the United Kingdom is one of the leading European countries in terms of online shopping penetration. The large-scale adoption of graphic films or wraps in vehicles has been driven by the need for protection, advertisement purposes, and to provide a better look for the vehicles. Also, as per the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), one vehicle wrap can generate between 30,000 and 80,000 impressions daily. Putting graphic film wraps on an automobile is a cheaper means of advertising than other forms of advertisement. According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, vehicle wraps cost USD 0.15 per thousand impressions (CPM). In contrast, billboards cost USD 1.78, radios cost USD 5.92, and prime TV spots cost USD 20.54. Thus, the lower cost of advertisement drives the growth of the market studied across the automotive sector.

Additionally, the growing advancements in printing technologies and the increasing adoption of digital printing indicate a paradigm shift in printing from conventional to more evolved with modern technologies in the market. Furthermore, the ability to recycle graphic films primarily made from polypropylene with polyethylene layers further encourages regional players to invest in advanced production units.

About Mordor Intelligence -

Mordor Intelligence is a market intelligence and advisory firm. At Mordor Intelligence, we believe in predicting butterfly effects that have the potential to change or significantly impact market dynamics. Get a glance at the Global Graphic Film Market or ask for a more customized report.
Philadelphia, PA, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) is delighted to announce the establishment of the SIAM-Simons Undergraduate Summer Research Program. Through the support of the Simons Foundation, this new applied mathematics and computational science program will provide research, networking, and mentorship opportunities to U.S. students from underrepresented groups. This generous gift will allow the SIAM community to play a strong role in developing, expanding, and diversifying the next generation of researchers and practitioners.

"We are proud to partner with the Simons Foundation over the next five years in our shared efforts to broaden participation and engagement in the mathematical and computational sciences, says Suzanne L. Weekes, Ph.D., SIAM Executive Director. We continue to work towards the reality of a more robust, diverse, and inclusive STEM community. At SIAM, we are deeply committed to this work, and we are thankful for the Simons Foundations investment in our efforts."

It is deeply important that the identities of scientists and mathematicians reflect the diverse world we inhabit. The Simons Foundation is proud to partner with SIAM to diversify the next generation of researchers and practitioners in applied mathematics and computational science, says David Spergel, Ph.D., President of the Simons Foundation.

About the Program

Each year, the SIAM-Simons Undergraduate Summer Research Program will establish five sites across the United States for a six-week program of research and learning in applied mathematics and computational science. One faculty mentor and two students at each site will work together for these six weeks. Students will learn how to conduct scientific research, effectively communicate mathematics and computational science principles, and will gain an improved understanding of how they can pursue a career in applied mathematics and computational science. Students and mentors from the five sites will come together via video conference to present their work, participate in professional development activities, and engage in community-building initiatives to bring all participants together and foster a strong sense of belonging. Mentors will be chosen from SIAMs experienced and highly qualified member base.

To apply to participate, students will need to submit a written statement regarding their interest in their chosen project, their college transcripts, and two letters of recommendation. Students accepted to the program will receive a weekly stipend, and expenses for lodging, meals, and travel will be covered by the program. During the intensive, students will visit the Flatiron Institute in Manhattan. Student participants will also attend the SIAM Annual Meeting the year following their summer intensive to present their research project. Faculty mentors will be selected to work closely with the student participants and SIAM and will receive a stipend for their participation.

About the Simons Foundation

The Simons Foundation, co-founded in 1994 by Jim and Marilyn Simons, works to advance the frontiers of research in basic science and mathematics. The foundation provides grants to individual investigators and their projects through academic institutions and conducts in-house scientific research supporting teams of top computational scientists through its Flatiron Institute. Jim and Marilyn Simons co-chair the foundations board.

SIAM is incredibly grateful to the Simons Foundation for funding this important new program that will provide support and career advancement opportunities for undergraduate students who are historically underrepresented in the mathematical and computational sciences.

Stay tuned for more information about applications and other important dates!

About SIAM

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an international society of more than 14,500 individual, academic, and corporate members from more than 100 countries. SIAM helps build cooperation between mathematics and the worlds of science and technology to solve real-world problems through publications, conferences, and communities like chapters, sections and activity groups. Learn more at siam.org.

Attachments
New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Machine Learning Model Operationalization Management Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Component, By Vertical, By Organization size, By Deployment Mode, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412056/?utm_source=GNW

In addition, aligning models with business demands and regulatory standards is simpler.



MLOps is gradually becoming a stand-alone method for managing the ML lifecycle. It covers every lifecycle stage, including data collection, model building (using the software development lifecycle and continuous integration/delivery), deployment, orchestration, health, governance, diagnostics, and business metrics.



Machine learning technology solutions are being aggressively adopted by businesses to improve the customer experience and support maximizing profit. Market participants are implementing advanced data processing and integration strategies to gather insights and get a competitive edge over rivals. The use of MLOps in enterprises is still in its infancy.



As people become more aware of the advantages of doing so, there will likely be lucrative chances for market expansion. The demand for cutting-edge solutions for improved data management is fueled by the expanding usage of data science technologies for improvements in computing power, artificial intelligence, and system learning.



The well-known industry verticals, such as retail, healthcare, education, telecommunication, manufacturing, and financial institutions, have a significant demand for machine learning. Standardized models and workflows are made possible with the assistance of ML Ops. Additionally, it facilitates the simple implementation of machine learning technology anywhere, which is the primary factor in enterprises high preference for them.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



The COVID-19 pandemic is anticipated to be aided by artificial intelligence technology. Several nations are using population surveillance techniques made possible by machine learning and artificial intelligence to track and trace COVID-19 cases. For instance, researchers in South Korea use geo-location information and surveillance camera footage to monitor coronavirus cases. In addition, data scientists use machine intelligence algorithms to anticipate the location of the next outbreak and notify the appropriate authorities, allowing for real-time illness tracking. This has permitted technologically advanced nations to put a speed breaker on the spread of the virus. Such active endeavors are projected to increase the demand for machine intelligence solutions during the upcoming period.



Market Growth Factors



ML should be standardized for efficient teamwork.



Manual data collection and reprocessing are inefficient and may yield unacceptable results. MLOps aids in automating the entire workflow of ML models. This comprises data collection, the model creation, testing, retraining, and deployment. MLOps assist businesses in reducing errors and saving time. For the company-wide adoption of ML models, IT and business professionals and data scientists and engineers are involved in cooperation.



Use of Machine Leading Expanded in The Financial Sector



Financial institutions possess a vast amount of client information. They may collect information on purchases, spending habits, platform usage, and geo-locational preferences in addition to standard banking information, such as bank account balances, to create a 360-degree image of the consumer. This enables the bank to offer goods and services that are particularly tailored to the customers requirements and preferences. Therefore, the growing use of ML in the financial industry will fuel the expansion of the MLOps market.



Market Restraining Factors



Lack of Expertise



While more SMBs in the machine learning as a service industry use cloud-based services, the time-consuming machine learning integration process will become significantly less time-consuming. It helps to enhance an organizations efficiency without recruiting human resources by avoiding repetitive work. Organizations need now utilise MLOps in data management to collect and integrate the enormous volumes of data from several internal and external data sources and unite the data silos.



Components Outlook



Based on components, the Machine Learning Model Operationalization Management (MLOps) Market is categorized into Platform and Services. In 2021, the services segment recorded a sizable revenue share. MLOps solutions are being adopted by businesses worldwide to strengthen their customer interaction, brand recognition, and marketing initiatives. Organizations can effortlessly engage consumers, communicate more effectively, and broaden their reach using MLOps marketing tools.



Deployment Mode Outlook



Based on deployment mode, the Machine Learning Model Operationalization Management (MLOps) Market is classified into On-Premises and Cloud. The cloud category had the most revenue share in the market in 2021. To boost employee productivity, the cloud-based system enables worldwide IT task outsourcing. Three other types of cloud computing exist private, public, and hybrid. The public clouds rising popularity is primarily due to its numerous organizational advantages, including flexibility and scalability, remote access, simplicity, speedier installation, and many other benefits.



Organization Size Outlook



Based on organization size, the Machine Learning Model Operationalization Management (MLOps) Market is categorized into Large Enterprises and SMEs based on Organization Size. In 2021, the small and medium-sized business segment obtained a sizeable revenue share. This is because machine learning adoption enables SMEs to optimize their processes on a limited budget. Shortly, it is anticipated that AI and machine learning will be the key technologies that let SMEs access digital resources and save money on ICT.



Vertical Outlook



Based on vertical, the Machine Learning Model Operationalization Management (MLOps) Market is categorized into BFSI, Retail and eCommerce, Government and Defense, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Telecom, IT and ITeS, Energy, and Utilities, Transportation and Logistics, and Others. The BFSI sector produced the highest revenue share in the market in 2021. However, most banks also experience considerable difficulties managing inert models, particularly in settings where application deployments could be more active and influential. MLOps, which essentially applies DevOps techniques and methods to machine learning, can assist banks in swiftly and effectively addressing some of these issues.



Regional Outlook



Based on geography, the Machine Learning Model Operationalization Management (MLOps) Market is classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. North America is anticipated to hold the most significant market share during the projection period. By market share, North America is one of the top regions for MLOps. MLOps in this region are expanding due to the use of ML technology by nations like the US and Canada in various application fields. The US is regarded as one of the key contributors to North American MLOps market.



The major strategies followed by the market participants are Product Launches. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; Microsoft Corporation and Google LLC are the forerunners in the Machine Learning Model Operationalization Management (MLOps). Companies such as Amazon Web Services, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.), IBM Corporation, Hewlett-Packard enterprise Company are some of the key innovators in Machine Learning Model Operationalization Management (MLOps).



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Microsoft Corporation, Amazon Web Services, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.), Google LLC, IBM Corporation, Hewlett-Packard enterprise Company, Alteryx, Inc., Cloudera, Inc., DataRobot, Inc., Domino Data Lab, Inc., and H2O.ai, Inc.



Recent Strategies Deployed in Machine Learning Model Operationalization Management (MLOps)



Partnerships, Collaborations & Agreements



Sep-2022: Domino Data Lab has collaborated with Nvidia, a Chipmaker company, and NetApp, a data management and storage system provider. This collaboration is aimed to advance the latest solutions and reference architecture that would help data science and machine learning workloads that are operating in muli cloud and hybrid systems.



Mar-2022: Amazon collaborated with Virginia Tech, a public land-grant research university, and launched an initiative for ML and AI research. This collaboration would allow doctoral students who have applied for Amazon fellowships and are performing ML and AI research. Additionally, this would help the efforts of faculty members engaged in the field of research.



Feb-2022: Microsoft entered into a partnership with Tata Consultancy Services, an Indian company focusing on providing information technology services and consulting. Under the partnership, Tata Consultancy Services leveraged its software, TCS Intelligent Urban Exchange (IUX) and TCS Customer Intelligence & Insights (CI&I), to enable businesses in providing hyper-personalized customer experiences. CI&I and IUX are supported by artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, and assist in real-time data analytics. The CI&I software empowered retailers, banks, insurers, and other businesses to gather insights, predictions, and recommended actions in real-time to enhance the satisfaction of customers.



Mar-2021: Amazon partnered with Hugging Face, a company that develops tools for building applications using machine learning. Through this Partnership, the company would ease the use of Machine Learning models for organizations and provide advanced NLP features in comparatively lesser time.



Feb-2021: Amazon Web Services entered into a partnership with Salesforce, a cloud-based software company. The partnership enabled us to utilize a complete set of Salesforce and AWS capabilities simultaneously to rapidly develop and deploy new business applications that facilitate digital transformation. Salesforce also embedded AWS services for voice, video, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) directly in new applications for sales, service, and industry vertical use cases.



Product Launches and Product Expansions:



Dec-2022: Alteryx, Inc. launched Alteryx Machine Learning. This newly launched product consists of Time Series enhancements which would broaden the predictive power of the companys machine learning product. The product also includes a user interface (UI) update with new model evaluation abilities creating the process of model development highly simple and intuitive.



Apr-2022: Hewlett Packard released Machine Learning Development System (MLDS) and Swarm Learning, their new machine learning solutions. The two solutions are focused on simplifying the burdens of AI development in a development environment that progressively consists of large amounts of protected data and specialized hardware. The MLDS provides a full software and services stack, including a training platform (the HPE Machine Learning Development Environment), container management (Docker), cluster management (HPE Cluster Manager), and Red Hat Enterprise Linux



May-2022: Hewlett Packard launched HPE Swarm Learning and the new Machine Learning (ML) Development System, two AI and ML-based solutions. These new solutions increase the accuracy of models, solve AI infrastructure burdens, and improve data privacy standards. The company declared the new tool a breakthrough AI solution that focuses on fast-tracking insights at the edge, with attributes ranging from identifying card fraud to diagnosing diseases.



Jan-2022: Domino Data Lab unveiled Domino 5.0, the first Enterprise MLOps solution, an end-to-end software suite optimized to run AI workloads with VMWare. This newly launched platform would help the end-to-end data science lifecycle and offer data scientists in using the tools of their choice.



May-2021: Google released Vertex AI, a novel managed machine learning platform that enables developers to more easily deploy and maintain their AI models. Engineers can use Vertex AI to manage video, image, text, and tabular datasets, and develop machine learning pipelines to train and analyze models utilizing Google Cloud algorithms or custom training code. After that, the engineers can install models for online or batch use cases all on scalable managed infrastructure.



Mar-2021: Microsoft released updates to Azure Arc, its service that brought Azure products and management to multiple clouds, edge devices, and data centers with auditing, compliance, and role-based access. Microsoft also made Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes available. Azure Arc-enabled Machine Learning and Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes are developed to aid companies to find a balance between enjoying the advantages of the cloud and maintaining apps and maintaining apps and workloads on-premises for regulatory and operational reasons. The new services enable companies to implement Kubernetes clusters and create machine learning models where data lives, as well as handle applications and models from a single dashboard.



Acquisitions and Mergers



Jul-2021: DataRobot took over Algorithmia, a machine learning operations platform. The acquisition of Algorithmia would strengthen DataRobots position as the preeminent provider of complete solutions in the MLOps space, focused on offering machine learning models into production.



Jun-2021: Hewlett Packard completed the acquisition of Determined AI, a San Francisco-based startup that offers a strong and solid software stack to train AI models faster, at any scale, utilizing its open-source machine learning (ML) platform. Hewlett Packard integrated Determined AIs unique software solution with its world-leading AI and high-performance computing (HPC) products to empower ML engineers to conveniently deploy and train machine learning models to offer faster and more precise analysis from their data in almost every industry.



May-2021: IBM acquired Waeg, a Salesforce Consulting Partner in Europe. Through this acquisition, IBM would broaden IBMs suite of Salesforce services and develop IBMs AI and hybrid cloud strategy. Additionally, this acquisition is based on IBMs continued investment in Salesforce consulting services to address the growing client requirements for experience-led business transformation and the latest customer engagement strategies supported by machine learning, data, and AI.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Component



 Platform



 Services



By Vertical



 BFSI



 IT & ITeS



 Manufacturing



 Retail & Ecommerce



 Government & Defense



 Healthcare & Life Sciences



 Telecom



 Energy & Utilities



 Travel & Tourism



 Others



By Organization size



 Large Enterprises



 SMEs



By Deployment Mode



 Cloud



 On-premise



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Microsoft Corporation



 Amazon Web Services, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)



 Google LLC



 IBM Corporation



 Hewlett-Packard enterprise Company



 Alteryx, Inc.



 Cloudera, Inc.



 DataRobot, Inc.



 Domino Data Lab, Inc.



 H2O.ai, Inc.



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412056/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________
New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Application, By Service, By End-user, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412055/?utm_source=GNW

These are companies that assist customers in drug discovery via manufacturing abilities by providing services and, thus, also help the pharmaceutical industry.



Large molecules are proteins that tend to have a therapeutic effect. These are highly complex, and most biologics are composed of approximately 1300 or more amino acids. These are prepared so that they resemble human proteins. The rise in molecule drug approvals, growing infectious disease prevalence, and increasing favorability for innovative therapeutics demand more CDMO setups for the rapid development and manufacturing of drugs.



Therefore, CDMOs research, knowledge, and manufacturing abilities are highly necessary to proceed with drug development. As such, many CDMOs engage in integrating third-party ventures, which are also propelled by biotech and pharma companies assistance through financial and technological assets. Most customers also expect CDMOs to offer their expertise even after manufacturing, like in commercial launches.



This is mainly because CDMOs customer base has expanded beyond the big pharmaceutical companies to smaller biotech firms. Additionally, many smaller biotech companies focus extensively on evolving their drug pipelines without any manufacturing experience. Therefore, taking help from CDMOs in development and manufacturing operations also enables the early incorporation of smaller biotech firms operations.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



Some governments imposed regulations that resulted in the procurement of sufficient volumes of therapeutics and vaccines that were produced locally. However, production capacities were still not at their maximum because of supply chain and lockdown constraints. Disrupted supply chains interfered with the procurement of goods needed in the production processes, like the single-use plastic bags, which CDMOs use in the reactors. In addition, the lockdown constraints introduced a reduction in the workforce. These constraints resulted in a significant increase in the lead times, which increased up to four times. The delayed production and increased demand further helped in the growth of the CDMOs. Therefore, the pandemic positively impacted the large molecule drug substance CDMO market.



Market Growth Factors



Increasing Research And Development Of Biologics And Biosimilar



Since the pandemic, numerous businesses have been making significant investments in the creation of biologics and biosimilar compounds. Presently, biologics such as peptides, proteins, and monoclonal antibodies in the discovery stage are making up almost half of the candidates intended to be used as therapeutics. Biopharmaceutical businesses are increasingly putting their resources into research and development, and as a result, many novel biologics are either being developed or are in the pipeline. Hence, all of these factors aid in the growth of the large molecule drug substance CDMO market.



Growing Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) And CVD-Induced Deaths



According to a paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that examined the total severity of cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden, the amount of people who die from (CVD) is steadily increasing. This number also includes one-third of all deaths globally in 2019. The statistics highlight the urgent need for nations to set up affordable public health initiatives that are affordable and focused on lowering heart disease risk through modifiable behaviors.



Market Restraining Factors



Complex Analytical Characterization Of Biologics And Strict Parameters And Regulations



The characterization of large molecules is extremely challenging. Biopharmaceutical companies are needed to characterize in numerous ways, including stability, purity, and function. Large molecules routinely demand a combination of many low and high-resolution techniques to validate the particles structure efficiently. Additionally, numerous post-translational modifications (PTMs) are produced by large molecules during the recombinant synthesis method. Hence, the rise in R&D and investments in product development are boosting the growth and advancement of the large molecule drug substance CDMO market.



Application Outlook



Based on application, the large molecule drug substance CDMO market is categorized into mammalian, microbial, and others. The microbial segment procured a considerable growth rate in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market in 2021. Microbial systems are mostly utilized in the production of recombinant proteins to be used in therapeutic processes. As most of the drugs available in the market are produced through recombinant technologies, they propel the growth of microbial systems.



Service Outlook



On the basis of service, the large molecule drug substance CDMO market is divided into contract manufacturing and contract development. The contract manufacturing segment acquired the largest revenue share in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market in 2021. Contract manufacturing performs various functions like target screening and identification, functional informatics and target validation, preclinical development, and candidate optimization and lead identification.



End-User Outlook



Based on end-user, the large molecule drug substance CDMO market is segmented into biotech companies, CRO, and others. The CRO segment witnessed a considerable growth rate in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market in 2021. The clinical research organization needs the CDMOs assistance with the laboratory, clinical, preclinical, and discovery services. In addition, the rising demand for treatments of various diseases and disorders has also increased the volume of research to be conducted.



Regional Outlook



On the basis of region, the large molecule drug substance CDMO market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. The Asia Pacific segment garnered the maximum revenue share in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market in 2021. A skilled workforce, compliable regulations, and lower overall costs are the main factors that propel the outsourcing of large molecule drug substances to the CDMOs of this region. The presence of a considerable consumer base present in this region has increased the need for improved medicines and treatment techniques.



The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH is the forerunner in the Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market. Companies such as FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Texas LLC, WuXi Biologics (Cayman), Inc., Eurofins Scientific SE are some of the key innovators in Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Eurofins Scientific SE, WuXi Biologics (Cayman), Inc, Catalent, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Texas LLC (Fujifilm Corporation), Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group), Rentschler Biopharma SE, AGC Biologics, Inc. (AGC, Inc.), Recipharm AB (EQT AB), and Siegfried Holding AG.



Recent Strategies Deployed in Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market



Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements:



Oct-2022: WuXi partnered with Toregem BioPharma, a Japan-based biotechnology company, primarily into providing therapeutic agents meant for designing dental regenerative medicines. The partnership involves developing TRG035, an antibody meant for the treatment of congenital adentia. The partnership aligns with WuXis aim to help global partners innovate new biologics solutions for patients worldwide.



Oct-2022: FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies collaborated with RoosterBio, a US-based biotechnology company, primarily into providing stem cell products. The collaboration involves GMP manufacturing of exosome and cell therapies. The collaboration allows FUJIFILM to offer comprehensive cell therapy CDMO services to its customers.



Dec-2021: WuXi partnered with ImmuneOncia, a South-Korea based Biotechnology Company, primarily into providing immunotherapies intended for the treatment of different types of cancer. The partnership involves leveraging WuXis cell line development, bioassay development, cell culture development, and biologics manufacturing to develop bio specific antibodies. The antibody targets Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and Cluster of Differentiation 47 (CD47).



Sep-2021: Boehringer teamed up with Twist Bioscience, a US-based synthetic biology company. The collaboration involves combining Twists skill in generating potent, diverse therapeutic antibodies and Boehringers expertise in drug discovery and development, which would enhance Boehringers ability to better serve its clients and patients.



Apr-2021: Samsung Biologics teams up with TG Therapeutics, a US-based biotechnology company. The collaboration involves expansion of contract manufacturing for TG Therapeutics ublituximab, an antigen meant for use in lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple sclerosis. This collaboration aligns with Samsung Biologics vision to better serve humanity by bringing required treatments to the patients.



Jan-2021: Boehringer partnered with Google, a US-based global technology company. The partnership involves integrating Boehringers competence in computer-based drug design and silico modeling with Googles expertise in algorithms and quantum computers to work on R & D. The partnership aims to advance R & D processes, thereby introducing more medical developments.



Oct-2020: WuXi collaborated with AB2 Bio, a Switzerland-based drug development and discovery company. The collaboration involves advancing Commercial-Scale Manufacturing of Tadekinig alfa, an IL-18 binding protein meant for monogenic Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Based on the agreement, AB2 Bio would transfer commercial manufacturing of Tadekinig alfa to WuXi.



Sep-2020: Samsung Biologics signed an agreement with AstraZeneca, a UK-based public company, primarily into marketing drugs for several diseases including, gastrointestinal, respiratory, cancer, etc. The agreement involves Samsung Biologics providing large-scale manufacturing of drug substances and drug products supporting AstraZenecas biologics therapeutics. The agreement aligns with Samsung Biologics purpose to support clients bring out innovative solutions.



May-2020: Rentschler Biopharma collaborated with Genmab, a Denmark-based biotechnology company. The collaboration involves a business model that aligns with the expansion strategy of Rentschler Biopharmas U.S. site in Milford, MA, and aims to manufacture and process the development of bispecific antibodies built on Genmabs DuoBody technology platform.



Feb-2020: Catalent signed a contract with Zumutor Biologics, a US-based biotechnology company, primarily into providing NK cell therapeutics. The agreement involves manufacturing Zumutors ZM008 meant for solid tumor treatment.



Acquisitions and Mergers:



Aug-2022: Catalent acquired Metrics Contract Services (Metrics), a US-based organization, primarily into providing contract development and manufacturing services for the medical sector. The acquisition advances Catalents ability to better serve its clients, particularly those clients with R & D pipelines having rare, orphan, diseases for oncology and other therapeutic areas.



Apr-2022: Catalent took over a manufacturing facility in Oxfordshire from Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre UK Limited (VMIC Ltd.). The new facility enables Catalent to join forces with the biomedical science community, thereby furnishing opportunities to reshape innovation, and ideas into treatment for patients.



Feb-2022: Recipharm took over GenIbet, a Portuguese company, primarily into providing CDMO services. The acquisition strengthens Recipharms plan to expand in the Biologics market, particularly in drug substance manufacturing of novel ATMPs.



Feb-2022: Recipharm took over Arranta Bio, a US-based company, primarily into supporting the development of health therapies. This acquisition forms a keystone in Recipharms plan to furnish drug developers with CDM services. Moreover, the acquisition expands Recipharms presence in the US.



Jan-2022: Samsung Biologics acquired the remaining share of Biogen in Samsung Bioepis, a Joint Venture between Biogen and Samsung Biologics. The acquisition would advance development in therapeutics R&D and biosimilars.



Dec-2021: Eurofins acquired Genetic Lab, a Japanese company, primarily into pathological diagnostics services. This acquisition complements Eurofins global network of clinical diagnostic laboratories and further boosts Eurofins Asia expansion.



Sep-2021: Boehringer took over Abexxa Biologics, a US-based biotechnology company. The acquisition strengthens Boehringers devotion towards the discovery of tumor-antigen, and Abexxas expertise in antigen discovery and antibody generation complements Boehringers current approach to enable immune-targeting of cancer cells.



Aug-2021: AGC Biologics acquired a commercial facility in Longmont, Colorado, USA from Novartis Gene Therapies. The acquisition expands AGCs manufacturing capacity supporting its global end-to-end Cell and Gene Therapy (C>) offerings and further expanding cell and gene therapy presence in the US.



Feb-2020: Siegfried took over two manufacturing sites in Spain from Novartis. This acquisition expands Siegfrieds global manufacturing network and aligns with its corporate strategy EVOLVE. The two new manufacturing facilities complement Siegfrieds current operations in drug products.



Geographical Expansions:



Nov-2022: WuXi opened a new manufacturing facility in Fengxian, Shanghai. The facility is a Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing (CRDMO) center, which would provide end-to-end services including process development, drug product development, analytical development, clinical drug substance, etc. The CRDMO center would enhance manufacturing and development capacity and would support the development of new biologics programs.



Oct-2022: WuXi expanded its manufacturing facilities network, by opening a new facility in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China. The new facility is a Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) center, named MFG8. MFG8 aligns with the companys foundation for commencing any project within 4 weeks and allows WuXi to better serve evolving needs for drug substance services.



Oct-2022: Catalent expanded its geographical footprint by setting up a new facility in Kansas City, Missouri. The expansion includes setting up two new analytical development laboratories to fulfill evolving demands of assay development.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Application



 Mammalian



 Microbial



 Others



By Service



 Contract Manufacturing



o Commercial



o Clinical



 Contract Development



o Cell Line Development



o Process Development



By End-user



 Biotech Companies



 CRO



 Others



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Eurofins Scientific SE



 WuXi Biologics (Cayman), Inc



 Catalent, Inc.



 Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH



 FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Texas LLC (Fujifilm Corporation)



 Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)



 Rentschler Biopharma SE



 AGC Biologics, Inc. (AGC, Inc.)



 Recipharm AB (EQT AB)



 Siegfried Holding AG



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412055/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________
New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Home Healthcare Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Type, By Indication, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412050/?utm_source=GNW

The typical healthcare setting, including a hospital, rehabilitation center, skilled nursing facility, or long-term care environment, may not always be the only place where healthcare and support services are offered.



As their health care and daily life requirements are taken care of, people may stay in the comfort of their homes, close to their loved ones, when they get care at home. Patients who get home healthcare services have a team of healthcare professionals working with them to manage their needs and those of their families. Chronic illnesses, including diabetes, hypertension, HIV/AIDS, heart failure, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are all covered by home care services (COPD). People with physical or cognitive impairments may get home care to assist them in carrying out everyday tasks.



Patients who are receiving hospice care may also get care at home. Patients with a prognosis of six months or less that have been diagnosed with a terminal disease (a condition that cannot be cured) are eligible for hospice home care. People with a terminal disease are able to stay in the comfort of their own homes, accompanied by familiar people and objects, owing to hospice home care.



Depending on their physical state and particular ailment or injury, people who get home care have a range of demands. Patients may want assistance or reminders to take their prescriptions. Patients often need help walking, moving from a bed to a chair or wheelchair, or entering and exiting the shower. Many patients have mobility aids that help them go about their homes, such as wheelchairs, canes, walkers, and prosthetic devices.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



The COVID-19 pandemics impact on the world market for home healthcare has been conflicting. The sales of several home healthcare equipment, including blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, blood glucose monitors, and temperature monitors, have benefited from COVID-19. Due to increased knowledge of the possible dangers in case of infection, people all around the globe are buying more of these products. The home medical device sector has seen increased sales as a consequence of the pandemic. Providers of home healthcare services are now concentrating on adjusting to the pandemic by being responsive to changing client expectations.



Market Growth Factor



Growing elderly population



WHO estimates that by 2030, 1 in 6 individuals worldwide would be 60 years of age or older. From 1 billion in 2020, there will be 1.4 billion persons over the age of 60 by this time. By 2050, there will be twice as many people worldwide who are 60 years of age or older. 2 billion. The number of persons 80 or older is anticipated to triple between 2020 and 2050, reaching 426 million. Due to the rising number of elderly people and the high risk of health problems in this age group, demand for improved healthcare facilities and the convenience of avoiding hospitals develop. This has led to home healthcare becoming more and more popular.



Increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses



WHO estimates that there were 108 million cases of diabetes in 1980 and 422 million cases in 2014. Compared to high-income countries, prevalence has been increasing more quickly in low- and middle-income nations. Diabetes is a significant contributor to renal disease, heart attacks, blindness, strokes, and lower limb amputation. Due to the increased frequency of chronic illnesses, there is now a healthcare crisis with high expenditures, poor access to treatment, and subpar care quality. As a consequence, there is a growing need for home healthcare facilities all over the world.



Market Restraining Factor



Limited Insurance Protection



In many industrialized countries, home healthcare services are covered by insurance; nevertheless, Medicare-certified home healthcare firms are the only ones who can make use of this insurance. Equipment needed for rehabilitation, telemetry, or multi-parameter monitoring is not covered by insurance. In these countries, insurance coverage for this equipment varies. In many nations, insurance companies only pay for in-home healthcare services for the elderly and those with chronic diseases if they are in post-hospitalization therapy.



Type Outlook



On the basis of type, the home healthcare market is divided into services and product. In 2021, the product segment acquired a remarkable revenue share in the home healthcare market. This is because of the wide availability of home healthcare and diagnosis products such as diabetes home diagnosis test kit. The demand for home healthcare products is further growing due to the rising prevalence of obesity, diabetes, eye disorders and other such issues.



Product Outlook



Based on product type, the home healthcare market is classified into therapeutics; testing, screening, monitoring; and mobility care. The therapeutics products category held the largest revenue share in the home healthcare market in 2021. The prevalence of illnesses requiring regular use of therapeutic equipment, such as insulin delivery systems, home dialysis systems, and intravenous pumps, is the source of this expansion.



Services Outlook



Based on service type, the home healthcare market is classified into skilled nursing, rehabilitation therapy, unskilled care, hospice & palliative care, respiratory therapy, infusion treatment, and pregnancy care. In 2021, the skilled nursing sector had the major revenue share 2021. When someone has a severe or chronic ailment and needs support to manage it, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, skilled nursing at home is one such dependable and affordable alternative they might choose. Seniors use these services the most often, mostly because they have trouble getting about the city on their own.



Indication Outlook



Based on Indication, the home healthcare market is divided into diabetes, cancer, wound care, pregnancy, respiratory disease, movement disorders, cardiovascular diseases & hypertension, and other indications. The cancer & other indications sector had the highest revenue share in 2021. All across the globe, cancer seems to be quite common. Home healthcare may be very beneficial for a cancer patient and ease the stress on the family.



Regional Outlook



Based on geography, the home healthcare market is classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. With the largest revenue share, the North American region dominated the home healthcare market in 2021. The market for home healthcare was dominated by North America. Due to its better healthcare infrastructure and increased prevalence of chronic diseases, North America holds a sizable portion of the worldwide market. Some of the important variables are the regions sizable aging population, advanced healthcare infrastructure, and comparatively higher levels of disposable income.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Amedisys, Inc., LHC Group, Inc., ResMed, Inc., Omron Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Invacare Corporation, Linde PLC, A&D HOLON Holdings Company, Limited, Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.



Strategies Deployed in Home Healthcare Market



2022-Aug: LHC Group, Inc. took over Three Rivers Home Health, a Georgia-based home health provider. Through this acquisition, LHC Groups service area would be broadened. Moreover, this acquisition complements LHC Groups co-location plan to supply various in-home healthcare services in specific markets, along with its techniques of controlling and operating under a family of well-known regional brands.



2022-Apr: Amedisys, Inc. acquired AssistedCare Home Health, Inc., a leading partner in providing home and community-based healthcare, and RH Homecare Services, LLC, a company engaged in providing a spectrum of services primarily to all individuals who need care in the home setting. Under this acquisition, Amedisys would be able to broaden its reach in healthcare communities and deliver more extensive care by complementing its Amedisys Hospice presence in North Carolina.



2022-Mar: LHC Group, Inc. came into collaboration with Optum, a diversified health services company. Under this collaboration, LHC Group would further strengthen its capability to promote value-based care. Furthermore, both companies would work together with the focus on caring for the most vulnerable in society which would help LHC Group to effectively and efficiently provide better and growing value-based care in the home.



2021-Jul: LHC Group, Inc. partnered with SCP Health, a national clinical leader in acute unscheduled care. Under this partnership, LHC Group, Inc., would be able to supply a wide offering of clinicians covering all verticals of home health care consisting of hospital-at-home programs and skilled nursing facility (SNF)-at home.



2021-Jun: Amedisys, Inc. took over Contessa Health, a company engaged in delivering hospital-at-home and skilled nursing-at-home services. Under this acquisition, Amedisys would broaden its ability to reflect rising market demands and growing patient preference for higher-acuity in-home settings.



2020-Aug: Amedisys, Inc. signed an agreement with BrightStar Care, a comprehensive healthcare service staffing agency that offers medical and non-medical homecare to private clients within their homes. This agreement broadens Amedisys care network to 39 states with 1,211 partner agencies.



2019-Mar: ResMed, Inc. took over HB Healthcare, a provider of home medical equipment. Through this acquisition, ResMed plans to reach more patients through HBH and its broad network of distributor partners.



2019-Feb: Fresenius Medical Care took over NxStage Medical, Inc, a company that develops, produces, and markets an innovative product suite of medical devices for use in critical care and home dialysis. Through this acquisition, Fresenius Medical Care would enhance its supply chain, manufacturing, and marketing ability over the Care Coordination, services, and dialysis products.



2018-Jul: ResMed, Inc., acquired HEALTHCAREfirst, a provider of software solutions and services for home health and hospice agencies. Through this acquisition, ResMed would aim to support homecare and HME providers manage their business and enhance the lives of their patients as an aging population moves to homecare and different lower-cost settings.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Type



 Services



o Skilled Nursing



o Rehabilitation Therapy



o Hospice & Palliative Care



o Unskilled Care



o Respiratory Therapy



o Infusion Therapy



o Pregnancy Care



 Product



o Therapeutic Products



o Testing, Screening, & Monitoring Products



o Mobility Care Products



By Indication



 Cancer & Other Indications



 Respiratory Diseases



 Wound Care



 Pregnancy



 Movement Disorders



 Hearing Disorders



 Cardiovascular Diseases & Hypertension



 Diabetes



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Amedisys, Inc.



 LHC Group, Inc.



 ResMed, Inc.



 Omron Corporation



 Abbott Laboratories



 Invacare Corporation



 Linde PLC



 A&D HOLON Holdings Company, Limited



 Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA



 F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.



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__________________________
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Saint Vinson Eugene Allen Foundation will donate $50,000 to assist special needs families across the country. The program is designed to bring aid to children and families with special disabilities. Dr. Vinson Eugene Allen and his wife, Dr. Connie Yu Allen, foundation founders, named the program Hand-Up in honor of their autistic 9-year-old son. Colin Mathew Allen was featured in a news article in February 2022 for his hard work and generosity to underserved communities.

The Saint Vinson Eugene Allen Foundation has sponsored many families across the nation with free gas cards and has provided the Los Angeles homeless population with free Covid-19 testing. This year, the foundation has created a program that would provide financial relief to parents, caregivers and to those who provide 24-hour care for their child with special needs. Visit the foundation's website to learn more about the mission behind the Hand-Up program and should sign-up to be considered.

Dr. Vinson Eugene Allen States:

"I believe every child, no matter what his or her disability is, deserves the opportunity to succeed in any area he or she chooses. Our top priority is providing relief to those silent heroes that are unselfish, especially when it comes to taking care of children with disabilities."

Dr. Vinson Eugene Allen is the founder of Dusk to Dawn Urgent Care and Corona Virus Test Los Angeles facilities, located throughout Southern California. For 20 years, Dr. Vinson Eugene Allen and his wife, Dr. Connie Yu Allen, have centered their commitment to servicing Los Angeles County and the surrounding communities. The Saint Vinson Eugene Allen Foundation has been a legendary pillar in the community during tough times. Dr. Vinson Eugene Allen ran as a candidate in the 2022 race for California State Insurance Commissioner in the June primary.

Headquarters

Saint Vinson Eugene Allen Foundation

P.O. Box 10402

Torrance, CA 90505

Website: www.saintvinsoneugeneallen.com

Social Media: @DrAllenLa

YouTube: Conversations with Dr. Allen

YouTube: AllenFamilyUnity

Website: www.coronavirustestla.com

Contact Information:

Derrick Dzurko

Press Agent

derrick@e1mgmedia.com

(888) 231-6942



Related Images











Image 1: The Allen Family





Dr. Vinson Eugene Allen and Family









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
PHOENIX, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RAADR, Inc. (OTC PINK: RDAR), a technology and software development company that provides cutting edge solutions to detect and combat cyber-bullying and cyber-harassment throughout the internet on social media platforms, announced today that it has successfully launched its Raadr application in the Google Play Store and it can now be downloaded for FREE here . https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.raadr

Samed Nisar, Project Manager, stated, We are pleased to announce that after a lot of hard work and determination on behalf of the entire RAADR development team, we have completed stage one of the RAADR application development and are ready to launch. The latest Android version of the RAADR app is already available as early access on the Google Play Store for internal beta testers. On January 24th, the final version of the app is now live to the public.

For the Apple iOS version of the RAADR app, we are submitting it to the App Store for final approval. We anticipate this process to be complete by the end of January and for the app to be available to the public in IOS.

While these final details are being completed we excitedly look forward to the RAADR app launch. It begins on January 24th, with the Android / Google Play Store public release and finishes with the Apple iOS App Store publication by or before the end of this month.

Jacob DiMartino, CEO of RAADR, stated, This is a huge day for the company and its investors, shareholders, supporters and believers! We are laser focused on getting our app in the hands of as many parents using Android devices as possible! We are looking forward to getting the IOS approval very soon as well.

Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers, as the digital sphere has expanded, and technology has advanced. Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.

73% of school students say they feel theyve been bullied in their lifetime. 44% say they think theyve been bullied in the last 30 days. Overall, 36.5% of people feel theyve been cyberbullied in their lifetime. Of these, 17.4% report it has happened in the last 30 days. 60% of teens say they have experienced some form of cyberbullying. 70% of teens report that someone has spread rumors about them online. 87% of young people have witnessed an instance of cyberbullying online. 95% of teens actively use the internet, and 85% regularly use social media. Its not only school kids that experience cyberbullying. Adults are often the perpetrators of or the victims of a cyberbully, but it tends to be called harassment and sometimes even stalking when adults are involved. Read more at: Cyberbullying Stats .

ABOUT RAADR, INC.:

RAADR (OTC RDAR) publishes software that protects children who use social media and the internet. Known as the internet anti-bullying company, RAADRs products allow children, parents, school districts and law enforcement to monitor bullying and other threatening behavior across social media and the metaverse in real time. RAADR Parental 2.0, which is a parental monitoring and student reporting social media application, allows parents to protect children by using real time monitoring across all major social media platforms and the metaverse to report cyberbullying, suicidal thoughts and threatening behavior. Armed with many features including keyword tracking, real-time alerts, and site filtering, RAADRS platform can determine in real time whether children or young adults are the victim or could be the victim of campus violence, cyber bullying, stalkers, bullies and other threatening behavior. According to a recent study conducted by www.security.org , over 21% percent of the kids studied between the ages of 10 and 18 have been cyberbullied. The RAADR app is available for download in the App Store.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT:

This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as believes, expects, potential, plans, suggests, may, should, could, intends, or similar expressions. Many forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results implied by such statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to continue to enhance our products and systems to address industry changes, our ability to expand our customer base and retain existing customers, our ability to effectively compete in our market segment, the lack of public information on our company, our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund our business, operations, our ability to continue as a going concern, and a limited public market for our common stock, among other risks. Many factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the companys control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Media Contact:

Jacob DiMartino,

jacob.d@raadr.com
Exodus from California and Illinois to Florida and Texas continues

The top five states seeing a mass exodus (including their ranking in 2021) are all Democrat-controlled
Finance Ministry prepares guidelines for emergency expenditure

Business Desk Report Business News Jan - 25 - 2023 , 15:39

The Ministry of Finance is preparing an Emergency Expenditure Management Guideline that will provide government with administrative protocols in times of emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is to ensure compliance with relevant Public Financial Management regulations, while at the same time providing timely responses to pandemics.

The Emergency Expenditure Management Guideline is being prepared, following recommendations by the Auditor General in its report on Governments COVID-19 Expenditure for the period March 2020 to June 2022.

The ministry in a press release said it would continue to apply its best efforts to enforce and enhance expenditure management and accountability to ensure proper utilization of tax revenue to the full benefit of citizens, using established budgetary and accountability systems.

The ministry also commended the Auditor General on the publication of the report which was commissioned by the Minister of Finance on July 14, 2022 and timely release of the Audit report.

The audit report confirms total resources mobilized for the COVID-19 response over the period March 2020 to June 2022 at GH21,844,189,185.24. As indicated in the report, the funds mobilized were to address the following two key interventions; finance direct COVID-19 intervention expenditures; and support the funding gap in the budget which was occasioned by the pandemic.

Hence, as reported on page 11, paragraph 31 of the report, the 53.8 per cent and 46.2 per cent spent on direct COVID-19 interventions and for general budget support respectively were consistent with the mandate approved by Parliament, the release highlighted.

It further noted that the ministry coordinated the mobilization and disbursement of funds for the COVID-19 responses by Government in accordance with the Public Financial Management Act, to ensure timely release of funds to save lives, livelihoods, and property.

The Ministry welcomes the Auditor Generals report and wishes to assure the public that, steps are being taken to address all issues.

Some of the interventions being pursued include meetings to engage with the implementing Agencies to evaluate actions taken to implement the audit recommendations in the audit report.
Full operationalisation of AfCFTA key to Africa -Yofi Grant

Emmanuel Bruce Business News Jan - 25 - 2023 , 11:12

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Yofi Grant has said that the disruption in the global supply chain as a result of the Russia/Ukraine conflict presents a huge opportunity for Africa.

He said this opportunity could however not be harnessed if the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement is not fully operationalised.

Mr Grant was speaking at the 1st Annual Assembly of Africa Investment Promotion Agencies.

Three years after the AfCFTA was launched, no meaningful trade has yet happened under the agreement due to the inability of some countries to submit their tariff schedules.

When fully operationalised, AfCFTA is expected to create a market of about 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of almost $4 trillion.
Ghana to prioritise trade cooperation with other countries

Elizabeth Nyaadu Adu Business News Jan - 25 - 2023 , 10:26

A Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Michael Okyere-Baafi, has stressed the need for the country to deliberately prioritise cooperation in the area of trade and investment between it and other countries.



This, he said, would attract more Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) into the country and increase the number of businesses to create employment and contribute to domestic revenue generation through the payment of taxes.

Mr Okyere-Baafi made the call at the 3rd Malta-Ghana Business Forum in Accra.

Forum

The forum was organised by the Government of Malta in collaboration with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), National Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GNCCI), Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA) and the European Chamber of Commerce in Ghana.

It provided the platform for representatives from both countries to enhance relations and promote business partnerships.

Mr Okyere-Baafi said despite the impressive strides made over the past decades, it was still evident that Ghana-Malta trade and investment were still below their respective potential.

He explained that both countries have enjoyed longstanding, cordial and strong bonds of friendship and cooperation based on shared values and priorities.

Indeed, Malta is currently one of Ghanas strategic bilateral partners.

Ghana is also increasingly becoming home to several Maltese businesses in West Africa, he added.

He said tremendous opportunities existed for trade and investment in various sectors of the country and urged prospective investors to consider strategic cooperation for effective optimisation of opportunities available under the Governments flagships programmes, such as the One-District-One Factory, development of strategic anchor industries, SME development through the promotion of Joint ventures between Ghana and Malta and the development of industrial parks and Special Economic Zones (SEZ).



Business registration

The Deputy Chief Executive of GIPC, Yaw Amoateng Afriyie, urged Ghanaian entrepreneurs to register their businesses with the centre to enable them to benefit from similar incentives as their foreign counterparts.

According to him, the present economic challenges in the country should not be a barrier for them to do so.

We are currently embarking on IMF programme and we are expecting the staff approval hopefully in the next few weeks.

When that staff approval comes we believe that the confidence among our investor community will have enormous cascading impact for investments in Ghana, he said.

Accelerating business opportunities

For her part the Chairperson for TradeMalta, Elizabeth Barbaro Sant, said Malta was working hand-in-hand with the Ghanaian government to stimulate investment, accelerate business opportunities, facilitate cross-border trade and align efforts with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

She said there were countless opportunities for a partnership that would drive socio-economic growth for both countries.

Ms Sant noted that 25 major Maltese companies were expected in Ghana this week to explore business opportunities.

The companies, she said, would dig deep into the incentives and infrastructure available to support their investment.

They will also engage with officials in their respective sectors and get introduced to the potential local partners in the country.

With our shared goals and complementary strengths, we are confident that our nations can form a powerful partnership that will drive socio-economic growth for both of us.

Together, we can fuel Ghanas economic transformation and open new doors for Maltese businesses to invest in Ghanas thriving ecosystem, she said.
GRA urged to adopt business - friendly approach to mobilise revenue

Elizabeth Nyaadu Adu Business News Jan - 25 - 2023 , 11:05

In its quest to mobilise more domestic revenue to meet its annual target, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has adopted measures to ensure that all eligible taxpayers do so.



However, various business groups and associations are questioning the approach being used by the revenue collection agency arguing that, much as they appreciate the intent of GRA to collect what is due the state, the approach is a disincentive and must be reviewed.

The Executive Secretary of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Ghana, Simon Madjie, has appealed to the GRA to adopt a business-friendly approach to revenue mobilisation to help protect the operations of businesses in the country.

The chamber supports the governments domestic revenue mobilisation efforts but would ask the Ghana Revenue Authority to adopt a more business-friendly approach to the implementation of government policies on revenue mobilisation.

This is imperative in order not to scare away existing investors, as some of the actions can adversely impact their capitalisation.

Maintaining the ease of doing business is vital to the country's economic recovery, he said.

Mr Madjie, who made the call in his Facebook post, said his outfit was hopeful of a successful year although the chamber was not oblivious of the countrys current economic situation with a projected gross domestic product (GPD) growth rate of 2.9 per cent.

He said the chamber had charted such course before and was assertive that its members had the resilience to weather the storm.

Mr Madjie added that the pushback to the governments GH137.3 billion debt restructuring programme by affected parties was causing some economic uncertainties.

However, AmCham remained confident that further dialogue would result in all issues being resolved amicably for the country to begin the process of recovery.

The chamber has also noticed the reversal of the benchmark value on imports.

As much as we appreciate the effort, we want to urge the authorities to follow the principles of transaction value and the other procedures of valuation provided under the WTOs Customs Valuation Agreement.

We believe this will provide some predictability and help minimise the cost of importation.

The chamber will continue with our efforts in advocating for a business-friendly environment, he assured.
Daily Graphic Editorials

Making Ghana number one African destination all year

Daily Graphic Editorials Jan - 25 - 2023 , 11:34

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) and the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) must be applauded for their hard work that has contributed to an increase in tourist traffic into the country.



Tourist arrivals in the country for last December alone rose by 16.37 per cent to 98,873, showing a strong recovery from 2020 when the numbers were 43,645, representing a 62.52 per cent decrease as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The numbers actually started picking up in 2021 by 94.67 per cent to 84,965 and continued the upward cruise last December.

While the GTA has attributed the rise in tourist arrivals largely to its December in Ghana (GH) initiative, we also believe that the marketing of Ghana to the global community as a peaceful country, a place that is ready to receive people of African descent from the Diaspora and a place to experience diverse cultures, which has been spearheaded by the President, has contributed immensely to that.

If we must strike while the iron is hot, then we must not rest on our oars, but do more to sustain the increased tourist arrivals into the country.

The December in GH, which was part of the Year of Return (YoR) initiative of the GTA to promote the country as a December holiday season destination for Ghanaians living abroad and the African

Diaspora, must be used as the launch pad to achieve this, if indeed Ghana is to become the Mecca for Pan Africanism.

The country is blessed with many indigenous festivals all year through, which can be harnessed and made attractive to the international community so as to pull in guests locally, as well as from abroad, and not wait for only December.

The country is made up of 16 regions, all of which have something to offer to attract tourists.

In this regard, the Daily Graphic calls for a deliberate plan involving all the MMDAs in all the regions to bring this into fruition.

We, therefore, find it reassuring that the GTA is already considering leveraging other peak months so that throughout the year, Ghana will be on the map for travellers.

However, while exciting programmes such as Afrochella, Little Havana, Taste of Ghana, Afro Nation, YouTube Creators Festival, Westside Carnival, Rhythms on da Runway, Roverman Productions

Festival of Plays, Countdown Africa and Adina Conference, drew the crowds, it was very evident that we should improve on the security of patrons as well as vehicular and human traffic flow during such shows.

For instance, the second day of Afro Nation had to be ended abruptly over security concerns, as the numbers of patrons continued to swell by the minute, to the disappointment of revellers.

If we are looking forward to having more guests in town all year round, then we must beef up our security and ensure effective traffic control. Also, by allowing more people in, we are indirectly importing foreign cultures, so we must do well to convey to our guests what hurts the sensibilities of Ghanaians.

There is also the need to invest in infrastructure and grant tax rebates to vendors of top-of-the-range musical equipment and lighting to prevent embarrassing experiences as happened at some of the outdoor musical concerts.

We urge that the authorities grant special concessions to organisers of events sanctioned by the GTA.

Further, the hospitality industry must consider discounted rates but improved services, especially during peak periods, to enable more guests to afford their services.

We also urge the GTA to effectively supervise the Air BNB business which has come to add to the hospitality business and also ensure that all in the sector meet internationally accepted standards at all times.

Indeed, when it comes to receiving guests from our airports, taxi and car hiring services are the first port of call.

We, therefore, urge proper training of both professionals and amateurs assisting guests and giving them the proverbial Ghanaian welcome when they arrive, instead of finding ways to rip them off.

Once a guest feels welcome into our country, he or she will not only want to come back, but become an ambassador who will encourage others to visit.

We admit that there is a lot to be done to make Ghana the number one tourist destination in Africa, the reason we urge the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, National Security, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Airport Company Ltd, the Art Centre Traders Association, event organisers and traditional catering services, among others, to effectively collaborate to make that happen.
Aretha Franklin song A Natural Woman blasted by fake transgender activists

New York Post Showbiz News Jan - 25 - 2023 , 10:43

After initially claiming they were not a parody account, the Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance now insist theyre just a satire group and were merely joking about harmful anti-trans stereotypes.

Theyre saying a little prayer.

A now-debunked activist group in Norway called for Aretha Franklins hit 1968 song (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman to be removed from both Apple Music and Spotify after they deemed its lyrics offensive.

The Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance took to Twitter last week to condemn the ballad, citing that it has ignited harm against transgender women.

Aretha Franklins 1968 song Natural Woman perpetuates multiple harmful anti-trans stereotypes, the organization tweeted. There is no such thing as a natural woman.

The message continued, The song has helped inspire acts of harm against transgender women. TCMA is requesting it is removed from Spotify & Apple Music.

However, after initial denials, the group has since claimed that their original post was indeed satirical in a message to The Post on Monday afternoon.

Read also Girls Trip 2 reuniting full cast for adventure in Ghana

The group also updated their Twitter bio to now say PARODY/SATIRE.

The Post has reached out to Franklins rep, Spotify and Apple Music for comment.

According to the organisations original bio on the social media platform, they aimed to promote cultural changes to ensure the inclusivity of trans individuals.

The account @TransMindful, who had called for a boycott of Franklin's song, has now alleged that they're a parody.

Aretha Franklin Natural Woman diss was satire, trans activists now claim

The accounts moderator also declared in a now-deleted tweet that they were not, in fact, a parody account, but rather that they were trying to make culture fairer for transgender individuals. (Another declaration that they were most certainly not a parody account was still live as of Tuesday night.)

Before the so-called satirists came clean, many Twitter users were outraged by the opinion about the Queen of Souls work and questioned the legitimacy of the claims.

So, someone heard the song and attacked trans people? one person wrote in response. What are things that never happened for $400.

Another wrote, OMG Get a life & stop trying to cancel everything. How sad and pathetic ones life must be if THIS is a priority to you. This is a GREAT song! YOU GO, GIRL! @ArethaFranklin.

Someone else typed, Its a great song and Im going to listen to it right now because of this post. Thanks!

Others were so taken aback that they actually thought the statement must be coming from a parody account  before the accounts owner admitted it.

This is satire, right? one user questioned.

Clearly this is a parody. Good one guys! Almost got me, someone else seconded.

At the time of its release in 1968, Franklins cover of A Natural Woman, was deemed a powerful song and had an inspiring message.

She even performed the hit at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in 2015, during a ceremony honouring the tracks writers, Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
Camidoh Joins Boomplays Golden Club With 100M Streams

Ameyaw Debrah Showbiz News Jan - 25 - 2023 , 15:57

High-flying Ghanaian crooner, Raphael Kofi Attachie, popularly known in the showbiz circuit as Camidoh, is the latest artiset to join the prestigious Golden Club of Africas largest music streaming and download platform, Boomplay.

Camidoh joins Boomplays Golden Club for reaching and surpassing a milestone of 100 million streams. The Sugarcane hitmaker becomes the fourth Ghanaian artiste to attain this feat following Black Sherif, Sarkodie and Shatta Wale.

Camidoh is now part of a club of African superstars which includes the likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Diamond Platinumz, Rayvanny and more who have had record achievements and milestones on Boomplay.

Camidoh burst onto Ghanas music scene in 2018 when he was signed to Grind Dont Stop (GDS) indie label and dropped his first single, For My Lover. The single and its remix set a buzz around him as the next big thing leading to his first project, Contigency Plan (CP)  a six-track EP that had rave reviews.

New article Aretha Franklin song A Natural Woman blasted by fake transgender activists

However, Camidohs big breakthrough came in December when he released the viral hit single, Sugarcane. The song shot Camidoh to stardom and when the chart topping Sugarcane remix featuring King Promise, Mayorkun and Darkoo dropped in April 2022, Camidoh became one of the most sought after African stars in the year.

He followed up with Sugarcane EP and other notable singles such as Kaba and Slow to further extend his reach across Africa and beyond.

Starting 2023 on a high note, Camidoh is out with a collaborative EP with his GDS label titled A Lifetime is Not Enough. He hopes to accomplish great things in the year with his debut album scheduled to drop before the year ends.
Guayanese star Kaiya, Linmart Media pay courtesy call on GTA CEO

GraphicOnline Showbiz News Jan - 25 - 2023 , 12:14

Kaiya, a Guyanese artiste, on January 24, 2023, paid an official visit to the offices of the Ghana Tourism Authority ( GTA) in Accra together with her management team LINMART Media Solutions led by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nii Amarh Amarteifio.

The artiste who is in Ghana for the second time was received by the CEO of the GTA, Nana Kwesi Agyemang and his lieutenants including Socrates Safo.

The GTA CEO welcomed Kaiya and her team and thanked her for choosing to come to Ghana.

He opined that there are lots of opportunities here in Ghana for those in the diaspora to come and explore.

Nana Agyemang added that the historic link between Africa and those in the diaspora can never be discounted as their roots are here in Africa.

Kaiya on her part said her experiences in the country had led her to believe that her ancestry could be traced to Ghana.

She said there was not much difference between the culture of Guyana and the Caribbean as compared to Ghana.



Kaiya is in Ghana to promote her music as well as collaborate with top musicians in the country. She is also billed to have a collaboration with Samini before she departs.

She is currently in Ghana to shoot two of her music videos titled: Love Portion and So Nice.

Since her arrival in Ghana a week ago, Kaiya has been on several radio stations to promote her songs and will soon commence her TV promotional tour.

She is billed to perform at Jamrock Pub at East Legon this Friday.
Tough love or child labour?

Elizabeth Ohene Opinion Jan - 25 - 2023 , 11:30

I suspect there will never be a consensus on what constitutes the proper upbringing of children.

I have a stronger suspicion that the definition of a proper upbringing of a child is very much influenced by the economic status of the parents of the child.

When there is tap water in your house, there will be no question of sending your eight-year old to the river to fetch water, and if you dont cook with firewood, it is most unlikely you would set your ten-year old the task of fetching firewood or fanning the coal-pot and risk being accused of child labour.

Subject

I have to concede that my attitude to the subject of child labour now makes room for considerations of cultural differences and sensitivities.

Armed with the most delicate cultural sensitivity, I am not sure I can ever find any justification for the young children who are made to dive deep into the depths of the river in Yeji and are regularly liberated by various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and our own Gender Ministry.

In much the same way, I wonder where to place the little boy I met last week at a marriage ceremony.

He looked to me like an eight-year old and held the audience spellbound with his mastery of kete dance steps.

I wasnt sure how much of the monies being given to him in admiration of his dancing skills would end up in a bank account for him. He looked happy and assured and was enjoying what he was doing.

However, I resisted all his charms and didnt give him any money because all I could think of was: What was an eight-year old boy doing dancing at a marriage ceremony on a Thursday morning and why was he not in school?

There is a shop in my neighbourhood in Accra that stocks high-end furniture and carpets imported from Pakistan.

They usually have displayed casually on all the furniture sets and carpets, a card with a neatly printed legend, Carefully made in Pakistan without child labour.

Obviously, this is meant to reassure would-be customers that they could buy and use the expensive furniture and carpets without feeling any guilt that poor Pakistani children had been exploited in the manufacture of the goods.

Since I have never been to Pakistan and do not know very much about the furniture or carpet industry in Pakistan, I have decided I would have to take the word of the nice gentleman in the shop.

Differences

The printed message, though, tells me that the Pakistan carpet industry has the same problem that the Ghanaian and Ivorian cocoa industry have of being accused of using child labour.

So, where is the line between child labour, which everybody is against, and children helping at home and learning the skills for survival in later life? If you are ten years old and your mother sells cooked food by the roadside and you help to serve the customers, I wonder if your mother is guilty of child labour.

I am thinking of the campaign against the use of child labour on cocoa farms and the pressure on La Cote dIvoire and Ghana, the worlds two leading cocoa producers.

Indeed, some famous chocolate companies are being pressurised to stop using cocoa from these countries as punishment for using children on cocoa farms.

Personal experience

I have some minor personal experience of this phenomenon.

From age five to nine, I lived in the village with my grandmother.

She was a farmer and she used to take me to the farm with her on Saturdays when there was no school.

I am not quite sure how much use I was to her on the farm, but I certainly learnt to plant cocoa and I took part in harvesting cocoa pods and preparing the seeds for drying.

I carried loads of foodstuff on my head back home from the farm.

An international news film crew coming across me at the time with my grandmother would probably have filmed me as an example of the use of child labour on Ghanas cocoa farms.

But I wonder if my time on the farm was anything that sinister.

This was my grandmother who loved me to bits and provided me with some of the happiest moments of my life and my recollections of those times were pure bliss and idyllic.

Obviously, I cannot compare my time on the farm with those children who are not loved or who have been trafficked.

Nor would I ever forget the man I once heard on a BBC radio programme, who told Kwaku Sakyi Addo, as casually as you can imagine, that he had eleven children and had, therefore, sold two of them to the fishermen in Yeji, so he could have some money to look after the rest of the children.

I do not want to belittle the suffering that many children go through in the world.

But I just want to make the point that not every child who goes to the farm is being abused.

I recall a young Ghanaian friend of mine in London and her twelve-year old daughter.

My friend was doing her best to bring up her child in the manner she had been brought up and that meant the child had to wash dishes, make beds, scrub the bathroom, help in the kitchen, cut up onions and learn to cook.

An English school friend of the child came to spend a weekend, saw what tasks her friend had to perform at home and before we knew it, my friends daughter was threatening to call the Social Services to report her mother for child abuse.

Her English school friend was horrified at the tasks her friend was being made to undertake at home and she convinced her that she was being abused and should make a report to the social services.

I am afraid my friends reaction was a bit extreme; she took a whip to her daughter and told her she was giving her a proper reason to call the social services.

She was not going to have a daughter who did not know how to cook or keep a clean house and she was going to send her daughter back to Ghana where mothers were free to make their daughters learn these things without interference from anybody.

Or, so she thought.

These days, things have changed here also to the extent that you can now safely have a stay in a middle class Ghanaian home and be assured that all the cooking and cleaning in the home is carefully done without child labour.
What causes hypertension?

Dr Frank Owusu-Sekyere Life Jan - 25 - 2023 , 15:19

Dear Mirror Doctor, What causes hypertension and what can I do to help control my blood pressure?

Kumi, Accra

Dear Kumi, The main duty of the heart is to pump blood from the heart to every organ in the body. The blood carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body in order to function efficiently.

The heart pumps blood into the arteries (the vessels that carry blood away from the heart to the various organs) with enough force to push blood to the far reaches of each organ from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet.

Blood pressure can be defined as the pressure of blood on the walls of the arteries as it circulates through the body. Blood pressure is highest as its leaves the heart through the aorta- the largest vessel that takes blood away from the heart  and gradually decreases as it enters smaller and smaller blood vessels (arteries, arterioles and capillaries).

After supplying the rest of the body with the needed oxygen and nutrients, the blood returns to the heart to be pumped into the lungs to load up more oxygen. The blood returns from the lungs and rest of the body to the heart through the veins, aided by gravity and muscle contraction.

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Blood pressure is measured with a blood pressure cuff and recorded as two numbers, for example, 120/80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). Blood pressure measurements are usually taken at the upper arm, often the right for standardisation.

The top, larger number is called the systolic pressure which measures the pressure generated when the heart contracts (pumps). It reflects the pressure of the blood against arterial walls. The bottom, smaller number is called the diastolic pressure which reflects the pressure in the arteries while the heart is filling and resting between heartbeats.

Hypertension is known as the "silent killer" since it has no initial symptoms but can lead to long-term disease and complications. Many people have high blood pressure and yet they are not aware of it.

Increasingly though, there is heightened public awareness of this condition. It has moved from the erroneous impression of it being a "Whitemans disease" to it becoming one of the commonest reasons for medical consultation in this country.

The American Heart Association has recommended guidelines to define normal and high blood pressure in adults.

Normal blood pressure less than 120/80

Pre-hypertension 120-139/ 80-89

High blood pressure (stage 1) 140-159/90-99

High blood pressure (stage 2) higher than 160/100

In children centile charts are used to determine limits of high blood pressure based on age. If the blood pressure plot is above the 95th centile for systolic or diastolic pressure for age, it is hypertension in children.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure may be the underlying reason for many cases of death and disability from heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. According to research studies, the risk of dying from a heart attack is directly linked to high blood pressure, particularly systolic hypertension. The higher the blood pressure, the higher the risk. Maintaining a lifelong control of hypertension decreases the future risk of complications such as heart attack and stroke.

In 90 per cent of people with hypertension, the cause is not known and is referred to as primary or essential hypertension. Even though the specific cause is unknown, there are risk factors that can contribute to developing high blood pressure. These factors are grouped as modifiable (can be changed) or not modifiable (cannot be changed)

Non-modifiable factors include:

Age: The older a person is, the greater the likelihood that he or she will develop high blood pressure, especially elevated systolic readings. This is largely due to "hardening of the arteries."- A condition known medically as arteriosclerosis as one ages.

Race: African Americans

develop high blood pressure more often than their Caucasian counterparts. Also, Black people develop high blood pressure at younger ages, and it only stands to reason that they will develop more severe complications sooner in life comparatively.

Socioeconomic status: High blood pressure is found more commonly among the less educated and lower socioeconomic groups. For example, it is known

that residents of the southeastern United States, irrespective of race, are more likely to have high blood pressure than residents of other regions.

Family history (hereditary): The tendency to have high blood pressure appears to run in families. Thus, if one or both parents have hypertension, the tendency to develop hypertension is higher than somebody with no family history of hypertension.

Gender: Generally, men have a greater likelihood of developing high blood pressure than women. This likelihood varies according to age and among various ethnic groups.

Obesity: As body weight increases, the blood pressure rises. Being overweight increases the risk of high blood pressure. Obese people are two to six times more likely to develop high blood pressure than those with weight within a healthy range. Besides the degree of obesity, the way the body accumulates extra fat is also relevant. Some people gain weight around their belly (central obesity or "apple-shaped" people), while others store fat around their hips and thighs ("pear-shaped" people). "Apple-shaped" people tend to have greater health risks for high blood pressure than "pear-shaped" people.

Sodium (salt) sensitivity: Some people have high sensitivity to sodium (salt), and their blood pressure increases if they use salt. Reducing sodium intake tends to lower their blood pressure. Fast foods and processed foods contain particularly high amounts of sodium. Many over-the-counter medicines also contain large amounts of sodium. Reading food labels and learning about salt content in foods and other products is a healthy first step to reducing salt intake by being selective in our choice of foods.

Alcohol use: Drinking more than one to two drinks of alcohol per day tends to raise blood pressure in those who are sensitive to alcohol.

Birth control pills: Some women who take birth control pills both oral and injectable develop high blood pressure.

Physical inactivity: this is the category where most of us fall into. A sedentary lifestyle contributes immensely to the development of obesity and high blood pressure. In addition, certain drugs, such as amphetamines and some medications used for flu and allergy symptoms tend to cause an increase in blood pressure.
Ghana Education News

Address challenges in education sector  GNECC

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Education Jan - 25 - 2023 , 08:33

The Ghana National Education Coalition Campaign (GNECC) has called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, address the current challenges facing the education system.

In addition, it called on the president to honour his commitment during the Transforming Education Summit in the UN that 23 per cent of the National Budget would be allocated to education and coalition was reminding remind him of that commitment.

The governments 12.9 per cent budgetary allocation to the education sector in the 2023 national budget although indicates an increase as compared to last years allocation, still falls below the target Ghana has set for itself in 2021 during the Global Education Summit held in the United Kingdom where the president pledged to spend at least 23 per cent of the national budget on education over the medium term from 2021 to 2025, GNECC said in a statement on the occasion to mark International Day of Education.

Day

The fifth International Day of Education was on the theme: To invest in people, prioritise education.

The UN General Assembly proclaimed January 24 as International Day of Education in recognition of the role of education in ensuring peace and development.

Globally, 244 million children and youth are out of school, while 771 million adults are non-literate.

GNECC also called on the government and other key stakeholders to prioritise the provision of adequate resources for basic schools and inclusive education.

Resource provision

Basic education experienced about a 40 per cent decline in budget allocation in 2023 as compared to 2022. The majority of public schools in Ghana still do not have access to textbooks to support teaching and learning in the classroom. According to an independent civil society organisation audit conducted by GNECC on school infrastructure in 2021, about 80 per cent of basic schools' infrastructure is in a very poor state while most classrooms are overcrowded.

Some schoolchildren sit on the bare floor to learn due to the absence or inadequacy of school furniture. GNECC is calling on the government to redirect some of the resources to the senior high schools such as the intended distribution of free tablets to students at the SHS level to strengthen basic education, it said.

Strengthening basic education, it said, would provide SHSs with students with quality learning outcomes from that level.

It also charged the government to engage all key stakeholders to review the SHS policy implementation.

Inclusive education

GNECC said the 0.02 per cent of the 29.7 per cent of the 2023 education budget allocated for the implementation of inclusive education in 2023 was inadequate for the effective implementation of the inclusive education policy.

To promote the effective implementation of the inclusive education policy, GNECC is calling on the government to redeem its pledge at the 2018 Disability Summit in the UK to allocate 1.5 per cent of the education budget for the effective implementation of the inclusive education policy, it said.
Ghana Education News

UESD management moves to doorstep of students

Severious Kale-Dery Education Jan - 12 - 2023 , 17:50

The management of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) in Somanya in the Eastern Region has moved the university to the doorsteps of potential students.

The management visited all the senior high schools (SHS) within the Eastern Region to introduce the university to the students, explained to them what the university stands for and allowed the students to seek answers to questions bothering their minds.

Visits

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Eric Nyarko-Sampson, who disclosed this in an interview, explained, "We are doing this because people have heard there is a university in the Eastern Region, but may not have heard about who we are and what we do.

"As a Vice-Chancellor, I have visited SHSs in the Yilo and Manya Krobo municipalities, which are our immediate environs.

"We also visited all the SHSs in the Akwapim North, Akwapim South and Okere districts to present the university to them," Prof. Nyarko-Sampson explained and added that over the last two years since the establishment of the university, its staff had also visited other SHSs throughout the country.

He explained that as part of efforts by management to promote the university, "We also visited the Daily Graphic, the Ghanaian Times, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and other media houses."

Community relations

Prof. Nyarko-Sampson explained that as a community-centred institution, the university had a strong relationship with its communities and environs.

He said as part of the relation with the communities, "we have what we call the UESD community development challenge led by our Community Engagement Project and Innovations unit.

The Vice-Chancellor explained that the university realised that in dealing with waste and environmental protection issues, the young ones had always been left out.

Development Challenge

He said that was why the university instituted the development challenge, explaining that last year, the university engaged six upper basic school pupils in the Yilo Krobo municipality to discuss what they did not like about their environment.

Prof. Nyarko Sampson explained that the pupils were given the free hand to express themselves either through drawing or in written form and it is very interesting to see these young ones in upper primary telling us what they do not like in their community in terms of the environment.

He explained that the challenge was designed to create in those young people, critical thinking skills, decision making and problem-solving skills.

Prof. Nyarko-Sampson explained that for the 2023 challenge, the topic would be on plastic waste and added that this years challenge would cover the entire Eastern Region, where each of the 10 districts would be represented by three schools
Agro Kings supports Asutsuare police

Yaa Kuffour Senyah Jan - 25 - 2023 , 11:10

Rice producer, Agro Kings Foods, has renovated the Asutsuare Police Station and presented a brand-new motor bike to the station to aid mobility and security visibility within Asutsuare and its surrounding communities.

The gesture forms part of the companys commitment to improve communities and lives of people within its operational enclave.

The renovation included structural works in the building, painting, ceiling fixtures and the installation of facial boards along the roof.

Handing over

At a ceremony to hand over the station to the police, the Managing Director of Agro Kings Foods, Angela Barnes, reiterated the companys commitment to advance the socio-economic agenda of communities, especially within its operational zones.

She said the renovation project and donation of a motorbike by the producers of Nanas Rice was consistent with the mission and goal of the company to advance human lives.

Ms Barnes further expressed optimism that the renovation project and the motorbike would enable police officers to work from a befitting station as they provided effective surveillance and security to the people of Asutsuare, a town that gained reputation as the leading rice hub within the southern belt of the country.



Gratitude

The Asutsuare District Police Commander, Superintendent Cletus Abadamlora, who received the motorbike on behalf of the outfit, expressed joy over the stations facelift and particularly Nanas Rices thoughtful and commendable gesture.

On behalf of the Police Administration, we would like to thank Agro Kings for this great support, and we promise to use the facility and motorbike for the services for which it has been given to us.

The renovated police station looks better, and we look forward to delivering improved services to the public, Supt Abadamlora said.

Investment

Agro Kings continues to invest in several initiatives within the community.

In the last year, the company trained 300 smallholder farmers on farm practices and protocols that achieve higher yields, quality and sustainable agriculture practices and subsequently improved livelihoods.

The company also supports the farmers with farm inputs and mechanisation services.

The company also creates employment to improve the livelihoods of the people in the community through its various corporate social initiatives, as well as commercial farm expansions within the area.
Galamsey equipment destroyed at Oda River Forest Reserve

Rosalind K. Amoh Jan - 25 - 2023 , 19:03

The Forestry Commission (FC) has burnt some mining equipment seized from illegal miners operating within forest reserves in the Ashanti Region.

The equipment include 12 excavators, 12 heavy duty pumping machines and make-shift wooden housing structures.

The mining equipment were seized at the Bunusu portion of the Oda River Forest Reserve and the Koboro-Odaho portions of the Apamprama Forest Reserves, both in the Bekwai Forest District.

These followed an operation by staff of the Bekwai Forest District of the Ashanti Regional Forest Services Division (FSD) of the commission, with support from the rapid response team of the commission.

Also, three Chinese undertaking illegal mining in the Oda River Forest Reserve are currently facing trial at the Bekwai Circuit Court following their arrest in December last year.

Patrol

The Regional Manager of FSD, Ashanti Region, Clement Omari, explained in an interview that the exercise formed part of the war the FC was waging against illegal mining in the nations forest reserves.

He said staff of the FSD were on their normal patrol duties in the two forest reserves when they discovered the excavators operating in the reserves.

No arrests have been made yet, while no one has also come forward yet to claim ownership of the equipment.

Oda River Forest Reserve

The Oda River Forest Reserve is one of the prime production forest reserves in the Ashanti Region for timber production.

It covers an area of 164.43km, out of which about 32.86km, which represents about 20 per cent of the reserve, lies within the Amansie West Administrative District whereas the remaining 80 per cent (131.57km) falls under the Amansie Central Administrative District.

Both the Oda River and Apamprama Forest Reserves serve as watersheds for the Oda River, which is one of the major rivers in Ghana.

It is home to a wide variety of biodiversity and serves as a source of drinking water to communities downstream, including the Obuasi Municipality.
Ghana, Saudi Arabia sign agreement on 2023 Hajj Pilgrimage

Zakaria Alhassan Jan - 25 - 2023 , 17:24

THE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with Ghana and other countries to ensure a successful Hajj this year.

The Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Services of the Kingdom, Dr Abdulfattah Suleiman Mashat, signed for his country, while the Leader of the Ghanaian delegation, Hajj Farouk Hamza, appended his signature at a ceremony in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The agreement covers the allocation of quota, ports and means of arrival and departure, as well as organisational instructions to enhance safety and comfort of pilgrims from the entire processes and period of the pilgrimage in the Kingdom.

Event

The agreements were signed on the sidelines of Hajj Expo 2023, the largest gathering and event related to Hajj and Umrah services in the Kingdom.

It was attended by more than 57 countries, with over 70 speakers and experts.

Also present were representatives of some 200 companies specialised in Hajj and Umrah services.

The ceremony attracted more than 60,000 visitors who exchanged ideas and visions, innovations and experiences.

It is worth noting that the conference, during four days in 40 workshops, in addition to nine main sessions, discussed several topics that would contribute to the experience of pilgrims.

It employed digital solutions to build an integrated and sustainable system to enhance services and achieve the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, a statement issued by the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Accra said.

Significance

According to the statement, it was important that representatives of participating countries attended the event to sign the agreement to enable them to organise the affairs of their citizens in advance of the Hajj and Umrah season to, among other objectives, ensure the comfort of their pilgrims.

All these efforts come within the framework of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias endeavour to provide distinguished services to pilgrims, and work to enrich their experience at all levels of logistics, security, technology, as well as culture and knowledge.

These can be achieved through the concerted effort of all governments, the private sector, entrepreneurs and partners from around the world, it added.
GWCL alerts public over possible water rationing

Juliet Akyaa Safo Jan - 25 - 2023 , 10:26

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has urged the public to cease indiscriminate watering of lawns with treated water as the dry season approaches.

The company has also advised the public to, among others, resort to using bucket instead of hosing treated water to wash their cars, shut all taps when not in use and repair all leakages in their homes.

The Head of the Public Relations and Communication at the GWCL, Stanley Martey, explained in a statement that the entire country may experience challenges with water supply due to the depletion of raw water from the various water bodies.

He mentioned that consumers, particularly in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Western and the Northern regions, might encounter erratic flow of water.

During dry seasons, consumers resort to the use of treated water for keeping lawns green and for commercial washing of vehicles.

Also, consumers with greater dependence on rainwater have also compounded the problem by taking to treated water use, he said.

He indicated that such practices eased the pressures in the pipelines thereby causing low pressures and no flow in some areas, especially the hilly areas.

Water management

Mr Martey said the GWCL had, therefore, resorted to water demand management to ensure equitable distribution of water from the various treatment plants.

All district offices have been requested to announce to customers days on which water will be flowing so customers can store water, he said.

He further urged the public to be part of the solution by reporting all burst pipes and leakages immediately to the nearest GWCL district offices, customer service centers and fault offices.

He also encouraged them to as well report all persons engaged in illegal connections, by-passes, and all malpractices against GWCL.

Management of GWCL is very much concerned about the impact of the dry season on the raw water sources, which has been compounded by the excessive pollution of the water bodies.

We wish to assure the public that the company, together with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and allied ministries, are working assiduously to improve on raw water resources in the country, he said.

Mr Martey assured the public that it was putting measures in place to ameliorate the situation.
AG report fallout: Health Ministry moves to renegotiate COVID-19 vaccine contract

Doreen Andoh Jan - 25 - 2023 , 08:37

The Ministry of Health has given an assurance that efforts are being made to renegotiate the vaccine acquisition contract with the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) as recommended by the Auditor Generals Special Report on governments COVID-19 expenditure.

However, it did not state emphatically if the renegotiation would facilitate the recovery of the outstanding balance of $81.87 million for the unsupplied vaccines.

In a statement issued by the ministry in Accra last Monday, it said COVID-19 was not over and the government would still require some vaccines for continuous vaccination as some countries around the world were experiencing fresh waves.

Finds

The Auditor-Generals report found that the Ministry of Health on behalf of the government paid $120.19 million to UNICEF/AVAT for the supply of vaccines.

However, 5,109,600.00 doses of vaccines valued at $38.32 million were supplied to the National Cold Room, leaving a difference of $81.87 million with UNICEF/AVAT.

The Auditor-General, consequently, recommended that the Chief Director of the ministry to renegotiate and recover the outstanding balance.

That, according to the Auditor-General, must be done immediately to ensure the amount was recovered to the state.

Why delay?



The ministry attributed the delay in receiving the vaccines to unexpected vaccine hesitancy, cold chain storage challenges, spontaneous donations, as well as manufacturers storage difficulties.

The ministry in June 2022 was compelled to agree on a delivery schedule for the remaining 11,052 million doses to be delivered from June to December, 2022.

According to the schedule, 1.6 million doses were to be delivered from June to December 2022 to complete the allocation, the statement said.

However, it said the process was delayed because of the afore-mentioned challenges. Currently, the ministry requested and had received the June allocation which was delivered in January, 2023.

In the meantime, the ministry continues to work with the AVAT for a possible review of the contract, and would want to assure the public of our commitment to work in the supreme interest of the public.

For Ghana, 16,918,600 doses of the Jansen vaccines were allocated, and AVAT was able to deliver these vaccines periodically per agreed delivery schedule, as and when we needed them, the statement added.

The reason for the agreed number of doses was as a result of the national policy of attaining herd immunity by immunising 21 million people, avoid wastage, expiration and the difficulties in getting access to vaccines at the time, the ministry said.

The ministry, however, gave an assurance that efforts were in place to review the contract.

Currently, the ministry requested and has received the June allocation which was delivered in January 2023. In the meantime, the ministry continues to work with the AVAT for a possible review of the contract, and would want to assure the public of our commitment to work in the supreme interest of the public.

AVAT contract

AVAT was created to enhance access to COVID-19 vaccines as part of the African Unions Strategy to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is a central entity for the negotiation, procurement and payment for vaccines and to act as the interface between AU member states and the vaccine manufacturers.

Under AVAT, countries were allocated quantities of vaccines based on the population and ability to deploy the vaccines on prescribed schedules.

It must be noted that the AVAT protocol required upfront payment by countries for scheduled deliveries such that, soon as any such volumes of vaccines are available for delivery, payment is due through the AVAT arrangement, the ministry added.
Power cable poles destruction on the decline in Volta, Oti

Alberto Mario Noretti Jan - 24 - 2023 , 13:28

THE destruction of electricity cable poles by bush fire in the Volta and Oti Regions has been reducing drastically since the past three years.

In 2020, the company lost 800 poles to bush fire in the two regions; and that figure fell to nine in 2021, and then to five last year.

The Volta Regional Manager of ECG, Emmanuel Lumor, disclosed this at a press conference in Ho last Tuesday.

He attributed the decline in such incidents to the replacement of some of the burnt wooden poles with steel tubular poles and the creation of fire belts around the poles in various communities.

According to him, some of the new wooden poles were coated with fire-resistant paints for them to endure the test of time.

The replacement of the poles, he said, took place mainly in communities in the Adaklu District, around Kpeve, Amedzofe and Nkwanta Municipality.

Transformers

Meanwhile, Mr Lumor, who also has responsibility over the Oti Region as well, said the company had installed 75 new transformers and replaced 4,500 rotten cable poles in the two region at a cost of GH2.8 million as at 2022.

He explained that those were part of efforts to improve power supply in the regions and extend electricity to communities which were not connected to the national grid.

We want to raise the present power reliability from 80 per cent to 90 per cent, said Mr Lumor.

Pursuant to that, he said, the company was compiling the GSP addresses of power consumers to enable its engineers to respond swiftly to customers complaints, with regard to power supply.

Our bane now, however, is still the bush fires in the communities, he complained.

He pointed out that the burnt poles were replaced at a colossal cost and, therefore, urged the communities to support ECGs campaign against bush fires.

The absence of electricity in one community definitely affects development in the area negatively, and so we must all protect the poles, he added.

Mr Lumor said the company was determined not to lose any pole to bush fire this year, and reminded customers, farmers and hunters in the communities to help the company to achieve that objective by strictly adhering to all the safety precautions when starting fire on the field or at home.
Showcase devt in Ga State - Ga Mantse urges journalists

Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Jan - 25 - 2023 , 10:18

The Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, has urged journalists to use media houses and platforms to promote the development of the Ga State and the entirety of the Greater Accra Region.

He said it was not enough that the media was always beset with negative reviews and criticisms, particularly with respect to legal issues among Ga traditional authorities.

There are lots of developmental projects ongoing in the Ga State that people need to know about.

It should not always be about the bad things; there are good things happening too, he said.

Visit

Nii Teiko Tsuru made the call yesterday when the newly appointed executives of the Greater Accra Regional chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) paid a courtesy call on him at his residence in Accra.

The delegation comprised the Chairman, Charles Benoni Okine; the Vice-Chairman, Norman Cooper, and the Secretary, Anthony Bells Kafui Kanyi.

The visit was to introduce the new executives to the king and to seek his support and guidance as they embarked on their new roles of spearheading the association in the region.

Let a new narrative be written today, and my clarion call is for us to create a new path for the Ga State together, King Teiko Tsuru said.

Requests

Mr Okine called on the Ga Mantse to support the GJA to effectively execute its mandate and help in the development of the Ga State and the region.

The Accra Chapter of the GJA has been dwarfed over the years due to the presence of the national body, and for that we are seriously constrained; we have no office, no vehicles and no logistics, he lamented.

He, however, said in spite of all the challenges, the regional chapter, with the support of the Ga Mantse, would contribute its quota to project the Ga State, its culture and its developmental agenda.

Mr Okine further called on Nii Teiko Tsuru to add his voice and influence to expedite investigations into the murder of undercover journalist, Ahmed Hussein-Suale.

Symbiotic relationship

The Chief of Protocol of the Office of the Ga Mantse, Sylvester J.K. Parker-Allotey, said it was high time the kings office and the association developed a symbiotic relationship that would promote the development of the Ga State.

The Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, said the king was currently undertaking various projects.

His Majesty is pursuing many projects in education by offering scholarships to the youth, particularly young girls in ICT and entrepreneurship, she explained.

Mr Cooper reiterated the importance of up lifting the speaking of the Ga language if the Ga State was to achieve its vision of developing and promoting its culture.

Mr Kanyi stressed the need to develop an itinerary that would enable media houses to provide coverage of the kings projects.
Specified Entities asked to audit accounts on schedule

Kester Aburam Korankye Jan - 25 - 2023 , 17:12

The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, has charged Specified Entities (SEOs) to collaborate with the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), and the Office of the Auditor-General to urgently clear the backlog of unaudited accounts by the end of the year.

She said SEs must prioritise the preparation of management and audited accounts to help reduce infractions cited in the annual Auditor-Generals reports.

Specified Entities are state-owned enterprises, joint venture companies and other state entities in which the state has interest, wholly or partly.

Mrs Osei-Opare was speaking at a meeting in Accra yesterday where the management of SIGA presented a report of investigations into infractions by SEs cited in the 2021 Auditor-Generals report to her for onward submission to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

As we are aware, the problem of non-compliance with financial reporting requirements is a historical one which has plagued the public sector for many years, she said.

At the meeting were the CEO of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Frank Mante, and the Deputy Auditor-General, Godfred Addison.

Compliance

Mrs Osei-Opare said the Auditor-General's report on the accounts of public boards, corporations and other statutory institutions for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2021, highlighted operational and financial irregularities caused by SEs failure to adhere to controls in 2021.

As a result, she said, the President charged SIGA and the Auditor-Generals Department to investigate the causes of infractions cited in the 2021 Audit Report, identify persons responsible and make recommendations as prescribed by law.

The final report as presented today shows the commitment of the technical committee, and I commend you all for expeditiously undertaking this assignment, the Chief of Staff said.

According to her, the government was committed to finding lasting solutions to issues of non-compliance with financial reporting requirements.

Mrs Osei-Opare, therefore, urged all SEs to mainstream appropriate implementation measures to carry out the recommendations detailed in SIGAs investigative report.

She also tasked the SEs to prepare management responses to audit queries and red flags raised by auditors, and keep an updated Asset Register and land title registrations at all times.

I am confident that with effective collaboration, the implementation of these recommendations will see the public sector assume its envisioned role as a bedrock of the nation's economy, the Chief of Staff said.

Commitment

The Minister of Public Enterprises, Joseph Cudjoe, also called for commitment in the implementation of the recommendations in the report.

He said his outfit and SIGA had agreed on possible sanctions for entities that refused to implement the recommendations.

According to Mr Cudjoe, most of the infractions cited in the Auditor-Generals report had to do with non-compliance rather than corruption.

Collaboration

For his part, the Director-General of SIGA, Edward Boateng, said SEs were expected to implement the recommendations of the report to contribute to the nations Gross Domestic Product.

He said SIGA planned to collaborate with SEs to embark on an asset registration and valuation exercise this year to ensure that entities had ownership of assets to leverage for growth.
Alan Kyerematen woos clergy support for presidential campaign

Graphic.com.gh Politics Jan - 25 - 2023 , 09:36

Former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen says he will work closely with the clergy if elected as the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and eventually President of Ghana.

He said this when he held a breakfast meeting with some clergymen in Accra on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.

Describing politics and religion as 'two sides of the same coin', at the meeting, Mr Kyerematen said the bond between politics and religion is interwoven, adding that they 'two varied ways of leadership'.

"Both politics snd religion revolve around leadership and followership, while politicians take care of the physical wellbeing of the people, the clergy takes care of their spiritual wellbeing", the former Trade and Industry Minister told the clergy present.

He cited his Great Transformational Plan (GTP), recently launched in his national broadcast, as one of many prospects to steer the affairs of the nation to prosperity.

"When Ghana prospers, the people of Ghana will also prosper", the former Trade Minister and Industry said.

He promised to continually exhibit humility and leadership of service to the people, which has always been his hallmark.

Mr Kyerematen was accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Patricia Christabel Kyerematen and their two sons.
Banda MP offers scholarship packages to constituents

Biiya Mukusah Ali Politics Jan - 25 - 2023 , 09:02

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Banda in the Bono Region, Ahmed Ibrahim, has offered scholarship packages to 137 needy tertiary students in the constituency at a total cost of GH343,900.

The beneficiary students are in the first, second, third and fourth years in various tertiary institutions, including colleges of education, nursing training colleges and technical universities.

Funded from the MP's share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) and Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), it is to cater for tuition fees and academic research for the 2022/2023 academic year.

The packages range between GH1, 000 and GH10, 000, depending on the amount of money quoted on the admission or school fee letters of the beneficiaries.

In addition, the scheme managers in the area have received 42 fresh applications to access the fund to enable them to pursue tertiary education.

50 doctors in 10 years

Speaking to journalists after the presentation, Mr Ibrahim, who is also the Deputy Minority Chief Whip in Parliament, said a plan had been put in place in the constituency to produce 50 medical doctors in the next 10 years, through the scholarship scheme.

He said so far, the scheme had sponsored seven medical doctors from the constituency, explaining that producing 50 doctors in the next 10 years would not be a lip service.

Mr Ibrahim said out of the amount paid, GH243, 900 was from the MP's share of the DACF and GH100, 000 from the GETFund.

Meeting SDGs

He was optimistic that the constituency would meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals one, two and eight (SDGs) by 2030 which aimed at reducing poverty, ensuring zero hunger and creation of decent jobs, respectively.

Mr Ibrahim said he was passionate about the empowerment of the vulnerable in the constituency, explaining that in 2009, when he became MP, there were only 12 tertiary students in the area, but through hard work, the figure had increased to about 300 in 2022.

Engineering programmes

Mr Ibrahim said the constituency had planned to focus on engineering education, explaining that engineering was the way to go.

He said countries such as China concentrated on engineering and explained why it had become the manufacturing hub of the world.

He, therefore, encouraged junior and senior high school students to pursue courses such as Medicine, Engineering and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
CPP poised to win 2024 elections - Nana Sarpong Kumankumah

Delali Sika Politics Jan - 25 - 2023 , 09:22

The Chairperson of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Nana Akosua Frimpongmaa Sarpong Kumankumah, has stated that the party is poised and ready to win the 2024 elections.

She said the party was taking the necessary steps to make this dream a reality.

The road to victory has started for us with the holding of committee meetings with all party leaders in the various regions and constituencies. From the meetings, we agreed that it was time to take over the governance of this country. We want the whole world, especially the diaspora and the youth in particular to know that the CPP is poised to take over power.

The country has given the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) enough chances to prove themselves but the results are nothing to write home about. It is on this note that we are going hard this time around, she noted.

Reactivation

The Cpp chairperson, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of a press briefing held last Thursday, added that the committee meeting was also to strategise on how to reactivate the energies of Ghanaians towards the Grand Mobilisation Drive, of the party, particularly among members of the party who left due to one reason or the other.

Come join and take over the party. So that you can take over the governance of this nation. That is what CPP has done. At the meeting, we agreed to open the doors to the polling stations, a lot of positions have been opened. And everybody is welcome to join the party so that we can go there and put all the good ideas to build the nation, to make the nation work for us, she said.

Future leaders

Acknowledging the fact that the youth were the future leaders of a country, Nana Sarpong Kumankumah called on them to rally behind the party this time around, as they worked to bring change, stressing that we would be a country you can inherit when we are gone.

All the youth who are confused, not sure what to do and are frustrated with the two parties, who are looking for an alternative, looking to put in their quota in governing this nation, this is the time for you, she noted.

Track record

Nana Sarpong Kumankumah cited the achievements of the founder, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, as an indication that the CPP has a track record of making things happen.

Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah is the root, the father and founder of the nation for which reason we have the Ghana we are enjoying today. Dr Nkrumah within a very short time was able to lead the CPP and everything that matters in Ghana was formed. We have done it and we can do it, our records are there, she said.
Decision to reshuffle Minority leadership in Parliament 'undemocratic' - Dominic Ayine

Graphic.com.gh Politics Jan - 25 - 2023 , 14:43

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East, Dr Dominic Ayine, has reacted to the reshuffle of the leadership of the Minority in Parliament and said it was an "undemocratic decision".

He said the internal organisation of a political party must conform to democratic principles and its actions and purposes shall not contravene or be inconsistent with the Constitution or any other law.

Based on that, he said, the question remained whether or not dictating the leadership of the Minority Caucus from the NDC party head office conformed with democratic principles.

He said the most democratic way for a party to choose its parliamentary leaders would have been for Members of Parliament to meet, deliberate, nominate and elect their leadership in consultation with the party.

Anything falling short of that would come close to democracy if there are consultations and the building of consensus but what has happened now, with all due respect to the partys leadership, falls short of being a democratic decision, he said.

Take second look

Dr Ayine, a former Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice called on the national leadership to accord reasons why it took the decision.

The Minority Caucus must be told why the new appointments had been made to legitimise the appointment, he told the Daily Graphic.

Describing the new crop of leaders Dr Forson, Messrs Buah and Agbodza  as fantastic legislators and a great team that could competently handle the front bench of the Minority, Dr Ayine, however said procedurally what has happened undermines the legitimacy of their leadership.

The procedure that has been used will ultimately raise a storm that will eat into their legitimacy as leaders and they need to weather that storm very well for us not to sink the ship of the Minority in Parliament, he added.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Bawumia calls for bi-partisan approach to fix economy

Daily Graphic Politics Jan - 25 - 2023 , 17:18

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, has called for a bi-partisan approach to fix the prevailing economic challenges in the country.

He said the government was also working assiduously to address the difficulties the people were going through.

Dr Bawumia made the call during a courtesy call on him by the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, Rev. Stephen Wengam, in Accra.

He expressed appreciation to the church for praying for the country, especially in these trying moments, while urging the clergy to also use the pulpit to preach religious tolerance and unity.

The Vice-President praised the Assemblies of God, Ghana for being the first pentecostal church to use social action activities to evangelise in the country besides investing in the establishment of 350 schools.

He congratulated the newly elected leadership of the church and wished them well.

Rev. Wengam was accompanied by the Executive Presbytery officers and other leaders of the church.

National progress

The General Superintendent said that the Assemblies of God had the nation at heart for which reason they always prayed for the progress of the country.

He expressed the confidence that the current negotiations with the International Monetary Fund would crystalise into a successful deal.

As part of our one-week prayer and fasting programme, prayers were said for the country in all Assemblies of God churches throughout the country, Rev. Wengam said.

He added that in line with the biblical injunction to pray for the government and people in authority, the church shall continue to lift up prayers until the nations economic circumstances improved.

Rev. Wengam, however, appealed to the Vice-President as the Chairman of the Economic Management Team of the government to use his good offices to ensure that individual bondholders and other vulnerable groups were spared the outcomes of any economic measures.

Commendation

Rev. Wengam commended the Vice-President for his instrumental role in promoting religious harmony in the country.

He said Dr Bawumias visit to churches, in particular, and the Christian community in general had made significant impact, adding that in the biblical perspective, it signified living peacefully with all men and women.

Rev. Wengam further described the Vice-President as a role model of peace, especially for countries hit by religious tensions and conflicts.

Induction

Meanwhile, Rev. Wengam will be inducted into office on February, 25, 2023.

The event will come off at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre, in Accra.

In attendance will be Assemblies of God General Superintendents from Singapore, Tanzania, Liberia, Nigeria, Europe, Togo, Mali, among others.
Fulfill election of MMDCEs pledge - PPP to President

Samuel Duodu Politics Jan - 25 - 2023 , 09:41

The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) has reiterated its call on the President to redeem his pledge of allowing for the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

This, the party said, would be the best legacy the president could leave for Ghanaians as his tenure comes to near end.

In the 2016 manifesto of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) chapter 13 page 141, the President in his campaign promised to oversee the election of MMDCEs within 24 months in office to coincide with the next district assemblies elections in 2019. This, the Nana Akufo-Addo administration failed to fulfil because the government did not show faith and had no political will to amend the constitutional provisions to allow the election to happen, the National Secretary of the PPP, Remy Paa Kow Edmundson, said in an interview with the Daily Graphic.

Fast forward in the 2020 manifesto of the NPP, chapter 2 page 19 under good governance, the President again pledged to pursue vigorously the national decentralisation programme, a position the President emphasised in the 2021 state of the nation address, he added.

Reminder

Mr Edmundson therefore reminded the President that pursuing a vigorous national decentralisation programme could only mean allowing citizens to decide who led them at the district assembly level as chief executive, thus his pledge must be redeemed.

We believe if citizens are competent enough to elect a President and a Member of Parliament, they must be granted same opportunity to also elect their chief executives at the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.

We want to reiterate our call for the amendment of Article 243(1) by Parliament to enable the election of MMDCEs. Also, Article 252 (2) should be amended by Parliament to increase the allocation of district assemblies common fund to not less than 10 per cent of total revenues of Ghana to the assemblies in order to adequately resource them, he said.

This, the PPP National Secretary said, was the only way to ensure accountability and development brought to the various districts, adding that it was time citizens were allowed to hold accountable, leaders at the districts and also reduce the powers of the executives in the local governance system so that the people benefit from the democratic dividends.

Background

In 2019, President Akufo-Addo pulled the brakes on the referendum on the election of MMDCEs.

But the President could not be blamed for halting the process, because he wanted a non-partisan consensus on the issue when he realised there was no consensus, he had no option but to halt the process.

As part of the reforms, the NPP government sought an amendment to Article 55 (3) of the Constitution to allow for multiparty participation in the districts, while amending Article 243 (1) to pave way for the election of MMDCEs.

However, the national referendum scheduled for December 17, 2019, was truncated for lack of adequate public knowledge and broad-based consensus on the reforms.

The situation compelled the government to withdraw the two bills that sought to amend Articles 55(3), an entrenched provision in the 1992 Constitution and 243(1).

The two Bills were seeking to allow the participation of political parties in local level elections by being able to sponsor candidates and to also make the election of MMDCEs possible by taking away the powers of the President to appoint them.

Survey

In a recent survey by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), 76 per cent of Ghanaians wanted the election of MMDCES, while 71 per cent of them wanted the election to be conducted on non-partisan basis.

Currently, MMDCEs are appointed by the President with the approval of not less than two-thirds majority of the members of the assembly present and voting at the meeting.
NDC battle ready, Ato Forson not a 'novice' - Ransford Gyampo

Graphic.com.gh Politics Jan - 25 - 2023 , 14:59

Sharing his views on the the reshuffle in the leadership of the Minority in Parliament, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Legon, Ransford Gyampo has said the changes was no surprise to him.

He said the battle for the soul of Ghana in the lead-up to the 2024 general election would be fought on the grounds of the economy and finance.

And so, I believe that the battle needed somebody who could pontificate on matters of the economy on the floor of Parliament as a way of giving hope to Ghanaians and as a way of letting the international community know the stance of the Minority in Parliament on matters germane to the economy of Ghana, he said.

Prof. Gyampo added that the 2024 election was not going to be an easy battle as things were very hard and not going on well today, and things may turn around.

Therefore, a party that is seeking to annex power in the next elections cannot be complacent, he said.

Prof. Gyampo also stated that the reshuffle pointed to the fact that the NDC party was battle-ready, since the economy and finance issues would be dominating much of the issues that would shape voter behaviour in the next elections.

Haruna Iddrisu is not an economist but a sociologist and lawyer from the University of Ghana and so you need somebody who has grasp over the economy to be able to pontificate matters of the economy, the political scientist said.

When you bring Cassiel Ato Forson, you free Isaac Adongo so that he can also be a Ranking Member on the Finance Committee and he can look at matters of finance, while Ato Forson looks at the economy, Prof. Gyampo posited.

Forson has what it takes

Describing Dr Forson as not being a novice in Parliament, Prof. Gyampo indicated that the MP was an experienced person as he served as a Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning of the country.

I believe that he has what it takes to properly position the NDC party in bracing themselves to use matters of the economy to determine how ideas are contested in the coming electioneering campaign, Prof. Gyampo said.

Regional dynamics

Analysing changes in the Minority Whip position, the governance expert said the Greater Accra and the Volta regions were two areas that tended to produce the highest numbers of MPs for the NDC.

With reports that Dr Klutse Avedzi would not return to the next Parliament, he said: If you want to give representation to the regions that tend to give the numbers in terms of seats for your party in Parliament then you do not have to relegate the Volta Region to the background.

If Avedzi is leaving, Agbodza can replace him, Prof. Gyampo said, and also considered the appointment of Mrs Cudjoe-Ghanasah as a major decision that would help the NDC pull votes from the Greater Accra Region.

On the First Deputy Whip being maintained, he said when the Bono Region was created, it was only Mr Ahmeds constituency  Banda  that gave a seat to the NDC in Parliament.

In the 2020 elections, Mr Ahmed worked very hard to get 50-50 representation for his party in the region and for such a person you cannot easily push him aside, the Political Science professor said.

With the NDC party being recognised as a party of northerners, he said the reshuffle would ensure a balance in regional leadership representation.

The Speaker is a northerner; Haruna Iddrisu, Muntaka and the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the NDC are northerners and their presidential candidate is also a northerner.

But the Akan areas that account for about 60 per cent of the electorate in Ghana do not have that kind of frontal representation and so if they decided to go for a Central Regional man in the name of Ato Forson to be Minority Leader and Kofi Buah to represent the Western Region, that is good, Prof. Gyampo added.
Volta Trucks confirmed customer production orders for the first 300 manufacturing slots of its full-electric Volta Zero, with an associated revenue of more than 85 million.





Series production Volta Zeros are due to start rolling off the line of the companys contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria, in early Q2 2023, with the plant ready to meet the demand for its purpose-built full-electric medium-duty urban delivery truck.

Volta Trucks has previously communicated pre-orders of 6,500 trucks; those pre-orders are in relation to all markets and all models, including those in future years. The firm orders referenced above are solely for the full-electric 16-tonne Volta Zero for 2023 production and delivery to customers.
A streaming TV veteran is returning to the small screen in a new Apple TV+ drama series, Dear Edward, which premieres Feb. 3.

Taylor Schilling of the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black is part of the ensemble cast of the new series based on the Ann Napolitano novel of the same name. Dear Edward follows the saga of a 12-year-old boy who is the only survivor of a plane crash.

The resulting friendships, romances and communities formed as a result of the tragedy are explored in the drama. Schilling portrays the childs aunt. Colin OBrien plays Edward. Connie Britton of TVs Nashville and Friday Night Lights also stars.

Expectations run high for Dear Edward. Writer and executive producer Jason Katims is responsible for other popular TV series, including Friday Night Lights, Roswell and Parenthood.

For viewers who arent into relationship dramas, a selection of options will be dropping, too. We have compiled highlights of what else is coming to Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Netflix in February. (Stateside premiere dates are listed.)

More to Stream on Apple TV+

Feb. 17, Hello Tomorrow!: Billy Crudup stars in this retro-future series that revolves around a group of traveling salesmen peddling lunar timeshares. Can you say quirky?

Feb. 24, Liaison: Vincent Cassel and Eva Green are in the cast of this thriller that explores how the mistakes of the past can destroy the future. OK, then.

Apple TV+ movie night

Feb. 17, Sharper: This thriller filled with secrets and lies is set amongst New York Citys bedrooms, lounges and boardrooms. Think movies about con jobs. Sebastian Stan, Julianne Moore and John Lithgow are among the cast of characters competing in a high stakes game of ambition, greed, lust and jealousy.

What to Stream on Amazon Prime Video

Feb. 3, Harlem: Season two continues to follow four stylish and ambitious best girlfriends in Harlem NYC, the mecca of Black culture in America.

Feb. 17, Carnival Row: Season Two picks up with former inspector Philo (Orlando Bloom) investigating a series of gruesome murders.

Feb. 24, The Consultant: When a new consultant, Regus Patoff (Christoph Waltz), is hired to improve the business at the app-based gaming company CompWare, employees experience new demands and challenges in this comedic-thriller series. The plot is based on the novel by Bentley Little.

Amazon Prime Video movie night

Available Friday, Shotgun Wedding: Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) gather their families for the ultimate destination wedding just as the couple begin to get cold feet. Then, the wedding party is taken hostage. Out in theaters for several weeks now, this rom-com arrives on streaming ahead of Valentines Day.

What to Stream on Hulu

Available now, How I Met Your Father: Season two continues following Sophie (Hilary Duff) and friends who are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps.

Feb. 9, Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence: Fans of docuseries might want to watch this. The series follows the Larry Ray cults origins in 2010 on the Sarah Lawrence campus until its recent demise, when the last members find their own paths to survival.

Hulu movie night

Feb. 24, Bruiser: Out in theaters in December, this drama explores toxic masculinity and its impact on a 14-year-old boy, who gets beaten during a fight.

What to Stream on Netflix

Feb. 2, Freeridge: This coming-of-age comedy follows sibling rivals Gloria and Ines and their friends Demi and Cameron. Theres a dark curse involved so you know there will be some drama too.

Feb. 9, My Dad the Bounty Hunter: Animated action-comedy series is about siblings Lisa and Sean, who stow away on their dads latest work trip, hoping to finally get some quality time together. Trouble ensues.

Netflix movie night:

Feb. 20, Operation Finale: This previously released drama stars Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac in a story that details the daring mission to capture Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust.
From left, University of Guam Sea Grant aquaculture specialist David Crisostomo, Guahan Sustainable Culture President Michelle Crisostomo and Guahan Sustainable Culture Vice President Marlyn Oberiano feed tilapia fish in the GSC aquaculture tank. A workshop on aquaculture will be held Jan. 28, 2023, at Sagan Kotturan CHamoru in Tamuning.
Attorney General Douglas Moylan has asked the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authoritys Board of Commissions to have an attorney review a letter by Deputy Director Fernando Esteves sent in December to newly elected officials, including Moylan.

In a release and letter to the board, Moylan said there were legal and factual errors in the Dec. 6, 2022, letter.

The letter listed the rules for disclosing conflicts of interest that government officials who oversee GHURA, and their immediate family members, need to follow.

He said there also were incorrect statements made to the board about the role of the attorney general during its meeting Tuesday.

It is my understanding that GHURA is not a line department under the direct legal purview of the attorney general, said Moylan.

He said GHURA is an autonomous agency with an independent Board of Commissioners and, as such, has been previously adjudicated to be outside the direct control of the attorney general.

Moylan requested the board have its legal counsel review Esteves statements.

In response, Esteves told the PDN he stands by what he submitted in the letter and his analysis and recommendations to the board.

I stated that as attorney general, he has functions and responsibilities to GHURA, not that the attorney generals office has oversight, Esteves said.

Esteves said the Jan. 24 board meeting packet, which contains his presentation and supporting documents, is available on GHURAs website for review at ghura.org/fiscal-year-2023.
Attorney General Douglas Moylan on Wednesday told Guams business community representatives his office has started working with federal authorities on the process of deporting immigrants convicted of crimes on the island.

The Office of the Attorney General, he said, now has personnel that are actively identifying people that are not from Guam, not U.S. citizens, that can be deported under the federal governments dollar. They have been actively working with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security on this, he said, adding the Guam delegate is working on the issue.

The deportation issue, Moylan said, also will be included in plea agreements, giving an opportunity for these individuals that arent from Guam to get off Guam and to not return.

The government of Guam under former Gov. Eddie Calvo, a Republican, commuted the sentences of migrant convicts, mostly from the Freely Associated States, so they could be deported by federal officials instead of remaining locked up or on probation at Guam taxpayer expense. Democrat Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero didnt continue the practice.

Moylan, the Chamber of Commerces first guest speaker for the year, shared other ongoing efforts to address crime and reduce catch-release-reoffend cases, many of which involve methamphetamine, or ice.

If a person whos on trial breaks the judges order to stay home and then commits other crimes, the attorney generals office will now go in front of the judge, Moylan said, to ask the judge to put the person back in jail and to remain there until the trial.

The personal recognizance bonds are jokes, he said, pointing to several instances in which a person violates a court order to stay home and then reoffends or hurts more people and nobody ever takes them up on paying that personal recognizance bond because there is no ability to collect it in court, in my opinion.

Instead of building a commissary for inmates, the Department of Corrections, he said, should be making more rooms for prison beds.

People caught bringing drugs into prison should spend days in jail, which he said wasnt done in some cases during the prior AGs term.

He said his preference is to take drug cases dealing with a distribution network to the federal government.

The jurists in my opinion are much more strict in federal court. The process is faster and the punishment is very severe and direct and these individuals could be sent off Guam, he said.

Moylan also said hes for drug treatment of addicts but not when a meth addict, he said, is in the community.

Im for treatment when (a convict) gets into the facility, he said. We cannot be allowing meth addicts into our community. The pattern of history with them is too dangerous to risk our loved ones. Its like Russian roulette.

Convicted pedophiles, he said, should spend a lifetime in prison.

Throw the key away, he said.

Moylan also answered questions and concerns from Chamber members.

Teresa Kasperbauer, general manager for G4S, said the company has been having issues with cannabis, now legal on Guam. G4S is a federally contracted company so it has to do drug testing.

And its unfortunate because time and time again, we have to let go of (workers) because people ... say they didnt know (cannabis) was in the brownies, she said.
James Moylan, Guams delegate to Congress. addresses the Rotary Club of Tumon Bay during the organizations meeting Dec. 13, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Guam.
After a video showing a man beating a dog was widely circulated on social media Wednesday, police made an arrest in the case.

Daren James Quinata, 19, of Santa Rita-Sumai, has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and conspiracy, according to Guam Police Department spokeswoman Officer Berlyn Savella.

Quinata was confined at the Department of Corrections.

In addition, a 13-year-old boy was taken into custody and confined at the Department of Youth Affairs.

The case was forwarded to the attorney generals office and family courts.

The video showed a man brutally beating a dog, smiling, posing and laughing afterward.

The man wearing a white T-shirt, beige-colored cargo shorts and slippers was seen holding what appeared to be a large wooden plank.

He approached a dog and immediately hit the animal with a great deal of force, causing the dog to fall to the ground. He then went to the dog and hit it again as it was running away, laughing and smiling during the ordeal.

Meanwhile, the person recording the attack could be heard laughing and cheering on the dogs attacker.

Police described it as "a disturbing post depicting a helpless animal being beaten with a blunt object while the person behind the camera cheered on."

The video was shared in neighborhood watch groups and community chats as concerned viewers pleaded for people who recognized the man in the video to come foward.

Savella said patrol officers from Southern Precinct recognized the location from a previous case, and an officer "observed a male individual who fit the description of the person seen on the video."

"The Guam Police would like to give thanks to community and media partners in providing information which assisted and lead to the apprehension and arrest," Savella said.
Have you ever thought about working in the National Weather Service?

Many people ask me about my job in the National Weather Service: What is it like? What do you do on a daily basis? Do you just watch the radar spin? Is there a lot of math? Whats the hardest part of the job? Whats the easiest part? Is it stressful? Are you on TV? And many, many more questions.

Prior to COVID, we welcomed school and college groups to our office for tours and discussions. We also visited schools to talk about careers in the National Weather Service and weather.

In 2022, we again opened our doors to the public for visits and we have quite a few already scheduled.

Tomorrow morning we will host a few dozen students from a local elementary school in what should be a fun and exciting visit for the kids and the National Weather Service staff. Perhaps we will be able to inspire some of those young minds.

Once in a while, our office and other NWS field offices across the nation have internships for students to work for a couple of months to learn about the National Weather Service, experience the office culture and work on projects that assist in office operations or impact the community in some form of educational engagement. The NWS will soon be posting information for this years summer internship opportunities.

This is a great summer opportunity for students on Guam or in the Commnwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, who may be interested in a career in meteorology, math, science, computers or as an electronic technician.

This is an opportunity I wish I could have had while in school, to visit a weather service field office and experience what it is like. My first time in a field office was here in the NWS Guam office on Day 1 of my career.

So what are the requirements and how do you apply? First, you have to set up an account at www.usajobs.gov, the U.S. governments federal jobs page. Second, look for the job series 1399 or Physical Scientist. Third, select the location you would like to apply (for Guam, type in Barrigada). Typically, there will be internship opportunities for students all over the U.S., including in Hawaii and American Samoa.

Be sure to carefully read through the job overview, duties, qualifications and requirements. It can be a tedious and complicated process. Focus and you will succeed. A couple key requirements are: You must be a U.S. citizen, you must be a student enrolled in a qualifying educational institution and you must be registered for the Selective Service.

When should you apply? Soon! The window for applications is not yet open, but will open soon, later this month or in February, so get your accounts set up, and update your resumes.
Ron McNinch is a longstanding member of the Guam community and frequently gives his opinion on a wide range of topics.
Vicente Ben Blaz. Today, in an official ceremony in Asan, the Marine Corps base on Guam will be named for Blaz.
South Africa: De Lille to award built environment bursaries

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Patricia de Lille, will on Thursday hand over bursaries to matriculants, who have enrolled to study various built environment courses at universities across the country, for the 2023 academic year.

The awarding of the bursaries forms part of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructures Skills Pipeline Programme. This is part of governments efforts to bring more skilled professionals into the public sector, specifically the built environment.

As part of building a capable and ethical State, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) annually awards bursaries to pupils in need of financial assistance, who display excellence and have been accepted for courses in the built environment for their tertiary education.

The DPWI has a bursary programme linked to the overall Skills Pipeline project, where pupils are encouraged at school level to consider careers in the built environment.

Another key aim of the DPWI Bursary Programme is to remove financial barriers by providing funding to disadvantaged students to access built environment qualifications.

The programme further aims to increase the number of built environment professionals from previously disadvantage groups to represent the demographics of the country and ensure transformation of the built environment sector.

The programme also serves as a feeder to the departments Internship and Young Professionals Programme, which contributes to the pool of qualified built environment professionals serving the State in the delivery of infrastructure projects.

The bursary accommodates the following study areas: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Marine Engineering, Property Studies / Real Estate, Actuarial Science, Quantity Surveying, Construction Project Management, Landscape Architecture, Architecture and Town and Regional Planning.

The bursary covers tuition, accommodation, meals, textbooks, projects, compulsory study resources and a monthly allowance.

Over the past nine years, the DPWI has awarded bursaries to 452 students since the programme started in 2014, an investment of R160 million.

This year, De Lille will hand over bursaries to more than 70 students who recently matriculated and have been accepted to study at various universities.

Many of the students have achieved excellent results in the recent matric exams, many of them achieving distinctions in Maths and Physics.

De Lille will hand over bursary award certificates to the students at a ceremony where previous bursary beneficiaries will also give testimonials on how these bursaries have assisted them to enter and thrive in careers in the built environment.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-01-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree approving the "Agreement between the Russian Government and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan on cooperation and interaction to coordinate the development of crossing points across the Azerbaijan-Russia border and access roads to them".

This agreement was signed in Baku on November 17, 2022.

After the agreement enters into force, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport and the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan should ensure the implementation of its provisions, and the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry should notify the Russian government of the implementation of domestic procedures required for the agreement.
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Published on 2023/01/24 | Source

Actor Na Chul's send-off was strictly observed on the 23rd.

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On the morning of the 23rd, the funeral of the late Na Chul was carried out at the funeral hall of Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

The burial site of the deceased is Byeokje Seunghwawon in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do.

The late Na Chul died on the 21st while being treated at a hospital for poor health while playing as a scene stealer in various works. He was 36 years old.

Actress Kim Go-eun, who was close to the deceased during her lifetime, said on her Instagram, "I'm sorry I couldn't be with you until the end. Thank you for making such precious times", she wrote in memory.

"I don't know what was so urgent, but it will be better than here. I'll protect the remaining two treasures, don't worry", she added.

In addition, actors Uhm Ji-won, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Dong-hwi, and Choi Hee-seo expressed their condolences.

Meanwhile, the late Na Chul appeared in dramas such as "Vincenzo", "Through the Darkness", and "Weak Hero Class 1".
Published on 2023/01/24 | Source

Actor Park Ji-bin has confirmed his appearance in "The Killer's Shopping Mall" (tentative title).

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Based on writer Kang Ji-yeong's novel, "The Killer's Shopping Mall" is an action drama in which a nephew who lost his parents and grew up in the hands of an uncle who runs a shopping mall, faces a new truth after his uncle's sudden death. It is scheduled for eight episodes and is currently under discussion.

Park Ji-bin appeared as 'Fish' in the original tvN drama "The Killer's Shopping List" last year, which was written by Kang Ji-yeong. Through this work, Park Ji-bin will work with actors Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun.

Meanwhile, Park Ji-bin has recently appeared on tvN's "The Killer's Shopping List", KBS 2TV's "Bloody Heart", and tvN's "Blind - 2022", continuing his acting career.
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Published on 2023/01/25 | Source

New posters added for the Korean movie "The Point Men" (2020)

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Directed by Yim Soon-rye

With Hwang Jung-min, Hyun Bin, Kang Ki-young, Jeon Sung-woo, Park Hyoung-soo, Ahn Chang-hwan,...

Synopsis

Based on the true events of the Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan.

A group of Korean tourists is taken hostage by an extremist Taliban group in Afghanistan. The Korean government dispatches Jae-ho (Hwang Jung-min), known as one of Korea's most skilled diplomats, in order to handle the situation. Once he arrives, he asks for the Afghan government's cooperation and uses every means possible to free the hostages. However, his efforts go in vain. Due to his failure, he's forced to work with Dae-sik (Hyun Bin), a special agent who is an expert on the Middle East. As they begin making their move to get to the Taliban, the first hostage death occurs. With nowhere else to turn, the two become unlikely allies in a race against time to save the rest of the hostages.

Release date in Korea : 2023/01/18
Published on 2023/01/24 | Source

The reality behind the melodramatic scenes of "The Interest of Love" and "Crash Course in Romance".

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The dramas reflect the dark side of our society, such as being frustrated in front of the walls of the class of melodrama main characters and accusing the seriousness of school violence. Furthermore, works that call for attention to the missing. Recently, dramas have actively played the role of popular culture called 'a mirror that reflects society'.

The drama "The Interest of Love" which is being broadcast on JTBC, is a melodrama and at the same time a drama that reflects the reality that love is useless in front of the walls of class. Against the backdrop of a bank, the 'invisible line' between Ha Sang-soo (Yoo Yeon-seok) an elite university graduate, Ahn Soo-yeong (Moon Ga-young) a high school graduate, bank superintendent Jeong Jong-hyeon (Jung Ga-ram), and Park Mi-kyeong (Keum Sae-rok), a PB team representative, plays a decisive role in forming these relationships. It shows a side of our society by showing the reality that it is not easy to overcome differences in educational background or wealth in the space of a bank where money comes and goes.

The reality of Korean private education hangs over the tvN drama "Crash Course in Romance", which depicts the romance between the owner of a side dish store and a Korean math instructor. Nam Haeng-seon (Jeon Do-yeon) and Choi Chi-yeol (Jung Kyung-ho), a popular star instructor, run a side dish store in Nokun-ro, the No. 1 private education center, raising a daughter in her second year of high school. Although the focus is on the romantic comedy genre, which happily depicts the entanglement of two different people, at the same time, there are naturally scenes that point to the reality of private education, such as episodes of high school students who can solidify their first grade only by taking classes by one-shot instructors.

In addition to the melodrama, the mystery thriller "Trolley" also featured a message pointing out society's prejudiced view of sexual harassment victims. The drama tells the story of the dilemma and choice faced by the couple as the secret of the wife of a lawmaker who lives quietly while hiding the past is revealed to the world. The sexual harassment of Kim Hye-joo (Kim Hyun-joo), the secret, comes to the surface, showing what kind of pain the victim had to suffer.

Even though she is a victim, the frustrating reality of the victim becoming a perpetrator for pushing the perpetrator to death is repeated in current reality, pointing out how scary the prejudiced gaze toward the victim is. In this way, not only works that put social messages at the forefront, but also genres such as melodrama and thrillers are actively reflecting social problems, drawing sympathy from viewers.

It also emphasizes its influence by expanding the message contained in the drama into a real problem. While the tvN drama "Missing: The Other Side - Season 2" currently broadcasts the pain of the families of the missing through the chase of 'soul-watching combination', which entered the soul village where the missing people gathered, it added meaning by releasing a campaign video with the main actors Go Soo, Huh Joon-ho, Lee Jung-eun, and Ahn So-hee. On top of that, behind the notice released online, it contains information on missing children and induces steady interest. It is even playing an active role in connecting the message of the drama with real problems to urge viewers' attention.

Viewers who encounter this are also actively responding to the message of the drama. While Netflix's original drama "The Glory" recently showed the seriousness of the problem through the desperate punishment of school violence victims, it is contributing to expanding its meaning by not forgetting the message of the drama, raising criticism toward the return of celebrities suspected of school violence. In Thailand as well as in Korea, the seriousness of the school violence problem emerged with "The Glory", which led to revelations of the actual victims, and celebrities identified as the perpetrators made public apologies.

Of course, popular culture always serves as a 'mirror to reflect society', but recently, it has been getting closer to viewers by capturing sensitive issues. The public is also actively sending messages of support to the message and expanding the meaning together, showing how much the ripple effect of the content can grow.
As a result of sheer negligence, Sri Lanka has ended up being categorized as a perpetrator of war crimes, and those who had fought for the country are mercilessly targeted.

by Shamindra Ferdinando

Liberal Democrats leader and MP for Surbiton, Edward Jonathan Davey, recently urged British Premier Rishi Sunaks government to follow Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau on the Sri Lanka war crimes issue. Obviously, Davey was referring to the unprecedented unilateral Canadian sanctions, recently imposed on former Presidents, Mahinda Rajapaksa (Nov. 2005-Jan. 2015) and Gotabaya Rajapaksa (2019  Nov.-2022 July).

The occasion was what the Tamil Guardian called a night of festive celebration, musical performances and classical dance, in Central Hall, in Westminster, to celebrate Thai Pongal and Tamil heritage month. The event was described as a joint effort by the British Tamil community.

Sri Lankan military supporting the wounded civilians during the conflict in North [Photo Credit: Sri Lanka Army]

The Tamil Guardian quoted Ed Davey as having declared that the Canadian decision to impose sanctions on the Rajapaksa brothers was absolutely right and that the time for fine words has gone.

The World Tamil Historic Society, Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, Tamils for Labour, Tamil Coordinating Committee, British Tamil Chamber of Commerce, and British Tamil Conservatives, contributed to the event.

As a result of sheer negligence, Sri Lanka has ended up being categorized as a perpetrator of war crimes, and those who had fought for the country are mercilessly targeted. There cannot be a better example than Air Marshal Sumangala Dias who suffered due to Sri Lankas failure. Canada refused to accept Dias as Sri Lankas High Commissioner though the former Sri Lanka Air Force Commander has never been under human rights scrutiny. Subsequently, the government proposed Dias as Sri Lankas Ambassador to Italy. That move, too, failed. Italy, as a member state of the EU, pursuing war crimes accusations against Sri Lanka, declined to accept the retired SLAF Chief. The Foreign Ministry should accept responsibility for its failure to brief the inept political leadership of the stand taken by Canada and Italy on this issue. In spite of knowing what would be the outcome, the Foreign Ministry allowed the normal process to go ahead. At the end, both Canada and Italy declined to accept the retired Air Chief. In fact, the Darusman report could have been used to counter lies. If acknowledged the discrepancy in the number of deaths caused during the final phase of the conflict. Darusman on the basis of unnamed sources alleged 40,000 deaths during Jan-May 2009 whereas the UN mission in Colombo on the basis of records made available by ICRC, hospitals et al reported between 7,000 and 8,000 deaths between August 2008 and May 2009.

There shouldnt be any issue over the celebration of Thai Pongal, Tamil heritage month, as well as the contribution the Tamil community made to British society, with the participation of British politicians.

British politicians, at such events, reflected the importance of the British Tamils, of Sri Lankan origin, as a significant vote bank.

The Westminster event was attended by several senior representatives of political parties, including Chairman of the Conservative Party, Nadhim Zahawi. The event reiterated commitment of all stakeholders, for justice and accountability.

Labour MP for Eastham, Stephen Timms, too, urged the British government to impose sanctions on individuals who, the British knew, were responsible for war crimes. The MP underscored the need for an independent, international investigation in the absence of a domestic reconciliation process in Sri Lanka.

Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, sent video messages, appreciating the contribution made by the British Tamil community.

In the wake of the UK MPs demand for sanctions on Sri Lanka, Foreign Secretary, Aruni Wijewardane, received UKs Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Sir Philip Barton, at the Foreign Ministry, in Colombo, on January 17. A lengthy statement, issued by the Foreign Ministry, described the discussion as a constructive bilateral engagement in the 75th year of UK-SL diplomatic relations. The visiting official was accompanied by British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Sarah Hulton.

The media release didnt indicate whether Sri Lanka will take up the contentious accountability issue, as the UK spearheads the high profile campaign against Sri Lanka. Therefore, the writer rationally ascertained that no other matter had been taken up at the discussion.

With the Canadian declaration that the Rajapaksa brothers, during Eelam War IV (2006-2009), perpetrated gross and systematic violations of human rights, the campaign against Sri Lanka has entered a new phase.

The international media quoted Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Joly, as having said that they took decisive action to end international impunity against violators of international law. The Canadian measures, include travel bans and asset freezes.

The latest action should be examined against the backdrop of the Canadian Parliament recognizing Tamil genocide in Sri Lanka.

Over 14 years, after the successful conclusion of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Sri Lanka is yet to counter lies. The failure on the part of successive governments to defend wartime political and military leaderships has facilitated the Western agenda. Sri Lankas bankruptcy has accelerated their despicable agenda.

Successive inept and treacherous Sri Lankan governments, and its often much compromised diplomatic service, never made a genuine attempt to set the record straight in Geneva, New York or Washington. In fact, they cooperated with those who propagated lies by conveniently failing to properly address issues at hand. Sri Lanka seemed determined not to defend its war against the LTTE, one of the half a dozen terrorist groups, formed by India.

Canada and the UK are not interested in inquiring into the origins of terrorism here. They do not care about the Tamils, who died in the hands of the Indian Army, during its deployment in the then temporarily merged Northern and Eastern Provinces. The loss of 1,300 officers, and men, and injuries suffered by more than double that figure in combat, during the period, 1987-1990, revealed the ferocity of fighting between one-time guardians of Sri Lankan terrorists and their students.

There had been numerous excesses and reprisals but such strategies were definitely not Indian policy at that time, but what happens in most wars. These Western paragons of virtue, what did their forces do, across the world, during the colonial past, and how do their law enforcers behave to this day, especially against blacks, natives in Canada, Australia and America.

Post-war national reconciliation hindered

During the war, there had been many excesses. The Sri Lankan military cannot, under any circumstances deny that fact. However, that hadnt been the government policy. Unfortunately, in the absence of a cohesive strategy, Sri Lanka remains accused of genocide, and the recent Canadian actions meant that the two Presidents were now categorized as war criminals.

But the billion dollar question is where is the justice for far greater war crimes, committed by the West, in places like Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, etc. Easily, more than a million innocent civilians would have perished by now, in these countries, because of those endless wars, fermented by the West on trumped up, or purely frivolous excuses, like Saddam Hussein is having weapons of mass destruction, or Gaddafi is butchering his own people, while everyone knew that a man like Saddam should be given a prize for keeping a divided nation, like Iraq, in one piece, or that Gaddafi was one of the most benevolent leaders in the entire world.

Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry, PC, in response to a query raised by the writer, at a Foreign Ministry media briefing, last year, said that sanctions had been imposed on entire fighting divisions. That was months before the categorization of the two Presidents as war criminals.

It would be a grave mistake, on the part of the Western community, to believe humiliation of the military would help post-war national reconciliation. On one hand, the Western community wants the Prevention of Terrorism (PTA) abolished, the remaining terror suspects released, and a one-time political arm of the vanquished LTTE, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) political demands met. On the other hand, the grouping wants the military punished on unsubstantiated war crimes allegations. Canadian measures are in line with that despicable strategy.

The Sri Lanka Parliament, as the supreme institution, should be ashamed of its pathetic response to the Western war crimes campaign. Sri Lanka has conveniently failed, at least to remind the Western community how R. Sampanthans TNA served the LTTE interests by declaring terrorist leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, the sole representative of the Tamil speaking people.

The TNA bestowed that honour, on the LTTE, in 2001. The Sri Lankan military restored the TNA as the principal political group in the Northern and Eastern provinces, after the elimination of the LTTE, militarily, in May 2009.

Instead of recognizing Sri Lankas achievement, the Western community has targeted Sri Lanka, basically for two reasons, namely (1) Colombos relationship with China and (11) the Diaspora factor.

Actually, Sri Lanka never had a strategy to counter lies. That is the undeniable truth. Incumbent UN Chief Antonio Guterress predecessor, Ban Ki-moon, once compared the Vanni offensive with that of Ruwanda and Serbia genocides in the 1990s. Former UN Secretary General, South Korean Ki-moon played his part to facilitate the Western agenda, in spite of his own mission, in Colombo, contradicting unsubstantiated accusations.

How SL facilitated Western strategy

Sri Lanka never made use of a golden opportunity, given by British Lord Naseby, in Oct. 2017, to prepare a solid defence of the armed forces. His stunning revelation, in the House of Lords, two years after Sri Lanka, under the shameful Yahapalana regime, co-sponsored accountability resolution against our own country, at the Geneva Human Rights Council, exposed the British duplicity.

On the basis of hitherto confidential dispatches from the British High Commission, in Colombo, during the last phase of the war  January-May 2009, the Conservative politician contradicted the very basis of the three-member UN Darusman report. This report, released on March 31, 2011, had been the primary reason for the 2015 accountability resolution that faulted the Sri Lanka Army.

The World War II fighter pilot fought a near three-year battle with the British administration to secure the confidential dispatches and was finally able to obtain a highly redacted version, to contradict the lies, in the second week of Oct. 2017. Although the then Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, PC, in his address to the UNHRC, made a reference to Lord Nasebys revelations, Sri Lanka never requested Geneva to examine the British dispatches.

The author of British dispatches, Lt. Col. Anthony Gash, has never challenged the authenticity of heavily censored dispatches, disclosed by Lord Naseby.

Sri Lanka, in June 2011, squandered a similar opportunity to make a strong case for a revisit of the one-sided Darusman report. The then US Defence Advisor, in Colombo, Lt. Col. Lawrence Smith, quite convincingly defended the Sri Lanka Army, at the 2011 Colombo Defence Seminar. The American contradicted unsubstantiated allegations, raised by a retired Indian Major General Ashok K. Metha, formerly of the infamous IPKF. Lt. Col. Smith must have made that declaration, based on information available to the US Embassy, in Colombo, as well as other dispatches from the war zone. And, most importantly, the American officer made the declaration within three months after the releasing of the Darusman report. Sri Lanka never used British and American dispatches in her defence.

Western powers continue to harass Sri Lanka on the basis of unsubstantiated war crimes accusations Geneva moves to further investigate Sri Lanka should be challenged as the previous accusations, that led to the 2015 Geneva resolution, remained uninvestigated.

According to the Darusman report (paragraph 23: Confidentiality of the Panels records), the accusations cannot be examined till 2031. This strange stipulation has a further clause stating that the time bar could be extended for a further period. We must be the only country not allowed to examine specific accusations, directed at its armed forces. Successive governments never took the entire gamut of issues, into consideration, before making representations, on behalf of the country.

The incumbent Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa administration is no exception. In spite of repeated vows to defend the armed forces, the previous Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led government pathetically failed in its duty and responsibility.

Sri Lankas handling of accusations, relating to the Mannar mass graves, during the Yahapalana administration, revealed how the Foreign and Defence Ministries neglected their responsibilities. But even after the change of government, in the wake of Gotabaya Rajapaksas victory at the 2019 presidential poll, Sri Lanka did nothing to change the strategy.

The Mannar mass grave lie was contradicted by a reputed Miami-based laboratory. It cleared the war-winning Sri Lanka Army of any responsibility for extra-judicial killings there. The independent carbon testing report, from the internationally recognized US laboratory, concluded that the victims likely died up to 615 years ago  predating even the first European colonization of the country by the Portuguese.

Sri Lankas Office on Missing Persons (OMP) funded the tests on the remains to determine whether the victims were killed, during the conflict.

But, by then, Geneva has directly blamed Sri Lanka for the Mannar Sathosa ground mass graves. The then Human Rights Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, audaciously went to the extent of referring to the Mannar mass grave site, in her annual report (section 23), submitted to the UNHRC. The following is the relevant section: On May 29, 2018, human skeletal remains were discovered at a construction site in Mannar (Northern Province), Excavations conducted in support of the Office on Missing Persons, revealed a mass grave from which more than 300 skeletons were discovered. It was the second mass grave found in Mannar, following the discovery of a site, in 2014. Given that other mass graves might be expected to be found in the future, systematic access to grave sites by the Office, as an observer, is crucial for it to fully discharge its mandate, particularly with regard to the investigation and identification of remains, it is imperative that the proposed reforms on the law relating to inquests, and relevant protocols to operationalize the law be adopted. The capacity of the forensic sector must also be strengthened, including in areas of forensic anthropology, forensic archaeology and genetics, and its coordination with the Office of Missing Persons must be ensured.

Geneva never expected the US report on Mannar mass graves to go against its strategy. The TNA, too, reacted as expected. The one-time LTTE ally never expected the US report to contradict high profile allegations. Colombo based diplomats, and foreign officials, visited the scene ,as interested parties propagated lies.

On behalf of the TNA, a lawmaker, representing the Vanni region, has called for a fresh testing in another lab in some other country. Our Vavuniya correspondent, Dinasena Ratugamage, quoted Mullaitivu District MP Nirmalanathan Sivamohan as having said: This is not to say that we do not accept the reports sent by a lab in Florida, US, but given the importance of the Mannar grave site we need to get a second opinion.

There were many other developments ranging from a spate of WikiLeaks revelations to political decisions that exposed the Western strategy. But, perhaps the irreversible defence of the military was provided by the Tamil community, living in the Northern and Eastern electoral districts, at the 2010 presidential election. The war-winning General Sarath Fonseka, in spite of suffering massive defeat in the hands of Mahinda Rajapaksa, comfortably won all predominately The Tamil speaking electoral districts, in those provinces, despite the TNA and the Tamil Diaspora, having accused him and his Army of committing war crimes. The Tamil community overwhelmingly responded to the TNAs call to vote for Fonseka, who contested as the common candidate, fielded by the UNP-led alliance that included the JVP.

Unfortunately, Sri Lanka never bothered to officially take up this development to counter propaganda. Even if the TNA asked for the Tamil community to vote for Fonseka, the electorate wouldnt have overwhelmingly done so unless it was convinced the eradication of the LTTE was a necessity.
Rikhard Manninen , the head of land use at the City of Helsinki, said officials oppose the idea of converting offices into flats due to the master city plan, which does not outright prohibit such conversions but prescribes that the amount of commercial space should not decrease in central Helsinki.

OFFICIALS at the City of Helsinki have rejected proposals to convert commercial premises into residential ones at the heart of the city, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

Converting an office into flats would thus require that the city create an equivalent amount of commercial space elsewhere in the city centre.

We want to preserve the downtown area. If one property owner is given the opportunity to convert commercial space for residential use, also the next property owner will soon be demanding that, he explained to the newspaper on 17 January.

Manninen added that the conversions also carry the risk of changing the nature of downtown Helsinki.

The realities have changed, however. Remote work became significantly more commonplace during the coronavirus pandemic, and not all employers are expected to require the same amount of office space they did before the pandemic. Manninen viewed that residential construction in the centre should be examined in conjunction with devising the master city plan.

We take these suggestions seriously in the sense that we think they should be examined with an open mind. The centre isnt immutable.

On the other hand, there isnt too much evidence to suggest theres no demand for commercial space downtown even though remote work has increased. Rents in the city centre have stayed high. Theres empty office space around the centre, he commented.

Helsingin Sanomat reminded that the amount of vacant commercial space in the centre has increased from pre-pandemic levels to around 15.5 per cent between October and November. The number of people moving in the area has similarly decreased noticeably from pre-pandemic levels, suggests mobile phone data.

Experts have estimated that an injection of residents could help to rejuvenate the city centre by creating demand for services.

Residents do bring demand for services. Thats why were trying to get even more out of the city centre, Manninen stated, pointing to an increase in residential zoning in areas near the city centre, such as Jatkasaari and Kalasatama.

Ville Lehmuskoski, the head of urban environments at the City of Helsinki, told Helsingin Sanomat that the problem would not be solved by a single block of flats, or roughly 100 new residents.

Although itd naturally rejuvenate the vitality of the city centre to some extent, the degree of improvement in vitality were pursuing will require measures that are many times as effective, he said.

The City of Helsinki, for example, is exploring the possibility and economic feasibility of building roofs over certain pedestrian-oriented spaces, such as Aleksanterinkatu and Keskuskatu. Such developments are being discussed in collaboration with businesses specifically in order to boost the vitality of the city centre.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
The Presidential couple will receive the Governor General at an official welcoming ceremony on Tuesday 7 February at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

Governor General of Canada Mary Simon will make a state visit to Finland from 6 to 10 February 2023. The visit will be hosted by President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinisto together with his spouse, Dr. Jenni Haukio .

The discussions between the President and the Governor General will focus on bilateral relations between Finland and Canada, security issues, climate change and Arctic cooperation. The day will conclude with a state dinner hosted by President Niinisto and Dr. Haukio at the Presidential Palace.

During her visit, Governor General Mary Simon will also meet Prime Minister Sanna Marin and First Deputy Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Antti Rinne. In addition, the Governor General's programme includes the laying of a wreath at Hietaniemi Cemetery, a visit to the Yrityskyla Helsinki-Vantaa learning environment for young people, and a meeting with Sami youth.

On Thursday 9 February, President Niinisto and Governor General Simon will visit Rovaniemi in Northern Finland. At the Arktikum Science Centre, the President and the Governor General will participate at a panel discussion on the impacts of climate change in the Arctic. The programme will continue with an introduction to Sami language teaching at Ylikyla primary school and a visit to Lapland Air Command.

President Niinisto made a state visit to Canada in October 2014.

HT

Source: Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Thai Military Generals have managed to subvert civil rule by manipulating the democratic process

by Ashok K. Mehta

Thailand, the favorite destination for Indian tourists, is an instructive case for the study of civil-military relations. Control of the military by civil authority, the accepted democratic norm, is frequently challenged by the Palace, the third player even though monarchy is constitutional. An election is around the corner on 7 May with the parliamentary term ending on 23 March. Currently, a coalition led by the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) the military which includes three Generals, all former Army Chiefs, has ruled the country since 2014. The two Generals in subordinate political positions are senior to the Prime Minister. The billionaire PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006, was followed by his sister Yingluck becoming Prime Minister later and now his daughter Paetongtarn is carrying the flag of Pheu Thai Party (PTP). King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Rama X, barred his elder sister, who renounced royalty, from contesting elections with Thaksins PTP. Shinawatra according to a report in The Bangkok Post in May 2005 had made arrangements with the Palace to control the Generals.

Thailands Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. [Photo Credit: Flickr/Prachatai]

The PPRP is led by Deputy Prime Minister, Pravit Wongsuwon, the senior most General; Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha juniormost General is PM with Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paochinda. Wongsuwon last month told reporters that his party will decide whether he will be PM but he prefers military life to political one. He was confident his party would remain in power as part of a coalition. The Sunday China Morning Post of December 2022 reported that three of four Thais think PTP should be in power and Paetongtarn was the favorite leader to end the decade-old military rule. The National Institute of Development Administration polls showed she was 10 percentage points ahead of Prayuth and PTP ahead of PPRP and other political parties. But unless all political parties unite against the Generals PPRP they have no chance of defeating them.

Brad Adams, director of Human Rights Watch said that the military has made itself invulnerable by framing laws to dissolve the main opposition party, control the Election Commission, and hand-pick the Senate (which decides on government formation) to thwart the will of the people. Wongsuwon publicly stated it is not difficult for his party to form a government as the Senate is controllable. Thai Generals have taken a leaf out of neighboring absolute military rulers of Myanmars 2008 constitution into their 2017 constitution. Only a landslide victory by a single party like the National League of Democracy of Aung San Suu Kyi achieved in 2021 (which resulted in the coup) can undo military rule in Thailand. The 2017 constitution allows the nomination of 250 Senators (mostly Army and Police) that can dilute the verdict of the 500-strong House of elected Representatives. Rules have been so framed that the military needs only one-third of the elected house for government formation. The Generals have given a civilian facade to the military government  to put it crudely  like a wolf in sheeps clothing.

The military (and police) in Thailand is one of the most politicized entities in this part of the universe. My Thai colleagues at Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth (US) in 1975 mentioned how they made their political choices while in the Military Academy. Recently, the constitution was believed to have been amended to give the King special powers and certain special forces placed under his command. The Army Chief 2018, the son of a former coup leader, led his officers on bended knees and folded hands, to swear an oath of allegiance to the King at Army Headquarters in Bangkok. Gen Prayuth outdid him saying: I will worship and protect monarchy. Generals are galore  for every 212 troops one flag rank officer. In India, 21,000 soldiers make one General. The Army has prepared a 20-year Strategic Development Plan which governments are required to follow.

Although absolute monarchy ended in 1932, the constitutional monarchy prevailed with the previous monarch the most revered King who ruled for 70 years, slightly less than the term of Queen Elizabeth II. It is not clear which way the pendulum is swinging in Palace-Military relations at present. South China Morning Post reported that normally the Army proposes and the King disposes of. Very strict laws exist on royal defamation under lese majeste  15 years in jail under Law 112 for expression against Monarchy. Protests for reforming monarchy erupted recently though mostly by youth who use code words to refer to their targets.

Two tragic events occurred last December  the sinking of a Thai warship with several sailors drowned; and the cardiac arrest of the Crown Princess (apparently first in the line of succession) still in a coma. The effects of the pandemic have struck a body blow to tourism, the mainstay of the economy. Fortunately, the tourist footfall in 2022 has crossed the 10mn mark.

India has strong and friendly relations with Thailand with 50,000 Indians gainfully employed from Gaggan Anands two Michelin Star restaurants to Gunjan Kumars mobile chana jor garam enterprise. Statues of Hindu gods and goddesses are dotted all over Thailand with many beautiful Tamil kovils. There are strong Buddhist links also with Thailand. The Shinawatra scion may give the Generals shivers but the ruling trio of Generals is bound to return for a third term four months from now.

Ashok K. Mehta is a radio and television commentator, and a columnist on defence and security issues. He is a former Major General of Indian Army. After joining the Indian Army in 1957, he was commissioned in the 5th Gorkha Rifles infantry regiment in the same year. He had fought in all major wars India went into, except the Sino-Indian War of 1962. And he was also on a peacekeeping mission in Zaire in the year 1962 and in the Indian Peace Keeping Force, Sri Lanka (1988-90) and it was his last assignment in the Indian Army. He is also a writer of several books and a founder-member of the Defense Planning Staff in the Ministry of Defence, India.
Haavisto on Tuesday stated in a press conference that he has discussed the recent hiccoughs in the accession process with both Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billstrom and Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg .

FINLAND and Sweden are continuing to work toward a simultaneous accession to Nato, assures Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (Greens).

With Billstrom, weve concluded that irrespective of all these objections Finland and Sweden will continue their joint journey to Nato. Well look to take measures together so that both countries can get their memberships ratified and we become Nato members at the same time, he was quoted saying in the Finnish Parliament by YLE.

Stoltenberg, he added, has similarly outlined that the objective is that the two countries accede to the defence alliance together.

Haavisto earlier yesterday stirred up concerns in Sweden by saying Finland should re-consider its commitment to moving forward with its neighbour in the event of a long-term standstill in the process for Sweden. Sweden has recently witnessed widespread protests against Turkey, including one where protesters burned a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said Sweden should no longer expect Turkeys support for its bid to join Nato.

These protesters are playing with the future of Finland and Sweden, Haavisto lamented on YLE Ykkosaamu on Tuesday.

Haavisto added later on Tuesday that Sweden is deeply concerned about the reaction of Turkey. He and Billstrom have estimated that the incident will translate to at least a weeks-long delay in the accession process.

I honestly dont think that after these events therell be any progress before the elections in Turkey [in May], he stated to reporters in the Parliament House.

Haavisto viewed that the applications could be ratified after the elections but before the Nato summit held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 1112 July 2023. The summit, he gauged, marks a key juncture in the process because the defence alliance has repeatedly drawn attention to its open-door policy.

Jussi Halla-aho, the chairperson of the Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee, on Tuesday said Finland should give some thought to how it would proceed if Hungary and Turkey chose to ratify its application but not that of Sweden.

If someone is of the opinion that, in that situation, Finland should refuse to join Nato, whose membership it is seeking based on its own needs, itd be good to articulate that opinion out loud, he commented yesterday evening on YLE A-studio.

Finland, he reminded, decided to seek membership in the defence alliance regardless of what happens in Sweden.

Making Finlands Nato membership conditional on another countrys membership sounds frankly pretty unusual to me, he remarked, viewing that it is not always advisable to state the obvious publicly. Theyre deliberately being turned into racy headlines that will probably have a bigger effect than what was intended.

The Finnish and Swedish accession protocols have been ratified by all Nato members except Hungary and Turkey.

CORRECTION: Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (Greens) appeared on YLE's Ykkosaamu on Tuesday, not on Monday, as this article originally claimed.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
A HAIRDRESSER is moving to Henley after 11 years in Wallingford.

Mary Handy Hair and Beauty will open at the former Rudi Kartal salon in Duke Street next month.

Owner Susan Handy, who is Irish, said she needed more space to grow her business and was excited about relocating.

Ive always loved Henley, she said. Eleven years ago there was nothing available but now this opportunity came up.

She places a strong emphasis on sustainability and is part of the Green Salon collective, which recycles hairdressing products. Ms Handy, 54, said: I researched it during lockdown and found they even recycle hair. They make it into brooms to mop up oil spillages. Everything we get we recycle. Its very expensive but we try to be as sustainable as possible.

Ms Handys interest in the environment came from her mother, Mary, who inspired the name of the business.

She said: Marys my lovely mammy. She was into reusing everything. She had eight kids, so we always had stuff handed down. Thats when it started, to be honest. I was brought up to care for the planet. She is the happiest woman in the world. She is the most glamorous woman, the most positive person you could meet. Shes brilliant. I knew if I named my business after her it would be all right. The other day she said to me, Im so proud of you and everything you do.

Ms Handy was introduced to hairdressing by her mother when she was growing up in Offaly.

She said: Ive been a hairdresser for nearly 40 years, which is shocking to say. I started when I was 13. My mammy said, Ive got you a job in a new hairdressing salon, and I thought, I dont want to do hairdressing but within two minutes I loved it. I knew it was what I wanted to do.

Ms Handy, who is also a trained nurse, moved to the UK 33 years ago, and has lived in Thame for most of that time.

She currently employs four hairdressers. The other members of the team are Ben Ferguson, who has been the manager for the past three years, and an 11-year-old chihuahua called Mr Handy,

Ms Handy said: Bens fabulous, the most amazing person, and Mr Handy is a big part of the system. Clients will ask, Can you book me in when Mr Handy is there? They love him. We got him when we opened the salon. Thats all he knows. He could probably cut hair himself.

Ms Handy is looking to recruit more apprentices, stylists and beauticians for the new salon.

She said: Its about finding people who are passionate about the industry but also about finding lovely people. We have a lovely time as a team, we do lots of nice things together. Once a year we shut the shop and all go to Ascot. Anyone who joins us has to be a nice person. To find someone whos a good hairstylist and a really nice person can be harder than youd think.
American leaders are stalemated over sending M1 tanks t0 Ukraine. Most politicians and Americans in general prefer sending Ukraine the M1s so the Russians will be pushed out of Ukraine sooner rather than later. Senior military officials insist that the Ukrainians wont learn to use the M1s quickly enough to make a difference. The Ukrainians disagree and point to many recent examples of their quickly adapting to new weapons systems in terms of operators and maintainers. The American opposition is coming mostly from the same experts who initially predicted that the larger and better equipped Russian force would soon defeat the Ukrainians. The United States has thousands of M1 tanks in reserve. These are not the latest models but were seen as adequate replacements for M1 tanks lost in some future conflict. That conflict is going on now in Ukrainian except that, because Ukraine is not a NATO member, they are willing to do all the fighting if NATO continues sending all the weapons and munitions they need. The Americans have already stalled on sending some weapons (like longer range missiles and any tanks at all) for fear of angering the Russians and triggering an expanded war. That has not happened and the Russians have taken unprecedented losses. Senior American military officials appear to accept reality because it is so radically different from what they predicted.

Germany had a similar situation but was willing to allow other NATO members, like Poland, to send their Leopard 2 tanks anyway, without reference to what the Americans do with their M1s. Britain is ignoring American misgivings and sending fourteen of their similar Challenger 2 tanks. The problem is that there are thousands of unused Leopard 2 and M1 tanks available but only a few hundred Challenger 2s. Britain could not afford to build as many tanks as Germany and the Americans, and simply didn't have many to send. Germany finally heeded the pleas of Poland, the Baltic States and Ukraine by no longer trying to block Leopard 2s from going to Ukraine. Poland borders Ukraine and has been preparing to move the tanks into Ukraine. The only NATO nation with M1 tanks is Poland, which ordered 250 and has already received seven to be used for training crews and maintainers. Poland has 247 Leopard 2s and a dozen are being sent to Ukraine immediately for training crews and maintainers. Some of that training may already have taken place in Poland. Sending Leopard 2s to Ukraine is a popular move to most Poles, who see themselves as next on the Russian invasion list. The Ukrainian can stop the Russians sooner with the tanks. Russia continues to make vague threats of reprisals if NATO escalates the situation by sending tanks. Ukrainians regard these as empty threats. Russia has already thrown everything it has at Ukraine and failed. The Russians are planning a Spring Offensive with new troops who are poorly trained, led and armed. This wont succeed but it will get more Ukrainians killed and delay the expulsion of Russians from all Ukrainian territory. The Polish Leopard 2s enable Ukraine to hit the Russians first and speed up the end to Russian control of any Ukrainian territory.

While the Americans wont send M1s, they have agreed to send a useful collection of other weapons and vehicles. This includes 59 Bradley IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) armed with 590 TOW anti-tank missiles and 295,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition for the 25mm autocannon each M2 has.

Also headed for Ukraine are 90 Stryker APCs (Armored Personnel Carriers) with 20 mine rollers. These are 8x8 wheeled vehicles introduced in 2002. Stryker was successful in Iraq and Afghanistan but only about 5,000 were built and the army no longer needs all it has.

The U.S. is also sending 53 MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles). Ukraine has already received some of these armored trucks and can use more.

Finally, Ukraine is getting 350 more hummers (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles or HMMWVs). These are not combat vehicles but excellent for moving people and material cross country in a combat zone.

The U.S. is also sending additional missiles of the munitions for the NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems) Ukraine already has. Another eight Avenger air defense systems are going as well.

While the U.S. has already sent over a million 155mm artillery rounds (50,000+ tons), they are sending 20,000 more plus about 600 GPS- guided 155mm artillery rounds and 95,000 105mm artillery rounds for the few 105mm howitzers sent to Ukraine.

Along with the M2s, Germany is sending 40 similar Marder IFVs and France a dozen or more 6x6 wheeled AMX-10 RC armored reconnaissance vehicles. These have a crew of four and a turret mounted 105mm gun. The M2s, Marders and Strykers carry a squad of infantry in addition to an autocannon.

These IFVs are not as well protected or heavily armed as tanks but are useful because current Ukrainian tactics use similar Soviet-era armored vehicles and T-72/80 tanks for attacks. The tanks do not lead, but are behind the infantry vehicles providing direct 125mm cannon fire at targets the infantry designate. The Western IFVs are more effective than what Ukraine already has but Western tanks like M1s and Leopards can get out front because they are better protected and more reliable that T-72s. That has been demonstrated several times in combat since the 1990s. Ukrainian leaders point out that not having M1s or Leopard 2s means the war will last longer and more Ukrainians will be killed. Despite this, tanks are not being sent, but IFVs are.

Since September, Germany has been promising to send Ukraine a hundred Marders. Domestic politics and Defense Ministry problems prevented that. Germany is under increasing pressure from its NATO allies to deliver Marder 1A3 IFVs to Ukraine. The manufacturer, Rheinmetall, assured the government in March that it could upgrade 100 of the retired Marders to the 1A3 standard within weeks and send them off to Ukraine. Initially the German government agreed, but then, for the usual political and Defense Ministry reasons, halted the shipment of Marders to Ukraine. The problem was not Germans, who generally backed sending the IFVs, but German politics and most Germans were unsure of exactly what was going on here.

This is nothing new. German defense policy since the end of the Cold War in 1991 has been an inexplicable mess. Before the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, West Germany (the Russians still occupied East Germany until 1990) was the largest, best equipped and formidable military force in NATO. In 1989 the West German military had half a million active-duty troops. Five years later a united Germany had a force of 250,000 and the reductions continued until 2014, when there were only 179,000 troops. The situation changed in 2014 because Russia seized portions of Ukraine. Ukraine mobilized forces faster than expected and halted the Russian operation in eastern Ukraine (Donbas). In 2022 Russia decided to finish the job and invaded all of Ukraine. That was a major disaster for Russia.

After 2014 Ukraine sought to rearm and asked for support from NATO, which NATO provided. Many NATO members, especially the East European nations that joined after 1991, saw themselves as next on the target list if Russia succeeded in Ukraine. These Russian attacks on Ukraine were a major disappointment for Germany. With the largest economy in Europe, Germany took the lead in establishing economic links with Russia. This was seen as the best way to keep the peace, including Germany becoming dependent on Russia for most of its natural gas and oil needs. Plus the Russians generously rewarded German leaders, and still do.

Meanwhile the German military never recovered from the huge personnel and budget cuts that occurred between 1991 and 2014. In 1990 Germany spent $40 billion (2.52 percent of GDP) on defense. By 2001 that was down to $26 billion (1.32 percent of GDP). By 2o14 defense spending was only 1.15 percent of GDP. By 2020 it was 1.4 percent and the German military was still lacking many basic weapons (armored vehicles, warplanes and warships) and the money to keep them operational. Often less than 20 percent of these weapons were combat ready. It was an endless scandal that was made possible by the inability to expand the size of the military. By 2019 Germany had only been able to expand its military by 5,000 troops (to 184,000.)

Ukraine went through similar reductions in defense spending and military personnel in the 1990s, but after 2014 rebuilt their military much more effectively than anyone, especially the Russians, expected.

The Marder IFV is very effective, and probably the best IFV developed by any NATO nation during the Cold War. Between 1968 and 1975 Germany produced 2,103 Marders and only the Germans used them until the 1990s. By 1991 the Marder had been upgraded to the 1A3 standard and as the German army retired them, export customers could finally obtain them. A replacement for the Marder was not put into service until 2015, when the first Puma IFVs entered service. The 41-ton Puma was larger than the Marder but the 34-ton Marder 1A3 had most of the new tech the Puma used. Only 350 Pumas have been built so far due to design and production defects. There are many more Marder 1A3s available and Ukraine saw this as an opportunity to equip their new offensive force with one of the best IFVs available. So far in September Ukrainian forces have destroyed about a quarter of the Russian forces in Ukraine and recovered much territory the Russians had occupied in 2022. The Ukrainians are still at it and point out that their efforts would be more effective if they had the hundred Marder 1A3s Germany had promised them back in March. That is being blocked by the dysfunctional and perplexing German defense decision making that has been the norm since the 1990s. That obstacle was finally overcome in late 2022.

The first Pumas were delivered to the German Army in 2015, and all 350 were delivered by 2021. Puma was to replace Cold War era (1970s) Marders. Puma contains lots of innovations, many of them suggested by Marder users. The basic model has a remote (from inside the vehicle) control turret equipped with a new 30mm automatic cannon. This type of system has worked well in Iraq, where it was widely used in American vehicles.

The Puma's 30mm cannon can fire computer-controlled shells that will detonate inside buildings or over troops taking cover behind a wall or in a trench. The 30mm cannon can fire up to 200 rounds a minute, and has a range of 3,000 meters. Optional weapons include a guided missile launcher or automatic grenade launcher. The 30mm gun has an armor piercing round that is also effective against personnel. The Puma has a crew of three (commander, gunner and driver), carries up to eight infantrymen (or cargo) in the rear troop compartment, and is "digital." Noting the success, the U.S. Army has had with equipping their armored vehicles with "battlefield Internet" communications equipment, the Germans did the same with Puma.

While the Puma was designed to accept additional armor protection, the Germans preferred to use the 32-ton version, which is about what the Marder 1A3 weighs. Rheinmetall has no problem designing and building these IFVs and most Germans support giving them to Ukraine. Whats missing is a government that can make a decision and carry it out. In the end the Pumas did not go to Ukraine because field tests of 18 Pumas in December saw all 18 fail under simulated combat zone conditions. Marders were sent instead because they worked and had similar capabilities.
January 24, 2023: The United States, along with a lot of other foreign investors have, since mid-2022 seen Somalia as safe enough for expensive investments. There are still problems investors have to deal with. While the Somali government has achieved a level of stability that encourages more investments, they have to understand that this stability has not eliminated al Shabaab or the corruption and clan loyalty Somalia now has a stable democratic government. In mid-2021 the elected parliament finally approved a new 75-member cabinet. There was something for everyone, including a senior job for a former Islamic terrorist who was one of the founders of al Shabaab and is now working in the government religious affairs department. During the proceedings there were several al Shabaab mortar shells landing near the Parliament compound. There were no casualties. Its been a long and tedious process to reach June 2021 when the new parliament met and approved the new prime minister selected by the president. This formation of a new government came after several years of efforts to overcome clan and warlord objections to democracy in general. The elections were held and results certified in May 2021, producing a parliament and new president. The prime minister was the one who actually f0rms a government by filling dozens of key jobs with candidates that will not cause disputes in parliament over who got what. Somalia is still dominated by the power of the clans and the blind loyalty to clan even when it harms national unity. Overcoming this factionalism in a democracy is often very difficult. So far it appears that a majority of Somali leaders are willing to give a clean government a chance to work in Somalia. The key test was forming the new government successfully. The stability came at a price because the United States, which supplies most of the foreign aid, agreed to funnel nearly all of it through the central government, which would then distribute the money to where it was needed the most for economic, security or political reasons. This gradually ran into problems as the clan loyalties of central government ministers became more of a factor in who got what and how much of that went to the minister for services rendered. Many Americans who have long worked in Somalia (as soldiers, aid workers or investors) warned that this would happen. At the same time the U.S. government remains hostile to the independent Somali states of Puntland and Somaliland in the north.

These two independent Somali states have enjoyed a degree of peace and prosperity since the 1990s because they declared themselves independent. However, all is not perfect up there. Puntland and Somaliland have been having some internal problems but much less so than in Somalia. Northern Somalia has been better governed since breaking away from Somalia in the 1990 to form Puntland (2.5 million people) and Somaliland (3.5 million). The other two-thirds of the Somali population live in the south, which has been in perpetual chaos since 1990 with a lasting central government established only recently, and demand that Puntland and Somaliland surrender their independence and rejoin the rest of Somalia. The north refuses because they recognize the problems the south still has, even if the American government does not. While the official U.S. government position is that Somalia is safe and stable enough for the north to rejoin, the northern Somalis and many Americans with long experience in Somalia side with the northerners. Despite that, some northerners back reunification but so far they are a minority holding public rallies backing reunification. The northern governments see this as another southerner threat and attack the separatists. The separatists had the support of some northern clan leaders and became another dispute the northern governments have to resolve, which they tend to do more frequently than the southern governments.

The difference between the northern and southern governments is that the northerners have been more amenable to compromise and less eager to use clan loyalty as an excuse to lie, cheat and steal as a government official. The north is not free of corruption, just more realistic and disciplined about it. During 2022 the Somali state suffered 613 civilian deaths and nearly a thousand wounded because of al Shabaab attacks. Losses among the security forces were a bit less.

January 22, 2023: In Mogadishu al Shabaab used a truck bomb to create a breach in the wall next to the mayors office. Al Shabaab gunmen went through the breach and got inside the government offices and occupied them for four hours. The six al Shabaab gunmen were killed and that ended the occupation. Six civilians were killed by the explosion and gunfire. The government employees were safely evacuated from the area before the siege began.

January 20, 2023: In central Somalia (260 kilometers north of Mogadishu) an American airstrike killed 30 al Shabaab members and three of their gun-trucks. This was to assist an army base besieged by over a hundred al Shabaab men. The siege had already left six soldiers dead and many more wounded. The airstrike broke the siege. The soldiers defending the base had already killed or wounded over a hundred of the original attack force. Until the airstrike the al Shabaab fighters seemed determined to continue the siege. Some of the defenders were members of the hated (by al Shabaab) American trained Danab special operations brigade. This was the first American airstrike in Somalia this year. Since early 2017, when Africom (U.S. Africa Command) increased its use of armed UAVs over Somalia, there have been about 170 UAV airstrikes that have killed nearly a thousand al Shabaab and ISIL members. In 2020 there were fifty of these UAV airstrikes and 275 in Somalia in the last decade. In 2021 there were seven UAV airstrikes and fifteen in 2022.American forces, and airstrikes, returned t0 Somali in 2022. This was prompted by the formation of a new Somali government. All American airstrikes are at the request of the Somali government.

January 19, 2023: Outside Baidoa (250 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu) soldiers found and attacked an al Shabaab camp, killing twenty of the Islamic terrorists, including a command. Five soldiers died as well.

January 18, 2023: North of Mogadishu (Middle Shabelle) the army killed nearly fifty al Shabaab men during a surprise attack on an assembly point for an al Shabaab force planning to make several attacks.

Down south, across the border in northeast Kenya (Garissa county) police and soldiers tracked down and killed ten al Shabaab men who had been responsible for a number of recent attacks on security forces and civilians.

January 17, 2023: North of Mogadishu (Middle Shabelle) al Shabaab attacked an army base, killing eleven soldiers (including an officer) and wounding several others. The attack was repulsed even though it began with an al Shabaab suicide bomber detonating a truck bomb at the main gate to the base.

January 16, 2023: Some 400 kilometers north of Mogadishu (the port town of Harardhere) soldiers drove al Shabaab 0ut of the port town that had long been a base for Somali pirates. Piracy has declined considerably because of the international piracy patrol and ships taking precautions while near Somalia. Harardhere came under control of al Shabaab in 2009 and is one of the few port towns they still control for short periods before being driven out again. The main pirate bases were always in the far north (Puntland) where the local government provided some protection from foreign interference. The Puntland eventually turned on the pirates and drove them from the ports they were using.

Down south in Somalia (Galmudug state) the army drove al Shabaab out of two towns and established local security to keep al Shabaab out, or at least make it more difficult for them to get back in.

January 14, 2023: In Hirshabelle state (220 kilometers north of Mogadishu) al Shabaab was responsible for three bombings that left 15 dead and fifty wounded. Some sixty kilometers further south soldiers at a checkpoint detected that an approaching truck was a suicide truck bomb. The driver was shot dead but not before he set off the explosives, killing himself and several bystanders,

January 9, 2023: Somaliland announced that oil had been discovered within its borders and the British firm doing the test drillings will continue to develop the find.

January 8, 2023: The United States announced that Somalia would receive $9 million in additional military aid to assist the fight against al Shabaab.

January 6, 2023: North of Mogadishu (Middle Shabelle) al Shabaab attacked an army base, killing seven soldiers and wounding several others. The attack was repulsed.
RoomRaccoon, a leading hotel management software company, has announced the promotion of Kudzai Mapfinya as Global Head of Customer. Kudzai will join the company's Senior Leadership Team in her new position and oversee the Customer Support, Customer Success and Customer Training departments.

Kudzai Mapfinya brings more than 12 years of expertise in customer service to RoomRaccoon. Her career has seen her lead global teams across various B2B industries, including SaaS and Tech companies.

She joined RoomRaccoon in May 2022 as the Head of Client Services and will now take on a new challenge as Global Head of Customer. In her new capacity, she will be responsible for strategically elevating the customer service delivery of RoomRaccoon and lead the team supporting more than 1700 hoteliers around the world.

Kudzai Mapfinya will serve on the Senior Leadership team alongside RoomRaccoon founders Tymen van Dyl and Nadja Buckenberger, as well as Adam Clarke (VP of Sales and Marketing) and Rene Edeling (Head of Operations).
Ashley Chaney brings more than two decades of restaurant and hospitality experience to his new role. Most recently, Chaney served as assistant director of food and beverage for Montage Palmetto Bluff. Prior to his tenure at Montage, Chaney held multiple roles at various luxury properties including Sea Island Resort in Georgia and The Eldridge Hotel in Kansas. Today, Chaney oversees all culinary outlets at Pendry Park City, including Japanese American inspired restaurant, KITA; Apres Pendry; Park City's only rooftop lounge, The Pool House Bar & Grille; and the slope side go-to with relaxed American cuisine and arcade games, Disco Pizza; as well as hotel banquet and catering operations for special events.
As he announced during his greetings presented to Societe des Bains de Mer teams, the term of office of Mr Jean-Luc Biamonti ended after today's Board meeting.

Mr Stephane Valeri, director, takes over as Chief Executive Officer as of today, appointed by the Board of Directors.

Stephane Valeri graduated from the ESCP Business School in 1986 and served as president of the National Council of the Principality of Monaco* from 2003 to 2010 and again from 2018 to 2022. Appointed by the Sovereign Prince as Government Councillor-Minister for Social Affairs and Health from 2010 to 2017, he led the private sector pension reform and introduced remote working, in particular. Since 2003, as part of these roles, he has also been able to follow the development of Societe des Bains de Mer on a regular basis.

Commander of the Order of Saint-Charles**, Officer of the Legion of Honour, Stephane Valeri founded and directed a communications group that became a leader in the Principality between 1987 and 2003, before embarking on his public career at the service of the State of Monaco.

He became Director of SBM by co-option of the Board of Directors on 23 September 2022, and his nomination was approved by shareholder vote at the Ordinary General Assembly on 2 December 2022.
Although many articles have been written predicting travel trends for the year (and weve covered them in the Round-Up!), here we take a look at 2023 through our own hertelier lens. Shining a light on the progress were seeing post-pandemic, we are excited about the opportunities 2023 may hold for women in hospitality. Spoiler: the future looks bright!

Prediction 1: More women moving into the C-suite at hotel companies and taking on marquee GM roles

At the height of the pandemic, 22 million jobs were lost in the US, 39% of which were in hospitality. Not surprising that most of these job losses were women who bore the brunt of caretaker roles when daycare and schools closed during lockdowns. Since then, however, men and women have regained the jobs lost. Fears of a she-cession turned out largely to be unfounded, Richard V. Reeves, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution told CNN of the idea that women would be impacted more by pandemic-related job losses. Women are returning to the labor market, and weve actually seen quite a big increase in the share of women in management roles and senior management roles.

Fast forward to this month, for the first time in the Fortune 500 lists 68-year history, more than 10% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women. The Jan. 1, 2023 start dates of five new Fortune 500 chief executives brought the number of female CEOs up to 53, pushing the tally over the long-awaited threshold. Though none of these are hotel companies (only Marriott even makes the Fortune 500), it sets a precedent. Women as CEOs isnt an oddity anymore, Jane Stevenson, global leader for the CEO succession practice at Korn Ferry tells Fortune. Its not the majority, but its not an oddity. So 10% makes it more and more normaland less risky, subconsciously, to put a woman in the top spot.

Read the full article at hertelier.com
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree approving the "Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) on the joint application of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005)".

The agreement was signed in Baku on November 17, 2022.

Once the agreement enters into force, the Azerbaijani Health Ministry should ensure the implementation of its provisions, and the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry should notify the Russian government of the implementation of domestic procedures required for the agreement.
The US is in the midst of a record-high labor gap, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that there are now 2.8 million more jobs than employees to fill them, and this situation is mirrored in many advanced economies around the world. There is pressure for talent acquisition leaders to create strategies that will enhance talent sourcing, improve candidate engagement, speed up the hiring time, and enable their organization to compete for top talent in the market. Facing the current norm of unpredictability, how can companies respond to the challenges while developing the structure necessary to prepare the organization for long-term stability? How can you place workers at the center of your business growth?

It's time to change and recharge global talent acquisition strategies, refresh the talent experience needed and renew skills across your company's workforce to have a competitive edge. It's time to put employees first to future-proof your company.

10 Global talent acquisition trends to watch in 2023

The pandemic has shown the need to be both risk-aware and opportunistic. Workers are seeking a sense of freedom and joy to reshape their lives. Companies have solid plans for reinvention but are they directing their focus toward what will really make a difference?

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Here are 10 trends that define the current global talent acquisition.

1. Finding talent in emerging markets

Countries and locations that businesses may have previously ignored are producing more productive talent pools that can help employers solve talent shortage issues.

According to a report, 77% of recruitment professionals said skills shortage is the leading hiring problem. This has been an ongoing problem for recruiters and will continue to be that way in 2023. As such, talent shortages in home countries have forced some companies to explore further across their borders for the right talent. Tapping into emerging markets provides companies with a competitive edge.

For instance, tech companies may want to explore unexpected locations like Uruguay for the future of global talent in technology. In one study of the 20 top companies involved, India emerged as the only economy expected to maintain a talent surplus between 2025 and 2030. Most developed markets will be adversely affected by talent shortage and will have to turn to emerging markets for the skilled workers they need.

2. Resumed efforts toward global expansion

Because of the global pandemic, the business world will never return to how it was before 2020. Many companies had to pause or slow down their international expansion efforts due to travel bans and several other concerns. While companies aren't sure of the future regarding the lasting effects of the pandemic, many expect to return their focus to global talent acquisition.

Covid-19 created temporary challenges to global expansion, but for some companies, it also shed some light on the potential benefits of global talent acquisition. Developing international teams and acquiring more remote workers can be a strategic approach to diversifying and preparing for the future.

3. More flexibility to required qualifications

Although some emerging markets show impressive growth in their citizens' education levels, talented individuals in these markets may still lack the credentials your company usually looks for. If you want to recruit an individual with a master's degree in your field, for example, and at least five years of experience, chances are that you'll miss out on some valuable talent in a location where workers aren't likely to have the qualifications you want.

The best approach is to consider relaxing your usual standards in order to find qualified candidates. This doesn't mean lowering your standards regarding the candidates' skill sets; it could mean reducing some degree or certification requirements that might hinder your company from acquiring genuinely talented workers in your field.

4. Focus on agile and teachable talent

Apart from shifting their focus from formal qualifications and leaning more toward skills, companies must also focus on attracting and hiring agile and teachable employees. Increasing digitization, a changing and evolving global economy, and the pandemic-related challenges have all demonstrated how important it is to keep your business agile. So for your company to solve the new challenges and adapt to trends, you need workers who are able and willing to learn new skills and allow their roles to evolve as needed.

This trend will be an integral talent acquisition strategy for many employers in the future. Having the skills to do a good job now doesn't necessarily mean that workers will deliver the same value next year or in ten years. Harvard Business Review states that talent reskilling is no longer simply a good idea  it's a significantly necessary strategy for economic recovery after the global health outbreak.

There are some aspects of agile thinking that companies want to see in their new employees. Preparing for and understanding multiple business situations is the most in-demand skill. Other key skills needed include managing opposing views, innovation and handling ambiguity and complexity.

5. Emphasis on diversity and inclusion

Diversity is no longer a new concept in the business world. According to a 2019 survey, 71% of UK, US, France and Germany employers said their companies hired a diverse workforce. This statistic still provides plenty of room for growth. How companies embrace diversity and inclusion will continue to define global talent acquisition trends. This may include removing potential bias sources in the recruiting process or finding strategies to integrate domestic and international teams.

Companies that have globally expanded their operations understand the unique advantages of diversifying a team. Workers with different cultures and backgrounds can bring new perspectives and valuable insights to the team. In addition to cultural diversity, a well-balanced diversity of ages, genders, experience levels, and belief systems can help you build a truly diverse team.

Diversity and inclusion benefit your company and enhances employee morale. An Employee Survey by Globalization Partners 2020 found that 90% of employees in a diverse company report higher levels of trust, happiness and inclusion. Particularly, they are more likely to trust leadership. If your current workforce is mainly homogeneous, you need to push for a more diversified workforce as it continues to emerge as a top global talent acquisition trend.

6. Increased remote workers

Remote work has been increasingly gaining traction for several years now. The Covid-19 pandemic then transformed it into the new normal even for employers who were mainly against this model in the past years. This necessary transition will have a lasting impact, according to experts. For example, in the US, it's expected that 26.7% of employees will be fully remote by 2021 compared to the 12.3% before the pandemic.

If you want to develop international teams but lack the resources or the need for a physical business entity in a specific country, you need to consider hiring local remote workers. Use the experience and insights your company gained during the pandemic managing remote teams to acquire remote employees that can help you grow and thrive in the evolving business world.

7. More use of tech tools

As with several other global talent acquisition trends, technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI), isn't an entirely new concept. Technology has continuously assumed a more prominent role in defining how we do almost everything, including talent acquisition. However, many employers are still used to traditional processes.

Companies can use various digital tools to digitize and automate their hiring processes through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This software program helps facilitate your recruiting process in several ways. One of ATS's primary functions is filtering applications depending on keywords and other criteria to reduce the list of applications you'll have to review manually. Without these programs, you'll likely have to dedicate a great deal of effort and time to activities that could be automated.

Employers are also expected to employ AI-powered chatbots more regularly. While you may already have a chatbot on your site to help customers with questions about your product or company, you should use the same feature to assist job applicants with their questions. By developing a chatbot approach, your company's application process can be helpful for both job seekers and your company.

8. Focus on virtual communication

Workers worldwide point to communication and collaboration as the largest struggle they face when working remotely. Whether you are recruiting international or remote employees, you'll discover that a lot of virtual communication is included as one of the global HR trends. Online communication tools will be critical, especially if travel bans and the inability to hold in-person meetings continue to be challenging. For instance, recruiters will have to employ video conferencing tools and programs to interview candidates. The option may seem weird to some, but it provides some benefits. Hiring remotely saves you travel costs, and conducting all communication online from the beginning can help you understand how well candidates communicate.

To prepare for this global talent trend, employers must find the best virtual communication tools for their needs. Additionally, they need to learn video conferencing etiquette which may vary from place to place. The most popular platforms or apps for virtual communication may as well be country-specific. Thus, the key is to find online collaboration and communication tools that will serve you and your employees best during recruiting process and beyond.

9. Emphasis on recruitment marketing

The job market has increasingly become employee-driven. Instead of workers trying to conform their needs and expectations to match what employers are offering, the opposite is happening; Companies are tailoring the benefits and perks offered to appeal to modern employees. This also means employers are creating job ads with similar goals as their marketing campaigns, essentially trying to sell the job position and their company to interested job seekers.

Recruitment marketing software is a current technology trend shifting the face of talent acquisition. This software brings marketing strategies to enhance the hiring process and help you appeal to the right talent. Recruitment marketing describes how you write your job ads and where you market them to ensure they won't be ignored or missed.

Recruitment marketing is particularly crucial if you are recruiting in a tight market like Japan. When employees are bound to receive numerous job offers or may be reluctant to change their current positions, your company needs to persuade them to join your team.

10. Easier international recruitment through an EOR

Global expansion was a critical goal for top companies while small to mid-sized ones maintained a more local focus this trend is changing. Small companies are now broadening their focus, and most businesses use an Employer of Record (EOR) or a Professional Employment Organization (PEO) to help. Companies of different sizes can use an EOR to acquire international workers without building a business entity in the country from where they hire.

For example, the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations in the U.S has reported a sustained growth pattern in the PEO industry since 2008. More businesses are discovering how valuable this kind of partnership can be. You can't afford to jump on recruitment trends for international workers if you're bogged down by building a subsidiary in another location and researching the employment laws you'll have to comply with.

Since an EOR will already have an established business entity in the country, you'll simply need to understand how to follow employment laws and be ready to add your workers to the payroll right away. Partnering with an EOR can save you significant money and time and free up your time to focus on finding the best candidates to join your team.

Looking to the future of recruitment

The year 2023 presents a continued transition to new styles of working across industries. Considering international talent trends and staying connected and engaged with your workers, as well as understanding what they value most, is now crucial.

As the focus transitions to survive in an evolving world, these global talent trends based on nurtured workers, conscious work culture, stronger teams, upskilled employees, transparency, flexibility and regular check-ins - all enhance growth with long-term rewards. Learn more here.

About EHL Group

EHL Group is the global reference in education, innovation and consulting for the hospitality and service sector.

With expertise dating back to 1893, EHL Group now offers a wide range of leading educational programs from apprenticeships to master's degrees, as well as professional and executive education, on three campuses in Switzerland and Singapore. EHL Group also offers consulting and certification services to companies and learning centers around the world. True to its values and committed to building a sustainable world, EHL Group's purpose is to provide education, services and working environments that are people-centered and open to the world. www.ehlgroup.com

EHL Hospitality Business School

Communications Department

+41 21 785 1354

EHL

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Noida - RateGain Travel Technologies Limited (RateGain), a global provider of SaaS solutions for travel and hospitality, announced today that Cinnamon Maldives has selected RateGains Engage AI product and would be implementing it at its iconic Dhonveli property to accentuate their guest engagement, provide contactless check-in/check-out and improve their ancillary revenue in a competitive market by getting access to guest analytics in real-time.

The Maldives hotel market is looking to adopt modern technology to enhance the overall experience of travelers coming from across the world. With the ongoing labor shortage impacting the industry, its the right time to invest in technologies that can automate the tasks for the hotel staff and make them more efficient to welcome guests from different parts of the world.

Using Engage AI, Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives will be able to provide consistent engagement to their guests starting from pre-check-in to post-check-out. All this in the guests preferred language. Automating the guest touchpoints will help them not only improve overall guest satisfaction but also give them a competitive edge in the market.

Designed to help hotels in improving their satisfaction score and ancillary revenue, Engage AI uses the power of modern technology to automate FAQs asked by guests, plan their entire stay, and provide alerts on events/promotions. All this through the ease of the messaging platform of their choice.

Commenting on the partnership and platform integration for customer engagement, Sanjeeva Perera, General Manager for Cinnamon Dhonveli, Maldives said, Offering our guests a seamless flow of information is a priority for us and with Engage AI we are now able to navigate and proactively support our guests with the information they need to enhance their stay. Digitization of check-ins has helped improve efficiency and the ability to communicate with all our guests in their native language, which has impacted our guest satisfaction scores. Engage AI is enabling us to redefine our service standards to our guests.

Shweta Vashishth, Senior Vice President of Sales, at Engage AI added, We are thrilled to partner with an iconic Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts property in the Maldives and expand our presence in this growing market. We believe that there is immense potential in the Maldives market to adopt technologies that help hotels keep improving their guest experience through guest messaging technology. The team at Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives saw Engage AI as the right platform to solve their challenges of today, to win guest loyalty and we hope to provide them with the required support to achieve their goals.

About Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts is a diverse chain of Hotels both in Sri Lanka and Maldives. It is a member of John Keells Holdings PLC which is the largest listed conglomerate in Sri Lanka with interest in sectors such as Leisure, Transportation, Property, Consumer Food & Retail, Financial services, Information Technology, Business Process Operations and Plantations.

The Cinnamon brand represents a chain of modern hotels vibrant in colour, inspiring in hospitality, and committed to going the extra mile to satisfy customer needs. Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts guarantees legendary Sri Lankan hospitality through comfort, creativity and discovery and inspired living. Each hotel has a unique character of its own derived from influence of background, locality, culture and traditions. From Jungle cabanas to city luxury, water villas in Maldives to Beach chalets in Sri Lanka, each resort will take you on a journey and discovery. The chain has a total of fourteen Hotels; three City properties in Colombo, eight Resort properties around Sri Lanka.

About Engage AI by RateGain

Engage AI is the quickest way to engage with hotel guests in 150+ languages through the ease of a preferred chat platform. Creates unforgettable guest experiences & solves the major problems for the operations and revenue teams - Engagement, Virtual Check-in/Check-out and upsell.

RateGain Travel Technologies Limited is a global provider of SaaS solutions for travel and hospitality that works with 2200+ customers in 100+ countries helping them accelerate revenue generation through acquisition, retention, and wallet share expansion. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in India, today RateGain works with Top 23 of 30 Hotel Chains, Top 25 of 30 Online Travel Agents, and all the top car rentals including 8 Global Fortune500 companies.

RateGain is one of the worlds largest processors of electronic transactions and price points for the travel and hospitality industry and is the largest Software as a Service (SaaS) company in the hospitality and travel industry in India. It offers travel and hospitality solutions across a wide spectrum of verticals including hotels, airlines, online travel agents (OTAs), meta-search companies, vacation rentals, package providers, car rentals, rail, travel management companies, cruises, and ferries. For more information, please visit www.rategain.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this document relating to future status, events, or circumstances, including but not limited to statements about plans and objectives, the progress and results of research and development, potential project characteristics, project potential and target dates for project related issues are forward-looking statements based on estimates and the anticipated effects of future events on current and developing circumstances. Such statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties and are not necessarily predictive of future results. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. The company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results changed assumptions or other factors.

About RateGain

RateGain Travel Technologies Limited is a global provider of SaaS solutions for travel and hospitality that works with 2800+ customers and 700+ partners in 100+ countries helping them accelerate revenue generation through acquisition, retention, and wallet share expansion.

For more information, please visit https://www.rategain.com.
Montreux/Paris-La Defense - Glion Institute of Higher Education, a benchmark business school specializing in hospitality and luxury professions; and ESSEC Business School, a leading management institution, are joining forces to offer a Global Executive Master's degree in Hospitality Leadership. This innovative program will meet the needs of professionals wishing to access strategic positions and specialize in the sector while combining these studies with their work lives by means of a part-time digital program.

ESSEC benefits from a long expertise in hotel management training. Its flagship program IMHI (originally named Institut du Management Hotelier International) was launched more than 40 years ago and has trained over the decades more than 1,700 highly qualified managers who occupy key positions in the sector. ESSEC's management training programs give executives, managers and directors with the keys to combining operational skills with new managerial and strategic responsibilities.

Thanks to its partnerships with major companies and its 62,000 graduates worldwide, the School benefits from an extensive network offering access to permanent contacts with the professional world and thus widening the spectrum of possibilities.

Founded in Switzerland, Glion Institute of Higher Education celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2022. The excellence of its teaching is linked to its unique pedagogical approach, which combines demanding practice with extremely robust academic knowledge. The Institute ranks among the worlds top hospitality management schools, particularly in terms of employer reputation (QS World University Rankings, 2022) and its alumni hold some of the most influential positions in the hospitality world.

The Global Executive Master's in Hospitality Leadership will welcome its first participants in November 2023. The program includes four 12-week online teaching modules as well as four six-day sessions on the various Glion and ESSEC campuses: Glion in Montreux, Switzerland, ESSEC in Singapore, Glion London and ESSEC Paris-La Defense.

The curriculum concludes with a final project or applied business project to be completed within 15 months of the start of the program. This entrepreneurial project is at the heart of the learning approach in order to help students contribute to future solutions as well as adapt to the changes and challenges facing the hospitality industry.

Module composition:

Module 1  New frontiers in the hotel industry

Module 2  Improving financial performance

Module 3  Achieving operational excellence

Module 4  Guiding transformation.

Participants will have the opportunity to consolidate and acquire new technical, managerial, organizational, marketing and economic skills; to understand and analyze major hospitality industry trends and market opportunities; as well as to draw up action plans in order to develop their strategic vision.

Upon completing the course, participants will obtain a Global Executive Master's in Hospitality Leadership worth 30 US credits awarded by Glion and ESSEC Business School, which will enable them to make a difference and seize opportunities to accelerate their careers.

Hospitality management is constantly evolving and progressing in step with the acceleration of new technologies and new customer demands. This program will offer the opportunity to develop soft skills in terms of leadership and innovation, as well as master the financial and economic fundamentals necessary to develop a solid and successful long-term strategy. Francine Cuagnier, Head of Marketing at Glion Institute of Higher Education

Thanks to this excellence-driven partnership, ESSEC is strengthening its expertise and academic offering in the field of hospitality. This will enable professionals to train and transform themselves by acquiring cutting-edge knowledge as well as expertise and soft skills that will empower them to be responsible and influential leaders in the hospitality industry who will be able to combine value creation and sustainability. Vincenzo Vinzi, Dean and President ESSEC Business School

About Glion Institute of Higher Education

Founded in 1962, Glion Institute of Higher Education (GIHE) is a Swiss institution offering bachelors and masters degrees in hospitality, luxury and finance across three campuses in Switzerland and London, UK to an international student body.

Glion has ranked amongst the worlds top five for higher education institutions in Hospitality Management and top three in Employer Reputation since its entry into the rankings in 2018 (QS World University Rankings, 2022).

Part of Sommet Education, worldwide leader in management education specializing in hospitality professions, Glion is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

For more information glion.edu/fr/.

About ESSEC Business School

Founded in 1907, ESSEC is a major player in management education on the world stage, holding the "Triple Crown" of EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA accreditations. With 7,060 undergraduate students, a wide range of management programs, partnerships with the world's leading universities, a network of 62,000 graduates, a faculty of 163 permanent professors in France and Singapore, including 19 emeritus professors, recognized for the quality and influence of their research, ESSEC perpetuates a tradition of academic excellence and cultivates a spirit of openness in the service of economic, social, and innovation activities. In 2005, ESSEC opened a campus in Asia, ESSEC Asia-Pacific, strategically located in Singapore. This campus represents an opportunity for ESSEC to participate in the growth of Asia and to bring its expertise to this booming region. In 2016, ESSEC opened a new ESSEC Africa campus in Rabat, Morocco. ESSEC's international expansion enables its students and faculty to study and understand the economic forces at play in different regions of the world. For more information: www.essec.edu.

Vitaline Gomes, [email protected]

About Glion Institute of Higher Education

Founded in 1962, Glion Institute of Higher Education is a Swiss institution offering bachelor's and master's degrees in hospitality, luxury and finance to an international student body across three campuses in Switzerland and London, UK.

Glion is ranked among the world's top five higher education institutions for hospitality and leisure management, and in the top three number for employer reputation since its entry in the ranking in 2018. (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2022).

Part of Sommet Education, worldwide leader in hospitality education, Glion is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

For more information, visit glion.edu

Anouck Weiss

Chief Communication Officer

Glion

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Travel is back  that was the resounding message from the HSMAI ROC conference, held at the InterContinental Park Lane, London, last week.

The European industry event saw the ballroom packed with delegates as industry leaders came together to discuss the burning issues of the moment: the return of business travel, changing customer behavior, combining humans with tech, and connecting commercial efforts across your hotel business.

Ingunn Hofseth, President & CEO at HSMAI Region Europe, welcomed the delegates and got the day off to a great start. The events theme was Riding the Wave because, as Hofseth said, business is not going to be the way it used to be.

Bob Gilbert, President & CEO at HSMAI Global & Americas, gave an upbeat welcome as he declared that Travel is back .

His message for everyone in the room was that commercial excellence matters now more than ever. He talked about the cross-pollination of sales, marketing, and revenue and how teams need to work together.

The alignment between disciplines helps everyone achieve premium performance, he said.

Gilbert pointed out that companies with the right sales coverage in place can improve performance by 5%, and marketing can help increase engagement by 8%, but a connected commercial transformation brought about by integrating disciplines successfully leads to a 9% performance premium in revenue growth.

The Color of the Year

Duettos VP of Sales, EMEA, Michael Schaffner, was the days moderator. He did a brilliant job at keeping everyone on time and on message, as well as providing an inspiring talk on how this years Pantone, Viva Magenta, should be motivating the industry.

It vibrates with vim and vigor, it is powerful and empowering, rebellious in spirit, audacious and inclusive of all, he told the audience, explaining that those are core tenets of both Duetto and the hospitality industry.

Steven van Belleghem, Author and Thought Leader, delivered the days keynote speech, considering Human and Tech: How to create the perfect CX by combining these two interfaces.

His diamond in the rough talk covered changes in customer behavior, new technologies such as the metaverse, and how despite the technological innovations a real human customer culture will still be desired and will be more relevant than ever.

The Never-Normal Customer

According to van Belleghem, hoteliers need to be accepting of the never-normal customer. He talked through how Gen Z and Gen Alpha have more options than ever before, and therefore it is more difficult to motivate these people.

Because of that, the pressure on customer experience is often higher than it ever was.

Hospitality has the desire to be super customer-centric, but at the same time execution is often average. We have the potential, but we dont always fulfill the potential. How can we go beyond that? How can we evolve? he asked the audience.

What does a human long for if it's dark for more than a week? Sun and bright skies. Customers have zero interest in your challenges. There is a need for positivity. Do that right and you will have a huge impact on the market, he advised.

How Innovation is not Rocket Science

Van Belleghem was then joined on stage by Lennert de Jong, President of Hospitality at Planet. The two discussed how hotels are not getting the customer experience right at the moment.

The average farmer uses more technology than a hotelier. His customers are sheep! De Jong told the audience.

De Jong talked about how innovation is not rocket science. Innovation is rarely about innovation. More often its about joining dots, connecting things to solve human problems. To solve problems for people you dont have to invent things, you have to think differently. Think in goals, not in tasks, he urged.

De Jong cited citizenMs goal of a friction-free guest experience, showing how the brand uses tech for this but putting the goal of human happiness on a pedestal. Both van Belleghem and de Jong agreed that the front office phrase of Have you been here before? should not be allowed in hotels anymore. Hotels need to know their guests better than that.

Revenue Management in Uncertain Times

Accors Shumi Khan, Global Vice President for Business Performance and Revenue Management, and James Wheatcroft, Senior Vice-President Brands, Marketing & Content NEW Northern Europe, rounded off the morning with a presentation and roundtable on the challenges and opportunities for hoteliers in these uncertain times.

Khan extended the riding the wave metaphor to revenue.

In surfing, you change your body and form to ride the wave, to have a smooth experience. If you are not doing that, you are going against the wave. The same thing goes for revenue management. We have to make sure we exploit the right markets and use the right data. We must adapt to ride that wave in uncertain times; when OTB and forecast accuracy is volatile, and when we see different customer behavior. Chances are we will never go back, the new normal is just the normal, she said.

Khan went on to explain how revenue and marketing work together at Accor: What brought us together was data to help steer us through those decisions and navigate the waves, she said.

Wheatcroft then picked up the success story, as he explained how Accors huge portfolio of brands in multiple countries brings benefits and complexities.

How do you use data to drive the most profitable strategy in such an unprecedented time of turbulence? We had to rethink how we approached planning and move to a more aligned approach across all commercial functions. A key part was changing the culture of our commercial teams to be planning and expecting uncertainty, he said.

Accor has made a data-driven change across the whole business, moving from siloed planning to a connected commercial strategy.

The main change is moving to an agile approach, Wheatcroft said. Making sure we have the right indicators to look forward. Previous data doesnt help you model forwards.

This dynamic, agile approach to planning involves using media mix modeling to better plan and measure marketing at Accor. The team works in quarterly planning cycles, running baseline simulations of brand awareness and equity throughout the year. From that data, the team can make informed decisions on investment and strategy.

The theme of adopting a holistic approach to profitability, that aligns sales, marketing, and revenue, continued throughout the day with plenty of best practice sharing and industry learning.

Want more insight and news on hotel revenue management strategy? Sign up for the Duetto Check-In newsletter featuring our top content: https://www.duettocloud.com/sign-up-for-duetto-newsletter.

About Duetto

Duetto delivers a suite of SaaS cloud-native applications for hospitality businesses to optimize every booking opportunity for greater revenue impact. The unique combination of hospitality experience and technology leadership drives Duetto to look for innovative solutions to industry challenges. The software as a service platform allows hotels, casinos, and resorts to leverage real-time dynamic data sources and actionable insights into pricing and demand across the enterprise.

More than 4,000 hotel and casino resort properties in more than 60 countries have partnered to use Duetto's applications, which include GameChanger for pricing, ScoreBoard for intelligent reporting, and BlockBuster for contracted-business optimization.

In both 2022 and 2023, Duetto was named the world's #1 revenue management system in the HotelTechAwards.

For more information, please visit http://www.duettocloud.com/.

Sarah McCay Tams

Director of Marketing Communications

Duetto

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A 'typical' cottage court layout from the city of Ashland, Ore., that was discussed by the Williamstown Planning Board this month.

Williamstown Planning Board Talks 'Cottage Court' Bylaw

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Though its work is not completed for the proposals it hopes to bring to this spring's annual town meeting, the Planning Board recently started talking about an idea it wants to work on for the 2023-24 cycle.

Ken Kuttner and Roger Lawrence at the board's January meeting gave their colleagues a presentation on the concept of cottage courts and suggested a bylaw could be crafted to allow that style of housing in town.

Cottage courts are relatively small clusters of homes, typically 500 to 800 square feet, grouped together on a single residential lot.

"They're not 'tiny houses,' " Kuttner said. "Typically, they're single family but sometimes duplexes.  One of the distinguishing features is they have a common area, sometimes a community building. You can get densities of maybe 10 to 15 dwelling units per acre, which is pretty good."

The concept of cottage courts, also known as "pocket neighborhoods," has been explored elsewhere in the commonwealth as a potential solution to local shortages of affordable housing. Kuttner talked about successes with the model around the country and noted that the concept was utilized in California in the early 20th century.

Kuttner said while not necessarily "affordable housing," in the sense of income-restricted homes, the market-rate cottage court homes might be a more affordable alternative.

"In theory, they should be [attainable] thanks to small lots, small structures and economies of scale from building multiple units at the same time," Kuttner said.

"Suppose we allowed manufactured homes and cottage courts. You could imagine synergies between the two. That would be something where you could achieve some real cost savings."

One of the warrant articles the board has been working on to send to May's annual town meeting would allow manufactured homes, by right, on single-unit lots in the town's residential districts.

Lawrence pointed out that the cottage court housing, if allowed, could be developed in a cooperative ownership structure.

"If folks who wanted to live in small homes wanted to pool their resources, they could gain an efficiency of scale," Lawrence said.

Town Planner Andrew Groff advised the board that the cooperative ownership structure is allowed by right already in the commonwealth and not a local zoning consideration that would need to be addressed in the town's bylaw.

The cottage court concept would require a zoning change, primarily to address the density restrictions in the bylaw.

Kuttner showed the board a sample ordinance from Langley, Wash., that allows, "one dwelling unit per two 2,904 square feet of lot area (15 units per acre)." The Washington city's ordinance also caps the unit size in the pocket neighborhood, requires minimum common areas and mandates that parking be screened.

The board agreed that he and Lawrence should begin drafting a proposed bylaw for Williamstown that the board could take up at some point in the next few months and begin developing for the 2024 annual town meeting.

As for this year's town meeting, the board in January worked on hammering out the language for an FAQ document to inform residents about the proposals the panel does plan to bring as warrant articles. It also talked about other modes of outreach the board can employ in advance of the May meeting.
Susan Cohen and Jennifer Seelig

Berkshire HorseWorks, Inc. Welcomes to its Board Of Directors

RICHMOND, Mass.  Berkshire HorseWorks, Inc. welcomed Susan Cohen, immigration attorney and author and Jennifer Seelig, television producer and deputy director of media affairs for Jon Kasich's Presidential Campaign, to its Board of Directors.

According to a press release:

Susan Cohen, a nationally recognized immigration lawyer who founded & chaired Mintz's Immigration practice, has played an instrumental role is shaping both federal and state regulation for over 30 years. Cohen recently became a best-selling author with the publication of "Journeys from There to Here". She is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and resides in both Boston and Becket.

Jennifer Seelig was a producer at Fox News Channel for over a decade and served as deputy director of media affairs for Jon Kasich's Presidential Campaign in 2016. She has a background working with national news organizations including NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Forbes, BuzzFeed, and the Huffington Post. Currently, she is a Podcaster In-Chief of Podcast PR Pro and the CEO of its parent company Orion Public Relations.

Cohen and Seelig join the rest of Berkshire HorseWorks Board including President Don Fulford, Vice President Don Granger, Secretary Barbara Newman, and member Dr. Steve Hoff.

In addition, Berkshire HorseWorks has received a first-time grant of $5,000 from the Scott Fujioka Fund. Funds will go directly toward scholarships for children for the Ranch Life 101 program and for other educational and therapeutic initiatives. The grant will allow BHW to continue supporting those with mental health and behavioral challenges, as well as children in the area who were undiagnosed and experiencing heightened anxiety due to social isolation.

Berkshire HorseWorks, Inc. is a 501c 3 mission-driven nonprofit, which offers Eagala Model and Eagala-based equine-assisted educational, experiential activities, trail ride lessons, and life skills curriculum for children, families and those at risk with mental health and behavioral challenges.
SVHC Announces DAISY Award Winner

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Christopher Petry, RN, a nurse in the Emergency Department at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), was the December recipient of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC).

"Chris is so warm and personable," said SVHC's Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President for Patient Care Services Pamela Duchene. "These exemplary qualities combined with his efficiency and professionalism make Chris a standout to his patients."

One nominator wrote, "Chris made me feel valued as a person and a patient from the moment he arrived. He was the most professional and [good] humored nurse I have ever met. His demeanor was so practical and on point."

A second nomination noted Petry's kindness and helpfulness. "He made sure I was okay and made me feel comfortable."

Petry grew up in Manchester, and received his nursing degree as a part of Army training and through Weber State University in Utah. He was stationed at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and in Utah before returning to Vermont to work at SVMC in 2015. The award was presented during a surprise ceremony last month.

"It's really nice to be recognized," Petry said. "I am also grateful to feel supported by management. My coworkers and I make a great team. Everybody lives in this community, and we all work hard to support each other. It's a good atmosphere."

The DAISY Award is part of a national merit-based recognition program established by the DAISY Foundation. It celebrates nurses' education, training, and skill. Nominations can be submitted by patients, families, physicians, and colleagues. All nominations are blinded, so that they are anonymous, before being reviewed by a selection committee. One nurse is then chosen as the DAISY Award winner. DAISY Awards are presented on a regular basis, usually bi-monthly or quarterly.
MCLA and Habitat for Humanity Partner to Offer Free Tax Assistance

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and its Department of Business Administration are partnering with Habitat for Humanity to offer free tax preparation services to local residents in need through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

MCLA will offer in-person, drop-off, and virtual tax assistance to qualified taxpayers beginning February 6.

Individuals can call Habitat for Humanity at (413) 442-3184 to schedule an appointment or drop off tax documents at the site and a certified volunteer will work to prepare the tax return. Drop-off hours occur on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-8 p.m. in MCLA's Murdock Hall. Appointments are not required for drop-off services but are required for in-person services. The program runs through April 12, 2023.

Habitat for Humanity administers VITA, a program of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), to assist taxpayers with disabilities or limited English speaking skills, those 60 years of age or older, or individuals who make $60,000 or less a year. MCLA students assist with both basic and advanced returns, including those with itemized deductions.

According to MCLA Professor of Accounting Tara Barboza, an enrolled agent with the United States Department of the Treasury and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), the students who participate in this program undergo rigorous training, become IRS certified, and work under her supervision.

"Participating in the VITA program is a unique opportunity that will provide students with valuable, hands-on preparation experience," she said.

Students earn college credit by participating in the program and accounting students can use the credit toward requirements for the CPA exam.
Rwandan journalist John William Ntwali, founder and editor - in chief of Irene News.net and Pax TV Youtube channel which publishes investigative news stories, died in the early hours of Wednesday 18 January at around 2: 50 am in a road accident in the capital Kigali, according to police sources.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Rwanda Journalists' Association (RJA) in mourning for journalist John Williams Ntwali and calls on the government of Rwanda to launch an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

According to the spokesperson of the Rwandan Police, the accident happened in Kicukiro District as a result of over speeding between a vehicle and a taxi- motorcycle. Ntwali was the passenger on the motorcycle and he died instantly. The driver involved in the accident was arrested and held in custody at Kicukiro Police Station.

The Rwanda Journalists' Association expressed its sadness over John Williams' death and extended its sincere condolences to his family, friends and relatives as well as the media community.

Journalist John Williams Ntwali was considered an independent investigative journalist who reported on critical issues involving justice and human rights in the country.

IFJ's General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said that the death of Mr. Ntwali is a loss to many who appreciated his contribution towards an independent and robust reporting in Rwanda, which is a guarantee for accountability.

We join our affiliate in mourning for John Willimans Ntwali and extend our condolences to his family. We also urge the authorities to investigate his death and provide clarity over the circumstances surrounding the death of a committed journalist.
Veteran journalist and former regional AJI head Victor Mambor has reported the detonation of an explosive device outside his home on the morning of January 23, 2022. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia in condemning ongoing intimidation directed towards critical journalists, and urging law enforcement to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident.

Police have confirmed the use of an explosive device outside the Jayapura home of veteran journalist and former AJI Papua chair Victor Mambor on January 23. At around four A.M., Mambor reported hearing a motorcycle driving away from his home, followed by a powerful explosion.

According to AJI Jayapura, the device was set off three meters from the journalists home, leaving a hole in the road. The effort failed to damage any property or cause harm to Mambor or his family. Police are currently investigating the incident, with the perpetrators or their motives currently unknown.

Mambor, the editor and founder of independent Papuan online news outlet Jubi has previously faced online harassment and other intimidation attempts for his critical reporting. In April 2021, Mambors cars windshield and windows were smashed, and graffiti was sprayed on the doors of the vehicle.

The incident has inspired condemnations from human rights organisations, journalists' associations, and press freedom advocates, who have called the incident an attack on freedom of expression, and urged police to identify those involved in the attack.

AJI said: The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) strongly condemns the bombings as a threat to press freedom in Papua. AJI urges the Indonesian Police to thoroughly investigate the perpetrators behind the terror. AJI call all journalists in Papua not to be afraid and give up on voicing the truth amidst various obstacles.

The IFJ said: The detonation of an explosive device outside Victor Mambors home is a blatant and unacceptable act of intimidation. The IFJ strongly condemns this latest incident directed against Victor Mambor and urges West Papuan authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into this incident.
Bangladesh is set to get a new head of state as the tenure of current President Abdul Hamid will end on April 23. Hamid has served two terms. He was elected unopposed as President for the second term on February 6, 2018, AIR News said.

The forthcoming election for the new President will be held on February 19. Bangladeshs Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said that the nomination for the post would be filed on February 12.

According to the news channel, scrutiny of the nomination papers will be done on February 13 and the withdrawal of candidature can be done till February 14 after which voting will take place at the Bangladesh Parliament, Jatiya Sangsad on February 19 between 2 pm and 5 pm.

Later this year, Bangladesh will also go in for general elections. The countrys Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who has steered the country into an economic success, will face tough competition from her primary opposition party- Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Khaleeda Zia.

Hasina has been successful in bringing political stability by choking terror groups. Notwithstanding Hasinas efforts in eliminating radical elements from the society, threats from non state actors continue to plague. Recently, Hasina, inaugurated 50 model mosques across the country and has stressed the need to spread the true knowledge of Islamic values and culture and not get misled in the name of religion.

Also read: PM Modi and Prime Minister Hasina have rebooted India-Bangladesh ties: Syed Badrul Ahsan
A spate of recent developments indicate that India has been intensely engaging with Egypt. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade this year. Prior to that, Indias External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had gone to Cairo. Last year, India and Egypt signed a defence cooperation agreement. The sale and setting up of production facility of Indias indigenously built Tejas fighter aircraft is on the cards as well.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a three-day visit to #Egypt met with its Defence Minister, General Mohamed Zaki on Tuesday in #Cairo and had wide-ranging discussions on numerous initiatives to further expand bilateral defence engagements between the two countries. pic.twitter.com/QMSCdGDUIo  Koustuv   (@srdmk01) September 20, 2022

Recognizing the geostrategic importance of the North African country, India has invited Egypt as one of the guest countries for the G-20 summit this year. Last year, in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine War, India had exported 500,000 tonnes of wheat to Cairo. Egypt depends on imports for food security and India has the potential to emerge as one of the major food exporters to meet the Egyptian requirements. Defence exchanges between India and Egypt have also intensified in the recent past with the most notable being a visit by a large delegation of Egyptian Air Force officials to India. For many years, political momentum was missing from the Indo-Egyptian ties.

Egypt President El-Sisi's Delhi visit to bolster focus on Agriculture, Defence. Egypt has shown interest in LCA Tejas, radars, Akash missile system & DRDO's Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon. On Agri front India last yr allowed 61,000 tons of Wheat. Reporting:https://t.co/sg2KrxjcX9  Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 20, 2023

Why is India suddenly taking such an interest in Egypt? Changing global and regional security scenarios and Indias expanding strategic horizons explain the growing outreach to Egypt.

Egypt has always been an important country located at the crossroads of Africa, West Asia, and Europe. It is the third largest state in Africa by population and GDP. The strategic importance of Egypt has gone up considerably since the opening of the Suez Canal. When the cargo ship HMS Ever Given was struck in the Suez Canal last year, it sent shock waves across the global economy eco-system.

BREAKING: The oil tanker Affinity V has run aground in the Suez Canal completely blocking all traffic. It happened at almost the exactly same spot as when the containership Ever Given ran aground in 2021. pic.twitter.com/ISD2ClB4gP  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) August 31, 2022

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, countries like India and Egypt have been trying to perform a fine balancing act between the West and Russia. Strategic analysts in India, Egypt, and France have floated an idea of a trilateral engagement between the three countries. Close bilateral ties, complementary strategic interests, and geopolitical orientation provide further impetus to the trilateral cooperation format. This trilateral, if materialized, would build on other minilateral formats like the Indo-Pacific Quad (between India, Japan, US, and Australia) and India-France-UAE trilateral and would increase Indias foreign policy options.

Indias growing naval profile and widening arc of maritime activities bring the Red Sea, Eastern Mediterranean and the Suez Canal into the strategic matrix of the Indian Navy. India is an Associate Member of the US-led Combined Task Force-153 that focuses on maritime security in the Red Sea. Increasing military presence of major global powers in this region makes it imperative for India to monitor the region and mark its presence. The role of Egypt in facilitating Indias growing naval presence in the Red Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean will be critical.

India is looking to export its defence products. Smaller and medium-sized countries across the Indo-Pacific, Eurasia and Africa are potential customers. The Philippines has already purchased the BrahMos missiles whereas Armenia has bought missiles, rockets, and ammunition. These weapon exports are not just critical for building up the capabilities of the Indian defence industry but also underscore strategic choices made by India.

With the intensifying China challenge, arming the Philippines is a sound strategy whereas selling weapons to Armenia is a message to the Azerbaijan-Turkey-Pakistan alliance in the evolving geopolitics of the Caucasus. The sale of Tejas, if it goes through, to Egypt will be another significant milestone in Indias defence exports trajectory. It will open up African as well as West Asian markets for Indias defence products.

Also Watch: Under The Radar E1: Indias 250 Million USD Deal With Armenia & Chinas Growing Rift With Pakistan

Egypt is one of Indias largest trading partners in Africa and the growing outreach to Egypt fits well into Indias expanding strategic ties with Africa as well. In the last few years, the Indian Navy had carried out naval visits and patrols in the Suez Canal as well as in the Gulf of Guinea. The fourth India-Africa Forum Summit is on the cards too.

India has historically trained military officers from Africa but has not been a major player in the African weapons market. Many African countries purchase weapons from the West, Russia, and China. Indias entry into this market will diversify defence partners for Africa as well as bring new opportunities for Indias defence manufacturers. The Russian preoccupation in Ukraine will open up possibilities for India to service and maintain Russian-made weapons, especially high-tech platforms like Su-30 aircraft, in Africa.

In this context, deepening strategic ties with Egypt has emerged as one of the important pillars of Indias policy towards West Asia and Africa. Maritime and military dimensions of India-Egypt relations offer the opportunities to build a win-win partnership.

Also Read: Why Egyptian President al-Sisis visit can expand Indias strategic horizons
Coca-Cola is easily the most recognisable beverage around the world. Known for its signature cola taste and the iconic bottle, the company is now planning to release a branded smartphone in India. While Cola-Cola itself might not be best option for your health, the branded device could turn out to be a special edition of the Realme 10 4G smartphone.

In a Tweet shared by tipster Mukul Sharma, the Coca-Cola branded smartphone is on full display. It appears that the company has partnered with Realme owing to the resemblance with Realme 10 4G phone.

[Exclusive] Here's the all new #Cola Phone 

Can confirm that the device is launching this quarter in India.

Coca-Cola is collaborating with a smartphone brand for this new phone.

Feel free to retweet.#ColaPhone pic.twitter.com/QraA1EHb6w  Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) January 24, 2023

Is the new Coca-Cola phone the Realme 10 4G?

The leaked image gives us hints about the smartphone's capability. The Coca-Cola smartphone is likely to have a dual rear camera setup with an LED flash. The phone has round edges and volume buttons are situated on the right side.

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Naturally, the phone will rock a red colour with Coca-Cola branding on the rear panel. Unfortunately, that's all we know from the leaked image. If the smartphone turns out to be a special edition Realme 10 4G, which it most likely is, the phone will have a 90 Hz AMOLED display with an FHD+ resolution of 2400x1080 pixels.

Also read: Coca Cola Testing Paper Bottles To Save Environment From Plastic Pollution

As the Times of India reported, the smartphone appears to have a "light particle" scheme on its back, suggesting that it would give off variations in colours from different angles. Powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, the Realme 10 has a 50 megapixel primary camera and 2 megapixel black and white portrait lens. The screen houses a 16 megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and more.

91Mobiles

These are decent specs for a branded phone that will only click with a niche audience. If you love the Coca-Cola enough to buy a branded device, we reckon it's not for its technical capabilities. Even then, the phone should come with a giant 5000mAh battery but unfortunately without 5G connectivity.

Also read: New Made-In-India Smartphone Operating Software 'BharOS' Promises More Security



What do you think about this upcoming device? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.
A chatbot that got information from many online sources passed tests at a US law school. It wrote essays about everything from the Constitution to taxes to torts.



OpenAI's ChatGPT uses AI to make text streams in response to simple commands.

This week, Microsoft gave the US startup a considerable amount of money. The results have been so impressive that teachers are worried it could usher at the end of traditional classroom education.

ChatGPT

Even though this was enough to get a passing grade, the bot was near the bottom of the class and "bombed" on multiple-choice math questions.



AP Photo/Peter Morgan

"ChatGPT's essays showed a strong understanding of basic legal rules and were always well-organized and written," the authors wrote.



But the bot "often struggled to spot issues when given an open-ended prompt, a core skill on law school exams."

Choi said that ChatGPT might be an excellent way to teach, even though officials in New York and other places have banned its use in schools.

Unsplash/Representational Image

"Overall, ChatGPT wasn't a great law student acting alone," he wrote on Twitter.



"But we expect that collaborating with humans, language models like ChatGPT would be very useful to law students taking exams and practicing lawyers."

"(They) had a hunch, and their hunch was right because ChatGPT had perfect grammar and was somewhat repetitive," Choi wrote.

(For the latest trending stories, keep reading Indiatimes)


The world is full of daunting bosses. As you advance through your job, you strategies different ways to get back at a problematic supervisor. When this happens, what do you do?

A UK chef found a nasty way to deal with his boss over a dispute over his holiday pay.

A chef was handed 17 months in prison for releasing 20 cockroaches into a pub kitchen in Lincoln, England. The man, identified as Tom Williams, caused a disturbance in the kitchen of the Royal William IV bar in Brayford Pool, Lincolnshire's county town.

Representative Image

The incident reportedly occurred on October 11, following an argument about holiday pay.



The 25-year-old was accused of making threats to cockroach bomb the bar's kitchen, according to evidence that was presented in Lincoln Crown Court.

The aftermath of the cockroach problem cost the bar 22,000 (about Rs 22 lakh). The argument began when the chef's holiday pay was set at 100 (approximately Rs 10,000).

Representative Image

Two days later, the frustrated chef returned to the bar and let loose 20 cockroaches in the kitchen from a jar. The cockroaches might have been kept in the jar so the man could use them as a source of protein for his pets.

He also cautioned the kitchen staff against coming into contact with non-native insects, saying they were poisonous.

To thoroughly clean the space, the members had to call Environmental Health and Pest Control and shut the bar.

Pexel

On November 21, when he was supposed to go to trial, the chef failed to show up.



According to mitigation advocate Jeremy Janes, the defendant feels terrible about their actions. The cook pleaded guilty on November 28 to burglary with criminal damage at the pub.

"This is a case littered with poor choices by this defendant. There was a legitimate dispute. He made a poor decision to go about getting reconciliation to get, in his mind, get some compensation for his perceived loss. The poor final choice was not to attend his trial," said James.

The chef was given a prison sentence of seventeen months by the judge. In addition to this, he will be required to put in a total of 200 hours of unpaid community service.

(For the latest trending stories, keep reading Indiatimes)


If the bloodbath in crypto prices in the first half of 2022, along with the Terra Luna crash, weren't enough to rattle the crypto market, the FTX fiasco surely added more pain for the industry in the later stages of last year.



FTX's implosion was the biggest and most spectacular crypto downfall in 2022.

bloomberg

The Bahamas-based exchange had started the year with a $32 billion valuation, hired celebrities including Larry David and Tom Brady for flashy Super Bowl ads, and put its name on the home arena of the NBA's Miami Heat. FTX, which said it had more than a million users, positioned itself as a "white knight" that could rescue other crypto firms amid market turbulence earlier this year, as per a Reuters report.

But by November 2022, FTX went bankrupt just after a week in which a possible merger with rival crypto exchange Binance failed when the world's largest crypto exchange backed out.

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried dealt with allegations that he had funnelled customer deposits to FTX's affiliated trading firm, Alameda Research. He said that he is "deeply sorry about what happened" and acknowledged a "massive failure of oversight of risk management," but said he did not intentionally commingle FTX's user deposits with Alameda's trading activity. He recently pleaded "not guilty" in court.

John Ray, the new CEO who has been brought in to oversee FTX's bankruptcy, reportedly said he had never before seen "such a complete failure of corporate controls."

Nonetheless, while the FTX fiasco remains the highlight of the crypto market's turbulent past year, there have been numerous other crypto firms that have filed for bankruptcy.

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Also Read: JPMorgan CEO Calls Bitcoin A 'Hyped-Up Fraud' & Crypto A Waste Of Time



List Of Crypto Firms That Filed For Bankruptcy

1.BlockFi

Crypto lender BlockFi was the first crypto company to follow FTX into bankruptcy, filing for Chapter 11 about two weeks after FTX's collapse in November itself.



BlockFi had several ties to FTX, and it had relied on a $400 million FTX credit facility to stay afloat after competing crypto lenders Voyager Digital Ltd. and Celsius Network went bankrupt as a result of market turbulence earlier in 2022.

BlockFi has previously said it has 450,000 users and intends to ask a bankruptcy judge to allow some of them to withdraw funds. The users that would be able to withdraw funds have non-interest-bearing BlockFi Wallet accounts, which BlockFi created earlier this year as part of a $100 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

2.Three Arrows Capital

The crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) was the first major crypto firm to go bankrupt in 2022, brought down by the collapse of cryptocurrencies Luna and TerraUSD in May. Those meltdowns roiled crypto markets around the world, wiped out $42 billion in investor value, and led to an arrest warrant in South Korea for the cryptocurrencies' developers.

Singapore-based 3AC, which was reported to have $10 billion in cryptocurrency earlier in 2022, began bankruptcy proceedings in the British Virgin Islands in June, as per the Reuters report. Professionals overseeing 3AC's liquidation have said that its founders fled overseas and are not cooperating with efforts to recover assets for creditors.

3.Voyager Digital

Voyager, a New Jersey-based crypto lender, filed for bankruptcy in July in the United States after 3AC defaulted on a crypto loan worth more than $650 million.



Voyager had hoped to move its bankruptcy quickly through the U.S. court system, having reached an agreement in September to sell its assets for $1.4 billion in crypto to FTX. The proposed sale fell through following FTX's implosion, and Voyager reopened discussions with other potential buyers, including the crypto exchange Binance.

abc-amega

4.Celsius Network



Another crypto lender brought down by the Terra and Luna collapse, Celsius Network, began its U.S. bankruptcy case in July on shakier footing than Voyager.

Since then, Celsius has been embroiled in disputes over fraud investigations, disparate treatment of customer accounts, customer privacy, and its spending on a new bitcoin mining facility, as per the report.

Celsius' bankruptcy judge has appointed an examiner to investigate whether Celsius operated as a Ponzi scheme and to broadly review the company's finances. Celsius has said it welcomes an independent review, but it has expressed concern about overlapping investigations undertaken by its creditors, state securities regulators, and the bankruptcy examiner.

5. Genesis Global

The latest to join the list of bankrupt crypto firms is cryptocurrency lender Genesis Global Holdco. It filed for bankruptcy last week, becoming the latest crypto company to do so after the collapse of FTX, the exchange founded by Sam Bankman-Fried, as per a New York Times report.

A year ago, Genesis and a group of other large lending firms drew millions of customers with the promise that they could deposit their crypto holdings and earn sky-high returns. But Genesis bankruptcy filing makes it the fifth major crypto lender to fail since the FTX fiasco.

While Genesis did manage to survive for longer, it suffered in the fallout from FTXs implosion. In November, Genesis said it was freezing withdrawals, citing "market turmoil" caused by the bankruptcy of Mr. Bankman-Frieds business.

As per the report, the filing in bankruptcy court in the Southern District of New York covered three entities: Genesis Global Holdco and two of its subsidiaries, Genesis Global Capital and Genesis Asia Pacific.

Now it remains to be seen whether the remaining crypto firms in the industry end up joining this list or are able to continue operations and even grow amid hopes of the crypto market's bounce back.

Layoffs In Crypto Industry

Besides the bankruptcies of crypto firms and the mass layoffs of tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon occupying the headlines, even crypto firms have been continuously laying off employees since the past year.

Here's the long list of the crypto industry's layoffs announced in the past few months, as per CoinDesk.

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Jan. 23, 2023: Crypto exchange Gemini is cutting another 10%, or about 100 employees, from its job roster. Its headcount was about 1,000 employees in November 2022, according to PitchBook data.



Jan. 17, 2023: Fidelity-backed exchange OSL cuts workers by a third, but did not disclose reduction amount.

Jan. 13, 2023: Crypto.com said it is cutting its workforce by about 20%. The exchange has around 3500-4500 employees, placing its current round of layoffs at around 700-900 employees. CoinDesk has rounded to the latter.

Jan. 12, 2023: Cryptocurrency brokerage Blockchain.com is letting go of 28% of its workforce, about 110 employees.

Jan. 10, 2023: Ethereum software firm ConsenSys, which has an estimated 900 staffers, is planning to reduce its headcount by 100.

Jan. 10, 2023: Coinbase is planning to cut around 20%, or 950 individuals, from its workforce.

Jan. 6, 2023: NFT marketplace SuperRare cuts staff by 30%, bringing its roster to about 50 employees from an estimated 70, according to a SuperRare spokesperson.

Jan. 5, 2023: Crypto exchange Huobi reduces 20% of its headcount.

Jan. 5, 2023: Crypto lender Genesis Global Trading lays off 30% of its staff, reducing its headcount by an estimated 62 employees and bringing its total roster to 145. Genesis is owned by Digital Currency Group, which also CoinDesk's parent company.

Jan. 5, 2023: Crypto bank Silvergate Capital (SI) cuts 200 jobs, about 40% of its workforce.

Dec. 9, 2022: Crypto trading firm Amber Group lays off 40% of its workforce, reducing its headcount by about 300.

Dec. 5, 2022: Australian crypto exchange Swyftx cuts 90 jobs, reducing its workforce by 35%.

Dec. 5, 2022: Bybit to lay off 250 employees, a 30% reduction.

Nov. 30, 2022: Crypto exchange Kraken cuts 30% of its staff, an estimated 1,100 people.

Nov. 24, 2022: Argentine crypto exchange Lemon Cash sheds 100 jobs, about 38%, of its 296-employee roster.

Nov. 18, 2022: Bitcoin financial-services firm Unchained Capital cuts its staff by 15%, or 16 people.

Nov. 10, 2022: Crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) lays off 60 employees.

Nov. 9, 2022: Meta Platforms (META) slashes more than 11,000 jobs, an estimated 13% of its workforce.

Nov. 4, 2022: Web3 gaming studio Mythical Games lays off 10% of its employees, an estimated 32 individuals.

Nov. 3, 2022: Payments processor Stripe cuts more than 1,000 jobs, about 14% of its workforce.

Nov. 2, 2022: Dapper Labs reduces its workforce by 22%, about 135 staff members.

Nov. 2, 2022: Crypto exchange BitMEX cuts 20% of its staff, about 53 employees.

Nov. 2, 2022: Digital Currency Group cuts nearly 13% of its staff, placing its headcount at 66. The crypto conglomerate owns CoinDesk.

Nov. 1, 2022: Crypto finance firm Galaxy Digital to cut one-fifth of its workforce, an estimated 170 employees.

Oct. 13, 2022: Crypto trading firm NYDIG lays off about 33% of its staff, about 110 employees.

Oct. 11, 2022: Market maker GSR cuts its staff by 10%, an estimated 30 employees.

Oct. 6, 2022: Crypto exchange Crypto.com downsizes by 2,000 employees, about 30%-40% of its staff.

Oct. 1, 2022: Indian crypto exchange WazirX lays off roughly 40%, about 50 to 70 employees.

Sept. 23, 2022: Stakefish staff is reduced by 25% following Ethereum Merge, about eight employees.

Sept. 16, 2022: Fintech startup TrueLayer trims 10% of its staff, about 45 employees.

Sept. 1, 2022: Social media giant Snap (SNAP) disbands its Web3 team, laying off 20% of its staff, about 1,459 employees.

Sept. 1, 2022: A second round of layoffs at Brazilian crypto unicorn 2TM reduces the firm's staff by 15%, about 100 employees.

Aug. 17, 2022: Crypto broker Genesis Global Trading cuts 20% of its 260-person workforce. Genesis, like CoinDesk, is owned by Digital Currency Group.

Aug. 11, 2022: Crypto miner Core Scientific (CORZ) cuts 10% of its staff.

Aug. 2, 2022: Broker Robinhood Markets (HOOD) slashes 780 jobs, about 23% of its workforce.

July 29, 2022: Crypto exchange CoinFLEX reduces is 50%-60% of staff.

July 21, 2022: Blockchain.com cuts 25% of its staff, about 150 jobs.

July 14, 2022: NFT marketplace OpenSea lays off roughly 20% of its staff.

July 7, 2022: Compass Mining cuts 15% of its staff, lowers executive compensation.

July 5, 2022: Crypto exchange Bullish.com reportedly cuts about 10% of workforce.

July 4, 2022: Crypto lender Celsius Network reportedly cuts 150 jobs amid restructuring.

July 1, 2022: Cosmos-builder Ignite cuts its headcount by more than 50%, according to former employees.

June 28, 2022: Crypto exchange Huobi Global could cut over 30% of its workforce as China's crackdown on crypto leads to a fall in revenue.

June 27, 2022: Australian crypto exchange Banxa lays off 70.

June 24, 2022: European crypto exchange Bitpanda cuts its staff by 270.

June 20, 2022: Bybit to reduce its workforce by 30%.

June 14, 2022: Coinbase lays off around 1,100 employees.

June 13, 2022: Crypto.com, BlockFi to cut more than 400 jobs.

June 3, 2022: Brazilian crypto unicorn 2TM lays off more than 80 employees.

June 2, 2022: Middle Eastern crypto exchange Rain reportedly lays off dozens of employees.

June 2, 2022: Gemini cuts 10% of its staff.

May 26, 2022: Latin American crypto exchange Bitso lays off 80 employees.

May 24, 2022: Argentinian crypto exchange Buenbit cuts 45% of its staff, roughly 80 people.

April 4, 2022: Crypto exchange BitMEX lays off 75 workers.

Also Read: How 10 Major Cryptocurrencies Have Performed Last Year

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Googles Optimize and Optimize 360 website testing and analytics tools will no longer be available after September 30, 2023. Customers personalizations and experiments on Optimize and Optimize 360 can continue to run until September 30, but any still active on that date will end, the company said.

In a bulletin published January 20, Google said it remains committed to enabling businesses of all sizes to improve user experiences and is investing in A/B testing in Google Analytics 4. Introduced July 31, 2019, Google Analytics 4 is an analytics service for measuring engagement and traffic across websites.

Google encourages customers to download all historical data from within their Optimize user interface. To download historical data, customers can use the Export your Optimize report data link. To access your historical raw data, use the Google Analytics Data API.

Anyone extending or renewing their Google Analytics 360 (Universal Analytics) contracts in the first half of 2023 will be able to renew Optimize 360 contracts with service dates ending on or before September 30. Those with signed Google Analytics 4 contracts cannot sign Optimize 360 contracts but can access Optimize via integration with Google Analytics 4 until the sunset date.

Any Optimize 360 orders already received that end after the September 30 sunset date will be revised to this date.
According to Zurich, the joint offering will be initially available in the US, Germany and Switzerland. It will help businesses tackle both sides of the climate challenge at the same time, by helping them to define and execute their short- and long-term climate resilience objectives, as well as their net-zero goals. It will focus on measuring physical climate risk and emissions, helping establish a strategy to reduce each, and overseeing implementation of actions that will meet local regulatory and sustainability reporting requirements.
A new deal worth 14.7m has been agreed on by ALDI Ireland and Glenpatrick Spring Water which will see the Tipperary-based producer continue to supply its products across the grocer's 155 Irish stores.

The announcement comes at the commencement of ALDI's annual conference, with representatives from the store's 330 suppliers attending in Naas, Co. Kildare.

Employing over 300 people in Ireland, Glenpatrick has supplied ALDI for over 20 years, with the new deal allowing the company to expand their workforce and infrastructure further, with 10 new jobs being created in 2023.

Speaking on the new deal, ALDI Ireland Group Buying Director, John Curtin said he was delighted to announce their continued partnership, saying they "look forward to continuing the great work done with Glenpatrick over the last 20 years, they are a valued and trusted supplier."

Glenpatrick Commercial Manager Michael Cairns added, "Over the last 20 years, this partnership has allowed us to bring our products to more and more customers every year and we are thrilled to sign an extension for one more year."

Founded in 1988, the company supplies products including still, sparkling and vitamin water, along with carbonated drinks like lemonade, shandy and lemon and lime.

This week's conference will take place over two days on January 25th and February 1st, and will hear from suppliers based across the country about their latest product developments.

The gathering will also hear about the store's plans to tackle the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, following research commissioned by ALDI that found that over 77% reported financial worries as a result of the crisis.

Additionally, the research also concluded that the same number have already switched to private label goods, with 73% having switched to discount retailers in an effort to save money.
Those seeking international protection here are being told they could be waiting up to four days to hear if accommodation becomes available, as the crisis reaches the worst point ever seen.

It comes as the Department for Integration said it can no longer provide emergency accommodation to International Protection Applicants (IPAs), as Citywest has reached capacity.

In the first 15 days of 2023 alone, more than 1,500 people have arrived in Ireland seeking shelter and safety.

One 24-year-old man who arrived from South Africa on Tuesday was brought to the International Protection Office (IPO) from the airport yesterday morning.

They said they dont have accommodation for us, so we have to find our own place to sleep, he said.

He and another man, who met on the plane, were considering sleeping at a doorstep until accommodation is available. Both men were told they could be waiting for up to four days until they hear about available accommodation.

They gave no advice, they asked us to see ourselves out. Im not even worried, Im stressed, its cold here.

A sign on the door of the IPO on Wednesday read: Support may be available in the form of food/showers ONLY  Capuchin Day Centre, 29 Bow street.

Capuchin Day Centre manager Alan Bailey said he was told to expect an influx of people.

Breakfast at the drop-in centre usually caters to around 200 people, while dinners can range from 500 to 600. Mr Bailey expects this to greatly increase.

Lunch served at the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin. Breakfast usually caters to around 200 people, while dinners can range from 500 to 600. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins

The last time this happened, they were sleeping at the airport and they were coming here for meals and that worked out well in so far as it could, he said.

The homeless centre, which receives 400,000 a year from the Government, has costs of up to 4m in the same period, and runs primarily on donations.

They come in here and they have their hot meal and in the mornings they can have their shower or see our doctor, but we dont do accommodation, he said.

Nasc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre, chief executive Fiona Hurley, said it was a deep failing to reach this point.

These are some of the worst conditions that we have ever seen for international protection applicants coming to Ireland. It is something that would have been unimaginable even a year ago that we would be openly stating that people would be coming and being on the streets.

Ms Hurley acknowledged the enormous pressure the Government is under, before saying:

The state has a legal obligation to provide accommodation for people who are claiming international protection, so we are currently in breach of that obligation by turning people away.

Those without accommodation are also restricted in terms of trying to access homeless services.

Although hopeful that further accommodation will become available, Ms Hurley called for temporary measures to be put in place.

Otherwise, I think we are going to see a lot of people on our streets, and thats exceptionally dangerous.
A credit union manager who stole from the organisation in an effort to help save her husband's failing business has been jailed for two years.

Anne Butterly (66) stole 875,405 over seven years by four different methods including getting authorised signatures on blank cheques, taking funds from members share accounts, unauthorised transactions on members deposit accounts and buying a vehicle for her husband using credit union funds.

Butterly, of Channel Road, Rush, Dublin, previously pleaded guilty to stealing 34,496 which was the property of Rush Credit Union.

On Monday, she pleaded guilty to a further three counts of stealing a total of 59,786 on dates between January 11, 2013, and July 31, 2015, but her defence counsel accepted these were representative sample pleas for offending which took place from 2009 to 2016 and led to the theft of over 875,000.

Judge Martin Nolan described it as a lamentable case, in that Butterly had spent all her adult life working with the credit union and by reason of her competence and enthusiasm she became the manager.

But he said she began stealing and thieving in a serious way and she abused a great trust people had placed in her. Judge Nolan acknowledged that the victims of the theft had been compensated by the credit unions insurance company and that Butterly has since fully compensated them in turn.

He accepted that there was clear mitigation in the case including her pleas of guilty, admissions, remorse and sincere shame.

Rush is a rural area and she has been living there since these events, probably as a social pariah.

It goes without saying that she has serious health problems and any prison term will be much more difficult for her because of this, Judge Nolan said. He accepted that it is highly unlikely that Butterly will re-offend and that she is no threat to society.

Does she deserve a custodial term by reason of her culpability? To steal from your employer, from your friends and neighbours is an extremely serious matter. To say it was a huge misjudgement is an understatement, Judge Nolan said.

He said he believes that Butterly deserves to go to prison unfortunately for general deterrence and to punish her. Nobody can behave in this way and not go to prison, Judge Nolan said before he jailed Butterly for two years.

Detective Garda Michael Owens told Aoife OLeary BL prosecuting, that in March 2016, gardai were contacted by Rush Credit Union after a significant degree of financial irregularities were discovered.

Butterly, who had started working with the credit union as a volunteer, was a manager at the time. She was in a trusted role and volunteers, who acted as signatories for signing cheques, had no concerns about signing blank cheques for her.

Butterly also retained deposit books for many of the members and Det. Gda Owens said this meant she had a high degree of control. The detective said a number of the cheques were used to pay creditors of Butterlys husbands company including Bord Gais, suppliers and Revenue.

He was a vegetable grower who had hit difficult times, Det. Gda Owens told the court. The offending also involved the transfer of money between accounts to fill holes and hide the thefts. Butterly was interviewed and co-operated fully with the investigation. She has no previous convictions.

Det. Gda Owens said the individual members impacted by the thefts have been compensated by the credit unions insurance company. Victim impact statements were handed into court but not read out.

Det. Owens agreed with Andrew Sexton SC, defending, that Butterlys husbands family lands have since been sold and 865,000 has been paid back to the credit unions insurers.

Full apology

It was also accepted that Butterly has a number of health issues and her health has deteriorated since her arrest in 2020.

Mr Sexton outlined those health problems to Judge Nolan and said that since 2016, Butterly has had a number of falls which led to fractures and long periods of hospitalisation.

He said there have also been psychological impacts on her client and a medical report concluded that she is a person in need of full-time care at this point. Mr Sexton handed in a reference from a neighbour and a reverend.

Counsel said his client instructed him to give a full apology and acknowledged that this is a community matter. He said it was a clear and outrageous breach of trust and there is no getting away from that.

He said his clients husbands company got into trouble and she props it up, possibly under the fantasy that it will all be paid back, Mr Sexton submitted. He said the business failed and everything had to be sold. The couple have no children and are both ill at the moment.

Seven years have gone by and she has lived in that community, 100% under a cloud, Mr Sexton said. She comes to this court with her hands up and a full apology, he told Judge Nolan.
Burma Myanmar Regime Bombs Displacement Hub at Monastery in Chin State

Houses damaged by junta airstrikes in Mindat. / Mindat People's Authority

Junta air attacks on Mindat Township, Chin State have injured at least eight people and targeted a monastery organizing shelter for displaced residents, according to the local civilian Peoples Authority.

The regime carried out eight airstrikes in Mindat between January 7 and 23, said the Chinland Defense Force (CDF).

The most recent air raids took place at the weekend, said Salai Yaw Marn, spokesman of Mindat Peoples Authority.

They dropped bombs from the air on Jan. 21 and 22 and fired artillery. They also bombed near the rural health care center where they believed those injured [in the strikes] would be taken. There were no fatalities, but some eight people were injured, said Salai Yaw Marn.

The unprovoked air and artillery strikes damaged houses, a monastery, and a religious hall at two villages in northern Mindat. A regime battalion based in Mindat town also shelled another village nearby, according to the Peoples Authority. The attacks forced residents of targeted villages to flee their homes.

The Peoples Authority said regime forces deliberately targeted the Buddhist monastery in Paleik Htwi village as it was housing the townships committee for internally displaced persons (IDPs). The attack injured committee members and damaged relief supplies, the IDP committee said.

Mindat CDF has warned residents to dig foxholes to protect themselves against junta air raids.

The Chin National Organization/Chin National Defense Force issued a statement on Tuesday, vowing continue fighting together with other revolutionary forces until the military dictatorship is toppled.

Junta forces attacked the Mt. Victoria headquarters of the Chin National Front, the political wing of the Chin National Army, near the Myanmar-India border on Jan. 10 and 11. The attacks killed five CNF members and injured many others.
Burma Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Artillery, Gunships Attack Villages in Karen State

Houses burn after junta attacks in Kyondoe. / Lion Battalion

Thousands of residents have fled their homes as fighting intensifies between junta forces and the anti-regime Lion Battalion Commando under the ethnic Kawthoolei Army in Kawkareik Township, Karen State.

The junta has shelled and bombed villages around the battle zone close to Kyondoe town, according to the resistance groups and residents.

Thousands have fled Kann Ni, Mi Galon, Nyaung Yeik Thar and Kaw Bein villages where regime artillery and helicopter gunships have burned dozens of houses since Tuesday.

The juntas Infantry Battalions 545 and 546 are bombarding the villages with artillery, causing casualties and damage to homes, residents said.

A camp in Kawkareik run by the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP) is preparing to take in Kyondoe residents fleeing the town in search of shelter.

We were dismayed to hear that they [regime troops] are shelling civilian areas. How would you feel if the residents were your family, your relatives, if the houses destroyed were your properties? It may be too far for them to reach us, but we are seeking other ways we can help, said Naw Hpaw Lwal, head of the CIDPKP camp in Kawkareik.

Clashes began in Kyondoe on Friday before gradually intensifying and reaching a crescendo from Tuesday. They were still ongoing as of Wednesday afternoon, according to residents.

We left the village yesterday and crossed the river to stay at a relatives house in [Kyondoe] town. But junta troops warned Kyondoe residents that intense fighting could break out in the town at any time as well, said a 43-year-old Karen man who fled Nyaung Yeik Thar village yesterday when it was shelled by regime forces.

At least 40 junta troops have been killed in the clashes so far, according to a statement issued by the Lion Battalion Commando on Wednesday.

The Irrawaddy could not verify that figure.

Residents and resistance groups said they are still unable to give civilian casualty figures.

Intense clashes are still breaking out and the terrorist military council keeps shelling and bombing from Mi35 [helicopter gunships]. Some of our troops have also been injured, said the Lion Battalion Commando in their statement.
Burma UK Snubs Myanmar Junta Over King Charles Coronation

Britain's King Charles III addresses both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall in September 2022. / AFP

Myanmars junta and its chief arms supplier Russia will not be invited to attend King Charles IIIs coronation in London in May, according to the Star tabloid in the UK.

The event could be even larger than Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral in September, partly because world leaders will have more time to plan their travel.

Myanmars military was not invited to the funeral along with representatives from Russia, Belarus, Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan.

Britains exclusion of Myanmars junta did not come as a surprise. London condemned the 2021 coup and downgraded its diplomatic relations with the junta. The British envoy to Myanmar, Peter Vowles, was forced to leave the country.

The UK has also imposed sanctions against military-linked businesses, including a company owned by Min Aung Hlaings son Aung Pyae Sone as well as his generals. Britains Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advised against all travel to many parts of Myanmar, including Mon, Kachin, Chin, Kayah, Karen and northern Rakhine states and Sagaing and Magwe regions.

In December, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on Myanmar that demands an end to violence and calls on the countrys military rulers to release all political prisoners, including civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The draft of the resolution was prepared by Britain.

The resolution is the first on Myanmar in 74 years.

Junta media reported that regime bosses signed books of condolence after the deaths of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin and former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe at their embassies in Yangon. But the regime was silent about the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.

The regime also detained former UK ambassador Vicky Bowman, who served in Myanmar from 2002 to 2006, and her husband, Ko Htein Lin, a renowned artist and former political prisoner, in August and handed one-yearprison sentence s to the couple for allegedly breaching the Immigration Act. Observers said the regime was applying hostage diplomacy as it was desperate for international recognition. They were both released in November in a general amnesty.

Australia has downgraded diplomatic ties with Myanmar and other countries are in the process of downgrading their diplomatic representation to charge daffaires, meaning head of mission, rather than appointing an ambassador.
Junta Crony Myanmar Junta Crony Pleads Not Guilty to Drug, Financial Crimes in Thailand

Tun Min Latt (yellow tie) with Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing (second from left) at an arms exhibition in Bangkok in 2019. / Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing website

An arms dealer and Myanmar junta crony with close links to the countrys military regime leader on Monday pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering charges in Thailand.

Myanmar citizen Tun Min Latt and three other people, in addition to legal entity Allure Group (P&E), were charged in December with money laundering, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime after their arrests in Bangkok in September.

During Mondays trial hearing at the Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court in Bangkok, Tun Min Latt and co-defendant Dean Young Guntula, the son-in-law of Thai senator Upakit Pachariyangkun, appeared in court shackled by the ankles, while the other two sat with them without shackles.

Tun Min Latt is accused of transferring funds derived from drug sales to Allure Group (P&E), an electricity company. According to the indictment, the company was used to transform money gained from offences related to drugs into commodities in the form of electricity that was exported to [Shan States Tachileik in] Myanmar from Thailand.

Dean allegedly oversaw the transfer of funds to Allure Group (P&E) from a related firm, Myanmar Allure Group Co. Ltd. According to Thailands company registry, Tun Min Latt is the sole shareholder in Myanmar Allure Group (P&E), which is registered in Mae Sai, a Thai town across the border from Tachileik. The other two defendants, Namhom Nettrakun and Piyada Khamta, are also accused of involvement in transferring drug money to Allure Group (P&E).

The four pleaded not guilty on Monday via their attorneys, and provided reasons for their pleas, according to Thai news website Prachatai.

The lawyers stated that their clients had nothing to do with the drug trade, insisting that Allure Group P&E was involved only in importing electricity from Thailand to Tachiliek.

They said an unofficial moneychanger that the company used to conduct cross-border transactions was involved with money from drug trafficking.

Deans lawyer claimed his client had no involvement in the matter, that among his seized assets nothing illegal was found, and that he had never even traveled to Myanmar.

Tun Min Latt and the other defendants have been in custody in Thailand since their arrest in September 2022. Over 200 million baht (US$5.4 million) worth of drugs and other items were confiscated from them, Thai police said.

Two weeks later, an arrest warrant was also issued for Guntulas father-in-law, Upakit, on drug trafficking and money laundering charges, but the warrant was quickly withdrawn, OCCRP and Prachatai reported.

Tun Min Latt runs the Star Sapphire Group of companies, which brokered imports of Israeli reconnaissance drones and aircraft parts for the Myanmar Air Force, according to sources.

Star Sapphire Group is partnered with two military-owned business conglomerates  Myanma Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC)  in numerous ventures, sources said.

His ties to Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaings family were revealed when police found bankbooks and the title document of a luxury condominium owned by the adult children of Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing among items seized during the raid in September.

The items included the title document of a four-bedroom condo worth nearly $1 million in the Belle Rama 9 complex in Bangkok belonging to Min Aung Hlaings son Aung Pyae Sone, and two Siam Commercial Bank passbooks belonging to Khin Thiri Thet Mon, Min Aung Hlaings daughter.
Myanmars Crisis & the World War Crimes Complaint Filed Against Myanmar Military in Germany

Members of the Myanmar military take part in a parade to mark the country's 77th Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw on March 27, 2022. / AFP

BANGKOKA group of people from Myanmar have filed a criminal complaint in Germany accusing their countrys military of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, a rights organization said Tuesday.

The case was lodged with Germanys Federal Public Prosecutor General under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows the prosecution of certain grave crimes regardless of where they took place, and has been used to try Syrians over atrocities committed during the civil war.

The 16 complainants live in several countries, including Myanmar, and are drawn from a cross-section of the countrys numerous ethnic groups, including Rohingya, the dominant Burman and minority Chin communities.

Their accounts date from 2017, when the country was run by a civilian government, to 2021, after the coup that brought the current junta to power.

They [the army] dont think of us as people and treat us like animals, said Thi Da, a 35-year-old ethnic Chin.

Her husband disappeared in September.

The 215-page complaint alleges the military systematically killed, raped, tortured, imprisoned, disappeared, persecuted, and committed other acts that amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, the campaign group Fortify Rights, which is leading the legal case, said in a statement.

The complaint draws on more than 1,000 interviews conducted by Fortify Rights since 2013, as well as leaked documents and information from the Myanmar army and deserters, said the rights group.

It alleges that senior military officials knew about their subordinates crimes, and failed to take any action to prevent the crimes from happening and to punish the perpetrators.

The complaint asks the German prosecutor to open an investigation into specific officials and others liable for mass atrocity crimes.

It also addresses the armys actions during a violent crackdown against the Rohingya in 2017, which forced more than 740,000 to flee.

I want justice

One Rohingya woman, identified by the initials FK, survived an attack by soldiers and non-Rohingya on her northern Rakhine village in August 2017.

Seven members of her family were killed, and as she was beaten by soldiers, she heard her daughter-in-law being raped in the adjacent room.

As a Rohingya woman, I want justice for the genocide so that it does not happen again, FK said.

Cases are currently being heard by the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and another universal jurisdiction case in Argentina for crimes committed during the military crackdown on the Rohingya.

The United States has said Myanmars 2017 crackdown on Rohingya constituted genocide.

The German complaint was filed on January 20 and is not publicly available, according to Fortify Rights, which was established in Myanmar and also works in Thailand and Malaysia.

Germany has repeatedly prosecuted atrocities committed abroad, including the war in Syria.

In January last year, a German court jailed a former Syrian colonel for life for overseeing the murder of 27 people and the torture of 4,000 others at a Damascus detention center a decade ago.

More recently, the federal prosecutors office in Karlsruhe opened an investigation into suspected war crimes by Russian troops following the invasion of Ukraine.
War Against the Junta Myanmar Resistance Assassinates Junta 'Informant'

U Kyaw Min Than as an army officer.

A retired army major and his wife were reportedly shot dead by a resistance group in Mayangone Township, Yangon, on Wednesday morning.

Residents said two gunmen executed U Kyaw Min Than, 45, and his wife Naw Saw Mon Myat with shots in the head and chest. Both died on the spot.

U Kyaw Min Than retired from the military in 2018 and founded the Lucky Palace King company.

Revolutionary groups in Mayangone and Hlaing townships said he was a regime supporter and informant, giving details of protesters and urban resistance members. His information led to arrests and he was seen at some abductions, the resistance claimed.

The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports.

They said Naw Saw Mon Myat worked at a junta immigration office, a key department in preparing voter lists for the general election the regime is planning to hold this year.

U Kyaw Min Than is named as a Lucky Palace King director by the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration producing beverages and vehicles, trading vehicles and providing land and pipeline transport.

Residents said junta troops soon blocked off the area and began searching civilians. The ward administration office collected all the CCTV in the ward.

No urban guerilla force has claimed responsibility for the attack but the juntas media said the couple were ordinary civilians killed by resistance groups following orders from the civilian National Unity Government.
War Against the Junta Nearly 60 Myanmar Junta Forces Killed in Three Days of Resistance Attacks

Resistance fighters of Khin U Special Force Organization / KSFO

At least 57 Myanmar junta forces including pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members were killed in the last three days as Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) stepped up their attacks on regime targets across the country.

In one case, resistance forces raided and burned down a junta-run general administration office, immigration office and some military offices in a town near the Thai border in Karen State.

Incidents were reported in Sagaing, Mandalay and Magwe regions and Karen State.

The Irrawaddy has rounded up the following reports of significant attacks from PDFs.

Some military casualties could not be independently verified.

20 pro-regime militia members killed in PDF raid in Sagaing



Combined resistance forces raid pro-regime camps in a pro-regime village in Shwebo Township on Sunday. / Ma Tahtaung Takaung Bwar-PDF

At least 20 pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members were killed and 15 others injured in Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region on Sunday when 13 local PDF groups jointly raided a pro-regime military camp in Taltheetaw Village, according to the resistance groups.

During the raid, PDF forces burned down some militia camps. In the shootout, three resistance fighters suffered minor injuries.

Five junta troops killed by PDF land mines in Sagaing

Khin U Special Force Organization claimed it and two PDF groups killed five regime forces and injured three others when they used three land mines to ambush 15 regime forces traveling in the north of Khin U Township, Sagaing Region on Tuesday.

Pro-regime village raided in Sagaing



Combined PDF forces raid the pro-regime village of Zee Phyu Kone in Pale Township on Monday. / Yoma Yarzar PDF

Four pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members were confirmed killed in Pale Township, Sagaing Region on Monday when eight PDF groups from Yinmabin District and Pakokku District in neighboring Magwe Region shelled and raided the pro-regime village of Zee Phyu Kone, claimed Yoma Yarzar PDF group, which joined the attacks.

During the raids, PDF fighters managed to enter the village and burn down some buildings.

Two junta police killed by PDF shelling in Sagaing

At least two junta policemen were killed and some of their family members were injured in Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region on Tuesday when Eagle Guerrilla Forces used improvised mortar shells to bomb the police station in the town, the PDF group claimed.

The PDF group said they also shelled a base of pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members in the township and the militia group randomly responded with firearms.

Regime camp shelled in Sagaing

Many regime forces are thought to have been killed or injured in Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region on Monday when six PDF groups jointly used five 81-mm improvised mortar rounds to bomb regime forces stationed near Nyaung Zin Lay Village, claimed Kanbalu Underground Warriors, which took part in the attack.

The PDF group also said it conducted a surprise attack on regime forces in Kar Boe Village in the township on Sunday. There were military casualties.

Military detachment attacked in Karen

Three junta soldiers were killed and more than five others injured in Kyainseikgyi Township, Karen State on Tuesday when the resistance group Lion Battalion commando attacked a military detachment of the militarys Division 44, the resistance group said.

During the clash, the bodies of dead soldiers were seized along with two firearms, the group said.

On Monday night, a combined resistance group also raided and burned down a junta-run General Administration Department office, immigration offices and some military offices in the town of Payathonzu in Kyainseikgyi.

Regime forces bombed by PDF drone in Magwe

Local resistance group Yesagyo-PDF said it used a drone to drop three bombs on 12 regime forces in a forest near Kan Thit Village in Yesagyo Township, Magwe Region on Tuesday.

The military reinforcements were also bombed by the PDF group while traveling to the drone strike area. However, military casualties were unknown. An aerial video shows a drone dropping improvised bombs on regime targets.

The group also claimed to have killed two regime soldiers as they used land mines to ambush regime forces on motorbikes in the town of Yesagyo at 4 a.m. early Tuesday.

Pro-regime village attacked in Magwe

A pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia member was killed and two others seriously injured in Myaing Township, Magwe Region on Sunday when local PDF groups attacked the pro-regime village of Kan Ni using both heavy weapons and firearms, said Myaing-PDF, which was involved in the attack.

The attack was in response to the recent junta air strikes targeting civilians in Bahin Village in the township, the PDF group said.

Myaing-PDF forces also used a drone to bomb pro-regime military members from the pro-regime village of Twinma while they were performing sentry duty outside the village.

20 junta troops killed by PDF land mines in Magwe

Myaing Underground Defense Force (MUGDF) claimed to have killed at least 20 regime troops when it and two other PDF groups used a cluster of 15 land mines to ambush 50 troops of a military advance unit in Myaing Township, Magwe Region on Monday.

The military detachment, which was escorting a military convoy of supply vehicles, was ambushed with land mines while traveling to a military camp in an oil drilling area in the township.

Bodies of killed or injured soldiers were transported in three military vehicles, the PDF group said.

Junta servants collecting voter lists bombed in Mandalay



A PDF drone bombs regime targets in Madaya Township on Monday. / Unicorn Guerrilla Force

Local PDF group Unicorn Guerrilla Force said it and six other resistance groups used four drones to drop bombs on regime forces and government servants while they were collecting voter lists for the regimes sham election at a village in Madaya Township in Mandalay Region on Monday.

Regime leaders have instructed their forces to look for PDF forces while collecting the lists from households.

An aerial video released by the PDF group shows drones dropping bombs on regime targets at a monastery.
Telecommunications company Optus will provide its business solutions and mobile network to over 700 services to home service franchise Jims Group across its 54 divisions.

Optus coverage footprint and strong connection appealed to Jims Group. The partnership will offer improved customer experience to more than five million Australians that rely on Jims Group services each year, Optus claimed.

To challenge a burst of low-cost competitors, Jims Group overhauled its IT infrastructure to improve job bookings and management and improve its customer and franchisee experience. The companys app, Jims Jobs, incorporates everything from job scheduling to customer feedback.

Optus will create a CX system to power Jim Groups business.

Jims Group founder Jim Penman routinely reads all customer feedback, modelling the level of connectedness and service excellence the company expects from its franchisees and service providers.

Jims Group prioritises providing connectivity and service excellence to their franchisees and customers, said Optus vice president business and enterprise customers, enterprise and business.

Millions of Australians rely on Jims Group, and when they need these important services, they expect to be able to reach someone who can help. Optus network, which covers more than 98.5% of the Australian population, will keep Jims Group franchisees connected when their customers need them.

Our franchisees carry their business in their pocket, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve the experience for them and their customers. Optus understands this and they are open to our feedback and queries and support our franchisees through updates and improvements, said Jims Group general manager Rocky Aloi.

The secret to our success at Jims Group is that were never satisfied and thats what we expect from our partners. In our business, its crucial that our franchisees are constantly connected to their customers and Optus allows them to deliver that.

Jims Group allows franchisees to work as a sole-operator or grow to hire their own employees. New franchise owners gain experience through division specific training and focus on Jims Groups customer service expectations.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 24 January 2023.
COMPANY NEWS: Denodo, a leader in data management, today announced that it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Data and Analytics ISV Competency status.

Attaining this status differentiates Denodo as an AWS Partner that has successfully demonstrated deep expertise in data integration, management, and delivery of distributed data for business intelligence and advanced analytics for enterprise and medium-sized companies using AWS services.

As cloud adoption continues its rapid climb, driven by pandemic-induced changes in data consumptionusers can no longer wait for weeks for data to be delivered.

Taking advantage of Denodos native connectivity to Amazon Redshift, Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS), Amazon EMR, and Amazon Athena, companies can integrate petabyte-scale data in real time to gain a unified view of the business.

The Denodo Platform for AWS accelerates time-to-insight and data services with ready-to-use logical data management powered by data virtualisation, accelerating the cloud migration journey.

Denodo is thrilled to achieve the AWS Data and Analytics ISV Competency status, said Denodo executive vice president Suresh Chandrasekaran. Our AWS footprint is enormous  hundreds of our customers run the Denodo Platform on AWS, access various AWS services through Denodo, and purchase the Denodo Platform in AWS Marketplace. This competency distinction recognises the work we have done with AWS over several years.

A complex data landscape, consisting of cloud data lakes, Internet of things (IoT) architectures, NoSQL, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) fuel the needs of modern hybrid cloud analytics, machine language (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI). However, it can be time-consuming, and at times practically impossible, to explore and understand all of the available data within a company, as has been found in Denodos Global Cloud Survey 2022. Denodos advanced data catalogue can easily document existing datasets and quickly surface them to business users in a self-service manner.

As Syngenta head of architecture Jim Mellon points out, We brought in the Denodo Platform to build a self-service data platform on AWS for our data consumers. With data spread across different geographical boundaries, leveraging Denodos data virtualisation solution helped us quickly connect multiple disparate sources at least four times faster than with traditional data integration technologies and centralised data authorisation and protection. Across the enterprise, we have seen a 35x jump in the number of users accessing the data platform, leading to wide adoption of data-driven decision-making.

The Denodo Platform for AWS is available in AWS Marketplace, and Denodo offers a free trial of Denodo Professional for AWS, for 30 days.
COMPANY NEWS: ASX-listed technology business Atturra has announced that its subsidiary Veritec has exchanged a Share Purchase Agreement to acquire specialist Microsoft services provider to the government sector, Hammond Street Developments

Attura (ASX: ATA) says the acquisition of HSD will have minimal impact on its FY23 results, with the forecast EBIT offsetting acquisition and integration related expenses.

Attura says the HSD team specialises in Microsoft services and has a significant portfolio of Australian government clients (https://www.hsd.com.au/experience) enhancing Atturras already strong public sector portfolio and Microsoft services client base.

Attura provides a range of enterprise advisory consulting, IT services and solutions, with a focus on local government, utilities, education, defence and federal government, financial services and manufacturing industries.

CEO of Atturra, Stephen Kowal, said, The addition of HSD to the Atturra family is highly beneficial for our clients and shareholders and demonstrates our ongoing commitment towards growing our business in the government sector, in particular the Victorian public sector and to Microsoft, one of our main technology partners. HSD have a very strong client focus which is evident in their recurring revenues across their top 10 clients, and I am looking forward to working with Narendra and the HSD team.

CEO of Hammond Street Developments, Narendra Tomar, said, This is an exciting move for HSD, our team, our valued and supportive clients, and our partners. In considering this transaction it became clear to us that Atturra shares our relentless quest for client focus, team culture and values and is respected widely for its authenticity and service excellence. The team at HSD are very proud of the business solutions we have delivered to our clients and are committed and excited to build on this value for our clients as part of the Atturra team.

Attura says the transaction is expected to complete on or around 28 February 2023 subject to the satisfaction of conditions precedent in the SPA, including obtaining change-of-control consents required for HSDs material contracts.

The SPA otherwise contains additional provisions (including conditions precedent, representations, warranties, and indemnities) considered usual for agreements of this nature, notes Attura.

About Atturra:

Atturra is an ASX-listed technology business providing a range of enterprise advisory consulting, IT services and solutions, with a focus on local government, utilities, education, defence and federal government, financial services and manufacturing industries. Atturra has partnerships with leading global solutions providers including Microsoft, Boomi, Software AG, Smartsheet, QAD, Infor and Solace and its clients are some of the largest public and private-sector organisations in Australia. For more information about Atturra visit www.atturra.com

About HSD:

Headquartered in Melbourne, Hammond Street Developments (HSD) is a systems development, integration and consulting services company serving Australias government and enterprise sectors for over 27 years. HSD has a proven record as a long-term partner for government organisations in the design, delivery and support of large-scale service management solutions, with numerous successful implementations within the education sector and regulatory environments. HSD works with its clients and stakeholders to deliver outcomes that boost operational efficiencies, drive down costs and increase business value from IT investments. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, HSD specialises in Microsoft cloud solutions and Microsoft D365 implementations. HSD also continues to make notable contributions in communications data analysis software and appliances for intelligence, policing and compliance purposes.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
MANZINI - National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBoard) has implemented ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System for the Encabeni vegetables packhouse facility.

ISO 22000 is an internationally recognised standard that combines the ISO 9001 approach to food safety management and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) for the assurance of food safety at all levels. The standard maps out how an organisation can demonstrate its ability to control safety hazards to ensure that food is safe. Certification was granted by British Standards Institution (BSI) after NAMBoard had successfully implemented ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety System requirements. This means NAMBoard improved control over food safety activities, customer statutory and regulatory compliance, facilitated market growth, improved risk management, increased customer stakeholder and consumer confidence as well as integration with other ISO management systems.

Agriculture

The agricultural Board also received assistance from USAID Trade Hub, which covered 60 per cent of the total cost of certification through development alternatives initiative. NAMBoard Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bhekizwe Maziya yesterday said this recognition was reflective of the hard work, due diligence and the highest level of quality assurance maintained by their organisation. Our vegetables packhouse initially implemented the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point prior to the implementation of ISO 22 000. This is also a food management system which has been used by NAMBoard over the years. The ISO 22000 is a step closer towards FSSC 22 000, which is the preferred food safety management system as it has additional requirements that aligns with international national requirements, added the CEO.

Practices

NAMBoard also possesses the Global (GAP) Good Agricultural Practices for the Encabeni demonstration plot. Maziya mentioned that the GAP standard was implemented to further provide assurance to their customers that NAMBoard conforms to good agricultural practices and its production processes are sustainable. Maziya called upon all farmers to diversify to high value horticulture commodities for stability, sustainability and profitability in order to emulate the well-established sugar cane industry of Eswatini. Maziya said this approach was key to the success of the national goal of strengthening agricultural productivity, poverty alleviation, food security, employment creation and boosting export competitiveness.

Attract

He said efforts to attract the youth to enter the agri-business sector should be doubled by offering innovative and attractive opportunities to them. Some of the interventions he suggested included enhanced mechanisation, technology, value addition (processing, packaging) and infrastructure development. He further emphasised the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices, including protected farming and water efficient irrigation systems, etc.
Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto have held a meeting, Azernews reports, referring to a tweet by the first.

During the meeting with Peter Szijjarto, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of #Hungary, we have highlighted the significance of the initiatives contributing to the bilateral relations. Besides, we have touched upon the promotion of the #economic-#trade relations, the possibility of the participation of Hungarian companies in the restoration of our liberated territories and their utilization of our countrys #transit potential, the minister tweeted.

The promotion of economic and trade relations, the possibility of the participation of Hungarian companies in the restoration of Azerbaijan's liberated territories, and the utilization of Azerbaijan's transit potential by Hungarian companies have been discussed.

In addition, the Hungarian minister said on a Facebook post that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will pay an official visit to Hungary at the end of January.

"Azerbaijan is the strategic partner of Hungary. President Aliyev will arrive at the end of the month for an official visit, preparations are underway: at the end of this line is Sahil Babayev, the Minister of Labor of Azerbaijan, the co-chairman of the Mixed Economic Committee."
MBABANE  Local businesses that are sourcing their merchandise from South Africa (SA) are not spared from the effects of the loadshedding in that country.

Business people have had to dig deep into their pockets to pay for the goods purchased from SA at the border gate because officials from the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) were detecting erroneous invoices from the business people which were caused by issues of load-shedding in the neighbouring country. Load-shedding is an energy utilitys method of reducing demand on the energy generation system by temporarily switching off the distribution of energy to certain geographical areas.

Under normal circumstances, the business people simply provide an invoice to the ERS officials upon arrival at the border gate and that acts as a green light for them to pass through without having to pay extra costs. Government then takes the invoices and use them to make monetary claims from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), referred to as SACU receipts. It is the money that SACU member States share annually from the revenue they generate through the collection of custom duties. The anomaly was revealed by the Federation of Eswatini Business Community (FESBC) Hhohho Chairperson Johannes Manikela when interviewed yesterday.

He said that the load-shedding was so enormous in SA that the invoices were prone to mistakes due to random power outages and a slow electronic system. When making the purchases in SA, we are made to pay in advance for the merchandise and we receive the invoices once we go there for collection. In recent times, the invoices are prone to errors due to the random power outages in SA caused by the load-shedding. When we arrive at the border, they make us pay for the goods to get a gate pass because the invoices are faulty, he said. He highlighted that this was a cause for concern to business people especially because they were doing everything right from their part but they were losing money because of the effects of load-shedding in the neighbouring country.

Advised

He advised that the Ministry of Finance should engage with them so that they deliberate on the matter and find a lasting solution, especially because it had implications even on the SACU receipts. If this anomaly persists, there is a high chance that the SACU receipts will decline because government will have many faulty invoices on its disposal and it wont be able to make the accurate SACU claims, he said. Worth Mentioning is that Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg revealed on Monday that the country would get E11.75 billion in SACU receipts, which is a major increment from the E5.8 billion received in the previous year. Ministry of Finance Principal Secretary Sizakele Dlamini said the ministry was not aware of this anomaly. She stated that in such cases where there was an erroneous invoice the importer may arrange with ERS for a post declaration while working on having the invoice corrected.

Importers

However we encourage importers to write to the Ministry of Finance to officially report these challenges so that the ministry may engage with the relevant stakeholders to resolve this issue, she said. According to information sourced from the government website in SA on energy, the current bout of load-shedding is related to inadequate national energy supply to meet demand. This is mainly due to a large amount of unplanned maintenance required at Eskoms aging coal-fired power stations. In addition, the new energy generation units at Medupi and Kusile have faced challenges in bringing the units online.
Emerson, a global technology, software and engineering powerhouse, has broken ground to build a state-of-the-art innovation and manufacturing hub at the King Salman Energy Park (Spark) in Saudi Arabia, further expanding its local capabilities.

The facility will be one of the largest investments in the Middle East and Africa region for the company.

The facility, which is slated to open by December 2024, will provide industrial customers in the region with services for control systems engineering, staging and testing, manufacturing of differential pressure (DP) transmitters and control valves, pressure relief valve assembly and solenoid valve assembly.

The project demonstrates Emerson's continued commitment to its customers and stakeholders in Saudi Arabia as the company prepares for rapid local manufacturing expansion in the region. The new facility will be developed in accordance with the environmental sustainability principles to support the companys net zero emission goals, while also adhering to Sparks environmental sustainability standards, said a statement.

Emersons construction of an innovation and manufacturing hub at Spark aligns with Saudi Arabia's 'Saudi Vision 2030,' a strategic framework to promote local content and improve localisation.

The Saudi governments initiatives are designed to reduce the country's reliance on imports, while supporting the development of domestic capabilities in a range of sectors, including manufacturing, technology and services.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Lal Karsanbhai, CEO of Emerson; Vidya Ramnath, President of Emerson Middle East and Africa; and Nabil Chaachou, VP Strategy & Business Development of Spark. Other members of the companys leadership team and local VIP customers were also in attendance.

Our state-of-the-art innovation and manufacturing facility at King Salman Energy Park propels our expansion strategies in the Middle East and Africa region, said Karsanbhai. This investment represents a significant milestone in our mission to provide quality and reliable services for our customers in Saudi Arabia.

Emerson is pursuing value chain localisation as part of the Made in KSA initiative and has targeted supply chain localisation opportunities across its various products. As a result, the company is set to collaborate with local suppliers through extensive qualification processes, knowledge transfer, prototyping, and testing to ensure sustainability and self-sufficiency of its facilities in Saudi Arabia.

We are delighted to be officially launching construction of our new, advanced innovation and manufacturing hub in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said Ramnath. The new facility is positioned to offer our range of services to customers, while also supporting the companys net zero emission targets.

Chaachou said: We are pleased with Emersons investment in Spark and their trust in our ecosystems unique value proposition. Our partnership with Emerson is another step in our commitment to championing the localisation of the value creation through dedicated industrial development that contributes to the local GDP, generates job opportunities, and supports socio-economic advancement in the kingdom. With a city that was master planned to seamlessly intertwine industrial areas with vibrant residential, educational, and commercial areas, we look forward to being the preeminent integrated global energy and industrial hub in the region and beyond. - TradeArabia News Service
Fans were thrilled to see Lee Soo Hyuk and Hollywood actress Anya Taylor-Joy in one frame after the duo was spotted at Paris Fashion Week 2023.

The "Tomorrow" star was among the South Korean celebrities who graced the event along with global artists.

Dior ambassador and BLACKPINK's Jisoo attended the event looking like a living doll with an all-white ensemble as well as Anya Taylor-Joy who rocked a black and white outfit at the show.

Interestingly, another global ambassador through Lee Soo Hyuk made heads turn with his swoon-worthy visuals wearing a stunning pale moss green suit at the Dior Spring-Summer 2023 Haute Couture by Maria Grazia Chiuri.

Lee Soo Hyuk Instagram Featured His Fanboy Moment with 'Queen's Gambit' Star Anya Taylor-Joy

However, even the most successful Hallyu star like Lee Soo Hyuk had their fanboy moment after meeting Anya Taylor-Joy at the Dior event.

Interestingly, the South Korean actor and model were very relatable when he snapped a photo along with a Hollywood star and posted it on his Instagram story.

Posing for a selfie, Lee Soo Hyuk Instagram featured a photo with the "Queen's Gambit" star along with a smiley and hearts emoji, hinting that he is happy to meet the actress in person.

Following Lee Soo Hyuk's Instagram post, netizens gushes over how the South Korean star and award-winning actress were both at the same event and even had a photo together.

As for some, they teased the Hallyu star and says that he is living his fanboy life.

To recall, the 34-year-old star was photographed at the airport during the first day of the Lunar New Year to attend the Paris Fashion Week 2023.

What is Lee Hyoo Hyuk Doing Now?

Besides gracing fashion week, he has been appearing in various magazines and working with top brands like Bulgari, Chanel Beauty, and the clothing brand Comgen.

As for his on-screen appearance, his last K-drama was the fantasy crime series "Tomorrow" where he played the fearless grim reaper Park Joong Gil.

Lee Soo Hyuk stars alongside Kim Hee Sun, SF9's Rowoon, Yun Ji On, and veteran actress Kim Hae Sook.

At the height of the K-drama, the model-actor gained praise for his undeniable visuals and portrayal of the grim reaper Park Joong Gil.

He was even lauded by netizens for looking extremely like the webtoon character.

Interestingly, Lee Soo Hyuk also appeared in a promotional video for the webtoon "The Villainess is a Marionette" with Han So Hee and ASTRO's Cha Eun Woo.

In the webtoon, he portrayed problematic Prince Rezef Hill who exudes devilish charms.

On the other hand, Han So Hee plays Lee Soo Hyuk's sister  Princess Kayena Hill while ASTRO member Cha Eun Woo portrays Duke Raffaello Kidrey.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 2022 Historical Dramas Featuring Actors Who Looked Stunning in Hanbok: Bae In Hyuk, More





KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
International seismic technology company Stryde has been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract by leading geophysical services provider BGP for the supply of an 80,000-channel nodal acquisition system in the Middle East.

As per the deal, BGP will lease Strydes containerised Compact System for use on a high-density 3D acquisition project in Oman. This deal follows multiple contracts between BGP and Stryde globally.

Along with the companys differentiated nodal technology, Stryde will supply its compact system, a containerised node management solution that allows one operator on shift to rotate around 13,000 nodes every 24 hours.

This is made possible by Strydes built-in node charging and data-harvesting systems, allowing the client to drive further efficiencies on this high-density 3D seismic survey, said its senior official.

"Stryde Nodes help with denoising seismic data acquired in desert environments and enable large-scale high-density seismic surveys," stated Sam Moharir, Strydes Head of Business Development for Mena region.

"Due to the systems compact size and reduced cost, Stryde is the only feasible solution for high-density land seismic acquisition, capable of handling the frequency-band overlap between noise and effective signals," he noted.

An additional feature of the compact system allows for a minimal seismic camp footprint, and reduced crew sizes, and vehicles. In turn, this significantly lowers HSE risk exposure in the field, stated Moharir.

Housed in a single standard 20ft shipping container, the innovative compact system allows flexibility to expand the channel count up to 150,000 nodes without needing additional infrastructure or operators in the compact container, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Fans are excited to see new updates from their favorite stars. Recently, the cast of the A-lister series "Alchemy of Souls" was seen dining together, enjoying their time in their mini reunion.

With this, avid supporters of the recently concluded series speculate that "Alchemy of Souls" has been green lit for a new season. Read to know more.

Oh Na Ra, Park Eun Hye & Im Chul Soo Go on Dinner Date

"Alchemy of Souls" fans are excited to see their favorite stars together once more!

Following the conclusion of the series, actors Oh Na Ra, Park Eun Hye and Im Chul Soo were seen enjoying a fancy dinner together.

It is the first time that the three stars were seen together after the drama ended, which brought happiness and excitement to fans.

The three were like old friends who reunited once again on a mini-dinner date. However, the trio wasn't alone in the restaurant as they were joined by "Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow" director Bae Hyun Jin.

Oh Na Ra, who played the role of Maidservant Kim in the series, shared adorable photos of them in their casual attires, captioned, "#AlchemyofSouls #GrownUps #NewYearParty #BestCombination."

It seemed that the three actors celebrated the Lunar New Year with their beloved director. One fan left a comment, saying, "You are adorable! I hope this friendship lasts for a long time!"

Earlier this month, the younger stars of the drama including Go Yoon Jung, Shin Seung Ho, Yoo In Soo and Seo Hye Won reunited in Lee Jae Wook's first ever fan meet in Seoul.

With the cast's lovely interactions and mini reunions, speculations about the drama's renewal for a new season are raised.

'Alchemy of Souls' Renewed For Another Season?

For 15 long weeks, fans enjoyed the magical and romantic journey of Naksu and Jang Uk in finding love in "Alchemy of Souls."

Despite being a two-parter work, fans still clamor for more. Due to the unanswered questions and loose ties from Part 2, viewers even from the overseas channels wonder whether there will be a new season this 2023.

The mini reunions of the cast also amplified the excitement of the viewers. However, the tvN work was only up for one season, split into two parts.

The production team of the series don't have plans to work with a new season just yet but the possibility is never zero.

Where To See More of 'Alchemy of Souls' Stars

Lee Jae Wook, who led the series, is currently preparing for his first Asia tour entitled "First." He plans to give back to fans by spending time with him through heartfelt performances and activities.

On the other hand, Go Yoon Jung is set to make her return to the small screen with the forthcoming Disney+ drama "Moving" with Han Hyo Joo and Jo In Sung. It is scheduled to air in the first half of 2023.

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the media at the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre, in Hamilton, Ont., during the final day of meetings at Liberal cabinet retreat, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn
Bengaluru, Jan 25 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said the whole country knows that it was the Congress that gave birth to corruption and illegality.

Reacting to the police complaint filed by Congress leaders against BJP leaders accusing them of indulging in illegal practices to woo the voters, he said it reflected the level they have stooped to.

"The Congress has promised to give Rs 2,000 for every woman and 200 units of power free for every family. Everyday they are announcing new promises. If the same yardstick is applied, are the Congress leaders not guilty? Are they not making new promises to woo the voters?" he questioned.

The CM said the distribution of the pressure cookers to the voters with the pictures of four to five MLAs have been found with evidence.

"The Commercial Tax officials have caught and fined four persons in Kunigal. In spite of all these, the Congress leaders are trying to create confusion among the people," he said.

The Congress leaders are sure of losing the election because of which they are filing such complaints, CM added.

"There is police and law and let there be inquiry. We can also file hundreds such complaints against them but ultimately it is the people who will decide. People also know them well and will make a decision. We need not learn from them. They are free to do whatever they want," he said.

On AICC General Secretary and Karnataka incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala's allegations pertaining to PSI examination scam, Bommai said it is an old issue.

An enquiry was going on into all those who were selected as teachers without writing the examination during Congress rule, CM said. "They owe an answer to it. If the jobs were sold it was during the Congress rule. The inquiry will reveal everything," he said.

In Kalburagi, a police constable was made DIG and an FIR was filed after his retirement, Bommai said. "This is Congress policy. Its business was to sell jobs while in power and leave the accused in the lurch when they were arrested. Knowing this, the people had sent Congress party home and they will do it this time too," he said.

UNI BDN GNK
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In this episode, we speak with Christopher Sayed, a dermatologist who has dedicated his career to studying and treating hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). HS is a condition that causes painful boils in areas like the underarms, groin, and around the breasts, and it can be a nightmare for those living with it. Unfortunately, despite being a common condition, many patients go undiagnosed and receive inadequate treatment for years. In this podcast, we explore the impact of HS on patients, the reasons for the lack of awareness and resources for this disease, and the steps we can take to improve the lives of those living with HS. Join us as we shed light on this often overlooked but devastating condition.

Christopher Sayed is a dermatologist.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, Why does it take 10 years to diagnose this common disease?

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With so many demands on their time, physicians today report record levels of burnout. Burnout is caused by many factors, one of which is clinical documentation. Studies indicate physicians spend two hours documenting care for every hour spent with patients.

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This time, its my family.

My work takes me all over the U.S., consulting on the implementation of virtual care to get the most appropriate level of care to the patients who need it. I work with teams to develop better workflows and to get more experienced eyes on patients. Its the kind of care anyone would want for their own family.

I was flying to Utah to assist a hospital system when I got the call: My brother had an intense asthma attack and was intubated in a critical care unit in California. I immediately rerouted, hoping to get there as quickly as I could. When I arrived at the ICU, I asked what the last 12 hours of data from his cardiac monitor showed. No one knew. The staff had to print them out for me. With all the tools of today, we live in a state of printed paper?! The data had not been stored, either, until I asked them to print it out.

The next day I came back to the hospital and noticed his cardiac rhythm changed. He was having PVCs and PACs. I asked the nurse if she noticed it. She stated, no. She did not get a report from the night shift of the change in rhythms. I explained its the little changes that occur that lead to bigger problems later. I requested lab work to check electrolytes and those were pending. I also noticed from the printouts that they had extubated him too soon.

The staff heeded my warnings and took labs, where they found out he was dangerously low on potassium. They gave him the medication and the rhythm returned to normal. Had these rhythm changes not been noticed  had the potassium levels not been checked  had I not been there as an experienced nurse  there is a good chance that my brother would have gone into cardiac arrest and might not have made it. I cant even wrap my head around that possibility, but its unfortunately real  for my brother and for the many patient families whose loved one suffers a traumatic event that might have been prevented.

My 32 years of nursing experience in critical care, ED, trauma, organ procurement, and executive roles have taught me that seconds count and information is everything. As one of the first virtual ICU nurses in the country over ten years ago, I also know that virtual coverage isnt about big brother; its about getting another set of eyes on patients to help get ahead of patient deterioration, especially when there is a code. Its about helping out with documentation or consulting with providers. Its about providing another lifeline to the patients or families, and being able to answer their questions. Its about empowering bedside teams to get back to what they went into health care to do  deliver 1:1 bedside care.

However, there is still resistance to the implementation of virtual care models because of these misconceptions, the traditionally high costs to implement, and questions around reimbursement. I believe one of the silver linings of COVID is that it is helping to change that perception because there is no other way. The pandemic spotlighted virtual cares benefits because of the risk of infection and the bed and staff capacity shortage. We had the largest number of ICU patients with no available beds. We had the largest number of patients on ventilators than ever before but had to put cameras on nurses heads to get the data out of the room. And now, after two years of the pandemic, we have an even greater fallout related to staff shortages.

At the beginning of 2022, it was estimated that 30 percent of nurses were looking to retire. Those numbers have turned out to be much larger. We have burnout as we have never seen before. Last month, many facilities were seeing 60 percent turnover. We have had the largest number of travelers and new grads than ever before, with up to 80 percent of staff having less than two years of experience at the bedside. And lets not even go to financial solvency. The challenges couldnt be more real  from staff illnesses to furloughs to living the challenges of providing bedside care when you dont have the tools you really need to do your job the way you know it can be done!

Do I blame nurses and other care team members for wanting to quit? No! Its time to arm these healers with the tools they need to get back to 1:1 patient care. Its time to deliver care differently, and I believe that we have reached that tipping point where health care knows we have to change.

Virtual nursing and virtual care could be the answer. Back in my day as a virtual RN, the program showed amazing benefits and a direct impact on care and outcomes. Still, it was pretty rigid in design, and we only had access to cardiac monitoring data and video. Now, we have so much more data at our fingertips that could make that virtual care even more impactful. We have analytics and AI to help us stratify patient risk and get ahead of deterioration. We have access to the EMR that virtual staff can use to help populate, reduce the manual load on bedside teams, or do dual sign-off to expedite intervention.

Because no two hospitals are the same, for hospitals to realize the benefits of virtual care and accelerate adoption, flexibility in the design of the virtual care workflows is key. Thats what excites me most about my new role and the future of health care. I think if hospital leaders, unit managers, frontline workers, and vendors all work together to break down the silos and build solutions together we will be able to solve the challenges facing us today. Suppose we can find new and novel ways to leverage technology and virtual care to support bedside staff. In that case, we can reduce burnout, support staff on the floor, expedite intervention, improve efficiencies, stratify patient risk and ultimately get more eyes on patients.

Ive been in nursing and nurse leadership for decades, and this is the most exciting time in our profession: We have more data, we have AI, and we can provide even better informed secondary support to bedside teams to get more eyes on the patient and reinvent the way we deliver patient care. In a time where we have been living in fear and chaos, I believe there is hope. Hope for a new era in clinical care. For a new way to deliver superior patient care to all patients. For patients like my brother.

Pamela Miles is a nurse and health care consultant.
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-11-02 18:47:32|Editor: huaxia

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DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Hussein Ali Mwinyi was sworn in on Monday as president of Tanzania's Zanzibar, succeeding Ali Mohamed Shein, who ruled the Indian Ocean islands for two five-year terms.

Mwinyi, a doctor by profession and former minister for defense, was sworn in by Zanzibar's Chief Justice Omar Othman Makungu at a ceremony at Amani Stadium on Unguja Island.

Shortly after taking the oath of office, Mwinyi was honored by a 21-gun salute before he inspected a guard of honor.

In his address, Mwinyi pledged to form a serious, disciplined and hard-working government that will be tasked to building a new Zanzibar.

"The task ahead of all Zanzibaris is to build a new and prosperous Zanzibar. Let each one of us play one's part toward the transformation of Zanzibar," he said.

Last week, the Zanzibar Electoral Commission declared Mwinyi, of the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi, winner of the Oct. 28 Zanzibar presidential election after he had garnered 76.27 percent of the total votes cast.

Zanzibar merged with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Enditem
While UFOs, shape shifters and secret pyramids make for great stories, they're unlikely the reasons why so many go missing. The most likely is also why so many flock to the Alaska Triangle in the first place: unrelenting wilderness.

"People tend to underestimate how wild Alaska is  the scale is difficult to wrap their heads around," says Shayden Lowry, a professional wilderness guide in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. "Everything is so massive, and the vast majority of the state is still untouched by human infrastructure."

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Lowry isn't overestimating. A full 26 percent of Alaska is wild. That may not sound like much, but consider Alaska's size, and that 26 percent actually represents 54 percent of all America's wild lands. The sheer size of the state alone could explain many of the yearslong disappearances that might have been solved within days in any other state.

"When people do go missing, it can be very difficult to find them quickly," Lowey adds. "A typical search-and-rescue operation in the lower 48 states has less terrain to search with more manpower to search it. On top of that, the hazards in Alaska make it a very hostile environment to be injured or lost in, and the weather can easily put search efforts on hold for days since they rely so heavily on aircraft to access remote areas."

"Hostile environment" is the keyword, especially considering how unique some of Alaska's dangers are. Death from exposure could explain many of the missing persons in the Alaska Triangle, especially missing hikers in backcountry areas without cell service or nearby resources.

A small mistake  even a sprained ankle or wet sleeping bag  can be deadly in the backcountry, especially when combined with Alaska's notoriously cold temperatures. (Fairbanks' record low temperature is minus 66 degrees Fahrenheit [minus 54 degrees Celsius].)

"A lot of the fatalities in our park end up being river related." Lowry says. In fact, Alaska has more drownings per capita (4.97) than any other state. And according to the National Park Service, drowning accounts for 33 percent of unintentional deaths in national parks, and 60 percent of all the land protected by the U.S. National Park Service is in Alaska.

"People really tend to underestimate the power of water and can easily get swept away in even a couple of feet of swiftly moving current, or quickly become hypothermic and drown," says Lowry.

Ultimately, Lowry and many others think most of the Alaska Triangle's disappearances are due to Alaska's unparalleled scale and dramatic landscapes. "The vastness of the terrain paired with hazards such as glacial moulins, highly active rockfall and avalanche dangers, and wild animals makes for no shortage of ways for people to vanish," Lowry says.

" " The most likely reason so many go missing in the Alaska Triangle is simply because of its rugged and hostile environment. One mistake could be deadly. DCrane/Shutterstock

Now That's Crazy While grizzly bears may seem like a significant threat for anyone lost in the Alaska wilderness, moose cause more injury and death than any other animal.

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Originally Published: Apr 15, 2008
By Azernews

Qabil Ashirov

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev received Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on a visit to Tashkent, Azernews reports, citing the minister's tweet.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 26th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organisation. The two men discussed the bilateral cooperation and strategic relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, and the latest situation in the region.

I am grateful to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev @president_uz for a cordial & fruitful meeting in the margins of @ECO_int Ministerial Council meeting in Tashkent. We discussed current cooperation areas and enormous potential for further deepening of strategic relations, the minister tweeted.
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified the source of Singapore's first imported electricity. It came from Laos.


Long-term strategy needed to reshape bilateral ties



During the Lunar New Year holiday, an "incident" spoke much about the current relationship between Korea and China.



Last Friday, the British Museum held an event to introduce Korea's traditional music and dance. It then posted an article titled "Celebrating Seollal" on Twitter, explaining the day as the "Korean Lunar New Year." Many Chinese users attacked it, saying, "A renowned museum helped Korea steal the Chinese culture." The museum yielded, changing the words to "Chinese Lunar New Year" immediately.



Other East Asian countries than China celebrate the Lunar New Year, like Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia. The British institution did nothing wrong calling Seollal the Korean Lunar New Year, as it differed from China's "Chunjie," or Spring Festival. But this could not have worked for nationalistic Chinese.



Foreigners, including Koreans, acknowledge China is a big country. If China wants to become a great and respected country, it must also respect other countries, large or small. Some Chinese people appear unwilling or unable to do so.



Koreans do not deny the influence of China and its culture, including Chinese characters and Confucianism. But Koreans will not accept their fermented vegetable dish or traditional dress also being called Chinese.



The two countries squabble increasingly frequently over culture and history because they are more similar than different. But they are getting further away from each other, especially if the mutual animosity of the younger generation is any indicator. Repeated surveys show China is the least-liked country among the Korean MZ generation, more disliked than Japan, Russia and North Korea.



One reason is these youngsters had grown when their countries grew stronger. China has become the world's second-largest economy over the past few decades. Korea also became a country with high income and pop culture enjoying global popularity. The mutual estrangement in the younger generation is not beneficial to each other, particularly for China, which seeks to become the global leader. The establishments should educate their youngsters to understand each other better.



Not least because things are changing rapidly for both countries.



For China, 2022 was not a very good year. China's economic growth remained at its lowest since the Cultural Revolution in 1976. Its population also fell for the first time in 61 years. At this rate, China will likely enter a superaged society (with people 65 or older accounting for 20 percent of the population) in the early 2030s, with the economy growing below 5 percent. That is a wake-up call for Korean officials used to "high-flying China" as a constant in making economic policies.



Korea still ships out a quarter of its export products to China, larger than the shipments to the U.S. and Japan combined. China is also the biggest supplier of about 8,000 items Korea needs most. If China's economic growth drops by 1 percentage point, Korea's growth also falls by 0.15 percentage points. All this shows the urgent need for Korea to diversify its export markets to India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe. No countries should be excluded. Terming a middle power like Iran as a virtual enemy certainly does not help. Tehran still wants an explanation from the one who made the remark.



It will become increasingly difficult for Korea to chart its diplomatic courses between the U.S. and China. However, one thing is sure: the Korea-China relationship must not become subordinated to the Korea-U.S. or even the U.S.-China relationship. Korea must have a long-term strategy to maximize its national interests in relationships with the two superpowers, not leaning to one side.



Korea needs two things to back it up: maintain the principle of adhering to justifiable causes, be it global peace, free trade or climate change. It must also nurture economic and technological capabilities to back up such principles.



Regrettably, the Yoon Suk Yeol government has yet to unveil much regarding its China or global strategy for the, long or short term.




Western Australian premier Mark McGowan



Premier Mark McGowan will travel to South Korea and Japan to reaffirm the state's long-standing relationships in North East Asia and promote opportunities for investment, tourism, study and business, according to the state government of Western Australia.



The mission, the premier's second official visit to both countries, will help promote trade and investment in a range of sectors, including medical research and biotech, space, defense and agriculture, with a focus on renewable energy, critical minerals and downstream processing, it said.



He will arrive in South Korea, on Jan. 29 to attend discussions with key government and business partners. He will meet with officials from Korean companies, including Hyundai Motor, KOGAS, Hyundai Steel, and POSCO.
Mitch Winehouse thinks Marisa Abela is a "great choice" to play his daughter in a new biopic.

The 26-year-old actress has been cast as Amy Winehouse in 'Back to Black', and Mitch believes she's the perfect candidate for the role, insisting it doesn't matter that they "don't look exactly alike".

Mitch, 72, told TMZ: "Marisa is Marisa and Amy is Amy ... so it's no big deal if they aren't mirror images. Marisa is a great choice for the role."

Eddie Marsan is playing the part of Mitch in the upcoming film, and the former taxi driver insists he's not worried that he and Eddie don't look alike, either.

He said: "Theres too much emphasis on looks, because theres plenty of Hollywood examples of actors not looking like their real-life character."

Amy died of alcohol poisoning in July 2011, aged 27, and Mitch previously explained that he's determined to remember the "amazing things" about her life.

Mitch insisted that he wants his daughter to be remembered for her successes, rather than her off-stage troubles.

Speaking ahead of the ten-year anniversary of Amy's death, he said: "There will be tears, without a doubt.

"Every year is difficult but of course ten years on brings attention - which I understand but it brings it all back too. Its hard to avoid being upset. In many ways we will never get over it, however long passes.

"But shortly afterwards, we will head somewhere for a meal and our focus will be on the amazing things about Amys life - her talent, her generosity and the love she showed us all.

"Thats become my mission, to make sure people think of Amy for all she gave the world and those around her, not just for her troubles with addiction.

"Of course we remember the big career highs, the awards, but my favorite memories are the smaller, more personal moments we shared."
Hoosier lawmakers are taking steps to prevent the Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS) from prioritizing environmental, social or governance (ESG) goals when it comes to investing the pension funds of state and local government employees, including teachers.

INPRS officials told the Senate Committee on Pensions and Labor on Wednesday the agency's investment strategy is focused entirely on hitting a 6.25% annual rate of return, with the least amount of volatility, to ensure the fund meets its long-term obligations to its members.

But, inspired in part by anti-ESG campaigns led by Republican politicians in Indiana and elsewhere, the GOP-led panel voted 8-2 in favor of legislation essentially codifying INPRS' current investment strategy and explicitly decrying ESG-based investing.

Senate Bill 292, which next goes to the full Senate, directs the INPRS board, in accordance with its fiduciary duties, to make investment decisions "with the primary purpose of maximizing the target rate of return on the board's investments."

It also would bar INPRS from making investment decisions with the purpose of influencing any social or environmental policy, or attempting to influence the governance of any corporation for non-monetary purposes  except as otherwise provided by law.

ESG critics, including Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita, claim "woke" investment firms are using their financial muscle to pressure businesses into implementing environmental or social policies that state legislatures have refused to enact.

Tony Green, INPRS deputy executive director, said the agency does not have a position on the legislation but expects no difficulty complying with it if it's ultimately approved by the Senate, the House and signed into law by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.

"INPRS does not make any decisions on ESG policies," Green said.

Ironically, the committee then unanimously voted moments later to advance a separate measure directing INPRS to divest from any company owned or controlled by the Chinese government, Chinese Communist Party or the Chinese military in the hope of changing Chinese government policies.

Senate Bill 268 would prohibit any new INPRS investments in restricted Chinese entities beginning July 1, and compel INPRS to sell off the approximately $750 million in China-affiliated assets in its $46 billion portfolio over the next five years.

Scott Davis, INPRS chief investment adviser, said the agency invests globally to ensure its assets are sufficiently diversified so that an economic shock in one part of the world doesn't impede INPRS from meeting its annual targeted rate of return.

However, state Sen. Chris Garten, R-Charlestown, the sponsor of the proposal, believes that China is an enemy of the United States and that the pension funds of Hoosier public employees shouldn't be invested in companies engaged in "multidimensional warfare" against America.

Garten said that even if INPRS is making money on its Chinese investments, it's not worth continuing to do business in the world's second-largest economy.

"Make no mistake: China is a bad actor," Garten said. "Indiana is currently investing with our largest adversary."

State law already bars INPRS from investing in any nation officially designated as a state-sponsor of terrorism, as well as in companies that actively boycott the nation of Israel.

Another pending measure, House Bill 1008, potentially would sanction Indiana officials if they decline to invest state pension assets in companies engaged in the firearms, border enforcement, fossil fuel, mining and food production industries, among others.
The Environmental Protection Agency entered into a consent order with Kendallville in order to address wastewater discharge violations at the citys plant occurring over the last three years. The 26-page report details four sets of issues that must be addressed or the city could face fines of close to $60,000 per day at maximum.
BTS J-Hope has gained the attention of ARMYs with his expensive clothing and accessories. In an online forum, fans discussed the idol's getup!

Want to find out more about J-Hope's expensive outfit? Then read on!

ARMYs Took Notice of BTS J-Hope's Expensive Coat & Bag

On January 24, BTS J-Hope arrived at the Incheon International Airport from Paris, France after he attended the Paris Fashion Show.

The show featured many K-pop stars in attendance, listing popular idols such as BIGBANG Taeyang, BTS Jimin, SEVENTEEN Jeonghan, NCT Ten, GOT7 Jackson, and more!

Meanwhile, ARMYs discussed J-Hope's expensive airport attire on an online forum. In the fandom, BTS J-Hope is well-known to pull off any style he can wear, ranging from dark palettes to vibrant colors.

ARMYs took their thoughts on finding the getup J-Hope wore.

In their research, they found out that the "Arson" hitmaker had worn a Louis Vuitton Double Brested Tailored Coat. The apparel costs a total of 4.89 million won, which is equivalent to $3,900 USD.

Aside from his luxurious coat, ARMYs also took notice of his accessory, which is a Hermes Birkin Bag 40, featured with gold fittings and Togo leather. Fans have looked up that the bag costs $30,000 USD.

Fans reacted to the pricey getup, and conveyed how much J-Hope looked good on it. Others claimed how it's unlikely for them to copy J-Hope due to the attire's expensive cost.

See their reactions below:

"What a relief, I don't have money so I can't copy him." "Every time I look at J-Hope, I realize how good his clothing fit is." "It's pretty obvious that it's an expensive coat." "I don't know if he bought the Birkin himself or it was a gift, but it was extremely expensive and it's pretty too." "Oh, it's so pretty. The bag is cute too." "It kind of reminded me of Max Mara. I couldn't believe it was from LV." "So, you can only dress like that with money." "Because I'm 10$ short, I won't be able to buy it (sarcastic)" "It honestly looks expensive." "Wow daebak, it's expensive but also pretty."

BTS J-Hope Criticized For Wearing Condom-Printed T-Shirt, But Praised Later On

In other news, BTS J-Hope received criticism for an outfit he wore on December 8, 2022.

In his post, the idol wore a shirt which revealed a condom pattern. Seeing this made many netizens criticize J-Hope, expressing how inappropriate for him to show off a "dirty" outfit.

However, netizens discovered that the shirt J-Hope wore was manufactured by British retailer END, along with brand Pleasures. The brand was launched by designer Alex James. END explained on their website that the collection is to advocate safe sex.

With this context, the netizens turned their criticisms into praises, applauding J-Hope for advocating safe sex. They also commended the idol's social awareness.

What do you think of J-Hope's expensive attire? Tell us in the comments below!

Read KpopStarz for more K-pop news.

KpopStarz owns this article

Written by Israel Monte
Billy Weatherall (far left) and his 10th Mountain Division team members during one of Weatherall's three deployments during his Army service.
Mr President,

[I thank you Mr. President, for your kind words of welcome.]

Sri Lanka congratulates Egypt and you, Ambassador Ahmed Gamaleldin, on assuming the first Presidency of the 2023 session of the Conference on Disarmament. My delegation assures you and other P6 Presidencies of our full support and cooperation to find common ground for fulfilling CDs obligations towards strengthening international peace and security. We also thank the Secretary General and the CD Secretariat for their continuous support.

I have the honour to make a statement at the plenary of this august Conference following my assumption of duties as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva earlier this month. It is a pleasure to be back in the Conference on Disarmament after 20 years; however it is sad to see that the CD is still going through excessive institutional pain year after year with no real progress on fulfilling its negotiating mandate. I look forward to working with all delegations in a spirit of cooperation and wish to reiterate our position that only through confidence building and equal respect for the security of all Member States that we will be able to achieve the much-needed consensus towards adopting a programme of work.

Mr. President,

We are going through one of the most turbulent times ever in the human history and in human security in particular. Great power competitions that were limited to strategic doctrines on paper have come into reality with devastating real-life conflicts and our planet is becoming increasingly fragile due to growing tension and mistrust among states. We are meeting today in the backdrop of this serious global security situation and the ever so increasing relevance of this body to address these challenges cannot be over emphasized. Unfortunately, its negotiating mandate has not been invoked for many decades.

My delegation is profoundly concerned by our collective failure to adopt a consensus outcome document for the second consecutive time, at the 10th NPT Review Conference held in last year. As reiterated by the UN Secretary General in September 2022 in his remarks at the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Nuclear weapons are the most destructive power ever created. They offer no security  just carnage and chaos. Unfortunately, instead of implementing effective measures towards cessation of the nuclear arms race, and nuclear disarmament at an early date, there is an alarming trend that is moving towards expansion and modernization of nuclear weapon technology. We cannot but emphasize the growing threat of nuclear weapons pose an existential threat to human kind and we reiterate our call for swift action for the actual advancement of total and irreversible elimination of nuclear weapons.

Sri Lanka respects the right of all state parties to peaceful use of nuclear energy to increase and diversify their respective power production capacities through nuclear energy which is a reliable and low carbon footprint source of energy in keeping with the spirit of realizing the sustainable development goals.

Mr. President,

It is Sri Lankas respectful view that points of convergence and understandings of each others positions that emerged through the deliberations over four weeks in New York at the NPT Review Conference are of serious value and should be executed to find further common ground and built upon in the spirit of multilateralism.

While we do acknowledge the importance of risk reduction measures and related strategies, we remain convinced that the only way to guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons is the total irreversible and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons. In the interim, my delegation supports immediate commencement of negotiations on a legally binding treaty on negative security assurances which has been in the agenda of this Conference for decades with no real progress, particularly in the present context of the growing risk of the use of nuclear weapons.

Mr. President,

With regard to outer space, we remain concerned of the potential risk of an arms race in outer space as the space environment becomes increasingly congested with the rapid advancement of technology. Furthermore, the fast-blurring line between civilian, commercial and military uses of space technology is a matter of concern in maintaining the stability and safety of space. This is all the more reason why we emphasize on the need for retention of space, the last frontier of humankind as a peaceful domain for exploration for the benefit of entire humankind. A treaty on PAROS is long overdue and any discussion on space security should be a stepping stone towards the direction of a verifiable binding legal instrument on PAROS.

Advancement of autonomous weapon systems and related emerging technologies devoid of meaningful human control also remains a matter of grave concern to my delegation. Early commencement of negotiation of binding limitations and regulations of such weapon systems are an absolute necessity. In view of the technological advancements in the weapon systems on the ground we regret to note that the window for action in this regard is fast closing.

Mr. President,

Sri Lanka stands strong in its conviction that the threat of nuclear weapons persists as one of the most daunting challenges to humankind and one that requires urgent, concerted and committed action from all of us as Member States. We thus urge all States to continue taking steps towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

To that end, My delegation extends fullest support and cooperation towards your efforts, Mr. Chairman, to achieve consensus on a Programme of Work for this year and to bring the CD back to its past glory as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum. Will the CD continue its impasse or rise up to its true role remains to be seen and we choose to remain hopeful keeping in mind that when there is a will there is a way

Thank you

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New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) The NHRC on Wednesday said all the 46 government-run mental healthcare institutions across the country are in "deplorable conditions", as it issued notices to the Centre and state governments asking them to submit their reports in six weeks.

The human rights panel's observations have come on the basis of the visits of the full commission to four government hospitals in Gwalior, Agra and Ranchi, and the remaining 42 by its special rapporteurs in various parts of the country in the last few months to assess the situation on the ground and the status of the implementation of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, officials said.

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The National Human Rights Commission in a statement said that "all the 46 government mental healthcare institutions across the country are in deplorable conditions and depict a very pathetic handling by the different stakeholders".

"The inhuman and deplorable conditions of the mental health institutes recorded by it across the country, present sorry states of affairs amounting to infringement of the human rights of mentally ill patients. The cured patients are being kept illegally in the hospitals. There is acute shortage of doctors and staff," it said.

Also Read | Padma Awards 2023: Mulayam Singh Yadav Awarded Padma Vibhushan Posthumously; SM Krishna, Zakir Hussain, Sudha Murty Among Awardees.

The reports of the visits have prompted it to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and issue notices to the Union Health and Family Welfare secretary; Director General of Health Services; chief secretaries and principal secretaries, health; director general of police and commissioner of police in metropolitan cities of all the state governments as well as Union territories, and directors of 46 mental institutions across the country calling for the specific reports and detailed action taken reports within six weeks, the statement said.

The chief secretaries, secretaries of health, and UT administrators have to submit an action taken report on how the cured patients are being kept illegally in mental hospitals by curtailing their liberty.

All such patients are to be sent back to their homes/halfway homes as per rules, the NHRC said, and also sought reports "on status of formation of Mental Health Authority, State Mental Health Review Board, State Mental Health Care Rules, and State Mental Health Care Regulation".

Also, they are to provide details on budgetary allocation and funds released with regard to the mental health institutions; state of the infrastructure of the institutes, plan for improvement of the buildings which include various amenities; status of the recruitment process of the health professionals including hospital staff; and measures taken to ensure de-crowding of mental hospitals/institutes, the statement said.

The NHRC also asked the authorities to create a conducive atmosphere for stay.

Details have also been sought on status of emergency services, maintenance of electronic data and medical records, measures and initiatives taken for reintegration and rehabilitation of the cured patients; statistics regarding discharged patients of last five years and their rehabilitation, reunion with the family or community, how many of them have become new inmates again, and status of number of such persons staying in the hospital with reasons thereof; and financial or social audit report of last three years, it said.

The Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary and Director General of Health Services have to submit the report on the status of framing rules under the 2017 Act as contemplated under Section 121 of the Act, as well as the establishment of the Central Authority as contemplated under Section 33 of the Act, and filling up the vacancies of the Central Authority and status of execution of various provisions of the Act by the Central government, the statement said.

The reports from the directors of the 46 mental institutions should include the steps taken or proposed to be taken for filling up the vacancies of professors and other staff members; records of the discharged patients, who have been cured from mental illness, latest status of the emergency ward and other overall improvement made after the visits of Commission and/or special rapporteurs of the Commission with regard to infrastructure, vocational opportunities to the inmates, number of persons released and reunited with the family members with specific statistics, it added.

The DGP and commissioner of police in the metropolitan cities of all states and Union territories have to submit reports with regard to the status of the complaints received or registered relating to mentally ill-persons, regarding non-rehabilitation or non-reintegration with the family and measures taken or proposed to be taken to ensure that cured persons from mental illness should be living with the family and other members of the community, the statement said.

The reports must also contain assistance or other measures taken from District Legal Services Authority or State Legal Services Authority, as the case may be, it added.

The NHRC visit reports suggested that none of the institutes have taken effective and long-term measures to ensure that a mentally ill person can exercise his right to community living unfettered, unchallenged and/or without any hindrance, the rights panel said.

Issuing the notices, the NHRC has noted that it is categorically mandated under Section 19 of the Mental Healthcare Act that where it is not possible for mentally ill person to live with his family or relatives, or where a mentally ill person has been abandoned appointed by his family and relatives, the appropriate government shall provide support as appropriate including legal aid and to facilitate exercise his right to live in a family home, it added.

It has further noted that it is a "travesty" that provisions of the statute have failed to ignite the consciousness of the appropriate government(s) to provide adequate support to such vulnerable persons who are suffering from mental illness.

The "more aggravating factor" is that even after the recovery from mental illness, they are not being allowed to reunite or regrouped with the society, family for the purpose of community living which is "unconstitutional" and a "failure" of the state governments, it added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], January 25 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) national spokesperson Saket Gokhale, who has been lodged in Gujarat jail in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in crowdfunding money.

After arrest, Gokhale was produced in court in Ahmedabad which granted him to 5-day ED remand.

Also Read | Indian Coast Guard Director General Varinder Singh Pathania Awarded the   Latest Tweet by DD News.

The TMC Spokesperson has been lodged in jail after he has arrested by the Cyber Crime Branch of Ahmedabad Police from Delhi on December 30 last year in connection with the alleged misappropriation of crowdfunded funds in Gujarat.

Earlier, Gokhale was arrested by the Gujarat Police on December 6 for allegedly spreading fake news related to the money spent on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Morbi in Gujarat after the suspension bridge collapse tragedy. (ANI)

Also Read | Pathaan: BJP MLA Hari Bhushan Thakur Bachaul Calls Deepika Padukone a 'Tukde-Tukde' Gang Member and Shah Rukh Khan 'PFI Agent'.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Panaji, Jan 25 (PTI) A circular issued by the South Goa district collector asking for a contribution of Rs 1,000 each from the staff for an event to be held on January 26 has been criticised by the opposition Goa Forward Party and the Aam Aadmi Party.

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While Collector Jyoti Kumari has said it is not a Republic Day programme, GFP chief Vijai Sardesai hit out at the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his cabinet, claiming they have drained the treasury and now government functions have to be funded by "contributions".

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The circular dated January 19 said "an event is being organised by the Collectorate of South Goa on January 26, 2023 at Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex ground followed by Republic Day Function."

"All the permanent staff and officers who are willing shall contribute Rs 1,000 each for making this event a grand success," it said.

The collector also mentioned names of two officials who were directed to collect the amount from all the willing staff and officers including subordinate offices by January 20.

Reacting to the circular, GFP chief Sardesai in a tweet said, CONTRIBUTION OR EXTORTION? Has @GovtofGoa gone totally bankrupt to pickpocket govt staff to organise a #RepublicDay function? The mega events done to prop up @DrPramodPSawant and his cabinet have drained the treasury, and now govt functions have to be funded by 'contributions'!

AAP Goa president Amit Palekar tweeted You have all the money in the world to waste on events organised with exorbitant expenses and corrupt practices @goacm but for celebrating Republic Day you want to collect funds from public servants? Shame on you.

However, the collector said the funds were being collected as a part of an event to help child care institutions and old-age homes.

To clarify, this program is not Republic Day 2023.On Liberation day of 2019, Collectorate voluntarily contributed to organise a program for Child care institutions & old age homes in 2020,21 & 22, due to covid, same was not be conducted & is being organised this year, the South Goa collector's Twitter handle said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 25 (ANI): Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) Kamal Haasan will support Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) - Congress alliance candidate EVKS Elangovan in the Erode East bypoll elections.

Founder and Chief of MNM Kamal Haasan announced the development on Wednesday.

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On being asked if the support would continue for the 2024 general election, Kamal Haasan said, "This is the only decision."

The Congress on Sunday declared former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) chief EVKS Elangovan as the party's candidate for the February 27 by-election to the Erode (east) assembly constituency.

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The announcement came as a surprise as Elangovan stated on Saturday that he would not contest the bypoll but sought the ticket for his son Sanjay Sampath.

Elangovan will contest the assembly election after almost 39 years.

On Sunday evening, an AICC press release said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had approved the candidature of Elangovan for the ensuing assembly byelection to the Erode East constituency which was necessitated due to the death of his son and incumbent MLA Thirumahan Evera.

Elangovan was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 and served as Union minister of state for textiles. He was TNCC president from 2014 to 2017. He was elected to the Sathyamangalam assembly constituency in the year 1985.

He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Theni constituency and lost to AIADMK's P Ravindranath Kumar.

Last week, the Election Commission announced a bypoll to the Erode (East) constituency in Tamil Nadu on February 27. The counting of votes will be done on March 2. The filing of nominations would start on January 31 and end on February 7. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) Shankar Mishra, the man accused of urinating on an elderly woman co-passenger on board an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi, on Wednesday moved a Delhi court seeking bail.

Mishra, currently in judicial custody, moved an appeal before a sessions court against an order passed by a magisterial court that had denied him bail on January 11.

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The sessions court is likely to hear the arguments on his application on January 27.

Mishra was arrested by a joint team of Bengaluru and Delhi police after he had gone incommunicado following the sordid incident on an Air India flight on November 26, 2022.

Also Read | Tripura Shocker: Deserted by Husband, Wife Kills Self, Toddler by Consuming Formic Acid in Khowai.

Mishra allegedly urinated on the woman, a senior citizen, in an inebriated condition in the business class of the Air India flight from New York to Delhi. The Delhi Police registered an FIR against him on January 4 on a complaint by the woman.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ramban (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], January 25 (ANI): A truck driver was killed on the spot and a few others injured when boulders rolled down in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban area, officials said on Wednesday.

According to officials, a boulder hit a tanker and truck on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Magarkot, Ramban.

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Mohita Sharma, SSP Ramban, said, "The truck driver died on the spot".

More details are awaited. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) More than 200 students and teachers attending the "Pariksha pe Charcha" programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi this year will also witness the Republic Day parade and the Beating Retreat ceremony, Ministry of Education (MoE) officials said on Wednesday.

They will be seated in enclosure 18 at the Kartavya Path during the 74th Republic Day parade on Thursday.

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According to an MoE official, 200 students, including the winners of the Kala Utsav competition, and teachers scheduled to attend the Pariksha pe Charcha event will also witness the Republic Day parade on January 26 and the Beating Retreat on January 29.

Pariksha Pe Charcha is an annual event where Modi interacts with students appearing in the forthcoming board examinations. The prime minister also gives replies to students' queries related to exam stress and other issues.

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The sixth edition of the programme is scheduled to be held at the Talkatora indoor stadium in Delhi on January 27. The first edition of the prime minister's interactive programme with school and college students was held at the stadium on February 16, 2018.

The registration process for participation in the annual event was open from November 25 to December 30.

"The students participating in the Pariksha pe Charcha programme will also be taken to places of national importance like Rajghat, Sadaiv Atal, Prime Minister's Museum, Kartavya Path etc. to make them acquainted with our rich legacy," the senior MoE official said.

He said about 38.8 lakh registrations have taken place this year, including more than 16 lakh from state boards. "This is more than two times higher than the registrations (15.73 lakh) that took place during PPC 2022," he added.

Registration has been done from 155 countries. A total of 102 students and teachers from across the country and 80 winners of the Kala Utsav competition will witness the main event as special guests, the official said.

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Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 25 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on the eve of the country's 74th Republic Day, on Wednesday stressed the need to protect the values upheld by the Constitution for India to continue as a sovereign, secular and democratic republic.

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In a message, he said it is the Constitution that determines and defines the essence of India, the world's largest democratic nation, with equal emphasis on its cultural diversities.

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Freedom of expression, faith, religious beliefs and worship should be ensured to all citizens without any fail, he said, adding that our country should be showcased as a model place of democracy by ensuring the dignity of individuals and the unity and integrity of the nation.

"The values, upheld by the Constitution, are needed to be protected in order to retain India as a sovereign, egalitarian, secular and democratic republic and to ensure social, economic and political justice," Vijayan said.

The Chief Minister also urged everyone to go forward by upholding secularism and democracy to realise these goals.

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Ayodhya (UP), Jan 25 (PTI) A 20-year-old man was arrested here for allegedly raping and killing three elderly women in December last year, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, Amarendra, was arrested for killing a 60-year-old woman of Ayodhya's Khusheti village, police said.

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Additional SP, Ayodhya, Atul Kumar Sonkar, told PTI that Amarendra, a resident of Asandhara area of Barabanki district, had been arrested Tuesday night.

During interrogation, Amarendra confessed to have raped and killed two more women in Barabanki in December.

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According to police, his first victim was a 60-year-old woman from Khusheti, who had left her home on December 5, 2022. When she did not return till late evening, her family filed a missing person complaint with police.

Police found her naked body in a field the very next day. The post mortem revealed that she was raped and strangled.

Police said Amarendra also killed a 62-year-old woman on December 17 and a 55-year-old woman on December 29 in Ibrahimabad and Tatara village of Barabanki.

"We are working with police from nearby districts to find out about more such similar incidents," Sonkar said.

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By K.M. Kathiravan

Dindigul (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 25 (ANI): A 22-year-old graduate was arrested for allegedly trying to rob a bank inspired by the Tamil film Thunivu, informed police officials on Wednesday.

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Tamil film Thunivu revolves around a criminal genius and his crew devise a scheme and rob banks.

According to the police, the accused identified as Kaleel Rahman, a resident of Begampur in Dindigul, had taken a loan from one of the branches of the Indian Overseas Bank and was looking for some means to settle them.

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According to police officials, a young man entered the bank and tied the hands of the three bank employees with plastic tags.

"Yesterday morning a young man entered the bank armed with chilli powder, pepper spray, cutting blade and knife and sprayed them with chilli powder. He then tied the hands of three bank employees with plastic tags and then threatened the staff to show him the area where the cash was loaded if they didn't want to be injured," informed police official sources.

Police sources said, "A tied-up clerk warned the branch manager of a 'robber' inside as he logged in for work at the bank's door. The manager and the writer apprehended the accused, pushed him into a room, and locked him before calling the cops"

A case has been registered under Sections 393 (attempt to commit robbery), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery), 397 (robbery or dacoity with intent to cause death or grievous injury), and 506 I (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

The accused would be taken to Judicial Magistrate I for remand, informed police officials.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)

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New Delhi, January 25: The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to finalise the tickets for the upcoming Tripura Assembly Polls is scheduled to be held on Friday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the sources said. The CEC meeting will be chaired by the party's national president JP Nadda at the party's national headquarters in Delhi.

Ahead of the meeting slated for Friday noon, a meeting of the core group is also likely to take place on Thursday (January 26). This meeting will also be held in the presence of JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah among other state leaders. Tripura Assembly Elections 2023: EC Issues Notification for Upcoming Polls, Last Date To Submit Nomination Papers January 30.

As per the BJP sources, a detailed discussion on each candidate would take place during the said core group meeting and a short list of candidates will also be prepared to discuss in the CEC meeting. Assembly Elections 2023 Dates And Full Schedule: Tripura To Vote on February 16, Meghalaya and Nagaland on 27; Results on March 2.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Senior leader Jishu, State President Rajiv Bhattacharjee, Election Incharge Mahesh Sharma, BJP north east convenor Sambit Patra, former CM and Rajya Sabha MP Biplab Deb, and Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik are expected to attend the core group meeting as well as the CEC meeting.

The CEC meeting on Friday will also be attended by its members including the members of the Parliamentary Board. Apart from JP Nadda and PM Modi and the General Secretary organisation, this meeting will be attended by the ministers-- Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Sarbananda Sonowal, Bhupendra Yadav, B. S. Yediyurappa, Vanathi Srinivasan, Satyanarayan Jatiya and others.

Several leaders from Tripura will also be present in the meeting to finalise the candidates to be given the ticket. Amit Shah on May 9, 2015, declared Deb as the chief of the party's Jan Sampark Abhiyan. As a result of his growing popularity, Deb was made the party's state president for Tripura on January 6, 2016, and in a first, the BJP formed a government in the state in 2018 under his leadership.

On March 9, 2018, Deb took oath as the 10th Chief Minister of Tripura and later on May 14, 2022, he resigned from the post and the sitting CM Manik Saha took over on May 15, 2022, and was elected to the legislative assembly of Tripura on June 26, 2020, after winning the by-election from Town Bordowali.

The Tripura polls are crucial for BJP as it has been challenged by the new entrants in the state like Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC). Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM)- the party that had been in power in the state for the longest have also expressed its intent to ally with Congress.

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Lucknow, January 25: 14 people have been rescued so far after a residential building collapsed on Tuesday on Wazir Hasanganj Road in Lucknow, said police.

On the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, Deputy General of Police DS Chauhan informed that five people are still stuck under the debris of a residential building which collapsed on Wazir Hasanganj Road in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow.

While talking to the mediapersons, the DGP said, "Five people are still stuck under the debris and proper oxygen is being supplied to them. They are in the same room. We are in contact with two people. Nobody has been arrested yet, a proper investigation will be done." "They are in the same room. We are in contact with two people. Nobody has been arrested yet, a proper investigation will be done," he added. Uttar Pradesh Building Collapse: Residential Building Collapses in Lucknow, Many Feared Trapped (See Pics, Video).

On Tuesday, three people died after a residential building collapsed on Wazir Hasanganj Road in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said. The police are present at the spot and rescue operations are underway.

"Building collapsed suddenly. Three dead bodies have been found and sent to the hospital. NDRF and fire brigade personnel are present at the spot, rescue operation is underway," Pathak who reached the spot had said.

According to an official statement, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the accident and instructed them to send SDRF and NDRF teams on the spot. The Chief Minister directed the officials of the district administration to take the injured to the hospital immediately for their proper treatment. Lucknow Building Collapse: Three Dead As Multi-Storey Residential Building Collapses in Hazratganj, Some Others Feared Trapped.

"Also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. Along with this, along with the District Magistrate and senior police officers, SDRF, and NDRF teams have been instructed to go on the spot and get relief work done. Along with this, many hospitals were instructed to remain alert," the statement said.

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By Shalini Bhardwaj

New Delhi [India], January 25 (ANI): A day after the launch of the first made-in-India Human Papillomavirus (HPV) "CERVAVAC" vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer, Chief Executive Officer of Serum Institute of India (SII), Adar Poonawalla on Wednesday said that the availability of the vaccine will be little in number this year, however, it would be boosted next year.

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Poonawalla briefed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya about the HPV vaccine in the national capital.

Speaking to ANI after the meeting, the SII CEO said, "I had come to brief the Union Health minister about it. We'll wait for the government program to roll out. Capacity is very small this year but we'll build a large capacity to take care of the entire nation's needs for next year."

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Talking about the rollout programme of the vaccine, Poonawalla said that it would be done through government programmes this year.

"We will slowly roll it out through government programs this year. I can't comment on pricing now. We will wait for tendering process and follow government protocols," he said.

On Tuesday Serum Institute of India launched first made-in-India HPV vaccine for cervical cancer.

Chief Executive Officer of Serum Institute of India (SII), Adar Poonawalla, announced the launch of the first made-in-India Human Papillomavirus (HPV) "CERVAVAC" vaccine, for the prevention of cervical cancer.

The launch took place in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, Adar Poonawalla, and the Director of Government & Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India, Prakash K Singh.

"On the occasion of India's National Girl Child Day and Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, @SerumInstIndia is pleased to launch the first made-in-India HPV vaccine by the hands of our Hon'ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji. @PrakashKsingh7," tweeted Adar Poonawalla.

'CERVAVAC' is an outcome of a partnership of DBT and BIRAC with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, supported by Serum Institute of India Private Limited for the indigenous development of quadrivalent vaccine through its partnership programme 'Grand Challenges India'. (ANI)

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Mumbai, January 25: The Hindu festival of Basant Panchami, also known as Vasant Panchami, Shri Panchami, and Saraswati Panchami, is celebrated on the first day of spring and falls on the fifth day of the month of Magha. It also heralds the start of Holi preparations, which take place forty days following the feast. Maa Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning, music, and the arts is honoured throughout the festival.

Basant Panchami 2023: Date and Pooja Timings

Basant Panchami will be commemorated this year on January 26. According to drikpanchang.com, the Panchami Tithi will begin at 12:34 PM on January 25, 2023, and terminate at 10:28 AM on January 26, 2023. The festival's muhurat spans from 7:12 am to 12:34 pm. Basant Panchami 2023 Images and HD Wallpapers for Free Download Online: Wish Happy Saraswati Puja With Greetings, WhatsApp Messages and SMS.

Basant Panchami 2023: History

According to legend, Kalidasa, distraught over his wife's abandonment, planned to commit suicide by drowning himself in a river. He was about to do so when the goddess Saraswati appeared from the water and invited Kalidasa to bathe in it. His life changed after that when he was endowed with wisdom and became a great poet.

Another legend is based on the Hindu god of love, Kama, and according to mythology, Kamadeva once disrupted Lord Shiva's meditation after his wife Sati's death. Seers approached Kama to awaken Shiva from his meditation so that he could reconnect with the world and notice Maa Parvati's efforts for him.

Kama concurred and used his sugarcane-made bow to shoot arrows at Shiva that was developed of flowers and bees. Kama was destroyed by the third eye of Lord Shiva, who had become furious. Shiva promised to resurrect him on Basant Panchami after Rati (his wife) completed a 40-day fast. He supposedly afterwards gave birth to the son of Lord Krishna named Pradumna. Basant Panchami 2023 Yellow Dishes: From Moong Dal Halwa to Shahi Phirni; Mouth-Watering Recipes for the Festival Celebrating the Arrival of Spring.

Basant Panchami 2023: Significance

On this day, the colour yellow holds a lot of significance. People dress in yellow for the festival, worship the goddess Saraswati, and consume customary foods. Yellow is a sign of both knowledge and the fields of mustard, which signal the beginning of spring.

Basant Panchami 2023: Celebrations

Throughout the nation, Basant Panchami is celebrated with slightly diverse customs, and wonderful traditional foods are prepared and savoured on this day. While kite flying is popular in North India, particularly in Punjab and Haryana, it is celebrated as Saraswati Puja in the east of the country, such as West Bengal. Basant Panchami 2023 Greetings & Saraswati Puja HD Images: WhatsApp Messages, Goddess Saraswati Photos, Wallpapers and SMS on This Auspicious Festival.

It is known as Sri Panchami in the southern states. Flowers are exchanged as gifts in Gujarat, where bouquets and garlands are decorated with mango leaves. On this day, people worship Shiva and Parvati in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh.

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Cairo, Jan 25 (AP) Egypt's top religious institution on Wednesday called on Muslims world over to boycott Swedish and Dutch products over the desecration of Islam's holy book by far-right activists in the two European countries.

The call by Egypt's Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's foremost religious institution, is the latest in a series of backlashes from the Muslim world over the incidents in Sweden and the Netherlands.

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On Saturday, Danish anti-Islam activist Rasmus Paludan burned the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

On Sunday, Edwin Wagensveld, Dutch leader of the far-right Pegida movement, tore pages out of the Quran near the Dutch parliament in The Hague and stomped on them.

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Egypt's Al-Azhar called the desecrations an 'offense'' to Muslims and said a boycott of both countries would be an appropriate response to governments that protect barbaric crimes under the inhuman and immoral banner they call freedom of expression.''

In Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, hundreds protested on Tuesday and condemned the desecration. Protests also took place in the two main Turkish cities, Istanbul and Ankara.

After the incident in Stockholm, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Sweden not to expect Ankara's support in its ongoing bid to join NATO's military alliance amid Russia's war on Ukraine. He also criticised Sweden for allowing pro-Kurdish demonstrations later on Saturday outside Turkey's Embassy.

European countries have long defended the right to freedom of expression, although incitement to violence or hate speech is largely prohibited. Both Paludan and Wagensveld were granted permission by authorities for their protests. (AP)

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Colombo, Jan 25 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has convened an all-party meeting on Thursday to continue his efforts on achieving a consensus on the Tamil issue and strengthen national harmony.

Wickremesinghe in mid-December kicked off a process of dialogue with the main Tamil party - Tamil National Alliance (TNA) - as part of his declared resolve to secure an agreement on the broad contours of a settlement by Sri Lanka's Independence Day on February 4.

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He has invited all parties for consultation with the aim of achieving a resolution to Tamil demand for political autonomy.

The all-party meeting is scheduled to be held on Thursday at the Presidential Secretariat with the participation of all party leaders representing the Parliament, under the patronage of President Wickremesinghe, a release from his office said Wednesday.

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The purpose of this conference is to come to reach a consensus and strengthen national harmony, it said.

The Speaker, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, as well as former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena, Tamil National Alliance Leader R. Sampanthan, National People's Force Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and all party leaders representing Parliament, have been invited.

"We will be attending the conference to highlight the issues of Tamils in the central hills (of Indian origin)," said Mano Ganesan, a Tamil political party leader.

Thursday's meeting assumes much significance in the light of last week's visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who had expressed India's wish to see the full implementation of the 13th Amendment in Sri Lanka. The minister had also underlined that New Delhi always supported political and economic stability in the island nation.

India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th Amendment which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987. The 13A provides for the devolution of power to the Tamil community.

Full implementation of the 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka's Constitution will facilitate unity among all the communities in the island nation so that they could live as one.

Wickremesinghe had indicated to the TNA during previous rounds of talks that he would consider the full implementation of 13A with all party consensus.

The TNA is demanding the full implementation of the 13A to the Constitution, the release of all lands belonging to Tamils in the North and East occupied by the military or other government agencies and the release of all Tamil political prisoners.

At least five Tamil prisoners held under the prevention of terrorism Act without being charged were to be released, the Tamil party sources said.

The TNA with 10 MPs is the main political party representing the Sri Lankan Tamils of the North and East.

Earlier this month, the TNA had said that talks with President Wickremesinghe have made no progress and they will wait for the government's response for the next round of dialogue.

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Monterey Park (US), Jan 25 (AP) In the wake of the worst massacre in Los Angeles County history, the California governor was meeting gunshot victims in the hospital when he was pulled away and briefed on a mass shooting at the other end of the state.

Word that a gunman had killed seven people at two mushroom farms in a scenic coastal stretch of Northern California came just hours after Gavin Newsom spoke of his fatigue and frustration with mass shootings.

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I can't keep doing them, he told reporters earlier in the day in Monterey Park.

Saying the same thing over and over and over again, it's insane.

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Yet he was in Half Moon Bay on Tuesday to address the third mass shooting in just over a week in a state with some of the nation's toughest gun laws and lowest gun death rates.

Tragedy upon tragedy, is how Newsom described the killings after learning of the most recent one.

A 66-year-old farmworker faced murder and attempted murder charges after shooting eight people, killing seven, in a crime authorities said was a case of workplace violence in the rich agricultural area that lies between the Pacific Ocean and coastal mountains.

In Monterey Park, 11 people were killed and nine wounded when a 72-year-old gunman shot up a dance hall in an Asian American community that had been celebrating Lunar New Year's Eve on Saturday night. The gunman later took his own life.

A week earlier, at least two assailants fatally shot a 16-year-old mother clutching her 10-month-old baby, and killed four others in a brazen attack in a central California farming community that remained unsolved.

Our hearts are with the people in California, President Joe Biden said Tuesday at a meeting with Democratic congressional leaders. They've been a rough, rough couple of days.

Biden noted that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced an assault weapons ban, and he urged lawmakers to pass it.

The recent slayings moved California up five slots to 26th place on the number of fatal mass shootings per capita in the U.S. since 2006, according to a USA TODAY/AP/Northeastern University mass killing database.

The database only counts killings of at least four people.

While California has the highest number of fatal mass shootings  49, including the recent three  it had ranked 31st beforehand when adjusted for being the nation's most populous state with nearly 40 million residents.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control lists California as having the 10th lowest gun mortality rate in the country per 100,000 residents. It's 20th lowest in terms of homicide rate.

With the back-to-back killings, detectives at both ends of the state were trying to answer the question that often goes unanswered in the face of senseless violence: Why?

Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna called the dance hall gunman, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, a mad man and said investigators were looking into whether he had relationships with the people who were shot at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio.

Tran fired 42 rounds at the ballroom popular with older Asian Americans. He then drove to another nearby dance hall where an employee wrested a modified 9 mm submachine gun-style weapon away from him, Luna said.

Tran fatally shot himself Sunday as officers surrounded the van he was inside. A handgun was recovered from the van, which matched descriptions of the vehicle he used to get away from the dance studio.

Mounds of flowers, including dozens of yellow and white mums, were left in front of the studio's closed gates Tuesday. On a brick column next to the gates someone taped a piece of blue paper with the typed Ban Semi-automatic Rifles and below it a translation in Chinese.

So far, there have been six mass killings this year in the U.S., and the Monterey Park shootings were the deadliest attack since May 24, when 21 people were killed in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

The Half Moon Bay slayings came less than 48 hours later when 66-year-old Chunli Zhao shot five people at Mountain Mushroom Farm, where he worked, killing four, authorities said.

He then drove to nearby Concord Farms, where he once worked, and fatally shot three other people.

The victims were Asian and Hispanic, and some were migrant workers.

The farm shootings were the largest mass killing in San Mateo County.

We've never had one in this county of this many deaths at one scene or one time, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

Zhao was arrested after officers found him in his car in the parking lot of a sheriff's substation.

Eamonn Allen, a spokesperson for the San Mateo County sheriff, declined to answer whether Zhao had a criminal history, but said there were no specific indicators that would have led us to believe he was capable of something like this.

The San Francisco Chronicle, however, reported that Zhao was accused 10 years ago of threatening to split a coworker's head open with a knife and separately tried to suffocate the man with a pillow, based on court documents.

The two were roommates and worked at a restaurant at the time, and the man, identified as Jingjiu Wang, filed a temporary restraining order against Zhao, which was granted and is no longer in effect.

Authorities have shared little about Tran, who briefly owned a trucking company in Monterey Park from 2002 to 2004, according to California business records.

He was once arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm in 1990 and had a limited criminal history, Luna said.

The sheriff could not immediately say if a gun arrest at a time when firearms laws were different would have barred him from owning weapons.

Tran once frequented the ballroom and another dance hall he later targeted and griped about the way he thought people treated him there, a man who identified himself as a longtime friend told The Associated Press. Tran offered to teach new women at both clubs how to dance for free so that he would have a partner.

Tran was perpetually distrustful and paranoid and would regularly complain that people at the clubs didn't like him, according to the former friend who requested anonymity to speak about Tran because he wanted to avoid the media spotlight.

He always cast a dubious eye toward everything. He just didn't trust people at all, the friend said. He always complained to me that the instructors ... kept distance from him, and according to what he said, many people spoke evil of him.

Investigators were also looking into reports Tran made twice this month to police in the town where he lived that family members tried to poison him, defrauded him and stole from him a decade or two ago in the LA area, Hemet police spokesperson Alan Reyes told The Associated Press. Tran never returned with documentation he promised to provide.

Sheriff's deputies from Los Angeles County searched Tran's home in a gated senior community in Hemet, a little over an hour's drive from the site of the massacre.

Officers found a .308-caliber rifle, an unknown number of bullets and evidence he was making homemade firearm suppressors that muffle the sound of the weapons. (AP)

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Islamabad, Jan 25 (AP) Heads of major aid groups are pressing the Taliban to reverse their decision to ban Afghan women from working for national and international nongovernmental groups, the UN humanitarian chief said on Wednesday.

The Taliban move last month to bar women from NGO work prompted major international aid agencies to suspend operations in Afghanistan, though some have since resumed their work in parts of the country.

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It also raised fears that millions will be deprived of critical services  some 28 million Afghans, or over half of the country's population, need urgent humanitarian assistance.

The UN humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, and the heads of Care International, Save the Children US and UNICEF programs are in Afghanistan this week, following a visit by a senior UN delegation last week that sought to persuade the Taliban to end their crackdown on women and girls, including its ban on Afghan women working for national and global humanitarian organisations.

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Speaking from Kabul, Griffiths said the focus of the visit was to get the Taliban to understand that getting aid operations up and running and allowing women to work in them was critical.

The delegation's message was simple, he said, that the ban makes their work more difficult.

What I heard from all those I met, that they understood the need as well as the right for Afghan women to work, and that they will be working on a set of guidelines which we will see issued in due course, which will respond to those requirements," Griffiths said.

Griffiths and the delegation did not travel to Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement and where the ban was issued on the orders of the reclusive Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzdaza.

Griffiths acknowledged Akhundzada's top status but said there are many important voices among Taliban officials from across the country.

I don't think it's a simple matter of simply asking one man to take responsibility and to change an edict," he said.

There is a collective responsibility for this edict, and I hope we're building up a collective will to compensate for its ban.

Save the Children's Janti Soeripto, who is part of the visiting delegation, said there were meetings with eight ministries in two days and that some among the Taliban understood the need to reverse the ban better than others.

There's resistance, they don't want to be seen doing a U-turn, she said.

If people don't see the consequences as viscerally as we see them, people will feel less inclined. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Azamgarh, January 25: One person was killed while two were critically injured when a former village head, Shiv Shankar alias Bhurey Singh, and his henchmen opened indiscriminate fire on rival Bhim Singh and his supporters at a panchayat in Dakshin ka Pura locality in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district.

Azamgarh SP Anurag Arya said that a dispute between two groups took ugly turn during a panchayat convened to decide the beneficiary of a government housing scheme after which Bhurey and his supporters opened indiscriminate fire. Uttar Pradesh Building Collapse: Residential Building Collapses in Lucknow, Many Feared Trapped (See Pics, Video).

"Himanshu Singh (32), Pradeep Singh Bhim (40), and Tavendra Singh Munna (38), suffered bullet injuries. They were rushed to the district hospital. In view of the critical condition of Himanshu, doctors referred him to a Varanasi hospital where he died."

"Five persons have been taken in custody so far. Four teams have been deputed to arrest Bhurey and his accomplices, who managed to escape after opening fire during the panchayat," the SP said.

In initial investigation, it came to light that a meeting was in progress to finalise the list of beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural). Former village head Bhurey was present at the meeting along with his henchmen. His political rival Bhim along with Himanshu and Munna was also present there.

Bhim and his supporters alleged that Bhurey had ensured inclusion of the names of his close ones in the list of beneficiaries from which the names of genuine persons of the village were excluded.

Following an exchange of heated words, Bhurey and Bhim came face to face and Bhurey and his supporters opened indiscriminate fire with their licenced guns on Bhim and others.

The police said that Himanshu suffered bullet injuries in chest. Bhim and Munna, too, suffered bullet injuries.

After the firing, the assailants fled the scene. On getting information of the incident, Mehnajpur police reached there and rushed the injured persons to a local hospital. Lucknow Building Collapse: 14 People Rescued So Far, Five Still Stuck Under Debris After Residential Building Collapsed on Wazir Hasanganj Road.

Later, Arya along with other officials reached the spot. A car of assailants was seized by the police at the incident site while five persons were taken in custody for interrogation. Arya said, "Raids were being carried out at all possible hideouts of the assailants and they would be nabbed very soon."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 25, 2023 09:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Palanpur, January 25: A village officer in Gujarat's Banaskanta district has been booked on the charges of seeking sexual favour from a woman who had approached him for an income certificate.

Wife of an Army jawan on Tuesday loded a complaint with the Palanpur East Police station alleging that Navisana village officer (Talati Cum Mantri or Tehsildar) sent her messages seeking sexual favour. Mumbai: KDMC Official Demands Sexual Favour to Reduce Property Tax; Arrested.

When the Banaskantha District Development officer learned about the criminal complaint, he sought a detailed report on the issue. Mumbai: Man Murdered For Seeking Sexual Favours From Eunuch in Baiganwadi; Six People Arrested.

The complainant said, "As I needed Income certificate, I visited Navisana village panchayat office on Monday, where I was told that village officer Veljibhai is at Vadgam Taluka Panchayat office and so I phoned, him who asked me meet him at Vadgam. The village officer told me to collect the certificate from the village panchayat office and took my cell phone number."

"On Monday evening, I received two to three messages seeking sexual favours. I did not reply to any messages, and on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the police against Veljibhai," she added. Banaskantha Deputy Development Officer Nikunj Parikh told IANS, Vadgam Taluka Development Officer has been asked to file a detailed report on the matter.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 25, 2023 06:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Former Vice President Mike Pence has recently joined the list of top-ranking government officials discovered to be handling classified documents outside the White House.

Lawyers for the former vice president found the classified documents last week the Pence's Indiana home.

The documents were then turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with investigators already looking at U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump's own set of classified documents.

Pence's representatives sent a letter to the National Archives about the secret materials. Lawyers noted in a separate letter that the FBI bypassed "standard procedures" and requested the "direct possession" of the classified documents.

Pence's lawyer said that a "small number of documents" with classified markings were "inadvertently boxed and transported" to Pence's home at the end of Trump's administration.

Pence sought legal help from a specialist in the handling of the classified materials "out of an abundance of caution."

The former vice president sought assistance after the discovery of the Biden classified documents in his Delaware home.

Trump took on his Truth Social account to defend Pence, saying that the former vice president "never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life."

READ NEXT: Joe Biden Under Scrutiny as Another Batch of Classified Documents Found at New Location

Mike Pence's Classified Documents

Pence's legal team had a phone conversation with the Archives' chief operating officer and general counsel, wherein the conversation includes a suggestion for Pence to hand out all four boxes to the agency so they can review the materials.

On January 23, the boxes of classified documents were handed to the Archives by Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, after the FBI collected the materials.

Jacob noted in his letter to the Archives that Pence "immediately secured" the classified documents found and locked them in a safe for further direction on proper handling from the National Archives.

Two people familiar with the matter noted that it was Pence's longtime aide, Matt Morgan, who found the documents, according to CBS News.

A Pence aide said that the documents were placed in an insecure area of the home. However, those were taped up and not believed to be opened.

GOP Rep. James Comer noted that Pence has also informed the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Tuesday about the discovery of the documents.

Comer also commented on the classified documents found in Biden's home, noting that Pence's "transparency" is in "stark contrast" to the Biden White House staff.

The House committee, which is led by Comer, is investigating the documents found at Biden's former office and home.

Classified Documents Saga

Aside from the classified documents found at the president's former think tank office, there were also more than half a dozen documents seized at Biden's residence in Delaware, as confirmed by his personal lawyer.

The documents with classified markings include materials from the time he was a senator and when he was the U.S. vice president during Barack Obama's administration, as reported by The New York Times.

Justice Department reportedly requested that the search not be made public before it was conducted, according to Biden's attorney, Bob Bauer.

Meanwhile, Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence underwent search after lawyers for Trump resisted efforts by the Archives and Justice Department to hand over the documents.

Trump and his advisers are also under probe for obstructing an inquiry into the classified documents.

READ MORE: Classified Documents Found in Joe Biden's Former Office as U.S. Vice President Being Reviewed by DOJ

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: BREAKING: Classified documents found at Mike Pence's home - from NBC News


The primary emphasis of the investigation into the California mass shooting in Monterey Park is on the shooter's prior connections with the two dance studios he targeted, as well as the possibility that jealousy over a romantic relationship played a role in the tragedy, officials say.

Several sources emphasized that this probe was just getting started.

The suspect, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, was a regular at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park and the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra.

The Monterey Park shooting may have been the result of a personal dispute, according to Los Angeles Times.

"We're hearing those things too but have not confirmed any of that information," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday at a news conference. "It's part of what our investigators are diligently looking into."

Law officials have reported that in the weeks leading up to the Monterey Park shooting, Tran was experiencing an escalation of unspecified emotional problems.

He allegedly made two separate visits to the Hemet Police Department lobby on January 7 and 9, alleging fraud and theft and claiming his family had tried to poison him in the Los Angeles region one or two decades ago, according to Alan Reyes, a representative for the Hemet Police Department.

Reyes claims that Tran promised to return with proof but never did.

It will take investigators a few weeks to piece together what transpired. Starting on Sunday, detectives began executing search warrants at various sites.

James Densley, co-founder and president of the Violence Project, which keeps tabs on mass shootings, noted that Tran's age was uncommon among the country's roster of mass shooters, who tended to be younger.

According to Densley, Tran is the oldest shooter in the organization's database, which dates to 1966.

Personal grudges are less likely to have been the shooter's motivation. About a third of mass murderers, according to Densely, have a history of domestic violence, and there have been instances of "domestic spillage," in which domestic violence has led to the deaths of other people.

READ NEXT: California Mass Shooting Killed 7 People in Half Moon Bay

California Mass Shooting Victims Identified

The LA County Coroner Medical Examiner's Office released a statement revealing the ages of all 11 people killed in the Lunar New Year shooting in Monterey Park, California.

The coroner's office released Tuesday the names of the victims, which included five males and six female, CNN noted

The female victims were Hong Jian, 62; Xiujuan Yu, 57; My Nhan, 65; Lilian Li, 63; Diana Tom, 70; and Muoi Ung, 67.

The male victims were identified as Valentino Alvero, 68; Wen Yu, 64; Ming Ma, 72; Yu Kao, 72; and Chia Yau, 76.

The city mayor has warned that the path to recovery will be long as authorities try to discover what motivated the Monterey Park shooting.

"People are just in disbelief and shock and are feeling very numb," Mayor Henry Lo told CNN on Monday night.

California Mass Shooting Hero Speaks Out

The party was winding down that night when Brandon Tsay said the front door close behind him at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, California.

"That's when I turned around and saw that there was an Asian man holding a gun. My first thought was I was going to die here; this is it," Tsay, 26, said during an interview Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Tsay, whose family runs the dance hall, claimed the gunman looked around the room as though he was seeking targets.

The man was preparing the weapon, and something came over him, Tsay said, stating that when he found the man was armed, he knew he had to disarm the man, or everyone could have been killed.

"When I got the courage, I lunged at him with both my hands, grabbed the weapon, and we had a struggle," he said, adding that they struggled into the lobby and tried to keep the gun away from them while the man was hitting him across the face and back of his head.

Tsay later learned that the shooter was Huu Can Tran, who opened fire 20 minutes earlier at a different dance studio nearby Monterey Park, killing eleven people and injuring ten more.

READ MORE: Khloe Kardashian Pens Emotional Message

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Moment 'hero' disarms Monterey Park shooting suspect - seizing gun and telling him to get out - From The Telegraph
Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has commented on the ongoing trial of the country's former security chief Genaro Garcia Luna, noting that Mexico wants the $700 million corruption money.

Garcia Luna is currently facing trial in New York, with the Mexican president pointing to the accumulated money the ex-security chief from his corruption rig, according to Associated Press News.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard noted that the government has filed a lawsuit in Florida, where Garcia Luna was living after he fled Mexico.

The country's former top security official is accused of accepting bribes of briefcases full of cash to let Sinaloa Cartel engage with its operations with impunity.

Lopez Obrador has long lamented that when corrupt politicians and drug traffickers are extradited to the United States, the U.S. government keeps the fortunes, which were largely made in Mexico.

The Mexican president also commented on the ongoing trial of the former Mexican security official, stressing that U.S. authorities must testify about their links in the case against Garcia Luna.

AMLO noted that the New York trial against Garcia Luna should show the extent of U.S. agents and officials' involvement in the case.

READ NEXT: 43 Alleged Mexican Drug Cartel Associates Charged in 'Las Senoritas' Drug Trafficking Case

Genaro Garcia Luna Corruption Trial

Both the prosecution and defense of the case presented their opening arguments on Monday in front of the jury.

The prosecution argued Garcia Luna's role in allegedly allowing the Sinaloa Cartel to import huge amounts of drugs to the United States.

Prosecutor Philip Pilmar said in his opening arguments that Garcia Luna "took millions of dollars of bribes" repeatedly and described the accused as "the man who betrayed his country and ours."

Garcia Luna's lawyer, Cesar de Castro, rejected the allegations and highlighted the lack of evidence the U.S. authorities have in connecting his client directly to the claims of bribery.

De Castro said that there are "no money, no photos, no emails, no documents" or any credible material that suggested Garcia Luna assisted the cartel.

He added that the cartel members set to testify are looking to lessen their sentences and exact revenge on Garcia Luna.

De Castro addressed the jurors and said "don't let the cartels play you."

Garcia Luna was the chief security official during President Felipe Calderon's administration and was known to be the architect of the war on drugs.

Genaro Garcia Luna and Sinaloa Cartel

Garcia Luna reportedly gave El Chapo's cartel information about law enforcement operations against them, including warnings in advance of planned arrests of its members, and helped in the release of detained gang members.

The former top official is also accused of focusing on rival cartels, instead of the Sinaloa Cartels.

Garcia Luna was also accused of unlawfully swindling $250 million from the Mexican government through a "complicated unlawful government-contracting scheme."

Sinaloa Cartel is known to be one of the largest and most powerful organized crime groups in Mexico, with some of its key figures including El Mayo and El Azul.

READ MORE: Rafael Caro Quintero's Wife Denies Legal Battle With Guadalajara Cartel Founder

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Genaro Garcia Lunas trial continues | Morning in America - from NewsNation


In 2019, Patrick Crusius drove several hours just to go to a Walmart and shoot people, saying that it was "in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas." Now, reports indicate that the racist and white supremacist Texas Walmart shooter will be pleading guilty.

Defense attorneys for the mass shooting suspect have asked for a hearing to be set so that their client, who is facing federal hate crimes and firearms violations, could plead guilty to all his federal charges, according to the Associated Press.

This comes after federal prosecutors chose not to include the death penalty as a possible punishment, even though he killed 23 people in his rampage. Crusius targeted Latinos in his killing spree, even admitting to it in his racist manifesto.

U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama ruled that the requested hearing be set for February 8, 2023, in El Paso, Texas. It will be a "motion for rearraignment" hearing.

He previously pled "Not Guilty" to around 90 hate crimes charges against him in 2020.

Texas Walmart Shooter Could Still Face Death Penalty in Texas State Court

While the federal government is not seeking the death penalty against the professed anti-Hispanic shooter, prosecutors in the state of Texas can still seek the death penalty for him, according to ABC-7 Amarillo.

Crusius is not only facing federal charges but also state charges. Should Texas state prosecutors choose to seek the death penalty against him, he might get executed should he be found guilty of his state capital murder charges.

READ MORE: Texas Walmart Shooter Escapes Federal Death Penalty Punishment

His federal and state cases are progressing along parallel paths, but the federal case is taking place first as it seems. It's currently unclear when he will be facing trial for his state charges, though a status hearing is scheduled on Wednesday afternoon.

The state case against Crusius was stalled after the District Attorney leading the case, Yvonne Rosales, resigned in November over accusations of incompetence. Texas Governor Greg Abbott appointed a new DA to replace her.

Crusius is facing multiple charges in the state of Texas, including 23 counts of committing a hate crime resulting in death, and 23 counts of using a firearm to commit murder.

Texas Walmart Shooter's Racist Manifesto Posted Online

Crucius had not been shy about his racist beliefs, believing that Hispanics are invading Texas, according to VOA News. He posted his manifesto on the now-defunct message board, 8chan, which was frequented by extremists and white supremacists.

According to his arrest warrant, he voluntarily surrendered to police, telling them he was the shooter and that he was targeting Mexicans.

It seems that he also timed his attack during a busy time for that specific El Paso Walmart, as it happened on August 3, 2019, a busy weekend with shoppers from both the United States and Mexico doing their shopping at the store. Many of those injured were Mexican citizens.

El Paso is known to be a largely Hispanic city, as it also forms an international metro area with Ciudad Juarez. The city sits right at the U.S.-Mexico border and is one of the biggest border crossings into the United States.

READ MORE: Texas Woman Arrested After Randomly Firing Gun at Houses

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Suspect in El Paso Walmart shooting to plead guilty at February hearing - 13 News Now
Adult Swim cut ties with Justin Roiland, and "Rick and Morty" will recast his voice roles.

The announcement that "Rick and Morty" co-creator Justin Roiland had been charged with felony domestic assault in Orange County led to Adult Swim severing ties with him.

Adult Swim's Senior Vice President of communications, Marie Moore, announced on Tuesday that the network was no longer working with Justin Roiland.

Justin Roiland co-created and executive produced the adult animated comedy "Rick and Morty," distributed by Adult Swim.

Adult Swim is only halfway through a mammoth 70-episode order for the show, one of the brand's most popular titles commissioned by the channel in 2018, The Hollywood Reporter noted.

According to insiders, "Rick and Morty" will go on without Justin Roiland but with new voice actors. Though Dan Harmon, who also worked on the series with Roiland, will now serve as the sole showrunner, the former will always be credited alongside Harmon.

The show is signed to run until season ten. Roiland is still working with Hulu on several fronts; he co-created and voices a prominent character in the show "Solar Opposites" (the show was renewed for a fifth season in October).

"Koala Man," created by Roiland and launched on the platform on January 9, features his voice work and serves as an executive producer on the project.

In addition to his work on "Solar Opposites" and "Koala Man" for 20th Television Animation, Roiland is still under an overall contract with the studio.

Hulu and 20th Century Fox Television Animation have been contacted by The Hollywood Reporter for comment.

READ NEXT: 'Rick And Morty' Virtual Reality PC Game

Justin Roiland's Case

Roiland appeared in court earlier this month concerning an ongoing criminal case in California. He is being prosecuted for felony domestic abuse charges, including battery and false detention.

Even though he has pleaded not guilty, the actor and showrunner have publicly said nothing about the accusations against him. The announcement followed the release of "High On Life," developed by Justin Roiland studio Squanch Games.

The controversial comedy FPS was an instant hit with fans and became the year's biggest Game Pass release.

However, as reported by Kotaku, in 2018, the company was sued by a former employee for sexual harassment.

The lawsuit did not name Justin Roiland, but it did allege that the studio failed to provide a safe and equal workplace and that the employee was fired in reprisal for her complaints.

Squanch Games initially contested the claims but ultimately reached a settlement to avoid going to court.

"Squanch Games is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive work environment for our team," a spokesperson for the studio told Kotaku earlier this month. "We don't publicly disclose personnel matters, and we stand by our decision in 2017 not to reveal confidential information as it relates to this case."

Roiland's future as CEO of Squanch Games has not yet been addressed in an official announcement.

Justin Roiland's Career

Justin Roiland is well-known for his work with Dan Harmon on the animated series "Rick and Morty," which premiered in 2012.

Roiland provides the voice for Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, his grandson. Over its six seasons on Adult Swim, "Rick and Morty" has consistently been one of the network's highest-rated series, per Polygon.

A total of 70 additional episodes were commissioned by Adult Swim in 2018, giving the show enough content for another ten seasons.

Justin Roiland founded Squanch Games (formerly known as Squanchtendo) in 2016. Four games have been developed and published by the studio thus far: Accounting, Dr. Splorchy Presents: Space Heroes, Trover Saves the Universe and High on Life.

High on Life, launched in December 2022, soon became the year's most successful Game Pass launch.

READ MORE: California Mass Shooting: Potential Motive, Revealed

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Rick and Morty Co Creator Justin Roiland Fired By Adult Swim - From Rock Feed
2022 was reportedly a deadly year for journalists, as the death toll increased by 50% from 2021. The highest number of attacks against journalists happened in Mexico, Ukraine, and Haiti.

The New York-based media watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released its report Tuesday on the deaths of media personnel, which showed that at least 67 news media workers were killed worldwide in 2022.

That means that last year saw the highest number of journalist deaths since 2018, according to Al Jazeera.

Over half of those deaths happened in Ukraine, Mexico, and Haiti. Ukraine is currently an active warzone after Russia invaded the country, and Haiti is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis.

However, Mexico still has roughly the same number of journalists killed as Ukraine and has more deaths than Haiti.

READ NEXT: Nicaragua Newspaper Staff Flee Country After Violent Crackdown

Latin America Surpassed Active Warzone Ukraine in Terms of Journalists Killed

Currently, journalists in Ukraine are covering a conventional war between Ukraine and Russia.

Around 15 news media personnel have already died in the country since the Russian invasion in February. Some are reporting that Russian soldiers are targeting them.

However, Latin America surpassed that number. Latin America is considered to be mostly peaceful and not in the midst of war, like Ukraine.

According to the CPJ's report, Mexico saw 13 journalists killed last year, but other media groups reported 15,

followed by Haiti with seven. While journalists in Ukraine were in the middle of a warzone, journalists in Latin America were covering various topics like corruption, gang violence, and the environment.

Mexico-based journalist Katherine Corcoran told the New York Times that it is more dangerous there for local reporters, as they often lack the protections that come with working for international news organizations.

She noted that the situation for media personnel "just keeps getting worse" in Mexico. 2022 is the deadliest year for journalists in the country so far.

Corcoran added that it is more dangerous for journalists when democracy starts to take hold and the power centers shift, and it is often not when an autocratic government is in full control.

Journalists No Longer Know Whom to Trust in Haiti

In Haiti, Radio Caraibes reporter Mackenson Remy told the Associated Press that he no longer knows whom to trust there.

He still covers news on the street there, which has become even more dangerous as street gangs have slowly taken over the country.

The reporter told the outlet that reporting news in Haiti nowadays has become extremely difficult, especially in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Remy said: "Corruption is all over the place; there is no one you are able to count on."

He likened the situation in the Caribbean country to the 1998 Jim Carey film, "The Truman Show," in which the protagonist always feels like he is being watched.

READ MORE: 15th Mexican Journalist Killed

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: At Least 15 Journalists Killed in Mexico So Far in 2022 - From CBS News
The director of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix docuseries has issued claims against the royal family and Buckingham Palace.

Liz Garbus, the director of "Harry & Meghan" docuseries, accused Buckingham Palace of trying to discredit the series.

She told Vanity Fair that a senior palace aide claimed that members of the royal family had not been given a right to comment on the series, which gave her enlightenment into the alleged palace mind games the Sussexes had complained about.

Garbus noted that Buckingham Palace said they did not reach out for comment even when they did.

The Netflix series director went on to say that the palace did that to discredit them and "by discrediting us, they can discredit the content of the show."

Several British publications described the documentary as a "very Californian exercise in grievance" and a "tedious, narcissistic wallow."

A palace source earlier said members of the royal family, Buckingham Palace, or Prince William's office at Kensington Palace were not approached for comment on the content of the series.

Later, Kensington Palace confirmed that they received an email from a third-party production company unknown to them.

Kensington Palace claimed to have contacted Archewell Productions and Netflix through email to verify the authenticity of the email, but these were unanswered.

READ NEXT: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix Deal Could Be Plugged Out Anytime

Royal Family on Netflix Docuseries

A Buckingham Palace source had disputed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's claims that the royals were asked to comment.

Another source noted that the lack of verification of the email's authenticity left them unable to respond on the matter, Daily Mail reported.

The source added that the email did not solely address the Netflix docuseries. The Sussexes' Netflix docuseries has become the video streaming platform's biggest documentary debut week.

Netflix said in a statement that the first three episodes of the Netflix docuseries logged 81.55 million viewing hours after its debut. Over 28 million households watched a part of the Sussexes docuseries.

Garbus noted that the docuseries' spine was the love story but that connecting the personal story and larger historical context was always necessary.

Aside from the Netflix docuseries, Prince Harry's memoir also garnered attention in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Royal Family on Prince Harry's Memoir 'Spare'

Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" was released on January 10 and shed light on his life in the royal family.

He talked about his mother, Princess Diana, how her death affected him growing up, and details of his relationship with members of the royal family, including Prince William.

When asked what he hopes his family's takeaway is from his memoir, Harry told PEOPLE that he doesn't "want to tell anyone what to think of it," and that includes his family.

He said the book is a raw account of his life, and its truths are, in many ways, a continuation of his mental health journey.

Harry admitted that there were details that he omitted as he knew he would cross the line if he published those. Official figures showed that the book sold 467,183 copies in its first week alone.

READ MORE: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Opt Not to Hold Daughter Lilibet's Christening in the U.K.

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Harry & Meghan | Official Teaser - From Netflix




An American man was arrested at an airport in Panama on Tuesday. John Poulos, a resident of Texas, is reportedly wanted in Colombia for the murder of his DJ girlfriend.

Poulos, 35, was about to board a flight to another country when the Panama National Police captured him. He was reportedly the last person to see his 23-year-old Colombian girlfriend, Valentina Trespalacios, alive.

According to the Colombian newspaper El Colombiano, Panamanian authorities said the American man's next destination was Istanbul, Turkey.

Poulos is reportedly awaiting extradition back to Colombia, where he will be charged with femicide. Trespalacios' family believes the American man is responsible for the death of the Colombian DJ.

Poulos reportedly left Colombia on Sunday aboard a flight at El Dorado International Airport. He arrived at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City on the same day, just hours after Trespalacios' body was discovered with the pajamas she usually slept in.

READ NEXT: Gerard Pique's Epic Clapback on Ex Shakira

DJ Girlfriend Moved to Place Rented by American Man in Colombia Before She Was Killed

The family of Valentina Trespalacios said the Colombian DJ and John Poulos met at an event she had been hired to perform. They have been dating for eight months.

On Friday, Trespalacios reportedly moved into a home the American man had been renting in the capital of Bogota, where they were planning to live together after they got married.

They were reportedly in the early stages of planning to get married. Daily Mail reported that the couple had spent the weekend dining and partying before it all ended in tragedy.

A homeless person searching for recyclables discovered a blue suitcase containing Trespalacios' body and called the police. The suitcase was reportedly abandoned in a dumpster in Bogota.

An autopsy report revealed that Trespalacios's body was bruised, and she was strangled with a rope. When the American man was arrested in Panama, the Colombian National Police were still investigating the case.

They had searched the home that the couple moved into, as well as the 2021 Volkswagen Voyager that Poulos had also rented.

Trespalacios reportedly spoke little English and often communicated with her boyfriend using a translation app. They were last seen together by a rideshare app driver who drove the couple to a nightclub.

The driver reportedly told authorities that he sensed the woman was in trouble after she messaged him through the company app, saying, "Help, I am in danger."

The driver also said that before Poulos arrived at the car, Trespalacios had been making hand gestures. But when he asked her if she was okay, she reportedly replied "yes" thrice.

Who is the American Suspect, John Poulos?

According to the Daily Mail, John Poulos' recently deleted LinkedIn page said he was hired as a financial advisor by Vanguard last year.

The family of Valentina Trespalacios said the American man was planning to move to Colombia after marrying the Colombian DJ there.

The brother of Trespalacios, Daniel Felipe, told Caracol TV that the family had warm feelings about Poulos, adding that he never expected him to be a suspect in his sister's murder.

He noted that the couple had previously traveled to Mexico together, and they trusted him. However, Trespalacios' mom, Laura Hidalgo, said Poulos became "very obsessed" with her daughter and was jealous.

She said the couple had an argument last month "out of jealousy" because her daughter 'had many suitors" as she was "very beautiful."

READ MORE: 34 Dead After Landslide in Colombia

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Ella era Valentina Trespalacios, la joven DJ que fue hallada muerta en Bogota - From Noticias Caracol
Officials in Brazil reported that the Yanomami Indigenous people live in dreadful conditions because illegal gold miners threaten them with violence and prevent essential supplies like food and medicine from reaching the area.

Indigenous Health Secretary Weibe Tapeba said Tuesday that the government should remove the miners, especially those armed, from the Yanomami reservation land along the border with Venezuela, Al Jazeera reported.

In a radio interview, Tapeba compared Yanomami's living environment to a concentration camp.

"It's an extreme calamity. Many Yanomami are suffering from malnutrition, and there is a total absence of the Brazilian state," he noted.

The announcement comes three days after Brazil announced a public health emergency for them. The Yanomami people live in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil's northern state of Roraima.

Most of them have reportedly been suffering from starvation and diseases like malaria due to the mining operations in the area.

Critics said the government turned a blind eye to forest burning and violations of Indigenous peoples' rights under previous far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, allowing corporations to expand their operations into the Amazon illegally.

According to a report published in April 2022 by the Hutukara Yanomami Association, the amount of "garimpo," or wildcat gold mining scarring land on the Yanomami reservation, increased by 46% in 2021.

READ NEXT: Businessman Ordered Bruno Pereira, Dom Phillips Assassination in Amazon

16 Starving Yanomami Indigenous People in Brazil Receive Emergency Treatment

After the government declared a medical emergency, at least 16 malnourished Yanomami indigenous people were airlifted to receive urgent treatment in a hospital.

President Lula da Silva has claimed that his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, committed genocide against a tribe living in the Amazon rainforest, BBC reported.

The government declared a medical emergency after hundreds of Yanomami children succumbed to hunger linked to water pollution due to mining and logging in the forested area, where food insecurity is common.

Reports of chronic hunger among Yanomami children prompted Lula to travel to Roraima on Saturday. He described his visit as leaving him "shocked." Roraima borders Venezuela and Guyana.

"More than a humanitarian crisis, what I saw in Roraima was genocide: a premeditated crime against the Yanomami, committed by a government insensitive to suffering," he noted. "I came here to say we will treat our indigenous people as human beings."

The Yanomami reserve is home to approximately 28,000 indigenous people who hunt and practice small-scale slash-and-burn agriculture to survive. They live in small and semi-permanent communities.

During his four years in office, Bolsonaro frequently criticized the expansiveness of indigenous reserves and pledged to make part of them available for agriculture and mining.

Critics said his statements encouraged illicit activity in the region and that his government weakened environmental protections.

Yanomami Indigenous People in Brazil

According to Weibi Tapeba, children were losing their hair because of the mercury used to extract gold from ore, and this was all the result of an invasion of more than 20,000 shady gold miners, NBC News reported.

Bandits are reportedly too well-armed to allow medical aid teams to enter the area. To overcome this problem, Tapeba said, the military force must remove the gold miners.

The Supreme Court of Brazil issued an order to expel the gold miners. Bolsonaro's government never complied. The Yanomami's leaders have claimed that their cries for aid have gone unheard.

Citing data obtained by a FOIA, the Amazon journalism platform Sumauma reported that 570 Yanomami children died not only from malnutrition but also from malaria, diarrhea, and malformations caused by the mercury in the rivers.

Although illegal gold miners have been a problem on the reservation for decades, the situation had escalated since Bolsonaro's election in 2018, when he offered to legalize wildcat mining and enable mining on indigenous grounds that were previously protected.

Flavio Dino, the minister of justice, said Monday that there was "evidence of genocide" that was being investigated.

However, the Yanomami were not the only tribe in danger. Dr. Andre Siqueira, a tropical medicine expert in the Roraima region, has reportedly seen "similar conditions of lack of support and treatment" in other indigenous areas.

Siqueira noted that this must be addressed promptly to avoid further "catastrophic" and "disastrous' situations.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Brazil: Yanomami Indigenous Community Risks Becoming Extinct - From UN Human Rights
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli

Over a thousand vehicles carrying supplies to Karabakh have passed through the Lachin-Khankandi road since the start of the protests on December 12, 2022, Azernews reports, citing Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ayxan Hajizada.

The official made the remarks on his Twitter account in response to the comments by US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price during a briefing on January 24.

He underlined that it would be appropriate to call on Armenia to fulfill its obligations instead.

"Dear @StateDeptSpox, more than 1000 of vehicles bringing supply into the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan proves the opposite what you said on January 24. It would be appropriate to call on the Armenian side to fulfill obligations & stop illegal activities!" Hajizada tweeted.

Notably, at a briefing held the day before, Price called for the full restoration of free movement through the Lachin-Khankandi road, including commercial and private travel.

To recap, 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 Company 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 peaceful protest that started on December 12, 2022, continues up to today and marks Day 36.
As Ireland celebrates having a record breaking 14 nominations in the Oscars ceremony in March, a young award winning Laois filmmaker is poised at the start of what could be an illustrious career as a movie director.

Reuben Harvey, 22, from Abbeyleix is preparing to shoot a film on his doorstep, an important final project for his college course, but he needs donations to fund it.

The filmmaking student has chosen well known locations to shoot scenes, including Abbeyleix Bog, Preston House, Clelands supermarket and Abbeyleix Manor Hotel, for his final graduate film for Dun Laoghaire National Film School IADT.

He told the Leinster Express about it.

We begin filming at the start of February for 1 week.

We have local support in terms of locations we have been provided.

Abbeyleix is a great town, it feels good to be able to show off its visual qualities and utilise its character and aesthetics, he said.

His final graduate short film will be called With Love, From AIDAN.

It is a science fiction tale about a robotic AI who comes to life with the programming to assist and learn to love his family.

However the AI also has the ability to decide whether or not to follow this programming, and grows feelings that tempt him to question his makers.

I wanted this year to write and direct a dark satire about something thats very relevant in our society today, perhaps not to this extent just yet, but in a world where AI is scaring developers of creative content, designers and musicians alike, a story like this is actually not as far-fetched as we might hope, Reuben explains.

Reuben is running a crowd funder and has raised over 3,700 in just over a fortnight since it aunched.

We couldnt believe that we hit our target in such little time, because crowdfunding a film can be hard.

 People dont realise how expensive it is to produce a film and none of our student crew members are being paid, all that raised money goes into logistics.

One of the challenges is bringing a 20 person film crew to Abbeyleix for the week, I suppose seeing how people are still donating just makes us so grateful for the support and belief in me and my crew, we really want to make a really strong and effective film for everyone who has donated, he said.

The dream of becoming a filmmaker began for Reuben when his father, Canon Patrick Harvey won an mp4 Digital Camera from The Irish Times.

Canon Harvey's photo of two gardai at the Electric Picnic was used by the paper and won him the prize., according to the MidlandsIreland.ie website which features Reuben this month.

Reuben attended Abbeyleix South National School and then Kilkenny College. In school, he says he was never good with theory.

Spotting his love for music and hands-on approach to learning, his music teacher David Milne encouraged his love for music by introducing him to composers.

A self-taught musician, Reuben now composes all the music for his films and has scored many others.

Last year, Reuben won a Royal Television Society Undergraduate writing award for his first year short film, Flash_Thunder 93.

He also scored the haunting music for the short film, and co-wrote and directed it.

His unique approach to filmmaking means he writes the soundtrack first which gives the film its feel and tone, and the story is then written around that.

Music informs my writing, its like reverse engineering Reuben said.

Flash_Thunder 93 was shot on the grounds of the rectory in Abbeyleix where he grew up and he cites many benefits for shooting film in Laois.

The West of Ireland has its sweeping landscapes, but towns like Abbeyleix have their own aura and beautiful architecture, as does Stradbally Hall and Emo Court.

Logistically its better to have a knowledge of the area youre filming in.

Below: Reuben and colleagues filming Flash_Thunder 93.

He outlines the importance of making the film, and not just to him.

This is our major graduate production for the IADT National Film School and determines all of our Heads of Departments for Directing, Producing, Cinematography, Sound and Editing final grades for our college course.

All crew members are working for free and our budget which is entirely self-funded is entirely invested towards production including transport, hiring talent, props, make-up, costume design, location and any additional equipment hiring.

Any and all donations from anyone whether big or small would contribute greatly to helping our film With Love, From AIDAN be the best film it can be, Reuben said.

He has his eyes firmly on a future in the film industry as a director.

My hope after college is to continue to direct, maybe in Ireland or abroad, that I dont know yet, I just know my goal is to direct feature films, he said.

There is plenty of new Irish talent out there he said.

There has been a great boost for Irish film in the last few years, and just seeing the talent in my year at the national film school really gives me high hopes for the future of the industry in this country, the young director said.

See his fundraiser on www.gofundme.com called With Love from AIDAN.
Portlaoise is getting more pedestrian friendly with wider paths and cycle lanes, but any lost car parking spaces could cost businesses, say local councillors.

Customers will go somewhere else to shop if they can't find parking close by, they warn.

Portlaoise is planned and funded to reduce focus on carparks and attract pedestrians and cyclists instead, as Ireland's pilot Low Carbon Town.

However Cllr Thomasina Connell has urged Laois County Council to provide parking close to pharmacies and shops.

"Parking is important for people to shop local, in Lyster Square and the Main Street. You need parking close to pharmacies. In Lyster Square and Tower Hill there has been a slight reduction in spaces.

"It has been brought to my attention that it is not easy to get parking close by. It's people with reduced mobility that need parking the most," Cllr Connell said.

She tabled a motion to the January meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District, asking for an update on a parking audit that was to be undertaken in Portlaoise town centre.

The council confirmed that an audit has begun.

"The Portlaoise parking study has commenced and is due to be completed before the end of April. The final report and recommendations will be presented to the elected members," senior engineer Adrian Barrett replied.

Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald seconded the motion.

"We've asked and we were told the figures are not reduced but I think Market Square has been. There is fantastic work done in Lyster Square but businesses are closing, we have to be so aware of parking. People said to me if they can't get spaces they drive somewhere else.

"There are empty spaces on Jessop Street. There wouldn't be two cars parked there during the day. We have to take a serious look at any space we can get. I ask that Jessop Court has to come into the equation, that parking bays are freed up," Cllr Fitzgerald said.

Meanwhile the new footpaths are being partially blocked as people are backing up vehicles that extend over the paths.

Cllr Willie Aird said bollards or "stoppers" are needed to stop cars and vans reversing back right up against a path.

"What's worse is a towbar," he said.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley said that cars are parking on top of the new wide paths.

"It's a pity because we are trying to make the town more friendly to people in wheelchairs. Traffic wardens can't be out at night. People should be mindful of others in wheelchairs or pushing buggies," she said.

Laois County Council Director of Services Simon Walton said that bollards are yet to be erected.

"I acknowledge the positive comments about Tower Hill. Some street furniture is yet to be installed and when it's in it will reduce the opportunity.

"When you park on a path, it is an offence as you are interfering with people using the path," he said.

Jessop Court is in line to have some parking spaces converted from residential use, to combined public use he said.

"It was previously agreed that a number of spaces will be available and signs will be erected shortly," Mr Walton said.
A woman who was allegedly trafficked and required to work as a prostitute in rural Ireland amid threats and a debt bondage situation has told a jury that she often kept a knife close by to defend herself from violent clients.

The woman, who can't be named for legal reasons, was giving evidence in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial of Natalia Nogueira Da Silva and Ivanilce (Lisa) Vailones Fidelis.

She told the court during the trial on January 25 that she was moved to a different rural town every week and that in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, a man tried to break into the house, while in Tralee, Co Kerry, the men there were very violent.

She also outlined a situation in Portarlington, Co Laois, when a client demanded his money back and beat her up after the service was provided. It was this incident that led to her decision to always keep a knife by her bed.

Ms Da Silva (32), of Cairn Hill View, Drumlish, Co Longford, has pleaded not guilty to one count of human trafficking a woman at an unknown location within the State, on dates between March 31, 2019 and May 18, 2019.

She has pleaded guilty in front of the jury to one count of organising prostitution at an unknown location within the State on dates between December 5, 2018 and May 18, 2019.

She has also admitted one count of facilitating the entry into the State of a person she knew to be illegal on March 31, 2019 at Dublin Airport, along with 33 counts of money laundering the proceeds of crime on dates between March 2020 and May 2021.

Ms Vailones Fidelis (46) of Castle Manor, Racecourse Road, Roscommon, has pleaded not guilty to all 18 counts against her.

She has denied two counts of human trafficking two women at various locations within the State on dates between December 2018 and May 2019. She has pleaded not guilty to one count of organising prostitution during the same time period.

Ms Vailones Fidelis has further pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of money laundering the proceeds of crime on dates between January 2015 and December 2020 and one count of removing proceeds of crime from the State during the same time period.

The State alleges the two accused trafficked two vulnerable Brazilian women for the purposes of exploiting those women and taking advantage of their vulnerability to such an extent as to cause the trafficked person to have no real or acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

Garnet Orange SC, prosecuting, told the jury they would hear the women were in a debt bondage situation, whereby they owed money for their plane tickets and other expenses and were being charged exorbitant rent for their accommodation. The prosecution also alleges the women were threatened.

The first complainant in the case continued giving evidence on Wednesday, January 25. She has given evidence that her plane ticket was bought by a woman named Lisa and that she was met at the airport by a woman named Natalia and brought to an apartment in Portarlington.

Giving evidence via video-link through an interpreter, the 35-year-old woman outlined three very traumatising incidents for her.

She said she became very fearful following one incident in Portarlington. I would always keep a knife close to the bed so I could protect myself. This happened after a client beat her up after he demanded his money back after she had provided the service.

To defend myself I got a knife and tried to get him out of the apartment. During this time, I called Lisa.

I had a knife in one hand and the phone in the other. She told me not to do anything to the client and I should let him leave, the woman said.

She was very worried about the client. She later told me I should never react when a client wanted to beat me or wanted the money back, the complainant continued. She said Lisa was not worried about her.

The second incident happened in Enniscorthy when a guy wanted to come in who appeared to be very out of himself.

She said she called the women and told them that she had a knife. They threatened to call immigration on her if she was violent towards any man because that would bring complications.

She said Lisa then called her and told her that she was not supposed to hurt the man. She was very offensive and she threatened me, the complainant said.

She said in her final week in Portarlington she had a sore throat and a fever and Lisa told her that a client wanted her to perform oral sex without protection. She told Lisa that she was unwell but she said Lisa didnt mind.

The woman told Mr Orange that when the client arrived, she told him she was in no condition to provide that service, so he started to assault me physically. It was a very intense fight. I had injuries, bruises all over my body.

She said she managed to get the knife, and when the man said he wanted his money back she held up the knife.

He stopped what he was doing to me. At this moment he knew I was very serious. That I was intent on defending myself so he put his hands up and left the apartment, she said.

She said she was completely fearful and in terror and left the apartment because she was afraid the man would come back. She went to a local coffee shop and called Lisa.

She told Lisa she was very ill but she wasnt allowed to visit a doctor or get access to medication. She said Lisa was only worried about the client. She never asked if I was OK.

The trial continues before Judge Patricia Ryan and a jury.

Earlier, the woman told the jury that Lisa phoned her the morning after her arrival and told her men would be coming to the apartment and that Lisa would phone her and tell her when to open the door.

She instructed me on how to perform but I'm not sure I should say, the woman told the court.

When asked to continue, the woman said: She (Lisa) asked me if I could perform oral sex without condoms, if I accepted if they ejaculate in my mouth. She told me if I want penetration to happen with or without protection, if I was to have vaginal or anal sex because all this information would have to be said to the men for the cost.

During the call she told me I should do this or that way because this would attract more clients.

The woman told the jury she was given instructions on how much the men had to pay according to what services they wanted me to perform.

I never had option to say if I wasn't to do it, she (Lisa) was the one deciding, the woman said.

The woman said she couldn't recall how many men visited her in the apartment in Portarlington. At the end of the week, she said she was instructed that she would be driven by a man to a house in Enniscorthy, where she performed the same work. She said she was then moved to a house in Tralee.

Every week I would be sent to a new location, she said. When asked if she was given a choice about moving, the woman replied: I didn't have an option. I didn't know anyone here. I didn't speak English. If she said I had to go, I had to go.

The woman described an alleged incident in Enniscorthy where a man tried to break into the house where she was staying on her own. I was very frightened, she said.

In relation to Tralee, the woman said there was another woman staying with her in the house that week. The men there were quite violent, she said. They wanted to break in or steal things, so myself and other girl there had to be watching out all the time.

In relation to payment for her work, the woman told the court she was instructed to receive cash from the men when they arrived and hide it in the apartment. At the end of the week, she said she was instructed to deposit it into an account via a bank cash machine.

The woman said she got a receipt every time she made a deposit, which she said was made into a different bank account every time. She said she kept the receipts and later handed them in to gardai.

The woman said Lisa and Natalia seemed to share the phone and took turns calling her and giving her instructions. She said they mostly communicated via Whatsapp and that Lisa told her to delete their chats, take a screengrab showing the chat had been deleted and send it back to her as proof.

Sometimes I would take a picture of a receipt or screenshot or picture of the chat so I could share it with police, the woman told the court. I handed in everything I had to gardai.

The woman said she only saw Natalia the one time, when she was picked up at the airport. She said she never met Lisa in person, nor saw any pictures of her.
Laois Minister Sean Fleming has traveled to Africa with President Michael D Higgins as part of his new job in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Laois Offaly TD joined the President his wife Sabina and an Irish delegation on State visit to Senegal. During the visit, Minister Fleming is joining President Higgins in meetings with the presidents of Senegal, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Minister Fleming is accompanying President Higgins on the visit to take part in the Dakar 2 Summit, Feed Africa: Food Sovereignty and Resilience. It is the Ministers first visit overseas since his appointment as Minister of State at the Department.

The Castletown-based TD spoke about the experience.

"I am very pleased to accompany the President to this international conference in Dakar in Senegal. Or delegation was exceptionally well received and we just opened an embassy here in recent weeks. I was pleased to meet with Ministers from African countries as the theme of the conference is about increasing food production in Africa to feed Africa and not to be dependant on food imports," he told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

Minister Fleming was present when the President held a bilateral meeting on January 24 with President Sall in the Palais Presidentiel in Dakar. At their meeting, the two Heads of State discussed a range of topics relevant to the upcoming Dakar 2 Summit, including structural issues surrounding food security, climate change and climate justice, desertification, human rights, empowering women, and the importance of multilateral institutions in achieving these goals. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

In his role as Minister of State, Minister Fleming has responsibility for International Development and Diaspora. He previously served as Minister of State at the Department of Finance.

Following his meeting with President Sall, President Higgins and Minister Fleming traveled to Goree Island, where they were accompanied by the Mayor of Goree Island, Augustin Senghor, on a guided tour of the Maison des Esclaves from the Curator of the Museum, Eloi Coly, and the Director of the Goree Institute, Doudou Dia.

Aras an Uachtarain says Goree Island, the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Africa, was a key slave-trading centre on the African coast from the 15th to 19th Century. La Maison des Escalves and its Door of No Return is a museum and memorial dedicated to the victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, with previous visitors including President Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and President Barack Obama.

Minister Fleming was touched by the visit.

"I visited the island of Goree which was a transfer station for four centuries for slaves to be transported to north and South America. An exceptionally moving experience and as an Irish person I immediately thought of all the Irish illegally transported to Van Diemens Land," he said.

Later this week, Minister Fleming will be present when the President will deliver two addresses at the Dakar 2 Summit  an opening address on Wednesday entitled To Make a New Journey of Sufficiency  From Our Origin, Africa and a closing speech on Friday entitled Going Forward with Best Approaches.

The Summit will bring together an expected 25 African Heads of State and Government, Government Ministers and Governors of Central Banks, as well as multilateral organisations, NGOs, private sector stakeholders, academics and scientists. At the end of the Summit, it is expected that commitments will be made by Heads of States to Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts to achieve zero hunger, as well as financing frameworks for them.

In addition to his addresses, President Higgins will hold a number of bilateral meetings at the Summit with fellow Heads of State, including the President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari and the President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio, as well as with the President of the African Development Bank Dr Akinwumi Adesina and the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development Alvaro Lario.

President Higgins will also attend a number of events hosted by individual Heads of State on the development of the Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts for their countries.
A man with "vast experience and a wealth of experience" in health care has taken up the position of General Manager of Portlaoise hospital.

The HSE has confirmed the appointment of Mr John Joyce, the new General Manager of the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise. The HSE Mr Joyce, who hails from Ballinamore, Co Leitrim but is living in Laois, joins the hospital with over two decades of experience in the health service.

A statement said he comes to the role from the HSE's Special Delivery Unit (SDU) where he was General Manager with responsibility for Unscheduled Care and Information Technology. The HSE says SDU works closely with hospitals and hospital groups, the National Treatement Purchase Fund and the Emergency Department Taskforce to improve access to care for patients in our public hospitals.

"John has a wealth of experience across both acute and community services, having worked previously as occupational therapy manager in primary care, general manager within the Service Delivery Unit, clinical lead for the development of the exceptionally beneficial GP Health link system, which has had huge success and of great benefit to the HSE. John also comes to the role with vast experience in quality and patient safety," said a HSE statement.

Mr Joyce takes the helm of a hospital that is part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. It includes hospitals in Naas, Tullamore and Dublin (St James's, Tallaght, the Coombe, St Lukes).

Trevor O'Callaghan, Chief Executive Officer of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group, said he was delighted to welcome to his new job in Laois.

"John is bringing his vast experience and expertise to the hospital and I wish him the very best as he takes on this new position," he said.

Mr Joyce is looking forward to his time in Portlaoise.

It is with great pleasure that I take up my new role as General Manager of the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise. I am coming to the hospital at an exciting time of change and I am looking forward to working towards continuous improvement and innovations across each department and working with our community partners to deliver the right care to our patients, in the right place, at the right time, he said.

Mr Joyce takes over from Michael Knowles who retired before Christmas following 41 years working in the public health service. Mr Knowles was in charge for seven years, the start of which was marked by a period of significant controversy due the controversy surrounding the hospital's maternity unit in the years before he took charge. He also guided the hospital through the choppy waters of a potential downgrade.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly visited the hospital in late 2022 signaling that he had no plan to pull services out of the hospital.

A plan drawn up by the HSE and published in 2017 outlined a roadmap to remove Emergency, ICU, most surgery, peadiatrics, and maternity services from the Laois hospital.

Mr Joyce is not the only member of the management team to move on from Portlaoise in recent months. The Director of Nursing Sandra McCarthy has taken up a position at Tallaght Hospital.
A deal between Coillte and a British investment firm for 12,000 hectares of forestry was branded a land grab by a Laois TD.

Speaking in the Dail, Deputy Brian Stanley criticised Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Pippa Hackett.

I say to the Minister and the Minister of State that the proposed deal between Gresham House and Coillte is nothing short of a land grab, said Deputy Stanley.

This time, it is not English landlords with an army in front of them clearing off the peasants but the Government, which is facilitating the transfer of hundreds of millions of euro to a British company to snap up large tracts of Irish land and to put it out of the reach of rural communities. See how this goes down in Camross and Clonaslee if the Minister of State thinks that people are behind her on this.

The failure to meet targets to increase afforestation has been caused by the failure of the Government to put a proper framework in place and to sort out problems in the sector. The amount of land being planted has collapsed dramatically from 8,314 hectares in 2010 to just 2,244 hectares last year. We are way off target on climate and timber, said Dep Stanley.

He said there are huge delays in obtaining felling licences and the Minister knows that. Some have been waiting for up to two years. We must do better. For commercial reasons, for the supply of commercial timber, for environmental reasons and to meet our climate targets, we need to plant a minimum of 8,000 hectares per annum. We need to increase the variety of trees that are planted, he remarked.

Coillte is a publicly-owned company. The Minister, the Minister of State and the Government are the sole shareholders acting on our behalf. As for the idea that the owners have no say, have their hands off the wheel, or are asleep at the wheel and cannot stop this, it is a ludicrous suggestion. This Government and the deal with Gresham House follows a pattern of moves by conservative Governments that use investment funds to control social housing and health services to run a lottery, Dep Stanley said.

They tried it with water - that was what they were lining up next - and now they are trying it with forestry. This is straight out of the playbook of Margaret Thatcher and the British Tories, and Senator Hackett should be ashamed of herself, as a Green Party Minister of State, to be going along with this right-wing move, he continued.

People in rural Ireland and the midlands value semi-State companies. Alongside this, farmers want to be involved in sustainable and efficient farming programmes that deliver our needs in commercial timber and meet our climate targets. The Ministers must stop this land grab, implement immediately the recommendations of the Mackinnon report and a new forestry strategy, and start clearing the backlog of licences for forestry in the system, he said.

Following the debate Brian Stanley said the Sinn Fein proposal was passed by the Dail and the Government should now respect the democratic mandate of they now have.

Among those critical of the proposed Coillte deal was Deputy Michael Healy-Rae who harshly criticised Minister Hackett when he addressed the Minister for Agriculture.

To be fair, it must be difficult for the Minister to sit alongside the Minister of State, knowing that she is the biggest failure as a Minister with responsibility for forestry since 1946. I told her that before. There has never been a Minister in charge of forestry who has failed so much, done so little and driven forestry into the ground. She should ask the people the length and breadth of the country who own or are involved in forestry -those who sought permits to make roads, thin forests or clear fell - what they got from her. The answer is nothing, Deputy Healy-Rae said.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue defended his Department colleague:

Let us deal with the facts and let us be proportionate. When both of us came into office, I was a month or two after the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, we both came to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. There was a crisis in forestry. It was on the floor, he told the Dail.

There are 60% increases in premiums. The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, has done this. In the outgoing programmes there are premiums for only 15 years if one is a farmer or a non-farmer. We have increased it for farmers from 15 years to 20 years, said Minister McConalogue.
Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor is under investigation in Spain after being accused of assault in Ibiza, court officials have said.

The case had been closed but a judge ordered it to be reopened after receiving more details about the alleged incident.

The court did not give any more detail about the case involving the MMA superstar.

Spanish media said the investigation was related to an altercation with a woman on a yacht after a party in Ibiza.
A young Laois secondary school founded just six years ago, has introduced a Learning Hub for students to advise and teach each other.

Dunamase College/Colaiste Dhun Masc in Portlaoise, where students will sit Leaving Cert exams for the first time this school year, launched a Student Learning Hub last October and it is rapidly growing in success.

The school, run by Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board, is a co-educational school that offers a choice of learning through Irish or English.

Following the ETBIs core values of Excellence in Education and Community. Dunamase College, Colaiste Dhun Masc, launched their hub at the schools Open Night in October and say it has gone from strength to strength.

"The Learning Leaders have been working behind the scenes this last few months, brainstorming ideas to become owners of their own learning. This community is a student led initiative combining learning and leadership, placing student voice at the heart of learning," they say.

The aim of the Learning Hub is that students support their peers in their learning.

"The most recent workshop saw the leaders visit the 3 rd year classes to share their tips on Managing the Mocks. Here the students shared tips on making the exam experience a little easier for our 3 rd Years. They have some exciting plans for the future around attendance and helping the incoming first years transition into first year," a spokesperson said.

Ms McCormack is the co-ordinator of the Learning Hub.

"As students are at the heart of what we do as educators, it is imperative to allow them to participate in what affects them. The Learning Hub is an opportunity for our students to become an active part of the Teaching and Learning at Dunamase College. All the while, they are improving their leadership and teamwork skills which are vital in every workplace today. We are very proud of our Learning Leaders, she said.
A number of theft allegations were detailed to those in attendance at Naas District Court on Thursday, January 12.

The accusations relate to Patrick Joyce, with an address listed as 36 Kilshane Drive, Finglas, Dublin 11, County Dublin.

The 28-year-old defendant, who appeared via video-link as he was in custody, was charged with five counts of theft.

He also told the court that he had not seen his family since he was placed into custody.

It was heard that the accused had stolen a number of items from shops in Lucan, Naas and Portlaoise on various dates between 2021 and 2022.

Items that were allegedly stolen by Mr Joyce included: two electric scooters (worth 400 each) and numerous bottles of alcohol.

Gardai added that these items were allegedly not recovered.

Solicitor Tim Kennelly, who stood in for Mr Joyces solicitor on the court date in question, said that his client is protesting his innocence in this case.

As the alleged offences took place in Portlaoise, Kildare and Dublin, Sgt Jacob said that he would ask the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), on behalf of Judge Zaidan, if the judge could consider jurisdiction on the non-Kildare matters.

However, Mr Kennelly said he disagreed with this approach, and feared that his client 'may become compromised.'

Judge Zaidan replied that he disagreed with Mr Kennellys assertion, and instead adjourned the case to January 26 to allow time for DPP directions.
Kildare native Paul Mescal, who earned his first Oscar nomination for his role in coming-of-age drama Aftersun, said the good news was "bananas".

The actor, who rose to fame starring in the BBC adaptation of Sally Rooneys Normal People and has also appeared in a Rolling Stones music video, said the announcement was truly a special moment for everyone involved in Aftersun.

He added: To be recognised by the Academy is such an insane honour and Im so utterly grateful.

I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends Charlotte and Frankie who I love dearly! This is bananas, thank you!

Another Oscar nominee Colin Farrell says he was beyond honoured after scooping his first Oscar nomination for best actor for The Banshees of Inisherin and sent his heartfelt congratulations to the lads.

The Irish actor received the coveted nod alongside veteran English star Bill Nighy and Normal Peoples Paul Mescal  who both also claimed their first.





Irish talent led the way at the 95th Oscar nominations on Tuesday, with recognition in major categories including best picture, best actor and best supporting actor and actress.

Martin McDonaghs dark Irish comedy The Banshees Of Inisherin was one of the top films to be recognised, with nine nominations, beaten only by Everything Everywhere All At Once with 11.



German film All Quiet On The Western Front also received nine nominations, with Baz Luhrmanns Elvis earning eight, and Steven Spielbergs The Fabelmans on seven.

Farrell and his three main co-stars, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon, were all nominated for their roles in The Banshees Of Inisherin, while McDonagh scooped a nod for best director.

In a statement to the PA news agency, Farrell said: (Im) just so grateful to the Academy for all the love its shared with the Banshees cast and crew.

Also, beyond honoured to be lumped together with my fellow nominees. A heartfelt congratulations to all the lads.

The nomination continues Farrells successful awards season run, having been nominated for both a Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild gong for his performance in The Banshees Of Inisherin.

Presenting the 95th Academy Award #OscarNoms. #Oscars95 https://t.co/zg3r2MXmqX

 The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 24, 2023

Nighys nod comes for his turn in Living, in which he portrays a veteran civil servant who is inspired to make the most of his remaining days, following a life of tedium.

Irish talent was well-represented across other major categories, with Gleeson nominated for best actor in a supporting role for The Banshees Of Inisherin, alongside Keoghan, and Condon recognised in the best supporting actress category.

Gleeson said: What an amazing wake-up call.

Im so proud and grateful to be part of The Banshees Of Inisherin on a personal and professional level. Im absolutely thrilled for the whole brilliant cast and everyone at home.

What a day for the Irish film industry on a world stage. Feels like a huge family outing on the cards. Thank you Academy. Thank you Martin. Thank you all.

Angela Bassett, star of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, joined Condon as a nominee for best supporting actress, becoming the first actor from a Marvel movie to be nominated for their work in one of the franchises films.

The nominations for Actor in a Leading Role go to #Oscars #Oscars95 pic.twitter.com/BVcCq7u4Ut

 The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 24, 2023

English actress Andrea Riseborough joined frontrunners Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh in the best actress category, following a grassroots awards season campaign.

Blanchett and Yeoh, who have both been recognised previously, earned nominations for Tar and Everything Everywhere All At Once respectively.

Riseborough received the nod for her work in To Leslie.

Michelle Williams was also nominated for best actress, following a campaign to recognise her acclaimed performance as Mitzi, the piano-playing mother in Steven Spielbergs The Fabelmans, rather than as a best supporting role.

Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Banshees Of Inisherin and All Quiet On The Western Front all received nominations in the coveted best picture category, along with The Fabelmans.

They were joined in the 10-strong category by blockbuster sequels Avatar: The Way Of Water; Top Gun: Maverick; as well as Elvis, Tar, Triangle Of Sadness and Women Talking.

Noticeable snubs came for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Babylon and The Whale, which did not feature on the list.

Elsewhere, Charlie Mackesys heart-warming story The Boy, the Mole, The Fox And The Horse received an Oscar nomination for best animated short film.

Oscar-winning English designer Jenny Beavan was nominated yet again in the best costume category, for her work on Mrs Harris Goes To Paris.

The star-studded Oscars ceremony, to be hosted by US talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
A well-known techno band will headline The Biggest Disco in Punchestown.

German rave legends Scooter have been announced as the main act of the two-day festivals opening day (Friday. June 23) at Punchestown Racecourse.

The techno icons, known for disco hits including Jumping All Over The World, Nessaja and How Much Is The Fish are returning to Ireland following their sold out show at Dublins 3 Arena last December.

Speaking on the announcement, organizers of the event said: "We are so excited to bring Scooter to Punchestown for The Biggest Discos first ever two-day festival.

"We have plenty more surprises in store for the fans and plans are in place to break one, if not two world records!"

They also said that, due to popular demand, the festival now runs over two days, (Friday 23 and Saturday 24), after the unprecedented success of last summers event.

Over 40,000 disco fans are now set to dance at five stages in the racecourse venue across the two days.

An epic line up of 90s and 00s disco icons is set to perform at the event, including: Will Atkinson, Shugz, Multunes, Mickey Modelle, Darren Rice and Al Gibs on June 23.

Peter Andre, Darude, Blue, Basshunter, DJ Sammy and many more are set to take the stage on the second night on June 24, guaranteeing ticket holders over ten hours of nostalgic fun on both nights.

Fans can expect an immersive experience featuring flash mobs, confetti, fire, CO2 jets, drone show, air show display, and many more surprises as over 75 acts from the 90s and 00s will take to the stage.

Tickets are available at (www.biggestdisco.com) this Friday, January 27 at 9am at biggestdisco.com.

Tickets starting at 45 (early bird).

Over 18s only.
A man has appeared in court charged with murdering an elderly man in a Cork hospital.

Dylan Magee, of Churchfield Green in Cork, appeared before Cork District Court on Tuesday morning charged with killing 89-year-old Matthew Healy.

The pensioner, from the Co Cork town of Berrings, was a patient at Mercy University Hospital and died in the early hours of Sunday.

Gardai were alerted to an incident at the hospital shortly after 5.30am.
An Tanaiste Micheal Martin has travelled to Lebanon today to meet with colleagues of the late Private Sean Rooney.

Pte Rooney was the Irish peacekeeper who was killed last December in Lebanon, which also resulted in the injury of another trooper, Shane Kearney.

The exact circumstances surrounding his death remains under investigation.

The Fianna Fail leader will meet members of the 121st Infantry Battalion United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and will be accompanied on the visit by Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lt Gen Sean Clancy, and Jacqui McCrum, the most senior civil servant in the Department of Defence.

He will meet with his Lebanese counterparts and he will reiterate the Irish Governments position that 'all of the facts and circumstances of the incident in which Private Rooney was killed are fully established and that those responsible are brought to justice.'

Speaking ahead of his visit, the Tanaiste said: "It will be an opportunity for me to convey my sympathies and those of the Government to the colleagues of Private Sean Rooney on their loss and to express our heartfelt appreciation as they continue to fulfil their duties with the professionalism and dedication that one associates with the Defence Forces."

As part of his visit, Mr Martin will also meet with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, as well as the Lebanese Minister for Defence.
"Family inclusion, especially in the cases of children and protecting the children, has to change": that's according to Andrew McGinley.

He made the call on the third anniversary of the deaths of his children, Conor, Darragh and Carla McGinley in Newcastle, County Dublin, who were murdered by their mother, Deirdre Morley.

Deirdre was found not guilty of their murders by reason of insanity, and last month, formally applied to be released under a community release scheme.

Last week, it was reported that Mr McGinley is suing the Health Service Executive, St Patrick's Hospital in Dublin and a consultant psychiatrist over the care of his wife.

Now, he has said that he wants family members to be more involved in their loved one's mental health care, and voiced his disapproval over delays in changing the policies.

Mr McGinley elaborated: "Since the year 2000, nearly 60 children have died at the hands of a parent whilst that parent was being treated for their mental health.

"Sixty children. That is two classrooms full of children. Sometime I think, is there not enough people dying?"

He continued: "If I knew what other people knew back in 2019 then Conor, Darragh and Carla would be alive today; it is as simple as that.

"Family inclusion, especially in the cases of children and protecting the children, has to change."

Mr McGinley further said that he is of the belief that confidentiality should have been breached in the case of his family.

"Currently, within the legislation, it is the opinion of the clinician whether they breach confidentiality or not," he explained: "I believe that that should be tightened up and it should be black and white as to when confidentiality is breached and when it isn't breached."

If you have been affected by this article, you can find resources to help you by calling Samaritans Ireland on 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.ie.

In addition, you can visit pieta.ie or call Pieta on 1800 247 247.
An Irish teacher who was dismissed amid a row over transgender pronouns returned to his former place of work on Wednesday, a day after being arrested for trespassing at the school.

Enoch Burke, who was previously jailed after failing to observe a court injunction banning him from attending Wilsons Hospital School in Co Westmeath while he was suspended from work, was informed last Friday of his dismissal from his position as teacher.

Despite his dismissal, he turned up to the school for two successive days, and staff at the school have refused him entry on both days.

On Tuesday, Gardai arrested Mr Burke at the school and drove him to a Garda station. After he was released, he was seen returning to the schools grounds before leaving in the afternoon.

On Wednesday morning, Mr Burkes father dropped him off at the school. He then approached the door of the school and was prevented from entering the building.

Mr Burke was seen standing in the rain on school grounds and writing in a notebook intermittently while standing outside the building.

He was then driven away from the school grounds by his father just after 1pm.

The evangelical Christian was suspended from work on full pay last year pending the outcome of a disciplinary process, after a number of incidents stemming from a request from the secondary schools principal.

Mr Burke voiced on several occasions his opposition to the principals request to address a transgender child by their name and refer to them by the pronoun, they.

Subsequent events led to his suspension from his job at Wilsons Hospital School.

A formal disciplinary hearing was held last week; a family member of Mr Burke issued a statement on his behalf on Friday, saying he had been dismissed.

Mr Burke has rejected his dismissal, asserting that he has a right to work and that he had been wrongfully arrested for trespass on Tuesday.
With the normal closing date for applications through the CAO for third level places fast approaching on February 1, Ms Ann Marie Lacey, Director of Cavan Institute hasd advised students that they can now apply to Cavan Institute directly through the CAO portal.

While many students at this time are applying for 3 and 4 year degree courses through the CAO, it is now a very simple process to also apply to Cavan Institute through the CAO website, said Ms Lacey.

Applicants simply select Further Education and Training and search for Cavan Institute. This means that students can complete their CAO application and then complete their application for a Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) course through the same CAO portal website. Students will still be able to apply directly to Cavan Institute up to the end of August, however, applicants are advised to apply now as some courses fill up very quickly, stated Ms Lacey.

There will be many Leaving Certificate students still undecided at this time and for these students, a gap year studying on a PLC course can be an excellent choice, according to Ms Lacey.

The Director of Cavan Institute went on to say that many Cavan Institute graduates take up higher education places in what is known as Round 0 CAO offers which come next July.

Last year, students who attended Cavan Institute had great success, having been offered courses in many Level 8 degrees, including PE Teaching, Science, Nursing, Business, Engineering, Art and Sport and Recreation. These offers were made on the basis of their results in Cavan Institute.

CAPTION: Science remains a very popular choice among students applying to Cavan Institute Picture: Eoin Holland - www.eoinholland.com

Also, a number of students took up places in the UK in areas such as Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and PE Teaching. Again, these places were offered to students following their results at Cavan Institute.

The announcement, last summer, of large reductions in all course fees at Cavan Institute has led to an increase in enrolment, according to Ms Lacy.

All courses have been reduced to a maximum of 200 in response to the rising cost of living and an effort by Cavan and Monaghan Training Board (CMETB) to make courses at Cavan Institute more accessible for all.

All course materials, exam fees and uniforms are now purchased by CMETB and each student will only have to pay a maximum of 200, no matter which course they decide to pursue.

According to Ms Lacey, this could mean savings of up to 1,300 on some courses such as Beauty Therapy, Hairdressing and the Accounting Technician course.

Many students are struggling financially at this time and the high cost of Third Level fees and accommodation has contributed to an increase in applications for courses at Cavan Institute, stated Ms Lacey, who went on to say that further reductions apply to applicants who are in receipt of a benefit (e.g. Medical Card/Social Welfare Payment) where the fee will be just 150.

Students can expect to save up to 1,300 on some courses. For example; a learner enrolling on the Level 5 Hairdressing course will now pay 200, where previously, course fees were approximately 1,000. Nursing Studies which previously cost 420 will now cost 200.

CAPTION: Motor Mechanics students at Cavan Institute can go directly into employment or apprenticeships Picture: Eoin Holland - www.eoinholland.com

Wide range of Opportunities at Cavan Institute

PLC courses offered at Cavan Institute are full-time programmes open to young people who have completed their Leaving Certificate and to adults / mature Learners who wish to return to education. The majority of the courses offered at Cavan Institute are either one or two-year programmes and lead to an award on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) at Level 5 or Level 6.

PLC courses develop technical and practical skills for an industry recognised qualification which can lead directly to employment. They also offer an alternative route into higher education and can give Students the opportunity to try out a subject of interest at a college near home before investing in a 3 or 4 year degree programme.

There is a broad range of course areas to choose from  including Pre-University courses such as Teaching, Law and Accounting, QQI accredited courses in Nursing, Pharmacy, Computing, Psychology, Engineering, Hairdressing, Beauty Therapy, Childcare, Healthcare, Science, Sport, Music and Tourism.

New Courses

This year, Cavan Institute extended its range of courses with the commencement of 3D Design and Graphics, Fashion Design and Styling, Pre-University Mechatronic and Electronic Engineering, Pre-University Primary and Post Primary Teaching, Security Operations and Administration (Supervisory) (Year 2) and Speech and Language Therapy Assistant

A number of pre-Apprenticeship courses are also being introduced for September 2023, including Pre-Apprenticeship courses in Carpentry and Joinery, Building Construction, Hairdressing and Commis Chef. Learners from these courses can then progress to existing apprenticeships. CMETB Training Services currently host two apprenticeship courses in Cavan Institute (Commis Chef and Hairdressing) and it is expected that this offering will expand in the future.

CAPTION: Progression opportunities to Physiotherapy are available at Cavan Institute

Benefits of Further Education and Training

PLC courses can provide a foundation for students in specific sectors before they commit to completing an undergraduate degree course.

The Institutes Director said that recent research has shown that students who complete a PLC course have a greater chance of completing a degree if they move into higher education.

As one of the largest Further Education and Training Colleges Ireland, Cavan Institute offers over 70 PLC courses as well as Apprenticeship and Traineeship courses. These courses are all offered under the umbrella of Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board, (CMETB) which provides a wide variety of FET courses throughout the two counties.

Grants / Finance

Many students who are not sure of committing to a four year degree programme use Cavan Institute as a taster before committing to a four year degree programme which can be expensive.

SUSI grants are also available to Cavan Institute students who qualify for this grant. There are also a number of other financial assistance programmes available such as VTOS and BTEA. Further details of financial assistance can be found at www.studentfinance.ie

Applications still being accepted

If you are interested in making an application for courses starting this September2023, you can apply directly to Cavan Institute at www.cavaninstitute.ie or apply through the CAO website at www.cao.ie
A man living in Ireland has won a High Court fight in London after complaining that his ex-partner had wrongly taken their two children to England.

The man complained that the children, who are aged 10 and eight, had been taken without his agreement, and a High Court judge has ordered their return to Ireland.

Mr Justice Mostyn was told that the children had been living in Bradford, West Yorkshire, with their mother.

He heard that they had been born in Ireland and concluded that Irish judges should make decisions about their welfare.

The judge has outlined detail of the case in a written ruling published on Tuesday after considering arguments at a recent private hearing in the Family Division of the High Court.

He said the children could not be identified in media reports of the case.

The childrens mother accepted that they were, legally, wrongfully removed from Ireland to England during the summer of 2022.

But she said their father was aware of her plans to relocate to England and argued that they would be at a grave risk of harm if returned to Ireland.

She told Mr Justice Mostyn that she cannot return to Ireland and said she would remain in England if the children were returned.

The woman said she had relinquished her housing in Ireland and claimed that she would have no means of supporting herself or the children.

Mr Justice Mostyn said the likelihood of an intolerable peril to the children arose principally because the woman said she would not accompany them to Ireland.

The court is always extremely hostile to having a gun held to its head, he said.

All of the supposed grave risk of intolerable peril is a result of the mothers unlawful and wrongful conduct.

It would be a remarkable example of the triumph of injustice over justice, of wrong over right, if a mother could clandestinely relinquish her housing, pluck the children out of school, remove them to England in breach of a court order and then state that she will not accompany if they are returned, thereby enabling her to present them to this court as prospectively abandoned, homeless, unschooled and destitute with the result that a return order is refused on that basis.

Mr Justice Mostyn heard that the childrens parents had separated more than a year ago.

He heard that the man had, nearly three years ago, been granted a protection order in an Irish court after alleging that the woman had assaulted him and thrown him out of the family home.
Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) male on a branch, Provence, May 2022. BENOIT PERSONNAZ/BIOSPHOTO

Arguments and counter-arguments. The battle between environmental groups and the government continues in the "Justice for life on earth" proceedings. A year ago, five groups filed legal action against the French state for "culpable failure" to meet its obligations to protect biodiversity. In particular, they accuse France of being responsible for failures in the process of authorizing pesticides and putting them on the market. The plaintiffs say these pesticides have a major impact on the destruction of species and ecosystems.

On Tuesday, January 24, the five groups (Pollinis, Notre Affaire a Tous, the Association for the Protection of Wild Animals, the National Association for the Protection of Lakes and Rivers and Biodiversite Sous Nos Pieds) were due to make their rebuttal public, filing it with the Paris Administrative Court. In the rebuttal, they respond to the French state's arguments. They were delivered to the court on December 19, 2022, the same day that a global agreement to halt the decline in biodiversity was signed in Canada, at the close of COP15.

The shortcomings of the European risk assessment system for plant protection products were identified a long time ago, but they persist due to lack of reform by certain states and industries. Among these shortcomings are the underestimation and failure to take into account cocktail effects (the consequences of exposure to several substances at the same time), sublethal effects, and the fact that the species used for the tests are not representative of all the species classes concerned.

States can do more

In its December 2022 response, a document of less than 20 pages that Le Monde was able to consult, the government does not contest these shortcomings, but it refutes that it is at fault. Its main argument is that it has "no room for maneuver," as the marketing authorization procedure is "fully harmonized and completely regulated" by European Union (EU) law. France, like the other member states, is therefore said to have no "capacity to act" to modify the procedure at the national level.

However, the advocacy groups believe that the state cannot hide behind this argument. "European regulation gives a framework, but does not prevent the states from doing more," said Julia Thibord, head of strategic litigation at Pollinis. "On the contrary, the EU requires them to add to their regulations if necessary, in order to ensure that general principles (such as the precautionary principle or effective protection of the environment) are properly respected, and in order to take into account the latest scientific and technical knowledge."

You have 54.23% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
This undated handout file photo obtained on July 29, 2022, courtesy of the family, shows Sebastien Raoult, a French national posing for a 'selfie' at an undisclosed location in Morroco. - / AFP

Morocco on Wednesday, January, 25, extradited to the United States a French national wanted for a string of alleged cybercrimes, a Moroccan police source told Agence France Presse.

Sebastien Raoult was put on a flight from Casablanca to New York, the source said speaking on condition of anonymity. "The operation was carried out by FBI agents," the source added.

Raoult is suspected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the US of "conspiracy to commit electronic fraud and abuse" and "serious identity theft." He is also suspected of belonging to the ShinyHunters hacking group which has allegedly targeted US companies including Microsoft.

The 21-year-old Frenchman could face 116 years in prison in the US over the charges, according to his lawyer Philippe Ohayon.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Morocco agrees to extradite French hacker to the US as family demands investigation in France

Raoult, a former IT student from Epinal in eastern France, was arrested in Morocco in May last year on the basis of an Interpol red notice.

Red notices ask member countries to provisionally detain people pending possible extradition or other legal action.

Ohayon had raised Raoult's case with the United Nations' Committee Against Torture but the body declined to intervene.

French foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said Raoult's extradition was "a matter of sovereign relations between Morocco and the United States."

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Who are the ShinyHunters, the hacker group a Frenchman wanted by the FBI is suspected of belonging to?

Le Monde with AFP
Anti-Brexit activists demonstrate in London on October 28, 2019. TOLGA AKMEN / AFP

2022 was the year in which Brexit failed politically in the United Kingdom. Sixty percent of Britons now believe that leaving the European Union (EU) was a mistake, compared to 40% who still support it. The turning point began in the summer of 2021 (Britons at the time were still divided with 50% in each camp), but since then opinion has gradually started to change.

They can now see the negative impact of their decision. It is hard to really figure out whether the current situation was caused by Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, the energy crisis or political chaos. But the facts remain that the UK economy is in far worse shape than elsewhere. Between the second quarter of 2016, when the referendum was held, and the second quarter of 2022, UK GDP was 5.5% lower than that of a group of about 40 comparable countries that had a similar GDP in previous years, according to calculations by the Centre for European Reform think tank. The volume of British foreign trade was also 7% lower and investment 11% lower than the group's.

But there is no question of backtracking. Brexit has happened and no one is seriously talking about returning to the EU. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour opposition leader Keir Starmer both gave speeches to mark the new year of 2023 making reference to this. Rishi Sunak, who voted for Brexit and whose party is now the very embodiment of that policy, cannot be seen to contradict himself. He therefore chose to make virtually no mention of the subject.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Brexit: Six years of a crumbling British economy

Keir Starmer, on the other hand, faces a political conundrum. He needs to win back the pro-Brexit voters from working-class constituencies in the North of England, who turned their back on the Labour Party in 2019. Mr. Starmer, who is a staunch pro-European, needs to appeal to them. In his speech, he chose to turn the argument on its head, stressing that he understands the people who voted for Brexit in 2016 because they "wanted public services they could rely on, high streets they could be proud of, opportunities for the next generation." In short, they had every reason to be angry. His response was to promise better British public services if he came to power, not to talk about relations with the European Union.

Simplify procedures

Nor is the business community  employers and unions  asking for a return to the past. Two years after officially leaving the European single market on 1st January 2021, the damage is done. Large companies trading with the EU have got used to filling out the required paperwork, the veterinary certificates needed to export seafood are no longer shrouded in mystery, and banks have opened offices in Dublin, Paris and Frankfurt. Everyone has now adapted, healing their wounds and absorbing the additional costs.

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TWO peace activists who were acquitted of criminal damage charges after they damaged an American naval plane at Shannon Airport have been spared jail for trespassing on a taxiway at the airport.

Retired Irish soldier Edward Horgan (78) and civil servant Dan Dowling (39) were found guilty of trespass at the airport and have been ordered to pay 5,000 each to a womens refuge in County Clare.

Edward Horgan of Newtown, Castletroy, Limerick and Dan Dowling of Grace Dieu, County Waterford had denied causing criminal damage to a plane at Shannon on April 25, 2017.

During a ten-day trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, the defendants told a jury that the acts had been carried out from an honestly-held belief that they were necessary to protect others.

The men, who represented themselves, also pleaded not guilty to entering the curtilage of Shannon Airport as trespassers, with the intention to damage property situated therein.

After just under four hours of deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts on the charges of trespass, which are summary counts.

Imposing sentence this Wednesday, Judge Martina Baxter praised both accused for their upstanding character, composure and dignity at all stages during the trial.

You are upstanding people, family people; you have behaved with courtesy and dignity throughout, said Judge Baxter, wishing both men and their families well.

She said there was no issue with the men continuing their monthly peaceful protests, but she warned them that they must be peaceful.

Your families are better off with you with them, said Judge Baxter, explaining why she was not imposing a custodial sentence, and added that we were lucky to be living in a democracy.

However, she upbraided Horgan and Dowling for running across the airport in the dark of night, saying they had potentially exposed staff at the airport to danger.

What if a plane had to do an emergency landing? It was a workplace, and you had the potential to cause serious damage in terms of your presence alone, added Judge Baxter.

She noted that neither of the men have any previous convictions and that they have good work histories and have done volunteer work.

This, she said, had informed her decision to order them to give a token to local charities.

The judge asked the investigating garda to recommend a local charity in County Clare, then ordered both accused to pay 5,000 each to the Clare Haven Refuge for women within the next 12 months.

She emphasised that this was not a fine, but a financial gesture, and further ordered the men to be of good behaviour and keep the peace for 12 months.

Judge Baxter asked the two men whether they accepted the jury verdict and they replied that they did.

It was the State's case that Dowling and Horgan gained access to a taxiway at Shannon Airport, with the intention of causing damage to aeroplanes parked there, which were the property of the American Navy.

It was alleged that both were involved in writing Danger, danger, don't fly on the planes using markers, after ignoring a request made by Irish Defence Force personnel to stop.

In his closing address to the jury, Dowling said the act of criminal damage was justified to draw attention to a threat to others, which could then be ameliorated or alleviated.

Horgan told the jury that the damage caused had no monetary value and the acts had been carried out from an honestly-held belief that they were necessary to protect others.

Horgan described himself as a peace activist who was trying to do what was right.

Talking to reporters after the judgement, Mr Horgan said: We wont be celebrating today. We will be commemorating all the children killed in the Middle East  up to one million children  and unfortunately still being killed as we speak.

The court ordered that Dowlings triclour be returned to him, along with their list of the names of 1,000 children killed in the Middle East.

During her judgement, Judge Baxter asked Mr Horgan whether he would like to spend more time with his grandchildren, to which he replied that he would.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Horgan said he had eight grandchildren aged between 10 and 20, and that theyre all beautiful  but Im slightly biased.
LIMERICK senior camogie manager John Lillis has confirmed a 36-player panel for the coming season. In total 17 clubs are represented.

Lillis is in his second year in the senior job with Limerick. His charges ply their trade in Division 1B of the Very Camogie League.

Limerick had been relegated from Division 1 in 2022 after losing to Offaly in the playoff, but following a restructuring of the competition, they remain at the top table.

Under Lillis, Limerick also reached the All-Ireland quarter final but fell to a heavy defeat to Waterford. Limerick begin their league campaign with an away trip to Wexford on February 18.

Limerick Camogie Squad for 2023

Caoimhe Costello (Adare), Sophie O'Callaghan (Adare), Aine Reynolds (Ahane), Ele Madigan (Ahane), Nadine White (Ballyagran), Enya Doolan (Ballybrown), Claire O'Riordan (Blackrock-Effin), Lorraine McCarthy (Bruff), Marian Quaid (Bruff), Mairead Ryan (Bruff), Mary O'Callaghan (Bruff), Claire Keating (Crecora), Laura Fennelly (Crecora), Muireann Creamer (Crecora), Ciara Mulqueen (Crecora), Megan Ryan (Crecora), Theresa Dare (Charleville), Noirin Lenihan (Croagh-Kilfinny), Orlaith Kelliher (Croagh-Kilfinny), Emma Kennedy (Doon), Cliodhna Ryan (Doon), Denise Mullins (Galbally), Shauna Foley (Kilmallock), Amy Burke (Monaleen), Aoife Nelligan (Monaleen), Caoimhe Lyons (Monaleen), Emily O'Halloran (Monaleen), Ailbhe Larkin (Mungret St Pauls), Olivia Kerins (Mungret St Pauls), Rebecca Delee (Newcastle West), Laura O'Neill (Na Piarsaigh), Liz Anna Boylan (Na Piarsaigh), Enya Harrington (Na Piarsaigh), Aine O'Tiarnaigh (Na Piarsaigh), Stephanie Woulfe (Templeglantine), Sarah O'Brien (Templeglantine).
RESIDENTS living close to a site planned for apartments have expressed concerns over its size and scale.

As part of a joint venture, Tinwhat Holdings, part of the Whitebox Group has teamed up with housing provider Cluid to plan for 46 apartments on the banks of the River Shannon.

Some of these houses are earmarked for elderly people, with others destined to be both social and affordable units.

If passed, the project would see two multi-storey housing blocks, along New Road in Thomondgate.

However, locals are unhappy with what is proposed, and are gearing up to appeal against it to Limerick City and County Council, whose planners are currently deliberating on the scheme.

Pat Murphy, who lives directly opposite the site, known as Priors Land, said residents are depressed, shocked and sick about the plans due to the size and scale of it.

Its not in keeping with the area, he added.

A spokesperson for Whitebox said the proposed development continues the existing building line and urban edge along New Road and is proposed in two blocks that rise from two storeys to four storeys in height with the top floor recessed.

The stepping effect of the design is to reflect and respect the scale of development in the area and to add to the eclectic traditional streetscape of New Road.

Linda Ledger of the Kileely Residents Association said there are fears around flooding.

All of Donnellans Field [beside the site] is flooding. There is no mention of putting flood defences on our side. Would you even get house insurance there? Well see it flooding every year, she said.

This point is disputed by a Whitebox spokesperson, who said the buildings lie outside the flood zone, and a full flood risk assessment has been carried out as part of the planning application.

And another resident, Sean McIlfatrick raised concerns around Japanese knotweed, which he says is pervasive across the site.

He claimed that it could be three years before any development can happen there due to the measures needed to eradicate the invasive species.

For its part, Whitebox said its done a full report on the knotweed, and has a proposal to get rid of it.
A SERIES of free seminars covering a wide range of topics, including history, literature and foreign languages are available to the people of Limerick to attend from January 26.

Mary Immaculate College (MIC) is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their Bachelor of Arts programme and is marking the occasion by hosting seminars from January to March 2023.

Topics that will be discussed over the next two months include psychology, Irish, poetry, history, literary works, German and French - otherwise known as European studies.

This talk will take place on Thursday, January 26 at 6pm in T118: TARA building, first floor, room 18.

Register your place by clicking here.
ON THE banks of the Shannon, something unexpected is happening where once stood the Cleeves Condensed Milk Factory.

Old Traction Avant cars, soldiers in green, prisoners in coarse grey stripped material, and a pack of well-trained Black German Shepherds.

This is the set of Gods Spy, a major feature film set during World War II, narrating the true story of a German theologian and pastor who stood up to the Nazis.

Even though it is set in Berlin and has scenes in London, locations throughout Limerick have been transformed into 1940s Germany.

Leaning on a directors chair, Producer, Mark OSullivan takes a drag on his cigarette before talking about the Irish-Belgian co-production.

To access the European qualification, you have to shoot in two countries in Europe. We chose Limerick because of the landscape in and around the city, he explains.

Theres a bus journey that happens through the movie where Jonas Dassler is taken from prison to, unfortunately, his execution. The landscape up in The Burren really helped us through that.

Speaking of the scenes that are being shot on the day, OSullivan explains the old Cleeves factory is doubling as 1943 Berlin Airport.

Its kind of weird. Youve probably seen that massive green screen. So, effectively, what we do is shoot all of the people in front of that, and then in post-production, digitally put in the airport, he says.

Were now shooting a scene at a concentration camp where a lot of prisoners are being loaded onto trucks, he points out as dogs are barking in the background.

You can hear the Limerick accent in those dogs, theyre great actors, someone whispers!

As army boots step on concrete, Shhhhh! Nice and quiet, everyone, is shouted from the top of someones lungs. And for a moment, Cleeves goes silent.

I was on the set of Irish-Belgian co-production, Gods Spy, where the streets of Limerick have been standing in for 1940s London. Keep your eyes peeled @Limerick_Leader pic.twitter.com/sTdR0OkxGY  Manon Gilbart (@ManonGilbart) January 19, 2023

Once the night falls, the Gods Spy crew makes its way to The Georgian Quarter, as the second location of the day is on Pery Square.

Most often, big film productions are in Dublin.

While being mindful of the icy side walks, Regional Film Manager at Film in Limerick, Paul Ryan, comments on what the Mid-west region has to offer.

I think that we're a really film friendly region. I mean, Dublin and Wicklow have been massively successful, but theres no novelty about making something there, he states.

According to Paul, the Mid-west has something fresh to offer.

When productions come here, they often say that weve never seen this before on camera. You tend to see the same things sort of again and again, the industry is very centralised, he says.

Paul goes on to add: We have the incredible and dramatic coastline of Clare, the Georgian Limerick, and a more industrial side in Limerick. I didnt realise this when I was younger, but we have a lot of castles in the Mid-West  more than anywhere else in Ireland.

As we approach the Newtown Pery area of the city, Paul says: What we offer is a new possibility, where people can come, and the city is set up and ready, to sort of make things happen for people.

With Film in Limerick, Paul and his crew go the extra mile when productions come in.

We embrace them, and do everything we can to give them the best experience possible, he says. From finding locations to casting to getting permissions for closing roads, the company certainly keeps busy.

On a misty Pery Square, a car is repeatedly being driven up and down the street while lovers stroll down what is doubling as London of the 1940s.

As he laughs at how gigantic the Limerick Leader / Limerick Live microphone is, an ecstatic Writer and Director, Todd Komarnicki, says of Gods Spy: Its a story of true courage, of speaking the truth to power  even if it costs you everything, including your life.

For Kormanicki, Gods Spy tells a modern story, even though its set 80 years ago.

It feels more pressing and important right now than it has since it occurred. Its an important reminder that its not too late to be brave. We live in a time where political courage and spiritual courage has gone by the wayside, and I want to inspire people to remember that there's a beautiful courage that lives inside each of us, he says.

The Director shares that the Treaty City has been very welcoming to him and his crew, and that he would "come back in a heartbeat."

After the final clap and a heart-warming round of applause, Kormanicki embraces some of his crew.

And, that's a wrap, everyone.
Three powerful debut books have been selected for this years Kate OBrien Award, which will be presented at the Limerick Literary Festival.

This years selection includes How To Gut A Fish by Shelia Armstrong, The Quiet Whispers Never Stop by Olivia Fitzsimons, and Ruth & Pen by Emilia Pine.

Sponsored by Denise and Bill Whelan, the Kate OBrien Award is given to the best debut novel or short story collection written by an Irish female writer.

Presented on the Sunday of the festival, the award will see the shortlisted writers talk about and read from their books. This year, the judges are committee member Marie Hackett, writer and critic Niall MacMonagle, poet committee member Vivienne McKechnie, writer and Children's book buyer for O'Mahony's Bookshop Grainne O'Brien, as well as novelist and UL lecturer Donal Ryan.

Established in 1984, The Limerick Literary Festival celebrates the life and works of Limerick-born writer, Kate OBrien. A mix of both discourse and discussion, the festival attracts prominent participants nationally and internationally.

The 2023 edition will include an interview with Bill Whelan, who will discuss his memoir, The Road to Riverdance. Other guests will include Doireann Ni Ghriofa, Donal Ryan, Maylis Besserie, Sean Hewitt, Claire-Louise Bennett and Casy King.

From February 24 to 26, Limerick Literary Festival will take place at No.2 Pery Square and the Belltable.
The response of the Irish Government to a UN committee on what it plans to do to improve mental health services for children has been branded as disappointing.

Groups representing children and mental health advocates gathered at the Office of the Childrens Ombudsman on Wednesday to watch a live-screening of Minister for Children Roderic OGorman address a UN committee in Geneva.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child asked questions of Mr OGorman and officials over two days about issues that affect Irish children, including the findings of an interim report into the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

The Mental Health Commissions report found a disjointed service, with acceptance rates of referrals to acute mental health services varying between 38% and 81%.

It also found that some teams were not monitoring children taking antipsychotic medication, that most services had no IT system to manage appointments, and there was no ringfenced funding for child mental health services.

Addressing a question from a member of the UN committee about whether admissions of children to adult mental health units would be reduced to zero, an Irish official said this is only ever done as a last resort.

The vast majority of child admissions to adult units are for children in the 16 to 17-year age bracket, the Department of Health official said.

Importantly, admission to an adult unit may be more appropriate for the individual and to avoid any impact on younger children in CAMHS inpatient units.

As such, and with respect to take in due consideration of the clinical needs of the child and the services they require, it may not be the case that Ireland will reach a point where there are absolutely no children using adult facilities.

Ber Grogan, of the Mental Health Reform umbrella group, told the PA news agency: The biggest takeaway from today is that were disappointed with the lack of ambition around the Governments plans, particularly when were talking about still admitting children to adult mental health units.

She said that when children under 18 are admitted to adult mental health units, theres automatically 0% compliance with Mental Health Commissions regulations and rules around inpatient mental health.

Why are we saying that its OK to do something thats a contravention of childrens human rights?

With the reform of the Mental Health Bill thats happening, we have an opportunity to prohibit that practice. And to make sure under-18s or even the cohort up to 21 or 23, are actually receiving the care and the support that they need from the trained professionals who are trained to deal with under-age teens as well or with young people.

So thats a big disappointment today.

Nuala Ward, director of investigations for the Ombudsman for Childrens Office, told PA she was also disappointed with the states response to mental health issues.

The minister, I think, spoke very well. And in fairness to the state, they obviously take the UN engagement very seriously because they sent quite a large delegation of officials over  across education, across health, and of course, led by the minister.

The only area we were slightly disappointed is that we would have expected a more robust response to the mental health issue in light of the report this week, we would have expected that  thats where we would have felt that the state did fall down in light of everything has happened.

But of course, today is only one day, we will be following up proactively  that cant go away.

On Thursday evening, a number of children and mental health advocates are to gather at Leinster House and sit in the public gallery to hear Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly address questions in the Dail about the report on CAMHS.

Mental Health Reform, representing 81 members, is co-ordinating the group that will meet at the Dail before the ministers statement at 5.15pm.

Among the groups sending representatives are the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC), the Childrens Rights Alliance, mental health charities Shine and A Lust for Life, ADHD Ireland and LGBT youth group BeLonG To.

That's a wrap at the UN for our hearing under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Huge thank you to the Committee and Ireland's civil society groups for all their constructive engagement.#UNCRC pic.twitter.com/qX3MLurmo9  Roderic OGorman TD (@rodericogorman) January 25, 2023

ISPCC chief executive John Church, who is among those attending the Dail on Thursday, said: The UN Committee on the Rights of the Childs state examination of Ireland highlighted many challenges for children in Ireland presently, including that of mental health.

The states response to the committees questions on mental health and the report of the Mental Health Commission fell somewhat short of acknowledging the very real crisis in which our child and adolescent mental health service is in. And indeed, the very real harm that has been caused to children availing of that service, with some being lost in the system.

It is welcome that Minister OGorman stated that he recognises that Ireland needs to do more to fully realise the rights of children in many areas.

Mr Church also asked Mr OGorman to champion a recommendation that a Youth Mental Health Pathfinder Project should be launched in schools.

There can be no further delay if we are to truly recognise the health rights of children and young people and to employ best efforts to have a world-class mental health service, he said.
Homegrown automaker Bajaj Auto Limited on Wednesday reported a bigger-than-expected third-quarter profit, as strong domestic demand and an increase in prices of its motorcycles and scooters made up for weak exports.

The company reported standalone net profit of 1,491.42 crore for the quarter ended 31 December, 2022 (Q3FY23), up 22.8% from a year ago. It was 1,214 crore in the year-ago period.

The two-and three-wheeler maker's revenue from operations came in at 9,315.14 crore, up 3% on-year with robust double-digit revenue growth in the domestic business offsetting the drop in exports arising from the challenging market context. Overall spares revenue came in at an all-time high, the company said.

Demand from high-income consumers for everything, from home care goods to motorcycles, has held up in recent quarters despite price hikes by Corporate India to protect its bottomline from higher costs.

The automobile company has reported highest-ever EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) at 1,777 crore, surpassing the record set in the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, EBITDA margins rose 19.1% to as against 15.6% in the same quarter last year. This was led by judicious pricing, better dollar realisation and richer product mix.

Bajaj Auto's total expenses dropped 1% in the third quarter.

Analysts, on average, had expected a profit of 1,364 crore, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

The domestic business saw sustained double digit revenue growth across both two wheelers and three wheelers. The two wheelers performance was buoyed particularly by solid 125 cc+ festive season sales while three wheelers volumes surged, leading to its record high market share, the company said.

On its overseas business, the quarter marked the launch of motorcycles in Brazil with the well-recognized Dominar brand, the homegrown automaker said.

The company through its wholly owned subsidiary, is establishing its capabilities and go-to-market network to leverage the attractive market opportunity, it said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Bajaj Auto scrip was up 1.45% to settle at 3,740.00 apiece on NSE. The stock climbed 11% last year, compared with the Nifty auto index's 15% gain.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Meghna Sen Business journalist tracking markets, companies, economy and crypto for Livemint. She has 6 years of experience with online and print publications. Email: meghnasen08@gmail.com Read more from this author
Tata Group owned Air India has offered around 98 crore shares of the company to its permanent employees as part of a stock option scheme.

The shares are also being offered to the permanent staff of Air India Express as part of the Employees' Share Benefit (ESB) Scheme 2022, according to a document released by Air India.

The Tata group took over the control of Air India and Air India Express from the government on January 27, 2022.

It will benefit around 8,000 employees, said an airline official reported PTI.

"In accordance with the share purchase agreement signed as part of the disinvestment process, Air India has initiated the Employee Share Benefit Scheme for eligible employees who were in service with the airline on the date of privatisation. We will be working with the relevant employees to help them understand the long term benefits and avail of the same," an Air India spokesperson said in a statement.

Those who were permanent employees at the two carriers -- Air India and Air India Express -- at the time of the takeover will be eligible to participate in the scheme where the share is offered at a price of 27 paise apiece, as per the document sent to the staff.

A source said the price is at a discount compared to the book value of 87-90 paise per share at the time of acquisition.

An employee trust has been set up to administer the ESB scheme.

"The company has authorised the trust to offer ESB benefits on no more than three per cent of the shares of the company purchased by Talace i.e., 97,99,56,600 to the eligible employees from time to time, in one or more tranches, acquired by the trust from Talace for nil monetary consideration.

"The trust shall hold the ESB shares to provide the ESB benefit to the eligible employees upon the payment of the aggregate exercise price together with all applicable taxes and amounts...," the document said.

Talace, a subsidiary of Tata Sons, acquired Air India, Air India Express and the government's 50 per cent stake in Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt Ltd.

".. any eligible employee retiring on or after January 27, 2022, will be deemed to be an eligible employee and will be entitled to the benefits in accordance with and subject to the terms of this scheme," as per the document.

A source at Air India Express said the airline has around 1,600 employees, majority of whom are contractual staff. It has about 300 pilots who are on permanent rolls, the source added.
Amazon.com Inc. workers in Britain went on strike for the first time Wednesday, dragging the e-commerce giant into the wave of labor unrest that has been sweeping the U.K. and other European economies.
Spirits maker Campari is set to launch nine new products across different categories in India, where it sees rising consumption and greater premiumization.

The maker of Aperol, Campari, Skyy Vodka and Wild Turkey in India said it will bring its Bisquit & Dubouche cognac, Appleton Aged rum, The Glen Grant 21 Arboralis whisky, agave spirit Montelobos Mezcal, Espolon Tequila, a liqueur Frangelico, and bitter aperitif Cynar.

Thomas Mayr, Camparis marketing director for Asia said in an interview that the companys primary market remains in the brown spirits portfolio, where it sold 35% more cases in FY22 than the previous year. Other spirits have grown 100% in FY22, but on a lower base. The company is focusing more on the Asia Pacific to fuel growth.

India is a key market within the Asia Pacific and is also recognized globally as a very important market. We are very bullish about India which is fast growing and fast premiumizing," he said.

Premiumization has also been an important, sustained trend in the Indian market. Which is why we are introducing higher aged variants of our existing products as well. We are aiming at 75% growth in FY23 in terms of volume and 100% value growth," said Mayr. Campari has about 50 brands in its portfolio across categories worldwide. At a global level, it reported sales of 2,005.7 million for the nine-month period ended 30 September.

Of this, the majority came from the Americas, which grew over 45%. Its Asia Pacific market accounted for 135.9 million, with a 6.8% growth over the same period the year prior.

We are doubling down on investments in terms of the number of people we have here, the geographies we cover and are adding nine brands to our portfolio from our existing nine brands," added Mayr.

India is primarily a brown spirits market. As part of its expansion of the portfolio, Campari is adding rum, cognac and others. Although small, cognac is a fast growing" liquor in India and a small business in a big market, is still very important, he added. Some of these brands will begin selling in Goa and then enter other states.

Before the pandemic, its brown spirits (rum, cognac and whisky) versus other spirits portfolio was an 80:20 split, but it has now become an even split of 50:50 in FY22 owing to the amplification of its imported spirits portfolio and also gained from the at-home mixology trend set out during the pandemic.

The company sells about 9,000 cases including of its Old Smuggler whisky and sells about 100,000 cases in the entire brown spirits category. We had said we would double our business here in 2023, we are on target to achieve that," he added.

From the premium spirits perspective, India has a booming gin market and tequila is also picking up in consumption, the company observed. Indias alcoholic beverages market was $52.5 billion in 2020 and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% between 2020 and 2023, according to the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).
Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., stated on Wednesday that it considers the complaint from the US Department of Justice accusing it of abusing its dominance in digital advertising to be "without merit." The company also added it will "defend itself vigorously".

The government advocated for forcing Google to sell its ad manager suite on Tuesday, focusing on a division that contributed significantly to the search engine and cloud company's overall sales and brought in about 12% of Google's revenue in 2021.

The government is "doubling down on a flawed argument that would slow innovation, raise advertising fees and make it harder for thousands of small businesses and publishers to grow," according to Google, which depends on its advertising business for about 80% of its revenue.

The federal government has stated that the goals of its Big Tech investigations and lawsuits are to level the playing field for smaller competitors who are up against a group of formidable businesses that includes Apple Inc., Amazon. com, and Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook.

Wells Fargo analyst Brian Fitzgerald said, "In contrast with prior cases/investigations against Google's ad tech biz, we view the DOJ complaint as fairly substantive and preempting some potential Google lines of defence."

On Tuesday, the Justice Department and eight states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, claiming that its purported monopoly over the entire online advertising ecosystem was a burden on advertisers, consumers, and even the U.S. government.

In its complaint, the government claimed that Google was seeking to "neutralise or eliminate" rivals in the online advertising market through acquisitions and that it was doing this by making it difficult for advertisers to use rival products.

It's a part of a new, if slow and halting, American effort to restrain large tech firms that have grown largely unchecked over the past 15 years.

(With inputs from agencies)
Hotels-to-packaged goods conglomerate ITC Ltd on Wednesday said it will focus on ensuring that millets, such as jowar, bajra and ragi, become more mainstream across its agriculture, packaged food and hotels businesses.

Under the companys Mission Millets programme, it will be educating consumers about the benefits of millets through brand campaigns and promotion of its Sunfeast cookies and Aashirvaad atta brands, as well as building an integrated value chain with the help of farmer producer organizations. ITC hotels, too, will promote millet-based meals and dishes as part of the programme.

Agriculture, food and hospitality: all three are coming together and going to focus on ITC Mission Millets. We wish to educate consumers about the benefits that this grain has. Second, we want to empower farmers and bring in best agronomic practices. We will ultimately centre it around farmer organizations and are looking at 20 FPOs, which will be powered by ITC-MAARS that will bring hyper-local personalized advisory and the state-of-art information to farmers. The third step, of course, is to encourage consumers to mainstream ese products," Sanjiv Puri, chairman, ITC, said during a virtual media address.

United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millet.

ITC has already introduced several millet-based products under the Aashirvaad Nature Superfoods brand, including ragi flour, gluten-free atta and multi-millet mix.

More products, such as millet-based noodles and pasta is being offered under YiPPee!, and ragi vermicelli, multi-millet dosa and rava idli mix under the Aashirvaad brand. Millet-based cookies under Sunfeast, and millet-based snacks under Bingo! are set to be launched.

India is a major producer of millets, with most states growing one or more varieties. According to the fourth advance estimates for the year 2021-22, about 16 million tonnes of millets were produced in India, or 5% of global output. Jowar and proso millets are the most cultivated, followed by sorghum, pearl millets, ragi and foxtail.

The ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare has taken several initiatives to promote Indian and international millets. In most of our food categories, we will find variants with inclusion of millets. You will also find, where feasible, products made of 100% millets and we will also find things like multi-millet mix," Puri said.

In 2023, ITC through its agri-business division will cover 7,000 acres of area under millet cultivation.

ITCs agri business is currently sourcing required millets (Sorghum, Pearl Millet, Ragi etc.) from three key states i.e. Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. As a part of developing millet value chains, the Agri Business Division has implemented two PPP projects, one each in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in partnership with Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Hyderabad and Government of Andhra Pradesh, respectively. In these projects, improved varieties and crop cultivation practices are disseminated through crop demonstrations, trainings were organized for capacity building of farmers on millet cultivation, post-harvest management, marketing; and market linkages were provided to catchment farmers," the company said.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, a hotel franchising company has announced the signing of The Earth Amritsar under its Trademark Collection by Wyndham brand, for the first time in India.

This hotel is expected to open in early 2024 and will be a 57-room heritage hotel operated in collaboration with Earth Suites & Resorts Private Limited, a hotel operator with properties currently in Amritsar, Goa and Raipur. It will compete with brands like Radisson Retreats in the country.

This property will be a five-acre hotel with rooms in two buildings. Its accommodation will be spread across the hotels 130-year-old heritage building, once home to the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, built to commemorate the 55th year of Queen Victorias reign. More rooms will be available later in a new build addition, which is currently under construction. The hotel will provide the perfect getaway for those looking to stay and explore this culturally rich destination.

India continues to be an important market for Wyndham as the company currently has more than 50 hotels across the country and approximately 30 additional hotels in the pipeline, highlighting continued demand and growth in this region. it said in a statement. At a global level, the hospitality major has about 9,100 hotels across about 95 countries.

Trademark Collection is a brand which is distinctive and defined by a spirit of independence and individuality. We see strong potential for the brand in India as it caters to midscale and upscale hoteliers seeking independence while leveraging competitive advantages," said Nikhil Sharma, its regional director, Eurasia, EMEA.

Vivek Shah, director, Earth Suites & Resorts Private Limited said: With the support of Wyndhams size, scale, and distribution we will deliver an elevated guest experience in a beautiful heritage setting unlike any other. We are looking forward to being the first to bring one of the companys most popular brands to this spiritual city.
Digital platforms and services will become major revenue contributors in the long run but will be an equal revenue generator to core connectivity in the medium term, said Amur Lakshminarayanan, managing director and chief executive of Tata Communications, in an interview. The Tata group company, which is the largest investor in sub-sea cables, and one of the top five firms in this business globally, will continue to invest in expanding its sales team and hiring talent as it sharpens focus on the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, connected solutions for next-gen technologies. He said the company was also looking at new avenues, such as captive 5G networks for enterprises. Edited excerpts:

What will be the key drivers of growth in the coming quarters?

Financial fitness, deeper engagement with customers, product shift to a platform play instead of being a connectivity provider, and making sustainability, automation and AI the core of everything we do, are key elements of our strategy, and were on course for it.

Last two years, collaboration, which is part of the digital portfolio, went through turmoil during covid-19, as people were working from home. Post-covid, even today, a lot of fundamental shifts are happening. So, over the last year, we have ramped up investments for talent and salesforce. Our investments into products and platforms, including the Digo platform, pivoting to connectivity management, which can provide any-time, all-time connectivity along with intelligence. In future, it will provide connectivity to satellites as well. In next-gen connectivity, we have invested in IZO (cloud storage). All the investments are now beginning to show results.

Is Tata Comm completely bucking the retrenchment trend were seeing in the tech industry?

We like to call ourselves a comm-tech company, which has a digital fabric that provides more intelligence on top of connectivity and more security on top of it. We are shifting away from purely a connectivity player and telco, on which everything can be consumed by APIs, and it is secure. In the products and platforms, we are hiring talent, and we plan to add more graduates. Were also investing in training our own people on digital. Last year, we trained several thousand people in AI and are running an AI academy.

How do you intend to gain traction from data play in the subsea cable business? Do you see challenges in that segment?

Today, our digital platforms and services segment contributes about 30% to revenues and core (connectivity) is 70%. We are the leading player in that space. We are a tier 1 company and among the global top five. In India, yes, people are also doing it. But we have the ability to offer more diverse routes, and our investment in cable systems far exceeds our nearest competitors. That is the foundation on top of which were building other platforms, including API security.

Any timeline you may be looking at for both revenue streams to contribute equally, or is digital becoming a larger contributor?

I think, in the mid-term, we want to see it come close to 50%, maybe in the next 2-3 years. As we invest more and more in the digital platforms space, it will start contributing more.

Will you offer a private captive 5G network for enterprises?

Yes, were invested in our ability to deliver industrial connectivity as a service, which today can be 5G and tomorrow it can be 6G. We have invested in a 5G private network. We have a lab in Pune that many customers use, and we are also talking to several Indian and international customers. The Indian government has to say when private networks are going to open up. We are anxiously and eagerly waiting for it.
NEW DELHI : Happiest Minds Technologies Ltd on Wednesday announced the acquisition of Madurai-based IT services firm Sri Mookambika Infosolutions (SMI). The deal comprised upfront and deferred equity payments totalling 111 crore.

As part of the transaction, Happiest Minds will absorb more than 400 employees of SMI, based in offshore locations. The Bengaluru-based IT services firm has 4,611 employees as of December-end.

Happiest Minds said, in a regulatory filing, that SMI is a profitable company with an annual revenue run rate of $9 million as of FY22. SMI brings deep domain capabilities, which add to our healthcare vertical strength  and align well with our Product Engineering Services business unit," said Joseph Anantharaju, executive vice-chairman and chief executive of Product Engineering Services at Happiest Minds. Venkatraman Narayanan, managing director and chief financial officer at Happiest Minds, said SMI will add expertise in healthcare, and a vibrant talent pool in the burgeoning tier-II locations of Madurai and Coimbatore," to the companys portfolio.

SMI mostly caters to companies based in the US, according to Happiest Minds.

Ahead of the announcement, shares of Happiest Minds closed 1.67% lower at 861.80 apiece almost tracking a 1.27% drop in the benchmark index Sensex.

In the fiscal third quarter, Happiest Minds posted a 3.2% sequential rise in rupee revenue to 366.88 crore in the December quarter. Net profit fell 3.1% sequentially to 57.58 crore, while operating margin shrank by 110 basis points to 15.4%. The company also reported attrition of 20.9%, while net employee utilization declined by 50 basis points sequentially to 80.1%. The company added nine deals in the December quarter.

Anantharaju said, in a statement during the Q3 financial results, that the company expects to continue to grow since clients are investing heavily in cloud, experience and analytics as part of their strategic digital initiatives."

Our technology depth has resulted in a strong pipeline of large deals, many of them with Fortune 500 companies," he added.

The bullish forecast comes amid a period of consistent deal signing for the IT services sector in a quarter that has been traditionally weak.

Brokerage BNP Paribas said in a note on IT services deals that digital services, including cloud and automation sectors, remained the key driver for deal signings for the entire sector.

Deal signings improved in North America, and were decent in Europe and the rest of the world as well," said Kumar Rakesh, vice-president of equity research at BNP Paribas.
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI : India will provide 3 million tonnes of wheat to bulk consumers such as flour millers, as part of efforts to bring down prices, which jumped to a record high on Wednesday, a government official told Reuters.

The allocation is more than traders' expectations of around 2 million tonnes. The market was waiting for government permission for nearly two months as supplies dwindled at the tail end of the wheat marketing year even as demand surged.

"There's this consensus that bulk users will be allowed to buy up to 3 million tonnes of wheat from government stocks," said the official who did not wish to be named in line with official rules.

Wheat prices in India, the world's biggest consumer of the grain, are scaling new peaks, as farmers and traders have run out of stocks.

On Wednesday, wheat prices in the Indore market - a benchmark - jumped to a record 29,821 ($365.61) a tonne, up nearly 9% so far this month after rising 37% in 2022.

In New Delhi, wheat prices rose nearly 1.5% to a record 32,500.

India banned exports in May 2022 after a sudden rise in temperatures clipped output, even as exports picked up to meet the global shortfall triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Traders say record-high wheat prices despite the export ban indicate a far bigger drop in last year's output.

According to government estimates, wheat output fell to 106.84 million tonnes in 2022 from 109.59 million tonnes a year earlier.

"In a fortnight, prices have jumped by around 300. The government decision could bring down prices, but a big correction is unlikely," said a New-Delhi-based dealer with a global trade house.

"Record high prices forced many flour mills to close operations, and now they would be fighting for the allocation to secure supplies from the 3 million tonnes of quota for bulk users," he said.
Many prospective workers who were determined to get a remote job just a few months ago are hitting a wall as remote listings rapidly dwindle.

After remote work surged during the pandemic, fewer employers now feel the need to lure talent with the promise of working from home. Remote jobs made up 13.2% of postings advertised on LinkedIn last monthdown from 20.6% in March. Other job sites such as Indeed.com and ZipRecruiter also report declines in remote listings.

Demand for these jobs remains high. Remote jobs attracted a majority, or 52.8%, of all applications submitted on LinkedIn, slightly higher than a year before.

The decline in remote listings marks the latest shift in the power dynamic between employers and employees. Companies are showing they can be choosier in their recruiting after months of scrambling for new talent. Hiring and wage growth have slowed from the red-hot pace of much of 2022. And while many laid-off workers in tech and elsewhere are finding employment again, it is taking, on average, longer to secure a new job than it did last spring.

This has some workers recalibrating their conditions for considering a new job.

Brett Burger, 29 years old, worked from home full-time as a public-relations specialist for Sleep Number Corp. until he was laid off from the Minneapolis-based bed manufacturer this month.

Now, he says, he is finding far fewer job postings clearly stating they are remote than when he was job-hunting in 2020. He discovered he was more productive and better able to manage his depression and anxiety while working from home these past couple of years, he says.

Though he would take a job that required part-time work in an office, I would only consider it if it was one to two days max," he says.

Brenda Arce, a branch director in the Miami office of professional staffing company Robert Half, says the mismatch between available remote jobs and remote job seekers is adding to the difficulty in filling some office-based jobs.

Candidates still have a lot of options," she says. So, if its not remote or doesnt offer any type of flexibility, candidates will not even interview or take it."

Altogether, fewer people are working remotely than would like to, according to Gallup. In a late 2022 survey of about 8,700 U.S. employees in jobs that could be done remotely, 26% said they worked remotely exclusively, down from 39% in February. A smaller share, 22%, expected to have the option in the future.

Yet a third of all workers told Gallup they would prefer full-time remote work. Companies such Walt Disney Co. and Starbucks Corp., meanwhile, are stepping up the days that hybrid employees are required to come into the office.

Ally Financial Inc., based in Detroit, stepped up its return-to-office policy in September, shifting from asking workers to come in at least part-time to expecting it. How many days depends on the job and department.

It was, hey, the expectation is people are coming back to the office, and we want consistency," says Kathie Patterson, Allys chief human resources officer.

While expected office time may limit the pool of candidates applying for some roles, it hasnt affected retention, she says.

A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research this week suggests both employers and workers have benefitted from some aspects of remote work. In a survey of full-time employees in 27 countries, workers in the U.S. said they saved an average 55 minutes in commute time on days they worked from home during the pandemic. Worldwide, workers reclaimed a daily average of 72 minutes. About 40% of the saved commute time was plowed into more time on the job, researchers found.

ZipRecruiter chief economist Julia Pollak said the decline in the share of remote job postings reflects, in part, slower hiring in industries where remote work has been most prevalent, such as the tech industry. Nearly 40% of tech-related job postings on LinkedIn this month were for remote positions, though many big tech companies have conducted layoffs or slowed or frozen hiring.

Yue Xu, who is in her 30s, says she is looking for a remote or hybrid position after being laid off from her software engineer joba hybrid positionat Goldman Sachs Group Inc. this month. But the recruiters and human resources officials she has spoken with have said her chances of finding something fully remote are slim. With only a few months left before her H1B visa expires, she may have to compromise, she says.

I wont refuse one that requires me to be in five days a week even though its not the perfect idea," she says.

Sam Henry, founder of Seattle Corporate Search, a Seattle-based recruiting firm, said he is advising candidates looking for remote jobs to be flexible since more companies are requiring employees to come in anywhere between two and four days a week. If a job stipulates in-office work most or all of the time, he recommends negotiating for work-from-home days.

If a company is saying, Hey, we want you in here five days a week, just say, OK, well, Im not asking for more money, but I am asking for Fridays " at home, he says.
Early reviews of Shah Rukh Khans Pathaan are out. Khan plays the title character in the movie, an eagerly-awaited spy thriller that has finally arrived in theatres. The Yash Raj Films (YRF) production is unquestionably one of the most eagerly-anticipated Bollywood movies of 2023. Pathaan, which stars Deepika Padukone as the female lead, has lifted the bar for moviegoers with its amazing official trailer and songs. Pathaan, directed by Siddharth Anand, is getting rave reviews from the audience.

On Twitter, several viewers shared clips of the movie recorded from movie theatres that show people cheering for SRK. Many people are equally excited about Salman Khans 10-minute cameo" in the movie and John Abrahams performance in the movie.

One of the best action thriller I like the way they add mass elements all the actors done their work very well and action choreography is amazing (sic)," reviewed one viewer. King is back !! What a movie....A treat for all SRK fans...kudos," said another.

Just super don't believe in any negative rumers, go n watch will get awesome experience so much of entertaining Salman Khan was just super for 10 min and john is brilliant.. Srk as always brilliant all time best role deepika full glamorous overall it's an must watch blockbuster (sic)," wrote one viewer.

Some viewers have called Deepika Padukones character really interesting". One viewer seemed overjoyed after watching Pathaan and gave the movie 10 on 10.

As per Pathaan.s early reviews, the action, VFX and background score are highly praised in the movie. What a wonderful experience, crazy with so many cameos. One of the best action thrillers from Bollywood. Really entertaining and almost unexpectedly good. SRK really took the time and worked hard for 4 years to get something serious. Won't spoil anything but go watch it," one viewer wrote.

A brief review came from one viewer at the interval, Interval Time. Bollywood is finally Back."

Watched first show in New Zealand this morning. Lots of action. You will love it if you are an SRK fan. Highlight of the movie is watching SRK and Salman Khan together on screen. Watch till the end even after the Pathan song finishes," came from another viewer.

Several viewers claim that there are various twists and turns in the movie. Trailer was just 5% of Movie. What A twist," wrote one viewer.
Adani Enterprises FPO: The Follow-on Public Offer (FPO) of Adani Enterprises Limited is going to open on 27th January 2023 and the FPO will remain open for subscribers till 31st January 2023. Adani Enterprises FPO price has been fixed at 3,112 to 3,276 per equity share whereas Adani Enterprises share price today is 3,441 apiece on NSE. So, the issue is offered at a discount of near 5 per cent to the potential applicants. The flagship Adani group company aims to raise 20,000 crore from its fresh follow-on issue. Adani Enterprises has said that net proceeds from the FPO will be utilized for capital expenditure requirements of some of the subsidiaries of the company and repayment of (fully or partially) debts.

Meanwhile, ahead of Adani Enterprises FPO opening date, grey market has gone highly bullish on the fresh follow-on offer. According to primary market observers, Adani Enterprises FPO grey market premium (GMP) today is 100. So, those who have this Adani group stock in their portfolio may have a an opportunity to add more at lower rates whereas those who are looking forward to add Adani Enterprises shares in their portfolio, this follow-on offer can be a good opportunity to buy Adani Enterprises shares at cheaper rates.

Here we list out important Adani Enterprises FPO details in 10 points:

1] Adani Enterprises FPO price: .dani enterprises Ltd is offering fresh issues at a price band of 3112 to 3276 per share.

2] Adani Enterprises FPO date: The follow-on offer will open on 27th January 2023 and it will remain open till 31st January 2023.

3] Adani Enterprises FPO GMP: According to market observers, Adani Enterprises FPO GMP today is 100.

4] Adani Enterprises FPO size: The flagship Adani group company aims to raise 20,000 from its follow-on offer.

5] Adani Enterprises FPO lot size: A bidder will be able to apply in lots and one lot will comprise four Adani Enterprises shares.

6] Adani Enterprises FPO allotment date: The tentative date for share allocation is 3rd February 2023.

7] Adani Enterprises FPO listing: The fresh follow-on issue is proposed for listing on both BSE and NSE.

8] Adani Enterprises FPO listing date: Fresh issues of Adani Enterprises are likely to list on 8th February 2023.

9] Adani Enterprises FPO registrar: Link Intime India Private Ltd has been appointed as official registrar of Adani Enterprises FPO.

10] Adani Enterprises FPO review: On Adani Enterprises FPO review, Jayesh Mestry, Associate Manager  Retail Equity Research (Fundamental) at Asit C Mehta Investment Intermediates said, Adani Enterprises Limited. (AEL), with its established business relations with coal suppliers of Indonesia, Australia and South Africa, has evolved as Indias largest importer of thermal coal catering to the requirement of both private and public sector undertaking (PSU) clients. The Company has businesses in 4 core sectors - Energy and Utility, Transportation and Logistics, Consumer, and Primary Industry. AEL represents an effective complement of established and developing businesses which address the needs of India. The Company is also going to manufacture end to end solution which in turn brings no fluctuations in margins."

Giving 'subscribe' tag to Adani Enterprises FPO, Asit C Mehta expert said, "With its continuous focus on becoming leading manufacturer of green hydrogen and increasing number of operating mines, we believe AEL is well placed to capitalize on domestic and international opportunities. On the financial performance front, over FY19-22, it has reported a ~20% CAGR growth in the topline. Hence, we recommend subscribing the issue from a long-term prospective."

Disclaimer: .he views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Know your inner investor Do you have the nerves of steel or do you get insomniac over your investments? Lets define your investment approach. Take the test
After a promising performance in the opening session, stock market indices ended flat on Tuesday. The Sensex ended 37.08 points lower at 60,978.75, while the broader Nifty was flat at 18,118.30.

Auto and IT stocks were the top gainers of the day. Axis Bank, Dr. Reddy's laboratories, and Hindalco Industries were among the worst performers of the day. Whereas, Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Auto, and HCL Technologies earned the most on Nifty.

The market investors remained optimistic about the share market growth on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, and normalcy in China after the relaxation of COVID curbs.

Keeping in view the global scenario, market volatility, macroeconomic indicators, and performance of companies, HDFC Securities has picked 4 names as fundamental bets - Action Construction Equipment, NHPC, and Power Grid Corporation of India and Symphony - for the upcoming 2-3 quarters.

Action Construction Equipment

Recommendation: Buy in the band of Rs.332338 & add more on dips to Rs.298301.5 band | Target Price: Rs. 375 | CMP: 333.40

We think the base case fair value of the stock is Rs.375 and the bull case fair value is Rs.403.4 over the next three quarters. Investors can buy the stock in the band of Rs.332338 and add more on dips to Rs.298301.5 band," says the brokerage house.

Action Construction Equipment Ltd is a key player in the field of manufacturing and marketing of cranes, construction equipment material handling, etc. It enjoys more than 65% of the market share in India's mobile and tower crane manufacturing business. The company has recently finalised the deal in the Defence sector and received an order from the government of Ghana. Company's diversified portfolio, recent launches, and focus on capital expenditure can be its key driver of growth.

Risks: Rise in input costs, high dependence on other sectors, competition from local and multi-national players, slow growth of the agriculture growth segment, etc.

NHPC

Recommendation: Buy in the Rs. 41.75  42.75 band and add on dips to Rs. 38 | Target Price: Rs. 46.35 | CMP: 43.50

We think the base case fair value of the stock is Rs. 46.35 and the bull case fair value is Rs. 50.15 over the next two-three quarters. Investors can buy the stock in the band of Rs. 41.75  42.75 and add more on dips to 38," says HDFC securities.

The Mini Ratna category -1 PSU, NHPC Limited is India's largest hydro-power company. The company is involved in the whole process of hydro-power project development. Present in 13 states, the company contributes to 15% of the total installed hydroelectric capacity in India. The company can enjoy a long-term gains with the expansion of its hydro-power capacity. Its focus on renewable energy equipment, the government's positive stance on hydro-power electricity, strong creditworthiness of the company, are its major plus points.

Risks: Delay in execution of projects, counter party credit risk, and high relative tariff.

Power Grid Corporation of India

Recommendation: Buy in the band of 223-227 and add more on dips to 200-203 band | Target Price: 249 | CMP: 221

We think the base case fair value of the stock is 249 and the bull case fair value is 270 over the next twothree quarters. Investors can buy the stock in the band of 223-227 and add more on dips to 200-203 band," states HDFC securities.

The "Maharatna", Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd is India's largest electric power transmission utility and it operates 86% of India's inter-regional transmission network.

Apart from its key focus in transmission, the company is also present in telecom and consultancy. In 2022, Power Grid Corporation of India owned and operated 1,73,790 circuit km (ckm) of electric transmission lines and 270 sub-stations with a total transformation capacity of 4,93,042 MVA.

Risks: Company's overdue receivables, project execution risk, private competition, inefficiency at the operational level, promoter risk, operational risk, etc.

Symphony

Recommendation: Buy in 947-963 band and add further on dips in 850-862 band | Target Price: Rs. 1057 | CMP: 957.85

We think the base case fair value of the stock is 1057 and the bull case fair value of 1124. Investors can buy the in-stock 947-963 band and add more on dips in 850-862 band," said HDFC securities.

Formed in 1988, Symphony Limited has a forte in the air cooler business in India. The company tried to diversify its business by beginning consumer durable production (geysers, washing machines, etc). However, the company suffered huge losses and was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2002. Since then, Symphony kept its focus on air cooler production. Till now, the company has managed to maintain its profitability with the high brand recalling the value of its air coolers.

As India's average temperature is increasing every year, the rise in demand for air coolers can boost its sales in the long run. Being the market leader in the field of branded air coolers, Symphony can tap the rise in demand for branded coolers. High brand recall, strong global opportunities, and impressive return ratios are some of the factors supporting the company.

Risks: The company's focus on seasonal business, competition from the unorganised segment, and dependence on a single product.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Know your inner investor Do you have the nerves of steel or do you get insomniac over your investments? Lets define your investment approach. Take the test
With a market valuation of 59.04 Cr, Deep Diamond India Ltd. is a small-cap company that operates in the consumer discretionary industry. The stock has spent the past five sessions in the upper circuit. As the firm announces to invest in the E V & Green Energy sector like Solar, Wind, etc., the stock was also locked in the upper circuit of 5% today at 18.45.

The company has said in a stock exchange filing that its Board of Directors have approved To invest the surplus monies of the company not immediately required for the business to purchase or subscribe for shares and securities of any other company which inter alia includes new age businesses such as Electric Vehicle Business, Green Energy such as Solar, Wind, Bio-mass, waste management etc. and such other various business segment or sector as deemed fit as long as the same is not prohibited by any law in force in the Country which the Company may think necessary for the purpose of its business."

With the recent government support for the EV industry, the company has strong growth potential. According to the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari: two-wheeler EVs rose by 422%, 3 wheelers by 75%, and 4 wheelers by 230% between 2019 and 2021. The number of electric buses also increased by over 1200% during this period." These indicate a sharp rise in growth potential for Deep Diamond.

In the last 1 year, the stock price has risen from 1.53 as of 27th January 2022 to the current price level, logging in a whopping multibagger return of 1,105.88%, hence if an investor had invested 1 lakh in the shares of Deep Diamond 1 year ago, then his or her return today would have been 12.05 lakh. The stock has appreciated by 47.72% YTD, and over the past six months, it has achieved a multibagger return of 306.39%. The stock has climbed 60.43% over the past month and 28.12% over the last five trading sessions.

The company had recently split its stock in the ratio of 10:1. The face value of each share of Deep Diamond was 10 before the sub-division. After the split, the face value now is 1. Sales for the December 2022 quarter climbed by 233.33 per cent to 1.50 crore, according to the firm. The company's net profit increased 6000% to 0.61 crore in Q3FY23 from 0.01 crore in the same period prior fiscal year.

The shares of Deep Diamond India closed today on the BSE at 4.83% upper circuit limit of 18.45 per share, representing a fresh 1-year high. The stock recorded a total volume of 523,731 shares today compared to the 20-Day average volume of 501,598 shares. The firm has a strong annual EPS growth rate and the stock has an EPS of 3.02. Deep Diamonds reported both growths in quarterly net profit with higher profit margins (YoY). Additionally, it is the only company over the last four quarters to have improved earnings with zero-debt status.
Indian stocks are set to move to a faster settlement cycle in a switch to the T+1 system. Starting from Friday, January 27, Indian stocks will be settled on a trade-plus-one-day timeline versus the earlier two-day (T+2) process. T+1 means that market trade-related settlements will need to be cleared within one day of the actual transactions taking place.

India is among the firsts in the world to go for such a faster trading settlement cycle, putting itself ahead of the US. The T+1 settlement was proposed recently with implementation timelines of 24 months by the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).

The US SEC has sought stakeholder views on moving to a one-day settlement cycle and a Bloomberg report suggests that an industry body in Europe is discussing the same.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last year voted to propose rule changes to reduce risks in the clearance and settlement of securities, including by shortening the standard settlement cycle for most broker-dealer transactions in securities from two business days after the trade date (T+2) to one business day after the trade date (T+1). The proposed changes are designed to reduce the credit, market, and liquidity risks in securities transactions faced by market participants and U.S. investors, the regulatory body said in a paper.

Shortening the settlement cycle should reduce the amount of margin that counterparties would need to post with clearinghouses," SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a paper last year. As the old saying goes, time is money."

Indian capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), on September 07, 2021, permitted Stock exchanges to introduce T+1 settlement cycle from January 01, 2022 on any of the securities available in the equity segment. The transition to T+1 has been happening in batches based on market cap (small to big) since February 2022.

All large-cap and blue-chip companies will switch to the T+1 system on January 27. The switch to T+1 settlement is coming 20 years after the capital market regulator SEBI in 2003 had reduced the settlement period from T+3 days to T+2 days.

(With inputs from agencies)
Zerodha Founder and Chief Executive Officer Nithin Kamath offered his two cents on Wednesday on why instant stock market settlement like payments isn't possible.

This is because most trading volumes on the exchange are from intraday traders who buy and sell stocks without taking delivery or have the stocks to deliver immediately," Kamath said on Twitter.

As shares of about 200 of India's biggest listed companies are set to move to a faster settlement cycle, the Zerodha boss said, Starting tomorrow, India will become the first major market to completely move to a T+1 settlement cycle (China is partly T+1)."

It is crazy how far ahead we are in terms of market infrastructure and safety, even when compared to the developed world," he said in a series of tweets.

Explaining further, Kamath said, So if you buy a stock, you get it in your demat the next day, and If you sell, you will have the funds by the next day. This used to take T+2 days."

The transition to T+1 has been happening in batches based on market cap (small to big) since Feb 2022," he noted.

Starting tomorrow, India will become the first major market to completely move to a T+1 settlement cycle (China is partly T+1). It is crazy how far ahead we are in terms of market infrastructure and safety, even when compared to the developed world. 1/3  Nithin Kamath (@Nithin0dha) January 25, 2023

The implementation of the T+1 settlement is truly a commendable model which will help in protecting investor interest. India is the second country to be implementing this, after China. The Indian broking sector has advanced significantly, thanks to various initiatives introduced by SEBI," said Puneet Maheshwari, Director, Upstox.

"The T+1 settlement cycle will provide investors with more liquidity in the hands of the customer, enabling them to leverage investment opportunities even earlier. This new cycle has the potential to transform the stock market dynamics in its full-scale implementation, and further boost equity participation in the country," Maheshwari added.

Starting 27 January, stocks from Reliance Industries to Tata Consultancy Services and Adani Enterprises  together comprising 80% of India's equity market  will be settled on a trade-plus-one-day timeline versus the earlier two-day process.

T 1 means that market trade-related settlements will need to be cleared within one day of the actual transactions taking place.

The yearlong changeover gave market intermediaries time to prepare, Prashant Vagal, executive vice president at National Securities Depository Ltd, said.

The shift will boost operational efficiency as rolling of funds and stocks will be faster, said Suresh Shukla, joint president at Kotak Securities Ltd.

This last step in the transition will be closely watched by foreign investors who have expressed concern over timezone differences and consequent trade-matching failures. Many have said that faster settlement reduces counterparty risk and trading costs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Meghna Sen Business journalist tracking markets, companies, economy and crypto for Livemint. She has 6 years of experience with online and print publications. Email: meghnasen08@gmail.com Read more from this author
The Centre is likely to kick off its first-ever issuance of green bonds strongly, with debt market participants expecting firm demand, said a report by Business Standard . As per the report, the encouraging response to the maiden sale may be reflected in a pricing premium or greenium" relative to prevailing levels on corresponding regular government bonds.

The first tranche of sovereign green bonds is set to go to auction on Wednesday. A total of 8,000 crore worth of green bonds  4,000 crore of 5-year green bonds and 4,000 crore of 10-year green bonds  would be on the block, said BS.

The government had announced the sale of green bonds as part of its market borrowing for the first time in the Union Budget for financial year 2023. The proceeds would be deployed in public sector projects in order to reduce the carbon footprint of the economy, said the report.

The central government would also auction 8,000 crore worth of green bonds on February 9, taking the total issuance to 16,000 crore for FY23, the report added.

The difference between regular sovereign bond auctions and green bond auctions is the premium  or the pricing benefit  that issuers globally enjoy for selling environment-friendly securities, the market daily pointed out.

The (first) issue is going to sail through but we dont think that there is going to be a very deep premium. What we expect is that it will sell at a richer price than a normal sovereign bond of the same maturity," Vijay Sharma, senior executive vice-president, PNB Gilts, was quoted as saying in the report.

Globally, green bonds are issued at a premium as the instrument, by design, is meant to facilitate access to cheaper capital for environment-friendly projects, noted the report. State-owned banks in particular are likely to display strong demand for the first sale of green bonds, it added.

Going ahead, however, the demand among foreign portfolio investors would play a key role in determining the sustainability of issuing green bonds at a hefty premium, the report said citing traders. In a bid to encourage overseas participation, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that green bonds would be designated as securities under the 'Fully Accessible Route' for foreign investors, it added.
(PTI) Fintech player PayMate India on Tuesday said it will refile the draft IPO papers with markets regulator Sebi after receiving final authorisation from the RBI to operate as an online payment aggregator (PA).

It obtained in-principle approval from RBI for the payment aggregator authorisation in December.

PayMate India was asked by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to refile the documents for the Initial Public Offering (IPO) with certain updates. The move may delay the company's initial share sale.

According to sources, the company was asked to update DRHP with final payment aggregator authorisation and other material updates if any.

"Following our receipt of in-principle approval from RBI for the Payment Aggregator (PA) authorisation recently. We will be in a position to submit the mandatory SAR (System Audit Report) by the first or second week of February," the company said in a statement.

SAR is a part of the standard operating protocol to get the final approved PA authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

"We are confident of a quick turnaround by RBI, and thereafter refiling DRHP with relevant updates along with the RBI final approval," PayMate India said.

PayMate India had filed the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) for a 1,500 crore IPO with the Sebi in May 2022.

The proposed IPO comprises a fresh issue of equity shares worth 1,125 crore and an Offer-For-Sale (OFS) of 375 crore by promoters, investors and other shareholders.

The company's promoters -- Ajay Adiseshan and Vishvanathan Subramanian and investors -- as well as Lightbox Ventures I, Mayfield FVCI Ltd, RSP India Fund LLC and IPO Wealth Holdings are to sell shares through the OFS.

Besides, certain existing shareholders are offering to offload shares through this route.

Currently, the promoter and promoter group hold 66.70 per cent stake in the company and the rest is with public shareholders.

According to an update on Sebi's website on Monday, the regulator returned the company's DRHP on January 17, 2023, with advice to refile it post applicable updates/revisions.

PayMate is a multi-payment category platform that incorporates vendor payments, statutory payments, and utility payments, giving its customers a fully-integrated B2B payment stack.

The platform also allows consumers and their vendors, suppliers, buyers, dealers, and distributors to use commercial credit cards to make statutory payments of direct taxes and GST as well as utility payments.

Visa has a partnership with PayMate. It is also a shareholder in PayMate, owning 2.94 per cent of the fully diluted paid-up equity share capital.

Earlier this month, Sebi returned the draft IPO papers of home-grown mobile maker Lava International and Oravel Stays Ltd, the parent company of travel-tech firm OYO, and asked them to refile the documents with certain updates.
HDFC Life and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) have collaborated to offer a first - UPI 123PAY. This is a unique voice-based premium payment service that further simplifies the premium payment process for HDFC Life policyholders.

UPI 123PAY is a payment facility through a pre-defined IVR (Interactive Voice Response). This platform will enable customers to make financial transactions with or without an internet connection. Customers can avail this service in various regional languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil, etc.

A customer has to initiate a secure call from their phone using the UPI number 080 4516 3571, and complete the UPI on-boarding formalities. Once this is done, they can start transacting.

This service will also empower those policyholders of HDFC Life who are not accustomed to digital payments, thereby enabling them to take control of their policies with a single IVR call.

Vineet Arora, chief operating officer, HDFC Life said, We constantly endeavour to simplify the customer lifecycle  right from policy purchasing to policy servicing. The UPI 123Pay service we are offering, in collaboration with NPCI and Ubona will enable policyholders across the country to make payments through this IVR based service in a secure manner, with ease."

Nalin Bansal, chief relationship management & key initiatives, NPCI said, We are glad to witness the implementation of NPCIs unique offering UPI 123PAY voice based payment in the insurance sector. We believe this functionality will offer a distinct and seamless premium payment experience to millions of HDFC Life customers. This is an important step towards the growth of the ecosystem as we aim to reach a wider audience and further penetrate Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India."

A voice-based payment feature, UPI 123PAY was developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to increase the digital penetration of financial services. UPI 123PAY enables smart phone and feature phone users to digitally undertake a host of transactions based on four approaches, including voice payment based via IVR number, proximity sound-based payments, missed call-based payment approach, app based scan and pay on feature phone.
Serum Institute of India (SII) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Adar Poonawalla said on Wednesday that the availability of the cervical cancer vaccine will be little in number in 2023. But, Adar Poonawalla said, the availability will be boosted next year to take care of the nations needs. The first made-in-India Human Papillomavirus (HPV) "CERVAVAC" vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer was launched on Tuesday, 24 January.

Adar Poonawalla met Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi on Wednesday and briefed him about the HPV vaccine.

After meeting the health minister, Adar Poonawalla said, I had come to brief the Union Health minister about it. We'll wait for the government program to roll out. Capacity is very small this year but we'll build a large capacity to take care of the entire nation's needs for next year."

Speaking of the rollout of the cervical cancer vaccines, Adar Poonawalla said the vaccines would be rolled out through government programmes this year. We will slowly roll it out through government programs this year. I can't comment on pricing now. We will wait for tendering process and follow government protocols," Adar Poonawalla said.

The first made-in-India Human Papillomavirus (HPV) "CERVAVAC" vaccine, for the prevention of cervical cancer, was launched in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, Adar Poonawalla, and the Director of Government & Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India, Prakash K Singh.

"On the occasion of India's National Girl Child Day and Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, @SerumInstIndia is pleased to launch the first made-in-India HPV vaccine by the hands of our Hon'ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji. @PrakashKsingh7," tweeted Adar Poonawalla.

'CERVAVAC' is an outcome of a partnership of DBT and BIRAC with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, supported by Serum Institute of India Private Limited for the indigenous development of quadrivalent vaccine through its partnership programme 'Grand Challenges India'.

(With agency inputs)
President Droupadi Murmu addressed the nation on the eve of the 74th Republic Day on 26 January and said that India has succeeded as a democratic republic as so many creeds and languages have not divided the country. They, President Droupadi Murmu said, have only united the nation.

President Droupadi Murmu said celebrating Republic Day is celebrating what the countrymen have achieved together as a nation. When we celebrate Republic Day, we celebrate what we have achieved, together, as a nation," President Droupadi Murmu said while addressing the nation.

India succeeded as democratic republic because so many creeds and languages have not divided us, they have only united us," President Murmu said, adding, Our founding document inspired by humanistic philosophy of oldest living civilisation as well as new ideas."

She added that India will always remain grateful to Dr BR Ambedkar. President Droupadi Murmu said, BR Ambedkar who headed the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, and thus had a critical part in giving it the final shape."

India has been among fastest-growing major economies. This has been made possible by timely and pro-active interventions from the government. Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, has evoked great response among people at large. There've also been sector-specific incentive schemes," President Murmu said.

Speaking of the Indias Presidency for G20, President Murmu said, G20 presidency is an opportunity to promote democracy and multilateralism and the right forum for shaping a better world and a better future."

Under Indias leadership, I'm sure, G20 will be able to further enhance its efforts to build a more equitable and sustainable world order," the president said.

As G20 represents about two-thirds of the world population and around 85% of global GDP, it is an ideal forum to discuss and find solutions for global challenges. To my mind, global warming and climate change are the most pressing among them," President Murmu said.

The president also commended every citizen for contributing to the progress of the nation. President Murmu said, I commend the roles of farmers, workers, scientists and engineers whose combined strength enables our country to live up to the spirit of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan". I appreciate every citizen who contributes to the nations progress."

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President Droupadi Murmu will address the nation today, January 25, on the eve of the 74th Republic Day. The address will be broadcast from 7 pm on Wednesday on the entire national network of All India Radio (AIR) and telecast over all channels of Doordarshan in Hindi followed by the English version.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan provided the information in an official statement. India will celebrate its 74th Republic Day tomorrow, January 26.

"Broadcast of the address in Hindi and English on Doordarshan will be followed by broadcast in regional languages by regional channels of Doordarshan. AIR will broadcast regional language versions from 2130 hrs. onwards on its respective regional networks," the statement read.

Preparation are in full swing for the Republic Day celebrations which include the traditional march past at Kartavya Path comprising a grand parade by the contingents of the Armed Forces and Paramilitary Forces; tableaux display by the States and Central Ministries/Departments; cultural performances by children; acrobatic motorcycle rides and a fly-past, besides Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Vijay Chowk and PM's NCC rally.

A military contingent of the Egyptian Army will march in India's Republic Day parade on January 26. The Egyptian military contingent will have 144 personnel participating in the parade.

These include Military Tattoo and Tribal dance festival; Veer Gatha 2.0; second edition of Vande Bharatam dance competition; performances of Military and Coast Guard bands at the National War Memorial; an All-India School Band Competition; a Drone Show and projection mapping during Beating the Retreat ceremony.

India has invited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as the Chief Guest for the 74th Republic Day celebrations. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including five Ministers and senior officials.

India and Egypt are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic ties this year. Egypt has also been invited as a 'Guest Country' during India's G20 Presidency.

Many other events have also been organized on the occasion of Republic Day and 126th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. A Military Tattoo and Tribal Dance festival 'Aadi-Shaurya - Parv Parakram ka' will be held at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi on January 23-24.

The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs are jointly organising the event, with Indian Coast Guard being the coordinating agency. It will witness 10 Military Tattoo performances and 20 Tribal Dances, said the Ministry of Defence.

(With ANI inputs)
The government is likely to announce next month crucial battery safety and performance standards that are expected to play a key role in promoting electric vehicle adoption and reducing pollution, two senior government officials familiar with the development said.

The standards, prepared by the Bureau of India Standards, would not include rules on dimensions and size of batteries, given the concerns raised by the industry that mandating dimensions would stem innovation.

The standards have been finalized and are expected to be released next month. Certain minimum standards, called horizontal standards, have been made to ensure safety. In order to avoid substandard batteries, a certain bare minimum duration has also been fixed," one of the two officials said, requesting anonymity.

On the decision on battery dimensions, the official said: The EV segment is fairly new in India. So, fixing the dimensions of the battery would essentially curb innovation. So it has been decided that standards would be based only on safety and performance, not dimension."

On 11 January, Mint reported that the government is reconsidering its plan to mandate EV battery dimensions and size standards under its upcoming battery-swapping policy amid concerns raised by industry executives.

On 3 January, the consumer affairs ministry and NITI Aayog met with companies to address their concerns over a uniform battery pack standard where the deadlock on the standard size continued.

Another official said that the industry is looking at developing newer chemistries apart from lithium-ion batteries, which are currently the most commonly available EV batteries.

The Centre is not mandating dimensions, given the prospects for further innovation, the official said, also requesting anonymity.

There are certain issues with the industry, too. The EV market is huge, but research is not up to the mark. The batteries talked about currently are lithium batteries. And China is the largest maker of lithium-based batteries. They have invested heavily in it, and it is a limited resource. Policies can push the technology, but the technology itself has to be strong to cater to the massive demand in India," the second official said.

A production-linked incentive scheme is already in the works to develop newer battery chemistries in the country.

Queries sent to the ministry of consumer affairs spokesperson remained unanswered until press time.

Initially, the Centre planned to come up with standards for battery shape and size, along with those for safety and performance, in view of the battery-swapping policy, which is expected to be released soon.

NITI Aayog released the draft policy in April last year after finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a plan to come up with the policy in her budget speech for FY23.

The draft policy had said: Additional standards and specifications for batteries regarding battery pack dimensions, charging connectors, etc., will be notified over time with adequate notice to, and consultation with, industry stakeholders, to support a phased transition to interoperability between ecosystems.

The new standards for safety and performance would come as another major effort towards bringing safety norms to prevent EV fires. Following several incidents of electric two-wheeler batteries catching fire, the road transport ministry introduced additional provisions to the safety standards for EV battery packs.

The new AIS-038 (for four-wheelers) and AIS-156 (two- and three-wheelers) standards were introduced by the ministry under the Central Motor Vehicle Rules.

Subsequently, the ministry of heavy industries brought out a separate set of rules on human safety, which have to be implemented by 1 April.
In order to ensure that the parade passes without incident on Republic Day 2023, the Delhi Traffic Police has issued a traffic advisory. It has also urged the public to alert the nearest police officers if they come across anything or anyone suspicious. People are urged to schedule their travel in advance and allow plenty of time to prevent delays, as per the advisory.

The parade for Republic Day 2023 will begin at 10.30 AM in Vijay Chowk and travel to the Red Fort, as per Delhi Traffic Police. At 9.30 AM, there will be a related event at India Gate. In order to ensure that the parade is conducted smoothly along its path, elaborate" traffic arrangements and limitations will be put in place, it tweeted.

On January 25, starting at 6 PM, no traffic will be permitted on Kartavya Path between Vijay Chowk and India Gate until the parade is finished. From 10 PM on January 25 at Rafi Marg, Janpath, and Man Singh Road until the parade is over, there will be no cross traffic on the Kartavya Path.

Also Read: Delhi: These roads are fatal crash hotspots

From 9.15 AM on January 26 until the march crosses Tilak Marg, the C Hexagon-India Gate will be off-limits to vehicular traffic. On January 26, traffic on Tilak Marg, BSZ Marg, and Subhash Marg will not be permitted on either road starting at 10.30 AM, and cross traffic will only be permitted based on the parade's route. The public has been given a list of routes that will help them avoid traffic.

The Park Street/Udyan Marg, R/A Kamla Marg, Pragati Maidan (Bhairon Road), Aram Bagh road (Pahar Ganj), Delhi Sachivalaya (IG Stadium), Hanuman Mandir (Yamuna Bazar), Mori Gate, ISBT Kashmiri Gate, ISBT Sarai Kale Khan, and Tis Hazari Court would also see a reduction in city bus service.

Also Read: Traffic restrictions in Delhi in view of Republic Day Full Dress Rehearsal

The National Capital Territory (NCT) jurisdiction of Delhi forbids the flying of unconventional aerial platforms. The general public and drivers are urged to observe road discipline and traffic laws. Additionally, Delhi Traffic Police asked the general public to contact the nearest police official if they spotted any strange people or objects.

(With ANI inputs)
India has sent an invitation to Pakistan's foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers meeting which is scheduled to take place in Goa. This step comes after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in an interview had said that Pakistan has learned the lesson from three wars with India and wants to have a peaceful relationship with its neighbour.

India has formally sent invitations to all members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) including Pakistan and China for the upcoming foreign ministers' meeting which will be held in Goa from May 4-5.

According to a report published in the English daily, The Indian Express, an official invitation from India was sent to Pakistan's foreign minister by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar through the Indian Embassy in Islamabad. India took over the chairmanship of the 9-member mega grouping in September of last year and will be holding key ministerial meetings and the summit this year. "So far there is no confirmation from the Pakistani side whether Foreign Minister Bilawal will attend the meeting or not," sources said to news agency ANI. It was in 2012 when Hina Rabbani Khar visited India as foreign minister of Pakistan.

Pakistan has not participated in the SCO Film Festival to be held in Mumbai later this month. While all countries have sent entries, Pakistan is the only country that did not send any film for screening in the group's third such film festival.

"There is only one SCO member country, from which entries have not been received, there has been no response," Neerja Shekar, Additional Secretary, I&B said on Monday in a press conference.

Relations between the two countries have been precarious for many years with regard to issues of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, even as Islamabad has been seeking the restoration of Article 370 for the former Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir for any talks.

Besides, FM Bilawal's remarks at the United Nations (UN) last month on PM Modi have cast a shadow over any improvement in ties between both the countries.

The 20-year-old organization has Russia, India, China, Pakistan, and four central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as its members.

Iran is the latest country to become a member and under Indian Presidency will for the first time attend the grouping's meeting as a full-fledged member.

The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Samarkand in Uzbekistan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit. The 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO is the first in-person summit since 2019.

*With agency inputs
Hindenburg Research, investment research firm published a report on Adani Group, headed by Gautam Adani, on Wednesday said that it is presenting evidence that the Group has engaged in a 'brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades.'

Here are 10 things to know:

1)The Hindenburg Research said that the seven listed companies of the Adani group, have an 85% downside on a fundamental basis due to sky-high valuations, Hindenburg said in the report.

2)The report pointed out the debt on the company. "Key listed Adani companies have also taken on substantial debt, including pledging shares of their inflated stock for loans, putting the entire group on precarious financial footing. 5 of 7 key listed companies have reported current ratios below 1, indicating near-term liquidity pressure," the report said.

3) The report said that 8 of 22 key roles are held by the family members of Gautam Adani, Founder and Chairman of the Adani Group.

At the end of the report Hindenburg asked some questions:

a)Gautam Adanis younger brother, Rajesh Adani, was accused by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) of playing a central role in a diamond trading import/export scheme around 2004-2005. He was subsequently arrested twice over allegations of customs tax evasion, forging import documentation and illegal coal imports. Given his history, why was he subsequently promoted to serve as Managing Director at the Adani Group?

b)Gautam Adanis brother-in-law, Samir Vora, was accused by the DRI of being a ringleader of a diamond trading scam and of repeatedly making false statements to regulators. Given his history, why was he subsequently promoted to Executive Director of the critical Adani Australia division?

c)What has been the full extent of Vinod Adanis role in the Adani Group to date, including all roles on deals and entities that have transacted with the Adani Group?

4) The Adani Group has previously been the focus of 4 major government fraud investigations which have alleged money laundering, theft of taxpayer funds and corruption, totaling an estimated U.S. $17 billion, said the report. Adani family members allegedly cooperated to create offshore shell entities in tax-haven jurisdictions like Mauritius, the UAE, and Caribbean Islands, generating forged import/export documentation in an apparent effort to generate fake or illegitimate turnover and to siphon money from the listed companies, the report added.

5)The research report said that offshore shells and funds tied to the 'Adani Group comprise many of the largest public" (i.e., non-promoter) holders of Adani stock, an issue that would subject the Adani companies to delisting, were Indian securities regulator SEBIs rules enforced.'

Many of the supposed public" funds exhibit flagrant irregularities such as being (1) Mauritius or offshore-based entities, often shells (2) with beneficial ownership concealed via nominee directors (3) and with little to no diversification, holding portfolios almost exclusively consisting of shares in Adani listed companies.

6) Adani group issued a statement and termed the report 'malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale.'

7) We are shocked that Hindenburg Research has published a report on 24 January 2023 without making any attempt to contact us or verify the factual matrix. The report is a malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations that have been tested and rejected by Indias highest courts," Adani Group CFO Jugeshinder Singh

8) The timing of the reports publication clearly betrays a brazen, mala fide intention to undermine the Adani Groups reputation with the principal objective of damaging the upcoming follow-on public offering from Adani Enterprises, the biggest FPO ever in India. The investor community has always reposed faith in the Adani Group on the basis of detailed analysis and reports prepared by financial experts and leading national and international credit rating agencies. Our informed and knowledgeable investors are not influenced by one-sided, motivated and unsubstantiated reports with vested interests," Adani group CFO added.

"The group has always been in compliance with all laws, regardless of jurisdiction, and maintains the highest standards of corporate governance," he said.

9) The report has comes ahead of the follow-on public offer (FPO) of Adani Enterprises, the group's flagship company. The FPO issue is set to open on Friday, January 27, 2023, and the floor price has been fixed at 3,112 per share.

10) Stocks of the seven listed Adani group companies fell between 3% and 7%.

The firm has asked 88 questions to Adani Group based on its findings.

Hindenburg Research on its website says that the company specialises in forensic financial research. it says it has 'experience in the investment management industry spans decades, with a historical focus on equity, credit, and derivatives analysis.'
ABU DHABI : India and the United Arab Emirates plan to launch a feasibility study within the next couple of weeks to lay undersea cables between the two countries to connect their power grids as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modis the One Sun, One World, One Grid initiative, Indias ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir said.

He pointed out that with the interconnection of electricity supplies, all the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council grouping will get connected to India, promoting interdependence. Sudhir also said that post the India-UAE free trade agreement, bilateral trade has grown by nearly 30% in the April-November period, and that buyer-seller meets were being organized for sectors including engineering, food, gold jewellery, electronics, etc to encourage growth of non-oil trade. Edited excerpts:

Eight months after the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), how do you assess its impact on bilateral trade between India and the UAE?

As far as bilateral trade is concerned, we were always doing well. So, even before CEPA, the UAE was our third largest trading partner and second largest export destination. We were their second largest trade partner and also, we are already there on the top.

What has happened after CEPA is that this trade has got a further push. CEPA entered into force on the first of May. After the benefits start, then also it takes a month or two for business communities on both sides to start taking advantage of that. It takes a little time. So, in the last six to eight months, theres been a real push for several sectors. Our bilateral trade has shot up by nearly 30% already. And as the awareness grows and people become more used to Certificates of Origin and other little paperwork associated with using benefits under CEPA, trade will further increase. Exports to the UAE have grown by nearly 19%in the last eight months. These are very impressive figures.

Data for April-November period show that the trade deficit has also widened to $16.1 billion compared to $10.3 billion in the corresponding period last year. Even the non-oil trade deficit seems to have marginally widened. Is that concerning?

I will go into the reasons. The trade deficit has widened largely because of higher oil prices. Last year, prices were much lower. But after the Ukraine war, prices spiked and one of our major imports is oil. So thats the reason. However, we can see that the crude LPG that we are importing from the UAE, we are re-exporting half of that in terms of finished products to the UAE.

Its contrary to intuition that oil and gas trade flows only one way. I think our imports have been about $10 billion, but our exports have been worth $5 billion.

Our non-oil exports havent grown as fast as the overall trade. Non-oil exports in the April-November period have grown by around 5%, and imports by 10%. What can be the way forward?

In non-oil, engineering exports have gone up, gold has gone up, pharma too has shown a high double-digit growth. So, things are happening gradually. We are doing a lot of buyer-seller meets on focused sectors. We started with gold jewellery, then we moved to engineering goods, electronics, and now we will be focussing on food. In the next six-seven months, we will have covered all the important HSN codes. We will be participating in the Gulfood F&B exhibition in a major way. We are basically trying to have a multi-pronged approach to buyer-seller meets, but at the same time, take full advantage of all the exhibitions that happen here.

This country is a big hub for exhibitions and shows. So, we are trying to mount as big a delegation as possible. We are also trying to give a major presence to millets because this is the year of the millets and for India, millets are important. We will also introduce millet cuisine in several restaurants and do a special roadshow.

What has been the progress on the power grid transmission line between India and the UAE? Indias power minister said the countries are close to a major agreement. When will that come up and can you share details of the proposed project?

There was a discussion on that when our minister of power R.K. Singh was here a few days ago. He had a very good meeting with the UAE energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei. The idea were working on is to have a sub-sea cable connecting the UAE and India.

So, if that were to happen, then actually the whole of GCC gets connected to India. India is a huge market. GCC already has its grid and this grid is working; so, the moment we just connect this grid, were actually connecting to all these countries. So, that is the plan and for that, we are planning to launch a feasibility study, which we will announce in the next 15 days. Its not been done so far but were not very far from it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given this mission of One World, One Sun, One Grid (OSOWOG). So, there the idea was that, lets all make clean power, and share it as the sun moves. And if we connect our grids East and West of India, then we are doing that kind of trade. In India also, we are developing that capacity of having grids operated at much higher voltages. So, we have already gone up to 800 KV. We are now experimenting with 1200 KV so as to reduce the losses.

A consortium of Indian oil companies led by ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) is in talks to buy a stake in a hydrocarbon carbon assets of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co and the discussions are being facilitated through G2G talks. By when is that deal expected to be completed and what may be the size of the deal?

ONGC Videsh as part of a consortium with IOCL and BPRL already has a 10% stake in Lower Zakum and this deal was signed in 2018. Our companies are always very open to picking up more stake as and when the opportunity comes through. Two of our companies IOCL and BPRL are also doing exploration work in Area 1 of Abu Dhabi.

How far have talks progressed on the rupee-dirham trade settlement? When do we expect an agreement on that?

India had shared a concept paper with the UAE in November. Now, the discussions have gone far beyond the concept paper. The RBI is in active consultation with the UAE central bank and they are discussing that matter.

Technical discussions are happening. We feel that an INR-AED mechanism will help trade, bring down transaction cost and de-risk a lot of transactions. What we have in mind is to do it as soon as possible. It has to be a robust mechanism. It will be done in a graduated way, where we open up a few banks on both sides and then expand.

Our central banks are discussing and I will leave it at that.
As India is about to celebrate the 74th Republic Day on 26 January, 2023, we bring to you some lesser known facts about the day.

India commemorates the day when the Constitution of India came into effect in the year 1950, three years after the country got Independent from the colonial rule of the British Empire.

The constitution was formulated by a drafting committee headed by Dr B R Ambedkar. The committee was formed on 29 August 1947 by the Constituent Assembly to formulate the Constitution of India and Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the then Union Law minister was assigned the leadership of the drafting committee.

India till date commemorates this day, by parades on Red Road in New Delhi and several other capital cities across the country. It is celebrated with grandeur in national capital New Delhi. On this day, tableaux of each state are presented and the programme is wrapped with an air show by the Indian Air Force.

Here are 5 lesser known facts about Republic day and the Indian constitution

Who actually wrote the constitution?

Prem Behari Narain Raizada handwrote the Indian constitution. he was the calligrapher who handwrite the original constitution of India in a flowing italic style. Notably, the original version was beautified and decorated by artists from Shantiniketan including Nand Lal Bose and Beohar Rammanohar Sinha.

The Indian Constitution was hand-written in 2 years 11 months and 18 days.

Longest Constitution in the World!

The Indian Constitution is credited with being the longest constitution of the world. The Constitution of India was approved by the Constituent Assembly in 1949, however, it came into effect only by 1950. The Constitution has undergone 2000 amendments in 74 years.

The Indian Constitution consists of a Preamble, 22 Parts with 448 Articles, 12 Schedules, 5 Appendices and a total of 1.46 lakh words.

Bag of Borrowings

The Indian Constitution is also known as the Bag of Borrowings because it has borrowed many provisions from the constitutions of various other countries.

Addressing the nation

The President of India addresses the nation on the occasion of Republic Day. The Prime Minister of India addresses the nation on Independence Day celebrated on 15 August every year.

Chief Guest on Republic Day

First organised in 1955, Republic Day attracts people from all corners of the country for its grandeur. Every year, for the Republic Day parade, the President, or the Prime Minister or the head of the nation is invited as the chief guest. This years chief guest will be Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Bonus trivia

The performers gather at the venue at 3am in order to prepare for the celebration. The state tableaux moves at the speed of 5km/hr so that people can observe them well.
A group of global billionaires worth at least $123 billion are buying a stake in Thrive Capital, the venture-capital firm founded by Josh Kushner.

Indias Mukesh Ambani, Brazils Jorge Paulo Lemann and Frances Xavier Niel will join KKR & Co. co-founder Henry Kravis and Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger in investing $175 million to purchase a 3.3% stake in Thrive.

These extraordinary operators have built storied institutions, achieved geographic preeminence, ushered beloved brands to even greater heights, and pioneered entirely new industries," Thrive said in a statement on Tuesday posted on Medium.

The deal values Thrive at $5.3 billion, up from $3.6 billion in 2021, when it sold a stake to a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., according to a spokeswoman for New York-based Thrive. Its total assets under management reached $15 billion last year.

Thrive has repurchased the stake sold to Goldman Sachs and the stake held by the new syndicate is the same, Thrive said on Medium. The Wall Street Journal first reported details of the stake sale.

The investment represents a collection of some of the richest people from across the globe.

Ambani is the worlds 12th richest person, with a $84.7 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Lemann, with a net worth of $21.1 billion, is Brazils wealthiest individual. Kravis is worth $9.5 billion and Niel has an $8.1 billion personal fortune, according to the index.

A lot of these folks have been involved in my life for quite a bit of time," Kushner, 37, said in an interview with the Journal. Now they actually have a vested stake in the firms success."

Thrive was founded in 2009 by Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump who served as a senior White House adviser under his administration.

It has invested in firms including Oscar Health Inc., Compass Inc., Affirm Holdings Inc., Opendoor Technologies Inc., Unity Software Inc., Hims & Hers Health Inc. and SKIMS, an underwear company created by Kim Kardashian.
President Droupadi Murmu met with the Presidents of Guyana and Suriname on the final day of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention held in Indore.

President Murmu expressed her satisfaction with the growing bilateral ties with both Guyana and Suriname during her meetings with the leaders of both countries. Irfaan Ali, the President of Guyana, was the Chief Guest at the Convention while Suriname was represented by President Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

The two leaders had met with Prime Minister Modi on Monday. President Santokhi and PM Modi held discussions on cooperation in areas of mutual interest including hydrocarbons, defence, maritime security, digital initiatives and ICT, and capacity building." Santokhi also thanked India for restructuring Surinames debt from Lines of Credit extended by New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Modi and President Ali of Guyana spoke of cooperation in energy, infrastructure development, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, technology and innovation, and defence cooperation."

During the final day of the Pravasi Bharatiya Convention, 27 members of the Indian diaspora were honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman. The awardees included FedEx CEO Rajesh Subramaniam, Australian economist Chennupati Jagadish and Polish businessman Amit Kailash Chandra Nath, who helped evacuate Indian students from Ukraine.

The final day of the convention also saw participation from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan among others. Ministers from Panama, Mauritius and Malaysia were also in attendance.

Representing the best of Indian talent and creativity in foreign lands, our diaspora has demonstrated exceptional qualities of dedication, commitment and perseverance in many fields. Their contributions, achievements and successes have earned them an enviable reputation in their respective societies," said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

It is clear that the global demand for Indian talent, skills, products, services and practices will only increase with time. So too will mobility and migration, facilitated by the initiatives the Modi government is taking with various partners. All of this will only make the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas more meaningful and salient in the coming years," Minister Jaishankar added.

Ausaf Sayeed, Secretary (CPV & OIA) at the Ministry of External Affairs, pointed to numerous firsts in the organisation of the event. Speaking at a special briefing held after the close of the summit, Sayeed stated that this edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was the first to feature participation from blue collar workers and school students. Sayeed also pointed out that senior Indian Ministers had chaired discussion sessions on a range of topics with members of the diaspora.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held wide-ranging talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who arrived here on a three-day visit as a chief guest on the 74th Republic Day , at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

Before proceeding for the meeting, the two leaders shook their hands and posed for the cameras. Both sides had delegation-level talks on bilateral ties in a range of areas, including agriculture, digital domain, culture and trade.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and several other senior leaders welcomed the Egyptian President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning.

"Deepening our bond with Egypt -- the natural bridge that connects Asia with Africa. PM @narendramodi and President @AlsisiOfficial hold talks adding momentum to the multifaceted India-Egypt relations marked by civilizational, cultural & economic linkages and deep-rooted P2P ties," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

The Egyptian President, in an official statement, said it is a great privilege to be a guest of honor and participate in the glorious national day. He said that the ties between India and Egypt have been characterized by balance and stability.

Sisi, before holding bilateral talks with PM Modi today, laid a wreath at Rajghat to pay his respects to Mahatma Gandhi. He also held discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday.

President Droupadi Murmu later this evening will host a state banquet in honor of the visiting dignitary. Besides this, Sisi will attend the "at home" reception by President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian President will also hold a meeting with Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and interact with the business community in India.

This year, India and Egypt are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. India has also invited Egypt as a 'guest country" during its G20 Presidency.

India is keen to widen its ties with Egypt, a key player in the politics of both the Arab world as well as Africa. It is also seen as a major gateway to markets in Africa and Europe.

(With inputs from agencies)
India celebrates its Republic Day on January 26 each year. The 74th Republic Day will be observed this year on Thursday by the people of the nation, which will a be a lot similar but a lot different too. This will be the first Republic Day for President Draupadi Murmu who will unfurl the tricolour on the recently inaugurated Kartavaya Path, to kick off the festivities.

Millions of Indians watch on television each year the rich tradition, cultural heritage, spectacle of the country's progress and accomplishments, and airshows by the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.

In addition, the public is welcome to attend events, such as the Republic Day Parade rehearsal, the parade, and the Beating the Retreat ceremony, on Kartavaya Path.

The history of Republic Day

On January 26, 1950, the Indian Constitution was formally adopted, and that event is commemorated on Republic Day. India was freed from the British Raj in 1947, but it wasn't until January 26, 1950, that the Indian Constitution took effect, making India a sovereign state and establishing it as a republic.

The Constituent Assembly convened for the first time on 9 December, 1946, and met for the final time on 26 November, 1949, which is also observed as Constitution Day.

Republic Day honours the spirit of India's independence. As the Indian National Congress proclaimed the end of colonial rule on 26 January in 1930, declaring Purna Swaraj in its convention on the banks of Ravi in Lahore, the Constitution was then formally adopted on 26 January 1950.

Republic Day also honours the right of Indian citizens to elect a democratically-run government. To honour the creation of the Indian Constitution, the nation observes it as a national holiday.

Republic Day Celebrations

Celebrations of Republic Day are marked throughout the nation with great fervour. The national flag is hoisted by the president, which is followed by magnificent military and cultural pageantry of tableaux from different states and government departments.

The President of India also bestows the Paramvir Chakra, Ashok Chakra, and Vir Chakra upon gallant soldiers, and the Padma Awards are given to the nation's deserving civilians.

Every year, millions of people watch the live broadcast of the Republic Day Parade.
The deadline for the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UPSSSC) PET 2022 registration is July 27, 2022. Candidates should be aware that they won't be allowed to register for the UPSSSC PET 2022 exam after the deadline. The last date for fee payment is also July 27, 2022. The last date for name correction is Aug 3, 2022.

The UPSSSC PET exam 2022 will be held on September 18, as per media reports.For updates, students can visit the UPSSSC website every day. Candidates who pass the UPSSSC PET test in 2022 are eligible to take the UPSSSC Mains exam in 2022. The minimum eligible age is 18 years and the maximum age is 40 years.

UPSSSC PET 2022: Examination Fee

For the UPSSSC PET exam in 2022, the application fee is 185 for general and OBC students, 95 for SC/ST candidates, and 35 for candidates who fall under the PwD category.

UPSSSC PET 2022: How To Register and Apply

Candidates who are qualified and eager to take the UPSSSC PET exam should register by following the instructions below.

Check out the UPSSSC website (upsssc.gov.in). To register as a candidate, click the link for Candidate Registration. Fill in all the details carefully and complete the PET registration process. Save the registration number for your PET. After the registration is complete, go to the homepage and look for the 'Applicant Segment.'

There is a link to the "Applicant's Dashboard" under the "Applicant Segment" (Login Thru PET REG. No.). You will be directed to the application authentication page after clicking the link. Send in all the information, then go ahead and pay the charge. You can now download and save your application form because the procedure is finished. For reference in the future, print off your UPSSSC PET 2022 application form.
I am glad to see that steps are being taken to reduce wait time for visa applications in India," a told Congresswoman lauded the slew of measures undertaken by the Biden administration to reduce the massive backlog in visa processing applications in India.

She said that such a long time was unacceptable, according to the news agency PTI. It is unacceptable that the wait time for visas has been so long, and in Congress, I have pushed for these delays to be addressed," she said.

Grace Meng, 47, is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and a member of the Congressional Caucus on India made these remarks on Tuesday.

According to Meng, this initiative will significantly help businesses and families who are waiting for the arrival of workers and loved ones from India.

The United States had also sent a cadre of consular officers to India last week to open up overseas embassies in Germany and Thailand to expedite Indian visa applicants.

She further added that the US and India continue to share a special bond which will reduce backlogs and strengthen the strong relationship that exists between our two great countries, PTI reported.

There have been growing concerns in India over the long waiting period for first time visa applicants, especially for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories.The waiting period of first time B1/B2 visa applicants in India was close to three years in October last year.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, Julie Stufft told PTI in an interview, We're putting every ounce of our energy toward eliminating these (visa) wait times in India. The normalisation of visa operations around the world right now is a top priority."

The US has one of the largest visa operations in the world. Prominent among them are visas for students, tech workers, immigrants who are moving permanently to the US, and seafaring crew members.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Indians make up a large proportion of the recipients of H-1B and other work visas granted to skilled foreign workers, many in the tech industry.

India broke the record for most student visas last year and it may do so this year again, she said, adding that India is now number two in the world in terms of international students coming to the United States.
The US Justice Department and eight states sued Alphabet Inc.s Google, calling for the break up of the search giants ad-technology business over alleged illegal monopolization of the digital advertising market.

Google abuses its monopoly power to disadvantage website publishers and advertisers who dare to use competing ad tech products in a search for higher quality, or lower cost, matches," the Justice Department said in the complaint, which was filed in federal court in Virginia. New York, California and Virginia were among the states that signed on to the complaint.

The lawsuit represents the Biden administrations first major case challenging the power of one of the nations largest tech companies, following through on a probe that began under former President Donald Trump. It also marks one of the few times the Justice Department has called for the breakup of a major company since it dismantled the Bell telecom system in 1982.

Google is the dominant player in the $278.6 billion US digital-ad market, controlling most of the technology used to buy, sell and serve online advertising. A resolution in the case could be years away.

The lawsuit marks the DOJs second antitrust suit against Google and the fifth major case in the US challenging the companys business practices. State attorneys general have filed three separate suits against Google, alleging it dominates the markets for online search, advertising technology and apps on the Android mobile platform in violation of antitrust laws.

The allegations in the DOJs suit mirror those brought by attorneys general in 16 states plus Puerto Rico in 2020. That lawsuit is pending in New York federal court.

The Mountain View, California-based company is No. 1 in the $626.9 billion global digital ad market, according to 2023 estimates by research firm EMarketer, with the US representing the biggest piece. Alphabets ad operations are expected to bring in $73.8 billion in US digital ad revenue in 2023. Most of that, $58.50 billion, comes from Googles search advertising business. The remaining $15.29 billion is from display ads. Google runs an ad-buying service for marketers and an ad-selling one for publishers, as well as a trading exchange where both sides complete transactions in lightning-fast auctions.

These exchanges operate like online stock-trading platforms with an automated bidding process. Competitors and publishers have complained that Google leverages parts of this vast network, like its ad exchange, to benefit other areas and kneecap rivals. Google alone is expected to generate some $65.7 billion in digital ad revenue in the US this year, representing about 26.5% of the market, while YouTube represents another 2.9%, according to eMarketer.

Google argues that the market for online advertising is a crowded and competitive one. In court filings and congressional testimony, the company has noted its rivals include other major players in the ad tech market such as Amazon.com Inc., Meta Platforms Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

The companys market share has slipped over time from a high in 2015 of 37.4% of US digital ad spending, according to eMarketer.

The departments scrutiny of Googles control of the ad tech market goes back to the Trump administration. The DOJ under then-Attorney General William Barr sued Google over its search business instead, alleging the company used exclusive distribution deals with wireless carriers and phone makers to lock out competition. That case is due to go to trial in September.

But the agency under Biden continued the probe into advertising technology. After Kanter was confirmed to lead the antitrust division in November 2021, Google asked the Justice Department to review whether Kanter should be recused from all actions involving the company because of his past work representing its critics. Kanter was barred from working on Googles monopoly investigations while the Justice Department deliberated on his potential recusal.

The Justice Department ultimately ruled that Kanter can work on cases related to Google.
As India and the United Kingdom negotiate their Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the Home Secretary of the UK Suella Braverman is mulling over the idea to cut the period of stay allowed for an overseas student under a post-study visa route. Braverman is planning to reform the Graduate Visa route which will require overseas students to obtain a work visa after getting a skilled job or leave UK in 6 months.

The new Graduate Visa route allowed overseas students to stay in the UK and look for jobs and gain experience even without the requirement of a specific job offer. According to reports from UK media, the Department of Education of the UK is trying to block such changes as they feel the move might reduce the attractiveness of the country as a study destination.

The supporters of Braverman's plan argue that the Graduate Visa route was misused by students who take admissions in short courses at "less respectable universities". According to local media, the government sources said that it was used as a backdoor immigration route.

The Department of Education said that the two-year post-study offer in the UK is aligned with most of the UK's competitors and the duration in less only in the United States, which offers a one-year post-study visa.

The development came as India and UK completed six rounds of negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). On Sunday, the British Trade Minister in charge of negotiations cleared that the FTA will not include any increase in the number of free movement visa offers for Indians.

Kemi Badenoch, who also visited India in December for the sixth round of FTA talks cleared out that Indians will not get the same deal as Australians in the FTA. UK-Australia FTA allows under 35 people from Australia to live and work in the UK for three years.

UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in its latest release that in 2022, India took over China as the largest cohort of foreign students. Indians were dominating in the allocation of Graduate Visa and accounted for 41% of the total visa granted.

Our points-based system is designed to be flexible according to the UKs needs, including attracting top-class talent from across the world to contribute to the UKs excellent academic reputation and to help keep our universities competitive on the world stage," a government spokesperson said.
After the unexpected resignation of ex-PM, Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins was officially appointed as the 41st Prime Minister of New Zealand on Wednesday.

Now, the 44-year-old, Hipkins has less than nine months to regain the trust of the public on his party before contesting a tough general election. The opinion polls indicate that the Labour Party is lagging behind its opposition party.

New Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, was sworn in by New Zealand's governor-general,Cindy Kiro, during a ceremony in the capital, Wellington.

"This is the biggest privilege and responsibility of my life," Hipkins said after formally taking office. "I'm energized and excited by the challenges ahead." he added.

With this, Jacinda Ardern made her last public appearance as the Prime Minister on Wednesday. Last week, Jacinda Ardern announced her resignation as the New Zealand PM. She announced that she no longer had "enough in the tank" after leading the nation during its worst natural disaster, terror attack and COVID 19 pandemic.

During her tenure, Chris Hipkins had served as education and police minister. His crisis management during the Covid-19 pandemic brought him into limelight at national front. However, his work and other liberal leaders popularity remained to be dim in front of Jacinda Ardern who was praised globally for her leadership and decisions.

New Zealands head-of-state is Britains King Charles III, and Kiro is his representative in New Zealand, although these days the nations relationship with the monarchy is largely symbolic.

Notably, Chris Hipkins has vocally criticised the abhorrent treatment given to the ex-PM Jacinda Ardern by the public on social media.

"The way Jacinda has been treated, particularly by some segments of our society, and they are a small minority, has been utterly abhorrent. It does not represent who we are as a country," said Chris Hipkins in one of his public conferences.

He also said that people need to learn to give a similar treatment to women leaders as compared to their male counterparts in politics.

(With agency inputs)
Several senior Ukrainian officials, including front-line governors, lost their jobs Tuesday in a corruption scandal plaguing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government as it grapples with the nearly 11-month-old Russian invasion.

Ukraine's biggest government shake-up since the war began came as U.S. officials said Washington was poised to approve supplying Kyiv with M1 Abrams tanks, with international reluctance eroding toward sending tanks to the battlefront against the Russians.

Also Read: Russia, Ukraine slam West: One warns of 'global war', one blames 'indecision'

Zelenskyy was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft, and the new allegations come as Western allies are channeling billions of dollars to help Kyiv fight against Moscow.

Officials in several countries, including the United States, have demanded more accountability for the aid, given Ukraine's rampant corruption. While Zelenskyy and his aides portray the resignations and firings as proof of their efforts to crack down, the wartime scandal could play into Moscow's political attacks on the leadership in Kyiv.

Also Read: Russian athletes should not compete in 2024 Paris Olympics: Ukraine's Zelensky

On the capital's streets, Serhii Bochkarev, a 28-year-old translator, welcomed the moves.

Corruption during war is totally unacceptable because people are giving their lives to fight Russians and to defend the motherland," he said.

The shake-up even touched Zelenskyy's office. Its deputy head, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, prominent for his frequent battlefield updates, quit as the president pledged to address allegations of graft  including some related to military spending  that embarrassed authorities and could slow Ukraines efforts to join the European Union and NATO.

Also Read: Ukraine pledges sweeping personnel changes as allies jostle over tanks

Tymoshenko asked to be relieved of his duties, according to an online decree signed by Zelenskyy and Tymoshenkos own social media posts. Neither cited a reason for the resignation.

Deputy Defense Minister Viacheslav Shapovalov also resigned, local media reported, alleging his departure was linked to a scandal involving the purchase of food for Ukraine's armed forces. Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko also quit.

In all, four deputy ministers and five governors of front-line provinces were set to leave their posts, the countrys cabinet secretary said on the Telegram messaging app.

Authorities did not announce any criminal charges. There was no immediate explanation.

The departures thinned government ranks already diminished by the deaths of the interior minister, who oversaw Ukraines police and emergency services, and others in the ministrys leadership in a helicopter crash last week.

Tymoshenko joined the presidential office in 2019 after working on Zelenskyys media strategy during his presidential campaign. He was under investigation in connection with his personal use of luxury cars and was among officials a National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine investigator linked in September to the embezzlement of humanitarian aid worth more than $7 million earmarked for the southern Zaporizhzhia region. He has denied the allegations.

On Sunday, a deputy minister at the infrastructure ministry, Vasyl Lozynsky, was fired for alleged participation in a network embezzling budget funds. Ukraines anti-corruption agency detained him while he was receiving a $400,000 bribe for helping to fix contracts for restoring facilities battered by Russian missile strikes, according to Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. He was put under house arrest, told to surrender his passport and ordered to wear a monitoring device, in addition to not communicating with other witnesses in his case..

In an address Sunday, Zelenskyy said Ukraines focus on the Russian invasion would not stop his government from tackling corruption, pledging: "There will be no return to what used to be in the past."

Analysts say his message was that corruption wont be tolerated.

Its very hard to save the country when theres a lot of corruption," Andrii Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, a nonprofit organization that fights corruption, told The Associated Press.

Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told AP the shake-up was intended to remind officials of the entire (power) vertical that the authorities plan to continue to fight corruption in Ukraine, especially during the war, when literally everything in the country is in short supply."

Fesenko, head of the Kyiv-based Penta Center independent think tank, said Ukrainian authorities and Western officials couldnt simply turn a blind eye on latest scandals." He said the corruption involved supplies for the army so the shake-up was "intended to calm Western partners and show Brussels and Washington that their aid is being used effectively."

Transparency International, in its 2021 report on worldwide corruption, ranked Ukraine 122 out of 180 countries, with 180 representing the most corrupt. Russia ranked 136.

Entrenched corruption long has made foreign investors and governments wary of doing business with Ukraine. Allegations by Ukraines journalists and nonprofits about corruption at high levels of government, in courts and in business have lingered under Zelenskyy, despite a proliferation of anti-corruption panels and measures, according to a U.S. State Department 2020 country report.

A major corruption scandal could endanger the tens of billions of dollars the U.S. and its allies are pouring into Ukraine to keep Ukraines fighters armed, civil servants paid and the lights on. It could risk sinking what has been bipartisan popular and political support for Ukraine from the United States.

We welcome the quick action that President Zelenskyy is taking in this case, as well as the effective action of Ukraines anti-corruption institutions, civil society, and media, to ensure effective monitoring and accountability of public procurement and to hold those in positions of public trust to account," the White House National Security Council said in a statement.

Last June, the EU agreed to put Ukraine on a path toward membership in the bloc. To join, countries must meet economic and political conditions, including a commitment to the rule of law and other democratic principles.

Ukraine has applied to join NATO, too, but the military alliance is not about to offer an invitation, because of the countrys contested borders, defense establishment shortcomings and, in part, its corruption issues.

Meanwhile, in what would be a reversal, U.S. officials said the Biden administration is set to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in a decision that could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months or years for the tanks to be delivered.

The U.S. announcement is expected in coordination with Germany stating that it will approve Polands request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, according to one official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been made public.

German officials declined to comment on the reports of a deal. The news weekly Der Spiegel reported Tuesday, without citing a source, that Germany will provide Ukraine with at least one company of Leopard 2 tanks from its own armys stock.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to deliver an address to parliament Wednesday and field questions from lawmakers, many of whom have been pressing the government to join allies in providing the tanks to Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Tuesday the Poles  and other Western allies he didnt identify  are already training Ukrainian soldiers in Poland on the Leopards.

Also on Tuesday, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto suggested his country may consider joining NATO without neighboring Sweden if Turkey blocks their joint bid to enter the military alliance. Although he later backpedaled, his comments were the first time a leading government official in either Nordic country appeared to raise doubts about becoming NATO members together while the alliance is seeking to present a united front to counter Russia's invasion.

Sweden and Finland rushed to apply for NATO membership following Moscows invasion, abandoning long-standing nonalignment policy. Their accession needs the approval of all existing NATO members, including Turkey, which has so far blocked the expansion, saying Sweden in particular needs to crack down on exiled Kurdish militants and their sympathizers.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
At least three people killed in a shooting incident at a convenience store in Yakima city of Washington state in the United States on Tuesday, according to The New York Times as quoted by news agency ANI.

Police officials informed that the gunman fled from the scene straight after shooting 21 people in the store.

The Yakima Police Department were called around 3.30 am to a Circle K store on the city's east side where the three were found dead, the New York Times reported, citing Matthew Murray, the Police Chief.

The shooting appeared random as there was no apparent conflict between the victims and the gunman," the Police Chief said.

Yakima, Washington, a city of around 96,000 people, became the most recent area in the US to deal with gun violence in the first few weeks of 2023 as a result of the incident.

The tragic incident took place a few hours after shootings were reported from two locations in the Half Moon Bay area in northern California of the United States on Tuesday in which 7 people were killed and one was critically injured.

At least four people shot to death in an agricultural area of Northern California on Monday. Josh Becker, Representative of California state said that the killings took place in separate shootings on the outskirts of Half Moon Bay, a city about 30 miles south of San Francisco.

In yet another shooting incident, two students were also killed at a Des Moines school that was designed to keep at-risk youth away from trouble. A man was also seriously injured during the targeted shooting incident in Des Moines.

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, in an official statement, said that three people were arrested shortly after the shooting at the educational program called Starts Right Here.

On Monday, two people died and three were critically injured in a home invasion shooting in a Chicago apartment

(With ANI inputs)
Congress MP who is known for eloquent command over English and strong arguments against the colonial mindset of the west towards India, spoke about the much controversial BBC documentary on 2002 Gujarat riots that highliughts involvement of erstwhile Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Tharoor called the government's response to the documentary "childish", he said, "Why give the Brits the power to shake you up?"

He emphasised that government erred while stating that the documentary could undermine the sovereignty and integrity of India". He enunciated that Indias sovereignty is not so fragile that a BBC documentary could undermine it."

Tharoor further added that he is not a big fan of the stereotypical White Western Gaze on India"

Citing the apex court's judgement on the matter, Tharoor went on to say, "This was 21 years ago, Supreme court exonerated PM."

The Ministry of External Affairs has denounced the two-part BBC documentary as a "propaganda piece" that lacked objectivity and displayed a "colonial mindset" and claims it looked into certain aspects of the 2002 Gujarat riots, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the state's chief minister at the time.

Last week, the Center ordered the blocking of numerous YouTube videos and tweets containing links to the documentary.
In its rush to secure electric vehicle (EV) and battery-supply chains, the US government is splashing billions in commitments. But the desperation is leading it astray. Last week, the State Department released an MoU it signed in December to support a deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to build a productive supply chain, from mine to assembly line." The agreement is meant to drive investment and ensure the private sector has a level playing field" in projects. The US is turning to Africa for raw materials. Almost 70% of the worlds cobalt, key to certain types of batteries, is mined in the DRC, which has nearly half the worlds reserves. Zambia is one of the largest producers of copper, used for other components. The US also imports copper from the DRC, its third-largest producer. But the US conveniently failed to mention that cobalt from the Congo has been at the centre of child labour abuses, as the State Departments country report states. The press release announcing the MoU left it at corruption", saying it was committing to respect international standards to prevent, detect, and take legal action to fight corruption throughout this process."

The move is hypocritical. Now that the US needs cobalt and copper, it is willing to go into business and urge private investors to work in the DRC. Whats worse, it comes after its strong criticism of Chinas alleged infractions. The US Labor Department put solar-grade polysilicon from Xinjiang province on a 2022 list of goods produced by child or forced labouralongside cobalt from the DRC. In the report, US Labor Secretary Martin Walsh called the abuses in the Chinese region egregious, systemic and ongoing" and said that the goods produced under these conditions have no place in the US economy." The US banned goods from the Chinese province clearly because it saw the country as a strategic threat. That principle doesnt seem to apply to the DRC, an unstable country in a volatile region. An insurgency in the eastern part has displaced over 450,000 people. That makes cobalt the blood diamond equivalent in batteries.

The US has, for several years, committed foreign aid to the DRC for economic support and health programmes of around $250-300 million annually. It renewed its development cooperation agreement that ensures $1.6 billion over the next five years. All noble, but by no means a justifiable path to secure cobalt and copper resources and boost industrialization there. Putting terms and conditions on the aid would be one place to start.

The abuses associated with cobalt are not peripheral issues. Mercedes-Benz AG, for instance, goes to great lengths to disclose its use to ensure transparency. The carmaker assesses and audits its battery-cell suppliers to prevent child and forced labour. Agreements for procuring these parts require disclosure from the entire cobalt supply chain. Even Tesla chief Elon Musk, who came under heavy criticism a few years ago for use of the battery material in his companys vehicles, has walked away from the crucial element altogether.

Trying to secure cobalt supplies and elevating its importance, along with encouraging private investment to go into the DRC, is misguided. This approach highlights the deeper flaws with the USs botched attempt at industrial policy. Its been largely focused on its foreign affairs, not on whats actually possible, or helpful, domestically. If it does want to sign up for the goods it now needs, then it should take a stand on who it will do business with, and on what terms.

Whats more, cobalts days may be numbered. With all the complex supply issues around it, companies are shifting away from the element and the types of batteries it goes into. The use of lithium iron phosphate has continued to rise sharply, as manufacturers scale up the safer chemistry which is cleaner to produce, with almost 30% lower emissions. Its part of the reason why demand for cobalt in power-packs is expected to fall sharply over the next decade. Thats why its hard to imagine companies doubling down.

The State Departments MoU states that the US commitment is for the greater good of climate change and will go towards the goal of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 Celsius, thereby helping the international community reduce emissions." Commendable motives, indeed. However, no one has even begun to question what the multi-billion-dollar factory-building boom in the US to produce batteries will mean for greenhouse gases. Research has shown that cobalt-containing cathodes are the biggest contributors. It may be worthwhile for the US to invest in improving viable, cleaner technologies.

Its easy to lash out and walk a higher moral ground with China, or Elon Musk and his large private-sector peers. Its tougher to introspect, isnt it?

Anjani Trivedi is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrials including policies and firms in the machinery, automobile, electric vehicle and battery sectors across Asia Pacific.
WASHINGTON : The M1 Abrams tank is among the most powerful ground weapons in the U.S. arsenal, able to close in on enemy tanks, troop positions and other targets, blast them with its cannon and machine guns, and then speed away.

The tanks heavy armor protects the vehicle and its four-person crew from small-arms fire, shell fragments and even some direct hits. It can ford waters up to four feet deep.

The fundamental mission of the tank platoon is to close with and destroy the enemy," reads the first sentence of a 2019 training document for Army and Marine Corps tank commanders.

The Biden administration could announce as soon as Wednesday that it will send dozens of Abrams to Ukraine to help Kyivs forces retake territory from the Russians.

Named for Gen. Creighton Abrams, a World War II tank commander, the first Abrams entered service with the U.S. Army in 1980. Intended initially to fight the Soviets in Germanys strategic Fulda Gap, the Abrams has been updated several times with a larger cannon and improvements to its armor, transmission and drivetrain. Over the years, the Pentagon has purchased more than 7,000 of the tanks in various configurations, according to the Congressional Research Service, a research arm of the Library of Congress.

The Abrams first saw action in the Gulf War, where it won wide praise from commanders, crews and maintenance workers for its killing power and toughness in the face of enemy fire, and speed, according to a 1992 report by the Government Accountability Office.

The tanks helped the U.S. military overpower Iraqi forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and supported raids and other operations in Fallujah and elsewhere. The tanks also served in Afghanistan, where a Marine Corps armored company deployed in 2011 and suffered only a single wounded in action during its tour, despite taking 19 IED strikes, according to an article in the Army journal Military Review.

But throughout its service, soldiers and war planners have been concerned about the tanks huge fuel consumption and limited range, and the long logistics and maintenance train that follows the Abrams into combat. Those, among other factors, made the Pentagon reluctant to send Ukraine tanks.

A battalion of 58 tanks requires dozens of support vehicles and hundreds of soldiers to keep it runninga formula known in military circles as the tooth-to-tail ratio. Those could include armored ambulances, command vehicles, maintenance trucks, and trucks to tow disabled tanks. The trucks have to haul fuel, ammunition, lubricants, engine oil, hydraulic fluid, and extremely heavy spare parts.

Everything thats associated with the tank is heavy," said Dan Grazier, a former Marine Corps tank officer.

Even with all that, a tank battalion can only operate for two or three days in the field without resupply from a logistics battalion, said Mr. Grazier, who is now a researcher at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan think tank.

If we gave the Ukrainians tanks and we didnt give them everything they need to support them logistically, then we would hardly be doing them any favors," he said. Theres a whole lot that needs to drag behind a tank to keep it moving."
Costco became the latest retailer to implement purchasing limits on fresh meat because of the slowdown at processing plants during the coronavirus pandemic.
Qabil Ashirov

Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia have appealed to the European Commission (EC) to make the issue a priority for Brussels to support the developments needed to guarantee energy security in the region, Azernews reports referring to Hungary Today.

Hungary welcomes Azerbaijan's plans to double gas supplies to the EU by 2027, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said at a joint press conference in Budapest with Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov on January 24, 2023.

He stated that increasing natural gas production in Azerbaijan could play an important role in the energy security of Hungary and Central Europe, but this requires the development of infrastructure in the region, which in turn, requires the EU support.

If Europe cannot get new energy sources, if it cannot build new energy transport routes, its energy supply will not be secure, the Hungarian minister warned.

Peter Szijjarto added that Hungary, together with Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia, had appealed to the European Commission to make the issue a priority for Brussels to support the developments needed to guarantee the regional energy security.
Longford County Council is to sign an agreement of friendship and co-operation with the State of Maryland in the US following a visit by officials of the Old Line State to Ireland.

Longford council's CEO, Paddy Mahon, told members at the January meeting of the local authority that the visit was about promoting cooperation between State bodies in Ireland and the State of Maryland.

When in Longford the Maryland delegation visited the site of the 'Lady Baltimore' statue, situated on Baltimore Lane, in Cloonageeher townland, beside the county boundary with Leitrim. The statue was a gift to Longford from Baltimore in 1974 in recognition of Baltimores founder, Sir George Calvert, who was granted the title Lord Baltimore of Baltimore in Longford by King James I of England.

Mr Mahon told members: The representatives visited the statue put in place 50 years ago. They are very keen to extend the hand of friendship and co-operation to Longford. They proposed we sign an agreement of friendship and co-operation.

The local authority CEO said Longford was not the only target for such a proposal: Something very important to them is the historic connection with the equine industry. They have been in touch with Counties Kildare and Tipperary about similar agreements.

Asking members for their support Mr Mahon said: It's the first step. I am proposing to members that we adopt the protocols in this list.

Cllr Colm Murray voiced his support for the proposal: I think this is a welcome development. It's different in its approach to normal twinning arrangements. One of the biggest differences is that the approach has been made to this local authority by the State of Maryland. This is the bones of a very good agreement.

Cllr Murray said: I am happy to propose the adoption of this agreement.

Fianna Fail's Seamus Butler was supportive, but voiced concern about the proposal: It's very short notice, he said, A lot of work has been done under Barbera's (Heslin) directorship to establish protocols for twinning. One of the cornerstones is funding. We have been told unless we have specific funding we will have to allocate money out of the Longford Municipal District budget to fund twinning projects.

Cllr Butler said the links with Maryland may present possibilities other twinning arrangements do not present: This link may present real business opportunities, he told members.

The prospect of twinning with Maryland's capital, Baltimore, was last raised in 2018. Back then two council representatives, Senator Micheal Carrigy and Deputy Joe Flaherty clashed. Senator Carrigy said there was merit in exploring a potential twinning arrangement with Baltimore, owing largely to its mutual affiliation with the English politician and coloniser George Calvert.

While Deputy Flaherty said Baltimore was way off the mark in meeting the high standards set by a county looking to strengthen its economic and social capacity.

The elected members passed the proposal to sign the agreement of friendship and co-operation between Longford and the State of Maryland.
Two women have gone on trial accused of trafficking two Brazilian women, who were allegedly moved between rural towns and required to work as prostitutes.

On the first day of the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial, Garnet Orange SC, prosecuting, said the trial would give an insight to a side of the country many of us weren't aware of. It is expected to run for six weeks.

Natalia Nogueira Da Silva (32), of Cairn Hill View, Drumlish, Co Longford, pleaded not guilty to one count of human trafficking a woman at an unknown location within the State on dates between March 31, 2019 and May 18, 2019.

She pleaded guilty in front of the jury to one count of organising prostitution at an unknown location within the State on dates between December 5, 2018 and May 18, 2019.

She also admitted one count of facilitating the entry into the State of a person she knew to be illegal on March 31, 2019 at Dublin Airport, along with 33 counts of money laundering the proceeds of crime on dates between March 2020 and May 2021.

Da Silva's co-accused, Ivanilce (Lisa) Vailones Fidelis, (46), of Castle Manor, Racecourse Road, Roscommon, pleaded not guilty to all 18 counts against her.

Fidelis denied two counts of human trafficking two women at various locations within the State on dates between December 2018 and May 2019. She pleaded not guilty to one count of organising prostitution during the same time period.

Fidelis further pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of money laundering the proceeds of crime on dates between January 2015 and December 2020 and one count of removing proceeds of crime from the State during the same time period.

The State alleges the two accused women trafficked two vulnerable Brazilian women for the purposes of exploiting those women and taking advantage of their vulnerability to such an extent as to cause the trafficked person to have no real or acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

Opening the case to the jury, Mr Orange said it would hear evidence the two Brazilian women, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were living hand to mouth in their home country before they arrived in Ireland. He said the women did not have visas, but had been told there was a scheme where they could enter the country and take up work.

Very soon after they arrived, they realised it was expected of them that they would be engaged in prostitution, Mr Orange said.

The prosecution said the trial would hear that the women were not known to each other. They were met separately at the airport before being taken to various rural towns, where they were expected to work as prostitutes for one week before being moved on to another town.

Mr Orange said the jury would hear evidence that the two accused women were actively involved in organising (the two women) as prostitutes within the State.

Ms Da Silva has pleaded guilty to that, he added.

You'll hear of towns around the country to which they were brought, week after week after week, Mr Orange said, saying the women spent time in accommodation in Portarlington, Thurles, Tralee, Enniscorthy and Roscommon, among other places.

Both women had profiles on a website called 'Escort Ireland', which the prosecution alleges were set up by the two accused.

Escort Ireland seems to have been central to the organisation because it provided the means by which clients or customers made arrangements to meet prostitutes, Mr Orange said.

The prosecution case is that the women couldn't just walk away from their situation for two reasons  the first being that they were allegedly in a debt bondage situation whereby they owed money for their plane tickets and other expenses and were being charged exorbitant rent for their accommodation.

Debt bondage leads to a situation where you can walk away once you've paid your debt, but you can never earn enough to pay the debt, Mr Orange said.

The second reason the women did not leave their alleged situation was because they were being threatened, the prosecution alleges.

Mr Orange said the jury would hear evidence of threats, and apprehensions in general, not just for their own safety but the safety of their families in Brazil.

Mr Orange said the jury would hear how the women did eventually go to gardai and how the investigation against the two accused women then commenced.

The first complainant in the trial gave evidence on Tuesday, January 24 via videolink. Speaking through an interpreter, the 35-year-old woman told the court that in 2019, she was living in her native Salvadore, Brazil with her two children.

She told the court she wanted to open a hair salon in Salvadore and was told by a third party how she could come to Ireland to earn money to realise my dream. She told the court she was put in contact with two women named Lisa and Natalia, and that Lisa paid for her plane tickets to Ireland.

The woman told the court Lisa told her to tell immigration that she was staying with friends, which she did, before she was met by Natalia outside the airport. She said she was brought to Penneys to buy clothes, given an Irish sim card for her phone and then driven to an apartment in Portarlington.

She said it was the next morning that she was phoned by Lisa, who told her she would be sending men to the apartment.

The woman said she was told everything I was supposed to do in relation to prostitution and that she got very nervous. She told the court she rang the third party who had first told her about coming to Ireland.

(This person) told me I should avoid confrontation with them because it wasn't safe, I should wait for three months to be up and then I could leave, the woman said.

The trial continues before Judge Patricia Ryan and a jury.
An Irish teacher who was dismissed amid a row related to transgender pronouns was arrested after he returned to the school.

Enoch Burke, who was previously jailed after failing to observe a court injunction banning him from attending Wilsons Hospital school in Co Westmeath when he was suspended from work, was informed last Friday of his dismissal from his position as teacher.

The evangelical Christian was suspended from work on full pay last year pending the outcome of a disciplinary process, after a number of incidents stemming from the transgender row.

Mr Burke voiced on several occasions his opposition to a request from the secondary schools principal to address a transgender child by their name and refer to them by the pronoun they.

Subsequent events led to his suspension from his job at Wilsons Hospital.

A family member issued a statement on his behalf on Friday, saying he had been dismissed. This came after a formal disciplinary hearing earlier in the week.

However, Mr Burke turned up at the school on Tuesday. He told reporters outside he was there to work.

Gardai were called to the school and Mr Burke was arrested a short time later and driven to Mullingar Garda station.

After being released he then returned to the school and again entered the property. He left at about 4pm.

He told reporters he had earlier been wrongfully arrested for trespass.

Its not trespassing to turn up at your place of work, thats absolutely not trespassing, he said.

He claimed the purported disciplinary meeting and the resulting purported dismissal was not due to take effect for months, and said he was still a school employee.

All of this is simply because I wont accept transgenderism, he said.

Its absolutely preposterous and very, very sad. Its really terrible and its very, very wrong. And thats why I am here.

He added: Im here to work, here to do my work, as every teacher in the country and every civil servant and every employee has an absolute right to do.

During protracted legal hearings last year, it was heard that the school accused Mr Burke of confronting the principal at a school event in June, which led the principal to raise concerns about his future behaviour.

The principal then compiled a report last August, which led to the disciplinary process.

Mr Burke was later committed to Mountjoy Prison in Dublin by a High Court judge after he breached a temporary court order to stay away from his workplace.

He was released from prison in December and resumed attending the school despite the continued injunction.

The disciplinary hearing involving Mr Burke that took place last week related to alleged gross misconduct at the school.

PA has approached the school for comment.

A Garda spokesman said: A male was arrested under the Public Order Act 1994 and taken to Mullingar Garda Station.

He has subsequently been released pending the submission of a file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Politics

By Jacob Alvear Published: January 25 2023

Governor Hochul Highlighted Major Public Safety Initiatives as Part of the 2023 State of the State Agenda, Including Expanding Crime Analysis Center Network to New York City, Doubling Funding for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination ...

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the expansion of the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center in Albany, one of 10 centers in a state-supported network providing critical crime analysis, information, and investigative support to help law enforcement agencies more effectively solve, reduce, and prevent crime. Located at the City of Albany's Police Headquarters, the center received a $500,000 upgrade, making it four times the size of its former location with space for twice the number of staff. After touring the center, Governor Hochul highlighted the major public safety initiatives included in the 2023 State of the State agenda, which includes expanding the Crime Analysis Center network to New York City, doubling funding for the state's Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative, and more than tripling aid to the state's 62 district attorneys' offices.

"There is no greater obligation than ensuring every New Yorker can live in safety, and that has always been my number one priority," Governor Hochul said. "We have leveraged local, state, and federal resources to create a one-of-a-kind network that is the backbone of local law enforcement agencies' crime-fighting efforts. We will continue to use state-of-the-art tools and technology to analyze data and share information - allowing investigators to solve murders, robberies, burglaries and gun crimes across the state, and creating a safer New York for all."

Governor Hochul toured the center with Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Albany County Executive Dan McCoy after meeting with the Center Board of Directors to learn more about how the centers assist police agencies and prosecutors' office, particularly with cases involving firearms. Through a unique partnership between the state Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the 10 centers access the ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and by this summer, each center will have technology on-site to process shell casings and identify potential matches from different crime scenes in multiple jurisdictions across the state. This identification process previously took up to a month but will now take 24 to 48 hours and has a 99.6 accuracy rating.

Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado said, "DCJS is proud to provide vital resources, training and other assistance to our law enforcement partners so they can better serve our communities and use effective strategies to help prevent gun violence and reduce violent crime. We thank Governor Hochul for her leadership and support for our public safety efforts, helping to ensure that our law enforcement partners have the tools they need to focus on the most critical issues and create safer communities for all New Yorkers."

U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge John DeVito said, "This partnership between ATF and all of our federal, state and local partners has never been stronger in New York State. We are especially thankful for the partnership with Governor Hochul, and DCJS leadership for embracing the ATF Crime Gun Intelligence violent crime reduction strategy. The data derived from crime gun tracing, ballistics analysis and total collaboration amongst investigative partners will help all law enforcement better protect the public. This is all a result of Governor Kathy Hochul and DCJS Commissioner Rossana Rosado's commitment to invest and expand upon these vital public safety resources across the state, and ultimately the country."

First established in 2009 to serve law enforcement agencies in Albany County, the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center now serves Columbia, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Washington Counties and provides assistance to any police agency or prosecutor's office upon request. This center is currently staffed by 24 analysts and personnel, either funded by DCJS or assigned by local, state, and federal agencies, including the Albany and Schenectady police departments; Albany County Probation Department; New York State Police; New York National Guard; New York-New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA); ATF; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The new, 4,100-square-foot location allows the center to have space for up to 39 employees.

Last year, Governor Hochul secured $15 million in the FY 23 Budget for the Crime Analysis Center Network, administered by DCJS, which nearly doubled the state's investment. The other centers in the network are located in Broome, Erie, Franklin, Niagara, Monroe, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, and Suffolk Counties and, in total, the network serves more than 350 law enforcement agencies in 43 counties, as well as any agency upon request. Each center is overseen by a board of directors with representation from DCJS, as well as local and state agencies.

In 2022, staff at the 10 centers responded to more than 66,000 requests for assistance from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, helping agencies solve murders, robberies, burglaries, gun crimes, and other serious cases. Just last week, the East Greenbush Police Department announced it had solved the 1994 murder of 81-year-old Wilomeana "Violet" Filkins; staff of the Capital Region center provided investigative support that assisted with the case.

In the Governor's 2023 State of the State agenda, Governor Hochul outlined a comprehensive public safety plan and investments to drive down gun violence and violent crime that includes:

Expanding the state's Crime Analysis Center Network to New York City .

Doubling funding for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative to $36 million. The GIVE initiative supports 20 police departments in 17 counties that account for more than 80 percent of the violent crime that occurs in New York State outside of New York City: Albany, Broome, Chautauqua, Dutchess , Erie, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Rensselaer, Rockland, Schenectady, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester. District attorneys' offices, probation departments, sheriffs' offices , and other partners in those counties also receive funding through the initiative.

-In 2022, shootings in several GIVE jurisdictions decreased from the year before, including Buffalo (32 percent decrease), Long Island (29 percent decrease), Westchester (17 percent), and Rochester (13 percent).

Bolstering State Police support by increasing Community Stabilization Units from 16 to 25 communities, funding an unprecedented four academy classes and expanding presence on federal task forces.

More than tripling funding to $52 million , up from $12 million, for the state's 62 district attorney's offices and sustaining discovery and pretrial services funding for costs associated with implementation of recent criminal justice reforms to discovery and pretrial procedures, which took effect January 1, 2020.

Driving Down Gun Violence

Last year, shootings dropped 17 percent in New York City and 15 percent outside of the city. Additionally, 10,093 guns were seized by all law enforcement agencies across New York last year. This marks a 59 percent increase from 2019, during which 6,819 guns were seized, and an 11 percent increase from 2021, during which 9,088 guns seized. Gun seizures by the State Police are also up 160 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels, from 528 seizures in 2019 to 1,376 in 2022. State Police also seized 120 ghost guns in 2022, which is 85 percent more than in 2021.

Since taking office, Governor Hochul has taken actions to strengthen New York State's gun violence prevention laws by advancing efforts to:

B an ghost gun s.

E xpand bail eligibility for gun crimes .

T oughe n prosecutions of gun trafficking .

Ma ndat e the use of the Red Flag law, le ading to more than 5,400 Extreme Risk Protection Orders issued , which was a 300 percent increase from 202 1.

R ais e the age to purchase semi-automatic weapons to 21 .

L aunch the first - in - the - nation Interstate Task Force on Illegal G uns , which will meet again in mid-February .

T ripl e State investments in gun violence interruption programs.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said, "Albany is proud to be home to the newest and largest Crime Analysis Center in New York State. The work happening here is helping us take a record number of illegal guns off our streets, apprehend violent individuals, and identify trends to help inform our proactive deployment of police resources. Thank you to Governor Hochul and DCJS Commissioner Rossana Rosado for partnering with Chief Hawkins and the Albany Police Department and making this important investment that is enhancing public safety every day."

Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy said, "New Yorkers deserve the peace of mind that comes with living in safe communities, and this $500,000 investment for an expanded crime analysis center in Albany is another demonstration of Governor Hochul's commitment to public safety. Today I was happy to tour the new facility with the Governor and Mayor Sheehan to see firsthand the important work being done to assist local law enforcement in getting guns off the street and preventing violent crime in the future."

The Division of Criminal Justice Services is a multi-function criminal justice support agency and has a variety of responsibilities, including law enforcement training; collection and analysis of statewide crime data; maintenance of criminal history information and fingerprint files; administrative oversight of the state's DNA databank, in partnership with the New York State Police; funding and oversight of probation and community correction programs; administration of federal and state criminal justice funds; support of criminal justice-related agencies across the state; and administration of the state's Sex Offender Registry. Follow the agency on Twitter and Facebook.
Local News, Business & Finance, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Politics

By Jacob Alvear Published: January 25 2023

City of Long Beach and Village of Lindenhurst to Receive $4.5 Million Each.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the City of Long Beach and the Village of Lindenhurst will each receive $4.5 million in funding as the Long Island region winners of the first round of NY Forward. Building on the momentum of the State's successful Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the $100 million NY Forward program adopts the same "Plan-then-Act" strategy as the DRI to support a more equitable downtown recovery for New York's smaller and rural communities. As part of NY Forward Round One, two to three awards will be made to smaller communities in each of the State's ten economic development regions to support development and implementation of a revitalization plan for their downtowns.

"Our downtowns create a vital economic lifeline for so many of our smaller communities to thrive, flourish, and reach their full potential," Governor Hochul said. "As we continue to assist New York businesses recover from the pandemic, we are executing an equitable plan with NY Forward to uplift our business districts utilizing the successful blueprint of our Downtown Revitalization Initiative."

NY Forward is a central component of the State's economic development efforts, working together with DRI to accelerate and expand the revitalization of New York's downtowns. NY Forward serves smaller communities with historic character that distinguishes them from the larger, more urban central business districts typically funded through DRI. NY Forward communities are walkable, less dense areas that serve the immediate local community, and are more local in nature - focusing on the immediately surrounding residential or rural agricultural centric development.

Like DRI, each NY Forward community will develop a Strategic Investment Plan to revitalize its downtown through a slate of readily implementable projects. The Department of State will provide enhanced technical assistance to better support smaller communities that may have less capacity as part of the NY Forward program and fund projects appropriately scaled to the size of each community. Projects may include building renovation and redevelopment, new construction or creation of new or improved public spaces and other projects that elevate specific cultural, historical qualities that enhance the feeling of small-town charm.

Long Beach

Long Beach, nicknamed the "City by the Sea", is best known for its beach and associated boardwalk. Long Beach's downtown includes the Park Avenue Central Business District, which is home to over 180 businesses. The City of Long Beach seeks to enhance its downtown's status as a major regional destination by expanding the City's Complete Streets Initiatives to introduce new traffic calming measures and improved circulation, making its main thoroughfare friendlier to pedestrians and bikers. The City also aims to promote transit oriented/smart and equitable development, grow existing and new local businesses to provide high-quality jobs and expand the arts, along with building resilient infrastructure.

Lindenhurst

The Village of Lindenhurst's downtown is defined by a compact and walkable Village core, which also includes several of the Village's premier open space assets and community amenities. The Village has a goal of creating a healthy, thriving downtown that is attractive for businesses, visitors and residents alike. To spur economic growth in the downtown, the Village has already engaged in numerous planning efforts, including creating a Downtown Redevelopment District Floating Zone to encourage residential and mixed-use development and redevelopment on sites within walking distance of the LIRR and the central business district. Lindenhurst aims to build on these efforts by creating new multi-modal travel choices in and around downtown, transforming underutilized properties into commercial space and mixed-use developments and investing in housing and community amenities.

Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez said, "Downtown communities across the state are being transformed by New York's unique 'plan-then-act' approach to downtown revitalization, and Long Beach and Lindenhurst are the first communities on Long Island to be awarded funding through our newest program - NY Forward. This funding will help Long Beach and Lindenhurst achieve their community-driven visions for downtown resurgence and spur equitable economic growth for generations to come."

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "NY Forward is a catalyst for revitalization, helping local communities create new opportunities for growth and economic prosperity. The City of Long Beach and the Village of Lindenhurst will benefit greatly from this funding, as they work to enhance their status as regional destinations and promote sustainable, equitable development. This will not only bring new businesses to the area but also create healthy and thriving downtowns that are attractive to residents, visitors, and businesses alike."

Long Island Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chairs Linda Armyn, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Bethpage Federal Credit Union and President of Farmingdale State College Dr. John Nader said, "The LIREDC is thrilled that the City of Long Beach and the Village of Lindenhurst have each been selected as recipients of $4.5 million through NY Forward. This funding will provide a vital boost to smaller and rural communities, allowing them to create opportunities for long-term growth and prosperity. The investments made through NY Forward will have a transformative impact on the economic future of these communities, and we look forward to seeing the positive changes that will come as a result."

State Senator Monica R. Martinez said, "I applaud Governor Hochul for her steadfast commitment in providing the necessary resources needed for a community to flourish. The Village of Lindenhurst has focused on creating a walkable, vibrant downtown that prioritizes the needs of both its residents and businesses and will serve as a model for other communities to follow. I look forward to seeing the positive impact New York Forward and other programs alike will have on the state's economy and overall quality of life for New Yorkers."

State Senator Alexis Weik said, "I am so proud to support the great Village of Lindenhurst as the recipients of the NY Forward Grant, a $4.5 million dollar award for downtown revitalization. Mayor, Mike Lavorata, Village Trustee, RJ Renna and assistant to the Village Board, Katie McCaffrey have worked hard to garner support to bring these funds to their village. The Mayor has brought many new family friendly changes to the village, like removing an abandoned building to create a village square park, a gathering place for concerts, family-fun events and New Year's Eve festivities. They have their sights set on possibly acquiring and removing an old court house to increase that small-town charm that has become Lindenhurst. These funds will bring so much more to the charming village and certainly make it a destination."

State Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick said, "Long Beach has a long and storied history as a vibrant and beautiful seaside community by the shores of the Atlantic. The receipt of NY Forward funds will be an important catalyst to help further revitalize the downtown area of the City by the Sea. I want to thank Governor Hochul for working with me to deliver economic support to the community of Long Beach."

Assemblymember Kimberly Jean-Pierre said, "I am proud that the Village of Lindenhurst has been chosen as a NY Forward winner. The Village of Lindenhurst has a vibrant and walkable downtown which has attracted many to the area. The Village has worked extremely hard to make improvements and I am happy their efforts are being recognized today. I appreciate Governor Hochul's investment in our downtown communities allowing them to be an attraction for years to come."

Assemblymember Ari Brown said, "Long Beach, is one of only two cities on Long Island, a beautiful community, rich in its diversity and history. Long Beach has truly turned itself around over the past forty years; I recall in the early 80s many abandoned homes and storefronts. Long Beach truly is a hidden gem, but certainly can use this funding to help it transform and emerge as a world class seaside destination. I commend Governor Hochul for her efforts and for choosing Long Beach as one of the NY Forward recipients."

President of Long Beach City Council John Bendo said, "We want to thank Governor Hochul and the State for this investment. Home to 35,000 residents and a major destination for visitors in the summer, a thriving business district is key to Long Beach's success. With this historic investment, we can now focus on a much needed renewal of our central business district, to meet the needs of our residents and visitors alike."

Village of Lindenhurst Mayor Michael Lavorata said, "The Village of Lindenhurst is thrilled to receive this grant award! I cannot express our excitement over this incredible achievement. I wish to thank Katie McCaffrey and RJ Renna for all of their hard work. I would like to especially recognize Ms. McCaffrey who spearheaded the operation as well as made the presentation and has helped further the Village's commitment to ongoing downtown revitalization! This is truly a historical event for us in our Centennial year and as we look forward to our next 100 years."

The Long Island Regional Economic Development Council conducted a thorough and competitive review process of proposals submitted from communities throughout the region and considered the criteria below before recommending these communities as nominees:

The downtown should be compact, with well-dened boundaries that include the downtown being able to capitalize on prior or catalyze future private and public investment in the neighborhood and its surrounding areas, recent or impending job growth within, or in close proximity to the downtown that can attract workers to the downtown which support redevelopment and make growth sustainable, and the downtown must be an attractive and livable community for diverse populations of all ages, income, gender, identity, ability, mobility and cultural background.

Additionally, the municipality should already embrace or have the ability to create and implement policies that increase livability and quality of life, conduct an open and robust community engagement process resulting in a vision for downtown revitalization and a preliminary list of projects and initiatives that may be included in a Strategic Investment Plan. The boundaries also include the municipality having identied transformative projects that will be ready for near-term implementation with an infusion of NY Forward funds and the municipality having the local capacity to manage the planning process and implementation of projects, including the ability to oversee contracts for awarded municipal projects.

Long Beach and Lindenhurst will now begin the process of developing Strategic Investment Plans to revitalize their downtowns. A Local Planning Committee made up of municipal representatives, community leaders and other stakeholders will lead these eorts, supported by a team of private sector experts and state planners. The Strategic Investment Plan will examine local assets and opportunities to identify projects that align with each community's vision and that are poised for implementation. Funding will be awarded for selected projects from the Strategic Investment Plan that have the greatest potential to jumpstart revitalization and generate new opportunities for long-term growth.
Local News, Crime, Press Releases

By Jacob Alvear Published: January 25 2023

Nassau County Legislature Honored 8th Precinct Nassau County Police Officer Chelsea Penn.

Mineola, NY---On January 23rd, the Nassau County Legislature honored 8th Precinct Nassau County Police Officer Chelsea Penn for her heroic rescue of a woman on a train tracks, who was trying to commit suicide.

On September 11th, 2022, Officer Penn was on patrol in Hicksville and stopped at a train crossing where the rails were down. A train was coming, and Officer Penn noticed something on the tracks. As she got closer, she realized it was a young woman lying on the tracks with her bicycle. The young woman was not moving, and as Office Penn found out, she was trying to commit suicide.

Officer Penn activated her emergency lights and exited her car and yelled for the woman to get off the tracks. After the woman refused to comply, Officer Penn ran onto the tracks and physically removed the woman as the train was approaching. She was able to get the woman off the tracks with ten seconds to spare. The woman told Officer Penn she intended to commit suicide, and Officer Penn called for an ambulance to take her to Nassau County Medical Center.

Thanks to Officer Penns quick actions, she was able to save this womans life. The Legislature is proud to honor her as their Top Cop for January 2023.

Bottom photo, left to right: Frank Arcuri, PBA Sergeant at Arms; James Shanahan, PBA Financial Secretary; Legislator Rose Marie Walker; Officer Chelsea Penn; Legislator Denise Ford; Tommy Shevlin, PBA President.
(Alliance News) - Beowulf Mining PLC on Wednesday launched a preferential rights issue of Swedish depository notes, alongside a UK retail offer of ordinary shares.

Beowulf Mining is a London-based mining company with iron ore, graphite, gold and base metal projects in Sweden, Finland, and Kosovo.

Company shares fell 22% to 3.11 pence per share in London on Wednesday afternoon.

The company will conduct a preferential rights issue of up to 516.7 million Swedish depository receipts, with a retail offer of up to 104.0 million ordinary shares in the UK.

The SDR offer price of SEK0.27, or 0.02p, and the UK offer price of 2.06p, represent a 46% discount to the average daily weighted price for both during a trading period of 15 business days, ended Tuesday.

Members of the board and executive management have also agreed to subscribe for a total of 8.8 million new shares, worth GBP181,000.

The Sweden offer amounts to around GBP6.8 million, while the UK offer amounts to GBP2.1 million, before deduction for transaction related costs.

The maximum gross proceeds from the capital raise, assuming all are fully subscribed, would amount to GBP9.1 million.

Beowulf said that it would use the net proceeds, estimated at GBP7.8 million, to finance the continued development of Kallak North in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden.

On Tuesday, Beowulf said that it had received "positive economic results" from the scoping study for the asset, which is part of the Kallak Ore iron project.

The study began last summer, following the award of the Kallak North exploitation concession on March 22. It presents a base case for the northern deposit, which incorporates a mineral resource estimate from May 2021, and an economic assessment for a mining operation producing up to 2.7 million tonnes per year of high-grade iron concentrate over 14 years.

Based on the study, Beowulf said that Kallak North has a USD177 million net present value, with an international rate of return of 15% and a payback period of 4.5 years from the start of construction.

The company also said it was considering integrating Kallak North and Kallak South, possibly starting drilling at the latter this year.

The pre-feasibility study for Kallak North is set to begin in the second quarter of this year.

By Holly Beveridge; Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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(Alliance News) - RUA Life Sciences on Wednesday said it agreed with medical device company Corcym SRL, which focuses on the human heart, to bring RUA's range of large bore vascular grafts to market.

The medical device firm, focused on the patented long-term implantable biostable polymer Elast-Eon, said the global distribution agreement has granted Corcym exclusive rights to commercialise its large bore straight and aortic root grafts for heart surgeons.

Shares in RUA Life Sciences were up 37% to 62.80 pence each in London on Wednesday morning.

It said a partnership model has been agreed where each party will share the gross margin on global sales on a 50:50 basis, instead of agreeing specific price points by territory, to provide Corcym with the necessary flexibility to maximise market penetration.

Corcym has a commercial presence servicing heart surgeons in over 100 countries, according to RUA Life Sciences.

RUA Life Sciences said it has a pipeline of vascular grafts in development for the repair of diseased and damaged blood vessels, including the thoracic aorta, with the total global market size for these products estimated to be around USD1 billion annually.

The regulatory strategies and plans for the pipeline products have been agreed, with RUA Life Sciences anticipating a number of regulatory approvals from 2025 through 2027.

This allows Corcym to commercialise the grafts, RUA Life Sciences said.

"The mutual benefits of this partnership with Corcym are transformational for RUA," said RUA Life Sciences Chair Bill Brown. "Not only does it validate our belief in the product range but it is backed up with Corcym's capacity and capabilities to make the graft range available to heart surgeons globally."

Christian Mazzi, chief executive officer of Corcym, added: "Corcym is excited to partner with an innovative company like RUA to commercialise the aortic graft range.

"Corcym's mission is to help cardiac surgeons treat patients better, today and in the future, and RUA's aortic graft range will be an important addition to the product portfolio we can offer heart surgeons worldwide."

By Greg Rosenvinge, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Fourteen Lycoming College theatre majors and minors participated in this years Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), Region 2 at West Chester University, Jan.17-21. The theatre department takes a group of students to the festival each year to provide them with the opportunity to showcase their talents, present their work, compete with students from over 50 other universities and colleges in the nine-state region, and attend workshops led by theatre professionals. This years student attendees included: Christian Becker, Sadie Bossons, McKayla Cobb, Douglas Dixey, Abigayle Greevy, Thatcher Gunnells, Shantel Hill, Kirsten Houseman, Hannah Bailey Martin, Julia Martin, Keigan Mulreaney, Zoe Pew, Laura Ulrich, and Rachel Wright-Miggett.

Lycoming students presented their work with great success and earned recognition and multiple awards.

Ulrich was selected as a finalist and received the Musical Theatre Intensive Recognition of Vocal Excellence award; Bossons received the Design, Technology and Management Regional Honorable Mention award in Stage Management; and Hill received the National Playwriting Program Outstanding Performance award for her performance in a 10-minute play, which was cast at the festival.

Cobb with partner Becker, and Bailey with partner Hill were selected as semi-finalists in the Irene Ryan acting scholarship auditions. Dixey, Gunnels, Cobb, and Hill were cast in 10-minute play project; and Martin was cast in the one-act presentations at the festival. All fourteen students participated in variety of professional workshops and received feedback on their presentations, which they submitted for review before the festival.

Leslie Gulden, Ph.D, visiting professor of theatre, and Bonnie Hall, costume designer at Lycoming College, supervised and provided transportation for the students while Jay Innerarity, associate professor of theatre, and Biliana Stoytcheva-Horissian, Ph.D., associate professor of theatre and chair of the department, continued serving the region in their KCACTF leadership positions as the DTM immediate past chair and Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship auditions coordinator.

I am very happy that we finally had a chance to go back to an in-person festival after two years of remote experiences. Our strong presentations at the KCACTF Region 2 are a result of the hard work of our students and a testimony to the high quality, extensive, one-on-one mentoring provided by the faculty in our department, said Stoytcheva-Horissian.

The KCACTF is a national theatre program involving 20,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide annually, and a network of more than 700 academic institutions throughout the country. KCACTF encourages, recognizes, and celebrates the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theatre programs.
Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.
Common Services Assistant Reception

https://staffing-les.international.gc.ca/en/careers/common-services-assistant-reception-knsha-107405-en

Selection Process N: 107405-6

Salary: 22,658 USD + benefits - NOT NEGOTIABLE

Contract Type: Indeterminate (Full-time)

Term Details: This position is a Locally Engaged Staff position, subject to the Terms and Conditions of Employment for LES in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Job Function: Administrative

Classification: LE - A2

Location: the Embassy of Canada to the Democratic Republic of Congo

Number of Vacancies: 1

Closing date for application: 31 January, 2023 at 23:59 UTC/GMT +1:00

Apply Here

Summary of Duties:

This is an administrative support position for the Common Services Program. Under the general supervision of the Management and Consular Services Officer , manages the central switchboard and general mailbox serving all mission programs. Manages the official vehicle reservation system and the dispatch of Mission drivers. Provides specific support to the consular program by responding to inquiries, providing concise and accurate information to program visitors, providing administrative support to the consular officer, assisting with passport distribution, and identifying local contacts as needed. Directs specific inquiries to relevant mission programs; responds to general inquiries about Canada in French and English as needed; directs outgoing mission mail; controls access to the embassy, ensures lobby is in good condition and adheres to security policies. May provide general administrative support, as required, to the common services section, including tasks such as data entry, document scanning, filing and basic internet searches; and performs other duties as required.



Area of Selection:

This position is open to external candidates eligible to reside and work in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and to indeterminate, term and emergency employees of the Canadian Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo who meet all of the employment requirements below.

Please note that the Embassy of Canada to the Democratic Republic of Congo does not sponsor work authorizations directly or indirectly.

The Government of Canada is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from diverse sections of the community. Candidates will be considered based on merit. Our organization offers an inclusive workplace where respect, teamwork, and collaboration are part of our culture. Canadas missions abroad are committed to promoting and supporting an environment free from harassment and discrimination, as well as encouraging and supporting employees to learn and develop their skills and competencies.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates will initially be screened against the Essential Qualifications relating to education, language* and experience.

Candidates must clearly demonstrate when applying to the position how they meet each of these essential qualifications.

*Language will be assessed further during the process.

Education:

Candidates will be required to provide proof of the completion of their education.

Minimum Graduation degree from an internationally recognized university or the Congolese Ministry of Higher and University Education (ESU) in an administrative or secretarial discipline or an acceptable* combination of education, training and work experience in a field related to the position.



*A total of 3 years or more is an acceptable combination of education and relevant experience.

Language:

Fluency in French (oral and written)

Fluency in English (oral and written)

Experience:

Recent experience* working in an office environment as a receptionist or administrative support.

Recent experience* providing services directly to clients in person, electronically and by telephone.

Recent experience* in using computer software/database including Microsoft Office.

* Recent experience is defined as a minimum of one (1) year within the last 5 years.

RATED REQUIREMENTS

The Rated Requirements are part of the essential qualifications and are relating to knowledge, abilities and competencies. Methods of assessment for rated requirements may include, but are not limited to, a written examination, an oral interview (online pre-recorded/live or in-person), role-play, practical tests, presentations and/or psychometric assessment.

Knowledge:

Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Outlook)

Competencies:

Client focus

Problem solving

Organizational skills

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Abilities:

Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment

Asset Qualifications:

Preference may be given to candidates who meet the Asset Qualifications. Where applicable, candidates must clearly demonstrate how they meet any asset qualifications.

Experience working with a diplomatic mission or international organization

Operational Requirements:

Required to work directly with the public including with Canadians in distress.

Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week, 5 days a week

Conditions of Employment:

Conditions of employment must be met or complied with before being appointed to a particular position, and are to be maintained throughout the employment while being the incumbent of this position.

- Valid work authorization: Ability to obtain and hold a valid work authorization covering the entire employment period.

- Security screening: Obtain and maintain a Reliability Status (security level) which includes a criminal and credit background check from the Government of Canada covering the entire employment period.

- Other conditions of employment:

Before an offer of employment can be made, candidates must provide a local address as proof of residence in the specific city, region or country so that if selected, it will appear on the offer letter.

How to Apply

You must submit your application using the "Apply online" function. Only applications submitted via VidCruiter will be considered, unless a valid reason is presented and accepted prior to the closing date.

Do not include personal data such as; age, date of birth, gender, marital status, family status, religion or a picture in your application form, CV nor cover letter (as required). Please only include information relevant to the vacancy as requested in the job poster.

You must clearly demonstrate in answering the screening questions how you meet the education and experience factors listed in the essential and asset qualifications. You must provide specific examples to demonstrate clearly how you meet the qualifications. Global Affairs Canada cannot make any assumptions about your studies nor experience. Simply saying you have the required qualifications or listing your current duties will not be sufficient. Instead, you must provide concrete and detailed examples that clearly explain where, when, and how you gained the experience. No additional information will be sought beyond what you submit in your online application.

Candidates may be required to upload a CV and/or a cover letter in English or French. These documents may be used as a secondary source to validate the answers to the screening questions.

Applications which do not include all of the requested documents or information and/or which are not received by the closing date will be rejected.

Candidates who are unable to submit their application due to technical difficulties must report these to LES-E-Recruitment-BREU@international.gc.ca prior to the closing date. Failure to do so will result in the application being rejected.

Important Notes


Biomedical Engineer

Country: Democratic Republic of Congo

City: La Gombe, Kinshasa

Type: Full Time

Level: 4

Program (Division): Country Programs - Democratic Republic of Congo

Overview

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries, while strengthening the capabilities of governments and the private sector in those countries to create and sustain high-quality health systems that can succeed without our assistance. For more information, please visit: https://www.clintonhealthaccess.org

CHAI is seeking applications for the position of Biomedical Engineer to provide comprehensive and expert technical guidance to the Oxygen project.

He will have to develop specifications for the needs of medical equipment for the management of oxygen therapy, ensure the proper installation and efficient use of the oxygen production plants (PSA) which will be installed in kimpese and in Mbuji-Mayi, but also the monitoring of the rehabilitation and compliance of the infrastructures of the selected hospitals to enable them to use liquid medical oxygen (LOX).

Professionally bilingual in English and French

Responsibilities

The Biomedical Engineering will report directly to the Oxygen program Manager and will provide technical assistance in overall OXYGEN pilot project including:

Identify technical assistance needs for PSA and health facility technicians for preventive maintenance and repair of biomedical equipment.

Identify the technical assistance needs of selected hospitals to install and maintain LOX equipment and infrastructure.

Supervise and support the PSA installation and maintenance process.

Supervise and support the procurement process and installation of the LOX system, associated equipment and accessories.

Supervise and support the process of repair and installation of piping for the dispensing of medical oxygen at the bedside of the patient in the selected health facilities.

Facilitating discussions for scaling up the pilot including establishing a depot, increasing LOX importation volumes, and increasing the network of distribution points.

Setting up of a national plan to officially incorporate LOX into product mix

Provide regular reports on progress to the Program Manager and the Technical Advisor supply chain, and perform any other duties as assigned by the Manager.

Support clinical training and mentoring in oxygen: training planning and implementation, tracking capacity gaps and progress, ensure integration with other CHAI DRC programs, etc.

Develop guiding and training tools to support capacity strengthening for both BMEs responsible for running and maintaining PSA, LOX systems, and health care workers (HCWs) working in critical care services at the pilot facilities

Work with the MoHS and key stakeholders to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for PSA, LOX systems to better guide HCW and operations teams within the pilot health facilities.

Qualifications

The position requires an individual with a self-starter attitude with the ability to apply systems thinking to their everyday work. The individual must be able to function independently and flexibly in a swift manner. The ideal individual will possess cultural sensitivity skills and demonstrate high emotional intelligence, as they will be working closely with government and external partners.

The ideal candidate should have the following minimum qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering or related discipline and at least 5 years of professional experience in biomedical engineering

Experience in conducting desk and literature reviews; ability to streamline and synthesize large amounts of information into high-quality documents for a wide range of stakeholder.

Experience in convening meetings and facilitating discussions among a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders; previous experience working with government stakeholders preferred.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills; high proficiency in MS Office Suite, particularly Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook

Strong critical thinking skills and ability to problem-solve independently.

Great attention to detail, with exceptional organizational, coordination, and time management skills

Able to quickly learn and become well-versed in all relevant aspects of oxygen delivery, across components of supply chain, equipment management, human resources, and clinical training, etc.

Understanding of and sensitivity to limitations in low-resource settings

Advantages:

Understanding of market dynamics for oxygen

Good understanding of oxygen production

Experience working on public health-related issues, especially oxygen supply and delivery

Experience in supply chain areas such as eLMIS, quantification, and distribution to ensure an interrupted availability of health commodities.

Demonstrated growth in responsibility in current or previous roles.

Experience working in a multicultural office environment.

Application
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By Trend

CEO of the Lagazetteaz.fr online newspaper, founded by Trend News Agency in France, Jean-Michel Brun published an article about another EU civilian mission on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border and the reception of members of the Armenian Diaspora by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, Trend reports.

According to the article, this mission is being sent to continue the first mission of 40 people sent for two months at the end of last year after the agreement reached at the Prague meeting on October 6, 2022 between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, France and the President of the Council of Europe.

"On the same day when the new EU mission was announced, the French President received at the Elysee Palace the co-chairs of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France, Murad Papazian and Ara Toranian, Brun writes.

Ara Toranian, who is currently the director of the Les Nouvelles d'Armenie website, was also the press secretary of ASALA in the 80s, which is known as an organizer of many terrorist attacks, in particular the terrorist attack at Orly airport in 1983. As for Murad Papazian, one of the leaders of the nationalist Dashnak party [Armenian Revolutionary Federation], he is considered to be a dangerous activist even in Armenia. He is banned from entering the country, he added.

Brun notes that an article published on the website of Les Nouvelles d'Armenie states that the meeting was devoted to the "threat of ethnic cleansing", which is allegedly directed, in particular, against Armenians. Brun hopes that this does not reflect the essence of the meeting, as the question may arise whether France and the EU are well aware of the realities in the region, otherwise, it does not promise the success of the next mission at all.

On January 23, the EU decided to establish another mission in Armenia, alongside the border with Azerbaijan.

The decision stated that the objective of the mission is to promote stability in the border areas of Armenia, build confidence on the ground, and ensure an environment conducive to EU-backed normalization efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

On October 17, 2022, the EU Council of Foreign Ministers at its meeting decided to deploy nearly 40 EU observers in Armenia, alongside the border with Azerbaijan, to monitor, analyze and report on the situation in the South Caucasus. The EU Monitoring Capacity in Armenia (EUMCAP) completed its activities on December 19, 2022.
A Sussex County woman was sentenced Tuesday to two years and 10 months in prison after she admitted last year that she sent money to a foreign terrorist organization in Syria, federal prosecutors said.

Maria Bell, also known as Maria Sue Bell, 55, of Hopatcong, previously pleaded guilty to concealing attempts to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations, according to a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office. Bell admitted that she sent money to a member of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Syrian terrorist organization fighting the Assad regime.

Bell also provided advice on weapons and ammunition, according to a criminal complaint.

Bell previously served in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard, and used her expertise in specialized weapons training, to provide guidance concerning operational security issues, firearms purchases, and military knowledge, authorities said.

She began communicating with one member of HTS, who was not identified, in February 2017 and sent thousands of encrypted communications to the person, according to the complaint.

Are you ready to fight in front line with other fighters? Bell is quoted as asked the person in the complaint. You are no longer young child like you used to be. It will be frightening. But I am with you.

Bell allegedly wired at least 18 payments totaling $3,150 to people in Turkey and Syria who are supporters of HTS, knowing that the funds would support acts of terrorism by HTS, authorities said.

In May 2018, HTS was added to the State Departments database as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Bell was previously suspended from her job as an analyst with Atlantic Health Systems after the charges were announced in 2020, but her current standing with the company was unclear.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.

2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit nj.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A Colorado Democrat is threatening to hold up nominees for the Pentagon's top positions because Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has declined to meet and discuss the decision to move U.S. Space Command headquarters from his home state to Alabama.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., voted against confirming Brendan Owens as assistant secretary of defense for energy and installations on Monday evening, as the Senate works to put President Joe Biden's nominees in place at the Pentagon.

"The [Pentagon] has repeatedly ignored my request for a meeting with Secretary Austin about the Space Command basing decision," Bennet tweeted Monday. "For that reason, I voted against Brendan Owens' nomination tonight, and will consider holds on other Pentagon nominees until a meeting takes place."

Read Next: Final Decision on Moving Space Command Headquarters Coming 'Shortly,' Top General Says

Fellow Colorado Democrat, Sen. John Hickenlooper, joined Bennet in opposing Owens. The two have been pushing for answers on the long-delayed decision on whether the headquarters for U.S. Space Command will remain in Colorado Springs, Colorado, or move to Huntsville, Alabama, a saga that has been drawn out since the waning days of President Donald Trump's administration.

Subsequent watchdog reports analyzing the choice to move Space Command headquarters did not point to any major issues with Huntsville as a location for the base, but did scrutinize the process for choosing the location.

When asked about Bennet's threat to push back against nominees, Oscar Seara, a Pentagon spokesperson, told Military.com "it's not appropriate for us to comment on congressional actions or individual members' motives, even if they involve [the Department of Defense]."

Military.com learned Wednesday that Bennet's office has since been in communication with the Pentagon following the senator's vote against Owens. The Trump-era call to move Space Command headquarters has been dragging on for two years, with a final decision -- supposedly -- right around the corner.

An environmental study, one of the final steps required before a decision could be made, has been completed and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall will make the ultimate decision  an approval which department officials have said for months is coming soon.

U.S. Space Command, which is responsible for military operations related to space, was reactivated in August 2019 and temporarily run from Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.

In January 2021, under Trump's administration, the Department of the Air Force said that the Army's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, had been selected as the preferred location for Space Command's permanent headquarters.

Since that announcement, members of Colorado's congressional delegation in Washington have been fighting back to have that decision reviewed in hopes of keeping the base, as well as 1,400 jobs and millions of dollars of economic impact, in their home state.

In August 2021, while speaking on an Alabama radio show, Trump said the move was his decision, which sparked speculation that the former president may have intervened in the process for choosing the base, something that could have given ammunition to legal challenges.

"Space Force -- I sent to Alabama," Trump told the "Rick & Bubba" radio show at the time. "I hope you know that. [They] said they were looking for a home, and I single-handedly said, 'Let's go to Alabama.' They wanted it. I said, 'Let's go to Alabama. I love Alabama.'"

Two watchdog reports, requested by members of Colorado's delegation in Washington, followed.

This past May, the findings of a Department of Defense inspector general's report said that, while the selection process was marred by shoddy record-keeping, the ultimate decision to choose Huntsville was "reasonable."

This past June, the Government Accountability Office released a report that the move of U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama was driven by an unorganized and unclear process.

While the report did not comment on or analyze whether the decision to ultimately choose Huntsville as the home of Space Command was acceptable, the congressional watchdog organization did express concerns about "significant shortfalls in its transparency and credibility," as well as the "appearance of bias" in the decision.

The Government Accountability Office report also did not address whether Trump, or any senior military official, was responsible for the ultimate selection of Redstone Arsenal.

The Supreme Court's ruling this past June to overturn Roe v. Wade -- known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization -- has also been seen as potentially impacting the decision to move Space Command from Colorado to Alabama.

Moving Space Command from Colorado, where abortion access is unrestricted, to Alabama, where it is illegal with limited exceptions, could change the quality of life for service members assigned to the command, as well as harm the military's retention efforts, Bennet previously told Military.com.

"I'm deeply concerned about how the Dobbs decision and state abortion bans will affect Space Command's workforce and readiness if the command leaves Colorado," Bennet said in an emailed statement to Military.com in August.

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: Some Space Force Guardians Can Skip Fitness Test Until New Program Is Unveiled
"Feds drop charges against Afghan soldier trying to claim asylum in Texas" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribunes daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

A former Afghan soldier who crossed multiple continents trying to escape the Talibans revenge and reconnect with his brother in Houston put a potential criminal record behind him after charges of illegally entering the U.S. were dropped Tuesday.

An assistant U.S. attorney asked a judge this week to dismiss  in the interest of justice  the case against Abdul Wasi Safi, or Wasi, who was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border last year. The judge agreed, according to court records.

Wasi faced up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 if he pleaded guilty. But Wasi did not want a criminal record starting his life over in the U.S.  especially after his service in connection with the country.

Wasi, a former Afghan special forces officer, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near Eagle Pass on Sept. 30. Border Patrol apprehended Wasi and charged him with a criminal misdemeanor for failure to present with the necessary documents to remain in the U.S. He spent nearly four months at a detention center under U.S. Marshals custody in Eden Detention Center.

The charges were dropped after months of publicity and a bipartisan congressional effort to free him. Wasis case was first reported by The Texas Tribune.

Wasi remains in border patrol custody but is now free to restart his journey toward asylum, according to his attorneys. His legal team hopes he will be released and reunited with his brother in Houston, according to his attorneys.

I promise you, Im so happy and its a huge relief for me, Sami-ullah Safi, Wasis brother, said about the charge dismissal.

Wasis journey to Texas began after the U.S. withdrew its military operations from Afghanistan in August 2021, after nearly 20 years of conflict. Wasi  like many Afghans  tried for days to board a military flight out of Kabul. Thousands rushed the heavily guarded tarmac. Few made the final extraction.

Wasi had been a special forces intelligence officer in the Afghan National Security Forces. Those who had served directly with the U.S. and its allies became targets of the Talibans revenge killings once they took over in the power vacuum the U.S. left as the Afghan government collapsed.

Wasi took to hiding, fearing the worst for himself and his family as he heard reports of terrible killings of those he had served with in the Afghan special forces.

Wasi studied journalism at university and worked in military intelligence. His work directly aided U.S. special operations missions, often partnering on missions to secure operational areas against the Taliban and other local insurgents. People like Wasi made ideal targets on a Taliban hit list.

For months, Wasi hid with his family in Afghanistan while attempting to find a way out of the country safely. His brother, Sami-ullah Safi, had worked directly with U.S. special forces as a contracted interpreter and lives in Houston as a U.S. citizen. Over the next year, Wasi crossed countries and continents on a dangerous migratory path through Latin America to his arrest at the border.

With the criminal charges dropped, and an expected reunification with his brother, Wasi and his legal team can turn their attention to his asylum case in earnest, which can take years to process.

The immigration side starts now, said Jennifer Cervantes, Wasis immigration attorney.

Cervantes said Wasis release may be delayed as federal agencies sort through additional steps. Wasi remains in Border Patrol custody. However, she said, those officials want Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take custody. She doesnt think ICE will have any issues seeing Wasis sincerity.

Hes definitely not a threat, hes been vetted [by the FBI], Cervantes said. Hes not a flight risk, he wants to be here and he wants to proceed legally.

Most recently, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, pressed the White House to get involved in Wasis case, asking President Joe Biden for a pardon. Jackson Lee is expected to host a news conference on Friday, according to a press release from her staff.

Additional members of Congress joined in penning their own letters to the White House including Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, and Rep. Mike Waltz, a Florida Republican. Both are both military veterans.

Clarification, Jan. 24, 2023: An earlier version of this article incorrectly characterized Afghanistan as part of the Middle East.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/01/24/abdul-wasi-safi-charges-dropped/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
The Coast Guard will hear public testimony beginning this week as part of its investigation of the fire that decimated the Spirit of Norfolk last summer.

The series of hearings, which begin Thursday, will examine all aspects of the fire and subsequent total constructive loss and will include testimony from Spirit of Norfolk staff and passengers, industry experts, marine mechanics, and leaders in the Coast Guard, according to a statement from the Coast Guard. That will include a review of pre-accident events, regulatory compliance, crewmember duties and qualifications, mechanical systems, emergency response and Coast Guard oversight of the vessel.

More than 100 people were aboard the passenger vessel for a two-hour lunch cruise on the Elizabeth River June 7 when a fire started in engine room. The 106 passengers, including 89 schoolchildren, were evacuated. No one was injured but the boat burned for nearly five days before the fire could be fully extinguished.

Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, ordered a formal investigation to determine causing factors of the fire, examine the response and identify any other information that can improve maritime safety. At this time, there is no known cause of the fire.

The hearings will be held at the Virginia Beach City Council chambers on the second floor, which is located at 2401 Courthouse Drive, in Virginia Beach. Meetings will start at 8 a.m. each day, and they will be livestreamed at https://livestream.com/uscginvestigations/spiritofnorfolk. The hearings are scheduled Thursday, Friday, Saturday and will continue next week on Jan. 30, 31 and Feb. 2.

According to a tentative schedule on the hearings, Thursdays will feature testimony from Coast Guard training and inspections officials and marine mechanics from the Bay Diesel company.

The Spirit of Norfolk underwent a safety inspection four weeks before it went up in flames and no deficiencies were found. The inspection included an evaluation of the fire pump on board and a fire drill, review of the crews certificates and the keeping of logs, navigation systems, the anchor system, structural integrity and lifesaving procedures.

The 187-foot ship, built in 1992, was woven into the fabric of the Norfolk community  playing host to all manner of events from weddings to graduation parties to school field trips.

The public can submit questions and comments related to the ongoing investigation and hearing via email at d5publicaffairs@uscg.mil. This email will be checked regularly, according to the Coast Guard, and all correspondence will be acknowledged during the hearing and throughout the investigation.

2023 The Virginian-Pilot. Visit pilotonline.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
KYIV, Ukraine  Several senior Ukrainian officials, including front-line governors, lost their jobs Tuesday in a corruption scandal plaguing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government as it grapples with the nearly 11-month-old Russian invasion.

Ukraine's biggest government shake-up since the war began came as U.S. officials said Washington was poised to approve supplying Kyiv with M1 Abrams tanks, with international reluctance eroding toward sending tanks to the battlefront against the Russians.

Zelenskyy was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft, and the new allegations come as Western allies are channeling billions of dollars to help Kyiv fight against Moscow.

Officials in several countries, including the United States, have demanded more accountability for the aid, given Ukraine's rampant corruption. While Zelenskyy and his aides portray the resignations and firings as proof of their efforts to crack down, the wartime scandal could play into Moscow's political attacks on the leadership in Kyiv.

On the capital's streets, Serhii Bochkarev, a 28-year-old translator, welcomed the moves.

Corruption during war is totally unacceptable because people are giving their lives to fight Russians and to defend the motherland, he said.

The shake-up even touched Zelenskyy's office. Its deputy head, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, prominent for his frequent battlefield updates, quit as the president pledged to address allegations of graft  including some related to military spending  that embarrassed authorities and could slow Ukraines efforts to join the European Union and NATO.

Tymoshenko asked to be relieved of his duties. He didn't cite a reason.

Local media said Deputy Defense Minister Viacheslav Shapovalov also resigned, in connection with a scandal involving the purchase of food for Ukraine's armed forces. Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko also quit.

In all, four deputy ministers and five governors of front-line provinces were set to leave their posts, the countrys cabinet secretary said on the Telegram messaging app.

Authorities did not announce any criminal charges. There was no immediate explanation.

The departures thinned government ranks already diminished by the deaths of the interior minister, who oversaw Ukraines police and emergency services, and others in the ministrys leadership in a helicopter crash last week.

Tymoshenko joined the presidential office in 2019 after working on Zelenskyys media strategy during his presidential campaign. He was under investigation in connection with his personal use of luxury cars and was among officials linked in September to the embezzlement of humanitarian aid worth more than $7 million earmarked for the southern Zaporizhzhia region. He has denied the allegations.

On Sunday, a deputy infrastructure minister, Vasyl Lozynsky, was fired for alleged participation in a network embezzling budget funds. Ukraines anti-corruption agency detained him while he was receiving a $400,000 bribe for helping to fix contracts for restoring facilities battered by Russian missile strikes, according to Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. He was put under house arrest, told to surrender his passport, ordered to wear a monitoring device, and told not to communicate with witnesses.

In a video address Tuesday, Zelenskyy said, Any internal problems that hinder the state are being cleaned up and will be cleaned up. It is fair, it is necessary for our defense, and it helps our rapprochement with European institutions.

Analysts say his message was that corruption wont be tolerated.

Its very hard to save the country when theres a lot of corruption, Andrii Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, a nonprofit organization that fights corruption, told The Associated Press.

Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told AP the shake-up was intended to remind officials of the entire (power) vertical that the authorities plan to continue to fight corruption in Ukraine, especially during the war, when literally everything in the country is in short supply.

Fesenko, head of the Kyiv-based Penta Center independent think tank, said Ukrainian authorities and Western officials couldnt turn a blind eye on latest scandals. He said the corruption involved supplies for the army so the shake-up was "intended to calm Western partners and show Brussels and Washington that their aid is being used effectively.

Transparency International, in its 2021 report on worldwide corruption, ranked Ukraine 122 out of 180 countries, with 180 representing the most corrupt. Russia ranked even lower, 136.

Entrenched corruption long has made foreign investors and governments wary of doing business with Ukraine. Allegations by Ukraines journalists and nonprofits about corruption at high levels of government, in courts and in business have lingered under Zelenskyy, despite a proliferation of anti-corruption panels and measures, according to a U.S. State Department 2020 country report.

A major corruption scandal could endanger the tens of billions of dollars the U.S. and its allies are pouring into Ukraine to keep Ukraines fighters armed, civil servants paid and the lights on. It could risk sinking what has been bipartisan popular and political support for Ukraine from the United States.

We welcome the quick action that President Zelenskyy is taking in this case, as well as the effective action of Ukraines anti-corruption institutions, civil society, and media, to ensure effective monitoring and accountability of public procurement and to hold those in positions of public trust to account, the White House National Security Council said in a statement.

Last June, the EU agreed to put Ukraine on a path toward membership in the bloc. To join, countries must meet economic and political conditions, including a commitment to the rule of law and other democratic principles.

Ukraine has applied to join NATO, too, but the military alliance is not about to offer an invitation, because of the countrys contested borders, defense establishment shortcomings and, in part, its corruption issues.

Meanwhile, in what would be a reversal, U.S. officials said the Biden administration is set to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The decision that could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months or years for the tanks to be delivered.

The U.S. announcement is expected in coordination with Germany stating that it will approve Polands request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, according to one official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been made public.

German officials declined to comment on the reports of a deal. The news weekly Der Spiegel reported Tuesday, without citing a source, that Germany will provide Ukraine with at least one company of Leopard 2 tanks from its own armys stock.

Zelenskyy, in his video address Tuesday, appeared concerned that the number of tanks to be sent would be insufficient. It is not about five, or ten, or 15 tanks. The need is greater, he said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due on Wednesday to address lawmakers, many of whom have been pressing the government to join allies in providing the tanks.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Tuesday the Poles  and other Western allies he didnt identify  are already training Ukrainian soldiers in Poland on the Leopards.

Also on Tuesday, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto suggested his country may consider joining NATO without neighboring Sweden if Turkey blocks their joint bid to enter the military alliance. Although he later backpedaled, his comments were the first by a senior official in either Nordic country raising doubts about becoming NATO members together while the alliance is seeking to present a united front to counter Russia's invasion.

Sweden and Finland rushed to apply for NATO membership following Moscows invasion, abandoning their long-standing nonalignment policy. Their accession needs the approval of all NATO members, including Turkey, which has blocked the expansion, saying Sweden must crack down on exiled Kurdish militants and their sympathizers.

___

Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, Malak Harb in Kyiv, and Ellen Knickmeyer, Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.
Marlins owner Bruce Sherman released a statement this afternoon reaffirming his commitment to lasting ownership of the franchise.

The Miami Marlins are not for sale, have not been for sale under my ownership, and will not be for sale in my lifetime. It is irresponsible to report otherwise, Sherman said (via Jordan McPherson and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). It is and will continue to be a privilege to own this great organization. I look forward to seeing our loyal fans at Opening Day on March 30.

The announcement comes in response to a column from the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday morning. That report cited MLB sources suggesting the Miami organization could hit the market at some point soon. Thered been no previous indication of the Marlins potentially changing hands, and Shermans forceful pushback represents a firm declaration that wont happen.

Sherman made similar sentiments in an interview with the Herald last September. No, I have never considered selling the team, he said at the time. I am more deeply invested in the teams success now than ever. Im looking forward to reaching the playoffs, returning the World Series trophy to South Florida, and making this community proud of its hometown team.

The Marlins are only a few years removed from an ownership change. Jeffrey Loria officially dealt the franchise to the Sherman/Derek Jeter group in October 2017. While Jeter was the higher-profile member of the group, Sherman has been majority owner for the entire time. Jeter departed the organization last offseason.

Upon taking over, the Sherman ownership group cut player payroll. Miamis season-opening payroll had been at $115MM during the final year of Lorias ownership, per Cots Baseball Contracts. Under Shermans ownership, the franchise hasnt topped $100MM in player spending. Thats likely set to change this year, with Roster Resource projecting their spending around $103MM.
A new actress, Sena Fafali Ahiable, has disclosed that one of the personalities in the movie industry she would not hesitate to kiss in a movie is Majid Michel.

Indeed, kissing role has always been a big deal among actors. Some actors would love to kiss others but a few others will not dare to kiss other colleagues no matter the amount involved.

According to Sena, it was uncomfortable for her to kiss in a recent film she shot, but she coped with it because she understood it was part of the job.

If kissing comes I will do it because it's part of the job, she told Felicia Osei on Onua FM yesterday.

When she was asked which actor in Ghana she would love to kiss without feeling uncomfortable, she without hesitation mentioned Majid.

Oh, he (Majid) is a nice person. I met him and he was really lovely. So yeah, she added when the hostess made fun of her.

Sena Fafali is one of the new faces in the upcoming film 'Kotoka'.

She plays a nanny for one of the lead characters Ruby Benson in the new film which will premiere on Valentines Day, February 14, 2023 at the Silverbird Cinemas.

The film is an interesting story of two women: Ruby Benson, 34, a high-class business woman and Naya Essel, a 28-year-old unemployed graduate. Both are distanced by life, separated by class but yet connected by one choice they both made. A choice that ultimately defines their destiny and that of many others. A choice that will either keep them alive or leave them dead. However, it all depends on if they can cross the boarding gate.

There are indications that Sena has done very well in her role. She revealed that she has been in the industry for some time now and had even acted a couple of times on stage. The upcoming film is however her first major production to be premiered on the big screens.
Ghanaian actress and movie producer, Yvonne Nelson has revealed that she is not ready to tie the knot with anyone soon, despite pressure on her.

The mother of one explained that her heart is not hard towards marriage.

In what appears to be a reply to musician Archipalagos love proposal to her, the filmmaker in two different tweets wrote, My DOP keeps asking me why Im not in a relationship. It bothers him. Married women get heart. Me, my heart no sherdaa hard like that.

This comes after a controversial entertainer, Archipalago Mufasa said he loves the actress from afar for a very long time.

Speaking on Accra-based Kingdom FM with Fiifi Pratt, Palago Mufasa said the only thing holding him from professing it to the actress is that he is yet to see her in his dreams.

According to him, he prefers Yvonne Nelson to any food in the world.

"I wish Yvonne could avail herself for us to marry. I am in love with her. All jokes aside, Yvonne is my type of girl. The only issue is that am yet to see her in my dreams. If not, I would have persuaded her," he said.

"Among all the celebrities in Ghana, it is Yvonne I desire. I love her more than food. The video that captured us hugging has garnered over 3 million views on Facebook...we have a great vibe, and I could have kissed her if I had the chance.

"Yvonne, don't be offended; I love you. I wish I had her in my bed," he added.
25.01.2023 LISTEN

Veteran highlife musician, Kwesi Pee has said he is not retiring from doing music anytime soon.

The Ghanaian highlife living legend whose music career spans over two decades has five albums to his credit.

Speaking in a one-on-one interview with Ekow Koomson on Ghanaweekend TV, Kwesi Pee, said even though some people are impelling him to retire from doing music, he won't allow them to retire him prematurely.

He cited an example that even when there is an issue in the industry, and he wants to contribute, people would hurl insults at him and say his time has passed, but such contrivances don't titillate him at all.

When there is an issue in the industry and I want to contribute, people would say: you, comot from there but I don't let those things discourage me because I am bent on doing my musicyou don't give them the chance to retire you that's my motivation, he told Ekow Koomson.

My dad had the chance to do music and I also want to make sure I light up my father's legacy and hold it tight because I want to do music till eternity.

Known in real life as Akwasi Opoku, he was born to the legendary highlife artiste, Agyaaku who owns the Yamoah and Sunsum Mystics Band and known for the monster hit song 'Serwaa Akoto' produced many decades ago.

In 2007, Kwesi Pee won the Best Male Vocal performer award at the Ghana Music Awards. The 'Me Yia Odo' hitmaker is currently out with another smash hit song dubbed 'Ayele'.

The song has been heavily tipped by some connoisseurs of the music industry to win the 'Highlife Song of the Year' award at the 2023 Ghana Music Awards.

Watch the interview below

By Reagan Mends
The issue of "sugar families" where a young lady will enter into an intimate relationship with an old married man and will always get her bills paid by the man is a norm in Ghana currently.

Having noticed this, an award-winning Ghanaian actress, Kafui Danku has advised any man who cant offer what her sidechick will demand to back off immediately.

According to her, it will be better for stingy men to stick with their wives than go for a young girl to satisfy their sexual urges.

In a Facebook post, the actress wrote, "Ghana Sugar daddies di3r ; twea ! If you don't understand the assignment, just sit down! Just stick to your wife."

This comment comes follow the recent case regarding CFO of First Atlantic Bank Mr. Kwesi Nimak and his alleged sidechick, Deborah Seyram Adablah.

The lady who reportedly got a GHS120,000 Honda Civic, a rented apartment and a GHS3,000 monthly allowance despite being national service personnel has sued the man on the basis of sexual harassment and failed promises.

Other reports also say the lady took the matter to the court because the man, First Atlantic Banks CFO breached part of the contract they agreed and even took back his car from her.
The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has registered 4,936 Burkinabe asylum seekers who have fled to Ghana as a result of the recent jihadist attack at Zoaga, Abugri and Zabre in the eastern part of Burkina Faso.

Residents in affected areas have fled to communities in Bawku West District in the Upper East Region for safety.

Speaking to ModernGhana News reporter in Zebilla, the District Director of NADMO, Anania Daniel Atampuba said his outfit has not concluded with the registration and has called on residents to report to the office any unregistered burkinabe asylum seeker.

According to him, his zonal directors are on the ground making sure all are captured.

Anania Daniel Atampuba urges the security agencies to tighten security surveillance along the border towns.

He appealed to non-governmental organisations, spirited individuals and philanthropists to come to the aid of the asylum seekers.
Former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, has described as surprising the leadership changes by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament.

Mr Fuseini believes the unexpected changes are part of a grand strategy by the party ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The NDC on Tuesday, January 24, made some changes to its leadership in Parliament with Ranking Member of the Finance Committee and Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam Constituency in the Central Region, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, replacing Tamale South MP, Haruna Iddrisu as the Minority Leader.

Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembelle has also replaced Ketu North MP, James Klutse Avedzi as the Deputy Minority Leader while Kwame Governs Agbodza has also replaced Asawase MP Muntaka Mubarak as the Minority Whip.

Ahmed Ibrahim and Comfort Doyoe-Ghansah have, however, maintained their positions as First and Second deputy Whips respectively.

Speaking to Citi News, Mr Fuseini said the new leadership will need the loyalty and support of all Members of Parliament to succeed.

I received this with surprise, I had no inkling that it was coming. In the past, I said we needed to be cautious when people called for changes in the leadership. I know that the party is strategically positioned for elections in 2024, and I dont know that as part of the strategy, this is part of the strategic considerations for 2024 and beyond.

They will need the general support and cooperation of their members. I have no doubt that he [Ato Forson] has discharged himself well not only among the minority members but by the majority as well.

Mr Fuseini also admonished MPs who may be peeved over the current changes in Parliament to sacrifice their individual interest and think of the collective goal of the party.

When one leader goes and a new one comes we must all pledge allegiance to the new leader, now that there is a new king, all members are expected to pledge total loyalty to him.

By Citi Newsroom
The Oti Regional Womens Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Madam Paulina Magyam together with some constituency women on Sunday, 22 nd January 2023 joined members of the Abunyanya Church of Pentecost, Central Assembly to give thanks to God for giving her the victory in the partys regional elections.

Madam Magyam was elected the Oti Regional Women Organizer to lead the womens wing of the party in the region for the next four years during the NDCs regional elections held at Nkwanta South Constituency in 2022.

The Oti Regional Womens Organizer of the opposition NDC gave praises, honour and gratitude to God for granting her victory.

She used the occasion to appeal to members of the party both home and abroad as well as the good people of the Oti region to rally support behind the new leadership to ensure a resounding victory for the NDC come 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Madam Magyam also called on all faiths across the country to pray for peace, harmony and oneness for the good of Ghanas development.

She again pleaded with the entire congregation to keep faith in the NDC whiles it is preparing to rescue the country from its current economic mess.

Trust the NDC for better governance and economic liberation come 2025, the Oti Regional Womens Organizer reiterated.

Madam Magyam who was accompanied by her deputy, Madam Mary Dunyame Mensah, the former Oti Regional Deputy Youth Organizer, Mr. Wisdom Uworborken, Deputy Women Organizer for Atiwa West Hon. Janet Asantewaa, Madam Constance and some branch executives donated plastic chairs to the church.
Police arrested Mauritania's former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on Tuesday on the eve of his trial for abuse of power and amassing an illicit fortune, a lawyer said.

The 66-year-old was first told to report to police, but refused, defence lawyers said.

The police "came to look for him at home" in the capital Nouakchott, armed with a warrant. He was arrested without incident, the lawyers said.

The rare prosecution of a former African head of state was due to open on Wednesday morning, with Abdel Aziz spending the night in custody.

Several other figures from his former regime, also facing charges of corruption, money laundering and illicit enrichment, were also arrested, a security source said.

The ex-general came to power in a coup and spent 11 years at the helm. He stepped down in 2019 after two presidential terms in which he defused a jihadist insurgency threatening the conservative West African state.

He was succeeded by his former right-hand man, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani in the first transfer of power between elected leaders in the history of a country marked by military coups and upheaval.

Mauritania. By Gillian HANDYSIDE (AFP)

In 2020, a parliamentary investigation was opened into financial dealings under Abdel Aziz's presidency.

It delved into oil revenues, sales of state assets, the winding up of a public company in charge of food supplies and the activities of a Chinese fishing company.

Charges were then brought against Abdel Aziz and 11 others, including one of his sons-in-law, two former prime ministers and several ex-ministers and businessmen.

The former president is suspected of amassing a fortune equivalent to more than $72 million.

He has refused to answer questions about the source of his wealth and decries a political machination.

Abdel Aziz wrote in a note released by lawyers on Tuesday that he will appear in court "to defend his honour" against "extravagant and fallacious accusations".

He claims immunity from prosecution under the constitution.
25.01.2023 LISTEN

Following Donald Trumps electoral victory in 2016, a large number of people changed their brand preferences and shopping behaviour, preferring to purchase brands which they perceived shared their political views, research from the University of Mannheim Business School reveals.

According to Professor Florian Stahl, Chair of Quantitative Marketing and Consumer Analytics and the University of Mannheim Business School, this trend was much more noticeable for liberals than conservatives.

A stronger polarisation among liberals after the election of President Trump is consistent with the notion of compensatory consumption. Members of the politically threatened group take compensatory actions such as purchasing more liberal-leaning brands to better establish their political identity, says Professor Stahl.

With colleagues from ESADE and Columbia Business School, Professor Stahl analysed data on the political leanings of all Twitter users who followed one of 307 major brand accounts between February 2016 and December 2018.

The researchers also harvested data from the YouGov BrandIndex and Nielsen Retail Scanner Data (a record of weekly sales for 27,043 brands) during this time period.

Their findings show an increase in political polarisation in Twitter brand followership, stated behaviour intentions, and actual purchasing decisions, after the election results.

These results were most pronounced in liberal-leaning consumers, who favoured brands that were openly critical of the Trump administration. This is in line with the growth of liberal activism since 2016.

The study was published in the journal Marketing Science.
The Rwandan government said a fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of Congo violated its airspace on Tuesday as tensions soar between the neighbours over the DRC's volatile east.

Kinshasa denied one of its aircraft had flown over Rwanda, and slammed Kigali for an "attack" on the jet that it said amounted to "an act of war".

Ties are already fraught between the neighbours, with the DRC accusing Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group, which has captured swaths of Congolese territory in recent months.

Kigali denies the allegations, which are backed by UN experts, the United States, France and Belgium. In turn, it accuses Kinshasa of colluding with the FDLR -- a former Rwandan Hutu rebel group based in the DRC.

"A Sukhoi-25 from the DR Congo violated Rwanda airspace for the third time," over Rubavu district, near Goma, Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said in a statement.

"Defensive measures were taken," she said, adding: "Rwanda asks the DRC to stop this aggression."

The two previous cases were reported in November and December and saw protests from Kigali.

AFP journalists in the eastern DRC city of Goma heard a loud explosion followed by two shots as the Congolese aircraft flew over on Tuesday afternoon.

Video posted on social networks showed a flash close to the fighter, which landed at Goma airport.

'Deliberate act of aggression'

A DRC government statement said the fighter jet was "attacked while coming into land at Goma airport".

"Rwandan shots were directed at a Congolese aircraft flying inside Congolese territory. It did not fly over Rwandan airspace. The plane landed without major material damage," added the statement.

Kinshasa said it considered the incident a "deliberate act of aggression" aimed at sabotaging peace efforts in the east.

The statement said the government "reserves the legitimate right to defend its national territory".

The fighting between Congolese troops and the M23, which has made advances towards Goma, capital of North Kivu province, has prompted the East African Community (EAC) bloc to deploy a joint regional force to quell the violence.

Rwanda last week accused the DRC of abandoning a deal aimed at restoring peace.

Talks between the DRC and Rwanda in the Angolan capital Luanda unlocked a truce agreement in November.

But last week, the neighbours traded blame for continued fighting.

Scores of armed groups roam the mineral-rich eastern DRC, many a legacy of two regional wars at the end of the 20th century that claimed millions of lives.

The M23 first rose to prominence in 2012 and resumed fighting in late 2021 -- claiming Kinshasa had failed to honour a pledge to integrate them into the army, among other grievances.
In DR Congo's bustling capital Kinshasa, the faithful are flocking to impromptu market stalls in churchyards to buy t-shirts and wax tissues adorned with the image of Pope Francis, ahead of the pontiff's visit.

Papal souvenirs have become hot-selling items in the city ahead of the Argentinian pope's four-day trip to the deeply religious central African country, which begins on January 31.

Many in the Democratic Republic of Congo view the papal visit as a chance to soothe tensions in the east, where M23 rebels have captured swaths of territory since last year and provoked a humanitarian crisis.

Berthe Baleweya, a woman who'd come to Kinshasa's Notre-Dame du Congo cathedral to buy a Francis-themed wax cloth, told AFP that wearing the pope's image would be a "great blessing".

Emmanuelle Wemu, who runs a Catholic aid group, has already bought and tailored her wax print decorated with the pope's face.

"I expect a message of peace from him, in this moment when the DRC is in turmoil," she said.

Three days of prayers, known as a triduum, are planned at the Notre Dame du Congo cathedral in the run-up to Pope Francis' visit to Kinshasa. By Arsene Mpiana (AFP)

Over one million worshippers are expected to turn out for an open-air mass in Kinshasa's Ndolo airport on February 1, a sizeable portion in the megacity of over 15 million.

The DRC is a traditionally Catholic nation of over 90 million people, deeply impoverished despite vast mineral wealth.

Conflict in the east

Pope Francis was scheduled to arrive in the DRC last July, but the trip was postponed over health concerns.

Many also speculated that escalating conflict in eastern Congo -- where the pope had been due to visit -- prompted a rethink.

The M23 rebel group, which is allegedly backed by Rwanda, has waged an offensive against the Congolese military and recently come within several miles of Goma, a commercial hub of over a million people and capital of North Kivu province.

Pope Francis is no longer due to go to eastern Congo, according to his new programme, but he will meet victims of the conflict while in Kinshasa.

Map of DR Congo locating North Kivu province and its capital Goma.. By (AFP)

Some are disappointed. Gelo Mandela, a youth coordinator in the diocese of Goma, said young people were despairing that the city was no longer on the itinerary. "We were prepared," he said.

Aid worker Emmanuelle Wemu said she hoped the pope's visit would bring reconciliation with Rwanda.

Diplomatic relations between the DRC and its smaller neighbour have plunged to rock-bottom since the eruption of the M23 crisis in late 2021. Rwanda denies backing the rebels.

Pope Francis' security in Kinshasa also remains a concern, notably because of the threat of militias from the east.

The Allied Democratic Forces, which the Islamic State group claims at its affiliate, bombed a Pentecostal church in eastern Congo on January 15, killing 14 people.

The ADF has to date only operated in eastern DRC, over 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) from the capital.

Million-strong mass

A three-day period of prayers -- known as a triduum -- is planned at the Notre-Dame du Congo cathedral in the run-up to Francis' arrival.

Billboards and banners have been put up across Kinshasa to welcome Francis on the first papal visit to the DR Congo since Pope John Paul II in 1985. By Arsene Mpiana (AFP)

A vigil will also take place at Ndolo military airport on the night of January 31, ahead of the papal mass there the following morning, according to Father Camille Esika, a cathedral priest.

Between one and 1.5 million people are expected to celebrate mass at the eight-hectare (20-acre) site. Preparatory works are ongoing.

"That day, rain or no rain, there will be an event," said Jesus-Noel Sheke, the project's technical coordinator.

Across Kinshasa, banners and signs welcoming the pope already hang from buildings. His visit marks the first papal trip to the country since Pope John Paul II's in 1985.

Justin-Marie Bayala, a teacher who attended a recent mass at the Notre-Dame du Congo, like many, evoked high hopes.

"We dare to believe that he will bring us lasting peace," Bayala said.
25.01.2023 LISTEN

The Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral says it is in talks with Deloitte to conduct a normal statutory audit of the project.

This was announced by the Chairman of the Board, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah in a statement on Tuesday, 24 January 2024.

It follows a demand to that effect by preachers Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Eastwood Anaba, also trustees, who want the project suspended for independent auditing to be done.

In a memo, the two ministers said: "In the spirit and cause of transparency and accountability to the Ghanaian people, the current Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral shall appoint an independent, nationally recognised accounting firm to audit all public funds contributed to and spent by the National Cathedral."

"This appointment of an auditor shall take place before the deferment of activities of the Board of Trustees, portions of the memo read.

They demanded that the "current activities advancing the construction of Ghanas National Cathedral shall be deferred until the atmospherics in Ghana are improved and the audit of the Cathedral account is done".

The Board, in its statement, said it is already in discussions to engage Deloitte, which accepted to be the auditors when the National Cathedral was registered, to commence the normal statutory audit.

In addition, the Board said it submitted all relevant documentation on the project to parliament in December 2022. Thus, if parliament so desires, it may set up a commission or appoint an independent auditor to review all issues concerning the award of contract, procurement, construction works and financial operations of the National Cathedral project so far.

The Board of Trustees is also prepared to be subjected to any form of a probe by state institutions including the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

Just recently, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills also said the fund-raising techniques being used by the National Cathedral Secretariat were non-effective yet expensive.

According to him, some of the programmes the Board of the National Cathedral Secretariat has held have cost more than the monies they have raised from them.

To this end, he observed that the Boards fund-raising method had not yielded much and, therefore, they needed a change in strategy.

I do believe that the fund-raising methods we have attempted have not yielded much. Indeed, some of the programmes we have held have cost more than the monies we have raised from them. I suggest another form of fund-raising where we would be guaranteed more donations from denominations, churches, individuals, businessmen and corporate bodies. I would be happy to discuss these if the committee is interested in that, he said in his resignation letter as a trustee of the Board of the National Cathedral.

Bishop Heward-Mills, who is the founder and leader of the Lighthouse Group of Churches bemoaned that six years after President Nana Akufo-Addo cut sod for the construction of the National Cathedral, all that has been done is the excavation of a huge pit at the centre of the city using $30 million of public funds.

I am a firm believer in the presidents vision. I believe that the public can see and is questioning the fact that we have spent almost six years since the sod-cutting of this project as well as over $30m (thirty million dollars) of public funds, to excavate a massive pit in the centre of the city, he noted.

He said he believes that many of the questions that are being asked and hurled at the National Cathedral Project are reasonable and legitimate questions by objective citizens who just want answers to their questions.

In his resignation letter, Bishop Heward-Mills noted that continuing to pay contractors $40,000 (forty thousand dollars) a month, as we wait to procure a huge loan in this hostile atmosphere sounds dicey to me. I do believe that almost six years down the line, we need to look at a different approach to achieve our goal of building Gods house in Ghana.

Bishop Heward-Mills, who resigned in August 2022, said in his letter that he felt certain concerns and opinions he had expressed about the project were trivialised and set aside.

I feel that the treatment of the issues I have raised in my several letters has been unfortunate, he said in his resignation letter, explaining: My letters have been ignored in the past, not attended to for years, and, at best, addressed flippantly.

You may recall I have spoken passionately and written extensively about the costs, the design, the location, the fundraising, the mobilisation of the churches, and the role of the trustees. These, if heeded, would have made our project more achievable. Generally speaking, my inputs, my opinions, and my letters have been trivialised and set aside.

Bishop Heward-Mills also complained that despite his appointment by President Nana Akufo-Addo as a trustee, he was never registered as a Director of the Company of the National Cathedral of Ghana, a company limited by guarantee.

I do not believe this is an oversight but a deliberate exclusion from the Board, he noted, pointing out: Six years is a long time to correct this failure to register me if it was indeed an administrative lapse.

l have, therefore, accepted for some time now that I am not a trustee of the National Cathedral, but I have still sought to help with the Cathedral because I believe in the Presidents vision and I do not have to be a legally registered trustee to do so. I refer to myself in this letter as a trustee because even though l am not privy to most of the weighty decisions of the Board I am referred to as such.

This lack of clarity is robbing our vision of the validity it needs. Over and over, I have asked that we address this appropriately and urgently because there are many dire implications to the trustees and the individuals involved in this project.

I have been a reachable and available trustee and attended every single meeting of trustees since the pandemic began, in person and by zoom, and the records will show that. If I say that I, as a trustee, do not know many of the financial and technical issues concerning the Cathedral, it means the discussions about the National Cathedral were held by some people outside the trustees meeting or perhaps in a forum that I was not present or invited to.

On the one hand, the National Cathedral is said to be a government of Ghana project, with the government taking financial decisions. Yet, on another hand, at meetings, it is implied that the trustees have taken or participated in taking some decisions.

I would like to state clearly that if in the future, there is more clarity to my role and function in the building of the Cathedral, I remain open, available and willing to serve at the pleasure of the President and the nation. Regardless of your response to my resignation and inputs, I remain a supporter of the National Cathedral project and will endeavour to be present to rejoice with the nation when this project is completed.

Bishop Heward-Mills said he did not wish the media or general public to construe my withdrawal as a sign of a lack of support or belief in the building of the National Cathedral.

The National Cathedral project has been the subject of one controversy after another.

Just recently, the secretariat jumped to the defence of one of its board members, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, who, according to opposition lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, had the board pay some GH2.6 million paid to a company he owns  JNS Talent Centre Ltd, which allegedly runs a creche in Dawhenya.

In his expose, Mr Ablakwa said the company is owned by one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, who, according to him  per documents available to him  is the same person as Rev r Kusi-Boateng, who serves on the board of the National Cathedral as executive council member/director.

The secretariat explained in its statement: As a normal verification  expected of a Member of Parliament  would have revealed, this was not an illegal payment but rather a refund of a short-term interest-free loan made by JNS to top up the payments to the contractors of the National Cathedral.

This support was sought from a National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev Kusi Boateng, in a letter dated August 26, 2021, due to a delay in the receipt of funds to pay the Contractors on time, the statement said.

In his expose, Mr Ablakwa claimed that not only does Rev Kusi Boateng have a double identity, but also holds multiple passports with different dates of birth.

Mr Ablakwa, in an earlier expose, had said the National Cathedral Secretariat had transferred a cash sum of GHS2.6 million to a company called JNS Talent Centre Limited for no work done.

The directors of the company, he said, were Johannes Eshun, Sheila Eshun and Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.

In his latest expose posted on Facebook on Monday, 16 January 2023, the North Tongu legislator disclosed that there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are, therefore, one and the same.

Source: ClassFMonline.com
Tanzanian opposition stalwart Tundu Lissu arrived back in his homeland on Wednesday after spending most of the past five years in exile following an assassination bid.

The one-time presidential candidate was greeted by supporters in the red, white and blue colours of his Chadema party, an AFP correspondent said.

Lissu, who was shot 16 times in 2017 and has spent most of the years since in Belgium, arrived on a flight from Brussels via Addis Ababa.

The 55-year-old had said in a video posted on Twitter from Brussels airport that he would head to an opposition rally to discuss "our issues as Tanzanians."

His return follows President Samia Suluhu Hassan's announcement this month that a ban on political rallies imposed by her hardline predecessor John Magufuli would be lifted, in an overture to the opposition.

"We cannot continue to endlessly live in exile," Lissu said in a speech broadcast live on YouTube and carried on local channels in Tanzania on January 13 when he announced his homecoming plans.

"I am optimistic that we will write a new chapter this year... 2023 is an important year in the history of our country."

Tanzania's main opposition party Chadema held its first rally on Saturday since the lifting of a ban on such gatherings. By Michael JAMSON (AFP/File)

Chadema on Saturday held its first mass rally since the lifting of the 2016 ban, led by its leader Freeman Mbowe in the lakeside city of Mwanza.

The government's olive branch was cautiously welcomed by rights groups and the opposition as a boost for democracy, with Hassan overturning some of the authoritarian policies imposed by Magufuli.

'New beginning'

Lissu was last in Tanzania briefly in late 2020 contesting the election against Hassan's predecessor Magufuli, a strongman leader who died just five months after winning his second term.

The victory was disputed and the opposition called for protests. Lissu took refuge with diplomats after threats to his life, before escaping the country.

Under Magufuli, who was first elected in 2015 as a straight talking man of the people, political gatherings were outlawed, opposition leaders detained and media cowed.

Nicknamed the "Bulldozer" for his authoritarian leadership style, Magufuli's hardline policies and uncompromising governance saw Tanzania's reputation for stable democracy in the region badly damaged.

Lissu, an outspoken critic of Magufuli and the ruling CCM party, was shot while seated in his car in 2017 and spent the next few years recovering in Belgium.

Since Magufuli's sudden death of Magufuli in March 2021, Hassan has reversed some of his most controversial policies and promised reforms long demanded by the opposition.

Tanzania's president Samia Suluhu Hassan has been rolling back some of the hardline policies of her predecessor. By - (AFP/File)

But hopes dimmed in July 2021 when Mbowe was arrested on terrorism charges. He was released after seven months but some critics labelled Hassan a dictator.

She sat down face-to-face with Lissu in Brussels in early 2022, again buoying hopes that change could be on the horizon.

Earlier this week, information minister said the government was planning to amend a media bill that critics say restricts freedom of expression, but gave no details of the proposed changes.

"President Samia Suluhu Hassan, through her government and party, have shown they are ready for a new journey. We need to demonstrate that we are also ready for that," Lissu said.

"I am coming home for the new beginning of our nation."
The National Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagba has predicted doom for the main opposition party, the NDC.

According to him, the party will lose the third consecutive time the presidential elections coming 2024.

Reacting to the NDCs parliamentary leadership shake-up, the ruling partys communicator noted that the move will also make the party lose some parliamentary seats such as Tamale South, Ketu North and Asawase.

Mr. Ahiagba noted that the lack of consultation from the NDC leadership before the reshuffle implies that the NDC always does the opposite of what it preaches in public.

"The NDC should kiss the Tamale South, Ketu North, and Asawase seats, and the 2024 Presidential elections, goodbye. The NDC preaches virtue and practices vice," his tweet reads.

Meanwhile, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the National Chairman of the NDC has explained that the move is a strategy to match the NPP boot-for-boot in the 2024 general elections.

Mr. Asiedu Nketiah claimed while speaking on Accra-based Star FMs Midday News that the move will reposition the partys parliamentary caucus in terms of economic debates ahead of the 2024 general elections.

"It is the continuation of our reorganisation exercise to reposition the party for the 2024 elections. So, its the continuation of the process which was started a year earlier, from branches through to constituency to regional and national. Weve now come to the reorganization on the form in parliament," he is quoted by Pulse Ghana as having said.

He further explained, "The thinking is that going into 2024, the debate is going to be principally on the economy, and so we need to put our best foot forward so we can match the NPP in that area. Thats why we chose Ato Forson to lead the charge as Minority leader and then Armah Kofi Boah, our expert in energy, which is also going to feature prominently, and then Kwame Agbodza is our person on infrastructure.

According to the partys chairman, they "will continue to move forward with our proposal in revamping the economy and hoping to attract the attention of the nation that we offer a better alternative to what we are seeing in the government now. So, the battle will continue, except that the key players have changed positions. So, we are not going to relent on making NDC the better alternative.
Some residents in the Bono East region, especially Techiman, Nkoranza, Kintampo, Yeji, Prang and Atebubu are worried about the activities of police personnel in the area working under the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) of the Ghana Police Service.

The PID, according to Police sources, has been in existence for quite a long time but used to be in only Accra and Kumasi. Its offices have however been opened in all regional commands of the Ghana Police Services since the current Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare took office in 2021.

The operatives, whose operations in the Bono East region are under the command of Chief Superintendent Saviour Ahiamadi is accused of conducting arbitrary searches in peoples homes, arresting innocent people and seizing properties without any court order and most often subjecting victims to all kinds of inhumane treatments, including severe beatings and sometimes allegedly open fire at them.

When our news team visited Techiman, the Bono East regional capital, they picked information from the residents who said the operatives are claiming they take their instructions from and report directly to the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, and can therefore go about their activities without seeking permission from the Regional, Divisional or District Command of the Police Service.

Residents are therefore calling on the Minister of Interior and the Presidency to intervene and call the PID operatives to order as their activities keep threatening and undermining the peace and security of the region.

The residents, who spoke on conditions of anonymity for fear of being targeted cited several instances where the operatives have raided peoples homes, mostly at odd hours, picked up innocent residents and flogged them; all in the name of carrying out searches and investigations.

When these PID guys arrest someone, they sometimes take him to Chief Superintendent Saviour Ahiamadis residence and subject the person to all kinds of inhumane treatment for days without any trial and more or less kidnap him. If the family of the victim hears about it and trace their relatives whereabout and gets to Mr. Ahiamadus house, they would be made to pay a huge sum of money before the so-called suspect is released. This has been going on for some time now, a resident to our reporter.

Rambo-style arrests

Another resident narrated how the operatives, who are usually not in any uniform, picked up a young man in Techiman on suspicion that he owns a gun in his house and bundled him into a waiting pick-up vehicle with registration number GN 3780-21 and sped off.

In a typical Rambo style, these guys immediately covered the suspects face with a sack, took him to Chief Superintendent Saviour Ahiamadis residence and beat him up mercilessly until he became unconscious. The victims wife and children didnt know where he was and, together with several others, began searching for his whereabouts, the resident said.

He continued that: someone managed to get us the registration number of one of the vehicles used to kidnap the man and when the number was reported to the Regional Crime Officer of the Police Service, it was realised that that vehicle belonged to these PID personnel and up till now, the case is still pending.

May 2022 Nkoranza killing

At Nkoranza, most people who spoke to our reporter accused the PID of being behind the killing of the late Albert Donkor of Nkoranza nearly a year ago.

The body of Albert Donkor has still not been given to the family for burial since his alleged gruesome murder by the police on 18th May 2022. Since then nobody has been arrested and prosecuted on the matter.

27-year-old Albert Donkor who was a multi-TV decoder installer was picked up from his room by the police, including personnel of PID, deep in the night and was allegedly taken to the Nkoranza Police Station, from where he was allegedly maltreated and killed by his captives.

Residents of the town upon hearing of the action of the Police went on rampage and virtually brought all activities in the town to a standstill as they burnt tyres and blocked some major roads to register their displeasure.

The police, in their bid to control the crowd fired into them, killing another person in the process.

Some residents of Nkoranza believe that, per their investigations, Albert was intentionally picked up and killed because he had spotted one Police Officer of the PID unit among some armed robbers who were carrying out a robbery activity on the main Techiman  Kintampo highway.

The late Albert Donkor is said to have disclosed the identity of the police officer to a friend at Nkoranza who in turn informed the said officer about what he had heard about him.

The said police officer allegedly led his colleagues to hunt for Albert Donkor with the view to ending his life so that nobody hears about his involvement in the armed robbery.
Former Member of Parliament (MP) for New Juaben South, Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah has shared his thoughts on the calls for Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia to become the next Ghana President.

According to him, the Vice President has played his part in President Akufo-Addos government and will be a good president if given the chance to lead the country.

He has done his bit, and for me when you look at his CV, he will be a good President, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah, a former Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament said in an interview.

Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah continued to argue He has paid his dues to the party. When you look at how our numbers have gone up in the northern regions; now in the Northern Region for instance, we have 9 seats and the NDC also has 9 seats.

You cannot discount his impact. Even in Savannah Region, we have 3 and the NDC have 4. In the entirety of the old Northern Region, NPP have 16 and the NDC have 15. In recent past, the NPP had only 3 seats out of 31.

The Vice President at the moment is focused on playing his part in President Akufo-Addos government although he remains one of the leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) tipped to become the next flagbearer of the party.

He will have strong competition from former Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen as well as former Agric Minister Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah

25.01.2023 LISTEN

The Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Western Region has expressed its delight over the appointment of Ellembelle Member of Parliament Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah as the new Deputy Minority Leader.

The Ellembelle MP is one of the NDC representatives in Parliament who has been elevated in the shakeup by the party to change the face of party leadership in Parliament.

In a press release, Western Regional Youth Wing has congratulated Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, indicating that he will excel in his new role.

On behalf of Westerm Regional Youth Wing of National Democratic Congress, we wish to join the numerous wellwishers to congratulate Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Regional Youth Patron, the MP for Ellembelle and Chairman of Western Parliamentary Caucus of NDC on your appointment as the Deputy Minority Leader in parliament. We have learnt with great joy about your nomination this afternoon. We are proud to be associated with you.

We therefore, extend our heartfelt gratitude to the National Leadership of NDC for the honour done the good people of Western Region. The Youth in Western Region have seen this elevation as double blessing on the basis that you recently accepted our nomination as our Regional Patron, parts of a release from the group said on Tuesday.

The group further assures that it will support Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah to ensure he succeeds as the Deputy Minority Leader.

The Western Regional Youth Wing assures you of our unflinching support for the task ahead. Please, you can count on our fullest support through thick and thin as we embark on our collective journey for a better Ghana.

You have been our mentor and we are proud of your significant achievements in parliament thus far. Once again, the Western Regional Youth Wing congratulates you on your appointment as the Deputy Minority Leader, the release added.
Member of Parliament for South Dayi on the ticket of the NDC, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor believes the tension in the Minority caucus will be resolved.

Though the shake-up, particularly the removal of Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader, has made them furious, the MP said they will work with their new leader, Cassiel Ato Forson.

Speaking on Accra-based Joy News on Wednesday, January 25, Mr. Dafeamekpor said he was not expecting a shake-up.

Although we are angry that Haruna Iddrisu has been removed, we will listen to Dr Ato Forson. I was hoping Haruna Iddrisu would have been maintained as the leader, he said.

On Tuesday, January 24, the opposition party in an official letter informed the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin about some changes in its leadership in Parliament.

In the letter, Ranking Member on Finance, Mr. Cassiel Ato Forson, is taking over from Mr. Haruna Iddrisu as the Minority Leader.

The Minority Chief Whip, Hon. Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka has also been replaced with Mr. Kwame Agbodza.

Meanwhile, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) stated that the new development is part of the partys reorganisation exercise, which started a year ago.

Mr. Asiedu Nketiah noted while speaking on Accra-based Star FMs Midday News that this will reposition the partys parliamentary caucus in terms of economic debates ahead of the 2024 general elections.

It is the continuation of our reorganisation exercise to reposition the party for the 2024 elections. So, its the continuation of the process which was started a year earlier, from branches through to constituency to regional and national. Weve now come to the reorganization on the form in parliament," he is quoted by Pulse Ghana as having said.

He further explained, "The thinking is that going into 2024, the debate is going to be principally on the economy, and so we need to put our best foot forward so we can match the NPP in that area. Thats why we chose Ato Forson to lead the charge as Minority leader and then Armah Kofi Boah, our expert in energy, which is also going to feature prominently, and then Kwame Agbodza is our person on infrastructure.

According to the partys chairman, they "will continue to move forward with our proposal in revamping the economy and hoping to attract the attention of the nation that we offer a better alternative to what we are seeing in the government now. So, the battle will continue, except that the key players have changed positions. So, we are not going to relent in making NDC the better alternative."
Prof. Ransford Gyampo, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana sees the changes in the leadership of the Minority Caucus in Parliament as the best move.

The manner and way the Haruna Idderis-lead leadership carried themselves, the governance expert said did not meet his expectations.

According to him, choosing Dr. Ato Forson to replace Haruna Iddrisu is the right decision.

I have not been happy with leadership of the Minority, he said on Accra-based Joy News AM show, adding, Dr Ato Forson is the best replacement for Haruna Iddrisu.

However, Prof. Gyampo noted, I was not expecting reshuffling at this time and in this particular manner.

To him, there should have been some broader conversation between the partys leadership and the caucus leaders before the move to avoid division in the party at this crucial time.

It appears members of the Minority Caucus were not informed. It would've been better if they had sat down the entire minority caucus and consulted them, he said.

On Tuesday, January 24, the opposition party, in an official letter, informed the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin about some changes in its leadership in Parliament.

In the letter, Ranking Member on Finance, Mr. Cassiel Ato Forson, is taking over from Mr. Haruna Iddrisu as the Minority Leader.

The Minority Chief Whip, Hon. Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka has also been replaced with Mr. Kwame Agbodza.
25.01.2023 LISTEN

Samuel Koku Anyidoho, a former Deputy General Secretary of the NDC has jabbed the partys National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah over the recent shake-up in the leadership of the Minority Caucus in Parliament.

On Tuesday, January 24, the opposition party, in an official letter, informed the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, about some changes in its leadership in Parliament.

In the letter, the ranking member on finance, Mr. Cassiel Ato Forson, is taking over from Haruna Iddrisu as the Minority Leader.

The Minority Chief Whip, Hon. Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka has also been replaced with Mr. Kwame Agbodza, a move that didnt sit well with some members of the Asawase constituency.

The unexpected move got some MPs, top party members and grassroots supporters outraged and protesting for a reverse of the decision.

Reacting via his Twitter handle, the CEO of the Atta Mills Institute said Asiedu Nketiah, known affectionately as General Mosquito is vindictive and will do whatever pleases him without consulting anybody.

According to him, he has been vindicated for always cautioning the delegates never to vote for Johnson Asiedu Nketia as the chairman in the run-up to the internal contest.

NDC has made changes to its Leadership in parliament, and missiles are flying all over the place without let or hindrance. What did I tell you about Mosquito?

You, people, havent seen anything yet. Vindication lies in the womb of time. A ye pinsoooooooo!!! his tweet reads.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Rwanda of an act of war after Kigali on Tuesday confirmed its forces had fired at a fighter jet from the DRC that had violated its airspace.

A video shared on social media showed a projectile shooting toward an airborne military plane, before exploding in the air near the plane, which continued to fly.

The incident is the latest dispute between the two countries whose relationship has been strained by a rebel insurgency.

In a statement the DRC denied the jet had been in Rwandan airspace, saying the aircraft was flying within Congolese territory.

Authorities said the plane had landed in the Congolese provincial capital Goma without suffering major damage.

Rebel support claims

The DRC, United Nations experts and Western powers accuse Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group which seized several towns and villages in the eastern DRC last year.

Rwanda has denied any involvement.

Regional leaders brokered an agreement in November under which the Tutsi-led group was meant to withdraw from recently seized positions by January 15 as part of efforts to end a conflict that has displaced at least 450,000 people.

Papal visit

Meanwhile Pope Francis is preparing a visit to the DRC, a deeply religious Catholic country, from 31 January - a visit seen as a chance to soothe tensions in the east.

Over one million worshippers are expected to turn out for an open-air mass in Kinshasa's Ndolo airport on 1 February.

The Pope had been scheduled to arrive in the DRC last July, but the trip was postponed over health concerns.

There is speculation that escalating conflict in the east - where the pope is no longer due to visit - prompted a rethink.

The Pope will meet victims of the conflict while in Kinshasa.

(with wires)
25.01.2023 LISTEN

The possibility of tapping into the rich experience of retired professionals in the country continues to pop up in informal conversations among concerned Ghanaians.

We could not agree more with the suggestions considering the countless trove of experienced retired professionals in the fields of policing, intelligence, teaching, medicine and many others, some of them with foreign background to their credits.

They have labored for many years to become experts in the various disciplines and so to watch these skills locked up in their heads with no means of putting them to use does not make sense at all; more so, since we are developing as a nation.

With most of these retired persons not eager to write their memoirs from which their rich and invaluable experience could be tapped for the benefit of the up and coming professionals, the only way to tap into these troves is by engaging them in assorted ramifications.

Some of them, we are aware, are wary of raising their heads above the parapet in a country where so-called young empty experts make so much noise in the media often politicising their invective-laced submissions.

Why don't we, for instance, have retired security personnel such as former IGPs and others contribute their experiences through a subtly arranged platform away from public glare.

Some of these retired personnel can be engaged to occasionally render talks to recruits at police training schools and to officer-cadets at the Police College or the Ghana Military Academy.

Such talks can present to the recruits and cadets role models from whose experiences they can learn.

Experience is earned over several years, even decades, the value of which is immeasurable. That is why we must explore appropriate ways of leveraging upon this attribute.

A retired IGP, can for instance, impart restricted knowledge to others about how they managed certain critical subjects during their tenures.

Dealing with politicians at the helm in the country is a delicate subject, the ropes of which cannot be found anywhere in textbooks. Others who held such positions can, however, divulge how they dealt with outstanding conundrums.

The executive arm of government, with its responsibility over all departments of state, including the taking of decisions and giving of orders with direct impact over for instance, law enforcement, can sometimes meet with issues not in the interest of wise policing. How is the Chief Constable able to wriggle his way out of such a challenge without incurring the wrath of the executive? This is where the experience of how others addressed a similar situation in the past comes in.

An appropriate platform, as suggested in a previous paragraph, could serve the purpose of this goal.

The same can be replicated for other disciplines where there is no dearth of experienced retired chief directors and many others their knowledge dormant and untapped for national development.

Imagine having retired headmasters delivering lectures at teacher training colleges to students about what they went through in their days without computers and other gadgets associated with hi-tech and managing wayward students, the effects would be impactful.
Mauritania's ex-president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz went on trial on Wednesday, accused of amassing an illicit personal fortune from his 11-year stay in power.

Aziz, a 66-year-old former general, appeared in a court in Nouakchott among 10 defendants, including former prime ministers, ministers and businessmen, an AFP reporter saw.

They face charges that include abuse of office, influence peddling, money laundering and illicit enrichment.

Proceedings began with a rollcall of the defendants to which Aziz, dressed in a blue grown, rose and raised his hand.

The defendants were placed in a metallic cage-like stand in the courtroom as hundreds of police stood guard outside.

Aziz, a trader's son who came to power in a coup, stepped down in 2019 after two presidential terms in which he defused a jihadist insurgency threatening the conservative West African state.

He was succeeded by his former right-hand man, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, in the first transfer of power between elected leaders in the history of a country marked by military coups and upheaval.

But within month of the handover, allegations emerged of financial misdealings.

Mauritania. By Gillian HANDYSIDE (AFP)

Aziz is suspected of siphoning money from state contracts or the sale of real estate, amassing a fortune equivalent to more than $72 million.

He denies the allegations against him and says he is the victim of a settling of scores.

Mauritanians interviewed by AFP hope the trial will set a new benchmark in the fight against graft in their country.

Mauritania is ranked a lowly 140th out of 180 in the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index by the organisation Transparency International.
Deputy PRO for the Ministry of Education (MoE), Yaw Opoku Mensah, has advised students to adhere to their schools code of conduct and stay away from social media.

Mr Mensah was speaking on the Transformation Agenda Series-Education, a programme initiated by the MoE to bridge the information gap between the public and the ministry, on Class 91.3 FM and Ho 92.5 FM.

He stressed on the need for students to follow the code of conduct at their various schools to avoid repercussions.

He further cautioned students on the use of social media. He believes social media is a very powerful tool and such, students should be cautious what they post on there.

Social media is a powerful tool and I keep telling students, friends, young people, that the internet does not forget. Forget about you saying that you deleted an item, it is not deleted, he warned.

Definitely, you will have it in your face one day and that is where youll [say to] yourself, Had I known!

So, had I known shouldnt be a language we should be enthused [over]. Therefore, it becomes prudent that we do advice ourselves as young men and women so that the future wouldnt be bleak for us, he added.

Sighting the dismissed but pardoned Chiana Senior High School students, he urged other students not to repeat the act as they might not be in luck as these eight students. Neither will the internet forget, he emphasised.

Now as you indicated, they had pardon from His Excellency the President. Maybe you may not be lucky enough to get same and you ask yourself, Where do I go from that end?

They have been pardoned but you ask yourself, Will the internet forget? Anytime you Google search on these students, their pictures and names pop up. It tells you how important [it is] that we [stay] mindful of our action[s], he noted.

He further used the opportunity to advise parents to take responsibility for their wards education as government has lifted their educational burden.

But again, its important that parents do take responsibility for their wards education.

"Now, the responsibility of getting financial assistance has been taken off your shoulders by government, and therefore its prudent that we as parents have that cordial relationship with the school, Educationist and Deputy PRO for the Ministry of Education (MoE), Yaw Opoku Mensah advised.

Source: classfmonline.com
A Madina District Court has sentenced Peter Michael Ifaenyi aka Peter Yaw Asare, a Nigerian Computer Engineer to 450 days imprisonment for attempting to obtain Ghanaian passport twice.

Ifaenyi, 26, who was charged with attempting to obtain Ghanaian passports by false declaration, pleaded guilty.

The Court therefore sentenced him on his own plea and handed down a custodial sentence without an option of a fine.

Prosecution led by Chief Superintendent of Immigration Adolf Assenso, informed the court that accused person was known for his wanton disregard for authority.

He therefore prayed the Court to hand down a custodial sentence on the accused without any option of a fine to serve as deterrent to like-minded persons.

The case as narrated by the Prosecution is that the accused person, now a convict, was arrested on January 4, 2023, at the Accra Passport Application Centre, around Tema Station in Accra.

It said while the accused person was undergoing the processes of acquiring a Ghanaian Passport, officials of the Ghana Immigration Service suspected that he was not a Ghanaian as he claimed.

He was subsequently referred to the National Enforcement Section at the Immigration Headquarters for further investigations.

The Prosecution further told the Court that at the National Enforcement Section, it was detected that the accused person had earlier on been arrested for the same offence on November 17, 2022, at the Premium Passport Application Centre (Premium PAC), Circle Accra.

It said accused person was granted service enquiry bail and was later charged with the offence of attempting to obtain a Ghanaian passport by false declaration contrary to Section 52 of the Ghana Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573) on the December 8, 2022.

The Prosecution said the accused person was to appear before the Kaneshie District Court one on December 2022 for prosecution but he refused to appear.

It said accused person managed to outwit officials at the Birth and Death Registry and the National Identification Authority to obtain again the same Ghanaian birth certificate with entry number 1867 and a Ghana Card with personal ID number GHA-728134693-3 which he used in his earlier attempt and which were in the custody of the Ghana Immigration Service.

Source: GNA
25.01.2023 LISTEN

A joint military exercise was conducted by Border Guard Bangladesh-BGB and Myanmar Border Guard Force-BGP at Naf River in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar. This exercise lasted from Tuesday morning to noon.

BGB Teknaf 2 Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Sheikh Khalid Mohammad Iftekhar gave this information in a press release issued in the afternoon. It is said that in order to effectively secure the border of Bangladesh-Myanmar, a joint patrol of BGB-BGP level started at the Naf River at the zero line of the border following all the protocols of border management around 9:30 am. The 12-member BGB patrol team was led by Teknaf battalion captain Lt. Colonel Sheikh Khalid Mohammad Iftekhar and 12 members of BGP led the patrol team led by BGP Mongdu No. 1 branch captain Lt. Col. Ye Y. Show.

Lt. Colonel Sheikh Khalid said that joint patrolling between the two countries was suspended for almost three years from March 2020 due to the outbreak of Covid-19 worldwide and the situation arising on the Myanmar border since July 2022, which was adversely affecting border management. In this context, with the joint and diplomatic efforts of the border guard forces of both countries, it was decided to start this joint patrol with the consent of both countries in the flag meeting at the level of BGB-BGP battalion commanders on October 30 last year. In view of which the border guards of both the countries started joint patrolling operations on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border yesterday.

The BGB captain also said that a courtesy meeting was held at the BGB-BGP captain level during the joint exercise. It was said in the meeting that as a result of the joint patrolling, full control of the respective border guard forces will be established on the islands in the Naf River which are located along the Bangladesh-Myanmar international border and the islands which were used as shelters for smuggling or criminal gangs in the presence of the border guard forces of both countries. The joint patrolling activities of the border guarding forces of the two friendly countries will continue in the future as well. It is strongly hoped that the border guarding forces of both the countries will be able to keep their own borders safe by continuing this joint patrolling operation.

In this regard, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said, Rohingyas will not be our only challenge. The whole world will be challenged. They left everything and came to Bangladesh. So, they can be tempted by any temptation. For that, they can become victims of international terrorists.

The Home Minister said that three groups of Rohingyas are causing the recent clashes at the Tumbru border with various incitements. The Rohingyas who have taken refuge in Bangladesh are creating chaos. There are three-four groups among the Rohingyas. Some are engaging in yaba business, some are fighting themselves. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also said that the law-and-order forces have been put on the highest alert.

Exciting border situation: If the active insurgents among the Rohingyas who have taken refuge in Bangladesh cannot be controlled now, then the border situation and the sovereignty of the country may be threatened, apart from the overall security system. In their opinion, the country is creating instability on the border as part of various conspiracies with Myanmar and Bangladesh to prevent the repatriation of Rohingyas by proving them as terrorists. They mentioned that the Myanmar army is supplying heavy weapons including grenades to some Rohingya terrorists in addition to drugs.

Law enforcement agencies are also worried about the use of sophisticated grenades by these terrorists after the use of sophisticated weapons like M-16 and AK-47. According to the information provided by them, multiple clashes and shootings have occurred between two groups fighting to maintain their supremacy in multiple shelter camps in Ukhia in four months. At least 23 people died. 10 of them are Rohingya. Apart from this, 37 people were abducted from Ukhia alone in the last four months. Among them, 11 people were rescued by law-and-order forces. The rest came back with ransom. The abductees are 17 Rohingyas and 20 locals. The Rohingya terrorists hiding in the Ukhia-Teknaf shelter camp of Cox's Bazar are using sophisticated weapons to compete to increase their power. Rohingya leaders are being targeted and killed. 23 people have been killed in the last four months in the camp. Recently, a talented intelligence officer was killed by Rohingya terrorists during a drug and weapons recovery operation.

The question of the locals is, where do they get weapons in protected areas like camps? There is no good answer. Horrible crimes like drug and human trafficking worth hundreds of crores of rupees are taking place in the camps. Heinous acts like human and women trafficking have been going on for the last few years. It is feared that there may be more spread of violent incidents. If they are not brought under control now, the country's sovereignty and security may be threatened.

On January 17, on Tuesday night, during the search of BGB's hideout of drug dealers on Palangkhali border of Ukhia Upazila, drug kingpin and terrorist Nabi Hossain Bahini fired two to three hundred rounds at BGB. BGBO fired back in self-defence. However, BGB said that there were no casualties.

On the other hand, members of the armed group Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and members of Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) clashed at the zero line of the Tumbru border at around 6 am last Wednesday. Houses of Rohingyas were set on fire from Wednesday afternoon. On that day, the shooting continued until 9:00 p.m. More than 10 people were injured.

4 thousand 200 Rohingyas of 621 families lived in this camp on the zero line of Tumbru border. The residents of the border area said that they are living miserable days. Habiba Begum (45), a resident of the Ghumdhum Konapara Rohingya refugee camp, said that one-third of the Rohingya's homes had been burnt down. As a result, many have taken refuge in two schools. Habiba Begum said, "I don't know where my three sons Hamid, Hossain and Ali are now." I am looking for them.'

According to the information of the law enforcement agencies, the law enforcement agencies have been shaken since the recent recovery of a grenade from the house of Nabi Hussain, the Rohingya terrorist who is being talked about from Balukhali camp in Ukhia. Since the recovery of the grenade, the panic in the camp is increasing.

In this regard, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ukhia Police Station Sheikh Mohammad Ali said that the green colored grenade found in the Rohingya settlement is similar to Argus grenade. On investigation, the police came to know that the grenade belonged to the Nabi Force. Arrested injured during the incident, Nabi is one of the accomplices of Rohingya terrorist Nabi Hussain. So, to know how the grenade came to his house, Md Nabi will be remanded and questioned, said the OC.

In this direction, after the recovery of grenades, several reliable sources claim that there are hundreds of grenades and a large number of sophisticated weapons in Totardia secret hideout on the border, which is discussed as Nabi Hussain's base. From there the weapons were taken to different camps. The grenades are claimed to be made in Myanmar. The alleged ARSA name holders are also not lagging behind in collecting weapons. They have also stockpiled weapons by setting up bases on the border with the cooperation of the Myanmar.

There are allegations that some actors are providing heavy weapons including grenades to the Rohingya terrorists as part of various conspiracies along with drugs to create instability in the country. Myanmar wants to block the repatriation of Rohingyas by proving them as terrorists.

Security agencies monitoring Rohingya terrorists have information that Nabi Hussain and ARSA have been supplied by the Myanmar Army with a large number of Myanmar-made grenades as well as heavy weapons. One Nabi Hussain has hundreds of grenades in his hands. Nabi Hossain is able to carry out large-scale attacks in and outside the camp with these grenades. An officer in charge of the intelligence agency confirmed that the matter has already been reported to the highest level of the government.

on the one hand, the Myanmar government continues to discuss the repatriation of the Rohingyas, while on the other hand, the camps are being systematically disrupted with the help of terrorists in the camps. In particular, the allegations of direct cooperation with ARSA and Nabi Hussain forces are long-standing. The main goal of some actors is to destabilize the camps and portray the Rohingya as terrorists through killings between the two groups. Because of this, Rohingya terrorists can come and go in Myanmar without any hindrance.

Sufian Siddique

Independent researcher and freelance columnist, Dhaka.
Several thousands of people took to the streets in South Africa on Wednesday to protest a prolonged energy crisis that has resulted in crippling power cuts for the continent's most industrialised economy.

Protests took place at various locations nationwide, including the financial hub Johannesburg and the seat of Parliament, Cape Town.

In Johannesburg, an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 demonstrators marched on the headquarters of the African National Congress (ANC) party, which has been in power for almost three decades and is blamed by opposition parties for the crisis.

The protesters were mostly dressed in blue, the colour of the Democratic Alliance, the largest opposition group, which organised the rallies.

Some held signs reading "Enough is enough", "Power to the people" and "Load shedding is killing jobs" -- a reference to scheduled power cuts for some clients or areas to reduce strain on the electricity grid.

"We have to charge our phones at certain times. We have to cook at certain times. We shouldn't have to live this way in South Africa," Marino Hughes, a 22-year-old student, told AFP.

The scheduled blackouts have burdened Africa's most advanced economy for years, with the network operated by the debt-laden state energy firm Eskom failing to keep pace with demand as it struggles to maintain its ageing coal-powered infrastructure.

The state-owned energy group Eskom says rate increases are necessary. By Phill Magakoe (AFP)

But the outages have reached new extremes over the past 12 months, with power often being cut several times a day for around 12 hours in total.

"We are close to the breaking point, and communities across the country have run out of patience," DA leader John Steenhuisen told the protesters, describing the ANC headquarters as the "ground zero of our electricity crisis".

A strong police presence prevented protesters from reaching the ANC buidling, where a few hundred party supporters had gathered for a counter-demonstration.

Waving black, green and yellow ANC flags, some cracked traditional animal skin whips called "sjamboks" while others held signs reading "This is ANC offices not Eskom".

"The ANC is committed to fix the electricity crisis and things are being done. It will take time but ultimately the problem will be solved," said ANC lawmaker Collen Thlologelo Malatji, 29.

'Food is rotten'

In Cape Town, around 1,500 protesters marched past a few hundred ANC supporters.

African National Congress supporters heckled Democratic Alliance protesters in Johannesburg. By MARCO LONGARI (AFP)

"The government must take its head out of the sand and actually deal with the energy crisis," Cape Town's mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis of the DA, told AFP.

The outages cost the country up to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost output daily from the disruptions to commerce and industry, according to the opposition estimates.

A 40-year-old poultry entrepreneur, Lloyd Peltier, said he had been forced to shutter four shops and lay off 20 workers. "All this because I can't run my business because of load shedding," he said.

An agricultural industry body said this week dairy farms were unable to keep milk refrigerated because of the blackouts.

"Food is rotten in our fridges. What is the ANC doing?" asked school employee Mpana Hlasa, 35.

Many also denounced the recent approval of a steep energy tariff increase that Eskom, which generates more than 90 percent of South Africa's energy, says is vital for its finances.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said this week that it was "understandable" people were "fed up" at the crisis, which was wreaking "havoc" on the country, but warned it could not be fixed "overnight".

He also said he had asked Eskom to consider pausing the tariff hike, adding that the government was looking to import electricity from neighbouring countries and increase output from renewable energy sources.
The Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer for the Ghana Prisons Service, ASP Richard Bukari says, overcrowding at penitentiaries in the region is impacting negatively on their reformation agenda.

"Most of the inmates go out without the expected reforms due to our inability to give them the necessary training, skills and education they need while serving at their term in prison.

"The infrastructure at the various prisons service particularly the Kumasi Central Prison is struggling to contain the inmates, making it difficult for proper reform activities," he stated.

ASP Richard Bukari was speaking on the Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FM's morning show Nyansapo on Tuesday January 24, 2023 when he disclosed this to Captain Koda, host of the show.

"Constructed in 1901,the Kumasi Central Prisons which was supposed to house 450 inmates is now holding over 1925, the number of inmates even exceeded 2000 during Christmas and you can imagine the percentage of overcrowding at the facility.

"For one to be reformed, the person needs to be taken through a holistic training to get him engaged once they are out of prison, and I must emphasise that reformation is very related to rehabilitation where those involved must be provided with a number of infrastructure and logistics to achieve the ultimate goal," he said.

While commending government for the continuous support to the Ghana Prisons Service, ASP Richard ASP Bukari has appealed to the public and other major stakeholders to help provide them with logistics and other infrastructure that will help them reform prisoners.
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Research Fellow at the Institute for Education Studies (IFES), Dr Barnabas Addai Amanfo has urged government to build Ghana's education on handicraft.

This according to the Senior lecturer at Valley View University will develop the creative ability of students and improve the quality of human resources in the country.

"Ideally, education in the country must be hinged on handicraft, and so I am expecting Ghana as a country to come out with reforms in the education sector that will ensure students are equipped with life skills right from the basic school," he stated.

Speaking on the Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FM's morning show "Nyansapo," on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, Dr Amanfo emphasize the need for Ghana to make handicraft one of the major career pathways for students in the country.

"For every education system to be up to par, it must be founded in three major principles, that is, the students after completing school must be able to be matured in mind, be well taught in good morals and attitude and lastly be handy and skillful enough to create something from the development of the country," he stressed.

Dr Amanfo expressed worry over how the country tends to rather focus on grammar instead of technical and skill training in schools.

He has there appealed to authorities in the education sector to include handicrafts in the new curriculum for basic and senior high schools.
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The Minority in Parliament says the continuous injection of state funds into abandoned projects is contributing to the economic challenges confronting the country.

The group says despite the allocation of about 20 million dollars to contractors of the governments agenda 111 projects, work is yet to commence on most of the health facilities.

During a visit to the proposed site for the construction of a hospital for the Adeiso community in the Upper West Akyim District of the Eastern Region, the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said all what the government does is to go around pushing money on starting new projects to score political points. It has not even shown commitment to completing the project.

The disbursed funds for the facilities could have helped shore up the countrys forex reserve.

Former President John Mahama has on several occasions accused the Akufo-Addo administration of abandoning many of the projects started during his government's tenure.

The former President said he finds it disappointing that a number of the projects remain uncompleted since his administration left office in January 2017.

Government, in response to these concerns, indicated that it is pursuing the completion of some projects.

By Citi Newsroom
The Senior Programmes Officer for the Centre of Democratic Development (CCD-Ghana) Paul Aborampah Mensah has cautioned the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to tread carefully on its decision to change the partys leadership in Parliament.

Mr Aborampah said the NDC should have considered the ethnic sentiments of some of the supporters of the previous leaders in Parliament before embarking on the decision to replace them.

We have to be very cautious in order not to read ethnic sentiments in every decision that we take. If you watch television yesterday, you would realise the NDC supporters were reading meaning into the decision.

Their sentiments were not that the party has replaced competent people, but their sentiments were such that their men from the Dagbon tradition have been sacked and some of them threatened not to receive the leadership of the NDC or attack them when they enter Tamale.

So if they dont handle it carefully it is not going to be an issue of reshuffling people in parliamentbut my worry is the ethnocisation of the issues at this time and the sentiments expressed by the people of Tamale, Mr Aborampah said on the Citi Prime News on Wednesday, January 25.

Mr Aborampahs comments come after NDC supporters in the Tamale South constituency on Tuesday besieged the partys office demanding the immediate reversal of the decision to replace Haruna Iddrisu as the Minority Leader with Cassiel Ato Forson.

On Wednesday, some party supporters in the Asawase constituency in the Ashanti region also massed up at the party office demanding the reinstatement of Minority Whip, Muntaka Mubarak who has also been replaced by the party with Governs Kwame Agbodza.

Meanwhile, the NDC has justified the shake-up in its leadership in Parliament despite criticisms from its own members. The party said the decision is apt and works best for collective other than individual interests.

The General Secretary of the NDC, Fiifi Kwetey while speaking on Eyewitness News discredited such assertions insisting that those who mattered were contacted for the necessary inputs.

This decision was taken after wide consultation. If you look at the apex leadership of the party, that consultation was done. In terms of parliamentary, the group that is widely consulted, that consultation has been done.

By Citi Newsroom
The immediate past Afigya Kwabre South Constituency Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Odeneho Kwaku Appiah (COKA), has appealed to the rank and file of the party to try and discuss all NPP issues and troubles behind closed doors.

The NPP, just like all human organisations, has its share of internal conflicts, but the way to go is to prevent public or open discussions of the troubles outside the party structures that may in the end damage the NPP brand, he said.

Odeneho Kwaku Appiah who shared the above views on his Facebook platform recently said he is baffled by some comments that undermine the legacy of President Akufo-Addo by some NPP leading members who are seeking to become the flagbearer of the party for election 2024.

When l listened to the way some NPP members are talking nowadays, especially some presidential candidate hopefuls; l feel sorry for NPP, he bemoaned.

Tell me who among the aspirants can stand on his own legacy to lead the NPP to retain power in 2024. No one. It will surprise you that when you leave some of them to be on their own, they will have nothing to show or tell Ghanaians for their vote. One thing that all well-meaning NPP members should know is that the party is going to campaign to win the election 2024 with president Akufo-Addos policies and programmes implemented in the last 6 years in government. For this reason, we must protect the presidents legacy, he asserted.

He enumerated some of the programmes and policies of President Akufo-Addo which must be protected in the interest of NPP.

Which of the aspirants, when selected as NPP candidate for 2024, can go around the country to campaign for votes without talking about one district one factory, free senior High school programme, digitalisation, planting for food and jobs, one ambulance one constituency, one village one dam, among others, he questioned.

COKA urged the party delegates to reject aspirants who are openly attacking the President and his policies.

Dear NPP delegates, any presidential candidate hopeful or his agent whose body language, behaviour, character and utterances in public against the president and his policies cannot lead the party to victory in 2024, NPP must be careful because when you bring the President down, it is the NPP that suffers, he stressed.

Source: ClassFMonline.com
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne had a tough day in parliament on Tuesday, being noisily heckled by the opposition benches as she attempted to assure the house that there was no question women would be penalised more than men under the government's already controversial proposals for pension reform.

However, a government document on the impact of the proposed changes to the pension system appears to suggest that the impact for women would be more severe.

It shows that women will, indeed, be obliged to work longer than men in order to reduce the pension imbalance between the sexes.

Confronted with the government's own findings, minister Franck Riester was obliged to admit that "women would be slightly penalised by the increase in the retirement age" from 62 to 64, as proposed by the unpopular legislation.

That started the fire on which the left-wing opposition attempted to grill Elisabeth Borne, accusing the prime minister of promoting an anti-woman reform.

"I cannot allow it to be said that our proposals will not protect the interests of women," the prime minister said, in response to a claim by socialist MP Melanie Thomin that women would be "most heavily penalised" by the changes.

Under a noisy barrage of verbal abuse, Borne assured parliament that the reform "will reduce the unacceptable gap between men and women at the moment of retirement.

"We are protecting women who have broken or incomplete professional careers," the PM continued. "As well as those who started working early.

"Women will be the first to benefit from the boost to small pensions.

"And the reform will help to reduce the pension gap between men and women."

Elisabeth Borne then appealed to the opposition to stop makling false accusations but to use the parliamentary debate "to enrich the proposed changes".

Government under additional pressure

Several unnamed government sources have criticised Franck Riester for his remarks on the government document.

"He drove into the ditch," observed one imaginative ministerial aide.

"Riester has put us under pressure," admitted another. "He has given the various opponents of the reform the fuel they needed."

The left-wing opposition was particularly vocal.

"Even the government has been forced to accept that women will be 'penalised' by the extension of the retirement age," wrote socialist leader Olivier Faure in a twitter message.

"This reform is anti-women" claimed Mathilde Panot, parliamentary leader of the hard-left France Unbowed party.

"When a government minister admits that fact, that's a good reason for dropping this legislation."

The government has attempted to fight back by emphasising that women will represent 60 percent of the beneficiaries of the increase in the lowest pension rate to 1,200 euros per month.
Adriaan Vlok, the late South African apartheid-era police minister. - Source: Paballo Thekiso/ AFP via Getty Images

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The recent death of Adriaan Vlok, the prominent South African apartheid-era law and order minister, brought the issue of political apologies for past wrongs back into the public arena.

It remains an emotional subject in the country, given that almost none of the leaders of the apartheid government apologised for their actions in a process set up precisely for that purpose. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission , created in 1995, was designed to steer South Africa through the transition from apartheid to democracy. It allowed former apartheid crime perpetrators to obtain amnesty in exchange for full cooperation with the commission.

Vlok's death at the age of 85 on 8 January 2023 triggered a wave of angry commentary on social media platforms like Twitter .

He exemplifies the ongoing dilemma presented by apologies. A central member of the apartheid apparatus, he gave evidence to the truth commission in which he confessed to murder and his complicity in the bombings of the headquarters of a trade union federation and the South African Council of Churches. He was given amnesty .

Years later Vlok expressed his remorse by washing the feet of leading anti-apartheid activist Frank Chikane , a man he had sought to have assassinated.

Washing feet is a religious ritual observed by some Christian denominations . It is derived from the Bible account of Jesus washing his disciples' feet, and has two primary meanings: purification and showing hospitality. The ritual does not focus on cleansing but on humility.

I examined Vlok's gesture in a 2017 paper , Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word: Apology as a Form of Symbolic Reparation.

I argued that people should be open to the transcendent value of apologies. Although apology does not fit easily into our individualistic, adversarial legal culture, it does fit into the paradigm of restorative justice. As a form of symbolic reparation, apology can be part of a package of restorative justice measures.

Symbolic reparations (such as an apology) have been recognised by a number of courts around the world. For example, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ordered reparations, such as the changing of street names, to honour victims . In the South African murder case of S v Joyce Maluleke (unreported, 2006), Judge Bertelsmann ordered a perpetrator to apologise to a victim's family.

Read more: Why South Africa's white leaders shouldn't get into comparative politics of sin

In my view even incomplete or insincere apologies have restorative value. Incomplete apologies can have value if the person apologising shows shame, or if the apology involves public humiliation.

I conclude that Vlok's foot-washing gesture is an example of an incomplete apology with restorative results.

The issue of sincerity

On 15 August 2007 Vlok received a suspended sentence from the then Transvaal High Court in terms of a plea bargaining arrangement with the state for the attempt to poison Chikane in 1989 .

Was there a relationship between Vlok's apology and the plea bargain? Were commentators such as the late South African journalist Jon Qwelane correct in speculating that Vlok apologised in order to receive a plea bargain?

This does not seem to be the case. Vlok was never charged individually. The National Prosecuting Authority charged him with four other accused (Johann van der Merwe, Chris Smith, Gert Otto and Manie van Staden) for the attempted murder of Chikane.

According to the plea bargaining agreement (S v Johannes Velde van der Merwe and Others), Vlok and the other accused

assisted the state by pleading guilty in so far as it would otherwise have been difficult for the state to prove its case, since the state is not in possession of any evidence regarding the involvement of accused No 1 and No 2 (Van der Merwe and Vlok).

Vlok's cooperation in this case was consistent with his cooperative attitude towards the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Vlok and former police commissioner Johann Van der Merwe came forward voluntarily to assist the National Prosecuting Authority in providing information about their participation in the assassination attempt on Chikane. The resulting plea bargaining agreement listed the sincere remorse of accused No 2 (Vlok) as a mitigating circumstance.

The Pretoria High Court mentioned the foot washing and stated :

This act of contrition must be seen against the background that it was performed voluntarily by accused No 2 (Vlok).

Vlok's apology

It is true that Vlok failed to make adequate disclosure of his involvement in a range of other activities during his time in office, including disappearances and murders. Nevertheless, I argue in my paper that the way in which he apologised added to the sincerity of his apology.

The act of foot washing involves a degree of mortification. It is a vivid indicator of shame.

It is difficult to argue that a standardised form of apology should be adopted. Apologies are intensely personal, and context matters.

In Vlok's case Chikane immediately accepted the apology. The apology in relation to Chikane can, therefore, be described as effective.

Read more: FW de Klerk: the last apartheid president was driven by pragmatism, not idealism

To the extent that his apology was directed at all victims of apartheid, the reception is, of course, more complicated. The problem with apologies made to an infinite number of people is that it is difficult to establish the direct connection between the perpetrator and the victims.

Although it remains highly problematic that Vlok, and other apartheid-era cabinet ministers, never made full disclosure of their actions, it is difficult to question the sincerity of his expressions of remorse. His apology was powerful and convinced even those who were harmed by his actions.

New sensibilities

Vlok's death coincides with a new wave of apologies, including that by the Netherlands for slavery. Instead of ignoring or denying prior human rights violations, many countries are publicly acknowledging these wrongs in an attempt to come to terms with the past.

This development has been ascribed to the global spread of a human rights culture. Or in the words of the Holocaust scholar, Michael Marrus, a developing moral consensus.

This is supported by trends in international law that say past human rights violations are subject to reparations, even if only symbolically.

Official apologies can hold great transformative power, but remain controversial. Some scholars such as Michel Rolph Trouillot have described them as empty gestures that don't challenge the ideologies and structures that led to the human rights violations. Rather they're used to restore a country's reputation or maintain the status quo.

A more difficult issue involves reparations. By drawing attention to an injustice, an official apology could also raise the expectation of reparation.

If one takes the view that there can be no true public apology without reparation, one acknowledges the ambiguity inherent in the concept of apology. In light of the inadequate reparations paid to victims of gross human rights violations, the question of the value of apology and atonement remains alive and acute.

Vlok's acts of contrition can be seen as too little too late. But his actions seem to fall exactly within the spirit of the South African transitional arrangements, arrangements applauded almost universally at the time of the fall of apartheid.

Mia Swart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Mia Swart, Senior Lecturer, Edge Hill University
Mark Assibey Yeboah, former NPP MP for New Juabeng South has revisited the calls for the dismissal or resignation of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.

The former chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament told Ghanaians without mincing words that the calls will be in vain.

The former legislator on Accra-based Neat FMs Ghana Montie show said the President still believes in the Finance Minsterthe reason he has ignored the calls.

Mr. Assibey-Yeboah noted that Ken Ofori-Atta will never resign because his policies are always sanctioned by the President who described his work as excellent.

The president says Ken is doing a fantastic job. He says he is doing an excellent job. He also never said he would fire him (Ofori-Atta) during the revolt by the NPP MPs, he told them to let him finish the IMF negotiations so that they could revisit the issue, he stated.

"... He (Ofori-Atta) is not going anywhere. He is not going to resign; why should he resign? The guy is doing an excellent job, according to the president, Mr. Assibey-Yeboah claimed.

He continued, The finance minister represents the president. The other time I heard one of the MPs saying that they told Ofori-Atta to reduce the E-Levy to 1.5 per cent but he did not listen so he should be sacked. The budget is the president's budget and the cabinet met to determine the E-levy rate. Is this a basis for Ofori-Atta to resign or be sacked?
The third edition of the Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Awards, organised by Big Events Ghana, has nominated two NPP flagbearer hopefuls in the most prestigious categories.

The Board has shortlisted Hon. John Alan Kyerematen, former Minister for Trade and Industry; Hon. Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie, former Minister of Food and Agriculture; and Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister for Energy, for Ghana's Minister of the Year award in the 2021 and 2022 category.

The winner among the three will be given the coveted and enviable crown of Ghana's Best Minister for the aforementioned period.

According to Big Events Ghana, the ceremony kicks off in February at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra, where some five ministers will be honoured for their outstanding services to the country.

Meanwhile, Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie and Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, whose services have been recognized, are vying to lead the NPP and become Ghanas next president after 2024.

They both resigned after serving in both terms of the current administration in their respective ministries a few weeks ago.
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A sharp increment in tuition fees at the beginning of the academic year has compelled many parents to withdraw their children from private and enrolled them into public schools in the Sunyani Municipality.

Some of the parents said they took the decision because of the rising cost of textbooks and other teaching and learning materials in private schools.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani, one of the parents, Mr Adjei Darko explained besides transportation fees, he could not afford to pay the GHC2,100 tuition fees for his three children.

The fees are too much, and the family has no other option than to withdraw the children from private and enrol them into public schools, he stated.

Mr Darko expressed worry that education has now become expensive in private schools because of the high cost of textbooks, transportation fares, and feeding fees.

Mr Bismark Siaw, the Assistant Headmaster of the Fiapre St. Thomas Primary and Junior high school, confirmed that enrolment in the school had increased in the academic year.

This year's enrolment in the school has increased drastically as compared to the previous academic year. Many parents are seeking admission for their children, said, saying it was untrue that private schools were far better than public schools.

But the problem is that many parents who have their children in public schools are always reluctant to provide them with the necessary learning and teaching materials as compared to those whose children are in private ones, Mr Siaw stated.

Mr Siaw advised the parents and guardians to provide their children with basic teaching and learning materials to sustain their interest in school activities.

GNA
The Leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Central Region has congratulated Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, on his elevation as the minority leader in Parliament.

According to the party, Dr. Forson's elevation offered sufficient demonstration of his diligence and commitment to the course of the party in Parliament and Ghana in general.

The party replaced the current Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, with the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee, Dr. Forson.

Per a letter dated Monday, January 23, signed by, Mr. Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, the General Secretary of the party and addressed to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Mr. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, the MP for Ellembele, has assumed the position of Deputy Minority Leader, replacing Dr. James Klutse Avedzi.

The party also named Mr. Kwame Agbodza, the MP for Adaklu, as the Minority Whip, to replace Mr. Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka.

However, the party's leadership retained the positions of the incumbent First Deputy Minority Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim who is the MP for Banda and the Second Deputy Whip and MP for Ada, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah.

Reacting to the minority shake-up in Parliament, a release copied to the Ghana News Agency and signed by Mr. Gabriel Nii Kommey Adams, the Regional Secretary of the NDC, expressed optimism for the intellect and professionalism of Dr. Forson to steer the affairs of the party for victory in the 2024 election.

It said, We are happy to state that Dr. Forson has joined a distinguished array of sons and daughters who have brought honour to the region through their meteoric rise in various high offices.

The statement said: We have absolute confidence in Dr Forson's ability to perform excellently in his new role of leading the Minority in Parliament to keep the government in check by subjecting them to strict legislative scrutiny to protect the Ghanaian people from the abysmal and appalling governance they have so far offered.

Nonetheless, the statement acknowledged the significant contributions of Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the immediate past Minority Leader, and his team to deepening Ghana's democratic gains.

The statement wished them well in any future endeavours and appealed to them to offer their unalloyed support to the new leadership to make the party's quest to win the 2024 polls a reality.

GNA
Ankaful-Saltpond, a fishing community in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region, has received its first-ever public basic school after it was founded some six centuries ago.

The six-unit classroom block built for the Saltpond-Ankaful M/A Basic School by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Foundation, was on persistent request of the chiefs and people to help educate the children in the community.

The project forms part of the Corporation's Corporate Social Responsibility to the Saltpond township for hosting the Saltpond Oil Field, Ghana's oldest oil field, for about 50 years.

The yellow and cream structure overlooks the community from a ridge with a panoramic view of the ocean littered with canoes.

Until now, the community of about 4,900 people had virtually no basic school, a situation which forced children to trek several kilometres to school at Saltpond, Hini and other communities on daily basis.

The situation has been a major disincentive, compelling many children to stay at home or venture into other activities, resulting in grave consequences on the community's literacy rate.

To mitigate the situation, the Fort Amsterdam Foundation, with the help of the community, in 2017 established the Fort Amsterdam School, educating children from nursery one to class five.

Due to the lack of adequate space, coupled with an inadequate staff strength, classes four and five were combined to create room for pupils who have just been promoted to class six.

The establishment of the new school, therefore, means a major boost for education in the community as it will provide a more conducive learning environment and increase enrolment.

Handing over the project to the community and the Ghana Education Service, Madam Lubaabat Habib-Jawulaa, Head of Environment and Social Amenities of GNPC, explained that the project scheduled to be completed in six months after the sod was cut in February 2020, was delayed for close to three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She assured that the Foundation would expand the school with a Junior High School (JHS) block and a 12-seater sanitary facility from proceeds realised from the scraps that would be sold after the decommissioning of the Saltpond Oil Field.

Nana Kwame Ntsiful V, Akanful-Saltpond Odikro, who expressed joy and appreciation for the project, indicated that the school would help to improve the lives of the people.

Stressing the need to educate the community's population, he indicated that a nation without an educated and skilled human resource could not undertake any meaningful development.

He appealed to the Member of Parliament for the area, the GNPC and other benevolent organisations to help construct major drains for the community to contain the incidence of flood and erosion.

Nana Kwame Ntsiful also appealed for two waste containers to help curb the insanitary situation in the area.

Madam Betty Smith, the Mfantseman Municipal Education Director, urged parents to take keen interest in the education of their children, stressing that education was not the responsibility of government alone.

She observed that parents usually neglected the education of their children, especially the girl child, which she warned could lead them into becoming social misfits, adding that education was the best gift a parent could give to their child to empower and make them useful resources to the nation.

Now we have a school and so please make sure your children attend school. Our children should not finish school at JHS and leave the many big Senior High Schools in the region to people from other regions alone to occupy them, she stated.

Madam Eunice Okuruw, the Headteacher of the two basic schools, explained that the Ankaful M/A Basic School would host classes one to six.

She thanked the GNPC Foundation for the gesture and called for the expansion of the school as soon as possible.

GNA
The Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh has extended words of encouragement to Haruna Iddrisu after being removed as Minority Leader.

As widely reported, the National Executives of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have written to the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin on changes made to the leadership of the Minority in the house.

Notable among the changes is the decision to make Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson the new Minority Leader in Parliament.

The MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam Constituency is taking the place of Tamale South lawmaker Haruna Iddrisu.

While this has been described as a coup detat against Haruna Iddrisu, people have expressed displeasure especially after some NDC MPs admitted that they were not consulted.

Reacting to the shakeup in the leadership of the Minority in Parliament, Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP Frank Annoh-Dompreh has urged the Tamale South MP to stay strong.

In a Facebook post, the Majority Chief Whip said, God will not stop blessing you just because they stopped liking you.. Keep your heads up..My message to Hon. Haruna & Muntaka.

This evening, the latest development to the shakeup in the NDC leadership in Parliament is that over 90 MPs have signed a petition demanding that the reshuffle should be reversed.
Talensi Small scale miners who have surrounded their concessions to Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region are demanding a retraction and unqualified apology from a civil society organization, Development Research and Advocacy Centre (DRAC) or incur their wrath over malicious allegations.

According to the miners, allegations of fraud leveled against Unique mining company limited, abuse of office by the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, and abetment of crimes alleged by DRAC are unfounded and targeted at defaming miners and state authorities in resolving the impasse between small-scale miners and Earl International Gold Limited.

In a rejoinder to Journalists in Bolgatanga, the zonal secretary of the association, Azumah Tule, chided DRAC for failing to do due diligence before making the allegations and thus called on DRAC to render an unqualified apology.

We, members of the small-scale miners association are angry, annoyed, wild, and above all perturbed about broad day fabrications leveled against ourselves and revered authorities, and we want as a matter of urgency, this fake group (DRAC) and their paymaster to come out to apologize unreservedly to us otherwise we will appropriately advise ourselves.

---citinewsroom
25.01.2023 LISTEN

Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has expressed dissatisfaction with answers regarding the GH2.6 million scandal involving the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.

Mr. Ablakwa in his expose alleged that JNS Talent Centre Ltd owned by Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng was paid some GH2.6 million to help build the National Cathedral, under the pseudonym name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.

According to him, documents in his possession reveal that Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the same as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng who still serves on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director.

However, the Secretariat in a statement explained that the GH2.6 million was a refund to JNS talent and not an amount illegally paid to the company.

The lawmaker petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.

But in a response to the allegations, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng in a statement said Mr. Ablakwas claims are a twisted narration of events, threatening to take the MP on.

I wish to assure the general public that the statements made by Mr Ablakwa are a twisted narration of events to pursue a malicious political agenda. There has never been any criminal intent nor any crime committed in my dealings with the Government of Ghana or the National Cathedral.

I look forward to the (CHRAJ) enquiry during which I will present my side of the matter to the Commission. I will subsequently also address the matters fully in public without first seeking to prejudice the public mind as he has done. Additionally, when all is done, I will seek redress against Mr Ablakwa for his deliberate defamatory statements against me, the founder of Power Chapel Worldwide noted.

Speaking on Face to Face on Citi TV with Umaru Sanda Amadu, the legislator called the bluff of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, charging him to bring bear his facts and stop the empty threats.

No hes the same person, I have tracked his travels, hes the same person. I have videos of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.

That dubious GH2.6 million payment, we will get to the bottom of it. Last Sunday he said when you are going up, demons will disturb you. I dont know which up hes talking about, whether its a mysterious ladder, fraudulent ladder, or corruption ladder, I dont know which one hes talking about because its a simple matter, the MP said on Face to Face on Citi TV.

He doubted if due diligence was done before the state issued a diplomatic passport to Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.

The lawmaker said the Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey will be summoned by Parliament to answer questions in that regard.

What due diligence was done before granting him a diplomatic passport? How is it that you appoint somebody, give him an appointment letter as Rev.Kusi Boateng? And then when you are issuing him a diplomatic passport to enhance his work, its in another name, are you complicit? The Foreign Affairs Minister [Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey] will be summoned to Parliament to answer questions, Mr. Ablakwa said.

-citinewsroom
As Required by

TCA 30-2-306

Robertson Chancery Court

501 Main St.

Room 103 Courthouse

Springfield, TN 37172

(615) 384-5650

Case Number: 74CH1-2022-CV-535

Estate of Zella Ann Brown, Deceased

Notice is hereby given that on January 9 of 2023 Letters Testamentary in respect of the estate of Zella Ann Brown, who died 12/8/2022, were issued to the undersigned by the Robertson Chancery Court of Robertson County, Tennessee. All persons, resident and non-resident, having claims, matured or unmatured, against the estate are required to file the same with the Clerk of the above-named Court on or before the earlier of the dates prescribed in (1) or (2) otherwise their claims will be forever barred:

(1) (A) Four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting, as the case may be) of this notice if the creditor received an actual copy of this notice to creditors at least sixty (60) days before date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting); or

(B) Sixty (60) days from the date the creditor received an actual copy of the notice to creditors, if the creditor received the copy of the notice less than sixty (60) days prior to the date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting) as described in (1)(A); or

(2) Twelve (12) months from the decedents date of death.

Judith B. Smith, Executrix

Jerome M. Converse, Attorney

Jon T. Graves, Clerk & Master

Run Dates January 17, 2023 and January 24, 2023

|

As Required by

TCA 30-2-306

Robertson Chancery Court

501 Main St.

Room 103 Courthouse

Springfield, TN 37172

(615) 384-5650

Case Number: 74CH1-2022-CV-536

Estate of Greta Stainback, Deceased

Notice is hereby given that on January 9 of 2023 Letters Testamentary in respect of the estate of Greta Stainback, who died 7/15/2022, were issued to the undersigned by the Robertson Chancery Court of Robertson County, Tennessee. All persons, resident and non-resident, having claims, matured or unmatured, against the estate are required to file the same with the Clerk of the above-named Court on or before the earlier of the dates prescribed in (1) or (2) otherwise their claims will be forever barred:

(1) (A) Four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting, as the case may be) of this notice if the creditor received an actual copy of this notice to creditors at least sixty (60) days before date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting); or

(B) Sixty (60) days from the date the creditor received an actual copy of the notice to creditors, if the creditor received the copy of the notice less than sixty (60) days prior to the date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting) as described in (1)(A); or

(2) Twelve (12) months from the decedents date of death.

George Edward Stainback & Lee Adam Stainback, Co-Executors

Hunter R. Mobley, Attorney

Jon T. Graves, Clerk & Master

Run Dates January 17, 2023 and January 24, 2023

|

As Required by

TCA 30-2-306

Robertson Chancery Court

501 Main St.

Room 103 Courthouse

Springfield, TN 37172

(615) 384-5650

Case Number: 74CH1-2022-CV-531

Estate of Loran L Lincoln, Deceased

Notice is hereby given that on January 10 of 2023 Letters Testamentary in respect of the estate of Loran L Lincoln, who died 12/5/2022, were issued to the undersigned by the Robertson Chancery Court of Robertson County, Tennessee. All persons, resident and non-resident, having claims, matured or unmatured, against the estate are required to file the same with the Clerk of the above-named Court on or before the earlier of the dates prescribed in (1) or (2) otherwise their claims will be forever barred:

(1) (A) Four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting, as the case may be) of this

notice if the creditor received an actual copy of this notice to creditors at least sixty (60) days before date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting); or

(B) Sixty (60) days from the date the creditor received an actual copy of the notice to creditors, if the creditor received the copy of the notice less than sixty (60) days prior to the date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting) as described in (1)(A); or

(2) Twelve (12) months from the decedents date of death.

Steve Lincoln, Executor

Jarod C. Richert, Attorney

Jon T. Graves, Clerk & Master

Run dates January 17, 2023 and January 24, 2023

|

As Required by

TCA 30-2-306

Robertson Chancery Court

501 Main St.

Room 103 Courthouse

Springfield, TN 37172

(615) 384-5650

Case Number: 74CH1-2022-CV-533

Estate of John Everette Nixon, Deceased

Notice is hereby given that on January 10 of 2023 Letters Testamentary in respect of the estate of John Everette Nixon, who died 10/9/2022, were issued to the undersigned by the Robertson Chancery Court of Robertson County, Tennessee. All persons, resident and non-resident, having claims, matured or unmatured, against the estate are required to file the same with the Clerk of the above-named Court on or before the earlier of the dates prescribed in (1) or (2) otherwise their claims will be forever barred:

(1) (A) Four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting, as the case may be) of this notice if the creditor received an actual copy of this notice to creditors at least sixty (60) days before date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting); or

(B) Sixty (60) days from the date the creditor received an actual copy of the notice to creditors, if the creditor received the copy of the notice less than sixty (60) days prior to the date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting) as described in (1)(A); or

(2) Twelve (12) months from the decedents date of death.

Teena Gale Nixon, Executrix

Emily C. Green, Attorney

Jon T. Graves, Clerk & Master

Run dates January 17, 2023 and January 24, 2023

|

As Required by

TCA 30-2-306

Robertson Chancery Court

501 Main St.

Room 103 Courthouse

Springfield, TN 37172

(615) 384-5650

Case Number: 74CH1-2022-CV-537

Estate of Mary Warden Booth, Deceased

Notice is hereby given that on January 10 of 2023 Letters Testamentary in respect of the estate of Mary Warden Booth, who died 10/29/2022, were issued to the undersigned by the Robertson Chancery Court of Robertson County, Tennessee. All persons, resident and non-resident, having claims, matured or unmatured, against the estate are required to file the same with the Clerk of the above-named Court on or before the earlier of the dates prescribed in (1) or (2) otherwise their claims will be forever barred:

(1) (A) Four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting, as the case may be) of this notice if the creditor received an actual copy of this notice to creditors at least sixty (60) days before date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting); or

(B) Sixty (60) days from the date the creditor received an actual copy of the notice to creditors, if the creditor received the copy of the notice less than sixty (60) days prior to the date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting) as described in (1)(A); or

(2) Twelve (12) months from the decedents date of death.

Thomas Edward Warden, Executor

John T. Bobo, Attorney

Jon T. Graves, Clerk & Master

Run dates January 17, 2023 and January 24, 2023

|

As Required by

TCA 30-2-306

Robertson Chancery Court

501 Main St.

Room 103 Courthouse

Springfield, TN 37172

(615) 384-5650

Case Number: 74CH1-2023-CV-3

Estate of Walter Lane Cannon, Deceased

Notice is hereby given that on January 10 of 2023 Letters Testamentary in respect of the estate of Walter Lane Cannon, who died 12/7/2022, were issued to the undersigned by the Robertson Chancery Court of Robertson County, Tennessee. All persons, resident and non-resident, having claims, matured or unmatured, against the estate are required to file the same with the Clerk of the above-named Court on or before the earlier of the dates prescribed in (1) or (2) otherwise their claims will be forever barred:

(1) (A) Four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting, as the case may be) of this notice if the creditor received an actual copy of this notice to creditors at least sixty (60) days before date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting); or

(B) Sixty (60) days from the date the creditor received an actual copy of the notice to creditors, if the creditor received the copy of the notice less than sixty (60) days prior to the date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting) as described in (1)(A); or

(2) Twelve (12) months from the decedents date of death.

Lisa Green & Veronica Hampton, Co-Executors

Emily C. Green, Attorney

Jon T. Graves, Clerk & Master

Run dates January 17, 2023 and January 24, 2023

|

As Required by

TCA 30-2-306

Robertson Chancery Court

501 Main St.

Room 103 Courthouse

Springfield, TN 37172

(615) 384-5650

Case Number: 74CH1-2023-CV-13

Estate of Mary Ethel Eidson, Deceased

Notice is hereby given that on January 10 of 2023 Letters Testamentary in respect of the estate of Mary Ethel Eidson, who died 10/10/2022, were issued to the undersigned by the Robertson Chancery Court of Robertson County, Tennessee. All persons, resident and non-resident, having claims, matured or unmatured, against the estate are required to file the same with the Clerk of the above-named Court on or before the earlier of the dates prescribed in (1) or (2) otherwise their claims will be forever barred:

(1) (A) Four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting, as the case may be) of this notice if the creditor received an actual copy of this notice to creditors at least sixty (60) days before date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting); or

(B) Sixty (60) days from the date the creditor received an actual copy of the notice to creditors, if the creditor received the copy of the notice less than sixty (60) days prior to the date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting) as described in (1)(A); or

(2) Twelve (12) months from the decedents date of death.

Kenneth Wayne Eidson, Executor

Clyde W. Richert, III, Attorney

Jon T. Graves, Clerk & Master

Run date January 17, 2023 and January 24, 2023

|

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

STATE OF TENNESSEE, ROBERTSON COUNTY

WHEREAS, Tricia Marie Beauchamp and William F. Beauchamp executed a Deed of Trust to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as beneficiary, as nominee for F & M Bank, Lender and Jonathan R Vinson, Trustee(s), which was dated October 26, 2018, and recorded on October 29, 2018, in Book 1839, at Page 695 in Robertson County, Tennessee Register of Deeds.

WHEREAS, default having been made in the payment of the debt(s) and obligation(s) thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the current holder of said Deed of Trust, Citizens Bank, N.A., (the Holder), appointed the undersigned, Brock & Scott, PLLC, as Substitute Trustee, with all the rights, powers and privileges of the original Trustee named in said Deed of Trust; and

NOW, THEREFORE, notice is hereby given that the entire indebtedness has been declared due and payable as provided in said Deed of Trust by the Holder, and that as agent for the undersigned, Brock & Scott, PLLC, Substitute Trustee, by virtue of the power and authority vested in it, will on March 23, 2023, at 10:00 AM at the usual and customary location at the Robertson County Courthouse, Springfield, Tennessee, proceed to sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for cash, the following described property situated in Robertson County, Tennessee, to wit:

Land located in the 6th Civil District of Robertson County, Tennessee, described as follows:

Beginning at an iron pin (old), in the Northerly margin of High Street, the Southwest corner of a tract of land which belongs to Stanley Yates, having a deed reference in Deed Book 348, Page 246, RORCT, the Southeast corner of this tract, and continuing as fallows: North 57 deg. 09 55 West 170.63 feet to an iron pin (new), at the intersection of the Northerly margin of High Street and the Easterly margin of Church Street; thence North 21 deg. 44 25 East 173.13 feet to an iron pin (new), in the Easterly margin of Church Street, the Southwest corner of a tract of land which belongs to Red River Baptist Church, having a deed reference in Deed Book 345, Page 634, RORCT; thence South 67 deg. 11 45 East 171.93 feet to a fence post (old), in the Southerly boundary of said tract of land which belongs to Red River Baptist Church, the Northwest corner of said tract of land which belongs to Stanley Yates; thence South 23 deg. 00 00 West 202.82 feet to the point of beginning, as surveyed by Steven E. Artz, Tennessee License No. 1708, d/b/a, Steven E. Artz & Associates, Inc. 514 South Brown Street, Suite 600, Springfield, Tennessee 37172, dated September 22, 2004.

Easement The above described tract of land is subject to a 12 foot driveway easement, which is described as follows:

Beginning at an iron pin (new), in the Easterly margin of Church Street, the Southwest corner of a tract of land which belongs to Red River Baptist Church, having a deed reference in Deed Book 345, Page 634, RORCT, the Northwest corner of this easement and continuing, as follows: South 67 deg. 11 45 East 90.82 feet to an iron pin (new), in the Southerly boundary of said tract or land which belongs to Red River Baptist Church; thence with a new line, as follows: South 22 deg. 56 31 West 12.00 feet to an iron pin (new); thence North 67 deg. 11 45 West 90.57 feet to an iron pin (new), in the Easterly margin of Church Street; thence North 21 deg. 44 25 East 12.00 feet to the point of beginning as surveyed by Steven E. Artz, Tennessee License No. 1708, d/b/a Steven E. Artz & Associates, Inc. 514 South Brown Street, Suite 600, Springfield, TN 37172, dated September 22, 2004.

Being the same property conveyed to Tricia Marie Beauchamp, an unmarried woman and William F. Beauchamp, a married man by deed dated October 26, 2018 from Mary J. Trice and Bryon A. Trice, wife and husband, of record in Record Book 1839, Page 693, Registers Office for Robertson County, Tennessee.

Parcel ID Number:

041C B 05000 000

Address/Description:

327 S Church St, Adams, TN 37010

Current Owner(s):

Tricia Marie Beauchamp and William F. Beauchamp

Other Interested Party(ies):

The sale of the property described above shall be subject to all matters shown on any recorded plat; any and all liens against said property for unpaid property taxes; any restrictive covenants, easements or set-back lines that may be applicable; any prior liens or encumbrances as well as any priority created by a fixture filing; a deed of trust; and any matter than an accurate survey of the premises might disclose; and

All right and equity of redemption, statutory or otherwise, homestead, and dower are expressly waived in said Deed of Trust, and the title is believed to be good, but the undersigned will sell and convey only as Substitute Trustee. The right is reserved to adjourn the day of the sale to another day, time, and place certain without further publication, upon announcement at the time and place for the sale set forth above.

This office is attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Brock & Scott, PLLC, Substitute Trustee

c/o Tennessee Foreclosure Department

4360 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Suite 310

Atlanta, GA 30341

PH: 404-789-2661 FX: 404-294-0919

File No.: 22-03879 FC02

Run Date January 24, 2023, January 31, 2023, February 7, 2023

|

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all Cedar Hill City

Commissioners, City of Cedar Hill residents, and all

others who may be interested that there will be a Special

Called Meeting to Discuss and Possibly Take action on

hiring a City Manager and to Discuss and Possibly Take

action on the City Managers monthly salary.

The Special Called City Commission meeting will take

place on Friday January 27th, 2023 at 6:00 PM at the

Club House located by City Hall. 290 S. Main Street,

Cedar Hill, TN.

NOTICE IS GIVEN pursuant to the provisions of the

Tennessee Open Meetings Act (Sunshine Law) found in

T.C.A.  8-44-101 et seq.

Mayor John Edwards

|

PUBLIC NOTICE FOR

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Stokes Brown Public Library hereby gives public notice

that it is requesting proposals from interested and

qualified janitorial services companies for the following

service:

Comprehensive Service Contract for Janitorial Services

REQUIREMENTS: The Library plans to select the most

qualified contractor for the purpose of negotiating a

final contract. A Letter-of-Intent (LOI) will be issued to

the selected qualified contractor.

Copies of the Request-for-Proposal (RFP) are available

from: www1.youseemore.com/springfieldpl/

RFPs must be received in the Library at the address

below in a sealed envelope.

Request Clarification by Tuesday, February 7, 2023 from

Michelle Adcock, Director

Stokes Brown Public Library

405 White Street

Springfield, TN 37172

615.384.5123

director@gorhampl.org

Proposal must be received by Tuesday, February 14,

2023 at 2:00 PM local time, after which time and date

they will no longer be accepted. The Award Date will be

Friday, March 10, 2023.

|

City of White House

PUBLIC NOTICE

The White House Library Marketing Committee will

meet on Tuesday, February 7 at 6:00pm at the White

House Public Library located at 105B College St.

|
People gather for a candle light vigil after a mass shooting during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California, Jan. 23, 2023.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is interviewed at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., Oct. 19, 2022.
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Leyla Abdullayeva has denied reports about the blockade of the Lachin road and revealed the purpose of the ongoing protests near Shusha, Azernews reports, citing her interview with the French website Revue Conflits.

The Azerbaijani environmental activists have been picketing the road in protest at the illegal military and commercial activities, including the illegal exploitation of natural resources that cause serious damage to the environment.

"The road is not closed! Trucks are passing through it; there are many videos showing the free movement of peacekeepers' trucks, and vehicles of the ICRC. Azerbaijan has even created "hotlines" so that Armenian residents can call in case of emergency. The Azerbaijani government wants to emphasize that, if necessary, it is ready to help and respond to their humanitarian needs," the ambassador specified.

Besides, the ambassador once again recalled that in accordance with the tripartite statement, the Lachin-Khankandi road should be used for humanitarian purposes. She added that despite the obligations taken under the statement, Armenia has been using this road to transfer weapons, mines, and military personnel to the territory of Azerbaijan for the last two years.

"Over the past period, over 2,700 Armenian-made mines have been found on the territory of Azerbaijan. These mines were produced in 2021, in the period after the signing of the tripartite declaration. Armenians transported anti-personnel mines along the road to prevent the return of former Azerbaijani IDPs to their native lands. After the Armenian occupation in 1994, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were displaced from these territories, she underlined.

The diplomat stressed Azerbaijans intention to restore this region as soon as possible and allow the quick return of IDPs, noting that Armenia does not want to accept the post-conflict situation, so it continues to transfer weapons, militants, and mines to the territory of Azerbaijan in order to prevent the return of former internally displaced persons.

She also added that Azerbaijan considered Armenians living in Khankandi as its own citizens, thus promising to ensure their rights in accordance with the countrys constitution.

Abdullayeva emphasized Azerbaijans initiative to normalize relations with Armenia after the end of the second Karabakh war and a proposal to sign a peace treaty against the backdrop of the mass destruction of Azerbaijans heritage during the occupation.

She then outlined that although the leaders of the two countries have frequently met in Brussels, Prague, and Sochi nearing the signing of the peace treaty, Armenian provocations prevented it every time.

For example, in September, the situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border escalated. The Armenians tried to plant mines on the territory of Azerbaijan, and we reacted to this aggression," the ambassador added.

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 Company 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.

After the Russian peacekeepers' failure to provide the necessary conditions for the Azerbaijani agency representatives to carry out their duties in the area, a group of eco-activists, NGOs, and public representatives have taken to the street in protest at the peacekeepers' repugnance to live up to their obligations in line with the November 10, 2020, peace deal to maintain peace and order in the region, and oust the Armenian troops from the region and prevent illegalities. However, time proved that the Russian peacekeepers are driven by the interests of Russia rather than the idea coming from the essence of the notion of peacekeeping as universally understood.
(Natural News) A disturbing entry appearing in the VAERS database documents the sudden death of a six-month-old baby within days of receiving an assortment of vaccines, including Pfizers Covid jab.

(Article by Adan Salazar republished from Infowars.com)

According to VAERS ID #2479506, the unexpected death of the male baby from Iowa occurred on Aug. 26, 2022, exactly 10 days after he received the Covid shot, in addition to vaccines for pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, flu and DTAP.

? A 6 mo. old baby died in its sleepjust 10 days after receiving 4 vaccines and the new EUA gene therapeutic all at once. This democide must end.https://t.co/omUxXrC0KV pic.twitter.com/sB61tzZGs9  TexasLindsay (@TexasLindsay_) January 22, 2023

Unexpected death- taking a nap in the afternoon and found pulseless in crib, the entry states, listing his age as 0.50.

The report also noted, Shock-associated circulatory or cardiac conditions, suggesting the infant may have suffered a severe heart attack leading up to his death.

Commenting on the tragedy, renowned cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough remarked the incident is emblematic of how injecting multiple jabs simultaneously risks overwhelming fatal reactogenicity.

None of these are medically necessary or clinically indicated at this age, McCullough wrote on Twitter, adding, Word of mouth among mothers on cases such as this fuels tremendous vaccine hesitancy.

Multiple antigens given simultaneously to an infant risks overwhelming fatal reactogenicity. None of these are medically necessary or clinically indicated at this age. Word of mouth among mothers on cases such as this fuels tremendous vaccine hesitancy. #courageousdiscourse https://t.co/Tds9swwSJy  Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH (@P_McCulloughMD) January 22, 2023

Indeed, if more parents learned about this terrible entry and many disturbing reports like it they might be discouraged from jabbing youngsters with so many vaccines at the same time  or worse, they might start researching the deadly injections and forgo them altogether!

Read more at: Infowars.com
(Natural News) An Antifa member in Atlanta has been revealed as the daughter of a Global Diversity Expert and a New Jersey-based Chinese pharma tycoon, according to a new report.

(Article republished from ThePostMillennial.com)

The Daily Mail reported that Teresa Yue Shen, 31, one of seven activists arrested at the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center last week is a mental health consultant and traveled from Brooklyn to Atlanta to protest the construction of the facility.

According to the outlet, James Shen, 58, is the president of publisher WiCON, a New Jersey-based Chinese Media Company that owns Pharma China. In his bio, he claimed to come from a family with generations of ties with the pharmaceutical industry in China. He also described himself as a strategist, advisor and publisher who specializes in China Healthcare.

Her mother, 63-year-old Xiao-Hua Shen, was one of the first group of university scholarship students sent by the Chinese Government to study in the UK at Exeter University. She calls herself a Global Diversity Expert who has an in-depth knowledge of how to do successful business in China and also worked as a trainer and consultant for Lloyds of London and the British Foreign Office.

According to her website, she instructed diplomats on the Chinese language and culture and boasts about ties to the most multinational pharma companies across China. She holds both an MA from Exeter University, UK, and a Master of Education from Columbia University.

Shen herself interned at both Reuters and CNN. According to the Daily Mail, CNN refused to report on the violence after the conflict of interest was revealed.

Since June 2021, Antifa and other far-left extremists from across the US have occupied an area of a forest in Atlanta to prevent the construction of what has been nicknamed cop city. Violent clashes between Antifa and police started after one of the activists, Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, 26, was fatally shot after he shot a Georgia State Police officer while authorities were clearing the occupation.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations [GBI] the Georgia State Patrol trooper was severely injured during the raid and officers returned fire killing the gunman.

During the multi-agency operation, GBI said approximately 25 campsites were located and removed from the site, and mortar-style fireworks, multiple edged swords, pellet rifles, gas masks, and a blow torch were recovered.

Shen was arrested along with fellow Antifa activists Sarah Wasilewski, 35, Spencer Liberto, 29, Matt Macar, 30, along with Geoffrey Parson, 20, of Baltimore, Timothy Murphy, 25, of Maine, and Christopher Reynolds, 31, of Ohio.

Shen was charged with domestic terrorism and aggravated assault of an officer.

In 2021, she was previously arrested during an anti-ICE demonstration at the Bergen County Jail.

Activists called for a Night of Rage against the police after the shooting and threatened reciprocal violence against the authorities.

Read more at: ThePostMillennial.com
(Natural News) Seven of the United States largest banks, including Wells Fargo, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, are teaming up to create a new digital wallet service that they hope can challenge the dominance of PayPal and Apple Pay.

These seven banks claim that this new product will allow shoppers to pay at merchants online checkout with a wallet that will be linked to their debit and credit cards. This digital wallet will be managed by Early Warning Services LLC, a bank-owned company and the parent company of money transfer service Zelle. (Related: Bank of America experiences disruption in online transactions, customers report funds missing from accounts.)

One of the main goals of the banks is to introduce a service that can successfully take a chunk of the market in digital wallet services away from PayPal and Apple Pay. These banks are worried that the continued domination of these two services in this field could cause more of their customers to shy away from traditional banking services.

Apple, in particular, poses a big threat. The Big Tech company is moving further into financial services and recently partnered with Goldman Sachs to provide a virtual savings account as well as a buy now, pay later service.

Early Warning Services confirmed to media outlets that it plans to launch this digital wallet service by the end of the year.

Digital wallet unlikely to make a dent on PayPal and Apple Pays market share for some time

Early Warning Services owner banks claim they are also trying to cut down on fraud in the digital wallet service. They claim that customers using their digital wallet wouldnt need to type in their card numbers, an action that can raise the risk of fraud and rejected payments that result in lost sales.

Once this new digital wallet service gets released, the Big Banks expect to enable over 150 million debit and credit cards for use immediately. American consumers who are up-to-date on payments, have used their card online in recent years and can provide the company with a valid email address and phone number will be eligible to sign up for the service.

The Big Banks are still figuring out the finer details of the customer experience. The current plans for the payment process involve consumers typing their emails on a merchants checkout page. The merchant would then ping Early Warning Services, which would use its back-end connections to Big Banks to identify the consumers digital wallets. Consumers would then be given a choice to pick which card to use or could opt out entirely.

The Big Banks are also expected to roll out cards with the digital wallet service, as this is how most U.S. consumers are used to paying for their shopping. The banks believe providing a physical card will increase the odds that more people would use the wallet.

Harshita Rawat, an analyst for Bernstein, wrote in a note to clients that Americas Big Banks have likely always had PayPal envy, and it will likely take a lot of time for this new digital wallet service to be considered a serious risk to PayPal and Apple Pay.

It simply takes a very long time, a killer customer experience (which needs to be better than incumbents, not just similar) and a compelling merchant value proposition to build the two-sided network effects in payments to achieve scale, wrote Rawat.

Analysts at JPMorgan Chase had a similar reaction to Rawat, noting that the effort by the Big Banks to create a new digital wallet service is a headline negative for existing digital wallets, but the development was not too big of a concern.

We put this in the camp of ongoing competition, and believe PayPal must continue to develop fast checkout and build breadth of services around the checkout button (e.g., recently launched savings account) to maintain consumer engagement leadership, wrote JPMorgan analyst Tien-tsin Huang.

Learn more about Big Banks and the financial system at MoneySupply.news.

Watch this video from Short Fat Otaku discussing why PayPal is terrible.

This video is from the channel Short Fat Otaku on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Global DE-DOLLARIZATION is on the way as worlds central banks buy gold at fastest pace in 55 years.

Controlled demolition of global finance system sees failing cryptos, bank runs and soon, the unveiling of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC).

HYPOCRISY: Federal Reserve warns banks against using crypto while planning to develop its own digital currency.

Coming economic collapse will be used to close banks and introduce central bank digital currencies.

11 Countries have already adopted central bank digital currencies and 105 others are considering it.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

WSJ.com

CNBC.com

Barrons.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The entire world of natural health advocates, who tune in to truth media and independent sources for their nutrition, health, and science news, are well-aware of the short-term dangers and repercussions of the clot shot Covid vaccines, but nobody has seen any long-term health detriment, because its only been two years since the scamdemic broke out.

Now, because science is revealing the Wuhan virus jabs inflict damage to the central nervous system, the vascular system, the immune system, and the brain, what will the long-term results be for those who get multiple jabs, boosters, and even flu shots, all with toxic ingredients that cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB)? How many zombies will be roaming the earth, suffering from dementia, due to chronic inflammation, brain micro-bleeding, and permanently damaged neurons in their brain? Will several billion humans who have been injected with the most dangerous vaccines ever created, mRNA, become a real-life version of the walking dead?

Sophisticated Healthcare means medicine and vaccines that create and exacerbate neurodegenerative diseases

The long-standing myth that all vaccines are safe and effective has been absolutely and entirely destroyed by the Covid clot shots. Nearly all natural health advocates already knew that the MMR, flu shots, HPV, and Small Pox jabs contain horrific ingredients that can cause irreparable harm to the human body and brain, but now were all witnessing the mRNA-jabbed zombies not only dying unexpectedly and suddenly from the clot shots, but so many others beginning to suffer long-term health damage.

How much of this damage is affecting their central nervous system and brain function? That is the ultimate question now, and evidence-based answers are beginning to surface as each day goes by.

Biologists are now discovering the reason for so many of the Covid-vaxxed people suffering from strokes, myocarditis, thrombosis, and neurological disorders  and the reason is consistent  nanoparticles. The vascular system is the main area of transfection of these nanoparticles (spike proteins and prions), as the majority of them do NOT remain at the site of injection (in muscle tissue), but travel throughout the circulatory system.

Why are these spike protein nanoparticles, that travel throughout the body, so dangerous to our overall health? As biologists are discovering, our immune systems are attacking the vaccine particles, destroying billions of endothelial cells, literally skinning alive the inner lining of our blood vessels. See the diagram below.

In other words, all the human cells that are penetrated by these toxic, virus-mimicking nano-particles will be destroyed by the immune system, including the destruction of all transfected cells, even the ones in vital cleansing organs and the brain. The biologists studying this are revealing that the injected sheeple are experiencing 80 billion cells destroyed by just 2 shots of mRNA, and this doesnt even account for boosters yet.

According to a team of top-notch biologists, this is why the Covid vaccines have the ability and potential to create a wave of neurodegenerative diseases, adding a new urgency to stop the vaccine dystopia.

The human brain faces the biggest endothelial risk of all from the Covid gene-mutation jabs and BBB leakage

Did you know that the human brain contains over 400 miles of blood vessels, more than 6 times the vascular system of the lungs, which means the brain faces the biggest endothelial risk of all from the Covid gene-mutation jabs. Many doctors, scientists, and biologists have focused their discussions about vaccine damage and vaccine violence around organs like the liver, ovaries, heart and lungs, but now theyre estimating there can be as many as 2 million nanoparticles in the brain, from the mRNA jabs.

Because the brain-blood barrier is supposed to be leak-proof, researchers assumed only limited quantities of pseudo-virus particles would penetrate it, but that hypothesis was wrong, due to transfection of BBB endothelial cells.

Therefore, even though the human body has an incredible ability to repair itself, this cellular damage in the brain from vaccines is diminishing functionalities, leading to motor skill dysfunctions and neurodegenerative disorders. Researchers are now describing the location of the BBB leaks related to specific degenerative diseases:

Hippocampus ? mild cognitive impairment

Grey & white matter ? Alzheimer disease

Basal ganglia ? Parkinson disease

Caudate nucleus ? Huntington disease

Perivascular lesions ? multiple sclerosis

Heart ? myocarditis and pericarditis

Lungs? pulmonary embolism

Aorta and arteries ? thrombosis, strokes and arterial collapse

Liver ? hepatitis

Tendons ? tendonitis

Vaccine violence from the mRNA jabs is what we have been witnessing over the past 15 months or so. The truth is coming out, and the long-term effects of Covid jabs are starting to rear their ugly heads. The triple-vaxxed sheeple are starting to look a lot like the walking dead. How long until the earth is populated with a few billion spike protein zombies?

Be sure to bookmark Vaccines.news to your favorite independent websites for updates on experimental gene therapy injections the CDC and fake news claim are safe and effective when theyre really dangerous and brain-damaging.

Sources for this article include:

Pandemic.news

CovidMythBuster.substack.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Japan has announced that it will downgrade the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) to the same threat level as seasonal influenza.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida broke the news on Jan. 20, saying that the demotion of COVID-19 in the same class as seasonal flu will begin in the spring. Under current guidelines from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), COVID-19 is a Class 2 disease alongside the original SARS virus and tuberculosis.

Patients with Class 2 diseases and their close contacts are subject to restricted movement. Moreover, the classification allows central and local governments to issue emergency measures. The Jan. 20 announcement effectively puts COVID-19 as a Class 5 disease, the lowest category, alongside flu. While the new category allows Tokyo to restrict COVID-positive individuals to certain locations and impose government mandates, those infected with SARS-CoV-2 will be permitted to seek treatment at regular hospitals.

In order to further advance the efforts of living with [coronavirus] and restore Japan to a state of normalcy, we will transition the various policies and measures to date in phases, said Kishida.

The prime minister clarified that the downgrade of COVID-19 would also mean the repeal of mask mandates. However, he said that MHLW officials are reviewing if they would make exceptions to the downgrade and try to keep some of the other COVID-19 mandates in place.

Changing its classification doesnt mean [COVID-19] is gone, said Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato. We still need everyone to take voluntary measures by using masks and [following] precautions.

The health minister continued that masking up in outdoor settings remains voluntary and indoor mask mandates will be relaxed after the downgrade.

Japan following Thailands footsteps in demoting COVID

Japan is not the only country that downgraded COVID-19 to the same level as the flu. Back in August 2022, the Southeast Asian nation of Thailand said it would lower the disease classification of COVID-19 in October of that year.

In a statement, the Thai Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) said COVID-19 will be downgraded from a dangerous communicable disease to one that needs monitoring. (Related: Thailand to demote COVID to same disease category as flu and dengue.)

According to the kingdoms disease classification, plague and smallpox are counted as dangerous diseases. Dengue fever and the flu, meanwhile, fall under diseases that need monitoring.

Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul explained that the MOPHs decision to downgrade COVID-19 sought to reflect the reality of the situation in the kingdom  as Thailands pandemic situation had been starting to stabilize at the time.

Health authorities earlier said the kingdom should start seeing a decline in several cases and deaths by mid-August.

Anutin added that three things played a huge role in the health ministrys move to demote COVID-19  the readiness of the Thai health system, the appropriate self-protection behavior of the Thai people and the availability of COVID-19 treatments there.

In relation to the latter, the health minister added that Thailand will also adjust its post-pandemic management plan. Under this revised plan, private hospitals can start directly procuring antiviral drugs instead of going through government channels.

Visit Pandemic.news for more stories about the COVID-19 situation in various countries.

Watch David Knight talk about Japans refusal to lock down, which resulted in only 851 COVID-19 casualties.

This video is from The David Knight Show channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Coronavirus cases continue to drop in Texas after lifting mask mandate and reopening businesses.

Southeast Asian governments are reopening their economies that were devastated by lockdowns.

Coronavirus controls will only delay large outbreaks of endemic diseases like influenza and RSV.

Japan mulls dropping COVID testing requirement for travelers.

Sources include:

HumanEvents.com

ABCNews.go.com

Bloomberg.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas must be impeached for treason against the U.S. for their refusal to act on the border crisis.

Ben Bergquam and Oscar El Blue Ramirez of Real Americas Voice (RAV) issued the call during a Jan. 17 Southern Border Invasion Update on Bannons War Room. The two correspondents were reporting from Colombia and tracking the waves of illegal immigrants heading to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mayorkas and Biden  have committed treason against America. They have sworn an oath to the Constitution against enemies  both foreign and domestic  and they have broken that oath, Bergquam told host and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon. They are working directly to aid and abet the enemies of America, and their policies show it.

Mayorkas, Biden [and] the Left know exactly what they are doing. They know that their policies are directly aiding and abetting the cartels.

Bergquam, who hosts Law & Border on RAV, added that both the United Nations and non-governmental organizations are aware of the border situation and have allowed illegals from South America to enter the U.S. unlawfully. The UN could stop this, he added, but the organization is helping and paying the border crossers with the support of officials. (Related: Infrared camera catches small army of migrants illegally entering U.S. as Republicans consider impeaching DHS chief.)

Ramirez meanwhile accused Mayorkas of creating the most international trafficking market spanning Central and South America by incentivizing open borders. He also accused the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of causing animosity between Mexico and other Central American countries. Moreover, Ramirez blasted Mayorkas for creating chaos in Central and South America.

He doesnt know the catastrophe and the chaos that he is creating in South America and from where all this trafficking is working. Also, he was the one that put the suggestion to go back again with the UN as a collaborator, Ramirez told Bannon.

El Blue concluded that Mayorkas hands are covered with the blood of these illegals.

Illegal immigrants part of human, drug trafficking

According to Bergquam, many people coming from Africa, Haiti, Ecuador, China and other countries have gotten the message that the U.S. is wide open. He added that these people are inadvertently part of human trafficking and drug trafficking.

They need to be held accountable for the over 100,000 deaths from fentanyl last year. All of this is tied together and its all at the feet of Biden, Mayorkas and the open borders Left, Bergquam stressed.

President [Donald] Trump fixed America  [and] put America first. Biden is destroying America; hes putting America last. He, Mayorkas and the rest of the apparatus need to be removed.

Meanwhile, a top official for a union of U.S. Border Patrol agents told Fox News that they could support a possible impeachment of Mayorkas if it was accompanied by a change in the status as the border.

If at the very least it puts a bigger spotlight on whats happening down here, hopefully get some of the resources and maybe gets Border Patrol agents out of the asylum business and putting us back in the field, then were all for it, said Jon Anfinsen, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council.

How else are we going to drive the message home to Mayorkas and the White House that this is truly a disaster down here and we need help?

Watch the full Bannons War Room segment with Bannon, Bergquam and Ramirez tackling Mayorkas possible impeachment below.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Biden committing another impeachable offense by refusing to assert operational control over U.S.-Mexico border: Report.

Biden administration proposes permanently opening all borders between US, Mexico and Canada.

Group of House Republicans call for impeaching DHS chief Mayorkas over record illegal immigration, drug smuggling.

Crimes at the border: Illegal immigrants, illegal drugs flow freely in southwest border.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

WarRoom.org

FoxNews.com
(Natural News) If you still have children in public school, its time to get them out and into a private education setting where they will no longer be subjected to left-wing countercultural indoctrination if you have the means to do so.

And if you dont, maybe the answer for you is to form a small education collective with like-minded parents and teach them yourselves because the public education system has been completely overrun by leftist Marxists who hate America and all it was built on and stands for, according to a fed-up teacher who is now speaking out.

The goal of the education system today is no longer to educate. Its to do everything but that, charter school advocate and teacher Dan Fisher told The Epoch Times.

The outlet added:

Fisher teaches 10th grade at a high school whose name he declined to publicize. Before that, he taught as a professor. The classrooms he is in today let him see a system in collapse. Tenth-graders cant read, most students dont want to participate, and teachers care more about woke indoctrination than addressing these issues, Fisher said. But kids have plenty of energy to invest in their tech, he added.

After school is fascinating, he said. Theyre not playing. Theyre not running. Theyre just on their phones.

Like dozens of other advocates who are seeking to reform public education and reorient it back to what it was founded to do  create a population armed with a fundamental education that instills a sense of pride in themselves and their country while it prepares them for the rigors of life  Fisher noted that changes implemented during the COVID pandemic exposed just how rotten the current system is.

They assumed that schools were the way they were when they went through, and they had no idea how much things have changed, as far as curriculum and other things, he said, adding that high graduation rates are phony because many schools often pass students despite the fact that they cant meet basic levels of educational standards.

Were asked at the 10th-grade level, 11th-grade level, to help teach reading, he said. Isnt that kind of what K-8 is for?

He noted further that because of the disgraceful collapse of public schools (which continue to be well-funded even by taxpayers who dont have children in them) it is little wonder a growing number of parents, most even, are looking for alternatives. That view is supported by a new survey conducted by National School Choice Week, a program run by the nonprofit National School Choice Awareness Foundation.

The Epoch Times noted:

Nearly 54 percent of parents of more than 3,800 surveyed have considered a new school for their children in the past year, the study found. The number of dissatisfied parents got higher the younger parents were, researchers found. Among parents ages 1829, about six in 10 considered moving schools in the past year.

Among parents aged 30 to 44, a little more than half considered moving schools. Among those aged 45 to 60, just under half considered a move. And about four out of 10 parents aged 60 and above considered moving schools.

K-12 education in America is experiencing a once-in-a-generation transformation, as tens of millions of parents rethink their childrens education and make crucial decisions about how and where their children learn, the report begins. From exploring their school choice options to expressing interest in nontraditional learning models, parents are eager to find better or supplementary learning environments for their children. Parents dont see this a dichotomous; a majority of them are open to change even as two thirds of all parents (67.9 percent) remain largely satisfied with the schools their children attend.

What do we mean by rethinking? Parents choosing new schools, parents considering options more frequently, and parents seeking to round out their childrens education by thinking outside the box and exploring new or nontraditional learning options, the report noted further, adding  interestingly  that this push is led by black and Hispanic parents.

Public schools no longer serve the interests of our nation. Theyve been taken over by the left and are now just political indoctrination centers for Democrats. Get your children out of them if you can.

Sources include:

SchoolChoiceWeek.com

TheEpochTimes.com
(Natural News) New Zealand (NZ) health freedom advocate Sereca Friend discussed her fight against Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination for children and young people during the Jan. 19 episode of Champions with Kerri Rivera on Brighteon.TV.

Friend is the founder and director of The Hood NZ. The groups website describes it as a community of parents, doctors, nurses, academics, scientists, lawyers and concerned others who share a common goal  to make the best decision for our children and young people.

Host Kerri Rivera pointed out that The Hood NZ isnt anti-vaccine, but it stringently opposes the COVID-19 shot because its science remains unclear. The group is also not convinced that the vaccine should be given to those younger than 18.

Friend blasted the hypocrisy of trust the science and the science is absolute  two mantras COVID-19 vaccine proponents are sticking to. She also mentioned that the vaccine data is a product of guess-timation.

The health freedom advocate expressed disbelief that people readily accepted the COVID-19 vaccine without questioning it. It was only recently that many people had a problem with the countrys vaccine rollout for those aged between 12 and 15 years old, as many New Zealanders didnt believe vaccination was necessary for both adults and children.

She also dubbed outgoing NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as the mouthpiece or voice of the puppet master. Friend added that the outgoing leader dealt New Zealanders rough times by pushing the COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the country.

Wellington bribing Kiwis to get the clot shot

What bothered Friend, however, was when the NZ government announced that it was legally acceptable for 12-year-olds to give informed consent and get the COVID-19 injection on their own.

She recounted to Rivera a story of a father upset after finding out his two sons got vaccinated without consent. Friend said it was heartbreaking and concerning that a 12-year-old cannot make informed decisions about something that they do not understand properly.

Moreover, the director of The Hood NZ revealed that Wellington had also been giving out vouchers for restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations just so New Zealanders can get their COVID-19 shot.

If something works and if something is necessary, you dont need to bribe people to go and use it, Friend stressed. If the science is there and the proof is there  then you dont have to bribe me to do that.

She told the Brighteon.TV host that her group had to become the voice for children when the COVID-19 vaccine rollout came down to five- to 11-year-old children.

We had prepared ourselves. We started together and we had a legal team starting the preparation and we took the government to High Court over that rollout, Friend said. (Related: New Zealands high court strikes down COVID jab mandate for police, says its not demonstrably justified.)

However, the health freedom activist lamented to Rivera that the NZ High Court refused to acknowledge the evidence they presented. The countrys very difficult judicial system made it difficult for Friends group to seek a judicial review.

Moreover, she remarked how her groups efforts almost never got media coverage despite sending out press releases. But theres still hope as their case is funded by a public community of supporters on social media and covered by alternative media outlets.

HealthFreedom.news has more about people like Sereca Friend who are fighting against the COVID-19 vaccines and mandates.

Watch the Jan. 19 episode of Champions with Kerri Rivera below. Champions with Kerri Rivera airs every Thursday at 11 a.m.-12 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

Jacinda Ardern admits New Zealand is struggling to deal with COVID-19 pandemic despite high vaccination rate.

The Science is collapsing in New Zealand as covid-19 mandates are rolled back.

Study: COVID vaccination causes vaccine-associated enhanced disease in children.

New Zealand High Court FORCES baby to receive tainted blood, forbidding unvaccinated blood donors.

Dr. McCullough sues Elsevier journal for refusing to publish study highlighting risks of covid vaccination in children.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

TheHoodNZ.com
(Natural News) The Davos elites have declared war against right-wing groups who have exposed their plan, according to InfoWars founder Alex Jones.

Humanity is facing its greatest challenge in our known history on this planet. It is just insanely naked, open aggression against humanity. It is just a declaration of war to get their people and their operatives hyped up to go against us, he said.

And Ill tell you why theyre coming out of the closet so bad. Theyve already wrecked them. Theyll never get their plan completed now, but they may be able to destroy life on the planet in the process, but theyre done. So, any victory they have will be Pyrrhic.

Jones cited an article by Fox News about how the globalist elites are planning to hit back against right-wing groups. According to the InfoWars founder, they are now planning to go after people with online platforms that resist the globalists and expose their plans  such as himself and Tucker Carlson of Tucker Carlson Tonight. The same globalist elites, he added, control intelligence agencies, media companies and think tanks among others.

Jones also showed clips from the globalist World Economic Forums (WEF) recent annual meeting in Switzerland, including one panel discussion that featured Richard Edelman. The CEO of the global communications firm Edelman blamed right-wing groups for disenfranchising non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and fueling distrust toward them.

But according to the host of The Alex Jones Show, these same NGOs  alongside Big Tech and others  were responsible for bankrolling the creation of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). He also accused Edelman of confusing people by blaming the right-wing groups who were simply exposing the companies behind these NGOs.

Jones remarked that Edelman blaming the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and racial equity issues over the reduced trust in NGOs is all lies and fraud.

Jones: Globalists are planning another attack on humanity

The InfoWars founder called on his viewers to get ready for the next attack coming from the globalists. These elites, he noted, love telling people their plans  with countless examples already recorded.

The staged cyber-attacks to be blamed on Russia or right-wing groups are imminent. They have already been going on behind the scenes at the airports and the pipelines, and the rest of it is to get the government agencies all hyped up and ready for the big one that theyre going to launch on us, Jones said.

He mentioned that these globalists also guarantee that massive worldwide outages and cyber attacks are going to happen in the next three years. They will then propose the introduction of a global government that controls everything with artificial intelligence (AI) in order to save humanity. (Related: World Economic Forum simulates global cyberattack that could bring about Great Reset.)

Jones also showed clips of WEF participants discussing how to outlaw hate speech. These include skepticism of the COVID-19 vaccines, open borders and replacement migration.

He pointed out that the European Union is already telling Big Tech to censor and control illegal hate speech in the United States. Ultimately, Jones warned that the United Nations is going to control everything and direct censorship efforts.

So thats how this works, and our government wont stand up and say no. Our companies are shielded because theyre part of it. And so, they then use it as an excuse to take all of our rights and we, de facto, go under EU [and] UN control.

Watch the full segment of The Alex Jones Show where Alex Jones expounds on the Davos elites declaration of war.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

NGOs pay politicians to promote globalist policies, policy expert reveals.

Globalists want to track your individual carbon footprint for total control over your travel, food and consumption of goods.

The World Economic Forum seeks absolute control over world populations, demands consolidation of power.

Globalists colluding with Big Tech to manipulate the internet under the guise of fighting disinfo.

World Economic Forum makes censorship pledge to tackle harmful content and conduct online.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

FoxNews.com
(Natural News) A prominent physician in Australia who had been promoting the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines recently revealed that she and her partner suffered vaccine damage.

Dr. Kerryn Phelps, former president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), stepped forward and told her story. According to her, the serious reactions began after she was injected with the first dose of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Phelps added that her spouse Jackie Stricker also suffered from vaccine injuries.

Both Phelps and Stricker experienced burning sensations along the gums and the rest of the face minutes after injection. The former AMA president reported fevers, breathlessness, heart issues and changes in her blood pressure. Stricker, meanwhile, suffered from numbness in her extremities and extended fatigue.

Phelps vaccine injuries worsened after she was injected with her second Pfizer dose in 2021. She later developed dysautonomia, a condition where the autonomic nervous system (which is in charge of heart function, bladder function, digestion and blood pressure) suffers serious damage.

The physician reached out to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)  Australias counterpart to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration  to report the side effects, but received no response. Phelps then reached out to other medical professionals, who affirmed the side effects she experienced. Her colleagues in the medical field noted that their patients also exhibited similar reactions.

Ironically, Phelps was previously a fervent supporter of COVID-19 vaccines for Australians young and old. She appeared in multiple interviews and participated in panels, pushing for the same vaccine that eventually injured her and her spouse. Now that she has come forward with her vaccine injuries, the former AMA president is singing a different tune.

Phelps petitioning Canberra to probe dangers of COVID-19 vaccines

Phelps, who served a short seven-month stint in Australias federal House of Representatives, also blasted regulators trying to divert the publics attention from adverse health reactions caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

Moreover, she accused medical authorities in the Land Down Under of issuing threats against physicians who dared to speak out against the COVID-19 vaccination program. These same authorities, she insisted, have also pressured doctors who deviate from the official narrative.

Regulators of the medical profession have censored public discussion about adverse events following immunization, with threats to doctors not to make any public statements about anything that might undermine the governments vaccine rollout or risk suspension or loss of their registration. (Related: Australian doctor injured by COVID vaccine slams regulators for censoring public discussion, calls for more research.)

In December, Phelps urged the Australian House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport to conduct a comprehensive study of the risks posed by the mRNA COVID-19 shots, which she was injected with.

She pointed out in a submission to the committees inquiry on long COVID and repeated COVID infections that some adverse events could cause long-term illness and disability. However, Phelps added that data on these serious reactions was limited because the focus has been on vaccinating as many people as quickly as possible with a novel vaccine for a novel coronavirus.

The former AMA president recognized the risks of cardiac inflammation linked to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but said data on those remain scant partly because of under-reporting and under-recognition.

Even then, there has been a misconception that myocarditis is mild, transient and mostly in young males when there are many cases where myocarditis is manifestly not mild, not transient and not confined to the young male demographic.

According to Phelps, there can be no progress in developing protocols for diagnosis and treatment until Canberra acknowledges and recognizes post-vaccination syndrome, i.e. vaccine injury.

People who suffer COVID vaccine injury may present with a range of symptoms, and results of standard medical tests often come back normal. And like patients with long COVID, they too are also asking the medical profession and public health systems for help.

Watch this video about a man in Sydney, Australia, who died shortly after being injected with the COVID-19 vaccine.

This video is from the ZGoldenReport channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Karma? Top Australian doctor who aggressively promoted covid vaccines breaks silence, admits she and partner both injured by jabs.

Australia now ADMITS covid vaccines are harming people, offers up to $600,000 in compensation for the seriously injured.

Queensland, Australia getting so many vaccine injury reports that Queensland Health has announced it cant keep up.

Australian senator speaks out about vaccine injuries, says forcing a second shot is inhumane.

Vaccinated people are dying at incredibly high pace in hyper-vaccinated Australia.

Sources include:

NaturalHealth365.com

TheGatewayPundit.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) It is often claimed that the vast majority of the scientific community has reached a consensus on climate change that human activity is a direct cause of it. The truth, however, is that most scientists do not actually believe this, despite what the authorities claim.

Gregory Wrightstone, executive director of the CO2 Coalition, wrote an article explaining that 97 percent of scientists  this is the percentage we are told believes in man-made climate change  agree that carbon dioxide concentrations appear to be increasing, and that global temperatures have gradually been rising in some places over the past 150 years. What they do not necessarily believe, though, is that humans are directly responsible for this.

While there is no way to definitively know what percentage of scientists believe in man-made global warming, it is safe to say that the figure is nowhere close to 97 percent. In fact, it is likely half that or less, meaning most rational scientists are either unsure or do not believe that humans eating meat and driving cars is warming the planet to the point of a potential collapse.

What is impossible to quantify is the actual percentage of warming that is attributable to increased anthropogenic (human-caused) CO2, Wrightstone wrote. There is no scientific evidence or method that can determine how much of the warming weve had since 1900 that was directly caused by us.

We know that temperature has varied greatly over the millennia. We also know that for virtually all of that time, global warming and cooling were driven entirely by natural forces, which did not cease to operate at the beginning of the 20th century.

The claim that most modern warming is attributable to human activities is scientifically insupportable. The truth is that we do not know. We need to be able to separate what we do know from that which is only conjecture. (Related: The U.S. government also knows that human activity doesnt change the climate, but the Biden regime has deleted this important information from official government sources.)

The true scientific consensus is that man-made climate change is a myth

The 97 percent that gets thrown around as a metric of alleged support among the scientific community for the man-made climate change theory actually has its origins in a 2004 paper cited by none other than former Vice President Al Gore, who included it in his An Inconvenient Truth fiction book.

A professor named Klaus-Martin Schulte, an eminent London surgeon, reviewed the work cited in Gores book and found that only a fraction of the studies cited in the paper Gore referenced in his book endorsed the consensus position on man-made climate change. In fact, just 45 percent  less than half  supported this notion.

There appears to be little basis in the peer-reviewed scientific literature for the degree of alarm on the issue of climate change which is being expressed in the media and by politicians, now carried over into the medical world and experienced by patients, Schulte concluded.

The 97 percent consensus that allegedly supports the man-made climate change theory means nothing. Science does not advance through consensus, and the claim of consensus has no place in any rational scientific debate, Wrightstone wrote.

The climate is always changing, and has been since the beginning of time. To learn more, visit Climate.news.

Sources for this article include:

Expose-News.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Estonias Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets recently disclosed that he will present a proposal to the government to expand the countrys bomb shelter program so it can accommodate up to 730,000 people by 2034.

The shelters will protect the people not only from conventional bombing but also from gas and radioactive substances. The proposal is to adapt cellars in existing buildings so they are bomb-proof and capable of catering to people for considerable lengths of time. The shelters also need to be able to protect people from shock waves and shrapnel and will be required to have power generators, toilets, ventilation and access to water.

Currently, the Estonian Rescue Service has identified 94 publicly accessible shelters that can accommodate up to 50,000 people.

According to Laanemets, the nation needs at least another 10 years of planning and funding to reach the planned capacity of 730,000. He said that one of the ways to achieve this is to amend the guidelines of the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications on support for the renovation of buildings and include in it the requirement to transform basements into shelters during the renovation.

By the end of April, housing associations will receive a call for proposals to create refuge spaces. We anticipate that this public offering will be funded for at least 10 years. It could cost up to one million this year, but if approved by the government, it will cost roughly 15 million ($16.34 million) per year. In this way, we could secure emergency shelter for approximately 500,000 people, Laanemets said.

Architect Margit Mutso commented that the government should have considered providing shelters a year ago, immediately following the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

Let me give you an example. A competition for the design of a cultural center in the heart of Tartu has just been announced and it says that having some kind of shelter-like space, such as a basement or parking garage, is sufficient. No one asks, however, what will happen if this shelter is required one day and 200-300 people take refuge there for several hours without sanitation, water, or even ventilation. These issues have not been fully dealt with and I think this is totally unacceptable, Mutso said.

Ukrainian businessmen build deluxe bomb shelters

In Ukraine, meanwhile, local entrepreneurs Oleksandr Chyrva, Oleksiy Suslin and Timur Feizulaiev are building high-end bomb shelters  with designs that are meant to be as comfortable as self-catering apartments, with Wi-Fi access, fitted kitchens and bathrooms. The three used to produce designer grills before the war.

My then-pregnant wife refused to leave the city. And we did not know where to go. It was terrifying, but still, in our district, the shelling was less intense than on the outskirts, Chyrva told the news outlet Politico.

As the conflict progressed, the three came up with a new business idea that would not only provide protection but also make people feel the comforts of an apartment located three meters underground and covered by a concrete slab.

We went down to our houses basement a couple of times just to realize that it is more dangerous to stay there than in our own corridor behind the double walls. If this old basement collapses, there will be no way out, said Chyrva, who lives in an old building. Thats how the idea came to us. If the house is old or new but there is no proper shelter, then you can dig deeper underground and be safe there.

He and his partners have been working on the first prototype of a compact bomb shelter at their private workshop.

It will have a ventilation system, autonomous power supply, and water reservoir. It will also feature a fully furnished kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom for a family of three people. The shelter can even have air conditioning and internet. All that will be hidden inside a compact, solid metal compartment with two separate entrances.

Our main goal was to put everything in a compact size which can be transported easily from our production house. The synergy of all life-support systems was the hardest thing to achieve, Suslin said. (Related: PrepWithMike: Surviving radioactive exposure following a nuclear explosion is NOT impossible.)

Visit NuclearSurvival.news to learn more about how to prepare for a nuclear attack.

Watch the video below that features Lvov residents turning their basements into improvised bomb shelters.

This video is from High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Experts: Continued attacks on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant could lead to WWIII.

Russia warns: Worlds nuclear-armed states on the verge of direct armed conflict.

Survival 101: Preparing for a nuclear emergency.

Sources include:

RMX.news

BNN-News.com

News.ERR.ee

Politico.eu

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The government of Germany recently admitted that an alarming number of people vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) are developing AIDS-like symptoms.

New data released by German authorities strongly suggests that fully vaccinated individuals have started developing full-blown vaccine-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or VAIDS. (Related: History repeats itself: Holocaust survivor goes into hiding after German court authorizes her transfer to psychiatric institution for forced COVID-19 vaccination.)

As of press time, around 76 percent of the German population is fully vaccinated, and another 1.58 percent is partially vaccinated. The country has also administered around 77 COVID-19 vaccine booster doses per 100 people, suggesting a very high rate of triple or even quadruple vaccination.

However, data shows that vaccinated individuals are more likely to get infected by COVID-19, particularly the post-vaccine omicron variant. According to German government data, only 186 of the 6,788 omicron cases studied were unvaccinated individuals. This shows that the vaccinated omicron case incidence was 57 per one percent of the population, while the unvaccinated omicron case incidence was just 7.02 per one percent of the population.

Meaning, the vaccinated were 8.12 times more likely to be infected with the omicron variant than the unvaccinated in Germany.

Vaccines allegedly help develop immunity by imitating an infection, wrote the Expose in its investigation of excess deaths and VAIDS in Germany. Once the imitation infection induced by the vaccine goes away, the body is left with a supply of memory t-cells and antibodies that will remember how to fight that disease in the future.

So, when the authorities state that the effectiveness of the vaccines weakens over time, what they really mean is that the performance of your immune system weakens over time, continued the Expose.

Data shows Germany excess deaths increased by 276 percent compared to 2020

If the likeliness of infection isnt enough, the data released by the German government also showed that the country suffered over 102,000 excess deaths in 2022, a 276 percent increase on recorded excess deaths in the year 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was allegedly at its height and prior to the introduction of the experimental vaccines.

The data is only up until week 49 of 2022. In 2020, there were only 27,292 recorded excess deaths by week 49. In 2021, the first full year of COVID-19 vaccination, recorded excess deaths nearly tripled to 77,049.

In its conclusion, the Expose noted that this data, which came from the German government itself, should be enough to make the German public question whether the COVID-19 vaccines had the intended effect of protecting the populace against the coronavirus, or if fully vaccinated Germans did indeed develop VAIDS.

The government and pharmaceutical companies will of course continue to deny any responsibility and insist that the vaccine is safe and expensive, the website wrote.

But if the COVID-19 vaccines are not responsible for giving the public AIDS and leading to a record-breaking 276 percent increase in excess deaths in 2022, then the German government needs to provide the public with an explanation of what exactly caused 100,000 more Germans to die that year.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely the German government will provide an answer to these questions. In fact, the release of this data seems to have had the opposite effect, with Germany joining other European Union members in imposing new COVID-19-related restrictions, such as bringing back testing requirements for travelers.

Learn more about how deadly the COVID-19 vaccines are by reading the latest articles at VaccineDeaths.com.

Watch this episode of the Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks to Ed Dowd about the catastrophic implications of vaccine deaths and disabilities.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Government and Big Pharma plan to taint food supply by injecting animals with mRNA vaccines.

Steve Kirsch: Data shows COVID-19 vaccine is the MOST DANGEROUS vaccine ever made.

Panel of experts: More and more young people are dying because of COVID-19 vaccines.

Study finds 84% increase in incidence of cardiac-related DEATH among men under 40 following mRNA vaccination.

Newly released CDC data shows nearly a third of people who got vaccinated experienced significant adverse events.

Sources include:

NewsPunch.com

Expose-News.com

OurWorldInData.org

Bloomberg.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) A state judge in Illinois struck a blow for freedom and the Second Amendment after the states Democrat majority and governor, J.B. Pritzker, passed and signed into law, respectively, a new ban on so-called assault weapons.

Pritzker signed the measure just days ago, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, but now a judge has said the Democrat-dominated legislature and governor egregiously violated procedural requirements under the Illinois constitution to rush the measure into law.

For the time being, the restraining order only pertains to 866 individual plaintiffs who signed on to one of several lawsuits that challenge the ban. But the ruling also sends a hopeful signal to those plaintiffs their lawsuit is likely to succeed, which will apply to every other Second Amendment supporter in the state.

In addition, it is the latest court ruling against gun-grabbing Democratic politicians who are reeling all across the country after last years historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which found that the states concealed carry law (which essentially prohibited nearly all residents from being able to lawfully carry a gun) unconstitutional.

Plaintiffs are being immediately and irreparably harmed each day in which their fundamental right to bear arms is being denied, wrote Judge Joshua Morrison in his 11-page ruling, rejecting the state governments claim that the law did not impact a fundamental constitutional right. He added that the plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success in their suit to have the law struck down, which is known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act.

This Court finds that the Defendants [Pritzker et al] unequivocally and egregiously violated the Three Readings Rule of the Illinois Constitution in order to circumvent the Constitutional requirements and avoid public discourse, the ruling continues.

The judge also opined that the law is not likely going to survive being scrutinized under the precedent established by the Bruen ruling.

Indeed, the law was already under siege by nearly all Illinois sheriffs who vowed not to enforce it, saying that they see its gun registration requirement as a huge violation of the Second Amendments infringement clause.

In a letter posted to Facebook, Greene County Sheriff Rob McMillen noted that he plans to follow his morals, beliefs, and obligations concerning protecting the rights of the citizens of his county.

These types of laws put law enforcement officers and prosecutors in a very precarious box, with us having to decide to not enforce laws that were passed by government bodies, McMillen wrote. But, as your Greene County Sheriff, I cannot sit back and let laws that strip Greene County citizens of their constitutional rights, and not take a stance supporting the citizens against a government that wants to trample on their rights.

Clinton County Sheriff Dan Travous, Macoupin County Sheriff Shawn Kahl, and Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing all made similar statements and commitments to their residents and voters, saying that their departments would not be used to conduct any investigations or make any arrests under provisions of the law for the same reason: Their belief that citizens have an inalienable right to keep and bear legitimate firearms for defense, liberty, and property.

Madison County Sheriff Jeff Connor, along with the countys States Attorney Tom Haine, noted in a joint statement that they expect the law will face legal challenges and trust that this legislative overreach will not stand.

In the meantime, we remain focused on reducing violent crime, the letter reads. Therefore, pending further direction by the courts, the Madison County Sheriffs Office will not expend its limited resources to check whether otherwise law-abiding gun owners have registered their weapons with the State, nor will the Madison County Sheriffs Office be arresting or housing otherwise law-abiding individuals solely due to non-compliance with [the law].

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

CharlieKirk.com
(Natural News) Once again, the left-wing Democrat-supporting organization known collectively as the mainstream media has asked viewers not to believe what they were watching on screen during a report about riots that took place over the weekend in Atlanta after an Antifa thug was shot and killed by police.

A local Fox crew conjured up memories of a CNN report from Minneapolis, Minn., just days after drug addict and criminal George Floyd died while resisting arrest, in which the correspondent was standing in front of several buildings that were literally on fire and talked about the mostly peaceful protests that were occurring in the city. Before it was all said and done, entire blocks in the city were burned or destroyed, including a police precinct.

Local Atlanta reporter calls the protest in Atlanta largely peaceful protest as a police cruiser is on fire in the background. You cant make this stuff up, one Twitter user noted in a post featuring the offending video clip.

Local Atlanta reporter calls the protest in Atlanta largely peaceful protest as a police cruiser is on fire in the background. You cant make this stuff up. pic.twitter.com/tYJpJulxdH  Largely peaceful protest 3sidedstory ?? (@3sidedstory) January 22, 2023

Red State explained the genesis of the protest:

Now, the night started with a protest against the police, in the memory of one of their comrades, Manuel Teran. Teran had been shot and killed by the police after he allegedly shot a cop, when police came to clear protesters out of an area they had been occupying where the city is constructing a police training center. The radicals have had several people, in multiple incidents, arrested for domestic terrorism at the site, including for throwing Molotov cocktails at the police.

Notice how everyone is dressed in black and masked up  this isnt a protest that accidentally devolved into a riot. Its like most Antifa actions; its a protest in anticipation of the riot, as people break away and then attack things.

?#BREAKING: Violent protests have been reported in Atlanta ?#Atlanta | #Georgia Violent protests have erupted tonight in Atlanta after police killed a man on the 18th. There are reports of police cruisers on fire and rocks being thrown as activists call for a Night of Rage. pic.twitter.com/qKTc20g79n  R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 22, 2023

Needless to say, this mostly peaceful protest soon turned violent  as was the plan all along  with Antifa rioters attacking the Atlanta Police Foundation Building as well as other businesses and setting at least one police vehicle on fire, as seen in the background of the local news report.

Journalist Andy Ngo, a veteran of Antifa protests, also noted the violence, as well as outing the leftists who attacked police initially at the new training site. A news crew captured footage of #Antifa militants smashing up businesses in downtown Atlanta on Saturday at their violent organized retaliation against police for shooting dead their gunman comrade. The gunman at the autonomous zone shot a state trooper, he reported.

A news crew captured footage of #Antifa militants smashing up businesses in downtown Atlanta on Saturday at their violent organized retaliation against police for shooting dead their gunman comrade. The gunman at the autonomous zone shot a state trooper. pic.twitter.com/ow0drWxolg  Andy Ngo ???? (@MrAndyNgo) January 22, 2023

Regardless of what the local media goofballs were reporting, the mayor of Atlanta put the lie quickly to the mostly peaceful protest claim. He noted that most were from out of town  not even from the city or even the region  and some were found to be in possession of explosives, proving again that it was never going to be a simple protest.

Yes, you heard that correctly, explosives, Dickens said. That led to a police officers car being set on fire, Dickens explained. Make no mistake about it, these individuals meant harm to people and to property.

MAYOR ANDRE DICKENS: You heard that correctly, explosives @CityofAtlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says some of the protesters had explosives on them. Listen to this clip from tonights press conference. pic.twitter.com/nyXAld0rYS  Billy Heath III (@BillyHeathFOX5) January 22, 2023

Antifa is a domestic terrorist group and should be treated  and prosecuted  like one.

Sources include:

RedState.com

ConservativeBrief.com
(Natural News) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this week claimed that Western powers led by the U.S. stopped peace talks between his country and Ukraine early on in the war after Moscow invaded nearly a year ago.

He also claimed that Russia did not refuse negotiations with Kyiv and was willing to negotiate a settlement but that Washington and NATO allies were not in favor of that.

Lavrov made his remarks during a visit to South Africa, saying essentially what President Vladimir Putin said last year  that his nation was ready to sit down at the negotiating table but Ukraines allies in the West would not support it.

As reported by the UKs Daily Mail:

The U.S. and other Western nations have said that Russia is not serious about negotiations to end the war, set to mark its one-year anniversary next month. Lavrov also warned the war between Russia and the West is no longer hybrid but is almost a real one, as he blasted Ukraines allies for sending weapons to the war-torn country.

Western nations have pledged to send billions of pounds worth of arms to Kyiv and Polands prime minister said today his government would ask Germany for permission to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine  and planned to send them whether or not Berlin agreed.

When we speak about what is happening in Ukraine  it is a war, not a hybrid one, almost a real war, that the West has been plotting for a long time against Russia, Lavrov said.

The goal is to destroy everything Russian, from language to culture, that has been in Ukraine for centuries and to prohibit people from speaking their mother tongue, he added.

It should be said that Ukraine is an independent country and its people can do what they choose for themselves, not what another country chooses for them.

The Russian diplomat went on to say that his country was not responsible for negotiations not taking place earlier.

It is well known that we supported the proposal of the Ukrainian side to negotiate early in the special military operation and by the end of March, the two delegations agreed on the principle to settle this conflict, he said. It is well known and was published openly that our American, British, and some European colleagues told Ukraine that it is too early to deal, and the arrangement which was almost agreed was never revisited by the Kyiv regime.

But those who refuse must understand that the longer they refuse, the more difficult it is to find a solution, he noted.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pleading for more support from the U.S. and European nations, especially in the form of armor so his forces can mount offensives aimed at pushing the Russians back to their own country. That includes asking for German-made Leopard 2 tanks. And it appears now that he will get them.

Germany on Tuesday not only signed off on Polands request to export German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine  Berlin also will donate its own small batch of the world-class tanks, Forbes reported this week. And now the Leopard 2s could pile up fast. Norway on Tuesday followed Germanys and Polands leads and pledged surplus Leopard 2s.

The decision by German chancellor Olaf Scholz came after the leader agonized over it for weeks while being prodded not only by Ukraine but by the U.S. and other NATO allies as well.

As pressure mountedfrom Poland, mostlyGerman foreign minister Annalena Baerbock last weekend said Germany wouldnt veto Polands pledge of at least one company of 14 or so Leopard 2s. Scholz quickly walked back Baerbocks words, only to walk back the walk-back a few days laterand then tack on an additional company of Leopard 2s from German stocks, Forbes noted further.

The one wildcard here is Russias nuclear weapons: Will Putin order a nuclear attack to save face from what now appears to be a certain stalemate, if not outright defeat, on the one-year anniversary of his invasion?

Sources include:

Forbes.com

DailyMail.co.uk
(Natural News) Scientists from the Indian capital New Delhi discovered a hatchery of dinosaurs, complete with 256 fossilized eggs.

The hatchery is located in the Lameta Formation, a geological formation in Indias Narmada Valley that spans 620 miles from east to west. It covers three Indian states  Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra  and hosts numerous fossilized dinosaur eggs and skeletons dating from the late Cretaceous period.

According to the scientists, the hatchery had been composed of 92 nesting sites that once belonged to titanosaurs. This family of herbivorous dinosaurs were known for their long necks and tails, massive size and small heads. The hatchery at the Lameta Formation, one of the biggest known to man, hinted that the dinosaurs nested together just like modern birds.

Upon further scrutiny, the scientists identified eggs that came from six titanosaur species  more than what has been reported through skeletal fossils at the site so far. (Related: Researchers: First ever fossilized brain tissue from a dinosaur found.)

According to the researchers, the clutches being situated close to each other implies that parents did not linger around to watch their newborns hatch. This is because there would be no space for them. If they did, paleontologists would have also discovered more fossilized broken eggs.

Furthermore, the absence of juvenile titanosaur bones in the Lameta Formation hinted that baby titanosaurs left the nest soon after hatching. Nevertheless, the findings hint that the Indian subcontinent saw a greater diversity of dinosaurs than earlier thought.

Our research has revealed the presence of an extensive hatchery of titanosaurs in the study area and offers new insights into the conditions of nest preservation and reproductive strategies of titanosaurs just before they went extinct, said lead researcher Harsha Dhiman.

Comprising some 40 species, titanosaurs were the last great family of sauropod dinosaurs before the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event about 65 million years ago. Their fossils have been discovered on all continents, except Antarctica. Only a little amount of information about the reproductive habits of titanosaurs and other dinosaurs can be gathered from their remains, as their reproductive organs dont fossilize.

Discovery provides a window into titanosaurs egg-laying behavior

The researchers also determined several habits of titanosaurs based on their observations from the hatchery.

Scientists believe that titanosaurs dug shallow holes for their eggs as modern crocodiles do. Some of the eggs that were found tightly packed together had very similar diameters, indicating they had been buried with their surfaces touching.

The kind of rock that held the eggs led the scientists to believe that a number of the clutches were laid close to the banks of the lakes and ponds. Clutches further from the bodies of water could hatch, and therefore, had more fossilized eggshell fragments. Meanwhile, clutches repeatedly submerged underwater were eventually buried in sediment that prevented them from hatching.

They also discovered the first ever dinosaur egg-in-egg, hinting a creature had a segmented uterus and laid its eggs consecutively like modern birds. An egg-in-egg happens when an egg is pushed back into the mothers reproductive system and becomes embedded with another newly forming egg. It indicates that dinosaurs had a reproductive biology more similar to that of birds and crocodiles than turtles and lizards, as earlier presumed.

But Darla Zelenitsky of the University of Calgary, a researcher who wasnt involved in the study, calls for caution on taking the six diverse egg types as a sign of six different species. She said larger or smaller individuals of the same species might lay eggs that outwardly appear different, or different species might lay eggs that are identical.

Follow Discoveries.news for more news like this.

Watch this video about a skeleton of a new dinosaur species found in Missouri.

This video is from the Alex Hammer channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Baby pterodactyls could fly from BIRTH, reveals fascinating study.

It turns out, dinosaurs also had great hearing  which made them even better hunters than previously. thought.

Brazil dig unearths evidence of a new desert-dwelling dinosaur species.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NewScientist.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Its a wonder the leaders at the World Economic Forum arent wearing swastikas on their jackets while they warn the planet about the grim future where theres no more real meat and all the peons are eating insects and seaweed to survive. A keynote speaker, the chairman of the infamous German manufacturing giant Siemens, Mr. Jim Hagemann Snabe, claims there wont be any real meat from animals soon, just lab-concocted synthetic meat stuff for mobilizing for climate change and the great reset. According to the chairman of a company that was the biggest industrial conglomerate for the Nazi slave labor camps, a billion people should stop eating meat in order to save the world from global warming.

Eat cockroaches and grub worms, not meat, because the new Nazi globalists want to save the world from the boiling oceans and toxic rain bombs

Are you wondering what the menu looked like at the WEF convention in Davos, Switzerland this year? Filet mignon and organic vegetables? Are you also wondering why all the globalists who attended demanded their private jet pilots be unvaccinated for Covid? No, the globalists do NOT practice what they preach, its all just smoke and mirrors for crippling society while they bankroll off Ponzi schemes and insidious scamdemics.

In fact, Mr. Snabe, the keynote speaker at WEF this year, who holds a powerful position at Siemens AG, Europes biggest industrial manufacturing company, represents a company that used slave labor for Nazi armaments in WWII by the hundreds of thousands. Prisoners of war at the concentration camps worked for the death through work program that Siemens headed up at the factories inside the death camps of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Mauthausen, Ravensbruck, Flossenburg, and Sachsenhausen.

So now, the new age Nazis and Communists, who want to Master the World, are telling everyone else to stop washing their clothes, stop eating meat, stop driving vehicles, and eat cockroaches and grub worms, if they care about the world and want to keep all the humans from bursting into flames.

Supposedly, the whole earth is going to be like a Nazi concentration camp gas chamber if all the peons and paupers dont stop polluting it by eating cows and driving cars that use fuel. Mobilizing for Climate requires everyone to give all their money, money, money to the already-filthy-rich globalists that will spray chemicals in the atmosphere to block the sun and save the planet (theyve obviously been watching too many Marvel movies).

Great Reset calls for every human to be force-vaccinated, give all their money to Nazi companies, plus eat insects and lab-concocted Franken-food

God is Dead, the leaders of the New World Order at the Davos WEF convention tell us. Listen to your new masters, and gobble insects instead of cows and chickens, and you wont burst into flames and drown in the boiling oceans.

If a billion people stop eating meat, I tell you, it has a big impact. Not only does it have a big impact on the current food system, but it will also inspire innovation of food systems. The filthy rich self-anointed speakers at the WEF claim they are being instilled with divine powers to rule the universe and force all the peons to be injected with billions of deadly spike proteins, walk to work, eat lab meat, seaweed and cockroaches for all future meals.

Supposedly, its the food we eat thats responsible for the majority of CO2 emissions that are killing off all the cows, chickens, turkeys, and pigs. If everyone would just eat Bill Gates Frankenfoods, with a side of centipedes and slugs, then we can save the Godless planet from sure doom and destruction.

The disastrous Green agenda will cripple the whole worlds economy, wreck all agricultural systems, and cause worldwide famine like weve never seen. Forget about the atmosphere, droughts, and floods, because the Masters of the Universe (rich freaks of the WEF) are here to wreck the world for us. Just send them all your money and keep your Covid mask on tight, and everything will be just fine. Sure.

Keep your truth news in check by adding Preparedness.news to your favorites list and tuning in daily for updates on real news about the surviving and thriving in the near future, without taking advice from Nazis and athiests freaks that think they run the world right now.

Sources for this article include:

Censored.news

NaturalNews.com

Breitbart.com

HistoryCollection.com
(Natural News) This is the true story of the Ukrainian Nationalist Movement in its form today, bought and paid for by the US Central Intelligence Agency.

(Article by Rhoda Wilson republished from Expose-News.com)

Cynthia Chung has published chapter 5 from her newly released book The Empire on Which the Black Sun Never Set: the Birth of International Fascism and Anglo-American Foreign Policy on Substack.

The chapter details how the Ukrainian Nationalist Movement post-WWII was bought and paid for by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

She begins by outlining a few important historical highlights  the historical roots of Ukrainian Nationalism. Beginning with the Kievan Rus, a federation in Eastern-Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century. Todays Belarus, Russia and Ukraine all recognise the people of Kievan Rus as their cultural ancestors. She continues to outline the history through to the founding of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in 1929 in a place which was, at the time, located in Poland.

The OUN assassinated Polish Interior Minister Bronislaw Pieracki in 1934. Among those tried and convicted in 1936 for Pierackis murder, were OUNs Stepan Bandera and Mykola Lebed. Both escaped when the Germans invaded Poland in 1939. In August 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the non-aggression pact, dividing Poland. In 1940 the OUN would split into the OUN-M led by Andriy Melnyk, and OUN-B headed by Stepan Bandera.

In June 1941, when Nazi Germany invaded western Ukraine, there were many western Ukrainians who welcomed the invading Nazis as their liberators. Both the OUN-M and OUN-B would spend much of the war collaborating closely with the Germans.

Eight days after Germanys invasion of the USSR, on 30 June 1941, OUN-B proclaimed the establishment of the Ukrainian State in the name of Bandera in Lviv and pledged loyalty to Hitler. In response, the OUN-B leaders and associates were arrested and imprisoned or killed outright by the Gestapo. Stepan Bandera and his closest deputy Jaroslav Stetsko were initially kept under house arrest and then sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Mykola Lebed was able to slip through the German police net and became the de facto leader of the OUN-B leadership, also known as the Banderists.

The following year Lebed would become the leader of the underground terror wing, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which continued in function until 1956. By September 1944 German Army officers in northern Ukraine told their superiors in Foreign Armies East that the UPA was a natural ally of Germany and a valuable aid for the German High Command, and Himmler himself authorised intensified contacts with UPA.

Also in September 1944, the Germans released Bandera and Stetsko from Sachsenhausen.

This leads into second half of Chungs chapter 5, see below. You can read the full chapter, with references to sources included, HERE.

By Cynthia Chung

[Lebed] is a well-known sadist and collaborator of the Germans  1947 Report by The US Armys Counterintelligence Corps (CIC)

In July 1944 Mykola Lebed helped form the Supreme Ukrainian Liberation Council (UHVR), which would claim to represent the Ukrainian nation and served as an underground government in the Carpathian Mountains, in opposition to the Ukrainian SSR. The dominant political party in UHVR was the Bandera group and the UPA, which from that point on served as the army of UHVR and continued to fight the Soviets until 1956.

A feud erupted in 1947 between Bandera and Stetsko on one side for an independent Ukraine under a single party led by Bandera himself vs. Lebed and Father Ivan Hrynioch (chief of the UHVR Political Section) who were against Bandera being head of state.

At an August 1948 Congress of the OUN Foreign Section, Bandera (who still controlled 80% of the UHVR) expelled the Hrynioch-Lebed group. He claimed exclusive authority on the Ukrainian national movement and continued terror tactics against anti-Banderist Ukrainian leaders in Western Europe and manoeuvred for control of Ukrainian emigre organisations. However, Lebed who had become close with the Americans at that point was recognised, along with Hrynioch as the official UHVR representation abroad.

With the war lost, Lebed adopted a strategy similar to that of Reinhard Gehlen  he contacted the Allies after escaping Rome in 1945 with a trove of names and contacts of anti-Soviets located in western Ukraine and in displaced persons camps in Germany. This made him attractive to the US Armys Counterintelligence Corps (CIC) despite their above admission in their 1947 report.

In late 1947, Lebed who it was feared would be assassinated by the Soviets in Rome, was smuggled along with his family by the CIC to Munich, Germany in December 1947 for his safety.

Norman J.W. Goda writes:

By late 1947, Lebed had thoroughly sanitised his pre-war and wartime activities for American consumption. In his own rendition, he had been a victim of the Poles, the Soviets, and the Germans  he would carry the Gestapo wanted poster for the rest of his life to prove his anti-Nazi credentialsHe also published a 126-page booklet on the UPA, which chronicled the heroic struggle of Ukrainians against both Nazis and Bolsheviks, while calling for an independent, greater Ukraine that would represent the human ideals of free speech and free faith. The UPA, according to the booklet, never collaborated with the Nazis, nor is there any mention of the slaughter of Galician Jews or Poles in the book. The CIC considered the booklet to be the complete background on the subject. The CIC overlooked the fact that under its own watch an OUN Congress held in September 1947 had split, thanks to Lebeds criticism of the creeping democratisation of the OUN. This was overlooked by the CIA which began using Lebed extensively in 1948In June 1949the CIA smuggled him [Lebed] into the United States with his wife and daughter under the legal cover of the Displaced Persons Act. [emphasis added]

The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) began investigating Lebed and in March 1950 reported to Washington that numerous Ukrainian informants spoke of Lebeds leading role among the Bandera terrorists and that during the war the Banderists were trained and armed by the Gestapo and responsible for wholesale murders of Ukrainians, Poles and Jewish [sic]In all these actions, Lebed was one of the most important leaders.

In 1951, top INS officials informed the CIA of its findings along with the comment that Lebed would likely face deportation. The CIA responded on 3 October 1951, that all of the charges were false and that the Gestapo wanted poster of Lebed proved that he fought with equal zeal against the Nazis and Bolsheviks.

INS officials as a result suspended the investigation on Lebed.

In February 1952, the CIA pressed the INS to grant Lebed re-entry papers so that he could leave and re-enter the United States at will. Argyle Mackey, Commissioner of the INS, refused to grant this.

On May 5, 1952, Allen Dulles, then Assistant Director of the CIA wrote a letter to Mackey stating:

In connection with future Agency operations of the first importance, it is urgently necessary that subject [Lebed] be able to travel in Western Europe. Before [he] undertakes such travel, however, this Agency mustassure his re-entry into the United States without investigation or incident which would attract undue attentions to his activities.

What was in West Germany? General Reinhard Gehlen, former chief of the Wehrmacht Foreign Armies East military intelligence, who had been conveniently allowed to re-enter West Germany to establish his Gehlen Organisation which would later form the Bundesnachrichtendienst (Federal Intelligence Service of West Germany) in 1956.

Dulles also wanted Lebeds legal status changed to that of permanent resident, under Section 8 of the CIA Act of 1949. The INS never investigated further after Dulles letter and Lebed became a naturalised US citizen in March 1957.

Bandera would also be stationed in West Germany with his family after the war, where he remained the leader of the OUN-B and worked with several anti-communist organisations as well as with British Intelligence. At this point Bandera had become too much of a liability and there were multiple attempts, by both the Americans and British starting in 1953, to get Bandera to step down and for Lebed to represent the entire Ukrainian liberation movement in the homeland. Bandera refused and went rogue.

It is said that Bandera was assassinated in 1959 by a KGB agent in Munich, however, one cannot help but note that it was excellent timing and extremely beneficial for the Americans that Bandera was taken out when he was, considering what they had planned for Ukraines future

Among the declassified records are that of Hoovers FBI, who had a small trove of captured German General Staff documents from 1943 and 1944, which revealed German appreciation of the UPAs work while mentioning Lebed by name. It appears this was never shared with any agency or institution, other than the CIA, despite requests from the INS during their investigation of Lebed.

Interestingly, Goda writes:

The full extent of his [Lebeds] activities as Foreign Minister [of the UHVR] may never become known, but FBI surveillance of him gives some idea. Partly, Lebed lectured at prestigious universities such as Yale on such topics as biological warfare used by the Soviet government in the Ukraine. [emphasis added]

The following is an indication as to what Dulles may have been referring to as the urgent need for Lebeds re-entry into Western Europe.

Breitman and Goda write:

By 1947 some 250,000 Ukrainians were livingin Germany, Austria, and Italy, many of them OUN activists or sympathisers. After 1947 UPA fighters began crossing into the US zone, having reached the border on foot through Czechoslovakia.

However, Lebed was not only urgently needed in Europe, but also within the United States. Once in the United States, Lebed was selected as the CIAs chief contact/advisor for AERODYNAMIC.

Breitman and Goda write:

AERODYNAMICs first phase involved infiltration into Ukraine and then exfiltration of CIA-trained Ukrainian agents. By January 1950 the CIAs arm for the collection of secret intelligence (Office of Special Operations, OSO) and its arm for covert operations (Office of Policy Coordination, OPC) participated [authors note: the Allen Dulles rogue faction of the CIA]Washington was especially pleased with the high level of UPA training in the Ukraine and its potential for further guerrilla actions, and with the extraordinary news thatactive resistance to the Soviet regime was spreading steadily eastward, out of the former Polish, Greek Catholic provinces [However] By 1954 Lebeds group lost all contact with UHVR. By that time the Soviets subdued both the UHVR and UPA, and the CIA ended the aggressive phase of AERODYNAMIC. Beginning in 1953 AERODYNAMIC began to operate through a Ukrainian study group under Lebeds leadership in New York under CIA auspices, which collected Ukrainian literature and history and produced Ukrainian nationalist newspapers, bulletins, radio programming, and books for distribution in the Ukraine. In 1956 this group was formally incorporated as the non-profit Prolog Research and Publishing Association. It allowed the CIA to funnel funds as ostensible private donations without taxable footprints. To avoid nosey New York State authorities, the CIA turned Prolog into a for-profit enterprise called Prolog Research Corporation, which ostensibly received private contracts. Under Hrinioch [Hrynioch], Prolog maintained a Munich office named the Ukrainische Geseelschaft fur Auslandsstudein, EV. Most publications were created here. Prolog recruited and paid Ukrainian emigre writers who were generally unaware that they worked in a CIA-controlled operation. Only the six top members of the ZP/UHVR were witting agents. Beginning in 1955, leaflets were dropped over Ukraine by air[,] and radio broadcasts titled Nova Ukraina were aired in Athens for Ukrainian consumption. These activities gave way to systematic mailing campaigns to Ukraine through Ukrainian contacts in Poland and emigre contacts in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Spain, Sweden, and elsewhere. The newspaper Suchasna Ukrainia (Ukraine Today), information bulletins, a Ukrainian language journal for intellectuals called Suchasnist (The Present), and other publications were sent to libraries, cultural institutions, administrative offices and private individuals in Ukraine. These activities encouraged Ukrainian nationalism [emphasis added]

The CIA bought and paid for a brand of Ukrainian Nationalism a la Lebed. One of the most horrifying butchers of OUN/UPA was given reign to shape the hearts and minds of the Ukrainian people around their nationalist identity, an identity as defined by the OUN. It also shaped historical and cultural interpretation such as to further romanticise the concept of the great Ukrainian race of Volodomyr the Great, encouraging a further sense of superiority and further divide between themselves and Belarussians and Russians.

One CIA analyst judged that some form of nationalist feeling continues to exist [in the Ukraine] andthere is an obligation to support it as a cold war weapon.

Breitman and Goda continue:

Prolog [also] influenced [the next] Ukrainian generationProlog had become in the words of one senior CIA official, the sole vehicle for CIAs operations directed at the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and [its] forty million Ukrainian citizens. Lebed overtly distanced himself and the Ukrainian nationalist movement from the overt anti-Semitism of his Banderist daysMore to protect the name of Ukrainian nationalism, he publicly condemned the provocative libel and slanderous statements against Jews, adding in a particularly forgetful note that, the Ukrainian peopleare opposed to all and any preaching of hatred for other people.Former Banderistsnow attacked the Soviets for anti-Semitism rather than with it. Lebed retired in 1975 but remained an adviser and consultant to Prolog and the ZP/UHVRIn the 1980s AERODYNAMICs name was changed to QRDYNAMIC and in the 1980s PDDYNAMIC and then QRPLUMB. In 1977 President Carters National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski helped to expand the program owing to what he called its impressive dividends and the impact on specific audiences in the target area. In the 1980s Prolog expanded its operation to reach other Soviet nationalities, and in a supreme irony, these included dissident Soviet Jews. With the USSR teetering on the brink of collapse in 1990, QRPLUMB was terminated with a final payout of $1.75 million. Prolog would continue its activities, but it was on its own financially. In June 1985 the General Accounting Office mentioned Lebeds name in a public report on Nazis and collaborators who settled in the United States with help from US intelligence agencies. The Office of Special Investigations (OSI) in the Department of Justice began investigating Lebed that year. The CIA worried that public scrutiny of Lebed would compromise QRPLUMB and that failure to protect Lebed would trigger outrage in the Ukrainian emigre community. It thus shielded Lebed by denying any connection between Lebed and the Nazis and by arguing that he was a Ukrainian freedom fighter. The truth, of course, was more complicated. As late as 1991 the CIA tried to dissuade OSI from approaching the German, Polish, and Soviet governments for war-related records related to the OUN. OSI eventually gave up the case, unable to procure definitive documents on Lebed. [emphasis added]

Mykola Lebed died in 1998 under the protection of the CIA in New Jersey at the age of 89. His papers are located at the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University.

And there you have it, the true story of the Ukrainian Nationalist Movement in its form today, bought and paid for by the CIA. Thus, it is no coincidence that the OUN ideology is inextricable from the western Ukrainian nationalist identity today, nor that several neo-Nazi groups have formed since 1991 (since Ukraines independence from the USSR) who all view the OUN and Stepan Bandera as the Father of their movement.

Read more at: Expose-News.com
(Natural News) A Utah doctor is being charged with multiple felony offenses for destroying experimental COVID-19 jabs, and injecting children with a saline solution in order to spare them from the psychotic, fear-driven vaccine regime.

(Article by Shane Trejo republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

Dr. Michael Kirk Moore Jr., 58, allegedly disposed of more than $28,000 worth of COVID-19 vaccines while giving proof-of-vaccination cards to children who did not receive the vaccine. Moore reportedly did so with the knowledge and consent from the parents.

Moore and three other defendants  Kari Dee Burgoyne, 52, Kristin Jackson Andersen, 59, and Sandra Flores, 31  are accused of defraud[ing] the United States and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They allegedly gave 1,937 doses worth of faked vaccine cards to help parents get around coercive mandates aimed at penetrating their kids bodies with poison.

By allegedly falsifying vaccine cards and administering saline shots to children instead of COVID-19 vaccines, not only did this provider endanger the health and well-being of a vulnerable population but also undermined public trust and the integrity of federal health care programs, said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. HHS-OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable bad actors who attempt to illegally profit from the pandemic.

Moore and his co-defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to convert, sell, convey, and dispose of government property; and conversion, sale, conveyance, and disposal of government property and aiding and abetting. In a sane country, there would be statues erected in their honor.

Big League Politics has reported on other medical professionals who exercised courageous civil disobedience and refused to administer the dangerous COVID jab to patients:

A German nurse is under investigation after allegedly injecting 8,600 patients with a saline solution instead of the experimental COVID-19 vaccine.

I am totally shocked by this episode, said Sven Ambrosy, a local councillor, on a social media platform as authorities attempt to contact the 8,600 people to get vaxxed.

The district of Friesland will do everything possible to ensure that the affected people receive their vaccination protection as soon as possible, he added.

Police investigator Peter Beer said there was a reasonable suspicion of danger over the womans actions. The people who received the saline solution were largely elderly people, which has the pro-vax crowd enraged that they were denied the jab

Not every health care practitioner has sold their soul to Big Pharma. Moore and his allies may have saved many childrens lives with what they did. Give them the Nobel Peace Prize!

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com
(Natural News) Theyre almost done taking away your freedom of speech. And the next part of their agenda is to steal your freedom of thought.

At this years annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), globalist Nita Farahany led a session called Ready for Brain Transparency? that discussed the next globalist plot to decode and control peoples thoughts by hacking their brainwaves.

Farahany presented a hypothetical scenario in which an employer could spy on employees thoughts to determine their performance in the workplace, as well as to identify any potential illegal activity in which they might be engaged.

We can pick up and decode faces that youre seeing in your mind  single shapes, numbers, your PIN number to your bank account, Farahany fantasized before her globalist audience  watch below:

A dystopian glimpse at the potential future of Hackable Humans: The government has subpoenaed employee brainwave data from the past year [] They are looking for co-conspirators through synchronized brain activity: #wef23 Ready for Brain Transparency? session pic.twitter.com/EtIwjzk4b2  Tim Hinchliffe (@TimHinchliffe) January 19, 2023

Artificial intelligence has enabled advances in decoding brain activity in ways we never before thought possible, Farahany went on to state during the session. (Related: This is all part of WEF leader Klaus Schwabs continued efforts to master the future.)

The globalists want to spy on your every thought and action for their own perverted pleasure

When human brains are no longer autonomous, the scenario presented by Farahany is entirely possible  as are many other dystopian scenarios. This is what these people want for you and your family: to be fully controlled and monitored at all times.

What you think, what you feel: its all just data  data that in large patterns can be decoded using artificial intelligence, Farahany added about the technology she and her tribe are developing.

Such technology is already out there in the form of things like the wearable Fitbit. In fact, Farahany called what is next on the agenda for human brain hacking a Fitbit for your brain.

Were not talking about implanted devices of the future; Im talking about wearable devices that are like Fitbits for your brain, she explained.

These are headbands, hats that have sensors that can pick up your brainwave activity, ear buds, headphones, tiny tattoos that you can wear behind your ear  we can pick up emotional states  like are you happy or sad or angry.

Farahany continued to revel during the sessions about surveillance of the human brain, which she admitted can be used to exploit and bring to the surface our most secret self.

Her statements echo those of fellow globalist Yuval Noah Harari, who has been saying for years at WEF annual meetings that we are no longer mysterious souls, but are rather hackable animals to be exploited for labor, profit, and the perverse thrill of being abused by globalist creeps, many of whom are pedophile demons covered in human flesh.

To hack human beings, you need a lot of biological knowledge, a lot of computing power, and especially a lot of data, Harari stated in the past.

If you have enough data about me and enough computing power and biological knowledge, you can hack my body, my brain, my life. You can reach a point where you know me better than I know myself.

Like Farahany, Harari envisions a future in which all his human subjects are forced to wear a biometric bracelet, which constantly monitors your brain activity 24 hours a day.

You listen to a speech on the radio by the Great Leader, and they know what you actually feel  you can clap your hands and smile, but if youre angry, they know and youll be in the gulag tomorrow morning.

More related news coverage can be found at Globalism.news.

Sources for this article include:

Sociable.co

NaturalNews.com
Most animals live within a specific area known as their "home range," and they are more familiar with the central areas than the edges.

The new study, led by the University of Exeter, tested 126 captive-reared pheasant chicks on a variety of cognitive puzzles before releasing them into the wild and tracking them with a high-precision tagging system.

Pheasants at risk on unfamiliar ground

During the six-month study period, about 40% of the pheasants were killed by predators, almost entirely by foxes - and the pheasants were far more likely to die near the edge of their range, as per ScienceDaily.

The findings indicate that this was due to inexperience in these areas, as other birds who were familiar with the same areas were unlikely to die there.

"For pheasants, experience within an area is much more important than how dangerous the area itself for predicting whether they are killed by predators," said lead author Dr. Robert Heathcote, now at the University of Bristol.

Ambush predators, such as foxes, are quite habitual in their hunting behavior, so local pheasants may learn specific locations where foxes prefer to stalk or lie in wait for their prey.

Another explanation is that, over time, pheasants may learn more about the fastest and safest escape routes if they are attacked.

According to the study, this may cause pheasants to evolve better spatial memory, allowing them to expand the region in which they have detailed knowledge.

Before release, each pheasant was tested for two types of spatial memory using a maze and a memory task.

The findings revealed that chicks with high cognitive abilities grew up to have a wider range.

Dr. Mark Whiteside, now at the University of Plymouth, explained that one of the tasks presented to the chicks was to learn to navigate through a carefully designed maze to test for navigation-related spatial cognition, including spatial reference memory.

Individuals who performed well on this task had larger home ranges after being released into the wild, which could be explained by their ability to remember locations such as foraging, drinking, and refuge.

Their performance in these tests, which were given to the birds when they were only a few weeks old, predicted their chances of being killed by foxes months later.

A novel state-of-the-art reverse-GPS tracking system developed by Professor Sivan Toledo of Tel-Aviv University and Dr. Yotam Orchan of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem made determining the cause of death possible.

Because of the extraordinary accuracy of these tags, researchers were able to determine the precise timing, location, and cause of any deaths of tagged birds.

Our findings show that basic spatial abilities revealed by maze tests relate to real-world space use in the wild and, crucially, affect individual survival in the face of predation, according to Dr. Joah Madden of the University of Exeter.

Read more: Believed to be Extinct Lady Amherst's Pheasant Shocked Everyone with a Sighting

Pheasants' behavior

Pheasants are gregarious birds. In the autumn, they congregate in large numbers, sometimes in large groups, in areas with food and cover, as per Animal Diversity.

During the winter, the core home range is usually smaller than during the nesting season.

Flocks that form in the winter can be mixed or single-sexed, with up to 50 pheasants.

During the breeding season, a male is usually found with a harem of females.

The majority of common pheasants are sedentary, but they may exhibit some migratory tendencies based on food and cover availability.

Migration is observed in northern populations where cold weather forces birds to seek warmer climates. Early spring group dispersal is gradual rather than abrupt, with males leaving first.

Pheasants spend the majority of their time on the ground and roost in trees and on the ground. They are fast runners who walk with a "strutting gait."

When feeding, they hold their tail horizontally; when running, they hold it at a 45-degree angle. Pheasants are strong fliers, with the ability to flush nearly vertically in take-off.

During take-off, males frequently emit a croaking call. When threatened, they take flight.

Pheasants use dust bathing, which involves sweeping sand and dirt particles into their plumage with their bills, ground scratching, or wing shaking.

This behavior aids in the removal of dead epidermal cells, excess oil, old feathers, and new feather sheaths.



Related article: 134,000 Animals Dead in South Dakota's Predator Bounty Program: Is it Worth it?
The weather conditions in the United Kingdom have been challenging for many Brits due to flight cancellations and delays. Motorists and commuters have also felt the brunt of slower commutes this week.

The early weeks of January in the United Kingdom recorded flood warnings, heavy rain and frigid conditions.

Brits had to deal with heavy snow and rain as many planned their travel and outdoor activities.

Freezing fog and heavy snow

According to the Guardian's latest report (January 23, 2023), the challenging weather conditions in the UK resulted in significant flight travel disruptions.

The weather forecast said severe conditions are expected to unfold in south-eastern England, Northern Scotland, Northern Ireland and Heathrow.

The Guardian reported that the freezing fog resulted in poor visibility, affecting flight travel. The challenging weather became difficult for the aircraft to navigate.

Meanwhile, British Airways apologized to the affected people due to the flight delays and cancellations.

In addition, people with travel plans and scheduled flights should consider checking their flight details before departing.

According to BBC News, British Airlines canceled about 80 flights due to the challenging weather.

Met Office's weather forecast

On the other hand, the Met Office reported on the five-day weather forecast that freezing fog would continue in portions of England and Wales.

On Wednesday, the weather forecast reported that portions of Scotland and Southern England would experience cloudy and rainy conditions.

The UK could expect fog patches from Thursday to Saturday, while windy conditions would unfold in the northern parts.

Meanwhile, forecasts added that the polar vortex would help bring colder temperatures to the UK.

The country's cold snap and cold weather would result in health concerns, especially for those who could be vulnerable to colder weather.

In the previous report, road crashes were recorded in the UK due to the ice and freezing conditions. Motorists had to deal with slower commutes, as the slipper road would become extremely dangerous.

More electricity consumption during winter

As winter began and the colder temperatures unload, many families in the United Kingdom consumed more electricity for heating.

The Telegraph's recent news said that homeowners would be paid for saving and cutting their electricity consumption.

Also Read: Heavy Snow Storm to Unleash in Northeast This Week; Detroit, Significant Travel Disruptions Expected

According to the National Grid, the program would help save more electricity, as many people in the UK signed up for the program.

Due to the rising electricity consumption amid the colder weather, the Telegraph explained that supply was forecast to become tighter.

Staying safe during cold weather

The report noted that road crashes would emerge due to the cold and ice conditions in the United Kingdom.

The heavy snow would be problematic for many commuters and motorists this week. Here are essential travel tips during winter conditions.

Stay at home as possible. The heavy snow and freezing fog would be difficult to navigate the roads.

If you plan to travel amidst the bad weather, car owners should bring an emergency kit and more patience. Road delays and a high chance of becoming stranded are both possible.

Did you know?

According to the Met Office, the most devastating avalanche event in the United Kingdom's history happened in East Sussex on December 27, 1836, leaving widespread damage to houses and eight casualties.

Related Article: Quebec Braces for Intense Winter storm; Motorists, Residents Could Expect Travel Hazards Starting Wednesday

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
January began with severe weather conditions and winter storms in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Winter storms unloaded heavy snow and blowing winds, causing significant travel delays and slower commutes.

In addition, the situation would turn dangerous for commuters and homeowners when winter storms become severe and devastating.

Due to slippery conditions and freezing conditions, storms can become extremely dangerous.

Recently, AccuWeather reported that multiple road crashes were recorded in Colorado and Denver.

Meanwhile, the Guardian also reported that Met Office issued a yellow warning due to the threat of heavy snow and rain. The freezing conditions in the United Kingdom impacted railways and commuters.

In addition, the The Weather Network reported that portions of Canada and Ontario would expect a winter storm this week, causing widespread travel disruptions.

In Canada and the United Kingdom, weather forecasts explained that the polar vortex would bring cold air to two countries, which could unfold freezing temperatures.

The Met Office in the United Kingdom reported that the foggy freezing conditions caused travel delays and flight disruptions.

Heavy and mountain snow are also dangerous, especially for health and daily commutes. Here are important reminders to survive the winter and cold temperatures this season.

Stay updated with the weather updates.

Weather agencies report daily weather updates. Staying aware of the weather conditions would help you become more prepared. You can listen to your local weather agencies and television.

Travel only when it is necessary.

During heavy snow and frigid conditions, weather forecasts explained the chances of road accidents and disruptions.

Foggy conditions, reduced visibility and slippery roadways would be challenging for motorists. Meanwhile, commuters should anticipate slower commutes or chances they might become stranded.

Meanwhile, those with scheduled flights should look into possible delays and cancellations before departing.

Wear layered winter clothes

Winter clothes protecting your body would save you from freezing weather, offering warmth for the body.

Extreme cold temperatures can lead to cold-related health risks, like hypothermia and frostbite. Vulnerable people are also most at risk. It is best to avoid prolonged exposure to colder weather by staying at home.

Also Read: Heavy Snow Storm to Unleash in Northeast This Week; Detroit, Significant Travel Disruptions Expected

Family members should regularly check and monitor the temperatures of their family members. If they suffer from cold-related health risks, immediately bring them to the nearest hospital for medical attention.

Animals not used to colder weather are also at risk. In Florida, AccuWeather reported falling iguanas due to freezing temperatures.

Snow removal

During snow removal, it is best to have an accompany to look after you if you fall from a roof. Snow removal could be exhausting, so taking a break and staying hydrated is advisable.

Emergency kit

Homeowners and car owners should keep emergency kits at homes and cars. At home, blowing snow and freezing conditions would lead to power outages. At the same time, car owners might have become stranded due to heavy snow.

Emergency kits would be helpful. It should contain water bottles, food packs, a battery, a power bank, battery-powered radio and mobile phones.

Did you know?

According to the Met Office, during winter, the planet Earth is said to be closer to the Sun.

Related Article: UK Weather Forecasts: Freezing Fog Causes Flight Delays, Travel Cancellations This Week

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
The bare-nosed wombat is the only animal known to pass waste in the form of cubes. The significance of the cube-shaped wombat poop for the health of wildlife was finally discovered by scientists.

This Australian marsupial's ability to squeeze out nearly 100 six-sided turds per day has long baffled scientists. Now, scientists claim to have discovered how the wombat intestine produces this unique excretion.

Sunghwan Jung, a biophysicist at Cornell University, said that it demonstrates how unique these animals' guts are. Jung was not involved in the research, but his focus is on the mechanics of animal motion.

The bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus Ursinus), which can weigh up to 35 kilograms, is an animal that inhabits Australia's grassy plains and eucalyptus forests. It spends its days in tunnels and its nights grazing on plants. It is a territorial animal that leaves distinctive droppings as a sign of its presence.

Solving the Cubed-Poop Mystery

A dissected wombat, which was killed in a vehicle collision, helped the scientists solve the mystery. There were two grooves in the guts that are more elastic. These were found in the intestines after they were examined, which the team first confirmed in a report published in the journal Bulletin of the American Physical Society in 2018.

The layers of muscle and tissue in the guts of two additional wombats were examined by the researchers for the new study, and they discovered areas of varying thickness and stiffness. Then, to simulate how the regions change size in response to the rhythms of digestion, they developed a 2D mathematical model. The team reports their findings today in the aptly named journal Soft Matter of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Over several days, the intestinal sections contract, squeezing the poop as the gut draws water and nutrients out of the feces.

Shaping Wombat Poop

David Hu, a biomechanics researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said that the stiffer areas will contract more quickly than the softer areas, like a stiff rubber band. Hu is one of the authors of the study. He added that the team discovered that softer intestinal regions slowly squeeze and shape the cube's final corners. The wavelike peristalsis of the wombat's intestinal muscles is constant in all directions in other mammals. However, the wombat's grooved tissue and irregular contractions over a long period of time result in the formation of firm, flat-sided cubes.

Hu hypothesizes that the flat-sided feces are less likely to roll off from these high perches because the wombats climb up on logs and rocks to mark their territory.

Also Read: Glow-in-the-Dark Sharks in Deep Seas Hunt Using their Glowing Belly

What Cubic Wombat Poop Means

Hu acknowledges that the way plastic is made won't change as a result of this new knowledge when asked about the significance of the discovery. However, he claims that the wombat's tactic could aid engineers in creating more effective ways to shape priceless or delicate materials.

Meanwhile, according to Hu, this information may be useful to scientists rearing wombats in captivity. Their feces occasionally are not as cubic as the wild wombats. According to him, the wombat is healthier the more square their poop is, Science reports.

Related Article: 'Hangry' Animals Succumb to Cannibalism, Study Proves
Scientists discovered fossilized eggs in 256 Titanosaur nests in a long-gone river in India.

According to legend, the mother dinosaurs left their young behind.

Titanosaurs the size of school buses tromped through what is currently west-central India about 70 million years ago to lay their eggs by a riverbank.

Although the river and these long-necked sauropods are long gone, many of their nests are still standing and are filled with fossilized dinosaur eggs that can be used to learn more about how these enormous herbivores nested, laid their eggs, and whether or not they cared for their hatchlings.

Dinosaur Mothers Abandoning Their Brood

According to a new study the nests in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh are so closely crowded together that it is also possible that titanosaur mothers abandoned their young soon after laying their eggs to avoid trampling their broods while navigating that cramped space.

The discovery of 92 nesting sites having a total of 256 eggs, likely laid by six titanosaur species, served as the basis for the findings, according to the study.

Michael D. D'Emic, an associate professor of biology at Adelphi University, said that In the upcoming years, there will be a sizable dataset to analyze due to the sheer volume of clutches and eggs.

S'Emic researches the evolution of dinosaurs but was not involved in the current study.

He sent an email to Live Science to communicate.

He pointed out that it is unknown how closely packed the "active" nests were because it is unclear whether the eggs were laid all at once or over a period of many years.

Six Species, Two Families

These titanosaur eggs were discovered by the authors through a series of field studies conducted between 2017 and 2020.

It came as a big surprise when they examined the fossils and found two families and six oospecies, or egg species.

Harsha Dhiman, a researcher in the Department of Geology at the University of Delhi, told Live Science in an email that three titanosaurid taxa are currently recognized from the Indian Cretaceous rocks.

Dhiman, the first author of the study published in the journal PLOS One, said that six oospecies are present, which suggested that there are still more titanosaur species to be found in the area.

Crocodile Traits and Egg-In-Egg Events

Among the remains, Dhiman and his colleagues also found a rare specimen of an ovum-in-ovo, or egg-in-egg, a condition that has only been documented in birds.

According to PhysOrg, this occurs when a ready-to-lay egg is pushed back into the body of the mother where it becomes embedded in a different, still-forming egg.

As egg-in-egg events have not been observed in other reptiles, it is possible that titanosaurs, which are living dinosaurs, had a reproductive system akin to that of modern birds.

However, not all of the titanosaurs' behavior was avian-like. The website made a suggestion that, like modern crocodiles, titanosaurs laid their eggs in a clutch and partially buried them, which aids incubation of the eggs through geothermal heat and solar radiation.

Archosaurs, a class of animals that also includes dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodilians, and birds, include crocodiles.

It is possible that some titanosaurs laid their eggs close to the water because it was simple to partially bury them in the soft, water-logged sediments, similar to how modern crocodiles prefer nesting habitats that are closer to water sources.

Darla Zelenitsky, an associate professor of dinosaur paleobiology at the University of Calgary in Canada, said that In a manner not too dissimilar from modern crocodiles, the researchers surmise that these dinosaurs were burrowing their eggs in nests close to lakes and rivers.

Zelenitsky was not involved with the study.

Also Read: Dinosaurs: Secret to Carrying Massive Bodies Uncovered by Scientists

Hatchery Claim

Less is known about other nesting site specifics. Zelenitsky pointed out that it's unclear to the researchers whether multiple females simultaneously built the nests, as is the case in modern bird rookeries.

It is debatable whether a nesting site even existed.

The study more clearly identifies a location where numerous titanosaur eggs were laid over a short period of geologic time than it does the existence of a nesting site.

D'Emic said that, given the available data, the claim that the term "hatchery" refers to a colonial nesting area is a stretch.

These nests may have been built at intervals of decades, hundreds, or even thousands of years.

He added that although the discovery of a couple of hundred titanosaur eggs from a brief period is significant in and of itself, he does not believe that it is yet possible to prove that these nests existed at the same time.

Despite this, D'Emic and Zelenitsky are still enthusiastic about any potential fossil discoveries.

Zelenitsky told Live Science via email that it is truly astounding how many of these enormous dinosaurs' nests the researchers discovered-nearly 100.

This figure is most likely just the tip of the iceberg because many are still unidentified and concealed by rock, soil, or vegetation.

The fact that such significant discoveries are still being made is genuinely surprising, Live Science reported.

Related article: 1000 Fossilized Eggs from China Hint Lack of Diversity in Dinosaurs, Decline Before Extinction
Recent reports showed that climate change and ocean acidification could affect marine animals and organisms, including the Red Sea Urchin in Southern California.

Scientists and researchers have raised concerns over the impact of climate change and the warming of waters on marine biodiversity.

Aquatic animals are sensitive to water temperatures, and it would become difficult for them to adapt, especially coral reef system.

According to recent research, sea urchins in Northern and Southern California adapted to their environment despite rising global temperatures.

Red sea urchins

The research findings were published in Science Advances, and it is also available to read on the Phys.org website.

Unlike other marine animals, the study explained that the sea urchins' population adapted to the challenging warmer conditions.

However, the researchers emphasized that the worsening warming of their environment would turn difficult for them to tolerate.

According to the report, the study's first author Emily Donham, from UC Santa Barbara, explained that red sea urchins are a significant part of the coast.

In fact, the urgency of understanding the effect of climate change on their species is essential.

The Sea Grant California said red sea urchins (strongylocentrotus franciscanus) have unique arms for food and cleaning.

The report noted that the species is considered sensitive to water temperatures.

Meanwhile, the study's senior author Prof. Kristy Kroeker explained that the Southern California red sea urchins were more sensitive to environmental changes than the urchins in Northern California.

Professor Kroker is also from UC Santa Cruz.

The study investigated how the red sea urchins coped with changing temperatures in terms of water temperatures, ocean acidification and dissolved oxygen.

Furthermore, the researchers looked into the differences of red sea urchins in Northern and Southern California.

For the red sea urchins found in the Southern parts, the study noted that the species experienced an acidic and colder environment.

The research added that the Southern California sea urchins would become the most affected by environmental conditions and warming of the environment.

Although the red sea urchins have adapted to their local environmental conditions, some populations in other parts of the globe could find it challenging to thrive.

Nature of Red Sea Urchin

According to the Sea Grant California, red sea urchin is considered echinoderm that can also thrive in Baja California, Alaska and North American coasts.

The report added that the red sea urchins would emerge from June to November in San Diego.

Also Read: Rain, Snow To Unload in Portions of Northeast This Week; Snowfall To Unfold in New York, Michigan

On the other hand, Marine Species Wildlife California explained that the red sea urchin could live in coastal waters or areas with abundant kelp.

They also have a long lifespan: 50 years in California and about 100 years on West Coast.

They can also live up to 200 years.

Furthermore, the Central Coast Biodiversity said that red sea urchin is also known as a ball of spines with noticeable red color.

Did you know?

Alaska's Department of Fish says the red sea urchin can have red and dark colors. They are also known as the largest sea urchin species.

They might look like without feet, but they have!

Related Article: Gray Wolf Population in Michigan Continues Trend of Stability, New Report Shows

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
According to the National Weather Service, a winter storm warning was in effect from the Southwest to the Midwest on Tuesday, affecting more than 17.7 million people as of Tuesday afternoon.

This week, heavy snow is expected in states across the central United States.

As temperatures dropped, some areas saw rain turn to snow early Tuesday.

According to the Indianapolis weather service office, parts of central Indiana can expect six to ten inches of snow Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon.

The weather service office in Little Rock predicts eight to nine inches of snow in northwest Arkansas through early Wednesday.

winter storm warnings from Texas to New York

On Tuesday, a winter storm developing across the South will threaten over 15 million people living along the Gulf Coast, including Houston, New Orleans, and Mobile, Alabama, as per The New York Times.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center warned people in the area on Tuesday to expect potentially damaging winds and strong tornadoes.

The Houston National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency warning this afternoon for a large and extremely dangerous tornado confirmed by radar in southeastern Harris County.

Meteorologists said it was the first on record for the agency's Houston office.

Through the evening, the severe storm threat will continue to move east along the Gulf Coast.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he had directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to prepare the state's response resources and that authorities at all levels were prepared.

According to FlightAware, a flight-tracking company, at least three dozen flights were canceled and hundreds were delayed at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Pasadena, Texas, a suburb southeast of Houston, said on Twitter that police officers and firefighters were assisting people affected by a tornado that touched down on the southeast side of the city.

The department issued a warning that "dozens of calls" were being received and that assistance might take longer than expected.

In Louisiana, the governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness issued storm safety messages via Twitter.

The agency warned residents to be on the lookout for another severe weather threat this week.

Similar warnings about storm preparation were issued by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the risk of severe weather will shift to the eastern Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast.

Tornadoes could hit cities from Norfolk, Virginia, to Jacksonville, Florida, later this week.

Large hail is also a possibility as these storms move through.

Also Read: Texas Tracks Two Weather Systems Bringing Severe Weather with Threats of Flooding, Hail, Tornadoes

Winter weather leads to car crashes, deaths, and school closures

State police in New Hampshire reported 90 "crashes and vehicles that have gone off the road" between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. On Monday, EST. "Hazardous traveling conditions" were created by whiteout conditions and snow-covered roadways, according to police, as per USA Today.

There were fatal car crashes on Monday and Sunday due to the winter weather.

A 31-year-old Massachusetts man died in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 290 on Sunday evening, according to Massachusetts State Police.

In Rhode Island, a 25-year-old woman was killed in an Interstate-95 crash early Monday, according to NBC Boston and the Boston Globe.

Last month, a deadly tornado struck New Orleans as a series of storms swept the South.

Last March, two tornadoes struck the city's outskirts, killing at least one person and leaving a path of devastation in their wake.

Oklahoma City Public Schools announced the transition to virtual classes at home in a Facebook post.

Due to poor weather conditions, including the possibility of snow flurries, school districts in Texas, including the El Paso Independent School District, began classes late Tuesday.

Some school districts are planning to close or delay classes later this week.

According to WTRF in Wheeling, West Virginia, some schools in West Virginia and Ohio were considering a late start to school on Wednesday due to forecast snow.

Related article: [Weather Forecast] North Texas Could Expect Sharp Cool Down This Week As Relentless Storms Unleash in West Coast
For the first time, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam (Germany) examined chloroplast inheritance under a variety of environmental conditions.

Contrary to popular belief, paternal chloroplasts can be transmitted to offspring under cold conditions, whereas maternal chloroplasts are not.

Thus, maternal and paternal chloroplasts meet in the offspring and may be able to exchange genetic material.

The new findings may allow plant breeders to use chloroplast genetic material to selectively use traits for the first time.

Chloroplast from the father

When plants reproduce, the sperms contained within pollen grains fuse with the egg cell contained within the flower on which the pollen has landed, as per ScienceDaily.

In this way, the genetic material of both parents' cell nuclei is combined in the seed.

This is significant because it allows harmful mutations to be purged from the genetic material, which would otherwise accumulate over generations.

Aside from the genetic material found in the cell nucleus, mitochondria and chloroplasts also contain genetic material.

Mitochondria are the cell's combustion engines. Animal and plant cells use them to burn carbohydrates and use the energy released for metabolism.

Chloroplasts are also found in plants. They contain the green pigment chlorophyll and serve as the cells' solar power plants.

Plants use chloroplasts to collect solar energy and use it to produce carbohydrates in a process known as photosynthesis.

Mitochondria and chloroplasts have their genetic material because they are descended from bacteria that were consumed by the ancestors of modern animal and plant cells over a billion years ago.

Mitochondria and chloroplasts have developed a symbiotic relationship within the cell, and the former roommates are now essential for plant survival.

It is well known that, unlike the genetic material in the cell nucleus, the genomes of mitochondria and chloroplasts are not inherited equally from the father and mother.

Both are almost entirely passed down by the mother because they either do not enter the sperm at all or have their genetic material degraded in the pollen.

If the mother and father's mitochondria and chloroplasts never meet, they cannot have sex to exchange genetic material.

As a result, harmful genetic mutations will accumulate over generations, eventually leading to genome collapse.

Tobacco plants, contrary to popular belief, can routinely pass on chloroplasts from the father plant under certain environmental conditions, according to researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology.

The researchers first created father plants with antibiotic-resistant chloroplasts. During pollen maturation, these plants were subjected to a variety of environmental conditions such as heat, cold, drought, and bright light.

These plants' pollen was used to pollinate unmodified mother plants.

This cross's seeds were grown in a culture medium containing the appropriate antibiotic.

Because only paternal chloroplasts survive in this medium, cells containing chloroplasts from the father plant appear green, whereas plants with only maternally inherited chloroplasts appear pale, as these chloroplasts bleach out due to antibiotic sensitivity.

Due to the rarity of paternally inherited chloroplasts, the scientists had to examine nearly four million seedlings to demonstrate that the proportion of paternally inherited chloroplasts was 150 times higher under cold treatment than under normal temperature.

Also Read: A Pathway Is Essential for Light-Dependent Enzyme Activation, Photosynthesis in Leaves, Normal Plant Growth [Study]

Structure and Function of Chloroplasts

Chloroplasts are plant cell organelles that use photosynthetic energy to convert light energy into relatively stable chemical energy, as per Frontiers.

They sustain life on Earth by doing so.

Chloroplasts also support plant cells' metabolic activities, such as the synthesis of fatty acids, membrane lipids, isoprenoids, tetrapyrroles, starch, and hormones.

Chloroplast biogenesis, morphogenesis, protection, and senescence are critical for maintaining chloroplast structure and function.

Furthermore, chloroplasts are surrounded by two membranes that include a third complex membrane system, the thylakoids, which include grana and lamellae.

Starch grains, plastoglobules, stromules, eyespots, pyrenoids, and other chloroplast structures are also important.

Chloroplasts are widely thought to have evolved from a free-living photosynthetic cyanobacterium that was engulfed by a eukaryotic cell.

The majority of chloroplast proteins are encoded by nuclear genes, and the gene products are transported into the chloroplast via complex import machinery.

The coordination of nuclear and plastid genome expression forms the foundation for both anterograde and retrograde signaling pathways.

Proplastids and etioplastids differentiate into chloroplasts as the leaf develops from the shoot apical meristem.

Chloroplasts are divided by a massive protein complex known as the plastid-dividing (PD) machinery, and their division is also regulated by a variety of factors to achieve the optimal number and size of chloroplasts in the cell.

These processes are critical for chloroplast biogenesis and three-dimensional dynamic structure.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other cellular signals can be produced during photosynthesis.

The chloroplast, as an important metabolic hub of the plant cell, is critical for a variety of abiotic and biotic stresses, including drought, high light, cold, heat, oxidative stresses, phosphate deprivation, and programmed cell death at infection sites.

Related article: Study Reveals that Algae Blocks Excess Light During Photosynthesis
Scientists at the University of Reading examined the global fortunes of 50 large carnivore species over the last 50 years.

They discovered that social and economic factors, such as quality of life, were more closely associated with large carnivore species declines than purely environmental factors, such as habitat loss.

The groundbreaking study suggests that rather than focusing solely on issues like climate change, the best way to save carnivores like lynxes, bears, and lions is to promote a sustainable model of social and economic development.

People's tolerance for big cats and other carnivores grows as they become wealthier.

Economics trump environment to save big cats

"Our habitat and climate have become degraded and chaotic to make way for rapid economic development," said Dr. Thomas Frederick Johnson, who led the study while based at Reading, as per ScienceDaily.

They already know that this has contributed to biodiversity declines, but our research discovered that this economic development is causing far more extreme declines than anyone anticipated or imagined.

People appear to be becoming less tolerant of carnivores in the midst of rapid development, conflicts erupt, and we suspect that poaching and persecution are on the rise.

The extinction of large carnivores is dramatic. Lions and tigers have already lost over 90% of their historic range.

Many UK carnivore species, including lynx, wolf, and bear, have already been hunted to extinction.

The study, published in Nature Communications in collaboration with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the Argentinian Instituto de Biologa Subtropical, involved the research team investigating how changes in the social and economic systems could promote carnivore recovery.

While rapid economic development has driven species to extinction, it has also resulted in enormous improvements in our quality of life.

However, Dr. Johnson and his colleagues' research suggested that once people achieve a high standard of living and economic development slows, a tipping point is reached and persecuted species have a chance to recover.

According to the researchers, the recovery is linked to improved habitat protection in advanced economies, as well as a more harmonious relationship between humans and carnivores.

What was once thought to be a dangerous pest is now recognized as an important component of our ecosystems and culture.

Large carnivore resurgence is already visible in Western Europe, where the improved quality of life and slower economic development have allowed grey wolf populations to increase by 1,800% since the 1960s.

"This gives us hope that we can restore our lost ecosystems, and we may one day see lost carnivores return to British shores," Dr. Johnson said.

But people must also consider how to save wildlife in rapidly growing countries where species extinction is a real possibility.

The findings suggest that a slower, more sustainable economic model can protect carnivore populations, but it also risks trapping people in poverty for a longer period of time.

Also Read: Loss of Large Animals Could Lower Soil Fertility

Ways to Help Wild Animals

Creating environmentally and wildlife-friendly environments can begin in your own backyard and community, as per ShareAmerica.

Plant native trees, bushes, and plants, especially those that flower and provide food for wildlife.

Trees recycle oxygen, returning it to the atmosphere for us to breathe while also absorbing potentially harmful gases.

Donate your time instead of money if you don't have any.

Volunteer programs are available at many organizations and zoos. You can help clean up beaches, save wild animals, and educate visitors.

Wild animals can be found in zoos, aquariums, national parks, and wildlife refuges.

Experts will teach you more about our planet's species. Get a close look at some of the most amazing creatures on the planet.

Pay the recommended entry fee when visiting accredited zoos and nature reserves in your area. Your contributions aid in the preservation of these vital conservation areas.

You can make wildlife trafficking less profitable by not purchasing products made from endangered animals or their parts.

Trash is not only unsightly; it is also hazardous. Plastic rings can trap the heads of birds and other animals. Fish can become entangled in nets. Trash also pollutes natural resources of everyone. Do your part by putting trash where it belongs.

Find new uses for items you already own. If you can't reuse something, recycle it.

The Minnesota Zoo encourages visitors to recycle cell phones in order to reduce demand for the mineral coltan, which is mined from the habitats of lowland gorillas.

Related article: Loss Of Large Fruit-Eating Animals Could Accelerate Climate Change
A crocodile carried a boy's dead body along the Mahakam River in Indonesia, where the victim was reunited with his rescuers and family, according to reports.

The bizarre crocodile behavior has drawn attention in social media, where the incident went viral since it was also caught on video.

However, crocodile attacks are common across Indonesia.

Crocodile Returns Body

In a video that surfaced on social media earlier this week, it can be seen that a crocodile was carrying the 4-year-old child named Muhammad Ziyad Wijaya.

The boy drowned a mile away several days before and was unable to find by his family and local authorities, according to Gulf Today, which cited that the Indonesian media televised the shocking footage.

An unnamed bystander reportedly filmed the remarkable incident involving the recovery of the boy's body which was picked up by two mean inside the boat.

Initial observations allegedly revealed that the child was not a victim of a giant crocodile attack, but rather accidentally fell into the Mahakam River while playing.

The clip also shows that rescuers, residents, and the victim's family were waiting to pick up Muhammad from the water after the crocodile immediately disappeared.

The joint search and rescue team, along with residents moved the body to the mainland, according to media reporting.

Newsweek reported that the boy had gone missing for two days near the Jawa Estuary, located east of the island of Borneo in the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan.

The East Kalimantan Basarnas Search and Rescue Agency had been searching for the victim.

However, the said reptile appeared to be an unexpected volunteer in the operation.

After a preliminary examination, Indonesian authorities have found no evidence of bite marks on the toddler's body.

Nevertheless, it remains unclear on whether or not a single or many crocodiles were involved in the Muhammad's drowning.

Also Read: Nile Crocodile Named 'Bin Laden' Terrorizes Village, Eating 80 Locals

Strange Behavior

Unusual as it seems, crocodiles have been known to return dead human bodies in some cases.

The reason behind the strange behavior remains unclear. Yet, crocodiles are known for eating humans alive before devouring them in the depths of the water.

In 2017, an Indonesian local named Syarifuddin, 41, was caught by a 6.5-foot crocodile in East Kalimantan, not far from where Muhammad drowned and went missing.

The local villagers at that time sought the help of a "crocodile charmer" to bring Syarifuddin's body back.

Following a mystic ritual conducted by the crocodile charmer, the crocodile apparently appeared along the river bank carrying a dead body in its mouth, the BBC reported.

Indonesia Crocodiles

Indonesia is home to at least four different crocodile species such as the saltwater crocodile, the New Guinea freshwater crocodile, the Siamese crocodile, and the Tomistoma.

The saltwater crocodile is the world's largest crocodile species and is also responsible for many attacks in the country.

In 2022, an Indonesian man named Usman captured a live crocodile measuring 14.1 feet (4.3 meters) on the island of Sulawesi with just using only a rope, CNN reported.

Related Article: Crocodile Mauls 8-Year-Old Boy to Death in Front of His Parents Before Dragging Him Into River
Saint Louis University researchers and colleagues report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that elephants play an important role in creating forests that store more atmospheric carbon and maintaining the biodiversity of African forests.

If elephants, which are already critically endangered, become extinct, the rainforests of Central and West Africa, the world's second-largest rainforest, would lose between six and nine percent of their ability to capture atmospheric carbon, exacerbating planetary warming.

Stephen Blake, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at Saint Louis University and senior author of the paper, has spent much of his career studying elephants.

Blake, lead author Fabio Berzaghi from the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences (LSCE), France, and colleagues described how the ecology of megaherbivores has such a strong influence on carbon retention in African rainforests in the current paper.

Can Elephants Save The Planet?

Humans have been hunting elephants for millennia, according to Blake. African forest elephants are thus critically endangered, as per ScienceDaily.

The argument that everyone loves elephants has not garnered enough support to put a stop to the killing.

Shifting the conservation argument to the role forest elephants play in maintaining forest biodiversity, that losing elephants would mean losing forest biodiversity, hasn't worked either, as numbers continue to fall.

Researchers can now confidently conclude that if forest elephants are lost, we will be doing a global disservice to climate change mitigation.

Policymakers must recognize the importance of forest elephants in climate mitigation in order to generate the necessary support for elephant conservation.

The importance of forest elephants in our global environment cannot be overstated.

Some trees in the forest produce light wood (low carbon density trees), while others produce heavy wood (high carbon density trees).

Trees with low carbon density grow quickly, rising above other plants and trees to reach the sunlight.

Meanwhile, trees with a high carbon density grow slowly, require less sunlight, and can grow in shade.

Elephants and other megaherbivores influence tree abundance by feeding more heavily on low-carbon-density trees, which are more palatable and nutritious than high-carbon-density species.

This "thins" the forest, similar to what a forester would do to encourage the growth of their preferred species.

This thinning reduces competition among trees and increases light, space, and soil nutrients, allowing high-carbon trees to thrive.

Elephants are also excellent dispersers of high-carbon-density tree seeds. They eat the large nutritious fruits that these trees produce.

Those seeds pass through the elephants' guts unharmed, and when released through dung, they germinate and grow into some of the forest's largest trees.

Elephants are directly linked to influencing carbon levels in the atmosphere as a result of these preferences.

High-carbon-density trees store more carbon from the atmosphere in their wood than low-carbon-density trees, assisting in the fight against global warming.

With this vital information, the case for conserving Congo Basin and West African forest elephants has never been stronger.

Elephant populations have been eradicated from many areas of the forest, and in many cases, they are functionally extinct, which means that their numbers are so low that they have no significant impact on the forest's ecology.

Blake advocates for increased protection for forest elephants.

Also read: Understanding an Elephant's Playful Side

Save the elephants

The world's largest land mammal is in trouble right now. The IUCN Red List classifies all three types as threatened: Asian, African forest, and the African savannah, as per WCS.

WCS has put in place strategies and programs to assist them in reclaiming their former range.

Elephants are suffering as a result of illegal hunting and habitat loss. The Central African forest elephant population fell by 65% between 2002 and 2013, and its range shrank by 30%.

Some savannah elephant populations have also suffered significant losses: recent surveys in Tanzania and Mozambique show that their numbers have dropped by 60% and 40%, respectively, in the last five years.

Elephants play an important role as ecosystem engineers, preserving mineral-rich clearings in the forest on which many other species rely, and facilitating the spread of important soil nutrients on a continental scale.

As seed dispersers, they also contribute to the survival of the largest tree species, which are also the most important for carbon sequestration.

This monitoring is critical to conservation efforts because it informs us and our partners about whether our efforts to protect elephants and their habitat have been successful or should be modified.

Related article: Elephant Stabbed Owner to Death After Being Forced to Work in 89-Degree Heat
Climate change and global warming scientific data has left people with less time to prepare for an extreme sea level rise than, according to a new study led by a research team in the Netherlands and Singapore.

The researchers used satellite technology as a new and more accurate method to determine that many regions worldwide will experience the worst impacts sea level rise earlier than expected.

For years, climate scientists have issued recurring warnings for the intensification of extreme weather events like droughts, storms, and high temperatures.

While the warming of the planet causes frozen glaciers and ice sheets to melt, global sea level rise has always been a dominant threat to land-based living organisms.

However, the new paper said older climate models are not entirely accurate.

Extreme Sea Level Rise

The study was published in the journal Earth's Future on January 2, where researchers found the largest increases in inundation will occur after the first 6.6 feet (two meters) of sea level rise, covering over twice as much land as older elevation models had predicted.

Current or older models indicated that the most dire consequences will occur after sea level has increased by several meters.

The scientific paper has drawn the following key points:

Radar-based global elevation models or global sea level rise models available to date have generally underestimated the extent of worst impacts of lowest coastal areas that are vulnerable to sea level rise

Recent satellite data is currently the most accurate tool and the study recommends its usage when it comes to assessing impacts of sea level rise

Application of the said model revealed that the greatest increase in coastal area below mean sea level will transpire in the early stages of sea level rise, contrary to previous assessments

Also Read: South Korea Is Sinking Due To Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

ICESat-2 Lidar Satellite

The study used high-resolution measurements of land elevation from the ICESat-2 lidar satellite, which stands for Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite), of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Launched in 2018, ICESat-2 is part of NASA's Earth Observing System, a satellite mission with the aim of improving models of sea level rise and inundation, as well as clouds, ice sheet level, sea ice width, land structure, and vegetation features.

The Earth's Future study said that previous assessments relied on radar-based data, which are less accurate.

Radar is incapable of fully seeing vegetation and therefore overestimates surface elevation, according to Ronald Vernimmen, a researcher at the Dutch research company Data for Sustainability, as cited by Phys.org.

Global Sea Level Rise

Since 1880, the global average sea level has increased by 8 to 9 inches (21 to 24 centimeters).

Furthermore, since 2021, global sea level reached a new record high of 97 millimeters (3.8 inches), which is above 1993 levels, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

If the trend continues, more people will be forced to migrate in a phenomenon that is part of the climate exile, a forced displacement of people from their homes due to climate change and global warming.

In Europe, extreme weather exiles has turned some Europeans into migrants due to the climate crisis, as well as its associated events like flash floods, mudslides, and wildfires caused by heatwaves, according to Euronews, which cited a statement from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Related Article: Alarming Study Reveals Global Sea Level Rise Could Hasten Rock Coast Erosion by 2100
A harsh and coldest winter pounded Afghanistan, leaving widespread livestock dead and 124 casualties due to freezing temperatures.

The challenging weather conditions became tough for many people in Afghanistan as many families could not up with the frigid weather.

According to BBC's latest news, the State Ministry for Disaster Management spokesman explained that the harsh weather in the country is considered the coldest in a decade.

As freezing temperatures unfolded, cold-related health concerns would become the main issue that could lead to hypothermia, frostbite and death.

Freezing weather conditions

In a recent report, the BBC News reported that the casualties reached 124 people, which is expected to rise.

Furthermore, the 77,000 livestock in Afghanistan were also affected and perished due to the extreme weather conditions.

Many families in Afghanistan suffer from poverty and hunger. The effect on the livestock would negatively affect homes and families that depend on local agricultural supplies.

Meanwhile, CNN World News reported that Afghanistan had experienced a temperature drop since the beginning of January.

The challenging weather conditions in Afghanistan became more tragic for many farmers after the country suffered from prolonged drought.

CNN added that about 28 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance, based on the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

With the declining humanitarian assistance due to the country's restrictions, aid delivery became more troublesome for concerned NGOs.

On the contrary, the UNOCHA on Twitter said that the agency would deliver humanitarian help to the country by providing blankets, winter support, heating and shelter repair.

Families without heating systems and living in poverty lines would be the most affected by the harsh weather.

Furthermore, BBC reported that the heavy snow became more difficult for rescue operations. Helicopters were deployed to offer immediate assistance.

The report explained that people in far-flung rural areas would suffer more from extreme weather conditions.

Afghans in mountainous areas do not have access to health care and winter support. Meanwhile, the delivery of assistance is also more complicated due to the heavy snow.

Climate change

According to Afghanaid, the impact of climate is devastating to Afghanistan as the country's food sources depend on local agricultural supplies.

The report explained that the country is vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events.

The country lacks disaster preparedness and equipment to anticipate and deal with extreme weather events.

Banned the female in aid agencies in Afghanistan

On the contrary, CNN News and BBC explained that banning Afghan women from being involved in aid agencies added more difficulty to humanitarian assistance.

Due to the banning, major foreign support groups in Afghanistan decided to suspend humanitarian operations in the country.

Also Read: WHO Raises Concerns For Potential Wave of Diseases in Flood-Affected Areas in Pakistan

The report noted that restricting female workers in important aid agencies violates women's rights and would make it more problematic for the country.

The United Nations urged the country to lift the banning, especially since Afghanistan is in the middle of a crisis.

Banning female workers would risk essential humanitarian help to the country.

Did you know?

According to the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, the parts of Northern and Western Afghanistan have suffered from prolonged drought, making it more challenging for farmers.

The snow occurs around October and April. The country experiences hot and cold weather conditions.

Related Article: Winter Storm: How to Survive Freezing Weather, Icy Conditions

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
I never intended for any of this to happen. She was my best friend," Arieana Colbert said of the woman she killed in 2021.
In a recent study posted to medRxiv*, researchers in Denmark examined the risk of adverse events after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron-based bivalent booster vaccination.

Bivalent messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) boosters targeting the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and the Omicron BA.1 or BA.4/5 spikes were approved for use in 2022. These bivalent boosters were recommended following primary vaccination (two-dose regimen) regardless of boosting (third dose or first booster) with monovalent vaccines.

Denmark began the bivalent booster rollout on September 15, 2022, for people aged 50 or older and those at risk of severe COVID-19. Regulatory safety evaluation of bivalent boosters was based on pre-authorization clinical trials, clinical data on reactogenicity and immunogenicity, and post-marketing safety data of monovalent vaccines.

A recent study reported that the safety profile of the bivalent BA.4/5-based booster appeared similar to that of monovalent boosters. However, the booster was not statistically tested, warranting the need for data on the risk of adverse events following bivalent booster administration.

Study: Safety of bivalent omicron-containing mRNA-booster vaccines: a nationwide cohort study. Image Credit: Jo Panuwat D / Shutterstock

*Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

About the study

In the present study, researchers investigated the associations between the potential risk of adverse events and SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-based bivalent booster vaccination in Denmark. Data from the national healthcare registers on vaccination, diagnoses, and covariates were linked to create a general population-based cohort.

Danish residents aged 50 or older were eligible if they received three doses of monovalent COVID-19 vaccines. Individuals were excluded if their third or fourth vaccine dose was administered within 90 days after the last dose. The primary risk period was 28 days post-bivalent vaccination and the reference period began on day 29 after the third/fourth dose.

The team evaluated the potential risk of 27 adverse events for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Outcome events were hospital visits, where outcome diagnoses were the main reasons to seek hospital care. Subjects were followed up from day 29 post-third/fourth dose until the first outcome, emigration, death, or studys end.

Poisson regression models were developed to compute incidence rate ratios and compare the rates of outcomes in the risk period to those in the reference period. The models were adjusted for age groups, sex, ethnicity, residential region, the risk for severe COVID-19, comorbidities, and calendar time.

The researchers examined associations by age, sex, and bivalent booster type and assessed the risk of severe adverse events in secondary analyses. The robustness of the findings was determined using self-controlled case series (SCCS) analysis and by computing the ratio of observed to the expected rate of studied outcome(s).

Findings

Overall, more than 2.2 million triple-vaccinated individuals were included in the cohort; their average age was 66.9 years, and most individuals (52%) were females. Among these, over 1.7 million (78.2%) subjects were boosted with the bivalent vaccine between September 15 and December 10, 2022.

The BA.4/5-based bivalent vaccine was the most administered, followed by BA.1-based vaccines. The team found that the fourth vaccination with the bivalent Omicron-based booster was not associated with more hospital visits for any adverse event within 28 days post-vaccination. Likewise, significant associations were not observed after stratifying by age groups, sex, or the bivalent vaccine type.

SCCS and observed-to-expected rate ratio analyses revealed comparable results as the primary analysis. In one of the secondary analyses, the risk of severe outcome events was similar to that observed in the primary analysis. In addition, applying different risk periods showed increased myocarditis/pericarditis risk within 14 days. Finally, the researchers performed a post hoc analysis to assess the risk of pericarditis, cerebrovascular infarction, and myocarditis.

This revealed no association between bivalent vaccination and cerebrovascular infarction risk. Nine myocarditis and 22 pericarditis cases were observed within 28 days after bivalent vaccination. There was a significant association with myocarditis for females and Pfizer BA.4/5-based and Moderna BA.1-based bivalent boosters. No associations were noted for pericarditis.

Conclusions

In summary, the researchers estimated the rate of adverse events following bivalent booster vaccination in triple-vaccinated Danish residents aged 50 or older. The risk of adverse events was not elevated following bivalent booster administration as the fourth dose. Post hoc analysis revealed more hospital visits in females due to myocarditis. Together, these results reassure the safety of bivalent booster vaccination, providing timely and critical insights to regulatory authorities, clinicians, and patients.

*Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Almost 85,000 laboratory-confirmed monkeypox (Mpox) cases and 80 deaths have been reported between January 1, 2022, and January 15, 2023, to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 110 countries, areas, or territories in the six WHO regions. A total of 11 countries have reported an increase in the weekly number of cases between January 2-15, 2023, with the highest increase reported in Mexico. However, 78 of the 110 countries have not reported new cases for over 21 days.

Study: External situation report #14- 19 January 2023. Image Credit: RHJPhotos / Shutterstock.com

Global Mpox cases

The number of new weekly Mpox cases decreased by 12.7% in week January 2 compared to week 1. The largest proportional reduction has been observed in the European Region and the Region of the Americas. Nevertheless, five deaths have been reported in the Americas region between January 2-15, 2023.

Ten countries reported the highest cumulative number of cases globally as of January 15, 2023, including Spain, Brazil, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Peru, the United Kingdom, Colombia, France, and the United States of America.

Most Mpox cases have been detected in men with a median age of 34. In addition, over 84% of Mpox cases have been identified among individuals who identified as bisexual, gay, and other men who have sex with men.

The two most common transmission routes appear to be through the skin and mucosal contact during sexual activities. The most common setting for Mpox exposure has been parties where sexual contact was involved. Rashes appear to be the most common symptom of Mpox infection, followed by fever and genital and systemic rash.

A new external situation report published by WHO discusses genomic sequencing of the Mpox virus and provides public and clinical health links between the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Mpox.

Links between HIV and Mpox

Out of 44% of Mpox cases with information on HIV status, 48% were reported to live with HIV. Between 44-77% of individuals diagnosed with Mpox without a history of HIV were reported to access HIV services and use Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV.

Previous epidemiological data have indicated that people with poorly controlled HIV are at a higher risk of severe Mpox infections. Higher hospitalization rates for Mpox were observed among people living with HIV. The association between untreated HIV and Mpox severity emphasizes the need for achieving viral suppression, understanding the status of HIV, and accessing anti-retroviral treatment.

Transmission of Mpox among men who identify as gay or bisexual, sex workers, and transgender people has led to significant stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings, which could hinder HIV control and suppress the Mpox outbreak response.

The emergency response to Mpox in many countries that reported their first Mpox cases in 2022 utilized links between HIV services and communities at risk for Mpox. This helped in the implementation of interventions for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Mpox in HIV services.

Moreover, the WHO is working to establish recommendations for a long-term approach to integrate interventions to control Mpox transmission, especially for high-risk communities.

Laboratory responses

Laboratory testing is essential for the surveillance of disease, understanding local and global transmission, and managing cases. The WHO has supported the development and evaluation of numerous diagnostic kits for detecting the Mpox virus. The WHO collaborated with the Robert Koch Institute to evaluate 11 commercial PCR assays for the detection of MPXV DNA. As a result, 90,000 commercial molecular tests have been procured by WHO for over 60 countries across five WHO regions. This collaboration also helped in the exchange of reagents between laboratories across the world.

The WHO has provided a shipping fund for the shipment of samples to international referral laboratories for confirmatory testing in the case of countries with limited access to molecular diagnostics. Furthermore, the WHO has developed two target product profiles (TPPs) for MPXV diagnostics where TPP1 involves tests to be used for Mpox diagnosis within health care settings and laboratories, with TPP2 involving tests as aids for the diagnosis of Mpox.

Molecular epidemiology of the Mpox virus

The WHO developed new nomenclatures for Mpox clades. The two Mpox clades are known as clades I and II, previously referred to as the Congo basin (or Central African) clade and the West African clade, respectively.

Clade II comprises subclades IIa and IIb and causes less severe disease as compared to clade I. The ongoing outbreak is due to clade IIb and is divided into many more lineages and sublineages. Phylogenetic analysis of this clade has reported many more mutations than expected from Mpox.

The mutation rate from 2017 is about 20-fold greater as compared to the long-term evolutionary rate, with a high prevalence of a specific mutation pattern (cytosine deamination by molecules in the APOBEC3 family). No such sequence has been observed before 2017, thus suggesting that the current epidemic arose from an animal-to-human jump that took place before 2017.

Most of the clade IIb sequences from 2022 have been reported to belong to the clade IIb.B.1 lineage. However, the animal reservoir of Mpox remains unclear. Clade I and IIa sequences have been detected in animal hosts, while clade IIb has only been detected in humans.

Mpox in the African region

Over 1,200 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported from 10 countries in the WHO African Region between January 1, 2022, and January 15, 2023. Two of these countries had never reported a human Mpox case before 2022.

Six countries with the highest number of cases in the African region include Liberia, the Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroon, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Nigeria. The average age of people with Mpox between January and December 2022 has been reported to be 21 years, with a majority of patients being men.

Sixteen deaths have been reported due to Mpox in Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Mozambique, and Cameroon. The most common symptoms include rash, pain, fever, dysphagia, and headache.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) is providing support to countries to determine modes of transmission and the characteristics of Mpox cases in the region. AFRO is also helping improve laboratory testing capacities and the performance of genomic sequencing to identify the main clades of the current outbreak. However, both clades are currently circulating in Africa and leading to disease.

A risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) plan and strategy are being developed to further help control the current Mpox outbreak.
Sometimes hospital staff nurses cannot provide required care due to time constraints. This reality can contribute to potentially dire outcomes for very low birthweight (VLBW) infants, who weigh less than 3.3 lbs. at birth. These newborns depend on the nurse for survival. Missed nursing care is likely clinically relevant to whether VLBW infants develop an infection, develop a brain hemorrhage, or even die. Given post-pandemic staffing shortages and the increased burden placed on nurses, routine measurement of missed care and managerial efforts to prevent it could be vital to improving the health and life course of VLBW infants.

In a novel study of 190 hospitals throughout the United States, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) have discovered that on nursing units where nurses miss more required care, VLBW infants have higher odds of bloodstream infection and longer lengths of stay. A bloodstream infection is a very serious outcome. It doubles the risk of dying for VLBW infants.

When the nurse is not able to complete the full scope of required care, this can lead to poorer nurse-sensitive health outcomes, including bloodstream infections and longer lengths of stay. Because of the complexity of care required by VLBW infants, their fragile health status, and their anatomic, physiologic and immunologic immaturity, they simultaneously have a high risk for adverse outcomes and a low tolerance for poor care processes." Eileen T. Lake, PhD, RN, FAAN, Lead Author, the Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor in Gerontology, Professor of Nursing, and Associate Director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research

The researchers found that one-quarter of nurses reported having missed a clinical requirement on the prior shift. The researchers previously documented that nurses with higher workloads, higher acuity assignments, or in poor work environments were more likely to miss care. According to Lake, "The combined evidence sends a clear picture to hospital administrators and neonatal intensive care unit managers to remedy insufficient staffing and unsupportive work environments."
It's clear that chronic stress can impact our behavior, leading to problems like depression, reduced interest in things that previously brought us pleasure, even PTSD.

Now scientists have evidence that a group of neurons in a bow-shaped portion of the brain become hyperactive after chronic exposure to stress. When these POMC neurons become super active, these sort of behavioral problems result and when scientists reduce their activity, it reduces the behaviors, they report in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University looked in the hypothalamus, key to functions like releasing hormones and regulating hunger, thirst, mood, sex drive and sleep, at a population of neurons called the proopiomelanocortin, or POMC, neurons, in response to 10 days of chronic, unpredictable stress. Chronic unpredictable stress is widely used to study the impact of stress exposure in animal models, and in this case that included things like restraint, prolonged wet bedding in a tilted cage and social isolation.

They found the stressors increased spontaneous firing of these POMC neurons in male and female mice, says corresponding author Xin-Yun Lu, MD, PhD, chair of the MCG Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Translational Neuroscience.

When they directly activated the neurons, rather than letting stress increase their firing, it also resulted in the apparent inability to feel pleasure, called anhedonia, and behavioral despair, which is essentially depression. In humans, indicators of anhedonia might include no longer interacting with good friends and a loss of libido. In mice, their usual love for sugar water wains, and male mice, who normally like to sniff the urine of females when they are in heat, lose some of their interest as well.

Conversely when the MCG scientists inhibited the neurons' firing, it reduced these types of stress-induced behavioral changes in both sexes.

The results indicate POMC neurons are "both necessary and sufficient" to increase susceptibility to stress, and their increased firing is a driver of resulting behavioral changes like depression. In fact, stress overtly decreased inhibitory inputs onto POMC neurons, Lu says.

The POMC neurons are in the arcuate nucleus, or ARC, of the hypothalamus, a bow-shaped brain region already thought to be important to how chronic stress affects behavior.

Occupying the same region is another population of neurons, called AgRP neurons, which are important for resilience to chronic stress and depression, Lu and her team reported in Molecular Psychiatry in early 2021.

In the face of chronic stress, Lu's lab reported that AgRP activation goes down as behavioral changes like anhedonia occur, and that when they stimulated those neurons the behaviors diminished. Her team also wanted to know what chronic stress does to the POMC neurons.

AgRP neurons, better known for their role in us seeking food when we are hungry, are known to have a yin-yang relationship with POMC neurons: When AgRP activation goes up, for example, POMC activation goes down.

"If you stimulate AgRP neurons it can trigger immediate, robust feeding," Lu says. Food deprivation also increases the firing of these neurons. It's also known that when excited by hunger signals, AgRP neurons send direct messages to the POMC neurons to release the brake on feeding.

Their studies found that chronic stress disrupts the yin-yang balance between these two neuronal populations. Although AgRP's projection to POMC neurons is clearly important for their firing activity, the intrinsic mechanism is probably the major mechanism underlying hyperactivity of POMC neurons by chronic stress, Lu says.

The intrinsic mechanism may include potassium channels in POMC neurons that are known to respond to a range of different signals, and when open, lead to potassium flowing out of the cell, which dampens neuronal excitation. While the potential role of these potassium channels in POMC neurons in response to stress needs study, the scientists suspect stress also affects the potassium channels and that opening those channels might be a possible targeted treatment to restrain the wildly firing POMC neurons.

Excessive activity of neurons is also known to produce seizures and there are anticonvulsants given to open potassium channels and decrease that excessive firing. There is even some early clinical evidence that these drugs might also be helpful in treating depression and anhedonia, and what the Lu lab is finding may help explain why.

Lu hasn't looked yet, but she wants to further explore the role of these channels to better understand how stress affects them in POMC neurons and how best to target the channels if their findings continue to indicate they play a key role in exciting POMC neurons.

Chronic stress affects all body systems, according to the American Psychological Association. Even muscles tense to keep our guard up against injury and pain. Stress can cause shortness of breath, particularly in those with preexisting respiratory problems like asthma. Longer term, it can increase the risk for hypertension, heart attack and stroke, even alter the good bacteria in our gut that helps us digest food.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Higher levels of daily physical activity are associated with reduced susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections such as the common cold, suggests a study of 104 Polish children published in Pediatric Research.

Wojciech Feleszko, Katarzyna Ostrzyzek-Przezdziecka and colleagues measured the physical activity levels and symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections of children aged between four and seven years in the Warsaw city region between 2018 and 2019. Participants wore a pedometer armband 24 hours a day for 40 days to measure their activity levels and sleep duration. Parents reported their children's symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections -; such as coughing or sneezing -; using daily questionnaires for 60 days. Using a second questionnaire, parents reported on their children's vaccinations, participation in sport, whether they had siblings, and their exposure to smoking and pet hair.

The authors found that as the average daily number of steps taken by children throughout the study period increased by 1,000, the number of days that they experienced symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections decreased by an average of 4.1 days. Additionally, children participating in three or more hours of sport per week tended to experience fewer days with respiratory tract infection symptoms than those not regularly participating in sports.

Higher activity levels at the beginning of the study were associated with fewer days with respiratory tract infection symptoms during the following six weeks. Among 47 children whose average daily number of steps was 5,668 during the first two weeks of the study period, the combined number of days during the following six weeks that these children experienced upper respiratory tract infection symptoms was 947. However, among 47 children whose initial average daily steps numbered 9,368, the combined number of days during the following six weeks that these children experienced respiratory symptoms for was 724. The authors did not identify associations between upper respiratory tract infection symptoms and sleep duration, siblings, vaccinations, or exposure to pet hair or smoking.

The authors speculate that higher physical activity levels could help reduce infection risk in children by reducing levels of inflammatory cytokines -; which are associated with chronic inflammation and disease -; and by promoting immune responses involving T-helper cells. They also suggest that skeletal muscles could release small extracellular vesicles that modulate immune responses following exercise. However, they caution that future research is needed to investigate these potential mechanisms in children. They add that the observational nature of their study does not allow for conclusions about a causal relationship between physical activity levels and susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections.
Cells zealously protect the integrity of their genomes, because damage can lead to cancer or cell death. The genome -; a cell's complete set of DNA -; is most vulnerable while it is being duplicated before a cell divides. Cancer cells constantly are dividing, so their genomes are constantly in jeopardy.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a previously unknown signaling pathway cells use to protect their DNA while it is being copied. The findings, published Jan. 24 in the journal Molecular Cell, suggest that targeting this pathway potentially could boost the potency of cancer therapeutics.

A cell that can't protect its genome is going to die. This entire pathway we found exists to protect the genome so the cell can survive in the face of replication stress. By combining inhibitors of this pathway with chemotherapy drugs that target the DNA replication process, we potentially could make such drugs more effective." Zhongsheng You, PhD, senior author, professor of cell biology & physiology

Replication stress occurs when the cell's DNA duplication machinery runs into problems copying the genome. Certain stretches of DNA are inherently difficult to copy, because they contain many repeated sequences. Factors that damage the DNA, such as radiation and toxic molecules, also cause replication stress, as does the activation of cancer-causing genes. Dozens of cancer drugs, including widely used medications such as cisplatin and doxorubicin, work by damaging the DNA and increasing replication stress.

You studies how cells protect their genomes while they are being duplicated. Early in his career, he worked on the ATR-Chk1 genome-protection pathway -; a pathway that controls the cell-division cycle and prevents stalled replication machinery from failing entirely and causing breaks in the DNA. For the past eight years, he and his team painstakingly have been piecing together another previously unknown genome-protection pathway. With this new study, the final piece of the puzzle has clicked into place.

The process they discovered goes like this: When the DNA-duplicating machinery stalls, a protein called Exo1 that normally follows behind the machinery gets a little out of hand. Exo1's job is to perform quality control by cutting out incorrectly copied pieces of DNA, but when the machinery stops moving forward, Exo1 starts snipping away haphazardly, cleaving off bits of DNA that then make their way out of the nucleus and into the main part of the cell. DNA is not found outside the nucleus under normal conditions, so its presence in the main part of the cell sets off an alarm. Upon encountering a fragment of DNA, a sensor molecule triggers a cascade of molecular events, including the release of the calcium ion from a cellular organelle known as the endoplasmic reticulum, which in turn shuts down Exo1, preventing it from dicing up the genome any further until the problem with the machinery can be fixed.

This newest study describes the discovery of DNA fragments as the warning signal that sets off the whole genome-protection response. The study was led by first author Shan Li, PhD, as a postdoctoral researcher and then a staff scientist in You's lab. Li is now an assistant professor at Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China. Co-author Lingzhen Kong, a graduate student, also made important contributions to the study.

Over the years, You and colleagues have identified eight protein factors involved in this genome-protection pathway. Most of them already have inhibitors under development that could be repurposed for cancer studies.

"Now that we have the pathway, we want to know whether it can be targeted for cancer treatment," You said. "Lung, ovarian and breast cancer are intrinsically under replication stress. Other cancers are put under replication stress by chemotherapy drugs. This pathway protects cells from replication stress, so if we could block the pathway, it might improve patients' response to cancer therapies."

Several of the proteins in this pathway also play a role in other critical biological processes, including immunity, metabolism and autophagy, the process by which cells break down their own unwanted materials.

"One of the most exciting things about this pathway is how it intersects with so many other pathways," You said. "I've been focusing on cancer, but much of this could also apply to autoimmune diseases. Two of the proteins we identified have been linked to chronic activation of the immune response and autoimmune disease. We want to understand the relationship between this replication-stress response pathway and the innate immune response pathway. The work we do is very basic, and it is so exciting to connect the dots between these fundamental processes and see how they relate to human health and disease."
Three former federal secretaries of health headline the marquee for "The Business of Health Care: Managing Through Uncertainty" conference to be held at the University of Miami. The secretaries will join industry executives and experts for a day that includes three formalized sessions and multiple networking opportunities to address pivotal issues impacting the health sector.

Conference coordinators Steven Ullmann, professor and director of the Center for Health Management and Policy at the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School, and Karoline Mortensen, associate dean of business programs and professor of Health Management and Policy, highlighted the relevancy of the conference theme.

Uncertainty is ever present in the health care system-;and the pandemic has certainly heightened that presence. By convening leaders and specialists across all the major industry sectors, we're able to focus a multidimensional lens on the pivotal uncertainties-;policy questions, technology disruptions, staff shortages, pandemic management, among others-;and that's critical to generating remedies." Steven Ullmann, professor and director of the Center for Health Management and Policy at the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School

Mortensen emphasized the benefit of combining the expertise of three former health officials on a single panel. Alex Azar and Donna E. Shalala, both former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretaries and now both University business school faculty members, and Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami and a former Mexican health minister, join a midday panel moderated by Mortensen that will seek to generate "A Potential Road Map" through the trail of uncertainties.

"With three former health secretaries, health care policy from a regional, national, and global perspective will definitely be part of a robust, enlightening conversation," she said.

The conference takes place Friday, Feb. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Donna E. Shalala Student Center on the University's Coral Gables Campus. Five hundred in-person attendees are expected, with 200 slots reserved for students. A networking breakfast and lunch will be held at a special pavilion adjacent to the student center. Sessions will be livestreamed worldwide, but there will be a moderate fee to view the broadcasts.

The opening keynote panel on the theme, "A View from the Field," will be moderated by Patrick Geraghty, president and CEO of GuideWell and Florida Blue. The session includes the participation of Dr. Garfield Clunie, president, National Medical Association; Matthew Eyles, president and CEO, America's Health Insurance Plans; Joseph Fifer, president and CEO, Healthcare Financial Management Association; Dr. Halee Fischer-Wright, president and CEO, Medical Group Management Association; Ernest Grant, immediate past president, American Nurses Association; Molly Smith, group vice president, public policy, American Hospital Association; and Lori M. Reilly, chief operating officer, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. The pharmaceutical sector is newly represented this year.

The afternoon panel focuses on innovation and the role of technology.

Moderated by Norma Sue Kenyon, the University's vice provost for innovation and chief innovation officer for the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and UHealth  the University of Miami Health System, the session includes speakers Juan Felipe Ramirez, vice-president of sales execution and data driven organization, Latin America, Boston Scientific; Dr. Conor Delaney, president and CEO, Cleveland Clinic Florida Region; Patrick Hale, executive vice president and CIO, Vitas Healthcare; Judson Ivy, founder, president and CEO, Ensemble Health Partners; and Dr. Jay Wohlgemuth, senior vice president, research and development, and chief medical officer, Quest Diagnostics.

Ullmann described the pandemic as "a wake-up call" and noted that the conference provides the opportunity to explore many of the fissures unveiled in the health care system as a result of its ongoing impact.

"While we're still coming out of the woods from the pandemic, we're fortunate to be able to go back to having a live audience," Ullmann said. "This allows for significant networking opportunities with health care leaders from around the nation, and those have always been a high point of the conference."

For this 12th annual conference, Florida Blue is again a presenting sponsor and major donor.

Get a complete and updated list of topics, panelists, and more.

The Business of Health Care: Managing Through Uncertainty takes place Friday, Feb. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. Early registration pricing is available through Jan. 31.
Taylor M. Yong, M.D., M.S., has joined Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso as an orthopedic surgeon who is fellowship trained in orthopedic trauma. He received his Doctorate of Medicine in 2015 from the Foster School of Medicine at TTUHSC El Paso.

Dr. Yong completed a unique six-year residency track at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, which included a Master's of Science in health care research from the Dartmouth Institute. After residency, he completed his orthopedic trauma fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Yong's focus includes orthopedic trauma, polytraumatized patients, pelvic and hip socket surgery, and musculoskeletal infection. While training at Universitatsspital Basel in Switzerland, he was awarded the prestigious AO Trauma North America Jack McDaniel Memorial Fellowship, granted annually to a single outstanding surgeon committed to teaching and the clinical practice of fracture surgery.

The emphasis on evidence-based medicine at Dartmouth left a significant impression on me and will guide my practice as I care for patients across our Borderplex." Dr. Taylor M. Yong, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor at TTUHSC El Paso

TTP El Paso is hiring world-class specialists like Dr. Yong to provide specialty care here in our Borderplex, reducing the need for local families to travel outside the city to receive care, especially after traumatic injuries.

Orthopedic trauma refers to an injury caused by an external force, such as a severe fall, a car collision or even a violent attack. Common injuries include fractures, ligament tears, tendon tears and joint dislocations.

Orthopedic trauma can affect anyone. It is essential that any complex fracture is treated by an orthopedic trauma specialist to ensure the body heals properly.

As the clinical practice of the Foster School of Medicine, the specialists who comprise TTP El Paso each hold faculty appointments at the medical school, where they teach the next generation of health care leaders. Dr. Yong is a member of the faculty of the Foster School of Medicine's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at TTUHSC El Paso.

TTUHSC El Paso faculty research the newest care trends and technology in their fields, meaning patients receive the latest developed approach to health care, and in this case, all areas of innovative orthopedics and orthopedic trauma, led by associate professor and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation chair Rajiv Rajani, M.D.

"Under the leadership of Dr. Rajani, we have a skilled team capable of educating students and providing high-quality orthopedic subspecialty care to meet the expanding needs of not only the community, but the entire Borderplex region," said Dr. Yong. Before the Foster School of Medicine opened in 2009, El Paso County had 37% less physicians when compared to the average for the state of Texas. Over the next 10 years, the county saw an increase of physicians, reducing the shortage to 28%. Growing our own and training the next generation of health care leaders who will remain in or return to our Borderplex  like Dr. Yong  is a key part of TTUHSC El Paso's mission.

Doctor shortages in rural West Texas contribute to a larger, nationwide deficit. Towns in surrounding Hudspeth and Culberson counties, as well as unincorporated communities outside of El Paso, lack sufficient health care access. The Foster School of Medicine trains students in culturally competent care with the goal of keeping these future physicians in West Texas to treat patients in both metropolitan and rural areas. Dr. Yong said the U.S.-Mexico border and its current sociopolitical landscape create distinct challenges and opportunities for health care providers.

"It's truly a unique environment to live and practice in," he said. "Our Borderplex is an underserved community where I know I can have an immediate and tangible impact. I hope to improve the ability of patients to access high-quality orthopedic trauma care as well as improve the overall quality of orthopedic trauma care across the region."
According to a recent report, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) issued draft recommendations to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on January 20, 2023, on the effectiveness of two biosecurity policy frameworks existent in the United States (US) governing:

Research with enhanced potential pandemic pathogens (ePPPs) Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC)

Two NSABB Working Groups were actively involved in developing these findings and recommendations for NIH. The members of this outside expert panel considered relevant existing policies and public comments; additionally, they checked with experts in pathogen research before presenting this proposal, which the group will discuss in a meeting scheduled for January 27, 2023.

The NIH clarified that this review is a routine periodic reassessment of Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight (P3CO) & DURC oversight frameworks, not undertaken to alleviate concerns that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) originated from a lab.

Study: Proposed Biosecurity Oversight Framework For The Future Of Science. Image Credit: Jemastock/Shutterstock

Background

Research involving pathogens raises the possibility of laboratory accidents and the intentional misuse of the data or lab-generated products. Moreover, a biological threat could also arise naturally or accidentally.

Thus, a biosafety oversight system exists in the US to protect laboratory workers. It also ensures the safety of the public, the environment, and national security. The US government periodically reassesses this framework to ensure it effectively handles all the existing and emerging biosecurity concerns while supporting research-based innovation. In this regard, the NSABB has played a crucial role in the past few decades.

In 2012, they recommended not publishing contentious gain-of-function (GOF) studies involving H5N1 avian flu virus. In their 2016 report, they emphasized considering ethical and societal values, not just the scientific merit of GOF research, before publishing to ensure biosecurity. Furthermore, the NSABB outlined the principles guiding funding decisions for GOF research, primarily based on the attributes of a pathogen resulting from such research.

NSABB findings and recommendations

In their findings, NSABB found definitions of PPP narrow, overemphasizing 'highly virulent' and 'highly transmissible.' As a consequence, the focus of experts could shift from research works involving enhanced PPP (ePPP). On the contrary, there should be more focus on assessing ePPP research, especially scientific methods or approaches that could produce a potential ePPP.

Further, the NSABB experts found the current P3CO policy framework inadequate for identifying and reviewing the roles of investigators and institutions in the ongoing oversight of ePPP research. They also found P3CO framework inadequate to oversee research involving enhanced animal or plant pathogens.

Regarding DURC, the NSABB experts found that government policies sufficiently strengthened oversight; however, the scope of research appraised for impending DURC remains limited, covering a fraction of life sciences research.

In addition, they found that insufficient attention is being paid to responsible communication, including the time, modes, and venues of communication, concerning most of the research falling under the DURC policies. Furthermore, these experts found a substantial overlap between the ePPP and DURC oversight frameworks; thus, it needs reconciliation.

The NSABB experts made several recommendations for improving the P3CO & DURC oversight frameworks. First, they proposed that federal department-level review be made mandatory for research that might enhance the transmissibility and virulence of any pathogen, PPP or non-PPP, to avert any threat to public health and national security.

Second, they recommended that vaccine research and surveillance studies should not be excluded from review by federal departments, which currently enjoy blanket exclusions. The third recommendation emphasized harmonizing regional and institutional compliance procedures and articulating specific responsibilities for institutions and people tasked with investigations in the identification and assessment of research involving ePPPs. To this end, if required, they should be able to seek help from a US government office with adequate resources.

The fourth recommendation required aligning the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) P3CO Policy guidance with the Belmont Report. It would give extra attention to all seven categories of research and ensure the elimination of unnecessary risks and their replacement with other viable methods of attaining the pertinent benefits from the proposed research work.

Recommendation five emphasized increasing transparency in the review process and sharing of primary determinants that guided ePPP research funding verdicts. Other recommendations highlighted the need to develop analogous policies to oversee research threatening animal or plant health. Regarding DURC, the experts recommended that researchers continue to share experiences and best practices. More importantly, they should execute their responsibilities effectively by adhering to mechanisms and processes ensuring the same.

Another was eliminating all DURC definitions that might limit the identification of research posing significant biosecurity threats. However, oversight should be able to reasonably anticipate a research work likely to culminate in any of the seven pre-specified experimental effects (e.g., reconstitute an extinct agent or toxin or enhance its harmful effects). Overall, the NSABB experts recommended developing an all-inclusive approach to oversee all research that raised biosecurity concerns, including ePPP research and DURC, much more stringently.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Sweden for allowing terrorist sympathizers and others to freely carry out provocations, saying that Stockholm should not expect support from Turkiye on its NATO bid following offensive demonstrations by both groups over the weekend.

Speaking to reporters following a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara on Monday, the president slammed Danish-Swedish anti-Islam activist Rasmus Paludan's demonstration, where he burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy and delivered a hatred-filled speech with permission from Swedish authorities, and under police protection.

"If you don't respect the religion of Turkiye or Muslims, you won't get any support from us on NATO," he said, noting that it is evident that Sweden should not expect Ankara's support for its NATO bid after authorizing such a shameful scandal in front of the Turkish embassy.

"That is not happening," he said, adding that if Sweden prefers terrorist sympathizers and Islamophobes, then Turkiye suggests they should let them defend their country too.
In a recent special communication report published in JAMA Network Open, researchers described the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention network (CoVPN) and its contribution to clinical efficacy evaluations of COVID-19 vaccines in phase 3 trials.

Background

COVID-19 has caused unprecedented morbidity and mortality across the globe. The continual emergence of novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants has challenged the efficacy of vaccines and therapeutic agents such as monoclonal antibodies. The effects of the pandemic warrant collaborated global efforts for efficacy and safety assessments, to assist the clinical evaluations and development of more effective and broader COVID-19 vaccines.

To facilitate the rapid development of effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines through clinical testing of probable candidates and their authorization, partnerships between the government, private, and academic institutions are required for improved global vaccine research. To fulfill such needs, the CoVpN was established by the NIAID (national institute of allergy and infectious diseases).

About the special communication

In the present study, researchers described CoVPN in assisting the coordinated execution of phase 3 clinical vaccine efficacy trials in developing COVID-19 vaccines.

CoVPN inception

CoVPN was established in April 2020, functioned in alignment with the OWS (operation warp speed) model and was officially designated in May 2020. The goal of CoVPN was designing and rapidly operationalizing phase 3 vaccine efficacy clinical trials with harmonized protocols, endpoints, and correlates with developing novel COVID-19 vaccines based on the efficacy results of several vaccine prototype candidates under research in the United States (US).

The network aimed at the integration of trial locations and laboratories for cogent assessment of all the vaccine prototypes to scale up clinical evaluations utilizing existing healthcare resources rapidly. In addition, the CoVPN aimed at partnering with several NIAID-funded trial networks, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine trials network, the infectious diseases clinical research consortium, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) clinical trials group, and the HIV prevention trials network.

As a result of CoVPNs efforts, the five clinical phase 3 trial sites included 16 nations across the Sub-Saharan regions of Africa, the United States, and South America, spanning over five continents. Additionally, in the US, sites of several NIAID-funded networks were included, such as the Native Nations, Veterans Affairs, and Defense department sites.

Contribution of CoVPN to phase 3 vaccine efficacy trials

All COVID-19 vaccines in the portfolio of the United States government utilized the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 S (spike) protein. Four studies used the spike 2/SP subunit of the pre-fusion protein structure, whereas one COVID-19 vaccine (Oxford/AstraZeneca) used the whole S protein as the immunogen. The CoVPN facilitated the evaluation of diverse vaccine platforms for diversified manufacturing supply capacities and development of vaccines based on the efficacy and safety findings in the trials results.

The five-phase 3 trials were designed with the collaborated efforts of CoVPN statisticians, the WHO (World Health Organization) solidarity vaccine trial expert group, the NIAID DSMB (data safety monitoring board), and the United States FDA (food and drug administration). The coordinated efforts enabled the inclusion of big sample sizes for obtaining large efficacy and safety datasets and evaluating the efficacy of vaccine candidates for symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections of varying severity.

The SAP (statistical analysis plan) formulated by CoVPN statisticians collaborated with the coronavirus disease 2019 response team statistics to provide master-trial protocols for harmonized analyses and guided non-CoVPN trials. Moreover, the CoVPN statisticians had access to the findings of all five clinical trials, which provided an opportunity to answer questions that could not be answered by any of the individual studies.

The phase 3 clinical trials differed in their prime efficacy assessment windows, study designs, vaccination regimens, and launch dates. Modernas COVE (coronavirus vaccine efficacy and safety) study and AstraZenecas AZD1222 study used two-dose regimens, with doses administered four weeks apart, with the efficacy window opening at two weeks post the second vaccination in both the clinical trials. Janssen/Johnson & Johnsons ENSEMBLE study evaluated one-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine efficacy was measured two weeks-post the vaccine dose.

Novovaxs PREVENT-19 (perfusion protein subunit vaccine efficacy novavax trial covid-19) study assessed two-dose NVX-CoV2373 vaccine efficacy three weeks apart, with efficacy window opening one-week post-second vaccination. Sanofi Pasteurs VAT0008 study evaluated two-dose vaccine efficacy, with doses administered three weeks apart 21, with efficacy measurements commencing two weeks post-second vaccination.

The harmonization of community outreach and equitable enrolment efforts were assisted by a screening registry hosted on the CoVPN website. This enabled probable participants to register and be recruited at CoVPN sites in the United States. Among CoVPN-aided trials, only the PREVENT-19 trial included a blinded crossover study design. In the COVE, ENSEMBLE, and ADZ1222 studies, individuals could unblind and seek authorized vaccines.

To conclude, based on the findings, CoVPN enabled the conduction of phase 3 vaccine efficacy trials among geographically and demographically diverse samples, with efficient statistical analysis, and enabled harmonization of clinical and laboratory endpoints across different vaccine platforms. In addition, the CoVPN enabled assessments for harmonized immunological correlates of protection and assisted in the coordinated development of COVID-19 vaccine candidates effective against different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.
Breast cancer is now the leading cause of global cancer incidence among women but determining who will develop breast cancer is still a challenge for the medical community. A new tool, developed by researchers from UCSF and several other medical institutions, helps to calculate risk for those who may develop advanced breast cancer that goes undiagnosed despite regular screenings.

Karla Kerlikowske, MD, UCSF professor of medicine and epidemiology & biostatistics, has been examining risk factors for advanced breast cancer for more than 15 years. She co-leads a consortium of clinicians, researchers and biostatisticians who have developed a risk calculator for advanced breast cancer.

The Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) Advanced Breast Cancer Risk Calculator is an interactive tool designed by BCSC scientists to estimate six-year cumulative risk of developing advanced breast cancer based on annual mammography or biennial (every two years) mammography. The calculator is available for clinicians on the web or as iPhone and Android apps.

Advanced breast cancer is defined as prognostic pathologic stage II or higher. Advanced breast cancers are tumors that are large and/or have spread to lymph nodes or have other characteristics associated with poorer prognosis such as being high grade and estrogen receptor negative. They require surgery and systemic treatment, and detecting breast cancers through screening before they become advanced may avert deaths from breast cancer.

The breast cancer risk calculator includes factors such as breast density, age, race and ethnicity, family history in a first-degree relative, previous breast biopsies, body mass index, and menopausal status. The calculator provides estimates of very low, low, average, intermediate and high advanced cancer risk to inform decisions about screening frequency and supplemental imaging.

The BCSC Advanced Breast Cancer Risk Calculator is easy for physicians to use in clinic on the iPhone or Android smart phone and is particularly informative for women with dense breasts and obesity where annual screening may be indicated." Karla Kerlikowske, MD, UCSF professor of medicine and epidemiology & biostatistics

One of the strongest risk factors for advanced breast cancer, apart from having the BRCA gene or a mother or sister with breast cancer, is breast density. Dense breasts have a higher proportion of connective and milk duct tissue. Where the breast is dense, a mammogram of the tissue appears cloudy or opaque. In women with dense breasts, 50% or more of breast tissue appears opaque. Women whose breast density is 75% or more have roughly three to four times the risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer within five years compared with women whose breast density is 25% or less, according to Kerlikowske's research.

Among the reasons breast density may give rise to advanced breast cancer is that standard screening mammograms have less accuracy with dense breasts than non-dense breasts, making it more challenging to accurately detect the cancer in its earliest stages. On a cellular level, the abundant connective tissue and collagen protein found in normal, dense breast tissue resembles the abnormal proliferation of connective tissue that occurs in the vicinity of cells that have undergone early steps toward becoming cancerous. Certain types of cell signaling between the duct cells and connective tissue may play a role in cancer susceptibility.

Another strong risk factor for advanced breast cancer is being overweight or obese. More than 50% of women in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Encouraging women to maintain ideal body weight could decrease their chance of advanced breast cancer.

To share clinical and research insights for breast density and cancer prediction, Kerlikowske and John Shepherd, PhD, of the University of Hawai'i, are hosting the 10th International Breast Density & Cancer Risk Assessment Workshop in Hawai'i at the University of Hawai'i Cancer Center on June 7-9, 2023.

Topics at the workshop will include:
Toddlers whose moms were exposed to higher levels of air pollution during mid- to late-pregnancy tend to score lower on measures of cognition, motor coordination and language skills, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research.

Published today in the journal Environmental Health, the study of Latino mother-child pairs is among the first to assess the link between prenatal pollution exposure and brain development in infancy. It adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that exposure to dirty air during critical windows of development can have potentially lasting impacts on children's health.

Our findings suggest that pollution exposure, particularly during mid- to late-pregnancy, may negatively impact neurodevelopment in early life." Tanya Alderete, senior author, assistant professor of integrative physiology at CU Boulder

For the study, the research team followed 161 healthy mother-infant pairs residing in Southern California and enrolled in the Mother's Milk Study, a longitudinal study of infant health. Participants provided detailed histories of where they had lived. Researchers then used the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality System, which records data from ambient monitoring stations around the country, to calculate the mothers' exposure to pollutants from roadside traffic, industry, wildfire smoke and other sources during pregnancy.

When the children reached age 2, they underwent a series of neurodevelopmental tests, assessing cognitive, motor and language skills.

After taking into consideration socioeconomic status, number of times the baby was breastfed per day, whether the infant was early, late or on time, the mother's weight, the baby's birthweight and other factors that could influence results, the study found that 2-year-olds exposed prenatally to more inhalable particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5) scored significantly lower on cognitive tests. For instance, those exposed to PM10 levels at the 75th percentile compared to the 25th percentile scored about 3 points lower.

Put another way, 16% of participants had a composite cognitive score that indicated some degree of impairment. If all participants had been exposed to as much pollution as the 75th percentile, the prevalence of cognitive impairment at age 2 would be 22%.

Mid- to late-pregnancy key

When the exposure occurred mattered, according to the study, with exposures in mid- to late-pregnancy proving particularly detrimental to neurodevelopment, said first author Zach Morgan, who graduated in May with a master's degree in integrative physiology.

"The brain develops differently at different stages of pregnancy and when you have a disruption at a critical window that can affect the trajectory of that development," he said.

He explained that during mid- to late-pregnancy, key circuits within the brain form to support sensory, communication and motor systems.

While more research is needed to understand just how pollution impacts the developing brain, previous research suggests inhaled pollutants may come into direct contact with the fetus, causing systemic inflammation and oxidative stress that can interfere with neurodevelopment.

Alderete's own research has also shown that exposure to air pollution can impact a baby's gut microbiome in ways that promote inflammation, which could also impact the brain.

Other studies in older children have found associations between prenatal exposure to pollutants and reductions in white matter, cortex thickness and blood flow in the brain as well as lower IQ scores.

The study was restricted to Latino infants, so it is not yet clear whether the results hold for the general population.

Alderete noted that 90% of the world's population is exposed to particulate matter levels exceeding recommended levels, and the burden of exposure is often higher among racial and ethnic minorities and low-income populations. (One EPA study found that racial minorities are exposed to as much as 1.5 times more airborne pollutants than white counterparts). Additionally, other research by Alderete has shown that Latinos in Southern California tend to live in adverse environmental conditions, including those that have been linked with poor neurodevelopmental outcomes.

"Our findings highlight the importance of addressing the impact of pollution on disadvantaged communities and point to additional steps all families can take to protect their health," said Alderete.

She cautioned that just because a woman was exposed to high levels of pollution while pregnant does not mean that her child will have lasting cognitive deficits.

But she does recommend that pregnant women be vigilant in avoiding airborne pollutants when possible, particularly in the second and third trimester. They should also avoid exercising outdoors on high pollution days; invest in an air filtration system inside the home; open the windows while cooking; and steer clear of secondhand smoke.

"This is just one of the many things parents-to-be should be aware of to give their child the best start possible," she said.
insights from industry Dean Stuart Nimesh Khadka Thermo Fisher Scientific

Process analytical technology (PAT), a quality assurance program for the pharmaceutical industry developed by the US Food and Drug Administration, enables pharmaceutical manufacturers to control critical process parameters (CPPs).

When manufacturers need to ensure content consistency across products, such as moisture and structure, it makes sense to ensure the manufacturing equipment is also performing and operating consistently. Therefore, the primary objective of PAT is to ensure the delivery of consistent products with close, dynamic control over CPPs and CQAs (critical quality attributes) to compensate for variability in raw materials and equipment while reducing waste and costs.

In this interview, News-Medical Life Sciences speaks to ThermoFisher Scientific to discuss process analytical technologies and monitoring inline R&D biopharma processes with their latest process analyzer, Thermo Scientific Ramina Process Analyzer.

Could you please introduce yourselves and give us a brief overview of what role/work involves at Thermo Fisher Scientific?

We both work within the field and safety instruments. Our latest instrument is the Thermo Scientific Ramina Process Analyzer, which makes process monitoring and optimization accessible, practical, and profitable.

For some time now, we have been producing and supporting handheld instrumentation to perform incoming raw material ID, and realize the maximum efficiency of a customer's incoming material ID and verification scheme.

Our goal has always been to keep technology and instrumentation easy to set up and use, and retain robustness and field survivability to make our solutions more effective than current or historic testing methodologies.

Our products empower and enable you to make rapid, trusted analytical and business decisions. We believe the Thermo Scientific Ramina Process Analyzer enables real-world cost savings you can expect when using Process Raman, as Thermo Fisher Scientific can help users achieve their process analytical technology (PAT) strategic goals within the biopharma space.

What is process analytical technology (PAT), and how is it best implemented?

Process analytical technology covers a compelling area for us as an organization. It allows us to deliver clutch workflow and streamline process solutions within the Biopharma space.

Using process analytical technologies opens up a world of insight into a given bioprocess, and provides the means to tackle problems as early as possible.

PAT is not a new concept. Most larger companies are leveraging PAT solutions at some point or another in their pilot and manufacturing plants. We believe that there is no reason why smaller, mid-sized biopharma companies cannot also leverage similar solutions.

PAT can be used in several manners, such as offline or outline analysis, which requires sampling, and some automated analysis instead of manual wet chemistry. PATs may also be used as online and inline systems where the need to sample is eliminated.

PAT is important for this industry. It matters greatly when challenged with tightening a process for FDA approval, when there is a strong need to beat out the competition in the market with rapidly developed therapies, or even when your goal is to implement practical process improvements, and ensure product yields and costs are kept under tight control.

We are well aware of some of the challenges faced by those in the biopharma field when implementing PAT solutions. The end user needs to harness data for improved process understanding and control in real-time. However, this is difficult when you need to take time to sample for offline analysis and risk potential contamination. It is even more frustrating when there are struggles with getting a newly acquired PAT solution implemented in your flow. Users also need to be quickly and properly trained.

Image Credit:Shutterstock/Billionphotos

What is the value of having process analytical technologies (PATs) available?

There is a clear value in having a PAT solution, particularly one that can give you real-time actionable results while minimizing or eliminating contamination hazards. The real question is why should you care that your data is available in real-time? Just ask yourself, how much time is wasted when something goes wrong?

It is extremely important to get things right the first time. Anytime you have to carry out work again is considered waste. How much money do you stand to lose because you did not have the right data to make a quick decision? It can be extremely difficult to recover when trust is compromised, especially with how rapidly information can travel and be shared in the modern era.

How can Thermo Fisher Scientifics technology help monitor inline R&D biopharma processes?

Our process analytical technology leverages Raman spectroscopy to see real-time changes. We speak with our customers directly and understand the urgent need to monitor inline R&D Biopharma processes, both upstream and downstream.

When a customer is equipped with a PAT solution that enables a rapid knowledge infusion about any given process, it is then possible to closely control that process, and boost the capacity of the existing development team in ways other than just headcount increases.

Our customers can make those critical pivots when they have real-time access to actionable data. Our team at Thermo Fisher Scientific is equipped to provide expert assistance with implementing these PAT solutions.

Image Credit/Shutterstock/ Stuioformfrei

What current PAT solutions is Thermo Fisher Scientific offering?

We have developed the Thermo Scientific Ramina Process Analyzer, a small, extremely portable, robust Raman spectrometer.

Raman spectroscopy uses laser light to generate spectral data that may be interpreted to determine target and light concentrations and identities. It is non-destructive and very specific when performing qualitative analyses. The presence of water has a negligible impact, which is ideal for aqueous matrices.

Using an immersion probe and a fiber optic cable, Ramina Process Analyzer can provide in-situ bioprocesses measurements. A range of accessories is also available, such as a flow cell, if non-invasive analysis is preferred.

Our extensive Raman portfolio includes Ramina Process Analyzer, DXR3 Raman Flex system, and our handheld TruScan RM Handheld Raman analyzer.

How and why is the new Thermo Scientific Ramina Process Analyzer useful?

The Ramina Process Analyzer is both small and not over-engineered, while the system is very intuitive as the user interface reduces the complexity of analysis and setup.

Within 15 minutes, Ramina Process Analyzer generates real-time actionable data for critical process parameters right out of the box. Ramina Process Analyzer a also enables better decision-making that impacts the bottom line by transmitting information within seconds or minutes rather than hours or even days, which is seen when using legacy techniques.

The Ramina Process Analyzer system is useful for obtaining rapid answers to key questions relative to bioprocessing applications where time to results is critical. For instance, potential application uses include metabolite analyte monitoring, such as looking at glucose lactate levels for upstream applications, and protein product purification in downstream processes. A couple of other applications include target product concentrations and cell density measurements. These are all applications where you must get the correct result quickly.

Ramina Process Analyzer allows users to collect and analyze spectra within seconds and tightens up process control parameters quickly.

Image Credit:Shutterstock/ kurhan

What quality of data can users expect when using Ramina Process Analyzer?

Our applications team performed a basic linear check with respect to integration times on a glucose cell culture media. The team wanted to know the sweet spot for integration to ensure a real-world sample acquisition in under five minutes. However, 15 seconds is all it takes to collect actionable spectral data and generate spectral analysis and concentration values of interest.

Ramina Process Analyzer can detect glucose in media matrices as low as 0.5 milligrams per milliliter with increasing peak intensity as that concentration increases.

Does implementing a PAT solution, such as Ramina Process Analyzer, positively impact manufacturing processes?

Yes it does, for example, we recently had one real-world use case of the Ramina Process Analyzer system compared to a legacy automated offline analyzer. This study was performed over four working weeks and examined the cost of upstream batch monitoring of a mammalian cell line. Using Ramina, critical process parameters, such as glucose, pH, gas analysis, VCD, and cell viability, were all monitored using a single system.

This approach facilitates rapid real-time eye-in-the-sky monitoring of bioprocesses with real positive outcomes. Cost-wise, we are talking about 80,000 (USD) in savings annually for glucose alone. That compounds into a 300,000 (USD) annual savings when using other critical process parameter tests that are eliminated because you are using Ramina Process Analyzer.

Armed with this knowledge, decisions on how to best optimize R&D headcount and instrument resources, including the resultant waste of those resources, can be made easily, especially when you are performing process improvements and know your current cost of business.

Leveraging the unique nature of Ramina Process Analyzer as a small, easy-to-use, and accessible Raman PAT system creates a compelling business. ThermoFisher Scientific can also be leveraged as a trusted source and resource for assistance.

Could you provide an overview of the type of performance and application utility users can expect from Ramina Process Analyzer?

Ramina Process Analyzer can be used for various application in the biopharmaceutical industries, including for upstream and downstream processes, such as the purification of proteins and nucleic acids, or even for identification and characterization of finished products.

There are challenges when monitoring and running conventional processes in a bioreactor. Bioreactors are used extensively throughout the biopharmaceutical industry, for example, during the manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies, and Ramina Process Analyzer can help overcome some of these challenges.

What are the main challenges when monitoring and running a bioreactor?

The process of monitoring a bioreactor requires someone to specifically pull the samples and then run it to offline or outline measurements. This involves resources and time. There are critical challenges with this process. For instance, there may be a fluctuation of metabolites in this process. The metabolites can then vary dramatically in a bioreactor, or a bioreactor might sometimes go in the suboptimum of operating conditions, which may ultimately lead to a lower quality product.

Another challenge encountered when running a conventional bioreactor is contamination. When pulling a sample, the aseptic bioreactor is in contact with environmental factors and increases the risk of contamination. At ThermoFisher Scientific, we tend to come up with solutions for these problems based on Raman technology, which is where the Ramina Process Analyzer comes in.

Could you explain how the Ramina Process Analyzer addresses these challenges directly?

We recently ran two different 5-liter bioreactors. The Ramina Process Analyzer was integrated into the bioreactors for continuous monitoring. We took samples as would usually be carried out in a conventional bioreactor to measure the reference instruments.

A single model built using a cross-validation method was then used to predict the spectrum collected by the Ramina Process Analyzer to get the predicted values.

We obtained three sets of data for glucose, glutamine, and glutamate. The predicted values from the Ramina Process Analyzer, which are real-time prediction values, correlated well with the reference values. There was a close similarity between the reference measurements and the measurement produced by Ramina Process Analyzer. To give you a number, all of these had a correlation coefficient of nearly 95%, and some had a correlation coefficient around the 99 percentile.

How does the system process the data and ensure uninterrupted and consistent monitoring capabilities?

First, we have to look at the number of data points for controlling this technology. We have around 45 data points in a traditional system to control this bioreactor. With Ramina Process Analyzer, continuous monitoring, there are more than 9,000 points to monitor these reactions.

Imagine a scenario where something goes wrong between measurements. Traditionally, unless you manually perform an additional measurement, you would not know how much glucose to feed. Add to that scenario where something goes wrong, the analyst cannot be there, or something happens so that an additional measurement cannot be taken.

The bioreactor creates sub-optimal conditions, which can lead to poor product quality. This problem can be easily tackled using a continuous monitoring process found in the Ramina Process Analyzer. Ramina Process Analyzer can even measure the viability of the cells in real-time, allowing decisions to be made instantly.

I would also like to mention the prediction error as well as I have already mentioned the fact we used a single model to predict between two different bioreactors in our case study. There was a close correlation between the predictions of two bioreactors, indicating that a single model can predict two different bioreactors.

Image Credit:Shutterstock/ BillionPhotos

How compatible is the Ramina Process Analyzer with other systems or devices?

There is another obvious question here when talking about model transferability, can a model built on one instrument be transferred to many other instruments? Since we care for our customers, building a calibration model for monitoring a bioreactor requires a lot of data.

To prove this point, we created a model to predict glucose, glutamine and lactic in our cell culture. It was free of bioreactive material, but it simulated the metabolites present in the bioreactor. We then created eight different validation set samples.

A different combination of glucose, glutamine, and lactate was prepared on eight samples. We then used 10 instruments to measure these samples. We acquired a correlative across the 10 different instruments, demonstrating models are very transferable from one instrument to another, which again speaks toward the performance of the Ramina Process Analyzer. The model transfer between units does not require any fancy calibration transfer. The model is built into one instrument and could be transferred to many other instruments.

Is there anything you would like to add or mention that may interest our readers?

With the ability to monitor multiple metabolites at once, Ramina Process Analyzer reduces the need for offline analysis and helps optimize cell growth and end yields through automation.

Ramina Process Analyzeris a simple-to-use Raman instrument that provides opportunities to save and cut costs while improving R&D and production yields. Ramina Process Analyzer enables better, faster decision-making with a direct impact on your organization's bottom line.

As Thermo Fisher Scientific continues to expand within the bio-pharmaceutical space, it strives to offer these critical technologies and services. The company collaborates with companies to develop and bring purpose-built applications and hardware to market and enhance its partnerships.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific  Materials & Structural Analysis

Thermo Fisher Materials and Structural Analysis products give you outstanding capabilities in materials science research and development. Driving innovation and productivity, their portfolio of scientific instruments enable the design, characterization and lab-to-production scale of materials used throughout industry.

X-ray fluorescence spectrometers, FTIR spectrometers and X-ray photoelectron spectrometers enable researchers and material analysts to probe the chemical composition of materials ranging from ultra thin-films to bulk powders used in product development and materials troubleshooting. We offer a line of rheometry and viscometry instruments, as well as single- and twin-screw extruders, for laboratory benches that enable you to measure the physical property of semi-solids and liquids for shear flow and yield stress.

No other company offers the breadth of products and the depth of analytical capabilities for materials science and engineering.
Marjorie Kruger was stunned to learn last fall that she would have to leave the nursing home where she'd lived comfortably for six years.

The Good Samaritan Society facility in Postville, Iowa, would close, administrators told Kruger and 38 other residents in September. The facility joined a growing list of nursing homes being shuttered nationwide, especially in rural areas.

"The rug was taken out from under me," said Kruger, 98. "I thought I was going to stay there the rest of my life."

Her son found a room for her in another Good Samaritan center in Waukon, a small town 18 miles north of Postville. Kruger said the new facility is a pleasant place, but she misses her friends and longtime staffers from the old one. "We were as close as a nice family," she said.

The Postville facility's former residents are scattered across northeastern Iowa. Some were forced to move twice, after the first nursing home they transferred to also went out of business.

Owners say the closures largely stem from a shortage of workers, including nurses, nursing assistants, and kitchen employees.

The problem could deepen as pandemic-era government assistance dries up and care facilities struggle to compete with rising wages offered by other employers, industry leaders and analysts predict. Many care centers that have managed to remain open are keeping some beds vacant because they don't have enough workers to responsibly care for more residents.

The pandemic brought billions of extra federal dollars to the long-term care industry, which was inundated with covid-19 infections and more than 160,000 resident deaths. Many facilities saw business decline amid lockdowns and reports of outbreaks. Staff members faced extra danger and stress.

The industry is still feeling the effects.

From February 2020 to November 2021, the number of workers in nursing homes and other care facilities dropped by 410,000 nationally, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Staffing has rebounded only by about 103,000 since then.

In Iowa, 13 of the 15 nursing homes that closed in 2022 were in rural areas, according to the Iowa Health Care Association. "In more sparsely populated areas, it's harder and harder to staff those facilities," said Brent Willett, the association's president. He noted that many rural areas have dwindling numbers of working-age adults.

The lack of open nursing home beds is marooning some patients in hospitals for weeks while social workers seek placements. More people are winding up in care facilities far from their hometowns, especially if they have dementia, obesity, or other conditions that require extra attention.

Colorado's executive director of health care policy and financing, Kim Bimestefer, told a conference in November that the state recognizes it needs to help shore up care facilities, especially in rural areas. "We've had more nursing homes go bankrupt in the last year than in the last 10 years combined," she said.

In Montana, at least 11 nursing homes  16% of the state's facilities  closed in 2022, the Billings Gazette reported.

Nationally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported recently that 129 nursing homes had closed in 2022. Mark Parkinson, president of the American Health Care Association, said the actual count was significantly higher but the federal reports tend to lag behind whats happening on the ground.

For example, a recent KHN review showed the federal agency had tallied just one of the 11 Montana nursing home closures reported by news outlets in that state during 2022, and just eight of the 15 reported in Iowa.

Demand for long-term care is expected to climb over the next decade as the baby boom generation ages. Willett said his industry supports changing immigration laws to allow more workers from other countries. "That's got to be part of the solution," he said.

The nursing home in Postville, Iowa, was one of 10 care centers shuttered in the past year by the Good Samaritan Society, a large chain based in South Dakota.

"It's an absolute last resort for us, being a nonprofit organization that would in many cases have been in these communities 50 to 75 years or more," said Nate Schema, the company's CEO.

The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, the full name of the company, is affiliated with the giant Sanford Health network and serves 12,500 clients, including residents of care facilities and people receiving services in their homes. About 70% of them live in rural areas, mainly in the Plains states and Midwest, Schema said.

Schema said many front-line workers in nursing homes found less stressful jobs after working through the worst days of the covid pandemic, when they had to wear extra protective gear and routinely get screened for infection in the face of ongoing risk.

Lori Porter, chief executive officer of the National Association of Health Care Assistants, said nursing home staffing issues have been building for years. "No one that's been in this business is in shock over the way things are," she said. "The pandemic put a spotlight on it."

Porter, who has worked as a certified nursing assistant and as a nursing home administrator, said the industry should highlight how rewarding the work can be and how working as an aide can lead to a higher-paying job, including as a registered nurse.

Care industry leaders say that they have increased wages for front-line workers but that they can't always keep up with other industries. They say that's largely because they rely on payments from Medicaid, the government program for low-income Americans that covers the bills for more than 60% of people living in nursing homes.

In recent years, most states have increased how much their Medicaid programs pay to nursing homes, but those rates are still less than what the facilities receive from other insurers or from residents paying their own way. In Iowa, Medicaid pays nursing homes about $215 per day per resident, according to the Iowa Health Care Association. That compares with about $253 per day for people paying their own way. When nursing homes provide short-term rehabilitation for Medicare patients, they receive about $450 per day. That federal program does not cover long-term care, however.

Willett said a recent survey found that 72% of Iowa's remaining nursing homes were freezing or limiting admissions below their capacity.

The Prairie View nursing home in Sanborn is one of them. The facility, owned by a local nonprofit, is licensed for up to 73 beds. Lately, it has been able to handle only about 48 residents, said administrator Wendy Nelson.

"We could take more patients, but we couldn't give them the care they deserve," she said.

Prairie View's painful choices have included closing a 16-bed dementia care unit last year.

Nelson has worked in the industry for 22 years, including 17 at Prairie View. It never has been easy to keep nursing facilities fully staffed, she said. But the pandemic added stress, danger, and hassles.

"It drained the crud out of some people. They just said, 'I'm done with it,'" she said.

Prairie View has repeatedly boosted pay, with certified nursing assistants now starting at $21 per hour and registered nurses at $40 per hour, Nelson said. But she's still seeking more workers.

She realizes other rural employers also are stretched.

"I know we're all struggling," Nelson said. "Dairy Queen's struggling too, but Dairy Queen can change their hours. We can't."

David Grabowski, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, said some of the shuttered care facilities had poor safety records. Those closures might not seem like a tragedy, especially in metro areas with plenty of other choices, he said.

"We might say, 'Maybe that's the market working, the way a bad restaurant or a bad hotel is closing,'" he said. But in rural areas, the closure of even a low-quality care facility can leave a hole that's hard to fill.

For many families, the preferred alternative would be in-home care, but there's also a shortage of workers to provide those services, he said.

The result can be prolonged hospital stays for patients who could be served instead in a care facility or by home health aides, if those services were available.

Rachel Olson, a social worker at Pocahontas Community Hospital in northwestern Iowa, said some patients wait a month or more in her hospital while she tries to find a spot for them in a nursing home once they're stable enough to be transferred.

She said it's particularly hard to place certain types of patients, such as those who need extra attention because they have dementia or need intravenous antibiotics.

Olson starts calling nursing homes close to the patient's home, then tries ones farther away. She has had to place some people up to 60 miles away from their hometowns. She said families would prefer she find something closer. "But when I can't, I can't, you know? My hands are tied."
In a recent article published in the journal Nature, a team of researchers described a wearable ultrasonic device that allows cardiac function to be assessed directly in real-time, with improved coupling between human skin and the device, making the examination of the left ventricle during motion possible from different views.

The wearable ultrasound sensor is roughly the size of a postage stamp, can be worn for up to 24 hours, and works even during strenuous exercise. Image Credit: Xu Laboratory, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering

Background

The continuous monitoring of cardiac function is essential for detecting cardiac dysfunction and managing cardiovascular disease in surgical and critically affected patients. However, the real-time measurement of cardiovascular health is difficult with existing non-invasive methods, either due to the bulkiness of the devices or because wearable devices can only detect the signals on the skin.

About the study

In the present study, a team of researchers designed a wearable ultrasonic device that uses liquid metal composite electrodes, piezoelectric transducer arrays, and triblock copolymer encapsulation. To circumvent the need to rotate the ultrasound probe to get two orthogonal orientations that provide a comprehensive image of the heart, the device was designed with an orthogonal configuration that provides different views.

A center resonant ultrasound frequency of 3 MHz was chosen for the imaging of deep tissue while accounting for spatial resolution and penetration depth. Eutectic gallium-indium liquid metal and styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) were used to build the multilayered, high-density, stretchable electrodes, which made the device compact. Additionally, each of the piezoelectric transducer elements comprises an anisotropic 1-3 piezoelectric composite coupled with a silver-epoxy-based backing layer.

The wearable ultrasound sensor is flexible, allowing it to provide a continuous recording of cardiac activities before, during and after exercise or movement. Image Credit: Xu Laboratory, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering

The five metrics used to evaluate the quality of the images included axial, elevational, and lateral special resolutions, axial and lateral location accuracies, signal-to-noise ratio, contrast-to-noise ratio, and dynamic range. Mono-focus, plane-wave, and wide-beam compounding were compared to analyze the transmit beamforming strategy, which is important for image quality. Additionally, the receive beamforming strategy was also examined to improve image quality further.

The wide-beam compounding approach was used to analyze the special resolution of the device and to evaluate the contrast-to-noise ratio and dynamic range of the device. The performance of the device was compared with that of a commercial echocardiograph device. Additionally, the performance of the wearable device was also assessed during motion by attaching it to a subject who started supine and proceeded through multiple intervals of exercise on a stationary bike until the maximal heart rate was achieved. The left ventricular internal diameter end systole and end diastole (LVIDs and LVIDd) were evaluated for each testing stage.

The wearable cardiac ultrasound imager is flexible, making it ideal for bodies in motion. Image Credit: David Baillot/ UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering

Furthermore, a deep learning neural network was applied to obtain the data on left ventricular volume from the real-time images. This information is critical in determining potential risk factors and changes in the pumping capabilities of the heart.

Results

The results reported a substantial improvement in the accurate monitoring of cardiac performance through the wearable ultrasonic device. The wide bandwidth, low dielectric loss, increased electromechanical coupling, and almost zero crosstalk ensured that the device has excellent electromechanical properties. The Youngs modulus of the device was comparable to that of human skin and combined with the increased stretchability. The device was able to maintain close contact with the skin, which is difficult in existing ultrasound devices.

When the wearable device was compared with a commercial echocardiograph device, the difference between the results from the two devices was negligible. The researchers also reported that the wearable device allowed the motion-mode images' mechanical activities to be correlated with the echocardiogram.

An area where existing ultrasound procedures are insufficient is during stress echocardiography, as data can be obtained only before and after strenuous exercise. In quick recovery cases, pathological responses during exercise can be missed. Using liquidus silicone instead of the traditional water-based gel that evaporates during the ultrasound ensured that the image quality was stable. No allergy or skin irritation was reported after the subjects wore the device for 24 hours, and the device temperature remained stable. Similar results from multiple subjects wearing the same device also ensured the stability and reliability of performance.

Additionally, the left ventricular volume data extracted from the continuous images using the deep learning neural network showed similar waveforms to those obtained from commercial imaging devices.

Conclusions

Overall, the results indicated that the wearable ultrasound device could be an essential tool for the real-time monitoring of cardiac function for critically ill cardiac patients. Furthermore, the compact size, stability during movement, and improved coupling between the device and human skin make it a potentially critical tool for detecting changes in cardiac responses during stress echocardiography.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Interior Ministry Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA), Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa launched the new NPRA website yesterday during the periodic meeting with the NPRA Assistant Undersecretaries and directors.

The website https://www. npra.gov.bh meets technological development to enable clients to access services and information through new designs that could be logged in through smartphones.

He highlighted that the website is part of the 25 initiatives launched by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, as part of the economic recovery to meet the inspirations of the government and Bahrains economic vision 2030.

Shaikh Hisham hailed the directives of Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa to promote digital transformation and the use of technology.

He asserted the dedication of the NPRA to facilitate all procedures, speed up the processing of services and the continuation of the development operations.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Council of Representatives has condemned and denounced in the strongest terms the Swedish authorities allowing an extremist to burn a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

In a statement, the Representatives Council described the move as unacceptable as it constitutes a provocation against Muslims and an infringement of their fundamentals and religious beliefs, adding that it constitutes a deviation from the principles of respect for religions, and contravenes religious teachings, as well as human and moral values.

The Council affirmed that this condemned extremist act contradicts human instinct and civilised norms, noting that it exploits the principles of freedom of opinion and expression to spread practices that are against the principles and values sought by the international community in promoting peace, tolerance and religious coexistence.

The Council of Representatives called on the International Community, and all the relevant international organisations and institutions to confront and criminalise these practices, as they foment discord, as well as undermine and contradict international calls and policies aimed at achieving rapprochement among religions.

The Council stressed that these despicable practices will not undermine the sanctity of the Holy Quran, nor the status of the Islamic religion.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Reported by Ashen Tharaka

The Pakistan Association celebrated its 30th anniversary by hosting a Family Night at Marmaris Hall in Manama for its members, their families and visitors.

Nearly 250 members, their families, and guests, including Pakistani Ambassador to Bahrain Muhammad Ayub, joined the event.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Ayub said that Bahrain is the second home of a large Pakistani community, adding that the two countries enjoy longstanding ties rooted in shared values, mutual trust and mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation.

Bahrain is a very hospitable and kind place for expatriate communities, he said. The brotherly relations between Pakistan and Bahrain have strengthened ever since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1971.

The Pakistan community has been serving as a bridge between our two countries, Ambassador Ayub said. He added that Pakistan community platforms in Bahrain, like Al-Saqafa and Pakistan Women Association, are doing valuable community and charitable social services.

They are also promoting Pakistani art and culture in Bahrain. Ambassador Ayub pledged that the Pakistan Embassy would continue to support healthy social and community activities. Al Saqafa-The Pakistan Association was founded in 1993 by a group of prominent Pakistanis, led by Mohamed Afdhal Najeeb, who felt that the community needed its own welfare organisation and a social and cultural forum.

The association has also organised literary nights, BBQ nights, charity programs, and educational symposiums in addition to sponsoring scholarships for deserving students. A significant part of its surplus from its programmes is donated to local charities and some is retained for financing future events.
Demand increases for natural Bahraini honey in local market

TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com Reported by Zahra Ayaz The kingdoms honey farmers are setting new milestones as Made in Bahrain honey emerges as a special brand in the global market. It is learnt that there has been an increasing demand for made in Bahrain honey within the Kingdom and abroad. Bees are important for growing fruits and vegetables and it has great significance in reducing the farmers dependence on pesticides and other chemicals. Owner of Hamada Bee, Abbas Maki Juma, told The Daily Tribune that there is a market for natural honey produced by hundreds of farmers throughout the Kingdom.

We export our products to countries like Egypt, Oman, and Saudi Arabia and seek to expand our business. We have partnered with local farmers who are producing fresh honey. Since there is such a great demand for honey, there is competition, and sometimes we make profit and other times we dont, but the key is to have beehives and honey that are of good quality. Due to the high demand for honey, there is competition. Sometimes we make profit and other times we dont. However, the key is to have beehives and honey that are of high quality. He said, I learnt this from my father, who has done beekeeping for many decades. If you are good at it, you can grow financially with beekeeping despite many challenges.

I began my firm with ten beehives before expanding to 500 beehives and working along with honey professionals. Currently, we have four branches in the Kingdom. The business for honey is increasing, but not significantly, according to Mahdi Shaban, the owner of Al Shadad Alhanan Honey, which operates a stall at the Farmers Market. This is because many customers are unaware of how the honey is produced in Bahrain and as a result, many are not interested in purchasing, and some think that there are fake honey in the market, which sometimes affects our business.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Riffa Views International School (RVIS) hosted Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)'s International Science and Technology Initiative (MISTI) in its innovation center LEVEL 5.

The workshop is co-sponsored with the US embassy and was the first of its kind in the GCC.

The program was initiated and co-founded by three graduate MIT Bahraini students, Marwa Al Alawi (MIT Mechanical Engineering, PhD), Maryam Al Jomairi (Doctoral Candidate at Harvard and Fulbright alumna), and Latifa Al Khayat (Graduate student at MIT Architecture) as a way to enrich Bahrains scientific and educational communities by promoting cultural and scientific exchange between Bahraini educational institutions, faculty and students with MIT, and formulate a multidisciplinary model of education and practice.

With the guidance of four MIT instructors, Kristan Hilby, Masarah Abdulhussein, Maxwell Yun, and Ngima Hyolmo, and the supervision of LEVEL 5s manager, Zahi Wehbe, 20 high school students from RVIS and three other private schools in Bahrain engaged in a wide-variety of engineering and innovative practices that allowed participants to develop essential field related skills including 3D digital modeling, rapid prototyping using specialized fabrication tools such as 3D printers and laser engravers.

These skills were then applied to the field of robotics, where students programmed and built robots that were able to distinguish between colors, grasp objects, and launch projectiles.

"We introduced the students to a wide-variety of engineering and robotics tasks designed to challenge their thinking and problem solving skills.

The determination and energy they brought to each project has deepened my passion for teaching,"Kristan Hilby, a fourth year PhD student and one of four MIT instructors at the workshop, said.

The MIT instructors will move their workshop to the American University of Bahrain (AUB), where they will run a similar workshop for university and government school students in Bahrain. They will also administer a two-day workshop for students via the Ministry of Youth Affairs.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Court of Cassation sentenced a Bahraini woman to 10 years in prison for torturing her child with her boyfriends assistance, causing him a permanent disability estimated at 100%. The pair repeatedly assaulted the child.

His medical reports indicated impaired respiratory and brain function, bruises, epilepsy, and a permanent disability estimated at 100% after suffering incurable blindness. The child became seriously ill while the defendant was with her boyfriend at her apartment.

After turning to the neighbours for help, she called for an ambulance. The medical staff immediately noted that the victim was in critical condition but placed him on medical devices to keep him alive. Police were informed of the childs condition and investigation revealed that he had been assaulted, bruised and wounded in various parts of his body.

The police immediately went to the defendants house. The defendant denied involvement in the crime, claiming to have been surprised by the victims cries while she was cooking. On the day of the incident, she claims to have found him in a frantic state, screaming, and the child appeared to suffocate and gasping for breath.

She assumed that the child had swallowed something and tried to extract it from his mouth. The neighbours who were contacted for help urged her to call an ambulance immediately. Both the mother and the boyfriend denied that the child had been subjected to any assault.

Through prosecution investigations and social services hearing testimonies of the victims sibling, it was found during post-examination that they were subjected to assault, bruises, scratches, and abrasions.

The two children stated that the defendant and her boyfriend repeatedly hit them. They mentioned various forms of torture, including beatings with electric wires, slippers, and burning with cigarettes.
, Jan 25 ( SMH ) - The family of a prominent Indigenous community leader detained in Japan claims she was groomed by a Nigerian love scammer for two years before she was arrested for suspected drug trafficking.

Japanese authorities intercepted Ballardong Njaki-Njaki woman Donna Nelson at Narita airport near Tokyo this month when she was allegedly found with two kilograms of drugs stashed inside a bag.

The family believes Nelson, a 2022 Western Australian Greens candidate and Aboriginal health advocate, was either forced or tricked into carrying the bag, which she had not packed in her luggage before leaving Australia.

The 56-year-old has been detained without charge in Tokyo since January 4, when she abruptly stopped answering messages from family and friends shortly after landing in the Japanese capital.

Police and consular officials confirmed Nelson had been detained by Japanese authorities on suspicion of drug trafficking three days later. The family has been able to contact her only through her court-appointed lawyer. ...continue reading
, Jan 26 ( The People ) - Leaving the ultramodern neon-lit streets behind us, we are entering Eastern Tokyo and getting close to an area called Sanya.

This cheap housing district has the fame of the citys slums, but the truth is that it used to give shelter to day laborers who came to the city to claim menial jobs and were paid by the hour.

We are now in the Kabuki-cho district. In an otherwise extremely law-obedient country, this district is considered among the seediest you can find. Not only does it harbor abundant criminal activity; it is also home to many Yakuza gangs, Japans organized crime syndicates. ...continue reading
REGINA, SK, Jan. 25, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Don McMorris, Saskatchewan's Minister of Government Relations, announced more than $19.7 million in joint funding for 25 infrastructure projects across the province.

The construction of new facilities at the First Nations University of Canada's Land-based Learning Centre in Regina is included in this funding. The centre will serve as a place for Indigenous teaching and learning on the land. It will include overnight facilities such as cabins, shower and washroom facilities, a mess hall with a kitchen, water and wastewater infrastructure, along with a permanent sweat lodge structure and an outdoor learning centre.

Funding will also provide improvements to Estevan's Leisure Centre to enhance the quality of facilities for residents. This project will include the rehabilitation of its rooftop for increased sustainability and the replacement of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to reduce the building's carbon footprint.

In the Town of Kindersley, the West Central Event Centre will benefit from a complete lifecycle upgrade of its refrigeration plant. The upgrade will increase energy efficiency and create a greener and self-sustaining facility. Other measures to reduce energy consumption include replacing leaky exterior doors and converting to LED lighting throughout the facility.

Several rural areas will also see infrastructure improvements including bridge replacements in the rural municipalities of Big Stick No. 141, Biggar No.347, and Laurier No. 38, which will improve the transportation system. In addition, funding will support the decommissioning of five landfills for the villages of Climax, Ceylon, Harris and the towns of Lumsden and Milestone to help protect the environment.

By investing in infrastructure, the Government of Canada is growing our country's economy, increasing the resiliency of our communities, and improving the lives of Canadians

Quotes

"The investments announced today will create opportunities for Saskatchewanians to build a better future for themselves, their families and their communities. We will continue working with our partners to support rural and Indigenous communities across Saskatchewan."

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

"Our government is investing nearly $9 million in provincial funding toward these 25 vital infrastructure projects. These investments will increase Indigenous cultural learning opportunities, provide recreational opportunities, improve our rural transportation system and support our environment. We will continue to build a stronger Saskatchewan that is home to a strong economy, strong communities and strong families."

The Honourable Don McMorris, Saskatchewan's Minister of Government Relations

Quick f acts

The Government of Canada is investing $10,822,885 towards these projects through the Green Infrastructure, Community, Culture and Recreation, and the Rural and Northern Communities streams of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The Government of Saskatchewan is contributing $8,948,700 .

is investing towards these projects through the Green Infrastructure, Community, Culture and Recreation, and the Rural and Northern Communities streams of the Investing in Infrastructure Program. The Government of is contributing . The 25 project recipients are contributing a combined total of $7,698,014 to these projects. Recipients are responsible for any additional costs.

to these projects. Recipients are responsible for any additional costs. Federal funding is conditional on fulfilling all requirements related to consultation with Indigenous groups.

The Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program is providing $33 billion for public infrastructure across Canada . Under this program, provinces and territories prioritize and submit projects to Infrastructure Canada for review. To date, the program has approved more than $20 billion for over 4,500 projects in communities across the country.

Infrastructure Program is providing for public infrastructure across . Under this program, provinces and territories prioritize and submit projects to Infrastructure Canada for review. To date, the program has approved more than for over 4,500 projects in communities across the country. Including today's announcement, the Government of Canada has invested more than $495 million in 296 infrastructure projects under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program in Saskatchewan .

has invested more than in 296 infrastructure projects under the Investing in Infrastructure Program in . Infrastructure Canada helps address complex challenges that Canadians face every dayranging from the rapid growth of our cities, to climate change, and environmental threats to our water and land.

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Backgrounder: Canada and Saskatchewan invest in infrastructure projects to strengthen communities

Associated links

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map

Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program

https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-pic-INFC-eng.html

Infrastructure Canada Projects and Programs in Saskatchewan

https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/investments-2002-investissements/sk-eng.html

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

For further information: (media only), please contact: Jean-Sebastien Comeau, Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, 343-574-8116, [email protected]; Media Relations: Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-715, Email: [email protected]; Dan Palmer, Saskatchewan Ministry of Government Relations, 306-787-7151, [email protected]
CALGARY, AB, Jan. 25, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, George Chahal, Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview, on behalf of the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, the Honourable Jeremy Nixon Alberta Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services, the Honourable Tanya Fir, Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women, Jyoti Gondek, Mayor of Calgary, and Sue Tomney, Chief Executive Officer for YW Calgary announced a combined government investment of over $22 million to provide women and children fleeing violence a safe haven in Calgary.

The redevelopment of the YW Sheriff King Home site and the construction of new affordable housing, co-located with the shelter, in the community of Inglewood, close to downtown Calgary, will help meet the specific needs of residents regarding safety, security, and healing.

The project includes a new affordable housing facility with 21, two-and-three-bedroom apartments that can accommodate 90-100 residents. Amenities available to residents will include multi-purpose spaces and access to all YW programs and services. Located on the same site will be the redevelopment and expansion of the Sheriff King Home crisis shelter from 44 to 80 beds, incorporating a trauma-informed design that promotes calm, safety, comfort, dignity, empowerment, health, and healing. Shelter residents will enjoy similar spaces as the affordable housing residents as well as licensed childcare for children living in the shelter, a communal kitchen, laundry facilities, and a pet room.

Funding for this project includes:

$17.5 million from the Government of Canada , with $10.4 million being provided through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF) for the emergency shelter and $7.1 million through the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) for the affordable supportive housing project

from the Government of , with being provided through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF) for the emergency shelter and through the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) for the affordable supportive housing project $2.4 million from the Government of Alberta for affordable housing

from the Government of for affordable housing $2.37 million from the City of Calgary

The YWCA will own and operate both the Sheriff King Home crisis shelter and the affordable housing.

The Government of Canada is advancing efforts to prevent gender-based violence, support survivors as well as their families. The recently announced National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence is a commitment of federal/provincial/territorial governments to work together towards a Canada free from gender-based violence.

Quotes:

"Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That is why we are investing $17.5 million to support women and children fleeing domestic violence in Calgary by creating secure, supportive homes, that provide the opportunity for healing and a fresh start. These new investments are a powerful example of how the National Housing Strategy is making a real difference in the lives of survivors of domestic violence by providing them with a safe and stable environment to call home."  The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

I am proud to announce funding for the YW Sheriff King Redevelopment project, a crucial initiative aimed at improving affordable housing for women and children in Calgary. This funding is in line with the National Housing Strategy's mission to build thriving communities by supporting the most vulnerable members of society. Our Government remains committed to providing safe and affordable housing options that allow families to build a successful future." - George Chahal, Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview

"Domestic violence impacts women and children throughout the province, which is why our government has taken steps to be a leader in providing support for those fleeing abuse. It is important to ensure supports such as affordable housing are available. YW Calgary's focus and hard work has been critical in helping survivors of abuse rebuild hope for their future."  The Honourable Jeremy Nixon, Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services

Women facing abuse need to know that when they need help, it will be there. By providing more affordable housing for survivors of violence, we are demonstrating a focus on caring for women and children facing difficult challenges that no one should ever have to face. Affordable housing is a central support that is needed to help those fleeing abuse to begin creating a life free from violence."  The Honourable Tanya Fir, Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women

"These new homes, alongside new emergency shelter beds funded by our partners, will be life-saving and life-changing for women and children fleeing abuse. With one in five Calgary families in need of safe, supportive and affordable housing, this funding is a critical investment towards addressing urgent demands. I'm encouraged to see all orders of government collaborate to deliver new supportive housing apartments."  Jyoti Gondek, Mayor of Calgary

"In Calgary, there is simply not enough safe, appropriate and affordable housing that allows women to regain their independence. This new affordable housing facility will provide 21 two and three-bedroom units for women and children as well as offer access to YW's continuum of programs and services, including counselling, parenting programs and domestic violence outreach.."  Sue Tomney, CEO YWCA Calgary

Quick facts:

The National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF) is a program under the National Housing Strategy (NHS) that gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans, and young adults.

is a program under the National Housing Strategy (NHS) that gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans, and young adults. Budget 2022 proposes to advance $2.9 billion in funding under the NHCF to accelerate the creation of up to 4,300 new units and the repair of up to 17,800 units.

in funding under the NHCF to accelerate the creation of up to 4,300 new units and the repair of up to 17,800 units. The Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) is a $2 .5 billion program under the National Housing Strategy (NHS) to help address the urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians, especially in the context of COVID-19, through the rapid construction of over 10,000 units of affordable housing.

is a .5 billion program under the National Housing Strategy (NHS) to help address the urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians, especially in the context of COVID-19, through the rapid construction of over 10,000 units of affordable housing. The Government of Canada's 2022 budget announced an additional investment of $1.5 billion for a third round of the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). This new funding will create up to 4,500 new affordable housing units, with at least 25 per cent of funding going towards women-focused projects. This brings the total investment in RHI to $4 billion , which will yield nearly 15,000 homes in total for people who need them most in this country.

2022 budget announced an additional investment of for a third round of the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). This new funding will create up to 4,500 new affordable housing units, with at least 25 per cent of funding going towards women-focused projects. This brings the total investment in RHI to , which will yield nearly 15,000 homes in total for people who need them most in this country. The Government of Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is an ambitious, 10-year plan that will invest over $72 billion to give more Canadians a place to call home.

National Housing Strategy (NHS) is an ambitious, 10-year plan that will invest over $72 billion to give more Canadians a place to call home. Budget 2021 provided a significant investment of $601.3 million over five years to address gender-based violence, including $30 million for crisis hotlines to support the urgent needs to Canadians to prevent the escalation of gender-based violence.

over five years to address gender-based violence, including for crisis hotlines to support the urgent needs to Canadians to prevent the escalation of gender-based violence. Building on this investment, Budget 2022 committed $539.3 million over five years to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the recently launched National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

over five years to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the recently launched National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Since April 2020 , Women and Gender Equality Canada has invested over $250 million of emergency COVID-19 funding in 1,400 women's shelters, sexual assault centers, and other organizations, including 138 organizations that serve Indigenous individuals.

About YW Calgary:

YW Calgary continues to focus on enhancing women's safety and well-being while advocating for equity, prosperity and inclusion for all within our community and beyond. Together with our donors, government, and other social agencies, we provide crisis and transitional shelter, affordable housing, counselling, parenting supports, childcare, language and economic prosperity programs that help women and their families to thrive in a safe and equitable community.

Associated links:

As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford, and that meets their needs. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in has a home they can afford, and that meets their needs. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. Check out the National Housing Strategy Housing Funding Initiatives Map to see the affordable housing projects that have been developed across Canada .

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

For further information: Media contacts: Brittany Hendrych, Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, [email protected]; Media Relations: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, [email protected]
Additionally, Fidelity's new ClearPath 2065 Portfolio provides a targeted retirement investment solution

TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2023 /CNW/ - Fidelity Investments Canada ULC ("Fidelity") launched Fidelity SmartHedge U.S. Equity Fund ("the Fund"), to help investors navigate continued market volatility while seeking growth.

The Fund aims to achieve long-term capital growth, investing primarily in equity securities of some of America's largest companies. The Fund uses an options-based derivatives strategy to hedge market exposure to help mitigate downside risk while providing upside participation.

"Expanding investors' choice and access to diversified investment options is a key priority  including delivering products designed to help them stay invested amid volatile markets," said Kelly Creelman, Senior Vice President, Products and Marketing, Fidelity. "Our new Fidelity SmartHedge U.S. Equity Fund will aim to balance risk while offering potential for savings to grow, helping to support investor resiliency during challenging conditions."

This new Fund will be managed by Zach Dewhirst, Mitch Livstone, and Eric Granat, and will leverage Fidelity's global research network and investment expertise.

Key investor benefits:

Constant defensiveness: The Fund offers an options-based derivatives strategy to help provide downside risk mitigation with upside participation.

The Fund offers an options-based derivatives strategy to help provide downside risk mitigation with upside participation. Reduced risk exposure: a built-in options overlay helps to mitigate downside risk when stock prices fall, reducing negative and emotional market timing decisions.

a built-in options overlay helps to mitigate downside risk when stock prices fall, reducing negative and emotional market timing decisions. Lower risk equity market exposure: Lower risk and dampened drawdowns can help offer a smoother investment experience and help investors stay invested.

Fidelity ClearPath 2065 Portfolio

The 2022 Fidelity Retirement Report shows that Canadians with a written retirement plan feel more financially, socially, physically, and emotionally prepared for retirement than those without one. To help meet investor and advisor demand, Fidelity launched its ClearPath 2065 Portfolio, adding to the firm's suite of target date funds. The portfolio aims to achieve high total investment return, using a dynamic asset allocation strategy and investing primarily in underlying funds. These underlying funds generally invest in equity securities, fixed income securities and/or money market instruments.

Products like Fidelity ClearPath 2065 Portfolio can help support Canadians in planning for their retirement, with a long-term investment strategy designed to become lower risk over time, shifting to a focus on fixed income as the investor approaches retirement.

Fidelity now provides ClearPath portfolios for target dates from 2005 to 2065, in five-year increments, allowing investors to match their time horizon with the appropriate portfolio.

Fidelity SmartHedge U.S. Equity Fund Portfolio Managers



Zach Dewhirst

Zach Dewhirst is a portfolio manager and team leader of the quantitative equity research team.

Over the past 10 years, Zach has managed a broad array of equity portfolios spanning different disciplines, objectives, and geographies.

Before joining Fidelity in 2007, Dewhirst held various positions within quantitative research at Pan Agora Asset Management and Putnam Investments. He has been in the financial industry since 1999.

Mitch Livstone

Mitch Livstone is the chief investment officer of Arbitrage and Hedging Solutions, responsible for leading a team that develops and runs alternatives investment vehicles, focusing primarily on relative value arbitrage strategies and defensive hedging solutions.

Mitch started his career at Fidelity in 1996. Additionally, he worked as a portfolio manager at Harvard Management and Geode Capital Management, where he also led the arbitrage team, and served as CIO and portfolio manager of a biotechnology-focused hedge fund.

Eric Granat

Eric Granat currently serves as portfolio manager for a number of pilot options-based strategies. Additionally, he is responsible for the design and implementation of derivative-based products and provides market analysis and customized derivative solutions to portfolio management teams to enhance portfolio performance and risk attributes.

Prior to re-joining Fidelity in 2012, Eric was a portfolio manager and a trader at Rampart Investment Management, and a principal analyst/programmer at Sun Life Financial. He has been in the financial industry since 1997.

For more information, visit fidelity.ca

About Fidelity Investments Canada ULC

At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals.



As a privately-owned company, our people and world class resources are committed to doing what is right for investors and their long-term success. Our clients have entrusted us with $196 billion in assets under management (as at January 19, 2023) and they include individuals, financial advisors, pension plans, endowments, foundations and more.



We are proud to provide investors a full range of domestic, international and global equity and income-oriented mutual funds, ETFs, asset allocation strategies, managed portfolios, sustainable investing products, alternative mutual funds and a high net worth program. Fidelity Funds are available through a number of advice-based distribution channels including financial planners, investment dealers, banks and insurance companies.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees, brokerage fees and expenses may be associated with investments in mutual funds and ETFs. Please read the mutual fund or ETF's prospectus, which contains detailed investment information, before investing. Mutual funds and ETFs are not guaranteed. Their values change frequently, and investors may experience a gain or a loss. Past performance may not be repeated.

Fidelity SmartHedge U.S. Equity Fund uses derivatives to implement a disciplined options-based strategy designed to provide downside risk mitigation. The strategy used by the fund, while designed to offset or mitigate a decrease in the value of the fund's investments, does not completely eliminate downside risk. Using an options-based strategy carries no guarantees, and options can expire worthless, meaning that the fund can lose the entire amount of the premiums that are paid to purchase those options.

Find us on social media @FidelityCanada

Related Links

http://www.fidelity.ca

SOURCE Fidelity Investments Canada ULC

For further information: Chris Pepper, Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, T: (416) 307-5388, M: (416) 795-7762, E: [email protected]
TYENDINAGA MOHAWK TERRITORY, ON, Jan. 25, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, Vance Badawey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services, and Chief Don Maracle, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, announced $30.25 million in federal funding for the construction of a new Elder Care Home in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

This new 128-bed long-term care facility for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte will provide a home for a growing elderly First Nations population, will offer critical services to residents, including 24-hour nursing and personal care, social activities, and food services, while helping to keep connections to language, culture, and community. With net-zero carbon and energy-saving components, this will be the community's first green long-term care home.

With a detailed design for the new facility being nearly complete, the project is expected to break ground in July 2023. Once complete, the long-term care services provided at the Elder Care Home will support community members to continue living on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory as they age.

By investing in infrastructure, the Government of Canada is growing our country's economy, increasing the resiliency of our communities, and improving the lives of Canadians.

Quotes

"Elders are integral leaders in their communities, and must be able to access good, compassionate care. This over $30-million investment for a new long-term care home for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte will offer Indigenous-led services to elders and keep them connected to their communities and culture. Indigenous-led and delivered services results in better health and wellness outcomes. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Chief Maracle and the Chief's Committee on Long Term Care. By working together, this is another example of reconciliation in action."

Vance Badawey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.

"I thank Parliamentary Secretary Vance Badawey for his attendance at this major funding announcement for the construction of a licensed long-term/Elder care home to address the critical need in our area. This will provide an opportunity for our members and others to receive care in a culturally competent setting and bolster local economic development by providing employment and opportunities in our community. We have come a long way to get to this point and I reflect back on the hard work of the Chief's Committee on Long-Term Care, leading to the opportunity for licensing and encouraging multiple partners to work together to achieve the result that we are seeing today. I express my gratitude to all of our funders to make this project a reality. I thank our staff and contractors as well as government staff who have worked diligently over many years. This is truly an amazing accomplishment, providing benefits for persons in need of care for generations to come."

Chief R. Donald Maracle, elected chief for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte

Quick facts

The Government of Canada is investing $30 million in this project:

is investing in this project: Infrastructure Canada is contributing $25 million in this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program.

is contributing in this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program.

Indigenous Services Canada is providing $5 million over two years from 2022 to 2024 through the Health Facilities program and $250,000 through the Lands and Economic Development program to support architectural design.

over two years from 2022 to 2024 through the Health Facilities program and through the Lands and Economic Development program to support architectural design. The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program is an integral part of Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan, providing $1.5 billion over five years towards green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new publicly-accessible community buildings that serve high-needs, underserved communities across Canada .

Strengthened Climate Plan, providing over five years towards green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new publicly-accessible community buildings that serve high-needs, underserved communities across . Provincial/territorial governments, municipal or regional governments, public sector bodies, not-for-profit, and Indigenous organizations interested in the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program are invited to apply on the Infrastructure Canada website.

Associated links

Green and Inclusive Community Buildings:

https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gicb-bcvi/index-eng.html

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map:

https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html

Strengthened Climate Plan:

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

For further information: For more information (media only), please contact: Jean-Sebastien Comeau, Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, 343-574-8116, [email protected]; Andrew MacKendrick, Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for FedNor, [email protected]; Rebecca Bartlett, Communications Officer, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, 613-813-8334, [email protected]; Media Relations - Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]; Media Relations - Indigenous Services Canada, 613-960-9251, Email: [email protected]
MONTREAL, Jan. 24, 2023 /CNW/ - Crisis hotlines are a lifeline to survivors of gender-based violence and are critical support services. During the pandemic, organizations operating crisis lines in Quebec reported an increase in the volume of calls, as victims of violence and those seeking related services experienced barriers to safely accessing services.

Today, Rachel Bendayan, Parliamentary Secretary, and Member of Parliament for Outremont on behalf of the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced $5.5 million to support crisis hotlines across Quebec.

This funding will help Quebec crisis hotlines serve the urgent needs of Canadians. The crisis hotlines will offer more robust services, resources, and support to prevent the escalation of gender-based violence.

This announcement marks the fifth bilateral agreement signed with provincial and territorial governments. Since August, the Government of Canada has announced agreements Manitoba, Yukon, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. Over the next few months, the Government of Canada will continue to work with other provinces and territories to finalize similar bilateral agreements.

This announcement builds on the historic endorsement of the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence by the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers responsible for the Status of Women in early November.

Since April 2020, we've invested over $250 million of emergency COVID-19 funding in 1,400 women's shelters, sexual assault centers, and other organizations, including 138 organizations that serve Indigenous individuals.

Quotes

The hotlines that our federal government is funding will ensure that life-saving services will continue to be available to women fleeing violence. This investment will also allow the hotline to offer more robust services and resources at this critical time. The Government of Canada has made it clear that everyone has the right to live free from violence, and we know that to end gender-based violence, we must work together."

Rachel Bendayan, Parliamentary Secretary, and Member of Parliament for Outremont

"Gender-based violence continues to be a systemic problem across Canada and it still disproportionately affects women and girls. We will continue working closely with provincial and territorial governments to ensure that anyone facing gender-based violence has reliable and timely access to services, no matter where they live. Every effort will be taken to end gender-based violence in all its forms Today, we are pleased to provide Quebec with the support they need, as we sign yet another agreement to support crisis hotlines."

The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Quick facts

In 2021, nearly half (49%) of shelters surveyed reported an increase in the number of crisis calls received compared with before the pandemic.

Close to half (46%) of gender-based violence service providers surveyed in Canada between May and July 2020 reported changes in the prevalence and severity of gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gender-based violence disproportionately affects women and girls. Certain intersectional populations also experience high levels of violence or are underserved in the GBV sector, such as Indigenous women and girls; Black and racialized women; immigrant and refugee women; members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities; people with disabilities; and women living in Northern, rural, and remote communities.

SOS domestic violence, a front-line service in Quebec for victims and their loved ones, estimates that it received 7,000 more calls in 2020-2021 than in 2019-2020. The number can reach 200 per day, while the average was 90 in 2019.

In Quebec , in 2021, 18,351 people were victims of violent offences likely to cause injury in a marital context. This represents an increase of 48% from the 12,383 victims in 2005. Women represent 73.8% of victims of violent spousal offences that result in injury.

In October 2021 , 17.6% of women in Quebec had a spousal violence index. The Montreal region would be the most affected in Quebec , with 22.5% of women in couples presenting an index of spousal violence.

The finalizing of agreements on crisis hotlines complements and supports the implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV NAP). The GBV NAP was launched on November 9, 2022 , and sets a framework for anyone facing GBV to have reliable and timely access to protection and services, no matter where they live. This is a concrete step towards fulfilling a long-standing commitment of federal, provincial, and territorial governments to working together towards a Canada free of GBV.

The Government of Quebec noted that gender-based violence is a priority for the Government of Quebec, which has invested significant funds to end violence against women. However, although it supports the overall objectives of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, the Government of Quebec cannot adhere to it because it intends to retain its full responsibility in this area on its territory.



Associated links

Follow Women and Gender Equality Canada:

SOURCE Women and Gender Equality Canada

For further information: Johise Namwira, Press Secretary and Issues Manager, Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, 873-353-0985, [email protected]; Media Relations: Women and Gender Equality Canada, 819-420-6530, [email protected]
Intrarosa  is now available in Canada and offers a new treatment option for Canadian physicians and their patients with postmenopausal vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA)

Intrarosa  is the only treatment authorized by Health Canada that addresses both estrogen and androgen deficiencies involved in the physiopathology of VVA

Intrarosa is a 100% Canadian, Quebec -based innovation, from R&D to manufacturing

MONTREAL, Jan. 25, 2023 /CNW Telbec/ - Lupin Pharma Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lupin Limited (Lupin), announced today the launch of Intrarosa (prasterone vaginal ovules) for the treatment of postmenopausal vulvovaginal atrophy.

"The arrival of Intrarosa is great news," said Dr. Celine Bouchard, gynecologist from Quebec. "It is a new option for women who suffer from the symptoms of menopause such as dyspareunia (painful intercourse), vaginal dryness, irritation, and itching. Most importantly, Intrarosa is a unique therapy with its mode of action that acts on both estrogen and androgen deficiencies, responds quickly and has a safe profile." Dr. Bouchard added, "Many women have been waiting for Intrarosa."

"Lupin is dedicated to serving both patients and healthcare providers with high quality medicines that address patient needs and deliver value. We are pleased that Intrarosa is now available in the Canadian market. It offers a new treatment option to Canadian women with menopausal symptoms such as dyspareunia (painful intercourse), vaginal dryness, irritation, and itching," said Patrick Nadeau, General Manager of Lupin Pharma Canada.

"Launching Intrarosa in Canada has a very special value to us. Dr. Fernand Labrie, the late founder of Endoceutics, had dedicated his career to developing safe treatment options for women, which is now achieved with the absence of serious warnings and precautions on the monograph of Intrarosa. We are also very proud that the product is manufactured here in Quebec by our subsidiary MSH Pharma" commented Dennis Turpin, President and CEO of Endoceutics.

Intrarosa is an ovule that is administered intravaginally once a day at bedtime with the use of the provided latex-free applicator or with fingers.

About Lupin Limited

Lupin is an innovation-led transnational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Mumbai, India. The Company develops and commercializes a wide range of branded and generic formulations, biotechnology products, and APIs in over 100 markets in the U.S., India, South Africa, and across the Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM), Europe, and Middle East regions.

The Company enjoys a leadership position in the cardiovascular, anti-diabetic, and respiratory segments and has a significant presence in the anti-infective, gastro-intestinal (GI), central nervous system (CNS), and women's health areas. Lupin is the third-largest pharmaceutical company in the U.S. by prescriptions. The company invested 8.7% of its revenue in research and development in FY22.

Lupin has 15 manufacturing sites, 7 research centres, more than 20,000 professionals working globally, and has been consistently recognized as a 'Great Place to Work' in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals sector.

Please visit www.lupin.com for more information.

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LupinGlobal

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lupin

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LupinWorld/

About Endoceutics

Endoceutics, Inc. is focused on women's health. Through its subsidiary MSH Pharma, Endoceutics also manufactures its innovative Intrarosa as well as other drugs on behalf of its partners and customers. Endoceutics has the expertise for clinical development, registration and commercialization of its products and it has a portfolio of drugs at various stages of development. Endoceutics' mission is to provide women the quality of life they deserve.

For more information, please visit www.endoceutics.com.

Reference:

INTRAROSA Product Monograph. Endoceutics, Inc. October 20, 2021.



SOURCE Lupin Pharma Canada

For further information: For further information or queries please contact: LUPIN, Shweta Munjal, Head - Corporate Communications, Email: [email protected]; ENDOCEUTICS, [email protected], (418) 653-0033
Today, we celebrate the many cultures from the African continent and the African diasporas in Canada and around the world

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 24, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, people in Canada and across the globe will mark the UNESCO World Day for African and Afrodescendant Culture, an opportunity to celebrate the rich heritage and contributions made by members of the African diaspora.

Adopted in 2019, the World Day for African and Afrodescendant Culture also serves as a means to promote the need for sustainable development, dialogue, and peace across the African continent, while also highlighting its many cultures.

Here in Canada, our government remains committed to supporting and honouring members of the Black and Afrodescendant communities who have played an important part in building a more inclusive society.

To advance the aims of the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent, the Government of Canada has made $175 million available through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative since 2019 to support organizations that promote inclusion and celebrate the contributions of Black and Afrodescendant communities in Canada.

More still needs to be done to address anti-Black racism and discrimination in all aspects of our society. That is why our government has dedicated up to $200 million to create a new Black-Led Philanthropic Endowment Fund, which will support Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving non-profit organizations. We're also continuing our whole-of-government work to tackle anti-Black discrimination and racism through the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat.

As Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, I invite all Canadians to learn more about the World Day for African and Afrodescendant Culture and to join in the celebration of the many Black and Afrodescendant communities that have helped make this country what it is today.

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

For further information: (media only), please contact: Brittany-Anne Hendrych, Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, [email protected]; Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]




A 12-year-old, Abdulkadir, has been reportedly butchered to death by unknown persons in Zaria.





Late Abdulkadir, a resident of Madarkaci, was said to have met his untimely death on Monday, when he was sent to collect a phone from a nearby commercial charger on Sunday evening, but didnt return.





According to his father, Aminu Saleh Muhammad, the mutilated remains of Abdulkadir were discovered at an uncompleted building in the area.





A source stated that the father of the deceased, Aminu, suspected the killers to be ritualists, stressing, they butchered him by removing his eyes, penis, tongue and they broke his leg, as well as cracked his skull.





The father requested for the body from the police for burial.





The remains of the boy was buried according to Islamic rites.





DSP Muhammad Jalige, the State Police Command Public Relations Officer, while confirming the incident, said the boy was butchered to death by unknown murderers.





The PPRO said that already the police had commenced investigation in an effort to unearth and arrest the culprits to face the full wrath of the law.
Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says Aba, a commercial hub in Abia state, will become a major exporter of goods if he is elected president.

Speaking on Tuesday at a campaign rally in Umuahia, capital city of Abia, Tinubu said Aba has the potential for manufacturing of clothing, appliances, and cars on a large scale.

The former governor of Lagos also spoke on his plans to strengthen the countrys digital economy and improve on the nations power generation and distribution.

Your state is a centre of production and industry. Today, my hope is renewed that together we can achieve industrial activity unprecedented in our history, he said.

Aba market is one of the largest in West Africa. I see it becoming a major exporter of all types of manufactured goods to Asia, to North and South America, and Europe.

I see this state humming with industrial activity such that it will become a world famous centre of activity from the manufacture of clothing to that of cars, appliances, and computers and their components.

We will give you the tools to make your businesses as competitive and productive as any on earth.

The teeming youth population standing before me makes my heart glad. We have good plans for you! Gods Own Youth! You are blessed! We will empower you. There will be jobs for those who desire jobs by providing tax and other employment credits to employers, encouraging them to hire you.

My government shall support those starting their own businesses. My digital economy plan calls for one million new jobs in ICT within 24 months in office.

Tinubu also said with his administration, the countrys security challenges would be addressed with the use of modern technology.

Security forces will be better trained and better compensated. They will exercise restraint when needed but will also show strength whenever put to the test, he added.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom state has expelled Ita Enang, a former special adviser to the president, over anti-party activities.

The expulsion follows recommendations from eastern ward 2  Enangs ward  in Ibiono Ibom LGA of the state.

In a letter dated January 24, the state working committee of the APC led by Stephen Ntukekpo, chairman of the party, ratified the wards recommendations expelling him.

The anti-party activities among others include his indulgence with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Akwa Ibom State, and his willful but unlawful disobedience of the directives of our great party, the APC, the letter reads.





After a free and fair gubernatorial primary election conducted by the party which he lost without showing a good spirit of sportsmanship, Senator Ita Solomon Enang had engaged in endless litigation against the candidate who won and the party.

In the process, fully doing the bidding of the PDP to put a clog in the wheel of our progress as a party. The clandestine meetings he holds with the opposition party, the PDP, and after such meetings, drumming support for them, are not without notice by his vigilant ward and chapter officers of our great party.

Consequently, I write on behalf of the state working committee (SWC) to ratify the decision of the disciplinary committee of the All Progressives Congress; that, Senator Ita Solomon Enang, be and is hereby expelled from the All Progressives Congress.

The development is coming a week after the appeal court upheld Akanimo Udofia as the authentic candidate of the APC in Akwa Ibom.

Enang had challenged the primary election that produced Udofia as the partys gubernatorial candidate in the state.

The former senator argued that Udofia did not take part in all phases of the governorship primary, hence is not a bona fide member.
The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has joined other Nigerians in calling for the deadline extension to phase out the old naira notes.

The Governor disclosed this in Makurdi on Wednesday when he received the Governing Council of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University.

On Tuesday, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria announced that it would not extend the 31 January deadline for phasing out the old naira notes.

Reacting to CBNs stance, Ortom said, The visible sign is that there are many people, particularly in the rural areas, to transfer the old notes. As a Governor, I am still waiting to see the new naira notes.

This is why I will join other Nigerians to look at this critically so that we dont worsen the condition of our people.

It is an understatement to say that our people are suffering in Nigeria. People are going through pain in this country. Things are not okay at all. I am calling the president to look into it and extend the deadline.
Nigeria has so far recorded a total of 123 Diphtheria infections and 38 deaths across four states of the federation as of 22 January.





According to the latest data by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Kano State recorded the highest with 100 confirmed infections and 32 deaths, followed by Yobe with 17 infections and three deaths.





The NCDC Director General, Ifedayo Adetifa, who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, Priscillia Ibekwe, made the disclosure Monday at the ministerial briefing organised by the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja.





Ms Ibekwe noted that Lagos State also reported five cases with three deaths while Osun recorded a single infection with no fatality.





NCDC response

The director noted that NCDC is supporting states by providing antitoxins for the treatment of confirmed cases and that with the support of partners, it had organised a workshop for laboratory scientists in states to increase diagnostic capacity for the disease.





She added that diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease, urging Nigerians to ensure that their children are fully vaccinated against the disease with the prescribed three doses of the pentavalent vaccine.





According to NCDC, diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection caused by the bacterium called Corynebacterium species that affects the nose, throat and sometimes, the skin of an individual.





The symptoms of diphtheria include fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, red eyes (conjunctivitis) and neck swelling. In severe cases, NCDC said that a thick grey or white patch appears on the tonsils and, or at the back of the throat associated with difficulty in breathing.





The Guardian also reported that Ms Ibekwe said the NCDC is now monitoring the situation of an unknown deadly flu in China and increasing genomic sequence sampling.





Also speaking, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had not made any pronouncement on such an outbreak, adding that the nations port health and other agencies were carrying out due diligence on arrivals in the country.
Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, has asked the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to ensure that drivers adhere to vehicle weight regulations.

Speaking on Tuesday at the annual general meeting (AGM) of NARTO in Abuja, Fashola said the federal government has been able to source supplementary funding like Sukuk, to ensure roads are rehabilitated and constructed across the country.

The minister said the association should ensure that drivers are trained and they adhere to speed limits.

We want you to self-enforce the weight regulations [for the roads] we have shared this with you. The roads give way under very extreme axle movements. As businessmen, you have to stand up [and enforce weight regulations] in your own interest, he said.





I also want to appeal for the safety of our roads. You cant just give the truck to anybody. It is not a toy. All the people who operate the trucks must be properly trained  it is a profession.

You see them across the world. Dont you see those things we see in the movies? Why cant our own be like that? If NARTO decides, NARTO can do it.

I want to appeal to you on behalf of Nigerians, to stay within the speed limit. Stay at 90; stay at 80. Even at 60, you will get there. You say roads are getting better. Is that not so? What are you racing for?





The minister said the reintroduction of the new tolling policy would create jobs and other economic opportunities.

While some people see new bridges and toll plazas as mere government enforcement efforts and as revenue collection, what I see are more jobs, new economic opportunities for old and young who will operate these facilities, and part of our commitment is to create a better life and create prosperity, he said.

In his remarks, Lawal Othman, NARTOs president, called on the authorities to prevent the destruction of trucks and the killing of drivers.

We believe that failure to take appropriate measures of dealing with any identified culprit is what emboldens and strengthens them to continue committing the crime. This is completely unacceptable and must never be allowed to continue, Othman said.





Let me use this opportunity to call on our law-abiding and patriotic members who are into the transportation of petroleum products to please desist from illegal bunkering, smuggling, and diversion of petroleum products because these actions are detrimental to the economy of our great nation.

This association will not support, defend, or sympathise with anyone caught committing these crimes.
The Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council has condemned the alleged attack on the campaign train of its candidate, Peter Obi, after a rally in Katsina on Monday.





According to the campaign team, the said attack took place after Obi had met with women in a townhall and then held a rally at the Muhammad Dikko Stadium.





Reports suggest that Obi took his campaign to Katsina where he promised to tackle hunger, insecurity and unemployment among others.





Obi and his campaign team, including his running mate, Datti Baba- Ahmed, told the crowd that they were ready to serve the country with all the strength in them if elected.

He promised to fulfil all his promises to Nigerians, insisting that electorates should have faith in him and his party to further develop the country.





The campaign team however said Obi was attacked by some hoodlums on his way to the airport.





On his (Obi) way to the airport, hoodlums attacked the car our candidate was riding in with heavy stones from his drivers side causing substantial damage to the vehicle.





To the glory of God, Obi and other occupants of the car were unhurt.





Subsequently, another set of thugs also threw stones outside the stadium which damaged several vehicles including that of our official stage crew, the campaign team narrated in a statement signed by its Head of Media, Diran Onifade, on Tuesday.





The two incidents taken together make us suspect that the attacks may have been premeditated at the behest of desperate politicians who had been deluding themselves with the false claim that they had the North-West locked up but are now shocked by the show of force of the Obidient movement in the region, Onifade added.





While thanking the people of Katsina who came out to support Obis campaign on Tuesday, the group called on security agencies to investigate the matter to forestall future occurrences.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor) has again decried attacks on his campaign train.

Jandor expressed frustration on Tuesday at a meeting with the Chief Imam at the Ketu Central Mosque.

The PDP flagbearer met the religious leader on the sideline of a scheduled tour of Kosofe Local Government Area.

He said earlier in the day, hoodlums attacked his convoy in Kosofe, stabbing a security operative.

Jandor lamented the recurrence of such across the state since he kicked off his campaign to 245 wards on October 19, 2022.

The candidates motorcade was targeted at different times in Badagry, Agege, among others,

Jandor vowed to continue the visits in his quest to rescue Lagos from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He disclosed that also on Tuesday, his running mate, Funke Akindele was chased out of Kosofe Fruit markets.

The politician said the trend is not healthy for democracy and the 2023 election.
Titi, wife of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says she wants to become the first Yoruba woman to be Nigerias first lady since 1999.

Titi said this in an interview with BBC Yoruba , which was aired on Tuesday.

Speaking during the interview, she asked Yoruba people to support her husbands candidacy.

Titi also said she will not stop her humanitarian work if her husband is elected president on February 25.

She said her organisation  Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF)  sponsored the bill that led to the establishment of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in 2003.

Since the inception of the civilian government in 1999, no Yoruba person has become the first lady of the country. I want to be the first Yoruba woman, Titi said in Yoruba.

I want Yoruba people to support the candidacy of Atiku. Atikus victory will make me the first lady of the country.

Speaking further, she said her husband will unify the country if elected president, adding that insurgency will become a thing of the past.

Atiku is my husband. We have been together for 50 years. My husband wants to give back to the country owing to what the country had done for him, she said.

During his youthful days, he attended schools for free. The government sponsored their education and gave them stipends. The government also provided jobs.

After he had passed through that stage, he came to the understanding that the government had done wonderful things for him. Hence, he developed the desire to pay back the good deeds to Nigerians owing to what the country had done for him.

My husband said he will do five things for Nigeria. He said he will fix Nigeria. There is no unity in the country. The country is currently in disarray.

Im from Osun state. In the past, Christians and Muslims did things together. My parents allowed me to marry him. But now, we dont know where the world is going. My husband saw all these and he said he wants to return Nigeria to point of unity.

My husband said he will address the issue of constant strike of varsity lecturers. He said he will address the issue of Boko Haram and the prevailing insecurity in the country.

It is only a person who knows the way that guides someone. He is a unifier. He wants to unify everybody. If my husband becomes president, he will end insecurity in the country and Boko Haram will be a thing of the past.




The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has expressed grief on the death of the governorship candidate of Abia State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Professor Uche Eleazar Ikonne.





Ikonne died at the age of 67.





Ohanaeze consoled the state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, over Ikonnes death.





Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, described Ikonnes death as unfortunate while extolling the exemplary and outstanding virtues of the deceased while alive.





The pan-Igbo organization noted the immense contributions, ideas, and uncommon roles of Ikonne in the medical profession, academic development, and stability of Abia State, and the entire South East.





According to Isiguzoro, the deceaseds peaceful disposition earned him numerous appointments including [as] Rector Abia State Polytechnic Aba, 7th Vice-Chancellor of Abia State University Ututu and the PDP ticket for the Abia guber elections.





Ohanaeze further grieved that Ikonne died at a time his vast and rich wealth of experience, lofty ideas, and wise counselling are needed towards consolidating numerous monumental giant strides achieved by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu-led administration in the past seven years in Abia state.





A statement by Isiguzoro reads: Ohanaeze Ndigbo call on the Government of Abia State to immortalize late Professor Ikonne for his patriotism and unquantifiable sacrifices. The new Government House should be named after the deceased.





And we equally want to use this medium to call on the state government to honour this great gentleman with an organized befitting burial interment for his supportive sacrifices.





The apex Igbo group consoled the Ikonne family, the PDP in Abia State, the government, and the people of Abia state on the shocking demise of this worthy Igbo leader.




Economic experts have said Nigerians would lose their hard-earned money over the Central Bank of Nigerias refusal to extend the January 31 deadline for phasing out N200, N500 and N1000 notes.





Recall that the Governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele, said there is no going back on the deadline shortly after the Monetary Policy Meeting on Tuesday.





The CBN stated that 90-100 days is enough for the old naira notes to be deposited in banks.





But, reacting to CBNs position, economic experts disclosed that innocent Nigerians would lose their hard-earned money.





On Tuesday, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, CPPE, Dr Muda Yusuf, said the more realistic option is for CBN to extend the deadline.





According to him, it is evident that CBN has production and logistics challenges regarding the new banknotes.





He stated that the CBNs stance on not shifting the deadline would have consequences for Nigerians.





On the currency exchange, it is evident that CBN has serious production and logistics limitations regarding the new currency notes.





The most realistic option is to extend the deadline. Otherwise, there will be severe business disruptions, especially within the SME space, the informal sector and the rural economy. Many innocent Nigerians will lose their hard-earned money, he said.





Also, a financial expert, Mr Idakolo Gbolade, said, I am now concluding that the deadline is punitive and could cause some uninformed Nigerians significant loss if the dynamics remain the same.





Similarly, an Accounting and Financial Development don at Lead City University, Ibadan, Prof Godwin Oyedokun, disclosed, It is not our fault as citizens, and we cannot be made to suffer the inefficiency of those charged with governance.





On October 26 2022, CBN announced the naira redesign policy, and barely a month after, on November 23, President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the new naira notes, followed by its circulation on December 15.




At least one person was reported dead and several others injured as unknown gunmen attacked a campaign rally of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Enugu State on Wednesday.





A source told newsmen that the assailants stormed Awgu Ward one campaign venue of the PDP and opened fire on party members.





The tragic Enugu West rally was attended by Engr. Osita Ngwu, the PDP senatorial candidate, Chief Anayo Onwuegbu, House of Reps candidate for Awgu/Aninri/Oji-River Federal Constituency, many other candidates and party members.





A trending video showed the moment a female victim was being carried to a hospital after sustaining gunshot wound.
Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says the total revenue collected as stamp duty between 2016 and 2022 is N370.7 billion.

Last month, Gudaji Kazaure, member of the house of representatives on mismanagement or embezzlement of stamp duty funds, raised alarm over attempts by government officials to cover-up stamp duty proceeds running into N89 trillion.

Kazaure alleged that the CBN, the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (OSGF), and the protocol department of the state house, conspired to prevent him from briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the findings of his investigation concerning the funds.

The presidency, however, dismissed the allegations and described them as false.

Speaking on the issue during the monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting on Tuesday, Emefiele said the CBN was not withholding any N89 trillion.

He said the clarification became necessary because Nigerians need to know the true position of things and not falsehoods.

According to Emefiele, the total assets of all banks is N71 trillion; total deposit in banks is N44 trillion.

From 2016 till date, stamp duty collection has amounted to N370.686 billion, the CBN governor said.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service has disbursed N226.451 billion of the money to the federation account allocation committee, while the balance of N144.235 is in the CBN.

The highest collection of the stamp is N71 billion, collected by First Bank.

Emefiele added that the CBN had appointed four world-class audit firms to go into the books of banks to verify if there was any unremitted stamp duty.

If there is any uncollected stamp duty, the banks will pay to the last kobo, he said.
Mahmood Yakubu, the chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says the claim that he is close to the government led by the All Progressives Congress (APC), is false.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Africa, Yakubu said the commission is committed to citizens of Nigeria and not any political party.

The claim that Im close to the APC-led government is an allegation. People always say so of all the electoral commissions, including electoral commissions in Nigeria and other countries as well, he said.

But look at the kind of elections that we have been conducting of late. Different political parties have won different elections and citizens believe that the votes are counting and they are confident in the process.

So, my assurance to the citizens is that well continue to do what is necessary to ensure that we protect the integrity of the process. Our allegiance is to the people of Nigeria and not to any political party.

Addressing fears over possible challenges with transmitting votes electronically, the INEC chairperson said the commission has proven its ability to do so in previous elections such as the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.

Some of them may be small elections in the Nigerian context. But the state with the least number of registered voters in places where we transmitted results is Ekiti, and Ekiti has more registered voters than the Gambia and Cape Verde put together, he said.

We are happy with the pilot we have conducted and we are reasonably confident in the strength of the processes.

He added that INEC is working with telecommunication companies to address the issue of network blindspots which may hinder result transmission.

The machine on election day does not rely on internet to accredit voters. It works offline. It only [needs] network when it comes to transmission of results, he said.

But if theres no network in the immediate vicinity, the scanned image of the polling unit level result which is taken using the BVAS will be transmitted as soon as the staff move from the polling unit to the collation centres.

We have been working with major telecom companies in Nigeria and we are satisfied that the number of blindspots can be addressed in the country. The number of blindspots where you have no network is really small.




Rwandan forces have fired at a fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), over an allegation of a violation of airspace.

In a video shared on Twitter by the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), on Tuesday, a projectile could be seen shooting toward an airborne military plane, before exploding in the air near the plane.

The plane continued to fly and later crashed as seen in subsequent videos.

Congo said the plane did not suffer any major damages.

In a statement, the Rwandan government said its forces had fired at the jet after it violated Rwandan airspace, prompting the government to take defensive measures.

Today at 5:03 pm, a Sukhoi-25 from DR Congo violated Rwanda airspace for the third time. Defensive measures were taken. Rwanda asks the DRC to stop this aggression, the statement reads.

The DRC countered the Rwandan authorities, saying the aircraft was flying within Congolese territory.

It described Rwandas move as a deliberate act of aggression that amounts to an act of war aimed at undermining a peace agreement to end an offensive by the M23 rebel group.

The government considers this umpteenth attack by Rwanda as a deliberate action, the DRCs ministry of information said.

DR Congo reserves the right to defend its national territory and will not be threatened.

The action sparks an escalation following months of conflict caused by the rebel group in eastern DR Congo, which has forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

DR Congo, the United States, and United Nations (UN) experts had earlier cited solid evidence accusing Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group with weapons and other forms of support.

Rwanda has denied this and blames the Congolese government for the conflict.




As unknown gunmen continue to wreak havoc in the South-East, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to allow Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra, IPOB, to address the people of the South-East.





Finland-based Simon Ekpa is being accused of sponsoring the unknown gunmen causing chaos across the Southeast.





Ekpa, who used to be a self-styled disciple of Kanu, was suspended by the separatist group over alleged insubordination.





Despite his suspension, Ekpa has continued his Biafra agitation and orders sit-at-home in the Southeast.





Aggrieved by the order, the apex Igbo socio-political organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, placed a $50,000 bounty on Ekpa.





It was observed that the killing in the Southeast became more rampant following Kanus arrest and detention.





The IPOB leader has been detained by the Federal Government since June 2022 after he was arrested in Kenya and repatriated to Nigeria.





Over the weekend, a video surfaced online of unknown gunmen beheading Chris Ohizu, the Chairman of Ideato North Local Government of Imo State.





The decapitalization of Ohizus head is one of the many killings witnessed in the Southeast.





While these gunmen have denied links to IPOB, some stakeholders in the Southeast have accused Ekpa of backing them.





However, the Ohanaeze Secretary-General, Isiguzoro, said the killings in the Southeast would subside if Buhari allows the IPOB leader to address Nigerians.





Speaking with newsmen on the activities of gunmen linked to Ekpa, Isiguzoro reiterated his stance on a plot to destabilise the 2023 elections in the Southeast using Ekpa.





According to Isiguzoro: This madness of sit-at-home and incessant killings and insecurity we are witnessing in the Southeast can be traced to the continuous incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu, which Simon Ekpa is taking undue advantage of.





Ekpa is an opportunist, a fame and fortune seeker who saw the window and lapses of Kanus detention as an opportunity for him to venture into his journey of amassing wealth from politicians and destroying the people of the Southeast.





The only cure to this madness of Simon Ekpa is a passionate appeal to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to allow the leader of IPOB to address Ndigbo possibly this February before the elections, because there is a grand conspiracy by some external enemies of Ndigbo, and they are using Ekpa to shortchange and ensure that there is an election boycott in the Southeast.





The only cure to this Ekpas madness is for Buhari to allow Kanu, even if its a five-minute broadcast, because Kanu has continued to say through his lawyers that these killings and insecurity in the Southeast should end. The activities of unknown gunmen instigated by Ekpa should end, and why there has been no effect on those messages is that the people doubt if those messages are from Nnamdi Kanu.





So, in order to have a peaceful election, the Federal Government should give Nnamdi Kanu a five-minute broadcast to talk to the people of the Southeast; this would end Ekpa and his madness.
Jibrilla Bindow, a former governor of Adamawa state, has resigned his membership from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a letter dated January 20 and addressed to the APC chairman in the Kolere ward of Mubi north LGA of Adamawa, Bindow cited the lack of genuine reconciliation of aggrieved members in the party after the 2019 general election and the 2022 primary elections.

The former governor lost the partys governorship ticket to Aisha Binani, a senator representing Adamawa central.

Bindow said his decision to leave the APC was not an easy one.

I wish to formally notify you of my decision to resign as a member of the All Progressive Congress party (APC) effective from 20th January 2023, he said in the letter copied to Abdullahi Adamu, national chairman of the party.

This decision is not an easy one but after deep prayers and wide consultations with my family, stakeholders, and faithful followers across the state and country at large, I have decided to resign my membership.

The decision is also a result of a lack of genuine reconciliation of aggrieved stakeholders within the party in Adamawa state since the unfortunate events of the 2019 general elections and the 2022 primary elections.

While thanking you and the party, I wish to also inform you that my faithful supporters will be joining me across the state in leaving the party so as to champion the cause of building a harmonious Adamawa that will enshrine unity in our diversity towards our collective development as a people.

Ahmadu Fintiri, incumbent governor of Adamawa, and Binani are among the candidates in the race for the government house in the state.








The nationwide fuel crisis has taken its toll on students and staff of the University of Ilorin as they are confronted with transportation challenges to and from the main campus.





Reacting to the development in a statement on Wednesday by Kunle Akogun, the Director, Corporate Affairs, of the institution, the management expressed pain over the transportation hardship the students and staff go through daily.





The statement appealed to all for continuous understanding, explaining that the factors responsible for the present situation are not peculiar to the University of Ilorin.





This issue of inadequate transportation leaves many stranded every morning and evening during peak hours.





Even the injection of more buses to the campus route has not achieved any tangible result as the nationwide fuel scarcity has compounded the situation, thereby rubbishing such intervention, the statement explained.





As part of measures to mitigate the effect of the unfortunate situation on the students especially, the management has instructed the adjustment of lecture timetable to make it more flexible.





Also, we have renewed our zoom licenses to activate the virtual lecture option recently approved by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wahab Egbewole, the statement added.
Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, says the ongoing campaign for candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state does not include the partys presidential candidate.

Wike said this on Tuesday in Bonny Town during the local government campaign flag-off rally that was organised by the Rivers state PDP campaign council.

He said the reason theres no campaign for the partys presidential candidate is that he was not asked to campaign.

Go home and have it on your mind that the PDP in Rivers state, we have taken governorship, we have taken the senatorial, we have taken the house of representatives, and we have taken the house of assembly, he said.

That is the election we are doing here. These are the ones (candidates) who told me to come and campaign for them. No other person told me to campaign for him.

I cant force myself to campaign for you when you have not asked for it. These ones (candidates) have told me, so, Ive come here to campaign.

If somebody asks you to work for him, youll work for him. But if they dont want you to work for them, will you force them?

The governor said all residents in the state should be assured that no intimidation can cause the political path that has been so chosen to change.

Any person who says Rivers state is not important, we will pepper him. Anybody who says he doesnt regard Rivers state, we would not regard such person, he said.

Theres nothing like propaganda, nothing like intimidation because nobody can intimidate us. We are very, very solid. We are very strong.

No state can point at us to determine what will happen here. Nobody can do such. So, be bold to say, Im from Rivers state, I live in Rivers, and I am happy with Rivers. What is important is our state which we have collected.

Wikes comment comes amid the crisis in the PDP over calls by the Rivers governor and his allies for Iyorchia Ayu to step down as national chairperson of the party.

The Rivers governor and his allies, who have insisted that the partys national chair and presidential candidate cannot be from the same region, have excluded themselves from the PDP presidential campaign.
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The death of an LSU student raped before being fatally struck by a car sent shockwaves through campus Tuesday while state regulators suspended a popular bar's liquor license, four suspects appeared for bond hearings and sexual assault activists called for her death to serve as a wakeup call about rape culture.

The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control issued an emergency suspension for Reggie's bar Tuesday due to "the seriousness of the allegations and the potential threat to public safety laid bare by the case, said Ernest Legier, the agency's commissioner. Legier said the suspension would remain in place pending a hearing next month.

The bar is cooperating with investigators and will continue doing so, Reggies attorney, Kris Perret, said in a statement.

Deputies have arrested 4 men in connection with an incident that eventually led to LSU student, Madison Brooks, being hit and killed by a vehicle in Baton Rouge earlier this month Facebook photo 

The focus on the role of underage drinking in the case of 19-year-old Madison Brooks, of Madisonville  a point of emphasis made by LSU President William Tate  also drew criticism as the campus reels from her death. Advocates say that message distracts from the bigger threat of sexual violence  a perennial problem at a university that has met massive scrutiny in recent years over sexual assault and alcohol-related deaths alike.

Alcohol did not cause her rape or her death, said Morgan Lamandre, the president and CEO of the advocacy group STAR. The perpetrators caused her rape, which led to her being in a place that ultimately led to her death.

Tate in a statement Monday called Brooks' death "evil" and pledged that the university would respond by cracking down on local businesses that serve minors alcohol.

Brooks had been drinking at Reggie's on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 14, when she met a 17-year-old and left the bar with him and three other males, sheriffs deputies wrote in an affidavit. The group pulled over after leaving the bar, while two of the males  the 17-year-old and and Kaivon Washington, 18  raped her in the back of the car, arrest documents say.

Arrest papers say Brooks had a blood-alcohol level of .319  nearly four times the legal limit to drive, enough to give someone alcohol poisoning and render them unconscious and one reason police say she was unable to consent to sex. She was unable to say where she lived, and the four dropped her off in a subdivision, the documents say.

She was hit by a car and killed on Burbank Drive shortly before 2:50 a.m. The driver who struck her called emergency personnel immediately, waited on the scene, was tested and was found not to be impaired, an East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office spokesperson said.

Pelican Lake subdivision sign, marking the entrance there at Burbank Drive and Pelican Lakes Parkway, seen Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Authorities say Madison Brooks, a 19-year-old LSU sophomore, was raped in the back of a car before being dropped the neighborhood, near where she was fatally struck by a car on Burbank Drive about an hour later, around 2:50 a.m. on Jan. 15. She had been drinking at Reggie's bar before the incident, and deputies said Brooks had a blood-alcohol level of .319, nearly four times the legal limit to drive and enough to give someone alcohol poisoning and render them unconscious. STAFF PHOTO BY TRAVIS SPRADLING 

Police announced Monday they had arrested all four suspects accused of leaving the bar with Brooks: Washington and the 17-year-old, who is not being named because he is a juvenile, on a count each of third-degree rape; and Casen Carver, 18, and Everett Lee, 28, on a count each of principal to third-degree rape.

None of those arrested are students at LSU, a university spokesperson said Tuesday.

Brooks death has had ripple effects at the university and beyond as the case made national and international headlines. Mikal Lee, a freshman at the university, said Tuesday it spurred him to have a talk with his mother about how to better treat women and conduct himself at parties.

And some advocates on campus called the universitys response lacking and urged administrators to do more. We are glad you are outraged, LSU Democrats and Feminists in Action said in a joint statement. But we insist that you direct this energy to fix the sexual violence our community faces instead of using alcohol as a scapegoat.

Myrissa Eisworth, a junior at the university and the president of feminists in action, said Tate's statement seemed to blame Brooks for the events of that night.

"By making it about alcohol, in a way, he also blames her for the situation because she was drinking and underage," she said. "You should never blame victims in those situations. It was really hard to read."

Sign advertising specials at Reggies bar, seen Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Madison Brooks, the 19-year-old LSU sophomore who was raped in the back of a car before being dropped off in a neighborhood near where she was fatally struck by a car on Burbank Drive about an hour later on Jan. 15 had been drinking at Reggie's bar before the incident, and deputies said Brooks had a blood-alcohol level of .319, nearly four times the legal limit to drive and enough to give someone alcohol poisoning and render them unconscious. STAFF PHOTO BY TRAVIS SPRADLING 

The three adult suspects made their initial appearances before a judge Tuesday afternoon through a video feed from the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. District Judge Brad Myers set Carver's and Lees bonds at $50,000 and $75,000, respectively. Washington got a $150,000 bail.

Prosecutors will pursue upgrading the charges to first-degree and principal to first-degree rape, said Stuart Theriot, an assistant district attorney. Louisianas first-degree rape statute carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors allege Carver was driving the car and Lee was riding shotgun while Washington and the underaged suspect raped Brooks in the backseat.

All three suspects must report to the parishs drug lab after being released and undergo random drug testing for 180 days. Myers also ordered them to remain under house arrest with a GPS monitoring device strapped to their ankle if they post bond and barred them from posting about the incident on social media.

LSU's Alpha Phi sorority on W. Lakeshore, seen Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. An Alpha Phi member, Madison Brooks, a 19-year-old LSU sophomore was raped in the back of a car before being dropped off in a neighborhood near where she was fatally struck by a car on Burbank Drive about an hour later, around 2:50 a.m. on Jan. 15, authorities said. STAFF PHOTO BY TRAVIS SPRADLING 

Washington used his cell phone to record footage inside the car as the group dropped Brooks off after the assault, according to court testimony Tuesday.

Carver's and Lees attorneys tried to convince Myers there was no evidence to show the two aided or abetted in Brooks rape and no probable cause existed for their charges. Carvers attorney, Joe Long, said the teens only involvement was driving her to where she said her home was.

Dale Glover, who represented Washington in Tuesdays hearing, told Myers the victim was not too drunk to consent to sex, arguing that threshold is not clearly defined under Louisiana law. The statute defines third-degree rape as an act committed when the victim is incapable of resisting because of an intoxicant and when the offender knew or should have known of the victim's incapacity.

Brooks level of intoxication would have made her incapable of giving consent, prosecutors say.

Reegie's bar, seen from the road, at 1176 Bob Pettit Blvd., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Madison Brooks, a 19-year-old LSU sophomore, had been drinking at the bar before she was raped in the back of a car, before being dropped left in a neighborhood off Burbank Drive. She was fatally struck by a car on Burbank Drive about an hour later, around 2:50 a.m. on Jan. 15, authorities said. Deputies said Brooks had a blood-alcohol level of .319, nearly four times the legal limit to drive and enough to give someone alcohol poisoning and render them unconscious. STAFF PHOTO BY TRAVIS SPRADLING 

Carver, the driver, told deputies he felt uncomfortable with what was happening in the car and even told the two to stop. When asked if Brooks was too impaired to consent to sex, Carver responded, "I guess."

Trying to convince Myers that Washington is not a flight risk, Glover said, hes being tried right now in the media. His reputation is ruined. If anything, hes going to come to court to prove he didnt do this and clear his name.

Myers countered that state law doesnt require the victim be in such a condition to be unable to consent. He stressed the fact that she was seen on surveillance video inside and outside the bar staggering, she stumbled to the floor twice and had to be helped to the suspects car.
Louisiana 1 is seen from a helicopter above Grand Isle on July 27, 2010. According to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, the resort town is trying to suppress free speech with an ordinance aimed at stopping a contractor from flying flags emblazoned with vulgar insults aimed at President Joe Biden and his supporters.
FlyDubai Airline has resumed regular flights on the Dubai-Ashgabat-Dubai route from January 24, Azernews reports.

The airline will operate direct scheduled flights from Dubai (UAE) to Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) on Mondays and Thursdays, and flights from Ashgabat to Dubai will be operated on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The planes will depart from Dubai at 23:55 (GMT+4), the arrival time at Ashgabat airport the next day is at 03:25 (GMT+5). Departure of the return flight is at 04:35 (GMT+5), arrival in Dubai at 06:30 (GMT+4).

Regular flights between Dubai and Ashgabat were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
An economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago will give a talk to a Calumet Region business crowd.

The Calumet Area Industrial Commission will host Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Senior Business Economist Thomas Walstrum at its membership luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 15 at the DoubleTree Hotel at 5000 W. 127th St. in Alsip.

He will address "The Status of The Midwest Economy and Its Manufacturing Sector."

"The Midwest Economy is constantly changing, especially its manufacturing sector, but it remains a vital one to the economy," the Calumet Area Industrial Commission said in a news release. "Chicagoland area is home to a diverse range of manufacturing industries, including food and beverage, transportation equipment and machinery manufacturing. The city has a long history of manufacturing and continues to be an important center for the industry."

The Calumet Area Industrial commission represents more than 1,500 companies from Chicago's south side, suburban southern Cook County and Northwest Indiana. Members include Ford, BP, Flex-N-Gate, Cleveland-Cliffs, Finkl Steel, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Method, Ozinga and many others. Its members employ more than 83,000 people in 50 industrial sectors that include steel, automotive, metal fabrication, food, chemical, glass and paper.

Walstrum worked in the economic research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He works on briefings to the Chicago Fed president on Midwestern economic conditions and contributes to the Chicago Fed Survey of Business Conditions and the Beige Book.

He has a degree from Wheaton College and a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago with concentrations in labor, urban economics and regional economics.

For more information, call 773-341-3059, email info@calumetareaindustrial.com or visit calumetareaindustral.com.
The Lake County Historical Society is now reevaluating its collection as part of the next phase in its Fresh New Start program as it looks to revamp its exhibits.

Last year, the historical society labeled the artifacts in its collection in the museum on the second floor of the Old Lake County Courthouse in downtown Crown Point. The volunteer-driven group determined the provenance of the items on display, noting their connection to local history.

In the next phase, it will decide which artifacts to display in new exhibits, which to return to donors and which to find new homes.

The ultimate goal of every good museum is to provide an experience that makes history come alive for its guests, said Scott Hudnall, President of the Lake County Historical Society. We need to make that happen with our museum, and do the right thing for any artifacts that do not fit our mission or would be better served at other museums.

The Indiana Museum Property Law governs how they can be transferred to other institutions, such as other local history museums in Northwest Indiana. Hudnall, an assistant librarian at Indiana University Northwest, said libraries make the most of a limited space by subjecting collections to rigorous scrutiny to make sure they meet community needs.

The Lake County Historical Society, which will mark its 150th anniversary in 2025, has rejected few items over the years. It also has been storing items that are not artifacts, such as a large sleigh formerly used for Santa visits on the courthouses first floor.

Its amazing how many important local artifacts weve found this year randomly mixed in with other items, said Vicky Klein, Secretary for the Lake County Historical Society and new volunteer. We found Timothy H. Balls rocker between displays for glasses, gloves and shoes, out in the open where anyone could sit in it. His importance as our countys first historian makes this rocker an essential piece in our collection that needs to be better protected and preserved.

The museum hopes to better curate exhibits to become a more exciting place to visit, especially for youth. It uncovered artifacts it wasn't to more prominently display such as a Harry J. Baker jeweler sign it wants to include in a future marriage mill exhibit.

Anyone who's interested in volunteering should call 219-662-3975.

For more information, visit lchsmuseum.org.
HAMMOND  State and Lake County officials shouldnt be held responsible for the 2013 sexual assault of a Gary woman by her court probation officer.

U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Joshua P. Kolar in Hammond ruled this week that the womans probation officer, 44-year-old Miroslav Radiceski, must be tried, as early as next month, for violating the victims civil rights.

However, the federal court is dismissing her civil rights complaints against Radiceskis supervisors: Lake Criminal Court judges in Crown Point, Jan Parsons, former director of criminal court probation, and a mix of state and county officials connected with the Lake Criminal Court.

David S. Gladish, an attorney for the woman, argued that Lake Criminal Court county and state officials should be held accountable for failing to protect her from a predatory court employee.

Federal court papers state that Radiceski was known to have forced another woman under his supervision to partially disrobe in 2011. Court officials didnt discipline or fire him.

Nevertheless, Kolar ruled that the state and county court officials have qualified immunity from such a suit.

Gladish said he intends to ask the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate his suit against the state and county officials.

The case revolves around the rights of a criminal defendant to be free from sexual assault while under court supervision.

The woman pleaded guilty more than a decade ago to theft. A Lake Criminal Court judge spared her from going to prison on condition she serve a three-year term of probation.

She was placed in March 2013 under the supervision of Radiceski, one of the courts probation officers, whose job was to ensure she led a law-abiding life.

She alleges she was alone with Radiceski in his court probation office one day and he began putting his hand on her leg and fondling her.

She rebuffed his sexual advances and left.

A few days later, Radiceski used his authority as her probation officer to have the court revoke her probation  putting her in jeopardy of having to serve three years behind bars.

She claims Radiceski told her he would take care of her if she kept quiet. He continued to fondle her during her office visits and forced her to have sex with him Nov. 26, 2013, in a secluded stairwell in the court building in Crown Point.

The woman said she was initially afraid to complain out of fear other court officers would put her in jail in retaliation.

A month later she hired her own attorney, J. Michael Katz, of Highland, to represent her. Eventually, the state assigned a prosecutor outside of Lake County to charge Radiceski with sexual assault.

Radiceski pleaded guilty in 2015 to official misconduct and was placed on three years home detention, which he has completed.

The woman filed her civil suit in federal court that same year.
The Indiana Senate unanimously agreed Tuesday to give the Lake County recorder access to some $500,000 in fees generated by her office whose use sharply is limited by state law.

Indiana statutes mandate county recorders collect a variety of fees for filing official documents, such as property deeds and mortgages, and deposit $1 from those fees in an elected officials training fund each time certain documents are recorded.

Money in the training fund, by law, only can be used to provide training, including travel, lodging and related expenses, to newly elected county officials or to officeholders whose positions include specific training requirements.

Senate Bill 65, if also approved later this year by the House, would enable the Lake County Council, or any similarly situated county financial governing body, to make a one-time transfer from the county's elected officials training fund to the recorder's records perpetuation fund.

State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, the sponsor of the measure, said the training fund "has a tremendous amount of surplus in it" that could be put to better use cleaning up the mess the current recorder inherited from her chronically absent predecessor.

Indeed, records show the Lake County election officials training fund is stuffed with more than $650,000 and poised to increase by $65,000 this year.

Recorder Gina Pimentel said that's well above what's needed to train elected officials, and if she could get access to the excess, her office could get closer to completing projects underway for the past two years that are aimed at improving accuracy in the county's record-keeping systems.

The proposed transfer also has been unanimously endorsed by the Lake County Council.

Meet the 2023 Northwest Indiana legislative delegation State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso State Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville State Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer State Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie State Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores
VALPARAISO  One of Porter Countys leading critics of mask mandates during the pandemic has been appointed to the countys Board of Health.

New board member Jessica Jepsen, at one time a member of Porter County Parents for Freedom, spoke out repeatedly about mask mandates during Valparaiso School Board, county Board of Commissioners and other meetings.

Why is our unelected health (officer) going around our commissioners, who we voted in, and advising schools? Jepsen, of Valparaiso, asked the commissioners in October 2021.

Jepsen has nearly 20 years of varied experience in the health care field, according to her application for a position on the Board of Health. She currently is a corporate wellness consultant for major accounts across the United States.

This well-rounded knowledge and experience can benefit the citizens of Porter County by not just helping to make a difference in their lives now and for the future and future generations, she wrote in her application for the board. My vision is to not only impact our local community and to make it a model for others in the state and country to follow.

Dr. Ronald Michael, of Chesterton, was also appointed. With nearly 30 years of clinical experience, I feel I bring a perspective formed by multiple public health difficulties over those 30 years, he wrote.

The third appointee is Robyn Lane, of Liberty Township, a registered nurse who focuses on home health.

I am a lifelong resident of Porter County and stand as an advocate for the people of the county with a passion for assisting those in the area of health promotion, disease prevention and public protection, she wrote. I want to assist in providing policies and procedures that will address the lack of services and programs available to mental health/substance abuse issues.

The three Republicans replace Dr. Derek Gasper, former board president Martin Moeller and Suzanne Phelps. Two of the new appointees had to be Republican; the third could be from either party.

Maintaining as much continuity as possible with the recent hiring of our new health department administrator and the other employee transitions that have taken place during the pandemic remains paramount in my mind, Moeller wrote in his application. I would also hope to participate in the new statewide health initiative just getting underway.

Moeller and Phelps are both Republicans. Gasper said he is independent but leans Republican.

Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, voted against the new appointees. Dr. Gasper joined the board at a time we had a really hard time finding a doctor to serve on the board, she said. I do not like to knock people off the board who would like to remain and have given good service.

They were there during a very difficult time, Board of Commissioners President Jim Biggs, R-North, said. However, five of the boards seven members live in Valparaiso and two just outside Valparaiso, he said. I dont think thats very reflective of being a very countywide agency.

Phelps application lists her address as Hebron.
In Britain, whose army carried out the 1897 raid, steps toward returning the bronzes are being taken by the institutions that hold them, rather than by the government. In March, the Horniman Museum, in London, which owns 49 items from Benin City, published a policy document that said it would consider the possible return of any item in its collection that was taken by force or theft. Days later, the University of Aberdeen in Scotland said it would return a sculpture of an oba, or ruler, of the Kingdom of Benin, which was stolen in the 1897 raid.

Yet some of the countrys largest museums  such as the British Museum, which owns more than 900 of the items, including arguably some of the finest  are regulated by Parliament and cannot permanently return items from their collections without a change in the law. Britains culture ministry did not reply to a request for comment on Friday.

The British Museum is a member of the Benin Dialogue Group, a network of European Museums which has been meeting with Nigerian representatives for more than a decade to discuss what to do about the bronzes. The group is also helping to develop the Edo Museum of West African Art, and to finance and staff archaeological work on the museum site, scheduled to start this fall.

Ehikhamenor likened the British Museums involvement in restitution talks to a McDonalds worker who refuses to make burgers. Their presence there has not led to the kind of conversations we are hearing from other museums in Europe, he said. But he added that he hoped Germanys announcement would change things. If Germany is finding ways to have this conversation with us, I think the British should begin to find a way, he said.
Mr. Musk, who testified for seven hours over three days, and his legal team have argued that funding for the deal was in fact plentiful while adding that it was difficult to come up with exact amounts until it was clear how much money was needed to buy out shareholders who didnt want to be part of the deal.

The investors bringing the case say they suffered billions of dollars of losses after Teslas stock rose in response to Mr. Musks statements about taking the company private but then fell when the proposal went nowhere. Judge Chen has already ruled that two of Mr. Musks posts on Twitter were false and that he was reckless in publishing them. But the investors must show that the false statements, and not other statements from Mr. Musk or other factors, led to their losses.

Mr. Musk, wearing a dark suit, a black surgical mask and combat boots, entered the courtroom and watched jurors walk to their seats. He tried to minimize the importance of the plaintiffs, telling Mr. Porritt that, in my opinion, you dont represent most investors. Judge Chen described these comments as inappropriate and struck them from the courts record.

Mr. Musk also tried to say most Tesla investors are happy because the company is worth more now than it was in 2018  another statement that Judge Chen removed from the courts record. Two of Mr. Musks lawyers threw up their hands and shook their heads.

In testimony on Monday, Mr. Musk maintained that he had not lied or misspoken about his plan to take Tesla private because executives at Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund had expressed interest in the deal, even though they had not signed documents committing to it or discussed how much they would invest. He said funding secured had also referred to his stake in SpaceX, the rocket company he runs, because he could have borrowed against those shares or sold some of them.
Since I read this month that Noma would pivot from a full-time restaurant to a kind of food laboratory and pop-up, Ive been thinking less about the chef Rene Redzepi and more about Namrata Hegde, an unpaid intern who worked in his Copenhagen kitchen for three months, making fruit beetles.

Every day, as she told The Times, she spread the jam out, let it set and carved it into various shapes using stencils. She assembled those shapes to form a trompe loeil beetle: a glossy, three-dimensional creature made out of fruit leather. Most days, before dinner service, she assembled 120 perfect specimens and pinned each one in a glass box, ready to serve to diners. All the while, she said, she was forbidden to laugh.

In the past, Ms. Hegdes labor might have been obscured or even dismissed, but in the middle of what felt like a shifting sentiment against the cult of fine dining, it became a crucial detail. It illustrated the unglamorous drudgery of high-end restaurant kitchens, and sounded more like another tedious day at the factory, another lonely shift on the assembly line.
Teachers: We also have a related lesson plan about teaching and learning with ChatGPT.

Have you heard of ChatGPT, a powerful new A.I. chatbot that was released to the public in November? Have you tried it? What did you think?

Are you a student in a place that has banned this new tool, or are your teachers open to experimenting with it? Do you think ChatGPT can be used productively and ethically in schools, or do you think it is dangerous? Why?

In Dont Ban ChatGPT in Schools. Teach With It., Kevin Roose argues that schools should consider the technology as a teaching aid. He writes:

ChatGPT is new  it was released in late November  but it has already sent many educators into a panic. Students are using it to write their assignments, passing off A.I.-generated essays and problem sets as their own. Teachers and school administrators have been scrambling to catch students using the tool to cheat, and they are fretting about the havoc ChatGPT could wreak on their lesson plans. (Some publications have declared, perhaps a bit prematurely, that ChatGPT has killed homework altogether.) Cheating is the immediate, practical fear, along with the bots propensity to spit out wrong or misleading answers. But there are existential worries, too. One high school teacher told me that he used ChatGPT to evaluate a few of his students papers, and that the app had provided more detailed and useful feedback on them than he would have, in a tiny fraction of the time. Am I even necessary now? he asked me, only half joking. Some schools have responded to ChatGPT by cracking down. New York City public schools, for example, recently blocked ChatGPT access on school computers and networks, citing concerns about negative impacts on student learning, and concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content. Schools in other cities, including Seattle, have also restricted access. (Tim Robinson, a spokesman for Seattle Public Schools, told me that ChatGPT was blocked on school devices in December, along with five other cheating tools.) Its easy to understand why educators feel threatened. ChatGPT is a freakishly capable tool that landed in their midst with no warning, and it performs reasonably well across a wide variety of tasks and academic subjects. There are legitimate questions about the ethics of A.I.-generated writing, and concerns about whether the answers ChatGPT gives are accurate. (Often, theyre not.) And Im sympathetic to teachers who feel that they have enough to worry about, without adding A.I.-generated homework to the mix. But after talking with dozens of educators over the past few weeks, Ive come around to the view that banning ChatGPT from the classroom is the wrong move. Instead, I believe schools should thoughtfully embrace ChatGPT as a teaching aid  one that could unlock student creativity, offer personalized tutoring, and better prepare students to work alongside A.I. systems as adults.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

Have you experimented with ChatGPT, whether in school or on your own? What did you think? How promising or useful do you think it is? Why?

Why do you think many educators are worried about it? The New York City school system, for instance, has blocked access to the program for fear of negative impacts on student learning, and concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content. Do you agree? What negative impacts can you imagine? What, if anything, worries you about this tool?

This article argues that ChatGPTs potential as an educational tool outweighs its risks. How do you feel? Should teachers thoughtfully embrace this technology? If so, what could that look like? For example, how would you imagine using the chatbot on an upcoming assignment in a way that supports your learning?

Some educators say the threat of widespread student cheating means the end of classroom practices such as assigning homework, take-home tests and essays. Do you agree? Or, do you think those activities can be reimagined to incorporate the use of chatbots? If so, would that be a good thing? Why or why not?

Now that you have thought through many related questions, imagine you are the person in charge of setting the rules around using tools like ChatGPT for your school. What would your policy be? Why?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
In many cases, the new filings were intended to correct discrepancies routinely flagged by the election commission, such as missing information about donors or questions about whether donors were contributing more than their allowable amount. The F.E.C. commonly sends letters to campaigns requesting they correct issues, either by refunding excess donations or providing additional information.

Campaign finance experts have said that the number of letters received by Mr. Santoss campaign and affiliated committees was unusual. Mr. Libowitz on Tuesday said that the Santos campaign also had an unusual number of amended filings. As an example, he pointed to reports initially filed in July and October 2021 that, as of Tuesday, had been amended seven times.

Mr. Libowitz said that inexperienced candidates often had trouble strictly following campaign finance regulations, but he said that Mr. Santoss apparent violations stood out.

Does it surprise me if you told me that a person who had to file this many amendments has now also had to amend his own life story? Mr. Libowitz said. Not really.

Mr. Santos has faced deeper questions about his personal and campaign finances after an investigation in The New York Times uncovered numerous fabrications about his background and found that he most likely omitted key information about his businesss clients in financial disclosures.

Subsequent reports unearthed unusual disbursements and expenses in Mr. Santoss campaign filings and found suggestions that his campaign might have run afoul of campaign finance rules.

Earlier this month, the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group, filed a complaint with the F.E.C. accusing Mr. Santos of improperly spending campaign money on personal expenses and hiding the true sources of his campaign funding.
Roland Conners first foray into the weed business as a teenager in the early 1990s resulted in a string of arrests and convictions on possession and other charges.

Now, at 50, he is returning to the industry, this time with the states full support. Mr. Conner, who grew up in public housing in Far Rockaway, Queens, opened a dispensary on Tuesday in Greenwich Village under a state initiative to give people convicted of offenses related to cannabis a head start in the newly legal business.

The shop, Smacked!, is just the second licensed store to open since the state legalized recreational cannabis in March 2021. But Mr. Conner is the first entrepreneur with a marijuana conviction to open a dispensary as a result of the initiative, which is being watched across the country. (The other dispensary is owned by a nonprofit.)
What a contrast. Amid a desperate war of national survival, Zelensky is waging a campaign to kick the crooks out of government. And in a desperate bid to remain in office, Netanyahu is waging a campaign to keep the crooks in.

For years, I had ambivalent views about Netanyahu. He is not a likable guy. His father said of him that he doesnt know how to develop manners that captivate people by praise or grace. Many of his political opponents were once his ideological soul mates but were turned off by his lack of scruples. By my code this is a sin for which there is no forgiveness, even on Yom Kippur, Avigdor Lieberman, a former defense minister, said of his former boss after alleging that Netanyahu had authorized private investigations of his family.

The upside of Netanyahu was that he was good at his job. Israel prospered economically under his tenure. It established flourishing ties with former adversaries in Africa and the Arab world. It pulled off mind-boggling intelligence coups and greatly diminished Irans power in Syria without triggering all-out war. And despite Netanyahus reputation as a right-wing flamethrower, he usually governed closer to the center than he did to the fringe.

For these reasons, I once called Netanyahu the Richard Nixon of Israel. But that turned out to be deeply unkind  to Nixon. At least there were limits to what the 37th president was willing to do to the system of constitutional government to keep himself in office.

Nothing similar can be said of Netanyahu, who is now using his four-seat parliamentary majority (achieved with less than 50 percent of the overall vote) to push through a radical overhaul of the judiciary that would allow the Knesset to overturn Supreme Court verdicts with just a one-vote parliamentary majority. American conservatives who are reflexively inclined to support Netanyahu might ask themselves how they would feel about a system in which Chuck Schumer could use his one-seat Senate majority to overrule rulings of the Supreme Court, such as the Dobbs decision on abortion.
WASHINGTON  Reversing its longstanding resistance, the Biden administration plans to send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, in what would be a major step in arming Kyiv in its efforts to seize back its territory from Russia.

The White House is expected to announce a decision as early as Wednesday, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. Two officials said the number of Abrams tanks could be about 30.

Over the past month, Pentagon officials had expressed misgivings about sending the Abrams, citing concerns about how Ukraine would maintain the advanced tanks, which require extensive training and servicing. And officials said it could take years for them to actually reach any Ukrainian battlefields.

But Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has now come around to the view that committing to sending American tanks is necessary to spur Germany to follow with its coveted Leopard 2 tanks. Officials at the State Department and the White House argued that giving Germany the political cover it sought to send its own tanks outweighed the Defense Departments reluctance, the officials said.
WASHINGTON  Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday unilaterally exiled Representatives Adam B. Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee, making good on a longstanding threat to expel the California Democrats in his first major act of partisan retribution since taking the majority.

The move was a much-anticipated tit-for-tat after Democrats, then in the majority, voted in 2021 to eject two Republicans, Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona, from congressional committees for internet posts that advocated violence against their political enemies. It was also payback for the decision by Nancy Pelosi, then the House speaker, to bar Republicans who had helped former President Donald J. Trump spread the election lies that fueled the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol from sitting on the special committee investigating the riot.

Now that he is in control, Mr. McCarthy sought to punish Mr. Schiff and Mr. Swalwell, two favorite foils of Republicans who had played key roles in the two impeachments of Mr. Trump, though he denied that his decision was retaliatory. Instead, he argued that both men had displayed behavior unbecoming of the committee tasked with overseeing the nations intelligence services.

In a letter outlining his decision to Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, Mr. McCarthy decried what he described as the misuse of the intelligence panel during the last four years, arguing that it had severely undermined its primary national security and oversight missions  ultimately leaving our nation less safe. He called the dismissals of Mr. Schiff and Mr. Swalwell necessary to maintain a standard worthy of this committees responsibilities.
A Utah plastic surgeon and three associates were charged recently with selling fake Covid-19 vaccine cards for $50 apiece in a scheme that lasted more than a year, and during which they destroyed more than $28,000 worth of the vaccine doses, according to federal prosecutors.

Dr. Michael Kirk Moore Jr., a board-certified plastic surgeon in the Salt Lake City area, sold hundreds of cards falsely claiming to be proof of vaccination in exchange for cash payments or donations to an unspecified charity, the U.S. attorneys office in Utah said. Under the scheme, Dr. Moore and his associates then destroyed the government-issued vaccines, prosecutors said, noting that many child patients were given saline shots instead of vaccine doses at their parents request.

Dr. Moore and his colleagues sold enough of the falsified vaccine cards to equal 1,937 doses of the vaccine, according to charging documents, which say that the scheme lasted from May 2021 to September 2022.

Dr. Moore and three others  Kari Dee Burgoyne, his office manager; Sandra Flores, a receptionist in his office; and Kristin Jackson Andersen, his neighbor  were each indicted on Jan. 11 on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and two other charges.
Even with journalists from around the world covering the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II, it was Latin America that proved deadliest for reporters last year, with violence against them spiking to new levels, a monitoring group said Tuesday.

There were 67 killings reported for 2022 around the world  the most deaths in five years  and nearly half of those took place in the region, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in its annual report.

Despite countries across Latin America being nominally at peace, the nonprofit news group said, the region surpassed the high number of journalists killed in the Ukraine war.

Mexico alone accounted for 13 of the deaths, the most the group has ever recorded there in a single year. Seven journalists were reported killed in Haiti.
KYIV, Ukraine  Several top Ukrainian officials were fired on Tuesday amid a ballooning corruption scandal, in the biggest upheaval in President Volodymyr Zelenskys government since Russias invasion began 11 months ago.

Ukraines cabinet ministry, which announced the firings, provided no reasons for them, but they followed a number of allegations of government corruption  including reports that Ukraines military had agreed to pay inflated prices for food meant for its troops  and vows by Mr. Zelensky to root it out.

The shake-up came as Ukraine is lobbying hard for Western countries to provide advanced weaponry like tanks. The German publication Der Spiegel and other news outlets reported on Tuesday that Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany had agreed, after months of resisting, to supply the coveted Leopard 2 tank to Ukraine, possibly in conjunction with the United States sending its M1 Abrams tank. The reports could not be independently confirmed.

But on Tuesday, American officials said that the Biden administration planned to provide Ukraine with Abrams tanks for the first time. The Pentagon also announced a sixfold increase in production of heavy artillery shells to meet the demand in Ukraine.
A cemetery used by the notorious Russian mercenary group Wagner has grown rapidly in size over the past several months, according to interviews and an analysis by The New York Times of satellite imagery and video footage. The expanded burial ground is rare visual evidence that shows the toll the invasion of Ukraine is taking on Wagner, especially its rank-and-file soldiers.

The expansion coincides with a bloody offensive by Russian soldiers and mercenaries to gain ground in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. government says that Wagners battlefield casualties are in the thousands and that 90 percent of them are inmates who were recruited to fight in exchange for being released from prison, assuming they survived.

A satellite image captured on Jan. 24 shows about 170 burial plots in an area of the cemetery known to hold Wagner fighters, a number that has increased to nearly seven times that seen on satellite imagery just two months ago.
To compensate for the visual gap left at the commanding southwest corner of the building, seven statues were shifted one pedestal westward, leaving Zoroaster in the place of Muhammad. The easternmost pedestal, once occupied by Justinian, was left vacant. That is where Sikanders sculpture presides.

The Lahore-born Sikander, whose work has been displayed at the Whitney Biennial and who made her name reimagining the art of Indo-Persian miniature painting from a feminist, post-colonial perspective, was at pains to emphasize that Muhammads removal and her installation were completely unrelated. My figure is not replacing anyone or canceling anyone, she said.

Much as Justice Ginsburg wore her lace collar to recast a historically male uniform and proudly reclaim it for her gender, Sikander said her stylized sculpture was aimed at feminizing a building that was commissioned in 1896. Writing in The New Yorker in 1928, the architect and author George S. Chappell called the rooftop ring of male figures atop the building a ridiculous adornment of mortuary statuary.

The aesthetic merits of the courthouses sumptuous Beaux-Arts-style architecture aside, the buildings symbolism has outsize importance in New Yorks civic and legal identity and beyond: The court hears appeals from all the trial courts in Manhattan and the Bronx, as well as some of the most important appeals in the country.

Justice Dianne T. Renwick, the first Black female justice at the Appellate Division, First Department, who chairs a committee examining issues of diversity, said that, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in 2020, the court had undertaken a long overdue effort to address gender and racial bias since the courthouse had been built, at a time when women and people of color were erased and overlooked.

While the courthouse has allegorical female figures, she said that no figures of female judges or justices had previously existed outside or inside the courthouse, while only one woman  Betty Weinberg Ellerin, a trailblazing judge and the first woman to be appointed presiding justice of the Appellate Division  was named on the courtrooms ornate stained-glass ceiling dome on a section honoring those who had held that position.
The scene was a vibrant pastorale, rendered in thousands of shimmering sequins and beads that filled a nine-foot-wide canvas with a red tasseled border.

In the background were emerald fields, bulbous trees, a blue-and-white streaked sky. Up front were clusters of small figures in conversation on the ground, beside a bull grazing. And anchoring the center of this bustling tapestry were the many manifestations of Kouzen Zaka, the lwa, or Haitian Vodou spirit, of farming  or as an embroidered inscription read at the top of the piece, the minister of Agriculture.

There is so much activity in Myrlande Constants tapestries that it can feel unfair to ask her to explain each detail. But recently, in New York for the opening of an exhibition of her newest works at Fort Gansevoort gallery in the Meatpacking district, this Haitian artist, who for three decades has led formal, technical and narrative innovation in the tradition of drapo, or Vodou banners, was gamely indulging queries.

You can see him as a farmer, with his scythe and his satchel, Constant said, indicating a representation of Kouzen (thats cousin in Kreyol, or Haitian Creole, the nations primary spoken language). In one place, he was depicted with a dark complexion, white beard, broad-brimmed hat and a blue, red and white shirt, all made kinetic by cascading sequins and thrown into high relief by her lines of large pearl beads.
AMSTERDAM  Since 1985, the Resistance Museum here has presented a view of life in Holland during World War II, with displays that focused on the perseverance of a resistance movement in the face of Nazi terror and the daily struggles for food and safety.

In recent weeks, though, the museum has unveiled a new display designed to be more inclusive and to illustrate the nuance and complexity of history.

The exhibit portrays the lives of victims and perpetrators, bystanders and resisters, and everything in between, said Liesbeth van der Horst, the museums director, in an interview. We wanted to tell the story of all the Dutch people.

So in addition to describing the life of Janny Brilleslijper, a Jewish woman who refused the Nazi command to register her race, the displays also focus attention on Gerard Mooyman, a Dutch teenager so impressed by German military propaganda that he signed up to serve with its army at the front.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.

Not So Classified After All

Last week, a lawyer for former Vice President Mike Pence found a dozen classified documents at Pences home in Indiana.

On Tuesday, Jimmy Kimmel joked that the documents were found in a box with some of his other secret items, including a four-pack of Zima and Polaroids of Mother dressed in her swimming costume.
For me, one lasting lesson of the pandemic is how interconnected the world is. That goes for people, of course  we saw how quickly the virus can travel around the globe and how the emergence of a new variant somewhere can rapidly become a problem everywhere. But these connections go beyond our links with other humans. We saw pets and zoo animals catch the virus. We transmitted the virus to mink, which gave it to each other and then passed it back to us. The pandemic even altered larger ecosystems, as people stepped back from their normal routines. The past few years have driven home the message that infectious disease is truly a global problem  and will require global solutions.  Emily Anthes, science reporter

In writing about long Covid, Ive been moved by the challenges that many people are facing as they struggle with symptoms that have upended their lives. Ive also been struck by the energy and determination of the long Covid community to find answers that can lead to effective therapies and to share their experiences with other patients and with doctors and researchers. There is still a long way to go, but some hints are beginning to emerge, and I plan to continue keeping readers apprised of significant developments so that people can understand more about this condition and its implications.  Pam Belluck, health and science reporter

How the pandemic changed you

In our final question to readers, we asked how the pandemic reshaped their lives. Thank you to everyone who wrote in.

My husbands Lewy body dementia took a turn for the worse in early 2020. He was in and out of the hospital from April until he died in October 2020. Because of Covid precautions, I was not allowed to be with him either at the hospitals or the care facilities. Advocating for him from afar was extremely difficult considering the overworked staff and facilities, but I did the best I could. After he died, I was unable to have a service for him, and I was unable to be hugged and comforted by family and friends. I still think about how things might have been easier on him through it all if I could have been beside him. Thats a sadness I will always carry with me, along with the memories of that awful year.  Carol L., Maryland
Tanks for Ukraine

Yesterday, Germany and the U.S. pledged to send tanks to Ukraine after weeks of diplomatic maneuvering. The pledges could unlock a wave of additional aid ahead of an expected escalation of fighting in the spring.

It could take a year or more for 31 American M1 Abrams tanks to reach the battlefield. But the U.S. promise did clear the way for Germany to commit to sending 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks, which could arrive in several months.

The decision by Germany to authorize other nations to transfer their own Leopards prompted officials in Finland, the Netherlands and Spain to say that they would seek to send tanks to Ukraine, or that they were open to doing so.

Fighting: The announcements come at a critical juncture. Ukraine said yesterday that its forces had retreated from Soledar, a key town near the eastern city of Bakhmut.
For many people across China, a shortage of natural gas and alarmingly cold temperatures are making a difficult winter unbearable. For Li Yongqiang, they mean freezing nights without heat.

We dare not turn on the heat overnight  after using it for five or six hours, the gas stops again, Mr. Li, a 45-year-old grocer, said by telephone from his home in northern Chinas Hebei Province. The gas shortage is really affecting our lives.

The lack of natural gas, which is used widely across China to heat homes and businesses, has angered tens of millions of people and spilled over into caustic complaints on social media.

One person in Hebei Province wrote of waking early four nights a week because she was too cold to sleep despite two comforters on her bed. A viral video on Chinas internet shows a high-rise apartment building in a different northern province, Shanxi, with the windows plastered with bright red posters of the sort often seen at Lunar New Year  except that these posters say cold.
LOS ANGELES  A California law creating a council with broad authority to set wages and improve the working conditions of fast-food employees has been halted after restaurant and trade groups submitted enough signatures to place the issue before voters next year.

Officials from the California secretary of states office announced late Tuesday that Save Local Restaurants, a broad coalition of small-business owners, large corporations, restaurateurs and franchisees, had turned in enough valid signatures to stop the law from taking effect.

The group, which has raised millions of dollars to oppose the law, had to submit roughly 623,000 valid voter signatures by an early December deadline to place a question on the 2024 ballot asking California voters if the law should take effect.

Legislation signed in September by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, would set up a 10-member council of union representatives, employers and workers to oversee the fast-food industrys labor practices in the state.
The New York Times asked a judge on Wednesday to unseal some legal filings that contain previously undisclosed evidence in a defamation suit brought against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems, a company targeted with conspiracy theories about rigged machines and stolen votes in the 2020 election.

Most of the evidence in the case  including text messages and emails taken from the personal phones of Fox executives, on-air personalities and producers in the weeks after the election  has remained under seal at the request of lawyers for the network.

Federal law and the law in Delaware, where the case is being heard, broadly protect the publics right of access to information about judicial proceedings. The law allows for exceptions if a party in a lawsuit can show good cause to keep something under seal, such as a company seeking to protect a trade secret or financial information.

The judge in the case, Eric M. Davis, has cautioned that neither Fox nor Dominion was entitled to keep information secret for reasons not covered by those limited exceptions, including, he said last month, the fact that something may be embarrassing.
Ive implored Secretary Vilsack repeatedly to work with us and to not lock up our state, Mr. Sullivan said in a statement. My message to hard-working Alaskans who are being crushed and utterly disregarded by this administration: I will fight this decision with everything in my power, including through my Senate oversight responsibilities and by holding relevant nominees wherever possible.

The states Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, said in a statement that the final rule is a huge loss for Alaskans and accused the Biden administration of treating his state unfairly. Alaskans deserve access to the resources that the Tongass provides  jobs, renewable energy resources and tourism, not a government plan that treats human beings within a working forest like an invasive species, he wrote.

Jim Clark, an attorney in Juneau who has been working with industry and state officials to keep Tongass exempt from the protections that apply to much of the National Forest system, has argued to the Biden administration that the economic benefits of some road construction are critical and can be achieved without harming the ecology. He noted that the national forest is about the size of West Virginia, and can accommodate what he described as limited infrastructure.

In 2008 the United States Geological Survey found 148 mineral deposits in the region. State leaders have argued that an updated survey should be completed before any new restrictions are imposed so the government and the public is aware of the full economic potential that could be lost.

How Times reporters cover politics. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause. Learn more about our process.

The number of jobs linked to the timber industry in Southeast Alaska near the Tongass National Forest has declined from 3,543 in 1991 to 312 in 2022  the lowest timber employment level ever recorded  according to the Southeast Conference, the regional economic development organization.
A company that makes an abortion pill filed a lawsuit Wednesday morning challenging the constitutionality of a state ban on the medication, one in what is expected to be a wave of cases arguing that the federal Food and Drug Administrations approval of the pill takes precedence over such restrictive state laws.

The case was filed in federal court in West Virginia by GenBioPro, one of two American manufacturers of mifepristone, the first pill used in the two-drug medication abortion regimen. A ruling in favor of the company could compel other states that have banned abortion to allow the pills to be prescribed, dispensed and sold, according to legal experts. If the courts reject the companys arguments, some legal scholars say the decision could open the door for states to ban or restrict other approved drugs, such as Covid vaccines or morning-after pills.

The case is one of a number of lawsuits testing legal arguments in the aftermath of the Supreme Courts ruling last June overturning the federal right to abortion. Also on Wednesday, an obstetrician-gynecologist sued officials in North Carolina, which still allows abortion, challenging the states requirements for using mifepristone because they go beyond F.D.A. regulations on the drug. In November, abortion opponents filed a lawsuit challenging the F.D.A.s approval of mifepristone nearly 23 years ago and asked that the courts order the agency to stop allowing the use of the drug and the second drug, misoprostol, for abortion.

Taken together, the cases underscore how pivotal medication abortion has become in legal and political battles. With pills now being used in more than half of abortions in America, and with recent F.D.A. decisions allowing patients to have pills prescribed by telemedicine and obtained by mail or from retail pharmacies, states that ban or restrict abortion are increasingly targeting the medication method.
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

What is worth standing outside in the cold on Christmas Day? That question came up while I was having brunch with my family at Lafayette Grand Cafe & Bakery in Manhattan and noticed a line forming outside the window of the restaurant.

In New York City, the holiday was frigid, with a predicted high of 27 degrees, and yet the queue of people continued to grow. The server informed us that the line was for the restaurants biggest draw: a Supreme, a spiraling, cream-filled, round croissant that I realized I had seen on social media. And no, we couldnt order one for the table. If we wanted one, wed have to join the line. We declined, but I thought about some other lines Id seen recently, such as the one in front of the bakery LAppartement 4F in Brooklyn Heights.
Mr. Santos, a Republican from New York, and his team provided no explanation. His lawyer, Joe Murray, said, I have no response to any of that. Ms. Marks did not immediately respond to an email or phone calls seeking comment.

But the change, whether sanctioned by Mr. Santos or not, added to the confusion surrounding his campaign filings, which may be under scrutiny by federal and local prosecutors.

On Tuesday, Mr. Santoss campaign filed updated reports that raised new questions about the source of $705,000 that Mr. Santos lent his congressional campaign. The crux of the issue revolved around two unchecked boxes denoting whether two of the larger loans came from his personal funds.

Mr. Santos was already facing inquiries from federal and local investigators over his lies and financial dealings, after The New York Times reported that he had omitted key information from required financial disclosures, that his campaign had featured a pattern of unusual expenses and that a fund claiming to be raising money to support his candidacy had not been registered with the Federal Election Commission.

Earlier this month, the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group, filed a complaint with the F.E.C. asking it to investigate whether Mr. Santos improperly spent campaign money on personal expenses or obscured the true sources of his campaign funding.
For the first few weeks, the Long Island Rail Road will run with only limited service between Grand Central and its Jamaica station in Queens. Eventually, passengers can change there for trains on 10 of its 11 branches and zones  and the new line will stop at another station for passengers on the other branch.

The transit authority predicts that the new service will change the way Long Island passengers commute, because about 45 percent of them go to Grand Central. That will reduce what Lieber called the craziness at overcrowded Pennsylvania Station, until now the only destination for Long Island trains in Manhattan.

The new service is beginning at a time when transit patterns remain a question mark as many workers continue hybrid work arrangements. Weekday ridership on the Long Island Rail Road averages about 65 percent of prepandemic levels, roughly the same proportion as on the subways. The transit authority has warned that lower revenue could mean a budget gap of nearly $3 billion by 2025, and it is already considering raising the $2.75 base subway and bus fare twice by then  to $2.90 next year and $3.02 in 2025.

Lieber emphasized the time that commuters would save with the Grand Central connection, as did Gov. Kathy Hochul. Just a 22 minute ride from Jamaica to the East Side of Manhattan! she tweeted.

But Lieber noted that the time savings would benefit more than Long Islanders, because he said that the Long Island Rail Road has more than 20 stations in Queens. The goal is to have middle-class and working-class people in distant boroughs get to jobs more quickly, he said, even though the project may not have been planned with that in mind. It was probably planned for the convenience of Long Islanders, he said.
Also, in a second conversation with the police a week later, Baldwin said it was actually Dave Halls, the films first assistant director, who handed him the gun while announcing, cold gun. (Halls has since agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors.)

It presents a huge problem if he ever wants to actually testify, Joshua Ritter, a criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor in Los Angeles, said of Baldwins decision to talk to the police as well as the news media. If he takes the stand to try to explain his side of things to the jury, he will need to explain any possible contradictions in these prior statements, Ritter said.

The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution allows Americans to refuse to answer questions from law enforcement. Yet despite the ritualistic incantation of the Miranda warning on every TV police procedural, silence is a right that people can find hard to accept. If youre convinced of your innocence, arent you obligated to help the police solve the matter under investigation? Refusing to talk to the police seems like something people do only when theyve got something to hide.

I have only a passing interest in Baldwins guilt or innocence. Several years ago, though, I came upon the work of James Duane, a professor at Regent Law School in Virginia who has become a Johnny Appleseed of Fifth Amendment advocacy. A video of a lecture Duane gave a decade ago on the importance of the Fifth Amendment, Dont Talk to the Police, has been viewed millions of times on YouTube, and Duane has since given his talk dozens of times around the country. The title of his book You Have the Right to Remain Innocent sums up the case for silence, since the presumption of innocence and the burden prosecutors bear to prove guilt even when the accused remains silent are the bedrock of American criminal law.

Duanes work has turned me into a zealot for the right to remain silent  and when I watched Baldwin blithely sign away his rights, I winced. (His talking to several reporters about the case would be a separate concern.)
Any close follower of the British media should not have been surprised that after Prince Harry fell in love with Meghan Markle, the biracial American actress, years of vitriolic, even racist coverage followed.

Whipping hatred and spreading lies  including on issues far more consequential than a royal romance  is a specialty of Britains atrocious but politically influential tabloids.

People like me, uninterested in celebrities, shouldnt dismiss the brouhaha around Harrys memoir as mere celebrity tittle-tattle. He has made credible, even documented claims that his own family refused to stand up against their ugly, sustained attacks against Meghan. In other words, it appears that Britains most revered institution, funded by tens of millions in taxpayer funds annually, plays ball with one of its most revolting institutions.

At the very least, it seems clear by now where some senior members of the royal family position themselves in all this.
To the Editor:

Re Society Is Failing Visual Thinkers, and That Hurts Us All, by Temple Grandin (Opinion guest essay, Jan. 12):

As a retired associate professor of the visual arts, I applaud this essay. Because the visual arts are generally considered as lesser than courses in math, science and writing, visual literacy is overlooked by society and in education curriculums nationwide.

A sighted person obtains and processes visual information more directly and immediately than any other form of sensory input. Babies first thoughts come from learning to make sense of the visual world as their brains begin to organize and make sense of what they see. Drawing comes before words. Words then serve as abstract symbols and generalizations. As our vocabulary grows, verbal thinking begins to dominate.

Visual thinking is a language. Most of our education leaders do not understand visual thinking because theyre verbal thinkers. This is why visual literacy is undervalued.

Every great building in the world began as a sketch.

Ken Conley

Alexandria, Va.

To the Editor:

Bravo, Temple Grandin, for explaining why visual thinkers are needed to solve some of societys most pressing problems!
In an email, Brown described one of the central findings of the study:

In terms of major factors driving the urban-rural split, our analysis shows that rural Republican areas are becoming more Republican predominantly due to voters in these places switching their partisanship to Republican. This is in contrast to urban areas becoming increasingly more Democratic largely due to the high levels of Democratic partisanship in these areas among new voters entering the electorate. These new voters include young voters registering once they become eligible and other new voters registering for the first time.

There are few, if any, better case studies of rural realignment and the role it plays in elections than the 2022 Senate race in Wisconsin. The basic question there is how Ron Johnson  a Trump acolyte who derided climate change with an epithet, who described the Jan. 6 insurrectionists as people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement and who proposed turning Social Security and Medicare into discretionary programs subject to annual congressional budget cutting  got re-elected in Wisconsin.

In 2016, Johnson rode Trumps coattails and the Republican trail blazed by the former governor Scott Walker to a 3.4 point (50.2 to 46.8) victory and swept into office, in large part by running up huge margins in Milwaukees predominantly white suburbs. That changed in 2022.

Craig Gilbert, a fellow at Marquette Law School and a former Washington bureau chief of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, conducted a detailed analysis of Wisconsin voting patterns and found that Johnson

performed much worse in the red and blue suburbs of Milwaukee than he did six years earlier in 2016. Johnson lost Wauwatosa by 7 points in 2016, then by 37 points in 2022. He won Mequon in Ozaukee County by 28 points in 2016 but only by 6 in 2022. His victory margin in Menomonee Falls in Waukesha County declined from 32 points six years ago to 14 points.

So again, how did Johnson win? The simple answer: white rural Wisconsin.

As recently as 17 years ago, rural Wisconsin was a battleground. In 2006, Jim Doyle, the Democratic candidate for governor, won rural Wisconsin, about 30 percent of the electorate, by 5.5 points. Then came the rural red wave, Gilbert writes. Walker carried Wisconsins towns by 23 points in 2010 and by 25 points in 2014. In 2016, Johnson won the rural vote by 25 points, but in 2022, he pushed his margin there to 29 points.

In her groundbreaking study of Wisconsin voters, The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker, Katherine Cramer, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, prompted a surge of interest in this declining segment of the electorate. She summed up the basis for the discontent among these voters, saying, It had three elements: (1) a belief that rural areas are ignored by decision makers, including policymakers, (2) a perception that rural areas do not get their fair share of resources and (3) a sense that rural folks have fundamentally distinct values and lifestyles, which are misunderstood and disrespected by city folks.
Yes, the formal White House position is that Ukraine will have our support all the way to victory. But the cautious approach that President Biden and his team have taken to armaments that might radically change the balance of the war, the nudges encouraging Kyiv to show openness to negotiation, the concern about investing too heavily at the expense of our Asian commitments  all of this indicates that the White Houses proximate goal is a favorable armistice, not complete Russian defeat.

To get to that imagined peace, though, you need to persuade the Russians that a true armistice  as opposed to another frozen conflict, in which warfare dies down but peace is never formally established  is in their interests, that if they keep the war simmering they will continue losing men and materiel at a brutal, regime-destabilizing pace.

One hope was that the Ukrainian counteroffensive last fall and Europes so-far successful endurance of the winter months would be decisive in pushing Moscow toward accepting this reality, and even toward elaborating on its own proposals (no doubt unrealistic ones at first) for a negotiated settlement.

But instead the Russians seem to be not just digging in but also girding for their own renewed offensive. Which explains, in turn, why the Biden White House and our European allies are cautiously  and with a certain amount of Germanic hesitancy  turning up the dial of escalation, enabling an increase in tanks and heavy armor flowing into Ukraine.

So far this is not a policy designed to completely overwhelm a Russian mobilization or drive the Russians out of Ukraine. Its a policy seemingly intended to blunt any new offensive, to potentially make the Russians lose more ground, and to show Moscow that it cant win a grinding war any more easily than it initially hoped to win a short one. Its an escalation that assumes the Russians need a little more convincing, and then theyll be open to the de-escalation that we havent been able to achieve.
In December, as many as 500 patients per week were dying in Britain because of E.R. waits, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, a figure rivaling (and perhaps surpassing) the death toll from Covid-19. On average, English ambulances were taking an hour and a half to respond to stroke and heart-attack calls, compared with a target time of 18 minutes; nationwide, 10 times as many patients spent more than four hours waiting in emergency rooms as did in 2011. The waiting list for scheduled treatments recently passed seven million  more than 10 percent of the country  prompting nurses to strike. The National Health Service has been in crisis for years, but over the holidays, as wait times spiked, the crisis moved to the very center of a narrative of national decline.

Post-Covid, the geopolitical order has been thrown into tumult. At the beginning of the pandemic, commentators wondered about the fate of the United States, its indifferent political leadership and its apparently diminished state capacity. Lately, they have focused more on the sudden weakness of China: its population in decline, its economy struggling more than it has in decades, its zero Covid reversal a sign of both political weakness and political overreach, depending on whom you ask.

But the descent of Britain is in many ways more dramatic. By the end of next year, the average British family will be less well off than the average Slovenian one, according to a recent analysis by John Burn-Murdoch at The Financial Times; by the end of this decade, the average British family will have a lower standard of living than the average Polish one.

On the campaign trail and in office, promising a new prosperity, Boris Johnson used to talk incessantly about leveling up. But the last dozen years of uninterrupted Tory rule have produced, in economic terms, something much more like a national flatlining. In a 2020 academic analysis by Nicholas Crafts and Terence C. Mills, recently publicized by the economic historian Adam Tooze, the two economists asked whether the ongoing slowdown in British productivity was unprecedented. Their answer: not quite, but that it was certainly the worst in the last 250 years, since the very beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Which is to say: To find a fitting analogue to the British economic experience of the last decade, you have to reach back to a time before the arrival of any significant growth at all, to a period governed much more by Malthusianism, subsistence-level poverty and a nearly flat economic future. By all accounts, things have gotten worse since their paper was published. According to Stagnation Nation, a recent report by a think tank, there are eight million young Brits in the work force today who have not experienced sustained wage growth at all.
The typical American renter is now rent-burdened  meaning that 30 percent of the median U.S. income is required to pay the average rent, according to a new report from Moodys Analytics.

This 30 percent is a symbolic threshold, a milestone, said Thomas LaSalvia, the director of economic research at Moodys.

Reaching this threshold puts typical American renters  who earn the median income and pay the average rent  where they have never been before, Mr. LaSalvia said. (According to the Pew Research Center, about 36 percent of American households rented, rather than owned, their homes in 2019, the last year that reliable data was available from the Census Bureau.) Moodys first started tracking the metric in 1999, when the typical rent-to-income ratio was 22.5 percent.

The rent-to-income ratio was calculated by comparing the national median household income, $71,721, with the average monthly rent, $1,794, for 2022. The current 30 percent figure is an increase from 28.5 percent in 2021, and from 25.7 percent in 2020. In 2019, before the pandemic, renters with the median income would be spending 27.2 percent of their income on the average rent.
Io, the third largest of Jupiters moons, is caught in a pressurized, explosive dance.

Orbiting near Ganymede and Europa, two of the other largest Jovian moons, and the planet itself, Ios mineral composition is constantly pulled and pushed by gravity, creating frictional heat deep inside the moon. This makes it extremely volcanically active  there are hundreds of volcanoes and extensive networks of lava flows marking Ios surface.

Its being squeezed like an anger ball, said Jeff Morgenthaler, an astrophysicist at the Planetary Science Institute.

Despite a number of close-flying spacecrafts over the past few decades  including the Voyager 1 and Galileo missions  as well as constant observation from Earth, there are lasting mysteries about the kind of volcanic activity on Io and how the moons fiery energy interacts with Jupiter and other nearby bodies.

Last year, Dr. Morgenthaler, who studies gases Io emits and the cloud said gases create around Jupiter, picked up signs that a different kind of eruption  a more powerful or more persistent one  was occurring.
Larissa S. Brizhik didnt have to stay. Like many Ukrainian women and children, she could have fled the war zone. But as a department head at the Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics in Kyiv, responsible for a staff of 18, she decided to remain on the job.

Late last year, Dr. Brizhiks institution received a one-year grant of $165,000. The funds were part of a tranche of $1.2 million in grants by the Simons Foundation that was announced on Wednesday. They are meant to help sustain hundreds of Ukrainian scientists whose work was disrupted when Russia invaded their country last year. The foundation, which is based in New York City and supports many branches of basic science, was endowed by James and Marilyn Simons. Mr. Simons started Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund also headquartered in New York.

In Dr. Brizhiks case, the money will support 53 researchers at the institute, where physicists study plasmas, elementary particles and astrophysical phenomena.

It shows that were not alone  that there are people who care, Dr. Brizhik said of the funding. It helps a lot, she added, especially given the belt-tightening of wartime and the lure of foreign work to young scientists. For those who remain, therere not so many opportunities. This is really central for those who stay.
Artists, models and fashion people crowded into Holiday Bar in Greenwich Village on Sunday to toast the latest issue of Paradigm Trilogy, a digital publication started by Katharina Korbjuhn, a creative director who has led ad campaigns for the Italian luxury brand Tods, the French couture house Schiaparelli and other fashion companies.

Ms. Korbjuhn, 29, who worked as a model when she was a teenager, described Paradigm Trilogy as cultural theory wrapped in fashion. Because it has no print edition, she said, she prefers to call it a publication, rather than a magazine. The first issue, which came out in December 2021, began with an article headlined How Stalin Predicted TikTok. It was distributed via a QR code printed on matchboxes left at the Odeon, Lucien and other Lower Manhattan hot spots.

As its name suggests, Paradigm Trilogy is scheduled to have only three issues. The party on Sunday was for the second one, built on the theme Man vs. Machine. Guests could access the new issue by hovering their smartphones over miniature hydrostone sculptures depicting the head of the model Paloma Elsesser.
PARIS  Ten a.m. on a frigid Monday morning, the first day of the couture shows, and Kylie Jenner was strutting through the marble halls of the Petit Palais trying to find her seat for Schiaparelli, shoehorned into spiky stilettos and a black velvet one-arm gown, a full-size tawny lions head jutting from the side. It was as if Aslan had taken a break from Narnia and stuck his muzzle through a time-space continuum under her armpit. Or maybe it was Take Your Stuffed Toy to Work Day?

Nope: It was a dress so hot off the runway it hadnt even appeared on the runway yet  though it was about to, along with a strapless faux-fur sheath with a snow leopard head jutting from the bust, its mouth open in mid-roar, and a big, hairy black silk and wool coat with a wolfs snout emerging from the shoulder.

Painstakingly sculpted from resin, painted by hand in the couture atelier, the faux animal heads were supposed to represent the vices of Dantes Inferno  lust, pride, avarice  according to the Schiaparelli designer Daniel Roseberry. He used the poem as something of a metaphor for his own experience with the pressure to create the new; to make everyone sit up in wonder.
But Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said Metas decision was the right call because Mr. Trump is a leading political figure and the public is interested in hearing him speak. While the government cannot force platforms to carry certain speech, that doesnt mean the largest platforms should engage in political censorship, Mr. Romero said.

It is unclear whether Mr. Trump, who said in November that he was seeking the White House again in 2024, will again become active on Facebook and Instagram. He started Truth Social, in which he has a financial stake and where he is obligated to make his posts available exclusively for six hours before he can share them on other sites, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Trump can post to any site immediately if the messages pertain to political messaging, fund-raising or get-out-the-vote initiatives.

Mr. Trump has not posted on Twitter since the platform reinstated him in November. Truth Social is currently the only social network on which Mr. Trump is active. YouTube has not said whether it will allow the former president back on the platform.

Truth Social and YouTube didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a post on Metas blog on Wednesday, Mr. Clegg said the companys executives preferred to err on the side of allowing more speech across Facebook and Instagram rather than less, even when the posts were distasteful or factually wrong.

But Meta is taking steps to prevent future incidents, Mr. Clegg said. Mr. Trump could be subject to another ban for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation, Mr. Clegg said.
Oobah Butler knew it was wrong to write fake online reviews for restaurants where he had never dined.

But he was 21, broke and living in his parents house in Feckenham, an English village 115 miles northwest of London. A faceless vendor on a website that advertised freelance work offered to pay him 10 pounds, about $15 at the time, for each review he wrote and posted on the travel site Tripadvisor.

The job was simple. He would receive an email with the restaurants name. Then he would log into one of the four or five profiles he had set up on Tripadvisor to avoid suspicion, look at pictures of the restaurants food and study the menu.

The reviews were always positive (raving was a job requirement) and verbose, he said.

One post said a waiter was so attentive he should get a raise. Another said something along the lines of this place has one of the finest Greek pastries in London.
South Africa: UIF payments campaign moves to Umgungundlovu District

The Unemployment Insurance Funds (UIF) campaign of paying former Teaching and General Assistants is currently proceeding to the uMgungundlovu District in KwaZulu-Natal after disbursing R25.1 million in the Zululand District.

The campaign started on Monday and will conclude on 27 January 2023.

The campaign resumed two weeks ago in the Zululand District where it processed and paid out R25.1 million to 5886 beneficiaries from 9-20 January 2023.

The UIF started the campaign in November 2022 in the Amajuba District where the Fund paid out R7.7 million to 1746 former Educator Assistants and General Assistants.

It proceeded to eThekwini and Pinetown in December 2022 where R28.8 million was paid out to 6204 beneficiaries.

According to the department, to date, a cumulative R76.2 million has been paid out to 17 095 beneficiaries who were employed in the aforementioned Districts.

From 23-27 January 2023, the Fund will pay out valid claims to former workers who were employed within the uMgungundlovu District. The venue for the activity will be Linpark High School, which is situated at 2 Claude Forsyth Road in Boughton, Pietermaritzburg.

Clients who wish to lodge their benefit claims are urged to bring along their identity or Passport documents, a fully charged smartphone with data, a black pen and proof of valid banking details, the department said.

To increase the employment prospects of the former Teaching and General Assistants, the Departments Public Employment Services (PES) branch will be present on site to register the CVs of unemployed clients on the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) system, which is available on https://essa.labour.gov.za/EssaOnline/WebBeans/ for possible jobs.

The department added that this service has been a standard feature of the campaign since it started.



The former Teaching and General Assistants were employed as part of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI), which was implemented as part of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) across all nine provinces, to reduce youth unemployment in the country.

When their contracts ended, the former workers qualified to claim unemployment insurance benefits from the UIF.

In the following week, the UIF will increase capacity for the campaign in KwaZulu-Natal Province to which it will dispatch two separate teams to assist clients even speedier.

The dates and venues for this will be announced in due course on the Funds social media platforms and through the media, the department said. SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-01-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Sweden wants to resume dialogue with Turkiye, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Tuesday, shortly after the latter announced that it has canceled upcoming talks with Stockholm and Helsinki on their NATO membership following the Quran burning incident on the weekend, Daily Sabah reports.

"Our collective message is that we want to call for calm, for reflection, for calm in the process so that we can return to functioning talks between Sweden, Finland and Turkiye on our common NATO membership," Kristersson told a news conference, adding that he wanted a return to "dialogue."

Turkiye earlier in the day said it had postponed upcoming NATO accession talks with Sweden and Finland previously scheduled for February.

Ankara announced its decision one day after President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an lashed out at Sweden and said it should not expect Turkiye's support for its NATO bid for allowing weekend protests that included the burning of the Quran outside Turkiye's embassy.

"If you don't respect the religion of Turkiye or Muslims, you won't get any support from us on NATO," he said, noting that it is evident that Sweden should not expect Ankara's support for its NATO bid after authorizing such a shameful scandal in front of the Turkish embassy.

"That is not happening," he said, adding that if Sweden prefers terrorist sympathizers and Islamophobes, then Turkiye suggests they should let them defend their country too.

A Turkish diplomatic source said the trilateral meeting has been canceled indefinitely, without providing further details.

Kristersson said there were "provocateurs who wanted to spoil Sweden's relations with other countries" and foil its bid to join the U.S.-led Western military alliance.
From California to Texas, border agents are increasingly seizing a surprising type of contraband from Mexico: eggs.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents had more than 2,000 encounters with people trying to bring eggs into the United States from Mexico between Nov. 1 and Jan. 17, an agency spokesman said. In the same 11-week period a year earlier, there were about 460 such encounters.

The rise comes as the price of eggs in the United States has surged, driven in part by an outbreak of avian influenza, or bird flu, that was detected last February.

Roger Maier, the Customs and Border Protection spokesman, said in an email on Tuesday that the agency had noted an increase in people attempting to bring eggs to the United States from Mexico, where they are significantly less expensive.
James G. Lowenstein, who as one half of a globe-trotting investigative duo wrote a series of scathing reports for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the early 1970s that undermined President Richard M. Nixons strategy in the Vietnam War, died on Jan. 3 at his home in Washington. He was 95.

His daughter, Laurinda Douglas, said the cause was complications from a fall down a flight of stairs the day before his death.

President Nixon had won the White House in 1968 with the promise of a secret plan to end the war in Vietnam, and in his first year he adopted a policy that he called Vietnamization, which would train and equip South Vietnamese forces so that the United States could rapidly draw down its commitment there.

Senator J. William Fulbright, a Democrat from Arkansas and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was immediately suspicious. In 1969, he sent Mr. Lowenstein and Richard M. Moose, both former Foreign Service officers, to South Vietnam to investigate.
GOSHEN, Calif.  In the wee hours of Jan. 16, a pair of intruders broke into a gray house in a gritty little town in Californias San Joaquin Valley. Six people inside were quickly shot dead, execution-style, the latest in what the authorities say has been an alarming rise in homicides in the states agricultural heartland.

The dead included a 72-year-old woman who was asleep in bed; a teenage mother and her infant, who were each shot point-blank in their heads; and a 19-year-old man who often stayed up late playing video games.

The town of Goshen, wedged between farmland and warehouses halfway between Bakersfield and Fresno, has had a steady spate of shootouts and stabbings in recent years, as turf battles between gangs over lucrative drug sales have become a feature of life. But no one was prepared for what happened last week, when four generations of a single family were slain by armed assailants, one of four mass shootings that have traumatized the state over the past nine days.

The killings shocked officials who are regularly called to investigate homicides in this part of the valley. While some members of the murdered family had been involved in gangs, the police say, the grisly nature of the attack appeared to be a calling card of the Mexican drug cartels, whose distribution tentacles have in recent years extended from the border regions and dozens of big cities into some of the farthest reaches of the country.
The criminal case against Alex Murdaugh, the former lawyer accused of killing his wife and son, is part of a web of accusations, investigations and lawsuits that have accompanied the downfall of a member of one of South Carolinas most prominent legal dynasties.

Mr. Murdaugh was for years a well-known lawyer specializing in civil litigation. His family law firm, based in the tiny town of Hampton, was considered a powerhouse on the state plaintiffs bar, and his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all served as the top prosecutors across a wide region of the state.

Here is a timeline of the major events related to the case:

July 8, 2015: The body of Stephen Smith, 19, was found on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County, S.C. His death was ruled a hit and run, but his family had lingering questions.

Feb. 26, 2018: Gloria Satterfield, 57, who worked as a housekeeper and nanny for the Murdaugh family for about a quarter-century, died about two weeks after she was reported to have fallen on the front stairs of the familys hunting property.
If you live in California, you may have a closer connection to oil drilling in the Amazon rainforest than you think.

In a recent article, Manuela Andreoni, Erin Schaff and I took readers to Yasuni National Park in Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet and home to Indigenous groups that live in isolation. The Ecuadorean government, cornered by debt and the need for revenue, is drilling for oil in a parcel of rainforest there that it once sought to protect.

Much of that oil, advocates say, is shipped to California for processing. In fact, half of the crude exported from the Amazon overall goes to California, according to a report by Amazon Watch and Stand.earth, two nonprofit groups that work to protect the rainforest. They also modeled how that oil is distributed once its refined.
But none of the parties seem to want to return to court for yet more pretrial hearings as they wait for the Biden administration to decide.

If hearings toward a trial do resume, it will ultimately be up to Colonel McCall, or a future judge, to continue examining crucial pretrial issues, including which evidence is too tainted by torture for use, and whether a remedy would be to remove the possibility of capital punishment. The process could grind on for an undetermined period of time even before a jury is seated for what could be a yearlong trial, followed by more years of inevitable appeals.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who has long favored military commissions and having a wartime prison where terrorism suspects could be held and interrogated without trial, said this month that he had supported Mr. Barrs idea of bringing the case to federal court, as long as Mr. Trump was in office. But he did not support the idea now, he said, because he did not trust Mr. Biden to keep Guantanamo open once its most notorious detainees were gone.

I told Barr that I get the desire to accelerate this trial and bring about justice for the 9/11 families, he said. That is a worthy goal. But I dont want to do anything to undermine the ability to hold someone, if we capture someone who has valuable intelligence.
WASHINGTON  The Justice Department has found that Louisianas longstanding practice of detaining more than a quarter of inmates beyond their court-ordered release dates violates the Constitution and accused state officials of ignoring repeated calls to overhaul the unjust system.

The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections is deliberately indifferent to the systemic overdetention of people in its custody, according to a report on a yearlong investigation, released on Wednesday, that examined incarceration patterns of inmates held in state facilities and jails run by parishes, the state equivalent of county governments.

From January 2022 to April 2022, 27 percent of the people who were legally entitled to be released from state custody, some for minor crimes or first-time offenses, were held past their release dates. About 24 percent of those improperly detained had been held 90 days or longer past their release days, the Justice Department found.

Louisiana officials, who cooperated with federal investigators, are discussing a possible agreement with the Justice Department to overhaul the system. But the department, citing evidence uncovered by lawyers representing incarcerated people, concluded that the state has known about the problem for at least a decade and has done little to address it.
One of former President Donald J. Trumps most consistent personal traits  one that his advisers say has helped keep him out of even worse legal jeopardy  has been his refusal to communicate by text or email.

Until now.

Mr. Trump, 76, who is heading into his third presidential campaign and is still under scrutiny by investigators on multiple fronts, has at last become a texter, according to three people with knowledge of his new habit. His messages have recently shown up in the phones of surprised recipients, they said.

The former presidents resistance to texting frustrated investigators for the House Jan. 6 committee as they tried to track his thoughts and actions when he worked to overturn the 2020 election. In his testimony before the committee, the former presidents eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said he texted the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, during the Capitol attack because his father doesnt text.

That changed around the beginning of this year. Friends, confidants and even people not especially close to Mr. Trump began receiving text messages from his cellphone, most of them described as innocuous, such as new year greetings or political observations. A spokesman for Mr. Trump declined to comment.
Wisconsin is extremely important for the presidency, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, said in an interview. The Supreme Court is the firewall to an extreme Legislature that wants to curtail voting rights. And so this election is very important, not just for Wisconsin, but for the country.

Eric H. Holder Jr., the former attorney general who leads the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, plans to campaign in the state after the primary.

For Wisconsin Democrats, the election is an opportunity to imagine a world in which they can exert some control over policy rather than simply trying to block Republican proposals, after a dozen years of playing defense.

In an interview last month, Mr. Evers called the race a huge deal. His election lawyer, Jeffrey A. Mandell, said that if a liberal candidate won, Mr. Mandell would ask the State Supreme Court to take direct action to invalidate the states legislative maps on Aug. 2, the day after the new justice is seated.

Kelda Roys, a Democratic state senator, said the campaign would focus almost entirely on abortion rights  because the next justice will be in position to overturn the states ban and because, she argued, the midterms showed that it was a winning issue.

Its going to be abortion morning, noon and night, Ms. Roys said, even more than November was.

Kitty Bennett contributed research.
A line of storms that brought damaging tornadoes to parts of the South on Tuesday was marching east on Wednesday, bringing a risk of severe storms to more than 7 million people from Florida into the Carolinas.

A tornado tore through communities southeast of Houston on Tuesday, destroying a senior assisted-living center near the city and causing other damage. As the storm moved into Louisiana from Texas on Tuesday, three people were hospitalized with mild to moderate injuries after storms damaged mobile homes in an area northwest of Baton Rouge, The Advocate newspaper reported. A police official at the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriffs Office confirmed the report but declined to provide other details.

Significant power outages were spread across the South on Wednesday. Some 63,000 customers in Arkansas, where officials have blamed outages on ice, were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us, which compiles data from utilities. More than 56,000 customers were without power in Missouri, where officials blamed heavy, wet snow for the outages.

The northern edge of this storm system is also delivering a swath of winter weather that will leave snow on the ground from Texas to Maine. Snow was winding down in Arkansas, where six inches to a foot of snow has fallen across portions of the Ozark Mountains but will move northeast through the day Wednesday into Thursday.
In late September, this cellphone footage circulated showing a high school student in gym class in East Ridge, Tenn., pulled by his hair and thrown to the ground by a school resource officer (SRO). What started as a student-teacher argument over the students refusal to play kickball ended with the armed officer, Tyler McRae, pepper-spraying and arresting 18-year-old Tauris Sledge. After the video went viral, the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office released more than an hour of Deputy McRaes bodycam footage on YouTube that conveyed the moments leading up to the altercation, and the officers subsequent interaction with the students father.

But the contextual footage did little to appease many in the school community, and students staged a walkout the next day over McRaes actions. And yet, it is 18-year old Tauris Sledge currently facing criminal charges: disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault.

The National Center for Education Statistics reported that about 51 percent of schools had a sworn law enforcement officer routinely carrying a firearm in the 2019-20 school year. Despite the increase in national presence of SROs on campus, there is a lack of a federal, uniform definition of their roles and responsibilities, leaving it up to local jurisdictions.
Other research suggests that the accuracy of rapid tests improves a few days into an infection. A large study released as a preprint paper last year showed that rapid tests were only 60 percent accurate on the first day of a persons infection if they had symptoms. If the person was asymptomatic, the accuracy dropped to just 12 percent. However, doing a second test 48 hours later improved rapid test accuracy to 92 percent for people with symptoms and 51 percent for asymptomatic infections. A third test after another 48 hours improved accuracy to 75 percent for people without symptoms.

Because of this, the FDA now recommends so-called serial testing: If you think youve been infected with the coronavirus but test negative, test again in 48 hours, after the virus has had more time to replicate. If youre still negative, take one more test in another two days. (Unfortunately, for the sake of accuracy, this will mean spending more money on tests.) The FDA made this announcement in November 2022, and manufacturers are required to change rapid test packaging to reflect the new guidelines.

A negative does not necessarily rule you out of having the disease, and thats why multiple tests are recommended, said Nathaniel Hafer, an assistant professor of molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School who worked on the repeat-testing study. If youre positive, you can feel pretty confident that youre positive. If youre negative, that repeat test is really important for increasing the accuracy.

Youre testing incorrectly

Another possible explanation for a false negative result is user error. To make sure youre testing correctly, read through the instructions first, even if you think you know what youre doing.

A lot of us this far into the pandemic have done tests multiple times, and its easy to be like, Yeah, yeah, I know what to do, Dr. Hafer said. Pulling out those instructions and really making sure you go through it step by step is the best thing to do because each test is a little bit different. For example, tests may differ in terms of how long you need to swab each nostril, how far up your nose you should go, how many drops to use on the test strip and how long you need to wait for a result.
In his mid-60s, Lawrence Nees noticed a few aches and pains that hadnt existed before. Getting up from the floor felt harder, too, and it seemed he was less flexible. Mr. Neess wife was a longtime yoga student, and when he retired from his job as an art history professor at the University of Delaware, he decided to join her.

Now 72 and a yoga devotee himself, Mr. Nees said his flexibility is better, and so is his balance. Ive become a believer, he explained. Its not about getting younger, but it is about slowing the inevitable aging process.

In adding a regular yoga practice to his repertoire, Mr. Nees joins a large number of seniors who roll out their mats several times a week. Research suggests it might be prudent for people to incorporate a yoga practice as they age, and some studies have even tied it to improvement in metrics that experts use to track cellular aging.

Others revealed positive changes to brain health. For instance, one recent small study found that healthy seniors practicing Hatha yoga for two years performed better than a control group on certain cognitive tasks.
French officials have not confirmed the number of troops, however, and it remains unclear where they may move. In Africa, France has bases in Djibouti, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Niger and Senegal. President Emmanuel Macron of France is expected to announce a restructuring of Frances military presence on the continent later this year.

What Is the Wagner Group? Card 1 of 6 A paramilitary group with ties to Russia. The Wagner Group is a private military force with close links to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. It gained prominence in recent months when its forces began appearing in Ukraine, to fight alongside Russian troops. How did Wagner get its start? Wagner operatives were first deployed during Russias annexation of Crimea. The U.S. government has said that the organization is financed by Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, a Russian businessman and a close associate of Mr. Putin. How did the group get its name? The group is reportedly named after the nom de guerre of its leader, Dmitry Utkin, a retired Russian military officer. Mr. Utkin is said to have chosen Wagner to honor the composer. Where is the group based? The group is not registered as a legal entity anywhere in the world, and mercenaries remain illegal under Russian law. According to analysts, Wagner is a proxy force of Russias ministry of defense; its shadowy existence allows the Kremlin to play down its battlefield casualties and distance itself from atrocities committed by Wagner fighters. Where do they recruit? Some of the fighters appeared to have been recruited from Syria and Libya, according to the Pentagon. Russia appears to have used mercenaries from those countries to bolster its troops in the east of Ukraine because of their experience fighting in the Donbas region for the past eight years. Where have Wagner forces been deployed? Wagner operatives have fought in Syria, Libya, Central African Republic, Ukraine, Sudan, Mali and Mozambique. U.N. investigators and rights groups say these mercenary troops have targeted civilians, conducted mass executions and looted private property in conflict zones.











The departure of the French troops epitomizes a broader malaise developing between Burkina Faso and its former colonizer, a phenomenon spreading in Francophone countries in Africa. In Mali, Burkina Fasos northern neighbor, thousands of French troops spent nearly a decade fighting extremists, but security did not improve, and the reach of the armed groups spread from its desert north to its more highly populated center. Malians blamed the French for the dire situation in their country, and last year, the French ambassador and several French media outlets were thrown out, while all of its troops were withdrawn under heavy pressure from the Malian government.

A similar scenario has unfolded in Burkina Faso, where Islamist militants have made inroads since 2015 and threatened to destabilize neighboring countries. In recent months, analysts and officials have warned that Burkina Faso could turn to the Russian mercenary group Wagner to reclaim lost territories, a scenario that in Mali has brought some results on the ground but also led to scores of civilian deaths.

In December, President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana accused the authorities in Burkina Faso, Ghanas neighbor, of having signed an agreement with Wagner. To have them operating on our northern border is particularly distressing for us in Ghana, Mr. Akufo-Addo said.

That presence, however, hasnt been confirmed.

Gen. Didier Castres, a former deputy chief of staff for operations in the French military, previously stationed in neighboring Mali, echoed Mr. Ouedraogos statement. As long as Wagner doesnt step in, I think France will keep the doors open, he said.
Myrtle Witbooi, a South African labor activist who campaigned successfully for the countrys first union for domestic workers and once chained herself to the gates of Parliament in Cape Town to press demands for their betterment, died on Jan. 16 in Cape Town. She was 75.

Her biographer, Jennifer N. Fish, said the cause was cancer.

Ms. Witbooi (pronounced VIT-boy) led domestic workers in the struggle against apartheid and continued to press for wage parity and employment rights for her followers after South Africas first fully democratic elections in 1994.

A former domestic servant, she had experienced the inequities of servitude firsthand, and she propelled herself to prominence by speaking out against them.

In 1971 she wrote a letter of protest to the Cape Town newspaper The Clarion to ask Why are we different, why are there no laws, why are we not seen as people?, she told Dr. Fish, a professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., in a conversation in 2018.
Tundu Lissu, Tanzanias leading opposition figure, returned home on Wednesday after more than two years in exile, one of the strongest indications yet that efforts by the East African nations first female president to increase political freedoms and rights protections were being realized.

Mr. Lissu, of the opposition Chadema party, arrived in the port city of Dar es Salaam to a cheering crowd of supporters. He left the country in 2020 amid a contested election, which he and independent election observers said was marred by fraud and irregularities. He said he was detained and had received death threats.

Mr. Lissu said he was emboldened to return because of President Samia Suluhu Hassans decision this month to lift a yearslong ban on political rallies that had been seen by some as an attempt to weaken the opposition. The move, he said, was a sign of the governments commitment to political reforms and gave hope of an end to the intimidation and prosecution of opposition figures. Mr. Lissu had also survived an assassination attempt in 2017 and left the country then as well.

The lifting of the illegal and blanket ban on political assemblies and the release of prisoners informed my decision to go back to Tanzania, Mr. Lissu said in a phone interview before boarding a flight from Belgium, where he had been living.
Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University, one of Indias premier liberal institutions, gathered on Tuesday evening for a screening of a new BBC documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But university officials had other plans.

They swiftly locked the entry gates at the New Delhi campus and cut off electricity in the winter chill, leaving the students to sit and watch the program on laptops and cellphones, their faces glowing beneath a blank projection screen. Then, just minutes into the viewing, which the students were holding in defiance of an order by the public university, they were attacked by a smaller group of masked men throwing stones.

They will shut one screen, and we will open hundreds, said Aishe Ghosh, one of the student activists who attended.

The documentary, India: The Modi Question, focuses on Mr. Modis role during Hindu-Muslim riots that tore through the state of Gujarat in 2002, when he was its chief minister. The deaths of a group of Hindu pilgrims in a fire at a railway station prompted a wave of mob violence in which about 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed, and perhaps 150,000 uprooted.
Since its construction began in 1959, the bunker has carried a variety of official names: Emergency Army Signals Establishment, Central Emergency Government Headquarters and Canadian Forces Station Carp. But it came to be known as the Diefenbunker after John Diefenbaker, the prime minister who commissioned it, more as a form of mockery than in his honor.

For almost two years, during its construction, the bunker and 10 other much smaller bunkers across the country were disguised as military communications centers, which, in fact, was part of their role.

But The Toronto Telegram newspaper exposed the Diefenbunkers true nature in 1961 with a detailed aerial photograph of its construction site. The photograph showed that dozens of toilets were to be installed, a sign that the complex would be more than a small radio base. Above the photograph, the headline read: 78 BATHROOMS  and the Army still wont admit that  THIS IS THE DIEFENBUNKER.

Unlike the United States, Canada did not establish an extensive network of stocked fallout shelters to protect civilians, said Andrew Burtch, a historian at the Canadian War Museum and the author of a book about the countrys limited civil defense system.

Part of it was simply cost, he said. But he said that the military also assumed that the Soviets had reserved their then-limited number of warheads for the United States and would not waste them on Canadian targets. In that scenario, planners assumed that radiation from Soviet bombers shot down over Canada would be the main threat. That led, Dr. Burtch said, to a civil defense system in which, for the most part, the public was on its own.
The decisions by Germany and the United States to send battle tanks to Ukraine, reversing months of resistance, on Wednesday prompted additional pledges from across Europe and predictions of victory over Russia. But it may be months before the tanks rumble across the battlefield.

These can help Ukraine to defend itself, win and prevail as an independent nation, said Jens Stoltenberg, NATOs secretary general. Soon to be a regular sight prowling the fields of Ukraine, Britains Defense Ministry crowed in a Twitter post with a photo of a German Leopard 2 tank and a British-made Challenger 2 tank chewing up a muddy training field in Poland.

But not that soon. Ukrainian troops still need to be trained to use the powerful Western war machines, and moving them into the conflict zone is far from an easy task. The tanks that were promised by Berlin and Washington will not be delivered until spring or summer at the earliest  not in time to help Ukraine defend hotly contested towns and cities near Bakhmut, in the countrys east, where Russian forces have been recently advancing in a grueling ground assault.

The more immediate payoff from the announcements on Wednesday may be in providing a pathway for about a dozen other European countries to donate their own German-made Leopard 2s to Ukraine  a step that would not have been taken without Berlins consent and a parallel promise by Washington to contribute its M1 Abrams tanks.
BERLIN  Two people were killed and at least seven others injured in a stabbing on a train in northern Germany on Wednesday afternoon.

The attack happened shortly before 3 p.m. on a regional train traveling from the northern city of Kiel to Hamburg. Just before the train arrived in the town of Brokstedt, about halfway during the journey, a man started randomly stabbing passengers, according witness reports.

It was unclear how exactly how the attack ended. One witness told the news site t-online that he held the assailant after the man had dropped the knife until police could arrest him.

The attacker, whom the authorities have identified as a 33-year-old Palestinian man, was arrested at the train station in Brokstedt, 40 miles north of Hamburg. Having been alerted by passengers en route, the police were waiting for him when the train pulled in. No more information on the suspect was released. A motive was not immediately clear.
The Spanish police arrested a 74-year-old man on suspicion of sending letter bombs to the prime ministers office, the American and Ukrainian embassies and a weapons manufacturer, among other sites, Spains Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.

American officials had said previously that they suspected Russian military intelligence officers had directed associates of a white supremacist militant group to carry out the campaign.

But the Spanish Interior Ministry, in its statement about the arrest, did not mention any possible link between the detained man and either far-right groups or Russia. According to the ministry, the Spanish authorities believe that the arrested man, a Spanish citizen, made and sent all of the six letter bombs himself, though the participation or influence of other people was not ruled out.

The ministry did not name the man who was detained, providing only his initials, P.G.P. The statement described him as retired, very active on social networks and having technical and computer knowledge.
The mens vehicle is believed to have been hit by an artillery shell, though investigations were underway, Mr. Bagshaws parents said at a news conference. They had feared such an outcome, they said, but were very, very proud of his work.

Mr. Bagshaw, 47, and Mr. Parry, 28, were part of an ad hoc cohort of foreigners with little to no combat experience who helped evacuate civilians from the front lines, acquaintances said. Several of Mr. Parrys and Mr. Bagshaws evacuations were documented by journalists, including Arnaud De Decker, who shared footage of Mr. Parry in Bakhmut days before he went missing.

Their deaths were a stark reminder of the danger facing those whose work has become a lifeline in the Donbas, where many Ukrainians are trapped in some of the worst war zones Europe has seen since the Second World War.

On Jan. 6, the two men went to some really dangerous address, said Grzegorz Rybak, a fellow foreign volunteer who worked with both men and lived with Mr. Bagshaw in Kramatorsk for two weeks. And they did not come back.

PMC Wagner, a notorious mercenary group fighting on behalf of Russia, claimed a week after their disappearance to have found one of the mens bodies. The group posted photos on Telegram of what appeared to be their passports, along with a certificate identifying Mr. Parry as a volunteer with the Pavlo Vyshniakov Foundation, a Kyiv-based charity that sends resources including food and medical supplies to civilians, hospitals and military groups. The foundation declined to comment.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Ukrainian military administration in Donetsk, which includes Soledar, said on Tuesday that Russian forces had shelled a string of towns in the region including Paraskoviivka, which is just west of Soledar. One person died in that attack, he said.

Moscow has held significant territory in Donbas since 2014, including two regional capitals. But since seizing two key cities in Luhansk last summer, Russias military advances in Donbas have been slow. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces have sustained heavy casualties in intense shelling and trench warfare. In recent weeks, soldiers also have had to endure bitter cold and mud.

The capture of Soledar marks a victory for the Kremlin but also for Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company, which has spearheaded much of Russias fighting around Bakhmut. Mr. Prighozin, a close associate of Mr. Putin, has billed the battle for Bakhmut as a measure of the effectiveness of his fighting force.

Wagner said earlier this month that Soledar had fallen, and military experts have said since last week that Ukraine appeared to have retreated. Wagner also said last week that it had captured the village of Klishchiivka, a few miles south of Bakhmut, in a further sign of its progress toward encircling the city. There was no comment from the Ukrainian military about that claim.
Have you been reacquainting yourself with the forgotten spices and fusty beans from the depths of your pantry? How fusty is too fusty? When is the right time to throw something out? And what about fresh ingredients? If Im trying to keep supermarket trips to a minimum, how long can my eggs, dairy and produce keep?

Heres the first thing you should know: Expiration dates are not expiration dates.

Food product dating, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture calls it, is completely voluntary for all products (with the exception of baby food, more on that later). Not only that, but it has nothing to do with safety. It acts solely as the manufacturers best guess as to when its product will no longer be at peak quality, whatever that means. Food manufacturers also tend to be rather conservative with those dates, knowing that not all of us keep our pantries dark and open our refrigerators as minimally as necessary. (I, for one, would never leave the fridge door open for minutes at a time as I contemplate what to snack on.)

Lets start with the things you definitely dont have to worry about. Vinegars, honey, vanilla or other extracts, sugar, salt, corn syrup and molasses will last virtually forever with little change in quality. Regular steel-cut or rolled oats will last for a year or so before they start to go rancid, but parcooked oats (or instant oats) can last nearly forever. (Same with grits versus instant grits.)

Flour

White flour is almost certainly fine to use, no matter its age. Whole-wheat and other whole-grain flours can acquire a metallic or soapy odor within a few months. This whiter-equals-longer rule of thumb is true for nonground grains as well. Refined white rice, for example, will last for years, while brown rice will last only for months.
Whats in Our Queue? Heartbreak High and More

Lisa Tomasetti/Netflix

Im The Timess Australia bureau chief.

Ive got a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old at home in Sydney, where summer break means incessant debate over what to watch, listen to and check out live.

Here are five things weve been shouting about lately 
David Gallagher

The Next Practices Group brings on David Gallagher as a partner and head of a new international expansion initiative for all NPG firms. Gallagher has served as president for international growth and development at Omincom PR Group and CEO at Ketchum Europe. At NPG, his remit will include building out an integrated purpose, resilience & impact offering, working alongside Chris Foster, CEO of The Next Practice and Chair of NPG Purpose. Based in London, Gallagher will support NPG companies to serve clients in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. "David will help us quickly realize two important parts of our visionbuilding a global next-generation proposition in marketing and communications for all of our businesses and their clients, beginning with a strong hub in London, and establishing a future-focused understanding of purpose for clients worldwide," said Bob Pearson, NPG founder and chair.

Rami Halawani

ASDAA BCW, BCWs Dubai-based communications consultancy, names Rami Halawani executive vice president  client services. Halawai previously served as the consultancys regional director  Levant and North Africa from 2002 to 2009. He rejoins ASDAA BCW from the Dubai Chambers, where he was director  marketing & corporate communication for over 12 years, In his new post, he will focus on strengthening key client relationships, delivering counsel to elevate campaigns, providing reputation and crisis management counsel, and building new business partnerships. Rami will provide in-depth counsel to our clients with his demonstrated skills in integrated and digital-first communications as we chart a new growth strategy in 2023, saud Sunil John, president  MENA of BCW and founder of ASDAA BCW.

Urvashi Shivdasani

Huge appoints Urvashi Shivdasani as global CFO..Shivdasani joins the IPG agency from Ralph Lauren, where she was SVP of global corporate finance. She previously held several business unit finance leadership roles at Discovery Communications, most recently as division CFO for the U.S. business segment. At Huge, Shivdasani will oversee commercial strategy and lead the companys accounting, financial planning and analysis, real estate, commercial finance and information technology teams. Urvashi is an incredibly accomplished finance professional and an empowering leader with an unparalleled track record driving change and profitability for some of the worlds most ambitious brands, said Huge global CEO Mat Baxter. Her deep expertise and financial acumen will be vital to the organization as we continue to chart a bold, new course for Huge.

Lesley Bielby

DiGo (DiMassimo Goldstein) promotes chief strategy officer Lesley Bielby to CEO. Bielby has previously served as CSO at Hill Holiday and head of the brand strategy group for North America at Digitas. Former DiGo CEO Lee Goldstein has re-assumed his prior post as president, and remains a partner and board member. Agency founder Mark DiMassimo, also a former DiGo CEO, remains chairman and creative chief. Working beside Lesley has always brought about seamless harmony, and now with her as CEO, I know DiGo will continue reaching incredible heights, said Goldstein.
5W Public Relations picks up The Strong National Museum of Play, the Rochester, NY operation that collects toys, dolls, board games, video games, other electronic games, and other objects that illuminate the meaning and importance of play. 5W will oversee PR strategy and execution for the museum, including media relations management, strategic communications management, influencer relations, and thought leadership. It will also work with the museum to launch its upcoming expansion which includes interactive exhibits, part of a larger Neighborhood of Play project in Rochester. We knew we needed help to tell this important story, and 5WPRs tourism experience, enthusiasm, relationships and reach make them the perfect partner, said The Strong'a VP for marketing and communications Sara Poe.

Zapwater Communications takes on Tricoci Salons & Spas. The agency will manage communications on behalf of the brand, including media relations, strategic partnerships and events. Zapwater will collaborate with the brands in-house marketing and communications team to drive awareness and company growth on a local, regional, and national level. Tricoci has 13 locations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. It was important to us to select a partner that truly understands what todays beauty and wellness consumer desires, enabling them to support us in deepening our brand equity through a thoughtful and unexpected integrated marketing strategy, said Tricoci CMO Kristen Chase.

CIIC PR signs on with hospitality-focused firm Pineapple Procurement. The agency will take the lead on the companys communications strategy, leveraging its experience in tailoring media relations efforts for clients within the travel & tourism sector. Pineapple Procurement is a boutique FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment) and OS&E (operating supplies and equipment) procurement firm. It works directly with interior designers to help execute projects through alliances with traditional hospitality vendors as well as artisan craftsmen.
GEASHILL village claimed a prize at the prestigious Pride of Place community awards on Saturday evening last.

Geashill was nominated in the Creative Place category, with judges saying they were struck by the hard work they witnessed.

Everything about this group impressed the judges. They work tirelessly to keep their village beautiful. They are continually working on projects to enhance their place and fully engage with all the residents. They were positive, innovative and creative in their thinking and always looking to progress their next project.

Mucklagh Community Development CLG was nominated in the Town with a Population of between 1000 and 2000 category, and Pullough village in the Community Resilience category. Both came runners up.

The awards, hosted by RTEs Marty Whelan, took place in in front of 400 community volunteers from across the island at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road.

Sponsored by IPB Insurance, the Pride of Place competition was initiated 20 years ago though a Co-operation Ireland programme to acknowledge the invaluable work undertaken by volunteers and those involved in local community development.

It has grown into the largest competition recognising community development achievements on the island of Ireland.

President Michael D. Higgins, who is Joint Patron of Co-operation Ireland, said the awards played an important role.

The Pride of Place awards are a most important initiative, reminding us that creating societies that are ethical and inclusive is a task for all of our citizens, of all ages and circumstances.

Pride of Place founder and Chairman Tom Dowling said; "It is 20 amazing years since the very first awards ceremony and the ethos of the awards has never changed. It continues to be about acknowledging and recognising in a meaningful manner the important caring work of all our communities as they continue their daily journey of making the path of life easier for all.

Dr Christopher Moran, Chairman of Co-operation Ireland said: "Co-operation Ireland has no other programme that embodies the charity's ethos better than Pride of Place.

We work to build relationships across the island and Pride of Place plays a critical role in that work. The impact the awards have had in towns and villages across the island since they started 20 years ago cannot be underestimated, and the continuing success of the awards is down to the dedicated volunteers and their love of where they live.

George Jones Chairman, IPB Insurance said: On behalf of our local authority members we are proud to be associated with the Pride of Place awards as title sponsors. This competition provides a fitting platform to recognise the great strides volunteers across the island of Ireland are making in building more sustainable and liveable communities.
THE Ulster Bank in Tullamore will close its doors on April 21, 2023.

This means customers will no longer be able to make cash or cheque lodgements either at the counter or through internal automation devices. In addition they will not be able o make any form of a withdrawal at the Tullamore branch or any branch (except for ATM services).

In the period from April 1 to 21 staff at the Tullamore branch will be focusing on helping customers to move to a new banking provider and close their accounts.

Tullamore is one of 63 remaining branches to close. 25 Ulster Bank branches closed this month as part of the the transaction with Permanent TSB, and are reopening as Permanent TSB branches.

Ulster Bank also confirms that customers will no longer be able to access Ulster Bank services through An Post outlets after March 31 2023. Customers will not be able to make lodgements or payments through their Ulster Bank accounts in any of An Posts network of post offices and outlets across the country.

Ulster Bank is also encouraging customers who have not yet taken action, to begin the process of choosing a new provider, moving their transactions and closing their current and deposit accounts within their notice period.

All current and deposit accounts that have passed their six month notice period are now queued for closure, with the exception of known vulnerable customers and customers in receipt of Social Protection payments.

The Bank will commence the freezing of personal and commercial customer accounts with higher levels of activity on or after 02 February 2023.

Ulster bank first came to Tullamore in 1893 and was founded in 1836. That same year the Bank of Ireland also opened on High Street. At one time Ulster Bank had branches in Ferbane, Clara, Kilcormac and Edenderry.

Offaly History recall that the manager of the Tullamore branch was shot dead in 1922 by the Republican IRA in a Civil War robbery.
Planning permission has been granted for a new outdoor swimming pool on the banks of the River Shannon in Banagher.

The project's committee, the Shannon Bank Development Group, are currently looking at all funding options.

In a Proposed Site Layout Plan submitted to Galway County Council as part of the planning application process it's stated that the new development will include three new access stairs, each with handrails. A disabled access ramp down onto the pool deck will also form part of the new development.

Walkways in the green area adjacent to the pool will be extended and the green area will feature a park with wildflowers and a skatepark.

Situated adjacent to Cromwell's Castle the development will include upgrading the seating and creating a canoe pontoon.

Around the new pool there will also be fixed seating areas on pontoon platforms. The proposed pool level will be about five metres below the main road level (in winter). The pool level will increase during the summer months.

"The project is going to cost 400,000," said Darragh Kelly of the Group, "and we hope to start building the new pool and surrounding infrastructure during the summer. We'll be able to slot the new pool into place during the summer over a week or two."

The aim would be for the project to be built this summer but obviously this will be down to accessing funding, grants etc, so this timeline may be later.

He said the group is going to get a government grant for 75% of the costs but has to find 100,000 in match funding.

"We've already raised 10,000 through a nameplate scheme, where people pay 100 per nameplate. The nameplates will surround the pool. This scheme is still open. Another fundraising project will be a swimathon during the spring, early summer."

A lot of familes are purchasing the nameplates and will be putting their kids names on them as a nice family keepsake. Each personalised nameplate will be fixed around the new pool seated area. They cost 100 and for people to register their interest for a nameplate the email address is banagherpool@outlook.com .

Phase 1 includes the main works and will consist of the new pool and upgraded seating with disabled access, all other elements are conceptual for future development. The Shannon Bank Development Group will be managing the pool installation and upgrade works.

The planning application was submitted on behalf of the trustees (with permission) by Colm Keane & Daragh Kelly and Planning Permission was granted on the December 12th 2022.

Cllr Clare Claffey warmly welcomed the news. It's very exciting, she said, and will be fantastic for the town. The outdoor pool has been used a lot over the past couple of summers and has attracted visitors from all over. A lifeguard would be the icing on the cake.

Last summer the councillor pointed out that a full-time lifeguard is needed at the pool during the busy summer months.

Cllr Claffey said the temperature of the new pool will be the same temperature as the river.

There are eleven outdoor swimming pools in Ireland and the Banagher pool has proved perennially popular each summer.

However, it's a long time since any work was done on the Banagher facility and a lot of locals will be very happy to see this upgrade taking place.

The proposed plans were recently put on display in Banagher's SuperValu, which created a buzz of positivity because the plans looked really good.

Banagher outdoor pool is one of Irelands most memorable pools. Located in the Shannon beside Banagher bridge, its riverside location is striking.

The pool is situated in Banagher Park, which is owned by the community and managed by Banagher Shannon Bank Park committee, a group of trustees who are responsible for the overall management of the facility since 1979. Shannon Bank Park Trustees manage the running of the park on behalf of the community. The project is not being overseen by the trustees but by the Shannon Bank Development Group.

The pool is free to use and is open all year round. Many people like to use it to make a great start to the day by going for an early morning swim. During the summer other swimmers like to dry off with a picnic on the riverside after their swim or explore Banaghers heritage at Cromwells Castle, located next to the swimming pool.
THE Book of Evidence was served by Garda Stacey O'Brien on a man charged with three counts of arson when he appeared at last week's Tullamore District Court.

Faris Doherty (29) Puttaghaun, Tullamore, is alleged to have damaged by fire a Hyundai car on May 5 2022, and on the same date at 1 Charleville Parade, it's alleged he damaged by fire the front windows, doors and front wall of 1 Charleville Parade Tullamore, and it's also alleged he damaged by fire the front windows and front wall of 2 Charleville Parade, Tullamore.

Mr Doherty was sent forward for trial to the next sitting of Tullamore Circuit Court on April 18, 2023.

Sgt James O'Sullivan said Mr Doherty will be tried on indictment and may be sent forward on a signed plea. Legal aid was granted to Mr Donal Farrelly and one counsel.

For the second time in three weeks Gardai objected to bail being granted to the defendant who is denying the charges. Mr Farrelly said they were a rehash of the original objections.

At a court sitting on Wednesday January 4, Detective Garda Hanley said Mr Doherty had broken a condition of his bail in that he had been allegedly seen by one of the alleged victims walking past her house on two occasions.

Judge Andrew Cody requested that the victim appear in court to give evidence at the January 12 sitting however, she failed to do so and he remanded Mr Doherty on continuing bail to appear at last Wednesday's January 18 sitting for service of the book of evidence.

In his evidence to the court at last week's sitting Detective Garda Hanley said Mr Doherty is facing serious charges but he is entitled to the presumption of innocence. He then went on to give details of the crime which Mr Doherty is alleged to have committed.

He said he was making a fresh objection to bail and had obtained CCTV footage from the court house which showed a male who he identified as the defendant Faris Doherty walking along the path outside Lloyd Town Park opposite the courthouse on Cormac Street and near where the alleged injured parties live on Christmas Eve, 2022.

Having viewed the CCTV footage, Judge Andrew Cody said he couldn't identify Mr Doherty.

Detective Hanley said Mr Doherty has a distinctive walk and there was a considerable distance between the height of the town park railing and the height of Mr Doherty who is very tall,

Solicitor Donal Farrelly put it to Detective Hanley that he couldn't see the face on the person he identified as Mr Doherty in the video. Responding Detective Hanley said it's not just the face it's the walk and his height. The face is just one aspect he said.

Mr Farrelly said Detective Hanley had no idea how many tall people walk up and down that path.

Is that your ''best shot'' he asked. Detective Hanley replied that the Director of Public Prosecutions had also objected to bail.

Donal Farrelly said Mr Doherty had complied with bail conditions, he had moved out of his home at Charleville Parade to quite a distance away, he was signing on at the garda station and he was contactable.

He said the bail conditions had been fixed and they were quite difficult. He said there was no evidence before the Judge that Faris Doherty had breached any conditions.

Judge Cody said Mr Doherty has given sworn evidence that he didn't commit the crime and people don't often give sworn evidence he said.

He remanded Faris Doherty on continuing bail on his own bond of 100 with independent surety of 2,000. However, he said he was going to impose one more bail condition which is to stay out of Tullamore. If he wants to go into the town he must contact the gardai. His other conditions include staying away from alcohol, maintaining a curfew between 8pm and 8am each day. He is to sign on at Tullamore garda station and make no contact with the two alleged victims in the case. He is to surrender his passport. He is to stay away from Cormac Street, Charleville Parade and the town park.
When newly revamped guidelines for low-risk alcohol use were revealed last week, it quickly sparked debate and, in some cases, frustration. Some Canadians were quick to dismiss them, saying the risks felt overblown. But are they?
Bailey Smith used his 355,000-strong social media following to call for Australians to show empathy and be mindful about how they spent January 26.
Germany has finally given the go-ahead for Western tanks to be sent to the battlefield. The delay benefitted nobody but the man in the Kremlin.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden is hosting the Democratic congressional leaders Tuesday at the White House as they face a new era of divided government in Washington, staring down a debt ceiling crisis, the Russian war in Ukraine and their own party priorities running up against a new House Republican majority eager for confrontation.



Ahead of the afternoon meeting, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the House Republicans are risking a potentially devastating debt default that would cascade across the economy hitting American households.



We're now witnessing the House GOP recklessly flirt with default, Schumer said.



Schumer said Democrats stand united in working to raise the limit and stop Republicans from imposing draconian budget cuts to federal programs. If the MAGA GOP stops paying our nations bills, Americans pay the price, he said, referring to those Republicans allied with the Trump-era Make American Great Again movement.



The coming showdown has a familiar precedent  a little more than a decade ago, a new generation of tea party House Republicans swept to power, eager to confront the Obama administration to slash federal spending and curb the nation's ballooning debt load. As vice president at the time, Biden was central to those negotiations, but the House Republicans and the White House could never strike a deal, causing a fiscal crisis. This go around, Biden and his Democratic allies in Congress are in no mood to broker deals with a new era of hardline Republicans led by the Freedom Caucus.



House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is eager to push Biden to the negotiating table, hoping to make good on the promises the GOP leader made to holdouts during his campaign to become House speaker to pare federal spending back to fiscal 2022 levels, which...
Poland was prepared to send tanks to Ukraine even without Germany's blessing. Officials in Warsaw said they couldn't understand the hesitation by their counterparts in Berlin as fears grow that the war is coming closer.
euronews (in English) 25 Feb 2023

Members of the G7 reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine and the war of aggression it is fighting. All seven countries pledged to..
Hundreds of seats on Eurostar trains from London to the continent are deliberately being left unsold so long queues don't build up at stations, the company has admitted.
Many of Wednesday's papers look at calls for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to cut taxes and Germany's decision to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Rumble 22 Feb 2023

On January 25, the Biden administration announced it would be sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Aside from the dangerous escalation..
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The chairman of the Conservative Party, Nadhim Zahawi, is currently under investigation over his multimillion-pound tax dispute.
Russian mercenary group leader has Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to laugh off claims of a plot to assassinate him, describing it as "a very good idea".
Dina Boluarte says radical groups are behind the ongoing demonstrations calling for her to resign.
Four spectators at the Australian Open are questioned by police after Russian flags are waved and security guards allegedly threatened.
A state politician and federal police say that two people have been killed in a knife attack on a train in Germany. The attack took place in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein that borders Denmark.
The European Court of Human Rights said cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia over alleged human rights violations in the breakaway Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine, and the shooting down of Flight MH17, were admissible.
Oneindia 28 Mar 2023

The German Defence Ministry has confirmed that the first shipment of Leopard 2 tanks from Germany has been finally sent to Ukraine...
Classified documents have been turning up everywhere, even the garage where Joe Biden stashes his vintage Corvette. As Josh..

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A group of GOP lawmakers held a press conference Tuesday in which they accused President Biden of prioritizing a "woke ideology" over the border crisis.
By Jeffrey Mankoff*



(FPRI)  The scope of the Biden administrations response to the invasion of Ukraine has already..

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The White House is pushing back after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., booted two Democrats off the House Intelligence Committee, saying those Democrats bring "expertise."
Houston TX (SPX) Jan 25, 2023



NASA announced Thursday its new Mars Sample Receiving Project office, responsible for receiving and curating the first samples returned from the Red Planet, will be located at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The safe and rapid release of Mars samples after they return to Earth to laboratories worldwide for science investigations will be a priority. The office will reside with
It has emerged that he had previously been found guilty of two counts of the same crime in Serbia
A double killer who sought asylum in the UK has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering a man during a dispute over an e-scooter.
In a visit to Berlin on Tuesday (24 January 2023) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked Defence Minister Boris Pistorius for Germanys significant contributions to NATO and strong support to Ukraine.



Mr Stoltenberg praised Germanys considerable contributions to NATO deterrence and defence at a time when...
Several senior Ukrainian officials announced their resignations Tuesday amid what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said would be some personnel changes in his government.



Deputy Defense Minister Viacheslav Shapovalov, who was in charge of logistical support for Ukraines forces, stepped down from his post, citing allegations...
By Julian Dierkes*



Mongolias domestic party politics, international relations and economy faced challenges in 2022. The Mongolian Peoples Party (MPP) wrestled with how to govern despite having a supermajority in Mongolias parliament, the State Great Khural, and how to position itself vis-a-vis Moscow following...
Former President Donald Trump has abandoned efforts to revive his federal lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James  the second time hes halted legal action against her after a judge last week fined him and his lawyers nearly $1 million for filing frivolous cases. Trumps lawyers



#donaldtrump #letitiajames #trump #democrat #trumporganization #artofdeal #florida #donaldmmiddlebrooks #trumps #hillaryclinton
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. Amazon workers at a warehouse in Coventry will strike over pay today, the first time the e-commerce giant has faced industrial action in the UK. The GMB union, which has organised the



#amazon #coventry #gmb #amandagearing #tesla #australian
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday his country will export more than a dozen of its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. The move follows weeks of pressure from western allies.
An Irish teacher dismissed because of a transgender pronouns row returned to the premises a day after being arrested for trespassing at the school.
The pensioner who allegedly sent letter bombs to Spain's prime minister and the Ukrainian embassy was placed in pre-trial detention..

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Russian Nordwind Airlines has announced plans to operate flights from Perm to several cities of Uzbekistan.

Nordwind is one of the biggest airlines in Russia in terms of passenger turnover and has one of the most expansive route networks of scheduled flights in the country.

The Russian air carrier has already sent a request to the Federal Air Transport Agency for admission to operate flights to Uzbekistan.

Nordwind Airlines looks to launch flights three times a week on the Perm  Fergana route in summer 2023, while flights from Perm to Samarkand the company plans to operate also three times a week later in 2023.

Earlier in January, another Russian airline increased the number of flights to Uzbekistan. Utair airline has launched flights from Russian Samara to Uzbekistan's Samarkand. The flights on the Samara-Samarkand-Samara route will be operated once a week - on Mondays.
Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - African heads of state and government pledged on Wednesday in Dakar to make food sovereignty a "priority" with more investment and support to farmers and youth for access to land
Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Africa must find solutions to the food insecurity situation it is facing, so that the continent can feed itself and contribute to feeding the world, Senegalese President Macky Sall said on Wednesday at the opening of the Second Dakar Summit on Food Sovereignty
Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - The recent call by Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on foreign ambassador to desist from interfering in the country's forthcoming elections is both timely and imperative
New York, US (PANA) - Ambassadors, UN officials and experts from the international community on Tuesday shared ways to better prevent genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity at a special meeting of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a statement deploring the abduction of a doctor working for the UN health agency in the town of Menaka, in eastern Mali, by unknown assailants on Monday
Photo: (Photo : NATALIE BEHRING /Getty Images)

A mother from Brazil successfully gave birth to one of the largest babies.

The woman, Cleidiane Santos dos Santos, 27, welcomed his 16-pound baby boy, Angerson, at Hospital Padre Colombo in Parintins, Amazonas State.

The baby was 2 feet in length at birth and was delivered via cesarean section. It is possible that the mother's diabetes affected the baby's weight.

Second largest baby

Santos was not expecting to give birth immediately. She said she had gone to the hospital for her usual obstetric checkup.

According to the Daily Mail, the medical professionals immediately concluded that the unborn child would be too enormous for her to carry to full term, so the surgeons performed the C-section the next day, and Angerson was born.

Angerson, who measures 59 centimeters long and is currently being cared for in an incubator, is the largest baby ever to be born in the state of Amazonas.

The previous record for the state was established in 2011 by a kid who weighed 13 pounds and measured 1.8 feet.

TODAY reported that Angerson is being watched in the newborn intensive care unit, according to Dr. Artemisia Pessoa, an OB-GYN at Hospital Padre Colombo.

Dr. Pessoa said that the hospital's medical staff is just as happy and excited that the baby was born safely.

They are glad that both the baby boy and his mother are in stable condition. Santos described her pain, saying she felt like two tractor-trailers were hitting her at the same time.

She also expressed her gratitude towards the medical team that cared for her and her son, saying she is thankful to each of them.

Angerson nearly missed the national record set by Ademilton dos Santos, born in 2005 and weighing 17 pounds (8 kg). He may, however, be the second-largest infant ever born.

Read Also: 6-Year-Old Virginia Boy Shows Early Signs of Aggression To Another Teacher Before Abigail Zwerner Incident

Diabetes during pregnancy

The doctors stated that the diabetes of the baby's mother might have contributed to Angerson's enormous weight.

Gestational diabetes is by far the most frequent type of diabetes that moms get while they are carrying their children.

It can result in excessive blood sugar levels if it is not carefully managed. A high blood sugar level can create complications for the mother and her unborn child.

Gestational diabetes might give mothers birth complications, according to the Mayo Clinic. One of the mentioned complications is excessive birth weight.

Mothers with high blood sugar levels also have a high chance of causing their babies to grow larger. Huge babies have an increased risk of being stuck in the birth canal, sustaining injuries during birth, or requiring a delivery through a cesarean section.

Hospital Padre Colombo is fundraising for new clothes for Angerson as he will not fit those bought by his parents.

For the baby, the hospital is accepting donations of clothing and diaper sizes for children from nine months to a year.

Related Article: Parents Use Respectful Parenting as Approach to Produce Highly Successful Kids
Photo: (Photo : Steve pope/Getty Images)

A school shooting incident occurred in Iowa, eventually killing two teenage students.

Another school shooting hit the country; this time, the targets were part of an educational program to help children and young adults at risk.

One of the suspects was identified as Preston Walls, 18. Walls was arrested later that night and charged with one count of involvement in a criminal gang, one count of attempted murder, and two counts of murder.

Des Moines Police received a call notifying them about a possible shooting situation at Starts Right Here at 12:50 p.m.

The police department immediately responded and performed life-saving procedures on the three injured victims.

Iowa Des Moines School Shooting

According to NBC News, first responders rushed to the school around 1 p.m. and saw three victims.

Two of them were teenagers who were critically injured. At the scene, life-saving attempts were made, but the two students were eventually confirmed dead at the hospital.

William Holmes, a rapper who performs under the stage name William Keeps, was identified as the third victim at the crime scene.

Holmes is affiliated with the schools in the Des Moines area and is the founder of the educational initiative known as Starts Right Here. The educational program caters to helping at-risk youth.

When Holmes attempted to escort Walls, who had entered a common area of the program, out, the shooter reportedly pulled away and began shooting Holmes and two other victims.

The evidence suggested that Walls and the victims were members of rival gangs at the time these crimes were committed.

Police said they found evidence that these crimes were committed as part of an ongoing fight between two gangs.

Witnesses provided the police with a description of the fleeing vehicle, which allowed the authorities to locate the suspects.

As per the New York Post, three juvenile suspects were taken into custody immediately after the shooting when the police officers stopped a car approximately two miles away from the location of the incident.

Read Also: Mom Shares Horrifying Experience as Daughter Nearly Dies of Flesh-Eating Bacteria

Targeted school shooting

According to ABC, Des Moines Public Schools provide two services. The first is to assist children in re-engaging in the district's Options Academy credit recovery program.

The second is to assist students who are no longer enrolled in a school due to behavioral difficulties.

The school program focuses on working with teenagers impacted by real-life difficulties. The purpose of the school is to fill in the gaps and assist the children in areas where they need the most help.

This is also one of the reasons why countless individuals in the community feel that this shooting at the school was not just an accident but rather an intentional act of violence against a certain group of people.

Mike Beranek, the Iowa State Education Association president, has issued a plea for public authorities to adopt effective methods to prevent gun violence and pursue tangible solutions that would keep kids and school employees safe.

As the investigation is still ongoing, the interim superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools, Matt Smith, stated that they are still waiting to acquire more information.

Related Article: New York's Violence Against Teenagers Are on the Rise, Raise the Age Law Remains Unchanged
Photo: (Photo : Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)

The NYC mother-and-daughter strangulation case of 1994 is now making progress.

The NYPD Bronx Cold Case Squad recently arrested 64-year-old Larry Atkinson.

The mother, Sarah Roberts, 57, and her daughter with special needs, Sharon, 25, were strangled to death in Harlem almost 30 years ago.

Atkinson, who is still residing in Harlem, was wheeled out to the police station while wearing an oxygen mask and seated in a wheelchair.

After his arrest, the alleged murderer, who reportedly has cancer, was transferred to a hospital, where he was eventually treated and discharged from the facility.

1994 mother and daughter strangulation in NYC

According to NBC New York, the mother and daughter were discovered strangled to death inside their Grant Houses public housing complex flat on February 20, 1994, yet the case remains unresolved.

The report from 1994 stated that Sarah Roberts was found on her bed, and her daughter was on the floor with a woolen stocking wrapped around her neck.

Aside from the gruesome killing of the two, according to the authorities, a tape video recorder and several hundred dollars in cash were also taken.

Detectives used DNA evidence from the 28-year-old crime scene to link the murders to the suspected killer, including cigarette butts and fingernail clippings.

As per Wane, Sarah Roberts, according to one of her neighbors, had emphysema. Atkinson was dating a home healthcare worker who looked after Sharon Roberts, a developmentally handicapped woman, and was still living with her.

A longtime resident of the Grant Houses public housing complex who found out that Atkinson had been detained voiced his relief that the police had already made an arrest.

This renter has lived in the building continuously since 1981 and is friends with the younger victim.

The renter even mentioned being scared since he had heard a lot about the event. He remembered that many officers were on the floor and everyone else in the building was terrified.

Read Also: Military Implements New Parental Leave Policy, Giving 12 Weeks for Birth, Non-Birth Parents

Larry Atkinson's arrest

Celeste Cornelius, the health aide, supported her partner when the arrest was made.

According to the New York Post, outside their Harlem apartment, Cornelius stated that she believes that Atkinson did not commit the crime.

She was made aware that the police ran a forensic DNA test on the evidence left in the mother and daughter strangulation case, and all the results matched those of her partner.

However, she still believes that he couldn't do it and that the DNA results could have been messed up.

After a house attendant witnessed the terrible act and phoned 911, the original investigation that was conducted in 1994 indicated that the police officers found no trace of forced entry in the flat that was located on the sixth floor.

It is unknown why Atkinson is suspected of killing the mother and daughter or how he gained access to their flat during the purported murders.

Upon investigation, it was revealed that Larry Atkinson is an ex-convict who previously served his time behind bars on different criminal charges.

Atkinson was imprisoned for two years on offenses linked to drug use. Atkinson has 13 prior arrests to his name, making him a convicted felon. He was found guilty on five separate occasions and served his time in prison under various identities.

Related Article: Pediatric Research Reveals Physically Active Children Less Susceptible to Respiratory Tract Infections
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The Korean government recently designated next-gen display technologies as a national strategic technology, making display makers eligible for expanded tax credits on investment in R&D and facilities, attention is focusing on whether the move will catalyze a rebound in the Korean display industry.

Korean display makers unanimously welcomed the government's addition of next-generation display technologies to the list of national strategic technologies. The display technologies eligible for expanded tax credits include active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), micro-LED and quantum dot (QD) nanomaterial displays.

Yet domestic display makers are facing a challenge coming from Apple. In October 2022, Apple requested its suppliers to go beyond joining RE100 and attain their decarbonization goals by 2030. Samsung Display joined the RE100 in the same month. LG Display is currently the only LG affiliate that has not signed up for RE100.

One industry insider told Business Korea that LG Display is also making efforts to get closer to RE100 in various ways, although it has not signed up for RE100 yet. Display makers will rev up their decarbonization campaign to remain in Apple's supply chains."

Apple is Gold Member of the RE100 Climate Group, as noted in the partial image below taken from their website.



(Click on image above to Enlarge)
First, though: The Interpreter Foundation continues to pour out materials that, we hope, are of benefit to those who follow what we do. Im grateful for the generosity of donors and volunteers, without which this would not be possible:

Interpreter Radio Show  January 8, 2023  In this, the 8 January 2023 episode of the Interpreter Radio Show, Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and Kevin Christensen discuss (1) claims that the Book of Mormon was plagiarized and (2) diversity and unity in the Church.

The New Testament in Context Lesson 6: The Spirit of the Lord Is upon Me  In the 8 January 2023 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Radio Show, Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and Kevin Christensen discuss New Testament lesson 6, covering Matthew 4 and Luke 45, The Spirit of the Lord Is upon Me.

Interpreter Radio Show  January 15, 2023  Bruce Webster, Kris Frederickson, and Martin Tanner are the discussants for the 15 January 2023 installment of the Interpreter Radio Show. They focus on (1) the Restoration and Trinitarianism and (2) various translations of the New Testament. The New Testament in Context portion of this show, for Come, Follow Me New Testament lesson 7, covering John 24, will be posted on Tuesday, 31 January.

The entire Interpreter Radio Show can be heard in all its glory, live and without a safety net, each and every Sunday evening from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640>. If, for some reason, that doesnt work for you, you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com in the stead thereof. And, obviously, you can listen to the Interpreter Radio Show at any convenient time for you by means of these archived recordings, which have been denuded of commercial and other extraneous interruptions for your pleasure and edification.

Also, though, dont miss this: Come, Follow Me  New Testament Study and Teaching Helps: Lesson 6, January 30  February 5: Matthew 4; Luke 45  The Spirit of the Lord Is upon Me  As he regularly does, Jonn Claybaugh furnishes a concise set of notes for the benefit of teachers and students of the Churchs Come, Follow Me curriculum.

Heres a passage from Eugene England, Brother Brigham (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980), one of many passages in the book that I really like. Gene has just been referring to a dam that the original pioneer company built almost immediately after their arrival in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake in July 1847:

That dam symbolizes another powerful lesson the pioneers learned with and from their leaders because it reveals, in [William] Claytons matter-of-fact record of its construction the first day in the valley before Brother Brigham arrived, the characteristic Mormon sense of faith and works: At the opening [of Orson Pratts dedicatory meeting], the brethren united in prayer and asked the Lord to send rain on the land, etc. The brethren immediately rigged three plows and went to plowing a little northeast of the camp; another party went with spades, etc. to make a dam on one of the creeks so as to throw the water at pleasure on the field, designing to irrigate the land in case rain should not come sufficiently. [page 140, Eugene Englands emphasis in the original]

There is a genuinely contemptible and offensive conspiracy theory circulating out there that argues that Joseph and Hyrum Smith werent actually murdered by a mob in collusion with the Carthage Greys, the local Illinois militia, as everybody (including members of the mob and of the Carthage Greys) has always thought, but, instead, by their cellmates in Carthage Jail, Elders John Taylor and Willard Richards of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. Perhaps at the instigation of Brigham Young, no less. To the best of my knowledge, no serious historian supports this fantasy. (Those to whom Ive mentioned it, in fact, have snorted derisively.) I hope that the nearly superhuman Robert Boylan wont mind my borrowing something from his Facebook page that he recently posted in reaction to the claim:

Will just say this. The following is an uncanonised revelation to John Taylor, the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (who we are led to believe, alongside Willard Richards, murdered Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage [!]), we read the following about the Prophet: Behold, I raised up my servant Joseph Smith to introduce my Gospel, and to build up my Church and establish my Kingdom on the earth; and I gave unto him wisdom and knowledge and revelation, and intelligence pertaining to the past, the present, and the future, even to that extent which was not known among men; and I endowed him with power from on high, and conferred upon him the Priesthood of Aaron, and also the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which is after the order of the Son of God, even the holiest of all, and after the power of an endless life, and administered forever in this world and the world to come. He was called and ordained to this office before the world was. He was called by me, and empowered by me, and sustained by me to introduce and establish my Church and Kingdom upon the earth; and to be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to my Church and Kingdom; and to be a King and Ruler over Israel. Source: Revelation to John Taylor, June 27, 1882, John Taylor Papers, LDS Church Archives, cited by John A. Tvedtnes, Organize my Kingdom: A History of Restored Priesthood (Salt Lake City: Cornerstone, 2000), 13.

Its probably worth mentioning that John Taylors revelation was received on the thirty-eighth anniversary of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Im not surprised to think that President Taylor might have been thinking back on that day in 1844, when he himself was grievously wounded by an anti-Mormon mob  or, if you agree with the fantasists, that he might have been chuckling with smug self-satisfaction about how he and his co-conspirators had successfully gotten away with a theatrical farce that concealed his commission of a double-homicide.

On rather a different note: In the initial days of this saga, a rather large number of classified documents were located the Mar-a-Lago estate of Mr. Donald J. Trump, in Florida. Shortly after President Biden labeled their presence there irresponsible, though, classified documents began to be located at various Biden properties, dating back to his vice presidency. Now, according to the New York Times, classified documents have been found at inappropriate locations connected with former vice president and presidential-election decider Mike Pence. Since this is now a visibly bipartisan issue, I feel that I am not violating my no politics pledge here at Sic et Non by pursuing it just a tad further. (Who knows? We may eventually find the Ark of the Covenant!) And Ive determined to do so via the Babylon Bee, whose inspiring motto is Fake news you can trust:

30 Other Things Investigators Found In Bidens Garage

White House Proudly Hangs 1 Day Without Classified Documents Discovered At Presidents House Sign

Batch Of Classified Documents Found On Walmart Clearance Shelf

And, while Im at it: In other news,

George Santos Signs Lucrative Endorsement Deal With Whoppers

Jesus Was All About Inclusion! Says Pastor Confusing Jesus With Satan

And this, from National Reviews Rob Long: George Santoss LinkedIn

Finally, here are some chilling links from the never-failing Christopher Hitchens Memorial How Religion Poisons Everything File:

Church Funds Are Curbing Malnourishment for Mothers and Children in Kenya: Super cereal and other supplements are supplying a sensible boost to immune systems

Church Makes Donation to Reduce Infant Mortality in Mexico

Church Collaborates with Muslim Aid to Build 2,720 Greenhouses in Bosnia

How long, O random and pointless universe, must we endure the provocations of these theists and of theism? When will such offenses finally end?
The Antichrist ascends to power in the latest installment of the popular book and movie series, Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist, releasing this week through Fathom Events and Cloud Ten Creative. Directed by and starring Kevin Sorbo (Gods Not Dead, Soul Surfer), the film finds individuals and society grappling with the aftermath of the Rapture.

Neal McDonough (Minority Report, Captain America: The First Avenger, Arrow) portrays Jonathon Stonagal, who assists the up-and-coming Nicolae Carpathia (Bailey Chase) rise to power. A veteran of film and television, having appeared in more than 150 projects previously, the actor said he jumped at the chance to become part of the bestselling book series because of a longtime friendship.

Kevin and I have been pals for a long time, and every time we would see each other, we would say we need to do something together, he said. Kevin is such a true born leader. Hes so prepared with everything, with a shot list, knowing the script back and forward, to our lines and his lines. (His enthusiasm) is just infectious.

Playing the bad guy is a common theme for McDonough but hes fine with it, knowing that for the hero to properly be heroic, there needs to be a solid antagonist.

It makes the hero that much better and the piece that much stronger, he said. Whatever makes the movie better is what you do. Kevin has the philosophy that I do. Whether Im a good guy or a bad guy, knock it out of the ballpark and do the best that I can. And hopefully, your piece gives glory to Him. And thats what this film does.

The two friends are also working on another project together, a western that tells the story of Cain and Abel. McDonough said its an original story and quite unique in its setting, but hes excited about the future and currently speaking with supporters and distributors.

McDonough credits a strong work ethic with values that his parents left with him. When started in the industry, his father told him For every dollar they give you, give them two dollars worth of effort. He also learned to put his faith in God, who is always with him.

My parents instilled in me that Gods always got your back, have faith in Him, and Hell take care of you, he said. Then its in your times of Oh gosh, how am I going to get through this? that you kind of forget about Him. As soon as you remember Him and think about what you have, there are just part of life that make us stronger. When you have Him, knowing Hes got your back, it becomes a beautiful thing.

The grace of God is something McDonough is grateful for, giving thanks every time he finds himself on a set doing another job. Because he doesnt want to jinx it, he has no posters of his projects in his home, only pictures of his wife and kids.

It makes me so humbled that people are taking their time and have the faith in me to be able to act in front of this camera. To me, its my happy place, he said.

Discussing the state of the world as it relates to the new Left Behind, McDonough acknowledges the parallels in the media who controls thinking and dissects the disappearance, often deciding for viewers what they should be thinking. Its a very relevant point that mirrors current society where people dont always seek out the truth for themselves. Years ago, he made a decision that there are overarching books that he lives by, the Declaration of Independence and the Bible.

If you live by those two, youll make better choices, he said. Youll be a lot smarter than everyone else in the room. Youll make God happy. And youll have a much happier life.

Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist, also starring Corbin Bernsen, Bailey Chase, Greg Perrow, Sarah Fisher and Sam Sorbo premieres in theaters Thursday, January 26 through Fathom Events.
With soaring cloud revenues, plunging Windows and device revenues, and a few days into a substantial layoff, Microsofts first-quarter results feel a bit like a quote from Dickens.

The best of times: The next major wave of computing is being born, as Microsoft reported 31 percent revenue growth in its Intelligent Cloud business, a day after Microsoft invested again in OpenAI and its chat service, ChatGPT. (ChatGPT will run on top of Microsofts Azure cloud.) The worst of times: Windows OEM revenue sank 39 percent, thanks to a tanking PC market; Microsofts Devices (Surface) revenue fell the same amount, thanks to issues launching products, reduced demand, and success a year ago.

In the end, it all sort of came out in the wash, however, with net income down 12 percent to $16.4 billion and revenue sinking 2 percent to $52.7 billion. Microsoft reported $14.2 billion in revenue in More Personal Computing, its consumer business, down 19 percent, but 18 percent growth to $21.5 billion in Intelligent Cloud and 7 percent growth in Productivity and Business Processes, Microsofts Office business.

For Microsofts consumer business, however, the quarter was one of Microsofts worst. Not only did Devices (formerly called Surface) revenue sink by more than it has in years, Microsoft said that the company had problems launching certain undisclosed Surface devices. (Devices also includes the Xbox, HoloLens, Surface Duo, and its peripherals.) Xbox hardware revenue sank by 13 percent, too. According to Microsoft chief financial officer Amy Hood, the drop in Windows OEM revenue was expected, thanks to a drop in PC sales that Gartner ranked as the worst ever.

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella focused on the long-term positives, saying that the next major wave of computing is being born as we turn the worlds most advanced AI models into a new computing platform.

The age of AI is upon us and Microsoft is powering it, Nadella added.

Nadella also said that Microsoft would be applying AI to its Power platform, which allows those with no knowledge of coding to code apps through a visual user interface. We are making it easier for anyone to streamline repetitive tasks introducing new AI powered features to turn natural language prompts into complex workflows, Nadella said.

Microsoft, however, believes that the Windows OEM license sales and Surface devices will see continued declines, Hood said, with expected revenue of $11.9 to $12.3 billion, down from the current quarter. Devices revenue should decline in the mid 40s, as we work through the execution challenges noted earlier, Hood said, meaning that a forecasted drop of more than 40 percent in the Devices business would be more than the current quarter, too. Xbox revenue should also decline in the single digits, Hood said, and Windows OEM revenue should continue to drop in the high 30s, Hood said, or just under 40 percent.

Microsoft did not disclose which Surface devices failed to meet expectations, though there were only a few to choose from: the Surface Pro 9, in either a 5G ARM model or with a Core chip inside; the Surface Studio 2+; and the Surface Laptop 5. None, though, differed that substantially from their predecessors.

Revenue in Microsofts Productivity and Business Processes, however, should be up between 11 and 13 percent, Hood added, driven by Office 365.

Microsoft is continuing to work towards closing its Activision acquisition, Hood added.

This story was updated at 5:19 PM with additional details.
All member countries of the G20 group of economic powers are on board for a restructuring of Ghanas debt and Paris Club members are ready to take the first step towards forming a creditor committee, an official from the Paris Club told Reuters on Thursday.



Ghana last week requested a restructuring of debt it owes to other governments, becoming the fourth country after Chad, Ethiopia and Zambia to do so under a G20 Common Framework.



The programme, which was launched in 2020, was supposed to streamline the process of coordinating among creditor governments the restructuring of low-income countries debts after the pandemic.



However, progress has proven glacial for the first cases, a situation Western countries have said is in part due to a lack of restructuring experience from China, a non-Paris Club G20 creditor that has become a major lender in recent years.



There is a commitment by the leaders to form the creditor committee, so its a question of time. We know that all the G20 members are committed to undertake the debt treatment under the Common Framework, the Paris Club official told journalists.



The official requested they not be named to speak freely about the restructuring situation.



Forming a creditor committee took a couple of months for previous cases but the official said the Paris Club members were all ready to do so for Ghana and hoped it could be done in a month.



The official said Ghanas case was less complex than Zambia, whose case the official said was progressing after struggling since it became the first African country to default after the pandemic.



We think that the process will become smoother and smoother on the basis of the previous cases, the official said, adding that Ghanas authorities had sought assurances its case would be dealt with in a timely manner.



Ghana launched a domestic debt swap plan at the start of December, days before clinching a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a $3bn rescue package.



Its public debt stood at 467.4 billion Ghanaian cedis ($55bn according to Refinitiv Eikon data) in September, of which 42 percent was domestic.

Source: Reuters









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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Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is optimistic that Ghana will get the approval of the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout by March this year.



Ofori-Atta said a debt profiling deal from the Paris Club under the G20 Common Framework and a successful Domestic Debt Exchange Programme are prerequisite to getting approval from the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).



Im confident that well get approval for the IMF deal  we have a deadline of end of February for the Paris Club.



So, we need to be able to do that and in between that we would have completed our Domestic Exchange Programme and, therefore, to be able to go to the [IMF] board in March for this to be executed, Ofori-Atta told George Wiafe on the PM Express Business Edition on Joy News.



T-bills are sacrosanct



Meanwhile, Ofori-Atta has allayed fears that treasury bills will be affected by the governments debt exchange programme.



He said treasury bills will for ever remain untouchable as far as the debt exchange programme is concerned.



Ofori-Atta said the government has conducted a debt sustainability analysis which does not include T-bills.



We cant afford to touch it. Let me assure you, treasury bills will for ever remain sacrosanct. Treasury bills are exempted completely.



We have done the sustainability analysis. We are not including treasury bills. That is how government funds its operations, he told George Wiafe on PM Express Business Edition on Joy News.



So far, the government has been meeting with various stakeholders to build consensus on the debt exchange programme



Building consensus is key to a successful economic recovery for Ghana. Pending further stakeholder engagement with institutional and individual investors, recently invited to join the debt exchange programme, the government is extending the expiration of the DDE to 31 January 2023, a tweet from the Office of the Finance Minister said.



Individual bondholders



This week, Ofori-Atta met the Individual Bondholders Forum (IBF) to address members concerns about the programme.



The government has set up a technical committee through the Ministry of Finance to address concerns raised by the IBF regarding the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.



The IBF has been intensifying calls for the government to exclude individual bondholders who have collective investment schemes from the entire debt restructuring exercise.



Ghana announced a domestic debt exchange programme in December 2022 and said that external restructuring was being negotiated with creditors.



The programme has already been extended three times.



The Finance Ministry had previously extended the registration deadline for the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme to 30 December 2022 from the original 19 December 2022 and extended it further to 16 January 2023.



The new deadline is 31 January 2023.









Source: Asaaseradio









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A retired Ghanaian pilot who is an individual bondholder has pleaded with the government to exempt, as a matter of importance, all individual bondholders from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).



Speaking to Asaaseradio.com on condition of anonymity, the retired pilot said the domestic debt exchange programme announced by the Ministry of Finance will rob individual bondholders of their livelihood, especially pensioners like him who hold individual bonds.



This unilateral inclusion of domestic bondholders is in breach of the Tenth Commandment, which states that you shall not covet your neighbours house nor anything that is for your neighbour.



Domestic bonds are being included because the government is coveting our monies, just because they see it, the retired pilot said.



Choosing bonds over T-bills

The retired pilot noted that the reason why most people in his circle opt for bonds is that when you decide to keep your money in an account it will finish quickly. You can decide to buy either Treasury bills (T-bills) or bonds with it [instead].



When you go to the bank, the bank will convince you to buy bonds rather, and the reason they give you is that bonds yield more profit than T-bills.



So, more often than not, you decide that keeping your monies longer in bonds will rather benefit you. So you agree and buy the bonds instead of T-bills, he said.



Now the government has messed us up. Even those whose bonds will mature this year cant get their monies, but the government is still issuing T-bills and paying higher interests. Bond rates are max 20%: T-bills now are over 30%, the pilot added.



Protecting bondholders



In a related development, the New Patriotic Party strategist and senior partner at Africa Legal Associates (ALA), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has posted a series of tweets commending those leading the conversation and consultations with the Finance Ministry with the aim of getting the government to exempt individual bondholders from the debt exchange programme.



Those mobilising to lead the voices of individual bondholders deserve our utmost commendation for speaking up for a big number of people who otherwise would have had no organised voice like institutional investors. But lets be careful about the dangers of a no-compromise stance, one of Gabbys tweets said.



At least, lets see, possibly, all pensioners, not just institutional investors, individual pensioners who are bondholders, fully isolated from this exchange programme.



I said earlier, whatever can be done to ease the burden on individual bondholders in this exchange programme must be done, said Otchere-Darko in a second tweet.



DDEP modifications



On Saturday 21 December 2022, the government modified its GHC137.3 billion domestic bond exchange programme to include individuals. The debt exchange programme is among efforts the government is making to restructure the national debt.



The government took the decision to restructure domestic debt as a step towards securing approval from the management and executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a US$3 billion loan-support programme that will help stem Ghanas economic crisis.



A press release issued by the Ministry of Finance said that, in addition to extensions previously set out, the government was expanding the type of investors that can participate in the exchange to now include individual investors.



Other modifications to the debt exchange programme include the setting of a non-binding target minimum level of overall participation of 80% of aggregate principal amount outstanding of eligible bonds.



The ministry also said it is offering accrued and unpaid interest on eligible bonds, and a cash tender fee payment to holders of eligible bonds maturing in 2023.



There would also be eight new instruments to the composition of the new bonds, making a total of 12 new bonds, one maturing each year starting January 2027 and ending January 2038.



The ministry said the modifications would be set out in full detail in an amended and restated exchange memorandum, expected to be published in the week of 26 December 2022.



Conforming changes (including adding and modifying defined terms) in respect of the above amendments and modifications to cure ambiguity, omission, defect, error or inconsistency may be included in the Amended and Restated Exchange Memorandum. the ministry said.



The government has further extended the deadline for voluntary participation in the debt exchange programme, first from 19 December to 30 December 2022, then to 16 January and now to 31 January 2023.

Source: Asaaseradio









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A former Member of Parliament for Buem Constituency in the Oti Region, Daniel Kosi Ashiamah, says the governments Free SHS policy is a contributory factor in the current uprisings in the SHS.



The former lawmaker said this after 40 students at the Krobea Asante Technical and Vocational School in Effiduase Asokore, Sekeyere East District, Ashanti Region, were arrested for violence at the school.



Following a series of protests, the students vandalized schools and private properties and later cut power to the school, resulting in further disorder.



The schools principal was also attacked by students who broke into his apartment and beat him up.



According to reports, the students anger stemmed from their predecessors poor performance on their final examinations.



Ebenezer Opoku, who is the Assembly Member for the area and also the Coordinator for Free SHS in the District, confirmed the incident, adding that the students wrecked a total of six cars, including four that belonged to the school and two that were owned privately by teachers.



Some eight students of the Chiana Senior High School in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region were also issued sack letters by the Ghana Education service for insulting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



The President had to step in for the decision of the GES to be changed.



Responding to the two scenarios on Atinka TVs morning show Ghana Nie with host Ama Gyenfa Ofosu Darkwa, former NDC MP for Buem, Daniel Kosi Ashiamah, said the students behavior can be linked to the free SHS to some extent.



Government has a lot of consultations to make as far as this free SHS is concerned.



If you look at all these scenarios, you need to ask yourself what percentage of the impact of the free SHS there will be. This is why some of us are calling for the free SHS to be reviewed. GES and the government should find out the administrative aspect of this free SHS. They need to find out how the teachers are monitoring and working with the students with these free SHS students, which is resulting in these disturbances, the former lawmaker said.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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Zipline has commissioned yet another facility in Nigeria to support the Cross River State government in delivering on its mandate to improve access to universal health coverage for all.



The facility, one of three to be built, is situated at Ndok community within the Ogoja LGA in Cross River State.



The facility, resulting from a partnership between Zipline and the government of the Cross River State is similar to that which was recently commissioned in Kaduna State to ensure logistics and medical supplies like vaccines, blood, and pharmaceuticals reach communities within shorter periods compared with the existing means of deliveries.



At the commission of the facility, the Governor of the Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, said it has become necessary to attain health coverage for all; the reason why the State Government is leveraging Ziplines innovative technologies to enable equity in medical care, especially for low-income earners.



Prof Ayade noted that the operation of the Ndok facility would serve as a storage and fulfilment hub for vaccines and other medical essentials, serving as the key supplier of medical commodities making deliveries to over 300 health facilities in Obaliko, Obudu, Obura and other surrounding towns and villages.



Let me, on behalf of the entire people of Cross River State, thank you for bringing this intervention to our State. Your technology is an innovation that has come to save lives, and as a state, we'll continue to work assiduously to make sure the company strives. The lives of our people are now in good hands because of what I've seen here today. I can confidently say that we're very close to achieving universal health coverage. Be assured of maximum security, a peaceful working environment and a continuous synergy even with the next administration." - Governor Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade said.



Prof. Ben Ayade, added that "the facility is expected to deliver medical supplies reliably anywhere across the state because the drones can geolocate with 99.9% precision making it possible to complete travel autonomously". He further assured the people that the presence of Zipline would bring a drop in mortality rate and reduce health complications resulting from snake bites, child diseases and malaria.



The distribution centre is the first of three centres scheduled to be built in the state and will serve as the key supplier of medical commodities to several health facilities in the State for the speedy dispensing of medical care. Since operations began in Kaduna State in August 2022, Zipline has made successful deliveries to several health facilities, saving several lives.



In her remarks, Madam Catherine Odiase, Zipline General Manager, said, "One of the unique features of Zipline operations is the capacity of the drone technology to deliver medical supplies under any weather conditions instantly. Suppose a child in an area like Bekwarra needs medical attention, but the health facility lacks the required medical product, the facility can contact Zipline, and delivery would be made to save that child's life within minutes .



She emphasised that "Ziplines technology is simple, reliable, and fast technology and will help reduce the mortality rate in the state and provide quality health care services for all persons.



Zipline, the global leader in instant logistics deliveries, has become a household name for immediate transport of medical logistics, averaging a delivery every two minutes since it commenced operations in 2016.



The State has over 100 hard-to-reach settlements where many indigenous people struggle to access critical health logistics. The facility will provide timely access to drugs, vaccines and other medical products all year round, breach access barriers and provide employment opportunities for the citizens.









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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Corporate Governance Expert and Lecturer at GIMPA, Dr Kwaku Anane Gyinde has cautioned communicators against the use of the media as a tool to propagate ethnic hatred.



According to him, it is dangerous for the country when commentators make deliberate pronouncements in the media geared towards ethnocentric politics.





Dr Gyinde added that inciting ethnic hatred or violence is a criminal offence according to Ghanas Constitution.



Some of these statements that these people have been making, a lot of them are not even aware that it is criminal, he said.

if you go to the realms of international law, now there is a legal principle that anybody who incites ethnic hatred can be charged and tried by the intentional criminal court, he added.





Speaking on the GTV Breakfast Show, Dr Gyinde made reference to the Holocaust between 1941 and 1945 and the Rwanda genocide of 1994 where ethnocentric politics wreaked havoc on nations.



If we go back to history, it is this same ethnocentric politics that was employed by Joseph Goebbel, the Propaganda Secretary of Adolf Hitler. He started alleging that the Jews control about 80% of bakeries in Germany so what if one day they decide to poison us and that was the beginning? You go to Rwanda, before their crisis some radio station intentionally incited the Tutsis against the Hutus. I visited Rwanda in 2015 and was sent to the genocide museum. If you get there, you will know how wicked human beings can be towards their fellow human beings, he narrated.



He called on media practitioners, social commentators, and panellists among others to be mindful of their utterances when given a platform to address issues of national interest.



At the end of the day, we can disagree. Thats the essence of democracy. We can disagree and agree but our disagreement should not descend into chaos or anarchy, he advised.





Source: gbc









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A 20-year-old Kenyan man has confessed to the gruesome murder of his grandmother.



Appearing before Mombasa principal magistrate Vincent Adet, the suspect identified as Abdulaziz Ali Swaleh told the court that shortly after joining Illuminati cult, he was instructed to kill his grandmother.



Swaleh said; "It's true l killed her. I'm sorry, l ask for forgiveness but l only did it after joining Illuminati.



The murder suspect further revealed that he was mentally disturbed after carrying out the act, and now needs drugs to control his anxiety.



He added; "My mind is not okay, l feel disturbed and this is because there are drugs that l often use, l need them."



Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect murdered his grandmother on January 21, 2023, in her sleep after she declined to give him money to purchase narcotics drugs.



Police Constable Mohammed Mapenzi attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), through prosecution counsel Hillary Isiaho, informed the court that the accused person was a suspect in a murder incident where it is alleged that he murdered his grandmother by slitting her throat using a kitchen knife.



Ruling on the case, the magistrate ordered that the suspect to be detained at the central police station for 14 days to allow police complete investigations.



He further ordered the suspect to undergo a mental assessment test.









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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Some key agriculture civil society organisations (CSOs) have condemned delays in granting tax exemptions on imported agrochemicals and inputs.



The CSOs  Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana (CAG), CropLife Ghana and the National Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG)  said the hold-up could deny millions of Ghanaians access to cheaper food. It also has dire consequences for a sector they said is already fragile due to global price increases in agricultural machinery and inputs.



President Nana Akufo-Addo on September 12, 2020 assented to the Tax Exemption Act 2022, Act 1083, which is meant to regulate the application of tax exemptions and create an exemption regime for goods imported into the country.



Though the Act allows the Minister of Finance to grant industry-specific exemptions based on recommendations of a given sector minister with Cabinets approval, an application for exemptions by the Minister of Food and Agriculture since January 10, 2023 is still awaiting response from the finance ministry.



But the CSOs have explained that the two-week delay in approval since the application was made is already having negative consequences for importers and the sector.



They, therefore, warned that the situation, if not addressed immediately, could further worsen the food security situation in the country going forward.



The organisations are of the view that the Ministry of Finances decision to have agricultural commodities be considered as general goods and giving discretion to a sector minister is dangerous, and as such augur problems for the countrys food security agenda.



Unfortunately, agricultural goods and equipment are not included on the list of items exempted from import duties. This decision by government to specifically exclude agro products from the list is shocking, and contradicts governments policy of transforming the economy through agriculture, Executive Director of PFAG, Dr. Charles Nyaaba, told the B&FT at a presser in Accra.



The delay



While we still await a decision from the Finance Ministry to grant the request, our clients and service providers have their goods currently locked up at the ports due to exorbitant import taxes, the CSOs said.



For instance, one service provider that has livestock vaccines valued at GH420,000 in import fees was asked to pay GH330,000 as taxes since the products were no longer exempted. The company, according to Dr. Nyaaba, has halted the clearing process and asked for an extension, hoping that the Finance Minister will soon grant the exemption.



Data obtained by the B&FT from the Agro Input Dealers Association of Ghana indicate that current clearance-cost for a 20-foot container of agro inputs is valued at GH90,000  against the previous charge of GH15,000 when exemptions were in place.



Consequences



Importers of agrochemicals and inputs have said they will have no option other than to slap the tax margins on cost of agrochemicals and inputs should government refuse to grant their request. Slapping the tax margins on products is expected to further worsen the cost of food situation on the consumer, as farmers are also ready to increase cost of food.



The major fear is that we may not have enough agrochemicals for the 2023 planting season due to the exorbitant taxes. There are several importers who are unwilling to bring the required inputs due to this development, and farmers are already experiencing limited access to such inputs in one way or another. This is not good for production this year, Anthony Morrison, CAGs CEO, has disclosed.



Recommendations



The CSOs recommended that the finance ministry, as a matter of urgency, speed up processes and grant the exemptions as captured by the application letter from MoFA. They added that any further delay may aggravate the international prices of agro goods.



They also recommended that parliament should have a second look at the Exemptions Act, and take steps to amend it to specifically include agro inputs, goods and machinery.

Source: B&FT









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 Ghana National Education Coalition Campaign (GNECC) has called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, address the current challenges facing the education system.



In addition, it called on the president to honour his commitment during the Transforming Education Summit in the UN that 23 per cent of the National Budget would be allocated to education and coalition was reminding remind him of that commitment.



The governments 12.9 per cent budgetary allocation to the education sector in the 2023 national budget although indicates an increase as compared to last years allocation, still falls below the target Ghana has set for itself in 2021 during the Global Education Summit held in the United Kingdom where the president pledged to spend at least 23 per cent of the national budget on education over the medium term from 2021 to 2025, GNECC said in a statement on the occasion to mark International Day of Education.



Day



The fifth International Day of Education was on the theme: To invest in people, prioritise education.



The UN General Assembly proclaimed January 24 as International Day of Education in recognition of the role of education in ensuring peace and development.



Globally, 244 million children and youth are out of school, while 771 million adults are non-literate.



GNECC also called on the government and other key stakeholders to prioritise the provision of adequate resources for basic schools and inclusive education.



Resource provision



Basic education experienced about a 40 per cent decline in budget allocation in 2023 as compared to 2022. The majority of public schools in Ghana still do not have access to textbooks to support teaching and learning in the classroom. According to an independent civil society organisation audit conducted by GNECC on school infrastructure in 2021, about 80 per cent of basic schools' infrastructure is in a very poor state while most classrooms are overcrowded.



Some schoolchildren sit on the bare floor to learn due to the absence or inadequacy of school furniture. GNECC is calling on the government to redirect some of the resources to the senior high schools such as the intended distribution of free tablets to students at the SHS level to strengthen basic education, it said.



Strengthening basic education, it said, would provide SHSs with students with quality learning outcomes from that level.



It also charged the government to engage all key stakeholders to review the SHS policy implementation.



Inclusive education



GNECC said the 0.02 per cent of the 29.7 per cent of the 2023 education budget allocated for the implementation of inclusive education in 2023 was inadequate for the effective implementation of the inclusive education policy.



To promote the effective implementation of the inclusive education policy, GNECC is calling on the government to redeem its pledge at the 2018 Disability Summit in the UK to allocate 1.5 per cent of the education budget for the effective implementation of the inclusive education policy, it said.











Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George is of the view that persons contending for the flagbearership race in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against John Dramani Mahama are wasting their time.



He says when all the contenders are combined, he, Sam George can beat them if he contests against them; an indication that they are not popular in the National Democratic Congress (NDC).



He made this known when he spoke in an interview on Accra-based Joy Prime.



You are saying what If Mahama is not the flagbearer of NDC? Oh, how? With the greatest of respect to them if I stand, I will beat the two of them, how much more John Mahama? Me I have fans in the NDC than the two of them combine, he said when told Kojo Bonsu and Dr Kwabena Duffour are lacing their boots to contest the former President.



The National Democratic Congress (NDC) will go to the polls to elect a flagbearer on May 13, 2023.



Although John Dramani Mahama has not made his position known, he has been tagged as the presumptive flagbearer of the largest opposition political party in Ghana.





Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former NDC Member of Parliament(MP) for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini has described the government of the New Patriotic Party as lazy, intolerant and excessively arrogant.



According to him, the ruling government has poorly managed the issues surrounding the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme which has adversely affected individual livelihoods and currently causing turmoil in the financial sector.



Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that the NPP government has caused the mess the country currently finds itself in and as such must be made to pay for their sins.



The New Patriotic Partys failure to manage the economy better is the cause of the country's mishaps, he said.



"Some Ghanaians signed petitions to prevent the government from further borrowing, which fell on deaf ears, but now look at where we are now.



"This is the serious effect of mismanagement, which in the long run is affecting the country's financial system and economic activities.



"The Akufo-Addo governments Debt Exchange Programme has suffered setbacks from Ghanaians," he added.



A group known as "Individual Bondholders Forum" (IBF) says government has shown total disregard for the contractual rights of Individual bondholders and has made no effort to structure reasonable consultations with individual bondholders.



The minority in parliament has raised a strong objection to the programme.



According to them, the sector has not yet recovered from the recapitalization exercise that was carried out by the government.



It poses a risk to financial institutions, insurance companies, and, more recently, individual bondholders.



The financial institutions and insurance companies offer employment and they support businesses; this is at risk now.



The Minority has therefore called for a suspension of the programme pending further and deeper consultations.



Watch Video Below





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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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National Democratic Congress Council of Elders Chair for South Africa and the Group Chairman of Allied Consortiums, Mr. Benjamin Kofi Quashie has postulated that the changes in NDC leadership in Parliament is a sign of them hitting the NPP vulnerabilities.



He is of the opinion that looking at the economic quagmire in which Ghana finds itself, matters of our ailing economy need a fiance's mind and the leadership of the party in Parliament must reflect the same. This, to him, should not result in any chaotic situation at the party.



Allied Consortiums Group Chair believes that a house divided against itself cannot win any battle but, if the National Democratic Congress can close its ranks irrespective of the leadership changes in Parliament, it can win the 2024 general elections.



He averred that chaos, misunderstanding and conflicts are normal within any group, however, he is urging all party members to put their individual differences aside, come together and be battle ready for 2024.



Speaking to Nyansa TV, Tuesday 24th January 2023 on YouTube and expressing his views concerning the current leadership changes on the NDC front in Parliament, he disclosed that "Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The ladder is real. The climb is all there are comrades. This change in our leadership in Parliament is a sign of us hitting the NPP vulnerabilities."



He furthered that "Matters of our ailing economy need a fiance mind. It all will make sense to us all soon! We've elected fearless and results-driven executives. The NDC would be united and poised to win the election 2024", Mr Kofi Quashie affirmed.



The SA NDC Council of Elders Chair made these statements when it emerged today that, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has made changes in the party's leadership structure in Parliament with Dr Cassiel Ato Forson replacing Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader.



The party informed the Speaker of Parliament in a letter dated January 23, 2023, signed by the General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey.



Among the changes, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah also replaces James Avedzi as the Deputy Minority Leader while Kwame Agbodza is now the Minority Whip with Ahmed Ibrahim as the first Deputy Whip and Comfort Doyo Ghansah as Second Deputy Whip.



This change in the party's leadership in Parliament has ruffled the feathers of some of the rank and file. It is against the backdrop of this, that Mr Benjamin Kofi Quashie has charged part followers to respect the decision of the party and to support the same for victory in 2024.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A former Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr. Mark Asibey Yeboah believes the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will be a good President if given the nod to lead the country.



Speaking on Asempa FM's Ekosii Sen programme on Tuesday, the former Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, spoke highly of Dr. Bawumia and the impact he has made as Vice President.



"He has done his bit, and for me when you look at his CV, he will be a good President," Dr. Asibey Yeboah said.



Stressing his confidence and belief in Dr. Bawumia to become a very good President, the former legislator averred that there is a big difference between being a Vice President and a President, adding that Dr. Bawumia as Vice President "is not really in charge" and cannot take his own decisions.



Dr. Asibey Yeboah also highlighted the contributions of Dr. Bawumia to the NPP saying it "cannot be discounted".



"He has paid his dues to the party. When you look at how our numbers have gone up in the northern regions; now in the northern region for instance, we have 9 seats and the NDC also has 9 seats," he emphasized.



"You cannot discount his impact. Even in Savannah Region, we have 3 and the NDC have 4. In the entirety of the old Northern Region, NPP have 16 and the NDC have 15. In recent past, the the NPP had only 3 seats out of 31," the former MP added.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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"We are now calling on a poor person to suspend his bond repayment while one person is gone with millions of dollars," bemoans NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro, Sylvester Tetteh.



The MP was reacting to controversies surrounding the National Cathedral project and the amount of money paid to Architect David Adjaye.



Adjaye Associates led by Sir David Adjaye proposed the design for the National Cathedral project.



According to the Executive Director of the National Cathedral Secretariat, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah an amount of GH113m was paid directly to Sir David Adjaye.



The total amount paid by the government of Ghana to the project is GH339 million. The amount is made up of the following; amount paid directly to the secretariat is GH225 million and the amount paid directly to the consultant, Adjaye Associates is GH113m. The two payments total GH339m, he said.



Sly Tetteh speaking on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', described as "unfortunate" the amount of money "given to one person".



Even though he "is not against the construction of the cathedral", he believes there are a lot of other architects in the country who would've done the architectural drawings for free.



"I had my own reservation about this project especially the consultancy for the drawing, for David Adjaye. I've said it already and I'll repeat it again; if we need architects for the cathedral, there are lots of them in this country. Some can even decide to do it for free because it's for the House of God but look at the cost, the amount of money we've given to one person in the name of architectural drawing," he said.



" . . I support the Cathedral but there are some of the things I think it is wrong and we've said it one too many. He's (Adjaye) gone with the money . . . we are now calling on a poor person to suspend his bond repayment while one person is gone with millions of dollars. Why doesn't he return the money since the Cathedral has not been built . . . that's how much we paid and that's unfortunate," he cried.



Listen to him in the video below





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 Board of Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Honours has shortlisted three Ministers of State who will be vying for Ghana's Minister Of The Year Award for 2021 and 2022 respectively.



The 3 Ministers are Hon. John Alan Kyerematen, Former Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie, Former Minister of Food and Agriculture and Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister for Energy.



The 3 Ministers will be vying for the coveted and enviable crown as Ghana's Best Minister of the years 2021 and 2022.



This is the 3rd edition of 'Ghana Minister Of State Excellence Honours' which is put together by Ghana's biggest event organising company, Big Events Ghana.



GHANA MINISTER OF STATE EXCELLENCE HONOURS



The event in its third edition will be held in February at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra.



The event, which will award and celebrate only 5 of the over 120 Ministers of State, is seen as very competitive and honourable.



The Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Honours celebrate the Most Competent, Most Hard Working and Most Influential Minister of State in the Republic of Ghana who has excelled in their mandate as Ghana's Best Minister of State.



The event will be aired live on 3 of Ghana's top television networks, UTV, TV3 and Adom TV.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Liv has configured the XS and S sizes to run exclusively on mixed wheels and use the same geometry as the M and L frames which come stock with dual 29 wheels. The only difference is that the two larger sizes have the option to use the smaller rear wheel.



Two Intrigue LT models range from roughly 3,399 to ,3999, although pricing is still being finalized for some European regions. Only the $2,800 USD base model will be available in the United States.



Liv, Giants women-specific counterpart, has launched the all new Intrigue LT with 150mm of rear wheel travel, making it their most aggressive bike in the lineup. The ALUXX SL-Grade aluminum frame features a downtube storage compartment and a 3-position flip-chip, like the recently revised Reign Liv has configured the XS and S sizes to run exclusively on mixed wheels and use the same geometry as the M and L frames which come stock with dual 29 wheels. The only difference is that the two larger sizes have the option to use the smaller rear wheel.Two Intrigue LT models range from roughly 3,399 to ,3999, although pricing is still being finalized for some European regions. Only the $2,800 USD base model will be available in the United States. Liv Intrigue LT Details

 Wheel size: Mixed - XS, S / 29" M, L

 Aluminum frame

 Travel: 150mm / 160mm fork

 65.1 head angle (mid setting)

 77.6 seat angle (mid setting)

 Chainstay length: 442mm

 3-position flip-chip

 Downtube storage compartment

 Sizes: XS, S, M, L

 Price: 3,399 - 3,999 / $2,800 USD (LT 2)

 liv-cycling.com

 Wheel size: Mixed - XS, S / 29" M, L Aluminum frame Travel: 150mm / 160mm fork 65.1 head angle (mid setting) 77.6 seat angle (mid setting) Chainstay length: 442mm 3-position flip-chip Downtube storage compartment Sizes: XS, S, M, L Price: 3,399 - 3,999 / $2,800 USD (LT 2)

Geometry

Specs

Liv Intrigue LT 1 - 3,999 EUR / $4,299 CAD / N/A in USA Liv Intrigue LT 2 - 3,399 EUR / $3,999 CAD / 2,800 USD

In the middle setting, the 160mm fork sits moderately at 65.1 degrees and the seat tube is a suitably steep 77.3 degrees. Changing the position of the flip-chip will alter the angles by roughly 0.4 degrees and position the BB 5mm higher or lower.Since the Intrigue LT uses the same 3-position flip-chip as the Reign, the angles will be similarly 0.8 degrees slacker with 27.5" rear wheel rather than a 29". The best option for running the small rear wheel will be to place it in the high setting, which still makes the geometry more aggressive than the low setting with a 29" rear wheel. Keep in mind, the mixed wheels are only an option for the M and L frames.As for the frame reach measurements, those begin at 402 for the XS, and move up to 417 442, and 462 for the L. The chainstays of the bike measures 442mm for all sizes, making the two smaller frames slightly disproportionate compared to the reach.Each frame uses a Fox Float DPS and quite a few of Giants own components, like the Contact dropper post, handlebar, stem, and wheels. Both models use Livs Sylvia saddles and Maxxis 3C MaxxTerra Minion DHF and Dissector tires with EXO casings. Theres also the inclusion of an MRP AMg chain guide for extra security.What differs between the Intrigue LT 1 and 2 is primarily the fork and drivetrain. The LT 2 comes with a RockShox 35 Gold RL fork and the higher-end LT 1 uses a Fox 36 with a GRIP damper. Youll also get a mix of Shimano SLX and Deore-level shifting components on the LT 1 versus SRAM SX, but both 12-speed drivetrains feature at least a 500% gear range.
David Yan Conquers Tough Field to Take Down $50,000 PCA 6-Handed Event ($485,690)

January 25, 2023 Josh Noy

David Yan outlasted a tough field in Event #14 $50,000 6-Handed to take the title after almost 14 hours of play. Yan defeated Orpen Kisacikoglu after reaching a deal during heads-up play, claiming the largest piece of the prize pool and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure trophy at the Baha Mar Resort in The Bahamas.

The field of 31 entries created a total prize pool of $1,509,948, with the final five players earning a return on their investment. Chris Hunichen took third place ($245,400), followed by Ben Heath in fourth ($177,400) and David Peters earning the minimum cash ($143,400) in fifth.

$50,000 PCA Single Day High Roller (6 Handed) Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1st David Yan New Zealand $485,690* 2nd Orpen Kisacikoglu Turkey $458,058* 3rd Chris Hunichen United States $245,400 4th Ben Heath United Kingdom $177,400 5th David Peters United States $143,400

*Denotes a heads-up ICM deal

Im pretty grateful for the experience," Yan told PokerNews after his victory. "When you play such a little amount, its just basically anything can happen. Today I just ran insane; the field was one of the tougher ones weve seen".

Early Day Eliminations

Justin Bonomo

Yan kick-started his day with an early elimination of Justin Bonomo. The good fortune continued by knocking out Christoph Vogelsang as the field moved closer to the money.

Mikita Badziakouski was among the players to enter a second time, only to see his run cut short against Nick Petrangelo shortly after the late registration period closed.

Cary Katz was also among those using a second entry, but saw his run end on the bubble of the final table.

Final Table Action

Yan took a commanding chip lead into the unofficial final table of seven players, and scored the first elimination against Petrangelo.

That left the field on the direct money bubble, where Fedor Holz fell at the hands of Hunichen after the American flopped a set of nines.

Fedor Holz

In the Money

Once the field reached the money, the eliminations happened rather quickly. Peters was the first to go, losing to Kisacikoglu's pocket pair to finish fifth.

Then came perhaps the hand of the night, when Yan's kings scored a double elimination to reach heads up play. Heath's short stack left him in fourth place, while Hunichen earned the pay jump and the podium finish.

From there, Kisacikoglu and Yan traded the chip lead a few times before reaching a deal. Yan was all-in twice during heads-up play, but was never at risk as Kisacikoglu folded both times. In the end, Yan's pocket pair finished the job against Kisacikoglu to take down the title.

Yan said that his victory has not really impacted his plans to play a busier schedule. "I think Ill probably spend quite a bit of time at home with family, maybe play some but didnt really plan too much".

That closes out PokerNews live reporting team's coverage of the $50,000 PCA Single Day High Roller (6 Handed) in The Bahamas. Be sure to check out all of the action as the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure continues.

Sharelines The long trip from New Zealand to The Bahamas paid off for David Yan because he's just won $485,690.
PokerStars Debuts Zoom Poker for Players in Merged Michigan-new Jersey Player Pool

January 25, 2023 Chad Holloway Executive Editor U.S.

Right now, PokerStars is hosting the PSPC Online for players in both Pennsylvania and the combined Michigan-New Jersey network. That series has proved a big success continually smashing their guarantees, and with the increased traffic they decided it was the perfect time to launch a new offering.

Players on PokerStars Michigan and PokerStars New Jersey are now able to play Zoom poker for a limited time. Zoom poker, the fast-paced cash game format, allows players seeking a fast-paced game the chance to immediately move to a new hand, at a new table once a player folds their hand.

Players can click Fast Fold, which allows them to fold even when it is not their turn to act. With buy-ins starting at $2, up to $200, players can earn double points on PokerStars right now. Zoom Early Bird is available for the first 10 players who start or join a Zoom pool for 10 minutes after opening, making them eligible earn 2x rewards points during the first 10 minutes of play.

Zoom on PokerStars - It's Not Just for Cash Games!

Top Tips for Beating Fast-Fold Poker

To improve your chances of beating low-stakes fast-fold poker, you should...

Remember that it is, for the most part, the same game as "normal" poker

Remember that players generally play tighter, particularly in three-bet pots

Know position is still as crucial to success as ever

Make notes, which will be of great help

Steal liberally from late position unless you have notes dissuading you from doing so

Three-bet late position raises lighter than you would usually

Take plenty of stabs on the flop with continuation bets

Size bets smaller for button steals and continuation bets

For more information, be sure to check out this handy strategy guide!

More on the PSPC Online Series

The PSPC Online is currently underway on the PokerStars platform for players in New Jersey and Michigan as well as Pennsylvania. The series has so far seen over 28,000 entries across Shared Liquidity (NJ + MI) and PA with 89 events producing a $2,455,234 prize pool.

A guaranteed $1,961,000 is still up for grabs for the remaining 68 events. There are still chances to win entry to the Main Event, taking place Sunday 29, through $2.50 Spin and Go's running around the clock. Satellites for all main events are available for registration now.

Check out the ultimate guide to Spin & Go Poker at PokerStars

Sharelines PokerStars players in Michigan and New Jersey are now able to play Zoom poker for a limited time.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the GOPs national sales plan devastating and vowed to kill it.

Video:

Happening Now: @SenSchumer and @RepJeffries are going live to talk about the extreme Republican plan for a national sales tax that would hike taxes on middle class families. https://t.co/SrIYF1L1cr  Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) January 25, 2023

Majority Leader Schumer said, Its very important, first, to make sure this plan dies, as I said. The right wing MAGA Republicans have a lot of power, certainly in the House. We saw that in the last week. But second, we have to show the American people whos on your side and who isnt. You get a lot of rhetoric about protecting working people from the other side. Theyre not protecting working people. Theyre harming working people in a way weve never seen before. As long as I am Majority Leader, this devastating, unfair, nasty and almost crazy plan is not going to pass.

Leader Jeffries said, This so-called tax plan that would devastate working families and cut taxes for the wealthiest 1% in America is so extreme, so out of touch, so unconscionable that you wonder, whos sitting in some dungeon, some laboratory, some basement cooking up these extreme ideas to try to jam them down the throats of the American people. But thats whats happening, and its part of the House Republican agenda, which is why were speaking out against it, making it clear that the stakes are high to the American people and were going to work to fight to defeat it, expose it, and make it clear that is part of an overall extreme agenda to undermine working families and the middle class in America in order to elevate the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected as part of some scheme designed to subsidize further the lifestyles of the rich and shameless.

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Schumer said that that this plan would be devastating and he has to be fought right now. He said it would cause Social Security to implode by taking away its funding source. Jeffries said that the sales tax plan is part of the overall Republican agenda to take money from the working class to enhance the wealth of the rich.

The House GOP national sales tax plan is a gift that is going to keep giving to Democrats for years to come.

House Republicans are showing the American people who they are, who they represent, and what they intend to do.

The Republican Party is full of extremists who out to harm most Americans.
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DirecTV has dropped Newsmax costing the conservative outlet a large chunk of its availability after the two sides could not agree on a new fee structure.

The dispute has nothing to do with politics or ideology.

It is all about money. Newsmax wanted a fee increase, which in the era of cord-cutting and declining traditional television viewership was not going to happen.

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DirecTV announced after midnight that they were pulling the plug, On multiple occasions, we made it clear to Newsmax that we wanted to continue to offer the network, but ultimately Newsmaxs demands for rate increases would have led to significantly higher costs that we would have to pass on to our broad customer base.

Newsmax claims that they are being discriminated against,

This is a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax, Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax said.

The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&Ts DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN need to be deplatformed, Ruddy added.

This is not the same situation as OAN, which was dropped due to low viewership.

The rate increase, called a carriage fee, is the monthly price every cable or satellite subscriber pays for channels whether they watch them or not.

For example, Fox News has some of the highest carriage fees in all of television. If you hate Fox News but have cable or satellite, you are paying Rupert Murdoch $2 a month. ESPN gets $7.64 a month out of every subscriber whether they watch or not.

These disputes, like the one between DirecTV and Newsmax, are becoming common. It is not unusual for subscribers to turn on a channel to watch one of their favorite shows to be told that the channel is not available due to the network wanting more money.

Newsmax was tied for 72nd in television viewership in 2022. They average 184,000 viewers a day. The audience is not even 10% of Fox News, but since the dispute is about money and not politics, if Newsmax backs off of their demand for a fee increase, they will likely be back on DirecTV at some point.
On the list of great composers, Ludwig van Beethoven must surely be near the top. So ASO director Scott Weiss surmised when he selected the program for the orchestras April 22 concert. Dr. Weiss is not the first to make the decision to devote an entire concert to the work of just one musica Read moreARTS AND HUMANITIES: Beethoven rules the stage in next ASO concert
A total of roughly $1.28 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) has been awarded to several local entities, including non-profits, by Berkeley County. Read moreBerkeley Cty dishes out dollars to local orgs
In 1912 Julius P. Fielding launched a funeral business in Charleston with one blind horse, one wagon and a buggy, the family story goes.

The new enterprise to serve the African American community started at Logan and Short streets before Fielding Home for Funerals moved in 1928 a couple of blocks north to a three-story, stuccoed house built in the late 1790s by a well-to-do butcher.

For the past 95 years, generations of African American families paid tribute to loved ones through last rites at the mortuary in the Harleston Village neighborhood.

Now, Fielding Home for Funerals, one of the Charleston peninsula's last remaining mortuary businesses that has historically served the Black community, is up for sale.

The Fieldings have decided to list all of their properties, including an office on Meeting Street Road in North Charleston, but that doesn't mean they will stop serving the region.

"In the interim, we will continue the more than 110 years of service to the greater Charleston community," said Gail Fielding-Davis, secretary of the funeral home's board of directors and a descendant of the original founder.

She declined to say what the future of the business will be after the properties are sold, saying she was authorized to talk only about the funeral business remaining in operation while the properties are listed for sale.

The downtown site's listing is being handled by commercial real estate firm Avison Young in conjunction with residential agency Lois Lane Properties. The satellite funeral business at 2704 Meeting Street Road is being handled separately by CC&T Real Estate Services.

Fielding Home for Funerals also had an office in Hollywood, which opened in 1990. The 1.2-acre site was sold last August to Murray's Mortuary of North Charleston for $450,000, according to Charleston County land records.

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The less-than-acre downtown site is made up of five parcels, including the original house, as well as four smaller properties abutting Logan and Magazine streets. Fielding family members have not set an asking price, according to Gerry Schauer of Avison Young.

"The owners are calling for offers," Schauer said. "They didn't want to limit it. We are giving it about two months for people to look it over, see what they can do with it and present offers."

Offers will be accepted through March 24, when they will be whittled down to the best and most qualified suitors. Once the property is under contract, it will undergo a due diligence period of six to eight months. The sale, if approved, would likely occur in the latter part of this year or early 2024, Schauer said.

The eventual use of the property, which sits across the street from Robert Mills Manor, a public housing project, will be determined by the new owner, but Schauer believes the property most likely would be redeveloped for residential use.

"There is such a demand for it in that area," he said.

Fielding-Davis, who lives in Atlanta but has a house in Charleston, prefers the site to be redeveloped for residential purposes as well.

"I think it would be really nice if it were housing for seniors  luxury housing," she said.

The departure of Fielding Home for Funerals, if the property is sold, will leave the Charleston peninsula with at least two other historically Black funeral businesses.

Dorothy's Home for Funerals is at 78 Cannon St. while Palmetto Mortuary can be found at 1122 Morrison Drive.

The former Harleston-Boags Funeral Home at 121 Calhoun St. was redeveloped during the past decade into the site of architecture firm McMillan Pazdan Smith, which soon will move to the new Morrison Yard office building on Morrison Drive.
More than a decade after first being considered, construction on the new access road to Charleston International Airport could begin by mid-2024 after state officials committed Jan. 25 to helping fund the nearly $144 million project.

The S.C. Joint Bond Review Committed voted unanimously to provide an additional $22 million toward the projected $143.8 million road relocation cost. Lawmakers approved $17 million for the roughly two miles of new artery in 2014.

The S.C. Department of Transportation is kicking in almost $69 million while Charleston County is providing $18.1 million and federal officials are giving $16.1 million. About $1.7 million remains to be allocated for the five-lane roadway.

"The county will determine the exact funding shortfall and where that funding will come from as we get closer to construction," said Kelsey Barlow, spokeswoman for the county, which is overseeing the project.

Bids are expected to go out in the spring of 2024 with construction starting shortly afterward and continuing for two years, Barlow said.

The planned access road is set to run next to a power line right-of-way off Montague Avenue and tie into the existing airport loop road over the next few years.

The entryway to Charleston International from International Boulevard will go away once the project is completed. Motorists still will be able to access South Aviation Avenue from International Boulevard.

"The project will alleviate existing and increasing traffic congestion in the vicinity of the airport by providing direct access to the airport from I-526, and separating airport and commuter traffic from traffic to and from Boeings campus," S.C. Commerce secretary Harry Lightsey wrote in a letter of support for the road project to the Joint Bond Review Committee.

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Realigning the entryway to the airport was a key part of Boeing Co.'s decision to triple its footprint in 2013 when the aerospace giant acquired 468 acres across from its existing 264-acre, 787 Dreamliner plant on International Boulevard.

At the time, it was speculated that Boeing would move all of its 787 production to the Charleston area. Work previously was split with a plant in Everett, Wash., near Seattle. In 2020, the airplane maker made it official, announcing all 787 work would shift to South Carolina in early 2021.

Boeing has not announced specific plans for the extra land it acquired, but information provided to state officials shows the company plans to expand operations "to increase the rate of production."

"The expansion is expected to meet both the existing and future development needs of Boeings North Charleston campus for the next 30 years," according to the Commerce Department.

The new road also will help support the projected future growth of Charleston's airport, which recently reported a record 5.3 million passengers arriving and departing in 2022. Traffic is projected to grow to 6 million by the end of 2024.

Officials said the new road is expected to improve the flow of traffic to and from Charleston International since thousands of motorists each day now use Michaux Parkway as a cut-through between Dorchester Road and I-526.

"During the holiday season with people shopping at Tanger Outlets and with events at North Charleston Coliseum, International Boulevard becomes a big problem for those trying to get to and from the airport," airport CEO Elliott Summey said.

"This new plan will have a full interchange at West Montague and 526 that will open up the thoroughfare and allow for better access to and from the airport," Summey said.
Patients at childrens hospitals can now cruise around the South Carolina Aquarium without leaving their rooms  via a roving robot they can control remotely by a tablet.

After a successful trial run with MUSC Shawn Jenkins Childrens Hospital in December, the downtown marine-life attraction plans to open the program up to Prisma Health Childrens Hospital Midlands and Prisma Health Childrens Hospital Greenville this year.

Educators at the aquarium are working with medical staffers to arrange the virtual visits when patients have free time, long stays or during their treatments. The mobile robot program was made possible by a gift from insurer Aflac.

Brian Thill, director of education for the aquarium, said the program aligns with the organizations mission to connect people with water and wildlife, even if they're not well enough to visit in person.

These kids are going through a hard time, Thill said. This can take their mind off of a scary procedure or the stress surrounding their health. Sometimes the families just need a pause, a break, from whats going on and this experience allows them to enjoy the aquarium and harbor.

Thill said one of his favorite aspects to the program is the use of the turtle rehabilitation program to spark a parallel between the sick sea animals and hospitalized children. He said young patients can learn about the medical science the turtles are undergoing  such as CT scans, surgeries and physical rehabilitation  to relate to what theyre experiencing in their own lives.

We can show them our sea turtles and say, Hey, you know these turtles are in the hospital too. Maybe they see the CT scan and are less afraid because they saw the turtles get them too, Thill said. Weve seen the kids really relate to our turtle patients. We hope that eases their feelings in the hospital or as they undergo treatments.

Controlled directly from an in-room tablet, the robot allows patients to roam inside or outside of the aquarium. They move in close to a tank to see sea life or zoom in further to see finer details. They also can engage with educators who can guide them throughout their virtual visit.

MUSC Childrens Health was eager to be a part of the effort, said Betsy McMillan, child life manager. She called the experience a "unique and educational escape" for patients.

Thill said that the trials proved the experience gave hospitalized youngsters the chance to just be kids and to experience something beyond their immediate environment. He recalled that during the test runs, patients interacted with other aquarium visitors and waved to students on a field trip.

Bob Ruff, a senior vice president for Aflac, said that investing in programs like this provide comfort and joy to kids who are going through medical challenges.

The aquarium said it hopesto expand to other isolated members of the community like the elderly in nursing homes and veteran hospitals.

Thill said that it's an exciting time for the waterfront visitor attraction. Late last year, the aquarium announced a plan to raise $7 million to renovate the citys nearby Maritime Center into the Learning Lab.
The number of unemployed South Carolinians decreased slightly in December, leaving the jobless rate unchanged at 3.3 percent, while the size of the labor pool continued to shrink, according to data released Jan. 24 by the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

Adjusted for seasonal factors, the new report showed the number of workers without jobs decreased by 767 from November, reducing the total to 77,361  or about 7,400 less than a year ago.

At the same time, the number of working residents declined last month by more than 2,500 to about 2.3 million  up about 13,500 from December 2021.

"Due to the influx of seasonal employment that occurs in December and January of every year, we naturally see a rise in unemployment claims as those temporary holiday jobs end," said Dan Ellzey, DEW's director.

He added that the year-end shift "is cyclical and temporary."

"The state is attracting businesses at record levels, creating thousands of jobs in hundreds of careers," he said in a written statement.

Bright spots in the report included the leisure and hospitality business, which added 1,700 positions last month and is up by 18,800 jobs from a year earlier. Education and health services grew by 1,400 workers.

The gains were offset by losses totaling 5,700 jobs in the professional and business services sectors and at government agencies.

A run of recently announced economic development wins for South Carolina are increasing pressure on the state to fix its historically low labor force participation rate. The number of residents working or actively looking for work fell by nearly 3,300 in December, marking the sixth consecutive monthly retreat.

Multiple state agencies are working to address the issue. To centralize those efforts, House Speaker Murrell Smith announced a bill last week to create the Office of State Workforce Development to be housed within Ellzey's agency.

"Currently, these responsibilities lie with too many different agencies that do not adequately coordinate," Smith wrote about the legislation. "That approach must end."

Also, a task force created last March to look into the causes of the labor participation rate shortfall said it will hold briefings on Jan. 31, Feb. 8 and Feb. 10 to present its findings.

The issues range from low wages, health problems, disabilities, gaps in employment history, a lack of reliable transportation and child care needs. All were cited in a recent survey as factors that are preventing some residents from joining or jumping back into the work force.
COLUMBIA  The University of South Carolina wants $30 million to build what it's calling a brain health institute as part of its proposed new medical school campus.

USC President Michael Amiridis went before state lawmakers Jan. 25 to make a case for the one-time funding, as well as $10 million in recurring funds for five satellite clinics that will act as part of a rural brain health network for treating Alzheimer's disease and dementia around the state.

Amiridis told the House budget subcommittee that early detection of Alzheimer's disease is crucial to treatment.

"This is not taking place right now in the rural areas and it creates a huge problem," he said.

In South Carolina, more than 90,000 people live with Alzheimers or some other type of dementia, according to the Alzheimers Foundation of America and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

USC announced in December that its new $300 million health sciences campus, planned for downtown Columbias BullStreet District, would have a dementia focus.

The major construction project, the largest in the school's history, is currently in the design phase by the development firm Gilbane, with construction expected to begin in 2025.

The move to BullStreet is necessitated as the USC School of Medicines lease with the Department of Veterans Affairs for its current Garners Ferry Road site ends in 2030. The school has been on the VA campus since 1980. Its building, which dates to the 1930s, needs $75 million in improvements, and university officials believe the lack of space and modern facilities has held the school back as it competes with other regional schools.

The new medical campus was expected to start with two structures  a 110,000-square-foot classroom building and a 165,000-square-foot research facility. Should lawmakers grant the university's budget request, a third structure would house the brain health institute.

When it comes to the satellite clinics, USC Vice President for Research Julius Fridriksson said the school has not yet decided where those would be located, which will be based on need as well as the availability of clinic space.
GEORGETOWN  The Georgetown County Council voted to allow a solar farm more than 3 square miles in size to be built in the rural Lambertown community.

As planned by Nashville-based developer Silicon Ranch, the solar farm would feature roughly 600,000 solar modules off Saints Delight Road supporting two 100-megawatt systems and a substation connecting to the Santee Cooper power grid.

Lambertown residents stood before the council at meetings stretching over several months to show their opposition to the project, citing effects on local drainage, health and property values. A smaller crowd met the council on Jan. 24, but those who did show expressed continuing disappointment and exhaustion over the council's decisions.

"We do not want Silicon Ranch in our community," resident Sandra Barnhill said. "Silicon Ranch is not welcomed."

Resident Beverly Thompson noted the lack of Lambertown residents who expressed enthusiasm for the project.

"We, the people, have spoken yet again," Thompson said. "And you, council, you're our voice. We want you to vote 'no.'"

The two ordinances passed each by 5-2 votes to edit the county's future land-use map and rezone the parcel, currently zoned forest agriculture, to include a district for the solar farm. Councilmen Everett Carolina, whose district includes Lambertown about 10 miles south of Andrews, and Raymond Newton voted against passage.

Carolina said he was concerned about consequences if the solar farm was damaged in a natural disaster.

"I'm listening, as (is) Raymond, to the concerns of the community," Carolina said.

The signs Lambertown residents often brought with them into the council chambers also were noticeably absent at the Jan. 24. In the same meeting, the council gave final approval to an ordinance forbidding signs at county meetings, except when used as a presentation aide.

The ordinance also outlines multiple causes for people speaking publicly at county meetings to be removed, including personal attacks, directing remarks to the audience, exchanging words with another public speaker and leaving the podium to approach the dais or a staff member.

Under the ordinance, the chairperson of the board, council or commission holding the meeting would be allowed to ban an individual removed from attending meetings for up to one year. The council also moved to amend the ordinance so that it will take effect March 1.

Councilman Bob Anderson, who voted in favor on second reading in December, was the only council member of seven to vote against the ordinance on Jan. 24. Carolina abstained from the vote to seek further information.

"I don't have a problem with this ordinance being written and approved, but I think based on the areas that we have issues, we have gone a bridge too far with the details," Anderson said. He also noted that because of the ordinance's late publication in December, he did not get a chance to read it before the second-reading vote.

Chief Legal Counsel and Executive Director Cynthia Ranck Person of Keep It Green Advocacy was among multiple community members who spoke against the ordinance, claiming it could infringe on constitutional rights.

Person said she could not speak to whether her organization will bring a lawsuit forward regarding the ordinance. However, she said that other organizations  including counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union  are "very interested."
Bon Secours St. Francis served its first patient in Greenville County almost 90 years ago. Today, it remains one of the county's largest health systems.

The health system celebrated its upcoming 90th birthday early on Jan. 24 while it unveiled some recently completed exterior renovations at its downtown hospital, a project that took two years.

Two former hospital board chairs, Camilla Hertwig and Pearlie Harris, gathered with current hospital leadership to commemorate the anniversary.

The health system's local history started over nine decades ago in 1921 when the Salvation Army helped the Greenville textile leaders of the time build the Emma Moss Booth Memorial Hospital.

The Great Depression struck shortly after its opening, which eventually led the Salvation Army to sell the hospital to the Sisters of St. Francis for $55,000.

Bon Secours has grown since its start in South Carolina. The downtown Greenville hospital opened in 1971. Two decades later, Bon Secours Eastside, located at 125 Commonwealth Dr., opened in 1991.

The original St. Francis Hospital, operated by the sisters, administered care for the first time on July 14, 1932, a date now wedged into the wall at the modern-day hospital campus off Augusta Street as a reminder of the past. The cornerstone marking the date was blessed by holy water at the celebration event on Jan. 24, a date also viewed as significant to the health system. Almost 200 years ago, 12 women known as the Sisters of Bon Secours in Paris, France committed themselves to serve the sick, a mission the hospital still keeps.

GADC unveils 1st strategic plan

The economic development arm of Greenville County revealed its first-ever formal strategic plan on Jan. 18 to members of County Council and the business community.

The Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC), a non-profit that relies on both public and private funds, contracted with a Texas-based economic and workforce development strategic planning firm, TIP Strategies Inc., to create a plan to help ensure the area's ongoing economic viability and growth.

The finalized plan has three goals. The first is to increase investment in the county through business retention, expansion and attraction. The second is to ensure the county has "the sites and incentives to complete for high-wage employment, new capital investment and business growth." And, the third is to make the GADC and its resources more visible.

Each of the three goals has multiple application recommendations. For example, one suggestion for the second goal is to "seek to reserve industrial sites for targeted industries in cooperation with major property owners."

The targeted industries for Greenville County include advanced materials, automotive, aviation, life sciences and professional technical services.

The new plan is already in the works, GADC CEO Mark Farris said.

Farris also highlighted the successes from the past year at the meeting, including the 22 organizations that choose to locate to or expand in the county in 2022. Last year was the third highest year for new capital investment in the county with $468 million, trailing behind 2020 and 2014. More than 2,300 new jobs were created as related to those announcements.

Automotive supplier plans to expand in Laurens

A Chinese automotive supplier plans to grow its Laurens County operations with a $49.6 million expansion that will create 58 news jobs over the next five years.

Yanfeng  which manufactures products for vehicles' interior, exterior, seating, cockpit electronics and passive safety  announced on Jan. 18 it will grow "its manufacturing footprint outside of the existing site" at 101 International Blvd. in Fountain Inn. The company plans to do building renovations and invest further in its machinery and equipment.

The company plans to retrain its current employees as part of the expansion, a press release said.

The state also approved job development credits and a $200,000 rural infrastructure fund grant to the county to help with building costs.

The expansion is expected to be completed in 2026.

Thats all for this week. Email your thoughts, tips, releases and newsy bits to smirah@postandcourier.com.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
WALTERBORO  State investigators believe they know what gun killed Maggie Murdaugh. They just dont know where it is.

An expert witness testified Jan. 24 that the murder weapon was a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle that had been used before at the Murdaughs spacious hunting estate in Colleton County. Ballistic tests showed shell casings found near Maggies body had been ejected from the same gun as older casings recovered elsewhere on the property, he said.

And a gun just like it  purchased by her husband, Alex Murdaugh  can no longer be accounted for, state grand jury chief prosecutor Creighton Waters told Judge Clifton Newman on the second day of preparations for Murdaughs double murder trial. Defense attorney Jim Griffin later countered that one of the .300 Blackout rifles Murdaugh had purchased had been stolen.

Waters revelation came as state prosecutors fought to have that ballistic analysis admitted as evidence in their case against Murdaugh, a former Hampton trial attorney whose fall from grace has generated international intrigue.

Murdaughs attorneys tried to suppress the "firearms identification" evidence, questioning the State Law Enforcement Division experts certainty in matching shell casings to a specific gun. They have spent months seeking to pick apart key elements of the states case in their quest to convince jurors Murdaugh isnt guilty in the June 2021 slayings of his wife and youngest son, Paul.

The evidence is critical to the state's largely circumstantial case. Not only is the rifle missing, but it is believed that the shotgun used to kill Paul, 22, has not been recovered either.

But Newman sided with prosecutors, ruling SLED forensic analyst Paul Greer presented a firm opinion based on years of experience and training, even after Griffin repeatedly questioned him about his confidence that all the spent casings were ejected from the same gun.

Some of those casings were found near the house at Moselle, as the Murdaugh's estate is known. Others were recovered from a firing range on the property.

Any further challenges to Greer's testimony from Murdaughs team will have to come during cross-examination when he retakes the stand during the trial, Newman said.

The ruling ended an afternoon of bickering over which experts and evidence can be presented when Murdaughs trial advances to opening statements on Jan. 25.

Prosecutors and Murdaughs attorneys agreed to a brief cease-fire in their fights over certain elements of the trial.

They said they would wait to hash out their disagreements over the states high-impact blood spatter evidence, for example, until prosecutors decide whether to introduce it. Murdaughs lawyers have argued the state cant prove their clients shirt was spattered with blood as he shot his relatives because Murdaughs white T-shirt tested negative for human blood.

The two sides also got no resolution on whether prosecutors can introduce Murdaughs myriad alleged financial crimes  he is accused of stealing nearly $9 million from those who trusted him  as evidence against him in the murder trial.

Prosecutors have said Murdaugh, 54, killed Maggie and Paul in a desperate attempt to engender sympathy for himself and cover up his decade-long financial crime spree before it could be exposed.

Dick Harpootlian, one of Murdaughs attorneys, said that makes no sense because the state hasnt shown Murdaughs bad acts were about to be uncovered, and there is no evidence his wife or son were going to confront him.

The states theory is, he knew the jig was up, so he went home and butchered  blew the head off his son  and butchered his wife, Harpootlian said. Theres not one shred of evidence that there was any problem between any of them.

Murdaugh seemed more engaged in the courtroom Jan. 24, greeting potential jurors with a nod during the morning court session and fist-bumping his sister during a brief interaction in the courtroom that afternoon. His sister, Lynn Murdaugh Goette, has been identified as a potential defense witness in the case.

"See you tomorrow," she told Murdaugh before he was escorted out of the courtroom.

The fight over evidence came after Newman completed the arduous and repetitive process of screening potential jurors, a task that proved challenging in a lightly populated county where generations of Murdaughs served as the elected top prosecutor for 86 straight years.

The intense media coverage of the Murdaugh murders and Alex Murdaughs subsequent personal unraveling didnt help.

On Jan. 24 alone, Newman dismissed a whopping 15 people from a panel of 79 because they said they had already formed a strong opinion on the case and couldnt be swayed no matter what evidence is presented at trial.

Others were dismissed because of their relationships with the Murdaughs, the high-powered Hampton law firm they ran for more than a century, local law enforcement, or the 255 potential witnesses in the case.

After a day and a half of jury screening, Newman now has a pool of 122 prospective jurors who  theoretically  can render an impartial verdict in the coming weeks. Newman said he would begin seating the jury at 11 a.m. Jan. 25, with plans to pick 12 jurors and six alternates for the weekslong proceeding.

After that, the trial will begin in earnest with opening statements, likely starting sometime that afternoon.
CONWAY  Coastal Carolina University is trying to figure out how students can more safely cross S.C. 544 after two students died several years ago trying to cross the busy roadway leading to the beach.

CCU is asking for $7.5 million in one-time funds from the state budget to build a pedestrian walkway over the four-lane highway. Officials hope the project will provide safer crossing for students living in apartment complexes on the other side.

I dont mean to sound dramatic about it, but these are students lives, said CCU President Michael Benson, while appealing to state legislators for the funds earlier this month.

The university is unsure where the walkway would be located and they are working with the S.C. Department of Transportation for the project, CCU spokesman Jerry Rashid said. CCU also has discussed improving safety with crossings over S.C. 501 as well as S.C. 544.

Student safety is always a top priority for the university," Rashid said.

Although there is a crosswalk intersection at S.C. 544 and Founders Drive, CCU officials said students sometimes cross the congested roadway in areas where there are no safety accommodations.

"Sometimes they don't make the best decisions at night, and you can't see students at night," Benson said.

These unsafe crossings led to two students getting hit by a car and killed several years ago, a third student getting hit and placed in critical condition while crossing earlier this month and several incidents where students were nearly hit, Benson said.

The university declined to provide the three students names or specifics on the incidents, citing privacy regulations.

Funding has not yet been set aside for the walkway, and CCU plans to fund it through other sources if the state does not include it in this years budget.

Benson said CCU has previously requested federal funds for the project, but those proposals never made it out of committee. The walkway project was first proposed in 2021, and discussions about improving safety over S.C. 544 have taken place since around 2016.

Over the years, CCU has considered other options to help prevent student-involved accidents, like reducing the speed limit on S.C. 544 near campus; installing a blinking yellow light to warn drivers of pedestrian traffic; and featuring a center median to stop pedestrians from crossing in non-designated highway areas.

CCU has started conducting feasibility studies on the center median idea, according to university officials.

Benson said CCU has also considered building a wall along the sidewalks to ensure students dont cross outside of the unsafe paths. However, he said students might still climb over the walls, which is why the university wants to build a walkway over the highway.

This issue of promoting students' safety comes as CCU welcomed the largest freshman class in its history for the second consecutive year, with 3,459 students last fall. The preliminary enrollment for the fall 2022 semester totaled 10,373 students.
NORTH CHARLESTON  Community leaders and residents have worried for years that growth would negatively impact the city's long-standing African American communities.

Now, with the unveiling of North Charleston's draft map of its new City Council districts, many feel the plan is yet another attempt to isolate Black residents.

"I think they're trying to cut out some of the Black representation," said Councilman Mike Brown, who represents the predominantly Black District 1, which covers a portion of Dorchester Road.

"It's just another way to push gentrification and deprive us of what we earn," he added.

Several dozen community leaders and residents attended a Jan. 24 meeting at North Charleston City Hall where the city presented its draft proposal for its redistricting map. It was the city's second public meeting on the new lines done every 10 years to take into consideration population growth.

From 2010 to 2020, the city's population grew from 97,449 to 114,852.

While the number of African Americans has increased in North Charleston, the overall percentage of Blacks in the city declined from 47 percent to 40.6 percent from 2010 to 2020. The city's White population also dropped from 42 percent to 40 percent.

North Charleston's Hispanic population saw a sizeable increase, making up about one-fifth of the city's population in 2020.

The area that saw the most growth is Council District 4, which includes the Wescott community, one of the area's largest and most popular neighborhoods. The district saw an uptick of 6,000 people, bringing the total population to just over 16,000.

The priority for the city is to create population uniformity in each of its 10 council districts as growth over the past decade has not been evenly distributed. City staff also considered natural boundaries and the need to avoid splitting communities into different districts.

But also a priority is to avoid racial gerrymandering, said City Attorney Derk Van Raalte.

Critics of the map said the plan does the exact opposite.

Liberty Hill, a predominantly African American neighborhood founded in 1871 by formerly enslaved Blacks, had once been in the majority African American District 7. That neighborhood, populated with Black churches and homeowners, has now been merged into District 8 with Park Circle, a more affluent, White community.

The move attaches the Black neighborhood with a community that "has no interest" with it, said the Rev. Nelson Rivers, who pastors Charity Missionary Baptist in Liberty Hill. The map also dilutes the ability for Black voters to elect candidates of choice, Rivers said.

Putting Liberty Hill in "what now looks like a majority White district" is the "epitome of racial gerrymandering," said Greg Perry, chair of the Charleston County Democratic Party.

Perry, who is also running for a North Charleston City Council seat, drew parallels to the coastal 1st Congressional District.

Federal judges concluded earlier this month that South Carolina lawmakers drew the district, held by Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, in a way that discriminates against Black voters. Lawmakers must recraft the district by the end of March, the judges ruled but an appeal by Statehouse Republicans who drew the map is likely.

"Id rather North Charleston not have to do that," Perry said.

Rivers and others expressed support for the NAACP's draft map, which follows traditional redistricting principles, they contend. The civil rights group's map keeps Liberty Hill in its existing district, allowing Black voters the ability to elect representatives of their choosing, Rivers said.

Several others who spoke expressed similar concerns, emphasizing the fact that District 7 is currently represented by an African American representative, Councilman Sam Hart. Currently, six of the city's 10 council members are African American.

Hart, who's been mostly silent publicly on the issue, said during the meeting he supports the NAACP's map.

"I think the city will go back to the drawing board," he said. "The people involved have gotten an earful tonight."

Mayor Keith Summey, who didn't respond during the meeting to the critiques of racial gerrymandering, said at the start of the event that the map isn't final. He said the purpose of the Jan. 24 gathering was for council members to listen to people's concerns, not to engage in debates with residents over their issues with the map.

For most of the meeting, council members followed the mayor's lead, save for Councilman Jerome Heyward, who made a motion to end the meeting midway because he felt council members should be allowed to converse with residents over their concerns.

"This is one of the most important things I've been a part of," he said. "We should be able to hear y'all (and) engage."

The event was North Charleston's second public meeting in the past year about its new districts map.

The city held a meeting at City Hall last summer, but the map was not detailed and the meeting sparsely attended.

The League of Women Voters recognized that the city had posted maps at four locations throughout the city a week leading up the meeting, but still pushed North Charleston to create a map that doesn't favor incumbents. The league also asked the city to be more transparent in its process.

"Based on the limited available information, we are concerned that your current process could do a better job to meet government principles to ensure voters can choose candidates, not other way around," said Vicki Westberg, co-president of the league.

While racial representation was a top concern, other issues were raised about another part of the city.

District 3, which currently covers the Deer Park and Northwood Estates neighborhood, has been altered and no longer includes Salamander Road. Residents in the district also fear that the changed boundaries limits their ability to have a say in what kinds of development is installed around the neighborhoods.

Community members can view the proposed map online at www.northcharleston.org/government/city-council/redistricting, where residents can also leave comments about the plan.

For additional information, residents can contact the office of the city clerk at 843-740-2509 or fieldsc@northcharleston.org.
In the last State of the City address of his second term, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg promoted his efforts to address flooding, reduce crime and boost affordable housing.

The Jan. 24 address came early in an election year for mayor. Tecklenburg will face at least four contenders in November.

As the first mayor to hold office after former Mayor Joe Riley's 10-term run, Tecklenburg made an impassioned effort to establish his own legacy.

"With real and measurable reductions in crime and violence, and with real and measurable increases in flood protection and affordable housing and parks and fire stations and more, I'm pleased to report that the state of our city heading into 2023 is confident and grateful and optimistic," he said.

Among the accomplishments he touted, Tecklenburg said the city has seen "800 new and saved affordable units since 2016, and 500 more currently in the pipeline."

To meet the city's housing goals, however, Charleston will need to see thousands more units over the next seven years.

A study included in Charlestons 2021 comprehensive plan found that the city needs a combined 16,000 units of affordable housing available to renters and buyers by 2030 to catch up with demand.

The rising cost of living has been a challenge not only for the general population but also for the city's workforce. Facing high turnover, Charleston City Council approved a $287 million budget in December that included a tax rate increase and $16.5 million in across-the-board pay raises. Police and fire workers will see a 12 percent raise and all other employees will get a 13.3 percent raise in 2023.

Those raises, Tecklenburg said, will help the police drive the city's crime rate down.

"The remarkable men and women of the Charleston Police and Fire Departments are making our city and citizens safer, with violent crime down more than 10 percent last year, and many lives saved in major fires throughout the city," he said

Increasing pay is an important move as police departments across the country are facing high turnover, said University of South Carolina Criminology Professor Ian Adams.

"Were at the leading edge of a retirement wave," Adams said. "Then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden's crime bill hired a bunch of officers 30 years ago."

But he added that a 10 percent reduction of crime over one year, while welcomed, does little to quantify the direction a city's crime rate is going in.

"From an academic standpoint, we want to take a longer view to understand these fluctuations, some of which can be random," he said.

Among other accomplishments, Tecklenburg touted efforts to address flooding over the course of both of his terms.

They began with the Dutch Dialogues, a citywide effort to bring in international researchers to develop flood mitigation strategies based on the most cutting-edge research available. From there, Charleston commissioned a consultant to develop a whole new zoning code for the city. Although it's not yet completed, the city is committed to an elevation-based zoning approach. That means development will likely be restricted in low-lying areas and encouraged on high ground.

A citywide water plan also in the works will guide how flood-mitigation projects are prioritized and what opportunities the city will have to collaborate with Charleston County.

In the meantime, the city has made progress on the Forest Acres drainage project in West Ashley, the Spring-Fishburne drainage tunnel on the West Side, reconstruction of the Low Battery sea wall and plans for drainage improvements in the Central Park Basin on James Island.

Noticeably absent from the flood topics was Tecklenburg's support for an over-$1 billion sea wall designed by the Army Corps of Engineers to ring the peninsula and block storm surge during major storms. The topic is expected to be a dividing line among candidates in the mayor's race. Opponents have billed the project as too costly, inadequate to address tidal flooding and inferior to nature-based solutions such as oyster reefs.

One project that Tecklenburg did offer definitive support for was the extension of Interstate 526. The project would create a 9-mile, four-lane road from the current end of I-526 in West Ashley, to Johns Island and then onto James Island with a connection to the end of the James Island connector at Folly Road.

"Tonight, City Council and I will vote once again to support the completion of I-526 to finally bring real traffic relief to our citizens on Johns Island and across West Ashley," he said, referring to a pending vote on a resolution to affirm the city's support for the county-led project.

Later, during the council meeting, members voted 11-2 in favor of the resolution.

Councilmen William Dudley Gregory and Mike Seekings voted against the resolution. Councilwoman Caroline Parker abstained.

"It's exactly the same language we've already approved. ... Lets look forward, weve already done this. I think its time to look to the County Council for help on other projects like Calhoun West," Seekings said, referring to a long sought-after drainage tunnel on the peninsula.

While traffic woes have plagued the fast-growing outer edges of Charleston, including Johns Island and West Ashley, opponents of the extension have raised eyebrows at its fluctuating price tag. A previous cost for the project was estimated at $2.35 billion, and a new estimate released in December came in at $2.2 billion. It would leave the county responsible for paying $1.78 billion. The city has no financial obligation.

The Coastal Conservation League has repeatedly voiced opposition to the proposal.

"Real transportation and mobility solutions are feasible, and could be implemented in a much shorter time frame. Solutions like improving Main Road and completing the Maybank pitchforks on Johns Island, constructing a Bus Rapid Transit line in West Ashley from Bees Ferry Road to downtown Charleston, and making intersection improvements along Folly Road," a 2022 CCL statement reads.

By the end of his speech, Tecklenburg noted that each issue the city faces will require compromise and a even-keeled approach to navigating a shifting political landscape.

"I know that as long as we stay focused on public safety and the critical quality-of-life issues that matter most to our residents, our best days are yet to come."

City Councilman Peter Shahid, former state Rep. William Cogswell, longtime political aide Clay Middleton and local activist Tamika Mika Gadsden have all announced plans to run for mayor. Filing officially opens in August. Election Day is Nov 7.
In his annual address Tuesday, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg declared the state of the city confident and optimistic.

Which, coincidentally, are two words he could probably use to describe his re-election prospects  although hed never say that.

As The Post and Couriers Emma Whalen reported last week, Tecklenburg has four announced opponents so far for Novembers election, and after the most recent campaign financial filings, he has slightly more money than all of them combined.

Thats a big advantage since he wont have to spend a dime of that raising his name recognition. Seeing as how, you know, hes been mayor for seven years.

But it was Tuesdays State of the City address that showed the true benefits of tenure  and incumbency. In his short speech, Tecklenburg recounted several recent city successes and ongoing projects that have occurred on his watch:

Violent crime down more than 10% as the city has raised both the police and fire budgets by $10 million in recent years; and his administrations work with Solicitor Scarlett Wilson and Gov. Henry McMaster to keep violent repeat offenders off the streets.

More than 30 flood mitigation projects in the works, as well as plans to ban slab construction and building in areas that would exacerbate flooding.

More than 800 units of affordable housing built, with 500 more coming.

Various improved and new public parks, and myriad road projects  admittedly the state and countys bailiwick  that the city supports to alleviate traffic West of the Ashley.

So: crime, flooding, affordable housing, traffic and quality of life.

Yeah, he played all the greatest hits.

Fact is, Tecklenburg has staked out probably the most popular positions on the issues most important to Charlestonians. And thats going to make it tough for his opponents to get around him.

For instance, local developer and former state lawmaker William Cogswell diplomatically attributed the genesis of his mayoral bid to concerns about crime. That was no doubt a reference to the May 2020 King Street riot, which Tecklenburg critics tried to blame on him  some even accused him of ordering police to stand down.

But dispatch tapes said different, and Teck used the moment to blast left-wing hoopla about defunding the police. Hell no, he said at the time.

No surprise that, on Tuesday, he made sure to mention increased public safety funding, which Cogswell has promised, and raises for cops and firefighters  incidentally, another of Cogswells planks.

Several mayoral candidates have said affordable housing is an important issue for their campaigns, and that got prominent mention Tuesday, too. And one, Clay Middleton, has also raised the issue of fostering opportunities for small businesses, particularly those owned by women and minorities.

In his address, Tecklenburg praised a new, affordable housing complex called the James Lewis Homes that opens on the East Side later this year. One of its most important features is a first-floor business incubator targeting  yep  female- and minority-owned businesses.

Even local activist Mika Gadsden, whos fighting the city over plans for Gadsden Creek (well, whats left of it), will have a hard time painting her campaign as a generational fight with the old guard against the guy who took down the John C. Calhoun statue.

But Teck didnt mention that Tuesday.

Most of the mayoral candidates have been forced to say fairly nice things about Tecklenburg when they announced, commending him for recruiting the Dutch to help with flooding or the like. Usually, their platforms dont suggest radical change, just more. Which is telling.

Itd be easy, and cynical, to say Tecklenburg mentioned all these things Tuesday because  hey  theres a city election in nine months. And some will anyway.

Theyd have a better point if flooding, crime and those quality-of-life issues hadnt been in the works long before anyone revealed their campaign plans.

Thats not to say Tecklenburg is a lock. In municipal elections, where turnout is often anemic, anything can happen. And there are some solid challengers out there  old Charleston names, a couple of electorally tested candidates and next-generation political operators.

But the State of the City address illustrates why Tecklenburg avoided the one-and-done fate of a single term that virtually everyone  including me  predicted for anyone who followed Joe Riley.

High ground is hard to come by in Charleston. And all the folks running for mayor are going to have a tough time finding any of it that Tecklenburg hasnt already staked claim to.
COLUMBIA  Legislation that bans the teaching of racist concepts in K-12 schools while requiring fact-based discussions on history is advancing in the South Carolina House of Representatives amid concerns it's creating fear among teachers that will further deplete their ranks.

The bill sent to the full House Education Committee on a 4-2 vote Jan. 24 also creates a complaint process for school districts to follow for anyone alleging prohibited concepts are being taught.

Those concepts, already banned in state law, include any race being superior to another and anyone being responsible for past abuses because of their race.

Opponents see the bill as preventing students from learning about the ugly parts of the state and nation's history by restricting what teachers can say, even as its sponsors contend the intent is actually the opposite.

The bill's main sponsor, Rep. Raye Felder, tried to alleviate concerns at the meeting's start by stressing what is and isn't in her bill. It didn't work.

"Instruction should be non-biased and include the broad scope of history, both inspirational history and shameful history of our great country," said the Fort Mill Republican.

"The bill does not discuss student feelings or use subjective language," she said, adding that would stifle instruction. "The bill does not prevent teaching of controversial topics. Instead, it specifically provides that schools can teach that history."

The complaint guidelines are meant to create a uniform process that's fair to teachers, students and parents, Felder said.

Her bill is largely what passed the House along party lines last April, then died without a vote in the Senate following roughly 20 hours of testimony on five separate bills.

One major change is that Felder's bill strikes a requirement for "impartial" teaching on controversial subjects  wording opponents called too subjective. Instead, her bill requires "fact-based" history lessons.

The original bills targeted so-called "critical race theory"  an academic, graduate-level theory of systemic racism that opponents of the effort contend isnt in the K-12 curriculum anyway but has been broadly interpreted by education critics nationwide. The compromise that emerged from last year's meetings never mentions that hot-button phrase.

The problem, said opponents, is that the bill's intent and its results may be entirely different.

"I think we can all agree that we don't want our children to be subjected to craziness or somebody else's ideals. We want our kids to learn factual based history and get a proper education," said Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Columbia. "I get the intent of what we're trying to do, but the way we're doing it is only going to add fear to the instructors we're already losing.

"Ya'll have seen at school board meetings where people start to throw out crazy claims, these crazy conspiracy theories," he continued. "What's going to stop people from going all over the state and throwing out crazy lies and accusing teachers of things when they just talk about Martin Luther King?  If we can figure out how to stop that part, we can come to some sort of consensus."

The bill requires age- and grade-appropriate materials in school libraries. Opponents said that's too vague.

"If we dont define it, it creates ambiguity. That leaves it up to individual interpretation," said Rep. Deon Tedder, D-North Charleston. "Anyone could file a complaint because they have a different definition of whats age-appropriate."

He offered a potential example of parents not wanting their children to learn that slaves were beaten and chained.

Another section opponents called worrisome bars schools from accepting teaching materials and technology with pornography.

"What defines pornography?" Tedder asked.

The subcommittee's chairman, GOP Rep. Jeff Bradley of Hilton Head Island, encouraged Tedder to offer those changes during floor debate.

Amendments suggested by the state's largest teacher advocacy group include starting the complaint process with parents taking their concerns to the teacher, then proceeding if it's not resolved. Complaints could be a simple misunderstanding that can be resolved one-on-one, said Patrick Kelly with the Palmetto State Teachers Association.

"We think its critically important to foster collective collaboration," said Kelly, who's also a high school history teacher. "Let's have a conversation first."

Opponents who testified at the hearing said the bill will further ostracize and discriminate against transgender students and LGBTQ teachers.

Marcus McDonald, an organizer and substitute teacher in Charleston, said he simply didn't believe the bill's stated purpose that all students "are made to feel welcomed, supported and respected."

"Im not impressed," he said about the bill's preamble. "Everything people are seeing is censorship. Teenagers can even see this true intent and many of them are asking, 'Why are you trying to erase my history?'"

Dr. Eliza Braden, a University of South Carolina education professor, said the discussion is turning away would-be teachers amid the worsening teacher shortage.

"If you want us to do our jobs of bringing more people in the profession, youve got to do your part. These are people who havent even touched the classroom yet, and theyre already fearful," she said. "Although they have a passion and want so bad to be teachers, were driving them away. Whos going to teach?"

David Warner, chairman of the Horry County chapter of Moms for Liberty, argued it's not the bill scaring teachers but the ideological ideas its opponents espouse.

"Im here to bring down the temperature in the room a little bit," he said to laughter from opponents in the audience.

"What we should think about is whether we want to talk about factual history or other things that are personal beliefs," he said. "History is history. It's not that hard. Let's not make it that way."
COLUMBIA  Momentum is growing on both sides of the Statehouse aisle to reform the bail system, with reform advocates saying the current "catch and release" option keeps repeat offenders dangerous as they commit more crimes while out on bond.

Republican leadership in the House of Representatives has named bail reform as a top priority, with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Weston Newton, R-Bluffton, committing to tackle the issue after fentanyl legislation, which the committee sent to the House floor this week.

On the Senate side, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee held a hearing on two reform bills Jan. 24 where law enforcement described a system in crisis.

State regulatory agencies and even bondsmen endorsed the reforms with some tweaks.

"Its a revolving door," said Sen. Brian Adams, R-Goose Creek, at the meeting. The state needs to "slow some of that down, especially for the career criminals that keep getting out utilizing the bond system."

Columbia Police Chief W.H. "Skip" Holbrook cited three recent cases in which individuals with a long list of prior arrests out on bail committed serious crimes.

His list included a shooting last summer in which a man out on bail  who was supposed to be electronically monitored  allegedly killed another man.

There are bondsmen and electronic monitoring companies who "are simply not monitoring. Theres no standards. Theres no approved list of vendors," said Megan Raymer, assistant attorney general in the Special Victims Prosecution section.

Senate bills under consideration would compel the court to consider prior convictions when setting bond, force defendants to pay the bond in full if they were arrested while on a previous bond, dictate that only licensed bondsmen can oversee electronic monitoring and require that bondsmen inform the local solicitor of violations of bond conditions within 48 hours, among other changes.

All of the speakers supported the proposed reform but many asked for slight changes or clarification.

Dan Goldberg, a deputy solicitor for the 5th Judicial Circuit Solicitors Office, told the subcommittee his office likes the electronic monitoring company it works with and argued the bills should not restrict the administration of electronic monitoring to only bondsmen.

Rob Hayes, the president of the company that runs Aladdin Bail Bonds, one of the countrys largest bail bonds companies, said he supported the reform push but added that state law allows judges not to grant bail if the defendant presents a serious risk, so bondsmen should not receive all the blame.

The subcommittee did not send the bills to the full committee to allow time for the subcommittee to take the feedback into consideration and modify the bills.

Its important to have a good bill, said Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Hartsville.
GAFFNEY  A Gaffney man pleaded guilty to assaulting a law enforcement officer during an incident in which he crashed a vehicle that landed on an officers legs.

Cornelius Mayberry, 41, was sentenced to more than 34 years in federal prison on the assault charge as well as possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, according to a Jan. 25 news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for South Carolina.

On Aug. 27, 2018, a Homeland Security task force officer and a captain with the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office were conducting surveillance on a drug case when they pulled Mayberry over during a traffic stop, according to the news release.

When Mayberry was told he had outstanding warrants, he resisted arrest and drove his vehicle forward with the officer still hanging out of the front window. The vehicle struck a ditch and flipped onto the officer, crushing his legs.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Mayberry climbed out of the vehicle, stepped on the pinned officer and began to fight the Cherokee County captain.

The captain put Mayberry in handcuffs but ultimately released him to call for help for the task force officer who was pinned under the vehicle.

Mayberry was taken into federal custody on April 4, 2019.

The traffic stop was related to a sting operation conducted months prior, in May 2018, during which Mayberry was arrested at a motel in Cherokee County with 3 kilograms of methamphetamine, an unspecified amount of fentanyl, three firearms and ammunition. He was charged by the state and was released on bond.

Another person was sentenced in relation to some of the charges against Mayberry.

Brandy Scates, 37, received 10 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, evidence presented in court showed that in 2018, Scates conspired with Mayberry to distribute methamphetamine and was found in possession of 196.8 grams of methamphetamine on Aug. 21, 2018.

U.S. District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks sentenced Mayberry to 414 months in prison followed by court ordered supervision. Hendricks sentenced Scates to 120 months in prison, to be followed by court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
Mr Omolajas resignation is voluntary, the Osogbo-based primary mortgage lender said in a regulatory filing posted on the website of the Nigerian Exchange on Wednesday.

Until his exit, he served as an independent non-executive director and chaired the companys Board Investment and Credit Committee.

LivingTrust Mortgage Bank said Mr Omolaja left to pursue other personal aspirations.

The resignation of Mr Omolaja was accepted by the Board of Directors of the Bank at its meeting of Friday, 20th of January, 2023, it stated.

READ ALSO:

The company reported a 79.3 per cent surge in net profit to N909.2 million for the financial year 2022, according to its unaudited financial statements as revenue crossed N2.5 trillion.

It expects bottom line to hit N258.9 million this quarter and revenue N903.8 million, as shown in the forecast it issued in December.

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The governor of Nigerias central bank, Godwin Emefiele, is embroiled in a multi-million-dollar legal battle that has torn apart a once close family relationship. The legal tussle is separate from the troubles he faces over the handling of his job.

Mr Emefiele recently sneaked out and back to the country to avert the possibility of arrest by the State Security Service (SSS), which is accusing him of financing terrorism.

He faces growing criticisms over the policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) often blamed for some of the nations economic woes and the scarcity of newly introduced currency notes just days before the deadline the bank set for phasing out the old notes.

As all of these happen, Mr Emefiele quietly grapples with a long-running feud which climaxed in a $36 million suit filed against him by a brother-in-law, John Omoile, in faraway Texas, the United States of America, in 2021.

The legal duel between Mr Emefiele and Mr Omoile is still on at the US District Court in the Northern Texas District.

Mr Omoile is demanding $36 million in damages for the losses he allegedly suffered as a result of the CBN governors alleged breach of contract, fraudulent inducement, negligent representation and fraud in course of their business partnerships.

Apart from tearing apart a familial relationship, the feud has defied the larger familys interventions, recorded a violation of a settlement agreement, and pitted lawyers engaged by both sides in the US against themselves.

The case has passed through at least five Texas law firms apart from the Nigerian lawyers keeping watch over the Nigerian end of the battle on behalf of the warring parties.

With the case just starting in court for the third time, Mr Omoile has indicated it will cost him $200,000 in attorneys fees.

Mr Emefiele, too, has complained to the court that it will be extraordinarily burdensome for him to defend himself in the US, where he does not reside.

He has urged the court to dismiss the suit and hold that Nigeria is the appropriate jurisdiction to pursue the case, for reasons including the fact that the settlement agreement which covered all the issues between him and Mr Omoile was signed in Nigeria in 2014.

Background: Emefiele Vs Omoile

Mr Emefieles wife, Margaret, and John Omoile, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the US, are cousins raised in their teenage years by an aunt in Agbor, Delta State, South-south Nigeria, according to documents filed in court.

The bond between them was so strong that they regarded each other as siblings. When Margaret got married to Mr Emefiele, the CBN governor had no difficulty regarding Mr Omoile as his brother-in-law.

Court documents described in compelling detail the rosy past of their family relationship.

Mr Emefiele visited and stayed with Mr Omoiles family in Texas, US, during some of his vacations. He described how he lavished Mr Omoile with gifts, money, and business opportunities over the years.

Also remembering their once affectionate family relationship, Mr Omoile said of how they shared homes, spent holidays and family gatherings together, have been close family friends, and as detailed below, became business partners/joint venturers.

Mr Omoile, on different occasions, helped the Emefieles to buy houses in his neighbourhood in Coppell, Texas.

Drawing from the familial bond, mutual trust and goodwill they had built in each other for decades, their rapport flourished and grew into a business partnership in 2004.

They sent funds to each other for personal investments and joint ventures in Nigeria and in the US.

But in the unsavoury turn of events, the previously trusted relatives now accuse each other of fraud, greed, deception, and extortion. The CBN governor, who vehemently denied wrongdoing, said the suit currently is simply another attempt to extort $36 million from him.

Zenith Bank stock investments

In 2004, Mr Omoile said he paid Mr Emefiele $50,000 for the purchase of an Initial Public Offering (IPO) investment in Zenith Bank in Nigeria, where Mr Emefiele was then an official.

In 2007, Mr Omoile received 200,000 additional shares from Mr Emefiele as a gift.

Mr Emefiele became the managing director of Zenith Bank in 2010 and the governor of the CBN in 2014.

Mr Omoile said he often raised questions but has yet to get an answer about the wide range of issues, including dividends issued, but not paid, the prices at which certain stock shares were supposedly acquired for him, and the prices at which Defendant Emefiele actually acquired the shares.

He accused Mr Emefile of continuing to use his position as former Managing Director and current Governor of the Bank of Nigeria to actively prevent Plaintiff Omoile from getting a full and accurate accounting for his shares.

Mr Emefiele and a contentious oil and gas partnership

In a related development, Mr Omoile recalled that in 2007, he, Mr Emefiele and one Pius Oyibo signed a tripartite agreement in Coppell, Texas, to form an oil and gas company on 7 December 2007. The proposed firm, called Noka Energy Nigeria Limited, was to buy, sell and transport petroleum products in Nigeria.

Mr Omoile recalled that he made several trips and several contacts on behalf of the partnership to Houston, the Caribbean, and Nigeria to meet with oil and gas executives.

He recalled Mr Emefieles investment into the venture to include $200,000 sent to him for the purchase of 10 truck heads from LKQ in Houston for the partnership.

He said he bought the truck heads, the number not specified, and shipped them to Nigeria, for the business.

He said he would later discover that Mr Emefiele did not incorporate Noka Energy Nigeria Limited as agreed, but instead formed Dummies Oil and Gas for himself.

Real estate business

In 2006, while the other business discussions between them were going on, they formed a partnership called Rosewood Malcom LLC which would buy, sell and develop real estate properties in the US.

The business plan, according to Mr Omoile, included him taking mortgages in his name for the benefit of the joint venture.

He said profit and loss were to be shared equally between the partners, but that that was not the case eventually.

He said once the joint venture started, profits were shared, however, losses were left for him to bear.

According to him, the venture acquired a property at 7026 W. 43rd Street, Houston Texas, for $141,000.

He also said he took a personal mortgage in his name for $167,000 from Wachovia Bank.

He recalled that as the properties market value crashed during the US economic meltdown between 2008 and 2009, he continued to be responsible for the substantial financial burden of mortgage servicing without any help or assistance from Mr Emefiele.

He added that he purchased a property in 2008 in Coppell with $360,000 sent by Mr Emefiele.

But he said he was bearing the tax liabilities on the properties from his personal business accounts. According to him, the total personal loss he incurred for the real estate partnership and out-of-pocket expenses meant to be paid by Mr Emefiele was at least $500,000.

Mr Emefiele offers defence

Mr Emefiele has yet to formally file a defence to the suit, but his side of the story can be gleaned from the troves of documents he attached as exhibits to his preliminary court filings.

In a letter dated 17 January 2022, Mr Emefieles lawyer, Nitor Egbarin, denied the allegations raised in previous legal demand letters which Mr Omoiles lawyer, Donald Kaiser Jr, sent directly to the CBN governor.

In the strongly-worded letter, Mr Egbarin said his client was not involved in the management of Mr Omoiles Zenith Banks shares and could not have blocked access to the records of the investments.

He said the fact that Mr Omoile used the CBN governors business address as his contact address for receiving his brokerage account statement is not a proof that my client had legal responsibility for managing Johns money in the brokerage account.

He said his client is no longer the Managing director of Zenith Bank and is not Mr Omoiles stockbroker.

Your legal demand must be directed at John to provide you with his Zenith Bank accounts which he opened in Agbor and in Lagos. Proceeds from Johns brokerage account are deposited into Johns bank accounts in Lagos and in Agbor, the letter read in part.

Also denying his clients alleged breach of financial obligation to their real estate venture, Mr Egbarin went down memory lane, highlighting Mr Emefieles investments in the venture and financial assistance he had rendered to Mr Omoile.

He recalled that in 2006, Mr Omoile took out $200,000, using a pre-signed cheque, from Mr Emefieles bank account, and never accounted for the money meant to be used for estate development in Houston.

He said instead of using the money to develop the Houston property, Mr Omoile and his wife, on 17 January 2007, took out a $167,650 construction mortgage with Wachovia Mortgage.

He also recalled Mr Emefiele sent another $40,000 to Mr Omoile in 2009 for the purchase of a second real estate property on the plot next to the first property in Houston.

Tired of the frustrations from the investments, Mr Emefiele, according to his lawyer, decided to stop providing financial support to Mr Omoile in 2012.

But, the lawyer said, with a settlement agreement the brothers-in-law singed on 26 April 2014, Mr Emefiele agreed to relinquish all his rights in the two properties in Houston to Mr Omoile valued at over $207,650.

He said Mr Emefiele also paid off the Wachovia Mortgage balance of about $155,000.

He said the CBN governor also sent $250,000 requested by Mr Omoile to clear unpaid income tax in 2020.

He said, from 2006 to 2020, Mr Omoile had received at least $645,000 in cash in financial support from Mr Emefiele.

But he did not address the issue of the failed oil and gas business plan.

No more free food

Mr Egbarins letter went beyond defending his client. It was an unsparing frenzied personal attack on Mr Omoile and his lawyer.

The letter describes Mr Emefiele as a wealthy banker and former chief executive officer of the largest bank in Nigeria and West Africa who has been a generous donor, benefactor and breadwinner to Mr Omoile over the years.

The CBN governor, according to the letter, took care of John (Mr Omoile) as one would do of a brother-in-law, providing financial support to John and his wife and his children over the years.

In a rather demeaning manner highlighting how much the relationship between the in-laws has soured, Mr Egbarin said his client was no longer prepared to continue to feed Mr Omoile. You should advise John that my client does not wish to continue to feed him. John should pursue other means to make a living rather than continue to shakedown my client for more financial support.

Turning on Mr Kaiser, Mr Egbarin accused him of incompetence and of having little understanding of the area of law he was handling for Mr Omoile.

He also accused the lawyer of making false claims about Mr Emefiele and of unethical practice by bypassing him to write directly to the CBN governor.

He said Mr Emefiele, on becoming the CBN governor, became a target for a lawsuit in Nigeria engaged by Mr Omoile for harassment demanding monies for matters that had been settled in the 2014 Settlement Agreement.

He said the letters of demand sent severally to Mr Emefiele to account for Mr Omoiles shares is an attempt to shakedown/extort my client for money.

He ended the letter with a devastating salvo to Mr Omoile. Finally, there is still nothing more my client will do for John. The gravy train has come to a stop.

Failed settlement meetings

Members of the larger family called a series of peace meetings attended by the brothers-in-law to settle their disputes.

The meetings were held in Nigeria. Some of the meetings were also held via Zoom.

They finally reached an agreement in 2014.

With the hope of getting relief from the mounting debts resulting from the real estate losses since 2007, Mr Omile said, he signed the agreement with Mr Emefiele on 26 April 2014.

But both sides have accused each other of violating the agreements.

The family also again called a series of Zoom meetings to resolve the disputes in April 2020.

But in what would be the last straw, according to Mr Omoile, Mr Emefiele declared through his wife, Margaret, who represented him at one of the Zoom meetings, that there was never an intention to form and operate a joint oil and gas firm.

Mr Omoile said he realised then that he had been induced with false statements and promises to enter into a partnership with Mr Emefiele. He also said he realised that Mr Emefiele never intended to follow through with his past promises.

Unending Legal battle: Emefiele Vs Omoile

With settlement talks over, Mr Omoile took the decision to sue Mr Emefiele after the Zoom meetings in 2020.

In July 2021, he hired a Texas attorney, Kenneth Onyenah, who filed the suit claiming economic and actual damages against Mr Emefiele for the losses he allegedly incurred as a result of the CBN governors alleged failure to fulfil his financial obligations to him and their joint ventures.

He filed the suit at the US District Court of the Northern District of Texas.

But shortly after the filing, the lawyer withdrew the suit.

Mr Omoile said the lawyer withdrew the suit without prior communication or his authority in August 2021.

He added that the lawyer took the step after he was threatened by Mr Emefieles lawyer, Mr Egbarin. But Mr Egbarin said the lawyer withdrew the case after realising it had no merit.

Later in 2021, Mr Omoile hired Donald Kaiser Jr. to reopen the case.

On 12 May 2022, Mr Kaiser refiled the suit at the 68th Judicial District Court in Dallas County, Texas.

But following Mr Emefieles objection, the suit was removed from the state court on the basis of diversity jurisdiction to a federal court, the US District Court of the Northern District of Texas.

A new lawyer named Ewomazino Magbegor is now representing Mr Emefiele following the refiling of the case.

Mr Magbebor is the second lawyer known on record to have defended the CBN governor in the matter in the US. From Mr Egbarins letter, the plaintiff, Mr Omoile, has engaged at least three lawyers in respect of the case.

Mr Emefieles new lawyer, in November 2022, filed an application to challenge the service of the suit on the CBN governor through substituted means. He also sought the dismissal of the suit on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction on the matter.

The courts decision on the application will determine the future of the case.

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Nollywood actress and PDP deputy governorship candidate in Lagos State Funke Akindele was, on Tuesday, chased out of the Ikosi fruit market by suspected thugs while campaigning.

Speaking on the incident, the PDP governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, in an interview with NAN, confirmed that their campaign was cut short following the incident.

During a meeting with the chief Imam of Ketu Central Mosque, Jandor confirmed that a security team member was stabbed while others, including journalists, were injured.

However, he confirmed that the actress left the campaign train while the team continued to move around the streets in the council.

In October 2022, Jandor cried out over similar situations that had happened repeatedly in various local government areas since he kicked off his tour of 245 wards.

PDP laments

PDP Lagos spokesperson, Hakeem Amode, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES alleged that the local government chairperson sent the hoodlums to disrupt their campaign.

He said: Usually when we go to the market, Funke Akindele goes to the market to speak with the Market women, and we know it is our right to be able to talk freely, a campaign to anybody.

He alleged that the Ikosi LCDA Chairperson- Abolanle Bada, brought thugs to intimidate them.

He said: the local government chairperson came into the market, used her car to block and brought a bunch of thugs to attack us in Kosofe local government, which is very, very sad; it is unbelievable we are not allowed to speak to people freely.

Under the new electoral act, we are free to campaign anywhere; this is Lagos, where we should be able to talk to everybody without intimidation or discrimination. That should not even happen, he added.

He also claimed that this was not the first time it has happened.

More than hoodlums

Mr Hakeem also revealed that the intimidation has escalated past the point of harassment during the market campaigns.

Those we gave our campaign materials to, they have gone to evict them from their house and ask them not to come to the market; they came crying to our campaign offices. These are market women that paid for the stalls they are using in the market.

Why should we come to this level of harassment and intimidation of our members? Even market women.

Again, he stated they had been attacked in other markets.

Mr Hakeem claimed that the team had no choice but to retreat and join Jandor, where he was campaigning, so the situation would not escalate more violently.

The PRO once again claimed that the Chairperson of the Ikosi LCDA was responsible for the thuggery on Tuesday, and he had videos to show for it.

APCs response

When PREMIUM TIMES called the spokesperson for the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos, Seye Oladejo, concerning the allegations, he denied knowledge of the said event.

He said: The PDP people are well known for their wild allegations; if people were attacked, I think it is what the security agencies would be interested in; I dont think the solution is to take it to the media.

As far as we are concerned, we are not in the business of violence; our party is going for victory, so why should we be distracted by people who cannot even put their house in order and want to come into government.

Mr Oladejo claimed that APC is not under any pressure for the election and advised any party claiming to be attacked to take the matter to the law.

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The actress, popularly known as Jenifa, was officially unveiled as Jandors running mate in her hometown, Ikorodu, in July 2022.

Jandor chose her among a list of five nominees, which included Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Kolawole Vaughan, Adenike Shobajo, and Rasheed Teslim-Balogun.

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A woman and her daughter, who are members of the Baptist Church in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, have been reportedly kidnapped.

Five members of the church were kidnapped last week in Iwo, also in Osun State.

The latest victims, Olayinka Kayode and her daughter, whose name was not disclosed, were abducted on Tuesday on Otaefun/Kobongboe road around 6 p.m. after they left their shop for their home.

The churchs spokesperson, Oluwamayowa Fagbohungbe, said Mrs Kayode is a teacher attached to the churchs teenagers ministry.

Mr Fagbohungbe said the kidnappers have contacted the family of the victims and demanded N5 million for their release. He said the kidnappers also demanded that the ransom be paid into the bank account of one of the victims.

Engr. Kayode Abayomi, the husband, has since been reached by the kidnappers who are requesting that Five Million Naira ransom be transferred to them through the account of his wife in their custody; 2063668027 United Bank of Africa (UBA) Olayinka Tosin Kayode, the church spokesperson said.

The church, however, solicited the support of members of the public for the release of the victims.

We solicit the continued prayers and support of all and sundry while we believe in God Almighty that Mrs. Olayinka Tosin Kayode and her child will regain their freedom and be reunited with their family and the Church of God soon.

Two weeks ago, kidnappers abducted Samuel Oladotun and Fashola Tobiloba, who are also members of the Baptist Church, in Iwo.

The kidnappers contacted their family members and demanded N10 million as ransom.

The ransom was negotiated down to N6 million but the kidnappers also abducted three members of the church sent to deliver the ransom at a location in Kogi State. They were released after the payment of the N10 million that the kidnappers initially demanded as the ransom.

But Mr Fagbohungbe argued that the kidnapping of members of the church in different parts of the state was coincidental and not that members of the church are being targeted by kidnappers.

I will not want to assume or conclude that the Baptist Church is the target of these criminals. I think it is only coincidental that another kidnapping case affecting a Baptist member is happening after a week when some of our members were earlier kidnapped in the Iwo axis. Criminality of any form, particularly Kidnapping, is not a respecter of the Church one attends, it is only a sheer coincidence that the Baptist Church has had this nasty experience twice within a week which you will agree with me is very unfortunate, he told our reporter.

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The Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, on Wednesday, struck out two separate suits filed by a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and others.

Inyang Ekwo, the judge, in a short ruling, struck out the suits for lack of diligent prosecution.

Upon resumed hearing in the matters, neither Mr Sarakis nor the defendants lawyers were in court for the proceeding.

Mr Ekwo, therefore, held that the absence of the lawyers showed the cases were not being diligently prosecuted.

He consequently struck them out for lack of diligent prosecution.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Saraki, the applicant, had filed the suits marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/507/2019 and FHC/ABJ/CS/508/2019 at the FHC.

In the suits, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Inspector-General of Police and State Security Service (SSS) are 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

Others are EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as 4th to 6th respondents respectively.

The ex-senate president had filed the suits following EFCCs decision in 2019 to probe Mr Sarakis earnings between 2003 and 2011 when he was governor of Kwara.

Background

The anti-graft commission was reported to have seized some of his houses in the Ikoyi area of Lagos then.

However, Mr Saraki, on 10 May 2019, filed the two separate suits before a judge, Taiwo Taiwo (rtd ), to challenge the action of the EFCC.

Mr Taiwo, who was the presiding judge then, ruled on an ex-parte application filed along with the substantive suits.

The judge ordered the anti-corruption agency (4th respondent) and the other five respondents to the suits to stay action on the probe pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the applicant.

The order was granted after Sunday Onubi, Mr Sarakis lawyer, moved the application, on 14 May 2019.

The court had directed the parties to maintain the status quo by suspending the probe.

But the EFCC later applied that the judge should recuse himself and the matter be transferred to another court.

Mr Taiwo sent back the case file to the chief judge and the matter was reassigned to Anwuli Chikere (now retired) for adjudication.

When the matter came up on 14 July 2021 before Ms Chikere, EFCC counsel, Chile Okoronkwo, complained that Mr Taiwos order had hindered the agency from performing its duty for about two years now.

The lawyer, who stated that Mr Saraki continued to hinge on the order of the court any time he is invited, urged the court to vacate the order.

But the suits were reassigned to Mr Ekwo following the retirement of Ms Chikere.

(NAN)

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The Senate on Wednesday at plenary confirmed President Muhammadu Buharis nomination of Solomon Arase as the Chairperson of the Police Service Commission (PSC).

Mr Arases confirmation was a sequel to the consideration of a report by the Committee on Police Affairs.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Jika Halliru (APC-Bauchi), presented the report.

Mr Halliru said Mr Arases nomination was in accordance with section 154, sub-section 1 of the 1999 of constitution .

According to him, sections 2 (A) and (B) of the Police Service Commission Establishment Act 2001 also required the President to nominate Nigerians of proven integrity as members of the PSC.

He said findings from the screening by the committee showed that Mr Arase met the necessary legal requirements and is affirmed by the committee to be the proper person to be appointed as Chairperson of PSC.

He said the committee was satisfied and impressed with how the nominee competently answered all questions posed to him.

Mr Halliru said that given the qualifications and relevant experience gained by Mr Arase over the years, the committee recommended that the senate confirm his appointment as chairman of PSC.

Ajayi Borofice,(APC-Ondo), who made glowing remarks on the robust academic profile and career of the nominee, described his nomination as a round peg in a round whole.

He said his eventual appointment would be to the benefit of the PSC as he has served in various capacities in the Nigerian police service.

Mathew Urhoghide (PDP-Edo) commended the committee for screening the nominee, while also commending President Muhammadu Buhari for the nomination of Mr Arase.

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He urged the senate to expeditiously confirm the nominee given his pedigree of excellence.

Mr Buhari had in a letter read by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday, asked the upper chamber to confirm Mr Arase as PSC chairpersom.

Mr Arase, 67, was the 18th IGP between 2015 and 2016.

He takes over from Musiliu Smith, also a former IGP, as PSC chairperson.

(NAN)

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A lawyer representing a British Virgin Islands-registered company, Process and Industrial Development (P&ID), on Tuesday, rejected Nigerias allegations that the country was a victim of bribery and deception in the controversial (P&ID) gas deal.

The lawyer, David Wolfson, argued against Nigerias position before a London court as Africas largest economy seeks to overturn an $11 billion debt judgement awarded in favour of the company.

Mr Wolfson argued that none of Nigerias allegations affords any justifiable ground for setting aside the award because there was no bribery, no perjury and no corruption, Reuters reported.

In court documents, Mr Wolfson said the challenge to the arbitration award was just one part of (Nigerias) relentless, politically-motivated campaign to destroy P&ID and anyone and anything associated with it.

The P&ID controversy dates back to January 2010 when the company signed a gas supply and processing agreement with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on behalf of the Nigerian government.

P&ID alleged that after signing the agreement, the Nigerian government reneged on its obligation.

It added that attempts to settle out-of-court with the Nigerian government failed.

Trial

Earlier on Monday, at the start of an eight-week trial in Londons high court, Mark Howard, a lawyer representing Nigeria, told the court that P&ID obtained its contract by telling repeated lies and paying bribes to officials.

As a result, the lawyer claimed that P&ID corrupted Nigerias lawyers to obtain confidential documents during the arbitration,.

P&ID on Tuesday, however, denied paying any bribes.

The companys lawyer, Mr Wilson, noted that the contract struck between P&ID and the Nigerian government officials and the later arbitration is not a story of fraud. Rather, he said, it was a sadly familiar Nigerian phenomenon of institutional incompetence.

Failure by the west African country to properly support the project and subsequent unwillingness to release the money to defend arbitration proceedings is not something that can be laid at our door, and is not something that the Arbitration Act can provide a remedy for, Mr Wolfson said.

He added that Nigerias lawyers had done the best they could while operating in a Kafkaesque system of ministerial buck-passing within the countrys government, which had no interest in doing anything to help win the case.

President Muhammadu Buhari and the nations Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, have been left personally exposed by the arbitration loss, he said.

Both had been told they needed to release funds to pay for experts if they had any chance of avoiding a catastrophic defeat, and ignored the warnings, Mr Wolfson told the court.

He added that both men had political and personal motivations to do whatever they could to prevent the awards from being enforced, and they lashed out and found someone else to blame.

The only way for the awards to be challenged was that there had to be some kind of fraud. Mr Wolfson said it was decided at the highest political level to do whatever could be done to generate the material to support that case.

He said the government was told to instruct a leading, internationally recognized firm of experts to argue on their behalf but that Nigeria would not write a check.

This is not a failure by lawyers on the ground, Mr Wolfson told the court, claiming that it was institutional paralysis all the way to the top.

He said Nigerias lead advocate, Olasupo Shasore, and other members of his legal team have become collateral damage as the country desperately attempts to avoid paying P&ID for failing to keep up its end of the contract.

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Mr Wolfson told the court that the company did all it could to keep the project alive in the hope it could be saved, but the Nigerian government failed to take any meaningful steps to deliver a supply of gas.

The 2010 gas supply and processing agreement was a genuine contract that P&ID honestly intended to perform, he said.

The trial is set to continue Wednesday.

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that the total revenue collected as stamp duty in the last six years is N378.7 billion.

The CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, made this disclosure at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja.

Last December, PREMIUM TIMES reported how a member of the House of Representatives, Gudaji Kazaure, alleged that some government agencies misappropriated N89.09 trillion collected as Stamp Duty revenues.

Mr Kazaure, who represents the Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa, Yankwashi Constituency of Jigawa State, accused the government agencies of sabotaging the efforts of the Presidential Committee on the Reconciliation and Recovery of All Stamp Dutiess in the country.

In its response, the presidency in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described the claim as a figment of the imagination of Mr Kazaure, who claimed to be the secretary of the committee.

On Tuesday, Mr Emefiele debunked claims made by the lawmaker.

CBN will not join in heating the system. We wrote to banks to give us in their letter headed papers and sign it how much they have collected from stamp duty from 2016 to date, he said.

Total assets of all banks are N71 trillion; total deposits in banks is N44.49 trillion. From 2016 till date, stamp duty collection has amounted to N378,686 billion.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service has disbursed N226.451 billion of the money to the Federation Account Allocation Committee, while the balance of N144, 235 billion is in the CBN.

According to him, the highest revenue collection through stamp duty is N71 billion, collected by First Bank.

Mr Emefiele said CBN has appointed four leading audit firms, including KPMG, PWC, Deloitte and one other, to go into the books of banks to verify if there was any unremitted revenue from stamp duty.

If there is any uncollected stamp duty, the banks will pay to the last kobo, he said.

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The Nigerian Senate, on Tuesday, passed the Federal High Court Amendment Bill and Franchising Establishment Bill.

This was after it considered the reports of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters on the Federal High Court Act, Cap F12 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2023 (SB. 745) and the Franchising (Establishment) Bill, 2023 (SB. 969.)

The Chairman of the Committee, Opeyemi Bamidele( APC, Ekiti Central) presented the reports during plenary today.

The Federal High Court Act, Cap F12 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2023 (SB. 745) was sponsored by Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru, FCA, and the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo Agege, while the Franchising (Establishment) Bill, 2023 (SB. 969) was sponsored by Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru, FCA.

The Federal High Court Act, Cap F12 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2023 (SB. 745) seeks to amend the Federal High Court Act to address the shortcomings inherent in the Principal Act to make provisions for the regulation of the award of prejudgment interest to ensure the attainment of substantial justice, particularly in relation to claims bothering on commercial transactions and also to increase the number of judges in the Federal High Court.

On the other hand, the Franchising Bill seeks to create a framework for the operation of franchising and to guide the relationship between franchisors and franchisees and for matters connected therewith in order to enhance the economic development of Nigeria.

The objectives of the Bill are to among other things: (a) Regulate and guide the relationship between Franchisors and Franchisees by imposing certain obligations and prohibiting certain actions; (b) Promote the growth of franchising through the adoption of international best practices that balance the interests of franchisors and franchisee; (c) Enhance the capacity of the National Office of Technology Acquisition and Promotion for effective regulation, administration, and enforcement of the provisions of Franchising in this Bill.

The Senate unanimously passed the bills. The passage of both bills today, amendment of the Federal High Court Act has come into force, making provisions for the regulation of the award of prejudgment interest to ensure the attainment of substantial justice, particularly in relation to claims bothering on commercial transactions and to increase the number of justices of the Federal High Court particularly with their increased jurisdiction in respect of electoral matters.

Likewise, the operation of franchising has been strengthened and the relationship between franchisors and franchisees will be properly regulated through the provision of the legal and legislative framework contained therein.

Enitan Olukotun

Special Adviser to Senator Tokunbo Abiru

(Media and Publicity)

Tuesday, 24 January, 2023*

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Many vigilantes were reportedly killed in an air raid by a yet-to-be-identified aircraft in Galadima Kogo, a community in Shiroro Local Government Area, Niger State, on Tuesday.

Several members of the vigilante group, including its leader, were also injured in the bombing, locals said.

The vigilante members were bombed as they were preparing to counter an attack against terrorists who had earlier attacked their community.

A community leader told PREMIUM TIMES that during the attack, several villagers were kidnapped and several herds of cattle were rustled.

The community leader, who asked not to be named for security reasons, confirmed the incident over the phone.

It is unbelievable. As of now, I cannot say how many people were killed, but I know they are many, he told PREMIUM TIMES.

What I know is that two Hilux vans have evacuated the dead from the camp.

It is the vigilante men that have been protecting us against these bandits and now that many of them have been killed, we are at the mercy of the gunmen, the source added.

The states Commissioner for Internal Security and Humanitarian Affairs, Emmanuel Umar, confirmed the incident but did not confirm the number of those killed or wounded.

Government is already on top of the incident as we are battling with the survivors and injured and how to restore peace to the area, the commissioner added.

Neither the Nigerian army nor the air force has commented on the air raid. However, the air force has regularly carried out air raids in the state to target terrorists operating in rural communities. Sometimes, civilians, including children, fall victim to such raids which are then covered up by the authorities, a PREMIUM TIMES investigation found.

Tuesdays incident happened barely three days after three persons were killed and three others abducted in Gwada town, in the same local government area.

Niger, in north-central Nigeria, is one of the states most troubled by terror groups, locally called bandits. The groups have killed thousands of people and kidnapped many more, mostly in rural communities of the affected northern states.

Other states affected by the banditry include Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna.

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Ita Enang, a former adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, has reacted to his expulsion from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A letter, dated 24 January, 2023, from the Chairperson of the APC in Akwa Ibom State, Stephen Ntukekpo, said Mr Enang was expelled from the APC for taking the party to court over his ambition to be the its governorship candidate for the 2023 election in the state.

In the letter addressed to the APC chairperson in Mr Enangs ward in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Ntukekpo said the APC State Working Committee took the decision against Mr Enang based on a petition against the former presidential aide.

A Federal High Court in Uyo, in November last year, nullified the APC governorship primary in Akwa Ibom following a suit that was filed by Mr Enang.

The court, which ruled that the partys governorship candidate, Akanimo Udofia, was not a member of the APC, ordered the party to organise a fresh primary which the court barred Mr Udofia from taking part.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja recently overturned the judgment in favour of Mr Udofia.

The APC accused Mr Enang of secretly working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom.

Mr Enang, in a message he personally shared on Wednesday in some WhatsApp groups, said the news of his expulsion was fake. This is in spite of the APC chairperson in Akwa Ibom, Mr Ntukekpo confirming to PREMIUM TIMES that the expulsion letter was genuine.

The former presidential aide asked the APC members to ignore the news of his expulsion and continue working with me and all other party Leaders and members of the party for the success of the Party in all the elections.

He appealed to the APC members in Akwa Ibom to cooperate and work together for the success of the 30 January APC presidential rally in Uyo.

President Buhari and the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, are expected at the rally.

We should please focus on mobilising for the rally and not be distracted by irrelevancies, Mr Enang said.

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The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has backed Ikechi Emenike as the APC governorship candidate for the 2023 election in Abia State.

Mr Tinubu stated this on Tuesday during the APC presidential rally in Umuahia.

The two (factional governorship) candidates still pretend to be in court. Whether in court or not in court, my position is clear here: Ikechi Emenike has gotten the flag of our party, he said.

How it began

The APC in Abia State is split into two factions because of internal leadership tussles.

Mr Emenike and Uche Ogar had emerged as the APC governorship candidates in Abia State from two parallel primaries held on 26 May.

A Federal High Court in Abuja later, on 11 November, nullified the primary, which produced Mr Emenike and affirmed Mr Ogah as the Abia APC governorship candidate for the 2023 governorship election in the state.

Both APC and Mr Emenike filed separate appeals challenging the judgement of the court.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on 23 December upheld the election of Mr Emenike as the governorship candidate of the party in the state.

Mr Ogar was said to be considering filing another suit against the Appeal Court judgment.

Tinubus call for dialogue

But Mr Tinubu, during the presidential rally in the state, appealed to Mr Ogar to withdraw his outstanding suits in court against Mr Emenike and come back for dialogue.

Please stop all court actions. Come and see me. Come home, let us resolve our matter in our living room, he said.

The APC presidential candidate said it was improper to take their family affairs to court.

We are the politicians. We will put the party together. We follow the footsteps of our fathers. We joined APC together to salvage Nigeria from all kinds of frustrations and ignorance.

Why are you taking it (the party affairs) to the third party? Please Uche, come home. Lets talk this matter over, Mr Tinubu added.

Mr Emenike was later presented with the APCs flag by the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, represented by the partys Deputy National Chairman, South, Emma Eneukwu.

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The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, has told Igbos that they must vote for him alongside other candidates of the APC in the forthcoming general elections to share in Nigerias greatness and joy.

Mr Tinubu spoke on Tuesday during the APC presidential campaign rally in Umuahia, Abia State, South-east Nigeria. The rally was broadcast live on TVC News, a Lagos-based television station.

You owe me and Nigeria three fingerprints. (There are) three people you must elect to partake in the joy, happiness and sharing in the greatness in Nigeria.

One, president. Vote for me. Second, House of Representatives (candidates) and third, senatorial (candidates) under the symbol of the broom, he said.

Mr Tinubu made a similar promise to Igbos during a rally in Enugu State earlier this month when he said electing him as president is the South-easts only route to national cake.

It is only when you invest that you can harvest. It is only when you vote for me that you will share from the national cake, Mr Tinubu had said.

Target for industrialisation, export

The APC, during the rally in Abia State, promised to industrialise the state to make it one of the major exporters of manufactured goods in the country.

Your state is a centre of production and industry. Today, my hope is renewed that together, we can achieve industrial activity unprecedented in our history.

Aba market is one of the largest in West Africa. I see it becoming a major exporter of all types of manufactured goods to Asia, to North and South America and Europe, Mr Tinubu stated.

I see this state humming with industrial activity such that it will become a world famous centre of activity from the manufacture of clothing to that of cars, appliances and computers and their components, he added.

Plans for job creation

Mr Tinubu also promised to provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the South-east and the entire country by strengthening the digital economy and improving the countrys power generation and distribution.

We will provide better infrastructure to open the region and the entire country to the trade, export, travel and tourism in which you will excel. These include roads, waterways, ports, rail and the provision of steady and reliable power, he said.

He reiterated his earlier promise to end recurring industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities if elected Nigerias president, assuring that he would give priority attention to education and restore confidence in the countrys education system.

I promise you today, your frustrations will be over. None of you will spend eight years for a four-year course, he said.

The APC candidate also promised to address rising insecurity in the country.

Insecurity will be tackled using advanced technological platforms for surveillance and tracking kidnappers and violent criminals, he said.

Security forces will be better trained and better compensated. They will exercise restraint when needed, but will also show strength whenever put to the test. This nation will be a safe and prosperous place to live.

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The House of Representatives has asked relevant security agencies to unravel oil marketers responsible for the recent fuel scarcity across the country.

The lower chamber also mandated relevant committees of the House to investigate the scarcity, and also resolved that downstream regulators should appear before the leadership of the House on Thursday.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of matter of urgent public importance moved by Leke Abejide (ADC, Kogi) on Wednesday during plenary.

In recent weeks, motorists across Nigeria have had a hard time getting petroleum products just as commuters continue to lament the ripple effects of the scarcity as a result of skyrocketed transport fares in major cities.

Long queues of vehicles are noticeable at the filling stations. The stations in all parts of the country now sell petrol between N195 and N300 per litre. In some very remote communities, fuel stations sell as high as N500 per litre.

Despite the governments repeated claims that it had enough petroleum products in stock, the scarcity has persisted amid a poor supply of electricity across the country.

Only last week, the federal government denied increasing the pump price of fuel

Meanwhile, the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) attributed the lingering fuel scarcity in the country to the high costs of vessels and inadequate trucks to deliver petroleum products from depots to filling stations across the country.

The motion

Moving the motion, Mr Abejide said the scarcity persists despite the budgetary allocation for payment of subsidies. He stated that the lingering scarcity is subjecting Nigerians to untold hardship.

He also raised alarm on the potential impact on prices of goods and services. He, therefore, called on NNPC Limited to ensure the importation of sufficient products to meet demands.

According to the lawmaker, the scarcity may not be unconnected with an increase in cost of getting daughter vessels and a drop in the supply of products.

Another contributing factor to the scarcity of the product may not be unconnected with the increased cost of hiring daughter vessels in the hike in liter charges which hitherto were paid in Naira but are now being charged in US Dollars, he said.

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He noted that the scarcity has allowed retail outlets to sell different prices despite the products being regulated.

Uneven pump prices are being dispensed by the filling stations across the country which fuels speculations that government may have begun to remove subsidy on petrol, Mr Abejide said.

The motion was taken by the House when it was put to vote by the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, who presided over the plenary.

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Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has opened up on some setback encountered by his government before the newly commissioned Lagos Blue Rail Project came into fruition.

He spoke on Tuesday during the formal opening of the first phase of the elevated train network that stretches from Marina to Mile 2.

The project was inaugurated by the president, Muhammadu Buhari, in the Marina area of the state.

Over the years, the journey has been eventful, many challenges have been surmounted, including lack of support from the previous government, especially the PDP government when they were in power, Mr Sanwo-Olu said.

It is not a secret that the only ambition of that party was to capture Lagos, not to support progress and development.

They made this clear in very many ways, including the unconstitutional withholding of critical funds.

The Peoples Democratic Party ran the federal government from 1999 until 2015 President, Goodluck Jonathan, lost his reelection bid to Mr Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Sanwo-Olu added that the Buhari administration offered tremendous support unlike the previous administration that did not give necessary support.

He also said that the train would take just less than 15 minutes from Marina to Mile 2, for a journey that usually takes an hour or more, thereby reducing travel time, improve the quality of life of Lagosians, and making the state one of the most resilient mega-cities not only in Africa but it will compete with other mega cities in the world.

Mr Sanwo-Olu also paid tribute to a former governor of the state, Bola Tinubu, who is also the APC presidential candidate.

The governor described Mr Tinubu as the architect of modern Lagos for developing a comprehensive Road Map for the future of Lagos State; one that laid out very clearly the pathway to a modern, prosperous, and globally competitive megacity.

Blue Rail

The Blue Line is expected to be 27 kilometres long, connecting Okokomaiko to Marina.

Mr Buhari, who was on a two-day visit to Lagos, commissioned the rice mill and Lekki Deep Sea Port on Monday.

A train network for Lagos was proposed in 1983 during the administration of Governor Lateef Jakande but was flagged off in 2003 during the administration of Mr Tinubu, 20 years later.

It was constructed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company, a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation.

The state government said the first phase will transport 250,000 passengers daily and when completed, the entire 27km will transport about 500,000 passengers daily.

The first phase (Marina -Mile 2) has five stations  The Marina Iconic station, National Theatre, Iganmu, Alaba and Orile station.

Once it becomes operational, riders will be able to use the cowry card to access the train.

At the event, the governor signed an MoU to kickstart the second phase of the Blue Rail project, which will cover the 14-kilometre stretch from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko.

President Buhari alongside other dignitaries,including journalists, took a tour on the train, moving from the Marina station to the National Theatre and back.

Redline

Mr Sanwo-Olu also said that by May, the Red Rail line, which stretches from Oyingbo to Agbado area of the state, will be completed.

It is also on track that you will be commissioning the Red line before the end of your administration, he said to the president who will leave office on 28 May.

John Randle

Earlier, the president commissioned the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History.

With a 1,000sqm exhibition gallery and so much more, it will stand out as the first cultural centre of its kind in Lagos, Mr Sanwo-Olu wrote in his Twitter handle.

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We all grew up with stories of the sanctity, elegance and magnificence of Yoruba history.

The John Randle Centre will provide a flexible, space for learning programmes, art installations and live music events telling stories of the past and creating present day memories

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The export of Irans agricultural products to Russia has hit $283 million, a parliamentarian said.

Mohammad Javad Askari, who is also the Chairman of the Commission on Agriculture, Water, and Natural Resources of the Iranian Parliament, said that the export volume of Iran-Russia has been $283 million in the first nine months of the Iranian calendar year [starting on March 22, 2022].

The amount of imported products from Russia accounts for nearly $701 million, he pointed out.

The lawmaker described the status of the Iranian-Russian trade exchanges as appropriate.

Askari went on to say that 85 percent of Iran-Russia economic exchanges are related to the agriculture sector.
Nigerias Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, on Wednesday, said the government will no longer tolerate strikes and riots around all airports in the country because it is against the law of the land.

The minister also vowed to enforce the section of the Civil Aviation Act (2022), which disallowed employees from embarking on strike actions that would disrupt flight operations in the future.

Mr Sirika made this known while addressing State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday.

First, we apologise to our teeming passengers in this difficult moment.Secondly, this will not happen in the future by the grace of God. And the reason is simple, aviation is an essential service, the Act has been passed by Mr President, so strikes and riots around our airports are prohibited by the laws of the land, the minister said.

We will ensure no essential service is being disrupted by anybody no matter how aggrieved, he added.

The minister explained that since the civil aviation act has been endorsed by President Muhammadu Buhari and passed by the National Assembly, further strike actions will be dealt with according to the law.

Strike Action

In the early hours of Monday, aggrieved workers of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) declared a warning strike over poor pay which disrupted flight operations at both the local and international wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

The development grounded several arrival and departure flight schedules with passengers lamenting that there was no prior communication intimating them of the disruption.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that foreign airlines on the morning schedule were largely affected, with most either rerouting flights to neighbouring countries or returning passengers to other countries.

Before Monday, the airport workers Unions had issued an indefinite strike notice to the NAHCO management requesting, among other things, a 100 per cent increment in salary.

However, about 14 hours after many passengers had had their itinerary disrupted, the workers called off the strike, NAHCO said in a statement.

Workers of NAHCO Aviance, have called off the industrial action they embarked upon early Monday, January 23. The action lasted about 14 hours, the company said in a statement posted on its official Twitter page.

Sirika Fumes

On Wednesday, the aviation minister described the aviation sector as an essential service, adding that the striking workers could use other less-disruptive channels to present their grievances.

We will ensure no essential service is being disrupted by anybody no matter how aggrieved. There are other channels of channelling issues when they arise but they are not permitted to go on strike because aviation is an essential service and is by the law of the land now, he said.

I will give you an example: there was an airline that had to return to base because it couldnt land. Imagine if there was a patient on that aircraft. Imagine somebody attending to a very serious issue or matter at hand or business or a student trying to catch up with an exam and then because of somebody who is aggrieved some other person will die.

Mr Sirika said the government will no longer allow such incidents to reoccur in the nations sensitive aviation sector.

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 Check the Civil Aviation Act, its been passed and its going to take place soon, in fact now, from today we will not allow that, the minister said.

Our ears are always open, the government is open to listening to any grievances and there are procedures for dealing with this kind of grievances. They should please desist from this. It is wrong. It is inhumane. It is not allowed. It is not permitted and will not be permitted any longer.

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A local chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has kicked against the expulsion of Ita Enang, a former adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, from the party.

The APC leadership in Mr Enangs local government area  Ibiono Ibom  said in a statement on Tuesday that Mr Enang remains a member of the APC.

Mr Enangs expulsion was announced in a letter from the Chairperson of the APC in the state, Stephen Ntukekpo, to the leadership of the party in Mr Enangs ward.

Mr Ntukekpo said Mr Enang was expelled from the APC for taking the party to court over his ambition to be its governorship candidate for the 2023 election in the state.

He said in the letter that Mr Enang was secretly working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and that the APC took the action against him based on a petition.

A Federal High Court in Uyo, in November last year, nullified the APC governorship primary in Akwa Ibom following a suit filed by Mr Enang.

The court, which ruled that the partys governorship candidate, Akanimo Udofia, was not a member of the APC, ordered the party to organise a fresh primary, in which the court barred Mr Udofia from taking part.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja recently overturned the judgement in favour of Mr Udofia.

Not aware of any petition

The APC leadership in Mr Enangs ward said in the statement that they were not aware of any petition against him.

The statement signed by the APC Chairperson in Ibiono Ibom, Umoh Ekop, and the Secretary, Aniekan Ekerette, distanced the APC at the ward and chapter level from the action of the partys State Working Committee which they described as being biased.

The decision to seek redress and justice in the court of law cannot be termed as anti-party activities and disobedience to the lawful directives of the party, the statement said.

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To this end, the Chapter executive of the party, elders, and the entire members of the APC in Ibiono Ibom hereby pass a vote of confidence on our illustrious son, Ita Enang.

The statement urged the public to disregard Mr Enangs expulsion.

Ita Enang is the only known voice in Akwa Ibom State that has always been speaking for the party, the statement added.

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State will be battling to overcome some legal hurdles if it must field a governorship candidate for the 2023 general elections.

This followed the death of Uche Ikonne, the partys candidate for the election.

Mr Ikonne, a professor and former vice chancellor of the Abia State University Uturu, passed away on Wednesday, 25 January, around 4 a.m. at the National Hospital Abuja, according to a statement from his first son, Uche-Ikonne Chikezie, on behalf of the family.

Setback to Ikpeazu

The deceased was the candidate endorsed by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State as his preferred successor.

The death of the PDP candidate will prove a setback to Mr Ikpeazu, a member of the G-5, having been compelled by the situation to shop for a replacement after reportedly investing in campaigns for the deceased.

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike leads the G-5, a group of PDP governors who are also aggrieved with the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the partys leadership.

Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) are other members of the G-5.

The group came about after the PDP presidential primary, where Nigerias former vice president, Atiku, defeated Mr Wike and others to become the partys presidential candidate.

The group have been demanding the resignation of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to pave the way for a southerner to lead the party in order to achieve a regional balance.

The governors argument is that both Mr Ayu and Atiku hail from northern Nigeria.

Replacing Ikonne

For Mr Ikonne, the deceased, to be replaced as the PDP governorship candidate in the state, the party must hold a fresh primary election within the next 14 days, according to Section 33 (1) of the 2022 Electoral Law.

The law provides that political parties cannot change their candidates except in the event of death or withdrawal of such candidates.

in the case of such withdrawal or death of a candidate, the political party affected shall, within 14 days of the occurrence of the event, hold a fresh primary election to produce and submit a fresh candidate to the commission (INEC) for the election concerned, the section of the law stated.

The implication of this section is that the PDP in Abia State must hold a fresh primary election on or before 8 February, 2023 to produce Mr Ikonnes replacement or face the possibility of not fielding a governorship candidate in the 11 March election in the state.

A crosscheck by PREMIUM TIMES indicated that the 2022 Electoral Law was silent on the fate of a running mate, implying that a joint ticket is deemed terminated in the event of a flagbearers death before the election.

However, a running mate for governorship, presidential and Federal Capital Territory Council Area election, according to Section 34 (3) (a & b) of the law, is only allowed to replace a substantive candidate in the event that the substantive candidate died after the commencement of the poll and before the announcement of the final result as well as declaration of a winner.

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The United States Wednesday announced that it has imposed visa bans on individuals who disrupted recent elections in Nigeria.

In a statement, the US State Department quoted Secretary of State Antony Binken as announcing the ban on the unnamed individuals.

We are committed to supporting and advancing democracy in Nigeria and around the world. Today, I am announcing visa restrictions on specific individuals in Nigeria for undermining the democratic process in a recent Nigerian election, Mr Blinken said.

He said certain family members of such persons may also be subject to the restrictions.

Mr Blinken added that the visa restrictions are specific to certain individuals and are not directed at the Nigerian people or the Government of Nigeria.

The decision to impose visa restrictions, he said, reflects the commitment of the United States to support Nigerian aspirations to combat corruption and strengthen democracy and the rule of law.

Recent elections held in Nigeria include the governorship elections in Osun, Ekiti and Anambra states.

The governors elected in those states have been sworn in with the most recent being Ademola Adeleke as Osun governor.

Nigeria is billed to hold its general elections on 25 February and 11 March to elect new leaders including a new president and parliament.

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One person was killed in Jigawa State on Tuesday at a campaign rally of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the Kazaure Local Government Area of the state.

The police commissioner in the state, Emmanuel Ekot, told PREMIUM TIMES that the police are trailing the suspected killer who was said to have fled to neighbouring Kano after committing the crime.

The police are on top of the situation, the (prime) suspect has fled to Kano. Its a conflict within a party faithful to a particular candidate that disagrees among themselves. They are members of the same APC not a conflict between two parties, the police commissioner said.

The Jigawa Governor Muhammad Badaru led the APC governorship campaign rally in Kazaure on Tuesday where the violent clash between rival youth groups of the APC supporters led to the death of one person.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the person killed was a supporter of the partys senatorial candidate for the Jigawa North-west District, Babangida Husseini.

Residents identified the deceased as Halliru Lafka, a resident of Kazaure town. The killing led to a protest by residents who burnt down the billboards of the senatorial candidate, Mr Husseini, accusing him of allegedly harbouring political thugs, who are destabilising the peace of the town.

Mr Husseini could not be reached immediately for comment about the incident. His known phone number did not connect Wednesday morning and evening.

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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved an additional N1.6 billion being augmentation sum for Manyam-Ushongo-Lessel-Kartyo-Oju-Agila road project in Benue State.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Mr Mohammed said that the initial cost of the project was N1.35 billion which was reviewed to N2.9 billion.

The Minister of Works and Housing presented one of the memos which was an approval for the revised estimated total cost of contract of rehabilitation for the construction of Manyam-Ushongo-Lessel-Kartyo-Oju-Agila in Benue State.

The contract for this road was actually awarded first in 2012; due to whatever reason, it is still not completed; and of course, if the contract was awarded in 2012, 10 years later, you expect the contractor to ask for augmentation. And thats what happened today, it was approved.

The original contract was N1.35 billion is now being augmented with an additional N1.6 billion; so the sum total is N2.9 billion, he said.

He said that the second memo that was approved for the ministry had to do with the Mabuchi headquarters of the Ministry of Works and Housing.

According to him, the ministry headquarters does not depend or rely on the national grid for its power because it relies on solar grid.

And the memo today was to seek approval for the estimated total cost of the contract for the design and installation of solar power plus micro grid system and energy litrofitting of the ministry.

Sometimes in March 2019, a contract was awarded for the provision of a solar power that would power the entire ministry; it was awarded at the cost then for about N2.7 billion.

Now, they are seeking for an augmentation of N309 million to bring the total cost to N3 billion.

The reason for the augmentation is that in the process of executing the project certain works which were not anticipated before were to be taken into consideration.

And in addition, this augmentation also includes a maintenance contract of the installation.

Mr Mohammed said it was pertinent to note that the federal government was diversifying its sources of energy.

And this is clean energy and the minister threw an invitation to any ministry that wants to go solar that they will provide the advice for them, he said.

(NAN)

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Will the minister be able to deliver Nigeria Air and get it off ground, rather than just being only online, despite the millions of dollars spent on designing its logo alone? Why does the Buhari government consistently indulge some people in his administration, even when they have not performed maximally? They say the President trusts easily, but why trust and extend the tenures of people who are not adding much value to your government?

A close relation has just lost an opportunity to secure a visa to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because he is a Nigerian. In December, the chap got an offer from a university in the UAE for both a PhD and a scholarship, and had gone through all the processes of registration, writing a TOEFL examination and police clearance back home. All was set, including access to his portal and he was already chatting with his professors before his visa request was denied.

As depressing as this is, there are many more out there who are in dire health situations, whose visa requests have been denied. Apart from the atrocious activities of a few Nigerian travellers to the UAE, giving us a bad name, such as cultism, drug peddling, and internet fraud, leading to tourist visa ban on persons less than 40 years old, there is also the issue of Emirates Airlines inability to repatriate the sum of $85 million trapped in Nigeria, after the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCCA) implemented fines for international carriers using a currency other than the Naira to sell flight tickets amid foreign currency shortages, contrary to contractual obligation. Patriotism? Well, it is open to interpretations. It seems more of an unbridled ego-trip by Buharis untouchable Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika and his ilk, than anything else.

The mismanagement of the currency swap might have been the last straw that broke the camels back in the diplomatic row between the UAE and Nigeria but the Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, who is in charge of that sector has not discharged his duties creditably. The reputation crisis created from all these are rubbing off on innocent Nigerians in their career progression, including their educational pursuits. Yet, the minister has never been upbraided; he has always had his way, and his word is law. All his memos to the Federal Executive Counncil (FEC) have always been approved, without questions.

As early as last week, at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting, he announced another N2.29 billion approval he got from FEC for the assembling of Hungarian Magnus light aircraft at the Nigeria Aviation College of Technology in Zaria. The spin recovery aircraft will be involved in the training of military and civilian pilots. He also stated that this will happen, I think the first one or two aircraft will happen (the assemblage here in Nigeria) and to fly them within the remaining four months that we have as a government. So, its another item that is ticked on our plate, and to which we remain grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari and his government. If this item is ticked for the Minister in terms of contract award, how is it ticked for the Nigerian people at the mercy of a lame duck government that has only four months to leave office?

the IGPs case is just the latest in the string of stay-put government officials we have witnessed, since Buhari became president almost eight years ago. Since 1999, this is about the first time that a president has kept the same people as ministers throughout his eight years in office, and has constantly renewed the tenures of heads of parastatals and MDAs whose terms have expired, even when most of them have failed to perform well.

In July 2022, Minister Sirika announced that Nigeria Air would commence operations soon with three leased planes, stating that the national carrier will start with domestic flights, with a mixture of Airbus and Boeing aircraft. That soon is yet to come less than four months to their exit. Nigeria Air has since run into troubled waters and litigations on it are ongoing, but the questions are: Will the minister be able to deliver Nigeria Air and get it off ground, rather than just being only online, despite the millions of dollars spent on designing its logo alone? Why does the Buhari government consistently indulge some people in his administration, even when they have not performed maximally? They say the President trusts easily, but why trust and extend the tenures of people who are not adding much value to your government? With so many qualified Nigerians, why extend the tenures of government officials who are statute barred?

The latest controversy over tenure extension pertains to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba who, going by the public service rule of either 35 years in service or 60 years of age, ought to exit on the 1st of March. He, however, has had his tenure elongated because the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi has stated that the IGPs appointment is for four years, quoting the Police Act, which is contrary to tradition. In 2019, the tenure of the then IGP was also elongated due to the oncoming election. That action, as it will be now also, denied many people in the line of succession the opportunity to get to the peak of their careers.

Meanwhile, the IGPs case is just the latest in the string of stay-put government officials we have witnessed, since Buhari became president almost eight years ago. Since 1999, this is about the first time that a president has kept the same people as ministers throughout his eight years in office, and has constantly renewed the tenures of heads of parastatals and MDAs whose terms have expired, even when most of them have failed to perform well.

The Ministers of Finance, Zainab Ahmed; Works and Housing, Babatunde Fahola; Aviation, Hadi Sirika; Education, Adamu Adamu; Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; FCT, Mohammed Bello, and a host of others who have been around since the inception of this government are some examples. If you cant fire a person, why hire him in the first instance.

this is unprecedent. No appointee had enjoyed such privilege in recent past. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mohammed Babagana Monguno (rtd) and Customs boss, Hameed Ali have been in office since 2015. The same tenure extension scenario once played out at the Immigrations, Federal Road Safety Commission, NSCDC, Prisons, and Nigeria Import Promotion Council, before wise counsel prevailed or so it seemed then.

We should recall that it took the intervention of civil society protests and the media before the former security chiefs in the persons of Chief of Army staff, General Tukur Yusuf Buratai; Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas were relieved of their positions. And as if there is a dearth of qualified career and non-career diplomats and the president was liable for them, they were given other high-profile designations as ambassadors, even as they seemed weary and fatigued and had crossed the statutory age of 60 and 35 years in service, in a manner reminiscent of monarchical and dictatorial governments.

Again, this is unprecedent. No appointee had enjoyed such privilege in recent past. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mohammed Babagana Monguno (rtd) and Customs boss, Hameed Ali have been in office since 2015. The same tenure extension scenario once played out at the Immigrations, Federal Road Safety Commission, NSCDC, Prisons, and Nigeria Import Promotion Council, before wise counsel prevailed or so it seemed then.

All these happened (and is still happening) not because of superlative performances of these super appointees, but in spite of it, coupled with ineptitude, cronyism and negligence by the authorities. Besides, this can only happen under a Buhari Presidency without backlash, pushback or consequences.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern has just announced that she is exiting because of what she referred to as burnout, a period when you have run short of ideas and have become less creative and enthusiastic in your work, yet she is much younger than all these appointees in Nigeria. Im leaving because with such privileged role comes responsibilityAnd I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice, Ardern said. Can we ever develop to this level?

Zainab Suleiman Okino is Editorial Board chair of Blueprint Newspaper and a syndicated columnist. She can be reached via zainabokino@gmail.com.

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Is there a correlation between reading and springs in ones legs? It is written elsewhere that at the smell of water, brown grasses and leaves on seeming dead trees turn lush green. Can one note rightly that avid readers age more gracefully and remain more mentally alert than their non-reading age mates?

In Lagos last week, an outstanding feature of the 60th convocation of the University of Lagos, established in 1962, was the graduation of two octogenarians. One of them, Dayo Duyile, who bagged a PhD in Mass Communication at 83 years of age became the oldest graduate of the 61 year old Institution. It is on record that as a young news reporter, he covered the first convocation of the University. This old but fresh graduate is not yet done with academic pursuits as he has resolved to sustain his enthusiasm so he could become a Professor in his chosen field of study. Duyile has seen it all in the practice of journalism, having had stints in various news outlets like Drum magazine, Daily Sketch, Concord newspapers and as an administrator and teacher, but his appetite for everything books has not waned. Rather, it seems to increase by the day. He still wants to study, defy poor electricity supply in his country and read more in order to achieve his lifelong aspiration.

In Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State over the, weekend, precisely on Saturday, at the first reading session of the Raffia City Book Club, an intellectual hub hosted at the Esu Centre along Royal Close, off Ephraim Essien Street in the serene GRA, students, youths and older folks gathered, as they often do on the third Saturday of every month, to read and promote social reading, an 82 year old man, a Professor and Bishop, who had settled everything about certificates and an academic status in his field, took the floor to recite, off hand, a poem he learnt in 1949! The poem Little by Little, whose author is unknown, describes how an acorn, a tiny seed, improves and enhances itself over the years, as it lies buried in the ground. The root in the ground grows downward. Simultaneously, a tiny shoot of the plant appears above the ground and thereafter the leaves appear on it. The story records that soon after, the slender branches of the tree spread across everywhere and subsequently, the acorn grows into a mighty oak tree!

The morale of the poem, which the 82 year old Professor passed on to the impressionistic teenagers comprising students of St Josephs Secondary School, Okon, Essien Udim LGA and other readers at the session was that an acorn represents resolve, strength and potential and that every child can grow up to become a wise and an intelligent individual and dominate his environment like the mighty acorn tree if only such a child is focused. That lesson has proved true in the life of Dayo Duyile, Ahaziah Umanah and others, including former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, who went to study in the University of Warwick after serving as Nigerias military ruler for nine years and another Head of State who became a civilian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who earned a Diploma in Theology from the National Open University of Nigeria after he became an octogenarian. The examples of these men and several others confirm that until one dies, personal growth cannot be stopped. Unless the individual stops it. These reading old folks are role models and their trajectories should inspire others, both old and young, because no matter the present rot in the education in Nigeria, education can never totally regress into a bad market.

The Raffia City Book Club, which seeks to mobilise people to embrace the culture of social reading, used its first meeting of the year to celebrate the birthday of Professor Umanah, a certified Chaplain, who is one of its patrons. Professor Umanah, who studied in Rust College, Holy Springs, Mississippi and the University of Iowa, United States of America and taught there has made contributions in both public service and in academia.

On hand to talk about the celebrant who earned diplomas and degrees in Agriculture, English and Humanities, Journalism, Mass Communication and Sociology was 72 year old engineer turned journalist, Nsikak Essien, a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (FNGE), who served as the editor of the defunct National Concord newspaper from 1989 to 1995. In his review of one of the books authored by Professor Umanah, The Peoples Right to Know, a print version of the content presented by Professor Umanah on radio over the years, Mr Essien described the book as a telescopic look at Nigeria from its birth. He highlighted other topics in the book to include the following, I cry for my beloved country , Is Nigeria a Failed State? How to Redeem Contemporary Nigeria From Total Destruction, Religion and Nation Building, the Case of Nigeria and the Place of Education in the Development of a Functional Democracy for Nigeria. The last topic seems to unfurl the ideology of the book club initiative, which has sprouted and is growing like oak trees across Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria, because democracy thrives better in a society where the vast majority of the citizens are enlightened. And what else enhances enlightenment than education?

The 197 paged book with 22 chapters also has topics on Human Rights, Childrens Rights and Corruption, which is titled The Sociology of Corruption. Can any book be written about Nigeria without a look at corruption? That was a rhetorical question posed by Nsikak Essien.

Another focal point of the evening was the review of yet another book Living A Life that Matters by Harold Krushner. That task was handled by Dr Catherine Akpan, a teacher of English language. The thesis of Krushners book is that a life that matters must impact positively on the society.

There is no doubt that the lives of Dayo Duyile and Ahaziah Umanah have touched positive chords in the society.

On that occasion, the curator of the Esu Centre and host of the Raffia City Book Club, Tony Esu, a former member of the House of Representatives urged the visiting students and others at the session to emulate the life of Professor Umanah, who at 82 is still reading and writing a lot.

I only know Dayo Duyile by reputation, on the basis of his strides and contributions in journalism, and so cannot determine his present physical attributes but having known and related closely with Professor Ahaziah Umanah, his egbon back here in Akwa Ibom State, one can report that Professor Umanah is still fresh, physically, emotionally stable and mentally alert. He is energetic, walks straight and boldly. His voice is still very strong. That strong voice still booms through the airwaves in the presentation of his programme on his privately owned Redemption Radio 101.5 FM, which broadcasts from Abak.

Is there a correlation between reading and springs in ones legs? It is written elsewhere that at the smell of water, brown grasses and leaves on seeming dead trees turn lush green. Can one note rightly that avid readers age more gracefully and remain more mentally alert than their non-reading age mates?

Udeme Nana, a Mass Communication Scholar is the Founder of Uyo Book Club and the Progenitor of the Book Club initiative in Akwa Ibom State.

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The Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the forthcoming presidential election, Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday visited a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, at his Lagos home.

Mr Shettima posted about the visit on his Facebook Page on Tuesday night, including pictures showing him and his host shaking hands and smiling at each other.

I paid my brother, former Governor of Ekiti State, H.E. Ayodele Peter Fayose a visit, Mr Shettima wrote. The great Oshoko welcomed us with warmth and rare camaraderie.

Thank you for your support and God bless you for hosting me and my team.

Mr Fayose is yet to comment on his hosting of Mr Shettima and offer of political support to him.

However, news of the visit has elicited interest among many people on Facebook and the post has drawn about 500 comments as at 8 a.m Wednesday.

Mr Fayose is an influential member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his support for the ruling APC appears a major boost for the electioneering chances of the Bola Tinubu-Kashim Shettima ticket, especially in Ekiti State where the former governor enjoys huge following.

The development may also be a dent on the chances of the Atiku Abubakar-Ifeanyi Okowa ticket, which has been scrambling to establish strong footholds in Ekiti and other South-West States.

Mr Fayose has been at loggerheads with the leadership of the PDP after his preferred presidential aspirant, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers, was defeated by Atiku at the partys primary last year.

The former Ekiti governor is a staunch member of the influential dissident camp in the PDP, being led by Mr Wike, which wants party chair Iyorchia Ayu to step down so he can be replaced by a nominee from the South of Nigeria.

The Wike camp is contending that with the presidential candidate of the party being from the north, the partys chairmanship position should be occupied by someone from the South, in line with the partys age-long zoning convention.

All entreaties to the aggrieved camp, which has five governors in its fold, to shield its sword and support Atiku has so far failed.

In frustration, the PDP leadership last week moved against Mr Fayose by suspending his son and dissolving the Ekiti State exco of the party. An interim party leadership was then immediately installed in the state

The moves by the party may have hardened Mr Fayose even further and push him closer to openly campaigning for Tinubu-Shettima ticket, to the detriment of his own party.

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Nigerian troops deployed under Operation Forest Sanity killed at least three terrorists and rescued 16 captives during operations along the Birnin Gwari-Kaduna road and Igabi Local Government Area.

The troops also recovered three firearms, one explosive, and 11 motorcycles from the terrorists, a statement signed by the states Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, stated.

Mr Aruwan said the exploit of the troops was reported to the state government through operational feedback from the security agencies.

The troops responded to a distress call along the Udawa-Manini axis of the Birnin Gwari-Kaduna Road. The troops arrived to foil the attack, rescuing 15 persons in the process. Some of the rescued persons who sustained injuries were rushed to hospital for treatment.

Similarly, troops of Operation Forest Sanity responded to a distress call from Gonna Doctor village, Igabi local government area, and laid ambush at a likely crossing point in Maraban Huda village.

Contact was made with the bandits, and following a firefight, one bandit was neutralized.

A kidnapped victim was rescued, though injured by the bandits, and was rushed to the Jaji Cantonment Hospital for treatment. One motorcycle was recovered.

Furthermore, in response to credible intelligence of bandits movement around an interstate boundary area, troops of Operation Forest Sanity set up ambush positions around Mangoro general area around Chikun-Birnin Gwari LGA, on the boundary with Shiroro local government area of neighbouring Niger State.

The troops engaged the approaching bandits and neutralized two. The troops also recovered one AK47 rifle, one pump action gun, one Improvised Explosive Device, one Baofeng Radio, and 10 motorcycles, the official statement said.

Meanwhile, Mr Aruwan said Governor Nasir El-Rufai received the reports with gratitude and expressed satisfaction at the breakthroughs recorded by the security forces.

The governor commended the troops for the successful rescues and prayed for the quick recovery of injured victims, Mr Aruwan added.

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Nine days after she was assigned the additional responsibility of overseeing a new ministry, Sokoto States Commissioner for Science and Technical Education, Kulu Haruna, resigned from her appointment.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Ms Haruna was asked to oversee the newly created ministry of Technology and Digital Economy last week.

I write to resign from my appointment as a member of the Sokoto State Executives on personal grounds with effect from 23 January 2023.

In this respect, I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to you for the opportunity given to me to serve in that capacity as Commissioner for Science and Technology, Sokoto State.

Thank you so much Your Excellency, the resignation letter seen by PREMIUM TIMES read.

She has not announced her resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mrs Haruna has been a part of Mr Tambuwals cabinet since 2018, when she was first appointed.

An informed source at the ministry, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the press, told this reporter that Mrs Haruna could have resigned due to the power play between Governor Aminu Tambuwal and her godfather, Ummaru Kwabo.

Mr Kwabo, an influential politician in the state, withdrew from the PDP campaign after his loyalists were allegedly not favoured by Mr Tambuwal.

Analysts believe Mr Tambuwals decision to support the immediate former Secretary of State to the Government of the state, Saidu Umar, to clinch the PDP governorship ticket ahead of his deputy governor, Manir Dan Iya, who is a known loyalist of Mr Kwabo, strained the relationship between Mr Kwabo and the governor.

She has not announced that she has dumped PDP or joined APC because even Ummarun Kwabo is yet to say it officially but most of his boys have left the party to APC. Well wait to see where Dr (Mrs Haruna) will go, but its surely where Ummarun Kwabo goes to, the source told PREMIUM TIMES.

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Abia State, Uchenna Ikonne, is dead.

Mr Ikonne, a professor and former vice chancellor of the Abia State University Uturu, passed away on Wednesday, 25 January, around 4 a.m. at the National Hospital Abuja, according to a statement from his first son, Uche-Ikonne Chikezie, on behalf of the family.

I regret to announce the death of my dear father, Prof Eleazar Uchenna Ikonne, who died at the National Hospital Abuja today, 25th January 2023 by 4am after a brief illness.

He was recovering after taking proper treatment in the United Kingdom but relapsed a few days ago leading to multiple cardiac arrests for which he didnt recover from, the statement said.

Further details and arrangements would be made known to the public after deliberations and meetings are made within the family, the statement added.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State earlier this month confirmed that the PDP governorship candidate, Mr Ikonne, was ill and, therefore, was unable to attend political rallies ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

Mr Ikpeazus confirmation followed increasing concerns over Mr Ikonnes absence at rallies and other political events.

A journalist in Abia told PREMIUM TIMES that the late PDP gubernatorial candidate had collapsed during a rally and afterwards became indisposed.

In a previous report by PREMIUM TIMES, Governor Ikpeazu said Mr Ikonne attended some rallies organised by the PDP in Abia, including the 24 November 2022 launch of the partys state-wide campaign at the Umuahia Township Stadium.

He said Mr Ikonne left the stadium for a gala night, organised in honour of the G-5 governors in his (Ikpeazu) Umuobiakwa country home in Obingwa, where he managed to give a speech and then he took ill.

It is unfortunate that he is lately indisposed, but I want to report some progress and the progress is that Ikonne is recovering gradually and progressively.

He has left the hospital and is going through convalescence.

I am sure that he will be strong enough in the future to join, the governor had said.

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Two people have been reported killed and many others injured from a clash between supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ikire, Osun State.

At the centre of the clash which occurred on Tuesday were Amidu Tadese, the APC senatorial candidate in Osun West District and his PDP rival, Lere Oyewumi.

Both candidates were reported to have fixed their campaign rallies for Ikire on the same day.

Mr Tadese said Mr Oyewumi led a band of thugs to attack the gathering of his own supporters when they were about to start their rally.

Our supporters had already erected canopy and assembled at Ward 9, Ikire before the incident occured. We were about to start the meeting when we saw the hoodlums shooting sporadically shortly after someone offered the opening prayers at the meeting, he said.

They were more than 30 in number led by Akogun Lere Oyewumi, the PDP Osun West Senatorial Candidate.

They were shooting from Naira and Kobo area and before we knew it, they were already at the venue attacking people and destroying property, including our vehicles and commercial minibuses and tricycles, he added.

But Mr Oyewumi said it was the APC members that attacked and killed two of his supporters.

The APC thug attacked our members while coming from our rally in the night and they have killed two people now while some of our members are receiving treatment in a hospital presently, he said.

They started attacking us as we were running for the safety of our lives.

Yemisi Opalola, the police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the incident.

Mrs Opalola said one person was confirmed dead while some others were receiving treatment in the hospital.

There was a fracas between the two parties yesterday and when the police intervened, we settled the crisis amicably for the two parties.

It was later in the night that they attacked each other again that led to the death of one person and some were injured. The injured have been taken to the hospital, she said.

When we interrogated one of the injured victims, he said five people were brought to the hospital and only two of them were seen this morning, so he didnt know the whereabouts of the remaining three people.

The police spokesperson said normalcy has been restored in the area in Ikire.

Normalcy has been restored in the area, people are now going on with their businesses.

Osun State was run for 12 years by the APC from 2010, until the PDP won the last governorship election in the state on 16 July.

Since the election, many cases of political violence involving the two parties have been reported.

The governorship election petition tribunal will on Friday deliver judgement on a petition filed by the APC against the return of Governor Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the election.

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PlumCare RWE and Lifebit enter a three-year partnership to support Greece's pioneering national newborn genomic sequencing program, BeginNGS.

Researchers will be able to access and analyse data securely in combination with global cohorts, whilst ensuring data is kept safe, private and in place in their secure environment using Lifebit's federated technology.

This will help detect approximately 400 early onset but actionable genetic conditions in newborns, ensuring appropriate treatments can be given as early as possible, to help limit the impact of the diseases.

LONDON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lifebit, a leading UK-based precision medicine software company, was awarded a three-year contract with PlumCare RWE to support the scaling of BeginNGS Greece, a pioneering newborn sequencing program.

"We are thrilled to partner with Lifebit as it will allow us to securely connect data from Greece's first newborn screening program with global cohorts. With this, our researchers can gain crucial insights to better understand rare diseases and ultimately save lives," said Petros Tsipouras, Chief Executive Officer at PlumCare RWE.

PlumCare RWE partners with Lifebit on Greeces newborn genomic sequencing program, BeginNGS. The partnership will help detect approximately 400 early onset but actionable genetic conditions in newborns. PlumCare RWE partners with Lifebit on Greeces newborn genomic sequencing program, BeginNGS. The partnership will help detect approximately 400 early onset but actionable genetic conditions in newborns.

Worldwide, thousands of children are born with rare genetic conditions that severely affect their quality of life. For approximately 400 early onset but actionable genetic conditions, these can be detected easily using genomic sequencing and appropriate interventions given, allowing affected families to lead lives unburdened by disease.

The BeginNGS program, backed by PlumCare RWE, the Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, and the National Organization of Public Health (EODY) in Greece, aims to sequence the genomes of 1,000 newborns by the end of 2023, scaling to all newborns in Greece by 2027. The program will use whole genome sequencing to diagnose many rare but actionable genetic conditions and identify treatment options before symptoms begin, a major advance over current practices that focus on children who are already critically ill.

Rare genetic conditions are, by definition, uncommon within the general population, therefore, to maximise and validate insights from the data, researchers critically need access to multiple large-scale cohorts of clinical-genomic data that are often in different places. Lifebit's powerful federated technology will advance these efforts, making this data interoperable and securely connected with global data cohorts.

Lifebit's Chief Executive Officer Dr Maria Chatzou Dunford commented, "We believe all biomedical data that can be used to save lives should be used. We are thrilled to support PlumCare to harness the power of securely connected clinico-genomic data. Our federated technology means that the data remains safe and private throughout by never leaving their secure environment and is used only by trusted researchers. By enabling secure data analysis, our technology will help to deliver life-saving breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases."

About Lifebit Biotech Ltd.

Lifebit builds enterprise data platforms for use by organisations with complex and sensitive biomedical datasets. Lifebit's patented federated technology securely unlocks access to biomedical data. From providing Trusted Research Environments for national precision medicine programmes to enabling pharmaceutical companies to discover new drug targets faster, Lifebit empowers customers to transform how they leverage sensitive biomedical data. Web: www.lifebit.ai/

About PlumCare RWE:

PlumCare RWE (Delaware, USA) is a Biotechnology and Healthcare data company. It combines real world evidence and multi-omics analysis to deliver actionable insights for individuals, companies and populations focusing on children. It is building a Global Pediatric Databank that can impact individual and population health and facilitate drug development and discovery. Its European headquarters is based in Athens, Greece. Web: https://www.plumcarerwe.com/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1988317/Lifebit_PlumCare_1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1988326/Lifebit_PlumCare_2.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1752754/lifebit_logo.jpg

SOURCE Lifebit Biotech
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- At its first board meeting of the year, the new ADISA (the Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association) board, elected by the membership in late 2022, selected its 2023 officers. Michael Underhill of Capital Innovations begins his term as the 2023 ADISA president, and Jade Miller of Bourne Financial Group was elected as the 2023 president-elect and will serve as president in 2024.

The other ADISA officers selected were: John Grady of ABR Dynamic Funds as vice president; Catherine Bowman of The Bowman Law Firm as secretary; and Mark Kosanke of Concorde Investment Services as treasurer.

Serving as ADISA's 2023 president, Michael Underhill is chief investment officer and CEO of Capital Innovations, where he is responsible for overseeing global equity investment strategies and leads Capital Innovations' Investment Policy Group, a forum for analyzing broader secular and cyclical trends that Capital Innovations believes will influence investment opportunities. Prior to co-founding Capital Innovations in 2007, Underhill was a vice president portfolio manager at AllianceBernstein and a vice president and partner at Invesco in the financial institutions asset management division where he was responsible for over $8 billion in assets.

Jade Miller, president of capital markets at Bourne Financial Group, is responsible for structuring the Bourne investment programs; sourcing equity with broker-dealer, registered investment advisor, and institutional relationships; and managing sales efforts across all offerings and distribution operations. Miller has nearly a decade of experience in alternative investment distributions and has successfully launched and closed 10 private placement offerings. Miller began her career in 2013 as a junior planner with Ameriprise Financial, where she was introduced to alternative investments. Miller joined CNL Securities in 2014 on the sales desk and was involved in raising over $1 billion in equity across multiple asset structures and asset classes, including senior housing and private equity. Miller's experience also includes a year in the private equity space focusing on middle-market debt and the quick service restaurant industry. Miller joined Bourne Financial Group in March of 2018 to assist in BFG sales efforts and since then has built the sales team and led the launch of eight Bourne senior housing offerings. She earned a Bachelor of Science in finance and economics from the University of Alabama. She holds series 7 and 63 licenses.

John Grady serves as ABR Dynamic Funds' chief operating officer and general counsel. The firm is a registered investment advisor and manages several private funds, mutual funds and UCITS sub-funds using proprietary, volatility-focused strategies. Prior to joining ABR Dynamic Funds, Grady was a partner at Practus LLP and DLA Piper LLP. Before that, he held various positions with industry leading firms focused on managed futures, real estate and other alternative assets and strategies.

Catherine Bowman founded The Bowman Law Firm in 2008 in order to conduct due diligence on public and private securities offerings ranging in size to several billion dollars on behalf of independent broker-dealers, investment advisers, and other financial professionals. Bowman also provides consulting on broker-dealer regulatory and compliance matters; researching '33 Act and '34 Act laws and regulations, broker-dealer regulations and state securities laws and regulations; contract negotiation and drafting; as well as providing expert witness services. Prior to founding The Bowman Law Firm, Bowman was chief compliance officer, senior vice president and corporate counsel for CNL Securities Corp., and started her law career more than 25 years ago at Gray, Harris & Robinson, focusing on corporate and securities law practice for publicly held and privately held clients.

Mark Kosanke, CPA, has nearly 30 years of securities industry experience. He is one of the founders of Concorde Investment Services (CIS), a Michigan-based securities broker-dealer firm and is a current owner of Concorde Holdings, CIS's parent company. He is president of Concorde Financial Group, which operates as an investment and asset management firm. Prior to Concorde he was at the Detroit office of Price Waterhouse where he concentrated on audit, taxes, and real estate. Kosanke is active in strategic tax planning and investment portfolio design with over $200 million in assets under management. He is recognized nationally for his proficiency in the 1031 exchange area.

The other ADISA 2023 board of directors are: Angela Barbera, NexPoint Securities; Sherri Cooke, iCapital; Mat Dellorso, WealthForge; Matthew Iak, U.S. Energy Development Corporation; Karlton Kleis, Arete Wealth Management; Sylvia Kwan, ElleVest; Stephen Lovell, Lovell Wealth Management; Greg Mausz, Skyway Capital Markets; Ann Moore, International Assets Advisory; David Pittman, Cottonwood Residential; Jeff Shafer, CommonGood Capital; Amanda Teeple, CoastalOne; Brad Updike, Mick | Law; and David Wilson, Equifinancial. Darryl Steinhause of DLA Piper also serves as a non-voting, volunteer legal counsel and Thomas Voekler of KVCF provides volunteer hospitality legal counsel.

ABOUT ADISA

The Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association is the nation's largest trade association representing the nontraded alternative investment space. ADISA's members are typically involved in non-traded real estate investment trusts, business development companies, master limited partnerships and private and public funds (LPs/LLCs), 1031 exchange programs (DSTs/TICs), energy and oil and gas interests, equipment leasing programs, or other alternative and direct investment offerings. The association was founded in 2003 and has approximately 5,000 members who are key decision makers, representing more than 220,000 professionals throughout the nation  including sponsor members who have raised in excess of $200 billion in equity and serve more than 1 million investors. ADISA is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization, registered to lobby, and also has a related 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit (ADISA Foundation) assisting with scholarships and educational efforts.

Contact: Jill Swartz

Spotlight Marketing Communications

[email protected]

949.427.1389

SOURCE ADISA
Business Finance & Tax Specialist Aliah Minor launched the "No Business left behind" initiative providing small business owners complimentary tax advice

MISSOURI CITY, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Local Houston Entrepreneur and Finance professional went from stretching $10 for gas and food to assisting other entrepreneurs with budgeting and tax preparation. During this year's tax season Aliah Minor, owner of Calberts Tax Service, LLC, has committed to helping other entrepreneurs.

Aliah Minor HS Teacher Turned Entrepreneur is Leaving no Entrepreneur Behind During Tax Season

During the pandemic, many small businesses have had to pivot their business model to survive or struggled to stay afloat with the ever-changing economic and regulatory conditions. According to recent statistics 34% of small businesses are closed as of April 2021 compared to 23% as of January 2020. Even though pandemic conditions continue to plague small business owners, it seems despite the odds many Americans have not been deterred from starting their businesses.

According to Aliah, "I can empathize with many business owners, from having to renovate my location because of Hurricane Harvey or closing my doors for the pandemic, I'm familiar with the concept of pivoting and weathering the storm."

Calberts Tax Service, LLC is launching the "No business left behind" Campaign as an initiative to support Small Business Owners. The pandemic as well as many other natural disasters have caused many business owners to close their doors or financial hardship and we at Calberts Tax Service want to do our part to ensure that no business is left behind. From now through the tax filing deadline of April 15th we will be offering free tax reviews to business owners with a DBA, LLC, S-Corp, and other official business structures every Sunday at no charge.

Small Business Owners can bring in their prepared tax documents and we will review and advise of any errors, updates, or additional deductions they may meet the qualifications to receive. Walk-ins are welcome on Sunday between the hours of 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm or schedule an appointment using the following link (Click Here).

Calberts Tax Service, LLC has proudly served the Houston community for over 10 years. The firm is committed to enhancing clients' financial well-being and success through two core values: client communication and individual attention.

If you are interested in Zoom/Skype interviews or media inquiries, please contact LaToya Hurley at [email protected] or call 346-980-9062.

About Innovating Marketing and Management

IMM is a Marketing & PR firm headquartered in Houston, Texas with contacts throughout North America. The firm has a consistent track record of producing sound results based on the client's objectives. With the firms intensive knowledge of the market we are able to formulate a plan relevant to achieving your desired results. Our distinguishing integration of PR, SEO and social media marketing mix helps provide a competitive edge to the client.

Mission Statement  Provide clients with an optimal experience from conception to completion.

Press contact:

LaToya Hurley

13463553364

http://innovatingmarketinggroup.com

SOURCE Calberts Tax Service, LLC
IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company (NYSE: ABBV), today unveiled at the 24th International Master Course on Aging Science (IMCAS) World Congress its immersive experience 'Discover your 360'. This is a customer centric approach, which supports continued innovation and provides cutting-edge products and technologies to help practitioners and patients' aesthetics needs today and for the future.

As part of a 360 offering, Allergan Aesthetics aims to fulfil practitioners' business goals as well as continue to provide world class medical education. In its recently launched global trends report, Future of Aesthetics, which explores how the Aesthetics industry is being shaped by social and cultural shifts, Allergan Aesthetics anticipates how industry behaviours will evolve and thus meet the needs of practitioners and patients. Themes such as Gender Inclusive Beauty, the New Masculine and The End of Aging will be discussed at the Allergan Medical Institute (AMI) hosted symposium, interactive booth, and during the company's participation in three industry panels.

World-renowned plastic and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Arthur Swift will launch this year's sponsored symposia with 'New perspectives for a changing world'  looking at how a 360 approach to products, practitioners and practice can enable treatment of a full spectrum of patients. This will take place on January 28 at 10:3012:30 in the Amphi Bleu room, Level 2, Palais des Congres, Paris. He will also conclude the symposia with a review of Dr. Reha Yavuzer's live injection demonstration on redefining masculinity.

Specialist plastic surgeon Dr. Steven Liew will look at the evolving patient and provide his guide to principles, products and patients in a session exploring tailor made patient journeys. Dr. Marva Safa and Dr. Patricia Ogilvie's session will explore new cultural conversations on individuality and fluidity - as 78 million people identify as neither male nor female1, a key insight to consider before treatment.

At the Allergan Aesthetics booth  [N227, Level 2, Palais des Congres Paris, January 26-28 2023]  the 'Meet the Experts' sessions, each lasting 360 seconds, provides delegates with the opportunity to gain direct insights from thought leaders in aesthetic medicine in a highly engaging and interactive format. Six speakers will deliver a total of 17 sessions across the three days.

Commenting on the congress, Jason Smith, SVP, International Allergan Aesthetics said: "With our vast product portfolio in the aesthetics space we are excited to support the educational journey of our practitioners at IMCAS. We want to showcase Allergan Aesthetics' dedication to excellence in clinical practice through our 'Discover your 360' symposium. This comprehensive initiative has been designed from the ground up to improve patient outcomes and we hope these latest techniques are helpful for surgeons and aesthetic physicians across the world."

As well as the symposium and booth activity, Allergan Aesthetics will also take part in three exciting expert panels: one on emerging toxins, a filler panel event, and the economic tribune on Friday, 27 January 14:00pm (BST), where Jason Smith will present.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

About Allergan Aesthetics

At Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company, we develop, manufacture, and market a portfolio of leading aesthetics brands and products. Our aesthetics portfolio includes facial injectables, body contouring, plastics, skin care, and more. Our goal is to consistently provide our customers with innovation, education, exceptional service, and a commitment to excellence, all with a personal touch. For more information, visit www.AllerganAesthetics.com

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

1 Ipsos Global Survey, June 2021 Veeva Ref: REF-65469

SOURCE AbbVie
CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AllWeb Solutions, LLC, a leading provider of website design, digital marketing services, artificial intelligence integration, process automation, and web consulting services, is proud to unveil ServiceLocal.net, an innovative local business directory of services for homes and businesses.

Local Home & Business Services Directory

ServiceLocal.net is a user-friendly platform that connects consumers with the best local service providers in their area, making it easy to find the right service for their needs. The directory encompasses a broad spectrum of services including home renovation, pest control, cleaning services, plumbing, landscaping, and many more. It also includes a wide range of business services such as marketing agencies, IT providers, and more.

The directory is designed to be simple to navigate and search, with advanced filters and search functionality to aid users in finding the right service quickly and efficiently. Additionally, businesses can start by creating a free listing or a paid premier listing on the directory, making it easy for them to reach new customers.

"We are delighted to launch ServiceLocal.net and offer a valuable resource for both consumers and businesses," said Robert Garrity, CEO of AllWeb Solutions, LLC. "Our goal is to make it convenient for people to find the services they need, while also assisting local businesses to expand and prosper."

"Listing a business on ServiceLocal.net can provide significant benefits and a strong return on investment. By listing your business in the directory, businesses can increase their visibility and reach new customers. ServiceLocal.net's advanced search functionality and filters make it easy for users to find the services they need, increasing the likelihood of potential customers discovering a business. Additionally, the directory's user-friendly design and easy-to-use interface make it simple for businesses to create and manage their listing. By listing on ServiceLocal.net, businesses can expect to see an increase in their online presence and an increase in customer acquisition. This can result in a strong ROI for the business, as they will see a rise in revenue and growth."

ServiceLocal.net is now live and accessible at Servicelocal.net.

About AllWeb Solutions, LLC  AllWeb Solutions is a full-service website design, digital marketing services, artificial intelligence integration, process automation, and web consulting services agency that helps businesses achieve their online objectives. Our team of experts specializes in creating custom websites that drive conversions and generate leads. We also provide a wide range of services including process automation, search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and social media marketing.

Hiring AllWeb Solutions, LLC can provide a range of benefits for businesses looking to improve their online presence. Our team of experts specializes in creating custom solutions that are designed to drive conversions and generate leads. Businesses can expect to see an increase in their online visibility and reach, resulting in more leads and ultimately, increased revenue. Our team of experts will work closely with businesses to understand their unique needs and goals and create a customized solution that is tailored to their business.

Contact: Robert Garrity, CEO AllWeb Solutions, LLC Email: [email protected] Phone: (847) 969-5155

SOURCE AllWeb Solutions, LLC
NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Germany is the leading production and sales market in the Europe region and contributes to the top innovative electronic equipment production among the different countries. Germany boasts unparalleled world-leading manufacturers and suppliers of electrical and electronic materials, components, and equipment across the value chain. These range from microelectronic components to electrical household appliances, automation systems, electronic medical equipment, and automotive electronics. To know more, Buy the Report!

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Alternating Current Power System Market 2023-2027

The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected the growth of several end-user industries of electrical components and equipment, including power and utility industries across the world, in 2020. In addition, investments in utility projects were very low, which negatively impacted the market's growth in 2020. However, in 2021 countries such as Germany had the emphasis on re-started the operations of essential businesses with a limited workforce gradually increasing the manufacturing industry's growth. For more insights  Download a Sample Report!

Germany is one of the top key country contributors to the global alternating current power system. The global alternating current power system is segmented by type (three-phase and single-phase), end-user (non-residential and residential), product (generator, switchgear, UPS, PDU, and others), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The global alternating current power system market is estimated to decline at a CAGR of 4.98% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 60.78 billion.

The major vendors for the global alternating current power system report include ABB Ltd., Advanced Energy Industries Inc., AEG Power Solutions BV, Delta Electronics Inc., Eaton Corp. Plc, EnerSys, General Electric Co., Hitachi Ltd., Infineon Technologies AG, Itech Electronic Co. Ltd., Joe Powell, and Associates Inc., LITE-ON Technology Corp., LS ELECTRIC Co. Ltd., MEAN WELL Enterprises Co. Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Myers Power Products Inc., Powertek US Inc., Schaefer Inc., Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, Vertiv Holdings Co., Vicor Corp., Zhejiang CHINT Electrics Co. Ltd., and Fuji Electric Co. Ltd. To know about the vendor offerings, Request a PDF Sample!

The rising demand from the telecom industry is notably driving the global alternating current power system growth, although factors such as difficulties in keeping pace with changing customer demand may impede the market growth.

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The current transformer market share is expected to increase by USD 219.65 million from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 4.75%. The current transformer market report offers information on several market vendors, including ABB Ltd., CGS Instrument Transformers, FRER Srl V.le, Hammond Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Huayi Group. Co. Ltd., Hyosung Corp., IMA Spa, Littelfuse Inc., Megacon Group, Murugappa Group.



from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 4.75%. The current transformer market report offers information on several market vendors, including ABB Ltd., CGS Instrument Transformers, FRER Srl V.le, Hammond Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Huayi Group. Co. Ltd., Hyosung Corp., IMA Spa, Littelfuse Inc., Megacon Group, Murugappa Group. The direct current power system market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.61% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 12.01 billion. The direct current power system market report offers information on several market vendors, including ABB Ltd., Advanced Energy Industries Inc., AEG Power Solutions BV, C and D Technologies Inc., Delta Electronics Inc., Dyna Hitech Power Systems Ltd., Eaton Corp. Plc, EnerSys, Good Will Instrument Co. Ltd., Heinzinger electronic GmbH.

Alternating Current Power System Market 2023-2027: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2023-2027

Detailed information on factors that will assist alternating current power system market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the alternating current power system market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the alternating current power system market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of alternating current power system market vendors

Alternating Current Power System Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 190 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 4.98% Market growth 2023-2027 $ 60.78 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023(%) 4.56 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 65% Key countries US, China, India, Japan, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled ABB Ltd., Advanced Energy Industries Inc., AEG Power Solutions BV, Delta Electronics Inc., Eaton Corp. Plc, EnerSys, General Electric Co., Hitachi Ltd., Infineon Technologies AG, Itech Electronic Co. Ltd., Joe Powell and Associates Inc., LITE ON Technology Corp., LS ELECTRIC Co. Ltd., MEAN WELL Enterprises Co. Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Myers Power Products Inc., Powertek US Inc., Schaefer Inc., Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, Vertiv Holdings Co., Vicor Corp., Zhejiang CHINT Electrics Co. Ltd., and Fuji Electric Co. Ltd. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents:

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by End-user



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Product



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 10: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 11: Parent market



Exhibit 12: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 13: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 14: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 15: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 17: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 18: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global alternating current power system market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global alternating current power system market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.2 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.3 End-user Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  End-user Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.4 Product Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Product Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.5 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 23: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.6 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 24: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 25: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 26: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 27: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 28: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 29: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 30: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 31: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Type

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 32: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 34: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Comparison by Type

6.3 Three-phase - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 36: Chart on Three-phase - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Three-phase - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 38: Chart on Three-phase - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Three-phase - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Single-phase - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 40: Chart on Single-phase - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Single-phase - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 42: Chart on Single-phase - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Single-phase - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 44: Market opportunity by Type ($ billion)

7 Market Segmentation by End-user

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 45: Chart on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 46: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by End-user

Exhibit 47: Chart on Comparison by End-user



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Comparison by End-user

7.3 Non-residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 49: Chart on Non-residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Non-residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 51: Chart on Non-residential - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Non-residential - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 53: Chart on Residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 55: Chart on Residential - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 56: Data Table on Residential - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by End-user

Exhibit 57: Market opportunity by End-user ($ billion)

8 Market Segmentation by Product

8.1 Market segments

Exhibit 58: Chart on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 59: Data Table on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

8.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 60: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 61: Data Table on Comparison by Product

8.3 Generator - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 62: Chart on Generator - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 63: Data Table on Generator - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 64: Chart on Generator - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 65: Data Table on Generator - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

8.4 Switchgear - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 66: Chart on Switchgear - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 67: Data Table on Switchgear - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 68: Chart on Switchgear - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 69: Data Table on Switchgear - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

8.5 UPS - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 70: Chart on UPS - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 71: Data Table on UPS - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 72: Chart on UPS - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 73: Data Table on UPS - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

8.6 PDU - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 74: Chart on PDU - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 75: Data Table on PDU - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 76: Chart on PDU - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 77: Data Table on PDU - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

8.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 78: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 79: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 80: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 81: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

8.8 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 82: Market opportunity by Product ($ billion)

9 Customer Landscape

9.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 83: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

10 Geographic Landscape

10.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 84: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 85: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

10.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 86: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 87: Data Table on Geographic comparison

10.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 88: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 89: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 90: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 91: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 92: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 93: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 94: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 95: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 96: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 97: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 98: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 99: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 100: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 101: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 102: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 103: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 104: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 105: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 106: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 107: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.8 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 108: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 109: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 110: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 111: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.9 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 112: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 113: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 114: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 115: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.10 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 116: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 117: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 118: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 119: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.11 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 120: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 121: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 122: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 123: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.12 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 124: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 125: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 126: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 127: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 128: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion)

11 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

11.1 Market drivers

11.2 Market challenges

11.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 129: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

11.4 Market trends

12 Vendor Landscape

12.1 Overview

12.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 130: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

12.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 131: Overview on factors of disruption

12.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 132: Impact of key risks on business

13 Vendor Analysis

13.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 133: Vendors covered

13.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 134: Matrix on vendor position and classification

13.3 ABB Ltd.

Exhibit 135: ABB Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 136: ABB Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 137: ABB Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 138: ABB Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 139: ABB Ltd. - Segment focus

13.4 Advanced Energy Industries Inc.

Exhibit 140: Advanced Energy Industries Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 141: Advanced Energy Industries Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 142: Advanced Energy Industries Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 143: Advanced Energy Industries Inc. - Segment focus

13.5 AEG Power Solutions BV

Exhibit 144: AEG Power Solutions BV - Overview



Exhibit 145: AEG Power Solutions BV - Product / Service



Exhibit 146: AEG Power Solutions BV - Key offerings

13.6 Delta Electronics Inc.

Exhibit 147: Delta Electronics Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 148: Delta Electronics Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 149: Delta Electronics Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 150: Delta Electronics Inc. - Segment focus

13.7 EnerSys

Exhibit 151: EnerSys - Overview



Exhibit 152: EnerSys - Business segments



Exhibit 153: EnerSys - Key news



Exhibit 154: EnerSys - Key offerings



Exhibit 155: EnerSys - Segment focus

13.8 General Electric Co.

Exhibit 156: General Electric Co. - Overview



Exhibit 157: General Electric Co. - Business segments



Exhibit 158: General Electric Co. - Key news



Exhibit 159: General Electric Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 160: General Electric Co. - Segment focus

13.9 Hitachi Ltd.

Exhibit 161: Hitachi Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 162: Hitachi Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 163: Hitachi Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 164: Hitachi Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 165: Hitachi Ltd. - Segment focus

13.10 Infineon Technologies AG

Exhibit 166: Infineon Technologies AG - Overview



Exhibit 167: Infineon Technologies AG - Business segments



Exhibit 168: Infineon Technologies AG - Key news



Exhibit 169: Infineon Technologies AG - Key offerings



Exhibit 170: Infineon Technologies AG - Segment focus

13.11 Joe Powell and Associates Inc.

and Associates Inc. Exhibit 171: Joe Powell and Associates Inc. - Overview

and Associates Inc. - Overview

Exhibit 172: Joe Powell and Associates Inc. - Product / Service

and Associates Inc. - Product / Service

Exhibit 173: Joe Powell and Associates Inc. - Key offerings

13.12 LITE ON Technology Corp.

Exhibit 174: LITE ON Technology Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 175: LITE ON Technology Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 176: LITE ON Technology Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 177: LITE ON Technology Corp. - Segment focus

13.13 MEAN WELL Enterprises Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 178: MEAN WELL Enterprises Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 179: MEAN WELL Enterprises Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 180: MEAN WELL Enterprises Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

13.14 Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

Exhibit 181: Mitsubishi Electric Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 182: Mitsubishi Electric Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 183: Mitsubishi Electric Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 184: Mitsubishi Electric Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 185: Mitsubishi Electric Corp. - Segment focus

13.15 Schaefer Inc.

Exhibit 186: Schaefer Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 187: Schaefer Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 188: Schaefer Inc. - Key offerings

13.16 Schneider Electric SE

Exhibit 189: Schneider Electric SE - Overview



Exhibit 190: Schneider Electric SE - Business segments



Exhibit 191: Schneider Electric SE - Key news



Exhibit 192: Schneider Electric SE - Key offerings



Exhibit 193: Schneider Electric SE - Segment focus

13.17 Siemens AG

Exhibit 194: Siemens AG - Overview



Exhibit 195: Siemens AG - Business segments



Exhibit 196: Siemens AG - Key news



Exhibit 197: Siemens AG - Key offerings



Exhibit 198: Siemens AG - Segment focus

14 Appendix

14.1 Scope of the report

14.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 199: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 200: Exclusions checklist

14.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 201: Currency conversion rates for US$

14.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 202: Research methodology



Exhibit 203: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 204: Information sources

14.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 205: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
BEVERLY, Mass., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Altova (http://www.altova.com) announced the release of MobileTogether 8.1, its low-code app development platform for building enterprise solutions and native apps for iOS, Android, and Windows. The release also includes RecordsManager 2.0, a special, no-code solution for building database apps using the MobileTogether framework.

MobileTogether 8.1

Visual scripting editor for building no-code apps in RecordsManager

New features include:

UI compatibility mode between clients  this time-saving option makes it easy to create apps with default elements that look similar on all device operating systems (instead of using the native look-and-feel of each OS)

 this time-saving option makes it easy to create apps with default elements that look similar on all device operating systems (instead of using the native look-and-feel of each OS) Deployment of very large server-side files  extended support for files 100 MB and larger makes MobileTogether well suited for building very large enterprise solutions

 extended support for files 100 MB and larger makes MobileTogether well suited for building very large enterprise solutions Extended database support  to include support for the latest versions of popular relational databases

 to include support for the latest versions of popular relational databases Major updates for no-code database app development using RecordsManager 2.0 (see below)

using RecordsManager 2.0 (see below) And many more

RecordsManager 2.0

RecordsManager is a no-code solution for creating custom database apps in MobileTogether Designer using an intuitive, purely visual design interface. One of the biggest advantages of RecordsManager is that app creators don't need to build the database backend themselves. This saves an incredible amount of time and work and allows system administrators or developers of all skill levels to easily create effective apps.

New features include:

Major scripting extensions  the visual scripting editor lets app administrators define sophisticated app behavior in response to user input

 the visual scripting editor lets app administrators define sophisticated app behavior in response to user input New "User" field type  makes it possible to note which user created or modified a record, who is responsible for reviewing it, etc.

 makes it possible to note which user created or modified a record, who is responsible for reviewing it, etc. Hierarchical user groups  make roles assignments easier for firms where users belong to multiple groups (e.g., office, department, management team, etc.)

 make roles assignments easier for firms where users belong to multiple groups (e.g., office, department, management team, etc.) And many more

To view a complete detail about all the new features in this release, please visit the what's new page.

About Altova

Altova is a software company offering specialized tools for both developers and business users. The creator of XMLSpy, MapForce and other award-winning products, Altova is a key player in the software tools industry and the leader in XML and JSON solution development tools. The company offers a complete line of desktop developer software for XML, JSON, SQL, and UML; high-performance workflow automation server products; and a cross-platform mobile and enterprise app development platform. In addition, the Altova Cloud offers complete SaaS apps that make working with complex technologies easy for business users. With over 5.4 million users worldwide, including 91% of Fortune 500 organizations, Altova is honored to serve clients from one-person shops to the world's largest organizations. Altova is committed to delivering standards-based, platform-independent solutions that are powerful, affordable and easy-to-use. Founded in 1992, Altova is headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts and Vienna, Austria.

Altova, MobileTogether, MissionKit, XMLSpy, MapForce, FlowForce, RaptorXML, StyleVision, UModel, DatabaseSpy, DiffDog, SchemaAgent, and Authentic are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Altova GmbH in the United States and other countries. The names of and references to other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Sales Information:

[email protected]

USA: 978-816-1600

EU: +43 (1) 545 5155 -0

Media relations contact:

Erin Cavanaugh

Marketing Director

[email protected]

978-816-1632

SOURCE Altova
Ancora Training will provide Amazon hourly employees access to training programs in-person and online.

ARLINGTON, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ancora Education announced it has been selected as an education partner for Amazon's Career Choice program, providing Amazon's hourly employees access to education and upskilling opportunities in transportation and logistics, allied health, IT support, and skilled and professional trades. This is the fifth year Ancora Education has been accepted to provide education and training since 2018.

Programs leading to industry recognized credentials include:

CDL Class A Tractor Trailer

Medical Clinical Assistant

Medical Billing & Coding

Pharmacy Technician

IT Support Specialist

Aerospace Manufacturing Technician

Electrical Technician

Mechatronics

Combination Welding

Diesel-Heavy Truck Technician

CNC Machinist

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, & Basic Refrigeration

"We know that traditional degree programs aren't always the answer for some people, which is why we are proud to partner with Amazon to offer their employees a starting point for a new career. Not only can training programs like these drive retention, but they also can have a positive impact on the personal and professional growth of Amazon employees," said Natalie Williams, Vice President of Client Operations, Ancora Education. "Career Choice fosters a culture of learning and prepares employees for the future. As education partners, we're thrilled to once again be a part of their journey."

According to a recent Gallup report commissioned by Amazon, 71% of workers who took part in upskilling programs had greater satisfaction with their jobs and 69% said their quality of life had improved. In the same survey, young adults 18-24 valued upskilling as one of the top three most important benefits when considering a new job.

"Providing meaningful education and upskilling opportunities that lead to industry recognized credentialing is paramount to supporting and crafting the next generation of workforce in our country," said Andrea Snow, SVP of Academics & Career Services at Ancora Education . "Through Ancora Training program offerings, we are providing a quality, skills-focused opportunity leading to relevant and purposeful employment across a wide range of subject areas."

Amazon's Career Choice program is an education benefit that empowers employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. The program meets individual learners where they are on their education journey through a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including prepaid college tuition, foundational skills, and industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs. The company is investing $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 employees by 2025 to help move them into higher-paying positions.

Amazon's Career Choice program has a rigorous selection process for third-party partner educators, choosing partners that are focused on helping employees through their education programs, assisting them with job placements, and overall offering education that leads to career success.

"We're pleased to retain Ancora Training as an education partner for Career Choice, adding to the hundreds of best-in-class offerings available to our employees," said Tammy Thieman, Global Program Lead of Amazon's Career Choice program. "We're committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that's with us or elsewhere. We have intentionally created a partner network of third-party educators and employers committed to providing excellent education, job placement resources, and continuous improvements to the experience. Today, over 100,000 Amazon employees around the world have participated in Career Choice and we've seen first-hand how it can transform their lives."

For more information on Amazon's Career Choice, visit: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/career-choice

For more information on Ancora Training, visit: www.ancora.com

Ancora Education

Ancora Education is a leading workforce solutions provider addressing America's labor gaps through innovative and technology-driven technical education training programs specializing in healthcare, IT, business and skilled trades including CDL truck driving and other custom solutions. Ancora Education owns and operates six private, post-secondary school brands with 22 campus locations across the nation and offers focused training programs with corporate, community college, and government agency partners. Ancora Education network schools include: Arizona Automotive Institute (AAI), Berks Technical Institute (BTI), Edge Tech Academy, McCann School of Business & Technology, Miller-Motte College (MMC) and South Texas Vocational Technical Institute (STVT). Workforce solutions are provided by Ancora Training and Ancora Corporate Training. Learn more at www.ancora.com.

SOURCE Ancora Corporate Training
Strong enrollment in Phase 3 trial demonstrates continued execution

Interim analysis expected in 2Q 2023

BERWYN, Pa., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Annovis Bio, Inc. (NYSE: ANVS) ("Annovis" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage drug platform company addressing neurodegenerative diseases, today provided a patient enrollment update for the Company's ongoing Phase 3 study of buntanetap for the treatment of Parkinson's disease ("PD").

Maria L. Maccecchini, Ph.D., Founder, President, and CEO of Annovis, commented: "We are very pleased with the pace of enrollment in our Phase 3 study, which is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of buntanetap in early-stage Parkinson's patients. Buntanetap is a highly differentiated and potentially ground-breaking therapy that has been designed to inhibit the production of multiple neurotoxic proteins which are associated with several neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. We look forward to providing an interim data analysis from the study in the second quarter of 2023, which will enable us to optimize our patient enrollment for the study."

Based on the current enrollment, the Company anticipates having a sufficient number of patients who have received two months of therapy to conduct an interim analysis in the second quarter of 2023. The purpose of the interim analysis is to determine if the Company's original estimates for patient enrollment in the Phase 3 trial (150 patients per arm) will be sufficient to observe a statistically significant treatment effect in both scales between the active arms and the control arm of the study after six months of treatment.

More specifically, the interim analysis could confirm that 150 patients is the optimal number, or it could inform that less patients are needed (the efficacy is better than expected) or that more patients are needed (the efficacy is less than expected). The boundaries of the extent to which we will decrease or increase the number of patients is +/- 25% or between 112 and 200 patients per arm.

The ongoing Phase 3 trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of buntanetap in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease. Patients are being treated with 10mg buntanetap, 20mg buntanetap or placebo, on top of their standard of care, for six months. Movement Disorder Society-Sponsored Revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part II and III will be used as primary endpoints, while total MDS-UPDRS and Participant Global Impression of Change will be secondary endpoints. In addition, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, plasma biomarkers and Mini-Mental State Examination will be evaluated as exploratory endpoints.

The Company's Phase 3 trial in PD builds upon earlier, proof-of-concept data from a Phase 2a study which demonstrated that patients treated with buntanetap showed statistically significant improvements in both motor function and coding speed, as measured by MDS-UPRDS Part III and WAIS Coding scores.1 Additionally, no clinically significant adverse events were observed in the Phase 2a study and its pharmacokinetics were found to be in line with levels measured earlier in humans.

1 Fang et al: Buntanetap Proves Promising in Both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Patients; J Prevention Alzheimer Disease 10-2022

About Buntanetap

Buntanetap (previously known as ANVS401 or Posiphen) is an oral translational inhibitor of neurotoxic aggregating proteins (TINAPs), which mode of action leads to a lower level of neurotoxic proteins and consequently less toxicity in the brain. In a Phase 2a clinical trial in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, buntanetap was shown to be well-tolerated and safe, and its pharmacokinetics were found to be in line with levels measured earlier in humans, meeting both the primary and secondary endpoints. Additionally, exploratory endpoints were also met, as treatment with buntanetap resulted in statistically significant improvement in motor function in PD patients and cognition in AD patients. Presently buntanetap is being studied in a Phase 3 early PD study and in a Phase 2/3 study in AD patients.

About Annovis Bio, Inc.

Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Annovis Bio, Inc. (Annovis) is a clinical-stage, drug platform company addressing neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and other chronic neurodegenerative diseases. We believe that we are the only company developing a drug for AD and PD that inhibits more than one neurotoxic protein and, thereby, improves the information highway of the nerve cell, known as axonal transport. When this information flow is impaired, the nerve cell gets sick and dies. Annovis conducted two Phase 2 studies: one in AD patients and one in both AD and PD patients. In the AD/PD study buntanetap showed improvements in cognition and memory in AD as well as body and brain function in PD patients.

For more information on Annovis Bio, please visit the Company's website www.annovisbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter .

Forward-Looking Statements

This presentation contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to all information other than historical matters, such as expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "forecast," "intend," "seek," "target," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," "outlook," and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Forward-looking statements with respect to the operations, strategies, prospects and other aspects of the business of Annovis Bio are based on current expectations that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from expectations expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: that clinical trials may be delayed and that the data reported herein is from a Phase 2a study. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the section titled "Risk Factors" in Annovis Bio's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Although it may voluntarily do so, from time to time, Annovis Bio undertakes no commitment to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained in this presentation, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

Media Contact:

Nic Johnson

Russo Partners, LLC

(303) 482-6405

[email protected]

Investors Contact:

Chris Calabrese

+1 (917) 680-5608

[email protected]

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

Kevin Gardner

+1 (617) 283-2856

[email protected]

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

SOURCE Annovis Bio
WILLOW GROVE, Pa. , Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AnswerNet today launched AnswerMyTexts, the first true business text answering service solution. AnswerMyTexts lets business owners handle texts on their business phone number, or have those texts handled by AnswerNet agents. The goal of AnswerMyTexts is to allow businesses to use their answering service for non-voice channels for the first time, and to encourage all businesses to text-enable their business phone lines.

AnswerMyTexts, allows the business owner to manage their own texts and leverage support in three ways:

AnswerMyTexts is the 1st text answering provider with on-demand, agents who can respond to texts when business cannot. Tweet this

Scheduled Answering allows clients to have an easy-scheduling function to set times when agents will answer texts on the business phone number. On-Demand Answering makes agents available anytime  without notice  to handle business texts (such as when the business person has to step away for a meeting or lunch). Overflow Answering enables available agents to respond to any text that goes unanswered for a certain amount of time.

As part of this new service, AnswerMyTexts has created an easy-to-use system to text-enable any landline number in minutes. If a business does not have an existing number, AnswerNet will provide a new one.

"The use of texting-to-business numbers has been slowed because there has been no solution that allows the business to handle its own texts, or to have a third party handle them when the business is unavailable", said Gary Pudles, CEO of AnswerNet. "With the AnswerMyTexts service, AnswerNet is leading the revolution in helping businesses move seamlessly into text communications."

Today, statistics show that 9 out of 10 consumers prefer communication with companies via text, which leads to a better customer experience and a higher perceived customer satisfaction.

For more information, visit answermytexts.com.

About AnswerNet

Headquartered in Willow Grove, PA, AnswerNet is a full-service provider of inbound, outbound, automated, and BPO call center services. Founded in 1998, the company has over 30 sites with 2,000 full-time employees across the U.S. and Canada. Specialty divisions include Agriculture, Nonprofit, Education, Appointment Setting, Energy, and Third-Party Verification.

Contact: Melissa DHeilly

[email protected]

(816) 808-9101

SOURCE AnswerNet
Leading AI VCs, Zetta Venture Partners and Caixa Capital Risc co-led the investment.

New capital to be used to expand the first open-source, data-centric labeling platformcurrently thousands of users across US, India , Europe , South America and Asia .

Argilla empowers enterprises to build robust NLP products through faster data labeling and curation with the easiest-to-use human-in-the-loop and programmatic labeling features.

MADRID and SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Argilla , maker of the first platform that empowers enterprises to build production-ready natural language processing (NLP) solutions with a unique data-centric labeling platform, announced today $1.6 million in seed funding. The round was co-led by the first VC firm exclusively focused on investing in AI, Zetta Venture Partners, and Spanish deeptech VC focused on data infra and devtools, Caixa Capital Risc.

Argilla co-founders, Daniel Vila Suero, Ph.D. (L) and Francisco Arand (R) raised $1.6M in capital to help enterprises boost NLP growth.

NLP is a well-known artificial intelligence component widely used in consumer digital assistants and chatbots, as well as business applications such as sentimental analysis, textual analysis and speech analysis. Enterprise adoption of NLP technologies has continued to grow due to more affordable, scalable options, and increased processing capacity and data digitalization, as well as the convergence of NLP with deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML). As ML models become more powerful, standard, and accessible through open-source hubs like Hugging Face, high-quality training data has become the most important factor for enterprises to successfully implement NLP technologies.

"A recent study by Meta and UCL London found that adding a few high-quality training data examples is more beneficial for model quality than increasing the model size by billions of parameters given that increasing model size has a huge impact on the cost of computing," said Francisco Aranda, co-founder of Argilla. "As a result, we're seeing a shift from model-centric AI to data-centric AI or to put it another waya shift from data quantity to data quality."

To tackle this problem, Argilla co-founders, Daniel Vila Suero, Ph.D. and Francisco Aranda, developed the first data-centric NLP platform for data and ML teams to build and monitor high-quality training dataat a fraction of the time and cost of alternative tools. Enterprises can use Argilla to involve domain experts in their NLP lifecycle, which improves data quality and allows them to utilize the most sophisticated programmatic labeling methods from academia, which also reduces labeling costs. Argilla represents a powerful alternative to hand-labeling thousands of training examples.

"Teaching a ML model continues to be a tedious process, data labeling remains a huge challenge and roadblock because it's slow, costly and labor intensive," said Roma Jelinskaite, Investment Director at Caixa Capital Risc. "We believe Argilla will play a key role in the NLP ecosystem by finally removing the tradeoff between accuracy and efficiency."

Argilla's Data-Centric Labeling Platform

Argilla is the first open-source, data-centric labeling platform to offer the most sophisticated labeling practices while simultaneously being simple enough to integrate with other NLP and MLOps tools. The platform empowers teams to involve business profiles in the process, ensuring that the models meet all business requirements. By making it simple to tailor pre-trained models to specific use cases, Argilla helps businesses get the most out of their NLP solutions.

Other key benefits include:

Reduces time and increases quality: Businesses can reduce time to production and improve model quality without the need for extensive manual labeling.

Businesses can reduce time to production and improve model quality without the need for extensive manual labeling. Unlocks the value of the data: Argilla makes it easier to build and deploy high-quality NLP models and unlock the value of the data.

Argilla makes it easier to build and deploy high-quality NLP models and unlock the value of the data. For data teams: Argilla simplifies the process of building complex human-in-the-loop workflows, integrates them with an existing stack, and improves models over time. It also allows teams to fine-tune any pre-trained language model to meet the specific needs of their business.

Argilla simplifies the process of building complex human-in-the-loop workflows, integrates them with an existing stack, and improves models over time. It also allows teams to fine-tune any pre-trained language model to meet the specific needs of their business. For business and domain experts: Argilla makes it easier to contribute to data and model quality without requiring programming skills and hundreds of hours of manual labeling and review.

"Dani, Francis, and the team at Argilla have helped pioneer the new, data-centric approach to enterprise NLP. Their maniacal focus on bringing the most sophisticated data curation, programmatic labeling, and human-in-the-loop features to market has been rewarded by thousands of open-source and enterprise users who leverage Argilla to generate value from NLP throughout their organization," said James Alcorn, Partner at Zetta Venture Partners. "Zetta is thrilled to partner with Dani, Francis, and leading Spanish VC, Caixa Capital Risc, to help Argilla execute on its next phase of growth."

"We're thrilled to have the backing and guidance of two leading VC firms who invest in breakthrough technologies and are equally as excited about the possibilities Argilla is bringing to the NLP industry," said Vila Suero. "We know global tech leaders are looking for better solutions based on the increase in their NLP budgets. Since 2020, 60% have increased by 10%, 33% indicated it grew by at least 30% and 15% said it has more than doubled. We're continuing to invest in our platform with the single goal of empowering enterprises to build robust NLP products through faster data labeling and curation and with the easiest-to-use human-in-the-loop and programmatic labeling features."

Already Argilla has thousands of users across the US, India, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. Current customers include Reale Seguros (Italy), Airbus (Germany), and Red Electrica de Espana, Idealista (Spain).

Argilla's cloud offering (currently in alpha) will be available in the US and globally in Q1 2023.

To learn more about Argilla and to request a demo visit argilla.io .

About Argilla:

Argilla is the maker of the first platform that empowers enterprises to build production-ready natural language processing (NLP) solutions with a unique data-centric labeling platform. Argilla empowers enterprises to build robust NLP products through faster data labeling and curation with the easiest to use human-in-the-loop and programmatic labeling features. The company was founded in 2017 in Madrid, Spain by co-founders Daniel Vila Suero, Ph.D. (AI) and Francisco Aranda. To learn more or to request a demo visit argilla.io .

About Zetta Venture Partners:

Zetta Venture Partners is the first VC firm focused exclusively on investing in AI. Founded in 2013the first year a zettabyte of data went across the internetthe firm manages $365M in assets across three funds. Each member of Zetta's leadership team has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, operator and investor. The San Francisco-based firm leads investment rounds in pre-traction, AI-first companies with B2B business models, including Kaggle, Domo, Domino Data Lab,and Tractable. Visit www.zettavp.com for more information.

About Caixa Capital Risc:

Caixa Capital Risc (CCR) is a multi-stage VC fund based in Spain that invests in early & growth SaaS and Deep Tech companies with a particular focus on DevOps, Infrastructure, Data and Cybersecurity. CCR currently manages + 200M and is part of investment organization CriteriaCaixa, the largest investment holding in Spain with 30bn in assets. CCR has been investing since 2007 and portfolio companies have gone public or been acquired by blue-chip companies like Apple, Meta, AirBnB, Qiagen, Vente-Privee, Pernod Ricard, Repsol and similar.

SOURCE Argilla
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Atlanta Humane Society appointed Todd Lavender, DVM and president of VCA Animal Hospitals, to its board of directors. This appointment builds on a decades-long partnership between Atlanta Humane and VCA, working toward their shared goal of expanding access to high-quality and compassionate care for pets and the people who love them.

Dr. Todd Lavender, DVM and president of VCA Animal Hospitals, joins the Atlanta Humane board of directors. New board members pictured (Right to left): Dr. Todd Lavender, Claire Jackson and Simon Chio.

"The Atlanta Humane Society has been committed for generations to making sure animals get the care they need. This is a commitment that speaks to me personally as a native Atlantan who got a start in veterinary medicine by helping out at my family's hospital in Roswell after school, owning a local hospital and then becoming a part of VCA's network in and around the city," said Dr. Lavender. "It's an honor to join the board, and with the leadership of my friend Atlanta Humane President and CEO, Cal Morgan, we'll make great progress in expanding access to quality veterinary care and setting up Atlanta Humane to serve as a real center for community support and outreach for decades more to come."

Over the years, Atlanta Humane and VCA have worked closely to help pets in need in Atlanta and beyond, including:

Expanding access to high-quality care : Earlier this year, Atlanta Humane opened Remedy: Your Community Vet. This clinic brings accessible veterinary care to the underserved community of East Lake in Atlanta . VCA collaborated on this opening for several years, providing funding to help underwrite necessary preventive care and in-kind support to host an externship program. Remedy provides veterinary care to pet owners experiencing financial hardship or who need resources and support to keep pets healthy and in their homes.

: Earlier this year, Atlanta Humane opened Remedy: Your Community Vet. This clinic brings accessible veterinary care to the underserved community of East Lake in . VCA collaborated on this opening for several years, providing funding to help underwrite necessary preventive care and in-kind support to host an externship program. Remedy provides veterinary care to pet owners experiencing financial hardship or who need resources and support to keep pets healthy and in their homes. Caring for at-risk pets: In 2016, VCA and Atlanta Humane worked together to rescue and care for more than 40 dogs impacted by severe flooding in Louisiana . More recently, Atlanta Humane took in more than 50 beagles this past summer that were part of a rescue of 4,000 animals from a dog-breeding facility in Virginia . Many dogs needed critical dental care and two VCA hospitals in the Atlanta area treated nearly half of the beagles, including teeth cleanings and some extractions  procedures necessary to prepare for adoption.

In 2016, VCA and Atlanta Humane worked together to rescue and care for more than 40 dogs impacted by severe flooding in . More recently, Atlanta Humane took in more than 50 beagles this past summer that were part of a rescue of 4,000 animals from a dog-breeding facility in . Many dogs needed critical dental care and two VCA hospitals in the area treated nearly half of the beagles, including teeth cleanings and some extractions  procedures necessary to prepare for adoption. Helping pets find caring homes: Atlanta Humane has been a member of VCA's shelter partnership program for over a decade. This program provides medical, marketing and fundraising support for Atlanta Humane. In addition, all adopted pets receive a VCA Healthy Start Certificate that entitles them to a free health exam at a local VCA hospital and a $250 credit that covers the treatment of some medical conditions.

"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Lavender to our Board. His dedication to animals and deep commitment to the veterinary profession mirrors our efforts to make veterinary medicine more accessible in Atlanta and well beyond," said Cal Morgan, President and CEO of the Atlanta Humane Society. "We look forward to continuing Dr. Lavender's contributions and deepening the valuable partnership with VCA Animal Hospitals."

To learn more about Atlanta Humane, visit https://atlantahumane.org.

To learn more about VCA and its work to support animal welfare organizations, visit https://vcahospitals.com.

About VCA Animal Hospitals

A leader in veterinary care, VCA Animal Hospitals is committed to taking care of the future of veterinary medicine. We are a family of hometown more than 1,000 animal hospitals determined to positively impact pets, people and our communities. From general practice to emergency and specialty care, VCA delivers world-class medicine and hometown care to more than four million pets each year. We invest in cutting-edge tools, training and technology that enable Associates across our national network of hospitals to lead the industry today and into tomorrow. Among our talented 35,000 Associates are nearly 7,000 veterinarians  including 430 who are board-certified specialists  nearly 4,000 credentialed technicians and over 10,000 veterinary assistants  all dedicated to giving pets the very best in medical care.

As part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of brands, VCA is taking care of the future of veterinary medicine to help achieve the Mars Petcare PurposeA Better World for Pets. To learn more about VCA, visit: www.vca.com or find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Atlanta Humane Society

The Atlanta Humane Society is a no-kill animal shelter providing more than 120,000 points of care to our community's animals each year through various services including adoption, veterinary care, and community outreach. We operate out of two locations in metro Atlanta and help find thousands of animals loving homes each year. As Atlanta's oldest non-religious nonprofit, we have been caring for our community and her animals for more 150 years. For more information, please visit atlantahumane.org.

SOURCE VCA Animal Hospitals
NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global baby diaper pails market size is estimated to grow by USD 134.25 million from 2022 to 2027. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.32%. Moreover, the growth momentum will accelerate. North America will account for 32% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

For more Insights on market size Request a sample report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Baby Diaper Pails Market 2023-2027

Global baby diaper pails market - Five forces

The global baby diaper pails market is fragmented, and the five forces analysis covers

Bargaining Power of Buyers

The threat of New Entrants

Threat of Rivalry

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

Threat of Substitutes

Interpretation of porter's five models helps to strategize the business, for entire details  buy the report!

Global baby diaper pails market  Customer landscape

The report includes the market's adoption lifecycle, from the innovator's stage to the laggard's stage. It focuses on adoption rates in different regions based on penetration. Furthermore, the report also includes key purchase criteria and drivers of price sensitivity to help companies evaluate and develop their growth strategies.

Global baby diaper pails market - Segmentation assessment

Segment overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on Type (Steel and Plastic) and Distribution Channel (Offline and Online).

The steel segment will grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. Increased awareness of the importance of baby hygiene among customers in developing countries is growing due to increased advertising spending by vendors. Thus, the demand for steel baby diaper pails is expected to increase, which, in turn, will boost the growth of the global baby diaper pails market during the forecast period.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global baby diaper pails market is segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global baby diaper pails market.

North America is estimated to account for 32% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. Babies R Us is the largest retailer of baby diaper pails in the US; the baby store offers baby diaper pails in various designs, colors, and sizes. Innovation and portfolio extension, coupled with the increased awareness of the benefits of mom-and-baby hygiene products, have been identified as the growth drivers for the market.

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Global baby diaper pails market  Market dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

The increasing awareness of maintaining baby hygiene in developing countries is the key factor driving the global baby diaper pails market growth.

Awareness of the importance of child hygiene is gradually increasing in the developing world, due to sellers using social media strategies and other promotional activities.

Due to rapid urbanization, parents are more concerned about their baby's hygiene and are willing to pay high prices for good quality baby care products.

A rise in dual-income households with working mothers, who are well-educated and highly aware of the importance of baby hygiene, has resulted in a notable increase in spending on baby care products.

Due to rising awareness among consumers, the global baby diaper pails market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period.

Leading trends influencing the market

An increase in online sales of diaper pails is the primary trend in the global baby diaper pails market growth.

Selling products online is a great opportunity for manufacturers and a convenient experience for consumers.

There has been a significant increase in online sales of baby care products as working mothers often lead busy lifestyles that leave them no time to buy products from offline retail stores.

The increase in internet and smartphone usage has made it more convenient for them to shop online.

Due to the increased penetration of diaper pails on online channels, the global market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period.

Major challenges hindering market growth

The ease of availability of substitutes is the major challenge impeding the market growth.

Regular trash cans are the cheapest alternative to baby diaper bins. Common trash cans and bins commonly found in every household can also be used to dispose of diapers without using a diaper bin.

These bins can be used to store household waste as well as to dispose of dirty diapers.

Consumers do not prefer to spend $35 - $40 on baby diaper pails and hence, opt for low-cost substitutes available in the market, such as regular trash cans and waste bins.

- on baby diaper pails and hence, opt for low-cost substitutes available in the market, such as regular trash cans and waste bins. The ease of availability of substitutes may restrain the growth of the global baby diaper pails market during the forecast period.

Drivers, trends, and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact businesses. Find more insights in a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this baby diaper pails market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the baby diaper pails market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the baby diaper pails market size and its contribution to the market in focus on the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the baby diaper pails industry across North America , Europe , APAC, South America , and Middle East and Africa

, , APAC, , and and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of baby diaper pails market vendors

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The baby powder market share is expected to increase by USD 357.76 million from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 5.65%. The growing demand for organic baby powders is notably driving the baby powder market growth, although factors such as the growing preference for DIY baby powder at home may impede the market growth.

The baby cribs and cots market share is expected to increase by USD 979.24 million from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 6.05%. The rise in disposable income and growing urbanization is notably driving the baby cribs and cots market growth, although factors such as the increase in the availability of counterfeit products may impede the market growth.

Baby Diaper Pails Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 157 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.32% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 134.25 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 5.01 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 32% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Baby Trend Inc., BabyAuric Inc., Bumkins Finer Baby Products, Busch Systems International Inc., Carters Inc., Creative Baby Inc., Dorel Industries Inc., Janibell, Kimberly Clark Corp., Mayborn Group Ltd., Munchkin Inc., Pearhead Inc., PurePail, Regal Lager Inc., Robert Thoma GmbH, StarPlus Baby Care Products Pte. Ltd., The Holding Angelcare Inc., The Procter and Gamble Co., Unicharm Corp., and Wellson Products LLC Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents:

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market Overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market Definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global baby diaper pails market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global baby diaper pails market 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 Distribution Channel Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Distribution Channel Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Type

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Type

6.3 Steel - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Steel - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Steel - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Steel - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Steel - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Plastic - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Plastic - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Plastic - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Plastic - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Plastic - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Type ($ million)

7 Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 43: Chart on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 44: Data Table on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Distribution Channel

Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by Distribution Channel



Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by Distribution Channel

7.3 Offline - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 47: Chart on Offline - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Offline - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 49: Chart on Offline - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Offline - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 53: Chart on Online - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Online - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Distribution Channel

Exhibit 55: Market opportunity by Distribution Channel ($ million)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 56: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 57: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 59: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 61: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 62: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 63: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 64: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 65: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 66: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 67: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 68: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 69: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 70: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 71: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 72: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 81: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 82: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 83: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 84: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 87: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 91: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 92: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 95: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 97: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 98: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 99: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 100: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 101: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 102: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 103: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 104: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 105: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 106: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 107: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 Baby Trend Inc.

Exhibit 108: Baby Trend Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 109: Baby Trend Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 110: Baby Trend Inc. - Key offerings

12.4 BabyAuric Inc.

Exhibit 111: BabyAuric Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 112: BabyAuric Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 113: BabyAuric Inc. - Key offerings

12.5 Busch Systems International Inc.

Exhibit 114: Busch Systems International Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 115: Busch Systems International Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 116: Busch Systems International Inc. - Key offerings

12.6 Creative Baby Inc.

Exhibit 117: Creative Baby Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 118: Creative Baby Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 119: Creative Baby Inc. - Key offerings

12.7 Dorel Industries Inc.

Exhibit 120: Dorel Industries Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 121: Dorel Industries Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 122: Dorel Industries Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 123: Dorel Industries Inc. - Segment focus

12.8 Janibell

Exhibit 124: Janibell - Overview



Exhibit 125: Janibell - Product / Service



Exhibit 126: Janibell - Key offerings

12.9 Mayborn Group Ltd.

Exhibit 127: Mayborn Group Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 128: Mayborn Group Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 129: Mayborn Group Ltd. - Key offerings

12.10 Munchkin Inc.

Exhibit 130: Munchkin Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 131: Munchkin Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 132: Munchkin Inc. - Key offerings

12.11 Pearhead Inc.

Exhibit 133: Pearhead Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 134: Pearhead Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 135: Pearhead Inc. - Key offerings

12.12 PurePail

Exhibit 136: PurePail - Overview



Exhibit 137: PurePail - Product / Service



Exhibit 138: PurePail - Key offerings

12.13 Regal Lager Inc.

Exhibit 139: Regal Lager Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 140: Regal Lager Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 141: Regal Lager Inc. - Key offerings

12.14 Robert Thoma GmbH

Exhibit 142: Robert Thoma GmbH - Overview



Exhibit 143: Robert Thoma GmbH - Product / Service



Exhibit 144: Robert Thoma GmbH - Key offerings

12.15 StarPlus Baby Care Products Pte. Ltd.

Exhibit 145: StarPlus Baby Care Products Pte. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 146: StarPlus Baby Care Products Pte. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 147: StarPlus Baby Care Products Pte. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.16 The Holding Angelcare Inc.

Exhibit 148: The Holding Angelcare Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 149: The Holding Angelcare Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 150: The Holding Angelcare Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 151: The Holding Angelcare Inc. - Key offerings

12.17 The Procter and Gamble Co.

Exhibit 152: The Procter and Gamble Co. - Overview



Exhibit 153: The Procter and Gamble Co. - Business segments



Exhibit 154: The Procter and Gamble Co. - Key news



Exhibit 155: The Procter and Gamble Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 156: The Procter and Gamble Co. - Segment focus

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 157: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 158: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 159: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 160: Research methodology



Exhibit 161: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 162: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 163: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
Leading Coffee Franchise Gains Steam as One of the Hottest Emerging QSR Brands in the Market Today

DENVER, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, a leading coffee franchise renowned for its premium sourcing of Hawaiian coffees and memorable cafes, closes out a record-breaking year awarding 45 franchise agreements while opening eight new stores. Alongside this impressive development, the brand continues to achieve high performance marks with a 76% average unit volume increase compared to that of pre-COVID, 2019. These achievements have set the foundation for a remarkable 2023 as Bad Ass Coffee continues to prove itself as a standout, premium coffee franchise that's winning by differentiating its brand experience.

Key to its strong performance has been strategic systemwide investments and enhancements to strengthen overall brand infrastructure and support. Notable accomplishments in 2022 range across digital innovations, strategic development plans, new hires, and menu announcements - including:

The debut of new store prototype designs, igniting rapid growth as stores are set to open more quickly, efficiently, and successfully.

Implementing a single POS platform across the system to improve operations and enhance the guest experience.

The implementation of the company's first ever loyalty program and online/mobile ordering system.

The rollout of a new comprehensive online learning platform for franchisees to streamline communications and training.

Seasonal LTO launches  such as The Island Bloom Latte, Beach Bonfire Cold Lava Cold Brew, Cold Brew Lemonade, Winter Wanderlust LTOs, and more  alongside a significant five-year menu innovation project to provide a comprehensive future roadmap for both food & beverage offerings that are on-trend and inspired by Hawaii .

"We're very proud of the milestones that we achieved in 2022 and the positive impact that they have had on our franchisees' business," said Scott Snyder, CEO of Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii. "Our continued and aggressive push to build a best-in-class national coffee franchise opportunity with a strong infrastructure, technology & innovation, and a craveable menu has Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii poised for even bigger strides in 2023."

According to Bad Ass Coffee's 2022 FDD, the top 25% of stores saw average net sales of more than $1.2 million. Over the past several years, leadership has been building a strong infrastructure and telling the brand story and growing the brand foot-print through an omni-channel sales strategy.

Bad Ass Coffee recently signed its largest deal in brand history with the announcement of a 20-unit agreement in Florida. In 2023, leadership aims to hone in on development efforts in the Southeast, Southwest, and Coastal DMAs, in addition to re-establishing store presence in Hawaii. With a robust pipeline, the brand is projecting 20-30 new store openings by year-end. These development efforts contribute to Bad Ass Coffee's overall goal to open 150 new locations over the next four years.

Amid this era of high-growth, Bad Ass Coffee plans to continue to increase its brand awareness while honoring its Hawaiian heritage. Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii was born on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1989 with the dream of sharing American-grown, premium Hawaiian coffee with customers everywhere. In addition to premium coffee from the famous Kona region of the Big Island, Bad Ass Coffee also sources from Kauai and Maui. Beyond premium Hawaiian coffees, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii serves up a full menu of popular blended drinks, signature lattes, cold brews, teas, innovative foods with a Hawaiian twist, and branded merchandise.

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is looking to partner with qualified and engaged individuals seeking single and multi-unit opportunities. The brand offers an affordable, highly scalable opportunity with strong profit-potential. Franchisees can expect a total investment range between $385,500-$778,000*. As International Franchise Association VetFran members, veteran franchisees who join will receive a $10,000 discount* off the initial franchise fee.

For more information on Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii franchise opportunities, visit badasscoffeefranchise.com or call 833-205-2224.

About Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii was born on the Big Island of Hawai'i in 1989 and is dedicated to sharing premium Hawaiian coffees "with a kick" from the Hawaiian Islands through 25-plus U.S. franchise locations  with additional shops in various stages of development. Today, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii stores also serve popular blended drinks, teas, food, along with other international premium coffees and sell popular branded merchandise with exceptional service and the Aloha Spirit. Bad Ass Coffees are available in franchise stores, online and will soon be available through grocery, hospitality, and specialty retail channels. The Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii brand and franchise is owned by Royal Aloha Franchise Company, LLC. For more information, visit badasscoffee.com and connect on Facebook and Instagram @badasscoffeeofhawaii. Franchise information is available at badasscoffeefranchise.com.

SOURCE Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii
Topl's Traceable Journey Enables Consumers to Understand the Sustainable Sourcing and Manufacture of Clothing With Immutable Data and Verifiable Imagery at Every Step of the Product Journey

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Topl , the blockchain protocol built to drive sustainable and inclusive growth, today announced a collaboration with Beatrice Bayliss , the female-led, London-based clothing brand that makes sustainable and ethical apparel accessible. The engagement with Topl will enable Beatrice Bayliss to demonstrate to customers, through a scannable tag on clothing or online via a link , how, where, and when the raw materials were sourced and showcase transparency and traceability within the brand's supply chain.

Combining immutable sourcing data and photographic documentation of each step of the Beatrice Bayliss clothing sourcing, labor practices, and manufacturing process, Topl's Traceable Journey will connect the fashion brand's sustainability story with consumers seeking responsible practices in the fashion industry. As sustainability is beginning to dominate consumer priorities and the fashion agenda, Topl reinforces trust for consumers at Beatrice Bayliss, giving access to the provenance data on materials to prove their ethical origin.

"From the beginning of Beatrice Bayliss, I have been looking for a company that could assist us with supply chain mapping to highlight for our customers just how sustainable and impactful our products really are. Topl is a perfect fit, enabling us to use our verifiable data and imagery to show consumers dynamic visual stories of the products they love," explained Emily-Jane Bayliss, Founder and CEO of Beatrice Bayliss. "Customers shouldn't have to research whether a brand is truly sustainable; they should be provided with the information in a simple and distinguishable way to make their own informed decision on the brand."

Since the company first began displaying and selling its merchandise in 2020, Beatrice Bayliss has been receiving customer feedback requesting access to information that proves transparent, sustainable sourcing for their productswhere the fabric had come from and where and how it was made. Beatrice Bayliss has begun to implement Topl's solution across their website and on their product swing tags for popup stores, setting a new standard for sustainable business practices.

"Beatrice Bayliss's mission to disrupt the fashion industry with products that have a sustainable impact directly aligns with the clients we envisioned working with when Topl launched," said Erin Murphy, Chief Growth Officer, Topl. "Our technology equips Beatrice Bayliss's customers with simple-to-access and highly visual transparency for the company's supply chain, whether to track where its sustainable cotton comes from, or to show customers' where materials are sources. Together with Beatrice Bayliss, we can build more consumer trust in brands who espouse reducing their impact on the planet."

In The State of Fashion 2022 , two in every five fashion executives interviewed by McKinsey planned to adopt a method of demonstrating sustainable fashion traceability including product passports. While blockchain is an unknown area for many brands like Beatrice Bayliss, Topl makes it easy for companies to provide sustainable impact stories at the point of purchase via a scannable tag, containing verifiable data and visuals, all live on a decentralized ledger. SS23, the new ethically-sourced collection from female-led clothing brand Beatrice Bayliss launches on January 30th.

About Topl

Founded in 2017, Topl is an L0 blockchain protocol built from scratch to power the next wave of economic transformation. Its goal is to create markets and systems that ensure the most impactful behaviors are also the most profitable ones. Topl's technology has been used to track and verify conflict-free diamonds and fair-wage coffee and chocolates, issue and secure nature-based carbon credits, and provide verifiable reporting for corporate ESG initiatives.

About Beatrice Bayliss

Beatrice Bayliss a sustainable, ethical and female-led clothing brand, makes sustainable and ethical fashion accessible to all. In 2020 Emily-Jane Bayliss founded Beatrice Bayliss in London with the vision that sustainable clothing should be about your purpose and beliefs, not your status. BB's aim is to disrupt the fashion industry through their carefully crafted clothing, made in the UK.

SOURCE Topl, Inc.
BOSTON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program pursuant to which the Company is authorized to repurchase shares of Company common stock at a total cost of up to $50 million through December 31, 2023. This would result in the repurchase of approximately 4% of outstanding shares based on the current share price.

Berkshire CEO Nitin Mhatre stated, "Our balance sheet and capital ratios continue to remain strong, and our ratios are significantly above the regulatory threshold for well capitalized banks. We intend to continue to use a balanced approach to deploy capital generated by our Company's operations to both support growth and financial soundness, and to distribute capital to shareholders in the form of dividends and stock repurchases. The repurchase program follows other programs in recent years and is complemented by our ongoing quarterly shareholder dividend, which we increased by 50% last quarter from $0.12 per share to $0.18 per share."

Mr. Mhatre concluded, "Our Berkshire's Exciting Strategic Transformation (BEST) plan targets improved profitability and shareholder returns, as part of our goal to increase value for all stakeholders while making Berkshire the high-performing leading socially responsible community bank in New England and beyond. Through this repurchase authorization, our Board has recognized our significant progress towards achieving our purpose-driven and performance objectives."

The authorization does not constitute a commitment to repurchase shares. The Company may conduct the repurchases through open market purchases, block trades, unsolicited negotiated transactions, pursuant to a trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Rule 10b5-1, or in any other manner that complies with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

ABOUT BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP

Headquartered in Boston, Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE:BHLB) is the parent of Berkshire Bank. Founded in 1846, the Bank's vision is to be a high-performing leading socially responsible community bank. It empowers the financial potential of its stakeholders by making banking available where, when, and how it's needed through an uncompromising focus on exceptional customer service, digital banking, and positive community impact. Providing a wide range of financial solutions through its consumer banking, commercial banking and wealth management divisions, the Bank has approximately $11.3 billion in assets and a community-based footprint of 100 financial centers in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Named one of America's Most Trusted Companies 2022 by Newsweek, Berkshire is also listed in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality. To learn more, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This document contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. You can identify these statements from the use of the words "may," "will," "should," "could," "would," "plan," "potential," "estimate," "project," "believe," "intend," "anticipate," "expect," "target" and similar expressions. There are many factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from expectations described in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of such factors, please see Berkshire's most recent reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov . You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect our expectations only as of the date of this document. Berkshire does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

CONTACTS

Investor Relations Contacts

Kevin Conn, SVP, Investor Relations & Corporate Development

Email: [email protected]

Tel: (617) 641-9206

David Gonci, Capital Markets Director

Email: [email protected]

Tel: (413) 281-1973

SOURCE Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc.
Hire is key to expansion bringing Cyber Resilience model to large enterprise customers

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Resilience , the next-generation cyber risk solutions company, is proud to announce that Dan Rance will be joining as Head of Resilience Bermuda and Global Head of Large Accounts to help accelerate delivery of their Cyber Resilience solution for large enterprise customers. With loss ratios less than half the industry average, record growth doubling 2021 business, and expansion of underwriting authorities to serve enterprises up to $7.5 billion in revenue, this Cyber Resilience approach has proven highly successful at helping mid-market companies manage their cyber risk holistically. Rance will support the development and launch of this solution into the large enterprises account space.

Dan Rance

Rance brings over 14 years of experience in the Bermuda market, most recently serving as Liberty Specialty's Head of Financial Lins for Bermuda. In this role, he grew a portfolio of excess liability business, serving a client base of Fortune 500 organizations. His hiring will help Resilience secure capacity to support large enterprise clients who are seeking a more sophisticated risk transfer and mitigation solution than is available in either the security or insurance markets today.

The Resilience solution provides advanced cybersecurity visibility and actionable cyber hygiene recommendations connected to accountable risk transfer. This holistic approach of leveraging insurance with technical cybersecurity visibility helps ensure that clients are resilient to extortion attempts and is supported by claims data showing that Resilience insureds are half as likely to need to pay ransomware extortions.

"Resilience was built to fit a critical need for sophisticated enterprises who require a continuous solution to simplifying and holistically managing their cyber risk," said Vishaal "V8" Hariprasad, Resilience CEO. "After successfully launching this new model in the mid-market space, we are excited to bring on talented leaders like Dan who will help us secure the capacity to provide the insurance side of the equation to large enterprise customers."

"With our recent expansion of underwriting authorities extending to companies of $7.5 billion in revenue, Resilience is excited to further expand its model to larger enterprises," said Mario Vitale, President of Resilience Cyber Insurance Solutions. "Dan has the proven track record as a leader in the Bermuda market to help us accelerate our growth into larger accounts and deliver on our vision of moving the entire market towards a Cyber Resilient approach."

"There is a huge opportunity to shift how insurance is connected with how cyber risk is managed," said Rance. "This will require more creative capacity solutions than exist in the market today. Bermuda has been a leader in innovation in the cyber insurance market and I am incredibly excited to join the Resilience team in leading their efforts to grow into the large enterprise space."

Resilience has seen that the strongest companies align their technological investments with financial understanding of the most critical risks to their enterprise. Their move into the large enterprise space is powered by early investments in scalable security integrations and risk assessment modeling technology that quantify and reduce risk in complex enterprise networks.

Rance holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Mount St. Vincent University, in Halifax, Canada, along with the CPCU, RPLU, ARM, and ARe designations. He will report to Mario Vitale, and will be based in Resilience's Bermuda offices.

About Resilience

Resilience helps middle-to-large market enterprises connect their cyber insurance coverage with advanced cybersecurity visibility and actionable cyber hygiene. Their recently launched new website (www.cyberresilience.com), and campaign, titled "Rewriting the Rules of Risk"; advocate a unique approach to the integration of technology, economics, and behavior to break down barriers between risk management, information security, and financial leaders.

Resilience is proud to be backed by leading technology investment firms including General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Intact Ventures, Founders Fund, CRV, and Shield Capital. With headquarters in San Francisco, Resilience's team is globally dispersed, with offices in New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Toronto, and London. Resilience offers insurance coverage through its licensed and appointed insurance agency and security services through its expert security team.

For more information, visit us at www.cyberresilience.com.

SOURCE Resilience
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BARR Center (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) announced legislation today to provide funding for additional Minnesota schools to implement a system focused on addressing the academic, social, and emotional needs of students.

HF 806/SF 494, authored by House E-12 Finance Committee Chair Rep. Cheryl Youakim (Hopkins) and Sen. Aric Putnam (St. Cloud) asks the Minnesota legislature to allocate $7,650,000 for 30 additional Minnesota schools to implement the BARR system. More than 40 Minnesota schools and 200 others nationally are currently using the BARR system to improve their schools' cultures and students' outcomes. With this new funding, 30 geographically distributed (urban, suburban, and rural) Minnesota schools serving Black, Indigenous, and students of color, and those experiencing poverty, would benefit from the results the BARR system brings, too.

"In just over one year of implementation, BARR has had a tremendous impact, including a dramatic reduction of course failures across all 9-12 grades and an improvement in school culture. With BARR, we are way more efficient at addressing student challenges, proactive in preventing problem behaviors, and successfully addressing social and emotional needs, all while focusing on the positives and strengths that each person in our school community brings to the table," expresses Detroit Lakes High School Principal Joshua Omang. "If we are truly serious in education about getting better results for all kids, expanding the BARR system should be at the top of everyone's list in our state!"

Now more than ever, in this challenging, post-pandemic period, educators need support addressing school climate and student mental health issues. Using existing resources, the BARR system focuses on building meaningful relationships  capitalizing on the strengths of every student  and leveraging student data to truly transform a school's culture. In every school implemented it has proven to be a successful way to meet the social and emotional needs of all students while simultaneously increasing student achievement and teacher satisfaction and effectiveness.

"Implementing the BARR system in our school has exponentially increased the depth at which we know students, positively increased teacher collaboration and given us a platform in which we can create and have solid follow through on SMART goals for our students," states Kelly Hoskins, Grade 5 Teacher at Lake Elmo Elementary School and St. Croix Education Association Treasurer.

"It is our third year working with BARR at Marshall High School and we have seen ninth grade student achievement increase, largely due to more timely identification (and interventions) for students who need academic and mental health support," shares Principal Brian Jones. "The BARR system takes a comprehensive approach and builds on what schools are already doing to make improvements that benefit students while allowing staff to work as a team to create a culture of learning and support."

The BARR system stands alone as the most consistently proven school improvement model in the country. Through rigorous studies conducted by the American Institute for Research (AIR), the BARR system has demonstrated statistically significant results in 20 areas, including increasing math and English achievement scores, improving student credit attainment, reducing course failure, closing the achievement gap, and reducing chronic absenteeism all while improving the school environment for both students and staff.

"BARR's mission is to create equitable schools where every student, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status, has access to high quality education where adults know them, recognize their strengths, and help them succeed," explains Angela Jerabek, founder and executive director of the BARR Center. "I developed the BARR system while serving as a school counselor here in Minnesota then spent 20 years rigorously testing its effectiveness because that is what educators deserve  to know that the programs they're using are vetted and a proven-effective way to positively impact the students they care so much about."

About BARR Center

BARR Center (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) delivers the expertise and resources required for a school to implement the BARR system, an evidence-backed system designed to nurture a collaborative and strengths-based culture of support and success for every student through intentionally deepening relationships and improving use of data. For more information, visit, https://barrcenter.org/.

SOURCE BARR Center
LifeSpeak Inc.'s solutions remove barriers to mental health access and provide support to unpaid caregivers in the workplace

TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - LifeSpeak Inc. (TSX: LSPK), an integrated, whole-person wellbeing platform for employers, health plans, and insurance companies, today announced that it has been selected by BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) to provide expert-led digital mental health and wellbeing education and caregiver support to BJ's approximately 30,000 employees and their dependents.

LifeSpeak Inc.'s solutions will give BJ's team members anytime, anywhere access to a curated library of expert-led resources that include classes on mindfulness, building resilience, managing stress, and related mental health topics. Additionally, BJ's team members will also have access to LifeSpeak Inc.'s caregiver support product, Torchlight, and expert advisors who can empower them to resolve modern caregiving challenges quickly and efficiently. Meanwhile, BJ's management team will have access to education and insights to help them more fully understand and support employee caregiving needs.

"Adults are struggling to balance their professional lives with caregiving responsibilities. In fact, a report produced by Mental Health America found four in five employees say workplace stress affects their relationships with friends, families, and co-workers, and a publication from Harvard Business School found 80% say caregiving affects their productivity at work. This signals a clear need for workplace mental health and caregiving support," said Michael Held, CEO and founder of LifeSpeak Inc. "By giving employees access to a diverse range of resources, personalized support, and learning opportunities, BJ's Wholesale Club is demonstrating its commitment to improving the mental health and quality of life for its employees."

With approximately 53 million family caregivers in the United States, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving and the American Associate of Retired Persons, a growing number of employers are recognizing the need for workplace wellbeing solutions that go beyond gym memberships to encompass whole-person health. BJ's among these innovative employers. A leading operator of membership warehouse clubs, BJ's is a pioneer in the wholesale club retail model. The company currently operates 235 clubs that serve more than 6.5 million members in 18 states. The company also operates 164 gas stations across its growing footprint.

"LifeSpeak's digital mental health and caregiver support solutions allow us to support the unique needs of our team members across our footprint, many of whom are facing personal and caregiver challenges at home, while delivering exceptional support to our team members in the field," said Mark Griffin, SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer, BJ's. "By providing our team members with 24/7 access to micro-learning videos, podcasts, guides and advising from hundreds of the world's leading well-being and caregiver support experts, we hope to destigmatize conversations about mental health in the workplace and expand our family-first culture."

BJ's joins a rapidly expanding global community of LifeSpeak Inc. clients and partners. For more information about LifeSpeak Inc.'s solutions for workplace wellbeing, visit www.lifespeak.com.

About BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.

Headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BJ) is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States focused on delivering significant value to its members. The company provides a curated assortment of grocery, general merchandise, gasoline, and other ancillary services to offer a differentiated shopping experience that is further enhanced by its omnichannel capabilities. Since pioneering the warehouse club model in New England in 1984, the company currently operates 235 clubs and 164 BJ's Gas locations in 18 states. For more information, please visit us at www.BJs.com or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

About LifeSpeak Inc.

LifeSpeak Inc. is the leading whole-person wellbeing solution for employers, health plans, and other organizations. LifeSpeak Inc.'s suite of digital solutions allows organizations to provide best-in-class content and expertise at scale, empowering individuals to live their healthiest lives. As the parent company to LIFT Digital, ALAViDA Health, Torchlight, and Wellbeats, LifeSpeak Inc. provides a flexible portfolio of wellbeing solutions across mental health, wellness, fitness, nutrition, substance use, and caregiving. LifeSpeak Inc. has more than 30 years of collective experience working with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, insurance providers, and others across the globe. Insights from LifeSpeak Inc.'s digital and data-driven solutions uncover gaps in wellbeing at the individual and organizational levels, ultimately enhancing workplace performance outcomes. To learn more, follow LifeSpeak Inc. on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/company/lifespeak-inc), or visit www.LifeSpeak.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release may include "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information may include, but is not limited to, information with respect to our objectives and the strategies to achieve these objectives, as well as information with respect to LifeSpeak Inc.'s beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates, and intentions, including the wellness benefit and its access to LifeSpeak Inc.'s platform and individuals' participation in LifeSpeak Inc.'s programs.

In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology and phrases such as "forecast", "target", "goal", "may", "might", "will", "could", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "indicate", "seek", "believe", "predict", or "likely", or the negative of these terms, or other similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking information, including references to assumptions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, intentions, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts nor guarantees or assurances of future performance but instead represent management's current beliefs, expectations, estimates and projections regarding possible future events, circumstances or performance.

Forward-looking information is necessarily based on a number of opinions, estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by LifeSpeak Inc. as of the date of this release, is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ, possibly materially, from those indicated by the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the risk factors identified under "Risk Factors" in LifeSpeak Inc.'s annual information form for fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 dated March 30, 2022, and in other periodic filings that LifeSpeak Inc. has made and may make in the future with the securities commissions or similar regulatory authorities in Canada, all of which are available under LifeSpeak Inc.'s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect LifeSpeak Inc. However, such risk factors should be considered carefully. There can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speak only as of the date of this release. LifeSpeak undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE LifeSpeak Inc.
NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global blast furnaces market size is estimated to decline by USD 1,924.47 million from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to decelerate at a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period. APAC will account for 62% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

For more Insights on market size Request a sample report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Blast Furnaces Market 2023-2027

Global blast furnaces market - Five Forces

The global cloud data warehouse market is fragmented, and the five forces analysis covers

Bargaining power of buyers

The threat of new entrants

Threat of rivalry

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of substitutes

Interpretation of porter's five models helps to strategize the business, for entire details  buy the report!

Global blast furnaces market  Customer Landscape



The report includes the market's adoption lifecycle, from the innovator's stage to the laggard's stage. It focuses on adoption rates in different regions based on penetration. Furthermore, the report also includes key purchase criteria and drivers of price sensitivity to help companies evaluate and develop their growth strategies.



Global blast furnaces market - Segmentation Assessment



Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on application (Capacity additions and Revamping projects), and type (Hot blast ovens and Cold blast blowers).

The application segment will grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. Despite the overcapacity in the global steel industry, new steelmaking capacities continue to be developed in various regions. One of the primary reasons behind this is the employment that the steel industry creates across the value chain. For instance, the US has imposed a 25% tariff on the steel imported from Canada , Mexico , China , and the EU to revive its indigenous steel industry and create employment. An increase in steel prices since 2016 and the rising profitability of the steel industry are also encouraging steel producers to invest in new integrated steel plants, which will increase segment growth during the forecast period.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global blast furnaces market is segmented into APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global blast furnaces market.

APAC is estimated to account for 62% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. The region is witnessing the construction of new blast furnaces during the forecast period. For instance, in May 2022 Jindal Stainless Ltd. announced to build a new blast furnace at its Kalinganagar unit in India . To build the new furnace company has chosen SIEMAG Weiss GmbH and Co. KG,. The blast furnace is expected to have a production capacity of 2 million tons of hot metal per year. Many government organizations in the region are also focusing on initiating new policies to expand steel production in their countries. These factors can also accelerate regional market growth in the region during the forecast period.

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Global blast furnaces market  Market Dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

One of the key factors driving the ready-to-blast furnaces market growth is the large installed base of blast furnaces.

Major steel producers of the world have invested in large integrated steel plants as the high capital cost of the BF-BOF route requires large-scale production to achieve economies of scale.

Integrated steel plants also require significant investments in inbound logistics to secure the supply of raw materials.

Large investments, coupled with a typical lifecycle of 20-25 years for an integrated steel plant, make exit barriers very high for integrated steel plant operators.

However, these barriers extend to the entire value of the global steel industry. Hence, there is a very large installed base of integrated steel plants in the world, which drives the replacement market for blast furnaces.

The majority of the new blast furnace orders are from operators of existing integrated steel plants as existing blast furnaces reach the end of their lifecycle. China , Japan , and Germany are among the major countries in the blast furnaces replacement market.

Leading trends influencing the market

Equipment as a service is the major trend influencing the blast furnaces market growth .

is the major trend influencing the blast furnaces market growth The blast furnace is one of the most important pieces of equipment in an integrated steel plant. The performance of the blast furnace largely determines the operational efficiency of the integrated steel plant.

As a result, steel producers in the global steel industry have increasingly entered into performance-based contracts with equipment suppliers, including blast furnace suppliers.

Vendors are offered payments linked to the financial performance of the integrated steel plant. Performance-based contracts have thus increased the importance of value-added services that increase the efficiency and profitability of factory operations.

Therefore, vendors must expand their service and software offerings that help reduce costs, minimize waste, and improve quality to capture a larger share of the global blast furnace market.

Major challenges hindering the market growth

The increasing popularity of steel mini-mills is one of the key challenges hindering the blast furnaces market growth .

is one of the key challenges hindering the blast furnaces market growth The global steel demand has been fluctuating, which puts integrated steel plant operators at the risk of reduced profitability or even losses when the prices fall or demand for their output is low.

Thus, the inflexibility of integrated steel plants in terms of matching production with demand at optimum cost is making steel mini-mills the preferred substitute for integrated steel plants.

Developing and emerging countries are expected to account for the majority of the increase in steel demand during 2017-2022, and businesses in these countries usually lack the financial resources to invest in integrated steel plants.

Therefore, steel mini-mills account for most of the new capacity additions in developing countries. Such factors will hinder market growth during the forecast period.

Drivers, trends, and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact businesses. Find more insights in a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this blast furnaces market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the blast furnaces market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the blast furnaces market size and its contribution to the market in focus on the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the blast furnaces market industry across APAC, Europe , North America , Middle East and Africa , and South America

, , and , and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of blast furnaces market vendors

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Blast Furnaces Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 163 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 4.9% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 1,924.47 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 5.34 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 62% Key countries US, China, India, Japan, and Russia Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Ansteel Group Corp. Ltd., China Metallurgical Engineering and Project Corp., Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA, Danieli and C. Officine Meccaniche Spa, Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. Ltd., Heavy Engineering Corp. Ltd., IHI Corp., JP Steel Plantech Co., Krosaki Harima Corp., Larsen and Toubro Ltd., McNally Bharat Engineering Co. Ltd., MECON Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp., Noble Industrial Furnace Co. Inc., POSCO holdings Inc., Primetals Technologies Ltd., Qinhuangdao Qinye Heavy Industry Co. Ltd., Shandong Province Metallurgical Engineering Co. Ltd., Sinosteel Corp., and SMS group GmbH Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, the Market condition analysis for forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Application



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global Blast Furnaces Market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global Blast Furnaces Market 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 Application Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Application Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Application

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Application

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Application



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Application

6.3 Capacity additions - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Capacity additions - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Capacity additions - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Capacity additions - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Capacity additions - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Revamping projects - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Revamping projects - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Revamping projects - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Revamping projects - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Revamping projects - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Application ($ million)

7 Market Segmentation by Type

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 43: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 44: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by Type

7.3 Hot blast ovens - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 47: Chart on Hot blast ovens - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Hot blast ovens - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 49: Chart on Hot blast ovens - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Hot blast ovens - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Cold blast blowers - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on Cold blast blowers - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Cold blast blowers - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 53: Chart on Cold blast blowers - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Cold blast blowers - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 55: Market opportunity by Type ($ million)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 56: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 57: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 59: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 61: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 63: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 64: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 65: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 66: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 67: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 68: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 69: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 70: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 72: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 81: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 82: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 83: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 84: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 87: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 89: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 90: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 91: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 92: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 95: Chart on Russia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on Russia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 99: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 100: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 101: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 102: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 103: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 104: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 105: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 106: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 107: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 China Metallurgical Engineering and Project Corp.

Exhibit 108: China Metallurgical Engineering and Project Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 109: China Metallurgical Engineering and Project Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 110: China Metallurgical Engineering and Project Corp. - Key offerings

12.4 Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA

Exhibit 111: Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA - Overview



Exhibit 112: Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA - Business segments



Exhibit 113: Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 114: Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA - Segment focus

12.5 Danieli and C. Officine Meccaniche Spa

Exhibit 115: Danieli and C. Officine Meccaniche Spa - Overview



Exhibit 116: Danieli and C. Officine Meccaniche Spa - Business segments



Exhibit 117: Danieli and C. Officine Meccaniche Spa - Key news



Exhibit 118: Danieli and C. Officine Meccaniche Spa - Key offerings



Exhibit 119: Danieli and C. Officine Meccaniche Spa - Segment focus

12.6 Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 120: Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 121: Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 122: Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 123: Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. Ltd. - Segment focus

12.7 IHI Corp.

Exhibit 124: IHI Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 125: IHI Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 126: IHI Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 127: IHI Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 128: IHI Corp. - Segment focus

12.8 JP Steel Plantech Co.

Exhibit 129: JP Steel Plantech Co. - Overview



Exhibit 130: JP Steel Plantech Co. - Product / Service



Exhibit 131: JP Steel Plantech Co. - Key offerings

12.9 Larsen and Toubro Ltd.

Exhibit 132: Larsen and Toubro Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 133: Larsen and Toubro Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 134: Larsen and Toubro Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 135: Larsen and Toubro Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 136: Larsen and Toubro Ltd. - Segment focus

12.10 McNally Bharat Engineering Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 137: McNally Bharat Engineering Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 138: McNally Bharat Engineering Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 139: McNally Bharat Engineering Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.11 MECON Ltd.

Exhibit 140: MECON Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 141: MECON Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 142: MECON Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 143: MECON Ltd. - Segment focus

12.12 Nippon Steel Corp.

Exhibit 144: Nippon Steel Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 145: Nippon Steel Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 146: Nippon Steel Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 147: Nippon Steel Corp. - Segment focus

12.13 Noble Industrial Furnace Co. Inc.

Exhibit 148: Noble Industrial Furnace Co. Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 149: Noble Industrial Furnace Co. Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 150: Noble Industrial Furnace Co. Inc. - Key offerings

12.14 POSCO holdings Inc.

Exhibit 151: POSCO holdings Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 152: POSCO holdings Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 153: POSCO holdings Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 154: POSCO holdings Inc. - Segment focus

12.15 Primetals Technologies Ltd.

Exhibit 155: Primetals Technologies Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 156: Primetals Technologies Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 157: Primetals Technologies Ltd. - Key offerings

12.16 Shandong Province Metallurgical Engineering Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 158: Shandong Province Metallurgical Engineering Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 159: Shandong Province Metallurgical Engineering Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 160: Shandong Province Metallurgical Engineering Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.17 SMS group GmbH

Exhibit 161: SMS group GmbH - Overview



Exhibit 162: SMS group GmbH - Product / Service



Exhibit 163: SMS group GmbH - Key offerings

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 164: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 165: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 166: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 167: Research methodology



Exhibit 168: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 169: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 170: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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SOURCE Technavio
This single barrel Willet Bourbon is a one-of-a-kind blend exclusively offered at Blend Bar by Davidoff

MIAMI, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blend Bar by Davidoff, an Internationally renowned upscale cigar and bourbon lounge hosted a one of kind excursion which brought together Davidoff Cigars and Willet Distillery (considered by many the premier bourbon whiskey in the world). The event culminated in the choosing of a limited-edition one-of-a-kind Willet Bourbon barrel which will only be available at Blend Bar by Davidoff's four locations.

BLEND Bar with Davidoff Cigars Willett Distillery VIP Experience Willet Bourbon and Davidoff

Kentucky, home to Willet Distillery, was ground zero for a first of its kind weekend long celebration of all thing's luxury. Blend Bar by Davidoff, boasting four locations, spanning four states, handpicked their top roster of VIP members and Davidoff executives to sample and choose a one of a kind 10-year aged barrel of Willet Bourbon.

The two-day excursion brought together spirits and cigar aficionados to the famed distillery for a day long tasting guided by fifth generation distiller Drew Kulsveen. After the barrel was selected the occasion was celebrated with dinner at the famed Harrison Smith House complete with specially selected limited edition Davidoff Cigars, and Willet Bourbon.

Partner at Blend Bar by Davidoff Corey Johnston said: "We understand that Willet Distillery does not offer single barrels, so this was an honor for us at Blend Bar. We want to make clear that the bourbon from this barrel is truly one of a kind. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. We invite the public to one of our Blend Bar locations for this exquisite bourbon."

About Blend Bar by Davidoff

BLEND Bar with Davidoff Cigars is an internationally recognized upscale cigar and bourbon bar with locations in Indianapolis, Nashville, Pittsburgh and The Woodlands, TX. At night, BLEND is a trendy, sophisticated nightspot where you can enjoy old friends while making new ones. During the day, BLEND is the perfect meeting place to close an important business deal or entertain a client.

Most notably, however, is BLEND's partnership with Davidoff of Geneva USA, which began in 2015. The partnership made BLEND the first and only licensed Davidoff Cigar Lounge in the world.

For more information about Blend Bar by Davidoff please visit www.BlendBarCigar.com

For more information about Willet Distillery please visit www.KentuckyBourbonWhiskey.com

For more information about Davidoff Cigars please visit: www.Davidoff.com

Media Contact:

Liza M Santana/Gabriel Pineres

305.968.2384 /786.541.7411

[email protected]

SOURCE Blend Bar by Davidoff
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Blockchain IoT Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2022 to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Key Market Insights

Rising Concern for Data Security expected to spur the demand for Blockchain IoT Market



The global blockchain IoT market value surged from US$ 105.3 Mn in the year 2021 to US$ 25,560.3 Mn in 2030, with a CAGR of 60.6% during the forecast from 2022 to 2030.



Increasing deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) devices worldwide has triggered a sense of data security. Traditional architecture of client-server is vulnerable to security breach due to single-point security intelligence.

On the other hand, blockchain distributed ledger technology provides distributed and decentralized security system that is hard to break. Architectural limitations of IoT prevents it from making intelligent security decisions, therefore blockchain solution for IoT can open up lucrative opportunities in the field of cyber-security. In addition, businesses that rely on complex and expensive data have shown a preference shift towards blockchain IoT solutions for their data security.



Offering Analysis

Hardware Segment predicted to grow at a Substantial Rate



Hardware analyzed as the most opportunistic segment during the forecast period. The lucrative growth of the segment is mainly due to increasing use cases of blockchain IoT in redefining business models and increasing their productivity platforms. Blockchain hardware picks data from the edge of IoT and transfers it to cloud that helps in driving business values and empowering them. However, software segment anticipated to hold substantial share over the forecast period due to increasing investment by major market players.



End-user Analysis

Smart City Segment expected to witness the Fastest Growth during the Forecast Period



Smart city segment seeks lucrative opportunity for the blockchain IoT solution in the near future owing to significant number of on-going smart city projects in different parts of the world. Some of the top smart city projects operating across the world are Digital Catapult, Sidewalk Labs LinkNYC, Green City Solutions' CityTree, Telensa Smart Parking, and many others.



Market leaders operating in smart city projects leverage blockchain IoT solutions for overcoming the security-breach and privacy-related issues in different smart city solutions. For the same, many IoT solution providers for the smart city projects have joined hands with blockchain players to provide relevant solutions. For instance, in November 2019, Obyte, a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform has signed a partnership agreement with Bosch Connectory to explore smart city solution.



Key Players & Competitive Landscape:

Significant Opportunity for the New Entrants to invade in the Global Blockchain IoT Market.



The global blockchain IoT market is a nascent market, but still highly competitive owing to the presence of several established blockchain players such as IBM Corp., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., and many others. In addition, the market provides lucrative opportunities for new entrants to establish its strong footprint in the global market by accurately leveraging the power of IoT with blockchain.



List of Companies Covered:

IBM Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

Intel Corporation

Amazon.com Inc.

Cisco Systems Inc.

Ethereum Foundation

Foundation The Linux Foundation

R3 LLC

Filament

KrypC Technologies

Market Segmentation

Offering

Hardware

Software

Infrastructure Provider

Application

Data Security

Smart Contacts

Asset Tracking and Management

Data Communication/Sharing

Others (real-time workforce tracking, and workforce management)

End-user

Transportation and Logistics

Energy and Utility

Manufacturing

Retail

Building Management

Smart City

Healthcare

Wearable and Mobile Devices

Others (food, pharmaceuticals, mining, agriculture, construction, and real estate)

Key questions answered in this report

What are the key micro and macro environmental factors that are impacting the growth of Blockchain IoT market?

What are the key investment pockets with respect to product segments and geographies currently and during the forecast period?

Estimated forecast and market projections up to 2030.

Which segment accounts for the fastest CAGR during the forecast period?

Which market segment holds a larger market share and why?

Are low and middle-income economies investing in the Blockchain IoT market?

Which is the largest regional market for Blockchain IoT market?

What are the market trends and dynamics in emerging markets such as Asia Pacific , Latin America , and Middle East & Africa ?

, , and & ? Which are the key trends driving Blockchain IoT market growth?

Who are the key competitors and what are their key strategies to enhance their market presence in the Blockchain IoT market worldwide?

Key Topics Covered:



1. Preface



2. Executive Summary



3. Blockchain IoT Market: Competitive Analysis



4. Blockchain IoT Market: Macro Analysis & Market Dynamics



5. Blockchain IoT Market: By Offering, 2020-2030, USD (Million)



6. Blockchain IoT Market: By Application, 2020-2030, USD (Million)



7. Blockchain IoT Market: By End-user, 2020-2030, USD (Million)



8. North America Blockchain IoT Market, 2020-2030, USD (Million)



9. UK and European Union Blockchain IoT Market, 2020-2030, USD (Million)



10. Asia Pacific Blockchain IoT Market, 2020-2030, USD (Million)



11. Latin America Blockchain IoT Market, 2020-2030, USD (Million)



12. Middle East and Africa Blockchain IoT Market, 2020-2030, USD (Million)



13. Company Profile

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9ww9jp-iot?w=5

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

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SOURCE Research and Markets
SEATTLE, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blu Canary Capital is pleased to announce the appointment of Douglas Borthwick as Chief Business Officer, effective January 2, 2023.

Douglass Borthwick joins Blu Canary Capital

Douglas brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role, having previously held leadership positions at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and Standard Chartered Bank. He also founded and built the Chapdelaine FX electronic and voice trading business for inter-dealer broker TP-ICAP. Most recently, Douglas served as Chief Business Officer for The INX Digital Company, where he helped launch the first IPO of an SEC-Registered Security Token, opening the door for companies to legally raise capital directly from their communities. He holds an MBA from Yale University and a BS from Carnegie Mellon University.

As Chief Business Officer, Douglas will lead the firm's revenue growth and develop strategic goals that align with the organization's mission and vision. He will report to CEO and Co-founder Rory Rawlings. A linchpin of the founding leadership team, Douglas brings financial markets expertise that dovetails with the technology experience of CEO Rory Rawlings. Rawlings founded Avalara in the mid-2000s, a tax compliance SaaS that went public in 2018 with a valuation of $9 billion.

"Douglas is our not-so-secret weapon at Blu Canary," said Rawlings. "There is no one on the planet who better understands digital assets and Blu Canary's mission to bring tokenization into the mainstream and into compliance. I am confident that Douglas will make a significant impact on capital markets in this new role."

Borthwick added, "I am honored to join Blu Canary Capital and am excited to contribute to its continued success. I look forward to working with the storied team, helping drive the company and indeed the digital assets industry forward. We have ambitious goals and the right people to attain them."

About Blu Canary Capital

Blu Canary Capital is a modern advisory firm with a simple mission: provide FinTech services that support the innovation economy. We help entrepreneurs with new ideas and large audiences raise money through SEC-registered digital securities. We catalyze Web3 ecosystems through partners and affiliates to generate new client revenue streams. Our products and services are designed to unlock the advantages of 21st-century capital markets: efficiency, transparency and liquidity. To find out more go to https://blucanarycapital.com.

Contact:

Berto Torres, President

707-689-2517

[email protected]

SOURCE Blu Canary Capital
RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Force Technologies ("BFT") and the Air Force Research Laboratory ("AFRL") have successfully completed a ground test for a novel carbon fiber composite propulsion flowpath system for BFT's Fury uncrewed fighter under the AFRL Bandit program.

Agile small business awarded SBIR conducts successful ground engine test on a future unmanned fighter aircraft Tweet this Fury conducting a ground engine test

As announced in Mar 2022 BFT, an agile aerospace and defense company based in North Carolina, is maturing a high-performance uncrewed 5th generation fighter design that provides replication of pacing threats at a fraction of the cost of a crewed fighter. The air vehicle technology developed under Bandit supports uncrewed adversary air training objectives relevant to the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and can be adapted for other Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) mission areas. The Bandit program further demonstrates the impact that small businesses can have in the defense industrial base.

AFRL, in collaboration with BFT, is exploring the value of digital engineering to expedite ground and flight test by harnessing the artifacts generated through digital analysis as proof of capability. This ground test provided high-fidelity data that will be used in validation of computational methods over the coming months.

"On an uncrewed fighter like Fury, proper integration of the propulsion flowpath is the most significant design driver for the overall vehicle. It was crucial to us to demonstrate, prior to building flight test aircraft, that we could correctly predict the interaction between the propulsion flowpath components and the Williams International engine," said Scott Bledsoe, President of Blue Force Technologies.

Leading into testing, the BFT and AFRL team performed time-accurate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis which leveraged the extensive computational resources of AFRL and Army Engineer Research and Development Center. The purpose of the test was to validate the analysis to gain confidence by the team in using the CFD tool in other portions of the flight envelope. "With AFRL's help, we are further building out our digital engineering toolchain to enable future ACP variants to be designed quickly," said Bledsoe.

"The Bandit program is about demonstrating ever tighter model-to-hardware prototype development cycles for autonomous collaborative platforms, and this integrated propulsion flowpath test is indicative of that approach. After making the engine selection in June 2022, the AFRL and Blue Force Technologies team worked to finalize test objectives and procedures concurrently with Blue Force's hardware build to ensure this full-scale test came together in under six months," said Alyson Turri, AFRL Bandit Program Manager.

SOURCE Blue Force Technologies
Blue Star Mothers of America

Stacy Anders, Nat'l President

WATSONVILLE, Calif., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Star Mothers of America President Stacy Anders announced Blue Star Mothers of America 2023 annual convention will be in "Music City" - Nashville, TN. The announcement included naming of the Convention Co-Chairs Amy O'Campo and Jennie McFarling. Amy stated she is "looking forward to the week's agenda filled with education and fun while enhancing sisterhood." She went on to say they are hoping to secure interesting speakers and provide awesome educational experiences.

Blue Star Mothers of America are mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, foster mothers and female legal guardians who have children serving in the military, guard or reserves, or children who are veterans. These mothers support each other and their children while promoting patriotism. Currently, there are over 6,000 members from over 200 Chapters throughout the nation.

The 80th Annual National Convention will take place July 31st  August 4, 2023, at the Millennium Maxwell House. Along with conducting business, the delegates will participate in leadership activities, have educational speakers, and share Chapter activities. One evening will be dedicated to the Big Dipper fundraiser for educational assistance to qualified candidates. Many convention goers will come in early or stay on longer to enjoy the euphoric music, hospitality, and exotic food!

Spokesperson Ann Parker commented, "We expect about 200 Military mothers from across the United States to come together for this convention," Diana Rettig, member of Blue Star Mothers of SE Wisconsin stated. "It's exciting to meet Military mothers across the county to share ideas and support each other. We are looking forward to exploring this unique city with our fellow Blue Star Mothers."

Blue Star Mothers of America was founded in 1942 in Flint, Michigan. The organization provides support for active-duty service personnel, promotes patriotism, assists Veterans organizations, and is available to assist in homeland volunteer efforts to help our country remain strong. The Big Dipper, an Auxiliary of Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the 1951 National Convention. All Blue Star Mothers, in good standing, can become a member of the auxiliary and are welcomed.

For further information, contact Pam Travis at [email protected].

SOURCE Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc.
Reports Quarterly Revenue of US$7.8 Million & Highlights Recent Developments

LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Body and Mind Inc. (CSE: BAMM) (OTCQB: BMMJ) (the "Company" or "BaM"), a multi-state operations-focused cannabis company, is pleased to announce financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 ended October 31, 2022 and to provide shareholders with an operational update. All financial information is provided in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Q1 FY 2023 Summary & Comparison to Q1 FY 2022 (in Millions of US$)









Q1 FY 2023 Q1 FY 2022

Revenue $7.8 $7.6

Net Income/(Loss) ($3.0) ($0.7)

Adjusted EBITDA* ($1.6) $0.8



Q1 FY 2023 (ended October 31, 2022) and Subsequent Highlights:

Closed a $3 million unsecured convertible debt financing with Bengal Capital and Mindset Capital, two experienced cannabis-focused funds, and announced that Bengal Capital partner Josh Rosen would be joining the Company's Board of Directors.

unsecured convertible debt financing with Bengal Capital and Mindset Capital, two experienced cannabis-focused funds, and announced that Bengal Capital partner would be joining the Company's Board of Directors. Closed a merger with CraftedPlants NJ, Inc., an entity that holds a lease on a New Jersey commercial property with local cannabis-use approval for a retail location with nearly all merger consideration tied to successful completion of specific licensing and operational milestones. (See the Company's December 22, 2022 press release for further details.)

commercial property with local cannabis-use approval for a retail location with nearly all merger consideration tied to successful completion of specific licensing and operational milestones. (See the Company's press release for further details.) Commenced tenant improvement construction on the first of two Illinois adult-use dispensaries. The dispensary is located within the largest retail mall in Markham, Illinois , which has average daily traffic counts of more than 400,000 cars per day within a mile of the project location.

adult-use dispensaries. The dispensary is located within the largest retail mall in , which has average daily traffic counts of more than 400,000 cars per day within a mile of the project location. Submitted New Jersey state license application in conjunction with BaM Body and Mind Dispensary NJ, Inc. f/k/a CraftedPlants NJ, Inc. Commenced design, architectural and planning work for the New Jersey location.

Management Commentary

"Our most recent quarter reflects our growth into new markets, continued focus on operations and funds committed to expanding Body and Mind as we continue to advance our priority projects in Illinois and New Jersey. Our goal is to drive our business forward with our current operations as we open new facilities in strong markets. Our development team has worked diligently with the city of Markham, Illinois and received all approvals to advance construction," stated Michael Mills, CEO of Body and Mind. "We have been approved for a keystone location within the largest retail mall in Markham with over 400,000 cars per day passing within 1 mile of the new location. Demolition is complete and interior renovations of the space have commenced with an estimated opening in mid-spring of 2023. The new location will be a 3,400 square foot Body and Mind branded dispensary located near a large parking area in a prime location in the mall."

Q1 FY 2023 Financial Highlights:

Revenues for Q1 FY 2023 were $7.8 million , a 3.4% increase over Q1 FY 2022 revenues of $7.6 million .

, a 3.4% increase over Q1 FY 2022 revenues of . Gross profit of $1.6 million for Q1 FY 2023 compared to a gross profit of $3.2 million for Q1 FY 2022.

for Q1 FY 2023 compared to a gross profit of for Q1 FY 2022. Q1 FY 2023 net operating loss was $2.0 million compared to Q1 FY 2022 net operating loss of $0.3 million . The change in net operating income was primarily impacted by increased business development expenses related to Illinois and New Jersey , license applications, new operation startup expenses and a decrease in flower pricing in Nevada .

compared to Q1 FY 2022 net operating loss of . The change in net operating income was primarily impacted by increased business development expenses related to and , license applications, new operation startup expenses and a decrease in flower pricing in . Q1 FY 2023 net loss was $3.0 million (or basic and diluted loss per share of $0.03 ) compared to a Q1 FY 2022 net loss of $0.7 million (or basic and diluted loss per share of $0.01 ).

(or basic and diluted loss per share of ) compared to a Q1 FY 2022 net loss of (or basic and diluted loss per share of ). Adjusted EBITDA loss of $1.6 million for Q1 FY 2023 vs. Adjusted EBITDA of $0.8 million in Q1 FY 2022*.

for Q1 FY 2023 vs. Adjusted EBITDA of in Q1 FY 2022*. Total Current Assets were $6.7 million , Total Assets were $29.0 million , Total Current Liabilities were $7.6 million and Total Liabilities were $21.9 million at October 31, 2022 .

, Total Assets were , Total Current Liabilities were and Total Liabilities were at . Subsequent to October 31, 2022 , the company raised $3.0 million in unsecured convertible debt (See the Company's December 22, 2022 press release for further details.)

The Company had 146,636,974 common shares outstanding as of January 24, 2023.

For further details, please see the Company's recent Form 10-Q filing on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar/search, and the interim financial statements filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

*Adjusted EBITDA is a Non-GAAP metric used by management that does not have any standardized meaning prescribed by U.S. GAAP and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Management defines the Adjusted EBITDA as the Income (loss) from operations, as reported, before interest, taxes, and adjusted for removing other non-cash items, including stock-based compensation expense, gain on settlement, loss on impairment, depreciation, and further adjustments to remove acquisition related costs or gains. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is a useful financial metric to assess its operating performance on a cash adjusted basis before the impact of non-cash items and acquisition activities. The most comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP is net income (loss), which was presented above prior to the Adjusted EBITDA figure.

Net Profit/Loss ($2,952,795) Interest Income ($18,000) Interest $381,423 Tax $626,074 Depreciation/Amortization $362,155 EBITDA ($1,601,183)

EBITDA ($1,601,183) Gain on settlement 0 Loss on impairment 0 Stock-based compensation $32,458 Adjusted EBITDA ($1,568,725)

About Body and Mind Inc.

BaM is an operations-focused cannabis company with active retail operations in Ohio, Arkansas, Michigan and California, pending retail operations in Illinois and New Jersey, and craft cultivation and/or processing operations in Nevada, Ohio and Arkansas. We work daily to increase our market share through delighting customers while also continuing to hone our operational efficiencies to drive profits. We are primarily guided by the metric of return on investment. Currently, we believe the most significant return on investment projects in front of us are successful retail cannabis store launches in Illinois and New Jersey, which augment our existing retail footprint. We also believe that our team's core operational skillsets will create significant future shareholder value as the cannabis industry matures.

Please visit www.bodyandmind.com for more information.

Instagram: @bodyandmindBaM

Twitter: @bodyandmindBaM

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation of activities, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release.

Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

SOURCE Body and Mind Inc.
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Body Fluid Collection and Diagnostic Market by Sample Type, Product, Application, Technology (Polymerase Chain Reaction, Next Generation Sequencing, and by Region - Global Forecast to 2022-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The body fluid collection and diagnostic market size is estimated to be USD 30,525.12 million in 2022 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 7.87% during the forecast period 2023-2033.

Surge in demand for the analysis of body fluids in a variety of clinical and diagnostic applications and increasing incidence of both communicable and non-communicable diseases worldwide are factors contributing to the market growth.

Rising demand for Direct-to-Consumer testing (DTC) is expected to fuel the market growth during the projected period. It is anticipated that the rising demand for Direct-to-Consumer testing (DTC) will increase demand for body fluid collection and make it simpler for end users to gather samples. A number of players directly sell DTC sample collection kits to consumers and then analyse the samples they collect.

Strategic partnership, launching new products, and expanding into new regions by key market players is predicted to propel the market growth during the forecast period.



By Sample Type



The market is categorized into saliva, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine. In the global market, the blood segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2022 owing to the development of cutting-edge techniques including single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis, short tandem repeat, and others. Body fluid remains found at crime scenes are critical pieces of evidence for forensic investigators. They include valuable DNA data that can be used to identify a victim or suspect.

One of the key areas of forensics is crime scene analysis. To increase diagnostic blood collection, BD and Babson Diagnostics expanded their collaboration in May 2022. Patients might obtain blood samples at home due to the new care setting. The urine sample is predicted to exhibit significant growth in the upcoming years.

The use of medical testing in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases is increasing in significance. Urine is collected for various purposes, including the metabolic assessment of proteinuria, urinary stone disease, estimating renal function, and more. In an outpatient setting, the testing is conducted. University of Tokyo researchers announced in November 2022 that they are developing new tests that could aid in the early detection of chronic kidney disease. The segment's growth would be further fuelled by ongoing developments in this area.



By Product



The market is divided into instruments, tests/services, and kits & consumables. In 2022, the kits & consumables segment accounted for the highest revenue share due to the less restrictions on COVID-19 kits from the government and rising demand for quick and affordable kits. For instance, the Indian Council of Medical Research approved COVID home test kits in May 2021 and published comprehensive instructions on how and for whom to use the kits.

Additionally, it will be beneficial for laboratories that have heavy sample loads every day. The BC-700 Series, an Integrated ESR & CBC Hematology Analyzer for Small-to-Middle Sized Labs, announced by Mindray for release in March 2022. However, the analyzer's price is very high, thus laboratories opt to employ standard haematology analyzers for fluid cell counts.



By Application



The market is segregated into therapeutic decision making, prognostics & screening, and diagnostics & monitoring. In the global market, the segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2022 owing to the fact that it enables clinicians to detect changes to cellular networks and physiological situations. Clinical indicators are regarded to be best derived from body fluid of humans. Body fluid testing has benefits for disease diagnosis and monitoring, including low cost, low invasiveness, and speedy sample collection and processing.

Furthermore, molecular expression level profiles in body fluid can help in detecting alterations in cellular networks and physiological situations in damaged tissues. One of the most effective methods for early diagnosis, monitoring, management, and evaluation of the early response to chronic diseases, and for determining the potential pathophysiology of such abnormalities, is now recognized to be body fluid analysis.

Therapeutic decision-making is expected to expand profitably during the forecast period. Involving the patient in therapeutic decision-making emphasizes the advantages and disadvantages of the course of treatment.



By Technology



The market is segmented into polymerase chain reaction (PCR), next generation sequencing (NGS), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and others. In 2022, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)segment accounted for the largest revenue share owing to increasing use of the technology for the identification of diseases. A non-invasive method for diagnosing infectious diseases and genetic abnormalities is body fluid DNA sequencing. For the robust amplification of small DNA fragments in body fluid, Oligo-Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction can be used.

The current Ebola virus disease outbreak was reported by the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ministry of Health in August 2022. As a result, RT-PCR has experienced an increase in demand in laboratories for virus detection. The oropharyngeal secretions are used as the source for the sample.

The next-generation sequencing segment is expected to exhibit the fastest rate of growth in the upcoming years. Every aspect of biological science has been changed by NGS. The cost of sequencing has been greatly decreased. This segment has undergone a number of developments recently, which have driven the growth of the segment.



Companies Mentioned

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Bio-Rad Laboratories

QIAGEN N.V. Inc.

Guardant Health

Johnson & Johnson

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

Biocept Inc.

Illumina

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

MDxHealth SA

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bmgmu9

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716



Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Borr Drilling Limited (the "Company") (NYSE: BORR) (OSE: BORR) is pleased to announce updates to its preliminary Revenue and EBITDA guidance for 2022 and 2023.

For 2022, Borr Drilling expects to record revenues of $435-$450 million and adjusted EBITDA of $152-$162 million* (previous guidance was revenue between $375-$400 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $115-140 million). This implies estimated Q4 2022 Revenues between $140-$155 million, and Q4 2022 Adjusted EBITDA of between $50-$60 million.

For 2023, based on current contracts and projections for new contracts, the Company expects to generate revenues of $740-$780 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $360-$400 million (previous guidance was adjusted EBITDA of $290-330 million).

The cash and cash equivalents balance at year end 2022 is estimated to be ~$105 million.

"Borr Drilling has been through a transformational journey the last years, activating and putting 21 rigs successfully to work and significantly strengthening the Company's balance sheet. The outlook for the industry and our Company is continuing to improve, which is likely to lead to further increased utilisation and higher day-rates," says CEO Patrick Schorn

It is important to note that the financial preliminary guidance for Q4 and 2022 is based on estimates, and the financial results are not finalised. The results are also subject to audit, and as such are subject to change.

Forward looking statements

This press release includes forward looking statements, which do not reflect historical facts and may be identified by words such as "expect", "will" and similar expressions and include statements relating to letter of awards including the duration of such contracts and backlog, and other non-historical statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's beliefs, intentions and current expectations concerning, among other things, the Company's results of operations, financial condition, preliminary and expected financial results, including revenue and adjusted EBITDA, cash and cash equivalents, industry outlook, further increased utilization and higher day rates and other non-historical statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements included herein, and other risks and uncertainties described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our most recent annual report on Form 20-F and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied by the forward -looking statements included herein. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release. We do not undertake to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

* The Company provides guidance on expected adjusted EBITDA, which is a financial measure calculated on a basis other than in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (US GAAP). Adjusted EBITDA represents our periodic net loss adjusted for: depreciation and impairment of non-current assets, other non-operating income; (income)/loss from equity method investments, total financial (income) expense net, income tax expense, amortization of deferred mobilization costs and revenue. The Company provides guidance on Adjusted EBITDA because it believes this measure provides useful information regarding the Company's expected operational performance. Due to the forward-looking nature of Adjusted EBITDA, management cannot reliably predict certain of the necessary components of the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP measure. Accordingly the Company is unable to present a quantitative reconciliation of such forward looking non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measure without unreasonable effort.

Questions should be directed to: Magnus Vaaler, CFO, +44 1224 289208

SOURCE Borr Drilling Limited
Introducing 2.0 version including Whatsapp, and announced the economic violence content integration at the chatbot and financial products with gender perspective development

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Violetta, the creator of a conversational platform to prevent gender-based violence NGO, and Broxel, the financial technology leader company, announced a long term alliance with three purposes: the permanent strengthening of the chatbot, the integration of economic violence content on the platform, and the joint creation of financial products with a gender perspective that promotes inclusion. The alliance was signed by Sasha Glatt, Floretta Mayerson, Carla Pilgram and Sara Kalach, founders of Violetta, and Gustavo A. Gutierrez Galindo, CEO and Founder of Broxel.

"Broxel has the possibilities to impact financial inclusion like no other company. In this train of thought, including those who, due to income, immigration status, or gender have been excluded of financial services, we've decided this alliance with Violetta will be our compass, our guide to conceptualize and develop financial products that allows the inclusion of thousand of women who are financially invisible; women with no name or last-name on the financial system, because they don't have an account, a card with their name on it, that perpetuate the violence cycles in which they find themselves. The technology we have in Broxel ensures that this goal is possible; the social commitment that we share with Violetta reminds us that it's necessary", said Gustavo A. Gutierrez Galindo, CEO and Founder of Broxel.

"Today we introduce Violetta 2.0, the new chatbot version available on Whatsapp, with state-of-the-art technologies and psychoeducational content based on the community's needs, which make Violetta an even more accessible tool for everyone."

During the alliance presentation, Floretta Mayerson, Violetta's co-funder, explained that, since the relationship with Broxel was made, it was determined to include economic violence content in the conversational platform: "According to (INEGI), by 2020, Economic violence has a prevalence of 47.3% in women whose marital status is separated, divorced or widow and 28.1% in married women, and the age range in which it occurs most is between 35 and 44 years. We find enormous potential in the Violetta-Broxel alliance to take impact of gender-based violence prevention to a deeper level. Violetta will integrate psychoeducational and socio-emotional content around the prevention of economic violence in this new Violetta's version, and this 2023, financial products with a gender perspective will be designed and put on the market to help face economic violence."

Broxel and Violetta A.C., reaffirmed being aware that the detection of economic violence is not enough, but the joint responsibility to prevent and face its causes and consequences, as well as developing products with a gender perspective that allow financial inclusion: "Financial invisibility, not having an account with their name, not being able to save money, prevents victims of gender-based violence from imagining and building a different reality. That is what Broxel and Violetta want to change together. We want to build sorority and inclusion based on technology", pointed out Gustavo A. Gutierrez Galindo, CEO and Founder of Broxel.

The 4 Violetta's co-founders explained that all the content posted on WhatsApp and web platforms is created by professionals and it will be divided into 7 objectives based on content for building healthy relationships. To chat with Violetta write to +52 5592252523.

About Violetta

Just two months after the launch of Violetta on WhatsApp, more than 25,000 people registered on the platform, becoming the digital confidant of more than 90,000 people in its historical total. This shows the potential that the tool has to help people build relationships violence free, the result of creating a safe digital space with a gender perspective.

About Broxel

Broxel is a 100% Mexican company, leader in payment technology. Since its founding in 2011, Broxel has offered tailored solutions in the B2B, B2B2C and B2C categories. Broxel is an official licensee of Mastercard, Visa and Carnet, and as of 2021, a Google Cloud partner for the democratization of financial technology solutions throughout Latin America. Broxel issues the official card of the Miami Dolphins in the United States, and developed the "Broxel Borderless" product to meet the financial needs of Mexicans in the United States. The company has about 1,000 employees dedicated to innovation, technology development and new products to promote financial inclusion.

CONTACT:

Jose Luis Anton

VP Communications

+525543441857

[email protected]

SOURCE Broxel
ByHeart is positioned to reliably and safely meet the needs of families across the country and fully reopen to customers in Q2 of 2023 with an eye toward retail expansion this year

The acquisition and pending FDA registration of this manufacturing facility, together with ByHeart's existing facilities, will provide the company with sufficient manufacturing capacity to achieve its goal of feeding 500,000 babies annually

With ownership of three manufacturing facilities across the U.S., ByHeart will further expand the company's full control and oversight of its production process

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, ByHeart announces the acquisition of an additional manufacturing facility that will enable the next-generation baby nutrition company to scale production capacity of its breakthrough infant formula and increase domestic infant formula supply. Recognizing that the formula industry, which historically has been dominated by three players who control 90% of the market, was in need of change, ByHeart founders Ron Belldegrun and Mia Funt began working with DairiConcepts' FDA-registered facility in Allerton, Iowa, in 2018 to proactively build redundancy into their production ecosystem.

ByHeart is acquiring the Allerton facility from DairiConcepts, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), the nation's largest dairy cooperative. ByHeart will be maintaining the facility's workforce and extending its best-in-class benefits to all existing employees. This announcement follows ByHeart's recent acquisition of Cascadia Nutrition, an FDA-registered packaging and blending facility in Portland, OR. Together, these facilities and the company's manufacturing plant in Reading, PA, will provide ByHeart with sufficient manufacturing capacity to achieve its goal of feeding an estimated 500,000 infants each year.

ByHeart Acquires Additional Domestic Infant Formula Manufacturing Facility Tripling its Supply Capacity Tweet this

"Infant formula is a fundamental category and often the sole source of nutrition for babies. Since our launch, we've seen incredible demand for our product; the outpouring of positive feedback from ByHeart customers strengthened our conviction to double down on our supply chain in order to provide families with safe and reliable nourishment for their babies," says ByHeart CEO and Co-Founder Ron Belldegrun. "When we started ByHeart seven years ago, we committed to taking the longer path and building from the ground up to serve as an example for how this industry can and should evolve. By acquiring these additional facilities, we are not only providing critical product to more families, but also further strengthening the vulnerable infant formula supply chain in this country."

"Infant formula is one of the most value added dairy products in the world. We at Dairy Farmers of America are committed to producing high-quality milk and dairy ingredients in a sustainable way while building relationships that leverage the value of dairy nutrition for infant formula," says Martin Bates, president of DFA Ingredient Solutions. "We look forward to continuing to work with ByHeart, which we believe has the potential to unlock significant opportunity for our 11,500 family farmers across the country."

ByHeart's acquisition of an additional production facility dedicated to infant formula will yield a crucial incremental supply of infant formula in the US and ultimately contribute to safeguarding the country from future shortages. As the only infant formula newcomer able to use its clinical trials and manufacturing expertise to enhance the capabilities of existing facilities in the US, ByHeart is continuing to advance 21st-century nutrition to ensure access to a higher quality formula for more families.

When Belldegrun and Funt founded ByHeart in 2016, they set out to develop an infant formula that incorporated the advancements in modern nutrition science and breast milk research that had previously outpaced product innovation in this space. Building the company from scratch allowed ByHeart to personally source each ingredient, acquire their manufacturing and R&D, and apply rigorous quality standards to every touchpoint in the production process. This revolutionary approach yielded the first clinically proven, easy-to-digest infant formula with no corn syrup, maltodextrin, soy, or palm oil. ByHeart's patented protein blend gets closest to breast milk to drive "all in one" functional benefits for a baby. Results from ByHeart's breakthrough national clinical study have been published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Investing in end-to-end US manufacturing and owning three domestic facilities should allow ByHeart to provide formula to more families and strengthen the supply of this vital first food.

About ByHeart

Founded in 2016 and based in New York City with manufacturing facilities across three states, ByHeart is a next-generation baby nutrition company dedicated to empowering parents with choices for a better feeding future. ByHeart is the first new infant formula manufacturer to be registered with the FDA in over 15 years, and its next-generation, easy-to-digest infant formula is defined by nutritional excellence and a farm-to-formula verified quality program. For more information on ByHeart, visit https://byheart.com.

About Dairy Farmers of America

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is a national, farmer-owned dairy cooperative focusing on quality, innovation and the future of family dairies. While supporting and serving more than 11,500 family farm-owners, DFA manufactures nearly every form, function and flavor of nutritional dairy products, including fluid milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, dairy ingredients and more that connect our Cooperative's family farms to family tables with regional brands such as Alta Dena Dairy, Meadow Gold Dairy, Friendly's, Borden Cheese, Plugra Premium Butter and Kemps to name a few. On a global scale, we work with some of the world's leading food companies to develop ingredients that deliver the greatest source of nutrition to consumers around the world, while staying committed to social responsibility and ethical farming. For more information, please visit dfamilk.com.

SOURCE ByHeart
Committed to becoming a more sustainable healthcare partner, the company makes meaningful progress in key ESG areas

DUBLIN, Ohio, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) published its Fiscal 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, which demonstrates the company's actions to reduce its environmental impact, create a world-class work culture, better serve customers, and strengthen the communities where employees live and where the company does business.

"Our new report reflects significant progress in our ESG efforts and highlights our commitment to helping build a more sustainable, equitable world, and a healthier future for our employees, our customers and our communities," said Jason Hollar, Cardinal Health's CEO. "Our ESG work is a critical component of our business transformation; it is enabling our mission of becoming healthcare's most trusted partner."

Key highlights from Cardinal Health's ESG Report:

Increased diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts across all levels of its workforce, including an executive leadership team that is 71% female and 14% ethnically diverse and a Board of Directors that is 54% female and 23% ethnically diverse. Cardinal Health also has made progress toward its ambitious representation goals, announced in August 2021 .

. Reduced its Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 18%, making meaningful progress toward its goal of reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 50% by fiscal 2030 (from a fiscal 2019 base year). The company committed to setting a science-based target (SBT) and is baselining Scope 3 supply chain emissions to finalize its SBT and submit it by the end of 2023 to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for approval.

Continued focus on increasing health equity, by improving healthcare access and quality and addressing social determinants of health. In fiscal 2022, the Cardinal Health Foundation and the company donated $16.8 million , a combination of cash and product donations. Cardinal Health employees donated an additional $1.3 million to charitable causes, and gave more than 53,800 hours of volunteer service.

, a combination of cash and product donations. Cardinal Health employees donated an additional to charitable causes, and gave more than 53,800 hours of volunteer service. Assessed 64% of spend across Cardinal Health Brand products for ESG-related risks through its supplier due diligence program, using supplier surveys and audits.

Implemented strong governance practices: The Board of Directors Governance and Sustainability Committee oversees all ESG efforts; an internal ESG Governance Committee includes CEO Hollar, his direct reports and other senior leaders; and a VP of ESG leads a team that drives ESG initiatives and progress across the enterprise.

The new report was prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) frameworks. As Cardinal Health builds its comprehensive ESG strategy, the company also is integrating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 17 connected goals to address climate change, improve health and education, reduce inequities and inspire economic growth around the world.

The Cardinal Health Fiscal 2022 ESG Report can be viewed here: CardinalHealth.com/ESGReport.

About Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health is a distributor of pharmaceuticals, a global manufacturer and distributor of medical and laboratory products, and a provider of performance and data solutions for healthcare facilities. With more than 50 years in business, operations in more than 30 countries and approximately 46,500 employees globally, Cardinal Health is essential to care. Information about Cardinal Health is available at cardinalhealth.com.

Contacts

Media: Erich Timmerman, [email protected] and (614) 757-8231

Investors: Kevin Moran, [email protected] and (614) 757-7942

SOURCE Cardinal Health
HOUSTON, Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CEMEX USA ("CEMEX") announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement for the purchase of the assets of Atlantic Minerals Limited in Newfoundland, Canada, consisting of a construction and chemical aggregates quarry and port operations as part of the company's growth strategy.

With this investment, CEMEX secures a new long-term aggregates reserve for our extensive Florida operations and the Eastern Coast of the U.S., as well as a source for chemical grade stone serving a wide geographic footprint.

"This acquisition significantly grows our aggregates business with high-quality materials and bolsters our supply chain to better serve the aggregate-constrained Florida market and grow our U.S. customer base," said CEMEX USA President, Jaime Muguiro. "We will be able to further capitalize on growing infrastructure and private sector demand in Florida and elsewhere."

The closing of this transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including consent from government agencies. We expect to finalize this acquisition at the end of the first quarter of 2023 or soon thereafter.

About CEMEX USA

CEMEX is a global building materials company that provides high-quality products and reliable services with a rich history of improving the wellbeing of those it serves through innovative building solutions, efficiency advancements and sustainability efforts. Its U.S. network includes 10 cement plants, close to 50 strategically located cement terminals, nearly 50 aggregate quarries and more than 280 ready-mix concrete plants. CEMEX USA has been repeatedly recognized for its efforts in sustainability and energy management, including earning U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of CEMEX or the transaction herein described to be materially different from those expressed or implied in this release, including not satisfying all closing conditions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein. CEMEX assumes no obligation to update or correct the information contained in this press release. CEMEX is not responsible for the content of any third-party website or webpage referenced to or accessible through this press release.

SOURCE CEMEX USA
SANTA ANA, Calif., Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Raeshaun Brasfield is the first winner of Centerline Drivers' Drive It Forward scholarship for women in transportation.

Raeshaun Brasfield is the first winner of Centerline Drivers Drive It Forward scholarship for women in transportation. Tweet this Raeshaun Brasfield is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama is the first winner of Centerline Drivers Drive It Forward scholarship for women in transportation.

Raeshaun Brasfield is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and the mother of 2 boys. She has worked in healthcare for the past decade and as a traveling CNA for the past two years. After the hardships in healthcare due to the pandemic, she was looking to make a change to the trucking industry. Raeshaun loves driving and wants to provide an example for her sons by becoming a truck driver. One day, she hopes to open a family trucking business with them.

The Drive It Forward scholarship is in honor of Sheila Castaneda, a key member of the Centerline Drivers' leadership team and a proponent of promoting opportunities for women in trucking.

The scholarship provides financial assistance to one woman every year who is entering a CDL program to pursue a career as a commercial driver. The scholarship will be for the full tuition amount up to $7,500.

"This scholarship is very close to my heart and I'm so proud of Raeshaun Brasfield for being our first winner." said Jill Quinn, President of Centerline Drivers. "I can't wait to see what she does in the industry and I'm so honored that she is able to carry on Sheila's legacy."

Applications are now open for the 2023 scholarship. All eligible drivers will submit an online application demonstrating they meet all criteria outlined as conditions of the scholarship. Applicants must provide an essay explaining their circumstances, a professional reference and work history. The deadline for this year's applications is December 31st, 2023 at 11:59 EST.

Click here to apply

About Centerline Drivers

Centerline Drivers connects over 4,500 drivers annually with Fortune 1000 and mid-sized companies. Centerline has been delivering superior staffing service to fleet operators and good jobs to qualified drivers since its founding in 1975. It offers nationwide coverage from a network of branches in 40 U.S. markets and a centralized service operation. Centerline is part of TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), a global leader in specialized workforce solutions that help clients achieve business growth and improve productivity. Centerline was named a top workplace for women to work by Women in Trucking in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 and a Top Workplace by Energage in 2021 and 2022. Learn more at centerlinedrivers.com.

SOURCE Centerline Drivers
Plug and Play has accepted Cereverse to speed up Cereverse's global expansion plans in Sustainability-focused Web 3.0 and Metaverse Arena

Ta' Xbiex, MALTA, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cereverse , a metaverse and web3 ecosystem startup company, joined Plug and Play Malta's Batch 1 program that will help expand Cereverse's growth plans.

Cereverse is a metaverse and web3 ecosystem addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its own tokenomics, metaverse , NFTs, Marketplace and DAO. Created under the umbrella of Cerebrum Technologies Group, Cereverse is focused on sustainability and digital productivity.

Cereverse

Cereverse offers its users a full-fledged metaverse and web3 ecosystem, bridging the physical and digital worlds through immersive experiences. It is aimed that all interactions and experiences in the digital environment of Cereverse will contribute to making the world a more sustainable place. In addition to socializing and having fun, it is aimed at helping users create sustainable habits while participating in training or performing digital productions and fulfilling tasks in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.



Cerebrum Tech is an AI, metaverse, AR/VR focused technology company that addresses sustainability, efficiency, and wide-spread public accessibility to technology.



"Within this broad mission, Cereverse bridges the real and virtual worlds while at the same time fulfilling tasks in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our participation in this program will enhance Cereverse's presence globally,'' stated Mr. Erdem Erkul, PhD, the Founder and Chairman of the Parent Company Cerebrum Technologies.

"We are very proud to be accepted to the most prestigious global innovation platform, Plug and Play. Plug and Play brings together investors, business partners, and the most promising startups from all over the world. The fact that we, as Cereverse, are included in this ecosystem shows the value Plug and Play places on innovative sectors and their companies with great potential," stated Mustafa Furkan Ors, the CEO of Cereverse.



About Cereverse: Established in 2022, Cereverse is the ultimate metaverse ecosystem where your efforts, interactions and experiences in the digital world enable our lovely planet Earth to become a more livable and sustainable place. Cereverse aims to preserve a positive link between technology and environment by taking advantage of technology such as Blockchain, Web 3.0, Metaverse, NFTs and DAOs. For more information, visit https://cereverse.io/



About Plug and Play:

Plug and Play is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, they are present in 50+ locations across five continents. They offer corporate innovation programs and they help corporate partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. They also organize startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC to drive innovation across multiple industries where they have invested in hundreds of successful companies including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal, and Rappi. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1988308/Cereverse.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1988306/Cereverse_logo.jpg

SOURCE Cereverse
Securian Financial retail wealth business includes more than 1,000 financial professionals across more than 30 independent firms, representing $47.4B in AUA and $24.8B in AUM

Business to become a distinct community within Cetera Advisor Networks

LOS ANGELES and ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cetera Financial Group (Cetera), one of America's largest networks of financial professionals, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the retail wealth business of Securian Financial Group, Inc. (Securian Financial). Under the agreement, Cetera will acquire certain assets related to Securian Financial Services, Inc.  Securian Financial's broker-dealer, registered investment advisor and insurance agency  as well as the equity of Securian Trust Company, NA. More than 1,000 financial professionals across 30 independent firms representing $47.4B in assets under administration and $24.8B in assets under management (as of December 31, 2022) will be integrated as a distinct community, branded as Cetera Wealth Management Group, within the Cetera Advisor Networks community. In addition, the transaction includes a broad strategic partnership agreement aimed at aligning the interests of the two organizations, including an arrangement whereby Securian Financial will distribute its individual life and annuity products through Cetera's affiliated financial professionals.

George Connolly, CLU, ChFC, AIF, Executive Vice President, Individual Solutions at Securian Chris Hilger, Chairman, President and CEO of Securian Adam Antoniades, CEO of Cetera

As part of the acquisition, Cetera will extend employment offers to the management team and all eligible employees who support Securian Financial's retail wealth business. Securian Trust Company, NA, will become a standalone Cetera entity and will continue to serve its existing advisors and clients, and expand to serve those in Cetera's other businesses. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023, pending regulatory approval. Terms of the deal are not disclosed.

"We have long admired Securian Financial's commitment to their managing partners, their powerful independent operating model and dedicated community of independent financial professionals," said Adam Antoniades, CEO at Cetera. "Our Wealth Hub, which uniquely brings choice and flexibility to our financial professionals as well as best-in-class growth capabilities, is complementary and synergistic to Securian Financial's operating model, and we envision untapped growth potential for the independent financial professionals joining the Cetera network. Our firms share several common values, including a purpose-driven, service-first mindset that is grounded in our mission to help financial professionals and financial institutions grow. This, coupled with the strength of the managing partner relationships that exist, not only offers a recipe for success but makes sense on so many levels."

"This transaction allows Securian Financial to increase our strategic focus and accelerate growth in our priority markets, while at the same time continue our commitment to the retail wealth business through our strategic partnership with Cetera," said Chris Hilger, Securian Financial's chairman, president and CEO. "Cetera delivers on all important aspects of our acquisition partner selection criteria, including community focus, differentiating scale, and industry-leading technology choice and product platforms. Most importantly, Cetera is a great cultural fit, valuing our unique operating model and commitment to accelerating growth for financial professionals."

"This acquisition underscores Cetera's strong financial health and wealth hub ethos and represents an example of our promise to grow organically, as well as through acquisitions that are the right fit for our business and community of financial professionals," said Jeffrey Buchheister, CFO at Cetera. "We are excited to welcome the Securian Financial team to Cetera and look forward to many shared successes to come."

Morgan Stanley and UBS Investment Bank are acting as financial advisors and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is acting as legal advisor to Cetera. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as financial advisor and Eversheds Sutherland is acting as legal advisor to Securian Financial. UBS Investment Bank is serving as the Lead Left Arranger for the financing.

About Cetera Financial Group

An at-scale wealth hub, Cetera Financial Group (Cetera) offers financial professionals and institutions the latest solutions, support, and services. Breaking away from a commoditized and homogenous IBD model, Cetera instead creatively addresses advisors' and institutions' unique needs, whether they are seeking to grow, scale, or transition with a merger, sale, investment, or succession plan. Cetera proudly serves independent financial advisors, tax professionals, licensed administrators, large enterprises, as well as institutions, such as banks and credit unions. Cetera has an established history of serving large enterprises and financial institutions, providing an established and repeatable blueprint for scalable growth.

Cetera's approach empowers advisors to affiliate in whichever way they deem most appropriate. During the professional life cycle of their practice, the Cetera wealth hub proactively turns  ensuring each advisor's affiliation model identifies and ignites growth levers, in a way that maximizes the value of their practice, people, and legacy. Cetera delivers independent and unbiased financial advice, customized offerings, growth and succession resources, an enhanced advisor tech stack and importantly, an experience where financial professionals don't feel like a number, but an integral part of Cetera's rich and thriving ecosystem.

Home to more than 8,000 financial professionals and their teams, Cetera oversees approximately $322 billion in assets under administration and $115 billion in assets under management, as of December 31, 2022. In a recent advisor satisfaction survey of more than 14,000 reviews, Cetera's Voice of Customer (VoC) program vigorously measures advisor experience and satisfaction 24/7. Currently, it's ranked 4.7 out of 5 stars.

Visit www.cetera.com, and follow Cetera on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

"Cetera Financial Group" refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors LLC, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, Cetera Investment Services LLC (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions or Cetera Investors), and Cetera Financial Specialists LLC. All firms are FINRA/SIPC members. Located at: 655 W. Broadway, 11th Floor, San Diego, CA 92101.

Individuals affiliated with Cetera firms are either Registered Representatives who offer only brokerage services and receive transaction-based compensation (commissions), Investment Adviser Representatives who offer only investment advisory services and receive fees based on assets, or both Registered Representatives and Investment Adviser Representatives, who can offer both types of services.

About Securian Financial

At Securian Financial, we're here for family. And we're here because of it. We're guided by our purpose of helping customers build secure tomorrows. Since 1880, we've been building a uniquely diversified company that has outlasted economic ups and downs while staying true to our customers. We provide insurance, investment and retirement solutions that give families the confidence to focus on what's truly valuable: banking memories with those who matter most. For more information about Securian Financial, visit securian.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Securian Financial is the marketing name for Securian Financial Group, Inc., and its subsidiaries. Insurance products are issued by its subsidiary insurance companies, including Minnesota Life Insurance Company and Securian Life Insurance Company, a New York authorized insurer. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Securian Financial Services, Inc., registered investment advisor, member FINRA/SIPC. Securian Trust Company, N.A., is an affiliate of Securian Financial Group and a national trust bank chartered by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

SOURCE Cetera Financial Group
Expedited Identity Verification Service Now Available at 50 Airports

MORRISVILLE, N.C., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CLEAR (NYSE: YOU) today announced launching its identity verification technology at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), bringing frictionless and predictable travel experiences to its 50th airport.

"RDU is proud to partner with CLEAR to provide travelers another option to expedite the security screening process," said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. "RDU's commitment to leveraging technology to provide our guests with a world class experience makes CLEAR an excellent fit."

Raleigh-Durham International Airport

Today's launch represents continued growth in CLEAR's national footprint, where it serves a total of 50 airports and more than 14 million members. CLEAR already serves 9 of RDU's top 10 domestic destinations, allowing members traveling through RDU to use CLEAR on both ends of their journey. Members use CLEAR's network of dedicated lanes to verify their identity with their eyes or fingers, replacing the need to take out their wallet and driver's license. After verification, a CLEAR Ambassador escorts members through the dedicated lane and directly to TSA physical security, saving them time waiting in line at the security checkpoint. CLEAR's launch at RDU is expected to create 44 jobs and generate approximately $2.6 million in local economic activity every year.

"As an identity company obsessed with creating friction-free experiences, CLEAR is excited to launch at our 50th airport and help passengers traveling through RDU safely and easily affirm their identity at the security checkpoint," said CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker. "Our launch today is the start of a strong partnership with the airport to deliver an outstanding passenger experience."

CLEAR Plus  an opt-in membership that provides access to CLEAR's expedited identity verification lanes  costs about $16 a month billed annually, with discounts available for Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Express members. Newly enrolling active military, veterans, and government officials are also eligible for discounted memberships, and additional family members can be added to an existing CLEAR Plus account for just $60 per adult per year.

About CLEAR

Founded in 2010, CLEAR's mission is to create frictionless experiences. With more than 14 million members and hundreds of partners across the world, CLEAR's identity platform is transforming the way people live, work, and travel. Whether it's at the airport, stadium, or right on your phone, CLEAR connects you to the things that make you, you - making everyday experiences easier, more secure, and friction-free. Since day one, CLEAR has been committed to privacy done right. Members are always in control of their own information, and we never sell member data. For more information, visit clearme.com .

About the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority

The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority operates Raleigh-Durham International Airport . RDU connects central and eastern North Carolina to the people and places that matter most, serving more than 14 million passengers in 2019. RDU powers our region's economy with a $15.1 billion annual economic impact and supports nearly 100,000 local and regional jobs. RDU was rated in the Top Five in passenger satisfaction among large North American Airports in a 2022 J.D. Power study . Learn more online about the Airport Authority Board , including its monthly meetings .

SOURCE CLEAR
Survey finds 83% of small businesses will maintain or increase their spending on outsourced business services in 2023.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clutch, the leading global marketplace of B2B service providers, today released findings from its survey of more than 500 US small business leaders to understand their top business objectives in 2023 and how outsourcing will play a key role in filling any gaps. The survey results highlight the strong confidence among business leaders who are aware of a looming recession but optimistic about their action plans. Some key findings from the survey:

Despite 62% of small businesses being concerned about a potential recession, the top objectives for small businesses in 2023 are to grow revenue, build their teams, and acquire new customers.

64% of small businesses have an idea of actions they would take to combat a recession.

56% of small businesses expect revenue increases in 2023.

83% of small businesses will maintain or increase their spending on outsourced business services in 2023.

Small businesses are looking for new outsourced providers in marketing (27%), IT services (22%), and design (21%) in 2023.

The primary motivation for outsourcing tasks to businesses was a near-tie between reducing expenses and bringing industry experience onto the team.

"In the wake of unprecedented business transformation these past few years, it's motivating to find that small business leaders remain optimistic about growth in 2023  especially in light of their concerns about a looming recession," said Katie Hollar, Head of Marketing at Clutch. "Leaning on outsourced business service providers has proven to be an effective strategy to remain agile and fill critical skills gaps in times of economic uncertainty. Our survey reveals that the majority of small businesses are continuing to invest heavily in business services to fuel their growth this year."

The full survey results can be viewed in today's newly published report, "Small Business Outsourcing Primed to Boom in 2023."

Clutch surveyed 517 small business leaders in the US with experience with outsourcing in December 2022. The survey accounts for companies with under 250 employees across a broad cross-section of industries.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of respondents are female; 48% are male.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) are 18 to 34; 53% are 35 to 54; 10% are 55 or over.

Five percent (5%) of respondents' businesses have one employee; 20% have 2 to 10 employees; 27% have 11 to 50 employees; 32% have 51 to 250 employees; 14% have 251 to 500 employees.

Respondents are from the South (40%), West (18%), Midwest (23%), and Northeast (19%).

About Clutch

Clutch empowers better business decisions as the leading global marketplace of B2B service providers. More than 1 million business leaders start at Clutch each month to read in-depth client interviews and discover trusted agency partners to meet their business needs. Clutch has been honored for the past 5 consecutive years as an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing company and by the Washington Business Journal as one of the 50 fastest growing private companies in the DC metro area for 2022.

Media Contact:

Deesha Laxsav

703-944-4279

[email protected]

SOURCE CLUTCH
Intellimize to future-proof stranded Google Optimize 360 customers with the AI-powered efficiency of programmatic CRO

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Intellimize, the only no code, cookieless, programmatic conversion rate optimization (CRO) platform, announces a special promotion to support transitioning Google Optimize 360 customers without interrupting their current testing and personalization program.

Intellimize, programmatic CRO, offers 6 months free to Google Optimize 360 customers upon signing a one year contract.

Last week, as Google customers were preparing their marketing plans for a cookieless world Google confirmed market rumors that it is sunsetting Google Optimize and Google Optimize 360 (GO360). Both testing and analytics services will no longer be available after September 30, 2023. The announcement leaves thousands of Google Optimize customers looking for an alternative website testing/optimization solution.

The Intellimize GO360 promotion comes on the heels of the company's recent price reductions to enable more brands to grow with Intellimize during the struggling economy.

"At Intellimize, our customers are our true north and we want to ensure that Google's latest announcement causes as little disruption to our industry as possible," said Guy Yalif, Co-founder and CEO, "We know switching testing providers has opportunity costs associated with it, which is why I'm thrilled to offer Google Optimize 360 customers an easy way to transition their A/B testing program by giving them the first six months free (when signing a one year agreement). We're excited to welcome them to our community."

The Intellimize for GO360 customer offer includes:

Unlimited A/B/n testing

Rules-based personalization

Unlimited seats

No code visual editor

No code audience builder

AI-powered copy suggestions

No hidden landing page fees

Granular conversion performance analytics

One-click GA4 integration

Self-service onboarding and training videos

"Marketing teams have had their fair share of challenges over the past few years and we want to make this transition from Google Optimize 360 to Intellimize as seamless as possible for them," said Tracy Sestili, VP of Marketing at Intellimize. "Our AI-powered programmatic CRO is best in class and I think marketers will wish they had switched sooner."

See why Dandy, and other top brands have switched from Google Optimize to Intellimize already.

"Intellimize is the only tool for people who want to start, get better at, or reach expert level CRO. Every other platform I've compared Intellimize to is either 'too much' or it's made for a very simplified use case for marketers that won't allow their users to grow in complexity with the platform," said Dandy's Head of Web Experience, Sara Pion. "The value we gain from Intellimize is knowing that we're not going to waste traffic on experiments that don't convert, and I can personalize every experience for every visitor, as 87% of our web visitors are net new. I would recommend them to any marketing team."

CONTACT:

Tracy Sestili, 650-504-2164, [email protected]

About Intellimize

Intellimize is a cookieless, no code, AI-powered programmatic CRO platform that enables companies to get the most out of their website by converting more of their traffic into results they care about like more revenue, more customers, and more leads to sales. Intellimize powers high converting websites by combining advanced machine learning and marketers' creative ideas to optimize website experiences for each unique visitor every time, even on first page view for anonymized visitors. Conversion-obsessed marketers at Gong, Mercari, Tableau, Okta, Dermalogica, Drift, Sumo Logic, SingleCare, Live Conscious, and more use Intellimize to ensure no ad dollar is wasted. Intellimize is backed by Cobalt Capital, Addition, Amplify Partners, Homebrew, and Precursor Ventures. Learn more on the Intellimize website or follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

SOURCE Intellimize
EATONTOWN, N.J., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Crum & Forster (C&F) Accident & Health (A&H) announces the promotion of Hallie Harenski to Senior Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Communications. In this role, Ms. Harenski will continue to lead an award-winning communications team with oversight of marketing and branding, social and digital media, graphic design, public relations, event management, sponsorships, and internal and external communications for C&F.

Crum & Forster Promotes Hallie Harenski to Senior Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Communications

Ms. Harenski is a seasoned international marketing and communications professional with extensive experience in marketing and omni-channel distribution, market research and analytics, and brand and business development  both domestically and internationally. Her career includes leadership positions at AIG, Zurich Financial Services and MetLife, and she has lived and worked in several countries around the world within Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific region.

"We are thrilled for Hallie's continued advancement within Crum & Forster," said Lauren Woods, Chief Marketing Officer, C&F Accident & Health Division. "Throughout her tenure at C&F, Hallie has taken on increasing responsibility, and her significant contributions have been key to the organization's successes and profitable growth. In addition, she has transformed C&F's marketing and communications capabilities, as well as raising awareness of the C&F brand in the market. We look forward to what's still to come."

Ms. Harenski joined C&F as International Marketing & Distribution Executive within A&H in 2015  a position she held for nearly three years before being tapped to head Strategy and Innovation for A&H in 2017. Her role quickly evolved and her responsibilities expanded; she was named Vice President and Corporate Communications lead at the end of 2018  a role she held until this most recent promotion.

In addition to her daily responsibilities, Ms. Harenski co-sponsors C&F's Women Amplifying Value and Equity (WAVE) Employee Resource Group to help women and their allies enhance their skills and succeed through networking, mentoring and education, as well as working to create a New Jersey-based network for the Association of Professional Insurance Women.

Outside of C&F, Ms. Harenski sits on the Board of the Insurance Marketing and Communication Association, and on the Marketing & Communications Council of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. She sits on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Brand Strategy and has been a guest professor at Columbia University School of Business. She is currently co-creating a Marketing & Distribution course as part of Northeastern University's new Masters of Insurance Program that she will co-teach.

Ms. Harenski is a graduate of American University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Service plus a master's in Teaching English to Students of Other Languages. She also earned a Master of Business Administration in International Business and Marketing from The George Washington University School of Business.

About Crum & Forster

Crum & Forster (www.cfins.com) is a leading national property, casualty, and accident & health insurer, providing specialty insurance products through its admitted and surplus lines insurance companies.

Founded in 1822, C&F is one of the oldest U.S. insurance companies, and today conducts business through a network of independent agents, brokers and wholesalers. C&F had $3.7 billion in gross written premium in 2021 and is rated "A" Excellent by A M Best for 2022.

The C&F logo, C&F and Crum & Forster are registered trademarks of United States Fire Insurance Company. To learn more, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Media Contact:

Amy Whilldin

AVP, Public Relations & Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Crum & Forster
DENVER, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomas Wolf, the independent, deeply concerned Denver citizen, candidate for mayor, and avid sidewalk user, has launched a GoFundMe page for Jill Locantore. She is the executive director of the Denver Streets Partnership, the organization that sponsored the ballot initiative on Denver sidewalks in the midterm elections. The committee to elect Thomas Wolf Denver Mayor has not spent campaign finance dollars to fund this initiative.

Thomas met Jill over the summer at the farmer's market on the Esplanade by East High School. After meeting, Wolf read that in a last desperate attempt she selflessly put $24,000 from her retirement savings to push the cause to victory. This immediately struck him as incredibly heartwarming, wildly generous and a horrific indictment of our municipal elected officials. The reality that Denver leadership is unable to oversee the provisioning and maintenance of something as basic as sidewalks and understand that they are a requisite right of way is a massive systemic failure of local government.

"Citizens who organize, spearhead and work to fund initiatives at great personal expense are worthy of our praise," said Wolf. "Props to passionate citizens who rally to fix what the city has so badly neglected."

Under a Wolf administration, citizens will not be responsible for picking up the slack where the city fails. "The fact that this had to come from a citizen sponsored initiative would not have happened if I were in office," said Wolf.

For the 55% of Denverites who voted for the initiative, know that Wolf is an advocate for multi-modal transportation - it's a link to healthier citizens as well as a healthier planet.

For the opposing 45% who voted against the initiative, know that Wolf will be your Mayor as well. "I know that many raised questions around potential better solutions, but I think we can agree that all great cities have great sidewalks, and anything else is inexcusable," said Wolf. As the candidate who is the best financial watchdog, Wolf will keep in mind your concerns during implementation. Obvious priorities are choke points in the sidewalk network, including city grounds, fee accommodation for economic hardship and public-private provision.

"The generous donations of time and money from passionate citizens (and Jill!) to pass ordinance 307 are simply at their core meant to drive a greater good for a greater number of Denverites," said Wolf. This aligns perfectly with the Wolf motto. Please join me in donating to Jill's GoFundMe campaign and her commitment to a safer, cleaner and smarter Denver.

About Thomas Wolf for Mayor

The Thomas Wolf for Mayor campaign has a mission to end encampments under a Wolf Administration in Denver using economic principles. The idea is simple. A safer, cleaner and smarter Denver is achieved when focus is applied to solving fewer issues rather than promising many things for Denver.

SOURCE The committee to elect Thomas Wolf Denver Mayor
New capital, led by Portage, follows the company's recent expansion into Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and South Carolina

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Angle Health , the digital-first, fully-licensed health insurance provider bringing transparency, simplicity, and ease of use to members, employers, and brokers in a frictionless experience, today announced $58 million Series A funding led by Portage . Its latest round also included participation from PruVen Capital, Wing Venture Capital, SixThirty Ventures, Mighty Capital, Wormhole Capital, Mindset Ventures, Crew Capital, Aloft VC, and Pilot founder Waseem Daher; and support from existing investors Blumberg Capital, Correlation Ventures, TSVC, and Y Combinator. Following its recent expansion into Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and South Carolina, with initial focus on the employer-sponsored health plan segmenta $1.2+ trillion market covering over 155 million Americans, Angle Health is already covering tens of thousands of members on its fully-insured and self-funded products since launching in 2021.

"Angle Health brings a customizable, fully digital solution to an industry dominated by rigid benefit plans, opaque underwriting, difficult switching costs, and siloed point solutions," said Ricky Lai , Partner at Portage. "Just as innovators like Kin and Lemonade have done for personal lines of insuranceAngle has made health insurance more convenient, approachable, and affordable for employers and members. "

Launched in 2021, Angle Health is bridging the divide between health insurance, traditional healthcare providers, digital health, and wellness by bringing these disparate point solutions into a cohesive ecosystem.

"At Angle Health, we have an ambitious vision to unify the fragmented healthcare benefits system, which today severely limits access to, and availability of, modern healthcare services like telemedicine, digital behavioral health, and chronic disease management," shares Ty Wang , CEO of Angle Health. "Just as tools for navigation and ride-sharing have eliminated the need to read maps and street signs to traverse the physical world, Angle Health is eliminating the need for members to navigate the complexities of the healthcare system on their own, and empowering members to get care without breaking the bank."

Powered by its integrated, AI-enabled technology platform, Angle Health provides a digital-first care navigation experience with its fully tailored comprehensive healthcare benefit plans for employers. Telemedicine, behavioral health, and other digital health solutions  normally sitting outside of the traditional health insurance environment  are core offerings integrated into all Angle Health plans at minimal to no cost for members. Angle Health's insurance policies are reinsured by an insurer with a financial strength rating of A+ from both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. With tens of thousands of members across states, and access to a national network of healthcare providers and facilities, top employers, and a growing roster of brokers and agencies, including NFP , Gallagher , GBS/Leavitt , Aon , and Hub , are choosing Angle Health as their healthcare insurance and benefits provider.

"Angle Health is a complete paradigm shift from traditional health insurance. They bring a sophisticated and customizable health plan approach to SMBs and mid-market employers in a way that has never been done before," said Victoria Cheng, Partner at PruVen Capital. "Their ground-up data infrastructure enables superior digital customer experiences with greater transparency and patient care that incorporates best-in-class, third-party digital health providers."

Co-founded by former Palantir engineers, CEO Ty Wang and CTO Anirban Gangopadhyay , Angle Health was born out of the duo's frustration with their personal health insurance experiences. The company has been building its AI-powered technology platform and regulatory infrastructure since participating in Y Combinator's Winter 2020 cohort and its $4M seed funding round in the summer of 2020.

"As a high-growth startup, we want to keep our employees healthy and provide them with the best-in-class healthcare benefits. Until Angle Health, we thought we had to settle for the rigid status quo with legacy health insurance providers," said Bailee Jones, Special Advisor at payroll API innovator Atomic Fi . "Angle Health is more than just an insurance company - they have put our employees at the center, constantly going out of their way to provide care and support. And they make everything easy and quick - from getting a quote, and open enrollment, to engaging with the Angle Care Team."

Additional Resources

Employers - To sign up with Angle Health, visit here .

. Brokers and Agents - To work with Angle Health, visit here .

. Providers - To learn more about Angle Health, visit here .

About Angle Health

Angle Health democratizes access to modern healthcare by unifying today's fragmented healthcare benefits system into one core coverage and delivery platform. As a full-stack healthcare benefits provider, Angle Health drives efficiencies across the value chain through its digital-first platform from instant underwriting for brokers and streamlined administration for employers to personalized care navigation for members. With access to a national network of healthcare providers and facilities, Angle Health is the health benefits provider for modern employers, now servicing tens of thousands of employees and members across the country.

Visit anglehealth.com to learn more.

About Portage

Portage is a global investment platform focused on fintech and financial services with US$2B+ under management, 65+ portfolio companies in 13 countries, and 55 professionals across the United States, Canada and Europe. Our team partners with ambitious companies across all stages, through Portage Ventures and Portage Capital Solutions. We provide flexible capital and deliver a global network of investors, commercial partners, advisors, and value creation experts. With deep industry knowledge and entrepreneurial experience, Portage is committed to supporting the leaders who are reshaping financial services. Portage is a platform within Sagard, a multi-strategy alternative asset management firm with $13B+ under management. Learn more at www.portageinvest.com .

About PruVen Capital

PruVen Capital is a global, multistage venture capital firm backing founders building enduring companies in the largest verticals of the global economy. We invest in transformational startups in FinTech, InsurTech, HealthTech, Real Estate, and Enterprise IT. Our multi-stage approach and deep network in these complex industries enables us to support leading entrepreneurs from first check to IPO. To learn more, visit pruvencap.com.

SOURCE Angle Health
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Digital Transformation in the Global Chemicals Industry" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Across various industrial sectors, digitalization has rapidly developed, utilizing several existing and emerging digital technologies, including AI, Big Data analytics (BDA), IoT, machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), robotics, and automation. While the chemicals industry was relatively slow to adopt these technologies, the transformation rate in the industry has increased considerably in the past 5 years.



The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation in the industry to enable companies to rapidly address remote and hybrid working practices, prolonged and sometimes broken supply chains, and changing end-user demands.



The publisher, in its March 2018 study, Impact of Digitization on the Chemical Industry, identified 7 domains of digital transformation and provided an overview of enabling digital technologies.



This new study analyzes the market using 6 emerging themes: Digitalization for Sustainability, Empowered Workforce, Digitalization for Innovation, Enhanced Customer Experience, Digital Transformation of Supply Chain, and Transformation because of Emerging Technologies.



Each theme will cover 1 or more of the 7 domains. While attaining operational excellence is at the core of digitalization strategies of larger petrochemicals, chemicals, and formulation companies in this industry, there is a general rise in awareness among organizations about the importance of adopting a holistic approach by placing their internal workforce and end customers at the core of this transformation as well.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Strategic Imperatives

Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow?

The Strategic Imperative 8T

Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on Digital Transformation in the Chemicals Industry

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline EngineT

2 Growth Opportunity Analysis

Key Findings

3 Introduction

Background and Introduction

Scope of the Analysis - Digital Transformation Themes

Sectors of the Chemical Industry Value Chain

Digitalization for Sustainability

Empowered Workforce

Digitalization for Innovation

Enhanced Customer Experience

Digital Transformation of Supply Chain

Transformation Because of Emerging Technologies

Global Chemicals Industry Digital Transformation Expenditure Forecast

4 Growth Opportunity Analysis - Chemical Industries

Introduction

Chemical Industries - Segment Overview

Diversified Chemical Companies - Case Studies

Additives - Case Studies

Polymers and Resins - Case Studies

Degree of Digitalization - Chemical Industries

5 Growth Opportunity Analysis - Formulation Industries

Introduction

Formulation Industries - Segment Overview

Coatings - Case Studies

Adhesives and Sealants - Case Studies

Lubricants - Case Studies

Degree of Digitalisation - Formulation Industries

6 Growth Opportunity Analysis - Packaging

Packaging - Segment Overview

Packaging - Digital Technology Contributing to Circularity

Digital Concepts in Packaging

Packaging Companies - Case Studies

Packaging - Other Case Studies

7 Growth Opportunity Universe

Growth Opportunity 1: Data Monetization

Growth Opportunity 2: 5G and Edge Computing

Growth Opportunity 3: Quantum Computing in R&D and Manufacturing

Growth Opportunity 4: External Digital Platform Developers can Support Chemical Companies with their Digitalization Goals

List of Acronyms

8 Next Steps

Your Next Steps

About the Publisher

List of Exhibits

Legal Disclaimer

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/e8yzc6

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dover (NYSE: DOV) will host an analyst and investor meeting on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at our Colder Products Company facility in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. A presentation will be given by Dover's President and Chief Executive Officer, Richard J. Tobin, and other members of the leadership team. The presentation will begin at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time, followed by a Q&A period and a facility tour.

A link to the live audio webcast and the presentation materials will be available at dovercorporation.com prior to the webcast, and the replay will be archived on the website.

Analysts and investors interested in attending the meeting in person can contact the Dover Investor Relations team at [email protected] to register for the event.

About Dover:

Dover is a diversified global manufacturer and solutions provider with annual revenue of over $8 billion. We deliver innovative equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services through five operating segments: Engineered Products, Clean Energy & Fueling, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions and Climate & Sustainability Technologies. Dover combines global scale with operational agility to lead the markets we serve. Recognized for our entrepreneurial approach for over 65 years, our team of over 25,000 employees takes an ownership mindset, collaborating with customers to redefine what's possible. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV." Additional information is available at dovercorporation.com.

Investor Contact: Media Contact: Jack Dickens Adrian Sakowicz Senior Director  Investor Relations Vice President  Communications (630) 743-2566 (630) 743-5039 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Dover
PLYMOUTH, Minn., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dakota Supply Group (DSG) is pleased to announce the launch of its year-long marketing campaign, 125 years young, celebrating its 125th year in business.

Dakota Supply Group (DSG) is celebrating its 125th year in business, we are 125 years young, and are not slowing down Tweet this DSG Celebrates 125 years DSG 125

In 1898, opening as a small plumbing distributor in Fargo, North Dakota  DSG has since expanded into 7 verticals, serving the industries of electrical, plumbing, heating & air, waterworks, communications, utilities, and on-site sewer, water, and well. DSG has grown to over 52 locations in 7 states, with plans to open 3 more locations in 2023, adding an 8th state to their footprint by the end of the year.

"This year marks a historic milestone for all employee owners at DSG," says Paul Kennedy, President & CEO of DSG. Paul also states, "Over DSG's many years, we've seen a lot  from wars, depressions, recessions, and global pandemics, as well as rapid technological innovations across every industry we serve, and despite our age, we feel young, vibrant, and energized."

DSG's strength comes from within  a people-centric organization that is passionate about serving others, from their fellow employees to the thousands of customers, and the various communities they operate in, DSG's foundation is built on respect, teamwork, and growth. Over the last several years, DSG has seen tremendous growth, through a combination of strategic acquisitions, opening new locations, and organic growth in all 7 industry verticals they serve.

Kennedy further states, "Our success over the last 125 years would not be possible without our amazing team of employee-owners, our loyal customer base, and the partnerships from our vendor community. I am beyond proud of what we have accomplished, and where are going, and looking forward to using the momentum of our history to propel us forward  We're 125 years young, and I feel we are just getting started."

Headquartered in Plymouth, MN - DSG is proudly independent, and one of the Midwest's most diverse wholesale distributors of innovative products and solutions for the following industries: electrical; plumbing; HVAC/R; utility; communications; automation; waterworks; and on-site sewer, water, and well. DSG is a 100% employee-owned company with more than 970 employee-owners in more than 52 locations across seven states; Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Video: http://bit.ly/3XBwlOJ

SOURCE DSG - Dakota Supply Group
The Company expands its network of European innovation centers with the launch of a new tech lab in Milan . The move follows the recent opening of development labs in Porto , Palma de Mallorca and Alicante.

The business, named one of the ' 'Best Companies to Work For in 2022' by Forbes magazine, enters its next phase of growth as a subscription-based business.

eDreams ODIGEO employs people from 46 nationalities and operates a cutting-edge technology platform. The business has adopted an industry-first hybrid, flexible working system aimed at driving further flexibility and employee creativity.

LONDON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- eDreams ODIGEO (hereinafter, "The Company" or "eDO"), Europe's largest online travel company, the largest in terms of flights globally outside of China and one of the largest European e-commerce businesses, today announced that it is expanding its network of Tech Hubs with the launch of a new innovation centre in Milan.

The announcement comes as the Company continues to grow its pan European development centres, notably in Porto, Barcelona, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante and Budapest. The business, named one of the ''Best Companies to Work For in 2022' by Forbes magazine, added 250 new team members to its global tech workforce in 2022 alone to support the growth of its subscription service Prime and is on track to reach 7.25 million Prime members by 2025.

eDreams ODIGEO continues to grow its profitability and its market position as the innovator in the travel industry through its subscription programme, similar to how Netflix, Spotify or CostCo have done in their respective industries. The Company's recent quarterly results show its progress in this endeavour, with Cash EBITDA up 78% compared to the same period last year. The business is on track to meet its guidance of reaching 180 million in Cash EBITDA and 7.25 million Prime members by fiscal year 2025. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the business has consistently outperformed the wider industry, with its trading exceeding pre-COVID levels by +48% in the first half of the fiscal year 2022.

Dana Dunne, Chief Executive Officer at eDreams ODIGEO, said: "As demand for leisure travel and subscription services continues to grow, we are perfectly placed to embark on the next stage of our journey. Ensuring that we provide our customers with an unparalleled experience is key to our success, and to that end, we are investing in expanding our network of Tech Hubs across Europe and recruiting top talent to join our team and help us continue revolutionising the travel industry.

"Our Tech Hubs play a crucial role in supporting our continued growth as a subscription-based business and their contributions will have a significant impact on millions of travellers across the world. We are eager to see the bright future that lies ahead for eDreams ODIGEO."

eDreams ODIGEO employs 46 nationalities and operates in an industry-first hybrid, flexible working system aimed at driving further flexibility and employee creativity.

SOURCE eDreams ODIGEO
Geneva event brings leaders together to fund education for children caught in emergencies and protracted crises.

GENEVA, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders across the globe will come together at the Education Cannot Wait High-Level Financing Conference on 16-17 February in Geneva, Switzerland to make good on commitments to ensure every child, everywhere, is offered a quality education.

The Conference seeks to mobilize much-needed resources from donors, foundations and high-net-worth individuals to deliver on ECW's four-year strategic plan, which will mobilize US$1.5 billion in additional resources to reach 20 million children and adolescents caught in some of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Education is our investment in human beings and the human potential. So far we have only seen a glimpse of it, there are 222 million children out there that will allow us to see the full potential of humanity." - Yasmine Sherif, Director, Education Cannot Wait.

"This is our moment to stand up for the world's most vulnerable children and youth and make good on our promise of ensuring quality education for all by 2030 as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. We can leave none behind," said Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises.

The Conference is co-hosted by Switzerland and ECW, in close collaboration with the Governments of Colombia, Germany, Niger, Norway and South Sudan, and will be open to the public as a live-streamed virtual event.

Initial keynote speakers include UN Special Envoy for Global Education and Chair of ECW's High-Level Steering Group The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown; Federal Councillor of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis; Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, Svenja Schulze; Minister of Education, Niger, Ibrahim Natatou; Minister of International Development, Norway, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim; Minister of General Education and Instruction, South Sudan, Awut Deng Acuil; and Minister of Education, Colombia, Alejandro Gaviria.

Around the world, 222 million children and adolescents impacted by conflict, climate change, displacement and other protracted crises are in need of urgent education support. Of those, more than 78 million are out of school altogether.

Founded in 2016, Education Cannot Wait has already reached close to 7 million children and adolescents with holistic education supports including upgrading learning spaces and ensuring children have quality learning materials, training and financially supporting teachers, and providing mental health services, school feeding and other whole-of-child solutions. The Fund has already raised over US$1.1 billion from donors, the private sector and philanthropic foundations.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1989970/Education_Cannot_Wait.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1656121/Education_Cannot_Wait_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Education Cannot Wait
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Elevator Safety System Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis by Type and Application" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The elevator safety system market size is expected to reach US$ 22,881.75 million by 2028; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2022 to 2028.



Elevators and subsystems are crucial equipment in multistoried buildings and high rises. Elevator safety systems are important for ensuring the safety of the people traveling in elevators. Elevator manufacturers are required to abide by several regulations and codes, as do elevator safety device manufacturers.

The stringency of such regulations and codes has also increased with the rising number of elevator installations and elevator users. Elevator safety systems include different types of switches, buffers, governors, alarms, communication systems, and sensors. With growing safety concerns, the number of sensors incorporated in an elevator is rising. Moreover, these systems are being integrated with big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) for further upgrades in the performance of safety systems and elevators.



APAC is expected to register the highest CAGR in the elevator safety system market during the forecast period. Owing to the rapidly flourishing construction industry, the number of elevators installed is rising rapidly, along with the demand for elevator safety systems. Various government policies focus on improving control, maintenance, and communication systems incorporated in elevators to lower the possibility of accidents, which is favoring the elevator safety system market growth in APAC. A rise in the aging population in economies such as China and Japan also contribute to the high demand for elevators, which further promotes the demand for elevator safety systems. Moreover, the presence of key manufacturers of elevator and elevator safety systems, along with strategic alliances among stakeholders in the elevator safety system market, is encouraging competitiveness in the market in APAC.



The Pacific Asia Lift and Escalator Association (PALEA) provides a neutral forum for all lift/elevator and escalator organizations operating in the Asia Pacific region and covers twenty-four Asia Pacific countries in the region, thereby driving the elevator safety system market player's businesses in the region.



Introducing elevator safety systems has led to the development of various government policies to improve control, maintenance, and communication systems, along with overcoming concerns regarding accidents. The Pacific Asia Lift and Escalator Association (PALEA) provides a neutral forum for all lift/elevator and escalator organizations operating in Asia Pacific.

In addition, this agency has become an 'A' member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and it is being represented on several working groups associated with the ISO/TC178 technical committee. This association was formed to serve the needs of the lift (elevator) and escalator industry, and it now keeps an eye on 24 countries in Asia Pacific.



China is the dominating country with largest market share in 2021. There is an increased construction, especially of high-rise buildings, and massive penetration of elevators in residential, commercial, and industrial areas, such as railway and metro stations, shopping malls, hotels, airports, high-rise apartments, and public buildings. Additionally, rapid urbanization and increased government initiatives in the construction sector, updated government standards for lift infrastructure, and substantial evolution of architecture are among the key factors boosting the elevator safety system market size in the country.



In Australia, players providing elevators and moving walks must adhere to strict Standards Association of Australia (SAA) safety code requirements. In addition, the association incorporated various safety features designed to encourage good ridership and prevent accidents in elevators installed. Building owners and maintenance service providers are responsible for implementing policies, processes, and guidelines to enable proper subcontractor operations of safety systems.

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Increased Use of Elevators with Rapid Urbanization

Stringent Regulations and Standards on Elevator Safety

Market Restraints

Complexities in Integration of Modern Elevator Safety Systems with Legacy Systems

Market Opportunities

Renovation of Old Buildings and Elevators

Future Trends

Integration of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning for Real-Time Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Key Takeaways



3. Research Methodology



4. Elevator Safety System Market Landscape



5. Elevator Safety System Market - Key Market Dynamics



6. Elevator Safety System Market - Global Market Analysis



7. Elevator Safety System Market - By Type



8. Elevator Safety System Market Analysis - by Application



9. Elevator Safety System Market - Geographic Analysis



10. Elevator Safety System Market - COVID-19 Impact Analysis



11. Industry Landscape



12. Company Profiles



13. Appendix



Companies Mentioned

GAL Manufacturing Company, LLC

2N Telekomunikace A.S

Chr. Mayr GmbH + Co. KG

Janus Elevators

TK Elevator

Oleo International

Otis Elevator Company

Electronic Controls Inc.

Technic Electronic Corporation

Flexco Industries, Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/k6e30u

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SOURCE Research and Markets
NYSE American: EU

TSX.V: EU

www.encoreuranium.com

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - enCore Energy Corp. ("enCore" or the "Company") (NYSE American: EU) (TSXV: EU) in connection with its previously announced overnight marketed offering (the "Offering") today announced that it has entered into an underwriting agreement with Canaccord Genuity as lead underwriter, together with a syndicate of underwriters (the "Underwriters") for the sale of 9,231,000 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of C$3.25 per Unit for total gross proceeds to the Company of approximately C$30 million.

Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Unit Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") for a period of 36 months following the Closing Date (as defined herein) of the Offering at an exercise price of C$4.05 per Warrant Share, subject to adjustment in certain events.

In addition, the Company has granted the Underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 1,384,650 Units on the same terms and conditions exercisable at any time, in whole or in part, until 30 days following the Closing Date, for market stabilization purposes and to cover over-allotments, if any.

The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the Offering to maintain and advance the Company's material properties, acquire properties, plant upgrades, drilling, maintenance and refurbishment, community outreach and communications, licensing and permitting and for general corporate and working capital purposes in the manner as set forth in the preliminary short form prospectus. In addition, if the Company is not able to complete a potential loan transaction contemplated by a non-binding term sheet prior to February 15, 2023, the Company expects to use a portion of the proceeds from the Offering to fund amounts required to be paid to complete the Company's previously announced pending acquisition of the Alta Mesa ISR uranium project (the "Alta Mesa Acquisition").

Closing of the Offering, which is expected on or about February 10, 2023 (the "Closing Date"), is subject to market and other customary conditions, including approvals of the TSX Venture Exchange and the NYSE American.

The preliminary short form prospectus for the Offering has been filed, and an amendment to the preliminary short form prospectus containing the definitive terms of the Offering will be filed, with the securities commissions or similar securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada except Quebec. A registration statement on Form F-10 relating to the Offering (including such prospectus) has also been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for the offering to which this communication relates but has not yet become effective; an amendment to such registration statement will also be filed, including an amendment to the short form prospectus for the Offering (as amended, the "Registration Statement"). The preliminary short form prospectus (and any amendment thereto) and the Registration Statement contain important detailed information relating to the Company and the Offering. The preliminary prospectus for the Offering (and any amendment thereto) is still subject to completion and amendment. There will not be any sale or acceptance of an offer to buy the securities until a receipt for the final prospectus has been issued and the Registration Statement becomes effective.

Before you invest, you should read the prospectus (and any amendment thereto) in that Registration Statement and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and this Offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC web site at www.sec.gov and SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Alternatively, the Company, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the Offering will arrange to send you the prospectus for the Offering (and any amendment thereto) if you request it in Canada from Canaccord Genuity Corp., 40 Temperance Street, Suite 2100, Toronto, ON M5H 0B4 and in the United States from Canaccord Genuity LLC, 99 High Street, Suite 1200, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, Attn: Syndicate Department, by telephone at (617) 371-3900, or by email at [email protected].

In addition, the Company has agreed to file a preliminary short form prospectus to qualify 23,277,000 units ("Subscription Receipt Units") of the Company to be issued up conversion of 23,277,000 previously issued subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts"). The Subscription Receipts were issued by the Company on December 6, 2022. The Subscription Receipt Units will be issued upon satisfaction of certain escrow release conditions (the "Escrow Release Conditions") including the satisfaction of each of the conditions precedent to the closing of the Alta Mesa Acquisition (other than the payment of the cash portion of the consideration in connection the Alta Mesa Acquisition). Each Subscription Receipt Unit will be comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (a "Subscription Receipt Warrant"). Each Subscription Receipt Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of C$3.75 for a period of three (3) years following the satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions.

The Subscription Receipts and the Subscription Receipt Units have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable state securities laws or compliance with the requirements of an applicable exemption therefrom. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About enCore Energy Corp.

enCore Energy is the most diversified In-Situ Recovery (ISR) uranium development company in the United States and recently announced it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Alta Mesa In-Situ Recovery uranium project. The Alta Mesa Acquisition will position enCore as a leading US-focused ISR uranium company with the proven management expertise required to advance multiple production opportunities within its portfolio. enCore is focused on becoming the next uranium producer from its licensed and past-producing South Texas Rosita Processing Plant by 2023. The South Dakota-based Dewey-Burdock project and the Wyoming Gas Hills project offer mid-term production opportunities, with significant New Mexico uranium resource endowments providing long-term opportunities. The enCore team is led by industry experts with extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of ISR uranium operations and the nuclear fuel cycle. enCore is committed to engaging and working with local communities and indigenous governments to create positive impact from corporate developments.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain information contained in this news release, including: any information relating to the Company being a leading uranium company; completion of the Offering and use of proceeds from the Offering; the ability of the Company to complete the Alta Mesa Acquisition and to realize the expected benefits of the Alta Mesa Acquisition; the closing of the potential loan transaction that is contemplated to fund the completion of the Alta Mesa Acquisition; and any other statements regarding future expectations, beliefs, goals or prospects; may constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "expects", "is expected", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar expressions or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken) should be considered forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the companies' ability to control or predict. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; risks associated with accessing additional funding required for the transactions and operations discussed in this news release; the use of proceeds of the Offering; whether the Company will be able to complete the potential loan transaction that is contemplated to fund the completion of the Alta Mesa Acquisition; the Company's ability to complete the Alta Mesa Acquisition; future legislative and regulatory developments; the ability of enCore to implement its business strategies; and other risks. A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including without limitation exploration and development risks, changes in commodity prices, access to skilled mining personnel, the results of exploration and development activities; uninsured risks; regulatory risks; defects in title; the availability of materials and equipment, timeliness of government approvals and unanticipated environmental impacts on operations; risks posed by the economic and political environments in which the Company operates and intends to operate; market instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the potential for losses arising from the expansion of operations into new markets; increased competition; assumptions regarding market trends and the expected demand and desires for the Company's products and proposed products; reliance on industry manufacturers, suppliers and others; the failure to adequately protect intellectual property; the failure to adequately manage future growth; adverse market conditions, the failure to satisfy ongoing regulatory requirements and factors relating to forward looking statements listed above which include risks as disclosed in the companies' annual information form filings. Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as required by law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by the Company with the various securities commissions which are available online at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations, beliefs and plans of management. Such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes and readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, that speak only as of the date hereof, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE enCore Energy Corp.
CHARLESTON, S.C. , Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EverGlade Consulting ("EverGlade"), a national consulting firm, has helped Sabin Vaccine Institute successfully secure up to $214 million in funding through a contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ("BARDA") to advance the development and production of single-dose vaccine candidates for Ebola Sudan and Marburg virus diseases.

Currently, there are no licensed vaccines against Ebola Sudan and Marburg viruses, which cause hemorrhagic fever and kill approximately half the people infected.

EverGlade Consulting has successfully secured up to $214 million in funding through a contract with BARDA to advance the development and production of single-dose vaccine candidates for Ebola Sudan and Marburg virus diseases.

BARDA, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response ("ASPR"), will initially invest $35 million to produce up to 100,000 doses of Ebola Sudan virus vaccine, ChAd3-SUDV. These vaccines may be used as part of ongoing U.S. preparedness efforts and in response to future global outbreaks.

The contract also includes funding to manufacture Sabin's Marburg virus vaccine, ChAd3-MARV, which will generate doses that could be used in trials and in response to a future Marburg virus outbreak.

"I am excited that our team was able to contribute to this vital BARDA initiative," said EverGlade Founder Eric Jia-Sobota. "This award addresses a critical need."

Steve Morris, Managing Director at EverGlade, said, "The recent Ebola Sudan outbreak in Uganda emphasized the critical need for better preparedness. It is great to see BARDA move quickly to partner with industry to develop and secure readily available solutions to address this threat and to bolster national preparedness and response efforts for future public health emergencies."

About EverGlade Consulting

EverGlade Consulting is a national consulting firm helping clients navigate the federal landscape. We work with technology-driven companies whose focus is to secure non-dilutive funding through the federal government. We offer services ranging from opportunity identification and proposal support through the implementation of systems to comply with federal regulations at agencies including BARDA, ASPR, NIH, DTRA, JPEO, and DARPA.

For additional information about EverGlade Consulting, visit:

https://www.EverGlade.com

For additional information about EverGlade's recent success, visit:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/everglade-consulting-helps-land-up-to-1-billion-in-barda-funding-for-biotechnology-company-301671400.html

https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-infectious-diseases-15572a9fd4c4acbad8bad4d0afc223b2

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/everglade-consulting-plays-key-role-on-industrial-base-expansion-ibx-project-with-39-million-in-federal-funding-secured-301611526.html

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/everglade-consulting-assists-detect-inc-with-securing-22m-in-federal-funding-for-the-development-of-a-next-generation-molecular-test-for-covid-19-and-flu-301494116.html

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/everglade-consulting-assists-united-safety-technology-inc-in-securing-97-million-dod-award-301357974.html

SOURCE EverGlade Consulting
Woodgate and Berger are determined to unpack the misconception that entrepreneurship is for a select few.

TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Serial entrepreneur, owner of two billion-dollar brands, author, and recording artist Brad Woodgate has joined forces with podcaster and global media personality Dr. Rod Berger to launch B-Rad Side Hustle Podcast, the first podcast dedicated to underpinning the entrepreneurial stories of celebrities, influencers, athletes and musicians. Woodgate believes, "there is no such thing as just being an athlete, actor/actress or musician you are a walking brand.and with that brand comes a lot of side hustle opportunities. Some fail, some are enormously successful, and that's what this new podcast will uncover with each guest." With the disconnect society has had since the Covid-19 pandemic, Woodgate and Berger feel that B-Rad Side Hustle is an opportunity to create an open space to unplug and reconnect with entrepreneurs in a new way.

B-Rad Side Hustle Podcast hosted by Brad Woodgate & Dr. Rod Berger (CNW Group/Brad Woodgate)

"There's an entrepreneur in all of us, and sometimes it just takes the story of a beloved icon to inspire us to take that chance or risk we've always wanted to take," says Woodgate. "What you will see with each guest is a vulnerability like they've never shown before, as their side hustle is something they are learning on the spot based on the new opportunities in front of them. Many succeed, but many fail, just like all of us in entrepreneurship. We want to create a community where we can grow and learn from each other."

The concept is to start a dialogue about the importance of side hustles and the process in which they develop. In 2020, over 45% of Americans started a side hustle, with 15% making over $1,500 a month.

"B-Rad Side Hustle refers to the moment in life in which something happens to change one's momentum. Moving from a concept to a business can be difficult but achievable with planning, passion, and optimism," says Berger.

Podcast listeners spend an average of 5 hours listening to audio per day, equaling over 10% of content consumed by millennials. With a combined reach of 250,000 on social media and awareness at 75,000 retail outlets in over 75 countries, hosts Woodgate and Berger are excited to tackle a variety of engaging topics with a very underserved and diverse range of listeners who want to hear uncensored discussions about the trials and tribulations of all things business.

The B-Rad Side Hustle podcast will be available on all streaming platforms in March 2023. To learn more about the podcast or to propose a guest, please email Maria-Teresa at [email protected].

About B-Rad Side Hustle

B-Rad Side Hustle uncovers the radical business stories you haven't heard; the trials and tribulations, the epic failures and incredible successes  those are the topics Woodgate and Berger dive into with celebrities, athletes and musicians. There is an entrepreneur in all of us, and every week the B-Rad Side Hustle hosts unpack these stories from the most unsuspecting personalities.

About Brad Woodgate

Brad Woodgate is a self-made serial entrepreneur, author, reality TV personality and recording artist. Having launched several successful companies over the past 22 years in the health and wellness space, he has managed over 1000 employees, launched over 800 products, and distributed to more than 75 countries. In 2015, based on his own health concerns, Woodgate took a very strong interest in the effects of refined sugar. This led to the establishment of the No Sugar Company in 2018, which has quickly disrupted the global food industry and is now one of the fastest growing food companies in North America. In 2021 he released his first book No Sugar In Me , which gained distribution across Costco locations. In 2022, Brad launched and starred in his own Superbowl commercial for his new beverage company Joyburst . He followed that launch with his debut summer hit Joyburst song ft. Vanilla Ice and a Joyburst energy drink flavor collaboration of the same name. With live performances in Toronto, New York and Niagara Falls with Vanilla Ice, he debuted his first solo single It's a No For Me three months later, and that same month he was officially signed to the record label Anthem - the first Canadian CEO of a food & beverage company to do so. He has since appeared as an investor in season 8 of Elevator Pitch reality show and has two new songs launching in Q1/23.

About Dr. Rod Berger

Dr. Rod Berger is a communication strategist and on-air personality engaging with global and iconic companies, individual brands, celebrities, professional athletes, and award-winning entertainers. Berger writes for Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine , and has interviewed the likes of Charles Barkley , Sammy Hagar, Deepak Chopra, Guy Fieri, Jermaine Dupri. In 2022 he traveled to sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East (Jordan), Sweden , Norway, Toronto, and from Miami to Los Angeles, covering stories - most notably, he visited with the Pope in Rome to discuss the global refugee crisis, and in early 2023 he will be in Kosovo to conduct interviews.

SOURCE Brad Woodgate
57% of firms see digital transformation as their most important strategic priority

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A majority of financial services firms now view digital transformation as essential to their business and are already looking to the next wave of technology to help get ahead, according to a new report by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR). In the 2023 Digital Transformation and Next-Gen Tech study of 500 C-suite executives and their direct reports across the buy side and sell side globally, 71% said artificial intelligence (AI) is now significantly changing the way they work, and 60% agree that within ten years, blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) will become the core of financial markets infrastructure.

Despite a more challenging economic environment, firms are also accelerating their funding of digital transformation initiatives as they anticipate further widescale adoption of new and more powerful technology. Firms now spend 27% of their overall IT budget on digital transformation  a 16 percentage point increase versus the 2022 study.

"A new chapter in digital transformation is emerging," said Tim Gokey, Chief Executive Officer of Broadridge. "In our work with clients across the financial services industry we see leading firms are already reaping the benefits from digitalization and the use of technologies such as AI and blockchain/DLT, as they adapt to economic headwinds and new competitive dynamics. Firms are now looking ahead to what their customers will require five to ten years from now, and how technology can help them to deliver that vision."

The study categorized firms as digital "Leaders" versus "Non-leaders", based on how advanced they are in 10 of the most essential aspects of digital transformation. These aspects include their innovation culture, use of emerging technologies, seamless customer experience (CX), internal skill-building, and adoption of security and privacy protocols.

Digital Transformation Goes Mainstream

Adapting to a digital world and embracing the potential of new technology now underpins organizations' core business strategies, with more than half of digital Leaders (53%) viewing higher revenue growth as one of the most important benefits of digital transformation.

Investment in next-gen technology is now understood to be essential in preparing for the future. Fifty-seven percent of firms agree that falling behind in digital transformation will hurt their ability to attract and retain talent, further impeding their ability to unlock new and innovative tools and platforms.

The 2030 Technology Landscape

Significant advancements in AI, data analytics, and real-world applications for blockchain and DLT are driving momentum and optimism among leading financial institutions. In fact, 80% of survey respondents say the industry will have modernized its tech stack before we land a human on Mars, a major technology feat currently estimated to happen by the early 2030s.

Respondents expect more nascent technologies to make significant progress as well. Firms classified as Leaders plan to increase investment in quantum computing by 16% on average over the next 2 years; however, firms are only increasing investments in the metaverse by 5% on average, indicating more of a "wait and see" approach before committing funds.

The Digital Divide

Industry incumbents face challenges from new entrants to the market and will need to embrace digital solutions to maintain their market position. The study examined the differences between traditional financial firms and Digital Natives, defined as online banks, brokers, robo-advisors, and digital wealth management firms established in the last 15 years and not part of an incumbent firm.

The report found Digital Natives are more likely than traditional firms to place transformation as their most important strategic priority (78% versus 51%), marked by greater increases in digital investments. Seventeen percent of digital natives also report being at the advanced stages of deploying AI, blockchain, cloud, and other emerging technologies, versus 7% of traditional firms.

The full 2023 Digital Transformation and Next-Gen Tech Study can be found here.

Methodology

This Broadridge survey was conducted by ThoughtLab Group to understand how financial services companies are digitally transforming and adopting AI, blockchain, and cloud technologies. C-suite executives and their direct reports from 500 financial institutions globally on the buy side and sell side were surveyed, with fielding completed in Nov 2022. The total assets or AUM of companies in the sample ranged from $1 billion to over $250 billion. The study scored firms on a range of factors related to progress with digital transformation. Firms were then categorized as digital Leaders or Non-leaders in the Broadridge Digital Transformation Maturity Framework. For further details on survey methodology, please contact a Broadridge media representative.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with more than $5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions that drive business transformation for banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. Our technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of more than U.S. $9 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 14,000 associates in 21 countries.

For more information about us and what we can do for you, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Investors:

Edings Thibault

Head of Investor Relations, Broadridge

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Gregg Rosenberg

Broadridge

[email protected]

+1-212-918-6966

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.
Evio selects Flipt as a strategic partner and will use Flipt's innovative pharmacy benefit management and consumer engagement platforms to enable Evio's mission to transform pharmacy care

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Flipt, a healthcare technology and services company that offers a new approach to pharmacy care focused on improving pricing and patient access for prescription medications, announced today that it has entered into a multi-year services agreement with Evio Pharmacy Solutions. Flipt's primary product and service offerings include proprietary software-as-a-service pharmacy benefit administration tools and full-service pharmacy benefit management services focused on advancing a patient-first, value-based model for pharmacy care. Through this agreement, Evio will use Flipt's technology platforms to offer its employer group customers unique and innovative tools that advance price transparency and help members make informed medication choices.

"As part of our pursuit to transform the way pharmacy care is delivered and offer new tools for our customers, patients, and providers, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the pharmacy benefit platforms available on the market," said Hank Schlissberg, Chief Executive Officer of Evio. "The unique, leading-edge patient engagement, plan administration, and medication management capabilities delivered by Flipt's technology will allow us to get the right data to each stakeholder in the patient journey to seamlessly improve pharmacy care delivery and outcomes. This, along with our shared mission around innovation, transparency, and patient-centricity, made partnering with Flipt an obvious choice."

Evio is launching a new pharmacy solution that leverages Flipt's proprietary, cloud-based benefit administration and patient engagement platforms to offer a new approach that eliminates the friction and misaligned incentives often found in the pharmacy benefit services that dominate the market today. Flipt's technology streamlines access to medication, improves affordability, and empowers patients to take a more active role in their pharmacy care decisions.

"Flipt's technology platform was purpose-built to eliminate the obstacles created by the current pharmacy benefits system, drive alignment across the entire pharmacy ecosystem, and improve the quality, accessibility, and cost of pharmacy care," said Aaron Greenblatt, Chief Executive Officer of Flipt. "I left pharmaceutical manufacturing to launch Flipt when I saw the incredible markups on the medications we were making and the negative impact those inflated costs had on my employees. Evio and Flipt are united in their vision to radically improve pharmacy care, and I'm excited about the opportunity to help Evio positively impact their customers and patients."

About Flipt

Flipt is a mission-driven healthcare technology and services company that offers full-service pharmacy benefit management services and software-as-a-service pharmacy benefit administration tools, including our cutting-edge enterprise benefit administration, claims adjudication, and consumer engagement platforms. Flipt's mission is to eliminate friction between patients, plan sponsors, providers, and manufacturers and create a more transparent market for prescription drugs that redefines the status quo for pharmacy benefit management. Through our enterprise pharmacy benefit administration and patient engagement platforms, we have created an easy-to-implement and manage benefits solution for both plan sponsors and payers that promotes price transparency, eliminates waste, and empowers consumer choice while better-aligning interests throughout the pharmacy ecosystem. For more information, visit www.fliptrx.com.

About Evio

Evio is an independent pharmacy solutions company that works with health plans to transform the medication experience for everyone: patients, providers, employers, and the system at large. Using real-world evidence and complete transparency, Evio's vision is for every patient to get the right medication for their unique situation, from the beginning, in a simple and affordable way. Evio is an independent company owned by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Shield of California, Highmark Inc., and Independence Blue Cross, who in total provide services to 20 million lives. Evio is based in Denver, CO. For more information, visit www.evio.com.

SOURCE Flipt LLC
NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market size is estimated to decline by USD 333.04 million from 2022 to 2027. However, the growth momentum of the market will decelerate at a CAGR of 28.19%. Europe will account for 37% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

For more Insights on market size Request a sample report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Food Industry Pulsed Electric Field Systems Market 2023-2027

Global food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market - Five Forces

The global cloud data warehouse market is fragmented, and the five forces analysis covers

Bargaining power of buyers

The threat of new entrants

Threat of rivalry

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Threat of substitutes

Interpretation of porter's five models helps to strategize the business, for entire details  buy the report!

Global food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market  Customer Landscape



The report includes the market's adoption lifecycle, from the innovator's stage to the laggard's stage. It focuses on adoption rates in different regions based on penetration. Furthermore, the report also includes key purchase criteria and drivers of price sensitivity to help companies evaluate and develop their growth strategies.



Global food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market - Segmentation Assessment



Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on application (Liquid food and Solid food), and type (30-50 kV/cm and 10-30 kV/cm).

The liquid food segment will grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. The PEF processing of liquid food helps in preserving the sensory characteristics of the food. It also helps in preserving freshness, retain color, and extending the shelf life of liquid food. In addition, PEF treatment offers the inactivation of microbes in liquid food such as milk, milk products, and liquid egg products. Thus, the benefits of PEF processing will increase the demand for liquid food industry PEF systems for liquid food during the forecast period.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market is segmented into Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market.

Europe is estimated to account for 37% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. Europe is one of the largest markets for processed fruits and vegetables. The import and consumption of processed fruits and vegetables across various countries in Europe , such as Germany , France , Belgium , and the UK, has increased. PEF systems are used in fruit and vegetable processing for the permeabilization of cell membranes in fruit and vegetable tissues. It also facilitates the dehydration, drying, peeling, and freezing operations of various fruits and vegetables. Such factors will drive the growth of the market in Europe during the forecast period.

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Global food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market  Market Dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

The increased need for food sterilization is notably driving the market growth .

is notably driving the market growth Sterilization is crucial for food products to ensure that they are suitable for human consumption. The need for environmentally friendly food processing practices and the growing preference for fresh foods are driving the development of innovative technologies in food processing. Sterilization also helps in increasing the shelf life of food products.

PEF processing is an effective method for the proper sterilization of food products. The PEF system helps in the removal of microorganisms such as vegetative bacteria, molds, yeasts, and others.

With the rise in demand for safe food products, many players in the food processing segment are expected to invest in PEF systems, which will propel the demand for PEF systems for food processing during the forecast period.

Leading trends influencing the market

The adoption of PEF systems as an alternative to thermal pasteurization is a key trend in the market .

is a key trend in the market A high-voltage PEF system is an effective alternative for thermal pasteurization. PEF is a non-thermal process of food preservation, which helps in preserving the natural quality of food and beverage products.

It offers consumers microbiologically safe, minimally processed, fresh, and nutritious food products.

It also helps in minimizing the detrimental changes in the physical and sensory characteristics of food and beverage products. These factors will support the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Major challenges hindering the market growth

The high initial cost of setting up PEF systems may impede the market growth . The installation of an industrial-scale PEF system is more expensive than the installation of a commercial-scale PEF system.

may impede the market growth The installation of an industrial-scale PEF system is more expensive than the installation of a commercial-scale PEF system. The average lifetime of a high-pulse voltage generator used in a PEF system is around five years with a capability of 20 hours per day of operation. The replacement of the high-pulse voltage generator also incurs additional costs.

The capacity level of the PEF system leads to high capital costs, which directly increases electricity costs.

The high initial costs, along with the high operational costs of PEF equipment, may restrict the adoption of PEF systems by small and medium-scale industrial end-users. This, in turn, will limit the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Drivers, trends, and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact businesses. Find more insights in a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market size and its contribution to the market in focus on the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market across Europe , North America , APAC, South America , and Middle East and Africa

, , APAC, , and and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market vendors

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Food Industry Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) Systems Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 149 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 28.19% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 333.04 million Market structure Concentrated YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 32.13 Regional analysis Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution Europe at 37% Key countries US, Canada, China, Germany, and The Netherlands Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Diversified Technologies Inc., Elea, Energy Pulse Systems, Food Physics LLC, Gungunwala Food Equipment Pvt. Ltd., Heat and Control Inc., KayDee Solutions, PEF Technologies B.V., and ScandiNova Systems AB Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Application



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 Application Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Application Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Application

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Application

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Application



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Application

6.3 Liquid food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Liquid food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Liquid food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Liquid food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Liquid food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Solid food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Solid food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Solid food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Solid food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Solid food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Application ($ million)

7 Market Segmentation by Type

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 43: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 44: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by Type

7.3 30-50 kV/cm - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 47: Chart on 30-50 kV/cm - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on 30-50 kV/cm - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 49: Chart on 30-50 kV/cm - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on 30-50 kV/cm - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 10-30 kV/cm - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on 10-30 kV/cm - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on 10-30 kV/cm - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 53: Chart on 10-30 kV/cm - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on 10-30 kV/cm - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 55: Market opportunity by Type ($ million)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 56: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 57: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 59: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 61: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 62: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 63: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 64: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 65: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 66: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 67: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 68: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 69: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 70: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 71: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 72: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 81: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 82: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 83: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 84: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 87: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 91: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 92: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 The Netherlands - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on The Netherlands - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on The Netherlands - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 95: Chart on The Netherlands - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on The Netherlands - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 99: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 100: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 101: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 102: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 103: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 104: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 105: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 106: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 107: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 Diversified Technologies Inc.

Exhibit 108: Diversified Technologies Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 109: Diversified Technologies Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 110: Diversified Technologies Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 111: Diversified Technologies Inc. - Key offerings

12.4 Elea

Exhibit 112: Elea - Overview



Exhibit 113: Elea - Product / Service



Exhibit 114: Elea - Key offerings

12.5 Energy Pulse Systems

Exhibit 115: Energy Pulse Systems - Overview



Exhibit 116: Energy Pulse Systems - Product / Service



Exhibit 117: Energy Pulse Systems - Key news



Exhibit 118: Energy Pulse Systems - Key offerings

12.6 Food Physics LLC

Exhibit 119: Food Physics LLC - Overview



Exhibit 120: Food Physics LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 121: Food Physics LLC - Key offerings

12.7 Gungunwala Food Equipment Pvt. Ltd.

Exhibit 122: Gungunwala Food Equipment Pvt. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 123: Gungunwala Food Equipment Pvt. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 124: Gungunwala Food Equipment Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.8 Heat and Control Inc.

Exhibit 125: Heat and Control Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 126: Heat and Control Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 127: Heat and Control Inc. - Key offerings

12.9 KayDee Solutions

Exhibit 128: KayDee Solutions - Overview



Exhibit 129: KayDee Solutions - Product / Service



Exhibit 130: KayDee Solutions - Key offerings

12.10 PEF Technologies B.V.

Exhibit 131: PEF Technologies B.V. - Overview



Exhibit 132: PEF Technologies B.V. - Product / Service



Exhibit 133: PEF Technologies B.V. - Key offerings

12.11 ScandiNova Systems AB

Exhibit 134: ScandiNova Systems AB - Overview



Exhibit 135: ScandiNova Systems AB - Product / Service



Exhibit 136: ScandiNova Systems AB - Key news



Exhibit 137: ScandiNova Systems AB - Key offerings

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 138: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 139: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 140: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 141: Research methodology



Exhibit 142: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 143: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 144: List of abbreviations

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Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Focuses on investigations and litigation with a particular emphasis on the False Claims Act

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Crowell & Moring expands its False Claims Act, investigations, and government contracts practices with the addition of Jason M. Crawford, a former trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Division, Fraud Section. Crawford investigated and litigated FCA cases that resulted in the recovery of millions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury and federal programs.

Former DOJ Trial Attorney Jason Crawford Returns to Crowell & Moring

At the Justice Department, Crawford led numerous investigations into alleged violations of an array of government contracting laws such as the Truth in Negotiations Act; the Buy American Act; organizational conflicts of interest clauses; the Procurement Integrity Act; the price reduction clause; and cost accounting standards. Crawford also handled FCA matters involving health care entities, medical device manufacturers, and American importers. In addition, Crawford worked for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, where he prosecuted crimes, including an individual who had threatened to assassinate a sitting member of Congress following the January 6, 2021, invasion of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Crawford began his legal career at Crowell as an associate fresh out of Georgetown University Law School, working his way to co-leader of the firm's FCA working group before leaving the firm three years ago for the Justice Department. He has a well-established track record of conducting complex internal investigations, responding strategically to government subpoenas, and navigating parallel proceedings.

Crawford rejoins the firm as a partner in its Washington, D.C. office, where he will draw upon his experience leading investigations and prosecuting cases in the government to help clients navigate federal investigations and whistleblower-initiated inquiries. He joins a growing list of Crowell lawyers who have returned to the firm after serving in senior positions in the federal government, including most recently Tyler O'Connor and Agustin D. Orozco.

"In a period of heightened enforcement and increased oversight, having a person with Jason's stellar procurement fraud experience is more important than ever for our clients," said Daniel R. Forman, co-chair of the firm's Government Contracts Group. "Jason joins the firm's expanding roster of former prosecutors and enforcement attorneys from the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney's Offices helping to successfully defend and counsel clients regarding all manner of government investigations, criminal trials, regulatory enforcement actions, and internal investigations."

"I am very excited to return home," Crawford said. "Crowell is an excellent platform for my practice, given the firm's deep bench of investigatory and litigation capabilities, combined with its substantive experience in the regulated industries in which FCA actions and government investigations frequently arise. I look forward to collaborating with colleagues across the firm to help serve our clients."

A recognized thought leader on FCA developments, Crawford has written and presented extensively on key trends and significant cases involving the fraud statute.

Crawford earned his law degree and undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, where he was selected as a Harry S. Truman Scholar and George F. Baker Scholar. He also attended Oxford University on a full scholarship, where he received a degree in modern history and politics. He previously clerked for Judge Thomas Wheeler on the United States Court of Federal Claims.

About Crowell & Moring LLP

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with offices in the United States, Europe, MENA, and Asia. Drawing on significant government, business, industry and legal experience, the firm helps clients capitalize on opportunities and provides creative solutions to complex litigation and arbitration, regulatory and policy, and corporate and transactional issues. The firm is consistently recognized for its commitment to pro bono service, as well as its programs and initiatives to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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The ~$42 million community solar portfolio totals 44 MWdc in Maine, Minnesota and Maryland

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Foss & Company, a leading institutional investment fund sponsor, has announced that it closed on the first tranche of tax equity partnership with Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC ("Nautilus") on behalf of its affiliate Nautilus US Power Holdco, LLC ("NUPH"), a leading community solar company. The first tranche totals approximately ~$42 million of investment for over 44 MWdc of projects spread across three states, including Maine, Minnesota, and Maryland.

"We could not be more excited to be partnering with Nautilus on this incredible portfolio," says Bryen Alperin, managing director, Foss & Company. "This portfolio will not only aim to bring new jobs and tax revenue to these three states, but once it is operational, these sites will provide low-income families and small businesses in these communities with increased access to low-cost, clean electricity. We look forward to partnering with Nautilus on many similarly impactful projects in the future."

Foss & Company Announces Tax Equity Partnership with Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC for ~42M Community Solar Portfolio Tweet this

These projects aim to provide much needed alternative energy to the northeast area of the United States and are expected to be fully operational in 2023.

"Our partnership with Foss and Company allows for community solar projects to enter many more markets in the US. This transaction helps Nautilus continue realizing its vision of creating a clean, sustainable future by offering an equitable and affordable renewable energy choice. We are thrilled to have Foss and Company be a partner that helps us achieve that vision," said Camelia Miu, chief financial officer at Nautilus. "This transaction allows us to unlock the full value of these projects and helps attain our mission to be the trusted provider of clean energy to local communities."

NUPH is the long-term owner of the projects, with Nautilus Solar Energy responsible for overseeing construction, maintaining its long-term performance, and acquiring and managing customer subscriptions through its proprietary community solar subscriber management and acquisition platform.

About Foss & Company

Founded in 1983, Foss & Company is a national tax equity investor and fund sponsor that has deployed over $8 billion in tax equity on behalf of insurance, banking, and other large corporate clients into tax credit enhanced transactions including historic rehabilitation projects, renewable energy and advanced energy production facilities. Foss & Company is a full-service advisor with proven expertise navigating the world of tax equity investments. For additional information, visit www.fossandco.com.

About Nautilus Solar Energy

Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC is a leading community solar company, providing clean energy to residential and commercial customers in local communities. Nautilus operates and manages solar farms in 10 states and is responsible for financing, development, maintenance, and customer service for the lifetime of the project. Founded in 2006, Nautilus has helped shape the future of solar to provide an equitable and affordable renewable energy choice for all. Nautilus is owned by Power Sustainable, a wholly owned subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada. Power Sustainable is a multi-platform alternative asset manager with a long-term investment approach focused on sustainable strategies. For more information on Nautilus Solar Energy visit nautilussolar.com. Join Nautilus on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

SOURCE Foss & Company
NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- G Squared Ascend I Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: GSQD.U, GSQD, GSQD.W), a special purpose acquisition company, today announced that it will redeem all of its outstanding Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the "Public Shares"), effective as of the close of business on February 9, 2023, because the Company will not consummate an initial business combination within the time period required by its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (the "Articles").

As such, in accordance with the Company's Articles, the Company will:

cease all operations as of February 9, 2023 , except for the purpose of winding up;

as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Company's trust account (the "Trust Account"), including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay the Company's income taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the Public Shares then in issue, which redemption will completely extinguish public Members' (as defined in the Articles) rights as Members of the Company (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and

as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company's remaining Members and the Company's board of directors, liquidate and dissolve,

subject in each case, to the Company's obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

The per-share redemption price for the public shares will be approximately $10.18, excluding any permitted deductions (the "Redemption Amount"). The balance of the Trust Account as of January 23, 2023 was approximately $351,223,267.00, which includes approximately $6,223,267.00 in interest and dividend income (excess of cash over $345,000,000, the funds deposited into the Trust Account). In accordance with the terms of the related trust agreement, the Company expects to retain up to $100,000 of the interest and dividend income from the Trust Account to pay dissolution expenses.

The last day of trading will be February 8, 2023.

As of the close of business on February 9, 2023, the Public Shares will be deemed cancelled and will represent only the right to receive the Redemption Amount.

The Redemption Amount will be payable to the holders of the Public Shares upon presentation of their respective stock or unit certificates or other delivery of their shares or units to the Company's transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. Beneficial owners of public shares held in "street name," however, will not need to take any action in order to receive the Redemption Amount.

There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company's warrants, which will expire worthless.

The Company's sponsor has waived its redemption rights with respect to the outstanding Class B ordinary shares held by the sponsor. After February 9, 2023, the Company shall cease all operations except for those required to wind up the Company's business.

The Company expects that the New York Stock Exchange will file a Form 25 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") to delist its securities. The Company thereafter expects to file a Form 15 with the Commission to terminate the registration of its securities under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. When used in this press release, the words "could," "should," "will," "may," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "project," the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Such forward-looking statements are based on current information and expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any subsequent date, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the "Risk Factors" in the Company's registration statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-252268), as amended, initially filed with the Commission on January 20, 2021, relating to its initial public offering, annual, quarterly reports and subsequent reports filed with the Commission, as amended from time to time. Copies of such filings are available on the Commission's website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Media Contact:

The Bulleit Group for G Squared Ascend I

[email protected]

SOURCE G Squared Ascend I Inc.
DALLAS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- G6 Hospitality, the parent Company of the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands, today reaffirmed and provided an update on its commitment to raising awareness and advancing its efforts to help end human trafficking as the nation recognizes National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month this January.

"We are focused on doing our part to combat the trafficking of people," said Julie Arrowsmith, President & Interim CEO of G6 Hospitality. "We strive to bring awareness to this ongoing issue through advocacy, education, enhanced safety procedures, and ensuring our franchise owners and the property teams understand the importance of remaining vigilant and taking action."

In 2022, the Company partnered with law enforcement to provide support their human trafficking training programs, expanded key partnerships, and made meaningful contributions to efforts aimed at supporting survivors. Details include:

Together with Extended Stay America, G6 Hospitality announced a combined inaugural $500,000 donation to AHLA's No Room for Trafficking Survivors Fund , the industry's first-ever Survivor Fund, administered by the American Hotel Lodging Association Foundation. The fund aims to support economic stability for survivors of human trafficking, alongside the AHLA Foundation's No Room for Trafficking program that continues to advance training and education to prevent human trafficking across the hotel and lodging industry.

donation to , the industry's first-ever Survivor Fund, administered by the American Hotel Lodging Association Foundation. The fund aims to support economic stability for survivors of human trafficking, alongside the AHLA Foundation's No Room for Trafficking program that continues to advance training and education to prevent human trafficking across the hotel and lodging industry. The Company partnered with the International Association of Human Trafficking Investigators (IAHTI) to train 42 hotels in the Birmingham, AL area ahead of the World Games.

to train 42 hotels in the area ahead of the World Games. G6 Hospitality supported the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at the El Paso Summit to educate law enforcement and social services on best practices in hospitality.

at the El Paso Summit to educate law enforcement and social services on best practices in hospitality. G6 Hospitality worked with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and Shared Hope International to help lead trainings and presentations aimed at addressing the threat of human trafficking.

This year, G6 will also continue to work with long-term partners, including:

New Friends New Life  G6 partners closely with New Friends New Life, a local Dallas nonprofit, to aid the organization in its commitment to helping access to education, job training, interim financial assistance and mental health support for the survivors of human trafficking. G6 also holds a seat on the organization's Board of Directors.

 G6 partners closely with New Friends New Life, a local nonprofit, to aid the organization in its commitment to helping access to education, job training, interim financial assistance and mental health support for the survivors of human trafficking. G6 also holds a seat on the organization's Board of Directors. Texas Businesses Against Trafficking  G6 allies itself with other Texas businesses to partner and educate on the signs of trafficking and how Texas businesses can raise awareness in their respective industries.

 G6 allies itself with other businesses to partner and educate on the signs of trafficking and how businesses can raise awareness in their respective industries. ECPAT International  As a member of The Code (Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism), G6 plays a role in coordinating research, advocacy and action to end the sexual exploitation of children, as well as annual financial support.

 As a member of The Code (Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism), G6 plays a role in coordinating research, advocacy and action to end the sexual exploitation of children, as well as annual financial support. It's A Penalty (IAP)  G6 joins IAP to raise awareness of the issues of human trafficking surrounding the Big Game each February. To support, G6 partners with IAP to lead training at area hotels and distribute the campaign materials to educate hotel guests and team members.

 G6 joins IAP to raise awareness of the issues of human trafficking surrounding the Big Game each February. To support, G6 partners with IAP to lead training at area hotels and distribute the campaign materials to educate hotel guests and team members. Truckers Against Trafficking  The Company partners with Truckers Against Trafficking which trains truck drivers to recognize and report instances of human trafficking.

G6 also has proactively instituted programs to execute on its zero-tolerance stance against human trafficking, including implementing comprehensive awareness, proprietary training, and response programs within the local communities its franchisees serve. The Company has found success in this approach as all G6 Hospitality team members and owners share an active role in the fight against trafficking.

For more information on G6 Hospitality's efforts in this space, please visit www.g6hospitality.com.

About G6 Hospitality LLC

G6 Hospitality franchises more than 1,400 economy lodging locations under the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands in the United States and Canada. In 2022, Motel 6 was named the "Best Budget-Friendly Hotel Brand" in USA TODAY's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. The Company also ranked a Top 10 Military Friendly Employer for 2022 and named a 2021 "Best for Vets" employer by Military Times. For more information, please visit http://www.g6hospitality.com/.

Contact

Connie McCauslin

G6 Hospitality

[email protected]

(469) 381-9177

SOURCE Motel 6
GATC to highlight its AI-driven addiction solutions to a national audience attending to learn how to allocate the tens of billions of dollars resulting from opioid abatement settlements for states, counties, municipalities and tribes; Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, will be the keynote speakers

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GATC Health Corp, a science and technology company revolutionizing drug discovery and disease prediction using artificial intelligence (AI), today announced that Tyrone Lam, COO of GATC Health, will present the company's fentanyl abatement drug candidates that were identified by GATC's AI-based drug discovery and development platform. The novel created by GATC are currently in preclinical drug evaluation studies. Guidelines allocated a portion of the Opioid Abatement Settlement funds for research and development, which includes GATC's opioid addiction abatement projects.

The allocation of opioid settlement funds to states has already begun, yet many states are lagging in their efforts to organize an adequate abatement plan or council to direct and oversee the distribution. The Opioid Settlement Abatement Summit  Model Guidance for States, Counties, Municipalities and Tribes will take place on Thursday January 26th, 2023 at Georgetown University and virtually, and focus on providing model abatement guidance for states, counties, municipalities and tribes to effectively plan for, implement and track opioid settlement funds. The goal of the event is to highlight effective programs, initiatives and tools that are easily adopted and should be considered in state abatement plans as funding begins to come in.

GATC will present AI-driven addiction solutions to a national audience of states, counties, municipalities and tribes Tweet this

The day-long program will emphasize the importance of ensuring states, counties, municipalities and tribes fully comprehend the unique opportunity they have to ensure that the settlement funds they receive are appropriately used to abate the opioid and overdose crisis in their communities. The program moderator will be Dr. Stephen Loyd, NSUDSAP Advisory Panel member, Chief Medical Officer, Cedar Recovery and Chairman of the Tennessee Abatement Council, along with Dr. Rahul Gupta (ONDCP) and Regina LaBelle (O'Neill Institute) as our keynote speakers. The agenda will include a series of additional prominent speakers with expertise in priority areas related to opioid abatement efforts covering topics such as, the Recovery Ecosystem Index and Settlement Fund Tracking tools, the U.S. System of Care for Individuals in Recovery, Emergency Department and Hospital In-patient Services, and the Importance of MAT in the Correctional System. The event will include academic and independent affiliate partners such as: Georgetown University School of Medicine, East Tennessee State University (ETSU), Addiction Sciences Center; GATC Health; Volunteers of America, Mid-States; Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice; the Florida State Attorney's Office; and Legal Services Corporation, to name a few. Equally prominent will be highlighting the successes and challenges of ongoing opioid litigations and the policies that have evolved to help reduce the harms associated with drug addiction.

About GATC Health

GATC Health Corp is a science and technology company revolutionizing disease prediction and drug discovery and development through its transformative AI platform and approach, which de-risks drug pipelines and accelerates new therapies to treat disease with accuracy, efficiency and speed never before achieved in medical science. The company's validated and proprietary Multiomics Advanced Technology (MAT) platform simulates human biochemistry's billions of interactions for accurate and rapid disease prediction, novel target identification, and drug discovery and development. GATC envisions the future of medicine now, where health is protected, disease is reversed, and every person's unique biology is treated with precision.

GATC is accelerating the future of predictive, individualized medicine, today.

SOURCE GATC Health Corp
Experienced progressive packaging expert brings commercial leadership to the sustainable ag-based pulp and molded fiber producer

VONORE, Tenn., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Genera, a manufacturer of domestically sourced and produced ag-based pulp and molded fiber products, announced today that it has hired packaging industry veteran James Davidson as its new chief commercial officer in charge of developing the company's commercial strategy and rapid expansion plans.

Davidson will create value for Genera's customers by helping them move toward more sustainable packaging products to meet their environmental and sustainability goals, including net zero commitments.

Genera has hired progressive packing expert James Davidson to create value for their clients by helping them move toward more sustainable packaging products.

"We are excited about the broad packaging industry experience James brings to Genera," said Dr. Kelly Tiller, CEO of Genera. "He adds significant commercial expertise to our leadership team and his background will help us accelerate our growth as we look to build on our strong external brand and long-term sustainable business development."

Davidson has more than 20 years of experience in progressive packaging industry leadership roles in sales, marketing, operations and product development. His background in delivering strategies to increase commercial sales and marketing and identifying new business pipelines to boost revenue positions him to lead Genera's sales growth, taking advantage of the company's rapidly expanding production capacity.

Last year, Genera was acquired by Ara Partners, a private equity firm that specializes in industrial decarbonization investments. As part of the purchase, Ara committed up to $200 million in additional capital to support significant expansion of the company's sustainable pulp and packaging business.

"I am honored to work with Genera and our customers to accelerate the path toward lower carbon emissions and reduced waste while supporting our local farmers," Davidson said. "Genera offers our customers unique solutions to some of the industry's biggest challenges with unmatched and proprietary expertise in pulp science, processing, and manufacturing. Genera's vertical integration from domestic carbon-negative, agri-positive farm operations through to finished product offers unparalleled sustainability, supply security and manufacturing scale."

In his previous roles, Davidson managed commercial activities across multiple countries and led several packaging businesses through various stages of growth. He said he plans to leverage this experience to help Genera as it expands across new markets and adds new products.

"The Genera team brings together deep scientific knowledge, industry and functional expertise combined with the most advanced partners in the industry," Davidson said. "I'm very excited to be working with a company that is at the forefront of decarbonization solutions that are beneficial for our food supply, highly adaptable, and perfectly aligned with our customers' needs and commitments."

Davidson is a graduate of Clemson University in South Carolina with a degree in packaging engineering. He has been a long-time board member of the trade association PAC Global and serves as a PAC Global Awards expert panel judge.

For more information about Genera, visit https://generainc.com.

About Genera

Genera, a Tennessee-based ag fiber manufacturer, works to simplify supply chains with domestically sourced and produced ag-based pulp and molded fiber products. Partnering with local farmers, Genera provides a sustainable farm-to-finished product solution for a wide array of applications, including compostable food service tableware, to-go containers, packaging, paper, tissue and more. To learn more about Genera, please visit https://generainc.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Heather Ripley

Ripley PR

(865) 977-1973

[email protected]

SOURCE Genera
MONTREUX, Switzerland and PARIS-LA DEFENSE, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Glion Institute of Higher Education, a benchmark business school specializing in hospitality and luxury professions; and ESSEC Business School, a leading management institution, are joining forces to offer a Global Executive Master's degree in Hospitality Leadership. This innovative program will meet the needs of professionals wishing to access strategic positions and specialize in the sector while combining these studies with their work lives by means of a part-time digital program.

Glion Institute of Higher Education and ESSEC Business School launch a new program: the Global Executive Master's in Hospitality Leadership

ESSEC benefits from a long expertise in hotel management training. Its flagship program IMHI (originally named Institut du Management Hotelier International) was launched more than 40 years ago and has trained over the decades more than 1,700 highly qualified managers who occupy key positions in the sector. ESSEC's management training programs give executives, managers and directors with the keys to combining operational skills with new managerial and strategic responsibilities.

Thanks to its partnerships with major companies and its 62,000 graduates worldwide, the School benefits from an extensive network offering access to permanent contacts with the professional world and thus widening the spectrum of possibilities.

Founded in Switzerland, Glion Institute of Higher Education celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2022. The excellence of its teaching is linked to its unique pedagogical approach, which combines demanding practice with extremely robust academic knowledge. The Institute ranks among the world's top hospitality management schools, particularly in terms of employer reputation (QS World University Rankings, 2022) and its alumni hold some of the most influential positions in the hospitality world.

The Global Executive Master's in Hospitality Leadership will welcome its first participants in November 2023. The program includes four 12-week online teaching modules as well as four six-day sessions on the various Glion and ESSEC campuses: Glion in Montreux, Switzerland, ESSEC in Singapore, Glion London and ESSEC Paris-La Defense.

The curriculum concludes with a final project or applied business project to be completed within 15 months of the start of the program. This entrepreneurial project is at the heart of the learning approach in order to help students contribute to future solutions as well as adapt to the changes and challenges facing the hospitality industry.

Module composition:

Module 1  New frontiers in the hotel industry

Module 2  Improving financial performance

Module 3  Achieving operational excellence

Module 4  Guiding transformation.

Participants will have the opportunity to consolidate and acquire new technical, managerial, organizational, marketing and economic skills; to understand and analyze major hospitality industry trends and market opportunities; as well as to draw up action plans in order to develop their strategic vision.

Upon completing the course, participants will obtain a Global Executive Master's in Hospitality Leadership worth 30 US credits awarded by Glion and ESSEC Business School, which will enable them to make a difference and seize opportunities to accelerate their careers.

Francine Cuagnier, Head of Marketing at Glion Institute of Higher Education said: "Hospitality management is constantly evolving and progressing in step with the acceleration of new technologies and new customer demands. This program will offer the opportunity to develop soft skills in terms of leadership and innovation, as well as master the financial and economic fundamentals necessary to develop a solid and successful long-term strategy."

Vincenzo Vinzi, Dean and President ESSEC Business School commented, "Thanks to this excellence-driven partnership, ESSEC is strengthening its expertise and academic offering in the field of hospitality. This will enable professionals to train and transform themselves by acquiring cutting-edge knowledge as well as expertise and soft skills that will empower them to be responsible and influential leaders in the hospitality industry who will be able to combine value creation and sustainability."

About Glion Institute of Higher Education

Founded in 1962, Glion Institute of Higher Education (GIHE) is a Swiss institution offering bachelor's and master's degrees in hospitality, luxury and finance across three campuses in Switzerland and London, UK to an international student body.

Glion has ranked amongst the world's top five for higher education institutions in Hospitality Management and top three in Employer Reputation since its entry into the rankings in 2018 (QS World University Rankings, 2022).

Part of Sommet Education, worldwide leader in management education specializing in hospitality professions, Glion is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

For more information glion.edu/fr/

About ESSEC Business School

Founded in 1907, ESSEC is a major player in management education on the world stage, holding the "Triple Crown" of EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA accreditations. With 7,060 undergraduate students, a wide range of management programs, partnerships with the world's leading universities, a network of 62,000 graduates, a faculty of 163 permanent professors in France and Singapore, including 19 emeritus professors, recognized for the quality and influence of their research, ESSEC perpetuates a tradition of academic excellence and cultivates a spirit of openness in the service of economic, social, and innovation activities. In 2005, ESSEC opened a campus in Asia, ESSEC Asia-Pacific, strategically located in Singapore. This campus represents an opportunity for ESSEC to participate in the growth of Asia and to bring its expertise to this booming region. In 2016, ESSEC opened a new ESSEC Africa campus in Rabat, Morocco. ESSEC's international expansion enables its students and faculty to study and understand the economic forces at play in different regions of the world. For more information: www.essec.edu

Press contacts:

Glion: Anouck Weiss, [email protected]

ESSEC: Vitaline Gomes, [email protected]

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SOURCE Glion Institute of Higher Education
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Consumer Genomics Market (2022-2027) by Product and Service, Application, and Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The Global Consumer Genomics Market is estimated to be USD 3.3 Bn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 9.07 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 22.4%



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding growth and reducing risks.

Company Profiles



The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are 23andMe, Inc., Ancestry, Color Health, Inc., Diagnomics, Inc., Futura Genetics, Gene by Gene, Ltd., etc.



Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant



The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis



The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Consumer Genomics Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as the Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.



The analyst analyses the Global Consumer Genomics Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.



Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.



Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Consumer Genomics Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains a competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Rise in the Interest of Consumers & Physicians in DTC Kits & Consequent Rise in Sales of DNA Test Kits

4.1.2 Increase in Access to DTC Services due to Reducing the Cost of Genotyping

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Ethical and Clinical Issues about the use of DTC Products & Personalized Treatment

4.2.2 Regulatory Challenges about the use of DTC Genetic Tests

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Technological Advancement in Genomics DTC Kit

4.3.2 Significant Investments & Initiatives by Companies

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Misleading Results Create Challenges in the Adoption of Home-based Genetic Tests



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis

5.5 PESTLE Analysis



6 Global Consumer Genomics Market, By Product and Service

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Consumables

6.3 Systems & Software



7 Global Consumer Genomics Market, By Application

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Diagnostics

7.3 Wellness And Nutrition

7.4 Personalized Medicine

7.5 Ancestry



8 Americas' Consumer Genomics Market

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Argentina

8.3 Brazil

8.4 Canada

8.5 Chile

8.6 Colombia

8.7 Mexico

8.8 Peru

8.9 United States

8.10 Rest of Americas



9 Europe's Consumer Genomics Market

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Austria

9.3 Belgium

9.4 Denmark

9.5 Finland

9.6 France

9.7 Germany

9.8 Italy

9.9 Netherlands

9.10 Norway

9.11 Poland

9.12 Russia

9.13 Spain

9.14 Sweden

9.15 Switzerland

9.16 United Kingdom

9.17 Rest of Europe



10 Middle East and Africa's Consumer Genomics Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Egypt

10.3 Israel

10.4 Qatar

10.5 Saudi Arabia

10.6 South Africa

10.7 United Arab Emirates

10.8 Rest of MEA



11 APAC's Consumer Genomics Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Australia

11.3 Bangladesh

11.4 China

11.5 India

11.6 Indonesia

11.7 Japan

11.8 Malaysia

11.9 Philippines

11.10 Singapore

11.11 South Korea

11.12 Sri Lanka

11.13 Thailand

11.14 Taiwan

11.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



12 Competitive Landscape

12.1 IGR Competitive Quadrant

12.2 Market Share Analysis

12.3 Strategic Initiatives

12.3.1 M&A and Investments

12.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

12.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



13 Company Profiles

13.1 23andMe, Inc.

13.2 Ancestry

13.3 Color Health, Inc.

13.4 Diagnomics, Inc.

13.5 Futura Genetics

13.6 Gene by Gene, Ltd.

13.7 Helix OpCo, LLC

13.8 Illumina, Inc.

13.9 Mapmygenome

13.10 MyHeritage Ltd.

13.11 Positive Biosciences, Ltd.

13.12 Toolbox Genomics

13.13 Veritas Intercontinental

13.14 Xcode Life



14 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9ak1p5



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Enterprise Quantum Computing Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Deployment Mode, By Technology, By Application, By Component (Hardware, Software and Services), By Vertical, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Enterprise Quantum Computing Market size is expected to reach $6.4 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 24.4% CAGR during the forecast period.

Market Growth Factors

Investment in Quantum Technologies is on the Rise

In order to use quantum computers to perform various optimization and simulation tactics, several government agencies involved in the global space and military industries are spending more and more on the development of quantum computing technology. Governments from many different nations are funding their research institutions with substantial sums of money in order to further the development of quantum computing. Nations are making large investments in the study and development of quantum computing technologies.

Increasing Use as Artificial Intelligence Advances

In order to enhance their strategic, insight-driven, and operational capabilities, businesses use AI-powered solutions. Artificial intelligence (AI) may increase productivity and allow automated data processing by automating complex and repetitive activities. IT teams may utilize AI to handle and monitor important tasks. The businesses offering cloud solutions and services are consistently focusing on R&D operations, product improvements, and cutting-edge product launches thanks to the integration of Big Data, AI, and ML.

Deployment Outlook

Based on the deployment mode, the enterprise quantum computing market is classified into on-premise and cloud. In 2021, the cloud segment garnered the substantial revenue share in the market. As more durable systems are created, there will certainly be a rise in demand for cloud-based computing solutions and services. Along with increasingly comprehensive solutions from the leading industry players, the cloud is also offering a number of other ways to build quantum computers. The flexibility of access offered to consumers is another aspect that contributes to the popularity of cloud-based services and systems.

Technology Outlook

Based on technology, the enterprise quantum computing is segmented into quantum annealing, superconducting, trapped ions, quantum dots, and others. The superconducting segment had the most revenue share in 2021. This market is growing because superconducting qubit-based quantum computers operate more quickly than equivalent machines using other technologies. In the next years, it is anticipated that IT giants like IBM, Google, and Intel would introduce their superconducting qubit-based quantum computing services.

Application Outlook

Based on application, the enterprise quantum computing market is classified into machine learning/deep learning/AI, optimization, simulation & data modeling, cyber security, and others. In 2021, the market for corporate quantum computing experienced a significant increase in the revenue share of the machine learning/deep learning/AI sector. Users may learn about the estimate of quantum system characteristics, quantum error-correcting codes, and the creation of unique quantum algorithms thanks to machine learning, artificial intelligence, and deep learning. Quantum algorithms are included in machine learning software as part of quantum machine learning.

Component Outlook

Based on component, the enterprise quantum computing market is classified into hardware, software, and services. In terms of revenue, the hardware segment had the largest revenue share in 2021. As hardware represents a substantial bottleneck in the ecosystem, growth in this sector is expected. There are several hardware platforms developed for quantum computing. All commercially viable quantum computers are based on superconducting circuits and trapped ions, which are majorly sophisticated. Spin qubits, neutral atoms, and photonic networks are other intriguing platforms.

Vertical Outlook

Based on vertical, the enterprise quantum computing market is classified into manufacturing, BFSI, energy & utilities, aerospace & defense, healthcare & life sciences, IT and telecom, and others. The enterprise quantum computing market had a significant revenue share in 2021 in the telecom and IT categories. Many firms are now making significant efforts to transition to IT infrastructures that are quantum-safe. The term "cryptoagility" is often used to describe a system architecture that is adaptable enough to quickly accept new cryptographic techniques with no negative influence on the system"s functioning.

Key Market Players

List of Companies Profiled in the Report:

Alibaba Group Holding Limited

D-Wave Systems Inc.

Google Llc

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

Id Quantique

Intel Corporation

IBM Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

Rigetti & Co, Inc.

Toshiba Corporation

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology



Chapter 2. Market Overview



Chapter 3. Competition Analysis - Global



Chapter 4. Global Enterprise Quantum Computing Market by Deployment Mode



Chapter 5. Global Enterprise Quantum Computing Market by Technology



Chapter 6. Global Enterprise Quantum Computing Market by Application



Chapter 7. Global Enterprise Quantum Computing Market by Component



Chapter 8. Global Enterprise Quantum Computing Market by Vertical



Chapter 9. Global Enterprise Quantum Computing Market by Region



Chapter 10. Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/77712k-enterprise?w=5

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact: Laura Wood | +353-1-481-1716 | [email protected]

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SOURCE Research and Markets
NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As per Facts and Factors study, The global fatty alcohol market size was estimated to be worth roughly USD 5.48 billion in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around USD 7.86 billion by 2028. The global fatty alcohol market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of roughly 5.30% during the forecast period.



Fatty Alcohol Market: Overview

Fatty alcohols, which are generated from fats and oils, are high molecular weight, long-chain alcohols with a chain of three to more than 27 carbon atoms. They come in the forms of waxy solids, colorless oily liquids (for lower carbon numbers), or saturated or unsaturated liquids. Depending on where they come from, fatty alcohols can be either natural or petrochemical in origin. Fatty Alcohols behave as non-ionic surfactants due to their amphipathic character; as a result, they are mostly used in the creation of detergents and surfactants. In the pulp and paper, cosmetics, agriculture, emollient, thickening, and solubilizing sectors, fatty alcohols are frequently utilized as co-emulsifiers, emollients, thickeners, and solubilizing agents. In the pharmaceutical business, alcohol surfactants are also employed as lipophilic solubilizers for lotions and ointments.

Due to the slowdown in the industrial sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have a substantial effect on the market. Major corporations, like Wilmar International Limited, were obliged to temporarily close their manufacturing facilities in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus due to its unexpected effects. The company's revenue production and market share would suffer significantly as a result of these plants being shut down. Production levels have significantly decreased as a result of lockdown in various nations. There are bottlenecks in the market's supply chain as a result of restrictions on the transit of materials. The aforementioned causes are expected to cause a decrease in demand.

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As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the global Fatty Alcohol market is estimated to grow annually at a CAGR of around 5.30% over the forecast period (2022-2028).

In terms of revenue, the global Fatty Alcohol market size was valued at around USD 5.48 billion in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around USD 7.86 billion by 2028.

in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around by 2028. Due to a variety of driving factors, the market is predicted to rise at a significant rate. The increasing demand for surfactants in personal care products, conditioners, lipsticks, shower gel, and antiperspirant is recognized to be a salient cause that can grow the market significantly during the forecast period.

Based on type, the pure & mid-cut segment were predicted to show maximum market share in the year 2021

Based on application, industrial & domestic cleaning was predicted to show maximum market share in the year 2021

On the basis of region, Asia Pacific was the leading revenue generator in 2021.

Facts and Factors published the latest report titled "Fatty Alcohol Market Size, Share, Growth Analysis Report By Type (Short Chain, Pure and Mid Cut, Long Chain, Higher Chain), By Application (Industrial & Domestic Cleaning, Personal Care, Plasticizers, Lubricants, Pharmaceutical Formulation, Food & Nutrition, Others), and By Region - Global and Regional Industry Insights, Overview, Comprehensive Analysis, Trends, Statistical Research, Market Intelligence, Historical Data and Forecast 2022  2028" into their research database.

Industry Dynamics:

Fatty Alcohol Market: Growth Drivers

Increasing Demand for Surfactants to Propel Market Growth.

Surfactants, like soaps and detergents, are in exponentially greater demand. Fatty alcohol-based surfactants have a variety of uses in the paper & pulp, cosmetics, and agricultural industries. They serve as wetting and cleaning agents as well as solubilizing and emulsifying agents. Fatty alcohols are anticipated to be in great demand because of these qualities. Additionally, the rising demand for personal care items such as liquid soaps and hand sanitizers in an effort to curb COVID-19's spread is anticipated to fuel the global fatty alcohols market expansion.

Fatty Alcohol Market: Restraints

Fluctuating Prices of Raw Materials to Hamper Growth.

Raw materials like tallow, palm oil, rapeseed oil, and others are used to make fatty alcohols. Major producers of these raw minerals in the Asia Pacific region are Malaysia and Indonesia. The raw materials for other regions, such North America and Europe, are sourced from Asian nations. As a result, changes in the price of raw materials depend on the trading conditions in these areas. Further impeding the market's expansion will be recently implemented limits on the import of refined palm oil into India.

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Global Fatty Alcohol Market: Opportunities

Increase in demand for bio-based and renewable resources-based products.

The demand for bio-based chemicals has been seen to be driven by shifting consumer tastes. Over the past ten years, there has been a rapid rise in consumer awareness of the damaging environmental effects of products made using petroleum. Consumers are being encouraged to use eco-friendly items because of rising environmental concerns. These elements are compelling chemical producers to make their products with bio-based raw materials. Oleo-based fatty alcohols are more environmentally friendly and less harmful than their traditional petroleum-based counterparts. They are chosen to produce the ingredients for personal care products.

Global Fatty Alcohol Market: Challenges

Fluctuating raw material prices.

The primary raw materials utilized in the production of fatty alcohol are, among others, rapeseed oil, PK oil, palm oil, and PK oil. These raw materials are imported into regions like North America and Europe from APAC because of the latter's favorable geographic circumstances for the development of raw materials for fatty alcohols. Prices may therefore change often depending on the nature of the trade between these places. 2020 saw a sharp decline in palm oil prices as a result of the global COVID-19 outbreak. The production of palm oil has significantly decreased as a result of the disruption in the global supply chain and the state of lockdown in many Asian nations. Indonesia's exports of palm oil dropped by 12% to 2.54 million tons in February 2020 from the prior month.

Global Fatty Alcohol Market: Segmentation

The global fatty alcohol market is segmented based on type, application, and region.

Based on type, the market has been segmented into short chain, pure and mid cut, long chain, and higher chain. During the forecast period, the pure and mid-cut category held the majority of the market share. The extensive usage of these chemicals in the production of Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLES), which are present in a variety of personal care products like soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, and others, is credited with the market expansion in this sector. During the projected period, these variables are anticipated to enhance demand.

Based on application, the market has been segmented into industrial & domestic cleaning, personal care, plasticizers, lubricants, pharmaceutical formulation, food & nutrition, and others. Due to rising living standards and a rise in the purchasing power parity of low-income groups in emerging nations like APAC, the industrial & household cleaning industry is expanding quickly. In addition, as fatty alcohols are used in powder and liquid cleaning products as a form controller, emollient, antistatic agent, and pacifier, demand for industrial and household cleaning is rising.

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List of Key Players in Fatty Alcohol Market:

Wilmar International Ltd.

Emery Oleochemicals

Godrej Industries Limited

Procter & Gamble

SASOL

Air Liquide

ASF SE

P&G Chemicals Ltd.

Ecogreen Oleochemical

Croda International Plc.

Eastman Chemical Company

Arkema SA.

Key questions answered in this report:

What are the growth rate forecast and market size for Fatty Alcohol Market?

What are the key driving factors propelling the Fatty Alcohol Market forward?

What are the most important companies in the Fatty Alcohol Market Industry?

What segments does the Fatty Alcohol Market cover?

How can I receive a free copy of the Fatty Alcohol Market sample report and company profiles?

Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 USD 5.48 Billion Revenue forecast in 2028 USD 7.86 Billion Growth Rate CAGR of almost 5.30% 2022-2028 Base Year 2020 Historic Years 2016  2021 Forecast Years 2022  2028 Segments Covered By Type, Application, and Region Forecast Units Value (USD Billion), and Volume (Units) Quantitative Units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2022 to 2028 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa, and Rest of World Countries Covered U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others Companies Covered Wilmar International Ltd., Emery Oleochemicals, Godrej Industries Limited, Procter & Gamble, SASOL, Air Liquide, ASF SE, P&G Chemicals Ltd., Ecogreen Oleochemical, Croda International Plc., Eastman Chemical Company, Arkema SA., and others. Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porter's five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, market attractiveness analysis by segments and region, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis. Customization Scope Avail of customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs. https://www.fnfresearch.com/customization/fatty-alcohol-market



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Recent Developments

In March 2018 - Musim Mas expanded its fatty alcohol production capabilities by opening a new facility in Batam with a production capacity of 150 KT per annum.

Musim Mas expanded its fatty alcohol production capabilities by opening a new facility in Batam with a production capacity of 150 KT per annum. In June 2017 - Royal Dutch Shell is set to expand the production capacity of mid-cut and low-cut alcohols at its Geismar, U.S. facility. This expansion will help the company to meet the growing demand for surfactant and plasticizer alcohol from consumers.

Regional Dominance:

Asia Pacific to lead the market growth during the projection period.

In the Asia Pacific region, the market for Fatty alcohol is growing significantly. Due to the growing demand from the personal care & cosmetics and surfactant sectors, it is the main driver of market growth. The market would expand exponentially under the influence of rising disposable incomes in South Korea, China, and India. Additionally, China, which is home to several of the world's largest soap and detergent producers, is showing signs of rising usage. The market expansion in North America is related to the increasing demand for surfactants. The COVID-19 outbreak would also increase demand for sanitizers and household cleaning supplies in this area, which would encourage use. The personal care industry's explosive demand is what distinguishes the European market.

Global Fatty Alcohol Market is segmented as follows:

Fatty Alcohol Market: By Type Outlook (2022-2028)

Short Chain

Pure and Mid Cut

Long Chain

Higher Chain

Fatty Alcohol Market: By Application Outlook (2022-2028)

Industrial & Domestic Cleaning

Personal Care

Plasticizers

Lubricants

Pharmaceutical Formulation

Food & Nutrition

Others

Fatty Alcohol Market: By Region Outlook (2022-2028)

North America

The U.S.

Canada

Europe

France

The UK

Spain

Germany

Italy

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Southeast Asia

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

GCC

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Press Release for Fatty Alcohol Market: https://www.fnfresearch.com/news/global-fatty-alcohol-market

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SOURCE FnF Research
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market (2022-2027) by Product Type, Source, End-user, and Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The Global Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market is estimated to be USD 38.37 Bn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 56.82 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 8.17%



Market Dynamics



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding growth and reducing risks

Company Profiles



The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Allergy Therapeutics, PLC, Astra Biotech GmbH, Biomerieux SA, Danaher Corp., EUROIMMUN Ag, etc.



Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant



The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis



The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as the Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.



The analyst analyses the Global Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.



Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.



Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains a competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Increasing Incidences of Allergic Diseases

4.1.2 Growing Demand for In Vitro Diagnostic Blood Tests

4.1.3 Growing Environmental Pollution

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Affordability Issues for Some Drugs Such as EpiPen

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Increasing Health Expenditure across Several Economies

4.3.2 Rising Focus on Automation Devices in Therapeutics

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Ambiguous Regulatory Framework



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis

5.5 PESTLE Analysis



6 Global Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market, By Product Type

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Diagnostic Products

6.2.1 Consumables

6.2.2 In Vivo/Skin

6.2.3 Instruments

6.2.4 Services

6.2.5 Tests Type

6.3 Therapeutic Treatment Type

6.3.1 Antihistamines

6.3.2 Epinephrine Auto-Injector



7 Global Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market, By Source

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Eggs

7.3 Fish

7.4 Milk

7.5 Peanuts

7.6 Shellfish

7.7 Soy

7.8 Tree Nuts

7.9 Wheat



8 Global Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market, By End-user

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Academic Research Institutes

8.3 Diagnostics Laboratories

8.4 Hospitals & Clinics



9 Americas' Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Argentina

9.3 Brazil

9.4 Canada

9.5 Chile

9.6 Colombia

9.7 Mexico

9.8 Peru

9.9 United States

9.10 Rest of Americas



10 Europe's Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Austria

10.3 Belgium

10.4 Denmark

10.5 Finland

10.6 France

10.7 Germany

10.8 Italy

10.9 Netherlands

10.10 Norway

10.11 Poland

10.12 Russia

10.13 Spain

10.14 Sweden

10.15 Switzerland

10.16 United Kingdom

10.17 Rest of Europe



11 Middle East and Africa's Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Egypt

11.3 Israel

11.4 Qatar

11.5 Saudi Arabia

11.6 South Africa

11.7 United Arab Emirates

11.8 Rest of MEA



12 APAC's Food Allergy Diagnostics & Therapeutics Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Australia

12.3 Bangladesh

12.4 China

12.5 India

12.6 Indonesia

12.7 Japan

12.8 Malaysia

12.9 Philippines

12.10 Singapore

12.11 South Korea

12.12 Sri Lanka

12.13 Thailand

12.14 Taiwan

12.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 IGR Competitive Quadrant

13.2 Market Share Analysis

13.3 Strategic Initiatives

13.3.1 M&A and Investments

13.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

13.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



14 Company Profiles

14.1 Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

14.2 Allergy Therapeutics, PLC

14.3 Astra Biotech GmbH

14.4 Biomerieux SA

14.5 Danaher Corp.

14.6 Dr. Fooke Laboratorien GmbH

14.7 EUROIMMUN Ag

14.8 GA Generic Assays GmbH

14.9 HAL Allergy B.V.

14.10 Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.

14.11 Hob Biotech Group Suzhou Co., Ltd.

14.12 Hycor Biomedical

14.13 INDOOR Biotechnologies, Inc.

14.14 Lincoln Diagnostics, Inc.

14.15 Omega Diagnostics Group, PLC

14.16 Parkway Pantai

14.17 R-Biopharm Ag

14.18 ROXALL Medizin GmbH

14.19 Siemens Ag

14.20 Stallergenes Greer, PLC

14.21 Tecan Trading Ag

14.22 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.



15 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/g4x4l6



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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Gene Therapy Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global gene therapy market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.39% over the forecast period to reach US$11.769 billion by 2027 from US$3.611 billion in 2020.



Gene therapy refers to a medical process that modifies or teat an individual's underlying genetic problem thereby preventing disease. Such therapy has high applicability in the treatment of major diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and HIV among others as its ability to replace unhealthy genes with new ones provides the body with the ability to fight such diseases.

Unhealthy food consumption, lifestyle factors, and the rising prevalence of obesity, coupled with the rapid increase in the population and economic downturn have increased the prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, HIV, and heart disease.

For instance, according to the World Health Organization, in 2020, the number of deaths that occurred due to cancer globally stood at 10 million with which death count by breast cancer stood at 2.26 million followed by lung cancer at 2.21 million. Furthermore, according to US Government's HIV.gov data, in 2021, 1.2 million people in the United States were diagnosed with HIV.

Moreover, according to the 2020 Health and Glance report by European Commission, in 2019, the total number of people diagnosed with diabetes stood at 32.3 million which showed significant growth of 92.2% from the cases reported in 2000. Owing to the rapidly growing prevalence of such major diseases, the demand for gene therapy products is also projected to increase, thereby boosting the global gene therapy market growth during the forecast period.



Based on vector type, the global gene therapy market is segmented into viral and non-viral vectors. The non-viral vector is expected to grow at a relatively higher rate during the forecast period of the global gene therapy market. Non-viral vector has low cost, is easy to produce, has better cell or tissue targeting, and provides biosafety advantages over viral vector which makes the non-viral vector much safer to be used in gene delivery.

Owing to its rich performance benefits, the non-viral vector has a higher preference over the viral vector, and with the increase in the number of major communicable and non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and AIDS, the demand for non-viral vectors for gene therapy is also expected to increase, thereby improving its segment as well as the overall market growth during the forecast period.



The growing establishment of gene therapy manufacturing plants by major companies is boosting the global gene therapy market growth. Various companies realizing the importance of gene therapy and its effectiveness against a wide range of deadly diseases are actively investing in innovations and plant establishments to increase their production of gene therapy products.

For instance, in June 2022, REGEXBIO announced the establishment of its new gene therapy manufacturing center in Rockville, Md where the company will boost the manufacturing of its adeno-associated virus vectors using the company's NAV technology. Furthermore, in December 2021, Pfizer opened its new state-of-the-art gene manufacturing facility in Durham, NC, where the company will boost the production of its multiple gene therapy medicine. Such manufacturing plant establishments will increase the demand and scope of usage of gene therapy in the future, thereby boosting the market growth of the global gene therapy market during the forecast period.



Recent developments:

In October 2022 , Elli Lily and Company signed an agreement for the acquisition of Akouos for a sum of US$610 million . The acquisition will enable Elli Lily to add major gene therapy products of Akouos such as AK-OTOF which is used for treating hearing loss caused due to otoferlin gene mutations.

, and Company signed an agreement for the acquisition of Akouos for a sum of . The acquisition will enable to add major gene therapy products of Akouos such as AK-OTOF which is used for treating hearing loss caused due to otoferlin gene mutations. In August 2022 , Cytiva collaborated with Forecyte Bio to accelerate the manufacturing and development of the gene therapy industry in the United State and China markets. The company's collaboration will increase the patient's access to gene therapy.

Market Segmentation:

By Therapy Type

Ex Vivo

In Vivo

In Situ

By Vector Type

Viral

Non-Viral

By Technique Type

Gene Augmentation

Gene Inhibition

Specific Cell Kill

By Disease Type

Cancer

Heart Disease

Diabetes

HIV

Others

By Geography

North America

USA

Canada

Mexico

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Others

Europe

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Others

Middle East and Africa

and Saudi Arabia

Israel

United Arab Emirates

Others

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

South Korea

India

Australia

Indonesia

Thailand

Taiwan

Others

Key Topics Covered:



1. INTRODUCTION



2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4. MARKET DYNAMICS



5. GLOBAL GENE THERAPY MARKET BY THERAPY TYPE



6. GLOBAL GENE THERAPY MARKET BY VECTOR TYPE



7. GLOBAL GENE THERAPY MARKET BY TECHNIQUE TYPE



8. GLOBAL GENE THERAPY MARKET BY DISEASE TYPE



9. GLOBAL GENE THERAPY MARKET BY GEOGRAPHY



10. COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT AND ANALYSIS



11. COMPANY PROFILES



Companies Mentioned

Novartis

Pfizer Inc

MeiraGTx Limited

San Rocco Therapeutics

American Gene Technologies

IVERIC bio, Inc

Lysogene

AVROBIO Inc

Adverum Biotechnologies Inc

Spark Therapeutics, Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jur88w-gene?w=5

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Orthodontic Supplies Market by Product (Removable, Fixed Braces (Bracket (Self Ligating, Lingual, Metal, Aesthetic), Ni-Ti & SS Archwire, Anchorage, Ligature (Elastomeric, Wire)), Patient (Adult, Children), User (Hospital, Clinics) - Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The global orthodontic supplies market size is projected to reach USD 10.1 billion by 2027 from USD 6.9 billion in 2022, at a CAGR of 7.9% during the forecast period.

Worldwide prevalence of malocclusion and increasing patient awareness about the availability of orthodontic treatment in the market are propelling the demand for orthodontic supplied. Strategies adopted by orthodontic supplies manufacturer to showcase their orthodontic product portfolio and rising collaboration & partnership among players and dental clinics are anticipated to increase the customer base of the orthodontic supplies market, further accelerating the market growth.

However, dearth of skilled dental professionals in many emerging nations and high cost of orthodontic treatment procedures is likely to hamper the growth of the market.

The removable braces segment to register the highest growth rate in orthodontic supplies market during the forecast period, by product

Based on product, the orthodontic supplies market is segmented into fixed braces, removable braces, adhesives, and accessories. The removable braces segment registered the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This is attributed to the rising patient awareness about the advantages offered by removable braces over fixed braces and the growing presence of well established manufacturers with strong offerings in removable braces. Additionally, the strategic collaboration between removable braces manufactures and orthodontic clinics is expected to increase the accessibility of clear aligners treatment among patient. For instance in July 2022, Ormco corporation signed an agreement with Svet Rovnatek, the largest orthodontic clinic in Czech Republic.

The hospital and dental clinics segment accounted for the largest share of the global orthodontic supplies market, by end users, in 2021

Based on end user, the orthodontic supplies market is segmented in hospitals & dental clinics, e-commerce platforms, and other end users. The hospitals & dental clinic segment accounted for the largest market share 2021. Factors such as increasing number of malocclusions globally, growing adoption of advanced orthodontic supplies among hospitals & dental clinics, along with the strong emphasis of private equity firm to establish a wide network of dental clinics are anticipated to play a significant role in boosting the growth of this segment.

The Asia Pacific market to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The global orthodontic treatment market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. In 2021, North America accounted for the largest share of this market, followed by Europe. Asia Pacific registered the highest growth during the forecast period. Emerging Asian economies, such as China, India, and Singapore, are likely to provide high orthodontic supplies market growth opportunities. Improved healthcare infrastructure, increasing healthcare expenditures, rising number of dental clinics in and the emergence of small players offering wide range of orthodontic products in the region is likely to support the rapid market growth of Asia Pacific during the forecast period.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Growing Number of Patients with Malocclusions, Jaw Diseases, Tooth Decay/Tooth Loss, and Jaw Pain

Increasing Disposable Incomes and Expanding Middle-Class Population in Developing Countries

Increasing Awareness About Advanced Orthodontic Treatments

Ongoing Research and Technological Advancements in Orthodontic Products

Restraints

Risks and Complications Associated with Orthodontic Treatments

High Cost of Advanced Orthodontic Treatments in Some Nations

Opportunities

Growth Opportunities Offered by Emerging Markets

Integration with Digital Technologies Such as Cad/Cam and Software

Increasing Use of Social Media by Patients and Dental Professionals

Direct-To-Consumer Orthodontics

Challenges

Dearth of Trained Dental Practitioners

Key Topics Covered:





1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 Orthodontic Supplies Market, by Product

7 Orthodontic Supplies Market, by Patient

8 Orthodontic Supplies Market, by End-user

9 Orthodontic Supplies Market, by Region

10 Competitive Landscape

11 Company Profiles

12 Appendix

Companies Mentioned

3M

Aditek Orthodontics

Align Technology

American Orthodontics

Db Orthodontics

Dentaurum

Dentsply Sirona

Envista Holdings Corporation

Eurodonto

Forestadent Bernhard Forster GmbH

G&H Orthodontics

Great Lakes Dental Technologies

Henry Schein

Institut Straumann Ag

Jiscop Co., Ltd.

Jj Orthodontics

Matt Orthodontics

Morelli Ortodontia

Ortho Caps GmbH

Orthometric

Rocky Mountain Orthodontics

Sino Ortho Limited

Tecnidentusa, LLC.

Tp Orthodontics

Ultradent Products





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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Photoimmunotherapy Market by Therapeutic Area, End-user, and Region: Competition Forecast and Opportunities to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global photoimmunotherapy market is anticipated to witness robust CAGR in the forecast period, 2023-2027.

Factors such as the increasing prevalence of cancer worldwide, growing healthcare expenditure, and ongoing research and development activities to find novel cancer treatment therapies primarily drive the demand for the global photoimmunotherapy market.

The rise in the investments by the leading authorities to develop the healthcare infrastructure and hire skilled healthcare professionals and favorable government reimbursement policies are the other prominent factors that can accelerate the global photoimmunotherapy market growth over the next five years.



Increased Cancer Prevalence Worldwide Drives the Market Growth



Cancer is a major health concern and is a leading cause of death across the globe. According to World Health Organization, cancer accounted for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. During cancer, there is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries and can invade the adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs, and the process is called metastasis.

Some of the most common kinds of cancer are breast, lung, colon, rectum, and prostate cancers. In 2020, due to lung cancer, around 1.0 million deaths were observed. Similarly, for colon and rectum and liver cancer, the number of deaths in 2020 was 916000 and 830000.

Approximately 400 000 children develop cancer every year, and cervical cancer is the most common cancer in 23 countries. Cancer can be reduced through early detection and the right treatment and care of the patients. The majority of cancers can be cured if detected and treated early.

Photoimmunotherapy is the recently developed hybrid cancer therapy that directly kills cancer cells as well as produces a therapeutic host immune response. Conventional immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibition, engineered T cells and suppressor cell depletion, and immune-activating cytokine therapy do not directly destroy the cancer cells and rely on activating the immune system.

Photoimmunotherapy selectively destroys the cancer cells, which releases cancer antigens from dying cancer cells. Therefore, the increased cancer incidence worldwide and the high mortality rate due to cancer are expected to bolster the global photoimmunotherapy market growth over the forecast period.



Favorable Government Policies Supports the Market Growth



The government of various countries are concerned with the growing number of cancer cases and are taking steps to lower the patient mortality rate due to cancer. They are providing financial support, reimbursing the cost incurred during the cancer treatment procedures, and funding cancer treatment research and development activities, among others.

For instance, in India, some of the steps taken by the government that can fund cancer treatment are Health Minister's Cancer Patient Fund, The Health Minister's Discretionary Grants, The Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), National Health Protection Scheme and The Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

Leading authorities of various countries are also promoting the adoption of novel technologies to treat cancer effectively. Massive support from the governments is making the market players invest and find new solutions for cancer treatment. Therefore, supportive government policies and the entry of new market players are expected to play a major role in boosting the global photoimmunotherapy market growth over the next five years.



Market Segmentation



United States is expected to hold a significant market share due to the early adoption of advanced technologies by the healthcare sector and the presence of major market players in the country.

Competitive Landscape



Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in global photoimmunotherapy market.

Rakuten Medical, Inc.

Shimadzu Corporation

Modulight Corporation

Steba Biotech Ltd.

Luzitin SA

Report Scope



Photoimmunotherapy Market, by Therapeutic Area:

Head & Neck Cancer

Metastatic Melanoma

Others

Photoimmunotherapy Market, by End-user:

Hospitals & Clinics

Ambulatory Care Centers

Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Companies

Others

Photoimmunotherapy Market, by Region:

North America

Asia-Pacific

Europe

South America

Middle East & Africa

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Media Contact:

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Wearable Patches Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Usage Type, Application, End User, and Region - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global wearable patches market was valued at $8,650.0 million in 2021 and is projected to reach $26,892.7 million by the end of 2031. Furthermore, the market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 11.06% during the forecast period 2022-2031.

The market is driven by factors such as the continuous monitoring and minimum interference with body movement for measurement of vital signs of patients, increasing prevalence of chronic disorders (diabetes, strokes, etc.), rising technological advancement (increased connectivity with cell phones and precise data), and growing geriatric population.

The wearable patches market is in the developed phase. Having an end-to-end platform for services and AI algorithms for wearable patches for better clinical outcome are some of the major opportunities in the global wearable patches market.

Impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted practically all sectors and social functions worldwide, including the wearable patches market. However, the wearable patches market sustained this impact as the demand for continuous monitoring with reduced contact increased during the pandemic.

During this period of fast expansion, the industry has learned to be adaptable and versatile. The necessity to harness and use digital infrastructure for remote monitoring has been brought into stark relief by the COVID-19 outbreak. There is a need for further effective disease monitoring and detection of individual and public health, which might be facilitated by wearable sensors, as current viral testing and vaccines are less patient compliant.

The application of this methodology toward predicting the probability of COVID-19 is still required, even though its value has been used to associate physiological measures with activities of daily existence and human performance. Users of wearable technology could receive alerts when changes in their parameters match those linked to COVID-19 when combined with predictive platforms.

How can this report add value to an organization?

Usage Type: The usage type segment helps the reader understand the different usage type of wearable patches available in the market. Moreover, the study provides the reader with a detailed understanding of products that fall under the main segments such as blood glucose patch, heart rate and ECG patch, temperature patch, TENS and EMS patch, and others.

Growth/Marketing Strategy: The wearable patches market has witnessed major development by key players operating in the market, such as product launches, business expansions, partnerships, collaborations, merger and acquisitions, funding activities, and regulatory and legal approvals.

The favored strategy for the companies has been business expansions, partnerships, and collaborations to strengthen their position in the market. For instance, in September 2022, Senseonics announced a collaboration with the University Hospitals Accountable Care Organization (UHACO) in Cleveland, Ohio.

Competitive Strategy: The key players in the wearable patches market analyzed and profiled in the study involve established and emerging players that offer different products for wearable patches.

Moreover, a detailed competitive benchmarking of the players operating in the wearable patches market has been done to help the reader understand the ways in which players stack against each other, presenting a clear market landscape. Moreover, comprehensive competitive strategies such as partnerships, agreements, collaborations, mergers, and acquisitions will help the reader understand the untapped revenue pockets in the market.

Recent Developments in the Global Wearable Patches Market

In September 2022 , Senseonics announced a collaboration with the University Hospitals Accountable Care Organization (UHACO) in Cleveland, Ohio .

, Senseonics announced a collaboration with the University Hospitals Accountable Care Organization (UHACO) in . In June 2022 , Abbott announced that it is developing a new biowearable, "Glucose-Ketone Monitoring System" that will continuously monitor glucose and ketone levels in one sensor.

, Abbott announced that it is developing a new biowearable, "Glucose-Ketone Monitoring System" that will continuously monitor glucose and ketone levels in one sensor. In June 2022 , Blue Spark Technologies Joined Medidata's Sensor Cloud Network , which aims to overcome barriers limiting the full adoption of medical sensors--including data integration and standardization.

, Blue Spark Technologies Joined Medidata's Sensor Cloud Network , which aims to overcome barriers limiting the full adoption of medical sensors--including data integration and standardization. In May 2022 , BioIntelliSense introduced the BioButton Rechargeable Wearable Device for Continuous Medical Grade Monitoring of 20+ Vital Signs and Biometrics, a new product from BioIntelliSense.

, BioIntelliSense introduced the BioButton Rechargeable Wearable Device for Continuous Medical Grade Monitoring of 20+ and Biometrics, a new product from BioIntelliSense. In April 2022 , Blue Spark received a $40M funding for remote monitoring wearables.

, Blue Spark received a funding for remote monitoring wearables. In April 2022 , Carevive Systems and Blue Spark Technologies partnered to conduct Real-Time Remote Patient Monitoring Pilot.

, Carevive Systems and Blue Spark Technologies partnered to conduct Real-Time Remote Patient Monitoring Pilot. In April 2022 , Insulet launched New Omnipod 5 System Data for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

Market Segmentation

Application: The wearable patches market (by application) is expected to be dominated by the monitoring and diagnostics segment.

Usage Type: The wearable patches market (by usage type) is expected to be dominated by the blood glucose patch segment.

End User: The wearable patches market (by end user) is dominated by the homecare segment.

Region: North America held the largest share of the wearable patches market in 2021, and the trend is anticipated to continue during the forecast period 2022-2031.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analyzing company coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.

Company Profiles

Established Companies

Abbott Laboratories

Bittium Corporation

Boston Scientific Corporation

iRhythm Technologies, Inc.

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Masimo Corporation

Medtronic plc

OMRON Corporation

Senseonics Holdings, Inc.

Emerging Companies

Alio, Inc.

AliveCor Inc.

BioIntellisense, Inc.

Samay

Theranica Bio-Electronics Ltd.

VitalConnect Inc.

VivaLNK Inc.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Markets

1.1 Global Market Outlook

1.1.1 Product Definition

1.1.2 Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

1.1.3 Key Findings

1.1.4 Global Market Scenario

1.1.4.1 Realistic Growth Scenario

1.1.4.2 Optimistic Growth Scenario

1.1.4.3 Pessimistic Growth Scenario

1.2 Industry Outlook

1.2.1 Key Trends

1.2.1.1 Seamless Connectivity among Devices

1.2.1.2 Use of Wearable Patches to Improve Patient Healthcare Outcomes with Machine Learning Algorithms

1.2.1.3 Increase in Adoption of Wearable Patches for Homecare Settings

1.2.2 Technology Landscape

1.2.3 Product Benchmarking

1.2.4 Wearable Patch Material

1.2.5 Patent Analysis

1.2.5.1 Patent Publication Growth Trend

1.2.5.2 Patent Analysis (by Country/Cluster)

1.2.6 Product Under Development

1.3 Impact of COVID-19

1.3.1 Rise in the Adoption of Wearable Patches

1.3.2 Data Collection and Saving of Medical Records

1.3.3 Impact on Market Size

1.3.3.1 Pre-COVID-19 Phase

1.3.3.2 During COVID-19 Phase

1.3.3.3 Post-COVID-19 Phase

1.4 Business Dynamics

1.4.1 Impact Analysis

1.4.2 Business Drivers

1.4.2.1 Continuous Monitoring and Minimum Interference with Body Movement for Measurement of Vital Signs of Patients

1.4.2.2 Increasing Prevalence of Chronic Disorders (Diabetes, Strokes, etc.)

1.4.2.3 Rising Technological Advancement (Increased Connectivity with Cellphones and Precise Data)

1.4.2.4 Growing Geriatric Population

1.4.3 Business Restraints

1.4.3.1 High Cost and Lack of Adequate Reimbursement Limiting the Adoption of Wearable Patches

1.4.3.2 Concerns Regarding Data Privacy and Security of the Data Collected from Wearable Patches

1.4.4 Business Opportunities

1.4.4.1 Having an End-to-End Platform for Services

1.4.4.2 AI Algorithms for Wearable Patches for Better Clinical Outcome

2 Global Wearable Patches Market (by Application)

2.1 Opportunity Assessment

2.2 Growth-Share Matrix

2.3 Monitoring and Diagnostics

2.4 Therapeutics

3 Global Wearable Patches Market (by Usage Type)

3.1 Opportunity Assessment

3.2 Growth-Share Matrix

3.3 Temperature Patch

3.4 Blood Glucose Patch

3.5 Heart Rate and ECG Patch

3.6 TENS and EMS Patch

3.7 Others

4 Global Wearable Patches Market (by End User)

4.1 Opportunity Assessment

4.2 Growth-Share Matrix

4.3 Homecare

4.4 Hospital and Ambulatory Surgical Center

5 Region

5.1 Key Finding and Opportunity Assessment

5.2 Regulatory Framework

5.3 Market Dynamics

5.3.1 Impact Analysis

5.3.2 Business Drivers

5.3.3 Business Restraints

5.4 Market Sizing and Forecast

6 Market-Competitive Benchmarking and Company Profiles

6.1 Competitive Landscape

6.1.1 Regulatory and Legal Activities

6.1.2 New Offerings

6.1.3 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Business Expansions

6.1.4 Mergers and Acquisitions

6.1.5 Funding Activities

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dazwpo

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Media Contact: Laura Wood | +353-1-481-1716 | [email protected]

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Company plans to invest $57 million in the region over the next few years

WALLKILL, N.Y., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenlight Networks ("Greenlight"), the leading fiber-to-the-home provider in New York State, announced today that it is bringing its sought-after fiber optic Internet network into the Hudson Valley, with multi-gigabit Internet services becoming available in the Town of Wallkill beginning Summer 2023. Over the next year, the company will invest nearly $9 million in network and infrastructure build outs, providing jobs and business for local contractors. Over the next 5 years, Greenlight intends to invest a total of $57 million in the Hudson Valley region with its aggressive expansion plans.

Greenlight has scheduled underground construction to begin in the hamlets of Mechanicstown and Scotchtown in Spring 2023 with aerial construction to begin in Winter 2023.

"The Wallkill Town Supervisor has already shown to be a great partner in this expansion and like our team, is incredibly enthusiastic about Greenlight coming to Wallkill. Together, we're bringing superior speeds and competitive pricing to local residents, including our newly introduced multi-gigabit fiber services which will be a true gamechanger," said Mark Murphy, President and CEO of Greenlight. "We're excited to welcome new customers to our growing network and look forward to building our presence in Wallkill, as well as other areas of the Hudson Valley region."

Greenlight has identified the Hudson Valley region as being underserved in terms of its current access to fiber Internet. The company began working with local officials in Wallkill in fall 2022 to secure the necessary approvals and required agreements to begin construction. The company is now working closely with local utility companies to gain access to the utility poles, which will further increase the number of homes that gain access to Greenlight's service offerings.

"Greenlight Networks is making a significant investment in Wallkill with the installation of its new fiber network and we're thrilled about it. This will ensure that more of our residents have access to reliable, high-speed fiber Internet services," said George Serrano, Wallkill Town Supervisor. "This investment will bring greater value to the homes of our community and will give residents more choice when it comes to selecting an Internet provider that is right for them."

All Greenlight's Internet services, including the new 5 Gig service which the company announced earlier this month, are symmetrical meaning the upload and download speeds are the same. Symmetrical Internet provides the most reliable and robust Internet connectivity without latency and delays and supports maximum connectivity with a dedicated connection.

Residents in Wallkill, including the hamlets of Mechanicstown and Scotchtown, will start to see Greenlight Networks trucks, as well as those of its sub-contractors, as construction activities expand throughout the community. Residents can visit Greenlight's 'What to Expect During Construction' Page to learn more about Greenlight's progress in their neighborhood and sign-up to express interest and for construction updates. Once construction is completed, customers that pre-ordered services will be notified to schedule in-home installation by a Greenlight Networks' fiber technician.

About Greenlight Networks

Greenlight Networks is an ultra-high-speed, broadband service provider, offering residential and small business customers Internet speeds up to 5 Gigabits per second. Greenlight Networks was founded in 2011 and builds, owns, and operates a fiber-optic network that provides extremely high-speed Internet connections. The company's high-speed fiber Internet network is currently available to more than 125,000 homes in 21 municipalities in the Rochester, Buffalo, Binghamton, and Albany areas. For more information, visit GreenlightNetworks.com or find it on Facebook.com/GreenlightNetworks, and @GreenlightFiber on Twitter.

Media Contact: Jenny LePore, [email protected]

SOURCE Greenlight Networks
CPP Investments makes $585 million commitment to the fund, marking its third investment with HGI in four years

NORFOLK, Va., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Harbor Group International, LLC ("HGI"), a privately owned international real estate investment and management firm, today announced that its Multifamily Credit Fund ("the fund") has secured a total of approximately $1.6 billion in capital commitments, including a $585 million USD commitment from CPPIB Credit Investments III Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board ("CPP Investments"). The commitment marks CPP Investments' third investment with HGI since 2019.

The fund seeks to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns by investing in U.S. multifamily credit opportunities including senior mortgage loans, Freddie Mac K-series bonds, preferred equity and mezzanine debt investments, and investments in securitized multifamily mortgage products.

"We are thrilled to continue our relationship with CPP Investments through this partnership as our lead investor for the Multifamily Credit Fund," said Richard Litton, President, HGI. "The fund is uniquely positioned to build on HGI's track record both as an investor in multifamily credit strategies and as a multifamily operator with a large national portfolio. We also expect to benefit from the current rate environment as we seek to achieve positive returns for our investors."

The commitment strengthens HGI's and CPP Investments' tenured relationship. In 2020, CPP Investments served as the lead investor in HGI's multifamily whole loan platform, committing $110 million, and in 2019, CPP Investments committed $180 million to HGI's Freddie Mac Supplemental Loan program.

"We continue to view multifamily credit investments as resilient assets that are well positioned to drive strong returns for the CPP Fund over the long term," said Geoffrey Souter, Managing Director, Head of Real Assets Credit at CPP Investments. "HGI is a market leader in this space and we are pleased to extend our relationship with them through this new investment."

As a national commercial real estate investor, owner and operator, more than 80% of HGI's portfolio is composed of multifamily-related investments.

About Harbor Group International

Harbor Group International, LLC, and its affiliates control an investment portfolio of approximately $20 billion, including 59,000 apartment units in the United States and 5.0 million square feet of commercial space throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, HGI maintains offices in New York, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Tel Aviv.

Media Contact:

Kailyn Myshrall

[email protected]

SOURCE Harbor Group International, LLC
NORTHBROOK, Ill., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Merchant Resources is excited to announce the addition of Mike Dwyer to the team. Mr. Dwyer will serve as Executive Vice President, Head of Operations with a focus on the implementation, management, and execution of all deal-related functions and operating goals for the group. Mr. Dwyer has 18 years of retail experience and over 21 years of experience leading operations teams.

Mike Dwyer

"We're thrilled to have Mike join our team," said Ben Nortman  CEO of Hilco Global Retail Group. He continues, "With his decades of experience in operations, specifically the retail space, Mike will make a positive impact on the team in the upcoming year."

Before joining Hilco Merchant Resources, Mr. Dwyer was the Senior Regional Director of Operations at a dental support organization. In this role, he developed and implemented best practices and strategies to maximize the return on investment of each independent dental office that the organization acquired. Prior to this, Mr. Dwyer spent 18 years in the retail space leading large teams to deliver maximum profit for the company and its shareholders. He spent three years as the Director of Stores at Skechers, responsible for the daily operations of 250 US and Puerto Rico stores. Most of his retail career was with Target Corporation in multiple roles. The most recent being Senior Regional Director of Operations, leading daily operations, remodeling, opening, and closing stores in the Midwest.

He is a graduate of Illinois State University with a BA in Marketing. Mr. Dwyer will be based in Northbrook, IL.

About Hilco Merchant Resources:

Hilco Merchant Resources (www.hilcomerchantresources.com) provides a wide range of analytical, advisory, asset monetization, and capital investment services to help define and execute a retailer's strategic initiatives. The firm's activities fall into several principal categories, including acquisitions; disposition of underperforming stores; retail company or division wind downs; event sales to convert unwanted assets into working capital; interim company, division, or store management teams; loss prevention; and the monetization of furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

Hilco Global Retail Group is part of Northbrook, Illinois-based Hilco Global, the world's leading authority on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization, and advisory solutions to an international marketplace. Hilco Global operates twenty specialized business units around the world. For more information, please visit: (www.hilcoglobal.com).

SOURCE Hilco Merchant Resources, LLC
NORTHBROOK, Ill., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Real Estate, LLC (HRE) was hired by Michael S. Polsky, Esq., Wis. Stats. Chapter 128 Receiver, to sell this turnkey, 9,989 SF medical facility on 1.36 acres located at 4216 S. Green Bay Road in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. Working in conjunction with the Chapter 128 Receiver, HRE established March 2, 2023, at 4 p.m. (CT) as the bid deadline for the sale, with a minimum bid of $200,000.

Set on the corner of Braun and Green Bay Road, the facility offers high visibility and easy access to highways 32, 31, 20, and Interstate 94. The building also sits in a centralized location with easy access to multiple markets ranging from Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha to the northern suburbs of Chicago. This facility provides the opportunity for office users, medical or chronic pain management users, operators and investors alike to add a location or relocate to a turnkey building at a competitive price. The site is ready to accommodate a variety of tenants with 17+ patient rooms, three procedure rooms, multiple offices, a centralized nurses' station, a spacious patient intake area, a conference room, a facility lounge, a designated outdoor picnic area and 42 surface parking spaces.

Supported by a strong local population in the Racine/Mount Pleasant area, nearby tenants include Ascension All Saints Hospital, Racine Veterinary Hospital, Animal ER of Kenosha/Racine, Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative, Inc. (LUMIN Schools), Walmart, Menards, The Home Depot and Regency Mall. This corridor benefits from an ideal mix of medical operators, retail stores and residential developments and is expected to grow steadily in the coming years.

Steve Madura, senior vice president at Hilco Real Estate, stated, "With the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, an aging population and a general desire for more immediate and accessible health care options, facilities like this are currently in incredibly high demand. Moreover, the building has numerous other potential re- uses, including office and showroom. Combined with the building's strong location, stellar visibility and a minimum bid of only $200,000, we are confident that this offering will garner significant interest from users and investors alike!"

Michael Polsky, the court-appointed receiver, added, "This property is the last remaining asset in the wind-down and liquidation of Advanced Pain Management. It is priced to sell and will be a highly reusable building for another business who wants a prominent location in this market."

The sale is being conducted by Michael S. Polsky, Esq. in his capacity as Wis. Stats. Chapter 128 Receiver, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Circuit Court Case No. 20-CV-005600 and has a minimum bid of $200,000. All bids must be received on or before the deadline of March 2, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. (CT) and must be submitted in compliance with the offer submission procedures available for review and download from Hilco Real Estate's website.

To learn more about the services HRE offers, please visit HilcoRealEstate.com or call (855) 755-2300.

About Hilco Real Estate

Hilco Real Estate ("HRE"), a Hilco Global company (HilcoGlobal.com), is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois (USA). HRE is a national provider of strategic real estate disposition services. Acting as an agent or principal, HRE uses its experience to advise and execute strategies to assist clients in deriving the maximum value from their real estate assets. By leveraging multi-faceted sales strategies & techniques, aggressive repositioning and restructuring experience, a vast and motivated network of buyers and sellers, and substantial access to capital, HRE exceeds expectations even in the most complex transactions.

SOURCE Hilco Real Estate
PENSACOLA, Fla., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- hrQ, a leading provider of search and interim HR talent, and human capital consulting, has named Molly Mangan as vice president and managing director for the firm's Denver office.

Mangan brings extensive human resources (HR) industry experience to hrQ. A member of the Denver business community for over 25 years, she most recently served as the enterprise account executive for Udemy Business, with similar previous roles at LHH and The Hackett Group.

At hrQ, Mangan will continue to grow the firm's brand in the Denver metro area, and up and down the front range. Mangan is excited to continue to elevate hrQ's already first-rate reputation as a thought leader and go-to for HR retained search, interim staffing and human capital consulting.

"I remember when hrQ was founded in 1998 and have a great deal of respect for their deep understanding of HR, impressive range of solutions and exceptional level of client service," Mangan said. "I am on a mission to help organizations elevate their human capital strategy by connecting them to the best HR talent in the marketplace."

A native of upstate New York, Molly holds an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Brockport and earned a graduate degree from Michigan State University.

More About hrQ

hrQ, a LandrumHR company, works with organizations to simplify their people equation. hrQ helps clients deliver their people strategy through a focus on interim resourcing, search, and strategic human capital consulting. With a presence throughout the U.S., hrQ has been recognized eight times since 2007 as a Fastest Growing Privately Held Company by Inc. 5000. Visit www.hrqinc.com for more information.

SOURCE hrQ
The growth of the Huntington's disease market is expected to be mainly driven by less competitive scenarios, entry of innovative emerging therapies, rising prevalence, and geriatric population, increasing initiatives for R&D, and the advent of genetic testing

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's Huntington's Disease Market Insights report includes a comprehensive understanding of current treatment practices, Huntington's disease emerging drugs, market share of individual therapies, and current and forecasted market size from 2019 to 2032, segmented into 7MM [the United States, the EU-4 (Italy, Spain, France, and Germany), the United Kingdom, and Japan].

Key Takeaways from the Huntington's Disease Market Report

As per DelveInsight analysis, the Huntington's disease market size in the 7MM was approximately USD 199 million in 2021.

in 2021. According to the assessment done by DelveInsight, the estimated total Huntington's disease prevalent population in the 7MM was approximately 80K in 2021.

in 2021. Globally, leading Huntington's disease companies such as Prilenia Therapeutics, Neurocrine Biosciences, SOM Biotech, Annexon Biosciences, Vaccinex, Sage Therapeutics, UniQure Biopharma, Wave life sciences, Takeda, Medesis Pharm , Ionis Pharmaceuticals, PTC Therapeutics, Novartis, Neurimmune Therapeutics, SOLA Biosciences, Roche, AOP Orphan, Azevan Pharmaceuticals, Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, Voyager Therapeutics, Passage Bio, Locana Bio, Ceptur Therapeutics, Enzerna Biosciences, AFFiRiS AG, Arvinas, Atalanta Therapeutics, Anima Biotech , and others are developing novel Huntington's Disease drugs that can be available in the Huntington's disease market in the coming years.

, , and others are developing novel Huntington's Disease drugs that can be available in the Huntington's disease market in the coming years. The promising Huntington's disease therapies in the pipeline include ACR-16 (pridopidine), INGREZZA (valbenazine/NBI-98854), ANX005, SOM3355 (bevantolol), VX15/2503 (pepinemab), SAGE-718, AMT-130 (rAAV5-miHTT), WVE-003 (mHTT SNP3), NP03 (nanolithium)/NanosiRNA , and others.

and others. In October 2021 , SOM Biotech announced that the US FDA had granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for SOM3355 for the treatment of chorea movements in HD.

announced that the US FDA had granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for SOM3355 for the treatment of chorea movements in HD. In October 2021 , Annexon was granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of Huntington's disease by the US FDA.

was granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of Huntington's disease by the US FDA. In September 2021 , Sage Therapeutics announced that the US FDA had granted Fast Track Designation to SAGE-718 for development as a potential treatment for HD.

announced that the US FDA had granted Fast Track Designation to SAGE-718 for development as a potential treatment for HD. In August 2016 , the US FDA granted Fast-track Designation and Orphan drug designation to pepinemab for the treatment of Huntington's disease.

Discover which therapies are expected to grab the major Huntington's disease market share @ Huntington's Disease Market Report

Huntington's Disease Overview

Huntington's disease is a rare, inherited condition that results in the progressive breakdown (degeneration) of brain nerve cells. It is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by a single defective gene on chromosome 4. Involuntary jerking or writhing movements (chorea), muscle problems such as rigidity or muscle contracture (dystonia), slow or abnormal eye movements, impaired balance, difficulty speaking or swallowing, difficulty organizing, prioritizing or focusing on tasks, and fatigue and loss of energy are all common Huntington's disease symptoms. A general physical examination, medical history, and comprehensive neurological and psychiatric examinations are used for Huntington's disease diagnosis.

Huntington's Disease Epidemiology Segmentation

DelveInsight estimates that there were approximately 80K prevalent cases of Huntington's disease in the 7MM in 2021.

In the 7MM, the most prevalent cases of Huntington's disease were found in the US, followed by Germany.

The Huntington's disease market report proffers epidemiological analysis for the study period 20192032 in the 7MM segmented into:

Total prevalent cases

Total diagnosed prevalent cases

Total chorea-associated cases

Total age group-specific cases

Total clinical stage-specific cases

Total treated cases

Download the report to understand which factors are driving Huntington's disease epidemiology trends @ Huntington's Disease Epidemiological Insights

Huntington's Disease Treatment Market

Currently available Huntington's disease treatments include a variety of drug classes that can help patients manage their symptoms, such as movement, cognitive, and psychiatric issues. Medication can help with issues such as low mood (depression), anxiety, irritability (short temper), and jerky movements. Many of these drugs are being used off-label, with limited access to complete safety and efficacy data. A multidisciplinary approach that includes a neurologist, psychiatrist, genetic counseling, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and other specialized fields can help develop a plan and address a patient's unique needs. There are two types of Huntington's disease treatment: pharmacological and non-pharmacological. The first involves drug classes such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and others.

The most common treatments for anxiety and depression are Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which increase the amount of a chemical in the brain called serotonin. Citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), and sertraline (Zoloft) are a few examples of antidepressants. These medications may also help with the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Nausea, diarrhea, drowsiness, and low blood pressure are all possible side effects.

Antipsychotic drugs are used to treat outbursts, agitation, and hallucinations; your doctor may recommend quetiapine (Seroquel), haloperidol (Haldol), thorazine (chlorpromazine), risperidone (Risperdal), and olanzapine (Zyprexa). Because they suppress chorea, some of these drugs are frequently used off-label for Huntington's disease treatment.

To know more about Huntington's disease treatment guidelines, visit @ Huntington's Disease Management

Huntington's Disease Pipeline Therapies and Key Companies

ACR-16 (pridopidine): Prilenia Therapeutics

Ingrezza (valbenazine/NBI-98854): Neurocrine Biosciences

ANX005: Annexon Biosciences

SOM3355 (bevantolol): SOM Biotech

VX15/2503 (pepinemab): Vaccinex

SAGE-718: Sage Therapeutics

AMT-130 (rAAV5-miHTT): UniQure Biopharma

WVE-003 (mHTT SNP3): Wave life sciences/Takeda

NP03 (nanolithium)/NanosiRNA: Medesis Pharma

Learn more about the FDA-approved drugs for Huntington's disease @ Drug Treatment for Huntington's Disease

Huntington's Disease Market Dynamics

The dynamics of Huntington's disease is expected to change in the coming years. As Huntington's disease is a rare condition, companies developing Huntington's disease treatment options for it can benefit from several advantages, including premium pricing, Orphan Designation, which provides seven years of market exclusivity in the United States, clinical trial subsidies, reduced regulatory fees, and other perks.

Moreover, as adult-onset Huntington's disease is more common than juvenile Huntington's disease, more elderly patients will be diagnosed with HD knowledge as the geriatric population grows. Furthermore, less competitive scenarios, entry of innovative emerging therapies, increasing initiatives for R&D, and the advent of genetic testing are likely to propel the Huntington's disease market growth.

However, several factors are impeding the growth of the Huntington's disease market. The lack of approved therapy is a constraint not only for patients but also for pharmaceutical behemoths. Companies are undoubtedly doing their part by developing much-needed therapies; however, the high failure rate of emerging therapies in the Huntington's disease market is the major impediment. So far, several candidates have failed, not just one or two. Both the developer and the Huntington community were optimistic about a few candidates, which turned out to be false. The failure of late-stage candidate tominersen dealt the biggest blow.

Wave Life Sciences recently announced that their two antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) did not successfully reduce mutant huntingtin levels in Phase I/II studies in Huntington's disease patients, so the company decided to discontinue those products. Tominersen, a Roche/Ionis antisense asset, suffered the same fate. The failure of Roche and Ionis' late-stage candidate, tominersen had already raised questions about Wave's strategy. The development and approval of a novel therapy to treat Huntington's disease is a major unmet need, and only a few companies are currently working toward that goal in the Huntington's disease market.

Report Metrics Details Study Period 20192032 Coverage 7MM [the United States, the EU-4 (Italy, Spain, France, and Germany), the United Kingdom, and Japan]. Base Year 2019 Huntington's Disease Market CAGR 18.4 % Huntington's Disease Market Size in 2021 USD 199 Million Key Huntington's Disease Companies Prilenia Therapeutics, Neurocrine Biosciences, SOM Biotech, Annexon Biosciences, Vaccinex, Sage Therapeutics, UniQure Biopharma, Wave life sciences, Takeda, Medesis Pharm, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, PTC Therapeutics, Novartis, Neurimmune Therapeutics, SOLA Biosciences, Roche, AOP Orphan, Azevan Pharmaceuticals, Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, Voyager Therapeutics, Passage Bio, Locana Bio, Ceptur Therapeutics, Enzerna Biosciences, AFFiRiS AG, Arvinas, Atalanta Therapeutics, Anima Biotech, and others Key Pipeline Huntington's Disease Therapies ACR-16 (pridopidine), INGREZZA (valbenazine/NBI-98854), ANX005, SOM3355 (bevantolol), VX15/2503 (pepinemab), SAGE-718, AMT-130 (rAAV5-miHTT), WVE-003 (mHTT SNP3), NP03 (nanolithium)/NanosiRNA, and others

Scope of the Huntington's Disease Market Report

Therapeutic Assessment: Huntington's Disease current marketed and emerging therapies

Huntington's Disease current marketed and emerging therapies Huntington's Disease Market Dynamics: Huntington's Disease market drivers and barriers

Huntington's Disease market drivers and barriers Competitive Intelligence Analysis: SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, Porter's five forces, BCG Matrix, Market entry strategies

SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, Porter's five forces, BCG Matrix, Market entry strategies Unmet Needs, KOL's views, Analyst's views, Huntington's Disease Market Access and Reimbursement

Discover more about Huntington's disease drugs in development @ Huntington's Disease Clinical Trials

Table of Contents

1. Huntington's Disease Market Key Insights 2. Huntington's Disease Market Report Introduction 3. Huntington's Disease Market Overview at a Glance 4. Huntington's Disease Market Executive Summary 5. Disease Background and Overview 6. Huntington's Disease Treatment and Management 7. Huntington's Disease Epidemiology and Patient Population 8. Patient Journey 9. Huntington's Disease Marketed Drugs 10. Huntington's Disease Emerging Drugs 11. Seven Major Huntington's Disease Market Analysis 12. Huntington's Disease Market Outlook 13. Potential of Current and Emerging Therapies 14. KOL Views 15. Huntington's Disease Market Drivers 16. Huntington's Disease Market Barriers 17. Unmet Needs 18. SWOT Analysis 19. Appendix 20. DelveInsight Capabilities 21. Disclaimer 22. About DelveInsight

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DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance. Get hassle-free access to all the healthcare and pharma market research reports through our subscription-based platform PharmDelve.

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SOURCE DelveInsight Business Research LLP
RENO, Nev., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - i-80 GOLD CORP. (TSX: IAU) (NYSE: IAUX) ("i-80", or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the expanded 2023 drill program is now underway at the Company's 100%-owned Ruby Hill Property ("Ruby Hill" or "the Property") located in Eureka County, Nevada.

Figure 1  Hilltop Corridor Surface Plan (CNW Group/i-80 Gold Corp) Figure 2  Cross Section Hilltop Target (CNW Group/i-80 Gold Corp)

Due to the substantial success of the 2022 drill campaign, that included multiple new discoveries, additional rigs have been added such that a total of six core and RC drill rigs have been, or are being, activated. The primary targets of the first part of the program will be the Hilltop Corridor that includes polymetallic Carbonate Replacement Deposit (CRD) mineralization including the Upper Hilltop Zone, skarn mineralization in the Blackjack and Hilltop Corridor targets, and multiple untested geophysical anomalies.

"Outstanding results and new discoveries at Ruby Hill confirm the potential to grow resources in multiple gold and poly-metallic target areas", stated Ewan Downie, CEO of i-80. "We are currently assessing the potential for a restart of the processing infrastructure at Ruby Hill for either gold or base metal mineralization including the economic opportunity, timing for start-up and the low capital requirement. As such, we are focusing our drill program to help us better understand what the priority should be."

The Hilltop Corridor is a 1.5 km long, alluvial covered, trend immediately south of the Archimedes pit believed to be host to multiple feeder fault structures (see Figure 1). This trend is largely untested by previous drilling owing to the alluvial cover. The discovery of the Upper and Lower Hilltop Zones in the second half of 2022 combined with hole iRH22-61, the first hole drilled to test for mineralization to the east of Hilltop and south of the Blackjack Deposit, confirm the Company geological team's model that the Ruby Hill Property could be host to multiple types of mineralization and several large-scale deposits.

Upper Hilltop Zone

The Upper Hilltop Zone is a near-surface, high-grade, CRD zone that was discovered on the south side of the Archimedes pit (see Figures 1 & 2) that was first drilled in August of 2022. Previously released results from drilling in the Upper Hilltop Zone (see press releases dated August 30, 2022 and November 14, 2022) returned high-grade intercepts include:

0.9 g/t Au, 515.3 g/t Ag, 10.5 % Zn & 28.9 % Pb over 28.3 m in hole iRH22-43

1.9 g/t Au, 631.3 g/t Ag, 7.4 % Zn & 33.0 % Pb over 18.3 m in hole iRH22-53

60.2 g/t Au, 908.7 g/t Ag, 1.1 % Zn & 15.7 % Pb over 10.0 m in hole iRH22-55

Additional results from the 2022 program testing both the Upper and Lower Hilltop Zones remain pending and will be released upon receipt.

Blackjack Deposit

The Blackjack deposit was discovered by previous operators, Barrick Gold and Homestake Mining Co. High-grade polymetallic (zinc, lead, gold and silver) skarn mineralization located immediately below the Archimedes pit was intersected in numerous holes but was never brought to resource status. Highlight historic intercepts drilled into the Blackjack deposit include1:

27.3 % Zn, 3.2 g/t Au, & 13.0 g/t Ag over 24.5 m in hole HC1751

28.0 % Zn, 4.9 % Pb, 0.3 g/t Au, & 195.0 g/t Ag over 17.1 m in hole BRH-06C

Two directional core rigs are currently drilling this target so that i-80 can complete a NI43-101 compliant resource for the deposit and additional step-out drilling will also be completed.

Hilltop Corridor Drilling

In late 2022, hole iRH22-61 was drilled east from one of the Upper Hilltop drill platforms to test for skarn mineralization, similar to the Blackjack deposit, proximal to the Graveyard Flats intrusive complex (see Figures 1 & 2). Hole iRH22-61 intersected high-grade mineralization approximately 450 metres to the south of Blackjack, assaying an impressive 12.3 % Zn over 39.8 m (see press release dated December 19, 2022). This target area remains wide open for expansion and is currently being tested by additional drilling.

Geophysical surveys have been completed over the Hilltop Corridor area and have identified several highly prospective anomalies that are believed to have the potential to represent additional massive sulfide targets. Several of these anomalies will be the tested in the 2023 drilling program.

Ruby Hill Processing Plant

i-80 has two processing facilities, Ruby Hill and Lone Tree, and studies have been commissioned for the start-up of both sites so that the Company can better assess the preferred economic development scenario for the timing and sequencing of its planned mining operations. In November of 2022 the results of a Scoping Study commissioned to provide preliminary capital and operating cost estimates for the potential restart of the existing Ruby Hill mill and leach circuits to operating status, including a potential conversion to a floatation plant for the processing of polymetallic (base metal) mineralization.

The study was completed in to consider processing of oxide gold and/or base metal mineralization including preliminary estimates of the capital and operating cost required for converting the process plant from a mill/leach facility processing oxide gold mineralized material to a base metal flotation plant producing two concentrates (lead/silver and zinc concentrates).

The Eureka (Ruby Hill) Mining District has a history of high-grade polymetallic CRD production that began in the 1860's and spanned a period of more than one hundred years. Historic mined grades rank amongst the highest for any CRD district in the world. Since the 1960's, the CRD potential of the Eureka District has been largely overlooked in favour of exploration for Carlin-type gold deposits and the Company considers the opportunity to be substantial.

The Ruby Hill Property is one of the Company's primary assets and is host to the core processing infrastructure within the Eureka District of the Battle Mountain-Eureka Trend including an idle leach plant, an active heap leach facility, and is host to multiple gold, gold-silver and polymetallic (base metal) deposits.

The Company has submitted for approval its plan to develop an underground mine at Ruby Hill with mineralization accessed via a ramp from the Archimedes open pit. Work is also progressing for the completion of updated mineral resource estimates (gold and polymetallic zones) and an initial economic study for the gold zones (only).

Please click here for further information on abbreviations and conversions referenced in this press release.

QAQC Procedures

1Historic intercepts did not contain Ag, Pb, and Zn standards and therefore the accuracy of the historic results is undetermined. i-80 is in the process of completing resampling with standards of historic core. All samples were submitted to ALS Minerals (ALS) of Sparks, NV, which is an ISO 9001 and 17025 certified and accredited laboratory, independent of the Company. Samples submitted through ALS are run through standard prep methods and analysed using Au-AA23 (Au; 30g fire assay; ALS) and ME-ICP61a (33 element suite; 0.4g Four Acid/ICP-AES; ALS). Overlimit samples of Ag, Pb, and Zn are analyzed by ore-grade methods comprising HF-HNO3-HClO4 Digest, HCl leach and ICP-AES. Additional samples overlimit ore-grade methods are analyzed by acid dissolution and titration. ALS also undertakes their own internal coarse and pulp duplicate analysis to ensure proper sample preparation and equipment calibration. i-80 Gold Corp's QA/QC program includes regular insertion of CRM standards (gold and polymetallic), duplicates, and blanks into the sample stream with a stringent review of all results.

Qualified Person

Tyler Hill, CPG-12146, Senior Geologist at i-80 is the Qualified Person for the information contained in this press release and is a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.

About i-80 Gold Corp.

i-80 Gold Corp. is a well-financed, Nevada-focused, mining company with a goal of achieving mid-tier gold producer status through the development of multiple deposits within the Company's advanced-stage property portfolio with processing at i-80's centralized milling facility that includes an autoclave.

Certain statements in this release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, the expansion or mineral resources at Ruby Hill and the potential of the Ruby Hill project. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this release.

Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to: material adverse changes, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations.

SOURCE i-80 Gold Corp
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) up 57% YoY driven by bookings from new customers

Cloud revenue up 80% YoY driven by existing and new customers switching to IFS Cloud.

LONDON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IFS, the global cloud enterprise applications company, today announced its financial results for the full year ending December 31, 2022. The company posted exceptional results with software revenue growth at 28 percent year-on-year and cloud revenue growth up 80 percent as existing customers and new customers switch to IFS Cloud.

The 2022 results mark the fifth consecutive year IFS has secured strong double-digit revenue growth, demonstrating unparalleled robustness in its strategy and ability to execute globally. Throughout 2022, cloud and digital technology remained high on companies' agendas and IFS customers sought to build operational agility and leverage innovation to build competitive advantage.

Since its initial release, IFS Cloud continues to deliver value with an Evergreen model. The twice-yearly release cycle has become an integral part of business as usual with customers adopting regular updates and negating the need for costly upgrades. New customers are experiencing considerably faster time to value with IFS, at an average of 9.5 months from contract to value.

Some of the key milestones for IFS in 2022 included:

IFS launched its Partner Success program in Q1 to further underpin and accelerate its partner strategy.

to further underpin and accelerate its partner strategy. In March 2022, HG Capital became a significant minority investor in a transaction valuing IFS & WorkWave at $10bn

2022, HG Capital became a significant minority investor in a transaction valuing IFS & WorkWave at In April 2022, IFS launched Arcwide, a joint venture with BearingPoint designed to accelerate the pace of IFS Cloud deployments.

2022, IFS launched Arcwide, a joint venture with BearingPoint designed to accelerate the pace of IFS Cloud deployments. IFS retained its leadership positions across core product categories with continued recognition by analyst's firms*.

In July 2022, IFS acquired EAM Software solutions provider Ultimo Software Solutions.

2022, IFS acquired EAM Software solutions provider Ultimo Software Solutions. IFS secured awards** for individual leadership, as well as its products, its innovations and customer experience.

In September , IFS signed an agreement to sponsor the London Cable Cars, as part of a brand activation campaign.

, IFS signed an agreement to sponsor the London Cable Cars, as part of a brand activation campaign. IFS Unleashed, the rebranded global IFS community event for prospects, customers and partners, took place in October with over 2,500 in-person attendees and thousands more online.

IFS CEO Darren Roos commented: "For IFS, 2022 was a year characterized by acceleration. We increased our headcount to over 5,900 employees, reached a significant landmark in revenue at $1bn and outpaced our competitors by delivering double-digit growth for the 5th consecutive year." Roos added: "Quarter after quarter, our leadership in capabilities and in time to value enabled us to build on our performance." Roos concluded: "2023 will be an exciting year as we continue to bring together our employees, our partners and our products and industry expertise across FSM, EAM, and ERP so that our customers can create value faster and deliver their best to their customers when it matters most, at the Moment of Service."

IFS Chief Financial Officer, Constance Minc, added, "In 2022, IFS has shown resilience and consistency; despite the macroeconomic headwinds we have accelerated our growth across our key metrics for the group. Growing our cloud revenue at 80 percent year-on-year and our annual recurring revenue at 57 percent year-on-year in challenging market conditions demonstrates a level of robustness and reliability that's a testament to our relevance and customer focus".

Throughout the year, IFS has continued to nurture its customer-first culture by strengthening its service organization and its partner ecosystem, as well as maintaining an active involvement in the work delivered by the IFS Foundation in Sri Lanka, a nation that is home to over 2,200 IFS employees.

Financial and Operational Highlights* for FY 2022, growth YoY:

FY2022 software revenue was SEK 6.6bn , an increase of 28 percent versus 2021

, an increase of 28 percent versus 2021 FY2022 recurring revenue was SEK6.1bn , an increase of 44 percent versus 2021

, an increase of 44 percent versus 2021 FY2022 net revenue was SEK8.4bn , an increase of 19 percent versus 2021

Additional highlights:

 IFS added over 250 new logos across its core industries, including Vaderstad, Konica Minolta, Xcel Energy, and Bosch Thermotechnik.

*Financial and Operational reporting will move to Euros from March 2023.

Learn more at www.ifs.com/corp/company/financial-results/.

About IFS

IFS develops and delivers cloud enterprise software for companies around the world who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage service-focused operations. Within our single platform, our industry specific products are innately connected to a single data model and use embedded digital innovation so that our customers can be their best when it really matters to their customersat the Moment of Service. The industry expertise of our people and of our growing ecosystem, together with a commitment to deliver value at every single step, has made IFS a recognized leader and the most recommended supplier in our sector. Our team of 5,900 employees every day live our values of agility, trustworthiness, and collaboration in how we support our 10,000+ customers. Learn more about how our enterprise software solutions can help your business today at ifs.com.

CONTACT:

IFS Press Contacts:

EUROPE / MEA / APJ: Adam Gillbe

IFS, Director of Corporate & Executive Communications

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +44 7775 114 856

NORTH AMERICA / LATAM: Mairi Morgan

IFS, Director of Corporate & Executive Communications

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +1 520 396 2155

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Public/855/3702538/92deac34cae38659.pdf 230125 IFS financial Summary 2022 FINAL https://news.cision.com/ifs/i/ifs-earnings,c3136886 IFS Earnings

SOURCE IFS
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Insomnia Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report by Distribution Channel, Therapy Type, Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The Global Insomnia Market size is expected to reach $5.7 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 3.9% CAGR during the forecast period.



The rise in the prevalence of distinct sleep disorders, including parasomnias as well as insomnia, and the rise in mental depression and other painful conditions, are the main factors driving the growth of the insomnia market size. Sleep issues are a result of mental depression.

As a result, an increase in mental depression among the general population contributes to the growth of the insomnia market. Furthermore, taking some medications for a chronic condition over an extended period of time has some side effects that are thought to impair a patient's ability to sleep.



Additionally, the market for insomnia is expanding due to an increase in work-related stress. The increased workload and demanding work schedules result in poor sleep. Additionally, a lot of people including security guards work odd shifts, and the manufacturing sector is open around-the-clock.

The quality and rhythm of sleep are impacted by these irregular work shifts. Also, a rise in the number of sleep diagnostics and centres for people with insomnia helps has been seen in the past few years. The centres for insomnia help people get better quality sleep, and the centres for sleep disorders are utilized as diagnostic testing facilities.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



It is anticipated that the COVID-19 outbreak will benefit the expansion of the market for insomniac remedies. Due to improperly functioning industries brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers lost their jobs, which contributed to an increase in stress levels in society.

Additionally, some people around the world developed depression as a result of pandemic fear. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic's increased incidence of insomnia a condition marked by stress and depression boosts the demand for drugs that treat insomnia and propel the market's expansion.



Market Growth Factors

Increasing Aging Population



According to studies, older people (defined as those 65 and older) appear to have an 11-fold increased risk of developing some types of cancer than younger people. The burden of cancer among the elderly would then increase as the world population ages over the following 20 years.

Refractive errors, cataracts, sleep issues, and hearing loss are all fairly common in older people. A large ratio of old age people is facing sleeping issues worldwide. Thus, the rise in the aging population would result in an increasing number of insomnia cases which would further support the growth of the insomnia market over the forecast period.



Increasing Healthcare Costs



Rising healthcare costs and earlier disease diagnosis because of greater awareness of treatment options are factors that are anticipated to fuel the market growth over the course of the forecast period. The increasing size and number of funds invested in the healthcare industry by governments of different countries are one of the primary drivers of the market's growth.

Governments from a number of nations boosted their investments in creating healthcare systems whenever the COVID-19 pandemic first started to spread. As the pandemic's impact lessens, various hospitals are now concentrating on using these resources to treat other severe diseases. The insomnia market is expanding as a result of rising healthcare investment.



Market Restraining Factors

High Cost Of Diagnosing And Treating Insomnia



The high cost of diagnosis and treatment is one of the major factors impeding the growth of the insomnia market. Additionally, the term 'sleeping problem' covers a wide range of illnesses that have significant detrimental effects on an individual's health and incur high societal costs.

Insomnia makes it difficult to carry out daily tasks and is associated with a heavy financial & medical burden many patients are completely disabled. Insomnia patients spent about two times as much on direct medical care each year as matched controls without condition. The market for insomnia is not expanding because of the high cost of the medication.



Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology



Chapter 2. Market Overview

2.1 Introduction

2.1.1 Overview

2.1.1.1 Market Composition & Scenario

2.2 Key Factors Impacting the Market

2.2.1 Market Drivers

2.2.2 Market Restraints



Chapter 3. Strategies deployed in Insomnia Market



Chapter 4. Global Insomnia Market by Distribution Channel

4.1 Global Hospital Market by Region

4.2 Global Retail Market by Region

4.3 Global Others Market by Region



Chapter 5. Global Insomnia Market by Therapy Type

5.1 Global Pharmacological Market by Region

5.2 Global Non-Pharmacological Market by Region



Chapter 6. Global Insomnia Market by Region



Chapter 7. Company Profiles

7.1 Eisai Co., Ltd.

7.1.1 Company Overview

7.1.2 Financial Analysis

7.1.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

7.1.4 Research & Development Expenses

7.1.5 Recent strategies and developments:

7.1.5.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

7.1.5.2 Approvals and Trails:

7.2 Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

7.2.1 Company Overview

7.2.2 Financial Analysis

7.2.3 Regional Analysis

7.2.4 Research & Development Expense

7.2.5 Recent strategies and developments:

7.2.5.1 Approvals and Trails:

7.3 Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

7.3.1 Company Overview

7.3.2 Financial Analysis

7.3.3 Research & Development Expenses

7.3.4 Recent strategies and developments:

7.3.4.1 Approval and Trails:

7.4 Cadila Healthcare Ltd. (Zydus Cadila)

7.4.1 Company Overview

7.4.2 Financial Analysis

7.4.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

7.4.4 Research & Development Expense

7.4.5 Recent strategies and developments:

7.4.5.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

7.5 Sanofi S.A.

7.5.1 Company Overview

7.5.2 Financial Analysis

7.5.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

7.5.4 Research & Development Expense

7.5.5 Recent strategies and developments:

7.5.5.1 Geographical Expansions:

7.6 Merck Group

7.6.1 Company Overview

7.6.2 Financial Analysis

7.6.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

7.6.4 Research & Development Expense

7.7 Pfizer, Inc.

7.7.1 Company Overview

7.7.2 Financial Analysis

7.7.3 Regional & Segmental Analysis

7.7.4 Research & Development Expense

7.8 Viatris, Inc.

7.8.1 Company Overview

7.8.2 Financial Analysis

7.8.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

7.8.4 Research & Development Expense

7.9 Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC (Currax Holdings USA LLC)

7.9.1 Company Overview

7.9.2 Recent strategies and developments:

7.9.2.1 Acquisition and Mergers:

7.9.2.2 Geographical Expansions:

7.10. Purdue Pharma L.P.

7.10.1 Company Overview



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SOURCE Research and Markets
Partnership with high-performance IMO with visionary approach enhances Integrity's mission to provide holistic life, health and wealth solutions to all Americans

DALLAS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrity Marketing Group, LLC ("Integrity"), a leading distributor of life and health insurance, and provider of wealth management and retirement planning solutions, today announced it has acquired DeLong Sales Group, an independent marketing organization ("IMO") based in LaGrange, Georgia. As part of the acquisition, Scott DeLong, President of DeLong Sales Group, will become a Managing Partner in Integrity. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Integrity Adds Dynamic New Life Insurance Leadership with Acquisition of DeLong Sales Group

"Young, visionary leaders like Scott are the future of this industry," shared Bryan W. Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrity. "He has built a remarkable business by focusing on great service to his agents, who then provide exceptional service to their clients. At Integrity, Service is one of our core values. We've built our comprehensive insurtech platform around the resources agents and advisors need to better serve the life, health and wealth protection needs of American consumers. It's an honor for Integrity to come alongside agencies like DeLong Sales Group and support them in reaching their highest potential."

DeLong Sales Group helps families achieve peace of mind as they prepare for the future by offering life insurance products coupled with expert guidance. Scott DeLong began his career in the industry as an individual producer committed to helping Americans feel secure by helping them understand the best products for their needs. In 2015, he established DeLong Sales Group with a foundational system of training and product expertise that positions agents for long-term success.

"My objective has always been to build a lasting agency where we celebrate our wins together. Today is a collective win for our employees, our agents and their clients," shared Scott DeLong, President of DeLong Sales Group. "Integrity is changing the industry in exciting ways by offering resources an agent needs to be successful, from effective marketing campaigns to innovative technology. With the support Integrity gives to not only our business, but to every agent, we can accomplish our goals much faster. We're proud of what we've accomplished at DeLong Sales Group thus far, and I couldn't be happier about the direction of our future."

The Integrity platform offers transformational, world-class systems that support agents and advisors while streamlining processes. Resources include critical data and analytics, instantaneous quoting and enrollment and their MarketingCENTER assets portal, an on-demand library of compliant and customizable marketing assets. DeLong Sales Group can leverage Integrity's shared business services to increase operational efficiency. Comprehensive administrative support includes areas such as People & Culture, Technology & Innovation, finance, legal and compliance.

"It's incredibly exciting to become part of a larger organization that shares the same vision of service and innovation," explained Frank Buce, Managing Partner at Integrity. "After joining Integrity in 2019, my business tripled in size  and the Integrity partnership became the best decision I ever made for my company. I know the power for growth that DeLong Sales Group has just unlocked, and I expect them to see even greater results. Integrity offers access to a long list of partners we can call on for help and offer our expertise to as well. It's been gratifying and inspiring to help each other grow by serving more people. Because of Integrity, we've also brought in other product lines and revolutionized our lead program. Scott DeLong is a committed, consistent leader who is already experiencing tremendous success, but now with access to everything Integrity partnership has to offer, I look forward to seeing how he can scale his business faster than ever before."

All Integrity affiliated firms become part of its sophisticated partner network, an interconnected group of industry leaders who are innovating insurance and financial services. With unparalleled industry experience and diverse competencies, these industry experts are helping consumers plan for the good days ahead. By sharing best practices and collaborating on thoughtful solutions, they're positioned to better protect the life, health and wealth of all Americans.

DeLong Sales Group also gains the exciting opportunity to offer its employees meaningful company ownership through the Integrity Employee Ownership Plan.

For more information about DeLong Sales Group's decision to partner with Integrity, view a video at www.integritymarketing.com/DeLong.

About Integrity

Integrity, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a leading distributor of life and health insurance, and provider of innovative solutions for wealth management and retirement planning. Through its partner network of over 500,000 agents and advisors, Integrity helps millions of Americans protect their life, health and wealth with a commitment to meet them wherever they are  in person, over the phone and online. Integrity's cutting-edge technology helps streamline the insurance and financial planning experience for all stakeholders. In addition, Integrity develops products with carrier partners and markets them through its nationwide distribution network. In 2022, Integrity helped carriers place almost $20 billion in new sales and oversaw more than $40 billion of assets under management and advisement through its RIA and broker-dealer platforms. For more information, visit www.integritymarketing.com .

About DeLong Sales Group

DeLong Sales Group was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in LaGrange, Georgia. They provide life insurance products coupled with expert guidance to their clients. The agency was founded as a mentoring platform to provide insurance agents with an engaging and efficient system centered on sustaining success. Their successful training and development programs have provided agents with coaching to help them build successful careers all while serving the insurance needs of thousands of Americans.

SOURCE Integrity Marketing Group, LLC
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Japan Used Construction Equipment Market - Strategic Assessment & Forecast 2023-2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





Japan used construction equipment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.97% from 2022 to 2029.



The Earthmoving segment has the largest share of Japan used construction equipment market. The excavators held the largest share in the earthmoving segment in 2022.

In 2021, the country's government planned to invest USD 708 billion in economic recovery. The investment is directed at the development of public infrastructure & digital technology. Investment is also planned for Expo 2025 in the Osaka region of the country. The government is investing in renewable energy projects to reduce carbon emissions by 46% by 2030.

Japan is facing the challenge of aging infrastructure. More than 50% of roads, bridges & tunnels will be older than 50 years by 2033. Therefore, the government increases its focus on repairing and maintaining roadways, highways & bridges. The rise in repair and redevelopment is expected to drive sales of used earthmoving equipment in Japan used construction equipment market.

Growth in the logistics industry due to the growing demand for goods in the global and domestics market supports the demand for used forklifts & telehandlers in Japan used construction equipment market. The country's export witnessed a sharp rise of 21.5% in 2021. Moreover, it is anticipated that using robotics & automation in the manufacturing industry will temporarily solve the labor shortage issue - and it is estimated that the industry will witness a 2.4% growth in output in 2022.

The country witnessed a surge in warehouse space across the country in 2021. The country's E-commerce and logistics industry growth triggers the demand for large warehouse spaces in major cities. Growth in the logistics & E-commerce industry is expected to positively impact the demand for used forklifts & telescopic handlers in Japan used construction equipment market.

The demand for new-generation used excavators with ICT and remote monitoring technology is gaining market share in Japan. Skilled labor shortage & rising accident cases at construction sites prompt the use of automated used construction equipment in Japan.

In 2021, demand for used forklifts witnessed high growth in Japan used construction equipment market due to the rise in the E-Commerce sector. Used hydraulic excavators are used for disaster management projects in the country. In 2022, Hitachi Construction Machinery Japan signed 83 disaster agreements with local municipalities to provide equipment for disaster response & recovery in Japan.

MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

Renovation of Old Infrastructure in Japan Supports the Sales of Used Construction Equipment



The country's government is expected to increase its focus on renovating its aging infrastructure in 2022. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism Japan, nearly 63% of roads & bridges, 62% of flood barriers & other river facilities, & nearly more than 40% of tunnels will be more than 50 years old by 2033.

The government planned to develop new buildings and infrastructure in the Tokyo, Kansai, and Kinki regions in Western Japan. The upcoming Osaka Expo 2025 is expected to prompt investment in real estate, & infrastructure development projects. For instance, the government is investing USD 470 million to renovate Kansai International airport terminal 1, which is expected to complete by 2026.

In addition to it, some of the significant infrastructure renovation projects such as Enryakuji Temple (Kyoto), 5- storied pagoda (Nara), floating Tori Gate of Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima), Dogo Onsen Honkan (Matsuyama), Okayama castle (Okayama) & Kumamoto Castle ( Kumamoto) are under progress in 2022. Such renovations in the country will significantly support Japan used construction equipment market.



Logistics Industry Growth in Japan Driving Demand for Used Material Handling Equipment



Japanese E-commerce industry witnessed a sharp growth post-pandemic in 2021. The country's logistics investment company GLP plans to invest USD 8.7 billion in facilities across the country in 2022. The company is investing ~USD 6.7 billion to develop 50 large-scale logistics centers.

According to the ministry of economy, trade & industry expect to grow by an average of 8% for the next five years. Japanese logistics companies are investing in developing warehouse centers across the country.

For instance, in 2022, Nippon logistics corporation completed the construction of its first cold storage warehouse in Atsugi- shi Kanagawa Prefecture. ESR Kawanishi Distribution Centre will develop USD 1.5 billion multi-phase logistics park in Osaka, Japan, in 2022.



Labour Shortage Triggers the Demand for Used Automated Construction Equipment



The labor shortage issues in the country trigger the demand for automated used construction equipment. Japan's skilled labor force shortage majorly impacts the construction industry. Therefore, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism supports the i-Construction initiative.

This initiative aims to boost productivity and make construction sites more appealing using contemporary technology such as IoT and remote monitoring. Additionally, used equipment equipped with ICT assures construction machinery operator safety at construction sites.

The advancement of technology will propel the growth of Japan used construction equipment market. According to government data, labor fatalities by work-related accidents is about 1,000 a year, the highest among other industries.



INDUSTRY RESTRAINTS

A Rise in Unoccupied Houses Is Expected to Impact Sales of Used Construction Equipment



Japan faces the challenges of a low birth rate and an aging population in 2022. The country has over 20% of its population aged 70 and older. According to government statistics, the country's population declined by 5% in 2022 compared to 2021. Constant decline in the country's birth rate impacts the housing demand in Japan.



The country's real estate industry has been performing poorly for several years. By 2023, the country will likely witness an excess supply of 10 million housing units due to a declining population rate. This declining rate of population hampers the demand for housing units, further impacting Japan used construction equipment market. In 2018, Japan's Housing and Land Survey, which conducts the survey every five years, found a record-high 8.49 million homes unoccupied. Even in Tokyo, 10% of houses were found abandoned.



Skilled Labour Shortage Due to Aging Population Can Hamper the Sales of Used Construction Equipment



In 2022, the country faced a significant challenge of skilled labor. According to the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors, the number of competent construction workers in Japan is predicted to fall by 1.28 million by 2025, owing to the aging population. ~35% of labor in the construction industry is older than 55 years in the country, resulting in low productivity. Such factors are anticipated to hamper Japan used construction equipment market growth.

Further, the country has strict immigration norms that restrict foreign laborers' migration. The government has identified 14 sectors where there will be a shortage of labor in the future, such as construction manufacturing, agriculture, and shipbuilding are some major ones.



VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Prominent vendors in Japan used construction equipment market are Caterpillar, Volvo Construction Equipment, Liebherr, Komatsu, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Kubota, SANY, Hyundai Construction Machinery, Sumitomo & Kobelco. Other prominent vendors in the industry are Yanmar, Toyota Material Handling, Tadano & Takeuchi.

Hitachi construction machinery has a strong share of hydraulic excavators in Japan used construction equipment market, which is majorly used for disaster management projects. OEMs are introducing automation technology to overcome issues of skilled labor shortage. In 2021, Kobelco introduced ICT-enabled construction machinery with a navigation system to cater to the high demand for the construction industry.

Komatsu & Kubota have a substantial market share in Japan's earthmoving segment of used construction equipment. Companies like Hyundai Construction Machinery and Liebherr have an established presence over a significant period and diverse product offerings. For instance, Liebherr has served the customers of the Japan region for the past 38 years.

Market Dynamics

Equipment Supply Chain Analysis, Covid-19 Impact, Market Drivers, Restraints, Trends, Advantage Japan

Key Economic Regions, Advantage of Used Equipment, Inception of Used Equipment, Pricing of Used Construction

Market Landscape

Japan Used Construction Equipment Market by Type (Volume & Value)

Earth Moving Equipment

Excavator

Backhoe Loader

Motor Grader

Other Earth Moving Equipment (Other Loaders, Bulldozer, Trencher, Etc.)

Material Handling Equipment

Crane

Forklift and Telescopic Handler

Aerial Platform (Articulated Boom Lifts, Telescopic Boom Lifts, Scissor Lifts, Etc)

Road Construction Equipment

Road Roller

Asphalt Paver

Japan Used Construction Equipment Market by Application (Volume & Value)

Construction

Mining

Manufacturing

Others (Power Generation, Utilities Municipal Corporations, Oil & Gas, Cargo Handling, Power Generation Plants, Waste Management, Etc)

Key Vendors

Caterpillar

Komatsu

Volvo Construction Equipment

Hitachi Construction Machinery

Kubota

Sumitomo Heavy Industries

Kobelco

SANY

Liebherr

Hyundai Construction Machinery

Other Prominent Vendors

Yanmar

Takeuchi Manufacturing

Tadano

Toyota Material Handling

Auctioneers Profile

Ritchie Bros . Auctioneers

. Auctioneers NORI Enterprise Co, Ltd

Hitachi Construction Machinery

TOZAI BOEKI CO. LTD

YANAGAWA SHOJI Co LTD.

Distributors Profiles

WWB KENKI

Chukyo Juki Ltd

Tokuworld Corporation Corp

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/srg8cd

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Media Contact:

Research and Markets

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For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
New office expands access to innovative talent sourcing and DEI solutions in South Florida's fast-growing financial services hub.

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jensen Partners ("the Firm"), globally the largest alternatives distribution-focused executive search firm, today announced an important expansion with the opening of a new office location in Miami, Florida. Jensen Partners' diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)-focused talent solutions provide access to an integrated, data-driven approach to candidate sourcing, pipeline development and DEI analysis.

Jensen Partners' new Miami office is part of a wider commitment to expand client relationships and access to talent pools in growing financial hubs around the world. The office at 1200 Brickell Avenue, located in the heart of Miami's business and financial district, will be the Firm's fourth office in addition to existing offices in New York, London and Hong Kong. As increasing DEI mandates drive growing demand for data-driven talent sourcing, Jensen Partners' innovative solutions leverages proprietary technology, including Jensen DiversityMetrics and the Jensen DiversityMetrics Pipeline Tracker, to provide clients access to previously untapped talent pools while simultaneously building networks of candidates from diverse backgrounds.

"As Miami grows into a major global financial center, it is important for our firm to be strategically located to serve our growing list of clients who have expanded their footprint into South Florida," said Sasha Jensen, Founder and CEO of Jensen Partners. "Our global reach enables us to build deeper relationships with the best talent across key markets, providing our clients with superior long-term human capital solutions."

Jensen Partners has tracked unprecedented recent growth in hiring across alternative investment management firms. Since 2020, the Firm has reported notable progress for DEI across alternatives data it has been monitoring for more than a decade. Jensen Partners launched Jensen DiversityMetrics in 2021 as part of an integrated recruitment strategy which combines long-term pipeline development with rich DEI analytical capabilities. The platform also helps inform Jensen Partners reports, which feature timely and crucial industry hiring and DEI data, trends and insights that are leveraged by key players throughout the alternative asset management industry.

Jensen Diversity Metrics has propelled Jensen Partners into an award-winning firm, recognized for promoting the accountability and transparency necessary to make steady, meaningful progress on critical challenges facing each and every asset class. In 2022, Jensen Partners was named "Best Recruitment Company for Investor Relations & Asset Raising" by Private Equity Wire at both their US and European Awards for the fourth consecutive year and "Best Recruiter" by Hedgeweek and Private Equity Wire at their inaugural European Credit Awards.

About Jensen Partners

Jensen Partners is a global advisory, corporate development and executive search firm that leverages its extensive relationships in the investor and alternative asset management community to source and recruit leading capital raising and investment candidates. The Firm takes a data-driven approach, combining quantitative and qualitative insights to source and place the ideal human capital. In addition to executive search, Jensen Partners offers LP/GP referencing, proprietary 360 Investor Referencing methodology, and compensation benchmarking and analysis. To learn more, please visit www.jensen-partners.com.

About Jensen DiversityMetrics

Jensen DiversityMetrics combines rich diversity analytics with the latest research from the field of human capital management, providing an objective, 360 degree view of where a firm stands on DEI and how they can make meaningful progress towards a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce, including: verified demographic data for more than 25,000 investment and distribution professionals from across the industry, a candidate pipeline of over 8,000 investment and distribution professionals who self-identify as having a diverse background and a proprietary scoring algorithm that enables objective DEI comparisons across firms and industries. With Jensen DiversityMetrics, firms can benchmark against competitors, develop diverse candidate pipelines, analyze hiring and retention practices, identify biases in workplace culture and report progress to investors.

Media Contacts

Prosek Partners for Jensen Partners

Max Berger

[email protected]

SOURCE Jensen Partners
Screener assists investment managers in finding the right investment opportunities for clients

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kwanti, a portfolio analytics solution aiding financial advisors and investment managers with prospect conversion, client retention, model management, and much more, recently announced the release of Kwanti Screener, a new feature that allows advisors to screen for best performing assets and find the right investment opportunities for clients, saving them time in the process.

"Screener reveals best performing assets in seconds, sifting through millions of risk, performance, and allocation data points," said Christophe Gauthron, CFA, Founder and CEO of Kwanti. "Advisors using Kwanti's powerful analytics can now make even better investment decisions for their client's portfolios."

"Advisors using Kwanti's powerful analytics can now make even better investment decisions for client portfolios." Tweet this

Kwanti users now have the ability to search ETFs, mutual funds, SMAs, and individual stocks and narrow the list down based on specific criteria of their choosing. With just a few clicks, advisors can view a filtered down list of the best performing assets via Kwanti's intuitive, user-friendly interface, which includes hundreds of thousands of securities and their data points.

COMBINING POWERFUL ANALYTICS AND PROPOSAL GENERATION TO OPTIMIZE TIME AND RESOURCES

Kwanti delivers portfolio analytics, stress testing, and proposals for advisors and investment professionals, assisting with prospect conversion, client acquisition and retention, and model management. The web-based software and fintech solution allows advisors to balance serving clients well and managing portfolios with data-driven expertise.

Users can elegantly showcase portfolio recommendations to centrally position themselves in client relationships and close business with prospects, as well as leverage data integrations with leading custodians and portfolio management platforms to streamline the client management process. Kwanti's integration partners include Pershing, Schwab, TD Ameritrade Institutional, Fidelity, Advyzon, Orion, Redtail, Black Diamond, WisdomTree, BlackRock, State Street, Riskalyze, TradePMR, Addepar, Folio Institutional, and more.

Kwanti offers a free 30-day trial, with no software to install and all features available during the trial. Financial advisors and other interested parties can click here to sign up for the free trial or click here to watch a demo.

SEARCH FOR SIMILAR ASSETS AND EXPORT RESULTS

In addition to filtering and screening for best performing assets based on criteria of their choosing, Kwanti users can use Screener to search for similar assets. Advisors can search for any asset and Kwanti will filter down a list of similar assets for them to review, and they can then save searches for future uses. Saved Searches will remember all of the pre-selected criteria, column selections, and sorting preferences.

Once the user has filtered down the results, they can take their analysis one step further by comparing up to four assets in the Asset Profile. They can also export their list of results to an Excel spreadsheet for additional analysis outside of Kwanti.

"We have used Kwanti's Screener feature extensively to navigate the thousands of investment options advisors must sift through in order to build portfolios tailored to their clients' needs, as well as to their own respective investment management styles," said Matt Smith, CFA, CFP, CIMA, CAIA, Founder of Concert Financial Planning. "Used in concert with Kwanti's array of features and tools, we can go deeper into the portfolio construction and analysis process in a much more intuitive and simplified way than we could with other services that were also substantially more costly."

Kwanti Screener is now available to both new and current users at no cost. To learn more about Screener, please click here to visit the Kwanti blog. To see full documentation and a "how-to" video for using Screener, please click here for a full tutorial.

ABOUT KWANTI

Founded by Christophe Gauthron, CFA, and based in San Francisco, California, Kwanti is a portfolio analytics solution aiding financial advisors and investment managers with prospect conversion, client acquisition and retention, model management, and much more by delivering portfolio analytics, investment performance data, stress testing, and proposals. The intuitive, web-based interface allows investment advisors to balance serving clients well and managing portfolios with data-driven expertise by combining powerful analytics and proposal generation designed to optimize time and resources. To learn more about Kwanti, visit www.Kwanti.com.

Media Contact:

Jonny Swift

Impact Communications, Inc.

913-649-5009

[email protected]

SOURCE Kwanti
At Least Six People Were Killed and Many Injured When Bus Flipped Over

HOUSTON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Two seriously injured passengers and the family of a third who died filed a lawsuit today in County Court at Law in Dallas County, Texas after a catastrophic and deadly bus crash north of Matehuala, San Luis Potosi, Mexico on January 12, 2023. The bus was travelling from Guerrero, Mexico to Dallas, Texas transporting people returning from the holidays after visiting their families in Mexico.

The lawsuit alleges that the driver of the bus fell asleep while operating the bus at night, causing the bus to flip over and land on its side. The lawsuit brings claims for catastrophic injuries as well as the resulting death of one of the passengers. The suit was filed against the Texas company that sold the tickets along with the Texas and Arizona companies that owned and operated the bus.

The plaintiffs include the wife and children of Otoniel Benitez Serrano who died of injuries caused from the wreck. Alfonzo Aranda Garduno suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries including the amputation of his left foot. Fidel Luna suffered injuries to his head and spine along with fractures to his ribs.

"Safety is key for companies that take on the responsibility of transporting passengers in buses at all hours of the day and night. Unfortunately, we often find that these companies do not take passenger safety seriously and many fail to maintain the buses they use for transport and place unqualified drivers in control of passenger lives," said Derek Potts, National Managing partner of the Potts Law Firm in Houston.

"This case is particularly tragic in that it involves many families returning to their homes and places of work in Dallas after visiting Mexico over the holidays. We hope to be able to obtain some justice for these families."

The lawsuit is Fidel Luna, Alfonso Aranda Garduno, Edwin Benitez Albarran, and Veronica Albarran Alvarado, Individually and as Guardian of M.B.A., a minor, v. Autobuses Guerrero Plus LLC, Autobuses Aviles LLC and Purple Coach LLC, filed in County Court at Law in Dallas County, TX. Plaintiffs' attorneys are Potts Law Firm out of Houston and Dallas, Texas and Ezequiel Reyna Law Firm out of Weslaco, Texas.

SOURCE Potts Law Firm
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

We should provide Ukraine with all the assistance possible.

The reconstruction of the country must not be left solely on the shoulders of the Ukrainians. They are not in a position to face the burden of the destruction that the Russians have inflicted on their country on their own. It is therefore necessary for Polish companies to get involved and support our eastern neighbours. A panel discussion organised at the Polish House in Davos by Bank Pekao S.A. addressed the global challenges of the rebuilding of Ukraine.

Alexander Rodnyansky, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenski, explained what kind of assistance Ukraine needs. According to him, it is crucial for aid to be provided both short- and long-term. "From a short-term perspective, the most important issue for us is to receive all the military support possible, as it is vital for the economy to function on a war basis." - Rodnyansky said.

"In the long term our main priorities are the strengthening of democratic institutions and the rule of law, introduction of deregulatory reforms in the labour market, and enhancement of economic freedom. They will be crucial for Ukraine's future integration with the European Union"- Rodnyansky added.

Rebuilding Ukraine will be a significant financial challenge. "The scale of the damage to Ukraine's infrastructure was estimated at 350 billion dollars already back in July last year. Given the circumstances, we can assume that the recovery plan will amount approximately to a sum of 750 billion dollars."  said Oleksandr Kravchenko from the McKinsey & Company office in Ukraine.

The fundamental issue for the Polish banking sector today is determining the way to finance the development business relations between Ukrainian and Polish companies. "Both now and once the conflict is over," emphasised Leszek Skiba, President of Bank Pekao S.A.

To summarise the discussion panel, President Skiba talked about the key task that the sector represented by Pekao is facing in the context of Ukraine's economic recovery. "It is banks that know best where and how to invest the money so that it generates long-term profits and is not wasted due to, for instance, corruption. We, as the Polish banking sector, want to share our knowledge and experience with Ukrainian partners." - he declared.

SOURCE Bank PEKAO SA
RESTON, Va., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology leader, today announced Srini N. Iyer as the company's new Chief Technology Officer for the company's Health Group. Iyer will be responsible for driving innovation and building new offerings to enhance the Health Group's growing portfolio.

"We are pleased to welcome Srini to Leidos," said James Carlini, Leidos Chief Technology Officer. "For more than 30 years, Srini has been a leader in driving innovation and delivering results. His strategic approach and wealth of knowledge will support Leidos' production of cutting-edge products and services that will improve health care and people's lives."

Before joining Leidos, Srini served as Senior Vice President and Corporate Chief Technology Officer at ManTech International. He also served as Strategic Planning Manager for Northrop Grumman Technical Services.

Srini has a Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He also holds an Executive Leadership Certificate from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia as well as a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Madras.

About Leidos

Leidos is a Fortune 500 technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 44,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $13.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

SOURCE Leidos
LS Power's projects provide cost savings and electric rate certainty

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Independent System Operator ("CAISO") announced on January 23 that it has selected LS Power Grid California, LLC to finance, construct, own, operate and maintain the Collinsville 500/230 kV Substation Project ("The Collinsville Project") and the Manning 500/230 kV Substation Project ("The Manning Project").

"LS Power is honored to be selected for these important projects that will improve the reliability of the California grid and enable new renewable generation," said Paul Thessen, President of LS Power Development. "These projects align with LS Power's goals to be on the forefront of the transition to clean energy."

CAISO conducted a competitive selection process pursuant to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Order No. 1000 and selected LS Power's proposals from a total of four qualified proposals per project. These represent LS Power's fourth and fifth competitively procured transmission awards by CAISO. CAISO's selection reports for each project stated that LS Power's proposals "provide the most overall rate certainty and stability and the lowest project net present value." CAISO's reports went on to say that LS Power offered "the strongest cost containment measures."

Each project included new high-voltage facilities that enhance the transmission grid to meet state policy goals for renewable energy. The Collinsville Project will increase the reliability of the northern greater Bay Area by connecting the 500 kV and 230 kV systems near Pittsburg via a new substation and new 230 kV transmission lines. The Manning Project will reinforce the Central Valley area with a new 500/230 kV substation and new 230 kV transmission lines. Both projects will enable new renewable generation connections in CAISO.

"We look forward to implementing these projects in close collaboration with CAISO, the California Public Utilities Commission and the local communities," Thessen said. "We appreciate CAISO's thorough evaluation and recognition of the long-term value and certainty that can be provided through competitive transmission processes."

About LS Power

LS Power is a development, investment, and operating company focused on the North American power and energy infrastructure sector. Since its inception in 1990, LS Power has developed, constructed, managed, or acquired more than 46,000 MW of power generation, including utility-scale solar, wind, hydro, natural gas-fired, and battery energy storage projects, of which ~16,700 MW are currently operating. LS Power's Energy Transition Platforms include CPower Energy Management, Endurant Energy, EVgo, Rise Light & Power, and REV Renewables, as well as Waste-to-Energy initiatives. In addition, LS Power developed and operates over 660 miles of high-voltage transmission, with an additional 100+ miles and multiple substations under construction. Across these efforts, LS Power has raised $49 billion in debt and equity financing to support North American infrastructure. Through 2021, assets under LS Power control avoided 80.67 million metric tons of CO2e, equivalent to nearly 187 million barrels of oil not consumed or over 17.5 million cars taken off the road for one year. For more information, please visit www.LSPower.com.

SOURCE LS Power
Some 506 PKK terrorists have been neutralized so far in the Operation Claw-Lock, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has stated, adding that the Zap region in northern Iraq has been largely cleared of terrorists.

Turkiye respects the borders, sovereign rights and territorial integrity of all its neighbors, especially Iraq and Syria, Akar stated at a press conference after the cabinet meeting.

Emphasizing that the terrorists are the only target of the Turkish army, Akar said, Our only aim is the defense and security of our country and nation.

The fight against terrorism continues at an increasing pace with determination, the minister added.

A certain stage has been successfully completed in the Operation Claw-Lock. The Zap area has been largely cleared of terrorists. The caves of terrorists who have settled there for years were destroyed, Akar said.

With the Operation Claw Lock, the 302-kilometer line on the Iraqi border was secured, Akar noted, adding that 506 terrorists have been neutralized so far in the operation.

Within the scope of the operation, nearly 600 caves and more than 2,000 mines and handmade explosives used by terrorists were destroyed, Akar stated.

Some 1,174 weapons and 533,275 ammunitions were also seized, the minister added.
Customer demand drives wavelength network investment in 2023

DENVER, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Businesses need two things to grow their digital platforms  fiber and massive connectivity. Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) is delivering both. Lumen continues to invest in the strength of its network. First, with the expansion of its U.S. intercity dark fiber network. Now, with the build out of its 400 Gbps (400G) wavelength network. Wavelength services increase the value of Lumen's network and offer businesses the dedicated, secure connectivity they're demanding.

Lumen's 400G Wavelength Network

"The Lumen network is our crown jewel, and our network infrastructure solutions are at the core of what we do," said Miriana Martinova, SVP, Lumen Enterprise Core Network Solutions. "We're investing to win. We see a significant demand from enterprises, government agencies, hyperscalers and wholesale customers for high-bandwidth interconnections between their data centers and public cloud. Combining our upgraded intercity fiber network with our next generation wavelength network helps these businesses quickly and securely enable a digital journey that can take them well into the future."

The Bottom Line

Lumen has deployed its U.S. intercity wavelength network across 70 markets. This gives customers unparalleled, diverse routing options in building a resilient core digital network.

Today, over 240 data centers are enabled for 400G Lumen Wavelength Services, and more than 800TB of capacity currently runs across the network.

Lumen is fulfilling customer orders of more than 50TB of 400G wavelengths.

The intercity expansion will continue throughout 2023 and beyond, extending this network and pushing it deeper into the metro edge.

Businesses also need a way to quickly control these networks. Lumen has that too. Lumen offers a unique self-service tool empowering businesses to quote, design and build their own wavelengths across Lumen's North American network. It's called Topology Viewer. This is how Lumen is bringing the customer digital experience to life.

Why it Matters

The network needs to be where customers' data and applications are going. Lumen is investing to help build scalable networks in data centers and the public cloud.

Lumen Wavelength Services help modernize the customers' core digital network, giving the required resiliency, scalability and ultra-low latency to help businesses grow.

Wavelengths are private, dedicated connections  making it more secure than other network solutions. Optical encryption can also protect data as it's moving.

What's Next

Lumen will look at customer demand to determine where its wavelength network will expand in 2023. Future enhancements to Topology Viewer are planned throughout the year to increase the digital experience and provide additional value to customers.

Learn More

Learn more about Lumen Wavelength Services and get started designing your own network: https://www.lumen.com/en-us/networking/wavelengths.html.

See the current Lumen 400G network map.

About Lumen Technologies:

Lumen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 400,000 route miles of fiber and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences. Learn more about the Lumen network, edge cloud, security, communication and collaboration solutions and our purpose to further human progress through technology at news.lumen.com/home , LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks in the United States.

SOURCE Lumen Technologies
Highlights include:

Achieved 84% gold recoveries on the Master Composite versus a recovery of 82% in the 2020 PEA

Simplified flowsheet with the elimination of saprolite / sap-rock material and the elimination of the molybdenum concentrate circuit

Ausenco-led Pre-Feasibility Study is on schedule for completion in Q2 2023

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Lumina Gold Corp. (TSXV: LUM) (OTCQX: LMGDF) (the "Company" or "Lumina") is pleased to announce positive results from its ongoing metallurgical test work that is part of the 2023 Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") for the Company's Cangrejos Copper-Gold project (the "Cangrejos Project") planned for Q2 2023.

Marshall Koval, President and CEO commented: "The PFS is on schedule, and several major components of the study have been completed. The metallurgical testwork program is near completion and shows improved gold recoveries over the 2020 PEA; recoveries for copper and silver are pending. The balance of the metallurgy is expected to be completed in the next several weeks. Capital and operating cost estimates and the concentrate marketing study have been initiated and the overall PFS remains on track for completion in Q2 of this year."

PFS Status

The following PFS work streams have been completed:

Mineral resource estimation at the Cangrejos and Gran Bestia deposits

Revised mine plan incorporating only indicated mineral resources for the purpose of potential conversion to mineral reserves

Process flowsheet design

Quotes for major mechanical and electrical equipment

Dry stack tailings design

Facility siting studies

Power supply study

Port materials handling study

Metallurgical Test Work Description

The current test work program is being performed at C. H. Plenge & CIA S.A. ("Plenge"), an independent metallurgical laboratory based in Lima, Peru. The results presented in this news release were generated based on testing of a master composite (the "2022 Master Composite") and 14 individual variability composites that reflect various anticipated material grades, rock types and time periods. The composites were prepared using approximately 4,900 kilograms of drill core collected during the 2021-2022 in-fill and step-out drilling campaign and are from over 50 different drill holes spanning the Cangrejos and Gran Bestia deposits.

Test Results

Similar to the preliminary economic assessment for the Cangrejos Project (the "2020 PEA") included in the Company's technical report titled "Cangrejos Gold-Copper Project El Oro Province, Ecuador, NI 43-101 Technical Report Preliminary Economic Assessment", with an effective date of June 8, 2020, the overall process flowsheet envisions flotation combined with cyanidation of the flotation cleaner scavenger tails and concentrate from flotation of coarse particles ("sand") from rougher flotation tailings. Gravity concentration will also be used in the flowsheet for recovering coarse gold.

The 2022 Master Composite was prepared representing "fresh rock" material from both deposits over the projected mine life and assayed 0.50 g/t gold, 1 g/t silver, 0.087% copper, 24 ppm molybdenum, and 0.33% sulphur. The life-of-mine average plant feed grade is projected to be 0.55 g/t gold and 0.1% copper, a slightly higher grade than the 2022 Master Composite. The 2022 Master Composite has been subjected to comminution testing, whole-ore cyanidation, gravity concentration, bulk rougher and concentrate cleaner flotation, copper-molybdenum separation flotation, and sand flotation. Tests incorporating cyanidation of scavenger cleaner tails and sand concentrates are in progress. Testing of the variability composites is also in progress with comminution and whole-rock cyanidation tests recently completed.

Whole-ore flotation tests, using optimized conditions and reagents, yielded gold, copper and silver recoveries into rougher flotation concentrates of 81%, 88% and 68%, respectively. Flotation of a sand concentrate from the rougher tails recovered an additional 4% of the gold for a combined recovery in rougher flotation of 85%. Once cyanidation of the scavenger cleaner tails and the sand concentrates occurs, the overall gold recovery into concentrates and dore is projected to be 84%. Cleaned copper-gold flotation concentrates assayed 15% copper, 70 g/t gold and 101 g/t silver, compared to the average concentrate grade estimated in the 2020 PEA of 17% copper, 75 g/t gold and 72 g/t silver. Cleaner flotation testing indicates that regrinding to 20 microns, versus 38 microns assumed in the 2020 PEA, is required to achieve the 15% copper concentrate grade. Lock-cycle rougher and cleaner flotation testing is in progress on all composites to determine concentrate grades and metal recoveries in concentrates and dore.

Copper-molybdenum separation flotation testing on copper-gold flotation concentrates yielded a potentially saleable molybdenum concentrate that assayed 48% molybdenum while recovering approximately 50% of the molybdenum. The Company has determined that producing a molybdenum concentrate is not currently economically viable when accounting for operating and capital costs and will therefore eliminate the processing circuit from the PFS flowsheet.

Whole-ore gravity concentration tests on the 2022 Master Composite average gold and silver recoveries of 29% and 5%, respectively, into concentrates that weigh 0.26% of the feed weight and assay 60 g/t gold and 18 g/t silver.

Whole-ore cyanidation can be used to process the mineralized materials and produce a dore, but no copper is expected be recovered using this process. Cyanidation tests on all composites indicate average gold and silver recoveries of 89% and 34%, respectively, which are similar to historic test results. Cyanide consumption for the tests averaged one kilogram per tonne of material processed.

Comminution tests on the 2022 Master Composite indicate that the mineralized materials have average Bond Ball Mill Work Index values of 16 kWh/mt. This would classify the material as medium-hard to hard, which is similar to historic test results. JK-SMC test results of A * b = 24.6 confirmed the 2020 PEA results and classified the material as hard. These results confirm the advantage of using a high-pressure grinding roll as the primary grind in the comminution circuit.

Quality Assurance

The metallurgical tests detailed above were conducted by independent commercial laboratories and the samples used for testing were selected to be representative of the material that is currently planned for processing. Lumina is not aware of any drilling, sampling, recovery or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data referred to herein.

Qualified Person

Nelson King, SME Registered Member and Metallurgical Consultant to Lumina, is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. King has assisted Lumina in the development and direction of the metallurgical testing program for the Cangrejos Project, has visited the Cangrejos Project and Plenge's laboratory in Lima to observe the testing program, and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. Mr. King also verified the data disclosed underlying the scientific and technical information in this news release.

About Lumina Gold

Lumina Gold Corp. (TSXV: LUM) is a Vancouver, Canada based precious and base metals exploration and development company focused on the Cangrejos Gold-Copper Project located in El Oro Province, southwest Ecuador. Cangrejos is being advanced to a Pre-Feasibility Study and is the largest primary gold deposit in Ecuador. Lumina has an experienced management team with a successful track record of advancing and monetizing exploration projects.

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Further details are available on the Company's website at https://luminagold.com/. To receive future news releases please sign up at https://luminagold.com/contact.

LUMINA GOLD CORP.

Signed: "Marshall Koval"

Marshall Koval, President & CEO, Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to potentially converting mineral resources to mineral reserves, potential recoveries used in future economic studies, the potential economic viability of molybdenum concentrate when accounting for operating and capital costs, and the elimination of the processing circuit from the PFS flowsheet, expected copper recovery from whole-ore cyanidation, and timing for completion of the PFS study. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as "will" or "projected" or variations of those words or statements that certain actions, events or results "will", "could", "are proposed to", "are planned to", "are expected to" or "are anticipated to" be taken, occur or be achieved.

With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, the Company has made numerous assumptions including among other things, assumptions about general business and economic conditions, the prices of gold and copper, and anticipated costs and expenditures. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.

Although management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks associated with the business of the Company; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other Cangrejos Project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions (including with respect to the tonnage, grade and recoverability of reserves and resources); risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks relating to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed with Canadian securities administrators. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Lumina Gold Corp.
The partnership would help health-care organizations vertically integrate with Cloud/AI solutions to unify stakeholder experiences across the value chain and launch new business models

PISCATAWAY, N.J. and CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Marlabs LLC & Health DataRoof LLC will partner to help customers quickly transform to extended digital business models and plug-ins, transact, collect, share data, and collaborate with their ecosystem partners in a seamless, secure, reliable, private, and compliant manner. This is expected to drive operational efficiency, reducing costs, increasing stakeholder satisfaction, and improving overall business performance.

Health DataRoof Logo

Rising medical and administrative costs and budget shortfalls are threatening the survival of health-care entities and their ability to serve their constituents. The devastating impact of pandemic exposed the fragility of these organizations, having cut them off from their stakeholders. Only select organizations have been able to change the way they worked and partnered/collaborated across their ecosystem. However, these collaborative technologies only delivered partial business values, and that too in a siloed approach. Our joint solution is focused to address these challenges effectively and in quick time.

Marlabs & Health DataRoof will combine vertically integrated Cloud/AI capabilities. This will enable a shared data infrastructure platform between individuals, organizations, and ecosystem partners to drive their business profitably and build the foundation for new business models and value creations.

"We have most complete health-care data on our platform and in-built workflow capability, powerful proprietary algorithms, and real-time AI driven analysis and insights enable superior clinical and financial outcomes. We believe these outcomes would be significant drivers to raising the bar on health care and in delivering competitive advantage," said Sharat Rastogi, Chief Revenue Officer, Health DataRoof LLC.

"Utilizing our 3,000+ global workforceincluding highly experienced technology, platform, and industry specialistsfrom the world's leading technical universities, Marlabs will provide implementation, cloud migration, hosting, and management for Health DataRoof platform customers. Our partnership will enhance our service capabilities and business outcomes for health-care clients," added Sandeep Warikoo, SVP, Health Care BU, Marlabs.

About Marlabs

Marlabs is a digital services company with a specialization in intelligent automation services, helping leading companies around the world make operations sleeker, keep customers closer, transform data into decisions, de-risk cyberspace, boost legacy systems, and capture novel opportunities and digital-led revenues. It provides digital-first strategy and advisory services, rapid solution incubation and prototyping, and agile digital solution engineering. Marlabs is headquartered in New Jersey, with offices in the US and Germany, and India.

About Health DataRoof

Health DataRoof is a Software as a Services company with specialized products for health-care entities focused on data and machine learning solutions. Health DataRoof offers its artificial intelligence platform modules to health plans, health systems, human service agencies, and life sciences companies to automate and virtualize artificial intelligence service models at enterprise level.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1989703/Health_DataRoof.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1879917/Marlabs_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Marlabs
Founder and Chairman of Massey Services Leaves a Legacy of Unwavering Philanthropy and Commitment to Faith, Family and Service

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Massey Services, a leader in the pest management and landscape industry, announced today the passing of its founder, chairman and community leader Harvey L. Massey. The retired CEO passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 24th at the age of 81. Harvey was a long-time resident of Winter Park, Florida.

Philanthropist, Chairman and Founder of Massey Services Harvey L. Massey. Massey Services announced Mr. Massey's passing on January 25. 2023. (Photo Courtesy of Massey Services)

Harvey L. Massey was born in the small town of Melville, Louisiana, a grandson of Italian immigrants and Missouri farmers. At the age of 18 he joined the U.S. Army Security where he served for three years before he was honorably discharged. While serving his country, Harvey met the love of his life, Carol Nisula and they married on August 24, 1963.

In 1985, after working for Orkin and Terminix International, Harvey purchased his own business, Massey Services. With two kids in college and one entering high school, he moved to Orlando and bought a stagnant 50-year-old pest and termite company for $3.9 million, which, under his leadership, has grown to a $350 million business in 2023.

Massey Services

When creating Massey Services, Harvey Massey never aspired to creating the biggest companyhe simply wanted to be the best: to take care of customers and team members; to value relationships with vendors; to give back to our communities and the industry; and to challenge ourselves to find innovative solutions for our environment. He was immensely proud of Massey Services' team members for their unending commitment and dedication to the company he created.

"Total Customer Satisfaction"

Total customer satisfaction was not just a slogan for Mr. Massey. In the early 90's he was the first in the industry to offer a money back guarantee. He believed that if you told the customer you were going to do something, you did it; if not, they deserved their money back. He was accessible to any and all customers who contacted Massey Services with a concernand elected to keep his telephone number public.

The Importance of Giving Back

An unwavering philanthropist, Harvey and Carol formed the Harvey and Carol Massey Foundation in 2014 to solidify their commitment to being contributing members of their community. When asked why philanthropy is important, he would reply, "Philanthropy, at its best, is about caring, sharing, and giving back. When you think about it, aren't these the attributes and qualities we all respect and admire?" He believed Winston Churchill said it best, "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. In other words, you can't go through life with catcher's mitts on both handssooner or later you have to throw something back."

Harvey's faith was his compass that guided him in the right direction. Not surprisingly, his favorite saying was, "Blessed are those who can give without remembering and receive without forgetting."

Harvey Massey was a renowned leader in the pest management industry and pillar in the community. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Pest Management Association and was the first Chairman of the Professional Pest Management Alliance. In 2018, he was awarded the Pinnacle Award which recognizes outstanding contributions to the industry.

He also gave tirelessly of his time and expertise in the community and served on many boards including Board of Governors for Stetson University, Board of Directors of Pontifical Irish College of Rome, Italy, Board of Directors for Florida Citrus Sports, Orlando Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Florida, and Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, to name a few. In recognition for his outstanding contributions, Harvey received countless awards included Mennello Museum's Distinguished service award, Laureate in Junior Achievement Hall of Fame, Orlando's Most Influential Citizen, Economic Development Commission's James B. Greene award, the H. Clifford Lee Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2016, he received the prestigious Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Award in Washington D.C.

Family

Harvey leaves a legacy of service, care, and accomplishments. He was a man known for his thoughtful leadership, drive, and compassion. He was a mentor to many, a friend to all and a beloved husband, father, and grandfather.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Carol Massey; their three children: Angela Rignanese (husband Shane), Tony Massey (wife Jann) and Andrea Massey-Farrell (husband James); their ten grandchildren (Kallie, Sean, Ashley, Ryan, Colin, Bryan, Jackson, Aidan, Ethan, and Edward).

Funeral services will be held at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Winter Park on Saturday, January 28th at 10:00 a.m. where Harvey's life and generosity will be celebrated.

About Massey Services

Based in Orlando, Florida, Massey Services is one of the nation's largest and most respected service companies in the pest management industry. Celebrating 38 consecutive years of profitable growth, Massey Services and its subsidiary organizations employ more than 2,700 team members and operate 2,500 vehicles that provide residential and commercial pest prevention, termite protection, landscape and irrigation services to 800,000 customers from Service Centers throughout Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia and Tennessee. For more information about Massey Services, please visit www.masseyservices.com.

Contact: Michael Monahan

Moxe Integrated Marketing

[email protected]

407-581-4222 Ext. 201215

SOURCE Massey Services
The company closed its 25th anniversary year having consolidated itself as a leader in the IT training sector and ready to focus on its main project for 2023, ITalentUp.

MIAMI, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MeasureUp , a provider of certification practice tests in the IT sector and for large multinationals such as Microsoft, Cisco, AWS, CompTIA, and PMI, ended 2022 with a growth of 15%, having sold more than one million practice tests and assessments in more than 140 countries through its platform.

Sam Brocal and Laura Morillo, CEO and CHRO of Media Interactiva Group

Over the course of the past year, MeasureUp has added 29 new titles to its range of training materials, which now includes the complete Microsoft certification path, and it offers more than 400 tests and 37,000 questions. Furthermore, MeasureUp has continued to prioritize the excellent quality of its content, ensuring that its practice tests remain fully in line with the changes made by the different providers. As a result, in 2022, MeasureUp updated 58 of its tests with new content.

The new MeasureUp website, launched in September 2022, opened up a new world of possibilities, bringing more benefits to the user. Among other things, users can now take advantage of improved upload speeds, faster transaction processing times, and advanced payment options. Additionally, the company further enhanced transaction security and added more payment options.

MeasureUp also took center stage at several IT industry conferences in 2022, including the 'Innovations in Testing' conference, hosted by the ATP (Association of Test Publishers), its European Edition, the E-ATP, and the CertMatters conference. In all of them, MeasureUp was able to demonstrate the tremendous benefits of studying through practice tests and assessments. Also, with the situation having returned to normal after the Covid pandemic, MeasureUp was able to resume its trips to the headquarters of its partner Pearson Vue, holding meetings that were key to strengthening strategic ties and setting new goals for 2023.

CEO of MeasureUp, Sam Brocal, stated that: "2022 has been a year in which we have worked very hard to offer the best possible products to our clients, especially through our new e-commerce platform." He then went on to explain that in 2023: "We will continue to innovate and find new ways to help professionals certify their technological skills."

Strategic plan for 2023

Looking ahead to 2023, the company is going to put special focus on 'ITalentUp', a new project which is based on initial evaluation processes for candidates applying for technical positions. The project will allow recruitment companies and human resources teams to save a great deal of time and money, especially considering how difficult it is becoming to evaluate the technological skills of candidates and teams.

ITalentUp will allow HR companies to create their own technical evaluations for their candidates, basing these evaluations on the technological profile that they require, and using the complete MeasureUp catalogue, which covers the most in-demand technologies on the market.

Laura Morillo, CHRO of the Media Interactiva Group explains that: "When companies are looking to hire IT professionals, their HR teams often have to depend greatly on the assistance of specialists in a particular field; ITalentUp will allow these teams to streamline their recruitment processes and automate technical tests, which will result in considerable savings in terms of time, resources, and money. Above all, it will give them autonomy and guarantee the objectivity of the selection processes for these profiles. All professionals in the sector are aware that current profiles tend to be cross-functional, which means that they often require a range of technical skills. ITalentUp allows you to evaluate several technical skills at the same time, meaning that when HR professionals are assessing candidates for a specific profile or position, they can obtain all of the results they need from a single test, which is 100% adapted to the job, project, or specifics of the company."

MeasureUp is also launching its Teams Plans for 2023; packs of practice tests which are aimed at teams, academies, and companies. With Teams Plans, users can combine any of the tests from MeasureUp's prodigious catalog in the way that best suits their needs, saving them money compared to buying practice tests individually. Team Plans are one of the new possibilities that MeasureUp is offering to EMEA, a market that is sure to benefit from these great prices on MeasureUp services and products.

About MeasureUp

MeasureUp , part of the Media Interactiva business group, is the world leader in exam simulations and evaluations for official certifications in the IT sector.

With over 400 tests and more than 37,000 questions, its customers can prepare for the certification exams of the largest technology manufacturers. MeasureUp is the official practice test provider for companies such as Microsoft, and is an authorized provider for Cisco, CompTIA, VMware, AWS, and PMI, among others.

Since joining Media Interactiva in 2014, MeasureUp has sold around five million practice tests and assessments in 189 countries.

More information:

www.measureup.com

https://www.facebook.com/MeasureUpCertPrep/

https://twitter.com/DoYouMeasureUp

https://www.linkedin.com/company/measureup/

https://www.instagram.com/measureupcertprep/

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1988994/Media_Interactiva_Group.jpg

SOURCE MeasureUp
New practice will focus on helping brands drive meaningful business growth among multicultural audiences

DALLAS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Media Culture, an independent brand performance agency, today announced the appointment of Eureka Vanterpool to lead a newly created Multicultural Marketing practice with the goal of helping brands drive meaningful business growth among various segments, including Hispanic, Black, Asian, LGBTQ+, and People with Disabilities.

Vanterpool, a 20+-year marketing veteran originally from New York, NY, will be responsible for helping brands develop culturally relevant media strategies to engage multicultural audiences.

New practice will focus on helping brands drive meaningful business growth among multicultural audiences Tweet this

Prior to joining Media Culture in 2020 as VP of Agency Operations, Eureka was a media, marketing, and management professional with expertise across a variety of media disciplines including, research, media planning and buying, analytics, and campaign optimization. Vanterpool will report to Christena Garduno, Media Culture's Chief Executive Officer.

"I'm thrilled to have Eureka lead this initiative for the agency," said Garduno. "The creation of this role is a reflection of Media Culture's commitment to diversity and inclusion as well as a means to help our clients communicate with multicultural audiences in a meaningful way."

"Thirty-five percent of the buying power in the U.S. belongs to multicultural consumers," said Vanterpool. "However, only 5 percent of marketing spend targets the multicultural segment."

According to Vanterpool, this discrepancy presents a significant opportunity. "The growth opportunity for brands should be driven by their ability to effectively engage with their multicultural customers," said Vanterpool. "We are committed to helping our clients achieve culturally relevant strategies that reflect the nation's diversity."

Since its founding in 1995, Media Culture  formerly known as Koeppel Direct  has existed at the forefront of change in the performance marketing industry. And as technology and media consumption has evolved, so has its capabilities. Media Culture has developed leading analytic capabilities, expanded its proven, nimble brand response and demand generation approaches across a variety of channels, and built a track record of success. Through it all, Media Culture's clients have remained priority number one.

SOURCE Media Culture
Surge in demand for analytical testing services for medical devices such as physical testing, biocompatibility testing and sterility testing, from the medical devices & supplies sector drives the growth of the global medical device analytical testing outsourcing market.

PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Medical Device Analytical Testing Outsourcing Market by Service (Physical Testing, Bioburden Testing, Sterility Testing, and Others), End User (Medical Device Manufacturer and Pharmaceutical Companies), And Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2031" According to the report, the global medical device analytical testing outsourcing industry generated $4,744.8 million in 2021, and is estimated to reach $7,956.9 million by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 5.3% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscapes, and competitive scenarios.

Download Free Sample Report: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/14407

Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities:

Rise in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, rise in technological advancements, and rise in geriatric population as the older population are at a higher risk of developing chronic diseases which drive the growth of the global medical device analytical testing outsourcing market. On the other hand, low manufacturing capacity in emerging countries and delayed approval of medical devices restrain the growth to some extent. However, surge in promotional activities by manufacturers and rise in awareness about the importance of analytical testing for medical devices among individuals are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry.

Covid-19 scenario:

Pandemic has led to significant disruptions and challenges in the market, resulting in delays and difficulties for manufacturers and testing labs. In addition, many companies have faced financial difficulties and had to reduce their budgets, which has led to a reduction in demand for analytical testing services.

However, as the global situation has recovered, the market has now got back on track.

The sterility testing segment to rule the roost:

By service, the others segment held the major share in 2021, garnering around half of the global medical device analytical testing outsourcing market revenue. Rise in demand for biocompatibility testing and material characterization for medical devices, acquisitions and expansion by key market players contribute toward increase in sales of this segment, thus driving the segment growth.

The medical device manufacturer segment to maintain its dominance during the forecast period:

By end user, the medical device manufacturer segment contributed to the highest share in 2021, accounting for around three-fourth of the global medical device analytical testing outsourcing market revenue. The same segment would also portray the fastest CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period. This is attributed to rise in the number of medical devices companies and rise in technological advancements in medical devices.

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North America garnered the major share in 2021:

By region, North America garnered the highest share in 2021, holding nearly half of the global medical device analytical testing outsourcing market revenue in 2021, and is projected to retain its dominance by 2031. This was attributed to presence of key players, rise in government initiatives, well-developed healthcare infrastructure, and rising awareness about the innovations in healthcare sector. On the other hand, Asia-Pacific, would showcase the fastest CAGR of 7.1% from 2022 to 2031, owing to the investments by the public and private market players in this field.

Leading Market Players:

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.,

Element Materials Technology

Eurofins Scientific

Intetek Group plc

Pace Analytical

Medistri SA

North American Science Associates, LLC

SGS SA

The Smithers Group Inc.

WuXi AppTec

The report analyzes these key players in the global medical device analytical testing outsourcing market. These players have adopted various strategies such as expansion, acquisitions, and others to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in determining the business performance, operating segments, developments, and product portfolios of every market player.

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NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the success of Psycho Bunny's first ever NFT collaboration with renowned street artist Buff Monster, the brand launched the first 50 unique hero bunny NFTs on January 25th featuring iterations of the infamous bunny logo both present and past. Super fans of the brand's infamous bunny can digitally own one-of-a-kind limited edition art marking their foray onto the blockchain, encouraging discussion, collection, and trade amongst followers. This digital collaboration reinforces the brand's mission of inspiring self-expression, thus furthering the creative economy and expanding the footprint of the digital creative community.

The owners of the Psycho Bunny x Buff Monster NFTs were granted early access to the Hero Bunny collection as of January 23rd as part of their utilities. The Hero Bunny Collection dives deep into the Psycho Bunny archives. Since 2005, Psycho Bunny has been iterating their iconic logo on a daily basis. This NFT drop is an ode to the evolution of the brand logo inclusive of past logos used on merch and others that have never been seen. In addition to the NFT drop, Psycho Bunny will launch an NFT shop in February featuring merchandise exclusively available for Psycho Bunny NFT holders.

Psycho Bunny Drops Exclusive Hero Bunny NFT Collection Tweet this

"The spark behind the Hero Bunny collection stemmed from our desire to share the history of our iconic bunny logo with the brand's fans. While some designs will look familiar, other iterations of the logo have never been seen before," said Matthew Morein, VP of Brand and Marketing at Psycho Bunny.

"We believe in the importance of customer interactions and see the metaverse as a great way to create meaningful experiences, strengthen our community of Psycho Bunny enthusiasts, and give them an opportunity to have digital ownership over a piece of the brand."

Founded in 2005 with a mission of creating the perfect polo, Psycho Bunny has developed a cult following thanks to their commitment to quality, their eye-popping colors and an unconventional logo that stands apart in the sea of sameness. They have since expanded from polos to tees, French terry fleece, technical outerwear, and so much more. The irreverent brand offers a playground for self-expression, with clothes that let the consumer wear their personality on their sleeve and their character on their collar.

About Psycho Bunny:

What started out as a mission to create the perfect polo has evolved into a means for igniting confidence. Psycho Bunny is menswear for those who want to channel their most vibrant and optimistic selves without sacrificing quality. Delivering the thrill of standing out, Psycho Bunny is for the challengers and the commanders who take control of their moments, show up, and dare not to fit in. Based in New York with headquarters in Montreal, Psycho Bunny's footprint will include over 100 stores across the Americas by the end of 2023 and continues to operate globally from www.psychobunny.com. Psycho Bunny credits its growth and intensely loyal fanbase to their deep commitment to craftsmanship, innovation, and individuality.

SOURCE Psycho Bunny
VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Mind Cure Health Inc. (CSE: MCUR) (OTCQB: MCURF) (FRA: 6MH) ("MINDCURE" or the "Company") today announced its financial results for the three and six months ended November 30, 2022. All amounts are stated in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.

A copy of the Company's financial statements for the three and six months ended November 30, 2022 and the related management's discussion and analysis are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

As previously announced on November 18, 2022, the Company signed a binding Letter of Intent with LNG Energy Group Inc. ("LNG Energy"), a private company focused on the acquisition of natural gas production and exploration assets in Latin America, pursuant to which the Company will become the holder of all of the issued and outstanding securities in the capital of LNG Energy (the "Transaction"). It is intended that the Transaction will constitute a reverse take-over of the Company by the shareholders of LNG Energy. In connection with the proposed Transaction, the Company will complete a 2.4-1 consolidation of its shares and change its name to LNG Energy Group Inc.

In connection with the Transaction, LNG Energy will complete a private placement of subscription receipts for proceeds of between US$15m and US$35m at a subscription price of at least C$0.20 per subscription. Further, LNG Energy will complete a non-convertible debt financing of between US$65m and US$85m. The Company will further complete a non-brokered private placement for total proceeds of approximately $1m at a price of $0.05 per unit.

The proposed Transaction is subject to the terms of a definitive agreement, approval by the Company's shareholders and the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Robert Hill has resigned as a director of the Company's board of directors effective January 1, 2023. Stephen Inouye has replaced Mr. Hill on the Company's board of directors. "On behalf of the board of directors and the Company, I would like to thank Rob for his contribution and support." stated Philip Tapley, CEO and Chair of the board of directors of MINDCURE. "I would also like to welcome Steve to the board of directors. Steve has been working with the Company in various roles since the Company's inception."

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Philip Tapley, CEO

Forward-Looking Information

Forward-looking information is based on a number of key expectations and assumptions made by management of MINDCURE, including, without limitation: the considerations and outcome of the strategic review process and cost-saving measures; COVID-19 pandemic impact on the Canadian economy and the Company's business, and the extent and duration of such impact; no change to laws or regulations that negatively affect the Company's business; no unanticipated expenses, costs or detrimental consequences of the Strategic Review Process or cost-savings measures will arise; availability of additional capital required to execute the Company's business plan; the lack of necessity of further developmental expenditures related to the Company's business plan with respect to the execution of strategic alternatives for the Company; the ability to preserve the value of the Company's assets, including its public company status with Canadian securities regulators; and the ultimate availability of any strategic alternatives for the Company.

Forward-looking information is provided for the purpose of presenting information the Company's current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking information inherently entails known and unknown risks and uncertainties about the future and actual results and involves significant risks and uncertainties and should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results as actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information presented, there may be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements as no forward-looking information can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Mind Cure Health Inc.
Chicago-based Public Relations Firm Leading the Way in Diversity and Growth

CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a year of outstanding client satisfaction and communications excellence, Morreale Communications announced today it had won coveted Gold and Silver Stevie Awards in the 19th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, employees and the companies they run worldwide. The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world's premier business awards. The honors come as Morreale expands its presence within the transportation, infrastructure, healthcare, utilities and public affairs sectors.

"We appreciate The Stevie Awards for recognizing our commitment to expanding beyond Illinois markets with a workforce that propels women and minorities into meaningful careers," said Kim Morreale McAuliffe, founder and CEO of Morreale Communications.

Morreale Communications won in the following categories:

Fastest Growing Company - Gold Award

Morreale Communications recently doubled its divisions to support a growing client base. evidenced by a nearly 60% increase in clients between 2020 and 2021, and 40% increase to date along with an overall client retention rate of 95 percent. Part of this expansion includes the firm's emerging healthcare practice, which earned 2021 Stevie Awards for innovative COVID-19 response campaigns. Morreale has also seen annual workforce growth of 30 percent, including an expanding presence in the state capital, Springfield, Ill. At least 10 new full-time employees are expected to join the firm by 2023.

Achievement of Diversity and Inclusion - Silver Award

Boasting a 100% female and minority leadership team, and an 82%female and minority workforce, Morreale Communications is one of Illinois's largest privately held female-owned public relations firms. Its commitment to diversity and equity includes a focus on ethnicity, race, gender and age. As a certified WBE and BEP agency, 100 percent of its work contributes to clients' goals of a more diverse supplier network.

About Morreale Communications

Morreale is a leading certified woman-owned business that partners with businesses and organizations during times of change, crisis and opportunity. Driven by the desire to empower clients by activating their voices, clients seek the firm out to deliver fully integrated communications solutions that connect, engage and educate audiences to transform outcomes. Learn more about the award-winning firm at https://www.morrealecomm.com.

SOURCE Morreale Communications
Online-only division of Beal Bank USA specializes

in competitive CDs and savings products

PLANO, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- myCDbank.com (mycdbank.com), a division of Beal Bank USA (Member FDIC), is pleased to introduce itself to savings depositors and investors across the nation. The myCDbank.com brand specializes in offering online-only certificates of deposit (CDs) with competitive rates.

myCDbank.com is currently featuring a very competitive 12-month CD at 4.65% APY* with a $1,000 minimum deposit.

Beal enterprise Chief Operating Officer Brent Lundberg said, "CDs have long been attractive for investors seeking secure, stable returns. However, in the current rising interest-rate environment, we want to also attract investors who may not have considered CDs in the past but are now looking for solid returns at low risk. Our current offering and online system make it easy for all investors to open a CD account at a great rate and manage the account online."

myCDbank.com customer service professionals can help customers open an account online and answer questions from investors who are new to the CD-buying experience.

All deposits through mycdbank.com, a division of FDIC-insured Beal Bank USA, are insured up to applicable FDIC limits.

###

* The annual percentage yield (APY) advertised for the Certificate of Deposit herein is accurate as of the date of this publication and is available online only through mycdbank.com. Rates offered may change without notice. Minimum balance to open an account and obtain APY is $1,000. A substantial penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. The advertised APY may be discontinued at any time; contact myCDbank.com for current CD rates. Each depositor is FDIC-insured up to applicable limits. Fees may reduce earnings. Note: myCDbank.com products are not currently available in Texas and Ohio. For additional terms and conditions, contact myCDbank.com.

About Beal Bank USA: Beal Bank USA, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, shares the Beal Bank brand with its sister institution Beal Bank, and has a well-earned reputation as a stable, strongly capitalized financial institution, with assets nearing $24 billion as of September 30, 2022. Beal Bank USA is a member of FDIC. For more information, visit FDIC.gov.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Beal Bank USA
RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural rubber is an essential commodity used in tires, latex items, and other products. In 2021, the Global Natural Rubber supply was 13.8 MMT, while global demand was 13.6 MMT. However, market research and information sourced from reliable sources suggest that the global demand CAGR is 3% for the period 20212025. It is also predicted that by 2025, Natural Rubber production is estimated to reach around 15.5 MMT.

The Natural Rubber market saw a dearth of strong growth catalysts from 2019 to H1 2020, with auto and tire sales declining. Due to difficulty in important downstream vehicle and tire operations, a decline in oil prices, and buying momentum due to COVID-19, the US-China trade war, and other macroeconomic variables, demand fell drastically in 2020.

Due to the rise in yielding regions and the average yield in top-producing countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and India, Asia remains the primary provider of Natural Rubber. Emerging Natural Rubber producers like Ivory Coast, Cambodia, and others will likely face future competition.

Historically, the Natural Rubber market saw a downward trend from 2014 to early 2016 owing to a lack of downstream demand from major users like China, the United States, and others. The market experienced a shortage of strong growth catalysts from 2018 to H1 2019, with auto and tire sales declining. Furthermore, the repercussions of US-China trade, particularly in rubber end goods, as well as muted downstream attitudes resulting from COVID-19 and a drop in crude oil prices, have hindered market growth in 2021.

Latex grades in gloves, condoms and other products saw increased demand attitudes, particularly during the epidemic, giving Malaysia a recovery advantage. The predicted rebound in the automobile and tire sectors, the medical and gloves sector, and durables would support a positive view from 2022 to 2025. The Natural Rubber growth rate in automobile manufacturing (7-8 percent) is predicted to increase, particularly for passenger automobiles. Tires and related items are the main demand drivers in the Indonesian Natural Rubber market.

Due to fewer downstream uses, latex products are predicted to grow at a moderate 4-5 percent rate. Similarly, In Malaysia, which is the market leader in latex products, 5-7 percent growth has supported the production of gloves, condoms, and so on.

Thus, Asia will remain the primary provider of Natural Rubber because of increases in yielding area and average yield in top-producing countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India. Non-Asian countries, such as Ivory Coast and Liberia, have emerged as viable alternative sourcing destinations. Emerging economies like China and India are driving total tire demand and tire manufacturing growth. The tire industry is relocating to countries with low-cost production.

Due to their excellent R&D, adequate supply, and quality, latex products are dominating in the Southeast Asian market, such as Malaysia and Thailand. Malaysian latex demand is quite strong; despite being a producer, the region still imports from Thailand. Compared to other significant end uses, different Natural Rubber categories have a modest market share in demand and growth. Technology, economies of scale, efficient operational expenses, and other factors influence these sectors.

In Addition, Collection centers that can ensure product quality, quantity, and consistency would be more beneficial to a buyer. Buyers choose warehouse facilities with proper temperature and humidity conditions so that existing stockpiles can manage supply abnormalities.

For the period and location of procurement, efficient sourcing would be from October to February, primarily in Thailand, due to enough supply, lesser price fluctuation, and quality. Prices have risen significantly; as a result, purchasers can exercise pre-booking options with suppliers ahead of the off-season when prices are at their lowest

Because supply limits are likely to increase throughout most regions after 2020, consumers prefer to purchase or pre-book significant volumes of rubber before experiencing increased prices and limited supplies.

About Beroe

Beroe is a global SaaS-based procurement intelligence and analytics provider. We deliver intelligence, data, and insights that enable companies to make smarter sourcing decisions  leading to lower costs, reduced risk, and greater profits. Beroe has been a trusted intelligence source for more than 15 years and partners with 10,000 companies worldwide, including 400 Fortune 500 companies.

Learn more about Beroe - https://www.beroeinc.com/

Media Contact  Debobrata Hembram ([email protected])

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SOURCE Beroe Inc.
Dealer of heavy machinery and equipment for construction, agricultural and automotive markets gains agility with Infor M3 as it plans further growth

DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Infor, the industry cloud company, today announced that NEFC Group  a UAE-based holding company that operates dealerships supplying machinery and heavy equipment for sectors including construction, power generation, automotive and agriculture in the horn of Africa  has deployed Infor M3, a powerful equipment-focused enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to help it gain greater control of its business while raising efficiency and agility.

The markets in which NEFC operates are experiencing rapid growth. The Middle East and Africa construction equipment market, alone, is anticipated to reach US $5.4 billion by 2027, according to research from Mordor Intelligence. The company is also looking to increase its presence in the agriculture sector, which is experiencing significant demand amid population growth averaging 3 percent per year in NEFC's areas of operation.

NEFC has 10 subsidiaries in countries in the horn of Africa, including Ethiopia, Djibouti, South Sudan and Somalia, and has more than 1,000 employees across its operations and its Dubai-based headquarters. The company supplies heavy equipment from major brands, including Hyundai CE, Massey Fergusson, Nissan and Cummins. It also offers fully-fledged dealership services, providing integrated sales, support, and logistics services to a diverse customer base across its core sectors.

Due to its broad business interests and geographic footprint, NEFC was keen to simplify its processes and gain greater control and visibility of its operations. One of the challenges was the sheer volume of diverse parts and components being sourced from numerous vendors, which was difficult for the company to keep track of. For example, the company processes thousands of transactions each month and, at any one time, it has some 28,000 items of stock.

Since going live with Infor M3 in September, NEFC has gained full visibility of its operations including its inventory, while also automating processes including purchase orders and invoicing. The data analytics component of the dealer management system means that NEFC is now able to collect and analyze its data, helping it better understand its own business and its markets.

"By using Infor M3, we have transformed NEFC's operations, making previously complex, labour-intensive tasks simple and easy to execute with minimal use of human resources," said Hussain Alamoudi, CEO of NEFC Group. "In addition, we are gaining valuable insights about our business thanks to the system's analytics capabilities. This all translates into a more efficient operation and means we can allocate resources to where they are needed most, which helps us serve our customers better. This level of automation is also key as we continue to expand our operations and services."

NEFC is now planning to implement Infor M3 Customer Lifecycle Management (M3 CLM), a comprehensive customer relationship management solution with equipment dealer-specific functionality that works in conjunction with Infor M3. Alamoudi said NEFC hopes to gain insights into customer trends, buying habits and the quote-to-close ratio, which will help the company optimize its buying and pricing.

"By deploying Infor M3 through Infor's Global Professional Services team, NEFC is experiencing the power of our industry-specific ERP solutions to help organizations with complex businesses across multiple jurisdictions to digitize their operations and become smarter," said Kerry Koutsikos, Infor vice president and GM for Middle East & Africa. "We look forward to a long-term relationship with NEFC as it continues its journey of improvement."

Learn more about Infor M3: https://www.infor.com/solutions/erp/m3

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. We develop complete solutions for our focus industries. Infor's mission-critical enterprise applications and services are designed to deliver sustainable operational advantages with security and faster time to value. Over 60,000 organizations in more than 175 countries rely on Infor's 17,000 employees to help achieve their business goals. As a Koch company, our financial strength, ownership structure, and long-term view empower us to foster enduring, mutually beneficial relationships with our customers. Visit www.infor.com .

For more information

Roger Field

Wallis PR

+971 50 273 9936

[email protected]

Copyright 2023 Infor. All rights reserved. The word and design marks set forth herein are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Infor and/or related affiliates and subsidiaries. All other trademarks listed herein are the property of their respective owners. www.infor.com

SOURCE Infor
February issue of Current Opinions in Pediatrics features research, recommendations

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nemours Children's Health research and policy leaders detail the latest strategies for identifying and addressing health equity disparities among children and families in a special section on Population Health in the February edition of Current Opinion in Pediatrics. Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, Executive Vice President, Chief Population Health officer; and Allison Gertel-Rosenberg, MS, Vice President, Chief Policy and Prevention Officer, both of Nemours Children's Health, describe in a joint editorial, Cross-sector opportunities to advance the health and well-being of children, how health systems working alongside community stakeholders and policymakers can create the healthiest generations of children. By addressing social determinants, health systems can promote equitable health outcomes across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Dr. Walker and Gertel-Rosenberg write "the need to develop and invest in portfolios of approaches to improve or change the trajectory of child health and well-being require cross-sector integration and alignment. At the same time, this presents an opportunity to design a whole child approach that closes inequities in the measured outcomes to improve overall health and well being."

In several articles, Nemours Children's experts and others summarize evidence and provide strategies to improve pediatric population health, including the value of healthy eating and physical activity, investing in social determinants of health (SDOH) for children and families, and policy changes to strengthen the nation's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.

Authors Roshelle Payes, MPH, Project Director, Early Childhood & Health, and Caliste Chong, MS, Manager, Practice and Prevention, both of Nemours Children's Health, write in a review, Improving child care through healthy eating and physical activity, that the child care sector is fragile and complex, but quality improvement efforts have been successful in improving healthy eating and physical activity. Diverse childcare providers, including family child care homes, can effectively embed nutrition and physical activity standards in their environments to promote healthy eating and active play, limit screen time, and support breastfeeding.

Rachel Thornton, MD, PhD, FAAP, Vice President, Chief Health Equity Officer, Nemours Children's Health, reports in an article, Addressing population health inequities: investing in the social determinants of health for children and families to advance child health equity, that the COVID-19 pandemic brought greater attention to the disparities and inequities in American health and healthcare. In response to these stark inequities, many health systems are adopting efforts and initiatives to address social needs, SDOH, racism, and health equity.

Abby Nerlinger, MD, pediatric hospitalist, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware Valley, in a review, Social determinants of health screening in pediatric healthcare settings, writes that the transition to value-based care and the COVID-19 pandemic have both had significant impacts on screening practices for SDOH, with implications for providers, communities, and policymakers.

These publications support the Nemours vision of creating the healthiest generations of children by caring for the whole child. The Nemours strategy to redefine children's health includes improving pediatric population health, addressing disparities in health equity, and going well beyond medicine to help communities thrive.

To view the February edition of Current Opinion in Pediatrics, click here.

About Nemours Children's Health

Nemours Children's Health is one of the nation's largest multistate pediatric health systems, which includes two free-standing children's hospitals and a network of more than 70 primary and specialty care practices. Nemours Children's seeks to transform the health of children by adopting a holistic health model that utilizes innovative, safe, and high-quality care, while also caring for the health of the whole child beyond medicine. Nemours Children's also powers the world's most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, Nemours KidsHealth.org.

The Nemours Foundation, established through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to the children, families and communities it serves. For more information, visit Nemours.org.

SOURCE Nemours Children's Health
Following momentous year of global expansion and technology advancements, offensive security leader announces innovation group and strategic appointments

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NetSPI, the leader in enterprise penetration testing and attack surface management, today announced a record fiscal year, achieving 58% organic revenue growth in 2022. The growth is attributed to the company's strategic expansion into Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and an enhanced portfolio of offensive security offerings.

In 2022, NetSPI launched its Attack Surface Management (ASM) platform and blockchain penetration testing solutions, and made significant updates to its Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS), further solidifying the company as a market leader. During the banner year, NetSPI added more than 300 new clients to its roster, which includes nine of the top 10 U.S. banks, three FAANG companies, top cloud providers, four of the five largest healthcare companies, and several Fortune 500 brands.

To support the company's growth, NetSPI also hired more than 230 employees, some of which were trained through its NetSPI University program, and promoted over 170 staff members, addressing the industry's talent gap head-on. The company's commitment to career development is one of many reasons why it was honored in the 2022 Top Workplaces USA, Top 200 Workplaces in Minnesota, and Cultural Excellence awards.

"Over the past year, NetSPI has challenged the status quo in the cybersecurity market, pushing the envelope to deliver new, enhanced, continuous offensive security solutions  and the industry has taken note," said Aaron Shilts, CEO of NetSPI. "As we forge ahead in 2023, our team will continue to innovate to improve the security posture of organizations worldwide, powered by our customer-first approach to security."

Introducing NetSPI Labs, an Innovation Incubator for the Security Community

Building on its recent momentum, NetSPI has formalized NetSPI Labs, a dedicated innovation group designed to deliver industry research to the security community and develop new solutions for the cybersecurity and vulnerability management challenges organizations face.

NetSPI has appointed three Vice Presidents of Research, Karl Fosaaen, Nick Landers, and Scott Sutherland, to lead NetSPI Labs. They bring decades of experience in security testing, product and service line development, and adversarial research.

"NetSPI Labs is a game-changer for the industry. This innovation engine will enhance cross team collaboration to identify the white space in offensive security, and how NetSPI can best deliver on unmet needs," said Charles Horton, Chief Operating Officer at NetSPI. "The team will share resources and research with the security community, furthering industry collaboration to stay one step ahead of adversaries."

NetSPI Appoints Norman Kromberg as Chief Information Security Officer

NetSPI also announced the appointment of Norman Kromberg as its Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). In this role, he will oversee the company's security operations and architecture.

Kromberg brings more than 30 years of experience in cybersecurity, information assurance, risk management, and software quality and compliance, previously holding security leadership positions at companies such as SouthernCarlson, Optiv, and ACI Worldwide. He also brings knowledge of the company's business processes from his prior role as a Managing Director at NetSPI.

"It is a pivotal time for NetSPI, as the company continues its rapid growth and innovates at accelerated speeds," said Kromberg. "Security is paramount to NetSPI; it is in its DNA. This role further showcases the company's commitment to staying ahead of bad actors and securing our clients. I'm excited for this next chapter with the company."

For more information about NetSPI or to join NetSPI's growing team, please visit www.netspi.com.

About NetSPI

NetSPI is the leader in enterprise penetration testing and attack surface management. Today, NetSPI offers the most comprehensive suite of offensive security solutions  penetration testing as a service, attack surface management, and breach and attack simulation. Through a combination of technology innovation and human ingenuity NetSPI helps organizations discover, prioritize, and remediate security vulnerabilities. For over 20 years, its global cybersecurity experts have been committed to securing the world's most prominent organizations, including nine of the top 10 U.S. banks, four of the top five leading global cloud providers, four of the five largest healthcare companies, three FAANG companies, seven of the top 10 U.S. retailers and e-commerce companies, and 50 percent of the Fortune 50. NetSPI is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, with global offices across the U.S., Canada, the UK, and India. Follow NetSPI on Facebook , Twitter , and LinkedIn .

Media Contacts

Tori Norris, NetSPI

[email protected]

(630) 258-0277

Jessica Bettencourt, Inkhouse for NetSPI

[email protected]

(774)-451-5142

SOURCE NetSPI
Opening in Dallas-Fort Worth is part of a broader expansion across Texas, one of the company's fastest-growing markets

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- P.F. Chang's announced the opening of its newest full-service Bistro location in Fort Worth, Texas, today, continuing successful growth across the state. From inspired menu favorites to elaborate decor, guests at the new Bistro are guaranteed a best-in-class experience.

Opening in Dallas-Fort Worth is part of a broader expansion across Texas, one of the companys fastest-growing markets

P.F. Chang's Alliance continues a nationwide brand refresh with upscale ambiance, providing a unique and memorable moment for every occasion. Opening just in time for the start of Lunar New Year, P.F. Chang's will be toasting the Year of the Rabbit with seasonal ornaments including festive black and gold lanterns and unique in-restaurant experiences.

Culinary offerings include P.F. Chang's scratch-made favorites, such as Chang's Spicy Chicken, Mongolian Beef and Chang's Lettuce Wraps. Limited time-only seasonal menu items are available, including the returning fan-favorite Chang's Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup and indulgent Wagyu Steak and Cantonese Style Lobster offerings. The Lunar New Year specialty cocktail, Down the Rabbit Hole, is also available for a limited time now through April 18. Guests ordering this featured cocktail are treated to an augmented reality experience that brings the Year of the Rabbit to life by scanning the QR code on a special drink coaster.

"P.F. Chang's provides a premier destination for guests to celebrate with family and friends on any occasion, but we're especially excited that this opening falls during Lunar New Year, which brings extra festivities," said Genaro Perez, senior vice president of marketing at P.F. Chang's. "Whether they are dining at our table or placing an order to enjoy at home, we're committed to offering unforgettable moments for our guests nationwide and have seen incredible reception in Texas. Fort Worth is an important location in our growth strategy and we look forward to sharing our unique perspective on elevated Asian cuisine at our new P.F. Chang's Alliance location."

P.F. Chang's Alliance marks the company's eighth Bistro location in Dallas-Forth Worth and opens 25 years after its first Bistro, P.F. Chang's Dallas, debuted. The company also has four P.F. Chang's To Go locations throughout the metro area, which combines for the most P.F. Chang's Bistro and To Go locations in any U.S. market. The growth in Dallas-Fort Worth represents a broader expansion across Texas with more P.F. Chang's Bistro and To Go openings planned statewide through 2024.

P.F. Chang's Alliance is located at 2949 Amador Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76244. The new 6,393-square-foot Bistro is located within Alliance Town Center and will operate from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Saturday.

P.F. Chang's Alliance also brings approximately 115 new job opportunities to the community. Qualified job candidates interested in a career at P.F. Chang's may apply at jobs.pfchangs.com.

P.F. Chang's Gold and Platinum Rewards members can earn points with every purchase when they visit or order online from the new P.F. Chang's Alliance Bistro location. While the Gold Rewards program is free to join, the Platinum Rewards program, which launched September 2022, is a subscription-based loyalty program with added benefits including unlimited free delivery through the P.F. Chang's website or app, waitlist priority reservations and exclusive concierge service access.

About P.F. Chang's

Founded in 1993 by Philip Chiang and Paul Fleming, P.F. Chang's is the first internationally recognized multi-unit Asian culinary brand to honor and celebrate the 2,000-year-old tradition of wok cooking as the center of the guest experience. With roots in Chinese cuisine, today's menu at P.F. Chang's spans across all of Asia, honoring cultures and recipes from Japan, Korea, Thailand, and beyond. Each item offers a unique exploration of flavor, whether it's a handcrafted cocktail, wok-fired lunch bowl, or celebratory multi-course dinner. Worldwide, P.F. Chang's has more than 300 restaurants in 22 countries and U.S. airport locations, including a growing number of convenient P.F. Chang's To Go locations offering takeout and delivery. For more P.F. Chang's news, visit pfchangs.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @pfchangs.

SOURCE P.F. Chang's
Only Half Of Respondents Are In Favor Of Recent Efforts By Dutch Public Figures To Acknowledge And Apologize For The Netherlands' Failure To Protect The Jews During The Holocaust.

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) today released a Netherlands Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey, including a breakdown of Millennial and Gen Z respondents, exposing a disturbing lack of awareness of key historical facts about the Holocaust and the Netherlands' own connection to Holocaust history.

Although there were several transit camps in the Netherlands used to deport more than 70 percent of the country's Jewish population to concentration camps and one of the most recognizable names of the Holocaust, Anne Frank, was in hiding in Amsterdam, a majority of Dutch respondents (53 percent of all respondents and 60 percent of Millennials and Gen Z) "did not cite" their own country as a country where the Holocaust took place.

Findings include:

More than half of all respondents (54 percent of all respondents and 59 percent of Millennial and Gen Z) do not know that six million Jews were murdered, and 29 percent believe that two million or fewer Jews were killed during the Holocaust.

Alarmingly, this number grew to 37 percent of Millennials and Gen Z who believe that two million or fewer Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.

The number of respondents who believe the Holocaust is a myth was higher than any country previously surveyed, with 23 percent of Millennials and Gen Z, and 12 percent of all respondents believing the Holocaust is a myth or the number of Jews killed has been greatly exaggerated. Nine percent are unsure.

Twenty-two percent of Millennials and Gen Z feel it is acceptable for an individual to support neo-Nazi views and 13 percent are unsure. Twelve percent of all Dutch respondents feel it is acceptable and 11 percent are unsure.

When asked whether they support or oppose recent efforts by Dutch public figures to acknowledge and apologize for the Netherlands' failure to protect Jews during the Holocaust, only 44 percent of Dutch Millennials and Gen Z support and half (50 percent) of all Dutch respondents support.

To review the survey findings, visit: https://www.claimscon.org/netherlands-study

"Survey after survey, we continue to witness a decline in Holocaust knowledge and awareness. Equally disturbing is the trend towards Holocaust denial and distortion," said Gideon Taylor, Claims Conference President. "To address this trend, we must put a greater focus on Holocaust education in our schools globally. If we do not, denial will soon outweigh knowledge, and future generations will have no exposure to the critical lessons of the Holocaust."

Greg Schneider, Claims Conference Executive Vice President, said, "One of the more troubling trends we continue to see in these surveys is the rise in numbers of people who believe the Holocaust was a myth or that the number of Jews murdered is exaggerated. In the Netherlands survey, 23 percent of Millennial and Gen Z respondents believe that the Holocaust was a myth or that the number of those murdered was greatly exaggerated. The numbers overall regarding denial and distortion are also higher compared to other countries we have surveyed. This is a denigration to those who lost their entire family during the Holocaust. On a positive note, this survey, like all of the surveys we have conducted, indicates a strong desire for improved Holocaust education in schools across the world."

While many of the identified gaps in Holocaust knowledge among Dutch adults are shocking, there is a clear desire for Holocaust education. Two-thirds (66 percent) of Dutch respondents and a majority of Dutch Millennials and Gen Z agree that Holocaust education should be compulsory in school. And 77 percent of all respondents say it is important to continue to teach about the Holocaust, in part, so it does not happen again.

Max Arpels Lezer, a Holocaust survivor from the Netherlands, said, "As a Holocaust survivor from the Netherlands, it is important to me that future generations learn about and understand the history of the Holocaust. I am upset and deeply concerned by these findings. That many of my countrymen do not even know their own national history. Without education, future generations will not understand the full impact of the Holocaust in my country. It is of utmost importance for us who survived that the future generations carry forward our testimonies even when we are gone."

Emile Schrijver, survey taskforce member and General Director of the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam, said, "While many of the historical facts related to the Holocaust in the Netherlands are not known, I am encouraged by the number of respondents to this survey that believe Holocaust education is important. We know that we can work together with educators to ensure the trends we see in Holocaust denial and distortion and the rise in antisemitism are countered by a robust curriculum of Holocaust education. This must be our focus moving forward."

Matthew Bronfman, Claims Conference Task Force Chairman, said, "The ongoing Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness surveys continue to build a strong case for Holocaust education. As we explore the base of knowledge about the Holocaust around the world, we are competing with the rapid growth of social media and the platforms those channels provide to those who would deny and distort the history of the Holocaust. Now more than ever, we need to be lending support to teachers in their current efforts around Holocaust education and expanding their resources so we do not lose this battle to the detractors."

Eddo Verdoner, National Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, the Netherlands, said, "It is shocking to see that 23 percent of Millennials and Gen Z believe the Holocaust is either a myth or has been exaggerated. This points to a growing gap in knowledge and awareness. We must do better in our schools to fight Holocaust distortion wherever we find it. Additionally, 66 percent of all respondents and 57 percent of Millennials and Gen Z feel Holocaust education should be compulsory in school, while that's the majority, the survey shows the importance of a more robust effort to engage future generations in Holocaust history."

The Netherlands Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey taskforce was led by Claims Conference Board member Matthew Bronfman and comprised of historians and subject matter experts from museums, educational institutions, and leading nonprofits in the field of Holocaust education, including Yad Vashem, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Claims Conference, and the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam. Taskforce members include: Richelle Budd Caplan, Director of International Relations and Projects at the International School of Studies at Yad Vashem; Dan Michman, Head of the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad Vashem; Emile Schrijver, General Director of the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam; Tad Stahnke, Director of International Educational Outreach at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Michael Feuer, Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University; David Marwell, Director Emeritus, Museum of Jewish Heritage; and Holocaust survivor Sidney Zoltak.

The Netherlands Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey was commissioned by the Claims Conference. Data was collected by Schoen Cooperman Research, with a representative sample of 2,000 interviews with adults aged 18 and over between December 1 and December 20, 2022, across the Netherlands. The margin of error on the Netherlands sample of 2,000 is +/- 2%.

The Netherlands Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey was funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future and the German Federal Ministry of Finance as part of the Holocaust Education Program.

For more information, please visit: www.claimscon.org.

SOURCE Claims Conference
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Newport Healthcare, a national network of evidence-based treatment programs for teens and young adults with mental health disorders, is kicking off the new year by celebrating recent milestones that will improve mental health treatment and access to care across the nation.

Nearly half of American teenagers ages 13-18 have a mental health disorder according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Young adults ages 18-25 have the highest prevalence of any mental illness compared to other age groups, yet the lowest rates of receiving mental health treatment. The country is in an indisputable mental health crisis that precipitated but was exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Access to treatment is essential.

Newport Healthcare has responded to this critical situation by adding treatment capacity in existing locations and expanding to new areas, while maintaining the core values and individualized client focus that have produced successful outcomes and sustained healing. Last year, Newport received more than 100,000 calls for help and treated more than 3,700 clients, a small but meaningful fraction of the young people struggling with mental health issues.

To address the current mental health crisis, Newport has recently:

Opened new outpatient treatment programs in Fairfax (Va.), Minneapolis , Waukesha (Wis.), Westchester (Pa.), and Westlake Village (Calif.).

(Va.), , Waukesha (Wis.), (Pa.), and (Calif.). Opened new residential treatment programs in Temecula (Calif.), Sacramento , Fairfield (Conn.), Fairfax (Va.), and Minnesota , with a Charlotte, N.C. site coming soon. Newport expanded capacity in Orange County , Los Angeles , and the Bay Area as well.

(Calif.), , (Conn.), (Va.), and , with a site coming soon. expanded capacity in , , and the Bay Area as well. Re-introduced virtual therapy ("vIOP") in several states to reach youth in rural areas where unmet mental health needs are disproportionately high.

Acquired Minnesota -based PrairieCare, a premier provider of mental health services in the Midwest with one of the nation's largest pediatric psychiatric practices, to advance and expand mental health treatment for youth and adults.

-based PrairieCare, a premier provider of mental health services in the Midwest with one of the nation's largest pediatric psychiatric practices, to advance and expand mental health treatment for youth and adults. Contracted with six new in-network insurance partners and plan administrators including Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut , Capital Blue Cross ( Pennsylvania ), Chorus Community Health Plans ( Wisconsin ), Dean Health Plan ( Wisconsin ), Security Health Plan ( Wisconsin ), and Shasta Administrative Services (Northwest U.S.) to give families more access to effective, affordable mental health care.

, Capital Blue Cross ( ), Chorus Community Health Plans ( ), Dean Health Plan ( ), Security Health Plan ( ), and Shasta Administrative Services (Northwest U.S.) to give families more access to effective, affordable mental health care. Launched its Center for Research and Innovation, merging research and data collection with clinical practice to advance mental health treatment efficacy.

Partnered with prominent organizations to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of mental health disorders, including The Trevor Project, To Write Love On Her Arms, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychiatric Association.

"Our vision is to be the innovator in behavioral health treatment, a pioneer in removing the stigma around mental health, and the leading provider of sustainable healing," said Joe Procopio, Newport Healthcare's Chief Executive Officer. "Newport is but one part of the solution to the country's mental health crisis, and we are a reliable, accessible, and effective resource for families and mental health professionals."

Amidst Newport's growth and innovation, client and family satisfaction scores have increased, while more focus has been dedicated to the client/family experiencefrom their very first call, through admission and treatment, to discharge and continuing carewith interdepartmental best practices implemented throughout. Further, Newport created toolkits for building resilience and navigating treatment, a YouTube channel that serves as an educational resource for families, and a campaign that moves the national discourse from mental health awareness to action.

As a result, Newport was named a Great Place to Work, recognized with Inc.'s Best in Business Award, and garnered over 5 billion media impressions in 2022, affirming the thought leadership of its talented mental health experts.

"Our growth and accomplishments are excitingand we celebrate the dedication and passion that our employees exert to achieve thisbut helping people is at the core of what we do and our biggest reward," said Procopio.

For more information about Newport Healthcare, its programs, efficacy, or job opportunities, visit NewportHealthcare.com.

About Newport Healthcare

Newport Healthcare is the nation's leading provider of evidence-based mental health treatment for youth, young adults, and families. Comprised of Newport Academy, Newport Institute, Center for Families, and PrairieCare, its full continuum of care includes psychiatric inpatient services, residential services, partial hospitalization programs (PHP), intensive outpatient programs (IOP), and virtual programs. Newport's family-centered, integrated approach fosters sustainable healing from a foundation of compassionate care, clinical expertise, and unconditional love. With a commitment to advocacy, Newport is creating a movement to shift our mental health culture from awareness to action, with the primary mission to empower lives and restore families.

SOURCE Newport Healthcare
JUNO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) today announced that Eric Silagy, chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), has notified the company of his intention to retire after 20 years with the company, including 11 years leading FPL.

Armando Pimentel, who previously served in several senior executive roles with NextEra Energy, will rejoin the company and is named president and CEO, FPL. John Ketchum, chairman, president and CEO, NextEra Energy, is named chairman, FPL.

"I want to thank Eric for his 20 years of dedicated service to our company, our customers and the communities where we do business," said Mr. Ketchum. "Eric is a passionate advocate for continuous improvement and under his leadership FPL has transformed into the nation's largest electric utility, providing our customers with the country's most reliable service with bills significantly lower than the national average. His commitment to putting customers first was on full display last year during hurricanes Ian and Nicole, where his dedication, commitment and compassion drove the FPL team to restore power in record time and quickly put the state of Florida back on its feet. Eric has been a devoted supporter of the state and his work for a variety of organizations has helped to foster Florida's economic growth, strengthen the state university system and grow the next generation of Florida leaders. I wish Eric and his family all the best on this next chapter in life."

Mr. Silagy has worked for NextEra Energy for nearly two decades. Prior to his appointment as president of FPL in 2011, he served as senior vice president of regulatory and state governmental affairs and as chief development officer, managing all generation development, including solar, natural gas and nuclear energy projects. Mr. Silagy also spent time working for NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, where he served as vice president and general manager of the southern region, and vice president of business development.

Prior to joining NextEra Energy, Mr. Silagy served as vice president, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures at Entergy Wholesale Operations, and as vice president and managing director, Southeast Asia, for The Wing Group, a subsidiary of Western Resources. He also worked for U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana in several capacities, including chief of staff.

"It has been an honor and privilege to lead the FPL team for more than a decade and I couldn't be more proud of the accomplishments we have delivered to our customers and the state of Florida," said Mr. Silagy. "Over the last decade, we have transformed FPL's generation fleet into one of the cleanest, most reliable and lowest-cost portfolios in the country, delivered award-winning customer service, ensured bills are significantly lower than the national average and provided our customers the best grid reliability in the country. These results are the consequence of the hard work and dedication of our nearly 10,000 FPL employees, who every day put the customer first and always strive to innovate and do better. I know the future is bright and that I am leaving the company in great hands."

Mr. Silagy continued, "When John became CEO of NextEra Energy last year, I committed to him that I would stay in my role for at least one more year and I've now satisfied that commitment. While saying 'goodbye' to such a great organization is always difficult, I know that now is the right time for me to hand over the reins of FPL."

Commenting on Mr. Pimentel rejoining NextEra Energy, Ketchum said, "We welcome Armando back to our company. He is a good friend and colleague who I've worked closely with for many years and I am delighted that he will be rejoining our team. Armando has deep knowledge of our company and our culture and he will bring incredible discipline and industry experience to his role leading FPL. He is also a life-long Floridian who cares deeply about serving our customers. His previous experience as chief financial officer (CFO) for both NextEra Energy and FPL will allow him to quickly hit the ground running with a focus on delivering value to our many stakeholders."

From May 2008 to March 2019, Mr. Pimentel was a member of NextEra Energy's senior executive team. Initially, he served as NextEra Energy's and FPL's CFO. In October 2011, he was named president and CEO of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, the company's competitive power generation subsidiary, a position he held until March 2019 when he retired. He also served as president and a member of the board of NextEra Energy Partners, LP from June 2014 until March 2019.

Prior to joining NextEra Energy, Mr. Pimentel was a senior partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP. He also previously worked as an accounting fellow with the Office of the Chief Accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Pimentel currently serves on the board of Ameriprise Financial, Inc.

Mr. Pimentel will officially take up his new role at FPL on Feb. 15, 2023, after which he and Mr. Silagy will work closely together to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities. Mr. Silagy's last day with NextEra Energy will be May 15, 2023.

NextEra Energy, Inc.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida. NextEra Energy owns Florida Power & Light Company, which is America's largest electric utility that sells more power than any other utility, providing clean, affordable, reliable electricity to approximately 5.8 million customer accounts, or more than 12 million people across Florida. NextEra Energy also owns a competitive clean energy business, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy generates clean, emissions-free electricity from seven commercial nuclear power units in Florida, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. NextEra Energy has been recognized often by third parties for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry on Fortune's 2022 list of "World's Most Admired Companies," recognized on Fortune's 2021 list of companies that "Change the World" and received the S&P Global Platts 2020 Energy Transition Award for leadership in environmental, social and governance. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

SOURCE NextEra Energy, Inc.
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Nigeria Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Nigeria data center market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.02% during 2022-2027

This report analyses the Nigeria data center market share. It elaboratively analyses the existing and upcoming facilities and investments in IT, electrical, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standards. It discusses market sizing and investment estimation for different segments.

The growth of the Nigeria data center market is attributed to factors such as the launch of 5G, the interest shown in the market by global operators such as Equinix and Digital Realty, the shift from on-premise facilities to the cloud and colocation data center by enterprises, among other factors.

Implementing the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) will also be a significant driver for the country's increase in data center development, resulting in data localization initiatives and an increase in local data storage and computation requirements.

The future demand for data centers, especially from a colocation perspective, will come from sectors such as cloud and large technology companies to expand their operations in Western Africa. The Renewable Energy Master Plan (REMP) in Nigeria aims to increase the share of renewable energy in the overall energy mix to 23% in 2025 and 36% in 2030.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

The country is the largest ICT market in Africa , accounting for 29% of internet usage. Commercial 5G was launched in the country in September 2022 by MTN Nigeria, which will further contribute to internet penetration in the country.

, accounting for 29% of internet usage. Commercial 5G was launched in the country in by MTN Nigeria, which will further contribute to internet penetration in the country. The average utilization for Nigeria -based colocation centers is 50-60%. Operators are currently witnessing demand from cloud operators, large technology companies, as well as from BFSI, content service providers, and telecom sectors, which will drive future colocation demand in the country.

-based colocation centers is 50-60%. Operators are currently witnessing demand from cloud operators, large technology companies, as well as from BFSI, content service providers, and telecom sectors, which will drive future colocation demand in the country. Currently, 80% of the power generated in Nigeria is via natural gas, with much of the remaining being generated via coal. Nigeria is currently the largest user of oil-fired backup generators in Africa .

is via natural gas, with much of the remaining being generated via coal. is currently the largest user of oil-fired backup generators in . In September 2022 , The Nigerian Government signed an LOI with seven companies, namely Iron Mountain, AB InBev, HP, Akamai, Rife International, Lady Lawyer Foundation, and Unilever, for the clean energy transition in Nigeria . This initiative is named The Clean Energy Demand Initiative (CEDI).

, The Nigerian Government signed an LOI with seven companies, namely Iron Mountain, AB InBev, HP, Akamai, Rife International, Lady Lawyer Foundation, and Unilever, for the clean energy transition in . This initiative is named The Clean Energy Demand Initiative (CEDI). The Nigerian government has launched a 'Solar Power Naija' project, a program aiming for 5 million solar connections for off-grid communities as part of the Economic Sustainability Plan.

WHY SHOULD YOU BUY THIS RESEARCH?

Market size available in the investment, area, power capacity, and the Nigeria colocation market revenue.

colocation market revenue. An assessment of the investment in Nigeria by colocation and enterprise operators.

by colocation and enterprise operators. Investments in the area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across locations in the country.

A detailed study of the existing market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the Nigeria data center market size during the forecast period.

data center market size during the forecast period. Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party data center facilities in Nigeria

Facilities Covered (Existing): 13

Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 8

Coverage: 2+ Cities

Existing vs. Upcoming (Area)

Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Nigeria

Market Revenue & Forecast (2021-2027)

Wholesale vs. Retail Revenue & Forecast (2021-2027)

Retail Colocation Pricing

Wholesale Colocation Pricing

The Nigeria market landscape investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, and general construction services with sizing and forecast.

market landscape investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, and general construction services with sizing and forecast. A comprehensive analysis of the latest trends, growth rate, potential opportunities, growth restraints, and prospects for the industry.

Business overview and product offerings of prominent IT infrastructure providers, construction contractors, support infrastructure providers, and investors operating in the industry.

A transparent research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspects of the market.

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Rack Centres, Equinix (MainOne), Digital Realty (Medallion Communications), 21st Century Technology, and Galaxy Backbone are some colocation operators currently operating facilities in the country.

The Nigeria data center market is witnessing investments by new entrants such as Africa Data Centres, Kasi Cloud , and Airtel Data Centres, which have recently opened or are in the process of developing new facilities in the country.

data center market is witnessing investments by new entrants such as Africa Data Centres, , and Airtel Data Centres, which have recently opened or are in the process of developing new facilities in the country. In 2021, the fiber network company WIOCC announced the incorporation of Open Access Data Centres (OADC) to set up data centers in Africa , with a planned investment of over USD 500 million over the next five years. OADC is setting up a data center in Lekki, Nigeria .

, with a planned investment of over over the next five years. OADC is setting up a data center in Lekki, . Arup has worked on designing the LGS2 data center of Rack Centres, adding around 13 MW of IT load and around 65,000 square feet of area.

Global operators are increasingly showing interest in the country's market. For instance, the acquisition of Medallion Data Centres by Digital Realty and Equinix acquiring MainOne (MDX-I).

EXISTING VS. UPCOMING DATA CENTERS

Existing Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)

Lagos

Other Cities

List of Upcoming Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)

Major Vendors

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Broadcom

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Huawei Technologies

Juniper Networks

IBM

Lenovo

NetApp

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

Arup

CAP DC

Edarat Group

Future-tech

Interkel Group

JLB Architects

NLE

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Caterpillar

Cummins

Eaton

Envicool

Legrand

Rittal

Rolls-Royce

Schneider Electric

Siemens

STULZ

Vertiv Group

Data Center Investors

21st Century Technology

Africa Data Centres

Galaxy Backbone

MDX-i (Equinix)

Medallion Communications (Digital Realty)

Rack Centre

New Entrants

Airtel Nigeria

Kasi Cloud

Open Access Data Centres (OADC)

REPORT COVERAGE:

IT Infrastructure

Servers

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer Switches & Switchgears

PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

CRAC & CRAH Units

Chiller Units

Cooling Towers, Condensers & Dry Coolers

Economizers & Evaporative Coolers

Other Cooling Units

General Construction

Core & Shell Development

Installation & commissioning Services

Engineering & Building Design

Fire Detection & Suppression Systems

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Tier Standard

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i67ydh

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

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SOURCE Research and Markets
SUZUKA, Japan, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NSXe Co. LTD., a Japan-based company providing services for mechanical equipment installation and maintenance, newly released a Wi-Fi vibration sensor, "conanair," in the U.S. in January 2023. NSXe's Wi-Fi sensor enables users to detect bearing damage at a much lower cost than before. The company has started its digital marketing through online database Engineering360.

Engineering360's website:

https://www.globalspec.com/specsearch/partspecs?partId={6FFA8E2F-947B-4AB7-A9D5-F891DA7B76F8}&comp=109&vid=489633&sqid=107562511

Photo1:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M107523/202301101936/_prw_PI1fl_0UZeLc3o.png

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Wi-Fi vibration sensor "conanair" and "Under Sampling" technology

Conventionally, expensive and high-resolution vibration sensors were thought to be required to capture the impact vibration caused by bearing damage. It has also been believed that inexpensive digital output sensors with low-sampling frequency cannot measure such vibrations, or that high-frequency impact vibrations create a large fold-back noise that impedes measurement.

When a bearing is damaged, high-frequency impact vibrations are generated, and the bearing damage can be diagnosed by checking the envelope (change in amplitude) and the interval between the vibrations. (This is an established technology with a track record of more than half a century.) The technology called "Under Sampling" is mainly used in wireless communication systems that must handle high-frequency signals. It makes active use of aliasing noise to handle high-frequency signals even at low sampling frequencies.

Using a general-purpose vibration sensor that is capable of "Under Sampling," NSXe confirmed the impact vibration intervals necessary for bearing diagnosis, and it succeeded in manufacturing the inexpensive, low-resolution "conanair." It can capture vibrations, enabling diagnosis of bearing fault.

Affordable Wi-Fi vibration sensor "conanair"

Just as a doctor would listen to a patient's heart during physical examination, the main purpose of "conanair" is to perform health checks on machinery and equipment. Until now, high-performance, expensive vibration sensors have been required for precision diagnosis, but with this new technology, most of the precision diagnosis of bearing fault can be covered by "conanair" (patent pending).

Future development

To meet the needs for use in hazardous areas, an explosion-proof version is under development for release by the end of 2023. The company also expects that its inexpensive vibration sensors will be widely used to detect abnormalities in bearings, reduction gears, and various other machines, contributing to IT systems.

Product website: https://conanair.com/

SOURCE NSXe Co. LTD.
Fastest Growing Cognac Brand Teams Up with Entertainer to Release Peach and Cinnamon FIYAH Flavors

MIAMI, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NYAK Cognac has teamed up with critically-acclaimed music superstar Trina to launch NYAK Peach and NYAK Cinnamon Fiyah. In the booming market for flavored brown spirits, NYAK will bring its own signature cutting-edge smooth spirit with contemporary packaging.

NYAK Cinnamon FIYAH NYAK Peach

NYAK's master blender has selected the best French Brandies and flavored them with top-tier aromas while still maintaining NYAK's signature smoothness. NYAK Peach aims for a ripe summer peach aroma gorged from the sun while bringing vanilla and French pastry notes with hints of spice, while NYAK Cinnamon Fiyah aims for a spicy cinnamon aroma with French brandy notes of vanilla and caramel immersed with chili pepper.

"I am proud to announce the next phase of my partnership with NYAK Cognac  I won't just be the face of Peach and Cinnamon, I'm invested in this," says rapper, Trina. "The release of the peach and cinnamon are synonymous with my lifestyle and music  which can be both sweet and spicy  so it's a great tie-in."

Business Mogul and CEO of Detroit Equities, Dennis McKinley, Former VP for Remy Cointreau, Patrick Charpentier, and Jerome Hyafil, a former EVP, Seagram's Spirits and Wines, formed a dynamic team to create NYAK Cognac, which shortly became the fastest-growing cognac brand in U.S. history with an unprecedented 1,000% annual growth rate in 2021. In 2023, NYAK is still in the top 10 of leading cognacs and growing.

"Trina is an artist who has established herself as a relevant female force in both music and business," says Founder, Dennis McKinley. "She's one of the most consistent female rappers, who is well respected by both fans and peers alike."

As an ambassador, Trina has promoted NYAK to the likes of DJ Khaled, Mary J. Blige, City Girls and more.

"I'm excited and am looking forward to the next phase of my partnership with NYAK, which will allow everyone to truly experience this black-owned brand firsthand."

Trina has already begun promoting the Flavored NYAK (both Peach and Cinnamon FIYAH) across her media platforms. She will spearhead the campaign, which will include liquor store signings, event activations, social media contests and brand partnerships.

For more information, please visit: https://www.nyakcognac.com.

For any media inquiries or interviews, please contact Lamont Johnson at [email protected] or 305.219.2242.

SOURCE NYAK Cognac
Innovative retirement withdrawal strategy service provides models for monthly retirement paycheck

INDIANAPOLIS and CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OneAmerica announced it will become the first retirement plan provider to offer PensionPlus, an innovative, personalized retirement withdrawal, or decumulation, strategy developed with co-founder Shlomo Benartzi.

PensionPlus provides participants with a monthly retirement paycheck tailored to the individual, based on their unique goals and needs in retirement. In addition, users maintain complete control over their plan assets and how they're invested.

OneAmerica begins offering PensionPlus to help participants determine a monthly retirement withdrawal strategy. Tweet this

For OneAmerica, a company that strives to highlight the importance of holistic financial wellness for participants, PensionPlus was a natural fit.

"As an industry, we've spent a lot of energy educating retirement plan participants about market risk, asset allocation and the importance of beginning deferrals early," said Sandy McCarthy, president of Retirement Services for OneAmerica. "These are, of course, critical elements. But there's more that's needed to help individuals establish peace-of-mind about their financial security  and that includes a discussion about the importance of decumulation."

McCarthy noted that in many cases, participants have been conditioned since their first paycheck to save a portion of their income for their future; yet, when retirement begins, there may be a psychological barrier to reverse course and begin decumulation.

"With PensionPlus, retirees can set an income replacement strategy with confidence, knowing that they have a plan matched to their unique needs," said McCarthy. "This has the power to change the dynamic of how individuals prepare for retirement."

Benartzi, a behavioral economist known for his research on retirement savings, explained that this first-of-its-kind solution incorporates a variety of behavioral insights and digital nudges not considered by more traditional retirement income projections.

"As people accumulate assets, they also accumulate differences," said Benartzi. "This means that personalization is an essential part of retirement income planning. PensionPlus makes it extremely easy for every American to create a sustainable retirement paycheck that fits who they are and what they want. Our mission is to overserve the underserved and give all retirees the peace of mind they deserve."

Benartzi's innovative and customized approach resonates with OneAmerica.

"Personalization has always been the key," said McCarthy. "Helping participants achieve financial confidence is only possible if what we're offering them is relevant, meaningful and actionable for that individual at that point in their life. We have to go beyond one-size-fits-all."

OneAmerica will offer access to PensionPlus to participants approaching retirement. In just a few minutes time, the service makes it easy for users to run projections on their own to learn how different preferences could impact their retirement income.

Advisors who participated in beta versions of PensionPlus appreciated the value that the service brings to their customer relationships. Plan sponsors in the pilot embraced the effectiveness of the new service in helping participants understand the impact of important decisions like whether to delay Social Security for higher benefits, or how to factor a family inheritance into their retirement income plan.

"This collaboration is built on our belief in the power of relationships, education and customization," said McCarthy. "And, it demonstrates our commitment to advisors, plan sponsors and participants  offering access to expertise and services to help participants throughout their financial lives."

For more information, visit oneamerica.com/about-us/companies-of-oneamerica.

OneAmerica is the marketing name for the companies of OneAmerica.

PensionPlus is not an affiliate of the companies of OneAmerica.

About OneAmerica 

A national provider of insurance and financial services for more than 140 years, the companies of OneAmerica help customers build and protect their financial futures. OneAmerica offers a variety of products and services to serve the financial needs of their policyholders and customers. These products include retirement plan products and recordkeeping services, individual life insurance, annuities, asset-based long-term care solutions and employee benefit plan products. Products are issued and underwritten by the companies of OneAmerica and distributed through a nationwide network of employees, agents, brokers and other sources who are committed to providing value to our customers. To learn more about our products, services and the companies of OneAmerica, visit oneamerica.com/about-us/companies-of-oneamerica.

About PensionPlus

PensionPlus democratizes retirement income planning for all American workers, making it easy for plan participants to create a highly personalized retirement paycheck to fit their needs, goals and preferences. Founded in 2021 by Professor Emeritus Shlomo Benartzi, PensionPlus combines the insights of behavioral economics with an advanced financial engine and other technologies to not only set that customized lifelong paycheck, but also help users stay on track for their entire retirement with the proprietary Nudgebot. These innovations are helping PensionPlus give retirees the peace of mind they deserve with a paycheck they can count on. To learn more about services visit www.pensionplus.com.

Media Contact:

Tammy Lieber

Public Relations

[email protected]

(317)413-1417

SOURCE OneAmerica
NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global organic pet food market size is estimated to increase by USD 3,111.11 million from 2022 to 2027. The market's growth momentum will progress at a CAGR of over 4.43%.- Request a sample report

Global organic pet food market  Vendor Analysis

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Organic Pet Food Market 2023-2027

Vendor Offerings -

Avian Organics: The company offers organic pet foods such as organic alfalfa, almonds, apple chips, banana chips, calendula, coconuts, and carrots.

The company offers organic pet foods such as organic alfalfa, almonds, apple chips, banana chips, calendula, coconuts, and carrots. Better Choice Company Inc.: The company offers different varieties of organic pet food under the brand Halo.

The company offers different varieties of organic pet food under the brand Halo. BiOpet Pet Care Pty Ltd.: The company offers organic pet foods under various brands such as BioPet Bio organic Dog bones, and BioPet organic adult dog food.

The company offers organic pet foods under various brands such as BioPet Bio organic Dog bones, and BioPet organic adult dog food. BrightPet Nutrition Group LLC: The company offers organic pet foods under various brands such as Blackwood, Adirondack , and By Nature.

The company offers organic pet foods under various brands such as Blackwood, , and By Nature. For Details on the vendor and its offerings  Buy the report!



Vendor Landscape - The global organic pet food market is fragmented, with the presence of several global as well as regional vendors. A few prominent vendors that offer organic pet food in the market are Avian Organics, Better Choice Company Inc., BiOpet Pet Care Pty Ltd., BrightPet Nutrition Group LLC, Castor and Pollux Natural Petworks, Darwins Natural Pet Products, Evangers Dog and Cat Food Co. Inc., General Mills Inc., Grandma Lucys LLC, Harrisons Bird Foods, Hydrite Chemical Co., Native Pet, Nestle SA, Newmans Own Inc., Organic Paws, PPN Ltd. Partnership, Primal Pet Foods Inc., Raw Paw Pet Inc., Tender and True Pet Nutrition, and Yarrah Organic Petfood BV and others.

Vendors are investing in organic and inorganic growth strategies, such as the expansion of production plants and the acquisition of local companies, to increase their productivity and strengthen their market positions. Additionally, consumers across the world have become conscious of the quality of consumable products. Thus, the competition in the global organic pet food market is likely to shift from pricing to quality and brand reputation. Hence, it is difficult for new market players to enter the global organic pet food market. Thus the global organic pet food market is expected to witness competition during the forecast period.

Global organic pet food market - Customer Landscape

To help companies evaluate and develop growth strategies, the report outlines 

Key purchase criteria

Adoption rates

Adoption lifecycle

Drivers of price sensitivity

Global organic pet food market - Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on products (Dry organic food and Wet organic food), and distribution channel (Pet-specialty stores, Supermarkets and hypermarkets, Convenience stores, and Others).

The dry organic food segment will grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. The demand for dry organic food is more compared to wet pet food owing to benefits such as convenience. The measured portions of dry food can be left out all day for a pet to eat at its own pace without worry of spoilage. Also, dry pet food facilitates the maintenance of oral hygiene in pets. These advantages make the dry organic food segment preferable and will facilitate market growth during the forecast period.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global organic pet food market is segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global organic pet food market.

North America is expected to have 42% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. The organic pet market is expected to grow in North America during the forecast period, driven by the large interest in pet ownership in countries such as US, Canada , and Mexico . For instance, the number of US households that own a dog as a pet increased from 43.3 million in 2012 to 90.5 million in 2022. The increasing pet ownership is expected to raise the demand for pet food, which will, in turn, drive the growth of the market in the region during the forecast period.

Download a Sample Report

Global organic pet food market  Market Dynamics

Leading Drivers - The health benefits of organic pet food are notably driving the market growth. The health benefits associated with organic pet food are expected to drive the demand for organic pet food during the forecast period. The major health benefits of organic pet food include weight control, reduced allergies and skin irritations, reduced digestion disorders, an increase in physical vitality, and higher life expectancy. Organic pet food contains more nutrition and lacks bulk fillers. Thus, organic pet food aids in weight control in pets. These health benefits associated with organic ingredients will boost the market growth during the forecast period.

Key Trends - Business strategies adopted by the vendors are one of the primary growth factors in the global organic pet food market. Mergers and acquisitions add value to the combined entity, open new markets for both entities, and are a cost-effective way to expand the business of the organization, and create multiple growth opportunities. Vendors are also participating in several trade shows and pet food festivals to increase the presence of their products among distributors and retailers. Participation in trade shows enables vendors to interact with distributors and pet store vendors and expand their presence in the market. Such strategies from key vendors are expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Major challenges - Marketing ploys regarding organic pet food labeling are the major challenge hindering the growth of the market. Pet food offerings are changing at a rapid rate, depending on the latest trends. Thus, new formulations like grain-free and USDA-certified organic offerings are constantly increasing to meet demand. Players often use deceptive labeling to disguise their non-organic formulas when marketing both. However, many pet food brands labeled natural and USDA Organic contain carrageenan (an ingredient) that causes gastrointestinal inflammation, intestinal lesions, ulcerations, and malignant tumors. This will challenge the market growth.

Drivers, trends, and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact businesses. Find more insights in a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this organic pet food market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the organic pet food market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the organic pet food market size and its contribution to the market in focus on the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the organic pet food market industry across North America , Europe , APAC, South America , and Middle East and Africa

, , APAC, , and and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of organic pet food market vendors

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Related Reports:

The France pet food market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.57% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 1.18 billion. This report extensively covers market segmentation by product (dry food, snacks and treats, and wet food), and type (dog food, cat food, and others).

The fresh pet food market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 23.71% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 11,177.6 million. This report extensively covers market segmentation by distribution channel (offline and online), product (dog food, cat food, and others), and material (fish, meat, vegetable, and others).

Organic Pet Food Market Scope

Report Coverage Details Page number 177 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 4.43% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 3,111.11 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 3.79 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 42% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Avian Organics, Better Choice Company Inc., BiOpet Pet Care Pty Ltd., BrightPet Nutrition Group LLC, Castor and Pollux Natural Petworks, Darwins Natural Pet Products, Evangers Dog and Cat Food Co. Inc., General Mills Inc., Grandma Lucys LLC, Harrisons Bird Foods, Hydrite Chemical Co., Native Pet, Nestle SA, Newmans Own Inc., Organic Paws, PPN Ltd. Partnership, Primal Pet Foods Inc., Raw Paw Pet Inc., Tender and True Pet Nutrition, and Yarrah Organic Petfood BV Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Product



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Animal Type



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 10: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 11: Parent market



Exhibit 12: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 13: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 14: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 15: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 17: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 18: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global organic pet food market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global organic pet food market 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 Product Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Product Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 Animal Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Animal Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.4 Distribution Channel Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Distribution Channel Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.5 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 23: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.6 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 24: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 25: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 26: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 27: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 28: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 29: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 30: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 31: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Product

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 32: Chart on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 34: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Comparison by Product

6.3 Dry organic food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 36: Chart on Dry organic food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Dry organic food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 38: Chart on Dry organic food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Dry organic food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Wet organic food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 40: Chart on Wet organic food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Wet organic food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 42: Chart on Wet organic food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Wet organic food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 44: Market opportunity by Product ($ million)

7 Market Segmentation by Animal Type

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 45: Chart on Animal Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 46: Data Table on Animal Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Animal Type

Exhibit 47: Chart on Comparison by Animal Type



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Comparison by Animal Type

7.3 Organic dog food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 49: Chart on Organic dog food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Organic dog food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 51: Chart on Organic dog food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Organic dog food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Organic cat food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 53: Chart on Organic cat food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Organic cat food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 55: Chart on Organic cat food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 56: Data Table on Organic cat food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 57: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 59: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.6 Market opportunity by Animal Type

Exhibit 61: Market opportunity by Animal Type ($ million)

8 Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel

8.1 Market segments

Exhibit 62: Chart on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 63: Data Table on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

8.2 Comparison by Distribution Channel

Exhibit 64: Chart on Comparison by Distribution Channel



Exhibit 65: Data Table on Comparison by Distribution Channel

8.3 Pet-specialty stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 66: Chart on Pet-specialty stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 67: Data Table on Pet-specialty stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 68: Chart on Pet-specialty stores - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 69: Data Table on Pet-specialty stores - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

8.4 Supermarkets and hypermarkets - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 70: Chart on Supermarkets and hypermarkets - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 71: Data Table on Supermarkets and hypermarkets - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 72: Chart on Supermarkets and hypermarkets - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 73: Data Table on Supermarkets and hypermarkets - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

8.5 Convenience stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 74: Chart on Convenience stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 75: Data Table on Convenience stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 76: Chart on Convenience stores - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 77: Data Table on Convenience stores - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

8.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 78: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 79: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 80: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 81: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

8.7 Market opportunity by Distribution Channel

Exhibit 82: Market opportunity by Distribution Channel ($ million)

9 Customer Landscape

9.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 83: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

10 Geographic Landscape

10.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 84: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 85: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

10.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 86: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 87: Data Table on Geographic comparison

10.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 88: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 89: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 90: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 91: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 92: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 93: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 94: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 95: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 96: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 97: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 98: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 99: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 100: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 101: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 102: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 103: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 104: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 105: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 106: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 107: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 108: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 109: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 110: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 111: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.9 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 112: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 113: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 114: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 115: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.10 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 116: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 117: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 118: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 119: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.11 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 120: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 121: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 122: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 123: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 124: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 125: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 126: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 127: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

10.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 128: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

11 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

11.1 Market drivers

11.2 Market challenges

11.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 129: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

11.4 Market trends

12 Vendor Landscape

12.1 Overview

12.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 130: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

12.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 131: Overview on factors of disruption

12.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 132: Impact of key risks on business

13 Vendor Analysis

13.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 133: Vendors covered

13.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 134: Matrix on vendor position and classification

13.3 Avian Organics

Exhibit 135: Avian Organics - Overview



Exhibit 136: Avian Organics - Product / Service



Exhibit 137: Avian Organics - Key offerings

13.4 Better Choice Company Inc.

Exhibit 138: Better Choice Company Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 139: Better Choice Company Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 140: Better Choice Company Inc. - Key offerings

13.5 BiOpet Pet Care Pty Ltd.

Exhibit 141: BiOpet Pet Care Pty Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 142: BiOpet Pet Care Pty Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 143: BiOpet Pet Care Pty Ltd. - Key offerings

13.6 BrightPet Nutrition Group LLC

Exhibit 144: BrightPet Nutrition Group LLC - Overview



Exhibit 145: BrightPet Nutrition Group LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 146: BrightPet Nutrition Group LLC - Key offerings

13.7 Castor and Pollux Natural Petworks

Exhibit 147: Castor and Pollux Natural Petworks - Overview



Exhibit 148: Castor and Pollux Natural Petworks - Product / Service



Exhibit 149: Castor and Pollux Natural Petworks - Key offerings

13.8 Evangers Dog and Cat Food Co. Inc.

Exhibit 150: Evangers Dog and Cat Food Co. Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 151: Evangers Dog and Cat Food Co. Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 152: Evangers Dog and Cat Food Co. Inc. - Key offerings

13.9 General Mills Inc .

. Exhibit 153: General Mills Inc . - Overview

. - Overview

Exhibit 154: General Mills Inc . - Business segments

. - Business segments

Exhibit 155: General Mills Inc . - Key news

. - Key news

Exhibit 156: General Mills Inc . - Key offerings

. - Key offerings

Exhibit 157: General Mills Inc . - Segment focus

13.10 Native Pet

Exhibit 158: Native Pet - Overview



Exhibit 159: Native Pet - Product / Service



Exhibit 160: Native Pet - Key offerings

13.11 Nestle SA

Exhibit 161: Nestle SA - Overview



Exhibit 162: Nestle SA - Business segments



Exhibit 163: Nestle SA - Key news



Exhibit 164: Nestle SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 165: Nestle SA - Segment focus

13.12 Organic Paws

Exhibit 166: Organic Paws - Overview



Exhibit 167: Organic Paws - Product / Service



Exhibit 168: Organic Paws - Key offerings

13.13 PPN Ltd. Partnership

Exhibit 169: PPN Ltd. Partnership - Overview



Exhibit 170: PPN Ltd. Partnership - Product / Service



Exhibit 171: PPN Ltd. Partnership - Key offerings

13.14 Primal Pet Foods Inc.

Exhibit 172: Primal Pet Foods Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 173: Primal Pet Foods Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 174: Primal Pet Foods Inc. - Key offerings

13.15 Raw Paw Pet Inc.

Exhibit 175: Raw Paw Pet Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 176: Raw Paw Pet Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 177: Raw Paw Pet Inc. - Key offerings

13.16 Tender and True Pet Nutrition

Exhibit 178: Tender and True Pet Nutrition - Overview



Exhibit 179: Tender and True Pet Nutrition - Product / Service



Exhibit 180: Tender and True Pet Nutrition - Key offerings

13.17 Yarrah Organic Petfood BV

Exhibit 181: Yarrah Organic Petfood BV - Overview



Exhibit 182: Yarrah Organic Petfood BV - Product / Service



Exhibit 183: Yarrah Organic Petfood BV - Key offerings

14 Appendix

14.1 Scope of the report

14.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 184: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 185: Exclusions checklist

14.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 186: Currency conversion rates for US$

14.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 187: Research methodology



Exhibit 188: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 189: Information sources

14.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 190: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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SOURCE Technavio
"Chicago H-1B Connect" Coalition Launches Campaign and Job Board Featuring Career Opportunities Open to International Tech Talent; More Companies Joining Daily

CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- P33 and World Business Chicago , today announced that they have formed the Chicago H-1B Connect Coalition, a united effort to assist current H-1B visa holders who have been impacted by layoffs in the tech industry. Led by P33 and World Business Chicago, the coalition brings together the city's leading civic organizations including the Commercial Club of Chicago, 1871, the Executives' Club of Chicago, the Chicago Chamber of Commerce, the Corporate Coalition of Chicago, and MATTER, along with Fortune 500 corporations and rapidly scaling, well-funded startups to help support and to retain highly skilled and valuable international talent.

Chicago business community mounts effort to assist H1-B visa holders impacted by tech industry layoffs Tweet this Chicago H1-B Connect

Together, World Business Chicago and P33 have launched an employment portal featuring over 900 job openings from over 35 Chicago-based employers already sponsoring H-1B visa holders. Beginning today, job seekers can visit gotechchicago.com/h1b and search hundreds of Chicago-based career opportunities from H-1B sponsoring companies like Walgreens, Morningstar, Ulta Beauty, TransUnion, Fifth Third Bank, Boston Consulting Group, Northwestern Medicine, M1, Rheaply, Oak Street Health and more . Additional Chicago companies are expected to join the campaign, and job listings will continue to be added daily.

Common in all STEM industries, especially technology, laid off H-1B workers have 60 days to pinpoint a new employer willing to transfer and to sponsor their visas. If they are unable to find a new job, they must switch their visa status or leave the U.S. Until now, H-1B visa holders have had an incredibly difficult time identifying career opportunities where employers are willing to sponsor or transfer their visas. Chicago is the first city to collectively band together around this issue to support and attract H-1B professionals. Tech innovation remains a top strategic priority for Chicago companies, and the city's need for highly specialized tech talent continues to be in a position of under supply relative to demand.

"Our message to laid off H-1B holders is to consider the ever welcoming City of Chicago and our burgeoning technology ecosystem that fosters diversity and inclusion," said Brad Henderson, CEO of P33. "I am proud, though not surprised by the way our city's leaders have come together to make this collaborative effort a reality in such a short amount of time. This is a huge first step, and we're just getting started. With more companies joining and more job listings being posted everyday, we expect this unique job search tool to scale very quickly."

Despite nationwide layoffs, companies are struggling to fill critical tech roles in Chicago, with the largest demand for software talent. More than 164,000 tech job listings were posted in Chicagoland in 2022.

Layoffs.fyi reports that over 157,000 tech workers lost their jobs in 2022, and the tech layoff rate isn't slowing down. Over 50,000 workers at U.S.-based tech companies have been laid off this year. These are difficult and turbulent times for anyone to lose a job, but it is especially challenging for foreign workers on H-1B status as it also threatens their immigration status, and potentially their family's status too.

"I am thrilled with the launch of this campaign, which brings together Chicago's business community to support H1-B visa holders affected by job loss in tech and adjacent industries," said Michael Fassnacht, CEO and president, World Business Chicago, chief marketing officer, City of Chicago. "This initiative is a shining example of our city's commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive destination for immigrants, where diversity and inclusivity are celebrated in our neighborhoods, further solidifying Chicago's reputation as a premier global business hub."

Immigrants strengthen innovation and increase the demand for labor while helping to drive the economy forward. 40% of software engineers in the U.S. are foreign born. In Chicago alone, 21 Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or the child of an immigrant and 42% of university-supported startups in Illinois are founded by at least one immigrant entrepreneur according to the Illinois Innovation Index report by the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition.

About P33

P33 is a privately-funded non-profit focused on driving inclusive, global tech and innovation leadership in Chicago. The organization's mission is to help Chicago become one of the most inclusive technology hubs in the U.S. Born from the collaborative efforts of hundreds of business leaders in the private and public sectors, P33's work is anchored in deep research and driven by a need to unlock the potential of the digital age to solve some of the toughest problems facing Chicago, such as equitable access to digital careers, talent retention, deep science commercialization, and gaps in the growth-stage startup ecosystem. Launched in 2019, P33 is co-chaired by Penny Pritzker, former Secretary of Commerce and founder and chairman of PSP Partners; Chris Gladwin, CEO and Cofounder of Ocient and Cleversafe; and Kelly Welsh, Former President of the Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago. Learn more at p33chicago.com .

About World Business Chicago

World Business Chicago serves a critical role in driving inclusive and equitable recovery throughout the city's 77 neighborhoods, focused on high growth sectors: transportation, distribution, & logistics; manufacturing; healthcare & life sciences, and our local innovation, startup, & venture ecosystem. As the City of Chicago's economic development agency, World Business Chicago leads corporate attraction & retention, workforce & talent, community impact, and promotion of Chicago as a leading global city. Supported by a council of 300+ local leaders, World Business Chicago's portfolio of innovation & venture programs include: the Chicago Venture Summit series, Startup Chicago, ThinkChicago, and Venture Engine with the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition (ISTC). Follow World Business Chicago on LinkedIn for daily news and announcements on company relocation and expansion; industry and ecosystem growth, U.S. and world rankings, and more about Chicago's economic progress.

SOURCE World Business Chicago
Smart Energy Summit addresses demand for energy management solutions and proptech

DALLAS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Parks Associates research into multifamily smart spaces shows nearly 75% of multifamily property managers and owners are very concerned about residents wasting energy. The firm will host leading energy players at its 14th annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, February 13-15 at the Omni Austin Downtown Hotel in Austin, TX, to examine the emerging opportunities for energy management. The event will address advanced tech that can deliver energy saving and efficiency solutions for consumers and businesses during the sessions Future of Vehicles: EVs, Charging, and Consumers and Energy as a Service and New Business Models.

Parks Associates: Smart Energy Summit Sponsors

Smart Energy Summit, sponsored by CSA - Connectivity Standards Alliance, Rapid Response Monitoring, Schneider Electric, Austin Energy, Questline Digital, and Copper, focuses on the impact of direct consumer participation in energy markets and strategies to increase consumer engagement in energy management solutions.

The firm reports that EV owners are much more likely to have smart home solutions at home, including two times more likely to have a smart thermostat and video doorbell compared to the general population.

"Energy management solutions, including smart thermostats, smart outlets, smart lights, and connected HVAC systems, will become standard in the future as companies work to employ energy-efficient tactics," said Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein, VP, Marketing, Parks Associates. "Industry leaders will highlight the new bidirectional utility business models emerging, along with opportunities and challenges as distribution and creation of energy evolve."

Interactive panel sessions Future of Vehicles: EVs, Charging, and Consumers and Energy as a Service and New Business Models are on February 14 and feature the following executives:

Parks Associates will feature its latest consumer and industry insights throughout the event, featuring data from its ongoing quarterly surveys of 10,000 internet households. To register, visit the event website or apply for a Press Pass here. To request data or an interview, contact Rosey Sera, [email protected], 972-490-1113.

About Smart Energy Summit

The 14th annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, hosted by international research firm Parks Associates, addresses energy and renewables technology trends in the residential and small-to-medium business markets. The executive conference features experts from utilities, retailers, software providers, manufacturers, and energy, broadband, and security service providers.

Virtual panels and networking sessions, featuring executive-level experts from multiple industries, address strategies for utilities, service providers, retailers, software providers, and manufacturers to expand and monetize energy management and other energy-focused offerings through consumer engagement, new business models, unique partnerships, and innovative technologies.

Smart Energy Summit features an in-person conference February 13-15 at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, with virtual sessions on June 15, August 17, and November 9. The summit agenda features leaders from utilities, state and national regulators, telecom and security companies, retailers, and OEMs. Follow the event on Twitter at @SmartEnergySmt and #SmartEnergy23. For information on speaking, sponsoring, or attending Smart Energy Summit, visit www.smartenergysmt.com.

SOURCE Parks Associates
American Vietnam P.O.W.s Honored on 50th Anniversary of Release from Hoa Lo Prison

TYSONS, Va., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PenFed Credit Union, the nation's second-largest federal credit union, today announced that it has furthered its commitment to prisoners of war veterans and their families with a $150,000 donation to the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, Mass. The donation will support a one-of-a-kind Hoa Lo prison exhibit honoring the hundreds of Vietnam prisoners of war who were subjected to years of captivity, enduring extreme torture, isolation and malnutrition. The prison was coined the Hanoi Hilton by POWs.

Prisoners of war endured years of torture, malnutrition, and isolation at the Hoa Lo prison.

"The American Heritage Museum's Hoa Lo exhibit is a truly harrowing, surreal experience that honors the extraordinary courage of Vietnam POWs," said President/CEO of PenFed Credit Union and CEO of PenFed Foundation James Schenck. "It is important that Americans never forget those who fight for our freedom. Vietnam veterans deserve this long overdue recognition for their service and sacrifice. Through the Hanoi Hilton exhibit, generations to come can gain a keen understanding of the extreme conditions POWs experienced. Their fortitude is unmatched."

The exhibit, opening to the public on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, features a reconstruction of the last two remaining original cells that held Americans including well-known veterans John McCain, James Stockdale, Bud Day and Joseph Kittinger. It also highlights first-hand accounts and interactive displays. Museum goers will experience a unique, intimate look at the physical and psychological challenges faced by American POWs during this tumultuous time.

"The cost of building a display like this is monumental and it cannot be done by the museum alone," said President of the American Heritage Museum Rob Collings. "So, we're fortunate to have a partner like PenFed Credit Union that has stepped in to help make this possible for all of the veterans and for all these younger generations that will come through and learn what this is all about."

About PenFed Credit Union

Established in 1935, Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is America's second-largest federal credit union, serving 2.8 million members worldwide with $35.9 billion in assets. PenFed Credit Union offers market-leading certificates, checking, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and a wide range of other financial services. Our mission is to empower members of our community to achieve their financial well-being. PenFed Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender. To learn more about PenFed Credit Union, visit PenFed.org, like us on Facebook and follow us @PenFed on Twitter. Interested in working for PenFed? Check us out on LinkedIn. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

SOURCE PenFed Credit Union
Expansion of management team serves the growing global operations of the cyber unicorn

BOSTON and TEL AVIV, Israel, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pentera , the leader in automated security validation, named four new VP members to its extended leadership team to support the company's global go-to-market operations. The new appointments reflect Pentera's ongoing commitment to rewarding outstanding employee performance by promoting from within.

"Pentera is growing rapidly to meet the growing market demand for automated security validation capabilities," said Amitai Ratzon, CEO of Pentera. "The new VPs are responsible for leading our go-to-market expansion, and having the right leaders in place is paramount for scaling our business."

"We are proud to see our leaders develop and advance within the company as Pentera continues its rapid growth," said Tzurit Golan, Chief People Officer at Pentera. "Maayan, Adi, Natalie and Uri have all demonstrated incredible leadership over their years with the company, and we are confident in their abilities to further develop the world-class, global operations that they have already established."

The newest appointments to the extended leadership team reflect the maturation of Pentera's organization as the company scales globally. Since becoming a unicorn in early 2022, Pentera has seen major growth doubling both its workforce and customer base YoY. The company has also expanded its global presence to include North and South America, EMEA and APAC. Pentera has offices in 17 counties across the globe, and over 700 customers in more than 40 countries.

Pentera's latest appointments include:

Maayan Sella, promoted to VP of Demand Generation. One of the first members of Pentera's marketing team, Maayan joined as the Marketing Director in 2019 to build the Digital, Content, and Operations teams from the ground up, generating a qualified sales pipeline and growing the company revenue with the sales teams. Since joining, she has played a significant role in the Pentera's success, assuming responsibility for all demand generation activities, including Field, Channel, Digital, and Marketing Operations. Maayan brings 10 years of experience in digital marketing and proven success building marketing programs within cybersecurity startups.

Adi Bar-Lev, promoted to VP of Brand & Communications. Adi joined Pentera to establish its global brand and market leadership, bringing over 18 years of experience marketing enterprise software solutions. Her track record includes building effective marketing operations from the ground up and accelerating growth for software and cyber startups. Adi has successfully led marketing operations at Luminate Security (acquired by Symantec), Cybellum (acquired by LG), and Earnix.

Natalie Levy, promoted to VP of Revenue Operations & Business Applications. Natalie joined Pentera in 2020 as the company's Head of Revenue Operations bringing over 10 years of experience in growing businesses effectively. Natalie drove Pentera's go-to-market operations from startup to scaleup by establishing data driven, predictable, and streamlined business processes and accelerating revenue growth. Prior to joining Pentera, Natalie managed revenue operations at AppsFlyer and Telit after spending four years with the Foreign Trade Administration of the Israeli Ministry of Economy & Industry, promoting Israel's international trade.

Uri Eisner, promoted to VP of Sales Development. Uri joined Pentera as the Head of Sales Development in 2020. Since joining, he has built the SDR department into a global operation, with teams in NA, Israel, and Singapore, that generates more than 50% of the company's revenue. With over 20 years of sales and sales development experience, Uri has previously managed inside sales and sales development teams at start-ups including Sisense and Workiz.

About Pentera

Pentera is the category leader for Automated Security Validation, allowing every organization to test with ease the integrity of all cybersecurity layers, unfolding true, current security exposures at any moment, at any scale. Thousands of security professionals and service providers around the world use Pentera to guide remediation and close security gaps before they are exploited. For more info, visit: pentera.io

Media Contact

Noam Hirsch

Senior PR Manager

[email protected]

SOURCE Pentera
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Representatives of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A., ZE PAK and South Korea's KHNP, namely all entities involved in the Patnow nuclear power plant project, met at the Polish House in Davos, Switzerland. Representatives of Poland's highest state authorities - President Andrzej Duda and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin - were actively involved in defining further stages of this breakthrough investment.

"Diversification of energy sources has been one of our priorities on which we have worked very actively over the past few years. The final outcome of this process will be a power system based, among other sources, on modern, safe nuclear power plants. This solution will enable Poland to achieve full sovereignty and guarantee access to a stable energy source that meets the needs of our dynamically developing economy," said President Andrzej Duda.

Other participants in the panel were the Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin, President of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A., Wojciech Dabrowski, South Korea's Minister for Trade Ahn Dukgeun, Maciej Stec from ZE PAK and Whang Joo-ho from the Korean KHNP Group. The consortium of these companies plans to build together Poland's first commercial nuclear power plant.

"Nuclear energy, perceived as a tool for building our country's security and strengthening its economic potential, is one of the main topics discussed in the Polish pavilion in Davos this year. It is worth recalling that over the last few years Poland has really done a lot in terms of increasing the share of low- or zero-emission sources in its energy mix. However, without the nuclear energy, we will not be able to meet the growing demand." - emphasised Wojciech Dabrowski, President of the Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A.

The exact completion date for the Patnow investment has not yet been set, however the determination of all parties involved in the project and the potential of their expertise background allows us to consider the unofficial deadline (ten to thirteen years) as very plausible.

Wojciech Dabrowski noted that thanks to nuclear energy, which is free of carbon dioxide emission fees, the Polish economy would become competitive to other world and European economies, and this transformation would be the driving force of its development.

SOURCE PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A.
NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Gemini Trust Company, LLC, and certain officers. The class action, filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, and docketed under Index No. 650076/2023, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that invested in Gemini Earn (also referred to herein as "Earn") or otherwise purchased Gemini Interest Accounts ("GIAs") and were harmed thereby. Plaintiff pursues claims against the Defendants under the Securities Act of 1933 and the New York General Business Law, as well as common law claims for fraudulent inducement, fraudulent concealment, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and civil conspiracy.

If you invested in Gemini Earn or otherwise purchased GIAs and were harmed thereby, a copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and a summary of their transactions in Gemini Earn and/or GIAs.

Gemini is a privately-owned cryptocurrency exchange launched in 2014 by Defendants Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss and headquartered in New York, New York. Gemini purportedly lets customers buy, sell, trade, and securely store more than 60 cryptocurrencies. One of the products Gemini offers is the GIA, a yield-bearing account sold through the Company's lending platform Gemini Earn, which allows users to lend out their crypto holdings in exchange for interest payments.

According to the Gemini website, the Earn platform is partnered with various third-party crypto lenders who act as "accredited borrowers" of Gemini customer assets. Gemini has stated that its partners are "vetted through a risk management framework which reviews our partners' collateralization management process." Moreover, the Company stated that customers were able to "redeem [their] assets at any time[,]" and "in all cases our partners are required to return your funds to you within five business days." Gemini's primary third-party partner at all relevant times was Genesis Global Capital, LLC ("Genesis").

In early November 2022, the cryptocurrency exchange FTX experienced a significant liquidity crisis after it was revealed that customer assets had been misappropriated to cover the trading losses and repay the outstanding debts of Alameda Research ("Alameda"), a crypto-trading firm founded by FTX's former Chief Executive Officer Sam Bankman-Fried. On November 14, 2022, Gemini sent an email assuring its customers that Gemini had no exposure to FTT tokens or Alameda and no material exposure to FTX.

However, on November 16, 2022, Gemini announced that Genesis had halted customer withdrawals upon realizing it would not be able to return customer funds within the five-business day timeframe advertised on the Gemini Earn website. Gemini subsequently paused withdrawals on the Earn program. Market publications later revealed that the ban on withdrawals came after Genesis suffered losses of over $1.8 billion from loans it made to failed crypto firms including Alameda.

As a result of Defendants' wrongful acts and omissions, investors in Gemini Earn and GIAs have suffered significant losses and damages.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Qatar, UAE And Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Outlook: Market Forecast By - Qatar (By Applications, By Regions)), UAE (By Applications, By Regions), Oman (By Applications, By Regions) And Competitive Landscape" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Qatar UAE And Oman Air Conditioner Services Market size is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.9% during 2022-2028.

The market is anticipated to register growth in the upcoming years owing to increasing government ambitious vision initiatives like Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, Dubai Vision 2030, Qatar National Vision 2030, and Oman Vision 2040 which aims to diversify the economy from oil to non-oil sectors like industrial, commercial and other social infrastructure sectors.

Due to these initiatives, there are numerous upcoming large-scale developmental projects in the pipeline like the building of new hotels, offices, metro rail projects, stadiums, and airports. This would intensify the demand for air conditioner services in Qatar, UAE and Oman during the forecasted period.

Qatar, UAE, and Oman air conditioner services market report thoroughly covers the market by applications and regions. The market report provides an unbiased and detailed analysis of the ongoing market trends, opportunities/high growth areas, and market drivers which would help the stakeholders to devise and align their market strategies according to the current and future market dynamics.

Qatar, UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Synopsis

Qatar, UAE and Oman air conditioner services witnessed a modest growth in recent years owing to the increasing focus of the countries on diversifying the economy by reducing reliance on the oil sector and investing heavily in non-oil sectors after the oil price crisis of 2014, which lead to setting up of large-scale commercial buildings, such as economic cities, medical cities, hotels, offices and data centers across the countries.

The market growth slowed in 2020 due to an outbreak of coronavirus pandemic which resulted in the complete lockdown bought in force by the governments of the countries to prevent the spread of Covid-19. This led to supply chain disruptions and put a halt to the developmental activities across all the applications. However, there was only a slowdown of growth and no decline in the services market even after the decline in the construction sector as technicians were servicing the existing deployed air conditioners after the easing of lockdown protocols.

Market by Applications Analysis

In terms of applications, the industrial segment garnered 62.1% of the market revenue in 2021. The segment acquired maximum revenue size on account of higher average cost of servicing and more frequency of industrial air conditioner servicing requirements.

Market by Countries Analysis

In terms of countries, UAE have captured 59% of the market revenue in 2021. The country accounted for the largest revenue share in the market on account of large-scale construction projects being carried out in the country.

According to a media report released in Sept 2020, the UAE construction industry is projected to record a CAGR of 6.2% by 2024. Hence, growing construction activities in the country are expected to intensify the demand for air conditioner services in the coming years.

Key Highlights of the Report

Qatar , UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Overview

, UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Overview Qatar , UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Outlook

, UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Outlook Qatar , UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Forecast

, UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Forecast Historical Data and Forecast of Qatar , UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Revenues, for the Period 2018-2028F

, UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Revenues, for the Period 2018-2028F Historical Data and Forecast of Qatar , UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Revenues, By Applications, for the Period 2018-2028F

, UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Revenues, By Applications, for the Period 2018-2028F Historical Data and Forecast of Qatar , UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Revenues, By Countries, for the Period 2018-2028F

, UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Revenues, By Countries, for the Period 2018-2028F Historical Data and Forecast of Qatar , UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Market Revenues and Volume, By Countries, for the Period 2018-2028F

, UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Market Revenues and Volume, By Countries, for the Period 2018-2028F Market Drivers

Market Trends

Market Industry Life Cycle

Porter's Five Force Analysis

Market Opportunity Assessment

Qatar , UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Revenue Share, By Companies

, UAE and Oman Air Conditioner Services Market Revenue Share, By Companies Competitive Benchmarking

Company Profiles

Key Strategic Recommendations

Company Profiles

Carrier Corporation

Daikin Industries, Ltd

Trane Inc.

Johnson Controls International PLC

S.K.M Air Conditioning LLC

Fujitsu General Ltd.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Refrigeration Industries Co

LG Electronics Inc.

Eco Gate Technical Services

Market Scope and Segmentation

The report provides a detailed analysis of the following market segments:

Qatar

By Applications

Residential

Commercial

Industrial

Healthcare

By Regions

Northern Region

Lusail



Al Khor



Dukhan

Southern Region

Doha



Al Wakrah



Ash Shaqra

UAE

By Applications

Residential

Commercial

Industrial

Healthcare

By Regions

Northern Region

Ajman



Al Fujairah



Dubai



Ras Al-Khaimah



Sharjah



Umm al-Qaywayn

Southern Region

Al Ain



Abu Dhabi

Oman

By Applications

Residential

Commercial

Industrial

Healthcare

By Regions

Northern Region

Musandam



Al Buraymi



Ad Dhahirah



AL Batinah



Muscat



Ad Dakhiliyah



Ash Sharqiyah

Southern Region

Al Wusta



Dhofar

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/krp7g9-uae-and?w=5

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Local Entrepreneurs Celebrate Grand Opening with Open House Event  Promos, Offers & More

CHARLESTON, S.C., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Re-Bath, the nation's largest complete bathroom remodeling company, is marking the opening of its Charleston location with an official grand opening event on January 27 at its showroom located at 9581 Industrial Center Drive. Community members are encouraged to join in on the celebration, where they will receive various discounts and offers including coupons that will only be available at the event.

Re-Bath Charleston is owned and operated by former Re-Bath employee Megan Farnsworth. With over six years of experience with Re-Bath and multiple roles within the company, Farnsworth is thrilled to become a Re-Bath owner herself, alongside her husband. Their desire to meet consumer demand for effortless bathroom solutions was the driving force behind their decision to bring Re-Bath to the greater Charleston area.

"I am extremely excited to be servicing homeowners in the greater Charleston community by providing a best-in-class business to turn to for their remodeling needs," said Farnsworth. "Opening a Re-Bath franchise has been a dream of ours for a long time, and we are thrilled to offer quality bathroom solutions in the thriving Charleston market."

On Friday January 27, from 2:00-5:00 p.m., community members are invited to join the Re-Bath team at the new store for a grand opening celebration, complete with food, music, and prizes. Additionally, Re-Bath coupons will be given to those in attendance. "We can't wait to celebrate with the community at our grand opening event," added Farnsworth. "We have been looking forward to connecting with Charleston residents and showing them what we have to offer here at Re-Bath."

Re-Bath has grown into a trusted and respected brand known for providing expert, affordable, and effortless bathroom remodeling solutions that transform homeowners' bathrooms in days, not weeks. Whether seeking a tub or shower area update, better accessibility and safety in your bathroom or a complete bathroom remodel, Re-Bath makes bathroom remodeling easy. The company's exclusive remodel process removes old materials and fixtures and replaces them with beautiful new options in a wide variety of colors and styles.

"We're thrilled to have Megan in the Re-Bath family," said Re-Bath CEO Brad Hillier. "As we continue expansion throughout the country, it's so important that we partner with entrepreneurs who are passionate about the remodeling industry and are committed to going above and beyond to provide an unmatched customer service experience. Megan is 100% aligned with our core values and we are confident she will make a true impact in the community."

To learn more about Re-Bath for your bathroom remodeling needs, please visit https://www.rebath.com/location/charleston/.

About Re-Bath

Re-Bath is the nation's largest complete bathroom remodeling franchise that has grown to more than 100 locations across the country. The parent company's first entry in the bathroom remodeling industry occurred in 1978 and focused on the hospitality sector. In 1991, Re-Bath launched its first franchise location to focus on the residential market. The company offers complete bathroom remodels, tub and shower updates, plus aging and accessibility solutions. From simple bathtub replacements to complete bathroom redesigns, Re-Bath makes bathroom remodeling effortless, convenient and affordable, all with professional, friendly and factory-trained installers. Re-Bath is a one-stop service that covers the entire process  from design to done  in three easy steps: consultation, removal, and installation. Re-Bath assembles its own exclusive line of products at its headquarters located in Phoenix, Ariz., and offers best-in-class products from national brands for its customers. For more information, please visit www.rebath.com or www.rebathfranchise.com for more details on the franchise opportunity.

Media Contact: Sally Hamer, [email protected], (847) 945-1300

SOURCE Re-Bath
CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The remote weapon station market is projected to grow from USD 6.6 billion to USD 7.5 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 2.8% from 2022 to 2027 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. This growth can be attributed to increasing incidences of armed conflicts, war, and terrorism, which are driving the demand for remote weapon stations globally.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Remote Weapon Station Market"

190  Tables

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Based on platform, the land segment is expected to lead the remote weapon station market during the forecast period

The land segment is anticipated to lead the remote weapon station market in terms of platform in 2022 and is anticipated to do so through 2027. Emerging nations are developing sizable armies of infantry fighting vehicles (IFVS) and armored vehicles, including China and India. These nations are putting more money into automated technology and concentrating on producing a variety of offensive fighting vehicles. For example, India and Russia agreed to a contract in 2019 for the supply of 464 T-90 main combat tanks, which will be crucial to Indias offensive operations against China and Pakistan.

Due to the increased global focus on upgrading defence equipment, the remote weapon station sensors sub section of the market by product is anticipated to see the greatest CAGR.

During the forecast period, the sensors section is anticipated to increase at the greatest CAGR. Human machine interface, sensors, and weapons & armaments are the three component categories used to assess and segment the market for remote weapon stations. The segment of weapons & armaments dominates the market for remote weapon stations. During the forecast period, the sensors section is anticipated to increase at the greatest CAGR. The usage of sensor fusion technology and the sensor suite, which is continuously updated to provide improved detection and decision-making, can be credited with this rise. Combining information from important sensors gives the warrior the autonomy to assess the tactical environment quickly and react effectively to threats.

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The market for the remote weapon station in the Europe is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Due to rising defense spending by emerging nations like UK and France to innovate and create reliable remote weapon stations, the remote weapon station market in the Europe region has experienced rapid expansion.

According to estimates, Germany will hold the greatest market share for remote weapon stations in the Europe region in 2022. This quick development can be linked to the expansion of research and development operations in the area for the creation of remote weapon stations with superior technological designs.

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Browse Adjacent Market: Aerospace and Defence Market Research Reports &Consulting

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Radar Systems Market by Application, Platform (Air, Marine, Unmanned, Land, Space), Frequency Band, Type, Component, Range, Dimension, Technology, & Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America) 2026

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About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients.

The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry.

To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
BOGOTA, Colombia, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

New Bonds Offering

The Republic of Colombia (" Colombia ") announced today that on January 24, 2023, it priced a global offering (the " New Bonds Offering ") of U.S. $2,200,000,000 aggregate principal amount of new 7.500% Global Bonds due 2034 (the " New Bonds "). The aggregate principal amount of New Bonds includes approximately U.S. $350,912,000 intended to fund the purchase of Tender Orders made by holders of Colombia's Old Bonds (as defined below) who submitted an equivalent-sized Indication of Interest for the New Bonds prior to the pricing of the New Bonds Offering at terms that are acceptable to Colombia (the " Reinvestment Tenders ") in the concurrent Tender Offer described below, and the amount of New Bonds issued may be adjusted based on final acceptances in the Tender Offer. The closing of the New Bonds Offering is expected to occur on Thursday, February 2, 2023. BBVA Securities Inc., Itau BBA USA Securities, Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as Joint Book-Running Managers for the New Bonds Offering. All capitalized terms used but not defined in this communication have the respective meanings specified in the Offer to Purchase referred to below under "Tender Offer."

The New Bonds Offering was made only by means of a prospectus supplement and an accompanying base prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement, the final prospectus supplement (when filed) and the related base prospectus for the New Bonds Offering may be obtained by contacting any of the following: BBVA Securities Inc., by calling +1 800 422-8692 (U.S. toll free); Itau BBA USA Securities, Inc., by calling +1 888 770-4828 (U.S. toll free); or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, by calling +1 866 846-2874 (U.S. toll free).

Application will be made to have the New Bonds listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and admitted to trading on the Euro MTF Market of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

Tender Offer

Colombia's previously announced tender offer (the " Tender Offer ") to purchase its outstanding 4.000% Global Bonds due 2024 (the " 4.000% 2024 Bonds ") and 8.125% Global Bonds due 2024 (the " 8.125% 2024 Bonds "), as each such series is described further in the table below (the

4.000% 2024 Bonds and 8.125% 2024 Bonds, collectively, the " Old Bonds ") on the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Offer to Purchase, dated January 24, 2023 (the

" Offer to Purchase "), expired as scheduled for Simple Tenders and Reinvestment Tenders at

1:00 p.m. New York time, on January 24, 2023.

The Purchase Price for Old Bonds validly accepted pursuant to the Tender Offer was the fixed price identified for each series of Old Bonds in the Offer to Purchase and Colombia's press release issued on January 24, 2023. In addition, holders will receive accrued and unpaid interest on their Old Bonds up to (but excluding) the Tender Offer Settlement Date (as defined below).

Old Bonds Old Bonds Outstanding Principal

Amount as of January 24,

2023 ISIN CUSIP Common Code Fixed Price

(per U.S.

$1,000

Principal

Amount) 4.000% Global Bonds

due 2024 U.S. $1,185,133,000 US195325BQ70 195325BQ7 097464391 U.S. $993.00 8.125% Global Bonds

due 2024 U.S. $781,828,000 US195325BD67 195325BD6 018437384 U.S. $1,041.00

On Wednesday, January 25, 2023, or as soon as possible, Colombia expects to (i) instruct J.P. Morgan Securities LLC as the Billing and Delivering Bank to accept, subject to proration and other terms and conditions as described in the Offer to Purchase, valid Reinvestment Tenders and Simple Tenders and (ii) announce the Maximum Purchase Amount and the aggregate principal amount of Reinvestment Tenders and Simple Tenders of each series of Old Bonds that have been accepted and whether any proration has occurred for any series of Old Bonds.

The settlement of the Tender Offer is scheduled to occur on Monday, January 30, 2023 (the " Tender Offer Settlement Date "), subject to change without notice. Failure to deliver Old Bonds on time may result, in Colombia's sole discretion, in any of the following: (i) the cancellation of a holder's tender and the holder becoming liable for any damages resulting from that failure, and/or (ii) the delivery of a buy-in notice for the purchase of such Old Bonds, executed in accordance with customary brokerage practices for corporate fixed income securities, and/or (iii) in the case of Reinvestment Tenders, the cancellation of a holder's tender and the holder remaining obligated to purchase its allocation of New Bonds in respect of its related Indication of Interest.

Colombia reserves the right, in its sole discretion, not to accept any or all Tender Orders and to terminate the Tender Offer for any reason.

The Offer to Purchase may be downloaded from the Information Agent's website at www.dfking.com/colombia or obtained from the Information Agent, D.F. King & Co., Inc., at 1-866-342-4884 or from any of the Dealer Managers.

The Dealer Managers for the Tender Offer are:

BBVA Securities Inc. Attention: Liability Management 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 44th Floor New York, New York 10105 Collect: +1 212 728-2446 Toll-Free: +1 800 422-8692 Itau BBA USA Securities, Inc. Attention: Debt Capital Markets 540 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, New York 10022 Collect: +1 212 710-6749 Toll-Free: +1 888 770-4828 J.P. Morgan Securities LLC Attention: Latin America Debt Capital Markets 383 Madison Avenue, 6th Floor New York, New York 10179 Collect: +1 212 834-7279 Toll-Free: +1 866 846-2874

The Billing and Delivering Bank for this Tender Offer was: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

Questions regarding the Tender Offer may be directed to the Dealer Managers at the above contact.

Colombia has filed a registration statement (including the prospectus) and the preliminary prospectus supplement with the SEC for the New Bonds Offering. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents Colombia has filed with the SEC for more complete information about Colombia and the New Bonds Offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the Joint Book-Running Managers or the Dealer Managers, as the case may be, will arrange to send you the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus for the New Bonds Offering if you request it by calling any one of them at the numbers specified above.

Important Notice

The distribution of materials relating to the New Bonds Offering and the Tender Offer and the transactions contemplated by the New Bonds Offering and the Tender Offer may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions. Each of the New Bonds Offering and the Tender Offer is void in all jurisdictions where it is prohibited. If materials relating to the New Bonds Offering or the Tender Offer come into a holder's possession, the holder is required by Colombia to inform itself of and to observe all of these restrictions. The materials relating to the New Bonds Offering or the Tender Offer, including this communication, do not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer or solicitation in any place where offers or solicitations are not permitted by law. If a jurisdiction requires that the New Bonds Offering or the Tender Offer be made by a licensed broker or dealer and a Dealer Manager or any affiliate of a Dealer Manager is a licensed broker or dealer in that jurisdiction, the New Bonds Offering or the Tender Offer, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be made by the Dealer Manager or such affiliate on behalf of Colombia in that jurisdiction. Owners who may lawfully participate in the Tender Offer in accordance with the terms thereof are referred to as "holders."

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor will there be any sale of the New Bonds or the Tender Offer in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. The offering of the New Bonds and the Tender Offer will be made only by means of the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and an offer to purchase in Canada, under applicable exemptions from any prospectus or registration requirements.

The New Bonds may be sold and the Tender Offer is made in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations, and who are not individuals. Any resale of the New Bonds must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws.

The New Bonds and the Old Bonds will not be registered under Chilean Law No. 18,045, as amended, with the Comision para el Mercado Financiero de Chile (Financial Market Commission of Chile or "CMF") and, accordingly, the New Bonds and the Old Bonds cannot and will not be offered or sold to persons in Chile except in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in a public offering under Chilean law, and in compliance with Norma de Caracter General (Rule) No. 336, dated June 27, 2012, issued by the CMF.

The New Bonds may not be offered, sold or negotiated in Colombia, except in compliance with Part 4 of Decree 2555 of 2010. The Offer to Purchase and the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute and may not be used for, or in connection with, a public offering as defined under Colombian law.

The New Bonds are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the European Economic Area ("EEA"). For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of the following:

(a) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, "MiFID II"); or

(b) a customer within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97 as amended, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II.

Consequently, no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the "PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the New Bonds or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the New Bonds or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation.

The Old Bonds and New Bonds may not be offered or sold and will not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (a) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) (the "CWUMPO"), or (b) to "professional investors" as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) (the "SFO") and any rules made thereunder, or (c) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a "prospectus" as defined in the CWUMPO.

No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the Old Bonds or New Bonds has been or will be issued, or has been or will be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to the Old Bonds or New Bonds which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to "professional investors" as defined in the SFO and any rules made thereunder.

The Old Bonds and the New Bonds, and the Offer to Purchase and the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and any other documents or materials related to such offers have not and will not be registered with the Italian Securities Exchange Commission (Commissione Nazionale per le Societa e la Borsa or "CONSOB") pursuant to applicable Italian laws and regulations. The Tender Offer and the New Bond Offering are being carried out pursuant to the exemptions provided for, with respect to the Tender Offer, in Article 101 bis, paragraph 3 bis of Legislative Decree No. 58 of 24 February 1998, as amended (the "Consolidated Financial Act") and Article 35 bis, paragraph 4, of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of 14 May 1999, as amended; and, with respect to the New Bonds Offering, in article 1, paragraph 4, letter c), of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

Holders or beneficial owners of the Old Bonds that are resident and/or located in Italy can tender the Old Bonds for purchase, and the New Bonds can be offered, sold and delivered, through authorized persons (such as investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in Italy in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, the Consolidated Financial Act, the CONSOB Regulation No. 20307 of 15 February 2018, as amended, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of September 1, 1993, as amended) and in compliance with any other applicable laws and regulations or with any requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian authority. Each intermediary must comply with the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties vis a vis its clients in connection with the bonds or the relevant offering.

The New Bonds have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948, as amended, the "Financial Instruments and Exchange Act") and each Joint Book-Running Manager has represented and agreed that it has not offered or sold, and will not offer or sell any New Bonds, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (as defined under Article 6, Paragraph 1, Item 5 of the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act of Japan (Act No. 228 of 1949, as amended)), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

Neither the Offer to Purchase or the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, nor any other documents or materials relating to the Tender Offer or the New Bonds Offering have been approved by or will be submitted for the approval of, the Mexican National Banking and Securities Commission (Comision Nacional Bancaria y de Valores; the "CNBV") and, the New Bonds have not been and will not be registered with the Mexican National Securities Registry (Registro Nacional de Valores) maintained by the CNBV, and therefore the Old Bonds and New Bonds have not and may not be offered or sold publicly in Mexico. However, investors that qualify as institutional or qualified investors pursuant to the private placement exemption set forth in article 8 of the Mexican Securities Market Law (Ley del Mercado de Valores), may be contacted in connection with, and may participate in the Tender Offer and New Bonds Offering, and can be offered with or purchase New Bonds. The participation in the Tender Offer or the acquisition of New Bonds will be made under such investor's own responsibility.

Neither the New Bonds Offering nor the Tender Offer is intended for any person who is not qualified as an institutional investor, in accordance with provisions set forth in Resolution SMV No. 021-2013-SMV-01 issued by Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores (Superintendency of Capital Markets) of Peru, and as subsequently amended. No legal, financial, tax or any other kind of advice is hereby being provided.

The New Bond Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, and the Offer to Purchase have not been and will not be registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Neither the New Bonds Offering nor the Tender Offer constitutes an offering of securities in Singapore pursuant to the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the "SFA"). Each Joint Book-Running Manager has represented and agreed that it has not offered or sold or caused the New Bonds to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase and will not offer or sell such New Bonds or cause such New Bonds to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, and has not circulated or distributed, nor will it circulate or distribute, the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus or any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of such New Bonds, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA) under Section 274 of the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA) pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, and (where applicable) Regulation 3 of the Securities and Futures (Classes of Investors) Regulations 2018 of Singapore or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the New Bonds are subscribed or purchased in reliance on an exemption under Sections 274 or 275 of the SFA, the New Bonds shall not be sold within the period of six months from the date of the initial acquisition of the bonds, except to any of the following persons:

an institutional investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA);

a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA); or

any person pursuant to an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) of the SFA,

unless expressly specified otherwise in Section 276(7) of the SFA or Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018 of Singapore.

Where the New Bonds are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:

a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries' rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the New Bonds pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

to an institutional investor or to a relevant person as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or (in the case of such corporation) where the transfer arises from an offer referred to in 276(3)(i)(B) of the SFA or (in the case of such trust) where the transfer arises from an offer referred to in Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;



where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;



where the transfer is by operation of law;



as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or



as specified in Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018 of Singapore .

The New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus is not intended to constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or invest in the New Bonds described therein in Switzerland, except as permitted by law. The New Bonds may not be publicly offered, directly or indirectly, in Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (FinSA") and will not be admitted to any trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland.

Neither the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the New Bonds constitutes a prospectus as such term is understood pursuant to the FinSA, and neither the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the New Bonds may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither the communication of the Offer to Purchase nor the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus nor any other offer material relating to the Tender Offer or the New Bonds Offering has been approved by an authorized person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the "FSMA"). The Offer to Purchase and the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus are only being distributed to and are only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom; (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the FSMA (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the "Order"); or (iii) high net worth entities and other persons to whom it may be lawfully communicated falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such other persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any investment or investment activity to which the Offer to Purchase and the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relate is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the Offer to Purchase or the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus or any of its contents. The New Bonds will only be available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire the New Bonds will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus or any of its contents.

The New Bonds are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the United Kingdom ("UK"). For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("EUWA"); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the FSMA and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA. Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "UK PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the New Bonds or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the UK has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the New Bonds or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the UK may be unlawful under the UK PRIIPs Regulation.

Contact information:

D.F. King & Co., Inc.

48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor

New York, New York 10005

Toll Free: 1-866-342-4884

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.dfking.com/colombia

SOURCE The Republic of Colombia
Major Milestone for Renewable Ravenswood and Clean Energy Transformation Garners Strong Community Support

Rise Light & Power Secures Ownership Stake in Offshore Wind Project with Goal of Delivering 1.3GW of Clean Energy to Replace 1960's Fossil Generation



The Project will Deliver a Victory for New York Environmental Justice and Ensures a Just Transition for Ravenswood's Union Workforce

NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- At an event attended by dozens of local community leaders, Rise Light & Power, LLC (Rise) today announced a historic proposal in response to New York State's offshore wind solicitation which will be the nation's first renewable repowering of a major fossil-fuel plant with clean power from offshore wind. By securing an ownership stake in an offshore wind project, Rise Light & Power will be an integral part of an offshore wind proposal to be submitted to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on Thursday, January 26. The project takes advantage of, and will utilize, existing energy infrastructure at Rise's Long Island City's Ravenswood Generating StationNew York City's largest power generator. The project has strong community support for its goal to transition Ravenswood into a clean energy hub with a mature and cost-effective interconnection of renewable offshore wind energy into New York City.



(L to R) Costa Constantinides, CEO, Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, Bishop Mitchell G. Taylor, Clint Plummer, CEO Rise Light & Power, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. Dozens of community leaders, environmental justice advocates, and union workers gather at Ravenswood Generating Station in support of the clean energy transition Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.

"The renewable repowering of Ravenswood will serve as a model of how to work with communities and repurpose transmission infrastructure to save ratepayers money. The repowering of Ravenswood with offshore wind is a community-driven approach to invest in a disadvantaged community and support New York in meeting its clean energy and economic goals," said Clint Plummer, Chief Executive Officer of Rise Light & Power. "Importantly, the project commits to the just transition and upskilling of the Local 1-2 UWUA union workers at Ravenswood through training programs and job opportunities associated with the project."

"The union employees of Local 1-2 who have been proudly running Ravenswood for decades are ready to put their valuable expertise to work in operating new renewable energy infrastructure for New York," said Jim Shillitto, President of Utility Workers Union of America, Local 1-2. "We thank Rise for their commitment to our workers' inclusion in the new green economy. This proposal to interconnect offshore wind, responsibly transition fossil fuel generation, and build a new operations and maintenance hub has our full support."

In late 2022, Rise submitted an Article VII application requesting that the New York State Public Service Commission approve a submarine electric system  the Queensboro Renewable Express  to deliver offshore wind energy over transmission in New York State to Ravenswood. This project, combined with the ownership stake in an offshore wind project announced today, builds on that application by extending into Federal waters and connecting one of the two Queensboro Renewable Express 1,310 MW circuits to an offshore wind farm, which would lead directly to the retirement of one of the plant's 1960s era fossil fuel generators. This retirement is in addition to already retiring 500 MW of peakers at Ravenswood.

The renewable transmission project will reuse existing physical and electrical infrastructure, maximizing cost-effectiveness for New York ratepayers and minimizing the interconnection challenges that have plagued U.S. offshore wind developments. Additionally, the project will establish an offshore wind operations and maintenance hub at Ravenswood, which will support the opportunity for a just transition of the existing fossil fuel workforce as well as drive substantial economic investment into a historically underserved community.

The project would bring an HVDC conductor cable onshore at the existing Ravenswood site where it would interconnect via underground HVAC cables to the NYISO bulk electric system at existing substations adjacent to Ravenswood.

The renewable repowering of Ravenswood through an offshore wind project is a culmination of years of community and stakeholder engagement. Rise has worked extensively with historically marginalized groups, particularly its neighbors living nearby in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), to craft the Renewable Ravenswood vision, which will transform the 27-acre waterfront industrial site to a clean energy hub. Beyond the benefits for clean energy advocates and ratepayers with the delivery of offshore wind to the New York City grid utilizing existing transmission infrastructure, the broader Rise Light & Power platform is committed to providing essential services to New York with critical grid reliability.

Today's renewable repowering proposal drew praise from leading community, environmental justice, labor, business, and institutions from across New York City and New York State.

"America's first renewable repowering of a fossil-fuel burning plant can happen right here in Long Island City, Queens, home to the city's largest power generating facility. This project would greatly advance our state's climate goals and be a win for environmental justice communities living nearby," said U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (NY-7). "I believe that the repowering of the Ravenswood Generating Station can serve as a model for the rest of the country as we work to cut our dependence on fossil fuels while also providing a just transition for residents and workers."

"As a climate organizer, I ran for office to ensure that we have a Green New York," said Senator Kristen Gonzalez. "I am thrilled to see Rise Light lead the way in transitioning to renewable energy, our district and our city will be better off for it. I am excited to work with them to support this new partnership."

"The announcement that Rise Light & Power is making today is just the kind of project that will lead our city and our state into a future energy system that is cleaner, more reliable, more resilient, and more affordable for all New Yorkers," said Senator Liz Krueger. "I am thrilled to have it in my backyard, so that all my constituents can breathe a little easier."

"For years, Astoria has had the worst air quality in Queens, has been home to much of the City's energy generation facilities, and we have seen the consequences in the asthma rates of our children. I am so happy that after tireless advocacy from so many, Western Queens and NYCHA are finally beginning to chart a different course and bring forth the bold, clean energy proposals that we deserve," said Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani. "In permanently retiring 400 MW of fossil fuel generation, this proposal to connect offshore wind to Ravenswood shows how we can transform our neighborhood from being the poster child of the climate crisis to an example of how we can build a better, and a greener, future. The work is by no means done, but I applaud this proposal and look forward to seeing many more like it."

"Queens is all too familiar with the devastating impacts of climate change, supercharged by our unchecked use of fossil fuels. From stronger storms flooding our communities to higher rates of asthma in Western Queens, the health of our neighborhoods has come under greater threat every day," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "But here in The World's Borough, we're leading New York State's clean energy transition. To that end, there are few projects with more seismic of an impact than transforming the Ravenswood Generating Station into a hub of renewable wind energy. Doing so will both put money back in the pockets of our families and keep our communities healthier for years to come."

"This offshore wind proposal does the right thing by the community and we look forward to it," said Bishop Mitchell Taylor, Co-Founder and CEO of Urban Upbound. "For far too long the people of Long Island City, in particular Queensbridge, Ravenswood, and Astoria have been surrounded by industrial activity and power generation. This neighborhood supplies 45% of the city's power and has had to deal with the consequences for far too long. Today's announcement is a community-driven project which will help change that dynamic as part of a Renewable Ravenswood."

"Turning 'Asthma Alley' into a renewable energy corridor is a powerful statement that puts environmental justice at the forefront," said Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. "A renewable repowering which removes the smokestacks of Big Allis and replaces them with offshore wind and other renewables will show the world that New York City values all of its residents regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status. It will be a beacon that shows that the energy infrastructure of the future can be built with everyone in mind."

"When labor, community, and industry work together, we can achieve transformative change," said Maritza Silva-Farrell, Executive Director of ALIGN and a member of the Just Transition Working Group. "Renewable Ravenswood can serve as a national model for a just transition, retraining union utility workers for green, union jobs to ensure no worker is left behind; investing in environmental justice for some of our most impacted neighborhoods; and building on New York's nation-leading climate goals with an ambitious path forward for our clean energy economy."

"Retiring polluting infrastructure like the fossil generation at the Ravenswood power plant is a huge priority for the Sierra Club and a win for clean air, public health, and the fight to combat climate change. Projects and partnerships like this that maximize the opportunities created by new offshore wind development to ensure the phase-out of gas generation while ensuring a just transition at the site are a model for New York's energy transition," said Allison Considine, Senior Campaign Representative, Sierra Club.

"I am excited to stand with other members of the Astoria community in support of the vision of Renewable Ravenswood," said Costa Constantinides, CEO of Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens. "Renewable Ravenswood can be a transformational moment for Western Queens looking to bring over 1400 mw of clean renewable energy to a community that has been for decades overburdened with fossil fuel infrastructure. Western Queens is the future for renewable energy replacing Asthma Alley with Renewable Row and this announcement today moves us towards a cleaner, greener community!"

"Today's announcement marks a significant milestone for Long Island City's role in the green economy of the future," said Laura Rothrock, President of Long Island City Partnership. "Bringing offshore wind energy to Queens will deliver wins for the environment and economy, further cementing this neighborhood as a hub of innovation."

"The Renewable Ravenswood plan will profoundly impact the residents of Western Queens, especially those living in the public housing communities of Queensbridge, Astoria, and Ravenswood Houses, providing much-needed health and economic benefits. Through key partnerships and community investment, the plan will positively affect many other front-line communities facing the threat of climate change and environmental justice issues exacerbated by fossil fuel generation plants," said Alex Zablocki, Executive Director, Fund for Public Housing. "The Fund for Public Housing looks forward to partnering with Rise Light & Power to ensure future community investment programs uplift and lead to more sustainable public housing communities."

"As Trust for Public Land works to make New York greener so that more neighborhoods have the benefits of open space and trees, through projects such as creating a Community Schoolyard at PS 111Q with the support of Rise Light & Power, we are encouraged to see this partnership to deliver offshore wind energy to Ravenswood Generating Station to improve air quality in local neighborhoods and to help New York State meet its CLCPA goals" said Carter Strickland, Vice President Mid-Atlantic Region, New York State Director.

"Western Queens, including tens of thousands of NYCHA residents, has been unjustly burdened by power plants located in our backyard for decades," said Corinne Haynes-Wood, President of NYCHA Queensbridge Residents Association. "We've been eagerly awaiting Rise Light & Power's next steps with its Renewable Ravenswood vision and are extremely supportive of their new partnership to bring offshore wind energy here. Our community deserves clean air and we will do everything we can to support this plan."

"Until Rise Light & Power started speaking to us about Renewable Ravenswood, we thought our community would never find a partner willing to work together with the community to build a clean energy future," said Carol Wilkins, President of NYCHA Ravenswood Residents Association. "Rise's proposal to connect offshore wind to our neighborhood means we are getting that much closer to seeing the future we've been demanding for decades."

"NYCHA is proud to be part of the discussion about our energy future with Rise Light & Power," said Vanessa Jones-Hall, President of NYCHA Astoria Residents Association. "We couldn't be happier to see the progress Rise Light & Power is making by bringing in an offshore wind partner to support Renewable Ravenswood, a plan expected to bring new job opportunities and cleaner and healthier air for our Western Queens NYCHA residents which will also benefit many future generations."

"Any renewable energy transition plan must have environmental justice as a top priority for both developers and policy-makers," said Ann Cotton Morris, President of NYCHA Queens District & NYCHA Woodside Residents Association. "We continue to believe Rise Light & Power will make Renewable Ravenswood a reality and bring clean heating for our homes, workforce development and clean electricity to our neighborhood."

"Renewable Ravenswood is, at its core, an environmental justice plan," said Lynn Spivey, President of the NAACP NYCHA Branch. "This project will help create real economic opportunities for New Yorkers living in NYCHA and will address environmental injustice that we have endured for generations. I look forward to the day this project moves forward and hope it is the first of many."

"As I've said before, clean energy in Western Queens is more than just publicity  this is real life. I am proud to see the changes being proposed as a result of my community's advocacy, and thank Rise Light & Power for their partnership," said Claudia Coger, NYCHA Astoria. "Our children deserve to grow up in a world that is healthy and safe for them."

"Rise has shown themselves to be a dedicated partner to Western Queens since taking over Ravenswood Generating," said April Simpson, Community Advocate. "By proposing Renewable Ravenswood, they have heard our call for a cleaner environment and bold investments in our community. This offshore wind proposal is a major step towards achieving that vision and we look forward to its success."

"The South Bronx is a frontline community grappling with the effects of climate change while also confronting pervasive environmental inequity," said Maria Torres, President & COO, The POINT CDC. "We are the host community for 4 NYPA Peakers of our own and fossil fuel plant emissions from western Queens drift across the East River into our neighborhoods, our parks, and our schoolyards. So we have a real stake in ending fossil fuel generation across the region and we are proud to have played a role in helping to pass the CLCPA and activate the solutions that will ultimately help us replace plants like Ravenswood with clean energy hubs. We applaud the efforts of EJ advocates in The Bronx and Queens who have worked in good faith with Rise Light to bring us to this day and hope that Rise Light's offshore wind project becomes a model for other communities seeking to close power plants while rebuilding local economies."

"The Staten Island Urban Center is pleased to be a part of Rise's Offshore Wind project to replace city fossil fuel generation with green renewable wind energy and to provide family sustaining green jobs in communities where they are most needed, helping to help lift the banner for environmental justice," said Kelly Vilar, CEO of Staten Island Urban Center.

About Rise Light & Power

Rise Light & Power is a New York City based energy asset manager and developer, and is actively transforming its core asset, the Ravenswood Generating Station, into a new clean energy hub. By redeveloping New York City's largest power generating facility, Rise will permanently replace fossil fuel power with renewable energy, while providing a just transition for its existing union workforce and economic opportunities for surrounding communities. Renewable Ravenswood, core to Rise's growth-oriented strategy, is at the forefront of the ambitious clean energy transition taking place in New York State and will continue to provide reliable and cost-effective electricity for New York City for decades to come. Rise Light & Power is a wholly owned affiliate of LS Power. For more information, please visit www.riselight.com.

SOURCE Rise Light & Power
Nearly $3.6 million and 10,400 hours donated last year

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sammons Financial Group, Inc. continued its ongoing community support by donating nearly $3.6 million to charitable organizations throughout 2022. Additionally, employees contributed 10,400 hours in volunteer service, 90% higher than 2021 volunteer hours.

"Our employees have always stepped up for our communities, and I'm proud and humbled to see we've so dramatically increased our volunteer hours from 2021," said Esfand Dinshaw, chairman and chief executive officer at Sammons Financial Group. "A culture of giving is deeply woven into our DNA. Even though I know this to be true, I'm continually impressed by how our employees seem to give more and more support to our communities."

As an employee-owned company, Sammons Financial Group supports a broad range of local charitable organizations tackling issues and needs that its employees are passionate about. In 2022, the company supported organizations focused on diversity and inclusion, homelessness, education, hunger, and children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and specialized healthcare needs.

"It's incredible to see the passion and excitement when our teams come together to make a difference in our communities," said Tom Nucaro, chair of Sammons Financial Group's Des Moines-area community involvement committee. "While many of our donations are allocated at the corporate-level, we also have opportunities for our employees to nominate charities and direct funds to the organizations that are most impactful to them."

Sammons Financial Group has corporate locations in five cities  each donating a portion of the total $3.6 million to local community partners. A few 2022 highlights include:

Central Iowa : From its West Des Moines office, Sammons Financial Group donated more than $1.1 million to organizations in the community. This includes a number of charities from the Community Outreach Program, United Way, Principal Charity Classic , Special Olympics of Iowa , The Legacy Project, West Des Moines Pedestrian Bridge, ChildServe, and Single Parent Provision. Employees volunteered nearly 5,000 hours for these, and other, causes. Sammons Financial Group also has more than 40 employees on boards of local charitable organizations.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota : Sioux Falls-area charities received nearly $1 million , including donations made through the Community Impact Challenge. Funding went to United Way, South Dakota Furniture Mission, Forward Sioux Falls, South Dakota Special Olympics, LifeScape, Junior Achievement, Military Heritage Alliance, Children's Home Society, and Boys & Girls Club. Employees also logged more than 5,100 volunteer hours, a 133% increase from 2021.

Fargo, North Dakota : In Fargo, $400,000 went to key organizations, such as YWCA of Cass -Clay, Fraser LTD, United Way, Legacy Children's Foundation, and Great Plains Food Bank. Employees tallied more than 300 volunteer service hours.

Chicago, Illinois : Chicago-based charities received nearly $400,000 in 2022. Key partners included Cal's All-Star Angel Foundation , Marillac St. Vincent Family Services, Deborah's Place, The Boulevard, and various charities through the Big Hearts Program.





Chicago-based charities received nearly in 2022. Key partners included Cal's All-Star , Marillac St. Vincent Family Services, Deborah's Place, The Boulevard, and various charities through the Big Hearts Program. Dayton, Ohio : In Dayton , employees supported Brigid's Path, YWCA, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dayton , Big Brothers Big Sisters Miami Valley, Ronald McDonald House of Dayton , For Love of Children, Dayton Food Bank, First Dawn Food Pantry, and Be Concerned.

"The health of our communities impacts us all, and it's vital we do our part," added Dinshaw. "Every dollar donated and every volunteer hour given is another building block strengthening the foundation of our communities."

About Sammons Financial Group, Inc.

The companies of Sammons Financial Group help families and businesses protect their future to enjoy life's moments today. A subsidiary of Sammons Enterprises, Inc., Sammons Financial Group is privately owned with member companies that are among the most enduring and stable in the financial services industry. Our companies include Midland National Life Insurance Company (including Sammons Corporate Markets); North American Company for Life and Health Insurance; Sammons Institutional Group (including Midland Retirement Distributors and Sammons Retirement Solutions) and Beacon Capital Management, Inc. Together, we offer today's most sought-after life insurance, annuity, and retirement planning products.

SOURCE Sammons Financial Group, Inc.
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Satellite-Based Earth Observation Market By Product Type, By Satellite Orbit, By End-use: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

According to the report, "Satellite-Based Earth Observation Market," the satellite-based earth observation market was valued at $5.7 billion in 2021, and is estimated to reach $11.3 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2022 to 2031.

North America is expected to dominate the global satellite-based earth observation market in 2021. Government and military organizations using satellite imaging for mapping, military reconnaissance, disaster management, and others. The increasing number of terrorist attacks and natural disasters, along with growing requirement for communication of sensitive information in such situations has increased the adoption of satellite-based earth observation.

Numerous companies are awarding contracts for the development of nanosatellites which can be launched into low earth orbit to provide earth observation data, fuels the growth of the low earth orbit segment. For instance, in April 2022, Promethee, a satellite operator, contracted NanoAvionics to build first nanosatellite for the company's planned constellation of earth observation nanosatellites and image analysis platform.

"ProtoMethee-1" will be based on NanoAvionics' flight-proven 16U nanosatellite bus M16P and is planned for launch in low earth orbit (LEO) towards the end of 2023. The Protomethee-1 will provide data and images from its constellation which will be useful in forest fire detection, water management, and urban planning.

The growth of the global satellite-based earth observation market has propelled due to surge in demand for big data technology to generate accurate insights on EO data, advancements in earth observation satellite technologies, and high-demand for high-resolution imaging services. However, rise in utilization of alternative earth observation technologies and lack of skilled & trained personnel are the factors that hamper the growth of the market. Furthermore, growth in investments by several governments in space technology is the factor expected to offer growth opportunities during the forecast period.

Key Benefits For Stakeholders

This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the satellite-based earth observation market analysis from 2021 to 2031 to identify the prevailing satellite-based earth observation market opportunities.

The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities.

Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network.

In-depth analysis of the satellite-based earth observation market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities.

Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market.

Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players.

The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global satellite-based earth observation market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies.

Key Market Segments

By Product Type

EO Data

Value-Added Services

By Satellite Orbit

Low Earth Orbit

Medium Earth Orbit

Geostationary orbit

By End-use

Defense

Urban Development and Cultural Heritage

Agriculture

Climate Services

Energy and Raw Materials

Infrastructure

Others

By Region

North America

U.S.

Canada

Mexico

Europe

Germany

France

UK

Russia

Rest Of Europe

Asia-Pacific

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Rest Of Asia-Pacific

LAMEA

Latin America

Middle East

Africa

Key Market Players

Airbus S.A.S.

Boeing Defense

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Intelsat S.A.

Inmarsat plc.

Planet Labs PBC

L3Harris TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

SkyWatch Space Applications Inc.

Raytheon

ST Microelectronics N.V

Thales Group

Furuno Electronic

Key Findings of the Study

By product type, the value-added services segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the near future.

By satellite orbit, the ow earth orbit segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the near future.

By end-use, the others segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the near future.

By region, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Key Topics Covered:

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION



CHAPTER 2: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



CHAPTER 3: MARKET OVERVIEW



CHAPTER 4: SATELLITE-BASED EARTH OBSERVATION MARKET, BY PRODUCT TYPE



CHAPTER 5: SATELLITE-BASED EARTH OBSERVATION MARKET, BY SATELLITE ORBIT



CHAPTER 6: SATELLITE-BASED EARTH OBSERVATION MARKET, BY END-USE



CHAPTER 7: SATELLITE-BASED EARTH OBSERVATION MARKET, BY REGION



CHAPTER 8: COMPANY LANDSCAPE



CHAPTER 9: COMPANY PROFILES

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ldxtl0

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact: Laura Wood | +353-1-481-1716 | [email protected]

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Scottie Resources Corp. ("Scottie" or the "Company") (TSXV: SCOT) (OTCQB: SCTSF) (FSE: SR8) is pleased to report new assays on its Blueberry Contact Zone including two high-grade intercepts of 34.5 g/t gold over 4.7 metres (SR22-186) and 130 g/t gold over 1.05 metres (SR22-222). Both of the high-grade intercepts occur at the lithological boundary between andesitic and siltstone units of the Hazelton Group; a near vertical, north-south oriented target known as the Blueberry Contact Zone. The high-grade intercept of Hole SR22-186 is approximately 90 metres downdip from hole SR22-156 which intercepted 194 g/t gold over 2.4 meters, reinforcing the extremely high-grade nature of that northern area of the deposit. Drilling in 2022 extended the strike length of the zone to >1450 metres and the depth to 390 metres. The Blueberry Contact Zone is 100% owned and royalty free and is located 2 kilometres north-northeast of the past-producing high-grade Scottie Gold Mine, 35 kilometres north of the town of Stewart, BC, along the Granduc Road.

Figure 1: Segmented vertical long section of the Blueberry Contact Zone and plan view illustrating the distribution of the drill holes along the section. Highlighting the distribution and status of drilled targets from the 2022 season and the reported results thus far, the grade contour model was created from pre-2022 drilling of the structure and will be updated once all the 2022 drill holes have been released. (CNW Group/Scottie Resources Corp.) Figure 2: Overview plan view map of the Scottie Gold Mine Project, illustrating the distribution of the most recent results, and the overall scope of the 2022 drill and the completed 2022 loop electromagnetic geophysical grids. (CNW Group/Scottie Resources Corp.)

Table 1: Selected results from new drill assay results (uncut) from the Blueberry Contact Zone.

Drill Hole

From (m) To (m) Width* (m) Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) SR22-181

197.60 199.10 1.50 1.75 0.0 SR22-186

153.70 155.20 1.50 3.55 0.0

234.90 236.40 1.50 1.26 0.0

252.00 253.00 1.00 1.08 5.0

335.00 339.70 4.70 34.5 11.8 including 335.00 336.00 1.00 128 30.0 SR22-200

66.60 69.00 2.40 1.49 0.0 SR22-201

367.36 371.50 4.14 4.18 8.6 SR22-222

131.95 133.00 1.05 130 51.0 SR22-225

35.00 36.50 1.50 2.23 3.0

75.00 76.00 1.00 1.70 1.0

85.60 86.60 1.00 4.56 7.0



* True thicknesses of mineralized intercepts are undetermined

President and CEO, Brad Rourke: "Our 2022 drill program continues to deliver high grade intercepts. The team leveraged previously collected data in order to come up with aggressive, yet geologically prudent drill targets that would substantially increase the size of the deposit, as well as illustrate the continuity of high-grade zones within it. Our success rate along the structure points to a robust mineralizing system  which still offers tremendous upside through expansion. We've begun planning our 2023 program and are anticipating a minimum of 20,000 metres of diamond drilling for the area."

About the Blueberry Contact Zone

The Blueberry Zone is located just 2 kilometres northeast of the 100% owned, past-producing Scottie Gold Mine located in British Columbia, Canada's Golden Triangle region. Historic trenching and channel sampling of the Blueberry Vein include results of 103.94 g/t gold over 1.43 metres, and 203.75 g/t gold over 1.90 metres. Despite high-grade surficial samples and easy road access, the Blueberry Vein had only limited reported drilling prior to the Company's exploration work. The target was significantly advanced during Scottie's 2019 drill program when an interval grading 7.44 g/t gold over 34.78 metres was intersected in a new splay off zone of the main Blueberry Vein. The drill results received in 2020 and 2021, coupled with surficial mapping and sampling suggest that this splay is in fact a major N-S mineralized structure, of which the Blueberry Vein was only a secondary structure. This zone is much wider than pursued in previous exploration models and drilling in 2022 has expanded its strike length to >1,450 metres and its depth to 390 metres. The zone is steeply dipping, and there is no current restraint on its potential depth; the mineralization at the adjacent Scottie Gold Mine has a vertical extent greater than 450 metres. The Blueberry Zone is located on the Granduc Road, 20 kilometres north of the Ascot Resources' Premier Project, which is fully financed for construction (Dec 12, 2022). Newcrest's Brucejack Mine is located 25 kilometres to the north.

Thomas Mumford, Ph.D., P.Geo and VP Exploration of Scottie, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the technical information contained in this news release on behalf of the Company.

Quality Assurance and Control

Results from samples taken during the 2022 field season were analyzed at SGS Minerals in Burnaby, BC. The sampling program was undertaken under the direction of Dr. Thomas Mumford. A secure chain of custody is maintained in transporting and storing of all samples. Gold was assayed using a fire assay with atomic absorption spectrometry and gravimetric finish when required (+9 g/t Au). Analysis by four acid digestion with multi-element ICP-AES analysis was conducted on all samples with silver and base metal over-limits being re-analyzed by emission spectrometry.

ABOUT SCOTTIE RESOURCES CORP.

Scottie owns a 100% interest in the Scottie Gold Mine Property which includes the Blueberry Zone and the high-grade, past-producing Scottie Gold Mine. Scottie also owns 100% interest in the Georgia Project which contains the high-grade past-producing Georgia River Mine, as well as the Cambria Project properties and the Sulu property. Altogether Scottie Resources holds more than 60,000 hectares of mineral claims in the Stewart Mining Camp in the Golden Triangle.

The Company's focus is on expanding the known mineralization around the past-producing mines while advancing near mine high-grade gold targets, with the purpose of delivering a potential resource.

All of the Company's properties are located in the area known as the Golden Triangle of British Columbia which is among the world's most prolific mineralized districts.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release may contain forwardlooking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forwardlooking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forwardlooking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date such statements were made. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forwardlooking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Scottie Resources Corp.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or "the Company") (NYSE: SDRL) (OSE: SDRL) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ana Zambelli as a new board director.

Ms. Zambelli brings significant industry experience to the Company, with more than 20 years' experience in the energy services sector in operational, commercial and finance roles. Ms. Zambelli served as Chief Commercial Officer at Maersk Drilling, Managing Director at Transocean, and President of the Brazilian division of Schlumberger. Last, she served as a Managing Director in Brookfield's Private Equity Group, responsible for business operations in Brazil, where she also provided operational and financial oversight for Brookfield portfolio companies. Ms. Zambelli previously served as an independent member of the Board of Directors of Petrobras and Braskem, and was the founder and leader of the Diversity Committee at the Brazilian Petroleum Institute (IBP) from 2018 to present.

Julie Robertson, Chair of the Board, Seadrill Limited, commented: "We warmly welcome Ana to the Seadrill Board. Her extensive experience in the energy services sector, including executive management positions for leading drilling contractors, together with her board experience, complement the Seadrill Board and management team, who are focussed on continuing to position Seadrill as the leading offshore driller."

About Seadrill

Seadrill is a leading offshore drilling contractor utilizing advanced technology to unlock oil and gas resources for clients across harsh and benign locations around the globe. Seadrill's high-quality, technologically-advanced fleet spans all asset classes allowing its experienced crews to conduct operations across geographies, from shallow to ultra-deep-water environments.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking statements. Such statements are generally not historical in nature, and specifically include statements about the Company's plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in its business and the markets in which it operates.

These statements are made based upon management's current plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risks described from time to time in the Company's regulatory filings and periodical reporting. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of these factors. Further, the Company cannot assess the impact of each such factor on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should also keep in mind the risks described from time to time in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2022 (File No. 001-39327).

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

CONTACT:

[email protected]

SOURCE Seadrill Limited
SINGAPORE, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Some 300 government and industry leaders from countries across the Asia Pacific will gather in Singapore for an inaugural region-wide summit to discuss how to ensure aviation safety as the aviation sector recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has added unprecedented challenges to aviation safety, including the availability and proficiency of skilled personnel, the airworthiness of aircraft returning to service from storage, familiarity with new procedures, and safety regime, culture and leadership in companies under financial pressure to ramp up service. Disruptive shifts in the aviation sector and the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and unmanned aircraft systems, while creating exciting new opportunities, also pose unique safety risks.

The three-day Asia Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety (AP-SAS) will discuss these safety challenges, why and how safety incidents happen, and initiatives to strengthen aviation safety, including addressing human factors issues and leveraging operational data and technology. Keynote speakers include prominent international aviation experts such as Stephen P. Creamer, director of the Air Navigation Bureau at the International Civil Aviation Organization; Christopher Hart, former U.S. National Transportation Safety Board chairman; and Patrick Ky, executive director, European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The inaugural summit, organised by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), will be held in Singapore at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, from 22 to 24 March 2023.

Mr Han Kok Juan, director-general of CAAS, said: "Singapore is privileged and honoured to be able to develop, launch and co-organise this region-wide summit with the Flight Safety Foundation. While countries have their own national regimes, aviation is cross-border, and airlines operate across national boundaries; region-wide cooperation is necessary to assure aviation safety. The summit is timely, as regulators, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, air navigation service providers, aerodrome operators and other aviation organisations grapple with safety challenges and incidents with air traffic volume returning to pre-pandemic levels. Our working together will help more effectively assure the travelling public of aviation safety."

Dr. Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation, said: "We are very pleased that Steve Creamer, Chris Hart and Patrick Ky will deliver the AP-SAS keynote addresses. Their breadth of experience and in-depth knowledge of aviation safety issues give them unique perspectives on the industry's challenges moving forward."

For more information on the event programme and to register, visit https://flightsafety.org/ap-sas2023/

About the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore

The mission of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is to grow a safe, vibrant air hub and civil aviation system, making a key contribution to Singapore's success. CAAS' roles are to oversee and promote safety in the aviation industry, develop the air hub and aviation industry, provide air navigation services, provide aviation training for human resource development, and contribute to the development of international civil aviation. For more information, visit www.caas.gov.sg.

About Flight Safety Foundation

Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, non-profit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to connect, influence and lead global aviation safety. For more information, visit www.flightsafety.org.

Media Contacts:

CAAS

Ms. Violetta Wong

Assistant Director (Corporate Communications)

v[email protected]

FSF

Frank Jackman

Director, Communications and Research

+1 703.739.6700, ext. 116

[email protected]

SOURCE Flight Safety Foundation
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sky Leasing LLC ("SKY Leasing") a leading alternative asset manager with extensive experience investing institutional capital in aviation, today announced the final close of Sky Fund V, L.P. ("SFV or the Fund"). The Fund closed oversubscribed with approximately $770 million in capital commitments with strong support from existing and new investors that include global insurance companies, sovereigns, pension funds, endowments, foundations, and family offices.

The Fund is a continuation of the investment program of SKY Leasing focused on providing capital solutions to airlines seeking fleet modernization primarily through the sale-leaseback of new aircraft deliveries. To date, SFV has committed over half of the capital raised to acquire a fleet of 48 aircraft with an average age under three years.

"The capital raised for SFV is well positioned for the post-covid recovery period, which continues to present attractive investment opportunities for new and young mid-life aircraft" said Austin Wiley, Chief Executive Officer of SKY Leasing.

Eaton Partners acted as the exclusive global placement agent for the Fund.

About SKY Leasing

SKY Leasing, LLC ("SKY Leasing") is a premier aircraft leasing asset manager with offices in San Francisco, California, Dublin, Ireland, and Singapore. The company's fund management business was founded in 2019, in partnership with M&G Investments. Since 2016, SKY Leasing has invested over $7 billion to acquire new and young mid-life aircraft. For more information about SKY Leasing, visit www.skyleasing.com.

CONTACT:

Anne Marie Scaramuzza,

[email protected]

SOURCE SKY Leasing
The Dijkstra Black Music Collection includes over 8,000 vinyl discs spanning the history of Jazz, Blues, Reggae, and R&B

STANFORD, Calif., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bram Dijkstra, professor emeritus at UC San Diego, and renowned literary agent Sandra Dijkstra have donated their music collection, nearly 65 years in the making, of irreplaceable recordings of jazz, Jamaican music, blues, soul, and other genres.

Bram Dijkstra standing in front of a portion of his collection prior to it being shipped to Stanford Libraries, where it will be permanently housed as part of its Archive of Recorded Sound at the Music Library. Photo by Sandy Dijkstra.

Stanford Libraries has accepted the generous donation of the Dijkstra Black Music Collection, a selection of approximately 8,000 commercial vinyl discs in near mint condition. "The collection is remarkable in its scope, depth, and curatorial vision," said Michael A. Keller, the Ida M. Green University Librarian at Stanford.

About half of the discs in the Dijkstra collection document the work of essential twentieth-century jazz artists, creating a core jazz library that according to Keller "complements and dramatically enriches Stanford's existing holdings, including the Monterey Jazz Festival Collection and the Riverwalk Jazz Collection." The unparalleled corpus of Jamaican popular music, which includes representation of instrumentalists, vocalists, and DJs, establishes a new research strength for Stanford.

Once the collection is catalogued and available for use, Stanford will follow audio preservation best practices to protect the integrity of the discs and will provide digital listening access to students, faculty, and researchers while welcoming them to examine the physical discs, sleeves, and liner notes by appointment at Stanford's Archive of Recorded Sound (ARS).

"The ARS was founded in 1958 to preserve sound recordings as a core part of our cultural heritage," said Tamar Barzel, head music librarian at Stanford. "The Dijkstra Black Music Collection will have a meaningful and profound effect on ARS collections, which have historically been strongest in early jazz, classical music, and opera."

Bram Dijkstra's diligence and passion for documenting the full sweep of jazz history and Jamaican popular music has been a lifelong pursuit. Dijkstra, who was born on a small Indonesian island and raised in Holland, traces its inception to a transformative experience listening to a new record by the New Miles Davis Quintet in 1955. "I admired Miles Davis' clear, coherent trumpet, but I was shocked into incredulous admiration by the hoarse, abrasive, yet melodious solos of the young tenor saxophone player Miles was featuring here for the first time, someone with the rather strange name of John Coltrane," said Dijkstra. He recalled that Coltrane's playing, "rough-toned and oddly jagged, daringly dancing on the edge of failure, but driven by an inner rhythm that steadied every part," seemed to express what he was feeling  it "made almost physically tangible the music that was in my soul."

That initial impression endured, inspiring a relocation to the United States, an immersion in African American music, and a commitment to creative work. John Coltrane, he wrote, "taught me to listen to Black music in all its many forms: Coltrane called me to America. He taught me that to be creative is to always search for what is betterand that searching for anything likely to make us better is never neat."

Original and early pressings in the collection represent the best extant examples for many of Coltrane's recordings. Rare individual discs, including Bob Marley's original 12-inch 45rpm single of "Buffalo Soldiers," Sun Ra's original Saturn issues with blank or hand-made covers, and early hip hop LPs, are also rich in research potential.

"Recordings are essential primary sources for contemporary music scholarship," remarked Professor Stephen Hinton, chair of Stanford's Music Department. "As we expand our programmatic offerings in the areas of jazz studies, popular music, and ethnomusicology, the Dijkstra Black Music Collection will be an indispensable resource for research and teaching."

Deep runs and other exceptional rarities are found within the Dijkstra Black Music Collection, including a full run of the Blue Note 1500 series of the late 1950s; virtually all John Coltrane commercial releases; a strong representation of avant-garde artists on small label releases from the U.S., Europe, and Japan; and a significant complement of artists' private-issue and limited-edition releases. The collection's appraised valuation exceeding $2.3 million reflects the many one-of-a-kind and extremely rare items, which are both of immense worth in the collectors' market and priceless in their cultural heritage and research value.

The donated collection arrives at a fortuitous moment in Stanford's history in tandem with the formation of the new African and African American Studies Department. Professor Ato Quayson, chair of the English Department, also chairs the Framework Task Force subcommittee focused on the departmentalization of African and African American Studies. "The Dijkstra Black Music Collection will instigate whole new research agendas in different areas of Black music studies," said Quayson. "It will be a boon to the Stanford community, and indeed to anyone beyond who wants to take jazz, popular music, and ethnomusicology seriously."

An event celebrating the collection is scheduled for February 13, 2023 from 5:30 p.m. at the Cecil H. Green Library on Stanford's historic campus. The event is free and registration is requested. The collection will remain unavailable while it is being processed; inquiries about the collection can be submitted to the Archive of Recorded Sound at Stanford Libraries.

Media contact: Gabrielle Karampelas, [email protected]

SOURCE Stanford Libraries
Deborah K. Wintner Appointed CHRO for Tools & Outdoor

NEW BRITAIN, Conn., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) today announced the appointment of John T. Lucas to Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). He will join the executive team and report to Stanley Black & Decker President & CEO, Donald Allan, Jr. In this role, Lucas will be responsible for the company's global human resources strategy and operations; talent management, including recruitment and leadership development; and compensation and benefits. Current interim CHRO Deborah K. Wintner will assume the role of CHRO for the company's largest segment, Tools & Outdoor.

Lucas's appointment is effective Jan. 30, 2023.

"We are pleased to welcome John to the Stanley Black & Decker family to continue to elevate our commitment to our people and organizational effectiveness as we transform the business," said Allan. "John brings a highly distinguished track record with world-class expertise in human capital management that will be instrumental to enabling the long-term success of our business and culture. I would also like to thank Deborah for her leadership and significant contributions to the global HR function as interim CHRO and congratulate her on her appointment to CHRO for Tools & Outdoor."

Lucas has more than 35 years of human resources experience, serving for the last 10 years as the most senior HR executive for global multinational companies in the Fortune 50 and Fortune 150, including Lockheed Martin and Goodyear. He has also held senior human resources roles at Microsoft, Kodak and Merck. Lucas was most recently the founder of True North Human Capital Consulting, LLC, where he provided counsel to Fortune 200 and private companies across all areas of human capital strategies, including institutionalizing best-in-class HR programs and establishing global talent management systems.

"I am honored to join Stanley Black & Decker, a leading manufacturing company known for its iconic brands and developing innovative products and services that empower people to do better, safer and more significant work," said Lucas. "As the company celebrates its 180th anniversary in 2023, I look forward to contributing to its rich history and culture as we advance Stanley Black & Decker's business transformation while keeping its high-performing employees at the core."

Lucas earned a M.A. in Labor and Industrial Relations from St. Francis University and a B.A. in Economics from Washington and Jefferson College. He was awarded the Maurice Cleveland Waltersdorf Award for distinguished and innovation leadership from Washington and Jefferson College in 2017.

About Stanley Black & Decker

Headquartered in the USA, Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is a worldwide leader in tools and outdoor operating manufacturing facilities worldwide. Guided by its purpose  for those who make the world  the company's more than 50,000 diverse and high-performing employees produce innovative, award-winning power tools, hand tools, storage, digital tool solutions, lifestyle products, outdoor products, engineered fasteners and other industrial equipment to support the world's makers, creators, tradespeople and builders. The company's iconic brands include DEWALT, BLACK+DECKER, CRAFTSMAN, STANLEY, CUB CADET, HUSTLER and TROY-BILT. Recognized for its leadership in environmental, social and governance (ESG), Stanley Black & Decker strives to be a force for good in support of its communities, employees, customers and other stakeholders. To learn more visit: www.stanleyblackanddecker.com

Media Contact:

Debora Raymond

Vice President, Public Relations

[email protected]

203-640-8054

Investor Contact:

Dennis Lange

Vice President, Investor Relations

[email protected]

860-827-3833

SOURCE Stanley Black & Decker
See Who Wins at #AMWA2023 Annual Meeting, March 23-26

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Five women physician entrepreneurs have been selected as Start-up Pitch Finalists for the 1st American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) Healthcare Innovation Challenge. At 1:00 pm ET on Saturday, March 25th, as part of AMWA's 108th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, the five finalists will compete for the grand prize of $10,000 cash plus a one-year membership in MATTER.health. All finalists will also be awarded an AMWAxCEL Fellowship, which offers additional expert support for their start-up endeavor.

Announcing the AMWA 2023 Healthcare Innovation Challenge Start-up Pitch Finalists

The 2023 AMWA Healthcare Innovation Challenge Start-up Pitch Finalists are:

Eun Jung Choi , MD, PhD, MBA, CEO and Founder of Spave Science, Inc.

, MD, PhD, MBA, CEO and Founder of Paula Doyle , MD, FPMRS, CEO and Founder of EndoGlow

, MD, FPMRS, CEO and Founder of Ruchi Gupta , MD, MPH, Founder of Yobee Care, Inc.

, MD, MPH, Founder of Maggie Koos , MD, MS, Founder of Koos Medical Innovations, LLC

, MD, MS, Founder of Koos Medical Innovations, LLC Grace Lin , MD, MBA, CEO of HeartScreen Health

"The AMWA 2023 Healthcare Innovation Challenge pitch finalists were selected from a pool of highly talented applicants," said Dima Elissa, MBA, AMWA Innovation Challenge Committee Chair and Founder and CEO of VisMed3D . "Their bold and visionary ideas, coupled with their relentless determination, are a testament to the power of innovation and the impact it can have on improving patient care. These women physician entrepreneurs are true leaders in their field and we are honored to recognize their achievements."

The AMWA 2023 Healthcare Innovation Challenge will also feature a Poster Session that is open to applications from all women entrepreneurs in healthcare. Three winning posters will be recognized with an AMWAxCEL Fellowship. Poster abstracts are being accepted for review through February 10. Interested parties can apply at: bit.ly/amwainnovate2023

"Women physicians and other women healthcare leaders play critical roles in our healthcare system and we represent and have a unique understanding of the needs of women patients," said AMWA President, Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, MD , who is Professor of Medicine at AU/UGA Medical Partnership. "These are some of the many reasons it's a strategic miss that women-led startups receive less than 3% of venture capital funding. We created the AMWA Healthcare Innovation Challenge to help change this dynamic. On behalf of AMWA, I extend congratulations and best of luck to all five of our Start-up Pitch Finalists. We thank each and every one of our participants for their inspiration and dedication to pursuing their brilliant ideas!"

AMWA thanks 2023 Healthcare Innovation Challenge sponsors MATTER.health , the premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub, World Business Chicago , the city of Chicago's public-private economic development agency, and iBIO , the state trade association that represents biosciences jobs in Illinois, primarily in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

For more information about the #AMWA2023 Annual Meeting, visit: bit.ly/amwa2023.

American Medical Women's Association is a multispecialty organization of women physicians committed to advancing women in medicine, advocating for equity, and ensuring excellence in health care. Learn more at amwa-doc.org.

Media contact:

Heather Van Ness

[email protected]

9176804440

SOURCE American Medical Women's Association
Data demonstrates that STC-15, an oral METTL3 inhibitor, exhibits efficacy as a single agent and in combination with venetoclax using patient-derived tumor models

STC-15 Phase 1 study in solid tumors aims to identify doses and regimen for potential clinical studies in AML and solid tumors

CAMBRIDGE, England, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- STORM Therapeutics Ltd. (STORM), the clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing novel small molecule therapies targeting RNA modifying enzymes (RMEs) for oncology and other diseases, presented new data on its lead candidate, the METTL3 inhibitor STC-15. The new data in AML preclinical models was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Special Conference: Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome, hosted in Austin, Texas on the 23-25 January.

The presentation entitled 'STC-15, a novel METTL3 inhibitor, and its combination with venetoclax confer anti-tumour activity in AML models' detailed the study of the pharmacological inhibition of METTL3 as monotherapy or in combination with venetoclax (FDA approved for AML treatment) in models of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in vitro and in vivo.

Preclinical data demonstrated that:

STC-15 inhibited proliferation in some AML cell lines with sub- micromolar IC50 values STC-15 inhibited the growth of 12 patient-derived AML samples in vitro with IC50 values reflecting a mean of approximately 1 micromolar STC-15 reduced BCL2 protein levels in a dose-dependent manner in the majority of AML cell lines tested STC-15 showed synergistic inhibition of tumor cell growth in vitro when combined with venetoclax In an AML patient-derived in vivo model, STC-15 extended survival when compared to a vehicle-treated control group and a venatoclax-treated group of animals In addition, STC-15 showed a decrease in circulating human CD45+ cells and decreased spleen weight when compared to vehicle treated animals

STORMS lead candidate STC-15 is advancing its ongoing Phase 1 study. The details of the study can be found on clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT05584111.

Oliver Rausch, Chief Scientific Officer of STORM Therapeutics, said: "These studies provide evidence for the utility of METTL3 inhibitors as a new therapeutic approach to treat AML. We are delighted with the outcome of the data which further validates our previous publication that treatment with METTL3 inhibitors led to the downregulation of BCL2 protein levels in several AML cell lines and in vivo models and provides the rationale for conducting a clinical trial in AML with STC-15."

Jerry McMahon, Chief Executive Officer & President of STORM Therapeutics, said: "We are excited to present this new data with patient-derived tumor samples supporting the future clinical development of STC-15 in AML. Our ongoing Phase 1 multiple-ascending dose study in solid tumors is focused on establishing a potential dose and regimen of STC-15 to conduct future clinical studies in AML and solid tumors."

Details of the conference and presented poster are as follow:

Poster Presented Title: STC-15, a novel METTL3 inhibitor, and its combination with venetoclax confer anti-tumour activity in AML models

Presenting Authors: Lina Vasiliauskaite1, Yaara Ofir-Rosenfeld1, Mark Albertella1, Coralie Hoareau-Aveilla2, Jerry McMahon1, Oliver Rausch1

Date and Time: Tuesday, 24 January, 07.15  21.30 ET

1Storm Therapeutics Ltd., Cambridge, UK

2Evotec SAS, Toulouse, FR

The Poster and Abstract are available on the STORM Therapeutics website: Publications.

STORM has developed potent and selective METTL3 inhibitors which include the first-in-class clinical candidate STC-15, an orally bioavailable, highly selective METTL3 inhibitor which commenced a clinical trial in cancer patients with solid tumors in November 2022.

About STORM Therapeutics

STORM Therapeutics (STORM) is a clinical stage biotechnology company creating novel therapies that inhibit RNA modifying enzymes (RME) for use in oncology and other diseases. There are more than 150 RNA modifications reported and approximately 300 RNA modifying enzymes which represent novel therapeutic targets.

STORM has leveraged its first-mover advantage to establish a novel drug discovery and RNA analytics platform leading to the identification of novel targets and a proprietary pipeline of first-in-class small-molecule drug candidates for potential use in oncology, inflammation, viral infection and CNS diseases.

The pipeline is exemplified by STORM's METTL3 inhibitor, STC-15, which has received IND approval and commenced its Phase 1 clinical study in cancer patients in November 2022. STC-15 represents the first ever RNA modifying enzyme inhibitor to enter clinical evaluation in humans. Additional programs are planned for advancement into IND-track activities in 2023.

Fierce Biotech named STORM as one of its 2022 "Fierce 15", designating it as one of the most innovative, exciting biotechnology companies in the industry, pioneering novel drug targets.

STORM investors include M Ventures, Pfizer Ventures, Taiho Ventures LLC, Cambridge Innovation Capital I Limited, Seroba Life Sciences, IP Group plc, Fast Track Initiative (FTI), and the UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd. (UTokyo IPC).

For more information, please visit www.stormtherapeutics.com

About STC-15

STORM's lead clinical program STC-15 is a first-in-class inhibitor of RNA modification and is the first ever RNA methyltransferase inhibitor to enter clinical development. STC-15 is an oral small molecule that inhibits METTL3, an RNA methyltransferase implicated in oncology and other diseases. Certain RNA methyltransferases are important regulators of RNA sensing and innate immune activation and represent novel immune-regulatory targets.

STC-15 has also been shown to inhibit tumor growth through mechanisms involving anti-cancer immune responses, such as changes in interferon signaling and synergy with T cell checkpoint blockade. In addition, this compound has demonstrated efficacy in leukemia models via mechanisms such inhibition of leukemia stem cell function.

STORM commenced the dosing of the first patient in a Phase 1 clinical study of STC-15 in patients living with solid tumors in November 2022 and anticipates presenting additional results from its study in 2023. Details of the study can be found on clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT05584111.

SOURCE STORM Therapeutics
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study published by the American Accounting Association finds wealth taxes in Europe are having an unexpected consequence: driving up dividend payouts in order to help executives with large stock holdings pay their taxes.

"Our study presents a new consideration in the debate over wealth taxes," says Gaizka Ormazabal, corresponding author of a paper on the work and a professor in the IESE Business School at the University of Navarre. "Specifically, we find that wealth taxes can have a questionable effect on corporate decision making."

While this research focused on wealth taxes in Europe, these findings may also inform efforts in other countries  including the United States  to implement similar taxes.

Wealth taxes are levied as a percentage of an individual's total net wealth, which is commonly computed as the sum of the individual's taxable assets  such as investments  minus the value of the individual's debts. For many corporate executives, much of their wealth is in the form of stock in their company. When those stocks increase in value, so does the executive's wealth tax.

This can pose a challenge because while the executive's wealth may consist largely of stocks, taxes need to be paid in cash. One way to resolve this problem is for the executive's company to increase dividend payouts.

To see if this was taking place, and how it affected relevant companies, the researchers evaluated publicly available data on 4,381 companies based in European countries that have, or had, wealth taxes between 2000 and 2017.

The researchers found that closely held companies, particularly family firms, are more likely to increase dividends when majority stockholders are facing a sharp increase in wealth taxes. The researchers also found that these higher payouts were associated with declines in subsequent investment  and elicited lower stock returns.

"Tax-driven dividend increases may be useful for majority shareholders, but may not be in the best interest of the company  which could have used those funds to finance profitable projects," Ormazabal says. "In other words, increasing dividends to help an executive meet tax obligations can hurt the company and, ultimately, other shareholders."

"Wealth taxes can also help reduce social inequality, which is valuable in itself," Ormazabal says. "However, we think it is important to better understand the varied  and unanticipated  consequences that may be associated with implementing wealth taxes."

The paper, "Individual Wealth Taxes and Corporate Payouts," is published in The Accounting Review. The paper was co-authored by Raul Barroso of the Universite de Lille, and Donald N'Gatta of Cote d'Ivoire's MDE Business School.

The American Accounting Association (www.aaahq.org) is the largest community of accountants in academia. Founded in 1916, we have a rich and reputable history built on leading-edge research and publications. The diversity of our membership creates a fertile environment for collaboration and innovation. Collectively, we shape the future of accounting through teaching, research and a powerful network, ensuring our position as thought leaders in accounting.

Media Contacts:

Gaizka Ormazabal, [email protected]

David Twiddy, [email protected], 941-556-4115

SOURCE American Accounting Association
TEL AVIV, Israel, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AccessibilityChecker.org, a leading web accessibility knowledge center, has published the results of a study that explores the relationship between web accessibility and search engine optimization (SEO). The study, titled " Does Web Accessibility Have a Positive Impact on SEO? A Data-Driven Study ," used data from Semrush and BuiltWith to analyze the correlation between accessibility and SEO.

The study found that websites that are fully compliant with web accessibility guidelines have a higher chance of ranking well in search engine results. The research team analyzed the data of 847 websites before and after they became accessible and compliant, and found that organic search traffic tends to grow following accessibility remediation, by an average of 12%

"Our study shows that web accessibility is not only important for people with disabilities, but it also has a positive impact on SEO," said Danny Trichter, Co-Founder of Accessibility Checker. "Websites that are fully accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, have a better chance of ranking well in search engine results. This is a win-win for both business owners and users."

AccessibilityChecker.org urges business owners to prioritize web accessibility not only for the sake of improving their SEO, but also to provide an inclusive and equitable user experience for all visitors. The organization offers a range of free tools, including automated accessibility testing and a color contrast compliance checker, along with professional guides, to assist users on their digital accessibility journey.

For more information about the study, visit the Accessibility Checker website .

For more information about accessibility legislation in the US, read about ADA Compliance .

About Accessibility Checker

Accessibility Checker is a leading web accessibility and compliance testing software and source of information. Our mission is to arm businesses with the most accurate and reliable information in order to avoid web accessibility lawsuits, and in turn create an easy, seamless web experience for the wider disabled community.

Contact:

Danny Trichter, Co-Founder

AccessibilityChecker.org

[email protected]

+66 0629405536

SOURCE AccessibilityChecker.org
NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Supply Chain Analytics Market by End-user, Deployment, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027 report has been published by Technavio. Market growth is estimated to accelerate at a CAGR of 20.07% and register an incremental growth of USD 10,121.6 million during the forecast period. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of growth opportunities at regional levels, new product launches, the latest trends, and the post-pandemic recovery of the global market. Download a PDF sample report

Regional Analysis

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Supply Chain Analytics Market 2023-2027

By region, the global supply chain analytics market is segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America. North America is estimated to contribute 39% to the growth of the global market over the forecast period. The need to increase operational efficiency, reduce the cost of maintaining supply chains in enterprises, and modernize logistics and warehouse operations is driving the demand for supply chain analytics in the US.

Company Profiles

The supply chain analytics market report includes information on the key products and recent developments of leading vendors, including:

Cloudera Inc: The company offers supply chain analytics through which we learn about trends in the retail, manufacturing, and supply chain industries, and how decision-makers can apply new data sources and technologies.

The company offers supply chain analytics through which we learn about trends in the retail, manufacturing, and supply chain industries, and how decision-makers can apply new data sources and technologies. Datameer Inc: The company offers supply chain analytics which involves making data-driven decisions in order to improve operational and tactical efficiency between vendor touchpoints.

The company offers supply chain analytics which involves making data-driven decisions in order to improve operational and tactical efficiency between vendor touchpoints. Infor Inc: The company offers supply chain analytics that modernizes the supply chain with smart and connected analytics.

The company offers supply chain analytics that modernizes the supply chain with smart and connected analytics. International Business Machines Corp: The company offers supply chain analytics which represents the ability to make data-driven decisions, based on a summary of relevant, trusted data, often using visualization in the form of graphs, charts and other means.

The company offers supply chain analytics which represents the ability to make data-driven decisions, based on a summary of relevant, trusted data, often using visualization in the form of graphs, charts and other means. Manhattan Associates Inc: The company offers supply chain analytics which accelerates speed to business values.

The company offers supply chain analytics which accelerates speed to business values. MicroStrategy Inc.

Oracle Corp.

QlikTech international AB

RELEX Oy

SAP SE

SAS Institute Inc.

Savi Technology Inc.

Software AG

Tableau Software LLC

TARGIT AS

TIBCO Software Inc.

Voxware Inc.

To gain access to more vendor profiles available with Technavio, buy the report!

Market Dynamics

The market is driven by factors such as the increased need to improve business processes, rising demand for omnichannel retailing, and the increasing need to improve supply chain visibility. However, the implementation challenges are hindering the market growth.

Competitive Analysis

The competitive scenario categorizes companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, and growth in market share, among others. Request a Sample

Market Segmentation

By end-user , the market is segmented into retail, manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and others. The retail segment accounted for the largest share of the market.

, the market is segmented into The retail segment accounted for the largest share of the market. By geography, the market is segmented into North America , Europe , APAC, Middle East , Africa , and South America . North America held the largest share of the market.

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Business Continuity Management Solutions Market by Deployment, End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027: The business continuity management solutions market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 16.1% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 778.32 million. The growing demand for business continuity management solutions from various industries is notably driving the market growth, although factors such as system integration and interoperability issues may impede the market growth.

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What are the key data covered in this supply chain analytics market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the supply chain analytics market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the supply chain analytics market and its contribution to the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the supply chain analytics market across North America, Europe , APAC, Middle East and Africa , and South America

, APAC, and , and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of supply chain analytics market vendors

Supply Chain Analytics Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 178 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 20.07% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 10121.6 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 14.09 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 39% Key countries US, China, Germany, UK, and France Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled American Software Inc., Antuit Inc., Axway Software SA, Cloudera Inc., Datameer Inc., Infor Inc., International Business Machines Corp., Manhattan Associates Inc., MicroStrategy Inc., Oracle Corp., QlikTech international AB, RELEX Oy, SAP SE, SAS Institute Inc., Savi Technology Inc., Software AG, Tableau Software LLC, TARGIT AS, TIBCO Software Inc., and Voxware Inc. Market dynamics Parent Market Analysis; Market growth inducers and obstacles; Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

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Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by End-user



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Deployment



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global supply chain analytics market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global supply chain analytics market 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 End-user Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  End-user Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 Deployment Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Deployment Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by End-user

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by End-user

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by End-user



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by End-user

6.3 Retail - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Retail - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Retail - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Retail - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Retail - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Manufacturing - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Manufacturing - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Manufacturing - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Manufacturing - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Manufacturing - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 42: Chart on Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 44: Chart on Healthcare - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Healthcare - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.6 Transportation - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 46: Chart on Transportation - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Transportation - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 48: Chart on Transportation - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Transportation - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 50: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 53: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.8 Market opportunity by End-user

Exhibit 54: Market opportunity by End-user ($ million)

7 Market Segmentation by Deployment

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 55: Chart on Deployment - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 56: Data Table on Deployment - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Deployment

Exhibit 57: Chart on Comparison by Deployment



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Comparison by Deployment

7.3 On-premise - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 59: Chart on On-premise - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 60: Data Table on On-premise - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 61: Chart on On-premise - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on On-premise - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Cloud-based - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 63: Chart on Cloud-based - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 64: Data Table on Cloud-based - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 65: Chart on Cloud-based - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 66: Data Table on Cloud-based - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Deployment

Exhibit 67: Market opportunity by Deployment ($ million)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 68: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 69: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 70: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 71: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 72: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 81: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 82: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 83: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 84: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 87: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 91: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 92: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 93: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 94: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 95: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 96: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 99: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 100: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 101: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 102: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 103: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 104: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 105: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 106: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 107: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 108: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 109: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 110: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 111: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 112: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 113: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 114: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 115: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 116: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 117: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 118: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 119: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 Antuit Inc.

Exhibit 120: Antuit Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 121: Antuit Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 122: Antuit Inc. - Key offerings

12.4 Cloudera Inc.

Exhibit 123: Cloudera Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 124: Cloudera Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 125: Cloudera Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 126: Cloudera Inc. - Segment focus

12.5 Datameer Inc.

Exhibit 127: Datameer Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 128: Datameer Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 129: Datameer Inc. - Key offerings

12.6 Infor Inc.

Exhibit 130: Infor Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 131: Infor Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 132: Infor Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 133: Infor Inc. - Key offerings

12.7 International Business Machines Corp.

Exhibit 134: International Business Machines Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 135: International Business Machines Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 136: International Business Machines Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 137: International Business Machines Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 138: International Business Machines Corp. - Segment focus

12.8 Manhattan Associates Inc.

Exhibit 139: Manhattan Associates Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 140: Manhattan Associates Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 141: Manhattan Associates Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 142: Manhattan Associates Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 143: Manhattan Associates Inc. - Segment focus

12.9 MicroStrategy Inc.

Exhibit 144: MicroStrategy Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 145: MicroStrategy Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 146: MicroStrategy Inc. - Key offerings

12.10 Oracle Corp.

Exhibit 147: Oracle Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 148: Oracle Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 149: Oracle Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 150: Oracle Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 151: Oracle Corp. - Segment focus

12.11 QlikTech international AB

Exhibit 152: QlikTech international AB - Overview



Exhibit 153: QlikTech international AB - Product / Service



Exhibit 154: QlikTech international AB - Key offerings

12.12 RELEX Oy

Exhibit 155: RELEX Oy - Overview



Exhibit 156: RELEX Oy - Product / Service



Exhibit 157: RELEX Oy - Key offerings

12.13 SAP SE

Exhibit 158: SAP SE - Overview



Exhibit 159: SAP SE - Business segments



Exhibit 160: SAP SE - Key news



Exhibit 161: SAP SE - Key offerings



Exhibit 162: SAP SE - Segment focus

12.14 SAS Institute Inc.

Exhibit 163: SAS Institute Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 164: SAS Institute Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 165: SAS Institute Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 166: SAS Institute Inc. - Key offerings

12.15 Software AG

Exhibit 167: Software AG - Overview



Exhibit 168: Software AG - Business segments



Exhibit 169: Software AG - Key offerings



Exhibit 170: Software AG - Segment focus

12.16 Tableau Software LLC

Exhibit 171: Tableau Software LLC - Overview



Exhibit 172: Tableau Software LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 173: Tableau Software LLC - Key offerings

12.17 TIBCO Software Inc.

Exhibit 174: TIBCO Software Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 175: TIBCO Software Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 176: TIBCO Software Inc. - Key offerings

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 177: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 178: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 179: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 180: Research methodology



Exhibit 181: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 182: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 183: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Surgical Directions, the leading expert in perioperative, procedural care, and anesthesia services, is proud to announce the appointment of Robert Johnson, RCPT, MBA as the Managing Director of Anesthesia and Mark Penkhus, MHA, MBA, FACHE as a Strategic Executive Advisor.

Mark Penkhus, MHA, MBA, FACHE, Surgical Directions Strategic Executive Advisor

Robert (Bob) Johnson brings a wealth of anesthesiology experience to Surgical Directions. He started his career in healthcare as a Perfusionist and Cardio-Pulmonary Technologist at Johns Hopkins and soon was appointed the Administrator for the Johns Hopkins Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. Johnson's success in an administrator role led to achieving the positions of Senior Associate Chief Operating Officer for Duke Hospital, Vice President of Administration at the Baylor College of Medicine, and Executive Director of Anesthesiology and Critical Care for UPMC. Bob left academic healthcare to pursue roles in for-profit companies such as the Chief Business Development Officer for Sheridan Healthcare (now Envision), Vice President of Hospital-based Physician Services at HCA, and Vice President of Business Development for Premier Anesthesia. Most recently, he co-founded a company called Physician Hospital Services Consulting in 2019 with Mark Penkhus. Johnson specializes in assessing, staffing, operations, and revenue cycles of anesthesia services.

"I am excited to join the team at Surgical Directions and bring my expertise in anesthesia services to the organization. I look forward to working with the experienced practitioners and consultants at Surgical Directions to tackle critical issues and achieve financial, operational, and clinical outcome excellence for our clients," says Johnson.

Mark Penkhus, MHA, MBA, FACHE, is a senior healthcare executive with broad leadership experience in both nationally recognized not-for-profit and for-profit healthcare corporations. His leadership experience includes governance, strategy, operations, and financial and transformational management. Mark is a facilitator and a change agent working effectively with boards, executive management, and medical staff leadership to align organizational strategies, operating objectives and financial goals, using disciplined data-driven approaches, and development of creative, clear, executable solutions. Mark has held numerous senior leadership roles with health systems nationwide. His experience includes National VP for Hospital-based Physician Services at HCA, Executive Vice President for Oregon Health and Sciences University, CEO for Vanderbilt University Hospitals, Managing Partner for EY, LLC for the MidAtlantic Performance Improvement Practice, and National Leader for Academic Health Centers, in Washington DC., and co-founder of the Blue Ridge Academic Health Group, a thought leadership consortium of leading Academic Health Centers, from 1997 to 2005. Mark started his career with Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, the largest Catholic hospital in New England, followed by a COO role with the Sisters of Charity Healthcare System Hospitals in Colorado and a CEO position in Michigan (now part of Common Sprit) before he was Executive Vice President at the Detroit Medical Center. Mark was the founder and CEO of Physician Hospital Services Consulting (PHSC LLC) from 2019 to 2023, until recently joining Surgical Directions.

"I am honored to join the team at Surgical Directions as a Strategic Executive Advisor. The organization's dedication to improving perioperative, procedural care, and anesthesia services aligns with my own passion for driving positive change in the healthcare industry. I look forward to leveraging my leadership experience to help Surgical Directions continue to grow and provide clinical and operational expertise to their clients."

"We are thrilled to welcome Bob and Mark to the Surgical Directions team," said Leslie Basham, CEO. "Their expertise and experience will rapidly expand and mature our anesthesia and other hospital-based services to better serve our clients. Together, we will continue to improve patient care, financial outcomes, and clinician engagement for our clients."

ABOUT SURGICAL DIRECTIONS

Surgical Directions is a healthcare solutions organization that helps clients improve perioperative, procedural care and anesthesia services through consulting, technology, and leadership. They partner with organizations to reduce costs and increase revenue using peer-to-peer leadership and process expertise coupled with actionable data analytics. Our team of experienced practitioners and consultants tackles critical issues while achieving financial, operational, and clinical outcome excellence. Surgical Directions has successfully served 400+ hospitals, ASCs, and medical groups to increase patient access and, most importantly, improve patient care. Additional information is available at www.surgicaldirections.com.

SOURCE Surgical Directions
21-year Partnership Results In Premier Repeat Sales Growth for Rooms To Go

Companies To Expand Digital Account Management Capabilities and Offer Special Promotional Financing

SEFFNER, Fla. and STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Synchrony (NYSE: SYF), a premier consumer financial services company, and Rooms To Go, the nation's largest independent furniture retailer, today announced the renewal of their strategic financing partnership. The multi-year agreement enables Room To Go cardholders to decorate now and pay over time with industry-leading digital account management features, special financing options and private discount offers.

Synchrony and Rooms To Go's strategic financing partnership enables Room To Go cardholders to decorate now and pay over time with industry-leading digital account management features, special financing options and private discount offers. Synchrony and Rooms To Go have partnered to enhance the consumer shopping experience by streamlining and simplifying the financing application process, launching new digital capabilities which will enable Rooms To Go to offer greater buying power and convenient financing to their customers.

In this omni-channel age, Synchrony and Rooms To Go have partnered to enhance the consumer shopping experience by streamlining and simplifying the financing application process. Recently, Synchrony launched new digital capabilities for Rooms To Go which will enable Rooms To Go to offer greater buying power and convenient financing to their customers quickly and transparently wherever they may be along their path to purchase.

"Rooms To Go's long-term financing partnership with Synchrony has been crucial to our growth and resulted in an increased repeat sales rate among our customers," said Peter Weitzner, Vice President, Rooms To Go. "We look forward to collaborating with the Synchrony team to continue to offer capabilities that help to engage more customers, simplify the purchase experience and increase the lifetime value for our customers."

"The Synchrony and Rooms To Go teams have worked closely together to create unique payment experiences that have driven customer satisfaction and business results," said Curtis Howse, CEO, Home & Auto, Synchrony. "Financing is a critical part of the customer experience, and we look forward to continuing to create exceptional experiences for Rooms To Go customers by leveraging insights and new payment solutions."

About Rooms To Go

Headquartered in Seffner, Florida, Rooms To Go is the nation's largest independent furniture retailer with more than 150 showrooms in ten states throughout the Southeast and in Texas. The Rooms To Go commitment to making furniture buying easy and convenient is exemplified by its philosophy of packaging entire rooms for sale and offering fast delivery. Rooms To Go established its first retail showroom in Orlando, Florida in 1991. Today, the company provides employment to more than 8,000 people. In addition to its full-line furniture showrooms, the company has Rooms To Go Kids & Teens, showrooms dedicated to children's furniture including exclusive licensed Disney products and Rooms To Go Patio, which offers beautiful outdoor furniture with Rooms To Go signature "buy the set and save" pricing. Rooms To Go's latest showroom concept features all three brands under one roof. For more information on the wide selection of furniture Room To Go offers, visit www.roomstogo.com.

About Synchrony

Synchrony (NYSE: SYF) is a premier consumer financial services company delivering one of the industry's most complete digitally-enabled product suites. Our experience, expertise and scale encompass a broad spectrum of industries including digital, health and wellness, retail, telecommunications, home, auto, outdoor, pet and more. We have an established and diverse group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations and healthcare service providers, which we refer to as our "partners." We connect our partners and consumers through our dynamic financial ecosystem and provide them with a diverse set of financing solutions and innovative digital capabilities to address their specific needs and deliver seamless, omnichannel experiences. We offer the right financing products to the right customers in their channel of choice. For more information, visit www.synchrony.com and Twitter: @Synchrony.

Contact

Lauren Devilbiss

Synchrony

[email protected]

240-814-5825

SOURCE Synchrony
First announced in 2016, the Vision 2030 reform plan aims to stimulate economic transformation in Saudi Arabia by reducing the country's dependence on hydrocarbons. Technology is at the heart of this initiative and the Saudi government is focusing its efforts to promote the use of drones in services such as asset inspections.

Wa'ed Ventures was founded in 2013 and specializes in fostering innovation by investing in startups to develop the Saudi Arabian economy. This is the first time Wa'ed Ventures is investing in an Asian startup, which is a testament to Terra Drone's vision, state-of-the-art digital solutions, and cutting-edge drone technologies. Terra Drone will support a new subsidiary by taking advantage of whole business experiences of Terra Drone in Global, No.1 drone solution provider in the world in the fields of survey, inspection and unmanned traffic management (UTM).

With the establishment of Terra Drone Arabia. Terra drone will provide oil-gas inspection services, The new subsidiary will also help Terra Drone, which is counted among the top two drone service providers in the world, to further its expansion globally. At present, Terra Drone provides drone and UAM solutions in 10 countries across the world.

Unifly is the leading UTM technology provider in the world, having strong presence in Europe and North America. Terra Drone is the largest shareholder of Unifly.

The new subsidiary Terra Drone Arabia will further promote drone inspections to support the Saudi economy, ensure safe and efficient UAM in the country, and invest in the growth of both verticals.

Special Site: http://aramco2023.terra-drone.net/en

Contact Form: https://pro.form-mailer.jp/fms/dc9eb557276524

SOURCE Terra Drone Corporation
PFLUGERVILLE, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraCap Management LLC, a privately held investment firm with its headquarters in Naples, FL, announced today the acquisition of The Dalton and The Beacon at Pfluger Farm located in the Pflugerville suburb of Austin, TX.

TerraCap Management LLC TerraCap Management LLC

"We are proud to complete this double acquisition of The Dalton and The Beacon. These purchases will bring our Class A new apartment holdings in the Austin area to approximately 1,000 units. The submarkets these holdings are in are some of the fastest growing in the US with 50% population growth over the last 12 years. This combined with major national employers, high average family incomes, and premier amenities give us comfort and confidence. We are a tenant centric company that will focus on resident quality of life and positive energy for the communities," said Steve Hagenbuckle, TerraCap Founder and Managing Partner.

The Dalton, a 2022-built, 350-unit apartment complex, features one, two, and three-bedroom units. The property is located near I-35 and is 25 minutes from downtown Austin. The property's amenities include a swimming pool, a 24-hour fitness studio, a self-serve wine membership, a luxury pool house with grilling stations, an on-demand Starbucks Coffee bar, and a private dog park.

The Beacon, also built in 2022, is a 258-unit apartment complex located in Pflugerville with access to major employment and retail hubs. The one, two, and three-bedroom units feature stainless steel appliances, a farmhouse kitchen sink, custom lighting fixtures, and walk-in closets. The community's amenities include a swimming pool with a sunning deck, an outdoor lounge with a fireplace, shuffleboard, billiards table, and a fitness studio.

"We're excited to expand our holdings in a dynamic growth market such as Austin," added Steve Good, TerraCap Partner and National Director of Acquisitions. "These are two high-quality assets that are well-located within one of the fastest growing communities in the Austin area. Both properties are accessible to downtown, fantastic retailers, and high-income employers such as Samsung, Amazon, Tesla, Apple, Google, Facebook, Micron, and Dell, among others. There is quite a growth story in Austin, and we look forward to finding future opportunities within the market."

Matt Pohl and Kevin Dufour of Walker & Dunlop represented the seller in the disposition. ZRS Management was hired as property manager.

About TerraCap Management LLC

TerraCap Management LLC considers thematic factors such as business formation, employment growth and population growth on a market-by-market basis, as most metros and submarkets have unique economic-based industries and therefore move through their economic cycles differently. TerraCap makes moderate strategic overweighting or underweighting to markets, depending on the specific economic drivers influencing supply and demand.

The Investment Manager has been in operation since 2008 with its headquarters located in Naples, FL. The firm also has offices in Tampa, FL, Atlanta, GA, and Denver, CO. As operators, TerraCap believes it can make decisions more efficiently while leveraging expertise from property to property. The firm has over 10 million square feet of commercial assets within its portfolio, with over 2.5 billion dollars of assets under management.

More information can be found at terracapmgmt.com.

For More Information, Contact:

Matthew Hart

239.494.8922

[email protected]

TerraCap Management LLC

SOURCE TerraCap Management LLC
ConvoAI makes it easy for ALL Agiloft users to have a conversation with their contracts using natural language to "get to the thing they want, in the way they're thinking about it" - without keywords or filters

Powered by Cognizer's Genius Platform, Agiloft's ConvoAI delivers a quantum leap over cumbersome and frustrating search tools for contract review, intelligence, and analysis.

Agiloft makes its announcement at the company's global conference, The Agiloft Summit 23, drawing customers, prospects, partners, and industry thought leaders from around the world.

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Agiloft, the global standard in agile contract lifecycle management (CLM), introduces a new era of usability to the CLM industry today with the launch of ConvoAI, which lets ALL users, not just contract professionals, have an interactive conversation with their contracts by asking questions in natural language to easily and intuitively find details in their contracts. In partnership with Cognizer AI and leveraging Cognizer's Genius contract intelligence platform, Agiloft's ConvoAI delivers the most advanced natural language information discovery experience in the CLM market today. The company made the announcement at its yearly global contract management industry conference, The Agiloft Summit, which draws customers, prospects, partners, and contract thought leaders worldwide from the worlds of legal, procurement, and sales.

The Chat Phenomenon Comes to Contract Management with the Launch of Agilofts ConvoAI . ConvoAI makes it easy for ALL Agiloft users to have a conversation with their contracts using natural language to get to the thing they want, in the way theyre thinking about it - without keywords or filters

Agiloft ConvoAI will be enabled for all new and existing cloud-hosted CLM customers in the US and Europe and is accessible from the Agiloft CLM user interface and Agiloft for Microsoft Teams. This makes it possible for business users who are looking for contract data and not regularly using the company's CLM solution, to find the information they are looking for in the Teams interface in which they already work. Permissions for which data they can access is established in Agiloft and flows through to the Teams user.

"Today marks an important day for AI in CLM," said Agiloft Chief Product Officer Andy Wishart. "Extending our open and scalable Agiloft AI platform to integrate with Cognizer's Genius platform provides new ways for organizations to unlock information in unstructured contracts. Our new ConvoAI feature not only enables contract operations professionals to search and find information more easily, but it will also help these professionals drive greater adoption of CLM across the enterprise by providing business users with an intuitive way to query the contracts they are responsible for, and find the data they need, to speed value creation in their organizations."

To develop ConvoAI, Agiloft partnered with Cognizer, a pioneering AI technology company, to create a fundamentally different way for users to retrieve contract information. Cognizer's Genius technology delivers an innovative and patented combination of natural language AI and graph database technologies that learn more quickly and think differently about the user's objective for contract data and helping them find it where and when they need it.

ConvoAI:

Learns more quickly. ConvoAI uses Cognizer's Cortex Neural Vector Engine that includes modern large-language AI transformer models initially trained by reading huge knowledge bases and millions of English-language commercial contracts, and then fine-tuned for hundreds of contract types, clauses, and terms across 500,000 annotated samples. Compared to CLM AI solutions that utilize prior generation neural networks, ConvoAI is already "smarter," and can learn new clauses and terms with fewer examples and less human effort. Plus, as new types of clauses and key terms added to the models, the types of questions ConvoAI can answer will grow over time.

ConvoAI uses Cognizer's Cortex Neural Vector Engine that includes modern large-language AI transformer models initially trained by reading huge knowledge bases and millions of English-language commercial contracts, and then fine-tuned for hundreds of contract types, clauses, and terms across 500,000 annotated samples. Compared to CLM AI solutions that utilize prior generation neural networks, ConvoAI is already "smarter," and can learn new clauses and terms with fewer examples and less human effort. Plus, as new types of clauses and key terms added to the models, the types of questions ConvoAI can answer will grow over time. Thinks differently. Genius stores and organizes data that it learns in a knowledge graph. This is a new type of database technology that creates connections and relationships between related data and concepts and means the model can answer natural language questions about all of the contracts in the knowledge graph, such as how many contracts have a particular clause or attribute. This is different than other CLM AI solutions, which extract and populate data in fields in a standard database, preventing these solutions from answering natural language questions, because the data is not mapped in a way the system can retrieve the required information.

"We could not be more excited to partner with CLM powerhouse Agiloft to deliver the next generation of AI-powered contract and conversational intelligence to enterprises worldwide," said Jack Porter, Founder and CEO of Cognizer. "Our Genius platform embodies an entirely new technical approach to unlocking and smartly accessing the collective intelligence locked in enterprise contracts and related technical documents."

Tom Gruber, cofounder of Siri, former Apple AI lead, and Cognizer Board member added, "Cognizer realizes the dream of conversational AI - a conversation with an agent that truly understands the meaning of what it is talking about - for the legal domain. After more than a decade of improvement in AI and conversational interaction, it is amazing to see the breakthrough that Cognizer has achieved. Its Genius technology has mastered the deep understanding of structured information in unstructured content, such as legal contracts, and offers what it knows in an easy-to-use conversational interface that any professional can use."

To learn more about how the new Agiloft ConvoAI can transform your company's ability to know what is in their contracts, visit our website or schedule a demo to see the technology first hand.

About Cognizer, Inc

Cognizer is the pioneering leader in breakthrough contract intelligence AI focused on unlocking for the modern enterprise the trapped value of data locked in complex documents. The company's Genius AI platform functions uses natural language processing, deep-learning, and graph technologies to make an organization's people, processes, and programs more intelligent and impactful. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area with development offices in India, Cognizer is backed by established investors. For more information, visit www.cognizer.ai

About Agiloft

As the global leader in agile contract lifecycle management software, Agiloft is trusted to provide significant savings in purchasing, enable more efficient legal operations, and accelerate sales cycles, all while drastically lowering compliance risk. Agiloft's adaptable no-code platform ensures rapid deployment and a fully extensible system. Using contracts as the core system of commercial record, Agiloft's CLM software leverages AI to improve contract management for legal departments, procurement, and sales operations. Visit www.agiloft.com for more.

Media Contact:

Jeffrey Miesbauer

Agiloft

650-587-8615 ext 4003

SOURCE Agiloft, Inc.
TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (the "Company" or "TGOD") (CSE: TGOD) (US-OTC: TGODF), a sustainable global cannabis company and leading producer of premium cannabis brands, is pleased to announce that its board of directors (the "Board") has authorized a change in the Company's name from "The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd." to "BZAM Ltd." (the "Name Change"), subject to regulatory approval including that of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE").

In connection with the Name Change, it is anticipated that trading of the Company's common shares will commence under the new ticker symbol "BZAM" on the CSE and "BZAMF" on the OTCQX. Securityholders of the Company holding securities in the Company's prior name do not need to take any action as a result of the Name Change. Further details regarding the Name Change, including the effective date of the Name Change will be announced in due course. The Name Change was previously approved by shareholders of the Company at its last annual general and special meeting. The Company's new corporate website, www.BZAM.com, will launch following completion of the Name Change.

"This Name Change marks a new era," said Matt Milich, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "It reflects our larger portfolio of brands and facilities, and our ability to reach a broader consumer base to realize our vision of being one of Canada's favourite sources for cannabis."

The Company is also pleased to announce that Mr. Bassam Alghanim has been appointed Chairman of the Board, effective as at January 24, 2023. Mr. Alghanim brings extensive knowledge and experience to this position, having enjoyed a highly rewarding and successful career as an investor, businessman, and banker spanning four decades.

About The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd.

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (CSE: TGOD) (USOTC: TGODF) is a multi-licensed Canadian cannabis producer with a focus on branded consumer goods, innovation, quality, consistency, integrity and transparency. The Company is committed to cultivating a better tomorrow by producing its products responsibly, with less waste and impact on the environment. In Canada, TGOD serves the recreational market with a brand portfolio including BZAM, The Green Organic Dutchman, -ness, Highly Dutch Organics, TABLE TOP, Cruuzy and partner brands Dunn Cannabis, FRESH, Superflower and Snackbar. TGOD operates facilities in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, as well as retail stores in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Regina, Saskatchewan, and is rapidly expanding its offerings to a growing number of consumers across Canada.

TGOD's Common Shares and certain warrants issued under the indentures dated June 12, 2020, October 23, 2020 and December 10, 2020, currently trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") under the symbol "TGOD", "TGOD.WR", "TGOD.WA", and "TGOD.WB" respectively. TGOD's Common Shares trade in the U.S. on the OTCQX under the symbol "TGODF". For more information on The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd., please visit www.tgod.ca and www.bzamheadquarters.com.

Cautionary Statements

This news release includes statements containing certain "forwardlooking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forwardlooking statements"). Forward looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the completion of the Name Change, timing to effect the Name Change, regulatory approvals to be obtained for the Name Change, trading of the Common Shares under new ticker symbols, launch of the new website, future portfolio of brands and facilities of the Company, and ability for the Company to reach a broader consumer base and become a favourite source of cannabis. Forwardlooking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "should", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forwardlooking statements throughout this news release. Forwardlooking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties (including market conditions) and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forwardlooking statements, including those risk factors described in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form filed with Canadian securities regulators and available on the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

Neither the CSE nor the CSE's Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of CSE) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd.
DALLAS, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Little Gym International, the world's premier enrichment and physical development center for children ages four months through 12 and part of the youth enrichment growth-focused platform Unleashed Brands, recently signed a new franchise agreement with entrepreneurs Eric Alstrin and Nicole Stiles to bring two new gym locations to Katy West and Cedar Park, Texas within the next year. The entrepreneurial duo already owns and operates six locations throughout Houston and Austin, which will bring the pair to eight total gyms throughout Texas.

Based in Fort Worth, Alstrin initially met Unleashed Brands' CEO and Founder Michael O. Browning Jr. in 2014 at a local church where both of their families attended. After learning more about Browning's vision with Urban Air Adventure Park and franchising, Alstrin invested in the brand in 2016 and opened two Urban Air parks in Humble and Spring, Texas. Then he hired Nicole Stiles, who was 19 years-old at the time, as an assistant manager. Stiles was quickly promoted to general manager for both parks.

As Unleashed Brands began to further its portfolio with other innovative and profitable youth enrichment brands, Alstrin became interested in diversifying his franchise portfolio with The Little Gym, since he understood the value the brand brought to early child development, having seen the impact firsthand with his own daughters. Alstrin and his wife were longtime customers with The Little Gym, taking their daughters throughout their childhood.

By the end of 2021, Alstrin had partnered with Stiles to become part-owners of The Little Gym of The Woodlands. On February 1st, 2022, the two opened the gym and then acquired the Katy East gym in April. This set off a chain of events for Alstrin and Stiles, leading to acquiring The Little Gym of Copperfield in July, opening The Little Gym of Tomball in August, and Round Rock in October.

"The success in opening six locations last year made both Nicole and I, confident in our decision to invest in The Little Gym. This in addition to the support Unleashed Brands offers its franchisees, made us want to continue to expand and build more gyms," said Alstrin. "It's a great feeling to know our gyms are offering children a positive environment where they can build confidence and try new things."

Along with this deal, The Little Gym also recently secured franchise agreements which will bring new locations to Minnesota, North Carolina, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, New Mexico, and Wisconsin, set to continue the brand's impressive growth trajectory well beyond 2023. Since becoming a part of the Unleashed Brands portfolio last year, the brand is experiencing record-breaking systemwide revenue, average revenue per gym, and enrollment numbers across its U.S. locations.

With nearly 400 locations across 31 countries, The Little Gym teaches kids social and physical skills appropriate to each stage of childhood by creating opportunities to experience achievement and build self-confidence. At the core of the international franchise's mission is becoming the foundation of a child's development that will set them up for success. Through three-dimensional learning including physical activities, cognitive skills and social and emotional learning, the core teaching methods create opportunities for children to experience achievement and build self-confidence.

The Little Gym's network of franchisees is a diverse group made up of parents, accounting, finance, sales leaders, operations executives, existing business owners and beyond. To learn more about how you can become a The Little Gym owner visit www.TheLittleGymFranchise.com/.

About The Little Gym International

The Little Gym International is an internationally recognized program that helps children build the developmental skills and confidence needed at each stage of childhood. The very first location was established in 1976 by Robin Wes, an innovative educator with a genuine love for children. The Little Gym International, Inc., headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., was formed in 1992 to franchise The Little Gym concept. Today, The Little Gym International has nearly 400 locations in over 31 countries including the U.S., Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Thailand and more. For more information, visit The Little Gym at www.TheLittleGym.com .

About Unleashed Brands

Unleashed Brands, currently includes portfolio brands Urban Air, Snapology, The Little Gym, XP League, Class 101 and Premier Martial Arts and was founded to curate and grow a portfolio of the most innovative and profitable brands that help kids learn, play and grow. Over the last 10 years, the team at Unleashed Brands has built a proven platform and know-how for scaling businesses focused on serving families. Its mission is to impact the lives of every kid by providing fun, engaging and inspiring experiences that help them become who they are destined to be. For more information, please visit www.unleashedbrands.com.

SOURCE The Little Gym International, Inc.
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market (2022-2027) by Type, Technique, Application, End-user, and Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market is estimated to be USD 768.07 Mn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 1160.25 Mn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 8.60%



Market Dynamics



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors.

There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding growth and reducing risks.

Company Profiles



The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Agilent Technologies, Inc., Bionique Testing Laboratories, Inc., Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., Creative Bioarray, Eurofins Scientific Group, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ag, Genecopoeia, Inc, etc.



Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant



The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis



The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as the Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.



The analyst analyses the Global Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.



Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.



Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains a competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Growing Concerns Over Cell Culture Contamination

4.1.2 Growth in Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industries

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Rising Pharmaceutical R&D Activities and Investments

4.2.2 Long Testing Time and Sensitivity of the Media Assay

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Increasing Efforts Towards Life Science Research

4.3.2 Use of Cell Culture in Virology for Developing Countries

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Requirement of High Laboratory Expertise



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis

5.5 PESTLE Analysis



6 Global Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market, By Type

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Assays, Kits, & Reagents

6.3 Instruments

6.4 Services



7 Global Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market, By Technique

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

7.3 Nucleic Acid Testing

7.4 Staining



8 Global Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market, By Application

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Cell Line Testing

8.3 End-Of-Production Cell Testing

8.4 Virus Testing



9 Global Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market, By End-user

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Academic & Research Institutes

9.3 Cell Banks & Laboratories

9.4 Contract Research Organizations

9.5 Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies



10 Americas' Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Argentina

10.3 Brazil

10.4 Canada

10.5 Chile

10.6 Colombia

10.7 Mexico

10.8 Peru

10.9 United States

10.10 Rest of Americas



11 Europe's Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Austria

11.3 Belgium

11.4 Denmark

11.5 Finland

11.6 France

11.7 Germany

11.8 Italy

11.9 Netherlands

11.10 Norway

11.11 Poland

11.12 Russia

11.13 Spain

11.14 Sweden

11.15 Switzerland

11.16 United Kingdom

11.17 Rest of Europe



12 Middle East and Africa's Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Egypt

12.3 Israel

12.4 Qatar

12.5 Saudi Arabia

12.6 South Africa

12.7 United Arab Emirates

12.8 Rest of MEA



13 APAC's Mycoplasma Diagnostics Market

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Australia

13.3 Bangladesh

13.4 China

13.5 India

13.6 Indonesia

13.7 Japan

13.8 Malaysia

13.9 Philippines

13.10 Singapore

13.11 South Korea

13.12 Sri Lanka

13.13 Thailand

13.14 Taiwan

13.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 IGR Competitive Quadrant

14.2 Market Share Analysis

14.3 Strategic Initiatives

14.3.1 M&A and Investments

14.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

14.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



15 Company Profiles

15.1 Agilent Technologies, Inc.

15.2 Bionique Testing Laboratories, Inc.

15.3 Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.

15.4 Creative Bioarray

15.5 Eurofins Scientific Group

15.6 F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ag

15.7 Genecopoeia, Inc.

15.8 InvivoGen

15.9 Lonza Group

15.10 Meridian Bioscience, Inc.

15.11 Merck Group

15.12 Minerva Biolabs GmbH

15.13 Mycoplasma Experience Ltd.

15.14 Nelson Laboratories Fairfield, Inc.

15.15 Norgen Biotek Corp.

15.16 Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A.

15.17 Savyon Diagnostics Ltd.

15.18 ScienCell Research Laboratories, Inc.

15.19 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.



16 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3ycgq3

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-171

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market (2022-2027) by Type, Technology, Application, and Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The Global Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market is estimated to be USD 8.03 Bn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 14.34 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 12.3%



Market Dynamics



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors.

There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding growth and reducing risks.

Company Profiles



The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Abbott Laboratories, Agilent Technolgies, AutoGenomics, Baebies, Berry Genomics Co. Ltd., etc.



Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant



The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis



The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as the Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.



The analyst analyses the Global Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.



Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.



Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains a competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Growing Application of Genetic Testing in Oncology and Genetic Diseases

4.1.2 Growing Adoption of Precision Medicine Diagnostic Techniques

4.1.3 Rising Implementation of Personalized Medicine Applications to Treat Chronic Disorders

4.1.4 Growing Demand for Direct-To-Consume

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Lack of Experienced Professionals

4.2.2 Social and Ethical Implications of Genetic Testing

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Stringent Regulatory for Product Approvals

4.3.2 Technological Advances in the Field of Genetic Testing and Panels for Ecs

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 High Cost of Next Generation Sequencing



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis

5.5 PESTLE Analysis



6 Global Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market, By Type

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Carrier Testing

6.3 Diagnostic Testing

6.4 New Born Screening

6.5 Pharmacogenomics

6.6 Preimplantation Testing

6.7 Prenatal Testing

6.8 Presymptomatic and Predictive Testing



7 Global Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market, By Technology

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Cytogenetics

7.3 DNA Sequencing

7.4 Gene Expression Profiling

7.5 Microarrays

7.6 PCR



8 Global Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market, By Application

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Autoimmune Disorders

8.3 Cancer

8.4 Chronic Diseases

8.5 Genetic Disorders

8.6 Neurodegenerative Diseases



9 Americas' Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Argentina

9.3 Brazil

9.4 Canada

9.5 Chile

9.6 Colombia

9.7 Mexico

9.8 Peru

9.9 United States

9.10 Rest of Americas



10 Europe's Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Austria

10.3 Belgium

10.4 Denmark

10.5 Finland

10.6 France

10.7 Germany

10.8 Italy

10.9 Netherlands

10.10 Norway

10.11 Poland

10.12 Russia

10.13 Spain

10.14 Sweden

10.15 Switzerland

10.16 United Kingdom

10.17 Rest of Europe



11 Middle East and Africa's Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Egypt

11.3 Israel

11.4 Qatar

11.5 Saudi Arabia

11.6 South Africa

11.7 United Arab Emirates

11.8 Rest of MEA



12 APAC's Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Australia

12.3 Bangladesh

12.4 China

12.5 India

12.6 Indonesia

12.7 Japan

12.8 Malaysia

12.9 Philippines

12.10 Singapore

12.11 South Korea

12.12 Sri Lanka

12.13 Thailand

12.14 Taiwan

12.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 IGR Competitive Quadrant

13.2 Market Share Analysis

13.3 Strategic Initiatives

13.3.1 M&A and Investments

13.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

13.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



14 Company Profiles

14.1 Abbott Laboratories

14.2 Agilent Technologies

14.3 AutoGenomics

14.4 Baebies

14.5 Berry Genomics Co., Ltd.

14.6 BGI

14.7 Biocartis Group NV

14.8 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

14.9 Illumina, Inc

14.10 Laboratory Corporation of America

14.11 Masimo Corp.

14.12 Natera, Inc.

14.13 PerkinElmer, Inc.

14.14 Progenity, Inc.

14.15 Qiagen

14.16 Sequenom, Inc.

14.17 Trivitron Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.



15 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/irfh33



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SOURCE Research and Markets
BIG, one of the U.S.'s only African American, Female Majority-owned and -led CRE and Multifamily Investment and Lending Platforms, Takes 11% Stake in Tishman Speyer's First Los Angeles-Region Residential Development

NEW YORK and SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tishman Speyer today announced it has secured the Basis Investment Group (BIG) as an equity partner in the Santa Monica Collection, its portfolio consisting of eight development sites across nearly 3.1 acres in Downtown Santa Monica, CA.

A certified minority and woman-owned commercial real estate investment manager, BIG has committed $30 million  11 percent of the total equity  to the development, which will encompass 617 apartments, 116 of which will be designated as affordable, and approximately 31,000 square feet of retail. With entitlements in place, Tishman Speyer expects to start work on the first four buildings in early 2023 with the remaining four commencing in 2024.

The Santa Monica Collection will address an acute need for more modern, high-quality rental housing at multiple price points in Downtown Santa Monica, a neighborhood known for its vibrancy, attractive outdoor lifestyle and proximity to innovation job centers. The development will create a critical mass of new housing within easy walking distance to world-class restaurants, shops and nightlife options, as well as the Downtown Santa Monica light rail station.

"We are pleased to be partnering with Basis Investment Group to cultivate a thriving mixed-use community in the heart of Downtown Santa Monica," said Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer. "This partnership illustrates our commitment to embedding diversity into all aspects of our business. By making a conscious effort to remove structural and institutional impediments to equitable representation, we strengthen our firm and the communities served by our investments."

In 2021, Tishman Speyer announced that it had raised $30 million in equity from 161 individual Black and Latinx investors for the Enterprise Research Campus, a 14-acre mixed-use campus it is developing in partnership with Harvard University. In doing so, Tishman Speyer surpassed its initial target of allocating five percent of the $500 million in equity to minority investors for the first phase of the project, which will include 900,000 square feet of labs, offices, apartments, and a hotel.

"Inclusive capital matters and we are excited to partner with Tishman Speyer in their commitment to providing investment opportunities in large scale development projects for MWBE capital providers like Basis," said Tammy K. Jones, CEO and Founder of Basis Investment Group (BIG). "We applaud Tishman Speyer for being a leader in breaking down barriers and creating access to wealth creating- joint venture opportunities that diverse firms have largely been excluded from."

Since its inception in 2009, BIG has been at the forefront of enacting and empowering change while embedding ESG considerations into its business and investment decisions. As one of the only African American, female majority-owned and -led CRE and multifamily investment and lending platforms in the U.S., Basis is a testament to the positive impact generated by a thoughtful and intentional approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Basis has implemented significantly increased due diligence, risk analysis, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting processes to provide greater transparency for all Basis clients and stakeholders, further solidifying the company as a forward-looking change agent within the industry.

About Tishman Speyer ( tishmanspeyer.com )

Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator and investment manager of first-class real estate in 33 key markets across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Our portfolio spans market rate and affordable residential communities, premier office properties and retail spaces, industrial facilities, and mixed-use campuses. We create state-of-the-art life science centers through our Breakthrough Properties joint venture, and foster innovation through our strategic proptech investments. With global vision, on-the-ground expertise and a personalized approach, we are unparalleled in our ability to foster innovation, quickly adapt to global and local trends and proactively anticipate our customers' evolving needs. By focusing on health and wellness, enlightened placemaking and customer-focused initiatives such as our tenant amenities platform, ZO., and our flexible space and co-working brand, Studio, we tend not just to our physical buildings, but to the people who inhabit them on a daily basis. Since our inception in 1978, Tishman Speyer has acquired, developed, and operated 522 properties, totaling 218 million square feet, with a combined value of over $129 billion (U.S.). Our current portfolio includes such iconic assets as Rockefeller Center in New York City, The Springs in Shanghai, TaunusTurm in Frankfurt and the Mission Rock neighborhood currently being realized in San Francisco.

About Basis Investment Group (www.basisinvgroup.com)

Basis Investment Group is a diversified commercial real estate investment platform investing across the capital stack throughout the United States. With offices in New York, Chicago, and Irvine, CA, Basis has successfully closed over $4 billion in transactions across multiple strategies and asset classes. Basis Investment Management Group is registered as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Basis, a certified Minority and Woman-Owned Business (MWBE), focuses primarily on investments in the middle markets where it has deep relationships. Basis originates and acquires fixed rate senior mortgage loans, bridge loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity, structured equity and B-piece investments.

SOURCE Tishman Speyer
LANSING, Mich., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For some students across Michigan, their futures turned from bleak to bright the minute they stepped foot into their new schools. Tomorrow, students who benefited from the state's growing school choice options are sharing their inspirational stories at a high-energy rally at the State Capitol in Lansing.

WHAT:

Michigan Capitol Celebration of School Choice Week

Student remarks, student performances, school booths

WHO:

200+ parents, students, teachers, and community leaders

WHEN:

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday , Jan. 26

WHERE:

Heritage Hall at the Michigan Capitol | 100 N. Capitol Ave.

This event is hosted by the Michigan School Choice Coalition.

National School Choice Week (NSCW) informs, inspires, and empowers parents to discover the K-12 education options available for their children, including traditional public, charter, magnet, online, private, and home schooling. Every January, tens of thousands of schools, organizations, and individuals plan unique events and activities to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options in their communities. The Week is a project of the nonpartisan, nonpolitical National School Choice Awareness Foundation.

SOURCE National School Choice Week
As part of sustainability services, Truterra's 2023 carbon program is now open for enrollment

Early results indicate Truterra's 2022 carbon program will result in more than $4.5 million in payments to participating farmers for nearly 237,000 tonnes of carbon stored in soils

ARDEN HILLS, Minn., Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Truterra, LLC, the sustainability business of Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's largest farmer-owned cooperatives, today announced the launch of Truterra sustainability services, a comprehensive suite of agronomic and financial resources designed to meet farmers where they are at every stage of their sustainability journey. This launch is part of Truterra's broader effort to work with more farmers to encourage adoption of regenerative farming practices by working to remove one of the biggest barriers to practice change  fear of lost profitability and productivity of their acres  and develop new offerings that best fit farmers' needs and support their transitions to more sustainable practices.

Truterra sustainability services focuses on working with farmers to plan, make and maintain sustainability practice changes, including:

Making a plan: The Truterra soil health assessment and plan sets quantifiable soil health baselines and provides custom recommendations to improve overall soil health and resiliency. The soil health assessment brings much-needed locally relevant context to soil health measures for farmers to understand more about their soil health status, potential for improvement and to help create a roadmap toward improved soil health. After a successful 2022 pilot across several states including Iowa , Kansas and Missouri , Truterra is expanding the soil health assessment to Illinois , Indiana , Michigan , Minnesota , Nebraska and Wisconsin . The soil health assessment offering builds on the robust conservation agronomy support already being delivered through Truterra and Winfield United networks of trusted local ag retail advisors and its farmer support team.

The Truterra soil health assessment and plan sets quantifiable soil health baselines and provides custom recommendations to improve overall soil health and resiliency. The soil health assessment brings much-needed locally relevant context to soil health measures for farmers to understand more about their soil health status, potential for improvement and to help create a roadmap toward improved soil health. After a successful 2022 pilot across several states including , and , Truterra is expanding the soil health assessment to , , , , and . The soil health assessment offering builds on the robust conservation agronomy support already being delivered through Truterra and Winfield United networks of trusted local ag retail advisors and its farmer support team. Creating a pathway to make change: Truterra's market access program is an on-ramp for eligible farmers considering adopting new regenerative practices on their fields. Farmers can potentially receive $2 /acre to begin building the baseline data required to participate in future carbon program opportunities . In addition, farmers have the opportunity to participate in the WinField United Advanced Acre Rx prescription plan 1  a component of which provides a warranty to offset part of the risk of this practice change implementation.

Truterra's market access program is an on-ramp for eligible farmers considering adopting new regenerative practices on their fields. Farmers can potentially receive /acre to begin building the baseline data required to participate in future carbon program opportunities In addition, farmers have the opportunity to participate in the WinField United Advanced Acre Rx prescription plan  a component of which provides a warranty to offset part of the risk of this practice change implementation. Being rewarded for transition: For fields that have made eligible practice changes within the last four years, qualified farmers can potentially earn between $15 - $30 per tonne of new carbon stored through Truterra's 2023 carbon program which is now open for enrollment through February 28 . Truterra offers farmers earning potential by paying based on results  carbon stored  rather than a set payment per acre.

Truterra is also working to develop additional opportunities for farmers to be rewarded for their stewardship, such as the USDA-funded Climate SMART (Scaling Mechanisms for Agriculture's Regenerative Transformation) project to scale production and demand for climate-smart corn, soybean, wheat, cotton and milk production.

"A journey to sustainability is never a straight line. Working through the farmer cooperative system enables us to take a comprehensive view and deploy targeted support to directly address what farmers and retailers need to best manage risk and maximize natural resources to generate a potential return on investment," said Tom Ryan, president, Truterra. "Through the launch of our sustainability services approach, Truterra is excited to continue working with ag retailers and farmers in an effort to address cost, risk and knowledge barriers to regenerative agriculture practice adoption. In turn, we can help position them as leaders in emerging market opportunities for carbon removals, climate-smart commodities and other ways to be rewarded for their stewardship while future-proofing their businesses for the long-term."

Truterra's 2022 carbon program is expected to pay farmers more than $4.5 million total in cash payments for nearly 237,000 tonnes of carbon stored in soils. The program delivered 220 participating farmers an average payment per participating farmer of $24,842. Full results for the 2022 program will be released in the coming months once all payments have been finalized.

Truterra's sustainability services are rooted in the Land O'Lakes cooperative network, which touches about 50 percent of all U.S. harvested acres, and work through its agricultural retailer network of trusted advisors to provide farmers better agronomic insights to continuously improve their operations. With Truterra's work in supporting farmers transition to sustainable practices, WinField United's scientific approach to crop management and the expertise of local ag retailers, the Land O'Lakes cooperative system is working to help mitigate the risk associated with converting to more climate-smart practices.

Interested farmers can learn more and find the program that is right for them at Truterraag.com/enroll or contact their local Truterra retail partner.

1 *Agreement is required and conditions, restrictions and service fees apply. Percentage goals for the crops' Approved Yield range from 95105% for corn and 95100% for soybeans. Only available to corn and soybean farmers who enroll a minimum of 250 acres of an individual crop in the program.

About Truterra, LLC

Truterra is a leading sustainability solutions provider, advancing and connecting sustainability efforts throughout the food system at scale  from farmers to ag retailers to value chain collaborators including food and fiber companies. Truterra positions farmers for success by providing them tools and resources to establish a stewardship baseline, track progress on every field they farm, access conservation resources and prepare for ecosystem services market opportunities. The Truterra network brings together the best in agricultural technology and precision conservation to drive sustainability across the food system, feeding people, safeguarding the planet and supporting farmer livelihoods. Truterra was launched in 2016 by Land O'Lakes, Inc., a member-owned cooperative that spans the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. To learn more, visit www.truterraag.com.

About Land O'Lakes , Inc.

Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's premier agribusiness and food companies, is a member-owned cooperative with industry-leading operations that span the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2021 annual sales of $16 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 232 on the Fortune 500. Building on a legacy of more than 100 years of operation, Land O'Lakes today operates some of the most respected brands in agribusiness and food production including Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods, Animal Nutrition, WinField United and Truterra. The company does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minnesota.

Media Contact Natalie Long

Land O'Lakes

[email protected]

SOURCE Truterra, LLC
Online-only division of Beal Bank specializes

in competitive CDs and savings products

PLANO, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UmbrellaBank.com (umbrellabank.com), a division of Beal Bank (Member FDIC), is pleased to introduce itself to savings depositors and investors across the nation. The UmbrellaBank.com brand specializes in offering online-only certificates of deposit (CDs) with competitive rates, currently featuring a 12-month CD at 4.65% APY* with a $1,000 minimum deposit.

CDs have long been attractive for investors seeking secure, stable returns. However, in the current rising interest-rate environment, they may also be attractive to investors who may not have previously considered CDs but now seek solid returns at low risk.

Beal enterprise Chief Operating Officer Brent Lundberg said, "UmbrellaBank.com customer service professionals can help customers open an account online and answer questions from investors who are new to the CD-buying experience."

UmbrellaBank.com has a newly-upgraded online banking experience that is straightforward and easy to navigate, allowing anyone to open CDs and manage their accounts with ease.

All deposits through umbrellabank.com, a division of FDIC-insured Beal Bank, are insured up to applicable FDIC limits.

###

* The annual percentage yield (APY) advertised for the Certificate of Deposit herein is accurate as of the date of this publication and is available online only through umbrellabank.com. Rates offered may change without notice. Minimum balance to open an account and obtain APY is $1,000. A substantial penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. The advertised APY may be discontinued at any time; contact UmbrellaBank.com for current CD rates. Each depositor is FDIC-insured up to applicable limits. Fees may reduce earnings. For additional terms and conditions, contact UmbrellaBank.com.

About Beal Bank: Beal Bank, based in Plano, Texas, near Dallas, shares the Beal Bank brand with its sister institution Beal Bank USA, and has a well-earned reputation as a stable, strongly capitalized financial institution, with assets of approximately $5.3 billion as of September 30, 2022. Beal Bank is a member of FDIC. For more information, visit FDIC.gov.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Beal Bank
Inaugural class puts airline on path towards training about 5,000 new pilots at the flight school by 2030 with a goal of at least half being women or people of color

Investments in training and infrastructure pave the way for United to hire more than 2,500 pilots in 2023, with a goal to add at least 10,000 pilots by the end of this decade

United CEO Scott Kirby, United COO Toby Enqvist, and other special guests on hand at Phoenix Goodyear Airport to honor academy's very first graduates

Photos and BRoll may be found here

GOODYEAR, Ariz., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- United, the only major U.S. airline to own a flight school, is celebrating the graduation of United Aviate Academy's inaugural class of pilots, an important step towards training the next generation of talented, qualified, and motivated aviators. The inaugural graduating class includes 51 students  with nearly 80% being women or people of color  marking the next step towards the airline's goal to train about 5,000 new pilots at the school by 2030, with the added goal of at least half women or people of color.

The recruitment and hiring of pilots is a priority at United and the academy is an example of the long-term investments in infrastructure, training, and aircraft the airline has made in the past few years. Just last month, United purchased more widebodies than any U.S. airline in history and announced it's now the largest carrier across both the Pacific and Atlantic. To support that growth, United hired about 2,400 pilots in 2022 and plans to hire another 2,500 this year. United intends to add at least 10,000 pilots by the end of this decade.

United CEO Scott Kirby and United COO Toby Enqvist will honor the first class of graduates at a ceremony later this morning at the Phoenix Goodyear Airport.

"United is leading the industry in the training, recruitment and hiring of the next generation of talented commercial pilots and the progress we've made at United Aviate Academy after just one year is another example of an airline where good leads the way," said Kirby. "I'm so proud of this first class of graduates  they've taken an important first step in their career and they reflect our commitment to hiring people who exceed the highest professional and safety standards. I look forward to eventually welcoming them to our United team and I can't wait to see them flying our new United Next planes in the years to come."

United Aviate Academy graduates can continue to build flight time and leadership experience while continuing within the United Aviate pilot career development program's ecosystem. Some graduates will work as Certified Flight Instructors at the academy to continue accruing the 1,500 required flying hours  a common industry practice for aspiring pilots  while others will build experience at participating flight schools or universities, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Purdue University and Hampton University. The United Aviate program then encourages graduates to eventually fly for a United Express carrier, take on leadership roles at an Aviate participating Part 135 operator, or become a Fleet Technical Instructor at United to complete their training. Aviate participants can expect to become a United pilot within about six years of graduating from United Aviate Academy.

Captaining Your Career at United

United currently has more than 14,000 pilots, and Captains of United's Boeing 787s and 777s can earn more than $350,000 per year plus a rich package of benefits. In addition, United pilots receive one of the highest 401(k) matches in the nation  16% of base pay.

While the airline continues to see strong interest in pilot roles from military and civilian backgrounds as well as from other carriers, for many people becoming a pilot seems not only out of reach financially, but completely unimaginable.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 5.6% of pilots are women and 6% are people of color. And training to achieve a commercial pilot's license in the U.S. can cost at least $100,000, with supplementary costs adding to the financial burden.

To help address financial barriers to entry, United and JPMorgan Chase & Co. established a scholarship fund in 2020 and are working with leading industry partners to award more than $5 million in scholarships for prospective academy students. In addition, Boeing has committed funding to expand the program this year. United also directly works with the following organizations to educate prospects about the benefits of becoming a pilot and to find candidates for scholarship opportunities:

Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals

Sisters of the Skies

Women in Aviation International

National Gay Pilots Association

The Latino Pilots Association

The Professional Asian Pilots Association

Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)

As a result of these efforts, United Aviate Academy has received more than 22,000 applications, with nearly 70% of applicants being women or people of color.

United Aviate Academy

United Aviate Academy currently has more than 240 students, with nearly 75% women or people of color. In the flight school's first year of operations, collectively, the students have flown more than 2 million miles, achieved more than 250 aviation certificates, and completed more than 68,000 takeoffs and landings. The aspiring pilots also organized 174 "Pool Dunks" in the campus swimming pool, a new tradition that commemorates each time a student completes a solo flight for the first time.

The 340,000 square-foot facility at Phoenix Goodyear Airport includes world-class features such as:

Forty late-model Cirrus SR-20 series single-engine aircraft, which feature advanced safety characteristics

Seven FRASCA flight simulators

Nearly 50,000 square feet of office space

Multiple aircraft hangars

Dormitory rooms for student housing with ample room for expansion

Proximity to many auxiliary airfields in the Phoenix area

area Favorable weather for year-round flight training

For more information on United Aviate Academy, please visit unitedaviate.com/academy or @unitedaviateacademy on Instagram.

United Next

Graduates of United Aviate Academy have a lot to look forward to. In December, United ordered more widebody aircraft than any U.S. carrier in commercial aviation history: 100 Boeing 787 Dreamliners with options to purchase 100 more. Combined with already announced orders, the airline expects to take delivery of about 700 new aircraft by 2032, including an average of more than two every week in 2023 and three a week in 2024.

This historic purchase is the next chapter in the carrier's ambitious United Next plan and builds on United's strengths: the leading U.S. international gateways, a robust domestic network supporting the global fleet, a premium onboard experience and the most widebody aircraft among North American carriers.

About United

United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." From our U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark/New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers. United is bringing back our customers' favorite destinations and adding new ones on its way to becoming the world's best airline. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines
DUBLIN, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "U.S. Clinical Nutrition Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The U.S. clinical nutrition market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.49% during 2022-2027.

The innovation in personalized and targeted clinical nutrition solutions delivers new industry growth opportunities in the U.S. clinical nutrition market. The personalization and targeted solution approach stand with specific formulations that fulfill the need for nutritional support for patients suffering from chronic diseases and associated illnesses.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic positively influenced the innovation in targeted and personalized clinical nutrition solutions. On another side, the increasing birth rate and the rising demand for milk-based nutritional support products by infants and toddler gives new aspects for vendors in the U.S. clinical nutrition market.

Clinical nutrition, known as medical nutrition, is the practice of analyzing and identifying whether an individual is consuming an adequate amount of nutrients for health. It can also be defined as the study of an overall analysis relationship between ingested meals and the well-being of a person's body. Clinical nutrition prioritizes the management of nutritional adjustment and helps diagnose and prevent nutritional level changes in the human body suffering from chronic conditions.

The U.S. government implements a tremendous breadth and depth of initiatives relevant to the country's nutrition level. So, the increasing government initiatives to improve the country's nutritional health and the rising concern about food insecurity across US families are expected to drive significant U.S. clinical nutrition market growth. In addition, the increasing geriatric population and chronic disease prevalence are constantly fueling industry growth.

Obesity, hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, CVD, and other primary health conditions primely accelerate the country's malnutrition rate, creating a high demand for clinical nutrition. However, there are some limitations to the industry growth, like potential side-effects associated with clinical nutrition and challenges in enteral nutrition deliveries, pediatric ICU patients, and more, hampering the industry growth.

MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

Increasing Demand for the Personalized and Targeted Clinical Nutrition

Personalized clinical nutrition is one of the trending approaches in clinical nutrition to fulfill the nutritional demand of every individual patient suffering from specific conditions.

The targeted nutrition innovations deliver promising opportunities in medical practices and consumer and food production companies. Innovation in targeted and personalized solutions continues to grow and evolve rapidly in recent years with the increasing consumer demand from food systems to support their health and well-being.

In addition, there is an increase in the number of digital tools in the research phase to calculate the nutrition requirement, scan the food based on appearance and help the individuals monitor their nutrition intake. This will further revolutionize the U.S. clinical nutrition market in the future.

Increasing Demand For The Infant Nutrition

One of the significant concerns in infants and toddlers arising rapidly in the US is the low-weight birth rate. About one in 12 babies is born with a low birth rate in the US. Increasing infant birth rates with lower weight delivers significant industry growth opportunities in milk-based nutritional products for U.S. clinical nutrition market players. Milk-based nutritional products are not new in the industry, but increasing demand and high competition among the industry players resulted in innovative product deliveries in recent years.

In 2021, the North American Based Organization Nutricia (by Danone) got approval for the new infant nutrition product Fortini from US FDA. This product is developed to support children living with the risk of growth deficiencies and those with increased energy requirements.

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Abbott, B. Braun Melsungen Ag, Baxter, Danone, Fresenius Kabi, Nestle, Perrigo Company, and Reckitt Benckiser Group are the leading players in the U.S. clinical nutrition market players, accounting for the higher industry share in the United States.

On the other hand, emerging players and new start-ups are trying to achieve a solid customer base and market expansion. The presence of emerging industry players positively influences the competition in the clinical nutrition market in the US. The primary competition among the industry players accounted due to new product launches, emerging, and gold standard formulations.

Competition Among the Major Industry Players

Abbott's Ensure is one of the leading clinical nutrition products used in the U.S. clinical nutrition market. This product significantly drives the company's high customer base and delivers higher revenue yearly.

Danone is a leading industry player offering specialized nutrition comprising Advanced Medical Nutrition (AMN) and Early Life Nutrition solutions.

Perrigo Company is one of the leading companies offering store-brand self-care products, including toddler and infant formulas and pediatric and adult nutrition drinks.

Key Vendors

Abbott

B. Braun Melsungen Ag.

Baxter

Danone

Fresenius Kabi

Nestle

Perrigo Company

Reckitt Benckiser Group

Other Prominent Vendors

ADM

Ajinomoto Co

BASF SE

DSM

Envara Health

Glanbia plc

Hero Nutritionals

Hum Nutrition

Kendal Nutricare

Lonza

Lactalis Nutrition Sante

MEND

MediFood International SA

Primus Pharmaceuticals

SternLife GmbH & Co. KG

The Craft Heinz Company

Vivante Health

Wakefield-Vette

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Overview



8 Premium Insights

9 Market Opportunities & Trends

9.1 Innovation in Personalization and Targeted Solutions

9.2 Increasing Demand for Infant Nutrition

9.3 Advances in Nutritional Therapies

9.4 Shift Toward Home Nutritional Care



10 Market Growth Enablers

10.1 Government Initiatives, Investments, and Funding for Clinical Nutrition Research

10.2 Increasing Chronic Disease Prevalence Requires Nutritional Support

10.3 Impact of Covid-19 on Clinical Nutrition



11 Market Restraints

11.1 Side Effects and Complications Due to Clinical Nutrition

11.2 Barriers to Delivering Enteral Nutrition in Pediatric ICU

11.3 High Cost of Clinical Nutrition



12 Market Landscape

12.1 Market Overview

12.2 Market Size & Forecast

12.3 Five Forces Analysis



13 Route of Administration

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Oral

13.4 Enteral

13.5 Parenteral



14 Product

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 Powder

14.4 Liquid

14.5 Semi-Solid



15 Age Group

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Market Overview

15.3 Child and Teenager

15.4 Adult

15.5 Infant & Toddler

15.6 Geriatric



16 Application

16.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

16.2 Market Overview

16.3 Malnutrition

16.4 Metabolic Disorders

16.5 Gastrointestinal Diseases

16.6 Cancer



17 Distribution Channel

17.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

17.2 Market Overview

17.3 Institutional Sales

17.4 Supermarket & Hypermarket

17.5 Online Channels

17.6 Pharmacies & Drug Stores

17.7 Specialty Stores



18 End-User

18.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

18.2 Market Overview

18.3 Hospitals

18.4 Individual

18.5 Homecare

18.6 Long-Term Care Centers



19 Competitive Landscape

19.1 Competition Overview

19.2 Market Share Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fjplvk

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact: Laura Wood | +353-1-481-1716 | [email protected]

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
CMO hire completes CEO Dr. Jessica Henderson Boyd's senior leadership team as organization launches bold three-year strategic plan

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After a national search, Unity Health Care welcomes Dr. Stephanie Cox-Batson as its new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Cox-Batson joins Unity Health Care from Chicago's Near North Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center, where she also served as Chief Medical Officer. "I am excited and humbled to have been chosen as Unity Health's next Chief Medical Officer. My life's work has been defined by helping under-served and disenfranchised individuals achieve optimal health. Unity has a long history of working to create a more equitable health care system and I am already inspired by the dedication of the Unity Health team," said Dr. Cox-Batson.

Dr. Stephanie Cox-Batson

In addition to her role at Near North Health she served as an attending physician at Northwestern Prentice Hospital's Obstetric Triage Unit and as an associate at Northwestern Specialists for Women where she provided full-scope obstetrics and gynecology services and supported OBGYN residents.

"I'm thrilled to have Dr. Cox-Batson join Unity Health Care. She is a fantastic physician executive with a heart for serving our community and her role will be critical as we move our organization forward," said Unity Health Care President and CEO Dr. Jessica Henderson Boyd.

Dr. Cox-Batson's role will be to lead the organization's efforts to provide safe, effective, and comprehensive health care and to encourage innovation. She continued, "The health care industry is at a crossroads. We need to be prepared to adjust our care models to meet the needs of the next generation, while honoring and respecting an expanding aging population. There is a lot of good work to be done and I'm ready to get started."

In addition to Dr. Cox-Batson, four new board members have been named to the Unity Board of Directors to support the organization's new three-year strategic plan.

Unity Health Care Board Chairperson Frederick D. Cooke Jr., Esq. will continue his service as Board Chair through 2023. "I am thrilled to welcome this strong group of new board members and I look forward to serving with each of them," Cooke Jr. said.

The new board members began their 3-year terms with Unity Health Care effective January 1, 2023 and can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. The four new board members are:

LaTricia Frederick , EdD, MBA, SPHR, Director of People and Communities, Global Sales and Engineering Functions at Cisco Systems, Inc.

, EdD, MBA, SPHR, Director of People and Communities, Global Sales and Engineering Functions at Cisco Systems, Inc. Carlos Martinez-Palmer, Consumer member, retired with a background in exhibition design

Rogann Matthews , Consumer member

, Consumer member George Worrell , Consumer member, CEO George Worrell Style LLC.

"As a Federally Qualified Health Center, our board of directors is made up of a majority of consumer members, or patients. Three of our new board members are current patients of Unity and their perspectives will be invaluable to our work together. LaTricia Frederick brings expertise in supporting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in workplaces and I'm thrilled to have her join us." Dr. Boyd added, "I want to thank our new board members for joining us and I want to thank Chairperson Cooke for continuing his years of service as board chair. I know that together we can achieve our big goals and advance health equity."

Unity Health Care reaches people wherever they are to provide compassionate, comprehensive, high-quality health care that is accessible to all and advances health equity in Washington, DC. As the largest network of community health centers in the District our team of compassionate and multicultural health professionals place Unity values into action every day to bring whole-person care and wellness to nearly 100,000 patients through 475,000 visits annually through our network of over 28 traditional and non-traditional health sites and a mobile medical outreach vehicle. https://www.unityhealthcare.org

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Unity Health Care
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to support a racially and ethnically diverse student population and help strengthen the pipeline of diverse CPA talent, the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business has announced its collaboration with the Deloitte Foundation in the Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program (DFASP).

Launched in 2021, the DFASP works in parallel with Deloitte's* MADE (Making Accounting Diverse and Equitable), a $75 million commitment to fuel greater racial and ethnic diversity in accounting and tax and generate more opportunities and leadership pathways for the next generation of certified public accountants (CPAs). The Deloitte Foundation expects to fund $30 million in scholarships for students over the next several years, including students interested in pursuing a fifth-year master's degree in accounting, master's of tax or master's of accounting with a concentration in audit, advisory or tax through the Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program. The Deloitte Foundation is collaborating with nearly 20 participating colleges and universities across the U.S., including UMD's Smith School, in an effort to increase representation of racially and ethnically diverse students in these programs. DFASP participating schools and the Deloitte Foundation will cover 100% of tuition (excluding books and living expenses) for selected students.

"The Deloitte Foundation helps accelerate innovation and equity in education to build pathways to opportunity for the workforce of tomorrow," said Erin Scanlon, Deloitte Foundation president. "We are very excited to bring the Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program to more colleges and universities this year to engage more diverse students in pursuing a career in accounting or tax."

Assistant Dean of MS Programs for the Smith School, Emanuel Zur says, "The Deloitte Foundation's collaboration with the Smith School is a vital move to expand the opportunities for students who are underrepresented in accounting and tax to gain advanced knowledge extending far beyond the fundamentals in accounting. In doing so, we are proud to enhance the Smith School's equitable environment to critically strengthen the pipeline of racially and ethnically diverse talent entering a CPA profession that is becoming more perceptive and sensitive to the changing landscape of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace."

Applications for the 2023-2024 school year opened in the fall, with scholarships to be granted in Spring 2023. Interested students should apply for admission to the Smith School, and then separately apply to be considered for the DFASP. Each school will select the scholarship recipients.

For more information, visit the Smith School website or the Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program website.

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master's, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

About the Deloitte Foundation

The Deloitte Foundation, founded in 1928, is a not-for-profit organization that supports education in the U.S. through a variety of initiatives that help develop the next generation of diverse business leaders, and their influencers, and promote excellence in teaching, research and curriculum innovation. The Foundation sponsors an array of national programs relevant to a variety of professional services, benefiting high school students, undergraduates, graduate students and educators. Learn more about the Deloitte Foundation.

*Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of our legal structure.

Contact: Greg Muraski at [email protected]

SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
Campaign to "heat up" on National Plan for Vacation Day with NYC pop-up event and ultimate online trip giveaway

ST. PETE/CLEARWATER, Fla., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This winter, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater (VSPC) is giving the gift of warmth and sunshine with the launch of a new " Warm Up To Win " campaign. The campaign will highlight the area's Florida Gulf coast beaches, endless rays of sunshine, family fun and superb dining scene, positioning St. Pete/Clearwater as the ideal winter destination, and give one lucky fan the chance to win a trip to the destination with a stay at TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach every year for the next five years. A special, free "Warm Up To Win" pop-up event will highlight the initiative on Tuesday, January 31 from 12  6 p.m. in New York City's bustling Herald Square.

TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach

New York City residents and visitors are invited to quite literally warm up by enjoying an interactive St. Pete Beach Day inside a heated greenhouse, and enter for a chance to "Warm Up To Win" the ultimate sweepstakes. Coastal-clad ambassadors will greet guests and encourage them to "take a soak" in the fun VSPC bubble-like ball pit hot tub, take part in themed games, and spin-to-win VSPC and TradeWinds Island Resorts prizes and swag. Onsite resort representatives will offer destination travel information, ideas and tips. A lively tiki hut will serve complimentary samples of the TradeWinds' tropical "Island Sunshine" beverage, transporting guests to a perfect warm day on the breezy shores of St. Pete Beach. The first 50 guests to post their "hot tub" selfies on Instagram and or Facebook tagging @vspc and #PlanForVacation will win a VSPC branded swimsuit and towel! The event is open to the public and appropriate for all ages.

Strategically held in tandem with National Plan for Vacation Day , the "Warm Up To Win" pop-up event will celebrate travel by transporting New York consumers to the white sand beaches and warm, emerald green waters of St. Pete/Clearwater. This important day for the tourism industry, celebrated annually on the last Tuesday in January, was developed by the U.S. Travel Association to encourage Americans to plan their vacation days for the whole year.

According to a recent study by Sorbet , a company that helps businesses manage PTO, even Americans who get PTO aren't really using it. Per the report, an average of 55% of PTO went unused in 2022, compared to just 28% in 2019 before the pandemic began. There is no better time to start planning your trip to St. Pete/Clearwater which is home to multiple award-winning beaches among many other accolades.

"Since it's never too early to start planning, we are thrilled to introduce our exciting new campaign, "Warm Up To Win," on National Plan for Vacation Day by gifting the perfect vacation to paradise for one lucky winner for the next five years," VSPC President and CEO Steve Hayes said. "From our award-winning beaches to our unmatched art offerings, world-class dining and more, St. Pete/Clearwater offers the perfect respite from winter," concluded Hayes.

VSPC has partnered with TradeWinds Island Resorts to offer its beautiful beachfront property as part of the campaign's sweepstakes grand prize. Located directly on the sugary white sands of the Gulf of Mexico on St. Pete Beach, TradeWinds Island Resorts offers 40 acres of limitless beachfront recreation, sumptuous dining, and many exciting family activities, such as their unique three-story, dual-line zipline on the beach.

The online sweepstakes, which can be entered both in person and online, is open January 18, 2023, through March 31, 2023. The rules are simple: each participant is allowed one online entry per person to win one trip to St. Pete/Clearwater for four people every year for the next five years. Each trip will include round-trip airfare for up to four (4) people, three-night single hotel accommodations at TradeWinds Island Resorts and $300 resort credit. The prize also includes a Visit St. Pete/Clearwater beach bag.

The new campaign will be supported through digital, out-of-home and traditional advertising media. New Yorkers looking for a first sneak peek are invited to stop by VSPC's booth at the New York Travel & Adventure Show Jan. 28  Jan. 29 at booth 742 where they will have the chance to chat with brand representatives and "Spin to Win" free prizes.

To learn more about the pop-up event and RSVP, visit the Facebook event here . To enter the sweepstakes, go to the campaign website, WarmUpToWin.com! For more information on hotels, attractions, itineraries, and to begin planning your vacation to America's Best Beaches visit www.visitstpeteclearwater.com.

About Visit St. Pete/Clearwater

World-class beaches and 24 dynamic communities packed with culture and adventure await in St. Pete/Clearwater, the jewel of Florida's Gulf coast, only 90 miles west from Orlando. Situated on a sun-drenched peninsula separating the Gulf of Mexico from Tampa Bay, the area has received more than 30 awards in the past decade for its pristine white-sand beaches, including two St. Pete/Clearwater beaches in the Top 5 on TripAdvisor's 2020 Best Beaches in the U.S.  No 2, St. Pete Beach and No. 5, Clearwater Beach. Culture shines here too, from institutions like St. Pete's Dali Museum, housing the largest collection of the famed surrealist's works outside Spain, to a burgeoning street art scene that's drawing international acclaim. The vibe is alive in St. Pete/Clearwater. Start planning your next vacation at VisitStPeteClearwater.com . #LetsShineSPC

About TradeWinds Island Resorts

The TradeWinds Island Resorts  the Island Grand and the RumFish Beach Resort  are located directly on 40 acres of sugary white sands of the Gulf of Mexico on St. Pete Beach in Florida. The resorts offer limitless beachfront recreation, sumptuous dining, fantastic family activities and programs, and world class meeting and function facilities.For additional information on TradeWinds Island Resorts, visit JustLetGo.com. #JustLetGo

SOURCE Visit St. Pete/Clearwater
 Business leaders estimate that poor website user experience costs $72,000 in lost sales per year

 Website error fixing and maintenance wastes an average of 4 hours per week - with 8% of businesses spending more than 10 hours per week

 90% say they receive a good ROI on their marketing technology spend, even though data proves this isn't true

LINZ, Austria , Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Storyblok , the content management system (CMS) category leader that empowers both developers and content teams to create better content experiences across all digital channels, today announced research which reveals companies are losing a considerable sum of money each year due to poor website experience despite spending a substantial amount on marketing technology.

500 business leaders at mid-sized e-commerce companies in the US and Europe were asked a range of questions about their company's website performance and associated costs. Surprisingly, 48% said their website had recently embarrassed them in front of a key stakeholder or customer, however, 87% said their website met all or most of their expectations.

Nearly every business (92%) thinks their website's poor user experience is costing them sales, with 30% estimating this sum exceeds $100,000 per year. Storyblok's recent survey of 6,000 consumers in the US and Europe echoed these findings, with 60% of consumers stating they abandon an average of 5 purchases a year due to poor user experience on websites.

Despite these findings, spending on marketing technology and satisfaction with the results remains very high - businesses invested, on average, nearly half a million over the past five years, with 14% spending more than one million. Only 6% of businesses think they receive a poor ROI on their marketing technology spend.

Dominik Angerer, CEO and Co-Founder of Storyblok, said: "At first, these results look completely contradictory. On one hand, businesses believe their websites are costly embarrassments, on the other hand, they are seemingly satisfied with their performance. The answer is that expectations are too low.

"Many businesses believe that marketing technology is inherently very expensive and is difficult and time-consuming to get right. This is no longer the case. A modern wave of API-first, best-of-breed technology is currently disrupting the industry, making the martech stack not only more cost-effective, but also more user-friendly for the teams working with it - developers and marketers. Business leaders no longer have to accept 'webarrassment' as the standard."

Storyblok's research also revealed that in addition to lost sales, companies are spending a significant amount of time on maintenance and fixing errors on their websites. Each week, on average, 4 hours is lost to these tasks.

Note

Storyblok conducted the survey of 500 business leaders and executives with OnePoll. The survey ran between November 24th to December 4th, 2022.

Resources

Learn more about Storyblok: https://www.storyblok.com

View Storyblok's press kit: https://www.storyblok.com/press

See case studies: https://www.storyblok.com/case-studies

About Storyblok

Storyblok, the content management system (CMS) category leader, empowers both developers and content teams to create better content experiences across any digital channel.

Storyblok enhances audience experiences with best-in-breed performance, security, optimized omnichannel storytelling, and robust personalization. Enable content teams to create and manage content intuitively and independently with drag and drop visual editing, custom collaboration workflows, and a world-class digital asset manager. Empower developers to build anything, integrate with everything, and publish everywhere with Storyblok's headless CMS architecture.

Leading brands such as Adidas, T-Mobile, Renault, and Oatly use Storyblok to shape their digital storytelling.

See why Storyblok was named the #1 CMS by G2 at www.storyblok.com and follow Storyblok on LinkedIn and Twitter .

Press Contact

Brandon Watts

[email protected]

SOURCE Storyblok
Held at the University of Tulsa, the party tripled the Rome, Italy record of 1,046 set in 2019

TULSA, Okla., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- President of World Pizza Champions and Owner of Andolini's Pizzeria, an Andolini's Worldwide concept, Mike Bausch partnered with the University of Tulsa to set a new Guinness World Record for hosting the World's Largest Pizza Party in Tulsa, Okla. The new world record of 3,357 people simultaneously eating pizza occurred Saturday, January 21 at the University of Tulsa. The new record triples the 2019 record set in Rome, Italy of 1,046 people.

World Pizza Champions and Andolini's Worldwide triple Guinness World Record for world's largest pizza party in Tulsa. Tweet this Guinness World Records official adjudicator Michael Empric announces to the audience and to World Pizza Champions President and Andolini's Worldwide owner Mike Bausch the successful attempt to break the Guinness World Record for world's largest pizza party with 3,357 participants at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla. The new record triples the 2019 record set in Rome, Italy of 1,046 people.

The attempt was a charitable initiative of World Pizza Champions, a group of famous pizza makers from across the globe. Members joined in Tulsa to organize and participate in hosting the large-scale event.

"This record attempt was a logistical maze and required hundreds of people to successfully pull it off," said Mike Bausch, owner of Andolini's Worldwide. "I am so proud of our community in how they came together for a great cause. I never doubted the ability of our team, nor the willingness of Tulsans, to collaboratively step up and raise thousands of dollars for deserving kids and their families facing the unfathomable."

The successful Guinness World Record breaker in Tulsa followed a failed attempt by YouTube star Airrack and Pizza Hut in Los Angeles on January 18.

"Our campus has been buzzing with excitement for weeks," said TU President Brad R. Carson. "As Tulsa's university, TU strives to find ways to bring our community together and for ways to give back; setting a Guinness World Record is an epic way to do both."

The event raised $42,090 for Make-A-Wish Oklahoma, granting eight children's wishes.

"We are so thankful the World Pizza Champions stepped up to this enormous challenge to put on what was not only a fun event, but also an incredibly successful one," said Jane Rohweder, senior director of development, Make-A-Wish Oklahoma. "We currently have 305 Oklahoma children waiting for their wish to come true. Our wish kids have waited patiently and we are so excited their wish will now be granted with the money raised from this event."

For more information visit, LargestPizzaParty.com, WorldPizzaChampions.com or AndolinisWorldwide.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Sam Powell

(c) 918-857-1750

(e) [email protected]

SOURCE World Pizza Champions and Andolini's Worldwide
Companies looking at China expansion need to know about legal changes that may impact growth plans, according to INS Global.

SHANGHAI, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The beginning of 2023 saw numerous laws and regulations come into effect in China. It's important for foreign companies and investors doing business in China to have a full understanding of these changes that may affect operations or plans for expansion into the country.

To avoid issues, fines or penalties, companies looking at expansion to China should consult an experienced strategic partner like INS Global that has expertise in the country.

Here are examples of just three of several new laws that could impact businesses in China:

New Data Security Measures

New guidelines instruct businesses on how they can gather, manage and process data. All businesses offering software and information technology services are subject to the new Trial Measures.

Women's Rights in the Workplace

The revised Women's Protection Law includes provisions for recruitment and employer's obligations in the workplace. This includes specific questions you can't raise in interviews such as the marital status of a woman or whether she may be pregnant. There are as many as 30 new provisions that companies need to abide by and train hiring managers for.

Tariff Adjustment Plans

Changes to import and export tariff rates could have a huge impact on certain businesses including IT products, infant food and certain electric appliances. New regulation have resulted in tax adjustments to as many as 8,948 items. Companies that fail to update accounting practices for these changes could face penalties or even court cases, depending on the sector.

Why Year of the Rabbit Is a Great Time to Open in China

The Year of the Rabbit, which begins on January 22, 2023, favors speed and agility. Businesses that act quickly and take advantage of China reopening after lengthy Covid shutdowns will be rewarded with opportunity. Typically, setting up a new business in China can take two to six months but delays often happen due to licenses or new regulations. But many foreign-owned companies expanding to China are opting to work with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) like INS Global, with decades of experience and expertise in compliance in China, that can setup businesses in a matter of days.

"Change is a way of life in China's business culture," says Wei Hsu, Managing Director of INS Global. "Companies looking to capitalize on opportunity now that Covid restrictions have loosened need to understand how changing laws and regulations may affect their expansion plans. We know the China market inside and out, and are able to keep our clients apprised about changes that may either put them at risk or offer a big competitive advantage," Wei added.

Lack of time and knowledge of Chinese laws are driving many companies seeking growth in China to partner with a PEO like INS Global, to make the process of launching first-time operations in China seamless, fast and fully compliant.

About INS Global

INS Global is the fastest-growing organization providing worldwide business expansion services and simplifying operations without hassle or delay. Our range of services include global PEO, global employer of record and company incorporation services. We provide comprehensive and innovative solutions to the global needs of organizations.

To learn more about how INS Global can help foster growth for your company, please visit https://ins-globalconsulting.com/contact/.

Contact Details

Name: Koren Eloul

Email: [email protected]

Phone Number: 520-268-5206

Website Address: https://ins-globalconsulting.com/

SOURCE INS Global
TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zenith American Solutions ("Zenith") is proud to announce that Susan Paul has joined our Executive Leadership Team as Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Zenith welcomes Susan Paul as a member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT). As COO, Paul will report directly to the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, Kim Fiori. Fiori said, "Susan's extensive healthcare and operations background brings a new level of expertise to our organization and added value for our clients and their participants."

Zenith welcomes Susan Paul as a member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT). Tweet this Susan Paul

Susan will be responsible for the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization's day-to-day operations, while serving as a key contributor to the organization's overall strategy, and continuous growth and development.

Susan has close to 30 years of experience in the healthcare/payor industry holding positions within Operations and Client Services. During her time at Trustmark, a health benefit plan administrator, Susan held numerous operations-focused leadership roles. As Vice President, Employer Services, Susan was responsible for all aspects of administrative operations and strategy. She also possesses extensive experience in the development and leadership of growth and retention operations executing the growth vision while raising customer satisfaction. Susan has also served in key roles at UnitedHealthcare and The Travelers.

"I have worked with Susan for close to 18 years during my tenure at Trustmark. What I appreciate most about Susan is her willingness to roll up her sleeves and work alongside her team to ensure a positive experience for our clients and their participants," said Kim.

Susan lives in Columbus Ohio. She is a graduate of the Bowling Green State University with a bachelor's degree in Finance, and also earned a MBA from the DePaul Driehaus College of Business.

About Zenith American Solutions, Inc.

Zenith American provides innovative technologies, services, systems and support methodology to Taft-Hartley benefit plans so union members and customers get the solutions they need for increasingly complex regulatory changes and technology driven solutions. Zenith American is the largest independent third party administrator in the United States serving Taft-Hartley trust funds and currently operates over 37 offices nationwide. For more information visit www.zenith-american.com.

Media Contact:

SOURCE ZENITH AMERICAN SOLUTIONS
The Arizona Coyotes have signed Juuso Valimaki to a one-year contract extension, avoiding restricted free agency this summer. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the deal will be worth $1MM. Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong released a statement:

We are very pleased to sign Juuso to a one-year extension. He is a big, strong, two-way defenseman who has been a great addition to our defensive corps. We look forward to having him on our roster next season.

Valimaki, 24, was claimed off waivers from the Calgary Flames in October and has found a home in Arizona. Playing a depth role, he has 12 points in 43 games and looks to have put his injury troubles behind him. This extension is a nice piece of work by Armstrong and the Coyotes front office, given that Valimaki would have been due a qualifying offer substantially higher in the offseason, or else hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

Signed to a two-year deal by Calgary in 2021, he currently carries a $1.55MM cap hit. The qualifying offer would have been $1.86MM, and Valimaki has arbitration rights. With a $1MM deal in place, hell not only come in below that but remain under team control and on schedule to become an RFA in the summer of 2024 once again.

The 16th overall pick of 2017, Valimaki suffered a torn ACL in 2019 that cost him an entire season of development. The young defenseman has struggled to live up to the early hype since, and now looks more like hell settle into a bottom-pairing or seventh-defenseman role in the NHL. While that is still relatively valuable, the $1MM contract points to the lack of real upside that is present in his game today.

Valimaki becomes the fifth defenseman in Arizona signed to a one-way deal for 2023-24, joining Jakob Chychrun, Patrik Nemeth, Josh Brown, and Dysin Mayo (currently in the AHL). The team is likely going fill its ranks with youngsters in the years to come, as they start to turn from rebuilding to more competitive status. It remains to be seen whether Valimaki can continue to hold down a regular role once that transition takes place, but his age certainly fits into the timeline.
Manila, Jan 25 : A six-seater Cessna 206 plane was missing shortly after taking off in the northern Philippine province of Isabela, local media reported late on Tuesday.

The aircraft with tail number RPC 1174 took off around 2:16 p.m. local time (0616 GMT) at Cauayan City airport in Isabela, bound for the coastal town of Maconacon, Xinhua news agency reported, citing reports.

Local officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) confirmed that six people were aboard the missing aircraft, including the pilot.

Local radio channel Bombo Radyo quoted Mary Sullen Sagorsor, the area manager of the CAAP in Tuguegarao province, as saying that authorities has launched an aerial search but did not find the wreckage.

The search and rescue operation will resume on Wednesday morning.
Ankara, Jan 25 : Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned the Dutch ambassador to Ankara to protest against "the vile act" of a far-right Dutch politician to tear pages out of the Quran.

The ministry summoned Joep Wijnands to protest the "heinous and despicable act and demanded that the Netherlands allow no such provocative acts", Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the ministry.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile attack by an anti-Islamic person in The Hague, Netherlands, on January 22, to target our holy book, the Holy Quran," the ministry said.

"This despicable act ... is a clear declaration that Islamophobia, discrimination and xenophobia know no bounds in Europe," it added.

Turkey expected the Dutch authorities to take necessary actions against the perpetrator of the incident and to implement concrete measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, according to the ministry.

A video posted on social media showed Edwin Wagensveld, leader of the far-right group, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West, ripped pages from a Quran in The Hague.

The incident comes after Swedish-Danish right-wing extremist, Rasmus Paludan, burned the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on Saturday, which drew strong reaction from Turkey.
Lucknow, Jan 25 : At least 12 residents have been rescued and rushed to hospital from a building that collapsed here on Tuesday evening.

SDRF, NDRF and army teams carried out rescue operation till the wee hours of Wednesday, carefully removing the debris and bringing out trapped residents.

Nearby buildings have also developed cracks following the collapse.

The injured were been admitted to various hospitals in Lucknow.

District Magistrate Suryapal Gangwar said that around four people are still feared trapped. He said efforts are underway to rescue people safely.

"The rescued persons were given timely medical assistance, and oxygen supply had been ensured to those trapped under the debris," he said.

Principal Secretary (Home), Sanjay Prasad, who personally supervised rescue operations through the night, said that priority was to ensure the safety of those trapped in.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also continued to take updates on the situation.

"The incident took place around 7 p.m. No casualty has been reported," Prasad said.

While the reason for the collapse of the residential building - Aliyah Apartment - in Hazratganj area could not be ascertained immediately, preliminary reports indicate that construction work was going on in the building's parking lot. The building had 12 flats and two penthouses on the top floor.

"Probe will be conducted to ascertain the reason for the collapse," Prasad added.

The Chief Minister has directed officials to ensure that adequate treatment is provided to the injured. He has also issued directions to hospitals to stay alert, a senior official said.

"Eight families were inside when the building collapsed. As per our estimate, 30-35 people should be (trapped)," said Director General of Police D.S. Chauhan.

Army personnel, along with teams of NDRF and SDRF have been deployed for the rescue operation, which continued through the night.

The NDRF, police and fire brigade personnel are present at the spot. A rescue operation is underway.
San Francisco, Jan 25 : Three people were killed in a shooting at a convenience store in Yakima of the US' Washington state.

The shooter is still at large, and the motive remains unknown, local police was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.

Yakima Police Chief Matt Murray said a man walked into a Circle K convenience store in Yakima early Tuesday morning and killed three people. The shooter took a car after shooting at the driver and then drove away.

"It appears to be a random situation," Murray said in a police video posted on social media. "There was no apparent conflict between the parties, the male just walked in and started shooting." "This is a dangerous person and it's random so it's a danger to the community," Murray added.
Azamgarh, Jan 25 : One person was killed while two were critically injured when a former village head, Shiv Shankar alias Bhurey Singh, and his henchmen opened indiscriminate fire on rival Bhim Singh and his supporters at a panchayat in Dakshin ka Pura locality in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district.

Azamgarh SP Anurag Arya said that a dispute between two groups took ugly turn during a panchayat convened to decide the beneficiary of a government housing scheme after which Bhurey and his supporters opened indiscriminate fire.

"Himanshu Singh (32), Pradeep Singh Bhim (40), and Tavendra Singh Munna (38), suffered bullet injuries. They were rushed to the district hospital. In view of the critical condition of Himanshu, doctors referred him to a Varanasi hospital where he died." "Five persons have been taken in custody so far. Four teams have been deputed to arrest Bhurey and his accomplices, who managed to escape after opening fire during the panchayat," the SP said.

In initial investigation, it came to light that a meeting was in progress to finalise the list of beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural).

Former village head Bhurey was present at the meeting along with his henchmen. His political rival Bhim along with Himanshu and Munna was also present there.

Bhim and his supporters alleged that Bhurey had ensured inclusion of the names of his close ones in the list of beneficiaries from which the names of genuine persons of the village were excluded.

Following an exchange of heated words, Bhurey and Bhim came face to face and Bhurey and his supporters opened indiscriminate fire with their licenced guns on Bhim and others.

The police said that Himanshu suffered bullet injuries in chest. Bhim and Munna, too, suffered bullet injuries.

After the firing, the assailants fled the scene. On getting information of the incident, Mehnajpur police reached there and rushed the injured persons to a local hospital.

Later, Arya along with other officials reached the spot. A car of assailants was seized by the police at the incident site while five persons were taken in custody for interrogation.

Arya said, "Raids were being carried out at all possible hideouts of the assailants and they would be nabbed very soon."
Houston, Jan 25 : The gunman accused of killing 23 people including eight Mexicans in 2019 at a Walmart mall in the largely Latino border city of El Paso in US' Texas state, will plead guilty to federal hate crimes charges, local media reported.

The mass shooting taking place on August 3, 2019, was the deadliest attack targeting Hispanics in the US history.

Patrick Crusius, who is from Allen, Texas, and was then 21 years old, is charged with 23 counts of hate crime resulting in death, 23 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder in a crime of violence, 22 counts of hate crime in an attempt to kill, and 22 counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US Justice Department announced last week that it would not seek the death penalty in federal charges. As a result, the maximum federal sentence the white male faces is life in prison.

Crusius' defence attorney Felix Valenzuela filed a motion on Saturday, announcing that Crusius would plead guilty while asking that his client be re-arraigned on the federal charges.

In court, Crusius' attorneys have said he has a mental illness that would preclude the death penalty.

US District Judge David Guaderrama on Monday set the re-arraignment for February 8, according to a Texas Tribune report.

Crusius also faces state charges that include 23 counts of capital murder, which potentially carry the death penalty. No trial date has been set on the state charges, said the report.

Days after the shooting, Crusius confessed to officers and said that he had been targeting Mexicans.

Authorities believed that shortly before the attack, Crusius posted a racist screed online that railed against an influx of Hispanics into the US.
Amman/Jerusalem, Jan 25 : King Abdullah II of Jordan stressed the need to maintain calm and cease all acts of violence to pave the way for the Middle East peace process.

At a meeting in Amman with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, the king stressed the importance of respecting the historical and legal status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to maintain peace, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the Jordanian Royal Hashemite Court.

The king stressed Jordan's steadfast position in supporting the two-state solution, which guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 border, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with Israel in peace.

In a statement issued by Netanyahu's office, the two leaders discussed regional issues and "especially strategic, security and economic cooperation between Israel and Jordan, which contributes to regional stability".

The two leaders also praised "the long-standing friendship and partnership" between Israel and Jordan, the office said.

Jordan was the second Arab nation to normalize relations with Israel, but tensions have increased between the two countries since the inauguration of the Israeli right-wing coalition government in December 2022.
Stockholm, Jan 25 : The Swedish government has announced an "international information campaign", which it expects to discourage refugees from coming to the country.

"The main objective is to inform about the Swedish migration policy so that fewer people will come here," Minister for Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.

"Among other things, this includes distributing an information package to foreign authorities and other authorities with contact points abroad. Targeted information must also go to foreign newsrooms and news agencies," she said.

"If refugees who would be forced to return receive information about the regulations that apply here, we reduce the risk of suffering for these people and focus to a greater extent on those who have genuine reasons to get protection," she added.

Malmer Stenergard also said that 76 per cent of the refugees who arrived in the Nordic countries in 2019 ended up in Sweden and that this number must be substantially decreased.

In that year, Sweden received just under 22,000 asylum applications, according to statistics provided by the Swedish Migration Agency. In 2020 and 2021, the corresponding figures were 13,000 and 11,400, according to the agency.

"Sweden must not have a more generous view on asylum than mandated by EU (European Union) legislation and other legally binding treaties," the minister said.

The government has also instructed the Swedish Migration Agency to prepare for decreasing the number of quota refugees -- persons who have fled their home countries and been selected by the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) to be resettled in a third country -- from 5,000 to 900.

Ahead of the election in September 2022, the bloc that eventually won campaigned for tighter immigration rules. They are supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats, who has campaigned against immigration.
Ankara, Jan 25 : Turkey has postponed a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids following the burning of a copy of the Quran in Sweden, the state-run TRT network reported.

The meeting was slated to take place in February, the report said, citing anonymous Turkish diplomatic sources.

The decision came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Sweden not to expect Turkey's support on its NATO bid after Rasmus Paludan, the head of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, burned a copy of the Quran on Saturday outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sweden and Finland submitted their formal requests to join the NATO in May 2022, which were initially objected by Turkey, a NATO member, citing their support for anti-Turkish Kurdish organisations and political dissidents, Xinhua news agency reported.

A month later, Turkey, Sweden and Finland reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) ahead of the NATO summit held in Madrid, Spain.

In the MoU, Ankara agreed to lift its veto on the NATO bids by Finland and Sweden, which in return pledged to support Turkey's fight against terrorism and address its "pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly".

The Turkish parliament has not ratified the Nordic countries' NATO bids so far, citing that they have yet to meet Turkey's requests.
Jhansi, Jan 25 : A doctor working at the Jhansi medical college has donated his mother's body to the institute following her death for study purpose of anatomy department students.

Dr Anshul Jain, a professor in anaesthesia department in Jhansi, who was also the former vice principal of the medical college and presently, the director of government paramedical college, lost his mother Saroj Jain, 70, on Sunday.

He and his father Dilip Bhushan Jain, also a doctor decided to donate her body in accordance with a wish expressed by Saroj.

Anshul told reporters that a few years ago, his mother had developed cardiac problems and the doctors had suggested for a bypass surgery which she had refused.

This she did because she had already decided for the donation of her body without any cuts.

After her death, the rituals took place inside the medical college campus and the body was handed over to principal, Dr Narendra Singh Senger.

"The body, after the processes of embalming, will be kept in the anatomy department for the study purpose. It was indeed a noble and strong step taken by the family members which will set an example for everyone," Dr Senger said.

This is second such incident in which a body has been donated to the medical college here.

A few years ago, the body of Dinesh Bains, a journalist, was also donated in similar way by his kins as per the wish of the deceased.
Lucknow, Jan 25 : Some 31 people have been booked in seven separate cases related to allegations of forced conversions to Christianity in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh in the past 30 days.

According to an official spokesman, cases have been registered in Sitapur, Ambedkar Nagar, Kanpur and Rampur districts .

A maximum 23 people have been booked in Sitapur in three separate cases.

Police have claimed that David Asthana, one of the accused in a case in Sitapur, was in touch with people in foreign countries who were assisting him in illegal conversions.

Two pastors, one each in Kanpur and Rampur, were arrested for organising mass conversion ceremonies.

Six others have been booked in two separate cases in Ambedkar Nagar.

Senior police officers said that all the cases related to forced conversions were being investigated by DSP rank officers.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Sitapur, N.P. Singh said that all the cases registered under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, were still being investigated and all the accused are in judicial custody.

ADG (law and order) Prashant Kumar said that those who offer allurement, inducement and adopt illegal means for conversion would not be spared and action would be taken against them.

"We also ensure that no innocent person is harassed by the police," he added.
Los Angeles, Jan 25 : Rescue personnel in California said they have launched a search for a second hiker on Mountain Badly as an operation to locate British actor Julian Sands, who went missing in the same area on January 13, is also continuing.

The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department said in a statement on Tuesday that its search and rescue team received a request on Sunday to search for Jin Chung, a 75-year-old Los Angeles man on Mountain Baldy, which is a 3,068-meter summit in the San Gabriel Mountains on the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, reports Xinhua news agency.

Chung carpooled to the mountain with two others on Sunday morning and made plans to meet them at the vehicle in the afternoon, but he did not return, the statement said.

It added that ground crews searched unsuccessfully for Chung after he was reported missing.

A high wind warning on Monday prevented rescue teams from the use of helicopters in the search operation, but the ground search was allowed.

The Sheriff's Department also said rescuers continued searching unsuccessfully for Sands on Mountain Baldy over the weekend.

The search for the 65-year-old British actor was interrupted last week by an avalanche risk and poor trail conditions.
Washington, Jan 25 : The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has accused a North Korean government-backed hacker group for a $100 million crypto heist last year.

The cryptocurrencies were stolen from Harmony's Horizon bridge, which allows users to transfer cryptocurrency from one Blockchain to another.

The FBI said in a statement that the North Korea-based Lazarus Group (also known as APT28) cyber actors "are responsible for the theft of $100 million of virtual currency from Harmony's Horizon bridge reported on June 24, 2022".

"On Friday, January 13, 2023, North Korean cyber actors used RAILGUN, a privacy protocol, to launder over $60 million worth of ethereum (ETH) stolen during the June 2022 heist," said the FBI.

A portion of this stolen ethereum was subsequently sent to several virtual asset service providers and converted to bitcoin (BTC).

A portion of these funds were frozen, in coordination with some of the virtual asset service providers.

The FBI also published 11 cryptocurrency wallets where the remaining $40 million in stolen bitcoin were moved to.

The agency said that it continues to identify and disrupt North Korea's theft and laundering of virtual currency, which is used to support North Korea's ballistic missile and Weapons of Mass Destruction programmes.

"The FBI will continue to expose and combat the DPRK's use of illicit activities -- including cybercrime and virtual currency theft -- to generate revenue for the regime," it said.

DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Bengaluru, Jan 25 : The ruling BJP in Karnataka on Wednesday alleged that the Congress has a history of having links with terrorism.

The retort, in a series of social media posts, comes in the wake of Opposition leader Siddaramaiah's recent claim that Congress opposes terrorism in all its forms.

"Siddaramaiah claims that former late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for fighting terrorism. However, who triggered the terrorism and what was the objective of it?" BJP questioned.

Indira Gandhi used Bhindranwale (Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale) for politics. It was unfortunate that she had to send the Army to the Golden Temple of Amritsar to end the Khalistan rebel groomed by her. The Congress has forgotten that ugly politics will bring forth ugly situations.

Sikh community opposed Indira Gandhi for first nursing Bhindranwale and then finishing off. She had to pay with her life for it. But, who is responsible for the massacre of Sikhs following the killing of Indira Gandhi? BJP questioned Congress.

"Our yet another PM was killed by LTTE. However, when the facts are verified on who supported LTTE, the fingers will point at Congress party. Who supported and helped Prabhakaran of LTTE to grow? The Congress should understand all this," it charged.

By strengthening rebel groups, Indira Gandhi wanted to control neighbouring countries. It was her calculation that if LTTE was strong in Sri Lanka, it would help to control the country. LTTE cadres were called inside the territory of India and they were trained, BJP explained.

"Whenever, Sri Lankan Army attacked LTTE, arms were supplied and medical treatment to cadres was extended from India. All information was given to the Congress. Mr Siddaramaiah, the Congress party which you are in had a nexus with terrorism," the saffron party stated.

It further said "LTTE turned hostile to Rajiv Gandhi as this relationship was stopped. He sent the Indian Army to Sri Lanka and made it fight with our own intelligence agency. Congress has the history of colluding with terrorism, like playing chess with a venomous snake. Unfortunately, following this, Rajiv Gandhi was killed." "Mr Siddaramaiah, when this happened, you had not joined the Congress party. D.K. Shivakumar (Karnataka State Congress President) might not have informed you about all these developments. That's why we are informing you of all this," BJP stated.
An independent organization that defines the requirements for voluntary certification of agricultural products worldwide - GLOBAL G.A.P., supports Turkmenistan in obtaining the organization's certificate and increasing the competitiveness of Turkmen products on the world market.

"We are very pleased that Turkmenistan intends to receive the Global G.A.P. Certificate to increase the competitiveness of its products and that this project is really progressing very well. The first training and informational events went very well, the preparation for certification is in full swing," she said.

Speaking about the results of the work carried out, Strazdina stressed that the organization, together with the Program of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) "Safe Migration in Central Asia" and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan, conducted training seminars on social risk assessment for Turkmen consultants.

"The goal was to give an idea and an overview, to increase the level of responsible business conduct, including compliance with labor standards by Turkmen companies, by motivating them by increasing their export competitiveness and compliance with international environmental, social and management standards in order to prevent disruptions in their activities and help export their products abroad," she said. technical manager.

The Global G.A.P. Certification program affects all stages of production, starting with feed or seed material and ending with finished products manufactured by agricultural enterprises.
Chennai, Jan 25 : The Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department is aiming at a 100 per cent placement for students studying in government /government-aided colleges and polytechnics in the state.

In a bid to achieve this, the Higher Education Department would revamp the placement cells of these institutions and a senior professor would be given charge of the placement cell.

According to a senior officer of the Higher Education Department, the placement cell will directly coordinate between final year students and the HR departments of companies so that students are placed by the end of their course.

There are 30 government and government-aided engineering colleges, 50 state government arts and science colleges, and 80 government polytechnics in Tamil Nadu.

The placement officer will directly communicate with the HR department of companies and is being directed to rope in top-level companies so that students get good placements.

However, the marks secured by the students from SSLC classes right to the last semester in college would be considered for placement.

Other than this the placement officers would provide aspirant students with basic etiquette of dress code, how to face an interview, and polish the students for their big day.

The State Higher Education Minister, K. Ponmudi is directly in charge of the placement department and will be periodically reviewing the progress of the department.

The students will also be directed not to speak ill of the colleges where they study as also not to bad mouth their professors during and after the interview which the college would arrange for the students through placement cells.

The Higher Education Department officials told IANS that the placement officers will be communicating with the HR department of companies to ensure that they interview the students while they are in the last semester of their classes.

The placement officers will also update the students to browse through the details of the companies where they are getting an interview and to understand the basics about the company before they attend the interview.
Washington, Jan 25 : Media giant The Washington Post has begun laying off employees, starting with eliminating at least 20 newsroom jobs and shutting down its gaming section.

In an internal note to staff accessed by Axios, executive editor Sally Buzbee said the "newsroom leaders made these decisions after a thoughtful and deliberate review of our current roles and vacant positions".

"We prioritised the elimination of vacancies to minimize the impact on employees. We are also eliminating currently filled positions we concluded are not essential to serving our competitive needs," Buzbee wrote.

The Post has shut down Launcher, its online gaming vertical, and KidsPost.

The layoffs started after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made a rare appearance at the company's headquarters last week.

The Washington Post Guild union had notified its members that layoffs at The Post had begun.

"While the number of people affected is reportedly far smaller than what Publisher Fred Ryan initially alluded to in his layoff announcement at last month's town hall, we believe any job eliminations right now are unacceptable. The number should be zero," the Guild said in a statement.

Bezos bought The Post for $250 million, "adding newsroom jobs and increasing its coverage areas".

However, the business has stalled in the past year.

Last month, Ryan told the staff there would be layoffs to "put our business in the best position for future growth." The newspaper shut its Sunday magazine and laid off 11 newsroom employees late last year.

The publication has struggled to expand its subscription business, with fewer paying subscribers last year than the three million it had in 2020.

Other media companies like CNN, Vox Media, Adweek, NBC News, Vice Media and others have also laid off employees.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Senior Congress leader AK Antony's son Anil K Antony on Wednesday announced his resignation from the party and said there were "intolerant calls to retract a tweet by those fighting for free speech".

Taking to Twitter, Anil K Antony said: "I have resigned from my roles in @incindia @INCKerala. Intolerant calls to retract a tweet,by those fighting for free speech. I refused. @facebook wall of hate/abuses by ones supporting a trek to promote love! Hypocrisy thy name is! Life goes on." He was the national coordinator of the Congress' social media cell.

In his resignation letter, Anil K Antony said: "Considering the events from yesterday, I believe it would be appropriate for me to leave all my roles in the Congress -- as the Convener of KPCC Digital Media, and as the National Co-coordinator of AICC Social Media and Digital Communications Cell.

"I would like to thank everyone, especially the Kerala state leadership, and Dr. Shashi Tharoor, along with countless party workers, who had wholeheartedly supported and guided me at various times, during my brief period here.

"I am sure that I have my own unique strengths which could have enabled me to contribute very effectively to the party in several ways. However, by now I have been made well aware that you, your colleagues, and the coterie around the leadership are only keen to work with a bunch of sycophants and chamchas, who would unquestionably be at your beck and call. This has become the lone criterion of merit. Sadly, we don't have much common ground.

"I would prefer to continue my other professional endeavours without being fed this negativity, and being involved in these destructive narratives, many against the very core interests of India. These I strongly believe will end up in the dustbin of history with time." In tweet, that he referred to in his Wednesday's post, was: "Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in placing views of BBC, a (UK) state sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices, and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over institutions is setting a dangerous precedence, will undermine our sovereignty."
Kolkata, Jan 25 : Former West Bengal Education minister Partha Chatterjee's wish to offer prayers to the goddess of learning on the occasion of Saraswati Puja on Thursday has been declined.

Chatterjee, also the former Trinamool Congress secretary general, is currently serving his judicial custody at Presidency Central Correctional Home for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam. He had made an appeal to the prison authorities to allow him to offer his prayers on Saraswati Puja organised within the prison compound. However, state correctional services department sources said that his plea has been rejected on security reasons.

Similar pleas from the former West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay and former chairman of West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) Subiresh Bhattacharya, who are also housed at the same correction home under same charges, have also been turned down.

Trinamool Congress MLA and former president of West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) Manik Bhattacharya has also been denied offering of prayers on the auspicious occasion.

"As it is the former minister and the others being housed at this correction home face ridicules from other inmates at the times they are being brought out of their cells for official reasons. As per court order, while the former minister is being brought out of his cell, the prison authorities will have to ensure that other inmates are locked in their respective cells or barracks. So, if we allow him to offer prayers at the Puja venue of the jail library, at that time all other inmates will have to remain locked in their prisons. That is a difficult proposition considering the occasion. So, the former minister's plea has been turned down," a senior official of the state correctional services department said, who refused to be named.

Every year, Sarswati Puja is organised within the Presidency Central Correctional Home in South Kolkata. The funding is provided by the state government, while the other arrangements are made by the inmates. Any Brahmin inmate performs the practices as per Hindu rituals as a priest on the occasion. Special vegetarian menu is served to the inmates on the occasion.
Chandigarh, Jan 25 : Fissures appear in less than a year-old AAP government in Punjab with its legislator Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh on Wednesday resigning from the post of chairman of the committee on government assurances of the Legislative Assembly over government's "inaction" in the 2015 sacrilege cases.

His resignation is yet to be accepted by Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, officials said.

The legislator from Amritsar (North), Pratap was reportedly upset over handling the probe and "inaction" into the highly sensitive sacrilege cases. He even expressed displeasure on a few occasions.

Before joining politics, Pratap was a former Inspector General of Police and was heading the special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2015 Kotakpura and Behbal Kalan police firing cases. The incidents had taken place after the alleged desecration of a religious text in Faridkot.

The 1998-batch officer of the Punjab cadre had resigned in the run-up to the assembly elections after the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the probe by the SIT into the Kotkapura firing incident.
Beirut, Jan 25 : Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has been charged with homicide with probable intent over the devastating Port of Beirut explosions in 2020 that killed at least 218 people.

Tarek Bitar, a Lebanese judge tasked with investigating the explosions, also charged Abbas Ibrahim, chief of Lebanese General Security, State Security director Major General Tony Saliba, and former Lebanese army commander Jean Kahwaji, reports Xinhua news agency.

Prosecutor-General Ghassan Oueidat, who was also charged in the Beirut blast investigation, announced on Tuesday his rejection of the decision issued earlier by Bitar, arguing that the judge was suspended from his investigation over a year ago.

Bitar's work had been interrupted for over a year following several complaints filed against him by two former ministers facing charges, forcing him to halt the probe.

He resumed his work on Monday after a legal opinion said he should be allowed to continue his investigation.

Primary investigations into the blast revealed that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (equivalent to around 1.1 kilotons of TNT) stored since 2014 in a warehouse at the port caused the explosions, which injured 7,000 people, caused $15 billion in property damage, and left estimated 300,000 others homeless.

The substance was stored at the warehouse after being confiscated by the Lebanese authorities from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus.

The explosion was preceded by a fire in the same warehouse.

The blast was so powerful that it physically shook the whole country of Lebanon.

It was felt in Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, and Israel, as well as parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus, more than 240 km away.

It was detected by the US Geological Survey as a seismic event of magnitude 3.3 and is considered one of the most powerful accidental artificial non-nuclear explosions in history.
Mumbai, Jan 25 : The family entertainer film 'Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay', which marks the acting debut of 'Lahore' hitmaker Guru Randhawa in Bollywood, wrapped up its shoot recently.

The film also stars Anupam Kher, Saiee M Manjrekar, Ila Arun, Paritosh Tripathi, Atul Srivastava and Paresh Ganatra in pivotal roles.

The film boasts of a perfect blend of a wide range of music and has some foot-tapping and soulful music. The film also threw a massive bash in the city to celebrate the same which was attended by the entire star cast and the pictures are really captivating.

'Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay' has extensively been shot in striking locations across Agra and audiences can surely expect some grand and extravagant set up and scale of production.

Guru, who commands a huge fan following is known for giving a new voice to the Punjabi music with his songs like 'Suit Suit', 'Slowly Slowly', 'Lahore' and several others.

The film, produced by Mach Films, will now enter the post-production phase and after that it will be released in cinemas in 2023.
New York, Jan 25 : A 52-year-old Indian man died in the US after three masked men opened fire at him, leaving his wife and child injured, police said.

Pinal Patel and his family had arrived home from work when three masked individuals with guns targetted them last week on Thoroughbred Lane in Georgia, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office said.

Upon arrival, deputies found Patel, his wife Rupalben, and child Bhakti, suffering from gunshot wounds in the driveway of their home.

The family was transported to Atrium Health where Patel was pronounced dead on arrival by Deputy Coroner Luann Stone.

Rupalben and her daughter were listed in stable condition, the police said.

"Patel confronted the three and while doing so, shots were fired at the family," the Bibb County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

"The three masked individuals then ran to a dark in colour vehicle waiting across the street occupied by a fourth person." Investigators have sought public assistance in locating the four-door vehicle and assistance in identifying persons of interest in this case.

No items were reported to have been taken from the family, the police said.
Tel Aviv, Jan 25 : The number of overnight stays of foreign tourists in hotels across Israel surged 785 per cent year on year in 2022, revealed an annual report issued by the country's Central Bureau of Statistics.

The nights foreign tourists spent in Israeli hotels totaled 7.1 million last year, up from 2.19 million in 2020 and 802,000 in 2021, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

However, the number of overnight stays last year was still significantly lower than the 12.13 million tourist stays registered in 2019, before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since the beginning of 2022, Israel has gradually lifted entry restrictions on foreigners, thus increasing the monthly number of foreign tourist stays from 76,000 in January to 910,000 in November and 643,000 in December.

Overnight stays of Israelis in hotels in the country reached an all-time high of 15.93 million in 2022, breaking the previous record of 13.69 million registered in 2019.
New York, Jan 25 : India and Pakistan came "too close" to a nuclear conflagration during the 2019 confrontation with both sides believing the other was preparing to deploy nuclear weapons, according to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

He recounted in his book, "Never Give an Inch", his frantic night-time diplomatic efforts to get the neighbours to stand down after getting a call from External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar warning him that he believed Pakistan was readying nuclear weapons for a strike and India was considering its own escalation.

"I do not think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over in a nuclear conflagration," he wrote.

But, he added, "the truth is, I don't know precisely the answer either. I just know it was too close".

He was woken up at night while he was on a visit to Hanoi with a call from Jaishankar who told him that "he believed the Pakistanis had begun to prepare their nuclear weapons for a strike".

"India, he informed me, was contemplating its own escalation. I asked him to do nothing and give us a minute to sort things out," Pompeo wrote.

Working with John Bolton, who was then the US National Security Adviser, from their Hanoi hotel room he "reached the actual leader of Pakistan. General (Qamer Javed) Bajwaa", he wrote.

"I told him what the Indians had told me. He said it wasn't true. As one might expect, he believed the Indians were preparing their own nuclear weapons for deployment.

"It took us a few hours, and remarkably good work by our teams on the ground in New Delhi and Islamabad, to convince each side that neither was to convince each side or the other was not preparing for nuclear war," Pompeo added.

Taking credit for the de-escalation, he wrote: "No other nation could have done that, but we did that night to avoid a horrible outcome." He acknowledged the work of Kenneth Juster, who was the then US envoy in New Delhi, calling him "an incredibly capable ambassador" who "loves India and its people".

Pompeo, who was the director of the Central Intelligence Agency before becoming the Secretary of State, recounted in the book his four years in former President Donald Trump's cabinet.

The book subtitled, "Fighting for the America I Love", lays out how he aggressively implemented Trump's 'America First' vision.

Writing about his efforts to deepen ties with New Delhi, Pompeo wrote that he "made India the fulcrum of my diplomacy to contract Chinese aggression".

"I chose to devote serious quantities of time and effort to make India the next great American ally," he added.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Hyderabad, Jan 25 : Municipal authorities in Hyderabad are gearing up to demolish six-storeyed commercial building which was gutted in a huge fire last week while rescue workers have still not found any remains of two missing persons.

Nearly a week after the fire incident, the rescue workers continued to look for remains of the missing persons in the huge rubble.

Skeletal remains of one person were found on January 21 and the same were preserved at Gandhi Hospital for DNA analysis.

Three workers Waseem, Zaheer and Junaid were reported missing after a huge fire broke out in the building. Some survivors said the three persons had gone to collect their belongings but were trapped.

A massive fire broke out on January 19 in the building housing the garment store at Nallagutta on Minister Road in Secunderabad.

Two fire service officers were injured while trying to douse the fire, which raged for almost two days.

After the fire, the building's structural strength has been severely compromised. With experts advising for demolishing the building, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has initiated the process.

The municipal body has called for bids to pull down the building. It issued a tender notice on an emergency basis with Wednesday as the deadline to submit the bids.

GHMC wants the interested party to use the latest technology in pulling down the structure to avoid collateral damage to adjoining structures. The tender value has been fixed at Rs 33.86 lakh for demolition of 1,890 square metres structure, transport of debris and exercise of safety precautions.

According to officials, GHMC will charge the owner with the cost of demolition. The owner had constructed two upper floors without permission and no firefighting equipment was installed inside.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Cloud major Oracle is introducing new logistics capabilities within its Fusion Cloud Supply Chain and Manufacturing (SCM) offerings, that will help customers cut costs, improve accuracy and automate regulatory compliance.

Logistics leaders are overwhelmed with a recent buildup of port and shipping delays, fluctuating fuel costs, and evolving trade regulations while also being at the forefront of efforts to reduce carbon emissions of goods in transit.

"The last few years tested the flexibility of global logistics operations and many organisations have struggled to keep pace with the changing market," said Derek Gittoes, vice president of supply chain management product strategy, Oracle.

"With Oracle Transportation Management and Oracle Global Trade Management, organisations can rapidly adapt to changes in their supply chain and logistics network," he added.

The new capabilities help customers validate Certificate of Origin, reduce tariffs, and enter new markets.

With a deep view into the bill of materials, Trade Agreement Qualification enables customers to comply with labor regulations and prove where goods were produced via auditable records, said Oracle.

"As an increasing number of Indian businesses continue to expand overseas, the ability to respond quickly to changing demand, supply, and market conditions can be a huge competitive advantage," said Kaushik Mitra, senior director, Cloud ERP, Oracle India.

With the new logistics capabilities, supply chain professionals will gain real-time insights across the entire supply network to make critical business decisions and respond to any global change with confidence, Mitra added.
Chennai, Jan 25 : Tamil Nadu minister for school education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has said that the state government's free distribution of laptops to school students has hit a roadblock owing to its shortage.

He said that the production of laptops was hit due to shortage of electronic chips in the market which is an invariable component required for the making of laptops.

It is to be noted that the DMK government under M.K. Stalin has announced free distribution of laptops to 11 lakh government school students of Tamil Nadu.

The minister, while speaking to media persons here on Wednesday, said that the government is working on this and will immediately find a solution. The government has drawn flak from media and opposition over delay in laptop distribution to students and the statement of the minister can be considered as a response to this.

The salaries of teachers and staff of government-aided schools were pending and the minister said that this was due to some issues with the revenue department website in downloading the salary details of the government-aided school staff.

Minister Poyyamozhi said that this issue has been solved and the salary distribution will commence in a smooth manner.

If there are any cases of private schools charging exorbitant fees to the students, the government must be alerted and added that stringent action would be taken against the erring school managements, he added.
Kolkata, Jan 25 : Within 48 hours after the country celebrated the 126th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, his grand-nephew Chandra Kumar Bose, despite being the face of BJP in West Bengal, made an extremely loaded statement which has prompted speculations about his shifting to Trinamool Congress.

As per reports, Chandra Kumar Bose has not been quite happy for the last few days with his party especially as regards to the saffron camp's contrasting stand on Netaji's inclusive politics.

"BJP has become a B-team of Trinamool Congress now. Many often ask me why I am still with that B-Team. They also tell me that I will be able to render true human services if I shift to the A-team. Given an opportunity, I will sincerely think over the matter," Bose told media persons.

On Monday, Bose remained absent at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) programme to celebrate Netaji's birth anniversary in front of Shahid Minar in Kolkata which was attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Instead, he attended a separate programme on the same occasion at Red Road in Kolkata which was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Speculations started snowballing since then about his growing differences with the BJP and the possible proximity to Trinamool Congress.

Thereafter his loaded statements have made the political observers in the state believe that his joining the ruling party in West Bengal is just a matter of time.

Bose joined BJP in 2016 before the West Bengal assembly polls at that point of time and he was greeted to the party by the then national president of BJP and the current Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

That year he contested against Mamata Banerjee as a BJP candidate from Bhabanipur assembly constituency. He also contested on behalf of BJP from South Kolkata Lok Sabha constituency in 2019. He was also given the chair of BJP' state vice-president in West Bengal.
Pune, Jan 25 : In a startling revelation, the Pune Police said that the seven bodies fished out of the Bheema River in the past one week, may have been victims of a macabre case of 'mass murder' and four persons have been nabbed here on Wednesday.

As per preliminary investigations, the motive behind the murders, a senior citizen couple, their daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren, is believed to be a family feud arising out of certain superstitions.

The development came after the Pune Police had retrieved the bodies from different locations in the vicinity of Yavat village in the Bheema River at Daund for six days from January 18-23.

They were described as labourers from Beed who had settled in a village in Parner in adjoining Ahmednagar district.

The victims Mohan Uttam Pawar, his wife Sangita Pawar, daughter Rani Shyam Phulware, her husband Shyam Phulware, and their three children.

The first body of a woman was spotted by locals on January 18, and after a search in the river with motorboats and divers scanning several hundred metres, the remaining victims were brought out over the next six days.

Even as the incident sent shock among people in the three districts, the Pune Police cracked into action by setting up multiple probe teams and managed to solve the case by arresting four suspects, currently in detention.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the Jal Shakti ministry for achieving the target of providing 11 crore tap connections under its Jal Jeevan mission to rural households.

"A great feat, indicative of the ground covered to ensure 'Har Ghar Jal' to the people of India. Congratulations to all those who have benefitted from this initiative and compliments to those working on the ground to make this Mission a success," Modi tweeted.

He was responding to a tweet by Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who announced that 11 crore tap connections have been provided under the Centre's ambitious mission.

"11 crore tap connections! The vision of our PM Sh. @narendramodi ji, the relentless pursuit of the goals set out for #JalJeevanMission by the ministry and the effort of our team on ground has made this mega milestone possible," Shekhawat tweeted earlier in the day.

The minister further said that "11 crore homes are now assured of health and well-being with this elixir of life reaching their doorsteps".

Taking health, happiness and ease of living to 11 crore homes across the country one tap at a time is what #JalJeevanMission has achieved today, Shekhawat added.

Jal Jeevan Mission is aimed at assisting, empowering and facilitating states for creation of water supply infrastructure so that every rural household has Functional Tap Connection (FHTC) by 2024 and water in adequate quantity of prescribed quality is made available on regular basis.

As on January 18, 2023, 11,00,48,468 tap connections to rural households have been provided, which is 56.85 per cent of the mission's target.
New York, Jan 25 : US President Joe Biden has renominated Indian-American attorney Arun Subramanian to be the District Court judge for the Southern District of New York.

If confirmed, Subramanian, who would replace Alison J. Nathan, would become the first South Asian judge to serve on the powerful bench.

Subramanian's nomination was first announced by the White House in September 2022.

Since it could not be confirmed by the previous Congress, the White House on Monday sent his nomination, along with the case of several other district court nominees, to the Senate for its renewed consideration.

Born in Pittsburgh in 1979, to immigrant parents from India, Subramanian is currently a partner at Susman Godfrey LLP in New York, where he has worked since 2007.

"Arun has been actively involved in a variety of landmark matters for Susman Godfrey. No matter the arena, Arun has a proven track record of success," according to Susman Godfrey's online profile of Subramanian.

In his practice, Subramanian has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a range of cases and specialises in complex civil litigation at both the trial and appellate level.

Senator Charles Schumer had first recommended the name of Subramanian for the Southern District of New York to the Biden administration in June last year.

"Arun Subramanian is a steadfast consumer protection expert who has spent his legal career defending consumers and individuals injured by unfair and illegal practices, including whistleblowers," Schumer said in a June 9, 2022, statement.

"He's also defended victims of trafficking in child pornography. Moreover, his experience clerking for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and two other Federal judges, added to his broad and deep legal expertise." In 2001, Subramanian graduated summa cum laude from Case Western Reserve University.

He then attended the Columbia Law School where he was a James Kent Scholar and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.
Chennai, Jan 25 : The status of the two-day strike announced by the bank unions will be known on January 27 when another round of conciliation meeting between the unions and the management will be held.

"The strike call for January 30 and 31 stands. At the conciliation meeting held by Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner in Mumbai on Tuesday, no concrete assurance on resolution of our demands emerged. On the other hand, the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) said it was ready to hold discussion with the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) within 15 days," C.H. Venkatachalam, General Secretary, All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) told IANS.

According to him, the next round of conciliation meeting is posted on January 27 and as such the strike call stands.

The strike if it happens will be ahead of the Union budget to be presented by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1.

The UFBU is an umbrella body of several bank unions which had earlier decided to go on strike to press their various demands.

The strike is to press for the following demands: five days banking, updation of pension, residual issues, scrapping of National Pension System (NPS), immediate starting of negotiation on charter of demands for wage revision, and adequate recruitment in all cadres.
Lucknow, Jan 25 : An elderly woman pulled out this morning from the debris of a four-storey residential building in Hazratganj that collapsed on Tuesday, succumbed to her injuries.

Seventy-two-year-old Begum Haider, was the wife of senior Congress leader Amir Haider. She was rescued and rushed to the hospital where the doctors declared her brought dead.

Amir Haider, who was also rescued a few hours ago, is stated to be critical.

So far, around 15 people, including haider, have been rescued. The other injured, who were taken out of the collapsed site on Tuesday evening itself, are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

Although the cause of the collapse has not been ascertained, officials have said the building - comprising as many as 12 flats and two penthouses on the top floor - were illegal and the layout map was not passed by the builder.

Lucknow divisional commissioner (Ms) Roshan Jacob said action will be taken against the builder.

Uttar Pradesh DGP DS Chauhan has also echoed Jacob, adding that "strictest action" will be taken against whoever is found responsible for the incident.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has set up a three-member probe committee comprising Jacob, additional commissioner of police Piyush Mordia and chief engineer of Public Works Department.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who is one of the accused in the Rs 200 crore money extortion case involving conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, on Wednesday filed a new application in Delhi's Patiala House Court to fly to Dubai.

She filed the application to travel from January 27 to 30 ahead of the Pepsico India Conference.

However, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought time to file its reply in the matter.

The court listed the matter for the next hearing on January 27.

Earlier, Fernandez had filed an application seeking to travel to Dubai on January 29, which she withdrew later.

On Monday, Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik granted the actress a one-day exemption from personal appearance.

The Judge was supposed to hear the arguments on framing charges in the matter, but adjourned the hearing for February 15.

Fernandez, even in December last year, had moved a plea seeking to travel abroad to visit her ill mother in Bahrain.

But, she withdrew it as the court wasn't willing to allow her to travel abroad.

Chandrashekhar is accused of extorting money from politicians, celebrities and businessmen, and allegedly duped pharma company Ranbaxy's former owner Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh of Rs 200 crore.

He had allegedly sent super expensive gifts to Jacqueline, while he also booked a chartered flight for her from Mumbai to Chennai during his bail period.

Moreover, according to ED, it is suspected that the conman had sent huge chunks of money extorted from Singh to the actor.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kiev, Jan 25 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his visiting Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto discussed security issues during their meeting in Kiev.

Zelensky and Niinisto talked about regional security, the issues that directly affect the security of Ukraine and Finland, and bilateral defence cooperation, Xinhua news agency quoted an official statement as saying.

Zelensky thanked Finland for providing 12 defence assistance packages for Ukraine and helping in restoring Ukraine's energy sector after the Russian strikes.

The President informed his Finnish counterpart about the current situation at the frontline of Russia's ongoing invasion.

"We also discussed Finland's participation in the coalition of countries aimed to provide Ukraine with modern Western tanks," Zelensky said.

For his part, Niinisto informed that Finland has provided assistance worth almost 600 million euros ($653 million) for the war-torn nation and has sheltered about 50,000 Ukrainian citizens.

During their talks, the parties also touched upon the issues of Kiev's European and Euro-Atlantic integration and exchanged their views on the Ukrainian Peace Formula proposed by Zelensky in November 2022.

Niinisto arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday for his first visit since the war began on February 24, 2022.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 25 : A day after former Defence Minister A.K. Antony's son, Anil Antony's tweets slamming the BBC's controversial documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew flak, he resigned from his roles in the Congress on Wednesday.

Anil Antony, who headed the IT wing of the Congress party in Kerala, tweeted, "I have resigned from my roles in @incindia @INCKerala. Intolerant calls to retract a tweet, by those fighting for free speech. I refused. @facebook wall of hate/abuses by ones supporting a trek to promote love! Hypocrisy thy name is! Life goes on." "Considering the events from Tuesday, I believe it would be appropriate for me to leave all my roles in the Congress- as the convenor of the KPCC Digital media, and as the national coordinator of AICC social media and digital communication cell," he wrote in his resignation letter.

"Kindly consider this as my resignation letter. I would like to thank everyone, especially the Kerala State Leadership and Dr Shashi Tharoor, along with countless party workers, who had wholeheartedly supported and guided me at various times, during my brief period here," he said.

"I am sure that I have my own unique strength which could have enabled me to contribute very effectively to the party in several ways. However by now, I have been made well aware that you, your colleagues and the coterie around the leadership are only keen to work with a bunch of sycophants and chamchas, who would unquestionably be at your beck and call. This has become the lone criterion of merit. Sadly we don't have much common ground," he added.

"I would prefer to continue my other professional endeavours without being fed this negativity and being involved in these destructive narratives, many against the very core interests of India. These I strongly believe will end up in the dustbin of history with time," he stated.

However, the former Defence Minister Antony said he has nothing to say on what his son said.

On Tuesday all across the state, Youth Congress activists exhibited the controversial documentary and it was at that time Anil's tweet gave a shock to the party and its feeder organisation.

And when this issue was brought to the attention of the Congress workers, all of them said what Anil said is his view and has got nothing to do with the views of the party.

Reacting to Anil's resignation, Tharoor said he has not got in touch with Anil. "He is definitely a bright young man, but I do not subscribe to what he has said," said Tharoor.

Anil Antony's controversial tweet which has now led to his resignation was, "Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in India placing views of BBC, a (UK) state sponsored channel with a long history of India prejudices, and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over Indian institutions is setting a dangerous precedence, will undermine our sovereignty."
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Several users of the Ola Electric scooter have been complaining about the front suspension of the vehicle on Twitter, as some of them have met with an accident.

A user Samkit Parmar tweeted that his wife suffered an accident as her Ola scooter's front wheel broke out of the suspension.

"Yesterday a horrific incident took place with my wife. She was riding her @OlaElectric at 9:15 p.m. at a speed of about 35kmph when her front wheel just broke out of the suspension. She was thrown away in front and is in the ICU facing severe injuries. Who is responsible," he wrote.

Another user @soumobakshi, after learning about the incident shared his experience, that he had with the scooter.

He tweeted: "My sympathies. I have suffered a similar accident on Ola S1 scooter with my daughter on board. Luckily I took all the brunt of the accident with severe chest pain. It took me more than a month to recover from the blunt force injury due to my torso hitting the handlebar." Moreover, last year same incidents were reported by multiple users on Twitter.

A user claimed that his Ola S1 Pro's front suspension broke down while riding.

On the microblogging site, Sreenadh Menon requested the company for a replacement of the vehicle.

"The front fork is breaking even in small speed driving and it is a serious and dangerous thing we are facing now, we would like to request that we need a replacement or design change on that part and save our life from a road accident due to poor material used," Menon wrote.

Many other users too joined him with countless stories of quality issues, breakdowns and poor after-sales experiences on the same thread.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to real estate magnates Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal and other convicts on a revision petition by the state challenging a trial court's order of reducing their sentence from seven years to eight months for allegedly tampering with evidence in the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy case.

The court listed the matter for the next hearing on April 13.

Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena had on Monday approved the plea for the state to approach the court and ask for prosecution of the accused for seven years.

On November 8, 2021, a Delhi court awarded seven-year jail terms to the Ansal brothers in the tampering with evidence case and imposed a fine of Rs 2,25,00,000 on each.

The rest were fined Rs 3 lakhs each.

On July 18 last year, Principal District and Sessions Judge of the Patiala House Courts upheld the order of conviction under Sections 409, 201 and 120B of the IPC passed by the trial court against the Ansals, Dinesh Chandra Sharma (Ahlmad, who was charged with tampering of a document) and P.P. Batra, except Anoop Singh as he was acquitted of all charges.

The following dat, the court passed the order on sentence and reduced the sentence of seven years to the period already undergone i.e eight months and 12 days.

"We empathise with you (AVUT). Many lives were lost, which can never be compensated. But you must understand that penal policy is not about retribution. We have to consider their (Ansals) age. You have suffered, but they have also suffered," the judge had said.

AVUT or Association of The Victims of Uphaar Tragedy had also moved the High Court seeking enhancement of the sentence in the tampering with evidence case.

The plea said that the district judge has failed to consider that the offence of tampering is extremely serious in nature as it affects the entire criminal justice system.

The plea stated that the sessions court failed to consider that this is a case which shatters the confidence of the public at large in the criminal justice system and it requires a maximum sentence so that it works as a deterrent for others who even dream of tampering with the court record in future.

"The Ansal brothers misused the liberty granted to them in the main case and tampered with the evidence after hatching criminal conspiracy with the court staff," stated the plea.

For the 59 victims' families, Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost their two teenaged children formed AVUT on June 30, 1997, barely 17 days after the tragedy struck.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Homegrown lifestyle tech brand, Noise has announced the launch of its first gaming TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earbuds -- 'Buds Combat'.

Suited for intensive gaming sessions, the new earbud comes at Rs 1,499 and is available in Stealth Black, Covert White and Shadow Grey on the company's official website and online stores, said the company.

"With the launch of our first gaming TWS, Noise Combat we are aiming to do just that. One of our many firsts, the new TWS is designed to complement a gaming setup, making it an ideal gaming companion," Amit Khatri, Co-Founder, Noise, said in a statement.

The new gaming earbuds come equipped with a Quad Mic ENC in a trendy and modern design and support 36 hours of battery life ensuring that users' gaming experience is uninterrupted.

Engineered with state-of-the-art technology, the company's first TWS ensures a crystal-clear audio experience while gaming, making calls, virtual meets, and seamless communication.

Moreover, the Buds Combat features a USB Type-C charging connector and IPX5 sweat and water resistance feature making them safe to wear while working out or near water.

Furthermore, the 13mm drivers, combined with Bluetooth 5.3, make the TWS ideal for daily gamers and students, as users will be able to immerse themselves in an immersive gaming experience while listening to every small detail with premium high-quality audio without lag, according to the company.
Agartala/Shillong, Jan 25 : Security along the international borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar will be further tightened in view of the upcoming Assembly elections in the three northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland, officials said on Wednesday.

Tripura and Meghalaya share 856 km and 443 km international borders with Bangladesh, respectively, while Nagaland has 215 km unfenced borders with Myanmar.

A senior election official said that the Border Security Force (BSF) that guards the India-Bangladesh borders, and the Assam Rifles, who are posted along the Myanmar borders, would not only intensify their vigil but also keep a in touch with their counterparts from across the frontiers to prevent any kind of illegal entry into India.

"Indian border guards convene meetings immediately with their counterparts to sensitize them to take a more vigilant approach considering the ensuing assembly elections in three northeastern states," the official told IANS.

Three special observers of the Election Commission are now on a five-day tour in Tripura to review the February 16 poll preparedness and security arrangements.

From Tripura, the observers will on Friday proceed to Meghalaya, where the Assembly elections will be held on February 27.

The three special observers are Yogendra Tripathy, retired IAS officer of Karnataka cadre; Vivek Johri, former Director General of Police of Madhya Pradesh; and B. Murali Kumar, IRS officer, who was special observer in the Assembly elections of Gujarat (2022) and West Bengal (2021).

During the meetings with Tripura officials on Tuesday and Wednesday, the observers asked the senior security officials to set up at least three naka points (check gates) in each Assembly constituency and there should be three teams per naka for 24x7 monitoring.

"It should be ensured that every naka point has an arrangement of CCTV and there should be at least three or more Flying Squad Teams (FST) per assembly constituency. It should be ensured that vehicles being used by the FST shall have GPS facilities and the movement shall be monitored on a regular basis," the official said, quoting the EC observers' directions.

The observers directed that drones should be used for detection of marijuana plantations and other enforcement measures wherever possible, the official said.

The poll panel has so far deployed over 450 companies (each company consists of around 80 personnel) Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) comprising Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force in three northeastern states and more CAPF companies are expected to arrive in these states.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Life is most of the time a bitter experience. Even legends are not spared. With some of course, the 'bitterness' could haunt even in the grave, and ironically for no fault of that man.

Nirendra Dev New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS) Life is most of the time a bitter experience. Even legends are not spared. With some of course, the 'bitterness' could haunt even in the grave, and ironically for no fault of that man.

The Pughoboto assembly seat controversy in Nagaland between the NDPP and the BJP is such a case and if anyone's reputation is 'hurt', it is the Late Isak Chishi Swu, the former Chairman of NSCN-IM.

Isak Swu's kin Y Vikheho Swu is now a sitting legislator and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio is keen to accommodate him, although in 2018, the seat had gone to the BJP quota.

The NSCN-IM has issued a denial of any "interference" from its side on the matter after the row was kicked off over purported "threats" to an aide of Chief Minister Rio so that Isak Swu's kin Vikheho Swu should be accommodated as NDPP nominee from the constituency.

The much-trusted aide of Chief Minister Rio -- Abu Metha - also Secretary General of NDPP - allegedly made the remarks on January 19 meeting and of course, appreciating the urgency and gravity of the situation Rio himself signed the denial letter. Nevertheless the damage was done! Damage is done to the reputation of a deceased person -- who probably never himself showed much interest in the Nagaland assembly polls at least prior to the 1997 ceasefire.

The NSCN-IM has also issued a denial stating, as an organisation, it cannot stoop so low.

Nagaland watchers will agree that left to him Late Isak Swu would say, it is by the "guidance of Holy Spirit that have seen me through this far", courtesy his Facebook post in 2016 when he expired.

Security apparatus in Nagaland and northeast knew that between Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, the latter was the real "rebel leader". Swu had a much pleasant and agreeable personality and was well focused with his knowledge on the cherished goals of Christianity and the teachings of Bible.

Even the Late Rajesh Pilot, as Internal Security Minister in the P. V. Narasimha Rao government, had said that working out any peace initiative would have been much easier with Isak Swu than Muivah.

Pilot had met the two Naga rebel leaders in Paris in the 1990s and so did former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao.

Born and brought up in Nagaland and someone who had baptism into journalism in Nagaland itself in the early 1990s - when the writ of Isak Chishi Swu and his compatriot Muivah as the NSCN (IM) bosses writ large - I am not quite sure whether Swu rejoiced the tag of being called a "guerrilla or an underground" or a militant leader.

"Such persons are rebels to their own personalities," said one Swedish journalist in 2014 during our interaction in Itanagar in the context of Isak Chishi Swu.

Nevertheless, Swu, who like former NNC president A Zapu Phizo will continue to dominate the Naga politics one way or the other, perhaps never aspired to be known as a militant leader.

So much was his love for Gospel teaching, that it may be proper to recall him as a rebel - who believed in the magical power of 'Nagaland for Christ'.

But this Pughoboto assembly seat controversy vis-a-vis Swu's relatives is certainly a painful episode for some people to digest.

K L Chishi, former Nagaland Chief Minister is also a relative of Swu. "It is painful that uncle Isak Chishi Swu's name has been dragged into a minor matter like Pughoboto assembly polls," says senior Congress leader Chishi; and he declined to speak out more.

But to persistent queries Chishi said, "Those responsible for dragging Isak Swu's name into this row must tender an apology to the late leader".

Little known Pughoboto township in remote Nagaland made headlines after the seat share row surfaced.

Pughoboto falls in Zunheboto district in the hub of the Sema tribe. The community forms numerical strength in the central region of the state and Semas as voters can easily influence election results in three-four assembly constituencies in Dimapur region besides as many seven segments in Zunheboto district.

In 2018, under the seat sharing agreement, this seat was contested by the BJP. Dr A Sukhato Sema had contested the seat and Y Vikheho Swu of NPF had won the seat by a narrow margin of 70 votes only.

Dr Sukhato is again aspiring for the saffron party ticket and has been working in the constituency.

Swu had shifted to Nagaland Chief Minister Rio-led NDPP in 2021 and now the Chief Minister is under obligation to field Swu from the seat.

As it is, Nagaland elections are being held under controversial circumstances and threats of boycott calls by some sections of Nagas in Eastern Nagaland.

The seat share between NDPP and the Lotus outfit has snowballed into a major issue for an otherwise political party, the BJP.

Statewide protest went across the state including in Kohima, Dimapur and other district towns.

BJP leaders Y Patton (deputy CM) and state unit chief Temjen Imna Along met Himanta Biswa Sarma and other BJP leaders in Guwahati on Tuesday and sought to review the seat share arrangements to

30:30.

On January 6 during his meeting with BJP core group, Union Home Minister Amit Shah insisted that the party will go ahead with 20:40 arrangements only.

At Dimapur, all 60 BJP mandal presidents staged a protest in the Naga Shopping Arcade area on Tuesday (January 24).

They put up banners with slogans - "When Meghalaya has only 2 BJP sitting MLA and contesting from all 60 mandals then why Nagaland is given a step-motherly treatment".

Some of the banners were directed against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also convener of the BJP-led NEDA.

"Why Assam CM has the authority to decide the future of another State? Why not Modi?" - screamed another banner.

( is a New Delhi-based journalist. He is also author of books, 'The Talking Guns: North East India' and 'Modi to Moditva: An Uncensored Truth'. Views are personal)
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Terming GST one of the "most complicated" taxation system, Traders' body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to announce review of GST taxation system and all Acts and Rules concerning retail trade and One Nation-One Licence Policy for domestic trade.

In its pre-Budget wishlist, it has also urged for effective pension scheme for traders, insurance scheme for traders as per scheme applicable in state of Uttar Pradesh.

The traders' body also sought separate credit rating norms for small businesses, easy access of finance to traders by the Banks and other financial institutions, formation of Fast Track Courts for disputes including payments in businesses and dishonouring of cheques under section 138 of the Income Tax Act and creation of Special Trade Zones in the country.

It has also sought a policy for organising Trade Fairs and Exhibitions of Indian products within the country and over the globe to give boost to both internal and foreign trade. The CAIT has also asked the FM to declare incentives for adoption & acceptance of digital payments among the trading community.

The CAIT has also demanded rolling out of e-commerce rules, e-commerce policy, formation of an E-Commerce Regulatory Authority, National Trade Policy for Retail Trade and a separate Ministry for Internal Trade both at the Centre and States.

CAIT National President B.C.Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal while releasing the "Budget Wish List" said that the GST has emerged as one of the most complicated taxation system and as such a total review of the system is needed to make it a simple taxation system which can be complied by the traders and easily and must augment substantial revenue to the Government.

The retail trade of the Country is fraught with large number of Acts & Rules and many of them are few decades old and have lost their significance in the present scenario and therefore there is an emergent need of review of all such Acts & Rules and the Acts & rules which have lost relevance must be abrogated.

Bhartia and Khandelwal further said that traders in India have to obtain hoards of licenses for conducting business activities and therefore on the pattern of One Nation- One Tax , there should be One National- One License policy of the Government to bring much ease of doing business which has been greatly advocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Both the trade leaders also demanded that line special economic zone, the Government should set up Special Trade Zones on the outskirts of villages with one window facility for obtaining Government clearances. Such a step will not only boost the rural economy but will also provide enormous employment opportunities.

They also said that dishonouring of cheques has become too rampant and there is no sanctity of cheques as also there are often payment disputes between traders which takes a long time for resolution from courts. Therefore, in order to ensure speedy redressal of such disputes, formation of Fast Track Courts is very necessary to meet the ends of justice.
Bhopal, Jan 25 : Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's film 'Pathaan' released on Wednesday in theatres across Madhya Pradesh amid protests staged by right-wing members.

Theatres in Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and many other cities witnessed long queues from early morning as people line up to watch the first show of the film which also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham.

However, the right-wing protesters also gathered outside the movie halls against the screening of the movie.

Effigies of Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone were burnt outside the Rang Mahal Talkies in Bhopal, and after that they sat outside chanting the Hanuman Chalisa.

In Indore, a group of Vishwa Hindu Parishad members armed with sticks protested outside the Sapna Sangeeta Talkies.

However, a heavy contingent of police personnel deployed around the cinema hall controlled the situation and the first show was screened.

'Pathaan' courted controversy after the video of the song 'Besharam Rang' was released.

The music video was criticised after viewers spotted Deepika Padukone sporting an orange swimsuit.

There were demands from a section of public, including Madhya Pradesh Minister Narottam Mishra, to change the colour of the swimsuit in the song.

However, the makers have decided to retain the outfit.

Directed by Siddharth Anand, 'Pathaan' also stars Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Microsoft's Teams, Outlook and some other services went down in some parts of India on Wednesday as users reported facing several issues.

As of now, 63 per cent of users reported that they were facing issues with the app, 26 per cent reported issues with server connection, and 11 per cent mentioned issues with the website, according to Down Detector.

However, Microsoft (Service Health Status) acknowledged the issue, and said "we've identified a potential networking issue and are reviewing telemetry to determine the next troubleshooting steps".

"Any user serviced by the affected infrastructure may be unable to access multiple Microsoft 365 services," it added.

Users across the country went to social media platforms complaining they were unable to access the Microsoft Teams along with Office, Azure, and Microsoft 365, among others.

"What's up with #MSTeams today? Did #Microsoft lay off the wrong folks or something? #MicrosoftTeams #Outage," a user wrote.

Another tweeted: "Weekend came early this time. All thanks to @Microsoft." "@MicrosoftTeams we're waiting for an announcement on the outage already. We're on MS Teams for business and it's been acting up specifically slow and/or would disconnect while we're in the midst of calls," one other user complained.

The cities which are facing the outage are Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai, among others, as per Down Detector.
Lucknow, Jan 25 : Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Shahid Manzoor's son Nawazish Shahid has been detained in connection with the Lucknow building collapse case.

The building was bought by Nawazish Shahid and the SP leader's nephew Mohammad Tariq.

According to reports, the police detained Nawazish, interrogated him for an hour and brought him to Lucknow at around 1.30 a.m. on Wednesday. Notably, the building is also named after Nawazish's daughter Alaya.

Uttar Pradesh DGP DS Chauhan said that the building was constructed "illegally" without taking the required permission. However, it is yet to be ascertained how the building collapsed, he added.

"This is the hour of patience, not the time to rush because when you are cutting a building, it should not create any other problem. Rescue work is being carried out in a very scientific way, and I am confident that those who are trapped inside will be saved," DGP Chauhan stated.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : The Adani Group said that it is shocked that Hindenburg Research had published a report on January 242 without making any attempt to contact us or verify the factual matrix.

In a statement, Jugeshinder Singh, Group CFO, Adani, said the report is a malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations that have been tested and rejected by India's highest courts.

"The timing of the report's publication clearly betrays a brazen, mala fide intention to undermine the Adani Group's reputation with the principal objective of damaging the upcoming Follow-on Public Offering from Adani Enterprises, the biggest FPO ever in India," Singh said.

"The investor community has always reposed faith in the Adani Group on the basis of detailed analysis and reports prepared by financial experts and leading national and international credit rating agencies.

"Our informed and knowledgeable investors are not influenced by one-sided, motivated and unsubstantiated reports with vested interests," the Group said.

The Adani Group, which is India's leader in infrastructure and job creation, is a diverse portfolio of market-leading businesses managed by CEOs of the highest professional calibre and overseen by experts in various fields for several decades.

The Group has always been in compliance with all laws, regardless of jurisdiction, and maintains the highest standards of corporate governance, Singh said.
Rome, Jan 25 : Last-ditch efforts to avoid a national strike of petrol and diesel distributors fell short, as nearly three-quarters of Italy's 21,000 fuel stations stopped operating.

The strike, which began at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and was called to protest against new price display rules put in place amid rising fuel prices, was originally scheduled to last 60 hours, reports Xinhua news agency.

The rules required distributors to post the full breakdown of their prices alongside a list of national price averages.

The move is designed to increase transparency on prices and reduce price speculation.

But distributors said the new rules cast them as the entities responsible for the recent increase in prices when their fees amount to around 2 per cent of the price charged to consumers.

On Monday, during a visit to Algeria aimed at securing new sources of fuel to replace imports from Russia, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the new rules were not aimed at shaming fuel station operators.

After negotiations with government officials last week, the strike was briefly called off and then rescheduled with a shortened duration of 48 hours.

On Tuesday, FAIB, one of the three major trade unions organising the strike, agreed to allow its members to begin operations again after just 24 hours.

But that still left millions of Italian drivers without the means to refuel their vehicles before late Thursday.
Chennai, Jan 25 : MNM founder leader and South Indian megastar, Kamal Hassan on Wednesday announced his unconditional support to senior Congress leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan for the Erode East by-election.

Addressing a press meet after an executive committee meeting of his party, Haasan said: "The MNM's Governing counsel and Executive committee have unanimously decided to extend support to the Secular Progressive Alliance candidate, E.V.K.S. Elangovan. I and my party will do everything for his victory." When asked whether his stand would be the same for the general elections, he said: "We are for the welfare of Tamil Nadu and won't allow opposing forces to benefit from this. This is a decision for the present situation and you cannot force us to decide on the next step." He said that according to party resolution, MNM has not doubts that communal forces must be opposed at any cost.
Vijayawada, Jan 25 : Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday said that ending the "devil's rule" in Andhra Pradesh is the main objective of his Jana Sena Party (JSP) After performing a special puja for his campaign vehicle 'Varahi' at the Kanaka Durga temple, he told mediapersons that from today onwards, "Varahi's goal is to end the devil's rule in the state".

Terming the rule of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) as devil's rule, he said that his foremost responsibility is to end it.

Accompanied by Nadendla Manohar and other JSP leaders, Pawan Kalyan participated in various rituals conducted by the priests.

Large number of JSP workers and Pawan Kalyan's fans had gathered at the temple to welcome him.

The JSP leader, who performed puja for the campaign vehicle at two temples in Telangana on Tuesday, said that the people of two Telugu states should live with unity and develop and prosper.

After the puja, Pawan left for the JSP office at Mangalagiri in Varahi. A large number of people had gathered enroute to catch a glimpse of the actor.

His supporters showered petals on him and welcomed him with huge garlands. The procession led to a long traffic snarl on Prakasam barrage.

He is scheduled to address party workers at the JSP office later in the day.

Gearing up for the 2024 electoral battle in Andhra Pradesh, Pawan Kalyan had unveiled the specially designed vehicle last month which is equipped with high-security features and also has a public address system as well as CCTV cameras.

The four-wheeler will be used by the JSP leader to campaign across Andhra Pradesh, where elections are due in April-May 2024.

Power star, as the actor is popularly known, had planned to launch the state-wide tour after Dussehra but the same has been postponed and he is now likely to embark on a visit in next few weeks.
Islamabad, Jan 25 : Pakistan's former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry was on Wednesday arrested in Lahore after being declared as an absconder by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The poll body had been summoning Chaudhry, PTI chairman Imran Khan and former Finance Minister Asad Umar to appear before it in the contempt of ECP case.

Despite three dates of hearing and corresponding notifications to the respondents, none of them appeared before the ECP, prompting them to declare all three as absconders and issue arrest warrants against them.

The ECP case is focused on charging the former Prime Minister, Chaudhry and Umar for inciting violence against a constitutional institution.

As per details, Chaudhry was arrested from outside his residence during the early hours of Wednesday in Lahore.

According to an FIR registered by an official of the ECP at Islamabad's Kohsar Police Station, he is accused of threatening the ECP, its electoral body's member and their families.

Chaudhry's brother also confirmed the arrest from Lahore.

"He was taken away in four cars that did not have any number plate at 5.30 a.m. We are still unaware of Fawad's location. We are not being given any detail of the FIR registered against him. His arrest is illegal and we will fight it battle in court," said Faisal Chaudhry, a prominent lawyer.

As per the latest details, Fawad Chaudhry was presented before a court in Lahore Cantt, which has allowed authorities to transport him to Islamabad as the FIR is registered in the federal capital.

Fawad's wife has called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to take suo moto notice of the arrest, while his arrest has prompted Imran Khan to announce another round of protests against what he terms as an illegal and planned series of arrests of senior leaders of his party.

On the other hand, the PTI legal team has filed a separate petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) terming Fawad Chaudhry's as illegal and unlawful.

The petition has nominated Punjab government, provincial police officer, counter-terrorism department, deputy inspector general of police and station house officer of Defence , as respondents in the case.

Speaking to the media outside the Lahore Cantt court after his arrest, Fawad Chaudhry said that "those who arrested him should be ashamed of themselves".

"They have deployed so much police as if they are escorting James Bond. The police has kept me in the category of terrorists." The arrest is the first major one after Imran Khan dissolved his provincial assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is now being widely believed as a wrong move.

Imran Khan's announcement to send his members, whose resignations had not been accepted by the speaker of the National Assembly, and use them to seek a vote of confidence from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also backfired as the Speaker, who had accepted 11 resignations in the start, which was followed by 35 more, now accepted the remaining 43 resignations as well, leaving only 2 PTI members along with defected members in Parliament.

Analysts say that the coming days will become more difficult for Imran Khan as after dissolution of provincial assemblies, he will have to face multiple challenges by the ruling government on the political and legal front.
Bhopal, Jan 25 : Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath on Wednesday took a dig at the BJP's proposed 'Vikas Yatra', that is expected to cover all 230 Assembly seats in the state, saying it will be party's 'Nikas' (farewell) Yatra.

Addressing medipersons in Harda, he attacked the saffron party, claiming that the BJP had opportunity to take Madhya Pradesh forward but their 18-year rule has weakened the state's economy.

"Madhya Pradesh is surrounded by five states and has enormous business opportunities here, but irony is that, even those selling their products in southern states, are establishing their factories in Haryana and Punjab due to the wrong policies of the state government," he claimed.

He said that his government was ousted from power within 15 months due to which the promises made to the people during the 2018 Assembly elections could not fulfilled.

Kamal Nath claimed that had the Congress remained in power for full term (five years), things would have been different.

The former chief minister said that he tried to bring some changes and a lot of things changed, but "We got only 11 months in government, otherwise things would have changed today." "I accept that promises made to people were not fulfilled, because it wasn't possible in 11 months. I will give my 11-months report card to the people and I would ask BJP to give its 18-year's work report. Differences would be clear. It's just not about the elections only, it it about the future of Madhya Pradesh and its people," Kamal Nath said.

The BJP's 'Vikas Yatra' is scheduled to start from February 5.
Colombo, Jan 25 : Gopal Baglay, the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, has emphasised the importance of New Delhi and Colombo's togetherness on the journey that lies ahead.

Baglay made the remarks while addressing a gathering, an evening of music to mark the Republic Day of India with the participation of President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Chief Guest.

"The cooperation and working together would be very important for Sri Lanka and India on the journey that lies ahead for them to celebrate the centenary of independence in 2047 for India and 2048 for Sri Lanka," the President's Media Division (PMD) stated quoting the Indian High Commissioner.

The envoy was addressing at the Rhythm of Harmony, an evening of music performed by the UDX, a globally acclaimed musical band from Nagaland along with the Sri Lankan heavy metal quintet band Stigmata in Colombo.

The Indian High Commissioner said that the two bands from Sri Lanka and India were selected to perform at the event to mark the close relationship between the two countries, shared civilization, shared aspirations of peace, progress, prosperity, friendship, and close ties between the two countries.

"India is a vibrant growing economy and vibrant diverse democracy like Sri Lanka. Diversity and Democracy are two things that Sri Lanka and India lived by and live for," Baglay emphasised.

He also said that Sri Lanka is going to mark its 75th Independence Day early next month.

"So as close friends, we should celebrate this event together signifying the real rhythm of harmony. It is not only the harmony of separate bands and music but also the harmony and symphony of India and Sri Lanka. So we celebrate our togetherness in celebrating 75 years of independence, and 75 years of diplomatic relations and also recommit ourselves to the journey ahead of both countries to celebrate the centenary of independence." He added that it is not only political leaders, professionals, scientists, diplomats, bureaucrats, and civil servants who should corporate and work together but also every section of society that would play a very crucial role in the shared prosperity that we are going to forge with everybody's participation.

Going through an unprecedented economic crisis from early 2022, India was the first country to come forward to assist Sri Lanka and provided a financial assistance of nearly $4 billion within the first two quarters.

Last week India had informed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of its strong support for Sri Lanka's prospective Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of about $2.9 billion from IMF to overcome the ongoing economic crisis.
Bengaluru, Jan 25 : Karnataka Congress on Wednesday lodged a police complaint against Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, BJP President J.P. Nadda, State BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel and BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi in Bengaluru.

The case has been lodged in connection with Rs 6,000 cash per vote announcement made by BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi at a public rally.

Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar has stated that the complaint has been submitted to file an FIR against BJP leaders and take up the investigation. "It is an attempt to influence the result of elections by defeating the objectives of democracy," he said.

The complaint has been filed with High Grounds police station in Bengaluru. Shivakumar, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah-led delegation submitted the complaint.

Former Minister and BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi announced at a public rally on Tuesday that the opposition party candidates are distributing gifts worth a thousand and they will also give it in future. The total worth would not cross Rs 3,000.

"The voters can cast their votes after getting Rs 6,000 per each vote," he said.

Siddaramaiah had alleged that ruling BJP is all set to spend Rs 30,000 crore to come to power.

"The BJP is convinced that it will be defeated in elections. The party leaders have amassed huge money through corruption. The BJP does not have trust in a judicious, rightful election process," he added.
Bengaluru, Jan 25 : Karnataka police on Wednesday busted a fake currency racket with the arrest of four persons, including YSRCP leader Rajani.

According to police, the accused Charan Singh and Rajini were arrested when they were trying to transfer fake notes of Rs 500 denomination amounting to Rs 40 lakh to agents in Bengaluru.

The accused were arrested on January 19, while waiting to hand over the money to agents.

Subramanyapura police in Bengaluru who had taken up the investigation, went to Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh and arrested two more accused in connection with the case.

According to police, 38-year-old Rajini aka Rasaputra Rajini is the director of Andhra Pradesh Bondili Corporation. She is an active member of the YSRCP in Kadapa district.

Police sources said that the accused faced allegations of extracting huge money from the youth on the pretext of providing jobs. She is a staunch supporter of the Proddatur MLA R. Siva Prasad Reddy.

The investigations also revealed that accused Rajani was involved in a fake currency racket for a long time and she procured fake currency from Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh and sold it in Bengaluru.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Delhi Police have seized 626 bottles of illicit liquor which were slated to be smuggled to Bihar, an official said on Wednesday.

Police said that 626 bottles of illicit liquor, manufactured in Haryana and kept in 25 plastic drums covered with wood sawdust, were seized from Shri Sai Transport Company in SGT Nagar area.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer North, Devesh Kumar Mahla, on January 23, two rickshaw-pullers brought the plastic drums to the transport company in SGT Nagar and gave two bills on behalf of Shiv Trading Company, Geeta Colony, for conveying to Aditya Enterprises in Bihar's Muzaffarpur.

"When the manager of the transport company asked the rickshaw pullers about the owner and goods kept in the drums, both of them refused to disclose the details and fled. On suspicion, the manager informed the company owner Sunny Kumar, who then informed the patrolling staff of Samaypur Badli police station," he said.

The patrolling team reached the spot and checked the plastic drums, which were found filled with wood sawdust in which the liquor bottles were hidden.

"The address and details of Shiv Trading Company were found bogus. Legal action is being taken into the matter and efforts are being made to identify the rickshaw pullers who brought these drums to the transport company," the DCP said.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : The Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), India's premier independent newswire, has completed its first documentary titled 'The Last Push' on the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946.

Put together by the award-winning TV journalist and documentary maker, Sujay, it will be the first of a series of short films on the forgotten episodes of our freedom struggle as the country moves towards the Amrit Kaal of India's Independence.

Using forgotten footage sourced from the Imperial War Museum and Cambridge University in the UK and press clippings from India and Pakistan, and juxtaposing this material with expert narrations of this story of valour, 'The Last Push' reconstructs the 72 hours of the mutiny, which was inspired by the bravery of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) and hastened the end of the British Raj.

The film is being premiered at a select gathering in the Films Division Auditorium, New Delhi, in the presence of Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister for Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises, and Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, on January 25.

The screening will be followed by a discussion featuring the film's director, Sujay, and two experts on the RIN Mutiny: Pramod Kapoor, author, '1946: Royal Indian Navy Mutiny -- Last War of Independence', and founder-publisher, Roli Books, and Salil Mishra, Professor of History, School of Liberal Studies, Dr B.R. Ambedkar University, Delhi.

On February 18, 1946, ratings of the Royal Indian Navy went on strike in Bombay, brought down British flags and over three days took control of 78 ships and 21 shore establishments. The impact of the mutiny was felt across British Indian military formations. For 48 hours the jewel in the crown of the British Empire was seen tottering out of control before command was restored. But from the time of the mutiny the British finally knew that they had no choice but to quit India.

Yet, 75 years after independence, the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946 is barely a footnote in the history of India's freedom struggle.

Underlining the historical significance of the brave act, Sandeep Bamzai, Managing Director, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, IANS, said: "The RIN Mutiny hastened Britain's exit from India after the post-War government in London realised it could no longer count on the support of the Armed Forces, which had been imbued with the spirit of independence. A spontaneous rebellion, it had its ripple effects in the Armed Forces across the country." Bamzai added: "Immediately after the Mutiny, British Prime Minister Clement Atlee announced the Cabinet Mission to India to negotiate the details of the transfer of power." Recalling his association with the making of 'The Last Push', Sujay said: "One may have been a lifelong student of history, but even then, there are events, even from near contemporary times, that somehow seem to have not been in focus. When I started researching the subject as a filmmaker, I realised there are untold stories, relevant and credible ones, that need to be remembered to fully understand how India achieved her freedom." Sujay shared one of his telling discoveries from his research on the Mutiny.

"While doing the film I came across the strike committee's last message to the people of India which ended with the acknowledgement that it was for the first time that the blood of the men in the services and the people flowed in a common cause and that they would never forget this," Sujay noted.

"I found it ironic that it was the people who actually forgot the bravery and sacrifice of those young men in uniform," he added.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Four Jamia Millia Islamia University students associated with student outfit Students' Federation of India (SFI) were detained while classes were suspended after the screening of a controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi was announced at the Mass Communication department in the evening on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, police teams with riot gear were also deployed near the varsity gate.

The screening of the documentary was scheduled around 6 p.m. However, the varsity had said on Tuesday that the administration will not allow any unauthorised gatherings on campus after the SFI announced the screening.

A high drama prevailed at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus on Monday late evening after the students alleged that they were attacked with stones while watching the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest), Manoj C. denied reports of stone pelting.

When asked about the incident, the DCP said "I repeat again no such incident has been reported to us so far." "If we receive a complaint from any section of JNU, necessary legal action as deemed appropriate will be taken," said the DCP.

Meanwhile, internet service and electricity connection at the office of the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) were snapped for around three hours on Tuesday after some students wanted to screen the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The JNU administration had earlier asked the students to cancel the screening of the documentary -- 'India: The Modi Question'.

The varsity administration, in a stern warning, told the students that disciplinary action may be initiated as per the university rules if anyone screens the documentary.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : The Unnao rape survivor on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court against its order granting interim bail to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the case, from January 27 to February 10 to allow him attend his daughter's wedding.

She has also requested that additional restrictions are imposed on him during his release period as she had been receiving information that Sengar is going to harm her and her family.

"The apprehension of the applicant as regards her safety, and that of her family, has increased, especially in consideration of the fact that the appellant, upon being released on bail, is permitted to use his mobile phone, and he is likely to conspire with and influence his known persons in the administration in order to harass the present applicant, and to create security risks," the application reads.

A division bench of Justices Mukta Gupta and Anoop Kumar Mendiratta issued notice on the plea to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and listed the matter for the next hearing on January 27.

A week back, the survivor had opposed the court's decision of granting interim bail to Sengar.

Via a video and written statement, she had expressed her apprehensions to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, claiming that her and her family members' lives are under threat.

In her letter shared on social media, she had also claimed that her uncle could not get an interim bail for her sister's marriage due to a conspiracy hatched by Sengar's family members.

On January 15, the court had granted bail to Sengar in the rape case and four days later, he was granted bail in victim's father's custodial death case.

The bench had asked Sengar to report to the Station House Officer concerned on a daily basis during his bail period from January 27 to February 10 and furnish two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each.

In the rape matter, moreover, Justice Gupta had raised a concern saying that wedding ceremonies of Sengar's daughters have been scheduled for so many days and everything can be completed in a few days.

In response, the counsel representing Sengar had submitted that he is the father and the ceremony dates are given by the priest.

Senior advocates N. Hariharan and P.K. Dubey, who appeared for Sengar, had informed the court that as Sengar is the only male member in the family, he has to make all the wedding arrangements, which are going to be held in Gorakhpur and Lucknow.

Meanwhile, counsel representing the CBI had said that a status report has been filed by the agency and it was found that two halls have been booked for the wedding rituals.

A bench of Justices Gupta and Poonam A. Bamba, on December 22, 2022, had directed the CBI to verify the facts of Sengar's bail plea and place a status report on record.

Sengar's plea against the trial court's order in the rape case is pending in the high court with him having sought reliefs like quashing of the trial court's December 16, 2019 judgment, which convicted him, and the December 20, 2019 order sentencing him to imprisonment till the rest of his life.

The trial court had convicted Sengar under various provisions of the IPC and also imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh on him.

The trial started on August 5, 2019, after the Supreme Court on August 1 directed to transfer all five cases related to the matter from Unnao to Delhi.

The top court had directed to hold trial on a daily basis and complete it within 45 days.
Bengaluru, Jan 25 : A Pakistani woman in the custody of Karnataka authorities has been refusing to go back to her country as the authorities are preparing to deport her back to Pakistan, sources said on Wednesday.

The police sources revealed that the accused Pakistani national Ikra Jiwani has been pleading the authorities not to deport back to her country.

The woman is claiming that since she had married an Indian, she should be allowed to stay back in Bengaluru with him.

She is saying she loved her husband Mulayam Singh Yadav and married him after falling in love. She is claiming that she can't live without him, sources said.

Ikra is presently in the custody of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office. The authorities are preparing for her deportation and are approaching the Pakistan government in this regard which will take about two months, police said.

However, authorities are growing suspicious about the couple as they had not produced any documents as proof for their wedding.

Sources say that the couple have not submitted their marriage photos or certificate.

The Bellandur police in Bengaluru have taken up the investigation in this matter.

The Karnataka Police had arrested the 19-year-old Ikra for illegally staying in India. The accused had sneaked into India through the Nepal border.

The accused had got introduced to Mulayam Singh from Uttar Pradesh through a dating app and later married him.

Preliminary investigations showed that the couple resided at Junnasandra locality near Sarjapur road in Bengaluru. She attempted to contact her mother who lives in Pakistan.

The central intelligence agencies have gathered information about the accused woman and alerted the state police authorities.

The police had conducted a special operation and took her and her husband into custody. The police are investigating the antecedents of the woman and tracking her history and activities in India.

The accused woman had renamed herself as Rava Yadav and hidden her original identity.

The accused woman had also made submissions to obtain an Indian passport under the new name.
Ahmedabad, Jan 25 : The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday said that even if Oreva Group pays compensation to kith and kin of Morbi bridge collapse victims, criminal trial against its director will continue.

A bench of Chief Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice A J Shastri made the observation after Oreva group director Jaysukh Patel, in an affidavit submitted to the court, offered to pay suitable compensation to kith and kin of victims.

In the affidavit, Patel submitted that he is willingly and unconditionally ready to take responsibility of seven children who have lost their parents in the tragedy.

He further said that he took the repair work not for any commercial work but to preserve the heritage and some influential people had helped him to get this work.

The director submitted that he is even given maintenance and repair work of Jamsab tower clock in Rajkot.

The state government in its reply stated, "There are 1441 over bridges across the state, of which 63 major bridges need repair, of total over bridges, 168 major bridges and 180 minor bridges are in the municipal corporation areas, other over bridges are in nagar palika area, of 100 odd bridges, 32 are major bridges, 27 of them are under repair." On October 30, 2022, a suspension bridge on Machchhu river in Morbi collapsed, in which 135 persons were killed.

The said bridge's repair and maintenance work contract was given to Oreva group by Morbi Nagar palika. Without proper permission and fitness certificate, the Oreva group director had thrown the bridge open for public.

The High Court taking suo motu cognisance of the tragic incident, had impleaded Oreva group director as respondent in the PIL.
Hyderabad, Jan 25 : In a significant development, the Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to organise Republic Day celebrations, including parades, as per the Centre's guidelines.

The court also asked the government to allow people to witness the celebrations. It, however, left the choice of the venue to the state government.

The High Court order came amid the row over the state government informing Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan that the Republic Day celebrations will be held at Raj Bhavan. She was asked to unfurl the national flag at a ceremony there.

The court passed the orders on a petition, seeking direction to the state government to conduct the parade. The petitioner complained that the government has not been organising the Republic Day in a befitting manner, with the parade and other programmes were not being organised as part of the celebrations.

The court dismissed the submission of the state government that the parade was not being organised as part of the Republic Day celebrations due to Covid-19 pandemic protocol.

The petition filed by Srinivas was heard as a lunch motion petition. The petitioner brought to the court's notice that the government discontinued the practice of organising Republic Day celebrations in Parade Grounds, Secunderabad, and argued that this goes against the spirit of Republic Day celebrations.

The petitioner's counsel submitted to the court that organising Republic Day celebrations in a befitting manner help create patriotic feelings among people.

Last year, the government had asked Governor to hoist the national flag in Raj Bhavan in view of Covid-19 situation. The government had also not approved the speech of Governor and she had delivered her own speech, triggering a row between the two.

Soundararajan had taken exception to the conduct of Republic Day celebrations in Raj Bhavan and pointed out that the celebrations in other states were organised like in the past.

With the government issuing orders for Republic Day celebrations this year too in Raj Bhavan, this has reportedly angered the Governor. She was understood to have taken a decision to bring the issue to the notice of the Centre.

State BJP President Bandi Sanjay Kumar has also criticised the action of the state government. "President and all states will celebrate Republic Day except Telangana where repressive BRS government confined governor to Raj Bhavan," he tweeted. The BJP leader said that this amounts to disrespect of Indian Constitution drafted by Dr B.R. Ambedkar. "Kalvakuntla constitution is in vogue here. Democracy needs to be restored," he added.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Wednesday launched a Supreme Court service, which will start providing top court's judgments in various Indian scheduled languages from Republic Day.

The Chief Justice, as the bench assembled to conduct the day's proceedings, told the lawyers that a part of the electronic-Supreme Court Reports (e-SCR) project will be operationalized to make judgments available in some scheduled languages from Thursday, which will be free to access.

The judgments will be available on the apex court website, its mobile app and on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).

Chief Justice Chandrachud said, "We have the e-SCR (project), which now has nearly 34,000 judgments and an elastic search facility".

He added that 1,091 judgments in regional languages will be launched on the Republic Day and emphasized that the apex court is on a "mission" in connection with availability of all judgments in scheduled languages. The Chief Justice said they have 52 in Tamil, 21 in Oriya, 4 in Punjabi, 17 in Kannada, 14 in Marathi, 4 in Assamese, 29 in Malayalam, 3 in Nepali, 28 in Telugu, 3 in Urdu etc. There are 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri.

Earlier this month, the apex court had announced the launch of the e-SCR project to provide free access to nearly 34,000 judgments to lawyers, law students, and the public.

The apex court, in a press release, had said, "Supreme Court has developed a search engine with the help of NIC, Pune comprising an elastic search technique in the database of e-SCR. The search facility in e-SCR provides for free text search, search within search, case type and case year search, Judge search, year and volume search, bench strength search options. The inbuilt elastic search facilitates quick and user friendly search results".

It added this project would create an invaluable resource as the entire gamut of judgments from the inception of the Supreme Court in the year 1950 till date would be available on e-SCR and digital repository. "As the Judiciary is aligning more with technology, the e-SCR project is an important stepping stone for future of the modern Indian Judiciary and entails manifold benefits, including those of reduction in burden of traveling and browsing through huge volumes of journals in libraries, as also for enhancing its accessibility to those with visual disabilities, as they may now be able to access them through their screen reading software", said the release.
Dharamsala, Jan 25 : Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has written to Chris Hipkins to congratulate him on becoming the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

"Over the years," he wrote, "I have been able to visit your beautiful country several times and have been deeply touched by the interest that people from all walks of have shown in my efforts to promote a sense of the oneness of humanity and the need for inter-religious harmony.

"Today, the world is passing through very testing times. I wish you every success in meeting the challenges that lie ahead in fulfilling the needs and aspirations of the people of New Zealand." In a separate letter to the outgoing Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, His Holiness expressed admiration for the exemplary leadership she had shown during her tenure.

He particularly applauded the way she responded with calm, compassion and respect for others in the face of the tragic deaths and many injuries that occurred as a result of the shootings in Christchurch in March 2019.

His Holiness added that, although she will no longer be Prime Minister, he is confident that she will continue to do whatever she can to benefit the people of New Zealand and bring peace to others around the world.
Guwahati : People waiting in queue to buy tickets for Pathaan movie in front of a theatre in Guwahati on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anuwar Hazarika) Image Source: IANS News

Guwahati, Jan 25 : A man from Assam's Darang district was detained on Wednesday for issuing 'provocative' statements in connection with the Bollywood movie 'Pathaan', said police.

The person identified as Mofidul Islam bought at least 120 tickets for Shah Rukh Khan's latest release. He lives in the district's Dhula area.

Speaking to IANS, Superintendent of Police of Darang district, Prasanta Saikia said, "Islam bought around 120 tickets of the 'Pathaan' movie. After that, he was saying some objectionable things, challenging others, and it could disturb communal violence in the area." According to the police, Islam targeted Bajang Dal and other right-wing organisations that had earlier raised objections to the release of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer movie. The man is a leader of the North-East Minorities Students' Union (NEMSU).

"We detained him to avoid any untoward incident and registered a case under Section 107 IPC. He was later allowed to go home. We are keeping a close watch on him," Saikia added.

Meanwhile, another youth from Rangia town in Assam has bought 192 tickets for Khan's film 'Pathaan'. The man, identified as Farooq Khan, is a resident of the Kendukona area in Rangia.

Controversy erupted when Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he does not know who Shah Rukh Khan is. Reporters questioned Sarma about Bajrang Dal activists tearing and burning 'Pathaan' movie posters at a Guwahati cinema hall.

However, a day later, the Chief Minister himself informed that Shah Rukh Khan had called him well after midnight and asked for his assistance in ensuring the film's successful release in Assam.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : The man who allegedly fired the RPG on Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in May 2022 has been arrested from UP, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Wednesday.

Deepak Ranga, who was absconding since the attack, was held from Gorakhpur this morning, an official said.

A close associate of Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa and Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, Ranga, apart from his involvement in the RPG attack, has been involved in a number of other violent terrorist and criminal offences, including killings.

He has been actively receiving terror funds and logistical support from Rinda and Landa.

The NIA had registered the case suo moto on September 20, 2022 after it emerged that that terrorist outfits and terror elements based abroad were operating in tandem with leaders and members of organised criminal gangs operating in northern States of the country to commit targeted killings and violent criminal acts.

It had also emerged that the terror-gangster-drug smuggler network was also engaged in smuggling terrorist hardware, such as arms, ammunition explosives, IEDs etc across border through a widespread inter-state network of gun runners, illegal arms and ammunition manufacturers & suppliers and explosive traffickers.

"Since the registration of three criminal cases against the above terror-gangster-drug smuggler network, the NIA has already arrested 19 leaders/members of various organised criminal gangs, 2 arms suppliers and 1 big financier connected with the network under UAPA. Canada-based Arsh Dalla has been designated as an 'individual terrorist' by the MHA on January 9, 2023," said the official.

The official said that they were making efforts to dismantle the terror-gangster-smuggler nexus and infrastructure and the drive would be intensified in the near future.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : The annual meeting of the 'Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha' of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will be held in Haryana's Sonipat from March 12-14, RSS leader Sunil Ambekar said on Wednesday.

The RSS Pratinidhi Sabha is the highest decision-making body of the organisation and its meeting is generally held in March annually.

In the meeting to be chaired by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, along with the senior leaders of the RSS will participate.

The general secretaries of various organisations associated with the RSS, including the BJP, will also take part in the meeting.

According to sources, along with reviewing the work and programmes of the last year, a plan for the coming year would be prepared at the meeting. Besides, discussions on some of the key current issues are also likely to be held.

The upcoming meeting is being considered an important one in view of the upcoming Assembly elections in nine states of the country.
Srinagar, Jan 25 : A structure raised by the wife of a former J&K minister and National Conference leader in Budgam district was demolished by authorities on Wednesday.

Official sources said that a team of revenue officials, accompanied by police demolished a concrete structure raised by the wife of Ali Mohammad Sagar, in Humhama residential area near the Srinagar International airport in Budgam.

"The structure was raised illegally on state land occupied by Sagar's wife adjacent to her house which is on proprietary land.

"This structure was being used as a guard room for the security personnel by the former minister's family," a source said.
Chandigarh, Jan 25 : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday condemned the misuse of the parole facility extended to self-styled godman and Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim while terming the invitation given to the convicted rapist to attend a state-level function by the Haryana government as a challenge to the judicial process.

It also demanded he should be shifted to a non-BJP ruled state like West Bengal.

The SAD Panthik Advisory Board, whose meeting was held here, said the manner in which top functionaries of the Haryana government were honouring Ram Rahim had sent a wrong message to civil society.

"It does not behove state government functionaries like officer on special duty to the Chief Minister and a BJP MP to extend invitations to a rapist and murderer for state-level functions," it said, contending that this practically amounted to contempt of court.

The Advisory Board meeting, which was presided over by SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal, noted that even though criminal cases were still pending against Ram Rahim, the Haryana government was treating him as a VVIP and extending its full support to him.

"In such a scenario, the convict is likely to influence witnesses in cases registered against him. Keeping all these issues in mind, Ram Rahim should be shifted to a non-BJP state far from north India like West Bengal," it noted.

The board also took note that the signature campaign initiated by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to secure the release of the Bandi Singhs was receiving a huge response.

It said Sikhs were perturbed that Ram Rahim was getting repeated paroles but Sikh detainees were being held without facility of parole since 28 years.

SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami said the institution had already collected 12 lakh signatures and that it was likely to collect 25 lakh signatures, expressing solidarity with the Bandi Singhs and demanding their release.

He said the campaign would be made more broad-based in the coming days by approaching people from all sections of society, both in rural and urban areas.

The board also took note that attempts were being made to change the norms for recognising minorities.

It said if this was done, Sikhs would not be able to avail reservation under minority status in institutions in Punjab, besides various government schemes which would affect the community adversely. It decided to form a panel to address this issue.
Jaipur, Jan 25 : Bharatiya Janata Party MP Diya Kumari on Wednesday extended her gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for sanctioning Rs 968.92 crore Mavli-Marwar gauge conversion project of railway track which extends from Nathdwara to Devgarh.

With the sanction of Mavli-Marwar gauge conversion from Nathdwara to Devgarh Madriya, the long standing demand of the region has been fulfilled.

Terming it as a Republic Day gift to people, Rajsamand MP, Kumari said that the sanctioning of this project will boost tourism and business prospects in the region and shall create more employment and opportunities.

As per the order received from the Ministry of Railways, the first phase of the gauge conversion of 82.52 km railway track from Nathdwara to Devgarh Madriya in Rajsamand parliamentary constituency will be undertaken at a whopping cost of Rs 968.92 crore, she said.

This was one of the main assurances that the MP had given during the Lok Sabha elections and had been making tireless efforts for this gauge conversion.

The Modi Government has fulfilled the wait of decades as the project was being discussed for the last 30 years, said the MP adding that the Mewar region, which is known for its historic and spiritual sites, as well as the marble industry, will benefit lakhs of people, including pilgrims and tourists who visit. This will also give a fillip to the employment in the area.

Meanwhile, there is widespread euphoria in the Rajsamand constituency owing to this decision.

Speaking to the media, she also expressed her resentment against the Gehlot government and said that issues like paper leak and women atrocities rock this state.

"The state has become rape capital, paper leak capital and unemployment capital. Also, power and petrol tariffs are the highest here and hence common men are left tormented. There is no regular power supply for farmers for irrigation due to which they are facing the blues," she said.

While the Central govt is working to remove challenges of people, the Gehlot govt seems to be sitting with folded hands, she added.
Chennai, Jan 25 : The second batch of 36 satellites, belonging to UK-based Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb), are way to India for space launch, said the company.

The first batch of 36 satellites was launched by Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) rocket on October 23, 2022 from Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh with LVM3 rocket formerly known as Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MkIII (GSLV MkIII).

"Our satellites have now been loaded ahead of our upcoming launch with @isro "This is the final time we will load up an Antonov aircraft with our satellites for Gen1, demonstrating how close we are to truly global connectivity. Bon voyage, satellites!" OneWeb tweeted.

The Antonov aircraft will land in Chennai and from there the satellites will be taken to the ISRO's rocketport in Sriharikota by road.

ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) has signed a contract with OneWeb to launch 72 satellites in two phases for a launch fee of over Rs 1,000 crore, said Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, OneWeb last October.

Early this month, OneWeb confirmed the successful deployment of 40 satellites launched by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

It was OneWeb's 16th to-date, with only two more launches remaining to complete its first-generation constellation enabling global connectivity in 2023.

With 542 satellites now in orbit, OneWeb has more than 80 per cent of its first-generation constellation launched.
Agartala, Jan 25 : Leaders of the influential Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA), which has been demanding elevation of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) as a separate state for the tribals, are set to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, party sources said on Wednesday.

Senior TIPRA leader and deputy chief executive member of TTAADC, Animesh Debbarma, said before leaving for Delhi on Wednesday afternoon that a meeting was held in the national capital on Tuesday night between Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and TIPRA chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman, in which the deamnd for 'Greater Tipraland State' was discussed.

"We have been invited to Delhi. The all-important meeting will be held either on Wednesday night or on Thursday in the presence Amit Shah," Debbarma told IANS.

TIPRA chief and former royal scion, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman, wrote in a Facebook post: "Contrary to rumours, there have been no talks on seat-sharing with any party! We have received intimation from the Ministry of Home Affairs that it would like to talk to us over our demand for a constitutional solution to the Greater Tipraland issue.

"We have repeatedly said that until we don't get written assurance from the government of India on the constitutional solution to our demand, we will not go in for any alliance, leave alone seat-sharing. Please don't jump the gun and relax - we know how to negotiate for our people to the maximum." While the main opposition parties in Tripura -- CPI-M, Congress and Trinamool Congress -- have been trying to forge alliance with TIPRA to get majority of the 20 tribal reserve seats, the latter has reportedly held meetings with BJP's junior ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) for a seat-sharing deal aiming the February 16 Assembly polls.

In another development, Tripura BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Manik Saha, after holding an emergency meeting in Agartala left for Delhi on Wednesday to discuss with the central leaders about election strategies, and to finalise candidates' names.

The IPFT, since 2009, has been demanding to make the areas under TTAADC a full-fledged state while the TIPRA, since 2021, has been demanding elevation of the TTAADC areas by granting 'Greater Tipraland State' under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.

The BJP, CPI-M, Congress, Trinamool Congress and other parties have been strongly opposing the demands of both IPFT and TIPRA, saying that they do not want further division of Tripura.

Since April 2021, TIPRA has been ruling the politically-important 30-member TTAADC, which has jurisdiction over two-third of Tripura's 10,491 sq km area and is home to over 12,16,000 people, of which around 84 per cent are tribals, making the autonomous council a mini-Assembly.

TIPRA has organised various events in Tripura and in Delhi in support of its Greater Tipraland demand.

The leaders of IPFT had taken part in sit-in demonstrations at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in December 2021 and 2022.

Focusing on the Tipraland issue, the IPFT in the 2018 Assembly polls had secured eight of the 20 tribal reserve seats, which over the decades were the strongholds of CPI-M.

The demand for a Greater Tipraland was raised after the IPFT got massive support from the indigenous tribals ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections.
Bengaluru, Jan 25 : As Karnataka inches closer to assembly elections, two major national parties in the state, ruling BJP and opposition Congress are indulging in ugly fight. The leaders are getting personal and targeting one another.

Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar launched an attack on Wednesday against former minister and BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi. "I have not asked him to remove his pants," he stated, referring to the alleged sex-CD scandal.

Ramesh Jarkiholi had sought a CBI inquiry against Shivakumar. He had also attacked Begalavi Rural MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar that it is time for her to go.

Shivakumar, referring to Jarkiholi, stated, "he was the person who destroyed Congress party. Who facilitated operation lotus and ensured Congress-led coalition government." Congress MLA from Sringeri K.B. Raje Gowda, while attacking BJP and Hindu activists, used the word 'children of prostitute'. He had also targeted BJP, RSS and religious mutts and later apologised for his remarks, stating that the abuse he used should not be a part of any individual's culture.

Karnataka BJP President, Nalin Kumar Kateel's remarks that questions should be asked on love-jihad and not on roads and infrastructure, also stirred a huge controversy.

BJP state unit had also launched an attack on late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi that they died because of their own mistakes. The BJP has also alleged that they initially nursed terrorism, which in later stages took their lives.
Guwahati, Jan 25 : Amid a boycott call by the banned militant outfit ULFA-I, Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika has played down the insurgent group's statement, saying the people of Assam will celebrate Republic Day with full enthusiasm.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, he said: "I do not know why they have called for a boycott. But I want to make it clear that, whether ULFA leader Paresh Baruah likes it or not, the people of the state will not abide by his statement. Everybody will come out in huge numbers and celebrate Republic Day here." Hazarika has also advised Baruah to shun violence and return to the mainstream.

"We have repeatedly invited him (Paresh Baruah) to the negotiating table. I am requesting him again. We should concentrate on the development of the state in a peaceful way," he added.

The disbanded militant group United Liberation Front of Asom - Independent (ULFA-I) had earlier called for an 18-hour bandh on Republic Day in Assam.

It has asked people to remain indoors and mark the day as a protest on the occasion of Republic Day.

In a statement, the ULFA-I slammed the celebration of Republic Day. It requested that everyone boycott the occasion.

Also, the other insurgent group, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K), has also issued a similar statement to boycott the Republic Day celebrations in the northeast.

The conglomeration of six militant outfits KCP, KYKL, PREPAK, PREPAK (Pro), RPF, and UNLF also issued a statement to boycott the Republic Day celebration in Manipur.
Kolkata, Jan 25 : Trinamool Congress youth leader Kuntal Ghosh, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 21 in connection with the multi- crore teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal, told mediapersons on Wednesday that he is confidant that someday the masterminds of the scam will be arrested.

Ghosh was taken to a hospital from ED's office in Salt Lake for the purpose of medical examination on Wednesday.

"The corruption is sky-high. Let there be a proper investigation and everything will be revealed. The names of the masterminds in the matter will surface. It will be revealed who is guilty and who is not. A grand conspiracy has been hatched in the matter, which is the biggest in recent times," Ghosh told waiting mediapersons while coming out of the hospital.

However, he did not specify who these 'masterminds' are.

Former Education Minister and Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee, who is the prime accused in the case, had said in the initial days after his arrest by the ED last year that he was being made victim of a bigger conspiracy.

Now the question doing the rounds in the corridors of power is that whether Ghosh's reference to masterminds is hidden in the symbolic scripts in the diary that the ED recovered from his residence at the time of his arrest.

The ED is currently trying hard to decipher the symbolic scripts, which they think will lead to further clues regarding involvement of more influential persons in the scam.

The investigating officers are especially inquisitive about two circled and short symbolic scripts, namely 'SA' and 'PS', which they believe to be initials of two individuals having some links to the transactions of scam proceeds.

Besides the diary, the ED is also examining the contents of three pen-drives recovered from Ghosh's residence at the time of his arrest.
Ranchi, Jan 25 : The naked body of a 40-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree in Chowka police station area in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district on Tuesday.

A crowd gathered at the spot when the news spread. The police recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem.

The woman, who has been identified, was a resident of Madkamdih village.

Earlier, a complaint was reported in the local police station after she went missing from her home on December 25.

The woman's son has expressed suspicion on some people of the village of abducting, and killing her.

He told the police that some villagers used to torture his mother by calling her a witch.

He added that there were several quarrels and disputes regarding the same in the past.

The deceased was hanged by making a noose of her saree.

Kandra's Police Inspector, Rajendra Mahato said that investigation in the case is underway.

Mahato said that several villagers were being questioned in the case.

The victim's last rites were performed on Wednesday.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted an eight-week interim bail to Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish Mishra, the key accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

The apex court imposed a slew of stringent conditions on him and also decided to monitor the trial in the case.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J. K. Maheshwari said: "We find ourselves in agreement with the apprehensions raised regarding fair trial and the doubts surrounding the impartiality of the conduct of law enforcement agencies. We are, therefore, of the view that it is imperative to balance the rights of petitioner's liberty emanating under Article 21 vis-a-vis the state's right to ensure a fair and proper trial and safeguard the legitimate outcry of the victim(s) of crime." Granting the 8-week interim bail to Mishra, the bench noted that it is not inclined to express any final opinion as regard to the petitioner's (Mishra) right to seek regular bail at this stage, rather furtherance of interest of justice and in a way on an experimental basis, to adjudge as to whether there is any substance in the apprehensions expressed on behalf of the state and the informant.

The apex court imposed a slew of conditions while granting bail to Mishra: he will have to leave UP within 1 week of his release, he cannot stay in UP or Delhi/NCR, he shall inform court about his location, and any attempt by his family members or Mishra himself to influence witness will lead to cancellation of his bail.

Mishra will also have to surrender his passport, he will not enter the Uttar Pradesh except to attend the trial proceedings, and the prosecution, SIT, informant or any family member of the victims of the crime will be at liberty to promptly inform this court of any incident of misuse of the concession of the interim bail.

"The petitioner shall appear before the trial court on every date of hearing and no adjournment shall be sought on his behalf. If the petitioner is found involved in prolonging the trial, it shall be taken as a valid ground to cancel the interim bail," the bench said.

The apex court also decided to monitor the Lakhimpur Kheri trial, and asked the trial judge to send progress reports after every date of hearing.

"The trial court shall send progress reports to this court after every date of hearing, along with details of witnesses examined on each date... the trial court shall also be at liberty to move this court, if need be, for issuance of suitable directions to the prosecution, accused or any other stakeholder so that the trial is not hampered in any manner till it reaches a logical conclusion," said the bench.

Four accused in jail in connection with the cross-FIR under murder charge in the case were also directed by the apex court to be released on interim bail.

The bench noted that in the present case, charges have been framed, and Mishra is in custody for more than a year. "In view of the large volume of oral and documentary evidence, which the prosecution is entitled to lead in both the cases, coupled with the defence evidence, if any, trial cannot be expected to be concluded that early," noted the bench, and scheduled the matter for further hearing on March 14.

During the hearing, Additional Advocate General for Uttar Pradesh Garima Prashad opposed Mishra's bail plea. She had submitted that it was a grave and heinous crime and granting bail will send a wrong signal to society.

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for those opposing the bail plea, said grant of bail will send a terrible message to society.

"It is a conspiracy and a well-planned murder. I will show it from the charge sheet. He is the son of a powerful man being represented by a powerful lawyer," he said.

On October 3, 2021, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri district's Tikunia in a violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area.

According to the Uttar Pradesh Police FIR, four farmers were mowed down by an SUV, in which Ashish Mishra was seated.

Following the incident, a driver and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence.

On December 6 last year, a trial court had framed charges against Ashish Mishra and 12 others for the alleged offences of murder, criminal conspiracy and others in the case of death of the protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, paving the way for the start of the trial.

A total of 13 accused, including Ashish Mishra, have been charged under IPC sections 147 and 148 related to rioting, 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 427 (mischief) and 120B (punishment for criminal conspiracy), and section 177 of the Motor Vehicle Act.
New York, Jan 25 : Employees, who survived the recent layoffs at Google, are worried and have demanded assurances that their jobs are not next to be axed by the company during a recent all-hands meeting with top bosses.

As Google's parent company Alphabet chopped six per cent of its workforce globally, an employee based in the UK told management that "psychological safety is paramount", the New York Post reported.

The employee, who had trouble processing the news like many of his colleagues, said: "How are we supposed to ever feel safe again?" According to the report, most of the 12,000 people, including Indians, axed by the tech giant were high performers and people on immigration visas.

The professionals with an H-1B visa will have to leave the country in 60 days if they are unable to find another alternative to sustain.

"Should I keep working super hard? Does it matter?" another employee wondered.

Among those who were handed pink slips were employees who "had previously received high performance reviews" or had annual compensation packages of $500,000 to $1 million.

"The layoffs seem random," one employee wrote in a question that was submitted to top Google executives via the company's internal messaging system, the Post reported.

Denying that the layoffs were done "randomly", Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai had said earlier that he is "deeply sorry" for reducing the workforce.

In an email to employees, Pichai said he takes "full responsibility for the decisions that led us here".

In the US, Google will pay employees during the full notification period (minimum 60 days) and also offer a severance package starting at 16 weeks salary, plus two weeks for every additional year at Google, and accelerate at least 16 weeks of GSU (Google stock) vesting.

The layoffs at Google's parent company were expected amid the deepening funding winter that has hit companies of all sizes in the global slowdown and recession fears.
Chandigarh, Jan 25 : Slamming the Centre for not including the tableau of the state in the Republic Day parade, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said this "anti-Punjab stance" of the BJP-led Union government is "unwarranted" and "undesirable".

In a statement here, he said that every year Republic Day parade celebrations include a spectacular ceremonious parade, which is a tribute to India, its unity in diversity and its rich cultural heritage through various states' tableaus.

Punjab has also been regularly featuring in the tableau parade showcasing the critical importance of this border state with its rich history, colourful and vibrant culture and pivotal point for defining events which shaped the history of the great nation, he said.

Mann said it is a matter of great disappointment that this year despite the presentation of ideas to the selection committee on important themes like 'Watan Ke Rakhwale', emphasising the significant role of Punjab in India's military might, 'Nari Shakti' through valour of Mai Bhagoji and the revered events in history of freedom struggle along with tales of bravery and supreme sacrifices through Battle of Saragarhi, the tableau of state of Punjab has not been selected for the Republic Day parade.

The Chief Minister said though the selection committee even appreciated the ideas but it is disheartening that the people of this great country along with the whole world will be bereft from the rich cultural and historical tribute, which Punjab will have showcased.

He recalled that Punjabis had made enormous sacrifices to free the motherland from its yoke of British imperialism. Mann said despite of being merely two per cent of the country's population, 80 per cent of the martyrs either executed or exiled during the freedom movement were Punjabis.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 25 : Hours after Anil Antony, the son of former Defence Minister A.K. Antony, quit the Congress, Kerala BJP chief K. Surendran said that "this is the way Congress party functions".

Anil Antony quit the party alleging "intolerant calls to retract a tweet", in which he had defied his party line and criticised a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming it as a "dangerous precedent".

Anil Antony, who headed Congress' IT wing in Kerala, tweeted, "I have resigned from my roles in @incindia @INCKerala. Intolerant calls to retract a tweet, by those fighting for free speech. I refused. @facebook wall of hate/abuses by ones supporting a trek to promote love! Hypocrisy thy name is! Life goes on." "The Congress just cannot accept anyone who shows his love and concerns for the country. Just see how Anil is being attacked. Anil aired his love for the country, but the Congress has other interests and it at times projects them just as it happened now. We welcome Anil's statement," said Surendran.

"To divert the burning issues in Kerala, the Pinarayi Vijayan government is using this documentary as a cover up exercise. It is using the office of power to engage in anti-national acts," added Surendran.

Anil Antony's tweet that triggered the controversy read, "Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in India placing views of BBC, a (UK) state sponsored channel with a long history of India prejudices, and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over Indian institutions is setting a dangerous precedence, it will undermine our sovereignty." In his resignation letter, Anil Antony wrote, "Considering the events from Tuesday, I believe it would be appropriate for me to leave all my roles in the Congress - as the convenor of the KPCC digital media, and as the national coordinator of AICC social media and digital communication cell.

"Kindly consider this as my resignation letter. I would like to thank everyone, especially the Kerala state leadership and Shashi Tharoor, along with countless party workers, who had wholeheartedly supported and guided me at various times, during my brief period here," he said.

"I am sure that I have my own unique strength which could have enabled me to contribute very effectively to the party in several ways. However, by now, I have been made well aware that you, your colleagues and the coterie around the leadership are only keen to work with a bunch of sycophants and chamchas, who would unquestionably be at your beck and call. This has become the lone criterion of merit. Sadly we don't have much common ground," he added.

"I would prefer to continue with my other professional endeavours without being fed this negativity and being involved in these destructive narratives, many against the very core interests of India. These I strongly believe will end up in the dustbin of history with time," he concluded.
Joshimath, Jan 25 : Criticising the Congress, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday said the land subsidence crisis in Joshimath, and the situation emerging out of it has been blown out of proportion by "certain people".

During an interaction with the mediapersons, the Chief Minister said while relief and rescue operations had been carried out in the affected areas, the government is also focussing on the preparations for the Char Dham yatra.

He has also slammed the Congress leaders who went to Jammu and Kashmir to attend the closing ceremony of the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 30 for raising the issue of the Joshimath crisis there.

Dhami said the Congress is trying to defame the state of Uttarakhand by raising the Joshimath issue in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chief Minister, while referring to the land subsidence crisis in Joshimath which has affected hundreds of houses, shops and other establishments apart from displacing many families, said that misconceptions are being spread about the situation in the town.

The Chief Minister said that 70 per cent of the people of Joshimath have been living a normal life.

He said the way the problems are being shown and told, not exist.

CM Dhami also said that the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed to help the affected. Along with this, rehabilitation work is also being carried out.

He said that in such a situation, a message carrying the impression "that the entire Joshimath area is unsafe" should not be spread.

Dhami said that 70 per cent of shops are open in the city and all essential functions are operating normally.

The CM further said he has informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the situation in Joshimath, adding that the Central government is "constantly monitoring the situation".
Chandigarh, Jan 25 : Half a dozen leaders of Haryana's ruling BJP-JJP, comprising former legislators, on Wednesday joined the Congress along with hundreds of supporters amidst the presence of Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state unit chief Chaudhary Udaybhan.

Those who joined the Congress included former MLA and JJP candidate from Bhiwani, Shiv Shankar Bhardwaj, former minister Mangeram Gupta's son and JJP leader Mahavir Gupta, and BJP Kisan Cell's state Vice President Satish Rana.

The joining ceremony took place at the meeting of party delegates, MLAs, former MLAs, working presidents and senior leaders convened under the 'Haath Se Jodo Haath' campaign.

Hooda said in the last few months, over 15 former MLAs of other parties, including the BJP and the JJP, and 50 prominent leaders have joined the Congress.

"Leaving the ruling parties, the leaders and workers are joining the Congress. This shows the people are definitely going to vote for a Congress government in the state in the next elections," he said.

Former Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra, who has been made Haryana's convener for 'Hath Se Hath Jodo' campaign, congratulated the leaders and workers for the success of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Haryana.

"The yatra has given a new direction to the country and the party. This direction has to be taken to every village, booth and every house under the campaign 'Haath Se Jodo Haath'," he said.

Addressing the meeting, Udaybhan said the Congress has got tremendous strength due to Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"The 'Haath Se Hath Jodo' campaign starting right after this will pave the way for Congress' victory in 2024 as the BJP at the Centre and the BJP-JJP government in the state have betrayed the people," he said.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Over 70 students have been detained after they gathered to protest against the detention of four Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) students associated with the Students' Federation of India (SFI) after the announcement of screening of a controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Mass Communication department of the university on Wednesday evening.

However, there was no immediate response from the police.

Classes in the varsity were suspended and police teams, including the Rapid Action Force (RAF), were deployed near the gate of JMI om Wednesday.

The screening of the documentary was scheduled at 6 p.m. However, the varsity had said on Tuesday that the administration will not allow any unauthorised gatherings on the campus after the SFI announced the screening.

The developments came after high drama prevailed on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus late on Tuesday evening after the students alleged that they were attacked with stones while watching the controversial documentary.

However, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest), Manoj C., denied reports of stone pelting.

When asked about the incident, the DCP said, "I repeat, no such incident has been reported to us so far." "If we receive a complaint from any section of JNU, necessary legal action as deemed appropriate will be taken," the DCP said.

Meanwhile, internet service and electricity connection at the office of the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) were snapped for around three hours on Tuesday evening after some students wanted to screen the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The JNU administration had earlier asked the students to cancel the screening of the documentary -- 'India: The Modi Question'.

The varsity administration, in a stern warning, told the students that disciplinary action may be initiated as per the university rules if anyone screens the documentary.
Patna, Jan 25 : BJP MLA Hari Bhushan Thakur Bachaul on Wednesday alleged that Deepika Padukone is a "Tukde-Tukde gang member" and Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) is a "PFI agent".

"Saffron colour signifies sacrifice and austerity but the Tukde-Tukde gang member Deepika Padukone is wearing saffron colour innerwear. Why Deepika only went to JNU. Incidents like that had happened in several places of the country. The people associated with this film are members of IS and supporters of Ghazwa-E-Hind," Bachaul said.

Deepika visited JNU on January 9, 2020 to show solidarity with students who were attacked by a mob (JNU violence).

"Shah Rukh Khan is a PFI agent. The makers of the film had made it to insult Hindus," he alleged.

'Besharam Rang' song of the 'Pathaan' movie had created controversy over the saffron colour bikni Deepika is donning and some objectionable scenes. Due to strong protests, the censor board has cut some of the "objectionable" scenes of the movie.

However, 'Pathaan' is drawing a good response in Bihar.
New Delhi : Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Ceremonial Reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. (Photo:IANS/PIB) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Jan 25 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India and Egypt have decided to elevate their bilateral relations to the level of a "strategic partnership".

He further said that both the nations have decided to take bilateral trade to $12 billion in the next five years.

In his remarks after discussions with visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Modi said, "At one side of the Arabian Sea is India and on the other side is Egypt. Strategic cooperation between the two countries will help in promoting peace and prosperity in the entire region. So in today's meeting, President Sisi and I decided to elevate our bilateral partnership to the level of 'Strategic Partnership'. We have decided that under the India-Egypt Strategic Partnership, we will develop a long-term framework of greater cooperation in political, security, economic and scientific fields." He said that both he and President Sisi closely observed the adverse effects on healthcare infrastructure and global supply chains during the Covid pandemic.

"President Sisi and I have remained in close contact during this challenging period, and both countries have sent each other immediate assistance in times of need. Today, we have held extensive discussions on strengthening the food and pharma supply chains affected by Covid and the Ukraine conflict. We also agreed on the need to increase mutual investment and trade in these areas," Modi said.

He also said that India and Egypt are worried about the spread of terrorism happening around the world.

"We are unanimous in the opinion that terrorism is the most serious security threat to humanity. Both countries also agree that concerted action is necessary to end cross-border terrorism. And for this, together we will continue to try to alert the international community," the Prime Minister said.

Modi further elaborated that "there is also immense potential for enhancing security and defence cooperation between us".

"In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in joint exercise training and capacity building between our armies. We have also decided in today's meeting to further strengthen cooperation between our defence industries, and enhance the exchange of information and intelligence related to counter-terrorism," he said.

Modi said that during his meeting with the Egyptian President, the issue of misuse of cyber space to spread extremist ideologies and radicalisation was discussed, and therefore it was decided that both the countries would extend cooperation against this also.

Sisi, who arrived on Tuesday on a three-day official visit to India, would be the chief guest during the Republic Day function on Thursday.
18:00 | Lima, Jan. 25.

"My Government will always act within the framework of the powers granted by the Constitution and the laws to defend the life, health, and integrity of all Peruvians. We cannot deviate from that objective," she said during her virtual speech in a protocolary session of the Organization of American States' (OAS) Permanent Council.





The Head of State expressed her sorrow for the loss of lives that occurred during the social demonstrations held in different Peruvian regions.





In view of this, the top official said that if excesses have been committed in the use of force to restore internal order, those responsible will be investigated and brought to justice.





"Let us hope that justice takes its course and establishes responsibilities soon," she said.





President Boluarte mentioned that her administration has established a multisectoral commission, which will support the relatives of those who died and were injured in the mobilizations under a comprehensive approach.





The Head of State indicated that Peru is going through a complex situation, adding that the political crisis can either go through the path of violence, death, and destruction or it can be solved in peace, dialogue, and democracy through free and democratic elections with all guarantees.





At this point, the top official emphasized that it will be the citizens who, without interference or violence, decide the future of Peru.





"I believe that Peru has the right to write its own history," Mrs. Boluarte affirmed.





"Help Peru direct its destiny through free elections, elections that I have asked Congress to approve as soon as possible," she said before the OAS Permanent Council.





"I won't surrender to authoritarian groups that want to impose solutions which are neither part of our constitutional order, nor of the democratic tradition that this organization cultivates with such zeal," she stated.





Lastly, the President thanked OAS member countries and Pope Francis for their solidarity. This proves that Peru is not alone, she said.
Ranchi, Jan 25 : Maoist commander Naveen Yadav aka Sarvjit Yadav, accused of killing 48 police and security forces personnel in Jharkhand and Bihar, is now in police custody, after he reportedly surrendered.

The government had declared a reward of Rs 25 lakh on him.

Yadav, a resident of Bashutta village in Jharkhand's Chatra district, till recently was active in Buddha Pahad, a stronghold of the Maoists.

Although there has been no official announcement of his surrender from the police, reliable sources said that he is being interrogated at an unknown location.

Yadav has been a member of the regional committee of the Maoists, and was involved in most of the Maoist attacks in Jharkhand's Palamu, Latehar, Chatra, and Garhwa and Bihar's Aurangabad, Gaya districts, among others in the last decade.

More than 60 cases are registered against him in different police stations of the states.

In January 2019, the police had seized 18.5 acres of land in Palamu's Redma and 12.78 acres in Chatra's Pratappur belonging to Yadav.

In June 2016, 10 security personnel were killed in a major attack led by Yadav on the Aurangabad-Gaya border in Bihar.

He is the main accused in the 2013 attack on security forces in Latehar's Katia, in which 17 personnels were martyred.

In 2011, eight were martyred in the attack on the convoy of Chatra's then MP Inder Singh Namdhari and in January 2012, 13 personnels, including the station in-charge, were killed in the attack in Bhandaria, Garhwa.

Yadav was involved in all these attacks.
Patna, Jan 25 : In a bid to trace a liquor mafia member, police in Bihar's Gaya quizzed his parrot in expectation of getting any hint about his whereabouts - but to no avail, as per a video going viral.

The incident occurred on Tuesday night when a team of Gurua police station, headed by Sub-Inspector Kanhaiya Kumar went into the village to arrest Amrit Mallah, but he had already fled from his house.

When the police team reached the house, they found only a parrot. In a bid to get some hint about Mallah, Kanhaiya Kumar asked the parrot about him in Hindi and Magahi, but it only replied "Katore Katore Katore" (bowl).

"E Mitthu (parrot), Tohar Malik Kaha Gelo, Tohar Malik Chor Ke Bhag Gelo," he asked the bird which repeatedly replied "Katore Katore Katore", as per the video going viral.

When Kanhaiya Kumar asked about liquor being manufactured in Katora, the parrot again replied "Katore Katore Katore".

On the viral video, a viewer commented: "Police failed to extract the secret from parrot".

Another user said: "The parrot is loyal to his mentor and does not reveals his hideouts".
New Delhi, Jan 25 : The Federation of Indian Pilots on Wednesday wrote to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia seeking his intervention to revoke the suspension of licence of the pilot-in-command of the Air India flight in which peeing incident occurred on November 26, 2022.

The pilots' body said that DGCA's 'knee-jerk' reaction appears to have been triggered by sensational media reports.

"Prima facie, there was no effort on the part of the DGCA to conclude its own independent enquiry to establish facts on the basis of credible evidence and nor was the suspended licence holders was given an opportunity to be heard by his own employer's internal complaint committee," said the letter written to the Minister on Wednesday.

The pilots' body requested the Civil Aviation Minister's immediate intervention to revoke the suspension of the pilot's licence.

"It is a matter of great concern that DGCA continues to wield autocratic, colonial-era powers derived from archaic legislation that effectively makes it a rule-making, investigating, punishing and appellate authority all rolled into one without adequate checks and balances, such arbitrary actions have become the norm rather than an exception," said the Federation of Indian pilots.

Aviation regulator DGCA on January 20 imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and suspended the licence of pilot-in-command for three months in the Air India peeing case which occurred on November 26, 2022.

Moreover, the regulator also imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh on director-in-flight services of Air India for failing to discharge duties.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Air India joint action forum, a group of six unions, on Tuesday appealed to aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation to withdraw the suspension of the pilot-in-command of the Air India flight in which peeing incident occurred.
Kolkata, Jan 25 : Abdul Basir Mistri, an All India Secular Front (AISF) worker, was nabbed by the police on Wednesday after he staged a protest against the arrest of the lone party MLA in West Bengal, Naushad Siddique, carrying a syringe filled with poison.

Siddique was arrested on January 21 after the AISF supporters clashed with the police in the heart of the city, causing injuries to several AISF supporters and policemen.

On Wednesday, some AISF supporters blocked roads in Ghatakpukur under the Bhangar Assembly constituency represented by Siddique, in protest against the latter's arrest.

During the agitation, Mistri was spotted carrying a placard demanding release of 'Bhai Jaan' (Siddique) on one hand and a syringe on the other hand.

When the police approached him, he claimed that there was poison in the syringe and if police tried to take him away, he will commit suicide by injecting the poison into his body.

However, one policeman somehow managed to snatch the syringe from his hand. The syringe has been sent to the forensic laboratory for examination.

Meanwhile, a rally was taken out on the streets of Kolkata on Wednesday demanding the release of Siddique.

Though AISF was the organiser of the rally, it was taken out under the banner of 'Citizens' Rally', where leaders from other political parties, including the CPI(M) and Congress participated.
Patna, Jan 25 : Amid the political temperature heating up in the JD-U over party leader Upendra Kushwaha, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said that he should go as soon as possible.

An angry Nitish Kumar was not even ready to hear name of Kushwaha, the party's Parliamentary Board President.

"Don't ask me about him. He is in touch with the BJP and alleging that we are in contact with the saffron party. He is free and independent to go anywhere. No one would stop him," he said.

"Kushwaha is saying the JD-U is weakening in Bihar, I want to tell him to go and celebrate it. He does not know our party has been turning out stronger than before. There are 75 lakh people associated with the JD-U in Bihar. Whatever Kushwaha has claimed was absolutely false.

"We have promoted every leader who joined our party but they either worked against it or left it," Nitish Kumar said.

Reacting on the Chief Minister's statement, Kushwaha demanded a "stake" but did not clarify on its nature or whether it was in the party or government.

"Well said, elder brother. If the younger brother would leave like this, it would be easy for the elder brother to grab the parental properties. How could I leave without taking my stake," he tweeted.
New York, Jan 25 : India and Pakistan came "too close" to a nuclear conflagration during the 2019 confrontation with both sides believing the other was preparing to deploy nuclear weapons, according to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

He recounted in his book, "Never Give an Inch", his frantic night-time diplomatic efforts to get the neighbours to stand down after getting a call from his "Indian counterpart", warning him that he believed Pakistan was readying nuclear weapons for a strike and India was considering its own escalation.

The External Affairs Minister during the crisis set off by the terrorist attack that killed 46 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in February 2019 was the late Sushma Swaraj.

But Pompeo referred to his "counterpart" with the male pronoun in a subsequent paragraph creating ambiguity as to who he spoke with.

"I do not think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over in a nuclear conflagration," he wrote.

But, he added, "the truth is, I don't know precisely the answer either. I just know it was too close".

He was woken up at night while he was on a visit to Hanoi with a call from Sushma Swaraj who told him that "he believed the Pakistanis had begun to prepare their nuclear weapons for a strike".

"India, he informed me, was contemplating its own escalation. I asked him to do nothing and give us a minute to sort things out," Pompeo wrote.

Working with John Bolton, who was then the US National Security Adviser, from their Hanoi hotel room he "reached the actual leader of Pakistan. General (Qamer Javed) Bajwa", he wrote.

"I told him what the Indians had told me. He said it wasn't true. As one might expect, he believed the Indians were preparing their own nuclear weapons for deployment.

"It took us a few hours, and remarkably good work by our teams on the ground in New Delhi and Islamabad, to convince each side that neither was to convince each side or the other was not preparing for nuclear war," Pompeo added.

Taking credit for the de-escalation, he wrote: "No other nation could have done that, but we did that night to avoid a horrible outcome." He acknowledged the work of Kenneth Juster, who was the then US envoy in New Delhi, calling him "an incredibly capable ambassador" who "loves India and its people".

Pompeo, who was the director of the Central Intelligence Agency before becoming the Secretary of State, recounted in the book his four years in former President Donald Trump's cabinet.

The book, subtitled, "Fighting for the America I Love", lays out how he aggressively implemented Trump's 'America First' vision.

Writing about his efforts to deepen ties with New Delhi, Pompeo wrote that he "made India the fulcrum of my diplomacy to contract Chinese aggression".

"I chose to devote serious quantities of time and effort to make India the next great American ally," he added.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Hyderabad, Jan 25 : In wake of a huge fire that killed three persons and gutted a six-storeyed commercial building here last week, the Telangana government on Wednesday decided to conduct fire safety audit for all the high rise buildings, all commercial establishments, hospitals, educational institutions and other huge buildings in Hyderabad and other major cities.

A high-level committee, which met here, decided to give exgratia amounting to Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of those who died in fire mishap at Ramgopalpet near Secunderabad.

Municipal Administration Minister K.T. Ramarao, Home Minister Mahmood Ali and Animal Husbandry MNinister Talasani Srinivas Yadav presided over the high level meeting on fire mishaps and safety.

Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, DGP Anjani Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, MAUD, Arvind Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, Housing Sunil Sharma, DG, Fire Services Nagi Reddy, senior police, GHMC, and revenue officials attended the meeting.

Rama Rao directed the Municipal, Police, and Fire Department officials to conduct fire safety audit of high rise and huge buildings in Hyderabad and all other important cities of the state within the stipulated time. Safety audit should also be done for all hospitals, educational institutions, petrol bunks, gas warheouses, commercial establishments, high rise apartments etc.

He, however, made it clear that public should not be harassed at any cost in the name of fire safety.

Pointing out that with the increasing population, the safety of the people is paramount, the Minister asked the officials to send proposals to amend the fire safety norms formulated in 1999, if necessary.

The government is ready to provide the latest vehicles and machinery to the Fire Department as it has done to the police department, he said, asking the Chief Secretary to submit proposals in this regard.

The Minister asked officials to use drones and robotics technology in maintaining fire safety at tall structures in Hyderabad.

Suggestions will be prepared after studying the best practices adopted by cities in India and in foreign countries to prevent recurring fire accidents.

Srinivas Yadav observed that there are more than 25 lakh commercial establishments in the city and guidelines should be prepared which would enable them to take up fire safety precautions on their own. The Home Minister suggested that fire safety norms should be strictly adhered to while giving building permissions.

Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari announced the constitution of a high level committee composed of senior officials which would suggest measures to prevent fire mishaps. She stated that proposals for purchasing vehicles and latest equipment along with training to Fire Department personnel will be submitted soon.

DGP Anjani Kumar suggested that special measures should be taken in those establishments responsible for fire incidents.
Agartala, Jan 25 : The CPI-M-led, five-party Left Front would contest 47 seats in Tripura in the February 16 elections, leaving 13 seats to their new ally Congress, Left leaders announced here on Wednesday night.

Congress leaders are visibly unhappy over the meagre allotment of seats to them.

Announcing the names of candidates, Tripura Left Front convener Narayan Kar and CPI-M state Secretary Jitendra Chowdhury said that former four time Chief Minister and the party's Politburo member Manik Sarkar, party stalwart Badal Chowdhury, three former ministers - Tapan Chakraborty, Sahid Chowdhury, Banulal Saha - would not contest the elections due to health grounds.

Soon after the announcement of the candidates' list of Left parties, visibly unhappy Congress leader and the party's lone MLA Sudip Roy Barman said that they have first demanded 27 seats and then 23 seats from the Left parties.

"They (Left parties) have taken the decision as per their whims and wishes, we would go as per the whims and wishes of the people," Roy Barman told IANS.

Tripura state Congress President Birajit Sinha, who is now in Delhi, told IANS over phone that the central leaders would hold meetings with CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and other Left leaders about the seat sharing arrangements.

Earlier, the CPI-M and the Congress leaders held a series of meetings for a seat sharing arrangement in the next month's poll.

CPI-M state Secretary Jitendra Chowdhury, who is also the party's Central Committee member, said that the Left parties are still keen to hold dialogue with the tribal party Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) to jointly fight the elections to defeat the ruling BJP.

"In our discussion with TIPRA chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman, we have categorically told them that the CPI-M has always demanded more power and autonomy to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) for the all round development of the tribals," Chowdhury told the media.

He said that it was informed to TIPRA leaders that if the opposition alliance come to power after the elections, a high power committee can be formed to recommend to the Central government for more power and autonomy to the TTAADC, which has jurisdiction over two-third of Tripura's 10,491 square km area and is home to over 12,16,000 people, mostly tribals.

Announcing the candidates, Kar said that of the 47 candidates, 24 are new faces and two are women.

He said that eight sitting CPI-M MLAs including Manik Sarkar and Badal Chowdhury, also CPI-M Central Committee member, were dropped as they are sick.

Sarkar was elected to the Assembly six times since 1981 and Chowdhury eight times since 1978.

Among the Left parties, the CPI-M would put up candidates in 43 seats, and the CPI, RSP, and the Forward Bloc would contest one each seat while veteran lawyer Purosattam Roy Barman would contest as Left-supported Independent candidate. The CPI-ML would not field any candidates but would campaign for the Left and Congress candidates.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : The RBI has told the Supreme Court that it has accepted the recommendations of a high-level committee that list of defaulters must be published by banks on their websites, where either the defaulters' name is already in the public domain or their secured assets are possessed under the Sarfaesi Act.

The RBI, in a written response, said: "Reserve Bank's resolute efforts have resulted in material decline in the NPAs of the banking system." It added that the recently-issued Financial Stability Report of the Reserve Bank on December 29, 2022 indicates that the gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio of banks has been steadily trending down to a seven-year low of 5 per cent in September 2022, while net non-performing assets (NNPA) have dropped to a ten-year low of 1.3 per cent of total loans.

"The Reserve Bank continues to monitor the situation and would assure to take prudent measures in discharge of its statutory mandate, to ensure a sound and resilient financial system, in the interest of all the stakeholders," it added.

Advocates Prashant Bhushan and Pranav Sachdeva, representing NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation, alleged loans were given at the behest of politicians. The apex court had asked the banking regulator to respond to the allegations that despite bank accounts of many big companies having been declared as 'fraud', lenders still dither in reporting such matters to either police or the CBI.

In the affidavit, the RBI further contended that necessary instructions are being issued mandating banks to examine and take a formal view on classifying an account as a case of wilful default, within 60 days of the account becoming an NPA (applicable for exposures greater than Rs 50 crore).

"Issuance of directions governing publication of the list of defaulters by banks wherever recovery action is required to be in public domain," it added.

The RBI said even directions mandating the Trust and Retention Accounts (TRA) for all types of consortium lending are being issued. It further added that to prevent the diversion of funds by unscrupulous borrowers, which was also the rationale behind the committee's recommendation of mandating TRA accounts, the measures essentially aimed at addressing the growing menace of NPAs in the banking system were taken.

On Wednesday, a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul gave a four-weeks' time to RBI to inform on the steps it can take as the regulator qua the committee's recommendations to tackle bad loans.

The apex court is hearing a case connected with writing off thousands of crores of loans by lenders. In December last year, the court had asked the government and the RBI to submit an affidavit explaining why the lenders should not file criminal cases against loan defaulters and why the recommendations of an expert panel on banking reforms have yet to be implemented.
Chennai, Jan 25 : Expert snake-catchers from the Irula tribe in Tamil Nadu, Vadivel Gopal, and Masi Sadiyan, were conferred the Padma Shri - the country's fourth-highest civillian award - on the occasion of the Republic Day 2023.

The duo, despite their lack of formal education, travel across the globe for catching snakes as well as to teach snake catchers. They use old and indigenous techniques, inherited from their forefathers, to catch the reptiles.

In 2017, the duo was taken to Florida for a pilot python detection project funded by the Florida University. Both Vadivel and Masi caught more than 27 pythons there.
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La Fiscal de la Nacion abre investigacion preliminar contra Vicente Romero, Ministro del Interior, como presunto autor del delito de omision de actos funcionales, en agravio del Estado, debido a los hechos ocurridos en las instalaciones de la UNMSM el 21 de enero. pic.twitter.com/KVA2NMKyr4
New Delhi, Jan 25 : President Droupadi Murmu, in her first Republic Day-eve speech, hailed India's G-20 presidency, saying it is an opportunity to promote democracy and multilateralism, and also the right forum for shaping a better world and a better future.

"India holds the presidency of the Group of 20 nations. With our motto of universal brotherhood, we stand for peace and prosperity of all. Thus, the G20 presidency is an opportunity to promote democracy and multilateralism and the right forum for shaping a better world and a better future. Under India's leadership, I am sure, the G20 will be able to further enhance its efforts to build a more equitable and sustainable world order." She said the ultimate goal is to create an environment in which all citizens can -- individually and collectively, realise their true potential and prosper.

The President also commended the roles of farmers, workers, scientists and engineers in the nation's development and also praised the armed forces and para-military forces.

"I commend the roles of farmers, workers, scientists and engineers whose combined strength enables our country to live up to the spirit of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan'. I appreciate every citizen who contributes to the nation's progress. I also convey my greetings to our diaspora, the great ambassadors of India's culture and civilisation," she said.

"As education builds the right foundation for this purpose, the National Education Policy has introduced ambitious changes. It rightly addresses the two-fold aims of education: as an instrument of economic and social empowerment and as a means to explore truth. The policy makes our civilisational lessons relevant for contemporary life, while also preparing the learner for the 21st century challenges. The National Education Policy appreciates the role of technology in expanding and deepening the learning process," she said.

President Murmu said the pandemic has entered the fourth year, affecting economic growth in most parts of the world. In its initial phase, Covid-19 also hurt India's economy badly.

"Most sectors of the economy have shaken off the pandemic effect. India has been among the fastest-growing major economies. This has been made possible by timely and pro-active interventions from the government," she said.

Murmu said that by implementing the 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana' announced in March 2020, the government ensured food security for poor families at a time when the country was facing economic disruption in the wake of the unprecedented outbreak of Covid-19.

"Because of this help, no one had to go hungry. Keeping the welfare of poor families paramount, the duration of this scheme was extended successively, benefiting about 81 crore fellow citizens," she said.

She further said the 'Gaganyaan' programme to carry Indian astronauts into space is under progress.

"This will be India's maiden human space flight. Yet, even as we reach out to the stars, we keep our feet on the ground... and the Mars Mission was powered by a team of extraordinary women, and our sisters and daughters are not far behind in other areas too. Women's empowerment and gender equality are no longer mere slogans, as we have made great progress towards these ideals in recent years," the President said.

She said that to lift more and more people out of poverty, "we need economic growth, but that growth also comes from fossil fuel".
New Delhi, Jan 25 : India's premier independent news agency -- Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) -- on Wednesday held an official screening of 'The Last Push', a documentary on the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946 presented by IANS and directed by Sujoy, in the presence of Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Mahendra Nath Pandey.

Using forgotten footages sourced from the Imperial War Museum and Cambridge University in the UK and press clippings from India and Pakistan, and juxtaposing these materials with expert narrations of this story of valour, 'The Last Push' reconstructs the 72 hours of the mutiny, which was inspired by the bravery of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) and hastened the end of the British Raj.

The 30-minute documentary is based on the book titled '1946: Royal Indian Navy Mutiny, Last War of Independence' written by Pramod Kapoor.

Speaking on the occasion, Pandey lauded the efforts of IANS, saying, "'The Last Push' is very correct choice of words for the Naval mutiny of 1946 because in any battle, the last push plays a very important role." "IANS has done a commendable job by making this film. The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made tremendous efforts to highlight the contributions made by the lesser known freedom fighters. The efforts put in by IANS in this direction hold special significance during the 'Amrit Kaal'," the minister.

Speaking on the occasion, the Editor-in-Chief of IANS, Sandeep Bamzai, said, "We have got great width and depth of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, but this was actually the last push because it happened immediately before Independence which came to us 18 months after it. IANS, under the 'Freedom Series', wants to highlight these types of rebellions and mutinies which occurred before Independence." After the screening of the film, director Sujay hosted a panel discussion in which Pramod Kapoor and Salil Misra, professor at the School of Liberal Studies, Ambedkar University, took part.

The mutiny was the last nail as the Britishers had to decide to leave the country as they thought that without forces, they can't rule India for long, said Kapoor.

"There was racial discrimination. There was unpalatable food, bad living conditions that were all creating anger among the members of the Royal Indian Navy. They fought for the British and yet they were being treated like this. Being hugely influenced by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's INA, these people were eager to do something to contribute to India's freedom movement which escalated the revolt," Kapoor said.

"The RIN revolt was a great reminder to the British that once the ideas of sedition, rebellion, revolt and nationalism reach the services like army, navy, police or bureaucracy, there will be no way left for the Britishers to stay in India," said Misra.

He also said that there was great deal of Communist support to the revolt.

"They mobilised the people and that mobilisation definitely played a key role. The time was marked by the end of World War 2, victory of the allied forces, and victory of the USSR. These all set the narrative that the forces of fascism should be defeated by socialism," Misra added.
Washington, Jan 25 : Japanese Buddhists say they believe Tibetans should determine the successor to the Dalai Lama in accordance with their Buddhist belief in the principle of rebirth, and that the Chinese government should have no say in the controversial centuries-old selection method, RFA reported.

China, which annexed Tibet in 1951, rules the western autonomous region with an iron hand and says only Beijing can select the next spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, as stated in Chinese law.

But Tibetans believe the Dalai Lama chooses the body into which he is reincarnated, a process that has occurred 13 times since 1391, when the first Dalai Lama was born, RFA reported.

If China appoints his successor, it will further erode the religious and cultural identity of Tibetans, who have been subjected to crackdowns by Beijing during periods of unrest and whose spiritual sites and centers have been destroyed in recent years. Authorities view the unrest as acts of separatism that threaten China's national security.

The 14th Dalai Lama, 87, whose original name was Lhamo Thondup, was found in Tibet's Amdo province, and at the age of 2 was recognized as the reincarnation of the spiritual leader. He took on his full role as ruler of Tibet in November 1950, but a month later fled to India from Chinese troops who had entered the region in 1949.

The current Dalai Lama, who resides in exile in Dharamsala, India, has become an influential global figure because of his espousal of Buddhism and advocacy of rights for Tibetans, RFA reported.

The Japan Buddhist Conference for World Federation, an umbrella organization of a number of sects of Japanese Buddhism, which has millions of followers in Japan and other countries, has condemned China for interfering in the selection of Tibetan lamas and for claiming authority to appoint the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama.

"We, the Japanese Buddhist[s], believe that the Tibetans should decide the succession of the Dalai Lama based on Tibetan Buddhist culture and history," says a statement the group issued, RFA reported.

"The national policy of the People's Republic of China is communism, and communism is based on the principle of non-religion. Therefore, it is a contradiction to allow people who don't believe in religion to decide who the country's religious leader will be." The Central Tibet Administration, the formal name of the Tibetan government-in-exile, issued news of the statement on Tuesday when representatives from the organization visited the Office of Tibet in Japan.

"It is of utmost importance for the Japan Buddhist Federation to highlight the issue of succession of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as Tibet's rich culture and religion is on the threshold of destruction under China's occupation of the land," said Eihiro Mizutani, secretary-general of the umbrella organisation.

"China continues to hold its unlawful right to interfere in the selection of the next Dalai Lama; therefore, we hope and believe that the government of Japan will also be critical of the Chinese government's policies towards Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama," he said. "The issue of the successor of the Dalai Lama is very important to world peace." Dr. Arya Tsewang Gyalpo, representative of the Liaison Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Japan and East Asia, said the Chinese government has violated the basic human rights of Tibetans inside Tibet for decades, RFA reported.
Washington, Jan 25 : A new report by a rights group details fresh evidence of destruction of religious heritage sites and the mistreatment of Tibetans by China in eastern Tibet since October 2021 in what locals say is a second Cultural Revolution, RFA reported.

Among the religious sites and objects destroyed in Drago county were three colossal Buddha statues, a Buddhist school, a building housing with 45 giant prayer wheels, the home of a revered spiritual leader and Drago Monastery's prayer flags, which were removed and burned, the report by London-based Free Tibet says.

The report details previously unreported detentions and torture of locals as well as the destruction of Tibetan heritage sites in Drago. The county is called Luhuo in Chinese and lies in the Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province.

The report by Free Tibet and its affiliated research arm Tibet Watch shows that Chinese authorities have ramped up measures to repress Tibetans by razing significant religious structures while committing serious human rights violations in Drago county in the historical Tibetan province of Kham, RFA reported.

"What we're seeing in the report is a huge assault on every facet of Tibetan life, from their religion to their day-to-day lives, and we know that this has been replicated all across occupied Tibet," said John Jones, campaigns and advocacy manager at Free Tibet, RFA reported.

Since 2008, Drago county residents have participated in acts of resistance against the Chinese government, prompting interventions by authorities, including significant crackdowns in 2009 and 2012. Beijing views any sign of Tibetan disobedience as an act of separatism, threatening China's national security.

Authorities subjected 10 local Tibetans detained during the period covered in the report to interrogations and beatings for minor infractions, such as expressing distress over the demolitions, with some falling unconscious due to the severity of the torture, the report says. They drenched one female detainee with cold water during the winter.

The report also documents a new extrajudicial facility used for political "re-education", and information about a military base and prison. Detainees arrested since late October 2021 were taken to the "re-education" center in the northeastern suburbs and subjected to interrogations and beatings, says the report, RFA reported.

Satellite imagery shows the presence of an abandoned building that has been repurposed as a military base on the northwestern outskirts of Drago, so that the country is now surrounded by three security facilities, the report says.

"As with other areas in Tibet, the main reason for increasing Chinese repression in Kham (County) Drago is first to eradicate Tibetan identity and Tibetan culture," the report quotes a county monk now living in exile as saying in January 2021, RFA reported.

"Secondly, to eliminate those influential Tibetans who are conscious of freedom and rights of Tibetan people and thirdly, to abolish Tibetan language and education centres," he says.
Karachi, Jan 25 : The police in Pakistans Sindh, currently engaged in an armed operation against dacoits hiding in the riverine areas of the province, have summoned 10 snipers who had been trained by American snipers, as they look to step up the efforts to purge the dacoits and recover the captives, media reports said.

SSP Tanvir told the media that dacoits used to honey-trap victims and lure them to the riverine areas before abducting them, Samaa TV reported.

"It is a war of resources," Tanvir said, adding, "The dacoits are armed with modern and foreign weapons." He added that to even the scales, they have sought help from America trained snipers, Samaa TV reported.

They will join the police operation, which has already seen the deployment of armored personnel carriers and other heavy weapons.

The police official added that so far, they have managed to recover 20 captives. They believe nine more people are being held by the dacoits.

The dacoits are active in the riverine area between Guddu to Sukkur Barrage.

It is pertinent to note that last year in November, a deputy superintendent of police, two station house officers (SHOs), and two constables were killed while three others were injured due to an attack by at least 150 dacoits on a police camp in the riverine area of Ghotki district, Samaa TV reported.

The riverine area where the incident took place was known as Raunti, where the police had set up a camp after entering the area to recover three hostages who were kidnapped on October 30.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Delhi Police on Wednesday detained 13 students of Jamia Millia Islamia after the announcement of the screening of a controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Mass Communication department of the university.

According to Esha Pandey, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast), a screening for a BBC documentary was to be organised by a group of Jamia students inside the university, which was not allowed by the varsity administration.

"The university administration informed the police that some students were creating a ruckus on the streets and therefore a total of 13 students were detained around 4 p.m. to ensure peace in the area," said the DCP.

Classes in the varsity were suspended and police personnel, including the Rapid Action Force (RAF), were deployed near the gate of JMI on Wednesday.

The screening of the documentary was scheduled at 6 p.m. However, the varsity had said on Tuesday that the administration would not allow any unauthorised gatherings on the campus after the SFI announced the screening.

The varsity, in a statement issued, said that some students belonging to a political organisation (SFI) have circulated a poster about the screening of a controversial documentary film on the university campus on Wednesday.

"The university administration has earlier issued a memorandum/circular and once again reiterates that no meeting/gathering of students or screening of any film shall be allowed on the campus without the permission of the competent authority, failing which strict disciplinary action shall be taken against the organisers," it said.

"The university is taking all possible measures to prevent people/organisations having vested interest to destroy the peaceful academic atmosphere of the university," the statement added.

The developments came after high drama occurred on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus late on Tuesday evening after the students alleged that they were attacked with stones while watching the controversial documentary.

However, DCP (southwest), Manoj C., denied reports of stone pelting.
Chennai, Jan 25 : The incidence of elderly people revoking the wills where they unconditionally wrote the names of their children is on a rise in Tamil Nadu, due to the children not taking care of their parents when they are in dire need.

Chennai and other parts of the state are witnessing an increase in the number of such elderly people who are pointing out the provisions in the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act. The provisions in this Act make it mandatory for the children to look after their parents. If any child fails to take care of his/her parent, the Act allows the unilateral revocation of the will.

Talking to IANS, Dr Ramachandra Kumar, a retired medical service practitioner living in Tambaram, Chennai, said: "I want to revoke my will which I had lovingly given to my son. Now it's difficult for me as my son and daughter-in-law are not looking after me and my wife. We don't have anything on our own. So I want to revoke this will." A senior officer with the Tamil Nadu Revenue Department told IANS that around 8,500 such petitions were received across the state in the last two years and 6,125 of them were disposed of.

However, sadly most of these settlement deeds do not comply with the recent verdict of the Supreme Court, which states specifically that the settlement should be conditional and the parents should mention a condition that they were gifting their property to the children in lieu of them being taken care of.

The revenue officer said that this has become a handicap as a majority of the parents have not mentioned this in the deeds that were registered earlier.

With the revenue officials finding it difficult to cancel the deed due to the non-inclusion of the provision mentioned in the Supreme court verdict, the senior citizens are approaching the Special Cell in Chief Minister's office hoping for a solution to their woes.

Madurai-based advocate Manonmani Govind told IANS that "most of the senior citizens prefer a settlement deed instead of a will to avoid the requirement to probate the will and most of the settlement deeds do not contain any condition precedent to retain the right putting the senior citizens in difficulties".

She said that the senior citizens must approach good lawyers who are well acquainted with the latest provisions of the law.

The senior lawyer also said that the legal services authority should take up an awareness programme regarding the latest provisions in the law among the senior citizens and suggested that local resident associations and NGOs could be roped in to execute the programme.

V. Shivakumar of HelpAge India said that they are creating awareness among the senior citizens about the 'condition' to be included in the deed.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Shankar Mishra, who is accused of urinating on an elderly female co-passenger in a drunken state on a New York-Delhi Air India flight in November last year, on Wednesday moved a Delhi court, seeking bail.

Currently in judicial custody, Mishra moved an appeal against Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House Court, Komal Garg's order, who rejected his plea, saying that the alleged act of accused of relieving himself upon the complainant is "utterly disgusting and repulsive" and the act itself is sufficient to outrage the modesty of a woman.

The court listed the matter for the next hearing on January 27.

On January 21, the Patiala House Court extended Mishra's judicial custody by 14 days.

In a recent development, Air India said that the crew made a judgement call to record the matter as a non-reportable in-flight incident for many reasons.

The airline said that the alleged perpetrator was calm, co-operative and professed ignorance of the allegation (of urinating on a co-passenger). He posed no risk to flight safety in the judgement of the crew, said the airline.

Earlier, in the wake of Air India's decision to ban Mishra from flying for four months on the basis of the internal committee's report, his legal counsel had opposed the findings of the committee and said that they are ready to file an appeal.

"We respect the authority and mandate of the Internal Inquiry Committee, but we disagree with their findings and are already in the process of appealing this decision in accordance with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's Civil Aviation Requirements for Unruly Passengers," Mishra's lawyers had said.

Aviation regulator DGCA had also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and suspended the license of pilot-in-command for three months in connection with the Air India urination case.

Moreover, the regulator had imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh on Director, inflight services of Air India for failing to discharge her duties on November 26, 2022.

The above development in the case came a day after the airline banned the alleged accused Mishra for four months on the basis of a report by the internal committee.

After Mishra claimed that the complainant had soiled her own seat, the latter had rubbished the allegation saying that it was "completely false and concocted".

On January 13, Mishra told the court that he was not the accused. "There must be someone else who peed or it must be her who urinated," he had said.

He further claimed that the woman was suffering from some prostate-related disease.
Jaipur, Jan 25 : Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat arrived in Jaipur on Wednesday for a five-day stay till January 29.

On Thursday, the RSS Sarsanghchalak will participate in the Republic Day programme at Keshav Vidyapeeth in Jamdoli by hoisting the national flag in the school.

On Friday, Bhagwat will hold a meeting of department-level Sangh workers from Jaipur dictrict.

On January 28 and 29, he will attend meetings of Sangh workers at different levels. During these meetings, the preparations for the centenary year of the Sangh will also be discussed.

At the meetings, there will be brainstorming sessions on activities aimed at social change such as family enlightenment, village development, cow service, social harmony and environment.
New Delhi, Jan 25 : Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari met a Japanese delegation led by Masafumi Mori, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan and the co-chairman of the Joint Committee Meeting for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National High Speed Rail Project, in the presence of Hiroshi Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to India, here on Wednesday.

Both sides exchanged views and opinions in the field of Road Transport and Logistics service-related road infrastructure and deliberated upon capacity development and technology sharing in the field of sustainable transport development, alternate clean and green fuel, development of innovative transit technologies for movement of passengers and cargo.

Emphasis was laid on the India-Japan sustainable development initiative for the northeastern region of India along with northeast road network connectivity improvement projects.

Officials said that the meeting paved the way for strengthening India's continued partnership and collaboration with Japan for deriving effective solutions to contemporary challenges in Transportation and Logistics, based on the firm foundation of both countries' shared values and convergence of interests in strategic and economic matters.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. The state policy of siege of 120.000 people, with daily threats of the use of force against them, is being implemented by a member of Council of Europe, Azerbaijan, the Armenian delegate to PACE Armen Gevorgyan said in his speech at the PACE Progress report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee debate.

Below is Gevorgyans speech as published in the PACE website.

Mr President:

As you well know, for more than 40 days Nagorno Karabakh has been under siege by Azerbaijan. For the entire period of its membership in our organisation, Azerbaijan both in its domestic and foreign politics has been guided by political violence and war as tools and means of state policy. The Azerbaijani government has continuously pursued a politics of radical racism and ethnic cleansings against "the others" and specifically against Armenians. Another certain characteristic of state policy by Azerbaijan is the manipulation of its export potential of oil and gas to Europe as its unique asset. Each of us can determine whether such policy is fascism, national radicalism or state terrorism.

Today I would ask you to reflect on three fundamental dimensions.

The state policy of siege of 120.000 people, with daily threats of the use of force against them, is being implemented by a member of Council of Europe. The unpunished membership of Azerbaijan has resulted in further strengthening of a certain sense of impunity for this authoritarian regime and has turned our Organisation into a legitimising agency of its aggressive policies against Armenian people.

Many nations, represented in this Assembly, have recognised the Armenian Genocide of 1915. The siege of Nagorno Karabakh is the next stage of that crime, still denied by Turkey wand Azerbaijan. This state policy by Azerbaijan shall be decoupled from any peace process there may be or will be: collective punishment of an ethnic group is a war crime, not a negotiation strategy that we shall endorse, and hence not condemning that clearly means aiding the commission of this crime, not diplomacy.

What is happening in Nagorno Karabakh today is not just a humanitarian catastrophe. It's now a bigger issue than just an Armenian-Azerbaijani affair, or self-determination issue of Nagorno Karabakh people. This is about a civilisational identity of Europe. It is now about a choice between, on one hand, democracy, dignity and peace, and "energy security", shame and violations on the other hand. History tells us what the price for disgraceful choices is.

Mr President, let me conclude by saying that the Armenians in South Caucasus be that in Armenia or Nagorno Karabakh under siege these days, for many centuries have created conditions for the preservation and development of not only our own, indigenous national culture and identity, but also helped many other nations to do so. Despite our geographic and demographic sizes and ongoing challenges, we will carry on this mission further whether someone likes it or not.
New Delhi, Jan 26 : A Delhi court has framed charges for various offences, including rioting, against two accused for an alleged attack at the Modern Public Senior Secondary School on Brijpuri main road, during the 2020 riots.

The court was dealing with a case involving Shamim Ahmed, Mohd Kafil, and Faizan, accused of vandalism and arson on February 25, 2020.

Faizan, who is the third accused, was declared "proclaimed offender" as he is absconding.

The court said their common objective was to cause damage to properties as the school's computer laboratory, library and several other goods were destroyed and the damages estimated up to Rs 1.25 crore as per the complaint.

On the basis of the statements of the witnesses, the court observed that there was enough material to the charges for what the accused persons have done.

However, the accused were discharged of charges of criminal conspiracy.

The court said: "Since the allegations of conspiracy are based on presumption, rather than any concrete evidence, I do not find it sufficient to presume that the accused persons acted out of pre-hatched conspiracy."
New Delhi/Shillong, Jan 26 : The Congress on Wednesday released the first list of 55 candidates for Assembly elections in Meghalaya scheduled on February 27.

AICC General Secretary in-charge of Central Election Committee, Mukul Wasnik, announced the names of the 55 candidates in Delhi.

According to the list, state Congress President and Lok Sabha MP from Shillong parliamentary constituency, Vincent H. Pala, would contest from Sutnga Saipung Assembly constituency.

Saleng A. Sangma, who had resigned as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA and joined the Congress on January 23, has been fielded from the Gambegre (ST) Assembly constituency from where he was elected in 2018 polls.

Former police officer-turned-politician Champion R. Sangma would contest from the Songsak constituency.

Several former MLAs and ministers also got party tickets for the upcoming Assembly polls.

In all, eight women candidates found place in the first list of candidates, which was released after a meeting of the CEC meeting chaired by party President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday.

Of the 55 candidates, most are new faces.

In the 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress had won 21 seats in the 60-member Assembly, but subsequently all its legislators joined other parties, including the Trinamool Congress and the ruling National People's Party.

Twelve MLAs, led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma (2010-2018), who had won in the 2018 Assembly election as Congress nominees, joined the Trinamool Congress in November 2021, making the West Bengal-based party the main opposition in the northeastern state overnight.
Hyderabad, Jan 26 : Spiritual leaders Swami Chinna Jeeyar and Kamlesh D Patel, music director M. M. Keeravaani, linguist B. Ramakrishna Reddy and social worker Sankurathi Chandra Sekhar are among the personalities from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh who have been awarded Padma awards this year for their contributions in their respective fields.

Both Padma Bhushan awardees are from Telangana. Swami Chinna Jeeyar and Patel have been conferred the honour for their contributions in the field of spiritualism.

Three personalities from Telangana also figure in the list of Padma Shri awardees. Seven personalities from Andhra Pradesh have been conferred Padma Shri.

Sri Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeeyar Swami is religious leader known for his spiritual discourses on Vaishnavism. The 66-year-old was born in Andhra Pradesh and has his ashram on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

He is the designer and planner of the Statue of Equality, a 216-feet tall statue of 11th century social reformer and saint Ramanujacharya. The statue, said to be the world's second largest statue in a sitting position, was unveiled at Chinna Jeeyar's ashram by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February last year.

Patel, fondly called 'Daaji'm is the fourth in lineage of the Gurus of Shri Ram Chandra Mission that propounds the Sahaj Marg system of Raj Yoga meditation.

Since taking charge as the President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, Daaji has also been steering the tenets of the organisation. He also founded Heartfulness - an organiaation that is bringing the unique meditation practice through 'Pranahuti' - an age-old technique revived by the early Gurus of Sri Ram Chandra Mission - closer to mankind and making meditation an accessible and free of cost practice.

Popular Tollywood music director M. M. Keeravani is among Padma Shri awardees from Andhra Pradesh. The 61-year-old composer on January 12 received Golden Globe award for best original song "Naatu Naatu" from S.S. Rajamouli's blockbuster "RRR". The song has also received an Oscar nomination in the best original song category.

The Padma Shri awardees from Telangana are B Ramakrishna Reddy (literature/education), Modadugu Vijay Gupta (science and engineering), and Hanmantha Rao Pasupuleti (medicine).

Ramakrishna Reddy, an 80-year-old linguistics professor from Telangana, made immense contributions towards preservation of tribal and southern languages like Kuvi, Manda, and Kui. He built a cultural bridge connecting tribal languages with other languages. He drafted Manda-English dictionary and Kuvi-Oriya-English dictionary while also co-authoring five books towards this cause.

The Padma Shri awardees from Andhra Pradesh are Ganesh Nagappa Krishnarajanagara (engineering), Keeravaani (Arts), Abbareddy Nageswara Rao (science/engineering), Kota Satchidananda Sastry (arts), Sankurathri Chandra Sekhar (social worker), C.V. Raju (Arts) and Prakash Chandra Sood (literature and education).

Sekhar is a Kakinada-based social worker who dedicated his life to providing free medical and education services to needy people. After losing his wife and two children in the Air India Kanishka bombing, he channelised his grief into a lifelong commitment towards betterment of society. He was instrumental in the treatment of over 3 lakh eye patients with 90 per cent surgeries free. He also provided free education to more than 3,500 children from economically weaker sections
New Delhi, Jan 26 : Delhi Police said on Wednesday that they have received cross complaints from both Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNSU) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) a day after high drama prevailed on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus on Tuesday night, with JNSU members alleging that they were attacked with stones while watching a controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A senior police officer said they have received cross complaints from JNUSU and ABVP, which are being looked into, adding that further action will be taken accordingly.

Two students have alleged that they were harassed and assaulted by the JNU students' union members. However, the claims were rejected by JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh.

Ghosh claimed that ABVP members threw stones at a gathering watching the BBC documentary, and the two complainant, both ABVP members, were not harassed.

A section of students under the banner of JNUSU had distributed pamphlets for the screening of the documentary at 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Several students had gathered at the JNU students' union office for the screening of the BBC documentary.

However, the electricity connection at the JNUSU office was snapped on Tuesday and students said that they were watching the documentary on their cellphones when stones were pelted on them.

Gaurav, a second-year post-graduate student and an ABVP member, claimed that he was assaulted by JNUSU members though he did not pelt stone on them.

"Me and my friend were going for tea when we noticed a gathering of several people on the campus. Soon, we were surrounded by some students who grabbed me and even dragged me. I am a heart patient and have anxiety issues. But still they harassed me," said Gaurav.

Late on Tuesday night, scores of students had also marched to the Vasant Kunj police station to lodge a complaint against the alleged stone pelters while raising slogans against the JNU administration.

The JNU administration was of the view that "such unauthorised activities on the campus may disturb peace and harmony" in the university. However, even after the warning, when the students remained adamant, the university administration decided to disconnect electricity and internet connection.

The varsity had earlier stated that no prior permission was sought from the JNU administration for the screening of the documentary.

Meanwhile, ABVP's JNU unit president Rohit Kumar said the students' body "welcomes the instructions to stop the screening of the documentary".

"The BBC has been working to tarnish the image of India by making documentaries with fake agenda," he said.

The Central government had earlier termed the BBC documentary as propaganda against the Prime Minister and the country.
Patna, Jan 26 : A 35-year-old teacher from Silliguri was seriously injured and jumped from a speeding bus in Bihar's Purnea district after five persons tried to rape her, an official said.

The incident occurred near Dalkola check post under Bayasi police station on Tuesday night, and the condition of the victim, admitted in government medical college Purnea, is critical.

The victim boarded the private bus from Vaishali on her the way to Siliguri. As per her statement, she said: "When the bus started from Vaishali, it was packed. The passengers deboarded from the bus after reaching their destinations. When it reached Purnea, only five persons were left apart from the driver and conductor of the bus.

"They started passing lewd comments at me. Then they came and started misbehaving with me. I shouted for help but the driver and conductor did not help me in fear of these men. Eventually, I jumped from the window of the bus." Following the incident, the driver of the bus sped away. The victim sustained grievous injuries. Some passersby informed the police control room about the incident.

"We have received the information about the incident and immediately sent a patrolling team. The team had rescued the victim and admitted him to the government medical college Purnea. Her statement is recorded now. We are making efforts to identify the accused," SP, Purnea, Aamir Javed said.
New Delhi, Jan 26 : Centre has announced the list of India's highest civilian honours after the Bharat Ratna, Padma awards. The list comprises one Padma Vibhushan award and 25 other names of unsung heroes from the fields of social work, medicine, literature and education for Padma Shri awards.

The Padma Vibhushan will be awarded posthumously in the field of Medicine (Pediatrics) to Dilip Mahalanabis, who pioneered the wide use of ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) that is estimated to have saved over 5 crore lives globally.

He demonstrated the effectiveness of ORS while serving in Refugee camps during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, having returned from the US to serve, said the statement from the government. Mahalanabis died in Kolkata in October 2022.

The other person from the field of medicine Ratan Chandra Kar will be awarded with Padma Shri. He is a retired government doctor from Andamans working with the Jarawa tribe who inhabit an island 48 km from North Sentinel.

Kar treated Jarawas during the measles epidemic of 1999 and brought them back from the verge of extinction, contributing to increasing in population from 76 to 270. He also closely observed and documented their culture and tradition in his book called 'Andamaner Adim Janajati Jarawa'.

Hirabai Lobi is a Siddi tribal social worker and leader, who dedicated her life to the betterment of the Siddi community in Gujarat. She provided education to children of the Siddi tribe through the many Balwadis she founded. She will be awarded with Padma Shri.

Munishwar Chander Dawar, a war veteran and doctor from Jabalpur treating underprivileged people for the past 50 years will also be awarded with Padma Shri. Dawar is selflessly treating the poor and weaker sections of society at an affordable cost of Rs 20, up from Rs 2 in the 2010s.

Among other Padma Shri awardees include Ramkuiwangbe Newme, Naga Social Worker from Dima Hasao who dedicated his life for the conservation and preservation of Heraka religion; Gandhian and Freedom Fighter from Payyanur V. P. Appukuttan Poduval; Kakinada-based social worker Sankurathri Chandra Sekhar who dedicated his life to providing free medical and education services to needy people; expert snake catchers from Irula tribe, specialised in catching dangerous and venomous snakes Vadivel Gopal and Masi Sadaiyan; 98-year-old self-sustained small farmer Tula Ram Upreti who is practicing organic farming using only traditional methods; Nekram Sharma, organic farmer from Mandi; Tribal Ho language Scholar, working for four decades for its preservation and promotion Janum Singh Soy; Toto (Dengka) language preserver Dhaniram Toto; 80-year-old linguistics professor from Telangana B. Ramakrishna Reddy among others.
As wars rage throughout the world, educators and diplomats are gathering online to consider spreading peace in the worlds classrooms.

As wars raged throughout the world, educators and diplomats gathered online to consider spreading peace in the worlds classrooms. Teachers, students, artists and activists, diplomats and public officials shared their experiences in a lively Internet exchange. The virtual forum honored the United Nations International Day of Education, first established five years ago in 2018. Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director General for Education, chaired the forum. Actress/activist Guila Clara Kessous, UNESCO Artist for Peace and French Knight of Arts and Letters hosted the Zoom webinar. The forum featured messages from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Malala Yousafzai, the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. On 9 October 2012, while returning from school in Pakistan, Malala and two other girls were shot by a Taliban gunman because of her advocacy for girls education. How many generations are you willing to sacrifice? Malala demanded of world leaders.

Diplomat Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Director General of UNESCO was interviewed about his lifetime of public service in education and diplomacy. He will answer questions from the online audience. When I was young I thought education was about discovering what we are, he remarked. Now Im convinced the more important question is who we are.

Dr. Tony Jenkins, coordinator of the Global Campaign for Peace Education and lecturer at Georgetown University, mapped the worldwide growth of peace education programs. The Prem Rawat Foundation reported on the impact of its Peace Education Program on high school students in Elbert, Colorado after librarian Shelly Gould introduced them to the interactive workshop. Artist Pear Wongtitirote, sustainability coordinator atStockholms Royal Thai Embassy, sketched a graphic summary of the entire forum.

The forum included performances by musicians from Playing for Change and global music group Rising Appalachia

The online forum is a joint project of the members of the Global Peace Education Network, Inc., which includes more than 70 organizations who agree that peace is a skill that can be taught and learned. The free Zoom webinar begins Tuesday, January 24 at 11 am New York, 4 pm London, 5 pm Paris/Madrid, 9:30 pm Mumbai Registration is required and available at no cost at GlobalPeaceEducation.com/Peace-Education-Forum.
beautinow bortnikoff Its a shame how many newly launched fragrances fail. There are too many amazing fragrances that dont see the light of the day, simply because their creators dont have the know-how to market them.

Beautinow, the largest perfume distributor in Europe, aims to expand its portfolio of niche perfume brands. The company is inviting new perfumeries to join their family of exclusive fragrance vendors. By teaming up with Beautinow, suppliers will have access to our large and fast growing European customer base, says Beautinow. The Netherlands based company already has partnerships with niche brands such as Bortnikoff, Pierre Guillaume, Masque Milano, Olibere, Areej Le Dore, Frassai, and April Aromatics.

1000 Fragrances Launched Every Year

Finding success in the fragrance industry can be difficult. In fact, about a thousand new fragrances are launched every year, and only a few of them succeed to capture the attention of the perfume community. Its a shame how many newly launched fragrances fail. There are too many amazing fragrances that dont see the light of the day, simply because their creators dont have the know-how to market them, says Beautinow.

Multi-channel Marketing Strategy

By executing a multi-channel marketing strategy, Beautinow allows even the smallest brands to gain visibility and traction. Its marketing channels include its online eCommerce storefront, newsletters, social media, influencer partnerships, drop-shipping partnerships, and its popular perfume magazine. "We first listen, and in discussion with perfumeries we will mutually determine the most suitable tailored distribution strategy."

Moreover, as a distributor of fragrances, Beautinow doesnt only offer the fragrances through B2C retail channels. In discussion with the brand owner, it can also distribute wholesale perfumes in bulk through its network of perfume resellers.

Long-term Partnerships

Beautinow is looking for long-term partners who are passionate about creating unique fragrances that stand out from the crowd. Perfume enthusiasts are always looking for something unique. Instead of just finding a single signature scent, they aim to create their own full wardrobe of fragrances. Companies that offer unique fragrances are welcome to contact Beautinow for a successful long-term cooperation.
J2H Partners expands presence into Richmond, VA Our strategic expansion into Richmond is a landmark moment for the firm, one which reflects the realities of the regional real estate market, including our firms own increase of projects in recent years, said John Sadlik, partner and co-founder of J2H Partners.

J2H Partners (J2H), a leading provider of commercial real estate advisory services has announced the opening of a new office in Richmond, Virginia. The new office will be led by Managing Director, Jessica Buchta, who joined the team earlier this year.

Our strategic expansion into Richmond is a landmark moment for the firm, one which reflects the realities of the regional real estate market, including our firms own increase of projects in recent years, said John Sadlik, partner and co-founder of J2H Partners. The official addition of our Richmond office will increase our visibility within the area, allowing us to better serve our customers and their unique, market-specific needs. The demand is there, and we know this is the best way to serve our clients on the level theyve come to expect from J2H.

Richmond is an important area for the firm to expand its presence, said Jessica Buchta. Having managed complex, large-scale projects in Richmond in my prior roles within the industry, Im keenly aware of the market dynamics here, especially in this post-pandemic environment. Im excited to leverage J2Hs team of experienced project managers and advisors in an area where weve seen significant, sustained growth in recent years. Were looking forward to helping meet our clients needs as the Richmond real estate market continues to thrive.

J2H Partners began in 2015 and maintains its primary headquarters in Tysons, Virginia. As a global commercial real estate advisory firm, J2H offers strategic consulting, owner's representation, and project management services to companies of all sizes. Having spent decades in the roles of owners themselves, J2H began with the foundation of first-hand experience with the aim of providing real experience, gleaned from real projects, to add real value to their clients projects. J2Hs commercial real estate projects have broad national reach, with clients such as Vantage Data Centers, SAIC, and RMR, serving industries ranging from hospitality and healthcare to manufacturing and commercial office space. J2Hs work has been honored by industry awards, including a recent NAIOP Northern Virginia win.

As one of J2Hs newest associates, Jessica Buchtas experience helps bolster J2Hs work in the region. Jessica Buchtas career spans 20 years in real estate planning, design, and project management. She has managed projects ranging from $360M mixed-use LEED Silver commercial development through MEP-intensive projects such as data centers, high-voltage test labs, and dental schools. Buchtas diverse perspective, achieved through leading teams from multiple sides of real estate, development, and construction, has given her the experience to successfully manage complicated projects to completion, making her an excellent lead for the Richmond office.

For more information on J2Hs new Richmond office, its prior work, or how J2H can help customers launch successful projects in the region, please contact Jessica Buchta at jbuchta@j2hpartners.com

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About J2H Partners

J2H Partners is a global commercial real estate advisory firm offering strategic consulting, owner's representation, and project management. As previous owners ourselves, J2H was created to provide real experience, from real projects, to add real value to your project(s). Specializing in MEP-intensive builds such as data centers, healthcare, and agricultural grow facilities, J2H brings decades of experience managing complex builds to every project. We offer end-to-end real estate advisory services to clients of all sizes. Find out what J2H can bring to your next project by visiting j2hpartners.com.
"Were pleased to support GreenCourts launch into California to elevate the operational performance of child support services agencies like Kings County CSS. David Nill, CEO and Founder of LegalConnect

Rapid Legal Inc., dba LegalConnect, a premium legal services and technology company, today announced its partnership with GreenCourt Legal Technologies, LLC, whose mission is the digital transformation of government agencies. This partnership enables GreenCourt to seamlessly launch and manage eFiling directly from GovLink through integration with LegalConnects application programming interface (API) to the California courts.

GovLink, the first of its kind software-as-a-service platform, reduces the time, effort, and stress of assembling and filing legal documents. Through a combination of document management tools that replace printing, editing, scanning, and emailing, GovLink helps government agency staff perfect documents in record time. GovLinks workflow moves documents from (virtual) desk to desk through customized review and approval steps. Partnering with LegalConnect fulfills the final step in the chain, automating the delivery of documents to and from the Court. The combination of GovLink and LegalConnects APIs enable Californias child support professionals to produce, review, and electronically file legal documents more accurately and expeditiously, thus increasing the ease and speed of securing vital financial support for children.

One of our core values is innovation, to maximize the use of technology to transform and elevate the program, said Marie Waite, Director of Kings County Child Support Services. GreenCourt created GovLink to transform child support programs, which for Kings County CSS means increasing our operational efficiencies. We aim to perform at the highest levels of quality and service.

The LegalConnect team has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Our partnership enables us to expand very quickly throughout the LegalConnect network with minimal disruption. Starting with Kings County CSS, GovLink provides child support professionals across The Golden State with the tools they need to focus more on helping California families and less on tedious tasks, said Jay Bland, GreenCourts Chief Growth Officer.

LegalConnects vision of connecting the entire legal community for seamless document exchange includes engaging with partners who share this vision, said David Nill, CEO and Founder of LegalConnect. He added, Toward this end, we are excited to be partnering with GreenCourt. GreenCourt encompasses all the elements we seek in partners: technology and business focus, cultural and collaborative fit, legal domain expertise, and more. Were pleased to support GreenCourts launch into California to elevate the operational performance of child support services agencies like Kings County CSS.

About LegalConnect

LegalConnect is a premium legal technology company that automates the processing of legal documents for law firms. Headquartered in Chino Hills, California, the company is a leading certified eFiling Service Provider to courts in 33 California counties, with more on the way, and has over 22,000 law firms using its platform. Combining deep industry expertise, innovative technology, and a robust channel partner network, LegalConnect is transforming the way the legal community exchanges electronic documents, information, and payments, to streamline how law firms manage work, and for the effective and expeditious administration of justice. To learn more, please visit https://legalconnect.com/.

About GreenCourt Legal Technologies and GovLink

GreenCourt Legal Technologies, LLC, headquartered in Carrollton, Georgia, leads digital transformation for state agencies, justice partners, private-sector professionals, and the general public. GreenCourt helps these stakeholders move from high-risk situations involving paper-based records, in-person information sharing, and manual data entry toward reliable, safe, and efficient operations. GreenCourts leadership has been building, implementing, and supporting mission critical software and interoperability systems for more than 20 years in the banking, healthcare, and legal industries. To learn more, please visit http://www.greencourt.com, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, or call 770-834-FILE.

About Kings County Child Support Services

The mission of the Kings County (California) Child Support Services is to promote brighter futures for children by helping families provide consistent financial and medical support. The departments vision is to meet the evolving needs of the community by improving access to programs that positively impact families. To learn more, please visit http://www.countyofkings.com/departments/child-support-services.
Azimut Holding, one of the largest asset managers in Europe, has signed a letter of intent with UniCredit, Italys second largest bank, defining essential elements for the distribution of asset management products in Italy.

This unique partnership, believed to be a first in Europe, accelerates and supports UniCredit's strategy to strengthen and develop its asset management competencies, allowing to pursue it right away with the contribution of Azimut, the only asset management company in Italy with a global presence that includes also emerging and frontier markets.

Azimut will establish, and independently manage, a new management company in Ireland that will develop investment products, in particular mutual funds, for a non-exclusive distribution through UniCredit's network, which today reaches 7 million customers in Italy. Specifically, Azimut plans to launch an initial range of dedicated funds to be distributed in Italy as of the second half of 2023, subject to the necessary regulatory approvals.

Investment strategies

For more than 10 years, Azimut has been relying on its Global Asset Management Team composed of over 170 professionals throughout the 18 countries around the world where the Group operates. The same team, which manages around 250 investment strategies in public markets, will be supporting the development of the partnership with UniCredit in its first phase.

The asset manager has also expressed confidence that such partnerships opportunities may attract attention beyond Europe, especially in the regions where Azimut has strong local asset management presence such as the Middle East.

The firm believes that new business models are emerging, which requires exploring deeper interaction between banks and asset management firms aiming to provide aenhanced experience for clients. The changing regulatory landscape and digitization are driving greater collaboration between financial firms and reshaping the financial ecosystem.

Long-term partnerships

This breakthrough partnership with UniCredit is yet another testament to our capabilities and our willingness to harness long term partnerships with large, key players, said Giorgio Medda, Azimut Group CEO and Global Head of Asset Management.

It is also a testament of how our asset management capabilities with over 30 years of track record have proven their strong value in the Italian and European investment management space. Our prime objective is to bring the same success to the regions where we are operating by expanding our knowledge and expertise for the benefit of clients. We will continue to expand our customer base and look to develop partnerships with local banks wherever we can enable them to strengthen their suite of offering as well. We have a strategic blueprint in place to help us build upon our strong foundation, and we look forward to realizing the full extent of our strategy," he added.

We see the Azimut/Unicredit accord as a showcase of our aptitude to bring value added to the industry and of our unique model. The investment management industry in the Middle East is set to undergo significant challenges and growth in line with the long-term strategies of regional governments to diversify their economies and bolster their financial markets. As an international firm with multiple investment centres in the Middle East, we are perfectly positioned to provide solutions to the local banks in our region, Maroun Jalkh, CEO of Azimut (ME) Limited, UAE, said.-- TradeArabia News Service
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan and Healthcare Minister Anahit Avanesyan met with Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development Khalifa Jassim Al-Kuwari in Doha.

Speaking about Armenias interest to develop relations with Qatar, Speaker Alen Simonyan pointed out a number of sectoral priorities. He said that there is a big opportunity for cooperation in culture, healthcare and education  which are the primary strategic branches of the Qatar Fund for Development, the parliaments press service said in a press release.

Addressing the prospects of partnership in scientific-education and cultural sectors, Speaker Simonyan mentioned the thousands of manuscripts and books in Arabic kept in Yerevans Matenadaran, and offered to organize joint scientific-research work and mutual exhibitions.

Khalifa Jassim Al-Kuwari said that in any sector they attach importance to human capital, and based on this they will form the projects of possible cooperation and will discuss it with Armenian authorities.

We expect the historic visit of the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Armenia. It would be desirable to develop certain substantial programs ahead of the visit, Simonyan said.

Healthcare Minister Anahit Avanesyan presented brief information on the important circles contributing to possible investments in the healthcare sector.
Frank J. Martin Frank is a trusted legal and strategic adviser to senior executives in the asset management and social impact spaces. He finds a way to be both a lawyers lawyer and a practical business adviser; these are hallmarks of the attorneys at Cole-Frieman & Mallon.

Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP (CFM), a leading investment management law firm, is pleased to announce that Frank J. Martin has joined the partnership as Partner and General Counsel at the firm. Franks practice focuses on business-oriented and practical advice stemming from his previous experience as General Counsel and President of a multi-billion-dollar, multi-strategy, global investment manager. In addition to his work as a hedge fund General Counsel and President, Frank served as a Lecturer at UC Berkeley School of Law. Frank created and taught Berkeley Laws course on structuring, advising, and regulating hedge funds. Alongside his investment management work, Frank has served as a senior executive, board chair, and general counsel to non-profit and social impact organizations, including time as Interim Executive Director and Lecturer at Berkeley Law's East Bay Community Law Center, the law schools largest clinical education program. At CFM, in addition to his work advising clients, Frank will serve as the firms General Counsel.

Ghufran Rizvi, COO of HC Global Fund Services said, Ive seen Franks legal talents up close as a colleague at Standard Pacific and now as a client of Cole-Frieman & Mallon. He is one the smartest and most practical lawyers with whom I have ever worked. He has deep knowledge in the alternative investment industry, having worked on multiple sides of the table, as the President & GC of a Hedge Fund (buy-side) and now as a Partner with a leading law firm (service-side).

"We are delighted that Frank will be joining the partnership," said Managing Partner Bart Mallon. "Frank is a trusted legal and strategic adviser to senior executives in the asset management and social impact spaces. He finds a way to be both a lawyers lawyer and a practical business adviser; these are hallmarks of the attorneys at Cole-Frieman & Mallon.

"Frank's practical fund experience makes him a valuable adviser to the clients we serve. His business knowledge adds to the richness and quality of service that Cole-Frieman & Mallon has set out to deliver," said Karl Cole-Frieman, also a Managing Partner at CFM. "Having Frank serve as our firms General Counsel in addition to his work on behalf of our clients tells you everything you need to know about how highly we think of his talents as a lawyer and adviser."

I am grateful to be joining the partnership. The legal talent at CFM is exceptional. Working through complex legal issues for our clients with this team is intellectually challenging and deeply joyful for me, said Frank J. Martin.

About: Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP is one of the top investment management law firms in the United States, known for providing top-tier, innovative, and collaborative legal solutions for complex financial services matters. Headquartered in San Francisco, Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP services both start-up investment managers and multi-billion-dollar firms. The firm provides a full suite of legal services to the investment management community, including hedge fund, private equity fund, venture capital fund, mutual fund formation, adviser registration, counterparty documentation, SEC, CFTC, NFA and FINRA matters, seed deals, cybersecurity regulatory matters, hedge fund due diligence, employment and compensation matters, and routine business matters. The firm also publishes the prominent Hedge Fund Law Blog, which focuses on legal issues that impact the hedge fund community. For more information, please add us on LinkedIn and visit us at colefrieman.com.
IDentify offers unparalleled ID fraud protection for dealerships, including protections for both traditional (in-store) and digital retailing (remote) transactions

eLEND Solutions announced today, at NADA 2023, the launch of IDentify, a layered, multi-factor, identity verification solution designed to verify a customers true identity and establish "proof of presence" in an interaction. This combination of identity proofing technologies dramatically reduces fraud risks by detecting account takeover, true name, synthetic and other forms of identity fraud in the vehicle purchase process  an over half a billion-dollar problem in 2022 alone, and one that has been amplified by the increased digitization of the deal.

In just the past year, 79% of dealers directly experienced an identity fraud-related vehicle loss at their dealership  an alarming insight that was revealed in eLEND Solutions recent report: Is Identity Fraud Jeopardizing Digital Retailing Profitability. Furthermore, the report revealed that the large majority are not using any identity verification technologies as part of their fraud prevention strategy, instead choosing to rely on conventional methods such as photocopying IDs.

These unsophisticated defenses are not only ineffective against increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes, but they also put dealerships at risk said Pete MacInnis, CEO of eLEND Solutions, an automotive FinTech company focused on accelerating transactional digital buying experiences. This is why we developed IDentify, which offers unparalleled ID fraud protection for dealerships, including protections for both traditional (in-store) and digital retailing (remote) transactions continued MacInnis.

IDentify offers a combination of multi-factor identity verification solutions:

 Identity Data Check cross matches customer-provided information against hundreds of databases, including government agencies, public utilities, cell phone carriers, etc. to verify the customers name, address, DOB, social security and cell phone numbers.

 Confirm Identity is a multi-factor authentication and fraud prevention tool that replaces traditional out-of-wallet questions with a proof of presence feature that sends a one-time passcode to the cell phone number of the customer identified by the phone carrier.

Combining identity verification with proof of presence' checks is critical to fight account takeover, true name fraud, synthetic fraud and to reduce the risk from consumer-not-present and other identity fraud tactics. Dealerships who have piloted IDentify confirm its benefits.

Chuck Bell, Corporate Finance Director for Bayway Auto Group says: eLEND Solutions IDentify product is a core component of our Digital Retail strategy. It enables us to identify our customers before engaging in test drives and remote test-drives or deliveries. It has already saved us countless thousands of dollars.

How IDentify works:

 Once a customer has signaled a strong intent to buy, dealers can send an email link to a short form requesting their personal information and their consent to verify identity to protect against identity fraud.

 If a customer has already submitted a credit application through one of eLENDs Credit Solutions, the consent language includes running the IDentify Data Check Report.

 In-store, dealers are able to get customer consent and run the IDentify Data Check Report through the dealer dashboard.

 Dealers have the option to run the Identity Data Check independently or in conjunction with the Confirm IDentify multi-factor authentication and fraud prevention tool.

 Results are displayed in the dealer dashboard, showing a match to customer name, address, date of birth, social security number and cell phone or an alert that warns there is no match to database records.

 IDentify can be implemented in any digital retail solution through APIs  an increasingly critical function as 95% of dealers attribute increased identity fraud to the increased digitization of the deal and remote buying.

IDentify is fully integrated with eLEND Solutions ID Drive, a driver's license scanner that performs dozens of forensic document tests in real time for robust authentication  on any driver's license or any other government issued ID from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, plus 160 worldwide jurisdictions.

eLENDs Identification Solutions are integrated with eLENDs Credit Solutions that match identity to credit application and credit report data. From pre-screen, pre-qualification and traditional hard credit pulls, all data is cross-referenced and integrated with Red Flag and Synthetic Fraud tools from companies such as 700 Credit.

eLEND will be demonstrating IDentify at the 2023 NADA Show in Dallas at Booth #4185.

About eLEND Solutions

eLEND Solutions (DealerCentric rebranded) is an automotive FinTech company focused on deal generation solutions that power transactional digital buying experiences for the retail automotive industry. The platform specializes in digital credit, identity, and finance solutions for remote and in-store shoppers, designed to accelerate conversions of digital end-to-end purchase experiences concluding with fundable, transactable deal structures.

For more information, please visit https://www.elendsolutions.com/automotive-identity-verification-solutions/

Contact Media Relations:

Angela Jacobson, mWEBB Communications, (714) 454-8776, angela(at)mwebbcom(dot)com

Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, (714) 987-1016, crystal(at)mwebbcom(dot)com
Carnegie acquires National Small College Enrollment Conference The NSCEC is vital to the small college community, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to contribute to their success.Scott Novak, Chief Development Officer, Carnegie

Higher education marketing and enrollment strategy leader Carnegie announced today its acquisition of the National Small College Enrollment Conference (NSCEC), the industrys only conference dedicated to serving the needs of small colleges. Ensuring the NSCEC continues to thrive is the first of several commitments Carnegie intends to roll out in 2023 as part of its new Small College Initiative. Having partnered with hundreds of small colleges throughout its history, Carnegie recognizes that these colleges are facing unique challenges and intends to deliver the innovation required to best support this higher education community. This initiative is yet another strategic marker for Carnegie as it continues to fulfill its promise to deliver the most innovative marketing and enrollment solutions in higher education.

As Carnegie assumes the role of owner and host of this important conference, they do so with the promise to uphold the founding mission: The National Small College Enrollment Conference brings together peers, professionals, and thought leaders to support and increase the knowledge of individuals engaged in all aspects of the small college enrollment profession. As we retire from our roles as founders and partners of this groundbreaking conference, it is of primary importance to us that NSCECs mission of service to small colleges continues to flourish, said NSCEC Partners and Co-founders Jim Black and Neil Clark. We have great confidence that Carnegie believes in our mission and will no doubt strengthen the conferences educational reach to professionals at all levels. We are proud to have Carnegie continue the NSCEC legacy. The conference will live on as a gathering place for the small college community and its partners. The NSCEC is vital to the small college community, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to contribute to their success, said Carnegies Chief Development Officer Scott Novak.

Carnegie welcomes small college professionals, partners, and vendors to attend and exhibit at the 34th annual NSCEC, which will be held from July 2426 in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Omni Charlotte Hotel. The 2023 conference theme is Sharing in Success and will include topics focused on admissions, Slate CRM, enrollment management, retention, financial aid, and marketing. More conference and registration information will be available in the coming weeks at nscec.com.

The acquisition of the NSCEC supports the newfound Carnegie Small College Initiative, which aims to serve the small college community through three commitments: the continued legacy of an essential annual conference; specialized products designed to better support the needs of small institutions; and project teams assembled not only for their talent and specialties but for personal and professional small college backgrounds.

In recent years, Carnegie has seen strategic growth and innovation by joining with other best-in-class providers; this initiative is a direct result of that growth. One of the many benefits of the maturation of our company is that Carnegie now has a greater capacity to scale our services, said Carnegie CEO Gary Colen. As a part of the Small College Initiative, we analyzed past small college successes, the services that delivered that success, and the scope that best fit our partners. The result is a suite of services designed with the needs of small colleges in mind. Carnegie now offers small college solutions in website development, financial aid optimization, Slate implementation, and lead generation through its CollegeXpress Platform.

Carnegie is once again pushing the boundaries of innovation for higher education, a legacy that began at its founding in 1985. The acquisition of the NSCEC and the Carnegie Small College Initiative is another extension of that legacy.

About Carnegie

Carnegie (Carnegie Dartlet LLC) is a higher education enrollment marketing and strategy leader that delivers custom marketing and enrollment solutions through integrated research, strategy, digital marketing, lead generation, Slate optimization, Student Search, creative, financial aid optimization, and web development. By generating quality connections between universities and students, Carnegie drives enrollment growth for its clients. Carnegie owns and runs the annual Carnegie Conference and The Connection, two enrollment and marketing conferences dedicated to serving higher education. Learn more at CarnegieHigherEd.com.

About NSCEC

The National Small College Enrollment Conference (NSCEC) is the only educational and networking event exclusively for professionals at small colleges and universities. Comprising several tracks, conference sessions focus on the unique needs and challenges faced by admissions, enrollment management, and retention professionals at small colleges. The NSCEC offers participants the opportunity to learn from a wide range of peers and professionals with diverse and valuable perspectives. Learn more at nscec.com.

Media Contact

CARNEGIE

Christine Kramer

Senior Vice President, Marketing

C: 215-906-0234

CarnegieHigherEd.com
Today The Symphonina Foundation is pleased to officially announce the winner of the first annual Best Symphonina of the Year competition for 2022. First prize winner, Chris Reed (USA), was awarded the $2000 grand prize. Steve Locks (UK) was selected as runner-up and earns the $1000 runner-up prize. The accomplished nine-judge panel was comprised of Christopher Siu, Ryan Leach, Dimitri K., Mauritz Lotz, Meredith Moore, Wilhelm von Dungen, Gary Gray, David Das, and Christopher Wilkins. Other contest entries of distinction were composed by James Dumas, Marc Caroul, and Richard White (USA).

Symphoninas are small symphonies, written with 3 or 4 movements with melodic themes, and play in about 10 minutes. The genre of the Symphonina was created by Dr. David Fogel, co-founder of The Symphonina Foundation, as a way to help symphonic music become more amenable to online streaming and reaching younger audiences. We had 11 entries to the competition, and I enjoyed listening to each of them!, said Dr. David Fogel, CEO of The Symphonina Foundation. We will be working with the composers to have all of the selected compositions linked from the foundations website so the world can enjoy them.

In addition to the contest, The Symphonina Foundation is also currently preparing for the release of the Foundations first album featuring live performances by the players in the International Symphonina Orchestra, along with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra. In 2022, Budapest Scoring recorded Dr. Fogels compositions Symphonina No. 1 and Symphonina No. 2. Now, individual players from around the world have also been recorded as part of the International Symphonina Orchestra. This virtual/remote orchestra was formed to provide an opportunity for young players to play along with experienced professionals and promote opportunities for young people internationally. The orchestra comprises excellent young performers from the USA, Nigeria, Argentina, France, and other countries playing along with virtuosos such as violinist and concertmaster Oleksander Bozhyk (Ukraine), former touring concert pianist Chetan Tierra (USA), and Grammy-winning flute player Wouter Kellerman (South Africa). We welcome auditions from talented young players from around the world, said Dr. Fogel.

You can see the entire International Symphonina Orchestra at http://www.symphonina.org. Additional recordings are being considered for the first album at this time. The 2022 Best Symphonina of the Year competition runner-up, Steve Locks, has already made his composition available on YouTube, here.

About Symphonina

The Symphonina Foundation has a mission to bring the joy of symphonic music to younger audiences around the world. The Symphonina Foundation was started in 2020, is 501(c)(3) approved, and is based in San Diego, California, USA. More information can be found at: https://symphonina.org/.

Media Contacts:

David Fogel

david.fogel@symphonina.org

Jory White

(Vesperize PR for Symphonina)

jory@vesperize.com
I am confident B2M will be in great hands with Gary. His deep understanding of the market, vision for the future, and commitment to our corporate values and culture will be instrumental to our future growth. I look forward to working with him and the leadership team at B2M.

B2M Solutions today announced that the company's founder, Julie Purves, will stand down from her position as Chief Executive Officer and member of B2M's Board of Directors effective 25 January 2023. Julie will remain as an active strategic advisor to the company.

B2M's Board of Directors also today announced that Gary Lee, current Chief Revenue Officer, will succeed Julie Purves as Chief Executive Officer and join the company's Board of Directors effective 25 January 2023.

Bill Flind, B2M's Chairman of the Board, commented, "On behalf of B2M's Board of Directors, I'd like to extend our sincere thanks to Julie for her 20 years of service to the company. Her original vision for transforming enterprise mobility management through cutting-edge software tools, combined with a firm commitment to creating a positive corporate culture, has remained the driving force behind our leadership in the market.

"Since founding the company in 2002, I have had the honour to serve as CEO, said Ms. Purves. "I am very grateful to the employees, investors, customers, and Board for their steadfast commitment to B2M. Given the strength of our people, culture, value, and solutions, I believe the company is well-positioned to thrive in the years ahead."

"The Board is very pleased to announce Gary Lee as Julie's successor as part of its ongoing succession-planning process," stated Mr. Flind. "Gary is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive with a proven track record of leading and growing global companies. We are confident that under Gary's leadership, B2M will continue expanding our customer base and revenues worldwide."

Mr. Lee joined B2M as Chief Revenue Officer in April 2018. He has over 35 years of global experience as a high-tech executive in both public companies and venture-backed startups, including Nortel, Sprint, General Datacomm, Home Wireless Networks, FlexLight Networks, mBLAST, and Stratix.

Ms. Purves concluded, "I am confident B2M will be in great hands with Gary. His deep understanding of the market, vision for the future, and commitment to our corporate values and culture will be instrumental to our future growth. I look forward to working with him and the leadership team at B2M."

About B2M Solutions:

B2M Solutions is a global software company dramatically improving the deployment and use of enterprise mobility. The company's flagship product, Elemez, provides real-time Enterprise Mobility Intelligence to proactively find and fix mobile device and application issues hurting a company's employees and business. Unlike traditional enterprise mobile software management tools used for MDM, EMM, and UEM, Elemez proactively monitors and measures mobile devices in real-time to help enterprises prevent and avoid problems, improve enterprise mobility's performance, and lower the True Cost of Ownership of mobility.

Founded in 2002, B2M is a privately held company based in Abingdon, UK, with North American operations in Atlanta, Ga., USA. For additional information, visit http://www.b2msolutions.com.
Thrios GPN tackles two CX challenges that should be top-of-mind as companies rush to move contact center infrastructure to the cloud. -- Dan Miller, Lead Analyst at Opus Research

Thrio, Inc. maker of award-winning customer experience (CX) and cloud contact center software, announced today a fourth-generation voice solution combining a global private network (GPN) with geo-redundant CX and localized edge server technology.

The solution has three core elements:



Thrios geo-redundant CX platform

Secure, private global network connectivity

Edge server computing to localize voice

Thrios GPN tackles two CX challenges that should be top-of-mind as companies rush to move contact center infrastructure to the cloud, explains Dan Miller, Lead Analyst at Opus Research. Their hybrid approach melds on-premises with cloud-based resources in a global private network that eliminates noticeable latencies and overcomes data residency issues that plague customer-care specialists. It is a novel approach that sets Thrio apart in a crowded market space.

Geo-Redundant CX Platform

The anchor of Thrios GPN is its geo-redundant CX platform. Thrio operates its cloud-based software out of data centers worldwide. These are designed to deliver 24/7 service at scale, with the ability to transfer platform operations from one region to another within minutes. This same platform has zero maintenance windows, so new features and upgrades can be added without disrupting service. The environment allows both traditional and remote agents to be virtualized into one coordinated pool for easier management and visibility.

Secure, private network connectivity

With Thrios GPN, all communications travel over a global private network. This means internet threats and bad actors are kept at bay, since voice and data communications both stay off the public internet. Thrio dynamically utilizes the best available top-tier voice carriers, thanks to rapid traffic rerouting capabilities.

Edge server computing

Thrios GPN also includes the ability to orchestrate multiple agent sites into one globalized hub using edge server computing. This keeps agent voice communications local, eliminating unnecessary tromboning of traffic into far-flung edges of the network. In addition, Thrios edge server deployments offer a way to bridge the gap between legacy on-premises tech and modern cloud capabilities such as AI and omnichannel modalities.

Thrio has enabled us to seamlessly virtualize our agent populations in the United States and Pakistan with their edge servers. This helps us with compliance and also ensures optimal voice quality for our agents and consumers alike, says Justin Franklin, VP Global Strategy & Execution, Cedars Business Services.

For more information, visit http://www.thrio.com

About Thrio, Inc.

For businesses who want to meet customers on their terms, the solution lives within Thrio. Our flexible, scalable AI-powered contact center platform paves the way for friction-free sales and service. Powerful automations make agents jobs easier and quicker, with more personalized service for every customer. Thrio helps enterprises stay at the heart of the right conversations and the right experiences, every time.

Thrio Contact:

Lance Fried

Chief Marketing Officer

858-248-0098

Lance.Fried@Thrio.com
These exercises will advance the capabilities of the participants and enhance their readiness in responding to a wide spectrum of cybersecurity challenges, said Franz Payer, CEO of Cyber Skyline.

Cyber Skyline Inc. has partnered with Ops Tech Alliance LLC as Team OTA to support the National Security Agency Cyber Exercises, also known as NCX. NCX is designed to enhance the skill set for the next generation of cyber warriors. Participants of these competitions may include students attending National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity institutions, U.S. Service Academies, Senior Military Colleges and invited participants from NSA and U.S. Cyber Command.

These exercises will advance the capabilities of the participants and enhance their readiness in responding to a wide spectrum of cybersecurity challenges. Beyond the immediate skills development benefits, the participants will also receive granular metrics that will enable them to identify key areas of interest as they plan their future skills growth, said Franz Payer, CEO of Cyber Skyline.

Team OTA is excited to offer this support to NSAs cyber competitions. Ops Tech Alliance and Cyber Skyline both have extensive experience in designing and executing large-scale cybersecurity training programs and competitions. To support NSAs competitions, Team OTA will utilize the Cyber Skyline Platform to host the competitions and draw on its collective expertise to develop training and exercise scenarios on topics such as active attacks, cryptography, data analysis, forensics, malware, policy, reverse engineering and software development.

About Cyber Skyline

Cyber Skyline is a leading cloud-based cybersecurity skills evaluation platform that helps students and professionals track their skills growth and enables businesses to find, identify, and cultivate talent. Cyber Skyline has extensive experience hosting cybersecurity competitions and exercises for more than 600 US colleges and universities and US Fortune 500 companies across the financial service, managed security service provider, and technology industries. To learn more about Cyber Skyline, visit cyberskyline.com.

About Ops Tech Alliance

Ops Tech Alliance is an SBA certified 8(a) Small Business and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. OTAs singular focus is to bridge the gap between operations and technology to enable mission success. OTA was founded by former Special Operations Forces professionals with over 50 years of combined operational experience. Its clientele includes the U.S. Intelligence, Defense, and Law Enforcement communities. OTA provides professional training services and Role Player support for the Department of Homeland Security, the Intelligence Community, and Special Operations Forces. To learn more about OTA, visit ops-tech-alliance.com.
Adswerve, a digital media and data consultancy, today announced the appointment of Board Member and Advisor Roger Berdusco as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He succeeds Clint Tasset, founder of Adswerve and the companys CEO since 2009. Tasset will continue to serve as a member of Adswerves board.

Berduscos background includes senior marketing leadership roles for major brands like PepsiCo, Inc. and Conagra Brands in new product development and innovation and for agencies, most recently as CEO at Triad Retail Media. His successful career helped him develop a deep understanding of both brands and agencies, making him the strongest candidate for the role.

As a board member, Roger has not only been a key advisor and mentor to me, but has played a crucial role in the company by leading key strategic projects, says Tasset. The board and I appointed and approved Roger as CEO. His customer-centric approach to the business makes him the perfect organic fit. I'm very excited about this major opportunity and the positive impacts Rogers leadership will make on our team and industry.

During his four years as a board member and advisor for Adswerve, Berdusco partnered with employees to increase the voice of the customer, form cross-functional teams and played an active role in strategic planning. As a result of his experience, creativity, eye for expansion and customer knowledge, Adswerve is well-positioned for a strong year ahead.

Clint has created an unbelievable foundation with a highly engaged and supportive board, close partnerships and an incredibly talented team, says Berdusco. Im excited to get started and continue to grow this amazing company.

Adswerve is poised to take advantage of significant market opportunities and, with the help of Berdusco, will deepen its capabilities, expand and develop the team and take the business to the next phase of maturity. As CEO, he plans to lead a culture of innovation while keeping Adswerves core pillars in mind: groundbreaking, gritty, guides, giving and genuine.

Clint created a company filled with talented individuals who have become partners for over 900 brands, agencies and publishers and, as a result, we built deep client relationships with advanced solutions, says Anders Bjork, Adswerve Board Member. We are excited to see Roger step in as CEO and continue to foster major opportunities in 2023.

For more information about Adswerve, visit http://www.adswerve.com.

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About Adswerve

As a leading digital media and data consultancy, Adswerve is a team of 275+ media and analytics experts on a mission to humanize data and guide our clients to remarkable outcomes. Headquartered in Denver, Adswerve helps thousands of digital marketers, data analysts and agencies make stronger connections with their customers through successful data-driven strategies. For more information, please visit http://www.adswerve.com.

Media Contact

Annie Versnel

Walker Sands for Adswerve

adswervepr@walkersands.com
With more than 30 years of experience in swim instruction, our system has become a model in the industry as well as the franchise community. -Craig Wright, CEO of Aqua-Tots Swim Schools

Aqua-Tots Swim Schools was recognized as one of the top 500 franchises in Entrepreneurs Franchise 500, the worlds first, best, and most comprehensive franchise ranking. The 44th annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500 is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry. Recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees, the 2023 Franchise 500 ranks Aqua-Tots Swim Schools as 139th for its outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power.

The past year underscores the extraordinary opportunities that the franchise industry presents for entrepreneurs of all levels, says Entrepreneur editor in chief Jason Feifer. The companies named to our 44th annual Franchise 500 list represent some of the most innovative, creative, and trusted brands across many industries and highlight what it takes to build the kind of momentum that drives long-lasting success.

In Entrepreneurs continuing effort to best understand and evaluate the ever-changing franchise marketplace, the companys 44-year-old ranking formula continues to evolve as well. The editorial team researches and assesses several factors that go into the evaluation including costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Each franchise is given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500 in ranking order.

Were honored to be included in Entrepreneurs Franchise 500 for the 5th consecutive year, says Craig Wright, CEO of Aqua-Tots Swim Schools. With more than 30 years of experience in swim instruction, our system has become a model in the industry as well as the franchise community. Were fortunate for teams and franchisees who make Aqua-Tots such an extraordinary company to be a part of.

Over its 44 years in existence, the Franchise 500 has become both a dominant competitive measure for franchisors and a primary research tool for potential franchisees. Aqua-Tots Swim Schools position on the ranking is a testament to its strength as a franchise opportunity.

To view Aqua-Tots Swim Schools in the full ranking, visit http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. Results can also be seen in the January/February 2023 issue of Entrepreneur, available on newsstands January 17th.

About Aqua-Tots Swim Schools

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in the Phoenix area, Aqua-Tots Swim Schools is making waves as the largest international provider of year-round, indoor swim instruction, community outreach and drowning prevention education. Its trusted program is dedicated to children of all abilities from four months to 12 years old and features a proven curriculum used to teach more than five million swim lessons each year.

Recognized in Entrepreneurs Franchise 500, Inc. Magazine's Top 5000 and Franchise Times Top 200, Aqua-Tots has more than 130 locations in 25 states across 14 countries and is rapidly expanding with 90 locations in development. To learn more about franchise opportunities, visit aqua-tots.com/franchise-development and for more information about Aqua-Tots or to sign up for lessons near you, visit aqua-tots.com and follow Aqua-Tots on Facebook and Instagram.

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We are excited to return to several conferences we attended and exhibited at last year. The opportunity to connect with previous attendees and meet those new to the industry is incredibly valuable. We are honored to share our expertise and learn from these upcoming industry conferences.

Clermont, Florida-based Educational Services & Consulting (ESC), an industry leader in online courses for the Accredited Claims Adjuster (ACA) and the Registered Customer Service Representative (RCSR) designations, announces its participation in several industry conferences in 2023.

In 2023, ESC will attend four industry-wide conferences to help the team better serve its students and continue to be industry leaders.

We are excited to return to several conferences we attended and exhibited at last year, Co-Owner and Chief Strategy Officer, Natalie Zimmerman said. The opportunity to connect with previous attendees and meet those new to the industry is incredibly valuable. We are honored to share our expertise and learn from our licensing and securities colleagues, industry regulators, relevant vendors, compliance officers, and others at these upcoming industry conferences. Our attendance provides instant benefits for ESC and our students by keeping us updated on our complex profession.

The PLRB National Adjuster Conference starts on March 19th. Zimmerman and Co-Owner, Chief Operations Officer, Angela Milligan will host a booth in the Insurance Services Expo and participate in three days choosing from more than 100 industry-related sessions within 14 tracks taught by industry leaders. Conference details are located at: https://www.plrbclaimsconference.org.

Staring on June 14th the FAIA (Florida Association of Insurance Agents) kicks off the 119th Anniversary Convention and Education Symposium where Zimmerman and Milligan will again host a booth and attend breakout sessions for continuing education through June 16. Details of this convention can be found at: https://www.faia.com/convention

In July the LAAIA (Latin American Association of Insurance Agencies) conference starts on July 12 with Zimmerman and Milligan attending the 53rd Annual Convention for LAAIA members. In addition to attending prominent keynote and seminar sessions, ESC will host a booth in the exhibit hall. Conference information will be available later this year at https://laaia.com/Convention

To round out their conference schedule, Zimmerman and Milligan will attend SILA (Securities & Insurance Licensing Association) National Education Conference on October 22nd. The ESC team will join other SILA members to learn more about industry issues, current events and best practice approaches during the three-day conference. Additional conference details will be shared on the SILA website in the coming months: https://www.sila.org/page/Events

Educational Services & Consulting offers a 40-hour self-paced online course for individuals looking to earn their 6-20 Accredited Claims Adjuster (ACA) designation. ESC also offers a 40-hour self-paced online course for individuals looking to earn their 4-40 Registered Customer Service (RCSR) designation. Both of these courses offer an online final exam and when passed candidates can apply for their license. Once individuals pass the end-of-course final exam they are exempt from having to take the Florida state licensing exam.

Educational Services & Consulting has partnered with several colleges and universities to assist educational institutions with expanding their course offerings. Enrolled college students can take either of ESCs online designation courses through their school. Students register for the ESC courses as any other college class and ESC offers a revenue share to the participating schools.

In addition to its educational partnership program, ESC also partners with all branches of the U.S. military. Both the 6-20 Accredited Claims Adjuster designation and the 4-40 Registered Customer Service designation courses have been very attractive opportunities for military personnel who are retiring or taking active leave. The ACA designation has been most popular with military personnel in part due to the roles and responsibilities as an All-Lines Adjuster. Over the years ESC has had several military personnel earn their ACA designation and eventually work as an independent insurance adjuster with great success.

Educational Services & Consulting is located at 4327 S Highway 27, Suite 204 in Clermont, Florida 34711. For additional information on registering for ESCs 6-20 Accredited Claims Adjuster (ACA) designation course or their 4-40 Registered Customer Service (RCSR) designation course, visit online at: https://escconnected.com/ or call 1-800-309-2549.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs deplored the latest developments regarding Lachin corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh during separate meetings Minister Abdallah Bou Habib held with the Ambassadors of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the National News Agency of Lebanon reported.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said it deeply regrets the closure of the Lachin corridor and the strain the move has put on the livelihood and humanitarian conditions in the area.

It also called upon Armenia and Azerbaijan to hold bilateral negotiations, stressing that dialogue is the solution to solving disputes.
McGraw is an emerging voice on global issues, with a master's degree in sustainability from Stanford University and a passion for protecting the worlds oceans.

On Friday, Feb. 17, Grammy award-winning music icon Faith Hill will be taking the stage with her daughter, Maggie McGraw, to share an important message: climate action cannot wait. The event will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City as part of the Global Engagement Summit, hosted by UNA-USA, which brings together hundreds of changemakers and policymakers each year.

McGraw is an emerging voice on global issues, with a master's degree in sustainability from Stanford University and a passion for protecting the worlds oceans. Her expertise landed her on Capitol Hill, where she has supported legislation to advance environmental protection and other global issues.

This intergenerational dialogue will be moderated by another leading climate activist, Sophia Kianni, an Iranian-American activist and UN climate advisor. In 2020, Kianni founded Climate Cardinals to make climate resources more accessible to non-English speakers  a topic she explored in a January 2022 TED Talk, which has been viewed nearly two million times.

The group will also be joined by Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action. Hart is also the Executive Director for the Caribbean region at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and previously served as Ambassador to the U.S. and the Organization of American States for Barbados.

The closing plenary comes on the heels of a full day of inspiration and conversation about some of the biggest issues facing the globe  from equity and human rights to security and population health. Among other leading voices in international cooperation and activism is Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Representative to the United Nations. Thomas-Greenfield served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs from 2013 to 2017, and now shepherds an agenda of multilateralism in the worlds largest convening body. She will address the gathering during her morning keynote.

Registration for the UNA-USA Global Engagement Summit is open now until February 8. Learn more: online.

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Griswold, the fast-growing non-medical home care franchise with over 170 locations, recently unveiled an exciting brand evolution, coining the phrase Live Assured and defining the brands meaning through a year-long process that involved everyone from its caregivers to its leadership team. This evolution includes new visual branding, an emphasis on technology and innovation, an inspiring Tokens of Appreciation initiative, a name modification, and more.

Just as our founder Dr. Jean Griswold was a true visionary when she started Griswold as the first non-medical home care franchise in the United States, we must continue to advance her legacy in the home care space by adapting to what the marketplace demands, said Griswold CEO Michael Slupecki. Caregivers love working with Griswold, and weve always offered superior care to our clients, which will never change. But, in a sea of sameness, Griswold must stand out.

Founded in 1982, Griswold is backed by over 40 years of experience providing quality home care to the elderly, disabled adults and individuals recovering from illness. Dr. Jean Griswold was a senior care professional who had multiple sclerosis (MS) and recognized firsthand that the elderly often lacked the assistance they needed to remain independent at home. Griswold set out to offer a wide variety of in-home support services, with care plans customized to fit each client that could be adjusted as their needs change over time.

While the Griswold name has always meant something special, it has evolved over the years, Slupecki says. Now, Griswolds primary promise comes down to two words: Live Assured.

Clients live assured they have the care they need to live life to its fullest. Families live assured that their loved ones are being cared for so they can live a worry-free life. Caregivers live assured they work with a company that cares about them and their well-being. Employees live assured they work for a company with a solid foundation and bright future. The community lives assured that Griswold is there to support those members who need help, thereby making the community a happier, healthier place to live.

Live Assured is the promise we make to clients, their loved ones, caregivers, employees and the communities where we live and work, said Griswold VP of Marketing Shelley Kanther. What makes our promise better than our competitors is the special recipe that brings the Live Assured concept to life.

It took over a year to perfect that recipe with the brand evolution. Griswold performed a study to help measure and define the meaning behind the brand and ensure frontline care professionals, office staff and Griswold administration are aligned in the story they convey to the world. By surveying all team members as well as a focus group of people who were looking for home care services, Griswold identified three main pillars that resonate most with employees and match what consumers value:

Trusted Relationships: the brands commitment to honesty and transparency assures the connections both employees and caregivers build stay strong.

Care is Personal: Griswolds work is about people, and everyone works together to support clients unique needs with respect, empathy and dedicated attention.

A Foundation of Expertise: the teams collective wisdom benefits the people they serve, and the strong Griswold community ensures all team members will continue to learn and grow.

The company went further by defining the behaviors, or actions, each role should take to embody the brand, removing ambiguity and giving employees a road map to success. When it comes to bringing these three pillars and brand promise to life, Slupecki says Griswold franchise owners have an important role to play.

We need our leaders to keep our founding spirit strong while embracing current trends and future innovation, said Slupecki. They need to lead by example and show their teams what it means to live our promise. If our behaviors collectively match our promise, our value proposition is solid. That makes it easier to secure new clients, generate referrals and attract and retain staff.

To ensure franchise owners have the tools to recognize and celebrate all team members exemplifying the Griswold promise, the brand is rolling out a new Tokens of Appreciation program. All Griswold team members will be eligible to win digital Tokens of Appreciation for living the brand in their daily roles.

At the end of each month, franchisees will review all digital token recipients and will choose one caregiver and one employee to be awarded an actual Griswold token and a special token holder to proudly display the fruits of their hard work and dedication. At the end of the year, each Griswold office will recognize all who received Griswold tokens and will choose one caregiver and one employee who truly embodied the Griswold brand throughout 2023. Those two team members will be the Employees of the Year and will receive a special gift and a commendation from Griswolds home office in Blue Bell, PA.

In addition to a new tagline, Griswold is also evolving its visual brand. The company has dropped Home Care from its name and is now simply Griswold. It has also opted to remove the house and hearts design from its previous logo in exchange for a more modern and unique design that represents the importance of people and connections. These updates will not only keep Griswold aligned with the current marketplace but will also allow the company to unite all new revenue streams under one brand name as it prioritizes technology and innovation moving forward.

We aspire to launch new products and services under the brand name in the future  whether it be technological innovations like remote monitoring or staffing services or opening facilities, said Slupecki. The skys the limit. The last thing we want is a brand that keeps us in a box, unable to scale and expand over time.

Now, with the need for quality, in-home senior care reaching an all-time high throughout every community, Griswold is gearing up for strategic franchise growth and is looking for compassionate, empathetic individuals to help usher in this new era for the brand. Prospective franchisees have the opportunity to join a proven brand, take control of their destiny and give back to the people in their community.

For over 40 years, weve remained at the forefront of the home care industry and have been setting the industry standard as we expand across the country, said Slupecki. Now, we are ready to embrace change to not only remain relevant in this competitive industry but to continue to be a leader other companies aspire to emulate. It's time for brand evolution, and our new brand will set us down a path for success for years to come.

ABOUT GRISWOLD

With 170 locations in 30 states, Griswold is one of the countrys top home care companies, providing professional, compassionate caregivers 24/7. Griswolds Live Assured promise gives both clients and their loved ones peace of mind, so they can live without the weight of worry. Griswold helps adults maintain quality of life despite advanced age, onset of illness, or post-surgery recovery through services including companion care, home services, personal care, and respite care. Founded by the late Jean Griswold in 1982, the company has maintained its founders profound sense of empathy for older and disabled adults and those living with chronic conditions. For more information, visit http://www.griswoldhomecare.com or call 215.402.0200.
"This major redevelopment of Valley Plaza, with the relocation of Hobby Lobby, and the opening of the states first Boot Barn and Grocery Outlet, demonstrates location viability and premier exposure in the market." - Devin Gerhart, director of asset management at Klein Enterprises.

Klein Enterprises, a vertically integrated investor, developer, and operator of diversified real estate holdings, announced today that it has completed the redevelopment of the Valley Plaza shopping center in Hagerstown.

Enhancements to the center, located at 1701 Massey Blvd., Hagerstown, include an all new-facade, new pylon signage, a resurfaced parking lot and lighting upgrades. Several new national retailers have signed leases with the shopping center, which currently has 2,600-23,380 square feet of space still available.

The 190,900-square-foot shopping center is home to multiple retail and dining businesses, including McDonalds, Mexicali Cantina, Roy Rogers, and Tractor Supply remaining open throughout the redevelopment. Hobby Lobby relocated from Wesel Boulevard and opened at Valley Plaza in September, and the first Maryland Boot Barn is expected to open on February 1, 2023. Grocery Outlet, the supermarket chains first location in Maryland opened in the summer of 2022.

This major redevelopment of Valley Plaza, with the relocation of Hobby Lobby, and the opening of the states first Boot Barn and Grocery Outlet, demonstrates location viability and premier exposure in the market, said Devin Gerhart, director of asset management of Klein Enterprises. Were pleased to offer an improved shopping experience for Valley Plazas customers and look forward to continuing to expand our footprint in the area.

Valley Plaza is situated in the heart of Hagerstowns retail corridor at the intersection of Wesel/Massey Boulevard and Halfway Boulevard. It is one and a half miles from I-81, offering convenient access to the surrounding Washington County as well as downtown Hagerstown.

We are passionate about the western lifestyle and being involved in the local neighborhoods we serve. It is an honor for us to join and support the Hagerstown community, said Mike Love, chief retail officer at Boot Barn. It is our absolute pleasure to provide customers in Hagerstown with Boot Barns expansive selection of western and work boots and apparel. We are truly looking forward to meeting the community.

Klein purchased the shopping center in July 2022 as part of a larger portfolio acquisition from Cedar Realty Trust that included nine grocery-anchored shopping centers spanning Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Valley Plaza is one of two purchased in the portfolio acquisition that are undergoing redevelopment.

About Klein Enterprises

Klein Enterprises is a 75-year-old, fourth-generation company with nearly 60 assets comprised of over 3.5 million square feet of commercial properties and over 2,000 Class A multifamily units. Klein Enterprises, based in Baltimore, is actively expanding its portfolio and benefits from decades of expertise in acquisitions, development, management and leasing. For more information on Klein Enterprises portfolio holdings and investment strategy, please visit http://www.kleinenterprises.com.
According to the ITRCs 2022 Annual Data Breach Report, data compromises in 2022 were relatively flat compared to 2021. "People are largely unable to protect themselves from the harmful effects of data compromises, fueling an epidemic  a scamdemic of identity fraud committed with compromised or stolen information," said Eva Velasquez, President and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center.

Today, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), a nationally recognized nonprofit organization established to support victims of identity crime, will release its 17th Annual Data Breach Report at the Identity, Authentication, and the Road Ahead Cybersecurity Policy Forum hosted by the Better Identity Coalition (BIC), FIDO Alliance and the ITRC.

According to the 2022 Annual Data Breach Report, the number of data compromises in 2022 (1,802) was only 60 events short of the previous all-time high set in 2021 (1,862 compromises). The first half of 2022 saw fewer compromises reported due in part to Russia-based cybercriminals distracted by the war in Ukraine and volatility in the cryptocurrency markets. However, the number of data compromises steadily increased in the second half of 2022.

Download the ITRCs 2022 Annual Data Breach Report

The number of victims impacted (422.1 million) increased by almost 41.5 percent from 2021. For 11 of the 12 months in 2022, the estimated number of data compromise victims was trending downward for the sixth consecutive year. However, that trend reversed with news that personal information of 221 million Twitter users was available in illicit identity marketplaces.

Other findings in the 2022 Annual Data Breach Report include:



Data breach notices suddenly lacked details, resulting in increased risk for individuals and businesses, as well as uncertainty about the number of data breaches and victims. Not specified was the largest category of cyberattacks leading to a data breach in 2022, ahead of Phishing and Ransomware. Only 34 percent of data breach notices included victim and attack vector details.

Cyberattacks remain the primary source of data breaches; the number of data breaches resulting from supply chain attacks exceeded compromises linked to malware in 2022. Malware is often viewed as the core of most cyberattacks. However, in 2022, supply chain attacks surpassed the number of malware-based attacks by nearly 40 percent. According to the 2022 Annual Data Breach Report, more than ten (10) million people were impacted by supply chain attacks targeting 1,743 entities. By comparison, 70 malware-based cyberattacks affected 4.3 million people.

There is some good news in the 2022 statistics. The number of data breaches and exposures linked to unprotected cloud databases dropped 75 percent in 2022 compared to the previous high point in 2020. Also, physical attacks continued a multi-year downward trend, dropping to 46 out of 1,802 compromises.

While we did not set a record for the number of data compromises in the U.S. last year, we came close, said Eva Velasquez, President and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center. These compromises impacted at least 422 million people. These numbers are only estimates because data breach notices are increasingly issued with less information. This has resulted in less reliable data that impairs consumers, businesses and government entities from making informed decisions about the risk of a data compromise and the actions to take if impacted by one. People are largely unable to protect themselves from the harmful effects of data compromises, fueling an epidemic  a scamdemic of identity fraud committed with compromised or stolen information.

New Breach Alert Service for Businesses Coming Soon

Later in Q1 2023, the ITRC will launch a paid data breach monitoring and alert service for businesses. Notified for Business will allow organizations to conduct due diligence and monitor partner organizations and prospective vendors. To learn more, click here.

Anyone can receive free support and guidance from a knowledgeable live advisor by calling 888.400.5530 or visiting idtheftcenter.org to live-chat.

About the Identity Theft Resource Center

Founded in 1999, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) is a national nonprofit organization established to empower and guide consumers, victims, business and government to minimize risk and mitigate the impact of identity compromise and crime. Through public and private support, the ITRC provides no-cost victim assistance and consumer education through its website live-chat idtheftcenter.org and toll-free phone number 888.400.5530. The ITRC also equips consumers and businesses with information about recent data breaches through its data breach tracking tool, notified. The ITRC offers help to specific populations, including the deaf/hard of hearing and blind/low vision communities.

Media Contact

Identity Theft Resource Center

Alex Achten

Director of Communications & Media Relations

888.400.5530 Ext. 3611

media@idtheftcenter.org
J. Lohr is launching three LinkedIn Live webinars - one each in January, February, and March 2023. Each of these will focus on one of three different wine industry career areas: Marketing, Sales, and Science.

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines is proud to announce the launch of its 2023 #JLohrWomen campaign, a program aimed at celebrating diversity in the wine industry and those who inspire and mentor others. An integrated campaign featuring many J. Lohr team members from various company roles, #JLohrWomen: Join the Conversation endeavors to elevate gender equity for the alcohol beverage industry by creating new opportunities for professional entry into wine businesses. The 2020 Green Medal Leader Award winner, J. Lohr's initiative upholds the winery's tradition of sustainability leadership. Social equity is a key tenant of sustainability; by helping to fill the alcohol beverage industrys gender gap, J. Lohr is building both a stronger company internally and a more robust wine industry as a whole.

As of 2018, only four percent of C-suite positions in the wine and spirits industry were held by women (compared to 22 percent of C-suite roles across all industries in the same year). Additionally, out of over 4,200 wineries in California, only 14 percent reported having a woman as their lead winemaker in 2020. Social equity in the wine business has been fundamental to J. Lohr since our founding almost fifty vintages ago, says J. Lohr Co-owner and Chief Brand Officer Cynthia Lohr. Our father, Founder and CFO Jerry Lohr, and my brothers Steve and Lawrence (President & CEO and COO, Vineyards respectively)and our extended family of J. Lohr colleaguesare excited by this effort to spark necessary conversations and encourage greater collaboration across the entire alcohol beverage industry. Our male allies are instrumental in the advancement of women in our industry; at J. Lohr, we are fortunate to have talented women in leading positions as a result of this ethos.

#JLohrWomen LinkedIn Live & Shadow Days

J. Lohr continuously looks for ways to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within the beverage and alcohol industry. From the winerys leadership roles in organizations like Women of the Vine & Spirits (WOTVS) to taking part in industry conferences on best practices to increase DE&I, to its upcoming one-on-one "Shadow Days" focused on nurturing the professional advancement of women, the brand's commitment is total. J. Lohr is launching three LinkedIn Live webinars - one each in January, February, and March 2023. Each of these will focus on one of three different wine industry career areas: Marketing, Sales, and Science. Hosted by the women of J. Lohr, these sessions will spotlight the panelists career paths, best practices, and tips for learning, growing, and advancing in their specific disciplines. Details of these three, live LinkedIn J. Lohr webinars:



Wine Marketing. January 26, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. PST. Participants include Co-owner and Chief Brand Officer Cynthia Lohr, Public Relations & Social Media Manager Danielle Cox, and Graphic Designer Shasta Krasniewicz. Moderated by HR Director Jenifer Martinez

Wine Sales. February 23, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. PST. Participants include VP of National Accounts, On-Premise Rita Di Lello and Director of Hospitality and Direct Sales Jessica Kollhoff. Moderated by HR Director Jenifer Martinez

Wine Science: Viticulture and Enology. March 23, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. PST. Participants include Winemaker, White Wine, Kristen Barnhisel and Viticulturist/Vineyard Research Director Anji Perry. Moderated by HR Director Jenifer Martinez

RSVP to the Wine Marketing LinkedIn Live session via LinkedIn here. Visit our J. Lohr Virtual Events page for information on how to register for the additional upcoming LinkedIn Live sessions.

Following each LinkedIn Live session, attendees will have the opportunity to apply for exclusive one-on-one Shadow Days with leading J. Lohr executives in each discipline (Marketing, Sales, and Science). Shadow Days at J. Lohr are open to anyone interested in growing their knowledge or advancing their career path in wine, including students and professionals already in the beverage industry. Two Shadow Days for each discipline will take place. The first will be open to individuals within the state of California who are over the age of 21 for a day-long, sponsored visit to J. Lohrs San Jose, Greenfield, or Paso Robles locations. The second will be open to any individual over the age of 18 nationwide, for a half-day virtual Shadow Day and discussion. Applications will be accepted for thirty days following each of the LinkedIn Live sessions. Please visit jlohr.com/jlohrwomen for J. Lohr Shadow Days details, rules, and applications.

#JLohrWomen Outreach

The #JLohrWomen: Join the Conversation campaign also extends its outreach through countrywide off-premise retail POS and displays, a Valentines Day Love What You Do Instagram social media promotion, and industry and International Womens Day events and partnerships.

Throughout the month of March, J. Lohr will play a leading role in the launch of the Diverse Powered Brands database at Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), the Women of the Vine & Spirits Global Symposium on March 8, Republic National Distributing Companys (RNDC) 31 Days of Women campaign, and HEBs Womens History Month events.

J. Lohr leaders leverage their reach to enhance their local, regional, and national communities by raising awareness and funds for organizations committed to equity, education, and sustainable practices. These include the American Heart Associations 2023 Woman of Impact, for which VP of Marketing Rhonda Motil is nominated, the James Beard Foundation, Wine Country Women educational scholarships, VIBE Conference 2023, and many others.

J. Lohr invites all to follow its impact and join the conversation at - - https://www.jlohr.com/jlohrwomen.

About J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Founded forty-nine years ago by Jerry Lohr and still family owned and operated today, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines grows, produces, and bottles a full line of internationally recognized wines from its more than 4,000 acres of Certified California Sustainable estate vineyards in Monterey Countys Arroyo Seco and Santa Lucia Highlands appellations, Paso Robles, and St. Helena in Napa Valley. Offering an expressive range of styles that showcase its estate fruit, J. Lohr crafts eight tiers of award-winning wines: J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, J. Lohr Cuvee Series, J. Lohr Vineyard Series, J. Lohr Gesture, J. Lohr Pure Paso Proprietary Red Wine, J. Lohr Estates, J. Lohr Monterey Roots, and ARIEL Vineyards. The companys online home is jlohr.com.
The support from the Java Original Coffee Company helps us produce The Onco'Zine Brief and create awareness for difficult to treat cancers and topics including disparities in healthcare and access to cancer care as well as cancer prevention, -treatment and -diagnosis.

Today, the Java Original Coffee Company announced that it is partnering with The OncoZine Brief, a radio broadcast and podcast about research findings in cancer, as well as cancer prevention, - diagnoses, and - treatment, for an ongoing two-year sponsorship. As part of the agreement, a percentage of earnings from online premium coffee purchases will be set aside to support the production of new episodes of The OncoZine Brief, and expand the broadcast's syndication.

The sponsorship is part of the Java Original Coffee Companys commitment to support the cancer (research) community and help physicians, including oncologists and hematologists (and other healthcare professionals) empower people, (cancer) patients and their family and friends with accurate information about cancer prevention, -diagnoses, -treatment.

Why cancer?

According to the American Cancer Society, overall cancer mortality has dropped 33% since 1991, averting an estimated 3.8 million cancer deaths. In a recent publication, the American Cancer Society, also said that in 2023 there are projected to be 1,958,310 new cancer cases and 609,820 cancer deaths in the United States. [1] Some of these cancers may be prevented by specific prevention strategies and early diagnosis. However, cancer prevention requires that people have the right information and access to healthcare. In creating the 'Shop-for-a-Cause/Make a Difference,' campaign, Java Original Coffee Company is committed to support 13 organizations involved in (cancer) research and treatment and in the development of continued education programs for physicians and ongoing healthcare information programs for (cancer) patient and their family & friends. As part of this commitment, Java Original Coffee Company donates 3.25% of earnings of all online purchases of premium roasted artisan coffees.

"We are really grateful to be chosen by the Java Original Coffee Company," said Peter Hofland, Ph.D., executive editor and co-publisher of Onco'Zine and ADC Review | Journal of Antibody-drug Conjugates and host of The OncoZine Brief.

"The focused commitment to support the development of continued education programs for physicians and information programs for (cancer) patient and their family & friends, makes the Java Original Coffee Company the perfect partner in helping us to create awareness for difficult to treat cancers, as well as discuss novel drug development, new and advanced cancer treatment modalities, prevention and (early) diagnosis, but also topics such as disparities in health and access to (cancer) care," he noted.

Our plans for 2023 and 2024 includes increasing the number of programs and expand the syndication of The Onco'Zine Brief. The support we receive from the Java Original Coffee Company allows us to expand our reach so that The OncoZine Brief can be heard on-air in more cities in the United States. This support also helps us to expand our editorial and production team and, in collaboration with Onco'Zine and ADC Review | Journal of Antibody-drug Conjugates, offer additional programming during important medical society meetings in the United States, Europe and Asia," Hofland concluded.

About The Onco'Zine Brief

The OncoZine Brief is an interview and discussion program covering a broad range of topics and timely news updates with information from all oncology disciplines and sub-specialties from around the world. The program is a sponsor-supported broadcast and podcast for healthcare professionals involved in the management and care of cancer patients as well as cancer patients and their family and friends.

The Onco'Zine Brief is distributed in the United States via PRX (Public Radio Exchange). In the United Kingdom and Europe, the program is distributed via UK Health Radio (UKHR). The program can also be downloaded via most podcasts and streaming media services, including Audible, Spotify, Goodpods, Apple Podcast/iTunes, YouTube, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio and others.

For more information about how to sponsor or support The OncoZine Brief radio broadcast and podcast, schedule coverage of of conferences and/or medical society meetings (in association with Onco'Zine and ADC Review | Journal of Antibody-drug Conjugates), download our Media Kit or visit our Patreon page.

For more information about cancer and cancer treatments visit Onco'Zine. To sign up for The Onco'Zine Newsletter (open for residents of the United States only), text the word CANCER to 66866.

About Java Original Coffee Company

With a history dating back to 1842, the Java Original Coffee Company is the home of incredible artisan roasted gourmet coffee. Our mission is to offer the best artisan roasted coffee to our customers and create the best work environment, training, and support for our staff. We source our coffees from all over the world, and our seasonal whole bean coffee menu is curated to offer something special for everyone.

With our 'Shop-for-a-Cause/Make a Difference' campaign we donate a percentage of our earnings to support the cancer research community, individuals and organizations involved in the treatment of (pediatric) cancer patients, and organizations developing continued education programs for physicians and ongoing healthcare information programs for (cancer) patient and their family & friends.

In addition to sponsoring The OncoZine Brief, Java Original Coffee also donates a percentage of earnings from online premium coffee purchases to organizations including: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; American Cancer Society; Breast Cancer Research Foundation; Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation; Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation; Ovarian Cancer Connection; GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer; American Association For Cancer Research; Conquer Cancer Foundation; The Sarcoma Foundation of America; Lymphoma Research Foundation, and the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation.

Reference

Cancer Facts & Figures 2023, American Cancer Society. Online. Last accessed on January 17, 2023.
Kintone is a customizable digital workplace platform that lets you manage your data, tasks, and communication in one central place.

Kintone, the customizable digital workplace platform built for teamwork, has been awarded a Winter 2023 Top Performer Award by SourceForge, the worlds largest software and services review and comparison website. This award recognizes exceptional companies and products with a volume of recent favorable user reviews sufficient to place them in the top-tenth percentile of highly reviewed products on SourceForge.

Kintones customizable workplace platform lets you track and share your tasks and data for effortless collaboration. Whether its sales leads, customer quotes, or an employee database, you can use Kintone to track whatever data is critical for your team in one central place.

Were pleased to announce this years outstanding Winter 2023 Top Performers, said SourceForge President, Logan Abbott. Kintone demonstrated that their users love them, as evidenced by the significant number of outstanding user reviews.

Software is becoming integral to every aspect of business and life. SourceForge strives to make software research, comparison, development, and discovery as simple and straightforward as possible. With over two decades of experience and expertise building software research and development tools, SourceForge is one of the most visited websites in the world.

IT professionals come to SourceForge to develop, download, review, and publish open source and business software. SourceForge is the largest, most trusted destination for software discovery, software reviews, and software development on the web.

Were delighted to be named a SourceForge Winter 2023 Top Performer. Awards that are the result of customers expressing their support for Kintone are of special significance to us, said Yoshihisa Aono, President of Kintone Corp. At Kintone, we are committed to providing a best-in-class product, and were gratified and motivated to see our users rewarding us with good reviews. The entire Kintone team is honored to be so highly valued by our customers and to be recognized by SourceForge.

About SourceForge

SourceForge.net is the worlds largest software comparison directory, serving nearly 30 million users every month and featuring user reviews, product comparisons, software guides, and more. SourceForge's mission is to help businesses find the best software to fit their needs and their budget. There are a variety of software tools available to businesses, and there are tools in almost every category and niche, each serving a slightly different purpose. SourceForge also powers the Slashdot.org/software/ business software and services directory.

About Kintone Corporation

Kintone is a customizable digital workplace platform that lets you manage your data, tasks, and communication in one central place. Over 25,000 customers use Kintones no-code platform with more than 1.5 million database and workflow applications custom built for their businesses. Kintone is provided by Cybozu Inc., a Tokyo-based public company founded in 1997. For more information, please visit kintone.com.


If you would like to know more about the Jeronimo Logistics LLC lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

The Southern California labor law attorneys at Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC, filed a class action complaint against Jeronimo Logistics LLC for allegedly failing to provide meal and rest breaks. The class action lawsuit, Case No. 30-2023-01300011-CU-OE-CXC, is currently pending in the Orange County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit, Jeronimo Logistics LLC allegedly violated California Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 204, 210, 226, 226.7, 246, 510, 512, 558, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802 by failing to: (1) pay minimum wages; (2) pay overtime wages; (3) provide required meal and rest periods; (4) provide wages when due; (5) provide accurate itemized wage statements; and (6) reimburse for required business expenses.

As a result of their rigorous work schedules, Jeronimo Logistics LLC's employees were allegedly unable to take off duty meal breaks and were not fully relieved of duty for meal periods. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges employees were from time to time interrupted during their off-duty meal breaks to complete tasks for Jeronimo Logistics LLC. Employees were allegedly required to perform work as ordered by Jeronimo Logistics LLC for more than five (5) hours during a shift without receiving an off-duty meal break. Further, the lawsuit alleges Jeronimo Logistics LLC failed to provide employees with a second off-duty meal period each workday in which these employees were required by Jeronimo Logistics LLC to work ten (10) hours of work. Jeronimo Logistics LLC policy allegedly caused employees to remain on-call and on duty during what was supposed to be their off-duty meal periods. Employees therefore allegedly forfeited meal breaks without additional compensation and in accordance with Jeronimo Logistics LLC's strict corporate policy and practice.

If you would like to know more about the lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

Zakay Law Group, APLC, and JCL Law Firm, APC are labor and employment law firms with offices located in California that dedicate their practices to fighting for employees who have been wronged by their employers due to unfair employment practices. Contact one of their attorneys today if you need help with workplace issues regarding wage and hour, wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment.

-THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT-
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Eblock Corporation, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that Eblock Corporation violated the California Labor Code. The Eblock Corporation class action lawsuit, Case No. 23CV409729, is currently pending in the Santa Clara County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit filed, Defendant allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, and (f) failed to provide wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in California Labor Code Sections  201-204, 226, 226.7, 233, 246, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct.

Eblock Corporation allegedly failed to reimburse employees for required business expenses. California Labor Code  2802 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, Plaintiff and other California Class Members were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones as a result of and in furtherance of their job duties.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Eblock Corporation, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
We value this opportunity to continue collaborating with TD Bank to provide counseling to self-employed consumers, particularly those in BIPOC communities who may be struggling disproportionately.

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) has received grant support from TD Bank, that aims to deliver financial counseling and education to small business owners from Maine to Florida. The new grant focuses on self-employed individuals whose challenges with personal finances may be adversely affecting their business.

We know that many small business owners continue to struggle financially from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic uncertainty, said NFCC CEO Mike Croxson. We value this opportunity to continue to collaborate with TD Bank to provide counseling to consumers who are self-employed, particularly those in BIPOC communities who may be struggling disproportionately.

"TD is proud to support NFCC's small business credit counseling program because we know that successful small businesses are critical to economic success in communities across our footprint, " said Shelley Sylva, Head of US Corporate Citizenship at TD Bank. "At TD we work hard every day to try to make a positive impact on the communities we serve. Through this program, NFCC will support entrepreneurs and small business owners to take their businesses to the next level!"

This newest initiative is designed to assist small business owners as they transition from consumer financial products to more appropriate business-oriented products and services. NFCC services include a customized curriculum, additional counselor training, certification, technology enhancements and development of program materials. Additionally, this grant calls for NFCC to host a series of quarterly online workshops, providing access to learning resources to small business owners located in the TD Bank geographic footprint.

Our experienced, certified counselors help self-employed individuals identify and overcome financial challenges which may be hindering business growth, said Barry Coleman, NFCCs vice president of Program Management and Education. Our core small business owner financial education curriculum provides deep-dive education on subjects specific to the needs of small business owners, such as managing personal versus business income and expenses; understanding and managing cash flow; and understanding personal versus business credit.

About the NFCC

Dedicated to educating Americans about how to reduce personal or household debt responsibly, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is a trusted, nationwide resource for education and support in building financial management skills. Through its network of nonprofit agencies and certified counselors, the NFCC offers impactful approaches to debt reduction and improved credit standing, whether consumers are struggling with credit card debt, decisions about housing, or student loans. For more information about the NFCC or to be connected to a certified counselor, please call 800-388-2227 or visit http://www.nfcc.org.

About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing over 9.8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Auto Finance, a division of TD Bank, N.A., offers vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. TD Bank and its subsidiaries also offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit http://www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TDBank_US and http://www.twitter.com/TDNews_US.

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit http://www.td.com/us.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Vice Speaker of Parliament and head of the Armenian delegation to Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Ruben Rubinyan met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric.

I met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. I presented the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor. We concurred that the CoE monitoring bodies must have unimpeded access to any territory in the CoU area. I called for increased pressure on Azerbaijan to immediately open the corridor, Rubinyan said in a statement on social media.
oak9's Security as Code platform detecting security and compliance gaps within Google Cloud Platform (GCP) infrastructure. oak9s Security as Code applies up-to-date security reference architectures consistently to all cloud workloads across AWS, Azure, and now Google Cloud Platform, automatically  the ultimate in cloud infrastructure security.

As organizations increase their cloud footprint, security becomes more tedious. According to HashiCorp's State of Cloud Strategy Survey, 90% of organizations say multi-cloud is an effective business strategy. Now there's a way to easily secure infrastructure across those disparate environments.

oak9, developer-first Infrastructure as Code (IaC) security leader, added support for Google Cloud Platform, and now fully secures multi-cloud environments. With this release, oak9 now supports infrastructure on all three major cloud service providers  Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP)  so its customers are secure and compliant by design, pre- and post-deployment.

Our Security as Code blueprints are cloud agnostic, and purpose-built to support the increasing adoption of complex multi-cloud and cloud native environments, says Om Vyas, Chief Product Officer and Co-founder at oak9. oak9s Security as Code applies up-to-date security reference architectures consistently to all cloud workloads across AWS, Azure, and now Google Cloud Platform, automatically  the ultimate in cloud infrastructure security.

oak9s Security as Code platform bridges software development and security, helps organizations save hundreds of hours of work across DevOps and security teams, and aids organizations with slim security resources to stay secure and compliant.

oak9 natively supports all connected Google Cloud Platform products and services across compute, networking, storage, database, analytics, AI, and machine learning, ensuring not only that IaC is secure and compliant, but that any cloud, or multi-cloud architectures designed, built, and deployed using Google Cloud Platform are secure and compliant throughout the entire software development lifecycle.

Current and prospective oak9 customers can leverage all the powerful capabilities of oak9s Security as Code platform on Google Cloud or in multi-cloud environments for:



Secure cloud architecture design

Dynamic compliance

IaC security

Intelligent remediation

Software engineering supply chain security

Continuous monitoring and drift detection

Developer-first seamless integration

Learn more about oak9's cloud native security software.

About oak9

oak9 secures cloud native infrastructure for developers. oak9 Security as Code continuously finds, analyzes, and remediates security and compliance issues in real-time, as changes occur in infrastructure as code (IaC) and deployed cloud workloads. oak9s proprietary Security as Code (SaC) blueprints support 20-plus compliance standards out-of-the-box including HIPAA, HITRUST, PCI, SOC2 and ISO27001. oak9s open-sourced Security as Code also enables security engineers to extend oak9 security blueprints for additional guard rails. Headquartered in Chicago, oak9 is a Built in 2022 Start-up to Watch backed by investors Menlo Ventures, HPA, Cisco Investments, and Morgan Stanleys Next Level Fund. oak9 partners with HashiCorp, AWS, and Microsoft, and actively supports the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). Keep in touch with oak9 on LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok, or visit oak9.io.
Travelers can save 20% on new stays for dates between 25 February 2023 and 24 May 2023.

The Homeowners Collection Vacation Rentals, Seasides largest vacation rental company, has announced its annual Spring Fever sale. Travelers can save 20% on new stays for dates between 25 February 2023 and 24 May 2023.

Weve always had a great response to the Spring Fever promotion, says Amy Wise-Coble, General Manager of Homeowners Collection. Seaside is a great place to visit in the springtime.

The Spring Fever sale is available for over 175 participating vacation cottages located directly in Seaside, Florida, Americas perfect beach town. A minimum stay of 3 nights is required.

Vacationers can book their cottage directly online, using the promotional code SF20. They can also call (888) 606-8528 to book. Stays must be booked by 15 February to qualify for the special rate.

For a list of available cottages, visit the Spring Fever Sale page at https://homeownerscollection.com/special/spring-fever-savings.

All Homeowners Collection properties are located directly in Seaside, a family-friendly beach community that feels like a step back to a simpler time. Visitors to Seaside can easily walk to local boutiques, art galleries and restaurants, and children can ride bicycles to the local ice cream shop. Seaside also features the largest private beach access along Floridas famous Highway 30A.

The Spring Fever promotion means that guests can enjoy some of the best rates of the year for their Seaside vacation. A 2-bedroom property like the companys Better Days cottage is available for as little as $275 per night, plus taxes and fees, for guests booking a 3-night stay in April. The same cottage rents for as much as $406 a night during the Summer high season.

Travelers can visit the Homeowners Collection website to see rates for all available cottages. The Spring Fever promotion is not available for existing reservations, and discounts do not apply to lodging taxes and fees.

About Homeowners Collection

Homeowners Collection is an exclusive collection of premier vacation rentals operated by the homeowners of Seaside, Florida. The company manages more than 175 vacation rentals directly in Seaside, one of Americas most celebrated beachfront communities.

For more information, call (855) 411-1557 or visit the companys web site at https://homeownerscollection.com.
Stetson University President Christopher F. Roellke, PhD All of higher education is under great scrutiny, in part because of the increasing and escalating costs of higher education.

Colleges and universities are facing dramatic changes these days and can no longer operate by the time-honored traditions that have guided them for so long.

Stetson University President Christopher F. Roellke, PhD, joins more than 100 college presidents who offer insights into the forces reshaping higher education in the new book, "Commencement: The Beginning of a New Era in Higher Education."

''All of higher education is under great scrutiny," Roellke says in the new book, "in part because of the increasing and escalating costs of higher education. The return-on-investment questions are very, very real."

Stetson, he said, needs to continue providing an education rooted deeply in the liberal arts while also ensuring those learnings prepare students for the workforce and are relevant to the real world.

"I think we have to be laser-focused on giving our students skills of critical thinking, being able to work across differences, being able to communicate effectively, and being able to use technology effectively," he said. "These are all the tools that our industries are requiring of our graduates."

The book, published in late November, draws on interviews with Roellke and other higher-education leaders on The EdUp Experience Podcast. Roellke spoke to the book's authors during the height of the pandemic in the summer of 2020, as he took over as Stetson president. He faced not only a global health crisis but also a wave of social unrest over racial and other issues in America.

As Stetson's president, Roellke has emphasized the need for productive dialogue and civil discourse in addressing contemporary and controversial issues. He, in collaboration with students, faculty and community members, has created structures for divergent perspectives to be shared and debated in an effort to find common ground.

"I think that there's no better place to be, frankly, than an institution of higher education - where we can have the difficult conversations and where we have the opportunity to try to meet the needs of particular communities to provide ample opportunities for multicultural exchange ... with the hope that we can move ourselves forward into an engaged and pluralistic society."

About Stetson University

Founded in 1883, Stetson University is the oldest private university in Central Florida. Stetson focuses on intense learning experiences in a supportive community that allows students to develop their voice in a connected, inclusive environment. Stetson University ranks No. 4 on U.S. News & World Reports 2023 list of Best Regional Universities (South) and has been recognized as one of The Princeton Reviews Best 388 Colleges for 2023.
Teriyaki Madness was recognized as one of the top 500 franchises in Entrepreneurs Franchise 500, the worlds first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. The 44th annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500 is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry that recognizes outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power. Their ranking as number 277 in 2023 caps off seven consecutive years on the coveted list, including placements of 330 in 2017, 490 in 2018, 465 in 2019, 461 in 2020, 247 in 2021 and 252 in 2022.

Teriyaki Madness rounded out 2022 with 37 new franchisees and 103 new units in the works, having broken into markets in Louisiana, Georgia, Missouri and Massachusetts.

Weve grown our footprint by nearly a quarter in the past year, said Teriyaki Madness CEO Michael Haith. Recognition on the Franchise 500 list is just another indicator of the strength of the concept, and were continuing to drive forward, ready to take 2023 by storm.

The past year underscores the extraordinary opportunities that the franchise industry presents for entrepreneurs of all levels, says Entrepreneur editor in chief Jason Feifer. The companies named to our 44th annual Franchise 500 list represent some of the most innovative, creative, and trusted brands across many industries and highlight what it takes to build the kind of momentum that drives long-lasting success.

In Entrepreneurs continuing effort to best understand and evaluate the ever-changing franchise marketplace, the companys 44-year-old ranking formula continues to evolve, as well. The editorial team researches and assesses several factors that go into the evaluation, including costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength and financial strength and stability. Each franchise is given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500 in ranking order.

Over its 44 years in existence, the Franchise 500 has become both a dominant competitive measure for franchisors and a primary research tool for potential franchisees. Teriyaki Madness position on the ranking is a testament to its strength as a franchise opportunity.

To view Teriyaki Madness in the full ranking, visit http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. Results can also be seen in the January/February 2023 issue of Entrepreneur, available on newsstands January 17th.

ABOUT TERIYAKI MADNESS:

If youve read this far, you knowTeriyaki Madness is making big moves. Named the #1 Fastest-Growing Big Restaurant Chain in the U.S. by Restaurant Business, TMADs secret sauce lies in creating value for franchisees, guests and employees alike. More than 125 shops across three countries deliver big, heaping bowls of fresh, natural ingredients to their communities, creating a cult-like following with customers, employment opportunities for neighborhoods and profitable margins for the operators. Backed by world-class delivery and loyalty innovations and an all-star Executive Team, Teriyaki Madness focus is on sustainable growth and exceptional experiences. Visit http://www.franchise.teriyakimadness.com for single and multi-unit opportunities, and join the Teriyaki Takeover.

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Justin Logo

What is a Composite Toe in Work Boots?

Composite toe work boots are designed to provide maximum safety and comfort for workers in various industries. Composite toe work boots are a modern alternative to the traditional steel toe option because they are lightweight, comfortable, meet safety requirements, and do not conduct electricity or set off metal detectors.

Justin Boots composite toe work boots feature a lightweight and durable composite toe cap that meets ASTM standards for impact and compression resistance, making them ideal for construction, oil and gas, and other heavy-duty work environments. Justin Boots has designed work boots that meet the demands of todays workers and exceed industry safety standards.

Slip Resistant Outsoles

Justin offers a variety of composite toe boot styles equipped with slip resistant outsoles. This safety feature protects those working on dangerous surfaces. Protective footwear with Justin safety features can protect in wet conditions and helps prevent injury. Justin also offers composite toe boots that are completely waterproof. These will provide added comfort throughout the day keeping your feet dry in any environment.

Here are the top five composite toe work boots from Justin Boots:

1. Joist 11 Composite Toe Waterproof Work Boot

2. Rush 6 Nano Composite Toe Waterproof Work Boot

3. Resistor 11 Nano Composite Toe Work Boot

4. Trekker 11 Composite Toe Waterproof Work Boot

5. Rush II 11 Composite Toe Waterproof Work Boot

Justin Boots composite toe work boots are available in a variety of sizes and styles, and can be purchased at JustinBoots.com or at an authorized Justin Boots retailer. Shop all composite toe work boots here.

About Justin Boots

Justin Boots is a brand of western footwear that was founded in 1879 by H.J. Justin. The company is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and produces a wide range of boots for both men and women, including cowboy boots, work boots, and casual shoes. Justin Boots is known for its high-quality craftsmanship and use of premium materials, and has a reputation for being a trusted brand in the western footwear market. For more information, visit justinboots.com. Facebook:@JustinBoots | Twitter: @JustinBoots | Instagram: @JustinBoots_


Stewart Ryan Stew has done remarkable work with the firm on behalf of victims of crime, said Jeff Laffey, firm managing partner. We are proud to elevate him to Partner.

Personal injury law firm Laffey, Bucci & Kent is pleased to announce that attorney Stewart Ryan has been promoted to Partner of the firm. Ryan regularly handles cases nationwide involving sexual and physical assaults in institutional settings and is a staunch advocate for victims of sexual assault and abuse.

Stew has done remarkable work with the firm on behalf of victims of crime, said Jeff Laffey, firm managing partner. We are proud to elevate him to Partner. He is a passionate advocate for our clients in the constant pursuit of justice for individuals who have suffered emotional or physical injuries. We look forward to his continued service as a vital member of our team.

Ryan has litigated cases against religious organizations that have allowed children to be abused for decades, including cases against the Catholic Church (in multiple states), Seventh-Day Adventists, Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America, and various cults, including Scientology, among others.

I am honored to serve the firm and our clients as a Partner, said Ryan. I am deeply committed to helping our clients achieve justice and to ensuring they are treated with compassion and empathy. I look forward to continuing this important work on behalf of those who have been injured or harmed.

Prior to joining Laffey, Bucci & Kent, Ryan served as Assistant Chief of the Trials Division in the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office, where he handled a wide variety of cases including homicides and violent crimes. He also prosecuted a number of high-profile cases, including Commonwealth v. William H. Cosby Jr. He presented the testimony of past victims, handled several critical cross-examinations, and made the final closing argument before the jury returned its guilty verdict and was interviewed on Good Morning America as a result.

A widely recognized speaker, Ryan has presented to audiences across the United States and Canada on issues related to sexual violence, prevention, institutional abuse, and high-profile prosecutions. He is also regularly relied upon as a subject matter expert by local, national, and international media. He received his law degree from Widener University School of Law and his bachelors degree from Franklin & Marshall College.

About Laffey, Bucci & Kent

The law firm was founded in 2009 by Jeff Laffey, Paul Bucci & Brian Kent. Each attorney brings a wealth of trial experience to the firm. Combined, attorneys at the firm have over 50 years of experience and have obtained over $500 million for their clients. In addition to crime victim injury cases, the firm handles a variety of personal injury matters including work injuries, construction accidents, defective product injuries, auto injuries and more.
Joe Gagliese, Co-founder and CEO of the global social media technology company Viral Nation, has established The Young Entrepreneur Scholarship (YES) aimed to support students who are founders of their own businesses and pursuing post-secondary programs at the University of Toronto (U of T). Having experienced first-hand the difficulties of balancing entrepreneurship and academia, Gagliese hopes the YES will enable students to reach all their goals by easing the financial constraints that come with high education.

When I was in university, I felt it added a lot of value, but regretfully I never finished school because my businesses started to take over my time and interests. It can be hard to balance those factors and priorities as a young person, said Gagliese. I want to create a space and a system of support for students who are focusing on their entrepreneurial pursuits alongside their degrees. Thats the one thing I never had at that critical junction in my lifethat would have made all the difference.

Unlike traditional scholarships, YES has no grade, or GPA, requirement and is based instead primarily on recipients entrepreneurial merit. Recipients must have an operational business, meet the academic baseline requirement of passing set by the university (i.e. remain in good standing), and be enrolled as full-time students to receive support. These unique components set the YES apart from other financial supports currently available at U of T. YES provides students with the flexibility and incentive to reach their business goals while completing a degree that will further their knowledge and personal growth.

The Young Entrepreneurs Scholarship is a wonderful opportunity for students to combine their passion for entrepreneurship with access to the world-class education that U of T provides, without being overly limited by the stress or barriers of financial constraints. We are very grateful to Joe Gagliese for believing and investing in young people at U of T and, by extension, the innovators of tomorrow who would lead transformative change for the good of all, said Wisdom Tettey, Vice-President of the University of Toronto and principal of the University of Toronto Scarborough. YES will provide our students with the support needed to pursue their dual interest in entrepreneurship and world-class education, to unleash their creative abilities, and to make valuable contributions to the broader society as innovators, critically-minded citizens, and leaders in the economy.

Starting in Spring 2023, University of Toronto students across all programs including U of T Scarborough Management school are eligible to be YES recipients. Gaglieses long-term vision for the scholarship is to see it evolve into a larger program and fund that invests in recipients ventures. In turn, successful ventures will reinvest in the educational portion of the program, creating a virtuous cycle that supports underrecognized and deserving entrepreneurs across North America and celebrates simultaneously the value of post-secondary education and true entrepreneurial talent.

Gagliese has committed a total of $200,000 to YES over the next two years with U of T matching his contribution dollar-for-dollar through the True Blue Program. For more information and how eligible applicants can apply, visit: https://utsc.utoronto.ca/mgmt/young-entrepreneur-scholarship-yes

About Joe Gagliese

Joe Gagliese is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Viral Nation, a global social media technology company that powers the social ecosystem through integrated solutions that align strategy, talent, media, and technology. Viral Nation works with tens of thousands of influencers across the social landscape and fuels growth for the world's leading brands, including Amazon Prime,

The Coca Cola Company, Hasbro, Meta, Oculus, Sonos, Tencent, Walmart and Uber.

A recognized expert in influencer marketing and social technologies, Joe is regularly cited in outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, WIRED, CNBC, Vox, Business Insider, Forbes, and Inc. Joe is the first Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Toronto.

About the University of Toronto

Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto has evolved into Canada's leading institution of learning, discovery, and knowledge creation. We are proud to be one of the worlds top research-intensive universities, driven to invent and innovate. U of T students have the opportunity to learn from and work with preeminent thought leaders through our multidisciplinary network of teaching and research faculty, alumni, and partners. The ideas, innovations, and actions of more than 640,000 graduates continue to have a positive impact in the world.

https://www.utoronto.ca/
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. All passenger flights at the Berlin Brandenburg airport that were scheduled for Wednesday have either been cancelled or rescheduled due to a labor strike, Deutsche Welle reports.

Around 300 flights were to take off or land at the Berlin airport on Wednesday. However, the terminal buildings of Berlin's international airport were virtually empty on Wednesday morning.

Numerous workers gathered in front of the main terminal building of the Berlin-Brandenburg airport. The strike is set to last throughout the day.

As many as 35,000 passengers who were scheduled to pass through the Berlin Brandenburg Airport are estimated to be affected by the strike.

The labor strike was organized by the trade union Verdi over pay.

The trade union is demanding a per month hike of 500 ($540) in the salaries of airport employees and the ground handling services over a 12-month collective bargaining contract.
What happens when an artist whose signature style is working with found objects meets a children's book editor whose passion is finding stories? The answer is the book. Dream Big, Laugh Often and More Great Advice from the Bible, which will be released by FSG Books for Young Readers on March 21 and mailed to Jewish families who subscribe to the PJ Library in May.

"Our meeting was beshert," says FSG editor Joy Peskin, referring to the Yiddish word for "destiny." Peskin encountered Israeli artist Hanoch Piven in 2019 when he gave a workshop at her New Jersey synagogue on creating collage portraits from items drawn from any junk drawer, toy chest, rag bag or tool box. That day, Peskin, grieving the sudden death of her father that fall, made a portrait of him from doodads Piven had provided. "It felt powerful. It felt cathartic, and I knew we should make a book together," Peskin tells PW, speaking from her home where that portrait still hangs.

They kicked around ideas, but nothing gelled until 2022 when the PJ Library proposed a partnership with FSG to publish a book by Piven and his collaboratorwhom he also met by chance at a workshop in 2018. Shira Hecht-Koller is an author and Jewish educator who currently serves as director of education for M: The Institute of Experiential Jewish Education. She had the idea for a book that would bring Piven's collage approach to retelling Biblical narratives and wisdom. "Shira laid the foundation for me as a secular Jew who felt afar from these texts to study and comment on these stories, and perhaps, through me, other people regardless of their religious belief will enjoy reading them as well," Piven explains.

Ultimately, the team that built the book became a havruta (Hebrew for learning with a partner) as the artist, the editor, and the educator were joined by freelance art director Neil Swaab in choosing and distilling upbeat advice from selected Bible characters, then designing art and text for Dream Big, Laugh Often. Swaab says he and Peskin, both recalling the drab, earnest Jewish books of their childhood years, wanted this to be "a joyful book that gives the kids an intro to Jewish roots in a fun and entertaining way."

The book offers two takes on 14 characters in the Hebrew Bible. They range from well-known personalitiesincluding Moses, illustrated with a body made of matzoh, the crackers the Hebrews carried when hastily fleeing Egypt, and Eve, shown in Eden with a bird figurine and a jalapeno pepper, among other items cascading to form her hairto Balaam's donkey, mentioned in the book of Numbers. It's seen halting mid-step because it sees a folded white fan angel that Balaam fails to recognize. "Collage is about paying attention to serendipity to what life suddenly puts in front of you," says Piven. "This is something we can learn from the artistic activity and then apply it to all aspects of life."

The first half of their book, geared to eight-year-olds, features an illustrated scene from each character's life with a few paragraphs highlighting an upbeat message. Jonah, about to be swallowed by a fishnet shopping bag for shirking responsibility, prompts advice that one should "Take a Time-Out" to rethink one's actions. Sarah, shown with grinning dentures for eyes, will "Laugh Big" upon learning she's pregnant in her old age. By retelling the Torah using humble objects like oven mitts, wrenches, and rag-bag scraps, the team hopes that young readers, too, might build influential lives from their own surroundings.

The second half of the book, written by Hecht-Koller, is geared to older children and parents, whose religious education may be lax or long forgotten. It revisits the highlighted characters, presenting an an-depth description drawn from scriptures, and a zoomed-in version of Piven's portrait of that figure. These are intended to highlight what Hecht-Koller calls "the complexity and multidimensionality of these famous characters." Hect-Koller hopes that readers of any faith may "be inspired to learn and take advice from them as they build their own selves and lives of meaning."

Piven says, "All the Bible stories are journeys of growth and of distillments of human moments of truth. I believe that once I manage to connect them, as Torah scholars constantly do, to my own quest of searching, that will act as a bridge for others to connect to the stories as well."
This June, Astra Books for Young Readers mineditionUS imprint will receive a new name: Minerva. The company will mark this rebranding with the June 6 publication of Papas Magical Water-Jug Clock, the first childrens book from Mexican American comedian and actor Jesus Trejo, illustrated by Eliza Kinkz, as the renamed imprints inaugural offering. Trejos humorous tale springs from his recollections of accompanying his landscaper father to work on Saturdays when he was a kid, and the bonding and life lessons that came from the experience. A Spanish edition will be published simultaneously (El barrilito magico de Papa) and Trejo will support the project with a national tour.

The name shift from mineditionUS to Minerva is one that is steeped in all kinds of historyboth professional and personalaccording to the imprints editorial director Maria Russo. The name minedition causes some confusion, she explained. People arent sure how to pronounce it, and from a marketing standpoint thats a challenge. And we realized the name itself was very much associated with [its founder, international picture book publisher] Michael Neugebauer; in fact, its derived from his initials, the mi and the ne are the first two letters of Michael and Neugebauer. In 2020, Astra Publishing House officially launched mineditionUS with Russo at the helm, acquiring books for the U.S. market. As Astra Books for Young Readers was becoming more established, she said, it seemed like the right moment to start with a fresh name that was really born from within Astra but was still nodding to the history.

Books already published under the mineditionUS imprint will remain minedition titles, including any reprints. Neugebauer, who remains director of Hong Kong-based Michael Neugebauer Publishing, will continue the European minedition program. Additionally, select imported minedition frontlist board books and picture books will continue to be published in the U.S. alongside the Minerva list under the Astra BFYR umbrella.

Russos more personal connection to the Minerva name comes from researching her own family history in Italy, working with the town record keeper in the village where her paternal grandparents were from, digging up birth certificates and other documents. It turns out that my great grandparents had a thing for the name Hercules, she said with a laugh. She learned that the Greek Hercules myth held significance in that region of Italy. So I went down the Hercules rabbit hole for a bit and there was Minerva herself, who was also popular in that area, because they saw her as Herculess protector, she added. One day it just hit me that the first four letters of Minerva are M I N E, and it all just kind of clicked. She noted that Minerva is the goddess of wisdom and is also recognized as a protector of artists and artisans. She represents everything you want in picture books.

We really want to tie the Minerva launch to Papas Magical Water-Jug Clock on June 6 because that book is so big for us, Russo said. She won the book at auction last year in a two-book deal, noting, I still thank my lucky stars. And she has nothing but praise for her new author. Hes funny, hes a good storyteller, obviously, because hes a professional comedian. But hes also just a profoundly caring human being with this authentic charisma. Trejo has shared stories with Russo about spending time at the library when his parents were working as they could not afford childcare. He has a really deep connection to childrens books and libraries, and we cant wait to share the story with kids, she said.

The book hits so many of my sweet spots, Russo added. Its a Mexican American working-class family, its visibly set in the L.A. area Jesus grew up in Long Beach and still lives there, and I lived there for 10 years; two of my kids were born there. All of this gives the book a distinct point of view that Russo is excited about. L.A. is now a majority minority region, so this story is not about being an outsider, she said. Its not really concerned with the Anglo culture majority white culture at all. Its just a story about Jesus and his dad and their loving bond and their family landscaping business.

Russo also had praise for Tejana illustrator Kinkz. She brought so much visual humor to go with Jesuss storytelling humor. Were just getting started on book number two, which focuses on Jesus and his mom, she said. Papas Magical Water-Jug Clock has Russo enthusiastic for another reason as well. Im excited to be publishing in English and Spanish, she said. Were reaching more kids, celebrating Mexican American families and promoting bilingualism. The demand is out there for Spanish-language picture books and Im so happy to be part of that.

Going forward, plans are to produce 1012 new books per year under the Minerva name, and the imprint will sport a new logo by author-illustrator Dan Yaccarino who has published two titles with mineditionUS. In addition to Trejos book, June will also see Minervas publication of Luna Ranchera by Mexican author Rodrigo Morlesin, illustrated by Argentine artist Mariana Ruiz Johnson, spotlighting a canine mother-daughter singing act in the Nuevo Wild West. And further down the line, readers can expect to see Minerva titles from bestselling authors Emily Jenkins and Gideon Sterer; The Book from Far Away by Bruce Handy, illustrated by Julie Benbassat, a wordless picture book about a human child and an alien child who meet and exchange books; and Simone by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, illustrated by Vietnamese American illustrator Minnie Phan, featuring a child who has to evacuate her home in the path of a wildfire.
On January 21 the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., debuted Songbook, a new scripted/reality online series created by author Marc Tyler Nobleman.

In the three-episode season, available on the Kennedy Centers YouTube channel and website each episode follows one selected middle school student who has prepared an original poem based on a book. They each meet with musician Randy Preston to set their poem to music. Viewers follow along with their collaborative process, which includes songwriting tips, surprise appearances, and a final performance in front of a live audience.

Vaughn Ryan Midder is the shows comedic host, Nobleman is creator, writer, producer, and director, and authors Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess are executive producers.

Songbook is a part of the Kennedy Centers Digital Stage, a hub of Kennedy Center performances and original series for all ages. For more information about Songbook, click here.
A Trio's Look at Suffering

Cindy Bunch, v-p and associate publisher for InterVarsity Press, bought world rights to the unagented and tentatively titled Traveling a Road Marked by Suffering, scheduled for publication in 2025. The book is meant to be a short, practical guide for leaning on faith during hardship and is based on interdisciplinary research by the trio of authors. Elizabeth Hall, professor of psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology (Biola University), was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in 2013; Kelly Kapic, whose wife was also diagnosed with breast cancer and later chronic pain, joined Hall in a study of suffering, and the pair wrote the book with Jason McMartin, who teaches theology at Rosemead and Talbot School of Theology at Biola.

Salem Takes Prayers for Women

Mary DeMuth of Mary DeMuth Literary sold world rights to Salems executive editor Timothy Peterson for Rachel Wojos Desperate Times Call for Desperate Prayers. In it, Wojoa speaker, author, and podcasteraims to help women step away from last-minute prayers and instead form an intimate and unique prayer relationship with God, according to the publisher. The book is scheduled for publication in fall 2024.

B&H Signs Scribbles

B&H editor Lauren Groves took world rights to When God Makes Scribbles Beautiful, a picture book for ages 4-8 written by Kate Rietema, a foster parent as well as a birth and adoptive mom who runs a family camp resort in Michigan with her husband. The book is intended to remind young readers that God can make difficult things beautiful, in the same way that scribbles can become beautiful. Karen E. Neumair at Credo Communications represents Rietema, and Robbin Brosterman at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator, Jennie Poh. Publication is slated for spring 2024.

Plantinga Reups with Brazos

David Bratt with BBH Literary sold world rights to Robert Hosack, executive editor at Brazos Press, for The Spiritual Power of Gratitude by Cornelius Plantinga (Reading for Preaching). Plantinga, president emeritus of Calvin Theological Seminary, writes about gratitude as being so much more than a path to self-improvementarguing that its at the heart of the Christian faith. He meditates on the nature, purpose, and necessity of thankfulness. The new book is slated for publication in spring 2024.

IVP Heeds a Healthy Call

Al Hsu, senior editor at InterVarsity Press, bought world rights from Keely Boeving of WordServe Literary to Dr. Arianna Molloys The Blueprint of a Healthy Calling. Molloy, an associate professor of organizational communication at Biola University, explores why those with a strong sense of calling tend to experience burnout at such high rates. The book aims to equip readers with tools for overcoming exhaustion, and encourage them to pursue their work with joy, according to the publisher. Its slated for publication in fall 2024.

Paraclete Shares Joy

Paraclete Press director Lillian Miao bought world rights to Share the Joy, a Christmas lift-the-flap book, written by Valerie Ellis, founder of Our Everyday Parables website for families, and illustrated by Sergio De Giorgio. The rhyming board book encourages toddlers and preschoolers to discover the excitement of sharing throughout a festive Christmas season. Annette Bourland at Bourland Strategic Advisors represented the author, and Mela Bolinao at MB Artists represented the illustrator. Publication is scheduled for fall 2023.

DaySprings Jesus-Centered Devotional

Marc Hawbaker, acquiring editor for DaySpring, bought world rights to Jason Sautels Jesus Is All We Need Devotional, set to release in January 2024. Tom Dean of A Drop of Ink Literary brokered the deal for the full-color, 90-day devotional intended to show readers that Jesus is truly all we need, according to the publisher.

Zonderkidz Gets Brave

Megan Dobson, publisher at Zonderkidz, acquired world rights to the unagented picture book Bryson the Brave Bison by debut authors Nate Davenport and Luke Freshwater. The book, slated for publication in June 2023, is for ages 4-8. Richard Cowdrey (Fiona the Hippo), who represented himself in the deal, will illustrate. Inspired by Freshwaters service as a firefighter and an Army bomb squad leader in the war in Afghanistan, Bryson the Brave Bison aims to teach children positive character traits such as bravery, honesty, perseverance, and courage to face the storms of life, according to the publisher.

This story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Miao's name.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Ukraine's military conceded to AFP Wednesday that its troops had pulled out of town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region, which Russian forces said they captured earlier this month.

"After months of heavy fighting, including over the past weeks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine left (Soledar) and retreated along the outskirts to pre-prepared positions," AFP quoted Ukrainian military spokesman Sergiy Cherevaty as saying.

Cherevaty did not disclose to AFP when Ukrainian troops had withdrawn from Soledar but he said the manoeuvre had been carefully planned.

The Russian military said on January 12 that it was controlling Soledar.
World of Wonder is introducing the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Belgium.

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The new RuPaul 's Drag Race spinoff will feature 10 contestants in its debut season.

Canada's Drag Race Season 1 alum Rita Baga will host Season 1, with Lufy and Mustii to serve as judges in the drag performer competition.

The new series will premiere Feb. 16 on WOW Presents Plus, with subsequent episodes to air Thursdays. The show will air on Tipik in Belgium.

Here's the contestants for RuPaul's Drag Race Belgium Season 1:

Amanda Tears, 21, "a passionate debutante" and trained stylist who creates all her outfits from scratch

Athena Sorgelikis, 27, the drag daughter of Edna Sorgelsen and an ambassador of modern drag who embraces conceptual and edgy looks

Brittany Von Bottokx, 36, a wig-loving queen with an original and independent look

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Drag Couenne, 24, a bubbly and witty queen who is active in the LGBTQIA+ community

Mademoiselle Boop, 37, the owner of a well-known cabaret with an elegant look

Peach, 23, an introvert who shows her fierce and sexy side in drag

Susan, 26, a "quintessential Belgian girl" with a funny and loveable old school character

Valenciaga, 26, a queen with an acute sense of fashion and attention to detail

The original RuPaul's Drag Race is in its 15th season and airs on MTV. The series has inspired several international spinoffs, including RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenia received notice that Azerbaijan is commencing an arbitration against Armenia under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, the Representative of Armenia for International Legal Matters Yeghishe Kirakosyan said in a statement.

On 18 January 2023, the Republic of Armenia received notice that the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan) is commencing an arbitration against Armenia under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention).

Armenia regrets that Azerbaijan has chosen to pursue an adversarial process under an international instrument the very purpose of which is to promote  cooperation among States to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats. Armenia has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to the conservation of the regions wildlife and preservation of the environment, including through its close engagement with the Bern Conventions monitoring and other bodies. Armenias environmental record also speaks for itself. Armenia is concerned that Azerbaijans pursuit of a contentious path for reasons that appear to have no relation to the Bern Conventions objectives may have detrimental impacts for the regions environment, which was significantly harmed as a result of Azerbaijans aggressive wars in the last two years.

Armenia is committed to the protection and conservation of the environment and will continue to comply with its obligations under international environmental instruments, including the Bern Convention, the Representative of Armenia for International Legal Matters said.
In February, the Athens Area Humane Society will unveil their very first canine agility course, the Betty White Memorial Bark Park. The name is in honor of Americas golden girl and dog-lover, Betty White.

On Jan. 17, the AAHS held a Betty White Day. The free event featured sponsored adoptions for all adult pets, along with highlights from Whites lifelong love of animals and support of animal rights groups.
For the last two football seasons, Georgia Bulldog fans all over the country rang in the New Year hoping to soon ring the Chapel Bell in celebration of a national championship title. Once again, that hope came true with the University of Georgias defeat over Texas Christian University.

The 2022-2023 football season proved to be especially action-packed for local stores. As the season began, consumer traffic increased as fans all over the country were still riding the high of last years national title while also hoping for another one.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Today, on January 19, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan chaired the 19th session of the Small and Medium Business Development Council of the Republic of Armenia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Government of Armenia.

Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Republic of Armenia John Gallagher, head of the Yerevan Resident Office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Giorgi Akhalkatsi, representatives of state bodies took part in the meeting.

Welcoming the newly elected members of the Council, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed confidence that this format of public-private dialogue will continue to be an effective platform for identifying issues of concern to business circles and making the voice of the private sector heard in the decision-making process. Emphasizing the importance of SME development from the perspective of ensuring inclusive economic growth, the Deputy Prime Minister referred to the steps taken by the Government in the direction of ensuring a favorable environment for the formation and growth of these enterprises.

During the session, recommendations aimed at eliminating obstacles that emerge during the activity of small and medium enterprises were discussed, including the introduction of flexible legal regulations for remote and hybrid remote work, the formation of the legal regulatory framework for SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) contracts, simplification of the rules for paying dividends by LLCs and a number of other issues.

Thanking the members of the Council, Deputy Prime Minister Khachatryan expressed hope that the close cooperation formed during this period with the state administration bodies will be continuous for the benefit of the further improvement of the business environment in Armenia.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable.
BENNINGTON  Main Street in Bennington is about to have an empty shop a few steps from the Four Corners. W. Collective is closing its doors at
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. On January 25, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in Brussels on a working visit, had a meeting with Toivo Klaar, the Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia and Magdalena Grono, the Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of the European Council, ARMENPRESS was infomred from the MFA Armenia.

The sides highlighted the decision to deploy a new EU civilian monitoring mission in Armenia, noting that it will contribute to ensuring security and stability in the region.

The situation resulting from Azerbaijans illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor was discussed. The Foreign Minister of Armenia emphasized that Azerbaijans actions and rhetoric undermine Armenias efforts to establish peace in the South Caucasus.

The parties exchanged views regarding the normalization process of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations.
The US State Department is concerned about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. State Department spokesperson Ned Price noted this at Tuesdays Department press briefing.

January 25, 2023, 09:35 Ned Price: US State Department concerned about deterioration of humanitarian situation in Artsakh

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 25, ARTSAKHPRESS: In response to a reporter's question regarding US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent telephone conversations with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Price noted that the US State Department hopes that a direct dialogue between Yerevan and Baku will resume, and this will lead to the settlement of the issues on which the two parties have had disagreements for a long time.

Well, we dont go into it with a conclusion. We go into it hoping to see direct dialogue  direct dialogue leading to a resolution of the issues that have long divided Armenia and Azerbaijan  and through that dialogue, hopefully reaching a lasting peace. Were continuing to engage in direct discussions with Armenia and Azerbaijan. Were doing that bilaterally; were doing that with partners; were doing that through multilateral institutions. Weve had an occasion to do that trilaterally a couple times last year as well. We are going to do what is most effective to bring about a resolution to these very thorny issues, Ned Price said when asked whats Secretary Blinkens take on how he envisions the process moving forward and what his conclusion is.

Addressing the blocking of the Lachin Corridor, the U.S. State Department spokesperson once again expressed concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh.

We have a good sense of the state of play. We have various concerns. Let me just state, on the topic of those concerns, our concerns regarding the Lachin corridor. We are concerned that the situation there is worsening; the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh has been a focus of not only the Secretary but others in this building. Ongoing obstruction of normal commercial and private travel along the Lachin corridor is causing shortages of food, fuel, and medicine for the residents who depend on the corridor for those very basic supplies. Periodic disruptions to natural gas and other basic utilities exacerbate the worsening humanitarian situation. We call for the full restoration of free movement through the corridor, including commercial and private travel. We believe we need a solution to this impasse that will ensure the safety and well-being of the population living in the area, and we believe the way forward is, as I said before, through negotiations. We remain committed to supporting a lasting peace, Price said when asked if the Secretary has a clear understanding of where the negotiation process is stalled at this point.

The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since December 12, 2022.
The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs deplored the latest developments regarding Lachin corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh during separate meetings Minister Abdallah Bou Habib held with the Ambassadors of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the National News Agency of Lebanon reported.

January 25, 2023, 15:28 Lebanese Foreign Ministry deplores closure of Lachin Corridor

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 25, ARTSAKHPRESS: In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said it deeply regrets the closure of the Lachin corridor and the strain the move has put on the livelihood and humanitarian conditions in the area.

It also called upon Armenia and Azerbaijan to hold bilateral negotiations, stressing that dialogue is the solution to solving disputes.
Ministry of Defense says Long Sokunthearak impersonated a military officer in violation of the law.

CNRP activist Long Sokunthearak [right], dressed as a three-star general, criticizes Cambodias Hun Manet [left] in a video posted to Facebook on Jan. 21, 2023.

An exiled Cambodian opposition activist is in hot water for allegedly impersonating a Cambodian military officer after he dressed up like a three-star general and mocked the son of Prime Minister Hun Sen in a social media video that has gone viral.

In the video, Long Sokunthearak, who lives in Ohio, said that Hun Sens son Hun Manet was only able to rise to a position of power because of his fathers influence, and that the elder Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia since 1985, has been targeting opposition party politicians to make it easier for his son to one day take his place.

I wanted to tell the public that my fake uniform has no value, just like the uniform given to Hun Manet by Hun Sen, Long Sokunthearak told RFAs Khmer Service.

Hun Manet is Cambodias Deputy Commander in Chief of the army, with a rank of infantry commander.

Supporters of Hun Sen called for action against Long Sokunthearak over the video.

The individuals actions, through incitement by illegally impersonating as a military officer, affected the national security and dignity of the Royal Army, Cambodian Defense Ministry Spokesman Chum Socheat said in a statement. It is a serious breach of law that can't be forgiven."

Chum Socheat also said that the video insulted the prime minister and the dignity of Hun Manet.

Hun Manets brother Hun Many took to Facebook to condemn the video, saying, This is an insult that can't be accepted.

This is baseless and derogatory speech and it has affected me as a family member, Hun Many said. I appeal to the authorities to take actions that impersonate a military officer."

Long Sokunthearak said that he had no intention to pass himself off as a Cambodian military officer, and that the government was only targeting him because it wants to link him to the Candlelight Party, which is the current main opposition party, to justify action against that party ahead of this years general elections, scheduled for July.

Long Sokunthearak is affiliated with the Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP, which was once the countrys main opposition party until Cambodias Supreme Court dissolved it in 2017 after the party performed well in communal elections that year.

He distanced himself from the Candlelight party, saying he only had ties to the CNRP.

I am a supporter of the victim, he said.

Political commentator Em Sovannara said that Long Sokunthearaks stunt was an example of bad culture that he does not support.

He said that politicians should be mature and ethical so people can trust them and urged them to compete on the issues rather than attacking each other.

Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Dozens of institutions in 'high-risk' ties to Chinese universities linked to military or repressive policies.

Calls are growing in the United Kingdom for greater scrutiny of British universities' "risky" ties with Chinese institutions, some of which have been linked to the genocide of Uyghurs and the development of technology useful to the People's Liberation Army.

A recent investigation by The Times found that some 42 British universities have links with Chinese institutions connected to "the repression of the Uyghurs, espionage, nuclear weapons research or hacking," the paper said in an editorial commenting on the news article.

"More worryingly, some 21 top universities, including Cambridge, Sheffield, Leeds and Queen Mary University of London, are partnered with very high risk Chinese institutions," it said, adding that the government has warned that China is "openly harvesting foreign research" to aid its military development.

The report was published amid growing concerns over potential threats to British national security and interests from Chinese infiltration, espionage and political influence, as well as an ongoing push by Beijing to spread its propaganda far beyond Chinas borders.

British universities' Chinese partners include institutions directly controlled by the ministry of defense, known as the "seven sons of national defense."

The partnership between Cambridge University and Beijing's top science and technology university Tsinghua University is well-documented, Radio Free Asia found after a review of publicly available evidence for The Times' claims.

In May 2022, Tsinghua Vice President Zeng Rong told a symposium attended by Cambridge's Vice President of Research and International Affairs Anne Ferguson-Smith he expected joint scientific research to continue despite the pandemic, under a funding arrangement set up in 2019, according to an account of the symposium on Tsinghua's official website.

Voice-recognition software

Tsinghua scientists led by Nurmemet Yolwas published a paper in 2018 outlining their research in how to train voice-recognition software to recognize the Uyghur language, as the ruling Chinese Communist Party began the mass incarceration of millions of Uyghurs in "re-education camps" in its northwestern region of Xinjiang.

The camps, widespread reports of forced labor, rights abuses and mass technological surveillance later led the State Department to describe what was happening in the region as genocide.

The Artux City Vocational Skills Education Training Service Center is believed to be a re-education camp where Uyhgurs are detained, north of Kashgar in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. Credit: AFP file photo





Details of teaching and research cooperation between Harbin Engineering University in northeastern China and three of the four Scottish universities mentioned by The Times -- Strathclyde, Aberdeen and Dundee -- are also well-documented on university websites.

The Harbin Engineering University's department of naval engineering describes itself on its homepage as "an important scientific research and talent training base for China's shipbuilding industry, naval equipment, and marine development."

The university is among the seven "national defense universities" listed on Baidupedia, the Chinese Wikipedia, and was listed as the recipient of sensitive information in the 2019 espionage trial of Houston entrepreneur Shan Shi.

Alicia Kearns, who chairs the British House of Commons' foreign affairs committee, said the extent of ties between British and Chinese universities were "extremely troubling."

"Pleading ignorance will no longer cut it," Kearns told The Times. "Universities must be clear-eyed about relationships they are entering into with institutions designed to bolster Chinas military capabilities, or those guilty of facilitating grave human rights abuses."

Alicia Kearns, who chairs the British House of Commons' foreign affairs committee, says the ties between British and Chinese universities are "extremely troubling." Credit: Reuters file photo

Former golden era

The Times said the partnerships were "a hangover from the 'golden era'" of Sino-British ties under former prime minister David Cameron, and said many more partnerships exist that "pose no risk," according to a risk-rating scale developed by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

The paper's expose came after warnings from British defense analyst Robert Clark in October 2022 that at least 60 Chinese nationals from high-risk institutions linked to the Chinese military are currently employed in British universities.

In a paper for the think tank Civitas, Clark found that two individuals were employed while concurrently listed as serving People's Liberation Army personnel, one with the Air Force Engineering University, and the other with the PLA's Strategic Support Force.

Clark also found eight individuals who worked at various Chinese military-linked institutions during their collaborations with U.K. universities and academics, and three individuals who had previously worked at PLA institutions prior to collaboration with U.K. universities and academics.

The Times article was published along with three letters calling for moves to curb cooperation with high-risk institutions.

Steve Tsang, who heads the China Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, called in one of the letters for the government to set up a scientific review body to enabling "a smart decoupling" from risky partnerships, while calling on universities to take steps to end their dependence on income from fee-paying Chinese students.

"The Chinese Communist Party is a hostile power: it does not play by any rules except its own," warned Charles Parton, of the think tank Rusi and Merics, wrote in another letter. "U.K. universities should not help its military or repression systems."

Extremely dangerous

Benedict Rogers, who heads the London-based rights group Hong Kong Watch, said in his letter to The Times that "dependency on, or partnership with, China is extremely dangerous."

"The grip that Xi Jinping's dictatorship has means that everyone in China is required to do the party's bidding," he wrote. "That means knowledge being transferred in ways that could enhance China's military expansion."

"It also means threats to academic freedom, as China exerts its influence to spread propaganda and silence dissent, he wrote.

Benedict Rogers, who heads the London-based rights group Hong Kong Watch, wrote a letter to the Times saying "dependency on, or partnership with, China is extremely dangerous." Credit: Hong Kong Watch Facebook





"I think there is a wider issue of how dependent our universities have become on Chinese students, funding and academic connections," Rogers told Radio Free Asia in a later interview. "I think the British government and the universities now need to work together to act to stop some of these relationships."



"We shouldn't have relationships with institutions in China that either are complicit with genocide and atrocity crimes, or with organizations that pose a threat to us."

The Hong Kong-based China Media Project appeared to agree with him, warning in a Jan. 25 report that Chinese universities are also engaged in facilitating attempts to spread Beijing's propaganda on overseas campuses.

"Such a scheme is already underway in China," according to the report. "It is one of the more egregious examples of how a range of actors in the country  including high-level Chinese Communist Party (CCP) bodies, state media, local governments, and universities  are responding to the top-down mandate from the CCP leadership to pursue greater 'discourse power' around the world as a whole-society effort."

The report by David Bandurski cited the recent setting up of the Jiangxi International Communication Research Center in cooperation with state media parent company the China Media Group, at the Nanchang Aviation University.

"The new center is an experiment in combining central CCP media and universities to carry out international communication by using the 'overseas student resources' of the university," Bandurski wrote, citing coverage by a newspaper controlled by the ministry of education.

Nanchang Aviation University has cooperation agreements with more than 70 universities across 20 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

"The existence of the new center, and its exploitation of programs undertaken in the spirit of exchange, could also mean that Chinese students in programs overseas ... are enlisted for state communication work having no relation to their studies," Bandurski warned.

The Nanchang Aviation University project is likely the first manifestation of a Chinese propaganda concept known as "international communication by all," he wrote.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Southeast Asian rights group Fortify Rights and 16 Myanmar nationals have filed a criminal complaint with Germanys federal public prosecutor general against Myanmars junta for atrocities committed against ethnic Rohingya and other groups.

The 215-page complaint, with more than 1,000 pages of annexes, was filed on Jan. 20 under the principle of universal jurisdiction and calls for an investigation and prosecution of individuals responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

A brutal military offensive in their home state of Rakhine from 2016 to 2017 drove some 740,000 people across the border to Bangladesh, where they remain in squalid refugee camps.

The complaint also calls for accountability for atrocity crimes committed by the junta against various other groups in the nearly two years since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup.

Matthew Smith, chief executive officer for Fortify Rights, said that the objective of the complaint is for German authorities to initiate an investigation, collect and preserve evidence for future cases, and ultimately issue arrest warrants for those responsible.

In the event that happens, things such as extradition to Germany become very real, Smith said Tuesday during an event held at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand in Bangkok by Fortify Rights to announce the filing of its complaint.

Of course, there are a lot of unknowns at this moment, but certainly this will send a message to members of the Myanmar military junta and others that are responsible for crimes in Myanmar that theyre not safe, he said. Theyre not safe to travel in our world.

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fortify Rights Matthew Smith holds a criminal complaint during a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Credit: Associated Press

Universal jurisdiction

Fortify Rights complaint is the latest international effort to hold the junta accountable for atrocity crimes. Others include cases at the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and a universal jurisdiction case in Argentina for crimes committed against the Rohingya  all brought in 2019.

However, Fortify Rights said its filing would not duplicate any of the efforts currently underway and would add to what it called mounting evidence of the juntas crimes. The ongoing efforts either fail to encompass the scope of crimes alleged in the new filing or would not hold individuals criminally accountable for atrocity crimes, it said.

German authorities are well-placed to fill present gaps left by the currently pending accountability mechanisms, the group said in a statement.

There are more than 100 investigations into universal jurisdiction cases currently underway in Germany, suggesting that the prosecutor may be willing to take up the complaint, although a timeline for the process remains unclear.

Universal jurisdiction is a legal principle enabling a state to prosecute individuals responsible for mass atrocity crimes regardless of where they were committed or the nationality of the perpetrator or victims. The principle is typically applied for crimes deemed so severe that they represent offenses against the entire international community.

Investigations by German authorities into international crimes can also potentially be used in prosecutions in venues and jurisdictions outside Germany, Fortify noted.

Relief for the suffering of Myanmars people

Of the 16 complainants, nearly half are survivors of military-led clearance operations of the Rohingya in Rakhine state in 2016 and 2017, while the other half have survived post-coup atrocities throughout the country in 2021 and 2022.

They include six women and 10 men who represent ethnicities including Rakhine, Burman, Chin, Karen, Kerenni, Mon and Rohingya from different backgrounds including students, farmers, rights campaigners, businesspersons, former village chiefs, and homemakers.

All survived or witnessed crimes in Myanmar and many have since fled the country.

Together, they allege that the military systematically killed, raped, tortured, imprisoned, disappeared, persecuted, and committed other acts that amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in violation of German law.

Their complaint includes evidence that senior junta officials exercised responsibility over subordinates who committed crimes, knew about such crimes, and failed to take any action to prevent the crimes and punish the perpetrators.

Fortify Rights Smith told RFA that German authorities had confirmed receipt of the complaint and said prosecutors are likely to wait for further developments, including the submission of additional complaints, until making a determination on whether to proceed with the case.

Speaking to RFA Burmese, veteran human rights lawyer Kyee Myint welcomed the international support for things we cannot do domestically under military rule.

This lawsuit is encouraging for our people  It is also a form of relief for the physical and mental suffering of Myanmars people who are oppressed, burned to death, robbed, raped, and whose houses were torched and destroyed.

In July, the ICJ rejected all of Myanmars objections to a case brought against it by Gambia that accuses the country of genocide against the Rohingya, clearing the way for the court to move on to the merits phase of the process and consider the factual evidence against Myanmar, a process that could take years.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
UPDATED AT 2:48 p.m. ET ON 01-25-2023

Around 10,000 villagers in two townships have abandoned their homes as junta troops continued scorched earth operations in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region, locals told RFA.

A column of around 100 troops started burning houses in Yinmarbin township on Monday and attacked villages in nearby Salingyi over the next two days.

The army column has been raiding [our village] since 11 a.m. yesterday morning, forcing people to run away, said a resident who didnt want to be named for security reasons. Now they are burning buildings near Htan Taw Gyi village. I can see the smoke.

Residents of nine villages in Yinmarbin and four in Salingyi fled to other villages or the forest to avoid the troops. They said troops often arrest or kill civilians and torch their homes to punish them for their alleged support of local Peoples Defense Forces.

Villagers flee junta arson attacks in Yinmarbin and Salingyi townships on Jan. 24, 2023. Credit: Citizen journalist





The Institute for Strategy and Policy (Myanmar) said Tuesday a total of 43,216 buildings in Sagaing region had been destroyed between Feb. 1, 2021, and Jan. 14, 2023.

It said nearly 20,000 residential buildings in Sagaing were destroyed from November 2022 to mid-January alone, including more than 5,000 buildings in hardest hit Tabayin township and more than 4,600 in Shwe Bo township.

Kyaw Htet Aung, a senior researcher at ISP Myanmar, told RFA that the actual damage over the period may be more substantial.

We have compiled this list with as much information as we could get our hands on," he said, adding that sources for the data included independent media reports and statements by civil society organizations.

Aye Hlaing, the juntas social affairs minister and spokesman for Sagaing, told RFA on Wednesday that he was "unaware of the current security issues" in the region and could not comment on reports of residential arson.

Trading accusations

The military reported on Tuesday that the shadow National Unity Government, ethnic Kachin Independence Ary and PDF "are attacking and destroying civilian targets" in Sagaing and Kachin states, adding that 1,122 houses had been torched in 23 separate incidents in 22 villages in Shwe Ku township, in Sagaing's Taze township.

However, an official with the PDF in nearby Tabayin township dismissed the claim and attributed the destruction to the military, telling RFA that his group would "never do anything to destroy the homes of residents."

[The junta troops] burned the wooden houses immediately as they are flammable and then they placed something inside the [reinforced concrete] and brick buildings," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity, citing security concerns.

"After piling up a lot of explosives together, they set [the sturdier buildings] on fire. The explosives exploded, causing the buildings to burn and collapse. Then they placed landmines there before they left. Now some civilians have become the victims of those landmines.

He accused junta soldiers from the Sagaing regional 33rd Light Infantry Division, as well as from Paungbyin township-based Light Infantry Battalions 367 and 368, of methodically carrying out the attacks in one village after another.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), more than 650,000 people have abandoned their homes in Sagaing region since the military seized power from Myanmars democratically elected government nearly two years ago.

Around 15% of people in the region have been forced to live in camps, by far the largest number of internally displaced persons of any of the countrys states and regions, ISP said.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.

This story has been updated to include additional arson data from Sagaing region, based on ISP Myanmar's reporting.
A satellite image appears to show 4 silos on Woody Island in the Paracels.

In this April 26, 2022 photo, the four structures with blue roofs at the top of the photo have been identified by analysts as surface-to-air missile sites on Woody Island in the South China Sea.

A newly emerged satellite image shows a Chinese air defense facility on the Paracel Islands, which analysts say indicates the Peoples Liberation Army now has surface-to-air missiles at the ready permanently in both the contested archipelagos in the South China Sea.

The Paracel Islands, or Xisha Islands in Chinese, are claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan but occupied entirely by Beijing since 1974 after the Chinese Navy defeated the then South Vietnamese Navy in a brief but bloody sea battle.

China also occupies some of the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands in Chinese) that are claimed by some other neighboring countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

A satellite image of what appears to be a newly-built but completed missile battalion on Woody Island within the Paracel group has surfaced this week on Twitter.

The image  credited to Maxar Technologies, a space technology firm, and allegedly taken last April  shows four buildings with retractable roofs at a site on Woody (Yongxing in Chinese), the largest of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

One of the buildings has its roof partially open, showing what appears to be surface-to-air missiles (SAM) launchers inside.

ImageSat International, a space intelligence company, first detected the appearance, removal and reappearance of HQ-9 SAM launchers on Woody Island in 2016.

But the new satellite image, which RFA could not verify independently, shows that the PLA has completed building an air defense base resembling those on the three artificial islands that it has fully militarized.

Similar structures with retractable roofs were detected on Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross reefs, part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, Tom Shugart, adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, wrote on Twitter.

They are permanent facilities that can house long-range missile batteries that would expand Chinas reach in disputed areas.

Militarized artificial islands

A Getty Images photographer in October obtained access to flights near a number of reefs and rocks that China has reclaimed and turned into military bases.

His photos provide extensive details of People's Liberation Army (PLA) structures in the Spratly archipelago.

But up to now, the extent of militarization in the Paracels has not been fully documented as foreign journalists are not permitted to access the archipelago that China occupies in its entirety.

A Dec. 14, 2020 satellite image of Woody Island, where China conducted construction work. Credit: Planet Labs Inc.





Some analysts said the alleged missile base on Woody Island is consistent with their research.

The PLA has maintained air defense capabilities on Woody Island for many years, said Zoe Haver, an analyst at cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

Some of these capabilities likely fall under a Woody Island-based battalion of Unit 92155, which is very likely an air defense brigade within the naval aviation branch of the PLA Navy, Haver told RFA.

The analyst, who had done intensive research on Chinas development on the Paracels, said Unit 92155 very likely performs air defense duties on Woody Island.

The Chinese HQ-9 SAM system has an operational range of 200 kilometers (124 miles) at high altitude and can pose a serious threat to military and civilian air traffic.

Woody Island is the largest natural land feature that China occupies in the South China Sea.

The island serves as the headquarters for Sansha City which China established in 2012 to administer all the islands it claims in the South China Sea and their surrounding waters  though these are areas contested by several other governments in the region.
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama waves during his first day of a teaching session at the Kalachakra Ground in Bodhgaya, India, Dec. 29, 2022.

UPDATED at 5:38 P.M. ET on 01-25-2023

Japanese Buddhists say they believe Tibetans should determine the successor to the Dalai Lama in accordance with their Buddhist belief in the principle of rebirth, and that the Chinese government should have no say in the controversial centuries-old selection method.

China, which annexed Tibet in 1951, rules the western autonomous region with an iron hand and says only Beijing can select the next spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, as stated in Chinese law.

But Tibetans believe the Dalai Lama chooses the body into which he is reincarnated, a process that has occurred 13 times since 1391, when the first Dalai Lama was born.

If China appoints his successor, it will further erode the religious and cultural identity of Tibetans, who have been subjected to crackdowns by Beijing during periods of unrest and whose spiritual sites and centers have been destroyed in recent years. Authorities view the unrest as acts of separatism that threaten Chinas national security.

The 14th Dalai Lama, 87, whose original name was Lhamo Thondup, was found in Tibets Amdo province, and at the age of 2 was recognized as the reincarnation of the spiritual leader. He took on his full role as ruler of Tibet in November 1950 but was forced to flee to India in March 1959 as Chinese troops crushed a revolt in the region.

The current Dalai Lama, who resides in exile in Dharamsala, India, has become an influential global figure because of his espousal of Buddhism and advocacy of rights for Tibetans.

The Japan Buddhist Conference for World Federation, an umbrella organization of a number of sects of Japanese Buddhism, which has millions of followers in Japan and other countries, has condemned China for interfering in the selection of Tibetan lamas and for claiming authority to appoint the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama.

We, the Japanese Buddhist[s], believe that the Tibetans should decide the succession of the Dalai Lama based on Tibetan Buddhist culture and history, says a statement the group issued. The national policy of the Peoples Republic of China is communism, and communism is based on the principle of non-religion. Therefore, it is a contradiction to allow people who dont believe in religion to decide who the countrys religious leader will be.

The Central Tibet Administration, the formal name of the Tibetan government-in-exile, issued news of the statement on Tuesday when representatives from the organization visited the Office of Tibet in Japan.

It is of utmost importance for the Japan Buddhist Federation to highlight the issue of succession of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as Tibets rich culture and religion is on the threshold of destruction under Chinas occupation of the land, said Eihiro Mizutani, secretary-general of the umbrella organization.

China continues to hold its unlawful right to interfere in the selection of the next Dalai Lama; therefore, we hope and believe that the government of Japan will also be critical of the Chinese government's policies towards Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama, he said. The issue of the successor of the Dalai Lama is very important to world peace."

Dr. Arya Tsewang Gyalpo, representative of the Liaison Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Japan and East Asia, said the Chinese government has violated the basic human rights of Tibetans inside Tibet for decades.

Now the Chinese government is aggressively declaring their interference in the succession process of the next Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism, so a sharp message to China to back off from interfering in the succession process was a long time coming, he told RFA.

The Dalai Lama insists he is in good health despite his advancing age. The Kashag, the cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration under the guidance of the Dalai Lama, has said it believes he will live to the age of 113 as the spiritual leader has predicted. The Kashag also has said that the system of recognizing reincarnated spiritual beings is a religious practice unique to Tibetan Buddhism.

Chinese authorities intend to install a pro-Beijing puppet leader in place of the current Dalai Lama after he dies, giving it an opportunity to firm up its control of the region, according to a report issued in 2022 by the International Tibet Network, a global coalition of Tibet-related groups.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Correction: An earlier version of the story erroneously stated that the Dalai Lama fled to India a month after he took on his full role as ruler in Tibet.
A group of international environmental groups is calling on the Group of Seven to put pressure on Vietnam to release prisoner of conscience Dang Dinh Bach.

The joint statement was issued on Jan. 24, marking one year since Bach was sentenced to five years in prison on a charge of tax evasion.

The lawyer had been campaigning to reduce Vietnams reliance on coal.

The statements signatories, including Global Witness and Friends of the Earth U.S., said the worlds leading industrialized nations cant help Vietnam adopt cleaner energy sources while turning a blind eye to the jailing of green activists.

The groups are demanding that G7 nations providing multi-billion-dollar funding for Vietnams just energy transition support this call since it will be impossible to successfully implement the transition while environmental and climate leaders such as Bach are in jail, the statement said.

Vietnam is a developing country, with an export-oriented economy dependent on fossil fuels.

By the end of 2021, the installed capacity of coal-fired power plants was about 24.7 gigawatts, accounting for almost one-third of total power capacity. Power output from coal-fired power plants made up nearly half of the countrys total power production that year.

In December last year, the UK, E.U., U.S., Canada, Japan, Norway and Denmark agreed on a partnership program on equitable energy transition with Vietnam, with the aim of helping Hanoi meet its commitment to reduce net emissions to zero by 2050.

Bach, 44, is the director of the Center for Legal Studies & Policy for Sustainable Development. On top of the five-year prison sentence, the court ordered him to pay a fine of nearly VND1.4 billion (U.S.$60,000) related to international grants received for projects at the center even though non-governmental organizations are exempt from paying corporate taxes in Vietnam.

Bach was not granted a fair trial. He was not allowed to meet with his lawyer until seven months after he was arrested and his sentence was much harsher than is usual for people accused of tax evasion, the statement said.

Nguy Thi Khanh delivers a speech at the Goldman award ceremony in 2018. Credit: GreenID and Vietnam Pictorial





Bach is one of four environmental activists jailed by the Vietnamese government over the past two years, along with Nguy Thi Khanh, Mai Phan Loi and Bach Hung Duong.

Nguy Thi Khanh worked with local authorities to try to cut their reliance on coal and campaigned to raise awareness of Vietnams high pollution levels.

She was sentenced to two years in prison for failing to pay 10% tax on the U.S.$200,000 prize money she won for the 2018 Goldman Environmental Prize.

Stuck in a Stalinist yesteryear

Phil Robertson, Deputy Director of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch, said the Vietnamese government does not understand that the work of civil society groups is critically important if countries want to persuade people to tackle climate change.

He said leaders of the Communist Party of Vietnam are stuck in a Stalinist yesteryear where they think their orders are enough to address any challenge.

Dang Dinh Bach and his colleagues were advising and helping the government create a just transition, but their good faith efforts were betrayed by paranoid and totalitarian leaders that see enemies everywhere, he said.

Robertson called for the immediate and unconditional release of Bach and other environmentalists and said international donors should put pressure on Vietnam to free them.

I want my husband home

Bachs wife Tran Thi Thao told RFA her husband is being held under close supervision in a prison in Nghe An province south of Hanoi, where she visited him on Jan. 15.

We talked under close supervision with two police officers sitting close  and taking notes of our conversation, she said.

When I asked him how many people he shares a cell with and if his cellmates were getting along with him, the supervisor immediately stopped me, telling me not to ask anything related to that.

Thao said Bach is still contesting the U.S.$60,000 fine imposed by the court and the family does not intend to pay it in spite of threats from the Criminal Judgment Enforcement Department.

In a Jan.22 post on the fairplanet.org website, titled "This Lunar New Year, I want my husband home," Thao called on the government to show compassion and recognize Bachs support for Vietnams efforts to transition to clean energy.

RFA phoned Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs to request comment on Bachs case but the calls went unanswered.

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.
Volodymyr Yermolenko is a Ukrainian philosopher, essayist, and editor in chief of Ukraine World, which bills itself as an English-language multimedia project about Ukraine. He often writes about Ukrainian identity. His 2022 article in Foreign Policy, From Pushkin To Putin: Russian Literature's Imperial Ideology, provoked much debate.



In an interview with Vazha Tavberidze from RFE/RL's Georgian Service, Yermolenko says Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has not awakened Ukrainians' sense of national identity but merely sped it up. He also said that tearing down statues of individuals linked to Russia's imperial past helps Ukraine to revive its own heritage.



RFE/RL: The first question I'd like to pose is about Ukrainian identity. What defines it?



Volodymyr Yermolenko: The banal response would be that it's the spirit of freedom, individually and then the freedom of the nation, of community. If I had to explain it to a 6-year-old child, I'd say that we Ukrainians decide everything by ourselves. We are responsible for our actions; we do not wait for orders from above. Neither orders, nor punishments, nor incitement to act, and this is what differentiates us from tyrannies in which people are slaves, where people do not feel the capacity to act, to think with their own minds or their own lives.

The Tavberidize Interviews Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Vazha Tavberidze of RFE/RL's Georgian Service has been interviewing diplomats, military experts, and academics who hold a wide spectrum of opinions about the war's course, causes, and effects. To read all of his interviews, click here.

RFE/RL: What about the Ukrainian nation and statehood as such? Commentators, mostly in the West, have argued the Russian invasion marks the true birth of the modern Ukrainian state and that, to a degree, Russian President Vladimir Putin has fostered this sense of identity to a nation that he denies even exists. For example, the noted Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan has recently gone as far to say that "Putin is the founding father of Ukrainian independence." What's your reaction to that?

Yermolenko: I think it is wrong to say that because it just gives too much credit to Putin. I think if you look at Ukrainian society 100 years ago, you will see the same processes. If you look at Ukrainian Cossacks in the 17th century, you will also see similar things.

I think we need to say that Ukrainians as a nation is quite old -- the problem is that it was not really recognized, it was not really seen from outside [as such] for different reasons. And the big difference of our fight today with our fight 100 years ago is that nobody cared about Ukraine 100 years ago. And therefore, the disappearance of this independent state was met with absolute indifference in Europe, in America, everywhere else.



RFERL: I can relate as a Georgian because we had similar issues, when we had the first Georgian Republic (1918-1921), which lasted only three years.



Yermolenko: Right, exactly. [There are] lots of parallels between Georgia and Ukraine. So, we needed to wait for 100 years. So, I think it is wrong to give credit to Putin, because Putin was reacting to some processes that were taking place. He understood that these processes for him [were] going too far, [and] he tried many other tools to stop it. First, with propaganda, then with a network of spies and agents, then he tried to put a puppet government in with [former President Viktor] Yanukovych, etc.



[Macbeth] is a classic of literature about a point in history where every step the tyrant makes gets him closer to the abyss and that's what Putin is doing. So, violence and war are instruments of last resort. And it only accelerates Ukrainian identity; it strengthens it, but it doesn't create it.



RFE/RL: One facet of that identity, to me at least, seems to be Ukraine freeing itself of Russian influence, even rejecting it. For example, in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, we've seen the removal of two prominent statues, one of 18th century Russian empress, Catherine II, and Russian 18th century general and military commander, Aleksandr Suvorov. Is that also an act of rejection? Is that the shaping of Ukrainian identity?



Yermolenko: Of course, because Catherine is another side of the coin for us. So, these are two sides of the same coin of Russian imperialism. And, of course, Russian imperialism tried to put the symbols of the empire everywhere it reached and therefore we have the statues of [founder and first communist leader of the Soviet Union Vladimir] Lenin in every town, we had streets [named after Russian poet Aleksandr] Pushkin in every town, in every village.

[Ukrainians] should ask themselves: Why do we have several monuments of Pushkin in Kyiv but no monuments to writers from Kyiv, or someone like [historian and archivist] Volodymyr Antonovych, or people who created, at some point, Kyiv's identity? This is the imperial approach to erase the local history, to replace it with the imperial one. Of course, we should get rid of it. We should bring back the names, the histories, the works of art, the ideas, that were taken from us.



RFE/RL: There has been some criticism of the statue removals, arguing in a way that Ukraine is rejecting its own history, pointing to claims that, for example, Catherine II is considered by some to be the founder of the city of Odesa.



Yermolenko: People who know the history of Odesa know that before Odesa, the settlement was called Khadjibey -- to this day, we have restaurants in the city called Khadjibey. So, of course there was a settlement before, as in many other cities, where Russia was creating settlements on top of existing ones, including some Ukrainian Cossack settlements.



Catherine for Eastern Europe played a very negative role because she destroyed, in this part of the world, three national statehoods, which are actually now resisting to the last against Russian expansion. This is Poland, Ukraine, and Crimea, Crimean Tatars. She started the first Russian annexation of Crimea, she destroyed Ukrainian Cossack autonomy, and she participated in the first partition of Poland.

I think we should consider her as an imperialist expansionist who is not only erasing our national identities but also expanding the idea of [one] centralist empire in the region, which was quite cruel [throughout] history.

Now we are witnessing the return of these anti-imperial statehoods. First, there was the independence of Poland in the 20th century, and now we have the regeneration, the rebirth, of the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar identities. And I think we could say the same about the Caucasus.



RFE/RL: Yes, her reign wasn't kind to Georgia either, because that marked the beginning of the end for Georgian kingdoms, if the Treaty of Georgievsk (an agreement dating from the rule of Catherine II that extended Russian power into much of present-day Georgia) is anything to go by.



Yermolenko: Exactly.



RFE/RL: It's a dilemma faced by other post-Soviet countries as well: What history stays and what should go? It's easy in the case of Lenin, for example, right? But in Gori, where Stalin was born, it's slightly more difficult for people there to remove statues of the Soviet dictator or to take down the statue of General Pyotr Bagration (a Georgian who served the Russian Empire.) What criteria should be used to make such decisions?



Yermolenko: We have a similar story in Ukraine. We have Prince Bezborodko, who was the grand chancellor of the Russian Empire and one of the creators of the Russian education system in the early 19th century. We have people like [cleric and theologian] Teofan Prokopovych, who helped Peter the First (or Great) to create the Russian Empire. We have [Nikolai] Gogol, who created Russian prose. I think definitely we will not remove Gogol; he will stay, although I have personally a lot of questions for him -- but it's OK to have questions for historical figures, to discuss, to point at some ambivalence.

I think maybe there is the same story with Bagration, although I don't know Georgian history in detail. I only remember this paradox when I was thinking, why is it that the key commanders during the Napoleonic Wars didn't have Russian names, except for [Mikhail] Kutuzov and some others? There were Germans, there were Georgians, and so on. And it shows that Russia does not exist as a nation [state], that Russia is a mixture of everything, as a kind of vinegret (a mixed Russian salad), as an empire that sucks all the best things from the colonies.

With figures like Pushkin, I think we should definitely diminish substantially the presence of them in our streets. Therefore, in Kyiv, we renamed Pushkin Street into the street of [19th-20th century Ukrainian social activist Yevhen] Chykalenko because Chykalenko was a big [patron] who funded Ukrainian writers and who had an exact relation to Kyiv, unlike Pushkin who has no relationship with Kyiv.

Why Pushkin and not [19th century English poet] Byron, for example? Byron created a much better image of Ukrainian Hetsman Mazepa (in his narrative poem), so it's better to have Byron Street in the center of Kyiv than Pushkin [Street]. It's not like we should erase them. But I think we should definitely diminish their presence. They were omnipresent and should lose this status of omnipresence.



RFE/RL: Let me ask you what's the saving grace for Gogol. That he was born in Ukraine? Or that he is genuinely a world-class writer?



Yermolenko: Well, I think Gogol is part of our culture. We can be critical of him, but he's definitely part of our culture. And I mean, we consider him as ours, our writer, although we have big questions for him [about] the way he interprets it.



RFE/RL: Your article in Foreign Policy in 2022, Russian Literature's Imperial Ideology, provoked much debate. Some critics faulted the article for what they saw as "provincial thinking." That Pushkin, [Russian writer Mikhail] Lermontov et al were the products of their time and should not be judged through a modern lens but on their literary merit. I would love to hear your counterargument to that.



Yermolenko: Well, I think these arguments are precisely provincial and blind, because we should be reading literary texts very closely, because very often they show the symptoms of certain power discourses in politics, and I quote, those things found in Pushkin, in Lermontov, definitely show this.



For example, let's take Lermontov's text Mtsyri (The Novice) about the Caucasus. For a Russian literary critic, who criticized me, this is a text about how a Russian poet tries to identify himself with a Caucasian monk. For me, it's absolutely different. It's the way how a Russian poet tells Caucasian nations -- Georgians and some others -- look, you are in the past, you have only the past, you don't have the present and you definitely don't have a future. The only thing you've got is having nostalgia about the past.

This actually corresponds to what is happening today, saying to Ukrainians, OK, guys, you probably had [a] past different from ours, but we are the same nation, we have the same people, and if you don't agree with that, we will punish you.

I think it's very wrong to say that literature is some ephemeral, idealistic thing, where you just have to enjoy the style and so on. I don't think that Pushkin is responsible for Putin's crimes -- this is not what I am saying. I am saying that it is wrong to say, "This is Putin; yes, he is evil, but beyond him, look, there is great Russian culture," which serves as a sort of indulgence for these crimes.

[Regarding] all this talk of the "alternative Russia," I'd say there is no alternative Russia currently. Unfortunately, we cannot find it in the big texts of Russian literature. Russians should be looking for this alternative, and they have a very big task to do.

Their problem is that they don't really have in their culture -- with some exceptions, of course -- a clear political program which would serve as an alternative to Russian imperialism. They don't change. They did not produce visions of society which have been produced in many European nations, including in Ukraine -- this idea that society should be based on free individuals with rights for these individuals, rights for groups, etc.



Instead, in Russian culture there is a leitmotif of this so-called pan-[Slavic] unity, as Vladimir Solovyov, the Russian philosopher said, which means that [all] individual differences should be dissolved in some higher entity. So, this totalitarian trend in Russian culture has been present in Russian Slavophiles in the 19th century, certainly in [Russian novelist Fyodor] Dostoyevsky, certainly in Russian religious philosophers like Ivan Ilyin and others who pose as a basis for Putinist and Eurasianist ideologies.



I think Ukrainians, Poles, Georgians do have the right to say to the Russians, "Look, you just are blind to certain aspects of [Russian] culture and we can be your psychoanalysts, we can actually put a light on some unconscious things that you're not aware of," and I think they should listen to us. The problem is, they haven't started to listen to us in most cases.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund PIF (Public Investment Fund) said it has signed a joint collaboration agreement with a key unit of Korean construction and engineering company Samsung C&T Corporation - Engineering & Construction Group.

Under this, Saudi PIF will explore opportunities for joint collaboration in adopting and developing innovative technologies that support its real estate and construction projects.

The deal was signed yesterday (January 24) by South Koreas Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong at a meeting hosted by PIF Governor Yasir Othman Al Rumayyan in Saudi Arabia.

As part of the deal, Samsung C&T Corp will be building modular homes in Saudi Arabia in a joint investment with PIF. These residential units will either come up in the Saudi futuristic city Neom or in Riyadh, reported The Korea Economic Daily, citing a senior Korean minister.

"South Korean companies are expanding cooperation with the PIF for various sectors such as the green hydrogen production, the Qiddiya project, as well as housing complex and urban development plans," stated Won during his meeting with PIF Governor.

The minister later made a keynote presentation on cooperation between the two countries on smart cities at a major real estate forum being hosted by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing.

Won also signed a separate deal with the ministry on a smart city cooperation execution programme including a plan to hold working-level meetings in Seoul and Riyadh twice a year, stated the KED report.

A major player in the building sector, Engineering & Construction Group was behind some of the most internationally-recognised landmarks such as Petronas Towers in Malaysia and Burj Khalifa in the UAE; and was a crucial partner in mega-infrastructure undertakings like Riyadh Metro in Saudi Arabia and Mersey Gateway in the UK.

It has also built the Qurayyah and Rabigh II power plants in Saudi Arabia, the Prai power plant in Malaysia, and a nuclear power plant in the UAE and is fast emerging as a global leader in the field of power-plant engineering and construction.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to supply Ukraine with Leopard main battle tanks. In this case we are talking about at least one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks, Der Spiegel wrote.

January 25, 2023, 17:25 Der Spiegel: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz decides to supply Ukraine with Leopard main battle tanks

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 25, ARTSAKHPRESS: No official confirmation had yet been received at the time of publication, but the media reports have already been reacted to, in particular, in the Bundestag. Marie-Agnes Struck-Zimmermann, chairwoman of the defense committee, announced an important step in repelling the Russian invasion. The decision took a long time, she said, but in the end it was inevitable.

The fact that Germany will allow partner countries to transfer their tanks and will also supply them itself is comforting news for the weary and brave Ukrainian people, she said.

Friedrich Merz, leader of the opposition CDU/CSU faction in the Bundestag, also welcomed the German government's decision, but at the same time accused the chancellor of indecision and long hesitation.
Listen to the podcast here or subscribe to Talking China In Eurasia on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or on Spotify.

Read the latest China In Eurasia briefing here.
Welcome back to the China In Eurasia briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking China's resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Reid Standish and here's what I'm following right now.

Beijing, Moscow, And The New Europe

China is aiming to improve relations with the West, particularly its ties with Europe, which have been hurt by Beijing's support for Russia throughout Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

But as I reported here, the Chinese charm offensive is getting a skeptical reception in Brussels.

Finding Perspective: In a move that has been gathering steam since late last year in the aftermath of Beijing's Chinese Community Party congress, China is looking to mend fences as it emerges from the isolation of its strict COVID-19 policies and shift from the aggressive "wolf warrior" rhetoric of recent years.

This was on display at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Chinese officials like Vice Premier Liu He offered a gentler tone as part of a foreign policy rebrand targeting Western governments and investors.

On a similar note, Politico reported that Wang Yi, the former Chinese foreign minister who now oversees foreign affairs on the 24-person Politburo, is slated to go on a European tour in February that could also see a meeting in Brussels with the EU's top brass.

Beyond that, there are also attempts from Beijing to signal disapproval with Moscow's war in Ukraine, including recent anonymous comments to the Financial Times from senior Chinese officials who called Russian President Vladimir Putin "crazy" and said that Russia will emerge as a "minor power" from the war.

Why It Matters: Beijing faces an uphill battle in repairing its image in Brussels.

EU officials who spoke to RFE/RL say that Brussels is in "wait and see" mode with China and so far hasn't seen much that signals a true change in policy or any new daylight between it and Moscow.

That's not to say that the EU won't engage with China -- especially after years of limited contacts -- but rather that so far Beijing's rebrand is largely viewed as cosmetic with very little substance to it.

This is particularly true for signals of newfound distance between China and Russia.

Both countries' economies continue to become more integrated and a recent report from Bloomberg that the Biden administration confronted Beijing with evidence suggesting some Chinese state-owned companies may be providing assistance for Russia's war in Ukraine points to ties getting even stronger.

Read More

 Europe's China policy is hardening, but there is still a gap between how Brussels and Washington approach Beijing. Read the interview with French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire here.

 Another change for how Europe approaches China set off by Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a wider reevaluation of dependencies. One of the largest is a reliance on China for lithium-ion battery cells for electric cars. A new report by the renewable energy campaign group Transport and Environment said that Brussels was on track to produce enough battery cells by 2027 to meet demand and cut China from its supply chains.

Expert Corner: Ukraine And China After One Year

Readers asked: "After nearly a year of war in Ukraine and China sticking with Russia, how has Kyiv changed its policy towards Beijing?"

To find out more, I asked Yurii Poita of the Kyiv-based Center for Army, Conversion, and Disarmament Studies:

"First, Ukraine's expert community and media have become more critical of China, especially over its so-called 'pro-Russian neutrality,' where China does not provide military and military-technical assistance to Russia, but still deepens relations and provides economic, informational, and diplomatic support to Moscow.

"Second, there has been a reassessment of China as a driver of economic growth and a potential safety cushion for Ukraine. Despite a strategic partnership and growing economic ties between Beijing and Kyiv, Ukraine has not been able to change China's position on the war in its favor. Attempts by the Ukrainian leadership to reach China through diplomacy and the media and convince it to influence Russia or to act as a security guarantor in some sort of postwar deal have completely failed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has not even been able to get a phone call with Xi.

"At the moment, the opinion that China cannot be a strategic partner is becoming stronger in Ukraine. A search is now under way for a new formula for relations with China that would meet Ukraine's national interests while also taking into account strategic competition between Beijing and Washington and China's position regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. The office of the president still hopes to involve China in resolving the war, however, these hopes are gradually fading."

Do you have a question about China's growing footprint in Eurasia? Send it to me at StandishR@rferl.org or reply directly to this e-mail and I'll get it answered by leading experts and policymakers.

Three More Stories From Eurasia

1. Whitewashing Xinjiang

The former grand mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina is facing accusations of helping to whitewash Beijing's human rights abuses in Xinjiang after he visited China's western province and praised the Chinese Communist Party's policies, Meliha Kesmer and Predrag Zvijerac of RFE/RL's Balkan Service reported.

The Details: Mustafa Ceric, who served as grand mufti from 1999 to 2012, attended a well-publicized tour of Xinjiang with Islamic clerics and scholars earlier this month where he and others praised Beijing's harsh policies to Chinese media.

The comments echoed Beijing's justification for its treatment of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other Muslim groups in Xinjiang, which has been the site of a brutal crackdown launched by Beijing in recent years that swept up more than 1 million people in detention camps and prisons.

Ceric has since found himself in hot water at home, with Bosnia's Islamic authorities looking to distance themselves from his comments. The current grand mufti's office said they don't agree with Ceric and that they "have different views, based on the information that we have."

2. Looking At China's Coming Year In Central Asia

After a year where Russia's invasion of Ukraine upended the status quo in Eurasia and saw Xi Jinping secure a new five-year term as China's leader, what can we expect from the coming year and how might China adapt to a changing reality on the ground?

What You Need To Know: We explored this in the latest episode of Talking China In Eurasia, RFE/RL's new podcast that I host.

Along with RFE/RL Central Asia correspondent Chris Rickleton and Bradley Jardine from the Wilson Center, we looked ahead at what this year could hold for Beijing in the region as it navigates Central Asian governments trying to distance themselves from Moscow and a quickly changing security situation.

Take a listen and don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you like to listen.

3. Minerals, China, And Afghanistan

Taliban officials arrested five men, including two Chinese nationals, for allegedly trying to smuggle an estimated 1,000 metric tons of lithium-bearing rocks out of Afghanistan.

What It Means: Authorities said that the Chinese nationals and their Afghan counterparts were planning to illegally transport the valuable minerals to China through Pakistan.

The Taliban banned extraction and sale of lithium since reclaiming power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and Afghanistan reportedly sits on an estimated $1 trillion worth of rare-earth minerals, including huge deposits of lithium.

Afghanistan's resources are of key interest to Beijing and Chinese companies have secured the rights to several mines and valuable deposits. Most recently, China's Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Company (CAPEIC) signed a deal earlier this month to extract oil from the Amu Darya Basin located in the northern part of Afghanistan, RFE/RL's Radio Azadi reported.

CAPEIC will invest $150 million in one year and $540 million in the next three years. The deal fits with a wide trend of China exploring low-risk and long-term deals in Afghanistan.

Time will tell on how the investment bears fruit, but expectations should remain low. Despite owning rights to other resource deposits in the country, China is still hesitant about the security situation in the country and the safety of its own citizens, who are increasingly becoming a target for extremist groups like the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K).

Across The Supercontinent

Cold Snap: Central Asia is grappling with a cold winter and worsening energy crisis, RFE/RL's Chris Rickleton reports.

Unlike in past years, energy shortages are also hitting major cities and beginning to spark pushback. Already the mayor of Tashkent -- Uzbekistan's capital -- has been removed from office, as have several other top officials.

Drilling Down: Miners protested over working conditions at the Bor copper mine in Serbia, which is owned by Zijin, China's largest gold miner and one of its top copper producers. Watch the video from RFE/RL's Balkan Service here.

Blocked: The European Court of Human Rights ordered Malta to stop the forcible removal of a Uyghur couple that has been trying to claim asylum in the country since 2016.

According to the Spanish NGO Safeguard Defenders, Maltese immigration authorities were planning to deport the couple to China and did not accept their legal case that a return to Xinjiang would place them in imminent harm.

Editorial Control: As outlined in a new report from the European Parliament's special committee on foreign interference, Russia, China, and corruption are the biggest threats to European democracy.

The report, which was seen by RFE/RL's Hungarian Service, takes aim at China's growing stake in the continent's media. According to the document, state-linked investors have spent nearly 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in European media companies in the last decade, where they often have a controlling stake.

One Thing To Watch

Chinese policymakers have recently unveiled potential stimulus for property developers to support a sector that has been hit by a wave of defaults over the past 18 months, but questions remain whether Beijing can avert a nose dive.

In China, about 90 percent of new homes are sold before they are built. This presale model allows developers to raise cash quickly, but shifts much of the risk to buyers. The dynamic sparked widespread protests and mortgage boycotts last year as many prospective buyers felt the financial crunch.

The government tightened financing rules for developers in the hope of preventing a housing-sector collapse and in a positive sign, bonds issued by China's highly indebted real estate developers have rebounded sharply over the past two months.

With the Chinese economy slowing down and facing added pressures, how the authorities navigate the property sector -- which accounts for roughly a quarter of the economy -- will play a major role in shaping its future outlook.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have.

Until next time,

Reid Standish

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every other Wednesday.
U.S. authorities have arrested a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman in connection with the investigation into the leaking of top-secret defense and intelligence documents that have been circulated online, Attorney General Merrick Garland said on April 13.

Garland identified the guardsman as Jack Teixeira, who will be charged with the unauthorized removal of classified national defense information in one of the biggest U.S. security breaches in years.



Heavily armed federal agents arrived at Teixeira's home in the U.S. state of Massachusetts during the afternoon of April 13 and took the man -- wearing a T-shirt and shorts -- into custody without incident," Garland said.



The identification of a 21-year-old Guardsman with a relatively low rank has quickly raised questions about how he could have had access to such highly classified documents.



The U.S. Air Force National Guard, without confirming his identity, said, We are aware of the investigation into the alleged role a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman may have played in the recent leak of highly classified documents.



U.S. President Joe Biden sought to allay concerns about the leak of the classified documents, which supposedly reveal details about the military capabilities of some U.S. allies and adversaries.



The Department of Justice opened a formal criminal probe into the matter after it was referred to the case by the Pentagon, which continues to assess the damage done by the release.



The Washington Post reported on April 12 that the person who allegedly posted the documents on a small chat group on the Discord social media platform was a gun enthusiast in his 20s who worked at a military base. The daily based its reporting on interviews with two unnamed members of the group. The documents were posted months ago without attracting attention until The New York Times reported on them.



Theres a full-blown investigation going on, as you know, with the intelligence community and the Justice Department, Biden told journalists in Dublin on April 13 before the arrest was announced. And theyre getting close.

Biden, who is in the middle of a four-day visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, said that he was not concerned about the leak because there is nothing contemporaneous that Im aware of.

The White House said earlier in the day that Biden did not discuss the matter with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when the two met in Northern Ireland earlier this week.



The number of documents leaked, some of which were reportedly marked top secret, is not clear.



They purportedly include sensitive disclosures about Ukraine, South Korea, Israel, and others. The Biden administration fears the leak could cause lasting damage to U.S. relations with key allies and strategic partners.



They purportedly include sensitive disclosures about Ukraine, South Korea, Israel, and others. The Biden administration fears the leak could cause lasting damage to U.S. relations with key allies and strategic partners.

The Discord group allegedly included people from Russia and Ukraine, The Washington Post reported, and was focused on a mutual love of guns, military gear and God. The social media platform itself is popular with players of online games.



The man who posted the documents, who went by the online handle OG, allegedly told group members he sometimes worked in a secure facility at the base that prohibited cell phones and other electronic devices.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said on Ukrainian television on April 12 that the risk of leaks is very minimal because only a very narrow circle of people is aware of Ukrainian military planning.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
1 A couple walks in the fog in Stepanakert, the biggest city of Nagorno-Karabakh, a largely ethnic Armenian breakaway region of Azerbaijan, on December 15, 2022. This was at the beginning of the blockade in the Lachin Corridor, the only land connection between this area and Armenia.
WASHINGTON -- Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks pledged by the West will give Ukraine a substantial boost in its fight against invading Russian forces, but numbers are a key factor and time is of the essence as the war grinds on and both sides prepare for possible offensives in the coming months, experts said.



The promised deliveries are also an important sign of support from the United States and its European allies, but tanks are not the only weapons that Ukraine wants from the West as it struggles to fend off sustained attacks, regain territory, and ultimately drive Russian troops from the country.

After weeks of intense pressure from NATO allies and Kyiv, Germany has agreed to donate Leopard 2 advanced battle tanks to Ukraine. It has also given a green light to other NATO members, such as Poland, to to send the German-made tanks to Ukraine.

The German decision comes as the United States prepares to send 31 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, the equivalent of one battalion.

Berlin had reportedly sought to tie any donation of Leopard 2s to U.S. approval for the transfer of Abrams.

Ukraine is reportedly preparing for a spring offensive that will incorporate hundreds of tanks alongside other armored fighting vehicles, artillery, infantry, and aviation, an approach to warfare known as combined arms.



Tanks are "a vital part of the recipe," retired U.S. Army Major John Spencer, chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Madison Policy Forum, a New York-based think tank focusing on security issues, told RFE/RL. "They need a tank that will overmatch that majority of Russian tanks."



Western tanks like the Leopard 2 and the Abrams are superior because they have better sight capabilities, enabling them to quickly find and target enemy armor, and better stabilization, allowing them to fire with accuracy while on the move, he said.



Experts say they are also safer than Russian models with tough blast doors separating the crew inside from the stored ammunition.



So far Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom have agreed to transfer about 60 tanks, but more announcements are expected in the coming days and weeks. Earlier this month, the United Kingdom said it would send 14 Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.



'A Really Big Ask'



Valeriy Zaluzhniy, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said in December that his country needs 300 tanks, 600-700 armored fighting vehicles, and 500 howitzers to push the Russians back, numbers that one former U.S. lieutenant general called "a really big ask."

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.

Ukraine would need at least 100-150 Western tanks for them to have a real impact on the battlefield, Mark Cancian, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told RFE/RL.

"Scale is important," he said. While such a number of tanks is "not going to be a game changer, you'll notice that their armed forces are more effective."

Ukraine had about 850 tanks prior to the war and lost at least half of them, according to Oryx, a website that uses open-source tools to count destroyed equipment.



The actual loss is likely much higher. Ukraine does not disclose its tank count, saying it is a state secret.



NATO countries from Eastern Europe have donated hundreds of Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine during the first 11 months of the war, but their ability to supply such weapons is limited, making Western-made tanks the most obvious alternative.



Moreover, NATO has greater capacity to supply its own tanks with ammunition. NATO tanks use a 120-millimeter cannon that is readily produced in member states. The Soviet-era tanks use a 125-millimeter cannon and sourcing ammunition for this could become difficult, experts said.



The German-made Leopard 2, first produced in 1979, is the main battle tank used in Europe while the Abrams, which followed a year later, is the stalwart of the U.S. force.



Leopard 2 tanks could be deployed in a shorter time than the Abrams, which require a longer training period. Spencer said Ukraine could be ready to use the Leopard 2 within weeks.



The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated that there are more than 2,000 Leopard 2 tanks in Europe, including Turkey, making it easy for nations to pool together their resources to reach a critical level of support.



However, many of the Leopard 2 tanks are older models that have been in storage for years and likely require maintenance and upgrades prior to their potential deployment.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials said it will take months before the 31 Abrams reach Ukraine. The Biden administration had dragged its feet on sending Abrams on the grounds that its gas turbines burn jet fuel and thus would be tougher to use, maintain, and supply compared with the Leopards.



Some experts have dismissed such concerns, saying Ukraines armed forces have shown their ability to adjust to new equipment.



The drawback of operating various Western tank models is that Ukraine will have to build out a supply chain for each one, complicating logistics.



Crucial For Urban Warfare



U.S. officials said the Western tanks will be a key component in the battles expected on the open terrain in eastern Ukraine in the coming weeks and months. Russia is also believed to be preparing for an offensive in the spring.



Spencer said that battle tanks are also crucial in urban warfare as seen in the fierce battles for Ukrainian towns.



"The Ukrainians need tanks in order to move forward and retake territories, especially urban territories. That is the fight," he said.



The tanks will operate alongside Western armored fighting vehicles.

The United States and its NATO allies earlier this month agreed to send hundreds of armored fighting vehicles, sometimes called "light tanks," to Ukraine.



Fighting vehicles are mainly used to transport troops around the battlefield but some are capable of destroying tanks.



While the decisions on the delivery of tanks are a major breakthrough and a big demonstration of unity in support of Kyiv, tanks are not the last weapon system Ukraine wants from the West.



Kyiv is still seeking Western jet fighters and long-range missiles. The United States has refused to send Ukraine ATACMS, precision missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers, over concerns it could be escalatory.



John Herbst, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006, said long-range missiles are even more important than the Western tanks because of their ability to destroy Russian supply chains.



"As soon as Ukraine receives long-range missiles, Russian supply depots are toast," said Herbst. "Russia will have to set up new ones further from the front. If the Russians dont have equipment, they are not going to send troops into battle."



Cancian of the CSIS said "the most important" thing for Ukraine is that military aid continues at a high level from the United States and its NATO allies.



"Looking long term that's much more important than any particular item in the aid package," he said. Ukraine "cannot survive or win if the amount of aid goes down substantially or dries up."

RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service contributed to this report
BAKHMUT, Ukraine -- There is no drinking water in Bakhmut. Locals in the besieged city survive by collecting rainwater or melting snow.

In one neighborhood recently, a group of young men are preparing to drill a well as artillery fire echoes in the distance. One man introduces himself as Havriyil, a volunteer from Kyiv.



"We will get water for the people," he says as he shovels out the hole while the others prepare the drill. The team hopes to drill several such wells around the city in the coming days. Until that happens, volunteers will continue bringing water in by truck over pitted roads, often under enemy fire.



Working against the backdrop of artillery barrages in the beleaguered city was "only scary for the first half hour," Havriyil said with a fleeting smile.



Russian forces have been pummeling Bakhmut since October in a determined effort to capture the Donetsk region city, whose prewar population of more than 70,000 has been reduced to just 8,700, according to local authorities.

The devastation of the city and its surroundings has been nearly total in what Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-connected businessman who runs the ostensibly private Wagner mercenary group that is conducting the assault, has called "the Bakhmut meat-grinder."

In PHOTOS: The furious attacks by Moscow's forces to capture the destroyed city of Bakhmut are intensifying. Reports of infantry charges like those seen in World War I have left fields covered in dead Russian soldiers.

RFE/RL has identified everyone in this story only by their first names because of the security situation in Bakhmut.

'Everything Is OK'

"Over 300 people a day come here," said Kateryna, a volunteer serving hot meals to Bakhmut stalwarts. "Today we have mashed potatoes, pasta, and soup."



"People are fed, get warm, and recharge," she added. "They communicate with their relatives. Everything is OK."



Tetyana is a volunteer and a local resident who refused to leave.



"We need water," she said. "We need fuel for the generators. There is a shortage of disposable dishes."



About a dozen people eat and drink coffee or tea as Tetyana boils dumplings on top of a makeshift stove at an aid station called a Point of Invincibility. While they eat, people charge their mobile phones and scan the news.

"People are always huddled in basements," she added. "It is cold and damp there, so they get sick. We need cold medicines, cough drops, and so on."



Ruslana, 11, clutched a teddy bear that she says was given to her at the aid station. Her mother, Kateryna, said the girl is studying at home and hopes to complete the fourth grade soon.



"We don't plan to," she said when asked if they intended to leave the city. "We like it here. We are doing fine."



Her words were hard to hear over the noise of children playing video games and the sound of explosions outside.

'God, Help Me'

Every day volunteers arrive in Bakhmut to evacuate people who have had enough.



A Bakhmut local named Ihor was on a bus leaving town on January 19, the Feast of the Epiphany.



"Today, on the Epiphany, I undressed and went out into the rain and thought. 'God, help me,'" he said. He was traveling to join his family, who had evacuated earlier.



But he hopes to return.



"I want to come back home," he said. "I'm 52 years old. Everything I own is here."



Anatoliy, an 86-year-old pensioner, refuses to leave Bakhmut.



"I have nowhere to go," he told RFE/RL. "I have no friends. My wife is dead."



"I am alone now," he added. "Where am I going to go? Let them kill me here."

Written by RFE/RL feature writer Robert Coalson based on reporting from Bakhmut by correspondent Serhiy Horbatenko of Donbas.Realities, a regional project of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Keith Batman's new role will prevent him from continuing to serve on the Cayuga County Board of Health.

Batman, a former Cayuga County legislator who became president of the health board in 2021, announced his resignation at the board's monthly meeting on Tuesday.

He cannot continue to serve on the board due to his new role as the county's Democratic elections commissioner. He was selected by his party to succeed longtime commissioner Katie Lacey, who retired at the end of 2022. After receiving the local Democratic Party's recommendation, he was appointed by the Cayuga County Legislature. His term as elections commissioner began on Jan. 1.

Dr. John Cosachov, the health board's vice president, asked Batman if he could continue to serve but not as president. Batman said he could not because of a law prohibiting election commissioners from holding public office.

"I feel like we're going to be losing a board member who has had a lot of appropriate input on a lot of matters," Cosachov responded. "I'm really sorry that this has to take place, Keith."

Batman succeeded Cosachov as president of the board amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During his tenure as president, the board addressed COVID-related matters and other issues, such as the need for new Owasco Lake watershed rules and regulations.

In brief remarks at the beginning of the meeting, Batman thanked the board and staff for their work.

"I've been on a lot of boards over the years ... This is one of the best groups of people I've ever worked with," he said. "The discussions here are always on point, they are always rich in content and I think the decisions that this board has made, without exception, have been excellent."

Batman's successor has not been named. Kathleen Cuddy, the county's public health director, said a nominating committee will be tasked with identifying a new board member and officers to lead the board this year. According to the plan outlined by Cuddy, a vote on the board's officers will be held in March.
A federal judge has granted the Cayuga Nation's motion to dismiss most counterclaims and complaints filed against it and its federally recognized leader, Clint Halftown, by defendants in a civil RICO suit.

In a decision filed Jan. 9, Judge Brenda Sannes of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, dismissed all but two of the counterclaims and all of the complaints. They stem from the nation's alleged harassment and Jan. 1 eviction of Pipekeepers Tobacco & Gas at 126 E. Bayard St. in Seneca Falls, seizure of the business's inventory and other property, and subsequent sale of that inventory.

A month later, Pipekeepers owner Dusty Parker opened a new location of the business at 7153 Route 90 in the town of Montezuma, next to the Circle K gas station on Routes 5 and 20. That prompted the nation to sue Parker and more than 10 other defendants associated with Pipekeepers, including Finger Lakes Drive-In owner Paul Meyer, who subleased Parker the Seneca Falls property and sold him the Montezuma one. The nation's governing council, led by Halftown, accused them of "racketeering activities" that stole business from the nation, and asked the court for $15 million in damages.

Sannes dismissed two out of three counts of the nation's lawsuit in September, saying the nation failed to show its business or reputation had been directly damaged by the operation of Pipekeepers. The remaining count seeks $5 million from the defendants for allegedly investing income derived from "unlawful conduct to facilitate the import of contraband and other goods from across state lines."

Judge dismisses most of Cayuga Nation's RICO suit against Montezuma biz A federal judge has dismissed two out of three counts of the Cayuga Nation's lawsuit against a Montezuma smoke shop and denied the nation's mo

The counterclaims against the nation and complaints against Halftown, filed in August, accused them of interfering with Meyer's lease of the Seneca Falls property and sublease of that property to Parker. That cost Meyer, Parker and the other defendants customers, business opportunities and revenue, they claimed, as did the nation's seizure of inventory and other property there. A counterclaim and complaint also accused the nation and Halftown of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act by seizing and hacking Pipekeepers computers and using financial and personal information on them.

The nation moved to dismiss the counterclaims on the grounds of sovereign immunity. The defendants claimed the nation surrendered that immunity when it assumed the lease of the Seneca Falls property. Sannes disagreed, noting the property is located within the boundaries of the nation's reservation, and dismissed all of the counterclaims except two, conversion and trespass to chattels.

"This case does not concern the Defendants' legal interest in 126 East Bayard Street," she wrote. "At issue here is the Defendants' investment of proceeds of racketeering activity that occurred (there)."

Sannes did not dismiss the conversion and trespass counterclaims because the nation has yet to disprove that the defendants have a valid claim for recoupment for them. The defendants have "a plausible claim for relief" for the conversion of the cash value of the inventory allegedly seized and sold by the nation at the Seneca Falls property, the judge wrote. Meanwhile, she denied the nation's motion to dismiss the trespass counterclaim on the grounds it duplicates the conversion one because, as the defendants responded, it instead concerns the nation's alleged hacking of their computers.

All the complaints against Halftown, which were mostly the same as the counterclaims, were dismissed by Sannes on the grounds of sovereign immunity for a government official.

"Defendants offer no allegations that would allow a plausible inference that Halftown was acting in his individual capacity," the judge wrote. "The allegations regarding his role are vague."

Sannes has also ordered the parties to attempt to work through a mediator to resolve underlying litigation that remains.
A trio of Auburn-area smoke shops have been fined, one for $133,000, and will have their tobacco licenses suspended for violating state laws regarding the sale of flavored vaping products and selling tobacco products to underage customers.

The Cayuga County Board of Health approved the fines and license suspensions on Tuesday. Panda Smoke and Vape in Aurelius received the most severe penalty  $133,000 in fines, a one-year suspension of its state tobacco retail license and a six-month suspension of its local license, effective Feb. 1.

Panda Smoke and Vape was found in violation of state laws prohibiting the sale of flavored vaping products and for selling tobacco products to an individual under age 21, the legal age to buy tobacco products in New York. The violations were committed on June 29, Nov. 5 and Nov. 8. The smoke shop also violated a state law requiring signs regarding tobacco product sales to be posted in the business.

It is the second time in five months that Panda Smoke and Vape has been slapped with a hefty fine. The health board voted in August to fine the shop $22,500 for selling flavored vaping products, selling tobacco products to underage individuals and not displaying state-mandated tobacco sale signage.

Auburn Express Smoke Shop on Grant Avenue has been fined $2,850 and will have its state tobacco retail license suspended for one year. The shop's local tobacco retail license will be suspended for three months beginning on Feb. 1.

Similar to Panda Smoke and Vape, Auburn Express Smoke Shop violated state laws by selling flavored vaping products and selling tobacco products to an underage customer. The smoke shop has a past violation. In August 2021, it sold tobacco products to an underage individual.

Another business, Auburn Express Smoke Shop Jr. on Columbus Street, must pay $16,750 in fines and will have its local tobacco retail license suspended for three months beginning Feb. 1. It will also receive two points on its state tobacco retail license record. A tobacco retailer will have their license suspended for one year if they get four points.

Auburn Express Smoke Shop Jr. violated state laws by selling flavored vaping products and sold tobacco products to an underage person.

Hearings were held in December to determine the penalties for the smoke shops. The owners of the businesses were invited to attend and testify at the hearings. According to summaries of the hearings, attorneys for Auburn Express Smoke Shop and Auburn Express Smoke Shop Jr. appeared at the hearings. Panda Smoke and Vape did not have a representative at its hearing.
Accumulating clinical research projects are finding CBD can deliver various benefits, from improved sleep to improved general well-being.
Judge Dan Slayton, Coconino County Superior Courts presiding judge, says he believes a court reporter should be available for every court proceeding that a judge has.

At the county courthouse, however, there is only one court reporter on staff.

During court proceedings, court reporters often fade into the background. Theyre among the quietest cogs in the wheel of the justice system. They are the men and women typing on stenography machines, or using similar equipment, to make a clear and complete record of what happens in the courtroom.

For hundreds of years, the work of court reporters has been critical. Theyre the ones who make sure admitted testimony and judicial rulings are cemented accurately into a physical record.

Slayton said he was raised on court reporters and has witnessed their work from the bench  and from his seat at the prosecutors table years prior.

I have seen the value of having an actual person taking down the proceeding as opposed to a machine.

A human can say, Can you repeat that? I didnt get that, when something is mumbled or unclear. A machine will take whatever goes through the microphone, Slayton said.

In a perfect world, Slayton would like to have five or six certified court reporters on staff. That way there would be stenographers available for tasks such as custody proceedings when emotions and tensions can run high and its common for parties to mishear or misunderstand the judge.

Then, a court reporter or stenographers physical record can be an important reference point. When criminal cases are reviewed for appeal, the record can be even more important.

But times are changing.

Legally, because of statutory changes introduced by the Legislature, there are only a few types of hearings that require a court reporter, Slayton said.

Those proceedings include sentencings, death penalty cases, grand jury proceedings and...not much else. According to Slayton, there are jurisdictions in Arizona that do not have and havent had a court reporter for some time. They simply havent needed one.

According to Coconino County Superior Court administrator Sharon Yates, proceedings are subject to audio and video recording. Even when a court reporter is not present, there is still a record being made. However, that record might not be available on paper until it is requested.

Ill tell you right out, Im not in favor of it, but thats the way its going, Slayton said.

Audio and video recording equipment can be updated in courtrooms, but technology isnt always reliable.

We had a proceeding in which a judge had three hearings. One was recorded, one was not recorded, and the third was, in fact, recorded. It looked like it was recording everything, but there was one hearing in the middle and it was a significant issue, Slayton said.

He also mentioned that there are challenges associated with making a complete and accurate audio record  even when equipment is cooperative.

Attorneys at trial, particularly during serious criminal proceedings, dont tend to stay near a fixed microphone. They walk around the courtroom. They address the jury.

Slayton said while the court can explore purchasing high-quality lapel microphones or headsets for counsel, that move comes with pitfalls as well.

In a serious criminal case, you dont want a client leaning over to their attorney and whispering something like I did it on the official record. Its presenting opportunities for change and growth, the longtime judge said.

The presiding judge will be the first to say hes old school when it comes to having court reporters present, and the future of the judicial system wont arrive without growing pains.

Being down to one local court reporter has Coconino County Superior Court utilizing zoom to enlist per diem court reporters from outside the area to take down the official record remotely.

There you get the sum of new and old, Slayton said. The court reporter is there and can say, I didnt hear that, if there is a delay or something is unclear. They can still hear and see the proceedings remotely. She can stop the proceedings, just like she would if she was here personally.

The system is working for now, but Slayton and Yates say theyre still hoping to hire more personnel.

We would love to have court reporters here. Im still of the mind that they are an essential and necessary part of our judicial system, Slayton said.

According to Yates, the positions are funded  with a boost in court reporter pay.

A court reporter-stenographer at the Coconino County Courthouse will make $61,568.00-$70,803.00 a year, according to the current job posting. The county is also offering up to $2,000 in relocation assistance, a $500 hiring bonus and additional transcript income opportunities.

Some incentives are provided to combat one of the main drivers of attrition for government workers in general, and one of the main reasons why hiring is tricky: Flagstaffs cost of living.

Weve had a couple of court reporters that would have been perfect and were well qualified and they looked at the cost of living in Flagstaff and said, I cant do it. Its hitting a lot of government agencies, Slayton said.

The other challenge in hiring more court reporters goes back to the way times are changing.

There just arent that many people learning the art of court reporting, Slayton said. Its a major change for courts. We have to adjust.
Astronomers recently announced the discovery of TOI-700e, a habitable-zone, Earth-sized planet some 102 light-years away in the southern constellation of Dorado. Could this new discovery lead to humans one day traveling to this planet?

That is not going to happen in our lifetimes, but it is fascinating to discuss, said Professor Hank Pernicka, an expert in spacecraft design at Missouri S&T.

This planet is nearly 100 light-years away. That means if we developed a spacecraft to go the speed of light, it would still take 100 years to reach this destination.

The first issue to consider would be getting a vehicle to reach the speeds necessary for interstellar travel.

There would be lots of showstoppers with this, the first of which is even getting that fast.

The concept of a light-year and the distance involved in this travel is mind blowing.

Another area to consider would be the number of uncertainties with the spacecraft itself.

When traveling at these speeds, there would be a large amount of variables to consider. For example, even a little piece of debris in the path of the spacecraft could do a large amount of damage.

The way in which the spacecraft is fueled would also have to be considered.

Currently, any long-distance missions sponsored by NASA use nuclear power, and that fuel source would eventually be depleted.

For example, NASAs Voyager 1, which was launched in 1977 and is the only spacecraft to travel to interstellar space, will likely run out of fuel in the next few years.

Voyager 1 has been on an amazing journey and has blown all of NASAs expectations out of the water, but this is still nowhere near the distance of even one light-year, Professor Pernicka said.

The key to one day reaching the necessary speeds may lie in the concept of solar sailing, which would propel spacecraft by using the pressure of the Suns radiation.

Another option may be using a wormhole, but neither option would be a possibility anytime soon, he said.

With a wormhole, that would almost be a form of cheating.

However, it could theoretically work. In that situation, we would need to develop the spacecraft so it could survive the journey, which could be very violent.
In the HighlY Interactive ParticlE Relics (HYPER) model, some time after the formation of dark matter in the early Universe, the strength of its interaction with normal matter increases abruptly  which on the one hand, makes it potentially detectable today and at the same time can explain the abundance of dark matter.

Dark matter is the mysterious substance that makes up roughly a quarter of the Universe.

There is strong indirect evidence for its existence from measurements of cosmic primordial radiation, anomalies in the radial dependence of galactic rotational curves and gravitational lensing.

Despite its apparently pivotal role in the Universe the physical origin of dark matter remains unknown.

Theoretical physicists suspect that it is made of unseen particles that neither reflect nor absorb light, but are able to exert gravity.

Since the search for one of leading candidates, called weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), has not yet led to success, the research community is looking for alternative candidates, especially lighter ones.

At the same time, one generically expects phase transitions in the dark sector  after all, there are several in the visible sector. But previous studies have tended to neglect them.

There has not been a consistent dark matter model for the mass range that some planned experiments hope to access, said Dr. Gilly Elor, a postdoctoral researcher at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.

However, our HYPER model illustrates that a phase transition can actually help make the dark matter more easily detectable.

The challenge for a suitable model: if dark matter interacts too strongly with normal matter, its (precisely known) amount formed in the early Universe would be too small, contradicting astrophysical observations.

However, if it is produced in just the right amount, the interaction would conversely be too weak to detect dark matter in present-day experiments.

Our central idea, which underlies the HYPER model, is that the interaction changes abruptly once  so we can have the best of both worlds: the right amount of dark matter and a large interaction so we might detect it, said Dr. Robert McGehee, a researcher at the University of Michigan.

And this is how the researchers envision it: in particle physics, an interaction is usually mediated by a specific particle, a so-called mediator  and so is the interaction of dark matter with normal matter.

Both the formation of dark matter and its detection function via this mediator, with the strength of the interaction depending on its mass: the larger the mass, the weaker the interaction.

The mediator must first be heavy enough so that the correct amount of dark matter is formed and later light enough so that dark matter is detectable at all.

The solution: there was a phase transition after the formation of dark matter, during which the mass of the mediator suddenly decreased.

Thus, on the one hand, the amount of dark matter is kept constant, and on the other hand, the interaction is boosted or strengthened in such a way that dark matter should be directly detectable, said Dr. Aaron Pierce, also from the University of Michigan.

The HYPER model of dark matter is able to cover almost the entire range that the new experiments make accessible, Dr. Elor said.

Specifically, the team first considered the maximum cross section of the mediator-mediated interaction with the protons and neutrons of an atomic nucleus to be consistent with astrophysical observations and certain particle-physics decays.

The next step was to consider whether there was a model for dark matter that exhibited this interaction.

And here we came up with the idea of the phase transition, Dr. McGehee said.

We then calculated the amount of dark matter that exists in the Universe and then simulated the phase transition using our calculations.

There are a great many constraints to consider, such as a constant amount of dark matter.

Here, we have to systematically consider and include very many scenarios, for example, asking the question whether it is really certain that our mediator does not suddenly lead to the formation of new dark matter, which of course must not be, Dr. Elor said.

But in the end, we were convinced that our HYPER model works.

The teams work was published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

_____

Gilly Elor et al. 2023. Maximizing Direct Detection with Highly Interactive Particle Relic Dark Matter. Phys. Rev. Lett 130 (3): 031803; doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.031803
The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question: Quarterly Open Debate

Tomorrow (18 January), the Security Council will hold its quarterly open debate on The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland is the anticipated briefer. Representatives of Israel and the Observer State of Palestine are expected to participate.

At tomorrows meeting, several member states may express concern at the measures announced by the Israeli government in response to the adoption on 30 December 2022 by the General Assembly of a resolution requesting the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to render an advisory opinion on, among other matters, the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, from its prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967. The resolution was adopted with 87 votes in favour, 53 abstentions and 26 votes against. Twenty-seven member states did not vote. Among Security Council members, China, Gabon, Malta, Mozambique, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) voted in favour; Brazil, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Japan, and Switzerland abstained; while Albania, the UK, and the US voted against the resolution.

The measures announced in a 6 January statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office include transferring to victims of terrorism around 139 million shekels (approximately $40 million) from tax revenues that Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA), immediately deducting from Palestinian tax revenues the payments made by the PA to terrorists and their families in 2022, and suspending Palestinian construction plans in Area C of the West Bank. In a 9 January interview with Israeli news outlet Haaretz, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said that the measures against the PA will promptly lead to its collapse. The Israeli 6 January statement also says that action will be taken against organisations working in the West Bank that promote terrorist activity or any hostile activity, including political and legal action against Israel under the guise of humanitarian work.

During a 16 January press briefing, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stephanie Tremblay said that the Secretary-General noted the measures with deep concern, urged the parties to refrain from unilateral steps, and said that there should be no retaliation with respect to the [PA] in relation to the [ICJ]. Later on the same day, a cross-regional group of states issued a statement expressing deep concern about the punitive measures against the Palestinian people, leadership and civil society, calling for their immediate reversal, and rejecting the use of punitive measures in response to a request for an advisory opinion by the ICJ and more broadly in response to a General Assembly resolution. The statement was signed by member states that had supported the General Assembly resolution, as well as states that abstained or opposed it, including Council members Brazil, France, Japan, Malta, and Switzerland. These member states may reinforce such messages tomorrow. Other members might take a more indirect approach and call for lowering tensions and avoiding unilateral actions.

More generally, participants at tomorrows open debate are likely to underscore the importance of the two-state solution and the need to avoid all measures and actions that would undermine its realisation, including settlement activities. Ahead of its 29 December 2022 swearing-in, the new Israeli government released its basic guiding principles, which say that [t]he Jewish people have an exclusive and inalienable right to all parts of the Land of Israel and that [t]he government will promote and develop the settlement of all parts of the Land of Israelin the Galilee, the Negev, the Golan and Judea and Samaria. Tomorrow, members may express concern at plans to advance settlements and stress that settlement advancement undermines the prospects for a two-state solution.

Participants may also call on Israel to stop evictions and demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures, including in Masafer Yatta, a cluster of Palestinian villages in the West Bank which Israel designated in the 1980s as a firing zone for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Israeli human rights organisation BTselem reported that on 2 January Israeli authorities informed Palestinian officials that the residents of this area will imminently receive eviction notices. Demolitions and confiscations of Palestinian-owned structures in this area have also recently been reported.

Tomorrow, members are also likely to express concern about the increasingly violent situation in the West Bank. According to the Associated Press, by 16 January, 14 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank in 2023, including three people under the age of 18. This comes after a particularly deadly year, as 152 Palestinians and 21 Israelis were killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2022, according to OCHA. Members may call on Israel to exercise restraint in the use of force and are also likely to condemn all acts of terror and violence against civilians.

Tomorrows meeting will be the second time this month that the Council has met on The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. At the request of China, France, Malta, and the UAE, the Council met on 5 January following the visit of Israeli National Security Minister and leader of the far-right Otzmah Yehudit party Itamar Ben-Gvir to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount site in Jerusalems Old City. (For background, see our 4 January Whats In Blue story.) Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Mohamed Khaled Khiari, who briefed the Council, said that while the visit was not accompanied or followed by violence, it is seen as particularly inflammatory given Mr. Ben-Gvirs past advocacy for changes to the status quo. (Under an agreement reached after the 1967 Six-Day War, only Muslims are allowed to pray at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount site.) At the meeting, Council members stressed the importance of preserving the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem, a point that several participants at tomorrows open debate are likely to reiterate, together with calls on all sides to refrain from rhetoric and actions that could exacerbate tension and trigger violence. Participants are also likely to underscore the need to re-create a political horizon for a peace process leading to a two-state solution.
Airbus is gearing up to participate in Intersec 2023, the leading trade fair for safety, security, and fire protection, which will take place from the 17th to the 19th of January, at Dubai World Trade Center in DUbai, UAE.

With a host of international visitors set to attend in search of next-generation safety and security solutions, Airbus will showcase its latest communication and collaboration devices, applications, and services, backed by cutting-edge technologies and deployable across segments including public safety, transport, utility, industry, and defence.

In todays rapidly evolving digital transformation era, companies and industries alike require impactful innovations that harness technological capabilities to redefine safety and security practices and elevate operational capabilities to newfound heights. Yet beforehand, industry experts and leaders must become acquainted with the newest generations of specialised products that meet such criterion. This is why Intersec holds such influential gravitas across the region and around the world, and this is why Airbus is thrilled to be participating and demonstrating the value our exhibiting solutions can deliver amidst challenging, highly pressurized operating environments, explains Selim Bouri, Vice-president for Airbus Secure Land Communications in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

From security forces to emergency personnel, crisis response experts to public sector professionals, we are enthused at the prospect of once again engaging with representatives from different verticals, better understanding their specific requirements, and highlighting both the practicality and sustainability that accompanies our safety and security products, Bouri adds.

Airbus will showcase several innovations from its exclusive stand at Intersec 2023, to be located within the Nedaa pavilion. Among them is the Tactilon Agnet collaboration platform, designed to ensure mission-critical personnel carry out their duties in a smarter and safer manner. Using IoT-driven wearable sensors compatible with Android and regular iOS smartphones and radios, Tactilon Agnet enables enhanced communication and collaboration through instant and secure end-to-end information sharing, providing real-time data and actionable insights to bolster productivity and potentially save lives with support from Artificial Intelligence (AI).

This solution is being showcased alongside innovations including Tactilon Agnet Query and Tactilon Agnet Voice Assistant (AVA), which support public safety specialists in managing essential tasks on-site and convey key information without the need for smartphone interaction. Meanwhile, TACTeam, designed for planning mission-critical operations will be also on display and scheduled for demonstration.

With Intersec 2023 fast approaching, Airbus has also been confirmed as an Intersec Awards 2023 finalist in the Commercial and/or Perimeter Security Product/Service of the Year category. The companys Tactilon Agnet 800 has been shortlisted following its proven success as a mission-critical collaboration platform, providing a seamless end-user experience as smartphone users connect in Tetra groups at the touch of a button.---TradeArabia News Service
Page Content

On Jan. 10, the French prime minister presented the government's proposal for the future of the public pension system.

The part of the proposal that has gotten the most public attention is a gradual increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64. There is much more to the plan, however. Here are the significant points to note.

Measures for the Balance of the System

The legal age from which it is possible to retire will be gradually raised starting in September, at the rate of three months per year of birth. It will thus be set at 63 years and three months in 2027 at the end of the five-year term, then will reach the target of 64 years in 2030.

The number of years that must be worked in order to receive a full pension will also change. In 2027, to benefit from a full pension, it will be necessary to have worked 43 years. In the same way as today, people retiring at age 67 will always automatically benefit from a full pensionthat is, without a discounteven if they have not worked for 43 years.

Measures for Long and Difficult Careers

The long career system will be adapted so that no one who started working early will be forced to work for more than 44 years. The long career retirement ages will be as follows:

Age 58 for those who started working before the age of 16.

Age 60 for those who started working between 16 and 18 years old.

Age 62 for those who started working between 18 and 20 years old.

As today, people in a situation of disability or incapacity will be able to leave at the age of 62 at the full rate, and disabled workers from the age of 55. Employees who have suffered an accident at work or an occupational disease may, under certain conditions, retire two years before the legal age. The conditions for accessing this early departure will be relaxed.

Measures to Protect Against Occupational Wear and Tear

More employees will be able to benefit from the professional prevention account with more rightsfor example, in the event of night work or when employees are exposed to several occupational risks. Each year, more than 60,000 additional people will be covered by the professional prevention account. A new use of the professional prevention account will also be created with the possibility of financing retraining leave to change jobs more easily.

An investment fund for the prevention of professional wear and tear will be set up. It will support identification of trades exposed to ergonomic risksfor example, carrying heavy loads, awkward postures, vibrationsand finance prevention and retraining actions with employers. Reinforced medical follow-up will be put in place with employees working in jobs identified as exposed to hardship, in order to carry out preventive actions and better detect situations of incapacity allowing early retirement.

Measures for All

The reform will mark the extinction of the main special pension schemes. New recruits in the public transport sector, public utilities and other workers who had special pension schemes will be affiliated to the general pension scheme.

Public-Service Workers

Gradual retirement will be extended to public servants, allowing for end-of-career working time adjustments starting from age 62. Civil servants in active categories and the military will retain the right to leave earlier, given their particular public service constraints and exposure to risks.

Self-Employed

Technical and consultation work will be undertaken to reform the social security base of the self-employed, to simplify its calculation and to reinforce the pension rights of the self-employed.

Measures for a Decent Retirement

The proposal includes a boost in the minimum pension for low-income workers. The minimum pension will increase by 100 eurosapproximately $109per month for a full career. This means that an employee who has earned the minimum wage"salaire minimum de croissance" in French or "SMIC"throughout his or her career will have a pension of 85 percent of the net SMIC.

Periods of parental leave will be taken into account for purposes of the long career scheme and calculation of the minimum pension. Family carers, who are forced to reduce their work activity to care for a close relative or a child, will benefit from quarterly validations.

Measures in Favor of Seniors

A seniors index will be created to create transparency in companies and to put age management back at the heart of social dialogue.

Progressive retirement, which allows a worker to liquidate part of his or her pension before the legal age to start working part-time, will be relaxed and extended to the public service. Retirees who resume working will be able to acquire rights and increase their pension.

 Capstan Avocats, a member firm of Ius Laboris, which is a global alliance of law firms that specialize in employment law. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission of Lexology.
Page Content

On Dec. 20, 2022, the German Federal Labor Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht, BAG) issued two important decisions on untaken paid leave with significant implications for all employers in Germany:

First, the BAG ruled that paid annual leave entitlement is not subject to the statutory three-year limitation period if the employer does not effectively allow the employees to take their annual paid leave, following a judgment by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) dated Sept. 22, 2022.

Secondly, the BAG also decided that the paid annual leave entitlement acquired before an employee becomes sick does not lapse after 15 months in cases where the employees are not permitted to take such paid leave, following another judgment by the CJEU dated Sept. 22, 2022.

With these two decisions, the BAG confirms and implements a previous judgment of the CJEU dated Nov. 6, 2018, in which the CJEU ruled that employees' mandatory claims to paid leave will not be subject to lapse if their employers did not explicitly ask the employees in good time to take paid leave during the calendar year, effectively enabling the employees to take paid leave before the end of such year. Since the statutory paid annual leave entitlement is based on an EU regulation, the BAG applies these principles to German statutory paid annual leave.

What Should Employers Do?

1. Employers should ask their employees to take at least their statutory annual leave (20 days in the case of a five-day work week) within a calendar year.

The principles set by the courts apply only to statutory paid leave entitlements. Provided that the parties clearly differentiate between statutory and contractual additional paid leave (see 2., below), such additional paid leave entitlement still expires after each calendar year if not taken in time.

2. Employers should ensure that their employment contracts clearly differentiate between statutory vacation entitlements and additional, contractual vacation entitlement, if any, and clearly state in the employment contracts that the additional contractual vacation entitlement shall lapse if not taken within the calendar year.

The judgments of the CJEU and the BAG do not apply to additional vacation entitlements not based on mandatory law, provided that the employment contracts clearly differentiate between mandatory and additional contractual entitlements.

3. Employers should further ensure that their employment contracts contain valid limitation periods of three months.

After the termination of an employment relationship, vacation claims transform into compensation claims. Such compensation claims are subject to a contractual limitation periodand, consequently, could lapse if the employee does not demand compensation for all outstanding vacation days within the period stipulated in the contractual forfeiture clause.

4. Last but not least: Employers should ensure that employees receive annual notices 1) informing the employees about their vacation entitlements, 2) requesting that employees take their vacation within the calendar year, and 3) explicitly pointing out that untaken vacation will lapse if it is not taken.

The notices should be provided to the employees at the beginning of each year and, ideally, with respect to the remaining entitlements to paid leave, after the summer holiday season (e.g., in early September).

Hanno Timner, Christin Dunkel and Jasmin Dajana Kuehner are attorneys with Morrison Foerster, a LexMundi member firm, in Berlin.  2023 Morrison Foerster. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission of Lexology.
Update: 25-01-2023 | 11:18:27

A Vietnamese delegation has attended the fourth session of the UN Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for Criminal Purposes.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Nguyen Trung Kien (centre) and other members of the Vietnamese delegation to the fourth session of the UN Ad Hoc Committee

The delegation, led by Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Nguyen Trung Kien, included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defence, and the Ministry of Justice.

Speaking on the opening day of the session, which lasted from January 9 to 20, the delegation highly valued efforts by the Secretariat of the Ad Hoc Committee in building the first draft, which laid a solid foundation for the next negotiations to soon finalise the draft convention and submit it to the UN General Assembly for ratification.

The Vietnamese side also gave opinions about some parts of the draft such as the scope of the convention, offences against information technology (IT) systems, IT-based scams, and individual criminal responsibility.

In recent years, protecting cyber safety and security and combating cybercrimes have become a crucial part in the security strategies of many countries.

After 10 years of negotiations by inter-governmental working groups, in 2019, the UN General Assembly decided to set up the Ad Hoc Committee to build an international convention for promoting international cooperation against ICT crimes. The committee establishment reflected the international communitys concern about growing threats posed by ICT crimes, and also showed UN member states efforts to create the first international legal document covering this issue.

At the three sessions held in 2022, the Ad Hoc Committee agreed on the negotiation roadmap and identified the structure and basic content of the future convention. Countries began discussing the draft in detail from the beginning of 2023.

The final draft is expected to be finalised by the end of 2023 and submitted to the UN General Assembly for ratification in 2024./.

VNA
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Undocumented workers can seek protection from deportation or other immigration enforcement if they are involved in labor disputes under a new policy issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The DHS outlined the process for undocumented workers to apply for expedited enforcement relief, known as deferred action, if they have been victims of or are participating in an investigation involving violations of labor law. The new policy aims to offer case-by-case protection from "threats of immigration-related retaliation from exploitative employers," the DHS said.

"Unscrupulous employers who prey on the vulnerability of noncitizen workers harm all workers and disadvantage businesses who play by the rules," said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. "We will hold these predatory actors accountable by encouraging all workers to assert their rights, report violations they have suffered or observed, and cooperate in labor standards investigations."

The DHS said that migrant workers are often afraid to report labor law violations or cooperate in workplace investigations because they fear removal or other immigration-related retaliation by their employer. Yet the agencies tasked with enforcing employment laws depend on the cooperation of these workers in their investigations.

"Refraining from reporting violations due to a fear of immigration-based retaliation creates unfair labor market conditions and perpetuates the commission of unlawful and inhumane acts by employers, including nonpayment of wages, the imposition of unsafe working conditions, and chilling workers' ability to organize and collectively bargain to improve such conditions," the DHS said.

"It's a long-awaited guidance," said Muzaffar Chishti, senior fellow and director of the Migration Policy Institute's office at the New York University School of Law. Chishti explained that Mayorkas issued a memo in October 2021 to establish priorities for immigration enforcement within the country. One idea was to incentivize workers who have been victims of exploitation or abuse by their employers to make violations claimsand promise that if they did, they would be protected.

"Workers in general, and unauthorized workers in particular, are often scared to report labor law violations," Chishti said. "The employer has a very potent weapon to silence unauthorized workers."

The authority to grant deferred action had already existed, but the new policy makes the process for requesting protection easier and more accessible. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been designated as the main intake point for these requests, and if a worker is already in removal proceedings, then USCIS will forward the request to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"It should be made clear that workers can only apply for this benefit once a federal, state or local labor agency has initiated an investigation and states that the worker is critical to the investigation, either as a complainant or a witness," Chishti said. "Mere assertion will not do it; you must get the endorsement of a labor agency, and that is not easy to do."

Deferred action typically lasts two years and can be terminated at any time. Workers granted deferred action protection may be eligible for renewals if investigations are ongoing, and they could also be eligible for work permits.

Immigrants' and workers' rights groups have been asking the Biden administration to do more in support of labor law enforcement protecting immigrant workers.

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said, "We are all at risk when employers can use immigration threats to scare workers into silence. Despite the risks, immigrant workers have been rising up to demand fair pay, safe working conditions, and basic dignity and respect on the job. The commonsense procedures DHS has put in place will provide temporary status protections and work permits to workers who are exercising their workplace rights and reporting violations. That helps keep us all safe on the job."

The Department of Labor last year issued guidance clarifying that workers can file labor complaints regardless of immigration status. And the White House in 2021 announced it would cease workplace raids targeting undocumented immigrants and instead focus on employers' actions.


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California's Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) gives employees the right to prosecute lawsuits against their employers for alleged violations of the California Labor Code. Employees can maintain claims not only their own behalf, but also on behalf of other employees.

Even the most law-abiding employers run the risk of substantial penalty judgments in the event they are found to have violated provisions of the Labor Code. The last few years have seen a cascade of PAGA litigation, leading courts to provide guidance on some questions. But many questions remain. As we enter 2023, the Supreme Court of California is set to rule in three PAGA cases that may have substantial implications for employers.

The three questions the court will address are:

Will employees who have executed arbitration agreements with PAGA representative waivers be permitted to prosecute claims of other alleged aggrieved employees?

Will employers be permitted to assert that some PAGA claims are unmanageable and therefore cannot proceed on a representative basis?

How will employers settle a PAGA case where there's a concurrent PAGA case with overlapping claims?



PAGA Arbitration Waivers



The U.S. Supreme Court issued the Viking River decision in June 2022, widely seen as a victory for employers. It provides that employers can enforce arbitration agreements in California that require employees to arbitrate individual PAGA claims.

The court also held that once the employee's individual claims under PAGA are compelled to arbitration, under California law, the employee would not have standing to bring a representative claim under PAGA on behalf of other employees.

Although Viking River is unquestionably favorable to employers, it left open a number of questions. One critical question is that of standing  specifically, whether an employee compelled to arbitrate their individual PAGA claims loses standing under California law to pursue representative claims on behalf of other employees. Although Viking River concluded that the employee lost standing to assert the representative PAGA claim once their individual PAGA claim was compelled to arbitration, the court made clear that the question of standing is one for the California legislature to decide.

But rather than wait for the California legislature to weigh in, the Supreme Court of California appears poised to address the issue. In Adolph v. Uber Technologies, the court is set to decide whether an employee who has been compelled to arbitrate claims under PAGA that are premised on Labor Code violations actually sustained by the employee maintains statutory standing to pursue PAGA claims arising out of events involving other employees in court.

How the court decides this issue will likely have a substantial impact on PAGA litigation. A decision holding that the employee maintains standing to bring PAGA representative actions on behalf of other employees is likely to render Viking River inconsequential to employers.

By contrast, a decision holding that the employee has no such standing is likely to help reduce PAGA litigation and give employers a tool  in the form of arbitration agreements  to combat PAGA litigation.



Will Manageability Remain a Viable Defense?



A defense that employers commonly assert in PAGA cases is that it would be unmanageable to allow for prosecution of the claims on a large-scale, representative basis. For example, where individualized questions predominate  such as whether employees were interrupted during their meal periods, or whether employees were prevented from taking their rest breaks  the employer may defend on the ground that it would be unmanageable to allow the case to proceed on behalf of employees other than the named plaintiffs.

The employer's argument is that it would require individualized proof that each employee was, for example, interrupted during meal breaks. Where there are a significant number of employees, each with unique factual circumstances regarding their own claims, this would result in an extensive amount of evidence at trial, resulting in chaotic case administration. In such circumstances, the employer could argue that the unique nature of the individualized claims would render unmanageable representative-wide prosecution of the PAGA claim.

The California Courts of Appeal that have addressed this issue have reached conflicting conclusions.

In 2021's Wesson v. Staples the Office Superstore, the Court of Appeal for the Second District held that "courts have inherent authority to ensure that a PAGA claim will be manageable at trial, including the power to strike the claim, if necessary, and that this authority is not inconsistent with PAGA's procedures and objectives, or with applicable precedent."

By contrast, in 2022's Estrada v. Royalty Carpet Mills, the Court of Appeal for the Fourth District held that dismissal of a PAGA claim based on manageability would effectively impose a "class-action requirement" on PAGA claims that that would interfere with PAGA's purpose as a law enforcement mechanism. Consequently, the Estrada court held that "a court cannot strike a PAGA claim based on manageability." The Estrada court opined that trial courts are not powerless to manage unwieldy PAGA claims. Trial courts can limit the evidence presented and weigh the limited evidence in determining the amount of penalties to award.

The Supreme Court of California granted review to address whether trial courts have inherent authority to ensure that claims under the PAGA will be manageable at trial, and to strike or narrow such claims if they cannot be managed. How the court answers this question may determine whether the manageability defense remains viable for employers going forward.



How Will Employers Resolve Concurrent PAGA Cases?



Employers sometimes find themselves simultaneously defending two or more PAGA cases brought by different employees. Often, the claims are the same among the cases, and the representative class of employees and the time period might overlap. In such circumstances, the employer may wish to resolve one of the PAGA cases and extinguish the claims being asserted not only in that case, but also in any concurrently litigated cases.

But what happens when the plaintiff in the non-settled case takes exception to the settlement in the other case? This is another question over which the Courts of Appeal are divided.

In Uribe v. Crown Building Maintenance Co., the employer had been defending against two concurrent PAGA cases in two different jurisdictions, brought by two different employees. Both cases claimed the employer failed to reimburse certain business expenses. After the employer settled with the plaintiff in the later filed of the two cases, the plaintiff in the first-filed case sought to intervene and object to the settlement.

The Court of Appeal for the Fourth District held in 2021 that the plaintiff in the first-filed lawsuit  who was not a party to the second, settled case  had a pecuniary interest in preserving her own PAGA case that gave her the right to intervene in the settled case and object to the settlement.

By contrast, in 2021's Turrieta v. Lyft, Lyft had been defending against three concurrent PAGA cases. It reached a settlement with the plaintiff, Turrieta, who had filed the last of the three cases. The settlement was to cover claims, alleged aggrieved employees, and a period of time that would have effectively extinguished the PAGA claims of the two plaintiffs in the other cases.

The Court of Appeal for the Second District examined what rights the two objecting plaintiffs had to intervene in the proposed settlement of the Turrieta case. The Court of Appeal held that the two plaintiff's status in separate PAGA actions did not confer standing to move to vacate the trial court's judgment or to challenge the judgment on appeal in the Turrieta case.

The Supreme Court of California granted review in the Turrieta case to decide whether a plaintiff in a representative PAGA lawsuit has the right to intervene, object to or move to vacate a judgment in a related action. How the court answers this question may have a substantial impact on how employers litigate or attempt to resolve PAGA cases where there is pending, concurrent litigation.

With these PAGA cases on its docket for 2023, the Supreme Court of California clearly recognizes the importance of weighing in on these significant legal issues. What remains to be seen, however, is whether the court's decisions serve to clarify unanswered questions of law, or merely give rise to additional questions.



Philip J. Azzara is an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Irvine, Calif.  2023. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Indiassetz, Indias first real estate wealth tech platform, and Wealthy, a new age financial investments solutions provider, have signed an MoU to leverage the synergies of their respective core customer segments and offer a holistic wealth management perspective to the combined portfolio. . Real estate wealth, despite being the majority of an individuals total wealth accumulation, does not get the same management expertise as financial wealth, due to a broad range of market-related factors. This partnership is an attempt to plug those market need gaps and bring a portfolio-based solution approach to an individuals real estate wealth. .

The real estate investment landscape has been recording a healthy growth in the last few quarters, especially driven by an uptick in the primary residential real estate sales. We are also seeing an increased appetite among HNIs and NRIs to upgrade and diversify their real estate portfolio to include commercial real estate, fractional ownership, and REITs., I am very excited with the combined potential of this partnership with Wealthy, which when harnessed with our respective digital-delivery capabilities, will certainly bring a whole new wealth management experience for our customers. said Shivam Sinha Founder & CEO Indiassetz

As per the broad contours of this partnership, all customers referred by Wealthy will be automatically on boarded by Indiassetz with a complimentary Gold category membership for the first year, and covers five cities  Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

This is an exciting partnership that brings together an experienced wealth management platform with deep digital infrastructure capabilities along with the complementary support of investors with long track records of success in real estate," said, Prashant Gupta from WEALTHY. "The partnership will help WEALTHY enter the next stage of growth," Two of Indias most reliable services together are committed to unlock a fruitful business partnership. He said.
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Energy giant Woodside has warned that it will struggle to justify exploring for more gas off Victorias coastline and cant yet resume east-coast gas sales talks for 2024 amid ongoing uncertainty about the federal governments gas market intervention.

Woodside chief executive Meg ONeill on Wednesday said the company had been eager to invest in more offshore exploration activities since acquiring BHPs 50 per cent stake in the Gippsland Basin operations in 2021, but has been forced to reconsider its long-term intentions.

Woodside and ExxonMobil operate the 50-year-old Gippsland Basin joint venture in the Bass Strait.

With exploration, you take a fair amount of commercial risk well ahead of any sales, ONeill said. Its very difficult to justify taking that risk when you have uncertainty around the price that you can get for your product.

The comments add to questions about the longevity of gas output from the offshore fields in Bass Strait, which Woodside owns with ExxonMobil and provide about 20 per cent of the eastern seaboards annual gas demand, but are rapidly declining.
A senior federal government minister has cast doubt on whether the US rapper formerly known as Kanye West will be let into Australia, due to his praise for Adolf Hitler and verbal attacks towards Jewish people, as he reportedly considers meeting his new partners Australian family.

Despite there being no evidence yet that musician and designer Ye actually plans to travel to Australia, Education Minister Jason Clare told Nines Today show on Wednesday those with similar views to the celebrity  who told right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones last year he likes Hitler and loves Nazis  had been rejected when they applied for visas in the past.

I dont know if hes applied for a visa yet, but Google it, you will see that he seems like hes a pretty big fan of a person who killed six million Jewish people last century. People like that whove applied for visas to get into Australia in the past have been rejected, Clare said.

I expect that if he does apply, he would have to go through the same process and answer the same questions that they did.
A screening by Sydney Harbour, with so much nautical history, is a fitting place for a new version of Moby Dick from acclaimed American performance artist and filmmaker Wu Tsang.

The recipient of a MacArthur Fellows genius grant in 2018, Tsang has directed a mostly silent adaptation of Herman Melvilles classic American novel that will have its Australian premiere, presented by the Art Gallery of NSW, with live accompaniment by Sydney Symphony Orchestra this Friday.

The elusive white whale in Wu Tsangs Moby Dick. Credit: Design Pics Inc / Alamy

Im super thrilled, especially being able to show the film so close to the water, Tsang says via Zoom from Zurich. Ive never had the opportunity to do that before and it feels like a really exciting way to connect the film with the environment for the audience.

The film reframes Moby Dick as a queer story, with the famous opening line Call me Ishmael what the novels narrator says as lover Queequeg leaves his bed to dress.
Bell is now one of the most important artists in the country. Just ask him: he has no use for modesty. He set out to become the best, even as he denies hes a real artist. I am an activist masquerading as an artist.

In 1967, Richard Bell was 13 and living in a tin humpy with his mother and siblings near Mitchell in central Queensland. He remembers feeling a surge of hope when the Aboriginal referendum passed, recognising the citizenship of Australias original inhabitants, but it didnt last.

His Brisbane gallerist Josh Milani offers a series of widening claims of Bells importance. Of course, he would say that, given his business relationship with Bell, although it is obvious Milani is a true believer. Bell moved to Milanis gallery after disagreements over money with his previous gallery. Bell says he liked Milanis honesty. That Bell has this relationship with a white gallerist is one of the many contradictions of this pungent and pugnacious documentary.

Bell has been vocal in denouncing white dominance of the Aboriginal art industry. One of his many paintings carried these words: Aboriginal art  its a white thing. And yet here he is, suspended between the black and white world, hurling bolts of paint in both directions, as he ascends the international pantheon of Australian Aboriginal artists. His work will be featured this year at the Tate Gallery in London, something of a career high.

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The film is by Larissa Behrendt, a Eualayai/Gamillaroi woman with a long pedigree in documentary. Its a thoughtful and entertaining film, mainly because Richie Bell is such an engaging and human presence. After radicalisation in the politics of Redfern in the 1970s, he developed an eloquent voice within the Aboriginal Legal Service. His life fell apart and he ended up homeless on the streets of Sydney. He envied the people he met there who had the courage to drink themselves to death. Bell decided to give art another try. He gave himself three years to turn it around. In two years, says Milani, he had won the coveted Telstra prize for Aboriginal art.

Bell inhabits this film like a circus master, explaining himself with elaborate flourishes, a million slogans and pointed questions for the viewer. He and Milani have an executive producer credit, which pushes the film into a problematical area  the sponsored documentary. Its clearly Bells version of himself, with Behrendt sharpening and facilitating. Even so, its a powerful piece of work, with all the anger, recrimination and hurt that we see in his art. Bell is a provocateur, a poet, a piss-taker, maybe even a prophet.
Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, who voices the cartoon shows two titular characters, has been dumped from the hit animated comedy by its network after domestic violence charges against him were revealed.

A post on Rick and Mortys official social media account on Wednesday (AEDT) said Adult Swim, the network that airs the show, had ended its association with Roiland, but the show would continue. The talented and dedicated crew are hard at work on season seven, the post said.

Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland has been kicked off the show after he was charged with domestic violence. Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File

Prosecutors in Orange County, California, have charged Roiland, 42, with corporal injury and false imprisonment by menace, fraud, violence or deceit against a woman, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Associated Press. The woman  who Roiland was reportedly living with and dating at the time  was not identified in court documents. Roiland has pleaded not guilty.

The incident occurred in January 2020 and Roiland was charged in May of that year, but the charges apparently went unnoticed by media outlets until NBC News reported them on January 12, when a pre-trial hearing was held.
Lily Collins has been Emily in Paris for so long that shes expected to be a Parisian authority. Three seasons into her run as Emily Cooper, an American marketing executive on assignment in the City of Light, she spends large portions of the year in France and is constantly asked for recommendations. But shes there to work.

I dont have as much free time as I wish that I had to explore, she says in a phone interview, which she conducts from her car, parked next to the road in Los Angeles before an appointment. Im constantly discovering new places and asking for peoples lists because I like the non-tourist spots.

Lily Collins (centre) in the third season of Emily in Paris. Credit: Marie Etchegoyen/Netflix

Collins, 33, has been building her own list by scootering along the Seine, making regular visits to Canal Saint-Martin, and getting to know the side streets around the Clignancourt flea market. But, she admits, one of the best sights in the city is still its most famous.

Whenever Im in the city and I look up and I see the Eiffel Tower, it doesnt matter how many times Ive seen it, I still get giddy, she says. Its such a feat.
There may be good arguments for legalising a drug that seems far less harmful than alcohol. But instead of focusing on that, the industry and government are focused on a medicine that has little or no evidence base. I suspect things will only ramp up this year. Dont expect a big injection of funding New governments get a honeymoon period, and Australias new science minister, Ed Husic, got an extra long one. The replacement of a Coalition government at open war with universities and scientists had many breathing a sigh of relief. Ed Husic, Minister for Industry and Science. Credit: Wolter Peeters Year two has now arrived. Husic has said all the right things, but scientists want to see action now. We have been in crisis mode for so long, one tells me. Everyone is anxious to see the money, says another.

But will the government inject real funding into a starving system? Given the treasurer keeps talking about how tight the budget is, I am sceptical. More likely, I suspect, it will tinker with the system. The big policy shapers are likely to be the review of the Australian Research Council, a key funder of Australian science that has become increasingly mired in bureaucracy, and a review of the nations universities. Loading Pressure is mounting on the government to cut the national interest test and the ministerial veto, two instruments that seem to serve chiefly to irritate researchers. But does the government have the stomach for bigger reforms, such as restructuring how universities fund research? Relying on fees from international students seems unsustainable. Could the Australian Research Councils budget be retargeted towards discovery research? Could our many pots of funding, some of which seem to function entirely at the whim of the minister, be centralised and better run? Husic is known to be deeply interested in quantum research, in which Australia once led the world and still retains a strong capacity. More focus here could reap rich rewards.

So far, the minister has shown himself willing to tackle problems head-on rather than sweeping them under the rug, as demonstrated by his commendable and much-needed review of (floundering) government-funded efforts to increase the number of women in STEM areas. Lets hope that attitude continues. Long-COVID science improves, but care of patients does not The good news first: researchers and the media remain focused on long COVID; a recently published review in Nature has already attracted almost half a million views and huge news coverage. There are several interesting high-quality trials being done, such as Australias STRONGER trial, which is testing the use of statins. Americas National Institutes of Health has more than $US1 billion to do research. That level of investment is extraordinary for a post-viral illness, one in an area which has been neglected for far too long. If there are discoveries and treatments to be found, we now stand a decent chance of finding them. The attention and research should have flow-on benefits to other post-viral illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome. Lulu, 11, has long COVID. Can we do a better job taking care of people like her? Credit: Jason South Now the bad news: care for the hundreds of thousands of Australians with long COVID seems unlikely to improve much. Australias long-COVID inquiry looks set to push for a GP-led care system  essentially shifting the cost of long COVID onto an already-stretched Medicare budget and GP workforce. Expect a fight here, as the federal government tries to shift responsibility towards hospitals, which the states pay for. Can we increase GPs skills fast enough to provide quality care? Many long COVID patients are already finding GPs pose more of a problem than a solution.

The states, meanwhile, say they cant afford to pay for the additional care burden or, extraordinarily, that they dont have much long COVID. Meanwhile, Im hearing of existing clinics already looking at closing after the governments COVID healthcare funding was slashed. This could get ugly. Loading Medicine gets better, and (much) more expensive Last year, there was a debut of publicly funded gene therapies in Australia. These new drugs, which change the way our DNA is expressed, can do extraordinary things, such as treat a child with spinal muscular atrophy, the leading genetic cause of infant death. Rather than dying, these kids are walking. And there are many more similar gene therapies coming. This is the start of a new era of medicine, Professor John Rasko, head of gene therapy at the Centenary Institute and author of a book about the history of stem cell medicine, told me last year.
Two major pizza chains have been targeted in a break-in binge thats seen 15 businesses robbed across Sydneys west over 10 days, police allege.

The alleged crime spree began about 2.30am on Saturday, January 14, when a Volkswagen Golf pulled up outside a Dominos on Dunmore Street in Wentworthville. Police claim Jacob Sutherland and Aime Pham parked the hatchback and broke in to the store, bypassing the pizzas and pepperoni, and went straight to the safe, stealing cash.

Later that same day, the couple are alleged to have hit another Dominos, this time in Northmead, again stealing cash.

Over the next 10 days, police allege the pair broke in and stole cash from 13 more pizza takeaway businesses  Pizza Huts in Wentworthville, Bonnyrigg and Merrylands, and Dominos stores in Toongabbie, Fairfield Heights, Cecil Hills, North Parramatta, Blacktown, North Ryde, Carnes Hill, Wetherill Park, Belmore and Croydon Park.
Dominic Perrottet leads an ageing government which voters may perceive is both too male and too stale to be given another term. And yet, the team the NSW premier is taking to the election does not reflect what his government would look like if it is re-elected on March 25.

Five of his frontbenchers  including some of the most senior  will not be part of his government if the Coalition is returned in eight weeks, choosing to retire (or in one case, forced out) rather than face life in opposition.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is unlikely to reshuffle his frontbench before the March 25 election. Credit: Kate Geraghty

Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello  who has long championed a cashless gaming card  is bowing out due to family health reasons, while Cities Minister Rob Stokes (and Perrottets closest mate in parliament) is moving on after missing the chance to be premier following the downfall of Gladys Berejiklian. Stokes is open about his ambitions: It was up, or out.

Guiding NSW through the darkest days of the pandemic has taken its toll on Health Minister Brad Hazzard who has seen government, opposition and government once more after being elected in 1991. He is also leaving, as is Corrections Minister Geoff Lee.
Montana Democrats are proposing an immediate injection of $20 million into the states behavioral health system, saying the system is facing imminent collapse.

Carried by Rep. Ed Stafman of Bozeman, House Bill 248 would direct a portion of the $2.7 billion state surplus toward raising the reimbursement rate for Medicaid-funded behavioral health services in fiscal year 2023.

The amount proposed was generated from data collected for a provider rate study meant to gauge the discrepancies between the actual cost of care and the current Medicaid reimbursement rate.

Findings from the study were published in June 2022 and indicated that a number of services are underfunded by tens of millions of dollars and will need significant investment from the state in order to continue.

As lawmakers debate how much to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers this session, the rate study will act as the guiding document, which includes recommended rates, for legislators advocating for or against rate adjustments.

Stafman said the bill would fully fund adult and children mental health services to the recommended rate published in the Montana provider rate study. Anything less could worsen access to mental health services.

The confluence of the 2017 budget cuts and the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered historical staffing shortages, has resulted in a significant decrease in behavioral health services in the last few years.

Though there are empty mental health beds in Montana, facilities are struggling to find adequate staff, and as a result are unable to offer those beds to people in need.

My guess is that we lost about half of our mental health beds in the last couple of years, Stafman said.

Tom Livers with Shodair Childrens Hospital spoke in support of the bill, saying that the hospital system closed two small therapeutic group homes that serve younger kids.

The mental health system is in a significant challenge. We are operating at a level that is not sustainable long term, Livers said.

Representatives from the Montana Medical Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Montana chapter and Benefis Health System also spoke in support of the bill.

While there were no opponents to the bill, multiple legislators expressed concerns over appropriating such a high dollar amount when the federal government could provide a match made up of federal funds.

It can be hard to know exactly what the federal match will amount to, Stafman said, but the system needs a significant increase in funding as soon as possible.

Its built into the bill that, once singed by the governor, the supplemental payments would be distributed immediately.

This is a desperate situation that needs funding right now. It cant wait for the next budget, Stafman said.
A man has been arrested in Brisbane and charged with several offences after his mother went missing in mysterious circumstances and evidence of bloody violence and a fire at her Gold Coast home were discovered by police.

Emergency services responding to a report of a burglary were called to an Elanora home on Tuesday about 3pm.

Queensland police are searching for Wendy Sleeman.

Wendy Sleeman had called police over the robbery, but within half an hour she was missing, police said.

Her son, who goes by the name Slade Murdok, 30, has been charged with contravening a domestic violence order, unlawful stalking, burglary, assault occasioning bodily harm, kidnapping, attempted arson and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
A former Brisbane stockbroker who swindled people out of millions of dollars has been sentenced to 11 years imprisonment.

Rod Halligan, 59, appeared in the Brisbane District Court on Wednesday over fraud charges for transferring his clients shares, some worth at least $100,000, for his own benefit.

Roderick George Halligan was banned by ASIC in March 2022.

The court heard one of his clients lost what would be worth up to $2.5 million today had her shares been invested the way she had intended.

Crown prosecutor Chris Cook said Halligans carefully planned offending was callous manipulation and deception.
Unfortunately, public schools still have to beg, borrow and hopefully not steal from parents and the community to supply the essentials for their kids, he said. The reason they have to do that is ... in Victoria and almost every public school in the rest of Australia, except for ACT, are underfunded. Zyngier said some schools were underfunded by up to $2 million. So it doesnt matter how much the parents do contribute, it will never make up for that shortfall. At Melbourne High School, voluntary contributions added up to $3600 for one year 9 student, on top of the cost of a school-approved computer, uniforms and books. Principal Tony Mordini wrote to parents saying the select-entry schools programs cannot be delivered without your financial contributions. Victorian Principals Association president Andrew Dalgleish said each school faced different challenges and some communities had a greater potential to contribute.

The challenge for schools is, how do we pay for it when we find we may not have enough money in our budgets to do that? he said. Loading Dalgleish expects schools will receive lower contributions this year due to cost of living pressures. There will be some parents 12 months ago who would have been fine, but if their mortgage rates rise, they are going to struggle to make a contribution towards their childs education. I think we are in for a pretty rocky six months. We still have plenty of federal funding going in to our high-fee independent and Catholic schools, and yet we are still in [the] government system ... requesting voluntary contributions from people who might not be able to pay. He said families could go on payment plans and that most principals would understand if parents spoke with them about not being able to afford the fees.

North Geelong Secondary College wrote to parents a week before Christmas seeking automated access to welfare payments for voluntary contributions. It was subsequently told by the Education Department to modify the form, to make it clearer to parents that all contributions are voluntary. Principal Nick Adamou said that while schools provide free instruction and all payments are voluntary, they ensure the school can offer the best education and support for students. Parent payments and fundraising efforts have enabled the college to limit class sizes, he said. They have also gone towards sports, literacy and numeracy programs, instrumental music and even faster Wi-Fi. Save Our Schools national convener Trevor Cobbold said some voluntary payment notices were still misleading, as some were sent in the form of an invoice, even if they clearly stated they were voluntary.

That gives the impression that theyre not voluntary, he said. He added there needed to be more outreach to struggling families. How many migrant families are going to walk up to the principal and say, We are poor, we arent going to pay,  he said. Cobbold said voluntary contributions topped up an underfunded state school system. Victoria is the equal-second-worst-funded system in the country. So of course schools are under pressure and putting pressure on parents.

Australian Principals Federation president Tina King said schools will source some classroom materials through voluntary contributions and teachers will even buy materials themselves. Loading They often dip into their own pockets, its not what we endorse or advocate. According to the 2021 Australian Education Union State of Our Schools survey, 84 per cent of public school teachers spend an average of $883 a year of their own money on supplies, and 90 per cent of primary schools teachers spend an average of $1110. King said the revisions to the parent payment policy and the refinement of allowable wording to families has had an impact on contributions.

While a small percentage of schools payments have gone up, we know across the board schools have taken a hit as well, she said. That compromises the rich opportunities the schools offer. But she said schools would do everything they could to ensure students were not disadvantaged if they could not contribute to voluntary payments. Social campaigner Les Twentyman said the reality for families is that schooling is not free. For families unable to meet the cost of voluntary school fees, they often can face public shaming or the exclusion of their child from various school activities, which can have a negative impact on a child as no child at school wants to feel different, he said. So, if you are carrying around second-hand books, wearing an old uniform or banned from certain activities, this can lead to a child withdrawing from their education or refusing to attend school.

Viewbank College, in Melbournes north-east, told parents that schools provide free instruction to fulfil the standard curriculum, but that other programs the college offers add to the cost of education. Loading Our college is proud of the quality of our facilities and resources available for our students to enjoy, and few schools match the numerous programs we offer to cater for students needs and interests. However, these do not come without extra cost, principal Sharon Grimes wrote. Those extras included additional support staff in science, technology and performing arts, and resources such as 3D laser printers. Australian Education Union Victoria branch president Meredith Peace said if Victorias public schools were fully funded by the federal and state governments, they would not have to depend on teacher and parent contributions to provide the resources students need for high-quality education.

The need for parents to contribute to the cost of educational resources creates greater inequity in the system, where families who have a greater capacity to pay benefit more than those families who cant, she said. These contributions also place a significant burden on teachers who dont want to see students missing out, and want nothing more than to deliver the education their students need and deserve, even if it comes at a significant and unreasonable personal expense. A state Department of Education and Training spokesperson said the departments policy on parent payments was clear  that each contribution must be voluntary. Voluntary parent payments make a contribution to enriching the educational experience offered at schools, the spokesperson said. No child can be disadvantaged or refused instruction in the standard Victorian curriculum if voluntary financial contributions are not made. Families can apply for support through schools and the State School Relief fund. If you are struggling with back-to-school costs, you can contact the Les Twentyman Foundation and other support services here.
A bouncy castle operator who orchestrated a string of arson attacks to bring down his competitors was assaulted in prison and is refusing to leave his cell, a court has heard.

James Balcombe, 57, is living in fear of further attacks after the bashing required hospital treatment, his lawyer told the County Court on Wednesday.

James Balcombe outside the County Court in 2017. Credit: Jason South

Balcombe paid a former staff member and two other men to firebomb bouncy castle hire rivals on at least 10 occasions in the summer of 2016-17, terrorising operators and causing more than $1 million in damages.

Defence counsel Simon Kenny told the court his client had been assaulted by another inmate at the remand facility where he is being held and had to be taken to hospital for treatment.
Warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: This story contains images and references to a deceased person.

The Victorian government has committed to considering bail law reforms this year, but will not reveal which areas of the law they plan to amend or the extent to which they will be rolled back.

On Wednesday, Victorias Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said the states controversial bail laws would be tweaked following further consultation and proper cabinet processes at some point this year, conceding that some of the most vulnerable people in the community had been unnecessarily caught up in the justice system or placed on remand.

We have had examples of [remand for] low-level offending, shoplifting for example, where perhaps that person is not a risk to community safety, Symes said.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in an urgent Public meeting on January 25, 2023.

The Public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 14.00 hrs. in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of Justice will be present.

The agenda point is:

Discussion regarding the flow and managing of the inmates at the Pointe Blanche Prison (IS/363/2022-2023 dated January 19, 2023)

This meeting was requested by MP G.S. Heyliger-Marten, MP S.A. Wescot-Williams, and MP C.T. Emmanuel.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

All persons visiting the House of Parliament must adhere to the house rules.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on TV 15, Soualiga Headlines, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and www.youtube.com/c/SintMaartenParliament
PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- If you have not registered as yet for Color Walk 23, you can still do so at Kooyman between 8:00 AM  6:00 PM, from Monday to Sunday.



Color Walk 23 will take place on Sunday, February 5 at 5:00 AM. The route will be from the Kooyman parking lot to the Collective Prevention Service (CPS) office at the Vineyard Building in Philipsburg.



Participants will receive a package with a T-Shirt, a Backpack with water, and a color powder pack plus free giveaways once they complete registration.



The package can be picked up on January 28 which is this Saturday and February 4 between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM at the offices of CPS, Vineyard Building.



The proceeds from the organization of the walk will go to the St. Maarten AIDS Foundation.



CPS, a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (Ministry VSA), has joined forces with Kooyman along with other stakeholders to organize the Color Walk 23.
BELVEDERE:--- Sint Maarten  As most residents settle into their new homes in the Belvedere Towers, they can sleep soundly knowing that the renovations were guided by the Government of Sint Maartens build-back better principle. The results are safer, modern apartments that can better withstand future natural disasters.

Financed through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, the renovations took place in 64 apartments in six (6) residential buildings managed by the Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF). The buildings  locally known as The Towers  were all severely damaged during the passage of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in 2017.

By the completion of the final building in December 2022, the construction crews had not only repaired the hurricane damage; but had also greatly improved the buildings safety. For example, the buildings foundations and lower exterior walls were thickened by 10 centimeters. This was done to increase the buildings structural stability and reduce the chances of them swaying in an earthquake. Additionally, the wooden roofs on the upper floors were replaced with reinforced concrete. This practically eliminates the possibility of losing ones roof to a monstrous storm like Hurricane Irma, whose catastrophic winds exceeded 175 miles per hour.

The safety considerations went beyond major structural components like floors, walls, and roofs. It went into the smaller details as well, such as having the glass sliding doors replaced with aluminum. The windows have also been outfitted with shatter-resistant louvers placed in special frames that are securely bolted into the concrete walls. This not only makes the apartments safer in a natural disaster but also offers greater protection against burglary.

At SMHDFs request, two (2) of the apartments were specifically renovated to accommodate differently abled tenants. These improvements included wheel-chair ramps leading to their entrances, as well as height-adjusted bathroom and kitchen fixtures.

The planning, preparation, and execution of this project have taken much collaboration and effort, with all stakeholders involved. A lot has gone into this project, a top priority of this Government. We have remained committed to its execution and today are super proud and grateful on behalf of the beneficiaries - the 64 families who have a more sturdy, safe home. People were displaced and had to live in different circumstances, but through resilience, we can finally say that some of the most vulnerable can live in homes not only rebuilt but built to withstand future natural disasters. We continue to prioritize and strive to meet the needs of our communities, said Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs.

With prior planning, one can prevent poor performance. This is reflected in the build-back-better concept, which was implemented by our Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure (VROMI), and can be seen in the renovated 64 apartments that can now withstand a monster storm. The key to the success of this project lies with the ultimate beneficiaries - the people of Sint Maarten. Let us all remember the great value of diligence as we strive for even greater future successes. We all have demonstrated that - with a collective mind, hard work, and perseverance - we can do it, said SMHDF Director Helen Salomons.

National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) Director Claret Connor said: As the NRPB has helped to rebuild this country on behalf of the government, the focus is to build resilience into every activity that we jointly undertake. At the end of the Trust Fund, we want to have a country that has progressed beyond where we were in 2017. We want a country that is better prepared to withstand the natural disasters that will inevitably knock on our doors. The renovations of the Belvedere Towers stand as an example of how we can achieve this, specifically by placing resiliency at the center of our construction projects.

The Sint Maarten Trust Fund is financed by the Government of the Netherlands, managed by the World Bank, and implemented by the NRPB on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten.
County prosecutors have filed drug charges against a Billings man accused of instigating a standoff in the Heights earlier this week.

Dillon James Mehling is facing felony counts of possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia after police allegedly found him carrying just over 15 grams of meth following his arrest Tuesday. The 32-year-old had a warrant stemming from a previous charge in Yellowstone County District Court of possession with intent to distribute.

Officers with the Billings Police Department received a report of shots fired on the 1200 block of Lake Elmo Drive late Monday night, according to charging documents. BPD Lt. Matt Lennick told the Gazette on Tuesday that first responders did not find anyone injured by gunfire. Police did find a suspect, later identified as Mehling, a few blocks west on Reda Lane. Mehling was allegedly sitting in a car and smoking cigarettes.

Mehling was distraught, court documents said, refusing demands from police to get out of the car and telling officers he wanted to die. A BPD sergeant on scene assured Mehling police did not want to kill him, and Mehling surrendered after a standoff that lasted over an hour.

Police searched the car and recovered a revolver, according to charging documents. Mehling allegedly admitted to carrying drugs, and during a search of his person, officers found 15.2 grams of a substance suspected to be meth and a container with multiple empty plastic bags. Law enforcement booked Mehling into Yellowstone County Detention Facility on Tuesday.

At the time of his most recent arrest, Mehling had a $15,000 warrant signed by Yellowstone County District Judge Mary Jane Knisely. Last August, court documents said a BPD officer questioned Mehling at his apartment on North 22nd Street in connection to a stolen vehicle. Mehling allegedly admitted to taking the vehicle, and agreed to let BPD search it before they returned the car to its owner. Inside the vehicle, court documents said, police found a backpack, inside of which was just over 5 grams of meth and drug paraphernalia.

Mehling had previously been arrested in Idaho and sentenced for drug trafficking. In March 2019, the Idaho State Journal reported, a high-speed chase on Interstate 90 ended near Inkom, in the southeast corner of the state. Law enforcement arrested two men, one of whom was identified as Mehling, and inside their vehicle found a half-a-pound of a substance suspected to be meth. Mehling was released from custody and entered supervision in March 2022, according to Idaho Department of Correction records.

If convicted of possession with intent to distribute in Yellowstone County District Court, Mehling could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison. He made his initial appearance in court for the most recent charges Wednesday.
The Red River Women's Clinic, North Dakota's sole abortion provider, moved from Fargo to Moorhead, Minnesota, in the wake of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision last June that triggered North Dakota's 2007 law to take effect.

The clinic is challenging the trigger law, which would ban virtually all abortions but for cases of rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother. The state Supreme Court will rule soon on a judge's temporary block of the trigger ban.
After the Columbia disaster, pieces of Columbia space shuttle debris are seen stored in a hangar at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during accident investigation in 2003. More than 82,000 pieces of debris from the Feb. 1, 2003 shuttle disaster, which killed seven astronauts, were recovered. In all, 84,800 pounds, or 38 percent of the total dry weight of Columbia, was recovered. Imaged released May 15, 2003.

The Columbia disaster occurred On Feb. 1, 2003, when NASAs space shuttle Columbia broke up as it returned to Earth, killing the seven astronauts on board. NASA suspended space shuttle flights for more than two years as it investigated the cause of the Columbia disaster.

An investigation board determined that a large piece of foam fell from the shuttle's external tank and breached the spacecraft wing. This problem with foam had been known for years, and NASA came under intense scrutiny in Congress and in the media for allowing the situation to continue.

The Columbia mission was the second space shuttle disaster after Challenger, which saw a catastrophic failure during its launch in 1986. The Columbia disaster directly led to the retirement of the space shuttle fleet in 2011. Now, astronauts from the US fly to the International Space Station on Russian Soyuz rockets or aboard commercial spacecraft, like the SpaceX (opens in new tab) Crew Dragon capsules which began a "space taxi" (opens in new tab) service to the ISS in 2020.

Related: Shuttle Columbia's Final Mission: Photos from STS-107

Columbia was the first space shuttle to fly in space; its first flight took place in April 1981, and it successfully completed 27 missions before the disaster. On its 28th flight, Columbia left Earth for the last time on Jan. 16, 2003. At the time, the shuttle program was focused on building the International Space Station. However, Columbia's final mission, known as STS-107, emphasized pure research.

Columbia disaster crew members

The seven-member crew  Rick Husband, commander; Michael Anderson, payload commander; David Brown, mission specialist; Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; Laurel Clark, mission specialist; William McCool, pilot; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist from the Israeli Space Agency  had spent 24 hours a day doing science experiments in two shifts. They performed around 80 experiments in life sciences, material sciences, fluid physics and other matters before beginning their return to Earth's surface.

This image of the STS-107 shuttle Columbia crew in orbit was recovered from wreckage inside an undeveloped film canister. From left (bottom row): Kalpana Chawla, Rick Husband, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon. From left (top row): David Brown, William McCool and Michael Anderson. (Image credit: NASA/JSC)

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What caused the space shuttle Columbia disaster?

During the crew's 16 days in space, NASA investigated a foam strike that took place during launch. About 82 seconds after Columbia left the ground, a piece of foam fell from a "bipod ramp" that was part of a structure that attached the external tank to the shuttle. Video from the launch appeared to show the foam striking Columbia's left wing. It was later found that a hole on the left wing allowed atmospheric gases to bleed into the shuttle as it went through its fiery re-entry, leading to the loss of the sensors and eventually, Columbia itself and the astronauts inside.

Several people within NASA pushed to get pictures of the breached wing in orbit. The Department of Defense was reportedly prepared to use its orbital spy cameras to get a closer look. However, NASA officials in charge declined the offer, according to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) and "Comm Check (opens in new tab)," a 2008 book by space journalists Michael Cabbage and William Harwood, about the disaster. The landing proceeded without further inspection.

On Feb. 1, 2003, the shuttle made its usual landing approach to the Kennedy Space Center. Just before 9 a.m. EST, however, abnormal readings showed up at Mission Control. Temperature readings from sensors located on the left wing were lost. Then, tire pressure readings from the left side of the shuttle also vanished.

This image is a view of the underside of Columbia during its entry from mission STS-107 on Feb. 1, 2003, as it passed by the Starfire Optical Range, Directed Energy Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The image was taken at approximately 7:57 a.m. CST. This image was received by NASA as part of the Columbia accident investigation. (Image credit: NASA)

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The Capcom, or spacecraft communicator, called up to Columbia to discuss the tire pressure readings. At 8:59:32 a.m., Husband called back from Columbia: "Roger," followed by a word that was cut off in mid-sentence.

At that point, Columbia was near Dallas, traveling 18 times the speed of sound and still 200,700 feet (61,170 meters) above the ground. Mission Control made several attempts to get in touch with the astronauts, with no success.

Twelve minutes later, when Columbia should have been making its final approach to the runway, a mission controller received a phone call. The caller said a television network was showing a video of the shuttle breaking up in the sky.

Shortly afterward, NASA declared a space shuttle 'contingency' and sent search and rescue teams to the suspected debris sites in Texas and later, Louisiana. Later that day, NASA declared the astronauts lost.

"This is indeed a tragic day for the NASA family, for the families of the astronauts who flew on STS-107, and likewise is tragic for the nation," stated NASA's administrator at the time, Sean O'Keefe.

Searching for Columbia debris

Pieces of Columbia space shuttle debris are seen stored in a hangar at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during accident investigation in 2003. More than 82,000 pieces of debris from the Feb. 1, 2003 shuttle disaster, which killed seven astronauts, were recovered. In all, 84,800 pounds, or 38 percent of the total dry weight of Columbia, was recovered. Imaged released May 15, 2003. (Image credit: NASA)

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The search for debris took weeks, as it was shed over a zone of some 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometers) in east Texas alone. NASA eventually recovered 84,000 pieces, representing nearly 40 percent of Columbia by weight. Among the recovered material were crew remains, which were identified with DNA.

Much later, in 2008, NASA released a crew survival report detailing the Columbia crew's last few minutes. The astronauts probably survived the initial breakup of Columbia, but lost consciousness in seconds (opens in new tab) after the cabin lost pressure. The crew died as the shuttle disintegrated.

Report calls for more funding, emphasis on safety

In the weeks after the disaster, a dozen officials began sifting through the Columbia disaster, led by Harold W. Gehman Jr., former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board, or CAIB, as it was later known, later released a multi-volume report (opens in new tab) on how the shuttle was destroyed, and what led to it.

Besides the physical cause  the foam  CAIB produced a damning assessment of the culture at NASA that had led to the foam problem and other safety issues being minimized over the years.

NASA's space shuttle Columbia was destroyed during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003, in a tragic disaster that killed the shuttle's seven-astronaut crew. See how the Columbia shuttle accident occurred in this SPACE.com infographic. (Image credit: Karl Tate, SPACE.com)

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"Cultural traits and organizational practices detrimental to safety were allowed to develop," the board wrote, citing "reliance on past success as a substitute for sound engineering practices" and "organizational barriers that prevented effective communication of critical safety information" among the problems found.

CAIB recommended NASA ruthlessly seek and eliminate safety problems, such as the foam, to ensure astronaut safety in future missions. It also called for more predictable funding and political support for the agency, and added that the shuttle must be replaced with a new transportation system.

"The shuttle is now an aging system but still developmental in character. It is in the nation's interest to replace the shuttle as soon as possible," the report stated.

Returning to flight and retiring the space shuttle program

The shuttle's external tank was redesigned, and other safety measures were implemented. In July 2005, STS-114 lifted off and tested a suite of new procedures, including one where astronauts used cameras and a robotic arm to scan the shuttle's belly for broken tiles. NASA also had more camera views of the shuttle during liftoff to better monitor foam shedding.

Due to more foam loss than expected, the next shuttle flight did not take place until July 2006. After STS-121's safe conclusion, NASA deemed the program ready to move forward and shuttles resumed flying several times a year.

"We're still going to watch and we're still going to pay attention," STS-121 commander Steve Lindsey said at the time. "We're never ever going to let our guard down."

The shuttle fleet was maintained long enough to complete the construction of the International Space Station, with most missions solely focused on finishing the building work; the ISS was also viewed as a safe haven for astronauts to shelter in case of another foam malfunction during launch. A notable exception to the ISS shuttle missions was STS-125, a successful 2009 flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe initially canceled this mission in 2004 out of concern from the recommendations of the CAIB, but the mission was reinstated by new administrator Michael Griffin in 2006; he said the improvements to shuttle safety would allow the astronauts to do the work safely.

The space shuttle program was retired in July 2011 after 135 missions, including the catastrophic failures of Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003 which killed a total of 14 astronauts. NASA developed a commercial crew program to eventually replace shuttle flights to the space station and brokered an agreement with the Russians to use Soyuz spacecraft to ferry American astronauts to orbit.

NASA's Day of Remembrance honors the memories of astronauts who died during the Apollo 1, space shuttle Challenger and shuttle Columbia tragedies. (Image credit: NASA)

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Columbia's legacy

Some of the experiments on Columbia survived, including a live group of roundworms, known as Caenorhabditis elegans. Investigators were surprised that the worms  about 1 millimeter in length  survived the re-entry with only some heat damage. Some of the descendants of these roundworms (opens in new tab) flew into space in May 2011 aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, shortly before the shuttle program was retired.

Columbia's loss  as well as the loss of several other space-bound crews  receives a public tribute every year at NASA's Day of Remembrance (opens in new tab). That date is marked in late January or early February because, coincidentally, the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia crews were all lost in that calendar week.

In 2015, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Center opened the first NASA exhibit to display debris from both the Challenger and Columbia missions. Called "Forever Remembered (opens in new tab)," the permanent exhibit shows part of Challenger's fuselage, and window frames from Columbia. Personal artifacts from each of the 14 astronauts are also on display. The exhibit was created in collaboration with the families of the lost astronauts.

The crew has received several tributes to their memory over the years. On Mars, the rover Spirit's landing site was ceremonially named Columbia Memorial Station (opens in new tab). Also, seven asteroids orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter now bear the crew's names.

Additional resources

Read more about how the Columbia tragedy began the age of private space travel (opens in new tab) with this article by Tim Fernholz. Remember the Columbia STS-107 mission with these resources from NASA (opens in new tab). Explore how space shuttle Discovery launched America back into space after the shuttle disasters, with this Smithsonian Magazine feature (opens in new tab) by David Kindy.

Bibliography

Cabbage, M., & Harwood, W. (2004). Comm check: The final flight of Shuttle Columbia. Free Press.

NASA. NASA Day of remembrance. NASA. Retrieved January 25, 2023, from https://www.nasa.gov/specials/dor2023/ (opens in new tab)

NASA. Remembering Columbia STS-107 Mission. NASA. Retrieved January 25, 2023, from https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/index.html (opens in new tab)

NASA. Space shuttle Columbia. NASA. Retrieved January 25, 2023, from https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/orbiterscol.html (opens in new tab)
The old adage states, "an overnight sensation is ten years in the making." In the case of Michelle Yeoh, they might need to add a couple of decades to the saying. In case you've been out of the loop, Yeoh is on the run of her career. In addition to her major roles in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Crazy Rich Asians, Michelle Yeoh took yet another step into the A-list with her incredible performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Even though Yeoh has been a constant fixture in Hollywood for years, it feels like she's only finally getting recognition after building a cult fanbase through her time as a Hong Kong action star.

For fans of 80s Hong Kong action flicks, Yeoh was already a trailblazer for her stunning array of films, but now she can add another layer to her pioneering resume. With her best actress nomination for Everything Everywhere All At Once, Michelle Yeoh is the first Asian woman to receive the honor.
From January 5 through January 12, Starkville Academy junior and senior students participated in a program called Project Engage, where they learned skills such as basic car maintenance, sewing a button, or writing a check.
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Around 12,000  or 6%  of Google employees were laid off on Friday, but not everyone saw the "abrupt and impersonal" email before commuting to work. And so some employees who missed the memo  at least in New York and Chicago  only found out they were canned when their badges wouldn't let them into their office. Nice.

Employees, at least one who was at the company for 20 years, have described the way they were let go as "inhuman," "cold," "a slap in the face," and that left at least one person with "shaky hands."

From Insider:
The General Inspectorate of the Border Police informs, in a press release sent to AGERPRES, that on Tuesday, 71,916 people entered Romania through the border points, of which 6,675 were Ukrainian citizens.

Approximately 135,000 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, with more than 40,000 means of transport, went through the control formalities, both in the direction of entry and exit, through the border points throughout the country.

As of February 10, 2022 (pre-conflict period), 3,391,635 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania.

The border police detected 41 illegal acts (20 felonies and 21 misdemeanors) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens, and the value of the contravention fines amounts to over 5,200 RON. Also, goods were seized for confiscation in the amount of approximately 183,000 RON.

On Tuesday, 28 foreign citizens who did not meet the conditions provided for by law were not allowed to enter the country and 15 Romanian citizens were not allowed to leave for various legal reasons.
Migration is a problem that Austria is facing, which Romania did not cause, our borders being secure, but we are willing to contribute to solving it, and we are waiting for more openness on the part of Austria, Romanian MEP Siegfried Muresan, vice-president of the European People's Party (EPP) group, declared for AGERPRES on Wednesday in Brussels.

"At the debate in the plenary sitting of the European Parliament last week, the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, gave me assurances that Sweden is ready to put Romania's accession to the Schengen area on the agenda of the EU Council. I publicly asked him, in my speech in the plenary session of the European Parliament, that Romania's accession remain on the EU agenda, and the prime minister answered me by saying that he understands our disappointment, the Romanians, and that Sweden is prepared to raise this issue on the agenda. So, we have the support of the Swedish Presidency (of the EU Council),'' said Muresan.

He reminded that, from a technical point of view, Romania has been meeting the conditions to enter Schengen since 2011, something reconfirmed last year by two independent European missions that traveled to Bucharest. "From a political point of view, Romania made very important progress last year, managing to convince 26 out of 27 member states to vote for our accession. We will continue to work closely with all the member states, but also at the level of the European institutions in order to reach the best solutions for managing the migration problem and to convince Austria to support our accession. But we also expect the Austrian Government, especially Prime Minister Nehammer, to give up the anti-European electoral speech. By continuing this speech, the Austrian prime minister is only making it more difficult to solve the migration problem", continued the MEP.

He also referred to the recent statements of Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer according to which the Schengen area is currently non-functional as immigrants continue to come to Europe and, in this context, an extension of Schengen would not be justified for the time being.

"When the Government of Austria declares that it opposes the extension of the Schengen area and the accession of Romania under the pretext that the Schengen area is non-functional, it forgets to say that exactly 5 minutes before it had voted for the accession of Croatia to the Schengen area, therefore for the extension of the Schengen area. The arguments brought by Prime Minister Nehammer in the last months have no concrete basis, they are not supported by concrete, real figures, they only have an electoral purpose. He also visited Bulgaria for electoral purposes. As I anticipated and as I publicly declared before the visit, Prime Minister Nehammer went to Bulgaria only to make his election campaign in Austria with European money. Karl Nehammer declared in Bulgaria that he wants us to use European funds to strengthen the border between Bulgaria and Turkey. We must remind the Austrian chancellor that Austria was one of the four EU member states whose governments were most opposed to the increase in the European budget in the past. Austria has always had as its priority only the reduction of the EU budget and not the allocation of money where it is really needed'', the Romanian MEP said in the statement for AGERPRES.

Siegfried Muresan argued that "demanding that the EU budget do more and fighting in parallel to reduce the budget is populist". "You cannot ask for more money on the one hand and oppose a bigger budget on the other. In the current EU budget, all the money is already planned. If Mr. Nehammer wants 2 billion EUR more for Bulgaria, then let him say where he gets it. If it wants to increase the EU budget, that would be a good thing, but it is a position contrary to the position that Austria has supported and continues to support in all budget discussions at the European level. I hope that this speech will disappear after the elections'' [in the state of Lower Austria on January 29], he stressed.

In his opinion, it is not normal for a head of government to decide the entire European policy of the country "starting from his own, electoral interests, regarding a single region". "In the European Union we have 27 member states with 242 regions. If every prime minister would block the decision-making process in Europe taking into account only the electoral interests he has regarding certain local, regional or national elections, we would no longer take any important decision at the European level'', argued the Romanian MEP.

Asked if he considers that the plan presented by the Commission on Tuesday regarding increasing the efficiency of the return of immigrants will help to change the position of countries (especially Austria) reluctant to the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen, the vice-president of the European Parliament group of the EPP recalled that migration is a priority of both the Swedish presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.

"We will have a debate next week in the European Parliament on the topic of migration and asylum, in preparation for the extraordinary European Council meeting on February 9-10. In addition, an informal meeting of EU interior ministers is scheduled in Stockholm tomorrow and the day after, which will also have the topic of migration on the agenda. Also, the European Commission yesterday presented a plan regarding the more efficient return of immigrants outside the European Union, as part of the new European Plan on Asylum and Migration. We will work on the basis of this plan in the negotiations between the European Parliament and the EU Council on making operational the common EU system for returns, as one of the solutions to the migration problem. It is clear that we need close coordination at the European level to solve this problem. There is openness, as you can see, from the European institutions to find these solutions together as quickly as possible. In this sense, Romania has expressed on several occasions its willingness to work with European partners, including Austria, to manage the situation of immigrants arriving in Europe. We will support all European solutions to the migration crisis. I have said it in the past and I repeat it: Romania is not the source of the illegal migration that Europe is facing. It never was. Our borders are well secured. We have reliable data from European institutions that confirm these things. But, in the spirit of the European values that unite us, we are with our partners who face this problem", concluded MEP Siegfried Muresan.
Entrepreneurs who invested in Romanian rural areas received between 2015 and 2022 support for the establishment and development of non-agricultural businesses through the Agency for Rural Investments Financing (AFIR), the agency informs.

More than 14,900 applications for the financing of rural non-agricultural investments worth over 1.3 billion euros were filed with AFIR and in the end, following the evaluation and selection process, the agency concluded financing contracts with 4,287 entrepreneurs for projects worth a total of 398 million euros.

AFIR settled investment expenses totaling 278.7 million euros made by the beneficiaries of this sector.

The eligible investments that received funding through Sub-measure 6.2 - Support for the establishment of non-agricultural activities in rural areas include: the provision of medical, social, sanitary and veterinary services, the production of non-alcoholic soft drinks, the production of mineral waters and other bottled waters, the manufacturing of textile products, fabric production, AFIR representatives specify.

Financing under Sub-measure 6.4 - Investments in the establishment and development of non-agricultural activities was directed towards the establishment of tourist reception units such as caravan, camping or bungalow parks, as well as to facilities for the manufacturing of textile products, clothing, leather goods, paper and cardboard articles, the manufacturing of chemical and pharmaceutical products, the manufacturing of electrical and electronic products, etc.

As far as the beneficiaries of financing contracts through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) are concerned, AFIR offered financing to over 3,800 small and medium-sized enterprises that develop non-agricultural investments in the countryside, 1,484 service-related activities, 876 agritourism boarding facilities and 128 other projects for craft activities.

Also, 926 young entrepreneurs received European funding through the National Rural Development Plan to develop rural businesses. With the help of AFIR-managed European funds, 4,558 new jobs were created in the rural non-agricultural sector, of which 1,681 are for women. AGERPRES
The well-known collector from eastern city of Braila, Nelu Ivan, owns the book with the only autograph given by the former president Nicolae Ceausescu, which happened in November 1989, on the occasion of his last working visit to Braila, at the Pulp and Paper Mill.

"Nicolae Ceausescu visited the Braila Pulp and Paper Mill, and during this working visit he signed his first autograph on a unique book, which is currently in my collection. Shortly before this visit, a foreman who was working at the Cardboard Factory had gone on a delegation to Scanteia (the newspaper of the communist party, ed. n.), where he had taken a prototype book straight off the tape, which had just come off the printing press. The history of this book would be a special one, because it is the one to whom president Nicolae Ceausescu gave his only autograph," Nelu Ivan declared for AGERPRES.

The book that Nicolae Ceausescu autographed is called "The Process of Revolution and Socialist Construction in Romania" and it didn't have time to be released, because the Revolution came, only five copies were issued from it, among which the most valuable one is in the collection of Nelu Ivan.

"The foreman came up with the idea to get Ceausescu's autograph while he was visiting the plant. He went with the book to the office of the general director of the plant, Gheorghe Nicolau, where he knew that Ceausescu was, but several Securitate (political police, ed. n.) officers were at the office's door and did not allow him to enter. They asked him what he wanted. 'I want to get to Comrade Nicolae Ceausescu to get his autograph,' he said. The Securitate officers laughed, and one of them said to him: 'Hand me the book!' and entered the office. When he entered the office, Ceausescu asked him: 'What's going on?'. 'A comrade from the factory wants an autograph on this book,' the Securitate officer answered and handed him the book. Ceausescu took the book, studied it and would have said, 'This is my first autograph!' He took out the red ink pen and autographed his name on the Introduction page, where there was a quote. The whole scene was confirmed to me by the director Nicolau, who was my chess rival. I had arranged with him to write on the last page how everything happened, but he didn't get to, because in the meantime he died," Nelu Ivan reports.

The collector mentions that he managed to get possession of the book in 1993, when the foreman who owned it needed a favor, which Nelu Ivan did him, and in exchange he asked for the autographed book.

Nelu Ivan, founding president of the Dunarea Braila Philatelic Association, is 76 years old and has been collecting stamps, medals, banknotes, coins, rare books, art objects for 45 years, but his most impressive collection is the philatelic one, which contains millions of postage stamps from all over the world, including the famous Mauritius stamp, estimated at over 1 million euros.
A debate dedicated to the 164th anniversary of the Union of the Romanian Principalities took place on Tuesday evening, at Cercle Royal Gaulois in Brussels, bringing together Romanians from the country and in the diaspora.

During the event, organized by the Romania 2030 Project Association, speeches were delivered by NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana and the president of the Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM), Stefan Constantinescu. Aurica Ichim, director of the Regina Maria Municipal Museum in Iasi, and Florian Bichir, journalist at Evenimentul Istoric (the Historic Event) joined the discussion.

The head of the Permanent Representation of Romania to the European Union, Iulia Matei, the Ambassador of Romania in the Kingdom of Belgium, Andreea Pastarnac, Romanian MEPs, former Romanian ambassador to the EU Mihnea Motoc, former Romanian ambassador to NATO Sorin Ducaru, Romanians who work in Belgium in European institutions or private companies were also present.

In his intervention, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana mentioned the context and significance of the moment 164 years ago that marked the history of Romanians.

''Today we remember the Union Day of 1859. The two Romanian Principalities, Moldova and Wallachia joined their destinies together, in an act of common will, an element that was the basis of the snowball that led to the creation of Greater Romania on December 1, 1918," he said.

The former foreign affairs minister wanted to note that Alexandru Ioan Cuza was not the one who only united, but also the one who transformed the country.

"He was the architect of the first great historical leap, organizing or reorganizing education, health protection, the army and the internal order, the agrarian economy, the fiscal system, transport, culture, justice. He left us the expression 'Cuza's Oka' or the memory of the perennial need to fight for equal rules for all and against the cancer that corruption represents for the prosperity and moral health of each nation," further said Mircea Geoana.

He insisted on the importance of our country's current membership to European and Euro -Atlantic structures.

"Today Romania is a national state, sovereign and independent, unitary and indivisible, recognized and increasingly respected by everyone. It is a member of the most desired and envied union of states and is part of the largest and most powerful military alliance of the planet. Romania is a big and resourceful country and, even if its path to prosperity is still long and difficult, sometimes frustratingly difficult, Romania is still on this path with our partners and allies in the civilized democratic world," said the NATO representative.

Another idea that Mircea Geoana wanted to highlight in his speech is the need to find solutions to prevent the alienation and uprooting of Romanians.

"Not all Romanians live in Romania, some live in the territories that the wars and peace have cut out of the country's body. Historical Romanian minorities have been living in Serbia or Ukraine today and have carried for decades the burden of a heavy unhappiness. The Republic of Moldova is a country full of Romanians. History has completely moved it from its track, sometimes forged its birth and identity certificate. Today it is an independent state, which can decide on its own fate. We are all determined to help the Republic of Moldova in its European destiny, even if some try to perpetuate the Soviet lie that Romanians and Moldovans would not be a single part of the same nation. (...) In order to unite again in thought and feeling, we must give up the enmity between us, the envy, and unite in condemning and fighting against those who continue to dig ditches, and not build bridges between those at home and those on the outside," added Geoana.

The 'Little Union' of 1859 represented an important stage in the formation of the Romanian unitary national state. For the first time in history, concepts such as unity, freedom, fraternity and modernity have taken shape, and the goal of the Romanians - 'The Unification of Moldova and Wallachia in a single Romanian independent state' - as mentioned in the programme 'Our principles for Reforming the Homeland', of May 24, 1848, was possible.

According to its website (www.ro2030.ro), the Romania 2030 project is a meeting place of those who believe in a policy of hope, decency, integrity and equity, an accelerator of ideas and solutions, as well as a movement for generating a Historical Leap of Romania. By putting innovation in the center of transformation policies, the Romania 2030 project aims to contribute to a new economic, social, democratic and sustainable contract for Romania.AGERPRES
The former governor of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (RBDD), Malin Musatescu, on Wednesday told AGERPRES, in the context in which the relevant authorities have not yet given the order to ban fishing, even though the pike's reproduction period has begun, that the prohibition measures that are adopted in Romania must take into account the area, climatic conditions and each species, warning that, otherwise, the Danube Delta will see a "fish apocalypse" and the state will eventually be forced to suspend all commercial fishing, told Agerpres.

He commented that his struggles with the national authorities related to the issuance of these orders were "epic" in the latest years. Moreover, Malin Musatescu underscored that the Delta is already facing a decline in its fish stocks, not only in pike, and he estimated that in the future the authorities might even need to suspend commercial fishing in the Delta, a situation in which the state will have to pay compensations to the fishermen in the area.

In 2018, former governor Malin Musatescu imposed the first pike protection measure, by which sport and recreational fishermen were no longer allowed to retain catches of this species.

Musatescu believes that the solution to protect the pike is that the ban on this species be provided for next year in this year's order.

"The solution would be to establish a year before that the pike will be banned from January 1st and that would be enough. In our country, unfortunately, the ban is badly done because it does not take into account the area, the climatic conditions and the species. This is done on purpose precisely so that the fishermen can get their roe collect. By the way, pike roe is somewhere around 400 lei today, in the Delta, while in Constanta restaurants are ready to give 100 euros per kilogramme at any time. The demand is very big. It's a tacit understanding between the guys who still make some money with pike roe and those at the [Ministry of - editor's note] Agriculture, in particular," stated Malin Musatescu.

The former governor of the Delta also recalled how difficult it was for two years to convince the national authorities to issue the prohibition order earlier.

According to him, the 2018 initiative to protect the pike and three other fish species - catfish, pike perch and carp, should have been continued with complementary measures.

In his opinion, the Romanian authorities will soon have to suspend commercial fishing in the Delta, due to the decline of the fish stock.

The Coast Guard informed that last week it carried out two actions during which monofilament nets with lengths of 1.375 kilometres and 1.5 kilometres were lifted from strictly protected areas of the Reserve.

Fishermen in the Delta continue to catch pike, although the reproduction period of the species has begun, a period in which its specimens should have been protected, but the fishing ban order has not yet been approved by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture. Fishermen's catches of this species are lower than three years ago by about 35%, according to the head of the Federation of Fishermen's Organizations in the Danube Delta, Lucian Sanda.

The head of the Federation of Delta Fish Producers' Organizations, Dan Verbina, announced that commercial fishermen want to stop pike fishing at the beginning of next month, if the prohibition order is not published in the Official Journal by then. Verbina also said that she has started to discuss with the owners of the fish restaurants, so that the pike catches are no longer taken from the fishermen.

The data provided by the Administration of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve show that over 2011-2022, the largest catch of pike, of 217,132 tonnes, was reported in 2018, and the lowest, of 35,096 tonnes, was reported in 2012. From the official reports made by the fishermen until the end of last week, last year they captured about 45 tonnes of pike out of a total catch allowed in the Reserve of 185 tonnes.

Since the end of last year, the current governor of the Reserve, Gabriel Marinov, has stated that the pike must be protected between January 1 and March 15, and voiced hope that the fishing prohibition order will be signed in January by the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture.

Pike is one of the most appreciated species in the Danube Delta, due to its roe, which have a large grain comparable to that of the sturgeon roe, and is the raw material for one of the traditional fish products in the area, with recognition at European level.
Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu welcomed on Wednesday incoming ambassador of Turkey in Bucharest Ozgur Kivanc Altan, who presented his letter of credence, hailing the joint decision for setting up a Romania-Turkey High-Level Strategic Co-operation Council, a new co-operation organisation that becomes operational in 2023, told Agerpres.

The objective of the council is to strengthen the strategic dimension of the bilateral dialogue, according to the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE).

Aurescu emphasised the relevance of such a co-operation platform, including from the perspective of the efforts undertaken at the regional, European and transatlantic level, to strengthen common resilience to growing geopolitical and security challenges.

The meeting provided an opportunity for an exchange of opinions on current affairs on the regional agenda, with mention of the relevance of the Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral consultation format. Also discussed was the launch of the joint working group on the Black Sea, which was agreed upon on Aurescu's visit to Ankara in December 2022.
Head of the Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic with the Targu Mures Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation (IUBCvT) Horatiu Suciu said on Wednesday that one thousand open-heart surgeries were performed at the institute in 2022 and that this is the only clinic in Romania that manages to cover the entire range of diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, told Agerpres.

"There were a thousand open-heart surgeries, many patients treated of myocardial infarction, which proves two things. First, the fact that cardiovascular morbidity (mortality) is still a big problem in Romania and not only in Romania. Everywhere, cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death. And secondly, the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation in Targu Mures has a complete and complex activity, working around the clock to provide surgery in adults, children and also heart transplantations. Practically, we are the only facility in Romania that manages to cover the entire range of activities related to the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, with good outcomes," said Suciu.

He added that all this activity is not enough, and the fact that a new Heart Institute will be built in Targu Mures on funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) will lead to a substantial increase in activity.

"I want to mention that we will not have more beds; we will have more such surgeries, more areas where these activities, operations, cardiac interventions will be performed at a much higher pace. Very clear statistical studies show that still only about half of the necessary cardiac surgeries and interventions in Romania are performed," said Suciu.

The fact that the projects for the two heart institutes in Romania, the one in Targu Mures and the other in Bucharest, are funded under PNRR, said Suciu, is an extraordinary thing that meets a real demand for cardiovascular healthcare.

"Even if the institute will be a new building (...) it will be connected through a direct link to the Targu Mures Emergency County Clinical Hospital, with which we obviously have an excellent collaboration that will continue. But what we don't want people to get under the impression that we want to run away somewhere; on the contrary, we stay here, but we will be able to increase the number and quality of our cardiac interventions. This is a project that has been made public and costs 105,000,000 euros," said Suciu.

IUBCvT Targu Mures manager Mariana Ciorba said that in 2022 the facility's activity was "particularly prodigious" and resulted in the performance of three heart transplantation procedures.

In addition to transplantations, Ciorba said, there were also 673 cardiovascular surgeries in adults, 187 cardiovascular surgeries in children, 132 percutaneous transcatheter aortic valve implantations - the famous TAVI procedures - 8 hybrid cardiac interventions, 48 interventional cardiology procedures in children with congenital heart malformations, and 713 percutaneous dilation procedures.

Statistics also show 247 pacemaker implantations, 85 pacemaker procedures, 85 electrophysiology procedures, 49 internal defibrillator implantations, 29 resynchronisation pacemaker implantations, 27 complex ablation procedures; 398 patients were treated for acute myocardial infarction and 31 patients for the prophylaxis of sudden cardiac death due to arrhythmia.

"I would like to add that all the activities under the National Health Program for Cardiovascular Diseases take place at the Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation (...) Our activity and efforts now will be deployed in a much more appropriate space, which will meet most modern standards, in a new building (...) On January 11, 2023, the Ministry of Health informed us in an official address that the evaluation of the projects submitted under PNRR pillar 5 hospital infrastructure 9 was completed and the project submitted by the Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation ranked first with a score of 92 points," said Ciorba.

Apart from the project for the new institute on PNRR funds, the manager mentioned that other projects for the upgrade of the ventilation installation and the upgrade of the premises of the operating rooms are being carried out at the institute.

Also attending the news conference of IUBCvT Targu Mures were the institute's medical director Liviu Moraru and Mures County Prefect Mara Toganel.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, will be marked by the representatives of the Romanian Cultural Institute from Berlin, Tel Aviv, New York and Venice through a series of lectures, exhibitions, literary moments, film screenings aimed at evoking the persecutions at which were subjected to the Jews during the Second World War.

* The Titu Maiorescu Romanian Cultural Institute in Berlin organizes, on Wednesday, the event "Looking for a lost history, following the footsteps of Romanian Judaism", at the Romanian Embassy in Berlin, dedicated to the history of Judaism in Romania, moderated by Robert Schwartz, editor with Deutsche Welle Germany.

Getta Neumann, editor and author, daughter of Chief Rabbi Ernest Neumann (1917-2004), rabbi of the Jewish community in Timisoara for 63 years and president of the community since the 1980s, and of Edit, nee Fuchs, Holocaust survivor, will give a lecture about the Jewish community in Timisoara and Banat, and PhD Felicia Waldman with the University of Bucharest will have an intervention about the birth, existence and disappearance of Hasidism in Romania.

A literary moment will be dedicated to the avant-garde and existentialist writer of Jewish origin Benjamin (Fundoianu) Fondane, French-Romanian critic, essayist, poet and literary theorist, born in Iasi in 1898 and killed in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp on October 2, 1944. Lyrics de Fondane will be read by Dan Schlanger - actor, director and director of the Bucharest Jewish Film Festival.

* ICR Tel Aviv, in collaboration with the Embassy of Romania in the State of Israel, organizes, on Wednesday, at its headquarters, an event to present the restoration project of the Elie Wiesel Memorial House in Sighetu Marmatiei, which also represents the Museum of Jewish Culture in Maramures.

The coordinator of the restoration project of the Elie Wiesel Memorial House in Sighetu Marmatiei, the museographer Alina Marincean, will be invited, along with the Romanian ambassador to the State of Israel, Radu Ioanid, and the historian Raphael Vago, professor with Tel Aviv University. The public will be able to watch a short documentary film about the stages of the Museum's establishment.

* ICR New York, in collaboration with the Elie Wiesel Romanian National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Bucharest, marks, on Friday, the International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Holocaust, at the ICR New York headquarters, through a multimedia exhibition and a debate on the theme of the Jews of Bukovina, before, during and after the Second World War.

The photography exhibition will be organized in three different segments: the Jewish communities in Bukovina before the Holocaust, the situation of these communities during the war and the deportations from Transdniester and the period immediately following 1945, until the massive emigration to Israel of the children of the deported, in the years 1960.

Also during the exhibition, fragments of the documentary "October 6, 1941 - the day of deportation to Transdniester", produced and owned by Lily Pauker, who also coordinated and produced the album "Once upon a time" will be played on a large device in Suceava - Bukovina", which will be presented during the event, collective volume containing 56 contributions.

The exhibition at ICR New York is made with the support of the Elie Wiesel Institute, which provides materials and historical expertise, most of the photos coming from the private collections of the album's signatories.

The debate, which will be moderated by the director of ICR New York, Dorian Branea, will be opened with a lecture by Prof. Diana Dumitru and will touch on all three stages of the life of the Jewish communities in Bukovina mentioned above. During the event, the recorded messages of Alexandru Muraru, special representative of the Government for the Promotion of Remembrance Policies, Combating Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia, and of the Romanian ambassador to Israel, Radu Ioanid, will be broadcast.

* The Romanian Institute of Culture and Humanistic Research from Venice, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Romania in Trieste, organizes, on Friday, at Palazzo Correr, the conference "The Sephardic Community in the Romanian Space", supported by PhD Felicia Waldman, who heads the Goldstein Goren Jewish Studies Center within the Faculty of Letters of the University of Bucharest.

This conference will be in Italian, highlighting the role of the Sephardic Jews who settled north of the Danube both in the process of economic development and institutional modernization, as well as in preserving and consolidating the Jewish identity of their own community.AGERPRES
The Minister of Investments and European Projects, Marcel Bolos, is on a working visit to the Stamp Factory on Wednesday, on the occasion of the start of the process of printing and wrapping energy cards, granted by the Government of Romania to vulnerable people in support of paying energy bills.

During the visit, Marcel Bolos will hold a press conference together with the president of the Romanian National Post Company, Valentin Stefan, during which they will present the calendar of the future stages of the card granting process.

Two weeks ago, the executive approved the Ordinance on the establishment of subsidized measures partially supported by European funds related to the 2014-2020 cohesion policy, for the categories of vulnerable people for the compensation of the energy price.

The approved normative act establishes some support measures paid partially from European funds related to the 2014-2020 cohesion policy for the categories of vulnerable people for energy price compensation.

Pensioners over 60, inclusive, with incomes below 2,000 RON (rd 406 euros), including, disability pensioners, with incomes below 2,000 RON, including, persons with serious, accentuated or medium disabilities, with incomes below 2,000 RON, including, families with support allowance, families/persons with social assistance.AGERPRES
I'm a big fan of weird looking creatures, and the naked mole rat certainly fits the bill. I find them adorable, with their squinty little eyes, wrinkly hairless bodies, and freakily protruding teeth. What's not to love? So what, exactly, is a naked mole rat? The Smithsonian National Zoo website describes them:

Naked mole-rats, as their name suggests, are pink, nearly hairless subterranean rodents. These surprisingly long-lived animals are one of the only true eusocial mammals and live in underground burrows in eastern Africa. Naked mole-rats have wrinkly pink or grayish-pink skin, which is somewhat translucent on their undersides and light purplish-brown on their backs and tails. This countershading appears to be lost with advanced age. They have short, broad heads with powerful jaw muscles and very large incisors, which they use to dig tunnels.

If you want to check out some naked mole rats in action, go watch this video from the Oregon Zoo, where all of your questions will be answered. The video covers topics like what are mole rats, what is their social system like, what is their life span and weight, and much more. You can also watch the mole rats eating and crawling through their tunnels. And a couple of minutes into the video you can also meet "Molebert," one of the adorable mole rats at the Oregon Zoo.
A spectacular Roman votive plaque that had gone missing for almost a century was identified in the collections of the Batthyaneum Library - a branch of the National Library of Romania, being "rediscovered" on the occasion of a recent exhaustive inventory of the library's resources thanks to the research, collaboration and intuition of archaeologist George Bounegru and Cristian Mladin, head of office with the same institution.

The original artifact was discovered at the beginning of the last century in Partos - where the ancient Roman colony Aurelia Apulensis once sat, and was entered in the inventory register of the Alba Iulia museum as a representation of a Dacian ruler. A plaster replica of the item exists in the heritage of the National Union Museum (MNU) in Alba Iulia and was identified in 1974 by Professor Vasile Moga as a copy of an original artifact.

The original marble votive plaque from Batthyaneum, which still retains traces of the initial red paint, represents Silvanus Silvestris, the tutelary deity of woods, standing with a curved knife in his right hand while holding in his left hand two joined spears that rest on his shoulder and forearm. A dog sits by his right leg, its head pointing upwards, a common representation for Silvanus.

The votive plaque is 21.5 centimeters high and 14.5 centimeters wide, with a broader base of 15.2 centimeters, and is 3 centimeters thick. The representation is framed by a simple border, without decoration, with visible traces of red color on its interior. The back of the piece is unfinished.

Archaeologist George Bounegru believes that the highly valuable provincial art item was not crafted in Rome, in a well-known classical workshop of the ancient world, but somewhere in a provincial workshop in Roman Dacia, probably right in Apulum or possibly in Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa. The detail that suggests that it was produced in a provincial workshop are its proportions, with the oversized head compared to the rest of the body. Also, the expressiveness of the palms is suggested by their oversized scale to the whole body, but especially to the rest of the arm.

Following the research he conducted, Cristian Mladin concluded that the artifact does not compare to anything that exists now in Romanian museums, both in artistic and qualitative terms, and that even compared to other foreign monuments dedicated to Silvanus - especially altars and funerary stelae - the Batthyaneum plaque stands out through its exceptional artistic quality.

According to the two researchers, there are around 100 known mentions of Silvanus in Dacia, of which 27 at Apulum, and from now on the relief in the Batthyaneum Library collection can also be added to this list.

Even if it was known thanks to the contemporary plaster replica, the rediscovery of this votive plaque provides a confirmation of certain stylistic criteria, also adding new ones, and allowing also the classification and valorization of the item for display purposes, the two researchers state.

The Batthyaneum Library, which has been operating since 1794 at the premises of the former Trinitarian Church in Alba Iulia, holds the most valuable collection of western medieval manuscripts in Romania. It also accommodates the oldest manuscript of this kind, the Codex Aureus, made between 805 and 810, also known as the Lorsch Gospel. The first half of the Codex arrived in Alba Iulia in 1786, and the second half is kept in the Vatican Library. The original covers can are preserved in London and Rome museums.

The Batthyaneum also has the largest collection of incunabula in Romania, books published in the early stages of printing in the second half of the 15th century in Europe, as well as extremely valuable collections of numismatics, shells and minerals, special museum pieces, and a very important archival fund of the history of Transylvania.

The library was founded in the 18th century by Count Ignatius Batthyany, a Roman Catholic bishop. AGERPRES
The Ministry of Justice states on Wednesday that the evaluation of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) points out the fact that Romania made "significant progress" in 2022, told Agerpres.

"The report of the Group of States against Corruption published today [Wednesday] emphasizes that, in 2022, as regards the implementation of the recommendations made, Romania made significant progress compared to 2021. In total, 10/18 recommendations on the prevention corruption of members of Parliament, prosecutors and judges were assessed as implemented satisfactorily or dealt with in a satisfactory manner," reads a Ministry of Justice press release sent to AGERPRES.

According to the cited source, the general conclusion regarding Romania was that Romania's current level of compliance is no longer "globally unsatisfactory," as it was in 2021, because Romania has implemented "satisfactorily" or dealt "in a satisfactory manner" 7 out of 13 recommendations included in the evaluation report related to the fourth round and 3 out of 5 recommendations in the follow-up report to the ad-hoc report.

"GRECO points out that the adoption by the Senate, on October 17, 2022, of the new Law on the status of judges and prosecutors, the new Law on judicial organization and the new Law on the Superior Council of Magistracy and their promulgation on November 15, 2022, by the President of Romania, represents important steps forward, which must be followed by a number of implementation measures. GRECO noted that efforts have been made to increase the role of the Superior Council of the Magistracy and the Judicial Inspection as a response to the integrity risks of judges and prosecutors through, inter alia, training and access to information. Efforts were also dedicated to establishing new legislation for judges and prosecutors to ensure their independence," the Ministry of Justice states.

For example, the Ministry of Justice says, regarding Recommendation xiii - the procedure for appointing and revoking prosecutors to/from management positions, with the exception of the general prosecutor, assessed in 2021 as not implemented, in December 2022 was qualified as partially implemented, GRECO recognizing the fact that the appointment procedure was made more transparent and criteria were established for the appointment and dismissal of prosecutors to/from the highest positions in the prosecutor's office.
A new edition of the "Digital Up - Entrepreneurial Development for SMEs" series, the largest national project dedicated to digital transformation as the only solution for sustainable business growth and accelerating the degree of competitiveness of SMEs, will take place in Bucharest on Thursday, January 26.

The project "Digital Up. Entrepreneurial Development for SMEs" is initiated by the National Confederation for Female Entrepreneurship (CONAF) jointly with the PFA Employers' Association of Female Entrepreneurs.

Opening the conference will be Ramona Chiriac, head of the European Commission Representation in Romania. Afterwards, discussions will take place in two panels. Sabin Sarmas, chairman of the Committee on Information Technology and Communications in the Chamber of Deputies, Finance Minister Adrian Caciu, Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Transformation Sebastian Burduja, and Minister of European Investment and Projects Ioan-Marcel Bolos have confirmed their attendace.

The subjects to be addressed are specific opportunities for Romanian youth; preserving the Olympic "brains"; solutions for SMEs caught by surprise by an eminently digital globalisation; survival schemes supported by the government; the importance of digital transformation to the interconnection of multinationals with a local workforce to solve the new challenges in the online environment; the need and importance of continuing education; sustainable development and, above all, a realistic, applied vision. The participants will also discuss the relevance of digital transformation to training, the integration of remote work, adaptability of mobility and international salary packages.

"We have talented specialists, but we need investment to reach the ability to use this advantage. Romania has the advantage of connectivity above the European average level, of low costs, but the share of those who use these offers is below the European average. The level of the so-called digital literacy is only 31%, almost half of the European average (58%). Digital technologies and skills now have a critical role for education and society in general. In Romania, only 50% of young people have basic or higher digital skills, according to Eurostat. Digital transformation is a support for the challenges of SMEs and not only (...)," according to CONAF Chair Cristina Chiriac.

The National Confederation for Female Entrepreneurship (CONAF) is the strongest confederation in Romania that unites the interests of entrepreneurs in a European spirit of gender equality and equal opportunities. It is made up of two federations, ten employers' organisations, five associations, 24 branches and over 3,200 companies.
The 2023 edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) will present a complex programme dedicated to cinema from the Nordic countries, informs a press release sent on Wednesday to AGERPRES by the organizers.

"The Transilvania International Film Festival (June 9 - 18, 2023, Cluj Napoca) announces Focus Nordic, a complex programme, the largest of its kind in the history of TIFF, dedicated to a rich, diverse and innovative European cinema, that of the Nordic countries: Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland," the press release of the festival organizers states.

According to this source, the programme marks a collaboration with the Goteborg Film Festival (Sweden), but also with film institutes from all five countries.

In addition to this partnership, the TIFF organizers announce collaborations with the Swedish Film Institute, Danish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Norwegian Film Institute and Icelandic Film Centre to finalize the Focus Nordic programme, which will include film screenings, dinner-concerts, and special guests, events or exhibitions.

"The Gothenburg Film Festival is dedicated to the international support and promotion of Nordic films and filmmakers. It is a pleasure and an honour to cooperate with a festival like TIFF. We take this opportunity to offer the public an interesting selection of contemporary Nordic cinema, which is extremely diverse," says the artistic director of the Gothenburg Film Festival, Jonas Holmberg, quoted in the press release.

Focus Nordic will include more than 25 films, many of which were premiered for Romania. Among the first confirmed titles is the mesmerizing 'Sisu' (Finland, 2022), directed by Jalmari Helander.

"Focus Nordic at TIFF is possible with the support of the Embassy of Sweden in Bucharest, the Royal Embassy of Denmark in Romania, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in Romania and the Embassy of the Republic of Finland in Romania. The programme is supported by the Department of Scandinavian Languages and Literatures - Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj -Napoca," reads the press release of the organizers.

The 22nd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival will take place in Cluj-Napoca from June 9 to 18, 2023.
A ruddy turnstone ringed in August 2022 in the Danube Delta, was photographed four months later in southern Africa, the Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR) informed on Wednesday.

The more than 8,000 kilometers traveled in 108 days thus represent the longest known distance traveled by a ringed bird by the Agigea Bird Observatory team.

"The ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) spotted in the Sacalin area, Danube Delta at the end of August, last year, by colleagues with the Agigea Bird Observatory, was photographed in southern Africa, on the Luderitz Peninsula in Namibia, on 17.12.2022. According to the data, the bird traveled no less than 8,042 kilometers in 108 days. It is the longest known distance traveled by a bird ringed by the team at the Agigea Bird Observatory! The ruddy turnstone is a wading bird that can be observed only in transit in Romania. It uses its beak to overturn stones or sea grass in search of food," SOR said on Facebook.

The Agigea Bird Observatory reported, in its turn, that during the expedition carried out in the summer of last year in the Sacalin area, several specimens of ruddy turnstone were ringed.

"A few days ago we received the excellent news that a specimen ringed by us on 31.08.2022 was photographed in southern Africa, on the Luderitz Peninsula in Namibia, on 17.12.2022," indicated the Agigea Bird Observatory, on the same social network.AGERPRES
The acting president of the Senate, Alina Gorghiu, received, on Wednesday, the new ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain, Jose Antonio Hernandez Perez-Solorzano, on the occasion of which she emphasized the importance of parliamentary diplomacy as an indispensable tool for the development of bilateral cooperation.

Furthermore, the Senate president expressed appreciation for the support given by the Spanish authorities and people to the Romanian community, welcoming the positive signals regarding the conclusion of the dual citizenship agreement for members of the Romanian community, and emphasized the significant contribution that Romanians have on the labor market in Spain, it is specified in a statement from the Senate sent to AGERPRES.

During the meeting, topics related to the legislation in the field of education, but also to equal opportunities between women and men, were also addressed. Alina Gorghiu specified that Spain served as a model of good practices for the elaboration of legislation on electoral quotas for the fair representation of women and men in politics.

In turn, Jose Antonio Hernandez Perez-Solorzano emphasized Spain's priorities for the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, which his country will take over on July 1, 2023.

In this context, the Spanish side stated that it will continue to support the enlargement process of the European Union. Thus, the two sides highlighted the importance of supporting the European path of the Republic of Moldova.AGERPRES
The Bachelor of Law thesis of literary critic and politician Titu Maiorescu and the math PhD thesis of Zoia Ceausescu with signature and dedication are being auctioned off on February 2 by Artmark House, together with an impressive collection of rare books, original editions bearing the handwritten signature of celebrity writers, as well as other historical documents, manuscripts, old maps or autographed photos.

According to Artmark, Titu Maiorescu wrote his Bachelor of Law thesis in French in 1861, and defended it at the University of Paris. The unique copy is put up for auction for a starting price of 300 euros; it was put out as per the mandatory publication requirement of the university regulations and includes the corrections, additions and handwritten comments of the author. After 1861, Titu Maiorescu returned to Romania with three university degrees - a PhD acquired in Berlin, a Bachelor's degree in Letters and Philosophy from the Sorbonne, and the Bachelor of Law degree acquired in Paris. Maiorescu was a Professor and Rector of the University of Iasi, and the leader of the 'Junimea' Literary Society.

Along with the collector's piece that belonged to Titu Maiorescu, Zoia Ceausescu's doctoral thesis 'Operational extrapolations' is also going under the hammer. The original copy carrying the signature and handwritten dedication by the daughter of Nicolae Ceausescu has a starting price of 200 euros. After earning her doctoral degree in mathematics in 1980 from the University of Bucharest, Zoia Ceausescu went on to publish 22 works which are registered in the database of the American Mathematical Society, Artmark specified.

During the same session, Eiffel's "New research on air resistance and aviation conducted in the Auteuil laboratory" will also be put up for sale. The copy bears the handwritten signature and dedication of the famous Parisian designer and builder Gustave Eiffel to Romanian engineer Henri Coanda, who at that time was the technical director of the Bristol Aviation Plant. The extremely rare item has a starting price of 250 euros.

The two volumes of Marin Preda's social novel Morometii, signed by the author and carrying a handwritten dedication to philosopher Dumitru Ghise, go up for sale for a starting price of 300 euros.

The novel The Hooligans, dedicated by Mircea Eliade to landowner and philanthropist Constantin Fantaneanu, will be auctioned for the starting price of 300 euros. The original edition of Lucian Blaga's Trilogy of Values bearing a dedication by the author, reading: "For Domnita, present everywhere among the lines of this book..." is set to go under the hammer for at least 200 euros.

The auction session will take place on February 2 in the auction room at the Cesianu-Racovita Palace in Bucharest, as well as online, on the Artmark Live 2.0 platform. AGERPRES
EDWARDSVILLE  Illinois lawmakers said theyre forming a task force to develop more safety recommendations following the 2021 tornado that killed six workers at an Amazon warehouse in the Metro East.

The Warehouse Safety Standards Task Force will look at whether regulations and building codes need to be updated to boost worker safety. Legislators leading the effort, including state representatives Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, and Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, said theyll work with labor, business and local government leaders as well as the Illinois General Assembly and the Department of Labor on the recommendations.

Everyone should have the right to a safe and healthy working environment and to return home unharmed at the end of each shift, Stuart said in a statement. Im hopeful that by closely studying the issues unique to the warehouse industry, we can improve the safety of workers, reduce injuries and potentially save lives.

On Dec. 10, 2021, a tornado with winds between 136-165 mph struck an Amazon warehouse, causing the building to collapse and killing six people. The facility had no tornado shelter, but some workers who survived said they were directed to go to bathrooms located at the northern end of the warehouse.

Experts have said the buildings tilt-up construction made it more vulnerable to damage or collapse during tornadoes. But there are few regulations that require tornado shelters and none that require buildings to better withstand tornadoes, even though there is evidence that shelters save lives.

The 2021 collapse raised questions over safety, though the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, did not issue fines or citations against Amazon, which has faced criticism from members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis.

Amazon has long maintained that the warehouse, which it leases, was built in compliance with all applicable building codes and that it passed city inspections in 2020.

The owner of the property, San Diego-based Realty Income Corp., rebuilt the warehouse but no tornado shelter was included in buildings plans. The city of Edwardsville, meanwhile, adopted newer building codes, which hadnt been updated since 2006.

The Illinois task force is expected to provide quarterly reports of its findings, discussions and decisions to Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the General Assembly. A final report of recommendations is expected no later than Jan. 1, 2025, according to a news release.

Its our responsibility to thoroughly review what happened and take action to ensure something like this doesnt happen again, Hoffman said in a statement. Our state has seen a lot of warehouse development in recent years, lets make sure these are safe workplaces for all employees.
ST. LOUIS  Missouris nursing workforce has grown over the past two years, according to a new report, a hopeful sign for hospitals and nursing homes recovering from the worst staffing shortages of the COVID-19 pandemic. But despite those gains, experts and hospital leaders say, the numbers arent growing fast enough.

St. Louis-area health systems are working with nursing schools to add faculty and set up scholarships. They are adopting tech-based staffing programs that aim to attract workers by offering more flexible schedules. And they are shifting some of the day-to-day patient care tasks from nurses to support roles.

We have seen our core nurses increase. We are starting to see kind of a stabilization period. We are seeing new graduates, said Robyn Weilbacher, chief nursing officer of Mercy Hospital St. Louis. I feel very hopeful, but ... there is still a shortage.

Mercy Hospital St. Louis alone has about 200 nurse vacancies, she said.

Meanwhile, the demand for care is growing as the population ages, and as medical advancements allow providers to do more for their patients, said Dave Dillon, spokesperson for the Missouri Hospital Association.

Even if enough nursing schools graduated enough nurses each year to replace all of those who retired, Dillon said, youd still be losing ground.

The nursing board report suggests that health care faces a similar challenge to other employers: With a low unemployment rate, there is a small pool of workers to hire from. The report found that just 4% of licensed nurses in the state are unemployed and seeking work  and 3% are employed in a field other than nursing.

I think were in a recovery phase, said Tommye Austin, chief nurse executive for BJC HealthCare.

The report found 80 nurses per 10,000 residents in rural counties, compared with 166 nurses per 10,000 residents in metropolitan counties. Thats up from rates of 77 and 156 per 10,000, respectively, in 2020.

Half of those who were unemployed said they werent working because of home and family obligations, which might suggest employers should look at ways to help prospective hires balance work and personal responsibilities, said Lori Scheidt, executive director of the Missouri State Board of Nursing.

Over the past few years health systems have adopted more flexible work options, using apps that work in the spirit of the gig worker model popularized by Uber. In 2020, SSM Health started using CareRev, a platform that allows prequalified health care workers to pick up shifts. In 2021, Mercy began piloting its own app, Mercy Works on Demand. Mercy first tested it at its hospital in Springfield, and later expanded it across the entire health system.

Mercy found that the program appealed to nurses who wanted to work, but needed more flexible schedules. Some were close to retirement and wanted to work fewer hours, but they arent ready to stop altogether.

At Mercys five St. Louis-area hospitals, there are now more than 200 gig workers, Weilbacher said, many of them students, people in the military, and people who have worked in the past as travel nurses.

On Tuesday, BJC will begin piloting an app at Missouri Baptist Medical Center and Christian Hospital that will allow nurses to select available shifts on their phones.

Its time to innovate, Austin said. How we performed nursing before the pandemic is not how we can continue to perform nursing in the future.

Austin said she thinks there are also opportunities to look within the organization, and help patient care technicians become licensed practical nurses or registered nurses.

Its not just nursing, Austin said. Theres shortages with food service workers. Theres shortages with environmental services workers. And when theres shortages in those areas, they impact nursing, because then that burden falls on the nursing staff.

Compared to 2020, the nursing board report showed increases in the number of nurses working in both urban and rural areas. Still, its not growing as fast as it needs to, Scheidt said.

Because of shortages of faculty, Scheidt said most nursing programs arent at full enrollment. In 2021, there were 8,000 seats available in nursing programs statewide, but only about 6,100 new students were admitted, Scheidt said.

Weve been able to move the needle on that a little bit, she said, through grants for nursing schools and programs that train high school students to be licensed practical nurses. But theres more work to be done.

An annual workforce report released by the Missouri Hospital Association in May found staff turnover in hospitals had hit an all-time high. It also showed vacancy in registered nurse positions in hospitals at 20%, the highest level in the 21 years of the survey  and up from 10% in 2019 and 12% in 2021.
Abu Dhabi Chemicals Derivatives Company RSC (Taziz) and Proman, a leading producer of methanol, have signed a shareholders agreement to develop the UAEs first world-scale methanol production facility at the Taziz Industrial Chemicals Zone in Al Ruways Industrial City, Abu Dhabi.



The facility has an anticipated annual capacity of up to 1.8 million tons and will meet growing domestic and international demand for this clean and versatile chemical commodity. Methanol has a variety of uses including in fuels, solvents, pharmaceuticals and construction materials and has growing potential as a lower-emission fuel, particularly in the maritime sector.



Khaleefa Yousef Al Mheiri, Taziz Acting Chief Executive Officer, said: This agreement continues to build momentum at Taziz and advances our mission to diversify the UAEs economy and accelerate industrial development. Our partnership with Proman underlines the UAEs attractiveness as a destination for international partners and investors as we progress plans to produce methanol at world-scale in Al Ruways. New chemicals in the UAE will enable new local supply chains and support long-term industrial growth for Abu Dhabis private sector.



Methanol production in the UAE is in line with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technologys mission to diversify the UAEs economy and accelerate industrial development. Growth of this versatile chemical is expected to be driven by emerging economies in Africa and Asia, while in the UAE it will support decreased reliance on imports, enabling local manufacturers to Make it In the Emirates and establish greater resiliency among domestic supply chains.



Richard Brink, Managing Director Proman in the UAE, said: We welcome the shareholders agreement, which is a vital next step towards Abu Dhabis first world-scale methanol plant. As well as being Promans first investment in the UAE, we are working to ensure that this proposed project will be one of the most technologically advanced and low-emission natural gas-to-methanol facilities in the world. With growing global demand for methanol as a cleaner fuel, this agreement demonstrates the huge potential for the Taziz Industrial Chemicals Zone and Abu Dhabis evolving downstream industry.



Taziz continues to advance at pace with site preparation underway and a Joint Venture incorporation agreement for the development of a world-scale ethylene dichloride (EDC), chlor-alkali, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production facility signed with Reliance Industries Limited and Shaheen Chem Holdings Investments, Fertiglobe, Mitsui and GS Energy Corporation are also partnering with Taziz to develop a world-scale low-carbon ammonia facility.



The total investment in the first phase of Taziz will be in excess of $5 billion (AED18 billion), with most of the chemicals produced in the UAE for the first time. All agreements are subject to regulatory approvals.



Launched at the end of 2020, by Adnoc and ADQ, Taziz is driving and enabling expansion of Al Ruways Industrial City, as well as Abu Dhabis wider chemicals, manufacturing and industrial sectors.  TradeArabia News Service
What started with a homemade trail mix made in co-owner Steve Stern's North Buffalo kitchen and became a multi-million-dollar company has now been sold to a Pennsylvania firm that plans to end its Buffalo Niagara operations.

Last week, Amherst-based Mister Snacks was sold to George J. Howe Co., headquartered in Grove City, Pa., which plans to shift the local company's operations to its operations there.

Mister Snacks had 28 workers, but downsized to 12 since the pandemic. All of them have been offered work at the Pennsylvania plant.

Mister Snacks is known as a wholesaler of healthy snacks  primarily fruit and nut mixes  that customers have turned to as alternatives to junk food such as chips and cookies. Founded in the mid-1980s, its products are sold in foodservice and at retail, as well as under private label and contract packaging. They're sold under the names Sunbird Snacks and Stone Mountain Snacks.

Known for its coffee, candy and nuts, Howe also makes gift baskets filled with its products. It also sells its gourmet coffees, candy and nuts in grocery stores and retail chains.
The James Beard Foundation on Wednesday announced the semifinalists for its annual awards, among the most prestigious in the culinary world.

This years James Beard Awards semifinalists include three area chefs in the Best Chef: Midwest category: Nick Bognar of Indo, Rob Connoley of Bulrush and Loryn Nalic of Balkan Treat Box.

The category covers restaurants in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and North and South Dakota.

Tara and Michael Gallina and their business partner Aaron Martinez, whose Take Root Hospitality operates Vicia, Winslows Table, Taqueria Morita and Bistro La Floraison, are semifinalists for Outstanding Restaurateur, a nationwide category.

Also among the nationwide categories, Simone Faures La Patisserie Chouquette is a semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery and Natasha Bahramis the Gin Room is a semifinalist for Outstanding Bar.

This is the first James Beard Awards semifinalist nod for both La Patisserie Chouquette and the Gin Room.

Faure said she was in the midst of shock and disbelief about La Patisserie Chouquettes honor, but felt grateful for the recognition for herself and her team.

I grew up in New Orleans, I grew up in the projects, Faure said. Like, I wasnt even supposed to be a French pastry chef. You know, I had already defeated all these odds.

(Attempts to contact Bahrami were not immediately successful.)

Rob Connoley, who was a semifinalist in the Best Chef: Midwest category in 2022, said he was incredibly excited to be on the list again this year.

I think even more so each year with the evolution of the James Beard Foundation awards, projects like (Bulrushs) become even more important, Connoley said. You know, properly attributing the origins of our food, properly giving back to the community. These are all things that matter.

Nalic was a semifinalist for the Midwest chef category in 2020, the year the awards were canceled prior to the announcement of the nominees.

She noted that the honor arrives as Balkan Treat Box is growing, with plans to open the cafe Telva at the Ridge later this winter, which pulls her away from the restaurant.

I just cant stop thinking about my team and how great they are, Nalic said.  If people are coming in and eating the food and having the same experience, I just feel, like, you know, theyre really doing something right.

Bognar is a first-time Best Chef: Midwest semifinalist, but he was previously a two-time semifinalist in the Rising Star Chef of the Year category (since renamed Emerging Chef).

A Post-Dispatch reporter broke the news of his semifinalist honor to Bognar, who replied with an enthusiastic expletive.

I feel like a grownup now, though, being in that (Midwest) category, Bognar said.

This is the first Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalist nod for the Gallinas and Martinez, though the groups flagship restaurant Vicia has earned previous semifinalist honors for Best New Restaurant in 2018 and both Best Bar Program and Best Wine Program in 2022.

Michael Gallina was a Best Chef: Midwest semifinalist in 2019 and 2020 and a nominee for that award in 2019.

Tara Gallina said Take Roots food and concepts were just one part of what it means to have an outstanding business. It is also about creating a great place to work and modeling practices and behaviors that inspires other people.

That means a lot to me, and thats what weve been working really hard toward over these past few years, she said.

The James Beard Foundation will announce the nominees for this years awards on March 29. The awards will be announced June 5 in Chicago.
Josh Guffey began writing an action thriller screenplay soon after he graduated from college. Fifteen years later, All Gone Wrong makes its debut.

The film arrives Jan. 27 on Apple TV+, iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play and cable on demand.

Its been a long journey for the first-time feature writer/director, beginning with researching the idea in Iowa to developing a pitch in LA to shooting the film entirely in the St. Louis area.

All these people who knew me over the years can know it wasnt just talk, says Guffey, 38, of south St. Louis county. That feels really good. You can say youre a closer instead of just a dreamer.

In the film, a rookie undercover narcotics cop is gunned down in a drug bust. His partner and veteran agent, Chris Halvorsen (Jake Kaufman), is placed on leave and begins digging into what went wrong. He discovers a drug network in a nearby rural town and corruption among his own police brethren. He has to confront the towns heavy, Lamont Hughes (Tony Todd, who starred in the Candyman series), in a violent and gripping showdown. Scenes are filmed in St. Charles, in Granite City and at a South County diner.

Guffeys film goes beyond the adrenaline-pumping, shootout cop thriller. The subtext is a critique of the war on drugs and the complex moral choices faced by officers on the front lines.

It also has plenty of high-octane action  650 blanks were shot during filming. Many of those scene unfolded within a five-square-block radius of Frenchtown, a neighborhood just north of historic Main Street in St. Charles.

Even though Guffey and his producer obtained permission and permits, they attended a neighborhood association meeting to explain the process to residents. Before production days in 2019, they printed flyers with information about the film and upcoming activity and left them on every doorstep within a quarter-mile radius.

We wanted people to know what was going on, Guffey says. The cast and crew followed strict safety protocols on set. In hindsight, their caution seems more justified than ever, given the manslaughter charges stemming from the high-profile shooting death on the set of Rust.

Guffeys 15-year quest to bring his idea to life has had its own dramatic arc. As a college student, he was intrigued by the stories he heard from veteran police officers  colleagues of his sister  who had worked on a drug task force in the 1980s. One of their stories planted the seeds for the films narrative.

Guffey wrote the initial draft of the script while working as a production assistant in Chicago soon after graduating from the University of Iowa with degrees in economics, cinema and comparative literature. He moved to Los Angeles, where he worked in a variety of production roles, and kept refining the script. He eventually shot some proof-of-concept scenes and started to raise money for production.

He and his wife, a physical therapist who is originally from the St. Louis area, moved to South County in the fall of 2015. Guffey took a job with a local production company, where his colleagues encouraged him to make his dream a reality.

He used his vacation time to set aside a week for shooting in June 2019. The team had raised a little more than $30,000 using Kickstarter, secured some investors and cast Todd, an established Hollywood talent, for a lead role. A few weeks before shooting was scheduled to begin, some key investors dropped out of the project.

Guffey used his savings, along with the crowdsourced funds and a sole remaining investor, to keep shooting those five days.

Over the next several months, he managed to raise the remaining money to finish production. Then, the team made a trailer specifically to pitch to investors for post-production costs. Much of the editing took place in Guffeys kitchen during the pandemic in 2020. He took his time finding the right distribution partner, which ended up being Buffalo 8 in California.

Telling this story with this team has been the preoccupation of most of my adult life, Guffey says. He hopes viewers enjoy the thrill ride and are also challenged by the film. His goal was to make the audience experience what the work is like for undercover narcotics cops.

I hope they weigh the same decisions the characters have to make, he says. He wants the audience to ask themselves how they would respond in the same circumstances.

For Guffey, searching for answers to those complicated questions is part of the journey.
St. Louis comedian Chris Cyr is putting his best laughs forward for his debut album, Adult Child of Child Parents, recorded in March 2022 at Helium Comedy Club.

The hourlong album, released by Helium Comedy Records, is available for streaming or download. Cyr is eyeing a release of physical copies later.

Cyr returns Jan. 27-28 to the Garage at Helium Comedy Club, where hell perform bits from the album, as well as newer material he has been working on at comedy festivals, such as the Flyover Comedy Festival in November.

The shows are a different experience than just listening to the album, Cyr says. He listens to his own album a few times each week and is impressed by the high quality.

Its amazingly different, he says. It sounds like a comedy album.

With Adult Child of Child Parents, Cyr uses the comedy album format to advance his craft, something other St. Louis comics have been doing.

I really think comedy albums are coming back with all the streaming options and podcasts being so popular, Cyr says. I decided to do an album rather than a video. Its easier to prepare for. Friends have done it, and Ive listened to theirs.

He grew up listening to albums by comedy legends such as Richard Pryor and George Carlin.

It was always in my head this was a format for comedy, and this clicked with me more than doing a video special first, he says.

Cyr says it feels good having a comedy album under his name.

Ive been doing this for 10 years, and Ive always been told by lots of comics doing it longer to get that first hour done, he says. Its a milestone Ive been trying to hit.

Cyrs first time onstage was an open-mic night run by Chad Wallace in 2013 at Heavy Anchor.

It was very bad, he says. I got four minutes, and they flash a light when you have one minute left. I did six minutes and had no idea why he was flashing the light. I thought he was cheering.

Cyr made his professional debut the following year at the former Funny Bone in Valley Park. But this time, he started looking for inspiration from established comedians around his age, including Mike Birbiglia, Hannibal Buress, Kyle Kinane and Maria Bamford.

His grandmother was an influence in her own way.

Im a firm believer in every day, you write, he says. I grew up being told how important writing was. My grandmother kept a journal for 60 years. I inherited her journal when she died. I churn out a lot of material and leave a lot of material behind. Its been fun recapturing some of that during the creative process leading up to the album.

Cyr made the deal with Helium Comedy Records in January 2022 and warmed up for the recording for three months. The label is run by former St. Louis comedian Jeremy Essig out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Cyr began performing at other clubs, headlining and doing guest spots, breaking down his hour of material into 10-minute chunks, deciding which routines would make the recording.

Adult Child of Child Parents, with an introduction from St. Louis comic Brandon Taylor, includes bits such as Child Parents, Dog Vicodin, How to Call in Sick, Im a Bad Driver and Dirty Phone.

The albums title and themes speak to his life circumstances, told in his observational style.

He says his mother was young when he was born, as was his stepfather, and his grandmother helped raise him in relatively poor surroundings. Through his comedy, he comes to terms with what he was born into, feeling he had to go to college and get a job to escape it, and how it all shaped his views of the world.

What he figured out through it all: You can be as ridiculous as you want and make money.

What Chris Cyr, Angela Smith, Kate Barton  When 8 pm. Jan. 27-28  Where The Garage at Helium Comedy Club, St. Louis Galleria, 1151 St. Louis Galleria Street, Richmond Heights  How much $20-$28  More info heliumcomedy.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 24, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Long COVID has taken a heavy toll on the U.S. workforce, a new report shows.

The New York State Insurance Fund's analysis of workers' compensation claims found that long COVID was preventing workers from returning to their jobs, or they were going back but with symptoms that might affect their performance.

A full 71% of workers' compensation claims for people with long COVID during the first two years of the pandemic stated they needed continuing medical treatment or were not able to work for at least six months.

"Long COVID has harmed the workforce," the report authors wrote. The findings "highlight long COVID as an under-appreciated yet important reason for the many unfilled jobs and declining labor participation rate in the economy, and they presage a possible reduction in productivity as employers feel the strains of an increasingly sick workforce."

About 18% of the long COVID patients in the study still had not returned to work more than a year after their COVID-19 infection. More than 75% of them were younger than 60.

And that only tells part of the story.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that long COVID has affected 7.7 million to 23 million Americans.

The employees analyzed in the study probably already knew enough about workers' compensation to file claims, Katie Bach, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told the New York Times.

Bach's own research suggests about 500,000 people in the United States are currently not working because of long COVID, the Times reported.

"It's a pretty conservative estimate," report co-author Gaurav Vasisht said of the analysis findings. He is executive director and chief executive officer of the New York State Insurance Fund.

"It's not capturing people who may have gone back to work and didn't seek medical attention and may still be suffering, so you know, they're just toughing it out," Vasisht told the Times.

Nearly one-third of 3,139 COVID-related claims that the fund paid between the study period of Jan. 1, 2020 and March 31, 2022 were for the state's definition of long COVID. That definition was to have a positive COVID test and a high risk of being exposed to the virus at work in places such as hospitals, transit systems and grocery stores.

If a patient required medical treatment for 60 days or more or lost 60 or more days of work, the report considered that a case of long COVID.

The fund paid $20 million to COVID patients, including $17 million for 977 people with long COVID, for lost wages and medical treatment.

These costs could continue as some people may continue to need medical care or time off from work, Vasisht said.

Fortunately, long COVID cases have decreased as a percentage of workers' compensations and of COVID-related claims, the report found, coinciding with the availability of vaccines and treatments that can reduce the risk of long COVID.

But Vasisht noted that some new claims are still being filed, especially after infection surges.

While 83% of long COVID claims were filed by essential workers, only 29% of those met the definition for long COVID. That compares to 44% of claims by nonessential workers meeting that definition.

"Essential workers might not have been able to stay home from work beyond the required quarantine period," the report said. Health care workers might have "self-treated their symptoms" rather than seeking medical care, adding that "essential workers may have long COVID rates higher than the data suggests, creating a blind spot for policymakers."

David Cutler is an economics professor at Harvard University who has researched the cost of long COVID. "The report shows that even if COVID deaths are down, COVID is not over, and it won't be for some time," he told the Times.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on long COVID.

SOURCE: New York Times
On Jan. 25, 1942, a mob attacked the jail in Sikeston, Mo., and seized a Black prisoner named Cleo Wright, who had been accused of assaulting a white woman.

The mob dragged Wright behind an automobile through the Black neighborhood, and then burned his unconscious body.

The following night Gov. Forrest C. Donnell ordered an immediate searching and thorough investigation of the lynching of Cleo Wright. Donnell said Scott County Prosecutor David E. Blanton had suggested that a grand jury be called to investigate the lynching, and that he "fully concurred" in the suggestion.

"Every possible effort must be made to bring to justice all who took any part in this cruel violence," Donnell said in a prepared statement.' "I am confident the prosecuting attorney will use every effort to that end."

Terming the Sikeston lynching "a disgraceful blot on the State of Missouri," the Governor said: "Regardless of how guilty a person may be, he is entitled to a fair trial. Cleo Wright was not an exception to this rule."

"It is my earnest desire that a searching, an thorough investigation be ' immediately made, that an indictment of every person whom the grand jury shall deem to have had any part, whether great or small, in this mob violence be returned, and that prompt trial of each and every such person shall be had."

''Remember Pearl Harbor, But Don't Forget Sikeston'' was the theme of a demonstration in St. Louis a week later.

Wright's killing received national attention and led to the first ever Department of Justice investigation of a lynching. But, a grand jury refused to indict the alleged perpetrators, and no one was ever convicted.

Here is our original coverage from the Jan. 26, 1942, coverage from the Post-Dispatch.

An investigation was begun by State and city officials today to identify members of the mob which took a wounded Negro from the Sikeston City Hall yesterday, dragged him behind an automobile through the Negro residential district, then poured gasoline on the body and set it afire.

The victim, Cleo Wright, 30-year-old cotton mill worker, had been arrested early yesterday after he had severely slashed Mrs. Dillard Sturgeon, wife of an Army sergeant, in what officials said, was an attempted criminal assault, and later cut the Sikeston police officer who arrested him.

One of the chief objects of the investigation will be to determine why Wright, who had been moved from his house to the City Hall for protection at his wife's request, was left in a women's wash room.

The crowd demanded the key to the washroom door, which was locked with a heavy padlock, but was told the key was in the possession of Assistant Police Chief Harold Wallace, who was out to lunch. The crowd then smashed a glass and thin wood panel in the door and dragged the unconscious Negro through the three-foot aperture.

Police officials said it was necessary to put Wright in the wash room because it had bunks with mattresses. The steel-barred jail was only 50 feet away, but the jail bunks were too hard for the Negro, who was virtually unconscious from his wounds, they said.

Mrs. Sturgeon, her 8-year-old son, James, and her sister-in-law, Mrs. John Sturgeon, were asleep in their residence, about a mile from the Negro district, when they were awakened early Sunday by the sound of a window being raised. Mrs. John Sturgeon ran to a neighbor's for help, returning to find Mrs. Dillard Sturgeon lying on the floor, slashed in three places.

She was taken to Sikeston General Hospital where her condition was said to be grave today.

Sikeston police and members of State Highway Patrol Troop E, which has headquarters here, began searching for the Negro. About a half mile from the Sturgeon home, Patrolman Hess Perrigan found Wright, who had bloodstains on his trousers.

Perrigan arrested Wright, took a knife from him and got into a rear seat with him. Wright, however, produced another knife from his shoe and slashed at Perrigan, cutting an artery under his tongue.

Perriean drew his revolver and shot Wright twice in the abdomen and once in the arm. Other officers took Perrigan and the Negro to the hospital. Perrigan is unable to talk, but his condition is considered satisfactory.

Wright was taken first to his home and later, at the taken first to his home and later, at the request of his wife, move to the City Hall early Sunday morning.

By 9 a.m. a crowd of about 500 people augmented by people on their way to church, had gathered in front of the building. Blanton heard of the near riot when he returned from a hunting trip and hurried to City Hall.

"I tried to reason with them," Blanton told a Post-Dispatch reporter, "but members of the mob kept shouting, 'What are we waiting for. Let us have him.'

"I recognized a relative of Mrs. Sturgeon's in the crowd, pleading with them not to seize Wright.

"They backed the officers against the wall of the building, pushed me to the ground, and surged into the building."

Wright was then taken outside and tied by the feet to the rear bumper of an automobile. He was dragged to Sunset, the Negro residential district about three-fourths of a mile away.

The driver of the car observed all traffic regulations, coming to a full stop at two traffic lights. Later police were given five different license numbers, including one Canadian license, all said to be that of the automobile.

By the time Blanton and officers reached the scene, the mob had dumped the body on the dirt street, poured gasoline over it and set it on fire.

The crowd then dispersed quietly, although additional State Highway patrolmen were sent to the city to prevent a race riot, which officials feared might occur if Mrs. Sturgeon died.
Joe Holleman Joe Holleman is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Joe Holleman 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

Fresh off a win for reelection to the St. Louis County Council, Mark Harder has now joined a pair of men running for the Missouri Senate.

Harder, a Chesterfield resident who represents the councils 7th District, announced Wednesday he will seek the Republican nomination for the 15th Senate District in west St. Louis County.

Also in the race: Wildwood Mayor Jim Bowlin and former state Rep. David Gregory, a Sunset Hills Republican who lost the Aug. 2 GOP primary for state auditor. The seat currently is held by Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, whose current term is his last.

The district includes Manchester, Ballwin, Wildwood, Chesterfield, Clarkson Valley, Ellisville, Winchester, Twin Oaks, Town and Country, Country Life Acres, and Crystal Lake Park.

In a statement, Harder said he would work to provide resources to police for fighting crime rate; reform personal and property taxes; and improve government accountability and transparency.

In November, Harder won his third term to the County Council. Previously, he served two terms as a Ballwin city councilman.

Harder, who was tabbed as the councils vice chairman for the second straight year, has developed into one of the most vocal critics of County Executive Sam Page. He and former Councilman Tim Fitch battled Page and his office on several issues, most notably Pages outside employment as an anesthesiologist.
JEFFERSON CITY  Backed by the citys police union, a state senator Wednesday outlined the latest GOP attempt to put the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department back under state control.

Sen. Nick Schroer, a St. Charles County Republican, said his legislation could help get a handle on violent crime in the city, a decade after Missouri voters put the city back in charge of its police force.

In the last 10 years, police morale has tanked. These officers are understaffed and overworked without the necessary tools to protect and serve the community and protect themselves, Schroer said at a press conference before a Senate committee debated the plan.

Top police brass in St. Louis, including new police Chief Robert Tracy and outgoing city Public Safety Director Dan Isom say the change is not needed.

There is no evidence to support that returning control to the state will have any measurable impact, said Isom, who is leaving for a job at Ameren Missouri. I think the most important thing is strong leadership in the police department.

Tracy, who was hired in December, urged lawmakers to give him a chance to implement his own changes.

Ive only been here a couple weeks. Im looking under the hood. Im looking at strategy. I am looking at how we respond to all these crimes. Give myself a chance. Give the department a chance, said Tracy, the former police chief in Wilmington, Delaware.

The measure is among a number of bills that have been introduced in the Legislature this year as part of the latest GOP-led anti-crime effort, even though data compiled by the Post-Dispatch shows violent crime totals actually declined between 2020 and 2021 after seeing year-over-year increases from 2018 through 2020.

The citys homicide rate hit a record in 2020, but has retreated since then.

Despite that, Schroer pointed to businesses that have left the city or say they will leave the city because of persistent criminal activity. And, he said Missourians living outside the city are avoiding it because of fears about becoming victims of crime.

Among those urging action was St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, who pledged to help resolve what he described as a St. Louis problem that has spread across the region.

Sgt. Donnell Walters, president of the Ethical Society of Police, stood with Schroer at the press conference and urged lawmakers to advance the legislation.

The decadelong experiment of local control has failed, Walters said.

Jay Schroeder, president of the St. Louis Police Officers Association, said working conditions have become strained amid an inability to recruit and retain enough officers.

Its never been as bad as its been, said Schroeder, who has worked under both state and local control. I can tell you right now were at a tipping point.

Isom said contract negotiations between the city and the police union are ongoing.

We do recognize that there are some pay gaps, Isom said, declining to offer more specifics about the status of talks.

Under the proposal, a Board of Police Commissioners with four members appointed by the governor would serve with the president of the Board of Aldermen beginning in August 2023.

The board would be required to keep a police force of not less than 1,142 members at a time when the current roster is hovering around 1,000.

The board also would be required to boost the starting pay for an officer of about $50,000 by $4,000 beginning in July 2024.

The legislation would overturn the statewide vote in 2012, the culmination of decades of advocacy by local leaders. At the time, then Mayor Francis Slay argued the boards makeup made it more difficult to respond quickly to crime trends or direct department spending.

This department will not last another year under local control, Schroeder told members of the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety.

Something has got to be done, said committee chairman Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit.

Isom expressed doubts that a state takeover would alter hiring woes at the department. He said, for example, the attrition rate among police can be partly attributed to opposition to police by some residents of the city.

The culture has changed somewhat, Isom said. There is a level of frustration among officers.

Democrats on the committee signaled that they oppose the change.

I believe St. Louisans can govern themselves, said Sen. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City.

Republicans also are pressing to give a state-appointed special prosecutor the authority to handle most murder, assault, robbery and carjacking cases in the city instead of the St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office.

The sponsor of that initiative, Rep. Lane Roberts, a Joplin Republican and the former state public safety director, said the change could alleviate pressure on Gardners office, which has struggled to keep up with a mounting backlog of hundreds of time-consuming homicide and serious felony cases.

The special prosecutor would serve a five-year term and be allowed to hire up to 15 assistant prosecutors and 15 staff, including investigators and clerks, all paid for by the state, according to the bill. At the end of the five-year term, the governor could extend the appointment for another five years if a threat to public safety and health or a backlog of criminal cases in the city of St. Louis still exists.

Gardners office has called the measure misguided, unconstitutional and a threat to our democracy.

Tracy told the panel he plans to talk with Gardner in the coming weeks.

I have to at least give this a chance, Tracy said.

Schroers legislation is Senate Bill 78.
ST. LOUIS  Circuit Court authorities on Tuesday said St. Louis City Family Court intake staff and police did not follow proper procedures after a weekend shooting at City Foundry STL involving teenagers.

No one was injured in the incident Saturday in the parking lot of the Midtown development when someone leaned out of the roof of a fleeing Honda Accord and fired shots toward several teens and police officers. But the incident drew public outcry, largely because three apprehended teenagers were released after the shooting.

Police said one of the boys, 15, had a Glock 29 modified to be fully automatic; another boy, 16, had a stolen Glock 19. Police said authorities with the juvenile court, which falls under family court, advised officers to release the three boys to their parents.

But court officials said late Tuesday afternoon that the apprehended teenagers were not officially presented to the court.

The police did not bring them to juvenile court for detention, Joel Currier, spokesman for the 22nd Judicial Circuit, said in a press release. No juvenile legal officer or judge was contacted regarding the incident. Instead, a phone call occurred between the intake office and a police officer. The parties disagree as to the content of the conversation.

St. Louis Family Court Presiding Judge Steven Ohmer told the Post-Dispatch about the case: It was never presented.

Intake officers at the juvenile court are supposed to be available 24 hours a day to consider juvenile cases.

Monte Chambers, program manager for the citys public safety department, said in a statement Tuesday night that SLMPD officers followed longstanding precedent when calling the Family Courts intake staff to report apprehended juveniles, just as the Family Courts intake staff followed longstanding precedent by telling officers to release them to their parents.

Saturdays incident emphasizes the need to formalize the new communication and intake procedures discussed by the Court and SLMPD in recent weeks, Chambers said. The City first reached out to the 22nd Circuit Court last year to discuss gaps in communication and looks forward to formalizing an official procedure in the days ahead to prevent miscommunication and ensure better outcomes.

Both Chambers and St. Louis police Sgt. Charles Wall noted that the juveniles guns were confiscated, and the teens could still be charged.

It was unclear if the boys who were apprehended were the ones being shot at, and it was unclear what happened to the occupants of the Honda Accord that fled the scene.

The incident Saturday night at City Foundry STL was unfortunate and the first of its kind at our property, Will Smith, asset manager at the Foundry, said in a statement Tuesday. We are grateful no one was injured.

He said the Foundry has 24-hour private security contracted.

We also routinely meet with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and our security firm to access and implement recommended security practices.

By Tuesday, a mobile surveillance camera tower, plugged into the citys real-time crime center, was positioned in the surface parking lot, which borders Foundry Way and Vandeventer Avenue.
The Tonawanda City School District is seeking to unload two elementary schools that it plans to close after the current school year.

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Working through agents from CBRE-Buffalo, the district is calling for offers by this Friday at 5 p.m. for the purchase of Mullen Elementary School and Riverview Elementary School.

Voters in the school district approved a $53.5 million plan in October 2019 to consolidate the district's three elementary schools into one building because of falling enrollment and projections that upgrading all three would cost more than $65 million. Mullen and Riverview will be combined into a Fletcher Elementary School, which is being demolished, redesigned and reconstructed to house all students from kindergarten through fifth grade as of September 2023.

"There's a beautiful expansion happening at Fletcher to accommodate all the students," said broker Shana Stegner of CBRE.

Mullen, located at 130 Syracuse St., is a 48,700-square-foot building on 4.8 acres in a densely populated neighborhood about one mile north of the Youngmann Memorial Highway, or I-290, at Delaware Avenue. Constructed in 1957, it includes a large cafeteria and kitchen, a 250-seat auditorium, a gymnasium and a library. The 4.8-acre site is located along Syracuse and Mullen streets.

Riverview is also in a dense residential neighborhood, at 55 Taylor Drive. The 45,948-square-foot one-story building sits on a 9-acre site. Like Mullen, it also has a big cafeteria and kitchen, a 250-seat auditorium, a gym and a library, plus 55 parking spaces. It's about 2.6 miles from the Niagara Thruway at River Road and one mile from Tonawanda Middle School, Tonawanda High School and Fletcher Elementary.

Stegner declined to say if any formal offers have been submitted yet or characterize the kind of interest that the properties have received so far. "They're specialty properties," she said. "It's specific, so I'm pleased with the response so far."
TROY, Mo.  A Lincoln County judge Tuesday reduced by half the $1 million cash bail for a former Louisiana, Mo., police chief who is charged with felony murder and drug trafficking.

The bail is now set at $500,000 for William E. Jones. His defense attorney, Christopher Lozano, said he will ask the judge to reconsider and drop the amount even more.

Jones, 50, was shackled and wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and sandals when he made a brief appearance Tuesday at the Lincoln County Courthouse to ask judge Jim Beck for a bond reduction.

Jones has been behind bars on $1 million bail since Jan. 13 when a Pike County grand jury indicted him on seven charges. The charges include drug trafficking, stealing from the Louisiana Police Departments evidence locker and second-degree murder.

The charges are in connection with a mans deadly fentanyl overdose Oct. 18 at Jones apartment while Jones was police chief.

Mike Schafer, a special prosecutor appointed to handle the case for Pike County, tried to convince the judge to keep bail at $1 million. Schafer said the alleged crimes included stealing a fairly significant amount of fentanyl from the Louisiana Police Departments evidence locker.

Schafer also mentioned Jones law enforcement connections and said authorities were looking into reports that there had been some kind of communication between Jones prior colleagues and witnesses.

Lozano countered, saying there was no allegation of witness tampering. The judge agreed with Lozano but warned that he would revoke any bond if there is evidence of any attempt to contact a witness or co-defendant.

Jones in October was charged with multiple felonies, including murder, drug trafficking and stealing from the departments evidence locker, after 24-year-old Gabriel Thone was discovered dead on the floor of the master bedroom at Jones home. Thone died of a drug overdose. Another Thone brother overdosed at the home too but was revived by paramedics.

Louisiana has since fired Jones as police chief, Lozana said.

The Thone brothers sister, Alexis Thone, was Jones 25-year-old girlfriend; she faces charges of second-degree murder, trafficking and drug possession.

The first round of charges from October didnt include murder, and he had posted $300,000 cash bail with the help of his family. Lozano described them as a modest family with a long history in farming. That amount was returned, and the $1 million amount was set, once this months grand jury seven-count indictment replaced the previous charges.

Lozana asked the judge to reduce the bail to make it more in line with similar cases. He noted that Jones had been out on bail for several weeks without violating the rules.

After Tuesdays hearing, Lozano told the Post-Dispatch that he doesnt know if Jones will be able to raise that much cash. Itd be hard for anybody to make, he said.

Prosecutors allege the crimes happened in Pike County, but Jones is detained at neighboring Lincoln Countys jail because his co-defendant is at the Pike County Jail, Lozano said. If Jones is able to post bail, conditions of his release include being monitored by GPS, staying away from Pike County and not having a gun.

The felony murder charge carries a punishment of up to life in prison, with the possibility of parole. The crime means someone committed a felony and another person was killed as a result of that felony. The underlying felony that prosecutors allege in Jones case is trafficking fentanyl.
ST. LOUIS  Police arrested a murder suspect who showed up at a hospital after a double shooting in St. Louis' Gravois Park neighborhood.

Police said the drug-related shooting in the 3500 block of Minnesota Avenue left one man dead and another man critically injured.

The suspect, 43, suffered a gunshot wound to his wrist.

The first victim was discovered dead about 5:50 p.m. Tuesday in the 3500 block of Minnesota Avenue. He was in his 50s. Police said they don't know his name.

A second victim, a 34-year-old man, was found a block away, on the porch of a home in the 3500 block of Nebraska Avenue. He was shot in the thigh and taken to a hospital in critical condition.

As detectives were investigating the double shooting, they got a call that a man had come into a hospital for a gunshot wound to his wrist. That man, 43, is the suspect in the double shooting and was taken into custody, police said.
The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday over the role of a local prosecutor seeking to overturn a conviction under a fairly new state law, which could affect future cases in rural counties.

The arguments came in the case of Michael Politte, who for more than two decades has maintained he was wrongly convicted in the 1998 murder of his mother, Rita.

Politte, who was 14 when he was arrested, was paroled last year after spending 23 years in prison.

Weeks after Polittes release, then-Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Hedgecorth filed a motion seeking to throw out Polittes conviction. The only physical evidence that connected Politte to the crime, he said, had been scientifically proven false.

The Missouri Attorney Generals Office contends Politte got a fair trial and is guilty. Taking the case to the states highest court, the AGs office argued Hedgecorths motion should be dismissed because he lacked authority to file it. While Politte was tried by Washington County prosecutors, the trial itself was moved to and held in nearby St. Francois County, in southeast Missouri.

Hedgecorth, a Democrat, lost his reelection bid in November to lawyer John Jones, a Republican. On Tuesday, Jones argued that the prosecutor in the jurisdiction where the underlying crime occurred is the right official to bring such a motion for many reasons, including their specific ethical duty to go back and correct injustices that were done through their offices actions.

The hearing exemplified an ongoing power struggle between local prosecutors seeking to overturn convictions under the 2021 law and the AGs office, which for decades has tried to uphold verdicts  even, critics say, in the face of overwhelming new evidence.

If the AGs office prevails, the law will all but cease to function in rural counties because changes in venue for trials are more common in those regions than they are in metropolitan areas, Jones office argued.

I dont think the General Assembly intended to treat rural defendants who may have been unjustly convicted in a different way than defendants in bigger cities, where there may not have been as good of a basis to get a transfer of venue, Jones said Tuesday.

The new law gave Jackson County prosecutors the avenue to free Kevin Strickland, who spent 42 years in prison for a triple murder he did not commit in Kansas City. Across the state, St. Louis prosecutors hope a similar motion they filed will soon free Lamar Johnson, who they say has spent 28 years in prison for a murder that two other men admit committing.

In Polittes case, Hedgecorths motion did not argue that he is actually innocent, but that he was erroneously convicted.

Polittes lawyers say he became the main suspect after he found his mothers body burning on the floor of their Hopewell mobile home. At trial, prosecutors relied on expert testimony claiming gasoline was found on Polittes shoes. But re-evaluations since then have concluded no ignitable liquids were present, and that the chemical compound likely came from the shoe manufacturing process.

Polittes sisters believe he is innocent, and some of the jurors who voted to convict him years ago have raised concerns. After learning of evidence never heard at trial, two have come to believe he is innocent, while others said he deserved a new trial.

I now firmly believe ... that we made a terrible mistake, one juror wrote in an affidavit.

In its arguments, the AGs office also said Washington County prosecutors created a conflict of interest by seeking to exonerate Politte. Jones office called that assertion breathtaking given the AGs feigned ignorance of the higher duty his office has to justice.

The 588 known exonerations secured by prosecutors across the country affirm what the rest of the legal community already knows is true: there is no ethical conflict for a prosecutor to overturn a conviction, Polittes lawyers, including ones from the Midwest Innocence Project and the MacArthur Justice Center, wrote in their own brief.

In a separate filing, dozens of legal experts across the country said the AGs office misconstrues the role of a prosecutor, which is to seek justice. That, they wrote, includes not only avoiding the conviction of an innocent accused but seeking to rectify the wrongful conviction of an innocent defendant.
COOL VALLEY  Three years ago, Mayor Jayson Stewart made a campaign promise to give $1,000 in Bitcoin to every resident in this small North St. Louis County municipality.

Now, promise unfilled, he also faces impeachment.

Aldermen are trying to remove him from office, saying he misuses his city vehicle and gas card, has failed to produce a city budget or fulfill his job duties.

Personally, I like the guy. Hes just not a good leader, said Cool Valley Alderman Jermaine Matthew. My focus and interest is to see Cool Valley residents be taken care of.

Stewart told the Post-Dispatch the hearing and investigation are a sham and an attempted power grab in this North County city of 1,000 people bordered by Berkeley, Normandy, Ferguson and a stretch of Interstate 70.

Their political agenda is hurting the city, said Stewart. If you want to get rid of me, beat me fair and square. Beat me in an election. Find something that I actually did thats wrong.

The impeachment hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday; current and former city employees are expected to testify before the Board of Aldermen, whose members both brought the impeachment charges in a 3-1 vote and who will hear the case.

The fight pits an attention-getting first-time mayor against established elected officials who contend hes not fit for the job. Stewart says hes a workhorse who likes to get things done in the background.

Stewart was elected in 2020 in an election that drew twice the typical voter turnout, winning 60% of the vote against former Alderman Alvin Robinson and former Mayor  now Alderman  Floyd Blackwell. If Stewart is impeached, Blackwell, the board president, will become mayor until the next election.

Stewart told the Post-Dispatch the Bitcoin project is still in progress and fully funded by a wealthy business partner who does not want to be identified. Stewart says Cool Valley residents could receive the money as soon as this quarter  if hes still mayor.

If Im not in office theyre not going to come out and study what Im doing, Stewart said. Theyre not just studying Bitcoin, I think theyre also studying me a little bit.

When asked for verification, Stewart sent the Post-Dispatch copy-and-pasted emails  without the senders information  about a partnership with a university. When contacted by the Post-Dispatch, one of the programs directors from the University of Pennsylvania research center referenced in Stewarts email said they were not currently engaged in any project with Stewart or the city of Cool Valley.

The mayor did not respond when informed by the Post-Dispatch.

However, the citys aldermen say Bitcoin is the least of their worries.

In July the board voted to compel Stewart to return his city vehicle, a high-mileage old police car they allege hes been using for personal reasons, saying he hasnt shown what city business hes been conducting while using the vehicle.

The aldermen also voted to terminate the mayors gas card, specifying city leaders were not to park vehicles at their homes overnight.

Stewart said he has yet to give up the vehicle because he believes its unconstitutional and in violation of other city ordinances. He also says he only used the vehicle for city matters. He did not specify which ordinance.

Matthew says that Stewart has failed to make sure the city clerk fulfilled her obligation to submit an official city budget for the past two years. Typically, an annual budget is voted on following a discussion between the mayor and the board.

Stewart says the aldermen wont meet with him.

State law requires a city to submit a budget showing the citys annual plan for projected revenues and expenditures, to several state entities, including the state auditor.

Records show the state auditors office received a financial report from the city of Cool Valley in June for the fiscal year ending in 2021. The document includes actual revenue and expenditures for the 2021 fiscal year and proposals for 2022 fiscal year. However, Matthew says the board has not been presented with a budget to discuss for the past two years.

Stewart did not provide any of the citys bank statements to the Post-Dispatch, but sent an Excel spreadsheet showing the city having a balance of more than $500,000.

Public records requests for budget documents to the Cool Valley city clerks office remained unanswered and unacknowledged. The previous city clerk abruptly resigned her position in November and, according to the impeachment document, failed to share account passwords, office keys and financial records.

The aldermen contend that Stewart, designated as the chief law enforcement officer of the city, failed to make sure the clerk adhered to her duties and that the city is in compliance with state law.

Stewart grew up in North St. Louis County, attending John Burroughs School, and later graduating from the University of Miami. He told the Post-Dispatch he worked for a Grammy award-winning music production company, for a crypto-based software company in California and helped start a company based in Cool Valley he says helps clean up the oceans. Stewart said the company made millions.

The company, PL28, dissolved in 2021 and state records show at the time the company filed its LLC paperwork in 2017, it was worth less than $30,000.

Now, Stewart says he is 100% dedicated to being a full-time mayor. Although he admits his critics are right in that he could be more visible in the community. But he maintains hes a good mayor. He said all of the citys bank accounts are in good standing.

We need to take care of a lot of things, our streets, our safety, our neighborhood, but you cant take care of any business if you dont know where your moneys at, said Cool Valley Alderwoman Earline Jones Collins. Ill be so glad when we can move ahead from all of this drama.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  St. Louis County and the city of Manchester will have eight more months to battle over the fate of a large swath of land. Manchester wants it. The county executive doesnt want to let it go.

At issue: 2.3 square miles of unincorporated St. Louis County, including tax-rich retail shops, other businesses and about 3,000 homes.

Manchester has been looking to annex the territory for years. On Tuesday, the St. Louis Boundary Commission finalized plans to put the request on the Nov. 7 ballot. Approval requires a majority of voters both in Manchester and in the unincorporated area.

If approved, the move would add about 6,500 residents to the city of 18,000, plus several commercial properties along Manchester Road, the county-owned John Allen Love Park, and two elementary schools in the Parkway School District: Pierremont and Carman Trails.

The county has estimated a roughly $2.8 million revenue loss if the area is annexed. Manchester figures itll add $2.1 million in 2023 and $3.9 million in 2024. But the increase, Manchester says, would largely be offset by the cost to serve the new residents.

Last week, Page sought to replace two boundary commissioners, appointed by his predecessor, who had previously voted to approve the annexation request.

Clement called the move last-minute interference.

And on Monday, the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis, which represents cities across the region, said Pages attempt was a clear violation of the commissions independence and authority.

Undue political influence would undermine the Commissions authority and lead to frustration and mistrust from the residents of St. Louis County, League Executive Director Pat Kelly said in a letter to Page and the County Council.

To remove and replace two members of the Commission for the sole purpose of changing the outcome of a previously held vote would be clear violation of Commission independence and authority.

Pages office responded to the League letter by pointing to Clements position with the group  he sits on its executive board  as a conflict of interest.

The County Council, meanwhile, was not keen on Pages appointments. It rejected one Page appointee last week by a 3-3 vote and delayed a vote on the other.

Page said residents would pay higher municipal sales and property taxes while losing higher-quality county services. And he said the leftover islands of unincorporated areas would be difficult to police.

This week he added another charge: that Manchester wants to annex the territory just to get future sales tax revenues from two marijuana dispensaries, Kind Goods and NBliss, both on Manchester Road.

Manchester, which currently does not include any pot stores, is considering asking voters to approve a 3% sales tax on recreational marijuana, which was legalized last year. State law allows one government to collect the tax from each store; St. Louis County and dozens of other local governments, are considering the same sales tax.

Page spokesman Doug Moore said Manchester just wants the tax revenue from the pot stores.

Its a shame the mayor has not been transparent with residents about the real intent of the annexation efforts, Moore said.

Clement said Pages accusation was really silly because the city had signaled it would seek to annex the area in 2018  before medical marijuana was legalized in Missouri.

Theyre just grasping at straws, Clement said.

Moreover, Clement said, Manchester is willing to annex the unincorporated islands, too  if the county asks.

Moore said Manchester should have included the areas in its current plan if it genuinely wanted to address the concern.
A round of wet, slushy snow was expected to move into the St. Louis area overnight Tuesday and continue through the morning rush hour. The question was how much snow, and where.

Forecasters by late Tuesday were still uncertain, saying different parts of the region would likely face widely varying accumulations.

Local officials, meanwhile, prepared for a difficult commute and a quick clean-up response. The snow was expected to taper off by Wednesday mid-morning or early afternoon.

The National Weather Service said 3 to 7 inches of snow were expected in the bulk of the area, with southern Jefferson County possibly getting as much as 9 inches and St. Charles and Lincoln counties on the low end.

Because forecasters expected the snow to be preceded by light rain late Tuesday, the Missouri Department of Transportations road crews werent planning to pre-treat highways and streets with chemicals that would be washed away.

This will be mainly a pushing event for plows, said Bob Becker, MoDOTs district maintenance engineer.

He hoped crews would make quick progress because temperatures werent expected to dip below 32 degrees overnight.

That will help get some of this off the ground, he said, referring to relatively high ground temperatures.

Kevin Deitsch, a meteorologist for the weather service, said the Wednesday morning commutes would likely be complicated by a burst of heavy snow  an inch or so per hour  right before the start of the rush-hour period.

If you dont have to travel (in the morning), please dont, he said.

Deitsch also urged snow shovelers to take breaks because of the snows wet and heavy nature.

Its going to be exhausting to shovel it, he said. Its going to feel a lot heavier than the normal snows that we get around here.

St. Louis Streets Commissioner Kent Flake said the storm was expected to be much different than the one here late last month that was followed by sub-zero temperatures.

I dont see this as being a real issue of slickness, Flake said. Instead, he added, drivers would encounter a slushy, kind of mucky commute to work.

Once we get it pushed out of the way, everything should just melt on its own once it stops snowing, he said.

The warnings of a slow-go on roads spurred St. Louis and St. Louis County governments to delay the opening of offices until 10 a.m.

The county website also said revenue department services wont be offered at its South County and North County locations.

Some school districts announced they wouldnt operate Wednesday. So did the St. Louis Zoo.
FRANKLIN COUNTY  For about 10 minutes, a small crowd gathered on a rural highway here marveling at a rare sight: A mountain lion, just hit by a car, sat in the roadway, stunned.

It was one of just three sightings around St. Louis in the past 12 years.

Then the lion got up and jogged off into the night. A police officers flashlight trailed. The last thing they saw was a big cats dark silhouette. And two glowing eyes staring back at them.

That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to get to see it in person and that close up, said Tiffany Mitchell Door, a resident of Villa Ridge who was one of about a dozen people to see the lion Monday night. I dont see that ever happening again.

The encounter was accidental.

The lion was struck by a vehicle about 8:30 p.m. on Monday near Highway T and Old Highway 100, about 45 miles west of downtown St. Louis along Interstate 44. No one else was hurt.

Missouri Department of Conservation workers said on Tuesday they were still searching for the animal and did not have more details about the lions gender, size or other characteristics.

The fact that we havent been able to find it in the vicinity suggests it was able to get up and get away, spokesman Dan Zarlenga said.

The Conservation Department asked anyone who sees the animal to stay away from it and report the sighting to the state conservation department or local police.

State workers have confirmed sightings of about 100 mountain lions  also known as pumas, panthers, catamounts and cougars  since 1994, when the Department of Conservation started tracking them, Zarlenga said. Most were picked up by video cameras stationed along trails, he said.

Missouris native mountain lions have been considered locally extinct since the 1920s, but some isolated individuals have made their way east from more densely populated western enclaves. Most have been males looking for mates and their own territory. And there is no evidence of a breeding population.

The last mountain lion sighting in the St. Louis region occurred in 2017, when a motorist struck a lion on Interstate 70 in Warren County, Zarlenga said. Before that, a lion was captured on a trail camera in 2011 in a wooded area of Chesterfield.

Door, who lives about 2 miles from where the lion was hit on Monday, was at home when her son Nathan called her husband with an urgent message.

If you want to see a mountain lion, now is your chance.

A native of Villa Ridge, Door, 41, was accustomed to seeing other animals: Deer, coyotes, bobcats. Their dog survived a coyote attack not too long ago, she said. And shed heard talk of other, bigger sightings.

Sometimes people said they saw a lion out by Purina Farms, or Highway V. But there was never any hard proof.

Door and her husband pulled up to the scene Monday to find the lion sitting in the middle of the old country lane with houses on one side and an open field on the other.

Door saw lights, cars and a few people watching the cat from a distance. From the car, Mitchell could see just its head. It didnt look so big from that angle.

Then she got out of the vehicle.

It was this huge magnificent beast, she said. I was just amazed.

Other people arrived, got out of their cars and mouthed the same thing: Oh my god.

The cat appeared stunned, unable to move.

He sat there quite a while, Door said. We were there a good 10 minutes.

But it got up quick. People scattered.

The cat started toward Mitchells direction. She froze with fear for a moment.

By the time she grabbed the handle, the cat was just on the other side of her car.

I bet he made it 40 feet in the time I made it 3 feet to get to my car door, she said.

It ran off into the night. It didnt appear to be limping or hurt, she said. And it never bared its teeth or roared.

I think it just wanted to get out of there  it was as scared of us as we are of it, Door said.

Doors photo of the cat went viral by Tuesday. A nature enthusiast and photographer, her Facebook profile and phone were flooded with messages from family, friends and strangers.

Some wanted to know if the lion was OK; others if it had been found.

Door was hopeful. And a little scared.

Theyre beautiful and awesome, she said.

But I dont know how I feel about them being here.
Several West Side Bazaar restaurateurs left adrift by a September fire at Grant Streets celebrated international food court are coming downtown.

For a while, at least, Downtown Bazaar will add South Sudanese, Ethiopian, Filipino and Puerto Rican culinary choices to the Theater District menu at 617 Main St. A soft opening is expected in mid-February.

The former EXPO space will open weekdays. Between its restaurants, and a full liquor bar, it will aim to offer food and drink, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Thats the plan, at least. Officials at Westminster Economic Development Initiative, which operates the West Side Bazaar, said they were thankful to finding a proper place for some of its tenants.

WEDI Executive Director Carolynn Welch thanked donors from across the region and as far away as Sweden for their generosity and support. It took months to vet the scores of offers, and secure a deal, but we found the best fit, she said.

Amy Nagy, a former Sinatra & Company Real Estate vice president, got the space on WEDIs radar.

I ask for a final installment in the gift of patience while the new Downtown Bazaar is inspected, licensed and permitted so we can welcome customers once again and get these businesses back on their feet, Welch said.

Downtown Bazaar is an interim measure for the business incubator arm of WEDIs work. The long-term plans for the West Side Bazaar at 1432 Niagara St. are expected to result in an opening around Labor Day. After a five-year effort of property searches and fundraising, WEDI broke ground on an $11.5 million project to turn the Niagara Street building into a much more ambitious, spacious community center.

That was August. The next month, the next challenge landed. An accidental electrical fire closed 25 Grant St. the morning of Sept. 20. Tenants, restaurateurs and shopkeepers alike, scrambled to find other places to work, or other work.

Last week, one former West Side Bazaar tenant, 007 Chinese Food, a dim sum specialist, opened at a new home in Hamburg.

Rahkapura, a Burmese-Thai restaurant at 302 Main St., was actually the first West Side Bazaar graduate to open downtown.

Before the end of February, if all goes well, two more will be dishing up their specialties in downtown Buffalo, joined by a pair of newcomers to the West Side Bazaar fold.

Downtown Bazaar restaurants from West Side Bazaar will include:

The South Sudanese glories of Akec Aguer's Nile River  including dill-laced beef kabobs and Western New York's finest full medames, fava beans sauteed with garlic.

Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine, from Zelalem Gemmeda, the steadiest Ethiopian operation in the 716, with vegan or carnivorous combos on injera sourdough pancakes.

Two newcomers join them:

Pinoy Boi, a Filipino operation that has been drawing adoring throngs, including yours truly, while cooking at the Broadway Market's commercial kitchen.

Then theres JiuJiu Blues Bakery, a Puerto Rican bakery and sweets shop, by Jesenaida Collazo, expected to serve coffee and pastries in the mornings.

Two shops round out the Downtown Bazaar offerings. Mutoni Flavia will offer African clothing and accessories at Flavias, while Asian Boutique from Romala Rajendran specializes in jewelry and clothing.
Regarding "Illinois sweeping firearms ban certain to end up in court, and some experts doubt it will stand" (Jan. 15): When it comes to gun control, one of the reason pro-gun activists are against a law is that it would prohibit law-abiding citizens from owning a gun, and that only criminals and murderers would have access to weapons. The truth is criminals and murderers were once law-abiding citizens, and maybe having access to guns is what helped send them down the wrong path.
Australian D&D Homage Comedy Series "1 For All" Relies On Blackmagic Design Cameras and DaVinci Resolve

Blackmagic Design today announced that award winning Australian comedy fantasy web series 1 For All is shot with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 digital film cameras and is finished with DaVinci Resolve editin

Fremont, CA( )

1 For All first aired in 2019 and follows a group of dysfunctional friends as they play Dungeons and Dragons together, cutting between the players at the table and the characters in the fantasy world. The shows fifth season recently launched and will be split into six five minute episodes. The original scripted series is supported by Screen Australia and won the Silver NSW Australian Cinematographer's Society award in 2021 in Serial TV and Comedy.

The show is written and directed by Sydney based director Elliot Owen Charles, while Goldie Soetianto of Deerstalker Pictures has served as producer and cinematographer on the show since its inception. She shoots episodes with a Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, and grades footage using Blackmagic Designs DaVinci Resolve.

Soetianto is a queer Asian Australian woman with three feature films under her belt, Reaching Distance, Rhapsody of Love and Waterhorse and a decade of experience shooting short films, TVCs, food, fashion and branded content.

Ive always had a passion to create, through many mediums: visual art, music, costuming. I fell in love with cinematography and the ability to tell a story without words, just composition and lighting, she said.

Soetianto puts her choice of Blackmagic Design down to a number of factors, including the ease of use and workflow, image quality and affordability. Just before we started 1 For All, I bought the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 as our main production camera after upgrading from DSLR style mirrorless cameras. Great pictures at an affordable price point allowed us to make a professional looking product on a low budget. The build of the G2 made kitting it out for production mode easy compared to smaller cameras, with plenty of space and ports for sound, monitoring and focus.

It's great that filmmaking is so accessible now, she continued. There are so many affordable options when it comes to camera gear, editing and color grading software that allows you to create professional quality product without the barrier to entry. Which makes it easier to tell the stories we want to tell!

Season Five of 1 For All is now airing on the Deerstalker Pictures YouTube channel.

Press Photography

Product photos of Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro, URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, DaVinci Resolve and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the worlds highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Designs DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the companys Emmy award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com
Cloud-Based Streaming Production and the Sound of Inevitability

The production and communication tools we use are ever-more tied to the cloud, and to take advantage of it is to open a door of possibility and additional capability. Where do you want to go today?

Page 1

Did everyone get whiplash in 2022?

From 100% remote and hybrid events in 2020 and 2021, the entire industry seemed to reverse itself and try to be as much in-person as possible, even going so far as to deliberately not have an online component at times. I previously wrote about the pendulum swinging back to having that online component and I still feel that will be the case.

Part of what I see making this happen is the way cloud solutions evolved. Some developed incredibly quickly during COVID. Business meeting apps like Teams were very difficult to work with pre-pandemic, necessitating the use of outside production tools and apps to get picture-in-picture, to have multiple on screen side by side, etc., and then feed this produced video into the business meeting app. In a short span of time, a producer could do all this within Teams itself.

Cloud production solutions like StreamYard, Restream Studio, evmux, and Riverside.fm all dramatically evolved in the same short span of time. For instance, StreamYard soon enabled users to play back long videos from their desktop, and also added the ability to connect multiple cameras to the same computer, essentially becoming a full-on multi-camera solution. They added more multiview options and it really started to work like a dedicated production tool.

There has also been an evolution in cloud meeting spaces. Hopin integrated Streamyard. Zoom and Vimeo both developed and released their own total event management solutions. There are also numerous independent solutions like Airmeet on the market now. These cloud meeting spaces seek to replicate an entire event experience, from gathering tables in the lobby where people can walk up and chat with others, to sponsor booths, expo halls, in addition to multitrack sessions and conferences. All of these solutions bring together people from around the world who would otherwise have to gather in one physical locationoften at great expense and inconvenienceto attend an event.

In the same span of time, NDI 5 was released, which created the ability to connect two locations with NDI as if they were all in the same room. This, and a similar NDI Cloud solution from BirdDog, make it possible to embed equipment and technology in various locations anywhere around the world, and to control them remotely with crews not even in the same building. Full control of device settings, pan-and-tilt controls, and more, can be accessed remotely.

Lastly, the elephant in the room is the metaverse, where each of us can put on our goggles, wrap ourselves in a virtual avatar, and walk around virtual spaces together. Much as in todays role-playing gamescollaborative environments bringing together players from wherever they may bethese virtual environments make it possible for participants to interact and work together in a common experience environment. Just think Halo, and even Red vs. Blue if you will, replicated in a professional environment.

In effect, weve now reached that moment in The Matrix where Agent Smith has Neo pinned down on the public transit tracks and we hear the next train approaching. Do you hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability.

The tools we use are ever-more tied to the cloud, and to take advantage of it is to open a door of possibility and additional capability. Where do you want to go today?

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Public Listing Debut Led by Significant Increase in Clients Utilizing its Digital Marketing Technology Solutions

TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / Specificity Inc. (OTCQB: SPTY) (the "Company"), a full-service digital marketing firm that delivers cutting-edge marketing solutions, is pleased to provide a corporate update.

Dear Shareholders,

In 2022, we accomplished all of the items we initially set out to do and exited the year with Specificity in position for accelerated growth in 2023. We are proud of our past but even more enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead for Specificity. We recently held investor meetings throughout Florida, in Orlando, Boca Raton, Miami, Naples and Sarasota and appreciate all of the people we met and the shared enthusiasm for our future prospects.

We made our public listing debut on the OTCQB in early August 2022.

We increased revenue by 73% to $0.9 million year-to-date thru September 30, 2022.

We increased gross profit by 48% to $0.4 million year-to-date thru September 30, 2022.

Original Shark on Shark Tank Kevin Harrington joined our Advisory Board. Fortune 100 investor and inventor of the Infomercial, Shark on Shark Tank, Kevin Harrington, brings his expertise to Specificity, as he joins the advisory board of the Tampa-based digital marketing company.

We successfully raised $750,000 from a mix of existing and new shareholders, including friends, family and retail investors, and was highlighted with an additional $300,000 participation by Chief Revenue Officer and Director of Sales Kevin Frisbie.

We retained ClearThink, a strategic advisory firm, and Bear Creek Capital, a capital markets advisory firm, to develop and deploy a comprehensive investor outreach and communications program.

On September 13, 2022, Specificity Inc. filed an S-1 Registration Statement in order to raise up to an additional $5 million, consisting of 2 million shares priced at $2.50 with an additional warrant at $5.00 per share. This S-1 was declared effective on September 26, 2022. The additional capital raise will be utilized to grow the sales team to increase revenue as well as the launch of Pick Pocket.

We have readied the launch of PickPocket, a revolutionary location-based device ID targeting tool. PickPocket exemplifies Specificity's mission to deliver the latest digital marketing technology to companies of all sizes making them nationally, regionally and locally competitive.

We are very excited about our latest product, PickPocket, which is readying its launch and we believe the timing is ideal for a location-based device ID extraction in a self-serve platform wherein users can define the parameters of their own campaign. We are confident that PickPocket addresses the void left in the market due to the recent fallout from the iOS update, as 96% of users opting out of app tracking. When fully launched, we believe PickPocket will compete on price and granular targeting against Big Tech and Social Media. We look forward to introducing PickPocket to existing clients and believe it will be a key differentiator in us gaining new clients and gaining recognition in the industry.

As we look forward to 2023, the entire executive team at Specificity is grateful for your support and commitment to our success. With your help, we have been able to lay the groundwork for even greater financial growth, commercialization of our digital marketing services and products, and an increase in shareholder value. We are looking forward to the coming year, and the future success it holds for us.

Sincerely,

Jason Wood

Chief Executive Officer, Specificity

About Specificity, Inc.

Specificity, based in Tampa, Florida, is a full-service digital marketing firm that delivers cutting-edge marketing solutions to business-to-business clients as well as business to consumer clients. Our core mission is to offer our clients the most advanced audience targeting capabilities out there. We believe that precision targeting is the key to building the most successful marketing campaigns possible. Specificity has developed tools that allow it to identify and market to people who are actively in the buying cycle. Specificity takes advantage of the real-time messaging opportunities digital marketing offers to give small and medium-sized businesses a fair chance at online traffic.

For further information about Specificity Inc. and the range of digital marketing solutions offered, visit - https://www.specificityinc.com/ . Specificity also has a growing online community across social media, including Facebook and LinkedIn . Specificity is a publicly traded company, ticker symbol #SPTY.

For more information, please contact:

ClearThink Investor Relations

Investor Relations

[email protected]

Jason Wood, CEO

[email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer:

This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "plans," "suggests," "may," "should," "could," "intends," or similar expressions. Many forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results implied by such statements. Many factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the Specificity's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

Although forward-looking statements contained in this presentation are based upon what management of Specificity Inc. believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Specificity Inc. undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Specificity Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / January 25, 2023 / Tsodilo Resources Limited (TSX Venture Exchange: TSD) ("Tsodilo" or the "Company") (TSXV:TSD)(OTCQB: TSDRF)(FSE:TZO) is pleased to announce the closing of the previously announced private placement financing (the "Financing") for gross proceeds to the Company of C$500,188.20 on January 25, 2023, through the issuance of 2,500,941 units of securities of the Company (the "Units") at a subscription price of C$0.20 per Unit.

As previously announced, each Unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company ("Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant") of the Company. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance at an exercise price of USD $0.20. The Common Shares (including the Common Shares underlying the Warrants) and the Warrants comprising the Units are subject to a statutory four month and one day hold period, which expires on May 26, 2023. Proceeds from the Private Placement will be used for the advancement of the Xaudum Iron Formation project in Botswana and for general corporate purposes and working capital.

As previously disclosed, a director of the Company subscribed for 100,000 Units. As a result, the Private Placement is a related party transaction (as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements available under MI 61-101. The Company is exempt from the formal valuation requirement in section 5.4 of MI 61-101 in reliance on section 5.5(a) of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the Private Placement, insofar as it involves the director, is not more than the 25% of the Company's market capitalization. Additionally, the Company is exempt from minority shareholder approval requirement in section 5.6 of MI 61-101 in reliance on section 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the Private Placement, insofar as it involves the director, is not more than 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

About Tsodilo Resources Limited

Tsodilo Resources Limited is an international diamond and metals exploration company engaged in the search for economic diamond and metal deposits at its Bosoto (Pty) Limited ("Bosoto") and Gcwihaba Resources (Pty) Limited ("Gcwihaba") projects in Botswana. The Company has a 100% stake in Bosoto which holds the BK16 kimberlite project in the Orapa Kimberlite Field (OKF) in Botswana and a 100% stake in its Gcwihaba project area consisting of five metal (base, precious, platinum group, and rare earth) prospecting licenses all located in the North-West district of Botswana. Tsodilo manages the exploration of the Gcwihaba and Bosoto projects.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

James M. Bruchs Chairman and Chief Executive Officer [email protected] Head Office Telephone +1 416 800-4214 Facsimile +1 416 987-4369 Website www.TsodiloResources.com

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, which address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects,or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements pertaining to the use of proceeds,the impact of strategic partnerships and statements that describe the Company's future plans,objectives or goals) are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward- looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, changes in equity markets, changes in general economic conditions, market volatility, political developments in Botswana and surrounding countries, changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, exploration and development risks, the uncertainties involved in interpreting exploration results and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration business. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and, even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, uncertainties relating to availability and cost of funds, timing and content of work programs, results of exploration activities, interpretation of drilling results and other geological data, risks relating to variations in the diamond grade and kimberlite lithologies; variations in rates of recovery and breakage; estimates of grade and quality of diamonds, variations in diamond valuations and future diamond prices; the state of world diamond markets, reliability of mineral property titles, changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required project approvals, operational and infrastructure risk and other risks involved in the diamond exploration and development business. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to their inherent uncertainty. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") nor its Regulation Services Provider(as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release may contain assumptions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements regarding future events. Such forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are subject to factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

SOURCE: Tsodilo Resources Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:
Abbott (NYSE: ABT) shares fell Wednesday despite topping consensus expectations for profit and revenue.

The medical device firm reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings of $1.03 per share, $0.11 better than the analyst estimate of $0.92.

Revenue for the quarter came in at $10.1 billion versus the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. Despite topping consensus estimates, the company said revenue fell 12% year-over-year, negatively impacted by an expected decline in COVID-19 testing-related sales.

"We significantly exceeded the EPS guidance we provided at the beginning of last year despite challenging global business conditions," said Robert Ford, chairman and chief executive officer of Abbott. "Our R&D pipeline continues to be highly productive with several recent and upcoming new product launches that position us well going forward."

Looking forward, Abbott sees FY2023 EPS between $4.30 and $4.50, in line with the consensus estimate of $4.40.

Following the earnings release, Stifel analyst Rick Wise said there were few surprises.

"Abbott's Covid testing business once again helped deliver above-Consensus top and bottom-line performance, with 4Q22 sales at $10.1B beating Stifel/Consensus $9.45B/$9.6B projections," said Wise. "EPS at $1.03 was also ahead of Stifel/Consensus $0.88/$0.92. Our 4Q22 estimates incorporated $500M Covid test sales, while the company sold $1.069B...effectively the entire difference between our projections and Abbott top-line results."

By Sam Boughedda
MedCerts graduates can continue their career advancement through ACE programs

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- American College of Education (ACE) is partnering with MedCerts, an online certification training provider in allied healthcare and information technology, to offer college credit to MedCerts graduates. This partnership provides MedCerts students a pathway into a four-year degree after completing training with MedCerts by converting their completed courses into college credits.

Were thrilled to partner with ACE for this significant opportunity for our students, said Craig Sprinkle, CEO at MedCerts, a Stride, Inc. company (NSYE: LRN). Alongside their high-quality certification training, our students can continue their career journey by earning a four-year degree from a high-quality, affordable institution.

ACE, which was named the #2 online college in America by Newsweek, is offering the most college credits an institution has ever offered to MedCerts students. More than 30 MedCerts certificates fulfill various ACE program elective credit hours. Credits can go towards a variety of in-demand ACE programs including registered nursing and bachelor's degrees in Healthcare Administration, Applied Management and Leadership, Educational Studies, and Professional Studies.

ACE and MedCerts partnership builds upon each organizations commitment to the healthcare and nursing space and helps to prepare more workers to enter the industry. In addition to college credit, eligible MedCerts graduates gain access to ACEs 100% online, accredited, and low-cost programs to help advance their career.

In working with MedCerts to align their specific programs to transfer into our bachelor completion programs, we are creating pathways for meaningful career advancement, said ACE President and CEO Geordie Hyland. That really is the heart of the mission at American College of Education.

About MedCerts

MedCerts  a Stride, Inc. company (NYSE: LRN)  is a national online training provider strengthening the workforce through innovative eLearning solutions. Focused on certifications in high-demand areas of Allied Healthcare and IT, it serves individuals from all backgrounds, including the military and their families, career changers and the under- and unemployed. MedCerts delivers certification and career training through HD-quality video-based instruction, virtual simulations, games and animations, and on-the-job training through Experiential Learning solutions. Since 2009, the company has developed over 50 career programs, trained and up-skilled more than 55,000 individuals across the country and partnered with over 500 American job centers and more than 1,000 healthcare organizations to build talent pipelines. In 2020, MedCerts was acquired by Stride, Inc. Stride has transformed the teaching and learning experience for millions of people by providing innovative, high-quality, tech-enabled education solutions, curriculum, and programs directly to students, schools, the military, and enterprises in primary, secondary, and post-secondary settings. For more information, visit medcerts.com.

About ACE

American College of Education (ACE) is an accredited, 100% online college specializing in high-quality, affordable programs in education, business, leadership, healthcare and nursing. ACE is ranked #2 on Newsweeks 2023 top online colleges list. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE offers more than 80 innovative and engaging programs for adult students to pursue a doctorate, specialist, master's or bachelor's degree, along with micro-credentials and graduate-level certificate programs. In addition to being a leader in online education, ACE is a Certified B Corporation. Certified B Corporations are leaders of a global movement to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005677/en/

Mike Cook for ACE

[email protected]



Jennifer Harrison for MedCerts

[email protected]

916-716-0636

Source: Stride, Inc.
JACKSON, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Anesthesia Business Consultants (ABC), a leading provider in billing and practice management for the anesthesia and pain management specialty, is pleased to announce it will be exhibiting at ASA ADVANCE 2023 hosted by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). ASA ADVANCE 2023: The Anesthesiology Business Event is being held January 27th  29th at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, FL.

Per the ASA, ASA ADVANCE is an opportunity to ... gather fresh perspectives, transformative technologies and practical tools. As the business of anesthesiology continues to evolve, this event is imperative to all business strategists, professionals and forward-thinkers.

As leaders in anesthesia billing and practice management, ABC captures your claims, manages your practice, and provides the unparalleled information you need to manage your practice. Utilizing Plexus TGs Anesthesia Touch AIMS system streamlines the capture of real-time anesthesia data, enabling anesthesia providers to deliver safe, effective care to patients.

Rita Astani, ABC president of anesthesia, states, We are thrilled to take part in ASA ADVANCE 2023 as an exhibitor. With our extensive experience and innovative technology, our representatives are prepared to make meaningful connections with anesthesia professionals and identify their needs so that we can help them develop tailored solutions in healthcares constantly changing landscape.

You can find ABC at Booth #201 at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando.

About Anesthesia Business Consultants

Anesthesia Business Consultants (ABC), established in 1979, is the nations largest billing and practice management company dedicated to the complex and intricate specialty of anesthesia and pain management. ABCs quality reporting program for all clients is able to ensure compliance with MACRA and can be extended to cover any quality initiatives requested by payers or the facility. Our registry allows participation and successful compliance with the MIPS measures, ensures providers are protected from payment adjustments and offers bonuses for successful reporting. Join the 10,000,000+ patients and 7,000+ anesthesia clinicians already reporting their performance through the MiraMed certified registry program.

The heart of our perioperative suite of products is ABCs proprietary practice management software F1RSTAnesthesia. F1RSTClient, the premier client portal, allows clients secure and seamless access to ABCs applications. F1RSTAnalytics, our powerful suite of dashboards and reports, provides Insight at Your Fingertips, offering real-time data prowess and providing the data to aid in operating your anesthesia practice as an effective clinical organization and successful business. Our solutions provide accurate, prompt and complete billing and revenue cycle management. Our exclusive focus improves your cash flow and profitability. Visit ABC at: www.anesthesiallc.com.

About Plexus Technology Group, LLC

Plexus Technology Group, a subsidiary of MiraMed Global Services, is a leading provider of anesthesia information management and medication management systems. Anesthesia Touch is a full-featured AIMS for both Windows and iOS platforms that supports concurrent charting and streaming physiologic data. It is easy to use, improves processes, enhances patient safety, provides comprehensive anesthesia documentation and is certified as a full EHR for meaningful use. For more information, visit www.plexustg.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005641/en/

Lori Imboden

Tel: 517-787-6440

Email: [email protected]

Source: Anesthesia Business Consultants
Music's Biggest Night Airs Sun., Feb. 5, 2023, on CBS

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The first round of performers for the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards has been announced and taking the stage will be current nominees Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, and Sam Smith. Live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and hosted by Trevor Noah, the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live on Sun., Feb. 5, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Prior to the Telecast, the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on live.GRAMMY.com. Additional performers will be announced in the coming days.

Two-time GRAMMY winner Bad Bunny is up for three nominations: Album Of The Year (Un Verano Sin Ti), Best Pop Solo Performance ("Moscow Mule") and Best Musica Urbana Album (Un Verano Sin Ti).

Nine-time GRAMMY winner Mary J. Blige is nominated for six GRAMMY Awards: Record Of The Year ("Good Morning Gorgeous"), Album Of The Year (Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)), Best R&B Performance ("Here With Me"), Best Traditional R&B Performance ("Good Morning Gorgeous"), Best R&B Song ("Good Morning Gorgeous"), and Best R&B Album (Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)).

Six-time GRAMMY winner Brandi Carlile is nominated for seven GRAMMY Awards this year: Record Of The Year ("You And Me On The Rock"), Album Of The Year (In These Silent Days), Best Rock Performance ("Broken Horses"), Best Rock Song ("Broken Horses"), Best Americana Performance ("You And Me On The Rock"), Best American Roots Song ("You And Me On The Rock"), and Best Americana Album (In These Silent Days).

Luke Combs is up for three nominations: Best Country Duo/Group Performance ("Outrunnin' Your Memory"), Best Country Song ("Doin' This"), and Best Country Album (Growin' Up).

Steve Lacy is up for four nominations: Record Of The Year ("Bad Habit"), Song Of The Year ("Bad Habit"), Best Pop Solo Performance ("Bad Habit"), and Best Progressive R&B Album (Gemini Rights).

Three-time GRAMMY winner Lizzo is nominated for five GRAMMY Awards: Record Of The Year ("About Damn Time"), Album Of The Year (Special), Song Of The Year ("About Damn Time"), Best Pop Solo Performance ("About Damn Time"), and Best Pop Vocal Album (Special).

First-time nominee Kim Petras is up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance ("Unholy").

Four-time GRAMMY winner Sam Smith is nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance ("Unholy").

The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Raj Kapoor serves as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Ben Winston and Jesse Collins as executive producers. Phil Heyes joins for the first time as director, Eric Cook as co-executive producer with Tabitha Dumo, Tiana Gandelman, Patrick Menton, and David Wild as producers.

On GRAMMY Sunday, fans can access exclusive behind-the-scenes GRAMMYs content, including performances, acceptance speeches, interviews from the GRAMMY Live red-carpet special, and more via the Recording Academy's digital experience on live.GRAMMY.com.

The current list of performers can be found here and GRAMMYs media assets are available here.

ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY

The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music's history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards  music's only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world's leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.

For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005316/en/

Sean Smith / Andie Cox

Recording Academy

[email protected] / [email protected]

Joseph Schneider

Rogers & Cowan PMK

[email protected]

Kate Fisher / Julie Holland

CBS Television

[email protected] / [email protected]

Source: Recording Academy
The project will be the largest malic and fumaric acid facility once complete

STONEY CREEK, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Bartek Ingredients advances its plans to strengthen its position as the worlds largest producer of malic and food-grade fumaric acid with the groundbreaking of its state-of-the-art, $175 million malic and fumaric acid production facility.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005653/en/

Left to right: Tim Larson (Bartek), Minister Neil Lumsden, MP Chad Collins, Minister Lisa Thompson, Hamid Goli (Bartek), Jose Kafie (Bartek), John Burrows (Bartek), Jim Vincent (Bartek), Steven Chambers (Bartek), Minister Vic Fedeli. (Photo: Business Wire)

The company held a groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 12 with Canadian government officials and local community leaders to celebrate the official commencement of the construction project.

We are thrilled to be breaking ground on our new facility which will set a new global benchmark for safety, efficiency, and environmental performance, Bartek President and CEO John Burrows said. We are pleased to be investing in the community of Stoney Creek and proud to play an integral part in supporting local industries and the local economy. We are thankful for our partnerships with the provincial and federal government and Environment Hamilton and their support and guidance throughout the process.

Among those in attendance at the groundbreaking were Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and Member of Provincial Parliament for Hamilton East, Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Chad Collins, Member of Federal Parliament for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek.

Congratulations to everyone at Bartek Ingredients on this exciting milestone, Minister Fedeli said. Barteks $175 million investment will ensure that the company can continue to expand and create more good-paying jobs in Hamilton and the surrounding region. Together, were building a stronger Ontario with opportunities for all people.

The facility will double Barteks production capacity and propel new product development and other innovation efforts. It is also being built with sustainability in mind and is expected to be the most environmentally sustainable facility in the industry  projected to reduce per unit greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent.

Ontario has a clean energy advantage and is a sustainable and predictable place to do business, Minister Piccini said. As a result, were attracting the jobs of tomorrow. My Ministry was proud to work closely with Bartek through the permitting and approvals process to help secure this significant investment to Ontario.

Minister Thompson added: Barteks new state-of-the-art facility will be a shining example of Ontarios robust agri-food manufacturing and processing sector. This major investment will create good-paying jobs in the local community and further strengthen Ontarios value-added food supply chain.

Through this project, Bartek will inject $100 million into the local Stoney Creek economy. The facility is expected to be fully operational at the beginning of 2024.

Hamiltons Bartek facility will soon become one of the worlds largest malic and food-grade acid production plants, Minister Lumsden said. Our government is excited to see local manufacturers, such as Bartek, invest in Ontario to grow and create more good-paying jobs right here in Hamilton!

For more information, please visit bartek.ca or contact Bartek at [email protected].

About Bartek Ingredients

For over 50 years, Bartek Ingredients Inc. has been a leading global manufacturer of malic acid, fumaric acid, and maleic anhydride. Headquartered in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, Bartek employs 120 people across its two production facilities in Southern Ontario. Barteks facilities are registered to the ISO 9001:2015 Standard. Bartek also holds the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety certification, and it distributes to more than 40 countries around the world. With new ownership in 2019 and significant investments, Barteks presence in the food and beverage space continues to be bolstered by highly innovative products and services that utilize deep product expertise and application knowledge to offer solutions to industry needs. For more information about Bartek, visit bartek.ca/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005653/en/

Erin Robbins

MarketPlace

[email protected]

+1-314-366-3562

Source: Bartek Ingredients Inc.
A Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a shooting incident in city's Black Rock neighborhood two years ago, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced.

Abdulla Abdalla, 24, also known as Dooley, entered pleas to first-degree attempted assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both Class C felonies, before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case.

Prosecutors said Abdalla approached a car parked on Howell Street, near Amherst Street, on the night of Jan. 19, 2021, and spoke threatening words to a man in the car with whom he had an ongoing dispute involving a woman.

When the man in the vehicle saw Abdalla reach into a satchel for something, prosecutors said, he drove away. Abdalla fired several shots from an illegal gun that hit the vehicle and shattered plastic on a door panel, but did not injure the driver.

The driver called police from a gas station at Niagara Street and Bird Avenue. Investigators recovered a bullet and bullet fragments from the car and found six cartridge cases on Howell Street.

Abdalla faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. He is held without bail.
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust ("Choice Properties" or the "Trust") (TSX: CHP.UN) announced today that it will host an Investor Day on Thursday, February 23, 2023 in Toronto. At the event, members of Choice Properties senior leadership team will discuss the Trusts strategic direction and current operations. Leaders from the Trusts affiliates, Loblaw Companies Limited and George Weston Limited, will also be in attendance to provide insight into their collaborative, working relationships with the Trust.

Due to limited capacity, in-person attendance is by invitation only. A live video webcast of the event will be available on Choice Properties website at www.choicereit.ca/events-webcasts starting at 1:30 PM ET and lasting for approximately three hours. A replay of the webcast and the related presentation materials will be available on the Trusts website following the event.

About Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust

Choice Properties is a leading Real Estate Investment Trust that creates enduring value through the ownership, operation and development of high-quality commercial and residential properties.

We believe that value comes from creating spaces that improve how our tenants and communities come together to live, work, and connect. We strive to understand the needs of our tenants and manage our properties to the highest standard. We aspire to develop healthy, resilient communities through our dedication to social, economic, and environmental sustainability. In everything we do, we are guided by a shared set of values grounded in Care, Ownership, Respect and Excellence.

For more information, visit Choice Properties website at www.choicereit.ca and Choice Properties issuer profile at www.sedar.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230124005001/en/

For further information:

Mario Barrafato

Chief Financial Officer

Choice Properties REIT

(416) 628-7872

[email protected]

Source: Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust
BOSTON & NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Community Care Cooperative (C3), the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) created and governed by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Massachusetts, announced today that it was awarded an ACO REACH contract from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). ACO REACH is a new value-based care model that is aligned with C3s commitment to advancing health equity, moderating costs, and improving outcomes for members. C3 currently operates as a Medicaid ACO in Massachusetts on behalf of 23 FQHCs  and believes ACO REACH is an opportunity for the seven FQHCs under the Medicare contract to bring its highly effective model of care to a broader patient population. C3 is just one of 110 accepted applicants in the country for this model.

With todays news, C3 is also announcing that it has grown nationally and will work with its first FQHC outside of Massachusetts as part of the ACO REACH contract. Access Health Louisiana (AHL) is a FQHC with 32 clinics and school-based health centers located throughout communities in Southeast Louisiana, serving over 47,000 patients annually. With the addition of AHL to its network for ACO REACH, C3 expects to serve over 1,400 Medicare patients in Louisiana and 10,000 Medicare patients in Massachusetts through the program.

C3 unites FQHCs at scale to strengthen primary care, improve financial performance, and advance racial justice. C3 provides FQHCs with the tools and services needed to remain competitive in the ever-changing market landscape of value-based care  including value-based contracting, practice transformation, analytics, population health programs, quality and risk adjustment expertise and services. Federally Qualified Health Centers are an integral part of the health care system, and particularly its safety net. FQHCs have been shown to deliver high quality, patient centered care that reduces total medical expenditures, and C3s goal is to facilitate their success in the new value-based health care landscape.

We see ACO REACH as a tremendous opportunity to offer our model of care to Medicare beneficiaries who are disproportionately members of under-resourced and low-income communities and also members of the BIPOC community  and build on the incredible successes we have had in the Massachusetts Medicaid ACO program, said Christina Severin, CEO of C3. We applaud CMMI for launching a model that centers health equity and enables FQHCs to meaningfully participate in upside and downside financial risk with Medicare.

Our organization is proud to be the first FQHC in Louisiana to be a part of Community Care Cooperative. Like C3, we are committed to advancing health equity and reducing racial and social disparities which contribute to the imbalance of quality health access in our nation. We hope that through our work and partnership, we can further the priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration and enhance patient care coordination through the REACH Model, said Mark Keiser, President and CEO of Access Health Louisiana.

Community Care Cooperative (C3) is a 501(c)(3) Accountable Care Organization (ACO) that leverages the proven best practices of ACOs throughout the country and is the only ACO in Massachusetts founded and governed by Federally Qualified Health Centers and exclusively focused on advancing integrated and coordinated community-based care for Medicaid and Medicare members. C3 works to strengthen health centers across the state, and continued growth enables C3 to better serve patients that receive care at its health centers across the country. To view a list of C3 health centers, click here.

Follow us on Twitter: @c3aco |

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/communitycarecooperative/

The statements contained in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CMS. The authors assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this document.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230124005386/en/

Abby Akoury

Chief of Staff

857-302-4261

[email protected]

www.communitycarecooperative.org

Source: Community Care Cooperative
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP), a leading global provider of essential minerals, will release its fiscal 2023 first-quarter results Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, after the markets close. The companys president and CEO, Kevin Crutchfield, and CFO, Lorin Crenshaw, will discuss these results on a conference call on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Access to the conference call will be available via webcast at investors.compassminerals.com or by dialing 1-888-550-5768. Callers must provide the conference ID number 3632674. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, callers may dial 1-646-960-0469. An audio replay of the conference call will be available on the companys website.

About Compass Minerals

Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP) is a leading global provider of essential minerals focused on safely delivering where and when it matters to help solve natures challenges for customers and communities. The companys salt products help keep roadways safe during winter weather and are used in numerous other consumer, industrial, chemical and agricultural applications. Its plant nutrition products help improve the quality and yield of crops, while supporting sustainable agriculture. Additionally, the company is pursuing development of a sustainable lithium brine resource to support the North American battery market and is a minority owner of Fortress North America, a next-generation fire retardant company. Compass Minerals operates 12 production and packaging facilities with nearly 2,000 employees throughout the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Visit compassminerals.com for more information about the company and its products.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230124006105/en/

Investor Contact

Brent Collins

Vice President, Investor Relations

+1.913.344.9111

[email protected]



Media Contact

Rick Axthelm

Chief Public Affairs and Sustainability Officer

+1.913.344.9198

[email protected]

Source: Compass Minerals
Acquisition expands global service offering to include access and analysis of unique clinical biospecimens

SAN DIEGO & HAMBURG, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Crown Bioscience, a global contract research organization (CRO) and a JSR Life Sciences company, has announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the IndivuServ business unit of Indivumed GmbH. A Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) between both parties was executed on December 29, 2022, and subject to customary closing adjustments the transaction is expected to close in April 2023.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005114/en/

Indivumed GmbH, founded in Germany in 2002, has an industry-leading and global reputation for the provision and analysis of clinical biospecimens. The transaction will generate two separate Indivumed entities, Indivumed Therapeutics and Indivumed Services. The latter, which is the current IndivuServ business unit of the company, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crown Bioscience and will incorporate all associated laboratory operations and staff located in Hamburg, Germany and Frederick, MD, USA. Indivumed Therapeutics, currently known as the IndivuType business unit will continue its groundbreaking work of translating high-quality biospecimens into multi-omics data and focus together with its international clinical partners on data- and AI-driven therapy development in oncology.

Crown Biosciences proposed acquisition of Indivumed Services includes both the expertly curated and characterized biobank comprising of almost one million samples with associated clinical data, and an extensive network of more than 60 clinical divisions in the US, Europe, and Asia. This network provides direct and controlled access to surgical biospecimens and blood samples annotated with comprehensive clinical data, all obtained in accordance with Indivumeds unique SOPs to assure unrivaled quality, and thereby be suitable for multi-omics analyses and model development. The collection and associated network will also enable and support further expansion of Crown Biosciences biomarker development service offerings, as well as market-leading patient-derived xenograft (PDX), ex vivo patient tissue (EVPT), and in vitro tumor organoid platforms.

Indivumed Therapeutics will continue its global clinical cooperation with leading cancer clinics in Europe, Americas, and Asia and leverage its unique multi-omics database and advanced AI analytics to focus on identifying and validating novel targets and biomarkers to develop individualized cancer therapies.

As part of the Agreement announced today, Indivumed Therapeutics and Crown Bioscience with Indivumed Services have additionally committed to a multi-year strategic partnership covering sample access and CRO service provision, while Hartmut Juhl, Founder and CEO of Indivumed Group, will join Crown Biosciences Scientific Advisory Board.

Commenting on the Acquisition, Armin Spura, PhD, CEO of Crown Bioscience stated; The acquisition of Indivumed Services reflects Crown Biosciences commitment to expanding our translational research platforms to provide our customers with superior options for bridging the gap between preclinical and clinical research. Everyone at Crown Bioscience is delighted to be welcoming the talented staff of Indivumed Services to the company, and excited about the long-term potential of our new relationship.

Prof. Dr. Hartmut Juhl, Founder and CEO of Indivumed Group, added I am thrilled about the strategic partnership with Crown Bioscience, the first-in-class CRO. For 20 years Indivumed has driven the advancement of precision oncology by both its CRO services and its own R&D activities. Now, we can focus on our data analytics-driven drug and diagnostic development while we also benefit from the enhanced strength of Crown Biosciences R&D oncology offerings. With this partnership Crown Bioscience and Indivumed create a powerhouse for the advancement of precision oncology. Further, it fills me with great pride that my hometown Hamburg is emerging as a leading oncology biotech location.

About Crown Bioscience

Crown Bioscience, a JSR Life Sciences company, is a global CRO that provides preclinical and translational platforms to help our customers advance their research and development in oncology, immuno-oncology, and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. We are the exclusive preclinical CRO to offer tumor organoid services with the well-established Hubrecht Organoid Technology. In addition, we have developed the largest commercially available PDX collection in the world. We focus on helping our customers develop novel therapies to maximize the chances that patients receive the right treatment at the right time. Founded in 2006, Crown Bioscience has 13 facilities across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

For more information or to get in touch, please visit www.crownbio.com.

About Indivumed

Driven by our mission to unveil the complex mechanisms of cancer and to advance precision oncology, Indivumed combines the worlds most comprehensive multi-omics data with extensive medical experience, bioinformatics expertise, and AI-integrated advanced analytics. Our global clinical network enables us to collect and analyze thousands of patient samples using a standardized approach to ensure biospecimen quality across our business areas. The unparalleled depth and quality of our data  coupled with our robust product and service offerings  gives us the ability to obtain novel insights and accelerate cancer research. For more information, visit www.indivumed.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005114/en/

Media Inquiries:

Crown Bioscience

Louise Stenson

[email protected]

Indivumed

Kristin Maack

[email protected]

Source: Crown Bioscience
The Baja-style fast casual restaurant added two successful limited-time tacos to its regular menu

IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fuzzys Taco Shop, the fast casual restaurant serving Mexican favorites with a splash of Baja, announces the return of two fan favorite tacos. The Spicy Chimi Fajita Taco and Saucy Brisket Poblano Taco returned to the Fuzzys Taco Shop menu on Wednesday, January 18th, as regular menu items.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005149/en/

The Spicy Chimi Fajita Taco originally was available at Fuzzys Taco Shop in early 2021 and was the second-highest selling taco LTO in the past five years, appearing on 8.4% of checks during the six-week promotion. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Spicy Chimi Fajita Taco originally was available at Fuzzys Taco Shop in early 2021 and was the second-highest selling taco LTO in the past five years, appearing on 8.4% of checks during the six-week promotion.

The popular taco features a lightly fried flour tortilla with Fuzzys signature garlic sauce, shredded cheese, grilled fajita beef or fajita chicken, and pico de gallo, topped with a house-made spicy chimichurri sauce. Fuzzys Spicy Chimichurri is made with fresh parsley, cilantro, and jalapenos, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt.

A more recent feature on the menu, the Saucy Brisket Poblano Taco is prepared with shredded brisket drizzled with a special Butt Burnin sauce blended with Dr. Pepper and topped with roasted poblano peppers, house-pickled red onions, avocado slices, Fuzzys signature garlic sauce, feta, and cilantro on a warm flour tortilla. The taco was available in late 2022 and was an immediate hit with requests from Fuzzys fans to keep the taco on the menu.

Our goal with our limited-time tacos is to introduce new flavor profiles to the menu in a unique and creative way utilizing premium proteins and ingredients, says Chef Josh Diekman, Executive Chef of Fuzzys Taco Shop. Both of these tacos were fan favorites during their time on our menu, so it felt like a natural decision to bring them back so our guests can enjoy them once again.

For more information on Fuzzys Taco Shop, please visit www.FuzzysTacoShop.com. For franchising opportunities, please visit www.MyFuzzys.com.

About Fuzzys Taco Shop

Founded in 2003 in Fort Worth, Texas, Fuzzys Taco Shop is a fast casual restaurant serving Mexican favorites with a splash of Baja. The laid-back atmosphere pairs perfectly with signature Baja-style tacos, famous chips and queso and icy-cold beverages always served at a chill price. With 137 franchise- and corporate-owned locations in 18 states, Fuzzys Taco Shop was ranked a Top Food Franchise, Top Franchise for Culture, and Top Multi-Unit Franchise for 2021 by Franchise Business Review, recognized in Franchise Times The Top 500 Issue in 2022, Entrepreneurs 2021 Franchise 500 Ranking and Nations Restaurant News #10 Fastest Growing Chains of 2018. Fuzzys Taco Shop restaurants are franchised by affiliates of Glendale, Calif.-based Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE: DIN). For franchising information, visit www.MyFuzzys.com.

About Dine Brands Global, Inc.

Based in Glendale, California, Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE: DIN), through its subsidiaries, franchises restaurants under Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar, IHOP and Fuzzy's Taco Shop brands. With over 3,500 restaurants combined in 16 countries and 388 franchisees as of December 5, 2022, Dine Brands is one of the largest full-service restaurant companies in the world. For more information on Dine Brands, visit the Company's website located at www.dinebrands.com.

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Allie Lesiuk

[email protected]

817-733-3766

Source: Fuzzys Taco Shop
WATSONVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Granites (NYSE: GVA) Washington Region won three different Associated General Contractors (AGC)/Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Partnership for Excellence in Contract Administration Awards, which were presented at the AGC of Washington/WSDOT annual meeting. These awards recognize and encourage extraordinary achievements by the contractor/WSDOT partnership responsible for delivering transportation projects in a timely, professional and responsive manner while also considering the needs of others affected by the project.

The winning projects include the reconstruction of two treacherous intersections into a safer roundabout (SR 17-Grape Drive intersection safety improvement, McDonald Road and Becker Road intersection improvements), and the removal of fish barriers and installation of new culverts on I-5 (Padden Creek Fish Passage). The judges were impressed by Granites efforts to secure cement supply (during a nationwide shortage) and coordinate with local farmers on the roundabout projects, as well as Granites efforts to add aquatic features, not included in the original design, to the fish passage.

These project teams did amazing work in reducing impacts on the community, coming in ahead of schedule, and collaborating with our clients, said Mike Tatusko, senior VP of Granites Mountain Group. Im glad to see their efforts recognized.

Winning these awards is the tangible evidence of the effort our teams put in day in and day out, added Mike Stein, Washington Region area manager. We work hard to develop trusting relationships with our clients, and it is gratifying for me to see these teams honored this way.

About Granite

Granite is Americas Infrastructure Company. Incorporated since 1922, Granite (NYSE: GVA) is one of the largest diversified construction and construction materials companies in the United States as well as a full-suite civil construction provider. Granites Code of Conduct and strong Core Values guide the Company and its employees to uphold the highest ethical standards. Granite is an industry leader in safety and an award-winning firm in quality and sustainability. For more information, visit the Granite website, graniteconstruction.com, and connect with Granite on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Media

Erin Kuhlman 831-768-4111

Investors

Wenjun Xu - 831-761-7861

Source: Granite
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- KBRA assigns preliminary ratings to four classes of notes issued by Mercury Financial Credit Card Master Trust, Series 2023-1 (MFCCMT 2023-1), a credit card asset-backed securitization issued out of the Mercury Financial Credit Card Master Trust (Master Trust).

The notes of MFCCMT 2023-1 are collateralized and repaid by a portfolio of revolving general-purpose credit card accounts in the Master Trust (Trust Portfolio) for which the Series 2023-1 Notes are allocated a percentage interest in the Trust Portfolio. The accounts were originated through the Mercury Financial Program and the Legacy Accounts acquired from a Delaware banking corporation. MFCCMT 2023-1 will include a 24-month revolving period where no principal payments will be made on the notes unless an Early Amortization Event occurs. Receivables in the Trust Portfolio are generated by accounts owned by First Bank & Trust. Wilmington Trust, National Association will be the backup servicer.

MFCCMT 2023-1, represents the Companys eighth securitization issued from the Master Trust. Previous series are MFCCMT Series 2021-1, MFCCMT Series 2022-1, MFCCMT Series 2022-2, MFCCMT Series 2022-3, MFCCMT Series 2021-VFN1, MFCCMT Series 2021-VFN2 and MFCCMT Series 2022-VFN1. The Company has also previously issued four private securitizations issued from discrete trusts that have subsequently been repaid.

KBRA applied its Global Credit Card ABS Rating Methodology as well as its Global Structured Finance Counterparty Methodology and ESG Global Rating Methodology as part of its analysis of the transactions underlying collateral pool and the proposed capital structure. KBRA considered its operational review of Mercury Financial as well as periodic update calls with the Company. Operative agreements and legal opinions for the transaction will be reviewed prior to closing.

To access ratings and relevant documents, click here.

Click here to view the report.

Related Publications

Disclosures

Further information on key credit considerations, sensitivity analyses that consider what factors can affect these credit ratings and how they could lead to an upgrade or a downgrade, and ESG factors (where they are a key driver behind the change to the credit rating or rating outlook) can be found in the full rating report referenced above.

A description of all substantially material sources that were used to prepare the credit rating and information on the methodology(ies) (inclusive of any material models and sensitivity analyses of the relevant key rating assumptions, as applicable) used in determining the credit rating is available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) located here.

Information on the meaning of each rating category can be located here.

Further disclosures relating to this rating action are available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) referenced above. Additional information regarding KBRA policies, methodologies, rating scales and disclosures are available at www.kbra.com.

About KBRA

Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC (KBRA) is a full-service credit rating agency registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an NRSRO. Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited is registered as a CRA with the European Securities and Markets Authority. Kroll Bond Rating Agency UK Limited is registered as a CRA with the UK Financial Conduct Authority pursuant to the Temporary Registration Regime. In addition, KBRA is designated as a designated rating organization by the Ontario Securities Commission for issuers of asset-backed securities to file a short form prospectus or shelf prospectus. KBRA is also recognized by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as a Credit Rating Provider.

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Analytical

Hollie Reddington, Director (Lead Analyst)

+1 (646) 731-3375

[email protected]

Jaykumar Shiyani, Analyst

+1 (646) 731-1362

[email protected]

Eric Neglia, Senior Managing Director

+1 (646) 731-2456

[email protected]

Rosemary Kelley, Senior Managing Director (Rating Committee Chair)

+1 (646) 731-2337

[email protected]

Business Development

Ted Burbage, Managing Director

+1 (646) 731-3325

[email protected]

Source: Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC
VIENNA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Navy Federal Credit Union joined the Financial Literacy for All (FL4A) initiative through Operation HOPE, a national endeavor to embed financial literacy into American culture. The goal of FL4A is to enable millions of youth and working adults to achieve greater financial success for themselves, their families and the community.

We are honored to welcome into our FL4A movement Navy Federal and its very special member basea group to whom we all owe our gratitude for their service and sacrifice in support and protection of our freedoms," said John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Co-Chair of FL4A. "Through its commitment to FL4A and our mission of embedding financial literacy into the bedrock of our nation, Navy Federal will help empower not only its workforce and over 12 million members, but every American. We are excited to collaborate with Navy Federal and grateful for their dedication and efforts."

Financial health is a cornerstone of Navy Federals mission of serving and enriching lives within the military community, and a key component of Navy Federals Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy is financial wellness. As an organization that has provided a lifetime of guidance and support built on trust and shared values, Navy Federal deploys subject matter experts where financial education is needed most, which ranges from digital platforms to basic training sites for servicemembers.

Navy Federal launched its Making Cents financial wellness resources for members in 2016, which include a podcast and online tools for budgeting, investing, credit and loans. Their ongoing Financial Advice Friday series promotes financial education on their social channels, while branches actively present content that targets fraud prevention and saving strategies locally. Navy Federal also targets financial education for youth with an in-house curriculum for finance management and career readiness through its School Partnerships Program.

Joining Operation HOPEs FL4A movement strengthens our financial wellness impact, said Pam Piligian, Chief Marketing Officer at Navy Federal. Since founding 90 years ago, weve helped the military community improve their financial health through ongoing financial education that helps members plan and make great choices. Now, more than ever, our partnership with members enables them to navigate tricky economic head and tailwinds.

According to the National Financial Educators Council, financial illiteracy costs Americans an estimated $145 billion each year. FL4A is a first-of-its-kind coalition to mitigate this cost with support from members like Navy Federal.

About Navy Federal Credit Union: Established in 1933 with only 7 members, Navy Federal now has the distinct honor of serving over 12.3 million members globally and is the worlds largest credit union. As a member-owned and not-for-profit organization, Navy Federal always puts the financial needs of its members first. Membership is open to all Department of Defense and Coast Guard Active Duty, veterans, civilian and contractor personnel, and their families. Dedicated to its mission of service, Navy Federal employs a workforce of over 22,000 and has a global network of 355 branches. For more information about Navy Federal Credit Union, visit navyfederal.org.

Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Opportunity Employer.

About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to silver rights with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserveddisrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communitiesturning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For more information: www.OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Media Contact: Haley Revette

Corporate Communications

Phone: (858) 899-3988

Email: [email protected]

Source: Navy Federal Credit Union
VILLEURBANNE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

NAVYA (FR0013018041-  Navya  or the  Company ) (Paris: NAVYA), announces having filed today a declaration of cessation of payments ("declaration de cessation des paiements") with the Lyon Commercial Court.

The employee representative bodies were informed on this today.

Given the evolution of its share price and the liquidity of the shares on the market, Navya was no longer in a position to issue new tranches of OCABSA in an amount sufficient to cover all of its cash needs. In addition, all attempts to back it up with investors have failed.

To date, the Company reports current liabilities and does not have sufficient available resources to meet them.

In this context, the Company has today requested the opening of receivership proceedings (procedure de redressement judiciaire) with the Commercial Court of Lyon.

The purpose of these proceedings is to evaluate all solutions that could enable the Company to continue its activity in a lasting way, maintain employment, and also to attract investors within the framework of a recovery plan by way of continuation or a sale plan.

The Lyon Commercial Court will rule on this request for the opening of receivership proceedings during a hearing to be held on January 31, 2023. If the Commercial Court grants the Company's request, the Company will continue its current activities during the observation period.

Navya will inform the financial markets of the decision of the Lyon Commercial Court.

Navya has asked Euronext to suspend the listing of its shares from this morning before the opening of trading. Given the uncertainty regarding the outcome of the receivership proceedings and the steps taken by the Company, the suspension of the listing of the shares is maintained until further notice and may possibly never resume.

Press releases will be published regularly as the procedure moves forward.

About NAVYA

NAVYA is a leading French company that specializes in the supply of autonomous mobility systems and related services. It was founded in 2014 and has a total of 280 employees in France (Paris and Lyon), in the United States (Michigan) and in Singapore. NAVYAs aim is to become the benchmark provider of level 4 autonomous mobility systems for the transportation of people and goods. The company achieved a world first when it launched its Autonom Shuttle for passengers in 2015. Since that year and up until 31 December 2021, more than 200 vehicles were sold in 25 countries. In 2021 Navya launched its industry equivalent, the Autonom Tract, a tractor for the transportation of goods. The company is firmly and actively committed to CSR, and it was awarded the ISO 9001 certification in September 2021. The Valeo and Keolis groups count among Navyas historical shareholders.

NAVYA is listed on the Euronext regulated market in Paris (ISIN code: FR0013018041- Navya).

For further information, visit our website: http://www.navya.tech

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Media Relations : [email protected]

Source: NAVYA
2023: State of U.S. Healthcares National Network Data Exchanges Report Unveils Quantitative Comparisons of Data Exchanged on HINs and the Current and Future Status of Todays Networks

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Particle Health, a developer-friendly API platform for bi-directional healthcare data exchange, today announced the availability of its white paper that highlights the most comprehensive view of Health Information Network data performance available to date - and provides vital information to gain a true understanding of healthcare interoperability.

The paper, 2023: State of U.S. Healthcares National Network Data Exchanges, analyzes not only quantitative comparisons of the data currently exchanged on HINs but also the work that still needs to be done in order to spread the true value of the networks across all stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. The report also details critical information on how to successfully leverage HIN data when building digital healthcare tools and operating healthcare organizations or digital platforms.

The recent paper revealed that the nations three largest Health Information Networks have indexed healthcare records for the vast majority of Americans, as shown by Particles platform finding data across HINs for about nine out of every 10 patients searched for. The CommonWell Health Alliance has access to 29,000 sites and 153 million individuals; Carequality has access to 55,000 sites and 300,000,000 document exchanges per month; and eHealth Exchange has access to 75,000 sites and 120 million individuals. A sample of queryable data found that a plurality (about 45%) of health data available on HINs was generated within the past three years.

To help digital health organizations looking to gain deeper insights into how to search and return patient data more successfully on HINs, Particle Health studied its own technical data from connecting to the three major HINs. By mapping out each networks endpoints in the U.S., the company was able to rank states by their endpoints per capita. Particle Health found that in 2022, on average:

Query success rates (requests from doctors in which their patients data was returned) varied widely by state - from a low of 37.9% in Montana to 95% in Michigan

Endpoints per state were diverse, with one network listing three endpoints in a state and another having over 4,000 in a different state

51.3 files were returned per successful endpoint match

There were over 2.3 matching endpoints per patient query

A query completion took one minute

134 files were returned per patient

No matter who you treat, its very likely that your patients medical records can be found on Health Information Networks, explained Troy Bannister, CEO of Particle Health. Today, clinicians can access these networks. Patients, insurers and other stakeholders may not realize theyll soon be able to directly obtain relevant records as well. Were about to enter a game-changing era in healthcare as Health Information Network access expands.

For this paper, Particle Health also reviewed upcoming HIN improvements and health IT landscape changes that will likely drive a surge in requests for data. Two notable changes include:

The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), a government initiative thats leading to nationwide baseline standards for clinical data sharing, will re-order the landscape for HINs with participation in data exchange with Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs). These specialized HINs will connect to each other, serving as the core infrastructure for healthcare data exchange.

The 2016 21st Century Cures Act makes it clear that healthcare organizations must respond to requests from individuals in technically feasible ways - a policy called Anti-Information Blocking - with enforcement that officially began this past October. If a doctor can get records from a HIN, then patients should be able to access them in that same manner as well. Particle has identified how HINs are still playing catch up with the rule, while sorting through complicated multi-stakeholder policy, security and technical nuance.

A Developer-Friendly Approach to Consolidate Network Access

Direct integration with a HIN is prohibitively difficult for most organizations, as a great deal of specialized work needs to be done to maximize the value of network connectivity. Particle Health was founded to make a wide array of diverse network data accessible and actionable for the many stakeholders and organizations that would benefit from network participation. In its role the company consolidates each network within a single API implementation, making it manageable to leverage the data from multiple HINs covering over 270 million patient lives.

Troy elaborated, Many organizations simply dont know that this fantasy - a nationwide way to locate and exchange medical records - already exists. With our birds-eye view of different Health Information Networks, Particle Health has seen provider organizations use patient data to efficiently improve outcomes. Thats why were working hard to make Health Information Networks more accessible to new digital health participants.

Interested in taking a deeper look into the current and future status of HINs? Read the whitepaper in full here.

For reporters looking to speak to Particle Health about the companys views on the state of U.S. HINs today and what needs to happen to make sure that patient data is more accessible and actionable moving forward, please reach out to Kay Blazar at [email protected].

About Particle Health

Founded in 2018, Particle Health has built the integrations and APIs that enable a modern, seamless data experience for healthcare companies. We create intuitive experiences for developers, build scalable infrastructure product teams love, and collaborate with innovative leaders launching data-driven healthcare solutions. Learn more about Particle at: https://www.particlehealth.com/ or access the press kit at https://go.particlehealth.com/press-kit.

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SVM PR

Kay Blazar

[email protected]

Source: Particle Health
CONKLIN  In early May, Jane Lazaros spotted two of her regular customers having dinner with a young man whom she remembers having a strange vacant look in his eyes.

The longtime owner of Janes Diner greeted them and asked if they were enjoying their meals.

The two regulars  a young Hispanic man and his Black girlfriend  smiled and thanked her for the good food. Their white teenage companion sat still in his chair, staring at his food, saying nothing.

A week later, Lazaros learned that the customer, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, had driven more than three hours to a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, where he used a semi-automatic rifle to murder 10 Black people and wound three others in a May 14 racist massacre.

At first, of course, I was shocked that somebody from our friendly little town would do something like that, recalled Lazaros, 70. Then she remembered the encounter in the diner. "I am no psychologist but from his look you could see in his eyes there was something very wrong.

Gendron, now 19, has pleaded guilty to the 10 murders in state court and is awaiting trial on federal hate crime charges.

Lazaros, a Greek immigrant who recently sold her popular diner, is one of many people from this Southern Tier community who still wonder why someone would commit such a crime.

Im still trying to figure out where all this hate came from, Lazaros said. It certainly didnt come from this community.

In Buffalo, the families of the victims also want to know what went wrong. They obtained a court order requiring Gendron's parents to preserve evidence, including health evaluations and school disciplinary records, that might explain how an 18-year-old could become so steeped in hate that he would travel 200 miles to commit a heinous murder.

In the eight months since their son killed 10 people, Paul and Pamela Gendron have kept nearly silent, only releasing a statement in November after their son pleaded guilty saying their "hearts are broken over the devastation he caused to the innocent victims he killed and wounded, their families, and the African-American community in Buffalo and beyond."

Some in Conklin, a town with 5,200 residents near Binghamton  with 89% of them white  express sympathy for the parents. But theyre reluctant to talk publicly about them.

If you say anything remotely supportive of the family, all hell breaks loose, said a family friend who spoke to The Buffalo News on the condition that his name not be published. He said a relative of the Gendrons who made public comments supporting the shooter's family a few days after the massacre received threatening messages on social media.

According to friends and associates, Gendron's parents and their two younger sons temporarily moved out of their Conklin home after the mass shooting because of threats and safety concerns. They have since returned home but live like hermits because some people blame them for the Buffalo murders, one friend said.

Their four-bedroom house, which has a security camera on the front porch, sits against a narrow ribbon of woods amid a hilly landscape. The home is on an acre of land in a neighborhood where houses are worth an estimated $237,000 to $448,000, according to Zillow.com, a real estate website. It is there that Gendron lived when he wrote an online diary as he planned the attack, admitting he had lied to his parents about attending college classes while he was buying a semi-automatic weapon, body armor and other gear, much of which was shipped to their house.

My parents know somethings wrong, Gendron wrote on April 15. The previous month, he wrote, he had told his mother after he decapitated a feral cat in the garage of their home.

News reporters went to the Gendron house twice, but no one answered the door.

Theyre in the house, theyre just not answering the door, said a neighbor, adding that the Gendrons sometimes chat with neighbors, but they pretty much keep to themselves.

Both Gendrons are civil engineers for the New York State Department of Transportation earning about $105,000.

I was at Paytons high school graduation party. I asked him what he wanted to be, and he said, Im going to be an engineer just like my parents, a friend of the family said.

A night out

Jerry and Cathy Kozlowski of Binghamton said they have known the Gendrons for nearly three decades in a friendship that began with union activities connected to their employment with the state. On a recent evening, the Kozlowskis and several others associated with the Public Employees Federation invited Paul and Pamela Gendron to join them for dinner.

It was a rare night out for the Gendrons, Cathy Kozlowski said.

When I asked them how they were doing, they said they were getting by. They were devastated," said Cathy Kozlowski of what the husband and wife have experienced since their son committed the massacre.

Cathy Kozlowski said the parents have removed themselves from social media and the father has stopped union activities.

Of whether the parents had any advance knowledge of their son's deadly intentions, Jerry Kozlowski said, "I'm sure they have no idea."

The Kozlowskis said they do not believe Gendrons parents are racists. In Paul Gendrons work with the union, the father helped Black employees and others from diverse backgrounds, according to Cathy Kozlowski, a retired state Insurance Fund employee and former union official.

People who have harassed the family have done it because they need someone to blame for the murders, Jerry Kozlowski said.

Payton Gendron, in a lengthy online diary describing his preparation for the massacre, wrote that during the Covid-19 pandemic he spent time at home immersing himself in websites that espoused white supremacy and antisemitic views.

They go down a rabbit hole and you dont know what their minds are soaking up on social media, reading garbage. Whatever you may profess in your house as parents, you dont know what is in the kids mind, Jerry Kozlowski said.

Kozlowski said he not only blames hate-filled websites for turning Payton Gendron into a killer, but a society that made it easy for a troubled teenager to purchase an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle.

Why are guns so accessible? He would not have gone to Buffalo with a knife, Jerry Kozlowski said.

James Moffitt, who was also at the dinner with the Gendrons, defended the parents, saying, All I can say is that they are good people.

'Leave me alone'

When Gendron visited Jane's Diner a week before the rampage, he shared a meal with his friend Matt Casado, who is Hispanic, and Casado's girlfriend, Skylar McClain, who is Black, according to Lazaros.

In interviews with different news outlets, Casado and McClain said they had no idea that Gendron was a racist. Pamela Burdock, Casados mother, was quoted as saying she was like a second mother to Gendron. She and her son said Gendrons parents forbid him from playing violent video games and that when Gendron visited his friends mobile home he would not join Casado in playing games such as Call of Duty.

Efforts to locate Casado and speak with him were unsuccessful. When The News approached his mother, she repeatedly screamed, Leave me alone.

Jennifer N. Davis, the mother of McClain, declined to speak with The News or pass along a message to her daughter.

The mother of an 18-year-old who attended Susquehanna Valley High School with Gendron said he exhibited strange behavior.

Payton was a loner, always strange and my son steered clear of him," the mother said, speaking on the condition that neither she nor her son be identified.

She noted one day Gendron came to school in a full hazmat suit. She also referred to Gendrons comments about committing a murder/suicide while in a remote class toward the end of his senior year.

State Police investigated and Gendron was taken for a mental health evaluation at Binghamton General Hospital, according to Broome County District Attorney Michael Korchak. The DA, in speaking with reporters two days after the attack, said a doctor determined he was not dangerous. Gendron returned home and was allowed to graduate with his class in June 2021.

A screw-up?

Several Conklin residents said authorities should have taken more proactive steps based on Gendron's murder/suicide comment.

Lazaros says the system failed.

The police were called and they had him sent for a mental health evaluation. They let him go after one day of evaluation. Somebody really screwed up, Lazaros said.

Attorneys Terrence M. Connors and Ben Crump, who represent some of the victims' families, are communicating with an attorney who represents Paul and Pamela Gendron to have them preserve evidence related to their son. The evidence includes mental health evaluations, school disciplinary records and the purchase of the weapon and other equipment used in the attack.

Attorney Thomas A. Saitta of Binghamton, who represents Gendron's parents, confirmed that he is assisting Connors in that regard. He told The News that he and the Gendrons are declining to comment further at this time.

In a document he filed in state court in June, Connors said Gendron's parents knew of his propensity for racism and violence, but recklessly allowed him to buy deadly weapons, body armor and other military tactical gear, which he stored in their home.

The parents also knew their son had been investigated by State Police in June 2021 after his murder/suicide comment in class, and Gendrons mother knew he had killed and beheaded a feral cat about seven weeks before the Buffalo murders, Connors said.

There were so many red flags that the parents should have seen, said John V. Elmore, an attorney for other Buffalo families whose loved ones were killed by Gendron. Where did he get the money for the arsenal he was putting together? How did they not see he was spending all this time looking at hate sites on the internet? How could they not wonder why he was taking their car for trips over 200 miles to scout locations in Buffalo? It seems to me they buried their heads in the sand instead of trying to address his problems.

In Binghamton, the Black manager of a grocery store run by a not-for-profit agency says she understands why victims families would want to sue Gendrons parents.

I dont blame the people for wanting to sue his parents, said Kinya Middleton, manager of Greater Good Grocery. At the same time, I dont know the dynamics of their family and dont want to judge them.

She said she would not describe Binghamton as a racist community, but added that there are some elements of racism in the community.

Racism begins in the home, Middleton said. Change is coming, but some people are close-minded. I experience racism all the time in this area."

Middleton said she was shocked and upset when she heard about the Tops massacre.

That store in Buffalo is like ours in a lot of ways. Were both operating in food deserts and trying to provide healthy food for a diverse population, she said. He easily could have driven just a few miles and come here to commit his crime. It could have easily happened here.

Middleton began to sob as she discussed the horror of people being shot because of the color of their skin.

'A stain on the community'

In December, a couple hundred people gathered for the annual winter concert at Susquehanna Valley High School in Conklin. There was no mention of Buffalo or the tragedy that a school alumnus brought.

But a few people spoke to a News reporter about Gendron after the concert.

Gendrons racist crime was an anomaly, said Carl Brown, 53, a Black schoolteacher whose daughter attends the high school and plays in the orchestra.

Most of the people here are really good, decent people. Theyve been kind to my family. Its a shame that the act of one person puts a stain on the community, Brown said. I dont know what happened to him. It had to be outside influences, because I dont think what he did reflects this community at all.

Two students  Donivan Griswold, 16, and his brother, Edward, 14  were waiting outside for an Uber driver to pick them up after the show.

Im so sorry for what happened in your community, Donivan said. I didnt know the person who did this, but Im very mad at him. He gave our school a bad reputation that we dont deserve. I hate what he did.
New API Capabilities Introduced to Provide One-Click Integration for Seamless Omnichannel Commerce Enablement

JERICHO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Valor PayTech, a rapidly-growing fintech provider of end-to-end, processor-agnostic omnichannel commerce solutions, today announced the appointment of payments veterans Riaz Ladha and Eric Kirk to its new strategic payments business unit. The company also announced general availability of Valor Connect, an application programming interface providing one-click integration to Valors suite of omnichannel commerce offerings.

Ladha assumes overall responsibility for spearheading the companys card-not-present focus as senior vice president of integrated payments and strategy. Kirk joins Valor as vice president of integrated payments and strategic sales with responsibility for forging strategic partnerships and business opportunities in the CNP arena.

Valor Chief Executive Officer Eric Bernstein stated, Were growing and investing in world-class omnichannel commerce enablement. Valor Connect requires little-to-no effort for businesses to add Valor payment offerings with the click of a button which is a huge time and money saver. Bernstein added, Both Riaz and Eric have impressive backgrounds and connections that will help us accelerate partnership traction and revenue growth. I am pleased to welcome them to the Valor team.

Cloud-based Valor Connect provides a cohesive and integrated payments framework with comprehensive access and visibility into consolidated omnichannel transactional data to drive more revenue while optimizing payments infrastructures for Valor partners. Its initial rollout will focus on providing a frictionless integration path for point-of-sale software providers so user implementations can be initiated with the simple push of a button from any Valor supported terminal.

Phase two of the Valor Connect rollout will concentrate on streamlining the process of adding cutting-edge in-store, online, mobile and unattended payment solutions while removing significant barriers for independent sales organizations, independent software vendors and their merchant customers, both upfront during implementation and on the back end with consolidated data for reconciliation and reporting as well as automatic software upgrades. During this phase, Valor will be introducing its very own marketplace, giving partners the ability to seamlessly connect several innovative payments-related products and services to their payments stacks via Valor Connect.

Before joining Valor PayTech, Ladha served as the vice president of industry relations for the Electronic Transactions Association. Prior to the ETA, Ladha served as the vice president of enterprise business for NMI where he led their ISV, unattended and banking divisions for the North American market.

I am excited to lead the charge for Valor and help build the strategic team along with Eric Kirk. Weve worked closely together in the past and see an excellent opportunity to help ISVs, ISOs and financial institutions optimize their payments infrastructures, stated Ladha. Valors omnichannel commerce solutions are of tremendous value in todays payments environment, and we are eager to help businesses take advantage of the companys cutting-edge technologies.

Kirk previously served as senior vice president of institutional partnerships for BHG Financial, director of North American sales for NMIs enterprise and strategic division, executive vice president for restaurant POS solution Aptito and co-founder of Retail Cloud.

I am happy to join Valor to build and grow its strategic payments business unit along with my long-time payments industry colleague Riaz Ladha, stated Kirk. Eric Bernstein and the Valor team have built an impressive company in just a short time. Riaz and I are ready to roll up our sleeves to help take this company to the next level, added Kirk.

About Valor PayTech

Valor PayTech is a rapidly-growing fintech provider of end-to-end, processor-agnostic omnichannel commerce solutions. The company equips both merchants and reseller partners with comprehensive, cutting-edge tools and flexibility to succeed in todays rapidly changing business environment. Experience the future of payments. For more information, visit valorpaytech.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005250/en/

Peggy Bekavac Olson

Strategic Marketing for Valor PayTech

480.510.8120

[email protected]

Source: Valor PayTech
Rioja is thrilled to be hosting an international competition to select the worlds best vineyards and wineries from July 10  13th in the DOCa Rioja, with an investment of over half a million euros.

One hundred VIPs, including 20 members of the jury and 30 international journalists, will tour the designation of origin to experience its wineries.

The event underscores the DOCas commitment to surpass the pre-pandemic figures for wine tourism and will showcase why Rioja is, as the regions international slogan claims, Spains Finest.

LOGRONO, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin (DOCa) will become the epicenter of national and international wine tourism following the announcement that the region has been chosen to host the Worlds Best Vineyards 2023 convention. This annual event ranks the best experiences that vineyards and wineries have to offer and garners major media coverage worldwide.

The event, which will be celebrated from July 10  13th this year, offers an opportunity to showcase Riojas potential to a delegation of more than one hundred people, including the event organizers, the jury, national and international journalists, and leading industry figures and experts. The Designation will learn first-hand through an extensive program featuring different tours, tastings, visits to wineries and leisure activities designed for enjoying Riojas rich diversity and all the elements that make the region a unique place.

The program of visits organized in collaboration with the DOCa Regulatory Board includes the main event: the announcement of the Worlds 50 Best Vineyards of 2023 global ranking on July 12th. This event will be broadcast in real time on YouTube.

The list will feature wineries that offer unparalleled experiences for visitors and are home to some of the wonders of modern architecture, ancestral and family-owned wineries, Michelin-starred restaurants and more.

The jury responsible for the ranking includes more than 500 international figures from the wine industry such as sommeliers and expert travellers. The nominations are based on a range of criteria such as the landscape, the quality of the experience, the gastronomy, the activities available, the quality of the service, etc. Based on their evaluations, the results are compiled to create the final list known as Worlds Best Vineyards.

The Olympics of Wine Tourism, in Rioja

The news was announced today by the DOCa Rioja Regulatory Board and the agreement was signed between the Board and the three participating autonomous governmentsLa Rioja, the Basque Country and Navarreas project partners. The event was also attended by Andrew Reed, managing director of Worlds Best Vineyards.

The event requires an investment of more than half a million euros, a substantial amount of which is directly invested in the Rioja region itself through the contracting of hotel and catering services, accommodation, transport, etc., thus boosting the regions businesses.

The organizing committee that chose Rioja as the host region said that it is a unique location that offers a wide variety of fun and memorable outdoor activities for all ages, in addition to more than 600 wineries, including some of the most famous and award-winning wineries in the world and has charming towns and cities, in addition to being one of Spains culinary hubs par excellence, creating a perfect pairing with its delicious wine.

The Designations Regulatory Board believes that wine tourism is the best way to showcase the wines and is guiding the region to become a leading international wine tourism destination with a target of more than 1.2 million visits by 2025. The impact that wine tourism had on the DOCa in 2021 was around 103.7 million euros, a figure still below the more than 170 million euros recorded in pre-pandemic 2019.

Hosted by Rioja

This milestone highlights Riojas commitment and dedication to establishing itself as a leader for the worlds great wine regions and bringing its international slogan Rioja, Spains Finest to life. The Designation continues to work to remain among the worlds best, with a special focus on the growth of international visits: according to the 2021 Wine Tourism Monitor, the Designation received almost half a million visitors (460,137), 20.3% of whom were foreign tourists. Prior to the pandemic (2019), Rioja registered 860,000 visitors.

Andrew Reed, managing director of Worlds Best Vineyards and managing director of Wines and Exhibitions at event sponsor William Reed, said that when it comes to choosing Rioja as host, Rioja is the perfect destination to unveil this years Worlds Best Vineyards list, since it combines wine tourism and culture in equal measure. Its a region with excellent restaurants, incredible landscapes and, of course, hundreds of extraordinary vineyards. So, were excited to host this years event here and showcase all that Rioja has to offer.

As a result of this collaboration between the Rioja Regulatory Board and Worlds Best Vineyards, the official brand and logo will include hosted by Rioja throughout the year, a claim that will feature in all communications and sponsorships that the sponsoring institution launches.

Fernando Ezquerro, President of the DOCa Rioja said, Its an honour to host the prestigious Worlds Best Vineyards 2023 competition, a tremendous opportunity to show the world why Rioja is Spains Finest. Its history and know-how have helped it to cement its position as Spains leading wine region, also in wine tourism, which has a driving effect on the recovery of national tourism and has helped to diversify our countrys offer. Passion for what we do and hospitality make Rioja such a special place to visit and enjoy.

About the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin

Rioja is Spains oldest Designation of Origin (DO) and earned the qualification in 1925. It was also the first region to be certified as a Qualified Designation of Origin (DOCa) in 1991, which established it as one of a handful of designations in the world that offer the highest guarantees regarding the quality and authenticity of its wines, thanks to the strict regulations and self-monitoring that its Regulatory Board implements. This, together with its ground-breaking spirit and its commitment to innovation and sustainability, has been decisive in helping Rioja wines achieve the leading position that they currently occupy in the market on both a national and international scale. Rioja accounts for almost 40% of the value of Spanish Denomination of Origin wines and is sold in 129 countries.

With over 66,000 hectares, the DOCa Rioja encompasses three areas (Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental) with unique winegrowing characteristics, covering 144 municipalities, 600 wineries and more than 14,000 winegrowers. A plurality that guarantees a wide range of wines, which enhance the value of singular origins and diversity, with high quality that is always guaranteed.

For more information, visit: www.shoprioja.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005241/en/

Wines from Rioja US PR Director

Emma Oldenkamp

[email protected]

617.595.6904

Source: Wines from Rioja
Vendor Trace flags privacy risks and allows customers to understand how personal data flows through the chain of referral

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sourcepoint, the data privacy software company for the digital marketing ecosystem, today launches Vendor Trace to provide publishers and brands with an easy way to monitor downstream vendor behavior on their websites. Vendor Trace, the new dashboard that forms part of Sourcepoints consent management platform, is a searchable, interactive flowchart. With it, customers can isolate vulnerabilities in third-party marketing and advertising technologies and pinpoint the responsible parties.

In the wake of new privacy regulations in California and Virginia and a recent spike in GDPR fines in Europe, the proliferation of vendors on websites poses significant data governance and compliance challenges to enterprises. With the launch of Vendor Trace, Sourcepoint customers can perform due diligence by easily uncovering the origin of all unauthorized cookies, pixels, and tags. Once all unauthorized scripts have been identified and evaluated, customers can ensure adequate consent measures or commercial terms are in place.

Vendor Trace is the first tool on the market that allows users to visualize the chain of vendor referrals and then apply privacy compliance filters. With an emphasis on usability, the flowchart can be manipulated to show which vendors are triggering a large volume of redirects or not respecting CMP preferences. Users can layer consent action filters, such as Accept All or No Opt-Out, on top of the vendor map. Additionally, customers can apply compliance filters from the Diagnose vendor monitoring dashboard to highlight which vendors are authorized or triggering unauthorized scripts, performing possible fingerprinting, firing prior to consent, or storing consumer data.

Product and privacy teams are already overburdened when it comes to compliance. Vendor Trace is designed to make vendor governance and compliance programs more efficient, commented Frances Hudson, VP of Product, Sourcepoint. The launch of Vendor Trace provides our customers with a crucial layer of visibility into how vendors  direct and indirect  are processing personal data.

In the first few weeks of 2023, weve seen 11 U.S. states introduce comprehensive privacy bills and, in Europe, major fines levied against Meta and Apple for privacy violations related to personalized advertising, said Julie Rubash, Chief Privacy Counsel of Sourcepoint. Respecting consumer privacy and regulatory compliance requires the cooperation of the entire ecosystem. Compliance monitoring tools like Vendor Trace provide much-needed checks and balances on downstream processing.

About Sourcepoint

Sourcepoint is the data privacy software company for the digital marketing ecosystem. It provides tools to protect consumer privacy, manage compliance and optimize revenue in a rapidly changing landscape. Founded by a team of digital advertising veterans, Sourcepoint has offices in New York, Berlin, London, and Paris.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005037/en/

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Elena Morin

[email protected]

+ 1 (347) 433-6169

Source: Sourcepoint
Collaboration Expected to Enhance Clinical Providers Access to Comprehensive Genomic Testing

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- VieCure today announced a new collaboration with Labcorp to provide clinicians greater access to precision oncology decision support. This strategic collaboration will support patient-specific treatment plans by integrating Labcorps precision medicine testing solutions with VieCures clinical decision support tool, helping community cancer care providers advance health equity and increase precision diagnostic test utilization for cancer patients, including those living in rural and remote areas who may lack access to larger oncology centers. Together, the two companies will be positioned to improve clinical outcomes for patients, creating a streamlined experience for biomarker-informed, personalized cancer care through an integrated clinic-genomic workflow of Labcorps precision medicine testing solutions.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005608/en/

Labcorps comprehensive portfolio of cancer diagnostic and next-generation sequencing products will be fully integrated into the VieCure platform, improving the clinical workflow experience for community oncologists to aid in precision medicine selection for oncology patients and drive better outcomes (Photo: Business Wire)

Nearly 75% of cancer patients in the United States are treated in the community and private practice settings, said Dr. Fred Ashbury, chief scientific officer at VieCure. We have an opportunity to help further democratize precision oncology and make it easier for community oncologists to offer the right care for the right patient every time.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has become foundational for precision oncology, with rapidly expanding diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications, but a there are a number of challenges for data standards and interoperability that make it difficult for clinicians to effectively manage and stay up-to-date on potential treatments. Labcorps comprehensive precision oncology test menu includes centralized solutions  including NGS-based tests spanning solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, and hereditary cancers  and kitted solutions (through the Feb. 2022 acquisition of Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc.), allowing institutions to internalize NGS and provide testing in house and integrate comprehensive molecular data into patient records.

Labcorps leadership and scale in precision medicine diagnostic testing and drug development will accelerate access to personalized treatments for cancer patients treated in community oncology practices, said Prasanth Reddy, MD, MPH, FACP, senior vice president and global head of oncology at Labcorp. Labcorps comprehensive portfolio of cancer diagnostic and next-generation sequencing products will be fully integrated into the VieCure platform, improving the clinical workflow experience for community oncologists to aid in precision medicine selection for oncology patients and drive better outcomes.

About VieCure

VieCure has developed a proprietary artificial intelligence informatics software platform in conjunction with a clinical inference engine and point-of-care decision support system in oncology. The VieCure platform combines the latest in clinical knowledge with patient data to assist clinicians in generating personalized treatment plans and better managing a patients treatment throughout diagnosis, cancer therapy, and ongoing follow-up care. VieCure was launched in 2016 and has contracted with leading community oncology cancer centers like the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (Fort Worth, Texas), Alabama Cancer Care (Tuscaloosa, Alabama), Clermont Oncology (Clermont, Florida), and several others including the American Oncology Network. The VieCure contracted cancer center network now includes more than 100 locations in the United States, the Bahamas, and Antigua. Active implementation of the VieCure platform is occurring in network locations across the United States. For more information, please visit VieCure.com and connect with VieCure on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005608/en/

VieCure, Inc.

Hailey Hogue, Coordinator, Marketing and Social Media

[email protected]

Source: VieCure, Inc.
SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WiseTech Global (ASX: WTC), developer of leading logistics execution software CargoWise, today announced its acquisition of Envase Technologies (Envase), a leading provider of transport management system software for intermodal trucking, drayage (container haulage) and landside logistics in North America in a transaction valued at US$230 million. Envase is being acquired from private investment firm and supply chain investor Firmament, and a small number of other sellers.

Headquartered in the United States, Envases solutions for carriers automate and provide visibility for the movement of containers across all aspects of import and export haulage operations from port and rail terminals to destination. Envases more than 1,300 customers across North America include trucking companies, ports, depots, and warehouses. Envase is expected to generate approximately US$35 million of revenue for the calendar year 2023 with an EBITDA margin in the low to mid 20% range.

WiseTech will fund the transaction via a combination of 70% cash (US$161 million) and 30% new WiseTech Global shares issued to the vendors (equivalent to US$69 million). The acquisition is expected to complete in February 2023. In addition, expected one-off transaction costs of approximately US$10 million will be funded from existing cash reserves.

Richard White, Founder and CEO of WiseTech Global, said: This is a strategically significant acquisition in landside logistics, which extends and strengthens our position in one of our six key CargoWise development priority areas, and were extremely pleased to have the Envase team join the WiseTech Global group.

Envases CEO Larry Cuddy, Jr, said: This deal is an exciting development for both the Envase and WiseTech customer bases, and our team. Joining the WiseTech Global group gives Envase the scale and additional resources needed to make a bigger impact. Over the past few years, we have assembled and integrated a powerful suite of landside logistics solutions. Combined with the strength and size of WiseTech and its CargoWise platform and depth in international logistics, we have a powerful platform that we expect to further increase capacity and utilization and drive innovation in what is an intensely complex and highly fragmented ecosystem. The Envase team is grateful for the support of Firmament over the years and for their vision to establish Envase as a leader in landside logistics.

Further information on this acquisition and WiseTechs performance and outlook will be provided at the Companys half year earnings briefing at 10am on 22 February 2023 (AEDT). Please register here.

About WiseTech Global

WiseTech Global is a leading developer and provider of software solutions to the logistics execution industry globally. Our customers include over 18,0001 of the worlds logistics companies across more than 170 countries, including 41 of the top 50 global third-party logistics providers and 24 of the 25 largest global freight forwarders worldwide2.

At WiseTech, we are relentless about innovation, adding over 4,900 product enhancements to our global platform in the past five years while bringing meaningful continual improvement to the worlds supply chains. Our breakthrough software solutions are renowned for their powerful productivity, extensive functionality, comprehensive integration, deep compliance capabilities, and truly global reach. For more information, visit www.wisetechglobal.com and www.cargowise.com.

___________________________________

1 Includes customers on CargoWise and platforms of acquired businesses whose customers may be counted with reference to installed sites

2 Armstrong & Associates: Top 50 Global 3PLs & Top 25 Global Freight Forwarders ranked by 2021 logistics gross revenue/turnover and freight forwarding volumes - Updated 4 August 2022

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230124006103/en/

Claire Hosegood: +61 411 253 663 | [email protected]

Source: WiseTech Global
Honorees span 30 states; California, Florida, Texas, Nevada and Arizona lead Yelps annual list

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Yelp, the company that connects people with great local businesses, today announced its 10th annual Top 100 Places to Eat list, celebrating the must-visit restaurants across the United States. Each year, Yelp analyzes the millions of reviews on its platform and considers suggestions from its community of users to name the best local eateries, including food trucks, cafes and delis.

Topping this years list is Broken Mouth in Los Angeles, CA. With a 5-star rating and more than 1,300 reviews, the Hawaiian-Korean cafe serves up comfort food dishes like spam musubi, a seaweed-wrapped spam dish on purple rice, and meat jun, a traditional fried beef dish that Yelpers say reminds them of home. Broken Mouths unlikely location in a downtown food hall makes this local favorite a true hidden gem.

"From food trucks and sandwich shops to fine dining establishments, the Top 100 list reflects the diverse tastes and uniqueness of our community of users," said Tara Lewis, Yelps Trend Expert. "It is powered by the people, not a small group of restaurant critics, and we look forward to consumers continuing to share their dining experiences in their reviews."

For the first time, island cuisine led the top 5 this year. High-ranking island restaurants include Kaaloa's Super Js Authentic Hawaiian Food (#2)a favorite spot on the Big Island for its juicy laulau (pork wrapped in taro leaf)and Adelas Country Eatery (#5), whose colorful 10-star noodles made with local ingredients put the popular takeout stand on Oahus dining map.

This year, California swept the list with 28 restaurants across Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and more. Florida is runner-up with 14 restaurants. Cities with top restaurants include Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Texas followed with 8 restaurants across the Austin and Houston metropolitan areas. Rounding out the top 5 most represented states are Nevada and Arizona with 5 and 4 restaurants each.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Top 100, Yelp revealed data and insights about the honorees across the past decade. Since its 2014 debut, the list has recognized more than 700 establishments across 376 cities. Over the last decade, Las Vegas saw the greatest number of restaurants on the list, with more than 30 restaurant appearances. Los Angeles and San Diego were close runner ups with 28 restaurant appearances each over the years. From a San Diego food truck to a beloved family-run Mexican restaurant in Phoenix, Yelps Top 100 Places to Eat highlights the local favorites diners enjoy most.

Looking for your next great meal? To access, follow or embed Yelps 2023 list of the Top 100 restaurants in the United States, visit the Collection on the Yelp app. Read more about this years winning restaurants on Yelp and learn more about the 10th anniversary of the Top 100 Places to Eat list at top100.yelp.com.

Methodology: To determine Yelps Top Places to Eat in 2023, Yelp reached out to the user community first, requesting individuals to submit favorite U.S. restaurants. Yelps data science team analyzed the submissions from the community to determine the top restaurants by ratings, number of reviews, and volume of submissions, with geographic representation based on equal share of submissions of top-rated restaurants nationally. Yelp further curated the list with the expertise of our Community Managers around the country to finalize the rankings. The resulting list is collaborative and passion driven  an accurate reflection of the Yelp Community itself.

About Yelp

Yelp Inc. (www.yelp.com) connects people with great local businesses. With unmatched local business information, photos, and review content, Yelp provides a one-stop local platform for consumers to discover, connect, and transact with local businesses of all sizes by making it easy to request a quote, join a waitlist, and make a reservation, appointment, or purchase. Yelp was founded in San Francisco in July 2004.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005066/en/

Press Contact:

Brenae Leary

[email protected]

Source: Yelp Inc.
Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX) today announced that it has signed, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, a Memorandum of Agreement to sell to an unaffiliated third party, the 2005-built vessel Aliki, with delivery to the buyer latest by February 28, 2023, for a sale price of US$15.08 million before commissions.

Upon completion of the aforementioned sale and the expected delivery of 1 Ultramax dry bulk vessel, Diana Shipping Inc.s fleet will consist of 42 dry bulk vessels (4 Newcastlemax, 10 Capesize, 5 Post-Panamax, 6 Kamsarmax, 8 Panamax and 9 Ultramax). As of today, the combined carrying capacity of the Companys fleet, excluding the 1 Ultramax dry bulk vessel not yet delivered and including the m/v Aliki, is approximately 4.9 million dwt with a weighted average age of 10.28 years. A table describing the current Diana Shipping Inc. fleet can be found on the Companys website, www.dianashippinginc.com. Information contained on the Companys website does not constitute a part of this press release.

About the Company

Diana Shipping Inc. is a global provider of shipping transportation services through its ownership and bareboat charter-in of dry bulk vessels. The Companys vessels are employed primarily on short to medium-term time charters and transport a range of dry bulk cargoes, including such commodities as iron ore, coal, grain and other materials along worldwide shipping routes.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.

The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, anticipate, intends, estimate, forecast, project, plan, potential, may, should, expect, pending and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, Company managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in the Companys records and other data available from third parties. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies that are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Companys control, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.

In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Companys view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, including impacts of the pandemic and of businesses and governments responses to the pandemic on our operations, personnel, and on the demand for seaborne transportation of bulk products; the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for dry bulk shipping capacity, changes in the Companys operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Companys vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, including risks associated with the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and related sanctions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Corporate Contact:

Ioannis Zafirakis

Director, Chief Financial Officer,

Chief Strategy Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

Telephone: + 30-210-9470-100

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.dianashippinginc.com

Twitter: @Dianaship



Investor and Media Relations:

Edward Nebb

Comm-Counsellors, LLC

Telephone: + 1-203-972-8350

Email: [email protected]

Source: Diana Shipping Inc. c/o Diana Shipping Services S.A.
Idaho Strategic Resources (NYSE American: IDR) (Idaho Strategic or we) today sent the following letter to the Board of Directors (the Board) of Westwater Resources, Inc. (NYSE American: WWR) (WWR or Westwater) regarding its preliminary business combination proposal to acquire all outstanding shares of Westwater at approximately $1.36 per share in IDR stock.

***

Terence J. Cryan

Executive Chairman

6950 S. Potomac Street, Suite 300

Centennial, Colorado 80112

January 25, 2023

Dear Terence and the other members of the WWR Board of Directors,

As you know, on December 15, 2022, we delivered a compelling proposal for Idaho Strategic to combine with WWR to create a unique critical minerals company within the U.S. mining industry. We have since reiterated that proposal in numerous private attempts at engagement  unfortunately, without any meaningful or constructive responses from you. Importantly, we do not believe that yet another of WWRs recent executive changes should interfere with the Boards further consideration of our offer or engagement with us.

We continue to believe the combined company would possess the operating team and diversified asset potential to appeal to larger entities and gain government funding. In our view, the significant upside potential of a combined company is incredibly clear  so we, and we believe your shareholders, are understandably disappointed by your quick dismissal of our proposal.

While we would prefer to have private discussions and have proposed reasonable terms under your non-disclosure agreement, we have been continuously rebuffed by you. We believe that you have a fiduciary duty to your shareholders  and a duty to all your stakeholders  to thoroughly consider our value-enhancing proposal and to engage with us. WWR shareholders deserve better, and we urge you to immediately open the lines of communication.

The Value to Westwater Shareholders is Clear: We Are Offering a 73% Premium to the Last Unaffected Trading Day, While WWR Stock is Down More Than 95% in Five Years1

We believe our proposed offer to the Board to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Westwater at a ratio of 0.2353 Idaho Strategic shares for 1 WWR share is attractive and compelling. It values Westwater at approximately $1.36 per share, representing a premium of approximately 73% to the last unaffected trading day for both companies prior to the business combination proposal announcement on December 22, 2022. We anticipate that Idaho Strategics offer will deliver immediate and long-term value to all Westwater shareholders, in contrast to what Westwater has delivered on its own: long-term stock price decline of more than 95% over the past five years.

Additionally, as shareholders of Idaho Strategic, Westwater investors should benefit from being led by a senior team that maintains high stock ownership and financial exposure and possesses significant relevant mining and business experience. It is not surprising to us that WWRs management and Board together own less than 2% of the Company, considering their apparent track record of reverse splits and using shares to fund growth with little regard for shareholder dilution.

In our view, it should be a welcomed change for Westwater investors to have their investment in the hands of a team focused on expanding domestic sources of technology metals, battery metals and energy metals just as the markets are expected to be looking for new investment choices and domestic supply chain options. Again, compare this to the track record of Westwaters current and past management team, which has diluted shareholders from 1.5 million shares to 48 million shares in three years.2

A Combination With Westwater is a Rare Opportunity to Build a Domestic Critical Minerals Supply Chain

Idaho Strategic is not a lifestyle company, and our directors are not serial board members. Nor do we consider Idaho Strategic to be beholden to institutional holders or our shareholders captive to someone elses exit strategy or retirement plans. As our track record demonstrates, we very rarely look to the markets for M&A or larger financings.

We believe the potential combination with Westwater is a rare opportunity to build a domestic critical minerals company that has the potential to address 21 of the 50 critical minerals listed by the U.S. Government. With the expected addition of key personnel and financial assets from the proposed transaction, the likelihood of advancing multiple projects simultaneously could exist. We expect the combination will also consolidate, streamline and ultimately reduce much of the management and corporate costs being incurred. We anticipate this will create a company with a clean share structure, a low float, high insider ownership, a significant cash position and several tier 1 critical minerals projects within the United States.

Idaho Strategics Plan Begins with Advancement of the Coosa Graphite Mine Toward Production

If we are successful in combining the two companies, our plan will begin with the advancement of the Coosa Graphite Mine toward production. We believe that the roughly $81 million of net cash on-hand is sufficient to not only advance the Coosa Project toward production but also make further substantial discoveries and advancements on our rare earth elements projects, all while continuing to expand our gold operations as a reliable and profitable source of cash flow.

We have spent considerable time conducting due diligence of public sources along with discussions with professionals  and retained a respected senior geologist who was close to the project as an advisor. In addition to the Coosa Graphite Mine, we feel that our U.S.-based, production-focused goals in this regard are attainable and what our country is looking for. We would be happy to set a board meeting with Westwaters directors to discuss future plans for this asset and an overall vision that does not include sourcing graphite from foreign countries or additional stock dilution.

Idaho Strategic Has Proven Financial Stewardship and Mining Experience and Remains Ready to Engage with Westwater on Next Steps

By design, Idaho Strategic maintains a modest cash balance and financial resources. This approach has allowed us to operate in a lean and capital efficient manner, while minimizing shareholder dilution. We advance our business segments and manage financial resources through project-specific capital raises that support our surface and underground mining/production and award-winning milling facility. We have a shareholder base that has long supported this capital raise strategy. We are producing gold and consolidated a historic gold district in a well-known and active mining area that we use as our growing base of cash flow. This approach has, in turn, already proven successful as we have not only expanded operations and milling capacity, but also drilled and advanced our rare earth projects.

We are hopeful that, following completion of your review of our business combination proposal, you will agree to engage in constructive conversations with Idaho Strategic and give the WWR shareholders the opportunity to receive the benefits of a combined company. Our preference would be to work toward a mutually acceptable agreement, and we are ready to devote all necessary resources on an expeditious basis to completing this combination.

We ask that the Board please take our business combination proposal seriously and we look forward to engaging with you to finalize the terms of our proposal.

Sincerely,

/s/ John Swallow

President and Chief Executive Officer

For a more in-depth look at the combined entities, please view the presentation here: https://idahostrategic.com/IDR+WWR.pdf.

About Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.

Domiciled in Idaho and headquartered in the Panhandle of northern Idaho, Idaho Strategic Resources (IDR) is one of the few resource-based companies (public or private) possessing the combination of officially recognized U.S. domestic rare earth element properties (in Idaho), the largest known concentration of thorium resources in the U.S., and Idaho-based gold production located in an established mining community.

Idaho Strategic Resources maintains an important strategic presence in the U.S. Critical Minerals sector, specifically focused on the more at-risk Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Thorium. With over 11,000 acres of Rare Earth Element landholdings, the Company is the second largest REE landholder in the U.S. The Companys Diamond Creek and Roberts REE properties are included the U.S. national REE inventory as listed in USGS, IGS and DOE publications. IDRs Lemhi Pass Thorium-REE Project is recognized by the USGS and IGS as containing the largest concentration of thorium resources in the country. All three projects are located in central Idaho and are participating in the IGEM Program and the USGS Earth MRI program.

The Company produces gold at the Golden Chest Mine located in the Murray Gold Belt (MGB) area of the world-class Coeur dAlene Mining District, north of the prolific Silver Valley. With over 7,000 acres of patented and unpatented land, the Company has the largest private land position in the area following its consolidation of the Murray Gold Belt for the first time in over 100 years.

With an impressive mix of mining and business experience, IDR maintains a long-standing We Live Here approach to corporate culture, land management, and historic preservation. Furthermore, it is our belief that successful operations begin with the heightened responsibility that only local oversight and a community mindset can provide. Its everyone goes home at night policy would not be possible without the multi-generational base of local exploration, drilling, mining, milling, and business professionals that reside in and near the communities of the Silver Valley and North Idaho.

For more information on Idaho Strategic Resources click here for our corporate presentation or visit www.idahostrategic.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. When a forward-looking statement expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements often address our expected future business, potential business combinations, financial performance, and financial condition and often contain words such as anticipate, intend, plan, will, could, would, may, estimate, should, expect, believe, project, target, indicative, preliminary, potential, represents and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, assumptions, intentions, or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking statements contained herein may include, without limitation, the following: (1) that the combination would create one of the first companies with United States-sourced graphite, key Rare Earth Elements and established growing gold production in a world-class mining jurisdiction; (2) that the proposal represents an attractive premium of approximately 73% and will deliver immediate value to all Westwater shareholders; (3) that the combined company would possess the operating team and diversified asset potential to appeal to larger entities and gain government funding; (4) that Idaho Strategics offer will deliver immediate and long-term value to all Westwater shareholders; (5) that Westwater investors should benefit from being led by a senior team that maintains high stock ownership and financial exposure and possesses significant relevant mining and business experience; (6) that the likelihood to advance multiple projects simultaneously could exist; (7) that the combination will also consolidate, streamline, and ultimately reduce much of the management and corporate costs being incurred; (8) that the combination will create a company with a clean share structure, and a low float, high insider ownership, a significant cash position, and several tier 1 critical minerals projects within the United States; (9) that our plan will begin with the advancement of the Coosa Graphite Mine toward production; and (10) that the roughly $81 million of net cash on-hand is sufficient to not only advance the Coosa Project toward production but also make further substantial discoveries and advancement on our rare earth elements projects, all while expanding our gold operations into a reliable and profitable source of cash flow. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of Idaho Strategic Resources as of the date such information is provided and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of IDR to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information also includes the risks and uncertainties regarding the proposed acquisition of Westwater and the expected benefits and synergies from the proposed acquisition, results from due diligence and evaluation of Westwater assets, business plans, projects and current and ongoing required capex. There is no certainty that any transaction with Westwater will ultimately be agreed to or as to the terms on which such a transaction, if any, might occur. Idaho Strategic would also like to inform investors that the metrics used to determine Idaho Strategics belief that it is the second largest rare earth elements property holder come from reviewing the readily available publicly announced landholding of MP Materials, US Rare Earths, UCore, Rare Element Resources, and Western Rare Earths. Similarly, the metric used to determine IDRs belief that Lemhi Pass Thorium Project is the largest in the US comes from reviewing readily available public information reported by the USGS and has not been independently verified. IDR would also like investors to note that while Idaho Strategic works with the University of Idaho, Idaho National Labs, the Center for Advanced Energy Studies and the Idaho Geological Survey as a part of the IGEM Program, this does not serve as an indication or obligation that IDR will be successful in obtaining any additional government-funded programs with the help of the aforementioned partners. The forward-looking statement information above, and those following are applicable to both this press release, the letter to Westwater as well as the links contained within the letter and this press release. With respect to the business of Idaho Strategic Resources, these risks and uncertainties include risks relating to widespread epidemics or pandemic outbreaks, if they occur, including our ability to access goods and supplies, the ability to transport our products and impacts on employee productivity, the risks in connection with the operations, cash flow and results of the Company relating to the unknown duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic information; the accuracy of historic estimates; unfavorable exploration results; inability to obtain permits required for future exploration, development or production; general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity prices; the ability to obtain necessary future financing on acceptable terms; the ability to operate the Companys projects; and risks associated with the mining industry such as economic factors (including future commodity prices, and energy prices), ground conditions, failure of plant, equipment, processes and transportation services to operate as anticipated, environmental risks, government regulation, actual results of current exploration and production activities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, permitting timelines, capital and construction expenditures, reclamation activities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from this forwardlooking information is available in Idaho Strategic Resources filings with the SEC on EDGAR. IDR does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or other such factors which affect this information, except as required by law. This release is not intended to and shall not constitute a solicitation of a proxy, consent, or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the proposed business combination. This release shall also not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any states or jurisdictions in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. Continued reliance on forward-looking statements is at investors own risk.

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1 Yahoo Finance; Stock price calculated from December 31, 2017 through December 21, 2022, the day before IDR's proposal for WWR was made public.

2 WWR has conducted four stock splits: 1:4 (April 11, 2006); 1:10 (January 23, 2013); 1:12 on (March 8, 2016); and 1:50 (April 23, 2019).
(Updated - January 25, 2023 5:04 PM EST)

Social media is rooted in the belief that open debate and the free flow of ideas are important values, especially at a time when they are under threat in many places around the world. As a general rule, we dont want to get in the way of open, public and democratic debate on Metas platforms  especially in the context of elections in democratic societies like the United States. The public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying  the good, the bad and the ugly  so that they can make informed choices at the ballot box. But that does not mean there are no limits to what people can say on our platform. When there is a clear risk of real world harm  a deliberately high bar for Meta to intervene in public discourse  we act.

Two years ago, we took action in what were extreme and highly unusual circumstances. We indefinitely suspended then-US President Donald Trumps Facebook and Instagram accounts following his praise for people engaged in violence at the Capitol on January 6th 2021. We then referred that decision to the Oversight Board  an expert body established to be an independent check and balance on our decision-making. The Board upheld the decision but criticized the open-ended nature of the suspension and the lack of clear criteria for when and whether suspended accounts will be restored, directing us to review the matter to determine a more proportionate response.

In response to the Board, we imposed a time-bound suspension of two years from the date of the original suspension on January 7th 2021  an unprecedented length of time for such a suspension. We also clarified the circumstances in which accounts of public figures could be restricted during times of civil unrest and ongoing violence, and introduced a new Crisis Policy Protocol to guide our assessment of on and off-platform risks of imminent harm so we can respond with specific policy and product actions. In our response to the Oversight Board, we also said that before making any decision on whether or not to lift Mr. Trumps suspension, we would assess whether the risk to public safety has receded.

The suspension was an extraordinary decision taken in extraordinary circumstances. The normal state of affairs is that the public should be able to hear from a former President of the United States, and a declared candidate for that office again, on our platforms. Now that the time period of the suspension has elapsed, the question is not whether we choose to reinstate Mr. Trumps accounts, but whether there remain such extraordinary circumstances that extending the suspension beyond the original two-year period is justified.

To assess whether the serious risk to public safety that existed in January 2021 has sufficiently receded, we have evaluated the current environment according to our Crisis Policy Protocol, which included looking at the conduct of the US 2022 midterm elections, and expert assessments on the current security environment. Our determination is that the risk has sufficiently receded, and that we should therefore adhere to the two-year timeline we set out. As such, we will be reinstating Mr. Trumps Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks. However, we are doing so with new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.

Like any other Facebook or Instagram user, Mr. Trump is subject to our Community Standards. In light of his violations, he now also faces heightened penalties for repeat offenses  penalties which will apply to other public figures whose accounts are reinstated from suspensions related to civil unrest under our updated protocol. In the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation.

Our updated protocol also addresses content that does not violate our Community Standards but that contributes to the sort of risk that materialized on January 6th, such as content that delegitimizes an upcoming election or is related to QAnon. We may limit the distribution of such posts, and for repeated instances, may temporarily restrict access to our advertising tools. This step would mean that content would remain visible on Mr. Trumps account but would not be distributed in peoples Feeds, even if they follow Mr. Trump. We may also remove the reshare button from such posts, and may stop them being recommended or run as ads. In the event that Mr. Trump posts content that violates the letter of the Community Standards but, under our newsworthy content policy, we assess there is a public interest in knowing that Mr. Trump made the statement that outweighs any potential harm, we may similarly opt to restrict the distribution of such posts but leave them visible on Mr. Trumps account. We are taking these steps in light of the Oversight Boards emphasis on high-reach and influential users and its emphasis on Metas role to create necessary and proportionate penalties that respond to severe violations of its content policies.

There is a significant debate about how social media companies should approach content posted on their platforms. Many people believe that companies like Meta should remove much more content than we currently do. Others argue that our current policies already make us overbearing censors. The fact is people will always say all kinds of things on the internet. We default to letting people speak, even when what they have to say is distasteful or factually wrong. Democracy is messy and people should be able to make their voices heard. We believe it is both necessary and possible to draw a line between content that is harmful and should be removed, and content that, however distasteful or inaccurate, is part of the rough and tumble of life in a free society.

We publish our Community Standards publicly so that everyone can see where we draw that line. Our policies sometimes require reconsideration and revision  as the introduction of our Crisis Policy Protocol and the additional elements announced today reflect. We are highlighting these rules today because we anticipate that should Mr. Trump choose to resume activity on our platforms, many people will call for us to take action against his account and the content he posts, while many others will be upset if he is suspended again, or if some of his content is not distributed on our platforms. We want to be as clear as possible now about our policies, so that even in those instances where people will disagree with us, they still understand the rationale for our responses.

We know that any decision we make on this issue will be fiercely criticized. Reasonable people will disagree over whether it is the right decision. But a decision had to be made, so we have tried to make it as best we can in a way that is consistent with our values and the process we established in response to the Oversight Boards guidance.
South Jersey Industries, Inc. (NYSE: SJI) (SJI) and the Infrastructure Investments Fund (IIF), a private investment vehicle focused on investing in critical infrastructure assets, today announced that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJ BPU) has unanimously approved IIFs proposed acquisition of SJI.

Under the terms of the NJ BPU approval, SJI has made the following commitments, among others:

$75 million in financial benefits for Elizabethtown Gas and South Jersey Gas customers including, a rate credit to all customers and bill relief for certain accounts in arrears due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

$5 million in community support contributions which may include charitable, educational, community support and economic development efforts.

$2.5 million in contributions to NJ SHARES (not earmarked for Elizabethtown Gas or South Jersey Gas customers), to assist New Jerseys low-income customers with payment of their utility bills.

SJI and IIF issued the following statement:

We are pleased that the NJ BPU recognizes the significant benefits this partnership presents for the communities in which SJI operates. The NJ BPUs approval marks the final regulatory approval needed to complete the transaction, which we expect to occur on February 1, 2023.

As a result of the transaction, shares of common stock, $1.25 par value per share, of SJI will cease to be listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE). In connection with the transaction, SJI also has provided notice to NYSE that it is voluntarily delisting its 5.625% Junior Subordinated Notes due 2079 and its Corporate Units from the NYSE. A Form 25 with respect to the delisting will be filed on or about February 6, 2023.

SJI expects that prior to the closing of the transaction, SJIs board of directors will declare a stub period dividend as allowed by the terms and provisions of the merger agreement for the transaction. SJI expects that the dividend, as and when declared by the board of directors, will be in an amount equal to $0.1499 per share of common stock (which reflects the most recent regular quarterly dividend rate of $0.3100 per share, divided by 91 days, and multiplied by the number of days from and including December 20, 2022, the day after the record date for the most recent regular quarterly dividend, to and including the day on which the closing of the transaction is expected to occur). SJI expects that the stub period dividend, as and when declared by the board of directors, will be payable to the holders of record of common stock as of the close of business on the last day that common stock is traded on the NYSE, which is expected to be February 1, 2023.
The police reports in the cardboard box were never intended for public review.

But after 57 years and no arrests in the murder of Monsignor Francis J. OConnor, three journalists from The Buffalo News Watchdog Team were given access in 2022 to the box after filing a Freedom of Information Law request with the Buffalo Police Department.

The box contained hundreds of pages of reports, a bound murder book titled Dossier on Rev. Francis OConnor, and police photographs, stiff and curled by the passage of time.

Inside a tiny interrogation room at the Buffalo Police homicide bureau, the journalists, for two days, read and reread the files, took extensive notes and compared details in the reports.

It became clear that what started out as a massive investigation involving dozens of detectives was suddenly halted without an explanation provided in the official reports or to the public.

What happened?

Was the Buffalo Police Department, as some retired cops, a former prosecutor and a former judge believe, ordered to end its investigation once detectives identified a priest as a possible suspect in the March 13, 1966, murder of the high-profile OConnor?

A report that detectives filed seven days after the murder stated:

We talked to a prominent physician who informed us twice during the week he has had conversations with two different priests in regards to Monsignor OConnors death and both said it would be just as well if the police did not solve this murder. The doctor would not give the names of the priests and requested his name not be put into our reports."

Missing from the cardboard box is any physical evidence collected by detectives.

A police official said the physical evidence was disposed of years ago as part of a department practice to make room for evidence from more recent cases. The official, who would only speak if he wasn't identified, said it was regrettable that the OConnor evidence was discarded, given the significance of the case.

According to the police files, the evidence included fingernail scrapings, blood samples and a lock of hair taken from O'Connor, a jacket and other clothing items he was wearing when he was murdered, his eyeglasses and wristwatch, and sections of bloodstained upholstery, fingerprints and mud samples taken from inside his car.

Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia declined to answer any questions regarding physical evidence in the case.

Yet in the surviving cardboard box is a window to the past that exposes detectives attitudes toward race and sexuality along with the time-consuming challenges police faced in the days before modern technology revolutionized criminal investigations.

Manual typewriters, no computers

In the old reports compiled on manual typewriters, detectives raised questions about whether OConnor was gay.

They used terms that described gay men in belittling language common to the time, but in today's world are viewed as derogatory and unacceptable.

The words appeared in reports when police were considering a theory that OConnor was mugged by individuals who preyed upon gay men.

And in those days police did not have access to computer searches to mine the data banks of government agencies, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The search for the license plate on OConnors new car was painstakingly slow when minutes and hours count in the early stages of an investigation. It was only after auto bureau Detective William Farley methodically reviewed paper registration slips for all the Chevrolet Impalas in the area that OConnors license plate, EC 4661, was discovered and broadcast over the police radio.

Fourteen hours had elapsed before the car was located, parked in front of 299 Lincoln Parkway.

Instead of having a computer quickly search a national database of millions of fingerprints for ones that might match those taken from inside OConnors car, detectives had to mail the prints to the FBI for review. Weeks would pass before the FBI responded that there were no matches.

And there was no such thing as cellphone calling records, text messages or emails, which often provide crucial leads and evidence.

Detectives had to rely on tipsters and acquaintances of the monsignor for insights as they burned the shoe leather and worked their rotary phones.

But what about DNA evidence? That was two decades away from becoming a reliable form of evidence to place suspects at crime scenes.

Commercial and residential surveillance cameras, which might have captured an image of someone with the monsignor in the hours before his death, were years away from becoming a security mainstay.

Yet even without those modern tools, the solitary cardboard box, labeled 1966 Msgr OConnor shows that the Buffalo Police Department waged a far-reaching investigation. Homicide squad detectives were assisted by members of other detective squads at Buffalo Police Headquarters and two detectives from each city precinct were also assigned to chase down leads in what amounted to an around-the-clock investigation.

There were frequent news stories reporting the latest developments and the public took an active role, providing tips to police, often well intended, but resulting in dead ends.

Then  without an explanation  the all-hands-on-deck, full-speed-ahead investigation ended within two months of the murder.

And for more than half a century, the O'Connor murder has drifted further into obscurity with hundreds of other unsolved cold cases awaiting justice.

***

Coming Thursday: Renowned sleuth Leo Donovan oversaw murder investigation

Catch up on the series: Who killed the monsignor? Exploring the murder of Monsignor Francis J. O'Connor, its investigation and its legacy

How we reported this series Watchdog reporter Lou Michel filed a Freedom of Information Law request in January 2022 for Buffalo Police records on the unsolved 1966 murder of Buffalo Diocese Monsignor Francis J. OConnor. He and reporter Dan Herbeck were given access to the Police Departments box of approximately 100 reports on the case. In addition, they interviewed more than 120 people, including retired police officers who worked on the case, people who talked with the Buffalo Police homicide chief who oversaw the investigation, and relatives and acquaintances of OConnor and of three diocese employees who were once suspects.
A General Dynamics sign is shown at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in San Diego, California, U.S. October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake

By Nathan Gomes

(Reuters) - U.S. defense contractor General Dynamics Corp on Wednesday forecast lower-than-expected 2023 results, as the industry struggles with labor and supply shortages, though strong demand for weapons helped it beat quarterly estimates.

An "abnormally high retirement" of workers has impacted General Dynamics' electric boat unit, which assembles nuclear-powered submarines, company executives said on an investor call.

General Dynamics said it was working with the U.S. Navy to mitigate the effect of worker shortages, which plagued the defense industry in 2022. Shares of the company fell 4% in early trade amid broader market declines.

"We think the challenge here is the production ramp at Electric Boat," J.P. Morgan analyst Seth Seifman said.

The company forecast 2023 revenue of $41.2 billion to $41.3 billion, below expectations of $41.98 billion, and profit between $12.6 to $12.65 per share, compared with estimates of $13.91, as per Refinitiv data.

Rival Lockheed Martin Corp also forecast annual profit below Street expectations on Tuesday, hurt by supply bottlenecks and higher costs.

According to industry experts, Republican Kevin McCarthy's election as the U.S. House Speaker has clouded near-term prospects for defense contractors.

Meanwhile, GD's unit that makes Gulfstream jets reported a 4% fall in fourth-quarter revenue.

However, the impact was offset by a strong performance in its combat systems unit that makes Abrams tanks and other land warfare systems.

U.S. defense contractors have benefited from the United States and its allies ramping up their defense spend and supporting Ukraine with billions of dollar in military aid after Russia invaded the country last year.

"We're seeing demand signals resulting from the war in Ukraine, but we've only just begun to see that manifest in our backlog," General Dynamics Chief Executive Phebe Novakovic said.

The company's fourth-quarter net earnings rose to $3.58 per share and revenue to $10.85 billion, beating expectations of a profit of $3.54 per share on $10.69 billion in sales.

(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
FILE PHOTO: The logo for Google LLC is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/

By Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Google said on Wednesday it will allow device makers in India to license its individual apps for pre-installation and give an option to users to choose their default search engine, announcing sweeping changes to how it promotes its Android system.

The move comes after the country's Supreme Court upheld stringent antitrust directives last week, rejecting a Google challenge against a Competition Commission of India ruling that said the company abused its market position, ordering it to change how it markets its Android system in a key growth market.

Google also made some changes related to its in-app billing system, which was at the centre of another Indian antitrust decision recently where the company was found engaging in anti-competitive practices by restricting the use of third-party billing or payment processing services.

"Implementation of these changes across the ecosystem will be a complex process and will require significant work at our end and, in many cases, significant efforts from partners, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and developers," Google said in a blog post.

Google had been concerned about India's Android decision as the directives were seen as more sweeping than those imposed in the European Commission's landmark 2018 ruling against the operating system.

About 97% of 600 million smartphones in India run on Android, while in Europe, the system accounts for 75% of the 550 million smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research estimates.

LOWER TRIBUNAL APPEAL

The CCI ruled in October that Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, exploited its dominant position in Android and told it to remove restrictions on device makers, including those related to pre-installation of apps and ensuring exclusivity of its search. It also fined Google $161 million.

Hoping to block the implementation of the CCI directives, Google had approached the Supreme Court, warning that growth of its Android ecosystem will stall. It said it would be forced to alter arrangements with more than 1,100 device manufacturers and thousands of app developers if the directives kick in.

But the Supreme Court refused to block the directives as Google sought. The court had also said a lower tribunal - where Google first challenged the Android directives - can continue to hear the company's appeal and must rule by March 31.

"We continue to respectfully appeal certain aspects of the CCIs decisions," Google said.

The U.S. search giant also said it is updating the Android compatibility requirements to introduce changes for partners to build non-compatible variants of Android.

In Europe, Google was fined for putting in place what the Commission called unlawful restrictions on Android mobile device makers. Google is still challenging the record $4.3 billion fine in that case.

Regarding in-app billing, Google said it will start offering users choice billing to all apps and games starting next month which will help developers offer an option to choose alternative systems alongside Google's when purchasing in-app digital content.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Nallur Sethuraman; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
By Nivedita Balu and Tiyashi Datta

(Reuters) -Microsoft Corp's lackluster quarterly outlook points to more gloom ahead for the tech sector, analysts said, after the tech bellwether warned that its customers were cautious about spending in a turbulent economy.

The warning from Microsoft, the second most valuable U.S. company, came after a steep fall in client spending prompted tech heavyweights from Amazon.com Inc to Meta Platforms to slash jobs and save cash.

Microsoft, along with Big Tech peers Amazon and Apple Inc, pared losses from earlier on Wednesday to trade nearly 1% lower. Alphabet Inc was down 3%. The companies are four of the biggest by market value in the United States.

Shares of cloud companies including IBM Corp and Oracle Corp all declined. IBM is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results later in the day.

Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella and other company executives used the words "caution" and "cautious" at least six times on the one-hour call on Tuesday.

"The rate of Microsoft's revenue slowdown should be seen as a warning sign for the wider tech sector," Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Sophie Lund-Yates said.

Analysts expect other tech executives to follow Nadella in laying out a conservative outlook.

"What we learned is that no one is immune to macro ... what is telling is the quarter was largely fine, but we started to see softness in December and the outlook for this quarter was worse than expected," said Rishi Jaluria, analyst at RBC.

Microsoft forecast third-quarter revenue in its so-called intelligent cloud business a tad below market estimates, with a growth rate of as much as 19%. The segment outperformed expectations in the second quarter, however, which initially boosted shares on Tuesday evening.

"That (the outlook) is taking the wind out of the sails," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth.

Nadella, however, said Microsoft would focus on AI technology, calling it the next major wave of computing.

The tech giant has made multibillion dollar investments in OpenAI, deepening ties with the startup behind the chatbot sensation ChatGPT and building on a bet it made on AI four years ago.

With many tech companies now focusing on building their cash reserves, analysts expect the money to be used for other investments - from fresh buybacks, mergers and acquisitions or new technology such as artificial intelligence.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu and Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Johann M Cherian and Yuvraj Malik; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Devika Syamnath)
FILE PHOTO: Ethernet cables are seen in front of Rogers and Shaw Communications logos in this illustration taken, July 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustrations/File Photo

By Maiya Keidan and Divya Rajagopal

TORONTO (Reuters) -Rogers Communications Inc's long battle to buy smaller rival Shaw Communications Inc overcame a major hurdle after the Canada Competition Bureau dropped plans to kill the deal following two defeats in courts in less than a month.

The bureau on Tuesday accepted the verdict of the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) and said it would not pursue an appeal. Its decision is widely seen as paving the way for the C$20 billion ($14.98 billion) transaction to clear ahead of its Jan. 31 deadline.

It now awaits final clearance from Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, who will be considering the transfer of Freedom Mobile Inc's spectrum licenses to Quebecor Inc's Videotron unit. He has previously expressed support for the transaction if certain conditions are met.

"This is essentially a done deal, barring any surprises from Minister Champagne," Aaron Glick, analyst with New York-based investment firm Cowen, said. "Investors think he waits for INDUs (Standing Committee on Industry and Technology) hearing before signing off on the spectrum transfer."

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in, saying the government will make an "appropriate" decision in the best interests of Canada at the right time.

Members of Parliament also grilled the competition bureau and Department of Industry on the transaction on Wednesday, as part of a second review by Canada's federal lawmaker.

Shares in both Rogers and Shaw gave up some early gains after rising in opening trades. Shaw shares rose as much as 1.4% to a record high of C$40.06, with the discount to Rogers' offer narrowing to 1.1%, underscoring the market's optimism for the deal's success. Rogers shares gained as much as 0.9%.

Brian Masse, a New Democratic Party parliamentarian asked Anthony Durocher, deputy commissioner, Competition Promotion Branch at the competition bureau, whether the laws of the antitrust agency need to be modernized.

Durocher told the committee the competition bureau has been very vocal on the need to modernize Canada's Competition Act.

The committee in March said the deal should not proceed, although its recommendations are non-binding.

However, the committee's report has potential political implications for Champagne's decision, Bank of Nova Scotia analysts said in a note late Tuesday.

"Given the backing of the Competition Tribunal and the fast dismissal of the Federal Court of Appeal on the case, we dont see why the Minister would not follow on his prior early indication of approving the transfer pending some remedies from the merging parties," the note said.

Champagne on Tuesday said he would make a decision in due course.

Rogers' planned purchase of Shaw would create Canada's No. 2 telecoms company and the bureau argued it would lessen competition in a country where wireless bills are already among the highest in the world.

But the Competition Tribunal rejected the case in late December, prompting the bureau to file an appeal.

Rogers-Shaw have agreed to sell Freedom Mobile, a wireless business owned by Shaw, to Quebecor in order to alleviate competition concerns.

Champagne said Quebecor unit Videotron should hold the Freedom Mobile unit for at least 10 years and prices for wireless services in Ontario and Western Canada should be comparable to what Videotron is offering in Quebec, which currently are on average 20% lower than in the rest of Canada.

($1 = 1.3352 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Maiya Keidan and Divya Rajagopal; Writing by Denny Thomas; Editing by Jason Neely, Mark Porter and Chris Reese)
Washington, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) 2023 Chief Legal Officers Survey (CLO Survey), in partnership with Exterro, the exclusive ACC Alliance Partner for E-Discovery, Data Privacy, and Cybersecurity Compliance, provides the latest evidence into: a) how the CLO role continues to expand as a critical business partner and b) what is top-of-mind for CLOs in the coming year.

This years respondents noted that cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, and data privacy continue to be the most important issues to their businesses, with industry-specific regulations posing the greatest legal challenge. A majority (67 percent) of CLOs expect the volume of privacy-related regulatory enforcement to increase in 2023, up seven percent from 2022.

Despite this, only 38 percent of CLOs said they plan to hire more lawyers this year, compared to 45 percent in 2022. Additionally, fewer CLOs reported that they plan to send more work to law firms and alternative legal service provides this year than last year.

The age of the CLO shows no signs of letting up, said Veta T. Richardson, ACC president & CEO. In fact, results of ACCs industry-leading 2023 Chief Legal Officers Survey show that the CLOs role and responsibilities within their organizations continues to expand and diversify. The value of applying their unique training and experience to roles outside the traditional legal function is increasingly being recognized as beneficial to the strategic and operational needs of their organizations. It does remain to be seen if this slowdown in hiring is a signal that legal departments are nearing their target operational sizes or an indication of a larger pullback in spending due to economic concerns.

Were excited to partner once again with ACC on this valuable resource for in-house legal leaders, said Bobby Balachandran, President and CEO of Exterro. The 2023 Survey demonstrates that CLOs priorities are shifting to accommodate the convergence of legal operations, privacy, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity responseand that they are responding to that growing scope of responsibilities with new strategies and technologies.

Legal operations was listed as the top strategic initiative in legal departments from 70 percent of CLOs, followed by right-sourcing legal services (45 percent) and cost minimization (43 percent).

The surveys additional key findings include:

The CLOs role as an integral business partner continues to grow , with most CLOs reporting directly to the CEO (77 percent), a result that has remained stable for five years and that has substantially increased from 64 percent in 2018.

, with most CLOs reporting directly to the CEO (77 percent), a result that has remained stable for five years and that has substantially increased from 64 percent in 2018. CLOs corporate function oversight is increasing , with at least 20 percent saying they oversee one or more of the following: compliance, privacy, ethics, risk, government affairs, ESG, and cybersecurity response. A four percent increase was shown in the number of CLOs that now oversee privacy, risk, and cybersecurity response since just last year.

, with at least 20 percent saying they oversee one or more of the following: compliance, privacy, ethics, risk, government affairs, ESG, and cybersecurity response. A four percent increase was shown in the number of CLOs that now oversee privacy, risk, and cybersecurity response since just last year. Data management saw a five percent increase from last year in those who selected it as a top strategic priority for the legal department.

in those who selected it as a top strategic priority for the legal department. Top legal challenges changed and vary geographically; following industry-specific regulations were data protection privacy rules, up four percent from last year to 59 percent, and mergers and acquisitions with 38 percent. Additionally, more CLOs in the US see regulations as the biggest challenge (68 percent) compared to those in Europe (52 percent) and more than 40 percent of CLOs in Asia and Europe expect political changes to be the top challenge, compared to just 32 percent in the US.

following industry-specific regulations were data protection privacy rules, up four percent from last year to 59 percent, and mergers and acquisitions with 38 percent. Additionally, more CLOs in the US see regulations as the biggest challenge (68 percent) compared to those in Europe (52 percent) and more than 40 percent of CLOs in Asia and Europe expect political changes to be the top challenge, compared to just 32 percent in the US. 41 percent of CLOs said they plan to invest in new legal technology solutions in 2023. Contract management remains the top technology for investment as reported by 67 percent of CLOs.

The survey analyzed data from 892 CLOs across 20 industries and 35 countries.

The report landing page is here and for complimentary press access only to the report please contact Dan Weber ([email protected]) or Hazel Ramirez ([email protected]).

About ACC: The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the premier global legal association that promotes the common professional and business interests of in-house counsel who work for corporations, associations and other organizations through information, education, networking, and advocacy. For more than 40 years, ACC has set the standard for in-house counsel and raised awareness regarding the value of the chief legal officer in the C-suite and boardroom. With more than 45,000 members employed by over 10,000 organizations and spanning 100+ nations, ACC connects its members to the people and resources necessary for both personal and professional growth. By in-house counsel, for in-house counsel remains the foundation for ACCs market leadership. For more information, visit www.acc.com and follow ACC on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Exterro: Exterro was founded with the simple vision that applying the concepts of process optimization and data science to how companies manage digital information and respond to litigation would drive more successful outcomes at a lower cost. We remain committed to this vision today. We deliver a fully integrated Legal GRC platform that enables our clients to address their privacy, regulatory, compliance, digital forensics, and litigation risks more effectively and at lower costs. We provide software solutions that help some of the worlds largest organizations, law enforcement and government agencies work smarter, more efficiently, and support the Rule of Law. For more information, visit exterro.com.

###

Dan Weber Association of Corporate Counsel 2026961557 [email protected]

Source: Association of Corporate Counsel
The aggregate German, Irish and Dutch market for erectile dysfunction (ED) market exceeds $175 million

Aspargo plans to launch Sildenafil Spray in Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands under the brand name, HEZKUE

Aspargos Sildenafil Spray offers a convenient, discreet option for men with erectile dysfunction

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Jan. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aspargo Laboratories, Inc. (Aspargo), a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company focused on commercializing innovative formulations of leading tablet medications, announced today that the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices has authorized the marketability of Hezkue 12.5 mg per actuation, oral suspension in Germany effective as of January 12, 2023. The German market  the largest in the EU  represents an important element of Aspargos global expansion strategy. Recently, Aspargo received corresponding approvals in Ireland and the Netherlands.

These product approvals reflect Aspargos commitment to quickly expand its global platform to the EU during 2023, said Michael Demurjian, Aspargos Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The Marketing Authorizations are an important achievement. They validate Aspargos international regulatory strategy and confirm that Aspargo meets the highest standards required to ensure the safe distribution of sildenafil spray.

Aspargo developed the brand name, HEZKUE, with assistance from its commercialization consultant, Syneos Health, a global biopharma solutions organization, following focus groups and surveys with physicians, pharmacists, and patients. The criteria used to select the brand name included first impressions, spelling and pronunciation, interpretation, attributes, favorite name and recall. Brand names used to market a drug are subject to approval of the respective health authorities in each country.

Sildenafil Spray is an oral liquid suspension of sildenafil citrate administered via a spray pump that dispenses 12.5 mg of sildenafil per push. Aspargo uses a metered-dose container that delivers the precise amount of sildenafil citrate per push based on patient need. The discreet and easy-to-carry oral spray allows the user to customize dosing and avoid pill splitting or crushing attendant with the traditional tablet medication.

Erectile dysfunction is characterized by the persistent difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection sufficient to have sexual intercourse. While the prevalence of ED has been shown to increase with age, a recent study conducted by the Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit of the University of Florence, Italy, showed that ED in younger men is likely to be overlooked and dismissed without a proper medical assessment.

About Aspargo Laboratories, Inc.

Aspargo Laboratories, Inc., located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, is a commercial stage, specialty pharmaceutical company. Aspargos current focus is to commercialize an oral spray formulation of sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra. Aspargo is the US and international licensee of the patent rights covering Sildenafil Spray from Farmalider, S.A. of Madrid, Spain (www.farmalider.com). For additional information, please visit our website at https://aspargolabs.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current knowledge, assumptions, judgment, and expectations regarding future performance or events. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such statements are reasonable, they give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct, and you should be aware that actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements. Words such as "will," "expect," "intend," "plan," "potential," "possible," "goals," "accelerate," "continue," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risks inherent in our lack of profitability and need for additional capital; our dependence on partners to further the development of our product candidates; the uncertainties inherent in the development, attainment of the requisite regulatory authorizations and approvals and launch of any new pharmaceutical product; the outcome of pending or future litigation or arbitration; and the various risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" sections of our Confidential Private Placement Memorandum of October 19, 2022.

All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. You should not rely upon any forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, in each case, except as required by law.

Contact: Aspargo Laboratories, Inc.(201) 408-4831[email protected]

Source: Aspargo Laboratories, Inc.
Toronto | New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boyden, a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 75 offices in over 45 countries, is pleased to announce leadership appointments to the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC). Nick Chambers, Partner at Boyden Canada, has a global role as a member of the Board of Directors; he also joins the Council of the Americas; and Sowbagya Gokulram, Partner at Boyden New York, takes a regional role on the AESC North America Diversity Leadership Council. Both appointments are effective 1 January 2023.

Nick Chambers commented, Alicia Hasell has left some big shoes to fill and I plan to live up to the high standards of service and leadership she provided during her tenure. The board provides oversight, insight and foresight to the organization to help advance our profession in terms of growth, ethics and rigor around best practice in leadership. We have a responsibility to evolve, if not transform, the way decisions about leadership talent are made. That remains a priority, as well as additional ways to ensure our industry grows and makes a positive impact on the full spectrum of industries and sectors that we serve.

During his tenure on the AESCs North America Diversity Leadership Council, Chambers was an IDEA award winner for his outstanding contribution to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access, supporting the goals of the AESC Diversity Pledge. He is a member of the Boyden Canada Board and National DEI Committee; Executive-in-Residence, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto; and an Instructor with McKinseys Black Executive Leadership Program.

Commenting on her appointment, Sowbagya Gokulram said, I am delighted to serve on North Americas Diversity Leadership Council, collaborating with peers to make further tangible differences to organizations and individuals. The regional councils provide a strong infrastructure to ensure executive search firms can leverage their opportunity to help organizations create diverse, equitable and inclusive business cultures worldwide. In the wake of Black Lives Matter, we see a huge commitment from organizations that want to do their best, incorporate DE&I best practice and learn from us as talent experts. We need to keep up momentum and be a catalyst for change, combatting racism, prejudice and discrimination across all communities.

Sowbagya Gokulram grew up in India and studied in Chennai and New York. She was Managing Partner at a diversified Indian conglomerate in Chennai, India, before developing a career in executive search in New York, specializing in financial services. Sowbagya has a 10-year track record in executive search for top-tier investment banks, traditional asset managers, family offices and hedge funds. She is fluent in English, Hindi and Tamil.

Boyden is a Founding Member of the AESC, which was set up in North America in 1959, and is today the guardian of excellence in executive search and leadership consulting worldwide. The Board represents a cross-section of AESC members from all regions. As a representative of global search firms, Boyden has a permanent seat on the Board, ensuring the industry continues to add value to organizations and trusted advice to clients. Other Councilors include Nick Robeson, Managing Partner, Boyden UK & Ireland, who sits on the AESC Europe and Africa Diversity Leadership Council.

AESC Home AESC Board of Directors AESC Diversity Pledge

About Boyden

Boyden is a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 75 offices in over 45 countries. Our global reach enables us to serve client needs anywhere they conduct business. We connect great companies with great leaders through executive search, interim management and leadership consulting solutions.

Boyden was one of the first executive search and leadership consulting firms to campaign for diversity, equity and inclusion, with #disruptthenorm launched in 2018, involving media campaigns, original research, thought leadership and formal approaches to client engagement. For organizations focusing on DEI best practice in executive search, Boyden runs an Unconscious Bias Module, which provides training to clients and selection committees.

Boyden is ranked amongst the top companies on Forbes Americas Best Executive Recruiting Firms for 2021. For further information, visit www.boyden.com.

Attachments

Chris Swee, CMO Boyden [email protected] Joanna Goncalves, Global Senior Director of Marketing Boyden [email protected]

Source: Boyden
Dallas, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While Dickeys Barbecue Pit isnt getting in the business of Taco Tuesday, it's adding a Tex-Mex favorite to the barbecue joints signature sausage line up. We smoke our barbecue low and slow in our hickory wood burning pit, giving you that tender fall-off-the-bone meats. The cue creations are truly endless with a variety of Texas style, authentic family recipes!

From February 6th to April 30th, the popular barbecue restaurant is taking a meaty, smoky, cheesy plate of nachos and combining it with its Legit. Texas. Barbecue.  to make the Loaded Nacho Cheese Kielbasa Sausage. This indulgent sausage features Dickeys premium, pit-smoked sausage stuffed with taco-seasoned beef and pork, tortilla chips, and jalapeno beans with cheddar and pepper jack cheeses.

We are thrilled to introduce this new hand-crafted sausage in time for the big game. Dickeys awarded-winning Kielbasa sausages are small batch, artesian sausages made exclusively by Dickeys for Dickeys barbecue. We are sure the new Loaded Nacho Cheese Sausage will be a legendary winner, said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. With the Super Bowl right around the corner, our newest addition is sure to be a crowd-pleasing favorite thats perfect for a game day spread. Dont miss out as the Loaded Nacho Cheese Kielbasa Sausage will only be available now through April.

To learn more, follow Dickeys Barbecue Pit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Download the Dickeys Barbecue Pit app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

To learn more about Dickeys Virtual Concepts follow: Wing Boss on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok, Trailer Birds on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok and Big Deal Burger on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok

About Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the worlds largest barbecue concept, was founded in 1941 by the Dickey family. For the past 80 years, Dickeys Barbecue Pit has served millions of guests in 44 states Legit. Texas. Barbecue. At Dickeys, all our barbecued meats are smoked onsite in a hickory wood burning pit. Dickeys proudly believes theres no shortcut to true barbecue and its why our name isnt BBQ. The Dallas-based, family-run barbecue franchise offers eight slow-smoked meats and 12 wholesome sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. Dickeys Barbecue has 550 locations across the United States and eight other countries.

Dickeys was named to Newsweeks 2022 Americas Favorite Restaurant Chains list and USA Today 2021 readers choice awards. Dickeys won first place on Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list, been named a Top 500 Franchise by Entrepreneur and named to Hospitality Technologys Industry Heroes list. Led by CEO Laura Rea Dickey, who was named among the countrys 50 most influential women in foodservice in Nations Restaurant News, was recognized by Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list and honored by Dallas Business Journal. Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Fox News, Forbes Magazine, Franchise Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine and QSR Magazine. Dickeys Barbecue is part of Dickeys Restaurant Brands which has more than 700 restaurants nationwide including brands Wing Boss, Trailer Birds, Big Deal Burger and bbqathome.com. DRB is led by CEO Roland Dickey Jr. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com.

# # #

Attachment

Shannon Santos Dickey's Barbecue Pit [email protected]

Source: Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants
HIGHLIGHTS

LPI has successfully completed the RC drilling component of its inaugural drilling program at its East Kirup lithium prospect in the Greenbushes region of Western Australia

Ten holes were drilled for a total of 573 metres

Several two-metre zones have indicated the potential for pegmatites, after early drilling intercepted quartz, pink potassic feldspar, biotite and tourmaline

Samples have been submitted to an assay laboratory for analysis

Drilling has demonstrated that the depth of the laterite is only 5-7m, the ground water is non-saline and has very low total dissolved solids.

The drilling has successfully confirmed the presence of a number of shear zones thought to be controlling structures for pegmatite emplacement

The diamond drilling campaign commenced on 13 January 2023 and is expected to finish this week having drilled 4 holes for 400 metres

SYDNEY, Australia, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium Power International Limited (ASX: LPI) (LPI or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Company has successfully completed its reverse circulation (RC) drilling stage at its East Kirup lithium prospect on E70/4763. Ten holes for a total of 573 metres of drilling were completed along existing tracks. A total of 960m was planned, however a few holes had to be cancelled due to environmental considerations. The majority of the holes were completed to 54m. All holes have been rehabilitated.

Several two-metre zones of quartz, pink potassic feldspar, biotite and tourmaline were intercepted. As these were within the overall package of gneiss and granofels, they are potentially pegmatites.

The East Kirup Prospect has demonstrated lithium anomalism in the soil, with results up to 232 ppm lithium (GS10448) near GBRC001, and has the same metamorphic grade and rock types as the host rocks at Talisons Greenbushes mine.

Figure 1: Location of the drilling program north-west of the Greenbushes lithium mine

The program was completed by Castle Drilling, which specialises in accessing difficult terrain with minimal environmental impact. The company utilised a small self-contained drill rig that did not require support vehicles. The rig carried nine rods on a carousel, which removed the need for rod handling. It was also fitted with a dust extraction device, which generated minimal dust both good for the environment and for the health of the workers.

Figure 2: Completed RC holes at East Kirup Lithium Prospect

The average daily drilling was at 58m due to the care needed to be taken navigating the narrow forest tracks, thereby avoiding damaging trees or the need to prune them. As much time and effort was spent in accessing the holes as was spent drilling.

Our exploration team was also very conscious of the ground water, and drilling was conducted in a manner that limited the amount of water reaching the surface, where only two holes required storage sumps. The ground water quality was very good with very low total dissolved solids.

The RC drilling component is being followed by 400m of HQ core-sized diamond drilling, which commenced on 13 January and is expected to be completed by the end of January.

The East Kirup prospect is located 20km north-west from the Greenbushes Lithium Mine along the Donnybrook Shear Zone, which hosts the lithium-bearing pegmatites at the Greenbushes Mine.

The exploration at E70/4763 is ongoing. A mapping and sampling program will commence next week at the Thomas A Prospect, which is an area of arsenic anomalism, which is a proxy for lithium in the Greenbushes region and is where historically pegmatites and surface kaolinite have been mapped.

Figure 3: RC drilling underway on an existing track at the East Kirup Lithium Prospect

LPI Executive Director, Andrew Phillips, commented:

We are delighted with the RC drilling progress and results so far. The work has been carefully planned and conducted in accordance with an approved Conservation Management Plan (CMP). We look forward to the results of the diamond drilling program that is underway.

Figure 4: A rehabilitated RC drill pad at the East Kirup Lithium Prospect

About Western Lithium Ltd

LPI announced in January 2022 that it intended to demerge Western Lithium Ltd (formally Lithium Power Holdings (WA) Pty Ltd, following a major corporate transition relating to the consolidation of the Maricunga lithium brine project joint venture company in Q4 2022.

Western Lithium holds tenements in each of the three major WA hard rock lithium areas - Greenbushes, the Pilbara Craton, and the Eastern Goldfields.

An Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders of LPI will be called in Q1 2023, following the prerequisite release of the half-year audited financial statements, allowing the Company to approve the demerger.

Authorised for release by the Board of Directors of Lithium Power International Limited.

For further information, please contact:

Cristobal Garcia-Huidobro  CEO; or Andrew Phillips  CFO Lithium Power InternationalE: [email protected] Ph: +612 9276 1245www.lithiumpowerinternational.com@LithiumPowerLPI

Jane Morgan  Investor and Media Relations+ 61 (0) 405 555 618[email protected]

For U.S. and other international investor relations enquiries:

Arrowhead Business and Investment Decisions, LLCThomas Renaud | Managing Director 42 Broadway, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 Office: +1 212 619-6889[email protected]

Figure 1 Location of the drilling program north-west of the Greenbushes lithium mine Figure 2 Completed RC holes at East Kirup Lithium Prospect Figure 3 RC drilling underway on an existing track at the East Kirup Lithium Prospect Figure 4 A rehabilitated RC drill pad at the East Kirup Lithium Prospect

Source: Lithium Power International Limited
LONDONDERRY, N.H. and FREMONT, Calif., Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Electronics For Imaging, Inc. (EFI or the Company), a global leader in digital industrial imaging and portfolio company of Siris Capital Group LLC (together with its affiliates, Siris), today announced the appointment of Frank Pennisi, a veteran of the industrial and technology sectors, as Chief Executive Officer. In tandem, EFIs Fiery business unit has been separated as an independent company that will remain wholly owned by Siris.

As separate companies, EFI and Fiery will have distinct areas of strategic focus that will enable them to serve their customers better and grow over the long-term, with EFI as an industrial inkjet leader and Fiery as the leading digital front end (DFE) provider. Jeff Jacobson, a 35-year veteran of the digital imaging sector who led EFI as CEO following its 2019 take-private by Siris, will remain Executive Chairman of each business.

This realignment positions both EFI, now solely focused on digital inkjet for industrial applications, and Fiery, the leading global DFE provider, to win in their independent markets while maintaining the close partnership that has contributed to the success of each business. Digital imaging would not be where it is today without Fiery. Operating as a standalone company will only further strengthen Fierys market-leading position in providing innovative DFE solutions. Similarly, no company in the industry can match the depth and breadth of EFIs industrial inkjet portfolio and I am looking forward to this next chapter of growth under Franks leadership, said Mr. Jacobson.

EFI to Operate as an Industrial Inkjet Pure-Play

Headquartered in Londonderry, N.H., EFI will be solely focused on driving the analog-to-digital transition across the packaging and corrugated, display graphics, textile, and building materials/decor end-markets for industrial inkjet.

Mr. Pennisi comes to EFI from Orora Packaging Solutions, a leading provider of custom packaging solutions with an emphasis on corrugated. While managing Orora Packaging Solutions as its President and CEO, Mr. Pennisi was an EFI customer, using EFIs industry-leading Nozomi single-pass inkjet, super-high-speed digital printer. His experience with EFI solutions extends to the close collaboration and consulting he has done with Orora Packagings sister company, Orora Visual  a leading display graphics provider that is among the largest North American users of EFI VUTEk display graphics and EFI Reggiani industrial textile digital printers. Previously, Mr. Pennisi spent two decades in leadership positions at FLIR Systems (now Teledyne FLIR), Honeywell, and GE.

As a former customer, I know that EFIs digital industrial inkjet portfolio is unmatched in the industry, said Mr. Pennisi. The Companys suite of equipment, inks, and intelligent service positions it to address its customers most critical needs. I am thrilled to be joining EFI at this pivotal moment as the industry transitions toward digital inkjet.

I am excited that Frank shares our enthusiasm about the possibilities for EFI as an industrial inkjet leader and will bring his leadership and unique customer perspective to the Company, said Tyler Sipprelle, Partner at Siris. Jeffs leadership has been pivotal since Siris acquisition of EFI, through the first chapter of transformation and the challenges of the COVID pandemic, and he will continue to play a critical role moving forward as EFIs Executive Chairman. With Frank, Jeff, and all the passionate and committed EFI team members, I am confident we have the best possible organization to continue to transform the industrial imaging industry.

Mr. Pennisi earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a BS in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Fiery to Operate as Independent Company Driving Digital Print Innovation

As an independent company, the market-leading Fiery business will continue to provide industry-leading DFE technology for digital production and industrial printing. Toby Weiss, long-time Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Fiery, will continue to lead the business as CEO of Fiery.

Fiery will remain focused on working closely with our OEM partners, including the EFI Inkjet business, to continue developing cutting edge technology that drives the next generation of automation, accuracy, and profit potential in digital printing, said Mr. Weiss. We look forward to accelerating our investment as a standalone company, while driving our expanding product portfolio, incorporating world-class color algorithms, and developing advanced cloud technology.

About EFIEFI is a global technology company, leading the worldwide transformation from analog to digital imaging. We understand our customers want breakthrough technologies to lead them through their digital journey. Thats why were passionate about driving their business growth with a scalable portfolio of products, solutions, services, support, and world-class partnerships for the manufacturing of signage, packaging, textiles, ceramic tiles, building materials, and more with a wide range of printers and inks. EFI solutions help customers increase profits, cut costs, improve productivity, and optimize efficiency  job after job, year after year. Were committed to our customers success. And we definitely believe we have the right people, technology, and experience to help them achieve their business goals. (www.efi.com)

Follow EFI online:Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EFIPrint Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/EFIPrint View us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/EFIDigitalPrintTech

About FieryFiery provides digital front end (DFE) technology for production and industrial printers that ensures the highest quality of color and job management. Fiery does this through the Fiery Command Workstation, the worlds most popular job management software that enables users around the world to manage more than 2 million Fiery servers driving a wide range of imaging technologies. The Fiery community includes thousands of certified Fiery professionals and experts who train, support, and master print efficiency.

NOTE TO EDITORS: The EFI logo, Fiery and VUTEk are registered trademarks of Electronics For Imaging, Inc. in the U.S. and/or certain other countries. EFI is a trademark of Electronics For Imaging, Inc. in the U.S. and/or certain other countries. All other terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners, and are hereby acknowledged.

Nothing herein should be construed as a warranty in addition to the express warranty statements provided with EFI products and services.

Contact:David Lindsay, EFI404-931-7760[email protected]

Source: EFI
Lawyers for a Newfane animal sanctuary owner accused of refusing to return two stray cows that wandered onto her property last summer asked a town justice Tuesday to lift a gag order that prevents her posting about the case on social media and sought information on who has possession of the cows now.

Tracy Murphy, president and founder of the animal rescue and rehabilitation center Ashas Farm Sanctuary, was charged last August with grand larceny, a felony. However, that charge has since been reduced to a misdemeanor. Murphy has said she came across stray cows on her property July 16 and took them into her care. On Aug. 2, after a report from local rancher Scott Gregson accused Murphy of theft, state police raided the sanctuary, seized the cows, and Murphy was arrested.

Murphy was represented in Newfane Justice Court Tuesday by Chris Caraway, a defense attorney from Colorado, who is working on her case with Wayne Hsiung, an attorney and animal rights activist from California, and Bonnie Klapper, a former federal prosecutor.

Caraway asked Newfane Town Justice Bruce M. Barnes to narrow the bail condition that prohibits Murphy from posting about the case on social media.

"Why would she need to post anything as far as the case?" asked Barnes.

Caraway replied that it was a matter of freedom of speech and added that Murphy had been "the victim of a brutal campaign of harassment" and was entitled to defend herself.

"She certainly has the right to defend the reputation of her sanctuary, especially against repeated threats that she's receiving. She has the right to drum up support about her case. She has a right to inform her supporters what's happening in her case," Caraway said.

"Certainly, Ms. Murphy should be entitled to discuss what's happening in her case, as for supporters, and to inform people that are following this case what is happening, and I think that any attempt at restricting her from doing that is simply unconstitutional," he added.

Assistant Niagara County District Attorney Laura Jordan insisted there were other ways for Murphy to get emotional support, and Barnes agreed to reserve his decision on the defense's motion until Wednesday.

Caraway also filed a motion that would allow the defense to inspect the cows that were seized from Murphy's property. He said that, under the law, seized property has to be available for inspection to determine if the cows were indeed lawfully owned by the complainant.

He asked the court to provide the defense with information on the current location of the cows and documentation related to that subsequent sale. He said ownership is in dispute. The lack of that information, he said, frustrates the ability of Murphy's lawyers to investigate the case.

The prosecutor said she does not know where the cows are.

"I don't think there's any authority to compel me to force Mr. Gregson to tell me where those cows went," she said.

Again, Barnes said he would reserve his decision on the defense's motion until Wednesday.

Meanwhile, after Tuesday's court hearing, Hsiung said his client was only exercising compassion toward two animals that wandered onto her property, giving them food, water and shelter, and that she should not have been charged with a crime and become subject to potential incarceration. Hsiung said the the central question in the case is whether caring for animals is a crime.

The case was adjourned until April 13.
Majuro, Marshall Islands, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GasLog Partners LP (GasLog Partners or the Partnership) (NYSE: GLOP), an international owner and operator of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, today announced that its board of directors received an unsolicited non-binding proposal from GasLog Ltd. (GasLog) to acquire all of the outstanding common units representing limited partner interests of the Partnership not already beneficially owned by GasLog. In connection with the proposed transaction, each common unit would receive overall value of $7.70 per common unit in cash, consisting in part of a special distribution by the Partnership of $2.33 per common unit in cash to be distributed to the Partnerships unitholders immediately prior to the closing of the proposed transaction and the remainder to be paid by GasLog as merger consideration at the closing of the proposed transaction. A copy of the offer letter containing GasLogs non-binding proposal is attached as Exhibit 1 to Amendment No. 3 to the Schedule 13D filed by GasLog with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on January 25, 2023, available at http://www.sec.gov.

The Partnerships board of directors has authorized its conflicts committee, consisting only of non-GasLog affiliated directors, to retain advisors and to review, evaluate, negotiate and accept or reject the proposed transaction. GasLogs proposal is non-binding and is subject to the negotiation and execution of mutually acceptable definitive documentation. There can be no assurance that any definitive documentation will be executed or that any transaction will materialize.

About GasLog PartnersGasLog Partners is an owner and operator and acquirer of LNG carriers. The Partnerships fleet consists of 12 wholly-owned LNG carriers as well as two vessels on bareboat charters, with an average carrying capacity of approximately 159,000 cbm. GasLog Partners is a publicly traded master limited partnership (NYSE: GLOP) but has elected to be treated as a C corporation for U.S. income tax purposes and therefore its investors receive an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099 with respect to any distributions declared and received. Visit GasLog Partners website at http://www.gaslogmlp.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements that address activities, events or developments that the Partnership expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, particularly in relation to our operations, cash flows, financial position, liquidity and cash available for distributions, and the impact of changes to cash distributions on the Partnerships business and growth prospects, plans, strategies and changes and trends in our business and the markets in which we operate. We caution that these forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release, about factors that are beyond our ability to control or predict, and are not intended to give any assurance as to future results. Any of these factors or a combination of these factors, including our response to GasLogs non-binding proposal to acquire all of the outstanding common units representing limited partner interests of the Partnership not already beneficially owned by GasLog and any potential resulting transaction, could materially affect future results of operations and the ultimate accuracy of the forward-looking statements. Other factors that might cause future results and outcomes to differ include, but are not limited to, the other risks and uncertainties described in the Partnerships Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 1, 2022, available at http://www.sec.gov. Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on any forward-looking statements.

We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events, a change in our views or expectations or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of these factors. Further, we cannot assess the impact of each such factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

Contacts:

Robert BrinbergRose & CompanyPhone: +1 212-517-0810

Email: [email protected]

Source: GasLog Partners LP
Houston, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Herborium Group, Inc. (OTC Pink: HBRM), www.Herborium.com, www.acnease.com a Botanical Therapeutics Company and the provider of proprietary all botanical medicinal products (Botanical Therapeutics) and interactive advanced content platform targeting dermatological and other health and wellness concerns, shares a Shareholders Update Letter Part 2 from the CEO, Dr. Agnes Olszewski.

To Our Valued ShareholdersFollowing last weeks Shareholder Letter Part 1, this Part 2 is to present the major focus for 2023 and beyond. This Plan stems from the analysis of lead market and scientific trends that are reshaping our space, and grounded in previously reported changes and advancements made in 2022.

New ProductsOne of the most important trends in the healthcare and beauty sectors is the merger of clinical skincare with natural skincare to create clinically validated hybrid products that actually work while maintaining their natural ingredient profile. Herboriums acne treatment represents such a unique product. We are presently working on the second generation of this clinically validated skincare solution that has a better consumer characteristics (broader application and simpler treatment routine) and improved business profile (increased margins) The Company is also approaching the most advance science in clinical skincare- stem cell based products. We are working to add two highly innovative products in this category, to our 2023 product portfolio

New Partners Since Herborium has a well established customer base and strong brand recognition, the most economic and expedient way to access innovative products is partnership with the product originators. We are presently in advanced talks with two companies  one from the US and a second from South Korea that is well known in cosmetic and skin wellness industry for high quality biotechnological applications in skincare.

New PlatformAs reported in Part 1 of Shareholders Letter, Herborium already commenced the transformation process from A Product Company to A Content & Product Player in the Sector of Natural Skincare and Wellness. As the demand for natural, safe, and sustainable products is here to stay  the important and challenging advances involve blending natural scientific know-how and traditional medical know how (information) in this field and provide it in a user friendly manner to professionals and end users alike. This creates value added to the customer and additional revenues streams (paid counseling in skincare, beauty, nutrition etc.) for the Company. We expect to progress aggressively with completing and launching this AI (Artificial Intelligence ) driven platform in 2023

Keeping an Eye on Shareholder Value By harnessing the growing use of technology and the Companys perfect fit in a rapidly expending domestic and global market for natural healthcare products (USD166 Billion in 2023; projected USD 347.5 Billion globally in 2029), Herborium expects to further increase shareholder value. Furthermore, we plan to continue our efforts to minimize debt, control dilution, increase profitability and decrease cost.- all to further improve Corporate valuation and shareholder value.

About Herborium Group, Inc.

Herborium Group, Inc. is a botanical therapeutics company that develops, licenses and markets proprietary, botanical based medicinal products to consumers and healthcare professionals. The Companys business model focuses on emerging market opportunities spearheaded by the growth of a new market sector located between high-cost, high-risk, ethical pharmaceuticals and commoditized classic nutraceuticals (supplements). The Company uses clinical validation and a proactive regulatory strategy based to establish and maintain a differential advantage. Herborium has secured a pipeline of botanical ingredients based products Herborium Group sells its products in the United States, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe through a network of distributors, specialty retailers, and e-commerce.

For more information, please visit www.herborium.com, www.acnease.com , www.acnease.fr, and www.acnease.eu

Safe Harbor Statement: This release contains forward-looking statements with respect to the results of operations and business of Herborium Group, Inc., which involves risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual future results could materially differ from those discussed. The Company intends that such statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other forward looking statements be subject to the "Safe Harbors" provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Source: Herborium Group Inc
Board and Management Updates

2023 Work Programs

VANCOUVER, British Columbia , Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Liberty Gold Corp. (TSX: LGD; OTCQX: LGDTF) (Liberty Gold or the Company) is pleased to announce a corporate update which includes an addition to the Board of Directors (the Board), management appointments and a summary of work plans for 2023 at its Black Pine oxide gold project (Black Pine) in southeastern Idaho, Goldstrike oxide gold project (Goldstrike) in southwestern Utah and TV Tower gold-copper-silver project (TV Tower) in western Turkey.

The Company announces the appointment of Lisa Wade to the Board. Ms. Wade is an environmental engineer with over 25 years of experience in the mining industry and has held environmental engineering, community relations, permitting, executive and managerial positions with a number of mining companies. From 2005 to 2019, Ms. Wade held increasingly senior positions at Goldcorp Inc., in Central America and subsequently as Vice President, Environmental, Reclamation and Closure. Earlier in her career, Ms. Wade managed environmental and social matters in northern Nevada, California and at the Yanacocha Mine in Peru for Newmont Corporation. Ms. Wade holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Montana Technological University. Ms. Wade received the Alumni Recognition Award in 2014 from Montana Tech in recognition of her professional accomplishments.

The Company is also pleased to announce that Peter Shabestari, CPG, has been appointed Vice President of Exploration. He will also assume the role as the Companys Qualified Person. Mr. Shabestari joined Fronteer Gold Inc. (Fronteer) in 2009 and was instrumental in drilling and modeling the Long Canyon gold deposit, the flagship property at the core of Fronteers sale to Newmont Corporation for C$2.3 billion in 2011. Mr. Shabestari has been with Liberty Gold since its spin-out from Fronteer as Senior Geologist and Vice President, Operations. He was the lead in procuring process water and private and State of Idaho mineral and surface rights, developing community and governmental relationships and has been the Project Manager at Black Pine and Goldstrike. Mr. Shabestari is a native of Utah and has worked in mineral exploration in the Great Basin and around the world for over 25 years.

Moira Smith, Ph.D., P.Geo., has held the role of Vice President, Exploration and Geoscience with Liberty Gold since 2015, and will be transitioning into a new role as Corporate Technical Advisor focusing on technical evaluations and business development opportunities. She has been instrumental in identifying opportunities such as Black Pine, making new discoveries and building significant resource ounces for Fronteer and Liberty Gold over the last 15 years as well as for other companies and gold deposits in the Americas throughout her career.

Moira Smith stated, While I will not be as involved in the day-to-day operations of our projects, I will continue to contribute to Liberty Gold in other meaningful ways for the foreseeable future. With a resource update pending at Black Pine, a new drill program already underway, development and de-risking activities planned, and the hope of a renewed gold market on the horizon, I remain committed to advancing Liberty Gold to create shareholder value.

Mark ODea, Chairman of Liberty Gold, commented, As Liberty Gold evolves into a development stage company, changes to Liberty Golds Board and executive team are a natural part of this transformation. I would like to welcome Lisa Wade to the Board. Her unique experience and skillset bring considerable strength to our company culture and the advancement of our oxide gold projects. Led by Moira Smith along with Peter Shabestari, our exploration group has had tremendous success in driving the discovery of many ounces of gold in the Great Basin, USA  with Black Pine in Idaho, Goldstrike in Utah and as exploration leaders of the Fronteer Long Canyon deposit team. These are prodigious achievements and on behalf of the entire team, I wish to thank Moira for her strength and leadership over these many years. We look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role. I am also pleased to introduce Pete as our new Vice President of Exploration. As Vice President of Operations, Pete has been overseeing the advancement of our projects through development and de-risking and with his years of exploration experience with the Liberty Gold team, he is a great fit for the role.

2023 WORK PROGRAMS

With working capital of C$31.8 million1 (as at September 30, 2022), assay results still pending for release from 93 drill holes from last years 325 holes from the 67,000 metre drilling program at Black Pine and a future steady stream of drill results expected for this years program, the Company is well positioned to continue delivering value from the following, board-approved, work programs:

Black Pine, Idaho

The drilling program commenced on January 6, with the focus on step-out and resource infill drilling throughout the project area. Project de-risking activities are progressing in parallel with resource delineation, with the objective of front-end loading technical work in advance of the mine permitting phase.

The Company is on track for delivering an updated Mineral Resource Estimate mid-February with the NI 43-101 Technical Report to be filed shortly thereafter. The team has been updating the geological model progressively as drill assays have become available. Moira Smith is the lead Qualified Person for this mineral resource update.

Based on the updated resource and the status of its extensive de-risking activities, the Company will confirm in H1 whether it will forgo a formal Preliminary Economic Assessment and move directly to the commencement of a Pre-Feasibility Study.

Key activities include: 32,000 metres of reverse circulation exploration drilling. Delivery of an updated Mineral Resource Estimate in mid-February. Completion of pre-feasibility level studies on hydrology/hydrogeology of the mine water supply, geotechnical engineering, geo-metallurgical modelling, and metallurgical test work. Commencement of waste rock geochemical characterization studies.



Anticipated receipt of a Record of Decision for a Plan of Operations modification from the United States Forest Service to increase the permitted project exploration area from 24 to 35 square kilometres. Continued wildlife monitoring and tracking studies (including big game, mule deer and greater sage grouse) and sage brush habitat rehabilitation.



Goldstrike, Utah

With the completion of the exploration drilling program in 2022, attention will focus largely on key de-risking activities, in particular procurement of a process water supply ahead of further detailed work.

Key activities include: Hydrological and geological studies to identify and test potential new water sources in the aquifers near to the mine site. Metallurgical testwork and updating of metals recovery models. Ongoing efforts supporting the proposed land swap between the State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) and the Bureau of Land Management in accordance with State Bill HJR016.



TV Tower, Turkey

At TV Tower, a recent resource estimate outlines several deposits of gold, copper and silver2, containing multi-million gold-equivalent ounces. These deposits are open to expansion and the project has several drill-ready targets. We will continue our strategic sale process. (see press release dated August 15, 2022) For a full table of the TV Tower Resource Estimate Summary, see press release dated April 6, 2021. In addition, we will look to consolidate our exploitation licences, maintain licences in good standing, apply for exploration drill permits on key, high-value target areas and continue ongoing social engagement with local communities.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Peter Shabestari, CPG, Vice President of Exploration, the Company's newly designated Qualified Person approves this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) and has reviewed and validated that the information contained in the release is accurate.

ABOUT LIBERTY GOLD

Liberty Gold is focused on exploring for and developing open pit oxide deposits in the Great Basin of the United States, home to large-scale gold projects that are ideal for open-pit mining. This region is one of the most prolific gold-producing regions in the world and stretches across Nevada and into Idaho and Utah. We know the Great Basin and are driven to discover and advance large gold deposits that can be mined profitably in open- pit scenarios. Our flagship projects are Black Pine in Idaho and Goldstrike in Utah, both past- producing open-pit mines, where previous operators only scratched the surface.

For more information, visit libertygold.ca or contact:

Susie Bell, Manager, Investor Relations Phone: 604-632-4677 or Toll Free 1-877-632-4677 [email protected]

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information with respect to Liberty Gold within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements that address potential quantity and/or grade of minerals. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as seek, anticipate, plan, continue, planned, expect, project, predict, potential, targeting, intends, believe, potential, and similar expressions, or describes a goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, should, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made including, among others, assumptions about future prices of gold, and other metal prices, currency exchange rates and interest rates, favourable operating conditions, political stability, obtaining governmental approvals and financing on time, obtaining renewals for existing licenses and permits and obtaining required licenses and permits, labour stability, stability in market conditions, availability of equipment, timing of assay results, scalability of metallurgical results, results and accuracy of mineral resources or hydrology studies, the availability of drill rigs, successful resolution of disputes and anticipated costs and expenditures. Many assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Liberty Gold and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Such forward-looking information, involves known and unknown risks, which may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, risks related to the interpretation of results and/or the reliance on technical information provided by third parties as related to the Companys mineral property interests; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; the costs and timing of the development of new deposits; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; the timing and success of exploration activities generally; timing of any mineral resource estimates or metallurgical results; scalability of metallurgical results, delays in permitting or receipts of records of decisions; the timing of any preliminary economic studies or pre-feasibility studies; possible claims against the Company; labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of exploration as well as those factors discussed in the Annual Information Form of the Company dated March 25, 2022 in the section entitled "Risk Factors", under Liberty Golds SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Although Liberty Gold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Liberty Gold disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

1 At September 30, 2022, the value of C$1.00 was approximately $0.730; the daily average rate from the Bank of Canada.2 See press release on May 18, 2021: Liberty Gold Files Technical Report on SEDAR for the Resource Estimate at TV Tower, Western Turkey.

Source: Liberty Gold Corp.
SAEGERTOWN, Pa., Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MAJR Products Corp., an internationally recognized manufacturing leader in EMI and RFI shielding products, has announced the release of its free online ventilation panel CAD design tool. The tool is available to help EMI, RFI, military, and mechanical engineers quickly and easily specify and design all aspects of any required shielded ventilation panels.

The online tool is also available for system integrators and manufacturers of SCIFs, computer racks, electronics enclosures, etc. No previous CAD experience is required to use the app.

The company announced that the tool is available for use on its website at: https://www.majr.com/technical-information/free-cad-tool-emi-rfi-shielded-ventilation-panels/

The app was intended to simplify and automate the laborious process involved in designing and specifying ventilation panels for EMI and RFI-sensitive applications, like Special Compartmented Information Facilities, aka SCIFs.

The company is offering this tool to enable designers and system integrators to quickly create CAD Drawings for standard EMI/RFI shielded ventilation panels, a task that can be engineering-cycle-intensive and time-consuming without the app.

The company stated that the CAD tool will help its users save time and expenses while generating schematics and drawings quickly and accurately. The tool will also simplify the component specification and procurement process, ensuring that projects are not delayed due to the specification of non-standard RFI/EMI shielded ventilation products with long lead times.

The online app is easy to use and does not require prior CAD experience. Designers and engineers simply go to the MAJR Products CAD tool online and choose the selectable data points from an intuitive list. The app will auto-populate the rest of the fields and create a CAD file that designers can then plug into their assembly drawings and store for future reference.

VP of Sales, Mark Stoner, was quoted saying, "Everything we do at MAJR Products is designed to make life easier for our clients. This tool is just the latest addition to our online resources."

About the company:

MAJR Products is a veteran-owned small business located in Saegertown, Pennsylvania. The company is a leading manufacturer of EMI/RFI gaskets, shielding, and ventilation panel products with over 25 years of experience designing and developing solutions for RFI and EMI-sensitive applications. The company can be reached on its website at https://www.majr.com/contact/.

Contact Information: Mark Stoner Vice President, Sales [email protected] 949-391-8397 Brian Hester Operations Officer [email protected] 814-763-321

Related Images

Image 1: MAJR Products CAD Tool for EMI Shielding Vent Panel Design This tool allows an EMC engineer to design an RFI/EMI Shielding Vent panel without CAD skills.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

MAJR Products CAD Tool for EMI Shielding Vent Panel Design MAJR Products CAD Tool for EMI Shielding Vent Panel Design

Source: MAJR Products
RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE: MLM) (Martin Marietta or the Company) will host its fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 earnings conference call on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The Company will release results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2022, that morning before the market opens.

A live, listen-only webcast and supplemental information will be accessible on the Investors section of the Companys website at www.martinmarietta.com. The conference call may also be accessed by registering here: https://register.vevent.com/register/BI8de984339b304642b58a0084a11239bf. Please register at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure a timely connection to the call. An on-demand replay will be available on the Companys website approximately two hours following the conclusion of the live broadcast and will be available for one year.

Martin Marietta, a member of the S&P 500 Index, is an American-based company and a leading supplier of building materials, including aggregates, cement, ready mixed concrete and asphalt. Through a network of operations spanning 28 states, Canada and The Bahamas, dedicated Martin Marietta teams supply the resources necessary for building the solid foundations on which our communities thrive. Martin Mariettas Magnesia Specialties business provides a full range of magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide and dolomitic lime products. For more information, visit www.martinmarietta.com or www.magnesiaspecialties.com.

Investor Contact: Jennifer ParkVice President, Investor Relations (919) 510-4736[email protected]

MLM-E.

Source: Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.
Toronto, ON, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legendary journalist Bob Woodward will join Steve Paikin at TVO Today Live, which will feature a conversation on Mr. Woodwards new audiobook, The Trump Tapes, as well as an in-depth discussion on the state of American democracy and the impact Donald Trump has had in shaping politics in the U.S., Canada and abroad.

Media are invited to attend the Thursday, January 26 event, after which Mr. Woodward will make himself available for media questions.

This event has been sold out (via Eventbrite). Members of the media who have not yet registered for the event can confirm attendance via email.

Truth and Trump: An evening with Bob WoodwardDATE: Thursday, January 26, 2023TIME: 7 pm ET LOCATION: Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2C7AGENDA: Doors open at 6:30 pm. On-stage discussion begins at 7 pm with audience Q&A and Mr. Woodwards media availability to follow.MEDIA CONTACT: Sean Minogue, TVO. [email protected]

This is the fourth in a series of TVO Today Live events on the future of democracy, made possible through the support of the Wilson Foundation, whose mission is to strengthen and enrich Canada in education leadership, community, history and heritage, and public service. Learn more about TVO Today Live.

BACKGROUND:

An era-defining reporter, Bob Woodwards groundbreaking work with Carl Bernstein on the Watergate scandal in the 1970s contributed to the downfall of President Richard Nixon. His latest work is The Trump Tapes, an engrossing audiobook that examines Trumps time in office through 20 exclusive interviews with the former president himself. It caps a trilogy of books Woodward has written about this undeniably controversial figure who reshaped American politics.

- 30 -

ABOUT TVO

TVO inspires learning that changes lives and enriches communities. Founded in 1970, we are a globally recognized digital learning organization that engages Ontarians of all ages with inclusive experiences and diverse perspectives. Through video, audio, games, courses, newsletters and articles, were investing in the transformative potential of education for everyone. Funded primarily by the Province of Ontario, TVO is a registered charity supported by thousands of sponsors and donors. For more information, visit TVO.me, TVO.org and TVOkids.com.

Stream TVO on your favourite device.Sign up to receive TVO media releases by email.

Media contact:Sean Minogue, TVO. [email protected]

Social:

Twitter: @TheAgendaFacebook: @TheAgenda Instagram: @TheAgendaTVOYouTube: /TheAgenda

Sean Minogue TVO [email protected]

Source: TVO
OTTAWA, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) is pleased to announce the inclusion of the Friendship Centre Movement in Bell Lets Talk 2023 campaign. This years campaign aims to highlight the work of organizations that create positive change through providing mental health supports to their communities. The National Association of Friendship Centres was a recipient of the inaugural Bell Lets Talk Diversity Fund in 2020, receiving $250,000 that we provided as microgrants to our member Friendship Centres and Provincial/Territorial Associations.

"We are pleased to see Friendship Centres recognized for their long time and important role in providing culturally relevant mental health supports to the communities that we serve. Our partnership with Bell Lets Talk helps us to continue to create positive change for mental health said Jocelyn Formsma, NAFC Chief Executive Officer, For First Nations, Inuit, and Metis mental health is holistic, it is a part of physical, emotional and spiritual health that is tied to our communities and cultures. Friendship Centres offer these holistic supports every day to urban Indigenous peoples across Canada. We encourage everyone to reach out and find ways to support their local Friendship Centre."

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:

John PailleSenior Communications Coordinator[email protected]

The NAFC represents over 100 local Friendship Centres and Provincial/Territorial Associations in every province and territory in Canada (except Prince Edward Island). Friendship Centres are urban Indigenous community hubs that provide a wide range of programs and services for First Nations, Inuit and Metis people living in urban, rural, and northern communities. Collectively, Friendship Centres are the largest and most comprehensive urban Indigenous service delivery network in Canada.

Source: National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nevada Exploration Inc. (NGE or the Company) (TSX-V:NGE; OTCQB: NVDEF) reports the results of its annual general and special meeting (the Meeting) of shareholders held on January 24, 2023 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

All motions presented to the shareholders were approved.

A total of 56,988,783 shares were represented in person or by proxy at the meeting, being 33.697% of the issued and outstanding shares at the record date. A summary of the Meeting results is outlined below.

Motion Number Voted For Percentage Voted For Number of Directors 39,110,940 98.271% Darcy Higgs as Director 35,221,987 88.499% Anne Labelle as Director 35,190,163 88.419% John Larson as Director 35,407,663 88.966% Benjamin Leboe as Director 37,817,399 95.021% Nancy Richter as Director 37,736,365 94.817% Appointment of Auditor 49,053,215 97.562% Amended and Restated Stock Option Plan 36,612,466 91.993% Share Consolidation 45,694,169 90.881%

About Nevada Exploration Inc.

Led by an international team of explorers, NGE is applying modern technology to systematically explore for the undiscovered second half of Nevadas gold endowment waiting to be uncovered within Nevadas valley basins. NGE is advancing a portfolio of gold exploration projects, primarily focused on three district-scale Carlin-type gold projects, including its flagship South Grass Valley project, located in close proximity to the Nevada Gold Mines of the Cortez Complex.

For further information, please contact:

Nevada Exploration Inc.Email: [email protected]Telephone: +1 (604) 601 2006Website: www.nevadaexploration.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information:

This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, without limitation, expectations, beliefs, plans, and objectives regarding projects, potential transactions, and ventures discussed in this release.

In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made numerous assumptions, regarding, among other things, the assumption the Company will continue as a going concern and will continue to be able to access the capital required to advance its projects and continue operations. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies.

In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are the risks inherent in mineral exploration, the need to obtain additional financing, environmental permits, the availability of needed personnel and equipment for exploration and development, fluctuations in the price of minerals, and general economic conditions.

A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company is disclosed in the Companys continuous disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law.

Source: Nevada Exploration Inc.
Jerome, ID, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Idaho Milk Products congratulates Dr. Venkateswarlu (Venkat) Sunkesula on his recent promotion to Vice President of Research and Product Development and welcomes Kevin Quinn as the new Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Dr. Sunkesula joined Idaho Milk Products in July 2019. Before coming to Idaho Milk Products, he attended South Dakota State University pursuing his Ph.D. in dairy manufacturing under the supervision of Dr. Lloyd Metzger, a member of our Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Sunkesula did his thesis on the Development of Methods to Improve Lactose Recovery from Permeate and Drying Characteristics of Greek Acid Whey. Venkat has about 20 years of professional experience in various managerial roles in the dairy, candy and brewing industries.

Venkat joined Idaho Milk Products at a momentous time for the development of our MIC (Milk Innovation Center) and has already made a significant contribution in bringing us to where we are today, said Daragh Maccabee, CEO of Idaho Milk Products. Taking on the leadership role was a natural progression. His academic qualifications and extensive experience combined with his personal qualities will allow him to build on the outstanding legacy of his predecessor and, together with the R&D team, bring the MIC to new levels of excellence.

It has been a pleasure to learn and grow in a people-focused organization and working with leadership that walks the company values, commented Venkat Sunkesula, VP of Research and Product Development. I am grateful to Idaho Milk Products for recognizing my contributions with this promotion. I look forward to continuing working with the excellent people, process and plant to play an even more significant role in the business growth.

Kevin Quinn came to Idaho Milk Products in December 2022 as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He has worked in the food industry for 30 years with both domestic and international customers in sales, marketing and finance roles for Nestle, Sara Lee, White Wave, Leprino Foods and Darigold. During his time at Darigold as Vice President of Global Accounts, he was responsible for customer-facing activities for several major global accounts. After graduating from the University of Colorado in Boulder, he started his career in Colorado.

I am delighted with Kevins decision to join our team, commented Daragh Maccabee, CEO of Idaho Milk Products. His vast experience and the depth of his relationships with existing and potentially new commercial partners represent an important and valuable addition to the team at a pivotal moment for our organization. I am excited at the prospect of working with Kevin in the ongoing pursuit of our purpose, Bringing value to milk for generations.

I am very excited to join the dynamic team at Idaho Milk Products, said Kevin Quinn, VP of Sales and Marketing. The professionalism with which this team operates and the attention to quality at all levels will allow for new growth in global markets. The production of MPC (Milk Protein Concentrate), MPI (Milk Protein Isolate) and MPP (Milk Permeate Powder) is at a level that meets the spec needs of global customers, and the effort to continue thriving on sustainability at farm and factory put Idaho Milk Products ahead of the curve.

Idaho Milk Products proudly supports personal, professional, educational, technical and above all, leadership development to help employees realize their potential and be part of a world-class team.

###

About Idaho Milk Products

Idaho Milk Products is a privately held, vertically integrated international milk processing leader, supplying Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC), Milk Permeate, and Cream derivatives to customers around the globe. Owned by local Idaho dairy farmers, Idaho Milk Products has a dedicated consistent milk supply and delivers reliable, quality dairy ingredients. For more information, visit idahomilkproducts.com.

Attachments

Annie Dovenmuehler Idaho Milk Products 208.644.2861 [email protected]

Source: Idaho Milk Products
ETOBICOKE, Ontario, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ThinkOn Inc., a Canadian-based cloud solution provider with a global data centre footprint, is pleased to announce its appointment of Paul West as Director, Global Public Sector. A 100% Canadian-owned company, ThinkOn offers advanced data and cloud services and software to municipal, provincial, federal, and Indigenous government public sector entities in Canadafrom healthcare and education to defence and policing.

West has been an integral member of the ThinkOn team since 2019. His new role is part of ThinkOns commitment to make data thrive for government and public service organizations. West, who has three decades of experience in cyber security and technology innovation for the public services sector, now leads a team responsible for delivering ThinkOns Canadian Sovereign Cloud, Digital Public Safety Network and highly secure solutions that guarantee data supply chain sovereignty for government data.

Im excited about my new role at ThinkOn, says West. This is an opportunity to continue my lifes work to encourage tech innovation and secure public sector data governance for Canadians. A digitally empowered government has a lot to offer its citizens, and Canadians have the right to remain safe while they enjoy the benefits.

Wests career in technology and business development encompasses experience in the healthcare, energy, telecommunications, and police services sectors for government agencies and private sector organizations such as the Department of National Defence, the Ontario Police Technology Information Co-operative (OPTIC) Police Network, Bell Canada, and Motorola. Dedicated to public service and the advancement of Canadian business and technology, West sits as a board member for Innovate Cities, a not-for-profit Canadian tech and data governance organization that helps nurture Canadian technology innovators and experts to ensure cyber security for municipalities.

As well, West has been instrumental in working with educational institutions and Indigenous groups, including The First Peoples Circle on Education, a not-for-profit organization that supports and empowers Indigenous people to independently deliver services and address socio-economic conditions in their communities.

Were excited to have a dedicated lead of Pauls vast experience in cyber security to focus on protecting and empowering our government and public services clients, says Greg Chappell, Vice President of Global Sales and Partner Success, ThinkOn. Paul is an excellent resource for any government modernization projects. He has a way of demystifying complex initiatives and getting down to the root of what is required.

A key focus for West and the ThinkOn team is protecting sensitive Canadian data from cyber breach. ThinkOns Canadian Sovereign Cloud ensures that data sovereignty, traceability, and supply chain management are in full compliance with Canadian regulations and safe from foreign controlcritical for any government or public sector organization that works with sensitive or Protected-B data.

According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, cybercrime is the number one cyber threat activity affecting Canadiansi, and our data must be protected from foreign bad actors not subject to Canadian data security laws. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians issued a report in 2022 that states, any player with malicious intent and sophisticated capabilities puts the governments data and the integrity of its electronic infrastructure at risk.ii

ThinkOn is the only CSP capable of offering sovereign cloud to the Government of Canada and is a trusted partner who understands public sector needs and the critical nature of data supply chain protection for Canadas future.

Data is part of our critical infrastructure, and whoever governs the cloud where its stored controls that data, says West. Many Canadian organizations mistakenly believe that their trusted cloud provider will protect them from data leaks, but in reality, non-Canadian providers are not subject to Canadian data protection laws, potentially putting their data at risk.

ThinkOn Canadian Sovereign Cloud ensures that data residency remains in Canada, subject to stringent Canadian security laws.

I feel strongly about helping our government clients understand some of the common pitfalls of modernization, says West. All the major hyperscale clouds rely on foreign resources for some taskseven when the data remains at a domestic location. So, their claims of sovereignty are misleading.

Lack of full data sovereignty means that sensitive Canadian data could be divulged to another government without the knowledge or approval of the Canadian owner. By offering Canadian-made data solutions, designed for Canadian public sector organizations, West and his team are dedicated to helping Canadian data thrive under the safest conditions possible.

About ThinkOn, Inc.

ThinkOn, Inc. is a proudly Canadian-owned and operated cloud solution provider (CSP) with a global data centre footprint. ThinkOn is the only Canadian VMware Sovereign Cloud partner. We are a dedicated department of data-obsessed experts, committed to protecting Canadian public sector data like its our own, and making it more resilient, secure, actionable, and searchable. ThinkOn works with a trusted ecosystem of top technology partners to provide cost-effective Infrastructure-as-a-Service solutions and data management services with transparent and predictable pricing.

Built to handle PBMM data, ThinkOn is an approved CSP under the Shared Services Canada Framework Agreement for Secure Workload.

www.thinkon.com

For further information: (press only) contactVanessa GrantcharovaBrand Marketing Manager | ThinkOn[email protected]

__________________________iThe Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, National Cyber Threat Assessment 2023-2024, https://cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/national-cyber-threat-assessment-2023-2024

iiGlobal News, Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press, https://globalnews.ca/news/8620551/data-risk-government-systems/

Source: Think On Inc.
On the "Cats Roundtable," a radio show and podcast with businessman and political donor John Catsimatidis, New York City Mayor Eric Adams made a claim about the richest New Yorkers contributions to city coffers.

"Fifty-one percent of our taxes are paid by 2% of New Yorkers," Adams said. "We must understand the role that high-income New Yorkers play in this city. And when I hear people totally attempting to say they dont play a significant role, that is just wrong, they do."

Is Adams right?

We reached out to his press secretary, Fabien Levy, who said Adams was talking specifically about personal income taxes.

During the interview, Adams was not so precise. The mayor, however, has made that qualification when making this claim before, such as when he was running for office in 2021.

This is what he said at a fundraising appearance in October 2021: "Yeah, were over 8 million people. But do you know 65,000 pay 51 percent of our income taxes?"

Levy provided previously unreleased data from the Mayors Office of Management and Budget, which showed that in 2020, the top 2.5% of city taxpayers, when ranked by income, paid 51.6% of the citys personal income tax collections.

According to a report released in December 2022 from the citys Independent Budget Office, a publicly funded organization that provides nonpartisan information about city finances, in 2020, filers with annual gross income of $500,000 or more, representing 1.6% of all filers, paid 49.2% of the citys personal income taxes.

Independent Budget Office Communications Director Elizabeth Brown confirmed that the office estimated Adams claim to be true, but only as it pertains to personal income tax collections  not all tax collections.

"We dont break out the groups the same exact way the mayor spoke about them, but we believe his numbers are more or less accurate," Brown said.

Personal income taxes are a fraction of what the city collects in taxes. According to the citys January 2023 financial plan, personal income and the pass-through entity tax (an optional tax for partnerships and S corporations, such as limited liability corporations) represent 22% of the citys collections. Property taxes constitute 46% of the collections, while sales and use taxes represent 13%.

Lucy Dadayan, an expert in state and local finances at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute, said that it is not surprising that a small fraction of earners pay nearly half of the citys income taxes. Thats because about 2.1% of New York Citys earners take home around 43% of New York Citys income, she said. This data point is nearly exact to data provided by the city from the Office of Management and Budget.

The available data doesnt show how much the top 2% of city earners pay on property, sales, or other taxes, Dadayan said.

But their contributions to other tax categories are significant, said Nicole Gelinas, a senior fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute who frequently writes about city finances. According to the city, office buildings are 21% of the property tax levy, the citys single biggest tax, for example, and the reason the office valuations are high is because of their wealthy occupants, Gelinas said. Wealthier people also consume more in goods and services than middle-class and poorer people, and thus pay higher sales taxes, she said.

Our ruling

Adams claimed that 51% of city taxes are paid by 2% of New Yorkers.

If he had specified income taxes in his statement, we would have given a True ruling.

The budget analysts who study the numbers confirm as much.

The mayor was talking about personal income taxes, his spokesperson said.

But someone listening to Adams interview would not necessarily have known that because Adams did not offer that qualification.

Given his past similar statements in which is specified it was income taxes he was talking about, we do not see this as a case he was trying to mislead the audience.

But because his statement on the radio show was accurate but needed clarification, we rate his statement as Mostly True.
NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viveon Health Acquisition Corp. (NYSE American: VHAQ, VHAQW, VHAQR, VHAQU), a special purpose acquisition company (the Company), today announced that it held a special meeting of stockholders (the Adjourned Special Meeting) on January 20, 2023, to, among other things, approve the proposal by the Company to consummate its previously announced initial business combination with Suneva Medical, Inc. At the Adjourned Special Meeting stockholders voted to adjourn the meeting until February 3, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

As of January 17, 2023 (after including the 3,188,100 shares redeemed in connection with Viveons 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on December 23, 2022) there were 6,876,024 shares of Viveon common stock outstanding, 5,031,250 of which are founder shares and not subject to redemption. As of January 18, 2023 (the last date to request redemptions in connection with the Adjourned Special Meeting to approve the proposed business combination) Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee, received requests to redeem 1,798,631 shares of Viveon common stock. Such shares would be redeemed only upon the consummation of the business combination. As of the date hereof there is approximately $19.68 million in the Trust Account.

Participants in the Solicitation of the Adjourned Special Meeting

The Company and its directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Companys stockholders with respect to the Adjourned Special Meeting proposals. A list of the names of those directors and executive officers and a description of their interests in the Company is available in the Registration Statement on Form S-4, declared effective on November 14, 2022 and the Definitive Proxy Statement/Prospectus contained therein, dated as of November 14, 2022, which was mailed to the Companys stockholders on November 21, 2022, as supplemented on November 23, 2022. The Definitive Proxy Statement/Prospectus is also available free of charge at the SECs web site at www.sec.gov.

About Viveon Health Acquisition Corp.

Viveon Health Acquisition Corp. (Viveon) is a blank check company, also commonly referred to as a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.

About Suneva Medical, Inc.

Suneva Medical, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, CA, is a leader in regenerative aesthetics. It is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded products for providers and their patients. Suneva offers a portfolio of products to address the impact of the aging process to deliver solutions that leverage the bodys own restorative capacity. The product portfolio is composed of several only and first to market solutions with both FDA PMA approval and 510(k) clearance. For more information, visit www.sunevamedical.com.

Important Information About the Merger and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed business combination, the Definitive Proxy Statement/Prospectus, dated as of November 14, 2022, was mailed on November 21, 2022 to stockholders of the Company as of November 8, 2022, which was the record date established for the vote on the proposed Merger and related matters. The Proxy Statement/Prospectus is also available free of charge at the SECs web site at www.sec.gov.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as target, believe, expect, will, shall, may, anticipate, estimate, would, positioned, future, forecast, intend, plan, project, outlook and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements made in this press release regarding: the proposed transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the benefits of the proposed business combination, integration plans, expected synergies and revenue opportunities; anticipated future financial and operating performance and results, including estimates for growth, the expected management and governance of the combined company, continued expansion of product portfolios and the availability or effectiveness of the technology for such products; the regenerative aesthetics sectors continued growth and the continued demand of physicians and consumers driving such growth; and the expected timing of the proposed business combination. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on Viveon and Sunevas current beliefs, expectations and assumptions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: (1) the occurrence of any event, change, or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement; (2) the institution or outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Viveon and/or Suneva following the announcement of the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated therein; (3) the inability of the parties to complete the proposed business combination, including due to failure to obtain approval of the stockholders of Viveon or Suneva, certain regulatory approvals, or satisfy other conditions to closing in the merger agreement; (4) the occurrence of any event, change, or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement or could otherwise cause the transaction to fail to close; (5) the failure to meet the minimum cash requirements of the merger agreement due to Viveon stockholder redemptions and the failure to obtain replacement financing; (6) the inability to complete a concurrent PIPE; (7) the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Sunevas business and/or the ability of the parties to complete the proposed business combination; (8) the inability to obtain or maintain the listing of Viveons shares of common stock on the NYSE American following the proposed business combination; (9) the risk that the proposed business combination disrupts current plans and operations as a result of the announcement and consummation of the proposed business combination; (10) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition and the ability of Suneva to grow and manage growth profitably and retain its key employees; (11) costs related to the proposed business combination; (12) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (13) the possibility that Suneva may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (14) the amount of redemption requests made by Viveon s stockholders; and (15) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in the final prospectus of Viveon for its initial public offering dated December 22, 2020 filed with the SEC, Viveons Registration Statement on Form S-4, declared effective on November 14, 2022 and the definitive proxy statement/prospectus contained therein, mailed to stockholders on November 21, 2022, as supplemented on November 23, 2022, relating to the proposed business combination, including those under Risk Factors therein, and in Viveons other filings with the SEC. Viveon and Suneva caution that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. Viveon and Suneva caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Viveon and Suneva do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in their expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. Neither Viveon nor Suneva gives any assurance that the business combination will be consummated or that the combined company will achieve its expectations.

Contacts

Redemption Contact:

Attn: Mark Zimkind

E-mail: [email protected]

Source: VIVEON HEALTH ACQUISITION CORP.
FILE PHOTO: The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. company logo is seen in Westminster, Colorado August 27, 2013. Goodyear rose 1.7 percent to $19.54 a day after the company said one of its largest investors had raised its stake in the company by 44 percent. R

(Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co for its handling of a recalled tire that has been linked to eight deaths and dozens of injuries, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter and documents reviewed by the newspaper.

The federal prosecutors have sought company records and depositions from an Arizona plaintiffs' attorney produced as part of civil litigation filed against Goodyear years ago, according to a copy of a grand jury subpoena seen by WSJ.

"We cooperated fully with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) review of the G159 275/70R22.5 tire, which concluded in June, 2022," the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

DOJ did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Goodyear's shares were down 2% at $11.10 in premarket trading on Wednesday.

In June last year, Goodyear said it would recall 173,000 G159 tires used on recreational vehicles because of the potential of catastrophic tread separations.

The move was made after U.S. auto safety regulators formally asked the manufacturer to replace them. However, the company said in October that it did not believe its tires were defective.

The subpoena is being issued as part of a criminal investigation and involves prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office of the Central District in California and the DOJ's consumer-protection branch, the report added.

(Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Priyamvada C; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
FILE PHOTO: An electronic cigarette device made by JUUL is shown in this picture illustration taken September 14, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/Illustration/File Photo

(Reuters) -E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc is in early talks with three tobacco giants for a potential sale, strategic investment, licensing or distribution deal, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Juul, which was reportedly looking to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has had separate discussions with Philip Morris International Inc, Japan Tobacco Group and Altria Group Inc, the report said.

A deal is not imminent and the discussions may not result in a sale or partnership, the people told the Journal.

The company, partly owned by Marlboro maker Altria, declined to comment.

Juul reached late-stage talks with Altria last fall on a potential deal to sell its international business or license its U.S. intellectual property but the talks fell apart in September due to a potential bankruptcy filing, people familiar with the discussions told the Journal.

The company has resumed discussions with Altria, the people added.

In September, Altria exercised the option to be released from its non-compete deal with Juul almost four years after buying a 35% stake in the company.

The once red-hot vaping company is currently facing thousands of lawsuits filed across the United States over claims that it deceptively marketed e-cigarettes and contributed to rising tobacco use amongst youth.

Last week, Juul secured preliminary court approval of a $255 million settlement resolving the claims by consumers.

Juul said in July it was in the early stages of exploring options including financing alternatives amid the lawsuits.

But later in November, the company secured an investment from some of its early investors to stay in business.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June briefly banned Juul's e-cigarettes, though it later put the order on hold following an appeal.

(Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh and Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Maju Samuel)
Brooklyn, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - January 24, 2023) - Noryan, a black owned luxury home fragrance company in New York City, has recently announced that it was certified by the Black Chamber of Commerce, boosting their company as 2023 begins. The business is excited for this newest development, as it hopes to continue its momentum throughout the year.

Noryan, meaning "Symbol of Love", was founded by Brian and Norah, a father and daughter duo. Brian had been curating scents since age 11 and wanted to share his passion with his daughter, Norah, while building a legacy. The pair created Noryan as an olfactive scenting and scent marketing company that harnesses the power of scent to, "express identities, transform moods and trigger special memories." Their products are animal-safe, non-toxic, and cruelty free.

"We put this passion into our range of invigorating and luxurious essential/aroma oils, diffusers and candles," explains Brian. "We believe that anyone, whether as a business or an individual, should be able to experience scenting in a way that resonates with who they are."

The Black Chamber of Commerce of New York City is an organization connecting MBE and WBE organizations in New York City and New York State to procurement contracts from businesses across New York State and New Jersey. The certification for Noryan allows for opportunities to help their business grow.

Alongside certification and partnership, Noryan will begin collaborating with a fragrance house in order to bring their signature scents to homes and cars. The company currently features several scent profiles on their website, which they have been working to utilize within several different platforms.

As the business stands at the moment, Noryan offers luxe scents in candles, diffusers, bath and body products, electric lighters and essential oils/aromas. The company even has begun offering custom home scents through HVAC dispersion. The updated HVAC scenting allows users to release aroma oils through the Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system of their space, both commercial or residential.

As Valentine's Day approaches, Noryan is thrilled to be launching its exclusive Valentine's and Galentine's Day gift sets. Currently, the company operates and ships to 10 states throughout the US, though with time, the team hopes to build their company in such a way that would allow them to function on a wider, national level.

"We envision a community of people who appreciate extraordinary scents and understand the power that fragrance has on your mood," Watkins explains. "We believe that to smell good is to feel good, and through our scents, we hope to promote just that."

Noryan is a black-owned scent marketing and luxury home fragrance company based in Brooklyn, New York. The company creates scents and offers custom scenting services to consumers and businesses For more information about Noryan, visit their website and social media accounts.

Brian Watkis

[email protected]

www.nor-yan.com

Ig: @noryan_nyc

Facebook: Noryan

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152039
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Canadian Critical Minerals Inc. (TSXV: CCMI) (OTCQB: RIINF) (FSE: 2ZR) ("Canadian Critical Minerals" or the "Company") hereby announces that it has executed a Facilities Agreement ("FA") with British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority ("BCH") for its Bull River Mine ("BRM") project near Cranbrook, British Columbia. The FA was completed following a Facilities Study ("FS") by BCH to define interconnection requirements and establish a timetable for BCH's ability to meet the Company's proposed service date. The reconnection is scheduled to be completed on or before June 30, 2023.

The BRM project is currently connected to BCH through a 12.47kV service line which provides up to 2,000 kVA in contract demand which is sufficient to continue with care and maintenance activities including dewatering of the underground mining infrastructure. Under the new FA, BCH will reconnect the Company to an existing 66kV transmission line which will provide up to 5,000 kVA in contract demand to the property. The increased demand is required for the Company to restart the mill and resume underground mining operations. The new transmission interconnection provides for reductions in energy and demand charges relative to the current unit rates. BCH's estimate for system reinforcements and revenue metering associated with the reconnection is $150,000. The cost estimate has an accuracy range of +35%/-15%.

Ian Berzins, President and CEO commented, "To-date reconnection to the 66kV transmission line has been delayed pending delivery of some key electrical components including switchgear. All key components have now been secured. We look forward to working with BCH to complete the reconnection."

About Canadian Critical Minerals Inc.

Canadian Critical Minerals Inc.is a mining company primarily focused on the development of two near-term copper production assets in Canada. The Company's main asset is the 100% owned Bull River Mine project (>135MM lbs of copper) near Cranbrook, British Columbia which has a Mineral Resource containing copper, gold and silver. The Company's latest acquisition is the 100% owned Thierry Mine project (>1,300MM lbs of copper) near Pickle Lake, Ontario which has a Mineral Resource containing copper, nickel, silver, palladium, platinum and gold.

Contact Information

Canadian Critical Minerals Inc.

Ian Berzins

President & Chief Executive Officer

M: +1-403-512-8202

E: [email protected]

Website: www.braveheartresources.com

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements about strategic plans, future work programs and objectives and expected results from such work programs. Forward-looking information necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; and other risks.

Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information and the risks identified in the Company's continuous disclosure record. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this news release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this new release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152467
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 24, 2023) - Fission 3.0 Corp (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FISOF)("Fission 3" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed with the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") a notice of name change to "F3 Uranium Corp." The Company does not intend to change its trading symbol. The Name Change is subject to TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") approval and the Company will provide further updates regarding the Name Change, including the effective date which will be on or about January 30, 2023.

No further action is required by existing shareholders with respect to the name change. There is no change in the share capital of the Company and the Corporate Symbol share remain the same. The Company's new CUSIP number is 30330R108 and its new ISIN number is CA30330R1082. Certificates representing common shares of the Company will not be affected by the name and symbol change and will not need to be exchanged.

The new CUSIP and ISIN Numbers for the Warrants issued in September 2021 are 30330R116 and CA30330R1165 respectively and the CUSIP and ISIN Numbers for the Warrants issued in December 2021 are 30330R124 and CA30330R1249 respectively. No action is required by existing security holders of the Company with respect to the name change. Outstanding Common Shares, or Warrants certificates are not affected by the name change and do not need to be exchanged.

About Fission 3.0 Corp.:

Fission 3.0 is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of the world's largest high grade uranium discovery. Fission currently has 16 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of Fission 3's projects are near large uranium discoveries, including Triple R, Arrow and Hurricane.

Fission 3.0 Corp. Contact Information

Investor Relations

Telephone: 778 484 8030

Email: [email protected]

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dev Randhawa"

Dev Randhawa, CEO

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the suitability of the Properties for mining exploration, future payments, issuance of shares and work commitment funds, entry into of a definitive option agreement respecting the Properties, are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

The TSX Venture Exchange and the Canadian Securities Exchange have not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152421
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - LevelJump Healthcare Corp. (TSXV: JUMP) (OTCQB: JMPHF) (FSE: 75J) ("LevelJump" or the "Company"), a Canadian leader in B2B telehealth solutions, is pleased to announce that its' wholly owned subsidiary Canadian Teleradiology Services, Inc. ("CTS") has signed a new contract to supply its teleradiology services.

CTS has signed a new client hospital contract to provide radiology reading for overnight emergency room work. The hospital will utilize CTS radiologists to provide urgent STAT CT reading. On boarding, radiologist credentialling and IT set up is now complete and service has commenced.

This new contract is expected to increase CTS's annual revenues by between 2 to 4%.

This new contract is another example of the valuable service CTS provides to communities, especially during a time where there are staffing shortages throughout the industry. The CTS solution assists hospitals to ensure their emergency rooms continue 24/7 with critical care for patients.

"Organic growth is a key part of our strategy in addition to acquisitions," said Mitch Geisler, CEO. "We continue to increase revenues with both our telehealth solutions and in-patient care clinics. Hospitals see the benefits of our services, viewing us a strategic partner."

About LevelJump Healthcare

LevelJump Healthcare Corp., (TSXV: JUMP) is building a national telehealth medical company and brand, currently by providing teleradiology (remote radiology) services to its client hospitals and imaging centers. Additionally, JUMP owns and operates independent healthcare facilities (IHF's) focused on diagnostic imaging.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

LEVELJUMP HEALTHCARE CORP.

Caitlin-Robyn Densmore, Investor Relations Manager

[email protected]

(437) 214-1568

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the Company's business plans and the outlook of the Company's industry. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release and the Company assumes no responsibility to update them or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances other than as required by applicable securities laws. The Company undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of the Company, Canadian Teleradiology Services, Inc., their securities, or their respective financial or operating results (as applicable).

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The securities being offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152472
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Manganese X Energy Corp. (TSXV: MN) (FSE: 9SC) (TRADEGATE: 9SC) (OTCQB: MNXXF) (the "Company" or "Manganese X") is pleased to announce that it is approaching the midway point of the pre-feasibility study in-fill and step-out drilling program at its wholly owned Battery Hill Project located near Woodstock, New Brunswick.

An aggregate of 16 NQ diamond drill holes totaling 2,208 metres have been completed of the planned 4,725 metre, 31-hole program. The goal of the drill program is to in-fill and expand the Measured and Indicated resources in preparation for the pre-feasibility study ("PFS") by upgrading the Inferred category resource included in the Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") mine plan.

The planned PFS drill program is following recommendations of the National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") PEA of the Battery Hill Manganese Project, which is available on the Company's website at:

https://www.manganesexenergycorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/final-pea-revised.pdf

The Company is methodically fulfilling its mission to become the first publicly traded mining Company in Canada and the US to commercialise high-purity EV compliant manganese.

Martin Kepman, CEO, comments, "We are very pleased with the progress of our Battery Hill pre-feasibility drilling program as the PFS is key to the decision making and forward planning of the mine permitting process. A major part of preparing for the PFS is our current drill program, as well as the environmental, community and geotechnical studies which will commence in the spring."

"The North American battery industry is going to require its own supply chain for manganese. The continent, however, has no current high-purity manganese processing capacity to supply a large number of batteries gigafactories and cathode plants currently under development. Manganese is a stabilising component in the cathodes of nickel-manganese-cobalt lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. The material increases energy density and hence improves driving range. At the same time, it decreases the combustibility of an EV battery pack. We are optimistic about the future of the company as we move forward in a cycle of dynamic change."

The Company also announces it has entered into an agreement effective December 15, 2022, with Stonegate Capital Partners, Inc. ("Stonegate") of 500 Crescent Court, Suite 370 Dallas, TX 75201 United States, to initiate research coverage with quarterly updates (the "Services) for a period of six months (the "Agreement'). The Agreement is subject to regulatory approval, including the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

As compensation for the Services, the Company will pay US$2,500 to Stonegate at the beginning of each month during the term of the Agreement. The Agreement is renewable if mutually agreed to in writing between Stonegate and the Company. Stonegate is an arms'-length service provider to the Company and has no interest, directly or indirectly, in the Company or its securities, or any right or intent, to the knowledge of the Company, to acquire such an interest.

Qualified Person

This news release has been reviewed and approved by Perry MacKinnon, P.Geo., Vice-President of Exploration of Manganese X and a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101.

About Manganese X Energy Corp.

Manganese X's mission is to advance its Battery Hill project into production, thereby becoming the first public actively traded manganese mining company in Canada and the US to commercialize EV Compliant High Purity Manganese, potentially supplying the North American supply chain. The Company intends on supplying value-added materials to the lithium-ion battery and other alternative energy industries, as well as striving to achieve new carbon-friendly more efficient methodologies, while processing manganese at a lower competitive cost.

Subsidiary Disruptive Battery Corp.'s mission is to develop an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) air purification delivery system for cleaner and healthier air, aiming to mitigate COVID-19 and other contaminants on surfaces and in the air. For more information visit the website at www.manganesexenergycorp.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

MANGANESE X ENERGY CORP.

Martin Kepman

CEO and Director

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 1-514-802-1814

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating to the future operations and activities of Company, such as exploration plans and the ability to potentially expand mineral resources and the impact thereon, and the receipt of TSX Venture Exchange acceptance of the Agreement, are forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Manganese X, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. These risks, as well as others, are disclosed within the Company's filing on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), which investors are encouraged to review prior to any transaction involving the securities of the Company. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Manganese X does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152411
Sudbury, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - McFarlane Lake Mining (OTCQB: MLMLF) (NEO: MLM) would like to cordially invite you to visit us at Booth #114 at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) to be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre West (1055 Canada Place, Vancouver) on Sunday January 29 - Monday January 30, 2023.

Notable keynote speakers include former Premier of BC Christy Clark and former Premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall. Other keynote speakers will include dozens of globally respected economists, legendary money managers, and investors.

We are entering a new era of de-globalization. The trust that allowed for global trade over the last 30 years has shifted irreversibly and countries are now scrambling to secure supplies of natural resources as a matter of national security. As a result, demand for key resources, will skyrocket. We have gathered over 300 companies that are exploring for and producing these natural resources so investors can position themselves accordingly, said Jay Martin, Host of the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference.

For more information and/or to register for the conference please visit: https://cambridgehouse.com/vancouver-resource-investment-conference.

We look forward to seeing you there.

About the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference:

The Vancouver Resource Investment Conference has been the epicentre of junior mining investment in Canada for 25 years and attracts over 5000 mining investors annually. Previous years have been attended by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former President of Mexico Felipe Calderon.

The VRIC will include a marketplace of over 300 investment opportunities in the mining industry, spanning early-stage exploration to advanced producing mines.

For further information:

Craig MacPhail

Investor Relations

416-525-5709

[email protected]

https://mcfarlanelakemining.com/
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Ophir Gold Corp.(TSXV: OPHR) (OTCQB: KPZIF) (FSE: 80M)(the "Company" or "Ophir")is pleased to announce the signing of a Service Agreement with Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd. ("Dahrouge Geological") for the evaluation and compilation of historical data in preparation for a spring/summer 2023 surface exploration program on the Radis Lithium Property (the "Property" or "Project") in James Bay, Quebec.

The data evaluation and compilation will include review of available historical exploration work reports over the Property and proximal areas, georeferencing and digitization of sample data and maps, as well as review and integration of Quebec's online SIGEOM database and Eastmain Resources Inc. (the 'Optionor') dataset specific to the Property. The compilation work will provide the basis for an aggressive surface exploration program across the Property targeting Lithium-Cesium-Tantalum (LCT) type pegmatite occurrences.

The spring/summer 2023 surface exploration program will include mapping and sampling (grab & channel) of the historically documented "lithium pegmatite" occurrence at Radis (Figure 1), as well as prospecting and rock sampling throughout the Yasinski Greenstone Belt, which underlies the majority of the Property. Ground geophysical and airborne LiDAR and Orthophoto surveys are also being considered. The spring/summer surface work will build the foundation of a potential fall drill program, which would be the first known to specifically target LCT pegmatites at Radis.

Jody Dahrouge, of Dahrouge Geological comments: "We are very excited to continue our working relationship with Ophir, extending it to the highly prospective Radis Property, which has never seen any significant exploration for LCT pegmatites. The Property is close to hydropower and road infrastructure and covers parts of the highly prospective Yasinski Greenstone Belt, which is host to several LCT pegmatites along trend to the west on the adjacent Mia Property held by Q2 Metals Corp. The lithium pegmatites discovered to date within the Yasinski Greenstone Belt at Mia and at Radis, suggest good potential for a large scale and highly fertile mineralizing system."

Management cautions that past results or discoveries on adjacent properties (i.e. Mia) is sourced from publicly available information and may not necessarily be indicative to the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties (i.e. Radis).





Figure 1: Radis Property geology and area lithium showings

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6338/152459_f0ca6d51d4a16b4e_001full.jpg.

Ophir also announces that, pursuant to its stock option plan, it has granted an aggregate of 1,960,000 options to purchase common shares in the capital of the Company to certain directors, officers and consultants of the Company, exercisable at a price of $0.23 per share for a period of five (5) years from the date of grant.

Disclosure

Darren L. Smith, M.Sc., P. Geo., Director and Vice President of Exploration for the Company, and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

About Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd.

Dahrouge Geological Consulting is a North American mineral exploration, consulting, and project management group based in Canada and the United States fit to provide professional geological, logistical, and project management services to the world's mining and mineral resource industry.

About the Radis Lithium Property

In December 2022, the Company entered into an option agreement to earn 100% interest in the Radis Property. The Radis Property consists of 152 claims totalling 7,850.3 hectares and is situated within a volcano-sedimentary sequence (i.e., a g greenstone belt) belonging to the Yasinski group. The greenstone belt over the Property contains at least one known lithium pegmatite and is considered highly prospective for additional lithium pegmatites, hosting a tight regional fold which may provide favourable zones of dilation for pegmatite emplacement.

About the Company

Ophir Gold Corp. is a gold exploration company focused on the exploration and development of its flagship property, the past producing Breccia Gold Property located in Lemhi County, Idaho, as well as new Radis Property in James Bay, Quebec.

The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Breccia Gold Property over a three-year period from Canagold Resources Ltd. (formerly Canarc Resource Corp.) and DG Resource Management Ltd.

The Company also has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Radis Lithium Property over a three-year period from Eastmain Resources Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fury Gold Mines Limited

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Shawn Westcott"

Ophir Gold Corp.

For further information, please contact:

Shawn Westcott, CEO

Phone 1 (604) 365 6681

[email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (referred to as "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Including statements relating to: (i) exploration plans for the Company's mineral properties, (ii) potential results of exploration programs, and (iii) the potential for and details of mineralization on the Company's properties. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risk related to the failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152459
Niagara County sheriff's officials are asking the public's help in locating a missing Middleport woman who has Alzheimer's.

Diane Harvey, 82, was last seen at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Authorities weren't sure what she was wearing but she may have had on a light red coat and was carrying her purse. Both of the items were missing.

Harvey was described as a white woman who is 5 foot 5 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds with gray hair and blue eyes.

Authorities asked anyone who sees her to call 911 or the sheriff's office at 716-438-3393.
Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Peruvian Metals Corp. (TSXV: PER) (OTCQB: DUVNF) ("Peruvian Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has changed its auditors from MNP LLP (the "Former Auditor") to Zeifmans LLP (the "Successor Auditor") effective January 17, 2022 (the "Effective Date").

At the request of the Company, the Former Auditor resigned as auditor of the Company effective the Effective Date and the Board of Directors of the Company appointed the Successor Auditor as the Company's auditor effective as of the Effective Date to hold office until the next annual meeting of the shareholders of the Company.

There were no modified opinions in the Former Auditor's reports in connection with the two most recently completed fiscal years of the Company. There are no "reportable events" (as that term is defined in National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations) between the Company and the Former Auditor.

In accordance with National Instrument 51-102, the resignation of the Former Auditor, the Appointment of the Successor Auditor, the notice of change of auditor, together with the required letters from the former auditor and the successor auditor, have been reviewed and approved by the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors and has been filed on www.SEDAR.com under the Company's profile.

More information about the Company can be found at www.SEDAR.com .

About Peruvian Metals Corp.

Peruvian Metals is a Canadian exploration and mineral processing company. The Company's business model is to provide toll milling services for clients and to produce high-grade concentrates from mineral purchases. The Company continues to acquire and develop precious metal and base metal properties in Peru

For further information on Peruvian Metals Corp. please visit www.peruvianmetals.com .

Peruvian Metals Corp. is a Canadian resource company listed on the

TSX Venture Exchange: Symbol "PER"

For additional information, contact: Jeffrey Reeder Tel: (647) 302-3290

Website: www.peruvianmetals.com Email: [email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. We use words such as "might", "will", "should", "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "believe", "estimate", "forecast" and similar terminology to identify forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Such statements and information are based on assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis made by management in light of its experience, current conditions and its expectations of future developments as well as other factors which it believes to be reasonable and relevant. Forward-looking statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements and information and accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on such statements and information. Risks and uncertainties are more fully described in our annual and quarterly Management's Discussion and Analysis and in other filings made by us with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. While the Company believes that the expectations expressed by such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information and the assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis underlying such expectations are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be correct. In evaluating forward-looking statements and information, readers should carefully consider the various factors which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements and forward-looking information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152504
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - Rockcliff Metals Corporation(CSE: RCLF) (OTCQB: RKCLF)("Rockcliff" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the start of a fully funded minimum 2,000 metres drill program at several of its 100% owned high-grade copper properties in Manitoba. The properties are strategically located and are part of the Company's extensive property portfolio located within the world class volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") hosted Flin Flon-Snow Lake Greenstone Belt. Strategic VMS mineralization targeted in the drill program includes metals of copper and zinc.

Rockcliff's Interim President and CEO Ken Lapierre commented, "We are pleased to announce that our winter drill program has commenced, and road clearing is progressing to two VMS properties with excellent potential for new discoveries. At the Bur Property, drilling will test several untested VMS geophysical targets located proximal to our existing, 100% owned high grade 5.3Mt Bur VMS Deposit. At the Penex Property, drilling will focus on a significant 2.6 kilometres long untested geophysical target located approximately four kilometres west of the world class Lalor VMS and Gold Mine. We will advance these properties with the goal of finding the next big discovery in this world class copper environment. With success, we look forward in releasing a steady stream of exciting results to the market in the first half of 2023."

Rockcliff remains the largest junior landholder in the in the Snow Lake mining camp area within the Flin Flon-Snow Lake Greenstone Belt (see Figure 1 below).

Figure 1: Location of the Bur and Penex Properties (circled in red) within Rockcliff's Extensive Land Position (in blue) will be the Focus of the Present Drill Program

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3071/152428_0ba1f669149b1a90_001full.jpg

Bur Property:

The 100% owned Bur Property hosts the Bur VMS Deposit and is located approximately 22 kilometres by gravel road from the center of the Snow Lake Mining Camp. The Bur VMS Deposit is a strategic, high-grade and significant resource of copper and zinc. It remains open at depth and along strike. Additional nearby exploration geophysical targets have been identified which will be tested in this drill program (see Figure 2 below).

Figure 2: Plan View of Bur VMS Deposit, Geology, Structure and Surrounding Targets for Winter Drilling

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3071/152428_0ba1f669149b1a90_002full.jpg

A total of 1,000 metres of drilling in four to six holes are planned in an area approximately 1,000 metres northeast of the Bur VMS Deposit. This area has a similar geological and structural environment to that associated with the Bur VMS Deposit.

Rockcliff completed a NI 43-101 Technical Report in Q4 2021 on the Bur Property and press released the report on November 22, 2021. The Technical Report prepared by Stantec, with an effective date of October 26, 2021, is summarized below:

Bur VMS Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate at a 2.3% CuEq Cut-Off Grade (1-12)

Classification Tonnes

(k) Cu

(%) Zn

(%) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) CuEq

(%) Cu

(Mlbs) Zn

(Mlbs) Au

(koz) Ag

(koz) CuEq

(Mlbs) Measured 338 1.54 3.58 0.05 12.94 2.87 11.48 26.68 0.54 140.62 21.39 Indicated 2,679 1.70 6.45 0.02 3.41 3.97 100.41 380.95 1.72 293.71 234.48 Measured/Indicated 3,017 1.69 6.13 0.02 4.48 3.84 112.37 407.59 1.94 434.41 255.33 Inferred 2.342 1.03 8.65 0.00 0.91 4.04 53.18 446.62 0.00 68.52 208.59

CIM definitions are followed for classification of Mineral Resource. Mineral resources are contained within a mineralized vein (zone) dipping at approximately 60 degrees towards the northwest whose closest vertical depth from surface is 6 m and maximum vertical depth is 1,274 m. Resources are constrained to a minimum true vein thickness of 0.2 m and where calculated block revenues after recovery are greater than costs for mining. CuEq (%) = Cu (%) + Zn (%) x 0.347 + Au(gpt) x 0.430 +Ag(gpt) x 0.005 ZnEq (%) = Cu (%) x 2.885 + Zn (%) + Au(gpt) x 1.241 + Ag(gpt) x 0.016 CuEq and ZnEq formulas are calculated using the following revenue inputs: Cu US$ 3.26/lb, Zn US$ 1.13/lb, Au US$ 1,744/oz, and Ag US$ 22.05/oz. Metal recoveries are: 80% Cu, 80% Zn, 40% Au and 40% Ag. Mining costs used to determine prospects for eventual economic extraction total C$110/t. US$ to C$ exchange rate applied is 1:1.31. Specific gravity for the mineralized zone is fixed at 3.1. Totals may not represent the sum of the parts due to rounding. The Mineral Resource estimate has been prepared by Derek Loveday, P. Geo. of Stantec Consulting Services Ltd. in conformity with CIM "Estimation of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves Best Practices" guidelines and are reported in accordance with the Canadian Securities Administrators NI 43-101. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that any mineral resource will be converted into mineral reserve. The 100% owned Bur Property is part of the Company's extensive Manitoba property portfolio, has excellent infrastructure with a year-round access road, clearing for portable buildings, and a box cut and portal. The Bur Property lies within the Flin Flon-Snow Lake greenstone belt, the largest Paleoproterozoic VMS district in the world and the most prolific VMS district in Canada.

A copy of the Technical Report is available on the Company's SEDAR issuer profile at www.SEDAR.com and the Company's website at http://rockcliffmetals.com.

Penex Property

The 100% owned Penex Property is located approximately four kilometres from Hudbay Mineral's world class Lalor VMS and Gold Mine. The Penex Property hosts several areas with VMS potential including the down-dip extension of Hudbay Minerals Pen VMS Deposit at 350 metres vertical and an untested 2.6 kilometres long airborne geophysical target approximately one kilometres west of the Penex VMS Deposit (see Figure 3 below).

Figure 3: Plan View of Bur VMS Deposit, Geology, Structure and Surrounding Targets for Winter Drilling

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3071/152428_0ba1f669149b1a90_003full.jpg

A total of 1,000 metres of drilling in four to six holes are planned to test the 2.6 kilometers long airborne geophysical target identified in historical airborne surveys and in a recently completed surface geophysical survey. Rockcliff will be targeting several areas along its length in order to determine its VMS significance.

Ken Lapierre P.Geo., Interim President and CEO of Rockcliff, a Qualified Person in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101, has read and approved the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for the disclosure contained in this press release.

About Rockcliff Metals Corporation

Rockcliff is a Canadian exploration and resource development Company with several advanced-stage, high-grade VMS copper-zinc dominant deposits in the Snow Lake area of central Manitoba. The Company is a major landholder in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake Greenstone Belt which is the largest Paleoproterozoic VMS district in the world, hosting high-grade mines and deposits containing copper, zinc, gold and silver. The Company's extensive portfolio of properties totals approximately 3,000 km and includes six 100% owned high grade, undeveloped VMS deposits. Rockcliff's (49% ownership) seventh high grade VMS deposit, the Talbot Copper Deposit, is a Joint Venture with Hudbay (51% ownership).

Find out more, visit our website:

Website: http://rockcliffmetals.com

For further information, please contact:

Rockcliff Metals Corporation

Ken Lapierre

Interim President & CEO

Cell: (647) 678-3879

[email protected]

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from the historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements contained in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking. Although Rockcliff believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not a guarantee of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152428
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2023) - T2 Metals Corp.(TSXV: TWO) (OTCQB: AGLAF) (WKN: A2DR6E)("T2" or the "Company")is pleased to announce the final closing of the flow-through and non flow-through private placement financing (the "Financing") announced on December 15, 2022.

The Company has issued a total of 1,269,800 units in the non flow-through portion of the Financing at a price of $0.29 per unit (a "NFT Unit") for gross proceeds of $368,242. Each NFT Unit consists of one common share (a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant (a "Warrant") is exercisable to purchase one additional Share at a price of $0.45 for three years from the date of issuance.

As announced on December 28, 2022, the Company previously issued a total of 1,820,678 units in the flow-through portion of the Financing at a price of $0.36 per unit (a "FT Unit") for gross proceeds of $655,444. Each FT Unit consists of one flow-through common share (a "FT Share") and one Warrant, exercisable to purchase one additional Share at a price of $0.45 for three years from the date of issuance. Finders' fees of $33,002 cash and non-transferable broker warrants to purchase 91,672 Shares, at a price of $0.29 per Share for three years, were paid on a portion of this closing.

Mr. Saxon, President & CEO, said, "We are pleased to begin the New Year demonstrating the support of existing and new shareholders with this Financing. We look forward to a busy year of discovery at a time when the mining industry has never been more critical."

All Shares and Warrants issued are subject to a four month hold period from the date of closing. Post expiration of the hold period, the Company can elect to accelerate the expiry of the Warrants in the event that the volume-weighted average trading price of its common shares on a stock exchange equals or exceeds $0.90 for twenty (20) consecutive trading days, in which case the Warrants will expire thirty (30) days after the date that the Company provides written notice of acceleration by way of the issuance of a press release announcing the same.

The proceeds from the issuance of the FT Units qualified as "flow-through mining expenditures" (the "Qualifying Expenditures"), as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and will be used for "Canadian exploration expenses". The Company renounced the Qualifying Expenditures to subscribers of FT Units for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. The proceeds from the issuance of NFT Units will be primarily used for exploration activities at the Company's properties, as well as for general working capital purposes.

The Financing remains subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company also announces that Mr. DeMare acquired 277,800 FT Units and Mr. Saxon acquired 200,000 NFT Units in the Company by way of their participation in the Financing. Messrs. DeMare and Saxon are insiders of the Company and their participation in the Private Placement constitute a "related party transaction" pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation or minority shareholder approval in connection with the participation in the Private Placement in reliance on the exemptions contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively, as the fair market value of the transaction does not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the Shares in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements.

About T2 Metals Corp (TSXV: TWO) (OTCQB: AGLAF) (WKN: A2DR6E)

T2 Metals Corp is an emerging copper and precious metal company enhancing shareholder value through exploration and discovery. T2 is focused on the Sherridon Project in Manitoba, the Lida Project in Nevada, and the Cora Project in Arizona.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

"Mark Saxon"

Mark Saxon

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

t2metals.com

1305 - 1090 West Georgia St.,

Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7

[email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Financing; the Company's ability to complete the Financing and receive acceptance from the Exchange to the completion of the Financing; the Company's proposed plans for the exploration of the Company's properties; and the intended uses of the proceeds from the Financing.. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from results contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the Company does not complete all or any part of the Financing; the Company does not receive regulatory acceptance to the Financing; changes in metal prices, changes in the availability of funding, unanticipated changes in key management personnel and general economic conditions. Mining is an inherently risky business. Accordingly the actual events may differ martially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward looking statements, oral or written, made by itself or on its behalf, unless otherwise required pursuant to applicable laws.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.



To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152495
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 24, 2023) - Whitehorse Gold Corp.(TSXV: WHG) (OTCQX: WHGDF)("Whitehorse Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to report the closing of its previously announced non-brokered private placement, whereby the Company issued a total of 12,807,500 Units at a price of $0.40 for gross proceeds of $5,123,000 for the entire private placement that was announced on November 4, 2022.

Whitehorse Gold intends to use the net proceeds of the private placement for working capital requirements and other general corporate purposes.

All securities issued in connection with the private placement are subject to a statutory hold period of four-months and one day. The Company paid a finder's fee in respect of those purchasers introduced to the Company by certain eligible persons (each a "Finder"). Each Finder received a cash payment of up to 6% of the gross proceeds received by the Company from purchasers introduced to the Company by the Finder. An aggregate finder's fee of $108,720 was paid to the three Finders, Leede Jones Gable Inc., Haywood Securities Inc. and Zhu Xiao Wen. The private placement remains subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

As insiders of the Company (including Silvercorp) participated in the private placement, any such subscriptions are considered to be related party transactions within the meaning of TSXV Policy 5.9 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions, which incorporates Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company intends to rely on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of such insider participation.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any United States state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States, nor will there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Whitehorse Gold

Whitehorse Gold is a mineral exploration and development company focusing on tin projects in Bolivia and a gold project near Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. The Company has recently signed agreements to acquire up to a 100% interest in the Porvenir Project and SF Tin Project, which are 70 km southeast of Oruro, Bolivia. The Company's 100% owned Skukum Gold Project is approximately 84 km south of Whitehorse by road. An independent Mineral Resource Estimate update was completed in October 2022. Skukum hosts 418,000 oz AuEq Indicated Mineral Resource and 517,000 oz AuEq Inferred Mineral Resource at respective average grades of 8.2 and 5.3 g/t AuEq. From 1986 to 1988, the project produced approximately 80,000 ounces of gold.

On Behalf of Whitehorse Gold Corp.

signed "Gordon Neal"

Gordon Neal, CEO & Director

For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations, Whitehorse Gold Corp.,

Phone: +1 (604)-336-5919

Email: [email protected]

www.whitehorsegold.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collective, "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding future plans with respect to the Offering and other future plans of Company, and objectives or expectations of the Company are forward-looking statements. Estimates of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources are also forward-looking information because they incorporate estimates of future developments including future mineral prices, costs and expenses and the amount of minerals that will be encountered if a property is developed. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions, factors and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. The opinions, assumptions, factors and estimates which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to: that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices; that there are no significant disruptions affecting operations, including labour disruptions, supply disruptions, power disruptions, security disruptions, damage to or loss of equipment, whether due to flooding, political changes, title issues, intervention by local landowners, environmental concerns, pandemics (including COVID-19) or otherwise; that the Company will be able to obtain and maintain governmental approvals, permits and licenses in connection with its current and planned operations, development and exploration activities, including at the Skukum Gold Project; that the Company will be able to meet its current and future obligations; that the Company will be able to comply with environmental, health and safety laws; and the assumptions underlying Mineral Resource estimates and the realization of such estimates.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others: social and economic impacts of COVID-19; actual exploration results; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; results of future Mineral Resource estimates; future metal prices; availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms; general economic, market or business conditions; uninsured risks; regulatory changes; defects in title; availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis; accidents or equipment breakdowns; delays in receiving government approvals; unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same; and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

Additional information in relation to the Company, including the Company's Annual Information Form, can be obtained under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.whitehorsegold.ca.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICESOR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152419
By Nandita Bose, Steve Holland and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States announced on Wednesday it will supply Ukraine with 31 advanced M1 Abrams tanks worth $400 million in a matter of months, a decision that helped break a diplomatic logjam with Germany over how best to help Kyiv in its war against Russia.

President Joe Biden announced the decision at the White House, saying the tanks are needed to help the Ukrainians "improve their ability to maneuver in open terrain."

Biden thanked Germany for its decision to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, and listed the other on-the-ground military hardware other NATO allies and other European countries were supplying. "Germany has really stepped up," he said.

"The expectation on the part of Russia is were going to break up, Biden said of the U.S. and European allies. But we are fully, totally and thoroughly united.

The United States had been cool to the idea of deploying the difficult-to-maintain Abrams tanks but had to change tack in order to persuade Germany to send its more easily used Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

The decisions by Washington and Berlin come as the Western allies help Ukraine prepare for a possible spring counter-offensive to try to drive Russia out of territory it has seized.

"There is no offensive threat to Russia" from the tanks, Biden said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any Abrams shipments would be a waste of money as they "burn" like other tanks in Ukraine.

The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, hailed the tank announcements as a "historic day" that would help determine the outcome of the war.

Biden said the U.S. decision was not in response to pressure from Germany, answering a reporter's shouted question. "Germany didn't force me to change my mind, we wanted to make sure we were all together," he said.

MONTHS FOR DELIVERY

The Abrams -- among the most powerful U.S. tanks -- will not be heading to Ukraine anytime soon.

Senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the decision said it will take months, not weeks, for the Abrams to be delivered and described the move in terms of providing for Ukraine's long-term defense.

Members of the Ukrainian military will be trained on using the Abrams in a yet-to-be determined location. While a highly sophisticated and expensive weapon, the Abrams is difficult to maintain and provides a logistical resupply challenge because it runs on jet fuel.

The total cost of a single Abrams tanks can vary, and can be over $10 million per tanks when including training and sustainment.

Senior administration officials said Biden had spoken to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on multiple occasions this month about assistance to Ukraine. He talked again on Wednesday to Scholz as well as to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron, both of whom are close allies in helping Ukraine.

"Today's announcement really was a product of good diplomatic conversations as part of our regular and ongoing close consultations with allies and partners on security assistance to Ukraine," said one official.

More announcements from U.S. allies on additional armored vehicle capability are expected, the official said.

"I am certain that many experts understand the absurdity of this idea," the Kremlin's Peskov said about the Abrams tanks. "The plan is disastrous in terms of technology," he said. "But above all, it overestimates the potential it will add to the Ukrainian army. These tanks burn just like all the others," Peskov told reporters.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday the U.S. decision on Abrams was part of conversations with the Germans about their reluctance to provide tanks and to demonstrate that the U.S. commitment was significant.

"The United States was willing to make a significant commitment to assist them in making theirs," the source said. "The tanks are an important capability and if it took U.S. leadership then that's what we were willing to do."

The United States will provide the tanks through a fund known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows Biden's administration to buy weapons from industry rather than taking them from existing U.S. weapons stocks. Buying them is a slower process.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Stacy Brooks Whatley Joins ACA

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Counseling Association (ACA) has named Stacy Brooks Whatley as chief communications and marketing officer (CCMO) effective Feb. 13.

An award-winning communications, marketing and content strategist, Brooks Whatley has more than 20 years of experience in association communications. As a member of the Executive team, Brooks Whatley will join in the ongoing work to strengthen the organization's value proposition.

"I look forward to working with Stacy in building critical communications and marketing strategies to advance ACA's mission and purpose," said CEO Shawn Boynes. "Her well-rounded expertise will contribute to elevating ACA's profile as well as more effectively position professional counselors to address the global mental health crisis."

"I am thrilled to join ACA at a time when the public conversation around mental health continues to gain momentum," said Brooks Whatley. "As a society, we're putting a new focus on facing our challenges  uncertainty, stress, trauma, loss  both collectively and as individuals. The perspective of professional counselors can inform discussions around how we confront these challenges and improve our mental health and well-being."

Brooks Whatley added that she looks forward to working with ACA members and leadership to ensure that the voice of the counseling profession is present and heard, that counselors are recognized for the critical role they play as part of the health care team, and that all in need of professional counseling have access to it "without stigma and red tape."

ACA's new CCMO most recently served as the director of marketing and communications for the American Physiological Society, overseeing strategic marketing, media relations, social media, website content strategy and overall communications outreach. Prior to that time, she worked for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and at Ogilvy Public Relations.

She also brings to ACA her experience as the editor in chief of a member-focused magazine and helping researchers better communicate their work to the media, the public and other researchers. She currently serves as president of Associations, Media and Publishing Network's Associations Council  a key membership organization for association publishers and content creators.

About ACA Founded in 1952 and based in Alexandria, Virginia, the American Counseling Association is the largest member organization of counseling professionals in the world. Our 54,000 plus members work in various settings, such as private practice, schools and universities, community clinics and government agencies. Our mission is to promote the professional development of counselors, to advocate for counselors, and to ensure that ethical and culturally inclusive practices protect our members' clients and all people who seek counseling services. We work to raise awareness about the myriad benefits provided by counseling and counseling professionals, such as marriage and family counseling, career counseling, addiction counseling and support for individuals who are facing mental health struggles and the challenges posed by everyday life in our fast-paced and sometimes stressful society. We believe everyone can benefit from the power of counseling.www.counseling.org

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SOURCE American Counseling Association
Ancora Training will provide Amazon hourly employees access to training programs in-person and online.

ARLINGTON, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ancora Education announced it has been selected as an education partner for Amazon's Career Choice program, providing Amazon's hourly employees access to education and upskilling opportunities in transportation and logistics, allied health, IT support, and skilled and professional trades. This is the fifth year Ancora Education has been accepted to provide education and training since 2018.

Programs leading to industry recognized credentials include:

CDL Class A Tractor Trailer

Medical Clinical Assistant

Medical Billing & Coding

Pharmacy Technician

IT Support Specialist

Aerospace Manufacturing Technician

Electrical Technician

Mechatronics

Combination Welding

Diesel-Heavy Truck Technician

CNC Machinist

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, & Basic Refrigeration

"We know that traditional degree programs aren't always the answer for some people, which is why we are proud to partner with Amazon to offer their employees a starting point for a new career. Not only can training programs like these drive retention, but they also can have a positive impact on the personal and professional growth of Amazon employees," said Natalie Williams, Vice President of Client Operations, Ancora Education. "Career Choice fosters a culture of learning and prepares employees for the future. As education partners, we're thrilled to once again be a part of their journey."

According to a recent Gallup report commissioned by Amazon, 71% of workers who took part in upskilling programs had greater satisfaction with their jobs and 69% said their quality of life had improved. In the same survey, young adults 18-24 valued upskilling as one of the top three most important benefits when considering a new job.

"Providing meaningful education and upskilling opportunities that lead to industry recognized credentialing is paramount to supporting and crafting the next generation of workforce in our country," said Andrea Snow, SVP of Academics & Career Services at Ancora Education. "Through Ancora Training program offerings, we are providing a quality, skills-focused opportunity leading to relevant and purposeful employment across a wide range of subject areas."

Amazon's Career Choice program is an education benefit that empowers employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. The program meets individual learners where they are on their education journey through a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including prepaid college tuition, foundational skills, and industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs. The company is investing $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 employees by 2025 to help move them into higher-paying positions.

Amazon's Career Choice program has a rigorous selection process for third-party partner educators, choosing partners that are focused on helping employees through their education programs, assisting them with job placements, and overall offering education that leads to career success.

"We're pleased to retain Ancora Training as an education partner for Career Choice, adding to the hundreds of best-in-class offerings available to our employees," said Tammy Thieman, Global Program Lead of Amazon's Career Choice program. "We're committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that's with us or elsewhere. We have intentionally created a partner network of third-party educators and employers committed to providing excellent education, job placement resources, and continuous improvements to the experience. Today, over 100,000 Amazon employees around the world have participated in Career Choice and we've seen first-hand how it can transform their lives."

For more information on Amazon's Career Choice, visit: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/career-choice

For more information on Ancora Training, visit: www.ancora.com

Ancora Education

Ancora Education is a leading workforce solutions provider addressing America's labor gaps through innovative and technology-driven technical education training programs specializing in healthcare, IT, business and skilled trades including CDL truck driving and other custom solutions. Ancora Education owns and operates six private, post-secondary school brands with 22 campus locations across the nation and offers focused training programs with corporate, community college, and government agency partners. Ancora Education network schools include: Arizona Automotive Institute (AAI), Berks Technical Institute (BTI), Edge Tech Academy, McCann School of Business & Technology, Miller-Motte College (MMC) and South Texas Vocational Technical Institute (STVT). Workforce solutions are provided by Ancora Training and Ancora Corporate Training. Learn more at www.ancora.com.

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SOURCE Ancora Corporate Training
Program distinguishes those who have advanced patient safety and achieved new efficiencies in care delivery

BELMONT, Mich., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AvaSure, the inventor of the TeleSitter solution and the market leader in acute virtual care and patient safety monitoring, today announced the winners of the 2022 AvaPrize awards.

The AvaPrize awards honor individuals and organizations who have advanced patient and staff safety, eased the working lives of nurses, and achieved new efficiencies in care delivery. Winners demonstrate the ever-evolving role of virtual care as it becomes a vital tool in patient care and staff augmentation throughout a healthcare organization.

"Every day across the nation, healthcare organizations rely on AvaSure's solutions to enhance patient safety, augment bedside care, and improve the efficiency of care delivery," said Adam McMullin, CEO, AvaSure. "We are proud to recognize these distinguished organizations and individuals  out of more than 1,000 of our hospital customers  who have demonstrated their commitment to advancing clinical quality and patient outcomes."

The honors include:

The Safety Net Award for the organization that demonstrates the most complete AvaSure TeleSitter program. The award went to MaineHealth , which has improved patient safety through fall prevention and increased nursing job satisfaction through its TeleSitter program. In addition to fall prevention, Maine Health has monitored 1,928 patients who were at low to moderate suicide risk, helping these vulnerable patients continue their journey of emotional and physical health.

, which has improved patient safety through fall prevention and increased nursing job satisfaction through its TeleSitter program. In addition to fall prevention, Maine Health has monitored 1,928 patients who were at low to moderate suicide risk, helping these vulnerable patients continue their journey of emotional and physical health. The Path to Zero Award for the organization with the most impressive fall reduction program centered around the TeleSitter program. The award went to ShorePoint Health for significantly reducing fall rates across multiple locations by up to 46% in their first year of implementation.

for significantly reducing fall rates across multiple locations by up to 46% in their first year of implementation. The Super Star Monitor Staff Member Award for the individual who consistently goes above and beyond to help measure success and uphold effective use of the AvaSure TeleSitter. The award went to Diane Norris of the remote visual monitoring team at Providence Health & Services-Oregon Region . Norris prioritizes building relationships with patients and delivering exceptional bedside care. She was a Providence caregiver for nearly 26 years before joining the remote visual monitoring team over a year ago. For Norris, it's about connecting with patients in a whole new way. Many just want someone to talk to, especially during COVID, when capacity was limited for guests.

of the remote visual monitoring team at . Norris prioritizes building relationships with patients and delivering exceptional bedside care. She was a Providence caregiver for nearly 26 years before joining the remote visual monitoring team over a year ago. For Norris, it's about connecting with patients in a whole new way. Many just want someone to talk to, especially during COVID, when capacity was limited for guests. The VA Healthcare System Award for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital that optimizes use of the AvaSure TeleSitter solution. The award went to VA North Texas Health Care System, which has monitored more than 2,500 patients through its TeleSitter program, increasing the utilization rate from 45% to 78%, greatly improving safety and efficiency measures.

During National Nurses Month in May, VA North Texas Health Care System nurse Juliet Aninye, LVN, Lead for the AvaSure TeleSitter Program, was honored with the Department of Veterans Affairs 2022 Secretary's Award for Excellence in Nursing and Advancement of Nursing Programs.

Aninye was recognized for her leadership in the delivery of patient care through the utilization of the AvaSure program. The VA National Nursing Awards reflect the high-level of professionalism and excellence in service VA nursing represents.

About AvaSureAvaSure provides the leading hospital virtual care platform to systems with nursing and staffing shortages that are challenged to significantly reduce labor costs without sacrificing patient health outcomes. Recently recognized by KLAS Research as the leader in reducing the cost of patient care, AvaSure is the pioneer in providing best-in-class, video-based AvaSure TeleSitter and TeleNurse solutions. As a trusted partner of more than 1,000 hospitals, AvaSure combines remote patient monitors, virtual nurses and other providers on a single platform to enhance clinical care without placing any additional burdens on existing staff. To learn more about AvaSure visit www.avasure.com.

Media contact: Marcia Rhodes, [email protected]

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SOURCE AvaSure
CO.DON continues business operations as a GmbH (limited liability company)

LEIPZIG and TELTOW, GERMANY, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With effect from 20.01.2023, CO.DON's business activities will be continued in the legal form of a GmbH (limited liability company) following a transferring reorganisation.

The asset deal with Rejuvenate GmbH, a company of the American-Chinese ReLive Group, concluded in October 2022 as a result of a structured M&A process, has now been successfully completed through the fulfilment of the suspensive contractual conditions. Rejuvenate GmbH, which is now renamed into CO.DON GmbH, took over the operative business and the cooperation with business partners and customers will continue seamlessly. The former CO.DON AG executive board member, who has been leading the company through the insolvency proceedings in self-administration, has been appointed managing director of CO.DON GmbH. The remaining liquidation of CO.DON AG in the regular insolvency proceedings will be carried out by lawyer Rudiger Wienberg, who has now been appointed insolvency administrator by the insolvency court. The asset deal was professionally accompanied by Dr. Wieselhuber & Partner GmbH under the leadership of the distressed M&A team led by Jorg Balz.

Tilmann Bur, Managing Director of CO.DON GmbH: "Thanks to the professional support of the administrator, Mr. Rudiger Wienberg, lawyer, and his team led by Michael Dohner, lawyer, as well as our advisors from Aderhold Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft, led by Patrick Klawa, lawyer, and Bianca Bottcher, lawyer, the structured M&A process has now been brought to this positive conclusion. As an important and integral part of the ReLive Group, there is a clear vision for the future of CO.DON GmbH. In addition to stable growth in our existing markets, we are aiming for a strong global positioning in the field of regenerative therapies."

Dr. Zhao, Founder and CEO of ReLive: With the acquisition of CO.DON, we are expanding our future-oriented business in the field of regenerative medicine with the only EMA-approved cell therapy product for cartilage repair. With this transaction, we are continuing our R&D and business development strategies to become a global leader in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine."

Rudiger Wienberg is delighted with the successful restructuring solution: "After continuing business operations since the summer of 2022, it was possible to implement a viable restructuring solution under the most difficult economic conditions together with the self-administration set up in the best possible way by the restructuring specialists from Aderhold. This not only secures the company's know-how and locations in Germany, but also saves over 90 % of the jobs. This would not have been possible without the trust of customers, employees and suppliers on the one hand and the support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action as well as the competent state authorities in Saxony and Brandenburg on the other - I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of them," says Wienberg. At the same time, Wienberg is optimistic that "from an economic point of view, this successful restructuring will also lead to a very good economic result for CO.DON AG's creditors".

CO.DON AG develops, produces and distributes autologous cell therapies for the minimally invasive repair of cartilage defects. The product being marketed is a cell therapy product for the minimally invasive treatment of cartilage damage in the knee joint that uses only the patient's own cartilage cells ("autologous chondrocytes"). CO.DON's method is currently used in over 200 clinics in Germany and more than 18,000 patients have already been treated. In July 2017 CO.DON AG received central EU marketing authorization for this product, followed by the marketing authorization for Switzerland in March 2019. At the Leipzig site, CO.DON has built one of the largest facilities for the production of human cells on an industrial scale for in-house and contract manufacturing. Managing Directors: Tilmann Bur / Chen Li.

Further information is available from www.codon.de.

Contact

Matthias MeinerDirector Corporate CommunicationsT: +49 (0)341 99190 330F: +49 (0)341 99190 309E: [email protected]

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SOURCE CO.DON GmbH
LONDON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The case of the former Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who has been engaged in ongoing legal disputes against Credit Suisse and its subsidiaries for over seven years has received widespread media coverage, including in Switzerland where the fraud and mismanagement were committed by the convicted Relationship Manager.

For several months, Mr. Ivanishvili and his representatives have avoided commenting on the case due to Credit Suisse instigating negotiations. However, it is now being reported that Mr. Ivanishvili alleged that the Bank was creating an illusion of negotiations and the Management of the Bank allegedly continued its campaign of political pressure against its former client.

Mr. Ivanishvili's representatives have released a statement which includes the following:

"Those who have followed this story will remember that the ongoing dispute with Credit Suisse went beyond the legal scope and became political shortly after the military conflict started in Ukraine in February 2022. Within weeks, Mr. Ivanishvili faced problems both with accessing funds and receiving works of art and aircraft. Although some issues were resolved with great effort via legal means, the principal problem of accessing funds continues and we consider this to be informal sanctioning. These funds are unconnected to the ongoing legal disputes in Switzerland, Bermuda and Singapore, but relate to the amounts that survived the mismanagement and fraud at Credit Suisse. The majority of these funds were transferred to another Swiss bank, but around 5%, remained at Credit Suisse because of a formal requirement to ensure the viability of the ongoing disputes.

The said assets were and are managed through two trusts, financial structures which were recommended to Mr. Ivanishvili by Credit Suisse. One trust is located in Singapore and the other trust is under the jurisdiction of the Guernsey Islands (a British dependency) and it is the latter that manages the remaining funds at Credit Suisse. There is also the nuance that, in the absence of the Bank's consent, the closing of the trusts requires a convoluted legal procedure and although the majority of the assets were transferred to another bank, the trust is still managed by the trustees appointed by Credit Suisse and made disbursements in line with the Beneficiaries' wishes. However, since the start of the confict in Ukraine, the Beneficiaries encountered serious obstacles, including delays with disbursements, and the complete blocking of access to the funds. Mr. Ivanishvili alleges that these actions represent informal sanctioning."

Although the lawsuits in Singapore and Bermuda are ongoing, the disputes in both jurisdictions are long-standing: the lawsuit in Bermuda was filed in 2016, and the final determination of jurisdiction in Singapore was confirmed in March 2020. Thus, the final submissions stage in which the parties referred to new facts, evidence and claims was filed in November 2021. Accordingly, Mr. Ivanishvili was advised that the issue of access to the funds could no longer be brought to the attention of the Courts as part of the ongoing disputes. Nevertheless, during the Singapore court hearing in September 2022, Mr. Ivanishvili appeared as a witness and claimed that Credit Suisse not only forced him to claim the defrauded and mismanaged funds in different jurisdictions for years, but had also not made the payments in breach of the the Geneva Court order at the criminal trial of the Relationship Manager in 2018. Moreover, Credit Suisse had restricted access to the residual funds withdrawn from the Bank but remaining under the management of trustees appointed by Credit Suisse.

As a result, the Court asked Credit Suisse the question of why non-disputed funds were not transferred to the client. Following this exchange, Credit Suisse initiated negotiations with Mr. Ivanishvili, and during this process they returned a significant part of the amount that had been ordered by the Swiss court three years earlier. In December 2022, Mr. Ivanishvili was paid the interest accrued due to late payment of the aforementioned amount and the Bank also paid the amount that the Singapore trust of Credit Suisse did not dispute. Mr. Ivanishvili has since claimed these payments were an illusionary attempt by Credit Suisse to act in good faith to project a positive image to the Court and considers all illusions have ended.

On 14th December 2022, the European Parliament voted on a resolution recommending the imposition of sanctions against Mr. Ivanishvili, but this has not been adopted by the executive bodies of the European Union. Against this background, Credit Suisse made the last transfers to the client and it is now claimed that this development has prevented resolution of the issues with the Guernsey trust. This claim is strengthened by the fact that the assets have been transferred away from Credit Suisse and the Bank and its appointed Trustees should have no interest in not following the Beneficiaries' instructions. As a result, Mr. Ivanishvili sees this obstructive action as 'political pressure' as it was in March when Credit Suisse claimed the delays in making disbursements was due to "the geopolitical situation in Eastern Europe".

Mr. Ivanishvili alleges that Credit Suisse has a record of using draft resolutions of the European Parliament to justify delays in making disbursements from the Guernsey Trust. Following the first of these on 9th June 2022, Credit Suisse stated that the Trust was unable to make disbursements; however, the resolution was not adopted at the European Council meeting in July and there was no legal basis why these could not be made. As a result, an application was filed in the Guernsey Court to return the Trust's assets, but the one-day hearing has been postponed on numerous occasions and although this is planned for March, Mr. Ivanishvili believes the date will be postponed again. As a result, during the negotiations, Mr. Ivanishvili's representatives proposed to to settle the issue of the money frozen by the Guernsey trust in a short time without the involvement of the Court, but this offer was not accepted.

The situation is further complicated by a lack of consistency in the management of the trusts. Allegedly, one of the trusts does not make distributions and forces the Beneficiaries to seek legal redress for disbursements, with the Trustees referencing the June resolution of the European Parliament, whilst the other trust is able to make disbursements to the Beneficiaries as required, despite the further resolution in December and was clearly not a problem for the Management of Credit Suisse. It is claimed that this is the real "price" of the resolution of the European Parliament, and Credit Suisse knows this "price". It would be correct for the Bank to act in the first case as well as in the second case. Under these conditions, it turned out that both resolutions could be ignored in order to avoid the negative impression of the Singapore Court.

Mr. Ivanishvili claims that this shows Credit Suisse's campaign of political pressure is continuing and, as a result, Mr. Ivanishvili and his advisers are now considering a campaign to publicise additional information on the situation as well as releasing evidence on how, in his opinion, the Management of Credit Suisse has damaged the reputation of the Bank and the image of Switzerland itself.

For further information, please contact [email protected] or visit https://csvictims.com/

Information for editors

CS Victims was established by the representatives of certain clients of Credit Suisse.

They are victims of an estimated $1 billion fraud perpetrated by the Bank's personnel over seven years. At least one of Credit Suisse's employees has been convicted of fraud and FINMA has highlighted failures in Credit Suisse's systems and controls which led directly to crimes being committed.

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SOURCE CS Victims
GATC to highlight its AI-driven addiction solutions to a national audience attending to learn how to allocate the tens of billions of dollars resulting from opioid abatement settlements for states, counties, municipalities and tribes; Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, will be the keynote speakers

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GATC Health Corp, a science and technology company revolutionizing drug discovery and disease prediction using artificial intelligence (AI), today announced that Tyrone Lam, COO of GATC Health, will present the company's fentanyl abatement drug candidates that were identified by GATC's AI-based drug discovery and development platform. The novel created by GATC are currently in preclinical drug evaluation studies. Guidelines allocated a portion of the Opioid Abatement Settlement funds for research and development, which includes GATC's opioid addiction abatement projects.

GATC will present AI-driven addiction solutions to a national audience of states, counties, municipalities and tribes

The allocation of opioid settlement funds to states has already begun, yet many states are lagging in their efforts to organize an adequate abatement plan or council to direct and oversee the distribution. The Opioid Settlement Abatement Summit  Model Guidance for States, Counties, Municipalities and Tribes will take place on Thursday January 26th, 2023 at Georgetown University and virtually, and focus on providing model abatement guidance for states, counties, municipalities and tribes to effectively plan for, implement and track opioid settlement funds. The goal of the event is to highlight effective programs, initiatives and tools that are easily adopted and should be considered in state abatement plans as funding begins to come in.

The day-long program will emphasize the importance of ensuring states, counties, municipalities and tribes fully comprehend the unique opportunity they have to ensure that the settlement funds they receive are appropriately used to abate the opioid and overdose crisis in their communities. The program moderator will be Dr. Stephen Loyd, NSUDSAP Advisory Panel member, Chief Medical Officer, Cedar Recovery and Chairman of the Tennessee Abatement Council, along with Dr. Rahul Gupta (ONDCP) and Regina LaBelle (O'Neill Institute) as our keynote speakers. The agenda will include a series of additional prominent speakers with expertise in priority areas related to opioid abatement efforts covering topics such as, the Recovery Ecosystem Index and Settlement Fund Tracking tools, the U.S. System of Care for Individuals in Recovery, Emergency Department and Hospital In-patient Services, and the Importance of MAT in the Correctional System. The event will include academic and independent affiliate partners such as: Georgetown University School of Medicine, East Tennessee State University (ETSU), Addiction Sciences Center; GATC Health; Volunteers of America, Mid-States; Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice; the Florida State Attorney's Office; and Legal Services Corporation, to name a few. Equally prominent will be highlighting the successes and challenges of ongoing opioid litigations and the policies that have evolved to help reduce the harms associated with drug addiction.

About GATC Health

GATC Health Corp is a science and technology company revolutionizing disease prediction and drug discovery and development through its transformative AI platform and approach, which de-risks drug pipelines and accelerates new therapies to treat disease with accuracy, efficiency and speed never before achieved in medical science. The company's validated and proprietary Multiomics Advanced Technology (MAT) platform simulates human biochemistry's billions of interactions for accurate and rapid disease prediction, novel target identification, and drug discovery and development. GATC envisions the future of medicine now, where health is protected, disease is reversed, and every person's unique biology is treated with precision.

GATC is accelerating the future of predictive, individualized medicine, today.

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SOURCE GATC Health Corp
MONTREUX, Switzerland and PARIS-LA DEFENSE, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Glion Institute of Higher Education, a benchmark business school specializing in hospitality and luxury professions; and ESSEC Business School, a leading management institution, are joining forces to offer a Global Executive Master's degree in Hospitality Leadership. This innovative program will meet the needs of professionals wishing to access strategic positions and specialize in the sector while combining these studies with their work lives by means of a part-time digital program.

ESSEC benefits from a long expertise in hotel management training. Its flagship program IMHI (originally named Institut du Management Hotelier International) was launched more than 40 years ago and has trained over the decades more than 1,700 highly qualified managers who occupy key positions in the sector. ESSEC's management training programs give executives, managers and directors with the keys to combining operational skills with new managerial and strategic responsibilities.

Thanks to its partnerships with major companies and its 62,000 graduates worldwide, the School benefits from an extensive network offering access to permanent contacts with the professional world and thus widening the spectrum of possibilities.

Founded in Switzerland, Glion Institute of Higher Education celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2022. The excellence of its teaching is linked to its unique pedagogical approach, which combines demanding practice with extremely robust academic knowledge. The Institute ranks among the world's top hospitality management schools, particularly in terms of employer reputation (QS World University Rankings, 2022) and its alumni hold some of the most influential positions in the hospitality world.

The Global Executive Master's in Hospitality Leadership will welcome its first participants in November 2023. The program includes four 12-week online teaching modules as well as four six-day sessions on the various Glion and ESSEC campuses: Glion in Montreux, Switzerland, ESSEC in Singapore, Glion London and ESSEC Paris-La Defense.

The curriculum concludes with a final project or applied business project to be completed within 15 months of the start of the program. This entrepreneurial project is at the heart of the learning approach in order to help students contribute to future solutions as well as adapt to the changes and challenges facing the hospitality industry.Module composition:

Module 1  New frontiers in the hotel industry

Module 2  Improving financial performance

Module 3  Achieving operational excellence

Module 4  Guiding transformation.

Participants will have the opportunity to consolidate and acquire new technical, managerial, organizational, marketing and economic skills; to understand and analyze major hospitality industry trends and market opportunities; as well as to draw up action plans in order to develop their strategic vision.

Upon completing the course, participants will obtain a Global Executive Master's in Hospitality Leadership worth 30 US credits awarded by Glion and ESSEC Business School, which will enable them to make a difference and seize opportunities to accelerate their careers.

Francine Cuagnier, Head of Marketing at Glion Institute of Higher Education said: "Hospitality management is constantly evolving and progressing in step with the acceleration of new technologies and new customer demands. This program will offer the opportunity to develop soft skills in terms of leadership and innovation, as well as master the financial and economic fundamentals necessary to develop a solid and successful long-term strategy."

Vincenzo Vinzi, Dean and President ESSEC Business School commented, "Thanks to this excellence-driven partnership, ESSEC is strengthening its expertise and academic offering in the field of hospitality. This will enable professionals to train and transform themselves by acquiring cutting-edge knowledge as well as expertise and soft skills that will empower them to be responsible and influential leaders in the hospitality industry who will be able to combine value creation and sustainability."

About Glion Institute of Higher Education

Founded in 1962, Glion Institute of Higher Education (GIHE) is a Swiss institution offering bachelor's and master's degrees in hospitality, luxury and finance across three campuses in Switzerland and London, UK to an international student body.Glion has ranked amongst the world's top five for higher education institutions in Hospitality Management and top three in Employer Reputation since its entry into the rankings in 2018 (QS World University Rankings, 2022).Part of Sommet Education, worldwide leader in management education specializing in hospitality professions, Glion is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).For more information glion.edu/fr/

About ESSEC Business School

Founded in 1907, ESSEC is a major player in management education on the world stage, holding the "Triple Crown" of EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA accreditations. With 7,060 undergraduate students, a wide range of management programs, partnerships with the world's leading universities, a network of 62,000 graduates, a faculty of 163 permanent professors in France and Singapore, including 19 emeritus professors, recognized for the quality and influence of their research, ESSEC perpetuates a tradition of academic excellence and cultivates a spirit of openness in the service of economic, social, and innovation activities. In 2005, ESSEC opened a campus in Asia, ESSEC Asia-Pacific, strategically located in Singapore. This campus represents an opportunity for ESSEC to participate in the growth of Asia and to bring its expertise to this booming region. In 2016, ESSEC opened a new ESSEC Africa campus in Rabat, Morocco. ESSEC's international expansion enables its students and faculty to study and understand the economic forces at play in different regions of the world. For more information: www.essec.edu

Press contacts:Glion: Anouck Weiss, [email protected]ESSEC: Vitaline Gomes, [email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1989918/Glion_ESSEC_New_Program.jpgLogo : https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1981416/Glion_Logo.jpg

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SOURCE Glion Institute of Higher Education
The Cleantech Global 100 Expert Panel Selects Gradiant for its Innovative Suite of Technologies

BOSTON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gradiant, a global solutions provider for advanced water and wastewater treatment, has been named on Cleantech Group's 2023 Global Cleantech 100. The Global Cleantech 100 is an annual list of the most innovative and promising companies in clean technology. Gradiant was recognized for this honor at the 2023 Cleantech Forum North America Dinner on January 24th in Palm Springs, CA.

"To be on the Global Cleantech 100 speaks to the level of innovation Gradiant has achieved thus far, such as leveraging machine learning to optimize a wastewater system's performance," says Anurag Bajpayee, Co-Founder & CEO of Gradiant. "Some of the world's leading innovators of clean technology are represented on this list, for our company to be recognized is an honor in the water industry."

The industries covered on the Global Cleantech 100 include: Agriculture & Food, Enabling Technologies, Energy & Power, Materials & Chemicals, Resources & Environment, and Transportation & Logistics. Their expert panel is made up of 81 leading investors, corporate and industrial executives who are active in technology and innovation scouting. Only a few water companies were represented Gradiant was chosen for differentiating its industrial water reuse strategies and its machine learning AI capabilities with SmartOps Digital.

By integrating a Gradiant wastewater system with SmartOps Digital, a patented AI platform for asset performance management, it will harness machine learning to optimally treat the most complex industrial process and wastewater streams with less maintenance costs, operation costs, and higher recovery. With 45% of the world's water used by industry, water reuse and resource recovery is pivotal to avoid global water scarcity.

"We are finding new ways to improve and optimize for sustainability, our use of SmartOps Digital for industrial process water exemplifies that," stated Prakash Govindan, Co-Founder and COO at Gradiant. "The facility's digital twin uses AI to allow for the system to proactively and efficiently highlight maintenance and areas of improvement, resulting in a maximum reliability."

Gradiant is proud to be selected to the Global Cleantech 100 in 2023 with its innovative suite of solutions to treat the world's most critical water problems. For more on SmartOps Digital or to see more of Gradiant's technologies, visit Gradiant.com.

About Gradiant

Gradiant is a global solutions provider for advanced water and wastewater treatment. With a full suite of differentiated and proprietary end-to-end solutions, powered by the top minds in water, Gradiant serves its clients' mission-critical operations in the world's essential industries. Gradiant was founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is uniquely positioned to address the world's increasing challenges created by industrialization, population growth, and water stress. Today, with over 525 employees, Gradiant operates from its global headquarters in Boston, regional headquarters and Global Innovation Center in Singapore, and offices across twelve countries. For more information, please visit gradiant.com.

About Cleantech Group

Cleantech Group provides research, consulting and events to catalyze opportunities for sustainable growth powered by innovation. The company brings clients access to the trends, companies and people shaping the future and the customized advice and support businesses need to engage external innovation.

Corporate Contact:Felix WangGradiant, VP of Marketing[email protected]

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SOURCE Gradiant
NORTHBROOK, Ill., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Real Estate, LLC (HRE) was hired by Michael S. Polsky, Esq., Wis. Stats. Chapter 128 Receiver, to sell this turnkey, 9,989 SF medical facility on 1.36 acres located at 4216 S. Green Bay Road in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. Working in conjunction with the Chapter 128 Receiver, HRE established March 2, 2023, at 4 p.m. (CT) as the bid deadline for the sale, with a minimum bid of $200,000.

Set on the corner of Braun and Green Bay Road, the facility offers high visibility and easy access to highways 32, 31, 20, and Interstate 94. The building also sits in a centralized location with easy access to multiple markets ranging from Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha to the northern suburbs of Chicago. This facility provides the opportunity for office users, medical or chronic pain management users, operators and investors alike to add a location or relocate to a turnkey building at a competitive price. The site is ready to accommodate a variety of tenants with 17+ patient rooms, three procedure rooms, multiple offices, a centralized nurses' station, a spacious patient intake area, a conference room, a facility lounge, a designated outdoor picnic area and 42 surface parking spaces.

Supported by a strong local population in the Racine/Mount Pleasant area, nearby tenants include Ascension All Saints Hospital, Racine Veterinary Hospital, Animal ER of Kenosha/Racine, Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative, Inc. (LUMIN Schools), Walmart, Menards, The Home Depot and Regency Mall. This corridor benefits from an ideal mix of medical operators, retail stores and residential developments and is expected to grow steadily in the coming years.

Steve Madura, senior vice president at Hilco Real Estate, stated, "With the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, an aging population and a general desire for more immediate and accessible health care options, facilities like this are currently in incredibly high demand. Moreover, the building has numerous other potential re- uses, including office and showroom. Combined with the building's strong location, stellar visibility and a minimum bid of only $200,000, we are confident that this offering will garner significant interest from users and investors alike!"

Michael Polsky, the court-appointed receiver, added, "This property is the last remaining asset in the wind-down and liquidation of Advanced Pain Management. It is priced to sell and will be a highly reusable building for another business who wants a prominent location in this market."

The sale is being conducted by Michael S. Polsky, Esq. in his capacity as Wis. Stats. Chapter 128 Receiver, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Circuit Court Case No. 20-CV-005600 and has a minimum bid of $200,000. All bids must be received on or before the deadline of March 2, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. (CT) and must be submitted in compliance with the offer submission procedures available for review and download from Hilco Real Estate's website.

To learn more about the services HRE offers, please visit HilcoRealEstate.com or call (855) 755-2300.

About Hilco Real Estate Hilco Real Estate ("HRE"), a Hilco Global company (HilcoGlobal.com), is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois (USA). HRE is a national provider of strategic real estate disposition services. Acting as an agent or principal, HRE uses its experience to advise and execute strategies to assist clients in deriving the maximum value from their real estate assets. By leveraging multi-faceted sales strategies & techniques, aggressive repositioning and restructuring experience, a vast and motivated network of buyers and sellers, and substantial access to capital, HRE exceeds expectations even in the most complex transactions.

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SOURCE Hilco Real Estate
The clinical practitioner, public health leader, and policy advocate has devoted her career to advancing social justice and health equity.

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alameda Health System (AHS) announced today that Kinkini Banerjee has been named president of the AHS board of trustees. The board is the governing body of AHS, the public health care provider and medical training institution that has served Alameda County since 1864.

"I am honored to assume the responsibilities of the chair of the board in the 159th year of Alameda Health System's evolution," said Banerjee. "AHS is a vital anchor institution of Alameda County. As we face multiple overlapping crises including the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating physical and mental illness, injustice and health inequities, AHS is dedicating resources and infrastructure to break barriers to equitable access to care, treatment, and health. I look forward to working with our board, AHS staff, county leaders, patients, and partners to expand integrated, culturally congruent, seamless continuums of care that honor the humanity, dignity, and agency of everyone we serve in our richly diverse county."

Banerjee has served as a trustee of the board at AHS for nine years, during which she acted as board liaison to the AHS health, equity, diversity, and inclusion (HEDI) steering committee. She brings over two and half decades of experience in the non-profit sector, clinical and public health practice, policy advocacy, and philanthropy addressing a broad range of issues impacting the health, social, and economic well-being of infants, children, women and gender-expansive persons, families, and communities of color. Banerjee is the founder and principal of Sage Transformations, an organization and systems transformation firm. Previously, she served as director of coalitions at the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC). She is a past president of the board of Building Futures, which works to end homelessness and violence among women and families.

"As a trustee, Kinkini Banerjee provided invaluable support and guidance through the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of enormous change in health care. She has been a force for transformation who was instrumental in stabilizing our organization, strengthening our culture, and ushering in the adoption of a new strategic plan. At this pivotal time for AHS, I have no doubt that she is the right person to lead the AHS board of trustees. I look forward to partnering with her to serve our mission," said James Jackson, CEO of Alameda Health System.

Banerjee is South Asian Indian and the first immigrant to hold the position of board president at AHS. She succeeds Dr. Taft Bhuket, who served as president of the board of trustees from 2021 to 2023.

"My deepest gratitude to the beloved Alameda Health System staff family and our dedicated Board of Trustees, and to leaders at all levels of positional authority who came before us. We build on their efforts every single day to do and be better today than we were yesterday. I want to especially thank outgoing Chair, Dr. Bhuket, for his committed, fearless leadership as Board Chair to steward AHS at a time of organizational transition," said Banerjee.

About Alameda Health System

Alameda Health System (AHS) is a leading public integrated health care provider and medical training institution recognized for its world-class patient and family-centered care. AHS provides comprehensive medical treatment, health promotion and disease prevention throughout our integrated network of hospitals, clinics and health services. AHS includes three acute care hospitals, four ambulatory care wellness centers, four post-acute facilities and the only psychiatric emergency department in Alameda County. AHS is committed to promoting wellness and optimizing the health of the community through the mission of caring, healing, teaching and serving all. For more information, visit AlamedaHealthSystem.org.

CONTACT: Eleanor AjalaManager, Media and CommunicationsAlameda Health System(510) 421-9222[email protected]

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SOURCE Alameda Health System
Leading life science platforms join to accelerate customers' roadmap toward Data+Intelligence

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- L7 Informatics, the leader in DATA+INTELLIGENCE for the scientific enterprise, and Tag.bio, the leader in data mesh (a self-service, no-code/low-code, decentralized, domain-driven software platform), today announced a partnership that will enable organizations to remain sustainable at scale, and adapt to agile and growing needs.

"We are excited to partner with L7 to help their customers accelerate their digital transformation ..."

L7 is integrating Tag.bio's data mesh platform into its "life-leading unified platform," L7|ESP, and offering it to all existing and new customers. A virtual data mesh provides the best strategy to provide the most up-to-date data needed to make decisions and move life science, diagnostics, agriculture, and research customers toward real-time decision-making and problem-solving.

"We are excited to partner with L7 to help their customers accelerate their digital transformation and extract more value from their data," said Tom Covington, CEO of Tag.bio. "This partnership will provide L7 customers with an extensible data mesh at scale and will directly support L7's Data+Intelligence mission."

L7|ESP is a unified and composable platform with a single data fabric that reduces the total cost of operations while enabling the digital transformation of biologics operations, including research, process development, clinical operations, manufacturing, and quality control. The platform complies with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has several pre-built, best-in-class applications. L7| ESP's REST API library and Python SDK enable flexibility and extensibility to meet customer-specific requirements.

"L7 will work with Tag.bio to accelerate our customers' roadmap towards Data+Intelligence," said L7 CEO & President Vasu Rangadass, Ph.D. Adding, "L7 is working on several customer use cases in pharma, biotech, CDMO, and diagnostic markets. This solution will provide a valuable piece of the Data+Intelligence puzzle."

About L7 Informatics:L7 Informatics reimagines data intelligence for modern life sciences and healthcare organizations, optimizing the flow of information between processes and people, unlocking innovation at every stage of the clinical, research, and manufacturing value chains. Our comprehensive operating environment and software stack bring flexible, secure, and collaborative data+intelligence to life sciences organizations. Our end-to-end transformation engine helps solve today's challenges and realize tomorrow's opportunities.

About Tag.bioTag.bio enables organizations to securely derive insights using data-as-products in a data mesh architecture. Customers use Tag.bio's data science platform to discover, share, and unite diverse, siloed data sets and execute workloads using a no-code/low-code data mesh framework. The data science platform (available in AWS and Azure Marketplaces) combines data sets, smart APIs, statistical and machine learning algorithms into data products (application layer) for users to discover insights via apps. Learn more at https://tag.bio.

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SOURCE L7 Informatics
Chicago-based Public Relations Firm Leading the Way in Diversity and Growth

CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a year of outstanding client satisfaction and communications excellence, Morreale Communications announced today it had won coveted Gold and Silver Stevie Awards in the 19th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, employees and the companies they run worldwide. The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world's premier business awards. The honors come as Morreale expands its presence within the transportation, infrastructure, healthcare, utilities and public affairs sectors.

"We appreciate The Stevie Awards for recognizing our commitment to expanding beyond Illinois markets with a workforce that propels women and minorities into meaningful careers," said Kim Morreale McAuliffe, founder and CEO of Morreale Communications.

Morreale Communications won in the following categories:

Fastest Growing Company - Gold Award

Morreale Communications recently doubled its divisions to support a growing client base. evidenced by a nearly 60% increase in clients between 2020 and 2021, and 40% increase to date along with an overall client retention rate of 95 percent. Part of this expansion includes the firm's emerging healthcare practice, which earned 2021 Stevie Awards for innovative COVID-19 response campaigns. Morreale has also seen annual workforce growth of 30 percent, including an expanding presence in the state capital, Springfield, Ill. At least 10 new full-time employees are expected to join the firm by 2023.

Achievement of Diversity and Inclusion - Silver Award

Boasting a 100% female and minority leadership team, and an 82%female and minority workforce, Morreale Communications is one of Illinois's largest privately held female-owned public relations firms. Its commitment to diversity and equity includes a focus on ethnicity, race, gender and age. As a certified WBE and BEP agency, 100 percent of its work contributes to clients' goals of a more diverse supplier network.

About Morreale Communications

Morreale is a leading certified woman-owned business that partners with businesses and organizations during times of change, crisis and opportunity. Driven by the desire to empower clients by activating their voices, clients seek the firm out to deliver fully integrated communications solutions that connect, engage and educate audiences to transform outcomes. Learn more about the award-winning firm at https://www.morrealecomm.com.

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SOURCE Morreale Communications
Commissioner's Office and NICB Personnel Deployed to Catastrophe Claims Village

DES PLAINES, Ill., Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Deadly tornados moved across the Southeast earlier this month impacting thousands of homeowners and business owners alike. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King is reminding residents to stay vigilant when hiring a contractor, or other vendors, to make repairs to homes and businesses.

NICB agents will be on the ground alongside the GA Commissioner's staff providing support for victims in need.

"Following the impacts of powerful tornados causing devastation to homes in the Southeast, dishonest contractors will work to defraud individuals in their time of need," said NICB President and CEO David Glawe. "We know residents want to get back on their feet, but this is not a time to let your guard down. Protect yourself and your loved ones from these criminals."

"Unfortunately, bad actors know to target victims at their most vulnerable, such as after a storm-related loss," said Commissioner King. "Beware of anyone who shows up at your home or place of business immediately after a storm. Your first call after a disaster should be to your insurance company to file a claim. Whether it's a contractor or public adjuster, do your research and verify credentials before signing any contracts or agreeing to any services."

Commissioner King recently announced that he is deploying agency staff to assist Georgia residents by setting up a local Catastrophe Claims Village. NICB agents will be on the ground alongside the Commissioner's staff providing boots on the ground support for victims in need.

The village will be held at the Oxford Village Shopping Center 921 Memorial Dr. Griffin, GA 30223 this Wednesday, January 25 and Thursday, January 26 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Those unable to attend the event are encouraged to call the Consumer Services Hotline for assistance at 1-800-656-2298, available Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Before hiring a contractor, call your insurance company. There is no need to rush into an agreement with a contractor who solicits your repair work, especially if it was not requested.

NICB and Commissioner King suggest the following tips before hiring a contractor:

Get more than one estimate.

Get everything in writing. Cost, work to be done, time schedules, guarantees, payment schedules, and other expectations should be detailed and itemized.

Request references and do the research.

Ask to see the salesperson's driver's license and write down the license number and their vehicle's license plate number.

Look out for out-of-state contractor licenses, as well as vehicle registrations, as these may also indicate possible fraudulent contractors.

Never sign a contract with blanks; terms you don't agree with can be added later.

Never pay a contractor in full or sign a completion certificate until the work is finished.

Ensure reconstruction is up to current code.

Make sure you review and understand all documents sent to your insurance carrier. Signing an Assignment of Benefits agreement transfers your insurance rights to the contractor. Know what that means for you.

Never let a contractor pressure you into making a quick decision or hiring them.

Never let a contractor interpret the language of your insurance policy.

Never let a contractor discourage you from contacting your insurance company. Contact your insurance company first.

Remember, if you didn't request it, reject it!

Furthermore, some deceitful contractors will state they are supported by the government. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not endorse individual contractors or loan agencies. Always request official identification from those claiming to represent governmental agencies. Consumers should call FEMA for more specifics at (800) 621-FEMA.

If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, call the NICB at 1-800-TEL-NICB. For additional information, visit NICB's website, www.NICB.org.

REPORT FRAUD: Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800.TEL.NICB (800.835.6422) or submitting a form on our website.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU: Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to combatting and preventing insurance crime through Intelligence, Analytics, and Operations; Education and Crime Prevention; and Strategy, Policy, and Advocacy. The NICB is supported by more than 1,200 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote over $582 billion in insurance premiums in 2021, or more than 82% of the nation's property-casualty insurance. That includes more than 96% of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more, visit www.nicb.org.

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SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau
"Chicago H-1B Connect" Coalition Launches Campaign and Job Board Featuring Career Opportunities Open to International Tech Talent; More Companies Joining Daily

CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- P33 and World Business Chicago, today announced that they have formed the Chicago H-1B Connect Coalition, a united effort to assist current H-1B visa holders who have been impacted by layoffs in the tech industry. Led by P33 and World Business Chicago, the coalition brings together the city's leading civic organizations including the Commercial Club of Chicago, 1871, the Executives' Club of Chicago, the Chicago Chamber of Commerce, the Corporate Coalition of Chicago, and MATTER, along with Fortune 500 corporations and rapidly scaling, well-funded startups to help support and to retain highly skilled and valuable international talent.

Chicago business community mounts effort to assist H1-B visa holders impacted by tech industry layoffs

Together, World Business Chicago and P33 have launched an employment portal featuring over 900 job openings from over 35 Chicago-based employers already sponsoring H-1B visa holders. Beginning today, job seekers can visit gotechchicago.com/h1b and search hundreds of Chicago-based career opportunities from H-1B sponsoring companies like Walgreens, Morningstar, Ulta Beauty, TransUnion, Fifth Third Bank, Boston Consulting Group, Northwestern Medicine, M1, Rheaply, Oak Street Health and more. Additional Chicago companies are expected to join the campaign, and job listings will continue to be added daily.

Common in all STEM industries, especially technology, laid off H-1B workers have 60 days to pinpoint a new employer willing to transfer and to sponsor their visas. If they are unable to find a new job, they must switch their visa status or leave the U.S. Until now, H-1B visa holders have had an incredibly difficult time identifying career opportunities where employers are willing to sponsor or transfer their visas. Chicago is the first city to collectively band together around this issue to support and attract H-1B professionals. Tech innovation remains a top strategic priority for Chicago companies, and the city's need for highly specialized tech talent continues to be in a position of under supply relative to demand.

"Our message to laid off H-1B holders is to consider the ever welcoming City of Chicago and our burgeoning technology ecosystem that fosters diversity and inclusion," said Brad Henderson, CEO of P33. "I am proud, though not surprised by the way our city's leaders have come together to make this collaborative effort a reality in such a short amount of time. This is a huge first step, and we're just getting started. With more companies joining and more job listings being posted everyday, we expect this unique job search tool to scale very quickly."

Despite nationwide layoffs, companies are struggling to fill critical tech roles in Chicago, with the largest demand for software talent. More than 164,000 tech job listings were posted in Chicagoland in 2022.

Layoffs.fyi reports that over 157,000 tech workers lost their jobs in 2022, and the tech layoff rate isn't slowing down. Over 50,000 workers at U.S.-based tech companies have been laid off this year. These are difficult and turbulent times for anyone to lose a job, but it is especially challenging for foreign workers on H-1B status as it also threatens their immigration status, and potentially their family's status too.

"I am thrilled with the launch of this campaign, which brings together Chicago's business community to support H1-B visa holders affected by job loss in tech and adjacent industries," said Michael Fassnacht, CEO and president, World Business Chicago, chief marketing officer, City of Chicago. "This initiative is a shining example of our city's commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive destination for immigrants, where diversity and inclusivity are celebrated in our neighborhoods, further solidifying Chicago's reputation as a premier global business hub."

Immigrants strengthen innovation and increase the demand for labor while helping to drive the economy forward. 40% of software engineers in the U.S. are foreign born. In Chicago alone, 21 Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or the child of an immigrant and 42% of university-supported startups in Illinois are founded by at least one immigrant entrepreneur according to the Illinois Innovation Index report by the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition.

About P33P33 is a privately-funded non-profit focused on driving inclusive, global tech and innovation leadership in Chicago. The organization's mission is to help Chicago become one of the most inclusive technology hubs in the U.S. Born from the collaborative efforts of hundreds of business leaders in the private and public sectors, P33's work is anchored in deep research and driven by a need to unlock the potential of the digital age to solve some of the toughest problems facing Chicago, such as equitable access to digital careers, talent retention, deep science commercialization, and gaps in the growth-stage startup ecosystem. Launched in 2019, P33 is co-chaired by Penny Pritzker, former Secretary of Commerce and founder and chairman of PSP Partners; Chris Gladwin, CEO and Cofounder of Ocient and Cleversafe; and Kelly Welsh, Former President of the Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago. Learn more at p33chicago.com.

About World Business ChicagoWorld Business Chicago serves a critical role in driving inclusive and equitable recovery throughout the city's 77 neighborhoods, focused on high growth sectors: transportation, distribution, & logistics; manufacturing; healthcare & life sciences, and our local innovation, startup, & venture ecosystem. As the City of Chicago's economic development agency, World Business Chicago leads corporate attraction & retention, workforce & talent, community impact, and promotion of Chicago as a leading global city. Supported by a council of 300+ local leaders, World Business Chicago's portfolio of innovation & venture programs include: the Chicago Venture Summit series, Startup Chicago, ThinkChicago, and Venture Engine with the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition (ISTC). Follow World Business Chicago on LinkedIn for daily news and announcements on company relocation and expansion; industry and ecosystem growth, U.S. and world rankings, and more about Chicago's economic progress.

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SOURCE World Business Chicago
AD Ports Group, a leading facilitator of global trade, logistics, and industry, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tosyal, one of Turkeys largest private steel producers, which has operations in three continents.

The MoU looks to establish the framework for AD Ports Group to collaborate with Tosyal on a broad range of shipping, logistics, ports, and freight forwarding services, including potentially jointly investing in new port facilities to support its export operations.

With 30 manufacturing plants, including associates and joint ventures in Turkey, Algeria and Angola, Tosyal has an annual manufacturing capacity of more than 10 million tonnes of steel, with significant volumes shipped to markets around the world. The company operates an organised industrial site at Iskenderun Port, Turkey, and is involved in the development of the new Erzin Port.

AD Ports Group expanded its shipping fleet and logistics operations in 2022 through a series of strategic acquisitions and joint ventures, positioning the company as an ideal partner for the fast-growing steel producer.

Executives are confident that the collaboration will contribute to the developing trade relationship between the UAE and Turkey, which saw non-oil trade between the two countries grow by 54 percent year-on-year in 2021 to AED50.4 billion.

Capt Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group, said: AD Ports Group is pleased to sign this agreement with Tosyal, which is the leading steel company in Turkey and the biggest steel producer in Africa. Our integrated business offering enables us to provide a full suite of shipping, logistics and port services for customers like Tosyal, supported by innovative digital technology. We are grateful for the support and guidance of the UAEs leadership that enables us to pursue global agreements of this nature.

Fuat Tosyal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tosyal Holding Co, said: As Tosyal Holding, we aim to deploy shipping and logistics facilities that can bring our products to market quickly and efficiently, and contribute to the growth of our nations exports. We believe we have found a strong partner in AD Ports Group, which matches our international ambitions and provides a wide range of services and expertise supported by a world-class fleet. -TradeArabia News Service
The slaughter continues.

The racist murders of 10 Black people in Buffalo last year was neither the beginning nor the end. Instead, it was only a horrifying inflection point in the singularly American pattern of repeated gun violence.

The new year has begun in grisly fashion. As this week began, Americans had been bloodied by 39 mass shootings that killed 69 people  just since Jan. 1. The two most recent assaults occurred in California. Only two days apart  on Saturday and then, again, on Monday  shooters killed 11 people at a popular dance hall in Monterey Park and then seven others in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.

And that counts only the mass shootings  gun violence that kills or injures at least four people. It doesnt including terrifying events such as the one that occurred last Thursday in Evansville, Ind. There, a former Walmart employee shot a woman in a store break room before leaving to chase another man. While he was away, another employee moved the wounded woman to a different room where they shut the lights and hid. Police shot and killed the gunman. The injured womans mother described her daughters injuries as life-threatening.

Until the Buffalo shooting and the unimaginable murders 10 days later at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Americans were stuck. Those attacks, finally, jarred Washington into action. It passed the first major federal gun control legislation in decades.

The new measures included valuable rules on background checks and support for red flag laws. But it banned no weapons and, as this months horrors have made clear, it was insufficient to the threat.

What is more, that law was passed when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress. With Republicans now running amok in the House of Representatives, there is virtually no chance of further action  not when members such as Nick Langworthy, Claudia Tenney and Elise Stefanik publicly insist that New Yorks new concealed carry law is flatly and automatically unconstitutional. (For what its worth, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, wrote that New Yorks statute, passed after the high court invalidated a century-old state law, raised novel and serious questions.)

So the three New Yorkers eagerly criticize legitimate efforts to respond to rampant bloodshed while ignoring the violence, itself. Do they not care about this? What are their ideas?

The shootings in California produced an agonized cry from that states governor, Gavin Newsom. At the hospital meeting with victims of a mass shooting when I get pulled away to be briefed about another shooting, he tweeted on Monday. Tragedy upon tragedy.

At another moment in the bombardment of violence, Gavin observed: Nothing about this is surprising. Everything about this is infuriating, he said. The Second Amendment is becoming a suicide pact.

Its undeniable. When almost anyone is allowed to own almost any kind of weapon, and without sufficient training, violence is inevitable. That easy access to military-style weapons is what distinguishes us from other Western nations that arent awash in their own blood.

Its not simply the existence of the Second Amendment thats at issue. The big problems are in the adoration of it and the misinterpretation by judges who willfully ignore the part about a well regulated militia and that fact that, when it was written, those militias were armed with muskets, not AR-15s, the weapon of choice for modern mass-murderers. Among those killers is the teenage racist who opened fire in the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue last May 14.

Buffalo has earned the right to worry about what happens in other states. While the Tops shooter legally bought his weapon in New York, the fact is that state lines are sieves. This is a national problem. Because states such as New York have the good sense to act against gun violence, their incidence of it is lower than in other states, but Washington must do more. It holds the key.

The slaughter continues. So does the denial.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
RAPID CITY, S.D., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Property Meld, a leading property maintenance software platform, today announced a $15 million Series B funding round led by Frontier Growth, a growth equity firm focused on high-growth software businesses. Additional investors include Vesta Ventures, South Dakota Equity Partners, and Badlands Capital. This raise brings the company's total funding to $22 million and will support Property Meld's continued growth and product expansion.

PROPERTY MELD ANNOUNCES $15M SERIES B FUNDING LED BY FRONTIER GROWTH

As a leading provider of property maintenance software with over 650 customers and over 450,000 units, Property Meld helps property managers optimize their maintenance process while also improving scheduling, billing, and communication with residents and maintenance vendors. As a result, Property Meld customers enjoy reduced maintenance costs and increased satisfaction from all stakeholders in the maintenance process.

"Our growth and development over the past year demonstrate the need for a high-performing maintenance platform within the industry," says Ray Hespen, CEO, and Co-founder of Property Meld. "Maintenance and repair costs are the highest, least optimized, and most controllable budget items for property management companies. They also impact leasing costs and vacancy rates, as a poor maintenance experience is the number one reason for renter churn. Our customers experience significant improvement across these dimensions when using Property Meld to manage their maintenance process."

Last year alone, Property Meld facilitated 1.7 million maintenance requests and nearly $550M in maintenance repairs, and the Company forecasts significant growth in 2023. Property Meld powers maintenance for industry leaders such as Evernest, HomeRiver Group, PURE Property Management, as well as Real Property Management, All County, and PMI franchises. Property Meld also offers robust integrations with AppFolio, Buildium, Propertyware, and RentManager.

"Property Meld has generated impressive growth and a unique ability to improve the maintenance process for its customers, which ultimately helps improve their overall net operating income. We are excited to partner with Property Meld as they continue growing and delivering value to customers," says Matt Williams, Vice President of Frontier Growth. "Our decision to invest in Property Meld is rooted in their unique focus on the product and experiences that we believe will reshape the industry."

"This additional funding will drive continued innovation allowing us to double down on our industry-leading analytics, automation, and preventative repairs. Advances in artificial intelligence and other technologies will allow us to bring new insights and efficiencies that were not possible just a short time ago," says David Kingman, CTO and Co-founder of Property Meld. "We find ourselves in the fortunate situation of growing and developing our teams in a recession-proof industry.

About Property Meld

Founded in 2015, Property Meld is a stand-alone maintenance software platform for property management companies to optimize their maintenance process. Property management companies experience maintenance scheduling, communication, coordination, billing, and oversight friction. In response, Property Meld provides a solution that significantly reduces maintenance costs and increases satisfaction for all stakeholders in the maintenance process. Learn more at www.PropertyMeld.com.

About Frontier Growth

Frontier Growth supports the growth of software companies in the lower middle market by deploying both investment capital and operational expertise. The firm was founded with a culture that puts People Before Numbers, because it's people that lead to real growth. With over 20 years of experience, Frontier respects that each of its companies represents someone's life's work. It's why the firm's explicit focus is to help them grow without stifling the innovation that's made them successful. Please visit www.frontiergrowth.com for more information.

Contact: Madison Zimmerman, Property Meld Phone: (605) 431-0265 Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Property Meld
Lockheed Martin Chooses RISE with SAP as the Secure Solution to Fuel 1LMX Transformation

BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) and SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) announced today an expansion of their strategic relationship to transform the mission-critical business systems that power Lockheed Martin's OneLM Transformation Program (1LMX). 1LMX is the industry-leading business and digital transformation effort that is enhancing the speed, agility, insights and competitiveness of Lockheed Martin. By leveraging data as a strategic asset, enabling a model-based enterprise that spans the full product value chain, and streamlining systems and processes to both grow and run the business, Lockheed Martin is taking the lead in forging a more resilient, secure and modernized supply chain for the nation's defense industrial base.

Building on the decades-old relationship between the companies, Lockheed Martin is leveraging the RISE with SAP solution to expand its enterprise cloud capabilities and introduce the tools needed to implement core business processes in managed FedRAMP-compliant cloud environments through the 1LMX initiative. In addition, SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) will provide Lockheed Martin with a secure innovation platform on which to develop emerging technologies. The SAP Analytics Cloud solution will enhance its strategic data management and analytics objectives.

"By leveraging SAP's industry expertise, the RISE with SAP solution, and the strength and reliability of SAP S/4HANA, Lockheed Martin aims to further enhance its position as an intelligent, sustainable enterprise in the cloud while operating with uncompromised security and support," said Scott Russell, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE and lead of Customer Success, SAP SE. "After nearly 25 years of partnership, we are proud that Lockheed Martin is leveraging SAP technology to tackle truly incredible missions  like taking humans back to the moon. With this announcement, they are looking beyond the moon, with one of the most innovative enterprise business and digital transformations ever conceived, hand-in-hand with SAP."

"Our customers, including the U.S. Department of Defense, face rapidly evolving threats, and they have made it a priority to become faster and more agile without compromising security. By expanding our partnership with SAP and by accelerating our move to the secure cloud, we will be able to provide the increased speed, agility, security and resilience our customers need to stay ahead of ready," said Yvonne Hodge, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Business and Digital Transformation, and Chief Information Officer, Lockheed Martin. "Through this agreement, we will be able to manage more closely product impact, employee well-being, resource efficiency and data security. We will be better able to grow and run our business and, most importantly, we will be well positioned to transform how we design, buy, build and sustain the products critical to the security of the United States and our allies."

RISE with SAP will bundle the applications, platforms, tools and services necessary to enable business process innovation for Lockheed Martin, identifying efficiencies and supporting Lockheed's vision to provide enterprise interoperability in support of meeting the needs of the government, defense and aerospace markets. RISE with SAP will shift the company's SAP ERP software systems to SAP S/4HANA Cloud and will significantly expand Lockheed Martin's use of SaaS products from SAP in the areas of business technology platform, intelligent spend, human experience management, digital supply chain and several others.

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews.

About SAP

SAP's strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent, sustainable enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: SAP customers generate 87% of total global commerce. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers' businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want  without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP's 2021 Annual Report on Form 20-F.

 2023 SAP SE. All rights reserved.SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products: Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

Please consider our privacy policy. If you received this press release in your e-mail and you wish to unsubscribe to our mailing list, please contact [email protected] and write Unsubscribe in the subject line.

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SOURCE SAP SE
Sika Health and Electromedical Announce Partnership Enabling HSA/FSA Payments on Electromedical eCommerce Site

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Electromedical Technologies, Inc. (OTC-QB: EMED) ("Electromedical" or the "Company"), a pioneer in the development and production of bioelectronic devices designed to relieve chronic, intractable, and acute pain through frequency and electro-modulation, and Sika Health, an HSA/FSA payment facilitator for eCommerce merchants, are pleased to announce a partnership enabling the direct acceptance of HSA/FSA payments on the Electromedical eCommerce website (electromedtech.com).

"This is a game-changer in terms of our ability to facilitate payments and tap into greater affordability without sacrificing margins," remarked Matthew Wolfson, CEO and Founder of Electromedical. "Sika's payment technology is seamless and easy to use, and the Sika team has been exceptional to work with."

The integration between Sika's payment technology and Electromedical's direct website enables millions who suffer from chronic pain to purchase products through HSA/FSA without reimbursing through their healthcare administrator via receipt.

Around 70 million Americans hold HSA/FSA accounts. In 2020 alone, workers lost $4.2 billion in expired FSA benefits. However, few online merchants offer a payment gateway that enables consumers to spend these dollars directly.

The partnership between Sika Health and Electromedical aims to close this gap and offer patients a seamless way to take full advantage of their benefits.

Sika Health CEO, Ami Kumordzie MD/MBA, stated, "We look forward to working with Electromedical Technologies to offer patients a way to buy FDA cleared products for pain relief, such as the WellnessPro Plus, directly with their HSA/FSA funds. We are pleased to increase access to personal wellness products like WellnessPro Plus that can reduce dependency on medications at a more affordable cost."

About Sika HealthSika enables online shoppers to pay using their HSA/FSA funds as easily as spending a gift card. No eligibility checks, paperwork or delays  customers simply select Sika at checkout, enter their HSA/FSA card details, and we take care of the rest.

About Electromedical TechnologiesHeadquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Electromedical Technologies, Inc. is a commercial stage, FDA cleared, bioelectronic medical device manufacturing company initially focused on the treatment of various chronic, acute, intractable, and post-operative pain conditions. Through University collaboration agreements, the Company is working to develop a comprehensive research program in defining the effects of electro-modulation on the human body. By studying the impacts of electrical fields in cell signaling and effects on virus assembly and immune responses, the Company's goal is to reduce pain and improve overall human wellbeing. The Company's current FDA cleared product indications are for chronic acute post traumatic and post-operative, intractable pain relief.

For more information, please visit www.electromedtech.com.

Note: Nonhuman preliminary studies that we are planning to start in the near future and their applications are not related to our current product in any way and are currently not cleared in the US.

Safe Harbor StatementThis release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, we can give no assurance or guarantee that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of words like "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties, including but not limited to: adverse economic conditions, competition, adverse federal, state and local government regulation, international governmental regulation, inadequate capital, inability to carry out research, development and commercialization plans, loss or retirement of key executives and other specific risks. To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, including statements as to revenue projections, business strategy, outlook, objectives, future milestones, plans, intentions, goals, future financial conditions, events conditioned on stockholder or other approval, or otherwise as to future events, such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made.

Corporate ContactElectromedical Technologies, Inc.Tel: 1.888.880.7888Email: [email protected]https://electromedtech.com

Public RelationsEDM Media, LLChttps://edm.media

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SOURCE Electromedical Technologies, Inc.
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Spaces, a subsidiary of IWG, the world's largest workspace network, will open a coworking concept in Downtown Memphis at 107 S. Main, currently under renovation by development company 18 Main.

Spaces, a subsidiary of IWG, the world's largest workspace network, will open a coworking concept in Downtown Memphis.

Founded in Amsterdam with over 450 locations of offices, coworking spaces and meeting rooms, Spaces designs dynamic, collaborative environments for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and hybrid employees to achieve their business goals and connect in the process.

Spaces will occupy 18,500 square feet of the historic building on Downtown's Main Street Mall.

"Improving Downtown's commercial vibrancy is critical, particularly post-COVID," said developer Tom Intrator. "We've been looking for a partner in the co-working space for quite some time, and Spaces' model was a natural fit. We look forward to its presence supporting the growing residential footprint of the neighborhood while also serving the new wave of hybrid office workers."

The 30,000-square-foot building, which dates back to 1900, sat vacant and blighted for over two decades before 18 Main purchased the property in 2019 with a plan for complete renovation.

"The renovation and activation of this building is a point of pride for Downtown considering its tumultuous history," said Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) President & CEO Paul Young.

107 S. Main had been a top priority of the Downtown Memphis Commission's anti-blight focus for over a decade. Under previous ownership, its spot on the "Dirty Dozen" of most-wanted blighted buildings led to a 2015 emergency hearing by the Shelby County Environmental Court and accompanying lawsuit due to the building's structural risk.

18 Main's restoration and construction on the building commenced for a majority of 2022, including historic preservation and future reuse of the DMC's public art that temporarily adorned 107 S. Main's facade.

In addition to 107 S. Main, 18 Main's South Main retail spaces have also welcomed YogaSix, a national yoga studio brand opening this month, as well as Memphis Spine & Sport and Civil Axe Throwing.

Spaces projects a grand opening in 107 S. Main this summer.

Learn more about Spaces at spacesworks.com.

ABOUT 18 MAIN. The core model of 18 Main is rooted in long-term, multi-strategy real estate investment, coupled with lifestyle operating business acquisitions centered around hospitality, food & beverage, and experiential retail. Learn more at 18main.com.

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SOURCE 18 Main
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TacoTime (www.TacoTime.com), known for serving freshly prepared, home-style Mexican fare, is ringing in the new year by bringing back its beloved Fish Taco which will be available for a limited time in stores until April 25.

A Fan Favorite Makes a Comeback to Begin the Year at TacoTime

The Fish Taco features Crispy White Fish, Shredded Cheddar, Cabbage and Salsa Fresca and is topped with a Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce.

"Our customers spoke, and we listened! We are excited to bring back the ever-popular Fish Taco to our menu to start off the new year," said Devon Boudreau, director of marketing for Kahala Brands, parent company of TacoTime. "Our Fish Tacos offer the perfect pairing of crispy fish and creamy cilantro lime sauce! These tacos continue to be a seasonal fan-favorite and are always welcomed back with a joyful response."

The Fish Taco is available at our participating US TacoTime locations, and excludes Western Washington, E. Wenatchee, Grant and Chelan counties. Please visit www.TacoTime.com to learn more.

About TacoTime

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., TacoTime has been an industry leader in quality quick-service Mexican food for over 60 years. Founded in 1960, TacoTime has over 200 franchised restaurants across the U.S. and Canada. In 2003, TacoTime became part of Kahala Brands, one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world with a portfolio of nearly 30 fast-casual and quick-service restaurant brands with approximately 3,000 locations in over 30 countries.

For more information about TacoTime, please visit www.TacoTime.com.

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SOURCE TacoTime
The partnership aims to establish Tampa as a globally renowned destination for world-class clinical care, academics, research, and biotechnology.

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) and the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council today announced a partnership to expand and enhance Tampa's burgeoning Medical and Research District. This district, inspired by renowned medical districts in the nation's greatest cities, houses a growing hub of world-class clinical care, academics, research, and biotechnology anchored by one of the largest academic health institutions in the nation  Tampa General Hospital and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Together through this partnership, the Tampa Medical and Research District will attract renowned clinicians and researchers, resulting in increased access to experts, cutting-edge research, education and technology for patients and students. Serving as a collaborative, economic engine for the greater Tampa Bay area, the district will stimulate new partnerships, and create prosperity through new jobs, thriving industries and a healthier population in this region. Additionally, and based on a study by the Washington Economics group, the district is expected to ultimately generate over $8.3 billion in annual economic impact to the state of Florida every year, and support more than 57,900 jobs.

"Tampa Bay not only serves as home to Tampa General Hospital/Florida Health Sciences Center, one of the nation's leading academic health systems, but is a growing hub for innovation, research and biotechnology. This city is uniquely well-positioned to fuel a world-class medical and research district, and we are excited to partner with the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council to expand this further and amplify its impact," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital/Florida Health Sciences Center.

Per the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organizations, the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council will support Tampa General Hospital with a land use survey and planning, strategic partnership creation, talent attraction, research and life science business recruitment, workforce housing project identification and marketing services over the course of five years.

More specifically, the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council will hire a new Director of Healthcare and Life Sciences to serve as project manager in the partnership with Tampa General Hospital. The organization will also provide additional strategic leadership, community development, and administrative services as the district is developed. First steps will involve a survey of land within the existing boundaries defined by Tampa General Hospital to assess potential development and redevelopment sites for medical, research and health care business use.

"The Tampa Bay Economic Development Council is proud to partner with Tampa General Hospital to realize its vision for a globally renowned Medical and Research district," said Craig J. Richard, CEcD, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council. "This partnership aligns perfectly with the EDC's own strategic plan goals for business recruitment, placemaking, and talent attraction and development  allowing our team to exercise its diverse strengths in the creation and promotion of this innovative new district that will shape the economic future of our region."

The health care industry is Hillsborough County's fastest-growing employment sector, adding more than 17,000 jobs since 2018. In the past decade, Hillsborough County's life sciences sector has transformed with the addition of global giants Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Amgen and Pfizer as well as innovative younger companies such as Axogen, Vycellix, Morphogenesis and Versea Health. More than 80 colleges, universities, and specialized training providers in the Central Florida region ensure a plentiful supply of talent in the pipeline to power the industry's growth.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings  first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

ABOUT THE TAMPA BAY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

The Tampa Bay Economic Development Council is the lead designated economic development agency for Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace. Established in 2009 as a partnership between the public sector and private corporate investors, the EDC works to advance a diversified local economy that is beneficial to all by attracting, expanding and retaining quality employers, a talented workforce and investment, focusing within targeted industry sectors, including Corporate Headquarters, Financial and Professional Services, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Defense and Security, Distribution and Logistics, and Manufacturing. The EDC exists because of the generous support of more than 100 corporations, Hillsborough County, and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace.

Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APRSenior Communications Strategist(813) 844-7322 (direct)(813) 510-6363 (cell)[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tampa-general-hospital-and-tampa-bay-economic-development-council-partner-to-grow-the-tampa-medical-and-research-district-301730628.html

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital
Terra Drone is the first Asian startup to raise funding from Wa'ed Ventures, the venture capital of the 2nd biggest company in the world by market cap, Aramco

The company will establish a new subsidiary for its operations in Saudi Arabia to conduct drone survey, inspection and unmanned traffic management (UTM) in Saudi Arabia

TOKYO, Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Terra Drone Corporation, a leading drone and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) technology provider, has raised $14 million in funding from Wa'ed Ventures, the venture capital arm of the biggest oil producer in the world, Aramco. With this financing, Terra Drone will set up a new subsidiary in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Terra Drone Arabia, in line with the Saudi government's "Vision 2030."

First announced in 2016, the Vision 2030 reform plan aims to stimulate economic transformation in Saudi Arabia by reducing the country's dependence on hydrocarbons. Technology is at the heart of this initiative and the Saudi government is focusing its efforts to promote the use of drones in services such as asset inspections.

Wa'ed Ventures was founded in 2013 and specializes in fostering innovation by investing in startups to develop the Saudi Arabian economy. This is the first time Wa'ed Ventures is investing in an Asian startup, which is a testament to Terra Drone's vision, state-of-the-art digital solutions, and cutting-edge drone technologies. Terra Drone will support a new subsidiary by taking advantage of whole business experiences of Terra Drone in Global, No.1 drone solution provider in the world in the fields of survey, inspection and unmanned traffic management (UTM).

With the establishment of Terra Drone Arabia. Terra drone will provide oil-gas inspection services, The new subsidiary will also help Terra Drone, which is counted among the top two drone service providers in the world, to further its expansion globally. At present, Terra Drone provides drone and UAM solutions in 10 countries across the world.

Unifly is the leading UTM technology provider in the world, having strong presence in Europe and North America. Terra Drone is the largest shareholder of Unifly.

The new subsidiary Terra Drone Arabia will further promote drone inspections to support the Saudi economy, ensure safe and efficient UAM in the country, and invest in the growth of both verticals.

Special Site: http://aramco2023.terra-drone.net/enContact Form: https://pro.form-mailer.jp/fms/dc9eb557276524

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/terra-drone-raises-14-million-from-aramcos-waed-ventures-301729362.html

SOURCE Terra Drone Corporation
Report Reflects on Five Years of Research, Recommendations and Action Aimed at Solving Military Spouse Employment and Entrepreneurship Challenges and Looks to the Future

LORTON, Va., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Military Spouse Network (NMSN), the premiere organization supporting the professional and personal growth of the nation's military spouses, today released its fifth annual National Military Spouse Network White Paper presented by USAA. The latest report, "Solving the Military Spouse Employment Puzzle", looks back at five years of advocacy on behalf of military spouses and provides a status report on the group's ongoing work along with six new recommendations for advancing the organization's objectives.

"There are no easy and fast solutions to solving the military spouse employment challenge and that only strengthens our resolve to continue advocating for our members, developing pathways for results through partnership and activism until change is made," said Sue Hoppin, founder and president of NMSN. "By joining with military spouses and advocates across the globe and others at all levels of government and business we can make the change we want to see in the world."

"We are proud to continue our partnership with NMSN in support of military spouses and their families," said Michael Kelly, assistant vice president of Military Affairs at USAA. "Together we are a strong voice for military spouse employment, entrepreneurship and family, ensuring bi-partisan solutions that strengthens our military and the nation."

The release of this year's White Paper follows the disappointing news that the unemployment rate among military spouses remains stubbornly high and that the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) bill expanding employment opportunities for military spouses was not passed in the 117th Congress. A blow for military families, NMSN is determined to expand its ground game to push anew for federal, state and military service organizations to strengthen their effort with the 118th Congress to effect change for military spouses and families. The recommendations include:

Compiling and streamlining access to critical career information needed by military spouses to make informed decisions about their careers as they relocate from one duty station to the next. To accomplish this, the DoD should consider modernizing existing resources such as Military OneSource (i.e., MilitaryINSTALLATIONS, Spouse Education & Career Opportunities, and Military Spouse Employment Partnership) to include employment eligibility of Outside the Continental U.S. (OCONUS) spouses to work within host nations and permit military spouse entrepreneurs to continue their businesses at their new duty stations.

Modernizing military spouse employment programs, resources, and delivery systems for today's military spouses. Existing military spouse employment programs, resources and delivery systems may be outdated in today's ever-changing workplace.

Creating one comprehensive tool or resource to help military spouses manage their careers from the time they enter the military lifestyle to at least 2-3 years after the service member's transition from the military.

Creating military spouse fellowships in congressional offices. To do this, the DoD could establish a pilot program for fellowships and/or internships targeted specially to military spouses interested in leadership or research-based roles in political, public policy or social science career fields.

Developing a shared lexicon, facilitating clearer communication within communities as well as among service providers, advocates, and lawmakers who support the military community.

Removing barriers that prevent public and private partnerships, particularly around federal, state, and local regulations, to enhance effective collaboration. By combining assets, budgets are preserved and services and resources are expanded to more effectively serve local communities.

This year's NMSN White Paper recommendations are a snapshot of today's military spouse environment and will be the basis for 2023 programming, including events and initiatives designed to enhance military spouse employment and career opportunities for the nation's one million+ military spouses.

NMSN is grateful to its presenting sponsor, USAA, and supporting sponsors, Merit and Wells Fargo & Company for backing the White Paper project.

Media Contact:Laura Liebeck845-440-7974[email protected]

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SOURCE National Military Spouse Network
PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 13G

(Amendment no. 3)

(Rule 13d-102)

Information to be Included in Statements Filed Pursuant to  240.13d-1(b), (c) and (d) and Amendments

Thereto Filed Pursuant to  240.13d-2.

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Allarity Therapeutics, Inc.

(Name of Issuer)

COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $0.0001PER SHARE

(Title of Class of Securities)

016744104

(CUSIP Number)

January 23, 2023

(Date of Event Which Requires Filing of this Statement)

Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed:

x Rule 13d-1(b)

 Rule 13d-1(c)

 Rule 13d-1(d)

Page 1 of 6 Pages

PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

CUSIP No.: 016744104 SCHEDULE 13G Page 2 of 6 Pages

1) NAME OF REPORTING PERSON Forsakringsaktiebolaget Avanza Pension 2) CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) o (b) o 3) SEC USE ONLY 4) CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Stockholm, Sweden NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH 5) SOLE VOTING POWER 1,157,096 6) SHARED VOTING POWER 7) SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 8) SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 1,157,096 9) AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 1,157,096 10) CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES  11) PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 4,71 % 12) TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON FI

PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

CUSIP No.: 016744104 SCHEDULE 13G Page 3 of 6 Pages

Item 1(a). Name of Issuer:

Allarity Therapeutics, Inc

Item 1(b). Address of Issuers Principal Executive Offices:

24 School, St, 2Nd Floor

BOSTON, MA, 02108

United States

Item 2(a). Name of Person Filing:

Forsakringsaktiebolaget Avanza Pension

Item 2(b). Address of Principal Business Office or, if None, Residence:

Box 13129

Stockholm, Sweden 10303

Item 2(c). Citizenship:

Forsakringsaktiebolaget Avanza Pension is a company organized under the laws of Sweden

Item 2(d). Title of Class of Securities:

Common Stock, Par Value $0.0001 per share

Item 2(e). CUSIP Number: 016744104

Item 3. If this statement is filed pursuant to  240.13d-1(b), or 240.13d-2(b) or (c), check whether the person filing is a:

(a)  Broker or Dealer Registered Under Section 15 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78o)

(b)  Bank as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c)

(c)  Insurance Company as defined in section 3(a)(19) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c)

(d)  Investment Company registered under section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-8)

(e)  Investment Adviser in accordance with  240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E)

(f)  Employee benefit plan or endowment fund in accordance with  240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F)

(g)  Parent Holding Company or control person in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G)

(h)  Savings Association as defined in 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813)

(i)  Church plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-3)

(j) x A non-U.S. institution in accordance with  240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J) (k)  Group, in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(K)

PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

CUSIP No.: 016744104 SCHEDULE 13G Page 4 of 6 Pages

Item 4. Ownership. (This 13G is based on 24,541,214 shares of Common Stock outstanding)

(a) Amount beneficially owned: 1,157,096

(b) Percent of class: 4,71 %

(c) Number of shares as to which such person has:

(i) Sole power to vote or to direct the vote: 1,157,096

(ii) Shared power to vote or to direct the vote: None

(iii) Sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: None

(iv) Shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: 1,157,096

Number and Percentage

of Shares Beneficially Owned Date 4,71 % / 1,157,096 January 23, 2023

Item 5. Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person.

Not applicable.

PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

CUSIP No.: 016744104 SCHEDULE 13G Page 5 of 6 Pages

Item 7. Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported on by the Parent Holding Company.

Not applicable

Item 8. Identification and Classification of Members of the Group.

Not applicable

Item 9. Notice of Dissolution of Group.

Not applicable

PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

CUSIP No.: 016744104 SCHEDULE 13G Page 6 of 6 Pages

Item 10. Certification.

By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect, other than activities solely in connection with a nomination under  240.14a-11.

By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the foreign regulatory scheme applicable to a Swedish insurance company is substantially comparable to the regulatory scheme applicable to the functionally equivalent U.S. institution. I also undertake to furnish to the Commission staff, upon request, information that would otherwise be disclosed in a Schedule 13D.

SIGNATURE

After reasonable inquiry and to the best knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this Statement is true, complete and correct.
UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 13G

AMENDMENT NO 6

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

ENERPAC TOOL GROUP CORP.

(Name of Issuer)

COMMON STOCK

(Title of Class of Securities)

292765104

(CUSIP Number)

December 31, 2022

(Date of Event Which Requires Filing of this Statement)

Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed:

 Rule 13d-1(c)

 Rule 13d-1(d)

 Rule 13d-1(b)

* The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be filed for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Act) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).

SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP NO. 292765104 PAGE 2 OF 6 PAGES

1. Name of reporting person/s.s. Or I.R.S. Identification No. of above person PZENA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LLC 2. Check the appropriate box if a member of a group (a)  (b)  3. SEC use only 4. Citizenship or place of organization DELAWARE Number of 5. Sole voting power 2,956,020 shares beneficially owned by 6. Shared voting power 0 each reporting person 7. Sole dispositive power 3,398,059 with: 8. Shared dispositive power 0 9. Aggregate amount beneficially owned by each reporting person 3,398,059 10. Check box if the aggregate amount in Row (9) excludes certain shares*  11. Percent of class represented by amount in Row (9) 5.96% 12. Type of reporting person* IA

SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP NO. 292765104 PAGE 3 OF 6 PAGES

ITEM 1.

(a) Name of Issuer: ENERPAC Tool Group Corp.

(b) Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices:

N86 W12500 Westbrook Crossing

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin 53051

ITEM 2.

(a) Name of Person Filing: Pzena Investment Management, LLC

(b) Address of Principal Business Office or, if none, Residence:

320 Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022

(c) Citizenship: Delaware

(d) Title of Class of Securities: Common Stock

(e) CUSIP Number: 292765104

ITEM 3. IF THIS STATEMENT IS FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 13D-1(B), OR 13D-2(B), CHECK WHETHER THE PERSON FILING IS A:

(a) [ ] Broker or Dealer registered under Section 15 of the Act (b) [ ] Bank as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Act (c) [ ] Insurance Company as defined in section 3(a)(19) of the Act (d) [ ] Investment Company registered under section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (e) [ x ] Investment Adviser registered under section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act or under the laws of any State (f) [ ] Employee Benefit Plan, Pension fund which is subject to the Endowment Fund; see ss.240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F) (g) [ ] Parent Holding Company or Control Person, in accordance with ss.240.13d-1(b)(ii)(G) (Note: See Item 7) (h) [ ] A Savings Association as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (i) [ ] A Church Plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under Section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (j) [ ] Group, in accordance with ss.240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J)

If this statement is filed pursuant to ss.240.13d-1(c), check this box [ ].

SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP NO. 292765104 PAGE 4 OF 6 PAGES

ITEM 4. OWNERSHIP

If the percent of the class owned, as of December 31 of the year covered by this statement, or as of the last day of any month described in Rule 13d-1(b)(2) if applicable exceeds five percent, provide the following information as of that date and identify those shares which there is a right to acquire.

(a) Amount Beneficially Owned: 3,398,059 (b) Percent of Class: 5.96% (c) Number of shares as to which such person has: (i) sole power to vote or to direct the vote: 2,956,020 (ii) shared power to vote or to direct the vote: 0 (iii) sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: 3,398,059 (iv) shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: 0

ITEM 5. OWNERSHIP OF FIVE PERCENT OR LESS OF A CLASS

If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of securities, check the following [ ].

ITEM 6. OWNERSHIP OF MORE THAN FIVE PERCENT ON BEHALF OF ANOTHER PERSON

If any other person is known to have the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of, such securities, a statement to that effect should be included in response to this item and, if such interest relates to more than five percent of the class, such person should be identified. A listing of the shareholders of an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the beneficiaries of employees benefit plan, pension fund or endowment fund is not required.

CLIENTS OF THE FILING INVESTMENT MANAGER HAVE THE RIGHT TO RECEIVE AND THE ULTIMATE POWER TO DIRECT THE RECEIPT OF DIVIDENDS FROM, OR THE PROCEEDS OF SALE OF THE SECURITIES REPORTED ON HEREINABOVE. NO INTEREST OF ANY ONE OF SUCH CLIENTS RELATES TO MORE THAN FIVE PERCENT OF THE CLASS.

ITEM 7. IDENTIFICATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF THE SUBSIDIARY WHICH ACQUIRED THE SECURITY BEING REPORTED ON BY THE PARENT HOLDING COMPANY

If a parent holding company has filed this schedule, pursuant to Rule 13d-1(b)(ii)(G), so indicate under Item 3(g) and attach an exhibit stating the identity and the Item 3 classification of the relevant subsidiary. If a parent holding company has filed this schedule pursuant to Rule 13d-1(c), attach an exhibit stating the identification of the relevant subsidiary. NOT APPLICABLE.

SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP NO. 292765104 PAGE 5 OF 6 PAGES

ITEM 8. IDENTIFICATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF MEMBERS OF THE GROUP

If a group has filed this schedule pursuant to Rule 13d-1(b)(ii)(J), so indicate under Item 3(h) and attach an exhibit stating the identity and Item 3 classification of each member of the group. If a group has filed this schedule pursuant to Rule 13d-1(d), attach an exhibit stating the identity of each member of the group. NOT APPLICABLE.

ITEM 9. NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF GROUP

Notice of dissolution of a group may be furnished as an exhibit stating the date of the dissolution and that all further filings with respect to transactions in the security report on will be filed, if required, by members of the group, in their individual capacity. NOT APPLICABLE.

ITEM 10. CERTIFICATION

By signing below, I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of and do not have the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of such securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect.

SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP NO. 292765104 PAGE 6 OF 6 PAGES

SIGNATURE

After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I hereby certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.
Europe regulator says 'hopefully converging' with Boeing on 777X FILE PHOTO: Farnborough International Airshow

(Reuters) - Boeing and European regulators are "hopefully converging" in talks over design requirements for the future 777X airliner, the head of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said on Tuesday.

The agency has been seen at odds with Boeing for more than a year over changes that it wants to see in the flight controls of the latest version of the 777 - one of the factors contributing to a cumulative five-year delay, according to industry sources.

"We are hopefully converging," Ky told Reuters when asked about the progress of ongoing discussions on the 777X.

Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(This story has been corrected to add dropped word 'Union' in the agency title in the first paragraph.)

(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Additional reporting by Valerie Insinna, David Shepardson; Editing by MarkPotter)
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 SCHEDULE 13G Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. 2)* Vireo Health International Inc. (Name of Issuer) common stock (Title of Class of Securities) 92767a107 (CUSIP Number) December 30, 2022 (Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement)

Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed:

[ ] Rule 13d-1(b) [X] Rule 13d-1(c) [ ] Rule 13d-1(d)

* The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see Instructions).
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 SCHEDULE 13G/A Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. 2)* Panacea Acquisition Corp. II (Name of Issuer) Class A Ordinary Shares, par value $0.0001 per share (Title of Class of Securities) G6882C106 (CUSIP Number) December 31, 2022 (Date of event which requires filing of this statement) Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule 13G is filed: x Rule 13d-1(b)  Rule 13d-1(c)  Rule 13d-1(d) (Page 1 of 6 Pages)

______________________________

*The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (" Act ") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).

CUSIP No. G6882C106 13G/A Page 2 of 5 Pages

1 NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS Highbridge Capital Management, LLC 2 CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a)  (b)  3 SEC USE ONLY 4 CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION State of Delaware NUMBER OF

SHARES

BENEFICIALLY

OWNED BY

EACH

REPORTING

PERSON WITH 5 SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6 SHARED VOTING POWER 0 7 SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8 SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 9 AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 0 10 CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES  11 PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 0% 12 TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON IA, OO

CUSIP No. G6882C106 13G/A Page 3 of 5 Pages

Item 1(a). NAME OF ISSUER: The name of the issuer is Panacea Acquisition Corp. II (the " Company ").

Item 1(b). ADDRESS OF ISSUER'S PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES: The Company's principal executive offices are located at 357 Tehama Street, Floor 3, San Francisco, CA 94103.

Item 2(a). NAME OF PERSON FILING: This statement is filed by Highbridge Capital Management, LLC (" Highbridge " or the " Reporting Person "), a Delaware limited liability company and the investment adviser to certain funds and accounts (the " Highbridge Funds "), with respect to the Class A Ordinary Shares (as defined in Item 2(d) below) directly held by the Highbridge Funds. The filing of this statement should not be construed as an admission that any of the foregoing persons or the Reporting Person is, for the purposes of Section 13 of the Act, the beneficial owner of the Class A Ordinary Shares reported herein.

Item 2(b). ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL BUSINESS OFFICE OR, IF NONE, RESIDENCE: The address of the business office of Reporting Person is 277 Park Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, New York 10172.

Item 2(c). CITIZENSHIP: Highbridge is a Delaware limited liability company.

Item 2(d). TITLE OF CLASS OF SECURITIES: Class A Ordinary Shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the " Class A Ordinary Shares ").

Item 2(e). CUSIP NUMBER: G6882C106

Item 3. IF THIS STATEMENT IS FILED PURSUANT TO RULES 13d-1(b) OR 13d-2(b) OR (c), CHECK WHETHER THE PERSON FILING IS A:

(a)  Broker or dealer registered under Section 15 of the Act, (b)  Bank as defined in Section 3(a)(6) of the Act, (c)  Insurance Company as defined in Section 3(a)(19) of the Act, (d)  Investment Company registered under Section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, (e) x An investment adviser in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E);

CUSIP No. G6882C106 13G/A Page 4 of 5 Pages

(f)  Employee Benefit Plan or Endowment Fund in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F), (g)  Parent Holding Company or control person in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G), (h)  Savings Association as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, (i)  A church plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under Section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act; (j)  A non-U.S. institution in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J); (k)  Group, in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(K).

If filing as a non-U.S. institution in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J), please specify the type of institution:

Item 4. OWNERSHIP. The information required by Items 4(a) - (c) is set forth in Rows 5 - 11 of the cover page of the Reporting Person and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 5. OWNERSHIP OF FIVE PERCENT OR LESS OF A CLASS. If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than 5 percent of the class of securities, check the following [x]

Item 6. OWNERSHIP OF MORE THAN FIVE PERCENT ON BEHALF OF ANOTHER PERSON. Not applicable.

Item 7. IDENTIFICATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF THE SUBSIDIARY WHICH ACQUIRED THE SECURITY BEING REPORTED ON BY THE PARENT HOLDING COMPANY. Not applicable.

Item 8. IDENTIFICATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF MEMBERS OF THE GROUP. Not applicable.

Item 9. NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF GROUP. Not applicable.

Item 10. CERTIFICATION. The Reporting Person hereby makes the following certification:

By signing below the Reporting Person certifies that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect.

CUSIP No. G6882C106 13G/A Page 5 of 5 Pages

SIGNATURES

After reasonable inquiry and to the best of our knowledge and belief, the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

DATED: January 25, 2023
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii  Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth arrived in Hawaii on Sunday evening to get a firsthand look at the deteriorating condition of the services buildings, particularly barracks.

So, I was able to see some of the barracks at Schofield, she told reporters Tuesday afternoon at Schofield Barracks on Oahu, shortly before holding a town hall meeting in the bases movie theater as part of her four-day visit.

They took me into one of the basically what we call a Q4 barrack, which is our least hospitable barrack, I think it's fair to say, and I wasn't happy with what I saw, frankly, she said. Those are the kinds of things that I want us to get after.

A Q4-rated barrack is one that fails to meet minimum standards but for which the cost of improvements exceeds 40% of the cost of replacing it.

Flagging infrastructure is an Army-wide problem, but the issue is especially acute in Hawaii.

A Congressional Budget Office report issued in November found that the Army would need to spend $34 billion to renovate and modernize aging buildings on its bases, with a quarter of that alone going to upgrade structures in Hawaii and on Fort Bragg, N.C.

Army structures in Hawaii  at Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter and Tripler Army Medical Center  and at Fort Bragg accounted for a significantly larger share of both deferred maintenance and upgrade cost estimates as compared to other locations, the report said.

Deferred maintenance is work that the Army has determined is needed to meet its mission goals but has not been carried out.

Based on 2020 figures provided by the Army, the CBO estimated it would cost $4 billion to complete deferred maintenance and renovate Army structures in Hawaii.

The price tag for such work at Fort Bragg was even higher at an estimated $8.4 billion.

The consequence of delayed maintenance made headlines in August when hundreds of Fort Bragg soldiers were forced to move from barracks because of persistent mold fostered by dilapidated air conditioning systems.

During the town hall meeting, which was livestreamed, a viewer named Jordan submitted a written question asking about the Armys plan for improvements.

There are ongoing electric and water issues, he wrote. Facilities need to be updated. Our kids schools can't keep the power on. Gyms and other buildings have roofs that leak.

Wormuth said Gen. Edward Daly, commander of U.S. Army Materiel Command, had recently brought a team to Hawaii to conduct assessments of the infrastructure.

Officials from the Armys Installations, Energy and Environment Office have also sent a team to do the same, she said.

The results of those assessments have been presented to Gen. Charles Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, and in February Flynn is slated to brief Wormuth and Gen. James McConville, Army chief of staff, she said.

And that will be an input into our decision-making about what investments, what further investments, we make beyond what is already the five-year Army budget to get after infrastructure issues, she said.

A soldier in the audience, noting that mold has been a decades-long problem, wanted to know what the Armys plan was right now to deal with that hazard.

The Army is spending about $1 billion a year on new barracks, and we're going to be doing at least that for the next 10 years to try to make sure that we are building new barracks that are designed to be around and to be livable for 40 years or more, Wormuth said.

Funding, however, is finite, and the challenge for her and McConville is prioritizing needs, she said.

How do we weigh, essentially, buying a new child development center, for example, against money that we are spending towards developing our new weapons systems, which are also very, very important as we transform to the Army of 2030? Wormuth asked.

Because we don't have enough money to solve every single problem right away, she said.
(Tribune News Service)  An enlisted Army reservist has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $53,000 from the Department of Defense.

Jared Romine Barton, a 39-year-old Nauvoo man, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Annemarie Carney Axon to one count of theft of government funds, according to a joint announcement Wednesday by Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Department of Army Criminal Investigation Division, Redstone Resident Unit, Supervisory Special Agent Chase Wilkerson.

According to the plea agreement, between 2016 and 2020, while both an active Army reservist and Army civilian employee at the Army Reserves Deployment Support Command in Birmingham, Sgt. 1st Class Barton submitted false travel claims and associated timecards to be reimbursed for official travel he did not undertake.

The defendant defrauded the Department of Defense while wearing the uniform of the country, Escalona said.

My office is committed to investigating and prosecuting white-collar crime in all its forms, but it is particularly insidious that a member of the United States Armed Forces would steal from the government he was sworn to defend, she said.

Barton faces a maximum of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

The Department of the Armys Criminal Investigative Division investigated the case with assistance from the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Jack Harrington prosecuted the case.

A sentencing date has not been announced.

The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is committed to ensuring that these types of schemes are investigated aggressively, Wilkerson said. It is imperative that we continue to pursue economic fraud in every form to protect our military.

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(Tribune News Service)  The Coast Guard will hear public testimony beginning this week as part of its investigation of the fire that decimated the cruise ship Spirit of Norfolk at Naval Station Norfolk last summer.

The series of hearings, which begin Thursday, will examine all aspects of the fire and subsequent total constructive loss and will include testimony from Spirit of Norfolk staff and passengers, industry experts, marine mechanics, and leaders in the Coast Guard, according to a statement from the Coast Guard. That will include a review of pre-accident events, regulatory compliance, crewmember duties and qualifications, mechanical systems, emergency response and Coast Guard oversight of the vessel.

More than 100 people were aboard the passenger vessel for a two-hour lunch cruise on the Elizabeth River June 7 when a fire started in the engine room. The 106 passengers, including 89 schoolchildren, were evacuated. No one was injured but the boat burned for nearly five days before the fire could be fully extinguished.

Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, ordered a formal investigation to determine causing factors of the fire, examine the response and identify any other information that can improve maritime safety. At this time, there is no known cause of the fire.

The hearings will be held at the Virginia Beach City Council chambers in Virginia Beach. Meetings will start at 8 a.m. each day, and they will be livestreamed at https://livestream.com/uscginvestigations/spiritofnorfolk. The hearings are scheduled Thursday, Friday, Saturday and will continue next week on Jan. 30, 31 and Feb. 2.

According to a tentative schedule on the hearings, Thursdays will feature testimony from Coast Guard training and inspections officials and marine mechanics from the Bay Diesel company.

The Spirit of Norfolk underwent a safety inspection four weeks before it went up in flames and no deficiencies were found. The inspection included an evaluation of the fire pump on board and a fire drill, review of the crews certificates and the keeping of logs, navigation systems, the anchor system, structural integrity and lifesaving procedures.

The 187-foot ship, built in 1992, was woven into the fabric of the Norfolk community  playing host to all manner of events from weddings to graduation parties to school field trips.

The public can submit questions and comments related to the ongoing investigation and hearing via email at d5publicaffairs@uscg.mil. This email will be checked regularly, according to the Coast Guard, and all correspondence will be acknowledged during the hearing and throughout the investigation.

eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

2023 The Virginian-Pilot.

Visit pilotonline.com.

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The Navy doesnt have the details to determine if the new submarines the United States will depend upon for its nuclear deterrent will be ready on time, a government watchdog agency warned this week.

The lack of a statistical analysis of the construction schedule for the lead Columbia-class nuclear-powered submarine could leave the service vulnerable to production problems and delays, the Government Accountability Office found.

The Columbia program already is facing setbacks because of challenges in design, materials and quality, according to the GAO report, which was published Tuesday.

The GAO says that potential delays in the Columbia-class program also could end up affecting delivery of future attack submarines, which the Navy relies upon for critical intelligence, special operations and missile attack missions.

The Navy wants to build 12 Columbia-class submarines at a cost of about $132 billion. Ballistic missile submarines are considered to be the most survivable leg of the nations nuclear triad, which includes intercontinental missiles and bombs deliverable by aircraft.

Construction on USS District of Columbia, the lead ship of the class, started in October 2020. The Navy aims to see it finished within about 6  years, six months earlier than originally planned, according to the GAO report.

The service wants to buy one of the boats each year starting in 2026 and plans to purchase two Virginia-class attack submarines annually through 2033, the report states.

But that plan could be at risk. The submarines in both classes are made by the same two shipbuilders, which have pulled workers from Virginia-class production to meet an aggressive Columbia-class construction timeline, the GAO report points out.

A delay in putting the first submarine into service and the resulting domino effect on construction of future boats could leave a critical national defense gap as the Navy seeks to replace older Ohio-class submarines starting in 2027.

Without updated long-term planning, the Navy cannot be certain that the fiscal year 2024 budget request will be sufficient to meet the production schedule it has planned for these submarine classes, the report stated.

The first Columbia-class submarine must be ready for patrol before October 2030, according to the report.

The services long-term planning doesnt account for the shared risks between the programs that likely would result in production challenges and potentially higher costs, the GAO said.

In a letter included with the report, the Defense Department agreed with some of the findings but maintained that its present methodology and systems are sufficient for ensuring that the production schedule is met.

The report makes six recommendations, including completion of a detailed statistical analysis of the construction schedule and an update to the delivery schedule of the lead Columbia-class ship, allowing any potential risks to be lessened.

The GAO also recommends that the Navy update long-term planning to better represent its shipbuilding needs and ensure that the budget submitted is sufficient to procure submarines on the schedules outlined in the plan.

Since the Columbia class program has a critical deterrence mission, challenges to delivering the submarines on time could have far-reaching consequences for the nations defense, the report states.
(Tribune News Service)  Twelve miles and a one-hour ferry ride away from the beaches of Gulfport and Biloxi lies a small island with a landmark from Civil War history well known by Mississippi Coast locals.

You may know it better as Ship Island, a popular spot to enjoy warm sandy beaches and view Fort Massachusetts, a brick fortification constructed around Civil War times for coastal defense.

The fort is located along the island's northwestern shore near a boat pier, and was in use by the United States Army until 1903 before it became a tourist attraction. Though it was damaged significantly in hurricanes Camille and Katrina, the fort still stands to this day.

Here is a timeline of events detailing some important moments during this historic fort's construction and its role in the Civil War.

1845-46

After Texas was annexed, Sen. Jesse Speight of Mississippi wrote a resolution inquiring to President James K. Polk about the construction of a fort on Ship Island to protect the coast. The practicality of this project was discussed by the Board of Engineers in the next year, who thought that though coastal Mississippi didn't seem to be a likely landing spot for enemies, having a military fort on Ship Island could serve the purpose of protecting commerce and be a refueling station for gunboats and oceangoing fleets.

March 1857

The Fortifications Bill was signed into law. It allocated $100,000 to build fortifications on Ship Island for a structure that would later be known as Fort Massachusetts.

June 1859

Construction on the fort began under the Army Corps of Engineers and involved contributions from various civilians, including carpenters, stonemasons, blacksmiths and stonecutters. The brick walls that the fort is known for were first worked on during this inaugural year, and would continue to be built and maintained through 1866.

January 1861

Mississippi seceded from the Union and became the second state of the Confederacy. Militia forces took control of Ship Island and the fort (which had not yet been completed) on Jan. 26. These forces attempted to continue the fort's construction, fortify its walls, and arm the island with cannons over the following few months.

July 9, 1861

On this day, the only military engagement in which Ship Island and the fort would be directly involved occurred. A Union Navy ship called the USS Massachusetts came within range of the Confederate cannons and guns that had been constructed on the island. Then ensued a 20 minute cannon-fire exchange, resulting in minimal injuries and damage of property for both sides.

September 1861

The abandonment of Ship Island was ordered by Confederate Gen. David E. Twiggs. Fires were set to the still unfinished fort and other buildings on the island.

Fall 1861

The fort was taken by Union military forces soon after Confederate forces abandoned the island. Under the control of Lt. John C. Palfrey, work resumed on the fort's construction and it was completed. The cost of the project totaled around $187,000 and used an estimated one million bricks.

1862-65

Union military forces used the island throughout the remainder of the Civil War. By spring of 1862, the island harbored up to 18,000 U.S. troops, and was used in the Union's capture of New Orleans. Nearly 40 buildings were erected during this time period, including barracks, a mess hall, a bakery and a hospital.

The island's living conditions were not ideal, and many soldiers met their end at Fort Massachusetts during the Civil War. At least 230 Union soldiers died and were buried on the island. Their bodies were later moved to Chalmette National Cemetery in Louisiana.

The fort was never given an official title, but became commonly known as Fort Massachusetts after Major General Winfield S. Hancock called it such in 1884. It was presumably named in honor of the USS Massachusetts.

(c)2023 The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.)

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(Tribune News Service)  After much hesitation about how to deal with small and medium-size private enterprises it authorized in 2021, the Cuban government is turning to Russia for help with market reforms on the island through a partnership with a Russian think tank headed by sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska, as the two countries vow to take their relationship to a new level.

The creation of a Center for Economic Transformation, in partnership with the Moscow-based Stolypin Institute for the Economy of Growth, came during a meeting between Cubas leader, Miguel Diaz-Canel, and a delegation of Russian officials and businessmen in Havana last week.

The head of the delegation, Russian politician and champagne company owner Boris Titov, told Russian news outlets Interfax and Sputnik that the institute, under Deripaskas control as chairman of the board, will help Cuba carry out economic reforms involving the private sector. Deripaska was sanctioned in April 2018 as part of the U.S. response to the Russian governments annexation of Crimea, Ukraine. He was indicted last September for violating those sanctions.

Titov, whose official title is Commissioner for Entrepreneurs Rights, said the aid Russia can provide through the new center includes sharing technological expertise.

Russia has experience in creating digital systems for companies. Our task is to share with our Cuban friends the digital technologies successfully applied in Russia, he said.

Titov also told the Russian news agency Tass that his government intends to expand commerce with the island and has proposed opening a Russian trading house in Havana in partnership with Cimex, a Cuban government company that is part of the military conglomerate GAESA. Both Cimex and GAESA are under U.S. sanctions.

The Russian side is now working very hard to take our economic relations (with Cuba) to a new level, Titov was quoted as saying.

Our proposal is to create a Russian trading house here, in Havana, with the participation of Cimex, which would become the sole wholesale importer of products and independently determine prices on the retail market. In the coming days, we are expecting a reaction from the Cuban government, Titov said.

Tass reported that Cubas deputy prime minister and foreign trade and investment minister, Rodrigo Malmierca, promised government support for the proposal.

We are working to ensure that Russian investments in Cuba are subject to special protection, Malmierca said, according to the report.

After being named head of the Russia-Cuba Business Council earlier this month, Titov told Tass that the two governments were working together to find ways to evade U.S. financial sanctions.

As both countries are under sanctions, it would be necessary to develop new mechanisms for mutual settlements, which will mitigate the fallout from restrictions, Titov said at that time. Such options as ruble-denominated settlements, cryptocurrencies and clearing schemes are being explored.

Russia and Cuba have been steadily getting closer in the past few years. Vladimir Putins government has extended loans to Cuba and offered to delay debt payments till 2027. The two nations have launched cooperation projects in several areas, including energy and transportation.

But the level of political contacts since the beginning of the war in Ukraine last year has increased, with both governments vowing to strengthen the relationship.

Diaz-Canel traveled to Moscow in November and met with Putin, looking for economic aid, as the island experiences the worst economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The head of Cubas National Assembly, Esteban Lazo, also traveled to Moscow.

Diaz-Canel and Putin talked again on the phone in late December. At the time, the Russian foreign ministry said the two leaders talked about reinforcing the strategic Russian-Cuban cooperation.

Cubas leader seemed pleased with the results of last weeks meetings, tweeting that we are moving very quickly in completing everything that we discussed with President Putin. Diaz-Canel also said the meeting was of great significance because it showed both governments willingness to take their political and economic relationship to a higher point, according to a report published by Granma, the Cuban Communist Partys newspaper.

Trade between the two countries also grew last year, when Cuba ramped up imports of Russian oil. Commercial trade between the two countries was valued at more than $633 million, just behind trade with China, Venezuela, Spain and Canada, according to official Cuban data. Six years earlier, in 2016, that volume was $223 million.

Russia is seeking new markets for its products, especially among countries willing to maintain economic ties despite Western sanctions punishing Putins invasion of Ukraine.

Both Russia and Cuba are under U.S. sanctions, and Cuban authorities have parroted the Kremlins propaganda about the war in Ukraine while failing to condemn Putin in international forums. The two governments also maintain close military ties.

But experts point to the irony of Cubas seeking guidance on capitalist reforms from Russia, a country plagued with corruption and an economy driven by oligarchs seeking the Kremlins favors.

They are seeking help from a government that knows how to make money and create a private sector that has a lot of money concentrated in a few hands, and wealth derives from connectivity to the government, said John Kavulich, the president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. The Russian Federation has some very wealthy people. Perhaps the Cuban government prefers it that way.

Unlike Russia, Vietnam and China have many small successful businesses.

Seeking guidance from Russia may seem comical to us, but since they dont want a large private sector, it makes perfect sense for the Cuban government goals, Kavulich said.

The announcement is another signal that Cuban authorities want to keep the small and medium-size private enterprises, allowed for the first time in decades in August 2021, on a short leash and away from U.S. influence. The government has yet to issue regulations on several issues left unanswered on the legal framework for the private sector, including foreign financing and investment.

Kavulich is still waiting for regulations clarifying how foreign companies, including American ones, could finance the islands private sector after he was granted a license by the Biden administration last year, the first of its kind, to invest in and lend money to a small private business in the service sector in Cuba.

Although they want money originating in the United States, they dont want any of the perceived baggage that comes along with it, and that is the uncertainty, Kavulich said. But what they have done is move the private sector deeper underground. They continue to have one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake, so they go in circles.

2023 Miami Herald.

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CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  A small wooden tablet that belonged to a Japanese soldier killed during the Battle of Iwo Jima was returned to his family in December thanks to the efforts of a Texas-based researcher.

Noriko Kawarai, 68, of Kanuma city near Nikko, took possession of the tablet, a shipping tag that bears a handwritten list of items that belonged to her uncle, Morihiro Murota, during a ceremony at Kanuma City Hall on Dec. 20, she told Stars and Stripes by phone Monday.

Murota was just 24 when he died defending the Japanese island stronghold during the last year of World War II.

The 7-inch by 3-inch tablet was retrieved from the island by U.S. Navy sailor Raymond Sexton and later donated to the Minnesota Military Museum, according to a Jan. 5 statement from Kanuma city. It was returned at the suggestion of war researcher and Iwo Jima Association of America volunteer, Daniel King, of Rockwall, Texas.

I was really surprised, Kawarai said. I had seen on TV that those kinds of things happen, but I never thought that it would happen to me.

The Battle of Iwo Jima began with a Marine amphibious assault on Feb. 19, 1945, following months of aerial and naval bombardment. Seventy-thousand Marines took part in the 36-day battle, with more than 6,800 killed and 19,000 wounded. On the Japanese side, about 18,000 were killed. Only 216 Japanese were captured alive.

The well-preserved piece of wood is addressed to Apprentice Officer Morihiro Murota from his father, Toshiichi Murota, and includes a list of items like books, medicine and pencils that were included in the original package, according to the statement. Murota was assigned to the 311th Independent Infantry Battalion at the time of his death.

Sexton, then a 21-year-old Seabee with the 106th Construction Battalion, was building integral infrastructure on the island when he collected the tag as a wartime souvenir, the statement said. He brought it home, where it remained for more than 75 years.

Sextons son donated the tablet to the museum after his father was hospitalized due to old age, the statement said. Raymond Sexton is now age 98, King wrote in a Jan. 13 Facebook post.

King, author of A Tomb Called Iwo Jima: Firsthand Accounts from Japanese Survivors, suggested returning the tablet to Murotas family after seeing it in a Facebook post by museum curator Doug Thompson, the statement said. He sent a letter to Kanuma city officials in August, aided by retired Kyoto-based real estate executive Nobuhiro Nakamura. It took them only a few weeks to track down Kawarai.

Kawarai officially received the tablet and several vials of black volcanic sand from Iwo Jimas beach from Kanuma Mayor Shin Sato on Dec. 20, she said. Seeing the piece of wood was heartbreaking, she recalled.

I knew about the war but after having the wooden plate in my hands I could have a real feeling, she said.

Kawarais mother, Mitsuko, who was Murotas younger sister, died in October at 96, Kawarai said. She was devastated by her brothers death and traveled to Iwo Jima about 20 years ago to try, unsuccessfully, to look for his remains.

She never learned about the wooden tablets existence due to dementia, Kawarai said.

Kawarai placed the relic next to the memorial tablet on her mother's altar at home, she said. She plans to show it to another of Murotas surviving siblings, though he, too, suffers from dementia, and then possibly donate it to a museum.
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  The 7-year-old daughter of an Okinawa-based Marine remained hospitalized Wednesday after falling nearly three stories from a shopping mall escalator near Camp Kinser.

The accident happened around 12:50 p.m. Saturday at San-A Urasoe West Coast Parco City, an Urasoe Fire Department spokesman told Stars and Stripes on Monday. The unidentified girl fell from just below the fourth floor to first floor, he said.

The girl has a parent assigned to the 3rd Marine Logistics Group, which supports the III Marine Expeditionary Force and is headquartered at Kinser, group spokesman Capt. Johnny Coronel told Stars and Stripes by email Wednesday. He declined to name the girl or her Marine parent.

The girl was leaning on the railing of an ascending escalator when she lost her balance and fell through an 8-inch gap between the escalator and a wall, Japanese national broadcaster NHK reported Saturday.

The girl was unconscious and given CPR, according to the report.

She was bleeding from head injuries, the fire department spokesman said. Its customary in Japan for some government officials to speak to reporters on condition of anonymity.

The girl was taken in critical condition to U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa at Camp Foster, according to NHK. Hospital spokesman Trey Savitz referred questions Tuesday to the logistics groups spokesman.

Coronel declined to provide the girls condition Wednesday but said she was receiving proper medical treatment.
Courtesy of Invisible Collection

The bi-annual Maison & Objet fair is not to be missed for those devoted to interior design (or new homeowners looking to source inspiration). Every year, designers, editors, and collectors of sorts congregate within the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center to view the latest offering from over 2,000 home and lifestyle brands. Coinciding with Paris's Deco-off (the adjacent fair that focuses on wallpapers, fabrics, and wall coverings), this year's Maison & Objet looked to escapism by exhibiting playful furniture, home accessories, and other decorative items.

In a pendulum swing away from stark minimalism, the brands that participated in this year's fair embraced the beauty in the bold with quirky decorative items, statement furniture pieces, and colorful wallpapers. More is more and there is no such thing as too much. At least, for now.

The governing body at Maison & Objet crowns a designer of the year award with past recipients including designer Cristina Celestino and architect Franklin Azzi. For 2023, that honor was given to a multidisciplinary designer and a long-time collaborator of Roche Bobois, Raphael Navot. Navot recently partnered with the brand for a special showcase, The Apothem Lounge, which is an immersive installation designed to convey a visual emotion and open structure flooding people with light.

Below, our favorite moments from Maison & L'objet coupled with suggestions for how to incorporate the trends into your own home.

The Art of Setting a Table

Setting a table is no easy task. At least, for those who love to host. Whether it be for afternoon tea or a several-course dinner, a tablescape should be thoughtfully assembled. Why? Because who doesn't find enjoyment in gastronomy presented amid beautiful glassware, porcelains, and more? The key then is to stick to a theme. For those with a taste for the classic, Christofle is a no-brainer. But, they've just introduced Malmaison Imperiale, a more playful and charismatic addition to their signature Malmaison collection filled with spiraling champagne flutes and Art Deco-inspired plates. Vista Alegre's taken a more colorful approach. Their signature porcelains are coated with geometric shapes in reds and yellows, while plates consist of painted floral motifs.

Story continues

Sculptural Glass

Courtesy of the Invisible Collection

It's said that glass art has been around since the 1st century BC, having been developed in Egypt and Assyria with traces of it found in the Roman Empire. Its decorative element has long served a purpose in illustrating interiors, and it's no surprise that designers at this season's Maison & Objet wish to continue the tradition. At Vertrofuso, glassware is treated as an art with see-through glass dining plates and bowls painted abstractly with dragonfly motifs resting at their surface. Luxury design marketplace Invisible Collection and Mobilier national, France's leading heritage institution dedicated to the preservation of French decorative arts and contemporary creations, also introduced a new line of interiors including a sculptural Floor Lamp by Diane de Kergal.

Animal Motifs

Courtesy of Lalique

Perhaps the designs shown at Maison & Objet contrast the cold and damp winter season. And, if there's one natural setting that designers seem to have their eyes on, it's the warmer days in the tropics. Lalique appealed to the rich diversity of animals in tropical regions, by setting their classic animal glass sculptures atop a coffee table whose outskirts were sculpted into large feathers like those of an ostrich.

Statement Chairs

The chair is no simple design element in one's home and should not be thought of as such. At this year's design week, chairs were configured in architectural shapes of all sorts making them just as much of an art piece as those which adorn walls. If you're looking for something minimal but still playful, lo-and-behold the chair offered by Ukrainian brand, NOOM home. For Maison & Objet, they've presented an oval-shaped ottoman that works both as a comfortable rest and a standalone piece. Dedar, a fabric and textile company, transformed a modern chair by upholstering its seat and back in a new jacquard fabric mended into a triangular pattern. For those who already have a chair that they love, consider giving it a slight refresh with a bold upholstery.

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INCHEON AIRPORT, South Korea  The Russian men now have inside jokes with the South Korean staff they see at 6 p.m. every day at the Burger King in Terminal 1. They spend their days walking around, smoking cigarettes or learning Korean. They wash their clothes with bathroom soap.

For these five men who fled Russia to avoid conscription in the war against Ukraine, Incheon International Airport has been their temporary home for the past three months.

They arrived at the airport, located about 32 miles west of Seoul, in October and November seeking asylum. But South Korea, which has a low rate of accepting refugees, deemed them unqualified to even apply and rejected their applications. The men appealed the decision, and three of them will find out Jan. 31 whether their appeal will be accepted.

Its our last chance here, in Korea, said one of the men, who is 31 and spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear for his safety upon potential repatriation.

They are among more than 180,000 Russian nationals who escaped their country after President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 21 declared a partial military mobilization of reservists for his war in Ukraine, leaving countries across Europe to grapple with whether to open up their countries to the exodus.

Some affected by the order fled, while others left because they feared the government would conscript any able-bodied men out of desperation for fighters.

Vladimir Maraktaev, a 23-year-old university student from the Republic of Buryatia in Siberia, received his draft notice Sept. 24 and left home that day without his fiancee. So many Russians have already died to fight in a war that he opposes, he said.

I dont want to hurt people. I dont want to die myself, as well. But I feel this conflict is extremely political, he said. Its an imperialistic war in my opinion, conquering a neighboring brotherly nation. ... I have all the respect for Ukrainians for defending their home.

Its Maraktaevs first time in South Korea, which he said he chose as his destination after reading about the countrys former presidents who have been convicted and jailed for crimes, including for corruption, which he called mind-blowing.

Its hard to see, in any world, Russian leaders get accused and actually confirmed of anything  corruption, bribery, et cetera. ... It just felt really refreshing, he said.

A 30-year-old, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety, said he left Russia just after receiving his conscription notice on Sept. 28 because he had protested at anti-government rallies and had been investigated for his stance. It was already unsafe for him to be home in Siberia, and even less safe after his order, he said.

Fearing he would be sent to the front lines, he left his wife and child home and escaped. He crossed into Kazakhstan and decided on South Korea because it was a democracy, he said.

He and two others who arrived at Incheon Airport in October will find out Jan. 31 whether they will qualify to apply for refugee status.

If they succeed, they will be able to leave the airport and enter South Korea until they receive a determination on their status, which could take up to a year, said their lawyer Lee Jong-chan, of the Advocates for Public Interest Law. The other two men  Maraktaev and the 31-year-old  will have their first court hearing on Jan. 31.

Under South Korean law, people can apply for refugee status at a port of entry, such as an airport, and are interviewed for a pre-assessment. If they qualify to apply, the immigration office refers them to refugee screening. The Ministry of Justice declined to specify why it rejected their application.

Lee said his clients were rejected because evading the draft is not a qualifying criteria for refugee status.

South Korea, which also requires all able-bodied men to enlist in the military by age 28, takes draft evasion seriously. But Lee is appealing the decision, arguing that Russians fleeing the draft and disagreeing with the war should be considered differently.

A person who is obligated to serve in Korea who simply leaves the country to avoid military service and applies for refugee status, say in the United States, it would be difficult to get refugee status. That is understandable, he said. But if people at risk of forced conscription in a war-torn country like Russia flee because they oppose the war, we generally view as a reason to be considered a refugee.

South Korea has called Russias invasion of Ukraine unlawful and illegitimate and joined the West in imposing economic sanctions. But it has also been wary of its bilateral relationship with Moscow and rejected repeated requests from Kyiv for lethal weapons, though it is increasingly providing indirect military support.

Lee said he was optimistic that the men will get a hearing, as their cases are similar to the hundreds of Yemenis and more than 1,200 Syrians who arrived in South Korea to flee the war at home. Most of those applicants were ultimately denied refugee status, but granted one-year humanitarian visas. It is unclear how the government will decide on the Russians case.

In 2019, before refugee applications plummeted because of the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea recognized 79 of 15,452 applicants as refugees and granted 230 people humanitarian stay permits that year.

The most urgent issue for now is getting the men out of the airport, Lee said.

Until then, the Russians sleep in a small holding room in the departure area that is housing eight other men. There is a shower room with unreliable hot water. They receive three meals per day: pastry and orange juice at 8 a.m., rice and chicken at 12 p.m., then pastry and orange juice again at 5 p.m.

At 6 p.m., they wander to the Burger King to buy something else to eat. The staff recognizes them as the foreigners who live in the airport. They have an irregular sleep schedule because their hours and days blur together, and often end up at the 24-hour Dunkin for a bite or a coffee. The duty-free areas dont like them loitering around since they cant purchase anything without boarding passes or passports, which were confiscated, they say.

Not only do we know the airport, the airport knows us, said the 31-year-old. Ive never smoked cigarettes but I started smoking here. Im living now in the smoking rooms.

Their Russian credit cards are declined due to financial sanctions on Russian banks. So they hang out around a gate where flights to Kazakhstan typically take off, and chat up Russian-speaking tourists who can give them cash in return for money wired from their Russian bank accounts.

Even a five-star airport like Incheon, which is among the busiest and cleanest airports in the world, can feel dreadful if its the only place you can be. Theyre bored, anxious, nervous and hopeful, and have been to every part of Terminal 1 that allows them. They miss fresh air and taking a walk outdoors.

The two men said they are bracing for a long slog at the airport.

Were pretty stoic, I think, Maraktaev said. Well, we have to be, just have to be patient, have to be strong in mental status.
Russias top military leader is apparently worried about his battlefield troops facial hair.

Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, has recently come under fire after demanding increased personal discipline from soldiers, according to a message from the U.K. Defense Ministry and comments from a Russian mercenary groups leader.

Russian senior leaders are increasingly seen as out of touch (and) focused on presentation over substance, according to the British defense update.

Since Gerasimov took direct command in Ukraine earlier this month, officers have been tasked with clamping down on uniform irregularities, travel in civilian vehicles, the use of mobile phones and nonstandard haircuts, according to the British Defense Ministry.

Cell phone use is widely acknowledged by militaries as a security risk. But the concentration on appearance comes in a war where top U.S. officials estimate Russian casualties have gone significantly over 100,000 within less than a year.

The greatest derision has been reserved for attempts to improve the standard of troops shaving, according to British intelligence.

Yevgeny Prighozin, head of private military contractor the Wagner Group, was among the vocal critics of the policy.

War is the time of the active and the courageous and not of the clean-shaven, he responded, according to the British report.

Earlier this month, Prighozin told followers on the social media platform Telegram that facial hair was an important part of Russian Orthodox and Islamic cultures. The beard at the front is a symbol, it is a tradition, he said.

The regulations are unlikely to apply to Wagners estimated 50,000 mercenaries fighting alongside conventional Russian forces.

The ministry also said the generals attempt to groom troops for success bristled front-line soldiers and has been met with pushback.

The call for personal hygiene, uniformity and discipline among service members is not unique among militaries.

Some of the rank-and-file across the U.S. services have long chafed against grooming standards, pointing to the hirsute faces of special operators on Army Special Forces and SEAL teams who were permitted to grow bristly beards to command respect among residents in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 23 January 2023



Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/CSN2KpKIMu



 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/6ubHQ5sXPr  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) January 23, 2023

While the shaving order may seem trivial, its timing is telling and may be indicative of a larger problem in the Russian military, Western war analysts have said.

Russia has filled its combat ranks recently with inexperienced conscripts and largely lacks a trained noncommissioned officer corps.

Russian soldiers in Ukraine have complained of poor living conditions, lack of equipment and low morale in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance that has seen continued resupply by Western allies.

Enforcing daily shaves is seen by war analysts as an attempt to instill discipline without offering improved conditions for units stretched thin.

The Russian force continues to endure operational deadlock and heavy casualties; Gerasimovs prioritization of largely minor regulations is likely to confirm the fears of his many skeptics in Russia, the British Defense Ministry said.
President Biden announced Wednesday that his administration will send 31 of its top-line battle tanks  the M1 Abrams  to Ukraine, a significant escalation of military aid as fighting is expected to intensify in the spring.

The move comes after U.S. officials raised concerns for weeks about the Ukrainian militarys ability to operate and maintain the tanks. But the pressure to send the Abrams mounted as it became clear that Germany was also reluctant to deliver its Leopard 2 tanks  which are more ubiquitous and easier to use  without a similar step by the United States.

Germany also said Wednesday that it will deliver 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Heres what to know about the U.S. battle tank:

Why does Ukraine want the U.S. M1 Abrams?

Kyiv has pleaded with its partners to send Western heavy battle tanks that could play in its favor on the front lines, where the conflict has largely stagnated in recent months. The U.S. main battle tank, in service since 1980, is among the most powerful in the world. In modern versions of the vehicle, layers of depleted uranium armor provide substantial protection to those inside.

The United States and its allies have said that Ukraine needs heavy armor as they expand training for Ukrainian forces to fight Russian troops in the countrys east. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg this week described the delivery of tanks and other armored vehicles as urgent.

Russian forces are expected to begin a new offensive in the spring, and Ukraine aims to launch its own counteroffensive to take back territory occupied by Russia. Tanks will be crucial to giving Ukraine the upper hand, officials in Ukraine and partner countries say, particularly as allies train Ukrainian forces to perform combined arms maneuvers against Russian forces dug in along the front line in the east.

Main battle tanks are heavier and more powerful than the infantry fighting vehicles Ukraine currently uses or will soon receive. Theyre meant to engage other tanks and break through enemy lines. And their tracks are made for moving across open terrain, similar to the landscape in eastern Ukraine.

The Kremlin, commenting Wednesday on a possible supply of Abrams tanks to Kyiv, said they will burn like all the rest and that their potential to help Ukraine has been overestimated, according to Russian news agencies.

The Abrams donation could have more symbolic than strategic value: Ukrainian officials urged Washington to approve an Abrams delivery, arguing this would prompt Germany to send its own tanks and break a logjam over dispatching such weapons from around Europe.

Those tanks are plentiful across Europe, but deliveries require sign-off from Germany, the manufacturer, which has been reluctant to make such a move unilaterally. The U.S. decision to send Abrams tanks appears to have convinced Berlin, which said Wednesday that it would allow other countries to also deliver their Leopard 2s.

Why did the United States hesitate to send the tanks?

Biden administration officials previously said the U.S.-made tanks, which weigh about 70 tons, present logistical difficulties for the battleground in Ukraine. They are heavier than the Leopard 2 tanks. Instead of diesel fuel, which powers the Leopards, the Abramss multi-fuel engine usually runs on jet fuel, which can be more difficult to supply.

Pledges of more modern equipment for Ukraine have also raised questions about how its allies would train Ukrainian troops to use them.

U.S. officials have said the Abrams requires complicated maintenance, logistics and special training. Its expensive. Its hard to train on.  It is not the easiest system to maintain, Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl told reporters last week after a visit to Kyiv.

Throughout the war, U.S. officials have also weighed carefully whether sending Kyiv a particular weapons system might provoke Russia to escalate the conflict.

But after discussions with German counterparts, the Biden administration decided to donate the tanks, while Berlin signed off on sending Leopards. Biden said Wednesday that the decision does not represent an offensive threat to Russia but was intended to help Ukraine defend itself from the truly brutal aggression by Russia.

To liberate their land, they need to be able to counter Russias evolving tactics and strategy on the battlefield in the very near term, Biden said of Ukrainian forces.

How many Abrams tanks will Washington send, and when?

The United States plans to send 31 tanks  enough for one battalion, a Biden administration official told The Washington Post. The delivery could take months, if not years. The delay is partly because the U.S. government will buy the tanks from manufacturers rather than transfer them from existing stocks. They are to be paid for by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a fund meant for the purchase of military equipment for Ukraine that the United States does not already have on hand.

Ukrainian troops must also be trained on how to operate and maintain the Abrams and incorporate the tanks into offensive operations.

The Leopards from Germany and European allies will probably arrive sooner and could shape the battlefield this spring.

The Washington Posts Adam Taylor, Loveday Morris, Karen DeYoung and Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  The United States will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine to help troops in the embattled country beat back invading Russian forces, the White House announced Wednesday.

The move follows more than a week of international pressure on President Joe Bidens administration from allies and speculation about sending battle tanks to Ukraine.

Its very much a continuation of our efforts to provide Ukraine with the capability that they need to continue to better defend themselves, a senior administration official told reporters.

U.S. officials did not specify which variant of the Abrams  the M1A1 or the M1A2  would be sent to Ukraine, but they said the tanks will be procured through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative rather than the presidential drawdown authority. Providing weapons and equipment through funding from the initiative is a longer process, and the tanks will be procured from the defense industry and not taken from Defense Department stocks. The officials said it would be several months before Ukraine receives the tanks. The officials also said training Ukrainian troops on the Abrams is part of the deal, and it will take place at an undisclosed location somewhere outside Ukraine.

Along with the announcement of Abrams tanks, the U.S. will send Ukraine eight tactical recovery vehicles, support vehicles, and equipment and funding for training, maintenance and sustainment, the Pentagon said.

It will enhance Ukraine's capacity to defend its territory and achieve strategic objectives," Biden said in his announcement at the White House. "The Abrams tanks are the most capable tanks in the world."

"This is about freedom  freedom for Ukraine, freedom everywhere, he added. It's about the kind of world we want to live in, the world we want to leave to our children."

Biden and the Pentagon have been asked repeatedly in recent days about Ukraines requests for tanks such as the M1 Abrams and the German-made Leopard 2. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his armed forces need the stronger, more maneuverable tanks to fight off Russian forces across the country.

Earlier Wednesday, German officials agreed to send dozens of its Leopard tanks to Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told members of parliament in Berlin that it took some time to confirm that sending the tanks now is the right move. He also indicated it was important to send them in close cooperation with the United States sending the Abrams tanks.

It was reported last week that German officials said they wouldnt send the Leopards unless the U.S. agreed to send the Abrams. The Pentagon has said theres no linkage between the two contributions, but U.S. officials stressed Wednesday that a great deal of strategy concerning the evolving war is done in concert with allies.

Keeping unity inside the alliance with our partners has also been really important, said a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity. So, coupled with the near-term commitment the Germans have made on Leopards, we think that the contribution by us with the Abrams represents the long-term commitment.

Pentagon officials had argued in recent weeks that the Abrams was not suitable for Ukrainian battlefields for multiple reasons. Chief among them, they said, is the complexity of operating and maintaining the tanks. But senior administration officials said Wednesday that the conditions of the war in Ukraine are constantly changing.

Given what we expect will be the kind of fighting that will occur in weeks and months ahead  this is very much in keeping with a constant conversation that we have had with allies and partners as well as, of course, Ukraine, one of the officials said. We have said all along that the capabilities we are going to provide are going to evolve with the needs of the war, and I think thats what youre seeing here.

The Abrams first entered service in 1980. The first model, the M1, was produced in the late 1970s and the second edition, the M1A1, began production in 1985. The most recent variant, the M1A2, has been in service since 1992 and is the version that has the most sophisticated features.

The M1A2, for example, is equipped with an independent thermal sight and can fire at two different targets virtually at the same time, without having to lock on sequentially. It also has an automatic firefighting system in the crew compartment and can actively deflect computerized in-bound missiles. Some of the later variants have a Tank Urban Survival Kit, which is a series of refinements that allow the tank to perform better in urban warfighting environments.

Pentagon officials have said another aspect of the M1 Abrams that affected the debate to send the tank to Ukraine is its need for maintenance and spare parts in the battlefield, at a time when the world continues to deal with supply chain challenges, due partly to Russias war.

It is the most capable tank in the world, but its also the most sophisticated, a senior administration official said of the M1 Abrams. And there are supply chain issues that have to be dealt with, certainly. Training and maintenance issues that have to be dealt with. And thats why were doing it through USAI, so we can take the time  not too much  but take enough time to make sure that when they get into the field the Ukrainians use them and maintain them and keep them in the fight offensively on their own.

The Abrams carries a crew of four people is shielded with composite armor, and its main armaments are 105 mm or 120 mm shells, along with a .50 caliber machine gun. Its maximum speed is between 42 and 45 mph on roads and 25 to 30 mph off roads. The Army is the only U.S. operator of the M1 Abrams, though the Marine Corps also used the tank at one time.

The senior administration officials declined to reveal too much about the specifications of the Abrams tanks that the U.S. will procure and send to Ukraine, such as whether they will use depleted uranium shells or be protected with depleted uranium armor. Depleted uranium shells can penetrate heavy armor and depleted uranium armor offers maximum protection for the tanks.

The Abrams tank also is powered by a multi-fuel engine that most often runs on jet fuel.

The agreements by the U.S. and Germany to send the heavy-duty battle tanks come after other countries recently stepped up their weapons and equipment contributions. Britain already has agreed to send some of its Challenger tanks to Ukraine, and France has committed some of its lighter tanks. Zelenskyy has said heavy-duty tanks would be instrumental in driving back Russian forces across the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine where Moscow has been seeking to expand its footprint for nearly a year.

Development for the M1 Abrams, which is named after Gen. Creighton Abrams, former Army chief of staff and the top commander during the latter part of the Vietnam War  began in the 1970s when the Army began looking for a replacement for the aging M60 Patton tank. The M1A1 was used in Kuwait and Iraq during the first Gulf War in the 1990s, and the M1A2 was used in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s. For a time in the 2010s, there were reports that the Army was looking to develop an M1A3, but there has been no Pentagon confirmation on that possible variant and no further reports on development.

Officially, the Army is exploring a replacement for the Abrams with the Next Generation Combat Vehicle  a program that is also eyeing replacements for the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle and M113 armored personnel carrier, both of which also have been pledged by the U.S. to Ukraine.

The Biden administrations pledge to send Abrams tanks signals the latest round of military equipment the U.S. is sending to Ukraine. The Pentagon announced a $2.5 billion military aid package last week that includes other heavy-duty vehicles such as Bradleys and Stryker armored personnel carriers.

Since the Russian war began last February, the U.S. have contributed total weapons and equipment nearing $30 billion. Congress has also approved supplemental foreign funding to help Ukrainian forces defend its country.
This story has been corrected

An ex-Afghan soldier arrested after crossing into the U.S. from Mexico in an attempt to seek asylum no longer faces a criminal charge of crossing the border illegally.

The misdemeanor against Abdul Wasi Safi, known as Wasi, was dropped, with a judges letter accepting the dismissal of the case received Tuesday, according to court records.

Wasi, 27, had fled Afghanistan to Brazil and then walked north through Central America before crossing the Rio Grande in Texas, where he was arrested. He has been in detention since September.

His brother Sami-ullah Safi, known as Safi, said he felt a huge relief after learning that the case against his brother had been dropped.

Safi, 29, had spent months advocating for his brother, whose case had drawn pleas from veterans groups and lawmakers asking for his release.

This broken immigration system needs serious attention, Safi said in a text message to Stars and Stripes.

He credited efforts by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, who pressed the U.S. government for a pardon. Republican U.S. representatives Dan Crenshaw of Texas and Michael Waltz of Florida also advocated for Wasi.

Lawyers for Wasi have said they could start his asylum case once the criminal case was dismissed.

Wasi is one of hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers reported at the U.S. southern border after the American-backed government in Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection logged 2,177 encounters with Afghans on the southern border from October 2021 to the end of 2022, according to numbers provided to Stars and Stripes.

Asylum seekers must be physically present in the United States to apply, but the U.S. asylum system is outdated and unable to process the numbers of applicants, immigration advocates say.

After arriving at the border, some Afghans are allowed entry and can reunite with family members as they wait for the resolution of their asylum cases. There were 173 Afghans were in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody as of Jan. 9, 2023, the agency said.
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WASHINGTON  Republicans in Congress are pushing for the Defense Department to reinstate service members forced out of the military for refusing the recently rescinded coronavirus vaccine mandate.

Two companion bills introduced in the Senate and House this week prohibit the Pentagon from replacing the mandate with another and call for the reinstatement and restoration of rank for troops separated or demoted due to their vaccine status.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin required vaccination for service members in August 2021 and rescinded the mandate at the direction of Congress in early January. About 8,200 service members were discharged from the military for refusing to get the vaccine for religious or other reasons.

The COVID-19 vaccine mandate has ruined the livelihoods of men and women who have honorably served our country, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said in a statement. This inept bureaucratic policy should have never been imposed, and while it has since been rolled back, we still have service members who have not been rehired, promoted, or received back pay and benefits.

The bills introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the Senate and Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., in the House are co-sponsored by more than two dozen Republicans.

Bishop said the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense policy bill that included a provision requiring the removal of the mandate, did not go far enough. It did not prohibit the Defense Department from issuing a similar mandate in the future and did not provide meaningful remedies for service members who were kicked out, he said.

The introduced legislation will close these glaring loopholes and bring justice to military members who were purged by Secretary Austins egregious vaccine mandate, Bishop said in a statement.

Service members who were involuntarily separated would be credited with missed retirement pay under the bills. Those who were demoted for refusing the vaccine would have their rank restored and receive compensation for any pay or benefits lost due to the demotion.

The measures would also change any general discharge given to an unvaccinated service member to honorable and expunge the records of service members who faced adverse action for their vaccination status. Every effort would be made to retain service members who are not vaccinated, including promotion and leadership opportunities, according to the bills.

Democrats have opposed calls to reinstate troops who refused to follow vaccination orders, describing their actions as insubordination. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said last month that in the United States military, a lawful order is not a suggestion, it is a command.

"For those of us who have had the privilege of commanding American military personnel, it is the essence of order and discipline in the United States military, said Reed, an Army veteran and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Austin reiterated that stance in a memo announcing the end of the vaccine mandate on Jan. 10. The memo ended pending involuntary separations for unvaccinated service members who asked for waivers on religious, medical or administrative grounds but did not address possible reinstatement for service members who had been discharged.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said service members who believe they were wrongly separated can petition to have the characterization of their discharge corrected in their personnel records, which could open the door to reenlistment. But there is no potential for them to return at their previous level, she said.
TOKYO  The White House on Tuesday nominated a special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, taking a step to fill the position that has remained vacant for six years.

The administration has put forward Julie Turner, director of the Office of East Asia and the Pacific in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the State Department, according to the announcement. She has worked at the department for more than 16 years, primarily focused on promoting human rights in North Korea, it says. The Senate must confirm her nomination.

The announcement comes amid a hardening line toward Pyongyang from both the United States and South Korea, whose new conservative leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, has also turned his attention to human rights issues.

For five years under liberal president Moon Jae-in, South Korea avoided raising the issue in an effort to facilitate inter-Korea dialogue and engagement.

Yoon last July named South Koreas first human rights ambassador since 2017, appointing Lee Shin-wha, an international relations professor at Korea University.

Human rights advocates in the United States and South Korea have been eager for Biden  who has said that human rights are at the center of his foreign policy  to name an envoy as required by law. The role was created in 2004 through legislation to bring attention to and advocate for North Korean human rights issues.

A landmark U.N. commission of inquiry report in 2013 found systemic human rights violations by North Korea and recommended referring its leaders to the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.

With North Koreas shuttered borders in the coronavirus pandemic, human rights advocates have raised alarms about the situation inside the country. The outgoing U.N. special rapporteur for North Korean human rights said last year that he was gravely concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation under further isolation of the country, in particular the aggravation of the food crisis and stricter control of peoples freedoms.

North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of human rights violations.

Robert King, the last person to fill the role for the United States, served in the role under the Obama administration from November 2009 to January 2017. Under the Trump administration, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson moved in 2017 to eliminate the position, but it was reestablished by Congress the next year.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in 2021 that the Biden administration would nominate an envoy, but the administration had not publicly announced a nominee until Tuesday.

Turner formerly served as a special assistant in the Office of the Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues, and she speaks French and Korean, according to the White House announcement.

Turner has worked to raise concerns about a range of human rights issues regarding the totalitarian country, including abuses of North Korean laborers that work abroad to support the regime and the difficulties defectors face as they escape the country and raise awareness about the living conditions inside.
On Dec. 28, at approximately 8:57 a.m., Lake Hallie Police responded to Walmart, 2786 Commercial Blvd, Lake Hallie, for a report of a male subject who passed four counterfeit $100 bills. The incident originally occurred the previous day, police said.

On Jan. 17, the photos from the case were uploaded to the Lake Hallie Police Facebook page, to see if social media could assist in identifying the unknown subject. The following day, the Cornell Police Department issued a Wisconsin Crime Alert regarding a male suspect passing counterfeit $100 bills at two locations in their jurisdiction.

The suspect from the Cornell incident was the same suspect as in the Lake Hallie PD case.

With the assistance of the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network, Facebook and the Chippewa County Crime Stoppers page, the suspect was positively identified as James Buchli, 26, of Cadott. Buchli was also identified in passing counterfeit $100 bills in Tomah and Ladysmith.

On Monday, the Cadott Police Department stopped a vehicle that was previously at Buchlis residence when investigators attempted contact there. Buchli was identified as a passenger in the vehicle.

Buchli was arrested and transported to the Chippewa County Jail, where he was booked in on one felony count of forgery-uttering and one misdemeanor count of retail theft in reference to Lake Hallie case. Buchli was also charged with three felony counts of forgery-uttering in Cornells case.

Tomah and Ladysmith police also have additional felony forgery-uttering charges pending for Buchli. Lake Hallie police credited the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network, social media and the perseverance and team work of all agencies involved for solving multiple cases.

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Boles (24) subjected Jody to weekly assaults that included punching her, slamming her head against a wall, smothering her with a pillow, throwing her down stairs and spitting in her face

These are the chilling messages posted by domestic abuser Jake Boles threatening to slap the head off a friend of his victim, Jody Duggan, after she left him.

Brave Jody, who was subjected to weekly assaults and coercive control at the hands of the vicious thug, has said she hopes the DPP appeal the leniency of his sentence after he walked free from court with a suspended sentence earlier this month.

Jody (22), from Ratoath, Co. Meath, has also revealed how she has been inundated with messages from other victims of domestic abuse and coercive control, who thanked her for speaking out in last weeks Sunday World after Boles got a suspended sentence.

Womens Aid have said the lenient sentencing in the case sends a poor signal to other women experiencing domestic abuse.

Snapchat message threatening Jody's friend

Dublin security worker Boles (24) subjected Jody to weekly assaults that included punching her, slamming her head against a wall, smothering her with a pillow, throwing her down stairs and spitting in her face.

He also controlled nearly every aspect of her life, from where she could go and who she could see to what clothes she wore and what she could eat.

Boles, who was deemed to be at moderate risk of re-offending, was given a suspended sentence at Trim Circuit Court last Friday week after the court heard his new partner had recently given birth to their child; he had a steady job; had passed drug tests and was engaging in anger management and counselling.

We can reveal that even after Jody went to the gardai about Boles in 2019, he still made threats to friends of hers.

In one message posted on Snapchat aimed at a male friend of Jody, he wrote: When people dont text you back but can text of the lads back and look at your story?? Little bitch Ill slap the jaw off ye.

In another message he wrote: Watch your back pal.

Another threatening message

As Jody revealed last week, Boles also contacted people she knew and threatened them after a safety order was in place barring him from contacting her.

Jody said she was happy that she could finally speak publicly about what happened to her and expose Boles, who is originally from Balgriffin, in Dublin, for the thug he is but also feels the DPP should appeal the leniency of the sentence.

I definitely want to see it; I dont think the sentence he got was fair. He goes to counselling and anger management but its not by choice. He has no choice but to do that to get himself off.

While he only pleaded guilty to five assault charges, Jody said the true number was much higher.

This was continuous. There was a lot more than that. It was every single week. I wasnt told it was only going to be five assaults he pleaded guilty to.

Sarah Benson, CEO of Womens Aid, said it was time for the justice system to adapt to the crimes of domestic abusers and hold them to account in a manner proportionate to the devastation they wreak on their victims.
James Maher (32) of Kilcronin Crescent, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to having cocaine and cannabis for sale

James Maher of Kilronan Crescent, Clondalkin pictured at the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ). Photo: Paddy Cummins   Paddy Cummins - PCPhoto.ie

A man who jumped into the canal to avoid gardai when he was caught picking up drugs has been jailed for 32 months.

James Maher (32) of Kilcronin Crescent, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having cocaine and cannabis for sale or supply on August 23, 2020.

Sergeant Peter Smith told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, that he was on patrol around the Grand Canal in Clondalkin when he saw Maher acting suspiciously.

He saw him place items from a ditch into a shopping bag and placing it on the handle bars of his bike.

Sgt Smith tried to stop Maher but he ran off before throwing a second bag, large bin bag, into the canal.

Maher jumped into the canal himself, got out of the other side, retrieved the bin bag and threw it into a nearby field.

The bag that had been on the bike was recovered and cannabis, valued at 2,500, was found in that.

Sgt Smith said a colleague caught Maher nearby. He was wet and cocaine, valued at 980, was found on him.

The field was searched in an attempt to retrieve the bin bag but it was never recovered.

Maher was interviewed by gardai but nothing came out of those interviews. He has 27 previous convictions which include a number for drug dealing.

Maher was previously sentenced by Judge Elma Sheahan for similar offences and is due for release on May 20, 2025. This offence was committed while he was on bail for that drug dealing.

James Maher of Kilronan Crescent, Clondalkin. Photo: Paddy Cummins   Paddy Cummins - PCPhoto.ie

Sgt Smith agreed with Keith Spencer BL, defending, that he had a drug problem and a drug debt at the time. He accepted that Maher was a father of three.

Mr Spencer asked the court not to extend his clients release date.

Judge Martin Nolan said that Maher had a significant history of offending involving drug dealing.

He acknowledged that Maher wants to change his life and wants to reform and rehabilitate in prison and return to the community a better person. Hopefully he will take those steps, Judge Nolan commented.

But he was involved in drug dealing and was pretty incorrigible at that time, Judge Nolan said before he sentenced Maher to 32 months in prison which he ordered to be served consecutive to the term he is already serving.
Martin Mongan (47) caused a three-way collision on a busy road after smashing a van containing his relatives onto an embankment

A man who drove his truck at a van containing family members he was feuding with, causing a three-way collision on a busy road, has been jailed for three years.

Martin Mongan (47) was embroiled in a feud with his cousins, which started when a number of family members engaged in violent disorder at a family funeral in Roscommon in 2017, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

In May 2018, Mongan was buying cigarettes at a petrol station on Newcastle Road, Lucan when, upon emerging from the shop, he discovered two family members he was feuding with had driven up in their van and damaged his windscreen.

This van then left the garage, with Mongan pursuing it in his truck. CCTV footage shown in court showed his truck ramming into the white van just outside the petrol station, causing the van in turn to smash into a car.

The occupants of the van immediately fled the scene, as Mongan reversed his truck and smashed into the van again, causing it to go up onto an embankment.

The three occupants of the car, who had nothing to do with Mongan or his family members, drove a short distance in a bid to get away from the scene, before calling an ambulance. These people declined to make victim impact statements, Karl Finnegan BL, prosecuting, told the court.

Martin Mongan   Collins Courts

Mongan, of Rock Road Mansions, Newcastle, Co Dublin was found guilty by a jury of one count of endangerment and one count of dangerous driving at Newcastle Road, Lucan on May 6, 2018, following a trial last October.

He has 13 previous convictions for road traffic offences. No other people were charged in relation to the incident.

Aidan McCarthy BL, defending, said his client was a member of the Traveller community, who became engaged in a family feud with cousins on his mother's side in the wake of an incident at a Roscommon funeral in 2017. Nine people were charged in the wake of this incident, the court heard.

Mongan has 10 children with his wife and is a loving and caring father, Mr McCarthy said. He has never spent time in custody and is petrified of going to jail, the court heard.

Mr McCarthy said Mongan has recently been offered employment and is willing to save up 2,000 to give to the victims in the case as a token of his remorse. Judge Patricia Ryan noted this incident took place nearly five years ago and Mongan has had plenty of time before now to save money.

She asked why he didn't plead guilty, to which Mr McCarthy replied: Because he was attacked.

Sentencing him yesterday, Judge Ryan said she had to mark the seriousness of the incident with a custodial sentence.

This is a very serious incident that occurred in broad daylight, the judge said. She noted a number of aggravating factors, including the number of times Mongan drove his truck at the van and the effects it had on the injured parties in the car, who are said to have been affected by the incident.

The judge handed down a four-year sentence and suspended the final year on a number of conditions.
Counsel for CAB told the High Court no documents have so far been filed since first being directed by the court in February 2021

Kinahan Cartel target James Mago Gately and his partner Charlene Lam have been told a court hearing will go ahead to have their house deemed the proceeds of crime if they dont file a defence.

Last year the couple were granted free legal-aid to contest the Criminal Assets Bureau case that they spent 440,000 on their 125,000 Coolock house - but have not yet provided any affidavits to back their case.

Despite evidence of eye-watering luxury holidays, they were granted legal aid to hire a forensic accountant to help them argue against the CAB case.

But last week counsel for CAB told the High Court no documents have so far been filed since first being directed by the court in February 2021.

Counsel for the couple asked for more time and said an accountant had been unwell and a quantity surveyor they had wanted to use had been too busy.

Judge Alex Owens said of lot this had already been rehearsed and gave a deadline of 10 February for the affidavits to be filed or the case would be for hearing on the next occasion.

Last October Judge Owens warned the couple to file a defence in a Criminal Asset Bureau case or face losing their free legal aid.

A lawyer for Gately and Lam said there was a very large volume of material involved and the replying affidavits were not ready.

He also refused a request at the time for an extra lawyer after granting the couple legal aid in September for case which centres on their Coolock home.

Gately and his partner Charlotte Lam had claimed they were too broke to pay lawyers to fight the High Court.

James 'Mago' Gately carries Gary Hutch's coffin

CAB had claimed the couple had indulged in luxury holidays and spent 440,000 refurbishing their Coolock home.

Two cars and a 4,400 ladies Rolex watch are being targeted by CAB which alleges the goods were paid for with the proceeds of crime.

Opposing the legal aid application, it was stated the couple had taken luxury cruises and enjoyed eye- watering foreign travel.

They went on two cruises including one that started in Singapore in which they had a cabin complete with a balcony visiting Korea, Japan and China.

James Gately said in an affidavit he hasnt been able to work since October 2015 because of threat to his life but the property cars and jewellery were all bought with legitimate income.
Michael Dunphy was jailed after allowing dogs to needlessly suffer in inhumane conditions.

One dog sadly had to be put down due to its injuries. Photo: ISPCA

A Waterford man has been jailed after allowing dogs to needlessly suffer in inhumane conditions.

Michael Dunphy, of Clonard Park, Ballybeg, Waterford City, was charged with keeping animals in various states of neglect on his property.

The charges relate to ISPCA inspections in October 2021 following complaints made by members of the public over continuous barking.

During the inspection, ISPCA Senior Inspector Alice Lacey found a number of dogs living in inhumane conditions on Mr Dunphys property.

Many of the pups were found with injuries and skin conditions, while some dogs were malnourished.

Two dogs were taken for immediate veterinary care due to their condition.

One dog had to be put down immediately when he arrived at the vet due to fatal injuries - most of his jaw was missing and his teeth were exposed, leading to a severe infection.

All animals were found to have had a lack of appropriate shelter with some living in extremely small, dirty spaces with damp bedding or none at all.

Six dogs in total were then taken into ISPCA custody for rehabilitation and rehoming, and all went on to make full recoveries and found wonderful homes.

The six remaining pooches were rehomed. Photo: ISPCA

Mr Dunphy was today sentenced to three months behind bars after admitting to various offences under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.

He was also disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years and ordered to pay 3,222 in vet costs and legal fees.

Commenting on his sentencing, Judge Kevin Stanton said: I am saddened that someone can allow an animal to needlessly suffer without taking any action to alleviate that suffering, to stand by and not be compelled to do something as a matter of urgency.

This case encompassed many animal welfare issues, from injury, to malnourishment and a serious lack of appropriate animal husbandry.

It is a strong reminder to people that animal cruelty and neglect is something which will not be tolerated in this country and the ISPCA are tackling these issues head on.

Todays imposing of a custodial sentence gives me confidence that subsequent court cases relating to animal welfare will continue to be dealt with (hopefully) with the same fervour.

And Chief ISPCA Inspector, Conor Dowling, added: It is sad and unacceptable where we have cases of such neglect that we have to put an animal to sleep.

We were pleased to be able to take six dogs to the safety of our rehabilitation centre prevent further suffering and now they will be in homes where they will be loved and cared for.

The ISPCA encourages members of the public to continue to report any animal welfare concerns to the ISPCAs National Animal Cruelty Helpline in confidence on 0818 515 515, email helpline@ispca.ie or report online here.
We can reveal armed patrols by vigilante-style terror groups have taken place in the republican stronghold of Kilwilkie

Dissident republicans in Lurgan are set to take a Firm line on a deadly drugs gang believed to be behind a string of murders.

We can reveal armed patrols by vigilante-style terror groups have taken place in the republican stronghold of Kilwilkie.

Last week we revealed notorious drugs gang The Firm was blamed for an outbreak of violence in the area.

We can reveal the head of the crime gang is the son of a former leader of the IRA in north Armagh who comes originally from Lurgan but moved to Co Antrim in the last couple of years.

The Firm, which has increased significantly in size in the last five years, was already being blamed for the murders of drug dealers Malcolm McKeown and his close associate Jim Carlisle.

The Sunday World revealed in 2019 how two weeks before McKeown was shot dead at a petrol station, two armed members of The Firm turned up at his home wearing chilling pig masks with the intention of shooting him dead, only to flee as McKeown wasnt at home.

Sources in the sprawling Kilwilkie estate say meetings have been held by senior dissidents in a bid to address The Firms activities.

Hitmen at the home of Malcolm McKeown

Once a Provisional IRA stronghold, the massive estate retains elements of dissident republican groups who oppose the police and can still occasionally explode in violence. In the main its full of people who are fed-up with the scourge of drugs and drug dealers who have caused pain and misery for people there who believe Kilwilkie has been left to The Firm.

Some members of the community have called for them to step in and retake control of the area.

And we can reveal meetings have been held among senior dissidents in the aftermath of the latest murder.

Boys from the Continuity IRA are keen to make it clear to The Firm they will not sit back and watch them terrorise people in Kilwilkie, said a source.

And the worrying thing is there is plenty of people in the community who are demanding action is taken. People are angry. Our young people are dying because of drugs and the pressure they are being put under by drug gangs like The Firm.

They feel the drugs problem has got way out of control and the streets just arent safe for their kids anymore.

Theres a strong belief amongst some people that the IRA would never have allowed the situation to get this bad.

They feel the PSNI arent interested in policing their area either and so they have been left to the mercy of drug gangs who are armed to the teeth.

Recent violence has left the Co Armagh town in a state of shock and fear and elements of the community have demanded republicans do something to make their streets safe.

We can reveal late last Saturday night armed men  believed to be from the Continuity IRA  patrolled the streets of Kilwilkie in a bid to reassure the local community.

That came after another two drug-related deaths were reported which lead to an avalanche of social media speculation and rumour.

Malcolm McKeown

With a recent fatal shooting in the area, quickly followed by the sudden death of a young man in the Kilwilkie estate last Saturday, which saw several police cars and ambulances arrive at speed into the area, speculation on social media went wild.

Talk of two more fatal shootings and more drug-related deaths spread like wildfire around WhatsApp and Facebook.

There were no more murders but there were two sudden deaths attributed locally to drugs but the rumours demonstrated how Lurgan was truly gripped by fear of further violence.

Talk of drugs debts being settled ran rife and at one stage last Saturday night rumours spread that tooled-up members of the notorious Dublin drugs gang with links to the Kinahan cartel were on their way to Lurgan to collect their debts.

A 50-strong crowd met in Kilwilkie this week to express their anger at the drugs problem in the area.

People in the community are genuinely scared for their kids, said a source. They know drugs has taken a grip of Kilwilkie as it has done most areas across the town.

Last Saturday they took to the streets when there was talk of Dublin gangsters coming up to settle old scores or collect on unpaid drug debts.

It was put about that The Firm was collecting all the debts they were owed because the Kinahans were on their way to Lurgan.

It wasnt true but the estate was hysterical with fear and anger about the drugs problem.

The Firm  made up of thugs and ex-paramilitaries from both republican and loyalist areas  was even named in court by crown lawyers who claimed Malcolm McKeown was involved in a feud with The Firm.

McKeown (54) was found dead in his car behind a garage in Waringstown and he had been shot six times in the head and body.

Police officers are increasingly concerned about The Firm who have killed before and the recklessness of their latest attack.

They have a merciless reputation and on the anniversary of the murder of Malcolm McKeown the gang left a twisted message on his grave.

They left 50 in monopoly notes with a letter stating: 50-Mal You are in a better place now. Rot in Hell. THE FIRM Forever in our Thoughts.

Smiley faces were plastered all over the note and the same message was cruelly sent to friends and family of McKeowns.

The same gang is also believed to have been responsible for a shooting at the home of dissident republican Colin Duffy a few years ago.

In 2021 we revealed how The Firm had suffered a setback when they were busted by elite cops after bungling gangsters posted videos of themselves kissing bullets on a compromised secret messaging app.

Meanwhile a huge stash of guns discovered in Co Down were believed to belong to the gang.

In what was described as the most significant find in a decade, 11 firearms including machine-guns, hand pistols and assault rifles were uncovered by NCA investigators buried underground in the rural area of Jerrettspass, Co Armagh.
Sources in the city say the customer, who is a respected and law-abiding citizen, believes the notorious drug dealer interfered with his drink

Border drug lord The Chocolate was left in a bloodied heap after being accused of spiking a bar customers drink.

The Newry-born gangster was in a bar in the border city on Thursday night last week when he became embroiled in a row with another customer.

The Sunday World understands he accused Chocolate of spiking his drink on a previous occasion.

Sources in the city say the customer, who is a respected and law-abiding citizen, believes the notorious drug dealer interfered with his drink.

He said on the night in question his behaviour totally changed and was totally out of character. He is convinced it was the result of involuntarily taking a drug.

It prompted a huge row and ended in a bloody fight.

Sources say neither man emerged unscathed but it was Chocolate who came off worst, despite throwing the first punch.

The 49-year-old, who lives in south Armagh, was knocked unconscious and such were his injuries he required hospital treatment, as did his opponent.

A picture was circulated on social media showing the gangsters battered and bloodied face with suggestion he may have suffered a fractured skull.

He was widely mocked, with a number of people poking fun at his injuries.

The photograph  showing a large lump on his temple  reveals the extent of the injuries the self-proclaimed tough guy sustained during the attack, which took place in full view of other customers and staff in a popular local bar.

The Sunday World understands the men later found themselves in adjoining cubicles in the hospital and at one stage the bar customer pulled a drip from his arm with the intention of attacking Chocolate again to finish the job.

His intentions were foiled by the presence of two police officers who were in the department for a different reason.

Chocolate is no stranger to violence. He has a reputation for brawling and is not slow in raising his fists.

He is understood to have been involved in a street fight before Christmas and he has a long history of bar-room brawling.

There are now fears of reprisals once Chocolate recovers from his injuries.

Over the years he has clashed with rival drug gangs  at one stage his home was targeted by dissidents  but he has remained one the border citys most significant drug dealers.

However, he is currently facing drug charges after he was detained as part of a Europe-wide investigation called Operation Venetic in which criminals using encrypted mobile devices to import and export drugs were targeted.

Commonly referred to as EncroChat, criminals have used encrypted mobile devices to adopt and hide behind code names.

Around 60,000 users of EncroChat have been identified worldwide, with about 10,000 of them in the UK  all involved in coordinating and planning the supply and distribution of drugs and weapons, money laundering and other criminal activity.

A number of people in Northern Ireland have been arrested and charged, with a small number of cases already having passed through the courts.

The Chocolate will be one of the highest-profile mobsters to be taken down  if convicted.But until his trial it has been business as usual for one of the most prolific drug dealers in the North.

Last August he was involved in an altercation which resulted in the temporary closure of a bar in the border city. There was a confrontation after members of staff at a Newry bar raised concerns over Chocolates mob using it for drug deals.

It is understood a complaint was made to the bar manager who confronted an individual who is a known associate of Chocolate.

It resulted in the arch criminal being called and his arrival at the bar. Its not the first time Chocolate has been involved in a bar-room confrontation.

A number of years ago a member of staff at another Newry bar was on the wrong end of beating at the hands of the crime boss after he tried to have him barred because of drug dealing on the premises.

The notorious mobster has a reputation for extreme violence and has been known to inflict brutal beatings, on one occasion dragging a driver who worked for Sinn Fein into the street and giving him a hammering.

The Sunday World first uncovered Chocolates activities when he muscled in on the border citys lucrative drug trade, pushing aside Barney King Coke Morgan.

Morgan, who also does not have criminal convictions, controlled Newrys drug trade for years until the arrival of Chocolate.

It was Chocolate who brought heroin to the streets of the border city after going into partnership with an eastern European organised crime gang.

Despite residents objections, Chocolate has continued to flood the area with the deadly drug.
Matthew Healy (89) died after being attacked at Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A pensioner who was murdered in a Cork hospital over the weekend will be laid to rest on Thursday.

Matthew Healy (89) died after being attacked at Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Mr Healy, a retired farmer from Berrings in Cork, had recently lost his wife Delia and is also predeceased by his daughter Christine, who died in a drowning incident decades ago, and siblings Mary and Thomas.

He is survived by his children Vincent, Gerard, and Claire; daughters-in-law Olga and Dolores; son-in-law Kieran; sisters Patty, Sheila, and Nora; brothers-in-law; eight grandchildren; and extended family and friends.

Mr Healys remains will lie in repose at Crowleys Funeral Home, Ballincollig this evening from 6pm to 7pm.

A Requiem Mass will take place on Thursday, 26 January at midday in St Marys Church, Berrings which can be viewed online on mycondolences.ie.

The service will be followed by a private funeral.

A 30-year-old man appeared before Cork District Court on Tuesday morning charged with Mr Healy's murder.

Dylan Magee of Churchfield Green, Churchfield on the northside of Cork city appeared before Judge Olann Kelleher having been arrested early Sunday morning and detained for questioning at Bridewell Garda Station for questioning.

Mr Magee was charged with the murder, contrary to common law, of Matthew Healy at Room 2, St Joseph's Ward at MUH on January 22.

No bail application was made at this juncture as bail cannot be applied for at district court level when a person is charged with murder.

Mr Magee will appear before Cork District Court again by video link on January 30. He was remanded in custody pending his next court appearance by video link.

Meanwhile, MUH confirmed it was providing counselling and support services for those affected in a statement.

MUH can confirm that gardai are investigating a fatal incident involving a man in his late 80s at the hospital early this morning, a spokesperson said.

MUH management and staff are saddened and shocked at the tragic and unexpected death of an elderly patient in an incident at the hospital and express their deepest condolences to the family, relatives and friends. May he rest in peace.
Federal police in Schleswig-Holstein said the man used a knife to attack several passengers shortly before the Hamburg-bound train arrived at Brokstedt station.

Emergency workers near Brokstedt station, Germany, after several people were injured in a knife attack on a train from Kiel to Hamburg. Photo: Jonas Walzberg/DPA via AP)   AP

Two people have been killed and at last five injured in a knife attack on a regional train in northern Germany.

Federal police in Schleswig-Holstein said the man used a knife to attack several passengers shortly before the Hamburg-bound train arrived at Brokstedt station.

The suspect has been detained.

P olice did not give any information on the suspect's identity and said his possible motives were under investigation.

Read more PSNI launch manhunt for two killers on the run who may have travelled to Dublin

Schleswig-Holstein state interior minister, Sabine Suetterlin-Waack, said two people were killed and five were wounded in the attack, which happened at about 3pm local time (2pm Irish time) on Wednesday.

The suspect had self-inflicted injuries to his hands when was arrested, Bild reported.

Train services have been suspended in the area, DB said.

More follows...
Single adults arriving without children to the Transit Hub at Citywest will now have to find their own accommodation.

Some newly arrived asylum seekers are preparing to sleep on the streets following a government decision to stop providing housing to people looking for protection in Ireland.

Due to insufficient accommodation available nationwide, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said a pause has been put on organising emergency shelter.

Single adults arriving without children to the Transit Hub at Citywest will now have to find their own accommodation.

Ukrainian refugees and families with children will still be supported.

In a tweet yesterday, the Department asked those who are considering seeking refuge in Ireland and who are currently in places of safety to defer their travel plans.

RTE News has already reported a number of new arrivals who have applied for international protection in Dublin are unsure where they will sleep tonight.

They are without money or contacts in the country.

Those they spoke to said they received a 20 food voucher and the address of the Capuchin Day Centre.

We sat down with staff at 6am this morning and worked out the logistics of a big influx today, we feel we are ready for it, Capuchin Centre manager Alan Bailey told Morning Ireland today.

We just dont know what numbers are going to come in. We hope and feel we are ready for them.

Alan Bailey at the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin

Once we received the advice from the Government that there may be an influx weve been getting ready for it  we were here this morning at 6am to get ready in case we have an influx of the people who arrived yesterday.

He added that the service has already been opening earlier than usual each day to take people in off the street.

A lot of those are rough sleepers who have spent the night walking the streets, he added.

Were seeing a lot of new people, people who have never been here before. We like to think they know they can come here because they will be comfortable and we will provide the necessities.

When Citywest has had to close in the past, the centre provided meals, shower facilities and medical services, he said.

"They said themselves where theyre coming from is far worse than anything that can happen here. They were grateful.

Homeless charity Tiglin chair Aubrey McCarthy has warned services are already bursting at the seams following the decision to refuse accommodation to asylum seekers.

What has happened is, the main hub at Citywest - which was set up to hold 370 people - presently has 858 people staying there," he told Newstalk Breakfast.

"That is not correct and it cant continue.

"We operate the homeless service right beside Trinity College on Pearse Street called the Lighthouse, we also have homeless services beside the Four Courts and we also do refugee accommodation as well but we are bursting at the seams, he said.

We usually serve up to 250 people with dinner but yesterday, we had a 30pc increase just on the meals.
Mr Burke arrived at around 8.45am by car. He spoke to a man at the door of the school and is now standing outside the building

Dismissed teacher Enoch Burke outside the locked gates of Wilson's Hospital School in Westmeath on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Gerry Mooney

Teacher Enoch Burke has turned up at his old school for a second morning in a row despite being fired last week.

Mr Burke arrived at around 8.45am by car. He spoke to a man at the door of the school and is now standing outside the building.

Gardai are to submit a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) after arresting the dismissed schoolteacher for alleged trespass at Wilsons Hospital School after he showed up at the school on Tuesday.

Mr Burke was arrested after turning up at the Co Westmeath school yesterday morning, just days after he was sacked following a chaotic disciplinary meeting which had to be suspended due to shouting and objections from him and members of his family.

He was brought to Mullingar garda station and later released without charge shortly before 2pm, at which point he immediately returned to the school.

Mr Burke was initially unable to re-enter the school grounds as the gates were locked and he was warned gardai would be called for a second time.

Enoch Burke waits outside the Wilsons Hospital School building on Wednesday morning. Photo: Frank McGrath

However, he was eventually able to make his way onto the premises when the gates were opened to allow in a school bus. When Mr Burke reached the school he was confronted by principal Frank Milling, who said: Stop. Stop. Get off the property.

However, Mr Burke remained where he was and only left shortly before 4pm at the end of the school day.

He had earlier claimed he had been wrongfully arrested.

The extraordinary series of events resulted in the school having to advise parents that the gates would be closed for a period for security purposes and that they should come to collect their children slightly later than usual.

Mr Burke had initially turned up at the school at 8.30am in an SUV driven by his father Sean, in continued defiance of High Court orders restraining him from doing so.

He spent 108 days in prison last year for contempt of court for defying the orders while he was suspended.

The suspension came after a number of incidents in which Mr Burke, an evangelical Christian, clashed with school management over a request to call a transgender student by a new name.

Mr Burke has claimed he could not comply with the request or subsequent court orders barring him from the school as to do so would violate his religious beliefs.

Two uniformed gardai arrived at the school at around 11.15am and Mr Burke was arrested and driven away at around 12.30pm. After his release, his father Sean drove him back to the school.

Gardai said a man had been arrested under the Public Order Act 1994 and a file would be sent to the DPP.

Enoch Burke makes a speech outside school following his arrest this morning

On his return to the school, Mr Burke claimed: I have broken no laws. I have done nothing wrong.

He said gardai spent 45 minutes in the principals office that morning and then came down to arrest him.

A decision already made without even observing the situation.

That is something that is really, really wrong and regrettable that that would happen and absolutely disgraceful. I have said as much to the gardai, he said.

Mr Burke was dismissed from his post at the school late last week. A statement on Friday on his behalf to independent.ie confirmed his employment had been terminated.

The move came a day after a disciplinary meeting, attended by the teacher and members of his family, descended into chaos.

Gardai were called to the meeting, held by the schools board of management, after Mr Burke, his mother Martina, sister Ammi and brother Isaac loudly objected to the presence of two lawyers and the absence of the boards chairman.

The High Court is set to rule this week on an application for the sequestration of his assets for ongoing contempt.

A legal action taken by the school against Mr Burke is due to be heard in the coming months, possibly in March, as is a counterclaim in which he alleges his suspension was flawed and unlawful.

The Court of Appeal is also due to hear Mr Burkes appeal against various High Court orders next month.
Des Fitzgerald was one of three officers whose marked patrol car was hit by gunfire 12 times near Hackballscross

A retired Garda is preparing to launch court action over what his legal team describes as "attempted murder" in a gun attack he believes was carried out by the British Army almost 50 years ago.

Des Fitzgerald was one of three officers whose marked patrol car was hit by gunfire in July 1974 near Hackballscross during a gun battle between the IRA and the army.

The three officers managed to escape from the car, which was struck 12 times, before taking cover.

It is believed the three gardai, who were in Co Louth, were fired on by British soldiers, who were on the northern side of the border.

According to the Irish News, Des Fitzgerald is now set to take legal action against the Ministry of Defence, PSNI and Secretary of State.

Mr Fitzgerald had only recently qualified at the time of the incident and posted to the border.

Originally from south Kerry, he retired in 2006 after 32 years of service, and currently lives in Co Meath.

He told how he had been sent to the scene of the gun battle along with his colleagues in the marked car as the IRA, who were in a derelict cottage in Co Louth, and British soldiers who were in the north exchanged shots.

He had been told to move from the middle of the cramped Hillman Avenger Garda car, which was being driven by former Meath GAA star Pat McManus, to behind the driver for comfort.

As high velocity shots shattered the windscreen just moments later, a bullet whizzed between the two officers in the front and hit the seat he had just moved from.

"I was only a recruit, I was only two months out of training, he has been quoted as saying. I didn't know what was happening and he put the car into reverse and the next thing the car spun around, they blew the back wheel off it. I got out and ran."

He described how rounds continued to rain down on him as he ran for cover in a nearby cottage.

But the young officer found out the house he had just taken cover in had no back door.

"So I walked out (the front) and there was a little walkway, say it was 20 yards, 15 yards, a little pathway out to a gateway with two pillars on it and just when I got to the gate the pillar on my right hand side blew up," he said.

"Whoever fired the shot blew half the pillar away so I ran back in and said to yer man 'this is crazy'."

He then borrowed a coat owned by the home owner and put it over his uniform.

"I walked up the road and every step I took, I said, 'will this be my last one or will the next one be the last'," he said.

"That was the worst part of it."

The Garda, who described the experience as traumatic, said he was off work sick for around three months

His solicitor Kevin Winters of KRW Law, said this was an extraordinary attempted murder incident occurring nearly 50 years ago Des was a serving gardai officer when he fired upon by British military personnel.

"There was never any proper investigation by either police forces in the north and south consistent with many other conflict-related cross border incursions the whole incident was played down, Mr Winters was quoted as saying in the Irish News.

Mr Winters said he has been in touch with authorities on both sides of the border.
Nobody should protest outside refugee centres or hotels where people are seeking asylum. That is intimidation.

A screenshot from a video of the protest last night

Sinn Fein TD Dessie Ellis has said that an angry anti-immigration protest that gathered outside his constituency office in Finglas last night was not representative of the people of the area.

Footage of the protest that has been circulated widely on social media shows people marching through Finglas, shouting that while we welcome refugees, we dont want men coming here. We dont want women and children in danger.

In another clip, a man can be heard shouting: Are you happy with Sinn Fein? No! the crowd replies.

Are they putting your kids in danger? Yes! Are they putting your sisters in danger? Yes!

Are they putting your mothers in danger? Yes!

He then adds: They are selling yas down the swanny and they have been doing it for 10 years!

As the crowd gathers at Deputy Ellis office, one man, shouts: Youse (Sinn Fein) have brought this on yourselves.

He then adds that they are going to march to Finglas Garda Station to see a superior.

People can be seen in the background of one of the marches chanting out, out, out while others carry an Irish tricolour.

Today, however, Deputy Ellis said he would not be intimidated by such marches but expressed fears that ordinary people were being caught up in them.

There was a crowd there and they were doing all sorts of chanting, this, that, the other, he said.

They stopped outside my office but something like that wouldnt worry me, Im well used to it.

I wasnt in the office at the time but I was aware that this was taking place. I think that there are people now who are just stirring things up and I think its going to continue for a while.

A lot of this is around the myths that are being thrown around by various groups and are sucking in ordinary people, he added. My big worry is that people are not thinking it through.

Some people are angry over various issues, whether its housing or medical cards or the hospitals, and there are ways and means to protest about those things.

Sinn Fein TD Dessie Ellis

But standing outside my office shouting doesnt make any sense at all.

Ive issued a statement before, over the protests in Ballymun and my position is very clear. Nobody should protest outside refugee centres or hotels where people are seeking asylum. That is intimidation.

If people want to protest over Government policy, then they can go into town and protest there. They are entitled to do that.

But these protests are not representative of the people of Finglas. People here are very inclusive and welcoming. This is a very small minority, but as I said, there are a lot of ordinary individuals being sucked into this.

Deputy Ellis added that he had heard there was talk about them going to my home and that would be a step too far.

If that happens, Ill deal with it. But I dont think anyone should be protesting outside peoples homes.

In one tweet posted by RealMessageEire it states: Protest against migrants in Finglas tonight, Irish people are fed up & tired of been treated like dogs in their own land.

In other footage Ireland against Fascism said: Upwards of 100 people had attended a 'men only protest' in Finglas tonight against Sinn Fein. Mostly masked angry young lads. Some older men, some women, and some dogs. Not all were from Finglas.

Gardai said they had not received any complaints in relation to the protests. Nor were there any arrests.
Joseph Smith was killed on Saturday morning after the pet stepped on a rifle in the back seat of his pickup truck, discharging the weapon.

A man has died in the US after being shot by a dog during a weekend hunting trip.

Kansas man Joseph Smith was killed on Saturday morning after the pet stepped on a rifle in the back seat of his pickup truck, discharging the weapon.

The 30-year-old had been sitting in the front passenger seat at the time and was struck in the back by the fired bullet.

Responding units arrived within minutes of the 911 call and started CPR, the Sumner County Sheriffs Office said.

Despite efforts from emergency services, Mr Smith died of his injuries at the scene near Geuda Springs.

Wellington Fire and EMS Chief Tim Hay said another person was found physically unharmed in the driver's seat.

The sheriffs office said that a probe into the incident is ongoing, but the preliminary investigation shows it to be a hunting related accident.

Officials did not say whether the deceased was the dog's owner.

Smith was an employee at Browns Plumbing Services in Wichita.

The companys owner Chris Brown on Tuesday set up a GoFundMe page on behalf of the Smith family to help curb the costs of funeral and memorial arrangements.

Paying tribute to Smith, he wrote: Joe is absolutely the most unique individual I have had the pleasure of meeting. He was loved by all of us from all walks of life and loved the same.

He made us laugh every morning whether it was at him or because of him he always made sure to be a positive light at my company.

No matter how bad or stressful my or our day was, Joe always had something to lift our spirits. I have been a plumber for a long time and met many many different guys but never have I met another Joe and I am confident there may not be another.

If you were lucky enough to know, be a friend or family of Joe, you understand what a great loss this is to the world. We must all learn to navigate without him in it.

His friend and co-worker, Jessica, added: Joseph Smith was a truly amazing man. He was kind, funny, smart, and very loving.

Every time he walked through the door, he would make someone smile. Either from being a goofball or just his natural presence making everything better.

It wasn't hard to love Joe because he always made you feel like you were one of a kind and never left a conversation without letting you know he loved you.

Joe is going to be dearly missed by so many. He was a great friend, employee, cousin, brother, son, and dog owner. We have loved and lost one of the best. Rest in peace Joseph.

The fundraiser has amassed more than $10,000 (9,197) in donations in less than a day.

Those who wish to donate to the appeal for Mr Smiths family can do so by visiting the GoFundMe page here.
State Justice a novel by Ursula KRECHEL -- Landgericht, Roman, won the German Book Prize for 2012). It tells the story of a German-Jewish lawyer who is forced into exile in Cuba to escape the Nazi regime. Krechels narrative effortlessly interweaves historical fact with imaginative fiction, her meticulous research never detracting from the heartrending story of personal and professional loss. Richard Kornitzer was a young, up-and-coming lawyer when the National Socialists ended his career in 1933. The novel opens in 1948, when Kornitzer, now in his mid-40s, has returned to Germany from Cuba and is beginning to piece his life back together. As a victim of racial persecution he is entitled to participate in the reconstruction of Germany, and on his return to the French Zone is appointed as a judge at the Regional Court in Mainz. Although the French have annulled the worst Nazi laws, the old legal system remains, and Kornitzers post-war colleagues served as lawyers and judges during the Third Reich. He remains forever the outsider, obliged to work within the very legal system and mentality that has previously rejected him as a Jew. Kornitzers private life is equally strained. His wife Claire stayed in Germany during the war and was persecuted and sexually molested by the Gestapo after refusing to divorce her Jewish husband. After the war, the couple attempt to find their way back to each other, but settle for mutual admiration and dependence. Their children were sent to England on one of the Kindertransports at the ages of four and seven, and grow up believing that they have done something wrong. By the time the family is reunited the damage is done, and both children choose to remain in England, with only occasional visits to Germany. Krechels account of Kornitzers life in Cuba forms the heart of the novel and stands in sharp contrast to the difficulties of his life in Germany. The Cuban part of the narrative is full of colour and light. Kornitzer works for a patents lawyer and assists other political exiles in Cuba. His relationship with Charidad Pimienta, a Cuban maths teacher, constitutes the novels emotional core. When their daughter, Amanda, is born, Charidad becomes acutely aware that Kornitzer has another family to whom he hopes to return. State Justice is the portrait of a divided family whose experiences of persecution and loss are emblematic of the historical period in which they lived. Source: https://www.new-books-in-german.com/recommendations/state-justice/ Landgericht - Geschichte einer Familie (Ufa Film trailer) https://youtu.be/OMhYX8uWvNg
The hit Claire Keegan novel is set in New Ross in the 1980s and the movie will be shot on location

New Ross will be abuzz with a film crew in March when Hollywood star Cillian Murphy arrives to produce an atmospheric film based on Booker Prize nominated book, Small Things Like These'.

The hit Claire Keegan novel is set in New Ross in the 1980s and Murphy, the location crew and the producers visited the town in October, identifying potential shoot locations.

It is understood the film has a budget of up to 10m and will be set in New Ross and Dublin, with auditions under way for parts.

Quay Street is set to be the main street to feature in the film, with the location team contacting business and home owners with a view to using the premises.

A snow scene is planned for the street and there is also strong consideration towards using The Tholsel building for some scenes.

The book is set during the weeks leading up to Christmas 1985 in New Ross and concerns Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season.

Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.

St Mary's principal John Michael Porter was contacted by a production company in October, requesting permission to visit the school to scope out locations near the Good Shepherd convent premises beside it.

The scriptwriter was present too and a number of the production team. They had been in New Ross last week for an initial scoping exercise.

The book - which wowed Booker judges with its 116 page length and powerful storytelling  refers to a convent and a Magdalene Laundry.

The crew were unable to gain access to the old convent building which is earmarked for social housing, but were clearly so taken by the town that they decided to use it for a significant part of the film shoot.

Keegan gave a talk at the school in early December, adding to the excitement surrounding the likelihood of the film being shot, in part, in New Ross.

Two of the production crew discussed plans for the shoot with New Ross Municipal District outgoing manager Mick McCormack and current manager, Alan Fitzhenry in early January and discussions have continued as the start date for filming draws closer.

Murphy, who has had huge success on Peak Blinders, as well as in numerous Hollywood films, is not due to act in the film, but is said to be very involved in planning it and will likely make more appearances in the town over the coming weeks and months.

It is understood filming will take place in March and April, with cast and crew staying locally, providing a boost to the economy of New Ross and surrounding areas.

As the first major film production to be shot in the town it is expected to bring further positive attention to New Ross and Co Wexford, with an international release planned for 2024.
Bay Of Plenty based all-rounder Pete Drysdale will take to the pitch with the Northern Districts take on the Otago Volts in a crucial Ford Trophy match today, at Seddon Park.

Drysdale has been drafted into the squad with spin pairing Tim Pringle and Joe Walker both out with injury.

Skipper Jeet Raval also has the luxury of calling on BLACKCAPS seamer Neil Wagner again; the left armer won GameChanger of the match at Sunday's Dream11 Super Smash T20 at Bay Oval with a fantastic new-ball spell.

Northern Districts sit third on the Ford Trophy table, with Otago Volts a point behind in fourth.

Both sides have a game in hand on the top two and can elevate themselves into the finals spot with strong bonus point wins.

Despite a loss in the previous game to the Central Stags, there were some huge positives for the Northern Districts with Henry Cooper scoring a crucial 100, whilst Joe Carter is in form with 67 in that match and a career best of 76* in Sunday's T20.

"We're in a strong position leading into the back-end of both white ball competitions," says Northern Districts opener Katene Clarke, who has 177 runs this season at a strike rate north of 100 in the Ford Trophy.

"We'll look to keep playing our aggressive cricket and push for the finals.

"Switching between the two formats, our approach is very similar, we prepare well and play a positive brand."

Pete Drysdale returns to the side having made his List A debut in December, picking up two wickets including one from his first ball.

He provides the option of turning it away from the left-hander, of which Otago Volts will likely have three, whilst Freddy Walker turns it away from the right-hander.

"It's great to have Pete back in.

"He brings a different skillset, a genuine all-rounder who bats left handed and plays against spin really well with his sweep shots.

"His off-spin will also be a good option for us with the ball as well."

Tomorrow's Ford Trophy clash against the Otago Volts will start at 11am with the toss at 10.30am.

Entry is free for all spectactors. The match can also be followed online at nzc.nz.

NORTHERN DISTRICTS MEN V OTAGO VOLTS

WEDNESDAY 25th JANUARY

SEDDON PARK, HAMILTON
Kiwis are being invited to shape the countrys future defence strategy.

The New Zealand Defence Force and the Ministry of Defence are asking everyone in New Zealand to take part in the Defence Policy review.

Last year the Government commissioned a Defence Policy Review, a process designed to ensure that New Zealands Defence policy, strategy, and planned capability investments remain fit for purpose, says Ministry of Defence deputy secretary Anton Youngman.

We are now asking everyone in New Zealand for their views to help shape this work.

Vice Chief of Defence Force Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies says everyone in New Zealand was invited to take part in the online survey and share their views on our countrys future defence policy and strategy.

The information gathered over the next 10 weeks the survey is open for will be used to inform a Defence Policy and Strategy Statement and a set of Future Force Design Principles, he says.

The Defence Policy and Strategy Statement will express the Governments Defence Policy interests, objectives, priorities and high level strategy.

It will reflect the Minister of Defences priorities of Pacific, People and Infrastructure and leverage the work of Defence Assessment 2021, which outlined two growing threats to New Zealands security  strategic competition and climate change.

Work to develop Future Force Design Principles, which are the Governments intentions for the future force structure, has also begun. This will build on the long-term trends and issues identified in the Defence Policy and Strategy Statement and guide decisions on future broad capability (people and assets) required.

Once these documents have been considered later in 2023, the Government will then make decisions as to next steps.

More information on how to take part is available at www.defence.govt.nz/engage and public feedback is welcome until April 4.
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The Loup Public Power District is reporting a below average year for hydroelectric generation in 2022.

Total generation was slightly over 109,000 megawatt hours (MWh), which was 21% below our annual average, said Neal Suess, president/CEO of Loup Public Power District during a Jan. 24 board of directors meeting held at Loups Columbus office.

We know that was really due to water availability, and what was going on out west, the temperatures and the drought conditions that have existed throughout our region and throughout the state of Nebraska.

According to a Jan. 18 article published by the Lincoln Journal Star, Nebraska had its fourth-driest year on record in 2022, with Platte County having its third driest year ever.

Data provided in a Loup board agenda packet shows 150,001 MWh had been generated in 2021 while 137,852 MWh had been generated in 2020.

Loups max year for hydroelectric generation was in 2010, Suess said, with the minimum year in recent years being 2019. There had been severe flooding in 2019 that required Loup to make canal repairs, he added. According to the board packet data, there had been 95,245 MWh generated in 2019.

Suess noted also contributing to the issue is water flow restrictions Loup must follow in its license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Although we did pretty well in the springtime months, this is where we got hurt  June, July, August, September; we were way, way down, Suess said. We all know what the water situation looked like in the Loup River and the Platte River at that point in time.

So far for January 2023, he added, Loup is seeing increased hydroelectric generation as compared to last year.

However, Loup still saw a positive revenue year, Suess said.

We had a pretty good year, revenue year, from the hydro under the new contract that we have with NPPD (Nebraska Public Power District), Suess said. This was the first year under our agreement with NPPD that we were paid based upon the market rate in the Southwest Power Pool. Our folks at the hydro that are running are doing a nice job of trying to match up generation with peak pricing in the Southwest Power Pool, both a day ahead and real time.

He added that a growth had been seen in the consumer price index, which is tied into Loups payment from NPPD.

Walter Williams, vice president of accounting and finance and chief financial officer at Loup, noted that multiple years of data are needed before officials can evaluate if therell be other good years.

We did end up in a really good year, price standpoint, but when youve got possibly a recession coming in, and the use of electricity could go down so the price I would assume would go down too, Williams said. We need more years to determine whether or not it's actually beneficial.

In other business, the board heard an update regarding a Platte River basin and Republican River basin water transfer case.

The Lower Republican and Tri-Basin natural resources districts have applied to divert water from the Platte River to a tributary of the Republican River. Water from the transfer would eventually flow into the state of Kansas.

Loup Public Power District, along with NPPD, some natural resources districts and Audubon Nebraska had filed objections against the project, with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) ruling on Dec. 12 that the objectors did not have a standing on the case.

Although the water would only be transferred when theres excess flow, Loup officials had noted concerns at a December board meeting over water being removed from the Platte River.

Loup filed an appeal with the DNR earlier this month on the project.

We filed our appeal on Jan. 9 along with the other objectors in the case, I know one other objector that filed was the Audubon Society, Suess said. Yesterday (Jan. 23) the DNR granted a stay to those of us that filed the appeal. Basically, what the DNR said is we're not going to move any further on the case, until we resolve this issue of the objectors having standing.

It was not costly for Loup to file the appeal, Suess added, but if the issue moves forward in court, it could get pricey. If that happens, board would need to make a decision at that time on pursuing the matter.

We'll keep an eye on that and see where we're at, Suess said.

Additionally, Suess told the board the water district has received three responses for its request for proposal to partner in establishing high-speed fiber-optic broadband in the rural areas of Platte County.

Platte County has committed $1 million for this effort. Proposals were received from Stealth Broadband, Nextlink Internet and ALLO Communications.

Officials with both Platte County and Loup are reviewing and scoring the responses, Suess said, and will be meeting later this week on the matter.

Depending upon where the scoring comes at and our discussions with our consultants about what goes into the contract, hopefully then construction would start in June of 2023, Suess said.
Aptera, a developer of a futuristic-looking, solar-powered passenger car, has pulled the wraps off its first production vehicle, which it says will be rolling off the assembly line this year.

According to the company, the all-wheel-drive, three-wheeled, two-passenger vehicle will have a range of 400 miles, can sprint to 60 mph in four seconds, and has a top speed of 101 mph.

Although designed to draw most of its power from the sun, the Aptera vehicle can also be charged from a standard 120-volt outlet.

In a location with very high sun exposure like Southern California, the average American driver would never have to plug in, based on the daily average of 29 miles, the company explained in a news release.

In locations with medium sun exposure, such as New York or Chicago, drivers may need to plug in about three times a year. At 13 mph, an overnight charge should last 150 miles.

Meanwhile, Lightyear, developer of a more conventional-looking passenger car, on Monday announced it was suspending production of its US$250,000 Lightyear 0 solar-powered vehicle and redirecting its resources on its Lightyear 2 product, which is expected to start selling at just under $40,000 and have a range of 500 miles.

Recently, we launched a waitlist for Lightyear 2, resulting in more than 40,000 subscriptions of individual customers, and we already had approximately 20,000 pre-orders from fleet owners, Lightyear CEO and Co-founder Lex Hoefsloot said in a statement.

We hope to conclude some key investments in the coming weeks in order to scale up to Lightyear 2, an affordable solar electric vehicle available for a wider audience, he added.

Ambitious Goal

Chris Jones, chief analyst at Canalys, a global market research company, explained that Lightyear 0 was always only a showcase for whats possible with solar and expected to be delivered to a few hundred customers.

It was hoped these influential, wealthy, early adopter customers would become evangelists to help build awareness for what is a new vehicle category, Jones told TechNewsWorld.

The second model from Lightyear will be priced in the sweet spot for EVs for its planned 2025 launch, he said. Well get the full reveal this year, but crucially its a five-seater car  and it looks like a car.

Lightyear has opened the waitlist for its second production model, the Lightyear 2. So far, the company is pulling back the curtain slowly to reveal what the vehicle will look like. (Image Credit: Lightyear)

Aptera, on the other hand, has gone for a less-traditional, more radical look, he continued. Its a design that will appeal less to customers.

He called Apteras declaration that it would be producing cars this year ambitious, especially since it would need to get funding very soon if it wants to meet that goal.

Capital Scarcity

2023 is a terrible time to be raising capital, observed Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst for e-mobility at Guidehouse Insights, a market intelligence company in Detroit, who has been covering Aptera since 2007.

Companies that are much better established are having a hard time right now, so I dont have much confidence that Aptera will get to the point of delivering any notable number of vehicles this year, Abuelsamid told TechNewsWorld.

If Aptera can start delivering SPEVs this year, it may want to deliver them outside North America.

Some European markets and Southeast Asia are better prepared for such cars, asserted Roger C. Lanctot, director for automotive connected mobility at Strategy Analytics, a global research, advisory, and analytics firm.

France, for example, has a program called vehicule san permis, designed to allow drivers without licenses to operate vehicles with lower safety standards.

There is a market for solar-powered vehicles, though it may not yet be a mass market, Lanctot told TechNewsWorld.

He added that Aptera would likely have to leverage car sharing to expose consumers to the concept of solar-powered transportation.

Too Many Angles

Once Apteras vehicles make it to market, they could encounter more problems.

Their technology is pretty much cooked, but the weight disparity and relative flimsiness of their design will create problems for them in the market, said Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst at the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm in Bend, Ore.

The Aptera offers better protection than a motorcycle, but I expect the interest in the car will decline once the first accident occurs, he told TechNewsWorld.

Enderle maintained that solar technology needs further development before it can be used to power a vehicle that looks like a conventional automobile.

You need to reduce the vehicles weight and size to even have a remote chance of getting solar to work, he explained.

The Aptiva design doesnt look like it would fare well in a multi-car collision, given how much lighter the vehicle is, he added.

Abuelsamid pointed out that photovoltaic cells have a peak generating efficiency with a fairly narrow angle of the sun. At more extreme angles, they generate very little energy. Since a vehicle typically doesnt have a lot of flat surfaces, the cells are at all sorts of angles, and the vehicle itself could be at an infinite number of positions relative to the sun.

Solar cells are likely to be most useful for auxiliary power such as powering climate control and other systems to reduce load on the battery, he said. For a small vehicle like the Aptera, it has limited useful surface area for cells, as well.

Forced To Compromise

Lanctot noted, however, that 70% of all vehicle trips are between six and 12 miles. So solar can be a very practical solution, which is why companies like Sono Motors and Squad Mobility are getting into the business, he said.

Sono Motors, based in Germany, makes a vehicle that charges via the sun, an electrical socket, or both simultaneously. The solar range of the car is 70 miles a week, although its battery has a range of 190 miles. Its top speed is 86 mph.

Squad makes two solar-powered vehicles  a two-seater, with a maximum speed of 27 mph, and a four-seater, with a top speed of 44 mph. The range for the vehicles is 12 miles a day.

With solar, one way or another, you are forced to compromise, Lanctot observed.

Sono and Squad compromise on safety to deliver a lower price, he continued. Lightyear compromised on price  super expensive  to deliver equivalent performance to ICE/EV. Aptera compromises on cosmetics  three wheels  to get to a lower price and acceptable performance, sacrificing interior space as well.

There is a niche in the market for these vehicles  for each of them  but it is a niche with the limitations that that implies, he said.

The Nissan Leaf was greeted with some skepticism because of its limited range when it launched, but it found a firm place in the market and remains popular, Lanctot explained.

There is definitely a home for solar vehicles, but it likely represents tens of thousands of vehicles for Aptera, Sono, and Squad, not millions.
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

Why it matters: Many believe 2023 to be the year AI goes mainstream, driven by significant investments in any company or product with "AI" or "machine learning" attached to the name. Microsoft's renewed partnership with OpenAI doesn't confirm that prediction. However it shows that the Redmond giant is moving from its failed mixed reality efforts to dreaming big about a future of apps and services powered by artificial intelligence.

Microsoft has announced a "multibillion-dollar" investment in OpenAI, the artificial intelligence firm behind the wildly popular ChatGPT service and other projects like DALL-E and GPT-3. The reveal comes hot on the heels of massive layoffs that affected almost every team that had previously been working on Microsoft's metaverse and mixed reality efforts.

The two companies have been quietly collaborating for years, and the latest move signals Redmond is deeply interested in OpenAI's tech as a way to improve its software and cloud services ecosystems. The partnership started in 2016 but became prominent in 2019 when Microsoft doubled a $1 billion investment made by OpenAI's founders and other investors.

Over the following years, OpenAI received an estimated $2 billion and built its infrastructure around Microsoft Azure. Training and testing AI models requires considerable processing power, so Microsoft even developed a dedicated supercomputer to spearhead OpenAI's efforts.

The two companies are short on details regarding their renewed partnership goals. However, Microsoft says we can expect "new categories of digital experiences" for consumers and businesses soon. Bloomberg notes that the investment is estimated at $10 billion over the next few years.

The rumor mill recently spilled something about Microsoft infusing its Bing search engine and the entire suite of Microsoft 365 apps with the power of GPT-4 --- a yet unreleased AI model that OpenAI should launch later this year. Considering the strong response from companies like Google, a chatbot as a spiritual successor to the infamous Clippy assistant from the 90s doesn't sound that far-fetched.

Much hype surrounds OpenAI's tech in general and ChatGPT in particular. People who have used the tool find it capable of giving believable answers to a wide variety of text prompts. You can ask it to construct poems, answer scientific questions, or even write code for an app or service. In other words, it can imitate how real people write and talk in a way that has captured the imagination of people worldwide.

The responses ChatGPT spews out are far from perfect, but some people are worried the tool could quickly evolve to replace some jobs and create problems, such as students using it to cheat on final exams.

Others like Yann LeCun, Meta's AI chief scientist, are not nearly as impressed with the tool's current capabilities. During a recent virtual press event, LeCun said, "in terms of underlying techniques, ChatGPT is not particularly innovative."

While the scientist believes it to be "well put together" from an engineering standpoint, he stresses that several organizations developed the various tech that makes it work over many years.

In other words, it's not the tech itself that's impressive but rather the scale of the data that's been used to train GPT-3.5, the model that serves as a basis of ChatGPT in its current form. When asked why companies like Meta and Google have yet to unveil similar tools, LeCun explained that both companies would have "a lot to lose by putting out systems that make stuff up."

Many machine learning experts agree with LeCun. The consensus is that generative AI tools like ChatGPT have great potential to augment creative work, but there are many obstacles to achieving this goal. Examples include:

Legal issues around copyrighted works being used for training AI models.

The potential for use in cybercrime.

The relatively high chance that an AI model will generate wrong and biased answers or otherwise unusable results.

Interestingly, even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes the enthusiasm around his company's technology must be taken down a notch. Enthusiasts are already wildly speculating about the highly anticipated GPT-3 successor, but Altman says they're "begging to be disappointed, and they will be."
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

Forward-looking: NASA is working with DARPA to develop a new fission-based engine for next-generation spacecraft. The space agency wants to test the prototype by 2027 so the technology can be adopted for future human trips to deep space and Mars.

NASA and DARPA are playing with atoms, and they are eager to show the world the results. The US military research and development agency will work with a contractor company, which will be chosen in the coming weeks, with a total expected budget of hundreds of millions of dollars.

The two US agencies want to develop and test a spacecraft engine based on nuclear fission, a technology that NASA has used for decades to power the most daring exploration missions like the twin Voyager probes and the Mars Science Laboratory. Those were all unmanned missions; using nuclear power for a crew-based mission is still uncharted territory.

NASA has been studying nuclear propulsion for space exploration for decades, depicting nuclear fission as a potential alternative to conventional, chemical-based rocket engines. Nuclear fission, which would produce thermal energy to turn a hydrogen propellant into the thrust needed to move a spacecraft onward, is much more efficient that traditional propellants.

With this hypothetical nuclear engine, NASA engineers say a human trip from Earth to Mars would take four months instead of the estimated nine months needed with a chemically-powered engine. Shorter travels would greatly reduce the time astronauts would be exposed to dangerous deep space radiations, and it would require fewer supplies and food as well.

According to Pam Melroy, NASA deputy administrator and former astronaut, "if we have swifter trips for humans, they are safer trips." DARPA is already working on a nuclear-powered space program, and NASA is now taking part in it too. The space agency will provide a $110 million budget for fiscal year 2023 alone.

Two years ago, DARPA awarded some funds to General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Blue Origin to design a nuclear reactor for a spacecraft. In March, the US agency will pick the company tasked with manufacturing said reactor. Instead of space exploration, DARPA wants to use the new engine to move satellites around the Moon as part of the US Space Force initiative.
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

Facepalm: After compromising LastPass, unknown hackers were able to breach the servers of other services offered by LastPass parent company GoTo. A new message from the CEO explains the true extent of the security incident but offers no actual remediation to its customers.

GoTo, the company formerly know as LogMeIn that acquired LastPass in 2021, released a new statement regarding the security breach it experienced back in August 2022. According to GoTo CEO Paddy Srinivasan, after breaching LasPass servers, the unknown cyber-criminals were able to further compromise GoTo's entire portfolio of services and products.

The ongoing investigation into the LastPass breach determined "a threat actor exfiltrated encrypted backups from a third-party cloud storage service," Srinivasan wrote. The aforementioned cloud service was hosting data for the following GoTo product: business communication tool Central, online meeting service join.me, VPN service Hamachi, and remote access tool RemotelyAnywhere.

Furthermore, the black hat hackers were able to obtain an encryption key with which they could have decrypted "a portion" of the stolen encrypted backups. The affected data, Srinivasan said, varies by product and "may include" account usernames, salted and hashed passwords, a portion of the multi-factor authentication (MFA) settings, as well as some product settings and licensing information.

GoTo's CEO said the company does not store or collect full credit card, bank details or end user personal information such as birth dates, home addresses, or Social Security numbers on its servers. LastPass, on the other hand, was collecting and storing "company names, end-user names, billing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, and IP addresses" of its customers before the breach.

Currently, GoTo is only providing "recommendations" to affected users. The company is still contacting each customer directly to "provide additional information and recommend actionable steps for them to take to further secure their accounts."

All account passwords were salted and hashed in accordance with best practices, GoTo said. Out of an abundance of caution, GoTo is also going to "reset the passwords of affected users and/or reauthorize MFA settings where applicable." User accounts will be migrated to an enhanced Identity Management Platform, to provide additional security with more robust authentication mechanisms.

GoTo has 800,000 enterprise and private users, but the company is still refusing to disclose how many of them were affected by the LastPass breach.
South Africa: Eskom calls on City of Tshwane to settle bill

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Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, has announced that he is setting up a Steering Committee to oversee and ensure a sustainable water and sanitation services management in North West province. Mchunu said that under the Steering Committee, to be chaired by him and North West Premier, Bushy Maape, a Technical Task Team will be ... See more
The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) announced the participation of over 11 Brazilian food and beverages (F&B) companies at Gulfood 2023, one of the world's largest and most influential annual trade shows for the industry.

ABCC will highlight a comprehensive range of quality products including meat, nuts, coffee, pepper, sugar and candy through the companies participating in the event, which is set to take place from February 20 to 24, 2023 at Dubai World Trade Centre.

The line-up of Brazilian companies at Gulfood 2023 will include agribusiness firms including Stefenoni Interagricola LTDA, Cooperativa Agricola Mista da Alta Paulista, Ramax, Nad Al Shiba and Cerealista NP Zanchetta and F&B firms including Golden Agri Resources Brasil Sociedade Limitada Unipessoal, Pantanal Trading, and Florestal Alimentos. In addition, Brazilian trading firms including Domini Intl, and Cotia Trading will also be participating in the trade show.

Ideal platform

Osmar Chohfi, President of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, said: ABCC has been participating at Gulfood for years, and it has proven to be an ideal platform for Brazilian firms to boost trade and investment flow. Through our participation, we aim at fostering a dynamic trade and investment flow between Brazil and the GCC states. We expect the trade show to open new paths for collaborative efforts that can potentially present enhanced growth opportunities for the Brazilian F&B sector.

We have been viewing an increased interest from Brazilian firms to participate in the event, as a means to reinforce their presence in the region and other global markets as well. Through our pavilion, we aim at showcasing the latest products of ABCC members in front of the global F&B sector.

The five-day event, which includes the full spectrum of the F&B industry, offers an ideal platform to increase the trade and investment flow between Brazil and the Arab countries.

The world-class trade show exhibits the excellence of the industry and also paves way for forging new collaborations and reinforcing growth opportunities. In addition, the event further explores the latest trends, innovations and opportunities in the regional and global food industry.-- TradeArabia News Service
The Catholic University of America Conway School of Nursing has been named the nations fifth ranked online masters program for nursing, according to the latest rankings by the U.S. News & World Report. In addition, the University was also honored as having the 13th Best Online Family Nurse Practitioner Master's Programs in the U.S.

The magazine published the rankings January 25.

It is always a pleasure to see our academic programs achieve top rankings in the Conway School of Nursing at The Catholic University of America, said Dean Marie Nolan, Ph.D.,1989. Our nurse practitioner program ranking of No. 5 and our Family Nurse Practitioner specialty ranking of No. 13 are well-deserved by our faculty members who are expert nurse practitioners who actively practice in their specialty and are excellent teachers who focus on the whole student, mind, body and spirit. There is a commitment to respecting the dignity of the human person and promoting human flourishing that makes our school stand out among our peers.

The Conway School of Nursing has been a key provider of top nursing talent throughout Washington, D.C., and the mid-Atlantic region for decades. Graduates of Conways masters and doctoral programs are prominent clinical leaders and scholars. They include nurse scientists, deans of schools of nursing, nurse executives and more Army Nurse Corps Chiefs than any other school in the country.

Along with graduating exceptional students, the Conway School of Nursings research grant funding has grown significantly in recent years, enabling graduate students to participate in impactful research. Students study with a renowned faculty of nurse scholars, nearly all of whom hold doctoral degrees.

The Conway School of Nursing offers flexible 100% online programs tailored to working nurses. Program options include master's of science in nursing , doctor of nursing practice, and doctor of philosophy. The online programs enable students to earn their degrees in their own time.

Learn about the experience of nursing students at Catholic University.

It is an exciting time for the nursing program at the University. Nolan came back to campus last May as the new dean of the Conway School of Nursing. A professor and scholar, Nolan spent more than 20 years as an academic leader and a researcher improving the quality of care for patients and their families at the end of life.

Construction on a new Conway School of Nursing building is underway and a topping off ceremony for the building is yet another milestone in this growing program.

Expected to open in 2024, the facilitys exterior will remain true to the collegiate, gothic style of many other buildings on campus. At more than 102,000 square feet, it will double the size of the current nursing education facilities and will provide space for the schools expansion.

Apply to the Catholic University of America today.

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TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

In brief: Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada will continue to grow thanks to an additional infusion of cash. The electric automaker has announced plans to invest over $3.6 billion more into the massive 5.4 million square foot battery and component complex. The expansion calls for two new facilities including a 100 GWh 4680 cell factory capable of producing enough batteries for 1.5 million light duty vehicles annually and the company's first high-volume Semi factory.

Tesla unveiled its 4680 battery cell format during its battery day keynote in 2020. The cell measures 46mm x 80mm (hence the 4680 name) and produces five times the energy, six times the power and affords a 16 percent range increase courtesy of the new design.

The Semi was introduced way back in 2017 and was supposed to enter production a couple of years later. Manufacturing would not start until 2022, however, with Pepsi taking delivery of the first production units late last year. Others that have reportedly placed orders for Tesla Semi trucks include the United Parcel Service and Walmart.

Semi has an estimated range of 500 miles, consumes less than 2 KWh per mile and can regain 70 percent of range with a 30-minute charge. Tesla notes that charging with electricity is approximately 2.5 times cheaper per mile than filling up with diesel, and can save operators up to $200,000 within their first three years of ownership.

The expansion at Gigafactory Nevada, which is located just outside of Reno, will also create 3,000 new jobs.

Tesla currently operates five Gigafactories around the world with additional locations in New York, Austin and Shanghai. A sixth factory is reportedly being planned for construction in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.

In September, experts told Reuters that Tesla was having issues with the dry-coating technique used in the production of its 4680 batteries. Because the tech is so new and unproven, the automaker was reportedly struggling to scale production to a level where big cost savings would kick in.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Wandercraft's Atalante exoskeleton for stroke rehabilitation, as reported by Engadget.

(Photo : CLAUDIO CRUZ/AFP via Getty Images)

David Zabala, an 8-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, is assisted by physical therapists during a rehabilitation session with the robotic exoskeleton Atlas 2030 at the Association for People with Cerebral Palsy (APAC) in Mexico City on October 18, 2022.

Stroke patients in the US could now take advantage of this cutting-edge robotics that will help during the recovery process. It helps with intensive gait training, designed for people with limited upper body mobility.

Atalante

The current generation Atalante is a self-balancing, battery-powered device with an adjustable gait that can help with early steps. Its hardware still needs to be used in a clinical setting with a therapist, while its hands-free use will allow patients to reestablish their gait whether or not they can use their arms.

The company plans to deliver the first exoskeletons to the US during the first quarter of the year.

Also Read: Purely Mechanical Exoskeleton On Legs: Walking Easy To The Future

Cleared Exoskeletons by the FDA

It is still rare to find FDA-cleared exoskeletons and they are still limited to helping with specific conditions.

The good news is that the technology used by Wandercraft for their exoskeleton is accessible for a wider range of patients, and may be extremely helpful with stroke.

Exoskeletons for Health

The idea of exoskeletons for health is an exciting one, and it's an area of research that has rapidly grown in recent years. Exoskeletons are a type of wearable technology that can be used to help individuals with physical disabilities or impairments to move more freely and in a more natural way.

Exoskeletons for health have been developed to help with a range of conditions, including paralysis, stroke, and spinal cord injury. They can be used to help people with walking, balance, and other mobility issues. Exoskeletons can also be used to help individuals with limb loss or other physical impairments to regain mobility and independence.

The technology behind exoskeletons has advanced significantly in recent years, and they are now capable of providing a wide range of benefits to those with physical limitations. Exoskeletons can help individuals to move more freely, regain strength, improve balance, and even reduce pain in certain circumstances. This technology can also be used to help people with physical impairments to participate in activities that would otherwise be difficult or impossible for them.

Exoskeletons for health can be a great tool for individuals who are looking to regain mobility and independence. They can provide a range of physical and psychological benefits, and can be an invaluable resource for those with physical impairments. While exoskeletons are not a cure-all, they are an exciting area of research that can offer great promise to many individuals.

Exoskeletons for health can also be used to assist with physical rehabilitation. By providing support and stability, exoskeletons can help individuals regain strength and mobility after an injury or illness. They are often used in conjunction with other forms of therapy such as occupational or physical therapy to help improve overall function.

In addition, exoskeletons for health have been developed specifically for use by athletes who wish to increase their performance level without the risk of serious injury from over-training. Exoskeleton technology is being studied extensively in order to develop systems that will provide maximum benefit while reducing any potential risks associated with its usage.

The future looks bright when it comes to exoskeleton technology's ability to enhance human capabilities and quality of life across a range of areas including sports, medical care, military applications, industrial work environments and more! As research continues into this exciting field we may soon see even greater advances in how these devices are utilized within our society today - helping us all reach new heights both physically and mentally!

Related Article: Exoskeletons From Japan Now Available In The US To Help People Learn How To Walk Again

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An extensive inventory of the deepest, coldest ices ever observed in a molecular cloud has just been compiled by an international team of astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

The team recognized frozen forms of various compounds, including carbonyl sulfide, ammonia, and methane, as well as the most basic complex organic molecule, methanol, and simple ices such as water.

NASA said that this is the most thorough inventory of the frozen components used to create future stars and planets before they are heated during the birth of newborn stars.

(Photo : NASA, ESA, CSA, and M. Zamani (ESA))

Building Blocks of Life

According to Melissa McClure, the study's primary author, these fresh findings offer insights into the early, dark chemical phase of the production of ice on interstellar dust grains that would eventually evolve into centimeter-sized pebbles from which planets develop in disks.

"These observations open a new window on the formation pathways for the simple and complex molecules that are needed to make the building blocks of life," McClure said in a press release statement.

The scientists also discovered evidence for molecules more complicated than methanol. NASA said that this establishes for the first time that complex molecules originate in the frigid depths of molecular clouds before the birth of stars, even if they were unable to definitively attribute these signals to particular molecules.

The researchers were able to determine the amount of sulfur buried in icy pre-stellar dust grains for the first time by spotting the sulfur-bearing ice carbonyl sulfide. Despite being more than previously observed, the amount found is still less than what should be detected overall given the cloud's density.

This also applies to the other CHONS (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur) components. Understanding whether these components are buried in ice, soot-like substances, or rocks is a major difficulty for astronomers.

The proportion of these elements that wind up in exoplanet atmospheres and interiors depends on the amount of CHONS in each type of material, as per NASA.

Read Also: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Zooms in on Mars for the First Time, Capturing Stiking Martian Details!

Examining Starlight

The chemical makeup of the ices was discovered by examining how starlight from outside the molecular cloud was captured by icy molecules inside the cloud at certain infrared wavelengths observable to Webb.

The chemical fingerprints left behind by this process, identified as absorption lines, can be used to identify the ices that are found in the molecular cloud by comparing them to laboratory data.



The team focused on ices buried in an area of the Chamaeleon I molecular cloud that was especially cold, dense, and challenging to examine. This region is around 500 light-years away from Earth and is presently generating dozens of young stars.

The study is a part of one of Webb's 13 Early Release Science programs, the Ice Age Project. The results of this research were published in Nature Astronomy.

Related Article: [LOOK] NASA James Webb Space Telescope's Largest Image of the Universe to Date - Made Out of 690 Individual Frames!

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BP Pulse launches the first charging corridor for medium and heavy-duty electric trucks in Europe, according to Electrek.

(Photo : JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images)

Trucks drive on a Highway during a snowfall, near town of Unec, Slovenia, on January 23, 2023. - Heavy snowfall and strong bora winds hindered traffic and caused power outages across Slovenia.

Currently, six public charging locations for electric trucks are online and strategically placed along a 600-km stretch of the Rhine-Alpine corridor across Germany.

The road where the charging corridor is located is one of the busiest road freight routes in Europe.

The Charging Location

Every charging location is equipped with ultra-fast 300 kW charging stations that can charge an electric truck up to 200 km in only around 45 minutes.

The charging stations can charge over 20 electric trucks per charger each day.

The new chargers have been installed at Aral retail sites in Germany, which is BO's German retail brand. They are located between the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan area, northwest of Stuttgart, and the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, east of the Dutch border.

The retail sites have restrooms, hot food, and showers for drivers to use during their rest periods.

In the next months, two more EV charging locations will open at Aral retail sites to complete the new charging corridor.

And by 2030, around 270,000 battery electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles will be operational in Europe, which will need up to 140,000 public and destination electric charging points.

Also Read: Bp Pulse and Hertz Team Up to Build Network of EV Fast Chargers in High-Demand Locations

Decarbonizing Truck Transportation

BP Pulse is moving towards helping the world decarbonize truck transportation. By electrifying the Rhine-Alpine corridor, the company allows EV truck charging beyond "back to base," while also learning customer insights that will be useful for their goals.

The ultra-fasting charging placed in the right locations is crucial to boost the electrification transition. This will result in economic and environmental benefits of low-carbon commercial road freight and transport.

The German truck fleet is now over 3.5 million vehicles. Besides developing new electric charging sites, the company also plans to create a network of mobility hubs along key logistics corridors in Europe. In turn, this will provide freight operators with a range of energy options, such as traditional fuels to support fleet customers at every stage of the decarbonization journey.

The EU is also working on new rules that will require all new trucks to be zero-emission by 2040. This has triggered a race across the industry to develop zero-emission models that use batteries or hydrogen fuel cells.

The launch was also welcomed by Johannes Pallasch of Germany's National Centre for Charging Infrastructure, "To reduce CO2 emissions in road freight transport significantly, e-trucks will play a central role in regional and long-distance transport. With today's opening, Aral is taking an important step in this direction," he said.

Related Article: BP Pulse Orders New DC Fast Chargers from Tritium, More EV Chargers To Come?

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Radiologists just unwrapped a 2,300-year-old mummified teenage boy from the Cairo museum in Egypt using computerized tomography (CT) scans. The digital unwrapping revealed ancient Egyptian practices for the dead and some interesting accessories adorned on the body.

(Photo : WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

A three-dimensional image of a CT scan of an Egyptian mummy is projected above a sarcophagus as the hidden secrets of Egyptian mummies up to 3,000 years old have been virtually unwrapped and reconstructed for the first time using cutting-edge scanning technology in a joint British-Australian exhibition in Sydney on December 8, 2016

"Golden Boy"

As reported first by Global News, the boy was mummified when he passed away over a century ago. In 1916, his remains were found for the first time in a cemetery in Southern Egypt that had been in use from roughly 332 BCE and 30 BCE. His unexamined remains were transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo from where they had been kept in the basement.

The radiologists eventually decided to study the remains in-depth and dubbed the mummy "Golden Boy."

The team unwrapped the remains digitally with the help of CT scans. This method has been conducted for a long time now since it does not compromise the preservation of objects with historical significance.

The scans unveiled a wealth of body decorations indicating that the boy belonged to a high-ranking family in ancient Egypt.

The bones were kept in two nested coffins, the inner wood sarcophagus was adorned with patterns and a gilded face while the outer coffin looked rather simple, according to the team.

The CT scan also revealed 49 amulets that were organized in three columns within the body and between the wrappings. The amulets came in 21 various designs and at least 60% of them were composed of metal, particularly gold.

A heart scarab and a gold tongue amulet, both used in rituals to ensure that the dead may communicate in the afterlife, were discovered inside the boy's body.

He was also sporting a golden head mask with stone inlays along with a cartonnage across his chest.

Read Also: Archaeologists Uncover 16-Meter-Long Ancient Papyrus in Egypt for the First Time in a Century

Book of the Dead

The boy's decorations, including a pair of white sandals discovered on his feet and ferns wrapped around his body, are in line with some of the practices described in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, according to Sahar Saleem, a radiologist at Cairo University and the paper's first author.

The age of Golden Boy is estimated by researchers to be 14 or 15. They claim in their report that the boy had all of his organs removed, save for his heart, and that his brain had been substituted with resin.

The team also found that the teen had great dental hygiene and with the quality of his mummification, it is likely that he belonged to a wealthy family.

The cause of the boy's death remains shrouded in mystery. But the team said that their scans did not indicate an unnatural death.

The Egyptian Museum's main exhibition hall now houses Golden Boy, which was formerly kept in the basement. The hall will feature the CT pictures and a replica of the heart scab.

Golden Boy's CT scans were published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.

Related Article: Archaeologists Find 60 Mummies Near a Vizier's Tomb in the Ancient Egyptian City of Luxor

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Samsung Galaxy S23 EU (European Union) price leak now hints that the upcoming Android flagship series is going to be more expensive in the region than its predecessor, the Galaxy S22 lineup.

(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 20: New Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphones are displayed during the Samsung Unpacked event on February 20, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Samsung announced a new foldable smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, as well as a new Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Buds earphones.

There are tons of leaked information for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series. And this time, a new leak focuses on the potential pricing of the new flagship mobile device in the EU region.

Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra EU Price Leak

A news story by Phone Arena reports that Samsung is gearing up for the debut of the Galaxy S23 series, which launches in the next seven days or merely a week.

But ahead of its launch, leaks are still sprouting like mushrooms, giving excited fans a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming flagship series.

(Photo : JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)

People walk past the Samsung logo at the company's showroom in Seoul on October 29, 2020.

A well-known leaker disclosed the possible pricing details of the Galaxy S23 series in the EU region. Roland Quandt says that the early price tag information came from a retailer in Spain.

The price leak predicts that the Galaxy S23 starts at 959 Euros or roughly $1,044, while the Ultra with 12GB RAM and 512 storage retails for 1589 Euros, which is around $1,730.

Read Also: Samsung Galaxy S23 Series: How The LPDDR5X RAM Affects Its Performance

More Expensive Pricing for the EU Region?

The leaker says that a Spanish retailer suggests that the S23 Plus, which rocks 8GB RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, costs 1209 Euros or roughly $1,316.

Meanwhile, the 512GB variant of the S23+ costs 1329 Euros or $1,447. The S23 Ultra, on the other hand, starts at 1409 Euros or $1,534.

And as such, the leaked pricing highly suggests that Samsung is making its next-generation flagship more costly, at least in the EU region.

According to GSM Arena, the leaked pricing of the base model S23 is roughly 100 Euros higher than its older sibling, the S22 series. The price hike is a bit higher for the cheapest Galaxy S23 Ultra, which is to the tune of 150 Euros.

However, it is worth noting that the price hike could likely be exclusive to EU customers. Given that, the US pricing might differ.

It should be noted that Apple sells its iPhone 14 series in the EU for a more expensive price tag. While in the US, the latest lineup still carried similar pricing as the iPhone 13 models.

With that, it would not be surprising that Samsung is following through. In turn, the pricing of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series would match the cost of iPhones in the region.

Related Article: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's Qualcomm Adreno 740 Beats Apple A16 Bionic GPU: Superior SoC Performance?

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What happens when you combine NASA's space expertise and Pentagon's military prowess? It is likely that you would get a technological advancement in epic proportions!

The US space agency has laid out its vision to build and demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket to expand the horizons for future space flight missions. Now, it will team up with Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to make this ambition a possibility.

(Photo : Song Kyung-Seok - Pool/Getty Images)

PYEONGTAEK, SOUTH KOREA - DECEMBER 14: U.S. soldiers attend the activation ceremony for the United States Space Forces Korea on December 14, 2022 in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.

Interagency Agreement

Space.com reports that NASA Administrator Bill Nelson unveiled the plan on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at the 2023 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SciTech Forum and Exposition in National Harbor, Maryland.

NASA will participate in DARPA's Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations, or DRACO, a program that started in 2021. The goal of the initiative is to create a nuclear thermal engine for a DARPA experimental spacecraft.



The nuclear reactor and engine for the space rocket will be developed by DARPA, which NASA aims to test in space as early as 2027.



Nelson referred to the partnership as a significant investment in getting to Mars as well as a thrilling investment in the future of human space flight missions.



An interagency agreement between NASA and DARPA was published underlining the roles and responsibilities of each organization and giving NASA final control over the creation and development of the nuclear thermal rocket engine.

The experimental NTR vehicle (X-NTRV), a spacecraft that will be propelled by the proposed nuclear rocket engine, is given to DARPA under the terms of the agreement, and it will be in charge of its operation and eventual decommissioning in orbit.

Read Also: NASA Chooses TitanAir and a Pellet-Beam Propulsion Among 14 Concepts That Could Change Space Exploration for Good

Nuclear Rocket Plans

Space.com notes that plans for a nuclear rocket are not new since it has been brought up for decades. For instance, a crewed Mars expedition was intended to be launched in 1979 using a nuclear rocket as part of NASA's NERVA program, which stands for Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application.

But such an ambitious plan was unfortunately scrapped due to the lack of funding and the looming Cold War in 1972.

Government space agencies and commercial spaceflight companies share the common aim of sending people to Mars. The "Moon to Mars" initiative of NASA includes the Artemis program, which will use the knowledge gained from the agency's planned lunar exploration to further human habitation on the Red Planet.

SpaceX has also laid out its plans to "colonize Mars". It will soon launch the orbital flight of the Starship and other private space businesses are vying to outdo SpaceX in this goal.

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

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Google will no longer let political campaigns dodge their spam detection. According to The Washington Post, Google is ending the email filter bypass pilot program by the end of January.

(Photo : NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

Illustration picture shows the Google logo, during a visit to the Google company in Ghlin on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Google data centre in Belgium, Friday 21 October 2022.

The dismissal motion filed at a federal court in the Eastern District of California, Google rejects the Republican National Committee (RNC) allegations of political bias, which led to the test.

Gmail's filtering methods all apply equally to every sender whether or not there's a political connection.

The Pilot Program

The pilot was due to RNC accusations in October 2022, in which they said that Google was censoring right-wing fundraising emails by marking them as spam. They also pointed to a study that backed the claims. However, Google maintained that messaging frequency, user responses, and other non-political elements dictated filtering behavior.

The tech giant also acknowledged the pressure and got permission from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run the test. Over a hundred Democrat and Republican committees joined the program following its approval in August 2022.

However, the RNC wasn't one of those who joined the program, and Google pointed this out in their new filing that asserted the Republicans want to accuse them of unfair treatment instead of participating in the solution.

A Google spokesperson says the recent FEC decision confirmed that it doesn't filter email for political purposes. In addition, it said that the RNC complaint is "without merit."

There are also a number of advocacy groups and critics that urged the FED to reject the looser approach to political emails. This is due to their concern that this would allow political candidates from any party spam users with only a few repercussions.

Earlier this month, the FEC dismissed a similar Republican-led complaint over Google's spam filters.

With the latest filing, the debate is moot. Hence, politicians will need to have a more careful approach to ensure their campaign messages go directly to the inbox of people.

Also Read: New Gmail Security Threat Arises! Outlook and Other Popular Email Services Targeted as Well

What Happened?

Throughout the 2022 electrician cycle, Republicans were mad over tech censorship that was fueled by an academic study that found Gmail flagged FOP fundraising emails as spam more often than the ones from Democratic senders.

Now, Google is planning to dismiss the RNC's October lawsuit, according to Axios.

In the motion, Google states, "The RNC is wrong. Gmail's spam filtering policies apply equally to emails from all senders whether they are politically affiliated or not."

The filing served as the end of the short-lived program, and the company stated that their spam filtering is a main feature and one of the reasons the email platform is popular.

Related Article: Gmail Users Warns About New Phishing Scam 'Bait Attack'-Here's What You Need to Know

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Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Air - a dedicated air cargo service in India. This is to aid with the speed and expansion of package delivery in the country, which has become a key market for Amazon.

Amazon Executives Shared How the Move Will Allow Them to Cater to Customer Needs

This move is part of Amazon's goal to expand and speed up the delivery of package time in India, one of their key markets. The Washington-based company has invested in the Indian cargo company Quickjet, which will exclusively transport Amazon packages across India's four major cities.

According to the story by Giz China, Amazon executives stated the move would help them meet customer demands as the e-commerce market grows rapidly. As part of this initiative, Amazon has invested in Quickjet, an Indian freight company.

Quickjet Will Provide the Delivery Services Spanning Through Four Major India Cities

As of press time, Quickjet will provide delivery services to four major cities in India. Although details surrounding the size of the investment remain undisclosed, Vice President of Amazon Global Air, Sarah Rhoads, stated the move would help Amazon have greater control over their costs and flight schedules.

Amazon currently operates a 110-jet network across 70 locations around the world. With the launch of its air cargo service, there will now be a dedicated freight carrier for Amazon operated by Quickjet.

Amazon Air has Already Been Functioning in the US and Europe

Before Tuesday's launch, Amazon Air had already been actively functioning in two other regions, the United States and Europe. India is the third region to participate in the Amazon Air service. Amazon Air responds to Walmart's Flipkart, India's biggest online store.

Amazon's success with its Air service will determine how many more jets the company invests in for expansion. With this new service, Amazon hopes to become more competitive in India's online delivery market, further explained in a post by Amazon.

Advantages of the New Amazon Air When It Comes to the Company's Delivery Time

Using a dedicated cargo service will allow Amazon to control their costs and flight schedules better to reduce delivery time and meet their pledges of providing two-day-or-less delivery.

Quickjet, a Bengaluru-based freight carrier, will manage the freight operations for Amazon's new air cargo service across four cities in India - Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, per Tech Crunch.

Read Also: Amazon's RxPass Gives Prime Members Affordable Access to Generic Prescription

Amazon Air India Expansion Could be Strategic for the Company in Helping It Compete Against Walmart's Flipkart

Amazon Air's expansion in India has strategic value for the company, as it may help them compete against their main rival, Walmart's Flipkart. Amazon may expand its fleets, depending on the success of the two India flights they are launching.

Amazon Air will give Amazon tighter control over costs and flight schedules. It allows for more transparency with shipment costs and efficient use of assets. The goal for Amazon is for the majority of shipments to be delivered in two days or less.

Related Article: Amazon Prime Air Drone Delivery Unit Affected with Recent Layoffs

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According to two US officials involved with the discussions, the country is putting the finishing touches on its plans to dispatch some 30 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

US-Made Tanks

CNN reports that the Biden administration may announce its decision to supply Ukraine with US-made tanks this week. Officials said it typically takes several months to train troops to utilize tanks successfully, and the exact delivery date remains unknown.

One of the officials told CNN that the US would also send a few recovery vehicles. These vehicles will be utilized to help repair tanks on the battlefield or move the tanks away to another area for maintenance.

CNN notes that the plan appears to end a diplomatic impasse with Germany over the supply of tanks to Ukraine. German authorities had explicitly said they would only send their Leopard 2 tanks to the war-torn country if the US also contributed its M-1 Abrams tank.

The US decision to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine sharply reverses its previously stated policy. CNN notes that it will permit Germany to send its tanks and opens the door for other European nations to agree to transfer additional Leopard 2 tanks.

Following diplomatic pressure, the German government declared on Wednesday, Jan. 25, that it will supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Germany had previously told the US that it would not deliver its Leopard tanks unless the US decided to send its own M1 Abrams tanks.

Read also: IAEF Chief Announces Mission to Ukraine After A 'Suicidal Nuclear Plant Explosion' Alarm Was Raised at Europe's Largest Nuclear Facility

"Iterative Process"

The Biden administration has never completely ruled out the prospect of sending American tanks. Still, last week, US officials openly stated that the 70-ton M1 Abrams tanks should not be sent at this time since they are expensive and entail a long time of training.

Hence, the prospect of sending the tanks has been pushed frequently as a long-term solution, despite arguments from opponents that the time was ripe as the war rages on between Ukraine and Russia.

According to National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, the decision to send US-made Abrams tanks will be based on an "iterative process" evaluating Ukraine's needs, what assistance the US should send, and technical considerations in operating the tanks.

The UK has also declared that it will supply Ukraine with 12 Challenger 2 tanks, and CNN reported that there are 2,000 in Europe.

Related Article: US Sends A Series of 'High-Speed Anti Radiation Missiles' to Support Ukraine's War Against Russia | What is HARM?

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FutureA4 boasts of having a very high success rate in executive search and identifying candidates with niche skills

networked with and tapped. We maintain a very high percentage of profile fitments to any mandate given by our clients. Currently, we are serving few of the best MNCs, top IT companies, NBFCs and startups across India", says Jay Menon, Founder, FutureA4. Jay has over three decades of industry experience and has held management positions across various multinational companies in India.FutureA4 only sources candidates for full time and is not engaged in staffing or bulk hiring. The company boasts of having a very high success rate in executive search and identifying candidates with niche skills. Additionally, it also helps its clients across market research, employer branding and end-to-end talent acquisition areas. Following a stringent process cycle, FutureA4 carefully monitors the mandate given by each client as well as the candidate selected for a position. This way, it keeps its clients updated on the progress on a real time basis. "We encourage all our clients to review weekly dashboards, and this has helped many of them to understand the challenges being faced during talent acquisition such as high rejection during initial assessment, unfavorable response to a job location/role, interview rejections, and many others", explains Jay.All of FutureA4's employees are highly qualified Engineers or Management Graduates working from different locations across the country. The company carefully selects its employees regardless of being a housewife, fresher, or someone who has taken a break in their career and trains them to be efficient recruiters, thus offering them an interesting as well as an exciting job at the comfort of their homes. Through this, FutureA4 is contributing towards Social Inclusivity.Speaking of the future roadmap of FutureA4, the founder says. "Many MNCs and big companies are involved in the staffing & recruitment business, and it is a very competitive market for search consultants. At the same time, almost all companies struggle to identify prospective employees who fit the bill. We are trying to take advantage of the demand supply gap in certain technology areas and maintain our reputation by delivering quality services, while simultaneously maintaining high levels of integrity and transparency in the whole process.
On Wednesday morning, Jan. 25, Microsoft users worldwide were hit with an unexpected outage that affected several of the company's products, including Teams, Outlook, and various Microsoft 365 services.

The US tech giant announced that it was investigating the issue, which appeared to be caused by "networking configuration issues," The Guardian reports.

We're investigating issues impacting multiple Microsoft 365 services. More info can be found in the admin center under MO502273.  Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) January 25, 2023

Microsoft Working to Solve the Issue

Thousands of users in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Brazil reported outages on Wednesday morning, according to Downdetector, a website that tracks problems with tech products and sites.

Not only were Microsoft 365 programs impacted, but so were the gaming service Xbox Live and the company's cloud computing business, Azure. In the United Kingdom, reports of the outage seemed to peak around 8 a.m. GMT.

Microsoft acknowledged the problem on Twitter, stating that they had "isolated the problem to networking configuration issues" and continued working to find the best solution to address the issue without causing further disruption.

The company confirmed in an update at 9:26 a.m. GMT that they had "rolled back a network change that we believe is causing impact."

We've rolled back a network change that we believe is causing impact. We're monitoring the service as the rollback takes effect.  Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) January 25, 2023

A Major Inconvenience for Millions of Users

The widespread outage of Microsoft products brings inconvenience for the millions of users who rely on these services for work and communication worldwide.

Teams, in particular, have seen an increase in usage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as many businesses have shifted to remote work. Many companies and organizations rely on the platform, which allows for messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing.

Outlook, which manages email and calendars, is a critical service for many users. Integrating the program with other Microsoft 365 services enables seamless communication and collaboration. Excel and Word, similarly, are essential tools for office work and data analysis.

Read Also: AMD Adaptive Computing Technology Enables Next-Generation DENSO LiDAR System, Delivering 20X Improvement in Resolution

According to Statista, the global market share of office suite technologies is split between Google's G Suite and Microsoft's Office 365, with G Suite controlling around 48 percent and Office 365 holding approximately 46 percent.

Although there are exceptions, this trend is consistent across most global regions. In the United States, for example, G Suite has a 59 percent market share, while Office 365 has a 40 percent market share. In China, however, Office 365 has a market share of 57.22 percent, while G Suite has a share of 42.74 percent. Microsoft is yet to release official data about the recent outages.

For the Mean Time

Even though the root cause of the outage is still being investigated, it is abundantly clear that the service disruption has caused significant mishaps for Microsoft customers.

The company has not yet presented a timetable for fixing the problems. Users who have been affected are advised to check the Microsoft support website and any social media channels for updates while this issue is being resolved.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Microsoft Extends Partnership with OpenAI, to Work on 'Supercomputing at Scale'-For How Much?

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NASA's bone study is almost complete.

(Photo : Photo by Alexander Gerst / ESA via Getty Images)

In this handout photo provided by the European Space Agency (ESA), German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst takes a 'selfie' during his spacewalk, whilst aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on October 7, 2014 in Space.

This ongoing research of the international space union aims to know if Tetranite, a bone graft adhesive, could reverse the effects of weightlessness on bone tissues.

For the past years, NASA and other space organizations have been making efforts to reduce the effects of microgravity on astronauts' bone tissues and stem cells.

Now, NASA seems to be depending on the bone adhesive it is studying.

NASA's Bone Study is Almost Complete!

According to SciTech Daily's latest report, the Osteopromotive Bone Adhesive study of NASA is already on its second day; it is a three-day research.

(Photo : Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

In this handout photo provided by NASA, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is seen floating during a spacewalk on December 21, 2015 in space. NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Tim Kopra released brake handles on crew equipment carts on either side of the space stations mobile transporter rail car.

Also Read: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Detects the Deepest, Coldest Ices Ever Measured in a Molecular Cloud

This research is being conducted by NASA's flight engineers, Nicole Mann, Frank Rubio, and Josh Cassada.

JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata is also helping them.

The four astronauts spent their time working in the Kibo Laboratory module, observing biological specimens inside the Life Science Glovebox.

The samples they acquired were already sent back to Earth for analysis and evaluation.

As of press time, they are being compared to control samples, which are maintained on Earth under similar conditions.

NASA's Osteopromotive Bone Adhesive Study

NASA's official website explained that the new Osteopromotive Bone Adhesive study focuses on Tetranite.

"This adhesive enables bone cells called osteoblasts to repair bone fractures and defects," said the international aerospace organization.

NASA provided the exact objectives of its study, which include the following:

Evaluate the effects of microgravity on post-natal skeletal stem cells expressing PRX1 (pnPRX1+ cells) and their contribution to the regeneration of a sub-critical size cranial defect (a bone defect that can heal spontaneously).

Evaluate the effects of Tetranite on pnPRX1+ cells and their contribution to bone regeneration of a critical-size cranial defect (a bone defect that cannot heal spontaneously).

You can click this link to learn more details about this bone research.

Other stories we wrote about NASA:

The new partnership between NASA and Boeing aims to develop new single-aisle airliners with 30% fewer carbon emissions.

NASA scientists discovered flashes from the Sun, which could help them predict the next solar flares.

For more news updates about NASA and its other space missions, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: NASA Teams Up with Pentagon's DARPA to Build an Advanced Nuclear Thermal Rocket

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Shutterstock unveiled on Wednesday, Jan. 25, the product that would deliver its own generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to users.

With the help of OpenAI and Dall-E 2, users of Shutterstock's Creative Flow online design platform may now generate graphics in response to text prompts, as reported by TechCrunch.

This news follows the announcement of the deal between Shutterstock and OpenAI. The collaboration is to aid in developing OpenAI's Dall-E 2 AI image-generating platform using Shutterstock libraries to train and feed the algorithm.

Talks Over Licensing Contents

Shutterstock claims that the photographs are available for licensing as soon as they are created. It makes this feature, which does not seem to have a brand name, particularly attractive.

This is noteworthy since one of Shutterstock's main rivals, Getty Photos, is now involved in a lawsuit against Stability AI, the creators of another generative AI service called Stable Diffusion.

As per reports, Stability AI is allegedly utilizing Getty Images' visuals to train Stable Diffusion's system without the other party's or the rightsholders' consent.

Going back to Shutterstock's recent initiative, the firm is offering a service that would embrace the capacity to utilize AI to construct the picture you are looking for. This project puts Shutterstock apart from its competitors in how it embraces the exciting new world of generative AI.

See Also: Getty Images to Sue Stable Diffusion Developers Over Alleged Copyright Infringement

Ventures in the AI Sector

Although Stability AI has received substantial funding, OpenAI has welcomed more. It recently completed a hefty $10 billion round and expanded its cooperation with Microsoft.

Along with its partnership with OpenAI, Shutterstock also announced a more comprehensive agreement with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Like OpenAI, Meta will use Shutterstock's picture, video, and music archives to create AI datasets and train its computers. As a consequence, additional applications using generative AI will become available.

Despite not knowing the financial specifics of those arrangements with OpenAI, Meta, or LG, these services have a clear commercial purpose.

Shutterstock seems to be betting that embracing these new technologies and developing a company around them is more beneficial than letting them destroy it.

The main issue is whether or not Shutterstock's generative AI capabilities for producing photos will stand out enough from the competition.

Shutterstock is positioning itself as an "ethical" provider by promising compensation to the creators whose work has been utilized to fuel these new offerings. However, the question remains whether these payments will be comparable to what the original artists and photographers may have received.

"Shutterstock has developed strategic partnerships over the past two years with key industry players like OpenAI, Meta, and LG AI Research to fuel their generative AI research efforts," said Shutterstock CEO Paul Hennessy in a statement.

"We are now able to uniquely bring responsibly-produced generative AI capabilities to our own customers."

Related Story: Microsoft New 'Multiyear Multibillion Dollar' Partnership With OpenAI Hones in on ChatGPT

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
FDA's COVID-19 vaccination strategy redesign will be discussed before it can be accepted in the United States.

(Photo : Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A pharmacy in Grand Central Terminal advertises the COVID-19 vaccine on December 09, 2021 in New York City. As the fast-spreading new Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in at least 19 states, health officials are urging Americans to get vaccinated and receive their booster shots.

The Food and Drug Administration recently released documents suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines should be updated yearly.

FDA said that this should be done annually based on the circulating COVID-19 strains in the U.S.

This means that COVID-19 vaccinations would be similar to how people take flu shots year after year.

How to Watch FDA COVID-19 Vaccination Redesign Meeting

According to CNET's latest report, the meeting for FDA's COVID-19 vaccination strategy redesign proposal will happen on Thursday, Jan. 26.

(Photo : Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Jatniel Hernandez fills syringes with COID-19 vaccine booster shots at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on April 06, 2022 in San Rafael, California. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized a second COVID-19 booster of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for people over 50 years old four months after their first booster.

Also Read: Covid-19 Misinformation and Deceptive Claims Are All Over the Internet, Doctors Are Worried

Live streams will be available to the public. For those interested in watching the conference, you can visit the official website of the FDA.

Once you are there, you will see FDA's YouTube link for the meeting. Remember, the conference is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

The meeting could end earlier depending on the flow of the discussion.

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will hold a meeting of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee to consider whether and how the composition for primary doses of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines should be modified," said FDA via its official YouTube account.

What FDA Wants

One of the things that FDA wants to change in the COVID-19 vaccination strategy of the U.S. government is the vaccine formulas.

The health department said that they want to limit COVID-19 vaccines to bivalent formulas.

FDA explained that bivalent formulas offer better protection against existing COVID-19 subvariants compared to the original vaccines.

The agency added that simplifying COVID-19 vaccine composition, messaging, and updates could drastically improve vaccine coverage rates in the United States.

As of press time, COVID-19 is still affecting many countries across the globe.

Previously, WHO urged China to provide real-time COVID-19 data amidst surging cases.

We also reported that three winter COVID-19 waves are expected to happen in China.

For more news updates about COVID-19 and other health problems, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: COVID: New Omicron Subvariant Surge 40.5% in the US this 2023-Cases Rise this New Year

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A cheap Coca-Cola smartphone is rumored to be launched.

(Photo : Photo credit should read PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP via Getty Images)

A picture shows the logo of the Coca-Cola company during the presentation of a new advertising campaign on January 19, 2016 in Paris. / AFP / PATRICK KOVARIK

This may sound weird to many people since Coca-Cola only makes soft drinks and other beverages.

These include Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Powerade, Gold Peak, etc.

However, rumors claim that the American beverage corporation also wants to enter the gadget market.

This detail was shared by a popular leaker, saying that Coca-Cola will release its own smartphone.

[RUMOR] Cheap Coca-Cola Smartphone to Arrive!

According to Mashable India's latest report, Coca-Cola will collaborate with a smartphone maker to launch its own handset.

(Photo : Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Coca Cola products are displayed in a cooler at a convenience store April 16, 2008 in San Francisco, California. Atlanta-based Coca Cola reported today that profits for the first quarter increased 19 percent to $1.50 billion, or 64 cents a share compared to $1.26 billion, or 54 cents a share a year ago

"Here's the all-new #Cola Phone Can confirm that the device is launching this quarter in India," said Mukul Sharma, a tech tipster, via his official Twitter post.

[Exclusive] Here's the all new #Cola Phone 

Can confirm that the device is launching this quarter in India.

Coca-Cola is collaborating with a smartphone brand for this new phone.

Feel free to retweet.#ColaPhone pic.twitter.com/QraA1EHb6w  Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) January 24, 2023

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S23 Series: How The LPDDR5X RAM Affects Its Performance

This means that Coca-Cola's smartphone could be released in India before March ends.

When it comes to the design, the rumored smartphone will have a dual rear camera.

Of course, the Coca-Cola logo is seen at the back; a big one on the right side and a smaller one on the lower right corner.

Other than that, the overall design will be similar to other Android smartphones sold in the market.

As of press time, the exact price of the Coca-Cola smartphone hasn't been confirmed. But, speculations claim it would be budget-friendly.

What Could It Be?

9To5Google reported that the new Coca-Cola smartphone could be a rebranded version of the Realme 10 Pro.

If this is true, then the new Coca-Cola handset could be around $200 to $300.

But, since the rumored smartphone is speculated to be a great low-cost alternative, it could be even cheaper than the Realme 10 Pro.

Since it could be a rebranded Realme 10 Pro, the new Coca-Cola handset could also have a 108MP main camera, the Snapdragon 695 processor, and other features of the Android device.

All these details are exciting, especially for those who are looking for a new budget-friendly smartphone.

You can click this link to learn more about the rumored Coca-Cola Android device.

Aside from this cheap smartphone, new Android and iOS devices are also expected to arrive this 2023.

Recently, Apple reportedly considered curved corners and thinner bezels for its upcoming iPhone 15 Pro.

We also reported that Tecno's Phantom X2 Pro pre-orders finally began.

For more news updates about smartphones, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: OnePlus Nord CE 3 Leaks Reveal Similar Design to Recently-Released Realme 10 Series

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Airports often encounter problems with travelers regarding their missing items. This only puts stress on the part of the department and the customers hoping to recover the lost possessions.

To hasten the search operation of the objects, some airports around the world are now using the power of AI (artificial technology) to track them down quickly.

Airports Use AI Technology For Lost-and-Found

There's nothing more stressful than when you're about to hop on a plane. Then suddenly, you forget where you place your bag full of items.

In an airport, it's a common scenario you need to bear amid the crowd. The companies want to improve their service by retrieving lost items as soon as possible.

For instance, Government Technology reports that the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is only one of many airports that are now embracing AI technology to recover the missing belongings of a traveler.

With the new AI-based platform, the airport was able to streamline the process of returning the items. Now, it operates claim-to-item matching using AI to retrieve the objects in the lost-and-found department.

Before, SAV only relied on manual log-in of data. This means that it was a hands-on process for all the staff and travelers, per the company's customer experience manager Lee Ann Norris.

Through AI tech, the airport can now recognize the items through photos, the timing of their loss, and other related information.

The software will check if there are matching keywords on the system. Later, if there's a confirmation about their commonality, the shipping details will be collected so the airport can label its prints. This is important before sending the item to the user.

"Businesses want to be great; they want happy customers. But it's really hard when you get this big wave of inventory with your fixed amount of team members," Boomerang's CEO Skyler Logsdon said.

Related Article: TSA Tests Facial Recognition Tech at US Airports! Will It Cause Privacy Concerns?

Huge Number of Unclaimed Items at Airports

Based on a report by NBC News, the Transportation Security Administration or TSA says that there are over 552,000 items that will be left unclaimed in 2022.

Some of these possessions include 6,000 mobile phones and roughly 25,000 laptops. Although it's easy to claim these items at the airports, some people do not attempt to claim them back, Lisa Farbstein, the TSA spokesperson, said.

Aside from the AI technology SAV uses, airports such as Harrisburg International (HIA) and Los Angeles International (LAX) utilize the Crowdfind/Pixit software management program to retrieve customers' lost items.

Without artificial intelligence, the process of searching for the missing stuff will get stuck to the traditional way. It's interesting to know how airports reduce the time between logging in and returning the item significantly with the help of image recognition.

Read Also: First Charging Corridor for Heavy-Duty Electric Trucks in Europe Opens

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Irelands Data Protection Commission (DPC) on Thursday fined Meta-owned WhatsApp Ireland 5.5 million (US$6 million) for breaching the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) related to its service in the country.

Besides the fine, Irelands DPC has given the social media giant a period of six months to bring its data processing operations in line with GDPR rules or face further action.

The recent fine by the DPC comes as a major blow to Meta, as it was recently fined 390 million euros by the same body when its other subsidiaries, Instagram and Facebook, were found flouting the GDPR rules.

Coming to WhatsApp, the decision made by the DPC is the conclusion of an inquiry concerning a complaint made on May 25, 2018, by a German data subject about the WhatsApp service.

The complainant challenged WhatsApps new rules requiring users to accept the new contract terms to access their services when the GDPR came into effect in 2018.

According to the platforms updated Terms of Service, users who wished to continue to have access to their WhatsApp service following the introduction of the GDPR had to choose the updated Terms of Service. In the event they declined the terms, their services would not be accessible.

In other words, WhatsApp was effectively forcing users to agree to data processing if they wanted to continue using the services, which the complainant argued was in breach of the GDPR. The complainant believed that the users should be a choice about the data which is processed.

Following a comprehensive investigation by the DPC, the watchdog found WhatsApp guilty to be in breach of its obligations in relation to transparency, as it did not provide sufficient clarity about how data processing and for what purposes this was done.

The DPC found that WhatsApp Ireland did not, in fact, rely on users consent as providing a lawful basis for its processing of their personal data.

WhatsApp Ireland is not entitled to rely on the contract legal basis as providing a lawful basis for its processing of personal data for the purposes of service improvement and security, it added and said that the legal basis for the services data processing is in breach of EU law.

The final decision of the fine adopted by the DPC on January 12, 2023, follows the three binding decisions by the EUs data protection regulator, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), in early December.

Besides the fine, the EDPB has also purported to direct the DPC to conduct a fresh investigation regarding the following:

WhatsApp IEs processing operations in its service in order to determine if it processes special categories of personal data (Article 9 GDPR), processes data for the purposes of behavioural advertising, for marketing purposes, as well as for the provision of metrics to third parties and the exchange of data with affiliated companies for the purposes of service improvements, and in order to determine if it complies with the relevant obligations under the GDPR.

In response to the DPCs decision made on Thursday, Meta said it will appeal against the decision and would look to overturn it.

We strongly believe that the way the service operates is both technically and legally compliant. We rely upon the contractual necessity for service improvement and security purposes because we believe helping keep people safe and offering an innovative product is a fundamental responsibility in operating our service, a WhatsApp spokesperson said.

We disagree with the decision and we intend to appeal.
Investors Are Taking Notice of This New Electric Vehicle Crypto Project, Here's Why You Should Too

Electric vehicles (EVs) are set to play a crucial role in the drive for a more environmentally-sustainable transport system. According to recent data published by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), fuel and diesel-powered automobiles accounted for 52.8% of global vehicles.

However, the data does not stop there. The report also states that about 25.1% of total registered vehicles in the European bloc were hybrid electrics and battery electric, snapping up a sizable 10%. This change in trajectory shows a growing consensus amongst world leaders to pivot towards renewable energy in facilitating the movement of goods and services. While this shows promise for the EV industry, it grossly eliminates the end users of these battery-powered vehicles.

A new project is looking to change this narrative by providing a decentralized template that enables anyone to actively participate in the slashing of global greenhouse emissions from the comfort of their cars.

C+Charge: Breaking the Gated Carbon Credit Industry

Climate experts and world governments have explored several options to reduce the global warming pandemic. One such solution has been the use of carbon credits. The concept sounds elitist, but it is quite simple. The idea is that people are granted permits to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Once they exceed their emission levels, they are required to buy more of these permits or credits, and if underutilized, they can sell the excess to another person.

The general pivot around this is to force the global populace to find innovative means of generating energy. While there is a growing ecosystem dealing in this industry, the carbon credit ecosystem is a gated or fenced city, and only companies are granted easy access. This is because carbon credits have not been made mainstream and accessible by the average car owner, but the C+Charge project aims to change this.

Launched in late 2022, C+Charge is creating a robust peer-to-peer payment facility for EV charging stations. The team behind the project wants to make carbon credit benefits accessible to the average car owner, besides the car manufacturers themselves. EV car owners will be provided with electronic wallets containing the platform's native token, CCHG, through which they can pay their charge fees and earn free carbon credits for their activities.

C+Charge provides a gateway through which anyone can participate in the fast-growing carbon credits market through its payment token. Given that EVs are seeing an uptick in sales, C+Charge is set to be a household name in no time.

The project's potential has not been lost by EV manufacturers, with many already signing up with the C+Charge project. Notable names like Flowcarbon, Chain Labs, CLS, DTC Group, and several others are already buying into the concept. What seems to generate a lot of buzz is its market reach.

The C+Charge is currently developing its network app that will be OCPP 2.0 compatible. This will grant its acceptance to over 1.8 million charging stations worldwide. The mobile app will also offer users transparent pricing and zero surprise charges, as its reliance on blockchain technology will make the process transparent and easy to verify.

C+Charge Presale Ongoing

In line with most crypto projects, the C+Charge offers the CCHG native token that powers the entire operation in its network. With this, users will be able to pay for EV charges at relevant stations and participate in broader network activities.

At press time, the CCHG is in its first lap of presales and has raised a sizable amount in investor funds. The digital asset has garnered over $388,000 in investor funds. Early-bird investors recognize the huge potential the CCHG token offers as a fundamental project and its multiple profit potential.

For those keen, the green crypto project can easily be purchased on the presale website before the presale closes.

C+Charge is a good option but here are the best crypto with the most potential in 2023.

Visit C+Charge Now

Disclaimer: The Industry Talk section features insights by crypto industry players and is not a part of the editorial content of Cryptonews.com.
PM Kishida seeks to increase Japanese military spending to US$331 billion over the next five fiscal years.

On Wednesday, Japan's main opposition bloc criticized that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's decision to acquire "enemy base strike capabilities" is in violation of international law.

The opposition was raised during the 211th ordinary session of Japan's parliament which began Monday when Kishida in his speech said that it is necessary for Japan to have the so-called "counterstrike capability," or "enemy base strike capabilities."

Kishida, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said to achieve such goals, Japan will increase its total defense spending to about US$331 billion over the next five fiscal years, partly financed by taxes.

During the plenary session of the Lower House, Kenta Izumi, head of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said the counterstrike capability could be a "preemptive" approach that violates international law, describing Kishida's defense tax hike as a "reckless decision."

During the 150-day session through June 21, Kishida's intention of military expansion to boost Japan's defense capability will be among hot-debated issues, local media reported.

By allocating a whopping US$315 billion (43 trillion yen), Japan aims to modernize its defense capabilities and close its military gap with rival powers.https://t.co/e0Fjg4Quf8  Richard Heydarian (@Richeydarian) January 25, 2023

In Dec. 2022, the Japanese government decided to update three security and defense-related documents including the National Security Strategy, marking a significant change to its post-war security policies despite wide opposition.

Aimed at so-called "enemy base strike capabilities," the country will acquire the capability to directly attack another country's territory in case of emergency, according to the documents greenlighted by Kishida's cabinet.

The guidelines also stipulated the reorganization of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and a great increase in Japan's military expenditure for the next five years.

The release of the documents marked a fundamental shift in Japan's post-war security ideology and defense policy, in complete violation of its exclusively defense-oriented policy and pacifism embodied in the Constitution of Japan.
"Inhuman cruelty": the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation publishes archival documents on the destruction of people in Nazi concentration camps

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"Can cause very serious complications": doctors - about the increase in the incidence of measles in Russia

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On the way to $ 200 billion: for three months of 2023, the trade turnover between Russia and China grew by almost 39%

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German technology group is optimistic about the Chinese market, its enterprises in China layout "more points of flowering"

The number of domestic travel orders on May Day was equal to the same period in 2019

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The passenger turnover of the three major airlines increased by more than 3% in March, and the overall recovery of the industry exceeded expectations

The supply of ordinary commercial residential land in many cities has declined significantly: some inventory backlogs are serious, and housing enterprises are cautious in acquiring land

The price of lithium carbonate fell below the 20,<> yuan / ton mark, and the lithium battery industry will accelerate the reshuffle

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 Communities 2019 - Privacy

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Sign advertising specials at Reggies bar, seen Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Madison Brooks, the 19-year-old LSU sophomore who was raped in the back of a car before being dropped off in a neighborhood near where she was fatally struck by a car on Burbank Drive about an hour later on Jan. 15 had been drinking at Reggie's bar before the incident, and deputies said Brooks had a blood-alcohol level of .319, nearly four times the legal limit to drive and enough to give someone alcohol poisoning and render them unconscious.
District 4 Metro Councilman Aaron Moak, left, looks into a junction box of a storm drain that was turning into a sinkhole, because of cracks in the surrounding concrete and escaping water washing away the dirt around it, as Berry Smith, right, an engineering technician/inspector for water/wastewater contractor NCMC points out problems, Thursday, Feb, 24, 2022 on South Locksley Drive. Others, from left, are NCMC laborers Anonio Huerta and Mauricio Lopez, NCMC project manager Beau Landry and Anthony Hudson, Jr., of the city-parish. The repair there was part of the latest phase of city-parish drainage efforts funded by American Rescue Plan money.
A panel discussion on marijuana in the workplace brought out a large crowd to this months Farmington Regional Chamber business and community luncheon held Thursday at the Centene Center.

Making up the three-person panel was Kimber Monroe, local attorney; Rocky Newsom, US Tool Group Environmental Health and Safety manager; and Alex Freund, owner of The Valley, the citys first medical marijuana dispensary. The Block Dispensary also has a location in Farmington.

Amendment 3

As panel members took the stage, Monroe started off the program by providing details on the statewide approval of recreational marijuana use in the Nov. 8 election.

So, while everybody is getting up here, I will read a little thing that I found. 'Amendment 3 in Missouri was passed with 53% of the vote in November, making Missouri the 21st state to legalize recreational marijuana, making it legal for anyone older than 21 to buy, possess, deliver, use, manufacture and sell marijuana in the state. It also set the stage for thousands of Missourians to have their criminal records expunged.'

Chamber Events Director Deena Ward asked Monroe, What am I not allowed to do under Amendment 3?

Responding to the question, Monroe said, To start off with, lets just backup and say, whats going on here? Well, we know that on Nov. 8th, we voted to have and legalize the recreational use of marijuana, but what we also did that people may not be aware of is, we also made changes to how medical marijuana is perceived in the workplace. And so, we know the laws are actually in effect today, but what does this mean for employers?

Theres some good news, and theres some bad news. And at the end of the day, youre probably going to have to take some additional actions. So, when it comes to recreational use, thats pretty straightforward. You can continue with your current policies that say, drug-free workplace, you cant come to work impaired. You can even go as far as saying, If you test positive for drug use, I can fire you.

Medical marijuana

Monroe said the situation is different when it comes to the use of medical marijuana in the workplace.

What the law says is that you can still say, You cant come to work impaired, but where you may run into issues is with testing. The law is very clear that you cannot discriminate or negatively impact someone because they have a medical marijuana card. And so what that means from a practical standpoint is, that if you are looking to hire somebody and you dont have an exception  and under the law, the exception is if you would not be able to receive federal funds or you would violate, lets say a rule under [the Department of Transportation],  then thats your exception, and you dont have to worry about this.

But if you dont fall under an exception, what that means is that if somebody were to use medical marijuana and you come and do a drug test pre-application, and it comes back positive, your next step should be to say, Hey, look, your drug test came back positive for marijuana. Do you have a medical marijuana card? And if they say, yes, I do, and they can provide proof of that, then you cant, on its face, decide not to hire them because you would be in violation of the law. Now, lets say you have a current employee, and you dont fall underneath an exception, and that person shows up impaired for work, and you believe they are under the influence of marijuana, alcohol, etc., what you will need to do is make sure you have evidence of the fact that they are impaired.

Monroe explained that any evidence would most likely be obtained by the training of a companys HR (human relations) staff and would be the first step in creating an incident file.

But then lets say you make them submit to a drug test, she said. Well, if it comes back positive and they have a medical marijuana card, now youre going to have a battle because we all know that drug tests are a little suspect because its hard to show when somebody has used marijuana. And under this new law, if you hold a medical marijuana card and you tell your employer, I didnt use it on company property during work hours; I used it after hours. Well, if theyre using it after hours and they have a medical marijuana card, you cant do anything. And, so, those are just some of the uphill battles that you all are going to have to face.

Policies and procedures

Monroe noted there are some things that a company will have to look at in its policies, procedures and training programs.

In answer to a question about what happens if you hire an employee who then applies for and receives a medical marijuana card, Newsom of U.S. Tool Group said, Once they have a card, they have the card. Youre not going to be able to discriminate against that. If they are in the middle of [an] issue because of having a positive test, they cant get a card and say, OK, now I got it. That doesnt work.

Regarding a companys policies and procedures, Newsom acknowledged there will be a large number of templates provided by their insurance carriers.

Whether it be your insurance carrier or whether it be any of your risk management with your insurances, its always one of the best places to start, he said. Being the safety guide, thats what I do for everything. You should never have to reinvent the wheel.

Another question dealt with a company hiring a new employee who doesnt have a medical card.

If during their probationary period, they get a medical card, then theyre OK to [come to work impaired]? the questioner asked.

Newsom said, Thats an easy one. It really is. If you see reasonable suspicion of them being impaired, does it really matter if its painkillers or if its alcohol or drugs or whatever? It doesnt make any difference. Impairment is impairment. That is the best way I can describe for anybody dealing with a situation where its visibly obvious theres some impairment. Having your staff trained to recognize those things is key to finding the answer to what to do with this situation.

Our situation at US Tool  we have two people that have to have independent observation of whats going on. They have their checklist of reasonable suspicion. There are some times that its way obvious. If I have someone that comes in thats inebriated and falls into the wall and gets injured, I immediately have reasonable suspicion to start checking, 'Why did they fall into the wall when there was nothing on the floor?' They have slurred speech and all the obvious things. Impairment is impairment, so you would pursue it, however [you need to]. However, if you do a drug screen and you find out its marijuana and then they, Heres the card, youre done.

Newsom added that if the employee is impaired, they can  technically  be sent home.

Somebody delivers them home, obviously, because its a safety hazard, he said.

Criminal history

Asked if a prospective employee can still be asked about their criminal history on a job application, Monroe said, The answer is, yes, you can always inquire, but then it depends on what you do with that information. We know that under the new law that theres a process for expunging convictions related to marijuana.

Of course, there are limitations associated with that. So, if you get a criminal background check back before expungement takes place and it relates to a minor offense, I would suggest you talk to your outside counsel or your HR person because you may or may not be able to do something with that. I would say that if it should be expunged, then dont look at it. Ignore it and pretend it didnt happen.

A question was asked about the difference between a person taking a pill for diabetes in the morning before coming to work and a person who uses marijuana for a medical reason doing the same.

The Village owner Alex Freund responded to the question, saying, I think it comes back to the impairment, like Kimber was saying. With your medical card, you can use the product. You just cannot show signs of impairment at work. I think thats the difference. Your work cant prevent you from using the medicine the doctor has OKd you to use. You just cant show up to your employer being impaired.

Asked what impairment entails and if it can vary from business to business, Freund said, Not that Im aware of, and as far as the state of Missouri goes too, with the recreational rules. So, this bill just passed on Nov. 8th. It did start to take effect  like the possession  you can legally possess. We have not started selling recreational marijuana, and they are still in the process of writing the rules, and there are definitions coming out with that.

Impairment

A question was raised about whether or not someone who uses medical marijuana in the morning will necessarily be impaired at work.

People that are lifelong users that have used for 20 or 30 years, tolerance levels come into play. There are people who use constantly throughout the day  you know, hourly  that you would never know that theyre consuming a product. Then there are others  they can take as little as one hit of a joint or 5 milligrams of gummy, and they might show signs of impairment.

Monroe said, I want to be clear because I know this comes down to semantics, but its important. If your employer has a policy in place that you cannot use drugs or alcohol while at work, etc., they cant show up under the influence of marijuana, period. But from a practical standpoint, the reason were talking about impairment is because you have to be able to prove that they are, in fact, under the influence, and thats why were using the term impaired. So, I just wanted to make that distinction. Your policy can have a zero tolerance, but then it comes back to how do you implement and prove that theyre in violation of that policy.

2023 chamber board

Earlier in the meeting, the 2023 regional chambers board of directors was introduced. They are Board Chair Andy Buchanan, First State Community Bank vice president/loan officer; Past Board Chair Larry Joseph, Farm Bureau Insurance-Sansagraw sales; Vice Chair/Economic Development Jessica Horton, Farmington Unico Bank branch manager/AVP; Treasurer Teri Morton, Boyd & Associates, LLC; Rocky Good, New Heights Church pastor; Brent Williams, US Tool president; Brian McNamara, attorney; Karen Melton, Hearing Care Partners president; Tim Morgan, Aufenberg Chevrolet-Buick-GMC service manager; Paul Meinsen, Edward Jones financial advisor; Kim Hutson, Coldwell Banker Hulsey broker/owner; Steve Sloup, Ozarks Federal Savings & Loan president/CEO; Cheryl Snead, C&C Suppliers Janitorial & Food Service Supplies, LLC; Aaron Baker, doctor of physical therapy, Parkland Health Center; William Britton, Walmart Supercenter store manager; Chelley Odle, KFMO/B104 Radio owner/managing partner; and Candy Hente, Downtown Development Association.

Special recognition

Hente next recognized Chris Morrison, who will remain on the 2023 board of directors but not as a voting member.

In recognizing Morrison, Hente said, We do have to say farewell to one important board member who has been around a very long time. I should have written something out, but Ive been contemplating what Ive wanted to say for a long, long time. I worked with Chris Morrison on various projects before he even came to the chamber, and Ive had such a great experience working with Chris.

He had such great commonsense, and hes such a diplomat in working with people and interacting with people. Its been a tremendous asset to the Farmington chamber board. Hes now a current city council member as well. We have twisted his arm just a little bit to keep him on as the non-voting ex-officio representative for the city of Farmington for our board meetings.

Calling Morrison up to the stage, Hente presented him with his award and said, We just so appreciate your service and the guy that you are.
In the pouring rain, a rider boards a downtown bound streetcar on Carrollton Ave. at Freret Street in New Orleans, La. Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. Because of the possibility of heavy rain and flooding in low-lying areas, neutral ground parking is allowed until 8 a.m. Friday morning. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) ORG XMIT: BAT2206171623300104
Volunteers help plant bald and pond cypress on the Lafitte Greenway in New Orleans, Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. Sustaining Our Urban Landscape, or SOUL, and Friends of Lafitte Greenway partnered up for a multi-year project to plant 1,000 cypress trees along the Lafitte Greenway. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
That pairing sets the tone for this challenging deep dive into not just the complicated relationship the United States had with the Holocaust but the complicated relationship it has always had with immigration  and racism.

And here are two more: more than 225,000 refugees fleeing Nazism were eventually accepted by the US. And, of course, the arrival of US soldiers in Europe was instrumental in defeating fascist forces.

How many US citizens know their country refused a visa to the family of Anne Frank  a refusal that forced them into hiding in Amsterdam and ultimately resulted in their deaths? Thats the shocking fact that opens this typically sober, lyrical and exquisitely balanced documentary from Ken Burns.

The first episode (it screened last week and is available on demand) covers the period from roughly the end of the 19th century to the late 1930s and that background provides vital context for what comes next. In the 1890s, the US was indeed the promised land and its doors were wide open to immigrants. It was also a time of genocide of Native Americans. And the flourishing of slavery.

In the early 1920s, eugenics was hugely popular in the States. Everyone from Theodore Roosevelt to Helen Keller thought breeding out lesser humans was a fine idea, and violent racists dedicated themselves to the preservation of redwood forests and wild bison.

Over three two-hour instalments were constantly presented with these astonishing pieces of information, accompanied by an abundance of archival photographs, film footage, written records and gorgeous spoken word (Peter Coyote leads a star-studded voice cast), and that phenomenal detail is absolutely a hallmark of Burns work.

Whats even more impressive is that the wealth of detail never feels baggy or turgid. This is compelling from the first moment to the last and thats thanks to all the things the team leaves out, as much as what they put in. One scene quotes a phrase  not even a whole sentence  from Eleanor Roosevelts correspondence to underline a point. How much reading and referencing preceded it to dig out those few pithy words?
Like many Aboriginal people across the country, I work in my community every day for change. We want our children safe and protected, our language and culture alive, our relationship with our lands, with which we have a sacred connection, respected. For too long governments have made our people invisible, much like our grandparents before us who were denied equal rights and relegated to the reserves on the outskirts of town. Too often today our voices are not respected.

Over a decade ago, I published my PhD on Aboriginal child sexual assault and the justice system, highlighting a decade of inquiries across Australia led by Aboriginal women whose recommendations were largely ignored by governments.

Dr Hannah McGlade is from the Kurin Minang people and is an international human rights law expert. Credit: Tony McDonough

Aboriginal women and children have never been protected by the settler state. Our women and children were violently targeted, experiencing widespread rape, sexual violence and murder while white men were protected and acted with impunity. This is still a taboo issue  the shocking violence of white men towards Indigenous women and children sanctioned by the law. Even today, Aboriginal women, raped and murdered, are routinely denied justice and the rule of law, and while perpetrators are both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, we know justice is stacked against Aboriginal women.

For many years we have called on government to address violence against women, consistent with our UN obligations. We called for a national Council of Indigenous women, a separate national action plan to address violence, and a taskforce of Indigenous women leaders and experts. Ive also appeared before the Human Rights Council and at least five UN bodies arguing why Australia must increase efforts to address violence against Indigenous women and girls. Recent federal commitments are the result of the voices of Indigenous women over many years  but for most of that time, it seemed government would not hear us, as if we were invisible and our womens lives didnt matter.
Axiomatically, any national day that alienates, offends and traumatises a significant portion of a countrys population is not a national day. That January 26, and its murderous and often genocidal colonial aftermath, continues to cause so much anguish to the descendants of the original custodians of the land is reason alone to banish it. No amount of citizenship ceremonies, honours, aerobatic displays, pyrotechnics or government advertising campaigns imploring Australians to have fun will alter the fact that Australia Day, on its present date, in its present form, will never bring together the entire country.

The decline of Australia Day comes at a time when other staples of the national calendar may also be running up against their sell-by date. The Melbourne Cup  largely because of animal welfare concerns over horse fatalities  is no longer a race that stops the nation. Celebrating the birth of the monarch with a public holiday  something that does not even happen in my homeland  will seem especially anomalous this year, as we mark the Kings birthday rather than the Queens. Small wonder that Anzac Day, the commemoration of modern Australias bloody baptismal moment, is emerging as the de facto national day.

Day in, day out: The Captain Cook statue in St Kilda was vandalised with pink paint in 2018 amid growing discomfort over Australias colonial past. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

In searching for alternative dates for Australia Day, in identifying other possible events to commemorate, the obvious point of reference is the past. January 1, or Federation Day, is sometimes cited  although given that the first legislative priority of the new Commonwealth was to codify white Australia policies that would tap into the same baleful history. Marking February 13, the date that Kevin Rudd delivered the national apology to First Nations peoples, would be a better option. Rather than celebrate the monarchs birthday midway through the year, Australia could mark the anniversary of the Mabo decision on June 3 with a public holiday.

Yet rather than foraging through history, maybe the onus should be on the future, and the need to create new red letter days. For instance, if ever Australia decides to dispense with the services of King Charles or his heirs, a Republic Day seems like a natural replacement for the present regal public holiday. But surely the more pressing need is to produce a new watershed moment, and to press for a new era in national life, in which true reconciliation becomes a reality.
A garbage truck driver who struck and killed a grandmother during a three-point turn in Sydneys west has avoided jail, after a court heard he is devastated by his actions and will carry the incident with him for the rest of his life.

Christopher Sultana, 34, was emptying bins in Chester Hill on the morning of February 23, 2021, when he reached the end of a residential street and turned around at an intersection to access the bins on the opposite side.

Christopher Sultana (left) arrives at court this month with his lawyer Bryan Wrench. Credit: Oscar Colman

Ruiming Zhang, 84, who had been on her regular morning walk, crossed the road as the truck completed the three-point turn and was in the vehicles blind spot when it began to drive forward at about 8.30am. She was hit and killed instantly.

On Wednesday, NSW District Court Judge Sophia Beckett said Sultana failed to notice the woman approaching on the trucks reversing camera, which should have been a warning that a pedestrian was nearby.
Emergency exits will be built closer together in rail tunnels for two multibillion-dollar metro lines in Sydney after NSWs fire and rescue agency warned of serious safety risks to emergency workers if they were half a kilometre apart.

In a major about-turn, the agency responsible for the new rail lines, Sydney Metro, will now build cross-passages about 240 metres apart in tunnels on the Metro West and Western Sydney Airport lines.

One of the twin tunnels on the Metro City and Southwest rail line. Credit: Brook Mitchell

The decision on Wednesday  which also follows an outcry from the firefighters union  is likely to mean more than 60 extra cross-passages will need to be built at a cost of about $100 million. The passages will connect twin rail tunnels on the lines and be used for evacuations of passengers and by firefighters and other first responders in emergencies.

Cross-passages on Sydneys first two metro lines  Metro Northwest, and Metro City and Southwest  are about 240 metres apart, which is the Australian standard.
A Washington County Circuit Court issued preliminary order removing County Collector Carla Zettler from office this week.

On Monday, Washington County Prosecutor John I. Jones IV filed a petition to remove Zettler as the county collector, which the court has preliminarily granted.

Zettler, 50, of Mineral Point, is the subject of a petition in quo warranto a special form of legal action used to resolve a dispute over whether a person has the legal right to hold the public office he or she occupies filed Monday by Jones.

The petition alleges Zettler misappropriated more than $100,000 of county tax revenues and used the tax maintenance fund for her personal benefit. Zettler had previously been charged in two cases with stealing, forgery, and official misconduct, which prompted Jones to seek her removal from office. Those cases are still pending.

The preliminary order issued Monday immediately prohibited Zettler "from engaging in any activity, or exercising any authority, as the Collector of Washington County, subject to further order of this Court."

Zettler has also been banned from entering the County Collector's offices and conducting any business with that office unless expressly authorized by the court. Zettler has been ordered to respond to the petition within the next 10 days.

The former collector was charged on June 22 with three counts of felony stealing, one count of felony forgery, and misdemeanor official misconduct. Zettler, two collector's office employees, and one former employee are accused of stealing from Washington County by receiving cash fees for processing trustee property sales.

Following reports of suspected theft in the collector's office, a forensic audit was ordered by the Washington County Commission on land tax sales. Daniel Jones & Associates completed the audit on May 24. For the four-year audit, there was $107,081 of unaccounted funds, according to the charging documents.

Another felony stealing charge in a new case against Zettler was filed on June 27, alleging she again used county funds to try to obtain deeds to be used in her personal criminal defense of the initial charges.

Zettler's attorney Lydia H. McEvoy, who previously served as collector for Clay County, provided a statement on her client's behalf this week regarding the criminal cases filed in the matter.

"In response to the charges filed against her, Ms. Zettler has retained a former Missouri Collector as counsel and looks forward to addressing these matters in court," Zettler's attorney said in the statement. "No portion of the State's case alleges Ms. Zettler took any money for herself or received any personal benefit from the money collected in Trustee sales.

"Following the procedures established by (former collector) Mike McGirl many years ago, Ms. Zettler managed the sale of more than 1,100 Trustee sales without question or concern by any office, employee, or taxpayer," McEvoy said. "Ms. Zettler has faithfully performed her duties, and the additional arrest last Tuesday reveals a deep misunderstanding of the statutes that regulate Collector's offices and their budgets.

"Ms. Zettler is confident her day in court will shed light on the good she has done as Collector, and these unfounded charges will be summarily dismissed," she added.

Along with the charges filed against Zettler, current collector's office employees Laura Laramore, 41, of Caledonia, and Hanna I. Zettler, 24, of Potosi, were charged with felony stealing and misdemeanor official misconduct.

The official misconduct charges allege that each defendant, "a public servant, acting in her public capacity as trustee for Washington County, knowingly received a fee for  processing trustee property sales, which said fee was more than due."

The women were initially charged after Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen requested the Missouri State Highway Patrol's (MSHP's) Division of Drug and Crime Control Troop C Unit to investigate reports of possible theft last year.

In October, the sheriff reportedly told MSHP investigators a Washington County resident contacted him regarding fees paid to the Washington County Collector's Office for land tax sales. Jacobsen said the fees had been accepted by the collector's office in cash and were not deposited into the county's general revenue fund, according to the probable cause statement.

On the same day, an MSHP investigator interviewed Carla Zettler and Laramore, the deputy collector, about how the office handled Woodland Lake Development lot sales.

Carla Zettler told police that when the former collector, McGirl, was serving as the collector and she was deputy collector, an agreement was made through the county commission to sell Woodland Lake Development lots for $1 plus $99 of associated fees in order to aid their removal from the delinquent tax list, according to authorities.

The investigator states in his report that a review of commission meeting reports by the county clerk revealed no authorization to sell these lots for $1. There was, however, a commission meeting in 2011 allowing the sale of these camping lots for $50.

Zettler reportedly told authorities of the $100 (which her office collected in either cash or money order), $1 went to the cost of the lot. Other moneys went to recording the lot, leaving $23 to the trustee and a $19 fee that went to the county collector's office employee making the transaction, according to the statement. She reportedly told police she was just doing it the way McGirl did it. She also stated that residents who wanted to get a copy of the Woodland Lake lot lists were charged $5, which went to petty cash, according to police.

The report indicates that state statute prevents a trustee from being paid more than 10% of the sale of a property.

McGirl was interviewed and explained how he handled trustee tax sales and deed processing when he was the collector. He reportedly said the employees were only paid by check from the county (their salary) for performing their assigned job, which included deed processing. He said delinquent lots were sold for $100, not $1, and said the $100 fee was lowered at one point to $50 by the county commission, but it was never $1, according to police.

When the MSHP investigator explained how the current collector was handling the fees, McGirl reportedly said he did not know why they were doing it that way, but that was not the procedure he used when he was the collector.

The MSHP investigator also interviewed the county treasurer, the recorder of deeds, and the former assessor.

The treasurer stated Carla Zettler has never brought her cash for a deposit. She said the collector's office employees are paid by the county and shouldn't be paid cash for deed preparation.

Harmon reportedly told authorities that when she worked for the collector's office, as instructed, she would put $1 in the cash drawer and then separate the remaining cash. She said $30 would go for deed recording, $50 to the trustee, and the remaining $19 was given to the employee who worked the transaction, according to the statement.

She further stated that a money bag was kept in the vault that contained cash. She reportedly said the employees were told not to bring the bag out during audits and were reminded to make duplicate receipts anytime an audit was performed.

Per the report, Harmon said that there was a time someone overpaid $100 on a tax bill. She said Carla Zettler didn't seem concerned and put the overpayment money in the cash bag, which she said was commonly used to buy office lunches, according to the report.

Harmon reportedly said the $5 fees to get a copy of the Woodland Lake lot tax list were also put in the cash bag.

A forensic audit was ordered by the Washington County Commission on land tax sales. For the four-year audit, there were $107,081 of unaccounted funds.

Zettler is scheduled to appear in court again on April 4 for a preliminary hearing in the two criminal cases against her.
A bold plan to remake Paddys Market in Chinatown as a high-end food and beverage precinct run by wedding venue Doltone House has divided stallholders, some of whom say they are being forced to move to less lucrative locations.

But managers of the Sydney institution argue the makeover is necessary to rescue a tired market that has been left behind by changing consumer preferences, online shopping and the pandemic.

Many market stallholders could be pushed out to make way for the new venture. Credit: Nick Moir

A letter from Sydney Markets Limited chief executive Brad Latham, dated December 1, informed traders that the landlord, Market City, had approved a proposal to sublet 3000 square metres of space to a key tenant, Doltone Hospitality Group, for a food and beverage and events precinct.

Latham told the Herald it would be an upmarket offering designed to lure people back to Paddys Market, based on overseas successes such as Londons Covent Garden or Eataly in New York City.
Airline pilot Gregory Lynn will stand trial in the Supreme Court over the murders of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.

Magistrate Brett Sonnet committed Lynn, 56, for trial after finding there was enough evidence to put him before a jury after a week of preliminary hearings.

Lynn appeared in court in person on Wednesday to hear the decision.

Russell Hill and Carol Clay. Credit: The Age

When asked if he pleaded guilty or not guilty to the murders of Hill and Clay in the Wonnangatta Valley in March 2020, Lynn replied twice: Not guilty, your honour.
Make a list of any neutral basics, for example, you can use in other combinations. Think about what youre lacking. Work stuff? Casual stuff? Prints? Neutrals? Colours? Stuff that protects your skin from the sun? Make a list. Thanks to Smart Collective Perth for the basic wardrobe audit routine (theyll do it for you too, and theyre fantastic). And just like at the supermarket, a list stops you getting distracted and making costly mistakes. When youre ready, shop. Do buy organic if you can afford it. Credit: Getty

Take it from someone who has done hours of research and be aware that virtually every clothing brand available in your local shopping centre will be rated as not good enough at best by all the major sites and outfits that ethically rate clothing brands today. That said, if you have to go to the shopping centre, look for organic cotton. Thats about the best you can do. But there are other options. I have focused below on those for people who, like me, dont have the body of a 20-year-old or a broom handle and prefer to be able to try things on. Low or no-budget. And the greenest options Join your local Buy Nothing Facebook group and look for free clothes. Buy at op-shops. One good strip is Albany Highway in East Victoria Park, another is Albany Highway, Cannington. Grab a huge pile of stuff, look for colours and labels you like without fussing too much about sizing and try it all on. The staff wont bother you about having too many items in the change room. You might be surprised at what fits and looks nice. An added bonus is that any bad choices will only set you back $3-$4. Another is youll never turn up to work wearing the same thing as a colleague. Another is you get all the nice feeling of retail therapy, but you walk out with a huge bagful of clothes for $50. Shop at Kmart or Big W, but look for organic cotton and better cotton labels. Shop clothing bundles on Facebook Marketplace. Encourage a clothes swapping-culture among family and friends.

Moderate budget 1. Try consignment stores. Theyre one-up from an op-shop and where the ladies who lunch offload their barely worn labels. Jackpot. Green Pear, Subiaco.

Consigners Closet, Nedlands (good for basics, says my friend).

Merry-Go-Round, South Perth (good for special occasions, says me).

Rerun, North Perth  good for shopping online. 2. Clothing hire. I havent used as I need to try stuff on, but if youve got an easy body, check out The Volte. 3. Support Perths own sustainable clothing labels. There are several, but if you want to see several labels at once the best place to browse is Collab at the Fremantle Markets. Open Friday to Sunday.

Dont take a friend with you. Why? Read on. Credit: Getty 4. Ruck Rover in Northbridge stocks clothes from small sustainable brands for those who like a vintage feel and colourful prints. 5. Buy online from one of the multiple Australian companies supplying affordable basics made from sustainable fabrics. Organic bamboo is much more sustainable than general cotton if thoughtfully sourced (look for bamboo lyocell, not bamboo rayon) and look for information on supply chains on their websites. Two places that have good ranges, cheap shipping and easy returns and refunds for things that dont fit are Bodypeace and Bamboo Body. Two other well regarded brands that come to mind are Etiko and Boody. Higher budget Try these other Perth sustainable brands (there are more, but you can keep researching!):

1. Kristin Magrit. Plant-based and locally made classic styles. Their Subiaco boutique is open Tuesdays and Fridays. 2. Empire Rose. Locally made but more statement pieces. Fremantle shop open weekdays. Final thoughts 1. Go for slower shipping if you can be prepared to wait to lessen the carbon footprint. 2. Avoid sales. You end up with stuff thats not quite right that you talked yourself into because it was so heavily discounted. Its not a good deal if you never wear it.

3. Go alone (unless youre shopping for a special occasion outfit). You need to focus on what you need and not have someone talking you into things you dont need just because its fun (sorry). 4. Look after your clothes. Educate yourself about laundry and stains. Subscribe to Clean Cloth Nappies for science-based stain removal advice and support. Treat stains quickly but dont wash stuff until you need to. Clothes will last a lot longer. Laundry sucks, but we have a responsibility to look after our things properly. Credit: Shutterstock Of course, youre already doing this, but bring your own bags! Keep a scrunchable one in your handbag. If its a big planned shopping trip, bring multiple bags. Even the most die-hard op-shopper needs to buy new occasionally. Undies, socks, bathers, and those situations where you must fill specific gaps in your fabulous secondhand wardrobe. Embrace it, buy as carefully as you can and take real pleasure in that rare new thoughtfully bought item.

Lastly, it is major companies driving environmental destruction, not individuals. Individual action has a place, which is why I wrote this, but it must include letting companies know what we expect from them. So why not join me for War On Waste Wednesday? Every week I email one company to let them know Ive found an example of them using plastic unnecessarily, or inform that I went looking for sustainability or supply chain information on their website that wasnt there. For example, last week I emailed David Jones and asked them why theyd abandoned the Mindfully Made page on their website launched with great fanfare some time ago. This is a minute of action once a week, and amounts to maybe an hour a year per person, but could bring major change. Thats it from me. Please add your own suggestions in the comments!
It is two hours from opening time on the first day of Alice Springs new alcohol regime when Haydn Rodda, the owner of Pigglys Supermarket, emerges from the locked doors of his bottle shop following a meeting with police.

He is still unsure about what happens next and, it seems, so is the constabulary.

Alice Springs on Tuesday night. Credit: Kate Geraghty

I think its a case of you cant put some things in place without the correct paperwork, he says. [The police] were here to say open up at 3pm, but they got a phone call just before you arrived.

No one knows what the hells going on.
Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has cleared the way for a split with her colleagues on the Indigenous Voice to parliament in a formal deal in the party room on Wednesday that gives her free rein to vote against the proposal while others give it their support.

The agreement is almost certain to lead to a divided Greens position on the crucial question in a referendum at the end of this year unless Thorpe gains an assurance from the federal government that Indigenous sovereignty will be guaranteed as part of the Voice.

The outcome breaks with the partys usual demand for total discipline when voting on major policy but was agreed after an online meeting on Wednesday afternoon that ran for several hours to consider Thorpes criticism of the Voice and her call for a treaty with First Australians.

Lidia Thorpe will campaign against the Voice while the rest of the Greens will likely support it. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The agreement was brokered after months of dispute over the partys approach when Thorpe rubbished the Voice as a wasted exercise while Greens leader Adam Bandt said he wanted to support the idea as long as he was satisfied with good faith talks with Labor.
Bulldogs star Bailey Smith is the latest high-profile AFL player to call for a change to the Australia Day date, taking to social media on the eve of this years public holiday.

Speaking to his 355,000-strong following on Instagram, Smith shared Invasion Day protest details from advocacy organisation Talk Black, adding his message: Change the f---ing date.

Bailey Smith has called for the date of Australia Day to change on the eve of the public holiday. Credit: Getty Images

Be mindful of how [youre] spending tomorrow & show empathy towards our First Nations people, he wrote.

Smith is not the first AFL player to call for a change of date for Australia Day, which currently marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove. West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui in 2020 used Twitter to call for Western Australia to lead the way in moving the public holiday.
Novak Djokovic raised eyebrows in his press conference after eliminating Alex de Minaur, appearing to forget that Stefanos Tsitsipas had played in a grand slam final before.

Making it all the more surprising was that Djokovic played Tsitsipas in that final, at the 2021 French Open, when the Greek star won the first two sets before losing 6-7 (6-8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Novak Djokovic ,right, and Stefanos Tsitsipas after the 2021 French Open final. Credit: AP

Reminded of this, his memory suddenly returned: Thats right. Sorry, my bad. I wanted to compliment him because hes someone who looks ready to go for the title, and the way he has been playing, hes been coming closer and closer.

Was Djokovic simply forgetful, or is he playing sophisticated mind games  4D chess, lets say  with the highest-ranked player left in the draw?
London: There were cheers, leopard-print dress-ups and relief after Germanys belated decision to send tanks to help Ukraines war effort, but the fact it has taken so long has prolonged Ukrainians agony, damaged Western unity and benefited nobody except the man in the Kremlin.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz approved the supply of the Leopard 2 tanks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been asking for since the beginning of the war. Soon after, US President Joe Biden announced he had agreed to send M1 Abrams tanks. The decision by Germany, a powerful NATO member, now clears the way for other European allies to send tanks to help repel Russian aggression.

Protesters, many of them expatriate Ukrainians living in Berlin, protest under the motto: Free the Leopards outside the Chancellery on January 20 to demand that Germany send Ukraine Leopard battle tanks. Credit: Getty Images

It is clear the approaching northern spring brings a potential turning point in the conflict and Kyiv is impatient to use any advantage Western-supplied arms can provide to help it retake Russian-occupied territories.

As Moscow prepares to mark a year since its invasion next month with a fresh offensive, officials fear Russian President Vladimir Putins generals will unleash more than 100,000 extra troops on Ukraine.
The vacant J.C. Penney department store in Fashion Square mall north of Charlottesville will become office and storage space for Albemarle Countys police and fire departments.

The county planning commission unanimously voted to approve the proposal at a meeting on Monday evening. Home Depot purchased most of Fashion Square in September, except for J.C. Penney and the Belk womens store.

There'll be no [publicly] accessible services provided at the site at this point in time, development process manager David Bernish told the planning commission.

Instead, the back of house section of the building, separate from the retail space, will provide office space, supply storage and fleet maintenance for fire rescue services, Bernish said. For the police department, it will house offices for the traffic unit, special operations, the K-9 unit, animal protection, mental health support and motorcycle storage.

Formerly the anchor of Fashion Square, J.C. Penney had sat vacant for more than two years. Its not clear how soon police and fire rescue could move in, but county staff said space for both groups has been a long-standing issue.

They really needed this for a while, said Lance Stewart, director of the countys Department of Facilities and Environmental Services. Fire rescue has also outgrown their offices on the second floor of the county office building.

Fashion Squares central location will be a boon to both public safety departments, according to county staff.

It's easy to access compared to most locations for police and fire rescue employees, Stewart said.

The county has a 10-year lease at the old department store with an option to renew, but Stewart said the county would be looking for a more permanent place for the police department and fire rescue in the future.

But it's a bit of a multibillion-dollar investment to do that, and we have acute needs that we felt we needed to address sooner rather than later, Stewart said.
High-speed cable assemblies must be considered in data centres for support of emerging technologies, said a new product and application guide brought out by Siemon, a leading global network infrastructure specialist.

The guide offers valuable insight into the benefits that high-speed cable assemblies can deliver in support of higher-bandwidth, low-latency applications in a data centre.

Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, edge computing and other emerging technologies are widely adopted in enterprise businesses today. This drives the need for data centre server and storage systems to deliver speeds well beyond 10 Gb/s in support of these applications. Siemons new guide details how Direct Attached Cables (DACs) and Active Optical Cables (AOCs) can deliver performance, reliability, scalability and power efficiencies to cost-effectively adopt these emerging technologies.

Data centre topology

A key focus in the guide is data centre topology and how fixed lengths DACs and AOCs can support shorter in cabinet connections or connect servers across multiple racks in End of Row (EoR) or Middle of Row (MoR) configurations.

In addition to providing a detailed overview of the cable options available to scale and support transmission speeds all the way to 400 Gb/s, the guide also addresses the rising challenge of latency. With latency impacting real-time technologies such as virtual reality, high frequency trading and blockchain, direct attach copper high-speed cable assemblies deliver distinct benefits over and above structured cabling for increased network performance.

Common concerns relating to equipment density and switch port utilisation can also be addressed through high-speed cable assemblies. The guide demonstrates how DACs and AOCs can be deployed to connect a single higher-speed switch port to multiple lower speed servers using 4x 10GbE, 4x 25GbE, 4x 100GbE or 2x 200GbE breakouts.

Number of advantages

Whilst there is no one single solution for connecting servers in data centres, high-speed cable assemblies offer a number of advantages and should be considered a valuable alternative to other cabling options, says Prem Rodrigues, director for the Middle East, Africa & India/SAARC at Siemon.

We have created this guide to help data centre designers and operators make informed decisions when selecting cabling for their data centre server and storage systems, especially when future technologies must be supported that rely on high-speed, low latency cabling for optimum performance.-- TradeArabia News Service
Commonwealth Senior Living has announced that one new hire and two returning members will join the Charlottesville-based business.

Amber Turner returns to Commonwealth as vice president of human resources, according to a statement from the company. Turner, who most recently worked for Navion Senior Living, previously was the regional director of human resources and training at Commonwealth.

Marybeth Showalter also returns to the company as vice president of associate learning, training and retention. In this role, she will oversee training and development, Commonwealth said. In her previous role at Commonwealth, she also worked in human resources.

Amanda Greene is the companys latest new face. As director of candidate experience, Greene will be responsible for recruiting "top talent to Commonwealth, from both inside and outside the company, according to the statement.

Amber, Marybeth and Amanda will help us deliver on our promise of being an employer of choice in the senior living industry, President and CEO Earl Parker said in the statement. Our associates are the heart and soul of Commonwealth Senior Living. They are on the front-line of ensuring our residents and their families receive the care [and] the support they need to thrive.

Commonwealth Senior Living offers independent living, assisted living and memory care services across five states, including Virginia. Its home office is at 534 E. Main St. in Charlottesville.
Hobart Hurricanes keep playoff hopes alive with two-run win over Brisbane Heat

The Hurricanes successfully defended 12 runs off the final two overs but need Melbourne Stars to defeat Sydney Thunder in order to continue their BBL12 campaign

Launceston: Hobart Hurricanes 120-9, Brisbane Heat 118-8 - Hobart Hurricanes won by two runs

Scorecard

Hobart Hurricanes kept their playoff hopes alive after securing a nail-biting two-run win over Brisbane Heat.

The result moves Matthew Wade's side into fifth position, with all eyes now turning to the MCG. The Hurricanes need Melbourne Stars to defeat Sydney Thunder, otherwise they will be eliminated.

Chasing 121, Brisbane Heat were always ahead of the required rate despite losing regular wickets and headed into the final four overs just 19 runs shy of victory.

Mac Wright scored a half-century for the Hurricanes [Steve Bell/Getty Images]

Riley Meredith recorded figures of 1 for 12, including the wicket of captain Usman Khawaja [Steve Bell/Getty Images]

The equation became 12 runs from 12 deliveries following economical overs from Faheem Ashraf (2 for 19) and Nathan Ellis (2 for 26), who each picked up a wicket at the death, before Joel Paris conceded just two runs  and picked up the wicket of Michael Neser  off the penultimate over: 10 required off six.

Tim David stepped up to deliver the final six balls and the Australia international, better known for his batting than his right-arm off-spin, held his nerve, running out Matthew Kuhnemann and conceding just seven runs to secure a valuable two points.

Jimmy Peirson (39 off 37) and Sam Hain (26 off 34), who was removed by Ashraf at the death, were the only Brisbane Heat batters to pass 11 while Riley Meredith (1 for 12) was the pick of the Hurricanes bowlers. David's two over cost just 13 runs, including one boundary.

Earlier, Hobart Hurricanes had been in all kinds of bother with the bat, with a run-a-ball 56 from Mac Wright accounting for nearly half of their runs.

A 40-run fifth-wicket stand between Wright and Wade was the only significant partnership as regular wickets restricted the home side to 120 for 9.

Neser picked up 4 for 35 while there were also wickets for Spencer Johnson (2 for 20), James Bazley (1 for 20), Kuhnemann (1 for 25) and Mitch Swepson (1 for 17).
The University of Virginia has helped craft a bill with state Sen. Creigh Deeds that would make carrying a firearm at state-owned colleges and universities illegal.

Deeds, a Democrat who represents the university in the upper house of the General Assembly, has directly tied the legislation to the Nov. 13 shooting at UVa that left student athletes Devin Chandler, DSean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. dead and two others injured.

In light of what happened at UVa and in light of the fact that they found all of those weapons in the alleged perpetrators room, UVa was trying to do an internal look at things and this idea basically bubbled up from within UVa, Deeds, who introduced the bill Monday, told The Daily Progress on Tuesday.

Virginia State Police conducted a search of Christopher Darnell Jones Jr.s dorm room on Grounds, according to a Nov. 14 search warrant obtained by The Daily Progress. An inventory of the findings included a semi-automatic rifle, a pistol, ammunition, a pair of Glock 9-millimeter magazines and a device used to make bullets fire faster.

UVa policy already bans firearms and other weapons from Grounds with exemptions for individuals who need weapons to perform their jobs including law enforcement officers, official military and university-contracted security.

However, university policies do not carry the same weight as codified legislation, said Timothy Longo, chief of the UVa police department. Having such policies codified in state law, he told The Daily Progress in an email Tuesday, will make it easier for law enforcement to respond to firearm violations at Virginias public colleges and universities.

The bill would make carrying a firearm on school grounds a Class 1 misdemeanor and allow university law enforcement to obtain a search warrant when it believes firearms are being possessed illegally in university buildings.

When such issues fall within the purview of our criminal statutes, the full range of Fourth Amendment satisfaction is available, and matters that could pose public safety risks are not left to administrators who are permitted to act pursuant to lesser constitutional standards, but do so with far less knowledge, training, and experience in matters relating to public safety, Longo said.

Deeds bill will likely find support in the Democrat-controlled state Senate, but it will face an uphill battle with Republicans, who control the House of Delegates and the Executive Mansion.

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has already said that he believes the commonwealths gun laws are stricter than several other states.

As the governor has said, Virginia has some of the toughest gun laws in America, Youngkin spokeswoman Macaulay Porter said in a statement to The Daily Progress on Tuesday.

Deeds acknowledged Virginia has strengthened its gun laws.

His recent legislation is actually an amendment to a 2021 law which prohibits firearms in buildings owned or leased by the commonwealth and any office where state employees regularly work.

Several years ago, we changed the law to prohibit the possession of firearms in government-owned buildings, but we exempted college universities at the time, Deeds said. I think, at that time, people felt like the rules that most colleges and universities had would work and that was enough.

The November shooting at UVa proved it was not, Deeds said.

Porter said that Youngkin preferred an approach that instead enhanced penalties for crimes already committed with a gun, not possession, as well as closing a behavioral health gap.

Deeds is personally and professionally familiar with the commonwealths gun policies and behavioral health gap.

In November of 2013, Deeds son, who suffered from bipolar disorder, stabbed his father 13 times with a knife before fatally shooting himself with a rifle. The elder Deeds face remains scarred from the attack.

At the time, Deeds son had been released from a public mental health facility because authorities said they could not find a bed for him within six hours, the amount allowed by law.

The next year, Deeds introduced and passed legislation that prevents state facilities from rejecting patients who have been sent there under an emergency custody court order.

Deeds has also sponsored legislation that would ban the new sale and possession of assault weapons manufactured after July 1 of this year and raise the age to buy an assault weapon manufactured before the bills effective date from 18 to 21.

By a 9-6 party line vote on Monday, the state Senate Judiciary Committee sent that legislation to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, where it will undergo a fiscal review before heading to the Senate floor. That legislation, perhaps more than any other gun control measure in the most recent session, has faced tremendous opposition from gun rights advocates.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low near 55F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low near 55F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
Greece insisted that the debate on the possible return of the Parthenon Marbles from Britain was "not closed" despite London appearing to rule it out.
2 British Nationals Killed Attempting Humanitarian Evacuation in Ukraine

Undated family handout of Andrew Bagshaw, who along with Christopher Parry was killed while attempting a "humanitarian evacuation" in Ukraine, issued by Lorelei Mason on Jan. 24, 2023. (Family handout via PA Media)

Two British nationals who went missing in Ukraine earlier this month were killed while attempting a humanitarian evacuation, their family members have said.

Andrew Bagshaw, 47, and Christopher Parry, 28, were last seen on Jan. 6 while heading to the town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region of the country, where heavy fighting was reported.

A few days later, the Russian military contractor Wagner Group said that one of the two Britons had been found dead.

Chris Parry, one of the two British men killed in Ukraine, is seen in this picture obtained from social media released on Jan. 5, 2023. (Chris Parry via Instagram/via Reuters)

On Jan. 24, Parrys family confirmed that both men had been killed, in a statement released through the UK Foreign Office.

According to a statement from the parents of Bagshaw, the pair were attempting to rescue an elderly woman in an area of intense military action when their car was hit by an artillery shell.

Selfless Determination

The statement from Parrys family said: It is with great sadness we have to announce that our beloved Chrissy has been killed along with his colleague Andrew Bagshaw whilst attempting a humanitarian evacuation from Soledar, eastern Ukraine. His selfless determination in helping the old, young and disadvantaged there has made us and his larger family extremely proud.

They added: He found himself drawn to Ukraine in March in its darkest hour at the start of the Russian invasion and helped those most in need, saving over 400 lives plus many abandoned animals.

It is impossible to put into words how much he will be missed but he will forever be in our hearts. We feel so privileged that he chose our family to be part of.

Parry, who was reportedly born in Truro, Cornwall, but later moved to Cheltenham, had previously spoken of evacuating people from the front line.

Cherilyn Mackrory, the Conservative MP for Truro and Falmouth, said: My deepest condolences to the family of my constituent Christopher Parry, whose death in Ukraine has been confirmed by the Foreign Office.

My thoughts are with his family at this time, and I understand they are receiving support from Foreign Office staff.

Very Proud

Bagshaw, a resident of New Zealand, was in Ukraine to assist in delivering humanitarian aid, according to New Zealand media reports.

A statement from his parents, Dame Sue and Professor Phil Bagshaw, said: He and a colleague, Chris Parry, were attempting to rescue an elderly woman from Soledar, in an area of intense military action, when their car was hit by an artillery shell.

Andrew selflessly took many personal risks and saved many lives; we love him and are very proud indeed of what he did.

According to his family, Bagshaw was a scientific researcher in genetics but had been working as a volunteer aid worker in Ukraine since last April.

They added: We intend that his death shall not be in vain. We are amongst many parents who grieve the deaths of their sons and daughters. We urge the civilized countries of the world to stop this immoral war and to help the Ukrainians to rid their homeland of an aggressor.

Britons Helping Ukraine

A number of British veterans and Britons without combat experience have travelled to Ukraine to join the resistance against the Russian invasion. A small number of serving British personnel are also believed to have gone absent without leave to travel to the war-torn country.

In addition, some British citizens are reportedly working as humanitarian aid workers and medics in the war zone.

On Nov. 7, 2022, British veteran Simon Lingard was killed while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces to defend the city of Bakhmut from Russian attacks.

In September, five British nationals held by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine returned to the UK after being released as part of a prisoner swap.

Four of thoseAiden Aslin, John Harding, Andrew Hill, and Shaun Pinnerhad been captured while fighting for the Ukrainian armed forces. The otherDylan Healyhad been volunteering in Ukraine as an aid worker.

Another British aid workerPaul Ureyreportedly died in detention in July after being captured by pro-Russian separatists.

The Ukrainian government said in early September that Ureys body, which had been returned, had signs of possible unspeakable torture.

On Aug. 24, British national Craig Mackintosh was reportedly killed while volunteering as a medic in Ukraine.

In June, ex-British soldier Jordan Gatley, who had left the British Army in March and travelled to Ukraine, was shot dead in the city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine.

In April, British veteran Scott Sibley was reportedly killed in Ukraine while fighting against Russian forces.

Meanwhile, at least five other Americans are known to have died fighting in Ukraine, according to State Department statements and reports from individual families.

The latest casualty was former U.S. Navy SEAL Daniel W. Swift, who was killed on Jan. 18 in Ukraine, according to the U.S. Navy.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Oregons environmental regulator has fined a Halsey pulp mill, the regions largest outputter of regulated airborne pollutants, more than $50,000 for excessive emissions logged over two years.

The Department of Environmental Quality asserts Cascade Pacific Pulp LLC owners were negligent when they failed to keep a furnace burning cleanly, exceeding the carbon monoxide limits set in the companys air pollution permit and risking human health.

And those excess numbers probably were underreported, according to a civil penalty notice and order issued Dec. 22 by the department.

Environmental and technical managers at the company did not respond to two voicemails seeking comment.

Cascade Pacific recorded a rolling 12-month total carbon monoxide more than 7% greater than its permitted limit, (w)hich, when emitted in excess of permitted limits, can be associated with air toxics which can cause adverse health effects, the department wrote in the order.

Cascade Pacific is allotted up to 1,163 tons of carbon monoxide in any 12 consecutive months.

But the company logged 20 excess tons, 1,183 total between October 2020 and September 2021; 69 surplus tons between November 2020 and October 2021.

DEQ lists similar numbers for seven total 12-month periods ending April 2021 to March 2022, peaking at 1,249 tons of carbon monoxide.

Oregon requires major air polluters to notify DEQ within one hour of discovering excessive emissions and to submit a report about the event 15 days later.

Cascade Pacific didnt mention the exceedances before a regular annual report filed in March 2022.

The department cited Cascade Pacific for failing to practice good combustion control in the mills recovery furnace, part of the kraft pulping process in which black liquor solid byproduct is converted.

Cascade Pacifics recovery furnace accounts for more than 70% of the sites carbon monoxide output, according to DEQ.

Emissions from the recovery furnace are increased when there is incomplete combustion, the department states in the order.

Under Title V of the Clean Air Act, the company is required in its permit to accurately track how much carbon monoxide vents each hour from its around-the-clock operations.

DEQ says those numbers were invalidated by broken equipment and inaccurate audits, and carbon monoxide output likely was undercounted when Cascade Pacifics furnace wasnt efficiently burning.

The department on March 1, 2022, entered Cascade Pacific into a formal enforcement process after finding a leaky monitoring system recorded invalid data and put the mill out of compliance.

Cascade Pacific operators in September 2021 noted readings from emissions sensors werent tracking each other normally, before testing the system Sept. 25 in a federally-standardized accuracy audit, according to DEQ documents.

The department cited Cascade Pacific for:

Failing to minimize furnace emissions.

Exceeding its carbon monoxide limits.

Failing to quickly report exceedances to the state.

Failing to visually inspect emissions from another, separate piece of equipment.

Fines total $52,800.

Cascade Pacific requested a hearing to appeal the civil penalty, according to a Jan. 6 letter turned over in a public records request.

In its response to DEQ, the company said it will propose by Feb. 3 an abatement project to make up $42,000 of the fine.

The EPA considers facilities large polluters when they emit more than 25,000 metric tons equivalent of carbon dioxide, the measured output of gasses that add to the warming of the planet through the greenhouse effect.

Cascade Pacific is the mid-Willamette Valley's largest emitting facility at an estimated more than 53,633 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Related story:
2 Chinese Citizens Arrested in Afghanistan on Suspicion of Smuggling Lithium

Afghan miners work at a gold mine on a mountainside near the village of Qara Zaghan in Baghlan province on May 6, 2013. (Shah Marai/AFP via Getty Images)

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has arrested five men, including two Chinese citizens. They are suspected of smuggling about 1,000 tons of lithium-containing stones out of the country.

The regimes Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said on Jan. 21 that it had seized about 300 tons of these stones in Nangarhar province, and about 700 tons in Kunar province. Both provinces border Pakistan.

Mohammad Rasool Aqab, a head of the Ministrys Department of Revenue Regulation, said it was proven that the stones contain 30 percent of lithium.

The arrests were made by the Talibans security and intelligence agencies. Dr. Bashir, the intelligence departments chief of operational affairs, told a news conference on Jan. 21 that they had uncovered a plan to smuggle the uncontracted and secretly extracted precious stones.

In order to arrest the main perpetrators, we gave them a chance to reach Jalalabad city, Bashir said. Five people were arrested, two foreign smugglers who are Chinese and three Afghans who were their collaborators and did most of the buying.

Afghanistan has about $1 trillion worth of untapped rare earth minerals, including huge deposits of lithium, yet decades of war have hampered the development of the countrys mining industry. Its lithium and many other minerals are known to be smuggled into Pakistan, refined, and exported to other countries in the name of Pakistan.

Lithium is a rare metal mainly used in modern technology, including smartphone batteries, electric motors, computers, and drones.

The Taliban has banned the mining and sale of lithium since the withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan in August 2021.

The Taliban regime is not officially recognized internationally due to human rights issues, especially restrictions on womens access to jobs and education. The United States and Western countries have imposed economic sanctions on Afghanistan after the Islamic Emirate took power.

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)

Despite trading with Afghanistan, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been carefully dealing with the militant regime without offering formal diplomatic recognition.

When the Islamic rulers regained power in 2021, they repeatedly said they wanted Beijing to play a big role in helping rebuild Afghanistan. However, instead of handing over lithium mining rights to the CCP, the Taliban offered the olive branch first to South Korea.

Afghanistan has natural mineral resources such as lithium, and South Korea leads the development of the global electronics manufacturing industry, Abdul Kahar Balkey, a member of the militant groups Cultural Committee, told Yonhap News Agency on Aug. 23, 2021.

Balkey said he believes the two sides can achieve mutual benefit and win-win results in this field, adding that the Taliban hopes to meet with South Korean leaders and business people and deepen economic and cultural exchanges with South Korea.
2 Die and 9 Missing After Cargo Ship Sinks Off Japan

A lifeboat drifts at sea near the site of a cargo ship that sank off southwestern Japan in this handout image released on Jan. 25, 2023. (Courtesy of 7th Regional Coast Guard HeadquartersJapan Coast Guard/Handout via Reuters)

TOKYOThirteen crew members were rescued from a cargo ship that sank off southwestern Japan early on Wednesday during fierce winter winds but two have since died, the coast guard said.

Rescuers were searching for the remaining nine.

The 6,651-tonne Hong Kong-registered Jintian issued a distress call late on Tuesday, the Japan Coast Guard said.

Media reported a person on the ship said it was listing and taking on water, and later reports said the 22 crewall Chinese or Myanmar nationalshad transferred to lifeboats.

There was no immediate word on what caused the vessel, which was carrying lumber, to capsize. A Coast Guard spokesperson said winds were strong at the time.

The Coast Guard immediately sought assistance from patrol ships and aircraft in the vicinity west of Nagasaki, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said.

A South Korea coast guard vessel conducts a search operation in waters between South Korea and Japan, on Jan. 25, 2023. (The Korea Coast Guard via AP)

The ship sank at 2.46 a.m. (1746 GMT on Tuesday), he added, quoting other vessels in the area.

The Coast Guard is also seeking cooperation from the Self-Defence Forces, South Korean Coast Guard, and vessels sailing near the waters, Matsuno told reporters.

Western parts of Japan were battered by winter storms that brought freezing, windy conditions on Tuesday.

The area where the ship sank is between Nagasaki and South Koreas Jeju island, where hundreds of flights were canceled on Tuesday because of harsh weather.

A ship ran aground in heavy wind off the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa on Tuesday. The 19 crew members were rescued, media reported.
2 or 3 Officers to Face Criminal Charges Each Week, Met Police Chief Says

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley appearing before the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, to answer questions about the David Carrick case, at City Hall in east London, on Jan. 25, 2023. (Yui Mok/PA Media)

Two or three Metropolitan Police officers are expected to appear in court each week to face criminal charges in the coming months, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said.

Rowley told the Police and Crime Committee of the London Assembly on Wednesday that more painful stories will emerge as the force moves to remove hundreds of corrupt officers from its ranks.

All police forces in England and Wales have been told to conduct checks on their staff members after David Carrick, a former Metropolitan Police officer, admitted 49 criminal charges including 24 counts of rape.

In the wake of Carricks guilty plea last week, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said more disturbing cases involving police officers could be uncovered in the short term.

Rowley said that, in the coming weeks and months, he expects two or three officers per week to appear in court charged with offences linked to dishonesty, sexual offences, violence, or domestic violence.

An undated police mugshot of David Carrick, a serving Metropolitan Police officer who admitted the last of 49 serious sexual offences at Southwark Crown Court in London on Jan. 16, 2023. (Hertfordshire Police)

Lifting the Stone

A new Met Police integrity hotline has received tens of calls a week, leading to new investigations, Rowley said, a third of which relate to other forces.

He told the committee: Even though this is a Met appeal, one in three of the calls coming through roughly are for other forces. Were passing information on as well. Through our challenges, were helping the rest of policing confront some issues as well.

Rowley urged the public not to lose heart as the Met roots out hundreds of corrupt officers thought to be serving in the force.

Lifting the stone and revealing painful truths will not be resolved overnight, and I mustnt pretend it will do, and I hope you understand that that cant be done, he said.

We have to prepare for more painful stories as we confront the issues that we face. Weve discussed before the systemic failings that create these problems of these officers who corrupt our integrity. And as we put in more resource, more assertive tactics, as we are more open to people reporting incidents to us from within and from without the organisation, and as we more determinedly take on these cases, it will tackle the problems that we face but it wont be rapid and it will be painful.

An undated police mugshot of Wayne Couzens, a serving police officer who abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard in London in March 2021. (Metropolitan Police)

Scandals

The Met has been plagued by a series of scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer, Wayne Couzens.

Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, was walking home in the evening on March 3, 2021, after having dinner at a friends house in Clapham, south London, when she was kidnapped by then-Metropolitan Police officer Couzens, who made a fake COVID-19 arrest, drove Everard to Kent, before raping and killing her.

Undated family handout photo of Sarah Everard issued by the Crown Prosecution Service. (Family handout/CPS via PA)

It later emerged that Couzens had been sharing inappropriate sexual messages on a WhatsApp group, called Bottles and Stoppers, with other police officers.

Earlier this month, David Carrick, a former Metropolitan Police officer who served alongside Couzens, admitted to 49 counts of rape, false imprisonment, and indecent assault, relating to 12 women between 2003 and 2020.

He met women on dating apps or while out socially, using his job to reassure and then intimidate them. He kept some locked in a tiny cupboard for hours, beat them, and urinated on them.

Sickening

Commenting on the case in the House of Commons last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, The abuse of power is truly sickening, and our thoughts are with his victims.

The police must address the failings in this case, restore public confidence, and ensure the safety of women and girls, he said.

The National Police Chiefs Council wrote to chief constables last week, telling police forces in England and Wales to complete checks on all their officers and staff by March 31 and identify all cases for further investigation by September.

The Home Office also launched a review of the police disciplinary system to make sure officers who are not fit to serve the public and fall short of the high standards expected of them can be sacked.

More than 1,000 Metropolitan Police officers and staff who have previously been accused of domestic abuse or sexual offences are having their cases reviewed to make sure they had been handled correctly.

Rowley, who became Met commissioner in September last year, has outlined sweeping plans to reform policing in London, after a damning review of disciplinary procedures by Baroness Casey found officers and staff were getting away with misconduct and breaking the law.

Rowley said on Jan. 10 that the force must change and had already got a practical plan for turning things around.

PA Media contributed to this report.
The Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) hosts a conversation with Joshua Kurlantzick on his new book, Beijings Global Media Offensive: Chinas Uneven Campaign to Influence Asia and the World.

In the past decades, global observers overlooked communist Chinas media endeavors in its propaganda. Joshua Kurlantzicks works shed some light on Chinas power, traced its growing web of influence, examined its tactics, etc.

The Epoch Times will livestream the event at 2:00 p.m. ET on Jan 25.
Activists Charged With Vandalizing Pro-Life Facilities After FBI Investigation

The J. Edgar Hoover Building of the FBI in Washington on April 3, 2019. (Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)

Two left-wing activists, including one who says shes part of Antifa, have been charged with painting threatening messages on pro-life facilities in Florida.

Amber Smith-Stewart, 23, and Caleb Freestone, 27, were indicted by a federal grand jury on conspiracy against rights and violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

According to court documents, the pair attacked three facilities that provide pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, and other services, including an affiliate of the Archdiocese of Miami.

Smith-Stewart and Freestone, along with unidentified conspirators, allegedly spray-painted in mid-2022, If abortions arent SAFE then neither are you and YOUR TIME IS UP!!

Some of the language is the same as that used by an anonymous group called Janes Revenge, which issued threats against pro-life facilities following news that the U.S. Supreme Court was planning to strike down Roe v. Wade.

The facilities that were targeted are in three separate towns in FloridaWinter Haven, Hollywood, and Hialeah.

The acts violated the FACE Act because the threats were meant to intimidate workers who provide reproductive health services, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stated. The FACE Act is typically used to prosecute pro-life activists protesting at or outside abortion clinics.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Sept. 6, 2021, that the DOJ would not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services, physical obstruction or property damage in violation of the FACE Act.

The charges are the first brought against left-wing activists since the spate of violence against pro-life facilities started after the Supreme Courts draft decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization was leaked in the spring of 2022. Dozens of facilities were vandalized in the wake of the decision, including the Archdiocese of Miamis Respect Life office in Hollywood.

The office was vandalized over the 2022 Memorial Day weekend with the same spray-painted slogan, If abortions arent SAFE then neither are you, and the words Janes Revenge, as well as symbols of far-left network Antifa, according to an image posted by the organization.

We believe the intention of this vandalism was to scare and intimidate us, Rebecca Brady, archdiocesan director of Respect Life, said at the time. Respect Life Ministry will not back down. We will continue extending the love and mercy of Christ to all regardless of creed. We also now have the opportunity to learn [what] it means to love our enemies.

Smith-Stewarts Facebook page stated Antifa before the charges were unveiled. It still hosts a picture of the groups flag. Freestone told a broadcaster in 2022 that he was involved with Extinction Rebellion and Whatever It Takes.

The latter states that its a group of activists demanding our government protect our reproductive and human right and organized a protest at the Heartbeat of Miamis gala at Trump National Doral Miami in October 2022 while calling the pro-life center a Fake Pregnancy Help clinic that uses free tests and ultrasounds to lure folx (predominately the usual targeted demographics like immigrants and BIPOC working class) into a coercive system of forced birth propaganda. BIPOC stands for black, indigenous, and people of color.

Activists with the group entered the gala and shouted that the organization was funding terrorism, according to a Facebook post.

Heartbeat of Miami is a network of pregnancy clinics that provide services for pregnant women.

Freestone was arrested for disrupting a school board meeting in Miami-Dade County on July 20, 2022.

Smith-Stewart didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment, and Freestones contact information couldnt be located. Lawyers for the defendants werent listed on the court docket.

Each defendant faces up to 12 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $350,000 if convicted.

The indictments came after FBI agents, with assistance from Miami police officers, investigated, according to the DOJ. The FBI recently offered a $25,000 reward for information on pregnancy center attacks.

Todays announcement reflects the FBIs commitment to vigorously pursue investigations into crimes against pregnancy resource centers, faith-based organizations, and reproductive health clinics across the country, FBI Director Christopher Wray said at the time. We will continue to work closely with our national, state, and local law enforcement partners to hold responsible anyone who uses extremist views to justify their criminal actions.
Americans Want Investment Funds to Maximize Profit, Not to Chase Woke Goals, Poll Reveals

A new poll reported that most Americans do not want investment firms to spend their retirement money on so-called woke goals like climate change and would prefer that they focus on maximizing profits for retirement.

The exclusive poll was published by Breitbart News on Jan. 24 and conducted by CRC Research for the 85 fund.

Around 1,600 randomly selected registered American voters were surveyed this month, with 59 percent of the respondents saying that the primary mission of government pension funds is to maximize the amount of money earned through their investments after they retire.

The survey results were published on Scribd.

Only 21 percent of respondents said that government pension funds should prioritize focusing on socially conscientious public policy. Another 14 percent said they were unsure, and another 6 percent said other.

When asked about their own money, 37 percent of respondents said they do not want any of their cash to be spent on fighting climate change, with only 1 percent agreeing to spend more than $10,000 of their earnings per month on promoting the green agenda.

Most American Investors Oppose Their Money Going Into Progressive Projects

However, after the questions were broken down and more clearly defined, more respondents started to oppose investing their money into left-wing causes.

Sixty-two percent agreed states should not do business with companies that advocate for policies that hurt their states economy, while only 22 percent disagree.

Sixty-eight percent respondents said that states should not do business with companies that advocate for policies that make electricity more expensive for the states consumers, while 20 percent disagree.

Another 70 percent agreed states should not do business with companies that advocate for policies that make gasoline more expensive for the states consumers, while 20 percent disagree.

Seventy-two percent believe that states should not do business with companies that advocate for policies that make gasoline more expensive for the states consumers, while 19 percent disagree.

At least 70 percent said that states should not do business with companies that help build coal plants and pipelines in China while trying to shut down coal plants and pipelines in the United States, while 17 percent disagree.

Seventy-one percent agree with states like Florida that have removed investment companies from managing their states pension funds if they prioritized a political agenda over maximizing financial returns for retirees, while only 16 percent disagree.

Finally, 72 percent agreed that states should oppose politicizing pension funds and defend the financial interests of the state and their citizens if corporate elites are trying to force states to follow a political agenda that will damage the states economy and increase gas prices and electric bills.

Major investment firms like BlackRock and Vanguard have pushed for net zero initiatives to fight climate change, one of the key components of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiative recently promoted the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland.

The poll showed that 70 percent of respondents report never hearing of the ESG policy movement. Another 73 percent reported that they do not remember seeing, reading, or hearing anything about the progressive policy movement.

States Begin to Crack Down on Woke Capital

The ESG movement has become one of the most controversial topics of the past year, as many Americans began to increasingly discover the close ties between the worlds top investment funds and the progressive movement.

Many citizens and elected officials are becoming concerned about the rising influence of woke capital on their everyday lives.

BlackRock and other investment firms have been accused of purposefully attempting to conceal the promotion of their political agendas under the ESG umbrella, reported Breitbart.

A few Republican-controlled state governments have already begun to sanction woke-leaning investment funds and have plans to divest their state funds from pro-ESG firms like BlackRock.

Floridas chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, announced last month that the state government would pull $2 billion of its assets out of BlackRock due to their opposition to the firms ESG agenda.

Meanwhile, the Texas State Senate grilled BlackRock executive Dalia Blass in December over her firms active participation in Climate Action 100, a coalition of left-wing investors who are pushing corporations to take necessary action on climate change and a major leader in the ESG movement.

Blackrock CEO Larry Fink has also been attacked for his close ties with the Chinese Communist Party and its leadership in Beijing.

The poll was conducted by CRC Research for the 85 fund from Jan. 25, with a 2.45 percent overall margin of error and a 95 percent confidence interval.
Animal Advocates Appalled at Wyoming Lawmakers Proposal for Legal Slaughter of Wild Horses, Burros

Two wild horses walk through a field in Eureka, Nev., on July 7, 2005. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Animal welfare groups say they are appalled by a bipartisan resolution introduced by Wyoming lawmakers that requests Congress to make the slaughter of wild horses and burros legal in the United States.

The meat would be available for sale in the United States and foreign markets.

Were appalled because there is no [simple] humane way to slaughter a horse, Simone Netherlands, president of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, says. It takes precision to do it humanely.

A livestock helicopter pilot rounds up wild horses from the Fox and Lake Herd Management Area in Washoe County, Nev., on July 13, 2008. (Brad Horn/AP Photo)

Dr. Joanna Grossman, equine program manager and senior adviser for the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), said, The torment horses endure en route to and at the slaughterhouse is well-documented.

Wyoming House Joint Resolution 3 would remove legal impediments and make other necessary policy changes, allowing federal land management agencies to establish best management practices for wild horses and burros. Such practices would include slaughtering the animals and processing their meat for sale.

Under the federal Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, its illegal to indiscriminately kill these animals, which are considered living symbols of the nations pioneer West.

Protecting Fragile Resources

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages free-roaming horses and burros under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to balance available natural resources, which is critical to protect scarce and fragile resources in the arid West and ensure healthy wildlife and livestock, the resolution states.

The resolution adds that balancing natural resources is only possible with responsible wildlife management. It notes that wild horses, in particular, unduly infringe upon other uses by damaging riverbeds and overgrazing on limited forage while using and often damaging the infrastructure of other public land users.

With virtually no natural predators, wild horse and burro populations can double every four to five years if left unchecked, according to the resolution.

Simone Netherlands inspects recently arrived Alpine wild horses at the Salt River Wild Horse Management Groups sanctuary in Prescott, Ariz., on Nov. 30, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

The 1971 Act requires federal agencies to conduct periodic counts of wild horse and burro populations to determine, what the resolution says are, appropriate management levels balanced against existing environmental conditions.

The law provides for the humane capture, removal, and disposal of excess livestock using methods including a public sale, adoption, or euthanasia.

In 2021, approximately 23,000 horses were exported to Canada and Mexico from the United States to be processed for human consumption, even though 83 percent of Americans support a ban on horse slaughter, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Until this practice is banned and Congress passes a law against slaughter here in the United States, no horse is safe, the ASPCA said on its website.

Increasing Numbers

However, the BLM and Forest Service claim theyre increasingly unable to manage wild horse and burro populations because of significant increases in their numbers.

The resolution states that other problems associated with livestock management include difficulty in adopting or selling the animals, lack of effective birth control, and lawsuits blocking their removal.

Grossman said the Wyoming resolution, unlike an actual bill before Congress, is meant to express an opinion on a specific issue.

Either way, AWI is opposed to slaughtering horses for human consumptionboth wild and domestic, she said.

There are serious and systemic welfare concerns associated with horse slaughter, which is entirely distinct from and should not be conflated with euthanasiawhen an animal is humanely and expeditiously put down, typically for medical or health reasons, Grossman told The Epoch Times.

Wild horse advocate Dyan Albers Lowey stands next to an Alpine wild horse shot and killed in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in early October 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Grossman said national polls show that Americans overwhelmingly oppose horse slaughter and with good reason.

Theres no need to subject horses to such mistreatment, and the market for horse meat is nonexistent in the United States, she said. To claim that theres an overpopulation crisis with wild horses is disingenuous at best, considering the massive number of livestock animals grazing on the range.

Grossman said there are proven safe birth control methods to make wild horse and burro management less costly.

Horse Groups Versus Ranchers

In Arizona, the fate of wild Alpine horses roaming the ApacheSitgreaves National Forests has been at the forefront of a controversy pitting horse advocacy groups against ranchers and the regional Forest Service.

Simone Netherlands, president of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group in Prescott, Arizona, said the last U.S. horse slaughterhouse closed in 2007 due mainly to inhumane methods of killing and processing. She said her group is vehemently opposed to any legislative effort to legalize the slaughter of wild horses and burros for sale in the open market.

In early October 2022, Alpine Wild Horse Advocates group members made a gruesome discovery of more than 15 free-roaming horses that had been shot and killed in the Apache forest. Recent discoveries put the number at more than 40.

While about 140 out of the original 400 Alpine horses remain free, many have been sold by the Forest Service and placed in private ranches and sanctuaries throughout Arizona.

The Forest Service has designated the wild horses as unauthorized livestock. As such they arent protected under the 1971 act.

Netherlands said Americans dont eat horse meat today because they dont like the taste and think it isnt healthy to eat.

Ranch owner Molly Wisecarver herds 60 sheep in Williams, Ariz., on Dec. 23, 2022. Wisecarver accepted nine wild horses purchased in an online auction for temporary housing. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

At least three animal welfare groups have come out against consuming wild or domesticated horse meat in the United States as being potentially toxic.

In a joint statement titled Toxicity of Horse Meat, the AWI, The Humane Society, and the ASPCA say horse meat is unfit for human consumption since it contains many drugs regulated by the federal government. One such drug is Phenylbutazone, or Bute, a pain reliever linked with potentially fatal human illnesses.

The statement said resuming horse slaughter in the United States would result in the regular sale of meat containing harmful additives, which is not only adulterated according to federal law but also has the potential to cause significant consumer harm.
Another Toronto Transit Stabbing Reported, Following Violence Targeting TTC Passengers and Workers

Police are investigating yet another case of stabbing aboard the Toronto transit system, which came on the heels of several acts of violence involving Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) passengers or employees over the past week.

The police responded to a stabbing on a TTC bus near the Old Mill trail and Bloor Street West area at around 4 p.m. EST on Jan. 25. The Toronto Police Service (TPS) said in a statement that the suspect is around 20 years old, medium build, wearing a blue mask and black jacket with the hood up. The suspect was last seen running along Bloor Street.

The TTC issued a statement sending condolences to the victim of the incident.

Our thoughts are with the victim in this attack. As always, well give police our full support as they investigate, including video and witness statements, the company said.

Violence Involving TTC

This incident is among several violent acts that either took place aboard a TTC vehicle or involving transit employees over the past week.

On Jan. 25, the TPS announced the arrest of a woman who allegedly stabbed a female passenger on a streetcar in the downtown area a day earlier.

In a Jan. 25 statement, the TPS said they have arrested Leah Valdez, a 43-year-old Toronto resident, who reportedly stabbed a woman aboard a southbound TTC streetcar near the Spadina Avenue and Sussex Avenue area on Jan. 24.

The police said the 23-year-old victim was transported to the hospital with life-altering injuries.

Valdez is charged with one count each of attempted murder, aggravated assault, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace, and possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon knowing its possession is unauthorized.

The TTC also sent condolences to the victim, saying they will work with the police in the investigation of this awful attack.

In some cases, TTC employees were subjected to attacks.

On the morning of Jan. 25, the TPS announced an investigation into an incident of a suspect who allegedly chased two TTC employees with a syringe near Yonge Street and Dundas Street in downtown Toronto. The workers managed to get away unharmed. Police said the suspect has been arrested.

On Jan. 23, three uniformed TTC employees were allegedly attacked by a group of youths on a bus near Kennedy Road and Merrian Road in Scarborough, northeast of Toronto. Police said in a statement that they are looking for about 15 youths involved in the case.

The Epoch Times reached out to the TPS for comment regarding these violent incidents but didnt hear back immediately.
Mr. Tanabe Mikio, the president of physical and chemical products and experimental equipment manufacturer, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Shinjuku Bunka Center in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)

TOKYOAudience members in Tokyo were surprised and touched by Shen Yuns beauty and rich culture, after attending Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Shinjuku Bunka Center on Jan. 24.

Shen Yun is amazing! I was shocked, said Mr. Tanabe Mikio, the president of a manufacturing company, after seeing the New York-based company for the first time.

I have never seen a dynamic backdrop coordinate with the stage so vividly. I feel it is incredible and magical. Its very interesting, he said. Shen Yuns patented digital backdrop extends the stage to a wider and deeper space, and the designed footage interacts with dancers on the stage.

Mr. Tanabe said Shen Yun was very touching not only because of the dances, but also the vocal soloists singing Chinese lyrics in the authentic bel canto style.

The soloists are astounding. The voices of both baritone and soprano are pleasing to the ears. They resonated in my heart, he said. The lyrics are inspiring. We should let more people hear them.

New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds top classical Chinese dance company, and has a mission to show the beauty and goodness of China before communism.

Double Happiness

Mr. Okubo Kenichi is the president of a law firm. He said: I was very touched. After attending this great show, I obtained double happiness and I am very relaxed.

The dancers jumped very high. Their movements showed just how flexible they were, and they are really like flowing water, he said. Their superb performance must be based on hard training and exercises. They are extraordinary. Their skills have reached an extremely high level.

Mr. Okubo felt very happy seeing heavenly scenes in the performance.

The magnificent scenes on stage with the beautiful dances  I was amazed when I saw them. Quickly, I was mesmerized by the majestic world that [Shen Yun] presented, he said. This is really a great show!

Mr. Okubo said that he enjoyed all the historical stories Shen Yun displayed.

Each Shen Yun performance consists of nearly 20 vignettes, presented through highly-expressive art forms such as classical Chinese dance, original orchestral music performed live, soloists who sing in the bel canto tradition, animated digital backdrops, and more.

Shen Yun Performing Arts World Companys curtain call at the Shinjuku Bunka Center in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)

Best Performance in the World

Mr. Sakata Yukio is the president of a book publishing company. He said he would recommend Shen Yun to friends because he thought Shen Yun was something special.

Each dancer jumped, flipped, spun, and tumbled perfectly, without any fault. Its really stunning, he said. The live orchestra played very well. The saturation of colors is splendid. I really think this is the best performance in the world.

Mr. Sakata enjoyed the story-based dances which depicted salvation.

This story is invigorating. I deeply felt hope from the dance. I believe every theatergoer was bathed in the bright light while watching it, he said.

Mr. Wang Wei (pseudonym) is the representative of a U.S. trading company in Japan. He is originally from China and said I cried unconsciously when I saw Shen Yun present Chinas profound geography, history, and culture.

Mr. Wang said what Shen Yun shows is the real Chinese culture, which awoke him.

What Shen Yun showed is China before communism. Im a Christian  I understand the values and traditions that Shen Yun wants me to know. China people need to have faith to thrive, he said. I think Shen Yun lives up to its name. Its from divine beings.

The name Shen Yun means the beauty of divine beings dancing. For 5,000 years Chinas civilization was built on values and virtues from the spiritual teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, virtues like loyalty, propriety, wisdom, justice, and benevolencevalues that are universal and shared the world over.

Reporting by Epoch Times Staff in Tokyo, Japan.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Biden Announces US Will Send M1 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks in the State Dining Room at the White House on Nov. 9, 2022. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The United States will send M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine as Kyivs conflict with Russia nears its one-year anniversary, President Joe Biden confirmed on Jan. 25.

The president said during a White House announcement that the United States will send 31 tanks to Ukraine, adding that the U.S. and Europe are fully united. He reiterated that the tanks are not an offensive threat to Russia.

Thats what we all want: an end to this war, Biden said. Our terms that preserve  Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity and honor the U.N. Charter  theyre the terms were working on.

Earlier this week, unconfirmed reports that cited anonymous sources said the United States was poised to send dozens of its top battle tank to Ukraine after saying for months that it wouldnt be deployed in the country. Since the start of the conflict, Ukraines government has asked for battle tanks from Western powers amid protracted fighting in the eastern portion of the country.

Previously, U.S. officials have said that the M1 Abrams systems are too complex to operate and maintain, while adding that it would take months to get the tanks to Ukraine. It would also take months to train Ukrainians in using them.

Germany confirmed on Jan. 25 that it would send 14 of its high-tech Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the German Parliament, to applause.

Berlins move paves the way for pledges from other countries that field Leopards, which Germany made in the thousands and exported to allies. Finland said it would send them, as did Poland, which has already sought Berlins approval.

Spain and the Netherlands said they were considering it, and Norway was reported to be discussing it. Britain has offered a company of 14 of its comparable Challengers, and France is considering sending its Leclercs.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told German media that the tanks would provide needed support.

They do only one very important thingthey motivate our soldiers to fight for their own values, because they show that the whole world is with you, Zelenskyy told Germanys ARD channel.

Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Biaj, Iraq, with their M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank in January 2005. (Staff Sgt Aaron Allmon/Public Domain)

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said he spoke with U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin on Jan. 25, promising more good news to be announced soon. Reznikov said they discussed the further strengthening of [Ukraines army], including tank supplies and maintenance of the new armament.

Moscow Responds

Russian officials bristled at the reports saying Abrams and Leopard tanks would be sent to its enemy. Earlier this week, a top Russian envoy claimed that the Abrams tanks would be destroyed during fighting, while escalating American involvement in the war.

If a decision to transfer to Kyiv M1 Abrams is made, American tanks without any doubt will be destroyed, as all other samples of NATO military equipment, Russias ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, wrote in a Telegram statement. The Americans are constantly raising the bar of military assistance to their puppet government, he added.

Going further, Antonov echoed previous claims that the United States is using Ukraine as a decoy to carry out a proxy war against Russia.

If the United States decides to supply tanks, it will be impossible to justify such a step using arguments about defensive weapons. This would be another blatant provocation against the Russian Federation, he added. No one should have illusions about who the real aggressor is in the current conflict.

The Russian Embassy in Berlin denounced Germanys extremely dangerous decision for sending the Leopard tanks, which, it said, destroys the remnants of mutual trust and could draw Germany into the war. Scholz pledged that no such thing would happen.

Western officials who support sending the tanks have dismissed Moscows threats, arguing that Russia is already waging war at full tilt and has been deterred from attacking NATO or using nuclear arms.

Last week, allies pledged billions of dollars worth of military aid including hundreds of armored fighting vehicles and troop carriers. Those are seen as more effective for attacking enemy lines when used alongside tanks.

Reuters contributed to this report.
It's been three years since the Corvallis Sister Cities Association - Gondar Council has held its annual fundraiser centered around Ethiopian food, "A Taste of Ethiopia."

With the nearest Ethiopian restaurant in Portland (and a food truck in Eugene), it's one of the few ways to get your hands on some Ethiopian food locally, unless you make it yourself.

But more than the feast  and oh, will it be a feast  Karen Sundseth is looking forward to the camaraderie of people interested in what the organization does.

"It's just a fun night," said Sundseth, who is vice president of the Sister Cities Association - Gondar who chairs the fundraiser scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 29 at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 4515 SW West Hills Road, Corvallis.

"We don't really raise a whole bunch of funds. We call it a cultural awareness raising," she said.

What partakers will learn is about a culture that doesn't extend a lot of books to students. There just aren't enough to go around. So, the teachers lecture, and the students take notes. And if they're lucky, there may be few textbooks that remain in the classroom.

Enter Corvallis residents, who since 2005 have been fundraising for books, teacher training and well-building. So far, 21 water wells have been built, and now they're needing upgrades, which again requires money.

Patty Harris, who chairs the Gondar Council, can hardly believe her luck in finding the organization. Ten years ago, she was living in Alaska, looking to adopt a child from her native country, Chile.

But it was not that easy at the time. She had friends who had good experiences adopting from Ethiopia. Her daughter, now 10, was born in, you guessed it, Gondar.

Fast-forward to six years ago, when her husband, Scott, was applying to get his Ph.D. in forestry from Oregon State University, and Harris learned about Corvallis' sister cities.

"I think we became members when we were still living in Alaska," she said. "He's done now. We love it (Corvallis), so we stayed."

Harris' daughter has inspired her to learn to cook Ethiopian food, though Eleni Woldeyes, who caters and offers Ethiopian cooking classes in Portland, will provide all the food.

Despite not throwing the big to-do for the past three years, the organization has managed to keep pushing its programs, Sundseth said.

"We never slowed down," she said.

Of course, the sister city's sister group, Corvallis Sister's City Association - Uzhhorod, Ukraine, has taken center stage with Russia's invasion of that country.

But Gondar, a city of 300,000 in the north part of Ethiopia, is also experiencing political unrest  so much so that Corvallis residents have been unable to make a trip to bring more books and supplies to the kindergarten program they helped launch there.

Books and literacy will be a big focus of the event on Sunday. The guest speaker is Ellenore Angelidis, executive director of Seattle-based Open Hearts, Big Dreams, who started the nonprofit after her Ethiopian-born daughter astonishedly pointed out during a pilgrimage to her native country that the children there had no access to books.

With her will be award-winning children's author Jane Kurz of Portland, who will sign and sell books.

"I love the food, but it's just thrilling to see all the people gather," Sundseth said.

Harris agreed. She's most looking forward to "seeing everybody in the community  and to share the food."

And about that food, here's the menu:

Tikel Gomen (cabbage dish)

Misir Wot (red lentil dish)

Kik Alicia Wot (yellow split pea dish)

Doro Wot (chicken dish)

Salata (Ethiopian salad)

Teff injera (traditional gluten-free Ethiopian bread)

Tickets cost $30 for adults and $10 for students ages 7-18; children 6 and younger are free. They're available at Grass Roots, by text at 541-231-9824 or online at https://sistercities.corvallis.or.us/a-taste-of-ethiopia. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the program starts at 5:30 p.m.

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Biden Pushes for Gun Control After California Mass Shootings

After three mass shootings in California in recent days have left at least 18 people dead, President Joe Biden on Jan. 24 urged Congress to pass gun control legislation.

In Half Moon Bay, a coastal community south of San Francisco, seven people were killed in two related shootings on Jan. 23, according to police reports.

That evening, one person was killed and at least seven were injured during a shooting in Oakland.

Two days earlier, in the southern California city of Monterey Park, a gunman opened fire in a dance studio, killing 11 and wounding at least 10 more during a Lunar New Year celebration in the predominately Asian community east of downtown Los Angeles.

The Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 23, 2023. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

During her press briefing on Jan. 24, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, We have more than lives lost in mass shootings, after mass shootings. The flags at the White House were already at half-mast in honor of those murdered in Monterey Park when we learned of the shooting in Half Moon Bay.

President Biden, like most Americans, believes that this is an urgent issue; that too many of our neighbors, colleagues, kids are losing their lives to gun violence, Jean-Pierre added. Over the last two decades more school-aged children have died from guns than on-duty police officers and active-duty military combined.

In a meeting with Democratic legislators at the White House on Jan. 24, Biden announced that Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to California.

Harris formerly served as attorney general and the senator in California.

Pray For Healing

Tomorrow I will visit Monterey Park to stand and mourn with the community, Harris wrote on Twitter on Jan. 24. Doug [her husband] and I continue to pray for healing and recovery for all those impacted.

She encouraged lawmakers to pass a federal ban on some types of firearms that was signed into law in 1994, expired in 2004, and was reintroduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Jan. 23.

The measure was included in a broader crime package called the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which was sponsored by Biden when he was in the Senate.

Even as we await further details on these shootings, we know the scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action, Biden said in his statement.

I once again urge both chambers of Congress to act quickly and deliver this Assault Weapons Ban to my desk, and take action to keep American communities, schools, workplaces, and homes safe.

The gun control measure that Feinstein reintroduced on Jan. 23 with Connecticut Democrat senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy would raise the minimum age to buy an assault weapon from 18 to 21.

President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a law meant to reduce gun violence, in Washington on July 11, 2022. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

If passed and signed, the law would also prohibit the sale, manufacture or transfer of certain firearms, like AK and AR-style rifles while permitting owners to keep existing weapons. The measure includes exemptions for specific guns for household defense or recreational use.

The constant stream of mass shootings [has] one common thread: They almost all involve assault weapons. Its because these weapons were designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible, Feinstein said in a Jan. 23 press release.

Its time we stand up to the gun lobby and remove these weapons of war from our streets, or at the very least keep them out of the hands of young people.

Rhode Island Democrat Congressman David Cicilline will introduce a companion version of the assault weapons ban in the House, Feinsteins press release reported.

We passed the assault weapons ban in the House last year with bipartisan support, which was then blocked by Senate Republicans, Cicilline wrote in a statement. We need to come together to enact this commonsense, effective, and proven policy to reduce gun violence and save lives.

7th Lowest Firearms Deaths

With Republicans controlling the House, the proposed legislation is not expected to reach Bidens desk.

California is known for stringent gun control laws. It has the seventh-lowest number of firearm deaths in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Data from 2019 to 2021 show that Californias death rate from mass shootings was under the national average, the Public Policy Institute of California reported last year.

In response to the recent shootings, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said, Nothing about this is surprising. Everything about this is infuriating. This Second Amendments becoming a suicide pact, it feels like.

On Jan. 23, Biden addressed the Monterey Park shootings, referencing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that he signed in 2021.

Tragedy After Tragedy

When I signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Actthe first significant piece of gun safety legislation in nearly 30 yearsI said that there was still work to be done to keep our communities safe and keep dangerous firearms out of dangerous hands, Biden wrote in a statement.

In the short time since, communities across America have been struck by tragedy after tragedy, including mass shootings from Colorado Springs to Monterey Park and daily acts of gun violence that do not make national headlines.

Not long after Biden released the statement, reports emerged about the Half Moon Bay shootings.

In the 10 years that the assault weapons ban was on the books, mass shootings went down, Biden said. After Republicans let the law expire in 2004 and those weapons were allowed to be sold again, mass shootings tripled.

The majority of the American people agree with this common sense action, Biden said. There can be no greater responsibility than to do all we can to ensure the safety of our children, our communities, and our nation.
California Reservoirs Fail to Fill Up After Weeks of Rain

In an aerial view, the Nicasio Reservoir is seen after a series of atmospheric river events drenched Northern California in Nicasio, Calif., on Jan. 12, 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Most of Californias major reservoirs failed to reach full capacity after more than two weeks of rainstorms, according to the latest data from the state water department.

As of Jan. 23, among the 17 major reservoirs, only the smallest onethe Cachuma Reservoir northwest of Santa Barbarawas nearly full, at about 1.5 times its historical average level, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

The rest were partially filled, ranging from about 30 to 80 percent.

Seven of them were still below their historical average, including the 4.5 million acre-feet Shasta Reservoirthe largest in the state, more than 23 times Cachumas capacityat 55 percent.

(California Department of Water Resources/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

The recent storms brought California an average of 11.19 inches of precipitationor 97.6 million acre-feet of wateraccording to a statement from the state water resources department to The Epoch Times.

Colin McCarthy, a weather news contributor and an atmospheric science student at the University of CaliforniaDavis, estimated about 32.6 trillion gallons, or more than 100 million acre-feet, of rainwater washed over the state as of Jan. 18 since the storms began in late Decemberusing the Old Farmers Almanac, a guide to weather forecast and planting charts.

Major drought relief, he wrote on Twitter.

Water storage facilities statewide can hold 43 million acre-feet, according to the Public Policy Institute of Californias 2018 report (pdf). The state has not built any new reservoirs since 1978.

Aging Infrastructure and Pumping Restrictions

Kristi Diener, founder of the grassroots California Water for Food and People Movementan advocacy group calling for water protectiontold The Epoch Times if the reservoirs are full, they can provide enough to make five dry years survivable without additional rain.

We just need them to fill them up once, and they couldnt even do that, she said.

In the SacramentoSan Joaquin Delta through which the majority of the states water flows, nearly 95 percent of the incoming rainwater has run to the Pacific Ocean, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

A home on agricultural land is seen amid flooding from the Salinas River in Salinas, Calif., on Jan. 13, 2023. (David Swanson/Reuters)

Two-thirds of Californias water originates in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and flows through the Delta, a large inland river delta and estuary in northern California.

A 444-mile aqueduct carries water to the San Joaquin Valley and southern California. The water is stored in reservoirs before being distributed to local communities.

However, the aging facilities make water transportation and storage inefficient, according to the state water department.

The current infrastructure to move water through the Delta is outdated, vulnerable to earthquakes, and limits the export of water during these long, sustained winter storms, department officials said on Twitter Jan. 16.

Also, under the drought emergency order put in place by Gov. Gavin Newsom last April for the third year in a row, the amount of water farmers can use in the Central Valley is restricted. Other factors include the preservation of the delta smelt fish under the Endangered Species Act, which limits agricultural water pumping.

In this file photo, a Delta smelt is shown at the University of California Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Lab in Byron, Calif., on July 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, file)

Farmers have to watch their farmland die if they cant operate without violating the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, passed in 2014 to preserve groundwater in the long run, said Diener.

Its a years supply of water for everybody in the state, in two weeks gone, because they reduce the pumping, she said.

As a result of the lost water, families are going to be subject to water restrictions as they have been, she added.

About a dozen lawmakers sent letters last week asking state and federal officials to relax pumping restrictions. They said the stormwater should have been pumped to reservoirs and aqueducts instead of being left to run to the ocean.
California Shootings: Who Died in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay Attacks?

Flowers and candles are left outside the entrance of the Star Ballroom Dance Studio after a mass shooting during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 23, 2023. (David Swanson/Reuters)

Back-to-back mass shootings in California have claimed the lives of people who loved to dance at a studio in Monterey Park and farm workers in the coastal community of Half Moon Bay.

Monterey Park Victims

Eleven people were killed when a 72-year-old gunman opened fire late Saturday during a celebration of the Lunar New Year at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, east of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles County coroners office has confirmed the names of the victims. There were six women killed: My My Nhan, 65; Lilan Li, 63; Xiujuan Yu, 57; Muoi Dai Ung, 67; Hongying Jian, 62; and Diana Man Ling Tom, 70. The five men who were killed were identified as Yu Lun Kao, 72; Chia Ling Yau, 76; Valentino Marcos Alvero, 68; Wen Tau Yu, 64; and Ming Wei Ma, 72.

The Chinese consulate in Los Angeles said Chinese citizens were among the dead. Taiwans de facto consulate in Los Angeles said two Taiwanese expatriates also were killed.

Yus niece, Kathleen Fong, said on social media that her aunt emigrated from China more than a decade ago and was working hard with her husband and children to create a new life for themselves.

Now to have that journey suddenly interrupted is heartbreaking, Fong wrote on a GoFundMe page created to help pay for her aunts funeral. She will never be able to witness what she dreamed of for all these years.

Yu and her husband worked multiple jobs and just managed to get by, Fong wrote, laboring so that their three children, two of whom are in college, could have better futures.

Toms family said she died on Sunday after being taken to hospital in critical condition following the shooting, according to a statement seen by ABC News. Tom was remembered as a hard-working mother, wife, and grandmother who loved to dance.

To those who knew her, she was someone who always went out of her way to give to others, the family said.

In a statement on Twitter, Alveros family said he was a devout Catholic who loved ballroom dancing and was the life of any party.

Half Moon Bay Victims

Seven people were killed, and one person was in critical condition after a 66-year-old man on Monday attacked two mushroom farms near the resort town of Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, police said.

The farm where one of the shootings happened remains empty, the day after a mass shooting at two locations in the coastal city of Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Jan. 24, 2023. (Laure Andrillon/Reuters)

The victimssix men and two womenwere all Asian or Hispanic adults, according to the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office.

Jose and Pedro Romero, brothers who migrated from Mexico two years ago and worked at Mountain Mushroom Farm, were among those shot, their cousin Jose Juarez told Reuters.

Jose died, and his younger brother Pedro is hospitalized, Juarez said. Jose has a wife and children back in Mexico, he added.

You look to improve your life, and then you end up with this, said Juarez, quiet and sullen as he took a break from cooking at a Mexican restaurant in a Half Moon Bay strip mall.

The family is looking for financial help in order to repatriate Joses body to Mexico, he said.

Farmworker Marciano Martinez-Jimenez was one of three people shot dead at Concord Farms, his nephew Carlos Martinez-Maya told ABC7 news.

Martinez-Jimenezs death was confirmed to Reuters by Antonio Perez, who works at a Latino grocery store in Half Moon Bay and was schoolmates with him in their village in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

Perez was stunned when, upon arriving in Half Moon Bay in the late 1990s, he saw Martinez-Jimenez again at a party.

I was so happy. We spoke about when wed arrived here. And he said, Come sit down with us,' Perez recounted.

Martinez-Jimenez was hardworking, quiet, and sought to avoid conflict, Perez said.

Last Thursday or so, I saw him for the last time in the store, Perez said. He came to buy cheese.

The San Mateo County Coroners Office declined to comment on the identities of the victims in the Half Moon Bay shooting.
Classified documents were found at former Vice President Mike Pences home. How are the White House and lawmakers reacting, as scrutiny over President Joe Bidens classified files continues to grow?

Democrats take a trip to the White House to discuss raising the debt limit. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tells NTD about the House Republicans efforts to negotiate a stricter budget.

Freshman Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) joins us to discuss the first legislation hes introduced. The three-bill package focuses on U.S. energy production.

The second shooting in just three days happened in California Monday. Now Biden is renewing his calls for a ban on guns.

What are the factors behind the worker shortage? And what are the best ways to resolve it? An economist joins us to explore.

Republicans are in control of the House, but could D.C. get a vote in Congress? The push for D.C. statehood has intensified, with Democrat lawmakers introducing a bill earlier Tuesday.
China Offers to Extend Sri Lankas Debt by 2 Years Over IMF Deal

A laborer pulls a cart loaded with sacks of vegetables at a market in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Oct. 21, 2022. (Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images)

China has reportedly offered Sri Lanka a two-year debt moratorium as an immediate contingency measure to support Sri Lanka in securing a $2.9 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In a letter sent to Sri Lankas Finance Ministry on Jan. 19, the Export-Import Bank of China said that it would grant a delay on the debt service due in 2022 and 2023, as well as a suspension on loan interest repayment.

The letter states that Sri Lanka will not have to repay the principal and interest due of the banks loans during the two-year period, and the bank will support Sri Lankas application for an IMF program.

It remains unclear whether China Exim banks letter would satisfy the IMFs requirements to secure the bailout package that Sri Lanka needs for its economic recovery.

India, another major creditor to Sri Lanka, had agreed to extend financing assurances to the IMF in support of Sri Lankas debt restructuring and urged other creditors to take proactive steps to facilitate Sri Lankas recovery.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, right, shake hands with

Indias Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Jan. 20, 2023. (Sri Lankan Presidents Office via AP)

Our expectation is that this will not only strengthen Sri Lankas position but ensure that all bilateral creditors are dealt with equally, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told reporters on Jan. 20.

Sri Lanka had $13.8 billion in bilateral debt as of September 2022, of which 52 percent is owed to China, according to Sri Lankas finance ministry (pdf). Japan holds 19.5 percent of Sri Lankas debt, while India holds another 12 percent.

Sri Lanka and the IMF have reached a preliminary agreement on a 48-month bailout plan, but the IMF said the deal is contingent on approval by its executive board and financing assurances from Sri Lankas creditors, including China, Japan, and India.

Central bank chief P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said Tuesday that Sri Lanka hoped to complete its debt restructuring in six months.

By end-2020, Sri Lanka owed China Exim bank $2.83 billion, or 3.5 percent of the islands external debt, according to IMF data.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said in November 2022 that loans borrowed from China Exim Bank by some state-owned firms will be classified as government debt to strengthen the companies financial statements.

These companies include Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, and Airport and Aviation Services. Sri Lanka would also take over the guaranteed foreign exchange debt owed by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.

Cargo Services Hub Deal

Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana said Tuesday that Sri Lanka has agreed to set up a cargo services hub in Colombo Port under a joint venture with the state-owned China Merchant Ports, according to local reports.

The project, which was proposed to Sri Lanka in July 2021, is estimated to cost $150 million in investment. Gunawardana did not specify a completion period.

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong (L) gestures upon the arrival of Chinas research and survey vessel, the Yuan Wang 5, at Hambantota port on Aug. 16, 2022. (Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road) has been ascribed to Sri Lankas economic turmoil. In 2017, Sri Lanka leased its Hambantota port to China for 99 years to convert its Chinese loan into equity, prompting tens of thousands of protesters to rally against the deal.

Sri Lanka previously requested that China amend the terms of a $1.5 billion yuan-denominated swap facility that it signed in 2021, which stipulates that the fund can only be used provided that Sri Lanka has enough foreign reserves to last three months.

The countrys unprecedented economic crisis has left millions of its people in need of life-saving aid, with severe shortages of essential medicines and frequent power cuts jeopardizing the countrys health care system. But it has since shown some signs of progress following the IMF preliminary deal.

Reuters contributed to this report.
China Sends Aircraft, Vessels Near Taiwan After President Tsai Writes to the Pope

A Chinese military jet flies over Pingtan Island, one of mainland China's closest point from Taiwan, in Fujian Province, on Aug. 5, 2022. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwans military detected four Chinese aircraft and three naval vessels near the island nation on Jan. 25, Taiwans defense ministry said, just two days after President Tsai Ing-wen wrote a letter to Pope Francis.

The Chinese military aircraft and naval vessels were detected at around 6 a.m. (local time). There was no indication that the aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line or into Taiwans airspace, according to the ministry.

Taiwans military responded by deploying aircraft, navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to monitor the Chinese militarys activities.

Chinese incursions into Taiwan have occurred almost daily as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increased military pressure on the self-ruled island. Taiwans military detected nine Chinese aircraft and four vessels on Jan. 23 and one Chinese aircraft and four vessels on Jan. 24.

But the CCPs latest show of force came after Tsai told Pope Francis in a letter on Jan. 23 that constructive interaction with China is only possible if the CCP respects Taiwans democracy and freedom.

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at a ceremony to mark the islands National Day in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei on Oct. 10, 2022. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

Tsai cited a speech she gave in October 2022 in which she emphasized that war with China is absolutely not an option and that Taiwan is willing to engage with the CCP to reach a mutually agreeable arrangement.

I made clear that only by respecting the commitment of the Taiwanese people to our sovereignty, democracy, and freedom can there be a foundation for resuming constructive interaction across the Taiwan Strait, she said.

The Taiwanese leader wrote the letter in response to the popes World Day of Peace message on Jan. 1.

The Vatican is Taiwans sole European diplomatic ally, and Taiwan has watched with concern as Pope Francis has moved to improve relations with the CCP. Taiwan has formal ties with only 14 countries, largely due to Chinese pressure.

Taiwan has been a self-governing democracy since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949. Still, the CCP regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be united with mainland China by any means necessary.

Taiwan Offers COVID Aid

Tsai made a similar assertion in her New Years speech, ruling out armed confrontation with China and urging the CCP to cooperate in achieving regional stability.

She said that Taiwan is willing to assist the CCP in dealing with its recent surge in COVID-19 cases despite rising cross-strait tensions.

If need be, we are willing, out of humanitarian concern, to provide necessary assistance to help more people get through the pandemic and enjoy good health and peace of mind in the new year, Tsai said on Jan. 1.

China has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases after the CCP abruptly lifted its strict zero-COVID policy last month. According to officials and studies, most of the population has been infected, and crematoriums and hospitals have been overwhelmed.

Tsai didnt specify the nature of assistance Taiwan could offer China but noted that the two countries faced common challenges.

War has never been a way to solve problems, and only through dialogue, cooperation, and joint efforts toward the goals of regional stability and development can we help more people enjoy security and happiness, she said.

CCP Could Potentially Invade Taiwan in 2027

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Jan. 18 that China is more likely to make a move against Taiwan in 2027. Wu noted that Chinese leader Xi Jinping might see aggression against Taiwan as a way to leave a legacy from his third term in office.

To me, 2027 is the year that we need to watch out  because of the domestic power situation in China, Wu said in an exclusive interview with Sky News on Jan. 18.

In 2027, Xi Jinping is likely to go into his fourth term. And if in his previous three terms, he cannot claim any achievement during his office, he might need to think about something else for him to claim as his achievement or his legacy, he said.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu speaking during an interview with The Associated Press at his ministry in Taipei on Dec. 10, 2019. (Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo)

Wu pointed to the looming situation that the Chinese regime is facing. If you look at the Chinese situation right now, the economy is going down. People are not happy; the real estate business seems to be melting down, Wu said.

If Xi Jinping cannot change the situation domestically in China, [he] might want to resort to a use of force or creating a crisis externally to divert domestic attention or to show to the Chinese that he has accomplished something.

According to Wu, Xi might see an invasion of Taiwan as a way to distract from Chinas domestic problems.

We are concerned that Taiwan might become his scapegoat, he said.

The CCP regularly uses its military to intimidate Taiwan, as seen on Dec. 25, 2022, when it sent 71 planes and seven ships toward the island in its largest show of force since former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited Taiwan in August 2022.

With these exercises, the Chinese want to threaten Taiwan into submission, so they want to conquer Taiwan without using military force to attack Taiwan, Wu said.

Look at the proximity of the Chinese aircraft to our aircraft.  If they cross the 24 nautical miles zone, some of our weapons systems might have to target those Chinese aircraft, and that might spark an accident, even though it might not be intentional for the Chinese pilots to cross the 24 nautical miles.

Hannah Ng and Reuters contributed to this report.
Chinas Funeral Parlors, Suppliers Crushed by Demand Amid COVID Death Surge

A mourner carries the cremated remains of a loved one as he and others wear traditional white funeral clothing, during a funeral in Shanghai. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Never has the winter felt so suffocating for Zou, who counted about 20 deaths among his social circles amid the massive COVID-19 wave thats gripping China.

Memorial tents, indicating households that have lost family members, are visible on every street in his hometown in the historic city of Yueyang in southern Chinas mountainous Hunan Province, with a population of about 20,000 people.

Its so many that its scary, Zou, who only provided his surname for fear of reprisals, told The Epoch Times.

He said the sky seems darker than usual, without much sunlight, further heightening a sense of dread in the small town as the outbreak casts a huge shadow. In the past three to four days alone, 100 to 200 people have died from the disease, he said on Jan. 23.

In Shaoyang, a city with a population of about 1.5 million people thats about a four-hour drive south, a resident who declined to provide his name for safety reasons said thousands of elderly people have likely died during the outbreak. At one point, four families living on the same alley were in mourning, he told The Epoch Times on Jan. 18, describing it as unbelievable.

The mounting fears have dampened the holiday spirit amid Lunar New Year festivities, normally the biggest celebration of the year, that began over the weekend.

A video clip circulating on social media two days before the Chinese New Year, captured from a car passing through a residential area, shows a deserted street lined with an unceasing array of wreaths and blue-and-white paper lanterns marking the deceased.

You watch what happens to your neighbors and worry about your own families, a woman surnamed Bao from Shijiazhuang city in Hebei Province told The Epoch Times. Like other interviewees, Bao declined to provide her first name to avoid drawing government retaliation. The new year for her went by without the usual visits to her extended relatives, she said.

As the virus sweeps across the country, the Chinese communist regime has continued to conceal the true scale of the outbreak. However, widespread accounts of deaths, overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums, and a shortage of funeral supplies point to a significant death toll.

Patients are cared for by relatives and medical staff as theyre seen on beds set up in the atrium area of a busy hospital in Shanghai on Jan. 13, 2023. (by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

The rise in deaths has led to crematoriums around the country scrambling to dramatically expand their capacity.

An Epoch Times review of 10 provinces and major cities found that more than 30 funeral homes published tenders for cremation ovens, ash urns, vans to transport bodies, and refrigerators over the past three weeks alone.

Because of the sharp surge in business, we urgently need to buy two ash sorting machines and post-processing equipment, reads one Jan. 19 notice published by Huzhou Funeral House in Zhejiang Province, located south of Shanghai.

In a now-deleted Jan. 6 tender from the Shantou city government in southern Guangdong Province, a funeral parlor solicited an emergency purchase of two incinerators to be ready for use in 10 days. At about that time, a major Shanghai crematorium told The Epoch Times that they were burning 400 to 500 bodies every dayfour to five times their highest workload before.

Funeral Supplies Exhausted

As mourning displays lined Chinese streets and hearses created traffic jams outside of crematoriums, the price of burial merchandise has surged amid skyrocketing demand.

Multiple ash urn and coffin suppliers confirmed that they were out of stock or running extremely low on inventory when reached by The Epoch Times ahead of the Lunar New Year. Each interviewee either gave only their surname or declined to be identified for fear of reprisals.

Patients and caregivers are seen in the closed entranceway of an emergency room being used as an overflow area at a hospital in Shanghai on Jan. 14, 2023. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

An ash urn manufacturer in Henan, the countrys third-most populous province, was out of stock and restocking could take about a month, a sales representative surnamed Sun said. Sun noted that this was unprecedented in the nearly two decades that she has been working in the industry.

It was never like this, Qiu, a representative of a different urn maker in neighboring Shandong Province, told The Epoch Times, pointing to COVID-19 as the cause of the storm of incoming orders.

A coffin maker in Jingdezhen, a city thats famed for ceramic arts, said he had no more than two items on hand for the product lines that havent sold out and has advised clients to buy whatever is available without choosing.

Frankly, too many people died this year, and the demand is too high; we just cant make enough, he told The Epoch Times.

Accounts from the locals across the country were equally grim.

A woman from Suzhou, a city near Shanghai, lost three older family members, including her mother on the same day earlier this month. The local funeral home had set a limit of 400 spots over a 24-hour period. On Jan. 5, she and several others from her family tried to grab a number when the spots opened at midnight; in 28 seconds, they were placed at about 160th. The funeral cost for her mother was more than 10,000 yuan (about $1,474), double the amount for such a service in the past.

The extreme shortage of funeral supplies meant that there were no cardboard or wooden coffins available for her mothers remains. All that was left was a paper bag and shroud, the woman, who used the pseudonym Liang Yan, told The Epoch Times.

Relatives of a deceased person that has been cremated attend a funeral at the Sipsongpanna Zhou Funeral House in Jinghong city at Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, on Jan. 10, 2023. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

Disillusionment

As the vast Chinese population struggles under an explosive COVID-19 outbreak, authorities in Beijing have sought to superimpose a different reality.

On the same day that a top Chinese state-backed university released a report indicating 900 million infections during the latest wave of COVID-19, officials at Beijings Center for Disease Prevention and Control convened a conference celebrating three years of anti-outbreak work, during which they gave out dozens of awards, with the centers Party chief, Huang Chun, declaring that the agency has lived up to their mission.

Echoing the triumphant tone was Jiang Yunzhong, a Marxist scholar and Party official at the elite Tsinghua University in Beijing, who said that the COVID-19 death toll in China still falls in an acceptable range.

Even if a few million die, so what? he wrote on Chinese social media on Jan. 14. China had 10 million deaths in 2021; even if there are 5 million more deaths, its just a 50 percent increasea difference between two deaths versus three deaths. 

Mourners wait to enter a memorial hall at Longhua Funeral Home in Shanghai on Dec. 28, 2022. (Allen Wan/Bloomberg)

So far, the regime has acknowledged roughly 72,000 deaths, a number that has drawn a high degree of skepticism among experts and residents.

Its a tragedy in human history, Zou said. They see this as a funny joke and even want to boast about their accomplishments and make it a model for the world. They dont care at all what the regular people think.

The unrealistic virus figures are what has changed the minds of the older generation who grew up under the regimes brainwashing and normally wouldnt countenance any discussion critical of the Chinese Communist Party, according to Zou, who described this as a sign of the red genes breaking down.

I could see they were really angry, he said. When they speak, they would ask: Why are they reporting data like this? They couldnt understand.

They used to excuse everything [the authorities] said, but now they have completely lost trust in them.

Chang Chun, Yi Ru, and Frank Fang contributed to this report.
Colorado to Consider Its Own Gun Ban

Second Amendment supporters decry 'Mass Shooting Prevention Act' as unconstitutional

Guns are displayed for sale at Dragonman's shooting range and gun store east of Colorado Springs, Colo., on July 20, 2014. (Brennan Linsley/AP Photo)

Colorado appears ready to join other states in quashing Second Amendment rights. A draft of the Mass Shooting Prevention Act, expected to be introduced in the upcoming Colorado General Assembly legislative session, was made public, and Second Amendment advocates are concerned.

This bill uses the most insane parts of the laws from California and New York, Taylor Rhodes, executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO), told The Epoch Times. This doesnt just ban many commonly owned pistols and shotguns; this will ban almost 70 percent of all firearms overnight.

Rhodes was made aware of the bill draft almost three weeks ago. He said the proposed legislation is designed to greatly diminish Second Amendment rights in Colorado.

You might as well call this the Gun Owners Get Out of Town Bill, Rhodes said.

The proposed law expands the definition of assault weapons to cover a wide array of commonly owned rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Parts that could be used to convert a semiautomatic weapon into a so-called assault weapon would also be outlawed. The only exceptions would be guns owned before the law was enacted, which would be grandfathered in. However, that too comes with a catch.

Second Amendment supporters gather across the street from the Colorado State Capitol to voice support for gun ownership in Denver on Jan. 9, 2013. (Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

Guns owned before the laws enactment can only be kept if the owner has proof of ownership before that date. The law doesnt say what constitutes proof, but it does outline what will happen if the gun owner doesnt have proof.

Without adequate proof of ownership, the gun owner would be required to surrender the gun to law enforcement, who would hold it for up to three business days. The gun would be confiscated and destroyed if the owner couldnt provide proof on the fourth business day. The gun owner could face criminal prosecution, including fines of up to $1,000 for violations between July 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2024. The penalties increase to $5,000 after Jan. 1, 2025.

Rhodes said a gun owner would have to carry proof of ownership whenever they had a gun since a police officer could demand to see proof at any time. This could be a problem for people who didnt buy the gun theyre holding.

What if you inherited your grandfathers shotgun 30 years ago? Rhodes asked.

The fines for Federal Firearms License holders who sell a banned gun are even steeper.

A licensed gun dealer who sells or attempts to sell a banned gun after July 1 faces a fine of $250,000. Subsequent violations will result in a fine of $500,000.

Rhodes said RMGO lawyers are already drafting a lawsuit because the law is almost guaranteed to pass the General Assembly and be signed by Gov. Jared Polis. According to Rhodes, the Bloomberg lobby has invested heavily in Colorado state elections and is reaping the benefits.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg started Everytown for Gun Safety. The nationwide organization raises volunteers to push for gun control in their communities and provides backing for political candidates who support the groups gun control agenda.

These politicians are nothing more than elected activists, Rhodes said. We know the realities in Colorado right now, and we are ready to sue.

Travis Couture-Lovelady is the Colorado state director for the National Rifle Association. Like Rhodes, he sees the proposed law as nothing more than an effort to control law-abiding citizens by denying their constitutional right to self-defense.

A ban on so-called assault weapons will do nothing to reduce violent crime or enhance public safety, but it will stop law-abiding Americans from exercising their Second Amendment rights, Couture-Lovelady wrote in a Jan. 23 statement.

Laws Counterintuitive to Rulings

Rhodes said the proposed legislation makes little sense in light of recent Supreme Court decisions that affirmed the individuals right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

In the 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, the court ruled that the Second Amendment was describing an individual right. More recently, in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, the high court justices struck down New York states overly restrictive requirements for individuals carrying weapons outside their homes.

The Century 16 movie theater where a gunman attacked moviegoers during an early morning screening of the Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. (Thomas Cooper/Getty Images)

Since then, lawmakers in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, and Oregon, among other states, have adopted gun control laws that appear to be opposed to the courts rulings. Many of those laws are now the subject of lawsuits.

One lawsuit filed in Illinois has more than 800 plaintiffs from 87 of the states 102 counties suing to overturn the states newly enacted gun ban. More than 90 Illinois sheriffs stated that they wouldnt enforce the gun ban because they consider it to be unconstitutional.

Rhodes believes that gun control advocates are pushing back just as hard, hoping for success on at least one or two legal points. He said most gun control organizations, such as Bloombergs Everytown for Gun Safety, are well-funded and feel they have little to lose.

What They Can Get Away With

They want to see what they can get away with. For them its not that big of an issue because theyve got more money than Kelloggs got cornflakes, Rhodes said.

Larry Correia is a novelist and Second Amendment advocate based in Utah. While he mainly writes in the fantasy/science fiction genre, his nonfiction work centers on the Second Amendment. His latest book, In Defense of the Second Amendment, was released on Jan. 24 by conservative book publisher Regnery Publishing.

Correia wrote the book to provide Second Amendment supporters with facts to show people the truth about firearms.

Weve got the facts on our side. I want to provide those facts for the people who need them. I want to move the dial for the fence sitters, Correia told The Epoch Times.

While the move toward stricter gun laws may seem counterintuitive given the courts recent actions, Correia said the laws are likely elements in more comprehensive strategies. The fact that the courts have been ruling against them may have gun control advocates in fight-or-flight mode. It could be that they are throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks, Rhodes said. Or, Correia said, the court battles may be the objective.

Well-Funded Groups

Rhodes pointed out that many gun control movements are well-funded. Correia agreed, saying it might be to wear constitutionalists down and deplete their resources.

The process is the punishment, Correia said.

The best thing gun owners can do is to educate themselves and control the narrative, he said. According to Correia, the left has perfected the clichethe short, funny quip that sounds authoritative and intelligent regardless of whether or not its true. Calling for common sense gun control or combining the number of teenage gang members shot and killed with the victims of school shootings as the number of children lost to gun violence can pull at the heartstrings.

Correia said storytelling is an essential part of winning the culture war. Its a skill the right needs to develop more.

The other side realized that before we did, he said.

Time to Make a Stand

Couture-Lovelady said one fact to keep in mind is that the weapons subject to the Colorado ban arent a significant part of the crime problem, even though theyre the subject of breathless news stories. He pointed out that the AR-15 is the most popular rifle in the United States but is used in fewer than 1 percent of violent crimes in Colorado.

The legislature should hold criminals accountable for their actions instead of trying to disarm the law-abiding gun owners, Couture-Lovelady wrote.

Rhodes said that this is a critical time for Colorado gun owners. Even though they may lose this immediate fight, this is only one step in the legal process. He said its essential for Coloradans who support the Second Amendment to stand up for their rights.

In addition to preparing for court, RMGO has an online petition and resources for people who want to help join the fight. While it may seem that the politicians have made up their minds, he pointed out that they still need votes to keep their jobs.

Its really important that we wave our flag at the state Capitol, Rhodes said.
Court to Reconsider If California School District Should Recognize Christian Club That Bans LGBT Student Leaders

A view of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on June 12, 2017. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A federal appeals court will reconsider a previous ruling requiring the San Jose Unified School District to recognize a Christian student club despite the districts objections to the groups policy that forbids LGBT students from club leadership positions.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Jan. 18 vacated a panels 21 August decision, which found the school district discriminated against the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) recognition as an official club in the district, based on religious beliefs.

The majority of active judges in the U.S. Circuit recently voted to have the case reconsidered by an 11-judge panel, according to a Jan. 18 order. A new hearing is set for March 20 in Pasadena, California.

But, Daniel Blomberg, an attorney for the athletes, told the Epoch Times in an email he is confident the court will continue to protect the clubs religious liberty.

Students in the district have a First Amendment right to support each other and join together in fellowship as an FCA student club, he said. We are confident the courts will continue to protect FCAs ability to choose leaders who are committed to its religious mission and its right to exist on campus just like every other student club.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has more than 7,000 clubs on school and college campuses nationwide.

The club, along with two students, sued the district in 2019 when it stopped recognizing the organization as an official club after another student brought to the administrations attention a Statement of Faith and Sexual Purity that student club leaders were required to sign.

The statement says sex should only occur in a marriage between a man and a woman, and that student club leaders should step down if they are found being involved in a lifestyle that does not conform.

The district said the policy discriminated against LGBT students by prohibiting them from becoming club leaders.

Newly donated LGBTQ+ books are displayed in the library at Nystrom Elementary School in Richmond, Calif., on May 17, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

In the August court opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Kenneth Lee said the district selectively enforced its anti-discrimination policy and likely violated the organizations First Amendment religious protections.

Additionally, Lee said in the opinion, the district did not behave in a neutral manner toward the club as legally required.

Under the First Amendment, our government must be scrupulously neutral when it comes to religion: It cannot treat religious groups worse than comparable secular ones, Lee stated. But the school district did just that.

A spokesperson for San Jose Unified was not immediately available for comment.
Did China Make a Mistake by Ending COVID Restrictions?

Commentary

Never forget that the New York Times kicked off disease panic in the United States in late February 2020, about a month after China had locked down Wuhan and violated its citizens rights to associate on a massive scale. Two weeks earlier, the World Health Organization sponsored a Western junket that was attended by Faucis deputy assistant and others. They came back and declared that lockdowns are great and should be adopted by all governments.

The first media outlet in the United States to amplify this China communist propaganda was the New York Times. On Feb. 27, 2020, Donald G. McNeil, the lead virus reporter who was later fired for unrelated reasons, predicted mass death from this virus unless the United States locks down just like China.

The next day, the newspaper published his op-ed arguing for the medieval method of virus control. On the same day, the paper ran an article by Peter Dazsak, head of EcoHealth Analysis, which was Faucis third-party funding choice to get cash to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for gain-of-function research.

This is a grim history, and one might suppose the newspaper would have moved on. But no! Just yesterday, the same paper ran a piece by Michael V. Callahan, an infectious disease specialist who has been working in China and Southeast Asia for ten years. Listen to what he actually typed:

China rolled back its longstanding pandemic strategy zero Covid, which had protected the country for nearly three years, in early December. This reversal came after historic public protests calling for an ease in restrictions . The timing could not have been worse.

Can you even imagine such a thing appearing in any paper, much less the New York Times? We are really being told that this grotesque experiment in mega-totalitarianism that treated the entire population like lab rats was really a successful effort that protected the country.

Protected the country! In other words, what we have here is an ongoing effort by the top organ of the mainstream press continuing to shill for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its astonishing really, and not only because it is utterly inhumane. It is also a fact that Chinas lockdown did not protect the country. What it did was weaken immune systems and make China more vulnerable than ever.

Pretending for a moment that Xi Jinpings policies were not just a grotesque push for massive power, it was never clear what the exit strategy for zero COVID was supposed to be. Stay locked down forever, as in some dystopian movie? And then what happens on the first exposure to anything? We know from history. Half the native population in the United States died from disease when exposed to colonial travelers. Its happened to countless native tribes around the world. This is an extremely bad idea, and it is a wonder that a supposed civilized country could ever consider such a thing, and yet most countries in the world did.

Xi actually seemed to believe that he could make a virus go away by muscling his people with enough force and intimidation. Its arrogance for the ages. But the New York Times was all for itwas and still is!

What is it that Dr. Callahan desires now? He wants the United States to help out this poor country that mistakenly allowed its countrymen to have a modicum of freedom back. His great idea is to export successful strategies from the United States Operation Warp Speed playbook, which accelerated the delivery of mRNA vaccines from the manufacturer into peoples arms. This huge logistical challenge can be revised for the rapid deployment of a new Chinese-made mRNA vaccine.

What to say to this idea? The CCP is evil but not crazy.

In any case, it appears that China, even after three years of lockdown crazy, is going to deal with this virus the old-fashioned way: get it and shake it off. Chinas epidemiologists are now saying that upwards of 80 percent of the population has already been exposed and thus acquired some level of protection. This is how it works: exposure and then protection. Its what should have happened three years ago. This is how the entire planet will deal with COVID. It adds one more coronavirus to the four that are already endemic.

Lets turn to Dr. Callahan himself. Why exactly is he the one to author an article urging the United States to work with China to get mRNA shots into billions of arms? Well, the scientist Robert Malone explains his own contact with this man, who might have been responsible for among the first communications from China to the U.S. that warned of a coming virus.

Dr. Malone writes:

on approximately 04 January 2020 I received an unexpected phone call from Dr. Michael Callahan (known to me to have been a CIA agent, and separately confirmed to me by NY Times reporter Davey Alba in February 2022 as a former CIA agent). During this call, Dr. Callahan revealed to me that he was calling from China, and that he was in the country under cover of his Harvard Professor appointment. Further information regarding Dr. Callahan can be found in this article by Raul Diego, with research support by Whitney Webb, entitled DARPAs Man in Wuhan. It is important to know that Callahan has provided advice in the White House to at least three US Presidents, including Obama and Trump. On 04 January 2020, Dr. Callahan told me that there was a novel coronavirus circulating in the Wuhan region, it was looking like a significant biothreat, and I should get my team engaged in seeking ways to mitigate the risk of this new agent.

Malone explains further and more deeply how he comes to the following conclusion concerning Callahan:

Based on this timeline and history, as well as my own direct personal communication with Dr. Callahan, I strongly suspect that both the gross clinical mismanagement of ventilatory support during the first phase of the outbreak (responsible for up to 30,000 deaths) as well as the stunningly poor management practices of Nursing Home and Extended Care facilities throughout the USA can be directly traced to the influence of Dr. Michael Callahan, DARPAs Man in Wuhan and arguably the top U.S. Government/CIA expert in both biowarfare and gain of function research.

If this is the case, lets just say there are many unquestioned questions, including how it comes to be that Callahan raided the pages of the New York Times only yesterday to praise the CCPs handling of the virus, adding only that China needs to work with the United States to mass vaccinate its population, even though that strategy has worked nowhere in the world and in fact only prolonged the pandemic and increased infections.

But these days, it seems like facts do not matter anymore, at least not at the New York Times, which has been shilling for the virus police here and abroad for fully three years.

A final fascinating note. Dr. Callahan has written exactly one previous piece for the New York Times, on June 10, 2021. In this article, he is pushing for a kill shot for all variants of COVID, which he swears is possible provided the United States collaborates with labs around the world. Then he throws in this little barb at Trump:

Unfortunately, the changes in U.S. political leadership in 2016 as well as budget changes led to the demise of research collaborations in nine countries, including China, Russia, Indonesia and Nigeria. The Biden administrations re-engagement in global health signals an opportunity to restart Prophecy or a similar program.

If Malone is correct that Callahan is CIA, this little observation on his part suggests a thing or two about what might ultimately be the underlying politics of the COVID response in the first place: it was always in part an effort to oust the president.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Ive lived in Oregon my whole life. I was born and raised in the Portland area, and Corvallis is the farthest away from home Ive lived.

As such, I dont use umbrellas in the rain; Im not very good at driving in the snow; and I am honestly clueless when it comes to pumping my own gas. So, taking trips to other states is always fun for me, as I get to experience something new and different.

The past week, I had the privilege of taking a trip to Alaska  somewhere Ive never thought Id go. I went to the "last frontier" to celebrate my birthday and visit my boyfriend, Henry. He graduated from Oregon State University with an oceanography degree in June and took a job as an ocean scientist and lab technician in the small town of Seward, Alaska.

Before the trip

There was much anticipation for this trip, as I would get a week off from work  and the crime beat  I could see where Henry had been living for the last two months, and I would get to experience Alaska in the winter.

There was also some anxiety, as I worried about whether I was prepared for the extreme temperatures and snowy conditions.

Always the dutiful journalist, I did plenty of research in preparation, learning about the best spots in Seward. As I quickly learned, I was going to this small town at the worst possible time for tourists.

Many restaurants and local businesses shut down completely during the winter months. Others offer very limited hours. My hope for a fancy birthday dinner was squashed before I even got on the plane.

But nevertheless, it was going to be an adventure  a cold one at that.

Oregon can certainly get chilly during the winter, but nothing like Alaska. Fortunately, family and friends gifted me with cold-weather apparel at Christmastime. As someone who has never skied or snowboarded, I didnt have any snow gear.

So, I squeezed my brand-new snow pants, thermals and more into a carry-on suitcase and headed to PDX to begin my weeklong trek.

The trip begins

My flight started off on a lighthearted note with the Alaska Airlines crew playing the song North to Alaska before we took off.

I landed in Anchorage and was immediately taken aback by the chilly air. I popped on my beanie and waited to be picked up by a Seward woman who runs an airport shuttle.

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The drive to Seward was about 2 hours, and although it was cloudy, I took in the scenery along the highway. One thing about Alaska thats different from any place Ive been is the mountains. There are mountains everywhere.

As we drove along the highway, we passed by the majestic snow-capped mountains and winter forests that looked like Narnia.

Before I knew it, I was dropped off at Henrys doorstep, and my Alaskan adventure officially began.

Small town vibes

Seward is a tiny town nestled in the mountains and surrounded by water. It doesnt have a lot going on in the winter, and I was struck by how quiet the town was. There werent many cars driving around or people taking strolls through the streets.

The closest I felt to city life while staying in Seward was the Safeway  which, thankfully, had a Starbucks inside it. Being more than two hours from a true city was something completely new to me  and pretty inconvenient.

The main road in the town was lined with gift shops, bars and restaurants, most of them closed for the winter.

But I did appreciate being able to walk everywhere, and I truly felt like this was what small-town living is all about: enjoying the beauty of nature and knowing everything about where you live.

The people of Seward werent always the friendliest or most approachable. Alaskans and Oregonians are quite different. The locals werent mean by any standards, but they werent the type to smile at me as I walked by.

At least Henry and I had each other to talk to. I learned more about what he does as an ocean scientist, and we had many interesting and deep conversations.

Food and drink

One of the things I was most excited about when going to Alaska was the seafood. Thankfully, I had a wonderful meal of pan-seared Alaskan halibut one night in Seward. It was probably the best seafood meal I have had in my life.

Other yummy dishes I enjoyed included street tacos, burgers and fish and chips. But the highlight of my food and drink experience was probably the mulled wine cocoa I got at the Seward Alehouse  Henry's and my go-to spot while I was visiting. When youre walking around in 20- to 30-degree weather, a nice warm cocktail hits the spot.

I will admit, I missed my 2 Towns Cider, but that cocoa was delicious.

One of the most notable differences between Oregon and Alaska for me was the sales tax and general price of goods. Henry and I actually felt overjoyed when we each had burgers for $18 each.

My wallet certainly took a hit while I was in Seward. But I suppose it does any time Im on vacation.

Winter weather

I unfortunately did not get a single clear day while I was in Alaska. It snowed, it rained, and I honestly forgot what the sun looked like while I was there. But it wasnt as cold as I expected.

My warm socks, thermal layers and snow coat were all I needed. I never felt that cold. I donned a beanie every day but didnt really need my gloves. My new snow boots were perfect for the weather. But the real MVP of the trip were the cleats Henry let me use.

The ice in Seward was the biggest surprise to me. I hadnt really thought about how slippery walking around town would be. I put my cleats on over my boots basically every time I stepped out of the house. If Henry hadn't provided me with some, I would probably be writing this with bruises all over my body from falling.

Coming home

Seward felt like a winter wonderland. And it was wonderful to celebrate my 24th birthday in that beautiful setting with Henry. My Safeway birthday cake was surprisingly delicious, and although I didnt get any free drinks or fancy dinner, it was still a birthday to remember.

I can unequivocally say that small-town living isnt for me. But taking a trip to Seward was still special. I can see why the town is a tourist destination in the summer. The mountains are stunning, and the water is clear. Theres a sea life center where you can watch seals dance through the water, and you can see plenty of wildlife up close, such as moose and bald eagles and sea otters.

I was sad to leave Henry when my trip finally came to an end. And although I wish I could see him more, I feel lucky to have had an excuse to visit Seward and see what an Alaskan winter is really like.
Disabled Navy Veteran Sues Small Business Administration Over Racially Discriminatory Contracting Program

Marty Hierholzer of MJL Enterprises LLC at the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor, Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 20, 2023. (Courtesy of Marty Hierholzer)

A disabled Navy veteran who owns a small business is suing the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in federal court over a contracting program that excludes nonminorities from participating.

Marty Hierholzer filed suit (pdf) recently in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against the SBA, claiming that his constitutional rights were violated.

Hierholzers father served 26 years in the U.S. Navyhe was at Pearl Harbor during the World War II attack. Hierholzer joined the Navy out of high school and became a Navy deep-sea diver. By 2002, he had retired after 22 years of service, with honors, the rank of master chief diver, and service-related disabilities.

Commercial divers have an occupational fatality rate thats 40 times the national average for other professions. Not surprisingly, Hierholzer suffered injuries to his knees, lower back, and shoulders and has decreased mobility. He has hearing loss and tinnitus. Veterans Affairs rated him 60 percent disabled, according to the legal complaint.

Hierholzer decided to go into business serving those who still serve. For four years, he sold diving supplies for a government defense contractor. Then in 2006, he founded MJL Enterprises, a small business that employs 20 people and contracts with federal agencies to provide office supplies, maintenance products, and equipment to Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and military facilities.

Hierholzer qualified for a VA program for disabled veteran-owned businesses and then turned to the SBA for its 8(a) program that sets aside federal contracts for economically and socially disadvantaged small businesses.

But the programs definition of socially disadvantaged stresses race, preferring black and Hispanic applicants, not white individuals such as Hierholzer, and his 8(a) application was rejected. He applied again and was again rejected. His appeals were denied.

Wen Fa, a senior attorney at the Sacramento-based Pacific Legal Foundation, a national public interest law firm, said the case is not only about racial discrimination but also about the unfettered discretion of agencies to create arbitrary racial groups without any sort of express guidance from Congress.

The way the SBA determines social advantage is by race, the lawyer told The Epoch Times in an interview.

Members of minority groups are presumed socially disadvantaged, while nonminority individuals who own businesses are presumed to be not socially disadvantaged, he said.

Hierholzer routinely applies for contracts with the SBA, and hes awarded some of those contracts, Fa said.

The problem is the Small Business Administration sets aside certain contracts only for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, so hes not even eligible to be awarded those contracts, the attorney said.

Its not a minority-owned business, and therefore, he doesnt qualify for the special dispensations of the section 8(a) program.

Hierholzer told The Epoch Times in a separate interview that hes taking action because the SBA unfairly discriminated against him and his business.

The SBA advertises that the program is for preferred minority groups, but it also clearly advertises that its for disabled individuals, he said.

So on the basis of my service disabled ratings  we applied for it several times and were denied several times, Hierholzer said.

When the SBA turned the application down, they acknowledged the disabilities, but they said that the disability did not subjectively in their mind prove any type of disadvantage, social disadvantage.

Hierholzer said he was optimistic that the lawsuit will bring attention to the struggle of service-disabled veterans and wounded warriors who have served their country  [and] are told by the Small Business Administration that there is a program that will help them get their businesses started and thrive that they are eligible for.

And then, when the service-disabled veterans and wounded warriors apply for this program, the Small Business Administration does not give them the consideration they advertise that they will give them, he said.

Representatives for the SBA didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the SBA turned down Hierholzers application for a program that benefits service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. In fact, he qualified for the program. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Disgrace If Djokovic Not Allowed to Enter US and Compete: Indian Wells Tournament Director

Serbia's Novak Djokovic arrives on court before practice at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 23, 2023. (Loren Elliott/Reuters)

MELBOURNENovak Djokovic could end the year as the worlds top-ranked player but it would be a disgrace if his chances are affected by not being able to compete in the United States due to his unvaccinated status, Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas said.

Djokovic missed last years Australian Open and was deported from the country due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19. His three-year visa ban was overturned in November and he is back at the Grand Slam looking to win a 10th crown and 22nd major.

The Serbian was, however, not able to travel to New York for the 2022 U.S. Open without proof of vaccination, the same reason that forced him to skip ATP 1000 events at Indian Wells and Miami earlier in the year.

U.S. authorities said this month the requirement for foreign air travelers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 would be in place until at least April 10, meaning Djokovic will miss out on Indian Wells and Miami again.

Haas, also a former world number two player, said he hoped the rules would be relaxed sooner to allow Djokovic to compete.

If Djokovic stays healthy, I dont see how hes not going to be number one, Haas told reporters at Melbourne Park on Monday.

Obviously the one problem being that he still cannot come to the United States, if he doesnt play Indian Wells and Miami in March [it will be tough], theyre supposed to lift those mandates by mid-April.

It would be nice to see if we could maybe lift those a little earlier and have him come to play Indian Wells and Miami. I think he wants to play, so we should give him the chance. Hopefully we can have him there.

I mean, it would be a disgrace in my eyes if he wasnt coming to these events, or not allowed to come.

Haas added Indian Wells organizers would do everything to help Djokovics chances of playing there.

Indian Wells runs from March 819 and the Miami Open from March 22-April 2. The 35-year-old has previously stated he would miss Grand Slams rather than have a COVID-19 vaccine.

By Shrivathsa Sridhar
WASHINGTON, D.C.On Jan. 24, opening night for Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Kennedy Center Opera House, first-time audience members and repeat Shen Yun fans alike were moved by the beauty of classical Chinese dance.

Oh, it was amazing. Beautiful dancing, costumes, colors, movements, just a beautiful display, said Beth Swankler, director of communications of a church. It really was gripping. Just a lovely display.

New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance company, and in the past decade has become a global phenomenon. Its 2023 season is its biggest yet, with eight companies simultaneously touring the globe, set to visit more than 180 cities.

Shen Yuns mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, or, what audiences have come to know as China before communism.

The Stemmles were fascinated with the history on display.

I thought the performances were breathtaking, said Jack Stemmle, a history teacher, who saw the performance with his family. China with dance, and the legendary stories. Very beautiful, dizzyingly beautiful.

Ruby Rozo-Stemmle, the founder of a non-profit organization, said its fascinating. I love what Im learning about Chinese history. I appreciated actually the way the political historythe changes in the countryI appreciated them to teach the world how things happened and I really liked that.

Mrs. Rozo-Stemmle was dazzled by the scale of the productiona backdrop that came to life and an orchestra blending East and West accompanying the dancebut most appreciated the content.

The history that comes with it is very much appreciated, she said.

Classical Chinese dance is a comprehensive, thousands of years old art form known for its expressiveness, making it a natural medium for storytelling.

Mr. Stemmle described the vigor of the Tibetan ethnic dance and the compelling plot of an ancient story out of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Mrs. Stemmle said she enjoyed a story set in the modern day, about the pursuit of religious liberty in China.

I think that was pretty amazing how the story was very well told with dance and color and beauty, she said, explaining it had deeper meaning. I think as soon as we are all united together to maintain our tradition, and our legacy, then we can keep it. This is a good example [of] how we can do that.

Also in the audience was Dave Carper, a designer for outdoor spaces, who felt the performance touched his heart.

Hopefully the true culture of China could come back and everything can be restored, he said. If the true culture can come back, that would be a beautiful thing  just to see the true culture of China is a beautiful thing.

Very, very colorful, very extravagant, he said. The artists, the way that they can dance and move is very, very impressive.

Reporting by Terri Wu, Weiyong Zhu, and Sherry Dong.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Ms. Ida Miki, a kimono designer, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Shinjuku Bunka Center in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Ren Zihui/The Epoch Times)

TOKYO, JapanJapanese jewelers and designers enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Shinjuku Bunka Center in Tokyo on Jan. 24.

A kimono designer attended Shen Yun after seeing the colors on a Shen Yun flyer, which left an impression on her. After attending the show, Ms. Ida Miki said: Every detail of Shen Yun is absolutely perfect.

Ms. Ida said she was amazed by the color saturation.

Shen Yun uses a special color scheme. All colors in Shen Yun are very beautiful and bright, and represent magnificence and nobility, she said. The colors are dazzling to my eyes. They are so gorgeous, without any dull ones. They are sumptuous and luxurious. I love them.

The performers greatly impressed Ms. Ida, who felt they defied gravity.

The dancers are very capable. They finished easily all the astoundingly difficult movements. Those techniques are tremendously difficult and really superb. They did them like a piece of cake, she said. Its amazing!

Their jumps and spins look very powerful, but their bodies are very light. The most incredible thing is they coordinate accurately, and you can see they are synchronized from any angle, she said.

Ms. Ida was surprised by Shen Yuns dynamic backdrop. Its very interesting and very creative. The figures flew out of the backdrop, and changed into dancers on stage, she said. Its a great enjoyment to see this.

I have never thought a performance can be as wonderful as Shen Yun.  Ida Miki

Ms. Ida said she had a great time with Shen Yun because I have never thought a performance can be as wonderful as Shen Yun. I felt like I have attended a collection of productions.

She said she would encourage all her friends to attend Shen Yun. This is a majestic performance. Everyone must attend at least once in their lives, she said.

New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds top classical Chinese dance company and has a mission to show the beauty and goodness of China before communism.

They Inherited the Power of the Traditional Culture

Jeweler Mr. Abe Makoto operates a gem store in Tokyo.

He said he felt sad that Shen Yun cant perform in China, where classical Chinese dance originated.

Its great that Shen Yun expresses the traditional Chinese culture by using dances, he said. I think the reason why the dancers can perform such difficult movements and can train themselves into this superb level is because they inherited the power of the traditional culture.

Mr. Abe said the dancers danced wonderfully without any fault, which he found impressive. He thought a lot about the culture and traditional values after attending Shen Yun.

I feel that Japan, China, and the United States will experience some difficulties in the future. Traditional culture can unify people. With this unity, our society can develop in a good direction, he said. Its a pity that people in China cant attend this amazing performance.

Jeweler Mr. Abe Makoto attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Shinjuku Bunka Center in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)

For 5,000 years Chinas civilization was built on values and virtues from the spiritual teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, virtues like loyalty, propriety, wisdom, justice, and benevolencevalues that are universal and shared the world over.

Values Enrich Peoples Deep Souls

Jewelry designer Ms. Okubo Reiko also operates a gem store in Tokyo. She was touched by the values that Shen Yun presents.

The values of traditional cultures enrich peoples deep souls, and are very precious, she said. Shen Yun is inspiring. I deeply acknowledged the Chinese traditional cultures from Shen Yun. I was very touched.

As a designer, Ms. Okubo said that she learned a lot about color schemes, and loved each program.

Each Shen Yun performance consists of nearly 20 vignettes, presented through highly-expressive art forms such as classical Chinese dance, original orchestral music performed live, soloists who sing in the bel canto tradition, animated digital backdrops, and more.

Reporting by Epoch Times Staff in Tokyo, Japan.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Tiffany Introduces Resolution Calling for US to Recognize Taiwan Independence

FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator holds flags of Taiwan and the United States in Burlingame, California, U.S. on Jan.14, 2017. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)

A group of congressional lawmakers has introduced a resolution that urges the Biden administration to end the United States One China Policy as outdated and counter-productive and formally recognize Taiwans status as an independent nation.

Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) led 18 other Congress members on Jan. 25 in introducing the measure, which seeks to resume formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The resolution also directs the Biden administration to support Taiwans membership in international organizations and to negotiate a bilateral U.S.Taiwan free trade agreement.

Its time to change the status quo and recognize the reality denied by the United States government for decades: Taiwan is an independent Nation, Tiffany said in a statement shared with The Epoch Times.

As our long-standing and valued partner, correctly acknowledging their independence from communist China is long overdue.

Better Relations With Taiwan



The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a single-party state, claims that Taiwan is part of China and must be united with the mainland by any means necessary. The regime has refused to rule out military conquest to achieve that goal and on several occasions has threatened war over the issue.

Despite such threats, the CCP has never controlled Taiwan, which boasts its own democratically elected government and market economy.

Since 1979, the United States has maintained the One China policy, in which it recognizes the Chinese regime as the sole entity governing China. Meanwhile, Washington maintains the Taiwan Relations Act, which guarantees that it will provide Taiwan with the arms necessary for its self-defense.

Washingtons agreements with the CCP, however, have prevented it from formally recognizing Taipei in diplomatic and trade bodies, even though Taiwan is the United States 10th-largest trading partner.

Its a situation that Tiffany hopes to rectify.

Taiwan has been put on the same footing  as North Korea and other recalcitrant countries like that, Tiffany said during a Jan. 25 interview with Capitol Report on NTD, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

Theyve expanded their democracy and are truly a peace-loving, free country here on planet Earth. And I think they should be recognized as such.

The idea isnt new to Tiffany, who brought forward similar resolutions in 2020 and 2021. What is new, he said, is the support that the resolution is receiving.

A couple of years ago, it was me alone, Tiffany said. This year, were going to have 18 original co-sponsors.

There are more and more people in Congress that are understanding how important Taiwan is, and how important it is that we recognize Taiwan, and that we trade with Taiwan.

The co-sponsors include Republican Reps. Buddy Carter of Georgia, Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Byron Donalds of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Lance Gooden of Texas, Doug LaMalfa of California, Jake LaTurner of Kansas, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Tom McClintock of California, Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Lisa McClain of Michigan, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Burgess Owens of Utah, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Michelle Steel of California, and Randy Weber of Texas.

One co-sponsor, Steel, has also been named to the new House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, which may help deliver bipartisan support to the resolution.

USTaiwanChina Dynamic Is Changing

In all, Tiffanys resolution aims to rectify what it considers an out-of-date set of foreign policies that no longer reflect either Taiwan or Chinas place in the world, or their relationships with the United States.

The President should abandon the antiquated One China Policy in favor of a policy that recognizes the objective reality that Taiwan is an independent country not governed by or included within the territory of the Peoples Republic of China, the resolution states, using the official name of communist China.

Indeed, the context of trilateral relations between China, Taiwan, and the United States has shifted dramatically in the nearly half-century since it was formulated. Apart from Taiwans embrace of democracy and its thriving market economy, most Taiwanese now consider themselves something distinct from China and its people.

A 2020 Pew poll found that 66 percent of Taiwanese consider themselves to be a distinct people from the Chinese, with 28 percent considering themselves to be both Taiwanese and Chinese, and only 4 percent viewing themselves as just Chinese.

That trend is sharply higher among the younger generation, with 83 percent of Taiwanese people under the age of 30 saying that they didnt consider themselves to be Chinese.

Likewise, a November 2021 poll by Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council, which handles cross-strait relations, found that only 1.6 percent of Taiwanese supported unification with China.

Tiffany says the times have changed and its past time that the United States adapts its foreign policy to reflect the current realities.

The world has undergone dramatic changes since the days of Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, and its time that U.S. policy reflected that fact, Tiffany said in a statement.

Taiwan is a free, democratic, and independent countryone that has never been under the control of the Peoples Republic of China or part of its territory. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply a lie.
Charges Dropped Against Ex-Afghan Soldier Seeking Asylum at US-Mexico Border

A federal judge Jan. 23 dropped criminal charges against a former Afghan combat intelligence officer who was arrested and detained by U.S. Border Protection and Customs when seeking asylum in September 2022 at the border in Del Rio, Texas.

Abdul Wasi Safi, 26, worked with U.S. Special Forces before the U.S. removed its troops from Afghanistan in August 2021. His family and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) had been working hard to free Wasi, as he is known, since his arrest.

Jackson Lee announced the news Jan. 24.

Mr. Safi came across the Rio Grande with a group of migrants after being beaten in another country and desperate to find a way to reach America to see freedom, Jackson Lee said in a statement. Unfortunately, his entry was at a non-port of entry and Mr. Safi has been held ever since in detention facilities. What happened over the last couple of weeks was a strategic and forceful effort to bring all agencies together to make the right decision for Mr. Safi.

Abdul Wasi Safi. (Courtesy of Sami-ullah Safi)

According to Wasis attorneys, he remains in custody but can now start applying for asylum again, The Texas Tribune reported.

I promise you, Im so happy and its a huge relief for me, Sami-ullah Safi, Wasis brother, told the news outlet about the charge dismissal.

Sami-ullah, 29, who is a U.S. citizen living in Houston and worked for the U.S. Department of Defense for 10 years, recently called on help from the White House for his release.

Im calling on Bidens administration to release my brother, Sami-ullah said during a press conference Jan. 13. He believed in the mission of this country in Afghanistan. Thats why he fought alongside the United States Special Forces  to eliminate terrorism.

Jackson Lee, who chairs the U.S.-Afghanistan caucus, additionally called for Wasi to receive a presidential pardon in January for allegedly attempting to cross the border illegally.

This is a mistake that needs to be corrected immediately, she said at the news conference.

Abdul Wasi Safi (R). (Courtesy of Sami-ullah Safi)

According to his brother, Wasi went into survival mode to avoid being captured or killed by the Taliban, who knew he had helped U.S. forces with biometricsscientific data such as a thumbprint scanner for identification purposesthe U.S. military left behind.

Sami-ullah said his brother relied on help from friends, colleagues, and relatives to provide him with safe places to stayand used chat groups to remain informed on which routes were safe when he traveled from place to place.

He additionally said he reached out to veteran groups in the U.S. to provide safe houses in Afghanistan for his brother, but they never did. He said he also contacted U.S. elected officials, embassies, and consulates with no success.

Nobody helped me in any way. They ignored me, Sami-ullah told The Epoch Times in a previous interview.

Eventually, he said paid $1,200 to someone willing to give his brother a paper visa to escape to Pakistan.

However, he said his brother quickly learned Pakistan leaders were working with the Taliban to capture and hand over persons of interest at checkpoints using fingerprinting technology.

But ultimately, Sami-ullah said, his brother was able to secure a humanitarian visa to Brazil where many other Afghan refugees were also being sent.

Abdul Wasi Safi. (Courtesy of Sami-ullah Safi)

But there, according to Sami-ullah, his brother was beaten and robbed, along with some other Afghan refugees, by locals who, because of their nationality, saw them as terrorists.

His inability to find a safe place in the country provided motivation for him to attempt to come to the U.S. at any cost, his brother Sami-ullah said.

However, before reaching the U.S. border, his brother was captured by Panama police and tortured for weeks, he said, because they also viewed him as a terrorist.

The language barrier prevented him from explaining his story to the several officers who beat him, punching and kicking, till he lost track of how many people were beating him, Sami-ullah said.

Finally released from the Panamanian police in September, Wasi was given five days to leave the country and joined a group of other immigrants attempting to be accepted into the U.S.

At the end of September, the caravan reached the border, and Wasi was detained by border patrol agentssignaled out as an Afghanwhile the others were let go, Sami-ullah said.

He was transported to a first detention center in Texas where he was aggressively interrogated for three days, Sami-ullah said.

U.S. border agents, according to Sami-ullah, also refused his brother medical treatment for injuries he incurred in Brazil.

I dont understand, Sami-ullah said. A man who had a background check with a background with the Department of Defense, who fought for the mission of the U.S., a man who stood up against terrorists, and now being treated as a terrorist.
Fewer Than Half of Canadians Trust Authoritative Sources of Information: Federal Research

The West Block of Parliament Hill is seen through the window of the Sir John A. Macdonald building in Ottawa on May 11, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Fewer than half of Canadians have a high level of trust in authoritative sources of information such as government health agencies, public news sources, and scientists, according to internal research by the federal Privy Council.

The Privy Council report, Misinformation and Disinformation: An international effort using behavioural science to tackle the spread of misinformation, studied 1,872 Canadians and their intentions to share false COVID-related headlines online, using behavioural interventions.

Of those studied, 42.9 percent of Canadians reported they had high trust in official sourcesspecifically institutional or authoritative sources of information such as government health agencies, health-care workers, public news sources, and scientistsand low trust in social media, family, and friends.

This group, on average was significantly older, more likely to have a university degree, and have a higher income, and exhibited low conspiratorial thinking and psychological reactance, said the report, which was first obtained by Blacklocks Reporter.

Two more groups were categorized in the report. A non-trusting group, representing 22.5 percent of the sample, had low trust in all sources, with the lowest trust in government health agencies, and the highest trust in social media.

This group, suggested the report, exhibited relatively high conspiratorial thinking and psychological reactance, and low openness to evidence.

Another 34.6 percent of those surveyed reported high trust in social media, family, and friends, and ranked government health agencies and scientists as the least trustworthy.

Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam is seen via videoconference as Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos looks on during a news conference on COVID-19 in Ottawa, on Jan. 7, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

Exposure to false or misleading statements can cast doubt on official and factual information and can erode the integrity and credibility of democratic institutions and their ability to enhance public welfare through policy measures, the report said.

False headlines were those deemed false by third-party fact-checking websites.

Who believes and spreads misinformation in the first place and why? said the report. Do our interventions work similarly for different sub-groups of people?

Relying solely on traditional top-down approaches that aim to regulate content are insufficient at limiting the immediate dangers of misinformation, wrote researchers. Innovative policy-making tools such as behavioural science can help provide immediate and long term solutions to misinformation.

The report noted, individuals willingness to comply with COVID-containment measures in Europe were found to be associated with their trust towards policy makers prior to the pandemic.

During the pandemic, said the report, governments began exploring opportunities to leverage behavioural science and experimentation in their COVID-response measures.

The report noted that troubling signals emerged related to misinformation in Canada between April 2020 and April 2021, specifically pervasive knowledge gaps and high levels of belief in verifiably false information about COVID-19.

Greater belief in misinformation, said the report, affected important health-related behaviors, such as intentions to get vaccinated (and boosted) against COVID-19.

Behavioural Interventions

The study tried two behavioural interventions on Canadians studied in the research group: an attention accuracy prompt and digital media literacy tips. The report suggested that the intention of people to share false headlines about COVID could be reduced by 21 percent with literacy tips.

The accuracy evaluation prompt gave participants a neutral, non-COVID-19 related headline and asked that it be rated for accuracy. Following this, the participants received 14 headlines and asked if they would share them on social media.

The digital media literacy tips gave people a list of things to do, including tasks such as: investigate the source, check the evidence, look at other reports to make sure other news sources are reporting the same thing, and be skeptical of headlines.
Florida Supreme Court Refuses to Stay Abortion Law

The Florida Supreme Court on Jan. 23 agreed to hear Planned Parenthoods lawsuit attempting to overturn the states 15-week abortion limit but declined to stay the law while the case is pending.

Four justices voted against the stay; one, dissenting, voted for it.

The Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Law, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in April 2022, provides exceptions, including saving the mothers life, preventing severe and irreversible impairment, and if a not-yet-viable child has a fatal fetal abnormality. The law, which amended existing abortion law, also mandates reporting on the use of abortion-inducing drugs and if human trafficking is given as a reason for the abortion.

Planned Parenthood and other abortion advocates sued on June 1, arguing the law violated privacy rights contained in the state constitution.

A Planned Parenthood table outside The Moon, a bar where Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on abortion in Tallahassee, Fla. on Jan. 22, 2023. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

The issue with the right of privacy amendment to the Florida Constitution is not what it says, but rather what it doesnt say, Mark Minck, the state chairman of Protect Human Life Florida, said in an email to The Epoch Times. The organization is gathering signatures to put the Human Life Protection Amendment on the ballot in Florida.

So, while the Florida Supreme Court wrangles over whether it includes the right to intentionally end another human life, well continue our effort to place clear and unambiguous language in our states governing document. Language that recognizes that the right to life of the preborn is God-given, thus unalienable, and shall not be infringed at any state of development.

The Supreme Courts action came a day after abortion supporters rallied in Tallahassee to mark the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that found a constitutional right to abortion. The current Court overturned the decision in June in the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization case.

The decision raised abortions profile as an election issue, as Democrats used it to rally their supporters. Meanwhile, with the issue given back to the states by the Dobbs decision, various states began toughening or revising abortion laws.

Carolina Ampudia (R), legislative chair of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida, and Fort Lauderdale politician Linda Thompson Gonzalez (L) wait in line to see Vice President Kamala Harris speak on expanding abortion access at The Moon in Tallahassee, Fla., on Jan. 22, 2023. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Vice President Kamala Harris, who spoke at the pro-abortion rally, sparked a flurry of controversy over what she omitted from an allusion to the Declaration of Independence:

We are here together because we collectively believe and know America is a promise. America is a promise. It is a promise of freedom and liberty. Not for some, but for all. A promise we made in the Declaration of Independence, that we are each endowed with the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Be clear: these rights were not bestowed upon us. They belong to us as Americans.

As Governor DeSantis said, his spokesman Bryan Griffin said on Jan. 24, we are better when everybody counts. The Florida Supreme Court denied both of Planned Parenthoods emergency motions asking the Court to block Floridas law from taking effect. The Court also accepted jurisdiction of the case and set a briefing schedule. From here, we will continue to defend our pro-life protections.

The Declaration of Independence enumerates three unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happinessand we stand for all of them.

The words three, life and all were emphasized in boldface in the press release.

Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), and Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) all chided Harris for the omission in posts on Twitter, as did the account of the Republican National Committee.

The founder of the Conservative Family Research Council went a little further, wondering if Harris gaffe was unintentional or deliberate and noting she also omitted the Creator from her quote.

The Declarations text in question, in its second paragraph, reads: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Planned Parenthoods media office did not respond to an email from The Epoch Times seeking a response about the vice presidents remarks.

Harris spoke to about 2,000 people Sunday at The Moon nightclub in Tallahassee, with another thousand outside who couldnt get in. Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the Jan. 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade decision.
Ford to Cut up to 3,200 European Jobs, Union Says, Vowing to Fight

A worker cleans a part of the front of a Ford ahead of the Munich Motor Show IAA Mobility 2021 in Munich on Sept. 6, 2021. (Michaela Rehle/Reuters)

BERLINFord Motor Co. plans to cut up to 3,200 jobs across Europe and move some product development work to the United States, Germanys IG Metall union said on Monday, vowing action that would disrupt the carmaker across the continent if the cuts go ahead.

Rising costs for electric vehicle battery materials and projected slowdowns in U.S. and European economies are putting pressure on automakers to cut expenses. The EV price war launched by Tesla Inc. earlier this month has intensified that pressure, analysts said.

The company wants to axe up to 2,500 jobs in product development and up to 700 in administrative roles, with German locations most affected, IG Metall said.

Workers at the U.S. carmakers Cologne site, which employs about 14,000 peopleincluding 3,800 at a development center in the Merkenich areawere informed of the plans at works council meetings on Monday.

Fords spokesperson in Germany declined to comment, referring to a statement on Friday in which it said that the shift to production of electric vehicles (EVs) requires structural changes and it would not say more until plans are finalized.

A spokesperson at the automakers headquarters in Michigan said discussions with the German works councils were continuing and that the company needs to be more competitive as it transitions to EVs. He would not comment on specific job plans.

Ford last year announced a $2 billion investment to expand production at its Cologne plant to make an all-electric model for the mass market. The plant currently produces the Ford Fiesta as well as engines and transmissions.

The carmaker, which employs about 45,000 people in Europe, is planning seven new electric models in the region, a battery assembly site in Germany, and a nickel cell manufacturing joint venture in Turkey as part of a major EV push on the continent.

It also has a partnership with Volkswagen to produce 1.2 million vehicles on the German carmakers MEB electric platform over six years.

That partnership remains in place, Ford and Volkswagen representatives said, though Fords U.S. spokesperson added that Volkswagens role in Fords next generation of European electric vehicles was still to be determined.

However, it warned last June of significant job cuts in the near term at its factory in Spain and its plant in Saarlouis, Germany, as the shift to EV production meant it would require fewer labor hours to assemble cars.

Fords pretax profit margins in Europe were 2.2 percent of sales for the first nine months of 2022, well below levels in North America. It also warned in October of weakening economic conditions in Europe.

If negotiations between the works council and management in coming weeks do not ensure the future of workers, we will join the process, IG Metall said.

We will not hold back from measures that could seriously impact the company, not just in Germany but Europe-wide.
France: More Women, Children Returned From ISIS Camps in Syria

Stephane Romatet, head of the crisis management and support center in the French Foreign Ministry (L), poses for a photo with Robel Baho, Deputy Head of the External Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, after signing a document of surrender for women and children of ISIS terrorists, at the department's headquarters in the city of Qamishli, Syria, on Jan. 23, 2023. (Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria via AP)

PARISFrance on Tuesday repatriated another group of women and children from former ISIS terrorist group-controlled areas of Syria, the latest return of French nationals whod been stranded in camps there, eyed warily by Paris.

The group was made up of 32 minors and 15 adult women, Frances national counterterrorism prosecutors office said. It said the women, ranging in age from 19 to 56, were held in custodysome on the basis of arrest warrants previously issued against them. The children were placed in the care of protective services.

The returnees had previously been detained in a sprawling, wretched, and lawless camp in northeastern Syria that holds tens of thousands of women and children, according to Kurdish authorities in the region.

Around 50,000 Syrians and Iraqis are crowded into tents in the fenced-in al-Hol camp. Nearly 20,000 of them are children; the rest are mostly the wives or widows of ISIS terrorists.

The camp also has a separate, heavily guarded annex holding 2,000 women from 57 other countries and about 8,000 of their children.

Before the latest repatriation, Kurdish authorities Monday met with a French delegation in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli.

France has brought home women and children from camps in northeastern Syria in successive waves since the territorial defeat of ISIS in 2019.

Many European countries were slow to allow the return of women and children from areas where ISIS operated for fear they would violently turn on their homelands.

France saw more of its citizens join ISIS in Syria than any other European country, and has been especially wary about having them back.

Authorities insisted on repatriating citizens and their children on a case-by-case basis, a long and cumbersome procedure that has been repeatedly criticized by human rights groups. French authorities have also insisted that adults, men, and women who fought with ISIS, should be prosecuted in the country where they committed crimes.

French authorities are also wary of ISIS terrorists children. Speaking last month to lawmakers, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti described children coming from Syria as lion cubs of the so-called Islamic caliphate that ISIS declared over the territory it once controlled. The ministers comments seemed to suggest that some children may not be loyal to France.

On the one hand, these kids are not responsible for the criminal choices of their parents. On the other hand, absolute vigilance is required, the minister said.

Our fear is that these children, in growing up, could be recovered by terrorist groups, he said.

Speaking before the latest group were brought back, the minister said 270 children had been repatriatedand that nearly three-quarters of them were under the age of 10.

The repatriation to France came days after a Canadian federal judge ordered Ottawa to help bring home four Canadian men held in Syrian camps. Spain this month also announced the repatriation of two women and 13 children from camps in Syria.

Following the rise of ISIS in 2014 and its declaration of a so-called Islamic caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq, thousands of men and women came from around the world to join the terrorist group. ISIS lost the last sliver of land it once controlled in east Syria in March 2019, but since then its sleeper cells have been blamed for deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq.

Humanitarian agencies and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have urged the international community to repatriate its nationals from al-Hol and other facilities in Syria, as they struggle to maintain security in the camps amid security fears.

By John Leicester and Hogir Al Abdo
Georgia District Attorney: Charging Decisions are Imminent in Trump 2020 Election Probe

A district attorney in Georgia on Jan. 24 urged a judge not to release a report from a grand jury investigating possible 2020 election interference, at least until she decides whether to charge anybody.

At this time, in the interest of justice and the rights of not the state but others, we are asking that the report not be released, Fani Willis, the Democrat district attorney of Fulton County, told Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney during a hearing.

In addition to wanting to make sure people, including future defendants, are treated fairly, Willis cited contents of the report that apparently show decisions are imminent.

Key allies of former President Donald Trump testified to the special grand jury, which McBurney approved in 2022 at the request of Willis, as the prosecutor works to determine whether any laws were violated in relation to the presidential election and its aftermath. Grand jurors wrapped up their work earlier this month, but the report has remained sealed so far.

Under Georgia law, special grand juries cannot bring charges but the grand jury in question was expected to recommend to Willis whether or not to charge certain people.

The grand jurors themselves want the report made public, and state law generally favors publication of such reports, McBurney said.

We need to be guided by the statutes. Theyre not there for optional consideration, the judge said.

But Willis and her assistants put forth that the report was part of an ongoing criminal investigation and should thus not be unsealed.

The content of the report should guide the analysis, Donald Wakeford, a county prosecutor, argued.

Wakeford said the position would change after the charging decisions were made.

What to do with the report  should come after the district attorney has had an opportunity to state I am not pursuing charges or I am pursuing charges or even I have sought charges, and heres the indictment, he said. At that point, the relative stance, the status of everyone involved will be much clearer, and we will have a much better roadmap for how to handle secrecy or publication.

The report is is sure to be eventually disclosed, because the district attorney is not going to forever oppose it, he added later.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas, on Aug. 6, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

A group of media outlets is seeking the publication of the report.

We believe the report should be released now and in its entirety, and that approach is consistent with the way the American judicial system operates, Thomas Clyde, a lawyer representing the outlets, told the judge.

In other words, it is not unusual for a district attorney or a prosecuting authority to be generally uncomfortable with having to release information during the progress of a casethat occurs all the time. But the judicial system time and time again has said, when matters are brought to the court system, we are going to require them to be made public, because the faith of the public and the court system is much improved by operating in a public way.

Clyde noted that the jurors themselves want the report published.

McBurney pushed back, wondering whether the situation fit the definition of extraordinary circumstances, which could lead to him ruling against its release. Clyde disagreed, saying in part that investigations can keep happening even after information has been disclosed.

McBurney opted against an immediate ruling.

He said he wanted to think about this a little bit before contacting the district attorneys office and the media outlets with questions or concerns. After that, well figure out the best way to move forward with this, he said.

Willis said 75 witnesses testified to the grand jury, but declined to name identities. Some of those who have testified are known, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Trump has denied wrongdoing, saying that actions, including a late 2020 call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger regarding election fraud concerns, were legitimate. He said in a recent statement the investigation was a political witch hunt.
Germany Approves Sending Advanced Battle Tanks to Ukraine

Russia says they'll 'go up in flames'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands with German army Bundeswehr soldiers at a Leopard 2 main battle tank during a training and instruction exercise in in Ostenholz, Germany, on Oct. 17, 2022. (Moritz Frankenberg/dpa via AP, File)

Germany has agreed to send advanced battle tanks to Ukraine ending weeks of speculation whether the country would overcome its reluctance to send weapons into the conflict, with the Kremlin saying the move undermines RussianGerman relations and that the equipment will go up in flames.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement on Jan. 25 that his government will provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks and give other countries that want to send their Leopard 2 tanksa move that is subject to German approvalthe green light to do so.

This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability, Scholz said in the statement. We are acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally.

Ukrainian forces need to be trained how to operate the advanced battle tanks, with German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit saying that such training will be carried out in Germany and will begin quickly.

In addition to providing the tanks themselves, Hebestreit said Germany will also provide logistical support, as well as maintenance and ammunition.

Hebestreit added that Berlin will provide 14 Leopard 2A6 battle tanks from its stocks as a first step while also issuing appropriate transfer permits to partner countries that want to send their Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Poland has been eager to send its Leopard 2 tanks to help Ukrainian forces face their Russian counterparts, with Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak saying on Tuesday that Warsaw had officially requested permission from Germany to do so.

A Leopard 2 tank is pictured during a demonstration event held for the media by the German Bundeswehr in Munster near Hannover, Germany, on Sept. 28, 2011. (Michael Sohn, File/AP Photo)

Win This War

German officials said on Sunday that they wouldnt stand in the way of countries that want to send their Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, with Berlin approval required for the German-made tanks to be delivered to a non-NATO country.

Berlins decision comes on the heels of reports indicating that Washington is poised to approve sending around 30 M1 Abrams tanks to the conflict zone, as international reluctance to send tanks to face Russian forces in Ukraine fades.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday its time, past time for the Biden administration and allies to send more military aid to Ukraine, and that Washington must provide more tanks and weapons to help Ukraine win this war.

Ekkehard Brose, head of the German militarys Federal Academy for Security Policy, said that tying the United States into the decision to send the tanks was crucial in order to avoid Europe facing a nuclear-armed Russia alone.

A rocket launches from missile system as part of a ground-based intercontinental ballistic missile test launched from the Plesetsk facility in northwestern Russia on Dec. 9, 2020. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

A Losing Scheme

Berlins announcement was met with a fiery response from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who told reporters in Moscow on Wednesday that the plan for the United States and Germany to send advanced battle tanks to Ukraine is bound to fail for technological reasons.

I am certain that many specialists understand the absurdity of this idea as well. This plan is quite a losing scheme simply for technological reasons and, importantly, this is a clear overestimation of the potential that will this will add to the Ukrainian armed forces, Peskov said.

Peskov predicted these tanks will go up in flames like all the other armor, adding that the advanced tanks cost a lot, and this burden will be primarily shouldered by European taxpayers.

The Kremlin official said Tuesday that Berlins provision of the Leopard tanks to Ukraine would further strain RussianGerman relations, which he said are already at a rather low point.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a joint news conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow on Feb. 18, 2022. (Sputnik/Sergey Guneev/Kremlin via Reuters)

The head of the union of German military personnel, Andre Wuestner, said that while shipping the Leopards to the battlefront is good for Ukraine, it is bad for the combat readiness of German forces.

In remarks to German television ZDF TV on Wednesday, Wuestner said Berlin must bolster Germanys defense capability, not just support Ukraine.

The truth is that since February we have been distributing weapons and ammunition. At the same time, we are still in a state of freefall. We have not yet achieved changes regarding our own defense capability, he said.

Besides Germany, Poland and Finland have both pledged to send their Leopard tanks to the battlefront in Ukraine, pending authorization from Berlin.

Also, the United Kingdom promised to give Ukraine 14 of its Challenger 2 main battle tanks and a range of other advanced offensive equipment.

A Challenger 2 tank fires during Exercise Tractable in Salisbury, England, on March 19, 2015. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

The Abrams tanks that Washington could approve for delivery to Kyiv as soon as Wednesday are widely viewed as less suitable for use in Ukraine owing to heavy fuel consumption and greater maintenance needs.

While some time will pass before the Leopards actually make it to to the front line, Berlins move marks the first delivery of Western-made tanks to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country almost 11 months ago.

Following Scholzs decision to send in the Leopards, British and Polish officials reacted with approval.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took to Twitter to say, Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki thanked Scholz in a post that said, The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Germany Starts Deploying Patriot Air Defense Units to Poland

A German Air Force soldier prepares a vehicle before the convoy leaves as the mobile defence surface-to-air missile systems Patriots are transported to Poland from Gnoien, Germany, on Jan. 23, 2023. (Annegret Hilse/Reuters)

GNOIEN, GermanyGermany on Monday dispatched the first two out of three Patriot air defense units that will be sent to the Polish town of Zamosc close to the Ukrainian border where they will be deployed to prevent stray missile strikes.

Two men were killed by a stray Ukrainian missile that struck the Polish village of Przewodow in the region last November, in an incident that raised fears of the war in Ukraine spilling over the border.

As a result, Berlin offered to deploy three of its Patriot units to Poland to help secure its air space.

Ground-based air defense systems such as Raytheons Patriot are built to intercept incoming missiles.

A mobile defense surface-to-air missile system Patriot before it is transported to Poland from Gnoien, Germany, on Jan. 23, 2023. (Annegret Hilse/Reuters)

One of the reasons why Germany will now support NATOs eastern flank in Poland with Patriots is certainly because we saw how quickly the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could spill over to NATO member countries, Colonel Joerg Sievers told reporters in the eastern German town of Gnoien before the Patriots departure.

Sievers, who will command the German unit in Poland, underlined the defensive nature of the Patriot system.

We are not the only defense forces on the ground, the British and Americans are also on the ground, he said.

Patriot is a strictly defensive system, and we hope that we will be able to provide sufficient protection there to prevent attacks or accidents like the one in November in the future, he added.
Gingrich Questions DirecTVs Motive in Canceling Newsmax: A Lot More About Ideology

Signage for the Newsmax conservative television broadcasting network is displayed at a broadcast TV booth at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center, in Houston, Texas on May 28, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the latest to express alarm over broadcaster DirecTVs decision to drop conservative channel Newsmax, a move he criticized as an arbitrary use of power.

DirecTV removed the network overnight on Jan. 24 after its contract with Newsmax expired, blocking an estimated more than 13 million customer base from seeing the channel, and marking the second time in a year that the television provider cut a conservative outlet from its lineup.

Gingrich, a contributor to The Epoch Times, said he considered the act terrible.

I think this is the kind of arbitrary use of power that people want to be really looking at. I dont understand how AT&T can just censor a network, he said in an interview. DirecTV is owned by AT&T and asset firm TPG Capital.

DirecTV on Wednesday said that Newsmaxs demand for rate increases would have led to price hikes for customers, while noting that anyone can watch the network for free by going to NewsmaxTV.com and streaming platforms, such as Roku and Google Play.

But this line of reasoning, to Gingrich, was unpersuasive.

Its helpful to have many news outlets, and I would be as opposed to dropping MSNBC or dropping CNN as to dropping Newsmax, he said.

With another conservative network, One America News (OAN) network, similarly canceled by DirecTV last April, the removal seems a lot more about ideology, not about markets, he added.

Newsmax on Wednesday dismissed DirecTVs claims that the decision was a mere fee dispute.

This is a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax, Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax said in a statement. The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&Ts DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN need to be deplatformed.

Dozens of Republican lawmakers had earlier written to DirecTV urging the company to reverse its stance.

If Newsmax is removed from DirecTV, in less than a year House Republicans will have lost two of the three cable news channels that reach conservative voters on a platform that primarily serves conservative-leaning areas of the country, stated a Jan. 20 letter by Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) and 41 colleagues.

A spokesperson for AT&T said DIRECTV is a separate company managed by its own board and leadership team and directed The Epoch Times to DirecTV for inquiries. DirecTV didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.
A 9-year-old fossil hunter from Maryland stumbled across a once-in-a-lifetime find while scouting for treasures on the Calvert County coastline on the Chesapeake Bay: a huge tooth from a 15 million-year-old megalodon.

On Dec. 25, Molly Sampson, a fourth grader from Southern Maryland was out fossil hunting with her big sister, Natalie. Molly was wrapped in layers of clothesas it was a wind chill temperature of 10 degrees Fahrenheit outsideand her new waders that she was gifted for Christmas.

I was walking away from the beach in knee-deep water, looking in an area I couldnt look at before until I had waders, she told The Epoch Times. I looked down and saw [the tooth] sitting on the bottom and thought I was dreaming.

Molly upon finding her megalodon tooth. (Courtesy of @fossilgirls_md and www.thefossilgirls.com)

Molly found it a bit unbelievable as it was just sitting on the sand under the water.

I tried to scoop it up with my sand sifter, but it was too big, so I just dove my hands into the freezing water to get it because I was so excited, she said.

Molly was pretty sure she was holding a megalodon tooth since she has found a few before, but none like this one. The megalodon is an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived approximately around 23 to 3.6 million years ago. Mollys father, 43-year-old structural steel estimator, Bruce Sampson, told his daughter the incredible 5-inch tooth was a once-in-a-lifetime find.

Bruce said: I was walking behind the kids, watching them look for fossils in their new waders  I heard [Molly] screaming and yelling up in front of me, and I knew she had found something good, but could not believe it when she showed me. I was so happy for her, words cannot express.

Molly with her older sister Natalie and father, Bruce. (Courtesy of @fossilgirls_md and www.thefossilgirls.com)

Bruce said that he knows the thrill of finding something like this even though his find is a little smaller.

I can tell you what I wasnt thinking: that we would be sharing this story with millions of people! he said.

Mollys mom, 42-year-old private violin teacher Alicia Sampson, was sitting by the fire at home drinking coffee, staying warm, when her husband sent photos of their daughters discovery. I thought he was playing a trick on me, Alicia said.

The family quickly got in touch with a trusted contact, Dr. Stephen Godfrey, curator of paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum, and sent him a picture of the tooth via email. They even told him they wanted to show him the find in person.

As soon as he was back in the museum, we came in and he confirmed it was a Megalodon tooth, Alicia said. Dr. Godfrey estimates it to be roughly 15 million years old.

Molly at Calvert Marine Museum. (Courtesy of @fossilgirls_md and www.thefossilgirls.com)

In early January, Calvert Marine Museum shared pictures on Facebook of the huge Megalodon tooth.

The tooth came from the left upper jaw of an otodus megalodon, Godfrey said, perhaps the largest marine macropredator the world has ever known. The shark he said was likely between 45 and 50 feet long.

The massive root would have anchored this tooth firmly to the jaw, allowing megalodon to bite through any whale or dolphin it could catch, Godfrey told CBS News. We know that it was an active predator, because from time to time we find fossilized whale and dolphin bones that preserve tooth gouge marks made by megalodon.

Mollys biggest and smallest shark teeth. (Courtesy of @fossilgirls_md and www.thefossilgirls.com)

Molly is keeping her latest find in a case with the rest of her big teeth for now. She has collected over 400 teeth in total. Bruce plans to build a shadowbox so that his daughter can display it on her bedroom wall.

For Mollys parents, her fossil find was the icing on the cake of an already enriching activity.

This is something I grew up doing, and to see them sharing the same enthusiasm is so rewarding, Bruce told The Epoch Times.

We tell the kids all the time when they find a new tooth, Youre the only person on the planet to ever hold that tooth in your hand, and its been sitting there for millions of years waiting for you to pick it up!' Alicia said.

The parents marvel that Mollys story is reaching millions.

Mollys incredible collection of Shark teeth. (Courtesy of @fossilgirls_md and www.thefossilgirls.com)

In a time when we all get so wrapped up in electronic devices, I think its important to experience the world first-hand, Alicia said. You dont have to make a once-in-a-lifetime discovery to be in awe of the treasures hidden on the beach, or wherever you roam.

Molly, who is homeschooled alongside her sister, has never been far from the Chesapeake Bay and said that the site is one of the best places in the world to look for fossil sharks teeth.

Molly loves science class and playing the violin. She plans to become a violin teacher, like her mom, or a paleontologist when she grows up.

Molly with her family. (Courtesy of @fossilgirls_md and www.thefossilgirls.com)

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
Governments Warned Chinese Cellular Chips Pose Next Biggest Threat

Visitors check a 5G Smart City technology at the China Mobile booth at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 26, 2019. The annual Mobile World Congress hosts some of the world's largest communications companies, with many unveiling their latest phones and wearables gadgets like foldable screens and the introduction of the 5G wireless networks. (David Ramos/Getty Images)

Using data collected in microchips, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could monitor activities all over the world in peoples homes, as well as weapons deployment, according to a report.

The report (pdf), written by British China researcher and former diplomat Charles Parton for Washington-based consultancy OODA, calls on free and open countries to ban Chinese-manufactured Internet of Things (IoT) modules from their supply chains as soon as possible.

It comes after at least one hidden Chinese IoT module capable of transmitting location data was reportedly found during a sweep of the UKs government and diplomatic cars.

IoT stands for the Internet of Things, which includes devices that can collect data, communicate with each other, send data to back-end systems, and act on the information collected.

Its application is increasingly ubiquitous as more homes, industries, and cities become smart, including mobile-controlled light bulbs, thermostats, smart security systems, medical monitoring devices, watches and other wearable devices, or equipment and control systems in smart industries and smart cities.

Having sent the report to the UK government, Parton urged countries to wake up to the threat.

We are not yet awake to this threat. China has spotted an opportunity to dominate this market, and if it does so it can harvest an awful lot of data as well as making foreign countries dependent on them, he told The Telegraph.

Parton has spent 22 years of his diplomatic career working in or on China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. He has continued to advise the British government and parliament and speak around the world on China.

Economic and Security Risks

In his report, Parton said cellular IoT modules are often used in settings that are part of critical national infrastructure, such as energy, transportation, communications, and finance, making it dangerous to depend on companies controlled by the CCP.

Given the immense importance of these modules to modern industry and life, this would make other countries highly vulnerable to a threat to withhold supplies. Dependency is dangerous when it is in the hands of the CCP, a potential, if not actual, hostile power, he wrote.

Parton also said using Chinese IoT modules in critical national infrastructure and key industries could enable more espionage and theft of intellectual property, allow detailed surveillance in smart cities, or give bad actors an opportunity to sabotage the systems.

To find out about weapons manufacturing in the United States, the Chinese intelligence services may be able to build up a worryingly accurate picture of how many spare parts or weapons systems have been transported and to where by using data harvested by IoT modules embedded in the supply chains and logistics system, he said in one example of the potential risks.

In another example, Parton said the IoT modules in automated farming equipment in the United States can collect detailed information such as crop yields, giving the CCP an edge in their grain contracts negotiations or business takeovers and enabling the regime to slap more accurately targeting sanctions on American growers for political ends.

On an individual level, the CCP could collate data harvested from a wide range of sources, including government systems and individuals interactions with IoT devices, such as car computers, domestic appliances, or wearable devices, and use artificial intelligence to find out their identities, habits, contacts, and finances, making it easier to target key government workers or dissidents.

Trojan Horse

Chinese dominance in IoT modules also poses a threat to other countries values under the seemingly innocuous Trojan horse of Smart Cities,' which is a euphemism for the CCPs surveillance in the northwest Xinjiang region and elsewhere.

Quectel and Fibocom, two Chinese companies that lead the global IoT market, control almost half of the worlds market share in terms of IoT module shipments, thanks to their competitive price and maintenance contracts.

But Parton said their competitive edge is built on the back of the work given to them by the CCP in policing the minority population in Xinjiang.

Quectel, Fibocom, and China Mobile control more than half of the global IoT market.

Its not yet a lost cause because a big chunk of their share is Chinas domestic market, Parton said, warning free and open countries to stop the CCP-controlled and subsidised Chinese companies from increasing their global market share.

Otherwise, countries would risk losing their own IoT industries and depending upon the CCP for cellular IoT modules, he said.

In his recommendations, Parton said countries should take steps to ban Chinese IoT modules from their supply chains as soon as possible, including a thorough audit of where these modules are embedded in government properties and services, and in critical national infrastructure, a ban on buying new Chinese IoT modules by the end of this year, and a deadline to replace existing products, possibly by the end of 2025.
Handful of Angry People Dont Define Democracy, Trudeau Says About Hamilton Protesters

Protesters walk with an inflatable sheep in downtown Hamilton, Ont., where the Liberal Cabinet retreat was taking place, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Jan. 25 that he received an extraordinary and warm welcome from people in Hamilton and that the angry people who protested his stay in the city do not represent democracy in Canada.

The welcome that Ive gotten here in Hamilton has been extraordinary. The people Ive met, the students here, the folks and teams that I met in various places during a couple of days here have been thoughtful, and open, and warm, Trudeau said while answering whether he felt safe as protesters swarmed him in the street the previous day.

A handful of angry people do not define what Hamilton is or what democracy in this country is, he said.

A video posted on Twitter by a True North reporter shows Trudeau being protected by a sizeable contingent of personal bodyguards and Hamilton police officers as he makes his way into a building, with protesters in close proximity hurling insults.

The prime minister said it was really, really important that people have the freedom in a democracy to express their disagreements or anger with the government, but that police services need to ensure the protests remain law-abiding.

Protesters were present during the three-day Liberal cabinet retreat in Hamilton, an area currently held by the Liberals (three seats) and the NDP (one seat).

The prime minister made the comments from McMaster University, flanked by his entire cabinet.

Trudeau was asked by a reporter whether a shift in mood toward him would explain why hes not holding town halls anymore and instead participating in controlled events.

He said it wasnt the case and that the pandemic had changed the way things were being done.

So were going to continue to be out there and were not going to let a handful of angry people interfere with the democratic processes that Canadians have always taken pride in, in being able to come up and meet members of parliament, ministers, or even the Prime Minister and share their preoccupations, he said.

At this time last year, truck convoys were making their way to Ottawa to protest COVID-19 restrictions.

Trudeau called them a small, fringe minority  holding unacceptable views and neither he nor any other federal government official met with the protesters who stayed for weeks in the capital.

He invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 to have them removed, but proceedings of the Public Order Emergency Commission revealed that essentially no powers granted by the act were used to clear protesters.

Financial measures were used to freeze the financial accounts of participants and police officers from outside Ottawa were sworn-in faster.

Police leadership from different outfits said the protest would have been cleared without resorting to the act.

The report from the commission on the first-time use of the Emergencies Act must be tabled in Parliament next month.
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend a bivalent booster for anyone over the age of 6 months, some physicians disagree.

This includes clinicians who discourage all COVID-19 vaccinations, and also those who endorse the primary shots but have reservations about boosting.

Dr. Paul Offit, an FDA committee adviser, on Jan. 11 discouraged bivalent boosters for young and healthy people in a commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Offit, however, as a pediatrician, has voted to approve primary series vaccines for all age groups in previous advisory meetings.

The landscape is different now in January 2023 than it was in January 2022 or 2021, said pediatric disease specialist Dr. Cody Meissner, another FDA advisory committee member and professor of pediatrics at Dartmouths Geisel School of Medicine. The equation changes as time goes by.

Vials labeled AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, and Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. Photo taken May 2, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

The severity of COVID-19 is now receding into a background seasonal virus. The circulating disease is less virulent compared to the virus of the first outbreaks in the U.S. three years ago. Changes to the virus have likely made the current Omicron variant and its subvariants less apt to cause COVID-19 pneumonia, and most people now have a degree of immunity to the virus.

Were beginning to understand that if you have some degree of immunity, from a vaccine or infection, or both, youre pretty well protected against severe disease, said Meissner, For a younger, healthy person whos immune, that person is unlikely to become severely ill, require hospitalization, or die from another infection.

Chasing Variants Is Like a Hamster on Wheel

A major topic of contention is the public health agencies approach to boosting people out of the pandemic by changing the vaccine content as the circulating variant changes.

However, physicians now argue that it is practically infeasible to continuously boost people.

In August 2022, the FDA authorized bivalent mRNA boosters with the hopes that the added Omicron mRNA components would better protect people.

However, reality showed that people could never get up to date on their immunity via vaccination, as once the boosters were rolled out, the variant the booster was based on would likely be no longer relevant.

Such was the case with the bivalent boosters. When the FDA committee advisors voted in June 2022 to approve bivalent vaccines that contained Omicron components, the data that they were presented with were from clinical studies that tested bivalent boosters that contained the Omicron BA.1 variant.

However, by June 2022, the BA.1 strain was practically extinct (pdf), so in August 2022, the FDA gave emergency authorization to bivalent boosters containing mRNA components common to the BA.4 and BA.5 variants instead.

But by then the BA.4 variant was largely irrelevant and the BA.5 variant was also on the decline.

The message seems to be that we need to vaccinate everybody, again and again, regardless of health status, Meissner said, but its like a hamster on a wheel.

We shouldnt be making vaccines, every three or four months as a new variant circulates, said Meissner, arguing that the virus is likely to continue to mutate indefinitely and there may be downsides from frequent boosting.

An electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (round gold objects), which causes COVID-19, emerging from cultured cells. (NIAID)

Shifting Stance on Boosters for Younger People

Dr. Prakash Nagarkatti, professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology from the University of South Carolina, told The Epoch Times that the current booster strategy should be reconsidered, given that most younger people would have some form of immunity against COVID-19, and are at a lower risk of severe COVID-19, to begin with.

The point of boosting is to encourage immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Dr. William Schaffner, professor of epidemiology and a non-voting member of the CDCs advisory committee said that the role of boosters in COVID-19 is to prevent severe disease that requires hospitalization and to prevent deathpointing to the CDCs own data showing lower hospitalization rates in vaccinated people.

However, other data on boosters clinical efficacy has been contradictory.

A pre-print study from Cleveland Clinic shows that the risk of infection elevates with each subsequent booster dose, and a report by researchers from Frances national public health agency has shown that immunity developed after the second booster is less than that after the first booster.

Hospitalization and mortality data across many states also showed that boosted people seemed to do worse than vaccinated people.

These findings are all arguments of correlation, but physicians and immunologists are concerned that the repeated inoculations with the boosters may train the body to always muster the same immune response when encountering other strains of the virus, also known as immune imprinting.

This would mean that infections from newer variants like Omicron, may not be effectively cleared or may completely evade the immune response, both of which have already been reported with Omicron variants.

An Australian article published in 2021 warned of potential immune imprinting through repeated boosting, and recent studies on boosters have used imprinting to explain the low immune responses and Omicron immune evasion in boosted and vaccinated people. Though it has been suggested that there may also be some degree of immune evasion in people who have natural immunity.

A preprint paper that compared people who received monovalent boosters against those who received the bivalent boosters found that T cell and antibody responses were lower in the bivalent booster group. The authors reasoned that prior exposures may have caused patients to only respond to injections from prior variants through immune imprinting.

A peer-reviewed study published on Jan. 12 in Germany showed that people who received higher numbers of mRNA vaccines had a higher IgG4 antibody response. The authors did not further discuss what these antibody levels may indicate, but studies have associated IgG4 antibodies with immune tolerance, which is when the body reduces its immune response to fight off an infection (1, 2).

People who had a previous infection or vaccination with the adenovirus COVID-19 vaccine had zero or low IgG4 antibody responses, respectively.

As with all medical interventions, there is an evaluation of benefits and risks. While data on boosters give low to negligible benefits, there are clear risks.

Younger people, especially males, are the most at risk of developing myocarditis and pericarditis from vaccination and boosting.

Though most of the published studies show a significant myocarditis uptick after the second primary dose, it is possible that the risk of myocarditis persists or even elevates if the person takes one or more boosters.

This is demonstrated by a study from Kaiser Permanente which showed that the risks of myocarditis continued to increase after participants, especially younger males, were given a first booster.

At this time, I would be hesitant to make too strong a recommendation for younger individuals, particularly college-age students to get frequent, multiple doses of these vaccines because the risk of undesirable side effects is not understood, Meissner said.

Studies from Thailand and Switzerland on subclinicalunobservableheart damage, were reported to be over two percent in vaccinated or boosted young people. Subclinical myocarditis may be several hundred times more common when compared to the CDCs data on symptomatic myocarditis after vaccination (pdf).

Nevertheless, studies have been limited and contradictory, with data from the CDC showing that myocarditis is reported less after the second primary shot.

Meissner said that clinicians do not know exactly how many and how often boosters will be necessary, and the long-term consequences of administering multiple boosters are unknown.

Annual Boosters Possibly to Come

Documents (pdf) for the upcoming Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting on Jan. 26 reveal that the FDA is considering changing boosters to be more like an annual flu shot.

The booster would be developed in spring based on prevailing strains and given once a year in the fall, much like how flu shots are administered.

For very young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immunity, there would be two-dose vaccines.

However, unlike influenza, predicting prevailing annual COVID-19 variants is quite challenging, and Meissner speculated that it is unlikely that the vaccine development model for influenza can be applied to COVID-19.

Currently, influenza variants are tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO) through its Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System which has more than 120 participating laboratories and collaboration centers around the world.

The WHO would then make recommendations on the prevailing variants for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres separately. The Southern Hemisphere experienced winter and its flu outbreak earlier. U.S. vaccine developers can use the recommendations for both hemispheres as a reference.

Besides, the changes the flu virus may take on between each variant are more predictable than the COVID-19 virus.

Influenza vaccinations are made to target the viruses hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) proteins on their outer surfaces since these proteins help the virus enter and leave cells. The changes of H and N proteins in influenza viruses would generally fall within a known range of potential mutations, making the virus easier to predict.

Most of the annual influenza pandemics are caused by influenza A and B viruses. Influenza A viruses, for example, have 18 and 11 different H and N protein types, and the dominant influenza A variant can be any combination of the H and N proteins.

The infamous Spanish flu was a combination of H1N1, meaning a combination of type 1 H and N proteins, and the type that commonly infects pigs is H3N2. Between subtypes there are also further changes classified as clades, but regardless, the 18 and 11 different H and N subtypes would give researchers a good range and direction in vaccine development.

Influenza B also has its own lineage combinations.

However, as researchers have yet to establish a range for COVID-19 mutations, this would make variant predictions and vaccine development a lot more challenging.

For SARS-CoV-2, we have no idea what mutations will occur, Meissner said, Its a different virus.

While Meissner and Nagarkatti welcomed the discussion of a single annual booster, other physicians expressed concern that the VRBPAC committee would not be evaluating safety data on subclinical myocarditis risks during the meeting.

It is impossible, in my view, to make a risk/benefit decision about annually boosting young people for covid without knowing if subclinical myocarditis is an issue, and without understanding the rate and long-term outcomes of myocarditis from boosters, tweeted Dr. Walid Gellad, professor of medicine from University of Pittsburgh, Committee needs to discuss.

Hematologist Dr. Vinay Prasad expressed similar concerns on his Substack.

Prasad added that the VRBPAC meetings currently show no signs of raising important points including the possibility of having randomized clinical trials being done on annual boosters to ensure that it actually reduces severe disease and that even with annual boosters, the vaccines may still be chasing the last variant.
An elevated rate of Bells palsy, a type of facial paralysis, was identified among elderly people after COVID-19 vaccination with a Pfizer booster shot, U.S. regulators said in a new study.

The small but statistically significant elevation was detected after vaccination with Pfizers old booster shot, which is no longer available in the United States, researchers with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a preprint study.

The elevated rate resulted in an adjusted incidence rate ratio of 1.13 and remained consistent when researchers adjusted for different factors, such as prior COVID-19 infection.

A rate above one shows a possible connection between the vaccine and an adverse event.

A statistically significant elevated rate for Bells palsy after vaccination with a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booster wasnt detected, although adjustments for certain factors, such as seasonality, did result in statistically significant results.

Bells palsy is a paralysis or weakness, typically on one side of the face. While symptoms often improve partially or fully within weeks, some people suffer longer-lasting problems. The cause of the condition is unknown, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Both messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines can cause side effects, including a form of heart inflammation called myocarditis, U.S. authorities and other experts have acknowledged.

Pfizer and Moderna officials didnt respond to requests for comment. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said during a recent appearance on CNBC that a Pfizer team constantly reviews and analyzes data and that the team hasnt seen a single [safety] signal.

A safety signal is a sign that a vaccine may cause an adverse event. The FDA detected safety signals for Pfizers vaccine in early 2021 and reported an update in a paper in late 2022. The new study, published as a preprint (pdf), outlines a new examination of post-booster issues.

FDA researchers analyzed data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which maintains a database that includes vaccination history and adverse events for Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older.

A sign for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration outside of the headquarters in White Oak, Md., on July 20, 2020. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

The Bells palsy data was analyzed from Aug. 12, 2021, to May 14, 2022; the rate after vaccination was compared to the rate from before the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were 59 cases of Bells palsy identified after vaccination, with 29 being determined not to be an actual case after a medical record review.

Investigators reported four cases of Bells palsy in Pfizers original trial, with all among vaccinated participants, while 3 of 4 cases of Bells palsy in Modernas trial were in the vaccinated. Those numbers were 1.5 to three times beyond the background rate in the population. Owing to the trial cases, the FDA stated at the time of authorization that it would recommend surveillance for cases of Bells palsy.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, utilizing data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which it manages with the FDA, identified Bells palsy as a safety signal for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines among individuals aged 5 and older. The agency found the incidence after mRNA vaccination much higher than after non-COVID-19 vaccination.

The FDA stated in the Pfizer vaccines package insert, which was last updated in July 2022, that currently available information is insufficient to determine a causal relationship with the vaccine.

A European study previously found indications that Pfizers vaccine was linked with an increased risk of Bells palsy. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were the most commonly associated with Bells palsy, a review of studies and case reports found.

Increased Risk of Other Events

Government researchers in the new study found an increased rate of acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack, among the elderly after a primary series of Pfizers vaccine. But they said the effect lost statistical significance during adjustment.

Another statistically significant elevation in rate was detected after Pfizers booster dose after, and not before, adjustment for factors such as the exclusion of cases with prior COVID-19.

No statistically significant elevated risk was detected for Modernas primary series or booster.

Fifty cases of myocardial infarction were identified through the Medicare database. After medical records were examined, 20 cases were confirmed and 21 others were deemed probable, with the rest being labeled possible.

Researchers identified an increased rate of inpatient pulmonary embolism, or blood clotting, among those who received Pfizers vaccine, and the statistical significance remained after adjustment.

A nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine booster to a person at a hospital in Hines, Ill., on April 1, 2022. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

But researchers cast doubt on a connection because they detected a statistically significant decrease in inpatient pulmonary embolism (PE) among those who received Pfizers monovalent booster. The Moderna and Pfizer monovalent boosters were replaced in the fall of 2022 with bivalent boosters, which werent covered in the study.

An elevated but not statistically significant rate of blood clotting was identified for Modernas primary series, but a statistically significant reduction was found for Modernas booster, which adds to the level of uncertainty about an increased PE risk, the researchers said.

A total of 23 cases of pulmonary embolism were detected through the database. The results of medical record adjudication were unclear because cells were redacted to protect patient confidentiality, according to the FDA researchers.

An elevated rate wasnt found for the other adverse events that were examined. They were immune thrombocytopenia, or a blood platelet disorder, for the primary series and boosters; disseminated intravascular coagulation, which causes blood clotting, for the primary series and boosters; and myocarditis and pericarditis for just the boosters. The FDA chose to combine the results of two sets of research, or one for the primary series and one for boosters, into one study.

The first study looked at data from Dec. 11, 2020, through April 16, 2021, for myocardial infarction; through April 30, 2021, for pulmonary embolism and coagulation; and through May 7, 2021, for coagulation. The second study looked at data from Aug. 12, 2021, through April 30, 2022, for infarction; through May 7, 2022, for myocarditis/pericarditis; and through May 14, 2022, for Bells palsy.

The researchers concluded that the results support the favorable safety profile of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines administered in the elderly. The study was funded by the FDA, which has backed COVID-19 vaccination throughout the pandemic.

Kidney Injury

New Zealand authorities said they found in an analysis of health records that Pfizers vaccine was linked with several adverse events.

Utilizing national electronic health records and studying the incidence of 12 adverse events after Pfizer vaccination in the population of those aged 5 and older, researchers identified a statistically significant increase in heart inflammation, or myocarditis and pericarditis. They also detected a statistically significant association between the Pfizer vaccine and acute kidney injury.

Like the FDA researchers, New Zealand officials used adjusted incidence rate ratios. They looked at the incidence of each adverse event in the weeks following vaccination and compared the figures to the incidence before the pandemic.

Researchers detected an increased risk of a number of conditions following vaccination, but the only statistically significant increases were for acute kidney injury and myocarditis/pericarditis, including a big jump in heart inflammation following a second dose of a Pfizer vaccine.

Consistent with other research from around the world, most cases of inflammation occurred in youths.

The New Zealand government funded the study, which was published as a preprint by The Lancet.
U.S. regulators sped up the approval of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine to enable vaccine mandates, according to newly released emails.

Pfizer and BioNTech asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2021 to approve their vaccine. Regulators said publicly that the review of the Biologics License Application would likely be done by January 2022, but behind the scenes top agency officials were pushing the Office of Vaccines Research and Review (OVRR) to quickly complete the review.

Dr. Marion Gruber, the head of the office at the time, and her deputy Dr. Phil Krause outlined in a memorandum that the review could not be done before Sept. 15, 2021, according to one of the newly released messages.

While that was longer than desired, OVRR believes that public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines would not be served by rushing our review and evaluation of the submitted data, Gruber wrote in an email to Dr. Janet Woodcock, the acting FDA commissioner, and Dr. Peter Marks, another top official at the agency. The email summarized a July 19, 2021, meeting involving Gruber, Krause, Woodcock, and Marks.

During the meeting, Woodcock and Marks expressed concern about rising COVID-19 cases  and stated your opinion that, absent a license, states cannot require mandatory vaccination and that people hesitant to get an EUA authorized vaccine would be more inclined to get immunized when the product is licensed, according to Gruber.

The vaccines at the time were under emergency use authorization, which generally doesnt allow mandates. Approved vaccines can be mandated in certain scenarios.

Gruber said she and Krause were also concerned about the rising number of cases and wanted the Pfizer vaccine licensed as soon as possible. However, our concern is that a review that is hyper-accelerated beyond the already very rapid September 15 target date and as a consequence, may be less thorough than our typical review seems more likely to undermine confidence in the vaccine (and, indeed, in FDAs credibility) than to increase it, she added.

Woodcock declined to comment.

Marks, Gruber, Krause, and the FDA did not respond to requests for comment.

Previously, one could infer that there was a coupling between regulatory decisions and political expediency. But with these emails, you see the smoking gun, Dr. Robert Malone, who helped invent the messenger RNA technology that Pfizers vaccine uses, told The Epoch Times.

Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, speaks in Washington on March 18, 2021. (Susan Walsh/Pool/Getty Images)

High Level Response

Marks told Woodcock that the acting commissioner should issue a high level response correcting Marions September 15 assertion, unless you agree with it (since this will almost certainly be FOIAed), or eventually released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Frankly, I am happy to go on the record here to note that though I understand the exhaustion that some are feeling, the lack of urgency and responsiveness to the public health imperative to save lives that seems to be felt by some in leadership of the Office of Vaccines is disappointing to me, Marks added. That is my problem, and I will deal with it in due course.

Woodcock later messaged Gruber, saying that the pandemic was a once in a lifetime public health crisis.

With this public health imperative in mind, as well as the intensifying problem of vaccine hesitancy, we all also agree about the importance of not only reviewing this BLA as efficiently as possible, but also ensuring that it is done thoroughly and in keeping with FDAs high standards that protect and promote the public health, Woodcock wrote.

She declined to weigh in on the timeline, saying she did not have enough information to venture an opinion and delegating to Marks.

I dont have much to add to Janets response below, except to echo her gratitude for all of your work and to say that I remain absolutely committed to ensuring that we maintain our high quality standards in any work undertaken to further expedite the BLA review, Marks wrote.

The FDA approved the Biologics License Application for Pfizers vaccine on Aug. 23, 2021, after bypassing its vaccine advisory panel. The approval triggered scores of mandates, including a mandate for all U.S. military personnel.

Woodcock told FDA workers after approval that their review and analyses, which determined the vaccine met our standards of safety and effectiveness, should go a long way to instilling confidence in those who have continued to be reluctant to get vaccinated, and move us a step closer to ending this pandemic.

The vaccine does not prevent transmission, so its unclear how its approval would end the pandemic.

Speaking to reporters in a briefing, Woodcock noted that the application was reviewed in an unprecedented timeline but asserted that our efforts to move as quickly as possible have in no way sacrificed scientific standards or the integrity of our process.

Marks noted that the license application was reviewed in about 40 percent of the time such work usually takes to complete.

Gruber and Krause resigned shortly after the approval over how the FDA was handling the vaccines.

Just one month later, the FDA authorized booster doses because the vaccine was performing worse against the Delta variant. Since the emergence of Omicron in late 2021, according to studies and real-world data, the vaccines have provided poor or even negative protection against infection. Protection against severe illness has been better, but data show sharp drops in the shielding within months of boosting. No clinical data is available yet for the updated boosters, cleared in late 2022.

Other emails, released in 2022, showed that Gruber was concerned that companies like Pfizer were trying to pressure the FDA into authorizing boosters. One missive, from Dr. Doran Fink, who worked under Gruber, showed Fink recounting how Marks told workers that the FDA wouldnt be doing rushed reviews anymore.

I had to bite my tongue  so as not to ask about the booster doses that the administration promised to everyone by Sept. 20! Fink said.
This letter has been signed by Dr. Rachel Corbett, Dr. George Fareed, Dr. Melanie Gisler, Dr. Brian Hooker, Dr. Pierre Kory, Dr. Katarina Lindley, Dr. James Lyons-Weiler, Dr. Robert Malone, Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Liz Mumper, Dr. Meryl Nass, Dr. David Rasnick, Dr. Richard Urso, and hundreds more physicians, scientists, and medical professionals.

The original authors are Michael Kane and Meryl Nass, M.D., and it is being distributed by Childrens Health Defense. Medical and scientific professionals can sign the letter, which is a basic statement of principles that should be at the core of medicines but which have sidelined or violated since the beginning of the crisis.

Executive Summary

There is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. Mask and vaccine exemptions must be offered at the discretion of the physician and patient as opposed to one-size-fits-all government edicts. Parental rights and decisions must be preserved to ensure the health and well-being of their children. The ability of medical professionals to speak freely to their patients and the public must not be compromised.

Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Shared decision-making is a model of the patient-physician relationship that is considered the most desirable by both the US and UK government health establishments. Patients want to make their own medical decisions, and they have the legal right to do so. They expect their physicians to share knowledge with their patients to inform the best choices.

The corollary to informed consent is that medical decisions ought to be made by individual patients based on their individual situation and personal best interest. One-size-fits-all medicine is incongruent with these principles. It denies informed consent and personal autonomy.

During the last three years, we have experienced unprecedented interference with the doctor-patient relationship by the government. Considerable financial incentives were paid to medical industries and medical providers to offer certain treatments and to refuse others.

When financial incentives did not achieve universal vaccination, mandates were imposed. One way this was done was by requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers whose employers received Medicare payments after we had learned that vaccinations did not protect patients or coworkers from infection.

Grants to school districts were conditioned on mask mandates in schools. These newly imposed incentives, and punishments for noncompliance, fly in the face of long-established medical ethics, especially informed consent and shared decision-making. They must end.

COVID-19 Mandates

There is general agreement that all available COVID-19 vaccines fail to prevent viral transmission and only briefly reduce cases. After several months, people who are vaccinated become more susceptible to COVID-19 infections than the unvaccinated. Therefore, mandates for COVID-19 vaccines are scientifically and logically indefensible.

In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adapted its guidelines for managing COVID-19, quietly suggesting that both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans should be treated identically with respect to isolation, quarantining, and testing. Yet the CDC continues to exhort Americans to receive more COVID-19 vaccine booster doses and supports federally imposed vaccine mandates.

Essentially everyone in our country has been exposed to COVID-19 by now, and nearly everyone has been infected at least once. We can anticipate that the U.S. will continue to face evolving COVID-19 variants, but we can also anticipate that COVID-19s severity will keep weakening over time.

Yet patients and doctors are still not permitted to choose the COVID-19 therapies best suited to each patient. Mandates must end, and patients and doctors must reassert their human and legal rights to determine the medical care each patient receives.

Vaccine and Mask Exemptions

Patients are individuals. They experience different risks from vaccinations and may have medical or psychological issues that preclude safe masking. Pretending that these differences dont exist is denying reality. Historically, doctors were able to issue waivers for masks and vaccinations, as they were considered to have the best knowledge and judgment to issue such waivers.

Although every state by law accepts that doctors can issue medical waivers for vaccines and masks, many health and education departments have started nullifying these waivers, superseding physician authority. States have also been investigating and punishing doctors for issuing medical waivers. It appears that federal and state governments want to make themselves the arbiters of these medical decisions. This must not stand.

Parental Rights

States decide on the age of consent, and until that age is reached, parents are wholly responsible for their children, with a few limited exceptions. But during the past two years, we have seen a dangerous trend. State requirements that parents must consent to vaccinations given to their underage children are being ignored in multiple jurisdictions. This happened in Washington, DC, for children ages 11 and older by order of the Mayor and City Council. The law they passed kept the fact that their children had a medical procedure secret from the parents. While Congress, which oversees the law in the District of Columbia, could have said no, it instead failed to act. A lawsuit challenging this law was won in November 2021, so the law no longer stands in DC.

However, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Francisco, California; and Kings County, Washington, the local health officers issued guidelines in early 2021 allowing local medical providers to vaccinate children as young as age 12 without parental permission, which still stand.

This is a dangerous usurpation of parental rights by local public health authorities. It also violates state and federal law. Furthermore, there has been a recent accompanying trend by medico-legal professionals to assert in published journal articles that 12-year-olds have the maturity to decide on their own medical procedures.

Most states dont allow children to consent to use tanning salons or get tattoos below the age of consent. To bypass parents and allow underage children to decide what gets injected into them is inconsistent with state laws, medical ethics, common sense, and optimal medical care of children. It needs to end.

Free Speech for Medical Professionals

An attack on the free speech of doctors and medical scientists is being waged across America today. While controversy is inherent in scientific advancement, and scientific knowledge continuously evolves, disagreement with the federal public health recommendations has led to draconian censorship and suppression. Doctors have been investigated, lost their specialty board certifications, and even lost their medical licenses for speaking out publicly against federal guidelines.

Yet no health authority is infallible, and the COVID-19 pandemic proved this. In fact, both the World Health Organization (WHO), NIH, and CDC changed their COVID-19 policies, guidelines, and recommendations numerous times throughout the pandemic.

The suppression of medical professionals speech is illegal, according to the First Amendment and state statutes, and must immediately end.

This letter continues to be signed by medical professionals and scientists around the world. View the growing list of signatures.

From the Brownstone Institute

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.
Our modern-day, busy, stressful lives can lead to a full-blown head of gray hair at a young age. One short-term remedy for gray hair is using dyes, but the chemicals involved may invite unwanted health hazards. Are there better ways to return gray hair to its original color? Shu Rong, a veteran traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner, provides three simple tricks that may help with restoring your hairs natural color.

TCM says that hair is the manifestation of deep-rooted blood health. In Chinese medicine, blood is considered a fluid that nourishes the body. Qi also affects hair color. Qi is the energy that fuels the body and is derived from the food we eat and the air we breathe. Qi and blood are first supplied to other body organs, and the hair is the last place they reach. Therefore, if the circulation of qi and blood is insufficient, hair may fall out or thin, as well as turn gray.

Emotions and worries are also key factors affecting hair graying and loss. Ancient references have suggested that Wu Zixu (a grand warrior of ancient China) and Queen Mary (of France), both had their hair turn gray overnightis there any wonder?

The thinking brain consumes a lot of energy. According to TCM, the kidneys govern the bone to produce marrow, and marrow produces the brain, thus, the brain needs a generous amount of kidney qi to help it function. When a large amount of the kidney qi is mobilized to replenish the energy absorbed by thinking, the body accommodates the loss of melanin by letting go of the hair.

When Does Gray Hair Appear?

Suwen (Questions of fundamental nature), one part of the Chinese medicine classic Huangdi Neijing, points out that it is normal for women to start to see gray hair at the age of 42 and men at 48. However, if they know how to better maintain their hair, or have sufficient kidney qi, they are less likely to have gray hair. There are three main reasons why modern-day people are more likely to grow gray hair:

Genetics: Congenital deficiency of kidney essence, or blockage of kidney qi that leaves it unable to reach the top of the head. Unhealthy daily habits: Smoking, drinking, intemperate eating and overeating of greasy, sweet, and hot food, staying up late, excessive sex, and other habits that cause excessive fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Diseases: Kidney, liver, and spleen, in particular.

Location of Gray HairA Reflection of Viscera Health

The location of gray hair growth can reflect the health of internal organs and the overall health of the body. Therefore, Shu Rong believes that if the health of the body is optimized, there is a chance that color may returnor at least that the graying process will slow.

Forehead: Spleen and stomach disordertoo much thinking (pondering or worrying), constipation and diarrhea, or an inability to concentrate on eating. Temples: Overheated liver and gallbladderand the gallbladder, it is said, is in charge of decision-making. Those who have to think hard and make difficult decisions are prone to gray hair at the temples. Back of the head: Deficiency of bladder and kidney qi. Rong believes that the gray hair on the back of the head often indicates the presence of chronic disease and needs special attention.

3 Simple Tricks for the Return of Natural Hair Color

Certain foods may help turn gray hair to its original color.

Shu Rong recommends eating:

Black sesame seeds: Sun Simiaos (Tang dynasty around 652 AD) The Essential Prescriptions for a Thousand Golds referred to selecting high-quality black sesame seeds and preparing them by washing them nine times, steaming, sun-drying, then adding boiled honey or jujube paste then making them into 10g (0.4 ounces) pills. The recommended two pills daily may turn hair to its original color after two years. Raw ginger: To promote blood circulation, dispel stasis, disperse internal gas, improve localized blood circulation, and promote hair growth on the head. Apply where gray hair grows or starts to grow once a week but beware not to cover too large an area, or use it too frequently. Combing the hair: Head or hair combing can promote blood circulation in the head and is also effective in improving gray hair. The ancient (AD 610) Chinese literature General Treatise on Causes and Manifestations of all Diseases stated, If you comb your hair a thousand times, your hair will not be white. Shu Rong advises that combs should be made of materials such as horn, sandalwood, wood, and jade.

For hair maintenance, Shu Rong also provides some tips.

Dont pull out gray hair.

Use natural hair dyes.

Eat nutritional foods.

Eat foods that regulate the liver and kidneys, such as black beans, black sesame seeds, walnuts, cashew nuts, and peanuts.

Once you succeed in taking good care of your body, your hair color may return.
High-Profile Deaths in China Spike in December 2022

Workers in protective gear handle a coffin and coffin case at Dongjiao Funeral Parlor, reportedly designated to handle COVID-19 fatalities, in Beijing on Dec. 19, 2022. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The COVID pandemic once again swept across China in late 2022. Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been covering up the true extent of the outbreak, there is no way to know the true number of deaths in China. However, based on statistics made public by some academic institutions and obituaries of some Chinese celebrities, the average death toll of Chinese celebrities in December 2022 is many times higher than in the past.

Peking University Health Department Deaths

From 2017 to November 2022 (71 months in total), Peking University Health Science Center issued 130 obituaries, or an average of 1.83 deaths per month, according to a statement released by the Centers retirement office.

Peking University Health Science Center announced 18 deaths in December 2022, nearly 10 times the previous monthly average. It is 12 times higher than the average monthly death rate of 1.5 in 2019 (18 in total).

Chinese Academy of Engineering Deaths

According to the list of deceased engineering academicians released by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, from 1995, when complete data was available, to the end of 2021, a total of 255 academicians died, or an average of 0.787 academicians died every month for 27 years (324 months).

In December 2022, a total of 16 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering died, 20 times the monthly average from 1995 to 2021. It is nine times the monthly average of 1.82 academicians in the first 11 months of 2022 (20 in total).

A building of the Chinese Academy of Science. (The Epoch Times)

Academy Member Deaths

A total of 27 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences passed away in 2022, according to data compiled by Chinese media and Chinese celebrity obituaries compiled by Wikipedia.

In December 2022 alone, nine academicians died, six times the monthly average of 1.5 academicians in the first 11 months of 2022.

Celebrity Obituaries Statistics

At least 322 celebrities died in China in December 2022, according to Chinese celebrity obituaries compiled by Wikipedia. This is five times the number of celebrity deaths in November 2022 (70) and more than 10 times the number of celebrity deaths in December 2021 (31).

The above-mentioned academicians, retired professors and staff of Peking University Health Science Center, as well as celebrities in science and technology, art, politics, enterprises, sports, medicine, journalism, publishing, military, and other fields, usually enjoy far more medical resources than ordinary people. Therefore, the overall death toll in China in December is estimated to be even worse.

The uptick in deaths of Chinese elite, many of whom were affiliated with the CCP, indicates that the COVID outbreak in China is targeting the communist regime and its supporters, an Epoch Times editorial pointed out.

The ancients believed that plagues punished humankind when its sins became too great, the editorial said, pointing to the myriad atrocities committed by the regime.

In Eastern thought, specifically, theres the concept of karma, which is acquired as a result of committing bad or immoral deeds, reads the editorial on Jan. 20.

Most recently, the CCP has engaged in a whole-of-society persecution targeting an estimated 100 million practitioners of the spiritual discipline Falun Gong. The persecution was launched in 1999 by then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin, who died in November last year.

History has shown us previous examples of this. In ancient Rome, the persecution of Christians resulted in four plagues, and the powerful Roman Empire declined and eventually perished. In Chinas history, a change of dynasty often occurred when the court became corrupt and social morality degraded; plagues frequently resulted.

Ultimately, the best cure for this plague is to reject the CCP.
Hong Kong to Scrap Quarantine Rules, Daily Entrants From China Increase

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-Chiu announced in the Legislative Council on Jan. 19 that Hong Kong will scrap COVID-19 quarantine requirements starting Jan. 30.

The isolation orders for infected persons will be finally canceled after years of quarantine measures in Hong Kong.

Currently, COVID-19-positive patients and close contacts who are unvaccinated or have only received one dose of vaccine must be quarantined for 14 days.

Those who have received at least two doses of vaccine can have their isolation rescinded if they test negative in rapid antigen tests (RAT) on days six and seven.

On Dec. 8, 2022, a day after the Chinse Communist Party (CCP) lifted its pandemic restrictions, Hong Kong authorities announced that the quarantine period for confirmed cases and close contacts would be reduced from seven days to five days from Dec. 9, regardless of whether they were vaccinated or not.

However, on Dec. 7 alone, there were 14,373 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hong Kong, a record high since the end of September 2022.

On Dec. 14, the Hong Kong government announced five relaxation arrangements. It abolished the need to scan the LeaveHomeSafe app when entering a venue and the yellow restriction code for travelers arriving in Hong Kong, who would be allowed to travel freely after they have the PCR tests upon arrival, without the 3-day quarantine.

Passengers head to check-in counters at the international airport in Hong Kong on Dec. 28, 2022. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)

In addition, the rapid antigen test was dropped for ports of entry from Hong Kong to Mainland China or Macau. At the same time, the requirement for those in home quarantine to wear electronic bracelets was eliminated, and the mandatory inspection notices issued to residential buildings would be gradually reduced.

On Dec. 29, it deactivated the vaccine pass and all social distancing measures, but with the mandatory mask-wearing in public still in place.

Since then, the number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong reported by the Hong Kong government has dropped from nearly 30,000 on Dec. 3 to just under 2,000 newly reported positive cases on Jan. 24. However, there is no information as to how the lifting of restrictions has affected the identification of new cases.



As to why the local pandemic control measures are being relaxed, Lee explained that since the fifth wave of the pandemic in Hong Kong, many citizens have acquired immunity due to being infected or vaccinated, thus achieving an immunity barrier in society.

Lee also said that since most of the symptoms of the current variant are mild, the governments one-size-fits-all handling of the pandemic should be changed to allow citizens to take responsibility and make their own decisions on how the disease should be treated, as for any of the other upper respiratory diseases.

Mainland Vistors Increase Marginally

The number of visitors entering Hong Kong from mainland China shows an upward trend from Jan. 1 to 22, 2023, after borders reopened on Jan. 8. (Data source: Hong Kong Government)

Since the border between China-Hong Kong reopened, the number of inbound tourists from China has, according to government data, increased from 5,046 on Jan. 8 to 14,892 on Jan. 20 but dropped back to about 10,000 each day during Lunar New Year.

On Jan. 22, the first day of the Lunar New Year, 18,635 visitors arrived in Hong Kong, including 10,082 from mainland China, which was five percent of the number of visitors on the first day of the Lunar New Year in 2019 before the pandemic. On the other hand, Macau had about 50,000 visitors on Jan. 22. Hong Kongs total number of visitors was only 37 percent of what Macau received on the same day.

Currently, mainlanders entering Hong Kong still need to obtain a negative nucleic acid test certificate before the scheduled departure or 48 hours before arrival in Hong Kong.



Some Legco members are concerned about whether the rapid antigen test can replace the nucleic acid test for crossing the borders. Lee responded that the issue involves the Hong Kong government, the Shenzhen Municipal Government of Guangdong Province, and the central government, and it will take time to discuss.

Tours From Mainland

On Jan. 9, the chief executive of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC), Fanny Yeung Shuk-fen, said that due to the unexpected border opening, coupled with the then-approaching Lunar New Year, Hong Kong might not see many visitors from the mainland soon as many had already made their travel plans.

She quoted some travel agencies in the mainland as saying there would be no tours to Hong Kong until early February and that it would start with ten groups per day, with about 30-40 tourists each.

She estimated that the daily number of visitors to Hong Kong would be less than ten percent of the number before the pandemic. As for individual travel, she expected that the number would pick up from mid to late February and that more mainland visitors would visit Hong Kong by March.

Hong Kong tourists riding a ferry heading from Hong Kong to the southern Chinese enclave of Macau on Jan. 17, 2023. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)

On Jan.15, Dane Cheng, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), told Commercial Radio Hong Kong that after the implementation of 0+3 (no mandatory quarantine but only three-day medical monitoring) at the end of September 2022, the number of visitors to Hong Kong began to rise gradually, but at a slow pace, with mainly business travelers and those visiting relatives, followed by individual or group tours, and that large group tours have not yet resumed.

As for the lower-than-expected number of mainland visitors, Cheng said that the mainland had just resumed its tourist visa application to Hong Kong in early January, and many visitors needed time to renew their documents and that it is estimated that the number of mainland visitors would gradually increase.

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Eric Chan Kwok-ki, said in an interview published in the Hong Kong Economic Times on Jan. 19 that more than a million mainlanders had applied for travel or business visas to Hong Kong in the ten days since Jan. 8.

They were expected to come to Hong Kong after the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival travel rush to boost the economy.

He said that this would allow shopping malls, eateries, and attractions time to resume their operations to prepare for a new wave of visitors. He also said that if Beijing allowed it, Hong Kong would drop the PCR test requirements anytime.

Speaking to the media after attending a New Years event on Jan. 22, Chan said the number of confirmed cases had not increased, and the healthcare system was not overloaded. He believed that Hong Kong had the conditions to further relax the border crossing requirements and move on to the second phase.
Insurance Industry Has a Moral Duty to Help Prevent COVID Vaccine Injury: Josh Stirling

Two years on from the rollout of the first COVID-19 vaccines, public health data have begun to show a disturbing trend in excess deaths that has insurance research analyst Josh Stirling sounding the alarm.

The more [vaccine] doses on average you have in a region within the United States, the bigger increase in mortality that region has had in 2022, when compared to 2021, Stirling told Jan Jekielek of Epoch TVs American Thought Leaders in an episode of the program that aired on Jan. 24.

Stirling, who has extensively analyzed public health data from both the United Kingdom and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), added that the shocking trend appears to be shared by both nations.

Using data from the United Kingdoms Office of National Statistics  you see that, although the vaccinated appear to have had lower mortality in the year 2021 in general and aggregate across all ages, in 2022, generally, the vaccinated have had much higher mortality than the unvaccinated, he noted.

(Courtesy of Josh Stirling)

The Data

The UK data, released last summer, were collected monthly over a period of 18 months starting in January 2021.

Those numbers indicated that, in 2022, across all ages, the vaccinated experienced a 26 percent higher mortality rate than those who remained unvaccinated.

And under the age of 50, its a 49 percent higher mortality rate, Stirling noted. Those are really troubling numbers.

However, another striking discovery was that those who had received just one dose of a COVID vaccine had a 145 percent higher mortality rate than those who were unvaccinated.

While puzzling at first glance, Stirling advised that the statistic was likely due to those individuals who had adverse reactions to their first dose of the vaccine and decided against receiving a second one.

Furthermore, he noted that if one were to apply the UK mortality rates to the United States, the result would be 600,000 excess deaths per year due to the vaccines.

(Courtesy of Josh Stirling)

And though he acknowledged that the excess mortality rates could have been influenced by other factors, such as extended lockdowns or long COVID, Stirling held that the most obvious explanation was also the most likely.

As a data analyst  if were looking at the time series, you end up saying, Well, gosh, the easiest way to explain this, and probably the most statistically likely way to explain it is, in fact, the change that occurred in 2021, when the vast majority of the world got vaccinated, he said.

Included among the analysts other notable findings was an upswing in the number of workers reporting a disability to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics since spring 2021, as well as significant increases in other health concerns that he observed in Germanys public health data, such as cancer, immune deficiencies, female fertility problems, and eye-related issues.

A Moral Duty

On Dec. 7, 2022, Stirling presented his findings before the COVID Vaccine Efficacy and Safety Conference hosted by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in Washington.

The senator expressed concern over the information, noting that just about everybody knows someone who had a severe reaction to their first dose of the vaccine and decided not to get another.

We see these safety signals, he added, and we all are asking, Why are they being ignored? They shouldnt be ignored, and weve got a lot of questions.

Echoing that sentiment, Stirling told Jekielek that he felt called to action after analyzing the data and hearing the tragic stories of those who had been injured by the vaccines.

Ultimately, the stories are heart-wrenching as a father, as a professional analyst who likes to read things and likes to look at numbers, he said, adding that he was particularly struck by the story of 13-year-old Maddie de Garay, a girl who suffered a severe adverse reaction after her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine while enrolled in a clinical trial for children.

They didnt even code her as a serious adverse event, Stirling noted. And  I began to realize there was a lot to thisthat, as a moral duty, as a humanitarian calling, I should try to use those [analytical] skills, which I learned on Wall Street, for a better and more noble purpose. And thats why Ive been trying to help.

Holding that the overall insurance industry also has a responsibility to help, he added that one of the ways they could do so would be to join the coalition he is forming to help identify those at risk for adverse reactions to the vaccines.

Ive been on the phone for the past two weeks, with lots of important people in the insurance industry, because were founding an organization called the Insurance Collaboration to Save Lives, he said. Ive been shocked and blessed by the amount of momentum that were starting to get.

The organization, Stirling said, will use standard medical technology, like blood screenings, to detect key symptoms relating to myocarditis, blood clots, autoimmune diseases, and other known side effects of the vaccines to identify those at risk and prevent any catastrophic outcomes.

We want to save a million lives, he said, adding, The only way to know for sure whats going on with Americans health right now is to go out and test them.
Doctor Tells Law Society Former Health Minister Visited His Home

Tyler Shandro, Alberta's minister of justice and solicitor general, in a file photo. (The Canadian Press/Todd Korol)

The Law Society of Alberta heard Tuesday a number of allegations about Albertas justice minister over suggestions he violated the professions code of conduct.

Tyler Shandro is facing three complaints dating back to his time as the provinces health minister early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Calgary doctor, who had posted a photo on social media of Shandro with a caption related to privatizing health care, told the hearing he received a visit to his home from the minister and his wife in March 2020. He said it occurred during fractious negotiations between the government and the Alberta Medical Association over fees.

The photo of Shandro, with a thought bubble caption, said: So every Albertan that I can kick off health care is another client we can sign up for Vital Partners. Were going to be RICH.

Shandros wife, Andrea, is the co-founder of Vital Partners, a health insurance agency.

Dr. Mukarram Zaidi testified he went outside of his home to meet Shandro and described the minister as being highly upset as he demanded the doctor remove the post immediately because his family was being subjected to death threats.

I see Shandro and his wife standing at the sidewalk. He was crying, he was emotionally charged. His wife was holding him, Zaidi said.

He said, You cant do this to us. Were getting death threats. I think I asked him, What do you want me to do? And he said, Delete your post.'

Zaidi said he complied and felt that Shandro was visiting in his capacity with the United Conservative Party government and not as a private citizen.

The doctor said he is a member of the UCP, an activist and had known Shandro for some time.

Zaidi told the panel that he later put the matter behind him but was contacted by a CBC journalist and told him what happened.

Under examination from Shandros lawyer, the doctor said he hadnt planned the original post or his media interview as a strategy to discredit the minister during fee negotiations.

I wanted to get attention that this is a conflict of interest, of a sitting minister of health, whose business would benefit in turn for what his actions were, he said.

After the story emerged, Shandro issued a statement confirming the meeting.

The attacks on someone I love and the mother of my children upset me deeply. As any husband would do I responded passionately to defend my wife, he wrote.

Shandro said in the statement that he had known Zaidi to be a decent and honourable man.

When I saw that a longtime political acquaintance and neighbour had posted something to social media that was contributing to attacks against my wife I went to speak to him and implore him to cease propagating this false information.

Shandro resigned as health minister in September 2021. He was briefly labour and immigration minister before he was appointed to the justice portfolio in 2022.

Shandros lawyer, Grant Stapon, told the hearing that the conversation between Shandro and Zaidi was a private matter.

Those communications should be judged on the basis of Minister Shandros actions as a non-lawyer, in his personal capacity, said Stapon.

He was not practising law. He was not acting as a politician. He was acting in his personal capacity.

Zaidi said he found the encounter unsettling.

I dont really get intimidated. This was a very intimidating situation.

Two doctors also complained that Shandro used his position as health minister to obtain their personal cellphone numbers and contacted them outside regular working hours.

Dr. Lauralee Dukeshire said she was practising medicine in the Red Deer area when she and another doctor attempted to attend an announcement by Shandro and former Premier Jason Kenney at a hospital.

She testified that she yelled at Shandro and Kenney as they were leaving and asked why they wouldnt stop and talk to the doctors. When Shandro got on an elevator, she said she told him he was a liar and a cheat.

Dukeshire said she was surprised days later when she received a voice mail on her phone from Shandro, who said he got her number from Alberta Health Services.

He said I was welcome to call back to discuss my concerns. My first thought was how does he know who I am and how did he track me down? she said.

My initial reaction was disbelief and a bit of fear. I felt that the government had tracked me down to say we know who you are and we can find you 36 hours after I had said something insulting to him.

The hearing runs through Thursday.
Jan. 6 Defendant Who Allegedly Yelled Threats Toward Pelosi Convicted of Felony, Misdemeanor Charges

A large group of protesters stand on the East steps of the Capitol Building after breaching its grounds in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

A Pennsylvania woman who allegedly yelled threats toward former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been charged with felony and misdemeanor charges, officials said.

Pauline Bauer, 55, of Kane, Pennsylvania, was found guilty in the District of Columbia on Jan. 24 by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee.

Her actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Bauer was among the group of individuals who illegally entered the Capitol grounds and Capitol Building on Jan. 6 and was filmed via body-camera footage at approximately 2:57 p.m. saying words to the effect of, This is where we find Nancy Pelosi.

It is unclear if the body-camera footage was filmed by police or other attendees.

She was standing a few feet from the speakers office when she was recorded saying: Bring that [expletive, expletive] out here now. Bring her out. Bring her out here. Were coming in if you dont bring her out here, prosecutors said.

Bauer Screamed Expletives at Officer Prosecutors Say

When an MPD officer tried to push Bauer away from the area he was protecting, she engaged in a confrontation, screaming expletives at the officer, saying You back up. Dont even try and pushing the officer, prosecutors said. A short time later, Bauer was physically removed from the Rotunda by MPD officers in riot gear.

She was subsequently arrested on May 19, 2021, in Pennsylvania and is sentenced to appear in court on May 1, 2023.

Specifically, Bauer was charged with obstruction of an official proceeding; entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in any of the Capitol Buildings with the intent to impede, disrupt, and disturb the orderly conduct of a session of Congress or either House of Congress; and parading, demonstrating, and picketing in a Capitol Building, according to the Department of Justice.

If found guilty of the obstruction of an official proceeding charge, Bauer faces up to 20 years in prison as well as potential financial penalties.

The misdemeanor offenses carry a combined statutory maximum of three years in prison and potential financial penalties.

According to The Associated Press, Bauer, who owns the restaurant Bobs Trading Post, could receive credit for the time she has already served in prison.

In an interview with the outlet following her arrest, Bauer reportedly said that while some of her neighbors in Kane, a small town on the edge of the 517,000-acre Allegheny National Forest, were angered by her actions on Jan. 6, ultimately she had not lost any friendships and her business had not been impacted.

Standing Up for My Rights

A lot of people say that theyre proud of me for standing up for my rights, she told an Associated Press reporter during a break in dinner service at her restaurant.

Court documents (pdf) state that Bauer entered the Capitol with a group of friends, including William Blauser. Both she and Blauser left the Capitol about 38 minutes after they first entered, the documents show.

Blauser, reportedly a decorated sailor in Vietnam, was arrested alongside Bauer in May. He pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building and was ordered to pay a $500 fine in February 2022.

I was caught up in something I truly regret, Blauser told the court in February, according to local reports. If I had a chance to redeem myself, I would certainly do that in a heartbeat. All I can do is sincerely apologize to my country and the court for my actions.

More than 950 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol since 2021, including over 284 individuals who have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

Officials are still investigating the matter.

The Epoch Times has contacted Bauers attorney for comment.
Kevin McCarthy Fires Back Amid Controversy Over Intel Committee Removals

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks at a news conference in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, on Jan. 12, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday explained why he doesnt want Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on the House Intelligence Committee, pushing back against claims of a double standard.

Im gonna be very clear with you, McCarthy told reporters. The Intel Committee is different. You know why? Because what happens in the Intel Committee, you dont know. What happens in the Intel committee, other secrets going on in the world, other members of Congress dont know.

When Schiff chaired the House Intelligence panel, he used his power as a chairman and lied to the American public, McCarthy added. Schiff, he said, is free to serve on other committees.

Referring to a late 2019 Department of Justice Inspector Generals report, the speaker said that when Devin Nunes put out a memo, [Schiff] said it was false. When we had a laptop, he used it before an election to [play] politics and say that it was false and said it was the Russians when he knew different, when he knew the intel.

He used his position as chairman, knowing he has information the rest of America does not, and lied to the American public, McCarthy contended.

The speaker then invoked House Democrats push in 2021 to remove several Republicans from committees, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)s removal from her assignments in February of that year. Months later, in November 2021, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) was censured and removed from his committee assignments after he posted an anime video that featured Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and President Joe Biden to social media.

But I will not be like Democrats and play politics with these where they removed Republicans from committees and all committees, McCarthy added. So, yes, he can serve on a committee, but he will not serve on Intel because it goes to the national security of America and I will always put them first.

McCarthys answer was in response to a question about allowing Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who has faced allegations that he fabricated parts of his past and work experience, on House committees. Santos is not going to serve on the Intelligence Committee, McCarthy said.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) looks on during a hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol breach on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 16, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

In response to being removed from the panel, Schiff has gone on the offensive against McCarthy. Meanwhile, reports indicate that the congressman is using the move to solicit donations from supporters via email blasts.

Kevin McCarthy just kicked me and [Swalwell] off the Intelligence Committee, he wrote on Twitter. This is petty, political payback for investigating Donald Trump. If he thinks this will stop me, he will soon find out just how wrong he is. I will always defend our democracy.

Earlier in the week, Schiff asserted that his removal will damage the committees independence, adding that McCarthy is doing grave damage to national security.

In a recent email that he sent out to his supporters, Schiff asked recipients to donate to help respond to this baseless attack on my ability to serve my constituents and the American people, reported Breitbart. Please, contribute $10 or whatever you can spare today to help me respond to Republicans baseless attacks on my ability to hold them accountable. This isnt the end of my fight for truth, accountability, and our democracy.

Swalwell Decision

When asked about Swalwell, McCarthy said there are serious questions around the California congressmans formerly close connection to a Chinese intelligence agent, Fang Fang. A 2020 report from Axios said officials warned Swalwell about the woman, who worked for the congressman during his 2014 reelection efforts.

Swalwell has categorically denied any wrongdoing in connection to the Chinese spy reports.

First and foremost, and you dont have to take my word for it, take the FBIs word for it  when they told me who she was  I did everything that I hoped everyone would do, which was to cooperate and help the FBI, and she was removed, the Democrat said of Fang Fang during an interview with The View earlier this week.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) listens as Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) speaks during a news conference on the introduction of their Protection from Abusive Passengers Act at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on April 6, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In response to a question Tuesday, McCarthy told reporters that you have not had the briefing that I had in regards to Swalwell. I had the briefing and Nancy Pelosi had the briefing from the FBI, he added. The FBI never came before this Congress to tell the leadership of this Congress that Eric Swalwell had a problem with the Chinese spy until he served on Intel.

The FBI was also concerned about putting a member of Congress like Swalwell on the House Intelligence Committee, he said, because of his knowledge and relationship with a Chinese spy.

But you know what, those voters elected Schiff, even though he lied, those voters elected Swalwell, even though he lied to the American public, too. So, you know what? I respect his voters, too, and theyll serve on committees, but they will not serve on a place that has national security relevance because integrity matters to me. Thats the answer to your question, McCarthy concluded.
A kindhearted plumber left a cancer-stricken man amazed and teary-eyed after he installed a free boiler a day after he called.

Born in Liverpool, UK, James Anderson, 55, is a fully qualified plumbing and heating engineer who currently resides in Burnley, Lancashire.

James Anderson started Depher after he learned about the low-quality life that many elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people experience due to poor heating and plumbing. (Courtesy of Depher CIC)

In 2017, Anderson was called for a second opinion at a disabled, elderly gentlemans house who was almost conned by a heating company.

[He] was nearly scammed out of 5,500 for work he did not need, Anderson told The Epoch Times. The memory of him sitting there in his bed with a hoist is still fresh in my memory  so fragile and helpless.

Shocked on witnessing this and on learning about the low-quality life that many elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people had to lead due to poor heating and plumbing, Anderson established Depher (Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair).

I couldnt believe it and I made it my life mission to make sure I could help as many people as I could, whatever the cost, Anderson said, according to Daily Mail. If youve got disabilities, issues, sometimes these things can become too difficult to overcome and we want to make sure theyre taken care of.

Since the inception of the community-initiative company, Anderson and his team have delivered a lifesaving service, to more than 1 million people. Their services include plumbing, heating, gas, electricity, and food, amongst other things.

Currently, the company works with 67 subcontractors across the country that assist with plumbing and heating emergencies.

According to Anderson, to cover the cost of labor and materials, the company receives over 80 percent of its funds through donations from the public and companies, and 20 percent from paid work.

The money helps with providing free services during the winter months and discounted services at other times.

Anderson believes that every customer has their own story and theyre all treated with the same respect and dignity.

In December 2022, Anderson and his team received a call from Macmillan nurses and a doctor regarding a cancer-stricken patient named Robert Downs who needed help with a boiler.

Downsbattling cancer for the third timehad tried to get help with his broken boiler everywhere but couldnt find any. However, as soon as Depher got to know about Downs need they were able to install a Glow-worm boiler for free.

Depher works with 67 subcontractors across the country that assist with plumbing and heating emergencies, often installing needed appliances for free. (Courtesy of Depher CIC)

Anderson told The Epoch Times that as Downs had been battling cancer, they supported and fought with him every step of the way.

According to Anderson, Downs reaction to receiving the boiler was priceless. The elderly man was amazed by the gesture and teared up.

The plumber who has worked tirelessly over the last six years to help those in need told BBC Breakfast that hes been driven by a promise that he made to his baby son, William who died in 2013.

Anderson had pledged to his late son to become the man that he would have grown up to have been.

Every time we go to a job, every time we show people humanity, theres a little bit of William in there, Anderson said. I really hope Ive done him proud.

During the onset of the pandemic, Anderson helped deliver personal protective equipment and food to his community.

Recently, with the rise in the cost of living, Anderson and his team have been busier than ever. They have been dealing with people in distress who are tired of being told no.

Anderson told The Epoch Times that they are really humbled by all the people they can help.

If you need us we are here, if you dont need us and someone else does, tell them about us, Anderson said.

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
LAPD Asks Retired Officers to Return Amid Staffing Shortage

Police recruits attend their graduation ceremony at Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters in Los Angeles, Calif., on July 8, 2016. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Police Departments (LAPD) effort to solve a staffing shortage by asking retired cops to return to service is falling short as hundreds file paperwork to leave or retire, according to a union representing the departments officers.

The department expects 600 officers to leave next yearabout a 20 percent increase since 2022.

To make up for the loss, LAPD is using an existing program called Bounce to recruit retired officers back to fill several positions, including patrol and detective openings.

If rehired, they will earn a regular salary while their pension payments are put on hold, Officer Warren Moore told The Epoch Times. The program currently allows retirees to return for one year.

But, so far, the response rate has been low, according to Tom Saggau, spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Hardly anybodys responded or wants to come back, Saggau told The Epoch Times.

As of Jan. 16, LAPD was understaffed by 277 sworn officers and civilian personnel, according to a department personnel statistics report (pdf).

Chronically Understaffed Amid Rising Crime

This comes as part of a larger staffing problem at the nations third-largest urban police department, which faces an escalating murder rate, auto theft, and gang violence.

Violent crime continues to rise in Los Angeles since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city ended 2022 with 382 homicidesdown from 397 in 2021 but about 48 percent up from 2019.

Many officers are retiring early, and others are quitting due to the citys high cost of living, according to Saggau. The rise in anti-police sentiment, public scrutiny, and negative perceptions of law enforcement on social media has also played a part.

The vile hatred of these police abolitionists takes a toll, he said. Weve got a retention problem. We cant keep people the full length of their career eligibility because theyve just had it.

Protesters hold up signs as they block the freeway during a demonstration calling for defunding the police in Los Angeles, on July 1, 2020. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)

The department budgeted in the fiscal year 202223 for 9,460 sworn officers but 9,243 were deployed, according to the personnel report. However, the number of street-ready officers was much lowerabout 9,000, Saggau estimatedafter accounting for injuries or those who are back at work but not yet able to return to the field.

The shortage means fewer officers for specialty units, such as the Venice Beach bike patrol and Hollywood foot patrols. This has also resulted in increased workloads and overtime shifts, which burned people out and created a huge morale problem, Saggau said.

There are no good outcomes for departments that are chronically understaffed like the LAPD, he added.

To worsen matters, about 30 percent of the departments 158 recruits fail or quit before they graduate from the police academy.

Hopes for New Administration

Newly elected Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, said during her mayoral campaign last year that she supported building up the departments sworn officer numbers to 9,700, and the police union is optimistic about finding common ground with her, according to Saggau.

[Bass] has advocated for LAPD to be at its authorized force, Zach Seidl, acting deputy mayor of communications, told The Epoch Times.

Bass outlined her public safety strategy, calling to aggressively recruit new officers. She also wants to immediately hire and deploy civilians to free up at least 250 officers who are stuck behind a desk doing administrative work.

National Trend

Los Angeles isnt alone as it struggles to fill its ranks. Police departments nationwide are having a hard time finding and keeping officers, as shown in a June 2022 survey by the Police Executive Research Forum.

After the hiring of new officers fell sharply in 2020by nearly 21 percent compared to the year beforein 2021, they rebounded but were still about 4 percent lower than before the pandemic, the survey showed.

It also has been difficult for departments to catch up with the number of retiring and resigning officers.

Police agencies reported nearly 43 percent more resignations in 2021 than in 2019, and retirements increased by nearly 24 percent during that time. Agencies in the Midwest and West lost more than the overall average, the same for those with more than 500 officers, according to the survey.

These negative changes almost certainly were caused largely by the extreme stresses that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to policing in 2020 and 2021, and by the thousands of protests and demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, which in many cases involved acts of violence and hostility toward police officers, the survey reported.

Protesters march past LAPD officers during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd, in Los Angeles on June 6, 2020. (Kyle Grillot/AFP via Getty Images)
British rock n roll musician Jeff Beck, known as one of the worlds top three guitarists, died on Jan. 10, at the age of 78.

Jeff Beck died of acute bacterial meningitis. A message on his official social media platform said: On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Becks passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday.

Beck was born in Warrington, England in 1944. In 1965, he joined the English rock band, The Yardbirds and successively founded two other bands, The Jeff Beck Group, and Beck, Bogert & Appice. Eminent releases include Heart Full of Soul, Im A Man, and many others.

The news of Becks death caused a stir in the music industry, with many people posting condolences on social media.

What Is Bacterial Meningitis?

Acute bacterial meningitis is a rapidly progressive inflammation of the layers of tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord (the meninges) and the fluid-filled space between the meninges (the subarachnoid space), caused by infection with bacteria.

The brain and spinal cord are covered by three layers of tissue called the meninges. The subarachnoid space is located between the middle and inner layers of the meninges that cover the brain and spinal cord. This space contains cerebrospinal fluid, which flows through the layers of the meninges and fills the space in the brain, providing a cushion for the brain and spinal cord.

When bacteria invade the meninges and subarachnoid space, the immune system will respond, which would lead to inflammation during the face-off between the immune cells and the invading bacteria.

Causes of Meningitis

According to the World Health Organization, meningitis is a devastating and highly fatal disease that can lead to serious long-term complications (sequelae). Many organisms can cause meningitis, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.

Bacterial meningitis is of particular concern, among others. About one in 10 people who suffer bacterial meningitis die, while one in five has serious complications.

Acute bacterial meningitis has four main causative pathogens, Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus ).

These bacteria are responsible for more than half of meningitis deaths worldwide and can also cause other serious illnesses such as sepsis and pneumonia.

Transmission routes vary from organism to organism and the incubation period is also different for each organism. For bacterial meningitis, it is usually between two to 10 days.

Treatments for Meningitis

Zheng Jie, a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Tokyo in Japan, said in an interview with The Epoch Times on January 22 that bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency and needs to be treated immediately. Prompt antibiotic treatment is usually effective, and dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, is often used to reduce brain edema.

Zheng said, Symptoms of acute bacterial meningitis vary by age. Adults can become seriously ill within 24 hours, children even sooner. Meningitis can cause coma and death within hours. Bacterial meningitis is one of the rare diseases that cause death while the patient is sleeping. The patients may even be healthy young people with mild symptoms, but once fallen asleep may never wake up again. Such sudden and rapid death is often the result of cerebral edema.

Early symptoms of meningitis include fever, headache, stiff neck (most common), confusion or decreased consciousness, and sensitivity to light.
Los Angeles Police Chief Takes Flak for Ban on Thin Blue Line Flag

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore is taking some flak for his decision to ban officers and other personnel at the Los Angeles Police Department from publicly displaying the thin blue line flag.

The policy requires the flag and its replicas in patch and sticker form to be removed from all police station lobbies, as well as police uniforms and department vehicles, said LAPD Lt. Letesia Ruiz.

The directive doesnt prohibit personnel from displaying the flag in their personal workspaces nor on lockers or personal vehicles, Ruiz said.

The ban follows an initial order by the police chief to remove the flag from the lobby of the Rampart Station earlier this month.

Moore ordered the ban after receiving a complaint from an unnamed person that the flag is offensive, he stated in a recent department-wide memo.

The person believed the symbol signifies support of extremist views such as those espoused by the Proud Boys and others, Moore said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times.

While I do not personally view the Thin Blue Line Flag in the same manner as the community member and others, its display in our public lobbies can be divisive, Moore stated in the email. Its unfortunate that extremist groups have hijacked the use of the Thin Blue Line Flag to symbolize their undemocratic, racist, and bigoted views. Flags serve as powerful symbols with specific meanings.

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore speaks during a vigil with members of professional associations and the interfaith community at Los Angeles Police Department headquarters in Los Angeles on June 5, 2020. (Mark J. Terrill/File/AP Photo)

Backlash

The ban has drawn criticism from defenders of the popular flag and sparked rumors that new Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had initiated the ban, a claim she has denied.

I love seeing our LAPD in the national news. Except this time for the most embarrassing reason. Calling Chief [Michel] Moore weak for caving to the communist Mayor. Grow a spine, support the troops and law and order, retired LAPD Homicide Detective Sal LaBarbera wrote on Twitter.

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villaneuva also criticized Bass in a text message to The Epoch Times, stating she is trying to burnish her anti-law enforcement credentials, he said.

While I understand the limits that chiefs of police operate under, I disagree with the characterization of the thin blue line flag as divisive, he said. That is tyranny of the fringes of society, trying to impose their views on the overwhelming majority who care for and respect law enforcement.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told The Epoch Times also via text message on Jan. 23 that while he agrees with Moore that some groups have hijacked the use of the thin blue line flag, he said the extremist groups he should be talking about are the socialist, anti-law enforcement left who have hijacked the real meaning of the flag in order to mislead and divide our citizenry while vilifying law enforcement.

In the 1950s, LAPD Chief Bill Parker routinely explained the thin blue line represented law enforcement as the barrier between law and order and social and civil anarchy, Bianco pointed out.

He said the flag was proudly displayed by mourners lining the streets and freeway overpasses between Lake Elsinore and Perris to pay tribute to slain Riverside Deputy Sheriff Darnell Calhoun during a recent procession from the hospital where Calhoun died to the Coroners Bureau.

Calhoun, a black man, was serving in the line of duty when he was shot on Jan. 13. He died later that evening.

At least one mourner displayed the flag at a recent candlelight vigil in Lake Elsinore. Calhouns funeral was held on Jan. 21.

In a file photo, a demonstrator holds a Thin Blue Line flag and a sign in support of police during a protest outside the Governors Mansion in St Paul, Minnesota, on June 27, 2020. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Thin Blue Line Flag

Moore said the flags original meaning of support for police has been overshadowed by other meanings.

The police chief said that, to him, the flag presents the honor, valor, dedication, and sacrifice of law enforcement to protect our communities.

Tragically, that view is not universally held and others have been able to persuade the public it symbolizes racist, bigoted and oppressive values, he said.

The thin blue line flag is a black-and-white U.S. flag with a single blue stripe in the middle. The term thin blue line has long referred to the police, who have historically worn blue uniforms, as the line that protects people, and separates law and order from anarchy and lawlessness.

Moore acknowledged the Los Angeles Police Protective League, a union that represents officers, has expressed disappointment with his directive.

I understand the frustration some may feel on this issue, he said.

A person holds a thin blue line flag as New York police officers gather for the funeral of NYPD officer Wilbert Mora in New York on Feb. 2, 2022. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

Moore Defends Ban

An LAPD spokesperson representing Moore, responding to an inquiry from The Epoch Times, said the mayor had nothing to do with the decision by Moore to ban the thin blue line flag.

The flag at the Rampart Station was replaced with the American flag days later.

The lobby of a police station is a public space to best serve all people. Flags other than the American, State and City flags are to not be in the lobby, on a uniform, or marked police vehicle unless formally approved, the spokesperson said.

Asked whether one complaint about the flag from an unnamed individual should constitute a change in police policy, the spokesperson suggested that Moore hasnt established a new rule but has enforced a longstanding policy to display only the American flag. The one caller alone is enough for the Chief to address any alleged grievance, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson stressed the thin blue line flag is still allowed in the workplace such as roll call rooms and other department areas where the flags meaning cannot be misconstrued.

It is also allowed in public spaces such as memorials and tributes to our fallen as the context is clear and unambiguous, the spokesperson said.

Moores five-year term as chief ends in June, but he has requested reappointment for a second term, writing in a letter to the Board of Police Commissioners in December that there remains more work to be done and he has a strong desire to continue leading the department.

City News Service contributed to this report.
Mainland Chinese Express Gratitude in Lunar New Year Greetings to Founder of Falun Gong

Falun Gong practitioners take part in the Chinese New Year Parade in Flushing, New York, on Jan. 21, 2023 (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Its long been a tradition for Chinese people to welcome the Lunar New Year by sending greetings and goodwill to loved ones and those they respect.

As China ushered in the Lunar New Year on Jan. 22, people across the nation recently sent ecard greetings to Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of the spiritual practice Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa.

The discipline, rooted in ancient Chinese beliefs on spiritual improvement, was first introduced by Mr. Li to the Chinese public in 1992. With gentle, meditative exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, Falun Gong attracted individuals from all walks of lifefrom high-ranking officials to farmersleading to an estimated 70 million to 100 million adherents in the country by the end of the decade.

Its surging popularity, however, was perceived by the communist regime as a threat to its control over society. In 1999, then-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin ordered a sweeping campaign to eradicate Falun Gong, leading to millions of practitioners being thrown in detention facilities, where they are brainwashed, tortured, or even killed for their organs.

A mainland Chinese resident painted Chinese paintings to express his gratitude and wish Mr. Li a Happy Chinese New Year. (Courtesy of Minghui.org)

In a bid to enlist the Chinese publics support for the persecution, the communist regime also launched an expansive propaganda campaign aimed at demonizing the practice, spread through state media and school education.

To counteract the regimes pervasive smear campaign, Falun Gong adherents inside China have formed a massive grassroots resistance effort to debunk the CCPs propaganda and expose the persecution of the spiritual practice. The peaceful resistance involves distributing informational materials and speaking directly to Chinese, a process that adherents describe as clarifying the truth.

This year, tens of thousands of Lunar New Year greeting cards from mainland China once again poured into Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that reports news related to Falun Gong and the persecution, revealing the practice has remained strong in China despite the regimes unrelenting suppression campaign.

Besides well wishes from Falun Gong adherents around the world, mainland Chinese who havent taken up the practice also sent their greetings, which can be viewed on dozens of pages recently published on Minghui.

A greeting card from a large family in Zhucheng City, Shandong Province. (Courtesy of Minghui.org)

The well-wishers hailed from regions across the nation, from metropolitan centers like Beijing and Tianjin to rural villages in remote areas of south Chinas Yunnan Province. In the e-cards, Mr. Li is typically addressed as Master, a title of respect for a teacher or instructor in Chinese culture, though most individuals didnt leave their names on the message for fear of reprisals during the ongoing persecution.

Among the cards wishing Mr. Li a heartfelt happy Lunar New Year is one created by a Tianjin resident.

After being indoctrinated by atheism, evolutionary theory, and the Chinese Communist Partys theories from childhood, I became narrow-minded and did many wrong things, generating lots of karma, the resident wrote, referring to the traditional Chinese concept of karma, which is accrued by committing bad or immoral deeds.

Thanks to [Falun Gong] practitioners who clarified the truth to me. [Their words] helped me understand how to become a good person and that the evil CCP is eroding humans mortality. The CCP has committed unforgivable evil deeds. I hope the CCP will perish soon, the card continued. The resident added that though he is not a Falun Gong practitioner, he had read almost all most Mr. Lis lectures. I truly believe Falun Dafa is righteous.

Another resident from the coastal province of Shandong in eastern China sent greetings on behalf of his family.

There are eight people in my family whove taken up the practice. By following [Falun Gongs] teachings, they set a good example and make our family harmonious and happy. All of our family members support Falun Gong. We believe Falun Dafa is great! read the greeting message. We all hope the persecution will end soon so that disciples can practice their belief freely.

Residents from the Shijingshan District, Beijing, send greetings to Mr. Li. (Courtesy of Minghui.org)

Protection During Massive Outbreak

As the Chinese regime lifted the harsh travel restrictions in December, millions of Chinese people were finally able to travel home for the Lunar New Year after three years of separation under the regimes draconian zero-COVID policy.

But with the outbreak now spreading like wildfire in China, overloading hospitals and funeral homes, the joy of long-awaited family reunions has been mixed with anxiety about catching the virus.

Almost 90 percent of the population in the urban area of my city was infected. The massive outbreak has made people pressured, panicked, and helpless, a resident from Harbin city in northeastern Chinas Heilongjiang Province wrote in a greeting card published on Minghui.org.

While some of his loved ones were also infected, the writer said they managed to ward off severe physical symptoms and the psychological strain with the help of Falun Gongs teachings. By keeping kind thoughts and gratitude and reciting Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good, the man said everyone in his family was able to safely get through the disaster.

Falun Gong practitioners do exercises at an event marking the 22nd anniversary of the start of the Chinese regimes persecution of Falun Gong, in Washington on July 16, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Mr. Li, in a March 2020 article issued at the onset of the pandemic, stated that the pandemic was arranged by the divine because mankinds morals had deteriorated, adding that the virus has a purpose behind it, and it has targets.

It is here to weed out members of the [Chinese Communist] Party and those who have sided with it, Mr. Li stated.

The best medicine during the pandemic, Mr. Li stated, was to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations, or sincerely say the true words, referring to Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.

Another resident from Beijings Shijingshan district also recounted his familys experience during the huge wave of infections.

Almost all of the neighbors were infected at one time, including a family who had been self-isolated for a month  But in my family, no one tested positive, the residents message read.

We believe the pandemic targets people aligned with the CCP, the resident wrote, referring to Mr. Lis March 2020 article. He added that all of his family have renounced their affiliations with the Party. We sincerely thank Master Li for saving our lives.

After learning the facts about Falun Gong and persecution, many mainland Chinese said they hoped the brutal suppression would end soon, especially since the former CCP leader who orchestrated the persecution died recently.

Jiang Zemin is dead. The collapse of the Chinese Communist Party will come soon  We are looking forward to the day of reunion with you, read a message from a resident of Pingshan county in northern Chinas Hebei Province.

Wishing you a happy Chinese New Year!

Leo Timm and Annie Wu contributed to this report.
Man Sentenced 13 Years for Selling Fentanyl That Killed Coronado 15-Year-Old

The various forms of fentanyl. (SOURCE: University of Houston)

SAN DIEGOA San Diego man who sold a fentanyl-laced pill to a 15-year-old Coronado High School sophomore, leading to the teens death, was sentenced Jan. 24 to 13 years in prison.

Kaylar Junior Tawan Beltranlap, 22, pleaded guilty last year to a federal distribution of fentanyl count for selling a counterfeit oxycodone pill that led to the May 12, 2021, death of the victim, identified as C.J.S. in court documents.

The U.S. Attorneys Office says that, during the sale, Beltranlap warned C.J.S. to take only half of the pill because it was strong as hell.

According to a prosecution sentencing memorandum, a friend of Beltranlaps warned him two weeks before C.J.S. died to avoid percs because someone they knew had overdosed. Beltranlap told his friend he wouldnt use percs, just sell them, the memorandum states.

On the morning of May 13, police posed as C.J.S. on Instagram, messaged Beltranlap, and arranged to purchase five more pills.

As Beltranlap left his home, he was arrested. Prosecutors say he was found with five pills, which were also laced with fentanyl. Additional pills were found beneath a floorboard in his home.
McCarthy Formally Rejects Schiff, Swalwell From House Intel Committee

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday officially rejected Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) for seats on the House Intelligence Committee after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) nominated them on Saturday.

McCarthy has publicly stated that he wants to remove Schiff and Swalwell from the panel, arguing that Schiff has lied to the American public and that Swalwells past connection to a suspected Chinese spy makes him a security liability.

I appreciate the loyalty you have to your Democrat colleagues, and I acknowledge your efforts to have two Members of Congress reinstated to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, McCarthy wrote in a letter to Jeffries he shared on Twitter. But I cannot put partisan loyalty ahead of national security, and I cannot simply recognize years of service as the sole criteria for membership on this essential committee. Integrity matters more.

As such, in order to maintain a standard worthy of this committees responsibilities, I am hereby rejecting the appointments of Representative Adam Schiff and Representative Eric Swalwell to serve on the Intelligence Committee, he continued.

McCarthy told Jeffries the panel had been misused during the previous two Congresses, which had severely undermined its primary national security and oversight missionsultimately leaving our nation less safe. He added that he was committed to returning the panel to one of genuine honesty and credibility that regains the trust of the American people.

As speaker, McCarthy has the power to appoint all select, joint, and conference committees ordered by the House, according to the rules (pdf) of the House of Representatives. The House Intelligence Committee is a permanent select committee; Schiff and Swalwell served on it during the last Congress, with Schiff as chairman.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) listens as Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) speaks during a news conference on the introduction of their Protection from Abusive Passengers Act at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on April 6, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Denial of Seats

Over the weekend, Jeffries urged McCarthy to accept the return of Schiff and Swalwell to the panel, saying that denying them seats runs counter to the panels mission.

I write today to submit for renomination two eminently qualified legislators to continue their service on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Ranking Member Adam Schiff and Representative Eric Swalwell of California, Jeffries wrote in a letter (pdf) on Jan. 21.

It is my understanding that you intend to break with the longstanding House tradition of deference to the minority party Intelligence Committee recommendations and deny seats to Ranking Member Schiff and Representative Swalwell, he continued. The denial of seats to duly elected Members of the House Democratic Caucus runs counter to the serious and sober mission of the Intelligence Committee.

McCarthy indicated his intention to remove the pair in June last year if the GOP won the House, and in interviews with media on Jan. 9, said hed remove Schiff, Swalwell, and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from their committee assignments.

Swalwell cant get a security clearance in the private sector, McCarthy told AP and Punchbowl, likely referring to reports that Swalwell was targeted by a suspected Chinese spy. Im not going to give him a government security clearance. Schiff has lied to the American public. He should not be on Intel.

Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) speaks during the fourth of eight planned public hearings of the U.S. House Select Committee to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 21, 2022. (Jonathan Ernst/File Photo/Reuters)

Precedent Disputed

According to House rules, no more than 13 members of the same party can be on a panel. Typically, the speaker of the House has given the minority leader the power to choose members for the panel, but this time, McCarthy has not done so, claiming that Democrats set this precedent in the past.

The Democrats have created a new thing where theyre picking and choosing who can be on committees, McCarthy told Breitbart News on Jan. 9. Never in the history [of Congress] have you had the majority tell the minority who can be on committee. But this new standard, which these Democrats have voted forif Eric Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the private sector, there is no reason why he should be given one to be on Intel or Homeland Security. He will not be serving there.

Jeffries addressed this reasoning in his Jan. 21 letter, arguing that the two Republican members were removed from their committee assignments by a bipartisan vote in the House for directly inciting violence against their colleagues.

This action was taken by both Democrats and Republicans given the seriousness of the conduct involved, particularly in the aftermath of a violent insurrection and attack on the Capitol, Jeffries wrote. It does not serve as precedent or justification for the removal of Representatives Schiff and Swalwell, given that they have never exhibited violent thoughts or behavior.

In 2021, the House voted to remove Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) from their committee assignments because of social media posts they had made that were considered controversial.

Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), then-speaker, also rejected McCarthys nominations of Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) for the Jan. 6 Committee, prompting McCarthy, then-minority leader, to withdraw the rest of his nominations in protest.

In his letter, Jeffries did not mention that dispute but said he believed there was a lack of consistency, as Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who recently faced criticism for misrepresenting his education and work experience, has been given positions on two committees. Jeffries wrote that this inconsistency risks undermining the spirit of bipartisan cooperation that is so desperately needed in Congress.
Militarys Push for Diversity Harms Warfighting Ability, Defense Analysts Say

A US military vehicle on a patrol in the countryside near the town of Qamishli, Syria, on Dec. 4, 2022. (Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo)

News Analysis

The U.S. militarys increased push for diversity and inclusion, as reflected in the far-reaching National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed by President Joe Biden on Dec. 23, 2022, aims to remake the militarys culture and ethos along the same lines as left-wing policies that have been put to use at elite colleges and other areas of the private sphere, defense experts say.

While efforts to diversify the armed forces along racial and gender lines at the expense of traditional standards, arent new, the NDAA signals dramatically increased civilian input on and oversight of a culture once deemed to be the domain of professional soldiers, the experts told The Epoch Times.

Provisions of the NDAA that aim to boost diversity are so similar to policies enforced by private institutions, such as Harvard University, that an organization opposing the woke agenda in the armed forces, and supporting traditional standards and requirements, has gone so far as to lend its expertise in a lawsuit over Harvards admissions policies, in the form of an amicus curiae (friend of the court) filing (pdf), obtained by The Epoch Times. The filing argues that diversity and inclusion policies have harmed the military and arent a good idea in either the public or private spheres.

A New Vision for the Military

The NDAA contains some provisions that those skeptical of civilian oversight of the military have welcomed, such as ending the vaccine requirement for service members that was a source of controversy and incurred lawsuits from those who objected on religious grounds or felt that they werent sufficiently at risk to need to undergo such measures.

But among the other provisions of the NDAA is a requirement that Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) programs collect and report data on the racial and gender composition of those who complete the programs or receive scholarships based on their participation. ROTC is a college program that trains students to be commissioned officers. This measure comes on the heels of many changes in recent years that defense experts say have wrecked the militarys traditional culture and undermined combat readiness and effectiveness, notably a new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) with different requirements for men and women.

Setting reporting requirements and recruitment goals on the basis of race isnt only irrelevant to combat training and preparedness, and harmful to morale, but is also blatantly illegal, according to Scott McQuarrie, president of Veterans for Fairness and Merit (VFM), a veterans organization whose membership currently stands at 644 former officers from various branches of the armed services.

Warfighters dont care what the skin color of their leaders is. They respond for a lot of reasons, and of course their training, without regard for skin color, McQuarrie told The Epoch Times.

From a legal point of view, the race of those seeking admission to or participating in ROTC programs is irrelevant, and to put pressure on ROTC programs to alter their composition according to some arbitrarily defined metric violates the spirit and letter of the Constitution and more recent legislation, he argued.

Certainly, our country can be defended without having to suspend the equal protection clause of the Constitution and Title 6 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, McQuarrie said.

The nation has reached a juncture where the military is no longer considered to occupy its own distinct sphere, with a set of idiosyncratic traditions, customs, standards, and requirements, and the principles invoked to remake the military and higher education are much the same, McQuarrie said. The approach in the two realms is so similar that McQuarrie saw fit to file an amicus curiae brief, applying the arguments he had made in a military context to the case of Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, which the Supreme Court is currently considering after hearing arguments in October 2022.

Twisting the Law

Advocates of diversity have tried to base their case partly on the legal precedent of Grutter v. Bollinger. That 2003 Supreme Court ruling held that the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, dont rule out the use of race as one of the factors in university admissions, and in the interest of diversity, its acceptable to consider race along with other factors.

The Students for Fair Admissions lawsuit seeks to overturn Grutter v. Bolinger and restore racially neutral admissions policies.

No one is free to ignore the explicit language of the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 based purely on a subjective sense that good can come from doing so, McQuarrie argued. The new priorities of diversity and inclusion, which arent universally held to be necessary for military effectiveness, fail to meet the high legal standard required for any circumvention of legal precedent, he said.

If you understand the basics of the law, its pretty obvious that the other side contrived this argument. Courts have to examine a practice by a university, say, to see whether it is violating the Constitution. The legal bar, for those who want to use extraconstitutional means, is very high. You have to prove a compelling state or national interestthats the buzz phraseso grave as to warrant suspension of the Constitution.

Quite clearly, [advocates of diversity] make this assertion that its a national security imperative that the military be allowed to use racial preferences in order to meet that high bar. Most people being candid with you would say thats a very far-fetched argument, McQuarrie said.

In fact, our military has operated over the last few generations effectively without having to suspend the Constitution. In Bosnia, Panama, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq, the military did quite well, and we dont need to violate the Constitution for the military to execute its mission, he added.

The data on the militarys performance was useful in crafting the amicus curiae filing in the Harvard lawsuit, McQuarrie noted.

We felt that the court needed to be educated on that basic argument. We took published data from the service academies. They are using racial preferences. The data showed that the consequences of using such preferences are not good. The bottom line is that the service academies are admitting applicants who are not as well qualified on the basis of race, and in some cases gender, and in doing so are rejecting applicants who have higher qualifications, he said.

Im not just referring to academic scores. The service academies have a very elaborate means of evaluating applications, and there are hundreds of variables that can contribute to the score on an application, he added.

The service academies have developed a system over the years for determining a candidates overall score, but the data in VFMs filing suggest that they have forgone applying such time-tested criteria and made decisions on the basis of race.

Its an express violation of Section 601 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he said.

Bodies of Data

Privileging one race over another in admissions is as harmful to morale and cohesion in civilian contexts as in military ones, McQuarrie believes. One of the studies cited in VFMs brief is the work of the Center for Equal Opportunity which first came out in 1996, McQuarrie noted. It examined admissions policies and the results of racial preferences at two service institutions, the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The results of the study showed that it was more difficult for whites to get admitted to those academies than it was for certain minority groups. Asians are discriminated against at West Point in comparison to whites and everyone else, McQuarrie said.

The push for diversity and the emphasis on race as one of its primary indices directly undermines a military culture where servicemen are supposed to think less, not more, about differentiating features, VFMs brief contends.

This selfless-servant, colorblind culture is a national security imperative that is seriously weakened by racial preferences  Our warfighters [are] expected to ignore racial and other differences to be maximally effective on the battlefield. When bullets are flying and mortar shells landing, warfighters cannot and do not care about the race of their buddy or of their leaders. They must be (and are) willing to risk their lives for another warfighter, regardless of skin color, the brief states.

As harmful as the push for diversity under the current administration may be, it is useful to remember that the phenomenon has been going on for many years, and undoing the damage will require sustained and vigorous litigation, McQuarrie argued.

The Department of Defenses use of racial preferences actually did not start in the Biden administration, or under President Obama. In the case of service academy admissions, the use of racial preferences began back in the 1980s, and I believe its pretty clear that the civilian leadership of the Pentagon was behind it, he said.

Arbitrary Metrics

Other defense experts question the utility of the reporting requirement imposed by the NDAA.

Susan Katz Keating, the publisher of Soldier of Fortune magazine and the author of an influential 2015 expose of gender diversity in the military published in People magazine, suggested that the measure was a symbolic move to boost diversity.

This is just a way for someone to say, Absolutely, weve met our diverse recruitment goals. But Im not sure what that will do in real life, Keating told The Epoch Times.

She wonders about what might ensue if those who have pushed for the reporting requirement find that the numbers regarding gender diversity in ROTC programs fall short of their expectations.

If the numbers come back and someone is not happy with the numbers, how do you get people to join ROTC if they werent already inclined to do so? So Im curious, in terms of gender diversity, how they would try to sweeten the pot or find women who might otherwise be looking at a different career path or field. How are you going to reach your target audience and convince them to join? Keating asked.

Here the advocates of diversity may be seeking to reshape a peacetime military in ways that will prove shortsighted in the event of a large-scale conflict, she suggested. Such a scenario may force some to confront the reality behind the gender-normed illusion.

It seems to me that a lot of this is geared toward a peacetime military, so what will happen if there is a major hot war, how will that shake down? I recognize that now, there are some women who want to have a military career path and might pursue some of the more traditional, heavy-testosterone military occupational specialties, such as infantry, and Im just curious to see, if theres a hot war, would that change? Are you going to find women volunteering to go into the front lines? I hope we dont have to find out, Keating said.

The militarys ultimate purpose is defense, and in many cases, its a very physical process, she added.

Department of Defense officials didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Mining State Western Australia to Legislate Net-Zero by 2050

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan speaks to the media during a press conference in Perth on Feb. 5, 2022. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

The Western Australian (WA) Labor government will formally enshrine net-zero emissions in law by 2050 and reduce government emissions by 80 percent by the end of this decade.

The policy, to be introduced to parliament this year, will create statutory requirements to set emission reduction targets for businesses and investors and provide a framework for the states climate response.

WA Climate Action Minister Reece Whitby described climate change as the greatest challenge of our lifetime.

We need to take decisive action this decade, he said on Jan. 24. This legislation will help accelerate our transition to net-zero emissions in a responsible and achievable way.

Legislation sends a strong signal about the priorities and leadership of our government. This includes our commitment to achieving an 80 per cent reduction in State Government emissions by 2030.

He claimed the new policy will unlock critical investment in clean energy infrastructure and technologies, ultimately reducing costs for businesses.

Acting Energy Minister Sue Ellery echoed the sentiment, saying the legislation will drive investment in clean energy infrastructure and technologies while helping position our State as a green energy powerhouse.

It will also enhance business confidence and stimulate change to accelerate WAs clean energy switch.

The move is expected to deal a heavy blow to Western Australias resources sector, contributing A$230 billion (US$163 billion) to the Australian economy. Mining operations make up 94 percent of the state and 46 percent of Australias income from total merchandise exports in 2019-20.

WA is also the only state which has recorded an increase in emissions on 2005 levels.

In 2022, the left-leaning McGowan government introduced plans to shut all state-owned coal-fired power stations by 2030 and spend A$547.4 million (US$389 million) to provide jobs for displaced workers.

Net-Zero Cant Be Achieved Without Mining Industry

But Gina Rinehart, Australias richest person, has warned that net-zero will crumble to unachievable without a strong and healthy mining industry.

Rinehart, who holds a $34 billion mining-based fortune and has topped the Australian Financial Review Rich List for three consecutive years, said electricity touches pretty well everything we daily need, and mining will be essential for making solar panels and electric vehicles and creating wind power.

The billionaire cited a finding from the International Energy Agency that a typical electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car, and an onshore wind plant requires nine times more mineral resources than a gas-fired plant of the same capacity.

Speaking at the National Mining Day celebrations last year, Rinehart said green activists are, on the one hand, proving a boon to the mining industry while, on the other hand, moving on many fronts to diminish mining, including through the education system.

Many governments around the world, as they throw taxpayers money on green this and that policies to get their countries deeper into debt ensuring for the next generations to be saddled with higher taxes, will require massive investments in mining if their green policies are to be achieved. So why make it more and more difficult with onerous and increasing government burdens?

New South Wales is targeting a 70 percent reduction by 2035, while Victoria and South Australia want to achieve a 50 percent cut over that period.

Under the federal governments new safeguard mechanism reforms, Australias biggest polluters will be required to reduce their net emissions by almost 35 percent by 2030.

Trade-exposed facilities will be supported by an initial $600 million (US$414 million) in funding to compensate for the transition cost and ensure competitiveness, so emissions do not leak overseas from businesses outsourcing operations.

The previous Coalition government introduced the safeguard mechanism and required the 215 facilities that annually produce over 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases to limit their net emissions below a baseline limit.
Mississippi Doctor Fired for Prescribing Ivermectin Is Running for Governor

A Mississippi physician fired for treating COVID-19 patients with ivermectin is running for governor.

The biggest reason Im running is because I want to bring about medical transparency, Dr. John Witcher told The Epoch Times.

Witcher, a Republican and former president and co-founder of the medical freedom advocacy organization MS Against Mandates, said he wants to advocate for and support legislation that will ensure freedom of speech for Mississippi doctors.

As it stands, a physician can have his or her license removed for discussing COVID-19 vaccine side effects or for recommending COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.

A lot of doctors are seeing patients who are vaccine injured who want to talk about it but cant, Witcher said. A lot of them cant give you the truth about the vaccine because theyre afraid they will lose their license or get labeled as someone who gives misinformation.

Witcher said he wants to change that.

We want an investigation into these shots, Witcher said. We want to know how many people have been injured, disabled, and died from these shots in Mississippi. We want to stop the shots and start an investigation into the pharmaceutical industry, particularly with fraudulent advertisements. They advertised everywhere that these shots were safe and effective when they knew they werent.

While working as a medical director for the Baptist Memorial HospitalYazoo emergency room on an independent contract throughout the pandemic, Witcher said medical professionals were at odds with each other over how to treat COVID-19.

Witcher was using combinations of hydroxychloroquine and vitamins D and C for COVID-19. He said many doctors were using this protocol before former President Donald Trump began promoting it and before The Lancet medical journal published a May 2020 observational study claiming that hydroxychloroquine significantly increased mortality.

The Lancet report contributed to a widespread stigma surrounding hydroxychloroquine, and the journal later retracted the study without media attention.

A study published in The Lancet prompted some countries to ban the use of hydroxychloroquine ro treat COVID-19, but the study was later retracted, as shown in this screenshot captured on Dec. 24, 2020. (Screenshot/The Epoch Times)

Hydroxychloriquine was sidelined for the use of remdesivir, an antiviral Ebola medication manufactured by Gilead Sciences under the brand name of Veklury.

A 2019 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that in a trial to test the efficacy of several experimental Ebola treatments, researchers stopped giving patients remdesivir after the deaths of 53 percent of the people who were given the drug during the trial.

In October 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19 in adults and children 12 years and older who weigh at least 88 pounds.

The federal government pays a 20 percent markup plus additional bonuses to hospitals that use FDA-approved treatments for COVID-19, including remdesivir.

Throughout the United States, there are several lawsuits alleging that hospitals administered remdesivir to patients without informed consent, leading to injury and death.

Witcher said he was impressed with studies showing that ivermectin had an antiviral and anti-inflammatory effect, with a safer profile than acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol.

Safety was never a concern with ivermectin, he said.

Ivermectin Hysteria

There was a campaign against ivermectin that began with a false report of people overdosing on veterinary-grade ivermectin.

During that time, Rolling Stone published a story claiming that a hospital emergency room in Oklahoma was overrun with people who had overdosed on farm-grade ivermectin, leaving no room for gunshot victims.

The story cited a local media outlet that had interviewed a physician named Jason McElyea who made the claim.

Rolling Stone updated its article after a spokesperson at Northeastern Health System Sequoyahwhere McElyea said the overcrowding was taking placesaid McElyea hadnt worked at that location in over two months, and that the hospital hadnt treated any patients experiencing complications from ivermectin.

Ivermectin wasnt prescribed in the hospital where Witcher worked, so he went to the pharmacist, who he said supported the use of the drug.

I wasnt about to give my patients remdesivir, which is highly toxic, Witcher said.

However, in December 2021, the hospital ended its contract with Witcher after he used ivermectinwith patient consentinstead of remdesivir, he said.

A woman holds a box of ivermectin in Brasilia, Brazil, in a file image. (Andressa Anholete/Getty Images)

Since then, Witcher has continued to treat COVID-19 patients using the Front Line COVID-10 Critical Care Alliance protocols, and he treats people whom he said have suffered injuries from the COVID-19 vaccines.

There are many people out theredoctors, nurses, and patientswho are afraid to talk about what theyre seeing right now, he said. If you go to the doctor right now and ask if you should be vaccinated, they are afraid to tell you the risks. Weve got to stop this.

Earlier in January, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, also a Republican, filed for reelection.

States with gubernatorial races this year are Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky.

Reeves, 48, has served as the 65th governor of Mississippi since 2020. He served as the 32nd lieutenant governor from 2012 to 2020 under former Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, and as state treasurer from 2004 to 2012 under former Republican Gov. Haley Barbour.

Brandon Pressley, the public service commissioner for the Northern District of Mississippi, is seeking the Democrat nomination for governor.

Feb. 1 is the qualifying deadline for elections. Party primaries are scheduled for Aug. 8 and runoffs on Aug. 29.

The general election will be on Nov. 7, with runoffs on Nov. 28.
Multiple Swarming Attacks Involving Youth in the Last 12 Months

A TTC worker is shown in a bus while on shift in Toronto on April 23, 2020. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

Another swarming occurred this week in Toronto, with four 13-year-old teenage boys being charged with assault after an alleged attack against uniformed employees of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

The TTC posted on Twitter that the alleged assault that started inside a bus in Scarborough, Ontario, was a despicable swarming.

Swarming involves a group of individuals working as a singular entity in a swarming mob mentality, Toronto Police Homicide Detective Sergeant Terry Browne explained on Dec. 21 at a news conference. Toronto police did not immediately return calls for comment.

Eight females aged 13 to 16 have been charged with the second-degree murder of Ken Lee, 59. The youth are accused of allegedly beating and stabbing Lee to death in a swarm on Dec. 18, 2022, reportedly to steal his bottle of alcohol.

Browne told reporters this sort of crime was rare for females in this age group. However, swarming-style attacks have been happening in Canada since the 1980s, according to reports.

On Jan. 19, Calgary police announced they had charged six teenage boys, aged 15 to 17, with one count of assault each, and one count of aggravated assault each, in a swarming attack against two drug store employees that occurred in November 2022.

The attack caused significant injuries and police said they expected to charge two more youths.

The males had been asked to leave a Shoppers Drug Mart after causing a disturbance, according to police, and waited outside, eventually physically assaulting an employee repeatedly when he left the store.

A second employee who tried to intervene was also assaulted in that attack. Calgary police were unable to respond by press time with more details.

Attacks in 2022

In August 2022, a Richmond, B.C., father said teenagers lured his 14-year-old daughter to a dog park with the intent to attack her.

An unrelated mother in the park with her own 13-year-old daughter told reporters she heard horrible, God awful screaming and yelling and saw a young girl running for her life.

The woman said 10 to 15 youths were chasing the girl, calling her horrific names. Even after another woman and their children tried to protect the victim, the mother said the youth group was reaching over us, trying to grab her hair, punch her, screaming, yelling.

According to the father, five youths were arrested in connection with the alleged attack.

In July 2022, ten teenagers were charged after multiple swarming-style robberies near Canadas Wonderland in the Vaughan, Ontario, region. All of the victims were teenagers, as were the alleged attackers.

In May 2022, a Surrey, B.C., 15-year-old was lured on the promise of meeting friends for birthday cake and instead attacked by a swarm of teenage girls. A video later posted on social media showed multiple attackers kicking and punching the girl on the ground, then forcing her to kiss their shoes.

The victim suffered a fractured nose, two black eyes, a swollen face, a sprained ankle, swelling that left her struggling to eat, and various bruises and scratches, in addition to emotional trauma, her mother said.

Police said that despite many witnesses, no one called the police. A youth that police called the primary aggressor was later arrested.

In February 2022, Vancouver police released video of a violent swarming involving two men punching and kicking a 44-year-old victim while bystanders watched and filmed. A 19-year-old male was later arrested. The victim suffered significant facial injuries that required hospitalization.

Earlier Cases

Browne said that in the 1990s and early 2000s, Canada had a string of swarmings where mostly male youths in groups would attack individual victims to steal or harass them.

In 2005, there was a spate of swarming incidents in Vancouver, with eight attacks within a six-week time frame between June and July 15. Ten suspects were arrested and eight faced criminal charges.

At the time, detective Cieran Feenan, now an inspector with the Delta, B.C. police, said a swarming was police jargon for when multiple suspects are on one person at one time. Its like a pack of wolves, and its vicious and fast.

Manjit Virk becomes emotional as people speak at a memorial marking 20 years since the swarming and bullying death of 14-year-old Reena Virk at the Craigflower Schoolhouse in Victoria, B.C., on Nov. 14, 2017. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

One of the most tragic swarmings in Canada occurred in 1997. Reena Virk, 14, was swarmed and beaten by a group of teenagers, and was ultimately killed by a 15-year-old girl who drowned the victim in a waterway.

A 2000 report, Group Assault or Swarming Discussion Paper, published by the Uniform Law Conference of Canada, a legal organization, noted swarmings had received increased attention due to the perceived increase in frequency and brutality of these types of assaults, as well as their senseless and random nature.

Even in 1999, said the report, Toronto police statistics suggested that there were 6.7 swarmingsthen defined as street robberies involving three or more suspectsa day in Toronto.

Swarmings first appeared in the late 1980s in Canada, connected with youth gangs, said the paper. While most attacks involved youths attacking other youths, there have been adult victims and perpetrators.

Many swarmings are spontaneous, unorganized, and motivated by prejudice, and sometimes have no motivation at all, said the report.

It said courts have described swarmings in a variety of ways, which include groups of gangs or groups in general surrounding a victim to steal clothing or money, groups attacking a victim due to a prior dispute, an attack on an innocent good Samaritan, and unprovoked attacks on public streets by a group.

There does not appear to be a consistent definition of swarming, but it attracts heavy media coverage, added the paper.
Names of All 11 Monterey Park Shooting Victims Released

The Los Angeles County Coroners Office on Tuesday released the remaining six names of the people killed in the Monterey Park mass shooting Saturday night, which also saw nine others injured.

The death toll from the shooting rose to 11 on Monday, when one of the victims succumbed to their injuries in a Los Angeles hospital. Ten people were killed on Saturday night at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park.

Having released the names of two of the deceased victims on Monday, the coroner identified the rest of the men and women, all aged in their 60s and 70s, on Tuesday.

The six female victims are Xiujuan Yu, 57, Hongying Jian, 62, Lilan Li, 63, Mymy Nhan, 65, Muoi Dai Ung, 67, and Diana Man Ling Tom, 70. The five male victims are Wen Tau Yu, 64, Valentino Marcos Alvero, 68, Yu Lun Kao, 72, Ming Wei Ma, 72, and Chia Ling Yau, 76.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the victims were dancing at the studio when the suspected shooter, Huu Can Tran, 72, indiscriminately opened fire at around 10 p.m., according to police.

Eyewitnesses have stated that the perpetrator entered the studio and began shooting, leaving the building to retrieve more ammunition before returning and continuing his attack. Police said they found 42 shell casings inside the venue.

People come together in a prayer as members of the community hold a prayer vigil near the scene of a shooting that took place in Monterey Park, California, on Jan. 22, 2023. (Allison Dinner/Reuters)

Families Mourn

In a statement Monday, Alveros family described him as a loving father, a dedicated son and brother, a grandfather who loved his three granddaughters fiercely, an uncle who loved his nieces and nephews like his own.

Alvero loved sharing stories with people about his life and hearing about theirs, and he also loved ballroom dancing, according to his family.

We hope that he danced to his hearts content until the very end and hope that he is now dancing in heaven, the familys statement read.

Nhans death was still sinking in for her family, according to their statement. Nhan, who had a warm smile, had attended the dance studio in Monterey Park on weekends for years, her family said.

Its what she loved to do. But unfairly, Saturday was her last dance. We are starting the Lunar New Year broken. We never imagined her life would end so suddenly.

Nhans family described her as a loving aunt, sister, daughter, and friend.

On a GoFundMe page set up by Yus niece to raise money for her funeral, Kathleen Fong said her aunts death had struck her family.

What was meant to be a night out celebrating the Lunar New Year with friends ended up being a devastating and life-changing event for my family, Fong wrote. After days of uncertainty, anxiety, and waiting in worry, we received the news that my aunt was indeed among the deceased at the incident.

This combination image created using photos provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department shows a male suspect allegedly involved in a shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 21, 2023. Authorities have identified the suspect as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department via AP)

Suspect

After attacking the Monterey Park dance studio, Tran is believed to have attempted to carry out another shooting at a separate dance club located in Alhambra around 20 minutes after leaving the Star Ballroom Dance Studio. But he was disarmed by the halls owner, Brandon Tsay, before he could continue his rampage and fled the scene, according to police.

After an overnight search, police located the white van of the suspect in a parking lot in Torrance on Sunday morning.

When officers approached the vehicle, the suspect shot himself before they could intervene. A video shared online captured the moment when police surrounded the van. At the scene, police recovered a handgun and other evidence linking it to the two dance club shootings.

Trans motives remain unclear.
National Archives Misses Deadline to Send Biden Materials to House Republicans

Flanked by House Republicans, U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Nov. 17, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) failed to meet a Jan. 24 deadline to hand over materials requested by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability relating to the discovery of classified documents in President Joe Bidens former office, a committee spokesperson confirmed to The Epoch Times.

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) asked Acting NARA Archivist Debra Steidel Wall in a Jan. 10 letter (pdf) to provide various information related to the classified records by no later than Jan. 24.

The information requested by the lawmaker included all related documents and communications between NARA and the White House, among NARA employees, between NARA and the Department of Justice (DOJ), and between NARA and any outside entitiesincluding Bidens attorneysrelating to the documents found at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington.

Those documents were initially discovered on Nov. 2, 2022, a week before the midterm elections, but the findings werent made public until two months later.

Secret Service personnel vehicles parked in the driveway leading to U.S. President Joe Bidens house after classified documents were found there by the presidents lawyers in Wilmington, Del., on Jan. 15, 2023. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

NARA Says It Must Consult With DOJ

In a statement to The Washington Examiner on Jan. 24, a committee spokesperson said GOP investigators plan to conduct a transcribed interview with NARAs general counsel soon, which would provide lawmakers with a more detailed timeline as to how the discovery of the classified documents was handled.

NARA officials didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

On Jan. 16, Comer accused NARA of failing to be transparent with the American people in a post on Twitter, adding that many unanswered questions about the documents remain.

In response to Comers Jan. 10 letter, Wall said the agency must first consult with the DOJ before it can hand over information related to the discovery of the Biden classified documents to Republican lawmakers.

I want to express my commitment to working cooperatively with you and your staff on this and all matters of concern to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Wall wrote in a Jan. 17 letter (pdf) to the lawmaker. Our desire to provide you with as much information as we can, however, must also be balanced with the need to protect Executive branch equities, particularly as they relate to ongoing criminal law enforcement investigations by DOJ.

Wall added that the agency must first consult with the DOJ regarding the release of any such records.

DOJ has advised it will need to consult with the newly appointed Office of Special Counsel (SCO) in DOJ, to assess whether information can be released without interfering with the SCOs investigation, Wall wrote.

President Joe Biden attends a worship service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, on Jan. 15, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Comer Says White House Stonewalling Probe

After the initial documents were found at the Penn Biden Center in November 2022, a second batch was discovered from Bidens time in the Obama administration at his residence in Wilmington, Delaware, the White House said.

Additional documents were later found at the property shortly after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Robert Hur, a former federal prosecutor in Maryland, as special counsel to investigate whether any person or entity violated the law regarding the handling of the documents.

In a Jan. 22 interview for Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, Comer also took aim at the White House, who he accused of stonewalling the Republican-led probe into Bidens handling of classified documents.

During that interview, the Kentucky lawmaker also said that he would be sending letters to the Secret Service requesting further information regarding the documents, including any type of correspondence, emails, and documentation that could help GOP lawmakers determine who may have had access to the newly discovered documents.

Hopefully, the Secret Service will work with us, despite the fact that this White House is not, Comer said.

The White House didnt respond to a request for comment, although the White House counsels office has previously said that the president is committed to operating with the Justice Departments investigation into the classified documents.

On Jan. 24, lawyers revealed that a small number of documents with classification markings were found at former Vice President Mike Pences home.

The documents were initially found on Jan. 16 at Pences home in Indiana, in the wake of the documents found at Bidens former office and residence, Greg Jacob, one of Pences lawyers, wrote in a letter to NARA.
New York Gov. Hochul Opposes Rehiring Unvaccinated Hospital Workers Amid Staff Shortage

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul gives a speech at her inauguration ceremony in Albany, N.Y. on Jan. 1, 2023, in a still from video. (New York Governor's Office/Screenshot via NTD)

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has expressed opposition to rehiring workers in her states healthcare sector who fell afoul of COVID-19 vaccination requirements and lost their jobs while the pandemic raged.

In comments to the media on Tuesday, Hochul said rehiring unvaccinated workers was not the right answer.

I dont think the answer is to have someone who comes in, whos sick, be exposed to someone who can give them COVID-19. I dont know if thats the right answer, but Im pretty sure its not, Hochul said.

Hochul explained her stance in terms of public safety.

I think everybody who goes into a health care facility or a nursing home should have the assurance and their family member should know that we have taken all steps to protect the public health. And that includes making sure those who come in contact with them at their time of most vulnerability, when they are sick or elderly, will not pass on the virus, Hochul said.

Her comments came less than two weeks after a New York state Supreme Court judge struck down a statewide mandate for medical staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Judge Gerard Neri found that Hochul and the states Department of Health had exceeded their legal authority by making the vaccine mandate permanent, and had unlawfully circumvented the state assembly, under whose purview such a weighty decision fell.

Neri also found that the mandate was arbitrary and capricious, citing evidence that COVID-19 vaccines dont prevent the spread of the virus, undercutting the basis for the mandate.

After the ruling, the states Department of Health said it was exploring its options.

Last week, a group of Congressional representatives from New York wrote to Hochul expressing concern over staffing shortfalls facing hospitals in New York State, which has been worsened by the vaccine mandate.

We write to you today with deep concern about disastrous staffing shortages that are hampering our states healthcare system and impeding New Yorkers from accessing quality care. While the shortages have been an ongoing issue, they continue to be exacerbated by New Yorks draconian COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, which has forced nearly 34,000 healthcare workers out of their jobs. This has resulted in severe financial distress for New York hospitals and increased barriers to care for those in need, the lawmakers wrote in the Jan. 19 letter (pdf).

The lawmakers go on to delineate the devastating impacts of the vaccine mandate and the severe disparities between the number of openings in the industry, on the one hand, and the number of workers who can be hired under the states policy.

They note that as of Dec. 7 no fewer than 9,300 openings for nurses existed throughout New York, and they cite a recent survey finding that 100 percent of New York hospitals suffered from a shortage of nursing staff, and 49 percent had to scale back some of their services to alleviate the staffing shortfall. No fewer than 27 percent of hospitals reported a risk of defaulting on their loans, with all the potential impact on vital and life-saving services that such an eventuality would entail.

These statistics are striking and certainly should serve as a call-to-action for your administration, the lawmakers wrote.

The letter goes on to criticize Hochul for insisting on the vaccination of workers at a time when the director of the Centers for Disease Control has said publicly that vaccination will not prevent transmission of COVID-19.

About Politics?

Michael Alcazar, a professor in the department of law, police science, and criminal justice administration at the City University of New York, wonders whether Hochuls insistence on not rehiring unvaccinated workers has more to do with science or with paranoia, or might perhaps be political in nature.

Despite undergoing vaccination no fewer than four times, Alcazar himself contracted COVID-19 in December, he said.

Initially, I believed in what the doctors advised, that being vaccinated would protect me from COVID-19 and stop it from spreading. This doesnt seem to be the case, in my personal experience. Vaccinated and unvaccinated, masked and unmasked alike are still getting COVID-19, Alcazar told The Epoch Times.

Hochuls discrimination against unvaccinated workers stands in contrast to the approaches of institutions such as the New York Police Department, which is now rehiring officers cut loose in past months for not having received vaccinations. The department faces class-action wrongful termination lawsuits for its past policies, he noted. All this makes Alcazar wonder all the more about what might motivate Hochuls decision.

It makes me wonder if this is just a political stance. This may be how the left thinks, or what they believe is proper, and Hochul is not willing to side or agree with conservative ideas, Alcazar said.

Experts believe the vaccine does not prevent the disease, but just lessens the symptoms. Whether its the flu or COVID-19, its still a virus. People should take precautions, wash their hands, keep their distance to minimize exposure, and still lead normal lives and careers, he added.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Hoculs office for comment.
New Zealands Incoming PM Chris Hipkins Pledges to Prioritize Cost of Living

Chris Hipkins speaks to members of the media, after being confirmed as the only nomination to replace Jacinda Ardern as leader of the Labour Party, outside New Zealand's parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on Jan. 21, 2023. (Lucy Craymer/Reuters)

Chris Hipkins on Wednesday pledged to make the cost of living his first priority after he was sworn in as New Zealands 41st prime minister following the abrupt resignation of Jacinda Ardern last week.

New Zealanders will absolutely see in the coming weeks and months that cost of living is right at the heart of our work program, Hipkins told reporters after his first Cabinet meeting.

It is the number one priority that we are facing as a government, and they will see tangible evidence of that. Obviously, Im not going to make it up on the fly, as Ive already indicated, he added.

Hipkins, 44, was the sole nominee of the ruling Labour Party to assume the top role after Ardern announced that she no longer had enough left in the tank to lead the country.

He served as education and police minister under Ardern, and formerly led the countrys COVID-19 response.

This is the biggest privilege and responsibility of my life, Hipkins said at the swearing-in ceremony. Im energized and excited by the challenges that lie ahead.

Carmel Sepuloni was also sworn in as deputy prime minister, the first time a person with Pacific Island heritage has taken on the role.

It is an honour and a privilege. Now lets get to work! pic.twitter.com/XdNFCUowE9  Carmel Sepuloni (@CarmelSepuloni) January 25, 2023

Hipkins will have only a little more than eight months in the role before contesting a general election. Opinion polls have indicated that Labour is trailing its main opponent, the conservative National Party.

He is considered more centrist than leftist Ardern. Among his biggest challenges during an election year will be convincing voters that his party is managing the economy well.

New Zealands consumer price index increased 7.2 percent in the year leading up to December 2022, with increases in housing and household utilities, such as construction and rents, being the major drivers.

In a statement on Wednesday, Statistics New Zealand said that the cost of constructing a home rose 14 percent in the 12 months to December 2022, while rental costs rose 4.4 percent during the same period.

Ardern made her final official appearance as prime minister on Tuesday, describing the leadership transition as bittersweet. She plans to stay on as a member of Parliament until April to avoid triggering a special election ahead of the nations general election in October.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Newsmax, Dropped by DirecTV, Decries Anti-Conservative Censorship

File- This Aug. 8, 2006 file photo shows the DirecTV building in El Segundo, Calif. AT&T says it is buying DirecTV for $95 per share, or $49 billion, a move that gives the telecommunications company a larger base of video subscribers and increases its ability to compete against Comcast and Time Warner Cable, which agreed to a merger in February. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

Millions of DirecTV subscribers no longer have access to Newsmax programming after the AT&T-owned satellite giant and the conservative news network failed to reach a new carriage deal.

The official deadline passed at midnight on Tuesday. As a result, Newsmaxs programs went to a blackout for more than 13 million customers of the satellite service, as well as those using DirecTV Stream and fiber-based AT&T U-Verse.

DirecTV described the dispute as a financial one, accusing Newsmax of demanding a fee to broadcast programs that are available on free-streaming platforms.

On multiple occasions, we made it clear to Newsmax that we wanted to continue to offer the network, but ultimately Newsmaxs demands for rate increases would have led to significantly higher costs that we would have to pass on to our broad customer base, a DirecTV spokesperson said in a statement.

Anyone, including our customers, can watch the network for free via NewsmaxTV.com, YouTube.com and on multiple streaming platforms like Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Google Play. We continually evaluate the most relevant programming to provide our customers and expect to fill this available channel with new content.

Newsmax, on the other hand, claimed that the satellite providers decision wasnt driven by a desire to cut cost, but a bias against conservative viewpoints.

DirecTV pays cable license fees to all top 75 cable channels and to all 22 liberal news and information channels it carries. Almost all of these channels are paid hefty license fees significantly more than Newsmax was seeking, the Manhattan-based company said in a statement on Wednesday, claiming that most of those channels have much lower ratings than Newsmax.

Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax, in 2018. (Newsmax via AP)

Citing the removal of conservative news outlet One America News (OAN) from the satellite platform last year, Newsmax chief executive Christopher Ruddy decried the treatment as a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship.

The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&Ts DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN need to be deplatformed, Ruddy said.

Newsmax also said it was false to claim that Newsmax is asking for a fee while still wanting to keep a free stream on other platforms. No operator pays a fee while Newsmax streams free and DirecTV was fully aware the free stream will end this year, the outlet clarified.

The failed negotiation comes after a group of 42 Republican members of Congress urged DirecTV to reconsider dropping Newsmax from its lineup, expressing concerns over DirecTVs move to de-platform Newsmax by denying it cable fees on a fair and equitable basis.

The lawmakers also referenced the cancellation of OAN, a decision that came about a year after Democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee specifically asked providers whether they planned to continue carrying programming for Fox News, OAN, and Newsmaxconservative networks that Democrats deemed misinformation rumor mills and conspiracy theory hotbeds that produce content that leads to real harm.

One America News Network correspondent Chanel Rion asks a question during a briefing by President Donald Trump on the CCP virus in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on April 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Given the jurisdiction of the energy and commerce committee over your companies business interests, it is reasonable to assume you took this letter seriously and complied with these demands, the lawmakers said in their letter to DirecTV and its corporate owners, AT&T and TPG Capital.

If Newsmax is removed from DirecTV, in less than a year, House Republicans will have lost two of the three cable news channels that reach conservative voters on a platform that primarily serves conservative-leaning areas of the country, they wrote.

DirecTV responded to the letter on Jan. 23, insisting that the company isnt working to censor conservative voices.

We are not trying to de-platform Newsmax, it told the elected Republicans. To the contrary, we want to continue our carriage of Newsmax on the same terms as at present, and we have made that clear to Newsmax.

This is not the first time that Newsmax has had a dispute with DirecTV. The conservative channel had been dropped from the platform and its competitor, DISH, in 2016.

Newsmax at that time encouraged viewers to call DISH and let them know you want Newsmax TV back. Newsmax returned to both platforms in 2017.
Newsom Under Fire From Bipartisan Critics Over Trillions of Gallons of Lost Water

Water flows down the spillway at Nicasio Reservoir after days of rain have brought the reservoir to near capacity in Nicasio, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

California flushed trillions of gallons of rainwater from January storms out to the ocean instead of saving it in reservoirs and pumping it to farmers after three years of extreme drought.

Since late December, a series of heavy storms called atmospheric rivers brought an estimated 32 trillion gallons of rainwater to the state, according to the FOX Forecast Center. U.S. Geological Survey data suggest this would be enough to supply the states agricultural, industrial, and residential needs for at least a decadeif it were stored in reservoirs.

However, around 95 percent of the rainwater in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the hub of Californias water grid, was washed out to sea, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The bureau told The Epoch Times in an email on Jan. 23 that 5 to 6 percent of incoming water during the storms was captured.

Nearly a dozen legislatorsboth Republican and Democrat, several from the parched agricultural regions of the Central Valleyrecently sent a series of letters demanding that California Gov. Gavin Newsom ease pumping restrictions on water from the heavy rains. The environmental restrictions are designed to protect endangered fish such as the Delta smelt.

A man carries his son on his back while his wife waits at the front porch to be rescued from their flooded home in Brentwood, Calif., on Jan. 16, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)

Missed Opportunity?

U.S. Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) wrote a letter (pdf) to Newsom, California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Jan. 11 calling on federal and state agencies to maximize pumping water from the rains, contending this would have little impact on endangered species.

Community drinking water systems, agriculture, and listed species that occupy managed wetlands alike would benefit from an increased supply of stored water for use during the next dry period, Costa wrote. If the 2022 water year is any indication, that could come as soon as next month. It makes NO sense to miss the opportunity created by the extraordinary wet conditions California is now experiencing.

Costa suggested the state discontinue its calendar-based approach to water management and implement more adaptive dynamic strategies to respond more quickly to changing weather patterns and conditions.

Water needs to flow freely to the Central Valley, Assemblyman Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield) wrote in another letter to Newsom on Jan. 12. During this drought, farmers need water to save for the coming dry months in order to grow the food we eat, and communities need water for homes and businesses.

State legislators Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains (D-Bakersfield)citing data from the Bureau of Reclamationstated in yet another letter to Newsom on Jan. 10 that water usage from the Delta between Dec. 31 and Jan. 8 was cut by more than half from about 6,000 cubic feet per second to a daily average of less than 3,000.

In an aerial view, the Nicasio Reservoir is seen after a series of atmospheric river events drenched Northern California in Nicasio, Calif., on Jan. 12, 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The lawmakers also objected to California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Director Karla Nemeths assertion the previous week that dialing back the pumps would protect imperiled fish.

After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions by maximizing south of the Delta exports at a time when the water is available, Hurtado and Bains wrote.

Nemeth responded to Hurtado and Bains in a letter obtained by The Epoch Times on Jan. 11 stating the State Water Project increased the movement of water into storage at San Luis Reservoir since the storms began Dec. 27, and that the export of water from the south Delta is continuing at a rate that is significantly higher than it was before these storms.

Prior to the heavy rainfall, pumping in the Delta had been approximately 300 cubic feet per second, but starting in late December it was increased to an average of 3,000, Nemeth said.

The DWR had projected pumping to progressively increase to more than 6,000 cubic feet per second over the next two weeks, Nemeth said at the time of writing the letter.

The dialing back you quoted in your letter was my reference to existing law that requires turbid water generated by high flows in the central Delta to first move through the system. This so-called first flush pumping protocol is required by federal and state permits, Nemeth wrote.

DWR was not authorized to end the first flush protocol until Jan. 16, she wrote in the letter.

The U.S Bureau of Reclamation stated that the agency pumped the maximum amount of water allowed at the federal Jones Pumping Plant, in an email to The Epoch Times.

A sign calls for solving Californias water crisis on the outskirts of Buttonwillow in Californias Kern County on April 2, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Water Infrastructure

State Assembly Republicans held a press conference in Sacramento on Jan. 12 calling for major improvements to water infrastructure and urging Newsom to prioritize flood protection, water storage, and conveyance projects.

Republicans said the governors proposed state budget fails to invest in critical infrastructure to protect residents from floods and capture water for future use.

Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) said there is a shortage of water for drinking and irrigating crops in the Central Valley. He urged Newsom to build new reservoirs and streamline the process of getting projects approved by environmental agencies.

Assemblywoman Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel) also urged Newsom to build new water reservoirs instead of telling Californians to conserve water.

Its time that we actually make a move, she said. This should have been done years ago.

In 2014, the state issued a water bond under Proposition 1, which provided $7.5 billion, including $2.7 billion preauthorized specifically for water storage projects, according to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

So far, however, no new reservoirs have been built. Most of Californias dams and reservoirs were built between 1945 and 1968, with the last oneNew Melones Dam and Reservoirin 1979. New Melones is located about 100 miles southeast of Sacramento.

Dead trees are seen on a dried up section of the New Melones Lake reservoir in California during severe drought on May 24, 2015. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Newsom has pushed for completion of the Sites Reservoir, a long-delayed proposed project on the west side of the Sacramento Valley, but environmental groups have strongly opposed it, and construction is unlikely to begin before 2024.

In a statement emailed to The Epoch Times on Jan. 23, Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) criticized those blocking new water storage projects and the repair of existing infrastructure in the state, citing the important role of agriculture in the Central Valley as a major concern.

For those farmers to continue growing a quarter of the nations food, California needs to store its water in wet years and stop flushing it out to the ocean. Food is a necessity, she said.

Californias nearly 1,500 surface reservoirs can store up to 43 million acre-feet of water, more than 1.4 trillion gallons, enough to supply farms and cities for a year, reported the PPIC.

One acre-foot of water is just north of 325,000 gallons, which according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is more than enough to supply two households with an average family of four for a year at a rate of 400 gallons per day per household, or 146,000 gallons for each.

The states 517 underground aquifers can hold considerably more water than surface reservoirs because decades of groundwater depletion have created unused space, according to the PPIC.

The underground aquifers were unregulated until 2014 when Gov. Jerry Brown signed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act into law to recharge depleted groundwater, according to the DWR.

A sign opposing a proposed tunnel plan to ship water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Southern California is displayed near Freeport, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2016. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo)

Environmental Delays

State Assemblyman Bill Essayli (R-Corona) called on Newsom to reform the California Environmental Quality Act and streamline the approval process of new water reservoir projects.

The fundamental problem is that theres no appetite or will to actually solve this issue and deal with the environmental groups that are relentless in their opposition to any water storage infrastructure. Thats the real problem, he said.

He suggested the state look more toward desalination plants as a way to provide water to Californias coastal cities, similar to desert regions in other parts of the world, such as Dubai.

Dallas Weaver, a water expert and consultant based in Huntington Beach, agreed. Weaver told The Epoch Times that even though the state was a leader in developing reverse osmosis filters for desalination technology, it now lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to building its own desalination plants.

A spokesperson from the governors office told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement on Jan. 23 that under Newsom, the state is moving aggressively to modernize water infrastructure to maximize stormwater capture and storage above and below ground.

The states Water Supply Strategy (pdf) provides a roadmap for California to create an additional 4 million acre-feet of water storage capacity, boost annual groundwater recharge by 500,000 acre-feet, and expand urban stormwater capture capacity by 250,000 acre-feet by 2030, he said.

A caution sign is posted at the Castaic Lake reservoir in Los Angeles County in Castaic, Calif., on Oct. 4, 2022. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The governors proposed state budget includes $4.7 million to help agencies fast-track permitting for projects including groundwater recharge.

Trillions of gallons of water from the recent storms are currently recharging groundwater basins throughout the state and the states two largest reservoirs have gained a combined [1.62 million] acre-feet of water, or roughly enough to supply water to 5.6 million households for a year, the spokesperson said.

While recent storms have filled many of the states reservoirs to average or above average levels and improved water conditions, much of the state remains in drought following the past three years of severe droughtthe states driest on record.

Even as the states drought outlook improves, its critical that the water community all work together to advance drought planning and response for the states hotter, drier future, said Nemeth, the DWR director.

The DWR recently launched an interagency task force to proactively prepare for a return to dry conditions amid climate-driven extremes in weather, the agency announced on Jan. 20.

Initiated by Senate Bill 552, the DRIP Collaborative will foster partnerships between local governments, experts, community representatives and state agencies to address drought planning, emergency response, and ongoing management, DWR stated.

The first meeting is scheduled for April 6.
NIH Failed to Monitor EcoHealth Funding, Didnt Understand the Research Being Done: HHS-OIG Report

Dr. Lawrence Tabak, acting director of the National Institutes of Health, (L), and fellow NIH official Diana Bianchi testify on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 11, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

National Institutes for Health (NIH) officials failed to monitor EcoHealth funding awards properly and thus couldnt fully understand the research being conducted by the nonprofit at U.S. taxpayers expense, according to investigators with the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG).

Despite identifying potential risks associated with research being performed under the EcoHealth awards, we found that NIH did not effectively monitor or take timely action to address EcoHealths compliance with some requirements, the HHS-OIG report said.

The report was made public on Jan. 25.

Although NIH and EcoHealth had established monitoring procedures, we found deficiencies in complying with those procedures limited NIH and EcoHealths ability to effectively monitor federal grant awards and sub-awards [or] to understand the nature of the research conducted, identify potential problem areas, and take corrective action, according to the report.

The new report is likely to intensify the controversy sparked in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when it was learned that NIH has given millions of dollars in federal grants to EcoHealth Alliance, the New York-based health research nonprofit.

EcoHealth, in turn, awarded funds to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in Wuhan, China, where extensive gain-of-function research was routinely conducted, including on COVID-19 and related coronaviruses.

Many U.S. health experts and members of Congress contend the COVID-19 virus leaked from the WIV and spread from there across the world. More than 1 million Americans and more than 6 million worldwide have died as a result of the virus. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials have stoutly refused to allow U.S. and international investigators the full access required to determine the origin and spread of COVID-19.

The OIG audit focused primarily on three NIH grants to EcoHealth totaling more than $8 million. At least $3 million of the federal funds awarded to EcoHealth since 2014 went to research involving WIV, and the nonprofit recently received a grant from the Department of Defense (DOD) valued at nearly $3 million.

The report further noted that although WIV cooperated with EcoHealths monitoring for several years, WIVs lack of cooperation following the COVID-19 outbreak limited EcoHealths ability to monitor its sub-recipient. NIH should assess how it can best mitigate these issues and ensure that it can oversee the use of NIH funds by foreign recipients and sub-recipients.

Also on Jan. 25, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced a bill to bar any federal funding from going to EcoHealth for any purpose, or to any subsidiary or other entity linked with EcoHealth.

No funds authorized or appropriated by federal law may be made available for any purpose to EcoHealth Alliance, Inc., including any subsidiaries and related organizations that are directly controlled by EcoHealth Alliance, Inc., including sub-grant or subcontract organizations or individuals, the Ernst proposal states.

The bill also provides that the Government Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, will conduct an analysis of all federal funding that went to EcoHealth in the decade prior to 2023. The analysis is to focus on the amount of federal funds awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. (directly or indirectly through grants, contracts, sub-grants, subcontracts, or any other type of agreement or collaboration)  that were provided, whether purposely or inadvertently, to (1) the Peoples Republic of China; (2) the Chinese Communist Party; (3) the Wuhan Institute of Virology; or (4) any other lab, agency, organization, individual, or instrumentality that is owned or controlled directly or indirectly by EcoHealth or any of the entities listed.

EcoHealth issued a lengthy statement that claimed the OIG report did not find significant issues with EHAs grant oversight and compliance, summarizing its findings as follows: EcoHealth had steps in place to conduct risk assessments of its sub-recipients, and also had standardized checklists to document routine monitoring of its sub-recipients.'

EcoHealth also said it accepts OIGs recommendations for how to ensure that sub-awards were compliant with Federal requirements; how to ensure compliance with sub-recipient monitoring and reporting; and how to comply better with certain public disclosure requirements associated with reporting sub-award funding.

The nonprofit also said the OIG report noted that only 1 percent of its activities funded by NIH were disallowed, meaning that put another way, the OIG found that EHA did comply with Federal requirements 99 percent of the time.

The report, however, said EcoHealth did not ensure that sub-awards were compliant with federal requirements, did not ensure compliance with sub-recipient monitoring and reporting requirements, and did not comply with certain public disclosure requirements associated with reporting sub-award funding.  These deficiencies occurred because NIH and EcoHealth did not follow established policies and procedures.

The HHS-OIG report was originally sought by Ernst, who issued a Jan. 25 statement saying: While NIH certainly shares in the blame, EcoHealth Alliance is ultimately at fault for failing to tell the world what was really going on at Chinas Wuhan Institute. They are guilty of either complacency or a cover-up, or maybe a little of both. EcoHealth was paid millions, promising their hunt for bat viruses would protect the world from a pandemic  well, the world got a pandemic, and EcoHealth keeps getting millions.

We cant afford any more of EcoHealths prevention efforts. Thats why we must permanently ban them from receiving taxpayer dollars ever again.
Northern Territory Considers Vote on Alcohol Bans Amid Soaring Crime Wave

Northern Territory Health Minister Natasha Fyles speaks to the media during a press conference outside Parliament in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia on Apr. 9, 2021. (AAP Image/Aaron Bunch)

Northern Territory (NT) Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says residents could be given a vote on whether to permanently ban alcohol in central Australia amid a soaring crime wave in Alice Springs.

We cant look at Alice Springs in isolation; we need to look at the broader community, Fyles told ABC Radio National on Jan. 25.

Do we get the Electoral Commission to go out to these communities  and then the matter can be settled confidently knowing that all views have been heard.

Fyles also noted, though, that several other Indigenous communities had told her personally they were opposed to a ban because they wanted to live and drink like other Australian communities.

Ensuring that we have all voices heard is something that I want to make sure is in those alcohol management plans, she said.

A view of the town of Alice Springs in Australias Northern Territory on October 13, 2013 (Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images)

Alcohol Restrictions to Return to Central Australia

The NT government yesterday announced a raft of new restrictions on alcohol sales in Alice Springs as a temporary measure to help police deal with the youth crime wave in the region.

Sales of takeaway alcohol will now be banned on Monday and Tuesday, and hours of alcohol serving will be reduced on the remaining days of the week from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The government will also introduce a ban on multiple alcohol transactions, with Alice Springs residents only allowed to make one takeaway purchase per day via the banned drinker register.

We need to give the community respite and support, and we need to do that immediately, Fyles said.

I do ask the community to understand we do not take these decisions lightly, but these are measures to reduce the amount of alcohol in our community. It is a decision that police fully support, and by reducing that amount of alcohol, we will reduce the harm.

Alcohol bans in central Australia were first implemented in 2007 during the federal governments Northern Territorys Emergency Response, also known as the NT Intervention, under then-Prime Minister John Howard. It aimed to deal with lawlessness and crime in Indigenous townships and communities.

The measures were continued in 2012 under Prime Minister Julia Gillards Stronger Future legislation (pdf), which expired in July 2022.

At the time of their expiration, the Albanese government said that it supported the right of Indigenous people in the NT to determine their futures and live strong, independent lives, where communities, families and children are safe and healthy.

Federal Government Announces $48 Million in Extra Funding

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rushed to Alice Springs on Jan. 24 in response to calls for his presence in the region.

He announced the federal government would spend $48.8 million (US$34 million) over the next two years in Alice Springs to tackle crime, keep women and children safe and provide support to young people in communities.

Overseeing the NT and federal responses will be a newly appointed central Australian regional controller, Dorelle Anderson, who will also report back to the federal and NT government on Feb. 1 about the results of the alcohol sale restrictions.

The plan includes $14.2 in funding for extra high visibility police and law enforcement operations targeting grog running (black market selling of alcohol to dry communities), as well as increasing the number of liquor licensing compliance inspectors and security guards in public places.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to media during a press conference in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Tuesday, January 24, 2023. (AAP Image/Pin Rada)

The federal government will also provide $2 million to improve CCTV, lighting and safety measures throughout Alice Springs, $5.6 million for additional emergency accommodation and safe spaces to give young people a place to go to at night.

While an extra $2 million will go towards boosting domestic violence services and $25 million to safety and community services.

This is on top of $253 million already allocated for Central Australia in the federal budget.

Police Data Shows Alcohol is Playing a Part in Crime Wave

The Northern Territory Police Commissioner James Chalker told ABC Radio on Jan. 24 that he believed alcohol had a big role to play in rising criminal activity.

It is certainly our view that thats part of the problem at the moment, Chalker said, noting police in Alice Springs were seeing, on average, 300 people split across two bars drinking from mid-morning then leaving with more alcohol when takeaway sales open at 2 p.m.

That causes part of the problem and certainly lifts community apprehension when they see so many people already on the way to intoxication, he said.

Current crime statistics for Alice Springs have spiked in the past six months with assaults and domestic violence rates soaring by 38.01 percent and 47.22 percent, respectively.

Home and commercial property break-ins have also risen 25.75 percent and 55.97 percent, while motor vehicle theft has also risen 39.88 percent.
NRA Criticizes Newsom for Calling Second Amendment Suicide Pact While Surrounded by Armed Security Guards

California governor Gavin Newsom speaks at the Half Moon Bay I.D.E.S. Society on the aftermath of a shooting at the Spanish Town shops in Half Moon Bay, California, on January 24, 2023. - A suspected gunman was in custody January 23, over the killing of seven people in a rural community in northern California, just two days after a mass shooting at a Lunar New Year celebration near Los Angeles. (Photo by Samantha Laurey / AFP) (Photo by SAMANTHA LAUREY/AFP via Getty Images)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been criticized by the National Rifle Association (NRA) for claiming that the Second Amendment is becoming a suicide pact while he was surrounded by what appeared to be at least four armed security guards.

Newsom made the comments during an interview with CBS News in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park on Jan. 24 following two mass shootings within the state within just days of each other.

A total of 11 people were killed in a mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey over the weekend, while nine others were injured. The suspect, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, later committed suicide.

On Monday, seven people were killed and one person seriously injured in Half Moon Bay, near San Francisco, when a gunman opened fire in two different locations.

The suspect in that shooting, 67-year-old Zhao Chunli, is in custody.

Gov. Newsom made that statement while flanked by at least four armed guards, Amy Hunter, the NRAs director for media relations, told Fox News Digital. That is the definition of hypocrisy.

Speaking to CBS, Newsom, a Democrat, stated that nothing about this is surprising. Everything about this is infuriating, in reference to the latest shootings. The Second Amendment is becoming a suicide pact.

People attend a candlelight vigil for victims of a mass shooting outside the City Hall in Monterey Park, California on Jan. 23, 2023. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

California Has Strictest Gun Laws in the Country

The governor added that he has no ideological opposition against people who reasonably and responsibly own guns, get background checks, are trained on how to use them, and make sure theyre locked away from children.

Ive never suggested that, he said. Thats what they immediately do: He wants to take away your guns. I just want to take away weapons of war that are illegal on the streets of California and should be illegal across the United States.

Newsom also noted that 1,284 people were unable to buy guns last year in California, which has some of the most stringent gun laws in the country.

According to advocacy groups Everytown for Gun Safety and the Giffords Law Center, California is the top state for gun safety in the United States and has been given an A grade by the latter.

The state has banned the sale of military-style weapons and has mandatory waiting periods and background checks for the purchase of firearms.

Additionally, red flag laws have been passed that allow the court, at the request of family members of authorities, to confiscate guns from people deemed to pose a danger to themselves or others.

Gun manufacturers can also be made to pay out strict penalties in civil court if their firearms are used in a crime.

Law enforcement personnel control the scene of a shooting in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Jan. 23, 2023. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)

2 Shootings in California Within Days

Despite this, police say that the attacker in the Monterey Park shooting was armed with a magazine-fed semiautomatic assault pistol with a large-capacity magazine attached to it. The pistol is illegal in the state.

When asked how the gunman was able to procure the weapon, Newsom told CBS: Exactly, we will figure it out. Thats going to happen. You got to enforce laws. Things fall through the cracks, but it doesnt mean you give up.

The shooting at Monterey Park in Southern California took place late on Jan. 21 as people were celebrating Lunar New Year at Star Dance Studio, a ballroom dance hall.

Six men and two women were also allegedly shot by Half Moon Bay resident Zhao Chunli during an attack on Monday. One of the male victims underwent surgery at Stanford and is in stable condition, CBS reported.

Zhao is expected to appear in court for an arraignment Wednesday afternoon, according to officials.
Gas prices are on the rise again. Whats behind it, and where is it going next?

A farm group is calling to investigate record-high egg pricessaying price gouging could be to blame.

California lawmakers are proposing a new bill to tax the rich, even after theyve left the state. They say its to reduce income inequality.

Concerns about TikToks data security grow, as Sen. Josh Hawley introduces a bill to ban the app nationwide. What could be the end game for TikTok?

Gold prices hover near a nine-month high, as central banks purchased the largest amount of gold in recent history last year. We have an in-depth interview.
Ohios Mike Turner Becomes Chairman of the Powerful House Intelligence Committee

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, speaks in Washington on Aug. 12, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy on Jan. 23 officially appointed Mike Turner to serve as chairman of the powerful House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), a committee that oversees 17 national security agencies.

In the previous Congress, with the GOP the minority party in the House, Turner held the title of Ranking Member of the committee.

Turner, 63, is a McCarthy loyalist and a 20-year member of the House.

Surrounded by Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Aug. 12, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

With Republicans taking control of the lower chamber of Congress, Turner was already the recognized leader of the committee.

He wasted no time in exerting his influence and the committees reach to shine a light on the saga of classified documents discovered at the Delaware home of President Joe Biden, and the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.

And, following the revelation that a lawyer for former Vice President Mike Pence had found classified materials in Pences residence in Indiana, Turner called on the intelligence community to review the documents.

In a Jan. 24 tweet, Turner wrote, It is a serious matter for any government official to mishandle classified documents. I plan to ask for the same intelligence review and damage assessment to see if there are any national security concerns.

Looking For Answers

Turner has focused on the inquiry into the Biden classified documents incidents.

On Jan. 12, Turner sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines requesting a classified briefing on the investigations status, and what had been learned about classified documents that Biden stored at two unsecured locations.

Two days earlier, Turner requested that Haines provide a national security damage assessment report pertaining to the classified document finds.

On Jan. 22, Turner appeared on CBS Newss Face the Nation.

Host Margaret Brennan gave Turner the opportunity to discuss and make political hay over the mounting numbers of classified docs found on the presidents private property and at the Penn Biden Center.

Supporters of President Donald Trump protest inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

In asking the congressman a question about the sensitive intelligence left unsecured, Brennan referenced that some of the materials dated back to before Biden was first elected vice president.

And what does it signify to you that no one realized that this classified material was missing, some of it dating back to his Senate years? Brennan asked.

Turner, an attorney, replied that the president is Apparently, a serial classified document hoarder.

In the ensuing media fallout of the FBIs Aug. 22 raid on former President Donald Trumps home Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach where it found classified materials, Turner suggested that Trump had stored the documents for the purpose of writing his memoir.

Turner, though, has not been a consistent or reliable supporter of Trump.

He opposed efforts to prevent certification of the 2020 Electoral College vote.

During the Jan. 6, 2021, protests and march on the Capitol building, he tweeted, I am appalled at what is occurring in the U.S. Capitol right now. President Trump needs to call for an end to this violence and permit Congress to facilitate a peaceful transition of power.

Turner voted to not impeach Trump.

True Son of Ohio

He is a lifelong resident of southwest Ohio and represents the people of the states 10th Congressional District.

Turner has close to 20 years of service as an elected leader in this area of the Buckeye State.

He served as mayor of Dayton for two terms, from 1994 through 2002, but lost a bid for a third term. Turner was elected to the U.S. House in 2002.

Turner attended Dayton public schools and went on to earn a bachelors degree from Ohio Northern University, an MBA from the University of Dayton, and a Juris Doctorate from Case Western University Law School.

He graduated from Georgetown University, in the spring of 2022, with a Doctorate in Liberal Studies focused on urban economic development.

Turner is single and has two adult daughters from his first marriage of 26 years to Lori Turner. They divorced in 2013. He wed for a second time, in 2015, to energy lobbyist Majida Mourad. After about a year and a half of marriage, Turner filed for divorce, which was made final in 2018.

Supporting Air Force Base

While constituents across the Ohio 10th District will be afforded perks through their U.S. rep chairing the HPSCI, one constituent in particular that is poised to benefit is Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (Wright-Patt), located just northeast of Dayton.

The base is vital to the economic lifeblood of the region and employs more than 30,000 peopleboth military and civilian personnelmaking it the largest single-site employer in Ohio.

During his time in Congress, Turner has been an effective and powerful advocate for Wright-Patt and played an integral role in the military facility adding 15,000 jobs during that period.
Kanoo Travel, a leading travel company in the region, has partnered dcs plus, a global leading travel technology company, to enhance its tech infrastructure, boost operational activity and upgrade customer services.



Kanoo Travel will power its operations with TINA, the travel ERP developed by dcs plus. TINA is one of the world's most advanced web-based ERP systems for the travel industry and is favoured by members of large global TMCs.



With an operational footprint that spans over an extensive network of offices in Mena and Europe, Kanoo Travel aims to achieve a greater control and efficiency through digitalization.



This new partnership will enable Kanoo Travel to achieve greater control through seamless processes, reducing the operational costs and offering a best-in-class traveler experience at every touchpoint of the customer journey.



Furthermore, Kanoo Travel will leverage the state-of-the-art technology from dcs plus to optimize business processes, utilizing smart analytics and data, which will be integrated across different platforms at group level for Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt.



Zaeem Gama, Divisional CEO of Kanoo Travel: Our partnership with dcs plus is a fundamental element of our ambitious roadmap to advance the travel industry through digitalization, further reflecting our commitment to provide the most sophisticated travel solutions on a global level.



We believe in establishing key strong partnerships in the region to fully execute our full-scale digitization plan and ambitions, which allows us to become agile and seamless especially in an ever-evolving landscape. dcs plus and Kanoo Travel have a collective vision, and together we will capture untapped opportunities in the sector, creating a successful case study for others in the region.



Ali Abdulla Kanoo, President of Kanoo Travel: At Kanoo Travel, we recognize that digital transformation is imperative. By forging such partnerships, we will be witnessing tremendous growth within the travel technology sector. This collaborative environment will enable us to leverage dcs plus' expertise to further advance our digitalization journey. As we work to mold the future of the global travel industry, dcs plus is an excellent partner as we share similar industry values.



Cristian Dinca, Founder and CEO of dcs plus: We are honoured to have one of the most trusted brands in the Middle East as our customer, since Kanoo Travel has always been one of the forward thinking and technology driven travel agencies from the region. We are excited to play our role in supporting their vision.



We are all aware that the old rulebook may be set aside, but a new one must be written that embraces the traveler, sustainable practices and the technological achievements that make progress possible for travel agencies. Our technology will assist their ambitious growth plans and the way Kanoo Travel delivers a highly consultative service to its travelers by focusing on a customer-centric approach that inspires the Kanoo brand values on all customer interaction channels.- TradeArabia News Service
The last known wolf in Colorado was killed in 1943, but now wolves have returned to Colorado through migration from Wyoming. In 2019 two lone wolves with radio collars were detected in the state. By 2021 a pack that included six wolf pups was confirmed in Northwestern Colorado.

Colorado rancher Don Gittleson has so far been at the epicenter of wolf predation  the animals are predators who don't care if the prey is owned by ranchers. His ranch is north of Walden, which is about 100 miles west of Fort Collins near the Wyoming border.

He expects things are going to get worse for ranchers, not better, as more wolves are introduced by the state.

When there are wolves on the landscape, (ranchers) have lost animals to wolves, Gittleson told The Denver Gazette in an interview. And we haven't figured out to stop that yet. Odds are that's not going to stop.

So far, Gittleson has lost about 10 cows and calves since the wolves showed up. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has paid for some of them, denied others, and compensation for a crippled cow is pending.

He may not be the only rancher in the area who has lost livestock. According to a news release last October, the agency investigated reports of the deaths of dozens of calves near Meeker that may be wolf related.

In 2020, Proposition 114 was put before Colorado voters, where it passed by 56,986 votes. The Proposition requires Colorado Parks and Wildlife to reintroduce and manage gray wolves west of the Continental Divide by Dec. 31, 2023.

The agency held the first of five public hearings on the proposed wolf management plan last Thursday in Colorado Springs to educate residents on the status of the draft plan and take comments from the public.

Darlene Kobobel, a member of the agencys Stakeholders Advisory Group and founder of the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center  a wolf and wolf hybrid sanctuary near Divide  is a supporter of reintroduction.

I feel that the reintroduction should be a positive event in history after almost 80 years of being absent from native land. The wolf is a symbol of freedom, loyalty, strength, and the spirit of nature, said Kobobel in her testimony.

Michelle Smith, who lives in rural Fremont County in an area designated for wolf reintroduction, voiced concern about the number of wolves that would be released, saying the 200-wolf target is far too small a number.

The agency has set 200 as the floor number that can be considered a viable population, above which the agency can consider controlled and limited wolf hunting.

The very tiny numbers for down-listing is reflective of pretty outdated science from the reintroduction into Yellowstone and Idaho in the mid-nineties," Smith said. "So, per the wording of Prop 114, the best scientific data available should be used to develop the plan, and data from the 1980s and nineties doesn't seem to be that best available science.

We know that Colorado can sustain about a thousand wolves. We don't want Colorado to follow the footsteps of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, and so far, it's been disappointing to see CPW looking to those three states for guidance in this process.

Wolf hunts have been authorized in areas of all three states. Montana has an estimated 1,100 wolves and Idaho has a wolf population estimated at 1,500 wolves. Wyoming has about 324 wolves, and along the Colorado border and in the vast majority of Wyoming, wolves are presently considered predator animals that can be shot on sight at any time and without a license.

Colorado officials suspect that some members of the pack that killed Gittleson livestock may have been killed by hunters when they ventured across the Wyoming border, some 12 miles north of Gittlesons property.

The draft plan includes provisions for killing wolves that predate on livestock when judged necessary by the agency.

Kobobel and several other of the 27 citizen speakers at the meeting urged the commission to remove lethal management provisions as well as a provision that would allow licensed hunting if, and when, wolf populations justify it.

There should be no lethal management until non-lethal methods have been tried, said Kobobel.

The public is watching and has trust in CPW that we are better than our neighboring states, especially those to the north, said Ryan Cutts. Can you imagine what the public and the kids who are following the wolves would think to see our wolves being killed? We voted to see them living free, thriving and doing their job as a keystone species, not being killed for sport.

Gittleson has more than two years experience with non-lethal methods of deterring wolf predation.

With the help of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, he tried turbo fladry  which is an electric fence with fluttering nylon flags sewn to it that some claim deters wolves. He tried others, too.

Jennifer Sherry, a wildlife science and policy specialist at the Natural Resources Defense Council said in a 2020 blog post: When used correctly, turbo fladry is a highly effective tool for preventing wolf predation.

But it didnt work long for Gittleson, and hes spent a lot of money on trying to deter wolves.

I always hoped that the non-lethal things would work for at least a year, Gittleson told the Commission. They did not. I mean the wolves, anything that we manufacture, they can get used to it. It just takes a little bit of time. The problem was it didn't take as long as I was hoping.

He found that wolves adapt quickly to scare tactics. Even using firecrackers, lights and physical human presence rapidly became ineffective and could spook the cattle. Nor are the costs of these efforts being paid for entirely by the state.

I've probably spent somewhere around $12,000 to $15,000 of my own money for non-lethal, said Gittleson.

Proposition 114 requires "fair compensation" for proven losses due to wolf attacks.

"Every depredation claim is different and unique," said Travis Duncan, spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. "Livestock owners are compensated fairly for their losses. Compensation varies by type, age and weight of livestock."

While Duncan said the agency does not release information on individual claims, he told The Denver Gazette in a statement Thursday that since December 2021, it has provided $12,929.75 in compensation for wolf livestock depredations. Losses include two dogs, one calf, and 5 cows from 4 separate claims.

Gittleson told the Commission that wolves walk right through his ranch stead at night and arent deterred by pickup trucks and lights when on the hunt.

So, they were getting pretty brave the last time they came in the pasture when I was there. They attacked a cow and a calf. I had a truck running that's an old diesel truck that makes a lot of noise. And I had the lights on, and I was about 400 yards away from 'em, Gittleson said in his testimony. Id shut the truck off to make sure I knew that I was hearing, what I thought I heard, and to get a location of where they were at. I had started the truck back up, drove right at 'em with the horn honking because I was afraid they'd kill that calf before I got there. They were still there fighting with that cow when I got there with the truck. I ran two of the pups off. But as soon as I saw the male, I quit chasing them and I chased him the length of the field.

Not all ranchers have the same dim opinion of wolves though.

Cattleman and veterinarian Rick Leone has raised Shorthorn cattle on his Peakview Ranch near Fowler in Southeastern Colorado for 45 years.

Interviewed at the National Western Stock Show, Leone said wolves are absolutely beautiful animals, but he acknowledges that they are predators and as the population grows, conflicts with livestock and humans are going to be a problem.

How could you not love them? I feel like the wolves are being put in a very bad situation, Leone said. I think the people who love them and really care about them should think about that.

I feel bad for potentially what's going to occur. If the numbers can be kept somewhat reasonable, then I could see us all living and getting along together. But its hard to play God that much and keep those numbers where they're reasonable without them being a risk to humans, their pets, wildlife  they're going to prey on wildlife, said Leone.

Leone believes that predation on wildlife will be beneficial to riparian areas along streams and rivers, where elk, moose and deer like to gather.

It'll allow brush to grow, it'll allow beaver to come back, said Leone. So, I get all the wonderful things they do, but when that population gets heavy and starts to exponentially grow, it's going to be rough.

For Gittleson rough may mean being driven out of business by wolves.

Asked by Commissioner Dallas May if surviving this level of predation is sustainable, Gittleson said: Sustainable. I hate that. I don't like that question because it's a very real question. I don't answer it for sure it  it's too personal. I know in my situation, I could not sustain it.

A comment form specific to the draft plan will be posted on the CPW website and at engageCPW.org through February 22. Between January 19 and February 22, five statewide hearings (four in-person, one virtual) will be held to gather information from the public to be considered in developing the final plan. Additional information on meeting times and locations can be found here.

In-person meetings will be held in Gunnison on Jan. 25th, Rifle on Feb. 7th, Denver on Feb. 22nd, and at the Commissions regular meeting March 15 and 16, and in Steamboat Springs April 6th.

The final decision on the plan will be made by the Commission May 3-4 in Glenwood Springs.
Ontario Couple Told Air Canada Gave Their Bag to Charity After Months Following It With Tracker

Air Canada planes sit on the tarmac at the Pearson International Airport in Toronto on April 28, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette)

A Cambridge woman has chronicled her months-long process of getting her baggage back from Air Canada after her honeymoon in Greece. She used an AirTag tracker to follow its movements, but Air Canada did not pick it up to return it to her at any of its known locations for months.

Police got involved and told Nakita Rees that one of Air Canadas third-party luggage-handlers had donated the bag to charity. Rees told CP24 on Monday that it was returned to her after all.

[I feel] relievedeverythings in therebut also, it still almost frustrates me more, she said.

She had described her ordeal on a now-viral TikTok video with more than a million views.

On her way home from her honeymoon in Greece, she and her husband had to recheck their bags in Montreal before flying on to Toronto.

My bag made it back, my husbands did not, she said. They had an Apple AirTag inside the bag so they could find its location.

We noticed our luggage was moving with our AirTag from the Montreal airport to what we now have learned  [is] a processing centre in Montreal.

She said it sat there for four months.

Then we watched our luggage leave on the highway from Montreal to Etobicoke. Rees happily thought the bag was on the way back to them. And then it sat there for a month, two months, three months.

Air Canada did not respond to her many communications, she said. It compensated her for the bags loss by an e-transfer, she said. They didnt even give me an option to accept that money.

Rees and her husband asked the police to go to the Etobicoke facility to retrieve their property, CP24 reported. The police reportedly found hundreds of bags there. The police told her the facility was owned by a charity.

Toronto police and Air Canada did not reply to The Epoch Times inquiry as of publication.

Customers whose bags cannot be located are eligible for compensation after 21 days and bags whose ownership cannot be determined can be disposed of after 90 dayssomething we do through a third-party company, which does make donations to charity, Air Canada told CP24.

The airline said it compensated Rees the maximum amount, $2,300. It said the industry is still recovering from pandemic-related disruptions and in this particular case, the situation was compounded by the disconnection of the baggage tag at some point on the journey. Despite our best efforts, it was not possible for us to identify the bags owner.

A similar case made headlines earlier this month when a B.C. mans bag was lost by Air Canada on his way back from Mexico.

Paul Kliffer of Victoria, B.C., followed his bag using an AirTag tracker and saw that it made its way to Madrid, Spain. He tracked it for months after his November trip, he told Global News, and repeatedly contacted Air Canada to show where it was and ask the airline to retrieve it. The airline said it would compensate him for the loss.

Air Canada did not reply to The Epoch Times inquiry on that incident.

Gabor Lukacs, president of the group Air Passenger Rights, told The Epoch Times via email, These kind of stories are completely off the charts in my mind. I have not heard about or seen them happen in Canada beforethey reflect a third-world countrys attitude.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said earlier this month that the government is looking to strengthen the airline passenger bill of rights through legislation that will be introduced in the spring.
Orange County Supervisors Approve Cold Weather Shelter in Fullerton

The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Jan. 24 a temporary cold weather shelter for the homeless in Fullerton, ending a six-month search.

The facility will be located at Independence Parks gymnasium, providing 90 beds, Doug Becht, the director of operations for the Orange County Health Care Agency, said during the boards meeting.

Becht said the shelter will serve as an immediate respite from cold weather in addition to connecting the homeless to social services for permanent housing.

It will operate from Feb. 1 through the end of March or into April, depending on the need, from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. Each staying there will be provided a warm dinner, hot shower, and breakfast, Becht said.

He also said the gymnasium will be fenced off from the rest of the park to ensure the smallest impact on the community.

The county will also provide transportation at two shutter sites in Fullerton to bus the homeless in and out of the shelter, he said.

The non-profit People Assisting the Homeless, or PATH, will operate the shelter. The organization, which works throughout California, locates housing for the homeless and helps newly sheltered people remain in their homes.

The county agreed to pay the non-profit just over $595,000 from now until April 15 for their services, and another $7,500 per month to Fullerton for renting the facility.

Fullerton City Councilman Ahmad Zahra spoke during the meeting asking the board to approve the shelter in his district.

We in Fullerton are committed to solving homelessness, he said.

Independence Parks gymnasium in Fullerton, Calif., on Jan. 18, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The county began looking for a cold weather shelter in July, according to Supervisor Doug Chaffee, but received no responses to its bid for a location.

In October, officials began negotiations with the Salvation Army to run such a shelter in downtown Santa Ana.

But the nonprofit backed out after facing opposition from Santa Ana city officials, who argued that surrounding cities do not do their part to address homelessness.

Then the county went to Fullerton, whose representatives voted earlier this month to make the gymnasium available.

Chaffee said during the meeting that he is very pleased his hometown is providing the facility.

I thank Fullerton for stepping up, and I look forward to the shelter opening rapidly, he said.

Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, who is the former mayor of Santa Ana, said the county should look into rotating the responsibility for such among all Orange County cities and also expressed gratitude to Fullerton.

Thank you for stepping up and providing that site. Its been a tough season, he said.
PayPal Hack Exposes Customer Names, Social Security Numbers

Some 35,000 PayPal user accounts have been hacked by a method known as credential stuffing, resulting in exposed names and Social Security numbers, according to a notification posted on a government website.

Through its lawyers, the California-based payment processor sent a notice to Maines attorney general. The company also sent a letter, dated Jan. 19, about the data breach to affected users.

The accounts were breached sometime between Dec. 6 and Dec. 8, 2022, the letter said. The company said that it was able to deal with the attack soon after it occurred, according to the letter.

The notification to users said (pdf) that 34,942 users were affected by the incident and that unauthorized third parties gained access to their accounts. Those third parties, which werent identified, could view full names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, and tax identification numbers.

We have no information suggesting that any of your personal information was misused as a result of this incident, or that there are any unauthorized transactions on your account, PayPals letter read.

A credential stuffing attack involves automatically injecting login credentials that were found during previous data breaches.

If you detect any suspicious activity on an account, change the password and security questions immediately, and promptly notify the company where the account is maintained, PayPal stated. You may also add additional security for your PayPal account by enabling 2-step verification in your Account Settings. When links are present in an email, individuals should hover [their] mouse over the links to view the actual destination URL and should not click on the link if [they] are unsure of the destination URL or website.

The company also said it has reset passwords on those PayPal accounts. Affected users will also get free identity monitoring services from Equifax, the consumer credit reporting company.

In a statement to PCMag, the company maintained that it was only a small number of PayPal customer accounts that were impacted by the breach. The Epoch Times has contacted PayPal for comment. It noted that neither its website nor its systems were hacked.

PayPals payment systems were not impacted, and no financial information was accessed, the firm said. We have contacted affected customers directly to provide guidance on this matter to help them further protect their information. The security and privacy of our customers account information [remain] a top priority for PayPal, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

More Details

Sam Curry, the chief security officer at Cybereason, told Forbes magazine that what happened was that previous hacks led to a large populations passwords in use elsewhere being stolen, and because people often reuse passwords and have done so for a long time.

The hackers were able to brute slam PayPal accounts with these until they found 35,000 matches, he said.

If a threat actor can access legitimate credentialseven if theyre dumped in a dark-web repositorythey are only a few short, and in most cases, automated steps away from a successful intrusion, Jasson Casey, the chief technology officer at Beyond Identity, told HackRead.

The security breach comes just days after T-Mobile confirmed an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network in late November 2022 and stole data on 37 million customers, according to a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

T-Mobile said that the data breach was found on Jan. 5, adding that data exposed to the theft didnt include critical information such as PINs, bank account numbers, credit card information, Social Security numbers, or government identification numbers. Instead, addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth were accessed, the filing said.

Our investigation is still ongoing, but the malicious activity appears to be fully contained at this time, T-Mobile said, adding that the data was first accessed around Nov. 25, 2022, but wasnt discovered until weeks later.
Political Hot Potato: Policing Reform a Delicate Issue for Smith Ahead of Alberta Election

Stakeholders elaborate to what extent the reforms will solve problems or create new ones

A provincial police force was something previous Alberta premier Jason Kenney favoured right up to his final days in office, and Danielle Smith also touted it during her United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership campaign.

But with a mandated election coming up in May, the new premier has been taking the politically safer approach of tackling immediate policing problems, said Marco Navarro-Genie, president of Alberta-based think tank Haultain Research Institute.

There is a significant amount of respect for the RCMP in some quarters, and at the same time there is a significant amount of desire to get them out in others, Navarro-Genie told The Epoch Times.

The politicians are kind of wedged in the middle, so its become a political hot potato, he said. If you ask an Albertan on the streets what they think of the RCMPshould the RCMP be kept or sent packingthe answer will give you an almost clear indication of how theyre going to vote in the next election.

The Smith governments Police Amendment Act attempts to address both Albertans dwindling trust in the police and rising crime rates, while leaving the issue of provincial police plan bubbling, Navarro-Genie said.

The act received royal assent in December 2022, a couple of months after Smith took office. It establishes civilian governance bodies in rural communities served by the RCMP, and mandates the creation of a Police Review Commission to investigate complaints against the police province-wide.

Rural Communities

Kara Westerlund, Brazeau County councillor and vice-president of Rural Municipalities of Alberta, said the changes are a baby step in the right direction.

RCMP officers respond to an incident near Cochrane, Alta., on March 11, 2016. (The Canadian press/Mike Ridewood)

Westerlund told The Epoch Times shes had four attempted break-ins at her house in the past several years and a recent attempted break-in at her business.

She said people in her community are on edge and blame the RCMP for being unresponsive. Having people formally sitting at a table with RCMP officers might help ease tensions, she said.

Living in rural Alberta also means it may take police an hour to get to peoples home when they call, she said. Thats the reality when the property is some distance from a detachment.

Westerlund notes, however, that its not the police but the judicial system thats at the heart of the problemthe catch-and-release system that has the same few people in each community committing the majority of the crimes.

Independent MLA Drew Barnes also blames the judicial system. Quite often its the same small group of people, because of our catch-and-release system. These people just continue to offend, with very few consequences, he said.

Police lose the desire to consistently go arrest these people. We have to work with our Canadian partners to tighten up the penalties.

Last September, Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro called on Ottawa to reform its parole and bail laws.

Ultimately, those in power in Ottawa must answer for a soft-on-crime system that does not place the protection of the law-abiding public at the centre of all decisions, Shandro said in a statement.

Barnes said manpower has also been a problem for the RCMP. There will be only one car servicing 200-by-300 miles, and of course no one can be in more than one place at a time.

The civilian governance bodies established by the Police Amendment Act wont solve this, he said, but it will be good that citizens will have the opportunity to more directly get their ideas and their input heard.

Jurisdictional Tussles

As the government was formulating the Police Amendment Act, Temitope Oriola, associate professor of criminology and sociology at the University of Alberta, was one of the experts consulted. He was commissioned to analyze the use of civilian oversight bodies across Canada and the world and give his recommendations.

He had suggested a one-stop-shop for police oversight, he said, but instead the government went with these local bodies.

It appears that well have a fundamentally fragmented landscape, Oriola said in an interview. That fragmentation will come with jurisdictional tussles.

However, he remains optimistic overall, he said. I do believe a lot rests on the implementation, the resources that are put into it. I think it can be made to function.

The RCMP, being federally funded, will have to work under some more local guidance, and that could create one kind of jurisdictional tussle, Oriola said.

Its not clear yet how binding that local governance will be. When Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis announced the legislation on Dec. 8, he said, The RCMP are absolutely supportive of this and want to participate.

With regard to the Police Review Commission, which would handle complaints against the police, Ellis said he was still in negotiations with the RCMP on that at the time. We are going to continue to negotiate with the RCMP because we believe the independent body is the right approach, he said.

Tyler Shandro, Albertas minister of justice and solicitor general, in a file photo. (The Canadian Press/Todd Korol)

Civilian oversight bodies have often been formed to prevent police brutality, said Oriola. They have a long presence in the United States, while the first Canadian oversight body was established in the 1980s in Toronto.

Alberta already has a smaller-scale oversight body, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), which handles only the most serious investigations of police-involved incidents, such as those involving fatalities.

But it has been troubled in recent years, with its director stepping down in 2021, saying the organization was underfunded and overworked. Though it has been infused with new funds, Oriola questions whether a new, larger review commission will have similar problems.

Provincial Police Service

Public Safety and Emergency Services spokesperson Dylan Topal told The Epoch Times in an email that while no decision has yet been made to establish an Alberta police service, one of the governments arguments in favour of a provincial force would be greater control over police funding.

For example, he said, Alberta had absolutely no input when the federal government and the RCMPs union negotiated a new collective agreement that increased Albertas policing costs over the life of the contract by approximately 20 percent.

Cost has been the main sticking point for opponents, one of whom is Westerlund. Although the government has said it will cover the extra costs of switching to a provincial force, she said shes worried about long-term costs. What about two years from now, three years from now? she said.

A group called Keep Alberta RCMP says in a statement on its website: The Provinces latest deployment model shows that a provincial police service would cost Albertans $759 million in operating expenses each yearan increase of $164 million from the current provincial policing costs of $595 millionand would only add 56 net new police officers.

Westerlund said her organization has been asked to sit on a transitional board, evidence the plan is still in the works.

Navarro-Genie is worried that a provincial force may not be any better than the RCMP. He said it depends, in part, on setting up an academy and training that will set the character of a provincial force. He gave the example of the Alberta sheriffs, who have been looked to as representative of what a provincial force might be like. Yet theyve been at the centre of their own controversies at times, he said.

MLA Barnes said Alberta is in a good position financially to fund a better-quality force. He thinks the federal government will gradually decrease the RCMPs budget to save money, and the policing cost savings to Alberta through that subsidizing will not remain as significant.

For him, as with many supporters of a provincial force, its also about more autonomy for Alberta.

This is about starting to show Albertans and showing Ottawa that we can take care of our own affairs. And unless we get financial equity, unless we get Supreme Court and House of Commons equity, were going to continue to focus on Alberta first.
A baby boy who passed away at 21 days old saved his sister and mother after pushing to be delivered at 24 weeks. Now his twin is healthy and thriving.

Mom Breanna Seibel, 29, who is studying for a masters degree in nursing in Wisconsin, believes her son, Teddy, saved her life and that of his sister, Vivi, now nine months old, after doctors were forced to deliver the babies early.

Teddy saved his sisters life, Breanna said. Doctors told us that if I hadnt given birth when I did the chances are all three of us wouldnt have made it. His head was right at the birth canal pushing to come outlike he was trying to warn us.

Baby Teddy at one week old. (SWNS)

Chase holding baby Teddys hand. (SWNS)

The twins were born 14 weeks early, via emergency C-section on April 23 last year, with Teddy arriving at 4.30 p.m. weighing 1 pound 7 ounces and Vivi at 4.31 p.m. at 1 pound 6 ounces. Both babies were whisked to the neonatal unit at United Hospital, St. Paul, Minnesota, with brain bleeds and had to be monitored around the clock.

Teddy had been looking healthier out of the two until he took a sudden turn for the worst and died in his mothers arms on May 14 from a brainstem herniation, as a result of the bleed.

Losing Teddy was horrific, and he passed away in my arms, Breanna said.

Teddy with his father Chase. (SWNS)

Baby Vivi at one week old. (SWNS)

Baby Vivi. (SWNS)

Breanna and her husband, Chase, 31, chose to lay Teddy next to his sister Vivi. The parents say Vivis stats increased as soon as they did that. Little Vivi battled a hemorrhage, bleeds, and double lung pneumonia before finally coming home after 101 days in hospital in August last year. She is now hitting all her developmental milestones.

When we wrapped Teddy up and brought him in to meet his sister her stats increased, and she started to improve, the mom said. Shes a miracle. Its remarkable from what she came from.

She inspires me so much.

Vivi with her parents. (SWNS)

Breanna and Chase had been delighted to find out they were expecting twins in December 2021. Breannas pregnancy had been going smoothly until she started to experience back pain at 23 weeks and three days.

It just felt different to me, she said. They checked me and found I was already a centimeter dilated. I started having contractions seven minutes apart and then three minutes apart.

Breanna was given steroid treatment to try and slow her labor and was transferred to United Hospital, St. Paul, Minnesota. Her labor slowed, and doctors aimed to get her as far along as possible before delivering the twins. Breanna managed to get to 24 weeks and one day before doctors had to perform an emergency C-section after the mom-to-be started profusely bleeding at 7 cm dilated.

The babies were so small they could fall out of me, Breanna said. Teddys head was in the birth canal ready to come out.

Vivi with Teddys Urn. (SWNS)

Vivi on her due date. (SWNS)

During the C-section, doctors realized that the mother and the twins may not have made it after seeing that Breannas placenta had shredded from a placental abruption. Breanna wasnt able to see her twins until later that day but made sure her husband stayed with them until she was able to join them.

It was numbing seeing them, she said. Their brains were as thin as tissue paper. They both had brain bleeds.

The siblings were in separate rooms as there was no twin room available, and mom and dad took turns going between the rooms. It was so up and down, Breanna said. I would go to the bathroom and come back and one of the babies was being resuscitated.

Teddy unexpectedly started to go downhill after his head started to increase in circumference from the pressure build-up from his brain bleed. The family was told to say their goodbyes. Gradually, his breathing slowed down, and he passed away in his moms arms.

Despite their loss, the parents tried to stay strong for their daughter Vivi, who still had a long way to go. Miraculously, she was able to leave hospital and head home, on oxygen, on Aug. 2 last yearjust nine days before their due date.

Breanna and Chase with Vivi. (SWNS)

We were told it would be a miracle if she wasnt hospitalized, Breanna said. We are blessed that she is doing as well as she is. Teddy is a big part in Vivi getting better. Teddy died so Vivi could live.

Now Vivi weighs a healthy 13 pounds 6 ounces and wears three to six-month-old clothing. The family hopes to hold a memorial this year for Teddy and have pictures up of him around the house so Vivi knows who her brother is.

I want to give other 24-week parents hope, Breanna said. You will get through it.

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.

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Protesters Abandon Atlanta Cop City Camp After Deadly Police Raid, Riot Arrests

A barricade in the anarchist camp near Atlanta, Ga. on Jan. 23, 2023. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

ATLANTAA camp of apparent anti-police environmentalists who defied Atlanta authorities for months now lies empty.

The group occupied public land where Atlanta plans to build a $90 million police department training complex.

City officials named it the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. Among their ranks, activists dubbed it Cop City.

On Jan. 18, agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) along with other law enforcement partners, conducted an operation to identify people who are trespassing and committing other crimes on the property, according to a GBI press release.

A shrine to Manuel Tortuguita Teran stands at an abandoned camp of activists in the Atlanta Forest near Georgias capital city on Jan. 23, 2023. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

As officers were moving through the property, they located a man inside a tent in the woods, according to the statement. Officers gave verbal commands to Manuel Teran, also known as Tortuguita, but he did not comply, GBI officials said.

Teran, 26, then shot a Georgia State Patrol officer, according to the GBI.

Other officers returned fire, hitting Teran, who died at the scene. The trooper was transported to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery.

The GBI provided pictures of Terans gun and showed its ballistics matched the bullet that hit the officer.

After Terans death, rioters charged through downtown Atlanta on Jan. 21, damaging buildings.

On Peachtree Street, they smashed windows on Truist bank, Wells Fargo bank, and the building that houses the Atlanta Police Foundation. They set a police car ablaze and smashed another police vehicles windows.

Abolish War

The attack wasnt the only reprisal for Terans death.

Far-left extremist group Antifa also attacked a police officer in Boston, according to the local police departments news site. During the same protest, protestors also created Stop Cop City graffiti, the site noted.

Activists in Seattle, Washington, also created graffiti while holding a vigil for Teran, according to the website of Puget Sound Anarchists, a radical group.

At a few places within the makeshift camp, barricades made of tires, trees, furniture, and other objects still blocked the paths through the forest five days after the shooting.

The Epoch Times found three unoccupied tents in the park, along with sleeping bags, backpacks, and banners roped high in the trees.

One area of the forest had a small shelter of woven branches.

Land Acknowledgement, one banner read. Atlanta Forest is of the Muscogee Creek and Cherokee people, Indigenous caretakers, black descendants.

One tent appeared to have been cut open during the police raid. Another lay on the ground.

Graffiti reading Abolish the Police at an activist camp in the Atlanta Forest, Georgia., on Jan. 23, 2023. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Most noticeable was a plethora of graffiti throughout the forest. Man-made surfaces from the forests entrance to a tunnel about a half-mile away had become a canvas for painted tags, slogans, and symbols of anarchists, environmentalists, socialists, anti-capitalists, and Black Lives Matter.

Abolish War, one read.

Forest defense is self defense, another read.

Stop Cop City, demanded another.

We will tell them, a paper with song lyrics read, that Weelaunee is not for franchise and wish the [expletives] drop down dead.

Weelaunee is the American Indian name for the Atlanta Forest.

Life and Death in Weelaunee

A memorial near the parks entrance celebrated Terans life.

Erected in memory of all those whose lives were lived and unjustly lost in Weelaunee Forest, read a message written on a concrete slab propped up vertically and spray-painted gold.

You live on in the trees and are remembered by the land. You will never be forgotten.

The camps remains show that occupants seemed to have lived well before the deadly encounter with law enforcement.

Garbage left behind includes remnants of apples, oranges, and pomegranates. Litter shows activists tastes for Cheerios, smoked whitefish pate, ramen, canned tomato soup, and Chick-fil-A. Trash heaps suggest they drank bottled water, soda, and rum.

A case of smoked whitefish pate left at the activist camp near Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 23, 2023. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

The camp also had a fire pit and logs arranged to mark paths. A bucket in a pit, covered by a foam sheet, may have served as a latrine.

Full garbage bags dotted the woods after the campers abrupt departure. Cardboard Amazon boxes, plastic cartons, garlic-sauce containers from Papa Johns Pizza, and a broken ukulele lay strewn around the campsite.

Abandoned belongings included clothing, ropes, toilet paper, tarpaulins, metal camping bowls, and high-end gear, such as a $144 Ledge sleeping bag.

Mortar-style fireworks, multiple-edged weapons, pellet rifles, gas masks, and a blow torch were recovered by law enforcement officers, according to the GBI.

From Upper Crust to Forest Huts

Seven people, ages 20 to 35, were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism and criminal trespass, with additional charges pending; all of them came from other states, according to the GBI.

Many of those arrested come from backgrounds of wealth and cultural achievement.

One graduated from a prestigious college and wrote an article for American Scientist magazine.

Another comes from a millionaire family who sails yachts and owns a mansion.

A sleeping bag, clothes, garbage, and other supplies left behind at an activist camp in the Atlanta Forest near Atlanta, Ga. on Jan. 23, 2023. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

A third is an award-winning clarinet player who studied at a famous music institute.

Another serves in a leadership role at a Chicago climate change think tank.

Theyre all believed to have participated in a riot that resulted in burned police cars and smashed glass fronts of several businesses.

On Jan. 18, law enforcement officials removed 25 dwellings, including tree houses, from the forest camp, according to the GBI press release.

A damaged tent is left behind at the Atlanta Forest activist camp near Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 23, 2023. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Defend the Atlanta Forest, an activist group that played an important role in the decentralized movement that occupied the forest, posted a statement on its website saying the raid was the most recent of a series of violent police retaliations against the movement.

The official narrative is that Cop City is necessary to make Atlanta safe, but this brutal killing reveals what they mean when they use that word, the statement reads.

The Defend the Atlanta Forest website also states that no one has been harmed by participants in this movement.

It also states that rather than looking at violent and nonviolent methods, it divides its protests into a much simpler and more intuitive framework: defense and offense.

Windows of the Atlanta Police Foundation, broken on Jan. 21 by rioters, remain covered with plywood on Jan. 23, 2023. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

The chief benefit of this framework is that it allows protesters to focus on the strategies and approaches that feel safe, dignified, and comfortable for them, the website reads.

Before the Jan. 18 raid, law enforcement agencies conducted a joint operation to combat ongoing criminal activity in the forest about a month earlier, another GBI press release noted.

In that raid, they removed barricades and found explosive devices, gasoline, and road flares, the release said.

The forests inhabitants threw rocks at officers, according to the statement. Police arrested five of them, four of whom came from out of state.

Residents in a nearby neighborhood declined to speak with an Epoch Times reporter about the impact of the forest camp.

Normal Violence

Although The Epoch Times asked for comment from employees of several local businesses, many said theyd been instructed not to speak.

Alex Swanson, a bartender at Meehans Public House, said rioters passed through the area quickly. While at work, Swanson saw the group of about 150 people break windows and move on.

These days, riots are just another part of living in Downtown Atlanta, he said.

Its unusual, but in the climate we live in, its like, protests happen, he said.

Alex Swanson, a bartender at Meehans Public House, in Atlanta, Ga. on Jan. 23, 2023. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

When compared with the massive Black Lives Matter riots in 2020, the Jan. 21 riot wasnt a big deal, he said.

What happened Saturday was a small scale compared to anything that happened in 2020, he said. It was more intense because it was way more people, and it was a larger protest covering more area.

Defend the Atlanta Forests website has a long list of endorsements from organizations, including the National Lawyers Guild and several of its branches; the climate change group Rising Tide North America; the climate change group 350.org; several chapters of both the Democratic Socialists of America and Showing Up For Racial Justice; organizing group Shut Down DC; the Savannah Federation of Democratic Women; several armed left-wing John Brown Gun Club chapters; Atlanta Antifascists; and several Antifa chapters.

A list of hundreds of individual supporters includes linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky.

Defend the Atlanta Forest didnt respond to a request from The Epoch Times for comment.
Rep. Chip Roy Defends Border Bill: Absolutely Doesnt Ban Asylum

House Rules Committee member Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said during the panels four-hour Jan. 30 meeting that ending the federal health care worker vaccination mandate is part of a bigger discussion that we should have regarding deference to the executive [branch] and to the bureaucratic state. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

DEL RIO, TexasThe first of a planned list of border security-related proposals that Republicans hope to bring to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives this year is largely a Title 42-esque action.

Its also part of the assurance that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) gave to several Republican holdouts when vying for the speaker position several weeks ago. He won the gavel on the 15th vote.

We did make one of our kind of requests that we advance effectively the Texas border plan this year, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told The Epoch Times, regarding the speaker negotiations. And that we get votes on the Texas border plan.

Roy is the sponsor of H.R. 29, also known as the Border Safety and Security Act of 2023. He has secured 58 co-sponsors as of Jan. 25 and is optimistic that more members will sign on, especially those who support the Title 42 public health order thats allowing Border Patrol to quickly expel some illegal aliens.

Its a simple bill, which Roy said was purposeful: Youre either for it or youre against it.

The gist of the bill states: This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to suspend the entry of any non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) without valid entry documents during any period when DHS cannot detain such an individual or return the individual to a foreign country contiguous to the United States. A state may sue DHS to enforce this requirement.

Its already enshrined in decades-old immigration law that illegal and inadmissible aliens be detained for the pendency of their case. However, the Biden administration has moved away from that by decreasing available detention space and gutting the Remain in Mexico program, which required aliens to stay in Mexico until their cases were adjudicated. The result is a catch-and-release system in which illegal aliens are given a trackable phone and a court date and then released into the United States with a court date that is often years down the road.

When the Remain in Mexico program was operating during the Trump era, illegal immigration dropped by about 75 percent, since it put a halt to catch-and-release. The Biden administration is intent on scrapping Remain in Mexico, despite being ordered by the Supreme Court to resume it. No illegal aliens have been placed in the program since August 2022, according to CBP statistics.

Our laws, the default position, is youve got to have operational control of the border, and you secure the border, and people dont get to just come in without papers, Roy said.

Opposition

Roys border bill has encountered fierce opposition from a plethora of immigration advocacy groups.

A group of 253 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) penned a joint letter to members of Congress, urging members to vote against H.R. 29, saying that it would, as a practical matter, shut our border to all asylum-seekers, no matter how strong their cases might be.

The letter goes on to say that the bill would return refugees of all nationalities and ages, including children, directly to harm and death.

The organizations state that the bills conditions are operationally impossible and a recipe for a human rights catastrophe.

Roy disputes the interpretation.

It absolutely does not ban asylum. Thats a lie. Its a purposeful lie by people to misrepresent what the bill does.

He said the letters argument that he and the bill are un-Christian is unfounded.

Its really offensive. I dont know how its un-Christian to try to prevent the cartels from raping more girls in stash houses and killing Americans with fentanyl because we refuse to do what we need to do to get control of our border, Roy said.

Congress defined operational control of U.S. borders in the Secure Fence Act of 2006 as the prevention of all unlawful entries into the United States, including entries by terrorists, other unlawful aliens, instruments of terrorism, narcotics, and other contraband.

The NGO letter states that operational control at the U.S. border is incompatible with liberal democracy.

It quotes a 2011 Migration Policy Institute report:

Of course, achieving absolute border control, whereby no single individual crosses into a state without that states authorization, is impossible and the only nations that have come close to such control were totalitarian, with leaders who had no qualms about imposing border control with shoot-to-kill orders.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has maintained that the border is secure and that his agency has operational control.

Since President Joe Biden took office two years ago, Border Patrol agents have apprehended more than 4.2 million illegal border-crossers, according to Customs and Border Protection data.

The NGO groups write off H.R. 29 as a tool of fear and hate.

[It has] nothing to do with safety or any kind of effort to address the real and complicated challenges posed by the worldwide increase in migration, and everything to do with an alarming uptick in hateful rhetoric and violence targeting asylum seekers and immigrants in the United States, the letter reads.

Asylum System

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, said the bill clearly doesnt end or restrict access to asylum.

If anything, this bill would improve access to asylum, because it would go a long way toward preventing the current abuse of the asylum process by opportunistic illegal migrants, Vaughan told The Epoch Times on Jan. 24.

The critics of this bill are equating crossing illegally to ask for asylum with actually qualifying for asylum. Those are two very different things.

To qualify for asylum relief, according to U.S. law, an asylum-seeker must prove that theyve been persecuted or fear that theyll be persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, and/or membership in a particular social group or political opinion.

Data show that about 90 percent of asylum claims from Central Americans are ultimately ruled as unqualified by immigration judges. The majority of illegal border crossers who are released into the United States dont end up applying for asylum, although they have a year to do so upon entry. Many abscond from their court hearings and are untrackable.

And that is one of the biggest problems right now and why we have this crisis at the border is because the Biden administration has been allowing anyone who crosses the border to enter on the pretext of wanting to apply for asylum, Vaughan said.

Although current law stipulates that illegal aliens should be detained pending the outcome of their case, she said that the law does not give many remedies for when a president simply refuses to secure the border.

Roys bill would clarify what Congress expects an administration to do. Its essentially a referendum on catch-and-release, according to Vaughan.

If the bill does pass, it would create a huge incentive for the executive branch to set up a better system for adjudicating asylum claims more quickly, she said.

Roy said he became less optimistic about the bills passage after Senate Republicans voted late last year to approve the omnibus spending bill, essentially giving up the Republican lawmakers main tool of political leverage.

McCarthy didnt respond to The Epoch Times for a request for comment about when H.R. 29 might be placed on the calendar or if he supports the measure.

You would think that Speaker McCarthy would recognize the importance of this bill, for showing that hes going to deliver the agenda that the members of his caucus want pushed, Vaughan said.

None of the five U.S. House members from Texas whose districts include a portion of the southern borderReps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Vicente Gonzales (D-Texas), and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas)responded to a request for comment regarding H.R. 29 or if they support it. None are currently listed as co-sponsors.
San Diego Sunsets COVID-19 Emergency, City Employee Vaccine Mandate

California Governor Gavin Newsom (back) listens as San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria speaks to members of the media during a press conference at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 8, 2021. (Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images)

SAN DIEGOThe San Diego City Council Jan. 24 voted to end the citys COVID-19 emergency declaration and a city employee vaccine mandate at the end of February.

Mayor Todd Gloria, City Attorney Mara Elliott, and City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert on Monday released a joint statement proposing to end the emergency declarationwhich had been in effect since March 17, 2020, under then-Mayor Kevin Faulconers administration. Since that date, it has been renewed and extended multiple times by the San Diego City Council.

Consistent with the State of Californias decision to lift the COVID-19 state of emergency effective Feb. 28, 2023, the city of San Diego will look to take similar action as the conditions requiring a local emergency declaration have steadily improved, Gloria, Elliott, and von Wilpert said in the joint statement.

San Diego, Calif., on July 7, 2016. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

As part of this action, we will also sunset our vaccine mandate for city employees due to a decrease in COVID-19 positive cases and hospitalizations, and 91 percent of city employees having been vaccinated, the statement added.

On Nov. 29, 2021, the city council adopted the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, which required current and newly hired or appointed city employees, elected officials, board members, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The mandate was challenged in court by a citizens group ReOpen San Diego, which alleged that the mandate kept an entire category of individuals from meaningful participation in city government by way of barring unvaccinated city officials and volunteers from attending city meetings or business in city buildings.

By March 2022, the vaccination rate for city employees had increased to more than 90 percent, which allowed the city to accommodate around 790 religious or medical exemptions to its mandatory vaccination policy. City departments accommodated those employees by providing free weekly COVID-19 testing at the workplace. Employees who refused to comply with the weekly testing regimen were subject to termination.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Oct. 17, 2022, that he will end the COVID-19 state of emergency on Feb. 28 finding that California has the tools needed to continue fighting COVID-19, including vaccines and boosters, testing, treatments and other mitigation measures like masking and indoor ventilation, a city report read.
Schiff, Swalwell, Omar Vow to Stick Together As McCarthy Blocks Them From Committees

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) (C), joined by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), speaks at a press conference on committee assignments for the 118th U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) vowed to stick together on Jan. 25 in response to House Speaker Kevin McCarthys (R-Calif.) refusal to allow them assignments on House committees.

On Jan. 24, McCarthy formally rejected House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) nominations of Schiff and Swalwell for the House Intelligence Committee, of which both congressmen were members in the last Congress and Schiff chaired.

McCarthy has also promised to keep Omar off the Foreign Affairs Committee, where she previously served.

Throughout this journey of vengeance, the three of us have chosen to stick together because this isnt about any individual committee assignment, Swalwell said at a joint press conference in Washington on Wednesday. This is about an institution where the Speaker of the House is using his power to go after his political opponents and to pick them off the field.

Adding that he and his two colleagues had received death threats, Swalwell alleged McCarthy had intended that to be the case.

Even though we have said publicly that these smears are bringing death threats, he continues to do it, which makes us believe that theres an intent behind it, Swalwell said. But we will not be quiet; were not going away. I think hell regret giving all three of us more time on our hands.

Since November, McCarthy has openly shared his plans to block the three Democrats from their committees. In defense of that decision, McCarthy has maintained that Schiff lied to the American people and that Swalwells previous association with a suspected Chinese spy has compromised him. As for Omar, the speaker has cited the congresswomans repeated anti-semitic and anti-American remarks as a reason not to allow her on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Omar, in her Wednesday remarks, noted: As a child who survived war, lived in a refugee camp, I would have never imagined that I would have the opportunity to serve on a Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights. I would not have believed that I would one day not just serve as the first African-born member of Congress, but on a committee that oversees policies towards the continent.

Describing McCarthys move as a political stunt, Omar said she felt it threatened national security and the integrity of our Democratic institution.

Schiff, meanwhile, alleged that McCarthy was not acting of his own accord but on the orders of former President Donald Trump.

He will do the former presidents bidding, Schiff contended. He is entirely reliant on the former president, and this is something the former president wants. But I can assure you that if the former president or Kevin McCarthy believes that this is going to prevent any of us from fighting to protect our democracy, theyre going to find out that the opposite is trueit only will intensify our commitment to doing so.

Blocking Assignments

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) formally nominated Schiff and Swalwell for the Intelligence Committee on Saturday, contending that they were eminently qualified for the panel and that blocking them would constitute a departure from the longstanding House tradition of deference to the minority party Intelligence Committee recommendations.

On Tuesday, McCarthy replied to Jeffries letter with one of his own, notifying the Democrat leader that he had not changed his mind.

I appreciate the loyalty you have to your Democrat colleagues, and I acknowledge your efforts to have two Members of Congress reinstated to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, McCarthy wrote. But I cannot put partisan loyalty ahead of national security, and I cannot simply recognize years of service as the sole criteria for membership on this essential committee. Integrity matters more.

Officially rejecting Jeffries appointments of Schiff and Swalwell, the speaker added that he felt the misuse of the Intelligence Committee under the previous two Congresses had undermined its primary aims of oversight and national security, leaving our nation less safe.

Therefore, as we enter a new Congress, I am committed to returning the Intelligence Committee to one of genuine honesty and credibility that regains the trust of the American people, he concluded.

McCarthy has the authority to block Schiff and Swalwell from the Intelligence Committee as it is a select committee. The Foreign Affairs Committee, however, is a standing committee, so a full vote of the House would be required to block Omars appointmenta challenge that could prove difficult given the Republicans slim majority.

While many Republicans will undoubtedly join McCarthy in blocking Omar, some have vowed to oppose the effort.

Two wrongs do not make a right, Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) said in a Tuesday statement. Speaker Pelosi took unprecedented actions last Congress to remove Reps. Greene and Gosar from their committees without proper due process. Speaker McCarthy is taking unprecedented actions this Congress to deny some committee assignments to the Minority without proper due process again.

As I spoke against it on the House floor two years ago, I will not support this charade again, Spartz continued. Speaker McCarthy needs to stop bread and circuses in Congress and start governing for a change.

In December, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) told Axios that she would not support the move either, while Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Andy Barr (R-Ky.) have also expressed distaste for the idea.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin Highlights New GOP Energy Reforms

Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) asks questions to Dr. Richard Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, during a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing to discuss protecting scientific integrity in response to the coronavirus outbreak, in Washington on May 14, 2020. (Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images)

Newly sworn-in Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) has been in the U.S. Senate for three weeks and hes moving forward with his first legislative package, which is focused on expanding U.S. energy production and cross-border energy permits.

On Tuesday, Mullin introduced three new Senate bills focused on the energy sector. The first bill he introduced seeks to clarify that a state has the sole authority to regulate hydraulic fracturingalso known as frackingon federal land within the boundaries of the state. Mullins second bill would give states further control over energy production on federal lands available to those states. His third bill would reform the process for permitting the construction and operation of cross-border oil and natural gas lines, with a goal to make the process more uniform and transparent.

It is not Washington, D.C., that creates jobs, Mullin told NTD. Washington, D.C., is to create an environment for entrepreneurs and job creators to create jobs. Its also not Washington, D.C.s positionand it shouldnt be their positionto choose the products, choose the industry. That is a consumer that makes those decisions.

While he expressed his view that consumers should be able to choose the products and industries that succeed, Mullin said D.C. elites, bureaucrats have been controlling those decisions. So if theyre going to play this game, and it looks like theyre going to, then we need to take it out of their hands.

US Doesnt Need to Tap Strategic Oil Reserves: Mullin

President Joe Biden repeatedly withdrew oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) throughout 2022 as gas prices rose throughout the year.

Mullin said the Biden administration timed withdrawals from the SPR as a ploy to lower gas prices before the 2022 midterms.

They used the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, SPR, which is supposed to be for national security emergency purposes, for a political ploy, Mullin said.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the United States had 588 million barrels of oil in the strategic reserve at the start of 2022. By October, the supply of oil in the SPR had fallen to 398 million barrels, placing the SPR at its lowest level since April 1984.

Were at the lowest level weve been since 1984, yet were at a very volatile time around the world, Mullin said. We see the aggressiveness of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and we see the aggressiveness of China, and were at the lowest level weve been. And what were saying is, Listen, youre playing games using the SPR for something that it wasnt supposed to be used for, youre using it to bring down gas prices.'

Mullin noted Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) recently introduced a bill that would restrict the executive branch from making withdrawals from the SPR without developing a plan to boost domestic oil and gas production to match the amount being taken out of the SPR. The bill stipulates emergency situations where the executive branch may make withdrawals from the SPR without having to develop plans to refill the reserve.

Mullin said withdrawing oil from the SPR wouldnt be necessary with higher domestic oil production.

Underneath the Trump administration, we became a net [oil] exporter. We were exporting nearly a million barrels per day underneath Trump. Today, were importing that same amount, Mullin said. So we dont have to tap our strategic oil or strategic petroleum reserves.

All we had to do is let the [oil] industry go, he added.

The Biden administration has indicated the president would veto McMorris Rodgers bill if it does pass in the House and the Senate.

In a Monday press conference, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the bill would not offer any tangible benefits to the American people and would instead interfere with our ability to be responsive to release oil during an international emergency, helping Putins war aims.

During the press conference alongside Granholm, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly described McMorris Rodgers bill as a Republican plan to raise prices on Americans at the pump.

Keystone XL Cancellation Was Political

As one of his bills would reform how cross-border oil and natural gas lines are built, Mullin spoke out on the Biden administrations decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline project.

The Keystone XL line was a proposed new route for the existing Keystone Pipeline, which carries gas from Canada to the United States. Former President Donald Trump had permitted the Keystone XL pipeline construction to proceed, but Biden revoked the pipeline permits through an executive order on his first day in office.

Mullin said Biden revoked the Keystone XL pipeline permits for nothing more than political reasons, not national security interests.

Mullin said the current authority that the president has to approve cross-border energy pipelines can create complications for the companies working to build the pipelines.

If youre an investor and youre looking at the Keystone pipeline, and say a next administration comes insay Trump comes back in and he approves the Keystone pipelinewell, youre going to get four years for it to be approved. So youre going to invest billions of dollars knowing that the next president that comes in can reject that permit just like Biden did? And all of sudden you have all this material that was already on the ground and in the ground  and then some of it already dug, that youre just going to stop the project? Mullin said.

Mullin said if the United States wants to attract energy investors who could create thousands of jobs with new energy construction projects, it will need to change the permitting process so that years of work to gather permits and prepare for construction arent canceled as they were under Bidens order.

From NTD News
Polish broadband provider Vectra was slapped with a PLN22 million (US$5m) fine for illegally raising subscription fees by Poland's consumer watchdog, which stated the company had taken advantage of consumers.

In a translated statement, Polands competition regulator Urzad Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentow (UOKiK) detailed the provider hiked prices between PLN60 and PLN 120 annually, to ongoing contracts between 2019-2020. It added the company had taken advantage of its stronger bargaining position.

The company set a deadline for consumers to agree to the price rise or terminate their contracts but automatically raised prices for customers who did not reply.

UOKiK president Tomasz Chrostny charged the company for the offence in 2021 stating Vectra did not have the legal basis to enact its price rise which was misleading to consumers. The regulator ordered Vectra to discontinue the price rise and refund consumers.

The contracts with Vectra concluded for an indefinite period did not contain a clause specifying the criteria and scope of possible changes, said Chrostny.
Toronto Pearson Airport Warns of Flight Delays as Snowstorm Hits Ontario

Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings for most of southern and eastern Ontario with up to 20 centimetres of snow expected by Thursday. A person walks through the Central Experimental Farm during strong winds and snow squalls in Ottawa, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

The Toronto Pearson Airport has warned of possible flight delays as a winter storm hits Ontario.

If youre travelling or picking up today, please check your flight status on our website or with your airline before leaving for the airport. Delays are possible as our ground crews work hard in these challenging conditions to ensure the safety of all passengers, the airport said in a statement on Jan. 25.

As of around 6 p.m. EST, the Pearson Airports website shows dozens of flights being cancelled or delayed.

Some airlines, including Air Canada and Sunwing, have issued warnings of flight disruptions between Ontario and Quebec ahead of the snowstorm, affecting passengers travelling to and from Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.

Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings for southern and eastern regions of Ontario, possibly up to 20 centimetres in some areas.

A Texas low will bring snow to the area beginning this afternoon. Snow will taper off to flurries Thursday morning, said the federal weather agency in a statement on Jan. 25.

Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions.

Motorists are advised to allow extra time to reach their destinations as Environment Canada said there will be a significant impact on rush-hour traffic in urban areas.

Snow accumulation could reach between 15 to 20 centimetres in major cities including Toronto, Ottawa, and Hamilton. Some local snowfall could see higher amounts, with the possibility of causing isolated power outages, the agency said.

Public Safety Canada also encouraged residents to make an emergency plan and get an emergency kit with drinking water, food, medicine, a first-aid kit, and a flashlight.

Toronto Hydro has issued a statement warning customers to brace for possible power outages.
WASHINGTON, D.C.Kelly Donley is a lover of the performing arts, but she last went to the theater just two weeks before the pandemic hit the United States. It wasnt until Jan. 24 that she returned, and as a gift from her daughter-in-law attended the opening night of Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Kennedy Center Opera House.

This is a visual extravaganza. It is so rich in tradition, history, artistry. It is magnificent to watch. It really is, it really is, said Ms. Donley, assistant vice president of industry relations at the Association of American Railroads.

She found a dance showing ancient scholars and poetry inspiring, a historical piece depicting a mothers sacrifice moving, and the water sleeves were so magnificent.

The music is lovely. The tenor and the pianist, the skill  I love it all, Ms. Donley said.

New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds top classical Chinese dance company, and in recent years has set a new bar for the art form internationally. As its website states, the company uses the universal languages of dance and music to revive 5,000 years of Chinas divinely inspired civilization.

A Shen Yun production includes much more than dance, as Ms. Donley noted. Each of the eight dance companies tour with a full orchestra, the first in the world to permanently combine ancient Chinese instruments into a classical orchestral ensemble. Shen Yun also holds a patent for its animated backdrop technology, which works with the performers to merge stage and screen, heaven and earth.

The dancing is just beautiful, the costumes. And I love the way of the animations that they do in the background, that is so well done, so very well done, said Patricia Schwall, retired vice president in advertising and marketing, who attended with her husband Roger. And of course, I love the stories. I think its excellent. Im so glad we came.

What struck me is a lot of the motifs. I know theyre 5,000 years old, but theyre fresh today too, she said. I was thinking about the joy that their dancing brings. And thats a very positive thing.

Reporting by Terri Wu.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Josephine Abboud enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the George Mason University Center for the Arts, on Jan. 22, 2023. (Amy Hu/The Epoch Times)

FAIRFAX, Va. Josephine Abboud, a vice president in marketing, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the George Mason University Center for the Arts on Jan. 22.

Its exquisite, she said. As soon as the curtain went up for the opening program, Ms. Abboud felt a sense of freedom and optimism. It was very freeing and very uplifting. I found [the performance] very deep, very introspective, very colorful, and very flowing.

Shen Yun is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance and music company. According to its website, the mission of its New-York based artists is to revive Chinas 5,000 years of traditional culture back to its pre-communist glory.

Ms. Abboud especially enjoyed Shen Yuns ethnic and folk dances portraying the diversity of Chinas vast regions.

I really loved the dance of the men in the mountains. I loved the long-extended arms that flowed and the power of the [male dancers,] she said. I just felt very strengthened by it.

Accompanying Ms. Abboud to the matinee was her friend Elizabeth Arens, a freelance writer and editor.

While she was likewise amazed by Shen Yuns beauty, Ms. Arens was most impressed by how forthright the company was when addressing the persecution they faced at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.

I was extremely impressed [by how] they did not pull punches about what the Chinese government is doing today. It was very bold, she said. To be bold enough to come here and say it? I really admire them for that. [This performance] gets their message across.

Since its establishment in 2006, Shen Yun has since grown to include eight equally sized companies that tour the world simultaneously each year. However, Shen Yun is currently banned by the ruling communist regime from performing in China.

Referring to the artists mission to bring back traditional culture, Ms. Arens thought Shen Yun was doing a wonderful job. I think its a great step forward, I really do. Look at the number of people who are here! Especially the young people[Shen Yun can] really sensitize them.

Prior to the communist regimes violent 1949 takeover and its systematic spread of atheism, Chinese people were very spiritual and had a deep belief in the divine. This was a pleasant surprise for Ms. Abboud.

It was thought-provoking and almost brought me to tears. I think theres something here for me to learn.  Josephine Abboud

It was a little unexpected and its amazing! It was thought-provoking and almost brought me to tears. I think theres something here for me to learn.

Her biggest takeaway from Shen Yun was the message of hope, Ms. Abboud expressed. To never give up! No matter whats going on, theres a divine power behind everything. Regardless of what the circumstances are, just keep on going.

Reporting by Amy Hu and Jennifer Tseng.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Mr. Sasaki Morio, the president of a furniture and rug trading company, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Shinjuku Bunka Center in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)

TOKYO, JapanA Japanese entrepreneur said Shen Yun presented a heavenly world and Shen Yun dancers were like the beings in heaven, gorgeous and beautiful.

Its a dreamlike beauty! Everything, from music and colors to dances, is brilliant. The elements melt into each other to present the perfect performance. On top of these, the show shows a great spirit, said Mr. Sasaki Morio, the president of a furniture and rug trading company, after attending Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Shinjuku Bunka Center in Tokyo on Jan. 24.

Mr. Sasaki said he felt he was in a magical world, where the beauty cant be described by any human words.

I guess the dancers received outstanding training on their skills, techniques, and spirit, he said. They are beyond professional. They coordinate like one body. Their performances are so synchronized and amazingly exquisite.

Mr. Sasaki said the beings in heaven must be like Shen Yun artists, who are elegant and dashing.

Talking about his spiritual understanding, Mr. Sasaki said that the performance gave him a lot of food for thought, and had him reflecting on the universe, the future, and the origins of humankind.

New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds top classical Chinese dance company, and has a mission to show the beauty and goodness of China before communism. For 5,000 years Chinas civilization was built on values and virtues from the spiritual teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

A Great Treat

Definitely I want to attend Shen Yun next year. I hope I will be lucky enough to buy a ticket, said Mr. Noguti Fuzio, the director of an aluminum manufacturer, as the tickets for the Japan arm of the tour had sold out quickly.

Shen Yun now has eight simultaneously touring companies, set to visit more than 180 cities this season.

Mr. Noguti said its a great treat to attend Shen Yun, and he enjoyed every moment.

The dancers bodies are incredibly flexible. Their movements cant be made by an ordinary human, he said. The female dancers kicked one leg up to 180 degrees, and then kept on spinning!

According to Shen Yuns website, the basic skills of classical Chinese dance include postures, leaps, flips, spins, and other difficult tumbling techniques.

Each Shen Yun performance consists of nearly 20 vignettes, presented through highly-expressive art forms such as classical Chinese dance, original orchestral music performed live, soloists who sing in the bel canto tradition, animated digital backdrops, and more.

Mr. Noguti was surprised by the baritone and soprano.

Their voices are fabulous, he said. Especially when the baritone sang his last line. I felt that my heart was gripped, and the sound shook my body.

Mr. Noguti Fuzio, the director of an aluminum manufacturer, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Shinjuku Bunka Center in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)

Super Good

Mr. Sano Yasuyuki is one of the worlds best pulmonologists, a doctor who has special training in diagnosing and treating diseases of the lungs. He said Shen Yun was super good after attending the performance on Jan. 24.

No matter whether they were jumping or flipping, the dancers did them so easily and adeptly, he said. They coordinated with each other perfectly and beautifully. And all of them mastered the balance outstandingly.

Mr. Sano was amazed by Shen Yuns use of the backdrop, which the company holds a patent on.

Its awesome! Very vivid, he said. The dancers jumped into the backdrop and flew to the sky. Its astounding!

Mr. Sakamoto Tatsuji, a former department director of an auto manufacturer, said he felt very lucky that could attend Shen Yun.

Shen Yun is majestic! Its wonderful, its far beyond my expectations, he said. Its not only beautiful. I felt a harmonious atmosphere that was fantastic to experience.

Mr. Sakamoto said when the curtain first opened, he was very excited by the first scene on stage. From then on, he only became more and more excited because all programs are magnificent!

Reporting by Epoch Times Staff in Tokyo, Japan.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Singh Calls on Trudeau to Oppose Health Care Privatization by Provinces

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to oppose any attempts by provincial governments towards what he characterized as the privatization of their health-care systems.

What were disturbed by is that after three days of this retreat, neither the prime minister nor his ministers have come out as opposed to the privatization and for-profit plans of Doug Ford and Danielle Smith, and that is deeply disturbing, Singh said at a news conference in Nanaimo, B.C., on Jan. 25.

Singh was referring to Ontario Premier Doug Ford announcing a plan last week to address the provinces backlog of routine surgeries and medical scans by increasing the amount that is done in both non-profit and for-profit independent clinics.

In addition, Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping said on Jan. 23 that Alberta Health Services will be contracting out 3,000 orthopedic surgeries every year to an independent health-care facility in order to boost operation numbers and free up hospital space.

Ontario and Alberta are not seeking outright privatization of their health-care systems as redirecting the services will be funded with public money, but are instead pursuing ways to alleviate the burden on the poorly performing socialized model.

Private, for-profit delivery of care will only make the problems worse, Singh said, referring to health-care worker shortages. Itll cannibalize the public system, taking away frontline health-care workers from ERs and putting them into private, for-profit clinics. That is not the solution.

The prime minister and his cabinet are currently on their three-day post-holiday retreat in Hamilton, Ont., during which Trudeau said they have been focusing on the affordability issues impacting Canadians.

Trudeau and some of his ministers have also commented on developments of a pending deal to increase health-care transfers to the provinces, about which the prime minister will be meeting with the premiers in February.

Trudeau has promised to reform the health-care system if the provinces commit to certain changes.

It wouldnt be the right thing to do to just throw more money at the problem and sit back and watch the problem not get fixed because we didnt use this moment to say, No, no, no, its time to improve the system, Trudeau said in December 2022.

Health-Care Deal

Singh said he would like to see any health-care deal between Ottawa and the provinces on the matter include extra funding for recruiting and hiring thousands more nurses and doctors.

Singh says the deal will be a failure if it is made without these staffing measures.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith previously said her province would move ahead with reforming its health-care system whether or not it receives increased funding from the federal government.

Its great if [the government] comes to the table with more funding support but were not going to stop with the reforms that were doing, Smith said on Jan. 10, adding that Alberta has committed $600 million annually for health care for the next two years.

Trudeaus meeting with the premiers about the potential funding deal will take place in Ottawa on Feb. 7.

Tara MacIsaac, Andrew Chen, and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Some Government Spending Items Will be Cut if Theres Less Fiscal Room in 2023, Freeland Says

Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland stands during question period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Nov. 28, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Some federal government spending items outlined in this years budget and the 2022 Fall Economic Statement could be cut if economic pressures bring about less fiscal room, says Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Freeland made the comments at a press conference on Jan. 24 in Hamilton, Ont., where she is attending the Liberals post-holiday cabinet retreat, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously said is focused on finding ways to make life more affordable in Canada.

A reporter questioned Freeland on comments made earlier in the day by Associate Finance Minister Randy Boissonnault, who said there is lots of uncertainty with the economys future direction.

Boissonnault also said Ottawa still has fiscal room to be able to do the things we need, but added that the fiscal room has tightened.

Is that the approach youre taking to budgeting? That some spending items that your government has promised will be taken off the table depending on how the recession plays out this year? the reporter asked.

I think thats the approach that governments should always take to putting together a budget, Freeland replied. If theres less fiscal room, you can do less.

The reporter noted that the current Liberal government has not practised that principle in the past.

I disagree, said Freeland. I think that in the April [2022] budget and in the fall economic statement we were very very focused on taking a fiscally responsible approach.

Theres a lot of uncertainty in the world economy and we have wanted to keep our powder dry.

Economic Outlook

The day before Freeland made her comments, a report co-authored by former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge was released saying that the federal government was been overly optimistic in its economic outlook for 2023.

The report, released on Jan. 23 by Bennett Jones and the Business Council of Canada, also said the Liberal governments projected spending outlined in its most recent budget will most likely fall short of meeting its policy objectives.

Some key spending items likely to be pursued by the government this year include a potentially large deal to increase health-care transfers to the provinces and also investments to begin transitioning to a low-carbon economy.

Freeland also reiterated on Jan. 24 that Ottawa will continue sending military and financial support to Ukraine, adding that a clear victory over Russia would be a big boost for the global economy and a big boost for Canada.

Were supporting Ukraine because its the right thing to do  but we are also supporting Ukraine because it is in our national interest to do so, she said.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Splash Mountain Permanently Closed, Replaced at Disneyland Following Racism Allegations

A view of the Splash Mountain ride at Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., on July 23, 2020. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

After over 30 years of operation, Disneylands Splash Mountain ride permanently closed its doors Jan. 23 to be re-themed as Princess Tianas Bayou Adventure and will reopen as such in 2024, according to park officials.

While officials assert the rides water-fall-like structure and layout will not change, Disney Imagineers will remodel it after The Princess and The Frog characters and storyline.

Its previous theme, Song of The South, originated from Disneys 1946 film featuring Brer Rabbit and his adventures in the South, which came under fire in recent years by some for its allegedly racially insensitive undertones, according to multiple media reports.

A model of Tianas Bayou Adventure, which will reimagine Disneylands Splash Mountain, is displayed during the Walt Disney D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif., on Sept. 9, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

The film, set on a plantation, features an elderly Black man known as Uncle Remus who tells traditional African-American folktales to white children cared for by Black servants.

At the time, former executive secretary of the NAACP Walter White said the film helps to perpetuate a dangerously glorified picture of slavery.

In March 2020, Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger confirmed the film would not appear on the companys streaming service Disney+ and said it is not appropriate in todays world, according to a report from Deadline.

The rides new theme will be set in 1920s New Orleans and adventures told through the lens of Princess Tiana, Disneys first Black princess.
Supervisor of Wallkill, New York, Reflects on His First Year in Office

Supervisor George Serrano at his office in the Town of Wallkill, N.Y., on Jan. 11, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Looking back on his first year as the supervisor of the Town of Wallkill in Orange County, George Serrano said he felt good to have restored a sense of respect and professionalism at the top.

Shortly before the November election last year, damaging reports of workplace harassment under former Supervisor Frank DenDanto surfaced, and calls for his resignation grew.

Serrano had promised to repair the damage, first by coming to work in a suit and tie almost daily.

Dressing properly is the first step, Serrano said. And I was taught as a kid by my fatheryou dont talk down to people, you dont treat them badly, and definitely, you shouldnt be raising your voice.

I am new to this, he said of his role as a town supervisor. But I am not new to life.

A picture of the parents of George Serrano on his desk in his office in the Town of Wallkill, N.Y., on Jan. 11, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Prior to the supervisor role, he worked as a police officer and detective for more than 25 years in White Plains, Westchester County, and that experience also taught him much about respect, he added.

It was one of the best jobs but also the most dangerous. But my partner and I were OK because we treated people with respect, he said. And thats what I bring to this job.

Public Safety

As a former cop, Serrano had run on the public safety platform to strengthen the police force and keep the town safe.

Last September, the town police department hired seven officers, who will be graduating in the coming weeks and joining the patrol force, he said.

Serrano also increased the number of budgeted officers by two, from 49 to 51, in the 2023 town budget; the department still has a few vacancies to fill, he added.

Squad cars parked outside Wallkill Police Department in N.Y. on Dec. 27, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Last year, Wallkill had four homicides. During the previous five years, between 2017 and 2021, the town had zero murders, according to data from the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services.

Of the four homicides in 2022, one was a murder-suicide incident between Port Jervis and Wurtsboro residents following a traffic accident in Wallkill; two were stabbing deaths, with one allegedly committed by a City of Middletown resident; the fourth was the death of a 3-year-old boy due to blunt force trauma.

All four homicides were solved with suspects in custody.

[Our police] have done a phenomenal job on solving the homicides in our town. Theyve taken the time to do investigation correctly, to dot the is and cross the ts, he said.

A 3-year-old boy died in one of the apartments inside Deerfield Commons in the Town of Wallkill, N.Y. A view of the apartment complex on Dec. 27, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

He said the growing town population likely contributed to the rising crime, adding that he has full confidence in Wallkill Police Chief Robert Hertman.

I do not know what was in the minds of these individuals who committed these crimes, and I hope that as people, we can better respect and not hurt others, he said.

Last year, Serrano restarted the police academy so community kids can learn more about the policing profession from officers and other first responders.

He also increased the budget of the Police Youth Coalition by almost five times in 2023 so more activities can be held to engage and benefit young people in the community.

Minifigures of first responders on the desk of Supervisor George Serranos office in the Town of Wallkill, N.Y., on Jan. 11, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Town Finance

About six months into the job, he was met with one of the biggest challenges of the yearthe departure of the former town comptroller and deputy comptroller.

I had to go right in and learn fast the job, making sure the bills and employees were paid on time and starting the budget process, all while being the supervisor, he said.

The town soon hired new deputy comptroller Cheryl Gross and comptroller Lucrezia Anderson, who started working in July 2022 and September 2022, respectively.

We didnt lose a beat. We got it done, and we moved forward, Serrano said. One thing Im most proud of for the past year is that I was able to keep the town running when my comptroller left.

A photo album in Supervisor George Serranos office in the Town of Wallkill, N.Y., on Jan. 11, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

There were media reports about former comptroller Toni Tracy leaving the post amid a state audit of the towns finances, but Serrano disputed the causal link.

He said Tracy had approached him about leaving for a better offer elsewhere prior to the state audit, though he had no knowledge of her new employer.

Serrano added that he welcomed the audit by the state comptrollers office, which is expected to publish a report on a particular aspect of the town finance later this year.

If something has been done incorrectly, tell me what I can do better to help the town move forward because it is taxpayers money, not my money, he said.

The town government center in the Town of Wallkill, N.Y., on Dec. 27, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Since he came into office, Serrano has already improved several past town financial practices based on recommendations of an operation review report by law firm OConnor Davies.

For example, he improved the procurement process, requiring his approval for most purchases; he decreased the number of credit cards in employees hands and is working toward putting all town transactions within one banking system, he said.

The independent review was initiated in 2021 by former Supervisor DenDanto, who said at the time that he had major concerns about the towns financial practices, according to local media reports.

For the 2023 budget, Serrano proposed keeping the tax levy at the same level as the past year, even though the town takes on a bigger spending plan, partly by using fund balance money.

We didnt want to raise taxes with whats going on in the economy, he said. The fund balance is taxpayers money, so why not use some of it to help alleviate if we have it?

Less than a quarter of the fund balance, or $1.6 million, was used toward the budget, he said.

Development

Serrano said he likes to call Wallkill a big little town because it is a small town with a population of about 30,000 yet with a lot of developments going on.

One reason why developers favor the town is that it is close to major highways, such as New York State Route 17 and Interstate 84, he said.

In recent years, quite a few warehouse developments came to town, with several more in planning; the same goes for large-scale apartment projects.

One recent example is the likely sale of Orange County Fairgrounds to a warehouse developer, according to a report by Times Union.

People come in and out of the Middletown Gun Show at Orange County Fairgrounds in the Town of Wallkill, New York, on Sept. 20, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

In November 2022, the five-member town board approved a six-month moratorium on warehouses.

The board consists of Serrano and four town councilmen.

We are not against warehouses and distribution centers, but there are so many different pieces we have to look at, Serrano said. Lets halt and take a step back to look at the whole picture.

That picture includes roads, traffic, water, sewer, and the towns character, he said.

A large-scale apartment complex is planned near the Galleria Crystal Run in the Town of Wallkill. A JC Penney store at the Galleria at Crystal Run on Jan 24, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

We are right in the middle, and everyone wants to come here. That is great, he said. We just have to be smart for not only the developers, but also for the residents.

One aspect of smart development is to balance growth with preserving open space, he added.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Serrano said he had moved to Orange County to get a break from a developed city full of bricks and mortars.

I enjoy the greenery and seeing the animals in the wild, and we need to preserve that, he said.

The towns master plan committee is working on a new zoning mapthe current one was last updated in 2009and members will identify suitable locations for potential developments, he said.

Community

In the past year, the town celebrated its 250th anniversary with a birthday party in April 2022.

There is a lot of rich history in the town, and I embrace that, he said. It was a very well-attended night, and we had success in the event.

The meeting minutes of the organization of the Town of Wallkill in 1772 were on display at Wallkill town hall in N.Y. on Jan 11, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Serrano also made it a practice to recognize community members at the town board meetings, including community leaders, firefighters, police officers, veterans, students, and small-business members.

Our community is growing. Some people just moved here and dont know whats going on in town, he said. We try to just have another channel to showcase our community to the residents.

We have a lot of big businesses on Route 211, the big box companies, but we also have a lot of small businesses, and they are the drivers of our economy, too.

A corner view of George Serranos office in the Town of Wallkill, N.Y., on Jan. 11, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

To honor veterans, the town secured state funding last year to finish the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Memorial Park.

I am just blessed and humbled that I was elected, he said. What I enjoy most about the job is helping the community, and that has been my focus from day one.
Suspect Who Killed 3 at Washington Convenience Store Found Dead

A suspect sought in a shooting at a convenience store in Yakima, Wash., early on Jan. 24, 2023. (Yakima Police Department via AP)

The suspected gunman in the overnight shooting at a convenience store in Yakima, Washington, on Tuesday that killed three people has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after police tracked him down, according to officials.

Authorities found the suspect, who they identified as 21-year-old Jarid Haddock, later on Tuesday after he borrowed a womans cell phone to make a phone call to his mother near a Target store, Yakima Police Chief Matthew Murray said in a press conference.

The woman who lent the phone to Haddock claimed to have overheard his conversation with his mother, during which he allegedly made incriminating statements such as I killed those people before stating that he was also going to kill himself, Murray said.

The woman then called the police at around 2:16 p.m. to inform them of what she had heard after getting her phone back from the suspect.

I listened to that callits pretty harrowing, Murray said. I have to really thank her again because she was very courageous in getting us there.

Police then arrived at the location of the call shortly after receiving the womans tip. But the suspect had apparently shot and killed himself prior to the arrival of the police, Murray said.

The police chief said that no members of the police saw the suspect shoot himself but some did hear what appeared to be gunshots. No officers fired their weapons during the incident, he said.

No Motive

Paramedics arrived at the scene and attempted to save the suspects life, according to Murray, but he was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene at 3:15 p.m.

Everything that we see, what he said, what happened leads us to believe that this is the same person that was involved in the shootings at the Circle K convenience store at the ARCO/ampm gas station this morning, Murray said.

Police found the suspect with a large amount of ammunition and a handgun on him, according to Murray.

Police do not know how the suspect was able to get to the area near the Target store from the Circle K convenience store where the shooting had taken place hours earlier.

Three people were found dead at the Circle K at about 3:30 a.m., according to an earlier police press conference. Two victims were shot inside the store and a third was shot outside. The identities of the victims have not yet been revealed.

Murray said late Tuesday that people had been inside the store eating food when the suspect came in and opened fire, adding that the shooting appeared to be very much random and that investigators have not yet found a motive. He said that the suspect had not made any attempts to conceal his identity and was not wearing a mask at the time of the shooting.

After opening fire, the suspect then ran across the street and fired into the window of his own vehicle to get inside after locking himself out.

Suspect Was Known to Police

An hours-long manhunt was then launched and police, along with a SWAT team, initially surrounded a home near University Parkway, and West Birchfield Road at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning where they believed the suspect to be.

However, police found that he was not inside and continued with their search before tracking him down.

Murray told reporters that the suspect was known to law enforcement who have a record of him but did not provide further details. He added that the suspects family has been cooperating with police throughout the day.

Yakima is a city of about 97,000 people in Washingtons Yamika Valley, an agricultural region known for apple crops and wineries.

Mayor Janice Deccio told local news outlets on Tuesday that the shooting is a shock to the community.

This random act places us among those sad news stories that were always happening somewhere else, she said. Today, its in Yakima. I dont know if he obtained his gun legally, but I do know he used it illegally. Hes a criminal, and people are dead because of it.

Elsewhere, U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wa.) called the shooting a horrific tragedy in a tweet Tuesday.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this horrific tragedy, Newhouse said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Taiwan President Tells Pope Francis War With China Not an Option

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during a press conference at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan, on Dec. 27, 2022. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen told Pope Francis in a Jan. 23 letter that constructive interaction with China can only be guaranteed if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) respects Taiwans democracy and freedom.

Tsai cited a speech she gave in October last year in which she emphasized that war with China is absolutely not an option and that Taiwan is willing to engage with the CCP to reach a mutually agreeable arrangement.

In my National Day speech last year, I reiterated that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are the foundation for the development of cross-Strait relations and armed confrontation is absolutely not an option, Tsai said, according to a copy of the letter released by her office on Monday.

The Taiwanese leader wrote the letter in response to the popes World Day of Peace message on Jan. 1.

Tsai pointed to the war in Ukraine, saying that the conflict has made people throughout the world realize how crucial peace is and that sustaining regional stability has gained significant support.

According to Tsai, Taiwan has sent aid to Ukraine and given masks and other safety gear to nations affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in an effort to give the world a better Taiwan.

Though we are still excluded from the World Health Organization (WHO), we are convinced that taking the lead in making positive contributions will drive a virtuous circle,' she added.

Taiwan has often criticized that efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have been impeded by its barring from the WHO as a result of Chinese pressure. China and the WHO have both refuted the accusation.

The Vatican is Taiwans sole European diplomatic ally, and Taiwan has watched with concern as Pope Francis moved to improve relations with the CCP. Taiwan has formal ties with only 14 countries, largely due to Chinese pressure.

Taiwan has been a self-governing democracy since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949. Still, the CCP regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be united with mainland China by any means necessary.

Taiwan Offers COVID Aid

Tsai made a similar assertion in her New Years speech, ruling out armed confrontation with China and urging the CCP to cooperate in achieving regional stability.

She stated that despite escalating cross-strait tensions, Taiwan is ready to help the CCP deal with the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases.

If need be, we are willing, out of humanitarian concern, to provide necessary assistance to help more people get through the pandemic and enjoy good health and peace of mind in the new year, Tsai said on Jan. 1.

China has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases after the CCP abruptly lifted its strict zero-COVID policy last month. According to officials and studies, most of the population has been infected, and crematoriums and hospitals have been overwhelmed.

Tsai did not detail the kind of support Taiwan could give China, although she did mention that the two nations shared some difficulties.

War has never been a way to solve problems, and only through dialogue, cooperation, and joint efforts toward the goals of regional stability and development can we help more people enjoy security and happiness, she said.

Vatican-China Relations

The Vatican and China entered into an unpublished agreement in 2018 that gave the Chinese regime the authority to appoint bishops and granted the Pope the right to veto its appointments, according to a 2019 report (pdf) of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China. The agreement was extended in October 2020 and again in October 2022 for another two years.

Cardinal Joseph Zen, the bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, has criticized the agreement with China since its inception, calling it a betrayal.

In September 2020, before the agreement extension, Zen traveled to the Vatican hoping to meet the Pope to update him about the situation in Hong Kong and the Catholic Church in China, reported Daily Compass.

The idea of striking accords with Beijing is insane. Its like trying to make a pact with the devil, Zen told the news outlet about the Vatican-China deal.

Zen was not able to get an audience with Pope Francis and returned after four days, Daily Compass reported.

In May 2022, Zen admonished the deal, saying, The Vatican may have acted out of good faith, but they have made an unwise decision.

In July of the same year, Pope Francis reiterated his hope that the deal could be renewed when it was set to be extended in October 2022.

Zen and others have accused the Vatican of turning a blind eye to human rights violations in China. The Vatican says it needs to have means to enter into dialogue with Beijing.

Aldgra Fredly, Ella Kietlinska, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Filipino operator NOW Telecom has selected Nokias Bell Labs Consulting to design a nationwide 5G Standalone (SA) network, and to design and plan a national broadband network.

NOW Telecom was recently awarded a grant from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to support the development of 5G mobile and fixed wireless networks in the country. While the consulting work will start next month, the POC will be carried out in July this year.

As part of the agreement, Nokia will also design and implement a pilot 5G network at multiple sites in Metro Manila. The network planning and design by Nokia will help NOW Telecom attract investment to deploy the countrys first 5G Standalone (SA) network and provide differentiated services.

Nokias planning and design support  as well as its automation software to oversee network management  will allow NOW Telecom to address growing demand for reliable and secure digital services from its customers. The operator is planning to offer Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) 5G services to connect the unconnected and provide superior network speed and latency improvement.

Enoh T. Ebong, Director of USTDA, said: This grant demonstrates USTDAs ongoing commitment to support the development of quality digital infrastructure and increasing access to affordable connectivity in the Philippines. At the same time, this project will expand opportunities for U.S. companies and trusted technology partners to deliver next-generation network solutions in one of the regions fastest-growing telecommunications markets.

Mel Velasco Velarde, Chairman and CEO of NOW Telecom, said: A robust and reliable 5G network will play a crucial role in promoting social and financial mobility and spurring economic growth of the country. Nokias proven expertise and the collaboration with USTDA will help us provide a world-class 5G network experience to our people.
Doug Dechert is a force of nature. His personality is as loud and bombastic as his blazers. After spending a decade writing for the famed Page Six gossip column of the New York Post, along with other publications such as the Daily Mail, the Star, and the National Enquirer, his personality and devil-may-care attitude are tailored perfectly for what he has candidly termed his successful side hustle.

Dechert has been representing literary talent of the conservative persuasion, who would otherwise go unnoticed  or at least unpublished. He makes his home in New Yorknot the most welcoming of places for conservatives, especially those in the media. But the political climate within the publishing houses and media conglomerates of the Big Apple has been of little deterrence and hasnt altered his success rate.

Every single author Ive worked with has gotten published, he said. Theyre all unique, but each one has a very strong conservative voice.

Getting conservative authors published has been easy because hes well-connected, Dechert said. The 66-year-old has spent his career making connections.

How He Started

It was 2001, and Dechert had been writing as a guest columnist for Page Six since 1992. To know the gossip column was to know Dechert, and New Yorkers knew (still know) the gossip column. During a black-tie affair at the restaurant Tavern on the Green, Dechert made the acquaintance of an 18-year-old girl who had a manuscript that she believed for some reason he could get published.

Over the following six months, her persistence forced him to take a look. The manuscript was about her year in a boot camp for wayward girls. He worked on it, then sent it to a New York Press colleague whose wife edited the manuscript as a personal favor. He then sent the manuscript to several friends who were successful authors, including Bret Easton Ellis and Jay McInerney, who liked the story. After Dechert used several more of his literary connections, the young girl had a publishing contract with Rugged Land. Before the book was even published, he began promoting the new author in the Page Six section. That author was Abigail Vona and the book was Bad Girl: Confessions of a Teenage Delinquent.

Abby was famous before her book was ever published, Dechert said.

The Man in the Conservatives Corner

Dechert maintains that his primary occupation is as a writer and a media consultant; regardless, his work as a literary agent, though limited in scale, has been quite successful. He has helped conservative authors such as Laura Loomer and David Richardson get their work published.

Currently, hes working with a flurry of writers including Daniel Olmes, Mike Wilkerson, John OSullivan, and Karyn Turk.

I love helping conservative authors get published, he said. I didnt plan any of this. It just all fell together. All of a sudden, word gets around, and they come to you. Without me, some of my conservative authors wouldnt get publishing deals, so I feel like Im getting their valid thoughts and opinions out there.

That last statement may sound over-the-top, if not pretentious, but its not. At least, not according to the authors he has been working with.

Philip Nicozisis, whose memoir Have Laptop, Will Travel became a Wall Street Journal bestseller, credits Dechert for getting his book in front of the right people and into the right hands.

Doug single-handedly was able to place my memoir with a top and extremely prestigious publishing company, Post Hill Press. Without Doug, the project wouldve been nowhere, Nicozisis said. While he is a lot of fun, at the same time he is very professional and brings decades of expertise and networking to the table. I wouldnt think of working with anybody else.

Michael Wilkerson, a rising voice in the conservative movement and the author of the new book Why America Matters: The Case for a New Exceptionalism, said the very idea of getting his book published seemed daunting.

Doug was able to work quickly to get the attention of key decision-makers, which led to a successful partnership, he said. Hes also been instrumental in getting the word out to influencers in the journalistic community.

Karyn Turk, co-anchor of Real Americas Voice Networks American Sunrise and the author of Behind the Headlines: How a Conservative Beauty Queen Became a Target of Fake News and Cancel Culture, said that Dechert is a rare find in the book business. Her sentiment seems to not only fit the narrative that he has a gift for landing book deals for conservative authors, but also that his personality is perfect for the ultra-competitive market of publishing.

There are few people who speak with conviction and back that up by doing exactly what they say they can or cannot do, Turk said in a statement. He has an eclectic style and a very quick withe is one of a kind.

Tony Lyons, president and publisher of Skyhorse Publishing, has noticed much the same from Dechert.

I havent known him long, but its obvious that hes very aggressive, and it should be interesting to see what projects he brings to the table, Lyons said.

An Untapped Market

Dechert defining his work as a successful side hustle may be self-effacing, but its accurate.

He stepped into the world of literary representation without a plan, and he admits that theres no specific plan in place for the future. He said he simply has an eye for talented writers and has always been able to envision what should happen next on a case-by-case basis. That vision culminates with the combination of a writers talent and Decherts numerous connections within conservative media and publishing houses. Along with talent, vision, and connections, Dechert pointed out the most important aspect: demand.

Theres a huge demand, he noted. The public isnt getting the truth from the legacy print media. As far as Im concerned, big media is subsidized by the government and the taxpayer to support its dominance in Washington, D.C. The outlier to the government media is the conservative press.

Dechert believes that this demand extends from a purposeful lack of awareness from legacy publishing houses. He said that the liberal arts, just as in academia, was overtaken several decades ago by the left and is now fully engaged in wokeism, which has trickled down to corporations such as publishing houses. According to Dechert, this wokeism has resulted in legacy press companies engaging in basic economic fallacies, which has led to much of the demand for the truth being unmet. For Dechert, its a gaping void that he plans to help fill.

The liberal media is completely unaware of the microcosm of conservative media, he said.

If the legacy publishing houses, however, continue to ignore half the country and the economic potential that comes with it, Dechert will continue benefiting from their blissful ignoranceand so will the conservative authors he continues to find and represent.
The US Needs Quantity and Quality for High Intensity Warfare

Members of the U.S. Army 1st Division 9th Regiment 1st Battalion unload heavy combat equipment, including Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, at the railway station near the Pabrade military base in Lithuania, on Oct. 21, 2019. (Petras Malukas/AFP via Getty Images)

Commentary

The Biden administrations decision to provide M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine follows reports that U.S. support for Ukraine in its war with Russia could hinder Americas ability to fight a war with communist China.

Since 2014, the United States has committed to sending Ukraine over $27 billion in military equipment and supplies. A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies notes the profound nature of this problem. Even before the Ukraine war, the United States faced the diminishment of the U.S. arsenal and the inability of the industrial base to rapidly replenish U.S. conventional arms and munitions, to say nothing of major systems like ships and aircraft. Thus, the United States was already in peril. The Ukraine war has exacerbated this.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the number of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles provided to Kyiv represents the same number exported to all countries over the last 20 years. The over 1 million 155-millimeter artillery rounds sent to Ukraine have precipitously lowered U.S. stockpiles. The same is true for other systems, including Javelin anti-tank system. Anti-ship missiles, like the Harpoon, are not yet critical but certainly would be immediately in a conflict with China.

The U.S. defense industrial base was suited to the End of History post-Cold War security environment and low-intensity warfare in Southwest Asia. It is unprepared to fight high-intensity warfare against peer competitors and great powers. This situation was decades in the making, evident to those who looked, but it was never reversed by administrations.

Now, the United States lacks the ability to surge to meet the security environment that it now faces with a peer challenger in China, a great power threat in Russia, and major regional threats in Iran and North Korea, to say nothing of the possible alliances that the United States confront, for example, a war simultaneously with China and Russia.

Ukrainian servicemen prepare a U.S.-made MK-19 automatic grenade launcher in eastern Ukraine on Dec. 17, 2022. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)

Too few arms and munitions are significant matters for three major reasons.

First, conventional deterrence of attack against U.S. interests depends upon the ability to convince adversaries that the United States can sustain high-intensity warfare for as long as it takes to defeat the enemys military ambitions. Thus, in the context of Taiwan, the United States possesses the conventional capabilities to defeat a limited aims or a full-scale attack on the island. This clearly requires sufficient conventional shooters, such as ships and aircraft, and the ability to sustain those shooters in a high-intensity war with China. It is clear that the arsenal is weakened; thereby, so is the U.S. conventional deterrent.

It is equally transparent that the United States does not possess enough shooters with the right weapons mix within range of Taiwan to destroy a sustained Chinese attack, particularly when the Chinese are targeting U.S. bases in the region. Moreover, the United States does not have an industrial base that could replace the shooters and weapons once they are attritted. Consequently, conventional deterrence of a Chinese attack is jeopardized. Indeed, it is nowhere close to the Cold War standard for U.S. conventional deterrence requirements.

Air Force soldiers stand in front of an armed F-16V fighter jet behind two U.S.-made Harpoon AGM-84 anti-ship missiles during a drill at Hualien Air Force base in Hualien County, Taiwan, on Aug. 17, 2022. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

Second, weakness in conventional arms may be offset to a degree by tactical and theater nuclear weapons. In the Cold War, the growth of Soviet nuclear capabilities in the 1960s tied to its existing conventional might meant that, as the Kennedy administration recognized, the United States had to sustain considerable conventional, tactical, and theater nuclear weapons in Europe to provide a conventional and nuclear deterrent of Soviet attack.

Unfortunately, U.S. tactical nuclear capabilities in the Indo-Pacific are weak, and its theater nuclear capabilities are non-existent. Anemic U.S. nuclear capabilities and inadequate conventional capabilities are an insufficient deterrent and, thus, an invitation to aggression. The necessary and reinforcing relationship between conventional and nuclear weapons seems to have been forgotten. Indeed, even the U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal is hard-pressed to deal with the target sets of China and Russia where they are aligned.

Third, the problems of insufficient conventional arms, arsenal, industrial base, and nuclear capabilities are compounded manpower woes. High-intensity warfare will maximally tax not only arms, munitions, and shooters, but also servicemembers. The United States faces the possibility of casualties that will equal or exceed those of the Korean War and Vietnam at its height in 1967, 1968, and 1969, and may approach rates of specific campaigns in the Pacific, like the Philippines, Peleliu, Tarawa, and Iwo Jima. Accordingly, the United States would be compelled to depend upon reserves and the National Guard, but if these casualties are sustained, the population will have to be mobilized, and the possibility of conscription would return. As with most of its wars in the 20th century, the United States does not have the ability to replace substantial losses in its servicemembers in the short run with those equally trained.

Additionally, as the Cold War, the last hegemonic war fought by the United States, retreats from living memory, the officer corps does not have experience with prodigious, whole-of-society, whole-of-government demands of high-intensity warfare. Into this mix is thrown the wild card of women in combat roles due to the Obama administrations December 2015 decision to change the over 200-year history of the Army and Navy. In sum, a lot has changed since 1989, or the 1991 Gulf War, which was the last hurrah of the Cold War military.

In the wake of the Cold Wars end, the military adapted to what might be considered constabulary operations against Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida. Seemingly forgotten was a military that could fight in the sustained slugfests of Burma, Anzio, the Gustav line, the Hurtgen forest, or Okinawa that defined the U.S. experience in World War II, or the Battles of Triangle Hill or Porkchop Hill in Korea, or Dak To, Tet and mini-Tet, Khe Sanh, and Hue in Vietnam. Forgotten as well were the lessons of Operation Nickel Grass, the U.S. resupply effort of Israel from U.S. stockpiles in the course of the 1973 Yom Kippur war. With direct lessons for Taiwan today, the United States could resupply an ally engaged in a high-intensity war.

The conventional armament scientific and industrial base has atrophied, as have U.S. nuclear capabilities and the scientific and industrial base that supports them. While Joseph Stalin appreciated that quantity has a quality all its own, the United States needs to provide quality and quantity sufficient for sustained high-intensity warfare. For too long, the United States drew upon the capital it accumulated during the Cold War. Its now gone. Time for a new generation of Starks, Kings, Marshalls, and Arnolds in the military realm, and Dows, Fords, Kaisers, and Kindelbergers in the industrial to accumulate some capital on their own.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Toronto Police Arrest Four 13-Year-Old Boys in Alleged Transit Swarming Attack

A bus driver disembarks a GO Transit bus at the new Union Station Bus Terminal in Toronto on Nov. 2, 2021. (Evan Buhler/The Canadian Press)

The Toronto Police are advising that they have arrested four 13-year-old boys in the alleged swarming attack of two Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) employees.

The police, in a news release issued Jan. 24, said they conducted an extensive investigation and reviewed TTC video surveillance footage, leading to the arrest of four male youths.

According to police, the four boys arrested were part of a larger group of youth on the bus, but only some were directly involved in the alleged assault.

Two of the 13-year-old boys have been charged with assault, and the other two were charged with two counts of assault. They are scheduled to appear in court on March 21, said police.

The Youth Criminal Justice Act does not allow the names of the juveniles to be released.

On Jan. 13, at about 3:35 p.m., police received a report that there was an altercation involving a group of boys on board a city bus in Scarborough. Two employees on the bus were physically assaulted by the boys, and a third employee, the bus driver, reportedly witnessed the event and was traumatized.

CTV News obtained security footage from a local business and published the video, which shows multiple individuals engaged in an altercation beside a bus. While police have not confirmed this is the video of the swarming, CTV reported the time stamp matches the time of the incident.

Toronto police did not immediately return requests for comment, but police constable Laura Brabant told reporters that the fight started on the bus and ended up outside on the street. The investigation is ongoing.

TTC said on social media on Jan. 23 that the attack was a despicable swarming.

Stuart Green, spokesperson for TTV, said the two transit operators attacked were on duty, on their way to a relief point to pick up their vehicle and go about their shift.

Green said the victims were shaken up. They received treatment from paramedics at the scene and did not require hospitalization.

In December 2022, Ken Lee, 59, died after allegedly being swarmed, beaten, and stabbed by a group of eight teenage girls for a bottle of alcohol. The girls, ranging in age from 13 to 16 years old, have been charged with second-degree murder.
Trudeau Responds to Report That Liberal Minister Contracted PR Firm With Ties to Senior Staffer

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters hes making sure that all rules are followed regarding a lucrative contract reportedly awarded to a communications firm with family ties to a senior staffer of the Liberals Minister of Housing and Diversity Ahmed Hussen.

On Jan. 19, Global News reported that Hussens office has spent $93,050 in constituency funds since January 2021 on Munch More Media, a Toronto-based marketing agency that specializes in the food sector, for communications work that reaches out to the ministers constituents.

The companys director Hiba Tariq, is the sister of Hussens policy director Tia Tariq, who has held several senior staffer appointments in the Liberal government for the past six years, according to federal lobbying records.

The minister is making sure that hes answering all questions on this, and were making sure that all rules are followed, said Trudeau in a press conference on Jan. 23 in Hamilton, Ont.

The prime minister added that his preoccupation is that rules be followed, but also that members of parliament continue to put a priority on connecting with Canadians.

According to Global, Hussens office has disclosed the arrangement to the federal Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and a spokeswoman said Tia Tariq has not been involved at all.

Other Ministers

Hussen is not the only minister whose office has spent public money on Munch More Media for outside public relations help.

On Jan. 20, Global reported that the office of Marci Ien, minister of women and gender equality, gave two contracts totalling $10,000 to the agencyone in March 2021 for $7,000, and one in July 2021 for $3,000to provide communications and advertising support for the ministers constituency office following her win in the October 2020 by-election.

These revelations come on the heels of a decision by the government operations committee to scrutinize the over $100 million in contracts that were awarded to U.S. multinational firm McKinsey, and after Trade Minister Mary Ng was found in violation of ethics rules.

Ngs office had awarded a media training contract to her friend Amanda Alvaro.

Noe Chartier contributed to this report.
Trump Defends Pence After Discovery of Classified Documents at Indiana Home

Former Vice President Mike Pence gestures as he speaks during a Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas on Nov. 18, 2022. (Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump defended former Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday, after classified documents were found at Pences home in Indiana.

Mike Pence is an innocent man. He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!! Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on Jan. 24.

Pences lawyer, Greg Jacob, told the National Archives and Records Administration in a Jan. 18 letter that a small number of documents marked classified were found at Pences Indiana home two days earlier. The documents were inadvertently boxed and transported to the former vice presidents home at the end of the TrumpPence administration.

The discovery came after Pence engaged outside counsel to review records stored at his residence, according to Jacob, who added that the classified documents were immediately secured in a locked safe.

Vice President understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready and willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry, Jacob wrote.

FBI agents visited Pences residence on Jan. 19 and collected the documents that had been secured, according to Jacob. At the time, Pence was in Washington to attend the March for Life rally.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas, on Aug. 6, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The discovery of classified documents at Pences home came on the heel of investigations by the Department of Justice over classified documents found in President Joe Bidens Delaware home and his former office space in Washington, as well as in Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not comment on Tuesday when a reporter asked if the White House had any reaction to Pences documents.

Im not going to comment on any ongoing criminal investigation or any investigation, she said. As you all know, the Department of Justice is independent, and we will not politically interfere.

Congress

The news of the discovery of classified documents at Pences residence has generated mixed responses from lawmakers.

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a statement saying that Pence has agreed to work with congressional oversight.

Former Vice President Mike Pence reached out today about classified documents found at his home in Indiana, Comer wrote. He has agreed to fully cooperate with congressional oversight and any questions we have about the matter.

Former Vice President Pences transparency stands in stark contrast to Biden White House staff who continue to withhold information from Congress and the American people.

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) during a hearing in Washington on July 27, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

On Jan. 22, Comer accused the White House of stonewalling a Republican investigation into Bidens handling of classified documents.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, issued a statement saying it was important for the Department of Justice to conduct its probes.

It is critical that we allow the Justice Department to carry out its investigations and follow the facts in specific cases, and we should work together on a bipartisan basis to improve all relevant federal policies and practices, Raskin wrote. There is plainly a lot of work to do.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote on Twitter on Jan. 24 that he believed neither Biden, Trump, nor Pence had anything sinister over how they handled classified documents.

I dont believe there were sinister motives with regards to the handling of classified information by President Biden, President Trump, or Vice President Pence, Graham wrote. We have a classified information problem which needs to be fixed.

Special Counsel

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said it remains to be seen whether Attorney General Merrick Garland would appoint a special counsel to investigate Pence.

Whether or not Mike Pence gets a special counsel for classified documents found at his residence is dependent on if he announces that he is running for president, Gaetz wrote on Twitter.

Attorney General Merrick Garland names a special counsel to investigate the handling of classified records found at President Joe Bidens home and former offices, in Washington on Jan. 12, 2023. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump announced his third bid for the presidency in November last year, while Biden has indicated that he will seek reelection.

On Jan. 12, Garland appointed Robert Hur, a former federal prosecutor, as special counsel overseeing the inquiry into Bidens documents.

Garland appointed Jack Smith as special counsel overseeing DOJ probes related to Trump in November.

FBI agents raided Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in August 2022, seizing over 11,000 documents and photographs without classified markings and around 100 documents marked classified or top secret. However, Trump has said he declassified the materials when he left office.
Trumps Facebook, Instagram Accounts Will Be Reinstated

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower the day after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home, in New York on Aug. 9, 2022. (David 'Dee' Delgado/Reuters)

Facebook and Instagram will restore former President Donald Trumps accounts about two years after he was banned, parent company Meta announced on Wednesday.

We will be reinstating Mr. Trumps Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks, Nick Clegg, president of global affairs for Meta, said in a blog post. However, we are doing so with new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.

Those guardrails entail heightened penalties for repeat offensespenalties which will apply to other public figures whose accounts are reinstated from suspensions related to civil unrest under our updated protocol. In the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation, Clegg wrote.

Trump has not yet issued a public comment about the reinstatement. But Trumps 2024 campaign officially petitioned Facebook to allow him back on the platform, which he often used for fundraising.

We believe that the ban on President Trumps account on Facebook has dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse, Trumps campaign wrote on Jan. 17 to Meta, according to multiple news reports.

With the lifted suspension, it will allow Trump to run advertisements on both Instagram and Facebook. The former president had amassed tens of millions of followers on both platforms.

We just do not wantif he is to return to our servicesfor him to do what he did on January 6, which is to use our services to delegitimize the 2024 election, much as he sought to discredit the 2020 election, Clegg told Axios.

The accounts, Clegg added, will not be restored right away. Metas engineers have to figure out a way to restrict certain posts or advertising capabilities, if it is needed in the future, he said.

If he now posts further violating content, that content will be removed, of course, and he could be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation, he said.

Whether Trump uses the account is another question. After Twitter owner Elon Musk reinstated Trumps account last year, the former president has said he will remain on Truth Social, his own social media website.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at an event in New York, on Oct. 25, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The former president has not signaled whether he will come back to Twitter, a platform that he used with devastating effectivenessnamely in the leadup to the 2016 election. Since his account was reinstated, Trump hasnt posted once.

Sadly, Facebook has been doing very poorly since they took me off, Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this month. Whoever made that decision, and the decision to take me off, will go down in the Business Hall of Fame for two of the worst decisions in Business History!

When Trump was banned in January 2021, Facebook said it would last indefinitely. Months later, Facebooks oversight board opted to decide in January 2023 on whether to lift the suspension.

Two Democratic lawmakers, in a letter to Meta last month, urged the company not to reinstate the former commander-in-chiefs accounts. They said that his claims about the 2020 election are why it should remain banned.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a longtime foe of Trump who has been accused of spreading lies about the former president while he was the chair of the House Intelligence panel, wrote that it is essential that your company maintain its platform ban on former president Trump.

Based on Metas own statement on standards for allowing Trump back on the platform, his account should continue to be restricted, they wrote.

But Trump and other Republicans say that Facebooks and Twitters move to ban Trump smacks of censorship, while free speech advocates say it set a dangerous precedent. Even some world leaders, including former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, expressed alarm at the bans when they were handed down two years ago.

I read the statement of the owner of Face[book], and I felt a lot of arrogance. Talking about their norms, so what? What about freedom? Or the right to information? What about the role of the lawfully constituted authority? Lopez Obrador said at the time.

Trump officially launched his 2024 presidential bid on Nov. 15, becoming the first Republican to do so.
Turkey Puts Brakes on Nordic NATO Bids, Citing Act of Provocation

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) delivers a speech during his party's group meeting at Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara, Turkey, on Dec. 21, 2022. (Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey appears to have thrown cold water on a joint bid by Sweden and Finland to become members of the Western NATO alliance.

On Jan. 23, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sweden could no longer expect Turkish support for its NATO accession efforts.

As a NATO member, Turkey wields veto power over bids by new countries to join the Western-led bloc.

Erdogans remarks came a day after activists staged a contentious rally outside Turkeys embassy in Stockholm. At the event, a copy of the Koran was set alight by Rasmus Paludan, a right-wing politician known for courting controversy.

Leader of Danish political party Stram Kurs, Rasmus Paludan, stands outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Jan. 21, 2023. (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP)

Turkeys foreign ministry called the move an act of provocation and canceled a planned visit to Ankara by Swedens defense minister.

Erdogans Islamist-leaning Justice and Development Party, which will face hard-fought elections in May, typically enjoys the support of more conservative and religious-minded voters.

Those who allow such blasphemy outside our embassy can no longer expect our support for their NATO membership, Erdogan said after attending a Cabinet meeting.

Ankara Slow To Approve

Ending decades of neutrality, Sweden and Finland both applied to join NATO last year following Russias invasion of Ukraine. But in order to join, they must first obtain the approval of NATOs 30 existing membersincluding Turkey.

However, Ankara has been slow to give its consent, accusing the two Nordic countries of providing a haven to members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Turkey considers the PKK to be a terrorist group, as do Brussels and Washington. For the past 40 years, the PKK has carried out numerous attacks inside Turkey on both civilian and military targets.

PKK terrorists have killed and injured thousands of Turkish soldiers and civilians over the years, Abdullah Agar, a prominent Turkish political commentator, told The Epoch Times.

Ankara has also accused Stockholm and Helsinki of harboring followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim scholar based in the United States. Turkey has accused Gulen of standing behind a failed coup against Erdogan in 2016.

Sweden allows these groups to exploit its hospitality and has failed to curtail their activities, Agar said. This has led to mounting public outrage in Turkey.

On Jan. 12, a pro-PKK demonstration in Stockholmat which Erdogan was depicted in effigydrew angry reactions from Turkish officials.

Words arent enough; we need to see action, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at the time. Sweden must fulfill its obligations.

A demonstration against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on Istiklal Avenue, in Istanbul on Aug. 16, 2015. (Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images)

Last summer, Turkey, Sweden, and Finland signed a trilateral agreement aimed at addressing Ankaras legitimate security concerns.

The agreement obliged the two Nordic states to take concrete steps against terrorist groups that are active on their soil.

According to Agar, both countries have made some progress in this regard, but they still refuse to extradite wanted people to Turkey.

While Turkey still has its grievances with Finland, Ankara has consistently seen Sweden as the bigger offender, he said.

Finland is still harboring terrorist groups, Agar said. But its not as obvious about it as Sweden, which lets these groups stage rallies in its capital.

After the Koran-burning incident in Stockholm, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom reiterated his countrys commitment to the terms of the three-way agreement.

Turkey Suspends Trilateral Talks

Nevertheless, on Jan. 24, Turkey suspended trilateral talks with both countries, the next session of which had been slated for February.

On the same day, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto likewise called for a temporary suspension of talks.

A time-out is needed before we return to the three-way talks and see where we are when the dust has settled, Haavisto told Reuters.

No conclusions should be drawn yet.

When asked about the issue, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said: These are ultimately questions that will need to be resolved between Turkey, Finland, and Sweden.

We obviously want to see those [trilateral] consultations continue, and we want to see those consultations culminate in Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.

He also made reference to speculation that the recent anti-Turkey provocations in Stockholm were intended to derail Swedens NATO bid.

There is  concern that provocateurs, those who may not want to see Sweden join NATO, are engaging in some of these activities, Price said.

Kurdish fighters from the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) chat with members of U.S. forces in the town of Darbasiya, Syria, next to the Turkish border, on April 29, 2017. (Rodi Said/Reuters)

According to Agar, Turkeys main grievance isnt with the two Nordic states but with Washingtons continued support for the YPG, the PKKs offshoot in Syria.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched three offensives into northern Syria with the stated aim of destroying the YPG, which it says poses a threat to its southern border.

In mid-November 2022, Turkey threatened to launch a fourth offensive after several people were killed in central Istanbul in an attack blamed on the YPG.

Yet despite its close association with the PKK, the YPG is backed by Washington, which uses it as an ostensible bulwark against the ISIS terrorist group in Syria.

The YPG is also a main component of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces, an American-backed coalition of dissident groups that now controls much of northeastern Syria.

Anger at Washington

The real problem isnt about Sweden or Finland harboring the PKK, said Agar, a former Turkish Special Forces officer. Its about U.S. support for the YPGwhich is the PKK by another name.

The United States trains, funds, arms, and directs these groups. Turkey cant countenance such actions by its so-called allies.

He went on to assert that U.S. support for the YPG had led to a serious crisis of confidence and geopolitical polarization.

Agar also warned that the issue, if left unresolved, threatens to permanently fracture the NATO alliance.

Even leaders of Turkish political parties have begun broaching the issue of Turkey leaving NATO, he said. This was previously unheard of.

As of the time of writing, the U.S. State Department had yet to respond to The Epoch Times request for comment on the issue.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Turkeys President Says No Support for Swedens NATO Bid

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) delivers a speech during his party's group meeting at Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) in Ankara, Turkey, on Dec. 21, 2022. (Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)

ISTANBULTurkeys president cast serious doubt on NATOs expansion Monday after warning Sweden not to expect support for its bid for membership into the military alliance following weekend protests in Stockholm by an anti-Islam activist and pro-Kurdish groups.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Rasmus Paludans Quran-burning protest on Saturday, saying it was an insult to everyone, especially to Muslims. He was particularly incensed at Swedish authorities for allowing the demonstration to take place outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm under the protection of security forces.

It is clear that those who allowed such vileness to take place in front of our embassy can no longer expect any charity from us regarding their NATO membership application, Erdogan said in his first comments regarding the weekend protests, saying Sweden must have calculated the consequences of permitting Paludans demonstration.

The burning of Quran angered people across the political spectrum in Turkey, just as Sweden and Finland appeared on the cusp of NATO membership after dropping their longstanding policies of military nonalignment following Russias war on Ukraine.

Erdogan also criticized Sweden for allowing pro-Kurdish protests where demonstrators waved flags of various Kurdish groups, including the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against Turkey. The PKK is considered a terrorist group in Turkey, the European Union, and the United States, but its symbols arent banned in Sweden.

So you will let terror organizations run wild on your avenues and streets and then expect our support for getting into NATO. Thats not happening, Erdogan said, referring to Sweden and Finlands accession bids for the military alliance. He said if Sweden wont show respect to NATO-member Turkey or Muslims, then they wont see any support from us on the NATO issue.

A joint memorandum signed by Turkey, Sweden, and Finland in June averted a Turkish veto of their membership bid at NATOs Madrid summit where they confirmed the PKK as a terror group and committed to prevent its activities. Continued protests are infuriating Ankara who has said Sweden must address Turkeys security concerns and demands for the Turkish parliament to ratify their NATO request.

If they love terror organization members and enemies of Islam so much, we recommend that they refer their countries security to them, he added. Several hundred pro-Kurdish protestors walked over a photo of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday and an Erdogan effigy was hung from a lamppost in a previous protest. Turkish officials cancelled bilateral meetings in response.

Swedish officials have stressed that freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Swedish Constitution and gives people extensive rights to express their views publicly, though incitement to violence or hate speech isnt allowed. Demonstrators must apply to police for a permit for a public gathering. Police can deny such permits only on exceptional grounds, such as risks to public safety. Top Swedish officials have said freedom of expression is crucial to democracy while criticizing Paludans actions as disrespectful and ones they disagree with.

Anti-Islam activist Paludan, who holds both Danish and Swedish citizenship, established parties in both countries that have failed to win any seats in national, regional, or municipal elections. In last years parliamentary election in Sweden, his party received just 156 votes nationwide. His burning of the Quran sparked counter-protests in Turkey over the weekend, where demonstrators burned his photograph and a Swedish flag.
Twitter Faces Lawsuits Over Unpaid Rent for US HQ, UK Office

LONDONMore landlords are taking Twitter to court over unpaid rent, this time at the social media companys headquarters in San Francisco and its British offices.

Twitter is facing a lawsuit over allegations it failed to pay rent for its head office, according to California court documents. The owner of its premises in central London, meanwhile, said its taking the company to court over rental debt.

Musk is slashing costs after his $44 billion deal last year to buy Twitter left the company on the hook for about $1 billion in annual interest payments. Twitter has already been taken to court this month for falling behind on rent at another San Francisco office.

Its the latest legal headache for Musk, who has been testifying in recent days in a separate class-action lawsuit from Tesla investors alleging his 2017 tweet misled them about funding to take the electric carmaker private.

The billionaire Tesla CEOs cost-cutting strategy for Twitter also has included gutting the companys workforce and auctioning off memorabilia and fancy office furniture.

Twitter did not respond to a request for comment. Its communications department was shut down after Musks acquisition.

The owner of Twitters San Francisco headquarters, located at 1355 Market St., is suing the company after it failed to make its latest monthly rent payment, according to documents filed Friday with the Superior Court of California.

The company, Sri Nine Market Square LLC, said Twitter breached the Lease by failing to pay monthly rent and additional rent for January amounting to $3.4 million.

Twitter, which has had a lease for three floors in the building since 2011, had fallen behind on a similar amount of rent in December, which Sri Nine Market Square recouped from a letter of credit that Twitter had put up as a security deposit, the filing said.

After using those funds, the landlord says Twitter still owes $3.16 million in unpaid rent and is seeking late fees and interest plus attorneys fees. The social media company still occupies the property, the landlord said.

In Britain, the Crown Estate has started court proceedings against Twitter after the company fell behind on rent at its offices near Londons famed Piccadilly Circus.

The Crown Estate, which owns some of the priciest real estate in central London, said it took action following previous contact with Twitter over the unpaid rent and is in talks with the company but provided no further information.

The Crown Estate is a vast property portfolio that includes much of Londons Regent Street as well as the Windsor estate. Its an independently run commercial business, but its profits are used as a benchmark for the funding of the Sovereign Grant, which is the public money that funds the British royal familys official work.
UK Government Ending COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters for Healthy People Under 50

People under 50 without conditions that put them at risk of contracting COVID-19 will soon be unable to get a COVID-19 booster, the UK government announced on Jan. 25.

Uptake in the under-50 population has been extremely low since early 2022 and the government is accepting a recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to end the booster campaign for most of the age group.

The booster availability to healthy individuals in the age group will end in the UK on Feb. 12, the government said.

National Health Service (NHS) official Steve Russell said that people should get their booster before the availability ends.

A smaller-scale effort will see people who fit certain criteria, including having compromised immune systems, still able to get boosters beyond the Feb. 12 date.

Health officials have also accepted the recommendation to end the availability of the initial vaccination, or a primary series, for the population not at clinical risk subject to further consideration, according to UK Health Minister Maria Caulfield.

The JCVIs advice to target the initial vaccination (primary course) offer to those at higher risk from Covid-19 has been accepted  subject to further consideration of timings, she said in a statement.

No date has been given as of yet for the end of the primary series campaign. The JCVI recommended that it be ended before the end of 2023, narrowing the targets to those persons at higher risk of severe COVID-19, including individuals aged 12 to 49 who are household contacts of immune-suppressed people.

Most children in the UK are already unable to get a booster or primary series.

Transition Continues

The JCVI said that the change in vaccine availability stems from the high levels of immunity acquired through vaccination and infection as well as the lower severity of cases that Omicron and its subvariants cause when compared to earlier strains.

Based on the current data, keeping the booster (third dose) offer open to these groups is considered of limited ongoing value and the overall impact on vaccine coverage is negligible, the committee said.

Officials also noted that after an initial high uptake of a booster, or third dose, in December 2021, uptake has been low, at less than 0.1 percent per week since April 2022 in all people under 50 who are eligible for a booster.

The vast majority of people aged 12 and older have received a primary series, but booster uptake has been much less prevalent, especially among younger people. Of those aged 50 and up, the older a person was, the more likely they were to get a booster as part of a campaign launched in the fall of 2022. More than 8 out of 10 people aged 75 or older, for instance, received a booster, compared to just 42.4 percent of those aged 50 to 54.

Other developed countries have also seen enthusiasm for the vaccines lag as a growing body of evidence shows that their effects are worse initially against the newer variants that have emerged and that the protection quickly wanes, especially against infection. Some studies have indicated that the vaccinated are more likely to get infected after a period of time.

UK authorities approved the Moderna and Pfizer bivalent boosters in late 2022 to try to better combat COVID-19.

Based on advice from the JCVI, an independent committee that advises the government on vaccines, the government will focus on vaccinating and boosting the elderly as well as people with compromised immune systems.

The COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to reduce severe disease across the population, while helping to protect the [National Health Service], JCVI Chair of COVID-19 immunization Wei Shen Lim said in a statement. That is why we have advised planning for further booster vaccines for persons at higher risk of serious illness through an autumn booster programme later this year.

Other Countries

The United States has continued its aggressive vaccination campaign, promoting both the primary series and multiple boosters to most of the population. Even infants and babies are advised to get three doses.

Some other countries, in addition to the UK, have gradually eased up on vaccines.

Denmarks government, for instance, announced in September 2022 that it would stop offering boosters to people under 50.

In numbers released on Jan. 25, UK authorities said (pdf) they calculated that tens of thousands of healthy, young people would need a booster in order to prevent a single hospitalization. That included 168,200 boosters to prevent a single hospitalization in those aged 20 to 29.

The calculus was different for older people. For all people aged 70 or higher, for instance, the figure was 800.

Authorities didnt provide calculations for how many adverse events tens of thousands of vaccinations would cause. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been documented to cause heart inflammation and other side effects, including severe allergic shock.

Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a British cardiologist who has called for the withdrawal of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, hailed the end of the booster campaign for many.

But this alone is not good enough. We must help the vaccine injured & make the government, the regulator & Pharma fully accountable, he wrote on Twitter.
'The Right To Be Born' fights to expedite adoption in Cuba and prevent the abandonment of children DIARIO DE CUBA spoke with those heading up a 'campaign that seeks to help, guide and never question mothers who find themselves in different situations'

Amanda was abandoned on November 1, 2022 in Cuba. The police have not found the person who abandoned her. The little girl was hospitalized for a month, then transferred to the Casa de Ninos Sin Ampara Filial shelter in Artemisa. Last week the baby was admitted to the hospital again for a condition that prevents her from gaining the proper weight and getting enough nutrients.

In a conversation with DIARIO DE CUBA the activist Diasnurka Salcedo, who heads the "The Right To Be Born" initiative, dedicated to preventing the abandonment of newborns, expressed regret that "the delivery of this baby in adoption has been delayed, when there are families that want to offer her a home."

Salcedo has been keeping tabs on Amanda so that she lacks nothing. "The girl had Covid-19, and was admitted. She recovered. We collected donations," she explained. However, she lost weight from gastric reflux and again required admission for specialized treatment.

The activist expressed dismay that the Government, through its official media, publicized Amanda's case, but now refuses to facilitate her adoption.

"The Prosecutor's Office claims that it's investigating, and that the process can take up to three years, which I consider totally aberrant, because this means denying the girl the possibility of being in a family that loves her, that really loves her. It's painful that she won't enjoy that in her early years," the activist explained.

"It is in this stage of life that one requires the most care. Even if they care for her there, a shelter will never be the same. There are so many people eager to provide such care, and still so many obstacles!" snaps Salcedo. The activist called for "fewer protocols, and thinking with the heart."

About the campaign, Diasnurka Salcedo explains that it "arose due to the many cases of abandoned children" in Cuba.

"This is happening because of the lack of condoms. Since there are no medical supplies, there are no menstrual regulations, and no curettages, methods that I have never really supported, but people relied on these as a means of solving their problems," she says.

"Condoms are scarce, and the few available are more expensive. They used to cost a peso, then it was ten, and now they're up to 150 pesos; plus there's the lack of communication by the organizations controlled by the Government, which are not interested in counselling people. All this leads to unwanted babies, and their abandonment. So, I came up with this campaign, which has been quite well received, and quickly," she said.

"The first thing I did was create a page (with the same name as the initiative), a WhatsApp group, and a helpline. Pregnant girls who don't want their children call," she adds.

In the activist's words "the aim of the campaign is to help, to inform, but, above all not to question."

The campaign also focuses on adoption, as is the case with little Amanda.

"In Cuba, under the new Family Code, adoption has been approved. The problem is that this is a long and tedious process. But a mother gives her baby to a family, and all that bureaucracy is avoided."

"What is the most important aspect of the campaign? First, there are those women who for one reason or another, wish to have a baby, and cannot; and in another group are those mothers who are pregnant and, for one reason or another, do not wish to keep the baby. It aims to help those mothers find families for those children, thus preventing many of those children from ending up at dumps," she explains.

"The Government has the Women and Family Orientation Houses, but they don't really work. The Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) is only there to collect money, but it doesn't provide guidance. Young people need more information, more guidance so that they don't end up committing child abandonment, for one reason or another; generally, the root problem is economic. They have no way to support a family, and no way to prevent an unwanted pregnancy."

According to the activist, "it is a rather complex situation that the authorities should raise awareness of."

Salcedo made references to the case of the "abandonment of a baby in Mulgoba (Boyeros, Havana), whose mother is imprisoned," to another "baby in Las Tunas that they found dead," and to some "abandoned twins at the Maternal and Children's Hospital of Guanabacoa, known as La Fatima," in Havana.

"I will always follow situations like these, as I find these cases outrageous, and we'll try to help and shine a light on this as much as we can so that people become aware, and don't end up leaving children at dumps."

A legal perspective on the matter

Adoption in Cuba is processed through channels of "voluntary jurisdiction," as per Article 609.1 of the Code of Processes. It is, in fact, one in that, due to the absence of any opposition, and because the approval of the court is requested, legal counsel is not required (applicants can represent themselves, without a lawyer).

According to Article 89 of the Family Code, on the "Purpose" of adoption, it is "a legal institution of family and social protection, of public order, seeking the best interests of children and adolescents" and that "aims to guarantee their right to live in a family and ensure their well-being and comprehensive development."

Article 90 on "Guiding Principles" states that "an effort is made, whenever possible, to keep them within their extended family of origin, or in close affective environments made up of unrelated third parties with whom they maintain lasting, significant bonds."

According to lawyers consulted by DIARIO DE CUBA, "this is the rationale according to which adoption processes should not be protracted, thereby allowing minors to enjoy an ideal environment that favors their physical and psychological development."

The Family Code clearly states that only persons under the age of 18 whose parents are not known, such as abandoned babies, may be adopted.

In the latter cases, before the adoption process, a court has to rule confirming the loss or deprivation of parental responsibility, reflected in Article 98.

"Unfortunately, prior to the commencement of the court proceedings, the case file must be finalized by the Prosecutor's Office or the bodies that have custody of the minors for cases involving care centers, and this is where the proceedings get bogged down. It is a case of red tape that violates the rights of boys and girls to grow up in family settings," the lawyers agreed.

In practice, almost no adoptions have been processed so far in Cuba.

According to article 110 of the same Code, "intervening in the adoption process are: (a) The child or adolescent, if of sufficient age and degree of maturity, who appears with legal assistance; (b) their mothers, fathers or other legal representatives; (c) the administrative body that participated in the extrajudicial stage; (d) the Prosecutor's Office; and (e) the Ombudsman's Office, where appropriate."

The same section states that, "in the case of minors at social assistance centers and homes, the administrators of these centers manage the adoption file, where all the procedures are carried out, compliance with all the applicable requirements is accredited, and, once completed, after approval by the competent authority, it is delivered to the petitioner for presentation to the corresponding court."

"Without ignoring the importance of a proper investigation, or neglecting the carrying out of the corresponding criminal proceedings, the adoption process should not drag on beyond the necessary time," they concluded.
UK Orders Investigation Into Red Flags Missed as Afghan Asylum Seeker Jailed for Murder

Victim Thomas Roberts had applied to join the Royal Marines

An asylum seeker from Afghanistanwho had already killed two people in Serbiahas been jailed for life for a murder in England as the government announced an investigation into red flags missed prior to his arrest.

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzaiwho gave a false age when he arrived in Britainwas found guilty on Monday of the murder of Thomas Roberts, 21, who was stabbed to death in a Subway sandwich shop in Bournemouth, Dorset, in March 2022 following a trivial dispute over an e-scooter.

After he was convicted, the jury were told Abdulrahimzai had been convicted in absentia of the murder of two fellow Afghan migrants who were shot dead with a Kalashnikov rifle in August 2018 after a dispute about people-trafficking.

It has also emerged that he was convicted of a drugs offence in Italy but was given a non-custodial sentence.

Sentencing Abdulrahimzai to a minimum term of 29 years on Wednesday, Judge Paul Dugdale said of the Serbian murder conviction, It is highly relevant and I do take it into account as an aggravating feature.

Abdulrahimzai was born in Afghanistan and, after travelling across Asia and Europe, arrived at the port of Poole in Dorset in December 2019. He claimed to be 14, although it has since emerged he was 18 at the time.

While his asylum application was being processed, Abdulrahimzai lived in Poole and in March 2022 he travelled to nearby Bournemouth, where he murdered Roberts, who had applied to join the Royal Marines.

An undated image of Thomas Roberts (L) who was stabbed to death by Lawangeen Rahimzai, who is shown on CCTV footage on the night of the murder as he walked through Bournemouth, England, on March 12, 2022. (Roberts family/Dorset Police)

The victims mother, Dolores Roberts-Wallace, said: I miss your beautiful face. That deep dimple of yours when you laugh. I will never see you as a father with your children. It is just unbelievable that you are gone forever.

Robertss stepfather, Peter Wallace, told the court, I know that Tommy would have been a great Marine.

On Tuesday the Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, Tobias Ellwood, raised the matter in Parliament and asked for a full Home Office investigation into Abdulrahimzai.

Ellwood said, Abdulrahimzai had a criminal record for murder in Serbia, a criminal record for drugs in Italy and then threatened his foster carer here in the UK and bluffed his way into our asylum system posing as a minor.

Local MP Says Killer Was Threat to Society

So many red flags missed that could have revealed what a threat to society this individual was. There are lessons to be learned, added Ellwood, a former minister who chairs the Defence Select Committee.

A still from a CCTV video of Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, who stabbed to death a young man in a Subway restaurant, on a bus in Bournemouth, England, shortly before the murder, on March 11, 2022. (Dorset Police)

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick confirmed the Home Office would look into the full circumstances surrounding Abdulrahimzai.

Jenrick also promised a more robust method for assessing the age of those coming into the country, taking advantage of modern scientific methods.

Earlier this month the Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee recommended the Home Office introduce MRI scans and X-rays of teeth and bones to check the biological age of illegal immigrants who claim to be children.

The scientific advisers said the tests should be voluntary, but Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, urged the government to force illegal immigrants whose age was in doubt to take the tests. He told The Times of London, It would be absurd to have to accept a claimed age just because a person refuses to be scientifically assessed.

On Monday Conor Burns, the Conservative MP for Bournemouth West, wrote on Twitter: The murder of a young man on the streets of Bournemouth with a knife is truly shocking. That the murderer had previous convictions for violent behaviour and lied about his age to enter the UK pose serious questions. Asylum process needs to be made swift and the checks robust.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Huxter, from Dorset Police, said: This case serves as another reminder of the truly devastating consequences of knife crime. Lawangeen Abdulrahimzais decision to go out in possession of a knife on the night of this murder and his utterly indefensible decision to use that weapon has seen a much-loved young mans life cruelly taken away.

Dorset Police also issued a statement in which they said: Prior to his arrest for this offence, Dorset Police was not aware of any previous convictions related to Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai. As part of the investigation process Dorset Police will, where necessary, make enquiries to other agencies to obtain the relevant information, as we did in this this case.

The Home Office put out a statement on Wednesday in which they said: We welcome the judges sentencing in this horrific case. Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of Thomas Roberts, whose life has been needlessly cut short.

Foreign national offenders who exploit our system and commit crimes here in the UK will face the full force of the law, including deportation at the earliest opportunity for those eligible. The government is committed to stopping abuse of the immigration system, taking decisive action against those who try to play the system, it added.

PA Media contributed to this report.
UK Statistics Regulator Says ONS Deaths Data Not Suitable for Estimating COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness

A dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is drawn up to be administered at a hospital in Belper, UK, on Dec. 16, 2021. (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

The statistics on deaths by vaccination status published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are not appropriate for understanding the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, the UKs statistics regulator has said.

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) on Monday published its response to four researchers, acknowledging their concerns that the unvaccinated population was likely undercounted in the sample used by the ONS dataset.

It means the calculated mortality rate of the unvaccinated could be higher than it actually was, giving the illusion that the vaccines saved more lives than it may have done.

The ONS used the number of deaths in Englandinvolving and not involving COVID-19and a large population sample to work out mortality rates.

The population sample included around 79 percent of the population who were in the 2011 census and are currently registered with a GP.

Younger people are less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and the ORS said its harder for those not registered with a GP to get vaccinated.

We consider that it is therefore likely that the sample used in the Deaths by Vaccination Status publication is not representative of the general population. Those who are missing are, we think, more likely to be younger and unvaccinated, OSR Director General for Regulation Ed Humpherson wrote, adding that the ONS has acknowledged the limitation in the publication.

The regulator said the ONS is working to address some of the sampling issues in its previous publications and has delayed its next publication to wait for the 2021 census data in order to substantially increase the sample size.

Writing in the Daily Sceptic, mathematician Norman Fenton and statistics professor Martin Neil, two of the researchers who made the complaint to the OSR, called on those who cited the ONS figures to publicly withdraw their material, while naming the BBC, accusing the broadcaster of deliberately misrepresenting the COVID-19 vaccination rate.

We therefore call on all of thoseincluding especially the BBCwho have used the ludicrously low estimates from the ONS to publicly withdraw all material based on these estimates, as they have been deliberately used to represent the unvaccinated as a tiny fringe minority, they wrote.

Fenton has strongly opposed the BBC documentary film unvaccinated which said there were around four million people in the UK who were unvaccinated against COVID-19.

The documentary was aired on July 20, 2022. Its promotion material also included a claim, which was later deleted, that said the unvaccinated consisted of eight percent of the population, based on a survey the broadcaster had commissioned.

The survey, which polled 2,570 UK residents, found that 26 percent of the respondents were unvaccinated. But after weighing the outcome against ONS census data, the unvaccinated rate became eight percent.

The BBC didnt respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times.

In a letter (pdf) emailed to Fenton in response to one of his complaints, Jeremy Hayes, the BBCs complaints director in November said the margin of error didnt risk misleading the viewers.

He cited the UK governments estimate at the time, which he said suggested only two million adults were unvaccinated.

It was open to the programme makers to adjust the estimate at the time of broadcast but I do not think it was intended to represent an exact figure, and in any case the margin was not sufficient, in my judgment, to risk materially misleading a viewer, he wrote.

Other Concerns

The OSR did not agree with other concerns raised by Fenton, Neil, and the other co-authors of their preprint paper, diagnostic pathologist Clare Craig and digital technologies for health lecturer Scott McLachlan.

Comparing the rate of deaths from causes other than COVID-19, the authors found that the data showed those who had taken at least one dose of the COVID vaccines were dying at a much lower rate than the unvaccinated and a much lower rate compared to historical data.

They also highlighted peaks in non-COVID-19 deaths among the unvaccinated in different age groups that corresponded to vaccine rollouts in those age groups and suggested the anomalies could have been a result of misclassifying deaths shortly after vaccination as unvaccinated deaths.

Humpherson said the OSR believes the pattern is attributable to the healthy vaccinee effect.

This happens when people who are ill (either due to COVID-19 or another relevant illness) are likely to delay vaccination. The result of this effect is a lower-than-average mortality rate within the first 21 days of receiving a vaccination. This effect is described by ONS in their Deaths by Vaccination Status publication, the letter reads.

In an interview with YouTuber Dr. John Campbell, Fenton said he is not convinced by the explanation partly because the infirm were prioritised during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and because their deaths, regardless of the age group, typically peaked at around the same time in previous years instead of in waves.
Ukraine Demonstrates War Reserve Stockpiles Are Vital

Abandonned munitions crates are seen on the outskirts of Izyum, Kharkiv region, eastern Ukraine, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on Sept. 14, 2022. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

Commentary

No matter the outcome on the battlefield, the Ukraine War already has a clear winner: that small band of long-range planners, logisticians, and military analysts who have insisted cutting corners in maintaining war reserve stocks was a false economy 

Definition of war reserve stocks: warfighting material, produced in peacetime or left from a prior conflict, that is stored for use in a future war.

Full disclosure: Im an associate editor at StrategyPage.com. I pulled the cutting corners quote from an April 2016 StrategyPage Procurement update that discussed the major shortage of smart air-delivered munitions created by the 2011 NATO war in Libya. The lingering shortage impeded U.S. and allied operations in Iraq and Syria in 2015. Why? Replenishing depleted war material stockpiles, especially munitions, takes time and money.

Long-range stockpile replenishment and anticipated munition expenditure are budget items that rarely get press attention.

When senior Pentagon officials are asked to testify, they have to admit that munition expenditure depends on the situationwho is fighting (America or an ally?), when the fight occurs (next week or in 10 years?), where the fight occurs (Taiwan, Syria, Poland?) and the weapon systems required to win the battle. Doing this takes military judgment, budget foresight, an assessment of evolving U.S. and allied interests, estimates of current and future manufacturing capacity and a detailed knowledge of, oh, several thousand weapons systems, their munitions and how they are employed.

Typical Beltway scenario: Oh, so your request is based on a guess, General? snarks the congresswoman from the Bronx. Gee, I think we have just found money to fund my favorite critical race theory program.

StrategyPage reprised the 2016 quote in an update published this month. Why? Because the Ukraine War has demonstrated deep preparation for war matters and the Beltway and major media are suddenly interested.

The demand for specific Western nation-supplied weapon systems by Ukraine and the munitions expenditure rate reflects the larger operational phases we have witnessed on the battlefield.

Russia launched ground and air operations in late February and early March 2022. Russia relied on armored columns (tanks and armored infantry vehicles) and aircraft and helicopter strikes. The Kremlin attempted to use maneuver and conduct a mobile war.

The Trump administration had supplied Ukraine with infantry-portable Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs). It was a godsend. Ukrainian soldiers knew how to use them, and they devastated stalled Russian armored columns. (It helped that the poorly trained Russians couldnt integrate infantry and tanks in effective combat teams.)

U.S. Stinger and British Starstreak portable anti-aircraft missiles denied Russia air superiority.

Ukrainian valor and hi-tech Western weapons defeated the Russian offensive.

By mid-April 2022 Western nations had provided Ukraine with some 90,000 portable anti-tank and air defense weaponsa lot of weapons.

We move to the more static phasethe artillery slugfest reminiscent of WWI.

According to estimates Ive read, the United States has supplied Ukraine with around one million 155 mm artillery shells. In doing so, StrategyPage reports the U.S. has depleted its artillery shell war reserves. South Korea replenished a portion of the U.S. shortfall, which should give the U.S. time to increase production. StrategyPage says, however, the 155mm shell reserves wont be restored to 2021 levels until 2027 or 2028.

Ukraines artillery star has been the U.S.-made Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) fired by the HIMARs wheeled launcher. The GMLRS is a very smart weapon. Ive seen no estimates on the number of rockets fired but it has to be in the thousands.

The GMLRS is a critical Army and Marine weapon on every battlefield but has real utility in a war with China. The expended rockets must be replaced.

StrategyPages report made that point for all U.S. munitions: While European NATO nations dont have to worry about their major threat, Russia, while they rebuild their war reserves, the Americans have to plan for potential conflicts elsewhere, like China, North Korea and Iran.

Congress needs to do its duty and replenish the U.S. munition stockpile.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Ukraine Showdown Only About 6 Weeks Away

Commentary

The Ukraine war now seems to be in a comparative pause awaiting spring offensives from both sides, and any serious attempt at a settlement will have to reflect the results of what promises to be an intensified war, starting probably in April.

The Ukrainians rightly publicize the outrages of the Russian assault upon their civilian areas, and the Americans and Germans are rightly providing them with the most sophisticated anti-missile defense to strike from the hand of the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, the barbarous ability to deliver missiles into civilian areas with impunity and without the slightest semblance of justification under international law.

The effect of almost a full year of Russias invasion of Ukraine hasnt been dramatic in western Ukraine, which has been less influenced by Russia and where about 60 percent of the population resides. But in the south and east, significant parts of cities have been reduced to rubble, and substantial civilian casualties have been incurred, including victims in schools, hospitals, and churches, to obnoxiously cavalier Russian official responses.

There are even many calling for unilateral de-escalation. This is natural; war is disgusting and stupid, and especially now that it can be graphically conveyed to every home in the world on television and the internet almost instantly, it appalls most people. One of the great generals of modern times, the deputy Union commander in the U.S. Civil War, William Tecumseh Sherman, famously said that war is hell.

The Russian position is that since Ukraine was an integral part of Russia without even the status of a distinct province for two centuries and is a fusion of Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, and Tatar ethnicities that have never been a distinct entity, and which has essentially been a failed state in its 30 years of independence, it really belongs to and in Russia.

In this war, the Ukrainians have bestowed upon themselves a heroic tradition of the kind that builds a viable national mythos and raison detre. In a referendum in 1991, more than 80 percent of Ukrainians expressed their wish to secede from Russia, including 77 percent of Ukrainians in mainly Russian-speaking districts. From time to time, the West has been receptive to the idea of Ukraine joining NATO, and at times, the West has been relatively more placatory to the Russian view that it retained some legitimate interest in Ukraine. Russia and the major Western powers have all guaranteed the frontiers of Ukraine, and the word of all the major powers has been worthless.

The West won the greatest and most bloodless strategic victory in the history of the nation-state with the end of the Cold War, when the Soviet Union lost all of its constituent republics and the population of Russia was reduced to less than half of that of the former USSR. The present government of Vladimir Putin has effectively regained control of Belarus and Moldova, has seized parts of Ukraine and Georgia, and undoubtedly exercises significant influence in Kazakhstan and several of the other Islamic republics that formerly made up the Soviet Union. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, despite substantial Russian ethnic minorities, have joined NATO and now seem beyond Russias reach.

However, the great prize in the substantial undoing of Russias Cold War defeat would be if Russia could seize Ukraine, the most populous and strategically important of the constituent Soviet republics.

Putin is trying to emulate the great Russian expansionists, Peter the Great and Joseph Stalin, but the Ukrainians have caused Putin to look more like a Benito Mussolini, whom Winston Churchill described as a whipped jackal after he had been beaten by the Greeks.

Clearly, most Ukrainians still support continuing the war with the objective of regaining all of Ukraine, including Crimea, which Putin annexed in protest against the Western-assisted 2014 ouster of the pro-Russian government of Ukraine elevated in the very questionable election of 2010. Ukraine was then in no position to resist Russian military action, and the Russian government apparently took no notice of the extensive training given by NATO powers to Ukrainian forces in the intervening time.

Russia has purported to annex some Black Sea coastal provinces and to have held spurious referendums within them favoring reunion with Russia so that the Kremlin can now claim that it isnt making war on Ukraine at all but merely defending itself. Even this is already a long climb-down from the Kremlins initial intention to annex the entirety of Ukraine (which the ineffable Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Mark Milley, assured us would happen).

Ukraine is obviously prepared to endure great hardship and heavy casualties to expel the Russians. And Russia, having been overwhelmingly humiliated at the end of the Cold War, when it simply disintegrated without firing a shot, is determined to regain a significant part of what it had lost. The stakes in Russia are such that the government probably couldnt survive emerging from this war with no accretions of Ukrainian territory at all.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned recently that a Russian defeat would likely lead to nuclear war, a threat the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, always a mouthpiece of the Russian government, for the Romanov, communists, Gorbachev, Yeltsin, or Putin, endorsed by predicting the end of the world! if Russia were defeated.

Such apocalyptic rhetoric is intended to deter NATO from getting more involved in the war, but the explicit recognition that Russia might lose on the battlefield marked a rare revelation of Putins shaken confidence. Putin himself used the 80th anniversary of the Siege of Leningrad to raise the specter of Nazis threatening Russia from Ukraine, the puppet proxy-warrior for the West.

Putin said Soviet forces defeated Nazi Germanys genocide of Leningrad and drew comparisons with how contemporary Russia is fighting Ukrainian neo-Nazis in Donbaswhere Putin previously accused Ukraine of conducting a genocide to justify his 2022 invasion. His return to nonsense about Ukrainian neo-Nazis and the genocide of Russians is an attempt to regain control over domestic war coverage.

The current level of Russian desperation is well illustrated by the comments of its sardonic foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, that the West wants a final solution of the Russian Question, a deliberate use of Nazi anti-Semitic terminology, as if there were the slightest comparison to be made between the status of 6 million European Jews tragically vulnerable to Nazi genocidists and Holy Mother Russia, a timeless and endless country with a population as great as Germany and France combined.

If Putin is trying to stoke up Russian fires to support a long war, he must see no way to bring the war into successful negotiations anytime soon. The Kremlin has to play to the extreme nationalists who demand blood and to the weary Russian population who grumble about what happened to that lightning invasion they were promised almost a year ago.

To force a satisfactory result, Russia will have to mount an immense mobilization that will be both unpopular and unaffordable, and while Russia has sacrificed with unimaginable heroism to protect the Russian motherland, Rodyna, its doubtful how much its prepared to sacrifice over Ukraine, facing a purposefully U.S.-led NATO.

The next six to nine months should bring this war to an end on a basis that Putin can survive and Ukrainians can celebrate. If Russia wont stand down to this, the war will continue until Putin is gone. Paleo-conservative objections to it in the United States are nonsense.

That the West is able to frustrate this hare-brained scheme in the midst of one of the most inept political periods in its history, with only a moderate commitment of resources to spare the West what would otherwise be a thumping humiliation, indicates to all but the most militant atheists that God has taken this most propitious time to bless America again, not in its leaders but in the identity of its adversaries.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Ukraine War Prompted Ottawa to Recognize It Lacks Key Missiles; What Else Could Be Lacking?

HMCS Windsor, one of Canada's Victoria-class long-range patrol submarines, returns to port in Halifax on June 20, 2018, after completing a five-month deployment in the Euro-Atlantic region. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan)

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) came to realize it was lacking such equipment as anti-tank missiles and long-range precision missile systems, as well as systems to protect against drones.

The military is now rushing to buy these weapon systems, known to be pivotal for defence capabilities. But it raises the question of what other areas CAF would come up short in should armed conflict occur, catching Canada off guard.

The big challenge we face in Canada is that there is still this underlying element of our political leadership that basically thinks that war is not thinkable, said defence policy expert Robert Huebert, an associate professor of political science at the University of Calgary, in an interview.

Theres this reluctance to acknowledge that, in fact, waras ugly as it isdoes remain a constant, ongoing element of the international system, and that Canada is not immune to that just because were Canadians.

The government recently announced it would be purchasing 88 F-35 fighter jets, for $19 billion, from American company Lockheed-Martin to replace its older fleet of CF-18 Hornets.

The full fleet of jets is not expected to be delivered until 2032. The jets will be delivered in tranches over the next nine years, with the first 16 being delivered between 2026 and 2028.

Defence Equipment Needs

However, the purchase of the F-35 jets merely scratches the surface of Canadas all-around defence needs, says Huebert.

We need to modernize the surface component of the navy, and we need to modernize and rebuild our submarine capability, he said. On the maritime side, those are the two biggest pieces, but we also have to integrate the systems to be aware of the the developing maritime threat environment.

Canadas 2017 defence policy, titled Strong, Secure, Engaged, included a commitment to invest in 15 Canadian surface combatant (CSC) ships, which Ottawa said would be the countrys major surface component of maritime combat power.

Construction of the first CSC vessel is not expected to begin until later this year or in 2024.

Huebert questions whether CAF has the necessary technology below the waters surface to respond to new, much smaller, much faster underwater autonomous vehicles.

In the North, were now talking about modernization of NORAD [North North American Aerospace Defense Command], but no discussion about the underwater dimension of that, he said.

A recent Canadian Press report said some high-ranking CAF officials are concerned that, because Canada is not included in the AUKUS trilateral treaty between Australia, Britain, and the United States, it wont have access to certain cutting-edge military technology possessed by some of its closest allies.

The treaty includes plans by the United States and Britain to provide nuclear submarine technology to Australia.

James Fergusson, deputy director of the University of Manitobas Centre for Defence and Security Studies, says Russias invasion of Ukraine has also shown that Canada needs to upgrade its defence capabilities against long-range and medium-to-short-range strike missile systems.

Fergusson says there are a number of air-launched and ground-launched missile systems Russia has used to strike long-range targets in the heart of Ukraine.

He adds that Canadas missile defence system investments made thus far cover only relatively short-range to medium-range incoming missiles.

They dont have long-range capability at all, and to go into that world [of long-range missile defence systems] is going to cost you a lot of money, Fergusson told The Epoch Times.

Youre talking about very expensive missile defence systems, such as the American [MIM-104] Patriot or the American THAAD [Terminal High Altitude Area Defence] system. Now we have no plans to buy those, and those are extremely expensive.

Air and Land

Purchase of the F-35 jets represents significant progress for Canadas air defence capabilities, but it still leaves certain issues lingering, says Huebert.

Youre not buying the F-35 for dogfighting, he says, referring to close-range aerial combat. Its a system-of-system aircraft. In other words, it plugs into an overall attempt to have air dominance.

This poses the problem of system connectivity with international allies, Huebert said, the lack of which could cause problems with the F-35s interoperability.

You have to be working with your allies to make sure that youre getting the maximum out of your system.

While Canadas F-35 investment strengthens its future air defence, it leaves some questions unanswered in terms of land defence, Huebert notes.

Its good that were providing the Ukrainians with an [anti-aircraft] protection system, but we dont have one for our own forces, he said, adding there are also some concerns about the condition of Canadas Leopard 2 tanks.

I would suspect that one of the greatest difficulties we face is just in terms of your basic equipment to protect your ground troops. Do you have enough so that you can send them into a modern battlefield?

Another lesson learned from the war in Ukraine is the ongoing importance of ground troops and their strategies despite the advances of missile and air technology in modern warfare, Huebert said.

The boots on the ground and slugging it outthat part is still an integral part of war.

Arctic Security

Surveillance of Canadas Arctic territory recently came into focus following a November 2022 report by Auditor General Karen Hogan that said aging equipment is jeopardizing Canadas ability to effectively monitor the region.

The report also said that traffic in Canadian Arctic waters has more than tripled since 1990 and reached all-time highs in 2019 and 2020, despite temporary bans on entering the area during the pandemic.

The ability to be able to surveil the Arctic and monitor whats happening requires tools, whether it be vessels or aircrafts or satellites or infrastructure.  All of those are aging, Hogan told reporters.

Canadas North Warning System, which consists of a series of radar stations that provide aerospace surveillance of Canadian and U.S. northern approaches, is severely outdated and would be ill-equipped to detect any incoming long-range cruise missiles, Fergusson says.

The new generation of threat, which is the hypersonic vehicle threatwhich flies in the lower regions of outer space above everyoneit cannot detect that at all, he said, adding that the North Warning System was originally designed to detect possible Soviet bomber incursions.

Were almost blind up north, Fergusson said.

Huebert told the House of Commons national defence committee, while appearing as an expert witness in October 2022, that he believes China will soon try to bring nuclear submarines into the Arctic region.

Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre, testifying before that committee earlier that month, had said that he believes China will challenge Canada in the Arctic in about 20 years. But Huebert told The Epoch Times he thinks it will be sooner.

Theyre not going to come in and invade an island, he said, adding that he believes Chinas main objective in the Arctic will be to disrupt international norms and also to challenge American naval hegemonic control.

If a Chinese submarine can pop up here or there, the Americans then have to take that into their planning considerations, he said. Just the mere presence is a problem.

The Canadian Press and Tara MacIsaac contributed to this report.
Will war break out over Taiwan? Would the United States get involved? And which side is most ready for a conflict, the United States, China, or Taiwan? A study says the U.S. defense industry is not adequately prepared to take on a Chinese invasion of the island. But war game simulations predict the opposite. Chinas current COVID-19 outbreak is adding to the uncertainty. And another two infection waves might be around the corner. With all that going on, Taiwans president wrote to Pope Francis, reiterating the islands determination.

Topics in this episode:
US to Test Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft That Could Eventually Fly People to Mars

Artist concept of Demonstration for Rocket to Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) spacecraft, which will demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket engine that could be used for future NASA crewed missions to Mars. (Courtesy of DARPA)

A top NASA official revealed this week that the agency is teaming up with the Department of Defense (DOD) to test a spacecraft engine powered with nuclear fission by 2027, an effort that is part of a long-term NASA plan to send crewed missions to Mars.

In a press release on Tuesday, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said the space program will partner with the DODs research and development agency, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to develop and demonstrate advanced nuclear thermal propulsion technology as soon as 2027.

With the help of this new technology, astronauts could journey to and from deep space faster than evera major capability to prepare for crewed missions to Mars, Nelson said.

The project, which has been dubbed the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations or DRACO, will aim at reducing transit time and risks for astronauts by using a nuclear thermal rocket.

Reducing transit time is a key component for human missions to Mars, as longer trips require more supplies and more robust systems, the agency stated. Maturing faster, more efficient transportation technology will help NASA meet its Moon to Mars Objectives.

Another benefit would be increased science payload capacity and higher power for instrumentation and communication, officials say.

In a nuclear thermal rocket engine, a fission reactor is used to generate extremely high temperatures. The engine transfers the heat produced by the reactor to a liquid propellant, which is expanded and exhausted through a nozzle to propel the spacecraft, according to the agency, which also noted that nuclear thermal rockets can be three or more times more efficient than conventional chemical propulsion.

NASA officials view nuclear thermal propulsion as crucial for sending humans beyond the moon and deeper into space. A trip to Mars from Earth using the technology could take roughly four months instead of some nine months with a conventional, chemically powered engine, engineers say.

If we have swifter trips for humans, they are safer trips, NASA deputy administrator and former astronaut Pam Melroy said during a news conference on Tuesday.

The planned 2027 demonstration, part of an existing DARPA research program that NASA is now joining, could inform the ambitions of the U.S. Space Force, which has envisioned deploying nuclear reactor-powered spacecraft capable of moving other satellites orbiting near the moon, DARPA and NASA officials said.

In 2021, DARPA awarded funds to General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and Jeff Bezos space company, Blue Origin, to study designs of nuclear reactors and spacecraft. By around March, the agency will pick a company to build the nuclear spacecraft for the 2027 demonstration, program manager Tabitha Dodson said in an interview.

The joint NASA-DARPA efforts budget is $110 million for fiscal year 2023 and is expected to be hundreds of millions of dollars more through 2027.

DARPA and NASA have a long history of fruitful collaboration in advancing technologies for our respective goals, from the Saturn V rocket that took humans to the Moon for the first time to robotic servicing and refueling of satellites, said DARPA director Dr. Stefanie Tompkins.

The space domain is critical to modern commerce, scientific discovery, and national security, she continued. The ability to accomplish leap-ahead advances in space technology through the DRACO nuclear thermal rocket program will be essential for more efficiently and quickly transporting material to the Moon and eventually, people to Mars.

The space agency has researched the concept of nuclear thermal propulsion for more than half a century.

In the late 1950s, a joint endeavor called the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA) sought to develop a nuclear-powered rocket for long-range missions to Mars.

Funding for NERVA, however, decreased in the late 1960s, the agency said, noting that it resulted in the program eventually being canceled in 1973 before any flight tests took place.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Victoria Set to Overhaul Strict Bail Laws

The Supreme Court of Victoria is seen in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 21, 2019. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Victoria will overhaul its strict bail laws amid growing calls for reform from MPs and legal rights groups.

Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes confirmed on Wednesday that legislative changes for bail were currently being discussed but stopped short of detailing what the review would entail.

Its all about getting the balance right between community safety, ensuring that serious offenders are kept away from the public but recognising some of our most vulnerable people in the community can be caught up unnecessarily in the justice system, she told reporters.

Ill have more to say once Ive gone through proper processes.

She said the changes were proposed for this year.

Victorias bail laws are widely considered to be among the toughest in the country.

The state government made changes to the Bail Act in 2018 under expert advice in response to the 2017 Bourke Street massacre.

James Gargasoulas was on bail when he drove into a busy Bourke Street Mall, killing six people and injuring dozens of others.

Symes said while Victorias existing bail laws had been effective in some instances, amendments were needed.

What we do know is that its having a good impact on ensuring that serious offenders are not receiving bail that are being put in custody to protect the community, she said.

But we have had examples of low-level offending, shoplifting, for example, where perhaps that person is not a risk to community safety and is there an opportunity to have further discretion to ensure that bail might be more appropriate in those instances?

It comes as coroner Simon McGregor prepares to release findings next week into the death of Indigenous woman Veronica Nelson.

The 37-year-old died in her cell at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in January 2020 after being arrested three days earlier on suspicion of shoplifting and denied bail.

It was reported by The Age on Tuesday that Mr McGregor will find Ms Nelsons death was preventable and she was treated cruelly and inhumanely.

Among his recommendations is expected to be a call to reform Victorias bail laws.

Since the Bail Act was amended in January 2018, Corrections Victoria figures show the proportion of unsentenced people in Victorian prisons has risen from 34.1 percent to 40.8 percent in December.

There were more unsentenced Aboriginal people in Victorias prisons than those sentenced for eight of the first nine months of last year, according to the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.
Weather a Factor in Fatal 2021 Crash of Plane Towing Marriage Banner in Montreal: TSB

A member of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada inspects the wreckage of a plane at a crash site in Montreal, Oct. 3, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says weather and engine trouble contributed to the fatal crash of a small plane near Old Montreal in 2021 that was towing a marriage proposal banner.

The lone passenger died and the pilot was badly hurt when a Cessna 172M pulling a banner reading will you marry me crashed near the Concorde Bridge of Montreals Ile Ste-Helene on Oct. 2, 2021.

The TSB report released today says it appears the plane lost engine power somewhere over the St. Lawrence River and was forced to attempt an emergency landing.

It says the planes wing hit some trees, sending the aircraft into a cartwheel before it crashed and burst into flames.

The investigation found that rainy and overcast weather conditions contributed to ice building up in the planes carburetor, forcing the pilot to fly at a lower altitude than originally planned.

The report says the pilot decided to take off despite knowing about the poor conditions, likely due to what the TSB calls an unconscious cognitive bias and pressure to complete the job on time.
Weekly Excess Deaths Highest in Two Years in England and Wales

The number of excess deaths in England and Wales spiked in the second week in January, reaching the highest level since the second wave of COVID-19 deaths, the latest data show.

According to provisional figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday, 17,381 deaths were registered in England and Wales in the week ending Jan. 13, some 2,837, or 19.5 percent higher than the five-year average of the same week.

This is the highest number of weekly excess deaths since the week ending Feb. 12, 2021, when the UK was emerging from the Alpha wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On that occasion, deaths involving COVID-19 accounted for 37 percent of all those registered.

But in the most recent week, the disease accounted for just 5 percent of the total, meaning other factors are driving the high level of mortality.

The number of deaths in private homes were almost a third (31.5 percent) up from the five-year average while the number of deaths in hospitals, care homes, and other settings were 11.1 percent, 27.6 percent, and 12 percent above average, respectively.

Across the UK, 19,916 deaths were registered during the week ending Jan. 13, around 20.4 percent above the five-year average (3,377 excess deaths), the ONS said.

Both in England and Wales and across the UK, over five percent of the deaths in week two involved COVID-19, the figures show.

Deaths Remain Above Average for Months

According to an earlier analysis of official figures by The Times of London and the BBC, more than 650,000 deaths were registered in the UK in 2022, with the highest excess deaths in the last 50 years apart from the pandemic years.

This winter has seen a sharp spike in the figures, with deaths 21 percent and 20 percent above average in the last two weeks of December, followed by 14 percent and 20 percent in the first two weeks of January.

Health experts have suggested a number of factors could be behind the increase, with COVID-19 playing only a minor part.

The surge in flu cases in the run-up to Christmas is likely to have had an impact.

The latest data shows deaths involving flu and pneumonia accounted for nearly a quarter (24 percent) of all of those registered in England and Wales in the first two weeks of the year.

Deathswhere flu and pneumonia were recorded as the underlying cause of deathaccounted for 9 percent of registrations in the week to Jan. 6 and 8 percent in the latest weeklevels not seen since before the pandemic.

Veena Raleigh, senior fellow at health charity The Kings Fund, said other factors driving excess deaths include unmet healthcare needs during the pandemic and unprecedented pressures on NHS services.

Halting and reversing the trend in extra deaths needs these factors to be addressed urgently, she added, with vaccination programmes a priority as COVID-19 continues its relentless march, along with flu and pneumonia in recent weeks.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay during a visit to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London on Dec. 15, 2022. (Stefan Rousseau/PA Media)

Labours shadow public health minister Andrew Gwynne questioned Health Secretary Steven Barclay in parliament on Tuesday.

There were 50,000 more deaths than we would have otherwise expected in 2022. Excluding the pandemic, that is the worst figure since 1951, Gwynne said, citing excess death figures from across the UK.

The Health Secretary  says he doesnt accept those figures, but as many as 500 people are dying every week waiting for essential care and were still getting the same old Tory denial and buck-passing, Gwynne added.

So, will the minister in answering finally take some responsibility, accept the ONS excess death figure, and recognise the damage that she and her government are doing to our NHS?

In response, Health minister Maria Caulfield cited the emergency department waiting time in Wales, and said the UK was ranked mid-table in Europe for mortality figures, comparable with Italy, by the British Medical Journal.

In fact, Germany has got higher excess deaths at 15.6 percent, Finland at 20.5 percent, and Poland at 13.3 percent.  Wales in December had the highest number of red calls ever and only 39.5 percent received a response in eight minutes, the lowest on record, she said, adding Gwynne needs to recognize that there are clinical reasons for excess deaths, not political ones.

Answering Lords questions about high excess deaths in private homes on Jan. 10, health minister Lord Markham said a combination of factors likely contributed to an increase in the number, with cardiovascular death being the prime issue the government is looking at.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Two mass killings in California just days apart. The suspects and victims are Asian in both cases. Before the police find out the motives, the mayor of Los Angeles and other local Democrat politicians are already talking about Asian hate crimes: As Investigations determine whether these murders were motivated by Asian hate, we continue to Stand united against all attempts to divide us.

California has the most stringent gun laws in America, yet it did not prevent these two horrific tragedies, as acknowledged by the Los Angeles county sheriff.

So, whats next? Ill tell you whats nextthe repeal of the Second Amendment.

Once again, professor John Lott, founder of the Crime Prevention Research Center, provides his view on the gun control issue.

After the discovery of classified documents, should President Joe Biden still run for re-election in 2024?

According to a new national poll by Rasmussen, one in three (34 percent) Democrat voters believe Biden should be impeached. And other polls suggest that the majority of both Democrats and Republicans believe he should not run in 2024.

In this episode, Larry Elder invites Craig Bannister, blog editor of CNSNews.com, to join him in discussing Bidens political future.

The Larry Elder Show is sponsored by Birch Gold Group. Protect your IRA or 401(k) with precious metals today: http://larryforgold.com/
That release could not be found.
The Bank of Industry has claimed to be willing to invest over N1 billion in renewable energy and carbon-free businesses in the Niger Delta region.

Speaking during an interview at the Bank of Industrys SMEs Conference, South-South edition held in Port Harcourt at the weekend, Executive Director, of Corporate Services, Usen Okon Effiong, said the bank, through a loan facility from French Development Bank, wants to fund businesses, especially in the area of renewable energies.

He said: The South-South is one of the most important zones in Nigeria. The States in the zone have contributed a lot to the national treasury. And we are here to enlighten the populace of this state on the opportunities inherent in the Bank of Industry.

He also, lauded the customers in the region for the timely repayment of their loans, stressing that the objective of the bank is not just profit making but the impact, employment generation, and food, in line with the sustainable development goals, which is first to eradicate poverty and hunger.

Speaking at the conference, the Banks Regional manager, South-South, Pacqueens Irabo further disclosed that the business conference was to further deepen the relationship with the public and private partners in the region.

He said: This is to enable us to further deepen our relationship with development partners because we have come to the conclusion that the problems we face are common and we can not solve them without partnership. The essence of this is for us to forge further relationships and deepen relationships with all our developmental partners in the public and private spaces.
B28mn renovation of historic Chartered Bank managers house nears completion

PHUKET: After nearly two years, the B28-million renovation of the historic Chartered Bank Managers House on Damrong Rd in Phuket Town is nearing completion.

culture

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 25 January 2023, 09:29AM

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew inspected the work underway at the site, in the old government quarter on the north side of Phuket Town, yesterday (Jan 24).

Present during Governor Narongs visit were Suvit Phansaengiam, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Office of the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, along with representatives from private contractors carrying out the work.

The renovations are 85% complete and the renovations are expected to be finished next month, Governor Narong said.

There has been a lot of progress in the renovation of the house structure and the fittings. Now [they are] in the process of adjusting the surrounding landscape to make it beautiful, he said.

This place will be one of Phukets landmarks that can be visited and photographed by tourists, he noted.

However, he added, In terms of whether to take advantage of the site in any respect, it must be considered again by listening to the opinions of the public before proceeding in any direction due to the need for maintenance.

Governor Narong was clear that the historic building will not be made available for rent. But it may be used for weddings and events, he said.

Plans to renovate the century-old mansion known as the Standard Chartered Bank House were first drawn up in 2018.

Under the initial renovation plans, the building was to be used for three specific purposes: 1) To function as a place to welcome important visitors; 2) To become a historical tourism destination; and 3) To provide a place for tourists to enjoy and relax.

Standard Chartered Bank was the first foreign bank permitted to operate in Phuket. The Phuket branch opened in the now historic Sino-Portuguese building on Phuket Rd in the heart of the Phuket Old Town area in the early 1900s. Since 2012 the main building has been home to the Phuket Peranakan Museum (officially called the Chalermraj Center).

A separate house was built on Damrong Rd for the manager, which so far has not been put to any official or community use.
Former immigration chiefs to face bribery charges

BANGKOK: The Royal Thai Police (RTP) will file charges against three former Immigration Bureau (IB) division commanders alleged to have taken bribes in exchange for approving non-immigrant visas for more than 3,000 Chinese nationals.

Chinesecrimecorruptionimmigrationpolice

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 25 January 2023, 10:24AM

Photo: Bangkok Post

Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, the deputy national police chief, said yesterday (Jan 24) that the officers would be charged with violating Sections 149 and 157 of the Criminal Code, which focuses on illicit power abuse.

The accusations surfaced after former politician, Chuvit Kamolvisit, held a press conference in December about three IB commanders in Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai he claimed were accepting bribes of between B100,000 and B300,000 per non-immigrant visa approval, reports the Bangkok Post.

The approvals were issued to 3,325 Chinese nationals between 2020-2022, he said.

He said a Chinese legal firm and a foundation were set up to serve Chinese nationals who travel to Thailand with a tourist visa but go on to get non-immigration visas without meeting the necessary business or volunteer criteria.

He said Chaiyanat Tuhao Kornchayanant, who faces several charges related to narcotics and money laundering, had advertised in China that his company could provide the service. Some of those who received improperly issued non-immigration visas went on to set up grey businesses in Thailand, he added.

Mr Chuvit claimed that two of the men were former classmates of Pol Gen Surachate at the Royal Police Cadet Academy, and he openly questioned whether he would dare to do something about it.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, however, Pol Gen Surachate said the RTP is taking the matter very seriously, and around 80 IB staff have been questioned already.

On Jan 30, RTP investigators will meet to review the case and decide whether to press additional charges against the officers.

He said the investigation is 90% complete, and once the paperwork is finalised, charges will be submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) before being forwarded to prosecutors.

It will also pass on its recommendations to the national police inspector seneral, who may also take action, he said.

Pol Gen Surachate pledged that the investigation would be transparent, although the national police chief, Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, would not personally be involved.
Phuket taxi, van, tuk-tuk, bus drivers complain of unfair competition

PHUKET: An association representing drivers from 30 taxi, van, tuk-tuk and bus operators in Phuket have filed a formal complaint calling for action against operators from outside the province operating on the island  and undercuttting their prices  greatly affecting their income.

tourismtransport

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 25 January 2023, 11:18AM

The complaint was filed at the Phuket Provincial Ombudsmans Office at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Jan 24). Present to receive the complaint in person was Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrambam, along with Adcha Buachan, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Land Transport Office (PLTO).

Present to submit the complaint were Maitree Kwanyuen, President of the Vehicle Operators Association 30 Phuket Province ( 30 ), and Chanawee Ekteawsakul, President of the Bus Operators Association 30 Phuket Province.

Mr Maitree pointed out that the Vehicle Operators Association 30 Phuket Province was an officially registered association (Reg No 2/2563). The association represents drivers of more than 300 buses, vans and tuk-tuks, he said.

The association was formed to develop, promote and assist and the exchange of knowledge among non-regular taxi operators in Phuket to meet safety standards for tourists who come to use them, Mr Maitree noted.

A report by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) defined the term non-regular taxis aspublic transport vehicles that are not registered with yellow licence plates. The oblique definition avoided government officials from recognising that the association represents taxi drivers using vehicles with green licence plates.

Taxis in Thailand must be registered and issued yellow licence plates with black lettering. However, more commonly used as taxis in Phuket are vehicles issued with green licence plates as the vehicles registered use is for business, tourist transport and rental services (including airport and hotel taxis).

After the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, Phukets tourism industry came to a halt. Since then there have been good signs that the industry is recovering, although not as much as before, Mr Maitree said.

Business operators have suffered a lot. Many had to go out of business and many had to go bankrupt due to inability to pay debts to financial institutions, he added.

And now that the situation is beginning to improve, capitalists [sic] from outside the area are gradually bringing their own vehicles [into Phuket] to serve tourists, he said.

The situation has aggravated local business operators who are about to work, and feed themselves, again, he said.

The key grievance is that operators from outside Phuket are providing transport for tourists at prices cheaper than those charged by operators based on Phuket.

The association discussed this and agreed that we are to ask for kindness and mercy from the relevant government agencies in the province, to help find a way to help Phuket business operators or protect their rights as much as they can, as these are people who live in Phuket, so Phuket people can earn an income and feed their families, Mr Maitree said.

Phuket Vice Governor Arnupap said that discussions will be held with the relevant agencies to find solutions to the problem so that all parties can live together and to reduce problems that will occur in the future.

Of note, the report by PR Phuket made no mention of any legal requirements preventing operators from outside Phuket from serving passengers, tourists or otherwise, in Phuket.
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Reporter: Senator Ted Cruz is calling for a search of President Bidens Senate records at the University of Delaware for potentially classified informationDoes President Biden have any objection to such a search?

Karine Jean-Pierre: No comment.

We know the president [hid classified documents in his garage, home and office]. Why did he do it?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: I would refer you to the White House counsels office.

Q: After a special counsel was named, but before the FBI searched, President Biden went to his house in Wilmington. What we he doing in there?

Karine Jean-Pierre: I would refer you to the White House Counsels Office.

Has the president invited the Justice Department to search his Rehoboth Beach house?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: I just dont have anything.

Jan. 20, 2021: Biden is sworn in as president.

Nov. 2, 2022: Bidens personal attorneys come across Obama-Biden administration documents in a locked closet while packing files as they prepare to close out Bidens office in the Penn Biden Center. They notify the National Archives.

Nov. 3, 2022: The National Archives takes possession of the documents.

Nov. 4, 2022: The National Archives informs the Justice Department about the documents.

Nov. 8, 2022: Midterm elections.

November-December 2022: Bidens lawyers search the presidents homes in Wilmington, Delaware, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to see if there are other documents from his vice presidency.

Nov. 9, 2022: The FBI begins an assessment of whether classified information has been mishandled.

Nov. 14, 2022: Garland assigns U.S. attorney John Lausch to look into whether a special counsel should be appointed to investigate the matter.

Dec. 20, 2022: Bidens personal counsel informs Lausch that a second batch of classified documents has been discovered in the garage at Bidens Wilmington home. The FBI goes to Bidens home in Wilmington and secures the documents.

Jan. 5, 2023: Lausch advises Garland he believes that appointing a special counsel is warranted.

Jan. 9, 2023: CBS News, followed by other news organizations, reveals the discovery of the documents at the Penn Biden Center. The White House acknowledges that a small number of Obama-Biden administration records, including some with classified markings, were found at the center. It makes no mention of the documents found in Wilmington.

Jan. 10: 2023: Biden for the first time addresses the document issue. During a press conference in Mexico City, he says he was surprised to learn that there were any documents in the Penn Biden Center and doesnt know whats in them. He does not mention the documents found in Wilmington.

Jan. 11, 2023: Bidens lawyers complete their search of Bidens residences, find one additional classified document in the presidents personal library in Wilmington. NBC News and other news organizations reveal a second batch of documents has been found at a location other than the Penn Biden Center.

Jan. 12: 2023: Bidens lawyer informs Lausch that an additional classified document has been found. Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, reveals publicly for the first time that documents were found in Bidens Wilmington garage and one document was found in an adjacent room. Garland announces that he has appointed Robert Hur, a former U.S. attorney in the Trump administration, to serve as special counsel.

Jan. 14: 2023: The White House reveals that Bidens lawyers found more classified documents at his home than previously known. Sauber said in a statement that a total of six pages of classified documents were found during a search of Bidens private library. Sauber said Bidens personal lawyers, who did not have security clearances, stopped their search after finding the first page on Wednesday evening. Sauber found the remaining material Thursday as he was facilitating their retrieval by the Justice Department.

Jan. 19, 2023: A frustrated Biden said there is no there there when he was persistently questioned about the discovery of the documents. We found a handful of documents were filed in the wrong place, Biden said to reporters who questioned him during a tour of the damage from storms in California. We immediately turned them over to the Archives and the Justice Department. Biden said he was fully cooperating and looking forward to getting this resolved quickly.

I think youre going to find theres nothing there, he said. Theres no there there.

Jan. 21, 2023: Bidens attorneys say the FBI searched Bidens home in Wilmington, Delaware, and located additional documents with classified markings and also took possession of some of his handwritten notes. The search lasted nearly 13 hours. The FBI took six items that contained documents with classified markings, said Bob Bauer, the presidents personal lawyer. The items spanned Bidens time in the Senate and the vice presidency, while the notes dated to his time as vice president, he said.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Several senior Ukrainian officials, including front-line governors, lost their jobs Tuesday in a corruption scandal plaguing President Volodymyr Zelenskyys government as it grapples with the nearly 11-month-old Russian invasion.

Ukraines biggest government shake-up since the war began came as U.S. officials said Washington was poised to approve supplying Kyiv with M1 Abrams tanks, with international reluctance eroding toward sending tanks to the battlefront against the Russians.

Zelenskyy was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft, and the new allegations come as Western allies are channeling billions of dollars to help Kyiv fight against Moscow.

Officials in several countries, including the United States, have demanded more accountability for the aid, given Ukraines rampant corruption. While Zelenskyy and his aides portray the resignations and firings as proof of their efforts to crack down, the wartime scandal could play into Moscows political attacks on the leadership in Kyiv.

On the capitals streets, Serhii Bochkarev, a 28-year-old translator, welcomed the moves.

Corruption during war is totally unacceptable because people are giving their lives to fight Russians and to defend the motherland, he said.

The shake-up even touched Zelenskyys office. Its deputy head, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, prominent for his frequent battlefield updates, quit as the president pledged to address allegations of graft  including some related to military spending  that embarrassed authorities and could slow Ukraines efforts to join the European Union and NATO.

Tymoshenko asked to be relieved of his duties, according to an online decree signed by Zelenskyy and Tymoshenkos own social media posts. Neither cited a reason for the resignation.

Deputy Defense Minister Viacheslav Shapovalov also resigned, local media reported, alleging his departure was linked to a scandal involving the purchase of food for Ukraines armed forces. Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko also quit.

In all, four deputy ministers and five governors of front-line provinces were set to leave their posts, the countrys cabinet secretary said on the Telegram messaging app.

Authorities did not announce any criminal charges. There was no immediate explanation.

The departures thinned government ranks already diminished by the deaths of the interior minister, who oversaw Ukraines police and emergency services, and others in the ministrys leadership in a helicopter crash last week.

Tymoshenko joined the presidential office in 2019 after working on Zelenskyys media strategy during his presidential campaign. He was under investigation in connection with his personal use of luxury cars and was among officials a National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine investigator linked in September to the embezzlement of humanitarian aid worth more than $7 million earmarked for the southern Zaporizhzhia region. He has denied the allegations.

On Sunday, a deputy minister at the infrastructure ministry, Vasyl Lozynsky, was fired for alleged participation in a network embezzling budget funds. Ukraines anti-corruption agency detained him while he was receiving a $400,000 bribe for helping to fix contracts for restoring facilities battered by Russian missile strikes, according to Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. He was put under house arrest, told to surrender his passport and ordered to wear a monitoring device, in addition to not communicating with other witnesses in his case..

In an address Sunday, Zelenskyy said Ukraines focus on the Russian invasion would not stop his government from tackling corruption, pledging: There will be no return to what used to be in the past.

Analysts say his message was that corruption wont be tolerated.

Its very hard to save the country when theres a lot of corruption, Andrii Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, a nonprofit organization that fights corruption, told The Associated Press.

Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told AP the shake-up was intended to remind officials of the entire (power) vertical that the authorities plan to continue to fight corruption in Ukraine, especially during the war, when literally everything in the country is in short supply.

Fesenko, head of the Kyiv-based Penta Center independent think tank, said Ukrainian authorities and Western officials couldnt simply turn a blind eye on latest scandals. He said the corruption involved supplies for the army so the shake-up was intended to calm Western partners and show Brussels and Washington that their aid is being used effectively.

Transparency International, in its 2021 report on worldwide corruption, ranked Ukraine 122 out of 180 countries, with 180 representing the most corrupt. Russia ranked 136.

Entrenched corruption long has made foreign investors and governments wary of doing business with Ukraine. Allegations by Ukraines journalists and nonprofits about corruption at high levels of government, in courts and in business have lingered under Zelenskyy, despite a proliferation of anti-corruption panels and measures, according to a U.S. State Department 2020 country report.

A major corruption scandal could endanger the tens of billions of dollars the U.S. and its allies are pouring into Ukraine to keep Ukraines fighters armed, civil servants paid and the lights on. It could risk sinking what has been bipartisan popular and political support for Ukraine from the United States.

We welcome the quick action that President Zelenskyy is taking in this case, as well as the effective action of Ukraines anti-corruption institutions, civil society, and media, to ensure effective monitoring and accountability of public procurement and to hold those in positions of public trust to account, the White House National Security Council said in a statement.

Last June, the EU agreed to put Ukraine on a path toward membership in the bloc. To join, countries must meet economic and political conditions, including a commitment to the rule of law and other democratic principles.

Ukraine has applied to join NATO, too, but the military alliance is not about to offer an invitation, because of the countrys contested borders, defense establishment shortcomings and, in part, its corruption issues.

Meanwhile, in what would be a reversal, U.S. officials said the Biden administration is set to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in a decision that could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months or years for the tanks to be delivered.

The U.S. announcement is expected in coordination with Germany stating that it will approve Polands request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, according to one official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been made public.

German officials declined to comment on the reports of a deal. The news weekly Der Spiegel reported Tuesday, without citing a source, that Germany will provide Ukraine with at least one company of Leopard 2 tanks from its own armys stock.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to deliver an address to parliament Wednesday and field questions from lawmakers, many of whom have been pressing the government to join allies in providing the tanks to Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Tuesday the Poles  and other Western allies he didnt identify  are already training Ukrainian soldiers in Poland on the Leopards.

Also on Tuesday, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto suggested his country may consider joining NATO without neighboring Sweden if Turkey blocks their joint bid to enter the military alliance. Although he later backpedaled, his comments were the first time a leading government official in either Nordic country appeared to raise doubts about becoming NATO members together while the alliance is seeking to present a united front to counter Russias invasion.

Sweden and Finland rushed to apply for NATO membership following Moscows invasion, abandoning long-standing nonalignment policy. Their accession needs the approval of all existing NATO members, including Turkey, which has so far blocked the expansion, saying Sweden in particular needs to crack down on exiled Kurdish militants and their sympathizers.

(AP)




The Kaliver Rebbe of Williamsburg, HaRav Moshe Taub, is in need of Tefillos after being rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan for a serious infection.

The 84-year-old Rebbe, who suffers from ALS, has not been feeling well for several days and he was placed in the ICU on Tuesday after doctors determined that a dangerous infection had spread across much of his body.

The Rebbe communicates via a special computer program named EZgaze.

Before his diagnosis with ALS, the Rebbe spent many decades travelling the globe, visiting college campuses, and non-religious schools to speak to jewish students and children. The rebbe made it his his lifes work to travel around the world to reach out to Jews wherever he can with love and the message of Love for Hashem and observing his Torah.

The rebbe never took money from anyone offering it.

The present Rebbe is the sixth Rebbe in the direct succession of Kaliver Rebbes. He immigrated to the United States as a child shortly after WWII.

His late father Rav Menachem Shlomo a Holocaust survivor, rebuilt the Chassidus in New York, which had been decimated by the Nazis.

Upon his fathers Petira in 1978, the present Rebbe assumed the position of Kaliver Rebbe.

His name for Tehillim is Moshe ben Raizel.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Conservative media personality and The Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro addressed the furor over the planned judicial reforms by the new government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

Shapiro blasted the hypocrisy of left-wing Americans bashing the judicial reforms when in fact, the reforms would make the Israeli system, what he dubbed a self-selected dictatorship, more similar to that of the US, where Supreme Court judges are selected by the President.

Shapiro made many of the same points noted in recent articles in the Wall Street Journal and Newsweek  the Supreme Courts unchecked power over the publics elected representatives and its declaration of Israels Basic Laws as a constitution  enabling the Court unprecedented power to strike down laws in every realm it chooses.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Hezbollah operatives have been terrorizing residents of the Israeli border town of Metulla by blinding them with powerful lasers, Kan News reported on Monday evening.

The terrorists shine a blinding powerful light at Israelis walking on the street, inside homes, and most dangerously, inside Israeli cars. Additionally, according to the report, the type of laser the terrorists are using can irreparably damage peoples eyes and even cause permanent blindness, chas vchalilah.

The IDF has yet to discover a solution to the problem. They initially attempted to deter the terrorists by aiming a large floodlight at the hill where the terrorists gather but the effort was unsuccessful.

The IDFs Northern Command has appealed to the UNIFIL forces stationed at the border, whose official duties include aiding the Lebanese government to maintain control over the Israeli/Lebanese border rather than leaving it to the whims of the Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah terror group.

The UNIFIL forces promised to intervene but so far there has been no change in the situation.

The report follows reports on Monday that Hezbollah terrorists have built 20 new tall observation posts along the border in the past year, with the pace of construction rapidly increasing in the past month as the IDF began building a new defense wall along the border. According to a Ynet report, the posts, built only meters away from the defense wall, are manned 24 hours a day by Hezbollah terrorists in civilian clothing.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent a letter Tuesday to congressional leaders saying shes suspending the reinvestment of some federal bonds in a government workers savings plan  an additional extraordinary measure to buy time for President Joe Biden and Congress to raise the nations debt limit.

The government bumped up against its legal borrowing capacity last Thursday, prompting Treasury to take accounting steps regarding federal employees retirement and health care plans that will enable the government to stay open until roughly June.

Yellen said in the letter that as of Monday she also determined that the government will be unable to invest fully in the government securities portion of the thrift savings fund in the federal employees retirement system.

She noted that her predecessors have taken a similar action in the past, noting that by law the accounts will be made whole once the debt limit is increased or suspended.

But its an open question to how the White House and Congress find common ground on the artificial cap imposed by Congress.

Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have sharp differences over how to raise the debt ceiling, setting off the possibility of the extraordinary measures being exhausted this summer and risking a government default that could wreak economic havoc.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has said the U.S. will not default, but its unclear how Biden can reconcile his insistence on a clean increase with McCarthys demand for spending cuts.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Mondays news briefing that Biden is happy to talk to anyone who wants to deal with deficit reduction in a responsible way.

But Jean-Pierre said that deficit reduction should not be tied to whether the U.S. government pays its bills that are already being incurred.

It must be done without conditions, Jean-Pierre said, adding, President Biden will never  will never allow Republicans to cut benefits that our hardworking Americans have earned. This is what they have earned.

McCarthy has yet to outline the scope or the specifics of the cuts that House Republicans would like to see, although any final plan would need to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate and receive Bidens signature.

Families and businesses have to live within a budget  Washington must as well, McCarthy tweeted on Sunday.

(AP)




The United States on Tuesday slapped sanctions on a high-profile Lebanese economist alleged to be assisting the militant group Hezbollah with its financial operations.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against economist and money exchanger Hassan Moukalled; CTEX Exchange, a money service business owned by him; and Moukalleds sons, Rayyan Moukalled and Rani Moukalled, who the Treasury said in a statement facilitate Hassan Moukalled and his companys financial activities in support of Hizballah.

It said that Moukalled, who frequently appears as an economic analyst on local media, had worked in close coordination with senior Hizballah financial officials to help Hizballah establish a presence in Lebanons financial system. It said he serves as a financial adviser to the militant group, carrying out business deals on behalf of the group throughout the region.

The Treasury also alleged that Moukalleds exchange shop serves as a financial front company for Hezbollah.

The sanctions also targeted two other companies owned or controlled by Moukalled, the Lebanese Company for Information and Studies (LCIS) and Lebanese Company for Publishing, Media, and Research and Studies (LCPMR).

Reached by phone, Moukalled denied the allegations and said his businesses are 100% above-board.

The move comes after the U.S. in December slapped terrorism sanctions on two accountants and two companies in Lebanon for providing Hezbollah with financial services.

The penalties targeted Adel Mohamad Mansour, executive director of Hezbollahs al-Qard Al-Hassan group, which has been previously sanctioned by the U.S., as well as another company he is involved with, al-Khobara for Accounting, Auditing, and Studies.

The sanctions also apply to the firm Auditors for Accounting and Auditing and one of its representatives, Naser Hasan Neser, as well as Hassan Khalil, who the Treasury Department said has been active in helping Hezbollah acquire arms.

(AP)




A visit to U.S. Military Academy at West Point for the swearing-in ceremony of Rep. Pat Ryan (NY-18) turned into something much greater when Rockland County Legislator Aron Wieder, Mayer Tauber and Jacob Eisdorfer had a chance encounter with a Jewish soldier at the famed military school.

While at the ceremony, the Orthodox Jewish participants met with West Point 61st Superintendent Lt. Gen. General Steven Gilland, a three-star general, who invited them to explore the military schools grounds.

While at the ceremony, the Orthodox Jewish participants met with West Point Commanding Officer General Steven Gilland, a three-star general, who invited them to explore the military schools grounds.

Essentially its own town with its own government, exploring West Point was an enticing prospect for the Jewish participants, who would otherwise have no opportunity to freely roam West Points grounds.

Having previously been made aware of a shul in West Point, Mr. Wieder led the group to the building in which is the shul, but all the doors were locked. Still, the Rockland legislator wouldnt give up.

I literally felt like someone or something was pushing me to get into the building, Wieder told YWN. I cant put the feeling into words, but it was there.

Refusing to accept defeat, Wieder and his crew went to the rear of the building, where they found a door that was open and led into a lunchroom. They began exploring the building a bit, searching for someone. Who? They didnt quite know.

After trying various doors and rooms, the group of Orthodox Jews suddenly heard a voice emanating from a small library room. Going inside, they found a soldier who was engaged in a conversation on Zoom. Despite being on a call, the soldier warmly welcomed them and offered to have a conversation once he finished his call.

When he got off the call, he introduced himself to Wieder, Tauber, and Eisdorfer, telling them that he was from California and was raised as a Conservative Jew. Though he wasnt religious, he had fostered an affinity and connection with his Jewish heritage after going on a Birthright trip to Israel.

I dont know what compelled me to ask if he puts on tefillin, but I did, Wieder relates.

The soldier said that he had put on tefillin before, but currently doesnt, though the concept strongly interested him.

Immediately, the Jews offered to put tefillin on him right then and there, to which he happily obliged. After saying Shema and VAhavta together, the soldier asked to record a video of the instructions to put on tefillin so he could use it in the future if he came across another pair.

Another pair? We can have one for you tomorrow, Wieder told him.

The soldier, ecstatic over the news, shook hands with his sudden new friends and agreed to accept the tefillin and wear them if they were able to get it to him. After exchanging numbers, they said their goodbyes.

The group of Orthodox Jews then visited the West Point cemetery, where they said a kapitel of Tehillim at several Jewish kevarim, including that of Mickey Marcus, a legend in both American and Israeli military history, and who the Jewish soldier showed them a profile of hanging on the wall in the shul building.

Upon returning to Monsey, Wieder obtained a pair of tefillin from the Chabad of Rockland and picked up various useful items from a local Judaica store, including a tefillin mirror, tefillin bag, and other items. He then texted the soldier saying his tefillin was ready whenever he was.

On Monday, Wieder and the Jewish soldier met at the West Point entrance checkpoint, where the exuberant soldier joyously accepted his new pair of tefillin.

While Wieder and Tauber were driving back to Monsey, they received a video call from the soldier already asking for assistance with getting his tefillin on properly.

It was such an incredible experience, Wieder told YWN. How a visit to West Point for a swearing-in turned into something so beautiful is something I will marvel at for the rest of my life.

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(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Nick Fuentes, the twisted neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier who along with antisemite Kanye West dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November, was reinstated on Tuesday by Elon Musk on Twitter. But Twitter suspended his account less than 24 hours after his reinstatement on the platform.

In one of his first tweets back, Fuentes posted a short video advertising the 2024 presidential campaign of Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. The video included an apparent reference to a previous antisemitic tweet from Ye, in which he threatened to go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.

Fuentes was banned from the platform in late 2021 for violating rules against hate speech and a new account of his was banned shortly after Musk took control of Twitter.

Weeks later, Fuentes and Kanye West went on Alex Jones radio program where West declared, I love Hitler, which made even the questionable Jones uncomfortable. Fuentes himself has praised Hitler many times and has also denied the Holocaust.

Fuentes is the leader of the so-called Groyper Army and holds an annual white nationalist conference, which in the past has featured speakers like Rep. Paul Gosar and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Under Musk, Twitter has reinstated controversial figures, including antisemites Kanye West, Andrew Anglin, Baked Alaska, and others.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




President Joe Biden hosted the Democratic congressional leaders Tuesday at the White House as they face a new era of divided government in Washington, staring down a debt ceiling crisis and running up against a new House Republican majority eager for confrontation.

The president and the top Democrats used the private gathering in the Roosevelt Room to project a unified front against what Biden called extreme Republican economic plans. Rather than enter into negotiations with House Republicans to cut spending in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, the White House has stressed repeatedly that it wants Congress to lift the borrowing capacity without conditions. Democrats said its up to Republicans to go public about what budget cuts the new House majority wants to make.

Apparently theyre genuinely serious about cutting Social Security, cutting Medicare, Biden said about the GOP proposals as he sat down with the Democratic leaders from the House and the Senate.

As the meeting began, Biden said Democrats were eager to talk about the GOP extremes. He scoffed at the Republicans proposed 30% sales tax.

Look, I have no intention of letting the Republicans wreck our economy, Biden added.

The coming showdown has a familiar precedent  a little more than a decade ago, a new generation of tea party House Republicans swept to power, eager to confront the Obama administration to slash federal spending and curb the nations ballooning debt load. As vice president at the time, Biden was central to those negotiations, but the House Republicans and the White House could never strike a deal, causing a fiscal crisis. This go around, Biden and his Democratic allies in Congress are in no mood to broker deals with a new era of hardline Republicans led by the Freedom Caucus.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is eager to push Biden to the negotiating table, hoping to make good on the promises the GOP leader made to holdouts during his campaign to become House speaker to pare federal spending back to fiscal 2022 levels, which would be a sizable 8% budget cut.

The White House has not yet invited McCarthy for a meeting, but says it plans to do so soon.

Its very disappointing, McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol. Heres the leader of the free world pounding on a table, being irresponsible, saying No, no, no, just raise the limit?

The speaker said hes not saying never to raising the nations debt capacity, but we have to be sensible and we have to be responsible about the budget.

McCarthy said he wants Biden to look him in the eye and tell me theres not one dollar of wasteful spending in government.

In the Senate, Republicans appear more than willing to stand aside, for now, letting McCarthy and the House GOP take the lead in talks with Biden  and wary of embracing the kind of cuts to federal spending the House GOP wants but that have little chance of becoming law.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday, I think it is entirely reasonable for the new speaker and his team to put spending reduction on the table.

McConnell said of McCarthys yet-unscheduled-session with Biden: I wish him well and in talking to the president. Thats where a solution lies.

The afternoon meeting between Biden and the Democratic leaders came as the White House was throwing open its doors for a new lawmaker reception later Tuesday evening, though some House Republicans said they would not attend because of the administrations coronavirus protocols, such as showing proof of vaccination and getting tested in advance.

Freshman Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y. tweeted, I am forgoing a historic trip to the White House to raise awareness of this punitive policy in hopes that President Biden will reverse it for all federal offices.

On the debt, the Treasury Department notified Congress last week that the nation has reached its borrowing capacity, $31 trillion, and will need to increase the limit to be able to continue paying off its already accrued bills. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has launched extraordinary measures which are routinely used at times like this, but those will run out in June.

After the White House meeting, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the new House minority leader, said: We have a responsibility to pay the debts that the Congress has already incurred. That is what the debt ceiling is all about.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters the meeting with Biden underscored the contrast between the Democrats and the Republicans as he challenged GOP lawmakers to put their budget-cutting plans on the table. Republicans are in chaos, Schumer said.

Debt has been climbing for years, the last time the federal budget didnt carry red-ink deficits was during the Clinton years. Instead, the George W. Bush administration saw the debt skyrocket thanks to tax cuts and the wars overseas. Debt grew again in the Barack Obama era especially in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

The 2011 negotiations centered around a $1-for-$1 tradeoff of spending cuts for new debt, but the sides could never agree to the size and scope of reductions in federal health care, military, infrastructure and other accounts. So far, the Biden administration has refused to engage with House Republicans.

Weve seen this movie before, said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a member of Republican leadership.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the chairman of the Finance Committee, said his party learned its lessons when negotiating with Republicans on the debt ceiling in 2011.

We know what happened. It almost threw the economy into the ditch, Wyden said. Thats the lesson.

One idea being discussed has been for Congress to establish some sort of debt panel, much like the failed Super Committee that tried in the aftermath of the 2011 talks to come up with agreed upon ways to cut federal spending.

The bottom line is, can we find a pathway forward before all the theatrics start? said Sen. Joe Manchin, the conservative West Virginia Democrat who is known for straddling the party lines. We know were going to pass it. Its just a matter of how much pain you want to put people through.

(AP)




Classified documents keep showing up where they shouldnt be.

The discovery of documents with classified markings at former Vice President Mike Pences home in Indiana follows the revelation of classified materials at President Joe Bidens Delaware home and former office  and the seizure last year of hundreds of documents marked classified from Mar-a-Lago, the Florida residence of former President Donald Trump.

A look at similarities and differences among the various situations:

HOW MANY CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

PENCE: A small number of documents bearing classified markings were discovered last week at Pences home north of Indianapolis, Pences lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a Jan. 18 letter to the National Archives and Records Administration shared with The Associated Press.

In all, four boxes containing copies of administration papers  two in which a small number of papers bearing classified markings were found, and two containing courtesy copies of vice presidential papers  were discovered, according to Jacob. The discovery came almost two years after Pence left office.

BIDEN: Its unclear precisely how many classified papers have been recovered from Bidens home and former office. Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, said earlier this month that a small number of documents with classified markings were discovered on Nov. 2, 2022, in a locked closet at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, a think tank in Washington, as Bidens personal attorneys were clearing out the offices.

Sauber said Jan. 12 that a second batch of documents with classified markings  a small number, he said  had been found in a storage space in Bidens garage near Wilmington, Delaware, along with one document located in Bidens personal library in his home. Days later, Sauber clarified that six pages, not a single one, had been found in the library.

During a nearly 13-hour search on Jan. 20, FBI agents searching Bidens Delaware home located six additional items that contained documents with classified markings and also took possession of some of his handwritten notes, the presidents lawyer, Bob Bauer, said Saturday.

TRUMP: Roughly 300 documents with classification markings  including some at the top secret level  have been recovered from Trump since he left office in January 2021.

In January 2022, the National Archives retrieved 15 boxes of documents, telling Justice Department officials they contained a lot of classified material. In August, FBI agents took more than 33 boxes and containers totaling 11,000 documents from Mar-a-Lago, including roughly 100 with classification markings found in a storage room and an office.

HOW QUICKLY WERE THE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS TURNED OVER?

PENCE: Jacob said the records were discovered on Jan. 16, secured in a locked safe and retrieved by FBI agents on Jan. 19. The four boxes of papers were delivered to the Archives on Jan. 23.

BIDEN: After the materials were discovered at the think tank on Nov. 2, Bidens personal attorneys immediately alerted the White House counsels office, which notified the National Archives, Sauber said. The Archives took custody of the documents the next day.

Bidens personal lawyers then began examining other locations where records might have been shipped after Biden left the vice presidency in 2017. They found documents on Dec. 20 in his Wilmington garage and on Jan. 11 and 12 in his home library.

Sauber said that the Justice Department was immediately notified and took custody of the records.

On Jan. 20, Biden voluntarily allowed the FBI to search his Wilmington home, where additional documents were located.

TRUMP: A Trump representative told the National Archives December 2021 that presidential records had been found at Mar-a-Lago, nearly a year after Trump left office. Fifteen boxes of records containing some classified material were transferred to the Archives in January.

A few months later, investigators from the Justice Department and FBI visited Mar-a-Lago to get more information about classified materials taken to Florida. Federal officials served a subpoena for some documents believed to be at the estate.

In August 2022, FBI agents conducting a search retrieved 33 boxes from Mar-a-Lago while executing a warrant that showed they were investigating possible crimes including the willful retention of national defense information and efforts to obstruct the federal probe.

The search came after lawyers for Trump provided a sworn certification that all government records had been returned.

WHAT ABOUT POSSIBLE CHARGES?

PENCE AND BIDEN: There is no indication either was aware of the existence of the records before they were found and turned over.

It appears both sides turned over the records quickly, without intent to conceal. Thats important because the Justice Department historically looks for willfulness, or an intent to mishandle government secrets, in deciding whether to bring criminal charges.

In Bidens case, even if the Justice Department were to find the case prosecutable on the evidence, its Office of Legal Counsel has concluded that a president is immune from prosecution during his time in office. Former special counsel Robert Mueller cited that guidance in deciding not to reach a conclusion on whether Trump should face charges as part of his investigation into coordination between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.

On Jan. 12, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate the discovery of documents in Bidens possession. Robert Hur, the former Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Maryland, will lead the investigation.

TRUMP: The former president possibly faces exposure for obstruction over the protracted battle to retrieve the documents. And, since hes no longer in office, he wouldnt be afforded protections from possible prosecution.

In November, Garland appointed Jack Smith, a veteran war crimes prosecutor with a background in public corruption probes, to lead investigations into Trumps retention of classified documents, as well as key aspects of a separate probe involving the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and efforts to undo the 2020 election.

WHAT HAVE THE THREE MEN HAD TO SAY?

PENCE: In August, Pence told The Associated Press that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office, answering, No, not to my knowledge when asked directly if he had retained any such information.

As vice president, Pence would have had the power to declassify some documents, though he hasnt said that he did.

BIDEN: Biden said earlier this month that he was surprised to learn that documents had been found at his think tank. He said he didnt know what was in the material but took classified documents very seriously.

His team did what they should have done, Biden said. They immediately called the Archives.

Biden told reporters at the White House Jan. 12 that he was cooperating fully and completely with a Justice Department investigation into how classified information and government records were stored.

TRUMP: Trump, who had the ability when he was president to declassify documents, has contended at times that he did so regarding the documents that he took with him  though he has provided no evidence of that. He said in a Fox News interview in September that a president can declassify material even by thinking about it.

The former president has called the Mar-a-Lago search an unannounced raid that was not necessary or appropriate and represented dark times for our nation.

WHAT ARE THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS?

PENCE: As he lays the groundwork for a possible 2024 White House bid, the document discovery thrusts Pence into the debate over the handling of secret materials by officials who have served in the highest ranks of government. He had previously insisted that he followed stringent protocols regarding classified documents.

BIDEN: His document disclosure could intensify criticism by Republicans and others who say that if Trump is guilty of anything, so is he.

There are also possible ramifications in a new, GOP-controlled Congress where Republicans are promising to launch widespread investigations of Bidens administration.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, has said, I think Congress has to investigate this. The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Ohio Rep. Mike Turner, has requested that intelligence agencies conduct a damage assessment of potentially classified documents.

TRUMP: The documents probe is one of many that complicate the former presidents bid for the White House in 2024, particularly after it became clear that the DOJ had launched a criminal investigation into the retention of top secret government information.

Trump and his supporters have described the Mar-a-Lago search as a partisan attack from Democrats.

During his 2024 campaign launch in November, at the same club agents had searched months earlier, Trump cast himself as a victim of wayward prosecutors and festering, rot and corruption of Washington.

(AP)




Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny placed a replica of the tiny punishment cell he has repeatedly been held in outside Russias embassy in Berlin on Tuesday, in an effort to raise awareness of his fate.

About 100 people  including Navalnys brother Oleg  attended the demonstration on the German capitals famous Unter den Linden boulevard, some holding placards calling for the release of all political prisoners in Russia, others for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be tried for war crimes in Ukraine.

There is a connection between what happens to Alexei Navalny and the war in Ukraine, said organizer Leonid Volkov, who chairs the anti-corruption organization Navalny founded more than a decade ago.

Volkov said the poisoning of Navalny in 2020 and his subsequent jailing upon returning from Germany  he is now serving a nine-year sentence for fraud  were part of a Kremlin crackdown on Russias opposition before launching the attack on Ukraine.

He said Navalny had repeatedly spoken out against the war during court appearances. Every time he does, he is punished, he added.

Volkov said Russian authorities remain sensitive to outside pressure, such as when hundreds of doctors petitioned for Navalny to be given medical treatment recently.

There are maybe signs that they are actually listening in the Kremlin, he said. Not because they are good people  theyre not  not because they are humanistic, but because they are vulnerable.

Volkov suggested that Putin might seek to use Navalny in possible future peace talks.

He knows that at some point in time he will be forced into negotiations and then, okay, many options will be on the table, he said.

(AP)




Speaker Kevin McCarthy reiterated Tuesday that he will block Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell of California from serving on the House committee that oversees national intelligence, saying the decision was not based on political payback but because integrity matters, and they have failed in that place.

In the previous Congress, Democrats booted Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from their committee assignments for incendiary commentary that they said incited potential violence against colleagues.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in a letter sent to McCarthy over the weekend, asked that Schiff and Swalwell be reappointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a prestigious panel with access to sensitive, classified information. There is no precedent or justification for rejecting them, Jeffries said.

Unlike most committees, appointments to the Intelligence panel are the prerogative of the speaker, with input from the minority leader.

McCarthy insisted that this is not similar to what the Democrats did. Those members will have other committees, but the Intel Committee is different. The Intel committees responsibility is the national security to America.

Hakeem Jeffries has 200 other people who can serve on that committee, he added.

He sent his formal response to Jeffries in a letter he posted Tuesday night on Twitter.

McCarthy was critical of Schiffs actions as chairman of the panel during the first impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump, asserting he used his position to lie to the American public again and again. He also asserted Swalwell couldnt get a security clearance in the private sector, so were not going to provide him with the secrets to America.

McCarthy tried to have Swalwell removed from the Intelligence panel in March 2021 based on his contact with a suspected Chinese spy. His resolution against Swalwell, which was voted down in the Democratic-led House, cited information that the suspected spy, Christine Fang, came into contact with Swalwells campaign as he was first running for Congress in 2012 and participated in fundraising for his 2014 campaign.

Federal investigators alerted Swalwell to their concerns and briefed Congress about Fang in 2015, at which point Swalwell says he cut off contact with her.

Schiff told colleagues in 2021 that Republican leaders in 2015, including then-House Speaker John Boehner and the then-chairman of the intelligence panel, Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, were briefed on the situation with Swalwell and expressed no opposition to his continued service on the Intelligence committee.

McCarthy insisted he was putting national security over partisan politics.

Were going to make the Intel Committee back to what it was supposed to be. No longer will we miss what happened in Afghanistan. No longer will we miss whats happening in China, Russia, Iran and others. Thats what this country believes should happen, McCarthy said.

McCarthy has also vowed to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the Foreign Affairs Committee. In a joint statement the three Democrats being targeted for removal from committees said its disappointing but not surprising that Kevin McCarthy has capitulated to the right wing of his caucus, undermining the integrity of the Congress, and harming our national security in the process.

They called their removal part of a bargain McCarthy made with GOP hardliners to become speaker that required political vengeance against the three of us.

(AP)




By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com

Our question, of course, is what is the halacha? Do we make a bracha on it or not? But first, lets discuss the topic. According to Newsweek, as reported this morning, Italian photographer, Rebecca Paviola has just captured footage of an extremely rare atmospheric phenomenon called Mother-of-Pearl Clouds, or simply rainbow clouds.

I was near Lake Inari and I had just woken up, Paviola told Newsweek. I opened the door of the room and saw this show in the sky. It looked like a painting!

These polar stratospheric clouds are rare because they can only form under extremely cold temperaturesbelow minus 108 degrees Fahrenheit. They form in the stratosphere, between 49,000 and 82,000 feet above earth where there is little moisture, and so there are very few clouds.

The colors of the rainbow appear because trace amounts of water in the stratosphere come together and form tiny ice crystals. These ice crystals drift into wispy clouds. The diffraction and interference of light by these ice crystals is what produces the rainbow colors.

From purely a scientific perspective, a rainbow is merely a meteorological phenomenon. It is an arc of light separated into the bands of the color spectrum which is caused by the reflection, refraction and dispersion of that light in water droplets.

Torah observant Jews, however, ascribe great cosmological significance to the rainbow. Indeed, the Torah (Bereishis 912-16) devotes four psukim in Bereishis to the rainbow. These psukim explain that that the rainbow is a promise between Hashem and mankind never again to destroy the world through a flood.

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It is clearly, a very important promise. This can be seen from the following two facts: The Mishna (Avos 5:6) lists the rainbow among the ten items that Hashem had created at the end of Maaseh Bereishis  during Bain HaShmashos. The Gemorah (Brachos 59a) further tells us that we recite a bracha whenever we see this sign of that promise.

So do rainbow clouds also merit a bracha as well?

TRIPLE PHRASING

The bracha is, Blessed are You, Hashem, King of the universe, who remembers the covenant, and is faithful to His covenant, and keeps to His promise. It is codified in the Shulchan Aruch (Orech Chaim 229:1). The triple phrasing in how the bracha is structured is unique among the brachos as well  we do not find such a three-fold blessing among the other brachos that we recite.

Why the triple phrasing? Perhaps the answer lies in the words of Rashi on the psukim in Bereishis (9:14). He explains that the rainbow recalls the Divine anger and Hashems desire to destroy the world based upon our actions. The triple phrasing could be a supplication to Hashem  Please Hashem, remember Your promise not to destroy us  recited three times to underscore the direness of the situation.

Perhaps our question may be resolved by examining Teshuvos about other types of rainbows and also analyzing related issues.

DOES ONE NEED TO SEE THE ENTIRE RAINBOW?

The language of the Shulchan Aruch is that one who sees a keshes should recite the blessing. The Chofetz Chaim in his Biur Halacha (haroeh) remains unresolved as to whether or not one must see the entire bow of rainbow in order to recite the bracha, or whether simply seeing some of it is enough. The Sefer HaBris (54a) posed the same question. There are Achronim that permit it, and on their account Rav Ovadiah Yoseph ztl (Chazon Ovadiah Hilchos Brachos page 473) ruled that if one does make a bracha on it even seeing only a portion of the arc of the rainbow he has whom to rely upon.

On the other hand, Rav Moshe Shternbuch Shlita (Teshuvos Vhanhagos Vol. III 76:6) rules that since we are uncertain as to the halacha the principle of safaik brachos lhakel is invoked and we do not recite the blessing.

Perhaps the debate or question has a philosophical basis to it. The Ramban explains that the rainbow is shaped like an archers bow that is directed to the Heavens  away from earth to indicate that Hashem is NOT firing arrows at us. The Ramban explains that nations previously at war that call for overtures of peace point their bows away from their former enemies.

NIGHT RAINBOWS

Although they are rare, a moonbow is a rainbow produced by light reflected off the surface of the moon as opposed to the sun. It refracts off of moisture-laden clouds in the atmosphere. Moonbows are very faint, compared to regular rainbows, due to the smaller amount of light reflected from the surface of the moon. They are always in the opposite part of the sky from the moon. They are pretty much only visible near or on full moons.

The Shla (Parshas Noach page 30) writes, citing the Ramah, that rainbows do not exist at night. This is also expressed by Tosfos (RH 24a) and the Rokeach (end of Parshas Shlach). There seem to be two ways to understand this. It could be a] that they are of the position that a moonbow does not have the halachic status of a rainbow or it could be b] that the moonbow was not seen in the geographic position of where these Meforshim lived. The difference would be as to whether to recite a blessing on a genuine moonbow that one sees.

The Maharsham (in his responsum Vol. II #124) rules that a blessing is cited on a moonbow, and in fact the Belzer Rebbe, Rav Yehoshua Rokeach (1855-1894) did recite it.

It would seem from here that both the Maharsham and the Belzer Rebbe would advocate reciting a bracha on rainbow clouds as well.

BRINGING MOSHIACH IMMEDIATELY

As an aside, the Tikunei Zohar (Tikun 18 page 36b) states that there are klipot that surround the rainbow of a tempestuous wind and a large cloud. These cause the true deeper colors of the rainbow to be obscured, and if these were actually seen  then Moshiach would arrive immediately. Would this apply to rainbow clouds as well? It seems that the aforementioned machlokes would apply here too.

IS THERE A VOV IN THE BRACHA?

There is also great debate as to the actual wording of the bracha. Is there a vov before the word neeman? We rule that there is, but the BaHaG, the Vilna Gaon, and others have a different girsah. There are differing versions in the text of the Rambam, although the majority have it with a vov.

The Ben Ish Chai (Parshas Aikev #17) cites the Yaaros Dvash that there are two types of rainbows one that is created next to mist filled clouds and sunlight and another which is bluish in hue (Tchailes) and it is only that bluish one which recalls destruction (kilyon  related to tchailes). The Ben Ish Chai recommends that according to this view when one sees a regular rainbow one should recite the blessing without shaim uMalchus.

LOOKING AT A RAINBOW

This topic is one of the most controversial aspects of rainbows in halacha. To what extent are we permitted to look at a rainbow, or a rainbow cloud?

The Gemorah (Chagigah 16a) tells us that one who is mistakel [gazes] at a rainbow, it is worthy that he had not come into the world, for he cares not about the honor of his Creator, and that his eyes will become dimmed.

Rav Dovid Avudraham was asked the question as to how one can recite a blessing on a rainbow when we should not look at it. He responds, quoting the Rosh, that it is permitted to look at it, but not gaze at it in depth  that is for a prolonged period of time. The Orchos Chaim (Brachos 56) cites the same Rosh, and this seems to be the basis for the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch not to gaze at it for a long period of time.

Whats the reason for not looking at it at length? The Tosfos Rid explains that the prohibition is symbolic. Just as it is well nigh impossible to differentiate where each of the colors begin and end in a rainbow, we are enjoined to not contemplate the nature of Hashem and the prohibition of looking deeply at the rainbow reminds us of this.

The Zohar (Parshas Shlach 66b) states that one who looks at a rainbow is likened to one who looks at the Shechina.

DONT TELL A FRIEND SEFARDIM vs. ASHKENAZIM

The Mishna Brurah (229:1) cites the Chayei Odom (Klal 63:4) that it is not worthwhile to tell a friend about a rainbow because it is considered like Motzi Dibah  saying something negative or bad. This is based on the Gemorah in Psachim (3b) and cited in Shulchan Aruch (YD 402:12) that one should avoid being the harbinger of bad news. [Indeed, Rabbi Chaim Polskin zl and my father-in-law Rabbi Yaakov Hirsch zl  would inform each other of levayos that the other had to attend, without telling who it was that had passed away, based upon this halacha.] Rav Yosef Chaim Sonenfeld ztl (Salmas Chaim 142) and the Kaf haChaim express the same view. This is based upon the idea expressed earlier that the rainbows appearance is a negative sign  that mankind has done something worthy of destruction.

Does this apply to our rainbow cloud too?

Rav Dovid Yosef Shlita (Halacha Brurah Vol. XI page 485) quotes the Sefer Bris Kehuna (Letter Kuf os 3) who cites the Chayei Odom but argues and says that on the contrary, we are happy and give thanks and blessing to Hashem for not destroying His world and that one should tell friends so that they pay attention and do Teshuvah. He quotes his father, Rav Ovadiah ztl who agrees to the Sefer Bris Kehuna.

Thus it seems that for Ashkenazim, who follow the view of the Mishna Brurah, they should not inform others of it, while those who follow Rav Ovadiah should do so. Those who follow the Kaf HaChaim should not inform others. For rainbow clouds it may be that even those who follow the Kaf HaChaim may also be lenient.

LOCATION OF THE RAINBOW

The blessing is recited regardless as to whether it is still raining or not. However, it should only be recited on a type of rainbow that is seen on account of clouds, and not on one seen on water or oil.

The blessing is recited every time that one sees it, provided that it is a different rainbow  otherwise one just recites the bracha on that rainbow once that day. It is thus different than the type of blessing that is recited on natural marvels, where the halacha is that one recites it only when one hasnt seen it in thirty days.

PICTURES OF A RAINBOW

What about taking a picture of a rainbow, or using a photograph of a rainbow that someone else took? Does that carry the same problem as viewing a rainbow itself?

Rav Chaim Palagi (Ruach Chaim 429:2) poses the question about gazing at a reflection of a rainbow, and recommends not to do so, although no blessing is recited on a reflection. This author would like to suggest that by virtue of the fact that a] Rav Palagi is uncertain about a reflection, and that b] many of the reasons for the prohibition in the meforshim do not apply to a photograph and that c] there are a number of other factors, we can combine all these as snifin lehakel to allow use of photographs of rainbows as well as rainbow clouds. In addition, if one quickly takes a photo of it without gazing, it seems that it would be permitted by the Shulchan Aruch  in other words it seems that the leniency is not just for the purpose of reciting a blessing.

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A life insurance firm has been called 'appalling and tasteless' for using a picture of serial killer Harold Shipman in one of its adverts.

Life insurance broker DeadHappy ran an advert this week with a photo of Shipman and the slogan 'Life Insurance. Because you never know who your doctor might be.'

Shipman was found guilty of murdering 15 people, but the real figure could be as high as 250, making him one of the worst serial killers of all time. The former doctor died by suicide in a prison cell in 2004.

Insurance professionals have lined up to criticise the advert.

The life insurance broker said it was only being 'provocative' by featuring an image of Shipman

Gareth Davies, director at South Coast Mortgage Services, said: 'There's controversy and there's downright wrong, and this is the latter I'm afraid.

'However, I'm guessing they knew what the response would likely be, and it has us all talking about them as a firm.'

Scott Taylor-Barr, financial adviser at Carl Summers Financial Services, added: 'This is really appalling and tasteless. Shipman's crimes are not that long ago, his victims' close families are still alive and could well see this advert, which would be horrendous for them.'

But DeadHappy has doubled down on using Shipman's image in the advert.

DeadHappy founder Andy Knott said: 'We are called DeadHappy and our strapline is "Life insurance to die for" so we are aware of the provocative (and to some the very shocking) nature of our brand.

'But being provocative is different to being offensive and it is of course never our intention to offend or upset people. It is our intention to make people stop and think.

'We do take risks with our brand and sometimes we may step over the line, whatever or wherever that line may be, and whoever chooses to draw it.'

What is DeadHappy?

DeadHappy is a fully online 'pay-as-you-go' life insurance broker which launched in February 2019.

The firm styles itself as a disruptor to more traditional life insurance firms and uses controversial advertising and branding.

Only 35 per cent of people in the UK have life insurance, according to Direct Line Life Insurance.

DeadHappy aims to increase that figure by making the process of buying life insurance quicker and simpler.

Customers go onto the DeadHappy website, decide how much of a payout they want when they die, answer a few questions then get a monthly quote to ensure that payout.

The process is purely digital, meaning you can't speak to anyone in person or on the phone, and there is no advice.
Air France has embarked on WhatsApp to offer a free communication channel to interact with customers. The service is available seven days a week in 22 countries and in four languages (French, English, Italian, Brazilian/Portuguese).



Already present on several messaging and social media platforms, notably Facebook Messenger, Air France is continuing to strengthen its commercial relations by offering more proactive customer service.



This offer supports customers before, during and after their flight with:

 Instant answers to common questions via the chatbot Louis and, for more specific answers, contact with an Air France representative.

 If customers opt in, notifications will be sent to them at each key moment of the journey: from boarding pass issuing to flight information (change in schedule or boarding gate; last call before the plane door closes, etc.) or the baggage delivery belt on arrival.



In addition, personalized promotions will allow customers to upgrade their travel experience, with the option of selecting more spacious seats or purchasing access to the Air France lounge at the airport.



We are delighted to see that this new channel has been an immediate success: it is now Air Frances number two digital contact point, said Stephanie Charlaix-Meyer, Air France-KLM Customer Service Director. Its popularity confirms the proximity strategy adopted by Air France in terms of customer service, a strategy that we will continue to deploy in other markets.



Nicolas Farin, Head of Client Sales EMEA, Business Messaging at Meta said: We are proud to connect Air France with both new and existing customers through one of their most used communication channels. We hope this partnership will continue to improve customer journeys on WhatsApp, offering better, faster and more personalized experiences at their fingertips.  TradeArabia News Service
Insider trading is one of the Citys oldest crimes. Barely a takeover happens without a run-up in the target company share price beforehand.

Advisers seek to prevent leaks by the use of code names and meetings in secret locations but it is impossible to plug all the gaps.

In recent times, the ritual of capital markets days has developed and key information is shared with big battalion investors and analysts.

Fraud trial: The FCA is launching a criminal action against former Janus Henderson analyst Redinel Korfuzi who has been charged with profiting from trades in five companies

This potentially gives financial professionals a head-start on private investors. Technology means that with the exception of deliberate deception, such as using burner phones, financial insiders are only too aware of how compliance officers and regulators are able to access communications traffic.

The delete button can be hit but the trace is still there on the hard drive or in the cloud.

It is comparatively rare that staff at a major financial firm find themselves before the beak on hard-to-prove insider charges.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is often given a hard time about the sclerotic approach to justice. The failure to produce a timely report on the implosion of Neil Woodfords fund management empire comes to mind.

So it is fascinating to see the FCA launching a criminal action against former Janus Henderson analyst Redinel Korfuzi, who has been charged with profiting from trades in five firms, along with co-conspirators.

The perpetrators allegedly used derivatives to disguise bets that the shares would plummet after official announcements. They then allegedly sought to distribute the gains, estimated by the FCA as 1.5million, by money laundering.

The case, now referred to Southwark Crown Court, is fascinating. At stake is the prestige of the asset manager Janus Henderson.

The contemporary nature of the offences, allegedly from 2019-21, and the comparatively low profits add interest.

Split among several parties, the gains are modest in a world when debt is counted in billions, and the alleged wire fraud of bitcoin whizz Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX is in the billions.

If the criminal prosecution has the effect of putting off other potential miscreants and encouraging better market hygiene it will be more than worthwhile.

Taking off

The gap between the upbeat sales and profit figures of British commerce and the official and survey data is a puzzle.

After the tearaway Christmas sales figures from retailers (continuing to roll in), airlines are demonstrating that traffic is soaring.

Putting three years of largely Covid-19 related losses behind it, no-frills carrier Easyjet is forecasting a return to profit this year, sending the shares 10 per cent higher.

Over the last three weekends, passenger numbers have hit record levels. As the summer approaches, Easyjet is rolling out ever more flights.

Personally, I was amazed to find that a flight to a Canary Islands destination next month was almost booked out.

Consumer confidence, according to surveys, has been, and remains, at a low ebb.

The Bank of England has been frightening the country with its warnings of a squeeze on real incomes.

Really? Easyjet chief executive Johan Lundgren says he is surprised by the resilience of demand. He is not alone.

Ryanair last week announced record bookings and the shares of all the UK and Ireland-based carriers have been rising strongly.

That does not mean all is running smoothly. As a BA passenger to Prague on Sunday, I was held up for four hours amid a succession of ever less believable excuses ranging from a crew member stuck in Edinburgh, to fog, ice and missing documents.

We were then comforted on board by the slimmest bottle of water ever seen and a food service which consisted of half a dozen mini-pretzels.

If BA shrinks it any further, the bag will be empty. So much for that old, vanishing friend: customer service.

Ice breaker

As a behemoth of Britains general insurance sector, with 10 per cent of a competitive market, the fear among Aviva investors was a big hit to its property cover from the December cold.

In the event, it was around 50million. This is an improvement over the 90million hit at Direct Line, which tanked the shares. The suspicion is that after several profit warnings Direct Line did some kitchen sinking.

Avivas better underwriting and risk performance hopefully will mean it can build loyalty by holding premiums down.
Shares in engineering group Senior stormed higher as it sounded a positive note on profit.

The group, which rejoined the FTSE 250 this month and supplies products for the likes of Airbus, Boeing and Rolls-Royce, said profits for 2022 should be above the top end of the range of consensus expectations.

Analysts had pencilled in a range of 16.2million to 18million.

Taking-off: Engineering group Senior supplies products for the likes of Airbus, Boeing and Rolls-Royce

Senior has benefited from a strong performance in its flexonics division which saw a surge in demand among the heavy duty truck and power and energy markets.

The groups aerospace division also traded well, with City broker Jefferies highlighting how it sees a significant recovery potential across both businesses. Shares surged 7.5 per cent, or 10.2p, to 146.6p.

Rolls-Royce, meanwhile, gained 3 per cent, or 3.2p, to 111.4p after Exane BNP Paribas raised the jet engine makers rating to neutral from underperform.

The group also renewed its agreement to supply engines to the British luxury yacht manufacturer Sunseeker until at least 2025.

On the wider market, the FTSE 100 fell 0.35 per cent, or 27.31 points, to 7757.36 but the FTSE 250 rose 0.27 per cent, or 53.62 points, to 19855.31.

Private equity firm Bridgepoint added 7.5 per cent, or 17p, to 245p following the launch of its share buyback programme worth up to 50million.

Ceres Power Holdings, which develops electrolyser technology for green hydrogen production, cheered another year of significant investment for growth at the company after its revenue for 2022 remained in line with previous forecasts of around 21million.

Stock Watch - Yu Group Yu Group is on course to beat revenue forecasts after a record-breaking year. The company, which supplies energy, gas and water to businesses, said revenue for 2022 looks to have risen more than 76 per cent to over 275million  up from a forecast of around 260million in November. Investors will be rewarded with a modest dividend payment, bosses said. They also said Yu has made a strong start to the new financial year. Shares soared 12.1 per cent, or 77p, to 715p.

The company also announced a series of positive updates on projects such as its Chinese joint ventures, 100kW electrolyser module and fuel cell and electrolysis test facility. Shares surged 7.6 per cent, or 29.5p, to 416.4p.

Advertising giant M&C Saatchi was on course to generate its biggest profit to date following new business wins and cost-saving measures. Profit for 2022 was likely to have risen 14 per cent to 31million. Revenue is expected to be 9pc higher at 271million compared with the previous 12 months.

There was also a change at the top. Chairman Gareth Davis, who took up the role in January 2021, will step down once a replacement is found. Shares inched up 0.6 per cent, or 1p, to 168p.

Meanwhile, land development firm Henry Boot warned that its profit for 2022 would be slightly below market expectations at 48.1million following a slump in the value of its investment portfolio.

The group also warned this year would be tougher than 2022. Shares fell 4.5 per cent, or 11p, to 235p.

Meanwhile the UKs largest distributor of newspapers and magazines found itself engulfed in a dispute with investors over a resolution to relax policies on making political donations of up to 50,000.

Smiths News insisted it had no plans to make any political donations but wanted to make sure the companys current guidelines were not stricter than the regulatory framework.

The resolution passed but the company pledged to initiate dialogue after 21.23 per cent of shareholders voted against the proposal at yesterdays annual general meeting.

In a separate update, Smiths News reported that business was trading as usual with 46 per cent of newspaper and magazine revenues secured through to 2029. Shares sank 8.3 per cent, or 4.6p, to 50.8p.

Carnival made a stellar start to the new year after its cruise line Cunard, which has three ships, enjoyed its best January for bookings in the last decade.

The company added there was demand for the fourth Cunard ship, the Queen Anne, which will come into operation early next year. Shares rose 2.2 per cent, or 16.6p, to 785.4p.
Revenues at Saga are soaring thanks to a rebound in demand for cruises and holidays.

The over-50s group said sales have been boosted by the bounceback in demand for getaways since the lifting of pandemic restrictions, with the group pencilling in a revenue rise of between 40 per cent and 50 per cent on last years 377.2million.

But the holidays-to-financial services firm confirmed a tougher year for its insurance arm after seeing a 3 per cent drop in policy sales and its underwriting business being hit by surging claims costs.

Bookings up: Saga said sales have been boosted by the bounce-back in demand for holidays since the lifting of pandemic restrictions

The woes in its insurance division saw it warn over profits last autumn.

It slashed its outlook for full-year pre-tax profits to between 20million and 30million, down from the 35million and 50million for the previous years guidance.

Saga said its travel business was set to see revenues increase tenfold from the previous year. Bookings for cruises and touring trips for 2023-24 are strong, it added.

Euan Sutherland, chief executive, said: Overall, we are well-placed to continue our growth.
Directors at Capricorn Energy all resigned yesterday in a victory for an activist shareholder.

Seven board members, including chief executive Simon Thomson and chairman Nicoletta Giadrossi, have agreed to step down from the oil and gas group.

Both will leave the board immediately alongside three other directors Peter Kallos, Alison Wood, Luis Araujo.

Purged: Seven Capricorn board members, including chief exec Simon Thomson and chairman Nicoletta Giadrossi (pictured), have agreed to step down from the oil and gas group

Chief financial officer James Smith will step down at a later date alongside non-executive director Keith Lough.

The exodus follows weeks of pressure on Capricorns management regarding controversial plans to merge with Israeli rival NewMed Energy.

Palliser Capital, the companys third largest investor with a stake of around 6.9 per cent, has been spearheading a campaign to scrap the plan and called a vote to remove seven directors.

The activist wanted to replace Capricorns executives with its own nominees, which included Chris Cox, the former head of Spirit Energy, and Hesham Mekawi, who previously worked as head of BPs North African operations.

The effort to stop the merger has been backed by several other shareholders and advisory firms, with both Glass Lewis and ISS recommending investors oppose the deal.

A vote on the deal was due to take place on February 1, with Capricorn shareholders due to decide on whether to replace the directors at a separate ballot later that day.

But the company announced the merger vote has been pushed back to February 22.

The vote on the make up of the board will still take place, however, as Palliser has put forward six candidates to join as directors including Cox and Mekawi.

Capricorn said the delay on the merger vote would allow the new board to assess the proposed NewMed combination alongside other strategic options before deciding on the companys next move.

Analysts at broker Stifel said the boardroom clear out showed Palliser has won the argument with shareholders.

They added the upheaval could allow Capricorn to re-enter merger talks with NewMed in the near future from a position of strength.

The businesss shares inched up by 0.2 per cent, or 0.4p, to 244.8p.

Capricorn is one of the largest gas-focused energy companies listed in London, with a portfolio covering operations in the North Sea as well as projects in Egypt, Mexico, Suriname and Mauritania.

Last September, the group announced plans to merge with NewMed in a deal which would have paid shareholders a 503million special cash dividend.

The merger valued Capricorn at 274million, equivalent to 271p per share and a 13 per cent premium to its share price the day before the deal was announced.

But the plans ran into intense opposition from several major shareholders, who argued the tie-up undervalued the business.

Following Pallisers opposition, Capricorns largest investor, New York-based Madison Avenue Partners, backed the effort to oust the board and vote against the merger.

And earlier this month Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) took the rare step of supporting the opposition based on what it said were grave concerns about the deal with NewMed.

LGIM added that the firms decision to hold the merger vote before the ballot on replacing the directors appeared to be an attempt to undermine due process and had raised serious questions about the ongoing suitability and fitness of the entire board.

Other major investors that have publicly opposed the NewMed merger include London-based investment manager Kite Lake Capital, which owns 7.4 per cent of the business, and Newtyn Management which holds just over 6 per cent.

Together, the five major opposition shareholders own over 32 per cent of Capricorn, providing a large bulwark against the deal which may have scuppered its chances of passing.
Primark toasted record Christmas sales as it declared the cost of living crunch has had a less dramatic impact on demand for new clothes than feared.

In an upbeat trading statement, the budget chain said revenues hit 3.15billion in the 16 weeks to January 7  up 15 per cent on the same period last year.

Sales in the week leading up to Christmas Day hit a record high as cheap prices drove shoppers into its stores.

Record sales: Primark, which has collaborated with TV presenter Stacey Solomon (pictured), said revenues hit 3.15n in the 16 weeks to January 7

John Bason, finance director at Primark owner Associated British Foods, said that despite nervousness about demand this winter, a real decline in spending just didnt happen.

He added: Im not remotely saying some people arent finding it very difficult, were all being squeezed but it hasnt been as dramatic as we thought.

The update cemented Primark as one of the Christmas winners on the High Street alongside rivals such as Marks & Spencer and Next. Online rivals Boohoo and Asos struggled, however, as shoppers flocked back to the High Street.

Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said: Primark is back with a bang given changing shopping habits.

As seen with so many other retailers, especially over the Christmas period, there has been a marked return to physical shopping, to some extent at the expense of the higher online levels seen during the pandemic.

A return to office working and Christmas parties saw sales of high heels leap at Primark  which has also collaborated with TV presenter Stacey Solomon (pictured) on a range of clothing. Party-wear sales shot up 176 per cent year-on-year.

Shoppers opted for softly tailored clothes, with women shunning traditional black and navy blazers for hot pink and purple options.

Strong sales of accessories were also proof that people are up and about, thank goodness, and enjoying themselves, Bason said.

Cosy loungewear also did well as customers looked to save on energy bills by stocking up on comfy snuddies  a blanket with a hood and sleeves  and velvet leggings.

While trade in the New Year has been encouraging so far, bosses admitted the economic outlook remained dire and may weigh on consumer spending in the months ahead.

Although Primark did hike prices last summer, it previously pledged to freeze them for this financial year, a decision which now looks well judged, Bason said.

The High Street retailers click and collect trial of childrens products in 25 stores has had a warm response, bosses said. Traffic to its UK website jumped 85 per cent since last year.

The retailer pledged to continue its roll-out of physical stores, with plans to open 17 sites across various international markets this financial year.

Primark has 416 stores worldwide. Online fashion retailers such as Asos and Boohoo have issued bleak profit warnings in recent weeks, with shoppers heading to the High Street to dodge postal strike disruption.

Brick and mortar stalwarts such as Marks & Spencer and Next have posted bumper sales in recent trading updates, dispelling fears that the High Street would have a gloomy Christmas.

ABF said total group revenue hit 6.7billion in the 16 weeks to January 7, up 16 per cent on a year earlier.

Shares fell 2 per cent, or 37.5p, to 1832p after it said profit for its British Sugar arm would be dented by poor weather hindering sugar yields in the UK.
The future of Royal Mails boss has been thrown into doubt after he was recalled by MPs to face a further grilling.

Simon Thompson will be hauled in front of the Commons business select committee for a second time after its chairman Darren Jones claimed in a letter that answers he gave at a previous session might not have been wholly accurate.

Analysts warned the embattled chief executive faced serious questions about his leadership if he was found to have misled Parliament.

Questions: Royal Mail boss Simon Thompson (pictured) was told answers he gave at a previous session before the Commons business select committee might not have been wholly accurate

The decision followed a bruising appearance at the committee last week when Jones said Thompsons responses raised grave concerns about the business and reminded him it would not be appreciated if his responses were proven untruthful.

Royal Mail chairman Keith Williams, who was not at the previous hearing, has also been called in.

This is yet another negative headline facing Royal Mail which is already struggling under the weight of industrial action, said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at investment platform Interactive Investor.

There will be serious questions about [Thompsons] leadership if it transpires that his answers in Parliament last week were inaccurate.

Drastic change is needed at Royal Mail to re-invigorate its finances whether that be a spin-off, new leadership or the abolition of its Saturday delivery services.

A Royal Mail spokesman said the firm welcomed the opportunity to expand on any points on which the committee would like clarification but claimed it was seeing an increasingly false narrative about an ongoing dispute over pay that it said was designed to create fear and uncertainty amongst our employees.

The recall comes amid growing signs Thompsons authority is starting to crumble as Royal Mail remains consumed by a bitter and long-running industrial dispute that has paralysed the business and left it facing estimated losses of over 2million per day.

Matters were made worse earlier this month after a cyber-attack knocked out its overseas delivery operations.

On Monday, representatives of around 20 major shareholders met with trade union bosses to try and find a solution to the disruption which has caused shares in Royal Mails parent company International Distributions Services (IDS) to sink nearly 50 per cent over the last 12 months.

News of Thompsons recall was quickly seized upon by the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents around 115,000 postal workers, who said they wholeheartedly welcomed the decision.

Thompson has come under attack from his predecessor Rico Back, who earlier this month blasted the companys management for its confrontational approach to the strikes.

There are also lingering concerns about the motives of Daniel Kretinsky, a Czech billionaire who owns 23 per cent of the business through his vehicle Vesa Equity.

Kretinsky is thought to still be supporting Thompson, with rumours he could be advising him to help resolve the problems facing the business.
Pay demands: Workers at Amazon's Coventry warehouse are set to walk out in protest against a pay rise

Amazon workers are staging their first ever strike in the UK in a dispute over pay.

Members of the GMB union at the companys warehouse in Coventry will walk out today in protest against a pay rise which the union said is worth 50p an hour.

Stuart Richards, GMB senior organiser, said: Theyre [the workers] taking on one of the worlds biggest companies to fight for a decent standard of living.

After six months of ignoring all requests to listen to workers concerns, GMB urges Amazon UK bosses to do the right thing and give workers a proper pay rise.

An Amazon spokesman said: Only a fraction of 1pc of our UK employees voted in the ballot  and that includes those who voted against industrial action.

We appreciate the great work our teams do throughout the year and were proud to offer competitive pay which starts at a minimum of between 10.50 and 11.45 per hour.
UK investors could have a chance to buy shares in Arm even if it decides not to list in London.

If the Cambridge-based computer chip maker opts instead to list its shares on the US stock market, investors here could still be able to buy shares through a retail offering, according to markets technology platform PrimaryBid.

The firm, which allows retail investors to buy shares in companies during fundraisings and new listings, has proposed the idea to government ministers.

US focused: Softbank founder Masayoshi Son (pictured) is thought to be planning to float Arm on Wall Street with a value of at least 48bn

PrimaryBid boss Anand Sambasivan said UK investors want and deserve access to Arms listing.

A London listing would be ideal but theres no reason the British public should miss out, he told Bloomberg.

The proposal follows a similar arrangement made by PrimaryBid for the listing of members club owner Soho House in the US in 2021.

The pitch comes amid fading hopes Arms owner, Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, which coincidentally is PrimaryBids largest investor, will opt for a UK listing and instead float the company on Wall Street with a value of at least 48billion.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been lobbying intensely to convince SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son to list Arms stock in the UK through a dual listing of the shares in London and New York to boost the Citys competitiveness post-Brexit.

There were also arguments a dual listing would allow Arm to join FTSE stock market indices, meaning it could be bought by tracker funds, as well as increasing the ability of its shares to be traded.

But Son has so far focused on a US listing due to its deep pool of investors and higher valuations.

Arm is a critical player in the global computer chip industry, with its designs used across a range of electronics from phones to cars.

Its processor designs are used in around 95 per cent of mobile phones, according to the groups website.

Its importance has become even more acute amid a global shortage of computer chips and growing worries that Taiwan, the worlds biggest supplier, could be invaded by China.

A PrimaryBid offering would be something of a consolation prize for UK investors after the battle to keep Arm closer to its roots in Cambridge, where it was set up in the 1970s as Acorn Computers.
EasyJet's annual earnings are set to trump current forecasts following a rebound in winter bookings, the group said on Tuesday, sparking a rally in airline stocks.

The budget airline now anticipates pre-tax profits will exceed 126million for the 12 months ending September 2023, having made a 183million loss the previous year amid Covid-related restrictions and widespread cancellations.

For the three months ending December, the company said its headline loss before tax declined by 80million to 133million as its passenger and ancillary revenues both climbed by more than 75 per cent.

Upgrade: The budget airline now anticipates pre-tax profits will exceed 126million for the 12 months ending September 2023, having made a 183million loss last yea

EasyJet shares shot up by 9.6 per cent to 512.8p on Wednesday morning, making them the FTSE 350's second-highest riser behind media business Ascential Group.

Since the start of 2023, the firm's shares have seen their value soar by 57 per cent, more than 11 times the FTSE 250 Index's 4.6 per cent expansion.

Other airlines saw their share prices receive a boost from the easyJet results today, with Jet2 shares jumping 4.7 per cent, Wizz Air rising 4.6 per cent, and British Airways owner International Airlines Gro growing by 1.8 per cent.

Around 5.6 million more customers travelled with easyJet than during the equivalent period in 2021 when the Omicron variant's emergence caused governments to reimpose cross-border travel restrictions.

This helped its total load factor - the proportion of seats filled by an airline's planes - increase to 87 per cent, about four percentage points below pre-pandemic volumes.

Though higher fuel costs and short-term leasing of aircraft meant easyJet recorded a loss, the firm expects first-half losses to be 'significantly better' than last year.

Chief executive Johan Lundgren said the smaller winter loss would 'set us firmly on the path to delivering a full-year profit, where we anticipate beating the current market expectation, enabling us to create value for customers, investors and the economies we serve'.

He noted that the group had achieved three of its best sales revenue weekends since the beginning of January and filled five aircraft every minute at peak moments.

For the upcoming months, easyJet said demand over Easter was 'currently trading very well,' with sold ticket yields up almost 25 per cent on 2019 levels, while its package holidays business was more than 60 per cent sold for the summer.

Richard Hunter, the head of markets at Interactive Investor, said: 'Despite the inevitable economic clouds, such as a cost of living crisis which could threaten the consumers propensity to spend and rising costs, the easyJet offering is currently bearing fruit.

'Its inexpensive pricing comes with primary airports as destinations, as opposed to some of its low-cost competitors who fly to less central and therefore less convenient destinations.

'It is also in planning mode for the busy period to come and hoping to learn the lessons from last year when operational capacity was tested to the full as passenger demand recovered at a pace which some could not handle.'

Staff shortages during the spring and summer of last year left the airline struggling to cope with the extraordinary resurgence in passenger numbers, resulting in numerous flights being either scrapped or heavily delayed.

To try and avoid future disruption, it has launched a recruitment campaign - called 'Empty Nesters Take Flight!' - aimed at convincing people over 45 years old to become cabin crew members.
Squeezed consumers are pressing ahead with trips abroad despite the rising cost of living, says Easyjets boss.

Travel has moved up to the top spot when it comes to discretionary spending. People want to travel, Johan Lundgren said.

His comments came after the budget carrier saw a surge in passengers in the last three months of 2022. Easyjet flew 17.5m people in the quarter, a 47 per cent jump from a year earlier.

Easyjet boss Johan Lundgren said he was surprised how strong demand was against the bleak backdrop, as families face soaring food, fuel and energy bills

And the airline said it will be back in the black this year after three years of losses. In the 12 months to September, Lundgren said it will smash analyst forecasts of a 126million profit. Shares jumped 9.7 per cent, or 45.4p, to 513.4p.

The stock has surged nearly 60 per cent since the start of the year amid growing evidence that holidays remain a priority for cash-strapped households.

A report by KPMG found that while almost two thirds of people in the UK will cut their spending this year, holiday plans were the least likely to be dashed.

AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said: Many consumers still have the appetite and the means to spend money on experiences despite the prospect of recession.

People work hard and they want to give themselves a treat, meaning a foreign holiday remains high on the list of things people are prepared to pay for.

Lundgren said he was surprised how strong demand was against the bleak backdrop, as families face soaring food, fuel and energy bills.

Easyjets performance has continued into this year, helped by three record-breaking weekends this month.

Customers took advantage of January sales and the airline was filling up five planes every minute during peak hours.

Bookings for Easter are a quarter ahead of pre-Covid levels and there is big demand for summer getaways despite prices for Easter being almost a quarter higher than the same time before Covid struck.

People have had restrictions and been at home a lot and they want to get out and experience things, Lundgren said.

The rising cost of living was driving a shift towards more affordable breaks. Trips to Turkey and Egypt are doing exceptionally well.

He said flight availability will return to pre-Covid levels by the summer. By July, August and September we expect to be back at 2019 levels, Lundgren said.
Its been described as the biggest technological breakthrough since the printing press, electricity and even fire.

So its perhaps no surprise Microsoft has pumped as much as 8billion into a new partnership with artificial intelligence leader Open AI, and its much-hyped Chat GPT model.

Its all part of an expensive and long-haul push into a brave new world where content and productivity are king.

Brave new world: Microsoft has pumped as much as 8bn into a new partnership with artificial intelligence leader OpenAI, and its much-hyped ChatGPT model

In its simplest terms, artificial intelligence (AI) is computer programming that allows machines to behave like humans.

Examples include everything from the spam filter in your inbox, which is trained to recognise junk, to Amazon Alexas dotted around your home that respond to your voice.

First developed in the 1950s, AI means computers can be trained to mimic conversation, make predictions or recommendations, and ultimately process data in a much faster and efficient way than humans can.

So why, if AI has been around for so long, are we seeing such an acceleration in 2023?

The key reason, according to Dr Mhairi Aitken, research fellow at science hub The Alan Turing Institute, is because of the advances in generative AI, which not only makes processes faster but can be used to create completely original and new content, including audio, images, texts and videos.

Chat GPT, which is owned by Elon Musk-backed Open AI, is the most famous of these computer models, which exploded in popularity after it was made free to use for the public back in November, with over 1m users in five days.

Whether the former US treasury secretary Larry Summers is correct in describing the model as on par with the printing presses, electricity and even the wheel and fire, the output is certainly impressive.

Last weekend Chat GPT was able to produce an essay that passed the final MBA business leadership exam at a top US college, and has been used to draft legal contracts, create works of art, and produce original song lyrics in the style of any artist in the world.

Tech analyst Matt Navarra said Microsofts investment into Open AI was a shrewd move, reflecting the companys desperate attempt to modernise and flex its muscles at Google, which has been working away on its own generative AI for a while. The fact Microsoft has pulled this off is a huge success story for them, he said.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives dubbed it an AI arms race, where each tech company is looking to take the lead in this highly lucrative sector.

All the big companies are going to make big bets on AI with a payoff that begins in 2023 and beyond. Its the fourth industrial revolution. Despite the dark macroeconomic backdrop, tech stalwarts remain in growth mode, he explained.

Estimates from Air Street Capitals State of AI report 2022 suggest that worldwide investment in AI scale-up and start-ups was close to 40billion last year, with almost all of Silicon Valley wading into the mix.

The stakes are high. PwC reckons AI could contribute up to 13trillion to the global economy in 2030, more than the current output of China and India combined.

Shortly after Microsoft announced the Open AI deal, Google issued an internal code red, pushing plans to demo an AI version of its search engine out of fear Microsoft could integrate Chat GPT into its own, lesser used, search engine Bing.

The flip side with all of these advances is the question mark surrounding jobs. This has felt particularly pertinent considering the firms that are investing are also laying off staff.

Data tracker Layoffs.fyi estimates that as many as 57,000 people in the tech sector have been laid off in 2023 alone.

Yet the consensus is that this is poor timing rather than a loaded strategy from big tech.

Michael Gartenberg, a tech analyst at Flash Advisory & Research, rejected the correlation between AI investment and layoffs. He said although it was poor optics for a company like Microsoft, tech giants have slowly but surely been making movements into AI.

After all, Microsoft invested more than 800m into Open AI back in 2019, long before AI novices were using it to write Linkedin marketing posts.

Aitken also underplayed the wider fears surrounding job safety. AI is going to automate many of the tasks in the workplace, but it wont completely get rid of the jobs, she said, saying the solution is making new jobs that focus on creating and managing AI tech as it touches every single sector, from fashion to medicine development.

A report from HSBC, Will AI take your job?, written by economist James Pomeroy makes a similar point.

Its more likely that AI takes some (the boring bit) of your job, rather than all of it, he explains. This could trigger some substantial productivity gains for many roles if used correctly, and although the outlook for AI and its impact is uncertain, this is just the beginning.

So as an AI war dawns between Google and Microsoft, the reality is that AI is here to stay reinventing what our jobs look like, what Silicon Valley looks like and perhaps even what the world of business, art and music looks like.
Today, Money Mail can reveal the winner of our 2022 Wooden Spoon Award for poor customer service is... British Gas.

The energy giant scooped almost a THIRD of the votes in our annual poll. John Lewis took silver with 13.8 per cent of the votes while BT scooped bronze with 13 per cent.

Hundreds of readers voted, selecting from a list of eight nominees announced at the beginning of December.

Out of gas: Chris O'Shea, boss of British Gas parent company Centrica (pictured in a mock-up) refused to collect the trophy

In a year of soaring energy bills, you complained about long call wait times to speak to staff at British Gas, inaccurate billing and missing Government support vouchers.

And you were infuriated to learn that profits at British Gas's parent company Centrica boomed last year while service levels fell.

To add insult to injury, Centrica boss Chris O'Shea turned down repeated requests from Money Mail to discuss his firm's woeful service and explain how he was putting it right.

He also refused to accept the trophy in person  as bosses have traditionally done for our Wooden Spoon Awards, from the director of HM Revenue & Customs to the chief executives of major banks and telecoms giants. So we have been forced to mock up a picture of Mr O'Shea holding it.

We make no apology for this: customer service matters and many loyal British Gas energy users will fear Mr O'Shea's reluctance to engage on the issue means he doesn't value it highly enough.

The ignominious award comes a year after the firm's Homecare division won the 2021 Wooden Spoon after a deluge of complaints about its boiler servicing cover.

A year ago, Mr O'Shea accepted the award over a Zoom call while working from home.

Mr O'Shea  who has a reported annual salary of 875,000 before bonuses, benefits and shares says: 'There is no doubt the energy crisis has created a difficult environment for our customers over the last two years.

'Daily Mail readers, like all our customers, are important to us and we'll continually look at improving what we do and how we do it.

'I also know we make a real difference in people's lives and we get far more right than we get wrong.'

British Gas slammed for call centre queues

Many customers said they voted for British Gas because it is so hard to get through to on the phone. In some cases, wait times were well over an hour.

You said it can also be difficult getting straight answers from British Gas staff members when you want to query a bill or get help.

Geoffrey Matthews, from Glamorgan, tried numerous times to query a bill by phone without success. 'I managed to speak to one person having waited almost an hour. After a few minutes I was cut off.' In the end, he had to go online and use a chatbot service.

Contenders: Hundreds of readers voted, selecting from a list of eight nominees announced at the beginning of December

Mr O'Shea says British Gas has faced huge pressures this winter and is working hard to answer the phone more swiftly.

'Our call volumes have increased by more than 50 per cent this winter and we've created 700 more UK jobs to manage this. Our hardworking colleagues have handled 16 million contacts from customers in 2022.

'Each of these rightly needs more time as our customers are looking for more help and advice than ever and we want to support them through this cost-of-living crisis.'

Inaccurate energy bills

Another major gripe was billing accuracy. Margaret Wilson spent hours on the phone to British Gas after getting an inaccurate bill.

The 82-year-old, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, saw her monthly bill nearly double, despite being in credit. She was able to get her bill reduced only after almost a month of calls.

In November, Money Mail revealed some customers had seen direct debits increased aggressively with little warning. Mr O'Shea says: 'We look after and serve over 10 million customers.

We don't always get things right but, as a trusted brand, our customers value that we are a sustainable and reliable company. When we get things wrong, we do everything we can to fix it.

'That's why 200,000 customers have joined us in the last 12 months and why last year we were able to step in and rescue hundreds of thousands of customers from nine energy suppliers who collapsed.'

In November we revealed some British Gas customers had seen direct debits increased aggressively with little warning

Missing energy support vouchers

Since the Energy Bills Support Scheme launched in October, Money Mail has had a steady flow of complaints about delayed vouchers from British Gas  or households not receiving them at all.

These are the vital government handouts of 66 or 67 a month to help homes survive the price hikes this winter.

Eleanor Dolan, from Dartford, Kent, says that despite numerous calls, by mid-December she still hadn't received vouchers for October, November and December. 'I'm at my wits' end,' she says. So far we have helped 43 readers get a total of 3,796 after handing British Gas a dossier of cases.

Mr O'Shea says: 'Last year, in just a matter of weeks, we had to build a process to hand out over 2.3 billion of Government money to almost six million energy consumers over six months.

'This was a challenging operation, but we have successfully delivered well over 20 million of these payments and our prepayment meter vouchers have seen one of the highest redemption rates in the sector.'

Runner up: John Lewis took second place with 13.8% of the vote. Readers were appalled at how it had made all its credit card customers reapply after it switched providers

John Lewis takes silver

Readers were appalled at how the retail giant made all its credit card customers reapply after it switched credit providers from HSBC to NewDay.

Others say standards have slipped at its department stores.

A John Lewis spokesman says: 'Last year, we changed our credit card provider  a complex, one-off move that is now complete. We're sorry we haven't got it right every time. We're working hard to offer the best possible customer experience in 2023 and beyond.'

l.boyce@dailymail.co.uk
When Christopher Cook withdrew a 20 note from a Sainsburys cash machine in Sherborne, Dorset, last April he noticed it had two squiggly lines on the Queens neck.

The 75-year-old immediately felt a rush of excitement: either he was holding a fake  or, more likely, an extremely rare mis-printed banknote worth far more than its face value.

Local firm Charterhouse Auctioneers confirmed it was a mis-print that could fetch up to 2,000 under the hammer, but it didnt have any suitable auctions coming up.

Complaints: Evri is the UK's largest parcel carrier, delivering more than three million packages a day from 80% of the Britain's biggest retailers

So Christopher found a specialist auctioneer 14 miles away  Lawrences, in Crewkerne, Somerset  and posted the note for an auction scheduled for November as he didnt want to make the journey himself.

Unfortunately, thats where his luck ran out. For Christopher chose to send the valuable 20 banknote with the delivery firm Evri, from a ParcelShop in Sherborne.

He posted it on September 27 but, much to his dismay, the note never got to the auction house. Evri says the small package is lost and cannot be found. And because Christopher didnt pay for signed-for delivery, he is not entitled to any financial compensation.

Christopher, a former chartered accountant, is among tens of thousands of people who have made complaints about Evri in recent months.

Evri is the UKs largest parcel carrier, delivering more than three million packages a day from 80 per cent of the UKs biggest retailers, including Debenhams, John Lewis and eBay.

Formerly known as Hermes, the firm rebranded last March, promising a top-notch service. Yet, in November, the business was voted the worst delivery firm in a poll of 8,421 people by Citizens Advice.

Earlier this month, the delivery firm apologised for severe delays over the festive season, after a number of retailers diverted deliveries to Evri and rival firms due to Royal Mail strikes.

The situation has become so bad that Labour MP Carolyn Harris has even asked whether the Prime Minister should take action against Evri after it received more than 40,000 complaints.

Ofcom, the regulator, says its conducting a review into the entire deliveries sector after complaints were up 40 per cent on last year.

Christopher lodged a formal complaint with Evri about his lost bank-note in October. He was still waiting for a reply when he contacted Money Mail this month.

A spokesman for Evri now says Christophers case has been rejected because currency is excluded from compensation in its terms and conditions.

Christopher says: I would never use Evri again  and I would advise anyone else against using them.

Missing: Victoria Capel paid 19.25 to ship her scooter to the auction winner - but two weeks later, it still hadnt arrived

Lost e-Scooter

Victoria Capel was shocked to learn that the electric scooter she had sold on eBay had been disposed of by Evri.

To top it off, she was told she wouldnt be fully compensated.

The 53-year-old paid 19.25 to ship her scooter to the highest bidder  who had paid 235  from her home in Dorset, Somerset, on November 19.

But two weeks later, it still hadnt arrived. When she emailed Evris chief executive, the company admitted her package had been damaged beyond repair in transit.

Victoria says: I was given a lot of different explanations. First, it was lost, then it was damaged beyond repair. When I asked for proof of the damage, they said they dont take images of damaged goods and they are disposed of immediately for health and safety reasons.

After raising a claim for a lost item, she received just 25 in compensation for the e-scooter on December 14, despite being told she would also be refunded the postage cost.

Evri claims the parcel was ordered through eBay, which is responsible for decisions about compensation regarding items sold on its website.

Victoria had no choice but to reimburse the private buyer on eBay.

She says: Its atrocious, but we are supposed to accept it and forget about it. The whole experience has been extremely frustrating.

Vanishing tins of biscuits

Sarah Dale, 45, sent four tins of 10 Marks & Spencer biscuits as a Christmas treat to two of her friends, her sister-in-law and her mother-in-law in various parts of Britain.

She used Evri at her local Tesco Express in Derby on December 14. However, only her sister-in-law in Slough received the gift. The other three tins were lost in transit.

She found herself going round in circles with an Evri online chatbot. Then the firm sent an email to say she couldnt claim redress as the items were posted more than 28 days ago.

Complaints: Evri delivers more than three million packages a day from 80% of the UKs biggest retailers

A spokesman for Evri says Sarah has now been fully compensated.

Former courier service owner Jeffrey Axon, 78, lost almost 60 after a vacuum cleaner he listed on eBay went missing in the post.

The father-of-two, from Stoke-on-Trent, had put his Dyson V6 Animal Extra on the online marketplace and secured a sale.

Yet when he sent the device to his buyer in Dumfriesshire with Evri, it failed to arrive. Instead, the buyer received a bottle of pink strawberry-scented liquid.

When Jeffrey attempted to get in touch with Evri he says he was unable to speak to anyone.

Couriers have been under extra pressure as Royal Mail strikes in December caused deliveries to be diverted to other providers.

An Evri spokesman says: We are sorry some customers are experiencing short delays in receiving their parcels.

'We have invested over 60 million in our network infrastructure so our service remains strong with no delays or backlogs in the majority of our network.

moneymail@dailymail.co.uk
The black granite pedestal of the Holocaust Memorial in Baltimore is inscribed with George Santayanas most famous aphorism: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". That is why January 27, the date on which the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and death camp complex was liberated in 1945, is observed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Holocaust was the result of Nazi Germanys Final Solution to what they called the Jewish Problem -- the systematic attempted annihilation of European Jewry.



It was separate from the Nazi war effort. Indeed, the Final Solution often took precedence over the war effort: despite a desperate need for personnel and materiel on the front lines, no assets were diverted from death camp assignments. In the end, the Final Solution resulted in the murder of six million Jews.

Today, as the terrible events of the Second World War retreat from living memory, in many countries denial and distortion of the Holocaust are on the rise.

It seems incredible that more than 75 years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust, people still deny and distort the facts of the genocide, one of the best-documented mass atrocities in human history, said Ellen Germain, Special Envoy For Holocaust Issues at the Bureau Of European And Eurasian Affairs. We have mountains of evidence, extensive survivor testimonies, and eyewitness accounts from those who liberated the concentration and death camps. Yet Holocaust denial and distortion persist.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance says that Holocaust denial seeks to erase the history of the Holocaust. In doing so, it seeks to legitimize Nazism and antisemitism. Holocaust distortion acknowledges aspects of the Holocaust as factual. It nevertheless excuses, minimizes, or misrepresents the Holocaust in a variety of ways and through various media.

Countering Holocaust denial and distortion matters because all efforts to downplay or blur the facts of what happened and who was complicit are insults to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. It matters because it further perpetuates antisemitism. It matters because it can also fan the flames of violent extremism, said Special Envoy Germain.

Countering Holocaust denial and distortion matters because they threaten our ability to understand and learn from the history of the Holocaust, she said.

Never again is one of the most important moral lessons the world can draw from the Holocaust.


The United States and Germany are poised to boost Ukraines war effort with the delivery of heavy tanks, sources said, support Russia condemned as a blatant provocation.

The expected tank deliveries come as Ukraine dismissed several senior officials as part of an anti-corruption drive, an issue that has become even more important given the need to keep Western backers onside.

Washington was expected to announce as soon as Wednesday that it will send M1 Abrams tanks and Berlin has decided to dispatch Leopard 2 tanks, the sources said.

While there was no official confirmation, officials in Kyiv hailed what they see as a possible gamechanger in a war that is now 11 months old  even if the rumoured tank numbers, in the dozens, would be short of the hundreds they say they need.

A few hundred tanks for our tank crews . This is what is going to become a real punching fist of democracy, Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiys administration, wrote on Telegram.

Zelenskiy, who turns 45 on Wednesday, again pressed Western allies to provide their most modern battle tanks, saying the need is larger in his nightly video address on Tuesday.

Germany and the United States have until now held back on providing heavy armour, wary of support that could give the Kremlin reason to widen the conflict.

Russia has warned that supplies of modern offensive weaponry to Ukraine would escalate the war, with some officials saying its allies were leading the world into a global catastrophe.

Deliveries of battle tanks by the United States would be a another blatant provocation, Anatoly Antonov, Russias U.S. ambassador, said on Wednesday.

It is obvious that Washington is purposefully trying to inflict a strategic defeat on us, Antonov said in remarks published on the embassys Telegram messaging app.

American tanks will be destroyed by our military in the same way all other samples of NATO equipment are being destroyed, Antonov said.

Since invading Ukraine, Russia has shifted its rhetoric on the war from an operation to denazify and demilitarise its neighbour to casting it as a fight against the collective West.

Ukraine and its Western allies call Russias action an unprovoked act of aggression.

DOZENS OF TANKS

Front lines, stretching over 1,000 km (620 miles) through eastern and southern Ukraine, have been largely frozen for two months despite heavy losses on both sides. But both Russia and Ukraine are believed to be planning new offensives.

Zelenskiy said that Russia was intensifying its push toward Bakhmut, an industrial town in eastern Ukraine that has been the focus of intense fighting. They want to increase the pressure, he said.

Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said in a report that the West had contributed to Ukraines inability to take advantage of having pinned Russian forces in Bakhmut by slow-rolling or withholding weapons systems.

Ukraine has pleaded for months for Western tanks that it says it needs to give its forces the firepower and mobility to break through Russian defensive lines and recapture territory.

The question of whether to supply Ukraine with significant numbers of tanks has dominated debate among Western allies in recent days.

Germany has been pivotal because Leopards, fielded by some 20 armies around the world, are seen as the best option for Ukraine as they are available in large numbers and are easy to deploy and maintain.

Although the U.S. Abrams tank is considered less suitable, due to its fuel consumption and maintenance needs, a U.S. decision to send them to Ukraine could make it easier for Germany  which has called for a united front among Ukraines allies  to allow the supply of Leopards.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday that Washington was ready to start a process that would eventually send dozens of M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had decided to send the Leopards and allow other countries such as Poland to do so as well, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Spiegel magazine said Germany was planning to supply at least one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks, which usually comprises 14 tanks. Some other allies intend to go along with Germany in supplying their Leopards, it reported.

Separately, Ukraine dismissed more than a dozen senior officials in the biggest shake-up of its wartime leadership.

The European Union, which offered Ukraine the status of candidate member last June, welcomed the changes.

Among the officials who resigned or were dismissed were the governors of the Kyiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the latter three front-line provinces. Kyiv and Sumy were major battlefields earlier in the war.

Some of the officials who left had been linked to corruption allegations.

Ukraine has a history of graft and shaky governance and is under pressure to show it can be a reliable steward of billions of dollars in Western aid.

SOURCE: REUTERS
The United States said on Wednesday it would supply Ukraine with 31 of its most advanced battle tanks after Germany broke a taboo with a similar announcement, moves hailed by Kyiv as a potential turning point in its battle to repel Russias invasion.

The U.S. decision to deliver M1 Abrams tanks helped break a diplomatic logjam with Germany over how to best to help Kyiv in its war with Russia, which hours earlier had condemned Berlins decision to provide Leopard 2 tanks as a dangerous provocation.

Washington had been wary of the idea of deploying the difficult-to-maintain Abrams but had to change tack to persuade Germany to send its more easily operated Leopard 2 tanks  the workhorse of NATO armies across Europe  to Ukraine.

President Joe Biden announced the U.S. decision in remarks at the White House, saying the tanks were needed to help the Ukrainians improve their ability to maneuver in open terrain.

Biden thanked Germany for its move and listed further military hardware that NATO allies and other European countries were supplying. Germany has really stepped up, he said.

The expectation on the part of Russia is were going to break up, Biden said of the United States and European allies. But we are fully, totally and thoroughly united.

Kyiv has been calling for months for Western main battle tanks that would give its forces greater firepower, protection and mobility to break through long-static front lines and potentially reclaim occupied territory in the east and south.

Senior Biden administration officials said it would take some months for the Abrams to be delivered and described the move as providing for Ukraines long-term defence.

There is no offensive threat to Russia (itself), Biden said. Moscow increasingly casts the war as a perilous face-off between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO alliance.

PATH TO VICTORY

The White House said Biden spoke on Wednesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and prime ministers Giorgia Meloni of Italy and Rishi Sunak of Britain on their nations cooperation in support for Kyiv.

Germany, previously the Wests holdout amid deep reluctance to export offensive weapons given its Nazi past, said it would send an initial company of 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks from its own stocks and also approve shipments by allied European states.

The eventual aim would be to supply Ukraine with two battalions of Leopards, typically comprising three or four companies each, the first to arrive within three or four months.

Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine, Scholz told the German parliament.

Scholz said later that Germany would send further military aid to Kyiv beyond the Leopards delivery, including for example air defence, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed Washingtons decision on Abrams tanks and thanked Scholz for the Leopards. He tweeted: Today the free world is united as never before for a common goal, which he described as the liberation of Ukraine.

The main thing is that this is only the beginning. We need hundreds of tanks, Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraines presidential administration, said in a post on Telegram.

TABOO BROKEN

The German and U.S. moves definitively scrapped one of the last taboos in Western support for Ukraine: providing arms that have a mainly offensive rather than defensive purpose. The West has been reluctant to send heavy offensive weapons for fear of provoking nuclear power Russia.

Russia reacted with fury to Germanys decision, saying Berlin was abandoning its historical responsibility to Russia arising from Nazi crimes in World War Two when Hitlers forces invaded the Soviet Union.

This extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation, said Sergei Nechayev, Moscows ambassador to Germany.

Pledges to Ukraine from other countries that field Leopards, which Germany made in the thousands and exported to allies in NATO, multiplied this week as big powers the United States and Germany appeared to patch up differences over their approach.

Finland and Norway announced they would send Leopards, as did Poland, which has already sought Berlins approval.

Spain and the Netherlands said they were considering it. Britain has offered a company of 14 of its comparable Challenger tanks and France is considering sending its Leclercs.

Moscow says supplies of modern offensive weaponry to Ukraine will only postpone what it says will be its inevitable victory. Anatoly Antonov, Russias ambassador in Washington, said deliveries of U.S. tanks would be another blatant provocation.

WITHDRAWAL FROM SOLEDAR

Since Ukraine clawed back some territory in the summer and autumn of 2022, the war has become a bloody, deadlocked slog and Kyiv believes Western heavy weapons can restore its momentum.

Kyiv acknowledged on Wednesday its forces had withdrawn from Soledar, a small salt-mining town in the east that Russia had claimed to capture more than a week ago, its biggest gain for more than half a year.

The town is close to Bakhmut, a larger city that has been the focus of an intense Russian assault for weeks.

The Russian-installed governor of Ukraines Donetsk region said units of Russias Wagner contract militia were now moving forward inside Bakhmut, with fighting on the outskirts and in neighbourhoods recently held by Ukraine.

Reuters could not verify the situation there.

In the 11 months since it invaded, Russia has killed thousands of civilians, forced millions from their homes and reduced entire cities to rubble.

It says its special military operation was necessary to stem a security threat arising from Ukraines ties to the West, which it now portrays as seeking to destroy it. Kyiv and its allies say Ukraine never menaced Russia and the invasion is a war of aggression to subdue a neighbour and seize land.

SOURCE: REUTERS
LAS VEGAS  Communities In Schools of Nevada (CIS), the nations leading evidence-based dropout prevention organization serving 92 schools with regional offices in the Clark, Elko, Humboldt and Washoe County school districts, announces its students achieved a 94% graduation rate for the 2021-2022 school year and 99% of kindergarten through 11th grade students advancing to the next grade level.

CIS 94% graduation rate is based on 453 high school seniors from 14 Title I or high-needs public schools across the state who are case-managed by CIS staff. Case management is CISs most intensive intervention, serving students with tremendous potential and who often lack equal opportunity to succeed because of systemic inequities experienced due to race, zip code or socioeconomic background. Of these CIS case-managed students that graduated, 50% plan to attend college (associates or bachelors degree), 32% plan to join the workforce, 14% plan to get a certification, apprenticeship or attend a trade school and 4% plan to join the military.

We commend our students for achieving a 94% graduation rate for the 2021-2022 school year, an unprecedented year given it was the first full school year back to in-person since the pandemic, said Tami Hance-Lehr, CEO and state director, Communities In Schools of Nevada. This metric truly speaks to the effectiveness of our evidence-based model of Integrated Student Supports and demonstrates what we can achieve when we collectively look at the whole child and provide tailored support for each student.

For the 2021-2022 school year, CIS served 75,697 students in kindergarten through 12th grade at 81 schools throughout Nevada and case-managed a total of 4,795 students.

CIS graduation rate increased by two percent compared to the previous, 2020-2021 school year. The 94% graduation rate ties CIS record which was achieved in the 2018-2019 school year. All data is authenticated through a rigorous verification process by the Communities In Schools National Office.

CIS is proud of the students it serves who have graduated or advanced to the next grade level from high-need, Title I schools, where a large percentage of the student population lives in poverty. Students of color and those living in poverty face significant opportunity gaps, as evidenced by the disaggregated graduation rates for Nevada in the 2021-22 school year.

Compared to the state overall graduation rate as released by the Nevada Department of Education, CIS of Nevada student graduation rates are 17.1 percentage points higher than statewide average for Black and African American students (85.5%), 14 percentage points greater for Latinx and Hispanic students (94.7%), 13.3 percentage points greater for multi-Racial students (94.9%), and 11.8 percentage points greater for Caucasian students (97.9%). Since inception of CIS of Nevada in 2004, the nonprofit has demonstrated measurable success in student outcomes.

CIS site coordinators are interwoven into schools to build meaningful relationships with students, families, staff, and the broader community to bring necessary support into the school building. The organization taps into a statewide network of more than 120 community nonprofits, partners, and agencies, literally bringing the community into the school, to get students whatever they need to overcome the barriers they face that prevent them from achieving academically.

From eyeglasses, dental care, health care and professional counseling, to food, school supplies, clothing and even housing, CIS identifies student needs and finds a way to address them, closing the gaps these students experience in their everyday lives. CIS long-term vision is for every child enrolled in a Title I or high-needs school to have access to a CIS site coordinator and the organizations evidence-based model of Integrated Student Supports, otherwise known as wraparound services.
Clonmel World Music is introducing a new festival of music.

The inaugural Suirfest event will take place over two weekends in late January and early February this year.

Tim O'Brien will play this Friday January 27 to kick-off the festival at Moynihans while the following weekend starting on Thursday February 2 there will be performances by Donal Clancy at Moynihans followed by performances on Friday February 3 by Clonmel Story Slam at Moynihans and Special Consensus on Saturday February 4 at Raheen House.

Suirfest will be a music event offering folk, bluegrass, blues and the spoken word.

Clonmel World Music is proud to be returning, in 2023, for its 14th year of promoting gigs in Clonmel.

The highly successful gigs are run by local music promoter Gerry Lawless, along with Chrissie Moylan, Tom Moylan, Angela Lawless and Roisin Lawless. Pat Doheny has provided the sound and lighting for all the shows.

LOCAL VENUES

Local venues used over the years for shows include Raheen House Hotel, Moynihans Bar, Hotel Minella, Bakers Bar and Hearns Hotel.

Clonmel World Music has brought top-class bands to Clonmel from all over Ireland, the UK, Newfoundland , the USA and Canada.

Gerry Lawless says: I have promoted 121 shows in Clonmel for the last 13 years. It is a real pleasure to bring the artists to Clonmel, especially the musicians from America. Most of the artists had never heard of the town, and they all leave with great memories of Clonmel and its people. The most important aspect of it all for me is to foster a music listening environment. We look after the artists as well as possible, and we are able to get the best quality musicians to come to Clonmel because of the great public support from the people of Clonmel. I have also booked full Irish tours for selected artists from America, and I have booked four Irish tours for the new Makem and Clancy shows (Rory and Donal).

The Clonmel World Music audience is comprised mainly of locals from Clonmel and its surrounding towns and villages, many of whom come to all of the gigs. The shows have also had music fans travelling to Clonmel from abroad and from all over Ireland for the gigs, bringing great exposure for the town amongst music fans who may not otherwise have come to Clonmel.

A couple even travelled from Hungary especially for the last gig in December, says Gerry.

SUIRFEST 2023

Clonmel World Music starts its 2023 programme with its own festival, Suirfest, running over two weekends in late January/early February.

Its a great way to banish the winter blues, and end a long January on a positive note. The second weekend coincides with the new St Brigids Day Bank Holiday, so we hope to make It an annual event at this time, says Gerry. The Festival features two American acts and two Irish acts, between Raheen House Hotel and Moynihans. Suirfest last ran in 2019, before the pandemic years.

All tickets are on sale on clonmelworldmusic.com.

Book early to avoid disappointment, as Gerry expects the shows to sell-out.

Friday, January 27 Tim OBrien  Moynihans 9pm

Suirfest starts with the American legend Tim OBrien , with Jan Fabricas

Gerry Lawless says: I got the opportunity to put on the great two-time Grammy winner Tim OBrien in Clonmel, while he is over for Festivals in Dublin and Cork  I couldnt say no to that!

Tim OBrien is from West Virginia, USA. He moved to Nashville in the nineties, where he became a first-call mandolin, guitar, fiddle and banjo player on Music City sessions, and collaborated with artists like Steve Earle, Sturgill Simpson and Dan Auerbach.

Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, and the Dixie Chicks recorded his compositions. In 2015 he won his second Grammy award as a member of the bluegrass super group the Earls of Leicester, a nice companion for OBriens first Grammy in 2005 for Best Traditional Folk Album Fiddlers Green.

He has released more than ten studio albums, in addition to charting a duet with Kathy Mattea entitled The Battle Hymn of Love, a No. 9 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.
Lay-offs by Google globally will have some impact in Ireland, Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney admitted, but he said the workers affected would have no difficulty finding new tech jobs.

Minister Coveney spoke following a meeting with the Head of Google in Ireland, Adaire Fox-Martin on Tuesday evening.

Google's parent company Alphabet announced last week that it was cutting 6% of its global workforce., with 12,000 jobs expected to go.

"Decisions have been made globally, in terms of reducing their cost base, in the context of huge growth last year, which will have some impact in Ireland. But let's wait and see over the next few weeks what the numbers will actually be," Minister Coveney told RTE News.

"But I can assure you, that people who are working for Google today, who are impacted by this, will not have a difficulty in finding tech jobs in other areas of the economy, and we will work with them to make sure that happens," the minister added.

Google's CEO confirmed that the company will lay-off 12,000 staff in an email sent to employees on Friday.

Sundar Pichai said he had "some difficult news to share" as the company plans to shed 6 per cent of its global workforce.

"Weve decided to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles. Weve already sent a separate email to employees in the US who are affected. In other countries, this process will take longer due to local laws and practices.

"This will mean saying goodbye to some incredibly talented people we worked hard to hire and have loved working with. Im deeply sorry for that. The fact that these changes will impact the lives of Googlers weighs heavily on me, and I take full responsibility for the decisions that led us here," Mr Pichai said.
[January 25, 2023] Chris Laslovich Joins Blackfoot Communications as Public Affairs Manager

Blackfoot Communications announced that Chris Laslovich has joined as Public Affairs Manager to increase communications and build relationships with leaders at the local, state and federal levels. Mr. Laslovich most recently served in a Business Development role at Stockman Bank, the Montana-based banking, wealth management and insurance institution. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005469/en/ Chris Laslovich (Photo: Business Wire)



As Blackfoot continues to expand its fiber network and introduces new residential, small business and enterprise services across Montana and Idaho, the company intends to communicate its impact on the communities and businesses it serves. Mr. Laslovich will meet with business, community and policy leaders to educate and advocate for the company's funding, policy and outreach positions.

"Since 1954, Blackfoot Communications has focused on connecting people, businesses and communities to more. Chris will represent the impact our company is having with leaders across our state and beyond," said Jason Williams, Blackfoot Communications chief executive officer. "I am thrilled Chris is joining us to work with local, regional and federal leaders to showcase the outstanding work our team is doing in our communities." Since 2016, Blackfoot has been building a multi-state fiber optic network to ensure customers will benefit from a fast, reliable and secure high-speed broadband network, delivering internet, voice and other advanced services for decades to come. "Growing up in Montana, the Blackfoot team was always appreciated and respected for its commitment to the communities they serve," said Chris Laslovich, Blackfoot Communications public affairs manager. "As we partner with agencies at the local level and beyond, it's important to ensure leaders across the spectrum are aware of the impact our network expansion is having. From new jobs to remote schooling to critical infrastructure, Blackfoot continues to invest in moving Montana forward." For more information: Blackfoot Communications fiber network: blackfoot.com/fiberiscoming

Blackfoot Communications network expansion: blackfootcommunications.com/networkupgrades

Blackfoot Communications news: blackfootcommunications.com/news View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005469/en/

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[January 25, 2023] Sterling Ranch Plans to Roll Out up to 8-Gig Internet in Partnership With Lumen

Sterling Ranch, Colorado's 21st century master-planned community with more than 1,600 occupied homes (12,000-plus residences are planned) on 3,400 acres, is proud to announce an expansion of its existing relationship with Lumen (formerly CenturyLink) that will bring some of the fastest internet speeds to any community in the Denver metro area. Sterling Ranch (www.sterlingranchcolorado.com) has always been a leader in the market with high-speed internet and this is the next leap forward. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005110/en/ (Graphic: Sterling Ranch) The new technology, XGS-PON, is expected to be available throughout all of Sterling Ranch by the end of 2024 and will enable internet speeds o up to 8 gigabits per second, 40 times faster than the average advertised U.S. download speed*. This is possible due to the investment by Sterling Ranch to have fiber into every home in the community.



"Providing our residents with the ultimate in technology has always been our vision for Sterling Ranch, and the introduction of the XGS-PON technology is the latest example of how our goals are continuing to be achieved," said Brock Smethills, President of Sterling Ranch Development Company. "Whether it's for our many residents who work from home and depend on fast internet speeds and strong connections, managing their utility usage, water and energy conservation, or home safety and security, we are developing a 'smart city' at Sterling Ranch." The XGS-PON technology is being made available at Sterling Ranch by Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), through its premier fiber internet service, Quantum Fiber. The multi-gig service delivers up to 8 gigabits per second symmetrical internet speeds currently in select locations with plans to add new areas throughout 2023 and 2024.

Quantum Fiber is built for the always-online home and small business, with a focus on symmetrical high-speed fiber connectivity and a fully enabled digital customer experience offering: Gigabit and multi-gigabit broadband speeds

Unlimited data on a 99.9% reliable network based on network uptime or availability

Symmetrical upload and download speeds

100% digital ordering and subscription-based billing * Based on the weighted average advertised U.S. data connection download speed of participating Internet Service Providers of 193.9 Mbps. FCC Measuring Fixed Broadband Eleventh Report, December 2021. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005110/en/

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[January 25, 2023] Strongpoint Partners Announces Partnership with Retirement Strategies Group to Close Transformational FY22

Strongpoint Partners ("Strongpoint" or the "Company"), a tech-enabled financial services platform focused on third-party administration of retirement plans, recordkeeping, payroll, and HR solutions for SMBs, today announced a new partnership with Retirement Strategies Group ("RSG"). The partnership comes on the heels of an exceptional year of business performance and growth for Strongpoint in 2022. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005208/en/ Backed by Shore Capital Partners ("Shore" or "Shore Capital"), a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on microcap investing, Strongpoint combines an integrated software platform for outsourced retirement services alongside a relentless passion for service and innovation. Strongpoint experienced transformational growth across the company during 2022, ending the year up 137 percent in plans under management and with over 80 percent growth of its employee headcount across Strongpoint and its affiliate network. The expanded team will support the growth of Strongpoint's industry leading retirement third party administration ("TPA"), recordkeeping, and payroll platform. Strongpoint capped its year with a new partnership with Retirement Strategies Group, an independent, third-party administration firm headquartered in New Orleans. Founded in 1999, RSG is one of the region's leading specialists in the 401(k) arena, offering expertise to advisors, brokers, and plan sponsors. "RSG is extremely proud of the business and reputation we've built over the last 20 years, but we were looking for a partner that could help take us to that next level," said Joey Bender, Co-Founder of RSG. "Joining Strongpoint Partners gives us the infrastructure, access to other industry leaders, and tools we need to continue to evolve RSG to meet the demands of a rapidly growing marketplace. Strongpoint recognized the value of te brand we've built, and rather than consume it, gave us tools to empower our brand and our people, which reinforces why we're so excited about joining the Strongpoint Partners family of brands."



As a leading TPA firm in New Orleans, RSG has built a reputation that aligns with Strongpoint's culture of service that puts clients and partners at the forefront of everything. "As we expand our investment in the retirement plan administration marketplace, it is key that we identify partners that share the same customer-centric service culture that differentiates the Strongpoint Partners family of brands from the rest of the industry," said Danny Hest, Chief Executive Officer at Strongpoint Partners. "RSG personifies that approach. In just a few short weeks, we're already seeing the benefits of RSG's extensive experience and expertise. We are excited about investing in the RSG brand to increase the breadth of products and services they can deliver to their clients across the southeastern United States."

Together, Strongpoint and Shore will continue to explore opportunities for growth through new partnerships and business development, and will continue to invest in the Company's products and infrastructure. Mickey Jiang, Principal at Shore Capital, said, "It has been a pleasure to partner with Danny and team to execute our shared vision of establishing the premier network of retirement TPAs. We look forward to continuing to explore opportunities for growth through new partnerships, business developments, and investments in the Company's products and infrastructure this coming year." "2023 will be a year of increased expansion and investment for Strongpoint Partners," continued Hest. "As we continue to build the leading retirement and payroll services provider across the United States, we remain fully committed to our company's core mission to provide the highest quality services for our customers while pursuing a relentless passion for innovation." To learn more about Strongpoint Partners, please visit www.strongpointpartners.com or email [email protected]. About Strongpoint Partners Strongpoint Partners is a tech-enabled financial services platform that provides third party retirement administration ("TPA"), payroll, HR, and recordkeeping to small-and-medium businesses ("SMB"). Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices in Riverwoods, Illinois, Boulder, Colorado, and Northern California, Strongpoint combines an integrated software platform for outsourced retirement and payroll services alongside a relentless passion for service and innovation. For more information, please visit: www.strongpointpartners.com. About Retirement Strategies Group Since 1999, Retirement Strategies Group (RSG) has been providing customized retirement plan solutions for businesses ranging from sole proprietor to thousands of employees. Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, our senior staff of administrators and industry-certified technicians average more than 20 years of experience as a third-party administrator of qualified retirement plans. Our associates stay abreast of governmental regulations and rulings, advising clients of changes to ensure each plan we administer remains compliant in an industry known for change and volatility. For more information, please visit: www.rsgweb.com. About Shore Capital Partners Shore Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is focused on microcap investments within the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services and Real Estate industries. Shore supports management partners with capital, business development expertise and industry knowledge to accelerate growth, fund acquisitions and generate value for shareholders. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow and significant growth potential, including organic growth and growth through industry consolidation. Shore has approximately $3 billion of cumulative capital commitments through various investment vehicles. For more information, please visit: www.shorecp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005208/en/

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[January 24, 2023] PLANET FITNESS ALERT: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is Investigating Planet Fitness, Inc. on Behalf of Planet Fitness Stockholders and Encourages Investors to Contact the Firm

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized stockholder rights law firm, is investigating potential claims against Planet Fitness, Inc. ("Planet Fitness" or the "Company") (NYSE: PLNT) on behalf of Planet Fitness stockholders. Our investigation concerns whether Planet Fitness has violated the federal securities laws and/or engaged in other unlawful business practices. Click here to participate in the action. On January 19, 2023, market analyst The Bear Cave published a report titled "Problems at Planet Fitness." Among other things, the report alleged that Planet Fitness released an inaccurate slide understating market saturation in an investor presentation, and that, as a standard practice, it overbilled customers and prevented them from cancelling their memberships, resulting in lawsuits around the country. After reviewing the evidence, The Bear Cave stted it was "left wondering whether Planet Fitness is actually a thriving gym franchise or an illegal billing operation with gyms on the side."



On this news, Planet Fitness's stock price fell $1.96 per share, or 2.4%, in intraday trading. If you purchased or otherwise acquired Planet Fitness shares and suffered a loss, are a long-term stockholder, have information, would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Brandon Walker or Melissa Fortunato by email at [email protected], by telephone at (212) 355-4648, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you.

About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York and California. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230124005952/en/

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[January 24, 2023] High-Protein, Gluten-Free Pasta: Chula's Research to Ensure the Good Health of Gluten-Intolerant People

BANGKOK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A faculty member of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Science has researched and developed high-protein, gluten-free pasta noodles for gluten-intolerant health-lovers. For noodle lovers, pasta is one popular item with its chewy yet soft texture and delicious taste. However, not everyone can fully enjoy pasta due to intolerance to gluten for some a type of protein commonly found in wheat products, including pasta. "Studies show that some consumers are intolerant to gluten and are unable to consume any foods containing the protein. Ingestion could lead to the dysfunction of multiple systems in the body. In the digestive system, for example, it could cause severe damage to the small intestine, reducing the ability to digest and absorb foods. We wanted to develop a gluten-free pasta product to serve the needs of this group of consumers, as well as those who care about their health," explained Associate Professor Dr. Kanitha Tananuwong, a lecturer at the Department of Food Technology, the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, head of the research team, of the background of the research and development of highprotein, glutenfree pasta from mung beans. Mung Beans, the Solution for Gluten-Free Pasta Although gluten-free pasta is now available in the market, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kanitha said such products are made from rice flour, which causes the pasta to lose the chewiness that makes it unique. They also have lower protein content than wheat pasta. Nowadays, many attempts have been made to heighten the quality of rice flour pasta by adding ingredients. To increase the protein, animal-based proteinslike egg white and whey proteins or plant-based proteins like soybeans have been added. Different types of hydrocolloids have also been used to improve the texture and cooking quality, but such ingredients may need to be imported or are expensive.



"Mung beans are an alternative ingredient which has the appropriate qualities. The best part is they can increase protein to pasta and help with the texture and cooking quality, not to mention that they're easy to find here in Thailand," said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kanitha. Recipe Testing for Concentrated Mung Bean Protein Pasta

The research team came up with the perfect recipes for developing gluten-free pasta using the scientific and statistical methods. With three main ingredientsrice flour, mung bean flour, and concentrated mung bean protein, they developed 4 basic pasta recipes with 17-24% of protein, which is higher than wheat pasta, which contains only 14% of protein. "After mixing the pasta dough, we ran it through a pasta extruder to make spaghetti using the extrusion process under high temperatures, pressure, and mechanical shear. Then, the cut pasta is dehydrated until the moisture is no more than 12%," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kanitha detailed the process. The finished pasta must be inspected for significant characteristics, such as an evaluation of cooking quality and of cooked pasta texture under a texture analyzer. More importantly, consumers' acceptance was tested through a tasting of cooked pasta. Gluten-Free Pasta from Chula Well Received by Consumers Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kanitha said for the appearance, taste, and texture when mixed with a sauce and overall preference, the gluten-free pasta with 20% protein, which is the best recipe developed, received similar scores to wheat pasta, but with higher protein content, making this gluten-free pasta both delicious and good for health. Not only does this gluten-free pasta meet the health demands, but it also contributes to improving the quality of life and economy of our farmers. The ingredients used in developing the pasta are domestically grown, which can increase income for Thai farmers and reduce the country's expenses from importing ingredients. From Research to Department Stores, a Collaboration with the Business Sector Thai Wah (Public Company Limited), which has funded the research project, has successfully received the research on high-protein, gluten-free pasta. "A benefit of collaborating with the private sector is our research has a chance to hit the shelves in the market. With a clear research problem, we can directly respond to the needs of the industrial sector. The funding company also contributed to a pasta extruder machine to create the pasta in our project," said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kanitha. She also mentioned future collaborations with the private sector to refine the production of concentrated plant-based proteins to be used in making alternative protein drinks for the good health of everyone. For more information: Associate Professor Kanitha Tananuwong, Ph.D. Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University Tel. +66 2218 5515-6 Email: [email protected] For the full release and more images, please visit: https://www.chula.ac.th/en/highlight/97869/ About Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University sets the standard as a university of innovations for society and is listed in the World's Top 100 Universities for Academic Reputation, in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2021. If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Miss Thanita Wangvanichapan at (+66) 2218 3280 or email [email protected] SOURCE Chulalongkorn University

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[January 25, 2023] Sosei Heptares Webinar Presentation for FY2022 Financial Results

TOKYO and CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sosei Group Corporation (the Company; TSE: 4565), the world leader in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) focused structure-based drug design (SBDD) and development, will announce its earnings results and present operational highlights for the 12 months ended 31 December 2022 on Tuesday, 14 February 2023.

The Company will host a webinar presentation in-person and virtually for institutional investors, securities analysts and the press with Chris Cargill, President and CEO, and Hironoshin Nomura, CFO at 5 pm JST (8 am GMT) in Tokyo. The webinar is open to all existing and potential investors as well and will consist of a presentation followed by a Q&A session. Please click here to pre-register, which will provide a link to access the webinar. Japanese/English simultaneous interpretation will be provided. Presentation slides will be made available by 3:30 pm JST (6:30 am GMT) on 14 February 2023 through the investor section of the Companys Home Page here. Archive streaming will be available here on the companys website after the event. About Sosei Heptares

We are an international biopharmaceutical group focused on the discovery and early development of new medicines originating from our proprietary GPCR-targeted StaR technology and structure-based drug design platform capabilities. We are advancing a broad and deep pipeine of novel medicines across multiple therapeutic areas, including neurology, immunology, gastroenterology, and inflammatory diseases.



We have established partnerships with some of the worlds leading pharmaceutical companies and multiple emerging technology companies, including AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Genentech (Roche), GSK, Kallyope, Lilly, Neurocrine Biosciences, Novartis, Pfizer, Takeda and Verily. Sosei Heptares is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with corporate and R&D facilities in Cambridge, UK. Sosei Heptares is the corporate brand and trademark of Sosei Group Corporation, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (ticker: 4565). Sosei, Heptares, the logo and StaR are trademarks of Sosei Group companies.

For more information, please visit https://soseiheptares.com/

LinkedIn: @soseiheptaresco | Twitter: @soseiheptaresco | YouTube: @soseiheptaresco Enquiries: Sosei Heptares  Media and Investor Relations Hironoshin Nomura, Chief Financial Officer

Shinichiro Nishishita, VP Investor Relations, Head of Regulatory Disclosures

Candelle Chong, SVP Investor Relations and Corporate Strategy

Japan: +81 (0)3 5210 3399 | United Kingdom: +44 (0)1223 949390 | [email protected] MEDiSTRAVA Consulting (for International Media)

Mark Swallow, Frazer Hall, Eleanor Perkin

+44 (0)203 928 6900 | [email protected] Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the discovery, development, and commercialization of products. Various risks may cause Sosei Group Corporations actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: adverse results in clinical development programs; failure to obtain patent protection for inventions; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; dependence upon strategic alliance partners to develop and commercialize products and services; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to market products and services resulting from development efforts; the requirement for substantial funding to conduct research and development and to expand commercialization activities; and product initiatives by competitors. As a result of these factors, prospective investors are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.



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[January 25, 2023] SBM-NMIMS Mumbai Hosts the 8th Conference of Indian Academy of Management

MUMBAI, India, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal's (SVKM's) Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Deemed-to-be University, Mumbai, is elated to share that the 8th conference of Indian Academy of Management (INDAM) held by the School of Business Management (SBM) from 6th - 8th January 2023 was a resounding success. The conference, cleped INDAM 2023 @ SBM-NMIMS Mumbai, brought together academic leaders and industry experts, among 300 researchers in business management and allied domains. INDAM conferences are well recognised as most prominent knowledge-sharing platforms that offer an array of opportunities for academicians and professionals to collaborate. Participants at INDAM 2023 conference had opportunities to disseminate their research findings, network with interest groups, and engage in interactive workshops and panel discussions. The INDAM 2023 conference's theme was curated on the contemporary topic of 'Digital Economy Post COVID-19 Era', as digital transformations across industries have accelerated during the pandemic. More than 400 research papers from 20 countries, including India, Australia, Canada, China, France, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, were received for consideration for presentation. Post rigorous review process, a total of 280 research papers were invited for presentation. Additionally, Doctoral Colloquium and Paper Development Workshop were also conducted as pre-conference events on 5th January 2023. The conference commenced with a welcome address by Prof. Ramesh Bhat, Vice-Chancellor, SVKM's NMIMS Deemed-to-be University. He expressed, "It was exhilarating to host the 8th INDAM conference at our institution. It was a great opportunity for our faculty, students, and alumni to engage with some of the most respected minds in the management field, and to gain valuable insights that will help shape their careers and contribute to the advancement of the management profession in the digital era." The conference was enlightened with keynote speeches by accomplished thought leaders. Prof. Amy Hillman, President of Academy of Management, articulated the use of technology along with subjective factors that can contribute to the growth of researchers. Prof. Arup Varma from Loyola University, Chicago, explained the genesis of INDAM emphasizing the need for commitment to branch out the research domain in diverse dimensions. Prof. Madan Pillutla, the Dean of Indian School of Business Hyderabad, accentuated the applicability of research in Indian context and inclusion of research papers in academic curricula. Mr. Srikanth Subramanian, CEO at Kotak Cherry and a proud alumnus of SBM-NMIMS Mumbai, shared his views on the role of technology in bringing transformation and a way forward to have an inclusive society. Prof. Farok J. Contractor from Rutgers Business School imparted his views of India's contribution in management research at global stage and articulated the roles of researchers in fulfilling India's economic growth aspirations. Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director of IIM Bangalore, presented linkages between strategy and innovation, and how technology enables the same. Ms. Nupoor Singh, Senior Editor from Springer Nature, reinforced the paramount importance of academic integrity through her address on ethical standards in research publications. Mr. Manoj Belgaonkar, the Head of Regulations, Standards & Quality Management at Siemens Ltd., shared his insights on driving digital transformation in prospering India. Prof. Sushanta Mishra, President of INDAM, aptly accentuated, "The conference provides an opportunity for academicians, professionals, and policymakers to come together and share their knowledge, learn about various aspects of management, and build valuable professional connections. With the theme of 'Digital Economy Post COVID-19 Era', the conference delves into how technology has provided a silver lining during thepandemic and how it continues to shape the future."



Research papers were divided into 14 tracks covering varied spectrum of topics, such as, digital economy in the post-COVID era (the conference theme), case studies on conference theme, consumer behaviour and marketing, contemporary topics, economics and finance/accounting, entrepreneurship and small business management, environmental, social, and governance compliance, future of work, human resource management, inclusive workplaces, information systems and decision sciences, international business and strategy, operations and supply chain management. An eclectic mix of academicians from India and abroad constituted the team of track chairs. Dr. Ashish Malik (University of Newcastle), Dr. Shubhabrata Basu (IIM Indore), Dr. Sourindra Banerjee (University of Leeds), Dr. Kiran Awate (Virginia Tech), Prof. Sobhesh Agarwalla (IIM Ahmedabad), Dr. Paresha Sinha (University of Waikato), Dr. Nagaraj Sivasubramaniam (Duquesne University), Dr. Rupashree Baral (IIT Madras), Dr. Santanu Sarkar (XLRI Jamshedpur), Dr. Kunal Kamal Kumar (IIM Udaipur), Dr. Jang Bahadur Singh (IIM Trichy), Prof. Surender Munjal (University of Leeds), Dr. Roopak Gupta (IIM Kozhikode), and Dr. Bhavin Shah (IIM Indore) managed the tracks along with Dr. Sayantan Khanra, Dr. Ashu Sharma, Dr. Hitesh Kalro, Dr. Manisha Sharma, Dr. Rajasulochana, Dr. Kalpana Tokas, Prof. Meena Galliara, Dr. Amita Shivhare, Dr. Geeta D'souza, Dr. Veena Vohra, Dr. Abhinav Sharma, Dr. Alaknanda Menon, Dr. Manjari Srivastava, and Dr. Akshay Khanzode from SBM-NMIMS. Prof. Prashant Mishra, the Dean of SBM-NMIMS Mumbai, shared his insights about the conference theme, "The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitization of many industries, presenting both challenges and opportunities for organizations. The conference provided a platform for professionals, academicians, policymakers, and thought leaders to discuss and share their research on the digital economy in the post-pandemic world."

Event Summary Day 1 (06th January, 2023) The session was inaugurated with Saraswati and Ganesha Vandana, auspicious lamp lighting ceremony, and welcome addresses by Prof. Ramesh Bhat and Prof. Sushanta Mishra. Shri Shalin Divatia, Honorary Joint Secretary of SVKM, shared how SVKM has blossomed into an educational colossus across the nation from a humble foundation. The inauguration ceremony observed the launch of conference proceedings comprising of over 60 full-length research papers, and another conference proceeding including abstracts of all research papers presented at INDAM 2023 @ SBM-NMIMS Mumbai. The audience were enlightened with keynote speeches by Prof. Amy Hillman, Prof. Arup Varma, Prof. Madan Pillutla, and Mr. Srikanth Subramanian, followed by an eloquently informative Meet-the-Editors Session. Accomplished editors of renowned journals shared insights on expectations from a submission to a top-quality management journal. The Meet-the-Editors Session was moderated by Prof Arup Varma, and graced by Prof. Ajai Gaur (Editor in chief, Journal of World Business, and Consulting Editor, Journal of International Business Studies), Prof. Allan Bird (Editor, Journal of International Business Studies), Prof. Elizabeth Rose (Editor, Academy of Management Collections), Prof. Pawan Budhwar (Co-Editor in Chief, Human Resource Management Journal), Prof. Vijay Pereira (Editor, Journal of Business Research, and Global Real Impact Editor, Journal of Knowledge Management) and Prof. Vikas Kumar (Editor in Chief, Journal of International Management). Day 2 (07th January, 2023) The conference organisers welcomed a delegation from the Center for International Business Education and Research, Florida International University, the United States. The second day was charged with powerful speeches by Prof. Farok J. Contractor and Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, followed by an insightful Meet-the-Directors Session moderated by Prof. Prashant Mishra. The session involved a panel discussion on the future of management education with eminent panelists: Prof. Ajit Parulekar (Goa Institute of Management), Prof. Devendra Kodwani (Open University, UK), Prof. Pawan Budhwar (Aston Business School), and Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani (IIM Raipur). Next, a session discussed about two new books that offer valuable insights and guidance to professionals for excelling in today's fast-paced, digital business environment. The first book titled 'The Digital Multinational: Navigating the New Normal in Global Business' is authored by management experts Prof. Satish Nambisan and Prof. Yadong Luo, while Dr. Arvind Agrawal and Prof. TV Rao penned the second book, 'Leaders in the Making'. Day 2 concluded with the much awaited Award Ceremony and a Gala Dinner at a serene hotel located on the Juhu Beach. Authors of a total of 25 papers from different tracks were awarded, track chairs and session chairs were felicitated, and 25 reviewers were recognised for their valuable service to the conference. The organisers of the conference took pride in presenting the lifetime achievement award to Prof. Jagdish Seth from Emory University. Prof. Seth has immensely contributed to management education, research and practice in India. Day 3 (08th January, 2023) The final day of the conference included a panel discussion on Decolonizing Management knowledge in India  Promoting Pluri-versalism through indigenous knowledge of paradigms. The discussion was moderated by Prof. Ramya T. Venkateswaran (IIM Calcutta) and Dr. Ashish Pandey (IIT Bombay), while the panel comprised of accomplished academicians: Prof. B Mahadevan (IIM Bangalore), Prof Abhoy K Ojha (IIM, Bangalore), Prof Rajen K Gupta (IIM Lucknow & MDI Gurugram) and Prof. Dharm P S Bhawuk (University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA). The conference ended with a closing ceremony where Ms. Nupoor Singh and Mr. Manoj Belgaonkar delivered keynote speeches, Prof. Sushanta Mishra delivered the closing speech, and Prof. Prashant Mishra delivered the valedictory speech. On behalf of the organising team, Dr. Sayantan Khanra presented the summary of the conference before delivering a vote of thanks. The closing ceremony ended with the National Anthem. A Bollywood tour at the Mumbai Film City was organized for participants who experienced movie set-ups, recorded songs at music studios, and relished their moments at acting and dance workshops. About SBM - NMIMS SBM of SVKM's NMIMS Deemed-to-be University is one of India's leading business schools with a legacy of world-renowned faculty and excellent placement programs. NMIMS, which began as a business school 41 years ago, is known for its trailblazing curriculum. The School has consistently ranked among the top 10 B-Schools in the country since 1998 in various surveys. SVKM's NMIMS has been granted Category-I Deemed University status by Graded Autonomy Regulation 2018 by MHRD/UGC and the NMIMS Mumbai Campus is NAAC accredited with a CGPA of 3.59. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/sbm-nmims-mumbai-hosts-the-8th-conference-of-indian-academy-of-management-301730130.html

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Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told Congress on Tuesday that classified documents had been found at his home in Indiana.

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer said in a statement that Pence reached out on Tuesday about the misplaced documents.

"He has agreed to fully cooperate with congressional oversight and any questions we have about the matter," Comer said of Pence, who served as U.S. vice president from January 2017 to January 2021 under Donald Trump.

Pence's team reportedly informed the National Archives last week that a small number of potential classified documents were found in two small boxes.

The documents were collected by federal agents at Pence's home in Carmel, Indiana, on Thursday evening while Pence was in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are said to have launched a review of the documents and how they ended up in Pence's Indiana residence.

Special counsels are separately investigating the handling of classified documents by Trump and sitting U.S. President Joe Biden.

Trump took hundreds of classified records with him upon ending his presidency and resisted months of requests to return them to the federal government, the DOJ has said, noting that it had to obtain a search warrant to retrieve the documents.

The FBI searched Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware last week and located additional documents with classified markings, according to his lawyer.

The discovery was the fourth time since November 2022 that classified records or materials have been found at a private address of Biden's.

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll found that large majorities of Americans believe that both Trump and Biden acted inappropriately in handling classified documents.
[January 25, 2023] Sourcepoint announces launch of solution to pinpoint source of third-party scripts that pose privacy risks for publishers and brands

Sourcepoint, the data privacy software company for the digital marketing ecosystem, today launches Vendor Trace to provide publishers and brands with an easy way to monitor downstream vendor behavior on their websites. Vendor Trace, the new dashboard that forms part of Sourcepoint's consent management platform, is a searchable, interactive flowchart. With it, customers can isolate vulnerabilities in third-party marketing and advertising technologies and pinpoint the responsible parties. In the wake of new privacy regulations in California and Virginia and a recent spike in GDPR fines in Europe, the proliferation of vendors on websites poses significant data governance and compliance challenges to enterprises. With the launch of Vendor Trace, Sourcepoint customers can perform due diligence by easily uncovering the origin of all unauthorized cookies, pixels, and tags. Once all unauthorized scripts have been identified and evaluated, customers can esure adequate consent measures or commercial terms are in place.



Vendor Trace is the first tool on the market that allows users to visualize the chain of vendor referrals and then apply privacy compliance filters. With an emphasis on usability, the flowchart can be manipulated to show which vendors are triggering a large volume of redirects or not respecting CMP preferences. Users can layer consent action filters, such as Accept All or No Opt-Out, on top of the vendor map. Additionally, customers can apply compliance filters from the Diagnose vendor monitoring dashboard to highlight which vendors are authorized or triggering unauthorized scripts, performing possible fingerprinting, firing prior to consent, or storing consumer data. "Product and privacy teams are already overburdened when it comes to compliance. Vendor Trace is designed to make vendor governance and compliance programs more efficient," commented Frances Hudson, VP of Product, Sourcepoint. "The launch of Vendor Trace provides our customers with a crucial layer of visibility into how vendors - direct and indirect - are processing personal data."

"In the first few weeks of 2023, we've seen 11 U.S. states introduce comprehensive privacy bills and, in Europe, major fines levied against Meta and Apple for privacy violations related to personalized advertising," said Julie Rubash, Chief Privacy Counsel of Sourcepoint. "Respecting consumer privacy and regulatory compliance requires the cooperation of the entire ecosystem. Compliance monitoring tools like Vendor Trace provide much-needed checks and balances on downstream processing." About Sourcepoint Sourcepoint is the data privacy software company for the digital marketing ecosystem. It provides tools to protect consumer privacy, manage compliance and optimize revenue in a rapidly changing landscape. Founded by a team of digital advertising veterans, Sourcepoint has offices in New York, Berlin, London, and Paris. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005037/en/

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[January 25, 2023] Argilla Raises $1.6M in Seed Funding to Boost NLP Growth with the Most Advanced Data-Centric Labeling Platform

Leading AI VCs, Zetta Venture Partners and Caixa Capital Risc co-led the investment.

New capital to be used to expand the first open-source, data-centric labeling platformcurrently thousands of users across US, India , Europe , South America and Asia .

Argilla empowers enterprises to build robust NLP products through faster data labeling and curation with the easiest-to-use human-in-the-loop and programmatic labeling features. MADRID and SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Argilla , maker of the first platform that empowers enterprises to build production-ready natural language processing (NLP) solutions with a unique data-centric labeling platform, announced today $1.6 million in seed funding. The round was co-led by the first VC firm exclusively focused on investing in AI, Zetta Venture Partners, and Spanish deeptech VC focused on data infra and devtools, Caixa Capital Risc. NLP is a well-known artificial intelligence component widely used in consumer digital assistants and chatbots, as well as business applications such as sentimental analysis, textual analysis and speech analysis. Enterprise adoption of NLP technologies has continued to grow due to more affordable, scalable options, and increased processing capacity and data digitalization, as well as the convergence of NLP with deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML). As ML models become more powerful, standard, and accessible through open-source hubs like Hugging Face, high-quality training data has become the most important factor for enterprises to successfully implement NLP technologies. "A recent study by Meta and UCL London found that adding a few high-quality training data examples is more beneficial for model quality than increasing the model size by billions of parameters given that increasing model size has a huge impact on the cost of computing," said Francisco Aranda, co-founder of Argilla. "As a result, we're seeing a shift from model-centric AI to data-centric AI or to put it another waya shift from data quantity to data quality." To tackle this problem, Argilla co-founders, Daniel Vila Suero, Ph.D. and Francisco Aranda, developed the first data-centric NLP platform for data and ML teams to build and monitor high-quality training dataat a fraction of the time and cost of alternative tools. Enterprises can use Argilla to involve domain experts in their NLP lifecycle, which improves data quality and allows them to utilize the most sophisticated programmatic labeling methods from academia, which also reduces labeling costs. Argilla represents a powerful alternative to hand-labeling thousands of training examples. "Teaching a ML model continues to be a tedious process, data labeling remains a huge challenge and roadblock because it's slow, costly and labor intensive," said Roma Jelinskaite, Investment Director at Caixa Capital Risc. "We believe Argilla will play a key role in the NLP ecosystem by finally removing the tradeoff between accuracy and efficiency." Argilla's Data-Centric Labeling Platform Argilla is the first open-source, dat-centric labeling platform to offer the most sophisticated labeling practices while simultaneously being simple enough to integrate with other NLP and MLOps tools. The platform empowers teams to involve business profiles in the process, ensuring that the models meet all business requirements. By making it simple to tailor pre-trained models to specific use cases, Argilla helps businesses get the most out of their NLP solutions.



Other key benefits include: Reduces time and increases quality: Businesses can reduce time to production and improve model quality without the need for extensive manual labeling.

Businesses can reduce time to production and improve model quality without the need for extensive manual labeling. Unlocks the value of the data: Argilla makes it easier to build and deploy high-quality NLP models and unlock the value of the data.

Argilla makes it easier to build and deploy high-quality NLP models and unlock the value of the data. For data teams: Argilla simplifies the process of building complex human-in-the-loop workflows, integrates them with an existing stack, and improves models over time. It also allows teams to fine-tune any pre-trained language model to meet the specific needs of their business.

Argilla simplifies the process of building complex human-in-the-loop workflows, integrates them with an existing stack, and improves models over time. It also allows teams to fine-tune any pre-trained language model to meet the specific needs of their business. For business and domain experts: Argilla makes it easier to contribute to data and model quality without requiring programming skills and hundreds of hours of manual labeling and review. "Dani, Francis, and the team at Argilla have helped pioneer the new, data-centric approach to enterprise NLP. Their maniacal focus on bringing the most sophisticated data curation, programmatic labeling, and human-in-the-loop features to market has been rewarded by thousands of open-source and enterprise users who leverage Argilla to generate value from NLP throughout their organization," said James Alcorn, Partner at Zetta Venture Partners. "Zetta is thrilled to partner with Dani, Francis, and leading Spanish VC, Caixa Capital Risc, to help Argilla execute on its next phase of growth."

"We're thrilled to have the backing and guidance of two leading VC firms who invest in breakthrough technologies and are equally as excited about the possibilities Argilla is bringing to the NLP industry," said Vila Suero. "We know global tech leaders are looking for better solutions based on the increase in their NLP budgets. Since 2020, 60% have increased by 10%, 33% indicated it grew by at least 30% and 15% said it has more than doubled. We're continuing to invest in our platform with the single goal of empowering enterprises to build robust NLP products through faster data labeling and curation and with the easiest-to-use human-in-the-loop and programmatic labeling features." Already Argilla has thousands of users across the US, India, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. Current customers include Reale Seguros (Italy), Airbus (Germany), and Red Electrica de Espana, Idealista (Spain). Argilla's cloud offering (currently in alpha) will be available in the US and globally in Q1 2023. To learn more about Argilla and to request a demo visit argilla.io . About Argilla:

Argilla is the maker of the first platform that empowers enterprises to build production-ready natural language processing (NLP) solutions with a unique data-centric labeling platform. Argilla empowers enterprises to build robust NLP products through faster data labeling and curation with the easiest to use human-in-the-loop and programmatic labeling features. The company was founded in 2017 in Madrid, Spain by co-founders Daniel Vila Suero, Ph.D. (AI) and Francisco Aranda. To learn more or to request a demo visit argilla.io . About Zetta Venture Partners:

Zetta Venture Partners is the first VC firm focused exclusively on investing in AI. Founded in 2013the first year a zettabyte of data went across the internetthe firm manages $365M in assets across three funds. Each member of Zetta's leadership team has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, operator and investor. The San Francisco-based firm leads investment rounds in pre-traction, AI-first companies with B2B business models, including Kaggle, Domo, Domino Data Lab,and Tractable. Visit www.zettavp.com for more information. About Caixa Capital Risc:

Caixa Capital Risc (CCR) is a multi-stage VC fund based in Spain that invests in early & growth SaaS and Deep Tech companies with a particular focus on DevOps, Infrastructure, Data and Cybersecurity. CCR currently manages + 200M and is part of investment organization CriteriaCaixa, the largest investment holding in Spain with 30bn in assets. CCR has been investing since 2007 and portfolio companies have gone public or been acquired by blue-chip companies like Apple, Meta, AirBnB, Qiagen, Vente-Privee, Pernod Ricard, Repsol and similar. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/argilla-raises-1-6m-in-seed-funding-to-boost-nlp-growth-with-the-most-advanced-data-centric-labeling-platform-301730024.html SOURCE Argilla

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[January 25, 2023] Lookout Announces the Industry's Only Endpoint to Cloud Security Platform

The Lookout Cloud Security Platform consolidates endpoint security with cloud security, mitigating risk and providing a unified threat response across any mobile endpoint, app or data SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lookout, Inc. , the endpoint to cloud security company, today announced increased functionality and feature enhancements to its award-winning Lookout Cloud Security Platform  the industry's only endpoint to cloud security solution. The cloud-native platform now incorporates a unified policy framework for management and enforcement across all mobile devices, in addition to cloud, internet and private apps. New platform enhancements also include a unified agent and a single control plane for both mobile and cloud security services, delivering a cost-effective, simplified management experience for IT and security leaders. Purpose Built Security for the Hybrid Workforce According to a recent Gartner survey, 60% of knowledge workers are remote.1 In addition, a report released by Zippia highlights that 75% of employees use their personal cell phones for work.2 As organizations continue to enable their employees to work remotely, either 100% of the time or in a hybrid model, the use of mobile devices to access corporate applications, regardless of user or location, is on the rise. Workers based outside of the traditional perimeter of the data center who are accessing apps that are in the cloud, and using devices not managed by corporate IT, accelerates the need for a security solution designed for the flexible workforce that "follows" and protects corporate data wherever it flows or resides. "Point solutions result in management chaos, security gaps and poor end user experience which affects productivity for the hybrid workforce," said Chris Rodriquez, research director, IDC. "The Lookout Cloud Security Platform addresses these issues, creating a unified solution that not only delivers a comprehensive security approach from endpoint to cloud, but provides peace of mind for IT and security leaders." The Lookout Cloud Security Platform converges security service edge (SSE) and endpoint security to protect users and data wherever they reside. It continuously monitors the risk posture of users and devices to provide dynamic and granular zero trust access based on the sensitivity level of apps and data, enabling organizations to protect its workers, their devices, applications and data from unauthorized access as well as from modern day internet based threats. The expanded platform provides customers the ability to leverage the threat intelligence from mobile endpoints to make more informed decisions for cloud security services. "Digital transformation and the significant adoption of the cloud have accelerated remote work and the use of mobile and unmanaged devices, which in turn exposes organizations to new security gaps that are ripe for exploitation from bad actors," said Jim Dolce , Lookout CEO. "Lookout's mission is to secure and empower the digital future where mobility and cloud are essential to all that we do for work and play; our endpoint to cloud security platform ensures that your data is protected  regardless of device, user or location."



The Award-Winning Lookout Platform Built on the Company's patented technologies, the Lookout Cloud Security Platform combines the following security services:

Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security enables secure productivity from mobile devices  personal, managed, and unmanaged iOS, Android and Chromebook devices  by protecting against socially engineered phishing campaigns, malicious apps, risky network connections and full device compromise.

enables secure productivity from mobile devices  personal, managed, and unmanaged iOS, Android and Chromebook devices  by protecting against socially engineered phishing campaigns, malicious apps, risky network connections and full device compromise. Lookout Secure Private Access is a cloud-delivered zero trust network access (ZTNA) solution built on the principle of zero trust that provides seamless access to private enterprise applications no matter where the user or the application may be located. Unlike a VPN, Lookout Secure Private Access connects users to applications and not the network, a core principle of a zero trust architecture.

is a cloud-delivered zero trust network access (ZTNA) solution built on the principle of zero trust that provides seamless access to private enterprise applications no matter where the user or the application may be located. Unlike a VPN, Lookout Secure Private Access connects users to applications and not the network, a core principle of a zero trust architecture. Lookout Secure Internet Access is a cloud delivered secure web gateway (SWG), which includes Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), built on the principles of zero trust to protect users, underlying networks and corporate data from internet-based threats and prevent data leakage.

is a cloud delivered secure web gateway (SWG), which includes Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), built on the principles of zero trust to protect users, underlying networks and corporate data from internet-based threats and prevent data leakage. Lookout Secure Cloud Access , the Company's cloud access security broker (CASB) solution, provides seamless security across all cloud and SaaS apps with unified policies, trusted data security and validated standards compliance, offering complete visibility and control. The Lookout Cloud Security Platform includes more than 212 technology and product patents, with an additional 42 patents pending. It is the only cloud-native unified security platform that holistically addresses both endpoint and cloud security, protecting data wherever it is stored  whether on the end user device or stored in a corporate application  and wherever it moves including across networks, clouds, apps and user devices. The Company's solutions have won numerous awards including Expert Insights Best of Cloud Access Security Brokers, Cyber Defense Magazine's Global Infosec Award Winner for Next Gen in Cloud Access Security Broker, eSecurity Planet's Best Zero Trust Security Solutions for 2022 and an SC Award for Best Mobile Security Solution. For more information on the Lookout Cloud Security platform, click here . About Lookout Lookout, Inc. is the endpoint to cloud security company purpose-built for the intersection of enterprise and personal data. We safeguard data across devices, apps, networks and clouds through our unified, cloud-native security platform  a solution that's as fluid and flexible as the modern digital world. By giving organizations and individuals greater control over their data, we enable them to unleash its value and thrive. Lookout is trusted by enterprises of all sizes, government agencies and millions of consumers to protect sensitive data, enabling them to live, work and connect  freely and safely. To learn more about the Lookout Cloud Security Platform, visit www.lookout.com and follow Lookout on our blog , LinkedIn and Twitter . Contact Lookout PR: [email protected]  2023 Lookout, Inc. LOOKOUT, the Lookout Shield Design, LOOKOUT with Shield Design, SCREAM, and SIGNAL FLARE are registered trademarks of Lookout, Inc. in the United States and other countries. LOOKOUT MOBILE SECURITY and POWERED BY LOOKOUT are registered trademarks of Lookout, Inc. in the United States; and POST PERIMETER SECURITY ALLIANCE is a trademark of Lookout, Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. [1] Gartner Survey, "Top Trends in Cybersecurity 2022." [2] https://www.zippia.com/advice/byod-statistics/ View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lookout-announces-the-industrys-only-endpoint-to-cloud-security-platform-301730069.html SOURCE Lookout

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[January 25, 2023] Infinidat's InfiniBox SSA II and InfiniGuard Named Gold Winners in TechTarget's 2022 Product of the Year Awards

WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Infinidat, a leading provider of enterprise storage solutions, today announced that TechTarget has given top Product of the Year honors to two Infinidat solutions that have redefined enterprise primary storage, backup, and cyber storage resilience. Infinidats InfiniBox SSA II  all-flash storage array  was selected as the Gold Winner in the Storage Product of the Year The Best Enterprise Storage Arrays category, while Infinidats InfiniGuard solution was named the Gold Winner in the Storage Product of the Year The Top Backup and Disaster Recovery Services category. TechTargets annual Product of the Year awards are among the most prestigious global awards in the storage industry.

These two eminent awards from TechTarget validate, again, the powerful innovation that Infinidat has brought to market with the InfiniBox SSA II for primary storage and the InfiniGuard for secondary storage, said Eric Herzog, CMO of Infinidat. Its unique for a storage solution provider to win multiple Gold awards from TechTarget in a single year, but Infinidat has done it this year with our state-of-the-art, cyber storage resilient solutions. Our customers already know how special our Infinidat solutions are. With this new recognition, thanks to TechTarget, now the rest of the world knows. InfiniBox SSA II The InfiniBox SSA II is the industrys fastest all-flash storage array with unprecedented 35 microseconds of latency, allowing enterprise customers to obtain optimal application and workload performance, simplify substantial storage consolidation, increase efficiency, and reduce CAPEX and OPEX. The InfiniBox SSA II is an enterprise-class storage platform with unmatched high availability, extensive cyber storage resilience, ease of use, autonomous automation, and high reliability, plus comprehensive AIOps integration. The system delivers the same 100% availability, white glove service, and lower total cost of ownership that define the industry acclaimed InfiniBox customer experience. Infinidat delivers guaranteed SLAs on the InfiniBox SSA II for 100% availability, performance, and cyber storage resilience. One of the judges for the TechTarget Storage Products of the Year 2022 contest noted, Infinidat continues to show how to engineer for scale and performance, with an architectural cost-efficiency. This is the second consecutive year that TechTarget has singled out the InfiniBox SSA family for recognition, as in the 2021 Storage Products of the Year the InfiniBox SSA was selected for the silver award: Moving from silver last year to gold in 2022, Infinidat takes the top spot with its InfiniBox SSA II, a second-generation all-flash enterprise storage array. Judges praised its improved availability and resiliency. The InfiniBox SSA II platform for enterprise primary storage is also considered one of the ost cyber resilient and most reliable storage solutions in the industry. TechTarget highlights in its article: Infinidat now guarantees recoverability of a snapshot in under 60 seconds. InfiniBox SSA II uses Infinidats InfiniSafe reference architecture to help combat ransomware. Cyber-resilient capabilities include logical remote air gapping and immutable snapshots. In addition, TechTarget touts the companys Neural Cache for improving data storage efficiency.



InfiniGuard The InfiniGuard is a purpose-built appliance designed to ensure that enterprises and service providers are protected against ransomware, malware, internal cyber threats and other potential cyberattacks. InfiniGuard boosts cyber storage resilience based on the companys cutting-edge InfiniSafe technology, accelerating replication and transforming what is possible for modern data protection and backup. InfiniGuard has set a new standard for preparedness in the face of increasingly dangerous cyberattacks. Infinidat delivers guaranteed SLAs on the InfiniGuard platform for cyber storage resilience.

Infinidat Inc.'s InfiniGuard modern data protection and cyber resilience product received high praise from the judges for its performance and ease of integration, reported TechTarget. Scalable to 50 petabytes, InfiniGuard works with all major backup software providers and offers strong backup and recovery performance, according to the vendor. InfiniGuard includes InfiniSafe cyber resilience software at no charge. The InfiniGuard provides immutable snapshots, logical local and remote air gapping, and fenced/isolated networks uniquely in the same platform. InfiniGuard ensures that copies of the data cannot be altered, deleted, or edited in any way, providing assurance in the integrity of the data. Simultaneously, recovery time from the InfiniGuard is near-instantaneous. TechTarget also reported about the feedback from judges: One judge noted that InfiniSafe brings necessary security features to the product, such as immutable snapshots, air gapping, forced forensics and rapid recovery. Judges also gave high scores for InfiniGuard's ease of use and functionality. Infinidat InfiniGuard is a high-end data protection appliance, said another judge. It addresses nearly every need in data protection for high-capacity, business-critical applications. In those environments, it's a tremendous value." To read the TechTarget article that details the 2022 Product of the Year awards, click here. About Infinidat

Infinidat helps enterprises and service providers empower their data-driven competitive advantage at scale. Infinidats software defined storage architecture delivers microsecond latency, 100% availability, and scalability with a significantly lower total cost of ownership than competing storage technologies. The company offers an award-winning portfolio of enterprise storage solutions for primary and secondary storage deployments. The corporate headquarters are based in Herzliya, Israel, and U.S. headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.infinidat.com . Connect with Infinidat

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[January 25, 2023] Pitcher Successfully Completes SOC 2 Type 2 Examination and Passes the ISO 27001:2013 Certification Audit

Reports on security, availability, and confidentiality of the Pitcher available for customers and prospects with compliance requirements

ZURICH, Switzerland, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pitcher , creator of the omnichannel end-to-end sales engagement platform for enterprise sales, today announced it successfully completed the SOC 2 Type 2 examination and passed the ISO 27001:2013 certification audit. Achieving compliance with these external industry assessments demonstrates Pitchers dedication to the security of its sales engagement platform. In complex cloud environments, customers often trust enterprise sales teams with highly sensitive information and Pitcher provides the highest level of data security, content governance, and user access controls that meets the requirements of the most regulated industries. For Pitcher, the prioritization of customer trust drives its product design and road map. Pitcher provides everything that an organization needs for enabling better sales performance, while ensuring security and governance standards are being met, said Mert Yentur, CEO, Pitcher. Achieving SOC 2 Type 2 compliance and passing the ISO 27001:2013 certification audit shows prospects and customers they can trust Pitchers rigorous security controls so they can focus on delivering an extraordinary experience for both sellers and customers. Pitchers sales engagement platform orchestrates the seller-to-customer interaction process across the entire buying journey. Pitcher enables sellers to understand and collaborate with customers to deliver the most relevant content, insight, knowledge, and training that's in the right cntext and cadence for each customer that's delivered to sellers across any device in the exact moment of customer engagement. Enterprise customers around the world rely on Pitcher to improve seller productiveness at every point of customer interaction.



This news follows a year of incredible momentum for the company as Pitcher won a number of strategic sales, customer service, and marketing awards for its digital innovation and performance. Pitcher has also been named as a leader in multiple, independent industry analyst firm reports and secured a strategic growth investment from Crest Rock Partners. SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001

SOC, or Systems and Organization Controls reports, are issued by an independent, non-biased auditing company accredited with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). To qualify for SOC 2, an organization must undergo a stringent auditing process and demonstrate that it has controls to ensure relevant trust principles as they relate to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of a system.

ISO 27001 is the leading international standard for handling information security, cybersecurity, and privacy. It provides a framework to help organizations protect their information systematically through the adoption of an Information Security Management System (ISMS). The primary goal of ISO 27001 and an ISMS is to protect three aspects of information: confidentiality to ensure only authorized persons have access to information; integrity to ensure only authorized persons can change the information, and availability to ensure information is accessible to authorized persons whenever it is needed. Passing SOC 2 Type 2 examination and ISO 27001 certification audit indicates Pitcher has been independently verified and has implemented a robust system of internal controls to manage security, quality, and compliance and demonstrated its commitment to protecting customers' data and ensuring customers' trust. To maintain compliance, Pitcher will be audited annually. About Pitcher

Pitcher is a sales engagement platform that unifies, simplifies and amplifies seller performance. Pitcher improves seller effectiveness in every customer interaction. We orchestrate the seller-to-customer interaction process across the entire path-to-purchase journey. Pitcher delivers the most relevant content, sales tools, customer insight, and expert knowledge in the moment and channel of customer engagement. Pitcher is a vital partner for inside sales, field sales, and marketers worldwide. Launched in 2011, Pitcher is deployed in over 140 countries across numerous Fortune 500 companies. Headquartered in Zurich, Pitcher has offices around Europe, the Americas and Asia. www.pitcher.com

Contact: Cindy Clement for Pitcher [email protected]

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[January 25, 2023] Bunzl Canada powers year-round community food production in Edmonton

Distribution leader sponsors state-of-the-art, solar-powered greenhouse to fight food insecurity. EDMONTON, AB, Jan. 25, 2023 /CNW/ - Bunzl Canada is proud to announce its sponsorship of a community scale, solar-powered greenhouse at the Alberta Avenue Community League (AACL) in Edmonton. This state-of-the-art initiative will provide the community with access to fresh, locally grown produce year-round. The innovative project was initiated by Edmonton's own Exceed Solar, a local start-up business founded on passion for the environment and a commitment to making a meaningful impact on the planet by promoting alternative energy and sustainable living. The new greenhouse will feature advanced technology, including a 1.2kW solar energy system, heating and cooling ductless pump, and an Internet of Things (IoT)-based environmental monitoring system. "We are very excted to partner with Exceed Solar and the AACL on this innovative project," said Margo Hunnisett, Bunzl Canada's Vice President of Marketing and Communications. "We believe that access to food, especially fresh produce, is essential for building strong, sustainable communities. We're committed to supporting initiatives to address food insecurity and hope this new greenhouse will serve as a model for other communities to follow."



Bunzl Canada provides the cleaning and hygiene products and equipment, food and retail packaging, safety products and industrial supplies to over 45,000 Canadian businesses. The company supports local foodbanks across the country as well as contributing to in-school nutrition programs. "We are thrilled to have the support of Bunzl in bringing this exciting project to our community," said AACL Facility Manager, Karen Mykietka. "The greenhouse will not only provide us with fresh produce but will also serve as a valuable educational resource for our members. We look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on our community."

The AACL will provide educational resources and workshops, allowing members of the community to learn about sustainable farming practices and how to properly care for the plants in the greenhouse. Construction of the greenhouse is set to begin in the coming weeks and is expected to be fully operational by Spring 2023, according to Elliott Putters, Exceed Solar's founder and CEO. "We're very excited to see the positive impact this initiative will have on our local community, thanks to our partners, Bunzl Canada and the AACL". About Bunzl Canada Bunzl Canada Inc. provides the cleaning and hygiene products and equipment, food and retail packaging, safety products and industrial supplies which keep over 45,000 Canadian businesses running optimally, every day. The company brings its customers the advantage of global sourcing, product innovation and national scale combined with responsive local service and deep category expertise. Bunzl Canada Inc. is a division of Bunzl Distribution USA, LLC. About Bunzl Distribution Bunzl Distribution USA, LLC, headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., is the largest division of London-based Bunzl plc, an international distribution and outsourcing group. With more than 100 distribution centre throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, Bunzl supplies a wide range of products to food processors, supermarkets, retailers, convenience stores and other users. SOURCE Bunzl Canada

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[January 25, 2023] National Security Space Technology Leader LinQuest Appoints COO Greg Young as President and Chief Executive Officer

LinQuest Corporation ("LinQuest" or "the Company"), a national security space technology leader, today announced the appointment of Greg Young as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Young, who joined the Company in 2010, has served as LinQuest's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since 2019. He brings to his new leadership role deep industry knowledge and an understanding of the most pressing challenges facing LinQuest's defense and intelligence community customers, as well as experience overseeing the Company's execution of its customer-centric growth strategy. "For more than 45 years, LinQuest has served as a trusted partner to national security, commercial, and international customers, providing innovative and breakthrough solutions for the most complex technical challenges," said Greg Young. "I am thrilled to carry on LinQuest's legacy of customer-focused innovation as we build and strengthen new and existing customer relationships in critical segments of the dynamic and growing national security space market and beyond. LinQuest has achieved significant growth over the last several years, in large part due to its incredible team, and I look forward to working alongside them as we continue to innovate, grow and expand our offerings to meet the mission-critical needs of our customers." In his role as Chief Operating Officer, Young oversaw much of the Company's day-to-dy operations and strategic and technological innovation initiatives, including the development of advanced digital engineering and simulation solutions, next generation space superiority systems, AI/ML applications for mission planning and autonomous operations, and the establishment of the state-of-the-art LinQlab. Prior to joining LinQuest, Young spent more than a decade in management positions with several other aerospace and defense companies following a more than 20-year career as a space operations officer for the U.S. Air Force.



Since its founding, LinQuest has become a leading provider of state-of-the-art technical and digital expertise and solutions, supporting many of the national security space missions of the United States and its allies. LinQuest's mission-focused approach drives the Company to innovate and meet the needs of its customers today and tomorrow. In this new leadership role, Young will prioritize continued investments in innovation and growth in the highest-value national security space opportunities, while advancing LinQuest's customer-centric approach. Young succeeds Tim Dills, who is retiring from LinQuest after serving as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2019. Young continued: "It has been a pleasure to work alongside Tim. His partnership has been invaluable, and his leadership essential to LinQuest's successful growth over the last four years. LinQuest will continue to play a central role in defining the future of national security space innovation and I couldn't be more excited about our future."

About LinQuest Corporation LinQuest is a national security space technology leader that enables defense and intelligence missions through advanced digital solutions and the development, integration, and operation of mission-critical systems. With a legacy that spans 47 years, LinQuest's 1,500-plus team members work side-by-side with their customers to solve their most complex technical challenges, drive innovation, and deliver fielded solutions for national security missions. More information can be found on the company's website at www.linquest.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005189/en/

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Christian and Timbers Recruits CRO for Nasuni

Pete Agresta, a highly accomplished CRO, joins Nasuni with 25+ years of senior-level sales leadership experiences in areas including data security, data management, and infrastructure transformation. He builds high energy and high integrity culture as well as high performance sales organizations. While at Pure Storage, a global leader on innovative, cloud-ready solutions, Pete served as the Vice President of Americas Enterprise Sales.

Nasuni ("NAS Unified"?) is the leading provider of Cloud File Data Services, free to scale to any level because of its cloud-native design.

In his new role, Pete will be focused on building the industry's best global revenue organization and driving rapid revenue acceleration, leading Nasuni through the next major financial milestone.

"After an exhaustive search, Pete was a clear frontrunner amongst top cloud security CROs. He is a great leader, fantastic at strategy, driving rapid scale and knows Nasuni's customers," according to Jeff Christian, Christian & Timbers' CEO.







Christian & Timbers is considered the world's best search firm. Recognized for securing America's next-generation C-Suite leadership for Tech Giants and many of Silicon Valley's unicorns, Christian & Timbers has built the only agile, science-driven search firm delivering at a level of precision and speed unparalleled in the industry.

Christian & Timbers was the first firm with a VC Fund, and has completed 2000+ CEO/Board placements, 5000+ C-Suite assignments for companies like HP, Apple, Biogen, Cisco, Upwork, Adobe, and top Unicorns. Christian & Timbers' recent successes include CEO Recogni.ai, Chairwoman CelLink, CRO + CMO Otonomo, CFO Desktop Metal, CMO SecurityScorecard.

Jeff Christian, author of "The Headhunters Edge" and founder of Christian & Timbers, has been named four years on the Forbes Midas List. He is a frequent guest on CNBC.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005087/en/
[January 25, 2023] Ground Labs Introduces Enterprise Recon 2.8 with New Way of Discovering Critical Data in Microsoft Platforms

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ground Labs, the leading provider of critical data discovery solutions, announced the general availability of Enterprise Recon 2.8, the latest version of its award-winning flagship solution. This release enhances support for additional high-scale, high-volume environments on more Microsoft platforms, including Teams and OneNote, and Salesforce Government Cloud.

The latest features extend the number of platforms Enterprise Recon supports for sensitive data scanning of any file type stored on endpoints, servers and cloud environments. As global regulations proliferate and become increasingly stringent, Ground Labs enables enterprises to meet these requirements and avoid heavy financial penalties for noncompliance. Powered by GLASS Technology, Enterprise Recon allows customers to define their own custom data types while maintaining their systems performance. Every day, we hear about another breach, and studies show that companies are often not even aware of a breach until months after it happened, said Brett Gribble, head of product at Ground Labs. To provide a complete security and data management solution to our customers, we know data discovery must be built into the security strategy. Enterprise Recon supports the industrys widest number and range of data types to give enterprises maximum visibility and control of their most valable data assets.



Other key features and benefits of Enterprise Recon 2.8 include the following: New Global Data Types: The ability to scan and remediate locations that store unsecured Singapore telephone numbers and next-generation US passport numbers, supporting compliance with the PDPA, CCPA and other related data privacy regulations.

The ability to scan and remediate locations that store unsecured Singapore telephone numbers and next-generation US passport numbers, supporting compliance with the PDPA, CCPA and other related data privacy regulations. Data Classification: Support for the newest Microsoft Information Protection SDK version allows developers to classify and label sensitive content identified in local storage and Windows share locations.

Support for the newest Microsoft Information Protection SDK version allows developers to classify and label sensitive content identified in local storage and Windows share locations. Reducing False Positives: Other enhancements to existing capabilities supporting compressed files, Oracle databases and features to further reduce false positives in larger environments have also been added.

Regardless of industry, size or geography, every company will eventually face a breach. The first step toward strong data theft prevention is knowing where critical data is stored, said Stephen Cavey, co-founder and chief evangelist at Ground Labs. Our customers recommended some of the new enhancements to Enterprise Recon, and we delivered, offering support for the most data types in the industry and extending into more countries where multinational companies operate. With our GLASS Technology at the core, organizations can identify and manage sensitive data more accurately and without disrupting production systems.

Enterprise Recon enables organizations to quickly discover, manage and remediate critical categories of data to meet privacy and compliance obligations. Enterprise Recon helps organizations comply with a wide range of international data protection regulations including GDPR, PCI DSS, CCPA, CPRA, HIPAA, PDPA, PIPEDA and CDPA. As a result of customers suggestions, in this release, Ground Labs will deliver early-stage functionality around Cloudera distribution for Apache Hive. Ground Labs Enterprise Recon customers can now upgrade to version 2.8. For more information, companies can book a demo with a sales executive. About Ground Labs

Ground Labs, the leading provider of critical data discovery solutions, enables organizations to discover, manage and remediate all of their data across multiple types and locations  whether its stored on-premises or in the cloud. Ground Labs is the most comprehensive and trusted enterprise solution to confidently mitigate risk and find personal, sensitive and confidential data. For more information, please visit www.groundlabs.com. Contact

Davida Dinerman

Look Left Marketing

[email protected]



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[January 25, 2023] Alliance Memory Launches New LPSRAMs With Embedded Error-Correction Code

KIRKLAND, Wash., Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alliance Memory today announced that the company has expanded its portfolio of low power asynchronous SRAM (LPSRAM) products with new 1Mb and 4Mb devices that feature embedded error-correction code (ECC). Compared to previous generation devices, the new AS6CE1016A (1Mb) and AS6CE4016B (4Mb) offer better failure in time (FIT) and mean time to failure (MTTF) characteristics with reduced soft error rates (SER) for more reliable operation in a wide range of consumer, industrial, communications, and medical applications.

The new LPSRAMs ECC feature provides 1-bit error correction per byte, which makes them particularly suitable for low power applications and battery backup nonvolatile memory applications. Data retention voltage for both devices is 1.5V with typical data retention current of 1A for the 1Mb AS6CE1016A and 2A for the 4Mb AS6CE4016B. The devices operate from a single power supply of 2.7V to 3.6V, and all inputs and outputs are fully TTL compatible. With their enhanced performance, the new LPSRAMs are designed to meet the demands of a very wide range of applications, such as routers and switches in communications systems; programmable logic controllers in industrial automation systems; printers, gaming machines, musical instruments, and calculators; vending machines and ATMs; and elevator systems, control panels, and fire control systems. Key device specifications and package options are shown in the table below. Device Specification Table: Part number Organization V CC range Access

time Operating

temperature Package AS6CE4016B-45ZIN 256K x 16 2.7  3.6V 45 ns -40 ~ 85C 44-pin 400 mil TSOP II AS6CE4016B-45BIN 256K x 16 2.7  3.6V 45 ns -40 ~ 85C 48-ball 6mm x 8mm FBGA AS6CE1016A-45ZIN 64K x 16 2.7  3.6V 45 ns -40 ~ 85C 44-pin 400 mil TSOP II



About Alliance Memory Inc.

Alliance Memory is a worldwide provider of critical and hard-to-find memory ICs for the communications, computing, consumer electronics, medical, automotive, and industrial markets. The companys product range includes flash, DRAM, and SRAM memory ICs with commercial, industrial, and automotive operating temperature ranges and densities from 64Kb to 8GB. Privately held, Alliance Memory maintains headquarters in Kirkland, Washington, and regional offices in Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America. More information about Alliance Memory is available online at www.alliancememory.com.

Editor resources: Link to product image:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alliancememory/albums/72177720305378669 Link to detailed product info:

https://www.alliancememory.com/datasheets/AS6CE1016A/ (AS6CE1016A)

https://www.alliancememory.com/datasheets/AS6CE4016B/ (AS6CE4016B)

https://www.alliancememory.com/datasheets/as6ce1016a/ (AS6CE1016A) Agency Contact:

Bob Decker

Redpines

+1 415 409 0233

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The seventh Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held on Tuesday in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Upon the invitation of President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, the rotating president of CELAC, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a video address at the summit.

President Xi noted that Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries are important members of the developing world. They also take an active part in global governance and make important contributions to it. CELAC has grown to be an indispensable driving force behind global South-South cooperation. CELAC has played an important role in safeguarding regional peace, promoting common development and advancing regional integration.

Xi stressed that China always supports the regional integration process of Latin America and the Caribbean.

"We highly value our relations with CELAC, and take CELAC as our key partner in enhancing solidarity among developing countries and furthering South-South cooperation. That is why China has been working with LAC countries to steadily strengthen the China-CELAC Forum and take the China-LAC relationship into a new era characterized by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefits for the people," he said.

Xi said more and more countries in the region have engaged in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with China, supported and participated in the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and are working with China in building a China-LAC community with a shared future.

He stressed that the world is in a new period of turbulence and transformation. "We can only tackle the challenges and tide over this trying time through greater solidarity and closer cooperation," he said.

He added that China is ready to continue working with LAC countries to help each other and make progress together, and advocate "peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom" -- the common values of mankind.

China is ready to join hands with LAC countries to promote world peace and development, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and open up an even brighter future for the world, Xi said.
[January 25, 2023] Parade Technologies Extends eDP-enabled Tcon-Embedded Driver(TED) Portfolio

Parade Technologies, Ltd. (Taiwan OTC: 4966.TWO), a leading high-speed interface, video display, and touch controller IC supplier, today announced a new offering in its eDP Timing Controller (Tcon) with embedded driver (TED) product category. TC3222 provides a single-chip display driver solution as an alternative to the traditional multichip solutions (eDP Tcon + source drivers). The TC3222 provides a lower cost alternative to the TC3210 by eliminating the frame buffer required to support PSR (Panel Self Refresh). Both versions feature narrow COG package dimensions to support new generations of sleek LCD panel assemblies. TC3222 is compliant with the eDP 1.4b standard and supports Multi-SST Operation(MSO), Dynamic Refresh Rates, and more. The TC3222 is configurable to support all panel resolutions up to 22401440 using an 18 or 24-bit color format. Adding a second TC3222, in MSO mode, enables panel resolutions up to 3072x2160. With support for the proprietary video interface protocols offered by major CPU, GPU and SoC vendors, system implementation is straight-forward. The integrated source drivers support up to 2886 output channels with support for dual-gate and MUX2/MUX3 sub-pixel driving structures. The TC3222 is designed for Flip Chip on Glass application on both a-Si (Amorphous Silicon) and Oide type TFT panels. It requires no external crystal or timing reference, includes a programmable gamma buffer, as well as Parade's exclusive Smart-Backlight feature for additional color and power optimization. The fully programmable row and column driver timing enables the TC3222 to serve a broad range of panel types, and it provides synchronization signals that support a wide range of touch controllers.



"At Parade, we are committed to the continual improvement and technical advances that provide our customers a TCON portfolio that keeps pace with their changing needs," said Jimmy Chiu, Executive VP of Marketing at Parade Technologies. "By offering both the TC3222 and the upcoming TC3230, we are delivering on that commitment, with highly integrated TED solution for both high-end and main-stream slim TFT panels, whether in a-Si, Oxide, or LTPS, and at resolutions up to 3072x2160." For panels requiring the support of PSR (Panel Self Refresh) and/or PSR2, as specified in the VESA eDP 1.4b standard, please refer to the TC3210 or, for resolutions above full HD, the upcoming TC3230.

Availability The TC3222 is offered in a gold-bumped COG (Chip-on-Glass) physical form factor. Production Samples are available now. About Parade Technologies Parade Technologies, Ltd. is a leading supplier of mixed-signal ICs for a variety of increasingly used high-speed and display interface standards used in network and storage systems, computers, automotive, consumer electronics, and display panels. Parade is a fabless semiconductor company founded in 2005 and publicly listed on Taipei Exchange (TPEx) in 2011 (stock code: 4966). Parade's portfolio of signal conditioning IC products serves the growing demand for high speed data integrity solutions for HDMI, DisplayPort, USB, and PCI Express interface applications. Parade leverages its close relationships with market leading Tier-1 OEMs to develop ICs that enable competitive system capabilities. Parade is also a key contributor to industry standards development organizations. The company's devices integrate proprietary technologies that offer superior signal integrity as well as improved system integration and power efficiency. As a result of the company's "standards-plus" design philosophy, Parade ICs have been designed into products offered by nearly every leading computer and display vendor worldwide. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005318/en/

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[January 25, 2023] OneStream and PwC France Announce Partnership to Help Organizations Conquer Complexity and Drive Finance Transformation in France and across EMEA

OneStream, a leader in corporate performance management (CPM) solutions for the world's leading enterprises, and PwC France announced today they have entered into a strategic alliance for the French market. The partnership will leverage PwC's expertise as a leading business and technology consulting services provider and OneStream's unified and cloud-based CPM software to support activities ranging from project delivery to marketing and strategic business collaboration. "France is an important market for OneStream, and we are excited to welcome PwC France to our partner ecosystem," said Matt Rodgers, Senior Vice President and EMEA Managing Director at OneStream. "We look forward to working with PwC to help organizations in France and across the EMEA region conquer complexity and transform their finance processes by leveraging our Intelligent Finance platform to replace multiple legacy applications, as well as point solutions and spreadsheets." As part of the partnership, PwC France will further develop its OneStream implementation practice and leverage the PwC network to serve joint customers in France and across the EMEA region. PwC France will also apply its industry and domain expertise to create compelling industry-specific solutions with OneStreamfor clients across the market.



"We are delighted to sign this partnership with OneStream to extend our EPM and CPM practices. Our knowledge of business and industry requirements combined with OneStream's unified platform will help our customers to continue their transformation journey," said Jose Baghdad, Partner of PwC France and Maghreb. "We are thrilled about our alliance with PwC France, specifically due to the domain expertise and best practices this will bring to OneStream customers in this important market," said Eric Vidal, Regional Director Sales EMEA at OneStream Software. "This partnership will enable OneStream to extend its delivery capabilities in EMEA and supports our mission of delivering 100% customer success worldwide."

For more information on the PwC France-OneStream alliance, visit: www.onestreamsoftware.com/about/onestream-partners. About OneStream Software

OneStream Software provides a market-leading intelligent finance platform that reduces the complexity of financial operations. OneStream unleashes the power of finance by unifying corporate performance management (CPM) processes such as planning, financial close & consolidation, reporting and analytics through a single, extensible solution. We empower the enterprise with financial and operational insights to support faster and more informed decision-making. All in a cloud platform designed to continually evolve and scale with your organization. OneStream is an independent software company with over 1,100 customers, 230 implementation partners and nearly 1,300 employees. Our primary mission is to deliver 100% customer success. To learn more, visit www.onestream.com. About PwC France and Maghreb

In France and Maghreb, PwC provides consulting and audit services as well as tax and legal expertise to organisations of all sizes across all business sectors. With more than 6,000 employees, our multi-disciplinary teams pool their expertise within an international network of more than 328,000 people in 152 countries. PwC France and Maghreb's strategic ambition is to lead the way in building trust and delivering lasting transformation for companies, in line with the PwC global strategy, The New Equation.

For more information, visit www.pwc.fr View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230123005599/en/

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[January 25, 2023] IDC Survey Finds Data Sovereignty and Compliance Issues Shaping IT Decisions

New survey results from International Data Corporation (IDC) show that data sovereignty and compliance are now an important factor in shaping IT selection and design decisions. Almost half the respondents (48%) to IDC's Cloud Pulse 2Q22 survey (n=1350) say that data sovereignty and industry compliance have factored highly in discussions about their future IT architectures. And just 4% of respondents believe their IT organizations will not be impacted by data sovereignty and compliance considerations. Among organizations that expect their IT budgets to increase in the coming year, the vast majority believe that data sovereignty and industry compliance considerations will strongly influence service provider selection decisions and decisions about their primary datacenter environments. "IDC expects data sovereignty and industry compliance considerations to be of increasing importance to decisions about the design, operation, and management of IT architectures, including the selection of cloud service providers," said Chris Drake, Senior Research Director, BuyerView Research at IDC. "This partly reflects the growing importance of regulation, including GDPR, which emphasizes the importance of personal data protection and provides specific rules about data storage and transfer." Data sovereignty is largely unambiguous at this point with rules already in place within the EU and in other jurisdictions about data use, storage, and movement. The evolution of EU data regulation that started with GDPR in 2018 is being extended to the Data Governance Act. As a result, enterprises that operate in Europe need technology solutions that provide a holistic view of how data is collected, classified, processed, and stored to ensure data regulations re being met.



The IDC Survey Spotlight, Data Sovereignty and Compliance Are Poised to Play a Growing Role in Cloud Buyer Selection and Design Decisions (Doc #US50048023), looks at the extent to which data sovereignty and industry compliance considerations are influencing and impacting IT operations and procurement decisions among cloud buyers. It includes data from IDC's Cloud Pulse 2Q22 Survey. Survey respondents include cloud buyers globally who were asked what sort of influence data sovereignty and compliance have on their day-to-day IT operations and the extent to which data sovereignty and compliance influence the selection of cloud service providers and primary datacenter environments. About IDC BuyerView

IDC's BuyerView portfolio is a collection of surveys that delivers extensive data and insights into the minds of the IT Buyer and Cloud Service Provider. While each product can be purchased individually, multiple subscriptions bring broader coverage and deeper analysis of the entire cloud, security and AI markets. Written by industry-leading subject matter experts, BuyerView reports are highly valued by clients and are used extensively to create and develop product development, sales and marketing strategies, as well as messaging for customers and partners. About IDC International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005542/en/

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[January 25, 2023] ProcessUnity Closes 2022 with Significant Growth, Continued Market Leadership

CONCORD, Mass., Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProcessUnity, a leading provider of risk management software solutions, today announced that it ended 2022 with record-setting success. Fueled by demand for its award-winning Vendor Risk Management and Cybersecurity Performance Management platforms, ProcessUnity set new marks for customer acquisition and account growth.

Cybersecurity and third-party risk are the two most critical risks organizations face today. Companies realize that internal cyber practices alone are not enough to prevent breaches and ransomware attacks. Next-generation risk management programs unify their internal cybersecurity practices with external third-party risk management to form a comprehensive defense against risk, said Sean Cronin, CEO of ProcessUnity. ProcessUnity is uniquely positioned to align customers procurement and cybersecurity risk reduction efforts. We work closely with our clients to understand their challenges and foster their success through innovative solutions. Our market recognition continues to increase, which is driving even more success. ProcessUnitys 2022 highlights include: Vendor Risk Management Market Recognition : ProcessUnity is a Leader in the Forrester Wave for Third-Party Risk Management Platforms, Q2 2022, with the top score in the Current Offering category. The report evaluates the 12 most significant platform vendors within the third-party risk management landscape, based on 27 criteria assessing Current Offering, Strategy and Market Presence. Additionally, ProcessUnity is a leader in the 2022 IDC MarketScape for Third-Party Risk Management Solutions and was named a Customers Choice in the 2022 Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer: IT Vendor Risk Management Tools report.





: ProcessUnity is a Leader in the Forrester Wave for Third-Party Risk Management Platforms, Q2 2022, with the top score in the Current Offering category. The report evaluates the 12 most significant platform vendors within the third-party risk management landscape, based on 27 criteria assessing Current Offering, Strategy and Market Presence. Additionally, ProcessUnity is a leader in the 2022 IDC MarketScape for Third-Party Risk Management Solutions and was named a Customers Choice in the 2022 Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer: IT Vendor Risk Management Tools report. Record-Breaking Sales: ProcessUnity had a record-breaking year in 2022. The organization experienced significant oftware subscription growth with a solid mix of new customer wins and program expansion at existing clients. ProcessUnity continues to win business with enterprise organizations with the most complex requirements as well as with mid-market and small companies looking for guidance on program best practices.









ProcessUnity had a record-breaking year in 2022. The organization experienced significant oftware subscription growth with a solid mix of new customer wins and program expansion at existing clients. ProcessUnity continues to win business with enterprise organizations with the most complex requirements as well as with mid-market and small companies looking for guidance on program best practices. Industry-Leading Platform Innovation : ProcessUnity unveiled enhancements to its flagship Vendor Risk Management platform, including the acquisition of Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing technology from ISMS solutions. Additionally, ProcessUnity introduced significant user interface and user experience enhancements to further streamline key processes and increase usability for teams of all sizes.





: ProcessUnity unveiled enhancements to its flagship Vendor Risk Management platform, including the acquisition of Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing technology from ISMS solutions. Additionally, ProcessUnity introduced significant user interface and user experience enhancements to further streamline key processes and increase usability for teams of all sizes. Cybersecurity Performance Management Expansion: ProcessUnity expanded its Cybersecurity Performance Management platform to include a risk register and policy management capabilities. Developed to help CISOs lower risk severity, the risk register provides complete visibility into an organization's risk landscape. The addition of Policy Management helps organizations keep their internal cybersecurity policies and procedures updated and effective by automating reviews, signature requests and approvals.







ProcessUnity expanded its Cybersecurity Performance Management platform to include a risk register and policy management capabilities. Developed to help CISOs lower risk severity, the risk register provides complete visibility into an organization's risk landscape. The addition of Policy Management helps organizations keep their internal cybersecurity policies and procedures updated and effective by automating reviews, signature requests and approvals. Expanded Partner Ecosystem: ProcessUnity partners continued to win new business through its expanding partner community. By engaging with partner organizations and their offerings, ProcessUnity customers leveraged leading managed services, consulting firms and content providers to expand their programs and increase visibility across their vendor ecosystems. As ProcessUnity continues to deepen its relationship with existing partners and begin relationships with new ones, its platform becomes increasingly powerful and more versatile.





ProcessUnity partners continued to win new business through its expanding partner community. By engaging with partner organizations and their offerings, ProcessUnity customers leveraged leading managed services, consulting firms and content providers to expand their programs and increase visibility across their vendor ecosystems. As ProcessUnity continues to deepen its relationship with existing partners and begin relationships with new ones, its platform becomes increasingly powerful and more versatile. Customer Summit : A record number of customers and industry leaders attended the 2022 ProcessUnity Customer Summit in Orlando, Florida, held to connect customers, product experts and industry leaders on third-party risk and cybersecurity innovation. The thought leadership event featured customer case studies, expert panel discussions and product deep dives to share best practices for Vendor Risk Management and Cybersecurity Performance Management.





: A record number of customers and industry leaders attended the 2022 ProcessUnity Customer Summit in Orlando, Florida, held to connect customers, product experts and industry leaders on third-party risk and cybersecurity innovation. The thought leadership event featured customer case studies, expert panel discussions and product deep dives to share best practices for Vendor Risk Management and Cybersecurity Performance Management. Top Workplaces Award: ProcessUnity was named a Top Place to Work by the Boston Globe for the third time. The organization strives to create a diverse and inclusive environment where employees can excel in their careers, balance work and family and give back to the communities around them.

ProcessUnitys success in 2022 was not possible without our tremendous team, said Sean Cronin, CEO. We attract world-class talent focused on collaboration, innovation and ultimately, customer satisfaction. Im proud to work with such a great group of people, and Im excited for ProcessUnity to accomplish even more in 2023. About ProcessUnity ProcessUnity is a leading provider of cloud-based applications for third-party risk and cybersecurity performance management. The ProcessUnity platform unifies how organizations assess, measure, and mitigate risk through automation. Built by a team of risk experts and implemented within the worlds leading enterprises, ProcessUnity solutions align programs and people to create a well-rounded defense against critical business risks. Headquartered outside of Boston, Massachusetts, ProcessUnity has earned recognition from leading analyst firms, customers and partners. For more information, visit http://www.processunity.com/.

Contact Sean Cavanaugh [email protected] 19785138472

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[January 25, 2023] Yelp Reveals its 10th Annual Top 100 Places to Eat in the United States

Yelp, the company that connects people with great local businesses, today announced its 10th annual Top 100 Places to Eat list, celebrating the must-visit restaurants across the United States. Each year, Yelp analyzes the millions of reviews on its platform and considers suggestions from its community of users to name the best local eateries, including food trucks, cafes and delis. Topping this year's list is Broken Mouth in Los Angeles, CA. With a 5-star rating and more than 1,300 reviews, the Hawaiian-Korean cafe serves up comfort food dishes like spam musubi, a seaweed-wrapped spam dish on purple rice, and meat jun, a traditional fried beef dish that Yelpers say reminds them of home. Broken Mouth's unlikely location in a downtown food hall makes this local favorite a true hidden gem. "From food trucks and sandwich shops to fine dining establishments, the Top 100 list reflects the diverse tastes and uniqueness of our community of users," said Tara Lewis, Yelp's Trend Expert. "It is powered by the people, not a small group of restaurant critics, and we look forward to consumers continuing to share their dining experiences in their reviews." For the first time, island cuisine led the top 5 this year. High-ranking island restaurants include Kaaloa's Super Js Authentic Hawaiian Food (#2)-a "favorite spot" on the Big Island for its juicy laulau (pork wrapped in taro leaf)-and Adela's Country Eatery (#5), whose colorful "10-star" noodles made with local ingredients put the popular takeout stand on Oahu's dining map. This year, Caliornia swept the list with 28 restaurants across Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and more. Florida is runner-up with 14 restaurants. Cities with top restaurants include Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Texas followed with 8 restaurants across the Austin and Houston metropolitan areas. Rounding out the top 5 most represented states are Nevada and Arizona with 5 and 4 restaurants each.



To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Top 100, Yelp revealed data and insights about the honorees across the past decade. Since its 2014 debut, the list has recognized more than 700 establishments across 376 cities. Over the last decade, Las Vegas saw the greatest number of restaurants on the list, with more than 30 restaurant appearances. Los Angeles and San Diego were close runner ups with 28 restaurant appearances each over the years. From a San Diego food truck to a beloved family-run Mexican restaurant in Phoenix, Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat highlights the local favorites diners enjoy most. Looking for your next great meal? To access, follow or embed Yelp's 2023 list of the Top 100 restaurants in the United States, visit the Collection on the Yelp app. Read more about this year's winning restaurants on Yelp and learn more about the 10th anniversary of the Top 100 Places to Eat list at top100.yelp.com.

Methodology: To determine Yelp's Top Places to Eat in 2023, Yelp reached out to the user community first, requesting individuals to submit favorite U.S. restaurants. Yelp's data science team analyzed the submissions from the community to determine the top restaurants by ratings, number of reviews, and volume of submissions, with geographic representation based on equal share of submissions of top-rated restaurants nationally. Yelp further curated the list with the expertise of our Community Managers around the country to finalize the rankings. The resulting list is collaborative and passion driven - an accurate reflection of the Yelp Community itself. About Yelp Yelp Inc. (www.yelp.com) connects people with great local businesses. With unmatched local business information, photos, and review content, Yelp provides a one-stop local platform for consumers to discover, connect, and transact with local businesses of all sizes by making it easy to request a quote, join a waitlist, and make a reservation, appointment, or purchase. Yelp was founded in San Francisco in July 2004. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005066/en/

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[January 25, 2023] UmbrellaBank.com Announces Entry to Online CD Market

Online-only division of Beal Bank specializes

in competitive CDs and savings products PLANO, Texas, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UmbrellaBank.com (umbrellabank.com), a division of Beal Bank (Member FDIC), is pleased to introduce itself to savings depositors and investors across the nation. The UmbrellaBank.com brand specializes in offering online-only certificates of deposit (CDs) with competitive rates, currently featuring a 12-month CD at 4.65% APY* with a $1,000 minimum deposit. CDs have long been attractive for investors seeking secure, stable returns. However, in the current rising interest-rate environment, they may also be attractive to investors who may not have previously considered CDs but now seek solid returns at low risk.



Brent Lundberg said, "UmbrellaBank.com customer service professionals can help customers open an account online and answer questions from investors who are new to the CD-buying experience." UmbrellaBank.com has a newly-upgraded online banking experience that is straightforward and easy to navigate, allowing anyone to open CDs and manage their accounts with ease.

All deposits through umbrellabank.com, a division of FDIC-insured Beal Bank, are insured up to applicable FDIC limits. ### * The annual percentage yield (APY) advertised for the Certificate of Deposit herein is accurate as of the date of this publication and is available online only through umbrellabank.com. Rates offered may change without notice. Minimum balance to open an account and obtain APY is $1,000. A substantial penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. The advertised APY may be discontinued at any time; contact UmbrellaBank.com for current CD rates. Each depositor is FDIC-insured up to applicable limits. Fees may reduce earnings. For additional terms and conditions, contact UmbrellaBank.com. About Beal Bank: Beal Bank, based in Plano, Texas, near Dallas, shares the Beal Bank brand with its sister institution Beal Bank USA, and has a well-earned reputation as a stable, strongly capitalized financial institution, with assets of approximately $5.3 billion as of September 30, 2022. Beal Bank is a member of FDIC. For more information, visit FDIC.gov. CONTACT: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/umbrellabankcom-announces-entry-to-online-cd-market-301730529.html SOURCE Beal Bank

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[January 25, 2023] MP Terry Duguid Launches Program to Plant Over 71,000 Trees in Winnipeg With Mayor Gillingham

WINNIPEG, MB, Jan. 25, 2023 /CNW/ - Trees play a vital role in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. That is why Canada has committed to planting two billion trees across the country. From the Assiniboine Forest to Bunn's Creek Parkway, Winnipeg is home to urban forests, winding riverbanks and large open green spaces. Today, Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, joined Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham to launch the Home Grown tree planting grant program. Supported by a federal investment of more than $7 million over five years, this program will plant over 71,000 trees across Winnipeg and contribute to Canada's collective effort to plant two billion trees. The Home Grown tree planting grant program will lead to reduced climate-warming emissions, increase forest tree cover, and expand and improve habitat covers along riverbanks. The expansion of green recreational spaces will help support mental and physical health through the increase of clean air quality. These efforts will also combat erosion, sedimentation and pollutants in the area. The project will also support community members in raising public awareness of urban forest benefits and the importance of environmental stewardship. The City of Winnipeg is a model example of local, uban tree-planting efforts. To continue to protect and ensure a safe, sustainable environment for future generations, revitalization efforts to maintain our forested areas are key. Planting the right trees, in the right areas, ensures the growth of our natural environment to fight climate change and restore nature.



Quotes "Canada's commitment to plant two billion trees is a key part of our collective effort to tackle the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Our partnership with the City of Winnipeg to launch the Home Grown tree planting grant program will plant over 71,000 trees. This will help capture and store carbon from the atmosphere, improve air and water quality, and enhance local biodiversity while creating sustainable jobs."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson

Minister of Natural Resources "Today I was pleased to join Mayor Gillingham in launching the Home Grown tree planting grant program. Supported by over $7 million from the federal government, this investment in Winnipeg will bring about over 71,000 new trees. On behalf of the Government of Canada, we are proud to be supporting climate action, clean air and sustainable jobs here in Winnipeg." Terry Duguid

Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change "Our tree canopy is one of the defining features of Winnipeg, but it faces threats from disease and invasive insects. This investment from the federal government, complemented by additional city funding, will allow us to take critical steps to renew and expand our urban forest. And engaging community groups in volunteer planting efforts allows all Winnipeggers to show their love for our trees." Scott Gillingham

Mayor of Winnipeg Related Information

2 Billion Trees Overview

#2BillionTrees: How we will get there together

2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy

Home Grown Tree Planting Grant program information Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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[January 25, 2023] Capco Canada names Serena Chan as new Partner

Capco, the global technology and management consultancy, has appointed Serena Chan as a new Partner in its Canadian business. Named as one of Canada's 50 top FinTech women by the Digital Institute and an RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award winner, Serena is an end-to-end digital reinvention leader focused on solving clients' most complex problems. Serena is a recognized expert in API and microservices strategy, the design, development and integration of complex systems, and agile delivery. She has successfully delivered multiple large award-winning digital transformation projects using cloud, APIs, microservices, micro frontends, event streaming, artificial intelligence, and blockchain solutions for financial services clients. Gary Teelucksingh, CEO of Capco's Canada business, said: "We are delighted to welcome Serena to the Canadian leadership team as a new Partner. Serena brings more than 25 years of experience to our business, including tremendous expertise in the areas of banking, insurance, and the delivery of complex technology programs. She has a proven record of delivering results for clients, including some of Canada's most prestigious financial institutions, and has received multiple awards for her dedication to delivering top-quality work. Serena i a true expert in her field and an inspirational leader who will play an integral role as we look to further grow our advisory business, drive wider industry innovation, and cement our status as one of the most creative and inclusive places to work in Canada."



Serena joins Capco after a short tenure at TD. That role was preceded by 16 years with IBM Consulting, where Serena was an Account Partner and Delivery Executive for a number of key TD transformation programs. During her time with IBM Consulting, Serena led a wide range of innovation-led technology transformation initiatives for prestige Canadian and international institutions across the insurance, payments, retail and commercial banking sectors. Prior to that role she worked at PwC Consulting, IBM Global Services and BearingPoint. Serena graduated from the University of Toronto with an honors bachelor's degree in Finance and Accounting and holds a Masters of Science degree in Computer Information Technology from Regis University. She is a four-time IBM Redbook author and a Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP).

About Capco

Capco, a Wipro company, is a global technology and management consultancy specializing in driving digital transformation in the financial services industry. With a growing client portfolio comprising of over 100 global organizations, Capco operates at the intersection of business and technology by combining innovative thinking with unrivalled industry knowledge to fast-track digital initiatives for banking and payments, capital markets, wealth and asset management, insurance, and the energy sector. Capco's cutting-edge ingenuity is brought to life through its award-winning Be Yourself At Work culture and diverse talent. To learn more, visit www.capco.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005591/en/

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[January 25, 2023] Canada Law Firm Rates Report 2023: The Most Comprehensive and Detailed Competitive Intelligence and Legal Pricing Tool - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "Valeo 2023 Canada Law Firm Rate Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The 2023 Canadian Law Firm Hourly Rate Report is the most comprehensive and detailed competitive intelligence and legal pricing tool available because the report details average hourly rates by individual law firms as opposed to aggregate groupings of law firms with disparate pricing structures as is found in surveys, peer services and e-billing reports. We changed the sections in the Report to provide more detail on 1) law firms based in Canada and 2) those based outside of Canada but operating there. We also bifurcated large law firms from middle-market firms so that you could see the differences in pricing as opposed to having big and small firms' rates averaged together which is not that helpful. In the Online Pricing Platform, all hourly rates, hours and fees for each individual attorney are cited as to the source. For example, the citation for a court filing includes: case name, case number, court, case filing date, filing number, filing description, attorney and support staff listed by full name, client name, hourly rate of each timekeeper, hours billed, total hours and the time period in which the work was performed. As mentioned, further secondary research is required to confirm experience levels (graduation and bar licensure years), bar state (in the United States) or bar country (outside of the United States), practice area(s) and primary industry of the client. In order to provide this detailed level of clarity and transparency, the publisher researches 1) public records in US State Courts, US Supreme Court, US Federal Courts - District, Appellate, Federal Circuit and Bankruptcy 2) publicly available budgets from municipalities, districts (school, water, environmental and others), counties and states where attorneys were hired to perform legal work for the public entity 3) registrations such SEC records and other publicly disclosed documents and 4) govrnment affairs fees.



Since the publisher researches, reviews and analyzes only publicly available information and cites the source of the information, the United States federal and state court systems easily recognize and accept the validity and veracity of the data in court. The data has been used and cited in several hundred United States federal and state court cases including the Supreme Court of the United States (Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley Publishing), Federal District Courts (The United States v. Apple), Appellate Courts including the Federal Circuit, Federal Bankruptcy (AMR Corporation, Chapter 11 bankruptcy case) and Adversary proceedings and major state courts mainly in California, Texas and New York.

Key Topics Covered: Executive Summary Section 1: Rates for Large Canadian Law Firms Consolidated (All Firms Together) Overall Rates for Large Canadian Law Firms Consolidated

Overall and Practice Area Rates for Individual Large Canadian Law Firms Section 2: Rates for Large US Law Firms Consolidated (All Firms Together) Overall Rates for Large US Law Firms Consolidated

Overall and Practice Area Rates for Individual Large US Law Firms Companies Mentioned Aird & Berlis LLP

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Baker McKenzie

Bennett Jones LLP

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Chaitons LLP

Cozen O'Connor

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg, LLP

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Deeth Williams Wall LLP

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

Dickinson Wright PLLC

DLA Piper LLP (US)

EY Law LLP

Fasken

Goldman, Sloan, Nash & Haber LLP

Goodmans, LLP

Gowling WLG

Heenan Blaikie LLP

Jones Day

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

KPMG International Limited

Kroll Inc. Kroll Associates, Inc.

Kutak Rock LLP

Latham & Watkins LLP

Lawson Lundell LLP

Lowenstein Sandler PC

Lunny MacInnes Law Corporation

McCarthy Tetrault LLP

McInnes Cooper

McMillan LLP

Miller Thomson LLP

Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.

Minden Gross LLP

Morency Societe d'Avocats, S.E.N.C.R.L.

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Norton Rose Fulbright

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Proskauer Rose LLP

Shearman & Sterling LLP

Sidley Austin LLP

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Squire Patton Boggs

Stewart McKelvey

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP

Torys, LLP

Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

White & Case LLP

Wickwire Holm

Wiley Rein LLP

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/eua3rl-2023-canada?w=4 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005615/en/

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[January 25, 2023] Horatio Honored as a STEVIE AWARD WINNER in the 2023 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service

New York-based CX company, Horatio is honored as a recipient of the Customer Service Success category in this year's Stevie Awards recognizing outstanding Sales and Customer Service teams around the world NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Horatio , the customer service outsourcing company behind viral e-commerce, fintech, and celebrity-backed brands, has been named one of 2023's STEVIE award winners in this year's Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Horatio, which recently expanded its operations with a state-of-art office in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was named as a Stevie winner in the Customer Service Success category. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are open to all organizations globally, and recognize the achievements of premiere sales, customer service, and call center professionals worldwide. More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and i virtually every industry, in 49 nations and territories, were evaluated in this year's competition. Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 170 professionals worldwide, working in seven specialized judging committees.



"We are thrilled to be recognized by this distinguished panel," said Horatio co-founder and COO, Alex Ross . "At Horatio, we constantly try to evolve and redefine what quality Customer Experience looks like for global brands. It is humbling that Stevie is celebrating our achievements in doing so." Horatio's Chief Financial Officer, Jared Karson noted "Thank you to STEVIE Sales & Customer Service Awards for recognizing our team's innovative work at Horatio. This is a transformative time for Customer Experience and we are honored to be recognized as disruptors in the CX industry."

Horatio was founded in 2018 by three former Columbia Business School classmates, CEO Jose Herrera , COO Alex Ross and CFO Jared Karson . Horatio's business has grown fourfold from 2021 to 2022. I Horatio serves next-generation digitally native clients in a variety of sectors including ecommerce, healthtech, technology, hospitality, fintech, and cryptocurrency, by combining leading technologies with bespoke customer service support. Horatio and the other 2023 Stevie Awards winners will be celebrated at the Stevie Award Ceremony for Sales & Customer Service at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, March 3, 2023. Contact

Carly Wienner

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/horatio-honored-as-a-stevie-award-winner-in-the-2023-stevie-awards-for-sales--customer-service-301730572.html SOURCE Horatio

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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

While the sector's technical capacity has made leaps and bounds in recent years, gradually becoming a major supplier for highly advanced domestic industries, a key issue remained as it has not been able to utilise economies of scale to bring down costs and further integrate into the global supply chain.

Do Quang Hoa, leader of a mechanic team in one of many factories located in the northern industrial hub of Bac Ninh province said his company's biggest fear is not having enough work.

It usually takes a huge amount of investment to build a factory, set up machines, and train skilled mechanics, he said. Not having enough work makes everything expensive for the company and hurts its ability to compete in the market.

In addition, small and medium-sized companies such as Hoa's were almost entirely dependent on larger companies. It has resulted, according to him, in mechanical firms willing to sell at lower-than-cost prices just to maintain production.

He said it's likely the single most important hurdle to overcome for hundreds of mechanical companies in Vietnam, holding them back from reaching their full potential.

Hoa's opinions echoed a report on the sector by the Ministry of Industry and Trade last year, in which the ministry highlighted major barriers to overcome for mechanical firms including higher set-up costs, longer cashflow cycles, advanced technologies, and very high cost of training.

In addition, the sector's products were typically difficult to sell compared to consumer products. The difficult environment resulted in just a handful of Vietnamese brands, which were mostly small-to-medium in size, unable to compete with larger international brands even with home-ground advantages.

The ministry said the sector's major weaknesses were subpar product quality and a lack of core technologies. In the absence of large mechanical firms, capable of leading and improving the industry's standards, Vietnamese firms have been falling behind in the research and development game, leaving them entirely dependent on foreign inventions and technologies.

According to the ministry, the country's domestic mechanical firms only accounted for 32% of Vietnam's market share. In addition, they accounted for even less share in the sector's output value at just 18% and declining by the year, showing major shortcomings and limitations in their operations.

To add insult to injury, the government has been slow, or inefficient, in implementing support policies to speed up the industry's growth, according to the Vietnam Association of Mechanical Industry (VAMI).

VAMI urged the government to play a more active role in supporting Vietnamese firms including lowering the barrier of entry to participate in domestic projects and setting a quota for made-in-Vietnam products, to be used in such projects.

"We have observed a lack of collaboration and connection among governmental ministries, science and technology institutes, and universities in training a skilled workforce for the sector." said a spokesperson from VAMI.

The association said while many State-owned companies enjoy key advantages such as infrastructure, financial capital and skilled workers, management has often been found inadequate, causing waste and inefficiencies.

Meanwhile, private-sector companies lacked a clear development path and often failed to communicate or collaborate with their peers, leading to several firms investing in producing the same products, with little added value to compete with imported rivals.

Huynh Quang Nhung, deputy director-general of THACO Industries, one of the country's leading mechanical companies, said most Vietnamese firms have not met the standards to supply parts to major manufacturers operating in Vietnam.

"Our approach to solving this issue is to actively seek capable partners, which allows us to not have to invest in parts they can already make. Our job is to build a strong brand, find new markets and come back to work together with them to grow." Nhung said./.
[January 25, 2023] SynSaber Named a Rising Star in ISG Provider Lens Quadrant Report on Manufacturing - OT Security Solutions

Leading Global Technology Research Firm Recognizes SynSaber for its Product Roadmap, Market Knowledge, and Growth Potential CHANDLER, Ariz., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SynSaber , an early-stage ICS/OT cybersecurity and asset monitoring company, today announced Information Services Group (ISG) , a leading global technology research and advisory firm, has recognized the company as a "Rising Star" in the ISG Provider Lens Quadrant Report on Manufacturing Security Solutions . SynSaber received this designation for the quadrant OT Security Solutions. ISG defines Rising Stars as those organizations that have promising portfolios or the market experience to become a Leder, including the required roadmap and adequate focus on key market trends and customer requirements. ISG expects Rising Stars to reach the Leader quadrant within the next 12 to 24 months if they continue their delivery of above-average market impact and strength of innovation.



Among SynSaber's strengths, ISG noted: Decoupling data collection and analysis from event management: In most OT security solutions, the sensing, collection, and analysis are tied to the central console, which cannot be decoupled. SynSaber facilitates decoupling, enabling data collection and analysis, and sends it to one or many facets of existing infrastructure such as SIEMs, SOARs, data lakes, or MSSPs.







In most OT security solutions, the sensing, collection, and analysis are tied to the central console, which cannot be decoupled. SynSaber facilitates decoupling, enabling data collection and analysis, and sends it to one or many facets of existing infrastructure such as SIEMs, SOARs, data lakes, or MSSPs. A unique vendor-agnostic software solution for OT monitoring: SynSaber enables enterprises to bring OT data into their existing infrastructure. As customers have their own enterprise solutions, established SOCs, and processes, they are often reluctant to get new solutions. SynSaber provides asset ID, threat detection, and baselines on a small scale. The software can offer these functionalities at the edge and does not require users to keep the data solely within SynSaber's software. "We're proud to be recognized by ISG as a Rising Star in its manufacturing security solutions report," said Jori VanAntwerp, Co-Founder/CEO of SynSaber. "This recognition reinforces the importance of what we're building. Without question, critical infrastructure like energy, utilities, and manufacturing needs a better way to quantify the risk of vulnerabilities and help defend against threats. Our goal is to provide a much-needed solution that enables operators, engineers, and security teams to gain visibility so that they can protect their operational technologies and industrial control systems." As noted in the report, Avimanyu Basu, Lead Analyst at ISG, said, "SynSaber facilitates bringing the data from the edge to an enterprise's existing infrastructure, solutions, and workflows." To learn more about this research and why ISG recognizes SynSaber as a Rising Star, visit https://synsaber.com/company/isg-ot-security-solutions-quadrant-rising-star . About SynSaber

SynSaber is the simple, flexible, and scalable industrial asset and network monitoring solution that provides continuous insight into the status, vulnerabilities, and threats across every point in the industrial ecosystem, empowering operators to observe, detect and defend OT/IT systems and protect critical infrastructure. SynSaber is privately held with funding from SYN Ventures, Rally Ventures, and Cyber Mentor Fund. Learn more at SynSaber.com . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/synsaber-named-a-rising-star-in-isg-provider-lens-quadrant-report-on-manufacturing---ot-security-solutions-301730595.html SOURCE SynSaber

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[January 25, 2023] El Paso Community College Deploys YuJa Enterprise Video Platform to Serve Over 30,000 Students at Five Campuses

El Paso Community College, which serves over 30,000 students at five campuses in El Paso County, Texas, has deployed the YuJa Enterprise Video Platform. The institution was seeking a comprehensive platform to record lectures, provide accessible course content, and provide a secure repository for videos and other content. YuJa's all-in-one Video Platform will enable the college to create, edit, distribute, store and manage content, and it integrates with Blackboard Learn, the institution's learning management system. In addition to robust lecture capture capabilities, the institution will benefit from video quizzing, a comprehensive analytics dashboard, the ability to auto-caption media in multiple languages, and more. "We're excited for El Paso Community College to have a unified tool that enables all users to create and access content in an easy-to-use platform," said Nathan Arora, Chief Business Officer at YuJa, Inc. "YuJa's suite of tools is designed with educational insitutions and ease of use in mind, so instructors can focus on teaching students rather than the technology behind it."



Many institutions in Texas trust YuJa for content creation and management, as well as accessibility tools, including South Texas College, Dallas College, University of Texas at El Paso, Lamar University, McLennan Community College, Texas Wesleyan University, Clarendon College, Vernon College, Lone Star College, Texas State University, and others. ABOUT EL PASO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

El Paso Community College, Texas, offers more than 130 academic programs and more than 350 personal enrichment/continuing education courses at five campuses located throughout El Paso County. The College also offers cutting-edge technology, ultra-modern training facilities, and innovative learning options. The El Paso County Community College District's mission is to provide educational opportunities and support services that prepare individuals to improve their personal quality of life and to contribute to their economically and culturally diverse community. ABOUT YUJA, INC. YuJa is a leader in ed-tech solutions. Our platforms provide organizations of all sizes with the tools to educate, engage, inspire and collaborate. We serve learning enterprises within all sectors, including higher-ed, K-12, government, healthcare, non-profit and corporate. We have legal headquarters in Delaware with primary U.S. offices in Silicon Valley, California, and Canadian offices in Toronto. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005673/en/

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[January 25, 2023] Alcott Enterprises Completes the Backbone Infrastructure for Glass House Brands 165-acre Cultivation Facility

Alcott Enterprises is pleased to announce its completion of the network backbone infrastructure for Glass House Brands Inc. ("Glass House") Southern California cultivation facility. This backbone fiber and access layer network will serve as the primary infrastructure serving their state-of-the-art 165-acre facility. As part of Glass House Brand's efforts to retrofit the greenhouse structures as they transition from growing vegetables to Cannabis, the Alcott team played a pivotal role in planning and implementing the backbone infrastructure for this state-of-the-art farm. As a certified Cisco Systems and Cisco Meraki partner, the Alcott team designed and implemented multi-gig, next-generation networking for the Glass House team. "Glass House's 165-acre cultivation property is a highly automated farm that is equipped with a fiber optic system. Success is determined by getting all the information input pieces to connect and seamlessly work together," said Graham Farrar, Founder and President of Glass House Brands. "The sophistication and reliability of the architecture allow Glass House to make actionable choices with the data critical to driving the output of our precision agriculture cultivation methods." "Glass House is a forward-thinking technology-driven organization. Providing a next-generation technical infrastructure meets their needs today and will enable them to continue their innovation for years to come," said Jordan lcott, Founder, and CEO of Alcott Enterprises.



This highly redundant infrastructure not only supports the day-to-day connectivity needs of hundreds of workers but also supports cultivation operations and the state-of-the-art environmental, security camera and physical security systems, as well as other critical systems. About Alcott Enterprises

Based in Los Angeles, CA, Alcott Enterprises offers over 50+ years of combined industry experience developing strategic alignment of business and technology, enabling digital transformations, and managing technical infrastructures working with startups to Fortune 500 companies. Our experts have been providing information technology consulting services for companies of all sizes across various industries and building next-generation company infrastructures that leverage the Cloud, AI, and Machine Learning. For more information and updates, visit www.alcottenterprises.com. About Glass House Group Glass House is one of the fastest-growing, vertically integrated cannabis companies in the U.S., with a dedicated focus on the California market and building leading, lasting brands to serve consumers across all segments. From its greenhouse cultivation operations to its manufacturing practices, from brand-building to retailing, the company's efforts are rooted in the respect for people, the environment, and the community that co-founders Kyle D. Kazan, Chairman and CEO, and Graham Farrar, President, instilled at the outset. Through its portfolio of brands, which includes Glass House Farms, PLUS Products, Allswell, Forbidden Flowers, and Mama Sue Wellness, Glass House is committed to realizing its vision of excellence: outstanding cannabis products, produced sustainably, for the benefit of all. For more information and company updates, visit www.glasshousebrands.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230123005840/en/

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[January 25, 2023] Saudi Reaffirms Commitment to Bridging Global Divides, Driving Energy Transition, Inclusive Economic Growth at WEF23

Saudi Arabia reiterated its commitment to build bridges across geopolitical and economic divides at the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2023 Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, last week. His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs, led the Saudi delegation of nine ministers and high-level officials, and told the world that geopolitical stability is key to energy security, and the Kingdom has "become the meeting place between East and West." During the week, Saudi Arabia hosted a dialogue titled 'Toward a Resilient Urban Resource Nexus,' with key international public and private sector stakeholders from regional and global organizations discussing the sustainability of future cities. His Highness Prince Faisal, Her Royal Highness Princess Reema, His Excellency Alswaha, His Excellency Alkhorayef and His Excellency Alibrahim participated in a multilateral meeting with WEF leadership, Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, and Brge Brende, President, to explore areas of mutual interest. During the meeting, His Excellency Alswaha, Chairman of the Board of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Chairman of the Board of The Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA) and Brende, signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to establish a new accelerator program to help ignite nnovation in Saudi Arabia.



The Saudi delegates highlighted the Kingdom's role as a Pioneering Partner in the Forum's Global Collaboration Village, which will leverage the Metaverse to serve the global community. Separately, the Ministry of Investment, in coordination with the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, organized a high-level dialogue for executives from the energy, petrochemicals and mining sectors to discuss the impact of the energy transition, the role of petrochemical industries and investments needed to achieve net zero by 2060.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Economy and Planning - in collaboration with the WEF open innovation platform UpLink - launched a challenge to crowdsource transformative solutions to secure local food in countries impacted by low rainfall, drought and desertification. The Food Ecosystems and Arid Climates Challenge is a global call for food entrepreneurs, start-ups, social ventures, and SMEs to submit solutions that incorporate low or high technologies or ancestral responses. Also during the week, Saudi Arabia - represented by the Ministry of Economy and Planning - joined the WEF Jobs Consortium, a coalition of CEOs, IOs, ministers and other leaders with a common aim to promote a better future of work for all by enabling job creation and job transitions. The Saudi Arabian delegation also engaged in a wide range of bilateral meetings, dialogues with global leaders, ministers and CEOs and - for the first time - public panel sessions as part of WEF's Open Forum. These included discussions with high-level public and private sector representatives from several countries and were an opportunity to share the Kingdom's vision while exploring potential partnerships and areas of collaboration. *Source: AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005752/en/

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Credit where it's due . . .

Longshot contender Clay Chastain doesn't really have much respect for the past and offers a scathing rebuke of an upcoming get together whilst asking for a face-to-face with Mayor Q.

Here's the word that no other media outlet is carrying . . .



Press Release: Clay Chastain Demands the Kansas City Community hold a Lucas vs. Chastain Mayoral Primary Debate over Kansas City's future, instead of putting the focus on 4-failed and irrelevant Mayor's of Kansas City's past!

Kansas City PBS, its host Nick Haines and the Citizens Association are hosting (this Thursday) a Forum amongst KC's previous 4-Mayors. Why are they doing this at this time?



(1) Are they more interested in what past Mayors have to say about Kansas City's past, or what the 2-current Mayoral candidates have to say about Kansas City's future?



(2) Is this a deliberate distraction to avoid a real debate between Lucas & Chastain because the political establishment wants the Community to ignore Chastain and not see him elected?



(3) Is this what we call Democracy in Kansas City?



We don't need *especially with 2-months to go before the Mayoral Primary Election* a forum amongst 4-former Mayors that (collectively) put Kansas City on a path of decline.



What the Community does need is a Real Relevant Public Debate.... between Quinton Lucas & Clay Chastain... over the serious issues facing Kansas City and before the people of Kansas City.



Clay Chastain

###############



Developing . . .


Because we notice that grocery stores really never recovered from the pandemic and a great deal of those cheap American treats (like eggs) are becoming increasingly harder to find and more costly . . . And ALL OF THAT ALONG WITH THE CURRENT RECESSION probably impacts people more than slap fighting over mean tweets.

Still . . .

Tonight we share a quick compilation of interesting stories that are work a peek but might not really need a great deal of explanation.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Show-Me Mayor Q's Latest Fight

KC Mayor Lucas decries MO legislature's push to restrict transgender student-athletes "I want to make sure they have places where they don't feel like they need to hate themselves, to feel marginalized, to feel like there is no reason to be alive. That happens with legislation like this," Lucas told lawmakers.

Meth Town Turns To Trash

Independence leaders say abatement issues have significantly increased INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The Independence Code Enforcement Department says it's fighting an increase of trash, weeds, open storage and cars that just don't work anymore. Eight code enforcement officers cover a city with a population of 123,000 people. There is due process when it comes to code enforcement issues including multiple notifications, time extensions and sometimes issuing tickets.

Show-Me Citizen Crackdown

Missouri realtors vow to fight GOP push to make it harder to amend state constitution * Missouri Independent The Missouri Association of Realtors, an organization that spent millions in recent years on two successful initiative petition campaigns, is warning lawmakers it will oppose anything more than tinkering with the way the constitution is amended by voters.

Missouri Pushes For Petitions

Missouri lawmakers act fast on citizen access to the ballot JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri lawmakers moved quickly to pass more restrictions on amending the state constitution during one of the session's first hearings Tuesday. Republican legislative leaders in the House and Senate have cited cracking down on constitutional amendments as a top priority for the session , arguing that it's now too easy to enshrine policies in the constitution.

Kansas Crackdown After Election Defeat

"We just started." Kansas anti-abortion activists search for path forward after ballot defeat Five months after Kansans overwhelmingly voted to preserve the state-level right to an abortion leaders in the anti-abortion movement stood on the steps of the Kansas State Capitol urging supporters to "stay the course." At the annual March for Life in Topeka Tuesday, anti-abortion activists applauded the U.S.

LGBT Renaissance Underway

PROMO holds press conference addressing nine anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed in Missouri PROMO, Missouri's LGBTQ+ public policy and advocacy organization, will hold a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 3:30 p.m. to lobby against nine anti-LGBTQ+ bills that will be heard in Missouri House and Senate public committee hearings the same day.

Kansas Dust Bowl Daze Redux

How bad was the 2022 drought? For these 7 Kansas communities, it was the driest on record It might not rain much in Healy. But if it does, it's Steve Fenster's job to know about it. Every morning for more than 40 years as a volunteer with the National Weather Service, he's peered out the window of his west-central Kansas home scouring his patio for any signs of moisture.

Lines In The Sand

City of Grain Valley sues Jackson County Election Board over district ward boundaries in April 4 election KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The city of Grain Valley announced Tuesday morning it is suing the Jackson County Election Board (JCEB) after use of a new ward boundary map in the April 4 election was denied.

Right-Wing Granny Shares Hope

Grandmother, former public school teacher Jill Sasse running in KC's 6th Council District for law enforcement, against government overreach Grandmother of five and former public school teacher Jill Sasse is running for Kansas City Council, prioritizing public safety and stopping government overreach to bring common sense back to local government. Sasse, who has lived in the Kansas City area since she was 20 years old and has been teaching in some capacity for 36 years, is vying for KC's 6 th District-At-Large seat, opposing incumbent Andrea Bough.

Trans Issues One More Time

Sweeping education bill clears Missouri Senate committee without anti-transgender provision * Missouri Independent A Senate committee removed a controversial proposal targeting transgender athletes from a wide-ranging education bill Tuesday, but the committee's chair indicated more debate to come on the issue. On a six to three vote along party lines, the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee approved legislation that would dictate how history and race are taught in Missouri classrooms, as well as establish a statewide transparency portal for public schools, among other provisions.

Kansas Against Tough Talk?!?

Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and laws harm your Kansas neighbors. We can build a more welcoming state. - Kansas Reflector Even as data shows a majority of the country supports LGBTQ+ people and their rights, hostility and violence against the community is on the rise. The past two years have been the deadliest for transgender people in recent history, in large part due to the rapidly increasing number of legislative attacks against trans peoples' rights and the resurgence of demeaning and harmful anti-trans rhetoric in our communities.

The Beak Shall Inherit The Earth

Kansas Senate adopts resolution condemning protection of lesser prairie chicken - Kansas Reflector TOPEKA - The Kansas Senate suspended rules and took emergency action Monday to adopt a resolution condemning federal protection of the lesser prairie chicken. Sen. Dan Kerschen, a Garden Plain Republican, introduced the resolution on the Senate floor immediately before making the motion to take a vote.

And this is another OPEN THREAD for right now.
After defeating the so-called "red wave" from the Kansas GOP . . . The leading Democratic Party politico in Kansas seems emboldened.



Here's the basics of what she said tonight . . .



(Guv) Kelly used her annual State of the State address to decry what she called efforts to turn parents against teachers and turn communities against their schools. She wasnt specific, but top Republicans have promised to pursue several ideas in vogue in GOP-led states, including restrictions on what public K-12 schools can teach about gender and sexuality.



Republican lawmakers plan to pursue a measure to allow parents to claim tax dollars previously earmarked for public schools to cover private or home schooling costs. Iowas GOP-controlled Legislature approved such a plan early Tuesday. Kelly strongly opposes the idea.



Kelly also toughened her tone in advocating for the legalization of marijuana for medical uses, calling the states current prohibition ridiculous. She highlighted the case of a terminally ill man who had his northwestern Kansas hospital room raided by police because he was using marijuana extracts to ease his pain.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kansas governor outlines agenda in State of the State address TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called Tuesday for Kansas officials to stop distracting themselves with "wedge issues" in education, sharply rebuking a Republican-controlled Legislature pursuing policies catering to conservative parents unhappy with public schools. Kelly used her annual State of the State address to decry what she called efforts to "turn parents against teachers" and "turn communities against their schools."

Tax relief, marijuana, Medicaid expansion: KS governor pushes agenda for 2023 TOPEKA (KSNT)- Kansas Governor Laura Kelly outlined her top priorities for 2023 in the annual State of the State address on Wednesday. One of the top items on the governor's list is tax relief. She pushed her "Axing Your Taxes" plan, which would account for $500 million in tax cuts over the next three years.

Developing . . .
Once again we're reminded that American public schools mostly serve as political battle ground with very little focus or emphasis on education.



Accordingly . . .

A culture war gambit takes hold and sparks the intended progressive meltdown . . .



"The legislation makes several changes regarding K-12 education, including the creation of a portal that contains every school districts curriculum and other information. It also bans the teaching of diversity-related concepts."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed amendments to the legislation on strengthening the responsibility of military personnel, approved by the Verkhovna Rada.

According to the information provided in the card of advising bill No. 8271 on the Verkhovna Rada website, the document was returned to the parliament with the signature of the head of state on Tuesday, January 24.

As reported, the Verkhovna Rada at a meeting on December 13, with 270 votes, supported bill No. 8271 on strengthening responsibility for war crimes, as well as for its immediate signing and sending to the President of Ukraine. On the same day, it was signed by Chairman of the Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk and sent for signature to the head of state.

The bill, in particular, excludes the possibility of releasing military personnel from punishment or imposing a milder punishment on them than provided for by the current Criminal Code of Ukraine (disobedience; failure to comply with an order; threat or violence against a superior; unauthorized abandonment of a place of service; desertion, unauthorized abandonment of a battlefield or refusal to use weapons).

On December 15, petition No. 22/173526-ep was published on the presidential website calling for a veto on the law, which gained 28,000 signatures in the first day, which is more than the required number for consideration by the president.

On December 19, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny spoke in support of changes to the legislation on strengthening the responsibility of military personnel and asks President of Ukraine Zelensky to sign the relevant bill approved by the Verkhovna Rada.
Aileen Zangouei is the newsrooms breaking news reporter. She takes on investigative reporting at times, and writes about fun things to do around York Region.
Andrew Palamarchuk is a reporter with Metroland Media Toronto and toronto.com. He has been covering the crime beat since 2002 and has a passion for giving a voice to those affected by tragedy and looking at societal issues that may have contributed to it.
The initiative in the war should remain with Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video statement on Tuesday.

"Russia is preparing for a new wave of aggression, with the forces that it is able to mobilize. Now the invaders are already increasing pressure on the Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other directions. And they want to increase the pressure on a larger scale," he said.

"In order not to admit the fallacy of aggression, the masters of Russia want to throw more of their people and equipment into the fighting. This means that we all in the free world must strengthen our cooperation in order not only to respond to the latest Russian criminal actions," Zelensky said.

This is necessary, he said, "to prevent new Russian criminal acts as much as possible. The initiative in the war must remain with our forces."
An official delegation from Japan visiting the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) in Dubai has been briefed on the mechanisms of operating the tourist refund scheme system, which relies on 100% paperless procedure.

The system serves to enhance the UAEs competitiveness in the tourism sector, as part of the digital government strategy, designed to drive the smart transformation of all government services, offering proactive and more sustainable services that meet customers expectations and allow them to process their transactions quickly and easily.

The delegation, which included representatives from the Japan Tourism Agency and J&J Tax Free Corp, was greeted at the FTA headquarters by Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Director General of the FTA. The meeting included discussions about the exchange of expertise in terms of refunding tax to tourists.

Depth of relations

Al Bustani stressed that the Japanese delegations visit reflects the depth of relations between the two countries and their mutual commitment to further strengthening ties across all sectors, including tax, through the exchange of experiences and information to achieve the best results.

The Japanese delegation was headed by Fuji Ryosuke, Special Assistant to the Director at the Japan Tourism Agency. The FTA showcased the achievements the system has made since its inception more than four years ago, the continuous development and modernisation it underwent over the years, and its role in promoting the UAE as a leading international tourist destination.

The system processes digital invoices issued by sales outlets registered in the FTA system instead of conventional paper invoices, through integration between these outlets and the tourist refund scheme system. Invoices are issued, sent, amended, and stored electronically between the seller, buyer (tourist), and the system.

Quick tax refund

Representatives from the FTA noted that that the system is also linked with the database of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security, allowing for verifying the identity of the tourist. The system offers seamless, effective, and quick tax refund procedures for tourists on purchases made during their stay in the UAE.

The integrated system allows for accurately determining purchases and recoverable taxes, and then getting a refund of such taxes, in line with the governments efforts to support the implementation of the tax system in the UAE and bring it in line with international best practices.

Furthermore, the presentation highlighted the conditions for tourists to be eligible for a tax refund, and explained the verification process programmed into the system to ensure eligibility for a tax refund in accordance with the tax legislation. It was also noted that the system had undergone several enhancements and developments since its commencement, as the system now includes integrated mechanisms directly linking to 16 air, sea, and land ports and thousands of outlets registered with the FTA.

The system provides a fully integrated digital platform compatible with the systems used by registered retailers, allowing customers to simply scan their passport and complete the process. They can automatically share their transactions as digital invoices with Planet Tax Free, check their invoices through the Shoppers Portal, and recover the refundable tax they paid on their purchases quickly through a fully digital process.-- TradeArabia News Service
Zaluzhny inherits over $1 mln from USA, donates it to AFU  media

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny inherited $1 million from the United States and donated it to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in January 2023, The New York Times said.

Zaluzhny received an inheritance from an American of Ukrainian origin Grigory Stepants, as the Stepants family reported to the publication.

In January, the commander-in-chief donated the entire amount to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Brace yourself cycling fans... As this country is set to host several top nations for two UCI-sanctioned events at the end of this month at the National Cycling Centre. The meets will be crucial to procure qualification points for major events this season. All these were disclosed at today's launch at the TTOC's head office...
The Czech Republic will not be able to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, which it began to receive from Germany as part of a "ring exchange."

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said this after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Tuesday, Ukrinform reports.

"To ensure the defense capability of the country, the Czech army needs Leopard 2 tanks, which the Czech Republic will receive from Germany to replace the machines it sends to Ukraine... This is a situation where we help Ukraine, and Germany compensates us," Fiala said.

Last year, the Czech Republic transferred Soviet T-72 tanks to Ukraine. In return, Germany pledged to compensate for this assistance with its Leopards. In December, the Czech Republic received the first tank of this model from Germany. Berlin is to hand over 14 more combat vehicles.

The Czech Republic earlier had only Soviet tanks in its armed forces. Some of them were upgraded and sent to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Czech Republic continues to repair equipment for Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic denied media reports that Slovakia and the Czech Republic were ready to send their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, which they received from Germany as part of the "ring exchange" scheme.

Fiala said he hoped Germany "will reach a good solution and Ukraine will receive all the necessary equipment, including tanks."
Ukraine will have everything it needs to launch a counterattack and retake its territory.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said this on his Telegram channel, Ukrinform reports.

"We will have everything. Everything for the return of our territories and a counteroffensive. Both the tankers and the gunners will be satisfied, and later the pilots," he wrote.

Yermak added that the president's entire team is working on this together with Ukraine's Western partners.

Earlier reports said that the Netherlands is ready to consider the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine if the Kyiv government asks for them.

Meanwhile, according to German magazine Spiegel, after months of debate, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has finally decided to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks.
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna called on the European Union states to help expand the network for issuing Ukrainian documents in the EU.

"A regular meeting of the EU Solidarity Platform was held with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson. The platform was created to coordinate the efforts of Member States and European Union agencies to help Ukrainians who are looking for temporary protection due to the war," the Deputy Prime Minister's press service said.

It is noted that during the event, the parties discussed: the recognition of Ukrainian electronic documents in the EU, the employment of Ukrainians in the EU, proper education for Ukrainian children, professional development opportunities for Ukrainian teachers, as well as strengthening the protection of the rights of children deprived of parental care who are now in the EU.

"The issue that is in our constant focus is the recognition and issuance of documents. It is important that Ukrainian citizens are provided with original national documents, such as ID cards, in order to be able to return to Ukraine, have the opportunity to obtain driver's licenses and vehicle registration certificates. This is done because of the consular departments, but we are also launching a network of centers that will allow us to produce and print documents in different countries of the European Union," Stefanishyna said, according to the press service.

The Deputy Prime Minister also announced the possibility of expanding the network of separate subdivisions of the SOE "Document" abroad to provide Ukrainian citizens with services for processing and issuing documents, and called on the EU member states, on whose territory the largest number of Ukrainian citizens are now located, to help with the opening of local centers.
The U.S. administration is currently considering buying about 30 Abrams M1 tanks for Ukraine rather than providing them from Pentagon stocks, a process that could take months.

That's according to AP, which refers to a U.S. official, Ukrinform reports.

"A decision to send a bit more than 30 tanks could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months for the tanks to be delivered," the article reads.

Read also: Pentagon confirms Washington considering sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine

U.S. officials said details are still being worked out. One official said the tanks would be bought under an upcoming Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, which provides longer-range funding for weapons and equipment to be purchased from commercial vendors.

The U.S. announcement is expected in coordination with an announcement by Germany that it will approve Poland's request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, according to one official.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier, referring to U.S. officials, that the Biden administration is leaning toward sending a significant number of Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine and an announcement of the deliveries could come this week.
The Swiss National Council's Security Policy Committee has supported a parliamentary initiative to allow the re-export of war materiel in certain cases, in particular in the case of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The Swiss parliament's press service reported this on Tuesday, according to Ukrinform.

"The National Council's Security Policy Committee adopted, by 14 votes to 11, a motion and a parliamentary committee initiative relating to the re-export of war materiel," the report said.

According to the parliamentarians, "declarations of non-re-export" must be able to be revoked in the event of a violation of the international prohibition against the use of force, and specifically in the case of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The parliamentary initiative also wants to amend Article 18 of the Federal Act on War Materiel to invalidate declarations of non-re-export if it is established that the re-export of war material to Ukraine is linked to the Russian-Ukrainian war. This amendment should be declared urgent and remain in force until December 31, 2025.

The Security Policy Committee believes that Switzerland should provide more support to Ukraine, and the proposed changes do not violate the law on neutrality, since it is not about the direct export of equipment. The minority of the committee fears that the re-export of Swiss weapons to Ukraine could pose a problem from the point of view of neutrality, in particular with regard to the principle of equal treatment.
Sweden has called on all countries to provide Ukraine with the necessary support for its victory over Russia.

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom stated this on CBC channel.

He noted that Sweden had just agreed to transfer advanced Archer artillery systems to Ukraine.

"We are also supportive and very keen that all other EU member states and all other states in the world should send all they can to the aid of Ukraine in a moment in time when it looks like things are standing and balancing. This is the moment we should step in and help Ukraine politically, financially, humanitarianly and militarily as well," Billstrom said.

The minister added that under the current circumstances negotiations with Russia are possible only after Russia's defeat on the battlefield.

"Sweden is fully on the side of Ukraine, so we believe the European Union should do so also," he said.
Mohammad Adam Suleiman carries his son off the plane that has brought him back to Zanzibar after 11 years in exile. Zanzibar, Tanzania.  UNHCR/F.Khoeis

MOGADISHU, Somalia, July 10 (UNHCR) - Eleven years ago, Mohamed Adan Suleiman fled his home in Zanzibar's Pemba Island, fearing for his life during the post-election violence that ravaged Zanzibar, a territory of Tanzania on the Indian Ocean coast.

"It was a hotly contested election and with that came tension. Opposition forces protested against the results; people went to the streets burning everything," Suleiman recalled of the events in early 2001. "Young men were beaten and left for dead. Women and girls were raped . . . All around us was the smell of death."

Suleiman said he decided to leave, "when I heard they were coming at night, house to house, for men like me, I decided to run for my life. I worried for my family but I feared for my life," he said. He eventually made his way to Mogadishu in Somalia, after an arduous journey by boat and foot.

But after living in one of the most dangerous cities on earth for more than a decade, and after being assured things have changed in Zanzibar, Suleiman told UNHCR earlier this year in the Somali capital that he was ready to return to his home and couldn't wait to see his family.

"Life as a refugee is hard, particularly in Mogadishu. Imagine yourself as a foreigner living in a place where there is no security and limited job opportunities. The jobs we have don't pay us much," said Suleiman, who worked as a lavatory cleaner. "What can I do? My two boys need to eat."

His dream came true last Friday, when Suleiman, his Somali wife, their two sons and 38 other Tanzanian refugees from Zanzibar were flown home on two small aircraft chartered by UNHCR and warmly welcomed by family and Tanzanian officials on arrival. He told UNHCR he wanted to start a new life on Pemba Island, and his enthusiasm was shared by his family.

The returning refugees have been given a reintegration package, including a cash grant and four months' food supply as well as basic shelter and household items. Together with the Tanzanian authorities, UNHCR will be monitoring the returned families to ensure their successful reintegration.

Suleiman's journey home was a far cry from the ordeal that brought him to Mogadishu all those years ago. The first stage of his flight from Zanzibar saw him board a small crowded boat of like-minded young men and head up the coast to the port of Mombasa in Kenya.

"Many thoughts crossed my mind as we sailed further and further from the shore. I felt I was in a bad dream, but that I would wake from it. At other times I thought I'd made a huge mistake by leaving my parents behind. If I was a good swimmer, I would have dived into the sea and gone back home," Suleiman laughed.

But he had made the decision and could not turn back. He worried about being sent back to Tanzania, he worried about how to tell his family he was okay. "One of my friends suggested we seek out an aid agency to assist us. Miraculously, we happened upon UNHCR, who helped us. We were registered as refugees," Suleiman explained.

He was taken to Ifo camp in the sprawling Dadaab refugee complex in north-east Kenya. Most of the inhabitants in what is today the world's largest refugee site are from neighbouring Somalia. Suleiman lived with his Zanzibari friends in a traditional shelter and was given a ration card for food and aid.

But he spent much of the time worrying. "Nights were the most difficult. Never mind reliving the nightmare that we left at home, but just the fear of being caught, that made all of us sleep with one eye open. We often feared being taken back home. We didn't feel safe, so we decided to leave [later in 2001]."

His group crossed the arid terrain into nearby Somalia, which has essentially been in turmoil since the overthrow of the Siad Barre government in 1991. Their journey took many days, much of it on foot, and brought them to Mogadishu via the southern towns of Dobley and Afmadow.

Somalia was meant to be just a pit stop in their journey to safety. "We had no intention of staying here [in Mogadishu]. Our aim was to flee to other countries like Sudan or Ethiopia," Suleiman said. They approached different aid agencies and asked for help in getting out of Somalia - to no avail. "Days and months have now turned into 11 years."

He has been living with a group of around 20 Zanzibari families in an old building on the outskirts of the city. Each of the small dimly lit rooms must accommodate at least six people. They have little protection in the building from the elements or danger. Some people sleep in the corridors.

And next to this home is a noisy market place abuzz with all manner of buying and selling. The Zanzibaris try to make a living here, helped by their children, who have been missing out on much of their education.

But while Suleiman was delighted to be going home, he had good things to say about the people he had lived among in Mogadishu for so long and the kindnessess he had received as an exile. He said it was a city of contrasts. But not a place for his two boys to grow up in.

The remainder of the Tanzanian refugee community in Mogadishu, totalling some 70 people, told UNHCR that they will wait and see how the situation unfolds for those who went back last week before making a final decision on their return. UNHCR continues to keep in close contact with them.

By Faith Kasina in Mogadishu, Somalia
The U.S. authorities are considering sending about 30 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, Politico said on Wednesday, citing an unnamed representative of the U.S. administration.

"One of the two U.S. officials (...) said the [Joe] Biden administration is considering sending around 30 Abrams tanks," the newspaper said.

Earlier Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal said, citing sources, the U.S. administration this week is likely to announce plans to supply Ukraine with M1 Abrams tanks as part of an agreement with Germany, under which Berlin, in turn, will send a small number of Leopard tanks to Kyiv.
Ukrainian troops left the city of Soledar, Bakhmut district, Donetsk region, Spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Cherevaty told AFP.

"After months of heavy fighting, including over the past weeks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine left (Soledar) and retreated along the outskirts to pre-prepared positions," Cherevaty said.

Cherevaty did not tell AFP when the Ukrainian forces withdrew from Soledar, but said the maneuver was carefully planned.
NATO foreign ministers' informal meeting to be held in Oslo from May 31 to June 1

An informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers will be held from May 31 to June 1 in Oslo (Norway).

The corresponding dates were announced by the secretary general of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, the headquarters of the organization announced on Wednesday. Earlier, in December 2022, he said Norway proposed to hold the next informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

"I am grateful for Norway's offer, and I look forward to meeting with NATO foreign ministers in my home city," Stoltenberg said.

According to him, this will be an "important opportunity for ministers to address the fundamentally changed security situation due to Russia's brutal war in Ukraine, and our unwavering support for the Ukrainian people so that they can prevail."

The Foreign Ministers will also hold informal discussions on the preparations for the NATO Heads of State and Government Meeting to be held in Vilnius on July 11 and 12, 2023.
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SIALKOT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jan, 2023 ) :USA Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome visited the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) for a meeting with members of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Ambassador was warmly received by President SCCI Abdul Ghafoor Malik along with other officials.

According to the SCCI Press release, while addressing to the house President SCCI Abdul Ghafoor Malik, mentioned that both the United States of America and Pakistan were celebrating 75 years of bilateral partnership.

Malik emphasized on the areas of mutual interest including enhanced trading linkages, women empowerment, green environment & sustainable production.

Abdul Ghafoor Malik further mentioned that the United States of America could extend its cooperation, expertise, technological support, and a conceptual framework to promote the model of Sialkot, across Pakistan.

He said that USA was the top trading partner of Pakistan and that both countries should focus on further improving the bilateral trade.

In this regard, he mentioned about cooperation from US Embassy in exchanging trade delegations, participation in US based trade exhibitions, and finding common grounds for collaboration mutually beneficial for businesses of both countries.

Ambassador of the USA to Pakistan Donald Blome, in his address shared that the United States was committed to helping Pakistan mitigate the effects of climate change, promotion of sustainable energy, encouraging women's participation, and enhancing bilateral trade.

While interacting with the business community of Sialkot the Ambassador expressed his conviction that partnership between the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the US Embassy would further strengthen and that both countries would support private cooperation important for improving ties in all field.
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Kano, Nigeria, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jan, 2023 ) :A group of 27 herders were killed Wednesday and several others injured in what police called a bomb explosion in central Nigeria, a region known for ethnic and religious tensions.

The herders and their cattle were in Rukubi, a village on the border between Nasarawa and Benue states when a bomb exploded in their midst.

"We have established 27 people were killed in the bomb explosion along with several cattle," said Maiyaki Muhammed Baba, Nasarawa's police commissioner.

"Many other people were injured and the death toll could mount as searches are still going on," Baba said, adding that police bomb experts were investigating the origin of the explosion.

But an umbrella group representing herders said the explosion resulted from a military airstrike.

"It was an airstrike. It killed 27 of our people," said Lawal Dano of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria.

"We all know it is only the military that possess jets to carry out aerial strikes, and we call for a thorough investigation and necessary sanction on whoever is behind this," Dano said.

Nigeria's air force spokesman did not respond to AFP requests for comment.

There have been accidental airstrikes on civilians by the military in northeast and northwest Nigeria in the past, where troops are fighting jihadists and criminal gangs.

In Central Nigeria, herders and farmers have been clashing over grazing and water rights.
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Half Moon Bay, United States, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jan, 2023 ) :A singing bowl held by a Buddhist monk was struck once for each of seven people shot dead in Half Moon Bay as residents gathered to grieve in a local church late Tuesday.

The rural town in northern California was shaken by the mass shooting on Monday in which an Asian man killed fellow Asian and Hispanic farm workers.

More than 50 people sought solace in the community during a multi-denominational service in a house of worship on a stretch of scenic Pacific Coast Highway.

Downtown, bouquets of flowers had been placed as an impromptu memorial in a plaza on a main street known more for tourists than tributes to victims of violence.

"This is a tight-knit community and an impact like this is devastating," Alice Kope said as she left the vigil.

"It's just so hard to understand why this keeps happening," she said of gun violence.

Kope, a native California resident of Korean descent, felt it even more troubling that the mass shooting was the second in just a few days in the state, with another older Asian man targeting others in his community.

"My Asian friends are all wondering what is going on," Kope said.

"Elderly Asian men being the perpetrators of such violence makes no sense; and then the Lunar New Year starting it. A lot of us have so many questions." Sophie Li, a Chinese American woman working in Shiki Japanese Cuisine restaurant in Half Moon Bay, was among those who laid blame on access to guns in the United States.

"Without a gun, we just argue," Li said.

"I never thought they would carry a gun, and then shoot Chinese people; I can't believe it happened that way," she said of the Asian men identified as the shooters.

Residents of this small town just a short drive from San Francisco and Silicon Valley told of having their sense of safety shaken by the mass shooting and turned to one another for support.

"What happened yesterday in this community is devastating," San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said at a press briefing.

"Many of the workers came to this country to work to provide for their families, instead yesterday, many of them lost family members." Bouquets of flowers were left at an impromptu memorial on the town's main street.

"I never thought this would happen in this community in a million years," said Kemera Gilbert, a Northern California woman who moved to Half Moon Bay to escape the stresses of life.

"I feel for everybody who lost someone," she said, holding back tears.

Religious leaders at the vigil read poems, led prayers, and pointed out resources to help people work through the trauma and fear.

"Farm workers are one of the backbones of our community," longtime resident Leslie Hunt said as she left the vigil.

"This is the first big tragedy we've had; I feel the need to get together with other people; see them, touch them."
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Lima, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jan, 2023 ) :Peru's President Dina Boluarte called on Tuesday for a "national truce" to end weeks of nationwide unrest, while a major march in the capital calling for her resignation and fresh elections again resulted in violent clashes with police.

Thousands of Peruvians from Andean regions, many in traditional dress, marched in central Lima chanting "Dina assassin," blaming her for the deaths of 46 people, mainly demonstrators since protests broke out last month.

The march turned violent on Tuesday evening when protesters, some carrying metal shields, threw stones while police responded with tear gas, according to AFP journalists on the scene.

Multiple people were arrested and several were injured, including two photographers, one with AFP, who were hit by pellets and stones.

Many Peruvians remain angry at the December 7 ouster of then-president Pedro Castillo, who was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

Boluarte, the vice president under Castillo, immediately assumed power.

Protests quickly broke out, largely fueled by anger in poor rural regions in the south where inhabitants -- mainly Indigenous -- felt that Castillo, who has Indigenous roots himself, represented their interests rather than those of the Lima elite.

Demonstrators have kept up weeks of protests and roadblocks and are also demanding the dissolution of Congress and the rewriting of the constitution.

Another day of protests was already planned for Wednesday in numerous cities throughout the country.

Earlier in the day, Boluarte called for "a national truce to allow for the establishment of dialogue, to fix the agenda for each region and develop our towns." Speaking at a press conference with foreign media, a visibly emotional Boluarte apologised several times for those killed in the protests but ruled out resigning.

"I will go once we have called a general election... I have no intention of remaining in power." Under Peru's current constitution, the president cannot run for immediate reelection.

Boluarte said she was sure Congress would agree in February to advance elections, currently scheduled for April 2024.

Asked about her possible resignation, Boluarte scoffed at the idea that it would "solve the crisis and the violence.

" On Tuesday evening, authorities announced that the Cusco airport, a gateway to the country's famed Machu Pichu tourist site, was once again closed due to protests in the mountainous region.

Back in Lima, 35-year-old protester Carlos Avedano said Boluarte's message was "pitiful." "The Peruvian people, all of us, we are not going to have a truce," he said.

"The only thing that the people want is that she resigns and that there are new elections." Police fired tear gas to repel demonstrators heading towards Congress, AFP journalists saw.

At least one person was bleeding from their head and an injured woman was heard screaming near an ambulance.

One protester carried a big doll with a bloody knife in its hand and a picture of Boluarte attached.

Boluarte is due to have a video meeting with the Organization of American States (OAS) on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Peru.

Her government has come under fire from rights groups over alleged repression of protests and the disproportionate use of force by security forces.

Boluarte has called a state of emergency in Peru, allowing the army to assist police in maintaining order.

"I will appear before the OAS to tell the truth. The Peruvian government and especially Dina Boluarte have nothing to hide," she said.

Boluarte claims some of the protesters were killed by ammunition that is not used by the police.

The president said the deaths "hurt me, as a woman, a mother and a daughter." She also hit out at her predecessor Castillo, saying he sparked unrest by trying to broaden his powers in a bid to avoid an impeachment vote and stave off corruption investigations.

"It suited him to stage a coup d'etat so he could play the victim and mobilize all this paramilitary apparatus so as not to answer before the public prosecutor for the acts of corruption that he is accused of," said Boluarte.

"There is no victim here, Mr Castillo. There is a bleeding country because of your irresponsibility."Boluarte is from the same left-wing party as Castillo and was his running mate during his successful 2021 election campaign. She served as his vice president before replacing him.
Monterey Park, United States, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jan, 2023 ) :Asian Americans were reeling Tuesday after two mass shootings in California targeting members of their community left 18 people dead -- with the alleged gunmen in both cases being older men of Asian descent.

The killings came in a span of just 48 hours -- so close together that California Governor Gavin Newsom was at a hospital meeting with victims of the first attack when he was pulled away to be briefed about the second.

"It is said all the time: only in America," a clearly exasperated Newsom told reporters Tuesday in Half Moon Bay.

"Only in America. Number one in gun ownership. Number one in gun deaths. It's not even complicated," he said.

"What the hell is wrong with us, that we allow these weapons of war and large capacity clips out on the streets and sidewalks?" Another shooting occurred overnight in Washington state, where a gunman killed three people at a convenience store, in an act police said appeared to be random.

The carnage prompted President Joe Biden to renew calls for Congress to act quickly on an assault weapons ban. A group of senators on Monday reintroduced a Federal assault weapons ban and legislation that would raise the minimum purchase age for assault weapons to 21.

Biden also said he would be dispatching Vice President Kamala Harris to California in the wake of the shootings.

"Our hearts are with the people of California," he said, calling the massacres "devastating." Investigators were still probing the motives behind the two incidents, which stood out among the scourge of mass shootings in America both for the community impacted -- gun violence is usually seen as rare among Asians and Asian Americans -- and for the age of the suspects, 67 and 72.

The nonpartisan Violence Project says 79 percent of mass shooters from 1966 to 2020 were under age 45. It says a mere 6.4 percent of mass shooters in that time were Asian.

The Monday bloodshed occurred at two farms around Half Moon Bay, a rural coastal community south of San Francisco.

San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said Tuesday that five men and two woman -- a mixture of Hispanic and Asian -- were killed, and that 67-year-old Half Moon Bay resident Chunli Zhao had been taken into custody.

A semi-automatic handgun had been recovered.

"The only known connection between the victims and suspect is that they may have been co-workers," she said.

"All the evidence we have points to this being an instance of workplace violence." The San Francisco Chronicle reported a former co-worker had been granted a restraining order against Zhao over violent behaviour.

"Mr. Zhao said to me, today I am going to kill you," Jingjiu Wang wrote in 2013 when the two worked at a San Jose restaurant together.

"He then took a pillow and started to cover my face and suffocate me." The small community of Half Moon Bay was on Tuesday struggling to come to terms with the mass shooting.

"This is tragedy, and to happen on the New Year," Aily Li, whose family owns the China House restaurant, told AFP.

Sophie Li, who works at Shiki Japanese Cuisine in the town, said guns were terrifying.

"Without a gun, we just argue. But if you have a gun, it gives you more power and then something will happen," she said.

"You deal with people who carry a gun and you never know what will happen. People got shot, right?" That tragedy unfolded as detectives in southern California were still probing what drove 72-year-old Huu Can Tran to shoot dead 11 people gathered for Lunar New Year on Saturday night at a suburban dance hall.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Tran, who had been arrested decades earlier for unlawful possession of a firearm, fired 42 rounds in the attack in Monterey Park.

"What drove a madman to do this?" he said.

Luna confirmed officers had been told Tran may have been known to some of his victims.

Information about Tran remained unclear. CNN reported that, according to his marriage license, he had immigrated from China; the New York Times cited immigration documents saying he was a naturalized US citizen of Vietnamese origin.

A former friend described Tran as a vengeful loner.

"Two simple words that cover the whole thing: He's a person of distrust. He distrusts people around him. Second word is hate. He hates people around him, especially if he thought someone was doing bad on him," the friend said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"He would say, 'Someday I will get back at you, get even, get revenge.'"I think his life was so miserable and desperate that he chose that day to end his life and meanwhile he wanted to get people he didn't like or hated to go with him," the man said.
ISTANBUL, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jan, 2023 ) :Newcastle United claimed a narrow victory over Southampton on Tuesday in the first leg of the League Cup (Carabao Cup) semifinal.

Playing at Southampton's St Mary's stadium, neither team was able to produce a goal in the first half.

Newcastle striker Joelinton scored the winning goal with a close-range finish in the 73rd minute.

In the 86th minute, Southampton were down to 10 men after Duje Caleta-Car received a red card.

The return leg will be held at Newcastle's home ground, St James' Park, on Jan. 31.
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China is calling for the prompt removal of sanctions imposed on conflict-torn Syria, Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations said on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) China is calling for the prompt removal of sanctions imposed on conflict-torn Syria, Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations said on Wednesday.

"China once again calls in relevant countries to immediately and fully lift unilateral sanctions against Syria," Dai Bing said.

The armed conflict in Syria has been going on since 2011, with President Bashar Assad's forces fighting different insurgent groups, including terrorists. Along with hostilities, the middle Eastern nation has been suffering from acute health, energy and economic crises.
On Wednesday, January 25, Pope Francis met with a delegation from the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), who were visiting the Vatican, according to the Vatican news.

"Thank you for this unity of yours, it means a lot to me. It is like children in a family where one is there, the other is somewhere else, but when mom is sick, everyone comes together," the Pope said during the meeting.

At the same time, he said we are not talking about Jewish, Islamic, Christian, Orthodox or Catholic Ukraine, but about "mother Ukraine," for the sake of which everyone rallies together.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Metropolitan Epiphanius, in turn, said that at the meeting the Pope was asked to extend the prayer for Ukraine and the struggle for truth.

"As the UCCRO, we are really brought together like children who gather from everywhere when their mother is sick. Pope Francis used this analogy during our meeting this morning. We are different, but our Mother is Ukraine. We asked the Pope to continue praying for Ukraine and the struggle for truth," Epiphanius said on Twitter.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) Chris Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand's prime minister on Wednesday succeeding Jacinda Ardern, who resigned less than one week ago.

Local media reported that in 1997 Hipkins was arrested during a student protest outside parliament in Wellington but was released due to lack of evidence of his guilt.

Hipkins called his new post "the biggest responsibility and the biggest privilege" of his life, as quoted by the NZHerald newspaper.

On January 22, Hipkins, who faced no competition during the leadership campaign, was unanimously endorsed by the ruling Labour party as its leader. Similarly to the British political system, this granted him the opportunity to become the country's new head of government.

Ardern, who announced her resignation on January 19, had been in office since 2017. Hipkins served as education minister in her government.
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Iran has imposed retaliatory sanctions against 30 individuals and four organizations in the European Union and the United Kingdom for supporting terrorism, interfering in internal affairs and inciting unrest, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) Iran has imposed retaliatory sanctions against 30 individuals and four organizations in the European Union and the United Kingdom for supporting terrorism, interfering in internal affairs and inciting unrest, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The foreign ministry... stipulates the following Individuals and entities of the EU and UK regime in its sanction list for supporting terrorism and terrorist groups, instigating and encouragement to terrorist acts and violence against Iranian people, interference in domestic affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, fomenting violence and unrest in Iran, dissemination of false information about Iran and participation in the escalation of cruel sanctions against Iranian people as an economic terrorism," the statement said.

Tehran will block accounts and transactions in the financial and banking systems in relation to these individuals and organizations, as well as block their assets within the country's jurisdiction, the ministry said.

Iran will also ban those sanctioned from getting visas and entering the country, it added.

On Monday, the EU released a new package of sanctions against Iran, targeting 18 individuals and 19 entities, which the bloc considers responsible for a crackdown on protests in the country. The list includes a number of the country's former and current regional officials, lawmakers and cabinet members, including Iranian Minister of Sport and Youth Hamid Sajjadi for allegedly "forcing Iranian athletes to refrain from comments on the situation in the country." The list of entities includes Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), among other organizations.

On January 19, the European Parliament approved a resolution urging the EU leadership to include the IRGC on the EU terrorist list.
The potentials of Russia and Iran can complement each other in order to achieve the interests of the two countries, in particular, to develop energy and transport cooperation, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2023) The potentials of Russia and Iran can complement each other in order to achieve the interests of the two countries, in particular, to develop energy and transport cooperation, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said.

On Monday, Raisi met with Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin in Tehran to discuss energy, trade, and transport cooperation among other things.

"The two countries have diverse, numerous capacities in the fields of energy, transit and transportation that can be activated for developing cooperation. The capacities of the two sides can complement each other, and their use can create regional benefits in addition to securing the interests of the two countries," Raisi said.

In turn, Volodin noted that Moscow's agenda is spurred by the desire of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Raisi to develop cooperation.
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Norway will send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine as part of Western aid, its defence minister announced Wednesday, joining other European countries

Oslo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jan, 2023 ) :Norway will send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine as part of Western aid, its defence minister announced Wednesday, joining other European countries.

"Norway and the government support the donation of battle tanks to Ukraine. Norway will take part," Defence Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said in an interview with Norwegian public television NRK without stating how many would be sent.

After weeks of pressure from Ukraine and other allies, Berlin finally agreed to send 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks, seen as among the best in the world.

The move opened the way for other European nations that operate Leopards to send tanks from their own fleets to Ukraine, further building up the combined-arms arsenal Kyiv needs to launch counter-offensives.

After weeks of intense lobbying for the heavy military equipment, news of their imminent supply comes as a relief for Kyiv particularly as Russian forces reported advances in Bakhmut, a town in eastern Ukraine that Moscow has been trying to capture for months.

The United States announced Wednesday that it will also provide heavy tanks to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion, mirroring a similar move by Germany in the face of dire warnings from Moscow.
The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned in the strongest terms the mutilation of a copy of the Holy Quran by an extremist in The Hague, Netherlands

Jeddah (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jan, 2023) The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned in the strongest terms the mutilation of a copy of the Holy Quran by an extremist in The Hague, Netherlands.

The General Secretariat renewed the OICs condemnation and denunciation of such extremist and provocative practices that exemplify hatred in addition to being a manifestation of Islamophobia, which incite violence and defamation of religions.

The General Secretariat expressed its deep concern over the continued manifestation of religious intolerance and hatred against Muslims in many parts of the world.

It urged the Governments of the countries concerned to take necessary measures to address those acts.

The OIC General Secretariat emphasized the importance of encouraging dialogue, understanding and cooperation among religions, cultures and civilizations while shunning hatred and extremism in order to achieve peace and harmony in the world.
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Russia is ready to send the fertilizer stuck in European ports due to sanctions to Syria free of charge to alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian situation there, Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) Russia is ready to send the fertilizer stuck in European ports due to sanctions to Syria free of charge to alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian situation there, Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said on Wednesday.

"The record price hike is noticed first and foremost when it comes to food - overall about 68% of Syrian population needs food assistance and this requires that everyone, including donors, make immediate efforts to rectify the situation and help the agriculture sector in Syria including through fertilizer supplies," Nebenzia told a UN Security Council meeting. "Our country stands ready to free of charge send to Damascus a shipment of fertilizers which were blocked by the European Union countries because of anti-Russia sanctions.

"

Nebenzia also noted it might be impossible to bring these fertilizers into Syria due to the US Caesar Act.

Russia and Syria have previously drawn the attention of the United Nations to the issue and expect to hear what it has done to address the problem, the ambassador said.

The humanitarian situation in Syria is worsening, and it has nothing to do with either actions by Damascus or the Ukraine crisis, Nebenzia highlighted.

"The main reason here is unilateral sanctions imposed by Western states against Syria," he stated.

Earlier this week, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the fact that Russian ammonia products are located at European ports and cannot be shipped out is "too bad."
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WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Tuesday, following reports on the supply of Abrams tanks to Ukraine by Washington, that the delivery will become another "blatant provocation" against Russia and warned that the Russian military would destroy the equipment.

US media reported earlier on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden is set to announce the delivery of 30-50 Abrams tanks to Ukraine on Wednesday.

"If a decision to transfer to Kiev M1 Abrams is made, American tanks without any doubt will be destroyed as all other samples of NATO military equipment... If the United States decides to supply tanks, it will be impossible to justify such step using arguments about 'defensive weapons.' This would be another blatant provocation against the Russian Federation. No one should have illusions about who is real aggressor in the current conflict," Antonov said, as quoted by the embassy on Telegram.

The ambassador added that the US "is deliberately trying to inflict strategic defeat" on Russia and "gives 'green light' to use of American assistance for attacks on the Crimea.

" Antonov said that "a growing number of officials and experts in America admit: it is all about U.S. 'proxy-war' with our country," adding that "the Americans are constantly raising the 'bar' of military assistance to their puppet government," which is especially clear when the Russian military "gain new victories and confidently liberate the territory of Russia from the Nazi threat."

Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) Russian state-owned energy company Inter RAO supplied a record amount of electricity to China and Mongolia in 2022, the company's head, Boris Kovalchuk, said on Wednesday.

"Since June 2022, we have completely halted commercial deliveries to European Union countries. At the same time, we significantly increased exports to China and Mongolia. Volume of kilowatt-hours sold in these directions is set to reach an all-time record once 2022 results are finalized," Kovalchuk said at a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Inter RAO suspended supplies to Europe after sanctions against Moscow started preventing Western customers from paying for Russian energy.

Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov said at the end of December that as of 2022, the export of energy from Russia to China and Mongolia increased by 15-20% and would likely increase by another 16% for China alone.

Inter RAO provides electricity to China from the Amur Region under a long-term take-or-pay contract. In previous years, the exports amounted to 3 billion kWh per annum. In 2021, China asked for supplies to be increased due to power shortages. A total of 3.8 billion kWh worth $181.5 billion was exported in 2021.

Inter RAO is the only operator of electricity exports and imports in Russia. The diversified energy holding company manages assets in Russia, as well as in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The cross-border aid mechanism for Syria may not survive until it is extended in July and should be transformed, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) The cross-border aid mechanism for Syria may not survive until it is extended in July and should be transformed, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said on Wednesday.

"In its present form, the mechanism has very few chances not only to celebrate its anniversary but even to last until its next extension in July," Nebenzia said. "If our colleagues do indeed want to keep the possibility of helping people in Idlib not through Damascus, it is important to start work, together with us, on preparing its in-depth transformation."

Nebenzia explained that the province of Idlib remains a "gray area" in which the United Nations has never had an on-ground presence.

"First of all, we need to come to the same opinion of the fact that humanitarian assistance here needs to be done with a consent, not just a notification of Damascus, and in close cooperation with legal authorities," he said.

"We call on the United Nations to continue with its efforts to increase cross line supplies into this area."

Earlier in January, the UN Security Council unanimously extended a resolution on cross-border aid in Syria until July 10. The document allows UN aid deliveries via the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Syrian border with Turkey. The resolution also requires UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to report back to the UN Security Council with analysis on the cross-border mechanism by June 10.

In July 2022, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to extend humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing from Turkey. Twelve member states voted in favor, with the United States, France and the United Kingdom abstaining.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) Venezuela and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding in Caracas, defining joint goals in trade, investment and economic development, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said.

"We have approved ambitious goals in trade and agreed on progress in the integration of investments and industrial economic development of our countries," Maduro said after a meeting with Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Mus, broadcast by Venezolana de Television channel.

At the talks with the Turkish minister, Maduro also announced plans to increase the number of flights between Caracas and Istanbul.

Venezuelan Petroleum Minister Tareck El Aissami, who attended the meeting, said Venezuelan exports to Turkey in 2022 showed a 25 percent increase, reaching $691 million.

In June 2022, Maduro paid an official visit to Ankara, after which agreements were signed between the countries in tourism, agriculture and finance.
Zelensky thanks Scholz for decision to transfer combat tanks to Ukraine

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for making the decision to transfer German battle tanks to Kyiv.

German main battle tanks, further broadening of defense support & training missions, green light for partners to supply similar weapons. Just heard about these important & timely decisions in a call with Olaf Scholz. Sincerely grateful to the Chancellor and all our friends in Germany, Zelensky said on Twitter Wednesday.
Southern Miss School of Music Celebrates the Life of Denny Behm

Wed, 01/25/2023 - 09:12am | By: Mike Lopinto

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Music will host festivities celebrating the life of beloved horn professor, Dennis Denny Behm, Feb. 3-5 with multiple events in and around the School of Music on the Hattiesburg campus.

Dubbed Hornfest, the events will culminate in a recital performance given by Behms previous students and the current USM Visiting Professor of Horn on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 3:30 p.m. at Marsh Auditorium. All festivities and recital are free and open to the public.

Activities, rehearsals, and remembrances will be held all weekend to honor the memory of Behm, including a walk around the Hattiesburg campus on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 10 a.m., a bike ride on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 9 a.m., and trips to his favorite restaurants. The closing recital will feature many of Behms students, including Erik Ralske and Brad Gemeinhardt from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and a performance from the assembled horn choir.

Mr. Behm was an exceptional teacher, said former student, Mary Wood (USM Honors College student 1995-2000, summa cum laude). He approached each student with a natural curiosity, humility, and a sincere desire to figure out what they were truly passionate about, whether it fit the standard mold or not. He would use whatever tools were necessary (many of them very creative!) to spur each student on to success in their chosen goals. That so many accomplished professionals are gathering from around the world to honor his memory is itself a legacy. Denny's gift was enabling others to find their own.

Behm began his teaching career at USM in 1974 and served on the faculty for 29 years. During his tenure at Southern Miss, he inspired and motivated his students, many of whom have achieved successful careers in music.

The legacy of Behm and the Southern Miss horn studio is felt all over the world, said Dr. Robert Detjen, visiting assistant professor of horn at Southern Miss. A history of exceptional education, musicianship, and humanity are the hallmark of USM and Denny was the personification of this.

For more information, contact Dr. Rob Detjen, robert.detjenFREEMississippi
Morgan Weighs in on Auto Insurance for WalletHub

Wed, 01/25/2023 - 08:32am | By: David Tisdale

University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Finance Professor of Practice Mike Morgan recently provided perspectives on identifying inexpensive auto insurance in Mississippi as well as the best car insurance companies for WalletHub, a personal finance website. The article may be viewed at the following links: https://wallethub.com/cheap-car-insurance/mississippi#experts=Mike_Morgan and https://wallethub.com/car-insurance#expert=Mike_Morgan.



Morgan is a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) with approximately 20 years of experience working in executive roles at various technology firms, and most recently was CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and later president of Bomgar Corporation before joining USM as a Visiting Professor of Finance in 2014. He was promoted to Professor of Practice at the university in the fall of 2015. Morgan teaches courses in financial analysis (Entrepreneurial Finance), personal finance, corporate finance, and short-term capital management.

Additionally, Morgan serves as an advisor for technology start-ups regarding issues related to finance and participates in an angel investing network based in the Southeast. He is also a mentor in a start-up program sponsored by Innovate Mississippi.

The School of Finance is housed in USMs College of Business and Economic Development. Learn more about the school at https://www.usm.edu/finance/index.php.
A group of Catholic, Muslim, and Protestant leaders welcome new peace talks, and call on all believers to pray for an end to violence in the country.

By Joseph Tulloch

Religious leaders in two areas of Cameroon have welcomed the Canadian governments recent announcement of peace talks in the country.

On Friday, Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly had released a statement saying that some of the separatist factions in the war-torn Northwestern and Southwestern areas of Cameroon had agreed to negotiate.

Now, religious leaders  each representing a different faith tradition  have released a statement thanking God for the announcement, calling for an end to violence, and inviting believers of all religions to pray for peace.

A major step toward peace

The religious leaders  the heads of the Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches, as well as two major mosques in the conflict-ridden areas  welcomed the announcement of talks as a major step towards the search for true, sustainable, and lasting peace in these two Regions.

This has been our prayer, they continued, and we are thankful to God that a hopeful corridor is beginning to open for inclusive dialogue.

They urged participants in the talks to be honest, God-fearing, sincere, humble, and patriotic throughout the entire announced peace process and let the spirit of God assist them in their deliberations.

Appeal for international aid and prayer

As well as encouraging local participants in the peace talks, the religious leaders appealed for the international community to assist without bias or prejudice. Addressing members of the international community, especially the African Union, the European countries that colonized Africa, and the United Nations, they urged them to show an indefectible interest in this crisis.

They then went on to call on religious believers, calling on everyone who believes that the Almighty God of peace can resolve any and every conflict amongst humankind, to join us in prayer that the Devil and his agents (both human and otherwise), may not destroy this peace process.

Read also 28/10/2022 Cameroonian womens activist: 'We must train girls to be leaders' On the sidelines of a Caritas-sponsored conference on women in leadership, Cameroonian activist and NGO founder Marthe Wandou speaks about helping girls to be leaders, and the ...

A forgotten conflict

The conflict in Cameroon, which broke out in 2017, is concentrated in the English-speaking regions of the country. Many English speakers perceive themselves to be marginalized by the Francophone majority, and English-language militias have been fighting government forces in an attempt to form a breakaway state, Ambazonia.

The Canadian government has said that nearly 800,000 people have been displaced as a result of the crisis, and 600,000 children do not have full access to education. The International Crisis Group, meanwhile, estimates that at least 6,000 have been killed.
The German authorities are aiming to transfer two tank battalions with Leopard 2 to Ukraine, but they will do it not alone, and together with partners, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.

"Our goal is to transfer tanks for two battalions together with our allies," he said, speaking in the German parliament on Wednesday.

At the same time, the Associated Press clarifies that, thus, its about 88 tanks.

"Many countries want to join our initiative. We will coordinate this process," Scholz said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the German authorities decided to transfer the first batch of 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Also, the German authorities will give the allies permission to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Leopard 2 is the main battle tank of the Bundeswehr. It is also in service with Austria, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark, Greece, Finland, the Netherlands. It has been in operation since 1979, it has many modifications, more than 3,600 units of such tanks have been produced in total.
Pope Francis sends a message to the General Chapter of the Order of Malta, called to live in fidelity to the new Constitutional Charter.

By Alessandro de Carolis

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is holding an extraordinary Chapter General with 111 members called to elect - under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Grand Master Fra' John Dunlap and Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi, the Pope's special delegate - the Grand Commander, the Grand Chancellor and the other top positions, on the basis of the new Constitutional Charter and the new Codex Melitense.

Challenge to the worldly mentality

Marking the event, Pope Francis sent a message to the order. His reflection on this new journey of the Order opens with his thanks to the members for their "almost millenary" work, carried out in the humanitarian, medical and social fields and which today counts Lampedusa, "with migrants who have fled their countries", and Ukraine and surrounding areas "for those fleeing war", among its main poles of activity. "To build a more just world, there is no other road than that of the Gospel," the Pope writes, and of "great merit," he acknowledges, "is your work of consoling the afflicted, both in their spiritual and material needs. The Pope adds that this is just as the challenge against "the worldly, selfish and today consumerist mentality" belongs to you, to be faced "with your exemplarity of life and your works of mercy".

Unity in the Rule

Pope Francis emphasised that this heritage of charity needs a coherence of life with the Gospel and with the rules of the Order, because "without faith" those same works "would only be philanthropy". Coherence today, on the threshold of the new course, passes in particular, for all members of the First, Second and Third Class of the Order, from observing in personal and community practice the new Constitutional Charter and the Codex Melitense, "the fruit," the Pope recalls, "of a long journey" within the Order, lived "not without contrasts," and finally arriving at the new norms that can now bring "the whole Order," he says, "a spiritual renewal and work in charity, thus strengthening its unity.

Strengthen unity

Precisely the theme of unity, constitutive of the Knights of Malta, is a point on which the Pope insists with a direct appeal to the conscience of each one. "I heartily ask you," the message reads, "to come to a sincere mutual forgiveness, to reconciliation, after moments of tension and difficulties that you have experienced in the recent past. May the charity of forgiveness be the way of life that distinguishes you'. And a little further on - offering guidance on how to conduct life within community structures - Pope Francis reiterates the thought: "firmly strengthen your unity, otherwise you will not be credible in your works. Conflicts and oppositions damage your mission". The life trajectory of those who militate in the Order of Malta should be the same as that of Jesus, who "reigns in humility, from a manger and a cross".
In a telegram sent to Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles, Pope Francis expresses sadness, offers prayers, and decries a recent California shooting that claimed 11 lives and wounded several others, in Monterey Park, during Lunar New Year celebrations.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis has expressed his great sadness for the tragic shootings that killed eleven people during Lunar New Year in Monterey Park, California, last weekend.

The Holy Father's message came on Wednesday in a telegram sent on his behalf by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and addressed to the Archbishop of Los Angeles, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez.

In it, he said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the shooting that took place in the US.

Commending souls to God's loving mercy

Assuring those affected by this tragedy of his spiritual closeness, the Pope said, he "joins the entire community in commending the souls of those who died to Almighty God's loving mercy."



The Holy Father also implored "the divine gifts of healing and consolation upon the injured and bereaved."

Pope Francis concluded, by sending his Apostolic Blessing "as a pledge of strength and peace in the Lord."

The tragic events

A gunman in California shot dead numerous people in the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, during Lunar New Year celebrations on Saturday.

Currently, 11 people have died and nine others remain injured.

While the motives of the shooting suspect, who ultimately committed suicide, are unclear, Monterey Park is home to a very large Asian community.

Nearby the dance club on the outskirts of Los Angeles, small businesses are adorned with signs in both English and Chinese, and many locals speak Cantonese and Mandarin.

According to the Associated Press, the suspect was found dead on Sunday, apparently having died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a van. Authorities say he fled in the van after people thwarted his attempt to perpetrate a second shooting at the Lai Lai Ballroom in the nearby city of Alhambra on Saturday night.

Shooting details

Los Angeles County Sheriff, Robert Luna, identified the man as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, and said no other suspects were at large.

The sheriff said the motive remained unclear for the attack.

Speaking at a Sunday evening news conference, Sheriff Luna said he did not have the exact ages of the victims, but added that all those killed appeared to be over age 50.

The weapon, he said, was a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, noting a second handgun was discovered in the van where Tran died.

While the Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park were to be one of Californias largest, with two days of festivities planned and some 100,000 people set to attend, officials cancelled Sundays events following the shooting.

Archbishop Gomez's closeness

Archbishop Gomez also mourned the victims and prayed for all affected.

In a statement issued on Sunday, he said, We pray for those killed and injured in this shooting" and "ask God stay close to their families and loved ones.

We pray for the wounded to be healed, and ask that God give strength and guidance to the doctors and nurses who are caring for them," he said.

Fifth mass killing this month

This dance club massacre was the fifth mass killing this month in the United States.

In a back-to-back mass shooting in northern California just two days afterwards, seven people were shot dead in the coastal city of Half Moon Bay. And just over a week ago, six people including a teenage mother and baby were killed at a property in Goshen, central California.

The Monterey Park shooting in marks the country's deadliest attack since 24 May 2022, when 21 were killed in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, visited Monterey Park on Sunday, meeting with victims, their families, and local officials.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said they were thinking of those killed and wounded.
Nigerias secret police are investigating Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele for alleged financial crimes, financing terrorism, and graft. But the bankers supporters say the allegations are politically motivated, with politicians opposed to his currency reforms behind the probe. Nigeria's central bank late last year unveiled new currency to combat crime and rein in vote-buying, sparking debate just a few months ahead of February elections.

The charges leveled against Godwin Emefiele by the State Security Service (SSS) include the misappropriation of a multi-billion-dollar public lending program, and terrorism financing.

The secret police did not say when it started probing the central bank of Nigeria governor, but, according to a court affidavit, the agency has been trying to bring him in for questioning since December.



An Abuja Federal High Court in late December issued an order barring the secret police from arresting, detaining or questioning the central bank governor, and called the probe unwarranted and vindictive.



CBN spokesperson Osita Nwanisiobi did not respond to calls from VOA for comment on the matter.



But Emefiele has faced growing criticism of his policies at the central bank, including the redesigning of Nigeria's currency and introduction in December of limits for cash withdrawals.



The director at the Center for Social Justice, Eze Onyekpere, says Emefiele desecrated the independent position of the CBN governor by participating in partisan politics.



"In international laws and jurisprudence, central banks monetary policy authorities are supposed to be independent," he said. "For the chief executive of that same bank to now drag the CBN into a politically compromised situation, makes itself amenable to various or all kinds of insinuations. This would not have happened if the CBN governor had kept away from partisan politics.



Emefiele withdrew from a possible presidential bid last May after President Muhammadu Buhari ordered public officials with political interests to resign from office.

In October, the president approved the central banks redesign of the country's highest currency notes in a bid to combat counterfeiters, promote more cashless payments and reduce excess cash in circulation.

Analysts say the new currency, which rendered stashes of the old currency useless, will also make it more difficult for candidates to buy votes during next months elections.

Public finance analyst Isaac Botti says Emefiele is being treated unfairly.

"The man is being witch-hunted, people are reacting particularly when this issue of currency redesign, cash withdrawal limit came up and a number of persons particularly those at the corridors of power are not favored, they feel that this guy should be taken off. If there are clear cases of financial crimes against him, then he should be relieved of his duty and properly prosecuted," he said.

Botti says the allegations against the central bank chief could dampen public confidence in the CBN and its policies.

But Onyekpere says the secret service must first present substantial proof of its claims against the central bank governor.



"They have not disclosed a genuine ground to move the court to support their course of action. From what is available to me, I do not see how they can sustain that charge," he said.

Emefiele was appointed head of the central bank in March 2014. In 2019, he was reappointed for a second five-year term that ends next year.
Peru's President Dina Boluarte called Tuesday for a "national truce" to end weeks of nationwide unrest as protesters again clashed with police in the capital to press for her resignation and fresh elections.

Thousands of Peruvians from Andean regions, many in traditional dress, marched in central Lima chanting "Dina assassin," blaming her for the deaths of 46 people, mainly demonstrators, since protests broke out last month.

Violent clashes erupted in central Lima Tuesday evening as protesters threw stones and police responded with tear gas, according to an AFP journalist on the scene.

Many Peruvians remain angry at the December 7 ouster of then-president Pedro Castillo, who was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

Boluarte, the vice president under Castillo, immediately assumed power.

Protests quickly broke out, largely fueled by anger in poor rural regions in the south where inhabitants  mainly Indigenous  felt that Castillo, who has Indigenous roots himself, represented their interests rather than those of the Lima elite.

Demonstrators have kept up weeks of protests and roadblocks and are also demanding the dissolution of Congress and the rewriting of the constitution.

"I call on my dear country to a national truce to allow for the establishment of dialogue, to fix the agenda for each region and develop our towns," Boluarte said in a news conference with foreign media. "I will not tire from calling for dialogue, peace and unity."

A visibly emotional Boluarte apologized several times for those killed in the protests but ruled out resigning.

"I will go once we have called a general election ... I have no intention of remaining in power."

Under Peru's current constitution, the president cannot run for immediate reelection.

'We don't believe her'

Boluarte said she was sure Congress would agree in February to advance elections, currently scheduled for April 2024.

Asked about her possible resignation, Boluarte scoffed at the idea that it would "solve the crisis and the violence."

"We don't believe her words anymore," said protester Rosa Soncco, a 37-year-old hailing from the mountain town of Acomayo, in the southern Cusco region.

"We will stay here until the end, until she leaves," she said.

On Tuesday, police fired tear gas to repel demonstrators heading in the direction of Congress, AFP journalists saw. At least one person was bleeding from their head and an injured woman was heard screaming near an ambulance.

One protester carried a big doll with a bloody knife in its hand and a picture of Boluarte attached.

Boluarte is due to have a video meeting with the Organization of American States (OAS) on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Peru.

Her government has come under fire from rights groups over alleged repression of protests and the disproportionate use of force by security forces.

Castillo 'no victim'

Boluarte has called a state of emergency in Peru, allowing the army to assist police in maintaining order.

"I will appear before the OAS to tell the truth. The Peruvian government and especially Dina Boluarte have nothing to hide," she said.

Boluarte claims some of the protesters were killed by ammunition that is not used by the police.

The president said the deaths "hurt me, as a woman, a mother and a daughter."

She also hit out at her predecessor Castillo, saying he sparked unrest by trying to broaden his powers in a bid to avoid an impeachment vote and stave off corruption investigations.

"It suited him to stage a coup d'etat so he could play the victim and mobilize all this paramilitary apparatus so as not to answer before the public prosecutor for the acts of corruption that he is accused of," said Boluarte.

"There is no victim here, Mr. Castillo. There is a bleeding country because of your irresponsibility."

Boluarte is from the same left-wing party as Castillo and was his running mate during his successful 2021 election campaign. She served as his vice president before replacing him.
Retired top FBI official Charles McGonigal pleaded not guilty in federal court in Washington on Wednesday to criminal charges alleging he took at least $225,000 from a former Albanian intelligence agent while serving as the chief of counterintelligence for the FBIs New York field office.



McGonigals arraignment came two days after he pleaded not guilty in an unrelated case in New York, a five-count indictment that accuses him of money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions after he left the FBI in 2018 by investigating a rival of sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.



McGonigal, who retired from the FBI after a 22-year career, is one of the most senior former FBI officials to be indicted in recent years.



As counterintelligence chief of the New York office, he oversaw high-profile, sensitive investigations, including that of Deripaska.



In recent days, conservatives have sought to link McGonigal to the FBIs investigation of former President Donald Trump during Trumps term in office, but his role in that probe appears tenuous.

Could be imprisoned for decades



In the Washington case, McGonigal, 54, faces nine counts of concealing material facts, making false statements, and falsifying records and documents. He could face decades in prison if convicted.



Appearing via video link from New York where he is out on bail, McGonigal pleaded not guilty to all nine charges against him.



Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqi stressed that McGonigal is a presumed innocent person under the law.



Faruqi ordered prosecutors to turn over all exculpatory evidence to McGonigals defense and scheduled the next court hearing for February 24.



The case has been assigned to Federal District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.



Most criminal cases in the United States are resolved by plea agreements between prosecutors and defense lawyers, and its not clear if McGonigals case will go to trial.

The allegations



The nine-count indictment alleges McGonigal concealed from the FBI his relationship with a former Albanian agent and businessman, as well his foreign travels and contacts with other foreign nationals during the last two years of his employment with the bureau.



The former Albanian agent, identified in Albanian and American media as Agron Neza, allegedly had business interests in the Balkans and before foreign governments.



According to court documents, McGonigal allegedly met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama at least four times in 2017 and 2018, and later instigated an FBI investigation of an American lobbyist working on behalf of the main Albanian opposition party. Neza was a confidential informant for the investigation.



During his first meeting with Rama in 2017, McGonigal allegedly urged him to be careful about awarding oil field drilling licenses in Albania to Russian front companies, according to the indictment.



Neza and a business associate described as an employee of a Chinese energy company and an informal adviser to the prime minister had a financial interest in the Albanian governments licensing decision, the indictment alleges.



McGonigals secret dealings with Rama and his role in investigating the lobbyist for the opposition party have grown into a major national scandal in Albania.



Neza is not accused of any wrongdoing and could not be reached for comment.



In the New York case, McGonigal faces four charges, including violating U.S. sanctions by investigating a rival oligarch of Deripaska in return for receiving secret payments from a Deripaska associate, and later unsuccessfully trying to get the sanctions on Deripaska lifted. He pleaded not guilty on Monday to the charges.



As head of counterintelligence for the New York office, McGonigal once investigated Russian oligarchs, including Deripaska.



His alleged work on behalf of the Russian businessman took place after he left the FBI and was working as a senior executive for a commercial real estate company.



Former Soviet and Russian diplomat Sergey Shestakov was also charged in connection with the alleged scheme.
Killings of journalists around the world jumped by 50% in 2022 compared to the previous year, driven largely by attacks in Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti.

According to a report by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 67 news media workers were killed worldwide in 2022, the highest number since 2018. Journalists in the three countries say the increased danger has forced them to work under extreme stress.

The effect is particularly notable in Haiti, where seven journalists were killed in 2022, a huge number for a small island country of about 12 million people. Some were killed by violent street gangs that have basically taken over the capital, Port au Prince, but at least two were shot by police.

Radio Caraibes reporter Mackenson Remy, who still covers news on the street, said journalists no longer know whom to trust.

"Reporting in Haiti nowadays is extremely difficult for journalists, specifically in the capital," Remy said. "Corruption is all over the place; there is no one you are able to count on."

Remy compared his work driving around the city's streets, carved up into gang territories, to the 1998 movie "The Truman Show," in which the protagonist always feels like he's being watched.

The CPJ noted that more than half35 of the 67 killingstook place in just three countries: Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti. Mexico saw 13 news workers killed, according to the committee.

Other media groups have put the number at 15, which would make 2022 the deadliest year in at least three decades for Mexican journalists. In war-battered Ukraine, 15 news workers were killed last year, CPJ said.

The CPJ said it had confirmed that 41 of the 67 journalists were killed "in direct connection with their work," and that it is investigating the motives for the 26 other slayings.

The CPJ said journalists covering the war in Ukraine "face enormous risk."

"Members of the press are frequently injured by shelling while covering the conflict, and some report that they have been targeted by Russian forces," the committee said in its report.

Mexico violence

In Mexico, the slayings appeared to result from a toxic mix of drug gang violence, local political corruption and a lack of punishment for killers.

Sonia de Anda reports for the Esquina32 news website in the northern border city of Tijuana, where two journalists were killed in the space of a week in January 2022. She said reporters there have changed their work habits or requested police protection since the killings.

"This changed our entire work dynamic," De Anda said. "If reporters go to a high-risk area that's further away, they'll tell their colleagues where they are going." She also noted that requests for official protection "increased exponentially" after the killings.

On January 17, 2022, crime photographer Margarito Martinez was gunned down outside his home. Five days later on January 23, reporter Lourdes Maldonado Lopez was found shot to death inside her car.

Investigators said a local drug gang boss paid gunmen about $1,000 to kill the news photographer because he thought Martinez had taken a picture of either him or his family. The photo in question was not Martinez's.

Authorities have arrested and put on trial a few low-ranking gunmen, but not those who ordered the killings. "The message that the authorities are leaving is that anyone can come around and kill you for $1,000," the CPJ said.

The 2022 killings also included four journalists in the Philippines, and two each in Colombia, Brazil and Honduras. Two journalists each were also killed in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Somalia and Chad.

One journalist was killed in the United States last year, on September 2: Jeff German, a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. A Las Vegas-area elected official about whom German had written articles has pleaded not guilty to the slaying.
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine.

The latest developments in Russias war on Ukraine. All times EST.

11 p.m.: Ukraine said Wednesday that Russia was upping the pressure in the fight for Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, and that Kyiv's forces were outnumbered and outgunned, Agence France-Presse reported.

"The enemy is throwing a significant number of personnel, weapons and military equipment into the battle, trying to break through our defenses," Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar said in a statement.

She claimed that Russians were "suffering significant losses" but not giving up.

The complete capture of the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, which has been partially controlled by Moscow-backed separatists since 2014, is Russia's primary military goal in Ukraine.

10:35 p.m.: Finland's defense ministry said Wednesday the country had issued the first commercial export license for military materiel to Turkey since 2019, a key demand for Ankara to approve Helsinki's NATO bid, Agence France-Presse reported.

Riikka Pitkanen, special adviser at the ministry, told AFP the export license concerned steel that would be used for armor.

Finland had suspended new licenses for military exports to Turkey in October 2019 because of Turkey's military operation in Syria.

The resumption of military exports was one of the conditions set by Ankara to give the green light for the Finnish and Swedish NATO bids, which are currently stalled.

10 p.m.: Slovakia is ready to discuss the transfer of Soviet-made MiG-29 jet fighters to Ukraine, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said on Wednesday, The Kyiv Independent reported, citing UNIAN news agency.

We are waiting for a decision from the Slovak government, he said.

Nad earlier said that the transfer of aircraft to Ukraine could not be decided only by Slovakia but required agreement with NATO partners.

8:50 p.m.: The Kremlin's top diplomat slammed the West and praised Angola's "balanced position" on international affairs on Wednesday as he pursued an African tour aimed at drumming support for Russia, Agence France-Presse reported.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on his second visit to Africa in six months, held talks with President Joao Lourenco and his Angolan counterpart Tete Antonio.

His latest trip coincides with that of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and comes a month after President Joe Biden hosted African leaders at the US-Africa summit in Washington.

Speaking after talks with Lourenco, Lavrov pledged Russia's "mutual firm commitment to development in all areas" with Angola.

Echoing President Vladimir Putin previous remarks, he said "the West is acting with the same colonial methods that it used to to exploit the developing continents."

8 p.m.: The Auschwitz Museum said Wednesday that because of the war in Ukraine, Russia will be excluded from the upcoming ceremony marking 78 years since the Red Army liberated the Nazi death camp.

"Given the aggression against a free and independent Ukraine, representatives of the Russian Federation have not been invited to attend this year's commemoration," Piotr Sawicki, spokesman for the museum at the site of the former camp, told Agence Frace-Presse.

Friday is the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp built by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland  a date that has become Holocaust Memorial Day.

Until now, Russia has always taken part in the commemoration held every year on January 27, with its delegate speaking at the main ceremony.

7:07 p.m.: Russia's top lawmaker on Wednesday backed a proposal by the founder of the Wagner mercenary group fighting in Ukraine to make it a criminal offense to publicly criticize Wagner fighters or publish negative reports about them, Reuters reported.

Yevgeny Prigozhin made the request in a letter to Vyacheslav Volodin, the hawkish chairman of the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, saying he wanted jail terms of up to five years for anyone who discredited his men.

Volodin on Wednesday ordered subordinates to urgently explore the possibility of amending the criminal code.

6:12 p.m.: France continues to study the possibility of sending its heavy Leclerc tanks to Ukraine, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reported.

The French tanks are comparable to the German-made Leopards, which Berlin agreed to send to Kyiv on Wednesday, but are available in far smaller numbers and would pose different maintenance and logistical challenges.

"Regarding the Leclerc tanks, we are continuing our analysis with the armed forces ministry," Borne told parliament when asked on Wednesday. "The issue of assistance for Ukraine is not limited to this or that weapon."

France has provided its state-of-the-art Caesar artillery system, Crotale air defense system and most recently pledged its highly mobile AMX-10 RC light tank among other weapons.

5:18 p.m.: Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar donated two Bayraktar TB2 drones to Kyiv, The Kyiv Independent reported, citing Ukraines military intelligence report Wednesday.

We are infinitely grateful to the Baykar company for its uncompromising and constant support in the most difficult times for our state, Ukraines military intelligence said.

Haluk Bayraktar, the CEO of Baykar, producing Bayraktar drones, told the BBC on August 26 that they would never supply drones to Russia and pledged their support for Ukraine.

The manufacturer had previously provided Ukraine Bayraktars for free after several fundraisers in Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine raised money to buy the drones for the Ukrainian army.

The Bayraktar is a Turkish strike operational-tactical medium-altitude drone with a long flight duration, which Turkey has been supplying to Ukraine for the past few years.

4:22 p.m.: The United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO, said on Wednesday that it had designated the historic center of Odesa, a strategic port city on Ukraine's Black Sea coast, a World Heritage in Danger site, according to Reuters.



The status, awarded by a UNESCO panel meeting in Paris, is designed to help protect Odesas cultural heritage, which has been under threat since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and enable access to financial and technical international aid.



Odesa has been bombed several times by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.



In July 2022, part of the large glass roof and windows of Odesas Museum of Fine Arts, inaugurated in 1899, were destroyed.



In a statement UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay said that Odesa, "free city, world city, legendary port" had made its mark on cinema, literature and the arts and was thus "placed under the strengthened protection of the international community."



3:15 p.m.: Brazil is poised to register record wheat shipments for January as local suppliers continue to fill the void left by major exporters Russia and Ukraine because of the ongoing war, industry sources told Reuters.



The combination of a bumper harvest and production hiccups in Argentina because of a drought also bolstered Brazilian exporters, particularly in Rio Grande do Sul, the country's biggest wheat producer, they said.



Based on shipping schedules, the National Association of Cereal Exporters projected wheat exports at 803,800 metric tons for January.



If confirmed, the volume will represent a new historic high for the month, compared to the previous record of 695,900 metric tons registered in January 2022, according to Anec data.



2:45 p.m.: The southern Ukrainian city of Kherson was retaken by Ukrainian forces from Russia in November, but the city remains a warzone, with families being displaced again and again by constant attacks. VOAs Heather Murdock reports from Kherson, Ukraine.

2:30 p.m.: The Moscow City Court has ruled in favor of a Justice Ministry motion to dissolve the Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG), Russia's oldest and one of its last independent human rights organizations, amid a Kremlin campaign to muzzle criticism of the war in Ukraine, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.



Judge Mikhail Kazakov took less than 20 minutes to render his verdict on January 25, according to Mediazona. The formal reason for the move was that members of the group, which was founded in 1976, had participated in events "outside of their region," Moscow.



"You are committing a great sin. You are destroying the human rights movement, you are destroying it," Valery Borshov, co-chair of the group, told the court during the hearing.



"Dissolving the group is a serious blow to the human rights movement not only in Russia but also the world," he added.



MHG was established by prominent Soviet dissidents, Yury Orlov, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, Andrei Amalrik, Natan Sharansky, Mikhail Bernshtam, Yelena Bonner, Aleksandr Ginzburg, Pyotr Grigorenko, and others, in the Moscow apartment of legendary rights defender and physicist Andrei Sakharov.

2:10 p.m.:





2:00 p.m.: Europes top human rights court ruled Wednesday that it can adjudicate on cases brought by the Netherlands and Ukraine against Russia for alleged rights violations in eastern Ukraine in 2014, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, The Associated Press reported.



The ruling by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights marks significant progress in efforts by the Netherlands and Ukraine to hold Russia legally accountable for its actions in Ukraine and could pave the way for compensation orders. The court said a judgment on the merits of the cases will follow at a later date.



The cases were filed before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago.



Very good news: the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights is another important step in finding the truth and justice for the victims and their relatives of flight #MH17, Dutch Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius said in a tweet.



Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra also welcomed the ruling as a significant milestone in the search for accountability.



We will continue to do everything in our power to achieve justice for all 298 victims of flight #MH17 and their loved ones, he tweeted.



1:50 p.m.: When a Russian air strike destroyed an apartment block in Dnipro on January 14, pediatric anesthesiologist Nadia Yaroshenko was momentarily faced with an agonizing choice: try to save her trapped 12-year-old son or stay with a child on the operating table. Current Time, a co-production of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and VOA, has this story.





1:40 p.m.: Russian activist hackers knocked several German websites offline on Wednesday in response to Berlin's decision to send tanks to Ukraine, although Germany's BSI cyber agency said the digital blitz had little tangible effect, Reuters reported.



Germany said on Wednesday it would supply its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, overcoming misgivings about sending heavy weaponry that Kyiv sees as crucial to defeat Russia's invasion but Moscow casts as a dangerous provocation.



Hacking group Killnet said it was targeting government websites, banks and airports with a coordinated distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) campaign, a relatively unsophisticated attack which works by directing high volumes of internet traffic towards targeted servers in order to knock them offline.



"Currently, some websites are not accessible. There are currently no indications of direct effects on the respective service and, according to the BSI's assessment, these are not to be expected if the usual protective measures are taken," the BSI said in a statement.



1:20 p.m.:

1:10 p.m.: The German government on Wednesday said it expects to eke out economic growth this year instead of a decline as Europes largest economy manages its energy divorce from Russia and shells out support for consumers and businesses hit by higher energy costs, The Associated Press reported.



The 2023 outlook improved to an 0.2% expansion from a 0.4% contraction that was expected in October, when Germany feared it would run out of natural gas used to power factories, generate electricity and heat homes this winter. Warmer-than-usual weather helped, as did a scramble to line up additional supplies of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, that comes by ship instead of pipeline from Russia.



Russias state-owned exporter Gazprom has halted all but a trickle of natural gas to Europe as countries support Ukraine during the war. Germany, one of the countries most dependent on Russian natural gas to power its industry, had no reception terminals for LNG at the start of the year. It now has three floating terminals on its northern coast, at a cost of billions of euros.



We have made the crisis manageable, Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck said at a news conference.



He said that while 0.2% growth is not where we want to get to, the measures taken to shield people from the energy crisis had prevented a steeper downturn. The improved outlook didnt fall from heaven  we accomplished it, this country accomplished it.

12:50 p.m.:

12:25 p.m.: The United States announced on Wednesday it will supply Ukraine with 31 advanced M1 Abrams tanks in a matter of months, a decision that helped break a diplomatic logjam with Germany over how best to help Kyiv in its war against Russia, Reuters reported.



President Joe Biden announced the decision in remarks at the White House, saying the tanks are needed to help the Ukrainians "improve their ability to maneuver in open terrain."



Biden thanked Germany for its decision to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks. "Germany has really stepped up," he said.



"The expectation on the part of Russia is were going to break up, Biden said of the U.S. and European allies. But we are fully, totally and thoroughly united. The United States had been cool to the idea of deploying the difficult-to-maintain Abrams tanks but had to change tack in order to persuade Germany to send its more easily used Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.



Still, the Abrams -- among the most powerful U.S. tanks -- will not be heading to Ukraine anytime soon.



Senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the decision said it will take months, not weeks, for the Abrams to be delivered and described the move in terms of providing for Ukraine's long-term defense.



Members of the Ukrainian military will be trained on using the Abrams in a yet-to-be determined location. While a highly sophisticated and expensive weapon, the Abrams is difficult to maintain and provides a logistical resupply challenge because it runs on jet fuel.



The total cost of a single Abrams tank can vary, and can be over $10 million per tank when including training and sustainment.



The decisions by Washington and Berlin come as the Western allies help Ukraine prepare for a possible spring counter-offensive to try to drive Russia out of territory it has seized.



"There is no offensive threat to Russia," Biden said.

12:05 p.m.:

11:50 a.m.: The U.S. will send 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, senior administration officials said Wednesday, reversing months of persistent arguments by the Biden administration that the tanks were too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain, The Associated Press reported.

The U.S. decision came on the heels of Germany agreeing to send 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its own stocks. Germany had said the Leopards would not be sent unless the U.S. put its Abrams on the table, not wanting to incur Russias wrath without the U.S. similarly committing its own tanks.

Since then, both sides had participated in good diplomatic conversations that had made the difference and were part of the extraordinary shift in Germanys security policy over providing weapons to Ukraine since Russia invaded 11 months ago, said a senior administration official, who briefed reporters Wednesday on the condition of anonymity to describe the new tank package in advance of the announcement.

The $400 million package announced Wednesday also includes eight M88 recovery vehicles  tank-like tracked vehicles that can tow the Abrams if it gets stuck.

Altogether, France, the U.K., the U.S., Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden will send hundreds of tanks and heavy armored vehicles to fortify Ukraine as it enters a new phase of the war and attempts to break through entrenched Russian lines.

11:40 a.m.:

11:25 a.m.: Spanish police on Wednesday arrested a 74-year-old man suspected of sending parcel-bombs in November and December to targets including the Ukrainian and U.S. embassies and the prime minister's office, Reuters reported, citing the Interior Ministry.



The man was detained in the northern town of Miranda de Ebro, and police searched his home.



The suspect is a retired Spanish citizen with the initials P.G.P. who is tech-savvy and very active on social networks, the ministry said.



"Although it is presumed that the detainee made and sent the explosive devices by himself, police do not rule out the participation or influence of other persons in the events," it added in a statement.



Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska declined to comment on reports that a Russian group could be behind the attacks.



"We are working on all possibilities," Grande-Marlaska told reporters from Vitoria. "The investigation is very advanced and we can really be very satisfied."

11:10 a.m.:



10:50 a.m.: According to Reuters, five top regional prosecutors were dismissed from their jobs on Wednesday, a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched Ukraine's largest political shakeup of the war.



The officials, who were the most senior prosecutors in their respective regions, were dismissed "voluntarily" by Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, his office said in a brief statement.



"Andriy Kostin signed orders on voluntary dismissal from administrative positions of the heads of the Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Sumy and Chernihiv regional prosecutors' offices," it said on its website.



10:35 a.m.: As Ukrainian artillery pounds Russian positions, a military doctor said work in his field hospital is increasingly intense and a drone unit reported that Russia was massing further columns of artillery. Current Time, a co-production of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and VOA, has this report from correspondent Andriy Kuzakov at the front line.



10:20 a.m.: The Ukrainian Red Cross is preparing for more aid to the civil population in the country's war-plagued zones in light of a possible new Russian offensive, Reuters reported, quoting the organization's general secretary.



"Everyone expects some intensification of the fighting," Maksym Dotsenko told Reuters during a visit to the German capital Berlin.



Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February last year, around 11 million people have fled their homes, with 7 million internally displaced and four million refugees in neighboring states.



The Red Cross, Ukraine's biggest civil organization, has no access to Russian-occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine, but is operating in the rest of the country.



The organization has increased its staff to 1,500 employees from 400 before the war and more than doubled the number of volunteer workers, Dotsenko said.



Five of its volunteers have died in the conflict, Dotsenko reported, one of them during Russian shelling of the city of Kherson in the south.

9:55 a.m.:

9:40 a.m.: Around 600 French soldiers deployed as part of a NATO battlegroup in Romania held a combat exercise on Wednesday to test the 30-nation military alliances readiness on its eastern flank, amid Russias war in neighboring Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.

The drill at a training range near Romanias eastern town of Smardan involved some 200 military vehicles, including four French Leclerc battle tanks that practiced firing live ammunition.



Romanias defense ministry said the main purpose of the exercise is to train the battlegroup on the rapid deployment capability and execution of a combat mission within a collective NATO defense operation.



The Leclerc tanks used Wednesday are the same model that French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday he asked his defense minister to work on the possibility of sending to Ukraine. Kyiv has persistently requested tanks from its western allies to help its war efforts.



After much hesitation, that request was finally granted by Germany on Wednesday when Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his government would provide German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks, and would also approve requests by other countries to do the same.

9:30 a.m.:



8:55 a.m.: Germany will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and approve their re-export from partner countries, German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said on Wednesday.



Reuters compiled a list of initial international reaction so far:



Russia: The Russian embassy in Germany said that Berlin's decision meant it was abandoning its "historical responsibility to Russia" arising from Nazi crimes in World War Two. In a statement, the embassy said that the decision would escalate the conflict to a new level. Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the German decision confirmed what she said was a "pre-planned war" against Moscow. The Kremlin said that Abrams battle tanks supplied to Ukraine by the United States would "burn", dismissing the proposed shipments as an expensive folly.



Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was "sincerely grateful" to Germany and Chancellor Olaf Scholz for Berlin's "important and timely" decision to provide Kyiv with battle tanks. Zelenskyy made the comment in a statement on the Telegram messaging app after speaking by phone with the German chancellor. "Sincerely grateful to the Chancellor and all our friends in Germany," he wrote.



NATO: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Germany's decision, saying in an interview media outlet WELT they would help Ukraine win against Russia. "At a critical moment in Russia's war, these tanks can help Ukraine defend itself, win and stand as an independent nation," he said.



Britain: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday that Germany had made the right decision. "The right decision by NATO Allies and friends to send main battle tanks to Ukraine. Alongside Challenger 2s, they will strengthen Ukraines defensive firepower," Sunak said on Twitter. "Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace."



France: The French presidency welcomed Berlin's decision to send tanks to Ukraine and allow other states to do the same.



"France welcomes the German decision, which extends and amplifies the support we have provided with the delivery of the AMX10 RC," the Elysee said in a statement, referring to a France-made lighter combat vehicle which Paris is also aiming to send to Ukraine.



Poland: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday for his decision. "Thank you @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz," he wrote on Twitter. "The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia."



Finland: Finnish Defense Minister Mikko Savola said on Wednesday his country will participate in the group of countries sending tanks to Ukraine, although the contribution would be limited in scope. "The international cooperation to send Leopards to Ukraine is advancing now and Finland will participate in that," Savola told reporters.



Netherlands: The Netherlands is prepared to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine if needed, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. "If a contribution from the Netherlands helps, we are prepared to do so," Rutte told Dutch broadcaster RTL.



Spain: Spain is open to providing Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said.



8:30 a.m.: Germany cleared the way on Wednesday for Europe to send scores of battle tanks to Ukraine, and Washington was poised make a similar announcement - moves hailed by Kyiv as a potential turning point in the war and condemned by Moscow as escalation, Reuters reported.



Germany, previously the West's holdout, said it would send an initial company of 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks from its own stocks, and also approve shipments by other European countries.



The overall aim would be to supply Ukraine with two battalions of Leopards, typically comprising three or four companies, each with around 14 tanks. Berlin said the first would arrive within three or four months, and that it would also provide training, ammunition and maintenance.



"This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability. We are acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally," Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement.



Germany's decision immediately paves the way for pledges from other countries that also use the same tanks.

7:30 a.m.: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expects the alliance's member states to raise their current spending target on defense of 2% of national output when they meet for a summit in Vilnius in July, he told German newspaper Die Welt.



"I assume that there will be a new target for defense spending when we meet for the NATO summit in Vilnius in July this year," Stoltenberg told Welt.



"The two percent target was initially for a decade, so until 2024, so we have to update it now."



Stoltenberg said he could not yet say what the member states would agree on. "But I assume that it will be a more ambitious target than before, because everybody sees that we need to invest more," he added.



Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, many allies have increased their military spending.



7:15 a.m.: A Swiss parliamentary body proposed on Tuesday waiving a re-export ban that prevents ammunition it manufactures from being re-exported from another country to Ukraine, Reuters reported.



The recommendation passed with 14 in favor and 11 against and will require later approval from parliament.



"The majority of the commission deems that Switzerland should make a contribution to European security, which includes providing more aid to Ukraine," a Swiss parliamentary committee said in a press release late on Tuesday.



Switzerland has previously rejected appeals from Germany to allow it to re-export Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine, saying such a move would violate its neutrality. But pressure has been rising for Bern to review its policies, including at the World Economic Forum it hosted in Davos last week.



The committee added in the statement that its proposals did not violate Swiss neutrality rules since the arms would go via another country and not directly to a conflict zone.

7 a.m.: The Netherlands is prepared to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine if needed, Reuters reported Wednesday citing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

"If a contribution from the Netherlands helps, we are prepared to do so," Rutte told Dutch broadcaster RTL.

Rutte said the Netherlands could opt to buy tanks it currently leases from Germany, and supply those to Ukraine.

6:30 a.m.: Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the eastern town of Soledar in the Donetsk region, military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi was cited as saying by Ukraine's state broadcaster on Wednesday.

"(Our forces) fulfilled their main task: not allowing the enemy to systematically breakthrough in the Donetsk direction," Cherevatyi was quoted as saying.

His remarks were the first Ukrainian confirmation of Soledar's capture by Russian forces. Moscow claimed control of the small salt-mining town more than a week ago.

6 a.m.: The French presidency on Wednesday welcomed Berlin's decision to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and allow other states to do the same in support of the country's fight against Russia.

"France welcomes the German decision, which extends and amplifies the support we have provided with the delivery of the AMX10 RC," the Elysee said in a statement, referring to a France-made lighter combat vehicle which Paris is also aiming to send to Ukraine.

Below are other world leaders' reactions to Germany's decision:

5:42 a.m.: Germany will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and approve their re-export from partner countries, Reuters reported German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit as saying in a statement on Wednesday.

The goal was to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, the statement said, adding Germany would in a first step provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from military stocks. Training of Ukrainian troops in Germany will begin soon, and Germany will also provide logistics and ammunition, it said.

5:30 a.m.: The Ukrainian military conceded to Agence France-Presse Wednesday that its troops had pulled out of the battle-scarred town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region, which Russian forces said they captured earlier this month.

"After months of heavy fighting, including over the past weeks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine left (Soledar) and retreated along the outskirts to pre-prepared positions," said military spokesman Sergiy Cherevaty.

5 a.m.: According to Agence France-Presse, the Kremlin said Wednesday that if Western countries supply Ukraine with heavy tanks they will be destroyed on the battlefield, as Kyiv awaits a decision from Berlin on deliveries of Leopard 2 tanks.

"Technologically, this is a failed plan. This is an overestimation of the potential that this will add to the Ukrainian army. These tanks burn like all the rest. They are just very expensive," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

4:45 a.m.: Wednesday morning, Reuters posted a running list of countries who have promised or are poised to promise Ukraine tanks:

The United States: U.S. officials say Washington is poised to send dozens of its M1 Abrams battle tank, reversing its previous position. The tank has a 120 mm smooth bore gun.

Germany: Sources say German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send Leopard 2 battle tanks, a German-built vehicle with a 120 mm smooth bore gun that is one of the most widely used in the West. He will also allow other countries to send theirs, they say.

Britain: The British government announced on January 14 that it would send its a squadron, or 14, of its Challenger 2 battle tanks, which has a 120 mm rifled gun.

Poland: Warsaw has said it is ready to send up to 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks and has been pressing Berlin to approve the move. A source said Poland had submitted a request to Germany, which must approve re-export requests of the German-built vehicle.

Norway: The Norwegian government is considering whether to send some of its Leopard tanks, newspapers reported.

Finland: The Finnish government has said it could donate a small number of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if a wider group of European nations also decided to do so but said it would depend on Berlin's approval.

4:15 a.m.: The Ukrainian Red Cross is preparing for more aid to the civil population in the country's war-plagued zones in light of a possible new Russian offensive, Reuters reported citing the organization's general secretary.

"Everyone expects some intensification of the fighting," Maksym Dotsenko told Reuters during a visit to the German capital Berlin.

Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February last year, around 11 million people have fled their homes, with 7 million internally displaced and four million refugees in neighboring states.

The Red Cross, Ukraine's biggest civil organization, has no access to Russian-occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine, but is operating in the rest of the country.

The organization has increased its staff to 1,500 employees from 400 before the war and more than doubled the number of volunteer workers, Dotsenko said.

Five of its volunteers have died in the conflict, Dotsenko reported, one of them during Russian shelling of the city of Kherson in the south. "I cannot say that all the needs are covered. But I can say that in general the situation is under control," Dotsenko said.

The Red Cross, he said, is ready to provide generators to hospitals and other places in case of more Russian attacks on critical infrastructure. "Of course, we need more financial support," he added, but there was no need for donations of clothing.

Front lines in the war, which stretch more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) through eastern and southern Ukraine, have been largely frozen in place for two months despite heavy losses on both sides, but both Russia and Ukraine are widely believed to be planning new offensives.

3:30 a.m.: Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose country is hosting this year's Group of Seven meeting, said Wednesday he is considering visiting Ukraine, after an invitation from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Agence France-Presse reported.

"Nothing has been decided at this time regarding my visit to Ukraine," he told parliament.

"I will consider this in light of various circumstances and conditions," he added, without specifying further.

Tokyo has worked in lockstep with its G-7 allies to sanction Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and boost support to Kyiv, even taking the rare step of offering refuge to those fleeing the conflict.

While Kishida has spoken to Zelenskyy several times, they have not met in person. The Ukrainian leader invited his Japanese counterpart to visit during a call on January 6. The trip would be the first time in the post-war period that a Japanese prime minister has visited a country during an active conflict.

3 a.m.: Reuters reported Wednesday that the Russian Defense Ministry has said the frigate Admiral Gorshkov tested its strike capabilities in the western Atlantic Ocean.

In a statement, the ministry said the frigate had run a computer simulation on hypersonic Zircon missiles. Zircon missiles have a range of 900 kilometers (560 miles) and can travel at several times the speed of sound, making it difficult to defend against them. The statement did not say the frigate had launched a missile.

Tensions between the West and Russia have reached the highest point in years due to the conflict in Ukraine. Russian officials have on several occasions suggested Russia might use its nuclear arsenal, the world's largest, if it feels threatened by Western support for Ukraine.

2:25 a.m.:

1:45 a.m.: The United States has determined that some Chinese companies are providing non-lethal assistance to Russia for its war in Ukraine and officials are noting their concern to the Chinese government, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "what we're seeing is non-lethal military assistance and economic support that stops short of wholesale sanctions evasion."

The source did not elaborate, and Reuters could not independently verify this account.

The United States has warned the Chinese government of consequences should China provide weaponry to Russia for use against Ukraine.

U.S. officials view the current activity as concerning and believe it is "a significantly scaled-down version of the PRCs (Peoples Republic of China) initial plan, which was to sell lethal weapons systems for use on the battlefield," the source said.

It is unclear if the Chinese government is aware of the activity, the source said.

U.S. officials are reaching out to Chinese authorities through diplomatic channels, the source said.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington has been very clear with China about the implications of providing material to support Russia's war in Ukraine, though he declined to confirm Tuesday's reports.

1:05 a.m.: The Norwegian government is considering whether to send some of its German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Reuters cited Oslo-based newspapers Aftenposten and Dagens Naeringsliv as reporting late on Tuesday.

No decision to send the heavy battle tanks has yet been made, according to each of the papers, quoting anonymous sources familiar with the deliberation.

NATO member Norway, which itself borders Russia, may contribute either four or eight of the country's 36 Leopard 2 tanks, according to Dagens Naeringsliv.

12:30 a.m.:

12:01 a.m.: Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny exhibited a replica of his cell outside the Moscow embassy in Berlin on Tuesday, an Agence France-Presse journalist reported.

Passersby can enter the cell, about 3 meters long and 2 meters wide, a replica of the one where the opponent is held in a high security prison in Russia.

"I was surprised that the door was closed, and I felt a little uncomfortable," said Anya Nikolaeva, 26, who visited the replica, placed in front of the embassy near the Brandenburg Gate. "I was happy to know that it was going to end soon," said Nikolaeva, who is from Saint Petersburg and participated to show her support for Navalny.

The 46-year-old opponent of Vladimir Putin's regime is jailed outside the town of Vladimir, about 230 kilometers east of Moscow, after a conviction for embezzlement, one of several judgments that Navalny denounced as an attempt to silence him.

"People are very destabilized and impressed by the conditions in which Alexey Navalny currently finds himself," according to Eugene Nasyrov, 42, volunteer in charge of the cell.

The facility is open 24 hours a day and will operate until February 23, the eve of the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
The United States and Germany are both reportedly considering plans to announce whether or not to supply Ukraine with state-of-the-art main battle tanks, weapons systems that could dramatically shift the balance of power on the battlefield as Ukraine fights off a Russian invasion.

With the U.S. and Germany both committing tanks to Ukraine, the door will open to other NATO-aligned powers in Europe, more than a dozen of which use the advanced German Leopard 2 tank, to also transfer the heavy weapons to Ukraine.

VOA on Tuesday confirmed that the U.S. plans to announce if it will supply Ukraine with dozens of advanced M1 Abrams tanks, which are far less common in Europe.

If Ukraine is able to bring significant numbers of advanced tanks to bear, experts told VOA, it could have a major impact on its efforts to drive Russian forces out of the approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory that remains occupied nearly a year after the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Germany had been under extraordinary pressure from other European nations to permit countries that have purchased its Leopard tanks to give them to Ukraine, a move that would otherwise have been barred by export-control laws. Earlier this month, officials in Berlin said that they would provide Leopards to Ukraine only if the U.S. provided the M1 Abrams.

Main battle tanks

The M1 Abrams and the Leopard 2 are both considered "main battle tanks," which signifies that they can play multiple roles on the modern battlefield. Experts told VOA that they are two of only three models of tank that rank as the most advanced in the arsenals of the U.S. and its NATO allies, the other being the British-made Challenger 2.

While any of those three systems would give Ukraine a powerful boost on the battlefield, supplying and maintaining Leopard 2 tanks may be simplest from a logistical point of view, given their wide distribution across the continent. The M1-Abrams, while arguably the most advanced of the three, poses particular maintenance challenges because it is powered by a jet-like turbine engine requiring special fuel and repair skills, whereas the Leopard uses a simpler diesel engine.

The Leopard 2 first came into service in 1979 but has been upgraded many times since then. It comes in multiple variants, but in general, the tank is about 10 meters long and 3.75 meters wide, and weighs well over 60 metric tons. Its main gun fires extremely powerful 120 millimeter shells. It also carries two 7.62 mm machine guns, one mounted coaxially with the main weapon and another able to be angled upward, to engage aircraft.

The M1 Abrams is slightly newer, and carries similar weapons systems. It is also somewhat heavier than the Leopard 2 and has more advanced armor.

Both tanks are very heavily armored, providing excellent protection for crew members. Importantly, they have storage for ammunition that is separated from the crew compartment, a safety feature that many Russian tanks lack and which has contributed to the large number of invading tanks that Ukrainian forces have been able to destroy or disable.

Ability to maneuver

Ukraine's need for tanks has become more apparent in the past several months, as the war has moved into a markedly different phase. In the late summer and early fall, Ukraine was able to mount a series of sweeping counterattacks, outmaneuvering Russian forces and forcing them back to the east.

With a few exceptions, Russian forces have been stopped from advancing further into Ukraine and have been driven back to a band of territory along the eastern side of the country. In the areas they still hold, though, Russian forces have built strong defensive positions meant to limit Ukraine's ability to maneuver around them.

Andrew Metrick, a fellow in the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, told VOA that tanks could help remedy that problem.

"It's about restoring the ability for operational maneuver by Ukrainian armed forces," he said. "It's creating forces that break through entrenched Russian positions and allow them to exploit superior firepower and mobility to roll up the Russian forces.

Combined arms

John Spencer, chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Madison Policy Forum, told VOA that for Ukraine to push Russia out of those positions, it will need a "combined arms" effort that coordinates infantry, artillery, air support and, above all, tanks.

"Without main battle tanks  and lots of them  Ukraine is very hampered in its ability to [attack] defensive positions that the Russians have been building everywhere," he said.

Spencer, who served as a U.S. Army tank commander during the war in Iraq, said that while Ukraine has some other armor, including U.S.-made Bradley Fighting Vehicles, none of it has the same capability as a main battle tank.

"The Bradley is much more thinly armored and has a lot less firepower," he said. "It can't break up defensive lines." Tanks, he said, were "created to lead the way through a defensive line."

Months of pleading

Ukrainian officials have been pleading for advanced tanks for months, and were rewarded last week with the news that the United Kingdom would provide more than a dozen of its advanced Challenger 2 tanks  a move that many hoped would spur immediate action from Germany. When that did not happen, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk said it caused "huge disappointment for all Ukrainians."

Germany has been extremely reluctant to supply Ukraine with tanks, which are primarily an offensive weapon. In the earlier stages of the war, the majority of weapons supplied to Ukraine by Western powers, including Germany, could be classified as defensive, and were considered less likely to provoke an escalation by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Hundreds needed

Spencer, of the Madison Policy Forum, told VOA that in order to have a real impact on the war, Ukraine would need to be given hundreds of main battle tanks, along with necessary support. Ideally, tanks move forward in concert with mechanized infantry, transported to the battlefield in vehicles like the Bradley, and backed by artillery and air power.

It remains unclear how many of each sort of tank will actually make it to Ukraine. While there are more than 2,000 Leopard 2s deployed across multiple countries in Europe, there are not nearly as many M1 Abrams tanks.

There are also some uncommitted tanks available. On Tuesday, the defense company Rheinmetall told German news organization RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland that it could supply up to 139 Leopard tanks, but the majority of those, 88, would be an older Leopard 1 model.

Editor's note: The story has been updated to correct an earlier version saying the U.S. has decided to supply M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The U.S. hasn't announced the supply of the tanks. However, VOA has confirmed that there is a plan to announce if the M1 Abrams tanks will be provided to Ukraine.
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov has held a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, following which he announced "even more good news" in the field of strengthening the Ukrainian army with new weapons, in particular tanks.

Had a phone call with Secretary of Defense Lloyd James Austin III. Discussed the results of Ramstein 8, further strengthening of Ukrainian army, including tanks supplies & maintenance of the new armament. More good news to be announced soon. We have full trust & strong support of the USA, Reznikov said on Twitter Wednesday.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand's prime minister in a formal ceremony on Wednesday, following the resignation of outgoing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last week.

The Labour Party elected former COVID-19 Response and Police minister Hipkins, 44, to lead the party and the country on Sunday. This comes after the surprise resignation of Ardern, 42, who said she had "no more in the tank" to lead the country.

Hundreds gathered on the grounds of Parliament as Ardern left for the final time, hugging each of her members of parliament in turn, with many looking visibly emotional.

She then traveled to Government House, where she tendered her resignation to King Charles' representative in New Zealand, Governor General Cindy Kiro.

Hipkins and his deputy Carmel Sepuloni  the first person of Pacific Islander descent to hold the role - were then sworn in, in a ceremony lasting a few minutes.

Hipkins, who has so far refused to comment on his policies since being elected leader, will hold his first Cabinet meeting later on Wednesday.

Known as "Chippy," Hipkins is well known to New Zealanders for his competence in tackling COVID-19, though he acknowledged some mistakes in handling the pandemic and faces a tough battle to retain power in an October general election.

A 1News-Kantar poll released in December had Labour's support falling to 33% from 40% at the start of 2022, meaning Labour would not be able to form a majority even with traditional coalition partner the Green Party at 9%. The opposition National Party has benefited from Labour's decline.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a book released Tuesday staunchly defended Saudi Arabia after the killing of a dissident writer, gloating that his diplomatic relationship with the kingdom was a "middle finger" to the U.S. media.

Pompeo flew to Riyadh days after the October 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi living in the United States who wrote opinion pieces in The Washington Post criticizing the kingdom's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"What really made the media madder than a vegan in a slaughterhouse was our relationship with Saudi Arabia," Pompeo wrote in "Never Give an Inch," a combative memoir of his time as former President Donald Trump's top diplomat.

On Trump dispatching him, Pompeo wrote, "In some ways, I think the president was envious that I was the one who gave the middle finger to The Washington Post, The New York Times and other bed-wetters who didn't have a grip on reality."

The CIA, which Pompeo once led, in findings later declassified by President Joe Biden, said that Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi, who was lured into the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul where he was strangled and dismembered.

Pompeo in his book did not contest Saudi responsibility, writing, "This grotesque butchery was outrageous, unacceptable, horrific, sad, despicable, evil, brutish and, of course, unlawful.

But it wasn't surprising  not to me, anyway. I'd seen enough of the Middle East to know that this kind of ruthlessness was all too routine in that part of the world," he said.

He also disputed that Khashoggi was a "journalist," mocking the media of turning him into a "Saudi Arabian Bob Woodward who was martyred for bravely criticizing the Saudi royal family."

Pompeo's remarks brought immediate condemnation, with Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, saying she was "horrified and upset."

"He has spoken with no respect and no humanity about a person murdered so brutally," she wrote on Twitter.

Washington Post publisher and CEO Fred Ryan said it was "shocking and disappointing" to see Pompeo "so outrageously misrepresent" Khashoggi.

"Jamal dedicated himself to the values of free speech and a free press and held himself to the highest professional standards. For this devotion, he paid the ultimate price," Ryan said in a statement.

Pompeo insisted that Salman was a reformist who "will prove to be one of the most important leaders of his time, a truly historic figure on the world stage."

He said there should instead have been more scrutiny of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who criticized Saudi Arabia over the killing. Pompeo wrote that the Turkish leader "had gone full Islamist-authoritarian."
Russian forces looking to go on a springtime offensive in Ukraine will be met by more Ukrainian armor and firepower, following an agreement between the United States and Germany to bolster Kyivs capabilities with some of the worlds most lethal and coveted tanks.

The U.S. announced Wednesday it will procure and send to Ukraine 31 M1 Abrams tanks, described by American officials as the best in the world, enough for Kyiv to field a complete Ukrainian tank battalion.

Washingtons decision, made in recent days, followed weeks of talks with key allies, including Germany, and paved the way for Berlins own announcement Wednesday that it will provide Ukraine with 14 of its of its Leopard 2 tanks and open a path for other allies to also send the German-made tanks.

With spring approaching, Ukrainian forces are working to defend the territory they hold and preparing for additional counter offensives to liberate their land, President Joe Biden said Wednesday, announcing the decision to send the U.S. tanks to Ukraine 11 months and one day after Russian troops first moved into Ukraine.

They [Ukraine] need to be able to counter Russia's evolving tactics and strategy on the battlefield in the very near term, Biden added during his remarks at the White House. And they need an enduring capability to deter and defend against Russian aggression over the long term.

Germany sending tanks

The Leopard 2 tanks from Germany will come directly from German stocks, and they will include ammunition and logistics support. German officials also said training for Ukrainian troops on the tanks will begin soon in Germany.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the decision to send the Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine was the result of renewed intense consultations with our allies and international partners.

Our goal is to quickly make two tank battalions available together with our allies, Scholz said. Germany will always be at the forefront when its about supporting Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the German decision via Twitter, saying he was sincerely grateful and that the provision of the Leopard 2 tanks would bolster Kyivs efforts to defend itself from Russias advances.

Following the German announcement, Poland and Finland said they, too, would provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks. The Netherlands and Spain said they also are open to the possibility.

How quickly Ukraine will be able to incorporate the Leopard 2 tanks into its arsenal and get them on the battlefield remains to be seen. But Ukrainian officials see the German tanks as part of a one-two punch, which will be followed in the coming months with the rollout of a Ukrainian battalion of U.S.-made M1 Abrams tanks.

Ukrainian officials: more help is needed

Even so, some Ukrainian officials say Wednesdays announcements, while very cool, are not enough.

In an interview with VOA, Mykhailo Podolyak, a Zelenskyy adviser, said Kyiv needs a total of about 250-350 tanks from U.S. and European partners.

He also said long-range missiles will be needed to support Ukraines growing armored vehicle capabilities.

Long-range missiles are a pragmatic solution to protect Ukrainian personnel, protect armored vehicles and drastically destroy the firepower of the Russian army," Podolyak told VOA.

For now, U.S. officials caution that the arrival of the M1 Abrams will take months, though training for Ukrainian troops on how to operate them and additional training for tank maintenance crews will get underway soon outside of Ukraine.

We will have the ability to put in place a very careful training program but also a very careful program to be able to maintain and sustain these tanks, which do require a good deal, a good deal of assistance, a senior U.S. administration official told reporters at a Wednesday briefing on the condition of anonymity under ground rules established by the White House.

Additionally, along with the 31 M1 Abrams tanks, the senior administration official said the U.S. would supply Ukraine with eight M88 Hercules Recovery Vehiclesneeded to help with tank maintenance120mm rounds and other ammunition, along with added support vehicles and equipment.

Altogether, the package is worth about $400 million, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

About-face for US

The U.S. decision to provide Ukraine with the M1 Abrams tanks is somewhat of an about-face for some U.S. officials, many of whom had dismissed the idea of sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine. They warned that while Abrams tanks are very capable, they are difficult to maintain and require more fuel than Kyiv can spare.

We should not be providing the Ukrainians systems they cant repair, they cant sustain, and that they, over the long term, cant afford, because its not helpful, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told reporters just last week.

But the Biden administration on Wednesday downplayed such concerns, saying the change in thinking is based on events on the ground.

One of the things that we've been trying to do is [to] do the best we can to evolve the capabilities we are providing to Ukraine with the war itself, a second senior administration official told reporters.

We've been talking about tanks internally, and we certainly have been talking about tanks externally with allies and partners now for quite some time given what we expect will be the kind of fighting that will occur in the weeks and months ahead, the official said. We do expect that Mr. Putin [Russian President Vladimir Putin] and the Russian military will try to go on the offense here in coming weeks and months as the weather gets better.

Russia: tanks will be 'destroyed'

Word of the German and U.S. decision to send top-end battle tanks to Ukraine was met with a new round of warning from Russian officials that the decisions would only serve to escalate the conflict.

Anatoly Antonov, Russias envoy to the United States, described the pending U.S. decision as another blatant provocation against Russia in remarks posted on the embassys Facebook page.

It is obvious that Washington is purposefully trying to inflict a strategic defeat on us, Antonov said, while vowing the American tanks without any doubt will be destroyed as all other samples of NATO military equipment.

Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the news as a failed plan during a telephone press briefing Wednesday. Peskov said the deployments of the U.S. and Germany tanks are an overestimation of their potential to help the Ukrainian army, and he predicted the machines will burn like all the rest.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged the German decision was more evidence that the West was engaging in a pre-planned war against Moscow.

Ongoing consultations

Despite the Russian rhetoric, Western officials said Wednesday talks continue about additional ways to support Ukraine.

The White House said President Biden spoke Wednesday with German Chancellor Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giegia Meloni.

Senior U.S. officials said U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also was consulting with key allies in meetings that began late Tuesday.

Sunak, who has pledged 14 of his countrys Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, welcomed the news from the U.S. and Germany in a post on his official Twitter account earlier Wednesday, calling it the right decision by NATO allies and friends which will strengthen Ukraines defensive firepower.

Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace, Sunak wrote.

Ukrainian officials have said Western battle tanks, like the Leopard and the Abrams, will allow their forces to maneuver more effectively, with greater firepower and protection, as they seek to push back Russian forces occupying their country.

VOAs State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching, VOAs Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine, VOAs White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara, and VOA White House Correspondents Anita Powell and Misha Komadovsky contributed to this report.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan has told Pope Francis that peaceful relations with China will only occur when Beijing respects the islands sovereignty.

In a letter to the pontiff released by her office on Monday, President Tsai said Russias nearly one-year old invasion of Ukraine has underscored the need to seek peace and preserve regional security.

She told the pope that armed conflict with China is absolutely not an option, a point she made in her annual National Day speech last October. Tsai also said that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are the basis for developing bilateral relations with Beijing.

Only by respecting the commitment of the Taiwanese people to our sovereignty, democracy and freedom can there be a foundation for resuming constructive interaction Tsai said in the letter, sent in response to the popes annual World Day of Peace message on New Years Day.

Beijing considers the democratically-ruled island part of its territory, even though it has been self-governing since the end of Chinas civil war in 1949, when Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalist forces were driven off the mainland by Mao Zedongs Communists. China has vowed to bring the island under its control by any means necessary, including a military takeover.

China has stepped up diplomatic pressure on countries to get them to cut ties with Taiwan.

The Vatican is one of only 14 states  and the only one in Europe  that have maintained formal ties with Taipei, although Pope Francis has moved to improve relations with Beijing.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
Tanzania opposition leader Tundu Lissu has returned to the country from self-imposed exile in Belgium, where he had lived since surviving an assassination attempt in 2017 when he was shot 16 times.

The outspoken politician arrived at Dar es Salaam airport Wednesday and was welcomed by hundreds of supporters, with many clapping and cheering.

Lissu was seen waving his Chadema party flag while perched through the sunroof of a car as he greeted supporters who had gathered along the roads and were following him on foot, in cars, and on motorcycles to a rally.

There, Lissu called for political change in Tanzania.

Let's not make God carry the burdens that we are capable of carrying, he said. The problem of lifes challenges is the problem of governance. If you are really tired, the medicine I will give you is this: let's find a constitutional solution, let's find a political solution, let's find a new constitution.

While living abroad, Lissu was a presidential candidate in the 2020 general election but lost in a landslide to the late President John Magufuli.

Chadema rejected the official results, saying the election was tainted with widespread irregularities.

Lissus supporters say his return paves the way for a return to democracy in the country.

John Pambalu, a national chairperson of Chademas youth wing, too, emphasized the new for a new constitution.

We need to see there are political rights and for the steps that we are taking to advocate for the new constitution; his (Lissus) contribution is needed physically in Tanzania, he said. "His contribution is needed in the party and the country and is essential in ensuring that we reach a point where well write a new constitution that will bring democracy and true freedom.

Lightness Juma, a Chadema supporter, says Lissus return makes her happy and optimistic about the future.

"We are here in this place with happiness and joy as you can see, to welcome our beloved father who is going to be the president of Tanzania in 2025, she said.

Lissus return comes almost three weeks after Tanzania President Samia Hassan lifted a ban on political rallies.

Imposed by former president Magufuli in 2016, the ban prohibited political parties from holding rallies and even engaging in internal political activities.

Since coming to power in 2021, following the sudden death of Magufuli, Hassan has moved away from many of her predecessors policies. Last year, she lifted restrictions on media outlets.
Drilling for Ugandas first commercial oil well began this week, as part of a $10 billion project to develop Ugandas oilfields and a controversial pipeline to Tanzanias coast. Authorities say they have addressed concerns about the oil projects' effects on the environment and displacing people. However, critics say the dangers are being ignored.

Uganda began its oil production journey by switching on a drilling rig Tuesday at the Kingfisher oil field in southwest Kikuube district.

The oilfield, run by the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), has cost about $2 billion  part of a $10 billion project to develop Ugandas oil reserves and build a pipeline to Tanzania.

The head of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, Ernest Rubondo, said they will drill 31 wells at the Kingfisher oil field, up to 10 of them before production starts in two years.

The Kingfisher oilfield is estimated to have a total of 560 million barrels of oil in place, said Rubondo.  Out of this, 190 million barrels of oil is expected to be produced over a period of 20-25 years. This oil field is expected to have a maximum production of 40,000 barrels of oil per day, for five years.

Ugandas Tilenga oil field, run by Frances TotalEnergies, is expected to eventually produce an additional 190,000 barrels per day.

Uganda is also starting this year on a 1,400-kilometer-long pipeline to the Tanzanian port of Tanga, from where the oil will be shipped to international markets.

Authorities are calling the East African Crude Oil Pipeline the worlds longest heated pipeline, which critics say has displaced villagers and threatens the environment.

The Kingfisher oil field extends from the shores of Lake Albert three kilometers into the lake.

Activists fear oil could be spilled into the lake or nearby villages and question how waste from the project will be managed.

We have around seven cases challenging the environmental social impact assessment," said Dickens Kamugisha, director of the Africa Institute for Energy Governance, a Uganda-based advocacy group. "And the government of President Museveni has ignored to ensure that the justice system works. And hears and concludes those cases. So, the best we can do is to inform Ugandans that these projects are risky. They will affect your agriculture, they will affect your fisheries, they will affect your tourism, they will affect your lives.

Ugandan officials say displaced villagers were compensated and insist they took strict measures to protect the environment.

Drilling for Ugandas first commercial oil well began this week, as part of a $10 billion project to develop Ugandas oilfields and a controversial pipeline to Tanzanias coast. Authorities say they have addressed concerns about the oil projects' effects on the environment and displacing people. However, critics say the dangers are being ignored.

"We have made sure, that we leave no stone unturned on all the international requirements," said Ruth Nankabirwa, Ugandas Minister for Energy and Mineral Development. "Because we know that not everybody wishes Uganda well. That not everybody wishes Africa well. So, we are going to drill, knowing that we have taken care of environmental, health, and safety issues."

Uganda estimates it has 6.5 billion barrels of crude oil under the lake, but only 1.4 billion are believed recoverable.
UNESCO on Wednesday added the historic center of Ukraine's port city of Odesa, often described as "the pearl of the Black Sea," to its World Heritage List, overcoming opposition from Russia.

The 21 member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations world heritage committee approved inscribing designated areas of the city with six votes in favor, one against and 14 abstentions.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February last year, tried repeatedly to delay the vote to recognize the site's "outstanding universal value" and "the duty of all humanity to protect it."

"While the war continues, this inscription embodies our collective determination to ensure that this city, which has always surmounted global upheavals, is preserved from further destruction," said UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay after the decision.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who requested the listing in October to shield the city from Russian bombardment, welcomed the decision.

"Today Odesa got UNESCO protection," he said on Twitter. "I'm grateful to partners who help protect our pearl from the Russian invaders' attacks."

Since the Russian invasion, Ukrainians have rushed to try to protect the city's monuments and buildings with sandbags and barricades.

The site was also added to the List of World Heritage in Danger, which UNESCO says "gives it access to reinforced technical and financial international assistance" to protect or, if necessary, rehabilitate it.

The agency added that it had already helped with repairs on the Odesa Museum of Fine Arts and the Odesa Museum of Modern Art after damage since the beginning of the war.

Odesa blossomed after Russian Empress Catherine the Great decreed in the late 18th century that it would be the country's modern maritime gateway.

But the extent of Russian cultural influence on the city is a contentious topic.

Tensions had risen ahead of the vote, with Ukraine objecting to what it viewed as a "politicized" description of the port city in a draft decision that described Empress Catherine II as having founded the city.

Ukraine's Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko and Odesa mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov, in an open letter seen by AFP, contested this, saying the city thrived long before the Russian empress' arrival.

"The continuous development of Odesa as a port city dates back to the 15th century," they said, and was known as Hadzhybei.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin's "propaganda used the myth of the 'founding of Odesa by the empress,' which appeared in the 19th century, as one of the grounds for Russia's territorial claims on Ukrainian cities and the beginning of its armed aggression," they added.

Russia's representative to the world heritage committee on Wednesday repeatedly criticized what she described as a poor application dossier from Ukraine, alleging it was mostly drawn from Wikipedia and tourism websites.

The representative also accused Ukraine of "destroying monuments" in the area it sought to protect and tried unsuccessfully to indefinitely adjourn the vote.

After the decision was adopted, Russia's mission to UNESCO claimed in a statement it had been taken "under pressure from the West" and "disregarding rules of procedure."

In December, Ukrainian authorities in Odesa pulled down a statue of Catherine II as part of its efforts to de-Russify the city, after polling residents on what to do with it.

Six other Ukrainian sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the Saint-Sophia Cathedral in the capital Kyiv and the historic center of the western city of Lviv.
The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, warns the departure of European forces from Mali has created a dangerous vacuum in the country.



The European forces completed their withdrawal from Mali in November, ending a 14-year effort to keep the country safe from militant Islamist groups.



UNHCR Representative in Mali Mohamed Toure says that effort failed.



Speaking from the town of Mopti, he says he has just returned from a long visit to the northern part of Mali to assess the condition and needs of those displaced by the escalating violence and threats of armed groups.

Toure says the impact of the vacuum created by the departure of Barkhane, the counter-insurgency operation led by France and European troops from the region, is very severe.

In this vacuum right now, we do not have any state authorities in that region, so it really left in the hands of armed groups, terrorist armed groups that are really spreading terror, spreading killings, spreading rapes, creating misery, he said.

He says this has triggered mass displacement in the region. He underscores violence and threats by armed groups in the village of NTillit have forced more than 3,700 local Malians and refugees from Burkina Faso to flee to the city of Gao for safety.

He says the displaced are living under trees and makeshift shelters with little food and water. He notes pregnant and nursing mothers, the elderly, the disabled, and separated children urgently need health care.

He says the needs of Malis forcibly displaced are great, but the response of the international community to their plight has been tepid.

Unfortunately, this [is] kind of Mali fatigue, if I can call it that way, and we are really seeing that kind of diminishing drastically of the assistance provided to IDPs and refugees. We are talking about almost half a million of people who are in the need of assistance in terms of displacement, he said.

Toure says the UNHCR cares for nearly 3 million people in Mali, including the displaced, who need protection and humanitarian assistance. Regrettably, he says only 38% of last years appeal for $66.4 million has been met. He urges the international community to show greater compassion and generosity and not allow Mali to become a forgotten crisis.
The head of the United Nationss nuclear monitoring agency says he will travel to Iran next month in hopes of reviving the 2015 accord aimed at curbing Tehrans nuclear activities.

Speaking Tuesday in Brussels before members of the European Parliaments security and defense subcommittee, Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the Islamic Republic has accumulated 70 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity, with another 1,000 kilograms enriched to 20% purity, enough nuclear material for several nuclear weapons  not one at this point.

The threshold for making nuclear weapons is considered to be 90% purity. But Grossi told the panel that Irans huge stockpile of enriched uranium does not mean it has a nuclear weapon.

Grossi also said the IAEA is no longer monitoring Irans nuclear program because the regime has disconnected 27 of the agencys cameras installed at its declared nuclear sites.

Iran and six world powers, including Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that restricted Irans nuclear program in exchange for relief from U.S. and international sanctions.

The U.S. withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under former President Donald Trump, who argued the plan was ineffective and imposed a so-called maximum pressure campaign on Iran, which restricted Irans ability to sell oil on international markets

The signatories have held several rounds of talks since 2021 aimed at reviving the original pact.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is in Zambia, the second stop in a three-country swing, where she assured the countrys president and its finance minister that the timely restructuring of Zambias debt is a top priority. She spent most of Tuesday highlighting long-term measures to mitigate the sort of threats to food security exposed by Russias war in Ukraine. VOAs Mariama Diallo reports.
Ukraine counts on India's support for Ukrainian resolutions within the framework of the UN General Assembly concerning the Peace Formula and the creation of a special international tribunal for the crime of aggression, said Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine had a phone call with National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India Ajit Kumar Doval, the website of the Office of the President says.

"India's position and cooperation with your country are extremely important to us. And we want it to reach a qualitatively new level," the Head of the Presidential Office said.

Yermak emphasized that Ukraine would like to see India among the active participants in the process of implementing the formula and the peace summit that our country plans to hold. The Head of the President's Office also expressed hope that India's leadership in supporting Ukraine would be enhanced.

The importance of further development of economic relations between the two countries was emphasized.

The interlocutors discussed a number of topical issues in the context of deepening Ukraine-India cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats.

Yermak briefed Doval on the situation in Ukraine, first of all, on the course of repulsing Russian aggression. The Head of the Office of the President emphasized that our country strives for peace, which must be fair and based on the principles of international law.

The Head of the President's Office thanked the leadership of India and its people for the humanitarian assistance provided to Ukraine during the full-scale war with Russia and expressed hope that this assistance would be broadened.

Yermak also congratulated India on the upcoming national holiday - Republic Day, which will be celebrated on January 26, and wished the Indian people peace and prosperity. The Head of the President's Office also thanked Ajit Doval for his condolences over the recent tragedy in Brovary, where as a result of the helicopter crash the leaders of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and civilians died.
The White House has confirmed to VOA what experts have been saying for a while that the Russian mercenary Wagner Group mistreats convicts on the front lines in Ukraine and the losses among them are staggering.

The casualty rates for the convicts are extraordinarily high," U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in an interview Friday with VOA. As a matter of fact, what we think is that 90% of their casualties are convicts.

As Russia has struggled to hold territory in Ukraine, U.S. officials believe the Kremlin is increasingly relying on the Wagner Group to recruit thousands of prisoners for the wars front lines.

According to the estimates by U.S. intelligence, the Russian private military company run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an oligarch and confidant of President Vladimir Putin, currently has 50,000 troops in Ukraine, 40,000 of whom are Russian convicts.

In mid-summer, Prigozhin traveled to several jails across Russia to recruit prisoners for the war effort.

His efforts were largely successful, and tens of thousands of prisoners agreed to join the Wagner Group's ranks.

Olga Romanova, executive director of the civil rights group Russia Behind Bars, told VOA that prisoners who agree to sign six-month contracts with the group are paid about $3,000 a month. But its not the money that motivates them.

Their main motive is, of course, to become free, Romanova said. Convicts who join the Wagner Group are promised a full pardon and release at the end of their contract.

But the reality of life along the front lines  especially abuse by Wagner commanders  was so shocking the convicts' desire to serve diminished significantly by year's end.

Their inflow has really weakened, Romanova said. First of all, because of extrajudicial executions, unfulfilled promises and, of course, high  very high  casualties.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote on Twitter last week that some 77% of the 38,244 Russian prisoners brought to fight in Ukraine have been killed, wounded or captured or have gone missing.

Moscow disputes foreign and independent tallies of war dead, insisting its war performance is going according to plan and its troops are consolidating gains.

But those statements stand in stark contrast to reality on the ground: Russian troops retreat in the south and northeast of Ukraine; the use of thousands of convicts to hold the front line in Donbas; and the announced mobilization of 300,000 civilians by Vladimir Putin in September.

Unexpected circumstances

Initially, Wagner Group was not expected to participate in the war in Ukraine as far as I know, said Denis Korotkov, investigator at the London-based Dossier Center, in an interview with VOA.

But after the regular regiments of the Russian army were largely destroyed and lost their might in March-April of 2022, Wagner Group all of a sudden appeared in Ukraine and turned out to be one of the most professional military units of Russia, he said.

Since its inception in 2014, the Wagner Group has maintained relatively robust staff selection protocols with physical exams and background checks, Korotkov said.

But in the spring of 2022, everything changed. If you had arms, legs and preferably a head, you were in, Korotkov said.

Heavy personnel losses in Ukraine eventually forced Wagner to start recruiting prisoners, whose use on the Ukrainian battlefields has been decried by lawyers and human rights activists.

Ukrainian war correspondent Yuri Butusov interviewed several former Wagner convicts after they had surrendered or been captured. He told VOA that in over the past months battle for Soledar, Russians were losing several hundred soldiers a day, almost all of them convicts.

They are calling these prisoners 'refillers, he said. "In order to attack the Ukrainian firing points, the enemy is using penal battalions. Its not a new invention. In Soviet times, Stalin also had them.

Those World War II battalions consisted of Soviet Gulag prisoners and were tasked with the most difficult assignments, such as breaking through intense fire without the support of any heavy equipment.

In some cases, Butusov said, Russias ill-equipped prisoners are used for similar missions, such as drawing Ukrainian artillery fire.

When they are fired upon, the Russian commanders detect the artillery positions of the enemy, Butusov said.

No way out

Observers say the disenfranchised convicts have no choice but to tolerate the abuse. Any mutiny or serious confrontation with Wagner commanders often leads to execution. Just a few convicts are known to have completed their contracts and won freedom.

Out of tens of thousands of prisoners recruited by Prigozhin, only 106 so far have been freed and allowed to go home, Romanova said. But it looks like all of them already have new contracts signed.

Romanova said the decreasing popularity of the Wagner Group among prisoners is unlikely to disrupt the Kremlins plans to use them for its geopolitical objectives.

Prigozhin will squeeze out 20 to 30,000 people more out of jails, and then the authorities will start formal mobilization, Romanova said.

In November, Putin signed into law a bill allowing the mobilization of individuals with outstanding or unexpunged convictions for crimes, creating an even greater pool of potential war recruits.

VOAs White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report.
Charles Kombe

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA  The body of 33-year-old Tanzanian Nemes Tarimo, who was killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, is returning home for burial.

Tanzania says Tarimo agreed to fight for the Wagner Group in exchange for being released from a Russian prison, the second African known to have died that way.

During a press briefing, Tanzanian Foreign Minister Stergomena Tax said Tarimos body was on its way home early Tuesday from Russia.

The minister confirmed Tarimo was serving a seven-year sentence in Russia before he joined the Wagner Group of mercenaries.

She said the group promised Tarimo, who was sentenced in March of last year, that he would be released and paid after fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

Tax said it should be noted that according to the countrys laws, no Tanzanian is allowed to join the army of any country except the Tanzanian Army. She said all Tanzanians should ensure they comply with the laws of their country and the rules and procedures provided.

Tax said Tarimo went to Russia in 2020 to pursue a master's degree at the Russian Technological University in Moscow.

Tanzanian media report he was arrested on drug-related charges, sentenced, and then offered his freedom if he went to war.

Tarimos family say his friends in Russia, where he was studying before his arrest, confirmed his death in late December.

Speaking to VOA Tuesday, his mother Luoida Sambulika said family members were waiting for the body of her son because they were told it would arrive soon. Sambulika said he will not be home until his body arrives.

Tarimos death in Ukraine mirrored that of Zambian national Lemekhani Nyirenda, who was also a student in Russia arrested on drugs charges, then promised freedom if he fought for the Wagner Group.

SEE ALSO: Hundreds Attend Funeral for Zambian Killed Fighting for Russia in Ukraine

News of Tarimos death circulated on social media last week with a video showing Russian men in military outfits holding candles around what was purportedly his casket.

In the video, a picture of Tarimo, two medals, and a certificate are placed on the casket, which is draped with a flag of the Wagner Group.

The group has been accused of rights abuses from Syria to Ukraine to the Central African Republic.
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(The Center Square)  President Joe Biden hasnt responded to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's numerous requests for help at the southern border, the Republican governor says.

During Bidens first visit to the border in El Paso earlier this month, Abbott provided the president a list of five solutions he says will help secure the border. Abbott hasnt received a response, he said, to what he considers a solvable problem that entails enforcing existing laws established by Congress.

In response to Biden administration policies instructing Border Patrol agents to release illegal foreign nationals into the U.S., the majority of whom are being released in Texas, Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021. Since then, law enforcement officers have apprehended more than 343,000 people from over 150 countries and made more than 23,000 criminal arrests with over 21,000 felony charges reported, as of Jan. 20, 2023, the governors office reported.

Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration's refusal to secure the border, Abbott said. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Biden's open border policies.

Apprehending human smugglers is a daily occurrence as sheriffs and Department of Public Safety troopers identify foreign nationals and U.S. citizens responding to lucrative ads on social media offering to pay them to pick up people at drop off points along major highways and back roads in rural Texas, law enforcement officers told The Center Square.

In one recent stop, DPS troopers pulled over a truck towing a car hauler in the border county of Uvalde. Hiding inside the towed vehicles were 15 illegal foreign nationals. The driver, from Houston, was arrested and charged with human smuggling. All 15 people hiding inside were apprehended and referred to Border Patrol.

In neighboring Kinney County, DPS troopers stopped a transit van and discovered six Mexican nationals, all single young men of military age, sitting in the cargo area. Theyd been picked up at a specific location after illegally entering the U.S. The driver, also from Houston, told officers he was being paid $2,000 by the cartels to smuggle them. The driver was arrested and charged; the Mexican nationals were referred to Border Patrol.

In neighboring Val Verde County, two juvenile smugglers led DPS troopers on a high-speed pursuit. The driver pulled over to enable three illegal foreign nationals  all single young men  to bail out on the side of the road, running into the brush. Troopers pursued the driver until he and another male passenger and alleged smuggler from Del Rio also eventually bailed out and ran behind a residence. Both were arrested and charged with evading arrest and human smuggling. Law enforcements priority, officers have explained to The Center Square, is always to catch and arrest the human smuggler.

In another part of Val Verde County, on Highway 277, troopers pulled over a middle-aged man driving a car and repeatedly asked him, Is there somebody in the trunk? He shook his head and acted like he didnt understand the question. The driver also said he didnt have an ID. As he was handcuffed, two men inside the vehicle attempted to flee on foot. They were apprehended and charged with evading arrest.

The troopers next opened the trunk and found two male illegal foreign nationals hiding inside. They were apprehended and referred to Border Patrol. The driver was charged with human smuggling, possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine, and unlawful carrying of a weapon.

In Maverick County, a few counties southeast, DPS brush team arrested two Mexican national men of military age for criminal trespassing on a private ranch. Both had multiple illegal entries and deportations and are suspected of having gang affiliations.

In the Rio Grande Valley, in Hidalgo County, DPS troopers pursued a driver of a Nissan pickup truck through a neighborhood area in Mission. One person bailed out and was apprehended by a trooper. The driver, a Mexican national, continued to speed off towards a dead end road attempting to get to a fence where he could bail out, run through the woods and evade arrest. But the trooper, working with a tracking K-9, apprehended two miles out. He was charged with evading arrest and smuggling of persons.

Meanwhile, officers apprehended Mexican nationals, including women, who were hiding inside the truck the driver had left behind. Crammed inside the back passenger seat area and laying down in the bed of the truck were 14 people attempting to illegally enter the U.S.

In Culberson County, DPS Aviation Aircrew assisted Border Patrol agents who successfully apprehended a Mexican national trafficking narcotics. They tracked him for roughly two miles on foot, apprehended and arrested him, and seized two bundles of narcotics.

Meanwhile, in El Paso, a record number of people have been released onto the streets by the Biden administration, which has created a public health, crime and humanitarian crisis, authorities say. El Paso's Democratic mayor declared a public emergency as a result. To respond to the crisis, Abbott ordered more than 600 National Guard troops to support law enforcement partners to block entry along the border on state land and interdict transnational criminal activity.

Texas is also continuing its busing mission. As of Jan. 20, the state has bused more than 9,100 people to Washington, D.C., since last April; over 5,200 to New York City and over 1,500 to Chicago since last August; and over 890 to Philadelphia since November. All foreign nationals signed waivers and volunteered to receive taxpayer funded transportation north.
24 Jan 20:29 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 4 minutes.

24 Jan 20:29: Now using data updates from GFZ

... [show all] ... 24 Jan 20:32: Magnitude recalculated from 4.9 to 4.8. Epicenter location corrected by 13 km (8.1 mi) towards W.

24 Jan 20:56: Now using data updates from USGS

27 Jan 18:26: Epicenter location corrected by 0.7 km (0.4 mi) towards NNE.

Update Tue, 24 Jan 2023, 20:45

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Qormi, Malta, was reported only 19 minutes ago by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), considered one of the key international agencies that monitor seismic activity worldwide. The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 km beneath the epicenter in the evening on Tuesday, January 24th, 2023, at 9:25 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.A second report was later issued by the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, which listed it as a magnitude 4.8 earthquake as well. Other agencies reporting the same quake include the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at magnitude 4.9, and the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) at magnitude 5.0.Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Birzebbuga (pop. 8,700) located 113 km from the epicenter, Mqabba (pop. 2,900) 115 km away, Paula (pop. 9,300) 118 km away, Qormi (pop. 18,200) 118 km away, Mdina (pop. 360) 119 km away, Imtarfa (pop. 2,400) 119 km away, and Senglea (pop. 3,000) 119 km away.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app . This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.


The Jamia Millia Islamia administration has prohibited any screening of the film in the campus without permission.

Arbab Ali | TwoCircles.net

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NEW DELHI  The Delhi Police on Wednesday detained four students from a left-wing student organisation outside the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University in the national capital, over screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The detained students have been identified as Azeez, Nivedya, Abhiram, and Tejas.

The students belonged to Students Federation of Indias (SFI) Jamia unit. The police action derailed the plans by the student body to screen the contentious BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Delhis Jamia Millia Islamia campus.

ANI reported that the action was initiated on the request of the Chief Proctor of the University, after the students had announced the screening of the documentary on the campus at 6 pm.

The BBC documentary explores Prime Minister Narendra Modis role in 2002 Gujarat riots. It charts his ascent through the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ranks and his selection as Gujarats chief minister.

A distress call poster is doing rounds on social media, alleging that SFI Jamia unit officers were detained in order to halt the documentarys screening. Additionally, the poster urged the student community to participate in the demonstration outside Gate Number 7 of the varsity at 4 p.m. today.

The Jamia administration earlier refused to give permission for the screening, which India has barred from online sharing. The administration said disciplinary action will be taken if the documentary was screened.

No meeting/gathering of students shall be allowed in any part of the campus including lawns and gates without prior permission of the competent authority, failing which strict disciplinary action shall be taken against the organisers, the Jamia proctorial office stated in a notice it issued on January 24.

The student wing of the BJP, ABVP, battled with left-leaning student organisations last evening after a similar documentary screening at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The university witnessed ugly scenes with students alleging they were attacked with stones while watching the documentary on their mobile phones as the screening was not allowed by the university administration.

Students claimed that the university management disconnected the electricity and internet to halt the event and that stones were thrown.

A student organisation at Hyderabad University showed the documentary earlier in the day. The administration of the university has requested a report on the issue from its staff.

According to reports, the government requested last week that Twitter and YouTube take down the contentious BBC series on PM Modi, which purports to have looked into some aspects of the 2002 Gujarat riots while the latter was the states chief minister.

The Centre sharply criticised the BBC, calling the documentary a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The foreign ministry claimed that the bias and lack of objectivity and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible.

Arbab Ali is a fellow at TCN-SEED mentorship program.
Stoltenberg to Zelensky: Well continue our support for as long as it takes

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, assuring him that the alliance's allies will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Spoke with President of Ukraine Zelensky on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. NATO Allies will continue our support for as long as it takes, the Secretary General said on his Twitter page Wednesday.

The conversation followed after Germany made a historic decision to provide Ukraine with offensive weapons, namely Leopard 2 tanks, in its fight against Russian invaders.
The United States will allocate $400 million for the production of 31 M1 Abrams tanks, which will then be delivered to Ukraine, Bloomberg reports on Wednesday, citing its sources.

The Biden administration will send Ukraine 31 M1 Abrams tanks worth $400 million, two government officials familiar with the situation said. The tanks will be built by General Dynamics Corp, the agency informed.

Funds for these tanks will be received as part of the financial package Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

Meanwhile, it is expected that at 19:00 (Kyiv time), U.S. President Joe Biden will speak on the issue of providing American assistance and announce the supply of tanks to Ukraine.

M1 Abrams is the main battle tank of the U.S. Armed Forces, has been in service since 1980. The USA has more than 2,600 units of various modifications of M1 Abrams, more than 3,450 vehicles are in storage.

Earlier on Wednesday, the German authorities decided to transfer the first batch of 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Also, the German authorities will give the allies permission to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Italy among top countries in Europe for organ donations.

2022 was a record year for organ, tissue and hematopoietic stem cell donations in Italy, according to a new report presented by the national transplant centre (CNT) in Rome on Tuesday.

For the first time, organ donations in Italy exceeded 1,800 in one year, with a significant increase also in transplants: 3,887, the second best result ever", said Italian health minister Orazio Schillaci.

The report confirmed a growing trend in organ donation already seen in 2021, returning to pre-covid levels and in many cases recording the highest numbers ever registered by the national transplant system.

Nel 2022 in crescita le donazioni di organi e i trapianti.

Il ministro Orazio Schillaci: "Continuiamo a investire sulla promozione della cultura della donazione".

Il #16aprile la Giornata nazionale.



https://t.co/bh3lt2plKo@cnTrapianti #sceglididonare pic.twitter.com/GXfg0krFX4  Ministero della Salute (@MinisteroSalute) January 24, 2023

The surge in organ donations and transplants "places Italy in the first places in Europe" said Schillaci, who presented the report alongside CNT director Massimo Cardillo and the president of the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) Silvio Brusaferro.

Italy now ranks in second place in Europe for organ donation, after Spain and together with France, reports Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The CNT report shows that organ donations in Italy last year exceeded 1,800 (+3.7 per cent), with the Tuscany region recording the highest donation rate (49.3 per cent).

There were 3,887 transplants carried out in Italy last year (+2.5 per cent) with a record number of liver transplants: 1,474 (+5.6 per cent) and lung transplants: 138 (+17.9 per cent).

Un 2022 da record per le #donazioni di organi, crescono i #trapianti (soprattutto fegato e polmone), massimo storico per il midollo osseo. E la fotografia scattata dal report presentato oggi al @MinisteroSalute dal ministro #Schillaci. Tutti i dati: https://t.co/DLoLWjl5XR (1) pic.twitter.com/ktbSImedmO  Centro Nazionale Trapianti (@CNTrapianti) January 24, 2023

2022 was also a record year for bone marrow and hematopoietic stem cells, with 329 donations (+9.7 per cent) and 961 transplants (+3.1 per cent).

The health ministry noted however that, in relation to people giving their consent for organ donation, "unfortunately there are still too many NOs".

Records from the TNT (as of 31 December 2022) showed those willing to donate organs exceeded 14.5 million, with 72 per cent giving their consent and 28 per cent refusing.

Health minister Schillaci acknowledged that there are still many patients in Italy waiting for a transplant and underlined the importance of continuing to "invest in promoting the culture of donating".

Schillaci announced that the health ministry would launch a new awareness campaign on 16 April, on the occasion of the National Day for Organ and Tissue Donation.
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Britains National Health Service still delivers decent care for those who can access a doctor or hospital. Far too many cant. The NHS is buckling under an acute shortage of staffers and beds. A Covid backlog has ballooned to 7.2 million patients. Long-festering problems have combined to create a crisis in emergency care  with up to 500 people dying each week amid worsening delays and regular strikes.

There are no easy fixes. But there is one major bottleneck that must be resolved urgently: Britains system of long-term care, known as social care, is so underfunded and fragmented that it has compounded pressures on the NHS and exacerbated the crisis.

A patient with brain cancer is entitled to treatment at the NHS, which is taxpayer-funded; one with Alzheimers or long-term complications from a stroke, however, will be left in most cases to the social-care sector, where funding is means-tested. Although local authorities are largely responsible for funding such care, their budgets were eroded by a decade of Conservative austerity. As a result, the system has been overwhelmed and staffing has reached crisis levels, with more than 160,000 vacancies and turnover rates often exceeding 30%.

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The failure of this system has had enormous knock-on effects. With social-care beds in short supply, only 4 in 10 eligible patients were able to be discharged from hospitals in July. Blocked beds mean emergency departments cant pass patients to hospital wards for surgery or treatment. Overcrowded ERs mean ambulances are parked at hospitals for hours, unable to unload their charges and respond to new emergencies.

In addition to the human toll, this breakdown is imposing colossal budgetary costs. Simple elements of long-term care provision  such as balance and strength training for the elderly, which has been shown to reduce the incidence of falls and fractures  have been neglected, leading to added costs for the NHS of about 1 billion a year.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged increased funding for health care and promised to address workforce problems. The government plans to block-book beds in residential homes so that thousands of hospital beds can be freed. Such fixes may get Britain through this winter, but they wont create a system the country can rely on over time.

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As one royal commission after another has noted in recent years, the UK needs to think bigger. As a start, it needs to improve coordination between the health-care, social-care and social-housing sectors. It has to collect better data to identify capacity and keep track of needs. In particular, it needs proper training and better career opportunities for social-care professionals.

It could also learn from models elsewhere. Successful long-term care systems  in the Netherlands, Germany, Japan  tend to focus on keeping patients independent for longer and reducing demand. They offer a continuum of care, from prevention to rehabilitation, as well as community-based services. They also have funding models that are transparent, sustainable and regarded as fair. A combination of general taxation, user fees and social insurance (paid into from age 40, for example) can help stabilize such systems and shield them to some extent from politics.

Of course, such reforms will only be the start of a broader  and more contentious  discussion on the future of the NHS. For now, Britain needs to tackle one crisis at a time.

More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:

 Strikes Are Bad for the UK Economy? Go Figure: Marcus Ashworth

 All I Want for Christmas Is No Emergencies: Therese Raphael

 What Does Sunak Stand For? His Party Needs to Know: Martin Ivens

The Editors are members of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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The US military announced last week that it would take 300,000 American 155-millimeter artillery shells from a weapons stockpile in Israel and transfer them to the Ukrainian military. While not overly enthusiastic about the movement of the ammunition, Israel Defense Forces officials said the rounds were US-owned and that how they were used was American business.

Israel, which has maintained reasonably good relations with Russia, has nonetheless condemned the Ukraine invasion and provided humanitarian aid, but appears unwilling to support the Ukrainian military directly. This weapons transfer is a step in the right direction.

It may have come as a surprise to many Americans that the US has a substantial amount of combat material and equipment forward-deployed in Israel. But to those of us deeply involved in US-Israeli military relations, it seemed only a matter of time before the Pentagon withdrew some resources to aid the embattled Ukrainians.

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I was in charge of those stockpiles when I was commander of US European Command a decade ago. At that time, all US-Israel military relations were the responsibility of the four-star officer based in Stuttgart, Germany (it has since shifted to US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, a better arrangement and one I advocated). I toured the stockpiles on several occasions, and they are impressive, extensive and well maintained  ready for combat.

Officially known as the War Reserve Stockpile AmmunitionIsrael, or WRSA-I, the cache was established in the 1980s as an insurance policy for Israel in case of another massive Arab (or perhaps Iranian) ground attack. Maintaining it has been essentially codified in US law as part of a congressional mandate to ensure a qualitative military edge for Israel vis-a-vis potential opponents in the Middle East.

The weapons, worth more than $1 billion, are paid for by the US, but the IDF is responsible for storing them and taking on facilities and maintenance costs. It is an arrangement that benefits both countries. Israel has tapped into the stockpiles (by paying for and withdrawing the weapons) at least twice, in 2006 and 2014, during the Lebanon and Gaza conflicts, respectively.

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The current stockpile is full of so-called dumb munitions (those without sophisticated guidance systems), such as the 155-mm rounds and thousands of iron bombs that are simply dropped from aircraft so gravity can do its work. One reason Israel is comfortable with withdrawing the 155-mm rounds is that this will free up space for precision-guided munitions, which is about all the Israeli air force uses.

In other words, this is a win-win-win situation: The Ukrainians get much-needed but unsophisticated munitions for the brute-force war they are fighting; the US provides real combat power to Kyiv; and the Israelis have an opportunity to rebuild the stockpile in a manner better tailored to the exigencies of 21st century war.

This is particularly timely as the Abraham Accords  which normalized relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and some other Islamic nations  continue to gain traction. Israel is cooperating militarily with the Arab states in missile defense, sophisticated early detection and warning systems, sharing of intelligence and cybersecurity. The Arabs will not object to a refurbished WSRA-I with the tools needed to deter and, if necessary, defeat Iran. What would a new version of the stockpile look like?

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 Precision-guided munitions for air attack. These would help the Israeli Air Force minimize civilian deaths and other collateral damage, destroy critical enemy targets, and link with their large-scale, sophisticated fire-control systems.

 Surface-to-surface cruise missiles. Both maritime and land versions.

 Electronic antiradar jamming pods. Such systems can be used both in the air and from land vehicles to impair enemy navigation systems and defeat opposing long-range missiles.

 Surface-to-air missiles. These could shoot down cruise and ballistic missiles, which could be launched from Lebanon by the Hezbollah terrorist group, as well as from Syria or Iran. Hezbollah boasts tens of thousands of missiles posing a threat to Israeli cities.

 Maritime weapons stocks, including sea-launched missiles and torpedoes. While few might think of Israel as a sea power, supporting its navy is important given the potential for Iranian attacks from the Red Sea or even the Eastern Mediterranean.

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 Repair parts for high-end surveillance and command-and-control systems. This would range from individual radios to system-wide radars. Maintaining those C2 systems is critical in a 21st century battlefield

This modernization should be done with an eye to potentially including Arab partners capable of participating alongside US and Israeli forces. Some of the stockpile costs could even be undertaken by the Arab states, in return for guaranteed access in the event of a major conflict with Iran.

Preparing intelligently for war is a good way to prevent the need for actually fighting one. Replenishing the war reserve in Israel will help deter Iranian adventurism, tamp down options for mischief by Hezbollah and keep Syrian forces away from the Israeli border. And of course, providing older ammunition to the Ukrainians is good for democracy everywhere.

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More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 So Were In a Polycrisis. Is That Even a Thing?: Andreas Kluth

 Is Germany Letting Ukraine Down? Its Not That Simple: Hal Brands

 If Turkey Blocks Sweden and Finland, Will NATO Boot Turkey?: James Stavridis

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

James Stavridis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A retired U.S. Navy admiral, former supreme allied commander of NATO, and dean emeritus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, he is vice chairman of global affairs at the Carlyle Group. He is the author most recently of To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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Zelensky, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg discuss issues of unblocking fundamentally new types of weapons for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has discussed further defense support for Ukraine with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday.

Discussed with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg further consolidation of partners to support Ukraine, in particular broadening of the tank coalition and unblocking qualitatively new types of weapons. We also talked about necessary steps towards further integration with NATO, Zelensky said on the Telegram channel.
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On a recent trip to a family friends in the UK, I was told their twentysomething was leaving London for a new job in Milan. Apart from a promotion and an exit from Britains economic doldrums, the attraction was a policy designed to reverse a brain drain that allowed him to avoid tax on as much as 70% of his income, his delighted father explained.

Hes not alone. The tax regime rolled out in Italy in 2015 and then made more generous in 2019 is behind the return not just of Italians whove been based abroad throughout the euro era  or more  but the arrival of foreigners to Italy too. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has begun moving some of its euro swaps trading desk to Milan, according to a recent Bloomberg News report. Regulatory pressures to move bankers out of London post-Brexit has been a push factor. But paying less tax in Italy has been cited as a significant pull. Likewise, Milans geographical position; a favorite phrase in the city is that it takes two hours to get anywhere: seaside, mountains, or art-laden cities like Florence or Venice.

On a recent stroll down Via Vincenzo Monti, a tree-lined boulevard in the ritzy Conciliazione zone, realtors told me the arrival of London money has helped to as much as double rental prices in spacious apartments in the nearby Liberty-style palazzi compared with a decade ago.

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Its part of a bigger trend thats seen Milan, Italys capital of finance, fashion and business, pull away from the rest of the country. From 2014 to 2019, the local economy grew at twice the rate of Italys as Expo 2015 launched a building boom. That expansion has accelerated since the pandemic. Milans economy had recouped its Covid-related losses by the end of 2021, and grew a further 2.2% last year. Its forecast to grow 4.8% in 2023, according to Prometeia, a think tank. By contrast, Italian gross domestic product is expected to grow just 0.4% this year, according to national statistics office Istat.

You can feel that change stepping off the train at Milano Centrale, where the buzz and energy are tangible. The contrast with exiting Roma Termini into the beautiful, but indolent and decaying Italian capital is stark. Even starker is the change to Milan itself in the 21 years since I first moved here. Its gone from being a low-rise provincial city to an increasingly international, high-rise hub.

So far so good in a country mired in high debt and declinism.

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Yet it hasnt come without costs. The gap between rich and poor has widened, and there are more people living in extreme poverty, according to think tank SDG Watch Europe. In an irony of timing, while Goldman Sachs euro swaps team is presumably settling into a new life in Milan, the story of school janitor Giuseppina Giuliano has caught fire on social media and across the front pages of countless newspapers; apparently, the young woman travels daily from her home in Naples to Milan  an almost-10 hour round trip  because housing in the business capital is too expensive.

The influx of new money having a distorting effect on real estate prices is old news in cities from San Francisco to London. But Milan is really the only place in Italy creating significant employment, and even then it is muted and wages are lower than elsewhere in Europe. Andrea Alemanno of Ipsos recently told me: There is now little opportunity anywhere in Italy, even for the wealthy and well-connected. Theres a reason why Italians are among the largest groups of foreign nationals in London.

Youth unemployment in Italy today is 30%, with overall joblessness at almost 8%. Mayor Beppe Sala has admitted Milans intention to bring more students to its universities is increasingly hobbled by the cost of a room in the city. The social fractures can also be seen at the food bank Pane Quotidiano, where on a recent Saturday morning more than 4,000 people were queuing, more than double the number when I reported there during the eurozone crisis. As many as half of those on any given day is middle-aged to older Italians, says Claudio Falavigna, a volunteer coordinator. On this wintry day, they were joined by youths from Africa and some 300 Ukrainian women and children.

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Whats also not sustainable is Milans air quality. Milan has some of the very dirtiest air in Europe, far worse than London or Paris. Last year it broke European Union air pollution standards for a shocking 91 days. More than half of the tens of thousands of people arriving daily in Milan for work drive, making diesel fumes the big problem, says Anna Germanotta, president of lobby group Cittadini per lAria. Their number is increasing as public transport use is down by a quarter since the pandemic. Combined with the cost of real estate and the difficulty of finding employment, they are driving from further away.

The tensions of growth, inequity and climate crisis pose a challenge for mayors in many developed cities. But in Milan, they take on an extra urgency. As Italy declines, Milans role as a motor for Italy becomes more vital. It needs to be made fit for living  and working.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 The Rich Are Living in a Separate Economic World: Andrea Felsted

 How to Run a Family Office Like an Agnelli: Rachel Sanderson

 Bankers and Hedge Funds Will Always Love London: Marcus Ashworth

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The sudden proliferation of corruption scandals in war-torn Ukraine is not unexpected after almost a year at war. It must, however, be viewed in context  namely the complete absence of any such revelations in Ukraines would-be conqueror, Russia. Against this background, the scandals are actually a sign of remarkable robustness in a country that only survives thanks to a heroic military and Western life support.

Last weekend, the well-known investigative journalist Yury Nikolov published a Defense Ministry procurement contract for purchasing food for the military at prices 50% and more above retail levels. The Defense Ministry denied wrongdoing but didnt really dispute the specifics of Nikolovs reporting. Since Russia invaded last February, the ministrys procurement has been classified and thus not visible in Ukraines cutting edge Prozorro public tender system; ministry officials have refused to respond to legislators questions about contracts until the war is over. Nikolovs demand for a return to prewar transparency likely will fall on deaf ears because of the difficult tradeoff between keeping civil society informed and giving the enemy too much information. But President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who won election on anti-corruption promises, cannot be accused of ignoring wartime corruption and profiteering.

On Tuesday, Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov resigned in the wake of the food scandal.

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On Monday, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Zelenskiys deputy chief of staff, tendered his resignation; he was one of the key officials in charge of rebuilding Ukraine after the Russian attacks, and in October, he reportedly drove around in a Chevrolet truck donated to Ukraine for emergency evacuations. After the story became public, Tymoshenko handed over the truck to the emergency services. Then he was accused of using a Porsche loaned by a wealthy businessman and of cheaply renting a large mansion from a well-connected construction magnate.

At the weekend, Ukrainian law enforcement arrested Deputy Infrastructure Minister Vasily Lozinskiy in a sting operation that involved a $400,000 kickback on an equipment purchase. Lozinsky isnt just any official, but an associate of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during his days in the Lviv city government.

News of this kind was almost white noise in prewar Ukraine. When I helped set up an investigative outfit at Forbes Ukraine in 2012, our reports of corruption were often met with a tired eye roll: So what else is new? After the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, promising to fight graft became a ritual for politicians of all stripes. But while many corrupt schemes were blown up, others emerged in their place. In a recent interview, Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a top legislator in the finance, taxes and customs committee of the Ukrainian parliament, estimated that Ukraine loses 10 billion hrivnya ($271 million) a month on customs corruption alone; the numbers in peacetime were often comparable.

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In wartime, however, business as usual is particularly egregious. Ukraines economy shrank 32.5% last year, according to the Bloomberg consensus estimate. In 2023, the country counts on more than $30 billion in international support to fund a budget shortfall projected to be 20% of GDP; the deficit is roughly as big as the planned budget revenues. Stealing under such circumstances aids the Russian invaders in many ways, not least by testing the patience of international donors.

You could also take the view that publishing corruption revelations aids Ukraines enemies.

Daily scandals during a war and ahead of a new wave of hard fighting are no coincidence, Oleksiy Arestovich, a former Zelenskiy aide, wrote on his Telegram channel. A large-scale psychological operation is being conducted against us and many of us werent ready to face it.

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As a Russian, however, I see a striking contrast between the freely proliferating Ukrainian reports of corrupt dealings and the total absence of similar news from my country of birth. Corruption in the Russian military indisputably contributed to the failure of its blitzkrieg plan for Ukraine last year. And yet, a year into the fratricidal campaign, not even the many investigative outlets that burst into public view in the last five years have unearthed any major procurement scandals  and not, of course, because theres nothing to see there.

Vladimir Putin has pushed the journalists writing for these publications out of the country. No matter how good your sources in Russia, its hard to unearth graft there from Georgia or Lithuania, and the patriotic press that backed or accepted the invasion and continued operating in Moscow and other Russian cities just doesnt have the wherewithal or the motivation to dig up that kind of story. In December 2022, Putin allowed officials taking part in his special military operation to stop publicly declaring their incomes and fortunes, and now the parliament has put an end to legislators financial disclosures, too. Dare to poke your nose into officials affairs and youll find yourself living somewhere far removed from any data that would yield anything sensational.

Ive sometimes heard from Ukrainians that Zelenskiy has turned authoritarian since the war began  impatient with advice that contradicts his own thoughts, intolerant of political opposition and independent activism. Thats not the message the corruption revelations are sending. Despite the harrowing circumstances Ukraine faces, its independent-minded press still does its best to keep officials under a magnifying glass. I have my issues with the Ukrainian media: They do follow the government line quite closely on the military action. That, however, is probably unavoidable in a country fighting for its survival, a paramount goal for journalists as much as for any other Ukrainians. Its important, though, that awareness of the common predicament doesnt stop reporters from obtaining and scrutinizing procurement contrasts or tracing informal ties between politicians and the business community.The former Ukrainian economics minister Tymofiy Mylovanov recently remarked on Twitter that the scandals prove one thing about his country: Corruption is episodic but the culture shift to fight it is systemic. Such optimism may not be entirely justified. My experience in both Russia and Ukraine tells me that a year ago, one monstrously corrupt country invaded another  and that in both, patriotism will often serve as cover for the most cynical thievery. When the fighting is over and the fog of war clears, successful profiteers will flash their cash in both countries.

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There is, however, a major difference. In Russia, if its regime survives, these profiteers will be able to enjoy life without shame if the Kremlin sees them as allies. Ukraines grifters will never feel as secure. The countrys anarchic, justice-obsessed, grassroots-powered civil society and a media that is fundamentally allied to it will always harass the thieves even if it cant immediately defeat them. That this feature of Ukrainian democracy has survived a year of the brutal invasion and the accompanying screw-tightening is evidence, if not of a systemic shift, then of the same Ukrainian spirit that has denied Russia a quick military victory and may yet deny it a slow one, too.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:



Polands Calling, This Is No Time to Scholz Around: Andreas Kluth



Is Germany Letting Ukraine Down? Its Not That Simple: Hal Brands

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If Turkey Blocks Sweden and Finland, Will NATO Boot Turkey?: James Stavridis

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Leonid Bershidsky, formerly Bloomberg Opinions Europe columnist, is a member of the Bloomberg News Automation Team. He recently published Russian translations of George Orwells 1984 and Franz Kafkas The Trial.

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Ukraines allies have provided thousands of armored vehicles, artillery pieces, aircraft and other weapon systems to help the country fight back against Russias invasion. But requests for top-of-the-line, NATO-standard battle tanks  above all the German-made Leopard and US Abrams  long went unfulfilled. The US cited training and logistical hurdles and Germany said it would not make such a move alone. Yet there are reasons why Ukraines military wants them.

1. What tanks is Ukraine expecting to receive?

The dam appeared to break in mid-January, when the UK said it would send 14 of its Challenger 2 main battle tanks (MBTs)  a classification that refers to the heaviest, most powerful armored vehicles. On Jan. 25, Germany pledged to supply Ukraine with 112 Leopard 2 battle tanks over an unspecified period in a joint effort with allies, while the US said it would send 31 of the Abrams M1. Frances President Emmanuel Macron said he did not rule out sending the Leclerc, its own MBT. It will likely be months before NATO-designed tanks reach the front lines.

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2. Werent some tanks and armored vehicles already sent?

Yes. Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia and the Netherlands have delivered at least 450 modernized Soviet-design tanks, mainly T-72s, since late February 2022. According to the open source intelligence website Oryx, Ukraine has also captured 543 tanks from Russia, many of which it has been able to redeploy. Allied pledges of armored fighting vehicles such as the US Bradley, the German Marder and French AMX-10 sparked a debate over definitions. While these also carry weapons to destroy enemy tanks, they are lighter than MBTs and used to transport infantry to the combat zone alongside them. A Bradley Fighting Vehicle, for example, is less than half the weight of an Abrams M1 tank, has a 25mm chain gun instead of a 120mm canon, and carries about seven soldiers in addition to crew.

3. Why does Ukraine need more of them?

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said additional armor and firepower will be crucial in the coming months, whether to defend against another major Russian assault or to punch through Russian lines and take back occupied territory. The heavier tanks from North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries would also come with a supply of ammunition. Both sides in the war have seen their fleets and ammunition stocks depleted. The Russian army and airborne forces began the war with 3,000 main battle tanks, while Ukraine had 982, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London think tank. By Jan. 24, Russia had lost at least 1,642, and Ukraine 449.

4. Hasnt the war proved that tanks are obsolete?

No. Early images of Russian tanks being destroyed by Ukrainian foot soldiers, using anti-tank missiles such as the US Javelin and Swedish-designed NLAW gave that impression. Yet most of the Russian tanks were destroyed by artillery and made vulnerable by catastrophic errors in their deployment, as well as a chronic shortage of troops. The lack of infantry support meant those tanks had no defense against ambush.

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5. Why so much focus on the Leopard?

The Leopard 2 is regarded as one of the best tanks in the world, and is used by 19 nations as a result. Running on easily available diesel, it can travel about 450 kilometers (280 miles) at a top speed of 70 km per hour and is easier to master than some others, according to the German manufacturer, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). It also has night vision capabilities and a stabilized 120mm smooth bore gun that can accurately fire at targets as far as 3,000 meters (almost 2 miles) away. KMW says it has sold 3,500 units of the Leopard, making stocks and availability a key attraction  although not all are in readily deployable condition.

6. What are the hurdles with the Abrams?

Its more battle tested than any other NATO tank, has advantages in armor and can sustain a much faster rate of fire than most of its Russian-designed opposites. However, it is also about 20 tons heavier than a T-72 and has a turbine engine that guzzles a gallon of jet fuel for every mile traveled (or just over a quarter of a kilometer per liter). US Under Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl described it as a very complicated piece of equipment, expensive, hard to train on and not the easiest system to maintain.

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7. How do the Leopard and Abrams compare to Russian tanks?

Both proved themselves more than a match for Iraqs Soviet-era T-72s during the first Gulf war, in part due to the longer range of their guns. However, the T-72s on the battlefields in Ukraine are upgraded designs, and many can fire at a similar range to the Leopard and Abrams. On paper, some versions of the T-90, Russias latest operational tank, are even better than their NATO opposites, with a superior gun and anti-tank missile system. However, the war has proved that technological advantage counts for less than how a tank is used. Russia has lost at least 43 T-90s, including 10 of the latest T-90Ms. The training Ukrainian forces receive in combined arms operations  using tanks in tandem with air defense, intelligence and infantry  will likely be more important than specifications.

8. What about the Challenger and Leclerc?

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Both are also very capable. However, whereas thousands of Leopard and Abrams tanks exist, there are far fewer Challengers and Leclercs to draw from. The UK, for example, is the only NATO member using the Challenger. The defense ministry says it has four regiments operating 56 Challenger 2s each. And while Ukraine has welcomed all offers, keeping 14 Challengers supplied on the battlefield with the unique ammunition they use, as well as tailored spare parts and separately trained crews may also present hurdles.

9. How many Leopards are available and who has them?

The magazine Der Spiegel said in a Jan. 21 article that the German defense ministry listed 312 Leopard 2s in Germany, of which 99 were undergoing maintenance. Poland, Sweden and Spain are among European countries with more than 200 of the tanks.

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10. Why were Germany and the US reluctant to supply Ukraine with tanks?

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany wouldnt act alone and wanted to avoid any action that might provoke escalation of the war in Ukraine. Theres also the issue of history: tanks led Nazi Germanys brutal invasion of Russia in 1941. The US has been just as hesitant, despite releasing tens of billions of dollars worth of other heavy weaponry. However pressure to act has risen, if only because of the capacity the US has to deliver in numbers that could change the balance of forces. According to the IISS, the US Army has 2,509 Abrams M1A1 and M1A2 tanks in service, with a further 3,700 in storage. So far, though, it has committed only a handful.

--With assistance from Alexander Pearson.

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When NATO invited Sweden and Finland into the military alliance in June, its leaders hailed a historic decision that showed their collective determination to face down Russian aggression in Ukraine. But the expansion plan has gone nowhere, with Turkey refusing to allow Sweden to join unless it does more to crack down on groups outlawed in Turkey, including the Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK. As the dispute drags on, its complicating efforts to present a united front against Moscow.

1. What does Turkey want?

Its demanding that Sweden extradite suspected Kurdish militants and alleged coup-plotters wanted by Turkey and stop supporters of Kurdish movements in Sweden displaying their allegiances openly. Turkey dropped its opposition to inviting Sweden and Finland into NATO after they agreed to cooperate with Ankara on countering terrorism, quickly address pending extradition requests and confirm that they wouldnt block arms exports to Turkey. Days later, Turkey made clear that it wouldnt ratify their membership if they didnt fulfill those promises.

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2. What happened next?

In December, Swedens Supreme Court ruled against the extradition of a man Turkey has accused of being involved in a 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey called the courts decision a very negative development. In January, tensions flared anew after protesters in Stockholm displayed an upside-down effigy of Erdogan. That was followed by the burning of a translated copy of the Koran near the Turkish embassy, which sparked outrage in Turkey and other Muslim nations. Erdogan then announced that Turkey would not support Sweden joining NATO. Sweden has insisted its done all it can to honor the June agreement, but Turkey says it has fallen short. Swedens laws on freedom of speech make it hard for the government to stifle public expressions of support for Kurdish independence.

3. Whats Turkeys problem with the Kurds?

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The Kurds are an Indo-European people, about 30 million strong, and one of the worlds largest ethnic groups without a state of their own. Their homeland is divided among Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. The PKK has fought Turkish forces on and off since the mid-1980s as it seeks an autonomous region for Kurds inside Turkey. Turkey is particularly focused on the Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, a Kurdish militia in Syria that was instrumental in the defeat of the Islamic State there. Turkey views the YPG as a security threat due to its ties to separatist Kurds in Turkey.

4. Why is Sweden involved?

Sweden has long sought to promote human rights and respect for minorities abroad, and the countrys welcome of refugees has made it home to as many as 100,000 Kurds. Some are Turkish opposition members sought by Erdogans government. Sweden has tended to align with other European nations in the way it treats Kurdish demands for self-determination and was the first country after Turkey to designate the PKK as a terrorist organization, in 1984. Erdogan has called Sweden a nesting ground for terrorist organizations.

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5. Why does the dispute matter?

Sweden and Finland conduct military exercises with NATO and increasingly share intelligence with it. However, they didnt join the group earlier for historical reasons. Having Sweden and Finland in the alliance would arguably make it easier to stabilize the security of the area around the Baltic Sea and to defend NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Those countries are often seen as potential targets for Russian aggression. Including Finland and Sweden would add to NATO two sophisticated, well-equipped militaries whose gear is already compatible with that used by the alliance. It would double the length of NATOs border with Russia, which now comprises just 6% of Russias land perimeter, and enable the alliance to improve its surveillance of the countrys western flank.

6. What are the chances of a resolution?

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Its hard to see a way out of the impasse for now. Erdogan faces presidential and parliamentary elections in May and maintaining a tough stance against Sweden could consolidate his support in nationalist circles. The Nordic countries fulfill NATOs criteria and their terrorism legislation and treatment of Kurds align with those of alliance members. The US, the most powerful country in the alliance, has repeatedly urged Turkey to ratify their applications.

7. Where does this leave Finland?

In a bind. Finlands foreign minister opened the door to potentially decoupling its NATO application from that of Sweden following Erdogans latest comments. But joining the alliance without Sweden would potentially risk Finlands supply routes and NATOs ability to provide security guarantees. It would also entail rolling back some military cooperation the two counties have developed over the years. They are close allies and had always insisted the process toward NATO accession would be coordinated. The official stance is still that they would enter NATO simultaneously.

--With assistance from Onur Ant and Firat Kozok.

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India is now the worlds largest country by population  or, at least, it will be at some point during 2023. While this shift has been a long time coming, it arrived sooner than anyone expected because Chinas population appears to have begun shrinking in advance of projections. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Undivided India and China have vied across history for the population crown. The partition of India in 1947 appeared to put China permanently ahead in the numbers game. But Indias new position will likely last into mid-century and beyond. The Lancets projections for population in 2100 suggest India will still have over a billion people, while China will have slipped to third position, with 730 million inhabitants to Nigerias 750 million.

Moreover, this shift of demographic weight from East and Northeast Asia to the south is likely permanent. A UN report points out that in 1980, 42% of Asians lived in East Asia; that proportion will be well under a third by 2050. Indeed, by that date almost half of Asians will be South (and Southwest) Asians.

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From now until 2050, therefore, South Asia should enjoy an enviable demographic dividend, boosted by a rapidly growing working-age population. Former Asian Tigers such as South Korea used this same moment very effectively to transition to rich-country status.

We have long known, however, that the nations of South Asia will be unable to take full advantage of this demographic opportunity because they havent prepared their populations for the task. Indicators for the health and education of the workforce are too low. If the world is less open to trade than it was when the Tigers emerged, many of South Asias governments must also accept their share of blame for failing to support trade, investment, and worker welfare.

The likelihood that we will waste this moment is bad enough. What would be worse is if we compounded the error by failing to think now about what happens when our societies begin to age.

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That prospect might seem as though it lies in the ridiculously distant future. For anyone arriving in South or Southwest Asia from, say, Europe, the overwhelming feeling is one of being surrounded by youth. Indias average age is still around 28, compared to 38 in China or 47 in Germany.

But, as we have seen with China, those numbers can change more rapidly than expected. Originally, neither the United Nations nor leaders in Beijing expected Chinas population to begin shrinking until the 2030s. Instead, it started happening last year  and perhaps earlier. When the demographic turn comes, its swiftness tends to take us by surprise.

Within India, there are already signs that this pivot is going to happen sooner than was projected just a couple of years ago. The countrys total fertility rate has now fallen below replacement levels overall. Moreover, that figure masks big differences across regions: Population growth is concentrated in a few northern and central states while many others, particularly in the east and south, have fertility rates that are more like Japans or Russias.

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Such uneven demographic trends within one country arent unprecedented. Unfortunately, in Indias case, inter-regional migration, which would normally act as a stabilizing factor, isnt as easy as elsewhere. India is too heterogenous, and ethnic and sub-national politics mean that internal migration  while a right, as in China  is rarely a preference.

As we know from watching China, an ageing population means that the government suddenly faces more calls on its resources with fewer taxpayers to support them. The balance between savings, consumption, investment, and growth must change.

Most importantly, entitlements and state services designed for an expanding working-age population might become unaffordable for countries that have more retirees than expected. The United States is perennially worried about the finances of Social Security and Medicare for good reason.

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Indias military and state pensions themselves are enough to tip the country into fiscal disaster as and when its demographic structure changes slightly. For state governments, paying pensions already takes up almost 30% of their tax revenue.

Attempts have been made over the past two decades to shift to more fiscally responsible entitlement schemes. But all these keep on being rolled back by politicians looking for votes from retired soldiers or government employees.

As Indian officials prepare to present the new federal budget next week, the countrys status as the worlds largest must be on their minds. New entitlements must be fully financed, and old ones must be re-examined for their fiscal implications. Preparations will have to be made for an India that pays less taxes and wants to run down savings instead of setting them aside.

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South Asia may not have prepared for its decades with a growing workforce. It must not repeat that mistake when it comes to the dangerous decades in which that workforce will shrink.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Indias Surging Population Is Economic Virtue: Matthew Winkler

 China Feels the Sting of a Population in Decline: Daniel Moss

 Modi Will Shrug Off Gandhis Populist Challenge: Andy Mukherjee

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Mihir Sharma is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, he is author of Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy.

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Carl R. Wagner, a Democratic Party strategist, organizer and adviser for 40 years who counseled and worked for President Bill Clinton and Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and George S. McGovern, as well as a corps of other Democratic officeholders and office seekers, died June 23 at his home in Washington. He was 72.

A spokeswoman for the D.C. Medical Examiners office said determination of the cause of death is pending further investigation. His daughter, Alex Wagner, a co-host of CBS This Morning: Saturday, said he had heart and lung ailments.

Mr. Wagner co-chaired Clinton's victorious 1992 presidential campaign and was a longtime friend of the former president. They met in 1972, when both were working on the Democratic presidential campaign of McGovern, the South Dakota senator who lost in a landslide to incumbent President Richard M. Nixon.

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Mr. Wagner was helping run the McGovern campaign in sections of the Midwest. Clinton, fresh from Yale Law School, was directing McGoverns efforts in the Southwest.

For so many years, Carl was there with clear-eyed analysis of a tough problem, honest advice in a tough spot, and unflinching support in a tough fight, Clinton said in a statement. He played a big role in helping us think through my decision not to run for President in 1988. . . . [He] was one of the finest organizers and one of the best political minds of our generation.

Mr. Wagner was serving as director of political activities for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) when Kennedy, the Massachusetts senator, hired him in 1978, two years before Kennedy attempted to wrest the presidency from incumbent Jimmy Carter, a fellow Democrat.

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He was Kennedys field general and a palpably brilliant strategist and tactician, David M. Axelrod, a top political strategist in Barack Obamas presidential campaigns, said in an email to The Washington Post.

To Les Francis, deputy chief of staff in the Carter White House and a former executive director of the Democratic National Committee, Mr. Wagner was a hot type political tactician, very intense, high energy . . . could push, demand, got things done.

Mr. Wagner tended to side with the underdog and was not one to play it safe, said political columnist and commentator Mark Shields, describing him as someone who played hardball . . . with a devilish grin.

In negotiations over whether Kennedy should address the 1980 Democratic National Convention, Shields said Mr. Wagner once suggested to the Carter camp that 5,000 Kennedy partisans could be armed with handheld clickers to drown out pro-Carter speeches if Kennedy were not allowed to speak.

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After working for Kennedy, Mr. Wagner launched and managed his own consultancy, continuing to specialize in Democratic Party politics, but also branching out into other issues, including environmental causes.

Over the years, he advised, managed or promoted the political ventures of Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado; Ronald H. Brown, the Democratic National Committee chairman and secretary of commerce under Clinton; and Michael S. Dukakis, the Massachusetts governor who lost the 1988 presidential election to George H.W. Bush.

In 2008, Mr. Wagner supported then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for the Democratic presidential nomination. He directed get-out-the-vote efforts in local and state contests around the country.

Carl Robert Wagner was born on Jan. 14, 1945, in Lansing, Iowa, a small town on the banks of the Mississippi River. His father was a rural letter carrier. He graduated in 1967 from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, with a degree in political science and did postgraduate study in politics at the University of Iowa.

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Afterward, he worked in Madison, Wis., as an economics specialist in the office of Gov. Patrick Lucey before coming to Washington in the mid-1970s as a political operative for AFSCME.

His marriage to the former Swe Thant ended in divorce. Survivors include their daughter, of New York City.

In 1988, when Clinton was governor of Arkansas, Mr. Wagner was summoned to Little Rock along with other Clinton loyalists for what many thought would be Clintons announcement of a presidential candidacy.

What finally decided the question for me, Clinton wrote in his autobiography, My Life, was the one part of my life politics couldnt reach, Chelsea. Carl Wagner, who was also the father of an only daughter, told me Id have to reconcile myself to being away from Chelsea for most of the next 16 months. . . . Chelsea asked me where we were going for summer vacation. When I said I might not be able to take one if I ran for president, Chelsea replied, Then Mom and I will go without you. That did it.

I went into the dining room of the Governors Mansion, where my friends were eating lunch, [and] told them I wasnt running.

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Jack Teixeira came from a military family that praised his service in the Massachusetts Air National Guard. But he now stands accused of the largest breach of military intelligence in at least a decade.
U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that the United States will provide Ukraine with 31 M1 Abrams tanks.

He said this during his speech at the White House, the media report.

Today I am announcing that the United States will be sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, equivalent of one Ukrainian battalion. We want to enhance Ukraine's capacity to defend its territory. Were also giving Ukraine the parts and equipment necessary to effectively sustain these tanks on the battlefield. All logistical issues will be sustained as soon as possible, he stated.

According to him, Ukraine needs time to put Abrams on its defense.
When Rupert Murdoch last year declared his ambition to potentially unite the two arms of his empire News Corp and Fox, his stated reason was simplicity. The deal is now dead - getting it done was anything but simple.

In Murdochs realm he is accustomed to being the dictator. So, it was a rare show of shareholder democracy when other investors appeared to defeat what was probably the 91-year-old media barons last big corporate reshuffle proposal.

The deal was set to pave the way for Lachlan Murdoch to more simply take control of the empire one day. Credit: Bloomberg

But this time around the non Murdoch-aligned shareholders held the balance of power because the mega-merger needed approval of the majority of independent shareholders.

Murdoch has a 40 per cent interest in the voting shares of News Corp and Fox but an economic interest of only 14 per cent.
Woodside beat its 2022 production guidance after a record December quarter and enters 2023 facing questions over a tumultuous gas market abroad and regulatory risks on both sides of its home country.

The oil and gas giant reported a 0.7 per cent increase in production for the quarter compared to the three months earlier. At the same time revenue for the three months fell 12 per cent to $US5.16 billion ($7.32 billion) due to reduced trading and the oil price retreating from mid-year highs.

Woodside CEO Meg ONeill faces two massive regulatory challenges in 2023 - government intervention in the east coast gas market and securing approvals to construct its Scarborough gas project off WA. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Delivered sales volumes fell 8.5 per cent in the December quarter primarily due to fewer third-party trades.

Woodside chief executive Meg ONeill said the average price it received for its products dropped from $US102 a barrel of oil equivalent (boe) in the September quarter to $US98.
Borland was holidaying in the Greek islands when she noticed the incredible shadows her body cast on the ground. She started capturing those images on her phone and continued to take pictures of herself when she got home. Detail of Polly Borlands photograph Nudie (1), 2021. Credit: Polly Borland Sculpture is the Melbourne-born artists latest passion, even though she realises now she has been working her way towards it for some time. It has revitalised her and ushered in a whole new chapter for her art. During lockdown, Borland was trapped for 18 months in Byron Bay, arguably one of the best places in the world to find oneself in such a scenario, where she met and worked with the artist Karla Dickens, also the creative director of the Art Byron festival; Dickens portrait by Blak Douglas won the 2022 Archibald Prize. Its given me a whole new energy in my relationship to my work. Australian photographer Polly Borland, on her newfound passion for sculpting

They went to a dinner together literally in the middle of nowhere and Dan Tobin of Urban Art Projects (UAP) was there, known for his work with artists Lindy Lee, Phillip K Smith and Ai Weiwei. Borland approached him at the end of the night and he invited her to the foundry in Brisbane. That serendipitous meeting marked the beginning of a significant next phase of her evolution. I dont usually have those moments of the stars aligning, and then all of a sudden Ive landed this incredible opportunity, Borland says. He just said, You are creating sculpture in your photographs and we want to take the sculpture out of the photographs and into the real world. Its given me a whole new energy in my relationship to my work and hopefully the worlds relationship to my work. I love it! I was creating sculpture but it couldnt last because it was on people. All the Morph photos, which were done live, I was dressing people, enveloping people in these weird costumes. Morph featured a series of people in various costumes shed designed, including her good friend Nick Cave in a sparkly dress, his face covered by a sheer stocking and eyes obscured by a bright blue wig, with a bright red slash of lipstick across his mouth. I had to give myself over to this process of being degraded. That was kind of really exciting, Cave told Polymorphous, a documentary about Borland released in 2013. She was already thinking kind of sculpturally: her tapestries from around 2017 are double-sided. I was beginning to reuse the photos actually, using single photographs and then fusing them together for the lenticulars, then I created a double-sided one...

While in enforced exile in Byron, she was shocked to see then Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the news wearing an Akubra; it struck her that Australia continued to be a colonial outpost. Detail of Borlands HM Queen Elizabeth II, 2002. Credit: Courtesy of the artist and Murray White Studio. Since her stunning 2002 portrait of Queen Elizabeth, commissioned to celebrate the Royal Jubilee and one of the only official Royal photographs to zoom in close to her majesty, Borland has grappled with the fact she played a part in the propaganda machine as she describes it; a version of the portrait takes pride of place in the toilet at her LA home. At Prahran College aged 18, Borland fell in love with photography, which she says gave her a way of ordering the world, in a life which up until then had been quite chaotic. It was more than a way of documenting things, it was a way of creating work as an artist. Like Cave, Borland has lived away from Australia for more than three decades: in 1989, she moved to the UK and since 2011 has been based in LA. She is married to filmmaker John Hillcoat and has a son, Louie, who is studying music at college in the US; Louie appeared in her Not Good at Human series.
Opera Australia has put out a call to performers to audition for controversial musical Miss Saigon, a move that has raised concerns in the Asian Australian and creative arts communities.

The production has yet to be officially announced by the company, but The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald understand that the audition process for a revived version produced by Cameron Mackintosh has already started, with audition tapes being accepted late last year and live auditions occurring in Melbourne and Sydney across January and February.

The cast of Miss Saigon performs onstage during the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions) .

First staged in 1989, Miss Saigon tells the tragic story of Kim, a young Vietnamese woman who falls in love with an American soldier during the Vietnam War.

The production has attracted controversy since the 1990s when white actors cast in Asian roles would wear prostheses and make up to appear more Asian. More recently, critiques have moved to the storyline itself and its portrayal of both Vietnam and Vietnamese people.
A Perth man set to receive $24,000 in public donations following claims he was mugged in Bali has admitted in a police video he actually acquired his injuries after falling off a scooter.

A GoFundMe page was launched by a friend of Lachie Hunt, 22, two weeks ago showing a photograph of the young traveller lying in a hospital bed in a neck brace and covered in bandages.

Our little mate Lachie Hunt has had a bit of an accident sounds like he was mugged and bashed pretty good, he cant remember much, Im in contact with his mum, the friend wrote.

[He is] getting the best care but the best care is bloody expensive, so asking if you are able to help out in any way to dig deep, it would go along way and mean a lot to the family.
An international student has been denied the opportunity to continue her research into potential new painkillers because Defence officials feared it could be used to develop weapons of mass destruction.

The Chinese national was well-regarded at the University of Queensland and during her undergraduate studies produced six research papers on the potential use of modified spider venom for pain relief.

The Chinese national was denied a visa to return to the University of Queensland. Credit: Glenn Hunt

But when the student applied for a visa to return to complete a PhD, and continue working with experts in the field, the Department of Defence intervened - because venom could potentially be weaponised by foreign powers.

She was actually declared unfit to study in Australia on that topic because she might be developing weapons of mass destruction, said the universitys Professor Glenn King.
Representatives from nine Arab countries will meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday to discuss their stance and moves to end the decade-long isolation of President Bashar Al-Assad, Arab diplomats said Tuesday.
A 56-year-old Nollamara man faces a string of sexual assault charges over alleged attacks on three elderly aged care residents.

Armand Lutula Wema was investigated by sexual assault squad detectives for attacks on female residents at aged care facilities in July 2022 and again in January.

Armand Lutula Wema. Credit: Facebook

The victims were all women aged 71, 84 and 93.

He was arrested on Tuesday at an address in Nollamara and charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault and one count of aggravated sexual penetration without consent.
Blanket alcohol bans and tougher spending restrictions are on the cards for at-risk communities in the Northern Territory as the federal government fast forwards its response to soaring alcohol-fuelled crime linked to longstanding social problems in Alice Springs.

Ken Wyatt, the former governments Indigenous affairs minister, criticised Opposition Leader Peter Duttons push for a royal commission into the sexual abuse of Aboriginal children while saying alcohol-restriction laws the Coalition presided over failed to help relationships with communities.

Ken Wyatt says we all share in the blame for the crisis in Alice Springs. Credit: Kate Geldart

The day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made an emergency visit to crime-plagued Alice Springs, he and other political leaders descended into blame games over the decision to allow the lapse last July of laws that prevented alcohol sales.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, who pointed the finger at the Coalition over the expired laws, suggested an election be held on alcohol policies in the territory after she was persuaded to introduce a range of stop-gap restrictions on alcohol sales in Alice Springs.
Predators should be blocked from dating apps to protect the growing number of Australians who meet prospective partners online, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said ahead of Wednesdays meeting with dating app executives.

Government representatives, police, non-government organisations and academics will also attend the roundtable in Sydney, which will be chaired by Rishworth and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland to probe how apps can improve dating safety.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said dating apps need to do more to protect users and make reporting harassment safe. Credit: iStock

Federal Domestic, Family And Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant will make remarks before a series of discussions about the industrys efforts to prevent exploitation and support users who experience harm online.

It will also consider what further action both the government and industry can take.
We know that when theres extra money that comes into circulation without real due diligence as to what the potential consequential impacts may be, it invariably ends up being a police problem, he said. Loading During an interview with Sky News, Albanese was asked whether communities could be subjected to a total alcohol ban if thats what a review found. Well, thats an option that we completely have said is there on the table, Albanese said. However, he blamed the previous Coalition government for allowing the laws governing the bans to lapse. Minister for Aboriginal Australians Linda Burney said on Wednesday morning she had been pushing the Northern Territory government for months to get tougher on alcohol following persistent calls from Alice Springs community leaders to act.

The morning after the federal and territory governments jointly announced an overhaul of alcohol sales to curb rising crime in the central Australian town, Burney told ABCs Radio National Breakfast on Wednesday said the territory government had admitted they clearly got it wrong in not responding sooner. Federal laws restricting alcohol in some communities were allowed to lapse in July. Alcohol-driven crime has risen dramatically in the territory as liquor became legal in some areas for the first time in 15 years. The Central Australian Aboriginal Congress wrote to Burney about violence and alcohol on June 9, shortly after the minister was sworn in, and several other Indigenous groups have been calling for bans ever since. Burney said shed been in talks with the Northern Territory government for months, at least as far back as the Garma festival in July. Asked whether she had told them they needed to be tougher on alcohol, Burney responded, yes, I have expressed that there needs to be some very real thought put into alcohol restrictions.

Im not going to get into whether theyve taken too long or they havent, but clearly if you talk to people in Alice Springs, the answer might be yes, Burney said. Burney said she deeply believed that, had a Voice to parliament already been in place, then the crime surge in Alice Springs would not have reached the levels that it had. It is wrong to think the issue out here is just alcohol, there has been neglect for 10 years, she said.

On top of an existing restriction on Sunday alcohol sales, bottle shops will be banned from selling take-away alcohol on Mondays and Tuesdays, while trading hours for takeaways would be reduced on the remaining days, and transactions would be limited to one per person, per day. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday the government would also consider the reintroduction of alcohol bans in the Northern Territory under an opt-out situation rather than the current rules, which allow communities to opt in to restrictions, following the lifting of federal legislation in July.

But the territorys chief minister, Natasha Fyles, told Radio National Breakfast she potentially wanted to hold a formal election on future alcohol bans in the territory, adding she wanted to make sure we have all voices heard. The Central Australian Aboriginal Congress office where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is holding meetings to discuss crime and alcohol-fuelled violence in Alice Springs. Credit: Kate Geraghty She said the government would be putting in an alcohol management plan for the whole of Central Australia, which could include restrictions in remote communities. Education Minister Jason Clare told Nines Today on Wednesday morning: Youve got a serious problem in the Alice, and its fuelled by alcohol. Clare said alcohol abuse was only a symptom of a bigger problem in crime-plagued Alice Springs.
Forty Gascoyne businesses will share $837,000 in government money to prepare themselves for the influx of a predicted 50,000 people to the region during Aprils total solar eclipse.

The money is not just for the purchase of new chairs and fridges for cafes that will be feeding and watering the hungry stargazing masses. Grants awarded include tools and infrastructure needed to help deal with the end result of those meals.

State development, tourism and jobs minister Roger Cook. Credit: Peter de Kruijff

One outback station south of the Exmouth gulf was given money to construct eight additional composting toilets while an Exmouth-based plumbing company was given money to purchase a jetter tool to clear drainage pipes.

Alins Kitchen in Onslow was given money to purchase a new food van, while Coral Coast Tours in Coral Bay was awarded a grant for two buggies to expand its adventure tour capacity.
New Delhi: A court in New Delhi has approved an extradition request for the prime suspect in the killing of 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley on an Australian beach four years ago.

Rajwinder Singh, who is of Indian origin, was arrested in November on the outskirts of the Indian capital. His arrest came three weeks after he was targeted with a $1 million reward.

Toyah Cordingley was found dead on Wangetti Beach in north Queensland the day after she was reported missing.

Australia had applied to India for Singhs extradition in March 2021, but he could not be found.

Singh, 38, flew from Sydney to India the day after Cordingleys body was found on the Queensland coast on October 22, 2018.
Kyiv: Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed several ministers and banned top officials from travelling abroad in a clampdown on corruption.

Almost a dozen ministers and administration officials lost their jobs in the biggest shake-up of Ukraines government since the start of the war.

The most prominent head to roll was that of Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Zelenskys presidential office, who had been accused of siphoning off expensive cars including a Porsche for personal use.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on a video call with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier last week. Credit: Getty

The president ordered the clearout after a series of scandals involving figures at the Defence Ministry and prominent members of his team.
London: British Labour would forge a new security pact with Europe, back new partnerships with Australia and warned the UK and its allies must be prepared as Chinese President Xi Jinping heads in a worrying direction.

In his first major speech to the foreign policy think tank Chatham House, Britains opposition foreign secretary David Lammy said restoring relations with Europe would be Labours priority if it is elected back to power at the next election, which polls widely predict. Lammy said the UK was lost and disconnected by Brexit.

British shadow foreign secretary David Lammy (right) speaks at the London-based foreign policy think tank Chatham House on Tuesday. Credit: Latika Bourke

He vowed a new security pact with the EU but said his party would not try to rejoin the single market because it was not appropriate to play hokey pokey. He said the European Union wanted a consensus in Britain after Brexit had divided the country and overshadowed the terms of five Conservative prime ministers.

We are going to normalise the relationship and build from there, we are not re-entering the single market or the customs union, he said.
In the framework of the COVID-19 Project funded by the Government of Japan, the World Customs Organization (WCO) organized an in-person workshop to support the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) in ensuring business continuity and the expedited facilitation of relief supplies during disruptive events. This event took place in Kingston and was dedicated to reinforcing JCAs preparedness to tackle natural disasters, infectious diseases and other unpredictable scenarios, and foster synergies with stakeholders involved in humanitarian operations.

JCA worked closely with the COVID-19 Project team to organize the initiative and invited several key stakeholders to take part in the different sessions, demonstrating commitment, dedication and a spirit of collaboration. The workshop brought together Customs representatives, disaster management and border authorities, competent ministries and humanitarian partners. Each of them took an active part in the discussions and provided technical expertise and contributions. The audience highlighted the importance of coordinating national emergency response and management, thus facilitating the flow of well-needed supplies and equipment to the people of Jamaica and the export of goods to countries within the region hit by disasters.

During the opening ceremony, the Commissioner of JCA, Velma Rickets Walker, thanked the WCO for the technical assistance and guidance provided to improve the ability of Customs staff to tackle future disruptive events. On behalf of the WCO Secretariat, the Deputy Director in charge of the Procedures and Facilitation Sub-Directorate, Brendan OHearn, underlined that disaster preparedness should be at the core of Customs training in order for the Administration to respond to emergencies efficiently.

Participants were guided through the different sessions of the workshop, covering both legislative texts and practical exercises. The WCOs instruments and tools relevant to disaster relief were reviewed and used as a benchmark to analyze Jamaicas Customs legal framework and procedures. These included the Revised Kyoto Convention and its principles for importing relief goods, the 2011 Resolution measures to foster Customs operational readiness and the WCO Guidelines on disaster management and supply chain continuity.

During the final sessions, participants were divided into working groups to analyze the implementation of existing Standard Operating Procedures for the clearance of relief goods and discuss their efficient implementation by using tabletop discussions and reinforcing scenario-based testing.

The work produced during the workshop will be a starting point to further fine-tune the national legal framework relevant to emergency operations and to ensure ongoing cooperation with the stakeholders involved in humanitarian aid, thus reinforcing JCAs resilience and disaster preparedness.
From 16 to 18 January 2023, WCO A-CIP Programme organised a capacity building workshop with Tunisian Customs on governance and the development of its Next Generation Network (NGN). The NGN is intended to act as a catalyst for transformation and innovation within Tunisian Customs, bringing together next-generation officers and managers involved in the development of future leaders and decision-makers.

With the support of experts from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and drawing on CBSAs own NGN, some twenty Tunisian executives worked on an action plan for 2023, aiming at creating the winning conditions for an efficient NGN. Particular attention was paid to the commitment of its members, managements support and the respect of a balanced approach based on diversity.

During the workshop, representatives of CBSAs NGN were able to present their best practices and some points of vigilance in order to provide Tunisian Customs with the necessary tools to prepare a new generation of officers and decision-makers within Tunisian Customs. The results of the Customs Integrity Perception Survey (CIPS) conducted in Tunisia in 2021 were also presented and discussed, particularly those related to Human Resources Management and Organisational Culture, to raise awareness among the members of the Tunisian Customs NGN.

The WCO A-CIP Programme currently supports over 20 WCO Member administrations, with funding from Norad and Canada. For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
During the IMF and World Bank Groups spring meetings in Washington DC, Ahram Online interviewed the Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Jihad Azour.
A WCO Middle Management Development (MMD) train-the-trainer workshop was held from 9 to 20 January 2023 at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, for the beneficiaries of the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP) funded by the Swiss Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO). Fifteen middle managers from the Customs Administrations of Bangladesh, Jordan, Moldova, Mongolia, Serbia and Ukraine attended the workshop.

The objective of this workshop was to train prospective trainers capable of supporting the implementation of the MMD training programme at national and regional levels. During the workshop, the participants delivered training material, exchanged information, and shared their experience as middle managers.

The MMD is the third core element of the WCO LMD Programme. It supports middle managers of Customs administrations to expand their knowledge and understanding of modern management by developing in them the appropriate behaviour and attitude of a modern manager and equipping them with a set of fundamental skills necessary to manage themselves, their teams, stakeholders and the organizational strategy and culture on a daily basis.

The workshop concluded successfully with positive feedback from the participants, who greatly appreciated the information and insights from the facilitators and each other.

For more information on the WCO Leadership and Management Development Programme, please contact Capacity.Building@wcoomd.org.
A solution for the Libyan crisis must be reached through cooperation from all major parties, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Sunday, also stressing that Egypt is playing an important role in facilitating such cooperation.

Tajani's remarks came during a press conference held in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

The discussions also tackled the Palestinian cause, irregular migration, the energy file, developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, food security and the repercussions of the Russian-Ukranian crisis.

In early January, Egypt facilitated a meeting in Cairo between rival Libyan leaders Speaker of the House of Representatives Aguila Saleh and Head of Higher Council of State Khaled Al-Mishri

Egypts Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the outcomes of the meeting, describing it as an important step towards holding presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously as soon as possible.

"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 at the time, adding that Egypt will also support Libya in a way that leads to the exit of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libyan lands.



Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, right, shakes hands with his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani after a press conference at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. AP

Shoukry and Tajani's press conference followed President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's meeting with the Italian minister, where El-Sisi stressed Cairo's keenness in promoting ties with Rome in the near future and enhancing coordination regarding regional challenges in the Mediterranean.

Tajani's indicated that his visit is a clear message of strong historical relations between the two countries and the will of the Italian government to push these relations forward in light of "the pivotal role played by Egypt" as a cornerstone of security and stability in the Middle East and East Mediterranean, a presidential statement said.

Moreover, El-Sisi's meeting with Tajani tackled the issue of the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni  the 28-year-old researcher who was abducted in Cairo in January 2016  and discussed cooperation in reaching the truth and achieving justice, according to the Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady.

During the press conference, Tajani stated that he asked for more cooperation in Regeni's case, adding that Egypt pledged to eliminate all the difficulties in the file.

Developing relations

El-Sisi affirmed on Sunday that Egypt highly appreciates the deeply rooted ties and fruitful cooperation with Italy, said Rady.

There is mutual desire and interest to develop bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields, Rady confirmed.

"We [Egypt] are keen to strengthen relations with Italy at all levels, and we discussed regional issues and how to benefit jointly from the economic potential, Shoukry said during the press conference held after.

Italy is Egypts first European Union trade and economic partner, declared Shoukry in his conference speech, saying that the trade exchange between the two countries has reached five billion euros, up from three billion euros in 2021, according to previous statements by Egyptian Minister of Industry and Trade Ahmed Samir.

Italy was Egypts third largest export market from January-October 2022, with a market share of 6.6 percent, according to Italys foreign information markets website.

Furthermore, Italian investment in Egypt hit 1.7 billion euros in April 2022 spread over 1,233 projects in the industrial, agricultural, tourism, services, construction, information technology and financial services sectors, according to Samir.

Irregular migration

We are ready to welcome regular migrants from Egypt, said Tajani during the press conference, without disclosing how many visas could be granted.

His remarks came two days after a similar statement during his visit to Tunisia in which he said: "Rome wants to cooperate with Tunis to reduce irregular migration and boost regular migration."

"The big issue on migration is not only the security aspect, it is important to address the issue at its root cause. Together with security measures we must work toward policies that help to counter poverty, terrorism, climate change, and diseases," AFP quoted Tajani as saying on 20 January.

"We are working to offer a quota for the countries if they take back their irregular migrants they can send more regular migrants," the Italian top diplomat said at the time.

Egypt has stepped up its efforts since 2016 to deal with irregular migration, when President 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.

El-Sisi affirmed then that Egypt would not be a transit point for illegal migrants seeking to reach Europe.

On 7 January, Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Egypt Christian Berger noted that Egyptian-EU cooperation on migration stands at 111 million euros covering 34 projects.

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.

Natural gas

Sunday's discussions also tackled cooperation in the energy sector, especially the natural gas file in the context of Egypt's strategic cooperation with Italian energy company Eni, according to the presidential statement.

A week ago, President El-Sisi reviewed with Italian Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi the companys plans for the exploration and production of gas in Egypt amid the countrys plans to become a regional energy hub.

Following his meeting with Descalzi, El-Sisi directed the government to expand exploration and production in coordination with Eni, aiming to leverage Egypts natural resources and to continue the fruitful cooperation between Egypt and the Italian company.

The meeting comes one day after Enis announcement that it had made a significant gas discovery at the Nargis-1 exploration well in the Nargis Offshore Area Concession in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Eni, which has been operating in Egypt since 1954, discovered the Zohr gas field in 2015 that allowed Egyptian self-sufficiency in 2018. They have also been awarded exploration rights in North Rafah, North El-Fayrouz, Northeast El-Arish, Tiba and Bellatrix-Seti East.

Principles of tolerance

Tajani also lauded what he called Egypts efforts under El-Sisi in spreading principles of tolerance and freedom of worship in the context of discussing efforts to combat terrorism and extremist ideology.

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A handful of Arab chief diplomats met on Sunday in the Libyan capital in a gathering boycotted by powerful foreign ministers who argued that the mandate of the Tripoli-based government has ended.

Five of the 22 member states of the Arab League sent their foreign ministers to the periodic, consultative meeting. They included the chief diplomats of neighboring Algeria and Tunisia, local media reported. Others sent their only envoys to the meeting in Tripoli.

Regional heavyweights Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were not represented at all at the gathering, a preparatory session ahead of a foreign ministers' meeting in Cairo, which questioned the legitimacy of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbeibahs government after Libyas east-based parliament appointed a rival premier last year.

Four members sent lower-ranking ministers or ambassadors, while Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit was also absent.

Neither the Egyptian foreign ministry nor the Arab League were available for immediate comment on Sunday.

Najla Mangoush, the foreign minister of Libyas Tripoli-based administration, said in televised comments that they insist on full exercise of Libyas rights in the Arab League, in reference to the rotating leadership of the pan-Arab organization.

She condemned what she called "attempts by certain sides to crush Libyans' desire to transform Arab solidarity into a reality."

In September, Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry withdrew from an Arab League session chaired by Mangoush, protesting her representing Libya at the pan-Arab summit.

Ahead of Sundays meeting, authorities in the Libyan capital granted a day off for civil servants and closed off major roads around the Mitiga airport, the only functional airport in the capital, and a luxury hotel where the gathering took place.

Libyas current political stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December 2021 and Dbeibahs refusal to step down. In response, the countrys east-based parliament appointed a rival prime minister, Fathy Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.

The protracted stand-off between the two governments led to bouts of clashes in Tripoli last year, risking the return of civil war to the oil-rich nation after months of relative calm.

The resulting power grab gave rise to myriad home-grown militias and prompted interventions by Arab powers as well as Turkey, Russia and Western states.

Since March last year, an administration in Libya's east backed by military leader Khalifa Haftar has challenged the government of Prime Minister Dbeibah, arguing it has outlived its mandate.

The unity government was the product of a United Nations-mediated peace process following the country's last major battle in 2020.

Yet, last month, the U.N.s special envoy for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, warned that signs of partition are already evident, and the political crisis in the country impacts peoples wellbeing, compromises their security, and threatens their very existence.

The North African nation has plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Libya has been virtually ruled by a set of rival militias and armed groups in the east and west.

* This story has been edited by Ahram Online.

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Madbouly said this approach will benefit proprietors who can lease their units and make profit. It will also benefit the state by attracting more tourists.

Tourism is a vital source of foreign currency for Egypt.

"Many foreign families will seek to spend their holidays in these units with more privacy," Madbouly told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, adding the step will positively affect other commercial activities in the vicinity of these units such as restaurants, malls.

The prime minister tackled the country's efforts to support the tourism sector, overcome obstacles facing it, and double tourist numbers in the coming period, read a cabinet statement released following the meeting.

Madbouly's remarks came two days after the Minister of Tourism Ahmed Issa said before the Senate that although Egypt hopes to double tourists' numbers to 25-30 million by 2028, it can currently attract 14-15 million tourists annually.

In order to double the number, Issa added, Egypt needs to double hotel rooms, offer low-cost air travel and diversify tourist products. He stated the country has 1,200 tourist hotels and 1,300 tourist restaurants.

During Tuesday's meeting with Madbouly, Issa reviewed the country's digitisation scheme in the tourism sector, noting that 78 nationalities can obtain a tourist visa at Egyptian ports or on its e-visa portal.

He added that work is underway to digitise entrance tickets to archaeological sites and museums, noting that 1.7 million automated tickets were reserved out of a total of two million tickets sold in December 2022.

Egypt secured $10.7 billion in tourism revenue in FY 2021/2022, up from $4.9 billion in FY 2020/2021, according to the Central Bank of Egypt in October.

Egypts tourism sector was dealt a hard blow by the COVID-19 pandemic, with revenue dropping from $13.03 billion in 2019 to $4.1 billion in 2020.

The country received 13.1 million tourists in 2019, 3.7 million in 2020, and eight million in 2021.
If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

- Air Products & Chemicals Inc. plans to invest a half-billion dollars to produce environmentally friendly hydrogen in New York state.

- The Trexlertown Chick-Fil-A plans to add a second drive-thru lane as part of a plan to reduce traffic congestion.

- The Harrisburg-based Mid Penn bank has opened its first full-service branch in the Lehigh Valley in South Whitehall.

- The Allentown Planning Commission put off a decision on a new Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen at the site of the former Nostos Greek restaurant.

- The former Star Crete concrete plant at the intersection of Farmersville Road and Easton Avenue has been sold for $1.58 million, and that may clear the way for a medical office building.

- The local business SuperSets Gym will open its third location in Allentown's South Mall, with no opening date set yet.

- The jewelry boutique Versant will close later this year, but the business will be consolidated at Gary Werkheiser's other location in Saucon Valley Square.

- The DSW Woodmill Commons has moved to Berkshire West, 1101 Woodland Road in Wyomissing.

- Trainer Michael Melendez has opened his new Reading Extreme Boxing Club where PacSun used to operate in the Berkshire Mall.

- Frackville NAPA Auto Parts held a grand opening with the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and Frackville Business & Professional Association.

- Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers in North Manheim Township held a grand opening, in conjunction with the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and Pottsville Business Association.

- PDC Machines, a maker of hydrogen compressors, showed off a new plant in Lower Salford.

- Maya Capital Partners has acquired Amwell Valley Self Storage, a 265-unit storage business on Route 31 in Ringoes, New Jersey.

- Norwescap is buying the former Sullivan's on the Main restaurant in Phillipsburg to renovate the building and then use it for programs to help educate and feed people.
A lawyer for former Vice President Mike Pence discovered about a dozen documents marked as classified at Pence's Indiana home last week, and he has turned those classified records over to the FBI, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

The FBI and the Justice Department's National Security Division have launched a review of the documents and how they ended up in Pence's house in Indiana.

The classified documents were discovered at Pence's new home in Carmel, Indiana, by a lawyer for Pence in the wake of the revelations about classified material discovered in President Joe Biden's private office and residence, the sources said. The discovery comes after Pence has repeatedly said he did not have any classified documents in his possession.

It is not yet clear what the documents are related to or their level of sensitivity or classification. Pence's team plans to notify Congress on Tuesday.

Pence asked his lawyer to conduct the search of his home out of an abundance of caution, and the attorney began going through four boxes stored at Pence's house last week, finding a small number of documents with classified markings, the sources said.

Pence's lawyer immediately alerted the National Archives, the sources said. In turn, the Archives informed the Justice Department.

A lawyer for Pence told CNN that the FBI requested to pick up the documents with classified markings that evening, and Pence agreed. Agents from the FBI's field office in Indianapolis picked up the documents from Pence's home, the lawyer said.

On Monday, Pence's legal team drove the boxes back to Washington, DC, and handed them over to the Archives to review the rest of the material for compliance with the Presidential Records Act.

In a letter to the National Archives obtained by CNN, Pence's representative to the Archives Greg Jacob wrote that a "small number of documents bearing classified markings" were inadvertently boxed and transported to the vice president's home.

"Vice President Pence was unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence," Jacob wrote. "Vice President Pence understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready and willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry."

The classified material was stored in boxes that first went to Pence's temporary home in Virginia before they were moved to Indiana, according to the sources. The boxes were not in a secure area, but once the classified documents were discovered, the sources said they were placed inside a safe located in the house.

Pence's Washington, DC, office was also searched, Pence's lawyer said, and no classified material or other records covered by the Presidential Records Act was discovered.

The news about Pence come as special counsels investigate the handling of classified documents by both Biden and former President Donald Trump. The revelations also come amid speculation that Pence is readying for a run at the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

Since the FBI searched Trump's home in Florida for classified material in August with a search warrant, Pence has said that he had not retained any classified material upon leaving office. "No, not to my knowledge," he told The Associated Press in August.

In November, Pence was asked by ABC News at his Indiana home whether he had taken any classified documents from the White House.

"I did not," Pence responded.

"Well, there'd be no reason to have classified documents, particularly if they were in an unprotected area," Pence continued. "But I will tell you that I believe there had to be many better ways to resolve that issue than executing a search warrant at the personal residence of a former president of the United States."

While Pence's vice presidential office in general did a rigorous job while he was leaving office of sorting through and turning over any classified material and unclassified material covered by the Presidential Records Act, these classified documents appear to have inadvertently slipped through the process because most of the materials were packed up separately from the vice president's residence, along with Pence's personal papers, the sources told CNN.

The vice president's residence at the US Naval Observatory in Washington has a secure facility for handling classified material along with other security, and it would be common for classified documents to be there for the vice president to review.

Some of the boxes were packed up from the vice president's residence, while some came from the White House in the final days of the Trump administration, which included last-minute things that did not go through the process the rest of Pence's documents did.

The discovery of classified documents in Pence's residence marks the third time in recent history in which a president or vice president has inappropriately possessed classified material after leaving office. Both Biden and Trump are now being investigated by separate special counsels for their handling of classified materials.

Sources familiar with the process say Pence's discovery of classified documents after the Trump and Biden controversies would suggest a more systemic problem related to classified material and the Presidential Records Act, which requires official records from the White House to be turned over to the National Archives at the end of an administration.

On Friday, the FBI searched Biden's Wilmington residence for additional classified material, an unprecedented search of a sitting president's home that turned up six additional items containing classified markings. The search was conducted after Biden's lawyers discovered classified material in Wilmington following the initial discovery of classified documents at Biden's private think office in November.

Biden's attorneys say they are fully cooperating with the Justice Department, seeking to draw a distinction from the Trump investigation.

The FBI obtained a search warrant to search Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in August. Federal investigators took that step because they believed Trump had not turned over all classified material despite a subpoena and were concerned records at Mar-a-Lago were being moved around.

Last week, Pence told Larry Kudlow in a Fox Business interview that he received the President's Daily Brief at the vice president's residence.

"I'd rise early. I'd go to the safe where my military aide would place those classified materials. I'd pull them out, review them," Pence said. "I'd receive a presentation to them and then, frankly, more often than not Larry, I would simply return them back to the file that I'd received them in. They went in commonly into what was called a burn bag that my military aide would gather and then destroy those classified materialssame goes in materials that I would receive at the White House."
READING, Pa.  The Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority wants feedback from the public about its future.

The South Central Transit Authority, which oversees BARTA as well as the Red Rose Transit Authority in Lancaster County, is holding two public meetings to solicit input about BARTA's existing services and future goals.

The first public meeting is in person at the Reading Area Community College Schmidt Training and Technology Center on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m.

The second meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 5:30 p.m., and will be held virtually via Zoom.
EASTON, Pa.  The Easton Area School District Board of Directors on Thursday accepted, regretfully, retirements from teachers and district professionals whose commitment to the district totaled 329 years.

The 11 professionals' careers ranged from 22 year to 38 years, leaving board members to comment on their appreciation of their collective dedication.

Those retiring and their years of service to the district are as follows:

Louann Bonano, 22 years

Bradford Crum, 38 years

Marci Crum, 34 years

Richard Dewey, 38 years

Amy Gollub, 35 years

David Hightower, 34 years

Theresa Krebs, 26 years

Steven Kurdes, 22 years

Susan Lehr, 31 years

Deanne Lohman, 24 years

Susan Stem, 25 years

NCC graduates

Also during Tuesday's meeting, Northampton Community College Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Fehnel reported on graduation numbers from 2021. According to a survey to which 1027 of 1467 graduates responded, 46% of those students said they would be continuing their educational journeys.

The remaining students, Fehnel said, reported they would be transitioning into a career  something Fehnel said was "good for our local economy and for local needs for employment."

Fehnel also noted that those continuing their education planned to attend colleges such as Cornell University, Drexel University, and the Queen Mary University of London, to name a few.

District goal-setting

The board voted to hire Templeton Advantage LLC for $6,850, plus mileage. According to the contract, Templeton will help EASD conduct superintendent evaluations and formulate district goals and objectives, among other services.

The company's website says Templeton is a consulting firm specializing in governance, leadership and organizational development for educational venues, nonprofit organizations and corporate entities.

Board President Meg Sayago said the board has already met with company founder Tom Templeton, and the meeting was "productive."

Purchases

The board voted to approve the purchase of a 30-passenger minibus for $84,202 from Roher Bus Sales.

It also approved the purchase of network equipment for Easton Area High School and Forks Elementary School for $342,314, with the district taking responsibility for $68,462 of the cost.
MACUNGIE, Pa. - Puppies with a purpose. It's the mission of New Jersey-based The Seeing Eye. The nation's oldest guide school needs your help to expand its Raising Pup program.

Macungie's Robyn and Dennis Oplinger have had 1-year-old black lab Winston since he was 7 weeks old, one of 17 puppies the couple has raised for the organization.

"As a puppy raiser, our job is basic obedience, teaching. And then we take them out in the community. So they learn how to have good manners," she said.

In a few months Winston will leave the Oplinger's and head back to the Morristown, New Jersey training center to become what he was born to be: a guide dog for the blind. Like 3-year-old German Shepherd Kodak, who's continuing the path of independence for 76-year-old John Hollenbach of Perkasie, who'd had six dogs from The Seeing Eye.

"I cannot explain to people how much easier it has made my life and for my wife also," he said.

Since 1929, The Seeing Eye has bred and raised pups to be guide dogs. They house clients like Hollenbach at the training center campus at no charge for a month of training with their matched canine.

Dogs like Kodack cost the organization $73,000 to raise. However, the cost to clients is $150, then $50 for each dog after. For veterans it's $1.

Winston is part of the 500 pups the organization breeds each year.

"The Seeing Eye is wonderful, because they do cover all the vet costs, and provide a stipend to help families raising them. And we definitely need families. That's probably our biggest need at this moment, is more families to raise puppies," said area coordinator Kimberly Winnington.

With a goal those like the Oplinger's can clearly see.

"We are giving it up for a reason. Knowing that there's a future for the dog, and a supportive environment is great," the pair said.

For more info on becoming part of the program you can head to the organization's website.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - An arrest has been made in an armed robbery at a Bethlehem business over the weekend.

Ryen Mohr, 19, is accused of pointing a gun at employees at the Bethlehem Star Dry Cleaners and running off with cash, city police said.

The robbery happened around 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the dry cleaners in the 1300 block of Linden Street.

U.S. Marshals helped locate and arrest Mohr at a home in Allentown on Wednesday morning, police said.

He's charged with robbery, theft, firearms without a license and possessing instruments of crime.


Over the last few months, hundreds of Adivasi Christians have fled their homes across several villages of Chhattisgarh after alleged attacks by Hindutva groups.

Riya Talitha | TwoCircles.net

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NEW DELHI  Pastors, nuns, congregants, social workers, activists, and concerned citizens came together on the afternoon of January 21 at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi road to protest the violence and displacement suffered by Adivasi Christians in Chhattisgarh over the past couple of months.

According to a fact-finding committee by the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, between December 9 and 18, almost 1000 Adivasi Christians from multiple villages from the Narayanpur and Kondagaon districts in Chhattisgarhs Bastar region were attacked and fled their homes. There were also reports of destroyed houses, lands, property and churches. Currently, over 50 families of victims of persecution are camped at an indoor stadium in Narayanpur in deplorable conditions, doubting if they will ever be able to return to their homes and fearing for their safety.

Around 150 people gathered for the protest organised by several womens organisations of various mandates to condemn the atrocities unleashed on women and children. The area was buzzing with activity and conversation. Slogans calling for freedom and speeches contextualising the recent events as part of a much longer history of persecution and religious intolerance abounded.



Why are they segregating the Christian minority? Why are you attacking a vulnerable minority? So this protest is to condemn that violence and intolerance. This is not a Christian issue; this is a constitutional issue. If the constitution gives me the right to worship what I want, who else can say object? questions Sister Manju Devarapalli, national secretary of the National Dalit Christian Watch (NDCW).

No place for Vishwasis

On January 8th, faith leaders of various communities came together for a candlelight march and to pray together for the victims while also condemning the persecution of Christians in Chhattisgarh, as well as the inaction of the government and the inability of the local police forces to protect the victims or stop the perpetrators adequately. The Adivasi Christians or vishwasis under attack claim that while events came to a head around Christmas, they had been facing assault, sustained ostracisation, false accusations of witchcraft, ultimatums for them to renounce their faith, and even desecration of their graves for a much longer time.

Last year, Chhattisgarh was the site of the second-highest count of documented attacks on Christians. Christians make up less than 2% of Chhattisgarhs total population of almost 30 million, which makes intolerance mainly targeted.

Hindu groups in the Narayanpur area responsible for whipping up violence and division claim that the number of Christians is much higher and that as they have converted, they are barred from accessing Jal-Jungle-Zameen(Water, Forest and Land). This sorry state of affairs is made even more tragic considering that those engaging in violence and bigotry towards the Adivasi Christians are themselves Adivasis who have joined right-wing groups and political affiliations.

Forced conversions?

One of the main ways that right-wing groups justify and encourage attacks on Christians is by claiming that forced conversions are taking place. The pattern repeated itself even in these attacks, particularly in Narayanpur on January 2, which resulted in a church being vandalised after tensions ran high at a public meeting meant to protest against illegal religious conversions.

One of the January 8th marchs organisers, A.C. Michael, convener of the United Christian Forum and a former member of the Delhi Minorities Commission, also addressed the crowd on Sunday. Stop putting false allegations against us. If you are attacking us in the name of forced conversions, where are they taking place? We want evidence of the so-called forced conversions that are apparently happening, he says.

While India lacks a central anti-conversion law, most states have adopted variations over the years; Chhattisgarhs anti-conversion law was instituted in 2000 and amended in 2006. The amendment establishes that the return [to ones] ancestors original religion or his own original religion by any person shall not be construed as conversion. At the same time, it seeks to make the punishment for forced conversion even more strict while also giving the district magistrate the power to refuse or permit any person to convert their faith  an order that will only be appealable to a district judge who then has the final say. However, it is unclear whether it is in force but is still used in electoral politics to appeal to voters. As the validity of conversion is debated, and Christians are framed as engaging in these illegal conversions that erode indigenous identity or national unity, the victims of persecution are caught in limbo.

According to Sister Devarapalli, the reason why repeated attempts have been made to come out and protest is because it was only last night (January 20) that the Chhattisgarh High Court gave an interim budget of relief for the victims, but till then, they hadnt sent anything. The archbishop of the diocese went and met the Chief Minister, who assured him but didnt do anything until we protested.

Christian assertion

Have we come here to beg? No, weve come here for our rights. And remember -rights arent given; they have to be taken, said a senior representative from the Conference of Religious India as the protest drew to a close.

A speaker from the NFIW proclaimed on stage, Dalits and Adivasis have given their blood to build this country, and yet the greedy ones still want to take from them.

This idea was a popular assertion throughout the protest and one that many speakers brought up.

This country has grown to this level only because of Christians contributions to education and medicine, but we are still victims of such hatred. It broke my heart when I heard this news from Chhattisgarh, shared Pastor Edwin Matthew from the Church of Pentecost Delhi, who was one of the last speakers.

According to a 2003 paper by scholar Lancy Lobo, it is estimated that Christians who compose 2.4 % of the total population, run 25 % of Indias voluntary service sector, a totally disproportionate undertaking. Lobo writes, such a minuscule minority has been making a giant contribution to the progress of the nation.

While Sundays protest was primarily organised by womens groups, the Christian community and city-wide coalition of Christian organisations across denominations plan to host a mass protest on February 19 at the Ramleela Grounds.

Michael, one of the 200-strong body of Christian organisers and religious community leaders working towards the February 19 protest, says that the collective intention behind it was to tell both the government and mainstream society, please dont take us lightly. We are a god-fearing community, peace-loving, but enough is enough. We need to show our strength. The time has come. If you show your strength, even the government takes you seriously.

The protest was organised by AIDWA, All India Confederation of SC/ST, All Indian Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan (AIMSS), Anhad, Conference of Religious Freedom India, Evangelical Church of India (ECI), Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace, International Social Service (ISS), National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), National Dalit Christian Watch, National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), United Christian Front (UCF), United Christian Initiative (UCI) and Young Womens Christian Association (YWCA), among others.

Riya is a fellow at the SEEDS-TCN mentorship program.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed in a tweet on Tuesday the current visit of Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to India as "historic" and a "matter of immense happiness for all Indians."

Modi added that he looks forward to holding discussions with El-Sisi on Wednesday.

El-Sisi arrived today in New Delhi at Modi's invitation to participate as chief guest at celebrations of India's Republic Day on Thursday.

Warm welcome to India, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Your historic visit to India as Chief Guest for our Republic Day celebrations is a matter of immense happiness for all Indians. Look forward to our discussions tomorrow. @AlsisiOfficial  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 24, 2023

El-Sisi thanked Modi for the warm reception, saying he looks forward to having productive discussions with the Indian prime minister, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a Facebook post.

"I am very happy and proud to visit sisterly India and participate in the celebrations of India's Republic Day as chief guest," El-Sisi said.

He added that his participation in this occasion "makes us more determined to continue enhancing bilateral relations and special coordination between us."

El-Sisi's participation is the first time ever for an Egyptian president to be the chief guest of India's Republic Day, which marks the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January, 1950.

In earlier statements today, the presidential spokesman said that this reflects the close ties between the two countries and India's deep appreciation of the Egyptian leadership and government.

It also demonstrates the deep interest of the Indian side in strengthening cooperation between the two friendly countries in their capacity as one of the most important emerging countries and in light of their vital role on the regional and international arenas, Rady said.

President El-Sisi's visit to New Delhi coincides with the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between Egypt and India, Rady added.

Egypt is also participating as a guest country in the Group of 20 (G20) meetings this year, which are held under India's presidency.

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - A man wanted for a deadly shooting Tuesday morning in New Jersey has been caught in Bethlehem.

Police say Lucas Cooper shot and killed a woman in Jersey City.

Cooper faces murder, child endangerment, and other charges.

Multiple reports say the woman he's accused of shooting, Temara King, was a public school teacher in Jersey City.

Prosecutors are treating it as an act of domestic violence.
PALMER TWP., Pa.  The Palmer Township Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night rejected a conditional-use application for an industrial-use facility.

The applicant, Greystone Capital Inc. and developer Lou Pektor, sought to construct a 185,000-square-foot industrial-use facility for the manufacturing and assembly of goods and supplies on a 15.4-acre lot at 1493 Van Buren Road. Specifically, the building was offered for the southeast corner of Van Buren Road and Newlins Mill Road.

The proposal called for 185 employees.

The plan was not well received by residents of the Highlands of Glenmoor group, a 55-plus community with 251 homes that wrap around the south and east sides of the proposed development.

Testimony from residents

On Tuesday night, as at previous hearings on the proposal, several members offered testimony either as "factual" or "expert" witnesses.

Wayne Conrad offered factual testimony, saying the project would create an "air tunnel" of traffic exhaust between the facility and the senior community. This, he stated, would cause cardiovascular and respiratory challenges for many Highlands residents.

Pektor attorney Marc Kaplan objected to the statement, saying there was no "scientific basis or methodology," and what was being said was an opinion, not a "fact." His objection was overruled.

Another testimony was offered by Christopher Valente, who said he lives about 1,000 feet from the proposed facility. He indicated the facility would prove problematic for the nearby seniors.

"A manufacturing site doesn't bode well for them," he said.

David Monaghan testified the project would present "quality-of-life and health issues" for Highlands residents. He added the neighborhood was "not anti-development but wants development that complements, not detracts" from the community.

Still another resident, Carol Ritter, testified on behalf of herself and neighbors who said "they were extremely concerned about pollution." Ritter cited air quality, sound and traffic as top concerns.

"We also have no idea what is going into this facility," Ritter said.

Sound study of the site

Kaplan called one witness: Felicia Doggett, president and CEO of Metropolitan Acoustics, a Philadelphia-based acoustics and vibration consulting firm.

Doggett testified she performed a sound study of the site using a sound prediction analysis based on four different types of truck noises. Her findings discovered the project would meet the township's noise ordinance during daytime hours, and would exceed the regulation by three A-weighted decibels during the night hours. She added that sound mitigation could be employed to reduce the evening noise to reach compliance.

However, Supervisors Ann-Marie Panella and K. Michael Mitchell said the hypothesis was unconvincing because it did not test enough truck noises, was too subjective because the site's end user has not been identified and did not account for noise from the facility itself or HVAC and operating systems on the facility.

Apartments alternative?

At a public hearing on Oct. 25, 2022, Pektor tabled the manufacturing plan under the premise the developer and township would consider zoning amendments that, if successful, would instead result in new apartments on the property.

Warehouse or apartments? Pektor reconsiders plan for Palmer Developer Lou Pektor was proposing an industrial-use facility on Van Buren Road, but he's now considering creating an apartment complex there instead.

However, for an apartment complex to materialize, Marc Kaplan told the board and then-Solicitor Charles Bruno the approval process "cannot be normal." That's because Pektor has already invested much time and money in the current proposal, Kaplan said.

As such, Kaplan had said the process should be expedited to the degree possible while still satisfying the township's requirements. He noted that if the township and Pektor each came to the table in good faith, he was hopeful the apartment concept could work.

During that meeting last October, the township and Pektor agreed to "set aside" or table the industrial-use facility plan to allow time to develop an apartment complex proposal, and the developer agreed to extend the pending application hearing date until Tuesday night.

However, the apartment complex plan was not formally discussed or considered Tuesday night.
The 911 emergency system leads six goals set by Pennsylvania's county commissioners for 2023.



CCAP, the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, promotes the interests of the state's 67 counties. This week, CCAP is meeting in Harrisburg with elected state officials and staff members to advance its goals.



"We're here to work with the state legislature to address how our priorities can be met," Northampton County Commissioner Lori Vargo Heffner said Wednesday from Harrisburg.



Counties deal with human services, run prisons and courts, and handle elections, among many duties. Much of county funding comes from the state. CCAP is trying to help shape the conversation in the state capital in how dollars are spent.



"We have the same problems across all 67 counties," Vargo Heffner said. In addition to funding for upgrades to 911, CCAP is focusing this year on broadband access, election integrity, mental health funding, mental health problems in prisons and the needs of children with behavioral problems.



County needs cross political boundaries, Vargo Heffner, a Democrat, said.



"We have a very unified message from Democrats and Republicans," she said.



New Gov. Josh Shapiro is a former Montgomery County Commissioner, so Vargo Heffner said he may be sympathetic to CCAP's goals.



"We want to get a jump-start with the new administration," she said. "We have to make sure county priorities are recognized. It's not a shell game with numbers, this is about real people and real needs."



The diversion of mentally ill people to prisons is a costly problem, Vargo Heffner said.



"More and more mentally ill people are filling our prisons," she said. CCAP advocates for assessing a person's mental competence before they are incarcerated.



State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh County, is an advocate for mental health issues, Vargo Heffner said, and CCAP will be working with him on its goals.



"We need to be partners with the legislature," she said. CCAP gives the counties a bigger voice with Pennsylvania elected officials than they would have individually.



Vargo Heffner represents CCAP's District 6, which covers Northampton, Lehigh, Berks, Schuylkill, Lebanon, Lancaster, Dauphin and Cumberland counties.
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - Police arrested a man they say stole $20 from a customer in the parking lot of a bank over the weekend.

On Sunday at around 10 a.m. the Stroud Area Regional Police Department was sent to an armed robbery at the PNC Bank in East Stroudsburg. A man and his child were in a vehicle at the drive-thru ATM machine in the parking lot.

Police said Brian Walker approached the man while displaying a large, fixed blade knife and said, give me your wallet." Walker then reached into the vehicle and grabbed the victims arm, causing the man to crawl from the drivers seat to the passenger seat to get away, according to a news release from the Stroud Area Regional Police Department. The juvenile was in the rear seat of the vehicle throughout the entire incident.

Walker then ran away, and the victim discovered his wallet containing $20 in cash was missing, police said.

Detectives gathered security footage from multiple locations. Video footage was captured of the robbery, Walker fleeing and the vehicle he was driving, according to the news release. The vehicle, a black Ford Edge, was captured on video leaving the area after striking a telephone pole which caused passenger side rear damage and a broken taillight, police said.

Detectives discovered a patrol officer had handled an incident Sunday at approximately 11:10 a.m. for a disabled vehicle on Chipperfield Drive that matched the suspects vehicle obtained from the video footage, according to police.

On Monday, while checking to see if the vehicle was at the home, Walker came out through the front door, police said.

Police said the detective immediately recognized Walker from surveillance video obtained from PNC Bank as the robbery suspect. When the detective asked Walker about the Ford Edge, Walker said he had the car towed away, according to police.

Walker had a large amount of personal property in the driveway of the residence, and said he was in the process of moving out, police said. The detective went back to his vehicle and called patrol officers to assist him. While waiting for back up to arrive, the detective observed a Pocono Cab minivan arrive at the residence and then leave with Walker in the back seat, according to the news release.

Stroud Area Regional Patrol Units and the Detective initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. Walker was then taken into custody without incident and transported to police headquarters.

Walker is charged with robbery, theft by unlawful taking, possessing instruments of crime, and simple assault. Walker was arraigned before District Magistrate Muth and placed in the Monroe County Correctional Facility on $25,000 bail.

Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to contact Stroud Area Regional Police, Detective Christian Capone at 570-421-6800 ext.1053 or via email at ccapone@sarpd.com.
PHILADELPHIA - Songs and prayers line the sidewalk outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia as jurors are selected for the trial of Mark Houck.

Houck is the president and founder of a religious organization called The King's Men.

On October 13, 2021, Houck was outside the Planned Parenthood Elizabeth Blackwell Women's Clinic when a altercation with a clinic volunteer happened. Court documents say Houck forcefully pushed the 72-year-old volunteer to the ground and that the volunteer was injured.

Houck disputes that, saying he and his 12-year-old son were praying the Rosary when the volunteer approached and became aggressive with his son. Houck maintains he was only defending himself and his son.

Jurors are expected to see video. Attorneys have asked the judge to decide if emails sent to Planned Parenthood officials after the altercation should also be seen by jurors.

It's unclear if Houck will testify. But his supporters say they are confident of the outcome.

"Once the jury hears the case the 12 jurors that we know praise God, that he is going to be set free, so free at last, free at last. God Almighty free at last," said Devlin.

Previously, the U.S. attorney's office released a statement, saying "Violating the FACE Act by committing a physical assault is a serious crime for which the FBI will work to hold offenders accountable."

Houck was arrested last September by federal agents at his Kintnersville home.

Testimony begins Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.

If convicted, Houck could face 11 years in prison and a $350,000 fine.
GIRARDVILLE  State Attorney Generals Office employees spent more than five hours Tuesday inventorying the police department evidence room in borough hall.

Four officers hired last spring following the resignation of former chief Fred Lahovski said evidence in the room would have nothing to do with their investigations, Mayor Judy Mehlbaum said.

They didnt want to be responsible for what was in there, she said.

With the department in turmoil late last year over accusations between Fabrizio Bivona, who was then the officer-in-charge, and other officers, however, the situation gained urgency.

In December, the Attorney Generals Office had borough workers secure the room under their supervision and gave the key to the Schuylkill County District Attorneys Office.

Three employees from the state agency returned Tuesday to go through the evidence, which typically includes things like narcotics, weapons, clothing, tools used in crimes, forged checks and stolen credit cards.

Lt. Jeremy Talanca, who is the acting officer-in-charge, said the inventory allows a fresh start for current officers.

Its a common practice, he said, of an outside agency conducting the inventory.

Initially, Mehlbaum said she had no reason to think evidence had been tampered with or removed.

Questions arose later in 2022 when an evidence log book kept in the police station went missing. Its not known if the book was taken on purpose or just misplaced, she said.

I have no proof (that someone took it), but I know its gone, Mehlbaum said.

The fact that the log book was missing delayed the inventory.

They (Attorney Generals Office agents) couldnt find the evidence log, so they couldnt marry the items together, Mehlbaum said.

On Tuesday, agents did the inventory without the log.

Mehlbaum described the room as a mess, but added: We never thought there was anything wrong. These guys just wanted to start off with a clean slate.

The Attorney Generals Office staff was assisted Tuesday by county Sheriff Joseph G. Groody, three of his deputies and county Detective Shawn Butler from the DAs office, who brought the key.

Groody said the county staff was there simply to assist agents with retrieving items to be recorded.

Talanca said that to store evidence while the other room was locked down, officers used a cabinet secured by two locks with separate keys, requiring two authorized people to be present to open it. The arrangement was approved by the Attorney Generals Office.

With the inventory complete, Talanca and the other officers can now use the original evidence room.

Were ready to go, Mehlbaum said Tuesday afternoon. Now they can start from scratch with the cases they are working on.

There is more work to be done, however, by the Attorney Generals Office, she said.

Some of the things in there were old (and) there for many years, she said. Theyre going to look at them and see if theyre connected to any open cases.

She said the agents will be looking for any abnormalities in the inventory.

Bivona, hired in March to replace Lahovski, was suspended from the force Dec. 11 because he failed to provide the mayor with the key to the evidence room, according to a letter from borough solicitor Arlen R. Day II.

The officer was suspended again on Dec. 30, according to another letter from Day, over a number of allegations, including working when told not to work; filing citations against fellow officers while suspended; falsely representing himself as chief of police; and ignoring orders to turn in his badge, keys and other borough property.

Borough council, after a two-minute executive session Jan. 11, voted unanimously to fire him.

Bivona, who did not attend the meeting, has denied the councils accusations.
WILKES-BARRE  Luzerne County voters will be allowed to cure flawed mail-in ballots by casting a provisional ballot at a polling site, following a Wednesday vote by the county election board.

The boards decision will impact some voters in the Jan. 31 special election for the 27th District state Senate seat.

The board voted 4-1 to reverse its Jan. 18 decision to compel voters to visit the county election bureau in Wilkes-Barre to cure ballots that contain potentially fatal errors, such as a missing signature or date.

Board members Daniel Schramm and Jim Mangan changed their votes from last week. Both voted yes to Schramms motion to allow voters to cast a provisional ballot at their designated polling site if the election bureau informs them their mail-in ballot contains a disqualifying error.

Board members Denise Williams and Audrey Serniak also voted yes. Board member Alyssa Fusaro voted no.

The vote restores the ballot-curing policy that has been in place for the last few county elections. No-excuse mail-in voting took effect in 2020 in Pennsylvania as part of the states revised election law.

Fusaro had proposed the change to compel voters to cure ballots at the election bureau.

On Wednesday, Fusaro said any voter may cast a provisional ballot at a polling site, but there is no guarantee that ballot will be accepted during the election boards adjudication of ballots after the election.

Williams said that had the election board not reversed its decision on ballot-curing procedure, it would have almost certainly led to litigation.

Also, a court would likely have found that prohibiting voters from casting provisional ballots to cure flawed mail-in ballots was a violation of state and federal election law, Williams said.

Schramm said he decided to change his vote after studying state election law and reading a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union, which objected to the policy change put in place last week.

Mangan said his intention was never to disenfranchise voters by forcing them to travel to the election bureau to cure ballots. He said he intent was to expedite the process.

Serniak said she understood that state election officials recommended the use of provisional ballots to cure flawed mail-in ballots, which is why the county has used that procedure since the revised election law took effect.

Williams said last week it would pose a hardship for voters in the southern part of the county to travel to Wilkes-Barre to cure ballots.
EXETER  Paul Porfirio has resigned from the Wyoming Area School Board, and the board plans to appoint someone to fill the vacant board seat at a meeting on

Feb. 7.

Interested district residents have until 3 p.m. Feb. 1 to apply for the position, board President Lara Best said during Tuesdays board meeting. Porfirio did not attend, and solicitor Jarrett Ferentino said Porfirio resigned for health reasons.

The term of the person chosen to fill the vacant seat will expire in December. A two-year seat will be added to the primary and general election ballots to fill the final two years of Porfirios four-year term.

Porfirio was elected in 2021 as an independent. He is a 1981 Wyoming Area graduate and served 33 years in law enforcement. He was Pittston police chief from 2001-06 and West Pittston police chief from 2008-16.

The school board also voted to limit any potential increase this year in the school district property tax rate to the 5.5% state index. By voting to limit any tax increase to the index, the district does not have to seek voter approval for a tax hike above the index or seek state approval to exceed to index with allowed spending exemptions.

The school board will determine this years property tax rate when it adopts a budget for the 2023-24 school year. The school board is required to adopt a final budget and property tax rate by June 30.

Last year, the school board approved a $43 million budget with a 4.6% increase in the property tax rate.

The tax rate increased from 17.9152 mills to 18.7392 mills for the Luzerne County properties in West Pittston, Exeter, Wyoming, West Wyoming and Exeter Twp. A mill is $1 on every $1,000 in property assessment.

The rate for properties in Exeter Twp., Wyoming County, increased from 86.592 mills to 91.1558 mills based on a rebalancing formula, which is used because the district includes municipalities from different counties with different assessment value systems.
Egypts Al-Azhar  the world's leading Sunni Muslim religious institution  has called on the Arab and Muslim peoples to boycott all Dutch and Swedish products and to take a strong and unified stance in support of the Quran, read a statement on Wednesday.

Al-Azhar's call for boycott, the statement added, is a proper response to the governments of the two countries that have offended 1.5 billion Muslims.

On Monday, Edwin Wagensveld, leader of the Dutch chapter of the German far-right group Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamicisation of the Occident (PEGIDA), tore apart pages of Islam's holy book and walked over them in an anti-Islam protest.

The incident in the Dutch city is the second in Europe in less than a week after Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, had burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Saturday.

In its statement, Al-Azhar criticised the Dutch and Swedish governments for "protecting the barbaric crimes" committed under the "specious inhumane and immoral banner of their so-called freedom of expression.

They ought to call it the dictatorship of chaos and evil manners against civilised nations adhering to Allah and the guidance of heaven, the statement continued.

Al-Azhar added that all Arab and Muslim peoples should join the boycott and educate children, youth, and women about it. Failure to participate in the boycott is a failure to support the religion chosen for them by Allah, it noted.

"These deviants" will never appreciate the value of the religion  about which they know nothing and which they provoke its Muslim followers through mocking it  or be deterred unless they face material and economic challenges, Al-Azhar said.

This is the only language they know, Al-Azhar said. They venerate nothing but the laws of abundance, production, and consumption.

The statement concluded by a verse from the Quran: They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they, of the Hereafter, are unaware.

On Tuesday, the Egyptian foreign ministry condemned in a statement the disgraceful incident in the Netherlands a few days after condemning the incident in Sweden, warning that the incidents fuel hate speech.

"The disgraceful incident [of Netherlands] goes beyond freedom of expression, violates Muslim sanctities, and fuels hate speech between religions and peoples in a way that threatens communal security and stability," the foreign ministry's statement read on Tuesday.

On Saturday, the ministry warned that this disgraceful act [of Sweden] provokes the feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world.

These extremist practices are inconsistent with the values of respect of others, freedom of belief, human rights and human fundamental freedoms, the ministry stressed.

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RING OF HONOR: Western Legacy Executive Director Tom Harrington presents a mock-up of the proposed Ring of Honor for the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame to be constructed at the Center, hopefully within the coming months.

The Western Legacy Center (WLC) is off to a strong start in 2023, having closed on the Roberts Building at the end of 2022 and now preparing for demolition and creation of the museum aspect of the building, as well as the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

The WLC hosted an update meeting on Friday, January 20th with members of the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in attendance, including world champion bareback rider Deb Greenough and pro rodeo announcer and Hall of Fame President Brent Jordan. The crew traveled from Red Lodge and Billings to hear an update on progress, as well as see the WLC for the first time since a press conference in October 2021.

WLC Executive Director Tom Harrington gave a brief overview of the items accomplished within the last few months, including closing on the building with Jefferson Local Development Corporation (JLDC), securing overflow parking across the street from the WLC from Town Pump, creation and opening of the Montana Made Gift Shop, as well as monthly events to promote visibility and awareness of the WLC.

Harrington explained that the Montana Department of Transportation estimates 7-8 million people travel past the Whitehall exit, with 2.1 people in the vehicle.

"We have a real opportunity here to help businesses get more exposure, people will come in and we will point them to Lewis and Clark Caverns or Boulder Hot Springs," he said, noting that the gift shop gives 48 local Montana vendors exposure to tourist nearly every day of the year, which they would not have otherwise.

Harrington and Assistant Director Pamela Polachi then unveiled a commercial featuring bronc rider and stuntman Forrie Smith of Helena promoting the WLC, with another commercial featuring Greenough also completed.

Harrington presented a 3D mockup of the Ring of Honor, as created by WLC board member Jay Linderman. The structure would be the main feature of the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, built in the center of the facility, and would have interactive displays within featuring each Montana rodeo champion.

Jordan said that the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and its members and board are "all in" and hope to feature Whitehall locals such as Shawn Davis and Benny Reynolds, while also explaining rodeo culture, the circuit system, and more.

"We've gotta make an impact with this facility," Jordan said. "We have been incredibly protective of our name and what we do, but over the years Tom and Leonard [Wortman] have demonstrated that Jefferson county and Whitehall are all in with helping us create a Hall of Fame. We want to be a part of the WLC and it is the general understanding of our Board that we do want to see this work."

Jordan continued that the Hall would throw all of their support possible behind the project, as they want it to be something that not only brings tourists into the community but helps sustain rodeo culture for the future.

Demolition of the inner walls of the WLC is slated to begin in February, with the construction of the Ring of Honor planned as one of the first major displays.

"We want to do it right and really make an impact," Jordan reiterated. The group plans to meet again with a master plan of attack in the coming weeks.

"I'm very thankful for their participating and ideas in this huge project," Polachi said. "Their support and desire to succeed is really the driving force behind it all."
Williamson, WV (25661)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Wednesday that Egypt and India are seeking to upgrade ties to a strategic partnership as the two countries celebrate the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties.

El-Sisi is currently on a three-day visit to India. His statement came during a press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which the Egyptian president referred to the "integrated" capabilities of Egypt and India that could lead to a "solid system" in the face of common challenges and emerging global crises, especially in the energy and food sectors.

El-Sisi, who arrived on Tuesday in New Delhi at Modi's invitation to participate as chief guest in celebrations of India's Republic Day on Thursday, received a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan  the official residence of the president of India at the western end of Rajpath in New Delhi  and was welcomed by President Droupadi Murmu and premier Modi.

The president then arrived at Hyderabad House to hold summit talks with the Indian premier.

El-Sisi thanked Modi for his invitation, hospitality, and generous reception, which, he said reflected the strong relations between the two countries and nations.

He reiterated his congratulations to the Indian nation, government, and people on Republic Day, adding that it is a great privilege to be a guest of honour and participate in the glorious national day.

"I extend sincere greetings to the friendly country of India, its government and people," El-Sisi told reporters at the Indian presidential palace, wishing the South Asian country further prosperity, security, peace, progress, and development.

Modi hailed in a tweet on Tuesday El-Sisis visit to India as historic and a matter of immense happiness for all Indians, adding that thanks to the wise and successful leadership of President El-Sisi, cooperation with Egypt has become stronger over the past few years.

Modi said strategic coordination with Egypt is good for peace and prosperity in the region.

El-Sisi said that the talks dwelt on the optimum ways to combat terrorism and extremist thought.



Egypt and India have a common vision in this regard and that joint cooperation will help uproot violence, which threatens the whole world, not only Egypt and India, added the Egyptian president.



He added that an agreement was reached on the need to promote cooperation in the security field and to increase coordination in this vital sector.



"No development can be attained without security and stability," El-Sisi said.

Developing relations to strategic partnership

Egypt and India are working on elevating their relationship to a strategic partnership. El-Sisi and Modi unveiled plans to boost cooperation in defence and security, counter-terrorism and trade after signing five agreements for cooperation in IT, cyber-security, culture, youth matters, and broadcasting.

We have decided that under the India-Egypt strategic partnership we will develop a long-term framework for comprehensive cooperation in political, security, economic, and scientific fields, Hindustan Times quoted Modi as saying.

The two sides also decided to strengthen cooperation between the defence industries of India and Egypt, the Indian premier added.

El-Sisi stated that Egypt and India agreed on fostering strategic cooperation in several domains covering agriculture, higher education, chemicals, fertilisers, medications, and IT.

The president affirmed the significance of assessing regular channels for exchanging experiences and knowledge regarding successful experiments and initiatives in the two countries, particularly in developing local industry and small and medium-sized projects and providing decent life for citizens.



El-Sisi told Modi Egypt welcomes the flow of more Indian tourists to Egypt.



He also pointed out that cooperation in defence domains figured high on the agenda of the talks, saying the two countries stressed maintaining coordination, joint exercises and exchange of expertise, in addition to tapping additional horizons for cooperation.

El-Sisi and Modi underscored the importance of maintaining work to raise the volume of trade exchange and to capitalise on production and exportation abilities and advantages of the two countries, with a view to responding to economic and social priorities to stimulate foreign investments.

Egypt and India agreed on maximising cooperation on all fronts and forging more partnerships in new areas, including cooperation in new and renewable energy and green hydrogen production, El-Sisi said.

Relations between Egypt and India are characterised by balance and stability, El-Sisi said, adding that we have been evolving very positively all along.

Modi said his talks with El-Sisi focused on upgrading the strategic partnership between Cairo and New Delhi, noting that a long-term and more inclusive development plan would be designed to enhance political, defence, economic, and scientific cooperation.



Discussions also tackled healthcare and global supply chains, Modi said, adding they also discussed how to amend food import chains and the drug industry that were most harmed by the Ukrainian crisis.



Modi said they stressed the importance of increasing investment and trade exchange in these sectors, while El-Sisi said he is looking forward to increasing Indian investments in Egypt in various fields, with special focus on the Suez Canal Economic Zone.

The Indian premier said the two sides decided to increase bilateral trade to $12 billion in the next five years.

Earlier this week, Indias Ambassador to Cairo Ajit Gupte said bilateral trade has expanded rapidly by 75 percent in 2021-22 to reach its highest-ever level of $7.26 billion, adding that trade between the two countries continues to grow in 2022-23.

Around 50 Indian companies operating in Egypt provide direct employment to approximately 38,000 Egyptians, investing over $3.2 billion across the chemical, energy, automobile, retail, apparel, and agriculture sectors, among others.

Many of these companies are planning to expand their investments by a cumulative $800 million, Gupte revealed.

The significance of the visit

El-Sisis visit to India, Gupte said, will be "a momentous occasion that heralds a new dawn in the two countries relations."

This is the first time an Egyptian president is the chief guest of India's Republic Day, which marks the day Indias constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950.

According to Indian Express, an invitation to be the Republic Day chief guest is highly symbolic from the Indian governments perspective, as New Delhi carefully decides on its chief guest for the Republic Day. The choice of chief guest every year is based on strategic, diplomatic, and geopolitical factors as well as business interests.

Modi had previously met El-Sisi on various occasions, including on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), New York, in September 2015. President Mukherjee and Modi also met El-Sisi during the Third India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi in October 2015.

El-Sisi also paid a state visit to India in September 2016.

Both countries have a strong relationship dating back to the 1950s and were among the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement. India is also eyeing Egypt as a hub to access markets in Africa and Europe.

In November 2022, India -- the president of the Group of 20 (G20) in 2023 -- invited Egypt to participate as a guest country in the G20 meetings, in which Ambassador Ragy El-Etreby, assistant minister of foreign affairs for international and regional multilateral economic affairs, will be the personal representative of President El-Sisi at the meetings.

On Wednesday, El-Sisi thanked the Indian prime minister for inviting Egypt to attend the G20 meeting.

El-Etreby recently said that "Cairo intends to closely cooperate with the Indian presidency of the group" on files of mutual priority, including enhancing global food security and supporting international financing institutions to better face successive crises.

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Egypts Ministry of Interior has announced the release of 2,194 prisoners as per a presidential pardon on the occasion of the National Police Day.

The Ministry of Interior said its social protection department had studied the files of inmates in rehabilitation and correctional centres nationwide to determine those eligible for a presidential pardon.

The ministry said in a statement that the decision to release the prisoners is in line with "the interior ministrys implementation of a modern punitive policy and providing all aspects of care to inmates.

President El-Sisi issued a decree last week pardoning some inmates on the occasion of the January 25 Revolution and the National Police Day anniversary.

Egypt has released through presidential pardon thousands of inmates on different national and religious occasions in recent years.

Wednesday, 25 January, marks the twelfth anniversary of the 2011 revolution that ousted the late president Hosni Mubarak.

It also marks Police Day. Police Day in Egypt is celebrated on the 25th of January to commemorate police heroism in the struggle against British occupation on that day in 1952.

The presidential pardons granted on national and religious occasions are not connected to the activities of the Presidential Pardon Committee.

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Growing up, Rushford-Peterson High School senior Grace Meyer witnessed how many lives her mother touched as a social worker assisting seniors and families. To Meyer, her mother meant the world.

Shes my best friend. Even though shes not here with me physically, shell always be my best friend. She was my biggest cheerleader and my biggest supporter, Meyer said.

Meyer lost her mother to liver disease last February after living for a year with the illness.

In addition to coming terms with her mothers declining health and passing, attending school and working at a local daycare, Meyer stepped up to support her family, buying groceries, cooking dinner and driving her three younger siblings around.

Through it all, Meyer preserved her bubbly personality, relationships with family and friends, and academic performance, anchored by a positive and caring outlook, earning her an Above and Beyond nomination from her school.

Meyer now plans to pursue a career in early childhood education, studying at Rochester Community and Technical College and continuing at Winona State University.

Given Meyers situation, reaching that decision took time.

In the beginning, I felt very very sad. I was numb-feeling, Meyer said about herself after her mother died. My family dynamic changed in the sense that it felt, at least for me, a little empty without her there.

While other seniors were making plans for after graduation, Meyer struggled to think about her future, reminded of her mothers college and career advice.

Meyer found relief by seeking out therapy and found support in her friends, family and teachers. In her personal time, she took to writing journal entries and notes to her mother and reading poetry.

Driving Meyers perseverance and positivity through her mothers death was remembering how her mother lived.

She was very selfless, empathetic, compassionate, and I feel like my goal to keep her here is to carry those things within me to keep her alive, Meyer said.

Meyer made the realization after a conversation with Erin Thompson, a family and consumer science teacher at Rushford-Peterson. Meyer and Thompson became close through a one-hour class. Shes been my rock here, Meyer said.

Mrs. Thompson said, Just because shes gone doesnt mean she still isnt proud of you, doesnt mean she still doesnt love you, Meyer said. After Mrs. Thompson had said that, I started using (my mothers) traits in my life more, especially with kids and especially with my friends.

Even if Meyer had not realized it until then, she had already been treating others with compassion and care.

Meyer never hesitated to take on more responsibility at home over the course of her mothers illness, volunteering to run errands her mother no longer could.

I didnt feel like I didnt have a choice, because I did. I could have easily asked my grandma to run the errands for me. I felt very helpful, Meyer said. Thats how I looked at it instead of, Oh, I dont want to go.

Instead of being a chore, Meyer found that caring for her three younger siblings presented an opportunity to grow closer to them, especially her 14-year-old sister, Sophie. Shes become my little mini me, Meyer said.

The 18-year-old also embraced being an emotional support for her siblings, helping them process their mothers passing.

The younger two dont really know what to do with themselves. They understand, but they dont really know how to deal with it. I try to talk to them about it, but sometimes they dont want to, Meyer said. We just try to talk about happy memories.

Grace has done a beautiful job of putting the qualities she admired so much about her mom into her own life and living them out, Thompson said. Shes able to bring such a mature, grounded perspective to things that a lot of seniors even cant do. Shes able to share those things with friends as they struggle through emotions or situations, shes able to take some of the things shes learned and help them and offer tidbits of ways to get through things.

Meyer, who initially wanted to be a realtor, became interested in early childhood education after talking with her school counselor.

I am the oldest of four, so Ive felt like Ive worked with kids my entire life, Meyer said. I love working with kids and seeing them develop and learn.

Helping young children at Rushfords Good Shepherd Childcare Center solidified Meyers career goal to be a pre-kindergarten or kindergarten teacher. Meyer started working at the center in June and continues to work part-time during school hours through a class and after school.

Its a career that echoes her mothers commitment to care and service. She just had so much compassion for them and everybody she met, Meyer said. Thats probably another reason why Im going into childcare.

While looking forward to attending RTCT next year, Meyer is proud of her progress looking back.

Ive grown a lot, Meyer said. Ive realized a lot of things, how fragile life is, and realized how important school is and how important it is to keep going.

If you can help support Above & Beyond students, visit www.winonacf.org/donate to donate online.
The Juneau County Health Department is once again recommending that all residents wear a mask in indoor, public places as cases rise across the area.

Both Juneau and Adams are experiencing high community levels of COVID-19, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. They are the only counties in Wisconsin at this designation, with Jackson County reporting a medium level of transmission.

Theres a few metrics the CDC uses to measure community levels. Theres a case rate per 100,000 people, and then theres new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000. That is really where weve jumped in January, said Tina Burch, a Juneau County public health supervisor.

The county has seen a 150% change in new hospital admissions with confirmed COVID-19 from the previous week. That number includes residents in local hospitals as well as those transferred to larger systems in Tomah or Hillsboro.

The countys jump in admissions reflects the amount of severe COVID-19 disease within the community. Burch stated that an increase in cases is expected, especially after the holiday season when residents are traveling and celebrating in large groups. However, harsher cases of COVID are more common in unvaccinated populations.

The purpose of the vaccine is to prevent hospitalizations, Burch said. We know that people who get the vaccine can still get COVID, but its supposed to prevent those severe symptoms that cause people to be hospitalized.

In Juneau, 50.1% of the population is vaccinated with the primary series; 14.6% have their boosters. Adams has only a slight edge, with 58.6% of residents vaccinated. Both counties are experiencing similar levels of new cases per 100,000 residents  65 for Juneau and 69 in Adams. These numbers are acceptable and even comparable to other areas of the state.

Where the counties differentiate is in admissions. Nearly one-third of newly reported cases are being admitted, which is a stark difference to neighboring counties like Portage or Monroe which are seeing two to four admitted patients.

It goes back to our vaccine rates right here in Juneau County. We were holding steady, and in Adams, theyre just a little bit above us, Burch added.

Recommendations for counties with high community levels include avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public, self-testing, getting vaccinated and staying home when sick.

And, of course, wearing a high-quality mask.

The Juneau County Health Department will continue offering free vaccine clinics every Friday with some options for appointment for those unable to attend. On Feb. 9, the Wonewoc American Legion will host a vaccine and booster clinic in partnership with the Central Wisconsin Community Action Council to give away a $50 Kwik Trip gift card with every shot administered.

The health department will continue to offer no-cost vaccines until April, after which the Emergency declaration in Wisconsin is expected to be lifted.
Coffee by itself is usually a morning drink, but a coffee-infused beer designed in the Dells area for after a long days work is now available to have at home.

The Goose Jaw Iced Coffee Stout, which became available in 2022 on tap at Moosejaw Pizza and Brewing Co. in Lake Delton, is now being sold at the restaurant in 12-ounce cans. Jamie Baertsch, the brewmaster at Moosejaw who also holds the title of First Female Brewmaster in Wisconsin, designed the recipe.

I was given spec sheets of their (Bella Gooses) coffee to figure out what I wanted, said Baertsch. I worked on the recipe for the beer part, but then I picked out the coffee that would best suit what I was doing.

In 2005, when Baertsch began her tenure as brewmaster at Moosejaw, she was the first female to ever hold such a position in the state. She said that notable brewers in the state, such as Miller and Schlitz, never had a woman in the post. Baertsch is a member of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.

In the early days of craft beer, the brewmaster was, most likely, back at that time, it was the owner (of the brewery), said Baertsch, who added that the craft beer industry in Wisconsin didnt have much of anything until the 1980s. You dont spend this much money making craft beer if you didnt want to do it yourself. Even the husband and wife team, the husband always declared himself the brewmaster.

Baertsch runs the brewery at Moosejaw, but does not own the establishment.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has a pair of Baertschs former boots in its collection. Baertsch and Teri Fahrendorf, who did work as a brewmaster in California and Oregon after growing up in West Bend, founded the Pink Boots Society in 2007, which is aimed at assisting women interested in the brewing industry.

Baertsch said that from 2005 until 2012, she was the only female brewmaster in Wisconsin. Two more then emerged, but have since moved on to other locations in the United States.

Colombian coffee was Baertschs choice to infuse into the stout. She said the coffee had a lot of rich tones that she thought would match chocolate notes she was seeking in the drink, along with it being most approachable for consumers. The stout is the Imperial Stout recipe from Moosejaw, and the drink has an 8.3% alcohol by volume.

Baertsch said she brewed the first batch of Goose Jaw Iced Coffee Stout in the spring and it was available on tap throughout the summer last year. Moosejaw decided to release the drink in cans after it went over so well, according to restaurant marketing director Jillian Murphy.

The drink is only available at Moosejaw, and Baertsch said there are no plans to release it to stores. It is served over ice when ordered at Moosejaw.

We could not be prouder to collaborate with another fantastic local business & let our two products shine together in this great new brew, said Ali Heesch, Bella Goose Coffees owner, in the release.
In the first State of the State address of his second term, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday proposed boosting mental health spending and increasing funding for public education and local governments  proposals that may see some support from the Republican-controlled Legislature, depending on the price tag.

Evers also unveiled proposals to cut taxes, invest more than $100 million to confront PFAS contamination, and support child care providers. All told, Evers list of proposals would increase state spending by more than $1 billion.

Citing the states surplus, which is projected to reach nearly $6.9 billion, Evers said: We have roads and bridges to fix, schools to fund, kids to support, communities to keep safe, water to keep clean and a future weve built together after years of neglect that, today, we must work to protect.

Absent from Evers speech were many of his recent talking points, such as repealing Wisconsins abortion ban, legalizing marijuana and expanding Medicaid  topics he highlighted in his recent inaugural address, a speech Republican legislative leaders described as too partisan.

Most measures Evers proposed will be included in his upcoming 2023-25 biennial budget proposal, which he will present Feb. 15, and would require Republican approval  a big ask for the Democratic governor.

That is a lot of money, Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August, R-Lake Geneva, said after Evers delivered his address. We have to keep in mind a lot of the surplus that we have is one-time money and it seems that the governor tonight was spending down that one-time money on ongoing expenses, which could put us in a massive deficit in the future.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said in a Tuesday interview with WisconsinEye he expects the GOP-led Legislature to handle Evers proposal as they have the past two cycles, by stripping the budget down to its base and starting over.

Speaking with reporters after Evers speech, Vos said hes open to being persuaded on some of the governors ideas, but reiterated that Republicans top priority this coming budget session is cutting taxes.

Were not going to grow the size of government and then, whatever the scraps are, give those back to the taxpayers, Vos said.

Mental health, education initiatives

Calling 2023 the Year of Mental Health, Evers said his upcoming two-year budget would spend around $500 million to expand access to mental and behavioral health services.

That includes $270 million to permanently fund a state program providing school-based mental health services. His proposal comes after the Office of Childrens Mental Health found in its 2022 report that around a third of children feel sad and hopeless almost every day, a 10% increase over the last decade.

Improving student mental health can also improve student learning outcomes and school attendance, while reducing bullying, risky behaviors, violence, involvement in the juvenile justice system and substance misuse, Evers said Tuesday.

Other mental health investments he will propose in his budget include $3 million for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call center and a $1.8 million investment to establish a 25-bed psychiatric residential treatment facility for youths with intensive behavioral health needs, according to a press release from the governors office.

Asked whether he would support Evers $500 million request to fund mental health services, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said, thats a lot of money, but declined to say what amount he would support.

Evers also proposed using some of the states surplus to fund local schools

For years, communities have raised their own property taxes to keep their local schools afloat, Evers said. And while some school districts have successfully passed referenda to help keep the school lights on, many have tried and failed.

He called for spending over $20 million to recruit, develop and retain teachers and student teachers.

Evers has proposed a $2 billion increase in funding for public schools. Vos and LeMahieu have said theyd be willing to consider an increase if Evers approves expanding the states private school voucher program.

But Vos previously called the governors proposal excessive, and Evers said universal school choice is a nonstarter. It remains unclear where the Republican leaders and Evers would compromise on education.

Evers also highlighted the lack of child care options in communities across Wisconsin. He proposed spending $340 million to continue a pandemic-era program that provides payments to child care facilities to increase wages and offset other operating costs.

Tax cuts and shared revenue

Evers pledged to deliver tax relief to Wisconsinites, though he and the GOP legislative leaders have floated drastically different proposals for doing so.

Evers has called for tax cuts that benefit the middle class. Specifically, he has floated a plan providing a 10% tax cut for individuals earning $100,000 or less a year and married filers making $150,000 or less. Republican legislators, on the other hand, have released a plan to switch Wisconsins progressive income tax to a 3.25% flat tax, which Evers criticized Tuesday.

Spending billions on a flat tax isnt a workforce plan or an economic development plan, he said. We need to bolster the middle class, we need to maintain our economys momentum, and we need to reduce barriers to work and recruit and retain talent to address our states workforce challenges.

Evers also unveiled a plan to send up to 20% of the states sales tax revenue back to local communities through the shared-revenue program, which provides money to local governments to help fund basic services. LeMahieu has floated the idea of diverting 1% of the state sales tax to replace shared revenue.

Evers said his plan means more than half a billion dollars more per year in new resources to invest in key priorities like EMS, fire, and law enforcement services, transportation, local health and human services, and other challenges facing our communities.

LeMahieu and Vos have expressed support for increased funding to local governments, but both said specifics were not available Tuesday.

$106 million to combat PFAS

Evers also wants to spend $106 million in the upcoming budget to combat PFAS contamination. The money would go toward helping local communities, increasing staff and resources at the state Department of Natural Resources, and increasing PFAS testing, sampling and monitoring.

The work we must do to address PFAS and other contaminants grows harder and more expensive with each day of delay, he said. Partisan politics cannot keep getting in the way of this work while Wisconsinites worry about the water coming from their tap.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi emphasised on Wednesday Egypt's keenness to further develop economic and trade cooperation with Indian companies and boost joint investments to contribute to supporting the economic development process in Egypt.

The president added that such cooperation aims to maximise mutual interests and optimise available opportunities.



El-Sisi's remarks came during his participation in an expanded meeting of the heads of top Indian companies and Indian businessmen in New Delhi, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said.



The meeting was attended by the Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, as well as the ministers of foreign affairs, electricity and renewable energy, planning and economic development, and communications and information technology.



The meeting also saw the participation of some senior Indian officials as well as representatives of India's government agencies concerned and major federations and chambers of commerce and industry.



According to the Presidency, El-Sisi, currently on a three-day visit to India, praised the positive developments in Egyptian-Indian economic and trade relations over the past period.



In this regard, the president pointed out various investment opportunities provided by the mega projects being implemented in Egypt, most importantly the Suez Canal Area Development Project.



The project provides promising opportunities for Indian companies wishing to benefit from Egypts strategic location as a hub for the production and re-export of products to different countries of the world, many of which have free trade agreements with Egypt, especially in the Arab and African regions, El-Sisi noted.



The president noted that the distinguished friendship between Egypt and India contributes to supporting efforts to develop joint cooperation in various economic fields, stressing Cairo's readiness to achieve industrial integration with Indian companies.

In a press conference following his meeting with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that both sides decided to increase bilateral trade to $12 billion in the next five years.

Earlier this week, Indias Ambassador to Cairo Ajit Gupte said bilateral trade has expanded rapidly by 75 per cent in 2021-22 to reach its highest-ever level of $7.26 billion, adding that trade between the two countries continues to grow in 2022-23.

Around 50 Indian companies operating in Egypt provide direct employment to approximately 38,000 Egyptians, investing over $3.2 billion across the chemical, energy, automobile, retail, apparel, and agriculture sectors, among others.

Many of these companies are planning to expand their investments by a cumulative $800 million, Gupte revealed.

Meanwhile, the Indian commerce minister and businessmen said the Egypt-India business roundtable constitutes a big opportunity to promote friendship between both countries.



They added that they are looking forward to maximising bilateral cooperation given the promising investment opportunities offered in Egypt, especially in the sectors of pharmaceutical industries, communications and information technology, defence industries, infrastructure, petroleum and natural gas, electricity, as well as new and renewable energy.



They also confirmed that they looked forward to enhancing trade exchange between both countries in the agricultural field.



The Indian figures lauded President Sisis periodic follow-up of the measures taken to facilitate procedures for the Indian companies working in Egypt, as well as the remarkable resilience shown by the Egyptian economy backed by the governments efforts to speed the pace of the development process.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived on Tuesday in New Delhi at Modi's invitation to participate as chief guest in celebrations of India's Republic Day on Thursday. He received a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan  the official residence of the president of India at the western end of Rajpath in New Delhi  and was welcomed by President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi.

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Health and Population Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said on Wednesday that more than 40 million citizens have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus in Egypt so far.

These remarks came during a cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Wednesday in Cairo, where he reviewed a report concerning the pandemic situation in Egypt.

Abdel-Ghaffar stated that 40,179,892 citizens were fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in Egypt.

During the meeting, the health minister explained the recent developments of the Covid-19 pandemic at the international and national levels, noting that more than 100 Covid-19 cases were recorded during the third week of 2023, compared to 79 cases in the second week of 2023.

The minister added that Egypt expects to receive one million doses of the Pfizer Covid vaccine within the next two weeks out of three million doses.



He added that data on Covid cases had been prepared by the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS) from 542 hospitals.



He also revealed that 15 monkeypox cases had been registered, including four positive cases, between September 7 and 11, 2022.

Egypt officially detected its first monkeypox case in early September.

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Upon the invitation of President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, rotating president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a video address at the seventh Summit of CELAC. The summit was held in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on Jan. 24, 2023. [Xinhua/Li Xueren]

BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua)  The seventh Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held Tuesday in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Upon the invitation of President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, the rotating president of CELAC, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a video address at the summit.

President Xi noted that Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries are important members of the developing world. They also take an active part in global governance and make important contributions to it. CELAC has grown to be an indispensable driving force behind global South-South cooperation. CELAC has played an important role in safeguarding regional peace, promoting common development and advancing regional integration.

Xi stressed that China always supports the regional integration process of Latin America and the Caribbean.

"We highly value our relations with CELAC, and take CELAC as our key partner in enhancing solidarity among developing countries and furthering South-South cooperation. That is why China has been working with LAC countries to steadily strengthen the China-CELAC Forum and take the China-LAC relationship into a new era characterized by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefits for the people," he said.

Xi said more and more countries in the region have engaged in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with China, supported and participated in the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and are working with China in building a China-LAC community with a shared future.

He stressed that the world is in a new period of turbulence and transformation. "We can only tackle the challenges and tide over this trying time through greater solidarity and closer cooperation," he said.

He added that China is ready to continue working with LAC countries to help each other and make progress together, and advocate "peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom"  the common values of mankind.

China is ready to join hands with LAC countries to promote world peace and development, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and open up an even brighter future for the world, Xi said.

Upon the invitation of President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina, rotating president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a video address at the seventh Summit of CELAC. The summit was held in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on Jan. 24, 2023. [Photo by Martin Zabala/Xinhua]

(Source: Xinhua)
It all began with last years Cairo International Book Fair when Greece was the guest of honour.

This provided an opportunity for publishers to work on producing Arabic translations of modern and contemporary Greek literature, publishing new titles and drawing attention to some previously translated literary works. Among these newly translated texts is greek novelist Dimitris Sotakis's novel The Resurrection of Michael Jackson, whose Arabic translation was first published in 2022 by Safsafa Publishing House.

This novel, which is less than 200 pages long, is compelling and easy to read and is both captivating and intellectually engaging. Like the rest of the work of this contemporary and widely translated novelist  Sotakis's work has been translated into over 11 languages  the text stands somewhere between the surreal and the real. It raises questions about a man who is trying to manage his depression and his dream of suicide through a journey where isolation becomes the norm until it gets challenged by the resurrection of Pop star Miachel Jackson a year after his death.

According to Sotakis, the novel, which was written before the pandemic, depicts the horrifying impact of depression on individuals who cannot cope. During the pandemic and the sense of isolation and fear of illness that came with it, the novel, according to Sotakis, attracted even more attention.

Sotakis argues, however, that this fear of illness and this drifting towards isolation is not an exclusive phenomenon that accompanies pandemics. Even if these feelings tend to increase at times of adversity or hardship, such as during pandemics or wars, they have become much more common than many people tend to think. A case in point are the feelings of isolation, fear and loneliness that accompanied Greece's economic depression a decade ago.

Sotakis says that the whole point of works such as The Resurrection of Michael Jackson or The Miracle of Breathing  another work by him which caught the attention of many readers inside Greece and abroad  is to demonstrate the "universal nature of the issues they deal with." The settings of these works, says Sotakis, could be anywhere and the heroes could be anyone. At the core of all these works is what Sotakis calls "the agony of human existence."

Sotakis does not hasten to name the protagonist of The Resurrection of Michael Jackson, although the best part of the novel is a first-person account. The idea here, according to Sotakis, is that people can sometimes drive themselves to isolation or be driven to it. Sotakis also portrays the ambivalence his hero feels towards isolation. This is how the protagonist of this particular novel oscillates between feeling lost for losing his isolation and feeling regret for letting Michael go. He is comfortable when he is alone; he is afraid when he is alone; he is happy when in company; and he is afraid when in company.

Examining this complicated dynamic is integral to the work Sotakis has been publishing since his first collection of short stories came out in Greek in 1997. He insists that the attention his work has received and the translation of many of his works to a number of languages did not provoke him to write genre fiction that can be easily recognisable by anyone anywhere in the world. Such uniqueness, he argues, could be the reason why he has been getting much attention. He says he loves to explore the endless quarrel between attachment and detachment, and the metaphysical. After all, he said, literature is a very personal matter.

Still, he believes that modern and contemporary Greek literature is attracting more attention  which he finds quite promising. It is quite a shift, he argues, form a dominating interest in classics and folk-based stories. The economic crisis that Greece went through, he argued, did two things: it gave birth to much more literature and it attracted foreign publishers' attention to young and relatively new writers like himself, a writer born in 1973.

Having Greece as the guest of honour at the 2022 Cairo International Book Fair, he said, helped introduce his work and that of other contemporary Greek novelists to both Egyptian and Arab readers.

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According to the ancient Greeks, virtue was beyond morality and tied to the concept of functionality. The virtue of something enables it to perform its proper function excellently. In the ancient Greek concept of virtue, a virtuous person is living excellently, meaning they live a full, productive, happy human life.

This concept was important for morality in ancient Greece and was the foundation for a philosophy known as virtue ethics. Virtue ethics began with Socrates and was further developed by Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics, all important ancient Greek philosophers. The main idea in virtue ethics is that the character of a person determines morality rather than the consequences of actions from that individual.

A painting of Plato and Aristotle in School of Athens

Even though there were different Greek philosophers following the same moral view of virtue ethics, their interpretation was slightly different. For example, Plato and Aristotle treated virtues differently. Plato viewed virtue as an end to be sought for, where relations such as friendship could be a means. Aristotle, on the other hand, saw virtue as a means for happiness that safeguarded human relations.

Most virtue ethicists in ancient Greece agreed on four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, temperance, and courage. Discussion of these virtues is seen throughout Platos Republic and is prominently discussed in Aristotles philosophy. Later, other cultures formed similar ideas about virtue. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius discusses virtue in his book Meditations and views them as the goods people should have in their own mind. Christianity and Catholicism also adapted the four cardinal virtues. The Bible refers to virtues in deuterocanonical book Wisdom of Solomon.

Prudence

The crowned Prudencia, carrying scales, allegorically rides a wagon to Heaven. Concordia puts the finishing touches on the wagon. Upon entry Prudencia rides alone, on one horse, towards the Empyrean of the Christian God. via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudence

Also known as wisdom, prudence is the ability to make sound judgments based on personal experience. In ancient Greece, someone who possesses wisdom was thought to be able to differentiate between right and wrong. Prudence is only gained through lived experience.

Plato considered wisdom the virtue of reason and the most important virtue. Similarly, Aristotles moral teachings emphasized the importance of mentors, who possessed wisdom, in ethical life. He believed that to judge what is right, people must draw on those with more experience than us. In this view, moral education is vital to living well. The ancient Greeks also saw wisdom as the virtue of rulers, since wisdom enabled people to listen to advice and make a reasonable judgment to act on.

Justice

Lady Justice seated at the entrance of The Palace of Justice, Rome, Italy

Justice is the virtue that ties together the other three. The quality of being just means being fair and reasonable, particularly in interactions with other people. While prudence is about making a judgment of an action, justice is about action and desire.

In Platos view, someone would become just after they embodied the other three virtues. He emphasized the importance of the interaction of all four virtues. Plato also believed only just people can create a just society. Aristotle took a slightly different view of justice and believed a just person was someone who had fair transactions with other people.

Temperance

Temperance is a 1470 oil on panel painting by Piero del Pollaiuolo, now in the Uffizi in Florence; It represents Temperance, one of the virtues of the Catholic Church.

Better known as moderation, temperance is the virtue about exercising self-control and self-restraint. Temperance means avoiding self-indulgence and thinking of human life in terms of a greater human good. In ancient Greek society, temperance was associated with sobriety and abstinence.

According to Plato, self-restraint was an indispensable virtue. Aristotle also valued the importance of temperance. He said people were sometimes irrational and had irrational desires, such as hunger, thirst, love, and anger, which could compromise peoples judgments. Aristotle believed these irrational desires had to be controlled to serve the human good.

Courage

17th Century Fresco in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Valencia, depicting the Cardinal Virtue Courage or Fortitude

Also known as fortitude, courage is the ability to face uncomfortable emotions such as fear, intimidation, danger, difficulty, and uncertainty. Someone who is courageous is not absent of fear, but someone who willingly faces it. According to Aristotle, excessive timidity and excessive boldness are not courageous, and true courage is found between these two extremes.

In ancient Greece, courage was considered a military virtue. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato held the military in high esteem. Being a soldier was virtuous in ancient Greece and the model of a courageous hero.

Read More7 Interesting Facts About Ancient Greece

According to ancient Greece philosophers, such as Aristotle, people could not possess one virtue without the others. The point of this was that all the virtues together enabled someone to live a good life. In this view, truly living well means living according to the cardinal virtues and is the only way to achieve true happiness, which he refers to as eudaimonia.

Today scholars Daniel J. Harrington and James F. Keenan argue there are seven virtues that replace the four cardinal virtues. While virtue ethics might seem outdated today, learning about the four cardinal virtues of ancient Greece is an opportunity for people to reflect on their own lives and their character.
President Barack Obama (center) speaks as former Presidents Bill Clinton (left) and George W. Bush (right) listen in the Rose Garden at the White House in January of 2010.
Several hundred high school students from the Washington area observe 19 minutes of silence while rallying in front of the White House before marching to the US Capitol to protest against the National Rifle Association and to call for stricter gun laws April 20, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Police searching for man accused of stealing two vehicles, taking wallet from another vehicle in Paducah
Thousands without power after reported tornadoes strike Texas and Louisiana communities as storm continues to threaten South, Midwest
The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send US-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Pictured is an M1 Abrams tank during a multinational exercise at the Hohenfels training area in Germany.
Winter wonder-deals: How booking your vacation now can save you money
France's foreign ministry said Wednesday that French troops deployed to fight extremists in Burkina Faso will withdraw within a month following a demand by the country's military rulers, which came after a similar move from neighboring Mali.

A top official at the foreign ministry said France has formally received from Burkina Faso a decision to terminate the 2018 agreement on the presence of French troops in the country.

"We will respect the terms of this agreement'' which provides that the decision takes effect a month after the written notification, the official said, requesting anonymity in line with the French government's customary practices.

About 400 French special forces members are based in Burkina Faso as part of a broader military deployment aimed at fighting extremists in Africa's Sahel region.

Anti-French sentiment has grown in Burkina Faso, a former French colony, since junta leader Ibrahim Traore seized power in September. Traore has been more overtly open to working with other countries, notably Russia.

Protesters took to the streets of the capital Ouagadougou this month to call for the ouster of the French ambassador and the closure of a French military base north of the capital.

The move by Burkina Faso's regime comes five months after France completed its withdrawal from Mali after nine years fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Many of those are now based in Niger and Chad instead.

About 3,000 French soldiers are deployed in the Sahel region.

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Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose country is hosting this year's Group of Seven meeting, said Wednesday he is considering visiting Ukraine, after an invitation from President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Nothing has been decided at this time regarding my visit to Ukraine," he told parliament.

"I will consider this in light of various circumstances and conditions," he added, without specifying further.

Tokyo has worked in lockstep with its G7 allies to sanction Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and boost support to Kyiv, even taking the rare step of offering refuge to those fleeing the conflict.

While Kishida has spoken to Zelensky several times, they have not met in person. The Ukrainian leader invited his Japanese counterpart to visit during a call on January 6.

The trip would be the first time in the post-war period that a Japanese prime minister has visited a country during an active conflict.

Leaders of other G7 countries -- the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Britain -- have met Zelensky in Kyiv or elsewhere, with the exception of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose predecessor met the Ukrainian leader.

She has said she expects to visit Ukraine soon.

Japan will host the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, and the conflict in Ukraine is expected to be high on the agenda.

Kishida this month toured several G7 countries, but the Ukraine visit would pose security challenges that are reportedly giving some Japanese officials pause.

As travel by the prime minister has to be approved by parliament, officials are worried it may be difficult to keep the timing of the trip a secret, according to the Jiji press agency.

Kishida's bodyguards are also reportedly limited in terms of what weapons they can carry, and there is no legal framework to allow Japan's military to protect the prime minister abroad, Jiji reported.

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Nearly a year on from floods that devastated the northern New South Wales (NSW) city of Lismore, many of the victims are still homeless or living in makeshift accommodation. That is despite much-touted promises jointly made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet three months ago that a buy-back scheme would address the crisis.

Flood damaged furniture and household goods in Phyllis Street, Lismore. [Photo: WSWS]

Anger over delays and lack of transparency, and concerns over profiteering developers, were voiced when about 50 residents protested outside the state governments Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) office on Monday.

The discontent further points to the sham of the Resilient Homes Program that was announced by Albanese and Perrottet on October 27. Their joint appearance in Lismore that day was a desperate attempt to stifle outrage in the city and more broadly over the flood disaster, in which people were first forced to rescue themselves from raging waters and then largely left to fend for themselves.

Today, most flood victims are still being kept in the dark about the outcomes of their applications under the government-subsidised buy-back, lift or renovate scheme. They also fear that, given the nature of the capitalist housing market, the program will be used to benefit developers and investors, not residents.

Citing privacy issues, and the need to assess individual circumstances and properties on a case-by-case basis, the NRRC has continued to refuse to release maps indicating which streets or properties are likely to receive buy-back offers. The purpose is to atomise the community into individuals, and hide the overall plan, which is a community issue, not a personal one.

An added concern of residents is that even if selected flood victims are compensated with the market value of their homes prior to the floods, exorbitant property prices will prevent many from remaining nearby in the communities where they want to live.

More than 6,500 people have registered for the scheme but the NRCC has only started a case management pilot in December involving just some 130 home owners in the highest flood risk areas. The corporation has provided no deadlines for outcomes. It says it expects that the first valuations and letters of offer for buy-backs will be completed early this year.

Numbers of speakers at the protest called for the NRRC and government to ensure fair and equitable outcomes for residents, landowners and renters impacted by the floods. Rally organiser Miriam Torzillo said: We want the NRRC to intervene in the market. We want them to buy and develop the land so that the money is not going to land developers. So that we can keep communities and neighbourhoods together.



Peoples homes hang in the balance, she said. The NRRC has not provided basic answers to people so they can move on with their lives. They have the information, they have the funding, yet we are stuck waiting for answers.



Harper Dalton said: Weve been waiting nearly a year now since this disaster. Many of us have been living back in our flood-affected homes or caravans or other types of unreasonable situations for too long. I believe the community deserves to know the answers about our future and what thats going to look like.

Following the main speakers, the microphone was made available to affected people. Camilla called for the NRRC to send out 6,000 letters by the end of the week telling the applicants who would be eligible for house buybacks, house raising, and retrofitting.

Camilla provided a picture of the dire situation facing many flood victims. There are people who are having their houses foreclosed on by banks in my street, parents who couldnt afford Christmas presents for their kids and are struggling to put food on the table as they wait in limbo for the NRRC outcomes, she said.

A leaflet advertising the rally listed Our concernsour questions. It called on the NRRC to ensure that the Resilient Homes Program does not create more inequality and that communities can stay connected to each other and the services they need. Renters, older people and people with disability must be protected.

The statement asked: What will you do to make sure that this program is affordable and that developers and investors are not the ones to profit?

None of these questions have been answered. A Facebook statement by the organisers reported: Conversations on social media suggest that investors and developers are already profiting from disaster and there is potential for this to exacerbate once the Resilient Homes Program gets underway.

The statement said residents had made it clear that they wished to be rehoused safely and affordably, with respect to cultural, environmental and social heritage. They wanted the relocation of houses within sustainable, inclusive and accessible precincts and to stay connected to their neighbourhoods and communities.

None of the various forums and info sessions held so far had been adequate to the task of either listening to or addressing these concerns.

This is a far cry from the pledges made on October 27, when Albanese declared in Lismore: We know that disasters are expected to become more frequent, and more severe due to climate change, and thats why were working with the NSW government to develop practical solutions to protect lives and livelihoods.

At their joint media conference, the Labor prime minister performed a political double act with Perrottet, the far-right NSW Liberal-National premier. Perrottet claimed: We will work with the Northern Rivers community to ensure repairs, retrofitting and voluntary buy-backs are undertaken in a way that will better protect people and their homes from future flood events.

In a show of tripartisan unity, the Greens, who posture as an progressive alternative to Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition, welcomed the package and joined the Albanese-Perrottet announcement. Greens MP for Ballina, Tamara Smith, told the Echo, a local newspaper, she was very pleased to stand with local MPs, the prime minister and the premier.

The scheme was said to be an $800 million package, co-funded by the federal and NSW governments, to potentially assist 2,000 flood-affected homeowners. For residents classified as living in high-risk red zone areas, governments would offer to buy their houses and land, supposedly at pre-flood market values. But inflated property prices in the region mean that this would not be enough to buy homes nearby.

For other homeowners, the NRRC would offer just $100,000 to raise homes to levels considered safe from future flooding, or $50,000 toward retrofitting them to meet updated building standards.

Displaced tenants get nothing, even though many are still living in campervans because landlords are charging exorbitant rents. Such is the reality of the housing market.

Since October, the inadequacy of the Albanese-Perrottet scheme has been further exposed by the wider floods that have engulfed homes in Sydney and townships across the Murray-Darling river basin, which stretches from southern Queensland, and across NSW and Victoria, to South Australia, followed by another such disaster in northern Western Australia.

As the WSWS warned in November: Whatever the public relations displays put on by Albanese and Perrottet, not a single assurance they utter about the scheme can be trusted.

The Resilient Homes Program sham is another demonstration of government indifference to working-class flood victims, as well as the underlying failure of the capitalist order to protect them from the increasing severity and frequency of climate change-related catastrophes.

An inquiry by a multi-party NSW parliamentary committee last year documented a string of failures by successive governments to adequately prepare for, and respond to, such disasters. But there were no recommendations for the cessation of property building on flood plains or for action to halt climate change.

For decades, Liberal-National and Labor governments alike have zoned flood-prone areas for housing, allowing developers to take advantage of working-class and poorer people unable to afford soaring house prices.

As the Socialist Equality Partys March 6 statement last year explained, the floods, coming on top of the 201920 bushfire catastrophe and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, exposed the contempt of governmentsCoalition and Laborfor the health, lives and livelihoods of ordinary working people.

Every aspect of the floods crisisfrom the lack of preparation and warnings to people, to the inadequacy of basic infrastructure and support services, and the lack of assistance offered to the hundreds of thousands of flood victimsis the direct result of the subordination of society to the dictates of private profit, the statement said.
As NATO is preparing a major escalation of the war against Russia in Ukraine, the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky is gripped by an intense crisis. On Tuesday, top officials including Zelenskys top adviser, six deputy ministers and five regional governors resigned or were dismissed by the Cabinet of Ministers amid widespread corruption allegations.

Kyrylo Timoshenko, Zelenskys deputy head of office, was the highest-ranking official to resign. Timoshenko was responsible for media content within the Zelensky regime. While no reason was given for his resignation, Timoshenko had previously been accused of using expensive cars donated to the Ukrainian government in order to evacuate civilians for his own personal use.

Earlier in December of 2022, Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda spotted Timoshenko driving around in a $100,000 Porsche Taycan amidst martial law.

Reports have also emerged that the five dismissed regional governors were forced to resign due to their ties with the outgoing Timoshenko.

Earlier on Monday, Ukraines Deputy Infrastructure Minister Vasyl Lozinskyi was fired and detained by police after being accused of accepting a bribe worth $400,000 for the purchase of generators. Russian missile strikes have caused widespread blackouts in recent months, leaving millions without power and access to critical infrastructure.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has also been implicated in a corruption scandal, after reports emerged that the defense ministry signed a contract to procure food for the military at inflated prices two to three times higher than store prices.

Reznikov claimed those prices were a technical mistake and has remained in his position so far. However, his deputy, Viacheslav Shapovalov tendered his resignation. As defense minister, Reznikov is a central figure in the war. A little over a week ago, Reznikov openly declared that Ukraine is a member of NATO de facto.

In an address Tuesday night, Zelensky tried to present the purge of his government as part of an effort to fight corruption and announced that government officials would be banned from traveling abroad for vacation or nonofficial purposes. Zelensky also indicated that more firings may be coming. He warned that he had made personnel decisions involving ministries, regional governments, law enforcement agencies and other departments.

David Arakhamia, the head of Zelenskys Servant of the People party, warned in a Telegram post, Officials at all levels have been constantly warned through official and unofficial channels: focus on the war, help the victims, reduce bureaucracy and stop doing dubious business. Many of them have actually listened, but some, unfortunately, did not, he said.

If it doesnt work in a civilized way, it will be done according to the laws of wartime. This applies both to recent purchases of generators and to fresh scandals in the ministry of defense.

Prior to the invasion by Russia in February 2022, government procurement scams were a favorite of the Ukrainian oligarchy with both former President Petro Poroshenko and former Interior Minister Arsen Avakov implicated in similar scandals. While such scandals are pitched as part of the fight against corruption as Ukraine seeks entrance to NATO and the EU, in reality such scandals are above all a mode of internal warfare between the various factions of the Ukrainian oligarchy. In 2021, Transparency International ranked Ukraine 122 out of 180 in its list of most corrupt countries.

Whatever the fraudulent nature of Zelenskys claims to be fighting corruption, the revelations indicate that the crisis of the Zelensky government is not least of all fueled by growing social discontent within the population. They leave no doubt that the corrupt oligarchy that has emerged out of the restoration of capitalism by the Stalinist bureaucracy is shamelessly using a significant portion of the tens of billions of dollars that are flooding the country for NATOs war against Russia in order to further enrich itself.

Meanwhile, 8 million out of Ukraines pre-war population of 39 million have fled the country and another 8 million have been internally displaced. Within Ukraine, 11.4 million have only insufficient food consumption, an increase of over 3 million over the the past three months, according to the World Food Program. Over one in five children (22.9 percent) in the country are now suffering from chronic malnutrition.

There are also indications that the Ukrainian military is in a state of crisis. Ukraine has suffered immense casualties during the war with US chief of staff Mark Milley indicating that 200,000 soldiers have either died or been wounded on both sides last November. Russias population is more than three times larger than that of Ukraine.

News reports suggest that Ukrainian forces are losing ground to Russia in Bakhmut, where the main fighting is now taking place. On Tuesday, Zelensky signed a bill into law that imposes draconian penalties on soldiers for deserting and disobeying military orders, and significantly undermines their right to legal defense.

The government reshuffle comes just one week after several top officials of the countrys Interior Ministry were killed in a helicopter crash. Among them was Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky, a close ally of Zelensky and key figure in the wartime leadership. Also last week, Zelenskys former adviser Oleksiy Arestovych, one of the most prominent faces of the war, was forced to resign. Arestovych had been publicly attacked by the military and the far right, as well as Zelensky himself, after he suggested on live television the destruction of a residential building in the city of Dnipro that killed 46 people was caused by Ukrainian air defense and not a Russian missile, contradicting the official line of the Ukrainian government.

Following his dismissal, Arestovych stated publicly that, in his view, Ukraine was unlikely to win the war and acknowledged that as a government official he had purposely misrepresented the real state of the war as going in Ukraines favor. Arestovych also suggested that the very existence of the Ukrainian state was in real jeopardy, again contradicting official propaganda.

The crisis of the Zelensky government has been unfolding as top US and NATO officials were touring Kiev and the major European powers involved in the war, in order to prepare the most reckless and significant escalation of the war with Russia to date.

In an indication that the ouster of the officials was motivated at least in part by Ukraines ongoing efforts to get more heavy weaponry from NATO, the New York Times, acting as the semi-official mouthpiece for the Pentagon and CIA, wrote that the removal of the officials, coming amid almost daily pleas from Ukraine for more Western support, suggested an effort by Mr. Zelensky to clean house and to try to reassure Ukraines allies that his government would show zero tolerance for graft.

Over the past weeks, the Zelensky government has been pushing to obtain Leopard 2 tanks from the German government and the Times acknowledged this has played into the mass dismissals. Later on Tuesday, the German government announced that it would send the Leopard 2 tanks and allow other countries to do the same. Reuters also reported that the US government is considering to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

Coming on Ukraines war plans that are worked out directly with NATO, Zelenskys adviser Andriy Yermak declared that Ukraine was preparing for a war that would last several more years and require hundreds of tanks and billionsif not trillionsmore in foreign aid. We need tanksnot 10-20, but several hundred, Yermark wrote on the Telegram app. Our goal is [restoring] the borders of 1991 and punishing the enemy, who will pay for their crimes.
The e-commerce giant Amazon is set to close its logistics hub in Martorelles, north of Barcelona, cutting 800 jobs. The 30,000 square meters plant at Martorelles, opened in October 2017, is set to close on April 22.

This comes after Amazon announced the lay-off of 18,000 people worldwide in early January. In an update published on the company news site, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy wrote that, including the layoffs announced in November, we plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles. Jassy said that the majority of the role eliminations are in our Amazon Stores and PXT organizations.

The planned closure of Martorelles is the latest in a global onslaught on tech and e-commerce jobs, after Googles parent company, Alphabet, announced 12,000 US layoffs earlier this week.

Amazon aims to fire workers without the expenses associated with the collective dismissal process, in Spain. To do this, it is cynically offering workers the possibility of relocating to the new logistics centers to be built in Girona or Zaragoza, 100 and 300 kilometres away, respectively, from the current plant. Amazon will offer a lump sum of 3,000 to workers agreeing to move to the new logistics center opening in Zaragoza and 1,500 to those who move to the one in Figueres.

Such empty offers would force workers to leave their current residence to work for little more than 1,000 per month. The single payments of 1,500 or 3,000 would not even cover the housing and transportation expenses associated with this move. Amazon thus clearly expects most workers to resign voluntarily, to save costs.

To employees who do not accept the transfer, Amazon proposes the legal minimum: compensation of 20 days per year worked, with a maximum of 12 months.

The company's majority union, the social-democratic General Union of Workers (UGT), close to the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE), is actively collaborating with this policy. The UGT bureaucracy accepts the company's plans without objection, cynically declaring that 'the forecast is that all the workers will be transferred. Promptly contradicting themselves, however, they recognize 'that not everyone will accept the company's conditions.

It ultimately proposes to do nothing beyond begging the Martorelles City Council and the Catalan government to look for ways to employ the logistics center that will remain empty.

Anyone tempted by such illusions should examine the examples of the recent mass layoffs at Nissan, were the Podemos-linked CCOO union and UGT signed off on a deal closing Nissans three Barcelona factories, affecting 23,000 jobs. In that case too, the unions encouraged voluntary redundancies while promising a reindustrialisation plan after Nissan left. The plan was a total fraud that did not save the livelihoods of workers but aimed only to prevent an explosion of working class opposition.

There is no guarantee that warehouse will remain open under different ownership after April 22.

The UGT bureaucracy functions as a tool of management. While it works with Amazon to close the plant in Martorelles, in Zaragoza, where the activity of the Martorelles facility will be moved, it welcomes Amazon's decision. It exulted that the new plant will 'consolidate in Zaragoza as a center of logistics, but also as a benchmark in working conditions and compliance with labor legislation.

Workers in Martorelles have refused to accept the plant closure. Anger is mounting. On Sunday, 500 workers met at a town hall to discuss subsequent actions. The UGT president of the works committee at the plant, Esther Rodriguez, blocked any discussion of strike action, arguing that they had to 'continue negotiating with Amazon.

Rodriguez stated that their first meeting last Thursday 'was only to deliver documentation' and that they want to wait for the meeting called for today 'to see how negotiations flow.' She has admitted that the atmosphere among the workers is very hot because 'what the company offers is peanuts.' For this reason, she admits that the workers 'are willing to make mobilizations.' If they finally take strike action, she said, it will be on January 31 and extend another 30 days.

The UGT is thus preparing to isolate and wear down workers at Martorelles targeted by the plant closure, with an extended strike isolated by other Amazon workers across Spain and internationally. These workers systematically suffer low wages, precarious working conditions and Amazons utter indifference to workers lives and health.

This took stark and deadly form in December 2021, when six US workers died at the Edwardsville, Illinois fulfilment centre as Amazon refused to stop work despite tornado warnings. Amazon wont let us go, read the final text message sent by one of the deceased workers.

The UGT bureaucracy has not even attempted to call for support from Amazons 7,000 workers in Catalonia, 3,000 of them in its center in El Prat, Spains largest. In the Trapaga logistics center in the Basque province of Vizcaya, workers went on four one-day strikes, from October to December, against precariousness and working conditions and for higher wages. Like the UGT, the Basque separatist unions LAB and ELA refused to call for broader mobilization coordinated with workers at other Amazon facilities.

For workers at Martorelles, their best allies are their colleagues in Spain and internationally, and masses of workers entering into struggle for higher wages and better working conditions, including teachers, health care workers, cabin crews, air traffic controllers.

In the United Kingdom, where hundreds of thousands of workers are involved in strikes, Amazon has announced the closure of its stores in Doncaster, Hertfordshire and Gourock, affecting 1,300 workers. As in Martorelles, Amazon seeks to carry out hidden job cuts by closing centers and offering transfers to workers that they cannot accept.

Steve Garelick, an official of the GMB union in Britain, reproduced the UGTs self-contradictory arguments in Martorelles when he said hard-up Amazon workers cant suddenly be expected to up sticks and move to a different fulfilment centre which may be many miles away. Local workers may not be in a position to take roles so far away from where they live.

The plant closures and layoffs at Amazon are not isolated events, but part of a global offensive by the ruling class to put the cost of the crisis on the backs of the workers. To stop this offensive, it is necessary to give a global response, breaking with the narrow nationalist framework imposed by the union bureaucracies such as the UGT or GMB on the class struggle.

The way forward for Amazon workers in the Spain, the UK and internationally lies in the formation of rank-and-file committees to lead coordinated action across the company globally and in the wider logistics and distribution sector. Amazon uses its global financial status to leverage favourable deals with national and local governments to enforce dictatorial conditions in its warehouses.

Its employees must leverage their own position, as one of the largest global workforces, to defend jobs and conditions and fight back against the onslaught of the banks and the employers. This is the only way forward to secure a genuine cost-of-living pay increase, regulation of hours, workloads and workplace safety, and full benefits including sick pay, maternity leave and pensions.

To aid in this fight, the World Socialist Web Site publishes the International Amazon Workers Voice newsletter, informing and connecting workers all over the world. Sign up and get in touch today.
In the most dangerous escalation of the war between NATO and Russia to date, the United States will provide 50 M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine, as part of a deployment of NATO tanks that could number in the hundreds, according to reports in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Germany also plans to announce that it will send over a dozen Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, paving the way for multiple NATO countries, including Poland and the Baltic states, to send their own German-made main battle tanks into combat. Ukrainian officials have suggested that over 100 Leopard 2 tanks will be sent by the NATO countries.

Abrams battle tanks stand on rail cars in Lithuania, near the Russian border, in 2019. [AP Photo]

These measures make it clear that the war is not merely a proxy war, but an open conflict between NATO and Russia, threatening incalculable consequences for humanity.

The Abrams and Leopard 2, which are twice the weight of the Sherman and T34 battle tanks of World War II, are the successor to Nazi Germanys Tiger heavy tanks that were thrown against the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa.

Altogether, the Telegraph estimated that the US and its allies are poised to send nearly 200 battle tanks to Ukraine.

These announcements follow the deployment, according to the Pentagon, of about 900 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, including the Bradley, Stryker, and Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

Poland formally announced that it intends to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine on Tuesday. Formal announcements by the United States and Germany that they will send their own tanks are expected Wednesday.

In addition, the New York Times reported plans by the Pentagon to increase the production of artillery shells five-fold. The report cited documents from the US army calling for the most aggressive modernization effort in nearly 40 years.

As a result of the expansion, the US army plans to produce 90,000 artillery shells per month, up from 14,000, through the production of new factories and logistics hubs throughout the country.

The announcements follow the declaration by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley that the NATO-backed Ukrainian proxy force would go on the offensive in the coming period.

Milley defined the USs goal as being to liberate Russian-occupied Ukraine and to liberate the occupied areas.

Amid the announcements, the actual goals of the US military are coming into clearer view. Washington Post reporter Max Boot, who accompanied Austin to Ramstein Air Base, reported that Austin told me that a realistic goal for this year would be for the Ukrainians to cut the land bridge between Crimea and Russia that Russian President Vladimir Putins forces occupied last year.

The realization of this military aim would require a blitzkrieg combined-arms style offensive, in which Russian forces would be pulverized and a string of cities in Southern Ukraine captured, according to US war planners quoted by the New York Times.

Ukraine could use Bradleys to move forces down major roads, such as the M14, which connects Kherson, Melitopol and Mariupol, said Seth G. Jones of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, according to the Times.

The massive commitment of tanks and armored vehicles pledged by the NATO powers in recent weeks would be just a down payment on the level of direct NATO involvement required to achieve the United States sweeping war aims.

In perhaps the most troubling element of the reporting that took place Tuesday, the Washington Post concluded its report on the dispatch of Abrams tanks by noting the earlier statement by the Pentagon:

A senior U.S. defense official  said that sending even one Abrams was out of the question. It is hard for the United States to maintain the Abrams tanks and their sophisticated turbine engine, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the issues sensitivity. For the Ukrainians, the official said, it would be impossible.

Nothing has changed about the logistical requirements of fielding the M1 Abrams tank. If it is impossible for the Ukrainian military to operate this weapon, the dispatch of the M1 Abrams to Ukraine is merely a stepping stone to direct NATO involvement in the conflict. As the WSWS wrote following the Ramstein summit:

As the immense challenges posed by the new American strategy emerge in the coming months, and as the death toll among Ukrainian troops rises, the demand will inevitably be made for the direct deployment of NATO troops in the war. This would mean that American and Russian soldiers would be shooting at each other in the first general engagement between nuclear-armed states in history.

With apt timing, on Tuesday the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved its Doomsday Clock forward, declaring, The Clock now stands at 90 seconds to midnightthe closest to global catastrophe it has ever been.

In a testament to the immense danger of the situation, Boot, in his account of Austins trip to Ramstein Air Base, wrote: The defense secretary and his staff left Washington early on Wednesday morning aboard an Air Force E-4B, a.k.a. the doomsday plane, a variant of the Boeing 747 built in 1973 to allow the president to run the U.S. government in the event of nuclear war.

The out-of-control escalation of the war poses the urgent necessity for the building of a mass anti-war movement based on the working class. We urge readers to carefully study the statement by the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, A call to youth throughout the world: Build a mass movement to stop the Ukraine war! and to take up the struggle against war on the basis of a socialist program.
On Monday, federal Judge Denise Page Hood heard arguments at the Theodore Levin courthouse in Detroit to extend a temporary moratorium on water shutoffs in the city. The moratorium was enacted by the city in March of 2020 in response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered wildcat actions by autoworkers who refused to work in unsafe plants.

In December 2020, the temporary moratorium was extended through December 2022. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan noted in his 2021 State of the City address that a solution would need to be in place by 2023.

As long as COVID-19 remains a health concern, no Detroit residents should have concerns about whether their water service will be interrupted, Duggan, a Democrat, declared in 2020. With the supposed (and non-existent) end of COVID-19, the moratorium was allowed to expire on December 31, 2022.

The plaintiffs are seeking a temporary injunction against the lifting of the moratorium. On Monday, the judge said she would announce her decision on whether the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) can resume cutting off water to city residents by Friday, January 27.

Water and Sewerage plant in Southwest Detroit [Photo: WSWS]

Attorneys from the Edwards & Jennings law firm are representing six named plaintiffs as part of a class action lawsuit, Taylor v. City of Detroit, against the city, the DWSD and its director, Gary Brown.

Opening arguments to extend the moratorium were made by one of the plaintiffs attorneys, who began by asserting that COVID-19 has not vanished and that The concern regarding shutoffs pre-dates COVID-19.

The suit notes:

3. Families without water service in their homes are susceptible to infection. Through the years, Detroits water shutoff policy has resulted in outbreaks of various forms of infectious diseases, including shigellosis (an acute dysentery); giardiasis (a protozoan infection); and campylobacter (an acute intestinal disease). Detroits policy has also resulted in threats to the health of affected families resulting from such things as the inability of people with diabetes to prepare medically necessary meals, the inability of parents to prepare infant formula, dehydration, and various other health consequences.

4. In many cases, individuals who live without water service in their homes have become carriers of disease, infecting others within their physical proximity. Communities with a significant number of households without water service are particularly susceptible to COVID-19 infection, creating a public health emergency that prompted repeated, consistent demands for remedial action by affected communities and their advocates.

It also states:

The pending litigation was filed for the specific purpose of permanently ending water shutoffs and to bring that into effect in a specific waynamely by making water rates affordable for all residential water customers.

In 2013, the state-appointed well connected lawyer Kevin Orr as emergency financial manager of Detroit to oversee the restructuring of the impoverished citys finances. Orr was given near dictatorial powers, over and above the elected city government. In July of 2013, he took the city into bankruptcy, filing in federal court for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection.

The following year, the city began cutting residents off from water due to lack of payment. Between 2014 and 2019, over 141,000 households were disconnected. A six-month moratorium was sought and denied in September 2014, with plaintiffs attorneys arguing that time was needed to come to an agreement to make water affordable for the citys residents. Nearly a decade later, no such agreement has been reached.

US bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes threw that motion out and ruled that water is not a fundamental right. That ruling set a precedent that was cited by the defendants attorney on Monday.

What the plaintiffs are really asking is that there is a fundamental right to water service, the lawyer said. The Sixth Circuit has already ruled that there is no such fundamental right.

The plaintiffs attorneys argued that many residents are not aware of the Lifeline program of structured payments that has been implemented by DWSD, or cannot apply due to barriers involving technology, internet access or required identification papers. Of the 100,000 households that are apparently eligible for the Lifeline program and behind on their water bills, just 14,000 have applied, leaving approximately 86,000 susceptible to service interruption.

The remaining delinquent households qualify for the 10/30/50 plan, which charges residents 10 percent of the overdue balance to get service restored instead of the regular 30 percent charge, and then 50 percent of any outstanding balancein addition to arrears on any current bills.

The defendants attorney called the Lifeline program a major achievement, disregarding its low number of applicants. He argued that residents who have had their water shut off are aware of the Lifeline program due to outreach efforts by the DWSD, and that residents who are in danger of service interruption receive notices ahead of time. Any resident who has not applied cannot be forced to, and DWSD is not responsible, he declared. Government assistance programs are not self-executing, he added.

He stated that the Lifeline programs $18 per month for 4,500 gallons of water per month may not be ideal, but that residents can reduce [water] usage by spending less time in the shower. DWSD estimates that about 28 percent of homes use more than the allotted 4,500 gallons in a month.

The defendants attorney noted further that the city has a compelling reason to keep the water department solvent and that there is no case in the US that says that water departments cannot use service interruption as a last resort tool to extract payment from customers. The city represents public interests, and the public has an overwhelming interest in maintaining a properly functioning water department, he added.

Perhaps the most reactionary argument made by the defense is that residents need to have the threat of service interruption as an incentive to encourage them to pay their bills. Defense counsel argued that before the 2020 moratorium, 92 percent of DWSDs client base was up to date on their water bills. That rate dropped to 77 percent and then 72 percent during the moratorium, which, he argued, was due to a lack of incentiveand not the pandemic, which prevented residents from going to work while jobless aid was either inadequate or unobtainable.

Why should they [pay] if theres no possibility of shutoffs? he asked the judge.

Cynically, the attorney cited the citys critically needed improvements to its 100-year-old pipelines, without which the enormity of the threat of catastrophe cannot be overstated.

DWSD will have no choice but to impose significant rate hikes on its dwindling paying customer base, and hardworking families will have to make up for that, he threatened.

If an injunction is not put in place, the plaintiffs attorney responded, there will be catastrophes with disease.

Making clear their readiness to compromise, the plaintiffs lawyer added that the parties can come togetherthey want an affordability plan that works, but the Lifeline program in its current form is not ready.
On Monday, a Washington D.C. jury found four members of the Oath Keepers militia group guilty of seditious conspiracy related to their efforts to keep then-President Donald Trump in power on, and after, January 6, 2021.

Members of the Oath Keepers on the East Front of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington. [AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta]

In addition to sedition, which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, Roberto Minuta, 38, of Prosper, Texas; Joseph Hackett, 52, of Sarasota, Florida; David Moerschel, 45, of Punta Gorda, Florida; and Edward Vallejo, 64, of Phoenix, Arizona were found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to impede members of Congressall felonies. Hackett was also convicted of tampering with documents, referring to his destruction of incriminating evidence after the fact.



None of the convicted Oath Keepers have been sentenced as yet by Obama-appointed US District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta. In a continuation of the lax treatment Trumps foot soldiers have been afforded by the government and the courts, after the four men were found guilty on Monday, Judge Mehta declined to detain them and instead ordered them to remain under house arrest.



This marks the second time in the last two months that leaders of the fascist paramilitary group have been convicted by a jury of participating in a violent plot to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election.



Last November, the founder of the Oath Keepers, Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, and Florida chapter president Kelly Meggs were found guilty of sedition, as well as obstruction of an official proceeding and tampering with documents. Rhodes, who founded the group following the election of Obama, is a Yale-educated lawyer and former Army paratrooper who previously staffed for Texas libertarian Representative Ron Paul.



In the first trial, Oath Keepers Kenneth Harrleson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell were not convicted of sedition, but all three were found guilty on other felony counts related to preventing the certification of the election and obstruction of Congress.



Refuting lies advanced by Trump supporters and a layer of middle-class pseudo-left elements who claim that the January 6 attack on Congress was a First Amendment demonstration or a spontaneous riot, US prosecutors, in the course of the first Oath Keepers trial, presented encrypted and private communications between Rhodes and his co-defendants showing that they coordinated their travel and brought weapons to Washington D.C. to prevent the certification.



Of the more recently convicted Oath Keepers, Hackett, Moerschel and Minuta breached the Capitol on January 6, while Vallejo waited at a Comfort Inn hotel in Arlington, Virginia for a call for assistance from his co-conspirators. At the hotel, Vallejo had a cache of military grade weaponry, including semi-automatic assault rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Prosecutors presented evidence during the trial that Vallejo repeatedly texted his fellow Oath Keepers as the Capitol was under siege about his desire to deploy the weaponry.



On January 6, at 2:24 p.m., the exact time Trump tweeted that Mike Pence didnt have the courage to unconstitutionally overturn the election, Vallejo texted: Vallejo back at hotel and outfitted. Have 2 trucks available. Let me know how I can assist.



Fourteen minutes later, as Pence and members of Congress were fleeing from hundreds of Trump supporters, including white supremacists and neo-Nazis, Vallejo texted on the Oath Keeper group chat, QRF standing by at hotel. Just say the word...



QRF, which stands for Quick Reaction Force, is a military term used to describe a small team or unit that can quickly engage an enemy target. The Oath Keepers, like almost all fascist paramilitary groups, recruit heavily from the US military and police agencies.



In addition to thousands of dollars in military grade weaponry, the Oath Keepers brought knives, combat uniforms, a 30-day supply of food and water, ballistic eye wear, body armor, tactical vests, radio equipment, ropes and other combat/survival gear. Leading up to January 6, members of the group engaged in paramilitary training and practiced combat tactics such as moving under fire and applying emergency aid.



After the attack failed, most of the Oath Keepers left Washington D.C. However, some members, including Vallejo, stayed to probe for another opportunity to attack. Thomas Caldwell, a retired Navy lieutenant commander, joined Vallejo in leading a QRF based in Virginia.



At least eight members of the Oath Keepers have been found guilty, or pled guilty, to sedition. Last spring, Oath Keepers Joshua James of Alabama and Brian Ulrich of Georgia pled guilty to seditious conspiracy.

Ulrich and Minuta served as personal body guards for top Trump political operative Roger Stone on January 6. Minuta also acted as a VIP bodyguard for fascist Alex Jones of Infowars during the November 14 Million MAGA March in Washington D.C., and for former Trump national security advisor, QAnon adherent and retired general Michael Flynn at the December 12 MAGA March in D.C.



In addition to meeting directly and in person with Oath Keepers who spearheaded the sedition plot, Stone was in constant communication prior to the November 2020 election and through January 6, 2021 with the leadership of both the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys through the Friends of Stone text group which he administered. Stone, like Trump and the other architects of the coup, have yet to be charged more than two years after the attack.

Convicted Oath Keeper Roberto Minuta with Trump political crony Roger Stone outside the Willard Hotel on January 6, 2021. [Photo: The Black Conservative Preacher]

In his guilty plea, Ulrich admitted to being at the Willard Hotel with Stone when the Capitol was first attacked. Ulrich said he left Stone behind to storm the Capitol as part of a military-style stack formation.



During the trial it was revealed that Stone refused to leave the Willard Hotel to join the Oath Keepers in the siege because his bodyguards could not guarantee his safety.



In his plea agreement last March, James, like Ulrich, implicated Rhodes in the plot. James described having dinner with Rhodes after the attack on Congress had failed, during which he and Rhodes divvied up thousands of dollars worth of firearms, ammunition and related equipment.



Ulrich, like Rhodes, Caldwell, Watkins and Vallejo, has prior military experience.



The Oath Keepers and Proud Boys are the two most prominent far-right militia groups whose members have been charged with seditious conspiracy for their actions in furtherance of Trumps coup. Both groups enjoy close relations with Republican Party politicians and police agencies around the country.



While Oath Keepers membership has plummeted since January 6, 2021, the Proud Boys, encouraged by fascistic politicians and abetted by sympathetic police departments, continue to harass, assault and intimidate political opponents of Trump and the Republican Party.



Currently, five leaders of the Proud Boys, including former chairman and long-time FBI informant Henry Enrique Tarrio, are also on trial in Washington D.C. for sedition. Witnesses are currently testifying in that trial, which is expected to last several more weeks.



In the Proud Boys trial on Monday, prosecutors presented an 11-page rule book obtained from the home of one of the defendants, Dominic Pezzola. In the book, which lays out the Proud Boys fascist program, it is said that Lucian Wintrich, a former White House correspondent for The Gateway Pundit during the Trump administration, is also a Proud Boy.



There are dozens of chapters and they are all over the world. We have a Proud Boy in the White House (Lucian Wintrich) the document states.
On December 19, socialist candidate for UAW president Will Lehman filed an official protest over the conduct and results of the first round of the election. We urge workers to share it as widely as possible and submit your statements supporting the challenge to the election results.

Autoworkers in Detroit and Chicago have expressed support for the official protest filed by Mack Trucks workers and United Auto Workers presidential candidate Will Lehman over the results of the first round of the UAW election, which concluded in November 2022.

Lehman campaign supporter distributing fliers about official protest at Warren Truck plant [Photo: WSWS]

In blatant disregard of the democratic rights of rank-and-file union members, the UAW bureaucracy and the court-appointed UAW Monitor are rushing ahead with a run-off between incumbent UAW President Ray Curry and long-time UAW International Representative Shawn Fain, even though the results of the first-round of the election have not been certified due to Lehmans protest.

As the protest details, the entrenched UAW leadership, which opposed the direct election of top UAW officers, deliberately suppressed voter turnout to prevent the members from voting them out of power. Among other things, the UAW bureaucracy did as little as possible to inform the members about the election and refused to update mailing lists for the sending out of ballots.

Although the UAW Monitor had mandated the union leadership to update its mailing list and widely publicize the election to ensure the enfranchisement of as many members as possible, the court-appointed monitor took no serious measures to enforce this. As a result, the total number of votes cast in the election was less than the number of ballots that were returned as undeliverable because they were sent to the wrong addresses.

In the end, only 9 percent of the eligible 1.1 million active and retired UAW members voted in the first round, with neither Curry nor Fain winning the backing of more than 4 percent of eligible voters.

On Tuesday, supporters of Will Lehman distributed hundreds of statements to workers at the Stellantis Warren Truck Assembly Plant in suburban Detroit summing up the most important facts in the protest and a new pamphlet, which includes the official protest.

A temporary part-time worker at the plant who voted for Will told the World Socialist Web Site, I watched the debate with Fain and Curry. I thought it was a joke. They really didnt say much. Curry had a smirk on his face the whole time. I just laughed, really.

Discussing the protest, she said, The election is not legitimate. Curry said [in an October 12, 2022 Detroit News editorial] 20 percent was too low last year and they just had an election where there was 9 percent, and he is agreeing with the 9 percent?

Its a lie for Fain and Curry to say workers are apathetic. Obviously, they had to come up with something to say when they were asked about the low turnout. They are not going to blame themselves, so, of course, they are going to blame the workers. Oh, the workers knew, they just didnt want to vote, maybe they were lazy. But they didnt notify anyone. How can they do that?

So many ballots came back with wrong addresses and that shows something was wrong. You are supposed go on the HR system and update the address. Its obvious the academic workers in California didnt know there was an election, none of them did. Will said they didnt even count his own vote. How many other votes werent counted? Was my vote counted?

The worker said she got no notification about the UAW election through the mail, but I got all kinds of mailers from the UAW for the federal election. She added, The union officials walk around the plant all day, they should have been encouraging people to vote. Instead, they were telling the TPTs, if you get a ballot dont vote, you are just TPTs, like we didnt have a say. Thats why I messaged Will and asked him. I asked, I pay union dues why cant I vote? He told me all TPTs can vote and they were lying.

There are more TPTs than full-timers at our plant. There have been TPTs that have been there for years. I think they were scared that TPTs would vote. Maybe most TPTs listened when the union told them they couldnt vote. They just threw out the ballots.

The election should be thrown out and redone. Everyone needs to know, including the TPTs, so they can all vote. All these guys in there now, we need them out of there.

It shows me that these two [Fain and Curry] are not the right candidates to be representing us. If they can cheat and not make it fair for Will and let people vote for the best person, it is wrong. I think they got scared that Will could win and they didnt want that. They are trying to do everything they can to prevent that.

I hope Will keeps fighting. All this needs to start all over. Everyone should be told to vote. They have to erase this and start all over. Thats what needs to happen.

A Ford Chicago Assembly Plant worker and member of the rank-and-file committee at the factory said, Wills exposure is necessary. Its mandatory he puts his foot on the gas with this. What other way can we get out of this? This is where we speed up, where we really push. We cant back down, we have to put the foot on the gas. The UAW has taken advantage of everybody. The rank-and-file workers will have to do what the union doesnt even do. Theres all these different industries, and we can fight for a better life for all of us. Thats the only way that works.



I hope he keeps pushing. Hes leading. Hes a plow and were pushing behind. Im pushing him too! He gets to see directly things that I havent fully understood. Im not as political as him, but Im learning.



The worker commented on the debate between Ray Curry and Shawn Fain. I watched it and thought it was a piece of crap. Fain and Curry were dodging questions and blaming each other for different things. Those are the finalists? Ive watched this for an hourand at no point did they say what they would do for us. The didnt really answer the questions. I see the corruption. They care about themselves but thats it.



He was scathing toward the UAW Local 551 officials as well. Theyre trash, he said. All of the union officials. Theyre all about their egos. They love the positions just for their attention. Its a game. Most left the local and went international. Corruption just goes up and down here.



The way I see it, the union is stealing our dues money. Thats all they do. What are they doing for us? Theyre doing nothing for us. The local hands us sheets full of 50 BS committees. I dont know what they do or how theyre funded. But they dont do anything. Our chairman drives a new Navigator, a $120,000 vehicle. Hes got expensive cigars every time I see him.



Ford Chicago Assembly workers express support for Will Lehman [Photo: WSWS]

Ford continues to try to wear down older, experienced workers in a race to the bottom, the worker added. The new thing with corporate, theyre super hard with anyone with top pay and theyre being petty to get you to get fired or to quit. Theyre trying to aggravate the situation. Theres no safety either. My friend got hit by a forklift. Hes OK, but the driver got 30 days and he got 3 days. This was in November. Plant safety is a major issue.



We just had someone die last fall, too. My buddy got bumped from A crew to C crew on the first day, he was there when it happened. Nobody consoled him or asked him anything. It shattered him.



Everybodys mad. I hear so many people frustrated with the union every single day. I have so many friends who say they worked here 10 years and say theyre going to lose their house, or cant make rent. But Fords making all kind of profits.



He spoke out against the corporate-controlled political system that enforces these attacks on workers. If you look at the way that Biden and these Democrats do things. He says hes pro-union, but hes not for the rank-and-file. The whole Crime Bill in the 1990s, I know what kind of a snake this is. He destroyed so many African American and working-class families.



I look at things on a bigger scale. The country once had slavery and fortunes were built from free labor. Once they started to pay for labor, they always try to get it to the lowest amount possible. It went from abusing black folks to enslaving everybody. It went from slaves to everybody on a lower income. Today theres no beating, but theres a societal whipping of workers going on, and we need to organize to fight back.



Another Ford Chicago Assembly Plant worker said, Im hearing more of the runoff than the actual election. Honestly, Im not voting in the runoff. They definitely rigged the election. It was definitely unfair.



I agree with Will 100% that it was not a legitimate election. Will would have been the best candidate for the position. Some of my coworkers were even afraid to vote, because they suspected the Monitor was in on it. Its all corrupt. Politics are corrupt too. Its the same thing. I wish the best for Will.



The worker added about ongoing safety problems at CAP that do not get addressed, Theres always safety issues. There was water building up and I had asked that my work area to be dried. I was slipping and sliding. I reported it multiple times and nobody came.
An astounding 28 charges have been laid under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act against two companies in relation to the death of a contract worker in the provinces oil sands.

Patrick Poitras, 25, of Saint-Andre, New Brunswick was drowned in a frozen tailings pond at the Suncor base mine about 30 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alberta on January 13, 2021. He had been operating a bulldozer on the frozen pond when the ice beneath gave way and the vehicle fell through.

A bulldozer that is the same model as the one that Poitras was using [Photo: WSWS]

Christina River Construction is facing nine charges in the fatal incident, while Suncor Energy is facing 19 counts. Both Suncor and the contractor face charges under sections 3 and 195 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS). These include failing to ensure the health and safety of a worker by permitting the use of a John Deere dozer on ice when it was unsafe to do so, directing a worker to use a dozer on ice that was too thin to support the load, failing to measure ice thickness prior to the start of the job, and failing to use ground penetrating radar to gain a profile of the ice. Suncor was also charged with failing to have the site monitored by an ice engineer and incorrectly calculating the dozers weight when determining whether it was safe to operate on the ice.

A plea hearing for the charges is scheduled for March 15, 2023 at the Fort McMurray provincial courthouse. It is government policy that any court proceedings resulting from work site fatalities must be completed before investigation reports are published.

While the charges remain to be proven in court, their number and specificity strongly suggest that virtually no precautions were taken to safeguard the life of Patrick Poitras. Given the fact that the dangers of the work environment in the oil sands are so well known, this demonstrates contempt for human life in the pursuit of corporate profit.

Oil sands tailings ponds are engineered dam and dyke systems used to capture a mixture of salts, suspended solids and other dissoluble chemical compounds such as acids, benzene, residual bitumen, fine silts and water. Bitumen extraction from the oil sands produces large volumes of tailings as a byproduct, generating a highly controversial environmental issue. While many of the hydrocarbons, acids and toxic metals found in the tailings ponds occur naturally in adjacent landscapes, the mining process increases their concentration.

The dozer Poitras was operating was partially submerged in the pond after the incident. The location, the material under the ice and the weakness of the ice itself made the recovery efforts so difficult that it took more than two days to complete. Poitras had worked in the oil sands for six years. He had recently returned home to Saint-Andre, New Brunswick for Christmas and announced plans to move home for good that spring.

A worker in the Alberta energy sector who spoke on condition of anonymity to the World Socialist Web Site about the incident commented: Its unfathomable to me why they were doing this work to begin with, even if Suncor werent violating their own rules for this sort of work. The weather alone would raise a red flag; it was unseasonably warm then and temperature will influence how much ice will form. Fort McMurray recorded 0C the night before and -1C the day Patrick was killed. For the previous December, temperatures rarely dropped below -15C, and had seen on Dec 7, 2020 a daytime high of +8. People would hesitate to ice fish in this weather, let alone operate heavy equipment.

Drawing on his own experience, the worker explained the added danger of operating a dozer on ice, stating: The nature of the work that cats (dozers) do means the cabs are primarily designed to protect Patrick from being hit by debris, not to be quickly escaped from. The glass is much thicker and heavier than what someone would find in their car. He wouldnt have been able to break it from the inside without tools. Some windows are covered by metal cages. Consequently, opening a door to quickly escape before the cat was submerged would have been extremely difficult, and impossible with the full weight of sludge pushing against it.

Ive been in the Alberta energy industry for 20 years now, and Ive also had direct experience working with tailings ponds as a technical contractor. I often have to contract out. Its something the clients want. I call it an insurance buffer, and the more policies they can stack between an injured or dead worker and a claim against their profits, the better it is for the shareholders.

In comments to CBC News, Patricks father, Marcel Poitras, said his son called him the night before he died and told him that he was worried about safety at the site. He said he was scared to go out on the ice: I said, If you find that its dangerous, please stop, because I need you more than you know. I dont want to lose you. And he said, Dad, I'm here to work.

It is an outrageous fact that, according to the Association of Workers Compensation Boards of Canada, an average of 945 workers have died each year for work-related reasons since 2009. Suncor has been a star contributor to this statistic and is notorious for its abysmal safety record. With at least 12 fatalities at its oil sands facilities in northern Alberta since 2014, Suncor has racked up a greater death toll than all of its industry peers combined. One year after Poitras death, in January 2022, one worker was killed and two others injured in a vehicle collision at the Suncor Base Plant.

The high toll of death and injury at Suncor sites in recent years did not stop Mediacorp Canada Inc., a leading publisher of employment periodicals, from naming the company one of Canadas top employers in a November 2022 announcement in the Globe and Mail.

In an attempt to placate investors concerns about systemic management failings at the company and the attention they were receiving, former Suncor CEO Mark Little promised that the company would be adopting mining safety technology for what he said would be the first time in the oil sands. Two months later, on July 7, 2022, a 26-year-old worker died after being struck by equipment. The next day Little stepped down as chief executive and president and resigned from the companys board of directors.

In a bid to shift blame for the corporations horrendous safety record and supposedly reduce the potential for injuries and deaths, Suncor announced at its investor day event in November that it would reduce its contract workforce by 20 percent by mid-2023.

But it is precisely the strategy of contracting out that has contributed to the ability of corporations to reap enormous profits and enrich their executives and shareholders by using the lowest-bid competitors. Such companies often pay less, offer few if any benefits and rarely guarantee full-time work to their employees. The pledge by Suncor to reduce the use of such economically advantageous methods will quickly come up against demands for an improved bottom line.

The contract service provider involved in Poitras death was known at the time of the incident as Christina River Construction, a division of Christina River Enterprises. Founded in 1987 as an oilfield services company, the business is owned by Fort McMurray 468 First Nation. Two months after the death of Poitras, the company changed its name to Fort McMurray First Nation Group of Companies (FMFN Group). In announcing the change, the company stated, The new name reflects the companys growth, and commitment to the community it serves.  The FMFN Group contributes to the overall growth and sustainability of our community by working with local businesses and industry partners.

In 2019, Fort McMurray 468 First Nation was embroiled in allegations of corruption in the wake of a lawsuit over expenses and bonuses paid to the band chief, the CEO of the bands business arm, Christina River Enterprises, a corporation controlled by that executive, and a sitting and former band councilor.

The band councilor who initiated the lawsuit was suspended from her duties and was facing an internal disciplinary hearing, but now sits on the Board of Directors of FMFN Group.

The dependence of Fort McMurray 468 First Nation and many others like it on rapacious energy companies to support inadequate social services is the product of the capitalist profit system, which has flung open large parts of resource-rich land for ruthless exploitation by profit-hungry corporations. Successive federal governments, including the current Trudeau Liberals, have systematically and deliberately underfunded First Nations programs, helping perpetuate the conditions of desperate poverty that are rooted in the bloody seizure of Native lands by the Canadian capitalist class during the latter part of the 19th century.

Brad Callihoo, chief executive of the band government, said the government could not build infrastructure and homes in the community without the economic activity of oil sands development. We cant do that with government funding, he said. Thats done because we do world class work for the industry up here.

Huge corporations are given a virtually free hand to exploit and pollute vast expanses of land in pursuit of private profit. Occasionally, they face insignificant fines for the workers they kill through negligence. The smaller players who surround this rot get caught up in corruption and cutting corners to compete for the crumbs. And another worker forced to travel across the country to make a living is dead.
According to media reports, Germany will send Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine to fight Russia following the deployment of Marder infantry fighting vehicles. The decision marks a further escalation of the NATO proxy war in Ukraine against Russia and resurrects the darkest traditions of German history.

Leopard 2 main battle tank [Photo by Bundeswehr/Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

90 years after Hitler took power and 82 years after the start of the Wehrmachts war of annihilation against the Soviet Union, German tanks emblazoned with iron crosses are once again rolling against Russia.

According to the news magazine Der Spiegel, the German army (Bundeswehr) will initially send at least one company with Leopard 2A6 battle tanks. In addition, German-produced battle tanks will be sent from other European countries. On Tuesday, Poland officially applied for an export permit for Leopard-2 tanks. Germanys federal government has already announced that it will issue it swiftly.

The US and possibly France also intend to supply battle tanks. Yesterday afternoon, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US government sources, that Washington was preparing to deliver a significant number of Abrams M1 battle tanks. Frances Macron government is considering the delivery of Leclerc main battle tanks.

The arming of Ukraine with Western battle tanks is only the latest culmination of NATOs escalation of the war, which increases the danger of a nuclear world war. While the warmongers in the media usually brush aside the threat while foaming at the mouth for further escalation, Die Zeit published an article on Tuesday that directly addressed the potential for nuclear escalation.

In the debate about tank deliveries, one concern for example, is that the Chancellors Office has an interest in the fact that not only the Europeans send battle tanks to Ukraine. In the event that Putin uses this as an excuse to use nuclear weapons, one would want to be sure that the US will use its conventional and nuclear forces for a counter-attack, and this security will increase if the Europeans are not alone in delivering the next more powerful type of weaponry.

In other words, the insistence of the SPD-led federal government on only supplying German battle tanks if the US also sends tanks had nothing to do with military restraint or even pacifism. The German government apparently wanted the US to be on board and to assure Berlin of full conventional and nuclear support if the Russian military targets German tank deliveries or possibly other military targets.

The Federal Government should explain which exact escalation scenarios have been discussed in recent days and what the consequences of this policy will be? How many lives is the ruling class willing to sacrifice? What are the exact plans in case the war escalates into a nuclear exchange? Would German tornadoes armed with US nuclear weapons engage in counter-strikes in response to a possible use of Russian nuclear weapons? And how much, according to the German government, would be left of Germany and Europe only 15 minutes after such a deployment?

The ruling class knows that it is initiating a nuclear escalation spiral with the tank deliveries. Just last July, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) told the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag (parliament) that the delivery of Marder infantry fighting vehicles would be a terrible escalation. In April, he told Der Spiegel: We must do everything we can to avoid a direct military confrontation between NATO and a highly armed superpower like Russia, a nuclear power. The issue is to prevent an escalation that leads to a third world war.

Since then, however, the German government and NATO have continued to fuel the war and have literally showered Ukraine with weapons. It is already clear that the delivery of tanks is only the preparation of an ever more comprehensive intervention by the imperialist powersup to and including the establishment of a no-fly zone and the use of ground troops. At the meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group last Friday in Ramstein, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chief of Staff Mark Milley openly formulated the war goals: the reconquest of the territories occupied by Russia in Ukraine including Donbass and Crimeaand thus the complete military defeat of Russia.

Above all, German imperialism does not want to be left out in the division of the spoils and is pursuing its own predatory goals as in the past. No one should be fooled by the official propaganda phrases about human rights and democracy. The Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) recently issued a statement entitled No tank deliveries to Ukraine! Stop the threat of a third world war! which explained,

Since reunification, the ruling class has been systematically working to organize Europe under German leadership in order to advance its geostrategic and economic interests worldwide Now it is using Russias reactionary invasion of Ukraine as a pretext to launch the biggest rearmament since Hitler and to strike again against Russia. German imperialism is concerned not only with geostrategic interests and Russias vast reserves of raw materials, it is also driven by the desire for retribution for its war defeats in the 20th century.

Immediately after the escalatory decision to send Leopard tanks was reported, cheers broke out among the warmongers in the governing and opposition parties. The decision was tough, it took way too long, but it's inevitable in the end. That Germany approves the delivery of its Leopard 2 tank by partner countries and also delivers them itself is redemptive news for the battered and brave Ukrainian people, said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chairwoman of the Defence Committee of the Bundestag.

The deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Thomas Erndl of the Christian Social Union, described the decision to the DPA as unavoidable. It is important that we now lead a European alliance so that Ukraine receives a significant number of Leopard 2 tanks and training begins immediately, he added.

The Green European politician Anton Hofreiter, who previously called for Ukraine to be either integrated into NATO or equipped with 3,200 Leopard tanks (!), celebrated the news that Leopard tanks are also being sent to Ukraine from Germany as very positive news. The vice president of the German Bundestag, Katrin Goring-Eckardt (Greens), enthused on Twitter: The Leopards freed!

The Socialist Equality Party strongly condemns the decision. We are responding to the tank escalation by strengthening our anti-war election campaign in Berlin, SGP chairman and lead candidate Christoph Vandreier told the World Socialist Web Site on Tuesday evening.

We experience on a daily basis how great the popular opposition to the war and the return of German militarism is. It must now be organised en masse and armed with a clear political programme. Come to our central anti-war rally at Potsdamer Platz on February 4 at 11 a.m. It is high time to draw a line in the sand and stop the war madness.
The family of Tyre Nichols, 29, the driver who died on January 10 after being beaten by five police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, was given access to the police body camera footage of Nichols assault on Monday.

Tyre Nichols in the hospital after his arrest. [Photo: Family of Tyre Nichols]

According to attorneys for the family, Nichols was subjected to a nonstop beating. Attorney Antonio Romanucci said during a press conference that, He was defenseless the entire time. He was a human pinata for those police officers. It was an unadulterated, unabashed, non-stop beating of this young boy for three minutes.

Attorney Benjamin Crump added, Yet again, were seeing evidence of what happens to Black and brown people from simple traffic stops. . . You should not be killed because of a simple traffic stop.

It is appalling. It is deplorable. It is heinous. It is violent, Crump continued. It is troublesome on every level.

Rodney Wells, Nichols stepfather, called the video horrific and said that No father, mother should have to witness what I saw today.

Ravaughn Wells, Nichols mother, was reportedly unable to view the video past the first minute after hearing her son say What did I do? Nichols can be heard calling for his mother three times at the end of the video, according to the familys attorneys.

Nichols was reportedly pulled over for a routine traffic stop on January 7. According to the police report, a confrontation between Nichols and the officers occurred that resulted in him fleeing on foot. The five officers, all of whom are also African American, pursued Nichols and apprehended him, after which he was sent to the hospital with severe injuries. He died in the hospital three days later.

According to Nichols family and their attorneys, the body camera shows that Nichols was concerned for his safety and fled the officers because he was afraid of them.

Speaking of his stepson, Rodney Wells said, Our son ran because he was scared for his life. He did not run because he was trying to get rid of no drugs, no guns, no any of that. He ran because he was scared for his life. And when you see the video, you will see why he was scared for his life.

The police body camera footage has not been released to the public yet but is expected to be released within the next two weeks. Police Chief Cerelyn Davis claimed that the footage was not being released so that witnesses could give reports on the incident based on their memories rather than what they could see in the video.

Transparency remains a priority in this incident, she said, and a premature release could adversely impact the criminal investigation and the judicial process. We are working with the District Attorneys Office to determine the appropriate time to release video recordings publicly.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy was more open about concerns that releasing the footage would fuel public outrage and protests. I know that people are very, very concerned about this, he said. I think the incident has the potential to undermine confidence in the fairness of our police force and the criminal justice system.

Such concerns over the eruption of popular opposition to police brutality by local officials give further insight into the severity of the police murder, which has been likened to the savage beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles in 1991, which set off mass protests and riots after the officers involved were acquitted.

According to Crump, Nichols was tased, beaten, pepper sprayed and restrained just 80 yards from his familys home. A photo of Nichols taken by his family shows him in a hospital bed with severe wounds and clear signs that he was brutally beaten in the face.

All five officers involvedJustin Smith, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Beanwere fired last week after an internal investigation determined that they had violated department polices by using excessive force and failing to render aid to Nichols.

The Justice Department, FBI and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are conducting criminal investigations into the incident to determine if the officers should be charged for the killing.

The Memphis Fire Department has also placed on leave two EMTs who had arrived at the scene to render care to Nichols while he was being transported to the hospital. J. B. Smiley, a Memphis City Councilman, approved of the decision, saying that we have to send a very strong message that any type of misconduct will not be allowed to go on in the city administration.

Patrice Robinson, Memphis City Councilwoman, said, my concern is that if they were not there in a timely manner and they didnt do what they were supposed to do we want action. Thats all the community is saying, lets do our jobs, lets get to work, and lets support one another.

An internal investigation is ongoing into the two EMTs, though details of what role they may have played in Nichols death have not been elaborated on by city officials.

The savage killing of Nichols comes amidst a string of high profile police killings across the country to start the new year. Protests have erupted in Atlanta after the police killing of 26-year old environmental activist Manuel Teran, also known as Tortuguita, on January 18. Police claim that Teran shot and wounded an officer but have failed to provide evidence to back up that claim.

On January 9, police in Guymon, Oklahoma shot and killed Chiewalthap Mariar, 26, a Sudanese refugee, while he was working on the line at a Seaboard Foods pork processing plant. The police reportedly arrived to escort him off the premises after he was fired by management. He was told to finish his shift and was working at the time he was shot.

In Los Angeles earlier this month the Los Angeles Police Department killed three people in the space of two days. In one incident, bearing a striking similarity to Nichols death, Keenan Anderson was choked and repeatedly tased before dying from a heart attack at a hospital. Anderson had cooperated with police after a motorcycle accident before suffering from signs of emotional and mental distress, leading to his assault by the officers on the scene.

These incidents are not the isolated acts of bad apples, the product of poor training or inadequate funding. Police violence is the natural product of the brutality of the capitalist system, which upholds the right of the capitalist class to exploit the working class and create vast inequality through force. After several years of a pandemic that has killed and injured millions of people and which was leveraged by the super-rich to massively increase their wealth, 2022 saw the highest number of police killings in the United States since records were begun, at 1,176 killings by police officers.
U.S. backed Kurdish-led fighters in northeastern Syria launched an operation Wednesday against suspected Islamic State militants in the area in retaliation for an attack by the extremist group there last month, according to a statement.

Syrian Democratic Forces said they raided ``dozens of potential points and hideouts'' in the city Raqqa, formerly held by the Islamic State group, and the surrounding area, and arrested dozens of suspected IS members. The U.S.-led coalition forces provided air cover and drone surveillance during the operation, the statement added.

The operation was in response to an IS attack on Raqqa in late December that killed six members of the Kurdish-led forces. The SDF also announced formation of a ``joint operations room'' backed by the international coalition aimed at targeting IS cells.

The Kurdish-led forces in Syria regularly carry out joint anti-IS patrols with the U.S.-led coalition . The patrols were temporarily halted late last year when Turkey launched a campaign of airstrikes against Kurdish groups in Syria in retaliation for a deadly November explosion in Istanbul. Ankara blamed Kurdish groups for the attack, an allegation the groups deny.

The SDF said that according to its intelligence, IS ``is attempting to reorganize the terrorist cells and appointing new leaders`` as well as ``issuing instructions to move from individual to group terrorist attacks on the prisons`` holding IS members.

More than 42,400 foreign fighters and some 23,200 Syrians accused of IS ties, and their families, are held in camps and prisons in northeastern Syria, according to a Human Rights Watch report last month. The report detailed dire conditions in the detention facilities and called for repatriation of the detained foreign nationals, most of them women and children, by their countries.

Western countries have repatriated an increasing number of their citizens from northeastern Syria, including most recently France, which returned a group of 32 minors and 15 women on Tuesday.

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In India, the right to profess, practice and propagate ones own religion remains marred by socio-political lacunas as well as judicial travesty.

Aatika S | TwoCircles.net

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NEW DELHI  In October last year, the former social welfare and SC/ST minister in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, Rajendra Pal Gautam resigned due to a controversy about his alleged conversion to Buddhism on October 5 and anti-Hindu vows taken in the ceremony. The said vows are a part of the 22 oaths prescribed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in 1956 for conversion to Buddhism.

They were branded anti-Hindu because at least 7 of Ambedkars 22 vows either deal with direct renunciation of Hinduism or a vow to no longer believe in Hindu gods or practices.

The top three vows which Gautam pledged to uphold are:

1. I shall have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh nor shall I worship them.

2. I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna who are believed to be incarnations of God nor shall I worship them.

3. I shall have no faith in Gauri, Ganapati and other gods and goddesses of Hindus nor shall I worship them.

Gautam was simply following Ambedkar.

In 2015, the BJP-ruled Gujarat government withdrew a school textbook commemorating Dr. B.R. Ambedkars 125th birth anniversary as it contained the controversial twenty-two vows.

AAPs silence

AAP shied away from expressing any implicit or explicit support for Gautam. As one of the few political persons to openly embrace the term Ambedkarite, Gautam has only continued to work for the cause of social justice since that day. Gautam led a Jati Unmolam Ekta Sankalp Yatra (Caste Abolition Unity Resolve Yatra) from Raj Niwas to Ambedkar National Memorial.

AAP uses Ambedkar to appeal to his followers votes. It organised a musical on Ambedkar while propelling its own agenda.

Prateek Vijayavargia, a Ph.D. student at the School of International Studies, JNU, says the controversy over Gautams decision to convert to Buddhism and the Aam Aadmi Partys silence over the issue exposes the hypocrisy of the party which pays mere lip service to Ambedkars legacy, and refuses to stand by and back its own member and MLA.

AAP is willing to sway to any side for narrow electoral interests. Its appropriation of leaders such as Ambedkar is nothing but a populist move that aims to pander to the masses but without any nuanced understanding of the emancipatory ideals and principles of his politics and conversion to Buddhism, adds Prateek.

Ambedkar inspired conversion

Prof. Y.S. Alone, who teaches Buddhist visual culture and philosophy at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU says Dr. B. R. Ambedkars conversion on 14 October, 1956 was the biggest conversion ever witnessed in the history of the world.

Accordingly, there have been many conversions in Maharashtra as well as elsewhere and the 22 vows were always recited. Large number of conversions were made in the post-Ambedkar era, such as conversions led by Eknath Awad, Lakshman Mane and many others.

For any political party in India, it is a daunting task to respond to what Dr. Ambedkar wrote in Annihilation of Caste, and above all Article 51 of the Indian Constitution. His vows are aimed at making society free from the clutches of blind beliefs, divinity, and to inculcate a belief in the self to carve out ones life in the righteous manner, argues Prof. Alone.

Has BJP criminalized freedom to choose ones religion

The right to profess, practice and propagate ones own religion remains marred by many socio-political lacunas as well as judicial travesty. For instance, an FIR was filed against the 236 Valmiki community members for conversion to Buddhism right after the brutal gang rape of a 19-year-old Dalit woman by five Thakur men in Hathras last year.

Sandhya Gawali, president of the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association, JNU sees conversion as an act of assertion in terms of self respect and dignity.

Conversion provide a shared identity to the converted community that shares common interests, fraternity ethos and social-cultural mobility. People have claimed equality, self respect and dignity through conversion and asserted it publically. The act has given women more equal space in private and public life, she added.

Anxiety against conversion dates back to Gandhi-Ambedkar differences

The series of events makes one ask why does conversion make the Brahmanical Hindutva groups so nervous and anxious? Their nervousness is apparent given such acts of freedom to choose and practice ones own faith, essentially one of the freedoms that the Indian constitution guarantees, are being attacked and criminalized.

The anxiety regarding conversions dates back to the late colonial era though and the large-scale conversion of oppressed castes and adivasis to more egalitarian religions. Gandhi remained severely critical of these mass movements and steadily opposed Ambedkar who wanted a balance to be achieved between religious freedom and religious equality.

Anti-conversion legislation is on the rise in many states establishing coercion as the basis of the ongoing acts of conversion. The Supreme Court recently observed that forced religious conversion is a serious issue that can affect national safety, freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. The apex court wants the issues to be curbed immediately. Most of the states run by the BJP legally prohibit conversion by an individual without permission of the local authorities.

Aatika S is a fellow at the SEEDS-TCN mentorship program.
An ancient Yemeni kingdom and a Lebanese modernist concrete fair park were added Wednesday to UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites in danger, the latest entries from The Middle East.

The seven major landmarks of the Ancient Yemenite Kingdom of Saba and the Rachid Karami International Fair in Tripoli were inscribed on the UN agency list in `'an emergency procedure,'' in hopes of better preserving the neglected sites. Now added, both sites will have access to enhanced technical and financial assistance, UNESCO said.

The pre-Islamic Yemeni kingdom of Saba, which once stretched from Sanaa to Marib, now lies on one of the major front lines dividing Houthi rebels from Saudi coalition forces.

The threat of destruction from the ongoing conflict was cited as the key reason to add the seven landmarks that include several ancient temples, a dam and the ruins of old Marib.

Yemen's ruinous conflict began in 2014 when Iranian-backed rebels swept down from the mountain and occupied the capital, Sanaa, along with much of Northern Yemen, ousting the internationally recognized government.

A Saudi-led coalition, armed with US and UK weaponry and intelligence, entered the war on the side of Yemen's exiled government in March 2015.

A barrage of airstrikes has destroyed historic mud homes in Northern Saada, the historic Houthi heartlands, and damaged much of the over 2,500-year-old Old City in the center of Sanaa, also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In 2015, airstrikes partially destroyed a section of the Great Marib Dam, near the Awwam Temple, one of the seven landmarks.

Visitors tour The Experimental Theater, designed in the early 1960s by the late Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, at the Rashid Karami International Fair, in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon. Photo courtesy of UNESCO's official website

Lebanon's modernist Rachid Karami International Fair was designed during the 1960s as part of a wider policy to modernize the country.

Funding shortages continually interrupted construction before the half-built site was eventually abandoned following the outbreak of civil war in the mid-1970s.

In recent years, the 70-hectare (173-acre) site, headed by a boomerang-shaped concert hall, has caught the attention of several developers.

UNESCO said it added the site following concerns over its `'state of conservation'' and fears that a new renovation could undermine the ''integrity of the complex.?

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The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the funds are required to help 17.3 million most vulnerable people in Yemen.

The United Nations said Wednesday it needs $4.3 billion to fund its humanitarian activities in war-torn Yemen this year.

The agency said it plans to deliver "urgent life-saving'' assistance to 14 million people in 2023. In total, 21.6 million, two thirds of the country's population, would need humanitarian assistance and protection services this year, down from 23.4 million people in 2022, OCHA estimated.

Last year, the UN humanitarian plan cost $4.27 billion to assist 17.9 million people.

Yemen has been convulsed by civil war since 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital of Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015 to try to restore the government to power.

The war has deteriorated largely into a stalemate and spawned one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

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Slovakia's parliament amended the country's constitution Wednesday to make it possible to hold early elections.

Ninety-two lawmakers voted in favor of an amendment that allows a snap vote if it is approved by a three-fifths majority in the 150-seat National Council of the Slovak Republic. The Constitution of Slovakia previously did not allow for an early election.

After the coalition government led by Prime Minister Eduard Heger lost a no-confidence vote in parliament in December, President Zuzana Caputova gave lawmakers an end of January deadline to make the needed constitutional changes.

The opposition called the no-confidence vote following months of political crisis. Caputova asked Heger's Cabinet to stay in office with reduced powers as a caretaker government.

The president had said she would select a new prime minister and swear in their government if lawmakers did not meet the Jan. 31 deadline.

The National Council is scheduled Thursday to start debating a possible general election date. The parties in the outgoing coalition government said they would prefer Sept 30, while the opposition wants the election held earlier, possibly in June or May.

The opposition would stand a good chance to win a snap ballot, recent polls suggested.

Slovakia's next regularly scheduled parliamentary election is not until February 2024.

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Libya's National Oil Corporation said Wednesday it had reached an $8-billion deal with Italian energy giant ENI to develop offshore hydrocarbon sites.

"We have reached a deal with ENI to develop the oil and gas sector, by developing two offshore sites which together will be able to produce 850 million cubic feet of gas" per day, NOC head Farhat Bengdara told Al-Masar, a Libyan news channel.

The $8 billion deal would be signed on Saturday at an official ceremony, he said.

Asked by AFP to confirm or deny the agreement, ENI declined to comment.

Italy has been scrambling to find alternatives to Russian energy since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to visit Tripoli in the coming days, according to media reports both sides of the Mediterranean.

Libya sits atop Africa's biggest oil reserves but has been engulfed by conflict since the 2011 revolt that toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Control of oil resources, infrastructure and revenues has been a key driver of the long-running conflict, involving multiple foreign powers and a myriad of militias.

Since March last year, two governments have been vying for power, one in the western capital Tripoli and one in the country's east, backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

In December, the NOC called on foreign companies in the hydrocarbons sector to resume their activities, saying it had evaluated the security situation and noting a "spectacular improvement" at certain sites where security issues had made it difficult to operate.

Libya is hoping to boost its oil production to two billion barrels per day (bpd), up from around 1.2 currently.

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The talks were intended to reduce the chances of further deterioration in the situation in occupied Palestine, especially since the rise to power of a new right-wing Israeli government which includes several key ministers known for their extremist views and rejection of any peaceful reconciliation with Palestinians.

On Tuesday, 17 January in Cairo, Al-Sisi hosted the leaders of Jordan and Palestine, King Abdullah and Mahmoud Abbas, for discussions of the imminent threats facing Palestinians in the occupied territories in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

During the summit, the leaders stressed the necessity of safeguarding legitimate Palestinian rights and the continuation of their joint efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, which provides for an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law, the relevant international legitimacy resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

Al-Sisi, Abbas and Abdullah stressed the need for the international community to provide protection for the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights and pool efforts to find a real political horizon that would re-launch serious and effective negotiations to resolve the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution, warning of the danger of the continued absence of a political horizon and its repercussions on regional security and stability.

They also stressed the need to stop all illegal, unilateral Israeli measures that undermine the two-state solution and the chances of achieving a just and comprehensive peace, which include settlements, confiscation of Palestinian lands, home demolitions, the displacement of Palestinians from their homes, continual Israeli incursions into Palestinian cities, and the violation of the historical and legal status quo in occupied East Jerusalem and its holy sites.

In their joint statement, the three heads of state stressed the necessity of preserving the existing historical and legal situation in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sanctities, in a manner that guarantees respect for the fact that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its entire area, is a place of worship for Muslims, and that the Department of Endowments for Jerusalem and the Affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque of the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments, Islamic Affairs and Holy Sites is the only body authorised to manage the affairs of the Al-Aqsa and regulate entry to it.

Al-Sisi and Abbas also affirmed the importance of the historical Hashemite Custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem and its role in protecting these sanctities and their Arab, Islamic and Christian identity.

Moreover, all three leaders stressed the need to unify Palestinian movements and end the division, which is a necessity for the Palestinian people, and the need to take serious and effective measures to alleviate the deteriorating living conditions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Both the king of Jordan and the Palestinian president praised Egyptian efforts to maintain calm in Gaza and to rebuild the besieged, heavily populated strip, while reaffirming the responsibility of international donors in the efforts to rebuild Gaza.

The following day, Al-Sisi headed to Abu Dhabi for a consultation meeting with four Gulf Arab allies: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, together with King Abdullah once again. The meeting, hosted by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, was held under the banner of Prosperity and Stability in the Region, and highlighted the importance of enhancing joint Arab efforts to tackle the regions political, security, and economic challenges.

Considering that four out of the six Arab leaders who met in Abu Dhabi maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, it was important to send a clear message to Netanyahus new extremist government that any further normalisation with Arab countries was conditional on refraining from acts that would undermine the status of the holy Aqsa Mosque, and from annexing more Palestinian territories.

Such inter-Arab contacts coincided with a visit by US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan to Israel and Palestine, holding the first direct meeting with Netanyahu and several senior Israeli officials on Thursday. While it was important to make clear to the Israeli government that its closest ally in the world did not want to see acts that would generate a new round of tensions, and possible military escalation, Washington can certainly take immediate steps to protect what remains of the peace process.

Indeed it was a positive development that the Biden administration had resumed contacts with the Palestinian Authority, severed by his predecessor Donald Trump. Yet many US promises remained unmet, including the reopening of the US Consulate in East Jerusalem, as well as the PLO mission in Washington.

In his meeting with Sullivan, President Abbas appealed to the Biden administration to stop the Israeli government from pushing ahead with escalatory measures against Palestinians. He warned that the new Israeli coalitions policies are destroying all remaining chances of achieving peace and stability in the region.

Abbas urged the United States to intervene before it is too late to stop these unilateral measures. He stressed that Palestinians will not accept the continuation of Israeli crimes. We will oppose them and defend our rights, our land and our holy sites.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 January, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Washington  Twenty Republican-controlled states filed a lawsuit on Tuesday asking a federal judge in Texas to halt a program recently unveiled by the Biden administration that would allow up to 30,000 migrants from four countries to enter the U.S. legally each month if they have American sponsors.

Announced by President Biden earlier this month as part of a new strategy to deter unlawful border crossings, the program allows eligible migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to live and work in the U.S. legally under a humanitarian immigration authority known as parole.

The Biden administration has argued the program, coupled with increased expulsions of migrants who attempt to enter the U.S. illegally, will allow the U.S. to better manage the historic migration flows recorded along the southern border over the past two years.

Since the measures were announced in early January, the daily average of migrants apprehended after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border without legal permission has dropped by over 40%, according to internal government statistics obtained by CBS News.

But the coalition of states led by Texas alleged in their lawsuit that the sponsorship policy illegally expands the scope of the parole authority, which they argued can only be used in extraordinary cases. The states also said officials should have allowed the public to comment on the program before implementing it.

The policy, the states wrote in their lawsuit, "amounts to the creation of a new visa program that allows hundreds of thousands of aliens to enter the United States who otherwise have no basis for doing so."

A decades-old power created by Congress, parole allows U.S. immigration officials to authorize the entry of foreigners who don't possess a visa to enter the country on humanitarian or public interest grounds.

In a statement Tuesday, the White House criticized the lawsuit, saying Republican state officials were seeking to "score political points."

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"They've blocked comprehensive immigration reform and funding for border security, and are now trying to block a program that has dramatically reduced the number of migrants attempting to enter the country illegally all while providing a safe, lawful, and orderly pathway for migration for people fleeing communism or economic collapse," the White House said.

On Sept. 18, 2022, a bus full of people from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba are shuttled away from Eagle Pass, Texas, by a group of volunteers from the League of United Latin American Citizens, as more asylum-seekers were wading through the mostly shallow waters of the Rio Grande from Piedras Negras, Mexico across the U.S. Southern border. / Credit: Miami Herald

Tuesday's lawsuit is the start of the latest legal battle between the Biden administration and Republican attorneys general over the fate of U.S. immigration and border policy.

Republican-led states have successfully convinced federal judges, many of them appointed by former President Trump, to halt key parts of Mr. Biden's immigration agenda over the past two years.

At the request of Republican attorneys general, the Supreme Court in late December prevented the Biden administration from lifting a Trump-era border restriction known as Title 42 that has allowed the U.S. to quickly expel hundreds of thousands of migrants, mostly to Mexico, on public health grounds. The high court is set to hear oral arguments in that case on March 1.

The revamped border strategy Mr. Biden unveiled this month includes an expansion of Title 42's scope, as the Mexican government committed to accept up to 30,000 expulsions per month of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who attempt to enter the U.S. illegally.

According to court records, the lawsuit filed Tuesday was assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Drew Tipton, a Trump appointee who has already blocked several Biden administration immigration policies at the request of GOP-led states, including a 100-day pause on deportations in early 2021.

The states that joined Texas in suing the Biden administration on Tuesday were Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The sponsorship policy announced earlier this month is modeled after two similar programs the Biden administration unveiled last year to allow American citizens and others in the U.S. to financially sponsor the arrival of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion of their homeland and Venezuelans displaced by the socioeconomic crisis in the South American country.

Since those programs were announced, in April and October 2022, respectively, the U.S. has admitted more than 100,000 Ukrainians and 11,000 Venezuelans under the parole authority, according to government data.

American citizens and other individuals with a legal U.S. immigration status can apply to sponsor migrants under these programs if they pass background checks and demonstrate they can financially support the newcomers.

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Actor Matthew McConaughey and musician Will.i.am are often involved in company strategy discussions at Salesforce, report says

Matthew McConaughey speaks on stage at the Lincoln Centennial Celebration on April 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Rich Polk/Getty Images

Matthew McConaughey and Will.i.am have taken part in corporate strategy discussions at Salesforce, the FT reported.

McConaughey has appeared in Salesforce ads, while Will.i.am's tech firm raised money from the software giant.

Two activist investors, Elliott Management and Starboard Value, have recently taken stakes in Salesforce.

Celebrities Will.i.am and Matthew McConaughey have taken part in high level discussions about strategy at software giant Salesforce, according to a report from the Financial Times.

The FT reported, citing a source familiar with the matter, that actor McConaughey and musician and producer Will.i.am are often included in business conversations.

Additionally, a non-Salesforce staffer who has attended meetings at the company told the FT they had seen celebrities involved in "high-level corporate discussions."

"Black Eyed Peas" star Will.i.am, real name William Adams, has been deeply involved in the tech sector for many years, founding wearables company i.am+, which in 2017 raised $117 million in funding from firms including Salesforce Ventures, according to PitchBook data.

In an interview with Yahoo! Finance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week, Will.i.am called Salesforce's co-CEO Marc Benioff "my big brother and my mentor."

McConaughey, meanwhile, has been heavily involved in Salesforce's advertising in recent years, including appearing in its 2022 Super Bowl commercial.

According to a different source cited by the FT, McConaughey and Will.i.am are only involved in informal conversations in the business, not meetings around corporate strategy.

Salesforce did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider about Will.i.am and McConaughey's apparent involvement in corporate discussions.

Whatever their role in any discussions, the FT reports that Benioff's penchant for befriending celebrities has caused concern among investors.

In recent months, two major activist investors have taken substantial stakes in Salesforce. Elliott Management, often described as one of the most feared activist investors on earth, recently took a multibillion dollar stake. Starboard Value also bought into the company in October, though it did not disclose the size of its stake.

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Wall Street insiders believe that Elliott's involvement could result in cost-cutting changes to push for a more profitable Salesforce, Insider's Paayal Zaveri reported.

According to one analyst, JMP Securities' Pat Walravens, changes could include laying off staff, making changes to the board, and possibly selling off some of Salesforce's expensive acquisitions like Slack, which it bought for $27.7 billion in 2020.

In early January, Salesforce said it was laying off 10% of its workforce in an effort to cut costs and to correct its hiring spree during the pandemic. With a global headcount of around 79,000, Salesforce's cuts likely impacted just under 8,000 staff.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Justin Roiland attends The Game Awards 2017 at Microsoft Theater on December 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Greg Doherty/Getty Justin Roiland

Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland  who was charged with felony domestic violence  is no longer with Adult Swim, the series announced.

A statement shared on the series' official Twitter profile Tuesday said, "Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland."

It said that the show "will continue," adding: "The talented and dedicated crew are hard at work on Season 7."

Adult Swim did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

RELATED: 'Rick and Morty' Co-Creator Justin Roiland Charged with Felony Domestic Violence

The decision comes more than a week after Roiland appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing after being charged with felony domestic violence.

The alleged incident occurred around Jan. 19, 2020, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, and the alleged victim was an unidentified woman who was in a relationship with Roiland. She's known as Jane Doe in the case, which is in the jurisdiction of Orange County, California.

Roiland, 42, was first arrested in August 2020 and released on a $50,000 bond before being arraigned in October 2020, NBC News reported.

He has pleaded not guilty to one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit.

During his hearing, Roiland's lawyer reportedly said there was a plea offer on the table, but additional information is not known.

RELATED: Texas Longhorns Fire Basketball Coach Chris Beard After Felony Domestic Violence Charge: Reports

A trial date for Roiland has not yet been scheduled, but he will be back in court on April 27 for his next pre-trial hearing.

In a previous statement, Edward Welbourn, Roiland's attorney, told PEOPLE, "...Not only is Justin innocent but we also have every expectation that this matter is on course to be dismissed once the District Attorney's office has completed its methodical review of the evidence. We look forward to clearing Justin's name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible."

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An unknown party also filed a protective order against Roiland in October 2020, NBC News reported, and he was ordered not to go within 100 feet of the person in question. It's unclear who filed the order or whether it's the same person involved in the alleged domestic violence incident.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

PEOPLE reached out to Roiland's lawyer for comment on Adult Swim's decision but did not immediately hear back.

Meanwhile, his new animated series Koala Man began streaming on Hulu just a few days before he was in court.

Dan Harmon co-created Rick and Morty with Roiland in 2013, and the show became immensely popular, with Roiland as the lead voice actor. Season 6 aired last year. Harmon has had legal issues of his own, and in 2018 he admitted to sexually harassing a former writer on his show Community.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana home last week, his lawyer told the National Archives in a letter -- the latest in a string of discoveries of confidential information in private residences.

The records "appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration," Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in the letter shared with The Associated Press.

He said that Pence "engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents, to review records stored in his personal home after it became public that documents with classified markings were found in President Joe Biden's Wilmington residence."

The Justice Department already is using special counsels to investigate the presence of documents with classification markings taken from the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump and from Bidens home and former Washington office. The department says roughly 300 documents marked classified, including at the top-secret level, were taken from Mar-a-Lago, and officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the months-long criminal investigation.
In the wake of two mass shootings in California, President Joe Biden on Tuesday again called on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, just a few months after he signed into law bipartisan gun control legislation that fell short of banning the deadly weapons.

On Saturday night, a gunman opened fire at a dance hall in Monterey Park, Calif., killing 11 and wounding several others. And on Monday, seven people were killed in two related shootings in Half Moon Bay in Northern California.

The Los Angeles County sheriff identified the weapon used in the Monterey Park mass shooting as a semiautomatic MAC-10 assault weapon, but a description of the gun used by the Half Moon Bay shooter has been described only generally as a semiautomatic handgun.

The White House has long been intent on showing it is serious about strengthening gun control laws. Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to Monterey Park on Wednesday, and Mr. Biden in December attended a vigil for gun violence victims.

Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy on Monday introduced a pair of gun control bills: the first would ban assault weapon sales, and the other would raise the age to buy an assault weapon to 21. Democratic Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island is expected to introduce a companion bill to the assault weapons ban in the House, according to Feinstein's office.

Addressing Democratic congressional leaders on Tuesday, Mr. Biden said, "I am asking you all to send that to my desk as quickly as you can. It's really needed badly."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of N.Y., left, and Vice President Kamala Harris listen as President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Democratic lawmakers in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Washington. / Credit: Evan Vucci / AP

Following mass shootings last year in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, 10 Republican senators joined every Senate Democrat and the Democratic-led House in voting to pass gun control legislation that enhanced background checks for gun buyers under 21 years of age and closed the so-called "boyfriend loophole" to prevent convicted domestic abusers from purchasing a firearm for five years. Mr. Biden quickly signed the bill into law.

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But Mr. Biden would like to see legislation that goes further, a new assault weapons ban, like the 1994 law that he helped pass as a senator. It prohibited over a dozen assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, and it expired in 2004.

In July 2022, the Democratic-led House passed a similar ban. Two Republicans joined with the majority of Democrats to vote for the bill, while five Democrats voted against it. But the legislation was never considered in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to bring a bill to the floor for a vote. At the time, Democrats had only 50 seats in the Senate.

Feinstein's current bill faces the same obstacle, since Democrats currently have only 51 seats in the Senate.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, one of the 10 Republicans who worked with Democrats to pass the bipartisan gun legislation last summer, said Tuesday that "there are not enough votes in the Senate for an assault weapons ban." And there aren't enough votes in the House either, now that Republicans are in the majority.

Alan He and Camille Knox contributed to this report.

Google faces antitrust suit, accused of "monopolizing" digital ad market

Rep. George Santos faces growing questions over campaign spending

U.S. to send advanced battle tanks to Ukraine
President Biden on Wednesday said that the commitment of American Abrams tanks to Ukraine is not an offensive threat to Russia, appearing to respond to threats from Russian officials that the provision of Western tanks to Ukraine would escalate tensions with Moscow.

Theres no offensive threat to Russia the president said in remarks from the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

If Russian troops returned to Russia  thats where they belong, this war would be over today. Thats what we all want, an end to this war, the president said.

The president made his remarks while announcing the U.S. would provide 31 M1 Abrams tanks for Ukraine in coordination with similar supplies from NATO allies including Germany, the United Kingdom and others.

The president dismissed the notion that his decision to provide Abrams tanks for Ukraine came as a result of German pressure for the U.S. to share the burden of a move that has already drawn a bellicose reaction from Russia.

Germany didnt force me to change my mind; we wanted to make sure were all together, the president said in response to a reporters question. Thats what were going to do all along  thats what were doing right now.

The speaker of the lower house of Russias parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, warned Sunday that Ukraines allies supplying tanks would lead to a global catastrophe.

And the Russian Embassy in Berlin responded to news of Germany agreeing to supply its Leopard 2 heavy tanks, saying the move is extremely dangerous and takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation.

The Abrams are not expected to reach the Ukrainian battlefield for months. Biden said that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who stood behind him during his remarks, recommended the Abrams be provided because it will enhance Ukraines capacity to defend its territory to achieve its strategic objectives.

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With spring approaching, Ukrainian forces are working to defend the territory they hold and preparing for additional counteroffenses, Biden said.

To liberate their land, they need to be able to counter Russias evolving tactics and strategy on the battlefield in the very near term, the president added. They need to improve their ability to maneuver in open terrain, and they need an enduring capability to deter and defend against Russian aggression over the long term.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
There's a new baker down at the cat cafe.

Jack McBrayer will make his Call Me Kat debut on Thursday's episode as a new baker following the death of cast member Leslie Jordan. The 30 Rock alum is portraying Gideon, an Amish man set to replace Jordan's Phil following his move to Tahiti with his new husband.

It hasn't been revealed yet how long Gideon will stick around, but in a preview clip from the episode, Kat (Mayim Bialik) brings him over to the Middle C, the piano bar next to the cafe, to introduce him to her pals. "Gideon is on a journey of self-discovery, and as someone who recently went through this myself, I am giddy to be his guide," she says.

Gideon, who has no social skills, marvels at the sight of Carter (Julian Gant), the "second Black person" he has met thus far.

The Fox sitcom bid farewell to Jordan, who died in October from sudden cardiac dysfunction, three weeks ago with the joyous Tahiti storyline. Bialik previously told EW that the thought of doing a funeral episode for Jordan "felt like a hurdle" the crew wasn't "sure we all wanted to jump together."

"We found a way for him to live forever," the star and executive producer said. "His character will live forever, and he can have whatever adventures we all imagine. And because we break the fourth wall anyway, we were able to use that convention to say simply, we gave this character a happy ending, but there's a lot more going on here."

Mayim Bialik and Leslie Jordan on 'Call Me Kat'

FOX via Getty Mayim Bialik and Leslie Jordan on 'Call Me Kat'

Call Me Kat airs Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Watch the preview of McBrayer's introduction above.

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House Republicans are already facing defections over a leadership push to oust Rep. Ilhan Omar from her committees. Democrats plan to make the vote even more painful.

The Minnesota Democrat and her caucus allies have begun to mount a robust defense of the progressive squad member, who Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his allies have repeatedly threatened to kick off committees once the GOP took over the House. While theyve focused on Omars past comments about Israel  some of which divided her own party at the time  Republicans loudly protested last Congress when Democrats booted a pair of conservatives from committees.

Democratic leaders are working to have no defections on the vote to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee when it comes up for a full House vote as soon as next week. And even Democrats who have vocally taken issue with her stance on Israel are now urging colleagues on both sides of the aisle to allow her to remain on the panel.

She will be the first to tell you that we both disagree on a lot of things. I love Israel, and I will defend it wholeheartedly. Shes deeply troubled by the Israeli government. But that doesnt mean that there shouldn't be a voice on the Foreign Affairs Committee, even if it is painful for me, said Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips  a Jewish Democrat who in the past spoke out against some of her remarks, for which she later apologized.

Asked about whether his Democratic colleagues would come to the same conclusion: I think some are struggling, but I ultimately believe yes.

Taking Omar off panels only requires a simple majority vote, but even that could prove difficult for a House GOP with a historically slim margin  and a second public defector emerging Tuesday, as Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) joined Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) in declaring that she wouldnt vote for yanking Omar.



Democrats are privately lobbying other Republican members of the Foreign Affairs panel to oppose Omars removal. Centrist Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Omars expected counterpart on a Foreign Affairs subpanel, are seen as top prospects, according to several Democrats familiar with the situation. Smith declined to comment, citing his focus on a health issue.

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Another panel member, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), was still undecided, he told POLITICO. And Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) was also undecided, according to a person familiar with his thinking.

If just two more Republicans promise to vote against booting Omar, it will mark a humiliating defeat for GOP leaders on a priority theyve broadcasted for years  further rattling a conference thats still trying to counter the narrative that its too divided to accomplish much over the next two years.

Powerful Democratic blocs like the Progressive Caucus, where Omar serves in leadership, and the Congressional Black Caucus are expected to rally behind the Minnesotan, a high-profile liberal whos the regular subject of intense vitriol and even death threats. Omar had been evacuated to a secure location along with congressional leaders during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Its ridiculous, Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) said in a brief interview. We support Rep. Omar. Shes an effective legislator who deserves to maintain her seat and we're gonna continue to represent her and other members who are being used as political pawns in the Republican payback.

The furor over Omars comments on Israel began just weeks after she came to Congress four years ago. Several of her fellow Democrats were enraged by tweets that appeared to lean into antisemitic tropes, implying that lawmakers support for Israel was driven by campaign donations from pro-Israel groups. Those tweets were deleted, and Omar apologized. (Phillips was one of several members who had a one-on-one conversation with her about the tweets, and he said they both made it a point to continue their relationship.)

She also drew conservative backlash later in 2019 for comments about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Omar has said her comments were taken out of context by Republican critics. Two years later, Omar caused another public rift within her party with comments that appeared to equate the U.S. and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban while discussing war crimes  remarks she also quickly sought to clarify.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), one of several Jewish Democrats previously critical of Omar for the Hamas comparison, said: There's no reason to remove Congresswoman Omar from her committees except revenge.  We removed Congressman [Paul] Gosar and [Marjorie] Taylor Greene because they threatened violence against other members, including death. That is not anything that Congresswoman Omar did.

Asked if she thought all Democrats would be united behind Omar, Wasserman Schultz said, Of course, but we're just going to take this one step at a time.

Democrats are emphasizing the differences between Omars situation and the two Republicans removed from committees in 2021 by separate, bipartisan House votes. Nearly a dozen Republicans agreed to remove Greene (R-Ga.) from her committee posts for incendiary rhetoric against her fellow members of Congress, and two Republicans voted to remove Gosar (R-Ariz.) from his committees over a violent social media post in which he threatened prominent Democrats.

Neither of the two Republicans who voted to remove Gosar remain in Congress.

I think theres a big difference between policy disagreements and inciting and encouraging violence against members of Congress, said Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), who sits on Foreign Affairs with Omar and fiercely disputed GOP claims that Democrats started the precedent of removing members from committees.

As a Jewish member of Congress, I take this very seriously, Jacobs added.

Phillips, for his part, added that it is a particularly tough decision for some members given the rise in harmful rhetoric: Antisemitism is rearing its ugly head. I dont think shes antisemitic, I think shes made some mistakes. ... I believe that shes learned from it, and I mean that sincerely.

Democrats plan to name their own Foreign Affairs members in the coming days  an assignment Omar has said she expected Democratic leaders to grant by the end of this week. And given the GOP's slim margins in the lower chamber, Democrats are betting they may be able to flip enough Republicans to sink any vote on stripping Omars committee assignments.

While some Republicans still havent said how theyll vote, key moderates like Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) are signaling that the vote is a result of Democratic moves from the last Congress.

Ill listen to the debate and review comments shes made. But, the Dems should not be surprised by this. Pelosi set a new standard on how the majority treats the minority.  Now the new minority will have to live by [the] same standard, Bacon said in a statement.

Omar is not the only Democrat who will be stripped of a committee; Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both Californians, will also lose their spots on the House Intelligence Committee. The three members appeared on TV together Monday night, where they were dubbed the McCarthy Three by MSNBC host Lawrence ODonnell. But Omar will be the only one whose committee membership will face a floor vote, as McCarthy has the power to remove Intelligence panel members on his own.



McCarthy on Tuesday rejected Schiff and Swalwell's appointments to the House Intelligence Committee, claiming that both had put national security at risk. However, he demurred when asked earlier Tuesday if he had the votes to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The trio said in a joint statement Tuesday evening it was disappointing but not surprising that Kevin McCarthy has capitulated to the right wing of his caucus, undermining the integrity of the Congress, and harming our national security in the process.

The optics of singling out Omar  a woman of color and one of Congress first Muslim women members, whos set to be the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs subpanel overseeing Africa  are likely to be a major part of Democrats messaging next week.

Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
The claim: Image shows CBS article about the 'super-rich' gathering in Davos

A Jan. 20 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows what appears to be a CBS News article.

"As the super-rich gather in Davos, online conspiracy theorists make bizarre claim that the world is run by the super-rich," reads the supposed article's headline, which is attributed to the Associated Press and shown via a screenshot of a Jan. 19 tweet.

The Facebook post's caption reads: "What a headline."

The post garnered more than 800 shares in four days. Meanwhile, the original tweet garnered more than 1,000 likes in five days. Similar versions of the claim have been shared on Instagram.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: Altered

The image has been digitally fabricated. CBS never published an article with such a headline, according to spokespeople for CBS and the Associated Press.

Image shows fake article

Global leaders and business executives attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, during the week of Jan. 16 to discuss challenges currently facing the world. Outside the meeting, protesters gathered to demand climate justice and taxation of the rich, according to The Washington Post.

But CBS did not cover the event using the headline shown.

The CBS website doesn't show the article featured in the Facebook post, nor did the outlet share any articles with this headline on social media. Instead, the outlet republished an article written by the Associated Press headlined "As elites gather in Davos, conspiracy theories gain traction online."

This article was published the same day as the supposed article featured in the Facebook post.

Socialist Party activists take part in a protest against the World Economic Forum (WEF), calling for a climate tax on the rich, on the eve of the WEF annual meeting in Davos, on Jan. 15, 2022.

Nicole Meir, an AP spokesperson, directed USA TODAY to this article when asked about the legitimacy of the Facebook post. Meir said there have not been any changes to the article's headline since its publication. Web archives confirm this.

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Fact check: CNN headline about Damar Hamlin cardiac arrest was digitally altered

April Andrews, a CBS spokesperson, told USA TODAY something similar in an email.

"CBS News never ran the headline that is circulating on Twitter," Andrews said, directing USA TODAY to the same article as Meir.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment.

This claim has been debunked by Reuters as well.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Fabricated image shows CBS article about the 'super-rich'
Following in the steps of Washington, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced plans to send tanks to Ukraine. Also in the news: A batch of classified documents were located at former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana home. Mourners gathered in Monterey Park, California, to remember the 11 people killed in a mass shooting.

 I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. A stunning come-from-behind win during a college women's relay race is a powerful reminder to never give up.

Now, here we go with Wednesday's news.

Germany's Scholz confirms Ukraine tank plan

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that Germany was acting in close coordination with its allies in supplying battle tanks to Ukraine. In a statement, the German government confirmed it will initially provide Ukraine with one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks, which comprises 14 vehicles, from its own stocks. The long-awaited decision by Germany comes after U.S. officials said Tuesday that a preliminary agreement had been struck for the United States to send M1 Abrams tanks to help Kyiv push back Russian forces entrenched in the east almost a year since the start of the war. Read more

Ukrainian activists rally outside the German embassy to demand Germany to send Ukraine Leopard battle tanks in Tbilisi on January 25, 2023.

Classified documents found at former VP Mike Pence's Indiana home

In the latest in a series of discoveries involving classified documents, a handful of materials were found at former Vice President Mike Pence's home in Indiana and the FBI retrieved them last week, a representative for Pence wrote to the National Archives in letters this month. The revelation came as the Department of Justice was already investigating the discovery of classified documents in President Joe Biden's home in Delaware and his former Washington office, as well as former President Donald Trump's Florida estate.

What security analysts say: The U.S. system of safeguarding classified presidential documents is in urgent need of improvement, especially during the critical period when one administration hands over the White House keys to another.

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A Jan. 18 letter from Pences lawyer said the former vice president understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready and willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed two special prosecutors to oversee the Biden and Trump document cases in order to shield his Department of Justice from politics, since he reports to the president.

The difference with Trump: The Department of Justice executed a search warrant on Trump's home last year after a long back-and-forth over what documents the former president had at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump refused to cooperate with the DOJ in that case, a marked difference from Pence and Biden.

 Want more politics? Here's our look at the Republican National Convention's contentious fight for new leadership.

Pences lawyer the documents said they were found Jan. 16 and placed in a secure safe until they could be returned to proper authorities.

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Hundreds gather in California to remember mass shooting victims

Roughly a thousand people gathered Tuesday evening for a vigil honoring the 11 people killed on the eve of Lunar New Year, a time traditionally of family gathering and festivity. Many wept as they talked about the victims in Monterey Park. Many also expressed bewilderment at the nation's mass shooting problem, after two separate California attacks killed 18 people and left communities in shock. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit her home state Wednesday in the wake of the shootings as the Biden administration advances its plans for legislation to ban assault weapons. Read more

Police have drawn scrutiny taking five hours to alert public of threat in Monterey Park.

''Only in America'': Gov. Newsom decries gun violence in visit to Half Moon Bay after 7 killed.

Opinion: California mass shootings show America is too focused on motive instead of solutions.

Winter storm could bring more than a foot of snow in Northeast

The winter storm that brought snow and ice to a large swath of the country as it barreled across the U.S. this week is forecast to reach the Northeast on Wednesday. The heaviest snowfall is expected to land in northern New York through Maine, where some residents can expect a foot of snow or more. Parts of the central Appalachians are also expecting snow by early morning on Wednesday, Accuweather said. Conditions will extend South, where a winter weather advisory also remains in effect from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday in the northern Virginia Blue Ridge and central Virginia Blue Ridge. Read more

A bicyclist peddles down Noyes Street in the South End of Concord, New Hampshire, during a heavy burst of snow on Monday morning, Jan. 23, 2023.

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'Everything Everywhere' leads with 11 Oscar nominations

We don't know how it plays elsewhere in the multiverse, but in this reality, the Oscars really love "Everything Everywhere All at Once." The genre-smashing sci-fi hit ruled Tuesday morning when nominations for the 95th Academy Awards were announced. The film scored 11 honors including best picture and screenplay, star Michelle Yeoh was nominated for best actress, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu earned their first Oscar nominations and Cinderella story Ke Huy Quan garnered a nod for supporting actor. Read our recap of the nominations.

From ''Everything Everywhere'' to ''Elvis,' ' here's where to stream these 15 Oscar-nominated movies now.

Austin Butler, nominated for an Oscar in Baz Luhrmann's ''Elvis,'' calls nod ''bittersweet.''

The 2023 Oscar nominations are here.

 Photo of the day: Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week 2023 

On the heels of Men's Fashion Week 2023, Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week 2023 has begun! Bigger is better and more is encouraged when it comes to this week in the fashion industry. Scroll through to see all the celebrities at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.

US actress Yara Shahidi poses during the Christian Dior photocall as part of the Haute-Couture Spring-Summer 2023 Fashion Week in Paris on January 23, 2023.

One more thing

Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates on the podium after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Kronplatz, Italy.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this  subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: German tanks, winter weather, Mike Pence, Monterey Park, Oscars: Daily Briefing
Fox News host Jesse Watters seemed disappointed to find out that former Vice President Mike Pence was also in possession of classified documents  mainly because it might force his network to actually be fair and balanced.

The network has so far been milking the recent news that classified documents were found at the Delaware home of President Joe Biden.

But on Tuesdays Fox News episode of The Five, Watters and fellow panel members like Greg Gutfeld and Jeanine Pirro were apparently worried that the Pence news could ruin the good time they were having at the presidents expense:

WATTERS: I mean, Pence, seriously. We have this great thing going with Joe ... GUTFELD: Yeah, and he just ruined it! PIRRO: He did! WATTERS: Come on, man! GUTFELD: Now what are we gonna do?

Watters seemed disappointed that Pence didnt engage in criminal behavior by not trying to hide the evidence.

I mean, he couldve just destroyed it. We never wouldve known, Watters cheekily suggested.

Gutfeld pointed out that Pences honesty created another problem for the network.

And we have to be fair and balanced and show both sides, he said.

Watters chimed in: I know. Now we have to show both sides! And you know Pence is so clean. Squeaky clean. Its nothing like the real bad documents that Joe Biden was squirreling away.

Gutfeld then wondered if Pence reported the documents just so people wouldnt forget him.

Do you think he just wanted to be included? he asked rhetorically.

Hes like, Hey, Im running for president, too. Investigate me! I looked at secret stuff! Watters replied.

Watch the exchange below.

Jesse Watters casually suggests that Pence commit crimes: "Pence, seriously, we have this great thing going with Joe. C'mon man! And then he confessed to it. He couldn't just destroyed it, we never would've known." pic.twitter.com/RtFKwvo5YH  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 24, 2023

Twitter users were quick to point out Watters seeming hypocrisy.

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"Darn it! It would've been so much easier to keep attacking Biden if Pence had just broken the law and destroyed the documents. What was he thinking just turning them in like that?" https://t.co/3T8Hy6hOlG  Khashoggis Ghost  (@UROCKlive1) January 24, 2023

Joe could have done the same thing, but he isn't a criminal.

"Rule of Law" party my ass. https://t.co/zYytnJKPS4  (((TallyAnnaE)))  (@TallyAnnaE) January 24, 2023

If pence had just committed an actual crime and destroyed the documents to hide them we could continue to own the libs!!! Everybody sucks, dear Christ https://t.co/EOj0UAA2MX  Rob  (@foodguyrob) January 25, 2023

They're not even pretending anymore. https://t.co/LOk66RrFKI  Nicky Frank (@NickyFrank30) January 25, 2023

From the same folk gathering pitchforks and lighting torches over Biden's documents https://t.co/vnWIxy5kom  David Lazarus (@Davidlaz) January 24, 2023

Related...
First Lady Jill Biden smiles during an event to present her Inauguration Day attire to the Smithsonian's First Ladies collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History on January 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. Presenting the first lady's inauguration attire at the Smithsonian is a tradition dating back to Helen Taft in 1912.

Drew Angerer/Getty

She has at least two years left in the White House, but Dr. Jill Biden was already enshrined in American history on Wednesday when she gave her 2021 inauguration attire to the Smithsonian's popular First Ladies Collection.

The occasion included affectionate tributes to Biden's legacy that momentarily took the first lady's breath away when it was her turn at the microphone inside the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on Washington's mall.

"You know, this day is so much more emotional than I ever imagined it to be," Biden said, collecting herself to proceed with prepared remarks.

RELATED: A Look Back at First Ladies' Inauguration Day Outfits Over the Years

The installation of Biden's teal coat and dress from her husband's Jan. 20, 2021, swearing-in on the Capitol steps  plus her embroidered cocktail dress from that evening's virtual White House celebration, which took the place of traditional inaugural balls  includes the matching face masks Biden wore that day, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still at its height.

"They're just pieces of small cloth," Biden said, "but they represent the enormity of what we all faced at the time  a pandemic that has changed our world forever. ... But these masks also represent the moments of courage and kindness that helped us through the worst of it, the strength and resilience we found to rebuild and move forward."

RELATED: See the Striking and Stirring Photos from President Joseph Biden's Celebratory Inauguration

U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden wave while arriving at the White House during the 59th presidential inauguration parade in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Biden will propose a broad immigration overhaul on his first day as president, including a shortened pathway to U.S. citizenship for undocumented migrants - a complete reversal from Donald Trump's immigration restrictions and crackdowns, but one that faces major roadblocks in Congress.

Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Opening the brief ceremony, museum director Anthea Hartig recalled President Joe Biden's 2021 inauguration and its context  not only the pandemic, but the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol two weeks earlier that led to riot fencing and high-alert security for the Jan. 20 swearing in on the Capitol steps.

"A weary nation needed healing," Hartig said. "The elegance and the understated beauty of Dr. Biden's first-inaugural dresses and coats  and for the first time in our history, coordinating, matching masks  these together captured the uniqueness of that day perfectly."

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RELATED: Hero Capitol Officer Who Steered Rioters Away From Senate Escorts Kamala Harris at Inauguration

In a nod to the fact that the inaugural evening wear already in the exhibit from previous first ladies are all floor-length ball gowns, Hartig added:

"Dr. Biden, your grace and your confidence reassured and uplifted us in a way that I think a ballgown probably couldn't have done."

More than a knee-length evening dress, Biden quipped that she hoped to see another newcomer to the collection: "I look forward to adding some men's wear to this gallery in the future as well."

The Smithsonian exhibit announcement describes Biden's daytime ensemble, designed by Alexandra O'Neill of Markarian, as "an ocean blue wool tapered tweed dress, hand embellished with pearls and crystals in a delicate floral pattern, with its matching overcoat accented by a dark blue velvet collar and cuffs."

As for the evening look, by Gabriela Hearst, the museum calls it "an ivory silk wool cady dress and an ivory double-breasted cashmere coat, with embroidery reflecting the federal flowers from every state and territory of the U.S. as a symbol of unity."

That floral touch was intentional, said Biden: "My focus on Inauguration Day was being a first lady for all Americans, doing my part to bring our country back together."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.

The first lady credited Hearst for pushing her to take fashion risks. "Time and time again, I think that there's no way I'm going to like her suggestion, but she's right and I love it."

With her voice cracking with emotion and her palms pressed together as if in prayer, Biden closed her remarks: "It's been an honor to serve as your first lady."
A bill addressing climate change in New Mexico with the expenditure of millions of state funds passed out of its first committee Monday on a 7-2 vote by lawmakers.

Senate Bill 5 was sponsored by Sens. Elizabeth Stefanics (D-39) and Elizabeth Thomson (D-24), and went before the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee where lawmakers granted the measure a do pass recommendation.

SB 5 had yet to be scheduled for its next committee hearing, as of Tuesday.

More:Energy and environment bills to watch during New Mexico's 2023 Legislative Session

If passed, the bill would require New Mexico adopt a statewide plan to address climate change and take preventative measures to avoid impacts of extreme weather events like wildfires.

The plan would be headed by the States Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau with the Department of Health, and the bill set a deadline of Jan. 1, 2024, for its implantation.

The Bureau would also administer a newly created Public Health and Climate Resiliency Fund that would help local communities prepare of climate change, while also working with local governments to devise their own action plans.

More:Federal oil and gas reforms debated by New Mexico environmental, industry groups

The fund would offer grants of up to $250,000 for climate change projects at the local level, with at least half of the total grant funds going to communities with populations less than 100,000.

The bill would appropriate $5 million to the fund to pay for the grants for Fiscal Years 2024 through 2028, and another $1.1 million annually to aid in establishing the statewide program.

An analysis from the Legislative Finance Committee showed the funding would allow for the hiring of about 6 full-time employees for the work, but that additional employees would need to be funded.

More:Lujan Grisham calls to spend big in State of State speech, as New Mexico rakes in oil money

Widespread scientific consensus agreed the worlds climate is changing and could create extreme weather conditions, the analysis read, that could create health hazards for people.

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This included higher levels of air and water pollution, drought, food and water shortages and physical injury, read the report.

Although scientific understanding of the effects of climate change is still emerging, there is a pressing need to prepare for potential health risks, the report read. A wide variety of organizations (federal, state, local, multilateral, private and nongovernmental) are addressing the implications of climate change globally.

Despite this breadth of activity, the public health effects of climate change remain largely unaddressed.

More:Energy storage pushed by New Mexico lawmakers via tax credits to boost renewable power

Stefanics said SB 5 would help the state take steps to alleviate these problems.

During her testimony before the committee, she said it was essential local communities have the support needed to prepare for emergencies.

State Sen. Liz Stefanics swill be in Ruidoso Wednesday, Oct. 24.

Weve had several climate events, traumas in our state, Stefanics said. Issues that really confound communities and that communities do not prepare or plan for.

Opinion:Public health and climate resiliency: An opportunity for New Mexicans

She pointed to Ruidoso, within Stefanics district, where she said a wildfire 10 years ago continued to threaten the local water system during heavy rains along the burn scar in the decade since, despite efforts by federal agencies.

Every time it would flood from fires and then rain, it would take mud into the reservoir that not only served Ruidoso, but also the city of Alamogordo, Stefanics said. If communities had the option to work on this in advance, prepare, then they might more ready or more prepared.

Another analysis from the Legislative Education Study Committee contended that preparation often includes public schools used as community shelters in times of weather emergencies and natural disasters like flooding.

Opinion:Atmospheric rivers endanger the West

The analysis said school districts used in this way could likely apply for and received funds as political subdivisions, if the bill was passed, to cover related expenses.

Funds from the bill could also be used, read the analysis, to support school-based health centers addressing long-term health impacts tied to climate change.

School districts are often cornerstones of local communities emergency response plans, the report read. Schools offer large, spacious buildings that can be used to shelter displaced residents during fires, floods, or other natural disasters.

SB5 could also support the work of school-based health centers in addressing public health concerns that are proximally related to climate change.

Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-16) said that while she supported the bill for protecting New Mexicans from the effects of climate change, she thought the state should be working harder to prevent climate change rather than preparing for it as an inevitable.

It saddens me that were already moving to adaptation and mitigation, and not engaging in trying to prevent it, she said.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: New Mexico lawmakers advance bill to fund local climate change response
(Clockwise from bottom left:) Cat Person, Run Rabbit Run, Passages, All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt (Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival)

While publicists manning Park Citys red carpets may groan at the fact that the Academy Award nominations are announced midway through the Sundance Film Festival, the simultaneity of these two industry events reminds us of a tantalizing question: How many of next years Oscar contenders are premiering here now?

Tiffany Haddish and Michael Gandolfini premiered their film Landscape With Invisible Hand, while the subject of Stephen Curry: Underrated made a Sundance appearance alongside producer Ryan Coogler. Other documentaries receiving buzz in recent days include Food And Country, Victim/Suspect, Plan C, King Coal, and Going Varsity In Mariachi. For early tastes of some of the narrative films making waves here in Utah, The A.V. Clubs capsule reviews are below.

Read more

All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt

All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt

Director: Raven Jackson



Cast: Charleen McClure, Moses Ingram, Kaylee Nicole Johnson, Reginald Helms Jr., Sheila Atim, Chris Chalk, Jayah Henry, Zainab Jah

Two hands caressing each other. A long embrace between two people where we only see their arms and backs. A childs hand on a fishing rod as her father instructs her, off camera, on how to catch fish. All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt luxuriates in these montages. Slow as molasses and narratively opaque, its a movie that demands patience from the audience.

Writer and director Raven Jackson is also a poet and photographer, and you can see those influences here. Ostensibly a decades-spanning story of a woman from Mississippi, it unspools like visual poem vignettes that give us tiny glimpses into that life. Watching All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt feels like watching an anthology of poems semi-connected in theme, come to gorgeous life on screen. Trying to discern a complete narrative is a futile undertaking; just relax and let it envelop you. Drawing inspiration from her own life and relatives, Jackson has created a unique cinematic experience that celebrates Black Southern life and traditions. [Murtada Elfadl]

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Run Rabbit Run

Run Rabbit Run

Director: Daina Reid



Cast: Sarah Snook, Lily Latorre, Damon Herriman, Greta Scacchi

Theres a rich history of psychological horror films focusing on the unraveling sanity of parents grappling with unnerving children. And its this well which the Australian-set Run Rabbit Run, from Emmy-nominated television director Daina Reid, seeks to tap. A putative exploration of traumas long shadow, this Sundance premiere tries to wring suspense from sleight-of-hand in form, threading the needle between telling a story about the lengths to which the human psyche will go to protect itself, and the more literal manifestation of a childhood demon held long at bay.

Following a death in the family, divorced mother Sarah (Sarah Snook) struggles emotionally when her daughter Mia (Lily LaTorre) insistently assumes another identity and starts demanding more information about her grandmother Joan (Greta Scacchi), from whom Sarah is estranged. Scripted by Hannah Kent, the movie leans away from goosing scares (not at all a bad thing), but struggles with escalating tension as well as believable and compelling character shading. Theres a very basic level of hold Run Rabbit Run achieves, which comes largely from the inherent intrigue of inscrutable child characters, plus Snooks professional investment. In short order, though, this thinly sketched offering devolves into a drinking game powered by how often Sarah questioningly calls out her daughters name. [Brent Simon]

Cat Person

Cat Person

Director: Susanna Fogel



Cast: Emilia Jones, Nicholas Braun, Geraldine Viswanathan, Hope Davis, Fred Melamed, Isabella Rossellini

Adapting one of the most viral short stories of the last few years was never going to be an easy feat. Especially one which flirted with competing and conflicting points of view, all in the service of elucidating what modern dating can feel like. Framed by Margaret Atwoods famed line, Men are afraid women will laugh at them. Women are afraid men will kill them, Susanna Fogels Cat Person, working from Michelle Ashfords adapted script, is centered on the relationship between awkward (and maybe all-too-desperate) Robert (Nicholas Braun) and aloof (and maybe all-too-conceited) Margot (Emilia Jones). After meeting at her job as she sells him Red Vines and a large popcorn, Robert and Margot let their text-based interactions slowly bloom into something more. But after a disastrous date, Margot must come to terms with whether breaking up bluntly (read: honestly) is a good idea when he could very well be a violent stalker. Throwing everything at the screen (from imagined fantasies to dreamed-up therapy sessions), Cat Person never quite hits the markeither as a biting dating satire nor as a potentially violent thriller. It ends instead as a mostly cerebral exercise that leaves you wanting to read Kristen Roupenians original story. [Manuel Betancourt]

Passages

Passages

Director: Ira Sachs



Cast: Franz Rogowski, Adele Exarchopoulos, Ben Whishaw

Sundance mainstay writer-director Ira Sachs knows something fundamental about the connecting tissues of relationships both familial and romantic: they are messy and all the glories reside within the cracks of that disarray. In a fluid and casually immersive script co-penned by Mauricio Zachariasusually a New York-based storyteller with the likes of Little Men and Love Is StrangeSachs sets his Passages in Paris, the sensual city of romance, swoony architecture, and cigarettes. The story follows the often amusingly (and sometimes, insufferably) egotistical filmmaker Tomas (a sharp and hilarious Franz Rogowski), as he cheats on his level-headed husband Martin (Ben Whishaw, in a gracefully minor-key performance) and embarks on an affair with a woman. She is Agathe (an alluring Adele Exarchopoulos), an independent personality who gets briefly entangled in their crossfire.

Through studious long takes, a textured look, and playful choreography, Sachs Passages examines the ever-evolving nature of sexuality and attraction with both intelligence and a sense of humor, knowing that the pursuit of a formulaic answer to the eternal mystery of love is only a fools errand and theres no darker comedy than whatever happens around a dining table. Passages is both unapologetically sexy and infinitely wise in its refusal to succumb to the traditional norms of coupledom; what a novel and grown-up combination in cinema these days. [Tomris Laffly]

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Sweden and Finland's NATO membership is in doubt with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voicing opposition after demonstrators burned a Quran in Stockholm.

Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told a news conference Tuesday that he did not expect any progress on Finland and Sweden's NATO membership bid until after the Turkish elections later this year. Haavisto's comments follow Ankara's outrage over demonstrators Saturday in Stockholm burning the Muslim holy book, the Quran, close to the Turkish Embassy.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday ruled out supporting Sweden's bid. Erdogan said, the "Swedish government does not need to (talk) about the rights and freedom to us. If you really do respect rights and freedom, at first, you need to respect the Turkish republic or Muslims' religious beliefs. If you do not show that respect, I am sorry, you will not see any support from us regarding NATO membership."

Even before the Quran burning, the Turkish government was outraged over a protest earlier this month in Stockholm in which demonstrators hanged from a lamp post an effigy of the Turkish leader. The Swedish government, while condemning the protests, says they fall within freedom of expression, a stance supported Monday by United States.

Speaking in Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price said, "We have a saying in this country: something can be lawful but awful. I think in this case, what we've seen in the context of Sweden falls into that category." Washington is strongly backing both Sweden and Finland's bids to join NATO.
Salomon Correa https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1190950951321338&set=a.218715465211563 Salomon Correa Magdalene Franco https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1469604040038141&set=a.135711646760727 Magdalene Franco Andrea Prime https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=914000699778475&set=a.103403660838187 Andrea Prime Suzy Prime https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=515766700402527&set=a.102613295051205 Suzy Prime Ava Luplow (Grace) https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=530073668418465&set=a.105178304241339 Ava Grace

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An Arkansas community is mourning after a wrong-way driver caused a crash that killed five young people who were on their way home from visiting a college in Wyoming.

Two of those killed were Sylvan Hills High School students Susana "Suzy" Prime and Ava Luplow, both 18, according to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The other three were recent graduates, Salomon Correa, 21, Maggie Franco, 20, and 23-year-old Andrea Prime, Suzy's sister.

The group of friends was traveling back to Sherwood, a city about 10 miles northeast of Little Rock, after spending a week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, visiting Jackson Hole Bible College, according to a Facebook post by Faith Bible Fellowship Church.

"Our fellowship is mourning the loss of five of our young adults," the church said.

The crash happened on Sunday just before 7 p.m. on Interstate 80, east of Rawlins, Wyoming, according to Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Troopers said that about six minutes before the crash, they were notified about a wrong-way driver going east on the wrong side of the highway.

According to troopers, the wrong-way driver in a Dodge Ram 3500 collided with a commercial truck and a passenger car. A second commercial truck tried avoiding the incoming truck by driving into the median, but the driver proceeded into the eastbound lanes and crashed head-on, causing a fiery collision, with the Ford F-150 carrying the students returning from their trip.

Some of the other drivers in the crash were taken to hospitals with critical injuries, Wyoming Highway Patrol said.

The driver of the Dodge, who was not identified, was arrested on suspicion of being impaired, troopers said.

More than 100 people gathered on Monday during a candlelight vigil honoring the victims of the crash, KATV reported.

Quint Scruggs, who is an alum of Sylvan Hills High, told the station the community is in disbelief.

Scruggs said he went to school with some of the victims, adding that they were "always joyful, I mean there was never a dull moment, always made you laugh," per KATV.

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Ava and Suzy worked at Humble Crumb, a bakery in Sherwood, according to KARK-TV.

"They filled a huge role at Humble Crumb in so many ways," said Betsy Peters, a co-owner of the bakery.

Maggie also used to work there, and she has family members who work there now, KARK-TV reported.

On Facebook, the bakery said they would be closing for two weeks to allow employees to grieve the girls' deaths.

"Our lives are forever changed and the bakery will continually feel this void. Our small team lost two of our own, two of our gems, on Sunday," the Facebook post said. "The news has broken our hearts and we are still trying the wrap our minds around this new reality.

"We have ONE comfort and ONE hope and that is the comfort that comes only from God," the business posted on Facebook. "Ava and Suzy loved Jesus and they knew Jesus as their redeeming Savior. They wanted to serve him with their lives and they were trusting in HIM for their salvation. They are now with HIM in glory and while we suffer their loss, our hearts are also filled with hope."

The five friends will be remembered during a combined funeral service at the Sylvan Hills High School Performing Arts Center, the Faith Bible Fellowship Church said on Facebook. The funeral will be held on Feb. 4.
Ukraine tank

WASHINGTON  The Biden administration plans to send more than 30 of its frontline battle tanks to Ukraine, a move intended to unlock Germanys reluctance to supply its own main battle tank to bolster Ukrainian forces battling Russia, according to a U.S. official.

Modern, capable tanks are seen as critical to Ukraines ability to resist an expected springtime offensive by Russian forces and to help the Ukrainians claw back parts of their country seized during the invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainians operate Russian and Soviet-era tanks. Western tanks would provide them with vehicles that have more firepower, mobility and armor.

Early Wednesday, Germany announced it would provide, as a first step, 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks for Ukraine's military. This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a Cabinet meeting in Berlin, adding that the decision had been coordinated with international partners.

The Pentagon has resisted sending the tanks, citing the heavy maintenance they require as well as their need for jet fuel for its engine. Germanys Leopard tank, which several European allies use, runs on easier-to-source diesel fuel.

However, Germany had wanted the Pentagon to commit its own tanks before sending its Leopard 2 tanks, and allowing other countries that operate the tank to provide them to Ukraine. The German move follows months of pressure from Ukraine, which hopes the Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams tanks will be a game-changer for its military on the battlefield ahead of an expected new Russian offensive this spring.

The White House is expected to officially announce its plans for the tanks today.

Scholz said other European partners would also be handing over Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. He didn't say how many. In addition to training, Germany's package of support will also include logistics, ammunition and system maintenance, he said.

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The Biden administration has already sent Ukraine $27 billion in military aid since Russia's invasion in Feb. 2022. The arms sent have grown increasingly sophisticated and lethal. The tanks and armored personnel carriers now being given to Ukraine are the same ones operated by the U.S. Army's frontline soldiers.

The current Pentagon plan is to send 31 M-1 Abrams tanks and eight vehicles to recover those damaged in battle, said the official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the plan. The Biden administration's decision to send the tanks was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

On Tuesday afternoon, Pentagon officials declined to confirm the decision.

I have no announcements to make at this time, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Tuesday. He described the Abrams tank as very capable but very complex.

Last week, the U.S.-led coalition supporting Ukraine could not reach an agreement with Germany to provide its Leopard tanks. Also last week, the Pentagon announced its latest military aid package, $2.5 billion worth of armored personnel carriers, ammunition and other aid.

The Abrams is lethal, fast and heavily armored. Weighing about 70 tons, the Abrams has a 120 mm canon and .50-caliber machine gun. The Abrams was developed during the Cold War and the first tanks delivered to the Army in 1980. They saw combat in 1991 for the first time during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq.

The tank, according to a Congressional Research Service report, "was lethal, as crews said its 120-mm gun was accurate and its ammunition deadly against all forms of Iraqi armor. Army observers attribute the guns high degree of accuracy to superior sights, high levels of tank readiness, and soldier training. The Abrams also survived well on the battlefield."

An Army report cited by the research service noted that Abrams tank crews said they had received "direct frontal hits from Iraqi T-72s (tanks) with minimal damage. In fact, the enemy destroyed no Abrams tanks during the Persian Gulf War."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pentagon to send Ukraine battle tanks to help in its war with Russia
Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Monterey Park, California, on Wednesday to meet with victims' families days after a mass shooter there killed 11 and wounded at least nine others at a Lunar New Year celebration inside a dance studio.

Harris visited Star Dance Studio to mourn the loss of the victims of the Monterey Park shooting, expressing the administration's "deepest condolences and sorrows for the violent and tragic and useless thing that happened" there.

PHOTO: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris walks to lay flowers at the memorial outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio where a deadly mass shooting took place on January 25, 2023 in Monterey Park, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The vice president, carrying a large bouquet of Yellow lilies and white roses, took time looking at each of the 11 memorials set up at the dance studio in honor of the victims.

After paying her respects, the Vice President laid the bouquet down, and walked to the press, delivering short remarks-- urging that the country take action to address the all-too-common tragedies.

MORE: Monterey Park shooting victims: Dance studio regular among those who died, family says

"You know we've already had in our country this year -- already, we're in January -- It's estimated over 40 mass killings already. And tragically, we keep saying the same thing. I have had the unfortunate experience of visiting many of these sites, sometimes within days of a massacre like this. We will always, as a compassionate nation, mourn for the loss and pray for those who survive in their recover. But we must also require that leaders of nations who have the ability and the power and the responsibility to do something, that they act," Harris said.

Harris praised California for their work on smart gun safety laws, but stressed that Congress must take action for the country as a whole, and "have courage to do the right thing."

Harris was asked if she believed the current Congress could act on gun reform and gave a sharp answer.

"They absolutely can," Harris said. "Can they do something? Yes. Should they do something? Yes. Will they do something? That is where we all must speak up and speak to our elected representatives about what we have a right to expect that they will do for the -- in the interest of the safety, the security and the well-being of people like those whose lives were ended here and people around our country. They can yes."

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PHOTO: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris walks outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio after a mass shooting during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California, U.S. January 25, 2023. (David Swanson/Reuters)

In Monterey Park, Brandon Tsay disarmed the shooter. Tsay later told ABC News he realized "everybody would die" if he didn't take control of the situation, adding, "Something came over me."

On Monday, seven people were killed in Half Moon Bay, in a mass shooting across two farms, authorities said, with workplace violence believed to be the motive. And only hours later in Oakland, at least one person was killed and seven more injured in another mass shooting at a gas station.

Congress broke a nearly 30-year stalemate last year by passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the first major piece of federal gun reform to clear both chambers since what's known as the 1993 Brady bill. The BSCA was crafted in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 young children and two teachers.

MORE: Man who disarmed Monterey Park shooter speaks out: 'Something came over me'

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, alongside Connecticut Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, on Monday reintroduced a federal assault weapons ban and legislation that would raise the minimum purchase age for assault-style weapons to 21. But that legislation is unlikely to move forward.

PHOTO: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris walks after laying a wreath at the entrance of the Star Ballroom Dance Studio after a mass shooting during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California, U.S. (David Swanson/Reuters)

Harris spoke about the Monterey Park shooting at a Sunday appearance in Florida to mark 50 years since Roe v. Wade, saying, "Yet another community has been torn apart by senseless gun violence."

"All of us in this room and in our country understand this violence must stop," she said then. "President Biden and I and our administration will continue to provide full support to the local authorities as we learn more."

According to the Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. has seen more mass shootings than days in 2023.

ABC News' Molly Nagle contributed to this report.

Harris visits Monterey Park to meet with victims' families originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The best Oregon parks and sites include the deepest lake in the U.S. and prehistoric fossil beds.

Bruce Shippee/Getty Images

The state of Oregon has a little bit of everything  from snow-dusted mountains to the Pacific coastline. Beyond the states varied landscape is a long human history that includes several migrations and cross-country expeditions, and this history is honored and protected at Oregon national parks and sites. These special corners of the state showcase the beauty and history of Oregon, a state with 111,619 miles of rivers and streams, 296 miles of coastline, and hundreds of lakes. Ready to plan your trip to the Beaver State? Here are ten of the best national parks and sites in Oregon.

Oregon National Parks

Steve Terrill/Getty Images

Crater Lake National Park

It may be Oregons only official national park, but Crater Lake National Park stands out among the nations most beloved landscapes. The parks crown jewel is Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the U.S. and one of the most pristine bodies of water on Earth. But beyond its apparent beauty, the lake has one of the worlds most interesting origin stories  it was created when a volcano collapsed, creating a huge crater that is filled by rain and snow.

Today, park visitors can take the Rim Drive around the crater or hop on a boat to Wizard Island, a remnant cinder cone near the western edge of the lake.

Oregon National Monuments, Trails, Recreation Areas, and Sites

fdastudillo/Getty Images

Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve

Known as the Marble Halls of Oregon, this network of dark, twisting passages deep within the Siskiyou Mountains is easily one of the states most awe-inspiring natural wonders. In addition to the network of underground caves and passageways, there is a 4,554-acre park with hiking, camping, and wildlife spotting, including bears, cougars, and bobcats.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

Four unique sites, each with a different story, are found at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. It provides a glimpse into the areas fur trading history, the U.S. Army's Vancouver Barracks, the sites role in the evolution of aviation, and the very origin of the Pacific Northwest. Its Oregons go-to destination for those looking to understand the history of the state and those who want to revel in the beauty it holds today.

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Anna Gorin/Getty Images

Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail

The history of this national trail dates back to the end of the last Ice Age when an ice dam burst in northern Idaho and flooded the Columbia River before reaching the Pacific Ocean. The event changed the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, including parts of Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. In Oregon, the floods remnants include Hat Rock, a monolith carved by the flood, and the Tualatin Ice Age Trail, which has remnants of 18,000-year-old ice, rock, and bone.



Francesco Vaninetti Photo/Getty Images

Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail

While the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail traverses 16 states and almost 4,900 miles, the adventurers destination was the coastline of modern-day Oregon and Washington. To that end, Oregon is full of historic sites, including the Netul Landing & River Trail, where Lewis and Clark paddled up and established a winter camp, and Les Shirley Park, where the explorers searched for a beached whale to bolster their dwindling supplies.

Lewis and Clark National Historic Park

The most popular site at this park is the replica of Fort Clatsop, Lewis and Clarks winter encampment. Once you learn about their journey, you can go on an adventure yourself  the historic park has an impressive network of trails that lead through rain forests and offer stunning views of the Oregon coastline.

Nez Perce National Historical Park

The Nez Perce National Historical Park spreads across four states  Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Oregon  and features a whopping 38 sites that tell the story of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) people who have long called this land home. In Oregon, sites include the Joseph Canyon Viewpoint, an overlook that showcases one of the Nimiipuus winter homes (where Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, also known as Chief Joseph, was supposedly born), and the grave site of Chief Joseph.

Oregon National Historic Trail

Many states boast a piece of the Oregon National Historic Trail, but none are more important than Oregon, which marked the end of the cross-country journey. The trail cuts through the northern part of the state and showcases ruts from the original travelers wagons, along with plenty of historic sites and museums.

Peter Unger/Getty Images

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

An important piece of the Earths history is preserved at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, which showcases past ecosystems, plant and animal evolution, and a changing climate in its colorful rock formations. The monument encompasses over 40 million years of history  which you can witness for yourself on one of the sites scenic hikes.

California National Historic Trail

The greatest mass migration in American history took place in the 1840s and 1850s when over 250,000 people made their way toward California in search of gold and farmland. From Oregon, the California National Historic Trail kicks off west of Salem and heads south. One popular stop is the Douglas County Museum, which is Oregon's largest natural history collection.

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Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
INDIAN RIVER SHORES  Voters here overwhelmingly passed all 11 proposed charter amendments in a special mail-in election that ended Tuesday.In the rare all-mail election, 934 voters  22.73% of the town's 4,109 registered voters  cast ballots, according to the Supervisor of Elections Office.

All 11 issues passed with at least 91% of the vote, according to final, unofficial results from the elections office

"The number of ballots returned showed substantial engagement on the part of our residents," Mayor Brian Foley said Tuesday night. "I believe the charter amendments will streamline the town's administration, and we appreciate our citizens who took the time to vote."The proposed charter changes were recommended by last year's Charter Review Committee. Results are:

Amendment 1: Relocate the section of the charter concerning territorial boundaries from Section 1-2 to an appendix: Yes: 825, 92.28%; No: 69, 7.72%

Amendment 2: Should the town have all governmental, corporate and proprietary powers to conduct municipal government, perform additional functions and render municipal services in the exercise of any power for municipal purposes as provided for in the Florida Constitution and the laws of Florida, as amended from time to time, expect when expressly prohibited by law or this charter: Yes: 859, 93.07%; No: 64, 6.93%

Amendment 3: Members of the Town Council may not serve as members of boards, commissions, authorities and agencies which they have created, unless required by Florida law: Yes: 882, 95.45%; No: 42, 4.55%

Amendment 4: Repeal Section 3-2 of the charter, which established the town clerk as a charter officer, and make the position a non-charter officer position: Yes: 820, 91.42%; No: 77, 8.58%

Amendment 5: No private property shall be taken by the town, except for a public purpose and with full compensation paid to each owner: Yes: 843, 95.80%; No: 37, 4.20%

Amendment 6: Emergency ordinances: To meet a public emergency, the Town Council may adopt an emergency ordinance but such ordinance may not levy taxes, grant, renew or extend a franchise, regulate the rate charged by any public utility or annex land into the town: Yes: 812, 92.48%; No: 66, 7.52%

Amendment 7: The Town Council shall not approve or undertake approval to be included in any proposed taxing district without submitting the proposed district to the electors of the town for vote at a general election or a special election: Yes: 839, 95.67%; No: 38, 4.33%

Amendment 8: Nepotism is prohibited. Neither the Town Council, town manager nor any charter officer or their relatives can be employed or contracted by the town: Yes: 846, 95.92%; No: 36, 4.08%

Amendment 9: The Town Council shall appoint a Charter Review Committee every 10 years to review the Town Charter and applicable county, state and federal laws and submit proposed amendments to the Town Council. Passage requires approval of electors: Yes: 834, 95.53%; No: 39, 4.47%

Amendment 10: The Town Council, by ordinance or by the electors, may submit proposed charter amendments to the electors utilizing the procedures for municipal charter amendments as stated in Florida Statutes: Yes: 859, 93.78%; No: 57, 6.22%

Amendment 11: Reorganization of the numbering of articles and titles of articles of the Town Charter: Yes: 885, 96.83%; No: 29, 3.17%

Janet Begley is a local freelance writer for TCPalm.com. If you like articles like this and other TCPalm coverage of Treasure Coast news, please support our journalism and subscribe now.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Voters Select from 11 Charter Amendments-
European rights court rules Ukraine, MH-17 cases against Russia are admissible The building of the European Court of Human Rights is seen ahead of the start of a hearing in Strasbourg

By Stephanie van den Berg and Bart H. Meijer

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The European Court of Human Rights said cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia over alleged human rights violations in the breakaway Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine, and the shooting down of Flight MH-17, were admissible.

The decision does not rule on the merits of the cases, but it does show the Strasbourg-based court considers Russia can be held liable for rights violations in the separatist regions.

"Among other things, the Court found that areas in eastern Ukraine in separatist hands were, from 11 May 2014 and up to at least 26 January 2022, under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation," the court said in a ruling on Wednesday.

The cases will now move on to the merits stage, expected take another one to two years before a final decision is issued.

The ECHR decision opens the doors to at least three other cases by the Ukrainian state against Russia, as well as thousands of individual cases, which had been put on hold pending the decision on jurisdiction.

"This is a clear signal to Russia," Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra tweeted, saying the court's decision to declare the cases admissible was "an important milestone".

The impact of any ruling will be largely political as Russia's parliament in June voted to end the ECHR's jurisdiction in the country and has previously ignored ECHR rulings it disagreed with.

The court says it has jurisdiction in cases already started before Moscow's withdrawal from the ECHR's writ, and Russia could be ordered to pay damages, but the court has no way to enforce its rulings.

CONTROL

The court's finding that Moscow did control pro-Russian forces in Ukraine mirrors a Dutch court ruling last November that Moscow had "overall control" over the forces of the Donetsk People's Republic in Eastern Ukraine from mid-May 2014.

Dutch judges handed down life sentences in absentia to two Russian men and a Ukrainian man for their role in the downing of Flight MH17, with the loss of 298 passengers and crew.

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The Malaysian Airlines flight departed Amsterdam and was bound for Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over separatist-held eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, as fighting raged between pro-Russian and Ukrainian government forces.

The Netherlands filed its case with the ECHR in 2020, saying the shooting down of Flight MH17 breached the European Convention on Human Rights.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the destruction of the aircraft.

The two Ukrainian cases, which date from 2014, pertain to what Kyiv says were administrative practices by Russia in eastern Ukraine in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the abduction, and transfer to Russia, of three groups of Ukrainian orphan children and children without parental care, and a number of adults accompanying them.

All were returned to Ukraine one day or, in the third case, five days after their abduction, the ECHR said.

(Reporting by Ingrid Melander, Stephanie van den Berg and Bart Meijer; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Mark Heinrich)
Scarlett Doumato's dream of being a detective was realized when the Cumberland Police Department opened up her case to determine the validity of Santa Claus. (Credit: WJAR)

When Cumberland Police Chief Matt Benson arrived at his office shortly after the holiday break, a suspicious package was waiting for him. Inside sat food scraps.

"I opened it up and there were two ziplock baggies, with a half-eaten cookie and two half-eaten baby carrots," Benson tells Yahoo Life, describing the contents as evidence from a young Rhode Island citizen claiming they may potentially have proof that Santa Claus is real.

Alongside the objects: a handwritten note on yellow-lined paper from its sender, 10-year-old aspiring detective Scarlett Doumato.

"Dear Cumberland Police Department," it read. "I took a sample of a cookie and carrots that I left for Santa and the reindeer on Christmas Eve and was wondering if you could take a sample of DNA and see if Santa is real?"

In a matter of minutes, the package made an indelible impression on the department.

"We're human, as well, and it put a smile on our faces," Benson says of himself and his fellow officers. "You could see the energy and the kind of light and excitement that was garnered from them just reading it. So, we immediately put our heads together and decided we needed to do something about this, we need to really invest in it and make this really special for her."

Soon after receiving the package, Benson opened a full-scale investigation and released a statement to the media about the situation (with Doumato's name redacted), noting Santas other aliases, Kris Kringle and Saint Nicholas.

In the press release, CPD confirmed they sent evidence  including surveillance images of a reindeer in the vicinity that night extracted from a nearby camera  to the State Forensic Unit for further testing.

But, unbeknownst to Benson, Doumato was on the case long before the police stepped in.

"Two years ago, my dad tried to catch Santa," Doumato tells Yahoo Life. "He put his phone out, but then, when we looked at it the next morning, it looked almost Photoshopped. I got suspicious."

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Doumato credits her inquisitiveness to the long hours she spends with her dad watching detective shows (her favorite is Monk). Those instincts were put to the test on the morning of Dec. 25, 2022, when she discovered the baby carrots and cookies she'd left for Santa and his nine reindeer the night before were half-eaten. By whom? she wondered. And can their DNA be traced?

"If Santa isn't real, then who puts the presents under the tree?" she asks.

All good questions, argues Benson, who, like Doumato, dreamed of being a detective from an early age.

"She has me in spades," he says. "She's far more advanced than I ever was at that age. I mean, this was something I always wanted to do, but she's taken it to another level. This is something that she wants to do, and she's actually working on her craft and really investing in it personally."

The industry needs more people like Doumato, says Benson.

"This girl has a passion for truth, and a passion for answers, and at such a young age," he says. "I'd be doing a disservice to her and her family if I didn't, from what my little distance to the situation is, if I didn't support that, if I didn't foster that and if me or my staff didn't get behind and invest in it as well."

The investigation, which has since gone viral, has turned into a family affair. Alyson Doumato, Scarlett's mom, says she supports her daughter's dreams of becoming a detective.

"Let kids be who they are," she tells Yahoo Life. "Each kid has a personality and we need to look at their strengths, and give them the things they need to let that continue to grow rather than try and change them."

The results are inconclusive

As soon as the public became aware of the investigation, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee confirmed that the states health department was putting a rush on delivering the results, which, curiously, turned out to be inconclusive.

Unfortunately there were no complete matches, the health department confirmed in a tweet. Interestingly, they noted, there was a partial match to a 1947 case centered around 34th street in New York City.

Curiously, the message continued, scientists found presence DNA matching closely with Rangier tarandus, more commonly known as reindeer, concluding that while they arent able to definitely confirm or refute the presence of Santa, they do agree that something magical may be at play.

The results are in... pic.twitter.com/0ZakM5ph36  Rhode Island Department of Health (@RIHEALTH) January 23, 2023

The health department's message, which Benson confirms was not coordinated in collaboration with the Cumberland Police Department, didn't sit well with investigators.

"Their determination was that it was inconclusive," Benson says. "That's not good enough for me."

Benson tells Yahoo Life that on Monday officers brought in a person of interest for questioning who seems to match the suspect: "Older man, red suit, red hat and a white beard."

"We did track that individual down. He was in our station yesterday and we had some questions for him," he says, adding that the suspect was acting in "full cooperation" with the police.

"We have some more evidence we'll be releasing from other neighbors and some more footage in the area," Benson adds. "We got a lot of different angles. We're not satisfied with an inconclusive finding from the state, so we're going to continue forward."

Doumato is also not giving up. In fact, she's now attempting to solve another big mystery, telling Yahoo Life in full confidence: "Me and my friends are trying to figure out what happened to Amelia Earhart."

This investigation is ongoing...

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Sign up here.
Cybercriminals hacked the Twitter account of the Robinhood exchange on Wednesday. In a now-deleted tweet, the hacked account was used to promote a scam offering crypto tokens and NFTs on the Binance Smart Chain through the PancakeSwap decentralized exchange.

Robinhood's other social media profiles were also compromised. According to a Binance Smart Chain scan shared by internet sleuth ZackXBT, the scammers were able to make off with 26.95 BNB tokens, around $8,200.

Scam was funded via Binance https://t.co/zsDJwCiEDe  ZachXBT (@zachxbt) January 25, 2023

ZackXBT noted that the wallet benefitting from the scam was hosted on the Binance cryptocurrency exchange. Binance CEO Changpeng CZ Zhao responded, saying the account had been locked pending further investigation.

"Were aware of the unauthorized posts from Robinhood Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook profiles, which were all removed within minutes," Robinhood wrote in a statement shared with Decrypt. "At this time, based on our ongoing investigation, we believe the source of the incident was via a third-party vendor."

NFT Artist Beeple's Twitter Account Hacked in Phishing Scam

Twitter scams are not new: accounts are typically compromised through sim jacking or phishing attacks. One lesser-known attack vector is Twitters god mode feature. On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that a former Twitter employee told the FTC that the platform has a god mode that allows Twitter staff to access any account on Twitter. Hackers gaining access to this feature can impersonate any account they like and target unaware victims.

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Twitter has not yet responded to Decrypt for comment.

On July 15, 2020, cybercriminals were able to get past Twitter security. They impersonated several high-profile accounts, including former US President Barack Obama, President (then Vice President) Joe Biden, Apple, Uber, Kanye West, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet.

Obama pic.twitter.com/yOdKsdHXwn  Twetch  NFT MINT SUNDAY (@twetchapp) July 15, 2020

The compromised accounts began promoting a Bitcoin scam that federal authorities say nabbed $117,000 in BTC. US and UK law enforcement officials arrested Nima Fazeli, Mason Sheppard, and Graham Ivan Clark in connection with the Twitter hack. Clark was ultimately sentenced to three years in federal prison.
The 72-year-old gunman who killed 11 people at a Monterey Park dance studio on Saturday is the oldest mass shooter in more than five decades, according to a non-profit that tracks gun violence.

Huu Can Tran has been identified by authorities as the sole suspect in the shooting in the majority Asian American suburb of Los Angeles that critically wounded several other victims and brought terror to Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations.

James Densley, president and co-founder of the Violence Project, which tracks shootings involving four or more victims, told The Independent that Tran was the oldest mass shooting suspect on their database, which dates back to 1966.

Only two other mass shootings in recent memory were carried out by men in their 70s.

The first occurred in 1981, when 70-year-old retired miner William Bevins shot dead five people in Kentucky.

Then in June 2022, Robert Findlay Smith was charged with killing three people during a potluck dinner at the St Stephens Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.

With California still grieving the Monterey Park tragedy, authorities say 67-year-old Chunli Zhao shot dead seven coworkers at two agricultural businesses in Half Moon Bay on Monday.

The two horror incidents buck recent data trends that showed mass shooting suspects were getting younger.

Dr Densley told The Independent that the median age of those involved in non-domestic or gang-related mass shootings was 32.

The average suspect age varies depending on the setting, Dr Densly added.

Ages of mass shooters in public locations, not including domestic or gang-related killings, from 1966 to 2022 (The Violence Project)

Jillian Peterson, a co-founder of the Violence Project, told the New York Times last year that the data points to two age clusters of shooters.

People in their 40s who commit workplace type shootings, and a very big cluster of young people  18, 19, 20, 21  who seem to get caught up in the social contagion of killing, she said.

Police say Tran, of Hemet, Riverside County, stockpiled ammunition and weapons before going to the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park and opening fire.

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He then drove to the Lai Lai Ballroom in Alhambra where a heroic staff member wrestled a 9-millimeter semi-automatic MAC-10 assault weapon away from him.

Tran later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a stand-off with police in Torrance, about 30 miles southwest of Monterey Park.

While a motive is still under investigation, a Hemet Police Department told reporters that Tran had recently complained that his family had tried to poison him several decades ago.

Tran had also lodged allegations of fraud and theft against his family during visits with police on 7 and 9 January, according to Helmet police.

Tran hadnt followed up on a promise to return with proof to support his allegations, police said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters on Monday that all of the victims were over the age of 50.

While mass shooters aged 60 and over are relatively rare, a notable exception was the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, when 64-year-old Stephen Paddock killed 60 and wounded more than 1,000 people.

Las Vegas remains the deadliest mass shooting committed by a single gunman in US history.
North Carolina Dog Laws: Rabies, Dog Bites, Abandonment and Cruelty

dog in grass

Photo by Judy Davidson via Getty

What are the dog laws in North Carolina? Does North Carolina have dog laws? If you live in this state, you might be wondering what the law says about issues like rabies vaccination, dog bites, dog abandonment, or dog cruelty.

Read on for more information about dog laws in North Carolina.

Rabies Vaccination Laws

North Carolina General Statute 130A-185 requires any owner of a dog, cat or ferret must have their animal vaccinated by four (4) months of age. After this point, the animal should remain vaccinated. The owner should keep the rabies certificate as proof of vaccination. Only USDA-licensed vaccines are recognizable. Rabies vaccines not issued by vets, vet techs, or licensed vaccinators will not be valid. Some stores sell rabies vaccines over the counter. In the event of a bite, animals who have received these vaccines from their owners will be considered unvaccinated.

Some states allow exemptions for rabies vaccines. North Carolina does not allow exemptions, medical or otherwise, for rabies vaccines. An unvaccinated animal who bites is subject to euthanasia.

When a dog bites a person in the state of North Carolina, the law says that the dog must remain in quarantine for 10 days. The public health officer determines whether the dog may remain in quarantine in its home or at a kennel. Dog owners are liable for their pets damages.

Assuming the dog shows no signs of rabies after 10 days, the quarantine will end. If placed in a kennel, they will return to their owner. If the dog shows symptoms of rabies, euthanasia will be considered.

Dog Bite Laws

There are some circumstances in which dog owners are not liable in the event of a bite. This is typically four scenarios. This includes:

A dogs use by a law enforcement officer to carry out the law enforcement officers official duties. For example:

A bite by a K-9 unit.

A dogs use within a lawful hunt; (this applies to attacks on animals, not humans.)

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A injury sustained by a domestic animal within bounds. This is while the dog was working as a hunting dog, herding dog, or predator control dog on the property of its owner.

An injury sustained by a person who was committing a willful trespass, tormenting, abusing, or assaulting the dog, or was committing or attempting to commit a crime.

Potential euthanasia varies on a case by case basis. For a minor bite, its unlikely the court would order euthanasia. For a second offense for a dog determined to be dangerous in the past, it would be more likely.

Dog Abandonment Laws

Animal abandonment is considered a Class 1 misdemeanor in North Carolina. This is typically considered letting an animal loose. Yet, there is little specific legislation about animal abandonment in NC. An animal not provided shelter but kept on ones property is not considered abandoned.

In cases of abandonment, the animal ceases to be the property of their previous owners. Yet, costs of care, vet bills, and so on seem to be determined on a case by case basis. The operator of a shelter in which the animal is held may sue the owner for costs of care.

Animal Cruelty Laws

In cases of animal cruelty or neglect, each offense will carry a charge. Animal cruelty is a Class 1 Misdemeanor. Animal cruelty can sometimes carry heavier charges with severity. Killing an animal is considered a felony. But, malicious intent applies here. For example, an accidental death of a dog that wasnt reasonably preventable would not be a felony. Repeated offenders will not receive heavier charges. This is the subject of criticism from animal rights advocates. Many point out that, for those who only received fines or lighter charges, there is little to dissuade them from offending again.

Dogfighting is also considered a felony in North Carolina. This includes promoting or engaging in a dogfight. Being a spectator at a dogfight is also a felony. Dogfighting carries heavier charges than most animal cruelty in NC.

Veterinarians are encouraged to report animal cruelty. There is no punishment for veterinarians who fail to report cruelty. But, veterinarians who do are considered immune.

Restraining a dog improperly is also a Class 1 Misdemeanor.  14-362.3. States that a person who maliciously restrains a dog using a chain or wire grossly in excess of the size necessary to restrain the dog safely is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Tethering Laws

There are no laws banning tethering altogether. However, many cities do enforce restrictions on tethering. For example, Raleigh, NC., has restricted tethering to a short time span. A dog may not be tethered for more than three hours within a 24-hour period. This does not include, for example, a 3 hour walk on a leash. For the purposes of the ordinance, it means a dog attached to a fixed point.

This is a point of criticism for many. North Carolina is subject to severe weather such as hurricanes. There is no state law barring dogs from being tethered in severe weather. This leaves frequently tethered dogs subject to the discretion of their owners.

How North Carolina Dog Laws Rank Among Other States

Unfortunately, North Carolina shows a lot of room for improvement when it comes to animal welfare. The state came in at number 42 when ranked among the 50 states for animal welfare laws. The Animal Legal Defense placed this state at its bottom tier for animal laws. While things may look good initially  heavy punishment for dogfighting, for example  many of NCs laws are poorly defined.

Animal abandonment, for example, does not include an animal kept on ones property but deprived of adequate shelter. Many of these laws include lots of wiggle room for animals to be poorly treated. Additionally, there are not heavier sentences for repeated offenses of animal abuse. However, many of the concerning animal laws in NC do not apply to dogs. They mainly apply to livestock, so dog owners need not worry about ag-gag laws.

The post North Carolina Dog Laws: Rabies, Dog Bites, Abandonment and Cruelty appeared first on DogTime.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Alphabet's GOOGL.O Google on Tuesday over allegations that the company abused its dominance of the digital advertising business, according to a court document.

"Google has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful means to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies," the government said in its antitrust complaint.

The Justice Department asked the court to compel Google to divest its Google Ad manager suite, including its ad exchange AdX.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Novak Djokovic admitted his travails in Australia are giving him extra fuel as he chases a 10th title at Melbourne Park.

The Serbian was again in superb form, painting the lines consistently in a 6-1 6-2 6-4 victory over fifth seed Andrey Rublev on Rod Laver Arena to set up a semi-final with unseeded American Tommy Paul.

Djokovic, who has never lost at the Australian Open once he has reached the last four, is trying to make up for lost time after last years vaccination furore and deportation, while this year he has been battling a left hamstring problem.

I dont think that I lack determination, said Djokovic, who tied the record of former coach Andre Agassi with a 26th consecutive victory here.

I always try to give my best, particularly in grand slams, because at this stage of my career those are the tournaments that count the most, of course.

But you could say that there is something extra this year, yeah. You could say because (of) the injury, what happened last year. I just wanted to really do well.

So far I have a perfect score in Australian hard courts, in Adelaide and here. Ive been playing better and better. I couldnt ask for a better situation to be in at the moment.

The fifth seed at times did again appear bothered by his hamstring but it did not affect his ability to hare around the court repelling everything big-hitting Russian Rublev threw at him.

He was more affected by a heckler who called out Come on Andrey, send him home during the first set, drawing loud boos from the largely pro-Djokovic crowd and prompting the Serbian to complain to British umpire James Keothavong.

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It is the third time this tournament Djokovic has been targeted by fans, and he said: If it keeps happening, it keeps happening. Theres not much I can do about it. Just a few individuals. I cant judge the whole crowd because of the few individuals.

If somebody steps over the line and starts making comments that are not related to support of the other player, he just wants to provoke and insult, then stepping over the line is something that I react to. Maybe not first time, second time, but after that, yes. Then I ask the chair umpire to react.

After that, I heard him, but he was supporting Rublev. He was not making any bad comments until the end of the match, so I didnt have any complaints.

It was Rublevs turn to appeal to Keothavong in the second set when he felt Djokovic should have received a time violation but the Russian, bidding to reach his first slam semi-final at the seventh attempt, was mostly frustrated by the man down the other end of the court.

Andrey Rublev screams in frustration (Ng Han Guan/AP)

Earlier, Paul got the better of fellow American Ben Shelton to reach his first grand slam semi-final.

The run of 20-year-old Shelton, in just his second grand slam and on his first trip outside the USA, has been one of the stories of the tournament but Paul used his greater experience to secure a 7-6 (6) 6-3 5-7 6-4 victory.

Speaking before the conclusion of the second quarter-final, the 25-year-old said: Im really excited. It wasnt the prettiest match ever today but it was how I needed to play the match. Hes a great server. I had to just put in as many returns as I could.

But Im really excited, man. Its really cool. I think its even cooler if I do play (Djokovic). I probably have a better chance of winning if its Rublev, but to play Novak here in Australia would be awesome.

Shining bright @TommyPaul1 is through to his first Grand Slam semi-final after knocking out Shelton 7-6(6) 6-3 5-7 6-4.@AustralianOpen | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/6i5QGC4eVS  ATP Tour (@atptour) January 25, 2023

Paul, who will break into the top 20 for the first time after the tournament, becomes the first American man to reach the semi-finals here since Andy Roddick in 2009.

The American was cheered on by his mother, who hopped on a plane after his fourth-round win and arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday morning.

It was awesome, he said. I was actually, when I first heard, pretty nervous because weve had a good thing going here and I didnt really want to change anything.

After a little bit of thinking, I was like, Yeah, Im in the quarter-finals of a slam. Shes sacrificed a ton to get me here. She deserves to be here and deserves to see me win big matches. I was really excited to see her and have her here.
By Nandita Bose, Andreas Rinke and Tom Balmforth

WASHINGTON/BERLIN/KYIV (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it would supply Ukraine with 31 of its most advanced battle tanks after Germany broke a taboo with a similar announcement, moves hailed by Kyiv as a potential turning point in its battle to repel Russia's invasion.

The U.S. decision to deliver M1 Abrams tanks helped break a diplomatic logjam with Germany over how to best to help Kyiv in its war with Russia, which hours earlier had condemned Berlin's decision to provide Leopard 2 tanks as a dangerous provocation.

Washington had been wary of the idea of deploying the difficult-to-maintain Abrams but had to change tack to persuade Germany to send its more easily operated Leopard 2 tanks - the workhorse of NATO armies across Europe - to Ukraine.

President Joe Biden announced the U.S. decision in remarks at the White House, saying the tanks were needed to help the Ukrainians "improve their ability to maneuver in open terrain."

Biden thanked Germany for its move and listed further military hardware that NATO allies and other European countries were supplying. "Germany has really stepped up," he said.

"The expectation on the part of Russia is were going to break up, Biden said of the United States and European allies. But we are fully, totally and thoroughly united.

Kyiv has been calling for months for Western main battle tanks that would give its forces greater firepower, protection and mobility to break through long-static front lines and potentially reclaim occupied territory in the east and south.

Senior Biden administration officials said it would take some months for the Abrams to be delivered and described the move as providing for Ukraine's long-term defence.

"There is no offensive threat to Russia (itself)," Biden said. Moscow increasingly casts the war as a perilous face-off between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO alliance.

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'PATH TO VICTORY'

The White House said Biden spoke on Wednesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and prime ministers Giorgia Meloni of Italy and Rishi Sunak of Britain on their nations' cooperation in support for Kyiv.

Germany, previously the West's holdout amid deep reluctance to export offensive weapons given its Nazi past, said it would send an initial company of 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks from its own stocks and also approve shipments by allied European states.

The eventual aim would be to supply Ukraine with two battalions of Leopards, typically comprising three or four companies each, the first to arrive within three or four months.

"Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine," Scholz told the German parliament.

Scholz said later that Germany would send further military aid to Kyiv beyond the Leopards delivery, including for example air defence, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed Washington's decision on Abrams tanks and thanked Scholz for the Leopards. He tweeted: "Today the free world is united as never before for a common goal", which he described as the liberation of Ukraine.

"The main thing is that this is only the beginning. We need hundreds of tanks," Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential administration, said in a post on Telegram.

TABOO BROKEN

The German and U.S. moves definitively scrapped one of the last taboos in Western support for Ukraine: providing arms that have a mainly offensive rather than defensive purpose. The West has been reluctant to send heavy offensive weapons for fear of provoking nuclear power Russia.

Russia reacted with fury to Germany's decision, saying Berlin was abandoning its "historical responsibility to Russia" arising from Nazi crimes in World War Two when Hitler's forces invaded the Soviet Union.

"This extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation," said Sergei Nechayev, Moscow's ambassador to Germany.

Pledges to Ukraine from other countries that field Leopards, which Germany made in the thousands and exported to allies in NATO, multiplied this week as big powers the United States and Germany appeared to patch up differences over their approach.

Finland and Norway announced they would send Leopards, as did Poland, which has already sought Berlin's approval.

Spain and the Netherlands said they were considering it. Britain has offered a company of 14 of its comparable Challenger tanks and France is considering sending its Leclercs.

Moscow says supplies of modern offensive weaponry to Ukraine will only postpone what it says will be its inevitable victory. Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador in Washington, said deliveries of U.S. tanks would be "another blatant provocation".

WITHDRAWAL FROM SOLEDAR

Since Ukraine clawed back some territory in the summer and autumn of 2022, the war has become a bloody, deadlocked slog and Kyiv believes Western heavy weapons can restore its momentum.

Kyiv acknowledged on Wednesday its forces had withdrawn from Soledar, a small salt-mining town in the east that Russia had claimed to capture more than a week ago, its biggest gain for more than half a year.

The town is close to Bakhmut, a larger city that has been the focus of an intense Russian assault for weeks.

The Russian-installed governor of Ukraine's Donetsk region said units of Russia's Wagner contract militia were now moving forward inside Bakhmut, with fighting on the outskirts and in neighbourhoods recently held by Ukraine.

Reuters could not verify the situation there.

In the 11 months since it invaded, Russia has killed thousands of civilians, forced millions from their homes and reduced entire cities to rubble.

It says its "special military operation" was necessary to stem a security threat arising from Ukraine's ties to the West, which it now portrays as seeking to destroy it. Kyiv and its allies say Ukraine never menaced Russia and the invasion is a war of aggression to subdue a neighbour and seize land.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; writing by Peter Graff and Mark Heinrich; editing by Kevin Liffey, Timothy Heritage, William Maclean)
President Joe Biden said the U.S. will provide additional military aid to Ukraine in the form of battle tanks. Former President Donald Trump's accounts on Facebook and Instagram will be reinstated. And victims of the mass shooting in Northern California were identified.

 Hello there! It's Julius with today's news.

But first: A holiday mystery.  A 10-year-old in Rhode Island hopes a DNA test on a cookie and carrots will prove whether or not Santa is real.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

US to send tanks to Ukraine in major escalation of war effort

Biden announced Wednesday that the U.S. will send 31 of its front-line battle tanks to Ukraine, as Ukrainian forces prepare for a new Russian offensive. The M1 Abrams tanks are viewed as critical to stave off a springtime offensive by Russian forces and to help the Ukrainians claw back parts of their country seized during the invasion. Biden touted a "worldwide commitment" to Ukraine, pointing to contributions from other NATO allies. Germany announced Wednesday it would provide 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks for Ukraine's military. Britain said earlier this month it will provide 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks, and France also plans to contribute armored fighting vehicles. Read more updates on Ukraine.

Facebook to lift suspension on Trump's accounts

Facebook parent company Meta Platforms says it will reinstate former President Donald Trump's accounts on Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks. Trump has not been allowed to post on Facebook and Instagram since his accounts were indefinitely shut down following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. At the time, Facebook said the ban was indefinite. After its outside board weighed in, the company banned Trump for two years and said it would decide this month whether to lift the suspension. Facebook says Trump will have to play by the rules. The company says it can restrict the accounts of public figures who violate its community standards during periods of civil unrest. See more on the tech giant's decision.

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What everyone's talking about

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Will Brittney Griner fly charter despite WNBA restrictions?

On the heels of Brittney Griners release from Russia, there are concerns about the WNBA star's travel. Griner will need to fly privately due to security concerns, according to reports, which could create problems across the WNBA. Normally, the league doesnt allow chartered flights, except in rare circumstances. But Griner's return to the U.S. after a prisoner swap for a Russian arms dealer was met with disturbing statements from critics, who have made disparaging comments about the deal that brought her home. At 6-foot-9, Griner is easy to notice in an airport, so charter flights might be her only secure option for travel. Read more.

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner during a WNBA Finals game in 2021.

Victims in Half Moon Bay shooting identified

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said the victims in Monday's mass shooting near Half Moon Bay, California, were five men and two women, who were mostly Asian American and Latino farmworkers, and suspected to be the shooter's co-workers. The San Mateo County Coroner's Office identified the victims as: Zhishen Liu, 73; Qizhong Cheng, 66; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50; Yetao Bing, 43; Aixiang Zhang, 74; and Jingzhi Lu, 64. The seventh victim was not identified by official sources, but the Mercury News and Reuters confirmed Jose Romero Perez as another victim of the shooting. The Mexican Consulate of San Francisco said Tuesday that two of the victims who died were from Mexico. Read more about the victims.

San Mateo County Sheriffs deputy puts up yellow tape outside mountain mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay, Calif., following a mass shooting.

Real quick

Genetics may be at play in SIDS, study suggests

The cause of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, continues to be a medical mystery but a new study suggests genetics may play a role. Over the course of 39 years, researchers found siblings of infants who died of SIDS had a four-fold higher risk of dying suddenly compared to the general population, according to the report. The large study reinforces previous research that shows SIDS may be more of a medical problem than previously thought, said Dr. Richard Goldstein, director of Roberts Program on Sudden Unexpected Death in Pediatrics at Boston Childrens Hospital. See more findings from the study.

A break from the news

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas tornado, Ukraine, Half Moon Bay victims: The Short List
A Facebook post from the Village of Loving solicits a new member for the Village Council after Mayor Pro-Tem Ricky Fuentes replaced former Mayor Pete Estrada.

Applicants were sought by the Village of Loving to fill a vacancy on the village council after Mayor Pro-Tem Ricky Fuentes was promoted to mayor, according to a press release issued by the Village.

Fuentes was appointed mayor Jan. 17 during a Loving Village Council meeting after Pete Estrada, former mayor, resigned, read the news release.

Village Clerk Manuel Garza said Fuentes would serve the remainder of Estradas term which expires Dec. 31, 2023.

Garza said Fuentes is Lovings chief official and has many duties.

More:Village of Loving Mayor Pete Estrada resigns

Including being the chief elected official, overseeing employees and operation of daily functions, (along with) hiring and terminating employees with the consent of the council, he said.

Fuentes was elected to serve in as Loving Village Councilor for position 2 and mayor pro-tem, according to the press release.

A new mayor pro-tem has not yet been elected. One will probably be elected at the Feb. 13 regular council meeting, Garza said.

Ricky Fuentes is sworn in as Village of Loving Mayor. He replaces Pete Estrada who resigned after nearly 20 years of service to the Village.

Anyone wanting consideration should submit a resume and letter of interest via email to Garza at mgarza@lovingnm.gov or mail to P.O. Box 56, Loving, New Mexico 88256, per the release.

The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. Feb. 8, according to the release.

Garza said the person elected would serve on the Loving Village Council until the end of 2023.

He said elections in Loving this year were scheduled for Nov. 7.

More:Loving commits to $450K construction of housing for firefighters

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Village of Loving seeks new village council to serve through 2023
'Zeus' The Wolf Hybrid Finds New Home

wolf hybrid

Photo by Lisa5201 via Getty

Earlier this year, an adoptable wolf hybrid made the news when the Potter League for Animals, a Rhode Island shelter, began searching for his forever home. Despite Zeuss charm and good looks, this wasnt an easy task. Why? Its actually illegal to own a wolf hybrid in RI, along with many surrounding states. Thankfully, Zeus has earned his happy ending.

The complicated case of dog-wolf hybrids

Zeus had to look a little far to find his forever home  hes going to reside with a man named Ron in Vermont, where ownership of a wolf hybrid is legal. Its still unclear just how much wolf Zeus is, though the shelter promises to share an update. Thank you to everyone who shared Zeus far and wide! We are truly humbled and moved by the support and the love everyone showed Zeus the last few weeks, the shelter said. And we promise once the DNA comes back, we will let you all know the results.

Whats the big fuss about wolf hybrids?

For some, the legality issues surrounding wolf hybrids comes as a surprise. After all, before dogs, wolves were our companions. But wolves and dogs have huge behavioral differences. Wolves are not domesticated, which can make them wary, unpredictable, and independent. Combining these traits with a dogs personality can make for a very energetic, intelligent pet thats potentially dangerous without a well-informed caretaker. Thats why its largely best to keep wolf hybrids out of our homes.

The post Zeus The Wolf Hybrid Finds New Home appeared first on DogTime.
A Brazilian art collector isn't giving up on his fight to get back a Vincent Van Gogh painting that he claims was stolen from him years ago, and then wound up in the Detroit Institute of Arts.

In U.S. District Court on Monday, the art collector's attorney, Aaron Phelps, filed a notice that he is appealing a judge's order that dismissed a lawsuit against the DIA last week. The two-page notice did not offer any details of the appeal, beyond noting that an appeal was being filed in the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Related:Federal judge dismisses Van Gogh painting lawsuit; artwork can't be seized

Phelps is representing art collector Gustavo Soter, who sued the DIA in federal court, hoping a judge would order the Detroit museum to surrender his painting. But the judge refused and dismissed the case, as the DIA argued the painting is protected from seizure under a nearly 60-year-old federal law.

The case involves an 1888 painting known as "The Novel Reader" that was displayed in the museum as part of its "Van Gogh in America" exhibition that opened in October 2022 and closed Sunday. More than 200,000 art lovers visited the show, which commemorated a century since the DIA became the first American museum to purchase a Van Gogh artwork in 1922. The unprecedented assemblage of 74 Van Gogh pieces from over 50 international sources, including Amsterdam's official Van Gogh Museum, drew visitors from around the world.

"The Novel Reader," lent from a private collection in Sao Paulo, Brazil, became the subject of international intrigue and the most talked-about piece of art in the U.S. when Soter alleged that the piece had been stolen from him after a 2017 purchase, when he claims a third party "absconded" with the piece. Soter says he hunted for the painting for nearly six years before learning it was temporarily hanging at the DIA.

A security guard stands near the Van Gogh painting, Une Liseuse De Romans  also known as The Novel Reader at the Van Gogh in America exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023.

He filed the suit demanding that the DIA return the painting to him instead of the source that lent it to the museum, but U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh dismissed the case last week, finding that the Immunity from Seizure Act prohibits the court from issuing an injunction or entering any other order that would deprive the defendant of custody or control of the painting.

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The DIA said it applied for and was granted State Department protection under the law, which its attorneys say is critical for museums assembling international exhibitions.

The DIA also noted that the painting has not been reported anywhere as stolen or missing despite Soters claim that he purchased it for $3.7 million in 2017. He now estimates The Novel Reader to be worth more than $5 million.

Because the Court cannot grant the ultimate relief sought by the plaintiff, the lawsuit will be dismissed, Steeh wrote in an 11-page opinion last Friday. A motion for a temporary restraining order and possession also was denied. Steeh had previously, temporarily barred the museum from moving the painting, which led to it posting a guard beside it as visitors flocked through the exhibition in its final days.

It was unclear Monday whether the painting was still in possession of the museum, which is closed until Friday, Jan. 27 to allow the staff time to rest and recover from the intense crowd demands of the exhibition.

Monday evening, the DIA released a statement saying: "The DIA team is enjoying a well-earned respite from the excitement of Van Gogh in America, an exhibition that received local and international acclaim over its four-month run. ... The DIA will review with its counsel the recent filing by (Soter's LLC) Brokerarte Capital and has no comment at this time."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Art collector won't give up fight with DIA over Van Gogh painting
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva fired Brazils army chief Saturday just days after the leftist leader openly said that some military members allowed the Jan. 8 uprising in the capital by far-right protesters.

The official website of the Brazilian armed forces said Gen. Julio Cesar de Arruda had been removed as head of the army. He was replaced by Gen. Tomas Miguel Ribeiro Paiva, who was head of the Southeast Military Command.

Lula, who did not comment publicly on the firing, met with Defense Minister Jose Mucio, chief of staff Rui Costa and the new army commander in Brasilia at the end of the day. Speaking to journalists afterward, Mucio said the Jan. 8 riots had caused a fracture in the level of trust in the army's top levels and the government decided a change was needed.

In recent weeks, Lula targeted the military with criticism after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed through government buildings and destroyed public property in an attempt to keep Bolsonaro in office.

The uprising underlined the polarization in Brazil between the left and the right.

Lula said several times in public that there were definitely people in the army who allowed the rioting to occur, though he never cited Arruda.

During a breakfast with the press, Lula said earlier this week that a lot of people from the military police and the armed forces were complicit and had allowed protesters to enter the buildings with open doors. In another interview, the president said that all the military involved in the coup attempt will be punished, no matter the rank.

The comments were followed by Lula scheduling several meetings with the defense minister and the armed forces commanders. Mucio denied they had mentioned the Jan. 8 rioting, but he said relations between the military and the government needed adjustment.

On the eve of Arrudas firing, a video of a Paiva speech earlier in the week was released in which he said the election results should be respected in order to guarantee democracy.

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Rioters who stormed through the Brazilian Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Brasilia sought to have the military intervene and overturn Bolsonaros loss to Lula in the presidential election.

In a video posted on social media from inside the presidential palace on the day of the attack, a colonel is seen trying to stop police from arresting Bolsonaros supporters who had invaded the building. He asks for patience from the military police, which report to the federal district's government.

More than a thousand people were arrested on the day of the riot and the morning after the disturbance, which bore strong similarities to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Congress by mobs who wanted to overturn former President Donald Trumps election loss.

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice earlier this month authorized adding Bolsonaro in its investigation into who incited the rioting in Brasilia as part of a broader crackdown to hold responsible parties to account.

According to the text of his ruling, Justice Alexandre de Moraes granted the request from the prosecutor-generals office, which cited a video that Bolsonaro posted on Facebook two days after the riot. The video claimed Lula wasnt voted into office, but rather was chosen by the Supreme Court and Brazils electoral authority.

Lula has been trying to reduce the high number of military officers in the government administration left by Bolsonaro. At least 140 military officers have been dismissed since Lula took office Jan. 1.
(Reuters) -Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday that he favored an agreement between Mercosur and China in a plan to modernize and open the South American trade bloc to other regions.

On a visit to Uruguay to dissuade its government from reaching a deal on its own with China, which would undermine the Mercosur customs union, Lula said the long-awaited Mercosur accord with the European Union must be completed urgently.

"Let's intensify the talks and firm up this agreement (with the EU) so that we can then discuss a possible agreement between China and Mercosur and I think it is possible," said the leftist president who took office again on Jan. 1.

"We want to sit down as Mercosur and discuss with our Chinese friends the Mercosur-China agreement," Lula said, adding that China is Brazil's biggest trading partner.

Talks for the EU-Mercosur trade agreement were completed in 2019, but environmental concerns stalled the deal before it was approved by the legislatures of the EU member states.

Uruguay's President Lacalle Pou said that his country needed to open up its economy to the world and it could discuss parallel trade arrangements outside of Mercosur.

Last year, Uruguay entered into formal negotiations for a free-trade agreement with China, a decision criticized by the other Mercosur members, and Uruguay recently advanced in talks to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

"At the same time we are going to create a technical team with Uruguay, Brazil and no doubt the other countries to see what we really want and need from our relationship with China," Pou said.

(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo and Anthony Boadle; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Temperatures dropped to -25 degrees Celsius in northern Gyeonggi and mountainous Gangwon Province on Tuesday morning, the coldest day so far this winter. In Seoul temperatures fell to -16.7 degrees but the windchill factor made it feel like another 10 degrees colder, making it colder than in Moscow.

Visitors brave the cold at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul on Tuesday. /Yonhap

In Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, the coldest temperature of -25.5 degrees was measured with a windchill temperature of a record -39.3 degrees. On Wednesday morning, the mercury dipped below -10 degrees in most parts of the country excluding Jeju Island, recording -18 degrees in Seoul.

An electric board at Jeju International Airport displays flight cancellations on Tuesday. /Newsis

Strong winds and heavy snowfall grounded all flights in and out of Jeju on Tuesday, stranding some 40,000 people who had traveled to the southern resort island for the Lunar New Year holiday. According to Jeju International Airport, 233 inbound and outbound flights were canceled including 10 international flights as gusts of up to 25.8 m/s hit the island. Some 3,000 travelers huddled at the airport and formed long lines since early in the morning to find alternative routes.

Jeju International Airport is packed with stranded travelers on Tuesday. /Yonhap

Icy roads and heavy snow wrought havoc across the country. Some 113 ferries were canceled, while 140 hiking trails in national parks were closed due to heavy snowfall. Dozens of water gauges froze and burst across the country. The Korea Meteorological Administration urged caution as temperatures will warm up slightly on Wednesday afternoon but fall again below -10 degrees at the weekend.
Jan. 24DALLAS TWP.  Township police arrested a Wilkes-Barre man on domestic abuse charges later discovering he was wanted on an arrest warrant charging him with felony rape in South Dakota.

Dlron Dezmend Lee Simmons, 26, of Park Avenue, was arrested when police investigated a domestic disturbance at County Club Apartments finding a woman with injuries to her face on Jan. 16, according to court records.

Police said the woman had a bruise near her right eyebrow, swollen cheeks and lips. She claimed an argument with Simmons turned physical and she sustained the injuries from carpet burn when she was pushed to the floor, court records say.

Simmons told police, court records say, they were arguing and began throwing things at each other and "it escalated from there."

Police said a background check revealed Simmons was wanted by the Pennington County, South Dakota, sheriff's department charging him with felony rape.

The warrant from Pennington County says Simmons was charged by a county grand jury Jan. 4 for raping a 20-year-old person (unknown gender) on March 2, 2022. The warrant list Simmons' address at a hotel in Rapid City, S.D.

Simmons waived his right to an extradition hearing before Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Vough on Jan. 18.

Dallas Township police charged Simmons with simple assault and harassment for the alleged domestic disturbance on Jan. 16.
The claim: Coronavirus is a Latin word for 'heart attack virus'

A Jan. 6 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows a woman purporting to use Google to translate Latin to English.

She types "cor," then a space, "ona," then two spaces, and "virus." Google translates that to "heart attack virus" in English.

"Try it out on your computer and see what you think," she says. "We were always told it was just a respiratory disease. Still think it's a coincidence there are so many people getting a heart attack?"

The video was shared more than 400 times in two weeks.

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Our rating: False

Coronavirus is not a Latin word that means "heart attack virus." While "cor" is Latin for heart, "ona" does not have a meaning in Latin. "Virus" is Latin for poison. "Corona" is Latin for crown and coronaviruses are named for crown-like spikes on their surface.

Coronavirus isn't Latin for heart attack virus

Google Translate only gives the result shown in the video when the syllables are entered exactly as the woman describes, including the two spaces between "ona" and "virus."

Despite Google's translation of the word written this way, experts say this is not an accurate translation and "coronavirus" is not a Latin word for heart attack virus.

"There is no truth to this idea," Courtney Ann Roby, a classics professor at Cornell University, told USA TODAY.

This electron microscope image made available by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows a Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 particle isolated from a patient, in a laboratory in Fort Detrick, Md. (NIAID/NIH via AP, File)

The origin of the word "coronavirus" isn't based on a three-part split of the word.

Coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes on their surface, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Corona" is Latin for crown and is related to  and most likely derived from  a similar Greek word, Roby said.

"Cor" is Latin for heart, but "ona" does not mean anything in Latin, Roby said. "Virus" is Latin for "poison."

There is no Latin term that specifically refers to a heart attack, she said.

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"They knew the heart was crucial for life and about blood flow through the arteries, but they didn't really have a category for 'heart attack' as an event," said Roby, referring to ancient Greek and Roman physicians.

The word "coronavirus" was introduced in a short article published in the Nov. 16, 1968, edition of Nature, a scientific journal, according to Merriam-Webster.

Google also does not guarantee that its translations are accurate.

Google Translate uses patterns from millions of existing translations to help decide the best one for users, Mallory De Leon, a Google spokesperson, told USA TODAY. In this instance, it's trying to translate the words "cor," "ona" and "virus" separately, not the word "coronavirus."

"The query used here is not an actual translation (because) 'cor ona virus' isn't a word or phrase in Latin and therefore would not be translatable," De Leon explained.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment.

Associated Press, PolitiFact, Lead Stories and Reuters also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, coronavirus is not Latin for 'heart attack virus'
A portrait of Tyre Nichols is displayed at a memorial service in Memphis on Jan. 17, 2023. Adrian Sainz / AP

Five Tennessee police officers were fired on Friday for using excessive force in connection with the arrest of a 29-year-old Black man who died days after being arrested and allegedly beaten by cops during a traffic stop.

In a statement , Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn CJ Davis said his department determined that the officers violated several department policies, including excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid. The department identified the officers, who are all Black, as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith and shared their photos alongside the statement.

The egregious nature of this incident is not a reflection of the good work that our officers perform, with integrity, every day, Davis said.

Tyre Nichols was pulled over by officers for reckless driving at 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, according to an initial account shared by police. As the officers approached him, a confrontation occurred and Nichols fled the scene on foot. A second confrontation occurred, police said, shortly before the officers ultimately took him into custody.

Afterward, the suspect complained of having a shortness of breath, at which time an ambulance was called to the scene, police said.

Nichols arrived at the hospital in critical condition and died three days later, on Jan. 10. Officials have not released a cause of death.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations is investigating the officers' actions . The Department of Justice has also opened its own civil rights investigation into the incident.

Memphis police have not shared any additional details about the arrest, but Nicholss family believes the officers tased, pepper-sprayed, and brutally beat him to the point where he was unrecognizable. The family has been sharing a graphic photo of Nichols laying in a hospital bed shortly before his death at protests over his death. In the image, his face appears swollen and bruised. A breathing tube is shown coming out of his bloodied mouth.

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What they did to my brother, they might have well killed us all, Nicholss sister Kenyana Dixon, said during a demonstration last weekend.

No one should die from a traffic stop, Nicholss stepfather Rodney Wells told a local NBC station. They mustve pulled him out of the car aggressively and he feared for his life, so he ran.

Nichols's stepfather Rodney Wells holds up a photo of Nichols in the hospital during a demonstration on Jan. 16, 2023. Lucas Finton / The Commercial Appeal via AP

The family has retained civil rights lawyer Ben Crump and attorney Antonio Romanucci as they demand that Memphis police release the officers body camera footage of the incident. City officials have said they will release the videos to the public following the conclusion of the internal investigation.

We understand and agree that transparency around the events surrounding the death of Mr. Tyre Nichols is critically important, especially the release of the video footage, Mayor Jim Strickland said in a statement Tuesday.

In a statement following the announcement of the officers firings, Crump and Romanucci said the family supported the departments decision and called it the first step towards achieving justice for Tyre and his family.

They must also be held accountable for robbing this man of his life and his son of a father, the attorneys said.

A representative for Memphis police did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News request for comment Saturday. Essica Cage-Rosario, president of the Memphis Police Association, declined to comment on the termination of the officers.

The citizens of Memphis, and more importantly, the family of Mr. Nichols deserve to know the complete account of the events leading up to his death and what may have contributed to it, Cage-Rosario said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed News.

Nichols worked for FedEx and was a father who loved skateboarding and photography, friends told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Kris Volker described him as nonconfrontational, happy-go-lucky, and a free spirit.

He was a loving guy and loved to make people laugh, Volker told the newspaper. We got our first tattoos together when we turned 18. He got a wolf on his leg because he felt that it was his spirit animal. He cared more about others than himself.

The friend said he was surprised and confused to learn about the course of events shared by police, saying that he believes that if Nichols did try to run away from the officers he only did so because he was scared.

He's never had to deal with police, Volker said, and as a Black man, he knows better than to fight cops. He was very vocal about BLM. I honestly never thought it would happen to him.
Rep. George Santos leaves the US Capitol on January 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images

NY Rep. George Santos claimed to Brazilian media that he was the victim of an attempted murder.

On the podcast Radio Novela Apresenta, he also said he was mugged in broad daylight on Fifth Avenue.

Santos said he was robbed of his briefcase, watch, and shoes, but did not provide a police report.

Embattled New York Rep. George Santos told Brazilian media in December that he was the victim of a series of crimes, including an assassination attempt and a mugging on Fifth Avenue.

In a clip uncovered by the "Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC, Santos tells the podcast Radio Novela Apresenta that his home was vandalized in January of 2021 simply because he was a Republican.

"I'm going to a New Year's Eve party with my husband. We go back to our house, it was vandalized because we were at a Republican Party in Florida in December 2020," Santos told the hosts, according to the Rachel Maddow Show translation. "So that's it. I've experienced vandalism."

Santos then makes another claim: Someone tried to take his life.

"We have already suffered an attempt on my life, an assassination attempt, a threatening letter, having to have the police, a police escort standing in front of our house," Santos says.

Santos did not elaborate on his claim in the clip, according to host Rachel Maddow.

Later in the interview, Santos says he was a victim of a mugging "in broad daylight" on New York City's Fifth Avenue in the summer of 2021. Santos said two men robbed him of his briefcase, watch, and shoes after he left his office and was getting into his car.

"They stole your shoes in the middle of Fifth Avenue?" interjected podcast interviewer Joao Batista Jr., per a translation of the clip by the Rachel Maddow show.

"In the middle of Fifth Avenue," Santos answered. "And that wasn't the worst of it. Nobody did anything, nobody did anything. The fear is real. It's surreal what we live through here."

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Podcast interviewers Batista and Flora Thomson-Deveaux said they later asked Santos for his police report of the mugging, but he failed to respond.

On Friday, Thomson-DeVeaux tweeted that the December 7 interview with Santos was "one of the most infuriating interactions" she could remember in recent years, saying he "spewed unbelievable fake facts" but refused to engage when challenged.

The clip comes as Santos faces growing controversy over apparent falsehoods in his resume, campaign biography, family history, and religious background.

Though Santos admitted and apologized for embellishing his past while campaigning, he's also accused the "elitist" New York Times of misrepresenting his employment history.

A representative for Santos and the NYPD did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
NEW CASTLE  Taking a proactive measure for officer safety, some of western Pennsylvania's best four-legged professionals helped officers in their search for contraband last week.

Referring to the search as "Operation Who's A Good Boy," the Lawrence County Prison partnered with the American Working Dog Association to bring in police canines from Beaver and Lawrence counties to track down potential contraband. This partnership was started to promote officer safety and serve as a deterrent for individuals trying to sneak narcotics or contraband into the prison.

According to a release from the prison, every location that prisoners and staff have access to within the prison was fully searched by the police dogs. Employee lockers and administrative offices were also searched by the dogs during this process.

Lawrence County Prison officials say that future canine searches will occur periodically to promote safety for employees and prisoners at the jail.

This article originally appeared on Ellwood City Ledger: Lawrence County Prison now gets canine assists in search for contraband
Jan. 24The speaker of the Maine House is calling on a state representative to resign over allegations that he violated Maine's Clean Election Act during his 2022 campaign.

Rep. Clinton E. Collamore Sr., D-Waldoboro, was indicted last month on multiple counts of aggravated forgery, unsworn falsification and violations of the Clean Election Act, according to the Dec. 15 indictment filed in Lincoln County Superior Court.

House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, has asked Collamore, 62, to step down.

"In light of these allegations, the speaker of the House is requesting Rep. Collamore's immediate resignation," according to a statement Tuesday afternoon by Talbot Ross' spokesperson, Mary-Erin Casale. Casale said Talbot Ross would have no further comment on the matter.

Collamore's 42-page indictment alleges he committed 20 counts of aggravated forgery, a Class B crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine; 11 counts of unsworn falsification (Class D); and one count of violating Maine's Clean Election Act (Class E).

Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics, issued a memo Tuesday updating commission members on election misconduct allegations against Collamore and Matthew Toth of Sanford, an unsuccessful Republican candidate for House District 143. Toth eventually withdrew from the November 2022 general election after being denied clean election funds. Both matters are scheduled to go before the Maine Ethics Commission at its Jan. 30 meeting.

About 200 legislative candidates receive Clean Election Act funding each election year, Wayne said. To qualify, candidates must collect Qualifying Contributions, or QCs, of $5 each from at least 60 registered voters in their district and submit them to the commission's office by April 20 of the election year. A contributor must give $5 and sign a form affirming their contribution came from personal funds.

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Commission staff determined that Collamore forged several contributor signatures. He received more than $14,000 in Maine Clean Election Act funds.

"Staff re-examined the forms and identified more than 30 contributors whose signatures did not seem genuine. Our opinion was that the candidate had signed for the contributors," Wayne wrote in his memo to the commission.

The commission referred both cases to the Office of the Attorney General for further investigation. The AG's office obtained criminal indictments for both candidates, Wayne said. The indictment against Toth was handed up on Dec. 5, 2022. Toth could not be reached Tuesday night for comment.

Attempts to reach Collamore Tuesday were also unsuccessful. He did not answer his cell phone or respond to an email message, and a message left at the offices of his Boothbay Harbor attorney was not returned.

Collamore won the House District 45 seat in November by a thin margin over Republican challenger Lynn Madison. District 45 includes Waldoboro, Bremen and Louds Island in Lincoln County and the Knox County towns of Friendship and Washington.

The Lincoln County Democrats described Collamore, in a profile posted after he announced he was running, as a fourth-generation lobsterman, a graduate of Medomak Valley High School, and a graduate of the University of Maine Augusta, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in public administration. He worked as a machinist at Bath Iron Works for 20 years and was president of the shipyard's machinists union. He is also a fisherman and served as a Waldoboro selectman for more than 18 years.

According to state lobster license records, Collamore captains "Just Right," a 37-foot boat based in Bremen. In 2019, he landed 15,975 pounds of lobster.

Former Rep. David R. Burns, a Republican from Alfred, was indicted on forgery and theft charges in 2012 after he won the House District 138 seat. He diverted more than $1,000 in public campaign funds to pay personal expenses, then filed false campaign finance reports, according to the indictment.

Burns was sentenced in June 2012 to six months in jail after pleading guilty to misdemeanor forgery and theft charges in connection with his 2010 election campaign. Burns represented House District 138 for a little more than a year before resigning his seat.
By Andrew Hay

TAOS, N.M. (Reuters) - New Mexico's top prosecutor on Monday asked the state's highest court to overturn abortion bans imposed by conservative local governments in the Democratic-run state where the procedure remains legal after Roe v. Wade was struck down.

The move comes after the New Mexico cities of Hobbs, Clovis and two surrounding counties bordering Texas passed ordinances in recent months to restrict abortion clinics and access to abortion pills.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez filed an extraordinary writ in New Mexico Supreme Court to block the ordinances which he said were based on flawed interpretations of 19th century federal regulations on abortion medication.

This is not Texas. Our State Constitution does not allow cities, counties or private citizens to restrict womens reproductive rights, Torrez said in a statement.

Right-to-life activists said the regulations remained valid under federal law and vowed to work on bringing such ordinances to more cities in New Mexico, the only state bordering Texas where abortion remains legal.

New Mexico's largest cities of Las Cruces and Albuquerque have become regional destinations for women seeking abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court in June ended the nationwide constitutional right to the procedure.

Located on New Mexico's eastern plains, Clovis and Hobbs do not have abortion clinics but approved ordinances to stop providers locating there to serve patients from Republican-controlled Texas, one of the first states to impose a near-total ban on abortion.

In direct response, New Mexico Democrats have drafted legislation to prevent cities from overriding state laws guaranteeing womens' rights to reproductive healthcare. The legislation is due to be debated this month and has a strong chance of passing the Democratic-controlled state legislature.

The small community of Eunice on Monday became the third New Mexico town to pass an ordinance, according to anti-abortion activist Mark Lee Dickson.

"Cities and counties across the state remain on good standing to pass ordinances," said Dickson, director of Right To Life East Texas, adding that the regulations had never been repealed by the U.S. Congress or declared invalid by the U.S. Supreme Court.

(Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Additional reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
MONTEREY PARK, Calif.  As he visits neighborhoods and checks in on residents throughout the city where he grew up, Thomas Wong is navigating bouts of shock and relief.

Wong, a longtime Monterey Park City Council member, said the shock comes from knowing that his hometown suffered the worst mass shooting in the United States since a deadly school attack in Uvalde, Texas, in May. The killings took place hours after Lunar New Year celebrations.

The relief comes from knowing the suspected killer in Monterey Park can no longer hurt anyone.

"We see (mass shootings) proliferate in other parts of the country, but you never expect it to happen in your own backyard," Wong said Monday in between consoling fellow residents. "To start off the year like this is an unimaginable tragedy."

Two days after the shooting that killed 11 people and wounded nine Saturday at a dance hall in Monterey Park, about 9 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, residents are doing their best to cope. In the tranquil community of mostly Asian American residents descended from China, Vietnam, Thailand and other nations, the tragedy stands out.

As customers came into Golden Liquor Store to buy lottery tickets or soda on Monday, owner Barry Jiang said they tried their best to create a sense of normalcy.

Yet almost one by one, Jiang said, customers asked him, "Are you OK?"

Steven Zhang, who owns a traditional noodle shop, said he was receiving significantly more to-go orders from customers who felt unsafe dining in.

BALLROOM HEROES: Monterey Park gunman disarmed by 'brave man' at second California dance studio, sheriff says

SHOOTING TIMELINE: California shooting timeline: How the deadly attack at a Monterey Park dance studio unfolded

Monterey Park is a 'gateway for Asian businesses'

Monterey Park is a majority-minority city of about 60,000 people. About 65% of its population is of Asian descent, according to U.S. Census statistics. The city's second-largest demographic is Hispanic (26.9%) and white (5.6%).

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Wong said there was a wave of immigrants from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong in the 1970s and '80s who instead of settling near and around LA's Chinatown chose to locate in suburbia. Soon, a broader wave of Asian nationalities arrived not only in Monterey Park but also across the mountainous San Gabriel Valley.

"Monterey Park is seen as a gateway for Asian businesses and economic diversity," Wong said.

Barry Jiang, 38, reads the headlines in a Chinese language newspaper in his business,Golden Liquor in Monterey Park, Calif. on Jan. 23, 2023. Jiang is one of numerous people from Asian countries that immigrated to the U.S. and specifically to Monterey Park.

RECALLING ANTI-ASIAN HATE SENTIMENT: Asian Americans say Monterey Park killings revive fears, trauma of rising anti-Asian hate around US

'HOW SOMETHING THIS AWFUL HAPPENS': Suspect in Monterey Park mass shooting killed self in van; motive remains unknown

'This is the place people start their dreams'

Monterey Park is a refuge for many Chinese immigrants, residents said.

Zhang, the noddle shop owner, said he moved to the city from Xian in central China in 2011. Seven years later, he bought a home with his wife in El Monte, about 15 minutes east of Monterey Park.

Zhang said family houses  essentially boarding houses  are easy to find. For $10 to $15 a night, you can find a place to sleep, Zhang said. The city is full of job agencies and immigration lawyers who help people obtain work visas.

"This is the place people start their dreams," Zhang said.

Wong said the area offers a level of comfort where English isn't always the primary language. He said many residents hold working-, middle- and upper-class jobs. Wong said the professions range from cleaning services to restaurant owners to corporate executives and even city leaders like himself.

Steven Zhang hand pulls noodles at his restaurant Noodle Art in Monterey Park, Calif. Jan. 23, 2023. Monterey Parks Asian cuisine is a big attraction.

"It's across the board," Wong said, adding that elders are revered and respected.

"It's expected that it is the younger generations' responsibility to take care of them, and our community has built the infrastructure and services to do just that," Wong said.

That includes establishments like the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, where the shooting happened. Most of the 11 dead were over 50, including several who saw the dance studio as "a haven" from the stress of everyday life.

The Star is "the only nice dancing ballroom in this area," said Joom Pfrunder, 67, an immigrant from Thailand. She goes to the studio every other month for events organized by the Thai community.

The dance floor is high quality and vast, fitting hundreds of people at a time. The prices are reasonable, the building is accessible and always busy, Pfrunder said.

"It was the place where you meet" people," Pfrunder said. Now, she worries "everybody is going to think twice before going back there again."

Ballroom dancing is especially popular among older people, Pfrunder said. "It's very relaxing. They enjoy dancing with their loved ones, husband, (and) friends," she said. "It's tragic to hear that someone could go in and start shooting like that."

'We have a lot of healing to do'

Connie Joe Chung, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Los Angeles, said the area celebrating the Lunar New Year in public for the first time since the pandemic made the weekend all the more special.

"We've been scared to be in public settings, one due to the pandemic, and two, making ourselves more vulnerable to being attacked due to all of the anti-Asian hate," Chung said.

Monterey Park is also near upper-middle-class Alhambra, another predominately Asian-populated suburb. Alhambra Mayor Adele Andrade-Stadler said Monday she grew up in the San Gabriel Valley and moved to Alhambra when she got married.

She noted that all three cities, Alhambra, Monterey Park and San Gabriel, are close regional partners. Andrade-Stadler said she and two other councilwomen were at the Monterey Park Lunar New Year celebration Saturday night before the shooting.

"We three cities are connected politically and through our work as councilmembers. We're all close," she said. "We all grew up together in the political circles. We attend each other's Chinese New Year's celebrations."

Chung, who also lives in the San Gabriel Valley, added, "For something like (the shooting) to happen during a big celebration has been a big hit to us."

Lily Nitta, 52, who lives in Alhambra, held a candle alongside hundreds at a vigil at the Monterey Park city hall Monday night. Pastors and community leaders led the crowd in prayer.

"I wanted to be here to pray for those that are suffering. I feel a little bit lost for those who live in Monterey Park and the surrounding areas," Nitta said. "It's such a helpless feeling."

Gerry Bonilla, 40, lived in Monterey Park for more than seven years. While the gathering in front of city hall offered a moment of peace, he said it felt like an illusion when news began to trickle in from northern California Monday night of yet another mass shooting.

"It seems there's a lot of trauma that created this," Bonilla said.

On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted that he met with Monterey Park city leaders and residents.

"The strength of this community is incredible," Newsom said. The governor lamented that the nation is being "terrorized by this constant stream" of gun violence.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis echoed a similar sentiment during an impromptu briefing Monday in Monterey Park.

Solis said that "while we are all grieving," residents will be resilient.

"There are some special things to be thankful for," Solis said. "The community has come together. Many people are coming forward to provide initial support to many of our (Asian American Pacific Islander) residents, many of whom are now in solace and witnessing things that are unheard of.

"We know we have a lot of healing to do."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Monterey Park's safe haven for Asian communities shattered by shooting
The late actress Kang Soo-yeon's last film has become the first Korean film to rise to the top spot on Netflix' global rankings.

It took just three days for "Jung_E" to rank first in 48 out of 89 countries tallied by FlixPatrol which provides streaming rankings worldwide.

Yet the sci-fi movie by Yeon Sang-ho, who is famous for the zombie thriller "Train to Busan," was soundly basted by critics, who complained of its cookie-cutter visuals, thin plot and cheesy sentiment.

The main selling point seems to be the sci-fi genre itself, but even that does not explain why it has soared so far above hundreds of similar offerings.

Perhaps there have simply been no other eye-catching releases on Netflix since mystery thrillers "The Pale Blue Eye" and "Knives Out: Glass Onion" last month.

Billions cannot be wrong, but the South China Morning Post was scathing. "As with so many [Korean] productions operating in this ideas-driven genre, 'Jung_E' shows a reluctance to explore science, technology or futurism themes except in the most superficial and speculative way, as if merely acknowledging them is sufficient."
TBILISI (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it was working hard to resolve a dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Lachin corridor, the sole road linking Armenia to the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The mountainous route across Azerbaijan has been blocked since Dec. 12, when protesters claiming to be environmental activists stopped traffic by setting up tents. Some 120,000 ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh depend on it for supplies of food, fuel and medicine.

The standoff has raised international concern, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on Monday for the immediate reopening of the route.

Russian is the main power broker in the region and has peacekeeping troops stationed along the Lachin corridor. Their failure to reopen it is a source of frustration for Armenia.

Russia "continues painstaking and difficult work with both Armenia and Azerbaijan," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked to comment on Blinken's remarks. He did not elaborate.

Armenia says the protest was orchestrated by the Azerbaijani government as a deliberate blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan denies that, saying the activists are staging a legitimate protest against illegal mining activity.

The two countries have fought two wars since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians.

(Reporting by Filipp Lebedev, Writing by Caleb Davis, Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who is tied to Kentucky's Braidy Industries, allegedly paid an FBI official to investigate rivals. On Monday, the former FBI counterintelligence official has been charged in connection with efforts to assist Deripaska.

Charles McGonigal, who once headed the FBI's New York Counterintelligence Division and was involved in investigations involving the oligarch, is charged with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and money laundering.

McGonigal, who retired from the bureau in 2018, was arrested Saturday, along with Sergey Shestakov, a former Russian diplomat.

Background:US Senate report says Russian investor in Braidy Industries' mill is a proxy for the Kremlin

In this file photo taken on July 2, 2015, Russian metals magnate Oleg Deripaska attends Independence Day celebrations at Spaso House, the residence of the American Ambassador, in Moscow, Russia.

McGonigal and Shestakov are accused of initiating an investigation of a Deripaska rival last year in return for concealed payments from the oligarch.

Working with an agent for Deripaska, McGonigal and Shestakov sought to hide Deripaskas involvement by using shell companies and forged signatures on contract documents. The shell companies were allegedly used to send and receive payments from Deripaska, federal prosecutors said.

In September, the Justice Department announced charges against the Deripaska, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of using a web of shell companies to disguise millions of dollars in prohibited business transactions, including the $3 million sale of a California music studio in 2019.

In 2018, Deripaska was included in the Treasury Department enforcement notice as having been "investigated for money laundering, and ... accused of threatening the lives of business rivals, illegally wiretapping a government official, and taking part in extortion and racketeering."

While serving as an FBI official, federal prosecutors said, McGonigal had access to then-classified information that led to Treasury's 2018 sanctions against Deripaska.

A year later, McGonigal and Shestakov worked for Deripaska in an unsuccessful bid to have the U.S. sanctions against Deripaska lifted, officials said.

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When FBI agents questioned Shestakov in November 2021 about the nature of the work with Deripaskas agent, "Shestakov made false statements in a recorded interview," federal prosecutors said.

Shannon Hall contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russian oligarch tied to KY's Braidy Industries paid Charles Deripaska: Feds say
By Lidia Kelly

(Reuters) - Russia's new military reforms respond to possible NATO expansion and the use of Kyiv by the "collective West" to wage a hybrid war against Russia, the newly appointed general in charge of Russia's military operations in Ukraine said.

Valery Gerasimov, in his first public comments since his Jan. 11 appointment to the role, admitted also to problems with the mobilisation of troops, after public criticism forced President Vladimir Putin to reprimand the military.

The military reforms, announced mid-January, have been approved by Putin and can be adjusted to respond to threats to Russia's security, Gerasimov told the news website Argumenty i Fakty in remarks published late Monday.

"Today, such threats include the aspirations of the North Atlantic Alliance to expand to Finland and Sweden, as well as the use of Ukraine as a tool for waging a hybrid war against our country," said Gerasimov, who is also the chief of Russia's military general staff.

Finland and Sweden applied last year to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Under Moscow's new military plan, an army corps will be added to Karelia in Russia's north, which borders with Finland.

The reforms also call for two additional military districts, Moscow and Leningrad, which existed before they were merged in 2010 to be part of the Western Military District.

In Ukraine, Russia will add three motorized rifle divisions as part of combined arms formations in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, parts of which Moscow claims it annexed in September.

"The main goal of this work is to ensure guaranteed protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country," Gerasimov said.

'ACTING AGAINST THE ENTIRE COLLECTIVE WEST'

Gerasimov added that modern Russia has never seen such "intensity of military hostilities", forcing it to carry out offensive operations to stabilise the situation.

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"Our country and its armed forces are today acting against the entire collective West," Gerasimov said.

In the 11 months since invading Ukraine, Russia has been shifting its rhetoric on the war from an operation to "denazify" and "demilitarise" its neighbour to increasingly casting it as defence from an aggressive West.

Kyiv and its Western allies call it a an unprovoked act of aggression, and the West has been sending increasingly heavy weaponry to Ukraine to help it resist Russian forces.

Gerasimov and the leadership of the defence ministry have faced sharp criticism for multiple setbacks on the battlefield and Moscow's failure to secure victory in a campaign the Kremlin had expected to take just a short time.

The country's mobilisation of some 300,000 additional personnel in the fall proceeded chaotically.

"The system of mobilization training in our country was not fully adapted to the new modern economic relations," Gerasimov said. "So I had to fix everything on the go."

(Writing by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
For 44 years, a NASA Apollo-era Saturn IB rocket has stood at the Ardmore rest area alongside I-65, welcoming visitors to the state of Alabama. Now, the space agency has decided that the degraded display is no longer safe to keep standing and should be replaced.

A roadside rocket display that for more than 40 years has stood as a welcome sign for drivers entering the state of Alabama is no longer safe to be left standing and should now be replaced, according to NASA and the museum charged with its care.

Officials at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville have decided that the Saturn IB rocket erected in 1979 at the Ardmore Welcome Center in Elkmont needs to be replaced. More than just a matter of moving it elsewhere, the Apollo-era artifact may be destroyed due to its failing condition after nearly four-and-a-half decades on outdoor, vertical display.

"A beacon to travelers along I-65 for many years, this rocket was not built to withstand more than 40 years of continuous exposure to the elements of nature," NASA officials said in a statement. "The support structure has deteriorated over the years, the damage is too significant to repair, and could potentially pose a structural safety issue if left in place."

Related: Facts about NASA's Apollo moon program

After 44 years, the Saturn IB rocket display at the Alabama Welcome Center at Ardmore is in the rear view mirror.

Initial estimates provided by the rocket center to disassemble and reconstruct the Saturn IB  one of only two remaining examples of the rocket in the world  exceed $7 million, with no assurance that the booster would survive the process. Even if it could be safely lowered, moving the rocket to restore it elsewhere is not an option given size constraints for the overpass bridges on I-65 and restrictions on other routes.

"Extensive repairs, if possible, would need to be done on site and require a team of experts working full time for more than a year," said the Saturn IB's curators at the rocket center. "None of these efforts will prevent the inevitable deterioration of a vehicle that was not designed to stand outdoors."

'A significant piece of space hardware'

A plaque installed near the rocket dedicates the display "to the men and women who made it possible for this nation [the United States] to explore space for peaceful purposes" through the cooperation of NASA, the Marshall Space Flight Center and the State of Alabama.

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The idea to erect such an exhibit began in 1974, when then-Governor George Wallace wrote to Marshall's director William Lucas requesting a "significant piece of space hardware, such as a Saturn rocket, be erected on the Welcome Center site as a permanent landmark." At the time, the Welcome Center was a year from opening along what was then a new interstate highway.

A look at the real and mockup components of the Saturn IB rocket that were assembled, taken vertical and dedicated at the Alabama Welcome Center in 1979.

The Apollo program was not yet over, and, though the Saturn IB launches to the Skylab orbital workshop were complete, at least one more use of the rocket was planned for the joint U.S. and Soviet Union mission, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, in 1975. NASA was further limited by a congressional mandate to keep its stock of Apollo hardware "so as to be able to restore it, if required, to flight condition."

What Marshall was ultimately able to provide the state was a mixture of authentic and mock hardware. The first (or lower) stage of the rocket is flight hardware, referred to by NASA as S-IB-211. Between December 1967 and April 1968, the stage was test-fired seven times on Marshall's Saturn IB test stand.

The upper stage, or S-IVB, is comprised of a real interstage and forward skirt mounted to a mockup body that was originally built for underwater training at Marshall's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS). The forward skirt was mounted upside down at the aft end of the body intentionally, but the reasons for doing so are unknown today.

The spacecraft-lunar module adapter, or SLA, and instrument unit (which held the avionics for the launch vehicle) are authentic hardware, as likely is the launch escape system tower topping the rocket.

The Apollo command module is a boilerplate mockup. Its service module is likely Block 1 (first generation) hardware that was previously exhibited at Marshall.

All together, the pieces formed the 142-foot-tall (43-meter) Saturn IB. The rocket rests on eight authentic hold-down arms just as if it was on a launch pad.

Related: The history of rockets

'Meaningful, sustainable and economically feasible'

Efforts to restore the rocket were undertaken in 2006 and 2014, with the latter first focused on repairing its base. That work alone was estimated to cost $15,000 and took a few years to get underway.

NASA and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center announced its decision to retire the display on Friday (Jan. 19) after the director of the Alabama Tourism Department made public comments suggesting that it was time to replace the Saturn IB with something that better reflected the future of the U.S. space program.

More than four decades of exposure to the elements has taken a toll on Saturn IB rocket, leaving it unsafe to keep standing without millions of dollars of restoration work that it still might not survive

Related stories:

 Space history photo: Wernher von Braun and Saturn IB rocket on the launch pad

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"What Huntsville needs to market is the next big project, going back to the moon, instead of people saying nothing ever changes," Lee Sentell told The Huntsville Times. "I'm for putting up something that's future."

State Representative Andy Whitt (R-Ardmore), who chairs the House Committee on Economic Development and Tourism, agreed.

"This is an opportunity to create a landmark that will withstand the test of time and serve as a symbol of Alabama's past and current role in space and technology," Whitt said in a statement released by the rocket center. "Everyone involved is working together to create the next great icon for our community, our state and our nation."

For its part, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center wants a "meaningful, sustainable and economically feasible replacement for the iconic rocket."

"Whether the rocket is replaced by a replica of the Saturn IB or another rocket, we're excited at the possibility for a new enduring emblem of Alabama's leadership in space exploration," said Kimberly Robinson, CEO and executive director of the center.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2023 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
A Texas K-9 discovered an estimated $1.7 million worth of marijuana and mushroom-laced candy bars during a traffic stop in North Texas last week, authorities said.

In a Facebook post Saturday, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said a deputy stopped a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck pulling a U-Haul van trailer after it was spotted swerving erratically. Wise County is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.

The driver, who Akin described as "exceedingly nervous," told the officer that he and his grandmother, who was sitting in the passenger seat, were headed to a funeral in Southeast Texas.

The grandmother, however, told the officer a different story, explaining that the two were driving to Tennessee and had a trailer full of furniture with them, Akin said.

A K-9 for the Wise County Sheriff's Office in Texas who discovered an estimated $1.7 million worth of marijuana and candy bars laced with psychedelic mushrooms during a traffic stop. Jan. 21, 2023. / Credit: Wise County Sheriff's Office/Facebook

When K-9 Benni arrived on scene, he quickly detected "wafting scents" and alerted deputies, the sheriff detailed. When they opened the trailer, they discovered no furniture, but instead 31 sealed moving boxes which included 840 pounds of marijuana, 242 pounds of "candy bars infused with psilocybin mushrooms," and 1,100 THC vape cartridges.

The entire haul had an estimated value of $1.7 million, Akin said.

The driver and his grandmother were both arrested on multiple charges of possession of controlled substances. Their bond was set at $70,000 each, according to Akin. Their names were not released.

The Wise County Messenger newspaper reported that the two suspects later told officers they were originally from Temecula, California, and had traveled from Las Vegas.

K-9 units are difficult to fool, as they have 200 million olfactory receptors, as opposed to the five million that humans have, Akin noted.

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A Colombian drug lord who had a military force of thousands under his command has pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn courtroom to running a criminal enterprise, and will see at least 20 years behind bars.

Dairo Antonio Usuga David, 51, led Clan del Golfo from 2012 until his arrest by the Colombian authorities in October 2021. The international criminal organization sent cocaine by the ton from Colombia to the U.S. through Mexico and Panama, the feds said.

On Wednesday, Usuga David entered a guilty plea before Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Dora Irizarry that covers indictments in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Florida.

Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace described Usuga David as the most violent and significant Colombian narcotics trafficker since Pablo Escobar.

Usuga David, who also went by the name Otoniel, led a 6000-member militarized cartel that controls vast swaths of territory in the Uraba region of Antioquia, Colombia.

He ruled with a draconian hand, and ordered his minions to murder dozens of rivals, police and perceived informants, prosecutors said.

After a 2012 poice raid killed his brother, he ordered his cartels forces to shut down the towns under his control. All businesses were forced to close and all residents told to stay in their homes for several days. He told the cartel members to execute anyone they found out violating his curfew.

He commanded a cruel fate for one minion, who leaked information to a rival. The turncoat was tortured, buried alive, exhumed and beheaded post-mortem, prosecutors said.

He sent out teams to kill Colombian law enforcement and military personnel with grenades, explosives and assault rifles, and offered bounties for the murder of police officers and members of the military.

As part of his plea agreement, Usuga David agreed to turn over $216 million.

He faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years behind bars. Under the terms of his extradition from Colombia, federal prosecutors have agreed not to seek a life sentence, though theres no limit on how many years he can receive when hes sentenced.
Police and rescue services near Brokstedt station in Germany after Wednesdays stabbing (AP)

Two people have been killed and at last five injured in a knife attack on a regional train in northern Germany.

Federal police in Schleswig-Holstein said the man used a knife to attack several passengers shortly before the Hamburg-bound train arrived at Brokstedt station.

The suspect has been detained.

Police did not give any information on the suspect's identity and said his possible motives were under investigation.

Schleswig-Holstein state interior minister, Sabine Suetterlin-Waack, said two people were killed and five were wounded in the attack, which happened at about 3 pm local time (2pm UK time) on Wednesday.

The suspect had self-inflicted injuries to his hands when was arrested, Bild reported.

Train services have been suspended in the area, DB said.

Polizeiliche Ermittlungen im Bahnhof #Brokstedt



Es kommt zu Zugausfallen im Fernverkehr zwischen #Hamburg und #Kiel bzw. #Neumunster.  Deutsche Bahn Verkehrsmeldungen (@DB_Info) January 25, 2023

More follows...
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is the second Cabinet member heading to Africa as part of President Joe Bidens big push to engage with the worlds second-largest continent.

The U.S. Mission to the U.N. said Sunday she will travel to Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya starting Jan. 25 to affirm and strengthen our partnerships with key current and former U.N. Security Council members.

Thomas-Greenfields visit follows last weeks start of a 10-day African visit by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. She arrived in Dakar, Senegal late Wednesday and will also visit Zambia and South Africa.

Biden announced at the end of a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December that he will visit sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, the first trip to the region by a U.S. leader in a decade.

The summit and trip are aimed at strengthening U.S. relations with Africa, where China has surpassed the U.S. in trade and is aiming to increase its military presence, and Russia has military ties with the authorities in Mali and Central African Republic.

Biden stressed at the summit that he is serious about increasing U.S. attention to the continent and told the 49 African leaders attending the meeting in Washington that Africa belongs at the table in every conversation of global consequences.

The first stop for Thomas-Greenfield, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for Africa, is Ghana, which is in the second year of a two-year term as an elected member of the Security Council. On Jan. 25 she will meet with women leaders and civil society representatives, the U.S. mission said.

Thomas-Greenfield then heads to Mozambique, which is just starting its first-ever two-year term on the council.

During her visit on Jan. 26-27, the U.S. mission said she will meet with U.N. officials, entrepreneurs, alumni of U.S. exchange programs, international relations students and civil society members engaged in work to adapt to climate change, the mission said.

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The ambassadors final stop on Jan. 28-29 is Kenya, whose two-year term on the council ended on Dec. 31.

The U.S. mission called Kenya a key partner and said Thomas-Greenfields visit will focus on humanitarian programs, including the regional response to drought and assistance to refugees, and on the impact Russias war against Ukraine continues to have on global food security, which has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region.

The ambassador will also meet refugees pending resettlement in the United States and Kenya-based entrepreneurs at the forefront of the countrys transition to a green economy, the mission said.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Tuesday called for the FBI to investigate Joe Bidens son over classified documents found at the presidents Delaware home and then, seconds later, suggested it was no big deal that sensitive documents were also found at former Vice President Mike Pences home in Indiana.

The FBI needs to search the University of Delaware archives, and they need to search Hunter Bidens home and business address, Cruz said during an appearance on Fox Business Networks Kudlow.

Host Larry Kudlow then asked him about the classified documents discovered at Pences home near Indianapolis last week. Cruz didnt seem as concerned about those.

Oh, look, the Mike Pence story  its still early, Cruz said. He is a good friend and a good man. Hes explained where these came from.

TED CRUZ: The FBI needs to search the University of Delaware and Hunter Biden's home and business addresses



LARRY KUDLOW: What about Pence, a friend of both of ours, who found classified documents in his home?



CRUZ: Oh look, Mike Pence has explained where these came from pic.twitter.com/VZwobf8RZl  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 24, 2023

The White House has been under fire since it disclosed that Bidens attorneys found classified documents and official records on four separate occasions between Nov. 2 and Dec. 20 at the offices of the Penn Biden Center in Washington and at Bidens home.

Biden donated his sealed Senate records to the University of Delaware in 2012. Cruz has repeatedly called on the Justice Department to search those papers. However, the university has said only Biden and his designees have access to the papers until two years after he leaves public office.

The Justice Department has appointed a special prosecutor to look into the matter.

On Tuesday, news broke that Pence, too, had mishandled sensitive material. According to Pences attorney, a small number of documents bearing classified markings were found at the home of Donald Trumps vice president last week.

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In both cases, there is no indication they were aware of the presence of the records, and it appears the records were turned over within days of their discovery.

The two developments stand in contrast to how former President Trump for months refused repeated requests from the National Archives to return classified material located at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after he left office. Roughly 300 classified documents have been recovered from Trumps properties since he left office in January 2021.

After the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, Cruz called it a politically motivated fishing expedition.

Related...
Meteorologists say a winter storm that moved through southwest Missouri on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning dropped up to a foot of snow on parts of the Ozarks.

Justin Titus, with the National Weather Service, said the highest snow totals were southeast of Interstate 44 in areas including Marshfield and West Plains, where 8 to 12 inches accumulated.

In Springfield, Titus said there was about 4 to 6 inches of snow in most areas, with the heaviest snowfall in the southeast part of town.

The first significant snow event of 2023 led to some slick roadways, crashes and power outages. School districts across the area canceled classes on Wednesday.

Looking ahead, Titus said no more snow is expected but any wet spots on the roads could freeze overnight, when temperatures dip into the low 20s, and cause some travel issues on Thursday morning.

More:Springfield Public Schools closed on Wednesday due to winter weather

Garrett Butel throws purple ice melt on the sidewalks along Commercial Street on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. The National Weather Service measured 4-6 inches of snowfall in Springfield, accumulated from precipitation that began Tuesday evening.

Joel Alexander, spokesperson for City Utilities, said Wednesday morning there had been just over 500 power outages in Springfield associated with the winter storm.

"Overnight, a broken pole was discovered in our eastern area, but all other areas have been much smaller," Alexander said. "All the outages are weather related with tree and limb contact caused by the heavy snow."

The Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative reported at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday that 13,000 of its customers were without power as crews dealt with damage to power lines caused by heavy snow and falling trees.

By noon, the Missouri Department of Transportation's Traveler Information Map indicated the majority of the major highways in the state were clear. Highway 65 south of Springfield and Highway 60 east of Springfield were categorized as "mostly clear."

Darin Hamelink, district maintenance engineer for MoDOT, told the News-Leader earlier this week that MoDOT would be calling in its emergency, part-time plow drivers in southwest Missouri to help get roads cleared faster. He said wet, heavy snow is generally easier to clear from roadways than other forms of winter precipitation.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Southwest Missouri hit with first significant snow of 2023
Korea's trade deficit already surpassed US$10 billion in the first 20 days of this year as exports continue to shrink, particularly of microchips to China.

The Korea Customs Service on Tuesday said exports fell 2.7 percent from a year ago to just $33.62 billion between Jan. 1 and 20, but imports jumped 9.3 percent to $43.89 billion. That resulted in a trade deficit of $10.26 billion, already surpassing the monthly record of $9.44 billion last August.

Exports of semiconductors plummeted 34 percent from a year ago as China's economic slowdown decreases demand for DRAM and NAND flash memory chips. The decline in demand has been going on for six consecutive months.

Korea's trade deficit with China, the top export destination, is likely to widen this year. It rose to $3.24 billion in the first 20 days of this month, up 2.6 times compared to last October. Shipments of intermediate goods like chemicals and mobile phone parts to China also fell 24.4 percent.
A Cesna airplane taxis after landing at Middleton Municipal Airport in Middleton.

Children  and adults  are at a higher risk for lead poisoning if they live near an airport where leaded aviation gas is used.

From Douglas to Rock County, Wisconsin is home to roughly 80 airports selling leaded aviation gas, and more than a dozen are clustered in the southeastern part of the state. Higher rates of leaded gas are typically associated with flight schools and smaller, general aviation airports, such as Milwaukee Countys Timmerman Airport.

Lead poisoning causes irreversible brain damage and learning difficulties in children, and it has also been linked to cardiovascular issues and premature births among adults.

Cynthia Richson, chair of the Town of Middleton, has been leading an outcry from residents about the lead emissions coming from an airport in her community that hosts two flight schools and has a high volume of aircraft traffic. That airport, the Middleton Municipal Airport of Morey Field, released 217 pounds of lead into the air in 2018, according to EPA data.

Richson said the new study confirms the need for more regulation.

Lead exposure is cumulative, and there is no safe level of lead in humans, she said.

The new study comes from Sammy Zahran, an economics professor and the chair of economics at Colorado State University, who studied 14,000 blood samples from children living near the Reid-Hillview Airport of Santa Clara, California.

RELATED:How a Middleton airport has become a battleground over lead pollution

Zahrans work comes more than a decade after a flagship study led by Marie Lynn Miranda brought more attention to the potential risks fuel emissions could have on childrens health. That 2011 study found children tested within a roughly half-mile radius of an airport selling aviation gas had noticeably higher levels of lead in their blood.

Zahran, who has been working on the issue of emissions from leaded aviation gas for more than a decade, said he was "skeptical" when he first read the Miranda study.

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Heres what else they discovered:

The blood lead levels of children increased based when the quantity of gas increased, the level of activity at the airport increased and if they lived downwind of the airport.

Elevated blood lead levels were also found in children living beyond the Miranda Zone, a distance from the airport earlier studies suggested may be safe.

The blood lead levels of children who lived in older housing stock farther away from airports had lower blood lead levels than those of children who lived in newer homes closer to the airport.

After the pandemic created a natural experiment, researchers were also able to identify how eliminating leaded gasoline could impact lead poisoning: when airport traffic dropped 45% during the pandemic, blood lead levels followed suit during the same time.

In Wisconsin, studies conducted in Middleton by the environmental consultant group, Trinity Consultants, revealed the presence of airborne lead particles within a 1-mile perimeter of the airport, said Richson, the town's chairwoman.

MORE:Lead is linked to low school test scores. A new study suggests segregation makes it worse.

Why airplanes still use leaded fuel and what regulations exist for it

The new research comes less than a year after the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it was proposing an "endangerment finding" for the lead emissions caused by aviation gas.

Small piston-engine planes, the types of aircrafts that use aviation gas, are typically found at general aviation airports used for recreation, flight training and air taxi services.

Lead is added to the fuel because it helps prevent engine failures and most planes built prior to 2012 have engines that only function with leaded gas.

Automotive gasoline was phased out in the 1970s and lead-based paint stopped being used in 1979. Phasing out lead in the aviation industry would be a long and difficult process. Aircrafts have much longer lifespans than cars, with some lasting 40 years old.

Moreover, there had not been an unleaded alternative viable for every engine until last year. Now, general airports face the logistical and financial challenges of building or replacing the infrastructure to store and sell that fuel at their facilities. Until that process can occur, many will use leaded gas.

What to do if you live near an airport

For those who live near an airport, Zahran recommends routinely testing for lead poisoning. He also advocates for policies to support that testing.

Just as children living in a home built before 1978 are automatic candidates for blood lead level testing in California, Zahran said children living near airports where leaded aviation gas is sold should also be candidates  a standard that could benefit the country if it was implemented nationwide.

Bruce Lanphear, a co-author with Zahran on the study, said more robust monitoring at airports could help identify which airports pose a high lead poisoning risk and provide an evidence-based reason for the EPA to tighten its air quality standard restrictions around lead.

Were sort of at a loss for how much exposure is actually going on, he said. The little Ive seen (from) the EPAs lead maps suggests (that the) national air quality standard for lead has not been exceeded.

Lanphear said if children are still being lead poisoned when the standard hasn't been exceeded, the standard should change.

Taken alone, Zahran cautions that his study shouldnt be generalized because it was conducted in one place and did not use a random sampling of children. However, in combination with previous studies linking airports to lead exposure, he said the evidence is clear  and the devastating health effects of lead are well-known.

RELATED:Worried about lead poisoning? We want to hear from you.

Overall, the long-term estimated losses, Zahran calculated, are staggering.

We know  for every increment of (blood lead levels) increased by (aviation gas), there is a likely change in cognitive levels, he said. Then we also know how to go from cognitive ability to earnings over the life course. For every IQ point, there is an additional $20-30,000 of net earnings over a career course. So now were in a position (to calculate) expected loss of earnings.

It comes out to $1 billion.

Need more help with lead questions? The Milwaukee Resource Guide is here to help. Have something you want answered? Submit a question.

Talis Shelbourne is an investigative solutions reporter covering the issues of affordable housing, environment and equity issues. Have a tip? You can reach Talis at (414) 403-6651 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseer and message her on Facebook at @talisseer.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Live near an airport? Study suggests you get tested for lead poisoning
The Wisconsin Badgers play the Maryland Terrapins on Wednesday night, and if youre wondering how you can watch the action live, youve come to the right place.

The Badgers will hope to get back in the win column, after getting surprised in their 66-63 road loss to Northwestern on Monday. Wisconsin was without starting guard Max Klesmit against the Wildcats, and they will likely also be without him again against the Terrapins.

Hopefully, Wisconsin guard Jordan Davis can continue to step into Klesmits role after finishing with a career-high 15 points as well as six rebounds, a steal and a block against Northwestern. He will be needed to help defend against the talented Terrapins backcourt.

It should be a great game to watch as the Badgers will look to end their short road trip with a victory.

Heres when you should tune in to see the game:

Date: Jan. 25, 2023

Time: 6 p.m. CT

TV Channel: BTN

Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Players to watch:

Points Leaders:

Wisconsin forward Tyler Wahl: 12.8 PPG

Maryland guard Jahmir Young: 15.5 PPG

Rebounds Leaders:

Wisconsin forward Steven Crowl: 6.9 RPG

Maryland forward Julian Reese: 6.7 RPG

Assists Leaders:

Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn: 3.4 APG

Maryland guard Jahmir Young: 3.0 APG

Story originally appeared on Badgers Wire
6 Things You Need to Know About Marc Anthony's New Bride Nadia Ferreira

Nadia Ferreira is beauty, grace, and she's soon to be the next Mrs. Marc Anthony.

Since the day she graced the stage at the Miss Universe pageant in 2021, representing Paraguay, the model has been turning heads with her stunning beauty, as well as her relationship with the "Vivir mi vida" vocalist.

Below we've gathered everything you need to know about Ferreira prior to her nuptials.

Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images Nadia Ferreira attends the 9th Annual Maestro Cares Foundation Gala at Cipriani Wall Street.

Ferreira is a member of the United Nations Development Programme

As an advocate for sustainable development, Ferreira has been raising awareness on the topic as a member of the UN Development Programme. As part of her advocacy, she has worked on sustainable fashion through her family's clothing and accessory line.

She Met Marc Anthony in 2016

Before they were a couple, Ferreira attended one of Anthony's concerts in Paraguay when she was 16 years old. They took a picture together, not knowing they would be getting married seven years later. They announced their engagement in 2022.

Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images Nadia Ferreira and Marc Anthony.

She was the first runner-up at the Miss Universe Pageant in 2021

The 23-year-old activist represented Paraguay at the 70th Miss Universe pageant, earning the spot of first runner-up at the incredibly competitive beauty pageant.

She Speaks Four Languages

As a polyglot, she speaks Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Guarani.

Nadia Ferreira at Miss Universe

The Paraguayan model was born with Congenital Torticollis

The international model was born with congenital torticollis, a condition where the neck muscles tighten and rely on one side. She had her first surgery at eight months old and lost her sight, hearing, and mobility partially at the age of 10.

She will be Marc Anthony's fourth wife

Tying the knot on January 28, Ferreira will become the fourth person to marry the Boricua musician. He was previously married to former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, Jennifer Lopez, and model Shannon de Lima. The singer is also a father to six children.
CALGARY, AB, Jan. 25, 2023 /CNW/ - Avanti Helium Corp. (TSXV: AVN) (OTC: ARGYF) ("Avanti" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the WNG 10-21 Helium appraisal well has now been completed and the final total gas rate from the Flathead Cambrian Zone has been measured in excess of 20 million cubic feet/day (20 MMcf/d) at 1,250psi surface pressure after 72 hours of cleanup. The well, located at the Company's Greater Knappen, Montana project was flowed up 7" casing through a 1" choke.

Avanti CEO Chris Bakker commented, "We knew the Helium percentage at the WNG 10-21 well was excellent. Having the flow rate come in at more than double our most optimistic projected rate is truly fantastic. This is an incredible success for Avanti and I am particularly happy for our team who can now boast of a perfect success record of Helium discovered in all three of our wells."

The gas consisted of 1.0% Helium, with primarily Nitrogen, with minor Methane and CO 2 making up the remainder. The choke size was increased several times up to the final 1", with no pressure drop or formation fluid seen. Avanti is currently running production tubing and downhole pressure gauges which will be followed by further production testing, pressure build-up, and flow test analysis.

The WNG 10-21 well was drilled 1 kilometer west and 50 meters down structure of the Company's WNG 11-22 Helium discovery well. As there was no formation water encountered, we have yet to define the size limit of this pool. Avanti's independent evaluator, McDaniel & Associates, will be updating the Company resource report based on the new well results.

Significance of the WNG 10-21 Drilling Results

Flow rate, surface pressure and Helium concentration result in an estimated 200 Mcf/d of net Helium, making this well one of the most prolific Helium wells drilled compared to all known Canadian and northern USA Helium pools in the last 20 years1 (See Figure 1).

Figure 1: Total Helium Rate (flow test) in the last 20 years. * Avantis WNG 10-21 well was flowing up 7 casing all other wells were flowing up tubing. (CNW Group/Avanti Helium Corp.)

Facilities Update

In addition, the Company has been advancing engineering design and evaluation on production facilities. These results will help finalize investment decision (FID) and design capacity sizing. Individual well production rates will be determined based on facility capacity and wellbore design.

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Change of Auditor

The Company also announces it has changed its auditor from Davidson & Company LLP ("Former Auditor") to Deloitte LLP ("Successor Auditor") effective January 25, 2023. Avanti's Audit Committee and Board of Directors has approved the resignation of the Former Auditor and the appointment of the Successor Auditor as the new auditor of the Company effective January 25, 2023.

There were no reservations or modified opinions in the Former Auditor's reports in connection with the financial statements of the Company for the Company's most recent fiscal year and any subsequent period, and there are no "reportable events", as defined in the National Instrument 51102  Continuous Disclosure Obligations, between the Company and the Former Auditor.

In accordance with National Instrument 51-102, the Notice of Change of Auditor, together with the letter from the Former Auditor and the Successor Auditor have been reviewed by the Company's Audit Committee and Board of Directors and has been filed on SEDAR accordingly.

1 Source: Data sources from geoSCOUT database

About Avanti Helium Corp

Avanti Helium Corp is focused on the exploration, development, and production of helium across western Canada and the United States. Avanti's professional oil and gas exploration and production team is actively targeting untapped potential helium reserves to help meet the increasing global demand for an irreplaceable and scarce element critical to advanced technology, medical and space exploration industries. For more information, please go to the Company's website at www.avantihelium.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Avanti Helium Corp.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2023/25/c8501.html
The burned-out Tennessee mansion behind a viral Zillow listing for $1.5 million is now under contract with Houston resident Mike Thakur.

Thakur, who is originally from England, told The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, he and his family were pondering a move to Nashville and spotted the mansion in an email alert about new listings in the area from Zillow.

Two days later, they were under contract for the home  which also comes with about 5 acres of land and a roughly 2,300-square-foot guesthouse that was not damaged in the fire.

"Did something a little crazy over the weekend and bought a burned down mansion," Thakur said in an Instagram post Tuesday.

Mike Thakur put in an offer for this Franklin, Tenn., mansion on Friday and it is now under contract. The mansion was heavily damaged in a 2022 fire.

'Under contract'

Paula Duvall, the owner and agent behind the listing, confirmed Wednesday Thakur was under contract for the mansion. The sale has not yet closed.

Thakur said he, his wife and his three teenage children saw the listing on Jan. 18, a day before they had plans to fly to Nashville to look at homes. Thakur reached out to local real estate agent Sam Miller to set up a tour. After the family toured the mansion on Jan. 20, Thakur said they asked the agents to step away while they discussed.

"We're a pretty tightknit family. We make a lot of decisions together with the children," Thakur said. "We all thought this was going to be a great project and we decided we were going to give it a go. We shook on it there and then."

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Mike Thakur, left, with his wife and three children in front of a Franklin, Tenn., mansion that was heavily damaged in a 2022 fire.

Family plans to document renovation

Thakur, who owns a few co-working spaces in Houston, said he and his oldest son plan to move to Franklin, a Nashville suburb, once they close on the home and start working. His other two children, who are still in school, will follow later with his wife.

While the fire stayed mostly to one side of the mansion, Thakur said, there was water damage throughout. Still, he's hopeful about what they can salvage and the location of the property. The guest house is livable, albeit a little tight for their family of five. Thakur said it'll be a family effort to renovate the home and they hope to salvage and restore some parts while making the rest their own.

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"The commute doesn't seem bad," he said with a laugh. "Just across the backyard."

A mansion in Franklin caught fire in September 2022. After a viral Zillow listing, it's now under contract with Houston resident Mike Thakur, who plans to move to the area with his wife and three children.

While home renovation, along with the flurry of media attention that's reached as far as the BBC, is new to the family, Thakur said they plan to document the process on his YouTube channel and Instagram account.

Follow along on YouTube at YouTube.com/@realmikethakur and Instagram at instagram.com/RealMikeThakur.

Viral Zillow listing: Franklin mansion a 'total loss' in fire

The original listing topped 400,000 views and was bookmarked by nearly 8,000 people. The lead image featured the mansion going up in flames as a fire truck dumped water to douse the blaze. The listing called the mansion "a tragic total loss" and said it was being sold as-is.

Photos showed heavy fire and water damage throughout the home, along with soot. Duvall said the address listed on Zillow was incorrect, and that it's actually in a neighborhood off Interstate 65 near the Peytonsville Road exit in Franklin.

Weather updates: Winter storm forecast to reach Northeast as Midwest wakes up to snow: Winter weather updates

She said she and her husband were renovating the home when the fire broke out in mid-September. A worker was using a spray painter when a spark ignited the blaze, according to Duvall. The worker was hospitalized but is OK, she said.

"The day of the fire was an emotional day," Duvall said.

She and her husband are excited that the Thakurs want to renovate the home.

The listing boasted open hilltop views, a large outdoor kitchen and porches and roughly 5 acres. Things like the foundation, porches, patios, landscaping, custom pavers and limestone are salvageable, along with some of the interior features, according to the listing. It also said Williamson County impact fees and other fees were waived for the property.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Burned-out mansion in viral Zillow post under contract in Franklin, TN
Leslie Jordan's last appearance on Call Me Kat aired last month, but the show waited a beat to reveal how it would move ahead to fill the space left by his character Phil.

On Thursday, it was announced that 30 Rock alum Jack McBrayer is joining the show as Gideon, the new hire at the cat cafe owned by Mayim Bialik's title character. The news, which was shared by TVLine, comes after Jordan's character received his farewell in the form of an off-screen wedding in Tahiti and a special end-of-episode tribute from longtime friend Dolly Parton.

In a sneak peek for Thursday's episode, Kat introduces the new coworker to her friends: "The search is over. We finally found our new baker. This is Gideon."

Viewers quickly get a sense of McBrayer's unfiltered Amish import, who flusters Kat's friend Carter (Julian Grant) and Kat's mother Sheila (Swoosie Kurtz).

RELATED: Watch Leslie Jordan's Moving Call Me Kat Tribute: 'I'm a Big Believer in Celebrating Every Moment'

Jack McBrayer joining the cast of Call Me Kat

Tommaso Boddi/Getty, Lisa Rose/FOX

McBrayer, 49, is best known for playing 30 Rock's folksy NBC Page Kenneth Parcell, and it's a reunion of sorts since Call Me Kat star Cheyenne Jackson also appeared in 12 episodes of Tina Fey's Emmy-winning sitcom.

McBrayer has also starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky and Bobby, Wreck-It-Ralph and Bob's Burgers.

McBrayer is the latest actor who'll carry on Phil's legacy on the show, in a nod to Jordan's contributions to Call Me Kat before his death at age 67. It was previously announced that Jordan's friend and former The Cool Kids costar Vicki Lawrence would appear as Phil's oft-mentioned mother Lurlene as a special tribute to the late actor.

RELATED VIDEO: Leslie Jordan Dead at 67

Jordan's death shocked his friends and fans around the world on Oct. 24 when an unexpected catastrophic event  later determined to be a "sudden cardiac dysfunction"  caused him to crash into a building in Hollywood, California. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

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Call Me Kat temporarily paused production to process the loss of their friend and costar, with Bialik, 47, issuing a statement.

RELATED: Dolly Parton, Cardi B and More Pay Tribute to Leslie Jordan: 'Shocked as If I Have Lost a Family Member'

"There aren't words to convey the loss we are experiencing as a cast and a Call Me Kat family," the statement began. "Leslie Jordan was larger than life. He was a Southern gentleman; tender, wise, naughty and hilarious. We got to know and love him at the height of his happiness and joy and it is inconceivable to imagine a world without our Leslie: the man who would spit on his contact lenses before putting them in his eyes, the man who had a story about every man in Hollywood and some of the women as well, the man who lived to make people laugh."

The statement continued, "We will be taking time to grieve and to celebrate the many gifts Leslie gave to us and to the entire world and we appreciate privacy at this time."

RELATED: Dolly Parton Joins Call Me Kat for Tribute to Late Star Leslie Jordan: 'We're Happy That You're at Peace'

CALL ME KAT: Leslie Jordan in the all-new "Call Me Uncle Dad" episode of CALL ME KAT airing Thursday, October 27 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. 2022 Fox Media LLC. CR: Lisa Rose/FOX

Lisa Rose/FOX

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Call Me Kat airs Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Diego Sanchez doesnt seem the least bit concerned with Austin Trouts boxing pedigree heading into their Bare Knuckle FC debut against each other.

The New Mexico natives are set to throw down Feb. 13 at BKFC: KnuckleMania 3 from Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque. If youre at all concerned about Sanchez, 41, heading into the bout given the 37-year-old Trouts skill level with his hands, The Nightmare insists theres nothing to worry about.

The dynamic and principles of this sport is completely different, and Austin Trout is a Philly shell fighter like Floyd Mayweather, except hes southpaw, Sanchez told MMA Junkie Radio. Being a Philly shell fighter, you cant block like that in bareknuckle, man. Youve got a guy like me, whos only got to go for 2 minutes of sprint, and Im putting these bones on you. Whether Im putting these bones on your shoulder, on your arm, on your ribs, on your sternum, on your liver, on your stomach, its gonna do damage. Youve got to be aggressive.

The fight will mark Sanchezs second competition since the UFC released him in April 2021. A Season 1 winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Sanchez was released as a result of questions about his health history. Those questions were a point of contention for one New Mexico commissioner before he was ultimately licensed to fight Trout after additional medical testing.

Sanchez most recently lost a unanimous decision to fellow former UFC standout Kevin Lee in March 2022 at Eagle FC 46.

Related

Video: Lorenzo Hunt, Mike Richman brawl, destroy stage during KnuckleMania 3 press conference Greg Hardy to make BKFC debut on Feb. 17 at KnuckleMania 3 John Dodson makes quick turnaround from Rizin FF win to fight at 'BKFC: KnuckleMania 3' on Feb. 17

Heading into KnuckleMania 3, Sanchez believes hes right where he belongs fighting bareknuckle.

This sport was made for me  2-minute rounds, inside fighting, no gloves, and pressure. Pressure, pressure, pressure, Sanchez said. This is gonna be a great avenue for me to compete. I just think its gonna be a real statement, because a lot of people are all scared for me. He (Trout) went 12 rounds with Canelo. Their eyes are like this (widens his eyes). He went 12 rounds with Canelo. Are you sure? Cmon, bro. This aint boxing, and Im not Canelo.

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This is a different sport. The moment I get inside, the moment that I start throwing and firing on him, its just a different sport. Im gonna go out there, and Im gonna prove it. Im gonna show you what Im talking about, and Im gonna be very dominant. Im gonna be very successful. And, yeah, you guys are gonna be like, I guess Diego had a little more in the tank still.'

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkies event hub for BKFC: KnuckleMania 3.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
A rendering of a denied license plate.

LANSING  Michiganders can express their love for a city, team, phrase or nearly anything under the sun with their license plate, but not all desired tags ever get seen in traffic.

The Michigan Secretary of State office denied 21,652 custom plates in 2022, compared to 118 requests in the first six months of 2021, according to a public records requests.

Rejected plates included DEM0NIC, DIARHEA, 2B00BS, H0TB0X and H0TDAMN (cue Captain Raymond Holt from the TV show, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine).

Some of the denied plates include lewd or sexual content, euphemisms for certain drugs, opinions on politicians, curse words or more simply, the age-old hate of a particular state southeast of Michigan.

Angela Benander, SOS' deputy chief of communications, said there isn't a way for the department to count up the number of denials in a given year. Instead, there's a committee of mostly-volunteered SOS staff who review custom plates every day.

"That group looks at the list for what might violate policy, and they flag them and say why they think it does," Benander said. "The staff then goes and compiles the list into a section."

That new section has a list of flagged plates where a subcommittee reviews and votes on the plates. A plate passes if the committee voted in the majority for it and it moves forward for final review by SOS leadership. Benander said leadership can always override approvals if they find violations. The whole process takes 40 hours a week of combined effort.

"Ones that get denied get added to the master file and the customer is sent a letter with the policy, and then they are asked if they wish to review the denial or send back a list of possible other plates," she said.

The denied messages for customized plates are part of SOS's aptly named "bad word file," a compilation of tags that people submitted upon registration. Michiganders can order a plate on Michigan.gov/SOS starting at $5 per plate. Personalized plates cost $30 on top of registration renewal and vanity plate fees, according to the website.

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According to the Michigan Vehicle Code, the department will deny any plate that has a "configuration of either letters, numbers or letters and numbers that carries a connotation" deemed to be profane or obscene. That included several iterations of damn, hell, DEEZNTZ and rapper Cardi B's hit song "WAP."

A rendering of a denied license plate.

One of the categories with the most denied plates is swear words, with at least 730 attempted uses, not including all alphanumeric combinations. Over 900 tags that were sexually explicit or described genitals were also denied.

To the humor, or disgust, of some, 33 variations of "fart" made the list, including "IFARTED" and "UFARTED."

Michigan is open for business for marijuana operations and consumption, but 110 tags were denied for the adoration of the plant like G0TWEED and WEEDMAN. That's because of policy to decline any plates that describe alcohol or drugs.

Plates promoting hate or violence directed to anyone or a business were denied. At least 45 slurs were denied last year.

Plates that interfere with law enforcement's plate identification or conflict with the number system were also denied such as F00000D, L0LZZZZ and Q00Q00Q, among others.

As for references to Ohio, 10 plates  including 0HI0SUX  were denied.

Editor's note: Some of the requests for vanity plates contain vulgarity.

Tags Michigan SOS denied in 2022 by LansingStateJournal on Scribd

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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at 517-267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan SOS denied 21,000-plus license plates in 2022
The world is closer to oblivion than ever before, according to the Doomsday Clock.

The clock  a reflection of how close to destruction humanity is, and set by experts and scientists  moved 10 seconds forward, to 90 seconds to midnight.

The threat of nuclear war and other problems has risen in the last year, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which manages the Doomsday Clock and decides its time.

It pointed specifically to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which it said it had warned about in January 2022, when it last updated the clock. Then, it stayed at 100 seconds to midnight, as it has since 2019  but warned that increased violence between Ukraine and Russia could push the world closer to apocalypse.

This year, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moves the hands of the Doomsday Clock forward, largely (though not exclusively) because of the mounting dangers of the war in Ukraine, the Bulletin said in its statement. The Clock now stands at 90 seconds to midnightthe closest to global catastrophe it has ever been.

That statement was published in English, Ukrainian and Russian for the first ever time. That was done with the hope that the warning would be heeded in the capital cities involved in the war, said Rachel Bronson, the chief executive of the Bulletin.

Almost all of the Bulletins statement pointed to the threat of nuclear war, mostly because of violence in Ukraine but elsewhere too. It did however state that there was ongoing threats from climate change, biological threats and disruptive technologies.

Covid-19 showed how much the human population is at risk from pandemics, for instance, and such outbreaks are likely to become much more common, experts warned.

When the clock moved to 100 seconds to midnight, in 2019, it was already the closest to midnight it had ever been before. It marked the first time the clock had been set in seconds, a reflection of the increasing danger.

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Mary Robinson, the first woman president of Ireland who serves as the chair of The Elders group of former world leaders, warned during the announcement that politicians need to do more to ensure that the clock does not keep ticking towards midnight.

The Doomsday Clock is sounding an alarm for the whole of humanity. We are on the brink of a precipice. But our leaders are not acting at sufficient speed or scale to secure a peaceful and liveable planet, she said.

From cutting carbon emissions to strengthening arms control treaties and investing in pandemic preparedness, we know what needs to be done. The science is clear, but the political will is lacking. This must change in 2023 if we are to avert catastrophe. We are facing multiple, existential crises. Leaders need a crisis mindset.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday nominated a new special envoy for North Korean human rights issues after the post has been vacant for six years.

Julie Turner currently heads the Office of East Asia and the Pacific in the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

The nomination sends a strong warning to the North Korean regime that its human rights abuses will get almost as much scrutiny as its nuclear weapons and missiles.

The White House said Biden has sent the nomination to the Senate for confirmation. It is likely to sail through since both the Democratic and Republican parties have urged Biden to nominate a candidate for the post as soon as possible.

According to the White House, Turner has served more than 16 years in the office "in positions of increasing responsibility, primarily focused on initiatives related to promoting human rights in North Korea."

She earned a B.A. from Pepperdine University and an M.A. from the University of Maryland at College Park. She speaks French and Korean.

The post was established by the North Korean Human Rights Act in October 2004. During the Barack Obama administration, it was held by Robert King, but since then the post has been vacant as Obama's successor Donald Trump sought to cozy up to the North Korean regime.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry applauded the decision. "We welcome the U.S. government's nomination of a special envoy for North Korean human rights and looks forward to an early start of the mission," it said in a statement. "We will cooperate with the U.S. further for the improvement of North Korea's human rights situation."

The South Korean government has already appointed Lee Shin-wha, a professor at Korea University, as ambassador-at-large on North Korean human rights, a post that had been vacant for five years.
Fox News

Rather than abide by the law and submit to a search for classified documents, Fox News host Jesse Watters suggested Tuesday that elected officials should instead destroy any questionable documents altogether to avoid any implication of trouble.

In a rare bipartisan moment, he even said that both President Joe Biden and now-former Vice President Mike Pence should have committed federal crimes to clear their names rather than willingly volunteer classified documents they may have mistakenly taken with them from the White House.

Watters began the day seeming extremely disappointed by the news that classified documents were found last week at Pences Indiana home. Pence, seriously: we have this great thing going with Joe [Biden], he complained on the Fox roundtable show The Five, prompting co-host Greg Gutfeld to gripe that Pence ruined it.

Come on, man! Watters exclaimed in agreement. And then he confessed to it.

Fox News Flips Out Over Woke Xbox Because Everything Is Stupid

A lawyer for Pence who found the documents informed the National Archives immediately, CNN reported. Despite Pence saying in November that he took no classified documents to his home, the search was reportedly conducted at his behest out of an abundance of caution.

According to Watters, though, Pence had the option to simply get rid of the documentswhich would have helped Republicans maintain the moral high ground over Biden.

He couldve just destroyed it. We would have never known, he claimed.

The comments, however, were similar to what he said after Bidens home and Washington, D.C. think tank office were searched.

On a Jan. 13 episode of Jesse Watters Primetime, the namesake host commented that there is blood in the water because Biden allowed the search to happen.

Joe shouldve taken the Hillary tactic [and] just lit the box on fire, he advised.

He reserved a different opinion for the FBIs raid of former President Donald Trumps home, asserting baselessly that the government agency probably planted evidence in its successful search for classified documentsimplying that he thought there was nothing for Trump to destroy in the first place.

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Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Jan. 24Proposed legislation unveiled Tuesday would call for the purchase of offshore wind-generated electricity in amounts that could supply every home in the state, and then some.

Wind turbines that would float in the Gulf of Maine are still in development and not yet a reality. But a coalition of conservation and labor advocates have high hopes for the bill, which would require the Public Utilities Commission to procure 2.8 gigawatts of wind energy over the next 12 years, enough output for 980,000 homes. The PUC has overseen similar procurements ordered by the Legislature, including those for solar projects.

Supporters say passing the proposed law would make Maine a leader in floating offshore wind power and attract billions of dollars in private investment.

"Powering the region with offshore wind will provide the clean energy we need to stabilize electricity prices and meet Maine's ambitious climate goals," said Sen. Mark Lawrence, D-York, co-chair of the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. "This bill will make sure we're acting on the timeline necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, while ensuring strong standards for environment, labor and equity."

Other supporters include the University of Maine, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Maine Audubon and the Maine State Building & Construction Trade Council.

It was unclear Tuesday whether Gov. Janet Mills will endorse the proposal as it stands. Her energy director, Dan Burgess, praised the potential for offshore wind, while noting the need to balance its development with the sustainability of Maine's fishing industry and the Gulf of Maine's environment.

"With a procurement process offering an opportunity to determine the most responsible approaches to how offshore wind energy will emerge in Maine over coming years," Burgess said in a statement, "we look forward to working with the Legislature on this bill, and all proposals that seek to reduce energy costs for Maine people, increase our energy independence, grow our economy and curb greenhouse gas emissions."

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The effort comes as the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is undergoing a years-long review to determine the most appropriate locations for floating offshore wind turbines in federal ocean waters. It plans to conduct a lease sale in 2024.

Last week, the agency advanced the state's application to locate 10 to 12 floating turbines for a research array in a 9,700-acre lease area in federal waters, roughly 45 miles east of Portland.

Offshore wind is seen as having great potential for New England's electric grid because winds in the Gulf of Maine peak in the winter, when Maine uses a lot of energy for heat.

OFF OTHER SHORES

Offshore wind farms have been operating in Europe for more than 30 years, but are now being developed off the East Coast of the U.S. Development reflects a priority for the Biden administration, but faces opposition from some fishing and marine conservation interests.

Projects already are underway or pending off Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. Those ventures are being built on the outer continental shelf with turbines mounted on massive steel tubes sunk into the shallow seabed. The projects use technology pioneered over decades in Europe.

But wind farms in the deeper Gulf of Maine would feature turbines set on floating platforms held in place by cables and anchors. They would be located farther offshore. This is a new and evolving technology, and a patented platform design has been pursued over the past decade at the University of Maine, most recently with its commercial partner, New England Aqua Ventus.

The partnership is working on long-delayed plans to deploy a single test turbine in state waters off Monhegan, a venture that has drawn opposition from lobster and fishing interests.

An affiliate of New England Aqua Ventus, called Pine Tree Offshore Wind, also is seeking to build a larger research array in federally leased waters. That's the project advanced last week by the ocean management bureau. The array would have a capacity of 144 megawatts and could see commercial operation in 2028.

A handful of floating wind farms have been built around the world.

The first single unit was installed off Norway in 2009, by the Norwegian energy company known then as Statoil. It later proposed a pilot wind farm off the Maine coast, but left the state in 2013 after opposition from former Gov. Paul LePage. The company later pursued its technology in Scotland, launching the Hywind project in 2017.

The world's third and fourth floating projects became operational in 2020, off Portugal, and 2021, off Scotland. The world's largest farm came on online recently in Norway, Hywind Tampen. It has seven turbines and a capacity of 60 megawatts, and was built by the Norwegian company now called Equinor.

In the United States, the federal government last month held its first auction of leases to develop commercial-scale floating wind farms, in deep water off California. The auction attracted $757 million in bids, mostly from European energy companies.

It's in this globally competitive environment that Maine is seeking to carve out a niche with its homegrown turbine platforms.

Supporters say experience elsewhere shows that the best way for Maine to capture the economic and equity benefits of new clean energy, including supply chain investments, port improvements, and workforce development, is by setting a schedule of competitive procurements like those proposed in the bill.

A regional clean energy group said Wednesday the bill will send a signal to developers.

"Offshore wind technology for deepwater locations is advancing at a rapid pace," said Francis Pullaro, executive director of RENEW Northeast. "The opportunities for growth in this sector and increasing its use in more locations are expanding rapidly. This legislation makes sure Maine will leap to the forefront for reaping the benefits of offshore wind."
One police officer had a ruff day at work when his canine colleague allegedly ate his lunch. Never one to let sleeping (or eating) dogs lie, the Wyandotte Police Department of Michigan launched a full scale investigation into the crime.

They hilariously kept the public up to date on the saga on Facebook, announcing that the K-9 was under investigation for stealing.

Stealing is not only a crime but it is morally wrong too. Some jobs, like that of being a police officer, require you to take an oath prior to starting, the statement read. Within the officers sworn oath is the promise to protect persons property.

That being said, it saddens me to report that a current officer of the Wyandotte Police Department is under investigation for stealing! the satirical post added.

It went on to describe that Officer Barwig was eating his lunch in the break room when he was called to assist with a person in the WPD jail. Thats when the alleged incident happened.

Stealing is not only a crime but it is morally wrong too. Some jobs, like that of being a police officer, require you... Posted by Wyandotte Police Department - Michigan on Thursday, January 12, 2023

He quickly jumped into service, leaving his half eaten lunch on the table. A short while later Barwig and another officer returned to the break room only to find Ofc. Ice leisurely strolling out of the room licking his chops, the post read. Barwigs entire lunch was gone....disappeared, vanished!

The post noted that K-9 Officer Ice has invoked his fifth amendment right to remain silent and quite frankly is not cooperating with the investigation. It also added that Officer Ice has a history of rummaging through trash cans that are within his reach. There have been several other accusations of him taking food right from coworkers hands as they walk by.

The WPD concluded their post by stating that they would consider their Facebook followers' opinions on how to proceed. Many people in the comments section defended the pup, writing that he was innocent until proven guilty.

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It appeared as if the people had spoken and days later the WPD posted an update, sharing that dozens of attorneys offered to defend the K-9 pro-bone-o.

We have been threatened with massive protests if we move forward with our investigation and/or charges, the Jan. 18 post read. Plus the overall public just doesnt believe he is guilty. No video has been produced.

UPDATE Dozens of attorneys have offered to defend Ofc Ice pro- - o! We have been threatened with massive protests if... Posted by Wyandotte Police Department - Michigan on Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Officer Ice wont be facing an internal discipline or criminal charges, per the WPD. Instead, he received a special treat.

Matter of fact one of his local supporters, Lunch Wyandotte, dropped him off a custom made sandwich today because they felt like he wasnt being fed enough. Side note, they threw the officers a tray of sammies too! the post continued before concluding with, The public has spoken. #nochargesforIce.

Many people delighted in the update, writing how they loved the WPDs sense of humor.

One curious person asked, Will Officer Ice be holding a press conference to address this turn in events?

Another person joked, Im glad Officer Ice will not face charges. Clearly this was a case of abandoned property, while another added, I knew he was framed all along. Hopefully he wont be dogged by the media over this.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Lawmakers in the Rhode Island House of Representatives would be allowed to vote on bills from home, but lose the freedom to wage social-media battles on the chamber floor under a rewrite of the House rules set for a vote Thursday.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi

Remote voting was introduced during the COVID pandemic, and while the Senate kept it in place, when the House returned to the State House in 2021 the rules required that representatives be in the building to vote on legislation.

If the new rules pass as expected, remote voting will be allowed again, but only for lawmakers "unable to be physically present in the chamber due to a health or medical condition."

The rules bill gives the House speaker the power to require a doctor's note from any representative who votes remotely. It does not allow representatives to vote remotely in committees.

Here are this year's priorities:Abortion, housing, school funding and more thorny issues face RI lawmakers in 2023

Other notable rule changes: No poetry or social-media disputes on the floor

The other most notable changes to the rules have to do with speechmaking on the House floor and how far those remarks can stray into personal matters.

"Members shall restrict announcements on the House floor to statements which relate to legislative business or pertain to ceremonial events or occasions," the proposed rules say.

That would appear to rule out things such as readings of poetry unrelated to a specific ceremony, something that has been allowed in recent years.

Poetry on the floor?:In annual St. Patrick's Day poem, Rep. McNamara pokes fun at Alahverdian, fellow lawmakers

Before this year's first legislative session, Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi told colleagues he would be cracking down on lawmakers using floor speeches to settle social-media disputes.

Traditionally, the House has allowed members to make points "of personal privilege" in response "to criticism, or to discuss anything clearly derogatory, or which reflects upon his or her character ... that appears in the press orother public medium."

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The new rules strike the phrase "other public medium," meaning only comments made in the press are fair game for rebuttal on the floor.

Finally, the new rules would eliminate the requirement that unaffiliated representatives declare in writing which major party they want to caucus with.

More on Shekarchi:Political Scene: The little-known story of House Speaker Shekarchi's Iranian roots

Who voted against the new rules package?

That change was made at the request of Rep. Jon Brien, a Woonsocket independent, who filed a bill to do the same thing earlier this month. Brien, a former Democrat, has not announced which party he intends to caucus with.

The new rules, which will govern proceedings in the House for the next two years, passed out of the House Rules Committee on a party-line vote Tuesday evening.

Rep. Brian Newberry, R-North Smithfield, voted against the rules along with House GOP leader Michael Chippendale and Burrillville Republican Rep. David Place.

Newberry said he voted against the rules because they maintain the speaker's power over what legislation receives a vote. (Current rules allow bills to be held in committee indefinitely without an up or down vote.)

"The rules de facto allow the speaker to decide what comes to the floor," Newberry said about why he voted against the new rules. "To me that is the elephant in the room. Other than that [the rules] are pretty good."

Newberry said he didn't know if his own point "of personal privilege" a year ago, responding to tweets from a Democratic House member, inspired Shekarchi's new social-media rule, but said he doesn't object to it either way.

The Senate has yet to introduce new rules for this session.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI House of Representatives would allow remote voting with new rules
Tesla has slashed prices of its Model 3 and Model Y. Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Tesla has slashed the prices of its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in recent weeks.

Several buyers who ordered vehicles before the price cuts vented their frustration to Insider.

One said she was pressured to take delivery of her Model Y the day before prices were slashed.

Tesla buyers are venting their frustration about missing out on big price cuts announced by the company in recent weeks, with one saying they felt "cheated," and another, "taken advantage of."

Forty people contacted Insider to express their dissatisfaction about missing out on Model 3 and Model Y price reductions, following a story Saturday by this publication about a buyer who secured a discount on his pending order.

Aaron Brewer, from Oahu, Hawaii, placed an order at a Honolulu dealership on December 7 for a Model 3 after Tesla reduced the price of that car, and the Model Y, by $3,750. He said a sales representative told him Tesla "almost never discounts anything."

Later in December, Tesla deepened the discount on both models, to $7,500, and two weeks into 2023 it cut prices further.

Brewer said it was "really painful for that euphoric feeling of being so happy with the car to be taken away and replaced with a sense of being taken advantage of" to the tune of "several thousand dollars."

Insider has viewed emails confirming Brewer's order and those of other people quoted in this story.

Deborah Martin, from Los Alamitos, California, said she ordered her seven-seater Model Y Long Range in early January to benefit from the electric-vehicle federal tax credit of $7,500, and was told to expect delivery between January 12 and March.

"I was told by the dealership that if I didn't take delivery by January 12, the car would be given to the next person on the list," she said.

She paid $76,440 for the vehicle, which included the Enhanced Autopilot system. The same configuration she ordered is now priced at $65,630, she said: "So within 24 hours, not including tax, I lost $10,810."

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A buyer who didn't want to be named for privacy reasons paid $69,000 for a Model Y and took delivery on October 1 after waiting for a year. Following the recent price cuts, the car now starts at $52,990, down from its previous base price of $65,990.

"It feels like you have been cheated and robbed," the buyer said. "It feels like we are helpless. It doesn't seem fair to a hardworking family with two kids to rob them of their six months' savings."

Many of the people who reached out to Insider said they'd attempted to contact Tesla representatives through the company's app or on Twitter. Some said they'd even reached out directly to Musk.

Tesla didn't respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Yakima County Government, Lower Valley Reporter

Hi, Im Phil Ferolito, longtime reporter with the Yakima Herald-Republic, where I have gained an array of experience from covering small city governments and school districts to big-picture issues concerning county government, crime and the Yakama Nation, a federally recognized tribe with important historical and cultural ties to the land. I began with the Herald-Republic in Oct. 2000 as a copy editor, designing pages, writing headlines and proof-reading stories. Over the years I have covered four Lower Valley municipalities, Granger, Toppenish, Wapato and Harrah, and the Yakama Nation. My goal always has been to shine a light in dark places and bring readers closer to concerning issues, important people, and other events in our community.
RFA/Latino Community and Lower Valley Reporter

Heyo, Im Jasper. Nice to meet you. I cover a wide variety of news, but I try to focus on the Latino community and the Lower Yakima Valley. I want to sharestories and perspectives from the Yakima Valley. Im interested in economics, labor, geography and the environment, but the most important issues will always be the ones the community cares about. If you have something worth saying, Ill listen and try to write it down. Im a gosei from Northeast Los Angeles and I got my start as a student journalist and editor covering sports in the Bay Area. Im a massive soccer fan and I still love to play. I also love water in all its forms, the word copacetic and trying new things. I want to read more, and I like to cook, but Im not great at either. Have fun out there!
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.
Education Reporter

Vanessa Ontiveros is the education reporter at the Yakima Herald-Republic. She grew up near Los Angeles but has happily made Yakima her new home. She is passionate about reporting stories that serve the community and highlight various aspects of the educational system.She also hosts a podcast that discusses local arts education, Yakima Arts Talk, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The daughter of two longtime public school teachers, she is always looking to include community voices in her work.
Hyundai and affiliate Kia's cumulative sales of electric vehicles crossed the 1 million milestone late last year, 11 years after they sold the first EV.

The carmakers had sold 1.02 million EVs at the end of last year -- Hyundai and luxury brand Genesis 601,448 and Kia 420,836.

Their first all-electric car was Hyundai's compact BlueOn in 2011, which sold 236 units.

The carmakers' combined annual EV sales surpassed 10,000 cars for the first time in 2015 after Kia released the Ray in 2012 and the Soul in 2014. They exceeded 100,000 in 2019 after Hyundai's Kona and Kia's Niro were launched in 2018.

Last year they sold 371,838 EVs thanks to brisk demand for Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and Kia's EV6.

The best-selling model was the Kona (256,907), followed by the Niro (200,302), the Ioniq 5 (165,637) and the EV6 (112,893). Porter and Bongo trucks also sold well with 45,384 and 31,458.
Im Luke Thompson, a reporter in my seventh year at the YH-R following stints at seven publications in the preceding seven years. My primary focus is covering the many great prep sports stories in the Yakima Valley, as well as the sports at Yakima Valley College and Central Washington University.Ialso cover Pippins baseball and Outdoors features. After spending my childhood in Kansas followed by college at the University of Missouri and jobs at various papers in the South/Midwest, Ive tried to make up for all those years without mountains by spending a lot of time in the Cascades skiing, hiking, camping, or just exploring on my own or with my wife and our dog.
Since the coronavirus pandemic broke out, cosmetics brands had stopped makeup demonstrations for their customers to prevent the spread of the virus.

Department stores are carrying out big marketing campaigns for makeup as the indoor mask mandate is set to be lifted next week.

Lotte Department Store expects sales of color cosmetics to go through the roof now that people can show their faces again. It already opened a pop-up booth introducing new products in its flagship store in Sogong-dong in central Seoul, which will last until Jan. 29.

French luxury brand Yves Saint Laurent offers to engrave customers' names on their products, and customers can take a picture with their lipstick on in a photo booth.

In Lotte's Jamsil branch, brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Estee Lauder, Givenchy, Guerlain and Lancome are providing skin diagnosis and makeup services until the end of the month.

Hyundai Department Store is offering similar promotions. Promotions for Shiseido's color brand NARS are held at the flagship store in Yeouido, Seoul until Jan. 30, and from Feb. 9 to 12 France's Dior will open a pop-up booth where people can test new products.
KYODO NEWS - Jan 25, 2023 - 19:46 | All, Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday that he will consider visiting Ukraine to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy if the right conditions are met.

"Nothing has been decided at this point, but we will consider" whether to visit Ukraine depending on "various circumstances," Kishida said at a parliamentary session after a ruling party lawmaker urged the premier to follow the example of leaders from other allied nations who have already visited the country.

Kishida, a veteran lawmaker representing a constituency in Hiroshima, is scheduled to host a Group of Seven summit for three days from May 19 in the western Japan city that was devastated by a U.S. atomic bomb in August 1945.

At the gathering, Kishida plans to set out his vision of a world without nuclear weapons amid fears that Russia could use one against Ukraine in the ongoing war, amid several months of low approval ratings for his Cabinet.

Among the G-7 countries, British, Canadian, French, German, and Italian leaders have already visited Ukraine since the war began. In December, U.S. President Joe Biden also held a summit with Zelenskyy in Washington.

Kishida has been eager to make a trip to Ukraine as chair of the upcoming G-7 summit, but a Japanese government official said it may be difficult to arrange his visit to the Eastern European state for security reasons.

Relations between Japan and Russia have been deteriorating as Tokyo, along with other G-7 members, has been imposing punitive sanctions on Moscow in the wake of its aggression toward Ukraine.

Zelenskyy has invited Kishida to visit Ukraine and conveyed his "deep gratitude" for Tokyo's support.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the government's top spokesman, said Tuesday that Tokyo will "continue to offer assistance" to people in Ukraine, who have been facing a "national crisis."

During a meeting in Washington in January, meanwhile, Kishida and Biden voiced "firm opposition to Russia's unjust and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine," pledging to keep levying sanctions on Moscow, including asset freezes of President Vladimir Putin.
Hungary is donating 304,000 doses of Pfizers coronavirus vaccine to Nicaragua to help the country in boosting its inoculation rate, the foreign minister said.

The donation will be handed over in Nicaragua on Wednesday, Peter Szijjarto said on Facebook.



The pandemic still poses a serious challenge to many countries in the world which face a serious task to ensure a sufficient amount of vaccines, he said, adding that Hungary was in a position to offer help since it had moved fast enough in securing its own vaccine supplies early on.



MTI Photo: Szilard Koszticsak
Budapest will again play host to a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), on May 4-5, the event organizer said.

The keynote speaker of the event organised in partnership with the American Conservative Union will again be Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the Centre for Fundamental Rights said on Facebook.



CPACs first forum in Europe focusing on the values expressed in the motto God, Homeland, Family was held in Budapest in 2022, the centre noted.



The event brought together some 1,500 participants including 200 foreign decision-makers, journalists and influencers, it added.



CPAC Hungary this year will focus on the international community-building of nationally minded forces, a nightmare of the liberals, the centre said.
Earlier this month, Maruti Suzuki Jimny unveiled the 4th-gen Jimny in the 5-door format. The vehicle made its global debut at the Indian Auto Expo, held this year after a gap of three-long years. The Jimny is a renowned offering of the Japanese brand, loved for its off-road prowess across the world. While the Jimny has been on sale in a total of 4 generations till date, only one made its way to the Indian market - SJ40, commonly known as Maruti Suzuki Gypsy. Well, since the buzz around Jimny in the Indian market is so high, we thought of familiarizing you folks with all the generations of the Jimny that have been on sale so far.

First-gen Suzuki Jimny

The very first-gen Suzuki Jimny was sold as Suzuki LJ50, LJ55, and LJ80. However, in Germany and Australia, it was retailed as Suzuki Eljot and Suzuki Stockman. It was in production from 1970 to 1981 and looked like an amalgam of the Jeep and Toyota Land Cruiser of that era. The first generation was sold with three engine options. Starting from a puny 359 cc to 797 cc motor. In between, a 539 cc motor also was a part of the package. The 4x4 hardware remained standard on this edition with a 4-speed gearbox. The Jimny was available with both hardtop and softtop.

Second-Gen Suzuki Jimny (Maruti Suzuki Gypsy)

In 1981, the Japanese marque introduced the second generation avatar of the Jimny. It looked more sophisticated and modern with a rather likeable design for the 80s. This avatar of the Jimny reached multiple markets, namely India, Spain, Indonesia, Iceland, Kenya, New Zealand and more. Also, it was sold in India as the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy with a longer wheelbase. In fact, the Gypsy remained in production until 2018. The second-gen Jimny was largely sold with leaf springs across the globe and select markets received a revised model with coil springs on all ends.

Third-gen Suzuki Jimny

At the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki took the veils off the third generation of the Jimny, a far more modernized version than the second-gen rendition. It looked like a modern car, and it was sold with a multitude of engines, depending on different markets. The third-gen Jimny was produced in four countries - Japan, Columbia, Spain, and Brazil. It is highly appreciated for its off-roading capabilities. Sadly, the third-gen model was kept away from the Indian market, considering the low interest of Indian buyers for lifestyle vehicles.

No doubt, it is one of the most celebrated modern-day off-roaders. After all, it is affordable, capable, and looks cute. The fourth-gen Jimny was introduced in the year 2018, with production initially restricted to Japan. Later on, the model was produced in Brazil and India. It was launched in a 3-door format, but at the 2023 Auto Expo, the Japanese carmakers Indian subsidiary unveiled the 5-door Jimny with a longer wheelbase. Both 3-door and 5-door formats get the same 1.5L petrol engine with two transmission choices - 5-speed MT and 4-speed AT. Coil springs on all ends with solid axles, along with a low-ratio transfer case, make it a capable off-roader.
After a male passenger relieved himself on another woman flyer in the flight in an inebriated state on a New York-New Delhi flight, Air India has been in the news ever since. Now, the airline has reviewed its in-flight alcohol services to ensure that passengers are well in the senses. "We have reviewed our existing in-flight alcohol service policy, taking reference from other carriers` practices and inputs from the US National Restaurants Association`s (NRA) guidelines. These were largely in line with Air India`s existing practice, though some adjustments have been made for better clarity.

Also, NR's Traffic Light system has been included to help the crew recognise and manage possible cases of intoxication," an Air India spokesperson said on Tuesday. The airline said that the new liquor policy has been included in the training curriculum.

"The new policy has now been promulgated to the crew and has been included in the training curriculum. Air India remains committed to the safety and well-being of our passengers and cabin crew, including but not limited to the responsible service of alcohol," said the spokesperson.

Earlier, Air India had said that the alleged perpetrator in the November 26 peeing case had not been served excessive alcohol by the crew, adding that he did not appear intoxicated to the crew.

"In light of the mitigating circumstances and the financial detriment already incurred by the crew during their period of de-rostering, Air India deems the licence suspension of the Commander as excessive and will be assisting him with an appeal," said Air India.

Also read - Akasa Air Announces New Routes, To Connect Hyderabad With Bangalore and Goa

On January 20, aviation regulator DGCA had imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and suspended the licence of the pilot-in-command of the New York-New Delhi flight. The regulator had also imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh on the director of in-flight services of Air India for failing to discharge her duties.

As per the regulator, the incident of passenger misbehaviour which occurred on the AI-102 flight on November 26, 2022 came to the notice of DGCA on January 4, 2023.

With inputs from IANS
The helicopter carrying Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, along with three other people, had to make an emergency landing due to inclement weather and low visibility resulting from the dense fog in the area. The helicopter landed safely in Ukiniyam near the Erode district in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday morning. Reports confirm that the helicopter took off 40 minutes later, after the visibility improved in the area. It is to be noted that the spiritual leader was on his way to attend an event in Tamil Nadu when the helicopter had to make an emergency landing.

The helicopter reportedly took from Bengaluru and was heading towards Kangeyam. The three people besides Ravi Shankar on the private helicopter were his assistants and the pilot handling the operations. The emergency landing occurred at around 10:30 am, with the helicopter taking off approximately an hour later. The private chopper landed at the playground of the Okkiyam government school near Kadambur in the district.

Also read: Air India Updates In-flight Alcohol Service Policy, Changes Made to Avoid Intoxication

As Ravishankar alighted the helicopter, a group of villagers approached him and sought his blessings. A team of police and fire and rescue services personnel also reached the spot. After interacting with the locals for an hour, Ravi Shankar left for Kangeyam in Tirupur district at 11.15 am, they said.

With PTI inputs
Though Tata-owned Vistara airline is set to be merged with Air India soon, the airline continues to expand its operations. From expanding its flight fleet to expanding air services on international routes, Vistara continues to fly high. Today, the full-service carrier Vistara stated that it will start daily direct flights between Mumbai and Dammam from March 1 as it continues to expand international services. A320 neo aircraft will be deployed for the services on this route. In a statement, the airline also said that it will resume operations between Mumbai and Colombo with daily flights from March 1 after a hiatus of nearly three years.

"We are excited to expand our presence in Saudi Arabia with the addition of Dammam as the second city in the Kingdom, after Jeddah. Integral to the Saudi Vision 2030, Dammam is a key administrative destination that is home to the largest port in the Gulf and some of the major business headquarters," Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan said.

Also read: Vistara to Add 17 More Planes to Its Current Fleet of 53 Aircrafts: CEO Vinod Kanan

On Tuesday, Kannan said the airline will continue to expand and expects to have a total of 70 planes by mid-2024. "The percentage of capacity deployed internationally has increased. We have 25-30 percent deployed internationally... That is quite positive and a game changer for us," he had said.

Out of the total 70 planes, there are 10 A321s and 53 A320 neos, along with 7 Boeing 787s, the Vistara CEO said at a briefing. Among the 53 A320 neos, 10 planes will have all economy class and the rest will have three classes. Currently, the airline has a fleet of 53 aircraft.

"We will continue to expand... More international routes (will be added)," Kannan said. According to him, there are constraints in terms of traffic rights and slots.

(With inputs from PTI)
New Delhi: With beauty, grace, honor and love, Padmaavat was released 5 years ago. The spectacle created by Sanjay Leela Bhansali won us over with a story about beauty, valor, and true love, that surpassed greed, & evil. The film starred Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor & Ranveer Singh in the lead and was one of the biggest films of that year.

Today as the film completes 5 years, Bhansali Productions took to social media and shared snippets from the film, as they wrote, With beauty, grace, honor, and love. Heres reliving the spectacle with #5YearsOfPadmaavat.

Watch the clip shared by Bhansali Productions

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known all over the world for his cinematic marvels. Padmaavat, Black, Bajirao Mastani, Ramleela, and Gangubai Kathiawadi amongst many others stand at the pinnacle defining his success as a filmmaker. The maestro recently released his debut musical album, aptly titled as 'Sukoon'. The musical compositions are a global hit and music aficionados can't stop raving about the album.

Apart from this, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has also composed music earlier for his directorial films such as Guzaarish, Goliyon Ki Raasleela - Ram-Leela and Gangubai Kathiawadi. 'Sukoon' is another feather in the cap of this talented filmmaker.

Released in 2018, Padmaavat is a period drama based on a poem of the same name by Malik Muhammed Jayasi which traces how Rani Padmavati, who was known for her beauty, fights against Sultan Allauddin Khilji after he attacks the kingdom to win her.
New Delhi: Anurag Kashyap's cult movie Gangs of Wasseypur cast came together to celebrate a decade of the milestone film. The cast also came together to support the director 's much anticipated love sage Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat.

Kashyap who has penned the script in pen and paper, and also has been working on the same for years now earlier opened up on how his daughter has inspired him to explore the complexities of the modern-day generation and their relationship.

The cast of Gangs of Wasseypur was recently spotted promoting the upcoming film and it is the sweetest gesture. Actors Piyush Mishra, Vineet Kumar Singh, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Zeishan Quadri were seen celebrating the 10 years anniversary with the team of Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat.

Watch the trailer of Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat

'Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat,' stars Alaya F in the lead along with Karan Mehta who marks his debut, The film is touted to be Anurag Kashyap's ode to modern love. Presented by Zee Studios under the Good Bad Films production is slated to release on February 3, 2023.
Movie: Pathaan

Director: Siddharth Anand

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham

Star Ratings: 3.5/5

'Party pathaan ke ghar pe rakhoge, Toh mehman nawaji ke liye Pathaan toh aayega, Aur patake bhi laayega'. Fireworks all the way from start to end - that's Yash Raj Raj bankrolled actioner Pathaan for all. Shah Rukh Khan ends his 4-year lull at cinemas with a massive masala actioner that features Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in the lead. With no 'besharmi', let's get rolling with the review:

Meet SRK as Pathaan

The screenplay begins with a mention of the country revoking Article 370, and how it irks Pakistani general Qadir (played by actor Manish Wadhwa). His revenge strategy involves Jim - our main antagonist and a hottie (John Abraham). Veteran actress Dimple Kapadia who plays a RAW official has a pivotal part till the climax. It's good to see actors like Ashutosh Rana (Colonel Sunil Luthra), Dimple Kapadia and SRK (Pathaan, who is a RAW agent) in one frame.

John Abraham 2.0 is Killer!

Jim, who is a former RAW agent turned rogue is cruel, loaded with lethal weapons and has an evil master plan. With all this established, enter Deepika Padukone aka Rubina Mohsin, an ISI agent. She is glamourous, sexy and can kick some serious ass. Pathaan goes after her for vital info and from thereon the chase begins. As the screenplay moves, layers to John's character and his evilness come out and this time you get to see John Abraham 2.0 - after Dhoom, this is probably his action best. The storyline gets tighter in the second half with a virus entering the plot (no spoiler).

Pathaan is high on Action

There is not even a single dull moment in this YRF actioner. The action sequences between SRK and John are over-the-top yet mind-numbing. Do not seek logic in masala entertainers, you will be disappointed. But what will keep you entertained is their face-off, heavy-duty dialogues and the lead actors doing some never-seen-before bold action stunts.

Full marks to the background score which is edgy, fresh and has an adrenaline-pumping beat to it. Director Siddharth Anand is known for his stylised filmmaking. Be it Bang Bang, War or now Pathaan - his signature style is evident and this time he has gone many notches higher.

Watch Pathaan in Theatres

Pathaan has a visual spectacle that has many 'wow' moments for fans. Be it the spectacular globetrotting from Spain, Russia to Afghanistan and Dubai - we travelled all and that too in the most glamourised way. Music needs applause and yes here I mean 'Besharam Rang' and 'Jhoome Jo Pathaan' which don't break the rhythm but rather add to it.

The biggest blockbuster of Pathaan is the 'Karan Arjun' moment which left the audience clapping and hooting like crazy. Yes, Bhaijaan Salman Khan and SRK's camaraderie is absolutely adorable and their action scenes together also deserve a mention. Many wows, whistles and claps echoed for those 5 mins.

Deepika as Rubina is impressive in her act. She can and has done some crazy stunts, looking at ease. We need to see her in more action flicks after Pathaan. The actress looks crisp and her stylist Shaleena Nathani does full justice to her character brief. Cinematography by Satchith Paulose is brilliant and Hollywood action director Casey O 'Neill's jaw-dropping action stunts in Pathaan are worth a whistle.

Do not miss the end credits, there's some fun element for fans.

Overall, our verdict: Fasten your seat belts this weekend, and watch Pathaan at a theatre near you!
KYODO NEWS - Jan 26, 2023 - 01:56 | All, Japan

A Hong Kong-registered cargo ship with 22 people aboard sank in the East China Sea off Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture early Wednesday, killing two crew members and leaving nine others missing, the coast guard said.

The deaths were among 13 who had been rescued following a distress call the previous night from the 6,551-ton Jintian, which was carrying 14 Chinese and eight Myanmar nationals as crew members.

South Korea's coast guard notified its Japanese counterpart that of the remaining 11 who were rescued, six are unconscious and five conscious.

Patrol boats and aircraft continued searching in the afternoon for the nine missing crew members hoping they may be adrift on lifeboats.

The vessel made the distress call around 11:15 p.m. from about 110 kilometers west of Japan's Danjo Islands in the East China Sea.

A gale warning was in effect when the distress signal was made. The wind speed was estimated at 72 km per hour at the time of the accident, according to the Nagasaki Meteorological Office.

The ship was en route to South Korea's Incheon from Malaysia, carrying wood.

Five of the Chinese crew members were rescued by a private vessel that was sailing nearby, and all of them were well enough to communicate at the time. The vessel alerted the coast guard that the crew had been able to transfer to lifeboats before the ship sank.

Six crew members were rescued by the South Korean coast guard and two by Japan's Air Self-Defense Force. The two rescued by the ASDF were confirmed dead after being sent to a hospital via Nagasaki Airport. The incident took place outside Japan's territorial waters.

Meanwhile, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that the country's coast guard and others had rescued 14 crew members, of whom nine were unconscious.

The crew of the Jintian had earlier contacted the Japan Coast Guard via a satellite phone, saying their ship had tilted and the boat was flooding.

Related coverage:

Coast guard ship runs aground in Japan, no crew injured

Dead whale in Osaka Bay sunk offshore
New Delhi: Congress leader Anil K Antony, the son of former Union Minister A K Anthony on Wednesday announced his resignation from the party, a day after he criticised the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "This is my personal decision and I do think this is the best course of action. I did not discuss it with my father. I`ve sent my resignation and I hope that the leadership will accept it.

I don`t think this Congress has space for me," Antony said. He alleged that he had received threat calls and hate messages "through the night"."A lot of things that happened in the last 24 hours, especially from certain corners of Congress, have hurt me a lot," Anthony told ANI. In a tweet today Anthony said that he was facing "intolerant calls" to retract one of his previous tweets in which he had condemned the documentary on PM Modi and termed it a "dangerous precedent.

"In his resignation letter, Anthony said he did not give in to the demands to retract the tweet and instead was submitting his resignation from the party. The former Defence Minister`s son also took a potshot at the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra by Rahul Gandhi. Anil Antony tweeted today: "I have resigned from my roles in @incindia@INCKerala. Intolerant calls to retract a tweet, by those fighting for free speech. I refused. @facebook wall of hate/abuses by ones supporting a trek to promote love! Hypocrisy thy name is! Life goes on. Redacted resignation letter below.

"Anthony said it would be "appropriate" for him to step down from his roles as the convener of the KPCC digital media and also the national coordinator of the Congress social media and digital communication cell."By now, I have been made well aware that you, your colleagues, and the coterie around the leadership are only keen to work with a bunch of sycophants and chamchas, who would unquestionably be at your beck and call. This has become the lone criterion of merit.

Sadly we don`t have much common ground," Anthony wrote. He added, "I would prefer to continue my other professional endeavors without being fed this negativity, and being involved in these destructive narratives, many against the very core interests of India. These I strongly believe will end up in the dustbin of history with time."In a tweet on January 24, Anthony had hit out at the BBC terming it as "a state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices" against India.

"Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in India placing views of BBC, a UK state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices, and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over Indian institutions is setting a dangerous precedence, will undermine our sovereignty," Anthony tweeted. Meanwhile, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of CPM, the Students Federation of India (SFI), and the Congress screened the documentary `India: the Modi Question` at various places in Kerala yesterday.


New Delhi: Hundreds of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students held a march towards Vasant Kunj Police Station late on Tuesday night claiming that ABVP activists pelted stones during the screening of the banned BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. JNU Students Union President (JNUSU) Aishe Ghosh told the police that Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers pelted stones during the screening of the documentary and accused the JNU administration of taking no action against them. "ABVP pelted stones, but no step by the administration yet. We almost completed the film`s screening. Our priority is that electricity should be restored," Ghosh told the news agency ANI.

"We have also filed a complaint, and police assured us they'll be immediately looking into the incident. We gave the name & details of all the persons involved. As of now, we're calling off the protest. We'll also file a complaint at JNU Proctor office,'' the JNUSU president said further.

Delhi | We filed a complaint, and police assured us they'll be immediately looking into the incident. We gave the name & details of all the persons involved. As of now, we're calling off the protest. We'll also file a complaint at JNU Proctor office: JNUSU President pic.twitter.com/RGprcOoMvW  ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2023

However, the ABVP - the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated student body - hit back, saying they did not pelt stones on the JNUSU students during the screening of the controversial documentary. "Do these people hurling allegations have any evidence that we pelted stones? We did not pelt stones at all," JNU student from the ABVP Gaurav Kumar told ANI.

Row Over BBC Documentary on PM Modi

A group of students, who gathered at the JNU students' union office for a screening of a controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, claimed the varsity administration cut power and internet to stop the event, and staged a protest after stones were thrown on them. They also claimed that they were attacked when they were watching the documentary on their mobile-phones as the screening could not be held. Some alleged that the attackers were members of the ABVP.

Later in the night, raising slogans of "Inqlaab Zinadabad" against the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration, the protesting students held march to the Vasant Kunj police station and lodged a complaint against the "stone pelters".

Delhi | JNU students protest outside a police station in Vasant Kunj after they marched there claiming stones were pelted during the screening of banned BBC documentary on PM Modi. pic.twitter.com/tYveQpj1yM  ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2023

Power Cut in JNU

On the allegations of a power cut at the campus, a JNU administration official, requesting anonymity told PTI, "There is a major (power) line fault at the university. We are looking into it. The engineering department is saying it will be resolved at the earliest." However, there was no immediate official response from the JNU administration to the allegations and claims of the students. It had on Monday in an advisory said that the union had not taken its permission for the event and it should be cancelled, warning of strict disciplinary action.

The JNUSU) had earlier in the day issued a statement in which it said that there is no intention to create any form of disharmony through the screening of the documentary or movie. It also sought clarification from the administration regarding rules which mandate that prior permission is required for screening of any film or documentary on the university premises.

The ABVP denied the allegation, saying they were not present on the spot. "We did not go to the spot and no one from us (the students' body) was there. They are just taking our names to get more coverage," ABVP Delhi media convenor Ambuj told PTI.

JNU Advisory Over BBC Modi Documentary Screening

The JNU administration, in an advisory on Monday, had said that the union had not taken its permission for the event and it should be cancelled as it could disturb peace and harmony. The university in an advisory on Monday had said, It has come to the notice of the administration that a group of students has in the name of the JNUSU released a pamphlet for screening a documentary or movie (titled) "India: The Modi Question" scheduled for 24 January 2023, at 9:00 pm in Teflas.

Centre Bans BBC Modi Documentary Screening

The two-part BBC documentary India: The Modi Question claims it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Modi was the chief minister of the state. The documentary has not been screened in India. Through a tweet, Delhi BJP spokesperson Khemchand Sharma strongly condemned the move to hold a screening of the controversial BBC series on PM Modi.

The government had on Friday directed social media platforms Twitter and YouTube to block links to the documentary titled "India: The Modi Question". The Ministry of External Affairs has trashed the documentary as a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset. However, opposition parties have slammed the government's move to block access to the documentary.
Jammu: Amid a bitter political row over the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has said that truth has a nasty habit of coming out eventually. While addressing a press conference in J&K, the Congress leader said that any kind of ban, oppression and frightening people are not going to stop the truth from coming out.

"So, you can ban, you can suppress the press, you can control the institutions, you can use CBI, ED all the stuff, but, the truth is the truth. Truth shines bright. It has a nasty habit of coming out. So, no amount of banning, oppression and frightening people are going to stop the truth from coming out," Rahul Gandhi said.

WATCH: Rahul Gandhi's Reaction to BBC Documentary Row

The Gandhi scion said this while replying to questions on the Centre's move directing social media platforms Twitter and YouTube to block links to the documentary titled "India: The Modi Question". It may be recalled that the Ministry of External Affairs has criticised the documentary as a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset.

Asked about the issue at a press conference during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said, "If you read our scriptures, if you read Bhagavad Gita or you read the Upanishads, you will see in it, it is written that the truth cannot be hidden. The truth always comes out."

His Congress party had on Saturday criticised the government for the "censorship" of the BBC documentary, asking why had then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee reminded Modi of 'raj dharma' after the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has slammed the controversial documentary, saying India's image cannot be disgraced with "malicious campaigns". The Centre has told YouTube and Twitter to take down fresh links to the documentary if someone uploads or tweets them again, according to sources.

The MEA had condemned the BBC documentary, which has not been screened in India, alleging it was designed "to push a particular discredited narrative". "The bias, lack of objectivity and continuing colonial mindset is blatantly visible," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had told reporters during a press briefing in New Delhi last week when asked about the controversial series.

A Supreme Court-appointed investigation had found no evidence of wrongdoing by PM Modi, who was chief minister of Gujarat when the riots broke out in February 2002.
New Delhi: At a time when the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat Riots has triggered a bitter political debate among the Opposition and the ruling party, the BJP has found unexpected support from former Kerala chief minister and Congress veteran AK Antonys son Anil Antony over the issue. Anil Antony has said that no matter what, political leaders should not let internal differences be exploited by foreign entities and external agencies to create divisions in this country. In a tweet, Antony said, "Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in placing views of BBC, a state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over institutions is setting a dangerous precedence will undermine our sovereignty."

Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in placing views of BBC, a state sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices,and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over institutions is setting a dangerous precedence,will undermine our sovereignty.  Anil K Antony (@anilkantony) January 24, 2023

Anil Antony, while maintaining that the Gujarat riots are one of the darkest chapters that has happened in this country`s history, said, "Whatever I had said, as far as the big picture is concerned there is nothing that is different from anything the Congress party is saying. I am a Congressman, my father is still in the party for the last 6 decades and there is no difference in anything the Congress party has said. The Gujarat riots happened almost 20 years back and it happened when I was a child, so don`t even know what happened but I can confidentially say that it is one of the darkest chapters that has happened in this country`s history."

Speaking to the news agency ANI over Centres ban on the BBC documentary, the Congress leader said that the internal strife could be misused by people from outside to create divisions and that people should not let history repeat itself.

It may be recalled that the Centre recently banned the BBC documentary on PM Modi describing it as a `propaganda piece` designed to push a discredited narrative.

Speaking on the ban of the documentary, he said He further said that because of internal differences, India was under colonial rule. "If you go back in time almost 300 years back it was our internal difference that actually led to the East India Company actually establishing the early parts of the colonial rule in India and 75 years from Independence this is actually proudly the year where we have surpassed Britain as the 5th largest economy in the world," said Antony.

On Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the Centre over the BBC documentary and said that banning the Press cannot "suppress" the truth from coming out.

"The truth always comes out. No amount of banning the Press and using institutions like ED and CBI against people can suppress the truth from coming out," Gandhi said.

The two-part BBC documentary, which claims it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots, has been trashed by the Ministry of External Affairs as a "propaganda piece" that lacked objectivity and reflected a "colonial mindset". The Centre had last week directed the blocking of multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary.

"We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias, lack of objectivity, and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing on January 19. The MEA spokesperson added that the documentary is a reflection of individuals who are peddling this narrative again.

(With Agency Inputs)
New Delhi: Delhi Police on Wednesday detained at least four students for allegedly creating a ruckus outside the Jamia Milia Islamia University here over the proposed screening of the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots. Security has also been heightened outside the prestigious university ahead of the screening of the BBC documentary, the Delhi Police said. Central Reserve Police Force has been deployed outside the university after a row erupted earlier at the Jawaharlal Nehru University over the screening of the documentary.

Four students have been detained for allegedly creating a ruckus outside Jamia Milia Islamia University over the screening of the BBC documentary today: Delhi Police  ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2023

Left-affiliated Students' Federation of India (SFI) has earlier announced that it will screen the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Jamia Millia Islamia campus at 6 pm.

A poster was also put up by SFI's Jamia unit in this regard, following which the college authorities took note of the issue and issued a notice with orders the violation of which would lead to action.

The poster read that the documentary will be screened at 6 pm at the MCRC lawn gate no 8. The university administration, however, said no permission has been sought for the screening of the documentary and "we will not allow" it.

The Jamia Milia University Administration issued a statement saying, "The University reiterates that no meeting of students or screening of any film will be allowed on the campus without permission. University is taking all measures to prevent people/organisations having vested interest to destroy the peaceful academic atmosphere here."

The University reiterates that no meeting of students or screening of any film will be allowed in the campus without permission. University is taking all measures to prevent people/orgs having vested interest to destroy peaceful academic atmosphere here: Jamia Millia Islamia pic.twitter.com/zWnkQwVSP1 January 25, 2023

When contacted, a Jamia official said, "They did not ask for permission for the screening and we will not allow the screening. If students go out of their way to do something then strict action would be taken against them."

The screening at the Jamia campus comes a day after a similar screening was organised at the Jawaharlal Nehru University during which students claimed that power and internet were suspended and stones were thrown at them.

This comes after the ruckus over the screening of the documentary at JNU. The authorities at JNU stopped the electricity supply to the students' union office on Tuesday to prevent the screening of the documentary. Internet connection on the campus was also taken down. Sources also reported stone pelting between members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-wing students.

The two-part BBC documentary, which is based on an investigation into certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots, has been trashed by the Ministry of External Affairs as a "propaganda piece" that lacked objectivity and reflected a "colonial mindset". The Centre had last week directed the blocking of multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary.

"We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias, lack of objectivity, and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing on January 19. The MEA spokesperson added that the documentary is a reflection of individuals who are peddling this narrative again.
New Delhi: Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh, who has been slammed by his own party for questioning the authenticity of the surgical strikes conducted in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack on CRPF in 2019, has clarified that he has no doubts about the countrys armed forces and that he had only questioned the BJP-led NDA over the issue. The former Madhya Pradesh leader, while trying to do the damage control through a series of tweets, said that he held the armed forces in the highest esteem and his questions were pointed at the government and not the armed forces.

He said he was not questioning the armed forces but the Modi government as he as a responsible citizen has the right to know the facts. "I have held our armed forces in highest esteem. Two of my sisters were married to naval officers....There is no question of my asking questions to defence officials. My questions are to the Modi government," he said on Twitter.

I have held our Armed Forces in highest esteem. Two of my sisters were married to Naval Officers. I agree @PraveenDavar ji.

There is no question of my asking questions to the Defence Officials. My questions are to the Modi Govt.

1/n https://t.co/swN81NQuYl  digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) January 24, 2023

"Who is responsible for the unpardonable intelligence failure where our 40 CRPF personnel were martyred? From where the terrorist could source 300 kg of RDX? Why was the request by CRPF to airlift the CRPF personnel denied," he asked.

Question

1- Who is responsible for the unpardonable Intelligence Failure where our 40 CRPF Personnel were Martyred?

2- From where the Terrorist could source 300 kg of RDX?

3- Why was the request by CRPF to airlift the CRPF personnel denied?

2/n  digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) January 24, 2023

Addressing a public meeting during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, Singh had questioned the surgical strikes and accused the government of peddling lies. His remarks triggered a huge political controversy with the BJP targeting him, the Congress and Rahul Gandhi who is leading the foot march.

As the political controversy escalated, the Congress distanced itself from Singh's remarks and Gandhi rebuffed him calling his statement "ridiculous".

The armed forces are doing their job "exceptionally well" and do not need to give any proof, Rahul Gandhi told a press conference in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

In another tweet, Singh sought to damage control and posed some questions to the government. "Why was Devinder Singh DySP who hails from Pulwama after being captured by J&K police with terrorists let off? Pulwama is one of the most terrorist infested location, why was the area and vehicles not checked and sanitised," Singh asked.

4- Why was Devinder Singh DySP who hails from Pulwama after being captured by J&K Police with Terrorists let off?

5- Pulwama is one of the most Terrorist infested location, why was the area and vehicles not checked and sanitised?

3/n  digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) January 24, 2023

"These are my valid questions to the Modi government. Don't I as a responsible citizen have a right to know the facts? Who has been punished for this serious lapse? In any other country the Home Minister would have been made to resign," the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister also said.

These are my valid questions to the Modi Govt.

Dont I as a responsible citizen have a Right to Know the facts?

Who has been punished for this serious lapse? In any other Country the Home Minister would have been made to resign.

4/n  digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) January 24, 2023

Congress leader and ex-serviceman Praveen Davar, however, sought to defend his party colleague saying, "Let us not misunderstand Digvijaya Singh. He has spoken against the Modi government and certainly not against the Army. Nobody holds monopoly over nationalism much less those who mix religion with politics. Let's not drag Army into politics please."

Singh had on Tuesday alleged that the government did not agree to the CRPF request of flying its personnel from Srinagar to Delhi and 40 soldiers sacrificed their lives in Pulwama in 2019 to a terror attack.

"They talk of surgical strikes. They claim to have killed so many people but no proof is given. They are ruling by peddling a bundle of lies," the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, who has often courted controversy with his comments, said.

Slamming Singh for his remarks, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "The DNA of Congress is Pakistan-parast (pro-Pakistan).... They are committing the sin of lowering the morale of the armed forces. This shows they are standing with Pakistan."
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed that the then Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told him that Pakistan was planning a nuclear strike after the Balakot surgical strike in February 2019. According to Pompeo, Sushma Swaraj has said that in view of this, India is also preparing for an aggressive response.

In his new book 'Never Give An Inch: Fighting for the America I Love', launched on Tuesday, Pompeo said the incident took place when he was on a 27-28 February visit in Hanoi for the US-North Korea summit. After that, his team worked overnight with India and Pakistan to avert this crisis. The former US Secretary of State said, "I don't think the world knows how close India-Pakistan tensions came to a nuclear attack in February 2019."

The former US diplomat writes in the book, "I don't think the world knows exactly how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to a nuclear strike in February 2019. The truth is, I don't even know the exact answer. All I know is that it was very close."

However, at present no comment has been made by the Ministry of External Affairs on Pompeo's claims. Let us inform you that in response to the Pulwama terror attack, the Indian Army attacked and destroyed the terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot, Pakistan in February 2019. After that, a Pakistani Air Force (PAF) F-16 plane shot down a MiG-21 Bison in an aerial dogfight and kept Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman hostage for 60 hours.

Pompeo said, "I was in Hanoi on February 27-28 for the summit to reduce tensions between the US and North Korea. Then I came to know about the whole thing in the night and my entire team worked for the whole night to convince India and Pakistan." Pompeo wrote, "I will never forget that night in Hanoi city in Vietnam. Talking to the North Koreans about nuclear weapons was not enough. In such a situation, India and Pakistan started threatening each other in the decades-old dispute over Kashmir. Pompeo said, "I had to work very hard to convince Sushma Swaraj to do nothing for the time being and give America some time to resolve the whole dispute."
New Delhi: India and South African environment ministers have signed the pact that will pave the way for Cheetah transfer. India plans to get 12 cheetahs from South Africa, with the focus now shifting to logistics. The official transfer could take time, and going by the procedures, it could be by March first week that 12 Cheetahs will be transferred to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno national park.

According to the Indian Environment ministry release of last year, "the Southern African cheetahs are found to be ancestral to all the other cheetah lineages...Hence, this should therefore be ideal (for reasons stated above) for Indias reintroduction program"

This is the 2nd major group of Cheetahs that will be arriving in India, the first group came from Namibia in September 2022. The Cheetahs were introduced in Kuno National park on Prime Minister's birthday--17th September. This was the world's first inter-continental transfer of large wild carnivorous animals. The 8 Cheetahs were brought from Namibia--five female and three male Cheetahs.

Cheetahs in India are being introduced under Project Cheetah, officially known as 'Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India. Under the project, 50 Cheetahs will be reintroduced in India's national parks over a time frame of 5 years. Remember Cheetahs, the fastest land animal was declared extinct in India in 1952.
Lucknow: Five people are still stuck under the debris of a residential building which collapsed on Wazir Hasanganj Road in Uttar Pradesh`s Lucknow, Deputy General of Police DS Chauhan informed. While talking to the mediapersons, the DGP said, "Five people are still stuck under the debris and proper oxygen is being supplied to them. They are in the same room. We are in contact with two people. Nobody has been arrested yet, a proper investigation will be done.

"They are in the same room. We are in contact with two people. Nobody has been arrested yet, a proper investigation will be done," he added. On Tuesday, three people died after a residential building collapsed on Wazir Hasanganj Road in Uttar Pradesh`s Lucknow, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said. The police are present at the spot and rescue operations are underway."Building collapsed suddenly.

Lucknow building collapse | Uttar Pradesh: Five people are still stuck under the debris and proper oxygen is being supplied to them. They are in the same room. We are in contact with two people. Nobody has been arrested yet, a proper investigation will be done: DS Chauhan, DGP pic.twitter.com/Ussso6PBoQ  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 24, 2023

Three dead bodies have been found and sent to the hospital. NDRF and fire brigade personnel are present at the spot, rescue operation is underway," Pathak who reached the spot had said.

According to an official statement, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the accident and instructed them to send SDRF and NDRF teams on the spot.The Chief Minister directed the officials of the district administration to take the injured to the hospital immediately for their proper treatment."Also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Along with this, along with the District Magistrate and senior police officers, SDRF, and NDRF teams have been instructed to go on the spot and get relief work done. Along with this, many hospitals were instructed to remain alert," the statement said.Further details into the matter are awaited.
Maharashtra: Differences are coming to the fore in the Mahavikas Aghadi regarding the by-elections to be held in Chinchwad and Kasba seats in Maharashtra's Pune district. A situation of conflict has arisen in the Mahavikas Aghadi alliance due to the claim of both Shiv Sena and NCP to the Chinchwad assembly seat. Chinchwad and Kasba assembly seats will go to polls on February 27.

In fact, the NCP has claimed to field its candidate in the Chinchwad seat. Yesterday, Sharad Pawar held a meeting with MCP leaders. After that, in the evening, NCP's Jayant Patil and Ajit Pawar met Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree. Despite this, today Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with senior Shiv Sena leaders at Shiv Sena Bhavan and after this meeting, Shiv Sena said that they are willing to contest for Chinchwad seat. On behalf of Shiv Sena, it was said that in Kasba seat, Congress-NCP should contest the election on the basis of mutual consent by deciding the candidate, but Chinchwad seat should be given to Shiv Sena only. In the last election, Shiv Sena's local leader Rahul Kalate secured more than one lakh votes in this seat.

However, the BJP and Shinde faction are trying to say that both these by-elections should be uncontested. Today, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has also made the same appeal to the opposition that, keeping the tradition of Maharashtra, the election should be held unopposed, but Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena says that after the sad demise of NCP and Congress MLAs in Pandharpur, Deglur bypolls, BJP Contested elections. Shiv Sena further alleged that they fielded a candidate in the Andheri by-election too, but withdrew the candidate due to fear of defeat. That's why BJP should not talk about tradition.

Let us inform you that the BJP's Laxman Pandurang Jagtap was the MLA from Chinchwad seat of Pune, while the BJP's Mukta Tilak was the MLA from Kasba seat. By-elections are being held for these seats after both of them died of prolonged illness.
National Voters Day 2023: India is the world's largest democracy. The diverse identities of the voters, the vast range of their expectations and goals, as well as the large number of political parties and organisations, genuinely make every election a festival in the country. Every year on January 25, India observes National Voters Day to encourage every voter in the country to participate in the political process. The concept of commemorating this day is somewhat new, dating back to 2011. Every year, first-time voters receive their Elector Photo identity card during the National Voter's Day events.

National Voters Day 2023: History

National Voters Day was observed for the first time in the nation in 2011. The event was intended to inspire more young people to participate in the electoral process. The Union government, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the time, approved a proposal from the law ministry to that effect.

When Ambika Soni, then-information and broadcasting minister, pointed out that new voters (those who had recently turned 18) were exhibiting less interest in becoming registered voters, it became clear that something needed to be done to emphasise the importance of voting.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) made the decision to undertake a national initiative to identify all eligible voters who turn 18 on January 1 of each year in order to remedy this issue. Every year on January 25, such voters would be enrolled and granted an Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC). It marks the foundation day of the Election Commission of India on 25 January 1950.

National Voters Day 2023: Significance

People's voting choices decide who governs at the local, regional, and national levels. This means that votes have the power to select which people, ideologies, and policies will shape the nation's future. Thus, voting is important in shaping the trajectory of people's life. The views, needs, and aspirations of people change from generation to generation. It is critical that the next generation, which will play an important role in the nation's socio-cultural and economic spheres, votes and feels involved in the process of nation-building.

National Voters Day 2023: Theme

"Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible, and Participatory" is the subject of National Voter's Day 2023. The subject clearly focuses on encouraging voters' active engagement.

The primary goals of this day are to remember Election Day and enhance public awareness of the importance of voting, especially among those who have recently become eligible. In essence, voting is one of the procedures that contributes significantly to the creation of a nation's government. Voting allows people to choose their representatives, full voting rights, which empower citizens to question and seek clarification from the governmet . It also develops a sense of belonging in a democratic democracy, freedom to express oneself during critical decision-making for the sake of the country.
Bhagalpur: Posters of the film `Pathaan` was torn and burnt outside a cinema hall in Bihar`s Bhagalpur on Tuesday, a day before its release. Shah Rukh Khan`s `Pathaan` movie is to be screened in Bhagalpur`s Deepprabha cinema hall. The youth of Hindu organizations tore the posters in the cinema hall and set it on fire, raising slogans of `Film Chalega Hall Jalega`."The youth said that Hindutva cannot be compromised. Any element that opposes the Sanatan culture will not be tolerated in Bhagalpur including the whole of India," said the members of the Hindu organisation.

The members of the organisation added that if Pathan is shown in any theatres of Bhagalpur, it will be strongly opposed. The manager Lalan Singh said that some anti-social elements have burnt the poster opposing the film. He further added that an application has been given to the local police station and SP, and the administration has assured that security will be given. On Monday, right-wing activist Satya Ranjan Bora lodged a police complaint against Shah Rukh Khan-starrer `Pathaan` at Geetanagar police station. `Pathaan` landed in a controversy after its song `Besharam Rang` was released.

#WATCH | Bihar: A poster of the film 'Pathaan' was torn and burnt outside a cinema hall in Bhagalpur (24.01) pic.twitter.com/aIgUdxOl6a January 24, 2023

On January 5, members of Bajrang Dal, part of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), created a ruckus at Alpha One Mall in Ahmedabad`s Vastrapur during the promotion of the film. The Bajrang Dal members during their protest tore down pictures of Shah Rukh Khan as well as his co-stars. The protesters also threatened the mall authority that if this film is released, then they will start an even fiercer protest. The protesters were captured in a video damaging property of the mall. In a video shared by the VHP, protesters could be seen shouting slogans and tearing posters and large cut-outs of `Pathaan`s star cast.

The controversy started after Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, aired his objections to one of the songs of the movie, released as `Besharam Rang`.Mishra said, "The costumes in the song at first glance are objectionable. It is clearly visible that the song of the film `Pathaan` has been shot with a dirty mindset."
New Delhi: India and Egypt on Wednesday (January 25) decided to elevate their ties to the "strategic partnership" level covering various sectors, including political, security, defence, energy, and economic areas. Both countries have also exchanged Memorandum of Understanding in the fields of cyber security, culture, information technology, and broadcasting, according to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi witnessed the exchange of MoUs between the two nations, it said.

PM Modi and President Sisi also witnessed the exchange of commemorative postage stamps to mark the milestone of 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Egypt, the statement said. An MoU was also signed between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team and the Egyptian Computer Emergency Readiness Team in the cyber security sector.

Also read: Republic Day 2023: PM Narendra Modi Calls Egyptian Prez Visit Matter Of 'Immense Happiness

Union Minister of Communication and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dr Amr Ahmed Samih Talaat exchanged a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of Information Technology between the two nations. Union Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Development of North Eastern region G Kishan Reddy and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Hassan Shoukry exchanged MoU in the field of culture between the two nations, the MEA said.

Egypt and India exchanged an MoU on cooperation in youth matters between the two nations. Furthermore, the two nations exchanged an MoU for cooperation on Broadcasting between Indias Prasar Bharati and Egypt's National Media Authority. Earlier in the day, Egyptian President El-Sisi met PM Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. They shook hands and posed for the cameras before proceeding to the meeting and delegation-level talks on bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest. Sisi will be the Chief Guest on Indias 74th Republic Day, marking the first time the President of Egypt has been invited as chief guest on India`s Republic Day.

After the meeting, the two leaders issued a joint statement and shared details regarding the meeting. The Egyptian President said that the two leaders discussed trade, investment, and how to bolster cooperation in import and export. "I am going to take part in the Republic Day parade. I am thankful to PM Modi for such a grand welcome. During our discussions, we talked about trade and investment and how to further expand our cooperation in import and export," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said.

"We also discussed cooperation in Green hydrogen and renewable energy sectors. India and Egypt are old cultural civilizations. The issue of connectivity was also discussed between the two countries in order to boost tourism," he further said.

Meanwhile, PM Modi in his joint statement with the Egyptian President said, "We have decided that under India-Egypt Strategic Partnership, we will develop a long-term framework for more comprehensive cooperation in political, security, economic and scientific fields."

He further said, "We have also decided in today's meeting to further strengthen cooperation between our defense industries, and to increase the exchange of counter-terrorism information and intelligence."

(With inputs from ANI)
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya, who has further ignited the raging controversy over the epic poem Ramcharitmanas, has refused to retract his objectionable remarks, saying that was his personal opinion. Justifying his remarks, Maurya  a popular OBC leader from UP  held that he had spoken on a particular verse in a Hindu epic poem and not about Lord Ram or any religion.

Maurya, while refusing to retract his remarks, asserted that his comments were made in a personal capacity and not as a member of the SP. "At the time of giving the statement, I had said this is my personal statement," the SP leader said.

Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party was left red-faced and embarrassed after Maurya made the controversial remarks on the epic poem written by a great sage  Goswami Tulsidas.

Maurya kicked up controversy recently by alleging that certain verses of the Ramcharitmanas "insult" a large section of society on the basis of caste and demanded that these be "banned".

Asked if he still stood by his statement, the SP leader replied, "Have I said anything wrong that I will go back? I give respect to all religions, but no religion or anyone can have permission to hurl abuses.... I have spoken about banning only a particular portion in which insulting comments have been made about women, tribals, Dalits and backward classes. I have spoken about removing only those parts of the 'chaupai'."

When asked about the SP leaders who have criticised his statement, Maurya said, "Those who have opposed me belong to a certain section of society," and drew attention to their surnames. "People are associating the comments with Lord Ram, God, religion and the Ramcharitmanas. This shows their narrow mindset," he told PTI.

A case has been registered against him at the Hazratganj police station. In response to that, Maurya said, "Now the pot is calling the kettle black. I am the one who is pleading, and it is me at whom abuses are being hurled."

Maurya further claimed that he had been demanding the government put a ban on objectionable words. He said those who are speaking against him in the media belong to the class of people who hurl abuses. "The class which gets abused is not against me," he added. The former state cabinet minister claimed that 80 per cent of the people on social media were with him.

The epic poem Ramcharitmanas, written in the Awadhi language, is based on the Ramayana and has been composed by 16th-century Bhakti Stream poet Tulsidas.

(With PTI Inputs)
New Delhi: This Republic Day, the city of Muzaffarpur in Bihar will witness a Tiranga Yatra which will feature a 351 feet long tricolour flag. The area has seen such a yatra for the past 5 years on Republic Day and Independence Day. The parade is organised by the Ramgarh family and will begin at Sikandarpur Mod, Ramgarh Chowk at 3 pm, as per a News18 report. It will travel through various parts of the city including Saraiyaganj, Pankaj Market, Chhata Bazar, Garib Sthan Road, Sonarpatti, Sahu Road, Chhoti Kalyani, Harisabha Chowk, Kalyani Chowk, Islampur, Motijheel, Santoshi Mata Mandir, and Islampur.

The Tiranga Yatra will end at Navyuvak Samiti Saraiyaganj Tower Chowk.

Also Read: Republic Day 2023: Why is Republic Day Celebrated on January 26? Learn History and Significance

The parade aims to promote patriotism among the citizens of Muzaffarpur, Ravi Mahato, a member of the Ramgarh family, told News18. Additionally, the district administration will also host a program featuring tableaux of government-sponsored schemes and a tableau of school children.

For this year's Republic Day parade, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will attend as chief guest. He arrived in Delhi on Tuesday for a three-day state visit focused on enhancing bilateral ties in a range of areas, including agriculture, digital domain, and trade. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sisi will hold wide-ranging talks on Wednesday (January 25).

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: For the first time, transgender people who were recently recruited as constables in the 'Bastar Fighters' -- a newly raised specialised unit of the Chhattisgarh police -- will take part in the Republic Day parade in Jagdalpur city on Thursday (January 26) in presence of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. The CM will unfurl the tricolour and receive a guard of honour from various contingents of security personnel at a function to be held in the Lalbag Maidan in Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district which is located around 300 km from the state capital Raipur.

A platoon of the 'Bastar Fighters' will participate in the Republic Day parade in Jagdalpur. Eight (of the nine) transgender constables recruited in this unit will also be part of the parade, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI on Wednesday. It is for the first time that cops from the third gender will participate in a parade in a national-level celebration, he added. Nine transgender people were among 2,100 constables who were selected for the 'Bastar Fighters' in August last year.

Also read: Republic Day Parade 2023: PM Narendra Modi Interacts With NCC Cadets, NSS Volunteers

The unit will be deployed in the Maoist-hit Bastar division after their training, which is currently underway. "Since transgender persons were inducted for the first time in the police force in the Bastar Range, we are confident that it would add a new dimension and perspective to policing in the region. Their participation in the parade will boost their morale," said the IPS officer. For Divya Nishad, a 24-year-old transgender cop, taking part in the R-day parade is like a dream coming true.

Nishad said it will be a proud moment for her when she, donning the khaki uniform, will march to the tune of drums along with her male and female counterparts on Thursday. Our selection in the police has not only boosted the confidence of the entire community whom we represent but also changed the perception of society towards transgender persons. It will be a proud moment for all of us to take part in the R-Day parade, she said.

Nishad, who hails from the Kanker district, expressed her gratitude to the state government and senior officials for giving them an opportunity to be part of the parade. Governor Anusuiya Uikey will hoist the national flag in the morning at the Police Parade ground in Raipur. Meanwhile, security has been stepped up in all sensitive places across Chhattisgarh, particularly in Maoist-affected areas, for Republic Day celebrations, police said.

(With inputs from PTI)
The day on the calendar that awakens patriotic feelings at home in the hearts of every Indian, right after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary, is January 26. Through colorful events and parades, images of the country's culture and history emerge. From New Delhi to Kolkata, all parts of the country are decorated on the grand occasion of Republic Day.

This year the country will celebrate its 74th Republic Day. On this special occasion, every year, a grand parade takes place on Rajpath from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan. Various regiments of the Indian Army, Air Force, Navy etc take part in this parade. Perhaps this question will come to your mind - why do we celebrate Republic Day only on 26th January and why not on any other day? There is a very interesting history behind it. Do you know that before independence, the country's Independence Day was celebrated on some other day? Here we have brought some such interesting things related to Republic Day for you.

Congress Asked To Observe 26 January As I-Day

Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, chose 15 August as the day of his choice to declare India an independent state. It was on this day that Japan surrendered to the Allies after World War II. That is why the British government chose 15th August. However, the country became independent on 15 August 1947, India did not have its own constitution. That constitution was drafted and adopted on 26 November 1949 and the constitution was implemented on that day, on 26th January 1950, for which there were many reasons. After the country became independent, the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949. At the same time, on January 26, 1950, the constitution was implemented with a democratic government system. India was declared a complete republic on this day. One of the main reasons for implementing the constitution on January 26 is that on this day, in 1930, the Indian National Congress had declared complete independence of India. The flag of India was hoisted by Jawaharlal Nehru on 31 December 1929 on the banks of Ravi river, in Lahore. The Congress asked the people of India to observe 26 January as Independence Day.

In the year 1929, under the chairmanship of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a meeting was organized by the Indian National Congress, in which it was announced by consensus that the British Government should grant Dominion status to India by 26 January 1930. India's Independence Day was celebrated for the first time on this day. Till Independence on 15 August 1947, Independence Day was celebrated only on 26 January. The constitution was implemented on 26 January 1950 and therefore, this day was declared as Republic Day to give importance to the date of declaring 'Purna Swaraj' back on 26 January 1930.

Draft Of Constitution Prepared by B.R Ambedkar

The draft of the constitution according to which the work is being done in the country today was prepared by Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, who is known as the architect of the Indian Constitution. After many reforms and changes, 308 members of the committee signed two copies of the handwritten law on 24 January 1950, after which it was implemented in the country two days later, on 26 January. To maintain the significance of 26 January, India was given a democratic identity on the same day. After the implementation of the constitution, the already existing British law Government of India Act (1935) was replaced as the Indian governance document through the Indian Constitution. That's why every year we Indians celebrate 26 January as Republic Day.

Dr Rajendra Prasad Took Oath As The First President of India

India became a republic nation on 26 January 1950 at 10.18 am. Exactly 6 minutes after that, at 10:24, Dr. Rajendra Prasad took oath as the first President of India. On this day, for the first time, Dr. Rajendra Prasad came out of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in a buggy as the President, where he took the army salute for the first time and was given a guard of honor for the first time. On this day, along with hoisting the tricolor, singing the national anthem, we Indians either organize or become a part of many programs.

The Republic Day program usually begins on January 24 with the announcement of the names of the person who has received the National Bravery Awards. But this time it started on January 23, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. And on the evening of January 25, the President addresses the nation. The main event of Republic Day is organized on 26 January.
Washington: Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said he never saw his counterpart Sushma Swaraj as an "important political player" but got along famously with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, hitting it off with him in their first meeting itself.

In his latest book 'Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love' that hit the stores on Tuesday, Pompeo describes Swaraj somewhat disparagingly, using the American slang words "goofball" and "heartland political hack" for her.

Swaraj served as external affairs minister in the first Modi government from May 2014 to May 2019. She died in August 2019.

"On the Indian side, my original counterpart was not an important player on the Indian foreign policy team. Instead, I worked much more closely with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, a close and trusted confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," 59-year-old Pompeo writes in his book.

A confidant of then US president Donald Trump, Pompeo was the CIA Director in his administration from 2017 to 2018 and then served as the Secretary of State from 2018 to 2021.

"My second Indian counterpart was Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. In May 2019, we welcomed "J" as India's new foreign minister. I could not have asked for a better counterpart. I love this guy. English is one of the seven languages he speaks, and his is somewhat better than mine," writes the former top American diplomat, who is now exploring the possibility of a 2024 presidential run.

"Professional, rational, and a fierce defender of his boss and his country," is how Pompeo described Jaishankar.

"We hit it off immediately. In our first meeting, I was bemoaning, in very diplomatic speech, that his predecessor had not been particularly helpful," he said.

"He (Jaishankar) said that he could see why I had trouble with his predecessor, a goofball and a heartland political hack. "Careful, I'm a heartland political hack!" I replied in jest. He laughed, noting that if that were true, it would make me the first heartland political hack who had ever been an editor on the Harvard Law Review. Well played, J," Pompeo said. J here stands for Jaishankar.

Commenting on Pompeo's claims, Jaishankar told PTI, "I have seen a passage in Secretary Pompeo's book referring to Smt Sushma Swaraj ji. I always held her in great esteem and had an exceptionally close and warm relationship with her. I deplore the disrespectful colloquialism used for her."

In his book, Pompeo also says American neglect of India was a decades-long bipartisan failure.

"We are natural allies, as we share a history of democracy, a common language, and ties of people and technology. India is also a market with enormous demand for American intellectual property and products. These factors, plus its strategic location in South Asia, made India the fulcrum of my diplomacy to counteract Chinese aggression," he writes.

"In my mind, a counter-China bloc made up of the United States, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the European Union would have an economic weight at least three times that of China. I chose to devote serious quantities of time and effort to help make India the next great American ally," Pompeo says.
New Delhi: Delhi Police, which filed a 6,629-page long chargesheet in the Shradhha Walkar murder case has revealed the real reason why Aaftab Amin Poonawala killed his girlfriend and live-in partner and what were the circumstances that led the accused to commit the brutal murder. In its chargesheet, Delhi Police claimed that Aaftab  the key accused in the case  murdered his live-in partner in a fit of rage. He attacked Shradhha Walkar since she had gone to see a friend in Gurugram against his wishes.

Revealing Aaftabs motive behind the gruesome murder, Delhi Police Joint CP (South) Meenu Chowdhary said, Accused was upset with his girlfriend for meeting one of her friends. Shraddha had stepped out to see her friend. This triggered the killer. The top cop further stated that the investigation done so far in the case showed that the killer used several weapons during the commission of the crime.

Joint CP Chaudhary added that the CCTV footage was a very crucial cog in the investigation and a separate team was put together just to go over hours and days of relevant security camera footage from Delhi and Gurugram.

Delhi Police had earlier revealed that the accused sliced Shraddha`s body with a saw-like object. Further, according to the chargesheet filed by Delhi Police, the case was initially registered under IPC section 365 (kidnapping) and section 302 (murder) was added later.

Aaftab was arrested by Delhi Police on November 12 after a probe spanning six months. Nine special investigation teams (SITs) were put together and sent to Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gurugram to pick up multiple strands of the probe in the case.

Over the course of the investigation, it was found that the accused had allegedly disposed of Shraddha`s body parts in the forests of Mehrauli and elsewhere. Searches were conducted in Delhi and Gurugram after interrogating the accused.As many as 13 body parts were recovered. They were sent for forensic tests and with the benefit of DNA profiling and other scientific methods, it was ascertained that the chopped parts were of Shraddha`s, the Delhi Police said.

Further, according to Delhi Police, not one but many weapons were used in the murder and subsequent disposal of the body. Some of these weapons were recovered by the police. Multiple digital evidence, CDR, and GPS locations were examined, the police had said, adding that the chargesheet was filed on the basis of digital, forensic and oral evidence.

Further, according to the chargesheet, the statements of more than 150 witness were recorded in the case. A Delhi court has scheduled a hearing on the chargesheet on February 7. On Tuesday, Delhi Police filed a 6,629-page long chargesheet before the Metropolitan Magistrate Aviral Shukla.

After the proceedings, the court extended Aaftabs judicial custody till February 7. The court listed the matter for cognisance of the chargesheet on February 7, while also directing the police produce Aaftab in person at the next hearing. Notably, Delhi Police filed the chargesheet before the expiry of 90 days after the start of the investigation in the case.

Over the course of the probe, Delhi Police conducted a narco analysis test and polygraph test, while also collecting DNA samples to support charges against Aaftab. The police also collected Aaftab`s voice sample. While seeking permission to obtain the voice sample, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad submitted before the court that it was crucial to the probe. The court on December 23, last year, allowed the Delhi Police plea seeking permission to obtain Aaftab`s voice sample.

During preliminary investigation, Shraddha`s last location was found to be in Delhi, and the case was accordingly transferred to Delhi Police. Shraddha`s father had even claimed a `love jihad` angle to the crime. Doctors in AIIMS Delhi found `extremely thin lines` at the corners of the studied bones, suggesting that her body was chopped with a saw-like sharp object, the police had said earlier. Aaftab has been in custody since November 12, 2022.

(With Agency Inputs)
Tripura Board 2023: Tripura Board of Secondary Education, TBSE Exam Routine 2023 has been announced on the official website. Tripura Board Class 10th and Tripura Board Class 12th Exams would be held in March 2023. Tripura Board will begin board exams for Class 10 and Class 10 Madrassa Alim on March 16, 2023, as described below and on the official website - tbse.tripura.gov.in. The TBSE 12th Exams will commence on March 15, 2023.

Tripura Board 2023: Here's how to download datesheet

Go to tbse.tripura.gov.in.

On the home page, open the Class 10 and Class 12 time table link.

Download the PDF file and save a copy for future reference

According to the TBSE, about 43,503 students will take the Class 10 and Madrassa Alim exams. This year, around 38,034 pupils are anticipated to sit for the Higher Secondary, Class 12 exams.
By Kazuya Itai, KYODO NEWS - Jan 25, 2023 - 11:51 | Feature, All, Japan

The preservation of plant seeds as a genetic resource is becoming more and more important at a time when many crops are threatened by extinction or lower productive output due to climate change and the destruction of ecosystems through overdevelopment.

The shifting of ideal growing zones due to warming across the globe makes the creation of seed banks a cause for international concern, with changing growing conditions driving a need for what is, in effect, an ecological database.

The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, operates a genebank business, which collects, preserves and distributes genetic agricultural resources both in Japan and abroad for research and educational purposes.

As of the end of November, more than 230,000 genetic resources for plants, including some 200,000 seeds, were registered there. The seeds are placed in containers kept in NARO's storage house at a temperature of minus 1 C and at 30 percent humidity.

"Once an organism is lost, it cannot be reproduced. We need to preserve as many seeds as possible," said Kaworu Ebana, head of the genebank project at NARO's Research Center of Genetic Resources.

Seeds undergo a germination test every five years. If the germination rate falls, researchers cultivate to obtain new seeds.

According to the head of the center Toru Kumagai, all agricultural products are affected by global warming. As quality deteriorates, some are no longer cultivated, so he urges "passing on the things that appear likely to disappear."

Several agricultural products that were no longer being cultivated have been restored thanks to seeds kept at the bank. Among them is the Watari Bune rice strain considered one of the parent strains to Yamada Nishiki, a premier sake brewing rice variety.

The cultivation of Watari Bune was long ago halted because of its vulnerability to disease. But in 1990, Fuchu Homare, a sake brewer in Ishioka, Ibaraki Prefecture, began to cultivate the rice, using 14 grams of rice seed kept at the genebank, and released a prized sake product under the brand of Watari Bune in 1992.

More than 50 kinds of traditional vegetables in Tokyo, registered as "Edo Tokyo Yasai," have also been revived from seeds provided by the bank. One of them is the "terajima nasu" eggplant.

Seeds are gathered by the bank from Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam and Laos.

The crops grown in such countries have genetic characteristics that make them resistant to warmer growing conditions. The bank provides them to nursery companies and research institutes in hopes that new varieties can be created and developed.

The development of disease-resistant breeds can mean a reduction in the need for agricultural chemicals.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in April last year that "seeds hold the key" to the country's food security.

Rather than for the protection of genetic resources, the remark was intended to warn against China's reliance on food imports while calling for a push for self-sufficiency.

Nevertheless, the importance of preserving seeds is starting to be recognized internationally.

NARO's Kumagai said, "While the preservation of genetic resources for the future is important, now, the reality is we need to contribute to the reinforcement of competitiveness among nursery companies."
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Saket Gokhale in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a crowdfunding initiative, official sources said Wednesday.

Gokhale was taken into custody under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Ahmedabad where he is lodged in judicial custody in a Gujarat Police case.

He will be produced by the federal agency before a local court there seeking his remand, they said.

The Gujarat Police arrested Gokhale from Delhi on December 29 in its case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowd-funding.

Earlier in December, the Gujarat Police arrested him twice for allegedly spreading fake news regarding the cost incurred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Morbi town following a bridge collapse tragedy.
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Nand Gopal Nandi has been sentenced to one year in prison by the Special MP-MLA court in Prayagraj for allegedly attacking a rival party worker during a rally in the 2014 polls. However, the state's minister for Industrial Development, Export Promotion, NRI, Investment Promotion immediately procured bail from the court. After getting bail, Nand Gopal Nandi can now file for an appeal in the High Court.

The 1-year prison sentence bears no threat to his assembly membership or ministership as his sentence is less than two years which means it doesn't come under the grounds for disqualification.

Nandi is one of the most well-known ministers in the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh. He has been a minister in the BJP government since 2017. At the time of the 2014 polls, Nandi belonged to the Congress party. However, he lost the election in 2014 from Allahabad as a candidate on the Congress ticket.
Panaji (Goa): Amid the ongoing water dispute with Karnataka, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that the government will do 'whatever' has to be done for Mhadei river, 'legally and politically.' Goa and Karnataka are battling out a two-decade-long dispute over the sharing of the Mhadei waters. While the river runs 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is over 50 km in length in Goa.

"No matter what anyone says, we are firm in our decision and will do whatever has to be done for Mhadei, legally, politically, and technically. We are taking whatever steps need to be taken," Sawant said On Tuesday.Mhadei, also known as the Mandovi river in Goa and Mahadayi in Karnataka, is considered as a lifeline in the northern parts of Goa. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through Maharashtra.

Earlier on January 12, a delegation of the Goa government, led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met the Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital, over the Mhadei river issue.The delegation urged for the immediate constitution of the Mhadei Water Management Authority as given in the award and also urged for the withdrawal approval given to Karnataka`s detailed project report (DPR) for the disputed Kalsa-Bhanduri dam project.
New Delhi: The occasion of Republic Day is here, and we are all set to celebrate it with great zeal and enthusiasm. Our nation celebrates Republic Day with pride and dignity and pays respect to the soldiers who have laid down their lives for the citizens to breathe with peace.

This day holds a lot of significance for all Indians and as we get into a strong patriotic feeling and celebrate this national festival with traditions such as flag hoisting, parades, and songs commemorating our love for the nation, lets add one more tradition that echoes in our memories throughout the year. To celebrate the 74th anniversary of India's Constitution's implementation, lets dwell on the timeless memories from our freedom struggle and interesting stories that remind us of our courageous history.

From tales about fearless soldiers to stories about our predecessors, this is the perfect list to binge-listen to on Republic Day with family and friends.

Here's a unique selection of audio series to help us get into the patriotic spirit.

SID on Pocket FM

Patriotism ignites in the hearts of every Indian on this day and why not make it more interesting by listening to the tale of Virat Agnihotri. Virat Agnihotri, since childhood, has been passionate about serving and fighting for the country, but he gets trapped in strange circumstances. After completing his training, he dreams of being posted on the border, but things take a sudden twist in his life. Virat joins the Secret Intelligence Department (SID) despite not wanting to be there, he is forced to work as a secret agent, and this is where the real story begins. What will happen when a recruit contributes to the country by becoming a spy? Will Virat gain access to intelligence and expose the spies?

Yoddha on Audible Suno

Yoddha is a 30-episode series created and performed by Neelesh Misra.

This series celebrates the bravery of the Indian Armed Forces, chronicling soldiers fierce sense of duty against impossible odds. The stories also reveal their personal lives and sacrifice and the courage of their family members.

Commander Karan Saxena on Spotify

Based on author Amit Khan`s `Commander Karan Saxena` novel series, this audio show features Bollywood star Sonu Sood in and as Commander Karan Saxena. Directed by Mantra Mugdh, this is a story of a secret agent who is fighting with the enemies of the nation.

Swaroopa Ghosh, Raj Zutshi, Joy Fernandes, Kabir Sadanand, Micky Makhija, Ashwin Mushran, Shahnawaz Pradhan, Sanjeev Jotangia, Mir Sarwar, Sanket Mhatre, Rajesh Kava, Pooja Punjabi, Rasika Agashe, Aseem Hattangady, Trishna Mukherjee, Dhanveer Singh and others are also part of it. It is launching on August 15 on Spotify.

Boots Belts Berets on Audible

Apart from watching TV and OTT shows, you can also listen to this audio show written by Tanushree Podder and narrated by Abhishek Banerjee. It is a story of youth getting trained at the National Defence Academy and their life full of adventure, ambition and tough challenges. You can listen to it on Audible.

Bose to Netaji Tak on Pocket FM:

This is the story of India's most popular leader and brave freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose. This special presentation of Pocket FM closely tells the journey of Subhash Chandra Bose from his childhood to his becoming Netaji. The series traces the formation of the "Azad Hind Fauj" as well as the events that comprise Netaji's tireless struggle and sacrifice.
New Delhi: What a beginning of 2023 for Paris Hilton! The 41-year-old businesswoman is starting this new year with a new title, yes, you read it right... Hilton is the newest mommy in the town.

According to People magazine, a US-based news outlet, the 41-year-old media personality and businesswoman recently had a baby through surrogacy with her husband Carter Reum.

"It`s always been my dream to be a mother and I`m so happy that Carter and I found each other," the new mom tells PEOPLE exclusively.

"We are so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy." Sharing the exciting news on Instagram Tuesday, Hilton posted a close-up photo of the baby gripping her thumb. "You are already loved beyond words," she wrote.

Hilton has previously expressed her desire to have a family with Reum. The founder of the Love Rush fragrance revealed to PEOPLE in December that she and Reum started the in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedure at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak when speaking about their desire to have a child after they wed late last year.

"We started going and doing it like a few months in because the world was shut down," she told PEOPLE. "We knew we wanted to start a family, and I was like, `This is perfect timing. Usually, I`m on a plane 250 days out of the year, and let`s just get all of the eggs stocked and ready,` and we have tons of them just waiting."

Following more than a year of dating, Hilton and Reum got engaged in February 2021. They later wed in a three-day ceremony in November of that same year. Reum, a native of Chicago and a longtime friend of the Hiltons, is an author, business owner, and the founder of the venture capital firm M13.
New Delhi: Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Wednesday moved an application in a Delhi Court seeking permission to travel to Dubai from January 27 to 30, to attend the PepsiCo India conference. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought time to file a response on the Jacqueline application. Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik on Wednesday granted time to ED and fixed the matter for January 27, for a hearing. Jacqueline Fernandes on Wednesday withdrew her earlier application seeking to travel to Dubai due to rescheduled of her travel programme.

The plea stated that Applicant/Jacqueline is seeking permission from this Court to travel to Dubai from January 27 -January 30. The reason for undertaking the travel to Dubai is on account of the PepsiCo India Conference in Dubai; to which the Applicant has recently received an Invitation. The Applicant recently received an invitation to perform at the said PepsiCo Conference in Dubai as a star performer for the concert scheduled on Sunday, the 29th of January, 2023 for the Annual Bottler Conference organized by PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd.

Jacqueline Fernandez is being investigated by the ED in an Rs-200 crore money laundering case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Jacqueline Fernandez earlier had appeared before the probe agency for questioning in a money laundering investigation against Sukesh Chandrashekhar and others.Jacqueline Fernandez is a Sri Lankan National living in India since 2009 and belongs to Bollywood Fraternity and holds a good name in the Bollywood industry, stated the application.

She earlier stated that being a renowned film the actress has been invited for events, press conferences, rehearsals and participation in the event."The Applicant has always joined the investigation before the Enforcement Directorate and remains present in all court proceedings, following law of the land. She earlier stated that she is ready and willing to abide by any such conditions that this Court may deem fit to impose if the prayer sought for is granted, in accordance with the law," the plea said.

The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police on Monday also filed a supplementary chargesheet against Pinki Irani in connection with investigation in the Rs 200-crore extortion case involving Sukesh Chandrasekhar. According to Delhi police Mumbai-based Pinky Irani is said to be a close aide of Chandrashekhar and introduced him to bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez.

The fresh supplementary also mentioned the progress taken place through the recording of various statements including Jacqueline Fernandez, Nora Fatehi, etc. The ED`s case is based on an FIR filed by Delhi Police`s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Sukesh Chandrasekhar who is accused of cheating and extorting Aditi Singh, wife of the former promoter of Religare Enterprises Shivinder Mohan Singh, who was arrested in October 2019 in a case related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd.Chandrasekhar and his associates reportedly took money from Aditi after posing as government officials and promising to get bail for her husband.

Chandrasekhar reportedly persuaded Aditi to transfer money by impersonating a central government official over a spoof call while he was lodged in Rohini jail and promised to manage bail for her husband. Both Chandrasekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul were arrested by the Delhi Police in September last year for their alleged role in the duping case.


New Delhi: The surreal state of Himachal Pradesh today celebrates Statehood Day as it became the 18th state of India on this day in 1971. Yami Gautam who is deeply connected with her Himachali roots, took to her social media to extend wishes of Himachal Diwas.

Yami, who had opted to get married in her hometown, ditching an international destination, has often proudly spoken about the state. The actress often visits Himachal and even tends to her own farm, enjoying the medicinal fruits and plants. Apart from giving fans a glimpse of her peaceful life while in Himachal, Yami has also often spoken about the success stories that stemmed from the state and has always been home-proud.

Posting an image on social media from her wedding in Himachal Yami wished her fans, "My Himachal My Dev-bhoomi Happy Himachal Diwas".

After a stellar 2022, with films like 'A Thursday' and 'Dasvi', Yami seems to continue her dream run in 2023. With Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga a slick heist thriller and Lost, an emotional thriller that touches upon values of integrity and empathy.

Both the films are another fine example of how she manages to balance the best of both worlds, with strong quality content and a solid performance, an arena which she seems to never disappoint in.
With winters at their peak, heavy fog has engulfed various parts of northern India. Resultanly, a total of 17 trains are running late, as revealed by railways officials. The list includes, Visakhapatnam- New Delhi Andhra Pradesh Express, Mysuru- MGR Chennai Central Superfast Express, and Rani Kamlapati-Hazrat Nizamuddin Shaan E Bhopal Express , running late by 01:00 hours. On the other hand, Pratapgarh-Delhi Padmavat Express and Banaras-New Delhi Kashi Vishwanath Express are running late by 02:00 hours.Trains including Delhi Brahmaputra Mail, Dr Amdedkar Nagar-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Malwa Superfast Express, Durg- Hazrat Nizamuddin Humsafar Express are running late by over 02:30 hours, they said.

While Jabalpur-Hazrat Nizaumddin Gondwana Express and Bhusaval-Hazrat Nizamuddin Gondwana Superfast Express trains are running late by over three hours. Earlier on Tuesday, 10 trains were delayed due to fog in the northern region. Earlier, a host of other trains were also delayed due to zero visibility caused by dense fog. Also, Indian Railways is asking loco pilots to whistle more frequently to keep obstructions away from the track.

Earlier, IMD on Wednesday informed that fresh western disturbances would affect the western Himalayan region from January 20 to January 26. "An active Western Disturbance is very likely to affect northwest India from January 21 to January 25. Under its influence, rainfall/snowfall is likely to commence over the western Himalayan region, IMD said in a statement.

Also read - Rising Speed of Indian Railways: Vande Bharat Express, Bullet Train, and more

Clouds shrouded the skies over Delhi on Tuesday morning with the India Meteorological Department predicting light rain during the day. The national capital is also likely to witness cloudy skies and light rain on Republic Day, it said.

With inputs from agencies.
The Republic Day celebration in Delhi on January 26 at India Gate will see masses coming from various corners of the city and country to witness the spectacular rally. The national capitals metro rail network will be used by commuters, easing off the travel hassle for citizens. However, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has made some changes to timings, while some stations and parking will be closed for a designated time. This is done to ensure optimum security of the stations without hampering commutes of citizens. In case you are planning to use Delhi Metro services tomorrow, heres all you should know.

Security Update



Additional time might be needed in view of enhanced security and frisking measures ahead of Republic Day. Please allow for some extra time in your commute.



Your cooperation is kindly solicited.  Delhi Metro Rail Corporation I    (@OfficialDMRC) January 17, 2023

Republic Day 2023: Delhi Metro Timings

Due to the security arrangements made by Delhi Police, all parking lots of DMRC will only open by 2 PM on January 26. However, they are closed from 6 AM, January 25 onwards.

In an official statement, DMRC said, The services on Line-2 (HUDA City Centre  Samaypur Badli) of the Delhi Metro will be partially regulated on Wednesday, the 26th of January, 2022 (Republic Day). This is being done as part of the security arrangements for the Republic Day celebrations as per the instructions of Delhi Police.

In order to facilitate people who are in possession of bonafide e-Invitation Cards/e-Tickets for attending the 74th Republic Day ceremony on 26th January 2023 at Kartavya Path, Delhi Metro will issue tickets (coupons) to them from its Metro stations across network free of cost.  Delhi Metro Rail Corporation I    (@OfficialDMRC) January 23, 2023

DMRC further said, Beating Retreat Ceremony: On the 29th of January 2022 (Saturday), on the occasion of Beating Retreat, Metro services at Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan Metro stations of Line 2 (HUDA City Centre  Samaypur Badli) will not be available from 02.00 PM to 06.30 PM. However, the interchange of passengers from Line 2 to Line 6 (Kashmere Gate to Raja Nahar Singh) and vice versa will be allowed at the Central Secretariat Metro station during this period. Normal services at these stations will be restored at 6:30 PM.
New Delhi: Tech billionaire and the owner of Twitter, SpaceX, and Tesla Elon Musk is no doubt a renowned personality with a lot of fan following in the US and the outside. A YouTuber named Fidias waited for many months outside Twitters headquarter to give him a hug. His wish came true on the National Hugging Day and he finally hugged Musk in the office.

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We are definitely living in a simulation @elonmusk ! Happy National Hugging Day everyone, Fidias tweeted in his official channel on January 22, 2023.

Elon Musk shared the photo post of Fidias in his Twitter handle with an emoji.

A Twitter user Matt Wallace commented on the tweet and said that was epic with a laughing emoji. Another user named John Hawkins commented, Oh wow, it finally happened! Congrats, man! I know you've been working on that for months!

A Twitter user Tayo Aina wrote that he was the definition of determination.

Another user Ozer took a dig in the comment and wrote Rishi Sunak lookaliked hugging Elon Musk.

Twitter to launch a higher priced subscription with zero-ads

Twitter head Elon Musk has said in a Twitter thread that the platform is planning to bring a higher priced subscription with zero-ads in the coming days. It will provide rich and smooth user experience as Musk said that ads are too frequent on Twitter and too big. The microblogging site is taking steps to address both the problem.
New Delhi: India is celebrating its 74th Republic Day tomorrow, January 26. On the special occasion, many TV celebrities including Ankit Gupta, Neha Rana, Fahmaan Khan and others share their patriotic stories and have given out best wishes to their fans. Read on

Ankit Gupta who will be seen essaying the role of Jahaan in COLORS' Junooniyatt says, "I think Republic Day can be a great launchpad for something consequential one would like to do for the country. It could be something as simple as telling a child the relevance of this day or organizing a cleanliness drive. This day takes me back to my childhood. We never treated this day like a holiday. We would wait for the flag hoisting and come back home to watch patriotic movies. I wish all the citizens of India, my love, as they work to make the nation proud.

Neha Rana who will be seen essaying the role of Elahi in COLORS' Junooniyatt says, "I am proud of our country's constitution that commands respect for being comprehensive. I feel proud to be from a country that was blessed with great leaders who put so much forethought into building the nation as we know it now. I have great memories of spending this day watching patriotic movies at home with my family as a kid.

Samridhi Shukla essaying the role of Saavi Nityam in COLORS' Saavi Ki Savaari' says, "The flag-hoisting that used to happen in our society is the most precious childhood memory I have of Republic Day. I recall how much we enjoyed waiting under the flag as petals fell on us so we could try to catch them in our palms. We learned about the significance of this day much later. This Republic Day, I intend to continue the tradition of spending time with my family and watching the parade. Happy Republic Day to all of India's citizens!"

Fahmaan Khan essaying the role of Ravi in COLORS' 'Dharam Patnii' says, "Republic Day takes me back to the parade that we used to have in school. It makes me very happy and nostalgic to see kids rush to school to raise the flag, sing patriotic songs, and watch patriotic films. The pride and enthusiasm that I see in the kids make me very hopeful about the future of our nation. Im grateful to be living in a country that was built on the work of legislators who ensured that every citizen feels a sense of belonging. Heres hoping that we respect our motherland and get on our way to making our people proud."

Aurra Bhatnagar essaying the role of Durga in COLORS' 'Durga Aur Charu' shares, "On Republic Day, I look forward to going to school and participating in fun activities like singing and dancing to patriotic songs. All of us in school eagerly wait for flag hoisting and buying trinkets on the way home. I like reading about the great leaders who have shaped our nation on this day.
Beijing: The shortage of natural gas and the cold wave in China are making the winter chillier and unbearable for the residents, The New York Times reported. The acute shortage of natural gas has worked as fuel to the Chinese who are already angry with the government because of the pandemic. These reactions spilt over into caustic complaints on social media.

On social media platforms, a video goes viral in China where the temperature was seen rising in an apartment building in a different northern province, Shanxi, with the windows plastered with bright red posters of the sort often seen at Lunar New Year -- except that these posters say "cold."

In China already hundreds of millions of people were caught in Covid since President Xi Jinping abandoned his "zero Covid" policy in early December. Before the relaxation of the policy, people were frustrated by their strict restrictions which started after the pandemic emerged in China, citizens demanded costly precautions like mass testing -- measures that exhausted the budgets of local governments, reported the New York Times.

Many towns and cities now lack the money they need even to pay their own employees, much less to maintain adequate supplies of gas for homes.

The crunch, experts said, has exposed systemic weaknesses in China`s energy regulations and infrastructure, while showing the reach of the global market turmoil provoked last year by Russia`s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has long been a major supplier of natural gas to China and many regions, particularly Europe. When Russia halted exports to Europe last summer, nations bid up world prices as they stockpiled supplies from elsewhere. A surprisingly warm winter has since helped push gas prices lower in Europe, but the bitter cold is pushing them even higher in China.

A Russian liquefied natural gas ship at a Chinese terminal. China`s purchases of gas from Russia rose 42 per cent last year, according to New York Times.

At the same time, China`s provincial and municipal governments have reduced customary subsidies for natural gas consumption that used to keep a lid on heating bills. The national government has responded by telling local governments to provide heat, without giving them money to pay for it.

As a result, gas is effectively being rationed, with households receiving the minimum needed for cooking food but very little for heat."It`s a perfect winter storm for Xi," said Willy Lam, a longtime analyst of Chinese politics who is a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation.

"Nothing seems to be working, partly because nobody seems to have much cash."This is the third crisis in just five years for President. His government abruptly banned coal-fired boilers across large areas of northern China in 2017 in favour of gas ones. It was a quick fix for air pollution, but residents soon found there was not enough gas for all the new boilers, as per the report in New York Times.

Although, the government has taken notice of the gas shortages but they couldn`t change their fate."Some localities and enterprises have not implemented measures to ensure the supply and price of energy for people`s livelihood," Lian Weiliang, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, China`s top economic planning agency, said at a news conference on Jan. 13.

He added that the national government would hold local officials responsible for supplying homes, but did not indicate that Beijing would provide any money to help them do so. China will also build more natural gas storage sites, he said, to try to avoid similar problems in the future, New York Times reported.
Washington, Jan 25 (IANS) Police in the US state of Georgia are investigating the fatal shooting of a 52-year-old Indian American man in the driveway of his home last Friday. The victim, Pinal Patel, was pronounced dead at the hospital. His wife and daughter, who were also shot in the incident, were said to be in stable condition.

The police have issued a picture of the getaway car used by the killers - three masked men - and a driver. There is no word yet on their motivation and they had apparently not taken anything from the family.

An Indian American was fatally shot last week in Chicago in another incident. There is not link between the two and there is no evidence yet that Indian Americans are being targeted.

Responding to a call about a shooting, officers of the Bibb County found Patel, his wife, and their child wounded in the driveway.

The police said Patel and his family had just returned home from work when they were "confronted by three masked individuals with guns. Mr. Patel confronted the three and while doing so, shots were fired at the family. The three masked individuals then ran to a dark in color vehicle waiting across the street occupied by a fourth person. The individuals then fled the scene. No items were reported to have been taken from the family".

(The above article is sourced from news agency IANS. Zeenews.com has made no editorial changes to the article. News agency IANS is solely responsible for the contents of the article)
Ankara: Turkey has postponed a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids following the burning of a copy of the Quran in Sweden, the state-run TRT network reported. The meeting was slated to take place in February, the report said, citing anonymous Turkish diplomatic sources.



The decision came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Sweden not to expect Turkey`s support on its NATO bid after Rasmus Paludan, the head of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, burned a copy of the Quran on Saturday outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.



Sweden and Finland submitted their formal requests to join NATO in May 2022, which were initially objected by Turkey, a NATO member, citing their support for anti-Turkish Kurdish organisations and political dissidents, Xinhua news agency reported. A month later, Turkey, Sweden and Finland reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) ahead of the NATO summit held in Madrid, Spain.

In the MoU, Ankara agreed to lift its veto on the NATO bids by Finland and Sweden, which in return pledged to support Turkey`s fight against terrorism and address its "pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly". The Turkish parliament has not ratified the Nordic countries` NATO bids so far, citing that they have yet to meet Turkey`s requests.
KYODO NEWS - Jan 25, 2023 - 23:55 | All, Japan

Japan's Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled the vote disparity of up to 2.08-fold in the 2021 lower house election was constitutional.

The top court decision followed 16 conflicting rulings from lower courts, with plaintiffs demanding that the outcome of the House of Representatives election held on Oct. 31, 2021, be nullified.

Among the 15 justices of the top court's Grand Bench, 14 ruled the 2021 lower house election as constitutional, while one said it was unconstitutional.

Wednesday's ruling, which recognized parliament's efforts made in recent years to redress a vote disparity, was the second consecutive Supreme Court ruling that found a vote gap was constitutional, following the 2018 ruling on the 1.98-fold disparity in the 2017 lower house election.

Two groups of lawyers had filed the 16 lawsuits. Out of them, nine rulings said the gap was constitutional, while seven others said the election was held "in a state of unconstitutionality." None of them favored the plaintiffs' demand to nullify the election result.

The ruling pointed out that the more than 2-fold gap was caused by population movement, saying the disparity "will be corrected by a systematic framework adjustment based on the review of seat allocations every 10 years."

The Diet decided in 2016 to introduce a seat apportionment method to more accurately reflect population differences between prefectures by using national censuses.

Last November, the parliament also enacted a law bringing about the country's largest-ever change to the boundaries and distribution of lower house single-seat constituencies to correct a vote-value disparity.

The law was aimed at narrowing the vote disparity below the 2-fold level between densely and sparsely populated districts within the country.

Based on the national census conducted in 2020, the seat apportionment method would bring down the maximum vote-value disparity to 1.999-fold.

Following the ruling, Makoto Ito, one of the lawyers who had filed the lawsuits, told journalists, "The election system, which is at the root of the people's sovereignty, is distorted, and it needs to be fixed as quickly as possible. Parliament needs to think upon the ruling with sincerity."

In his opinion, Katsuya Uga, the sole justice who found the case unconstitutional, also pointed to the need for change. "It is necessary to design a system where the default is that there is no vote disparity," he stated.

The Supreme Court had ruled the lower house elections of 2009, 2012 and 2014, where the vote disparity was above 2.0-fold, were constitutionally problematic, saying they were in a state of unconstitutionality.

Related coverage:

Japan enacts law to rebalance lower house electoral districts

Japan court rules July election vote gap unconstitutional
Dozens of politicians from California called for nationwide reform to contain gun violence, after a mass shooting killed 11 in Monterey Park, a city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles, on Saturday.

"Every country struggles with mental illness. But the USA has a gun homicide rate 26 TIMES HIGHER than our peers." California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted Monday after touring Monterey Park.

He tweeted Sunday that "No other country in the world is terrorized by this constant stream of gun violence. We need real gun reform at a national level.

Newsom's remarks were echoed by Senator Alex Padilla. He noted that the Saturday tragedy should remind people of "the epidemic of gun violence in America."

U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu said that the gun industry and its lobby groups should be blamed for the mass shooting.

There were 641 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2022, the second-highest number behind the 690 that happened in 2021, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a website that tracks shootings nationwide.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service




LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of politicians from California called for nationwide reform to contain gun violence, after a mass shooting killed 11 in Monterey Park, a city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles, on Saturday.

"Every country struggles with mental illness. But the USA has a gun homicide rate 26 TIMES HIGHER than our peers." California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted Monday after touring Monterey Park.

He tweeted Sunday that "No other country in the world is terrorized by this constant stream of gun violence. We need real gun reform at a national level.

Newsom's remarks were echoed by Senator Alex Padilla. He noted that the Saturday tragedy should remind people of "the epidemic of gun violence in America."

U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu said that the gun industry and its lobby groups should be blamed for the mass shooting.

There were 641 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2022, the second-highest number behind the 690 that happened in 2021, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a website that tracks shootings nationwide.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Making rubbings, writing couplets and making rice cakes... A Belgian expat visited a temple fair and experienced folk customs in Guangxi to greet his 13th Spring Festival in China. #GLOBALink





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
This photo taken on Jan. 14, 2023 shows the Chinese Lunar New Year concert presented by Xinjiang Art Theater's folk orchestra in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua)

URUMQI, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- On hearing the duet of the Kazakh folk song "A Lovely Rose" and Italian opera "Nessun Dorma" (None Shall Sleep), Xu Dandan was a bit surprised, then soon enchanted by the chemistry generated from the unfrequent combination, especially the accompaniment of the gijak, a traditional Uygur bowed string instrument.

"The concert featured various musical instruments and music genres, and was excellently performed," said Xu after enjoying the Chinese Lunar New Year concert in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Presented by Xinjiang Art Theater's folk orchestra, the repertoires also encompass Western classics, folk music from other parts of China, and well-known tunes from Chinese movies -- all performed with Xinjiang's folk musical instruments such as rewap, dutar, satar, and gijak.

The orchestra is mainly composed of musical instruments played by Xinjiang's ethnic minorities, said Xu Zhijun, conductor of the concert. He added that its music embodies the flamboyant musical style along the Silk Road, thus possessing great potential for going global.

"It was wondrous and magical that (the performance) brought Xinjiang's music and Western music closer to each other both in terms of time and space," said Xu.

However, the lack of performance standards and a nationwide fanbase for Xinjiang folk music hindered the orchestra's rise to fame for a long time.

The endeavor to integrate Xinjiang folk music with Western music started 10 years ago, when Zhang Rui, now head of the orchestra, kicked off his career at the orchestra. "We wanted to broaden our market and shake off the stereotype of being 'rustic.' That's why we tried, for instance, works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Dmitri Shostakovich," he recalled.

Thanks to the bold experiment, musical fusion has now become a name card of the orchestra, attracting more and more conductors and performers to collaborate. The orchestra has toured more than 70 countries and regions globally. Meanwhile, a growing number of young musicians are joining.

For Adile Mahmut, a gijak musician, the orchestra is on the right track. "Western instruments like cello, bass, and trombone are used to fill in the bass parts that we lack, making our music more dense and luxuriant. I think we should try more (collaboration) so that more people will like our music," she said.

The 28-year-old learned to play both the gijak and violin from her father at the age of eight until her father decided that she should focus on gijak. "I used to consider playing the gijak a bit 'old-fashioned,' but not anymore," she said.

Characterized by its crisp, light sound, a gijak usually has two main strings and a spherical sound box. At its bottom is an extended knee rest for playing upright, rather than horizontally like a violin.

"Sometimes people may confuse a gijak with a violin or erhu," Adile Mahmut told Xinhua while practicing the instrument, explaining the differences between them. "After our recent concerts, I'm more convinced that the melodies of gijak can be heard from even more distant places in the world."

"These years, we're having more young musicians with us. I can see the confidence and pride in them. They're proficient and with broad horizons," Zhang said. "We're now on our way to take Xinjiang music to the whole country and the world." 

This photo taken on Jan. 14, 2023 shows the Chinese Lunar New Year concert presented by Xinjiang Art Theater's folk orchestra in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 14, 2023 shows the Chinese Lunar New Year concert presented by Xinjiang Art Theater's folk orchestra in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told Congress on Tuesday that classified documents had been found at his home in Indiana.

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer said in a statement that Pence reached out on Tuesday about the misplaced documents.

"He has agreed to fully cooperate with congressional oversight and any questions we have about the matter," Comer said of Pence, who served as U.S. vice president from January 2017 to January 2021 under Donald Trump.

Pence's team reportedly informed the National Archives last week that a small number of potential classified documents were found in two small boxes.

The documents were collected by federal agents at Pence's home in Carmel, Indiana, on Thursday evening while Pence was in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are said to have launched a review of the documents and how they ended up in Pence's Indiana residence.

Special counsels are separately investigating the handling of classified documents by Trump and sitting U.S. President Joe Biden.

Trump took hundreds of classified records with him upon ending his presidency and resisted months of requests to return them to the federal government, the DOJ has said, noting that it had to obtain a search warrant to retrieve the documents.

The FBI searched Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware last week and located additional documents with classified markings, according to his lawyer.

The discovery was the fourth time since November 2022 that classified records or materials have been found at a private address of Biden's.

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll found that large majorities of Americans believe that both Trump and Biden acted inappropriately in handling classified documents. 
Lebanese soldiers watch an Israeli excavator constructing defensive fortifications near the Lebanon-Israel border, on Jan. 23, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli tank on Tuesday crossed the "technical fence" along the border with Lebanon, prompting high alertness from the Lebanese army, the National News Agency reported.

This is the fourth similar incident on the Lebanon-Israel border within a week, the report said, adding that the Israeli tank did not violate the Blue Line, which is a demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel as well as Lebanon and the Golan Heights published by the United Nations in 2000.

Israel built the "technical fence" with electrified wires along the 49-mile (79-km) border with Lebanon in 2001, about 50 meters south of the Blue Line.

Israeli soldiers watch the construction of defensive fortifications and placement of barbed wire near the Lebanon-Israel border, on Jan. 23, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

Also on Tuesday, a team from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) used a helicopter to conduct an inspection tour of the Blue Line after UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti warned last week against the escalation of tensions along the border.

The Israel-Lebanon border has been relatively calm since Israel fought a war with Lebanon's Hezbollah forces in 2006.

Israeli soldiers construct defensive fortifications near the Lebanon-Israel border, on Jan. 23, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

Israeli construction of defensive fortifications is monitored by a peacekeeper from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) near the Lebanon-Israel border, on Jan. 23, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) 
People visit an art exhibition at Ljubljana City Hall in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Jan. 24, 2023. Over 100 artworks by Slovenian children on the theme of China are on display at an exhibition that opened at Ljubljana City Hall Tuesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

LJUBLJANA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 artworks by Slovenian children on the theme of China are on display at an exhibition that opened at Ljubljana City Hall Tuesday.

The event, to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Slovenia, and the Chinese New Year, is themed "United in Creativity."

Pupils at Trnovo Elementary School, where the Ljubljana Confucius Classroom is located, participated in the art exhibition. The children drew Chinese myths and legends, festival customs and food, and the event organizers selected the 10 best works.

Chinese Ambassador to Slovenia Wang Shunqing presented awards to the winners.

"The children used their brushes to outline the friendship at present and in the future between China and Slovenia," Wang said, noting that the Confucius Institute of Ljubljana and the Confucius Classrooms in Slovenia provide a good platform for cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Deputy Mayor of Ljubljana Deja Crnek encouraged the pupils to study hard and become Slovenian Ambassadors to China one day.

One of the art competition winners, Karolina Gawish Jankovic, recalled her task of drawing Pangu, a giant in Chinese mythology who created the Earth by separating heaven and earth and became geographic features such as mountains and rivers.

Each child took one ticket from their teacher with numbers corresponding to a part of the story of Pangu and drew that story. "I got Pangu in the egg," Karolina said, referring to the part of the story where Pangu emerges from a cosmic egg to create the world.

The exhibition is open to the public until Feb. 12. 

Chinese Ambassador to Slovenia Wang Shunqing presents an award to a winner during the awards ceremony at Ljubljana City Hall in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Jan. 24, 2023. Over 100 artworks by Slovenian children on the theme of China are on display at an exhibition that opened at Ljubljana City Hall Tuesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

People visit an art exhibition at Ljubljana City Hall in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Jan. 24, 2023. Over 100 artworks by Slovenian children on the theme of China are on display at an exhibition that opened at Ljubljana City Hall Tuesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)
This aerial photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows the lanterns at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows the lanterns at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

People view lanterns at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows the lanterns at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows the lanterns at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Lanterns are lit up at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

People pose for photos beside lanterns at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Lanterns are lit up at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Lanterns are lit up at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

People view lanterns at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows the lanterns at the Tang Paradise in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows an ocean-themed lantern show in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

People tour an ocean-themed lantern show in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows an ocean-themed lantern show in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

People tour an ocean-themed lantern show in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

People tour an ocean-themed lantern show in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

People tour an ocean-themed lantern show in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows an ocean-themed lantern show in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

People tour the grand bazaar in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 23, 2023. During the Spring Festival holiday, various festive activities are held to attract tourists at the grand bazaar. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

People ride snow tubes at Tianchi scenic area in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Photo by Wu Yunhua/Xinhua)

People ride snow tubes at Tianchi scenic area in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Photo by Wu Yunhua/Xinhua)

People ride a sled at Tianchi scenic area in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Photo by Wu Yunhua/Xinhua)

Performers dance at the grand bazaar in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 23, 2023. During the Spring Festival holiday, various festive activities are held to attract tourists at the grand bazaar. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

A tourist takes photos at the grand bazaar in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 23, 2023. During the Spring Festival holiday, various festive activities are held to attract tourists at the grand bazaar. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

People ride a sled at Tianchi scenic area in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 24, 2023. Chinese scenic spots are welcoming legions of tourists with a variety of festive activities during the Spring Festival holiday. (Photo by Wu Yunhua/Xinhua)

Performers and tourists dance at the grand bazaar in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 23, 2023. During the Spring Festival holiday, various festive activities are held to attract tourists at the grand bazaar. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)
KIEV, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his visiting Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto discussed security issues during their meeting in Kiev on Tuesday.

Zelensky and Niinisto talked about regional security, the issues that directly affect the security of Ukraine and Finland, and bilateral defense cooperation, said a statement on the Ukrainian presidential website.

Zelensky thanked Finland for providing 12 defense assistance packages for Ukraine and helping in restoring Ukraine's energy sector after the Russian strikes.

The Ukrainian president informed his Finnish counterpart about the current situation at the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"We also discussed Finland's participation in the coalition of countries aimed to provide Ukraine with modern Western tanks," Zelensky said.

For his part, Niinisto informed that Finland has provided assistance worth almost 600 million euros (about 653 million U.S. dollars) for Ukraine and has sheltered about 50,000 Ukrainian citizens.

During their talks, the parties also touched upon the issues of Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic integration and exchanged their views on the Ukrainian Peace Formula proposed by Zelensky in November 2022.

Niinisto arrived in Ukraine earlier in the day for his first visit since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 
This photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows a relief painting inside the tomb of King Seti I at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. The tomb of King Seti I (1314-1304 BC) is famous for its well preserved colorful relief paintings. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

This photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows a relief painting inside the tomb of King Seti I at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. The tomb of King Seti I (1314-1304 BC) is famous for its well preserved colorful relief paintings. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Tourists visit the tomb of King Seti I at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt, on Jan. 24, 2023. The tomb of King Seti I (1314-1304 BC) is famous for its well preserved colorful relief paintings. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Tourists visit the tomb of King Seti I at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt, on Jan. 24, 2023. The tomb of King Seti I (1314-1304 BC) is famous for its well preserved colorful relief paintings. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

This photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows relief paintings inside the tomb of King Seti I at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. The tomb of King Seti I (1314-1304 BC) is famous for its well preserved colorful relief paintings. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
South Africa: Employment and Labour hosts Employer Open Day in Polokwane

This story has been published on: 2023-01-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, has announced that he is setting up a Steering Committee to oversee and ensure a sustainable water and sanitation services management in North West province. Mchunu said that under the Steering Committee, to be chaired by him and North West Premier, Bushy Maape, a Technical Task Team will be ... See more
Print Navigacia: > News > > New and classic Slovak cinema at the International Film Festival Rotterdam

New and classic Slovak cinema at the International Film Festival Rotterdam

The 52nd edition (25 January  5 February 2023) of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, one of the world's renowned festivals, will feature a world premiere of new Slovak drama Power and three digitally restored films from the collections of the National Film Archive of the Slovak Film Institute.



Director Matyas Prikler premiered his feature debut Fine, Thanks in Rotterdam 10 years ago, now he is back with his second feature film, Power in Rotterdams Harbour section. At an informal hunt, somewhere on the border of two Central European countries, a boy is accidentally killed. One of the politicians involved is the hot candidate for the important international post of Water Commissioner, who is expected to find a solution to the increasing water shortage across Europe and elsewhere in the world.



This year's programme also include three short animated classics by Jaroslava Havettova, one of the pioneers of Slovak animation. Her films, known for a unique poetic style, deal with topics of destiny, sacrifice and the role of individuals in society. The Cinema Regained section will show a music video with pop art motifs The Song (1969), a film inspired by Haban pottery and Slovak proverbs Until the Pitcher Is Broken at Last (1971) and the minimalist Contacts (1980) about power and its abuse.

web: https://iffr.com/en

Related AIC articles:

2022: Seven Days Every Week goes to Rotterdam

2020: Slovak Films at IFF Rotterdam 2020

2018: The Flower Shop and Insect to premiere at Rotterdam IFF 2018

2017: Two Slovak films at Rotterdam IFF 2017

2016: Two Slovak films at the 45th Rotterdam IFF

2013: My Dog Killer Awarded with the Hivos Tiger Award at Rotterdam IFF 2013

2013: My Dog Killer and Fine, Thanks at 42nd Rotterdam IFF 2013

2011: Surviving Life at the 40th Rotterdam IFF 2011

2010: Foxes and The Border at the 39th Rotterdam IFF 2010
BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Throughout 2022, China's procuratorates provided judicial assistance to 82,000 people, up about 72 percent year on year, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

The SPP, together with the National Rural Revitalization Administration, has released a collection of typical cases to highlight efforts to assist eligible rural families facing hardship due to lawsuits.

Over recent years, the SPP has also partnered with other authorities to crack down on illegal activities that infringe on the safety of agricultural products and the security of agricultural funds, among other issues.

Last year, procuratorial organs across the country supported indictments in 89,000 relevant cases to guarantee the timely delivery of paychecks for rural migrant workers and the legitimate rights of people with disabilities.

They also participated in campaigns to tackle elderly care fraud, which saw 9,447 people charged with offences in 2022. 
Rabbit shaped decorations are seen at a mall to greet the coming Chinese Lunar New Year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jan. 7, 2023. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- As the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit arrives, many foreign leaders have sent their Chinese New Year greetings to the country, the Chinese people and overseas Chinese, and expressed their hope for stronger cooperation with China towards a better future.

"My dear brothers and sisters from China and all Chinese communities around the world: I wish you all a happy Lunar New Year and a prosperous Spring Festival 2023," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement released by the Presidency.

"As we enter the New Year, we are also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of South Africa and the People's Republic of China in 1998," he noted, adding that South Africa will succeed China as chair and host of the next BRICS Summit.

"These occasions provide ample cause for celebration," he said.

In a video message released on Saturday, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa extended his warm congratulations on behalf of the government and people of Zimbabwe, and on his own behalf, saying that "the new season offers an opportunity to solidify the strong bonds of friendship and solidarity that exist between our two countries and peoples."

Wishing all the Chinese "good health, prosperity and every success (in) the new year," Mnangagwa concluded the message with the Mandarin Chinese "Chun Jie Kuai Le! (Happy Spring Festival!)"

In a video message published Saturday, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe wished the people and government of China a prosperous Year of the Rabbit.

Meanwhile, Dinesh Gunawardena, the country's prime minister, said in his video message that China is a "true trustworthy friend" of Sri Lanka.

"Even in the present economic crisis in Sri Lanka, China has assured extraordinary special support for us to overcome economic challenges," he said, wishing the Chinese people "a very happy, joyous and prosperous new year."

In his message sent Sunday to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih wished the Chinese people prosperity, progress, happiness and good health.

He said he looks forward to working with China to continuously expand mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, and further enhance the already close cooperative partnership between the Maldives and China.

"On behalf of our people I wish you (China and the Chinese people) good health, luck, and many new economic achievements," said Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic when attending the central celebration welcoming the Year of the Rabbit held at the Kalemegdan Fortress in Belgrade on Saturday.

She pledged to further strengthen the "iron-clad friendship" between Serbia and China.

In a letter extending her Chinese New Year greeting to the Chinese people in Denmark and China, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen noted that "the Rabbit symbolizes gentleness and kindness," to many people.

"China and Denmark have many shared interests, not least when it comes to dealing with climate change. We are facing mounting global challenges that can only be overcome by joint efforts," she said, hoping that "this year we can further strengthen our relations in areas such as the green transition and trade."

In a separate letter, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen also wished all Chinese people in Denmark and China a happy Spring Festival and Year of the Rabbit.

Noting that Denmark attaches great importance to relations with China as the two sides have many shared interests, he said "I look forward to strengthening our trade relations, people-to-people ties, and cooperation on creating a safer, greener, and more sustainable world."

In a recent video message, Lucie Milebou Aubusson, president of the Gabonese Senate, sent sincere wishes of health, happiness and prosperity to "the brotherly Chinese people" as the president of the Senate and on behalf of the upper house of parliament.

As this year marks the 49th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the top official said she is "delighted by our deepening ties and parliamentary diplomacy, marked by multiple visits and exchanges between our two parliaments."

"May the Year of the Rabbit be the source of opportunity for our two peoples. May peace, harmony and equality be with us," she added.

While celebrating the Spring Festival at the Chinese embassy in his country, Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape wished the Chinese people a happy and healthy new year, and hoped for sustained development of bilateral ties and practical cooperation in various fields.

As rabbit symbolizes smartness and swiftness in the Chinese culture, Papua New Guinea hopes to swiftly grasp the opportunities brought by China in the new year and harvest more fruits in sectors such as bilateral high-level exchanges, trade and investment, and people-to-people exchanges, Marape said.

Fijian Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka also attended the celebrative activities organized Sunday by the Chinese embassy and overseas Chinese in the island country. He extended New Year greeting to the Chinese people, and said Fiji expects to set up closer and multiple cooperation with China. Enditem

(Xinhua reporters Zhang Baoping in Harare, Shi Yu in Kinshasa, Che Hongliang in Colombo, Lin Jing in Copenhagen and Shi Zhongyu in Belgrade also contributed to this story.)
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari cuts the ribbon at the inauguration ceremony of the first phase of a China-built electric-powered light rail project in Lagos, Nigeria, Jan. 24, 2023. The first phase of the project in Nigeria's southwest state of Lagos was officially opened for service on Tuesday. (Photo by Tope Ayoku/Xinhua)

LAGOS, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The first phase of a China-built electric-powered light rail project in Nigeria's southwestern state of Lagos was officially open for service on Tuesday.

Undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) since 2010, the completed tracks of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue Line project span 13 km in the first phase and cover five stations.

The LRMT Blue Line project is the first rail infrastructure traversing Okokomaiko, a densely populated area in the western part of Lagos, and Marina, a business district on Lagos Island.

Speaking at a banquet held by the Lagos state government before the inauguration ceremony, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari described the project as "historic," noting that the rail will reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, as well as improve the lives of locals.

The president also attended the contract signing ceremony for the construction of the second phase of the LRMT Blue Line project by the Lagos metropolitan area transport authority and the CCECC.

Cui Jianchun, the Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, said the completion of the first phase of the project demonstrated the harmony of China-Nigeria relations.

"It is a line of speed, line of sustainability, line of harmony," Cui said.

The new light rail would reduce travel time, improve the quality of life of citizens and make Lagos one of the most resilient megacities in Africa that would compete favorably with other cities around the world, said Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos.

The iconic Marina Station has the capacity to process about 25,000 passengers per hour, Sanwo-Olu added.

Construction of the first phase of the Lagos Blue Line project started in July 2010 and was completed in December 2022. 

This video screenshot shows a train running during a trial operation of the first phase of a China-built electric-powered light rail project in Lagos, Nigeria, Jan. 23, 2023. The first phase of the project in Nigeria's southwest state of Lagos was officially opened for service on Tuesday. (Photo by Yan Yujuan/Xinhua)

This video screenshot shows a train running during a trial operation of the first phase of a China-built electric-powered light rail project in Lagos, Nigeria, Jan. 23, 2023. The first phase of the project in Nigeria's southwest state of Lagos was officially opened for service on Tuesday. (Photo by Yan Yujuan/Xinhua)
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 24, 2023. Sweden suffered a major setback in its bid for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership as Turkiye, a NATO member, has said it will not support it. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Sweden suffered a major setback in its bid for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership as Turkiye, a NATO member, has said it will not support it.

At Ankara's request, a meeting between Turkiye, Sweden and Finland planned for February has been postponed indefinitely, Turkish TV channel TRT Haber reported on Tuesday, citing diplomatic sources.

Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday warned Sweden that it should not expect Ankara's backing to join the NATO after a copy of the Quran was burned in a Stockholm protest.

"Those who allow such disgraceful acts in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm can't expect good news from us on NATO membership," Erdogan said, adding that no individual has the freedom to insult the faith of Muslims or other religions.

The burning of a copy of the Quran on Saturday by Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, came at a time when Sweden, along with Finland, was seeking Turkiye's backing to join NATO.

The bid has been blocked by the Turkish government, which accuses Sweden and Finland of supporting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Turkiye considers terrorist groups.

Earlier this month, supporters of PKK and YPG hung Erdogan's effigy by the feet in Stockholm and shared its video footage on social media affiliated with the PKK, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkiye's Foreign Ministry later condemned this "heinous act" and summoned Sweden's ambassador to protest the "terror propaganda" against the Turkish president.

On Tuesday, Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said that his country might have to reconsider promoting a joint, simultaneous entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO if Sweden's application is delayed much longer.

Haavisto said that recent protests in Sweden had delayed the processing of the two countries' NATO applications until at least Turkiye's parliamentary and presidential elections in mid-May.

"Sweden's horror scenario will become a reality should Finland decide to go first into NATO. In that case, Sweden would be the only Nordic country that is not a member of NATO. This would leave Sweden in a situation where it has renounced non-alignment, while at the same time being without NATO's security guarantees," SVT's political commentator Mats Knutson said on Tuesday.

Sweden and Finland simultaneously submitted their formal requests to join NATO in May 2022. In June, Turkiye, Sweden and Finland reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) before Ankara lifted its veto ahead of NATO's Madrid summit.

In the MoU, Finland and Sweden pledged to support Turkiye's fight against terrorism, agreeing to address Ankara's "pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly."

The Turkish parliament has not ratified the Nordic countries' NATO bids yet, arguing that they have yet to meet Turkiye's request for extraditing anti-Turkish "terrorists," including members of PKK and YPG. 

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 24, 2023. Sweden suffered a major setback in its bid for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership as Turkiye, a NATO member, has said it will not support it. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (C, Rear), accompanied by Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom (R, Rear) and Defense Minister Pal Jonson (L, Rear), speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 24, 2023. Sweden suffered a major setback in its bid for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership as Turkiye, a NATO member, has said it will not support it. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (C), accompanied by Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom (R) and Defense Minister Pal Jonson, speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 24, 2023. Sweden suffered a major setback in its bid for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership as Turkiye, a NATO member, has said it will not support it. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)

Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 24, 2023. Sweden suffered a major setback in its bid for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership as Turkiye, a NATO member, has said it will not support it. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)
A vocational school funded by China in the Cameroonian town of Yabassi has been dedicated to providing agricultural training for local students. #GLOBALink





Produced by Xinhua Global Service




JERUSALEM, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The China Cultural Center in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Tuesday held a concert to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year as well as the 31st anniversary of China-Israel diplomatic ties.

In front of over 100 participants from both countries, artists performed pieces including Nessun Dorma and Jasmine Flower, among others, in chamber music, tenor, soprano, and piano solos.

This is the first in-person Chinese New Year celebration held by the China Cultural Center in Tel Aviv over the past three years, said Shi Yuewen, director of the center.

He added that the concert also coincided with the 31st anniversary of China-Israel diplomatic ties, making the concert even more special and meaningful.

"It's a high-level concert featuring both Western and Chinese music so I enjoyed it a lot," said Gal Furer, chairman of the Israel-China Friendship Society.

"Our bilateral ties have been well-developed and I expect closer cooperation in various fields to take place this year," said Furer.

On Jan. 24, 1992, China and Israel signed an agreement on establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. 
This aerial photo taken on Jan. 16, 2023 shows a chili nursery of the Pakistan-China red chili project in Multan, Pakistan.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

by Misbah Saba Malik, Jiang Chao

MULTAN, Pakistan, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- On a fine January morning, Muhammad Sajjad was all smiles after seeing thriving saplings of the Chinese sweet chili at a nursery in a remote farming land of Pakistan's eastern city of Multan.

"These saplings are very close to my heart; in their blossom, I can see the future of Pakistan's agriculture industry, which will bloom just like my saplings when modern Chinese technology is applied to it," Sajjad spoke as the morning sun rose from the east behind him.

Launched in 2013, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a corridor linking Pakistan's Gwadar Port with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while in the new phase expands to the fields of agriculture, livelihood, etc.

Echoing the CPEC's cooperation in agriculture, China Machinery Engineering Corporation and Sichuan Litong Food Group have established a company and carried out a red chili contract farming project in 2021, and one of six model farms of the project is in Multan.

Sajjad's nursery is among thousands of acres of model farms where the company teamed up with locals for contract farming of Chinese chili varieties, with an aim to export the crops back to China after harvest and earn foreign exchange revenue for Pakistan.

Talking to Xinhua, Muhammad Adnan, executive manager of the company, said that local farmers' interest in cultivating Chinese chili is increasing due to its better yield and strong resistance to diseases.

"Local chili is highly vulnerable to diseases, and farmers are hesitant to grow it, but the Chinese varieties are robust, easy to pick, and are sold at a higher price directly to Chinese companies from the farms, without any involvement of middleman, making it highly popular among local farmers," he added.

Adnan said that in the near future, primary and deep processing units for value-added services of the crop will also be established in Pakistan, adding more value and jobs for locals.

The most crucial time for the crop is in January as the seedling process is underway in tunnels and the plants are easily rotten because of disease or low temperature.

However, local agriculture technicians at the project are handling the sowing process on the advice of Chinese experts.

In a conversation with Xinhua, Zhao Jianhua, a Chinese agronomist of the company with 27 years of experience in chili cultivation, said he has trained over 20 Pakistani agricultural technicians in the past years, who can help the farms independently.

"We are not only bringing cultivation technology to local farmers, but also working together with Pakistani agronomists to promote the development of the chili industry by combining technology with the advantages of both Chinese and Pakistani chili varieties," he added.

Muhammad Irfan Ahmad, assistant executive manager of the company, told Xinhua that many techniques like nurturing the plants inside the tunnel, modern ways of transplantation, and providing sufficient nutrients to the crops are some of the methods that local farmers did not adopt previously, as they relied on primitive methods of farming in the past.

"With the assistance of Chinese agronomists, we tell people how to plant chilies and how to take care of them in a scientific way," he added.

Ahmad said that the yield time of the chili is around June usually. Still, due to early monsoon patterns in Pakistan which started in June 2022, some of the plants got affected, so by applying new techniques, they will reap the chilies in May this year to avoid the monsoon season.

In a conversation with Xinhua, Muhammad Ejaz, a farmer who was preparing his land, located right next to the nursery, for transplantation in the coming days, said that their hopes are high regarding the project, and they believe it will bring socio-economic prosperity in the region.

"The best thing about this crop is that it takes only six months for yield, unlike local chili, which takes eight to 10 months, so by planting Chinese chili and following the experts' guidance, we can now timely harvest the chili and sow another crop following that to earn more money," Ejaz said while looking at the lush chili beds in the nursery.

Local experts and farmers believe that the project has a bright future as more and more farmers are getting interested in it, and it will gradually expand to other parts of the country due to increasing demand from farmers. 

Zhao Jianhua (L), a Chinese agronomist, guides Pakistani technician Muhammad Sajjad in a greenhouse of the Pakistan-China red chili project in Multan, Pakistan, Jan. 16, 2023.

(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 16, 2023 shows a chili nursery of the Pakistan-China red chili project in Multan, Pakistan.

(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

This photo taken on Jan. 16, 2023 shows chili plants in a greenhouse of the Pakistan-China red chili project in Multan, Pakistan.

(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 16, 2023 shows a chili nursery of the Pakistan-China red chili project in Multan, Pakistan.

(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

This photo taken on Jan. 16, 2023 shows a temperature gauge in a greenhouse of the Pakistan-China red chili project in Multan, Pakistan.

(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

Zhao Jianhua (R) , a Chinese agronomist, guides Pakistani technician Muhammad Sajjad to examine the saplings in a greenhouse of the Pakistan-China red chili project in Multan, Pakistan, Jan. 16, 2023.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)
"The Philippines is open and ready to welcome our friends from China," said Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco while receiving hundreds of Chinese tourists who arrived in Manila Tuesday.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Flowers are placed to mourn victims of the shootings in Half Moon Bay in California, the United States, Jan. 24, 2023. Seven people were killed and one was critically injured in two shootings in northern California on Monday, U.S. media reported. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Monday mass shootings in Half Moon Bay, Northern California, appear to be a case of workplace violence, officials said on Tuesday.

"All of the evidence we have points to this being the instance of workplace violence," San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said.

The only known connection between the 66-year-old suspect and the victims is that they may have been coworkers, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

The mass killing took place at two mushroom-growing locations. Multiple victims were found in both scenes.

The victims, seven men and one woman, were Asian or Hispanic, Corpus said. Their identities will be released publicly following notification of next of kin.

"As some of these victims were members of our migrant community, this represents a unique challenge when it comes to notifications and identifications," Corpus said.

As of Tuesday, the one injured victim was in stable condition after receiving surgery, Corpus noted.

The suspect was taken into custody peacefully on Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a San Mateo County Sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay. A semi-automatic handgun was found in his vehicle.

The Sheriff's Office said the firearm was legally purchased and owned.

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the exact charges against the suspect have not been determined yet, while he is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.

"We're not going to be giving out a lot of precise detail on what was said," Wagstaffe said. "This is a case that is at the beginning stage. It has a long road to travel over the coming months and years."

"Too many guns. Semi-automatic guns and automatic rifles need to be banned, period. There's no excuse for it," said Half Moon Bay Mayor Deborah Penrose on the tragedy.

"There are lots of tragedies hitting our country right now, more mass shootings than the number of days in a month, and to hit our small town is really shocking," Half Moon Bay resident Evany Sullivan was quoted as saying in a report by NBC Bay Area.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday released a statement addressing the mass shootings.

"For the second time in recent days, California communities are mourning the loss of loved ones in a senseless act of gun violence," Biden said, adding that "even as we await further details on these shootings, we know the scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action."

According to Biden, a federal Assault Weapons Ban and legislation were reintroduced to raise the minimum purchase age for assault weapons to 21 after the mass shootings. "I once again urge both chambers of Congress to act quickly and deliver this Assault Weapons Ban to my desk, and take action to keep American communities, schools, workplaces, and homes safe," he noted. 

Flowers are placed to mourn victims of the shootings in Half Moon Bay in California, the United States, Jan. 24, 2023. Seven people were killed and one was critically injured in two shootings in northern California on Monday, U.S. media reported. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

A woman lights a candle to mourn victims of the shootings in Half Moon Bay in California, the United States, Jan. 24, 2023. Seven people were killed and one was critically injured in two shootings in northern California on Monday, U.S. media reported. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

Two men walk into a San Mateo County Sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay in California, the United States, Jan. 24, 2023. Seven people were killed and one was critically injured in two shootings in northern California on Monday, U.S. media reported.

The suspect was taken into custody peacefully on Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a San Mateo County Sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

Police cordon off the parking lot of a San Mateo County Sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay, California, the United States, Jan. 24, 2023. Seven people were killed and one was critically injured in two shootings in northern California on Monday, U.S. media reported.

The suspect was taken into custody peacefully on Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a San Mateo County Sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

Journalists work near a San Mateo County Sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay in California, the United States, Jan. 24, 2023. Seven people were killed and one was critically injured in two shootings in northern California on Monday, U.S. media reported.

The suspect was taken into custody peacefully on Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a San Mateo County Sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)
Stop Giving Iraqi Kurds a Free Pass on Religious Freedom

Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, describes himself as protector of religious minorities. Under his watch, the Kurdish government's official website states, "some of the most vulnerable communities in the Middle East have been sheltered and protected. Erbil, the seat of the Kurdistan Region Parliament is now home to a thriving community of Middle East Christians who have been granted long term refuge from persecution."

That myth is not the reality Yezidis, Christians and other minorities experience in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Take the Yezidis: It was the duplicity of both Masrour and father Masoud that allowed the Yezidi genocide to occur. Masoud sold arms to the Islamic State to weaken Baghdad rivals. He never expected blowback on Kurdistan. The Islamic State's rise may have surprised the West, but not Yezidis. Masrour refused Yezidi requests to reinforce their villages or provide Yezidis weapons to defend themselves. When the Islamic State overran Yezidi villages, Masrour's forces not only fled but also then diverted much of the weaponry donated to fight the Islamic State. Had it not been for Barzani cowardice, there would have been no Yezidi genocide. To this day, Masrour refuses to release airport manifests to protect the reputation of family and friends who tried to flee.

The Barzanis collect cash to rebuild Yezidi villages in Sinjar and Christian communities, but impede free movement to prevent the return of any who do not subordinate themselves to Barzani political domination. NGOs cannot operate independently. Yezidis say that even Nadia Murad, who won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize because of her advocacy on behalf of the Yezidis, cannot speak openly for fear of reprisals by Masrour and his violent younger brother, Waysi, against the community.

While land-grabbing by Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias impede the return of Christians to ancestral villages, Barzani's political party and peshmerga do the same as they enrich themselves with land speculation. This fits a long pattern. When Pope Francis flew into Erbil, he appeared unaware that Barzani's government seized much of the lands surrounding the airport from Christians with neither warning nor reimbursement. Barzani cronies built many of the malls and housing projects on confiscated Christian property. To complain is to face arrest. Many Christians still hold deeds to land subsequently confiscated in and around the Barzani stronghold of Duhok and Zakho. Barzani's militias harass to compel eviction. For example, they moved a checkpoint to force Christians around Alqosh to drive two hours in order to access their own farmland five minutes away.

Other discrimination is evident. Christian villages often have bad roads and no streetlights, while neighboring Kurdish communities have paved roads and ample electricity. The Barzanis refuse to grant permits for Christians to build or expand houses and businesses unless they first contract Barzani-loyalists and Muslim partners, and often overrule local governments on the construction of new water systems.

Masrour's administration forces Assyrian children to go to Kurdish and Muslim schools by refusing to fund schools in Christian villages. He refuses to allow the Akitu and Nassiban Assyrian schools in Dohuk to expand on their own land. Most recently, Assyrian activists say Masrour's government now bans the word "Assyrian" in the name of new businesses.

What the Barzanis describe as religious freedom is really the manifestation of a deeply inculcated sense of supremacy. They approach Yezidis and Christians as dhimmi, second class citizens whose freedom of religion depends upon a willingness to subordinate themselves to the de facto sultan's rule. Those who oppose the Barzanis politically, enjoy greatly diminished religious rights.

The fact that Congress gives the Kurdistan Regional Government a free pass on religious freedom violations only encourages Masrour to double down on discrimination. Enough is enough. It is time Secretary of State Antony Blinken place Iraqi Kurdistan on the State Department's religious freedom watch list.
Black smoke rises from an explosion site at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

BEIRUT, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and two former ministers were charged with homicide with probable intent on Tuesday over the Beirut port explosions in 2020, the local al-Jadeed TV reported.

Tarek Bitar, a Lebanese judge tasked with investigating the Beirut port explosions, also charged Abbas Ibrahim, chief of Lebanese General Security, State Security director Major General Tony Saliba, and former Lebanese army commander Jean Kahwaji in connection with the blasts.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab delivers a televised speech in Beirut, Lebanon on Aug. 10. 2020, announcing the resignation of his government after deadly explosions in the Beirut port triggered protests. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Xinhua)

Lebanese Prosecutor-General Ghassan Oueidat, who was also charged in the Beirut blast investigation, announced on Tuesday his rejection of the decision issued earlier by Bitar, arguing that the judge was suspended from his investigation over a year ago.

Bitar's work had been interrupted for over a year following several complaints filed against him by two former ministers facing charges, forcing him to halt the probe. Bitar resumed his work after a legal opinion said he should be allowed to continue his investigation.

Primary investigations into the blast revealed that the ammonium nitrate stored since 2014 in a warehouse at the port caused the explosions, which killed over 200 people and injured more than 6,000 others.

People take part in a protest near the Justice Palace in Beirut, Lebanon on Sept. 29, 2021 against the suspension of the investigation into the port explosions. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich) 
KIGALI, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda said a fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) violated its airspace "for the third time" Tuesday afternoon and that "defensive measures were taken."

"Today at 5:03 pm, a Sukhoi-25 from the DR Congo violated Rwanda airspace for the third time," read a short statement issued by the Office of the Government Spokesperson. "Rwanda asks the DRC to stop this aggression."

The DRC has not yet responded to Kigali's latest allegation.

Rwanda's government statement Tuesday came shortly after videos and photos on social media showing a Sukhoi-25 being shot at as it flew low over Lake Kivu before landing at Goma airport near the border while still on fire. The fire was extinguished but the jet was badly damaged. The videos and photos have yet to be verified.

This is not the first time that Rwanda has accused DRC jets of violating its airspace.

On Nov. 8 last year, the Office of the Rwandan Government Spokesperson said in a statement that a DRC Sukhoi-25 fighter violated Rwandan airspace and briefly touched down at Rubavu Airport in its Western Province.

"No military action was taken by Rwanda in response, and the jet returned to DRC," the statement said at the time. "Rwandan authorities have protested this provocation to the DRC government, who acknowledged the incident."

Relations between the two neighboring countries have soured since fighting resumed between M23 rebels and DRC government troops in the DRC's eastern North Kivu Province.

The DRC accuses Rwanda of backing M23 rebels, but Rwanda denies the charge.

Rwanda has also accused the Congolese army of using heavy weaponry, targeting Rwanda's border zone in renewed fighting in eastern DRC. 
MOGADISHU, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Somalia's security forces have killed more than 300 al-Shabab militants, including two commanders, during week-long military operations across the country, officials said on Wednesday.

Daud Aweis Jama, minister for Information, Culture and Tourism, and Mohammed El-Amine Souef, special representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson, told a joint news conference in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, that the operations to flush out the militants will be sustained until they are degraded.

Aweis said that 323 al-Shabab militants had been killed and several others wounded in joint operations involving government forces and international partners.

The government forces and pro-government militia have also captured strategic locations recently, including the port town of Harardhere which had been a key al-Shabab supply center for over a decade, Aweis said.

El-Amine commended the ongoing military operations against al-Shabab militants, who have been pushed out of Mogadishu and other areas but continue to launch assaults on military bases and civilian targets. 
LUSAKA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Remarks by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that China has been a barrier to concluding Zambia's debt negotiations is unfortunate and disturbing, Emmanuel Mwamba, a former diplomat said on Wednesday.

Mwamba, who is Zambia's former Ambassador to Ethiopia and former Permanent Representative to the African Union, said it was unfortunate that the U.S. official decided to bring out the issue of China in the bilateral talks with Zambia while on a visit to the country, adding that this was against diplomatic etiquette.

He said China's stance on the debt with Zambia was clear, adding that as a sovereign nation, China decided to join the creditors' committee without being induced.

China, he said, has been an all-weather friend to Zambia and financed the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia railway even when it was not a wealthy country in the 1970s.

According to him, the huge infrastructure projects being funded by China in Zambia such as power projects, show that China has been a generous supporter of Zambia's development.

Fred Mutesa, an expert in governance, development cooperation and poverty alleviation, concurred, saying that remarks by the U.S. official were misplaced. "We hope that the U.S. will not take advantage of its renewed friendship with Zambia to score points against China. What is required is for all parties to sit down and discuss in an honest manner."

He said China has been a facilitator in Zambia's debt restructuring process, adding that the U.S. government was being sensational and playing to the gallery on Zambia's external debt issue. "It appears our American friends are bent on prizing Zambia away from China. The language from both USA policymakers and their allied media is reminiscent of the Cold War."

Mutesa said China has shown its goodwill by volunteering to co-chair the creditors committee. He added that it was clear that the U.S. interest was not about helping Africa or Zambia but advancing its global interest in a region or country where it feels it was losing ground.

According to a report by the British non-governmental organization Debt Justice, African governments owe three times as much debt to Western private lenders as to China, and these Western lenders charge twice as much interest as China does.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Monday, the Chinese Embassy in Zambia said China has been active in co-chairing Zambia's Official Creditors Committee under the G20 Common Framework and working hard with other parties to seek a sustainable solution in line with the principle of common actions and fair burden-sharing.

"In fact, the biggest contribution that the U.S. can make to the debt issues outside the country is to act on responsible monetary policies, cope with its own debt problem, and stop sabotaging other sovereign countries' active efforts to solve their debt issues," the statement said.

"China's efforts have made some positive progress. We look forward to U.S.' constructive role in the process," the statement said, adding that the U.S. domestic debt problem is now worsening the world's economic and financial stability.

The United States hit its debt ceiling of 31.4 trillion U.S. dollars last week, prompting the Treasury Department to take "extraordinary measures" to continue financing the federal government. The debt ceiling is the maximum amount the U.S. government can borrow. Currently, the country can borrow up to about 31.4 trillion U.S. dollars. 
BANGKOK, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- After a three-year lull, Thailand is welcoming back Chinese tourists to its golden beaches, striking temples and fancy shopping centers, expecting an influx of Chinese tourists to help restore its pandemic-battered tourism sector.

"This is the first trip we travel abroad since the outbreak of the pandemic. We are so excited and happy. We can feel we're so welcomed in Thailand," said Liu Lingling, who came from the city of Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province and planned to spend the Chinese New Year holiday in Thailand.

Liu, whose family would head south to a seaside resort after a few days in Bangkok, was among the legions of Chinese tourists who chose Thailand as the destination for their first outbound travel since China's optimized COVID-19 strategy took effect on Jan. 8.

On Jan. 9, the second day after the optimization, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and other senior officials welcomed the first group of Chinese tourists at the Suvarnabhumi Airport with flowers and gifts.

The high-profile event reflected the importance Thailand placed on wooing back Chinese tourists to help boost the tourism industry and economic recovery, analysts said.

In downtown Bangkok, the atmosphere of the Chinese Lunar New Year overspreads, with shopping malls decorated with Chinese New Year elements in an effort to cash in from an influx of Chinese tourists during the first "Golden Week" holiday after China optimized its COVID-19 strategy.

At Chinatown on Bangkok's Yaowarat Road, 200 meters of the road are decorated with lights and lanterns of various styles to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year that falls on Jan. 22 this year, the start of the Year of the Rabbit, which Nutthaporn believed would be a year of vitality and prosperity.

"We have stockpiled food supplies for the Chinese New Year travel rush," which always attracts a lot of foreign customers, said Nutthaporn, a chef at a restaurant on Yaowarat Road.

"Chinese tourists are our main driver to the economy. They are back this year, and I think our business will run as good as before the pandemic," he said.

Nutthaporn is not alone in his optimism. Airlines, hotels, restaurants and other tourism operators are looking forward to seeing more Chinese tourists this year.

"The return of Chinese tourists has raised hope for the recovery of tourism industry in Thailand and other countries around the world," said Wichai Kinchong Choi, senior vice president of the leading Thai Kasikornbank.

Thailand's tourism sector will exhibit a faster recovery following the return of Chinese tourists, said Piti Disyatat, secretary of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Thailand, the country's central bank.

The Thai economy will continue to gain traction with continued recovery in tourism and private consumption thanks to the return of Chinese tourists, Piti said.

The Thai government is expecting 7 to 10 million Chinese tourist arrivals this year, with 300,000 coming in the first quarter.

The Southeast Asian country welcomed more than 2.24 million international travelers in December alone, compared with only 428,000 for the full year of 2021, taking the total to 11.15 million in 2022, according to Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

However, the data still lagged far behind a record of nearly 40 million international tourist arrivals registered in 2019, with Chinese tourists accounting for more than a quarter of the total arrivals.

"The pandemic has made us realize the importance of Chinese tourists, whose high spending power helped drive our economic growth," Chanapan Kaewklachaiyawuth, vice president of the Thai Chinese Tourism Alliance Association, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

Tourists from various countries and regions have come to Thailand, but the lack of Chinese tourists means the lack of vitality and growth momentum, Chanapan said.

It may take time for a full recovery, and "we are excited to see the return of Chinese tourists," Chanapan said, expecting more Chinese tourists to come after China resumes outbound group tours next month.

"We have made a lot of preparation to welcome the return of Chinese tourists, including expanding the range of tourism products, offering more high-end products as well as improving the quality of goods and services," he said. 
TOKYO, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- One person was confirmed dead and nine others still missing after a cargo ship capsized off Nagasaki prefecture in southwestern Japan, the Chinese Consulate-General in Nagasaki confirmed Wednesday.

According to the consulate-general, 14 Chinese and eight crew members from Myanmar were on the Hong Kong-registered cargo ship.

There were 22 people aboard the 6,651-ton ship named Jintian.

Japan's coast guard said it received a distress call made around 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT) on Tuesday from about 110 km west of the Danjo Islands.

Patrol boats and aircraft are searching for those who remain missing and are hoping they may be adrift in lifeboats.

The coast guard, however, has said the search and rescue efforts are being hampered by powerful winds in the vicinity of the sunken cargo ship.

When the distress call was issued from the cargo ship, a gale warning was also issued, according to local reports.

Of those rescued, five of the crew members, four Chinese and one from Myanmar, survived after being discovered and picked up by a vessel from China, according to the consulate-general.

One crew member from Myanmar was confirmed dead, and seven others were reported in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. 
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has stressed the need for skill-based education in the country to fulfill market requirements.

Addressing an event on Tuesday here at the National Skills University Islamabad on the International Day of Education, the minister said that the government is focusing on skill-based education and steps are being taken to promote it.

"It is imperative for us to transform our education system in accordance with the modern trends," he said, highlighting the government's concrete steps to create an effective teaching and learning environment across the country.

Iqbal said that the realities of education have been transformed as skill-based education is also gaining momentum.

A human resource equipped with a diverse set of skills is the prerequisite to deal with the needs and requirements of the modern age driven by unprecedented technological advancements, he added, urging the teachers to inculcate practical knowledge instead of only theories. 
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani authorities have foiled a bid to smuggle 1.45 tons of narcotics worth over 69.28 million U.S. dollars in the international market, and arrested 12 smugglers, local reports and officials said on Wednesday.

Pakistan customs, navy, and maritime security agency conducted a joint operation in the Arabian Sea off the coast of the country's southern port city of Karachi and recovered 586 kg of ice crystal and 864 kg of heroin from a boat, the officials said.

The boat carrying the narcotics was also taken into custody, and further investigation is underway.

The officials said that the successful foiling of the plot reaffirms the resolve to deny illegal activities in the maritime zones of the country and to synergize the efforts of the maritime law enforcement agencies in ensuring the security of the country's waters. 
PHNOM PENH, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia recorded about 1.04 million domestic and foreign tourists during the celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said on Wednesday.

Some 1 million locals and 42,056 foreigners travelled in the Southeast Asian nation during the festival from Jan. 21 to Jan. 24, he said in a report.

The country's three top tourist destinations are Preah Sihanouk coastal province, Siem Reap cultural province, and Battambang province, Khon said.

"For tourists to Preah Sihanouk province, most of them travelled to the province in the morning and returned home in the evening by traveling on the [Chinese-invested] Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway," he said.

"Security, safety and public order during the festival had been well maintained, and there were no remarkable problems during the celebrations," he added.

Although it is not an official holiday in Cambodia, the Chinese Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in the kingdom. 
SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's foreign currency deposit hit a record high last month as companies placed more U.S. dollar fund in bank accounts, central bank data showed Wednesday.

Deposit, denominated in foreign currencies, came in at 110.98 billion U.S. dollars at the end of December, up 3.59 billion dollars from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

It has marked the highest since relevant data began to be compiled in 2012, keeping a record-breaking trend for the second successive month. The foreign currency deposit continued to grow for four months in a row.

Local companies sought to secure more dollar fund amid rising uncertainty over the global economy.

Deposit, denominated in the U.S. dollar, gained 1.86 billion dollars from a month earlier to 95.38 billion dollars at the end of December, and the Japanese yen deposit grew 0.53 billion dollars to 6.61 billion dollars.

The euro deposit increased 0.99 billion dollars to 5.50 billion dollars, and the Chinese yuan deposit climbed to 1.78 billion dollars.

Foreign currency deposit, owned by companies, rose 3.28 billion dollars to 96.10 billion dollars, and the individuals-possessed deposit added 0.31 billion dollars to 14.88 billion dollars. 
Tourists from China are welcomed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City, the Philippines, Jan. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco hopes Chinese tourists will feel the warmth of the Filipino people and enjoy award-winning beach destinations in the Philippines.

MANILA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- "The Philippines is open and ready to welcome our friends from China," said Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco while receiving hundreds of Chinese tourists who arrived in Manila Tuesday afternoon.

Frasco said the arrival of these people aboard a commercial flight "signals a very auspicious start" to the Chinese New Year, adding her country, famous for world-renowned pristine beaches, is anticipating more tourists from China.

She invited Chinese tourists to "feel the warmth of the Filipino people and to enjoy our award-winning beach destinations and all other nature-based offerings" across the country.

Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco (2nd L) and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian (3rd L) greet tourists from China at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City, the Philippines, Jan. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

"Our intention is not only to regain but to exceed our pre-pandemic numbers, knowing how the relationship between the Philippines and China will only further improve in the years to come," Frasco added.

As a key economic driver, the tourism industry's contribution to the Philippines' gross domestic product stood at 12.7 percent in 2019.

Over 1.74 million Chinese tourists visited the Southeast Asian country in 2019, an increase of 38.58 percent from 2018. Chinese tourists spent more than 2.3 billion U.S. dollars while vacationing in the country, official data showed.

Tourists from China are welcomed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City, the Philippines, Jan. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

However, the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to the tourism sector, slashing foreign arrivals and displacing almost 1.1 million service workers across the country.

"The tourists will help the Philippines in its efforts to transform and recover the tourism industry," Frasco said Tuesday at the airport, adding the returning of Chinese tourists will have a positive impact on the sector.

The Philippines received over 2.65 million foreign tourists in 2022, earning roughly 3.82 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. The Southeast Asian country's target for 2023 is to lure some 4.8 million international visitors, with the Chinese tourist market remaining on its priority list.

Tourists from China are welcomed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City, the Philippines, Jan. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

In a message on the eve of the Chinese New Year, Frasco had expressed her wishes to make the Year of the Rabbit "a truly prosperous year for Philippine tourism," noting the rabbit symbolizes "longevity, peace and prosperity."

Earlier this month, an agreement to promote tourism cooperation between China and the Philippines was signed during a visit to China by Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos.

China has recently identified the Philippines as one of the first batches of countries where Chinese group tours are allowed to resume.

Performers play bamboo instruments to greet tourists from China upon their arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City, the Philippines, Jan. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian predicted more Chinese tourists will put the Philippines on their voyage list after the two countries agreed to deepen people-to-people exchanges.

Shi Huating, aboard the flight arriving from China's eastern coastal city of Xiamen, is expected to have a reunion with her Filipino friends in Binondo, a five-century-old Chinatown in Manila.

"I feel excited. It's been a long time because of the pandemic," the Chinese teenager told Xinhua, saying she missed her Filipino friends.
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia seeks to explore trade and investment opportunities as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim caps off his official visit to neighboring Brunei on Wednesday.

Anwar, who is making a two-day visit to the neighboring country, also had an audience with Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah followed by a four-eyed meeting in the sultan's official residence.

"When two country leaders have a very strong friendship ... and have plans for both countries ... they can always check the progress, and the implementation will be expedited," he said after the meeting, according to Malaysian national news agency Bernama.

Anwar and the sultan also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Malaysian Investment Development Authority and the Brunei Investment Agency.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry said in a statement that the meetings will provide the opportunity for both sides to review the progress of bilateral cooperation as well as explore new areas of cooperation, especially in trade and investment that will bring benefits to both countries.

In 2022, Brunei was Malaysia's 26th largest trading partner and the sixth largest among ASEAN member states, with bilateral trade standing at 13.22 billion ringgit (3.1 billion U.S. dollars). 
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations in a meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The meeting took place after the president of the UAE arrived in Rahim Yar Khan, a city in the eastern Punjab province of Pakistan, on a visit Wednesday.

"We discussed ways and means to further strengthen our brotherly relations," the Pakistani prime minister said on social media. 
OTTAWA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- An organization investigating unmarked graves near a residential school in the western Canadian province of Alberta has uncovered "physical and documented evidence of a genocide," said an article published on CTV News website Tuesday.

The Acimowin Opaspiw Society (AOS), formed by the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in 2021 to investigate missing children and unmarked burial sites of the Blue Quills residential school in Alberta, released details of its preliminary report Tuesday.

Leah Redcrow, executive director of the AOS, believed that many of the children at the school died after they were forced to drink unpasteurized milk that was contaminated with bovine tuberculosis, said the article.

"How I know it's deliberate is because the school administrators weren't dying, the children were. And the school administrators didn't eat the same food as the children," Redcrow was quoted as saying.

According to CTV News, the report also includes allegations that a "disciplinarian" who worked there from 1935 to 1942 was seen pushing boys down the stairs, killing them.

The organization is carrying out genealogical work to determine how many children disappeared, it said.

Last May, Eric Large, a residential school survivor and researcher with AOS, said at a press conference held by the group that he had found documents for 215 students who died between the ages of six and 11, but whose remains were still unaccounted for, said the article. 
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Water flowing deep underground from the Sierra Nevada into California's Central Valley provides 10 percent of all water entering the valley, according to a new NASA study.

The Central Valley encompasses only 1 percent of U.S. farmland but produces 40 percent of the nation's table fruits, vegetables, and nuts annually.

That is only possible because of intensive groundwater pumping for irrigation and river and stream flow captured in reservoirs, according to NASA.

In the new study led by scientist Donald Argus of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, scientists found that water percolating through soil and fractured rock below California's Sierra Nevada mountains delivers an average of 4 million acre feet (5 cubic kilometers) of water to the state's Central Valley each year.

Researchers also found that groundwater volume fluctuates more widely between dry and wet years, and observed a greater loss of groundwater during dry years. They estimated that the Central Valley lost about 1.8 million acre feet (2.2 cubic kilometers) of groundwater per year between 2006 to 2021.

This new data could be used to better match usage with the available groundwater resources, according to NASA. 
Denmark: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and his centrist coalition have received harsh criticism for his proposal to end the spring public holiday from the opposition, labor groups, the nation's bishops and many rank-and-file members of his own parties.

The holiday known as Stor Bededag, or Great Prayer Day, which takes place on the fourth Friday after Easter, is something the three-party government wants to do away with.

According to his claims, the money saved would be used to increase defense spending; According to one official estimate, this would improve the structural public balance by about 3 billion kroner ($439 million) annually.

Also Read: Tsai Ing-wen: War with China 'not an option'

Currently, Denmark has a maximum of 11 public holidays for employees; This number is lower in years when Christmas and New Year's Day fall on a weekend. On Tuesday, a bill was introduced in Parliament to repeal the Store Beddag holiday.

Since taking office on 15 December, the coalition of Social Democrats, centre-right liberals and centre-moderates has committed to spend 2% of GDP on defense by 2030. This is partly a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The loss of the holiday, which had been established over 300 years earlier when a Danish bishop combined several minor holidays, caused a strong reaction throughout Denmark.

The country of approximately 6 million people is over 73% Lutheran, although less than 3% of the population regularly attend church.

With over 405,000 signatures, the trade unions, which have historically supported Frederiksen's Social Democrats, launched an online petition to "send a clear signal to the government: abandon the plan to scrap Store Beddag". has started.

Ten Danish Lutheran bishops have spoken of a "breach of trust", claiming they were not even informed of the decision before it was made.

Also Read: Over "respiratory illness," North Korea shuts down its capital

The right and left opposition of a centrist coalition came together to criticize the government in Denmark, where political consensus is the norm.

The Social People's Party, a left-leaning organization that was once affiliated with Frederiksen's Social Democrats, is shutting the rest of us out, according to its leader Pia Olsen Diehr.

Sren Pape Poulsen, leader of the centre-right Conservatives, declared that the abolition was "a mistake" and said that "preserving our culture, history and values and the deep roots of our society was important to them."

Some employers who support the government's plan are concerned that it will come to the fore in discussions with trade unions about pay and working conditions. In Denmark, the government has a history of avoiding these issues.

The unions argued that it was unfair for the government to impose public holidays or other days off without consulting all of us. He has proposed to hold a plebiscite on this subject.

Four MPs who represent the two semi-independent Danish territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands support the government, which has 89 of the 179 seats in the legislature.

Also Read: The UK will implement X-ray age checks to identify adult asylum seekers who are posing as children

The law enacting the amendment will be read for the first time on February 2. The date for the third and final reading has not yet been set. If approved, Store Bededag will not have a holiday from 2024.
Bundeswehr has 320 Leopard-2 tanks in storage 24 January, 09:25 PM Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Leopard 2 tank (Photo:REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo)

The German Army has 320 Leopard-2 main battle tanks at its disposal, although they are at different stages of deployment readiness, German Defense Ministry official told CNN on Jan. 24.

The same source added that Bundeswehr no longer has any Leopard-1 tanks or some of the older models of Leopard-2.

Its unclear how many of these tanks are combat-ready.

Earlier, Leopard-2 manufacturer Rheinmetall said it has 139 tanks in its warehouses, but only 29 of them would be ready to ship in spring 2023. The company added that it also has a stock of 88 Leopard-1 tanks, although they would be ready for delivery in nine to twelve months.

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Another German company FFG told CNN it has 99 Leopard-1 MBTs, but only older models of those.

Earlier on Jan. 24, Poland officially requested Berlins permission to supply Ukraine with a squadron worth of Leopard-2 tanks.

German media subsequently reported Berlin intends to greenlight shipments of German tanks to Ukraine as early as on Jan. 25.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said that a number of countries are ready to provide Kyiv with around 100 Leopard tanks, and are waiting on Berlin to give the go-ahead.

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Man arrested in Spain for sending letter bombs to Ukrainian Embassy, other targets 25 January, 04:19 PM       (Photo:REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura)

Spanish police have arrested a man suspected of involvement in the recent mailing of letter bombs to several Spanish state institutions, a defense company and Ukrainian diplomats, Agence France Presse reported on Jan. 25 with reference to the countrys interior ministry.

A 74-year-old Spanish citizen was arrested in Miranda de Ebro in northern Spain. The police are currently searching the mans house.

At the end of November and the beginning of December, incidents with letters with explosives being sent were reported in Spain. The first reported incident involved the explosion of letter sent to the Embassy of Ukraine in Madrid.

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Nobody was killed by the six letter bombs sent in late November and early December to various sites in Spain, but an employee of the Ukrainian embassy was lightly injured while opening one of the packages, AFP wrote.

The Instalaza company in northeastern Spain, which produces weapons, in particular for Ukraine, also received an envelope with explosives. Law enforcement officers also found a parcel with explosives at the air base in Torrejon de Ardos.

Later, it became known that even before the explosion in the Ukrainian embassy, the Security Service of the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, discovered a bomb in a letter addressed to him. In addition, an explosive device was sent to the Ministry of Defense of the country. There were also reports about a letter with explosives being sent to the U.S. embassy in Madrid.

A few days later, the Spanish police seized three envelopes from the post office, which probably contained animal eyes. The letters were addressed to Ukrainian diplomatic agencies.

According to the U.S. newspaper the New York Times, the Russian military intelligence agency or GRU, which is known to collaborate with far-right groups, was involved in sending the letters.

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Ukraine would have enough time to react to potential invasion from Belarus 25 January, 08:33 PM According to intelligence, Russia is preparing for a new offensive (Photo:Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Russian troops will need at least two weeks to prepare a new offensive from the territory of Belarus, meaning that Ukrainian intelligence would be able to give advance warning of the enemys plans, head of Ukraines State Border Service, Serhiy Deineko, told Ukrainian TV broadcasters on Jan. 25.

We will have at least two weeks; our reconnaissance works very well, consistently, said Deineko

No enemy plans can remain concealed from our intelligence officers.

He added the enemy hasnt created a single offensive task force on the territory of Belarus so far, so there is no imminent threat to Ukraine from the northern direction.

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The official also added that there are 6,000-10,000 Russian soldiers in Belarus, who are participating in joint military exercises.

In an interview with The Economist in December 2022, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said that Russia may launch a new major offensive in February 2023. The operation could be another Russian invasion from across the Ukraine-Belarus border.

On Jan. 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was now building up forces for a new large-scale offensive.

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Victoria Nuland, the United States undersecretary of state for political affairs. Photo: US Department of State

Kathmandu, January 25

Victoria Nuland, the United States undersecretary of state for political affairs, is preparing to visit Nepal within the next few weeksmaking herself the first American high official to visit Nepal after the formation of the new government here.

In recent years, the frequency of visits of diplomats from the US is continuously rising, which for some is a hint of a shift in Nepals foreign relations priorities as well as the growing geopolitical importance of Nepal in the international community.

While both the Nepali and American sides confirmed the plan for the visit, no one has officially announced the date of the visit yet.

A few other countries are also preparing to send high-level delegations to Nepal soon, a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says, Nonetheless, we have not achieved progress to make the schedules public yet.

Officials say Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal and US Ambassador to Nepal Dean R Thompson also discussed the visit plan during a meeting held on Tuesday.
Home  Technology  Gadget  Redmi Note 12 5G in Nepal: Will it be the best budget phone of the year?

Redmi Note 12 5G Photo: Xiaomi

Xiaomis Redmi Note series is one of the most popular smartphone series in Nepal and India. In 2022 Xiaomi released the Redmi Note 11 seriesincluding the Redmi Note 11, Redmi Note 11 Pro and Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5Gwhich was very successful like its previous Note series.

Xiaomi released the Redmi Note 12 series on January 5, globally and it is expected to be available in February in Nepal.

Redmi Note 12 series this year includes three phones like the previous series. The phones are Redmi Note 12, Redmi Note 12 Pro and Redmi Note 12 Pro+. Redmi Note 12 5G is the budget variant of the Note 12 series, which is likely to be the most popular among the three.

But, will it be the best budget phone of the year is still an unanswered question as the phone is yet to arrive in Nepal. Nonetheless, it possesses some qualities that hold the possibility alive.

Specifications

Dimensions Height: 165.88mm

Width: 76.21mm

Depth: 7.98mm

Weight: 188g Display 6.67-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Sim Dual sims Resolution 1,080*2,400 pixels OS MIUI 13 based on Android 12 Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 GPU Adreno 619 Storage 128GB RAM 5/6GB Front camera 13MP (F2.45) Rear camera 48MP Main camera (F1.8)

8MP Ultra wide camera (F2.2)

2MP Macro camera(F2.4 Battery 5000mAh Charging 33W Sensors Ambient Light

SensorProximity

Sensor E Compass

Accelerometer

Gyroscope

Side Mounted Fingerprint Scanner Colours Frosted green, matte black, mystique blue Prices (Expected) Rs 34,999 (6/128GB)

Rs 30,999 (4/128GB)

Design and display

Redmi Note 12 5G is very similar to the rest of the phones in the Note 12 series. It has a 6.67-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED display. It has 1200nits brightness with SGS eye care, sunlight mode and reading mode too. It is also IP53 splash and dust-resistant, which protects it from dust and water.

Redmi Note 12 Pro is 188 grams in weight and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It has curved edges in the back and a small notch on the front for the front camera system. It is also slim with a thickness of 7.9mm.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G. Photo: Xiaomi India

Redmi Note 12 has a max refresh rate of 120Hz and covers 100 per cent of DCI P3 colours. The phone is available in India in three colours: frosted blue, matte black and mystique blue.

Cameras

Photo: Xiaomi India

Redmi Note 12 5G also has a good camera system for its price. The rear camera is a set of triple cameras with a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera. The camera has standard looks with a placement. The rear camera supports a video resolution of 1080P at 30fps and 720P at 30fps. The ultra-wide angle camera also records 1080P video at 30fps and 720P at 30fps.

The rear camera has portrait mode, panorama, pro mode, night mode, custom watermark, document mode, HDR, AI scene detection, time burst, google lens and other features. The video specs include short video mode, time-lapse, movie frame, macro video, filters, beautify and kaleidoscope.

The front camera has a 13MP camera, which is pretty decent for selfies and front-camera videos. The front camera records videos of 1080P at 30ps and 720P at 30fps. It also has many features such as portrait, HDR, time burst, AI beauty mode, AI watermark, movie frame, palm shutter and voice shutter. The video features include a short video, movie frame, kaleidoscope and time-lapse.

Performance and storage

The performance of Redmi Note 12 5G is relatively good. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chipset with Adreno 619 as its GPU. The RAM offered is in two variants, 4GB and 6GB, with an internal memory of 128GB, which is expandable up to 1TB using a micro SD card.

Snapdragon 4 gen 1 Photo: Xiaomi

Redmi Note 12 5G is based on MIUI 13 based on Android 12. According to the company, the phone will get two Android OS updates and four-year security patches.

Battery life and others

Redmi Note 12 5G comes with a massive 5000mAh li-polymer battery with 33W max charging support. There will be a 33W fast charger in the box.

The sensors in the phone include ambient light sensors, proximity sensors, an E compass, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The thermal cooling in it is a dual graphite sheet.

It includes a 3.5mm headphone jack and dual microphones for noise cancellation. It supports dual 5G sim and also has a hybrid sim card slot, meaning you can use it for both e-sim and physical sim.

The phone in the box includes a phone, adapter, USB tye-C cable, SIM eject tool, quick start guide and warranty card and protective case.

The prices of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G in Nepal are expected to be Rs 30,999 and Rs 34,999 for 4/128GB and 6/128GB variants respectively
Contrive Datum Insights Pvt Ltd

According to a market research study published by Contrive Datum Insights, North America generated 45% of the market's sales in 2022, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to have the highest growth rate over the next few years.

Farmington, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global AI in Medical Imaging Market was valued at USD 1.7 Billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 20.9 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 36.87% from 2023 to 2030. Medical imaging is a diagnostic process involving the creation of visual aids and images of the human body, as well as monitoring how well the body's organs perform their functions. With the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care and medical imaging, diagnostics and the entire procedure are performed differently.

Request Sample Copy of Report  AI in Medical Imaging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Opportunities, Future Trends, Covid-19 Impact, SWOT Analysis, Competition and Forecasts 2022 to 2030 , published by Contrive Datum Insights.

The AI assists the surgeons in taking images and determining what is wrong with the images so that they can reach a conclusion and provide individualised treatment plans for each patient. Artificial intelligence is dominated by robots and machine learning. Machine learning is the process of discovering and employing computer algorithms to generate images. On the contrary, robots are utilised to assist patients, physicians, and operators with visualisation and diagnosis.

AI in Medical Imaging Market Recent Developments:

In June 2021, AI announced FDA approval for neurovascular emergencies accessible on the CINA-LVO, CINA-ICH and Nuance AI marketplaces. It is the first and largest portal in the United States to provide one-stop access to a wide range of AI diagnostic models within a radiation reporting platform.

In June 2021, Perimeter Medical Imaging AI announced that it had successfully completed a complete technology transfer of the manufacturing process with Minnetronix Medical to develop an optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging system.

In June 2021, South Korean AI organization VUNO Inc. announced a strategic partnership with Samsung Electronics to integrate the AI-powered VUNO Med-Chest X-ray into Samsung's mobile digital X-ray system, the GM85. Through this partnership, VUNO is expected to take one step closer to expanding market-ready AI applications with access to global markets.

Story continues

AI in Medical Imaging Market Segmentation Analysis:

The healthcare sector is the largest market participant. This is because hospitals are widely dispersed and easily accessible, and because many people enjoy visiting hospitals. Positive reimbursement regulations are also anticipated to boost the medical imaging AI industry. During the anticipated time period, the number of individuals visiting diagnostic centres is anticipated to increase. This may be due to the fact that patients are becoming more health conscious and desiring diagnostic treatments and tests, both of which are driving market growth.

Compared to computed tomography scans, magnetic resonance imaging can produce flawless images. The MRI is frequently viewed as a superior alternative to X-rays because it provides more accurate and higher-quality images of soft tissues. Optical coherence tomography enables physicians to observe in three dimensions how the retina and membranes interact. This aids in the management of retinal and vitreous disorders.

Digital pathology is the most important segment of the industry, which can be attributed to the increasing productivity of pathologists. Digital pathology enables pathologists to examine the precision of image analytics, allowing them to process more slides in less time. This facilitates early disease detection and therapy initiation. AI and digital pathology also aid physicians in making the best decisions for the patient.

Regional Outlook:

North America generated 45% of the market's sales in 2022. This was due to its most advanced infrastructure and highest per capita income. The market for artificial intelligence in medical imaging is also driven by the presence of several industry participants and supporting government laws. Avicenna's CINA-LVO, CINA-ICH, and neurovascular emergency applications were approved by the FDA in June 2021. These applications are now accessible in the marketplace for Nuance AI. It provides the radiology platform with a specialised entry point to a vast array of AI diagnostic models.

Asia-Pacific is anticipated to have the highest growth rate over the next few years due to the number of people adopting new technologies, the connectivity of networks, and the addition of numerous government programmes. Additionally, the number of companies employing artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing, particularly in China and India.

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Scope of Report:

Report Attributes Details Growth Rate 36.87% from 2023 to 2030 Market Size in 2022 USD 1.7 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 20.9 Billion By Product Ultrasound Scanners, CT Scanners, MRI Systems, Optical Coherence Tomography Devices, Others By Applications Digital Pathology, Oncology, Cardiovascular, Neurology, Lung (Respiratory System), Breast (Mammography), Liver (GI), Oral Diagnostics, Other By End User Hospital and healthcare providers, Patients, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology companies, Healthcare payers, Others By Companies Agfa Healthcare, Ada Health GmbH, Arterys, Bay Labs, Inc. (Caption Health Inc.), Babylon, BenevolentAI, Butterfly Network, Inc., EchoNous, Inc., Enlitic, Inc., Gauss Surgical, GE Healthcare, IBM Corporation, Lunit Inc., Microsoft Corporation, NVIDIA Corporation, Philips Healthcare, OrCam, ai, Siemens Healthineers AG, Zebra Medical Vision, and Others Base Year 2022 Historical Year 2017 to 2021 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030

Market Drivers:

The introduction of cutting-edge AI tools and technologies is anticipated to have a significant impact on the future of radiology and healthcare. With the increasing usage of AI in the medical field, particularly in radiology, the present market for AI in medical imaging is anticipated to provide numerous prospects for corporate growth. The expanding gap between the growing number of radiologists and the number of scans that can interpret data is a major factor that will likely accelerate the application of AI in medical imaging.

Market Opportunity:

Developing nations are focusing the majority of their efforts on integrating their AI investments. This will help firms to make more money using AI with medical imaging. For instance, China aims to be the leader in artificial intelligence by 2030. For firms to adopt AI technologies more quickly, the strategy requires substantial government funding and investments. Also, it is believed that the increasing number of patients in countries such as India, China, and Brazil would be beneficial for AI medical imaging companies. The market for artificial intelligence in medical imaging is projected to reach $20 billion by 2031, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36%.

Market Challenges:

As a result of the rapid development of digital health, physicians and nurses are now able to assist patients with cutting-edge treatment methods. With the aid of AI technology, physicians can more accurately diagnose and treat patients. However, it has been suggested that physicians dislike using new technologies. For instance, doctors incorrectly believe that AI would someday replace them in the medical industry. Because empathy and the capacity to convince are regarded to be human abilities, doctors and radiologists believe that technology cannot totally eliminate the need for a doctor.

AI in Medical Imaging Market Key Segments Covered:

Top Market Players:

Agfa Healthcare, Ada Health GmbH, Arterys, Bay Labs, Inc. (Caption Health Inc.), Babylon, BenevolentAI, Butterfly Network, Inc., EchoNous, Inc., Enlitic, Inc., Gauss Surgical, GE Healthcare, IBM Corporation, Lunit Inc., Microsoft Corporation, NVIDIA Corporation, Philips Healthcare, OrCam, ai, Siemens Healthineers AG, Zebra Medical Vision, and Others.

By Product

Ultrasound Scanners

CT Scanners

MRI Systems

Optical Coherence Tomography Devices

Others

By End Use

Hospital and healthcare providers

Patients

Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology companies

Healthcare payers

Others

By Application

Digital Pathology

Oncology

Cardiovascular

Neurology

Lung (Respiratory System)

Breast (Mammography)

Liver (GI)

Oral Diagnostics

Other

By AI Technology

Deep Learning

Computer Vision

Others

Regions and Countries Covered

North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America)

Europe: (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe)

Asia-Pacific: (Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

The Middle East & Africa: (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa)

Latin America: (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America)

Rest Of the World

Check out more related studies published by Contrive Datum Insights:

Aviation Fuel Market - The Aviation Fuel Market is expected to grow from USD 351.85 Billion in 2022 to USD 654.79 Billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 9.3% during the forecast period. Asia-Pacific is now pretty open to foreign tourists and visitors, which are helping the region's economy, recover. Even though the economy is still uncertain, the demand for travel is growing well. There have been times when travel restrictions in some important Asian destinations have been lifted or loosened.

Battery Manufacturing Equipment Market - The global Battery Manufacturing Equipment Market size was evaluated at USD 3.42 Billion in 2022 and is projected to hit around USD 30.84 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 31.63% from 2023 to 2030. The Asia-Pacific region has experienced the greatest growth in the market for battery manufacturing equipment due to the strong demand for electric vehicles resulting from their latest introduction to the market and the rising cost of fuel. Due to the recent introduction of electric automobiles to the market, this is the case.

Commercial Drone Market - The global Commercial Drone Market size was valued at USD 13.44 Billion in 2022. It is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 57.5% from 2023 to 2030. In terms of volume, North America held the largest market share of approximately 37.0% in 2020 and is expected to experience significant growth over the next seven years due to favourable government initiatives, advancements in drone technology, and the rising demand from businesses in a variety of industries.

Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machine Market - The global Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machine Market size was estimated at USD 96.4 Billion in 2022 and it is expected to hit around USD 153.8 Billion by 2030, poised to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.33% from 2023 to 2030. In 2021, more than 35% of the world market was in the Asia-Pacific region, and this is expected to stay true throughout the forecast period. CNC machine sales are expected to reach 800 thousand units in 2022 and four times that amount by 2030.

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ApartmentLove Inc.

TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ApartmentLove Inc. (CSE: APLV) (OTCQB: APMLF) (ApartmentLove or the Company), a leading provider of online home, apartment, and vacation rental marketing services to property managers, private owners, renters, and vacationers from around the world is pleased to announce that it has entered into a long-term license agreement (the Agreement) extending the decade long relationship between its recently acquired GottaRent.com rental marketing platform, Landlord Web Solutions Ltd. and their flagship Rentsync listing syndication system (Rentsync).



Contract Highlights:

Binding two-year commitment with open-ended renewal options

Dedicated integration of data transfer feed between GottaRent.com and Rentsync

Access to thousands of unique rental addresses and several hundred property management clients from across Canada, most of which located in the GTA

Revenue share with Landlord Web Solutions ensures mutual benefit

Rentsync to provide invoicing services to ApartmentLove streamlining account management and collections efforts in favor of clients syndicating to GottaRent.com



Home to thousands of unique rental addresses; property managers across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and elsewhere throughout Canada use Rentsync as their preferred home and apartment listing syndication tool to quickly. Rentsync allows landlords to quickly, and effortlessly, advertise their rental vacancies on trusted and proven effective platforms like GottaRent.com. ApartmentLove acquired GottaRent.com in an all-cash transaction that closed December 15, 2022.

Were excited to have signed this long-term Agreement with ApartmentLove, securing our relationship with GottaRent.com which has maintained a strong presence in the Canadian rental industry for more than twenty years, exclaimed Josh Lipton  Director of Product and Operations for Rentsync. Mr. Lipton added, Our Rentsync platform provides users with many options when it comes to rental marketing and this Agreement will help make it easy for our clients to advertise on GottaRent.com and generate more leads when syndicating their listings via Rentsync.

Story continues

Customers of Landlord Web Solutions that wish to syndicate their rental listing inventories to GottaRent.com, one of Canadas largest and most established internet listing websites with particular presence and marketing effectiveness in the GTA, may now do so on a paid basis via the Rentsync system. Signing the Agreement kicks-off the Companys 2023 sales efforts with a scalable, reliable, and proven effective listing integration partner and sales plan with great upside and strong operating and net contribution margins.

We have long been supporters of Rentsync as an efficient and reliable distribution vehicle for property managers seeking ease and efficiency from their marketing activities. We are very pleased to have crystalized our relationship with the signing of this long-term Agreement benefiting both our companies in addition to landlords and renters from coast to coast, said Trevor Davidson  President & CEO of ApartmentLove Inc. Mr. Davidson explained that the Company plans to begin coordinated marketing and promotional efforts with Landlord Web Solutions effective immediately with the aim of securing the greatest number of paying clients all syndicating their rental properties to GottaRent.com via Rentsync.

Clients of Landlord Web Solutions wanting to syndicate their rental inventory to GottaRent.com can do so via their Rentsync dashboard. The dedicated data transfer feed connecting GottaRent.com and Rentsync is now live and already contains several hundred daily active rental listings meaning revenues derived from operations under this Agreement will be reflected in the Companys Q1/2023 financial results.

GottaRent.com was acquired by ApartmentLove in December 2022 and today has several coveted Page 1 Google rankings across the GTA and elsewhere across the country. A leader in the internet listing sector, GottaRent.com is known for delivering high numbers of good quality leads that often convert into long-term rental lease agreements which is part of the reason GottaRent.com has enjoyed strong returns for many years. An exciting time for the Company, we are grateful for the confidence and support shown by Mr. Lipton and the entire Landlord Web Solutions team, said Martina Gezic  Manager, Sales and Marketing for GottaRent.com. Ms. Gezic added, We are thrilled to have started the year with such force and look forward to supporting all our clients, both old and new, as we continue to grow and expand.

Approximately 1,350,000 people visited GottaRent.com in 2020 viewing nearly 5,000,000 rental listing pages across the GTA and elsewhere in Canada. Management believes investments in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and other creative forms of marketing and advertising designed to attract website visitors in major Canadian rental markets, which had been discontinued by the previous ownership group during the pandemic, will result in many more new and additional visitors to the website meaning more rental inquiries (i.e., lead volume) in favor of property managers advertising on GottaRent.com. Furthermore, a refresh of the GottaRent.com website and updates to the user experience are believed will also improve lead volume conversion rates maximizing the value and Return on Investment (ROI) enjoyed by those who advertise their homes and apartments on GottaRent.com.

About Rentsync

As a trusted provider of multifamily marketing solutions, Rentsync is serious about solving the biggest pain points for property marketers and creating innovative solutions that allow clients to transform their marketing from a cost center into a revenue driver. A team of disruptors and visionaries, Rentsync see challenges as opportunities and proactively solve problems in the rental housing industry. Our knowledge and expertise position us at the forefront of innovation in the rental housing sector and Rentsync believes that through our products, services, and strategic partnerships, can elevate the entire internet listing industry to new heights. As a Growth 500 company, Rentsync takes pride in our team and work to improve rental markets and support the work of our partners to help drive value in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.

About ApartmentLove Inc.

ApartmentLove Inc. (CSE: APLV) (OTCQB: APMLF) is a leading provider of online home, apartment, and vacation rental marketing services promoting more than 300,000 currently active homes, apartments, and vacation properties around the world on its many home and apartment rental platforms. Having proven its ability to scale as a fast-growing "PropTech" in todays complex and dynamic market environment, ApartmentLove is actioning its growth through acquisition strategy as it consolidates a deeply fragmented industry by acquiring similar businesses that have many monthly active users, a history of recurring revenues, positive cashflows, and custom technologies. ApartmentLove is also seeking to accelerate and destress the renting experience while simultaneously advancing its own organic SEO and other growth strategies in key rental markets around the world.

For more information visit www.apartmentlove.com/investors or contact:

Trevor Davidson

President & CEO

ApartmentLove Inc.

tdavidson@apartmentlove.com

(647) 272-9702

Reader Advisory

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding the anticipated benefits related to the Companys acquisition of GottaRent.com, the growth of the home and apartment rental marketing spaces and the profitability of the operations of GottaRent.com, a division of ApartmentLove, and ApartmentLove as a whole. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance of any kind should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Such Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance, or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including risks related to factors beyond the control of the Company. The novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, also poses new risks that are currently indescribable and immeasurable. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Risk factors can be found in the Companys continuous disclosure documents which have been filed on SEDAR and can be accessed at www.sedar.com.

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ApartmentLove | the feeling of home




NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global blast furnaces market size is estimated to decline by USD 1,924.47 million from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to decelerate at a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period. APAC will account for 62% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Blast Furnaces Market 2023-2027

For more Insights on market size Request a sample report

Global blast furnaces market - Five Forces

The global cloud data warehouse market is fragmented, and the five forces analysis covers

Bargaining power of buyers

The threat of new entrants

Threat of rivalry

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of substitutes

Interpretation of porter's five models helps to strategize the business, for entire details  buy the report!

Global blast furnaces market  Customer Landscape



The report includes the market's adoption lifecycle, from the innovator's stage to the laggard's stage. It focuses on adoption rates in different regions based on penetration. Furthermore, the report also includes key purchase criteria and drivers of price sensitivity to help companies evaluate and develop their growth strategies.



Global blast furnaces market - Segmentation Assessment



Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on application (Capacity additions and Revamping projects), and type (Hot blast ovens and Cold blast blowers).

The application segment will grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. Despite the overcapacity in the global steel industry, new steelmaking capacities continue to be developed in various regions. One of the primary reasons behind this is the employment that the steel industry creates across the value chain. For instance, the US has imposed a 25% tariff on the steel imported from Canada, Mexico, China, and the EU to revive its indigenous steel industry and create employment. An increase in steel prices since 2016 and the rising profitability of the steel industry are also encouraging steel producers to invest in new integrated steel plants, which will increase segment growth during the forecast period.

Story continues

Geography Overview

By geography, the global blast furnaces market is segmented into APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global blast furnaces market.

APAC is estimated to account for 62% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. The region is witnessing the construction of new blast furnaces during the forecast period. For instance, in May 2022 Jindal Stainless Ltd. announced to build a new blast furnace at its Kalinganagar unit in India. To build the new furnace company has chosen SIEMAG Weiss GmbH and Co. KG,. The blast furnace is expected to have a production capacity of 2 million tons of hot metal per year. Many government organizations in the region are also focusing on initiating new policies to expand steel production in their countries. These factors can also accelerate regional market growth in the region during the forecast period.

Download a Sample Report

Global blast furnaces market  Market Dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

One of the key factors driving the ready-to-blast furnaces market growth is the large installed base of blast furnaces.

Major steel producers of the world have invested in large integrated steel plants as the high capital cost of the BF-BOF route requires large-scale production to achieve economies of scale.

Integrated steel plants also require significant investments in inbound logistics to secure the supply of raw materials.

Large investments, coupled with a typical lifecycle of 20-25 years for an integrated steel plant, make exit barriers very high for integrated steel plant operators.

However, these barriers extend to the entire value of the global steel industry. Hence, there is a very large installed base of integrated steel plants in the world, which drives the replacement market for blast furnaces.

The majority of the new blast furnace orders are from operators of existing integrated steel plants as existing blast furnaces reach the end of their lifecycle. China, Japan, and Germany are among the major countries in the blast furnaces replacement market.

Leading trends influencing the market

Equipment as a service is the major trend influencing the blast furnaces market growth .

The blast furnace is one of the most important pieces of equipment in an integrated steel plant. The performance of the blast furnace largely determines the operational efficiency of the integrated steel plant.

As a result, steel producers in the global steel industry have increasingly entered into performance-based contracts with equipment suppliers, including blast furnace suppliers.

Vendors are offered payments linked to the financial performance of the integrated steel plant. Performance-based contracts have thus increased the importance of value-added services that increase the efficiency and profitability of factory operations.

Therefore, vendors must expand their service and software offerings that help reduce costs, minimize waste, and improve quality to capture a larger share of the global blast furnace market.

Major challenges hindering the market growth

The increasing popularity of steel mini-mills is one of the key challenges hindering the blast furnaces market growth .

The global steel demand has been fluctuating, which puts integrated steel plant operators at the risk of reduced profitability or even losses when the prices fall or demand for their output is low.

Thus, the inflexibility of integrated steel plants in terms of matching production with demand at optimum cost is making steel mini-mills the preferred substitute for integrated steel plants.

Developing and emerging countries are expected to account for the majority of the increase in steel demand during 2017-2022, and businesses in these countries usually lack the financial resources to invest in integrated steel plants.

Therefore, steel mini-mills account for most of the new capacity additions in developing countries. Such factors will hinder market growth during the forecast period.

Drivers, trends, and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact businesses. Find more insights in a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this blast furnaces market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the blast furnaces market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the blast furnaces market size and its contribution to the market in focus on the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the blast furnaces market industry across APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America

A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of blast furnaces market vendors

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Blast Furnaces Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 163 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 4.9% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 1,924.47 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 5.34 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 62% Key countries US, China, India, Japan, and Russia Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Ansteel Group Corp. Ltd., China Metallurgical Engineering and Project Corp., Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA, Danieli and C. Officine Meccaniche Spa, Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. Ltd., Heavy Engineering Corp. Ltd., IHI Corp., JP Steel Plantech Co., Krosaki Harima Corp., Larsen and Toubro Ltd., McNally Bharat Engineering Co. Ltd., MECON Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp., Noble Industrial Furnace Co. Inc., POSCO holdings Inc., Primetals Technologies Ltd., Qinhuangdao Qinye Heavy Industry Co. Ltd., Shandong Province Metallurgical Engineering Co. Ltd., Sinosteel Corp., and SMS group GmbH Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, the Market condition analysis for forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global Blast Furnaces Market 2017 - 2021

4.2 Application Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

4.3 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

5.4 Threat of new entrants

5.5 Threat of substitutes

5.6 Threat of rivalry

5.7 Market condition

6 Market Segmentation by Application

6.1 Market segments

6.2 Comparison by Application

6.3 Capacity additions - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

6.4 Revamping projects - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

6.5 Market opportunity by Application

7 Market Segmentation by Type

7.1 Market segments

7.2 Comparison by Type

7.3 Hot blast ovens - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.4 Cold blast blowers - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.5 Market opportunity by Type

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

9.2 Geographic comparison

9.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.8 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.9 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.10 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.11 Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

11.3 Landscape disruption

11.4 Industry risks

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

12.3 China Metallurgical Engineering and Project Corp.

12.4 Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA

12.5 Danieli and C. Officine Meccaniche Spa

12.6 Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. Ltd.

12.7 IHI Corp.

12.8 JP Steel Plantech Co.

12.9 Larsen and Toubro Ltd.

12.10 McNally Bharat Engineering Co. Ltd.

12.11 MECON Ltd.

12.12 Nippon Steel Corp.

12.13 Noble Industrial Furnace Co. Inc.

12.14 POSCO holdings Inc.

12.15 Primetals Technologies Ltd.

12.16 Shandong Province Metallurgical Engineering Co. Ltd.

12.17 SMS group GmbH

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

13.5 List of abbreviations

About Us

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Global Blast Furnaces Market 2023-2027

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SOURCE Technavio
Realkredit Danmark A/S

To

Nasdaq Copenhagen A/S

Executive Board

Lers Parkalle 100

DK-2100 Kbenhavn 

www.rd.dk







Telephone +45 7012 5300

Telefax +45 4514 9622













25 January 2023

Company Announcement No 7/2023



Breakdown of debtors, Realkredit Danmark A/S





Pursuant to 24 of the Capital Markets Act, Realkredit Danmark A/S hereby publishes breakdown of debtors as at Friday 20 January 2023. Please find the data in the attached file.



The information will also be available on www.rd.dk .



Yours sincerely

The Executive Board







Any additional questions should be addressed to Hella Gebhardt Rnnebk, Chief Analyst, phone +45 4513 2068.

Attachments




BROOKS, AB , Jan. 24, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, two families in Brooks were presented with the keys to their new affordable homes, which they had helped build through Habitat for Humanity. Both families immigrated to Canada within the past twenty years to make better lives for themselves and contribute to the Brooks community.

Government of Canada (CNW Group/Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)

The homes, each measuring 1,200 sq. ft, feature an open-concept kitchen and living spaces. One home features three bedrooms, 1.5 baths, while the other has five bedrooms and 2.5 baths.

Since 2019, the federal government has made a total funding commitment of $4,402,819 towards Habitat Southern Alberta projects including the Brooks project. This funding, made possible through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, includes a Black Families Funding investment of $1,383,449.

The Habitat for Humanity model of affordable homeownership bridges a gap for people who face barriers to homeownership and would not otherwise qualify for a traditional mortgage. Local Habitat for Humanity organizations in every province and territory across Canada help build and rehabilitate decent and affordable homes, from single-family houses to multi-unit developments. With the help of volunteers and donors, Habitat helps families build their own homes and pay an affordable mortgage geared to their income. Safe, decent and affordable homeownership plays a critical role in helping families build a foundation for a life with better choices and more opportunities.

Quotes:

"Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Our government is committed to providing housing for families here in Brooks and across the country. In partnership with Habitat Southern Alberta, two families now have a home they can afford and that meets their needs, where they will be able to put down roots and make valuable contributions to the economic and social prosperity of Brooks for many years to come. This is our government's National Housing Strategy at work."  The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

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"At Habitat for Humanity, we know that affordable home ownership is critical to building strong communities. That's why we're so grateful for the support of the federal, provincial and local governments, our local volunteer committee and the generosity of our sponsors, donors and partners. By bringing together all of the community, we are building homes where our families will thrive."  Gerrad Oishi, President and CEO, Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta.

"Habitat for Humanity partners with families from coast to coast to coast, helping them access decent and affordable housing. Thanks to the support of CMHC through its National Housing Co-Investment Fund and Black Families Funding Initiative, we are able to serve even more families, including those experiencing racial barriers to homeownership."  Julia Deans, President and CEO, Habitat for Humanity Canada

Related links:

As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford, and that meets their needs. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit: www.placetocallhome.ca.

Under the Canada-Saskatchewan Bilateral Agreement, housing is a key priority in providing a better quality of life for Saskatchewan families and communities. Since 2007, the Government of Saskatchewan, through SHC, has invested $786 million to develop more than 12,000 housing units and repair nearly 5,500 homes. SHC has also invested more than $61 million to build nearly 300 units in residential care homes, and $430 million to improve provincially-owned housing. To learn more, visit www.saskatchewan.ca.

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

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Market Research Future

Cosmeceuticals Market Research Report Information Trends and Insights by Product Type (skincare, hair care, oral hygiene, and others), Packaging Material (glass, plastic, metal, and others), Distribution Channel (store and non-store), and Region - Competitive Market Growth, Size, Share and Forecast to 2030

New York, US, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cosmeceuticals Market overview:

According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Cosmeceuticals Market Research Report Information: by Product Type, Packaging Material, Distribution Channel, and Region - Forecast Till 2030, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.50% and reach USD 24.56 Billion by 2030.

Market Scope:

Cosmeceuticals, sometimes known as "cosmetic pharmaceuticals," are cosmetics that include biologically active ingredients that claim to have medical or pharmaceutical effects. Modern cosmetic dermatological products and the era of innovative skincare have given rise to cosmetic medications. These products nourish the skin, make it look better, and heal damaged skin cells caused by medical conditions. The cosmetics and personal care market has been reshaped by the introduction of cosmeceuticals, and it is anticipated to increase as people become more self-conscious about their looks.

Typically used in conjunction with other skincare products, otc cosmeceutical brands aim to improve pigmentation, skin tone, texture, and fine wrinkles. Ingredients like antioxidants, peptides/proteins, retinoids, exfoliants, and botanical extracts are common in such products.

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Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 24.56 Billion CAGR 8.50% Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered by Product Type, Packaging Material, Distribution Channel, and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers rise in demand for the products to maintain a youthful appearance growing consumer awareness

Competitive Dynamics:

The Cosmeceuticals industry continues to thrive due to its major players. Tendencies that will raise the worth of the market worldwide. The Cosmeceuticals market players are listed below:

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L'Oreal S.A. (France)

Allergan, Plc. (Ireland)

Avon Products, Inc. (UK)

Johnson & Johnson (US)

Procter & Gamble Co. (US)

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (US)

Merck & Company, Inc. (US)

Royal DSM NV (Netherlands)

Unilever NV (Netherlands)

Evonik Industries AG (Germany)

Market USP:

Market Drivers

Due to consumers' rising interest in looking young longer, the cosmeceuticals industry is flourishing. It is anticipated that the demand for cosmetics would increase due to the aging population, particularly in industrialized nations like the United States and Europe. Demand for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals is also projected to rise as a result of factors including a healthy lifestyle and the growing popularity of natural beauty products.

At a worldwide level, the industry's expansion is being fueled by key market drivers as well as other growth factors. One of the main factors is thought to be the aging of the current generation. The market is primarily being driven by the increase in consumer awareness and the people's rising need for products to keep a youthful appearance. A significant market demand for all-natural skincare products is now developing.

From a variety of sources, the market is receiving excellent opportunities. The growing desire for beautiful, healthy skin creates enormous market prospects. The value of the cosmetics market has increased as a result of people's increasing need for natural and healthy skincare products to protect their skin from various skin issues.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (100 Pages) on Cosmeceuticals:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cosmeceuticals-market-6403

Market Limitations

The market is dealing with difficult issues while continuing to compete on a global scale. One of the market's tough elements is the strong demand for non-comedogenic products, as it is challenging to manufacture a product with absolutely no dangerous components. But in order to provide products with a trace level of comedogenic chemicals, the major manufacturers are concentrating on the manufacturing and composition process.

The market for cosmetics is even observing some restraints that are slowing down its expansion. One of the main things preventing the Market's expansion has been the loose regulation. To keep the Market operating properly, the leading participants are concentrating on this constraining issue.

COVID-19 Analysis:

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on a number of industrial sectors; each industrial and commercial sector saw a significant loss of revenue. Even during that time, the market's expansion was impeded. The import and export of skincare goods have decreased because to the government's rigorous shutdown regulations. Even in manufacturing facilities and production procedures, difficulties were seen. During the viral outbreak, it steadily delayed the delivery of goods to customers. The important players make every effort to bounce back from the defeat in order to rejoin the competition. The market value is anticipated to grow at a respectable CAGR over the course of the projected period despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Market Segmentation:

By Product Type

Due to the rising demand for skincare products with qualities that promote healthy skin, the skincare product category currently has the lion's share of the cosmeceuticals industry. During the predicted period, a good CAGR is even seen in the hair segment.

By Packaging Material

The plastic segment is expected to record notable market value over the review period.

By Distribution Channel

The non-store-based segments especially e-commerce is slated to grow at a substantial CAGR over the forecast period.

Share your Queries @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/6403

Regional Analysis:

Because of rising demand for personal care items and apparel, analysts predict that Europe will become the largest market for Cosmeceuticals. The Market in this area is being fueled in part by the cosmeceutical industry's robust promotional operations.

The North American market is second, and it's growing at a respectable rate thanks to the presence of major competitors there. Regional cosmeceutical manufacturers focus on solutions for sun damage, dry skin, and thinning hair. The rising popularity of cutting-edge dermatology products in the area, in addition to the region's vast patient pool affected by conditions like melanoma and eczema, are driving this expansion. In addition, the rising popularity of dermatological procedures such non-invasive cosmetic treatments is expected to boost regional demand for cosmeceuticals and drive market expansion.

Since the introduction of healthcare items and the acceptance of other cultures, the Asia-Pacific market has experienced modest growth. A larger portion of the global Cosmeceuticals market will be created as a result of expansion in these areas. Market expansion can be attributed to companies' increasing emphasis on strategic alliances centered on new releases and investments in digital infrastructure aimed at broadening the market's appeal and facilitating the distribution of products. The expanding middle class in that region, as well as the increasing public's familiarity with these items, are also contributing to the expansion of the Asia Pacific market.

Discover more research Reports on Consumer and Retail Industry , by Market Research Future:

Cosmetics Market Research Report: Information by Product Type (Skin Cosmetics, Hair Cosmetics, Nail Cosmetics, Eye Cosmetics), Flavor Type (Organic, Natural), Category (Dairy-Based, Non-Dairy-Based), Distribution Channel (Store Based, Non-Store Based) and Region (North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, and the Middle East & Africa) Forecast till 2028

Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Market Research Report: Information by Product Type (Skincare Products, Haircare Products, Makeup & Colour Cosmetics, Perfume & Fragrance, and Others), Form (Cream, Gel, Liquid, Powder, and Others), Distribution Channel [Store-Based (Hypermarkets and Supermarkets, Specialty Stores, Convenience Store, and Others) and Non-Store-Based], and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World)- Forecast till 2030

Premium Cosmetics Market Research Report: Information by Product Type [Face Products (Foundation, Face Powder, Contouring Products, and Others), Eyes Products (Eyeshadow, Mascara, Eyeliners, and Others), and Lip Products (Lipsticks, Lip balm, and Others)], Distribution Channel [Store-Based (Hypermarkets and Supermarkets, Specialty Stores, and Others) and Non-Store-Based] and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World) - Forecast till 2030

About Market Research Future:

Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.

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DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Organizations must adopt a multi-pronged approach involving new strategies and tactics to address the growing global shortage of cybersecurity professionals, according to CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.

CompTIA is the voice of the world's information technology industry. (PRNewsFoto/CompTIA)

"CompTIA is uniquely positioned to address cybersecurity workforce challenges."

The world's cyber workforce was among the issues discussed during the recent Cyber Future Dialogue 2023 in Davos, Switzerland. Gordon Pelosse, senior vice president, employer engagement, CompTIA, was among the dozens of executives participating in the conference.

"The cybersecurity workforce problem is real and is being felt globally," Pelosse said. "Every company is scrambling for talent, knowledge and solutions in an ever-evolving environment."

"The discussion on the cyber workforce elicited a wide range of views; from there is nothing that can be done to leave it to technology to solve," Pelosse continued. "This view is wishful thinking, hoping we can one day automate our way out of this talent shortage. Automation holds promise, but requires human reasoning, strategic decision-making, design, support, and intervention to remediate many of the evolving attacks we see today."

Creating a multi-faceted approach to building or expanding a cybersecurity workforce requires organizations to meld current practices with new thinking. The most expedient solution is to look at the tech talent that they already employ.

"If you have skilled and experienced network administrators and engineers, systems administrators or others that understand the fundamentals of IT and networking, upskilling these individuals into cybersecurity roles may be the best immediate solution to fill these positions," Pelosse said.

Employers must also expand the pool of candidates they are willing to recruit from. While college is an excellent choice for many people, it is not for everyone.

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"Boot camps, technical training classes, self-paced study, industry certifications and other methods can produce excellent candidates for cybersecurity roles and other technology positions without the need for an advanced academic degree," Pelosse noted.

CompTIA's latest "State of Cybersecurity" report found that the general state of cybersecurity is making relatively slow progress. Especially in more developed regions, few individuals believe that there is dramatic improvement being made. In most cases, nearly the same percentage of people believe that the situation is getting worse. Nearly everyone feels that there is room for improvement."

A high degree of cooperation among employers, industries, education and training organizations and others is needed to address these challenges.

"With its global presence and history of facilitating collaborative solutions to common problems, CompTIA is uniquely positioned to address cybersecurity workforce challenges," Pelosse concluded.

CompTIA offers many resources to support its commitment to building a robust cybersecurity workforce around the world to help organizations strengthen their cyber defenses, including training programs and certifications for cybersecurity professionals, career insights, best practices and guides, research, and the CompTIA Cybersecurity Trustmark, an organizational credential for the managed service provider (MSP) community.

About CompTIA

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the estimated 75 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world's economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for unlocking the potential of the tech industry and its workforce. https://www.comptia.org/

Media Contact

Steven Ostrowski

CompTIA

sostrowski@comptia.org

+1 630.678.8468

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SOURCE CompTIA
Its a bill that is opposed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), unlikely to pass the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, and has approximately 0% chance of becoming law anytime soon.

But Democrats don't want to stop talking about the Republicans' proposal to replace income taxes with a national sales tax.

"This so-called fair tax plan is the craziest yet. It's a real doozy," Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday as the Senate Majority Leader took time out of his schedule to appear alongside House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for a press conference devoted to the subject. "Just the biggest lollapalooza I have ever seen around here."

President Biden is also set to focus on the subject in a big way in a speech Thursday in Springfield, Virginia, with White House aides promising a contrast between the Democratic and GOP economic agendas that they hope voters will remember in coming years.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), left, meets with Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the leader the House Democratic Caucus, in Schumer's office on Capitol Hill in December. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

Rep. Earl L. Buddy Carter (R-GA) is the leading proponent of the idea and pushed back in a statement to Yahoo Finance, saying Washington Democrats are fear-mongering about this bill because it takes power away from the federal government and puts it in the hands of the American people."

Yet even voices sympathetic to Republicans urge the party to back away.

Grover Norquist, a tax reduction advocate, told Semafor it was a political gift to Biden and the Democrats;" the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial page called it masochism;" and Steve Forbes of flat tax fame called it a "belated, but huge Christmas present" for Democrats.

To top it off, Larry Kudlow, the former Director of Donald Trump's National Economic Council, said it "really is a lousy idea" when he interviewed McCarthy on Tuesday.

Whats in the Fair Tax Act

The bill itself is called the Fair Tax Act and was formally introduced on Jan. 10 by Carter. As of Wednesday afternoon, the bill had amassed 23 co-sponsors.

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The bill would eliminate all income taxes  from the payroll tax to corporate taxes to personal income taxes and more  and would also eliminate the Internal Revenue Service, just the latest salvo in the GOPs feud with the tax-collection agency.

And while Americans may like the idea of no longer filling out tax forms each April, the bill would replace the trillions of dollars lost with a national sales tax.

The rate would begin at 23% in 2025 and could increase. An analysis of the plan from the Brookings Institution found that a rate around 30%  on top of existing state sales taxes  would be needed to cover the losses.

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) during a budget hearing in 2022. (Roberto Schmidt-Pool/Getty Images)

Economists have also criticized the plan for lowering the the tax burden from high-income earners and corporations and shifting the onus to middle- and lower-class Americans who spend a much higher percentage of their monthly income on goods and services.

The Tax Policy Center found the idea would be a hike for 80% of Americans and a tax cut for the richest Americans. The top 20% would go from paying 84.2% of all federal income taxes to 65.1% under a theoretical federal retail sales tax.

The plan has become high profile and controversial enough that Speaker McCarthy revealed his own personal opposition to the idea Tuesday during a brief exchange with reporters. That's even after he reportedly agreed to a full vote in the House of Representatives in the weeks ahead as part of the deal with far-right Republicans who elected him Speaker.

But now, a full vote seems less likely in the near future. Three New York Republicans have already announced their opposition to the proposal and those no votes along with McCarthy would mean the bill would likely be defeated if put up for a full House vote.

Carter maintains that the bill removes complexity from the tax code, will encourage economic growth, and is better for working Americans. But the Georgia Congressman doesn't seem to be expecting a floor vote soon.

"Im excited for open debate on this legislation and for it to go through the committee process," he said, adding it will be an opportunity for "a transparent discussion" about improving the tax system.

Go home and tell your moms

Meanwhile, the unlikelihood of a national sales tax doesn't seem to be dampening Democrats' enthusiasm for discussing the issue.

During a recent speech, President Biden sarcastically proclaimed: National sales tax, thats a great idea...go home and tell your moms, theyre going to be really excited about that.

On Capitol Hill, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) sent a letter to Senate leadership Tuesday, pledging "I will take on anyone" to stop the idea while his colleagues like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have taken to Twitter to mock the proposal.

Hold on: House Republicans want a national 30% sales tax on everything from groceries to gasoline? They want to raise taxes on working-class & middle-class families while slashing them for millionaires & billionaires?



Are they TRYING to show exactly how out of touch they are?  Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 19, 2023

A 30% national sales tax



A 30 PERCENT NATIONAL SALES TAX



A



30



Percent



National



Sales



Tax  Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) January 18, 2023

"You wonder who is sitting in some dungeon, some laboratory, some basement cooking up these extreme ideas to try jam them down the throats of the American people," added Leader Jeffries Wednesday.

It was former Georgia Congressman John Linder who first proposed the idea in 1999 and later co-authored a book called The Fair Tax Book: Saying Goodbye to the Income Tax and the IRS.

"The only tax collector that the consumer would ever see is the smiling face behind the register at the local grocery store," Linder said in 2000 about the proposal that has been periodically revived over the last 20 year without ever gaining widespread Republican support.

Ben Werschkul is Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

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Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is reportedly planning to slash 3,200 positions across Europe.

The job cuts will largely be focused in Germany and will affect administrative and product development roles, Bloomberg reported, citing IG Metall union.

The reduction will account for 65% of development jobs in Europe and 20% of administrative positions.

The number of reductions emerged in an extraordinary works council meeting at the carmakers factory in Cologne, the report cited an IG Metall spokesperson.

The move comes after the auto major reduced 3,000 jobs in the U.S. in 2H22.

The report further added that CEO Jim Farley aims for $3 billion in cuts to accelerate profits from traditional internal combustion engine models and use it to develop electric vehicles.

Price Action : F shares are trading higher by 3.87% at $12.88 on the last check Monday.

Photo Via Company

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This article originally appeared on Benzinga.com

 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Chris McPherson joins as Vice President of GMP Manufacturing, Taleen Barsoumian to serve as Vice President of Client Development, and Adam Davis, Ph.D., promoted to Vice President of Analytical Development

New leadership team appointments strengthen Forges manufacturing capabilities with a focus on gene therapy clinical and commercial cGMP manufacturing

COLUMBUS, Ohio, January 25, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forge Biologics, a gene therapy-focused contract development and manufacturing organization, announced today the addition of three key leadership hires to further the Companys growth as a leading manufacturer of genetic medicines.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005293/en/

"Our team has built one of the largest genetic medicines manufacturing facilities in the world, with the ability for end-to-end AAV production of 50L to 5,000L," said Timothy J. Miller, Ph.D., CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Forge. "Expanding our leadership team with these strategic hires, and the caliber of experience each member brings, supports our vision for growth and the value we provide to our more than 30 partners as we continue to expand our leadership in gene therapy development and manufacturing. I am delighted to welcome Mr. McPherson and Ms. Barsoumian, and congratulate Dr. Davis on his new role."

Chris McPherson, Vice President of GMP Manufacturing

Chris McPherson will oversee clinical and commercial cGMP manufacturing operations of Forges 50L to 5,000L bioreactors in 20 cGMP suites. Mr. McPherson joins Forge with over 25 years of industry experience in commercial biologics manufacturing, technology transfer, validation and BLA/MAA preparation, bringing his expertise in continuous improvement for efficiency and compliance, problem solving, and scale up of client processes in a contract manufacturing environment. Prior to joining Forge, Mr. McPherson helped to scale processes and complete the technology transfer from 20L to 15,000L of biologics manufacturing. Hes held technical leadership positions in industry as Director of Manufacturing, Principal Scientist for Validation, Audits, and Inspections and Head of Clinical Manufacturing with Guilford Pharmaceutical, Cambrex Bioscience, WuXi Apptec, Biotest Pharmaceutical and Samsung Biologics. Mr. McPhersons two B.S. degrees are in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University.

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Taleen Barsoumian, Vice President of Client Development

Taleen Barsoumian will lead Forges client development strategy and new business operations across Forges suite of manufacturing solutions. Ms. Barsoumian was previously the U.S. Director of Sales and Business Development for Cell and Gene at Barkey Corporation, and brings 18 years of experience working with partners in academia, biotech, pharma, government and diagnostics. Prior to joining Barkey, she was the BioScience Western Regional Sales Manager for North America at Greiner Bio-One, following seven years with Novartis Pharmaceuticals, where she was Senior Cardiovascular Sales Consultant. Ms. Barsoumian earned her B.S. in Epidemiology from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

Adam Davis, Ph.D., Vice President of Analytical Development

Adam Davis leads the in-house analytical development and testing team supporting clients throughout product development and manufacturing. Dr. Davis joined Forge in 2020 after 15 years of experience in recombinant adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector product development, process development, and manufacturing. His teams lead the phase-appropriate development, qualification and validation of analytics to support the production of pre-clinical and clinical recombinant gene therapy vectors. Prior to joining Forge, Dr. Davis was the Director of Manufacturing at Abeona Therapeutics, he held the position of Manufacturing Scientist at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, and completed his post-doctoral work in gene therapy development and manufacturing at Nationwide Childrens Hospital. He earned his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, focusing on the rational design of recombinant AAV vector capsid for targeted delivery.

About Forge Biologics

Forge Biologics is a hybrid gene therapy contract manufacturing and clinical-stage therapeutics development company. Forges mission is to enable access to life-changing gene therapies and help bring them from idea to reality. Forges 200,000 square foot facility utilizes 20 cGMP suites in Columbus, Ohio, the Hearth, to serve as its headquarters. The Hearth is a custom-designed cGMP facility largely dedicated to AAV manufacturing and hosts scalable, end-to-end manufacturing services. Offerings include process and analytical development, plasmid DNA manufacturing, viral vector manufacturing, final fill, as well as regulatory consulting support to accelerate gene therapy programs from preclinical through clinical and commercial stage manufacturing. By taking a patients-first approach, Forge aims to accelerate the timelines of these transformative medicines for those who need them the most. To learn more, visit www.forgebiologics.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230125005293/en/

Contacts

Marina Corleto

Associate Director, Marketing and Communications

media@forgebiologics.com
ReportLinker

A combination of hardware and software makes up an embedded system, which includes processors, input-output devices, controllers, external peripheral devices, timers, and a host of other components created to process and regulate the systems unique mission.

New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Embedded Systems Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Application, By Component, By Hardware Type, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412032/?utm_source=GNW

It is included in the wider electrical or mechanical system and aids in the facilitation of the specific function.



By providing real-time system limitations, it firmly controls the systems physical operation. Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), gate arrays, GPU technology, application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), and microcontrollers or digital signal processors (DSP) are used to control embedded devices. These processing systems also include components for dealing with electrical and/or mechanical interfaces.



Embedded systems primary characteristic is that they are task-specific. Within a bigger system, they finish a single duty. For instance, a cell phone is not an embedded system because it combines several embedded systems to execute a variety of general-purpose functions. Hardware for embedded systems is often based on microprocessors or microcontrollers.



In comparison to the typical enterprise desktop computer, an industrial microcontroller is less sophisticated and typically relies on a less complex, memory-intensive programming environment. The system is highly appropriate for a wide range of applications, including those involving electrical gadgets, home appliances, wearable technology, medical monitoring equipment, and others.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



Due to a major impact on key companies in the supply chain, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable negative influence on the growth of the worldwide embedded systems market. However, one of the key factors that drove the market expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic was the increase in ADAS in EV and hybrid vehicles, as well as the rise in the number of embedded systems-related R&D initiatives globally. Contrarily, the COVID-19 pandemic primarily caused various challenges for the market, including a shortage of skilled labor and project delays or cancellations as a result of a partial or total lockdown around the world. Additionally, the development of embedded devices based on 5G is anticipated to continue to expand for a considerable amount of time.



Market Growth Factors



Power electronics are being used more frequently in the market for electric vehicles.



Embedded technology is a key factor in the restructuring of the automotive industry. The ADAS technology used in hybrid and electric cars makes use of these systems. Because of the increase in demand for electric and hybrid automobiles brought on by increased public awareness of the state of the environment, the market for embedded systems has grown. The market for embedded systems is expanding significantly as a result of this aspect.



Increased Demand For Gadgets Like Smart Electricity Meters



The predicted period will likely see an increase in demand for products like smart power meters, which will likely drive the global market. This is because the precise and required functionality of these devices is ensured by embedded systems. The smart meter tracks energy usage, uploads the information to a cloud server, and can be utilized to operate appliances remotely via a control relay. The smart meter functions as a sensing node in a mesh network using Internet of Things (IoT) technology.



Market Restraining Factors



Complexities In Designing Cutting-Edge IoT Microcontrollers



The IoT microcontroller industry is tremendously rising due to a variety of factors and an increasing number of applications. However, there are certain barriers that are hindering the demand for IoT microcontrollers. One of the major drawbacks of IoT controllers is the complications in the design and development of these devices. Design complexity in high-speed as well as power-critical applications can majorly impede the production of IoT microcontrollers. As a result, manufacturers are spending significant amounts in R&D to develop cutting-edge microcontrollers.



Application Outlook



Based on application, the market for embedded systems is classified into automotive, consumer electronics, industrial, aerospace & defense, and others. In the projection term, the industrial segment is showing a strong growth rate. Infrastructure, energy, and process control are examples of industrial uses. Smart metering systems are anticipated to have an impact on the global market for industrial applications, as well as data gathering and feedback control systems for automation.



Components Outlook



Based on components, the Embedded Systems Market is classified into Hardware and Software. The software industry is representing the market in 2021. The fundamental building components of embedded systems are software components. For device drivers, operating systems, error handling, application software, and debugging software, embedded software (also known as firmware) is produced.



Regional Outlook



Based on geography, the Embedded Systems Market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. In 2021, Asia Pacific generated the highest revenue share in the market. The Asia Pacific market is expanding as a result of factors like rising per capita income, ongoing widespread industrialization, and urbanization. Additionally, it is projected that the availability of inexpensive electronic products in APAC would contribute to a rise in the adoption of microprocessors and microcontrollers in the area.



The major strategies followed by the market participants are Product Launches. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; Intel Corporation is the forerunner in the Embedded Systems Market. Companies such as QUALCOMM Incorporated, Texas Instruments, Inc. and Renesas Electronics Corporation are some of the key innovators in Embedded Systems Market.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Intel Corporation, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Texas Instruments, Inc., NXP Semiconductors N.V., QUALCOMM Incorporated (Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.), Fujitsu Limited, Infineon Technologies AG, Analog Devices, Inc., Microchip Technology, Inc., and STMicroelectronics N.V.



Recent Strategies Deployed in Embedded Systems Market



Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements:



Sep-2022: NXP Semiconductors collaborated with Elektrobit, an automotive software company. In this collaboration, both companies would develop a software platform to assist NXPs high-voltage battery management system reference design. Additionally, the software would aim to decrease the entry-level cost of battery management system (BMS) growth and improve the ease to use of NXPs high-voltage BMS reference design.



Mar-2022: Qualcomm entered into a partnership with Cubic Telecom, a provider of IoT-connected software solutions. Through this partnership, both companies would offer a unique embedded software solution meaning that any vehicle shipped across any location in the world would have built-in compliance in domestic markets.



Acquisitions and Mergers:



Oct-2022: Renesas Electronics Corporation acquired Steradian Semiconductors Private Limited, a provider of 4D imaging radar solutions. With this acquisition, Steradians engineering and edge-radar technology would accelerate Renesas Electronics Corporations sensing solution portfolio in a broad collection of applications that also consist of industrial systems.



Jul-2022: Renesas Electronics Corporation completed the acquisition of Reality Analytics, Inc., a provider of embedded AI solutions. Through this acquisition, The Company would continue to address the requirement of customers seeking to implement AI solutions with the broadened global talent network of software engineers.



Feb-2022: Intel Corporation took over Tower Semiconductor, a leading manufacturer of analog semiconductor solutions. Through this acquisition, Intel Corporation would advance Intels IDM 2.0 strategy as tower semiconductors broaden Intels manufacturing ability, technology suits, and worldwide reach to meet unprecedented requirements.



May-2021: STMicroelectronics completed the acquisition of Cartesian, a software company. Under this acquisition, the company strengthens its technology and enhance its AI strategy suits to manage the entire range of embedded machine-learning demands.



Apr-2020: Infineon Technologies AG completed the acquisition of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, an American semiconductor design and manufacturing company. This acquisition strengthened Infineons focus on structural growth drivers and a wide range of applications. Additionally, the acquisition would boost Infineons path of Profitable growth.



Product Launches and Expansions:



Nov-2022: Infineon Technologies AG unveiled the XMC7000 microcontroller, the series delivers single and dual-core options of 350-MHz 32-bit Arm Cortex-M7 and a 100-MHz 32-bit Arm Cortex-M0+, up to 8 MB of embedded flash and 1 MB of on-chip SRAM. This product series is launched for advanced industrial applications consisting of two-wheel electrical vehicles, electrical vehicle (EV) charging, industrial charging, and robotics.



Sep-2022: Renesas launched RISC-V, based ASSP, a RISC-V Embedded Processing offering with New Motor Control ASSP Solution. This launch offers an ideal mixture of rapid time-to-market, low cost, and excellent performance. The solution allows customers to benefit from prepared, turnkey solutions for motor control applications, with no cost of development.



Aug-2022: Renesas Electronics Corporation released the RZ/N2L microprocessor units (MPUs)for Industrial Ethernet communication. The product allows customers to advance industrial equipment using accurate and quick synchronized control for factory automation.



Aug-2022: Microchip Technology Inc. launched SAM9X60D1G-SOM ARM926EJ-S -based embedded MPU running up to 600 MHz, a microprocessors system-on-modules (SOMs) offering. The product offers customers a small-form-factor solution directly from Microchip and simplifies the logistics burden of specifically removing all of the six segments and multiple passives on the SOM.



Feb-2022: Intel unveiled the Intel Xeon D processor, the latest Intel system-on-chip (SoC) create particularly for the needs of the software-defined network and edge. The product would allow Intels customers and the developer community to propel innovation at scale while placing Intel for enhancing and broadening the market leadership.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Application



 Consumer Electronics



 Automotive



 Industrial



 Aerospace & Defense



 Others



By Component



 Hardware



o MPU



o MCU



o FPGA



o Memory



o Others



 Software



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Intel Corporation



 Renesas Electronics Corporation



 Texas Instruments, Inc.



 NXP Semiconductors N.V.



 QUALCOMM Incorporated (Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.)



 Fujitsu Limited



 Infineon Technologies AG



 Analog Devices, Inc.



 Microchip Technology, Inc.



 STMicroelectronics N.V.



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412032/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




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Fire stations can manage their operations, staff, equipment, and inventory with the use of fire department software. Fire departments can respond to emergencies much more quickly because of the automation of manual processes like record keeping and dispatch management.

New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Fire Department Software Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Enterprise Size, By Deployment, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412036/?utm_source=GNW





Depending on the needs and population density of the area where they are headquartered, fire departments come in different sizes and configurations. For instance, larger cities need more employees, tools, and trucks than smaller communities. On the other hand, airports frequently use private fire departments to deal with emergency situations.



Nonprofit fire departments also referred to as volunteer fire departments, are frequently headquartered in outlying towns and smaller settlements. Locals frequently organize a committed group of volunteers to attend to emergency situations quickly due to their isolation from larger cities. To keep operating costs low, these nonprofit fire departments must search for free software that may connect with fundraising applications.



Small fire departments are defined as those with lower than 100 employees and a modest fleet of vehicles. These fire departments are frequently found in tiny towns or cities with sparse populations and thus need the essential functions of fire department software, including fleet, staff, and incident management.



Between 100 and 500 people work for midsize fire departments, which are frequently found in sprawling suburbs close to major cities. These fire stations frequently require both core features and optional features like scheduling and inventory management because they have more personnel than the two smaller categories.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



The three primary ways that COVID-19 can affect the global economy are by directly changing supply and demand, upsetting the market and supply chain, and having an adverse economic impact on businesses and financial markets. The COVID-19 pandemics abrupt emergence at the beginning of 2021 prompted the installation of strict lockdown laws across various nations, which had a negative impact on the industrys growth in 2020 and disrupted the import and export of Fire Department Software. In general, the COVID-19 pandemic had a favorable effect on the market for fire department software. Strict lockdown rules were kept in place as a consequence of the pandemics unexpected onset to stop the virus from spreading.



Market Growth Factors



Government Fire Safety Rules Are Very Strict



Federal custodians, tenants, owners of private-sector buildings, and regional fire service organizations all contribute to fire safety. The goals of policies and laws, which vary from region to region, are to protect property and human life. The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB), which is one example of this, is in charge of overseeing matters pertaining to safety, amenity, health, accessibility, and sustainability in facilities. Throughout the anticipated term, this element will continue to fuel demand for fire department software.



Aids in Coordination Between the Office And The Field And Response



The communication between office personnel and field personnel can be made better with field service software. It can be challenging to guarantee an efficient communication system while supervising workers who are out in the field. This program keeps the field service cycle elements in one place and includes work orders, equipment information, returns, labor schedules/rates, contracts, and more.



Market Restraining Factors



A Lack of Software Expertise



Making ensuring that the staff has the knowledge and tools necessary to assist clients whenever and wherever they need it is the goal of fire department software. The majority of businesses are aware that they require this type of software since it enables them to provide even greater industrial services. However, many employees use these programs incorrectly. They employ whatever tools they have available rather than critically analyzing what their team wants and coming up with a solution to meet those needs.



Deployment Outlook



Based on deployment, the market is classified into Cloud Based and Web Based. In 2021, the cloud-based market had the biggest revenue share. Users of the cloud-based segment do not need to maintain or implement any software or hardware in order to use it because access to and control of the fire department software is done through a platform maintained by a third-party provider. Cloud-based fire department software frequently uses pay-as-you-go pricing structures, making it more affordable for small organizations than conventional on-premises software.



Enterprise Size Outlook



Based on enterprise size, the fire department software market is classified into Small & Medium Enterprises and Large Enterprises. The small and medium-sized business sector is expected to have the significant revenue share in 2021. Since SMEs are undergoing significant digitization and are under increasing pressure to update their operations in order to effectively respond to fire events, it is projected that they will quickly embrace fire department software solutions in the upcoming years.



Regional Outlook



Based on geography, the fire department software market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. In 2021, North America had the largest revenue share in the market, and it is anticipated that it will continue to hold that position throughout the forecast period. A significant driver of the market expansion in this area is the rising use of fire department software and tools. North America is a prospective location because it also has a high saturation of fire department software vendors. Due to growing government regulations and market competition, the region is predicted to experience tremendous growth.



The major strategies followed by the market participants are Mergers and acquisition. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; ZOLL Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation) are the forerunners in the Fire Department Software Market. Companies such as Tyler Technologies, Inc., ESO Systems, Inc. and Vector Solutions are some of the key innovators in Fire Department Software Market.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include ESO Solutions, Inc., Vector Solutions (Genstar Capital), Tyler Technologies, Inc., Accela, Inc. (Berkshire Partners), ZOLL Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation), ImageTrend, Inc., EPR Systems, Inc., StationSmarts, and Omnigo Software, LLC (Incident Response Technologies, Inc.)



Recent Strategies Deployed in Fire Department Software Market



Acquisitions and Mergers:



Mar-2022: ESO acquired Interdev Technologies, a Toronto-based company providing software solutions for Emergency Services. With the acquisition of Interdev Technologies ESO would offer a complete set of services, products and research insights which would help providers and responders to keep their surroundings safe and healthy.



Sep-2021: Vector Solutions took over Envisage Technologies, a company engaged in performance, unified training and complaint software for public safety. This acquisition would enable providing knowledge and understanding to primary responders to help them make better, smarter and safer decisions.



Jul-2021: ESO completed the acquisition of Emergency Reporting, a company engaged in offering Cloud-Based Fire/EMS Reporting and Records Management Software. This acquisition would help ESO boost data standardization throughout its product portfolio to deliver customers and the industry a deeper understanding of growing events and responses. Moreover, this would finally enhance performance and quality throughout the whole public safety and health sector.



Oct-2020: Vector Solutions acquired LiveSafe, a company providing a risk intelligence communications platform. This acquisition suits precisely Vectors mission to deliver everyday heroes by providing intelligent software solutions that upgrade them to make better, smarter and safer decisions.



Product Launches



Nov-2021: Vector Solutions unveiled Environmental Health and Safety Incident Management System for K-12 schools. The newly launched product would benefit districts and schools by saving time and recording safety incidents, managing them and identifying patterns. This system can be utilized to trace hazards, accidents and other sorts of health-related situations.



Jul-2021: ESO released ESO Inventory, a cloud-based inventory management platform. The Product would help fire departments and EMS agencies to rapidly and easily control disposable medications and supplies.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Enterprise Size



 Large Enterprises



 Small & Medium Enterprises



By Deployment



 Cloud Based



 Web Based



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 ESO Solutions, Inc.



 Vector Solutions (Genstar Capital)



 Tyler Technologies, Inc.



 Accela, Inc. (Berkshire Partners)



 ZOLL Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)



 ImageTrend, Inc.



 EPR Systems, Inc.



 StationSmarts



 Omnigo Software, LLC (Incident Response Technologies, Inc.)



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412036/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

Story continues

CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




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Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that provide services for processing large molecule or biologics drug substances are referred to as large molecule drug substance CDMO.

New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Application, By Service, By End-user, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412055/?utm_source=GNW

These are companies that assist customers in drug discovery via manufacturing abilities by providing services and, thus, also help the pharmaceutical industry.



Large molecules are proteins that tend to have a therapeutic effect. These are highly complex, and most biologics are composed of approximately 1300 or more amino acids. These are prepared so that they resemble human proteins. The rise in molecule drug approvals, growing infectious disease prevalence, and increasing favorability for innovative therapeutics demand more CDMO setups for the rapid development and manufacturing of drugs.



Therefore, CDMOs research, knowledge, and manufacturing abilities are highly necessary to proceed with drug development. As such, many CDMOs engage in integrating third-party ventures, which are also propelled by biotech and pharma companies assistance through financial and technological assets. Most customers also expect CDMOs to offer their expertise even after manufacturing, like in commercial launches.



This is mainly because CDMOs customer base has expanded beyond the big pharmaceutical companies to smaller biotech firms. Additionally, many smaller biotech companies focus extensively on evolving their drug pipelines without any manufacturing experience. Therefore, taking help from CDMOs in development and manufacturing operations also enables the early incorporation of smaller biotech firms operations.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



Some governments imposed regulations that resulted in the procurement of sufficient volumes of therapeutics and vaccines that were produced locally. However, production capacities were still not at their maximum because of supply chain and lockdown constraints. Disrupted supply chains interfered with the procurement of goods needed in the production processes, like the single-use plastic bags, which CDMOs use in the reactors. In addition, the lockdown constraints introduced a reduction in the workforce. These constraints resulted in a significant increase in the lead times, which increased up to four times. The delayed production and increased demand further helped in the growth of the CDMOs. Therefore, the pandemic positively impacted the large molecule drug substance CDMO market.



Market Growth Factors



Increasing Research And Development Of Biologics And Biosimilar



Since the pandemic, numerous businesses have been making significant investments in the creation of biologics and biosimilar compounds. Presently, biologics such as peptides, proteins, and monoclonal antibodies in the discovery stage are making up almost half of the candidates intended to be used as therapeutics. Biopharmaceutical businesses are increasingly putting their resources into research and development, and as a result, many novel biologics are either being developed or are in the pipeline. Hence, all of these factors aid in the growth of the large molecule drug substance CDMO market.



Growing Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) And CVD-Induced Deaths



According to a paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that examined the total severity of cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden, the amount of people who die from (CVD) is steadily increasing. This number also includes one-third of all deaths globally in 2019. The statistics highlight the urgent need for nations to set up affordable public health initiatives that are affordable and focused on lowering heart disease risk through modifiable behaviors.



Market Restraining Factors



Complex Analytical Characterization Of Biologics And Strict Parameters And Regulations



The characterization of large molecules is extremely challenging. Biopharmaceutical companies are needed to characterize in numerous ways, including stability, purity, and function. Large molecules routinely demand a combination of many low and high-resolution techniques to validate the particles structure efficiently. Additionally, numerous post-translational modifications (PTMs) are produced by large molecules during the recombinant synthesis method. Hence, the rise in R&D and investments in product development are boosting the growth and advancement of the large molecule drug substance CDMO market.



Application Outlook



Based on application, the large molecule drug substance CDMO market is categorized into mammalian, microbial, and others. The microbial segment procured a considerable growth rate in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market in 2021. Microbial systems are mostly utilized in the production of recombinant proteins to be used in therapeutic processes. As most of the drugs available in the market are produced through recombinant technologies, they propel the growth of microbial systems.



Service Outlook



On the basis of service, the large molecule drug substance CDMO market is divided into contract manufacturing and contract development. The contract manufacturing segment acquired the largest revenue share in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market in 2021. Contract manufacturing performs various functions like target screening and identification, functional informatics and target validation, preclinical development, and candidate optimization and lead identification.



End-User Outlook



Based on end-user, the large molecule drug substance CDMO market is segmented into biotech companies, CRO, and others. The CRO segment witnessed a considerable growth rate in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market in 2021. The clinical research organization needs the CDMOs assistance with the laboratory, clinical, preclinical, and discovery services. In addition, the rising demand for treatments of various diseases and disorders has also increased the volume of research to be conducted.



Regional Outlook



On the basis of region, the large molecule drug substance CDMO market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. The Asia Pacific segment garnered the maximum revenue share in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market in 2021. A skilled workforce, compliable regulations, and lower overall costs are the main factors that propel the outsourcing of large molecule drug substances to the CDMOs of this region. The presence of a considerable consumer base present in this region has increased the need for improved medicines and treatment techniques.



The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH is the forerunner in the Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market. Companies such as FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Texas LLC, WuXi Biologics (Cayman), Inc., Eurofins Scientific SE are some of the key innovators in Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Eurofins Scientific SE, WuXi Biologics (Cayman), Inc, Catalent, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Texas LLC (Fujifilm Corporation), Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group), Rentschler Biopharma SE, AGC Biologics, Inc. (AGC, Inc.), Recipharm AB (EQT AB), and Siegfried Holding AG.



Recent Strategies Deployed in Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market



Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements:



Oct-2022: WuXi partnered with Toregem BioPharma, a Japan-based biotechnology company, primarily into providing therapeutic agents meant for designing dental regenerative medicines. The partnership involves developing TRG035, an antibody meant for the treatment of congenital adentia. The partnership aligns with WuXis aim to help global partners innovate new biologics solutions for patients worldwide.



Oct-2022: FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies collaborated with RoosterBio, a US-based biotechnology company, primarily into providing stem cell products. The collaboration involves GMP manufacturing of exosome and cell therapies. The collaboration allows FUJIFILM to offer comprehensive cell therapy CDMO services to its customers.



Dec-2021: WuXi partnered with ImmuneOncia, a South-Korea based Biotechnology Company, primarily into providing immunotherapies intended for the treatment of different types of cancer. The partnership involves leveraging WuXis cell line development, bioassay development, cell culture development, and biologics manufacturing to develop bio specific antibodies. The antibody targets Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and Cluster of Differentiation 47 (CD47).



Sep-2021: Boehringer teamed up with Twist Bioscience, a US-based synthetic biology company. The collaboration involves combining Twists skill in generating potent, diverse therapeutic antibodies and Boehringers expertise in drug discovery and development, which would enhance Boehringers ability to better serve its clients and patients.



Apr-2021: Samsung Biologics teams up with TG Therapeutics, a US-based biotechnology company. The collaboration involves expansion of contract manufacturing for TG Therapeutics ublituximab, an antigen meant for use in lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple sclerosis. This collaboration aligns with Samsung Biologics vision to better serve humanity by bringing required treatments to the patients.



Jan-2021: Boehringer partnered with Google, a US-based global technology company. The partnership involves integrating Boehringers competence in computer-based drug design and silico modeling with Googles expertise in algorithms and quantum computers to work on R & D. The partnership aims to advance R & D processes, thereby introducing more medical developments.



Oct-2020: WuXi collaborated with AB2 Bio, a Switzerland-based drug development and discovery company. The collaboration involves advancing Commercial-Scale Manufacturing of Tadekinig alfa, an IL-18 binding protein meant for monogenic Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Based on the agreement, AB2 Bio would transfer commercial manufacturing of Tadekinig alfa to WuXi.



Sep-2020: Samsung Biologics signed an agreement with AstraZeneca, a UK-based public company, primarily into marketing drugs for several diseases including, gastrointestinal, respiratory, cancer, etc. The agreement involves Samsung Biologics providing large-scale manufacturing of drug substances and drug products supporting AstraZenecas biologics therapeutics. The agreement aligns with Samsung Biologics purpose to support clients bring out innovative solutions.



May-2020: Rentschler Biopharma collaborated with Genmab, a Denmark-based biotechnology company. The collaboration involves a business model that aligns with the expansion strategy of Rentschler Biopharmas U.S. site in Milford, MA, and aims to manufacture and process the development of bispecific antibodies built on Genmabs DuoBody technology platform.



Feb-2020: Catalent signed a contract with Zumutor Biologics, a US-based biotechnology company, primarily into providing NK cell therapeutics. The agreement involves manufacturing Zumutors ZM008 meant for solid tumor treatment.



Acquisitions and Mergers:



Aug-2022: Catalent acquired Metrics Contract Services (Metrics), a US-based organization, primarily into providing contract development and manufacturing services for the medical sector. The acquisition advances Catalents ability to better serve its clients, particularly those clients with R & D pipelines having rare, orphan, diseases for oncology and other therapeutic areas.



Apr-2022: Catalent took over a manufacturing facility in Oxfordshire from Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre UK Limited (VMIC Ltd.). The new facility enables Catalent to join forces with the biomedical science community, thereby furnishing opportunities to reshape innovation, and ideas into treatment for patients.



Feb-2022: Recipharm took over GenIbet, a Portuguese company, primarily into providing CDMO services. The acquisition strengthens Recipharms plan to expand in the Biologics market, particularly in drug substance manufacturing of novel ATMPs.



Feb-2022: Recipharm took over Arranta Bio, a US-based company, primarily into supporting the development of health therapies. This acquisition forms a keystone in Recipharms plan to furnish drug developers with CDM services. Moreover, the acquisition expands Recipharms presence in the US.



Jan-2022: Samsung Biologics acquired the remaining share of Biogen in Samsung Bioepis, a Joint Venture between Biogen and Samsung Biologics. The acquisition would advance development in therapeutics R&D and biosimilars.



Dec-2021: Eurofins acquired Genetic Lab, a Japanese company, primarily into pathological diagnostics services. This acquisition complements Eurofins global network of clinical diagnostic laboratories and further boosts Eurofins Asia expansion.



Sep-2021: Boehringer took over Abexxa Biologics, a US-based biotechnology company. The acquisition strengthens Boehringers devotion towards the discovery of tumor-antigen, and Abexxas expertise in antigen discovery and antibody generation complements Boehringers current approach to enable immune-targeting of cancer cells.



Aug-2021: AGC Biologics acquired a commercial facility in Longmont, Colorado, USA from Novartis Gene Therapies. The acquisition expands AGCs manufacturing capacity supporting its global end-to-end Cell and Gene Therapy (C>) offerings and further expanding cell and gene therapy presence in the US.



Feb-2020: Siegfried took over two manufacturing sites in Spain from Novartis. This acquisition expands Siegfrieds global manufacturing network and aligns with its corporate strategy EVOLVE. The two new manufacturing facilities complement Siegfrieds current operations in drug products.



Geographical Expansions:



Nov-2022: WuXi opened a new manufacturing facility in Fengxian, Shanghai. The facility is a Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing (CRDMO) center, which would provide end-to-end services including process development, drug product development, analytical development, clinical drug substance, etc. The CRDMO center would enhance manufacturing and development capacity and would support the development of new biologics programs.



Oct-2022: WuXi expanded its manufacturing facilities network, by opening a new facility in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China. The new facility is a Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) center, named MFG8. MFG8 aligns with the companys foundation for commencing any project within 4 weeks and allows WuXi to better serve evolving needs for drug substance services.



Oct-2022: Catalent expanded its geographical footprint by setting up a new facility in Kansas City, Missouri. The expansion includes setting up two new analytical development laboratories to fulfill evolving demands of assay development.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Application



 Mammalian



 Microbial



 Others



By Service



 Contract Manufacturing



o Commercial



o Clinical



 Contract Development



o Cell Line Development



o Process Development



By End-user



 Biotech Companies



 CRO



 Others



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Eurofins Scientific SE



 WuXi Biologics (Cayman), Inc



 Catalent, Inc.



 Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH



 FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Texas LLC (Fujifilm Corporation)



 Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)



 Rentschler Biopharma SE



 AGC Biologics, Inc. (AGC, Inc.)



 Recipharm AB (EQT AB)



 Siegfried Holding AG



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412055/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

Story continues

CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




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Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are devices with mechanical and electrical components integrated at the micrometer size. The electrical and mechanical components of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology are very tiny and moveable.

New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Microelectromechanical Systems Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Type, By End User, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412060/?utm_source=GNW

With the use of this technology, sensors, including microphones, inertial modules, digital compasses, accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors, humidity sensors, and gyroscopes, may be made.



The MEMS market has expanded due to the impending demand for devices shrinking in a variety of electronic products, including smartphones, wearable technology, medical equipment, and other electronic devices. Due to falling average selling costs and growing advantages of MEMS devices, including such cheap cost, little space needed, and high precision, there is an ongoing increase in demand for these gadgets.



Furthermore, the technological cost is decreased since these components are tiny enough to be directly soldered into the circuit boards. MEMS is essential to the automation industry. Sensitivity, dependability, scalability, and an affordable design are all features of MEMS technology. This opens up additional automation career prospects.



These technologies are essential to the industry because they enable faster production rates and increased throughput. Application areas for MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes in industrial automation are many. Because of their tiny size, great durability, and low power requirements, MEMS sensors may be an essential component of almost every industrial automation device.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



The electronics and semiconductor industries have been greatly impacted by the advent of COVID-19. Due to an upsurge in COVID-19 cases, businesses and manufacturing facilities worldwide were shut down, and it is anticipated that these facilities will stay shut in 2021. Additionally, telecommunications and the medical sector have profited, while civil aviation, transportation, and the automobile sectors have all suffered. On the consumer, mobile, and industrial markets, the effects have been mild. The perception of the present global industrial supply chain is also changing as a consequence of COVID-19, which may lead to further regionalization and localized value chains to lessen risks similar to those posed by the pandemic and the first shutdown. MEMS companies will either connect numerous sensors to create sensor hubs, or they will add processing, algorithms, and software to add value and escape the cycle of commoditization. The COVID-19 lockdowns effects include widespread production disruption in Europe and a halt to the export of Chinese components, which might hurt the worldwide MEMS industry.



Market Growth Factors



The Growing Popularity Of Advanced Consumer Electronics



The majority of consumer devices like tablets, smartphones, and smartwatches have integrated microphones in them. The demand for microphones is further fuelled by the rise in demand for these devices. Devices like tablets and mobile phones require compact, thin, and low-power-consuming components. As the number of audio applications and features increases, microphone technology becomes more crucial.



Increasing Uses Of Microphones In Industrial Applications



For a long time, microphones have been deployed across a wide range of industrial applications for voice applications and communication. In the last couple of years, microphones have been deployed in various industrial applications like sound power testing, general sound measurement, and noise source testing for white goods like power hand tools, heating & air conditioning systems, and small household appliances.



Market Restraining Factors



Expensive Raw Materials



The sensors and actuators made feasible by microsystems design are presently manufactured using thin film methods. Even if their performance is often constrained, such devices benefit greatly from the use of tried-and-true, low-cost manufacturing methods that are mostly based on silicon and directly developed by the semiconductor industry. High-quality equipment, and sometimes whole facilities, become obsolete as the semiconductor sector investment cycle pursues increases in performance and functionality via smaller feature sizes and bigger wafers to spread the production expenses across more devices.



Type Outlook



Based on type, the Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Market is divided into Actuators and Sensors. The sensors market category had the most revenue share in 2021. The Internet of Things (IoT) has a huge need for small, inexpensive sensors that can monitor every step of manufacturing in order to support new applications and business models. The information from these sensors will probably be sent to other nodes in the manufacturing network. They must perform dependably despite the challenging electrical and mechanical environment.



End-user Outlook



Based on End-user, the Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Market is divided into Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Industrial, Aerospace and Defense, Healthcare, Telecommunication, and Others. The markets considerable revenue share was produced by the automotive sector in 2021. The car industry has been much more electrified recently, which has greatly increased demand for various electric components. The automotive industry is experiencing a significant shift as a result of the growing demand for electric cars, which necessitates reducing the weight and improving the efficiency of new EVs.



Regional Outlook



Based on geography, the Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. Due to the rapid expansion of the telecom, consumer electronics, and automotive sectors, APAC led the MEMS Market with the major revenue share. Additionally, Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) market technology is more prevalent in numerous aerospace & military, energy & power, and other industries in economically developed countries, which is expected to considerably contribute to the markets development.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Analog Devices, Inc., Broadcom, Inc., HP Development Company, L.P., NXP Semiconductors N.V., Panasonic Corporation, Robert Bosch GmbH, STMicroelectronics N.V., Texas Instruments, Inc., IBM Corporation, and Canon, Inc.



Recent Strategies Deployed in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Market



Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements:



Jul-2022: STMicroelectronics partnered with GlobalFoundries, a US-based contract chipmaker. The partnership involves setting up a new semiconductor manufacturing plant in France, this move aligns with both the companies commitment to building capacity to serve their European clients. The partnership further enables STMicroelectronics to lower the risk limit and strengthen its FD-SOI ecosystem.



May-2022: Analog Devices collaborated with Synopsys, a US-based public company, primarily into providing electronic design automation software, software integrity products, etc. The collaboration involves providing DC/DC ICs and Module regulators with Synopsys Saber, a simulation tool. Moreover, the collaboration allows Analog to provide a better and more powerful simulation solution, thereby benefitting Analogs clients.



Jan-2022: Bosch partnered with IRP Systems, an Israel-based developer of electric powertrain systems. The partnership brings together Boschs automotive manufacturing expertise and IRPs e-powertrain technology to provide personal mobility OEMs in Europe with supreme quality, reasonably priced electric motor controllers. Moreover, this partnership strengthens Boschs market position in the electronic manufacturing sector.



Dec-2021: NXP Semiconductors partnered with QuEST Global, a Singapore-based product engineering Services Company. The partnership involves Quest providing valued services to mutual OEM and Tier-1 clients to support them unravel NXPs S32G Vehicle Network Processors true potential.



Sep-2020: Analog Devices teamed up with Evonetix, a UK-based biotechnology company. The collaboration involves both companies working together towards the progress of Evonetixs MEMS-based silicon chips, and advancing the development of DNA desktop writer, Evonetixs first product offering and aims at cost reduction in gene assembly. Moreover, through this collaboration, Analog gets an opportunity to set foot in evolving synthetic biology market.



Acquisitions and Mergers:



Aug-2021: Analog Devices took over Maxim Integrated, a US-based manufacturer of semiconductor products. The acquisition reinforces Analogs market position as a high-performance analog semiconductor company and expands Analogs ability across radio frequency, power management systems, sensor & digital products, etc.



Jul-2020: STMicroelectronics took over BeSpoon, and Riot Micro. BeSpoon, a France-based company primarily into manufacturing position tracking products and services. Riot Micro, a Canada-based company, is primarily into developing wireless chipsets. Both acquisitions reinforce STMicroelectronics wireless connectivity and further complement STMicroelectronics wireless microcontroller offerings.



Product Launches and Expansions:



Nov-2022: NXP Semiconductors introduced the S32K39 series of automotive microcontrollers intended to use for electric vehicle (EV) control applications. The high-performance MCU decreases system costs and aids remote smart actuation. The new MCU provides carmakers flexibility and scalability to advance their development in EVs and employ up-to-date electrification technologies.



Apr-2021: STMicroelectronics introduced AIS2IH, a next-generation three-axis linear accelerometer. The new accelerometer is AEC-Q100 qualified, is equipped with features including temperature stability, improved resolution, etc., and can be used in a wide range of automotive areas including anti-theft, infotainment, etc.



Geographical Expansions:



Jun-2021: Texas Instruments signed an agreement to acquire a 300-mm semiconductor factory in Lehi, Utah from Micron Technology. The acquisition forms a part of Texas Instruments long-term planning and further reinforces its competitive edge in technology and manufacturing through Lehi Fabs technical knowledge and experience in engineering.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Type



 Sensors



o Inertial Sensors



o Environmental Sensors



o Optical Sensors



o Pressure Sensors



o Ultrasonic Sensors



 Actuators



o Optical MEMS



o RF MEMS



o Microfluidics



o Others



By End User



 Consumer Electronics



 Industrial



 Automotive



 Healthcare



 Telecommunication



 Aerospace & Defense



 Others



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Analog Devices, Inc.



 Broadcom, Inc.



 HP Development Company, L.P.



 NXP Semiconductors N.V.



 Panasonic Corporation



 Robert Bosch GmbH



 STMicroelectronics N.V.



 Texas Instruments, Inc.



 IBM Corporation



 Canon, Inc.



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412060/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




ReportLinker

A showerhead is a bathroom accessory that controls the direction of water flow in a shower. Water is sent to the showerhead as soon as the faucet is turned on in a walk-in shower. In a bathtub/shower combo, a diverter on the faucet directs water to the showerhead.

New York, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Shower Heads Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Application, By Distribution Channel, By Type, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412085/?utm_source=GNW

Although more environmentally friendly types are available that may assist in reducing water use by half; the average showerhead consumes roughly 2.5 GPM (gallons per minute). Showerheads may be fixed to the shower walls or ceiling, depending on the bathrooms design.



There are many different shower heads available on the market that produce the water stream in various patterns and velocities. In order to save water, energy-efficient devices regulate the water flow. In order to provide a stronger stream and a more forceful shower, high-pressure showerheads force large amounts of water through fewer openings.



Other shower head options include pulsing and massage-like streams as well as adjustable heads that may be switched from the single-stream high flow. An adjustable devices control switch is often placed on the side of the head. Other advantages for conserving water, saving electricity, and improving comfort come from sophisticated shower heads that include heat and time sensors within.



Before entering the stall, the water is warmed up using a shower head with an integrated heat sensor. Shower arms with wall-mounted shower heads connected to them are secured to the shower wall. One of the simplest DIY tasks a homeowner may do is replace a wall-mount showerhead.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



The global economy has been greatly impacted by the widespread COVID-19. The market for shower heads has suffered because of the pandemic. Lockdowns and other similar restrictions have been enacted by the governments of various countries, which have disrupted the supply chain and reduced industrial capacity. For the first several months, restoration and building work was put on hold, notably at the commercial level. As a consequence, several homeowners decided to replace their current interiors. Additionally, the government has placed a number of limitations on the opening of hardware shops and brand stores, which have prohibited the selling of goods like bathroom cabinets.



Market Growth Factor



Spa-like Experience at Home



Over conventional fixed devices, even the simplest basic handheld showerhead provides more comfort and versatility. Handheld devices may also be used as massagers, and many of them have several settings so you can customize the experience to meet your requirements. After working out, you may even conduct an at-home massage treatment session in your own bathroom using a handheld showerhead to soothe weary muscles.



Increasing activity in both residential and commercial development



One of the most important factors promoting market growth is the growing rate of residential and commercial activities and their completion in both developed and emerging countries. As peoples affordability and buying power rise, there is a significant rise in the demand for new homes. Additionally, rehabilitation and remodeling projects are becoming increasingly popular throughout developed parts of the globe. Todays consumers desire to have contemporary, multi-purpose bathroom amenities, which is driving up demand for interior design.



Market Restraining Factor



Shower heads have a clogging and leaking problem



The shower drain becoming clogged is rather typical. Hair, debris, soap, and anything that is unintentionally dumped down the drain are the typical culprits for clogs. Additionally, this is a consequence of calcium or lime scale buildup. On shower heads, these mineral deposits accumulate over time. This often jams the shower head, reducing water pressure or even completely stopping the flow of water.



Application Outlook



Based on application, the showerhead market is divided into residential and commercial. The residential sector dominated the showerhead market in 2021. The expansion of residential real estate, particularly in developed nations, is anticipated to fuel the segments development. The implementation of measures by governments in many nations, such as low-cost affordable housing programs, reductions in transactional taxes, and incentives for first-time buyers, is also anticipated to increase demand for the commodity.



Distribution Channel Outlook



Based on distribution channel, the showerhead market is classified into offline and online. The online segment registered the considerable revenue share in the shower head market in 2021. Increasing internet connection in rural areas, quicker & more dependable delivery by various online portals, and replacement options are some of the drivers driving the business.



Type Outlook



Based on type, the market for shower heads is divided into three types: fixed, handheld, and dual-purpose. In 2021, the fixed showerhead segment led the showerhead market with the largest revenue share. This is owing to the widespread usage of fixed showerheads in bathrooms in almost every home in the world. The demand for these items has significantly expanded in recent years as a result of expanding residential and commercial buildings as well as technical advancements in the bathroom goods sector.



Regional Outlook



Based on region, the shower head market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. The Asia Pacific region dominated the shower head market in 2021. India has a sizable market for residential and real development projects. Therefore, bathroom accessory and fitting businesses are benefiting. Where sanitation penetration is lower, governments in the area are stepping up efforts to enhance it.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Grohe AG (LIXIL Corporation), Masco Corporation, Moen Incorporated, Jacuzzi Brands, LLC, Kohler Co., Jaquar Group, Zoe Industries, Inc., MX Group, VIGO Industries and Colston Bath



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Application



 Residential



 Commercial



By Distribution Channel



 Offline



 Online



By Type



 Fixed



 Handheld



 Dual-purpose



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Grohe AG (LIXIL Corporation)



 Masco Corporation



 Moen Incorporated



 Jacuzzi Brands, LLC



 Kohler Co.



 Jaquar Group



 Zoe Industries, Inc.



 MX Group



 VIGO Industries



 Colston Bath



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06412085/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

Story continues

CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




ATHENS, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Greece sold 812.5 million euros ($883.11 million) of six-month treasury bills on Wednesday at a lower yield than a sale in December, the country's debt agency (PDMA) said.

The debt agency sold the new paper at a yield of 2.40%, 10 basis points lower compared to 2.50% in the December sale. The amount raised included 187.5 million euros in non-competitive bids.

The sale's bid-to-cover ratio was 2.46, down from 2.66 in the previous auction. The settlement date is on January 27. ($1 = 0.9200 euros) (Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas Editing by Karolina Tagaris)
London, United Kingdom --News Direct-- Kavango Resources PLC

This release contains a video. If you can't see a video, click the link:

Botswana focussed metals exploration company Kavango Resources plc (LSE:KAV) ("Kavango") is pleased to announce that drilling has restarted in the Company's Kalahari Copper Belt ("KCB") project area following a scheduled summer break.

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Hole KCBRD006

Kavango has recommenced drilling on the sixth and final hole in the current drilling programme on prospecting licence ("PL") PL082/2018

Upon completion, the Company expects to have drilled around 1,640m in the programme, exceeding its original guidance

2. KCBRD006 is targeting a major stratigraphic structure identified by its Controlled-Source Audio MagnetoTelluric ("CSAMT") surveying

Kavango has interpreted the CSAMT data as indicating the presence of a D'Kar/Ngwako Pan horizon contact. This is the primary control for economic copper/silver mineralisation in the KCB

The Company's analysis identifies this as a continuation of the horizon hosting Sandfire Resources' (ASX:SFR) neighbouring Kronos copper target zone

Physical confirmation of the contact's presence will validate the Company's use of CSAMT as a KCB exploration tool

Ben Turney, Chief Executive Officer of Kavango Resources, commented:

"Through our innovative use of CSAMT, Kavango has identified major structures for the first time on our KCB licences. Our ongoing drill programme has subsequently confirmed these to be associated with deformation, fluid flow, and alteration. This could be a game changer in exploration for a new generation of drill targets on the KCB.

Given the large size of our KCB licence package, Kavango is currently working to optimise and prioritise these. Our COO Brett Grist is presently in Botswana with our senior consultants, the results of which work are expected to refine our 2023 KCB exploration strategy."

KCBRD006 details

Kavango began drilling KCBRD006 in December 2022 and following a scheduled break in its ongoing PL082/2018 drilling campaign is about to continue the hole to completion. The Company expects to have drilled approximately 1,640m over six holes once the hole completes, exceeding the 1,250m it originally planned (announced >>> 11 October 2022). To date, 1,211.97m have been drilled.

Story continues

Kavango is using KCBRD006 to target a D'Kar/Ngwako Pan horizon contact interpreted from the inversion results of its Line 4A CSAMT survey on PL082/2018 (announced >>> 16 December 2022), and from a survey on Line 6A.

Line 4A was extended beyond the licence boundary to the southeast and onto ground held by Sandfire Resources (ASX:SFR). This ground hosts the Kronos copper target zone ("Kronos"), which is known to lie at a D'Kar/Ngwako Pan horizon.

Kavango's interpretation of the inversion shows that the horizon hosting Kronos extends over the licence boundary and across PL082/2018 as a syncline. With KCBRD006, the Company is testing for favourable host geology associated with resistivity highs related to this interpreted Ngwako Pan horizon.

KCBRD006 is being drilled on the northwest edge of PL082/2018, which the Company has interpreted as a limb of the syncline where it rises towards the surface. Targeting the horizon on its shallowest interpreted zone enables Kavango to physically confirm its presence in the quickest and most cost-effective way possible.

Kavango commenced KCBRD006 using the Reverse Circulation ("RC") technique with a multi-purpose rig. This approach permits a cost-effective start to drilling the hole. Drilling is being completed using the Diamond Core technique to provide a higher quality of data for analysis.

KCBRD006 is being drilled approximately 250m to the south-southwest of the last hole in Kavango's PL082/2018 drill programme, KCBRD005. This was the first hole to be targeted principally using CSAMT and encountered an intense zone of brecciation and shearing intermittently from 379m to the end of hole at 497.55m. Kavango drilled to the end of the brecciated zone to act as a control for future use and interpretation of CSAMT.

Figure 1: Highly sheared core from bottom of hole KCBRD005; this coincides with the deformed zone seen on the CSAMT

This brecciation coincides with a steeply south-southeast dipping structure interpreted from the CSAMT inversions as a 'strain breccia zone', partially validating the CSAMT method in this part of the KCB.

Alteration fluids can pass through brecciated zones and deposit metal ions. When this takes place in the vicinity of the favourable Ngwako/D'Kar Pan contact, these ions can accumulate and form deposits due to reductive conditions.

Kavango will publish full drill results at the end of the campaign, once all data has been processed.

Further information in respect of the Company and its business interests is provided on the Company's website at www.kavangoresources.com and on Twitter at #KAV.

For further information please contact:

Kavango Resources plc

Ben Turney

bturney@kavangoresources.com

First Equity (Broker)

+44 207 374 2212

Jason Robertson

Kavango Competent Person Statement

The technical information contained in this announcement pertaining to geology and exploration have been read and approved by Brett Grist BSc(Hons) FAusIMM (CP). Mr Grist is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy with Chartered Professional status. Mr Grist has sufficient experience that is relevant to the exploration programmes and geology of the main styles of mineralisation and deposit types under consideration to act as a Qualified Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'.

The technical information contained in this announcement pertaining to geophysics have been read and approved by Mr. Jeremy S. Brett, M.Sc., P.Geo., Senior Geophysical Consultant, Jeremy S. Brett International Consulting Ltd. in Toronto, Canada. Mr. Brett is a member of the Professional Geoscientists of Ontario, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, the Canadian Exploration Geophysical Society, and the Society of Economic Geologists. Mr. Brett has sufficient experience that is relevant to geophysics applied to the styles of mineralisation and types of deposits under consideration to act as a Qualified Person as defined under the Canadian National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

NOTES TO EDITORS

KAVANGO'S INTERESTS IN THE KALAHARI COPPER BELT

Kavango's exploration licences in the KCB include:

Kanye Resources

100% working interest (in 10 prospecting licences, which cover 4,256km2.

The LVR Project / Shongwe Resources

A 90% interest in prospecting licences PL082/2018 & PL 083/2018, held in a Joint Venture, Shongwe Resources, with LVR GeoExplorers (Pty) Ltd ("LVR"), which cover 809km2.

THE KCB PROJECT GEOLOGICAL SETTING

Kavango's KCB Project areas include lengthy redox boundaries, close to surface, that represent excellent exploration targets.

The redox boundaries were formed several hundred million years ago in active sedimentary basins flooded by shallow seas. Organic matter accumulating on the sea floor created anoxic conditions, which formed a chemical barrier to metal ions rising upwards through the sediments as the basin subsided. The change in chemistry caused the precipitation of metal species (carbonates, sulphides etc.) including copper and silver on or just below the redox boundary.

Subsequent tectonic activity folded the sedimentary layers, which was often accompanied by the concentration of metals into the fold hinges and shear zones. Fold hinges pointing upwards are known as anticlines, while the downward pointing hinges are called synclines.

Several large copper/silver ore deposits have been discovered on the KCB in association with anticlines in areas now held under licence by Sandfire Resources (ASX:SFR) and Cupric Canyon (a privately owned mining development company). These deposits are relatively close to surface and many are amenable to open pit mining operations.

Accumulations of metals can be traced along the strike of redox boundaries (sometimes for many kilometres) because they often contain iron and have a higher magnetic signature than the surrounding rock. These have recently been successfully mapped by Kavango's exploration teams.

GLOSSARY

AEM: Airborne Electromagnetic Survey. This uses an energised loop to induce currents in underlying lithological units, which resultant magnetic field can then be measured.

CSAMT: Abbreviated from Controlled Source Audio frequency Magneto Telluric. An AMT survey is an electromagnetic survey technique that uses naturally occurring passive energy sources, and which can electromagnetically map geological structures to depths of 500 metres or more.

Inversion: Geophysical inversion refers to mathematical and statistical techniques for recovering information on subsurface physical properties, from measured geophysical data

KCB: Kalahari Copper Belt. An area of southern Africa, running ENE-WSW from Botswana into Namibia, within which multiple economic copper-silver sedimentary rock hosted deposits have been discovered.

RC: Reverse Circulation drilling. This is a cost-effective method of drilling that uses compressed air to drive a downhole hammer, which breaks rock into chips that are forced up an internal tube in the drill rod, minimising risk of contamination by wall-rock.

Redox boundary: Reduction and oxidation boundary, at which the chemical oxidative state of chemical species changes, typically resulting in precipitation of metal salts.

This Presentation contains forward-looking statements which are identified by words such as may, could, believes, estimates, targets, expects, intends and other variations of such words that Involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements include statements regarding the future development of the KCB project, including cost and timing estimates.

These statements are based on an assessment of present economic and operating conditions, and on a number of assumptions regarding future events and actions that, at the date of this Presentation, are expected to take place.

Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements because of a number of factors, including uncertainty in estimating mineral resources due to the preliminary stage of the Companys assessment of its projects, actual demand, price fluctuations, the ability to produce and transport products profitably, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, operational problems, political risks, economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions, industry competitors and activities by governmental authorities such as changes in taxation or regulation. The Company cannot and does not give any assurance that the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this Presentation will actually occur and investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend to update or revise forward-looking statements, or to publish prospective financial information in the future, regardless of whether new information, future events or any other factors affect the information contained in this Presentation, except where required by law. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risk factors that could cause the Companys actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or anticipated in these statements.

Contact Details

Kavango Resources Plc

Ben Turney

+1 207-374-2212

bturney@kavangoresources.com

Company Website

https://www.kavangoresources.com/

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/kavango-targets-key-control-on-kcb-mineralisation-with-latest-drillhole-423327063
(Reuters) - Department store chain Kohl's Corp is in late-stage talks to name Tom Kingsbury as its permanent chief executive, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the situation.

Kingsbury was named interim CEO in December, after Michelle Gass left Kohl's to become the top boss at Levi Strauss & Co.

The appointment will come as the department store chain is struggling with declining sales and greater pressure from activist investors.

In November, Kohl's withdrew its 2022 sales and profit forecasts, blaming an uncertain economic outlook and the departure of Gass.

The company does not comment on "rumors or speculation", a spokesperson told Reuters.

(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
Contrive Datum Insights Pvt Ltd

According to a market research study published by Contrive Datum Insights, North America has become the largest market for Medical Equipment Financing, Europe is in second place because more medical equipment.

Farmington, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Medical Equipment Financing Market was valued at USD 161.89 Billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 277.89 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.99% from 2023 to 2030. Keeping up with the latest innovations in medical equipment is essential, but it may be costly. Due to this, many healthcare workers require finance to acquire the necessary equipment and supplies. A loan or lease for medical equipment provides these experts with the instruments necessary to attract new and returning patients. This enables people to earn additional income and increase their savings.

Request Sample Copy of the Report  Medical Equipment Financing Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Opportunities, Future Trends, Covid-19 Impact, SWOT Analysis, Competition, and Forecasts 2022 to 2030 , published by Contrive Datum Insights.

Due to the constant improvement of medical technology, it is now essential to choose the best medical equipment for superior health care. However, advanced diagnostic technologies are costly, making it difficult for doctors and hospitals to afford them. Low monthly payments and flexible loan formats are required to pay for medical equipment.

Medical Equipment Financing Market Recent Developments:

In July 2021 - IFC and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) launched a trade finance guarantee initiative to help low-income countries recover from the effects of the pandemic by supporting trade flows of critical goods, including food and medical equipment.

In May 2021 - E. Healthcare and NSIA Banque Cote d'Ivoire announced a partnership with IFC's Africa Medical Equipment Facility to strengthen the healthcare industry and support medical equipment financing across Africa.

In April 2021 - IMAGEENS jointly raised $1.45 million in seed funding with Anaxago. This is expected to strengthen the company's team with key R&D talent to expand the deployment of software solutions.

Story continues

Medical Equipment Financing Market Segmentation Analysis:

The market for medical equipment was anticipated to be worth 48.3 billion dollars in 2021. In emerging nations, there is an increased demand for premium, high-quality, and cutting-edge healthcare facilities as a result of improved healthcare infrastructure and a burgeoning healthcare business. Due to the increased need for technologically advanced medical care, new and imaginative goods for providing these treatments and related services have been developed, all of which are relatively costly to acquire.

In 2021, the market for refurbished items reached its peak. Refurbished equipment is medical equipment that has been reconditioned or restored to a working condition without affecting its primary function or original specifications. This equipment is only utilized after a thorough cleaning, disinfection, and repair of worn or broken parts. Emerging nations have a strong demand for refurbished medical equipment due to their limited financial resources. In 2021, the market for refurbished items reached its peak.

The development of diagnostic instruments to facilitate the growth of diagnostic centers and laboratories. In 2021, the hospital and clinic industry maintained its market-leading position. This dominance is related to factors such as greater investment in infrastructure management and rising demand for surgical procedures at clinics and hospitals.

Regional Outlook:

North America has become the largest market for financing medical equipment. It was worth $45.93 billion in 2021. This is mostly because the financing rate for medical equipment is the best in the region. This region has become the most powerful in the world due to advances in medical devices and investments in medical infrastructure. Europe is in second place because more medical equipment funding is based on artificial intelligence and more money is being invested in healthcare infrastructure. Additionally, more clients have turned to the market for financing medical equipment as medical experts and personnel have gained greater knowledge about it.

The financial industry is expanding in Asia-Pacific, and more hospitals, cutting-edge labs, and diagnostic centers are being constructed in the region's developing nations, which is predicted to accelerate the region's economic growth. This market would also expand if the government allocated more funds to the healthcare industry. As an illustration, the Indian finance minister recently stated that $9.09 billion will be allocated to the healthcare sector in the country's 2020 budget.

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Scope of Report:

Report Attributes Details Growth Rate 8.6% from 2023 to 2030 Market Size in 2022 USD 161.89 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 277.89 Billion By Equipment Diagnostics Equipment, Therapeutic Equipment, Patient Monitoring Equipment, Laboratory Equipment, Medical Furniture By Type New Medical Equipment, Rental Equipment, Refurbished Equipment By End User Hospitals, Clinics, Laboratories & Diagnostic Centers, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Others By Companies Avance Biosciences, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Fluidigm Corporation, JN medsys, Merck KGAA, Precigenome LLC, QIAGEN N.V, STILLA TECHNOLOGIES, sysmex corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Formulatrix, Promega, and Others. Base Year 2022 Historical Year 2017 to 2021 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030

Market Drivers:

Improvements in endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery procedures at ASCs, which have led to an increase in outpatient visits, will contribute to the segment's growth in the near future. ASCs will also experience an increase in demand because they offer affordable treatment alternatives and employ competent medical personnel. ASCs also provide patients the option of same-day surgery, which saves both the patient and the surgeon time. Thus, the aforementioned elements promote segmental expansion.

Market Challenges:

As their economies expand, equipment finance firms continue to face numerous challenges. Even while banks have more resources and are seeking chances in the medical equipment market, the majority of businesses have grown more capital-conscious. It is more likely that hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centers will spend money to maintain their existing equipment than to purchase new ones.

Market Opportunity:

The market for medical goods has expanded significantly. Rapid technical advancements and artificial intelligence technologies have maximized the capabilities of the medical industry. This is the primary factor that generates demand and attracts physicians and other medical professionals to the financing equipment industry. Because the equipment is pricey and high-tech, hospitals and diagnostic centers have decided to finance it.

Medical Equipment Financing Market Key Segments Covered:

Top Market Players:

Hero FinCorp, National Funding, Blue Bridge Financial, LLC, First American Equipment Finance, SMC Finance, Siemens Financial Services, Inc., SLR Healthcare ABL, TIAA Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Macquarie Group Limited, Truist Bank, HDFC Bank, and Others.

By Equipment

Diagnostics Equipment

Therapeutic Equipment

Patient Monitoring Equipment

Laboratory Equipment

Medical Furniture

By Type

New Medical Equipment

Rental Equipment

Refurbished Equipment

By End User

Hospitals

Clinics Dermatology Clinics Dental Clinics Ophthalmology Clinics

Laboratories & Diagnostic Centers

Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Others

Regions and Countries Covered

North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, and Rest of North America)

Europe: (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe)

Asia-Pacific: (Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

The Middle East & Africa: (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa)

Latin America: (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America)

Rest Of the World

Check out more related studies published by Contrive Datum Insights:

Aviation Actuator System Market - The Global Aviation Actuator System Market Is Projected To Grow From USD 2.02 Billion In 2018 To USD 3.06 Billion By 2030, At A CAGR Of 5.24% From 2022 To 2030. Emerging countries such as China, India, and Brazil are expected to create new growth opportunities for prominent players operating in the market. For instance, according to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. in September 2019, the Chinese market is expected to witness strong demand for commercial aircraft over the next 20 years.

Electronic Access Control System (EACS) Market - The Global Electronic Access Control Systems (EACS) Market Was Estimated At USD 9.9 Billion In 2022 And Is Projected To Reach A Revised USD 22.4 Billion By 2029, Growing At A CAGR Of 12.4% During The Analysis Period 2022-2030. North America is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period due to rising terrorist threats and security concerns, which are the major factors driving the growth of the EACS industry in the region.

Industrial Control System (ICS) Security Market - The Global Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security Market size surpassed USD 5 Billion in 2022 and is poised to register a 20.0% CAGR from 2022 to 2030. North America dominates the industrial control system (ICS) security market due to the prevalence of improved infrastructure and the adoption of advanced technologies in the region.

Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS) Market - The Global Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS) Market Is Expected To Grow At A CAGR Of 7.5% From 2022 To 2030. North America dominated the global flight information display system market in terms of the revenue share of over 35.0%. This growth can be attributed to the presence of many airlines and airports using FIDS, high adoption rates, and increasing demand for technologically advanced products.

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OKX

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OKX Ventures , the investment arm of the leading global cryptocurrency trading platform OKX , has released its 2023 Crypto Investment Outlook Report . The report offers insights based on proprietary and third-party data on what can be expected in the space in 2023.

Ethereum Continues to Dominate Developer Spaces

With Ethereums shift from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake leading to energy consumption being slashed by 99%, the ETH merge will deliver improved scalability, security, and environmentally friendly solutions - an attractive prospect for new and existing developers who want to pass these benefits on to their users. Danksharding is expected to boost TPS to 100k+ after the Shanghai Upgrade .

Web3 Innovations

The Web 2.5 space will see steady growth. Traditional brands, internet companies, and KOLs have been successful enough in the Web3 space for Web 2.5 applications to attract a number of new users to the crypto industry.

With low-threshold wallets, improved Web3 experiences, easier access to DApps, the introduction of secure, shared open source solutions, and many more innovations on the way, well start seeing a more user-friendly environment for crypto beginners to explore Web3.

DeFi Revitalization

Decentralized stablecoins should make a comeback. Stablecoins are critical to DeFi protocols and can be used to attract new users to DeFi, improve liquidity, and increase the revenue and FDV of the protocols.

The rise of GMX represented an adoption breakthrough in 2022. Layer 2-enabled derivatives are also set to emerge.

It is expected that the NFT industry will move beyond digital art and push into utility applications for wider adoption. The next NFT innovation cycle is likely to include AMM mechanisms, liquidity pools and NFT lending, among other developments.

Industry-Wide Focus on Infrastructure

Bigger bets will be placed on permissionless and decentralized infrastructure projects, including new data tools.

Story continues

The liquidity fragmentation brought by Layer 2 solutions, app-chains, and multichains such as Cosmos also brings greater opportunities for MEV. The manner in which Flashbot extracts on Ethereum will be completely different after danksharding, potentially creating a new MEV landscape. The industry can expect to see further MEV innovations in 2023.

On-chain security

On-chain data, tracking tools, and asset recovery tools are set to be one of the main focuses of 2023. On-chain data can not only provide support for Web3 security governance, but will also help with monitoring of on-chain activities, Web3 user behaviors, and tracking of lost assets. There is exciting potential in this field, and institutions are paying attention.

OKX Ventures full 2023 Crypto Investment Outlook Report can be found here .

For further information, please contact:

Media@okx.com

About OKX Ventures

OKX Ventures is an investment institution under the worldwide top trading platform OKX. It focuses on exploring the best blockchain projects on a global scale, supporting the most cutting-edge blockchain technology innovation, promoting the healthy development of the global blockchain industry and investing in long-term structural value.

OKX Ventures is committed to helping entrepreneurs who contribute to the development of the blockchain industry build great companies and bring global resources and historical experience to blockchain projects.




Asias wealthiest person saw his fortune take a hit on Wednesday, after a famed U.S. short-seller accused him of pulling the largest con in corporate history.

In a report published on Tuesday, Hindenburg Research said Adani Group and its founder, Gautam Adanione of the richest people in the worldhad engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades.

Adani serves as the Indian conglomerates chairman.

Hindenburg Research has a history of shining a light on corporate malpractice, successfully predicting the demise or exposing the shortcomings of several companies, including Nikola, Riot Blockchain, and China Metal Resources Utilization.

It announced on Tuesday that it had concluded a two-year investigation into Adani Group, which involved speaking with dozens of insiders, including former senior executives, as well as reviewing thousands of documents and carrying out diligence site visits in several countries.

Precarious financial footing

Adani Groups aggressive expansion efforts have seen it rack up massive debts.

The firms financial problems have been widely reported on, but Hindenburg warned that the companys use of its inflated stock as loan collateral was putting the entire group on precarious financial footing.

However, the problems with Adani Groups finances were much deeper than its stock being overpriced, Hindenburg said.

Through its wide-reaching investigations, Hindenburg said it had uncovered a vast labyrinth of offshore shell entities being managed by Adanis older brother, Vinod.

Thirty-eight of those shell companies were in Mauritius, the report claimed, with others discovered in Cyprus, the UAE, Singapore, and the Caribbean.

The shells seem to serve several functions, including stock parking/stock manipulation and laundering money through Adanis private companies onto the listed companies balance sheets in order to maintain the appearance of financial health and solvency, Hindenburgs report said. This offshore shell network also seems to be used for earnings manipulation.

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One offshore fund had allocated around $3 billion almost exclusively to shares of Adani Group companies, Hindenburgs report also claimed.

A former trader at the fund reportedly said it was obvious the Adanis controlled those shares, but that the fund had been intentionally structured to conceal their ultimate beneficial ownership.

In India, shares of publicly listed companies that are held by those involved with establishing or controlling the business must be disclosed by law.

The rules also dictate that listed firms have at least 25% of their shares held by non-promoters in order to mitigate manipulation and insider trading.

Four of Adanis listed companies are on the brink of the delisting threshold due to high promoter ownership, the report alleged.

Our research indicates that offshore shells and funds tied to the Adani Group comprise many of the largest public (i.e., non-promoter) holders of Adani stock, an issue that would subject the Adani companies to delisting, were the Indian securities regulators rules enforced.

As well as using offshore shell companies to hold stock, Hindenburgs researchers also detailed how the family was using them to send money to their publicly traded firms.

The funds then seem to be used to engineer Adanis accounting (whether by bolstering its reported profit or cash flows), cushioning its capital balances in order to make listed entities appear more creditworthy, or simply moved back out to other parts of the Adani empire where capital is needed, they said.

They noted that Adanis personal fortune had been boosted over the past three years by Adani Group stock price appreciation, with its seven core firms seeing an average price rise of 819% over that period.

However, they argued that these elevated pricesand thus Adanis net worthcould not be sustained.

Even if you ignore the findings of our investigation and take the financials of Adani Group at face value, its seven key listed companies have 85% downside purely on a fundamental basis owing to sky-high valuations, they said in Tuesdays report.

Baseless allegations

Representatives for the Adani Group did not respond to Fortunes request for comment on Hindenburgs investigation.

However, the organization publicly refuted the allegations on Wednesday, arguing that they had been made in an attempt to sabotage the success of Adani Enterprises upcoming follow-on public offer (FPO), which is expected to go live on Friday, Jan. 27.

Last year, Adani Group announced it would inject more shares of Adani Enterprisesone of its public divisionsinto the market after its stock price surged more than 3,300% in three years.

Since debuting on the stock market in the 1990s, shares of Adani Enterprises have seen their value rise by more than 50,000%.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the companys $2.45 billion secondary share offeringIndias largest-ever FPOwas oversubscribed by anchor investors.

Initial bids included offers from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley, according to Reuters.

The report is a malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless, and discredited allegations that have been tested and rejected by Indias highest courts, the companys CFO Jugeshinder Singh said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Group has always been in compliance with all laws, regardless of jurisdiction, and maintains the highest standards of corporate governance, he insisted.

Our informed and knowledgeable investors are not influenced by one-sided, motivated, and unsubstantiated reports with vested interests.

Despite Singhs assertion that the investor community has always reposed faith in the Adani Group, Hindenburgs report triggered a massive selloff of the corporations listed businesses on Wednesday.

On average, the groups listed firms saw more than 5% wiped off their value during Mumbais trading session on Wednesday, according to the Financial Timesamounting to a $10.8 billion hit on the companies combined market caps.

The retreat from the companys stock also had wider implications for Indian businesses, generating a ripple effect that saw Indian shares as a whole take a downward turn.

What does Adani Group do?

Headquartered in Ahmedabad, Adani Group is an Indian corporation comprising seven publicly traded companies.

It has interests in energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and transport.

The company, founded by Gautam Adani in 1988, employs more than 23,000 people.

Who is Gautam Adani?

As his companys stock nose-dived on Wednesday, Adani personally lost almost $1 billionor 0.8%of his fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which ranks Adani as the fourth wealthiest person in the world.

Forbess list of the worlds richest people, which uses a slightly different methodology, puts Adani in third placeabove Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Last year, Adani briefly held the title of the worlds second richest person, as his fortune continued to climb while sinking U.S. tech stocks bit into the wealth of Bezos and other billionaires whose fortunes were tied to the success of Big Tech.

Bloomberg reported at the time that Adanis fortune had risen more than anyone elses in 2022.

Regardless of his position among the top five wealthiest people on earth, the self-made tycoonwho describes his companys operations as nation buildingis firmly the richest person in Asia, with a net worth of around $119 billion.

However, Adanis phenomenal rise in wealth and power hasnt been without controversy.

In the past, Adanis close relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led to allegations that his success has arisen from brazen cronyism.

The 60-year-old mogul controls Indias biggest port, Mundra Port, and acquired a 74% stake in Mumbai International Airport in 2020, according to Forbes, making him Indias biggest airport operator.

He also holds stakes in other airports around the country, after scooping up all six airports that were approved for privatization by the Indian government in 2018 after officials relaxed the rules about which companies were permitted to operate them.

Since 2020, his personal fortune has skyrocketed by more than 1,200%, data from Forbes shows.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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Olympic legend Usain Bolt lost $12 million in savings to a scam. Only $12,000 remains in his account

Meghan Markles real sin that the British public cant forgiveand Americans cant understand

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American Vietnam P.O.W.s Honored on 50th Anniversary of Release from Hoa Lo Prison

TYSONS, Va., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PenFed Credit Union, the nation's second-largest federal credit union, today announced that it has furthered its commitment to prisoners of war veterans and their families with a $150,000 donation to the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, Mass. The donation will support a one-of-a-kind Hoa Lo prison exhibit honoring the hundreds of Vietnam prisoners of war who were subjected to years of captivity, enduring extreme torture, isolation and malnutrition.

Prisoners of war endured years of torture, malnutrition, and isolation at the Hoa Lo prison.

"The American Heritage Museum's Hoa Lo exhibit is a truly harrowing, surreal experience that honors the extraordinary courage of Vietnam POWs," said President/CEO of PenFed Credit Union and CEO of PenFed Foundation James Schenck. "It is important that Americans never forget those who fight for our freedom. Vietnam veterans deserve this long overdue recognition for their service and sacrifice. Through the exhibit, generations to come can gain a keen understanding of the extreme conditions POWs experienced. Their fortitude is unmatched."

The exhibit features a reconstruction of the last two remaining original cells that held Americans including well-known veterans John McCain, James Stockdale, Bud Day and Joseph Kittinger. It also highlights first-hand accounts and interactive displays. Museum goers will experience a unique, intimate look at the physical and psychological challenges faced by American POWs during this tumultuous time.

"The cost of building a display like this is monumental and it cannot be done by the museum alone," said President of the American Heritage Museum Rob Collings. "So, we're fortunate to have a partner like PenFed Credit Union that has stepped in to help make this possible for all of the veterans and for all these younger generations that will come through and learn what this is all about."

About PenFed Credit Union

Established in 1935, Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is America's second-largest federal credit union, serving 2.8 million members worldwide with $35.9 billion in assets. PenFed Credit Union offers market-leading certificates, checking, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and a wide range of other financial services. Our mission is to empower members of our community to achieve their financial well-being. PenFed Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender. To learn more about PenFed Credit Union, visit PenFed.org, like us on Facebook and follow us @PenFed on Twitter. Interested in working for PenFed? Check us out on LinkedIn. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

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PENFED logo (PRNewsfoto/PenFed Credit Union)

Cision

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SOURCE PenFed Credit Union
LEXINGTON, Mass., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pulmatrix, Inc. (NASDAQ: PULM), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative inhaled therapies to address serious disease using its patented iSPERSE technology, today announced it will host a virtual key opinion leader (KOL) event, "PUR3100 for the Treatment of Acute Migraine: Unlocking Potential of DHE Treatment", featuring Stewart J. Tepper, MD, from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. Dr. Tepper will discuss the current treatment landscape for migraine patients along with the mechanism of action and clinical profile of dihydroergotamine (DHE). Dr. Margaret Wasilewski MD, Chief Medical Officer at Pulmatrix, will follow with an update on the recently completed Phase 1 data with PUR3100, the company's orally inhaled DHE, delivered using Pulmatrix's iSPERSE technology, along with future clinical plans.

The webinar will take place on Friday, February 3, 2023 at 10:00 AM ET. A live question and answer session will follow the formal presentations. To register for the event, please click here.

Stewart J. Tepper, MD, is a Professor of Neurology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. He is Director of the Dartmouth Headache Center in the Department of Neurology of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire. Dr. Tepper received his undergraduate degree cum laude in the study of the nervous system/psychobiology from Yale College, New Haven, Connecticut, and attended Cornell University Medical College in New York City. He completed his Neurology residency at the Longwood Area Harvard program, Boston, Massachusetts, and has been board-certified in Headache Medicine since 2006.

Dr. Tepper was Director of the Scottsdale Headache Symposium CME course of the American Headache Society from 2008 to 2020. He was Editor-in-Chief of the journal Headache Currents and Associate Editor for the journal Headache from 2012-2020. He has published more than 470 peer-reviewed manuscripts, editorials, and books on Headache Medicine. Dr. Tepper serves on the Executive Board of Directors and is the Corporate Liaison for the American Headache Society. He serves on the AHS Education, Exhibits, and Finance Committees. He also serves on the Governance Committee and Board of Directors of the American Migraine Foundation.

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About Migraine

According to the Migraine Research Foundation, thirty-eight million people in the U.S. experience migraine attacks, defined as typically one to two migraines per month. Migraines account for 1.2 million emergency room visits each year. Most people with migraines (75%) cannot obtain complete relief from current prescription medications indicating a need for new treatments. Dihydroergotamine (DHE) administration options are currently limited to intravenous, generally requiring administration in the emergency department, or nasal spray administration which is not well-tolerated by all patients.

About Pulmatrix, Inc.

Pulmatrix is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative inhaled therapies to address serious pulmonary and non-pulmonary disease using its patented iSPERSE technology. The Company's proprietary product pipeline includes treatments for serious lung diseases, such as PUR1900 for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis ("ABPA") and PUR1800 for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ("COPD"). Our pipeline also includes PUR3100 for neurologic disorders such as acute migraine, where rapid systemic exposure could be beneficial. Pulmatrix's product candidates are based on its proprietary engineered dry powder delivery platform, iSPERSE.

About iSPERSE Technology

Our innovative particle engineering technology creates dry powder, which solves limitations of conventional inhaled technologies and expands the universe of inhalable drug therapies. iSPERSE is a proprietary technology that allows a broad range of drugs to be formulated as small, dense, and dispersible particles for highly efficient drug delivery and deep penetration into the lungs. iSPERSE can efficiently deliver small molecules, drug combinations, peptides, proteins, and nucleic acids via the respiratory system for the treatment of both respiratory and non-respiratory diseases.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this letter that are forward-looking and not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements of historical fact and may be identified by words such as "anticipates," "assumes," "believes," "can," "could," "estimates," "expects,", "extended", "forecasts," "guides," "intends," "is confident that", "may," "plans," "seeks," "projects," "targets," and "would," and their opposites and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including, but not limited to, the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on the Company's ongoing and planned clinical trials; the geographic, social and economic impact of COVID-19 on the Company's ability to conduct its business and raise capital in the future when needed; delays in planned clinical trials; the ability to establish that potential products are efficacious or safe in preclinical or clinical trials; the ability to establish or maintain collaborations on the development of therapeutic candidates; the ability to obtain appropriate or necessary governmental approvals to market potential products; the ability to obtain future funding for developmental products and working capital and to obtain such funding on commercially reasonable terms; the Company's ability to manufacture product candidates on a commercial scale or in collaborations with third parties; changes in the size and nature of competitors; the ability to retain key executives and scientists; the ability to secure and enforce legal rights related to the Company's products, including patent protection. A discussion of these and other factors, including risks and uncertainties with respect to the Company, is set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as may be supplemented or amended by the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Investor Contact:

Timothy McCarthy, CFA

917-679-9282

tim@lifesciadvisors.com

Cision

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SOURCE Pulmatrix, Inc.
(Adds Marvel Pelican tanker; removes tankers which have left the ports; shows tankers which have docked) Jan 25 (Reuters) - The following liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers are expected to arrive in Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands in the coming weeks. Estimated arrival dates, often revised by port authorities and AIS Live ship-tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon, are updated below. Some tankers heading for Belgium and Britain may be loading at the terminal. Those expected to load are indicated with an (). Those likely to perform ship-to-ship transfers are indicated with (STS). Tankers that have docked are indicated with (A). Floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) terminals are added to the table when they near deployment. As of Dec. 27 2022, this includes the Eemshaven terminal in the Netherlands, the Wilhelmshaven and Lubmin terminals in Germany. For the Reuters LNG guide, click here: LNG TANKER CAPACITY in EXPECTED ARRIVAL FROM PORT cubic metres BRITAIN Magdala 173,000 Jan. 24 (A) Unites States Dragon BW Paris 159,000 Jan. 25 (A) United States South Hook British Achiever 174,000 Jan. 25 United States South Hook Global Sealine 179,000 Jan. 27 United States South Hook SM Bluebird 170,000 Jan. 28 Peru Dragon BW Pavilion Aranda 171,000 Jan. 28 United States Isle of Grain Mozah 262,000 Jan. 28 Qatar Milford Haven Stena Crystal Sky 173,000 Jan. 29 United States Isle of Grain Ribero Duero Knutsen 173,000 Jan. 31 United States Isle of Grain Vivirt City Lng 170,000 Feb. 1 United States Milford Haven Minerva Amorgos 170,000 Feb. 3 United States South Hook Seapeak Magellan 163,000 Feb. 4 United States Milford Haven Gaslog Hong Kong 174,000 Feb. 10 United States South Hook Santander Knutsen 170,000 Feb. 13 Peru Milford Haven Marvel Pelican 155,000 Feb. 14 United States Isle of Grain BELGIUM SCF La Perouse 174,000 Jan. 24 (A) Britain Zeebrugge Flex Rainbow 174,000 Jan. 24 (L) (A) N/A Zeebrugge Vladimir Rusanov 169,000 Jan. 25 (STS) (L) (A) Russia Zeebrugge Yari LNG 158,000 Jan. 25 (L) (A) N/A Zeebrugge Al Zubarah 138,000 Jan. 27 Qatar Zeebrugge Rudolf Samoylovich 170,000 Jan. 28 N/A Zeebrugge Adamastos 174,000 Jan. 30 United States Zeebrugge Clean Horizon 159,000 Jan. 30 Qatar Zeebrugge Nikolay Yevgenov 172,000 Jan. 31 Russia Zeebrugge Al Jassasiya 144,000 Feb. 1 Qatar Zeebrugge LNG Dubhe 174,000 Feb. 2 (L) N/A Zeebrugge Clean Planet 159,000 Feb. 9 (L) Russia Zeebrugge NETHERLANDS La Mancha Knutsen 174,000 Jan. 25 United States Gate LNG Rosenrot 177,000 Jan. 27 United States Gate GERMANY Malanje 161,000 Jan. 24 Angola Wilhelmshaven Cool Voyager 158,000 Jan. 29 United States Lubmin Sources: Ports, AIS Live ship tracking, Refinitiv Eikon data. (^) Partial unload (*) Arrival date estimated based on flows data (Reporting by Nina Chestney)
(Shows La Mancha Knutsen is docked) Jan 25 (Reuters) - The following liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers are expected to arrive in Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands in the coming weeks. Estimated arrival dates, often revised by port authorities and AIS Live ship-tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon, are updated below. Some tankers heading for Belgium and Britain may be loading at the terminal. Those expected to load are indicated with an (). Those likely to perform ship-to-ship transfers are indicated with (STS). Tankers that have docked are indicated with (A). Floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) terminals are added to the table when they near deployment. As of Dec. 27 2022, this includes the Eemshaven terminal in the Netherlands, the Wilhelmshaven and Lubmin terminals in Germany. For the Reuters LNG guide, click here: LNG TANKER CAPACITY in EXPECTED ARRIVAL FROM PORT cubic metres BRITAIN Magdala 173,000 Jan. 24 (A) Unites States Dragon BW Paris 159,000 Jan. 25 (A) United States South Hook British Achiever 174,000 Jan. 25 United States South Hook Global Sealine 179,000 Jan. 27 United States South Hook SM Bluebird 170,000 Jan. 28 Peru Dragon BW Pavilion Aranda 171,000 Jan. 28 United States Isle of Grain Mozah 262,000 Jan. 28 Qatar Milford Haven Stena Crystal Sky 173,000 Jan. 29 United States Isle of Grain SM Bluebird 171,000 Jan. 29 Peru Dragon Ribero Duero Knutsen 173,000 Jan. 31 United States Isle of Grain Vivirt City Lng 170,000 Feb. 1 United States Milford Haven Minerva Amorgos 170,000 Feb. 3 United States South Hook Seapeak Magellan 163,000 Feb. 4 United States Milford Haven Gaslog Hong Kong 174,000 Feb. 10 United States South Hook Santander Knutsen 170,000 Feb. 13 Peru Milford Haven Marvel Pelican 155,000 Feb. 14 United States Isle of Grain BELGIUM Flex Rainbow 174,000 Jan. 24 (L) (A) N/A Zeebrugge Vladimir Rusanov 169,000 Jan. 25 (STS) (L) Russia Zeebrugge Yari LNG 158,000 Jan. 25 (L) N/A Zeebrugge SCF La Perouse 174,000 Jan. 25 Britain Zeebrugge Al Zubarah 138,000 Jan. 27 Qatar Zeebrugge Rudolf Samoylovich 170,000 Jan. 28 N/A Zeebrugge Adamastos 174,000 Jan. 30 United States Zeebrugge Clean Horizon 159,000 Jan. 30 Qatar Zeebrugge Nikolay Yevgenov 172,000 Jan. 31 Russia Zeebrugge Al Jassasiya 144,000 Feb. 1 Qatar Zeebrugge LNG Dubhe 174,000 Feb. 2 (L) N/A Zeebrugge Clean Planet 159,000 Feb. 9 (L) Russia Zeebrugge NETHERLANDS La Mancha Knutsen 174,000 Jan. 25 (A) United States Gate LNG Rosenrot 177,000 Jan. 27 United States Gate GERMANY Cool Voyager 158,000 Jan. 29 United States Lubmin Sources: Ports, AIS Live ship tracking, Refinitiv Eikon data. (^) Partial unload (*) Arrival date estimated based on flows data (Reporting by Nina Chestney)
This post has been updated.

A US-based financial forensic firm has alleged that Indias Adani Group, led by the worlds third-richest person Gautam Adani, is involved in a massive and brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme.

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In a report published yesterday (Jan. 24), the New York-based short seller said the $218 billion conglomerate was pulling the largest con in corporate history.

Today we reveal the findings of our 2-year investigation, presenting evidence that the INR 17.8 trillion (U.S. $218 billion) Indian conglomerate Adani Group has engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades. (2/x)  Hindenburg Research (@HindenburgRes) January 25, 2023

We have identified 38 Mauritius shell entities controlled by Vinod Adani or close associates. We have identified entities that are also surreptitiously controlled by Vinod Adani in Cyprus, the UAE, Singapore, and several Caribbean Islands, the report said, referring to Gautam Adanis elder brother Vinod Adani.

Many of the Vinod Adani-associated entities have no obvious signs of operations, including no reported employees, no independent addresses or phone numbers and no meaningful online presence. Despite this, they have collectively moved billions of dollars into Indian Adani publicly listed and private entities, often without required disclosure of the related party nature of the deals, the report said.

Earlier, the financial research firms allegations of intricate fraud at the US-based electric truck maker Nikola Corporation in 2020 led to its former executive chairman Trevor Miltons ouster.

Hindenburgs two-year investigation has now shown that more than $100 billion was added to Gautam Adanis net worth in the past three years largely due to an 800% rise in stock prices during this period.

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The report is a malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations that have been tested and rejected by Indias highest courts, Jugeshinder Singh, the Adani Groups chief financial officer said in a statement, in response to the Hindenburg report.

Shares of Adani Groups seven listed entities plunged by up to 10% on Indian stock markets on Jan. 25. The stocks continued to slide today (Jan. 25), falling by 18%. The massive selloff led the company to lose $24.5 billion in market capitalization, according to the latest data on BSE.



Later, in another statement, the Adani Group said, We are evaluating the relevant provisions under US and Indian laws for remedial and punitive action against Hindenburg Research.

Adani is one of Indias biggest business groups and is often deemed one that cannot be allowed to fail. The huge debt pile in its portfolio has been a matter of concern. In the financial year that ended in March 2022, its gross debt rose 40% to $26.9 billion, from $19.2 billion a year ago.

The groups collapse would wreak havoc on not just Indias equity markets, but also retail investors since several public sector banks and Indias biggest insurer Life Insurance Corporation have indirect exposure to it. A major chunk of the Indian taxpayers money is held by these government-run entities.

Hindenburg takes short position in Adani

Hindenburg Research also said it had taken a short position in the group through its US-traded bonds and Indian-listed derivatives, which means the firm expects a correction in overleveraged Adani stocks.



Even if you ignore the findings of our investigation and take the financials of Adani Group at face value, its seven key listed companies have 85% downside purely on a fundamental basis owing to sky-high valuations, the report said.



It comes at a time when Adani Enterprises, the groups holding company that is also listed separately, is planning to raise $2.5 billion through a follow-on public offer (FPO) this week. It is being touted as the largest FPO in Indian history.

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(Bloomberg) -- Alphabet Inc. is illegally using return-to-office policies as a tool to try to derail YouTube contract workers from organizing in Texas, a union alleged in a National Labor Relations Board complaint.

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In the filing Tuesday, the Alphabet Workers Union accused the tech giant and a staffing firm of responding to a YouTube unionization campaign by announcing new stricter rules. Under the restrictions, set for February, refusing to return to the local office in Austin will be considered job abandonment and voluntary termination, the union said.

The policy change will punish workers who have grown accustomed to doing their jobs remotely and falls especially hard on employees who live outside the area, many of whom are pro-union, the group said. The complaint also alleges that a supervisor made implied anti-union threats and that management has been transferring work to offices in other places  including India  in an attempt to chill the union organizing effort by the Texas staff.

Treatment of contract workers has become a flashpoint for Alphabet  the owner of Google and its YouTube unit  which relies heavily on staffing firms to meet its labor needs. Contract employees became the majority of the companys global workforce in 2018, and Alphabet Workers Union has been trying to organize both direct and subcontracted staff.

Tuesdays complaint was filed against both the staffing vendor managing the workers, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., and Alphabet itself, which the union contends is a joint employer  a company that exercises enough control over workers to be legally responsible for their treatment and is obligated to negotiate if they do vote to unionize.

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Cognizant said Tuesday that its return-to-office policy has been communicated repeatedly and consistently to all of its associates since December 2021, long before workers petitioned to unionize.

The small number of associates who voluntarily left the Austin area and are unable or unwilling to return have the opportunity to be considered for assignments on other client projects at Cognizant, spokesperson Jeff DeMarrais said in a statement. There is simply no merit to these claims.

Alphabet didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alphabet has denied being a joint employer of the YouTube contract workers. These have not been and are not our employees, company attorney Aaron Agenbroad said at a November NLRB hearing about the unionization petition, according to a transcript obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.

The AWU, an affiliate of the Communications Workers of America, petitioned in October to represent the group of about 60 YouTube staff, saying the vast majority of them had signed up to join.

The workers jobs include ensuring videos are correctly labeled and looking into requests from users of YouTube Music. The team has been working remotely since early 2020, longer than most employees have worked there, and the announcement of the return-to-office push was abrupt, according to the union.

Suddenly when we say, Hey, were going to unionize, its like, Hey, lets get back to office, said YouTube worker Neil Gossell, an activist with the union campaign. So the timing on that seems really suspect.

In its statement, Cognizant said the employees were fully aware of the intention to return to the office prior to the filing of a petition.

All associates working on this project were hired with the understanding that the jobs were based in an Austin office location, Cognizants DeMarrais said.

If AWU successfully persuades the NLRB that Alphabet is a joint employer of the YouTube workers  and then prevails in a unionization vote  the internet company itself would be required to formally negotiate with the union for the first time.

Telework policies have been a contentious pandemic-era issue at all sorts of businesses, and the CWA has filed NLRB complaints against other employers for allegedly failing to fairly negotiate over it. Last spring, a group of Cognizant employees working on Google Maps in Washington state, who havent formally unionized but are organizing with AWU, threatened to go on strike over a return-to-office deadline they said was unsafe. According to the union, Cognizant then extended the deadline by 90 days.

(Updates with additional Cognizant comment in 13th paragraph.)

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A King George man who is a registered sex offender was arrested again Tuesday after county detectives raided his home and found child pornography, police said.

Bernard Joseph Lavin III, 50, is charged with possession of child pornography. He was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

Sheriffs 1st Sgt. Kecia Wharton said detectives opened an investigation last month after receiving a complaint. They executed a search warrant at his home on Potomac Drive on Tuesday and found evidence leading to Lavins arrest, Wharton said.

Keith Epps

Court records show that Lavin was convicted in November 2017 in King George Circuit Court of using a communications device to make illegal contact with a minor. He was sentenced to five years in prison with all but 11 months suspended.

The conviction earned him a spot on the Virginia State Police sex offender registry. If convicted of the new charge, Lavin would face the possibility of having to serve some or all of the time that was previously suspended in addition to any new sentence imposed.
Stafford County Public Schools is proposing a $24.2 million investment in improving staff salaries as part of its operating budget for next fiscal year.

We are a system of people, not things, division superintendent Thomas Taylor told the School Board on Tuesday evening. In addition to parents, research continues to reaffirm that teacher quality is the single most important factor in students educational achievement. To that end, our focus is always going to be on our teachers and staff.

Taylor is recommending a $416.4 million total operating budget for fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1. It is based on receiving $161 million in local funding from the countya $20 million increase over the amount of local funding in the current operating budget.

The School Boards top budget priority for this year is to attract and retain qualified staff.

To that end, Taylors proposed budget includes $16.7 million to implement phase two of a five-year plan to correct the licensed teacher salary scale to make it more competitive with Prince William County.

Under phase one, which was implemented in the current years budget, teacher salaries increase by 3% every year for the first five years and 1.5% per year after that.

Under phase two, salaries would increase by 3% every year for the first 10 years and 1.5% thereafter.

The salary of a teacher with one year of experience would go from $50,470 to $51,500 and that of a teacher with 15 years would go from $65,924 to $72,389.

If implemented, teachers would see an average salary increase of 8.5%, including to the budget proposal.

Taylor said that 40% of school division employees can be considered ALICEan acronym standing for asset limited, income constrained, employed.

The ALICE population, as defined by the United Way, is made up of families that make more than the federal poverty level but not enough to cover basic household necessities.

Taylor also said that the school divisions workforce is considered low income, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures guaranteed home loan program for Northern Virginia, which includes Stafford County.

You are considered low income if you make $71,500 per year, Taylor said. Our work force is considered low income. This is a travesty, especially with 72% of our workforce living in Stafford.

Taylors proposed budget also includes an average 7% increase in salaries for non-licensed positions, which include paraprofessionals, nutrition staff, bus drivers, bus attendants, fleet technicians and clerical staff, as well as a 3% increase in stipends and supplements awarded for taking on extra duties.

The increased cost of doing business is also driving the budget increase, Taylor said.

These non-discretionary needs total $16.4 million and include 41 new full-time positions to meet the needs of the student body  which is projected to grow by 351 students next school year  as well as increases in health insurance, technology, utilities and transportation costs.

The proposed budget is built on a $1.2 million reduction in the base budget for this fiscal year, which is the result of reducing Central Office expenditures, Taylor said.

Taylor said he understands that some elements of the proposed budget may cause sticker shock, but that the investment  especially in staff salaries  is necessary.

The reality is, we need to do something, and we need to do something now, he said.

He also said the school divisions budget needs could be met if the county government committed to providing at least 40% of the divisions budget.

According to data provided during Tuesdays presentation, the countys share of the schools budget has fallen from about 45% in 2011 to 37.5% for fiscal year 2023.

During the same period, enrollment has grown from 27,000 to over 30,000 students.

The $161 million requested from the county in the proposed budget is about 38.7% of the total operating budget. Fifty-nine percent would come from the state and 0.6% from the federal government.

The School Board will hold a budget work session on Jan. 31, followed by four town hall meetings in February to gather public input on the budget.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to approve the countys budget in April.
At this time of year, many Girl Scouts are focused on selling cookies.

Members of Troop 3711 in Spotsylvania County are doing that too, but theyre also putting together feminine hygiene kits for an area middle school and comfort kits for children being taken into foster care.

Alexis Thai-Nguyen, a senior at Courtland High School, and Maya Obenhein, a senior at Massaponax High School, are working toward their Gold Awards, the highest achievement in Girl Scouts.

The award requires girls to learn everything they can about an issue in their community. They must research the issue and interview experts, try to determine the root cause, and then formulate, fund and put into practice a plan to solve that issue.

It has to be sustainable and live on past you, said Tiffany Obenhein, Mayas mother, who has been helping the girls work on their Gold Awards for the past year and a half.

Maya is focusing on children in the foster care system in Spotsylvania. She interviewed social workers in the county department of social services and was shocked to learn that there are many more kids in her own community in foster care than she expected.

She said she learned that sometimes, kids are taken into care from school without having a chance to collect their belongings from home, and that there isnt a foster family available for them to go to.

Mayas initial idea was to supply area social workers with comfort kits  backpacks filled with stuffed animals, small toys and activities to give to kids being taken into care  but she couldnt figure out how to sustain funding for the idea.

So instead, the main component of her Gold Award project will be a foster parent recruitment video that she will produce and film for the department of social services to show around the community. She plans to interview a foster family about the rewards of fostering, as well as local social workers about the need.

The troop is still putting together 48 comfort kits for kids in foster care.

Alexis wanted to tackle period poverty for her Gold Star project. The term refers to inadequate access to menstrual hygiene products and education about how to use and dispose of them, as well as about menstruation in general.

For low-income and homeless girls, there are barriers to obtaining pads and tampons. For other girls, cultural stigma around menstruation might make it difficult for them to discuss with their families.

No one really talks about it, Alexis said. I wanted to do something to draw attention to it.

She talked with a school nurse and learned that there is significant need among the student population at Battlefield Middle School.

To meet that need, Alexis is putting together hygiene kits containing pads, instructions on their use and disposal and links to further resources about menstruation. The kits will be stored in the school nurses office.

Alexis is making daytime kits as well as weekend kits, which will contain extra pads, including thicker ones for overnight.

Alexis worked with the Spotsylvania Sheriffs Office to ensure that supplies for future hygiene kits will be included in lists of items that the community is requested to buy at annual Stuff the Cruiser events.

A third troop member, Massaponax senior Lydia Fraser, is also working toward the Gold Award, but is still in the planning phase.

Obenhein said Maya, Alexis and Lydia, who have been Girl Scouts together since they were 5 years old, are the first set of girls in Troop 3711 to go for the Gold Award.

Theyre motivated to finish their Girl Scout journey together because theyve been together for so long, Obenhein said.

When you start something at age 5 and carry it through to the end, it looks really good, she said.
Democratic legislators are kick starting an effort to get a state constitutional amendment that would enshrine abortion access in Virginia's state code.

Constitutional amendments require the bills to pass the legislature two years in a row with an election in the House of Delegates in between. Than the amendment would go to voters in a state referendum.

With Republicans controlling the House of Delegates and Democrats controlling the Senate, movement on the process is to be determined. Bills on abortion access tend to fall along partisan lines, with most Republicans in opposition.

Should the efforts fail, Del. Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, said at a Tuesday morning news conference, that her party wont stop trying to get it through and the next possible time a referendum could happen would be 2026.

She is carrying the bill in the House of Delegates. Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, and Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, are chief patrons of the Senate version.

House Minority Leader Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, noted the challenging journey ahead for his colleagues to get their bill through the chamber, in which Republicans hold a 52-48 edge. In the meantime, he criticized Republicans in the House of Delegates for not yet reviewing the abortion banning-bills several have filed.

Abortion bills have so far been heard in subcommittees but none have yet to report to full floor votes.

Scott went on to echo the sentiment when the House convened at noon  accusing Republicans of not wanting to debate the contents of the bills following the election of Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach. Protecting abortion access was a pillar of his campaign and he won election to a seat that was mainly held by Republicans in recent years.

Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, fired back, adding that Democrats are not championing human rights if they are supporting abortions.

I think that says something about us when we hold up as the pinnacle of rights, the ability to take an innocent human life for any reason, he said.

Current Virginia law allows abortions for any reason through the second trimester. Abortions that occur later in the pregnancy are allowed if three physicians have signed off on it.

Freitas added:  I too want to have the debate. I do want to discuss the bills that are coming before this body.

House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, issued a news release asserting that the proposed amendment would "remove all limits on elective abortion."

But the legislation indicates that only compelling state interests can prevent a person from having an abortion should the amendment be included in Virginias constitution.

Earlier in the day Herring said that each pregnancy is different and that the state legislature should not prevent the decision to have an abortion.

The choice to have an abortion should never be politicized. It is each person's decision based on what's best for them, she said. Politicians should not be involved in someone's personal medical decisions about pregnancy.

INTERACTIVES: Abortion data for Virginia and the U.S.
The Nebraska Corn Board will hold its next meeting Jan. 31 through Feb. 1 at Nebraska Innovation Campus, 2021 Transformation Drive, Lincoln.

The Nebraska Corn Board will undertake strategic planning with the Nebraska Corn Growers Association on Jan. 31. The board will then address regular board business on Feb. 1.

The meeting is open to the public and will provide an opportunity for public discussion. A copy of the agenda is available by writing to the Nebraska Corn Board, 245 Fallbrook Blvd. Suite 204, Lincoln, NE 68521, sending an email to renee.tichota@nebraska.gov or by calling 402-471-2676.

The Nebraska Corn Board is funded through a producer checkoff investment of -cent-per-bushel checkoff on all corn marketed in the state and is managed by nine farmer directors. The mission of the Nebraska Corn Board is to promote the value of corn by creating opportunities.
Officials at Fremont Public Schools stopped distribution of a racial diversity and LGBTQ+-affirming book in fall 2022 following complaints from several local parents, officials confirmed on Monday, Jan. 23.

The book, titled All are Welcome, was purchased under a federal program by Washington Elementary School principal Erica Kobza and, according to FPS Superintendent Mark Shepard, was distributed to students at the school with the goal of, promoting family literacy.

Shepard explained the details of the incident and how the book arrived at Washington Elementary School in a lengthy email following a public records request made by the Fremont Tribune in response to an anonymous tip from a local resident.

In an email to the Tribune on Jan. 23, Shepard said the book was purchased under the Federal Department of Educations Title I, Part A: Parent and Family Engagement, section of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

All are Welcome is a 2018 illustrated book about diverse families written by New York-based author Alexandra Penfold. She also authored the books, Eat, Sleep, Poop, and We are Brothers, We are Friends, and is a New York Times best-selling childrens books author.

According to a description of the book on Amazon.com, All are Welcome is intended for child readers ages 2 to 6 years old and is classified as a, childrens book on prejudice and racism. The book depicts diverse families of various racial, ethnic and religious identities as well as families with disabilities. One section features a same-sex parent unit with a child.

In an anonymous letter mailed to the Fremont Tribune, a person who identified themselves as a Concerned Tax Payer, alleged Kobza improperly used federal funds to purchase the book for students without approval nor knowledge of district administrators nor the FPS Board of Education. In the letter, the tipster described the book as promoting homosexuality.

Shepard said the book was purchased from, First Book, a 501c3 non-profit, whose mission is Building a path out of poverty through educational equity. On the non-profits website, the organization describes its mission as: Our purpose is as bold as it is urgent. To create systemic change. To ensure equal access to quality education. To empower every educator and all the children in need who they serve.

Ms. Kobza has stated that her intent was to continue to create an inclusive environment at Washington and to further celebrate the diversity of the students and families present in the school. I received emails and met with parents from two families on the matter, Shepard stated in an email. Based on our search of Ms. Kobzas email, only one parent expressed a concern directly to her related to the book.

Shepard said contrary to rumors about this books use, there were not scores of complaints from the public about the book. Following the complaints from three sets of parents and one school district teacher, the district stopped distribution of the book, he added.

Ms. Kobza agreed to pull back any remaining copies of the book which were present in the building. A copy of the book was presented this fall to parents during back to school night by a teacher who was not employed at Washington (Elementary School) last year and was also pulled back the next day, Shepard stated in the email. In both situations, the book was not removed for content but rather for the potential of creating a disruption to the educational process.

Shepard also said the book was not used in any other Fremont Public Schools locations and its purchase was approved by the districts director of professional learning and federal programs. Use of the book stopped, he added.

According to assorted descriptions of the ESEA online, the section of federal law is intended to provide, Information related to implementation of programs, activities, and procedures for the engagement of parents and family members of Title I students.

Title I, Part A, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires that local educational agencies (LEAs), conduct outreach to all parents and family members and implement programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents and family members, a California Department of Education explanation states. Such programs, activities, and procedures shall be planned and implemented with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.

In a Virginia Commonwealth University report on the ESEA by researcher Catherine Paul, part of the universitys Social Welfare History Project, the act was a centerpiece of President Lyndon B. Johnsons social justice and welfare platform.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was a cornerstone of President Lyndon B. Johnsons War on Poverty. This law brought education into the forefront of the national assault on poverty and represented a landmark commitment to equal access to quality education, Paul wrote. As mandated in the act, funds are authorized for professional development, instructional materials and resources to support educational programs, and the promotion of parental involvement.

The controversy over the All are Welcome  book in Fremont Public Schools occurred before the current debate and disputed availability of the book, Sex is a Funny Word in the City of Fremonts Keene Memorial Library.

The Keene Memorial Library is not affiliated with the Fremont Public Schools in any manner, and is owned and managed by the City of Fremont. There, the presence of Sex is a Funny Word has been officially contested by a local grandmother and downtown business owner, Sandra Murray.

Murray first complained about five books during a Dec. 27 meeting of the Fremont City Council, four of which were titles dealing with LGBT issues and themes. Murray has since filed an official complaint to have Sex is a Funny Word fully removed from the library. The decision on that complaint has been made, but is not public yet.

In response to Murrays complaints, library officials on Dec. 28 relocated seven common youth sexual education books from the childrens section of the library to the adult section, where they must be checked out by an adult in order to be seen by a minor age 17 or younger.

Nate Grasz, policy director for the Nebraska Family Alliance, said while he is not familiar with specific complaints against the use of All are Welcome in Fremont Public Schools, the use of books with topics the organization feels should be left to parents is a large issue in Nebraska, nationally, and in schools and libraries.

Our viewpoint is parents are the primary educator of their children. Schools and libraries should be working together with parents, Grasz said. Weve continued to hear from concern parents in Fremont, and from across Nebraska. It is a big issue.

Abbi Swatsworth, executive director of Out Nebraska, a statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, said she is not familiar with All are Welcome, but after some research on the book, believes it is an appropriate educational book for young children that teaches respect and acknowledgement of diversity.

We talk about being respectful and not causing harm, and one of the tenets of respect is acknowledging a group exists, Swatsworth said. Limiting exposure to a book as innocuous as this, which is dealing with diversity beyond just LGBT, is disappointing. LGBT families exist all across (Nebraska).

Shepard said he and other district officials listen, and respond accordingly, to parental input and feedback on books and curriculum.

Our district prides itself on being transparent in everything we do. We have an open book policy when it comes to curriculum, budget, taxes and policies/procedures, he said in an email. We work closely with parents whenever there are situations that are brought to our attention. The publics trust is hard to earn and easily lost.

We take our responsibility of caring for all students very seriously and never want a parents voice to go unheard. Part of this responsibility is ensuring the age appropriateness of materials and having an environment where all students feel safe in every situation. We repeatedly message that if someone feels otherwise they need to share their concern with an adult so we can address the issue appropriately.
For the 21st year, Nebraska State Treasurer John Murante and the Omaha Storm Chasers will sponsor the Why I Want to Go to College writing sweepstakes, with entries due Monday, April 3, 2023.

Prizes will be awarded to 12 winners who will receive contributions to the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST) college savings accounts  including $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place, and $500 for third place. Three winners will be chosen from each of Nebraskas three Congressional districts, and three winners will be chosen from outside Nebraska.

Families can save for college for their children and grandchildren through NEST529, the state-sponsored 529 college savings program that allows for tax-free investments and tax-free qualified withdrawals. Nebraska account owners can qualify for up to $10,000 a year in state income tax deductions ($5,000 if married filing separately).

Each Nebraska winner will receive four tickets to a Storm Chasers game later this year at Werner Park in Papillion where they will be recognized.

Students are asked to reflect on the value of education and what they hope to achieve through higher education. Entries are limited to 750 words and should be sent to Community Relations, Omaha Storm Chasers, 12356 Ballpark Way, Papillion, NE 68046.

Information about the writing sweepstakes is available on the treasurers website at bit.ly/3j3aJMO.
The Nebraska Republican Party held a meeting of its State Central Committee on Jan. 21 in Elkhorn. The Nebraska GOP State Central Committee has more than 150 members from 51 equally populated districts throughout the state.

Local representatives to the SCC are Scott Eveland and Elaine and John Grothusen; as well as Paul Ehrenberger and Lynne Dvorak from Colfax County; Joe Gobel from Burt County; and Cindy Miller and John Orr from Washington County.

Nebraska GOP State Chair Eric Underwood of Lincoln conducted the meeting. The body approved Underwoods appointments to the executive committee. Also approved were the treasurers report and the budget.

The political plan was discussed and members were encouraged to contact state senators regarding many issues and to thank them for some favorable changes in the Legislatures committee chairs and members.

Several proposed resolutions and amendments to the NeGOP constitution were discussed and approved.

The body unanimously voted to censure members of the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate who recently voted to pass the omnibus spending bill which has 4,155 pages authorizing $1.7 trillion in spending.

The next GOP State Central Committee meeting will be in March in Gering. Officers will be elected for re-elected.

On a Dodge County level, a gathering will be held Monday, Jan. 30, at the LA Fire Proof Door Company, in downtown Fremont.

A social will begin at 5:30 p.m. At 6 p.m., a presentation will begin by Advocate for Tax Changes Mark Bonkiewicz. He will be explain the proposed consumption tax which could replace the current property, income and corporate taxes. This meeting is not just for Republicans; all interested in tax policy change are welcome.

For more information, contact Meg Kallina, NEGOP communications director, at communications@ne.gop or 402-594-9555 (cell); Dodge County Chair Scott Eveland, scottheveland@hotmail.com, 2072 County Road 14 Blvd., Ames, NE 68621, 402-720-1007; Elaine and John Grothusen, elaine@johngrothusen.com, john@johngrothusen.com, home and offices  1452 N. Park Ave., Fremont, 402-721-2603 (land line), text and cell phones  Elaine, 402-594-1867, John, 402-594-1866.
Got chicken?

Expansion-minded national and regional chicken restaurant chains have recognized Colorado Springs rapid growth in recent years and flocked to town with a variety of concepts: fried, grilled and rotisserie style; tenders, wings and sandwiches; barbecued, marinated and spicy.

Now, another chicken newcomer is getting ready to roost in the Springs.

Chicken Salad Chick, a southern-style, fast-casual restaurant concept that specializes in its signature chicken salad dishes, will open its first Colorado Springs location on the citys northeast side in April or May.

Husband-and-wife franchisees David and Kirsten Garrett, and Kirstens mother, Judy DeVincentis, plan to open the first of three Colorado Springs locations at the Plaza at Barnes West retail center, northwest of Powers Boulevard and Barnes Road, Kirsten Garrett said.

The restaurant will take over a 2,800-square-foot space that had been occupied by Ducas Neapolitan Pizza. The location will have indoor seating for upward of 72 people, she said, as well as patio seating, curbside pickup and catering, though no drive-thru. It will employ about 15 to 25 people.

The chains locations are closed on Sundays, similar to Chick-fil-A, another chicken restaurant with a strong presence in Colorado Springs.

A second Chicken Salad Chick is targeted in the Briargate area of northern Colorado Springs and could open in late 2023 or early 2024, Kirsten Garrett said. The franchisees also are looking for a third site, she said.

Chicken Salad Chick was founded in 2008 in Auburn, Ala., by stay-at-home mom Stacy Brown who began to market her homemade chicken salad that was popular with her family, according to the chains website and LinkedIn page. Now based in Atlanta, Chicken Salad Chick has more than 225 restaurants, about 75% of which are franchised.

Kirsten Garrett, who was born in Durango, raised in Montrose and who said shes always loved Colorado Springs, has been a Chicken Salad Chick fan since she and David met and served together several years ago at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.

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While still in the Air Force, Kirsten became a Colorado Springs franchisee for FirstLight Home Care, an in-home care provider for seniors and adults. She and David, who grew up in Birmingham, Ala., moved to the Springs in 2014; she had completed her service, though David continued serving at the Air Force Academy until he retired two years later.

Kirsten said she had expressed interest in becoming a Chicken Salad Chick franchisee years ago, but the chain wasnt ready to expand to Colorado at that time.

About a year ago, Chicken Salad Chick contacted Kirstens sister-in-law, who also had shown interest in being a Colorado franchisee; her sister-in-law declined, but referred the chain to Kirsten, who said she embraced the chance.

Chicken Salad Chick offers a dozen varieties of chicken salad that can be served in a scoop; the menu also features sandwiches, soups, salads, pimento cheese, egg salad and mac and cheese, among other items.

It is fresh, never frozen, its not fried, Kirsten said of the chains popularity. Its the best chicken salad youve ever had, for sure. You might find a couple small cafes that make a chicken salad, but theres nothing that does it (like Chicken Salad Chick).

The food is served cold, which enables diners to grab meals and take them home to eat over the next few days. While going back to Alabama for visits, Kirsten said she would stock up on Chicken Salad Chicken meals and bring them back to Colorado.

Kirsten said she expects Chicken Salad Chick to appeal to health-conscious diners in Colorado Springs, while the brand also might be familiar to members of the military whove eaten at the restaurants in other states.

Most Chicken Salad Chick locations are in the south, including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia, the chains website shows. The chain also has a handful of locations in Midwest states such as Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

Chicken Salad Chicks westward move to Colorado Springs and Colorado marks a major expansion for the brand, Kirsten said. Another five locations are planned in Castle Rock and south, five more in the Greeley and Fort Collins areas and potential franchisees are looking at north Denver, she said.

Chicken Salad Chick joins Louisiana-based Raising Canes Chicken Fingers, Slim Chickens of Arkansas and Denver-based Birdcall as chicken-centric restaurants that have expanded to Colorado Springs in recent years. Chick-fil-A, KFC and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen are among well-known national brands with multiple locations in the Springs.
The Aurora City Council Monday began examining and discussing some of its meeting rules that can affect councilmembers ability to speak during meetings and in how the public can participate remotely.

Mayor Mike Coffman is proposing that the city council repeal a meeting rule named Call for the question, which allows council to end debate on an agenda item. A resolution to end the rule was introduced at Mondays study session and is expected to come up for an official vote Jan. 30.

In recent weeks, progressive minority councilmembers have grown increasingly frustrated with the conservative majoritys use of the council rule, saying it has been abused as a tool to silence dissent and shut down debate.

Coffman previously told The Denver Gazette the final straw for him was during the passage of a tax repeal proposal, in which Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky motioned to end discussion before any councilmembers aside from she and Coffman, the bills co-sponsors, could speak. The bill received final approval without any council discussion, and had been the subject of contentious debate at previous meetings.

If a councilmember makes a call for the question motion, discussion on the agenda item at hand stops. Council next votes on the call for the question motion, and if a majority passes it, no more debate about the agenda item is allowed during the meeting. The council would next proceed to a vote on a resolution or bill, which could entail passing it without discussion.

The rule can be used stop a filibuster or councilmembers from repeating themselves over and over, Coffman said, but he has grown uncomfortable with it being used to hinder councilmembers from having a say during a meeting.

Id rather air on the side of giving people the right to speak, he said on Monday.

A change would mean a change to a common rule of Robert's Rules of Order, which "is Americas foremost guide to parliamentary procedure. It is used by more professional associations, fraternal organizations, and local governments than any other authority," according to its website.

Mixed reviews

His plan got mixed reviews during councils study session.

Councilmember Francoise Bergan understood the spirit of Coffmans proposal, but would not support a full repeal, she said. Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Gardner pointed out that Coffman has used the rule in the past and said he would not support the mayors resolution as is.

Councilmember Angela Lawson would be open to an alternative solution suggested by Councilmember Dustin Zvonek, she said, but does not want to entirely repeal the rule because it is useful to stop debates from straying off topic.

Zvonek will likely propose an amendment when the resolution comes up for formal consideration. Rather than a full repeal, Zvonek recommended requiring that motions to end debate require a super majority to pass if the agenda item being discussed is up for its first reading.

I do agree that we want to have an open and robust conversation around issues, but at the same time I feel that there is a point where (call for the question) becomes appropriate, he said.

Councilmember Alison Coombs said her only concern with Zvoneks suggestion was that the final reading of a bill  ordinances or bills are voted on twice at two separate meetings before final passage -- is often the time when community members weigh in. What they have to say on final reading could spark more debate among councilmembers that should not be prevented by a motion to end debate, she said.

Her preference is that council rules require a super majority to pass a call for the question motion in any instance.

Just because we want to make sure that the publics input is included in the debate that we are having, she said.

Councilmember Juan Marcano, one of the more vocal critics of councils use of the motion, supported eliminating the rule. He had considered a similar idea to Zvoneks, he said, but noted the governing body is not big, and misuse of the rule has not been an issue in the past despite lengthy debate among previous councils.

Its sad that we even have to abolish the rule because I do think it would serve a purpose to end a filibuster, Marcano said.

Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky, who some minority councilmembers have said misuses the motion in particular, would not support Coffmans resolution unless it includes a provision to prevent what she called couch heroes.

Jurinsky criticized a select few councilmembers who attend meetings virtually and said they instigate lengthy debates from the comforts of their couch while most councilmembers are at council chambers. She urged a requirement that councilmembers attend meetings in-person.

Five of the councils conservative majority objected to moving the resolution on to councils regular meeting  one member was absent -- although Coffman said he does plan to bring it forward.

I cant wait to call for the question on your question, mayor, Jurinsky said to Coffman as debate wrapped up, to which the mayor told her she was out of order.

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Thinking of constituents

Executive Director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Jeff Roberts was not sure how commonly the rule is used among local governments in Colorado.

The key issue in Roberts view is the rules impact on constituents, and specifically in a scenario where a constituent had wanted to hear the perspective of a councilmember who did not get the chance to speak.

I think what I would be concerned about is the public in all of this. So, once they do that, (call for the question) are they keeping the public from hearing from their councilmembers, he said.

Although not an identical issue, Auroras debate reminded him to some degree of a dispute that unfolded among Lakewood elected officials in December.

Roberts wrote about the incident for CFOIC, in which three Lakewood city councilmembers raised free-speech concerns after the mayor muted two of their microphones while they spoke during a virtual meeting. The mayor maintained he did not infringe on their freedom of speech.

There might be other solutions for Auroras council than a full repeal, and the rule could come in handy if debate among councilmembers is getting out of hand, Roberts said.

If a discussion is getting off the rails in some way, that people are just talking over each other or somebody is being rude, or theyve gone on a long time. Thats probably what these rules are designed for, he said.

Remote participation

Council considered another change to its meeting rules on Monday aimed at expanding public access to council meetings.

Marcano has proposed requiring the city manager to provide a way for the public to make public comment during council meetings remotely, either by videoconference or telephone.

The city council has been operating a call-in line for people to speak during meetings remotely, although a spokesman could not immediately confirm when the call-in service launched.

The cost for providing a call-in line and other technology is already part of the city budget, according to a fiscal note for the proposal. On average, the city clerks office pays approximately $2,000 monthly for the call-in service. The city contracts with a third-party company to operate the call-in line.

Between June and November, 81 people used the call-in line and 14 of them requested to speak during meetings, including study sessions, special study session, a town hall and regular council meetings, according to a staff memo. Councilmembers did not object to moving Marcanos proposal forward.

As for remote participation, Roberts said allowing the public to remotely testify or offer public comment is a good for open government.

We learned during the pandemic that there are other ways of helping them, giving them the opportunity to participate in their government, he said.

Open meetings law does not require governments to allow remote participation, and it is up to each board to decide its own rules.

They just have to treat everybody equally," Roberts said. "Basically, not discriminate based on the content of what some says.

While some governments livestreamed meetings before COVID-19, it became more commonplace since the pandemic began, he said. He was not sure how many local governments have continued offering remote public comment.

The state legislature is an example of a governing body that has, he said. Before the pandemic, the legislature allowed virtual testimony on certain bills but not all, and required people go to a local community college to speak on camera.

Theyve now realized that this is much more convenient, that it opens up government to a lot more people, he said.

Attending a meeting in-person can be difficult for people whose work schedule conflicts with meetings, he said.

I think its about time that everybody does stuff like that. People expect it now and its so much more convenient, Roberts said. I think in general it just brings people closer to government, because they have more opportunities to participate.
Instead of saying, How are you in casual passing, try saying, Its nice to see you. Because 90% of people go through their day feeling unseen, said David Galvan, a Colorado Springs-based national mental health and suicide prevention trainer.

Next time you come across someone who seems lonely, connect with them, even if its just making eye contact and smiling. Because isolation, feelings of hopelessness and a lack of connection with others can lead to thoughts of suicide, said experts at Fridays Suicide Prevention Summit of El Paso County.

Hope and social connection are the ethos of how we will prevent suicide in our community, Galvan said.

The reality is if were going to talk about connectedness, we must look for people who are hurting, people who are alone and people who nobody knows.

Between those who are thinking about taking their lives, those who are worried about someone, people who know someone who died by suicide and those who have experience with suicide, over half of the community has been impacted by suicide in some way, Galvan said.

What if a virus was affecting half of a community, he asked about 200 summit attendees from various sectors.

The same kind of mass mobilization and response that would be deployed needs to happen with suicide, speakers said, and involve every resident, not just those who work in the field.

Weve got limited resources, we need to collaboratively, collectively and holistically go full throttle, said El Paso County Coroner Dr. Leon Kelly, whos also the countys chief medical examiner.

After remaining flat for three years, deaths by suicide in El Paso County increased in 2022, according to preliminary data from the Coroners Office.

Kelly estimates that 193 died by suicide last year, pending late November and December autopsy reports. If the number holds, it would signify a jump from the 176 deaths in 2021, 178 in 2020 and 180 in 2019.

The majority of people who take their lives have jobs and are out and about in the world but have a background of depression, substance abuse or social stressors, Kelly said.

When a dramatic event happens, such as a breakup with a spouse, a DUI arrest, job loss or other personal mishap, that spirals them almost immediately into a suicidal act, he said.

Certain categories have seen vast improvements, including children ages 17 and under.

Teen suicide in El Paso County reached an all-time high in 2015 with 15 deaths, a number that was repeated in 2020. But last year and in 2021, just four children ages 17 and younger took their lives each year, according to coroners reports.

In a very human way, tragedy made us take action, said Cass Walton, executive director of Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention and co-chair of the Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County.

In response, representatives from schools, hospitals, law enforcement, nonprofit organizations, parent groups and others came together to try to figure it out.

Increasing awareness of the issue, training anyone who wanted to learn how to recognize the signs and respond, recruiting youths to work with their peers in distress and rallying trusted adults to be ready to assist students have worked, Walton said.

If we put the same kind of effort toward other demographics, I think well have success, she said.

Suicide is complex, Kelly said, and often not a crisis type of scenario but a building of depression and desperation that arises out of unexpected and unwanted change.

Populations most at risk include youths, seniors, military veterans, LGBTQ+ people and men, who more likely to kill themselves than women, summit speakers said.

In 2021, the average age at death by suicide in El Paso County was 44 years old, statistics show.

In 2022, males constituted 74% of suicide cases, Kelly said. Overall 60% of completed suicides last year involved a gun and 19% were by hanging, he said.

Firearms are the most lethal means of suicide, said Fountain Police Chief Chris Heberer, who also co-chairs The Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County.

Herberer advocates for gun owners using cable gun locks, safes and biometrics to secure guns at home, or removing them temporarily from a home if a loved one is displaying suicidal tendencies.

Suicide fatalities of military active-duty and veterans also improved last year, to comprise 22% of suicides countywide, Kelly said, which is close to historic numbers yet still unacceptable.

The marked decline from 30% in 2021 is likely attributable to prevention efforts such as Next Chapter, speakers said.

The community wellness collaborative for veterans and their families was born out of state legislation and lets clients decide what they need and when, said Damian McCabe, a behavioral health specialist with UCHealth.

Were flipping the script  you get to drive how you access care, and were going to respect that. You tell us when you want to come in and what you need first, he said. If I start telling a veteran what I think they need instead of what they think they need, Im never going to see them again.

Increasing strong protective factors, such as having trusted people to talk to, building resiliency for handling adversity in a healthy way, reducing bullying and preventing discrimination, decreases mental health struggles, violence, substance abuse and other reactions that may prompt thoughts of suicide for LGBTQ+ people, said Liss Smith, spokesperson for Inside Out Youth Services, which serves LGBTQ+ teens and young adults.

The goal of The Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County is to reduce the suicide rate by 20% by 2024. Walton, of Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention, said she thinks thats attainable.

But we need your help, she said. We need our whole community doing something every day. I see the possibility of impact. I know everyone in this room has the power to save a life.

A recording of the summit will be posted by Jan. 20, according to organizers.

A new nationwide suicide and crisis hotline is available 24/7 by dialing 988 from any phone.

Contact the writer: 719-476-1656.
An Air Force Academy cadet was found guilty Saturday on two sexual assault charges in a court-martial that involved allegations by four women.

Judge Lt. Col. Dayle Percle sentenced Cadet Justin Couty to five years or 30 months for each charge, according to a Tuesday news release. She also dismissed him from the academy and required a forfeiture of all pay and allowances.

Couty was found not guilty on two charges of abusive sexual contact and one charge of sexual assault following a five-day trial.

During opening statements at the Air Force Academy last week, 1st Lt. Latravious Johnson laid out accusations of rape and unwanted sexual contact that happened in 2019 and 2021 at the academy and elsewhere in Colorado Springs.

Civil attorney Michael Waddington spoke in Couty's defense last week, pointing out in some cases the women didn't tell Couty to stop, and when they did verbalize discomfort, Couty followed their wishes. He also noted the allegations arose in an environment where rumors involving Couty were flying online.

The cadet elected trial by military judge, rather than a jury.

Military members found guilty of sexual assault can face up to 30 years in prison, an academy spokesman said previously.
A man was shot Tuesday night on the 2400 block of South Academy Boulevard in southeast Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs Police received reports of a shooting at approximately 10:15 p.m. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities located the victim who had sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to the CSPD.

The victim was transported to the local hospital to receive treatment. There is currently no suspect in custody, police said.

This is an active and ongoing investigation. This article will be updated as more information is received.
A power outage at a Colorado Springs senior-living apartment complex on Monday night forced residents to find other accommodations.

As technicians work to repair a damaged transformer that caused a blackout at Regency Tower Senior 55 Plus Apartments, the majority of the residents are currently housed with local friends or relatives, according to multiple accounts.

About 10 residents, who did not have local family or friends to take them in, are staying in area hotels, Regency employees said.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department evacuated more than 130 residents from the apartments following the outage, Fire Department spokesman Mike Smaldino said. Crews from the regional Office of Emergency Management and Metro Mobility  a transit service specializing in transporting disabled riders  helped transport older residents with limited mobility, an OEM representative said.

A series of cables from the apartment complex were connected to a Colorado Springs Utilities transformer, and a fault in one or more of those wires is believed to have caused the outage, according to Utilities spokesman Steve Berry.

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All of those cables are owned by the complex and are part of their private system, Berry said.

Power will be restored to the complex once the transformer is repaired, Berry said. Neither Colorado Springs Utilities nor the apartment complex was able to give an estimate on when the repairs will be complete.

In the meantime, all the evacuated residents are safe and accounted for, according to Regency Tower employee Dora Perez.

We actually only had a handful of residents who didnt have anyone local they could stay with, and we were able to coordinate with a couple of hotels where they can stay for now, Perez said. Every resident has been accommodated and is in a safe, warm, comfortable place.
When juveniles are accused of a crime in Colorado and found incompetent to stand trial, they can spend years in the criminal justice system, unable to resolve their case until theyre deemed competent or age out.

House Bill 1012 aims to change that, establishing time limits for how long an incompetent juvenile can remain in the criminal justice system before charges have to be dismissed.

The bill would give courts six months to determine whether a juvenile cannot be restored to competency to stand trial, and drop the charges for misdemeanor offenses, with the time limit increasing based on the crimes severity.

You could literally have stolen a candy bar at 14, be found incompetent to proceed, and then youre caught up in the legal system and you cant get out, said bill sponsor Rep. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder. This fixes that. Nobody wants these kids, especially for low-level stuff, to be stuck in the criminal justice system.

Under the current system, Amabile said incompetent juveniles suspected of committing the highest felonies can remain in the criminal justice system for up to five years or until they turn 21, but there is no specific limit for low-level offenses.

The bill would establish the following maximum time limits: six months for a misdemeanor, misdemeanor drug offense, petty offense or traffic offense; one year for a Class 4, 5 or 6 felony; two years for a Class 2 or 3 felony; and five years for a Class 1 felony.

Once the time limit is reached and charges are dismissed, judges would also have the power to implement a treatment plan for the juvenile if they determine it to be necessary.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 12-1 for the bill on Tuesday, sending it to the Appropriations Committee.

As a former juvenile public defender, I know firsthand the stress, the disruption, the unnecessary delay that these proceedings can cause for everyone involved, said Katie Hecker of the Colorado Office of the Child's Representative while testifying in support of the bill. The bill shortens the amount of time that proceedings can go on. This provides closure for everyone involved.

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James Karbach, who is with the Office of the State Public Defender, said the current system often leads to juveniles staying in the competency system longer than adults.

The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health and the Colorado Department of Human Services also spoke in support of the bill.

In addition to the time limits, the bill would clarify that courts can reevaluate a juvenile for competency, allow juveniles to choose their own evaluator and waive a juveniles claim of confidentiality or privilege when they are found incompetent to allow the court to determine issues related to the juveniles competency, restoration and treatment plan.

What this does more than anything else is provide clarity, said Tim Lane of the Colorado District Attorneys Council. Clarity in a statute where there wasnt clarity before. Clarity in a process so that we can go forward to make sure that these cases are handled responsibly and appropriately.

No one testified in opposition to the bill.

The bills only no vote came from Rep. Stephanie Luck, R-Penrose. Luck didnt comment on her opposition, but questioned the waiver of privilege portion of the bill, asking Karbach if his office is concerned about it.

He said the office does not love that part of the bill but added that it aligns with adult court competency cases.

This bill fixes some parts of our juvenile competency system, Amabile said in defense of the bill. Theres a lot more work to do, but it is important to do this now and move this process forward to make it more fair. These are kids ... and the best thing we can do for them is get them into care and out of the criminal justice system.
Fountain-Fort Carson High School could never build a successful band program, or so director of bands Joshua Race was told before taking the helm five years ago. The schools large population of transient military families left little room for stability, let alone growth.

Of course, those words did little to dissuade Race and his students, who have nearly tripled the instrumental music program under Races leadership. And on Thursday, the high school will celebrate yet another musical milestone as it performs for the first time at the annual Colorado Musical Educator Association conference.

The prestigious opportunity places FFCHS students before an auditorium of music educators from all grade levels across the state, who will ponder what it is that sets bands like the wind ensemble apart from competition. FFCHS, one of only three high schools selected to perform, will take the stage at noon Thursday at the Broadmoor.

We sit here today, before one of the most important audiences to which we will perform, honored and proud of where we have come, what we have endured through the recent pandemic, and what we have accomplished to move our program to new heights, junior Jazlyn Wilkinson, a tenor saxophonist, said in the events program. As (Race) likes to ask, Why be average when you can be amazing?

The concert is unlike any other: There wont be a panel of judges. There wont be pressure to achieve a certain score. In fact, there wont be any score at all. This freedom  the freedom to perform for the love of music alone  has allowed the wind ensemble to break band standards and experiment with new sounds.

Race searched for a lineup of music as diverse as Fountain-Fort Carsons student population. In one sense, that meant paying homage to the roughly two-thirds of performing students who come from military families. The wind ensemble will be joined by the FFCHS combined advanced choir for Hymn to the Fallen, composed by John Williams and arranged by Paul Lavender for the war film Saving Private Ryan.

However, Race also knew he didnt want to rely on the same old white guys who typify most sets, though he noted those classics have withstood the test of time for good reason. Instead, he found Water Reflections by Yukiko Nishimura, a female composer from Japan who describes her piece as a pleasant and unique musical dialogue of delicate sounds and textures. Rather than an Americanized version of the Pasodoble, he included a more traditional piece by Colombian composer Victoriano Valencia.

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Finally, the six-song performance will end with A Mother of a Revolution! which composer Omar Thomas describes as a celebration of the bravery of trans women and the legacy of the Stonewall revolution, a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ+ liberation movement of the 20th century.

The individual pieces work together to represent the diversity among Fountain-Fort Carson High Schools students, Race said.

Some of those kids are those kids. Like, thats them, Race said. I think that that was a big buy-in for them  is that they understood the why.

Students didnt initially understand how big of an honor the opportunity was, assistant band director Sydney Brown said. To many, it sounded like just another concert, of which they have many.

Far from just another, however, Brown said the students have been practicing for months and are now ready to take on CMEA together, just as theyve tackled every other concert and competition.

The sense of family and community allows all of us to lift each other up and encourage one another, Wilkinson said. We practice as one. We grow as one. We perform as one.

The Fountain-Fort Carson High School wind ensemble will perform at noon Thursday at the Broadmoor.
The Colorado Springs City Council tweaked and approved a controversial water ordinance Tuesday that will benefit existing developers within the city and could block large annexations planning to build new neighborhoods.

The updated ordinance will require Colorado Springs Utilities to have 128% of the water necessary to serve existing city demand and the projected demand from new properties. Two weeks ago, the City Council backed a 130% water standard. The slightly lower buffer would allow the city to annex 8,500 homes, up from 4,200 homes, said Abby Ortega, general manager of planning.

The council also committed to study regional water needs more holistically. Numerous neighborhoods in El Paso County rely on diminishing groundwater and may need water from Colorado Springs Utilities in the future.

The lower buffer passed on a 6-3 vote after extensive testimony on both sides of the issue. Many who testified pointed out the need to protect the city during the Colorado River's megadrought and how it could push up the price of housing and force more building out into the county on diminishing groundwater. Councilmembers Dave Donelson, Bill Murray and Mike O'Malley voted against the ordinance.

Mayor John Suthers backed the water rule, saying it addresses questions about water availability residents constantly ask him.

"Our citizens want a clear message that we are looking out for them, that we know how much water we have, we know how much water we are using and we are going to maintain a buffer between the two," Suthers said.

Suthers explained a proposed annexation of 3,200 acres east of Fountain, known as Amara, prompted Colorado Springs Utilities to look more closely at how many people it can serve. He believed based on statements by Utilities leadership it could serve 800,000 when a pipeline from Pueblo Reservoir was complete. Utilities told him and others it can serve 670,000 people now.

"That was a huge wake-up call," he said.

The new estimate prompted Norwood Development Group, the most powerful developer in town, to float the idea of asking voters to adopt a more restrictive water rule.

Norwood's measure would have required Colorado Springs Utilities to have enough water, an estimated 125,000 to 130,000 acre-feet, for the properties within the city to develop before allowing annexations, a measure that could block the city from adding property for 20 to 30 years, Suthers said. The proposal would prioritize water service to developments within the city  including the 18,000 acres in Banning Lewis Ranch owned by Norwood on the eastern edge of town.

"Did I have some difficult conversations with Norwood? You bet," Suthers told the council.

Donelson successfully proposed reducing the water buffer Utilities must provide from 130% to 128%, noting that the Housing and Building Association asked for a lower standard. He was also among those who called for more time to better understand the implications of the rule and how it could drive up the cost of housing.

He called it "too big of a decision to run into at the prodding of one developer."

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Former El Paso County Planning Director Craig Dossey said the county's planning efforts, including the city's intergovernmental agreement with the county, was intended to guide dense neighborhoods to annexing into the city to help prevent neighborhoods from relying on groundwater.

"It is a dire outlook when you are talking about water providers in the county," said Dossey, president of Vertex Consulting Services, a Colorado Springs-based planning and land development company.

The Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority was set up to work on some regional groundwater concerns and reuse plans. For example, Colorado Springs Utilities, Monument and six groundwater districts started work last year to see if they could reuse groundwater. Instead of using groundwater once, treating it and then allowing it to flow into local creeks, the group planned to study if the water could be captured downstream and used again.

Acting Utilities CEO Travas Deal said the new rule could help in discussions with regional water providers, such as those in the authority.

"If you want to bring people to the table, you have to have something to start with," he said.

Several critics noted the starting point does not need to be an adopted ordinance.

The council also seriously considered delaying a vote on the rule until September, proposed by Councilwoman Nancy Henjum.

Henjum, who voted for the water rule two weeks ago, proposed the delay to form a regional water task force in March that could deliver recommendations by September.

The task force had broad support, but a delay did not. Henjum could have forced the delay as the swing vote, but voted against her own motion to delay.

She said she leaned on the recommendation from Utilities' to adopt the new water buffer in her decision.

However, she also expected a new task force to drive "a regional collaborative conversation."

The council did not commit to a date to setting up a new task force and in April the city will have a new mayor and four new city councilmembers, who often face a steep learning curve.
Colorado Academy graduate Shane Boris pulled off an extraordinary feat today  he is a producer of record for two of the five films that have been newly nominated for Best Documentary at the 2023 Academy Awards: Navalny and Fire of Love.

Navalny focuses on the poisoned and imprisoned Putin critic Alexei Navalny. Fire of Love is a big-buzz doc about a daring French couple who roamed the planet chasing volcanic eruptions to their deaths. Boris was previously Oscar-nominated in 2020 for The Edge of Democracy.

Mitch Dickman, owner of Denvers Listen Productions, said whats most remarkable about Boris perhaps unprecedented Oscars accomplishment is that his two nominated films were made at the same time, by different creative teams working separately but in concert. Both premiered together a year ago at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Shane is the only common factor between the two films, which is a testament to how much people like to work with him and what great value he brings to these projects, Dickman said. This is a huge deal, and I am very happy for him as a collaborator and friend.

Boris, reached Monday at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival before the nominations were announced, said he was blown away even to have two films on the Academys short list of 15 potential nominees. He, too, said he was most proud that his two films were made concurrently. Navalny was directed by Daniel Roher, while Fire of Love was helmed by Sara Dosa.

These two teams essentially joined forces, said Boris, who spent much of 2021 going back and forth between the making of both films. Not only did they premiere together, they've been out on the same distribution and awards circuit for the past year.

Its been beautiful in a lot of ways to go through this with both teams, and for both teams to support each other, said Boris, who splits time between Denver and Los Angeles. Its like music: You become these traveling bands going around the world together. That's been really rewarding, and weve all become amazing friends.

Perhaps no one was happier for Boris today than Roher. Shanes DNA and his brain and his love and his care and his compassion are threaded into these two nominated films, Roher told Deadline. We called our little film family, as we did on this tour together, Fire of Navalny Love.'

The other Best Documentary nominees include All that Breathes and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (both featured at the recent 2022 Denver Film Festival), along with A House Made of Splinters. If the experts are to be believed, the frontrunner is likely Laura Poitras All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, which tells the story of renowned counterculture artist Nan Goldin and her campaign to expose the role of the Sackler family  owners of OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma  in the opioid crisis.

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Navalny and Fire of Love could not be more different, but they do have commonalities. Navalny details the Kremlins sinister plot to poison the Putin opposition leader with a deadly nerve agent in August 2020. Navalny became deathly ill but survived, and remains imprisoned. Fire of Love is a visually astonishing film from National Geographic that followed Katia and Maurice Krafft, the daring French volcanologist couple who documented volcanic explosions around the world until they died in one in 1991.

In some ways, both films feature protagonists where fear doesn't determine what they believe in and what they do, Boris said. What both consider to be the purpose of their lives is something they value higher than anything else. And that resonates for me. I aspire to that as well.

Both films have their own deep artistic and social reasons for being, Boris added, and if it's awards that enable those reasons to get out before the public, then, all the better.

In the case of Navalny, these awards have a tangible impact both on his life and on world politics in some way. That feels very, very meaningful to me, Boris said.

And with Fire of Love, we're trying to tell a story that is about living a life of purpose and a life of passion. Its about living a life that's in accordance with what you believe and what you care about.

Fire of Love is now streaming on Disney+, while Navalny is available on HBO Max.

Boris learned the Oscars news just one day after his newest film, King Coal, premiered to great enthusiasm Monday at Sundance. That film, about the power coal holds over the identity of people from Central Appalachia, is directed by Elaine McMillion Sheldon. Boris is hoping it might be selected to be featured in Denver Films 2023 Women + Film Festival, which takes place in April.
Public safety experts discussed rising crime rates in El Paso County and statewide and factors they said are fueling the rise in a town hall Tuesday night in Colorado Springs.

Preliminary data from 2022 offered by Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez indicates that motor vehicle thefts have jumped significantly in the city, with 3,291 cases in 2022, up from 2,877 in 2021. Vasquez said that stolen vehicles are often used by criminals to avoid detection while committing other more serious crimes like robbery and dealing drugs.

General crime rates also are on the rise, including an 8% rise in violent crime and an overall 3% rise in property crime over the past five years, according to Vasquez.

Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen cited population growth statewide, but especially in the Springs, which has introduced challenges linked to homeless populations and contributed to crime rates.

Allens other reason for the crime increase was what he called a permissive drug culture.

Allen said crime statistics in Colorado were lower than the national average before the legalization of recreational marijuana but climbed since the passing of Amendment 64.

"Fentanyl, as recently as 2019, was decreased in level of criminality from a felony to a misdemeanor by our legislature and this governor [Jared Polis] signed it. I think that was wrong. It put people in this state in jeopardy," Allen said.

El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal expressed frustration with recently enacted state laws, stating that the government is making it easier for people to commit crimes. "Our government, our legislature, who we elected, are failing us," he said.

I hope that everyone out there is mad, Roybal said. I can tell you, Im angry.

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Vasquez discussed a law that prevents individuals from being charged with possession of a firearm unless they have been convicted of a felony, including felons if they complete a sentence over 10 years earlier.

While this wasnt the only change to criminal laws last year, it is an example of how the decriminalization efforts by the state Legislature has had a negative impact on our community, Vasquez said.

The panelists offered advice to community members to prevent falling victim to crimes. Vasquez shared that the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority estimates that 40%-50% of car thefts occur because of driver apathy.

Vasquez also recommended community members remove valuables from vehicles and not store firearms in cars. They said community members should report suspicious behavior and contact local legislators regarding laws that they say are not serving the community.

UCCS criminology professor John Caudill said there are effective, evidence-based strategies for crime prevention. These include targeted responses from law enforcement and addressing habitual offenders.

The panelists cited factors associated with criminals. In Colorado Springs, they tend to be men between 18-35 years old. Other factors include poverty, addiction and abuse during adolescence, according to Caudill. There are strong links between family upbringing on criminal behavior, driving a need for safe spaces for juveniles in the community.

School District 11 Superintendent Michael Gaal said safety is a main priority for the 22,000 students in 50 D-11 schools. He shared that, on Jan. 24, around 70% of students did not show up for class at Coronado High School after an unfounded threat circulated on social media. The incident also affected attendance at Rampart High School in District 20, Gaal said.

However, responding to a community question about social media where this recent threat was made, Gaal said the good outweighs the bad. "The idea of faster ways to communicate and report anonymously has been a great benefit to the safety and security of our schools."

Similar to Crime Stoppers, D-11 uses an anonymous reporting tool called Safe2Tell, which receives on average 500 reports per year, most of which report self-harm or suicidal behavior. Gaal said 40% of reports have an initial officer response, thanks to partnership with local law enforcement.

According to Gaal, there is a balance between safety and liberty for crime prevention that comes with accepting certain tradeoffs.
Devil take the hindmost

Mark Seglem correctly identifies the excessive speed problem on I-25 and, consequently, the danger that it poses. He is again correct when he identifies the dearth of State Patrol troopers and the resulting capricious enforcement of traffic laws. The situation, quite frankly, is road anarchy  speed like crazy and devil take the hindmost.

This problem is not confined to interstate highways; city streets are equally dangerous, and police officers seldom seen. Mr. Seglem openly admits to speeding, moving along at well over the speed limit.

Thus, his position is hypocritical. One cant reasonably complain about traffic law enforcement when one is part of the problem, not the solution that begins with obeying traffic laws.

William Myers

Colorado Springs

Not a universal belief

There was a time when I ignored the plight of the needy, did not recognize the racism I encountered almost everywhere, accepted the arrogance of our elected politicians who were only interested in their personal desires, felt the surge of power when I wore my loaded gun as a law enforcement officer, and believed that conservatism was the answer to our countrys problems.

Of course, these beliefs were when I was young and not very bright. Now that Im older, I still find it difficult to believe my country accepts carrying and owning assault weapons is making us safer, politicians will eventually see the light and govern for everyone, the hatred of minorities, including immigrants is not racism and helping the homeless and the less fortunate will become reality. We know being nice to one another and doing the right thing is not a universal belief.

Vincent Capozzella

Colorado Springs

No hope for a bipartisan Congress

Just wanted to respond to Gary Morses lament on how the duly elected Republican majority in the House has started out.

Donald Trump has not been dispatched. Certainly not by the Democrats, anyway  100% in the heads of them.

Wouldnt have to investigate the Bidens right now if the Dems had all this time. Committee heads are appointed by the majority party. Republicans have a big tent with a lot of points of view.

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Abolishing the Jan. 6th commission, and investigating it is the only proper response to the kangaroo court that Nancy Pelosi put together, allowing nobody but her selected Republicans to speak.

I could go on, but the expectation of a now bipartisan Congress, after what has transpired over the last couple of years is actually too funny to entertain seriously.

John Ausmus

Monument

Use of the term elderly

Re: Article on Elderly Couple.

I did not know if I should have laughed or cried this Monday morning, when I read the article, where the journalists referred to one couple as elderly; the gentleman is 62 and the woman 59. As a proud 62-year-old woman, I believe elderly is the last word that I, or my friends would use to describe me or my 71-year-old husband. I know I found the word insulting, and I am sure the two families profiled, and many others, thought the same.

Robin Schwartz

Colorado Springs

The rest of the story

The follow-up article about a Virginia 6-year-old shooting his teacher (Jan. 20) headlined that this student (according to the familys lawyer) had been identified as having an acute disability. This headline of this article brings to the forefront that todays teachers can have one or more students with acute disabilities (sometimes without an aide as it appears in this case) with the teacher also having a full classroom of other students, which might be one reason why some schools could be having lower scores than did the schools of the 1950s.

Politicians of a certain party still put 100% of the blame for school achievement levels on teachers while adding the false claim that unions (not school boards) run the schools. These politicians ignore the reality that todays classroom are faced with a far different set of students and problems than the classrooms in the 50s. This includes the new reality of so many households have both parents with fulltime jobs that leave these parents with little time or energy for holding their children accountable for schoolwork or in helping their children with their educational needs.

Putting 100% of the blame on teachers and unions has been an effective talking point for politicians, but The Gazettes headline  Lawyer: 6-year-old Who Shot Teacher Has Acute Disability  tells (with a nod to Paul Harvey) the rest of the story.

Rock Goldberg

Colorado Springs
A federal judge has thrown out the claims of a Colorado group that falsely believes the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and accused multiple voting rights organizations of defaming its members.

Earlier this year, three civic organizations whose missions include voter registration and education sued the U.S. Election Integrity Plan, which is not affiliated with the government, for intimidating voters in the wake of the 2020 election. USEIP, which claims unnamed actors "stole our election" and "stole our Republic," turned around and filed allegations against the plaintiffs for defamation and abusing the judicial process.

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney dismissed USEIP's counterclaims, citing the longstanding legal principle that damaging statements made in a lawsuit are protected if they are related to the underlying allegations of wrongdoing.

"Here, there is no dispute that the allegedly defamatory statements on which defendants counterclaim is based were made in plaintiffs complaint," she wrote in a Jan. 23 order. "Therefore, in accordance with Colorado common law, even if such statements were defamatory, they are protected by this absolute privilege."

Currently, Sweeney is weighing USEIP's motion to resolve the case in its favor and dismiss the voter intimidation claims of the three plaintiffs: the Colorado Montana Wyoming State Area Conference of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters of Colorado and Mi Familia Vota.

The civic groups claim USEIP and its representatives have gone door-to-door, sometimes while armed and "often" targeting Democratic areas or communities of color, to interrogate voters about whether they participated in the 2020 election and how they cast their ballots. The lawsuit also alleges some USEIP participants wrongly said they were from "the county."

Although USEIP has denied the majority of allegations in the lawsuit, the group has published a "canvassing report" that claims 7-12% of all contests in Colorado's 2020 election "may be questionable" based on alleged irregularities. The group collected its data by visiting homes in Douglas, El Paso, Pueblo and Weld counties.

Weld County's Republican clerk and recorder has since called USEIP a "known election-denier group."

The three plaintiffs sued USEIP for alleged violations of the Voting Rights Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act, the latter of which outlaws conspiracies that deter people from voting for federal officials. The groups are seeking a judge's order that USEIP cease going door-to-door questioning voters about their ballots and, if they do speak to voters, to clearly identify themselves and not carry weapons.

USEIP then lodged its own claims against the plaintiffs, saying the groups "published false information" and used their lawsuit for the "improper purpose of harassing, embarrassing, and keeping (USEIP members) from engaging in their constitutional rights."

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In support of its counterclaims, USEIP pointed to a press release posted by the League of Women Voters after filing the lawsuit, which did little more than explain the allegations at hand. USEIP also believed the plaintiffs were abusing the judicial process because, in its view, federal law prevents non-governmental organizations from suing over voting rights violations.

The plaintiffs responded that USEIP had failed to identify a defamatory, false statement made about it, and argued that many of their statements about USEIP came directly from USEIP's own materials or members.

"Defendants counterclaims amount to asking the court, 'Who are you going to believe, me, or your own eyes?'" wrote attorneys for the plaintiffs.

Sweeney agreed the voting rights groups' statements and allegations about the lawsuit were protected from USEIP's defamation claim. As for USEIP's assertion that the plaintiffs could not possibly prevail under federal law and were, therefore, abusing the process, she observed that USEIP could have made that argument earlier this year when it tried and failed to dismiss the lawsuit. But it did not.

"Civil litigation undoubtedly will cause a defendant 'financial hardship and emotional upheaval' but that does not give rise to a claim for abuse of process," Sweeney wrote.

Pending before Sweeney is USEIP's request to dismiss the claims against it. Primarily, the group has argued that Congress did not give private organizations, like the three civic organizations, the right to sue over voter intimidation. USEIP also contended that the Ku Klux Klan Act only applies to governmental conspiracies to interfere with voting.

In an unusual move, the U.S. government has filed a statement in the case, expressing its view that Congress intended to allow private plaintiffs to enforce the Voting Rights Act's prohibition on voter intimidation. The government also explained plaintiffs do not have to prove that someone accused of intimidation intended to cause voters to change their behavior.

The case is Colorado Montana Wyoming State Area Conference of the NAACP et al. v. United States Election Integrity Plan et al.
U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn has settled a lawsuit filed nearly two years ago by a former advisor who alleged the lawmaker took a lax approach to safety during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and then fired the staffer in retaliation after he complained, the Colorado Springs Republican's office confirmed on Tuesday.

The terms of the settlement between the lawmaker and Brandon Pope, who worked for nearly two years as the congressman's military advisor until December 2020, weren't disclosed in court filings dismissing the lawsuit last week in federal district court in Washington, D.C.

Allegations raised in the lawsuit remain under investigation by the House Committee on Ethics, which announced a year ago that it would review charges Lamborn misused official resources for personal purposes, including requiring congressional staffers to perform tasks for the Lamborn family and his campaign, and that he "solicited or accepted improper gifts from subordinates." The lawsuit also alleged Lamborn let his son live rent-free in the basement of the U.S. Capitol.

Lamborn was reelected in November to a ninth term representing the El Paso County-based 5th Congressional District.

Cassandra Sebastian, Lamborn's communications director, told Colorado Politics the settlement, which was proposed by a magistrate judge during mediation, doesn't imply "any admission of guilt or wrongdoing associated with this resolution" and said that her boss "absolutely maintains that at all times, he and his office used best efforts to comply with all legal and ethical requirements."

While plaintiff and defendant disagree strongly about the allegations and defenses made during the Lawsuit, the parties engaged in mediation with a Magistrate Judge and jointly agreed to accept the solution proposed by the mediator, to avoid the expense and burden of future litigation for all involved, including the public (taxpayers)," Sebastian said in a written statement.

She added that the "strict confidentiality provisions" of a federal law governing congressional operations "preclude the parties from revealing any other information regarding this matter; accordingly, no further comment is permissible.

Pope didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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His lawsuit accused Lamborn and his congressional office of taking a "reckless and dangerous" approach to COVID at the height of the 2020 pandemic, including allegations the lawmaker was "willing to sacrifice the health and safety of his employees" by disregarding safety concerns, even as the coronavirus infected the lawmaker and multiple staff members.

Pope also claimed he was fired, two weeks after being diagnosed with COVID, for raising concerns about workplace safety conditions. That allegation was supported by Joshua Hosler, a former district director for Lamborn, who said in court filings that he was Pope's direct supervisor and considered him "generally an excellent employee."

The lawsuit also said Lamborn required his congressional staff to run personal errands and perform tasks unrelated to their jobs for Lamborn and his wife, such as buying the couple Christmas and birthday presents and helping move furniture to the Lamborn's vacation home.

When the lawsuit was filed, Sebastian denied the allegations, calling them "unsubstantiated," and said Pope wasn't fired for the reasons he claimed.

A report released a year ago by the Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the bipartisan House ethics committee investigate some of Pope's allegations, following a determination that there was substantial reason to believe Lamborn and his wife had enlisted staff members to perform unofficial duties.

Responding to the ethics investigation, Lamborn's attorney called Pope and Hosler "disgruntled former staffers" and charged that they "weaponized the ethics process for political and personal purposes." The attorney added that Lamborn would cooperate with the investigation and "expects to be fully exonerated."

In a Jan. 3 report on its activities during the last Congress, the ethics committee said it hadn't completed its investigation into the complaint.
Join Crime Stoppers and The Gazette tonight for a town hall in which public safety experts will discuss how Colorado Springs citizens can help fight and prevent crime in the community.

The event will be livestreamed here beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Those wishing to attend the free and public event in person can do so at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd.

Panelists include Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez, El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal, District Attorney Michael Allen, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs criminology professor Jon Caudill and School District 11 Superintendent Michael Gaal.

The town hall is an effort to reduce crime levels in the community following a local uptick in recent years. Colorado Springs saw a record number of homicides last year with 54, marking the third straight year of record highs. Police investigated 44 homicides in 2021 and 39 homicides in 2020.

Colorado Springs violent crime rate rose 35% between 2015 and 2020 as the national rate remained steady, according to data released in September by Pikes Peak United Way. Hate crimes also saw a sharp increase during that time, and as property crime rates have decreased by a fifth nationwide, such crimes have held steady in Colorado Springs.

Panelists will discuss how they fight crime in their respective roles and how the community can assist them. Topics will include causes of crime, the citys high recidivism rate and how the school system works to keep kids on the right path, among other subjects. Citizens can submit additional questions to the panel at gazette.com/crime.

Crimes oftentimes are crimes of opportunity. A person is on drugs, and they need money to feed their habit. Theyll walk by a vehicle that has the keys in the ignition and is unlocked, and theyll get in and steal it. Well, that doesnt have to happen, Addy said. These are the kinds of things that were trying to share with the community. You can help by just taking care of your things and taking care of yourself.
South Africa: DWS tightens hand on officials misconduct

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has reiterated its commitment to root out fraud and corruption, which often stems from gross misconduct by officials who have no respect for good government principles and conduct.

The department said that over the years, the impact of fraud and corruption has negatively affected the provision of consistent and reliable water supply, as well as dignified sanitation facilities to communities in most parts of the country.

The department said through enhanced and collaborative measures implemented within the department and alongside law enforcement agencies, 55 cases of the 63 disciplinary cases have been finalised as of 31 December 2022.

Of the 55 cases, 39 officials were found guilty through disciplinary processes and the sanctions implemented included suspension without pay, final written warnings and dismals, amongst others, the department said in a statement.

To fast track the investigations of disciplinary cases, the department said Director-General, Dr Sean Phillips, approved the revival of the Consequence Management Committee in March 2022, which is an administrative structure that seeks to provide oversight, accountability, and support of the implementation of consequence management.

Committee members are mandated to consult and monitor relevant stakeholders combating fraud, corruption and maladministration, present findings and make recommendations to the Director-General on cases of fraud and corruption, as well as present findings and make recommendations to the Director-General on cases of fraud and corruption.

Adding to this, Dr Phillips spearheads quarterly meetings to track progress made on individual cases in the department and attends monthly engagements with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), where the department provides the SIU with progress reports on disciplinary processes, the department said.

The department said there are several investigations currently underway, which include gross dishonesty, fraud, improper expenditure (irregular, fruitless wasteful and unauthorised), as well as dereliction of duties and improper use of State property.

To ensure that investigations are carried out and concluded successfully, the department said it has introduced a standard template of all misconduct cases, where the monitoring and coordination of misconduct cases are now centralised.

This means that all cases that have been investigated are placed on a central database. These include that of the departments Internal Audit Unit, Risk Management Register, Human Resources Database, Public Service Commission and the SIUs databases.

This is done to ensure that all cases that require attention are monitored centrally, and the department has an accurate picture of the status of the cases. In an event where there are blockages or challenges, these can be attended to through the Consequence Management Committee, the department explained.

The department warned that as the new year has set in, it will continue with its efforts to root out fraud and corruption, implement consequent management and will not hesitate to take harsh action against any official who transgresses good government ethics and principles.

This was evident when a Deputy Director-General was dismissed late last year after being found guilty in an investigation relating to irregularities on the Systems Applications Products (SAP) contract with the department, the department said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-01-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A Mason City man possibly connected to a September shooting pleaded guilty to a felony weapon charge Tuesday.

According to court records, 32-year-old Reggie Isiah Williams pleaded guilty to control of a firearm by a felon. The plea agreement calls for a suspended five-year prison sentence and up to three years probation.

According to a Mason City Police Department release, officers responded to a report of gunfire in the area of the 900 block of North Washington Avenue at 4:12 a.m. Sept. 4. They found a man in the 100 block of 10th Street Northwest who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

The ensuing investigation led to a search warrant being served at 619 N. Washington Ave. that resulted in Williams arrest.

The affidavit states that an officer observed Williams walk out the front door with a firearm in his hand. He then allegedly placed the gun in the mailbox.

Williams has no shooting-related charges pending. Mason City Police had no comment Wednesday when asked if he continued to be a suspect in the case.

Williams was convicted on felony drug charges in 2013 and 2018.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 20. The court accepted the plea on Wednesday, but is not obligated to follow the sentencing recommendations.

This story has been updated for clarity.

Close Feb. 9, 1936. Blizzard Scenes, Highway Patrol officers. Feb. 19, 1953. Slippery sidewalk. North Iowa History: Winter scenes Feb. 9, 1936. Blizzard Scenes, Highway Patrol officers. Feb. 19, 1953. Slippery sidewalk.
DES MOINES  State officials agreed Friday to provide a northeast Iowa beef processing company with $1.5 million in tax breaks to help finance a $48 million expansion that will double its production.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board approved providing the Upper Iowa Beef plant in Lime Springs with about $863,000 in tax credits for job creation and nearly $650,000 in refunds of sales and other taxes the company will spend expanding and equipping the plant.

Upper Iowa Beef, which purchases cattle from about 400 cattle producers in northeast Iowa, said it expects the project will create 172 jobs, the Des Moines Register reported.

In November, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Upper Iowa Beef would receive an $8.8 million federal grant for the expansion. The company said it expects the project will double the plants slaughter capacity to 800 cattle a day and boost employment to 350 people.

Upper Iowa Beef sells products to customers in 22 states and seven countries.

The plant already employs about 200 people, said Ed Greiman, Upper Iowas CEO. Lime Springs, in Howard County, has nearly 500 residents.

Some of the biggest benefits of the plant expansion will go to producers who sell animals to the plant, Greiman said.

Theyre family farmers who grow corn and raise cattle, he said, adding that the plant gives producers more than one buyer for their cattle. Were paying them a premium for good northeast Iowa cattle.

Greiman said the expansion will help the company sell more beef overseas as well as further process the meat so its ready for U.S. grocery meat cases.

Upper Iowa Beef was one of about 30 projects in November that received a total of $223 million in federal grants and loans, seeking to add competition in the meatpacking industry thats now dominated by giant meatpackers. Vilsack, former Iowa governor, said the initiative will help boost the income to cattle and other livestock producers, who will have more places to sell their animals.

Another Iowa project also received U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance in November. The new owners of Pure Prairie Farms received a $38.7 million loan and a nearly $7 million grant to reopen and expand the shuttered plant in Charles City. The company expects the project will create about 400 jobs.

Close Clear Creek Elementary first-graders do the twist during a presentation on the Winter Dance Party in 2014. Dan and Jan Hanson of Cedar Falls dance during the Winter Dance Party finale in 2015. A group of girls dance at the Winter Dance Party sock hop in February 2016. People of all ages dance and sing along with the Johnny Rogers History of Rock Show, which kicked off the Winter Dance Party at the Surf Ballroom in February 2017. A couple dances at the Winter Dance Party at Clear Lake's Surf Ballroom in 2018. People of all ages dance and sing along with The Whitesidewalls during the Family Sock Hop at the annual Winter Dance Party Wednesday at the Surf Ballroom in this file photo from January 2019. Three couples, (left to right) Matthew and Chandler Koenen, of Grinelle, Iowa; Orlyn and Kathy Brunssen, of Anamosa, Iowa; and Steve and Donna Durack, of Greenfield, Indiana, dance after renewing their wedding vows at a ceremony at the Surf Ballroom and Museum on Friday, Jan. 31. A couple dances during the Winter Dance Party in Clear Lake in February 2022. Winter Dance Party over the years With the Surf Ballroom's Winter Dance Party right around the corner, have a look at previous parties over the years. See anyone you recognize? Clear Creek Elementary first-graders do the twist during a presentation on the Winter Dance Party in 2014. Dan and Jan Hanson of Cedar Falls dance during the Winter Dance Party finale in 2015. A group of girls dance at the Winter Dance Party sock hop in February 2016. People of all ages dance and sing along with the Johnny Rogers History of Rock Show, which kicked off the Winter Dance Party at the Surf Ballroom in February 2017. A couple dances at the Winter Dance Party at Clear Lake's Surf Ballroom in 2018. People of all ages dance and sing along with The Whitesidewalls during the Family Sock Hop at the annual Winter Dance Party Wednesday at the Surf Ballroom in this file photo from January 2019. Three couples, (left to right) Matthew and Chandler Koenen, of Grinelle, Iowa; Orlyn and Kathy Brunssen, of Anamosa, Iowa; and Steve and Donna Durack, of Greenfield, Indiana, dance after renewing their wedding vows at a ceremony at the Surf Ballroom and Museum on Friday, Jan. 31. A couple dances during the Winter Dance Party in Clear Lake in February 2022.
The Danville Area Humane Society is offering a $500 reward for the "immediate return" of a dog taken from the Food Lion parking lot in Tightsqueeze on Tuesday afternoon.

As soon as we were told about this, we contacted the Pittsylvania County authorities," Paulette Dean, director of the Danville Area Humane Society, said in a statement. "They have assured us they will do what they can to reunite the dog with her owner.

The dog, a black and tan female chihuahua mix, was in the truck with her owner, according to news release.

When the owner "became distracted," the dog escaped from the cab of the truck.

The humane society reported as the dog was running around the parking lot, "a man and his daughter told a Food Lion employee the dog was theirs; they picked her up and left with her."

However, the dog was adopted from the humane society a few years ago, Dean said. The owner  an older man  "is devastated without her."

Dean reminds residents that theft of a dog is a felony in Virginia. Also, it's a misdemeanor to pick up a stray animal without notifying the public animal shelter in that locality that one is in possession of a found animal.

It is our hope that the man who has the dog will do the right thing and bring the animal to us so she can be returned to her loving home," Dean said. "The adopter is not interested in pressing charges. He just wants his best friend back.
A Tuesday evening fire damaged a Danville home and sent one person to the hospital.

It was about 11:40 p.m. when the Danville Fire Department responded to 226 Central St. to find moderate smoke coming from the front door, according to a news release from Capt. Tom Collins of the Danville Fire Department.

Crews pulled an attack line and quickly put out the flames firefighters were able to contained to one room.

The house suffered smoke damage, the release reported.

One occupant was transported to the hospital by the Danville Life Saving Crew. The release did not provide details on the injuries.

The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents.

The Danville Fire Marshals Office is investigating the cause.
Police Chief John Thompson has selected a deputy chief and three assistant chiefs, with the promotions effective in February, according to a news release from Greensboro police.

The new team of chiefs, along with interim Assistant Chief Leslie A. Brown, will begin working together to make decisions for the department, the release said.

Deputy Chief Renae G. Sigmon joined the Greensboro Police Department in April of 1995. Sigmon is currently the assistant chief of the support bureau, which includes traffic operations, traffic crash reconstruction, operational planning, school resource officers, public neighborhood resource center officers, electronic monitoring, behavioral health response team, and the special response, hazardous devices and negotiations teams. Sigmon has a masters in social work from the UNC-Chapel Hill and a bachelor of arts in social work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Assistant Chief Richard L. Alston began his career with the Greensboro Police Department in 2000. Alston has served in several divisions, including criminal investigations, vice narcotics, special operations, and professional standards. Alston is currently the captain of Patrol District 2. He holds a bachelor of science in marketing from N.C. A&T. He is also a graduate of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Departments Command College and the Administrative Officers Management Program of N.C. State.

Assistant Chief Milford J. Harris began his career in law enforcement in January 2000 with the N.C. A&T University Police Department and joined the Greensboro Police Department in November of 2000. Harris has served in several divisions across the department, including the patrol bureau and the operational support, resource management and professional standards divisions. Harris currently serves as the Captain of the Vice Narcotics Division. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Liberty University. He is also a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police and the Administrative Officers Management Program of N.C. State University.

Assistant Chief Doug W. Tabler began his career with the Greensboro Police Department in 1997. Tabler has served in various roles, including the crime abatement team, canine unit, center city resource team, watch command and professional standards division. Tabler currently serves as the captain of Patrol District 3. He earned a bachelor of science in criminal justice from Methodist University and is a graduate of the Administrative Officers Management Program of N.C. State.

Thompson and his leadership team will meet with officers, professional staff and the community for input on the departments goals and initiatives. Upcoming community meetings are being finalized and will be announced next week, the release said.
Happy Wednesday. Dont forget the galoshes.

GREENSBORO - Four, maybe five people - I wasnt taking a census - sat side by side by side at the counter in Herbies Place on Battleground Avenue.

For the dinner hour, it was early-bird special territory, the clock barely past 5 p.m. A television had been tuned to a rerun of one sitcom or other. I cant remember; I wasnt recording Nielsen data.

This much, however, was noticeable: Each diner at the counter was male and looked to be eligible for the senior discount, if Herbies offers such a thing. Every last one of them had arrived separately without a spouse or significant other in sight.

But those demographic anomalies arent what stood out the most.

It was their headgear. Every last man sitting wore a ball cap bearing military insignia and nomenclature.

One read Vietnam Veteran. One man had on a trucker-style cap with the Air Force logo. Another fellow wore a dark blue hat embroidered with the name (and hull number) of a Navy ship. Another man had donned a red-and-yellow U.S. Marine Corp cap that looked to be a constant in his wardrobe.

Herbies wasnt terribly busy. It was, as mentioned, fairly early on an average Tuesday. The day light was fading and the temperature was falling along with it.

A waitress working the counter appeared to know each of her customers by name. So, too, did the man at the grill.

All six (or seven) of them chatted between bites, happy to be sharing a meal and a moment of togetherness on a dreary winter night in a warm diner that, I imagine, had survived the pandemic shutdown being the sort of place where such scenes are common.

It may well have been the product of an overactive imagination, but I couldnt help thinking that each of the men at the counter - eating separately but very much a group - had served in uniform before slipping back into civilian lives that had led them to spend a lot of time in their later years alone.

Community is where and how you make it.

Now, Two Things for the weeks midpoint.

One step closer

WINSTON-SALEM - The city inches closer tonight to choosing a new police chief as the four finalists - three in-house assistant chiefs and one outside candidate - are slated to appear at a community forum this evening.

By this point, the individuals charged with making the final call probably have a good idea of which of the three assistant chiefs (Wilson Weaver, Jose Manny Gomez and William Penn Jr.) or Chief Scott Booth of the Danville Police Department theyll choose.

And candidly, with a decision to make next month, if officials dont have a favorite then perhaps theyve not paid close enough attention in the process.

Choosing an in-house candidate makes sense. Its safer to go with a known entity with a local track record.

And while going outside might make fit under certain conditions, sometimes it can backfire. Chief Scott Cunningham, recall, came here from Florida and seemed from the outside looking in to be a dynamic leader. He was known to respond to calls himself and gave the appearance of leading from the front.

But he rubbed some people the wrong way. Background grumbling over the handling of a near fatal crash in 2011 involving former state Rep. Larry Womble, rest his soul, wasnt hard to come by.

Womble, remember, was initially charged with death by motor vehicle even though the other driver, who was killed, had an astronomical blood-alcohol content. And the state attorney general eventually stepped in to have the charge dropped.

Whoever gets the nod, heres hoping that the new chief takes care first and foremost of the working police humping calls and front-line detectives leaving home in the dead to investigate that days shooting.

Those people are our first line of defense, not the pencil pushers and house cats trying to please elected officials looking over your shoulder.

Dormant full body hair gene

Most days, the staff here at Two Things World HQ tries really hard to focus on local, regional and statewide items. Its what sets us apart from the apes.

But today isnt one of those days.

Not when this headline showed up in this mornings research: Humans still have the genes for a full coat of body hair.

Um, what?

We all have that friend who, while walking shirtless down the beach in July, possibly heard a variation of this gem: Dude, youll be a lot more comfortable if you take that sweater off.

Scientists report that research has shown that the cave-man gene is present but dormant. And somewhere in all that scholarly work, they posit that a treatment for a range of conditions including baldness and cancer.

Chrome domes of the world, get on the horn and call your representatives in Congress. Fire up the NIH.

The more you know.
CHICAGO  The Checker taxi garage was a massive place, just to the north of North Avenue and stretching from Wells Street west to North Park Avenue. It was a wild and busy and noisy place, a human beehive.

Allan Lee Koss was in and out of there hundreds, likely thousands, of times. He drove for Checker from 1977 to 1988. He drove nights and, for him, it was a good job. And why not? If memory serves, drivers received 42% of whatever clicked on the meter, kept all tips, and the company took care of gas and maintenance.

I know that because I drove a cab too, out of that same garage, starting a few years before Koss and into his time there. We never met then but I share his feelings. I liked driving, said Koss. There was a freedom to it and the people. It was a real job and you could make a good living. Yes, I was proud to be a cabdriver.

He grew up with a sister on the Southwest Side of the city and his father was a manager for Sears. Koss graduated from Kelly High School and then entered Northeastern Illinois University majoring in history with the intention of becoming a teacher. I spent a lot of years in college, he says. I did some traveling. I had a bunch of different kinds of jobs. I tended bar for a while at a place near the Checker garage.

Sitting next to him on the front seat of his cab was a Nikon camera of the point-and-shoot variety, which had been a gift from his father. By then he had been taking photos for some time. I did take one photo class but I am basically self-taught, he says. Its intuitive, I suppose, but I love it.

He took his camera to the chaos surrounding the 1968 Democratic Convention and the more sedate 1996 edition. He was shooting photos at various protests and marches over the years. He was at Woodstock. He shot pictures in San Francisco, where he lived for a while. He shot in Mexico. He shot graffiti and gang signs. He shot chillingly intimate photos of drug addicts, and civil rights gatherings, and parades 

And he shot passengers who rode in his cab. There are dozens of them on the pages of his first book, Fares: Chicago Taxicab Portraits. It is a feast of faces, some smiling and some dour. Some people are in costumes, some hold children. Black and white; young and old. There is a dog. Some people hold money to pay their fares. Some hold photographs. Many are pretty women.

I dont take pictures of flowers, he says. I always got permission to take the cab photos and though some people said no, most seemed maybe flattered.

This book has been long in the making. Koss attended a conference decades ago at the Art Institute where he encountered the famous photographer Richard Avedon. Koss showed him some cab photos and told of his plans for a book of them.

Avedon said he loved the idea, says Koss. But when I later asked him for a favorable quote I could use, he turned me down. And the university presses I approached about a book also gave me a No.

He swallowed his frustration and put his book dreams on hold until last year, when a real estate developer named Perry Casalino came into the picture.

I saw some of his photos for sale on eBay, photos of the old market on Maxwell Street, said Casalino, who has been collecting art and photography for decades. That led me to his website and that led me to him.

Casalino visited Koss in his North Side apartment, which is jammed with photos. They are packed in file cabinets, on the walls, in piles.

Casalino, who had previously published books in collaboration with and about other photographers on a fascinating self-publishing platform called Blurb, was immediately grabbed by Koss taxi cab photos. Together, the pair created this book because, Casalino says, These are the faces of this city at that time. They are the faces of hardscrabble characters, workers, kids, ladies of the night.

Most of the faces in the book are anonymous, unnamed, though I did recognize the young Koss in a sort of self-portrait; Studs Terkel and his wife Ida; WFMTs Ray Nordstrand; and Eddie Balchowsky, a poet, artist, musician, composer who lost his right hand fighting in the Spanish Civil War as a member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and was one of our citys great characters.

Its been remarkable how many people have recognized other people in the book, says Casalino. I think this book is as much about Allan as it is about the subjects. I think he is a great photographer and I think I have only scratched the surface of his work.

Both men would like to have an exhibition of the photos and I could see such an eye-catching show at some place like the Chicago Cultural Center. Koss has exhibited before at various art fairs.

Koss is currently working on a series of photos he has long been taking from the CTA buses that he rides around the city. He calls this his From the Bus series.

Never married, he has spent most of his life working as a building maintenance man and still cares for one building. He turned 80 on Christmas Eve and is vital and active. Self-effacing and shy too.

Am I an artist? Maybe by default, he says. I dont know. This book makes me feel that my persistence has been worthwhile. I also make custom frames and there is some art in doing that, I guess.

He walks over to a pile on a table in his apartment, grabs a book from it and shows me an autograph. It is a Studs Terkel book, in which he wrote, long, long ago, For Allan  Heres to a marvelous cab ride, with a true artist.
FICTION: A small Southern town in the 1970s  and a couple  are torn by a mysterious triple murder.

"Decent People" by De'Shawn Charles Winslow; Bloomsbury (272 pages, $28)



In "Decent People," his second novel, author De'Shawn Charles Winslow has a lot to say about a lot of things. In fewer than 300 pages, Winslow takes on love, racism, Black masculinity, morality, hypocrisy and justice in a small Southern town in the mid-1970s.

But Winslow's deeper theme is the power of secrets: how they drive behavior, inhibit progress and become more toxic the longer they stay hidden. And while times may have changed, the past isn't far behind.

The tale unfolds in West Mills, a fictional North Carolina town near the Virginia border that was the setting for his first book, "In West Mills," winner of the Center for Fiction First Novel prize. Josephine Wright, a middle-aged Black woman and retired executive secretary from New York City, has returned to West Mills, her hometown. She's found love with Olympus Seymore, an earthy Black mechanic and childhood sweetheart who never left town.

Crisis ensues when Jo learns that Lymp, her fiance, is a suspect in a heinous triple murder that has the town buzzing. All three victims are Lymp's affluent half-siblings, from whom he is estranged: Dr. Marian Harmon, West Mills' officious Black pediatrician; her sporty younger sister Marva; and Lazarus, their fey brother. The motive behind the murders is unclear, but everyone knows Lymp openly held a grudge against Marian, and his alibi is far from ironclad.

Uncertain of her fiance's innocence and unwilling to trust the lazy cops, Jo starts investigating. A natural sleuth, she finds a bumper crop of potential suspects, people harboring Faulkneresque secrets  some recent, others long buried. In that place at that time, the holders of those secrets would kill to keep them hidden. And Dr. Harmon  calculating, ambitious, strong-willed  seemingly knew all.

"Decent People" is intriguing, but Winslow's novel has a bothersome structural division that mimics the canal that separates West Mills' Black and white communities. Jo Wright drives the action in the first half of the book, but she practically vanishes when the stories of two women  Savannah Russett, the white daughter of a prominent businessman and struggling single mother of two biracial sons, and Eunice Loving, a heretofore upstanding member of the town's Black middle class  begin to unspool.

The women's lives, and their secrets, intertwine when Eunice approaches Dr. Harmon for help with her adolescent son's budding sexual identity. The resulting plot twist propels the second half of the novel, leading to a surprising if barely plausible conclusion. In between, a few more secrets emerge, embedded in the mannered racism and casual homophobia of the era.

As someone who grew up in the South during the 1970s, I found "Decent People" an entertaining, relatable story and Winslow an engaging storyteller. Still, some characters feel underdeveloped, a few plot threads are left dangling and Savannah and Eunice compete to replace Jo as the book's protagonist. And although Winslow set the story in 1976, the book doesn't lean far into the zeitgeist, aside from passing references to cars and kitchen decor.

By the time I finished the novel, however, I realized the details of the era  rabbit-eared TV sets, rotary-dial phones and indoor smoking  were less important than the social attitudes Winslow uses to frame the story. When it comes to race, sexual identity and human nature, he seems to say, things have changed, sort of. But the power of secrets to enlighten, or destroy, has always remained the same.



Joseph P. Williams Jr. is senior managing editor of Color of Change, an online civil rights nonprofit.
The Helena City Commission approved the change of a zoning district south of Custer Avenue to allow for a four-story apartment complex proposed to be built on land adjacent to WinCo Foods on Sanders Street.

The commissioners voted unanimously to amend the zoning designation from a commercial light manufacturing (CLM) district to a B-2 general commercial district, which permits the construction of taller buildings. The approval is the first passage of the required two.

The proposed four-story development would include 138 housing units.

The city's 2019 growth policy lists the about 4.4-acre parcel as commercial under the desired future land use section of the policy.

The lot next door to the south was also rezoned at the end of 2022 to an R-4 district to allow for another high-density, 288-unit apartment complex proposed by a Utah-based developer.

This proposal required the general business district designation because an R-4 district carries with it height limitations that a B-2 district does not.

"The proposed use of subject property will also be high-density residential, however, the developers are proposing a 4-story apartment building that would be difficult to accommodate with the height restriction found in R-4," a city planning staff report states. "The City would like to see high-density residential projects in areas of high commercial development."

The Helena Community Development Departments traffic estimate for 4.38 acres of CLM is 3,797 trips per day. The traffic estimate for B-2 is 5,144 trips per day.

The St. Cloud, Minnesota-based developer, Trident Development, submitted the required traffic impact study, which estimates the project would result in only an additional 663 weekday vehicle trips.

Helena's Transportation Systems Department upon review of the proposed development and accompanying traffic impact study issued a response that states "the projected additional trips are well within the capacity of Sanders Street. According to the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), the theoretical capacity of Sanders Street, being a two-lane street, is approximately 12,000 vehicle trips per day."

The response further states "Sanders Street is currently functioning at about half of the capacity and the projected additional 663 weekday trips represents a nominal increase of about 5%. Additionally, the presence of several connecting streets in the immediate vicinity provides outlets for traffic distribution."

The Helena Zoning commission recommended approval of the zoning change on Dec. 15.

City Commissioner Sean Logan pointed out a concern in the staff memo.

"The intersection at North Sanders and Cedar Street is currently failing," the memo states. "This project along with the housing project adjacent to the south will exacerbate that condition."

City Planner Michael Alvarez agreed and said the biggest concerns are motorists turning onto Cedar Street from Sanders Street.

Alvarez said while the city does not control Cedar Street, which lies under Montana Department of Transportation jurisdiction, the city is working with MDT to address the concern.

Transportation Systems Director David Knoepke said the city is coordinating the installation of an additional traffic signal at the Cedar and Sanders streets intersection. The signal at Harris Street and Cedar Street could also be relocated to Sanders Street.

In an interview Tuesday, City Commissioner Andy Shirtliff called the developments, totaling 420 units, "a start."

"That's not bad," Shirtliff said. "But we need more. ... I'm glad developers are looking at Montana."
Montana's U.S. Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester sent letters this week to the Department of Defense and other top officials, asking for more information regarding recent reports of some former missileers who at one time served at Malmstrom Air Force Base being diagnosed with blood cancer.

Daines, a Montana Republican, and Tester, a Democrat, each wrote letters to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Tester included Denis McDonough, secretary of veterans affairs, in his letter.

Both said they were writing because of the reports on the increased likelihood of cancer for missileers at Malmstrom.

Given the reported timeframe of potentially cancer-causing exposures, the unknown number and current status  servicemember or veteran - of potentially affected individuals, and the seriousness of the reported health outcomes, I urge the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to work urgently together to ensure every potentially impacted individual is made aware of this situation, receives the appropriate health assessment and is offered the appropriate care he or she needs, Tester wrote in his Jan. 23 letter.

Tester is again serving as chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

Daines, in his Jan. 24 letter, urges the Department of Defense to re-examine previous studies and expand the current investigation, which is monitoring and screening current and former missileers.

It must be a priority to ensure that our nuclear readiness is sufficient and that missile combat crews are safe from nuclear radiation exposure, Daines wrote.

Both lawmakers request any relevant information about the situation.

Tester asked if this increased rate of cancer is unique to those who served at Malmstrom, or if those who served or are serving at Minot and F.E. Warren Air Force bases are suffering from a similarly increased risk of cancer or other diseases or conditions.

Further, are there other sites, for example training locations or living quarters, that are unique to Missileers that should also be investigated? he asked.

Daines asks Austin to ensure the findings include a recommendation to Congress on any linkage between service and cancer that need to be addressed with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The letters come in the wake of a Jan. 22 Associated Press story that nine military officers who had worked decades ago at the Malmstrom nuclear missile base in Great Falls have been diagnosed with blood cancer and there are indications the disease may be linked to their service, according to military briefing slides.

The nine officers were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a January briefing by U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Daniel Sebeck. One of them has since died.

Malmstrom is home to a field of 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile silos.

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told the AP that senior leaders are aware of the concerns.

The information in this briefing has been shared with the Department of the Air Force surgeon general and our medical professionals are working to gather data and understand more," she said.

We are heartbroken for all who have lost loved ones or are currently facing cancer of any kind, Stefanak said.

In 2001 the Air Force Institute for Operational Health investigated the base after 14 cancers of various types were reported among missileers who had served there, including two cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, AP reported.

But the review found the base was environmentally safe and that sometimes illnesses tend to occur by chance alone. The report lamented that the list of those diagnosed had been collected because it perpetuates the level of concern.

It was not clear whether some of the nine officers identified in the January briefing slides, whose diagnoses occurred between 1997 and 2007, overlap some of the cases identified in the Air Forces 2001 investigation, AP reported.
A bill moving through the Montana House would prohibit the state from making investment decisions based on environmental, social and governance philosophies of companies and funds, a framework often abbreviated as ESG.

Gov. Greg Gianfortes administration is backing House Bill 228, and the Republican gave a shout-out to the issue during a press conference last week.

Activist woke capitalism through ESG investing is trending on Wall Street, Gianforte said in prepared remarks Friday. ESG prioritizes climate change and social justice ahead of maximizing returns. It puts stakeholders ahead of shareholders.

The three-letter acronym has become a four-letter word within conservative news outlets, blamed for divestment strategies that have moved portfolios away from socially controversial or environmentally problematic companies and sectors. Nationally, some institutional investors have opted to sacrifice potential returns for more values-based investing, a departure from only making decisions based on the bottom line.

Supporters of the ESG approach have also noted that many of those decisions, like divesting from coal, can align with smart long-term investment decisions. But it's earned the ire of those losing investors over the new investing strategies, such as firearms manufacturers or carbon-intensive companies.

The latter industry lined up in support of the bill last week, with proponents including the Montana Petroleum Association and the Treasure State Resources Association.

But one of the bills opponents, Derf Johnson with the Montana Environmental Information Center, pointed out that the bills requirement that the board must use only pecuniary factors may fly in the face of the governors desire to dump the state's Russia-linked assets after war broke out in Ukraine last year.

The State of Montana is reviewing assets and operations that may benefit Vladimir Putin, his cadre of profiting oligarchs, and his vicious war machine, Gianforte wrote in a social media post last February.

At the time, Board of Investments Executive Director Dan Villa said the states divestment of roughly $14 million in such assets was more a matter of financial prudence than political statement.

There are times when we as a society recognize that there are institutions that are problematic, that are making decisions, Johnson said. And we dont want to be associated with them. Modern slavery is one example.

In a back-and-forth with one of the committees members, bill sponsor Rep. Terry Moore, a Billings Republican, indicated the board could only sever ties with those types of investments based on dollars and cents.

They could assess whether, given the circumstances and the situation that is at hand, would it be in the best interest financially, on behalf of Montanans, to divest, Moore said. But the criteria would be based on a financial criteria, not on an ESG-like criteria.

Villa, who testified in support of the bill, previously told the House State Administration Committee that the bill would mainly codify existing practice with the states investment pools. He even brought a visual prop to the Jan. 12 meeting, a small model of a rail tank car representing the hundreds of oil tanker cars the states massive pension fund currently owns.

As we view it, we go where the money is, Villa said. ... We dont get into, Do you buy oil, do you not buy oil? Do you boycott this, do you not boycott that? We get into What is your investment thesis?

The Montana House Judiciary Committee voted 13-6 in favor of House Bill 228 on Tuesday, with all Republicans supporting it.

Really all it says is that it is codifying investment policy for the state of Montana, that were going to only consider pecuniary factors, Rep. Neil Durham, R-Libby said.

Rep. S.J. Howell of Missoula was among the Democrats opposing the bill.

I think this unnecessarily ties the hands of the state to respond to unusual but important situations, like Russia invading Ukraine, they said.

It now heads to the full House floor for consideration.
Public hunter groups and outfitters announced a consensus package of bills for the 68th Legislature on Tuesday, including legislation reforming some nonresident and landowner preference licensing, increasing penalties for trespassing and hunter harassment, and expanding education and Block Management.

More than 100 camouflage-clad hunters gathered for Elk Camp at the Capitol Tuesday as speakers pushed a message of collaboration despite often sizable differences in policy. They heard about a legislative package coming from a coalition of hunting and access groups and others deemed the Montana Citizens Elk Management Coalition and the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association.

Speakers included former Montana Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Patrick Byorth, Montana Outfitters and Guides Association President Dusty Crary, legislators and Gov. Greg Gianforte.

Im preaching to the choir here, but hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation is not something we do, its who we are, Gianforte told the crowd. Its part of our identity as Montanans and we need to work together, everybodys voice needs to be heard so we can come up with joint solutions.

Gianforte touted efforts to increase public access, such as acquisition of the Big Snowies Wildlife Management Area and expansion of the Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area. The governor said he looked forward to following the proposed legislative package as it moves through the session.

Efforts to find more common ground on topics such as elk management, hunter access and funding come after a particularly trying stretch from the 2021 Legislature and changes to hunting regulations. Advocates often clashed with lawmakers, the administration, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission over contentious legislation, hunting regulations and licensing at a time where concerns continue to rise over landownership changes and public access challenges.

Byorth recently completed his term on the commission, serving as the lone holdover appointee from former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock. He took a historic look at wildlife management in Montana and the West, mentioning efforts to conserve and replenish wildlife and habitat pushed by hunters that continues today. Montanans must continue to have their voices heard, he said.

So now I ask where do we want to go from here, where do Montanans want to take our wildlife? he said. We dont want to sell it to the highest bidder, weve been down that road.

Crary, while acknowledging that politics are inherent to issues at the Legislature, also struck a tone of collaboration.

I think its extremely important that we have all of us talking here today instead of just ourselves talking amongst ourselves like too many times we do, he said.

The bill package includes:

A proposal to establish a nonresident landowner preference pool, which would make up to 15% of nonresident licenses available for nonresident landowners owning at least 2,500 acres. One license could be available for each 2,500 acres up to 10,000 acres for owners, direct lineal family or full-time employees. Hunting would be restricted to a landowners deeded or leased land. The bill would also provide an extra bonus point for special permits for landowners enrolled in an access program.

A second bill would double the minimum acreage to qualify for landowner preference to 640 acres for deer and 1,280 acres for elk and limited to private land within the hunting district.

A third bill would reform the 454 programs that provide special permits to landowners for allowing public access to three hunters. The change would require landowners to offer a like hunting opportunity to at least one hunter, meaning if a landowner receives a special bull elk permit a public hunter must be allowed to hunt the same. The bill also encourages more negotiation for additional public hunting of cow elk.

A fourth bill would limit purchase of additional antlerless deer licenses for nonresidents who draw a hunting license with the goal of reducing crowding.

Bills would also seek to increase fines for trespassing, with fines of $250 to $500 for a first offense and potential revocation of hunting and fishing licenses. Hunter harassment laws would be expanded to include intentionally blocking access where legal to the public. And a list of hunters convicted of hunting without landowner permission would be made available in order for landowners to consider disallowing access.

On the topic of education, one bill would mandate an in-person field day for hunter education and another bill would create a study bill for lawmakers to consider enhanced hunter education programs.

Finally, the groups back a bill to double the payment cap under the Block Management program for landowners who allow public hunting access.

Sen. Jeff Welborn, R-Dillon, was among those who pushed for opposing parties to sit down following the fallout of the 2021 session.

That session included pushback to late changes to a bill that provided one-time licenses for nonresidents who had booked with an outfitter and an advantage in the license draw for nonresidents booking with an outfitter. Another bill that stalled in committee would have provided landowners licenses to distribute.

Welborn was pleased to see the turnout on Tuesday and touted an effort to set aside $200 million of the current budget surplus into a trust to fund conservation work, saying he believes it will get a fair hearing.

Conservation in my mind means taking care of what we already have as much as getting new management areas or things like that, weve got to take care of what weve got, he said. ... I think theres some opportunities that we have that we havent had for a long time for some different ways to fund that.

Rep. Tom France, D-Missoula, threw his support around consensus for several bills, but also highlighted some opposition to other issues. He criticized Gianforte for moving funding from taxes on marijuana for the Habitat Montana program to other priorities. The program takes a portion of sales of hunting licenses for FWP to purchase land, conservation easements, and most recently, termed conservation leases.

I think thats going to be one of the places where Democrats and I hope many Republicans are saying, That was the wrong choice, governor, he said.

Gianforte has said he believes the Habitat Montana program is adequately funded.

While the idea of collaboration generally saw support, not everyone in attendance Tuesday was pleased with Gianfortes appearance.

Ryan Busse, a former firearm industry executive and author of the book Gunfight: My Battle Against the Industry that Radicalized America pointed to past disagreements among hunting advocates with the administration and said he and some others were frustrated with the appearance. He believes policies have pushed privatization of wildlife, taken the gas pedal off Habitat Montana, and disfavored a science-based approach to wildlife management.

There is a lot of deep-seated frustration and anger in what the administration has already done, Busse said.  I suspect thats what were going to see moving forward. I hope were wrong but were judging Gov. Gianforte by his past actions."
A group of bills proposed in the state Senate would revise when courts can put the brakes on matters that spark litigation.

The proposals are carried by Senate Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, a Republican attorney from Great Falls.

The reforms come with some subtext as the state still faces litigation against bills the Legislature passed in 2021 which have featured some procedural maneuvers Republicans have rebutted as unfair.

Senate Bill 135, for example, would prohibit a judge from issuing an injunction to halt the Secretary of State from administering an agency rule before it existed. The 2021 Legislature passed a bill directing that office to issue a rule banning ballot collection; a subsequent legal challenge quickly got an injunction in place to block that the Secretary of State from completing the rulemaking process.

"The court in Billings then decided they were going to enjoin this nonexistent law, this nonexistent administrative rule," Fitzpatrick told the Senate Judiciary earlier this month in presenting SB 135. "That candidly surprised me. I thought you had to have a law, on the books, on a piece of paper before you could have an injunction entered against it."

The courts have ruled against several GOP-led proposals passed two years ago, and Republicans have accused the the judiciary of a liberal bias that judges have waived off as efforts to undermine their authority on legal matters.

Fitzpatrick, however, has contended much of the legislation is about instilling fairness into the judicial process rather than striking at the judicial branch. On Tuesday, he agreed to one suggested amendment that would remove protections specific to the state, a provision that was also engineered out of frustrations in litigation last year.

Fitzpatrick has described Senate Bill 191 as the "flagship" proposal in the package. The bill would bring Montana's standard for obtaining a court injunction in line with the federal standard, a higher hurdle to cross.

In federal courts, the party requesting the injunction or temporary restraining order must meet four criteria before a judge will grant the motion and halt the action in question.

Current state law requires a party only meet one of those hurdles to obtain an injunction or temporary restraining order, Fitzpatrick said.

Theres some legitimate debate as to whether these would be injunctions that would be sustained over time, Fitzpatrick told reporters earlier this month.   I dont think you should be able to walk into court and get a preliminary injunction because you can make out the basic elements of a case.

Another component of SB 191 was requested by the state Attorney General's Office: If passed, the bill would prohibit judges from issuing a temporary restraining order against the state until the state had notice that a party was seeking that order.

Deputy Solicitor General Brent Mead told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday the bill would address an instance in the state's litigation last year over a property tax ballot initiative. Without notifying the Attorney General's Office, the defendant in the case, the state public employee's union sought and obtained a temporary restraining order to halt the campaign from gathering signatures to put that initiative on the ballot.

Mead contended this route of obtaining such a restraining order ought to be reserved for when someone can't find the defendant in time to present arguments from both parties to the courts. When someone sues the state, he said, those government offices have fixed addresses.

"You know where we are, you can serve us with notice," Mead said during the hearing.

Democrats on the committee raised several questions as to what this provision would mean in litigation that isn't politically charged; for example, parents seeking to challenge the removal of their children.

Sen. Jen Gross, D-Billings, asked why another injunction-related bill Fitzpatrick had presented would not suffice in these cases. That bill, Senate Bill 134, would invalidate a temporary restraining order after 10 days. Parties could seek a hearing within that timeframe to argue whether the order could remain in place for the remainder of the case.

That 10-day hearing rule is already in state law, but Fitzpatrick said during an earlier committee hearing one of his own clients had been subject to an temporary restraining order that went on well after the 10-day period because a judge had not responded to their requests for a hearing. His clients had potential to be harmed, so Fitzpatrick took the case to the state Supreme Court. The high court declined to force the matter on the District Court, writing that carrying out its proceedings would have taken longer than what the lower court had scheduled.

The Supreme Court did, however, issue a notice of its own to the District Court judge who appeared to disregard the 10-day timeframe.

We expect District Courts to comply with statutory timeframes, the Supreme Court wrote. From the record before us in this instance, we have no indication as to why the court may have failed to do so here. While we urge the court to resolve this matter expeditiously, we conclude supervisory control is not warranted.

On Tuesday, Fitzpatrick loosely agreed to Gross' suggestion that SB 191's provision protecting the state from injunctions without notice could be done away with if the 10-day rule enforcement in SB 134 passed the Legislature. The latter bill already passed out of the committee last week on a 7-4 vote.

"To be candid  I'm indifferent to whether this language is here or not," he said. "If you want to pull that out, that's fine with me."
The Governors Housing Task Force was charged with an enormous job: identify solutions to build more homes and ease Montanas housing crisis.

Every Montanan deserves affordable, attainable housing. Legislation that considers the task forces report can help us get there.

But if we want new housing to be safe, healthy and durable, we must also ask how can we build new housing today that is ready for the floods, wildfires and heat waves of tomorrow?

When a disaster destroys homes, the costs to a community can be staggering  as were seeing following last springs Yellowstone floods. Lost lives, shattered livelihoods and newly homeless families seeking shelter can push local services to their limit.

Lost housing stock pushes rents up and affordability declines. The most vulnerable among us  the young, the old and people with medical conditions or disabilities  often face the gravest consequences.

Oregon, Colorado and California are already seeing climate risks compound their housing crisis in rural and urban areas.

If we don't start building homes that can survive wildfires, floods and extreme temperatures, we're only exacerbating our current housing crunch. These types of disasters are becoming more common and destructive in Montana and will eat into our housing supply and options for homebuyers.

Insurance companies are already seeing some Montana communities as too risky, raising rates, or refusing coverage altogether.

Without insurance, mortgages would be unfunded, leaving only wealthy cash buyers for homes. In other states, insurance crises are worsening the housing affordability crises, and bailouts are costing taxpayers billions. With rising wildfire and flood risks, Montana is on a similar path if we dont act soon.

Fortunately, several cost-effective solutions can make homes safer from disasters. They should be integrated into legislation and other policy that comes out of the housing task forces recommendations.

First, the state should help guide where new housing should (and shouldn't) be developed. New housing should be encouraged in areas with the lowest risks of floods and wildfire. In many cases the tools to guide effective zoning, subdivision and development standards are readily available.

The state has recently updated wildfire risk maps for all of Montana. And in the case of flooding, a coordinated effort can easily ensure that communities have access to modern risk maps with the latest climate data.

Second, the state should help guide how new housing is constructed to ensure homes are built to resist disasters. Model building codes and standards can be adopted to ensure new construction is flood- and wildfire-resistant.

For example, in areas with wildfire risk  which is nearly all of Montana  new homes should be built with ignition-resistant siding and roofing and with mesh attic vents to keep out embers. Studies and post-fire analyses have found that homes have a greater chance of surviving a wildfire when built to such standards.

In areas with increasing flood risk homes can be elevated and constructed with flood-resistant materials. Simple steps like water alarms and sewage water backstops can help reduce damage when a flood occurs.

Finally, the state should encourage hardening existing homes against disaster. Hundreds of thousands of Montanans are already living in areas of risk. A state retrofit fund could help offset costs with grants, low-interest loans or tax breaks to help strengthen our states resilience.

An upfront investment in retrofitting homes would go a long way in reducing the response and recovery costs paid by Montanas taxpayers.

It may seem like these strategies could add to construction costs and make housing less affordable, but the opposite is true: These building strategies dont necessarily cost more, the materials are readily available and they often have cost-saving benefits like energy efficiency.

A Headwaters Economics study found that wildfire-resistant construction costs are similar to those of traditional construction in Montana.

Thoughtful homebuilding practices can help protect Montana families and communities threatened by natural disasters. They will also protect Montanas valuable housing stock and affordability. Montanans deserve  and should expect  nothing less than safe, healthy, durable housing.

The time to get ahead of this challenge is now.
Farmers do an efficient job of producing food, whether it be corn, beans, cattle, hogs and hundreds of other commodities. And consumers demand more and better food products for healthy family meals.

But there is an extra step between the producer and the consumer  and that is the food processing industry. And if you were not aware, Illinois has the largest number of food processing companies outside of Los Angeles. And that is a problem.

The agri-food industry is having a difficult time getting employees to convert soybeans into cooking oil, and high protein foods. And the corn processing industry is challenged with getting workers at corn wet-milling plants to not only make starches and ethanol, but also dextrose, sorbitol, and hundreds of other ingredients that make food how consumers like it.

A top-tier meeting was held Monday in Archer Daniels Midland Co.s Decatur headquarters that included job recruiters, high school educators, agribusiness executives, and folks from governmental offices. Their roundtable discussion was focused on how to ignite young peoples interest in working in jobs that focus on foods from the farm to the dinner table.

Apparently young people, those approaching high school graduation, dont see anything exciting about agriculture. And most of the people around the table Monday understand that. Agriculture is very remote, unsexy, and probably muddy, stinky, and sweaty. To todays TikToker, that does not hold any attraction, whatsoever.

But that is because they are not looking beyond the farmgate. The agri-food world offers employment, good paying jobs, exciting opportunities, and many other benefits that are invisible to both high school and college graduates. They look at food, and cant see the forest for the proverbial trees.

The brains at Mondays roundtable refined a plan that was in the works from prior diverse brainstorming. The Illinois Agri-Food Alliance, funded by recognizable corporate support, will create a network of corporate to mesh with another network of educators and put representatives of the agri-food industry into classrooms around the state to share their day to day experiences.

The initiative is called Pathful Connect, and the platform will make it easy for teachers to connect with professionals to leverage their industry expertise and, importantly, link their company to the classroom which can potentially supply interested youngsters for future employment.

For Lori Racine, it could make her job easier. She is a recruiter at ADM, and laid out her challenges of even getting someone interested in applying for a job, of the 8,300 that she and her human resources team had to fill in 2022.

If you are close to the agricultural and agrifood world, it is hard to fathom why someone would not be interested in being part of it. One does not have to farm. They can be a food scientist, or a marketing manager, or an attorney, or a grain trader, or an engineer, or any one of hundreds of other job titles that populate an industry that will be around as long as there are people who want to eat.

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DECATUR  Fred Spannaus has been seated on the Decatur Public Schools Board of Education, filling the vacancy left by Regan Lewis.

Lewis resigned from the board on Dec. 27, citing her family's move out of the district to be closer to her husband's job.

Spannaus served on the Decatur board from 2013 to 2017.

During board discussion, Superintendent Rochelle Clark reminded the board that Jan. 25 is a snow day that will be made up at the end of the school year. Board members asked for an explanation of why she chose to call a snow day instead of a remote learning day.

"It was a judgment call," Clark said. She had spoken with other area superintendents during the day on Tuesday, in light of the weather forecast for several inches of snow, she decided it was best to call a snow day.

The district received a waiver to call a remote learning day instead of a snow day, and Maria Robertson, director of community engagement, which is in its third year and will need to be renewed before the 2023-24 school year if the board so chooses. The district is not required to call a remote learning day, she said. Snow days are still an option even with the waiver.

In other business, the board named Valdimir Talley Jr. to the position of safety and security administrator at a salary of $48,510 for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends June 30. His annual salary for a full fiscal year will be no less than $115,103. Talley will be responsible for establishing and maintaining safety protocols district-wide such as training, drills, evacuation protocols and reunifcation sites, building relationships between students and police and assisting and acting as a deterrent to school violence. He has served as chief of police in Maywood, bureau chief for the Illinois State Police in Springfield, and a conservation police officer in Springfield.

The board also approved a contract with TinyEYE Therapy Services for the Macon-Piatt Special Education District. A shortage of speech-language pathologists has meant that students in need of those services have not been getting the help they require, and the company will provide the equivalent of one speech-language pathologist each to American Dreamer STEM Academy, Robertson Charter, Franklin Grove and Muffley Schools through virtual visits. A live speech-language pathologist will work with students through a teleportal format.

25 stars you may not know started as child actors 25 stars you may not know started as child actors Brittany Murphy Regina King Daniel Day-Lewis Laurence Fishburne Helen Hunt Michael B. Jordan Elizabeth Taylor Austin Butler Keke Palmer Christopher Walken Rosario Dawson Jennifer Connelly Ryan Reynolds Blake Lively Billy Dee Williams Scarlett Johansson Robert Downey Jr. Jake Gyllenhaal Sarah Jessica Parker Jena Malone Lukas Haas Dev Patel Timothee Chalamet Elisabeth Moss Ben Affleck
DECATUR  A dead, emaciated dog was found in a cage in a ditch on Sawyer Road south of Illinick Road on Tuesday.

Macon County Animal Control said in a news release that the owner of the dog has not been identified and a cause of death has yet to be determined. The dog was wearing a multi-colored collar with cartoons of bones on it with a pink latch.

Anyone with information is asked to notify Macon County Animal Control at 217-425-4508 or Crimestoppers, at 217-423-TIPS

This is the second such case in recent weeks. On Dec. 23, officers took five dogs into custody from an address in the 4300 block of North Taylor Road after citizen complaints that the dogs were suffering from the extreme cold.

One dog could not be saved and was euthanized at the University of Illinois Veterinary Clinic in Urbana. The other four are in the protective custody of Macon County Animal Control and Care Center.

Mark Miller, Jr., 42, and Nyssa Richards, 39, were both charged with animal cruelty and neglect in that case. They were cited and given a notice to appear with a court date set for March 14.

View photos of the four dogs rescued from the extreme cold in Decatur rescued dog 1 rescued dog 2 rescued dog 3 rescued dog 4
DECATUR  Area healthcare providers are charting their next steps after an announcement that HSHS St. Marys Hospital in Decatur is seeking state approval to close some of its units.

St. Marys revealed on Monday its plans to apply for permission from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board to discontinue its advanced inpatient rehabilitation, obstetrics and newborn nursery, pediatrics and inpatient behavioral health services.

In a news release, health system leaders cited lingering effects of the (COVID) pandemic and multiple years of lagging patient volumes among its reasoning for the proposed closures.

First and foremost, please be assured that HSHS is committed to keeping HSHS St. Marys Hospital open and on the current Decatur campus, said St. Marys President and CEO Theresa Rutherford in a statement. We intend to be in Decatur for decades to come.

Rutherford also hinted at plans for $90 million investment to modernize the current facility with updates to clinical spaces, improved patient room amenities and updated safety compliance issues throughout the care environment of the campus.

Decatur Memorial Hospital President and CEO Drew Early told the Herald & Review that DMH is prepared to take on an influx of new patients in the obstetrics and pediatrics departments.

But if the Health Facilities and Services Review Board approves St. Marys proposed changes, neither of Decaturs hospitals will offer advanced inpatient rehabilitation or inpatient behavioral health services.

As it relates to obstetrical care, which is a service that we offer, were very confident that well be able to provide care for all of the moms and families in Decatur and Macon County and beyond, Early said. I think were very confident that the team will be able to absorb that volume without any problem. And frankly, were looking forward to doing so. As it relates to the other service lines, you know, it remains to be seen how that will impact the community.

Kelly Barbeau, a spokeswoman for HSHS Illinois, told the Herald & Review that no health system representatives could be interviewed Tuesday because we are meeting with lots of our colleagues.

Barbeau provided a brief statement to the Herald & Review elaborating on the systems other pediatric care opportunities in Decatur.

HSHS Medical Group Pediatrics in Decatur will remain open with no changes to providers, location or services offered, the statement read.

Dr. Aparna Alavalapadu and Dr. Sanjay Garg are accepting new patients at the Lake Shore Drive facility, according to the statement, and parents can call the clinic at 217-329-1000 to make an appointment.

Additionally, children may still be seen in the hospitals emergency department and transferred to another care facility for inpatient care if necessary.

St. Marys did not provide any further clarifications or comments on the state of advanced inpatient rehabilitation, obstetrics or inpatient behavioral health services in Decatur.

Far-reaching impact

Mary E. Garrison, president and CEO of Heritage Behavioral Health Center, told the Herald & Review shes working with St. Marys to address what would be blows to Decaturs mental health care system.

So now we need to figure out with St. Marys how we are going to bridge that gap, she said of the loss of inpatient behavioral health beds. My hope is, as with any individual, that we could get them into our outpatient care for mental health services and wrap our services around them.

Heritage deals with approximately 6,000 patients a year and is the largest provider of outpatient behavioral health services in the Decatur community, Garrison said.

Both Garrison and Early said they understood St. Marys had a difficult decision to make.

Early said DMH wasnt involved in St. Marys decision-making process.

We were informed by HSHS leadership shortly before this announcement was made, but ultimately, they made this decision for their hospital, he said.

As hospitals across the country struggle with a nationwide nursing shortage, Early said DMH is not immune from those concerns.

Staffing in healthcare and access to healthcare professionals is always a challenge, he said. And its certainly acute right now. As it relates to the obstetrical service line, we are actively putting plans together to absorb additional volume, and were confident well have the staff, supplies, equipment, everything we need to take care of these patients.

According to Elizabeth Gephart, associate professor and director of the Millikin University School of Nursing, closing certain departments at St. Marys could harm local efforts to train future nurses. The decision to close these units is a significant loss to Decatur and surrounding communities, she said.

These inpatient services have been core elements of St. Marys mission over many decades, Gephart said. The Millikin University School of Nursing has utilized these sites to provide comprehensive educational opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students. Educational opportunities will need to be shifted to other hospitals in our community and nearby cities. These are true losses for patients and healthcare students alike.

Review process

In its initial announcement, St. Marys said it didnt plan on filing its application for the service closures until Jan. 31.

John Kniery, administrator of the Health Facilities and Services Review Board, confirmed that St. Marys had yet to file the application as of Tuesday morning.

The process to receive a certificate of need program exemption includes the filing of a formal application with the board, an application fee, a review from board staff and a final ruling from the board itself. The review process generally lasts about 60 days but could last longer, Kniery said.

It is a lengthy process, Kniery said.

The process might also include a chance for the public to share opinions.

According to Kniery, residents have around 20 days following the application filing to request a public hearing from the Health Facilities and Services Review Board. If a hearing were requested, it would be held in Decatur, and state staffers would be present to observe feedback.

The St. Marys announcement follows a nationwide trend of regional and local hospitals shuddering pediatric units. Institutions can generate higher profits by treating adults instead of children, according to an October report in the New York Times.

Hospital Sisters Health System is the parent company of HSHS St. Marys Hospital and other area hospitals, including HSHS Good Shepherd HospitalShelbyville, HSHS St. Anthonys Memorial Hospital in Effingham and HSHS St. Johns Hospital and HSHS St. Johns Childrens Hospital in Springfield.

This action comes on the heels of HSHS St. Marys discontinuation of its ambulance service that served a large area around Decatur. Abbott EMS officially assumed coverage of the Decatur and greater Macon County service areas on Oct. 7.

Despite reporting a slight revenue increase for the 2022 fiscal year, HSHS simultaneously saw a $67 million loss from operations that same year, according to Beckers Hospital Review. That marked a 156% drop in operations from the 2021 fiscal year.

Its a very challenging time in healthcare right now, Early said.

But DMH is hoping to build up its ranks to combat those challenges.

We remain committed to bringing as much local care as we possibly can here to Decatur and Macon County, he said. Were recruiting across a whole number of disciplines to bring in not only bedside patient care nurses but also physicians and surgeons that can provide care locally, and thats something that were committed to doing and continue to do. So thats what were looking forward to.

Staff writers Tony Reid and Valerie Wells contributed to this report.

PHOTOS: HSHS St. Mary's Hospital hosts Blessing of the Animals service
SPRINGFIELD  A Navy veteran from Lockport has been honored by the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs for his work with fellow veterans.

Anthony Hernandez Jr., 48, was announced as IDVA's Employee of the Year in a press release Wednesday.

In the release, department director Terry Prince said Hernandez serves "at the 'tip of the spear' of IDVA's services."

Hernandez works as a veterans' service officer in the Cook County Lockport offices of IDVA.

According to the IDVA website, a VSO is "trained and accredited by the US Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide free assistance to veterans and their dependents and survivors."

The news release said Hernandez "is well known in the community through his regular attendance at local veteran events and works hard to find the right answers for veterans."

"I'm very grateful for being nominated, let alone being selected," Hernandez said. "There's a lot of great VSOs throughout the state that deserve recognition as well."

The release said his nomination cited his work traveling among several offices, and "his tenacious approach" to helping veterans and their families.

"I truly love what I do for our veterans," Hernandez said. He said there are a lot of state and federal benefits available to military veterans and their dependents that, oftentimes, go overlooked or under-utilized.

Hernandez said he wants to "spread the word to our veterans that there are resources out there that they can use."

Hernandez said he served 24 years in the U.S. Navy, from November 1992 to November 2016, and retired as a Legalman Chief Petty Officer.

He has been a VSO for five years.

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ABINGDON, Va.  A Washington County, Virginia, man was sentenced to five life terms in prison with an additional eighteen years after being found guilty of multiple rape, sexual abuse and other charges.

Larry Slone was found guilty of 20 felony charges, including two counts of rape by force, two counts of object sexual penetration, three counts of aggressive sexual battery, rape of a child less than age 13, six counts of production of child pornography and other charges.

Slone was picked up in Nashville by police on September 16, 2021, and was transferred to Washington County, Virginia, on September 30, 2021, where he was accused of committing the crimes between March 2019 and August 2021.

In a statement, Josh Cumbow, the Washington County, Virginia, Commonwealths Attorney General, emphasized the bravery of the women who spoke up and cooperated with his office on the investigation.

I have nothing but praise and respect for the brave young women who came forward and without whose cooperation this persons many crimes would have gone unpunished, Cumbow said. My office will not tolerate predators who commit sexual violence on children.
Two men are facing multiple breaking and entering charges. The charges stem from separate home break-ins at the same Lincolnton residence, which occurred on two consecutive days, the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office said in a news release.

Jamie Lee Usher, 41, of Bennettsville, South Carolina, is charged with felony breaking and entering a building, misdemeanor breaking and entering a building, felony larceny, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods and possession of controlled substances, the sheriffs office said.

Jerry Wayne Makas, 33, of Advance, North Carolina, is charged with three counts of felony breaking and entering, one count of misdemeanor breaking and entering, two counts of felony larceny after breaking and entering, two counts of felony possession of stolen property and one count of attempted felony larceny, the sheriffs office said.

Heres how the sheriffs office described the scenario.

On Tuesday, deputies were dispatched to a reported break-in in progress at an unoccupied residence in the 900 block of McRee Road, in Lincolnton. When officers arrived at the residence, they found Usher loading an air compressor onto a trailer. Usher told officers he was doing work for the owner, the sheriffs office said.

The homeowner, James Crawford, told officers no one should be on the property.

Usher was linked to a prior break-in at the residence where more than $14,000 worth of property was reported stolen, the sheriffs office said.

Ushers truck and trailer were seized and impounded. Identification was made of an accomplice in one of the breaking and entering cases. Warrants were taken out for Makas on Tuesday, the sheriffs office said.

On Wednesday, deputies were again at the McRee Road property after a neighbor reported that a truck was backed up to the building and items were being taken. The sheriffs office said deputies arrived to find Makas placing items in the truck. Makas was taken into custody. During an interview by Detective J. Ray, Makas was linked to multiple breaking and entering cases at the residence that resulted in more than $50,000 worth of property being stolen, the sheriffs office said.
The criteria

In order to participate in the Catamount Connection Program, students must meet the following criteria:

 Being a currently enrolled student at CVCC in a degree-seeking capacity;

 Submit WCU application for admission and records by WCU deadlines;

 Submit application fee or waiver and fulfill all commitment action steps;

 Be in good standing at CVCC and other institutions attended;

 Demonstrate good citizenship and conduct;

 Earn and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 at CVCC and a minimum GPA of 2.20 in their most recent term;

 Earn an associates degree from CVCC in a college transfer program or in an applied program for which an articulation agreement exists;

 And enroll at WCU within one academic year, within the next two regular terms (fall/spring semesters) of completion of the associates degree.
The Hickory City Council met in closed session Wednesday to discuss the selection of the new city attorney.

The board adjourned without taking action on the matter.

Five members of the council  Mayor Hank Guess and council members Tony Wood, Jill Patton, Charlotte Williams and Danny Seaver  met behind closed doors for a little more than hour.

Councilman David Williams, who is resigning his seat on the council, and Councilman David Zagaroli were not present for the special meeting.

The council is in the process of finding a replacement for City Attorney John Crone, who announced in December that he would be stepping down from his position after nearly three decades as city attorney.

No definitive date has been announced for Crones departure.

Mayor Guess declined to comment on the hiring process for the new attorney after the meeting. The Western Piedmont Council of Governments is assisting the city in the search.
HICKORY  On Jan. 18, Hickory Police Chief Thurman Whisnant was awarded the 2022 Outstanding Service Award from the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police at their annual conference banquet in Cherokee.

Each year the association, comprised of state law enforcement executives, selects a police chief for the award. Honorees have shown outstanding dedication and devotion and have made positive impacts on policing in the state of North Carolina.

The banquet was attended by more than 250 police chiefs and law enforcement leaders from across the state, with the keynote speaker being Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

Getting to know and work with the other police chiefs in North Carolina has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career, Whisnant said. Receiving this award in their company was certainly a surprise and an honor that I will always cherish.

Whisnant will retire as chief of the Hickory Police Department on Jan. 31 after 30 years of service to the citizens of Hickory.
BETHLEHEM  Bryson Parlier became the most recent Troop 275 Eagle Scout at a court of honor on Sunday, Jan. 22, at Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church in Bethlehem.

Parlier is the son of Darrell and Margie Parlier of Dogwood Court in Bethlehem. For his Eagle project, he provided leadership for the construction of a picnic area with flower beds, metal picnic table, and wooden border near the church walking track.

Since 1912, the Eagle Scout rank has represented a milestone of accomplishment that is recognized across the country and even the world. Those who have earned the Eagle Scout rank count it among their most treasured achievements.

Parlier started in Cub Scout Pack 275 at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church when he was in first grade. Following his cub scout experiences, he joined Troop 275 at Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church after receiving the Arrow of Light Award. During his time with Troop 275, under the leadership of Rob Duncan and Brian Heath, he completed 32 merit badges and served as a patrol leader. He attends Alexander Central High School and works part-time at Lowes Foods of Bethlehem.

Im grateful for the support of the troop leaders including Scoutmaster Robert Duncan, assistant scoutmasters, members of my troop, and my parents," Parlier said.

He also said that if he had an opportunity to tell someone why they should consider scouting, he would highlight all the fun with the great outdoor adventures.

Since its inception, the Boy Scouts of America has trained young people in citizenship, service, and leadership to better serve Americas communities and families. Over the past century, the over 110 million members of Scouting have provided countless hours of service. The more than 1.7 million Eagle Scouts alone have provided an estimated 36 million hours of service through their Eagle projects.
Ann Street United Methodist Church

335 Ann St., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Randy L. Wall. In person and Facebook Live worship at 11 a.m. at Ann Street Church. Sermon: Lessons in Prayer: David. Scripture: II Samuel 22:1-7.

Bethpage United Methodist Church

109 Fellowship Ave. at West C Street, Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Gary McDonald. Christian education at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. As an act of caring for yourselves and others, you may choose to wear a mask during indoor worship; however, at this time, mask wearing is not required.

Bogers Chapel United Methodist Church

1775 Flowes Store Road E., Concord. Pastor: Eric Shaver. Sunday school at 9 a.m. Worship in-person or on Facebook at 10 a.m. Baptismal Service. Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20.

Calvary Lutheran Church

950 Bradley St., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Debbie Frye. In-person worship at 8:30 a.m. (casual worship) and 11 a.m. (traditional worship with childrens church). Childrens area and nursery available. All services livestreamed and available anytime on the Calvary Lutheran Concord YouTube channel  easy access through the website at http://www.clconcord.org. Also on Sundays, 9:45 a.m. Sunday school. All are welcome. Sermon: Rest in Me.

Center United Methodist Church

1119 Union St. S., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Tony Allen. Sunday school for In Betweens and young adults at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. Nursery is provided during the worship service. Website is www.centerumcconcord.org. Look forward to you joining us for our service! Sermon Topic: Imagine. Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12 .

Crossroads Church

220 George W. Liles Parkway, Concord. Pastor: Lowell McNaney. Live worship streamed on Facebook, Crossroads Concord Church app or mycrossroads.co website at 9:30 a.m. and 11:11 a.m.

Crown Pointe Baptist Church

703 Tennessee St., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Doug Crawley. Sunday school at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary, or view online at our Facebook page. Series: Rooted. Sermon: Harvest. Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38 ESV.

Eastside Missionary Baptist Church

199 Elgin Drive, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Stephen Burrow. In-person services: Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. Worship services at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Recorded worship services and other information at EastsideMissionaryBaptist.org. You will be welcomed. Practice social distancing.

Epworth United Methodist Church

1030 Burrage Road NE, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Bill Roberts. Sunday school at 9 a.m., followed by worship at 10 a.m. We welcome all to join us in person, or you can livestream or watch the recorded service at the church website at www.epworthnc.com.

Forest Hill United Methodist Church

265 Union St. N., Concord. Senior pastor: Rev. Mandy Jones. Associate pastor: Rev. Wes Judy. We are open for in-person worship. Contemporary worship at 9 a.m. Sunday school/small groups at 10 a.m. Traditional worship at 11 a.m. Both the contemporary and the traditional worship services will also be livestreamed at foresthillumc.org or facebook.com/foresthillumc.

Harmony United Methodist Church

101 White St. NW, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Thad Brown. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. followed by our worship service in the sanctuary at 11 a.m. Sermon: Talking About Jesus #4, No Blood, No Forgiveness. Scripture: Exodus 12:12-13; Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 9:11-14; Acts 17:26; Hebrews 9:15; I John 1:8-10; Hebrews 9:26-28. We welcome you to join us in worship! Service is live on Facebook.com/HarmonyUnitedMethodistChurch. We welcome all who are unable to join us in person to worship with us online. For more information, you can call the pastor at 704-791-2883 or the church at 704-782-8237.

Jackson Park United Methodist Church

715 Mable Ave., Kannapolis. Pastor: Laurie Knoespel. Adult Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. Worship at 10:30 a.m. Nursery will be provided during worship service.

Kirkwood Presbyterian Church

900 Klondale Ave., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Dr. Dennis B. Craft. Worship at 11 a.m. in church sanctuary on Sundays. No mask restrictions.

McGill Baptist Church

5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord, in-person services. Pastor: Rev. Steve Ayers. If you have not taken the COVID-19 vaccine, wear a mask. McGill will stream a worship service Sunday at 10 a.m. on www.facebook.com/mcgillbaptistchurch/ and on YouTube. The services will be live and also available on recording afterward. Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. Sermon: What Does God Want? Scripture: Micah 6:1-8; I Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12.

Midway United Methodist Church

108 Bethpage Road, Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Craig Allen. Come join us on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. for Sunday school and 10:30 a.m. for worship. Our service is also livestreamed on the web at midwayunitedmethodistchurch.org or facebook.com/midwayUMC. Sermon: Exposed on the Mountain. First Reading: Psalm 15. Second Reading: Matthew 5:1-12. Suggested Hymns: UMH 568, Christ for the World We Sing; UMH 707, Hymn of Promise.

Mt. Mitchell United Methodist Church

6001 Old Salisbury-Concord Road, Kannapolis. Pastor: Joel Locklear. Sunday school at 10 a.m. (adult and children classes) Worship at 11 a.m. in person or on Facebook. Masks are optional and social distancing recommended. If you have not taken the COVID vaccine, wear a mask. Sermon: What is Christian Outreach? Scripture: Matthew 6:1-4.

Multiply Church Concord

150 Warren C. Coleman Blvd. N., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Douglas Witherup. 8:30 a.m. service held at 280 Concord Parkway S., Suite 15, Concord. Services at 150 Warren C. Coleman Blvd. N., are worship and sermon at 9:30 a.m. and worship and sermon at 11:15 a.m.

New Gilead Reformed Church, ECO

2400 Old Salisbury-Concord Road. 9:40 a.m.: Adult Bible study. 10 a.m.: Sunday school. 11 a.m.: Worship in the sanctuary, also live on Facebook.

Oak Grove Baptist Church

200 Sims Parkway, Harrisburg. Pastor: Rev. Franklin D. Watkins. 10 a.m.: In-person worship service and Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Sermon: Are You Listening? Scripture: Isaiah 1:17-23.

Second Presbyterian Church

1578 Dale Earnhardt Blvd., Kannapolis. Pastor Sue Black, minister. Rev. Aaron Price, assistant pastor. Worship at 11 a.m. in sanctuary and on Facebook Live. Sermon: Jesus Grows Up. Scripture: Luke 2:41-52.

St. Johns Reformed Church

901 N. Main St., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Chris King. Sunday school for all ages at 9:30 a.m. Worship service at 10:30 a.m. Website: www.ourstjohns.org. Email/phone: ourstjohns@gmail.com / 704-932-3656. Sermon: Biblical Requirements for Corporate Worship  Part 2. Scripture: Various Scripture texts.
UNC Charlotte has strengthened its reputation as one of the nations top providers of online education, rising to No. 4 (tie) on the U.S. News & World Reports 2023 Best Online Bachelors Degrees ranking, which was released Tuesday.

This is the second consecutive year that UNC Charlotte has ranked in the top 10 nationally for its online bachelors degree programs, and the university has risen 30 spots over the past three years as its online portfolio supporting working professionals has grown. Charlotte is ranked first in North Carolina, the only university in the state to rank in the top 15.

U.S. News metrics for the online undergraduate rankings  which include student engagement, support given to students, and instructor training and credentials  were developed to identify degree completion programs for students who already have some college credit.

Online graduate program rankings

U.S. News also recognized three UNC Charlotte masters disciplines in its Best Online Masters Degree rankings, which also were released on Jan. 24:

Best Online Masters in Education: No. 23 (tie)

Best Online Masters in Nursing: No. 37 (tie)

Best Online Masters in Engineering: No. 62

The Cato College of Education also was recognized for its masters specialty in curriculum and instruction, which ranked No. 17 (tie) based on a survey of peer institutions across the country.

Rising in rankings

We are pleased to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a national leader in the development of high-quality, affordable online programs for working professionals, said Charlotte Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber. This further illustrates the work our award-winning faculty and staff have done to streamline and develop online programs since we launched the School of Professional Studies in 2021.

Charlotte Online, through the School of Professional Studies, provides access to more than 50 online degree programs. All programs are geared toward working adults.

The Belk College of Business began offering a fully online MBA program in August, and two new online degree programs debuted this month, a Master of Science in Mathematics, Math Education concentration and a bachelors in professional studies.

U.S. News evaluated more than 1,800 online bachelors and masters degree programs for the rankings, the most ever.

According to the publication, while the methodologies are different for each discipline, they all incorporate metrics specific to online learning. Only degree-granting programs that are offered primarily online by regionally accredited institutions are eligible.

This is the latest in a growing number of national rankings for UNC Charlotte.

In November, the university ranked No. 18 in the nation on Newsweeks student-focused Americas Top Online Colleges for 2023. Charlotte was awarded five stars out of five in the report, the highest recognition. Charlotte rose eight spots overall in the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings for undergraduate colleges and universities.
RALIEGH  The N.C. Department of Administration honored 19 of its employees who have exemplified excellence in their work during the past year. Departmental leaders and more than 100 staff members gathered for a special ceremony where honorees were presented with the Secretarys Award for Excellence in the categories of customer service, outstanding state government service, efficiency and innovation, public service, and teamwork.

I am continually impressed by the dedication, ingenuity and creativity of our DOA employees, said N.C. Department of Administration Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell. For me, its vital that we recognize good work, taking time to pause, and acknowledge staff for their extraordinary service, which is what the Secretarys Award for Excellence is all about.

The ceremony featured remarks from DOA Secretary Cashwell and Deputy Secretary David Elliott, and was led by Alicia Lyon, deputy director for DOAs Historically Underutilized Businesses Division, and Bob Talley, assistant director of the State Construction Divisions Consulting Services Section.

Recipients of the Secretarys Award for Excellence in customer service include:

 Shauna Godoy, accounting technician in the Mail Service Center division, demonstrates exemplary customer service patiently listening to and resolving problems. She also simplified the billing process and routinely covers other jobs when short-staffed.

 Tracey McMillan, administrative associate with State Parking, has for 20 years provided prompt, friendly and professional service to employees who need assistance with parking.

 Traci Herrod, certification specialist with the Office of Historically Underutilized Business, reviews and processes HUB certifications, often providing technical assistance to vendors.

Award winners for outstanding state government service include:

 Althea Trantham, training manager and organization development specialist in the Human Resources Management Office, has maintained her sweet and thoughtful nature while performing the functions of up to three different roles in 2022.

 Deatrice Williams, Council for Women and Youth Involvements Eastern Region office assistant, for several months readily assumed the duties of interim regional director while continuing to complete her own duties.

 Chad Bouffiou, facility management director, has created an empowering environment for his team through thoughtful leadership and his dedication to developing effective sustainability practices for the state.

Honorees for the efficiency and innovation category are:

 Sandra Bryant, lead procurement card administrator in the purchasing section of DOAs Fiscal Management division, has been integral in automating the existing P-Card approval process, effectively eliminating the use of paper forms, and increasing trackability.

 Justin Leonard and Ryan Hyatt are maintenance/construction supervisors in the Facility Management Division whose work in implementing more sustainable practices at the central steam plan in downtown Raleigh has improved efficiency and resulted in utility savings of more than $90,000.

 Stephen Maynor, director of the Section 8 Housing Clinic Voucher Program with the Commission for Indian Affairs. He recently developed a system that enables staff to efficiently process grants, contracts, travel reimbursements, and even make monthly Section 8 Program payments.

 Gayle Myers, who is an M365 developer on the GenGov Solutions Team at DIT assigned to DOA, developed a new online database for DOAs Historically Underutilized Businesses Office, reducing data entry time and improving their bid submission processes.

Employees who were recognized for their public service are:

 Evin Grant, DOAs policy director, who serves the people of North Carolina through continued advocacy work, volunteering his time to several law-based committees in his community, and developing the Emerging Professionals Resource Group to support new state employees at DOA.

 Greg Richardson, executive director of the Commission for Indian Affairs, for nearly 30 years has worked to bring awareness to the challenges that American Indians face and to share their rich history.

In the category of teamwork:

 Lisa Henderson, administrative manager, Kadisha Molyneaux, administrative supervisor, Abria Peterson, administrative associate, and Pamela Hicks, deputy director of the state surplus division, came together during a difficult time of transition for their division and exemplified teamwork in their willingness to adapt to the circumstances and maintain excellent customer relations.

 Prentice Hunt, budget manager with DOAs Fiscal Management division, and Sherry Morales, human resources analyst with the Human Resources Management Office, together developed a tool that enabled leadership to effectively track and assess salary adjustments, leading to a salary increase for approximately half of DOA employees.

The Secretarys Award for Excellence is awarded annually to DOA employees who go above and beyond their call of duty. All DOA employees are eligible, including permanent state employees, contractors and temporary employees.
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?> I mean, what was I expecting from a chatbot? A formula for world peace? Clues on how to mend a broken heart? A cheesy joke?

Sure, all that, why not?

I wasn't expecting it, however, to blow me off, to tell me it was too busy for me. And that it would get in touch later by email, when it was free.

But that's how it goes with ChatGPT , the amazingly lifelike program that rolled out in November and has promptly been deluged with curious users  more than a million, according to its San Francisco-based creator, OpenAI. It has been called "quite simply, the best artificial intelligence chatbot ever released to the general public." No wonder it's been crashing from overuse.

With most technologies, I am hardly an early adopter. I have absolutely no urge to use the first iteration of anything. But so many AI stories have swirled around the media sphere, including how AI is going to replace journalists, that it seemed irresponsible not to plunge in.

After all, panic seems to be one of the most predictable human responses to any important technological advance.

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The Atlantic predicted that in the next five years, AI will reduce employment opportunities for college-educated workers. (Actually, ChatGPT predicted that outcome after the Atlantic prompted it to address the issue.)

The New York Times recently had a story about how chatbots like ChatGPT are writing entire papers for undergrads, forcing universities to change how they assign work. So far, The Times reported, more than 6,000 teachers from institutions including Harvard, Yale and the University of Rhode Island have signed up to use GPTZero, a program developed by a Princeton University senior to detect artificial-intelligence-generated text.

On the less gloomy front, NPR aired a story about a woman who uses a chatbot app as her therapist when she's feeling depressed. "It's not a person, but it makes you feel like it's a person," she told NPR, "because it's asking you all the right questions."

A day later, my friend Drex forwarded a video about the latest evolution of Atlas, the Boston Dynamics humanoid robot that has captivated viewers with its uncanny dance and parkour moves. Atlas can now run, jump, grab and throw. The new video shows Atlas handing a worker on a scaffold the tool bag he left on the ground.

"So this is how it will end for us humans," Drex lamented. Nah. I happen to believe less in the robots-will-kill-us theory of the apocalypse and more in the humans-will-blow-ourselves-up theory, so I am not unduly worried about bots that can write term papers, bring us our tool bags or dance.

But AI can certainly run amok. (See: Tesla autonomous car crashes.)

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CNET, the popular tech website, had to amend dozens of its news stories after admitting it was using bots to write them. The bots were error prone, miscalculating basic things like compounded interest. Futurism, the website that discovered the ruse, was less charitable: "CNET is now letting an AI write articles for its site. The problem? It's kind of a moron." CNET claimed the bots were an experiment.

Anyway, when ChatGPT was not too busy to talk to me, we were able to spend some quality time together. I asked serious questions based on some of my recent columns, such as "Are religious beliefs more important than academic freedom?" "Has Prince Harry been disloyal to his family?" "Will Ukraine win the war?" ChatGPT's answers varied from wishy-washy to sensitive:

"In some cases, religious beliefs may be considered more important than academic freedom, while in other cases, the opposite may be true."

"Whether or not someone considers Prince Harry to have been disloyal is a matter of personal perspective and opinions."

"It is not appropriate to predict the outcome of a war, as it is not only difficult to predict but also disrespectful to the people who are affected by it."

ChatGPT, the latter part of which stands for generative pre-trained transformer, was straightforward about its limitations. It could tell me what a symphony is, but it could not compose one. It was also a little oversteppy. When I asked it to compose a letter to someone who broke my heart, it did, but it warned: "It's also important to consider the person who broke your heart's feelings and whether contacting them is the best course of action for you." Who asked you?

Less serious questions got decent, if boilerplate, answers: A good plot for a novel, ChatGPT suggested, would be about a young woman who inherits a mansion and discovers a secret room with the journal of a young woman who lived in the house a century earlier and was embroiled in a forbidden love affair. The protagonist becomes obsessed with the journal and the secrets it reveals about her own family. "Along the way, she must face her own demons and confront the truth about herself," ChatGPT advised.

Unlike Google, which is apparently getting very nervous about this new competitor, ChatGPT remembers your conversations, so when I asked if the plot it had suggested was taken from a real novel, it knew what I was talking about it and said it was not.

I also indulged in nonsense.

"How much does Czechosolvakia weigh?" I wondered. ("As it is a former country and not a physical object, it does not have a weight.")

"To be or not to be?" (Hamlet, said ChatGPT, "is weighing the pros and cons of life, and considering whether it would be better to end his life or continue living and dealing with his troubles.")

And  how could I not?  I asked if it knew any dirty jokes.

"Some types of jokes, including dirty jokes, can be considered offensive or disrespectful to certain individuals or groups and it's important to be mindful of that before sharing any type of joke." How uptight. It did, however, offer a bunch of Dad jokes: "Why was the math book sad? Because it had so many problems." "Why was the computer cold? Because it left all its windows open."

My final request to ChatGPT was to see if it could edit the opening lines of three recent columns to make them better.

I am happy to report that in my entirely subjective, all-too-human opinion, it made no edits that improved my copy, and in fact, made it clunkier.

You ain't putting me out of a job yet, robot.

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Previously:

 IN AMERICA: Firing an art history professor for showing students an image of Islam's founder is out of line

 Nepo babies beware. You didn't hit a triple if you were born on third base

 Poor thing, you didn't want to be gifted that vacuum?

 The end of 'harmless' recreational drug experimentation

 The 'Catfish' Killings: My teen is easy prey. Is yours?

 And you thought the movie 'L.A. Confidential' was fiction

 Tell your kids that Billie Eilish says porn destroyed her brain

 Why a lifelong Dem and education reformer is supporting Larry Elder for governor

Robin Abcarian is a columnist at the Los Angeles Times.
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?> Among the lesser-known holes in the Constitution cut by the Patriot Act of 2001 was the destruction of the "wall" between federal law enforcement and federal spies.

The wall was erected in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, which statutorily limited all federal domestic spying to that which was authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

The wall was intended to prevent law enforcement from accessing and using data gathered by America's domestic spying agencies.

Those of us who monitor the government's destruction of personal liberties have been warning for a generation that government spying is rampant in the U.S., and the feds regularly engage in it as part of law enforcement's well-known antipathy to the Fourth Amendment.

Last week, the FBI admitted as much.

Here is the backstory.

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After President Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, Congress investigated his abuse of the FBI and CIA as domestic spying agencies. Some of the spying was on political dissenters and some on political opponents. None of it was lawful.

What is lawful spying? The modern Supreme Court has made it clear that domestic spying is a "search" and the acquisition of data from a search is a "seizure" within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. That amendment requires a warrant issued by a judge based on probable cause of crime presented under oath to the judge for a search or seizure to be lawful. The amendment also requires that all search warrants specifically describe the place to be searched and the person or thing to be seized.

The language in the Fourth Amendment is the most precise in the Constitution because of the colonial disgust with British general warrants. A general warrant was issued to British agents by a secret court in London. General warrants did not require probable cause, only "governmental needs." That, of course, was no standard whatsoever, as whatever the government wants it will claim that it needs.

General warrants, as well, did not specify what was to be searched or seized. Rather, they authorized government agents to search wherever they wished and to seize whatever they found; stated differently, to engage in fishing expeditions.

When Congress learned of Nixon's excesses, it enacted FISA, which required that all domestic spying be authorized by the new and secret FISA Court. Congress then lowered the probable cause of crime standard for the FISA Court to probable cause of being a foreign agent, and it permitted the FISA Court to issue general warrants.

How can Congress, which is itself a creature of the Constitution, change standards established by the Constitution? Answer: It cannot legally or constitutionally do so. But it did so nevertheless.
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?> Wanna be in politics? Wanna be president? If so, you need an origin story.

Every politician needs one. And not just any old story, but preferably a rousing narrative that shows you've faced adversity and overcome hurdles. If you can say you're an immigrant or a child of immigrants, that's a start. If you grew up in poverty or suffered discrimination, maybe that's your narrative.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, looking to the future, understands this.

But what's his story? He didn't come up from deep poverty. His father was a judge and then a lawyer for the ultra-wealthy Getty family (though his divorced mother at times struggled to make ends meet). Gavin got rich in business when he was relatively young, partly thanks to family connections.

He's been tagged as a guy who has had it easy. People think he was born into affluence, and that he's grown into a slick, perfectly coiffed pol. He's been defined, in many people's minds, by his maskless, mid-pandemic visit to the mega-pricey French Laundry in Napa. And by his hair.

For obvious reasons, Newsom's not happy with this particular version of his life, especially as he seeks to raise his national profile and contemplates his future, which could include an eventual run for the presidency. The story he's been stuck with is neither uplifting nor, to use the popular phrase, relatable.

So he's out to fix it. Which is probably why he's getting more personal, telling more anecdotes and trying to recast himself as someone who faced and overcame obstacles in his day.

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"A child of divorce and dyslexia, trying to find my bearings" is how he described himself at age 10 or 11 in his unusually personal inaugural address earlier this month. He described his mom, juggling three jobs. The difficulties he faced in school.

"I couldn't read, and I was looking for any way to ditch classes," Newsom said. "I'd fake stomach aches and dizziness. I'd bite down on the thermometer in the nurse's office trying to make the temperature rise past 100."

The emphasis on family history and personal challenges was "a departure from past speeches," reported The Times.

Newsom described how his great-great-grandparents came from County Cork "during the first years of California's statehood." The first William Newsom, he said, was a working-class Irish immigrant who became a San Francisco beat cop.

I'm not saying it's not all true. No doubt it is. But it certainly appears to be part of a search for a compelling, curated back story that suggests not everything came so easily  one that humanizes him and normalizes him for voters. If he does eventually decide to run for president, expect his stump-speech bio to be rehashed in a campaign autobiography that lays it all out on the printed page.

"What's the first thing you need to do when you're running for president or thinking about it? You tell your story," Katie Merrill, a Democratic political strategist, told The Times.

(Expect to read less in that book about the affair he had with his campaign manager's wife when he was mayor of San Francisco and how he sought treatment for alcohol abuse. That's not the kind of overcoming-adversity story voters are looking for.)

By the way, I'm not blaming Newsom for any of this. Personal narratives are an age-old part of politics.

Why do voters crave them? Partly because overcoming obstacles in life is honestly admirable. But also because humans respond to stories more than they do to policies, statistics, polemics, resumes or canned rhetoric. And because we all love a Horatio Alger, up-from-humble-beginnings tale.

Bits of personal bio are what voters remember  sometimes the only thing they remember. Jerry Brown slept on a mattress on the floor and drove a Plymouth. Dianne Feinstein found the body of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk after he'd been assassinated. Richard Nixon was born in a house his father built. Abraham Lincoln was raised in a log cabin the size of a postage stamp and walked a thousand miles to school every day in bare feet. (Yes, sometimes the stories get better over time.)

These narratives aim to tell voters not only who the candidate is and why they're running, but also that they can be trusted, that they're not out of touch with ordinary people and that they share our values. When Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says in his campaign bio that his father fled Cuba where "he was tortured and imprisoned and came to Texas with just $100 sewn into his underwear," it's part of his broader point that the family personified the American dream  "the idea that anyone, through hard work and determination, can achieve anything."

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) used his family's story this way in 2008: "I'm running for president because for 54 years of my life I have believed to my soul that the men and women who worked in that mill with my father were worth every bit as much as the man that owned that mill."

But be warned: These stories don't always mean what they seem to mean. Indeed, one academic study concluded that candidates' narratives about their families' working-class origins "appear to be a misleading shortcut, a cue that leads voters to make faulty inferences about candidates' political priorities."

In any case, the stories keep on coming.

A few years ago, Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri concluded that privilege has become a "anti-credential" in politics. Listen to any presidential debate, she wrote, and you'll hear a long litany of stories about overcoming extraordinary obstacles. "It turns out your average presidential candidate was found in a basket on the steps of a church by struggling immigrants who came here with nothing but shoeshine, a smile, and the power of a dream, worked six jobs and then died heroically, but not before they managed to impart the virtues of hard work, persistence and patriotism."

Match that, Gov. Newsom.

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Nicholas Goldberg

Los Angeles Times/(TNS)

Nicholas Goldberg is an associate editor and op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
Fourteen Democratic members of Congress have introduced legislation to lower the voting age in the United States from 18 to 16. Their bill would repeal the 26th Amendment, which in 1971 established 18 as the minimum voting age nationwide, and replace it with a new 28th Amendment making 16-year-olds eligible to participate in all elections. The politicians are from Massachusetts and New York, Illinois, Michigan, and Oregon. To change the Constitution requires overwhelming public and political backing. Any proposed amendment must be passed by a two-thirds majority in each house of Congress and then be approved by three-fourths of the state legislatures. That sweeping support existed the last time the voting age was lowered. In fact, as far back as 1953, the Gallup Poll found that public approval for giving 18-year-olds the vote had surged to 63 percent; President Dwight Eisenhower endorsed making the change in his 1954 State of the Union address. Most Americans accepted the argument that if young men between 18 and 21 were old enough to be drafted and sent to war, they were old enough to be entrusted with the vote. The 26th Amendment was approved by Congress on March 23, 1971, and within 3.5 months had been confirmed by the necessary 38 states  the fastest ratification of a constitutional amendment in US history.

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By contrast, there is little public support for extending the franchise to high school sophomores.

As a newly elected member of Congress in 2019, Pressley's first legislative proposal was an amendment to lower the voting age for federal elections to 16. The Democratic-led House handily defeated the amendment, 126-305. According to a nationwide Hill-HarrisX poll released in May 2019, "75 percent of registered voters opposed allowing 17-year-olds to participate in elections [and] 84 percent opposed allowing 16-year-olds to vote." That sentiment crosses party lines. Large majorities of Democratic, Republican, and independent respondents are against allowing teens younger than 18 to vote.

So it's safe to say that the latest proposal isn't going anywhere. Still, it's important to understand why further lowering the voting age is a bad idea.

Those who back voting rights for 16- and 17-year-olds argue that since kids that age can work, pay taxes, and get a driver's license, it isn't right to exclude them from the voting booth. Here's how Moulton put it in 2020:

"Americans put a lot of faith in 16-year-olds. We let them drive, hire them at our businesses, and make them pay taxes." Moreover, he wrote, "we know that voting at an early age helps encourage civic habits for life."

Pressley goes even further. In a 2021 statement, she contended that a 16- or 17-year-old was qualified to vote by virtue of the "wisdom and maturity" that comes from living in a time of unique "challenges," "hardships," and "threats." Young people, said Pressley, are entitled "to have a say in our federal elections and the policies that impact their lives today and will shape the nation in their lifetime."

Such flimsy contentions don't stand up to scrutiny.

Americans don't put a lot of faith in 16-year-olds. To be sure, some kids at that age have jobs  some even contribute to their family's expenses. But the great majority of teens don't work, and vanishingly few hold down full-time jobs. Rare is the 16- or 17-year-old who foots the bill for groceries, rent, or utilities.

Yes, kids that age can legally drive, and yes, teenagers pay some taxes. But no one younger than 18 (and in some cases, 21) may legally drink alcohol or buy tobacco or marijuana. They may not purchase firearms or ammunition. They may not get married or adopt a child. They may not enlist in the military, buy a lottery ticket, book a hotel room or an Airbnb stay, apply for a mortgage, rent an apartment, file a lawsuit, obtain a credit card, work in a bar, or make a will.

In almost every area of life, society has established 18 as the age of majority because, broadly speaking, that is the age of maturity. Or at least the age of the minimum level of maturity to be entrusted with important decisions. It is well established that adult and teen brains operate differently. The prefrontal cortex  the brain region that governs decision making, long-term thinking, and rational judgment  isn't fully developed until the mid-20s. Behavior and reactions in teens are instead controlled by the amygdala, the more emotion-driven, impulsive, primitive section of the brain.

If Moulton, Pressley, and their colleagues want to make a serious claim that 16-year-olds are mature enough to cast a ballot, they need to show why the scientific consensus on teen immaturity is wrong. And to be consistent, they should also be lobbying to lower the minimum legal age of every other activity to 16.

As for the idea that "voting at an early age helps encourage civic habits for life," that too is unsupported by evidence.

The same claim was made when the 26th Amendment was being adopted. Lowering the voting age to 18, Senator Ted Kennedy declared, will "bring American youth into the mainstream of our political process" and "we will gain a group of enthusiastic, sensitive, idealistic, and vigorous new voters."

That didn't happen. Newly enfranchised 18-to-20-year-olds promptly became the least engaged cohort of voters. In every election, the youngest voters invariably participate at a lower rate than any others. There was considerable hoopla about how "high" turnout was for younger voters in last November's midterm elections, but the data actually confirmed the longstanding pattern: Only 27 percent of voters younger than 30 bothered to cast a ballot.

(On the other hand, those were the voters most likely to vote for Democratic candidates. A cynic could be forgiven for wondering whether that's why Democrats like Pressley and her cosponsors are so eager to lower the voting age still more.)

Weak turnout rates among younger voters shouldn't be surprising. Interest in government and politics tends to rise as the concerns of adulthood rise. Americans who have full-time jobs, who have to pay a mortgage, who are raising a family, who file yearly tax returns, who wrestle with health care premiums are more likely to take an interest in how they are governed than those who don't. For perfectly understandable reasons, teens are apt to worry more about school, social media, and relationships with other teens than with candidates, legislation, and public policy.

If we don't trust 16-year-olds to serve on a jury or sign a contract, we certainly shouldn't expect them to cast thoughtful votes for presidents, governors, and members of Congress.

In the eyes of society, adulthood begins at 18. Voting should begin then too.

Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe, from which this is reprinted with permission."
CHARLESTON  Kevin Lewis and his fellow Charleston Street Department crews are accustomed to starting their work days at around dawn, but they will be out even earlier than usual Wednesday, Jan. 25, due to the forecasted snowfall.

"We will be out at 3 a.m., unless we get called out even earlier," Lewis said, as he contemplated a morning of plowing heavy, wet show.

Street department crews in Charleston and Mattoon spent much of Tuesday preparing for the arrival of a blanket of snowfall overnight and into the following morning, a forecast that promoted school districts in both cities to switch to e-learning for Wednesday.

Charleston Assistant Public Works Director Greg Culp said their street department's workers, equipment and supply of salt were in good shape as the work day neared its end Tuesday. He said the first crew that is scheduled to be called out will work for 12 hours and the second crew will do the same as they operated the city's fleet of eight plow trucks.

"I'm hoping the pavement out there will still be warm enough that the first inch or so of snow will melt right off," Culp said. He added that the Charleston Police Department will call out the street crew before 3 a.m. if the snow falls earlier than predicted.

Mattoon Public Works Director Dean Barber said that city's crews and their eight plow trucks also have been preparing for the snowfall, but he is relieved that the forecast does not include the extended subzero temperatures and high winds that accompanied the winter storm before Christmas 2022.

Barber said the pre-Christmas storm made for rough working conditions for street crews and for utility crews, who were busy responding to broken water lines at businesses and homes.

"This event will not be nearly as difficult as what our crews and our community had to face during the Christmas storm event," Barber said.

Matt Holiner, chief meteorologist for Lee Enterprises Midwest, said he expects the peak of the snowfall to be Wednesday morning.

It will start to back off during the afternoon on Wednesday, and I think the last of the snow showers will come to an end early Wednesday evening, he said.

Holiner said the Wednesday morning commute might be troublesome as he expects occasional periods of heavy snow to be mixed in with the light snowfall.

"Its still early to say for sure, but snowfall could range from 2 to 5 inches across Central Illinois, Holiner said.

The southeastern part of the region, around Charleston-Mattoon, will see the higher totals, while Bloomington-Normal might be closer to 2 inches, he said.

The high Wednesday will be near 33 degrees, with wind gusts up to 26 mph. Temperatures are expected to be below freezing on Thursday with flurries possible in the evening.

What winter was like the year you were born What winter was like the year you were born 1921: The Great Olympic Blowdown 1922: The Knickerbocker Storm 1923: Major snowfall in Sault Ste. Marie 1924: Blizzard in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1925: Alaskas Great Race of Mercy 1926: Utah mining town avalanche 1927: Record snowfall in Raleigh, North Carolina 1928: A mild winter everywhere 1929: Extreme cold in the U.Sand Europe 1930: Another moderate season 1931: Pleasant Hill Bus Tragedy 1932: Snowfall in Los Angeles 1933: Long Beach earthquake 1934: South Dakotas first Dust Bowl storm 1935: Times Square blizzard 1936: North American Cold Wave 1937: Snowstorms in Oregon 1938: Michigans great snowstorm 1939: Washoe County snowfall record 1940: Armistice Day Blizzard 1941: Ides of March blizzard 1942: Midwestern New Years blizzard 1943: Northern Rockies storm in January 1944: California storm inspires a famous photo 1945: Great Midwestern snowstorm 1946: Moderately warm temperatures nationwide 1947: Colorado blizzard 1948: North American blizzard of 1947 1949: Nebraskas great blizzard 1950: Arctic storms in the Pacific Northwest 1951: Great Appalachian Storm 1952: February 1952 nor'easter 1953: Warm temps in the U.S. as Europe is hammered 1954: Montana sets record for coldest day 1955: Historic Wyoming blizzard 1956: New England storms 1957: Cyclone-level storms in Kansas 1958: New England nor'easter 1959: Mount Shasta Snowstorm 1960: Three major storms 1961: New York receives 40 inches of snow 1962: Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 1963: Big Freeze of 1963 1964: New Year's Eve 1963 snowstorm 1965: Albanys worst ice storm on record 1966: North American blizzard of 1966 1967: Chicago Blizzard of 1967 1968: Tennessee snow storm 1969: Big storms in New England 1970: Christmas Day tornadoes 1971: Alaska sets U.S. record for coldest temperature ever recorded 1972: Mild U.S. winter but the deadliest ever in the Middle East 1973: The Great Southeastern Snowstorm 1974: Super Tornado Outbreak 1975: Great Storm of 1975 1976: Groundhog Day gale of 1976 1977: Snowfall in Miami 1978: New England Blizzard of 1978 1979: Hawaii sets a record for coldest day 1980: Massive North Carolina storm 1981: A mild winter with a few scattered storms 1982: A frigid winter with snowfall records in Mt. Shasta 1983: Winter flooding in the western states 1984: A mix of cold spells, storms, and hail 1985: The Freeze of the Century 1986: Pacific storms and flooding 1987: Warm, but with heavy storms in the Mid-Atlantic 1988: Offshore blizzard causes Alaska shipwreck 1989: Extreme Alaska cold spell 1990: Storms and cold snaps countrywide 1991: Ice storm in Rochester, New York 1992: Midwest Halloween blizzard 1993: Storm of the Century 1994: Southeast ice storm 1995: California flooding 1996: Another East Coast nor'easter 1997: April Fool's Day blizzard 1998: Ice storm in the Northeast 1999: North American blizzard of 1999 2000: Holy Week Blizzard 2001: A cold winter with minimal blizzards 2002: Blizzards and ice storms throughout the U.S. 2003: Presidents' Day storm 2004: Blizzard in Charlotte, North Carolina 2005: A cluster of high-wind blizzards 2006: New York City Blizzard of 2006 2007: Valentines Day storm 2008: Great Coastal Gale 2009: January storms in the Midwest and South 2010: Snowmaggedon in Washington D.C. 2011: Groundhog Day blizzard II 2012: A blizzard in the South 2013: February noreaster brings a Category 3 storm 2014: California floods and Mid-Atlantic blizzards 2015: A series of blizzards and cold spells 2016: Category 5 storm in the East 2017: Californias wettest year 2018: North American blizzard in January 2019: Storm batters from West to East 2020: Christmas week storms during a pandemic What winter was like each year from 1922-2022 1922: The Knickerbocker Storm 1923: Major snowfall in Sault Ste. Marie 1924: Blizzard in Milwaukee 1925: Alaska's Great Race of Mercy 1926: Utah mining town avalanche 1927: Record snowfall in Raleigh, North Carolina 1928: A mild winter everywhere 1929: Extreme cold in the U.Sand Europe 1930: Another moderate season 1931: Pleasant Hill Bus Tragedy 1932: Snowfall in Los Angeles 1933: Long Beach earthquake 1934: South Dakota's first Dust Bowl storm 1935: Times Square blizzard 1936: North American Cold Wave 1937: Snowstorms in Oregon 1938: Michigan's great snowstorm 1939: Washoe County snowfall record 1940: Armistice Day Blizzard 1941: Ides of March blizzard 1942: Midwestern New Year's blizzard 1943: Northern Rockies storm in January 1944: California storm inspires a famous photo 1945: Great Midwestern snowstorm 1946: Moderately warm temperatures nationwide 1947: Colorado blizzard 1948: North American blizzard of 1947 1949: Nebraska's great blizzard 1950: Arctic storms in the Pacific Northwest 1951: Great Appalachian Storm 1952: February nor'easter 1953: Warm temps in the US as Europe is hammered 1954: Montana sets record for coldest day 1955: Historical Wyoming blizzard 1956: New England storms 1957: Cyclone-level storms in Kansas 1958: New England nor'easter 1959: Mount Shasta Snowstorm 1960: Three major storms 1961: New York receives 40 inches of snow 1962: Ash Wednesday Storm 1963: Big Freeze of 1963 1964: New Year's Eve snowstorm 1965: Albany's worst ice storm on record 1966: North American blizzard of 1966 1967: Chicago Blizzard 1968: Tennessee snow storm 1969: Big storms in New England 1970: Christmas Day tornadoes 1971: Alaska sets US record for coldest temperature ever recorded 1972: Mild US winter but the deadliest ever in the Middle East 1973: The Great Southeastern Snowstorm 1974: Super Tornado Outbreak 1975: Great Storm of 1975 1976: Groundhog Day gale of 1976 1977: Snowfall in Miami 1978: New England Blizzard of 1978 1979: Hawaii sets a record for coldest day 1980: Massive North Carolina storm 1981: A mild winter with a few scattered storms 1982: A frigid winter with snowfall records in Mt. Shasta 1983: Winter flooding in the western states 1984: A mix of cold spells, storms, and hail 1985: The Freeze of the Century 1986: Pacific storms and flooding 1987: Warm, but with heavy storms in the Mid-Atlantic 1988: Offshore blizzard causes Alaska shipwreck 1989: Extreme Alaska cold spell 1990: Storms and cold snaps countrywide 1991: Ice storm in Rochester, New York 1992: Midwest Halloween blizzard 1993: Storm of the Century 1994: Southeast ice storm 1995: California flooding 1996: Another East Coast nor'easter 1997: April Fool's Day blizzard 1998: Ice storm in the Northeast 1999: North American blizzard of 1999 2000: Holy Week Blizzard 2001: A cold winter with minimal blizzards 2002: Blizzards and ice storms throughout the US 2003: Presidents' Day storm 2004: Blizzard in Charlotte, North Carolina 2005: A cluster of high-wind blizzards 2006: New York City blizzard of 2006 2007: Valentine's Day storm 2008: Great Coastal Gale 2009: January storms in the Midwest and South 2010: Snowmaggedon in Washington D.C. 2011: Groundhog Day blizzard II 2012: A blizzard in the South 2013: February nor'easter brings a Category 3 storm 2014: California floods and Mid-Atlantic blizzards 2015: A series of blizzards and cold spells 2016: Category 5 storm in the East 2017: California's wettest year 2018: North American blizzard in January 2019: Storm batters from West to East 2020: Christmas week storms during a pandemic 2021: Heavy snow hits Texas 2022: February winter storm slams more than 12 states
ATWOOD  The mother whose 19-year-old son was found dead on the streets of Atwood is urging police and the coroner not to treat his death as an open-and-shut case of a drug overdose.

No official cause of death has yet been released in the case of Eian W. Urban, whose body was discovered at 7:23 a.m. Friday, Jan. 20, after police were dispatched to the intersection of Main Street and Central Avenue.

Anna Urban, who lives in Michigan, said she has been in contact with Piatt County Coroner Troy Dunn and she knows her son had street drugs in his system when he died.

She said he had a history of drug use but had been clean for the last several months and was getting his life together.

Anna Urban said she did not want to reveal details while the police investigation remained open, but said investigators had been made aware of information that suggested her sons death was suspicious.

She said she wants a full investigation into the circumstances of her sons last hours, which included a trip to Decatur just before he returned to Atwood and was found dead.

The 39-year-old mom said the combination of drugs found in her son was such that anyone with the knowledge would realize the dose would be fatal, and her son had that knowledge.

She said there is no suggestion he wanted to take his own life; he had been planning to move up to Michigan and was looking forward to a brighter future.

I know what people are going to think: A mom going through a bereavement stage, cant come to terms with her sons death, but, believe me, I am completely to terms with the fact that my son is no longer with me and I do understand he had a drug problem, she added.

But I would not be pursuing all this if I did not feel that there was something more to it.

Calls to Atwood Police Chief Rob Bross seeking more information were not immediately returned. Coroner Dunn said he would not disclose the autopsy results and said his office did not routinely hold inquests unless it was deemed necessary. He said it has not been decided yet whether he will hold an inquest into the death of Urban.

Asked about Anna Urbans concerns about the loss of her son, Dunn said: All I can say is that it is an open investigation and there has been nothing decided.

As she waits for answers, Urban is preparing for her sons funeral and a GoFundMe page, gofund.me/baa8659f, has been set up to help with expenses. She said she comforts herself with happy memories of her child, whom she described as someone who grew into a man with beautiful manners and a beautiful heart.

She added: He was the most hopeful young man there was; he would give you the shirt off his back. I was very proud of him.

Amelia Earhart and 15 other unsolved American mysteries Amelia Earhart The Lizzie Borden murders The Roswell incident JFK assassination and Lee Harvey Oswald slaying The abandoned Mary Celeste The JonBenet Ramsey murder The Zodiac Killer The Great Serpent Mound Sailing stones of Death Valley D.B. Cooper The Levelland event The Texas Killing Fields The Roanoke Colony Jimmy Hoffa Bermuda Triangle Beale ciphers
The fight to preserve Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford, where federally endangered rusty patched bumblebees have been found, ramped up this week, with environmentalists saying they intend to return to federal court.

The Natural Land Institute, a nonprofit that opposes the Chicago Rockford International Airports plan to build a road through the heart of Bell Bowl, said their lawyers had sent a letter to local, state and federal agencies informing them of plans to file a lawsuit alleging violations of the Endangered Species Act.

The letter cites the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services own finding that the rusty patched bumblebee is declining due, in part, to the loss of most prairies and grasslands in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.

Notwithstanding this conclusion, USFWS is now  incomprehensibly  authorizing the type of development and construction on Bell Bowl Prairie (including road construction) that will lead to the extinction of the Bee, says the letter from the Natural Land Institutes attorneys.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife did not respond to request for comment and an airport spokesperson declined to comment.

Environmentalists, who filed a previous federal lawsuit in August that was dismissed without prejudice (allowing the environmentalists to try again), are running out of options in their 18-month battle to preserve the 15.5-acre prairie, which includes 1.7 acres of particularly well-preserved high quality habitat.

State and federal assessments were completed in December, with the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Fish & Wildlife and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources all determining that the project is unlikely to negatively affect the rusty patched bumblebee.

Only a final written reevaluation by the Federal Aviation Administration remains before the airport can begin construction of a road that would cost the bee 9.3 acres of habitat, including 1.7 acres of the highest-quality prairie.

Environmentalists say the road, part of a $50 million airport cargo expansion project, should be rerouted to the east or southeast, where it would avoid the highest-quality prairie and maximize overall prairie preservation.

Were not trying to stop the airport expansion, Natural Land Institute Executive Director Kerry Leigh told the Tribune in 2022. Were trying to get them to redesign the road and avoid the prairie.

The letter announcing the intention to file a lawsuit highlights the U.S. Fish and Wildlifes own previous findings, including that the rusty patched bumblebee is so imperiled that every remaining population is important for the continued existence of the species.

State and federal agencies are allowing the road through Bell Bowl to proceed in part because there are larger, and likely better, rusty patched bumblebee habitats within 10 kilometers of the prairie, according to government documents quoted in the letter. That nearby habitat includes parts of Severson Dells Forest Preserve, Funderburg Forest Preserve, the Levi and Ester Fuller Memorial Forest Preserve, and Howard Colman Hall Creek Preserve.

But the authors of the letter argue that the Endangered Species Act doesnt allow U.S. Fish and Wildlife to evaluate the Bell Bowl project on the basis of whether it will lead to wholesale species extinction.

Instead, USFWS ... must ask whether this project is likely to adversely affect this population of this endangered species. The answer to this question, as the consultation process has shown, is that the project will, by design, impact the Bees habitat, and would lead to (bee) mortality, the letter says.

Rusty patched bumblebees were found foraging at Bell Bowl in August 2021, shortly after environmentalists were alerted to bulldozers near the prairie and learned of the airports plans to build the road.

Leigh said environmentalists still want the airport to apply for funding for a redesign that would move the road and save the heart of the prairie: The airport authorities can apply for state funding to redesign the road, and they wont. Theres also federal funding that they can apply for, and they wont.

All they have to do is apply for the funding, and then this whole lawsuit would go away, Leigh said.
A Hoosier congressman seeking to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate is expressing support for reducing abortion options in other states.

During an interview on Fort Wayne's WOWO-AM radio, U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Columbia City, responded favorably Thursday to a suggestion by host Pat Miller that more needs to be done to restrict abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 24, 2022, Dobbs decision repealing the right to abortion established in 1973 by Roe v. Wade.

"Our work as a pro-life movement is far from over," Miller said. "If a young lady can hop in a car in Fort Wayne and in an hour and a half she can be in a place in Michigan, or in just under three hours she can cross the line into Illinois, and achieve what she was (un)able to do with abortion clinics here in Indiana, the fight is far from over."

Banks responded: "That's exactly right. I'm for federal legislation, I'm for stronger laws at the state level, whatever we can do, to save lives, to protect babies. That's what this fight is all about."

The remarks by the four-term GOP congressman sparked outrage from abortion rights supporters after they were posted Monday on Twitter by Heartland Signal, the newsroom of Chicago radio station WCPT-AM.

Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was among those appalled by Banks' suggestion the government should deny women the ability to travel outside their home state to obtain an abortion.

"The GOP's plan to criminalize the most fundamental decisions a woman can make doesn't stop with overturning Roe," Pritzker said. "The fight is far from over, and Illinois stands ready to protect all women."

Earlier in the WOWO interview, Banks left no doubt he intends to target continued access to abortion in Democratic-led "blue" states if Hoosiers elect him to the U.S. Senate in 2024.

"We have some very blue states that didn't do what Indiana did. Indiana was the first state in the country after the Dobbs decision to pass a pro-life bill. So there's much more that we must do, that we need to do, that I'm going to fight for in the House, and when I get to the Senate, I'm going to fight for there in a bigger way as well," Banks said.

Indiana's near-total abortion ban, enacted Aug. 5 by the Republican-controlled General Assembly and Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, prohibits all abortions from the moment of conception, except within 10 weeks of fertilization for pregnancies caused by rape or incest, or 20 weeks if necessary to prevent serious physical impairment or the death of a pregnant woman, or because of a lethal fetal anomaly.

Enforcement of the statute currently is on hold while the Indiana Supreme Court evaluates the validity of a preliminary injunction issued Sept. 22 by Owen Superior Judge Kelsey Hanlon, a Republican, who concluded the law infringes on individual liberties protected by the Indiana Constitution.

Gallery: Take a virtual tour of Indiana's state parks Brown County State Park Chain O' Lakes State Park Charlestown State Park Clifty Falls State Park Falls of the Ohio State Park Fort Harrison State Park Harmonie State Park Lincoln State Park McCormick's Creek State Park Mounds State Park O'Bannon Woods State Park Ouabache State Park Pokagon State Park Potato Creek State Park Prophetstown State Park Shades State Park Shakamak State Park Spring Mill State Park Summit Lake State Park Tippecanoe River State Park Turkey Run State Park Versailles State Park White River State Park Whitewater Memorial State Park
An avid Chesterton, Indiana, angler caught a record fish in Lake Michigan, breaking the state record for burbot for the second time in two weeks.

Phillip Duracz caught a burbot weighing 11.4 pounds this month in Lake Michigan near Gary. In 2021, the fisherman set the lake whitefish state record after catching a 9.34-pounder in Lake Michigan.

Just two weeks earlier, Scott Skafar of Valparaiso caught a record 10.2-pound burbot in Lake Michigan in Porter County.

The previous burbot record stood for 32 years, but Skafar smashed it by 2.5 pounds. He caught a second burbot that same day, beating the 1990 record by 2 pounds.

Burbot are native to Lake Michigan. Theyre the only freshwater fish in the cod family. Sometimes called eelpout, lawyer or poor mans lobster, theyre considered good to eat with firm, white flesh, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

They feed on other fish like round goby, sculpin and yellow perch. They resemble catfish in that they have a single chin-barbel, or whisker.

In Lake Michigan, burbot typically swim in deep water near the lake bottom. They can most easily be caught by anglers between November and April, when the water is cold enough to force them closer to the shore to feed.

The recent warm weather coupled with light winds has provided excellent opportunities for anglers to fish Lake Michigan at a time they are usually unable to safely access the lake, Lake Michigan fisheries research biologist Ben Dickinson said.

25 endangered animals that only live in America 25 endangered animals that only live in America Salt marsh harvest mouse Utah prairie dog Red wolf Kauai cave wolf spider Laysan duck Yosemite toad Gunnison sage-grouse Devils Hole pupfish Fanshell Giant kangaroo rat Delta green ground beetle Jollyville Plateau salamander California condor American burying beetle Squirrel Chimney Cave shrimp Crested honeycreeper (Akohekohe) Red Hills salamander Louisiana pine snake Woundfin Alabama red-bellied turtle Bruneau Hot springsnail Mountain yellow-legged frog Flattened musk turtle Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard Northern Idaho ground squirrel
Here is a developing list of closures and cancellations for the Coles County area. Have one to add? Email us at MAT.Editorial@lee.net.
The four candidates to be Winston-Salem police chief will be at a forum at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Salem Lake Marina, 815 Salem Lake Road.

The finalists are assistant Winston-Salem police chiefs Jose Manny Gomez; William Penn, Jr.; Wilson S. Weaver II. The fourth finalist is Scott C. Booth, the chief of the Danville, Virginia police department.

Winston-Salem residents can meet the finalists, who will be asked questions by a panel. Questions from the audience will not be allowed.

Here are the finalists:

Gomez has been with the department since 1999 and is currently in charge of the Criminal Intelligence Bureau. The bureau includes the special investigations division, the firearms investigation and intelligence division and the Real Time Crime Center.

Penn has been with the department for 25 years and is the commander of the Investigative Services Bureau. He has also been the commander of District 1 and support services. Penn worked with the foot patrol, vice and narcotics and crime prevention divisions.

Weaver has been with the department for 38 years and is currently the Field Services Bureau leader. His specialty is in the response, mitigation and resolution of high-risk incidents. Weaver has also been the lead instructor for anti-terrorism/homeland defense. He has served in the special operations, professional standards and patrol divisions.

Booth has been the Danville police chief since 2018 and has focused on reducing violent crime. He was a member of the Richmond Police Department for almost 20 years. Booth was the chief of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police department in Washington D.C. He was also the deputy federal security director for the Charlotte region of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

City officials expect to announce the new chief by the end of the month.

Q: Where can I dispose of used medical syringes? I know Im not supposed to throw them in the trash, but Im not sure what to do with them.  M.B.

Answer: Youre right, needles and other sharp implements should never be thrown directly into the trash.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality recommends placing used syringes and needles in a heavy plastic bottle such as laundry detergent comes in. When the bottle is full, seal the top with heavy tape and place it in the trash.

Follow-up

In Tuesdays column, we discussed the legality of not picking-up after your dog in Winston-Salem.

Annie Sims, a spokeswoman for the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office, explained what to do if you see someone not picking-up the poop.

If you see someone not cleaning up after their dog and can identify the owner, you can call the Winston-Salem Police Department non-emergency number as this is a violation of the Winston-Salem City Ordinance, she said.

The WSPD non-emergency number is 336-773-7700.

We also sometimes send them the city code regarding sanitation and let individuals know they can call the City Code Enforcement Office, Sims added. Even though it is listed under Chapter 6 Animals it typically falls under a code enforcement issue.
A Winston-Salem woman was arrested Wednesday night in connection with the stabbing death of a man earlier the same day, authorities said.

Crystal Lakita Spencer James, 32, of East Devonshire Street is charged with murder in the death of Archie Nash, Winston-Salem police said.

James was being held Wednesday night in the Forsyth County Jail with no bond allowed, police said. James is scheduled to appear Thursday in Forsyth District Court.

Nash, 63, was stabbed to death inside a home in the 800 block of North Cameron Avenue, police said.

Nash was found dead by police about 5:30 a.m. in a house at 820 N. Cameron Ave.

Winston-Salem police believe Nash was stabbed during a disturbance with an acquaintance.

Nash's death is the city's sixth homicide so far this year, as compared to two homicides during this time in 2022, police said.

Anyone with information regarding 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 in drive-by shooting Tuesday in the 500 block of North Dunleith Avenue, authorities said.

Winston-Salem police responded at 3:58 p.m. to a reported shooting on North Dunleith Avenue, police said.

Phillip Lewis Degraffenreaidt, 71, of Temple Avenue was outside when a burgundy vehicle traveled past him and someone inside the vehicle fired a gun several times, police said.

Degraffenreaidt was struck once, police said. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for an injury that does not appear to be life-threatening.

The shooting appears to be an isolated incident, police said.

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.
Four Triad and Northwest North Carolina universities will receive funding from a state health initiative utilizing on-campus recovery services for students with substance use disorders.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Service said recently that a combined $3.2 million have been provided to five public and four private universities.

That includes: $797,807 to High Point University to help establish a Collegiate Recovery Program; $394,727 to expand the program at UNC Greensboro; $262,549 to expand the program at Appalachian State University; and $257,576 to help establish a program at Elon University.

The programs have been in existence for more than 40 years. Students are asked to reach out to their student counseling center for more information.

The programs were developed in response to the growth in drug and alcohol use among adolescents and young adults, the risks posed to students while on campus, and the unique needs of students in recovery.

The programs provide services and educational opportunities in a supportive environment and promote personal accountability.

DHHS said the funding awards address a growing need for behavioral health care among young adults and DHHS top priority to improve behavioral health and resilience in North Carolina.

These recovery programs support young adults at a critical juncture in their lives, said Kelly Crosbie, director of the states Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services.

College can be very stressful, especially for young adults struggling with substance use or mental health issues.

These programs provide an educational opportunity alongside recovery support to ensure students do not have to sacrifice one for the other.

The universities are recommended to use the money to develop and implement comprehensive collegiate recovery programs that: provide access to drug- and alcohol-free places and locations for students to live, study and socialize; provide peer mentorship; and receive other recovery supports.

Money may be used to provide alcohol-free and drug-free social activities for students as part of the recovery programming.

There are collegiate recovery programs in 13 out of the 17 universities in the UNC system.

During 2022, $873,760 was distributed and helped serve 320 students.

Todays awards will significantly expand this investment and increase access to substance use disorder recovery services available at public or private, non-profit colleges and universities across the state, DHHS said.

The grants are made available through funding from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant.
Nearly a year after a potentially explosive fire at a Winston-Salem fertilizer factory threatened nearby residents, shrouded neighborhoods in particulate-laden smoke and sent hazardous chemicals into creeks, researchers will probe the incidents health effects on hundreds of people living near the site.

The study will compare the ongoing conditions of as many as 900 Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist patients who live within a two-mile radius of the site with about 7,000 patients living outside that area, Dr. Callie Brown, assistant professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and lead investigator on the project, told the Journal.

We will be looking at the electronic health record data to see if there are differences in emergency room and hospital visits around the time of the fire, and over the next five years we will be looking at differences in chronic health disease such as asthma, lung disease, heart disease and cancer, Brown said.

The fire broke out Jan. 31 and took days to extinguish. Concerned over a potential explosion of 500 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the plant, emergency management officials issued a voluntary evacuation order affecting about 6,000 residents.

Ammonium nitrate, a common ingredient in fertilizer, is used as an explosive for mining and other commercial uses.

Firefighters initially retreated from the flames, which threatened to spark what Winston-Salems fire chief declared could have been one of the worst explosions in U.S. history, until the threat of a blast had subsided.

Smoke from the fire led to air-quality readings as much as seven times worse than what the Environmental Protection Agency classifies as hazardous, and chemical-laced runoff flowed from the site into Monarcas and Mill creeks, killing fish and prompting the city to issue an alert encouraging residents to avoid those waters.

Emergency officials left the choice of whether to leave the area up to nearby residents, but the Wake Forest research wont reveal which patients evacuated for any period of time and which ones stayed, Brown said.

In another part of the study, we are interviewing participants who live within a two-mile radius of the plant and those participants will be asked about their evacuation, she added. So that will provide us with important information about their experience in the time during and after the fire, but we wont be able to establish causal links with this type of data.

Those interviews will involve 20 Spanish-speaking residents from near the fire sight and 20 English-speaking participants.

The voluntary evacuation order affected areas overwhelmingly populated by people of color who live in households with incomes well below average for the city, according to U.S. Census data. Those statistics raised questions about environmental justice, and highlighted the disproportionate health and safety threats from industrial facilities faced by residents like those who live near the Winston Weaver site.

However, because the study will use medical data, patients financial status will not be directly tied to the research, Brown said.

While we dont have direct information on household income, we will have individual-level data on patient insurance and we will also have neighborhood-level data, such as poverty rates, she added.

Investigators said they were unable to determine the cause of the fire.
Theres a reason longtime State Auditor Beth Wood commands respect (some might say deference) from Democrats and Republicans alike.

Given by state law the duty to to examine all books, records, files, papers, documents, and financial affairs of every state agency as well as the power to summon people to produce records and to answer questions under oath, her office pokes and prods and peeks under bureaucratic rocks without fear or favor.

Which is to say: Shes in the business of asking tough questions, regardless of politics, and Wood, a Democrat who has served as auditor since 2009, is very good at it. Now the states watchdog is being watched. And its Wood whos being asked the tough questions.

To recap: Wood has acknowledged being charged in a hit-and-run accident in December as she was leaving a holiday social in Raleigh.

She was a driving a state-owned car that struck and significantly damaged a parked car on Dec. 8. In fact, Woods Toyota Camry lodged itself atop the fender of the parked vehicle to the point that the Camrys rear right tire was lifted into the air.

Four days later Raleigh police cited her for misdemeanor hit and run resulting in property damage.

In a written statement released on Monday, Wood expressed remorse for her actions. I sincerely regret my actions and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement, she said. I have served the people of North Carolina as their State Auditor since 2009. I made a mistake in judgment on December 8, but I am committed to continuing to perform my duties with the same energy and determination I am known for. As for why she chose to leave the scene, Wood said: I was shaken by the incident and, when I was unable to move my vehicle, I left the scene. That was a serious mistake and I regret my decision.

Even though it arrived several weeks late, that statement was a helpful step forward, but Wood has yet to fully explain is the circumstances of the accident.

No one was injured. So why was she shaken? Fender benders happen. An automotive loss report filed with the state on Dec. 12 said Wood was traveling at 15 mph when she struck the parked vehicle and that she was neither using a cellphone or otherwise distracted at the time. So, what reason was there for her to leave? Why not simply seek out the owner of the other vehicle and exchange information? And was Wood under the influence of alcohol when the accident occurred? WRAL-TV has directly asked Woods office the second question and, as of Tuesday, had yet to hear back.

Wood is scheduled to appear in a Wake County court on Thursday. Meanwhile, reaction to the accident has been mixed, but not entirely partisan.

The state Republican Party huffed on social media that Wood should resign because leaving the scene was intentional and wholly unbecoming of an elected official. But Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson, a Republican, was not so unforgiving.

Our society is quick to judge and slow to forgive, Dobson said in a statement issued on Friday, WRAL reported. Auditor Wood is a committed public servant and has worked hard for the citizens of North Carolina.

A spokesman for Gov. Roy Coopers office called the accident a troubling incident and said the governor is glad that the auditor has addressed it publicly. The governors office is right. Wood has addressed the accident publicly  but not completely.

So, while its true that the party of George Santos (and, by the way, Mark Robinson) has some nerve to call out somebody else on whats wholly unbeconing of an elected leader, Wood should be more forthright. Especially as someone whose office has established a well-earned a reputation for its fine-tooth comb approach to audits, she owes her constituents more answers.

She should tell us the truth  the whole truth. And then let the facts speak for themselves.
There has not been a post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases either locally or statewide, and it's not clear if there will be.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department on Tuesday reported another weekly decline in its confirmed case numbers, with 152 in the week ending Saturday, down from 176 the previous week.

Case numbers have declined for five straight weeks after hitting a three-month high the week ending Dec. 17.

Health experts have said case numbers are likely being under-reported because many people rely on home tests, but other indicators also have been trending positive.

Hospital numbers have continued to fall, with 35 COVID patients hospitalized per day on average last week in Lincoln, down from 40 the previous week. On Friday, there were only 27 COVID patients in local hospitals, the lowest number since Oct. 15. That number stood at 30 on Tuesday.

And local wastewater surveillance showed a significant decrease in the number of virus particles compared to the previous week.

Because of that, the Health Department announced its COVID-19 risk dial is moving down for the second straight week, going from mid-yellow to low yellow. The dial moved to mid-yellow last week from elevated yellow.

COVID-19 numbers were even better across Nebraska.

The state reported 924 cases for the week ending Wednesday, down 38% from 1,486 the previous week, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was the first time new weekly cases in Nebraska had dropped below 1,000 since the first week of May, and its the lowest case level since late April.

All other indicators, including hospitalizations, also point to falling virus levels.

Hospitalizations for COVID decreased last week by 18% in the U.S. and by 17% in Nebraska. Both hospitalizations and new hospital admissions for COVID also were down in the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic states, which had seen a significant spike since shortly after the holidays.

Those two also are regions where a new highly transmissible version of the virus, XBB.1.5, made up an estimated 84% or more of the positive samples to undergo genomic sequencing. In Nebraska, that variant made up 6% of samples sequenced in the week ending Jan. 14.

But that percentage is likely to rise, with the XBB.1.5 variant likely to dominate in Nebraska for "the next four to six weeks or so, unless there's a different variant to show up," said Dr. Renuga Vivekanandan, chief of infectious disease at CHI Creighton University Medical Center.

The variant, like other omicron variants, is more infectious, Vivekanandan said. The good news, she said, is that it does not seem to be causing more hospitalizations.

Dr. Bob Rauner, president of Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln, said he monitors Bryan Healths COVID dashboard for insight into who is being hospitalized with the virus. On Sunday, a total of 17 patients were hospitalized. Fifteen were not up to date on their vaccines, meaning they had not received the latest booster. Of the two who were up to date, both fell into the higher-risk 65-and-older age bracket.

If youre up to date on your vaccines, most people dont have much to worry about, Rauner said.

Most people, he said, can  and are  living life pretty much as normal now. They once again are gathering in large numbers in restaurants, stores and at public events. Mask-wearing in such settings has become rare.

Rauner, who is up to date on his vaccines and in his 50s, said he wears a mask only when hes in an airport or at a health care facility.

Vivekanandan said the thing people need to realize is that COVID-19 has not gone away and isn't likely to any time soon, "so we just need to continue to be vigilant (and) vaccinate."

She said the disease is still resulting in 3,000-4,000 deaths a week nationwide. Last week, that included one person in Lancaster County, a man in his 50s who was hospitalized and up to date on his vaccinations.

The Omaha World-Herald contributed to this report.

Charts that track COVID-19 variants, vaccination rates and hospitalizations in Nebraska
One man was arrested and another questioned after an early morning traffic stop in northwest Lincoln led police to five homemade explosive devices, according to authorities.

Police evacuated a home including several apartment units and Lincoln Fire and Rescue bomb technicians disabled the five explosive devices, two of which were uncovered amid a traffic stop Wednesday morning, Lincoln Police Chief Teresa Ewins said.

An officer stopped a vehicle traveling without license plates near Northwest Seventh Street and Cornhusker Highway at around 1 a.m. and arrested the driver  who Ewins declined to identify  on suspicion of meth possession, the police chief said.

Police searched the car for additional narcotics but instead found two handmade explosive devices, Ewins said. The fire department's bomb squad was dispatched to the scene and confirmed that the devices were hazardous before technicians "rendered safe" the explosives, Ewins said.

Investigators then sought the owner of the car and found him in his apartment near Northwest Eighth Street and Cornhusker Highway, near the site of the traffic stop.

While in the man's apartment, police evacuated the building and again radioed for bomb technicians, who recovered three additional explosives, Ewins said.

Both men  the car's driver and its owner  were in custody Wednesday. The police chief declined to name the men as the investigation into why they allegedly possessed the devices is in its early stages.

"You don't know where an investigation like this will lead us to," she said. "It could be another location, other individuals. So we want to be careful how we (release information).

Police aren't yet sure if the men lived together at the apartment building.

Ewins declined to detail what kind or caliber of explosive devices police recovered but promised to release more detailed information later this week.

Residents of five apartment units at 2330 N.W. Eighth St. were allowed to reenter the building Wednesday evening.

Top Journal Star photos for January 2023
From the counsel table Tuesday, Kenneth Farley's teenage victim described the aftermath of the abuse she faced at his hands as a life sentence before the Lincoln man learned he would get 55 to 70 years in prison for it.

"The boogeyman is Kenneth Farley," the now-18-year-old woman said.

She said Farley's selfish, perverted actions not only damaged her mental health but also ripped apart multiple families, "just for him to satisfy some sick, twisted part of his mind that chose to corrupt multiple innocent children."

She said for years before she disclosed the abuse she turned to substance abuse and ran away to avoid thinking about the horrors she went through.

"I still struggle with those thoughts. Sometimes it seems like it might be easier to be gone than have to remember what I went through. But I refuse to give him that power," the teen said, tearfully, in a nearly full courtroom.

She said she hoped Farley wouldn't see the light of day again.

"I never want another child to go through what I did," she said.

In November, a Lancaster County jury returned a split verdict finding Farley guilty of one of three counts of sexual assault of a child he faced.

He was acquitted of a second charge and the jury deadlocked on a third, involving two other teens who had made similar allegations.

In May 2020, the Nebraska Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline received a belated report about a 17-year-old who alleged Farley had sexually abused her when she was a grade-schooler.

Two others, one 17 and the other 19, came forward later that year with more allegations against Farley.

In 2021, prosecutors charged him with all three.

On Tuesday, Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Chris Reid asked for a sentence substantially above the 20-year minimum, saying his victim was barely 12 when Farley started grooming her.

While the mandatory minimum may be appropriate if this were a single act, he said, here there were too many incidents for her to remember, Reid said.

"Each of these are separate crimes that she had to endure by Mr. Farley," he said.

Reid said Farley had taken zero responsibility and shown no remorse for his actions.

Up until the sentencing phase, this case has been about Farley. But at this stage it was time for Farley's victim to be heard. For her whole life she'll have to deal with the repercussions of his actions.

Farley, 51, declined to comment.

His attorney, Seth Morris, asked for the minimum sentence, saying Farley was a military veteran and had a number of letters of support.

In the end, Lancaster County District Judge Ryan Post said Farley had been in a position of trust and violated it, and it wasn't an isolated incident but repeated assaults.

"What she went through was horrific," Post said.

During trial, he said, he watched Farley stare down his accuser on the stand.

"We've all heard in court today how your choices have impacted her for the rest of her life, what she described in her words as a life sentence," the judge said.

Post said he also took into account that Farley had taken no responsibility for his actions. And he announced the sentence, which means Farley will have to be in prison for 35 years before he's eligible for parole.

Farley also would have to register as a sex offender upon release and be subject to a possible civil commitment.

Top Journal Star photos for January 2023
Superintendent Paul Gausman is a strong communicator and visible community member who has quickly acclimated to the job of leading Lincoln Public Schools, according to a laudatory midyear appraisal from the Lincoln Board of Education.

The evaluation is based on written responses from board members as well as one-on-one meetings with Board President Don Mayhew held toward the end of last year.

The Lincoln school board, which typically appraises its superintendent at the end of the school year, is required by state law to evaluate superintendents twice in their first year.

In the appraisal presented at Tuesday's meeting, board members praised Gausman for his daily and weekly updates to the board and his engagement with the community in his first few months in Lincoln.

"I feel like Dr. Gausman is doing a fantastic job," one comment reads. "He has surpassed all of my expectations."

Another comment: "Paul has been good in coming prepared to meetings with background information and plans of action/opinions with that information. He also listens well and is willing to reconsider as he gains more knowledge."

One board member wrote that Gausman "has really taken seriously his role to visit, meet and learn about all our various learning settings within LPS."

The board also praised a transition report Gausman shared in November, which included potential recommendations that may guide the district's strategic planning process this year.

"There's no need to come in and blow things up to help take us to the next level, and I think he's very aware of that and respectful of the good work that we do," Mayhew said Tuesday.

Gausman will provide an updated transition report in April that expands on the one presented in November. The board will also evaluate Gausman again in May when it typically reviews the superintendent's contract, Mayhew said.

Gausman joined LPS in July after 14 years as superintendent in Sioux City, Iowa.

Earlier this month, he sued his former district and four board members, claiming they broke open meetings laws to file an ethics complaint against him.

Lincoln school board members have declined comment on those proceedings, but the appraisal says Gausman's "personal and professional conduct has been appropriate and reflects well on the district."

Mayhew said that remains the case.

"I think Dr. Gausman has this board's confidence," he said.
NASA officials honored members of the agency who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, leading up to the agency's annual Day of Remembrance on January 26. This year's NASA Day of Remembrance precedes the 20th anniversary of the Columbia accident on February 1. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, and Associate Administrator Bob Cabana hosted a town hall at the agency's headquarters in Washington Tuesday. The trio discussed the invaluable lessons learned over the decades and the importance of a strong safety culture. On January 26, Nelson will lead an observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, which will begin with a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by observances for the Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia crews.
OMAHA -- A former Waterloo firefighter was sentenced Monday to three years in prison for attempted second-degree sexual assault.

Brandon Hanusek, 28, pleaded no contest in September to the amended charge as part of a plea deal. He originally was charged with first-degree sexual assault on a person who was physically or mentally incapable of consenting, stemming from an incident in February 2021 in which 28-year-old Kelsey Imhof alleged Hanusek drugged and raped her.

Under the original charge, Hanusek would have faced up to 50 years in prison.

Imhof said in October 2021 that she had met Hanusek over Facebook when he sent her a friend request. The two didnt know each other, but they were in the same Steamfitters and Plumbers Local 464 union.

They made plans to meet up at a bar along with three co-workers, one of whom was Imhofs friend. On Feb. 26, 2021, they went to Holiday Lounge near 79th Street and West Dodge Road, where Imhof said she had 1 drinks. They then went to Harolds Bar near 85th and Blondo Streets, where she had one drink that Hanusek bought for her.

One of the co-workers left his credit card at Holiday Lounge, and Imhof offered to go get it for him. Hanusek drove. Imhof said that she began to feel drunk while at the Holiday Lounge and remembered playing shuffleboard upon returning to Harolds, but couldnt remember anything else about the evening until she woke up naked and violently vomiting in Hanuseks bathroom.

It was between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. when Imhof woke up covered in bruises, unable to stand up for hours due to her calves spasming and in extreme vaginal and anal pain. Imhof thought that she had been drugged.

Imhof emerged from the bathroom after about two hours and saw Hanusek passed out on the couch. After getting dressed in a bra and underwear, she locked herself in the bathroom and continued to vomit every 5 to 10 minutes until she felt well enough to leave in the early afternoon.

Hanusek told Imhof, and later told investigators, that he blacked out and didnt remember what had happened that night. He said he had attempted to take Imhof home, but her door was locked and her garage keypad wasnt working. Imhof said she did not lock her door and did not have a keypad on her garage.

After confiding in her sister, Imhof went to the hospital and completed a rape kit on Feb. 27, 2021. Hanusek willingly provided his DNA to police, which matched that collected in the rape kit.

Marcus Sladek, Hanuseks attorney, argued that Hanusek was a strong candidate for probation, noting he has a very minor criminal history and scored at a low to medium risk for reoffense. Many family members also wrote letters of support for Hanusek, which the judge noted.

In a short statement, Hanusek said that he hopes that Imhof finds peace and that he never intended to hurt her.

I still dont believe that this case represents who I am, he told the court.

Prosecutor Erin Hurley argued that releasing Hanusek on probation would depreciate the seriousness of the crime. She said that Hanuseks criminal history and personal attributes were irrelevant considering the violent nature of the offense.

I often wonder what people would say in these letters if they saw the pictures that I see, Hurley said in reference to the letters of support for Hanusek. This was an assault. You dont get your first sexual assault free in Douglas County just because youve had a good life.

Judge Jeffrey Lux agreed. In handing down the maximum sentence, Lux said that he thinks that Imhof was incapable of consenting that night. He indicated that he wasnt persuaded by Hanuseks claims that he couldnt remember anything that happened, and noted the numerous terrible photos showing the bruises on Imhofs body.

Quiet sobs echoed through the courtroom on Imhofs side of the gallery as Lux read the sentence.

After the sentencing, Imhof said, While in the most uncomfortable situation I have endured, Judge Lux made me feel more heard, and more human, than anyone in the justice system has throughout such a long, devastating process. Given so many unfortunate events, I feel todays sentence was the best possible outcome and Im relieved to have regained some faith in our justice system.

Hanusek will serve a year and a half in prison under Nebraskas good-time law. He will be required to register as a sex offender.
While locking down growth of spending by state government, Gov. Jim Pillen on Wednesday proposed a state budget that would sharply increase state support for K-12 schools, provide additional local property tax relief, reduce state income taxes and appropriate $95.9 million to complete funding of a new state prison.

Pillen outlined his budget priorities in a 34-minute State of the State address to the Legislature.

"We all agree -- we are taxed way too much," the governor said.

"Our tax policy chases our kids and grandparents out of the state.

"We can't grow Nebraska that way."

The answer, Pillen said, is "saying no to overspending ... and giving this money back to Nebraskans via historic property and income tax cuts."

To hammer home that point, the governor said in an accompanying letter to senators: "The goal of this budget is straightforward: to make clear my commitment to shrinking the growth and size of state government."

The new governor's initial budget proposal would increase state funding for K-12 schools by $1.75 billion by fiscal 2026-27 while increasing local property tax relief to $2.4 billion by 2027.

State income taxes would be reduced by $1.5 billion by 2027 through reduction in individual and business tax rates.

Social Security income would be exempt from state income tax by 2024 through an accelerated timetable for complete exemption, which previously was approved by the Legislature.

Growth in annual general fund support for the state budget over the next two years would be held to 1.3%.

"We have asked agencies to tighten their belts and focus on what is needed, not what is nice," Pillen said.

At the top of his list of priorities highlighted in a preview of the budget document for news media were "control spending, cut taxes, invest in our kids."

A 3.2% increase in the budget during the first year of the biennium reflects the $59 million in annual salary increases recently negotiated with state employees. The budget growth rate flattens in 2024-25.

The salary package ultimately negotiated with state employees may require what a Pillen administration spokesman described as "a minor adjustment" in the final budget figures.

The budget proposal would invest $574.5 million to proceed with construction of the Perkins County Canal project designed to secure South Platte River water flowing into Nebraska from Colorado, exercising water rights negotiated in a compact a century ago.

A succinct summary of his legislative goals provided in the budget briefing was "reduce spending, lower property taxes."

The summary pointed to potential valuation of agricultural and horticultural land according to income potential and placing new limits on property tax revenue increases by local government.

The governor's budget proposal calls for an end to property tax support for community colleges with a recommendation that state government assume that responsibility.

"The success of utilizing community colleges in Nebraska for students best suited for trades is a game changer," Pillen said.

Under his proposal, individual income and business tax rates would be "phased down" to 3.99% by 2027, he said.

That, the governor said, would enable Nebraska to "be more competitive in attracting and retaining investment, talent and new opportunities.

"This is key to stopping out-migration," he said.

Pillen said "changing from market-based to income-based assessment of ag land and capping ag land valuation growth (can) cut property taxes and keep government growth in check."

But, the governor said, "my top priority, and that of all Nebraskans, is our kids" and that's why he is proposing "creation of an education future fund with an investment of $1 billion in fiscal year 2023-2024 and $250 million in each year thereafter."

That fund would be designed to help schools meet special education needs, he said, ensuring that "Nebraska will never ever give up on a single kid -- ever again."

Pillen recommended a state allocation of $1,500 annually "to every public school student in every Nebraska school district," providing what he described as "much-needed support for rural school districts which have been underserved for far too long."

Accompanying that assistance would be a 3% growth cap on spending by school districts which could only be overridden by 75% of local school board members or 60% of local voters.

Pillen's budget provides $39.4 million to fund more than 4,200 scholarships for Nebraska students to attend institutions of higher education in the state.

Pillen also proposed a $50 million state appropriation for scholarships outside public schools, interrupting his speech to recognize the principal, teachers and students from Holy Name Catholic School in Omaha who were seated in the balcony to watch the proceedings.

The governor expressed his strong anti-abortion views during the speech.

"Nebraska is a pro-life state," Pillen declared.

"I am fighting for the rights of every baby with a beating heart," he said. "I am fighting to help women choose life and love."

State budget officials said the governor's funding proposal leaves $218 million available for legislative spending proposals while sufficiently funding the state's cash reserve at an estimated $1.6 billion.

The proposed new prison, which would replace the aging State Penitentiary in Lincoln, would have roughly $350 million in funding available if Pillen's additional allocation is approved. Most of the funding already has been set aside awaiting a legislative decision to proceed.

Also included in the governor's budget proposal is $500 million in transportation infrastructure funding primarily devoted to roads.

Photos: The business of governing in Nebraska in 2023
The perennial effort to repeal, or at least loosen, Nebraskas law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets returned to the Legislature on Tuesday.

State law has required anyone riding a motorcycle to strap on a helmet since 1989, even as other states have reversed course and eliminated or relaxed their requirements.

Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, who is leading the push this year with 15 others, sponsored a bill (LB91) that would allow any motorcyclist or passenger over the age of 21 who has completed a basic safety certification course to ride without a helmet.

That would keep Nebraska one of the most restrictive states in the region  most states with a helmet law require them for riders under the age of 19  while also giving riders the freedom to make a personal choice about their own safety, Hansen said.

I would personally wear a helmet and would encourage everyone else to wear one, Hansen told the Legislatures Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. But this is a risk they are free to take.

Backers of repealing Nebraskas helmet law said the current statute denies them a freedom granted by other states, and said motorcyclists will avoid traveling through the Cornhusker State in order to not be burdened by the helmet requirement.

Former state Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Wakefield, who fought for similar measures in previous years, said the helmet law has resulted in Nebraska losing out on thousands of riders who would otherwise stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and spend their money here.

A freedom has been lost and a right has been denied, Bloomfield said. We are due for a rebirth of basic freedoms.

Randall Geer, a district leader of American Bikers Aiming Toward Education of Nebraska  better known as ABATE  said helmets will only do so much to protect riders, adding proper training on defensive driving techniques was more important to keep motorcyclists safe.

I know my 700-pound motorcycle will never win a battle royale with a 3,000-pound car, Geer said. Because of that I do things that minimize risk. I have an endorsement on my license, I make a point to allow adequate space between me and the traffic in front of me, and I make an effort to avoid driving in other drivers blind spots.

Geer said more than half of motorcyclists killed on Nebraska roadways between 2016 and 2021 did not have the proper motorcycle endorsement, adding education would save more lives than helmets.

Former state Sen. Kent Rogert of Tekamah, a lobbyist representing ABATE, said forcing riders to wear helmets doesnt inherently make them safer: One might think were saving a motorcyclist from himself by forcing a helmet on them, but well never save a motorcyclist from an oncoming truck.

What helmet laws do is reduce the enjoyment of life motorcyclists are seeking on the open road, he added.

Opponents of the bill represented health care professionals, first responders, insurance providers and trial attorneys, all of whom said the helmet law helped save lives and keep the emotional and fiscal costs down.

Eric Koeppe, the CEO of the Nebraska Safety Council, said a study by the University of Michigan found a more than 25% decline in helmet use in the year after the state partially repealed its law in 2012, and a 14% increase in the number of crash-related head injuries.

A mandatory helmet law saves live and quality of life, Koeppe said, and was supported by more than 4 out of 5 Nebraskans surveyed by AAA.

Daniel Rosenquist, a family physician from Columbus who testified on behalf of the Nebraska Medical Association, told the committee that helmets also reduced health care costs that are often shared by taxpayers because barely over half of injured riders have private health insurance.

After Nebraskas helmet law went into effect, there was a 22% drop in serious head injuries related to motorcycle crashes, Rosenquist said, and helmets are estimated to reduce head injuries by nearly 70%.

Brooke Murtaugh, an occupational therapist who manages the brain injury program at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals, said while she was sympathetic to the idea that riders should have the freedom to choose whether or not to wear a helmet those decisions affected others as well.

Individuals with brain injuries used to be cared for during hospital stays lasting six months, she told the committee, while the costs of care and insurance has now reduced the length of those stays to 2-3 weeks.

The brain does not recover that fast, Murtaugh said, which can have negative consequences on riders injured in crashes, their families and others.

Requiring riders to wear a helmet lessens the likelihood of them suffering traumatic brain injuries which could reduce their quality of life, ability to work and to make their own medical decisions, she added.

Mark Richardson of the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys told the committee that he had represented "too many motorcyclists who had been injured in crashes, and that while he respected each individual, as well as the culture as a whole, he believed helmets were beneficial.

Ive sat across from enough neurologists in my practice that have looked me in the eye and said this helmet saved your clients life, he said. I trust them when they tell me that.

Hansen, in his closing statement before the committee, said the Legislature doesnt issue mandates for other dangerous activities such as putting Christmas lights on roofs, walking on ice or going out in a lightning storm.

Nor do state lawmakers enact statutes regulating how many drinks an individual can have in a bar, or how much soda an obese individual can consume, even though the health care costs to treat related conditions can also be passed onto taxpayers.

I dont think its the right of government to protect people from dumb decisions, he said.

The Transportation and Telecommunications Committee did not take any action on the bill on Tuesday.

Top Journal Star photos for January 2023
Gov. Jim Pillen's proposed budget would be transformational for school funding and provide substantial property and income tax relief for Nebraskans, state senators said.

But some lawmakers also expressed concerns about the spending blueprint  including funding for a new prison and private school scholarships  which the governor laid out in his first State of the State address Wednesday.

Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln said "there's a lot to like" in Pillen's plan to increase state funding for K-12 schools. The proposal would infuse $1.75 billion into public education by fiscal 2026-27 while providing millions in property tax relief.

Conrad said she was also struck by what she called the new governor's "personal style" in his State of the State speech.

"I really appreciate his authenticity and his warmth," she said. "And I really like how he is unafraid to wear his heart on his sleeve when he's talking about his family or his passion for our state."

While she praised plans to speed up an income tax exemption for Social Security benefits, she raised concerns about the "fiscal sustainability" of Pillen's proposed tax cuts.

"What I think the end result will be is huge giveaways to millionaires and billionaires," said Conrad, who spent eight years on the Appropriations Committee during her previous stint in the Legislature. "Here we are once again with middle-class Nebraskans and working Nebraskans really being left out of the equation."

Sen. Robert Clements of Elmwood, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, said he was pleased with the governor's speech and spending plan. He said it meets budget obligations while providing tax relief to Nebraskans with state coffers healthy.

"The excess revenues that we have are taxpayer dollars that we need to return," he said.

Clements pointed to promised increased aid for rural schools that have missed out on funds through the state's complicated school funding formula as well as increased investments in special education.

A nearly $575 million investment to proceed with the construction of the Perkins County Canal included in the budget was also important to him.

Last fall, Clements toured the area where the project would secure water from the South Platte River flowing from Colorado into Nebraska as part of a past agreement between the two states.

"It's very important to protect the South Platte Water that we are supposed to be getting," he said.

Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha raised questions about a budget item that would direct nearly $96 million to complete funding for a new state penitentiary.

What is needed instead is "intentional, substantive" criminal justice reform that targets mental health and substance use issues as well as workforce training, McKinney said.

"If we decide to build a prison, the day it opens we'll have to build another prison," he said. "It's not going to solve the issue."

Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln said Pillen's proposed increase in education spending is "transformational" for a state that ranks 49th in state funding that goes toward public education.

"We want our children and our state to have a highly educated population, and I can tell you as a business owner we need an educated workforce, and that is a commitment that we have to make," she said.

But she and other senators also raised questions about directing millions to private school scholarships for low-income students. Pillen's proposal would provide $25 million in scholarships through a tax credit for donors.

Conrad called it "misguided public policy."

"I think those public dollars should be invested in public schools and public programs and resources," she said.

In a news release, the Nebraska Catholic Conference praised the proposed scholarship tax credits, calling it "a proven model that's been successful in 21 other states."

Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb went on the offensive after Pillen's speech, saying the address showed "that he has no interest in tackling the big issues" facing Nebraska.

Gov. Pillen made it a point to say that Nebraskans want to be treated fairly and yet he is waging a war against the LGBTQ community, women, public schools and the environment," Kleeb said in a statement.

The OpenSky Policy Institute, a Nebraska tax policy think thank, said it's concerned about "significant constraints" the budget would place on funding for state agencies.

"These agencies provide services that play a key role in supporting a strong state economy," OpenSky Executive Director Rebecca Firestone said in a statement. "We are concerned that the funding constraints in the budget proposal could work against the stated goal of growing Nebraskas economy.

Photos: The business of governing in Nebraska in 2023
RACINE  A Racine County Jail inmate has been accused of breaking another inmates ankle during an argument about what to watch on TV.

Elijah D. Mosley, 21, of the 200 block of Jones Street, was charged with one felony count of battery by prisoners.

According to a criminal complaint, a deputy with the Racine County Sheriffs Office was sent to the Racine County Jail at 717 Wisconsin Ave. on Jan. 19 in response to a reported assault.

Upon arrival, the deputy was told that an inmate had to be sent to the hospital for medical treatment of a broken ankle.

Surveillance video showed several inmates sitting at tables in the dayroom and Mosley standing against one of them.

Mosley and one of the men exchanged words and the two can be seen having a short struggle, during which Mosley reportedly appears to shove the man over another inmate at the table.

The deputy spoke to the man, who reportedly said he and Mosely got into an argument about what to watch on the TV, and when he turned the channel, Mosley allegedly shoved him in the back  which caused him to fall into the lockers.

The deputy also spoke to Mosley, who reportedly admitted that he got into an argument with the man.

According to the complaint, Mosley claimed that he reached up to change the channel and then the man did that extra (expletive). He denied touching the man.

Mosley was given a $400 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Tuesday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 9 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, online court records show.
RACINE  The Racine Unified School District Board during its meeting Monday approved spending nearly $200 million in referendum money to upgrade schools.

The board approved spending $122.9 million to fund projects at Jerstad-Agerholm K-8 School, Starbuck school, Julian Thomas Elementary and Hammes Field at Case High School.

Work is scheduled to cost $55.87 million at Jerstad-Agerholm, $54.24 at Starbuck, $9.31 million at Hammes Field and $3.48 million at Julian Thomas.

That money was approved in two separate resolutions. The board approved spending $95 million to fully fund work at Julian Thomas and Hammes Field and partially fund work at Jerstad-Agerholm and Starbuck. The board approved spending $27.9 million to fund the rest of the work at Jerstad-Agerholm and Starbuck.

At Jerstad-Agerholm and Starbuck, renovation and expansion work will occur in two phases, and both projects are scheduled to be completed in fall 2024. At Julian Thomas, a new main office and secure vestibule are slated to be completed by August.

The board also approved Camosy Construction as construction manager for the work at Hammes Field, which is scheduled to be done by September.

A Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in April 2022 allowed RUSD to move forward with its 30-year, $1 billion referendum, which passed by five votes in April 2020.

Work at Horlick, Mitchell

The RUSD board approved spending up to $68 million to renovate and remodel Horlick High School. The work at Horlick is estimated to cost $60.83 million and is scheduled to be completed by August 2025.

The board awarded the Horlick architectural and engineering services to Plunkett Raysich Architects at a cost of $4.96 million.

The board approved implementing the work scheduled at Horlick by a vote of 6-1.

Board President Jane Barbian voted against the resolution because of differences between work described in the districts long-range facilities master plan and work described in a Horlick fact sheet given to board members.

Im concerned about this, Barbian said. To me, the facilities plan should pretty much align with what you have targeted here.

Peter Reynolds, RUSD chief operating officer, said that differences exist mainly because some work at Horlick is scheduled to occur in phase two and the fact sheet only addressed phase one.

Barbian expressed concerns about urgent work at Horlick not being included in the first phase.

Im all for phase two, but lets hope we have money left in phase two, because theres some high need that we promised the community that we would do at Horlick  that you have not designated for phase one, Barbian said. I have a hard time approving that until I see a better connection here.

To clarify RUSDs plans, Reynolds said he will bring information about work scheduled for phase two to the board at a future meeting.

Board member Brian OConnell understood Barbians concerns but said it was important to move ahead with work at Horlick.

We need to get an architect under contract, OConnell said. There is a disconnect  but I see why there is. The things that have come to us for approval are really major, big-ticket, design-heavy elements, and the need to proceed is strong on these.

Barbian voiced similar concerns regarding differences between a fact sheet and the districts long-range plan about work at Mitchell K-8 School.

The board approved implementing work at Mitchell by a vote of 6-1, with Barbian voting against.

The budget to expand and remodel Mitchell is $31.63 million. That work is scheduled to be completed by August 2025.

In February, the board will consider a resolution to approve the $31.63 million.

Other business

The board approved a contract increase of $209,000 to clean, repair and paint five buildings at the RUSD Administrative Services Campus. That increase brings the total contract with Premier Sandblasting and Painting to $1.344 million.

The board approved buying $121,101.84 worth of construction management software for architects, construction managers and RUSD administrators to use on projects.

The board approved a contract worth $113,900 with MEI-Badger Elevator to repair and modernize elevators at the RUSD Community Pathways Campus.

12 photos from RUSD's 'Winterfest' party for Intellectually Disabled students Jarkavian and his friends Busting a move Showing your moves Group Shot On the dance floor Aiden Burgess Gangs all here Keion Brisco busts a move Picture time Cinnamon Sheldon and her class Clap your hands A special visit
University of Wisconsin System officials said Tuesday that they will ban the use of TikTok on system devices.

System spokesperson Mark Pitsch told The Associated Press about the move in email statements.

Nearly half of the states nationwide have blocked the popular social media app owned by a Chinese company. Earlier this month, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers banned the use of TikTok on Wisconsin state phones and other devices, citing potential risks to privacy, safety and security.

Evers order didnt apply to the UW System, which employs 40,000 faculty and staff, because it isnt an executive branch agency. UW-Madison, the systems flagship school, has multiple TikTok accounts, including one for the womens volleyball team. Universities often use TikTok accounts as a recruiting tool to connect with high school students.

A number of other universities across the country have banned TikTok in recent weeks, including Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.

It has been targeted by critics who say the Chinese government could access user data, such as browsing history and location. U.S. armed forces also have prohibited the app on military devices.

TikTok is used by two-thirds of American teens and has become the second-most popular domain in the world.

But there has long been bipartisan concern in Washington that Beijing would use legal and regulatory power to seize American user data or try to push pro-China narratives or misinformation.

40 notable people who attended UW-Madison Virgil Abloh Shirley Abrahamson Stephen Ambrose Don Ameche Carol Bartz Steve Bornstein Laurel Clark Barbara Crabb Joan Cusack Ron Dayne Ada Deer Hector DeLuca August Derleth Andre De Shields Conrad Elvehjem William T. Evjue Jeff Greenfield Lorraine Hansberry Kevin Henkes Mary Hinkson bell hooks Jane Kaczmarek Robert M. La Follette Charles Lindbergh Karl Paul Link James Lovell David Maraniss Steve Miller John Morgridge Errol Morris John Muir Gaylord Nelson Joyce Carol Oates Vel Phillips George Poage Tommy Thompson Al Toon Greta Van Susteren Russell Wilson Frank Lloyd Wright
Appalling, disturbing, shameful.

Those are the words that jumped to mind when we read about Republican election commissioner Robert Spindell crowing about what he said were successful efforts by the GOP to tamp down minority turnout in Milwaukee in the 2022 mid-term elections.

Spindell, who served as a fake Republican elector for former President Donald Trump in the hotly contested 2020 presidential election, sits on the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which is charged with overseeing the fair conduct of state elections.

He said he was merely touting efforts by the GOP to counter liberal messaging in the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee and that he does not support suppressing voter turnout.

His words belie that.

In an email newsletter Spindell said that Republicans can be especially proud of lowered turnout in Milwaukee during the 2022 election with the major reduction happening in the overwhelmingly Black and Hispanic areas.

According to the Associated Press, Spindells email detailed a number of those strategies targeting those communities. Among them, Negative Black Radio Commercials.

If thats not supporting voter suppression and trying to discourage Black and Latino Americans from voting in the states largest city, we dont know what is.

Instead of tamping down minority participation in elections, we would suggest Spindell  and other Republicans  take note of a recent column by Rachel Ferguson, director of the Free Enterprise Center at Concordia University in Chicago.

Ferguson noted that Black voters supporting Democrats dropped from 90% to 86% in 2022. And the Latino vote for Democrats dropped from 69% to 60%,

She argues Republicans should be wooing Black and Brown voters by espousing policies that do justice to the historic struggle of minority communities while favoring conservative policies.

Ferguson cites several opportunities for the GOP to attract minority support  and votes. Among them are things like border security: First it shouldnt be assumed that Black and Latino voters are unconcerned with border security. Legal immigrants can be surprisingly frustrated with leniency for those who didnt have to exhausting process they did.

Inadequate schools and rising crime rates. Ferguson contends minority parents support school choice, despite stern Democrat opposition, and notes that while Black Americans want to be treated better by police, polls show 80% wanted the same or more police in their neighborhoods.

She argues that many Black and Latino voters belong to churches that are conservative about sexuality and gender  and the push for adolescent transgenderism and polyamory is a bridge too far for many of these religious folk.

Those are some of the policy issues Republicans can focus on to gain support at the polls in minority communities. Thats a far better long-term strategy for the GOP and they should reject Spindells misguided cheerleading for efforts to stifle voter participation in Wisconsins minority communities.

Biggest snowfalls recorded in Wisconsin history Biggest snowfalls recorded in Wisconsin history
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

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FAVE 5: Kearney Hub's Ashley Bebensee shares her memorable stories from 2022

The most memorable stories from any year are the tales of people, or animals, who leave a positive impact on those around them. In 2022, it was heartwarming when volunteers from across the country came to Pioneer Village in Minden to breathe life back into the small-town museum. Also memorable was when the residents of Bertrand rallied behind a local family after a tragic car accident critically injured their son.

Animals will always make it to the top of any of my lists, so I couldn't help but include the story of a senior dog who was reunited with her owners after 10 years apart and a mini therapy horse who is making a difference for people of all ages.

These are the five stories I enjoyed the most in 2022.

ashley.bebensee@kearneyhub.com
MENOMONIE  Seventeen University of Wisconsin-Stout masters students have received $85,000 in scholarships as part of a federal grant awarded to another UW System university.

UW-Whitewaters Center for Inclusive Transition, Education and Employment was awarded $9.1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to support graduate students in marriage and family therapy, counseling and social work across the seven UW System institutions with accredited programs.

The one-time federal award included $2 million to support about 380 mental health students with a $5,000 scholarship through the Qualified Treatment Trainee Grants Program.

Emma Desens is in her final semester of her masters in marriage and family therapy at UW-Stout and is grateful to be awarded the QTT grant. Her clinical internship is at Family Therapy Associates, at the Menomonie and Eau Claire locations, and she will be joining their team upon graduation in May.

This donation to my education will have a significant impact on my life. The financial security of receiving this grant enables me to explore continuing my education further with a doctorate degree, said Desens, of Appleton.

I am thankful for the opportunity to focus on my learning and growing as a therapist, rather than the financial stress, and I cannot express my appreciation enough in being chosen for this award, she said.

The goal of the QTT grant is to reduce barriers to program completion for diverse students and build the capacity of our states mental health workforce and behavioral health professionals, said Jessica Smith, principal investigator for the grants program and CITEE director.

The award supports students in the completion of their internships, which are often unpaid or underpaid, creating financial barriers for those experiencing lower income, lower social support resources or additional noneducational expenses.

The demand for competent mental health professionals has never been higher, particularly for traditionally underserved communities, said assistant professor Heather Hessel, program director of M.S. marriage and family therapy at UW-Stout. The funds from the QTT grant provide critical support for building and strengthening the pathways from graduate level training to effective delivery of mental health services to Wisconsin residents.

Hessel serves on the QTT Statewide Advisory Committee and supported the outreach to students in marriage and family therapy, as well as M.S. clinical mental health counseling.

Along with Desens, UW-Stout graduate students, several of whom serve as Clinical Services Center student therapists, who received the QTT grant this spring include:

Makai Dorfman, marriage and family therapy, Minneapolis

Emily Erikson, marriage and family therapy, Altoona

Zandra Georgakas, clinical mental health counseling, Ellsworth

Mackenzie Gosa, marriage and family therapy, Blue River, Oregon

Julia Jorgensen, marriage and family therapy, Madison

Lindsey Laube, clinical mental health counseling, Eau Claire

Hannah Malison, clinical mental health counseling, Milwaukee

Chelsea Meagher, marriage and family therapy, Eau Claire

Isabel Meyer-Mueller, marriage and family therapy, St. Paul, Minnesota

Elizabeth Miner-Worland, marriage and family therapy, Philadelphia

Maggie Mooney, clinical mental health counseling, Baldwin

Frances Santiago, marriage and family therapy, St. Paul, Minnesota

Hannah Schoening, clinical mental health counseling, Big Lake, Minnesota

Kaja Simon, marriage and family therapy, St. Paul, Minnesota

Corey Tallier, clinical mental health counseling, Gilman

Annie Xiong, clinical mental health counseling, Schofield

Nearly 270 graduate students applied for this round of funding, Smith said. She anticipates the final round for applications will open in spring 2023 to award the remaining 110+ awards.

CITEE received the award through Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to expand the work being done in the QTT Grants Program with DHS, Division of Care and Treatment Services.

UW-Stouts masters programs in marriage and family therapy, clinical mental health counseling, school counseling and school psychology are housed in the Vocational Rehabilitation Building but are scheduled to relocate to Heritage Hall.

Heritage Hall, a near-50-year-old building, is scheduled for major renovation after receiving priority approval from the UW System Board of Regents. The project is ranked No. 1 in the Chippewa Valley and No. 3 for UW System academic buildings. The project includes the demolition of the 1954 portion of the Vocational Rehabilitation Building, where the four programs are housed.

True to our applied learning mission, UW-Stouts graduate counseling programs provide services for the community, which will be further enhanced by the renovation of our Heritage Hall academic building. The buildings renovation, which will provide reimagined spaces to better train our graduates, is a critical renovation to expand our counseling-related offerings and help graduate more students, Provost Glendali Rodriguez said.

The QTT Grants Program helps remove some of the financial burdens on students to complete their education and provides another compelling argument to pursue advanced education at UW-Stout. Secured from a grant, the scholarship also provides a strong example of how Stout is committed to addressing workforce shortages of counseling professionals in Wisconsin and across the country, Rodriguez added.
Recently I have been doing some research on a story that first came to light 100 years ago. Ive seen old versions of the story in the archives here several times over the years, but recent changes in U.S. society have given me a vocabulary to better understand the situation.

In September of 1923, regional newspapers were suddenly filled with headlines like, Lynxville, Wis., Man Is Found To Be A Woman and Death Discloses Husband Is A Woman. It was a sensation that generated lots of newspaper articles, most filled with inaccuracies. Some of the misleading statements no doubt came from the people whose story was being told, because they did not want their private lives revealed.

Keeping in mind that reliable information has been hard to come by, here is a brief outline of what happened: Jerusha Mary Baird (or Beard), usually called May, was born around 1866, probably on a farm in the Town of Webster, Vernon County, between the villages of Avalanche and Ross. Her parents, Jacob and Mary, had come to Vernon County from Ohio. May was the oldest of five siblings.

May married William Taylor, originally of Ohio, in 1882, possibly in Bloomingdale or La Crosse. They moved to Lynxville, Crawford County, where William worked as a farmhand, as a laborer in a stone quarry, and as an herbalist, gathering plants for medicines. May worked at the Vogel Hotel.

William developed cancer but apparently never consulted a doctor and used only his herbs as treatment. He suffered for many years until, semi-conscious, he was brought to a La Crosse hospital for treatment. There the hospital staff discovered that William had a womans body. Today we would say that he was transgender, born female but presenting himself to the world as male.

He died there the next day, Sept. 14, 1923. No one claimed his body, so he was buried in the potters field at the La Crosse poor farm. May denied that shed ever known that William was a woman. She left Lynxville and went to Viroqua to live with her married sister Martha Ames for a time, and then possibly moved west.

I dont think this situation would happen here today because people are now much more free to be themselves. I think its tragic that William lived in pain for so long, trying to keep the secret about his identity by not visiting a doctor. And I think its tragic that May felt compelled to deny her spouse of 41 years.

The Grant County Herald took an unusual but realistic stance when it declared, on Sept. 26, 1923, that Her story, now related, that she was unaware of her partners sex is regarded as highly improbable. More likely, the two women formed an attachment they did not wish severed and thus kept their relation a secret.

We would like to learn more about this couple. If you have information to share with us about the Taylors or the Bairds, contact the museum at 608-637-7396, or museum@vernoncountyhistory.org. It would be good to have more facts in the file, rather than just the scandalous headlines and misleading statements of a century ago.
Area legislators issued the following statements after Gov. Tony Evers gave his 2023 State of the State Address:

Rep. Jill Billings, D-La Crosse:Governor Evers highlighted his many accomplishments of the previous four years and the progress made on critical issues in spite of the challenges faced during COVID-19. He highlighted the successful funding programs to bolster our small businesses, the emergency funding to local governments, and the healthy fiscal climate in the state.

The Governor is right, the time is now to work together to address the issues we are facing moving forward. The strategic investments put forward for education, childcare, and infrastructure are exactly what our government needs to do to help local business and families be successful. The State of Wisconsin is facing a record $6.6 billion budget surplus and the Governor is putting forward a strong plan to invest in the areas which will most benefit our communities and our economy.

I am particularly proud of the Governors proposed investments in childcare and public education, addressing PFAS, bolstering shared revenue, and supporting small businesses. These are issues that rise to great importance in the Coulee Region. I was happy to hear that the Governor is responding to the needs of our community.

The 95th district includes all of the city of La Crosse, town of Campbell and a portion of the town of Shelby.

Rep. Loren Oldenburg, R-Viroqua:This evening Governor Evers delivered his annual State of the State Address. The Governor addressed several things, the state of Wisconsins infrastructure, the states workforce, mental health resources, what we can do protect our natural resources, and the current fiscal position of the state.

Wisconsins infrastructure is improving thanks to fiscally responsible budgeting, and historic investments in the states transportation budget by Legislative Republicans. I am proud to have supported the 2021-2023 Wisconsin State Budget that invested nearly $300 million in funding for the repair of Wisconsins roads and bridges.

Governor Evers also discussed the state of Wisconsins workforce. Wisconsin currently has the highest number of people employed in the history of the state. I will continue to advocate for the states Youth Apprenticeship, and Registered Apprenticeship programs. Going forward we will have to invest in childcare, making sure Wisconsin families and workers have access to this vital resource.

I applaud the Governor for bringing up the states mental health crisis. However, he failed to mention that his administration has a severe backlog in issuing licenses to professional workers in the state. The issue with the licensing backlog at the Department of Safety and Professional Services needs to be addressed by the Governor.

As Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Environment I am looking forward to working on legislation, and administrative rules that go through my committee so that we can be sure Wisconsin residents have access to clean, safe drinking water. I will continue to advocate for programs like Farmland Preservation, and cover crop grants that are proven to reduce runoff, and protect Wisconsins groundwater.

The State of Wisconsin is in excellent fiscal shape, and I am eager to get to work on the next biennial budget. Thanks to responsible budgeting proposed by Legislative Republicans we have a record surplus, and record balance in the states rainy day fund. I would like some of the surplus to be sent back to Wisconsin communities and residents, in the form of local government aid and a tax cut.

Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska):

Wisconsin is working. Since 2019, business start-ups in our state have increased by 42-percent, thousands of miles of roads have been repaired, and more than 387,000 homes and businesses have new or improved access to reliable, high-speed internet.

Our economy has bounced back since COVID, but more work needs to be done. I applaud Governor Evers focus on building our economy and workforce as we begin the new legislative session.

As a member of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Board, I recognize that economic development and workforce opportunities for hardworking Wisconsinites are the key to moving our state forward. This means giving new businesses the tools to succeed, funding job training opportunities, and addressing the supply chain challenges that impede Wisconsins economic growth and drive up costs for our working families.

Im proud to continue my work supporting economic and workforce development in the Coulee Region and across Wisconsin. From developing workforce training programs to fostering greater connections between our schools and local businesses, we have much to do to make Wisconsin an even better place to work, live, and play.

The 32nd Senate District includes La Crosse, Vernon, Crawford, and southern Monroe County.

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
The La Crosse Police Department is looking for help to locate a missing person.

Family and law enforcement are concerned for the safety of Jennifer L. Peterson, 37, who hasnt been heard from since Sept. 27. She was residing in La Crosse at the time.

Police report that Peterson mentioned relocating and has a history of living in several counties in Wisconsin and throughout the country.

Peterson is described at 55, 150 pounds, brown hair thats possibly dyed blonde and blue eyes with glasses.

Police didnt list a vehicle she might be driving.

Anyone with information about Petersons whereabouts is urged to call the police department at 608-782-7575.

IN PHOTOS: Rotary Lights 2022
NEW YORK  Republican U.S. Rep. George Santos claims in a newly surfaced interview that he was mugged in broad daylight a block from Trump Tower in Manhattan  and the crooks even took the shoes off his feet.

Seeking to demonstrate the impact of rising crime, the newly elected Long Island lawmaker told a Brazilian podcast that he was attacked at Fifth Avenue and E. 55th Street on one of the citys fanciest shopping strips in the summer of 2021.

They robbed me, took my briefcase, took my shoes and my watch. And that was in broad daylight, he said, speaking in his native Portuguese. I was leaving my office, going to the garage, getting my car, and I was mugged.

The interview, which was done after Santos won election to Congress in November, was unearthed by MSNBC.

The podcast host incredulously asked Santos: They stole your shoes in the middle of Fifth Avenue?

In the middle of Fifth Avenue, he retorted, pinpointing the spot of the alleged crime just a block from Trump Tower at 725 Fifth Ave.

Santos, who has admitted to lying about everything from his work history to education, also made a curious remark about the muggers race.

They werent Black," Santos said, then adding: "They were even white.

Aside from the mugging, Santos claimed that his Florida home was once burglarized because he was attending a Republican party on New Years Eve and that he was once the victim of an assassination attempt.

We have already suffered an attempt on my life, an assassination attempt, a threatening letter, having to have the police, a police escort standing in front of our house, Santos said.

Santos did not respond to requests for comment about the supposed incidents. Police told MSNBC they couldnt confirm them without more details.

Santos framed himself as a trailblazing conservative gay immigrant during his successful campaign to flip a Democratic leaning district.

But now he is under pressure to resign from critics on both sides of the aisle for his shocking string of lies. He insists hes not going anywhere.

Federal and state officials are also investigating him for possible fraud. Its unclear where he got $700,000 that he loaned his campaign.

In the past week, he was accused of scamming a homeless veteran out of $3,000 in donations earmarked for his dying dog.

Immigration records debunked his dramatic claim that his late mother was inside the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Photos: Scenes from historic speaker vote of 118th Congress
In separate interviews and panel discussions, liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz has called the states legislative maps rigged and said the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided.

Conservatives, from the Republican Party of Wisconsin to a prominent radio host, have said Protasiewiczs embrace of those stances violates the Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct because, if shes elected, she could help decide cases challenging the state maps and Wisconsins near-complete abortion ban.

Some are calling for the Wisconsin Judicial Commission to look into the matter, noting that a provision in the judicial code bars candidates from making pledges, promises, or commitments regarding issues, controversies or cases likely to come before them.

Stopping short of alleging any violations, conservative challenger and former high court Justice Dan Kelly said in a PBS Wisconsin interview that importing ones personal preferences or politics into the high court is poison to the bodys work.

A spokesperson for Protasiewicz (pronounced pro-tuh-SAY-witz) defended her right to make the comments.

Judge Protasiewiczs comments are based in the law  agreeing with court decisions in some cases and dissents in others, campaign spokesperson Sam Roecker said in a statement. As a member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, she will be committed to impartially following the law, keeping people safe, protecting our constitutional rights, and returning the court to being a nonpartisan body.

Here is what Protasiewicz said:

When we say that the maps are rigged, those maps are rigged, Protasiewicz said in a WISN 12 interview uploaded this week. I think when you talk about (the decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion), a decision which I call fraught with judicial activism from the right on our U.S. Supreme Court, I think people should know what my values are in regard to womens reproductive rights.

Speaking to WKOW-TV (Channel 27) in January, Protasiewicz said, In regard to the progressive label, I embrace that when it comes to issues such as gerrymandering, when we talk about the maps, when we talk about marriage equality, when we talk about womens rights and womens rights to choose.

Asked in the WKOW interview what factors she would consider if she were to preside over the case challenging the states abortion ban, Protasiewicz said she cannot say how she would rule on the case, adding that in deciding she would look at the state Constitution closely, including suggestions of a right to privacy within the document.

What I will tell you is that the bulk of issues ... theres no thumb on the scale, she said. But I will also tell you that Ill call them as I see them, and Ill tell you what my values are in regards to (the abortion) issue, because this issue is so critically important.

Code of conduct

The Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct says a candidate for judicial office is prohibited from making statements that commit the candidate regarding cases, controversies or issues likely to come before the court.

If judicial candidates or officials do violate that code, the Wisconsin Judicial Commission can file a complaint with the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Potential penalties can include include reprimand, censure, suspension, and removal, judicial commission executive director Jeremiah Van Hecke said in a statement. The commission does not comment on actual or potential complaints, Van Hecke added.

SCR Chapter 60 Code of Judicial Conduct A judge, judge-elect, or candidate for judicial office shall not make or permit or authorize others to make on his or her behalf, with respect to cases, controversies, or issues that are likely to come before the court, pledges, promises, or commitments that are inconsistent with the impartial performance of the adjudicative duties of the office.

But the statements Protasiewicz made about maps and abortion do not appear to violate the ban on making pledges on issues likely to come before the court, said UW-Madison Law School associate professor Robert Yablon.

This rule prohibits judicial candidates from promising to rule in particular ways on particular legal questions, but it does not bar them from sharing their values and opinions, he said.

Precedent set

Yablon pointed to a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court case, Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, that disputed the validity of a similar prohibition in Minnesota. In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court found judicial candidates have a First Amendment right to announce their views on disputed legal and political issues.

We have never allowed the government to prohibit candidates from communicating relevant information to voters during an election, and we do not begin doing so today, former conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in that ruling.

Yablon also pointed to a 2007 federal court case in Wisconsin, Duwe v. Alexander, where the court weighed in on the provision conservatives say Protasiewicz violated.

There is little ambiguity in the language of this provision, a judge on the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Wisconsin wrote. Most importantly, it is clear that the provision requires an actual commitment to rule a certain way on a case, controversy or issue likely to come before the court.

Absent a statement committing the speaker to decide a case, controversy or issue in a particular way, the speaker can be confident that the rule is not violated, the judge continued.

No pledges, no promises

Charles Geyh, a law professor at Indiana University who specializes in judicial conduct and ethics, said the provision does not apply in this case.

Her comments include no pledges, no promises, no commitments, he said. She is simply announcing her views on issues that may come before her as a judge.

That said, if shes elected to the court, Protasiewicz may need to disqualify herself from any case concerning legislative redistricting, Geyh said.

A reasonable observer, knowing that she has prejudged the system as rigged before the case begins, might reasonably doubt her impartiality, he said.

But she likely wouldnt have to recuse herself for matters concerning abortion, Geyh said, because, although she said she disagreed with the U.S. Supreme Courts decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion, she has said nothing to imply an inability to apply a law with which she disagrees.

So whats the rest of the story?

Protasiewiczs comments about the state maps and the case overturning abortion rights appear not to violate the Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct. The U.S. Supreme Court has said judicial candidates have a constitutional right to announce their views on disputed issues. And a federal court in Wisconsin found that the judicial code provision that conservatives say Protasiewicz violated only applies to actual commitments to rule a certain way on a case, something two law professors say Protasiewicz did not provide.
Art, its often said, is in the eye of the beholder.

Recently, the disability awareness-themed art works of two Fontana Elementary School studentseighth-grader Gianna Kud of Fontana, and sixth-grader Addison Bares of Walworthcaught the eye of art contest judges with Racine-based Societys Assets, a nonprofit organization serving people with disabilities in Walworth, Racine, Kenosha, Rock and Jefferson counties.

Kud and Bares are students of Fontana Elementary School art teacher Andrew Andy McCanna, a veteran 13-year art educator in his second year teaching at Grades 4K-8 Fontana School.

Societys Assets operates regional southeastern Wisconsin offices in Racine, Kenosha and Elkhorn. The Walworth County office is located at 615 E. Geneva Street in Elkhorn.

They created some unique and insightful pieces that well portray the contest theme, said Societys Assets Marketing and Development Director Donna Menarek in a Jan. 11 letter announcing the award recognitions for Kud and Bares.

As winners, Kud and Bares will receive an award ribbon, Walmart gift cards, a copy of their artwork, and a calendar incorporating their artwork. The students can also order keepsake items with their artwork printed on them.

Their winning artworks will be incorporated into a variety of agency materials including calendars, cards and other publication materials.

Societys Assets 23rd annual youth art contest, with prizes awarded to winners in four grade categories, was open to Grades K-12 students in the agencys five-county service area with a contest theme of Ability. . . not Disability.

Contest entries were due Nov. 18, with winning entries in each grade category (K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12) permanently displayed at the main Societys Assets office in Racine.

This years contest brought in 620 student art entries from schools throughout the Societys Assets service area. Fontana School fourth-grader Owen Latek was among the winning finalists last year as a third-grader.

The quality and variety of the artwork impressed the judges, said Adrienne Stiger, a member of the Community Relations Committee of the Board of Directors that oversees the contest. The Committee believes this project creates disability awareness and acceptance. It also shares our mission with young people in the community.

Going the extra mile

McCanna said hes always on the lookout for enriching outside-the-classroom community artistic opportunities for interested students to go the extra mile, including the Southern Lakes Advanced Learners Networks annual Southern Lakes Anthology art and writing project contest, and the youth art contest sponsored by Societys Assets.

Theres a lot of opportunities out there for enrichment in the artsa nice, positive activity, McCanna said. Every year, Societys Assets sponsors an art contest for students throughout southeast Wisconsin. The goal of the contest is to showcase art that promotes inclusion and awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities ... You dont see that too often in the movies or media. They dont have too many people with disabilities visible in commercials and everything. Its a good reminder.

Student participation in the Societys Assets youth art contest was voluntary.

This isnt an assigned, graded project, McCanna noted. They had to commit and do this outside of school, take it home. Not many people have the dedication or effort to do that. Im proud of them for doing that. They make everyone proud.

Representing Fontana Elementary School, Kud and Bares took the top two places for Grades 6-8 in Societys Assets 2022 youth art contest

I was kinda surprised, Kud said of her first place win. It makes me really happy because I have a sister with a disability.

Her colored pencil and marker artwork, featuring a fantasy and Alice in Wonderland take on the contests Ability ... not disability theme, included a fairy in a wheelchair, a pair of crutches and a centerpiece depiction of a snoozing, vest-clad service dog lying next to a sleeping Alice.

It was nice how Gianna included that personal touch, McCanna said. A lot of families do have members with disabilities.

Bares colored pencil and Sharpie marker artwork played on her equestrian interests as an active horseback rider, featuring a disabled rider.

Im extremely proud of them, McCanna said of Kud and Bares. They always do excellent work in any medium. Im lucky to have students like them in my art classes. They always set the bar nice and high for their classmates. They raise the whole level of the classes when they work on their projects. Theyre admired and respected by their friends and they set the tone and do great ideas for their classmates to emulate. They really do all that they can. They really make the most use of their time here.

Kud also took first place in Fontana Elementary Schools student art contest for the 2022-2023 school yearbook cover design.

Were really excited for these students, said Fontana Joint 8 School District Administrator and Principal Steve Torrez. Were always looking to expand and create different learning avenues for our kids in the arts and Mr. McCanna had done a fabulous job in opening up different road maps for kids to show off their art and what theyre learning and also engage in their creative side. Its been great to see. McCannas really expanded our arts to include these contests, so kids can not only get feedback in the classroom, but also within the community as far as their arts and their abilities.

Torrez said participating in the contest was also a great way to combine art with social-emotional learning (SEL), the process through which people acquire and apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

Everybodys dealing with different things in their lives, he noted. Everybody has different unique strengths. Outlining that and expressing that in an artistic way is a great way to show off all the learning theyre doing in multiple areas.

Learn more

Societys Assets is a local 501(3) nonprofit independent living center serving people of any age with any disability who live in Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Rock and Jefferson counties.

Formed in Racine by people with disabilities, the name Societys Assets was chosen because the founders wanted to be seen as assets to society, as having abilities to contribute to the community. The organization is governed and operated by a board and staff comprised of a majority of people with disabilities. The agency supports individuals efforts to achieve their potential and assists local communities in the removal of barriers to independent living.

For more information about Societys Assets, visit www.societyassets.org, call 262-723-8181 or toll free 800-261-8181, or call via teletypewriter (TTY) at 866-840-9763.

A TTY is a communication device used by people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or have severe speech impairment.

11 photos from the 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry 38th Annual Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil-Steak Fry
Two health care professionals who treated Julie Jensen before her poisoning death in late 1998 testified in the high-profile homicide jury retrial of Mark Jensen Wednesday.

The defense called both Paul DeFazio, a longtime Kenosha-based psychotherapist who provided counseling to Julie Jensen in the early 1990s after the birth of her first son, and Dr. Richard Borman, the Jensen family physician, to the stand during the third week of trial in Kenosha County Circuit Court. The defense attempted to use the witnesses to show Julie Jensens reported history of depression.

Mark Jensen, now 63, was convicted in February 2008 for the murder of his wife inside their Carol Beach neighborhood home near the lakefront. He is standing trial again here after years of appeals and battles in state and federal courts.

Mark Jensen, according to prosecutors, killed his 40-year-old wife in early December 1998 by poisoning her with ethylene glycol, more commonly known as antifreeze, and then suffocating her while she lay in bed dying and gasping for air in order to be with a woman he was having an affair with. They also allege he killed Julie Jensen out of deep anger over a previous affair she had with a co-worker, along with other marriage issues.

Mark Jensen, a former stock broker, searched the internet for ways to make Julie Jensens death look like a suicide and terrorized her for years with strategically placed pornography, emails and phone calls, according to prosecutors.

Mark Jensen, however, has maintained his innocence ever since his wifes death. His attorneys have argued Julie Jensen was deeply depressed and died by suicide after framing her husband for her death.

Health professionals testify

From 1990 to 1991, DeFazio said he treated Julie Jensen at his Kenosha clinic and kept notes of their sessions together beginning in the summer of 1990.

He said Julie Jensen was facing adult situational reaction with mixed features, one of the least severe diagnoses.

This means shes an adult reacting to a situation and having features of depression and anxiety, DeFazio said. Everyone of us at some point in time will have this diagnosis if looked at (when) something changes whether its a job or whether its moving someplace. It could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing, but were reacting with some depression with it and were reacting with some anxiety.

DeFazio said he also spoke with Julie Jensen about her mother, who was reportedly an alcoholic.

DeFazio also read from a questionnaire presented by the defense which contained a series of questions that were reportedly answered by Julie Jensen in the early 1990s as a child of a parent struggling with alcoholism. DeFazio said he couldnt remember if he gave the questionnaire to Julie Jensen or if she presented it to him at his clinic during therapy. The questionnaire reportedly had Julie Jensens signature on it.

She filled it out, DeFazio said.

One of the questions was, Do I often feel isolated and afraid of people, especially authority figures?

The answer was yes on here, DeFazio said.

Another question was, Do I feel overly frightened of angry people and personal criticism?

Julie Jensen reportedly also answered yes to that question.

She also reportedly answered yes to a question of whether she feels like a victim in personal and career relationships.

The prosecution said Julie Jensen may not have been completely honest with DeFazio about all her struggles with Mark Jensen and their marriage issues, including her brief affair.

Borman, the family physician, was questioned by the defense and prosecution. He cared for the family in 1998.

Borman said he spoke with Julie Jensen in Sept. 21, 1998 about her family history with depression during a regular physical.

He said he diagnosed Julie Jensen with mild depression and counseled her about it that day.

Borman said he also saw Julie Jensen alone on Dec. 1, 1998 because it seemed like she needed to be seen.

She was miserable and depressed, Borman said, adding that she specifically denied being suicidal or homicidal and denied any domestic violence. She also reportedly didnt mention anybody trying to harm her.

She also said she was afraid of losing her marriage, Borman said, and spoke about a brief affair she had with a co-worker that Mark Jensen never forgave her for.

Her boys meant everything to her, Borman testified.

Borman also said she didnt appear drunk and acted clear and appropriate.

Borman said he provided her some Paxil. He gave Mark Jensen an Ambien prescription for Julie Jensen the next day.

He said he learned of her death in the newspaper Dec. 5, 1998.

Prosecution rests

The prosecution rested Tuesday afternoon.

The prosecution called 38 witnesses over nearly two weeks including a brother of Julie Jensen, forensic pathologists, former friends and neighbors of the Jensens, former co-workers of Mark Jensen and local law enforcement officials. Some extensive interviews conducted during the first trial were played to the jury on televisions in the courtroom because the witnesses were either unable to testify in person again or had died.

Late Tuesday, the defense asked Milisauskas to dismiss the case, as is common in high-profile trials. When the jury of seven women and nine men left the court for the evening, Milisauskas highlighted what each witness testified and said there was sufficient evidence provided by the witness to continue the retrial.

The jury has so far remained engaged, taking notes and watching witnesses, during the lengthy trial that is expected to end in a week or two.

Mark Jensen is not expected to testify.

Reason for new trial

The original prosecutor, Robert Jambois, a former Kenosha County District attorney, is serving as special prosecutor before Judge Anthony Milisauskas, now the third Kenosha County Circuit Court judge to preside over the matter.

Mark Jensen is represented by a team of defense attorneys led by Bridget Krause.

A Kenosha County judge vacated Mark Jensens his conviction in April 2021 after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Jensen deserved a new trial.

The court found that a letter his wife wrote incriminating him in the event something should happen to her could not be used by the prosecution as it was in the first trial. In early 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court helped pave the way for the new trial when it declined to hear an appeal of the Wisconsin Supreme Courts ruling.

The so-called letter from the grave in which Julie Jensen wrote that if anything happens to me that her husband would be my first suspect will not be allowed into evidence during this lengthy trial. The high-profile case has sparked headlines across the nation.

Mark Jensen, who is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in his wifes death, remains in custody on a $1.2 million cash bond in Kenosha County. He faces life in prison.

Further Reading

Week 3 of Kenosha County homicide retrial: Inmate Mark Jensen allegedly told of crimes against wife testifies

Week 2 of Mark Jensen Trial: Man who had brief affair with Julie Jensen testifies

Report from the day of the 2008 guilty verdict of Mark Jensen from the Kenosha News archives

Week 2 of Mark Jensen Trial: Digital analyst recovers search terms, data on home computer

Jury video video of Jensen home on day of Julie Jensens death

Mark Jensen retrial begins with opening statements after jury sworn in

UPDATED PHOTOS & VIDEO: New Week 3 images of Kenosha County homicide retrial of Mark Jensen Mark D. Jensen, of Pleasant Prairie, who was convicted in February 2008 of the murder of 40-year-old Julie Jensen inside their Carol Beach home, is standing trial again in Kenosha County Circuit Court after years of appeals and battles in state and federal courts. Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Judge Anthony Milisauskas make a ruling on what components of witness David Thompson's' background can be given to the jury during Mark Jensen Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Jeremy Perri, center, argues about witness David Thompson's criminal background during Mark Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Judge Anthony Milisauskas, right, makes ruling on witness David Thompson's background and how attorneys can question him during Mark Jensen's  Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 David Thompson, who as an inmate with Mark Jensen in the County Jail in 2017, walks away from the witness stand after testifying during Jensen Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Paul Griffin, Julie Jensen's brother, talks about Julie as he testifies during Mark Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Monday, Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Paul Griffin, Julie Jensen's brother, talks about Julie as he testifies during Mark Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Monday, Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Paul Griffin, Julie Jensen's brother, talks about Julie as he testifies during Mark Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Monday. Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 David Thompson, who as an inmate with Mark Jensen in the Kenosha County Jail in 2007, testifies during Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Co Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Jeremy Perri, center right, and Bridget Krause, center left, both attorneys of Mark Jensen, speak during his trial at the Kenosha County Court Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Lynley Kapellusch, a former co-worker of Mark Jensen, testifies during Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Monday, Jan. 23, . Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Mark Jensen, left, speaks with Mackenzie Renner, one of his attorneys, during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Mark Jensen, left, talks with his former attorney Craig Albee, center, during a break in his trail at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Monday, Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Mark Jensen, left, talks with his former attorney Craig Albee, center, during a break in his trail at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Monday, Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Aaron Dillard, left, is sworn in by Judge Anthony Milisauskas before being cross-examined during Mark Jensens trial at the Kenosha County Cou Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Mark Jensen, center, stands as the jury enters the room during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Monday. Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Criag Albee, Mark Jensen's attorney in his 2008 trial, sits in the gallery to listen to Aaron Dillard's testimony during Jensen's trial at the Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Jeremy Perry, center, questions Aaron Dillard during Mark Jensens trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Monday. Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Criag Albee, Mark Jensen's attorney in his 2008 trial, right, sits in the gallery to listen to Aaron Dillard's testimony during Jensen's trial Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRAIL DAY 10 Aaron Dillard answers questions during cross-examination during Mark Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. Mark Jensen Kenosha murder trial; police interview played in court Mark Jensen maintains he's innocent and that his wife killed herself. Prosecutors say Jensen poisoned his wife with antifreeze, drugged her an Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Dr. Mary Mainland, former Kenosha County Medical Examiner, testifies in Mark Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Tuesday, Jan.  Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Dr. Mary Mainland, former Kenosha County Medical Examiner, testifies in Mark Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Tuesday, Jan.  Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Dr. Mary Mainland, former Kenosha County Medical Examiner, right, goes over her notes with Special Prosecutor Robert Jambois, center, and Jere Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Special Prosecutor Robert Jambois, left, and Jeremy Perri, one of Mark Jensens attorneys, argue about how the previous trial should be referr Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Mark Jensen, center, listens as Dr. Mary Mainland, former Kenosha County Medical Examiner, testifies during the trial at the Kenosha County Co Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Dr. Mary Mainland, former Kenosha County Medical Examiner makes her way to the witness stand during Mark Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County  Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Dr. Mary Mainland, former Kenosha County Medical Examiner, points to a line on a medicine cup with her index finger as she talks about ethylen Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Lori Ranker testifies how she knew Aaron Dillard during Mark Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Dillar Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Mark Jensen, right, smiles at Jolynn Blei as she passes after testifying in his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 20 Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Jolynn Blei, who worked at the law office of Mark Jensen's attorney in the 2008 trial, testifies in Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Court Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Special Prosecutor Robert Jamobis indicates that the state rests during Mark Jensen's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Tuesday, Jan.  Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Mark Jensen, center, stands with his attorney, Mackenzie Renner, left, as the jury returns to the room during his trial at the Kenosha County  Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Mark Jensen, left, waits with one of his attorneys, Mackenzie Renner, center, for the jury to return during his trial at the Kenosha County Co Uploaded-photos MARK JENSEN TRIAL DAY 11 Mark Jensen listens as his defense team motions to dismiss the trial based on lack of evidence at the end of the day's proceedings at the Keno Mark Jensen Kenosha murder trial; state rests, defense begins case Prosecutors on Tuesday, Jan. 24 rested their case against a man being retried for allegedly poisoning and killing his wife more than two decades ago. Mark Jensen Kenosha murder trial; computer expert, felon testify The new homicide trial for Mark Jensen, accused of killing his wife more than two decades ago, reached its ninth day of testimony Friday, Jan. 20. Mark Jensen Kenosha murder trial: Jailhouse confession revealed Prosecutors in the Mark Jensen murder trial in Kenosha say it is a jailhouse confession. The defense said do not trust everything you're about Mark Jensen Kenosha murder trial: Defendant's computer use probed Mark Jensen says he is innocent and that his wife killed herself more than 20 years ago. Prosecutors say Jensen killed her  poisoning her wit
Less than one month into 2023, the La Crosse Police Department is investigating nine drug overdose deaths, with concerns of tranq lacing local illicit opioid supply.

The La Crosse Police Department, Gundersen Health System and Tri-State Ambulance and Mayor Mitch Reynolds held a news conference Tuesday afternoon to warn the community of the alarmingly high number of overdose fatalities over the past three weeks, and the seeming resistance of the drugs to narcan.

"This is either a much more potent opiate, or there may be something intermixed with it, some sort of sedative that would make it less effective to our usual treatments," says Dr. Chris Eberlein, emergency medicine with Gundersen Health System. "This really highlights the need for rescue breathing and assisting the patient so they don't have respiratory arrest or cardiac arrest, which kills people."

Over the past year, portions of the U.S. have seen the animal tranquilizer xylazine increasingly infiltrate fentanyl, heroin and cocaine. The sedative, known as "tranq," can leave users in a stupor for several hours at a time and lead to severe, open wounds. Disturbingly, the slowed breathing that results from tranq does not respond to the opioid antidote naloxone.

Toxicology reports on the recent local overdose deaths are pending, and it may take several weeks to determine if a some or all of the cases are linked to a specific batch of drugs, or if tranq was present.

"It's difficult to try to move a message forward like this, where you are trying to get information for people who are making risky decisions," says Jason Melby, assistant chief of police. "We want to make sure we are emphasizing the sanctity to life when it comes to providing this message to our community. We want those who are struggling with substance abuse to know there is possibly a dangerous mix here in our community, and we want to make sure they are being as safe as possible."

Adds Melby, "It is difficult for officers to arrive on the scene and administer doses of narcan and not get the results we are used to seeing."

Reynolds reiterated the stress felt by first responders who provide the standard life saving measures to no avail -- "It's an awful thing to watch someone fade away" -- as well as the community wide impact.

"This is not just somebody else's problem ... these drugs can wind up in all sorts of areas," says Reynolds. "Be aware, be knowledgeable ... this is all of us working together to address an issue that is very significant for our community."

We need people to be alive, Reynolds emphasized, in order to "find a way to heal them."

"In this particular situation, where narcan is ineffective, we're simply not getting there in time to do lifesaving measures, it's a terrible thing, its an awful thing," Reynolds said.

Received in a timely manner, emergency care, such as supportive breathing, can keep overdose patients alive even if narcan fails. Police and medical officials are trained in CPR and narcan administration, and naloxone can be obtained for personal use. The risk of tranq will likely not dissuade from using the drug, and officials emphasize having someone nearby who can call for aid on their behalf if needed.

Melby stressed that people should not be afraid to report an overdose.

"I know there is a fear that goes along with calling the police to have us come -- our role is to get there and make sure this person is safe and reverse any effects of the drug," Melby says. "The least they need to worry about is us actually taking some level of law enforcement action."

Wisconsin has a Good Samaritan Law and Act 33 (2017) to protect "aiders" and "aided persons" from criminal prosecution. Full details are available at https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2017/related/acts/33.

For a list of locations distributing narcan, visit www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/opioids/safer-use.htm.
CHICAGO  Norbert Pikula, 77, had been sleeping on a friends sofa every night for the last six months. But when his friend was admitted to the hospital a few weeks ago, Pikulas fragile world turned upside down and he had nowhere to sleep.

So now he uses his senior citizen CTA pass to ride to OHare International Airport and spend the night there. His situation mirrors that of countless other homeless people who sleep at the airport to stay warm and safe during the winter.

I had no choice, Pikula told the Tribune on Thursday. He was on his way to open a bank account after eating his usual weekday lunch at Providence Soup Kitchen in St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church.

According to a report from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, an estimated 65,611 people experienced homelessness in Chicago in 2020, an estimate different from that offered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development because it takes into account people living doubled up or temporarily staying with others.

And while sheltering at the airport isnt new, said Jessica Dubuar, director of health and specialty services of Haymarket Center, which has conducted outreach operations out of OHare to address homelessness in public transportation since 1990, the steadily increasing number of people doing it is.

We saw over 600 unique individuals that we engaged with. We also had almost 14,000 encounters with them throughout the calendar year, she said. Compared with previous years, that number illustrates an uptick: In 2021, there were 11,196 recorded encounters. In 2020  the beginning of the pandemic  saw 12,270 encounters. In 2019, they recorded 9,975 encounters. In 2018, it was 8,132.

This is not a new situation at the airport. Its one that many organizations and city departments have been aware of and have been devoting resources to for 30 plus years, Dubuar said. As the years have gone on, we definitely see a pattern of the number of folks who are coming to the airport  I would even just call it a spike in the numbers of folks that were seeing at the airport when the weather turns cold.

Advocates offer a couple of reasons for why more people are seeking shelter at OHare. Sarah Boone of the Chicago Housing Initiative who created a GoFundMe to help Pikula raise money, said there are three realities facing the homeless population right now: the number of beds in homeless shelters was decreased at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and never restored, migrants who have recently arrived in Chicago are increasingly using homeless shelters as well, and homeless shelters across the city are overwhelmed.

And on the ground at OHare, workers offer another possible explanation. Jessy Pearl, a Transportation Security Administration agent who works at the airport, said she has noticed an uptick in the homeless population sheltering there since Delta Air Lines moved out of Terminal 2 and into Terminal 5.

Theres more homeless people  more activity is concentrated at Terminal 2, since theres less passenger traffic, especially in the early afternoon, Pearl told the Tribune. Ive worked at the airport long enough to know that more homeless people have been around the CTA and arrivals area ever since the pandemic started. More so lately, since Delta moved to Terminal 5.

According to a statement by the Chicago Department of Aviation, which manages OHare, the department is aware of the increasing population of unsheltered individuals at OHare International Airport. Its a common occurrence at this airport and airports nationwide when temperatures drop in the winter months. Airport leadership and staff on the ground continue collaboration with the Department of Family and Support Services and their delegate agencies to provide 24/7 outreach to unsheltered residents at OHare.

Outreach professionals engage with individuals experiencing homelessness at OHare and conduct needs assessments. If the individual chooses to accept assistance, outreach professionals connect them with appropriate services and shelters, including necessary referrals and transportation. The CDA is committed to working with fellow city departments and community partners to support those in need and connect them with all available resources in Chicago.

Pikula has been sleeping at the airport for the last two weeks or so, said Boone. And hes been carrying around his belongings all day as he moves around the city. I think its wearing on him, she added.

Boone said she met Pikula at Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Ukrainian Village where free food is offered on Saturdays. Her organization shows up to soup kitchens and places where theres free food to connect homeless people with necessary services in the city and tend to their needs.

I tried to get him to go to the hospital across the street, because you can go to the ER to call the shelters. And he didnt want to do that because the wait is so long, Boone said. So we tried calling 311. And he kind of just said hed prefer to be at the airport than at the shelters. So then I went home and I just thought about it. And I was like, we should do a GoFundMe. Ive never done this before. But what if it works?

With approximately 100 donations, the campaign had raised over $4,900 as of Friday afternoon out of a $9,800 goal.

Pikula said he is looking for a more permanent housing situation than couch surfing or spending nights at OHare. Hes hoping to find a studio or one-bedroom apartment in Wicker Park, Logan Square, Avondale or Garfield Park. Thats where his friends from the soup kitchens he visits live, so he wants to be close by.

A Polish American who grew up in Chicago, Pikula previously worked as a baker and security guard. He is on the waiting list for senior Chicago Housing Authority housing and subsidized Catholic Charities senior apartments. So far, he has had no luck finding a place to live.

During the pandemic, many homeless people turned to the CTA for shelter, and service providers set up at the Forest Park Blue Line station. But as the effects of the pandemic continue to limit housing, needs at the other end of the line also became evident.

Off the Blue Line OHare stop, to the left, a sign for the Haymarket Center OHare Outreach sticks out of the wall. A man was waiting to go in Thursday morning as he charged his cellphone.

The program assists homeless clients and passengers seeking shelter at the airport. It also approaches issues regarding alcohol and substance abuse, housing and income. Dubuar described what a client may find in the 24/7 office at OHare.

We have a number of resources available on site from, food and coffee, water, hand sanitizer, masks ... those things. We also have clothing available, hygiene products and a few other things, she said. What well also do is invite people to come in and sit down and talk to us. And we do a small assessment with them, exploring all sorts of things from health care, mental health care, substance use, benefits and IDs and all of those things.

The OHare Outreach program is funded by the Chicago Department of Aviation and carried out in cooperation with the Department of Family Support Services and a host of other community partners, such as shelter providers, substance use treatment providers and  importantly  housing programs.

The complexity of the (needs of) folks were seeing has increased and, (in) the number of encounters, thats really where you see that reflected, Dubuar said. This isnt just a somebody needs a sandwich today and thats it, thats all they needed. Because I think that we have folks, their needs are complex and navigating through these systems is hard and they need as much support as they can possibly get.

While Dubuar couldnt confirm whether there is a more concentrated homeless population in specific airport terminals, she said its possible that changes in the airport complex layout influence where homeless people spend their time.

Individuals who come to the airport for shelter do learn the system and do see when there are construction projects or changes to how the space is being monitored with our partners from CPD and the Department of Aviation, she said. And so it is it is highly possible that there are going to be some folks who are visible because certain areas are under construction or maybe not being monitored as much as possible.

On Friday morning, as the sun rose, a few scattered people in OHares Terminal 2 rustled in their sleep. They were slowly waking up. Some of them might have had canceled or delayed flights. Others, though, were homeless and had sought a warm place to spend the night.

A police officer approached a person who was lying by the windows in the arrivals area of Terminal 2. He asked if they were OK. Just try not to fall sleep, he said. Stay awake.

Pikula and other homeless people will likely keep searching for a more stable situation than sleeping at the airport every night. Even as they seek support services, though, continuing to sleep at the airport seems, in Pikulas words, the only option in terms of surviving cold winter nights.

Ill be honest with you, my life has not been rosy, Pikula said. Its been a fighting life.

Its hard to say how long it takes, on average, for a homeless person in Chicago to find stable housing, Dubuar said.

As with most social services, benefits and resources, its about eligibility and availability, she said. Sometimes its a matter of the stars aligning.

Chicago Tribunes Rosemary Sobol contributed.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2023

Negotiate As If All Life Depends On It

Jan. 24, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)Under enormous pressure from the U.S. and other NATO members, Germany has made a decision that dramatically heightens the danger of the rapid, irreversible expansion of the conflict currently geographically centered on Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany has relented to demands, and will send its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, and allow other nations to export Leopard 2 tanks in their possession as well. By providing these to a regime that seeks the conquest of Crimea, Germany is once again loosing its tanks upon Russia. Could Russia possibly fail to respond?

Fyodor Lukyanov, the research director of the Valdai International Discussion Club, told TASS that Russia will not only threaten to retaliate, but will actually do so. Strikes on supply routes and warehouses will follow. If we continue to condone such supplies, then the last fears in the West will disappear: Whats the point of being cautious, if Russia does not retaliate? 

Boris Johnson was just in Kiev, keeping the locals in line and pushing the narrative that Russia will chicken out, that it would not use its nuclear arsenal to defend itself against the dismemberment of its sovereign territory. Recall the RUSI policy proposal to use a threatened showdown over Crimea to force Russia to back down and surrender.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius reiterated on Jan. 24 that NATO should not become a party to the war. Its becoming too late for that.

Not content with a world in which the U.S. is confronting only one major nuclear power, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is reportedly planning to visit Taiwan this spring, with the Pentagon already making preparations for the necessary logistics. Such a visit would meet a Chinese response at least as strong as that which came with Nancy Pelosis Aug. 2-3, 2022 descent, at which time China engaged in massive military drills around the island of Taiwan, including a long-range live fire drill in the Taiwan Straits, reported Global Times, and instituted bans on the import of certain goods from Taiwan.

It is in this context that the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists updated its Doomsday Clock for 2023, setting it now at 90 seconds to midnight10 seconds closer than last years 100 secondsand, by its own account, the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been.

In light of the 2022 announcement, Helga Zepp-LaRouche had issued a statement on Feb. 6, titled, 100 Seconds to Midnight on the Doomsday Clock: We Need a New Security Architecture! Zepp-LaRouche began by noting that the five nuclear weapons powers, that are also the permanent members of the UN Security Council, had just affirmed that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, in a joint statement on Jan. 3, 2022. She then said that the U.S. Strategic Command, nonetheless, launched their Global Lightning exercise, designed to test the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces, only a few weeks after that joint statement at the United Nations. That exercise was supposed to simulate an extended nuclear war, prompting Helga Zepp-LaRouche to ask:

Who would be able to survive such a prolonged nuclear war? The few people who can nest in deep underground bunkers? It makes the morbid fantasies of Dr. Strangelove look like a childs birthday party.

In her statement, Zepp-LaRouche said that these nuclear exercises were not directed solely at Russia, but at China as well. She referred to the fact that on Feb. 4, 2022 Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping had just issued their Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the Peoples Republic of China on International Relations Entering a New Era and Global Sustainable Development, which she described as calling for replacing geopolitical confrontation with economic cooperation as the basis for a common security policy.

Zepp-LaRouche concluded her 2022 statement by calling for the creation of an international security architecture that encompasses the security interests of all states on Earth, based on the principles of the Peace of Westphalia.

While the group behind the Doomsday Clock lays responsibility for the conflict almost entirely on Russia, it does call for negotiations: Finding a path to serious peace negotiations could go a long way toward reducing the risk of escalation. In this time of unprecedented global danger, concerted action is required, and every second counts.

Indeed, every second counts, but the only path forward now is the adoption of Helga Zepp-LaRouches Ten Principles for a New International Security and Development Architecture.

Join the Schiller Institutes February 4 conference, The Age of Reason or the Annihilation of Humanity? and review Zepp-LaRouches 2022 statement.
Doomsday Clock at 90 Seconds to Midnight

Jan. 24, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced its Doomsday Clock for 2023, as it has done every year since 1947. The clock now stands at 90 seconds to midnight10 seconds closer than last years announcement of 100 seconds to midnight.

This year, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moves the hands of the Doomsday Clock forward, largely (though not exclusively) because of the mounting dangers of the war in Ukraine. The Clock now stands at 90 seconds to midnightthe closest to global catastrophe it has ever been.

In the context of last years announcement by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Helga Zepp-LaRouche issued a statement on Feb. 6, titled, 100 Seconds to Midnight on the Doomsday Clock: We Need a New Security Architecture! Zepp-LaRouche began by noting that the five nuclear weapons powers, which are also the permanent members of the UN Security Council, had just reaffirmed that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, in a joint statement issued a month earlier, on Jan. 3, 2022. She then said that the U.S. Strategic Command, nonetheless, launched their Global Lightning exercise, designed to test the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces, only a few weeks after that joint statement at the United Nations. That exercise was supposed to simulate an extended nuclear war, prompting Helga Zepp-LaRouche to ask:

Who would be able to survive such a prolonged nuclear war? The few people who can nest in deep underground bunkers? It makes the morbid fantasies of Dr. Strangelove look like a childs birthday party.

In her statement, Zepp-LaRouche said that these nuclear exercises were not directed solely at Russia, but at China as well. She referred to the fact that Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping had just issued their Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the Peoples Republic of China on International Relations Entering a New Era and Global Sustainable Development, which she described as calling for replacing geopolitical confrontation with economic cooperation as the basis for a common security policy.

She continued: Both nations are calling on NATO to refrain from further expansion plans, to move beyond Cold War thinking, and to enshrine the long-term security guarantees that Russia is demanding. The role of international organizations such as the G20, BRICS, APEC, and ASEAN should be strengthened, they say. Russia will cooperate in realizing Chinas proposed Global Development Initiative and emphasizes the importance of the concept of the community of a common destiny for mankind. 

She concluded her 2022 statement by calling for the creation of an international security architecture that encompasses the security interests of all states on Earth, based on the principles of the Peace of Westphalia.

Obviously, Zepp-LaRouches approach was not heeded, and a series of British-directed provocations ensued, which led to Russias special military operation in Ukraine. History will show that the joint declaration announced by Xi and Putin was at the bullseye of NATOs present war drive.

Unfortunately, the summary which accompanies todays announcement of the Doomsday Clock does not consider any of the provocations by NATO, whether it was the 30-year expansion of NATO to Russias border, the Anglo-American-backed 2014 coup detat in Ukraine, or Zelenskyys call for expanded nuclear weapons at the 2022 Munich Security Conference. Instead, the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board that sets the Doomsday Clock lays responsibility for the conflict almost entirely on Russia. The statement even lies that Russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons, and goes out of its way to say that Russia has falsely claimed that U.S. bioweapons programs exist in Ukraine, when Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland admitted as much before Congress last year.

Nonetheless, the final sentence of the Bulletin for the Atomic Scientists statement does usefully conclude:

Finding a path to serious peace negotiations could go a long way toward reducing the risk of escalation. In this time of unprecedented global danger, concerted action is required, and every second counts.

Indeed, every second counts, but the only path forward now is the adoption of Helga Zepp-LaRouches Ten Principles for a New International Security and Development Architecture.
South Africa: US, SA task team to combat financing of wildlife trafficking

As part of her meeting with South African officials, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, has announced a commitment between the U.S. Department of the Treasury and South Africas National Treasury to form a United StatesSouth Africa Task Force on Combating the Financing of Wildlife Trafficking.

In a statement, the US Department of Treasury said the Task Force will work to combat illicit finance linked to illegal wildlife trade in three key areas.

First, the Task Force will prioritise the sharing of financial red flags and indicators related to wildlife trafficking cases, especially those involving the U.S. and South Africa financial systems.

The South African Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force (SAMLIT), a public-private partnership, will play a key role working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in this effort, the department said.

Second, it said, the Task Force will use increased information sharing between financial intelligence units to better support key law enforcement agencies from South Africa and the United States.

The department said this will bolster law enforcement efforts to use financial investigations to pursue and recover the illicit proceeds of wildlife criminals, especially transnational criminal organisations (TCOs) fueling and benefiting from corruption and the trafficking of, among other things, abalone, rhino horns, pangolins, and elephant ivory.

Finally, the Task Force will convene relevant government authorities, regulators, law enforcement and the private sector to improve controls to combat money laundering and the illicit proceeds related to drug trafficking and wildlife trafficking.

To protect wildlife populations from further poaching and disrupt the associated illicit trade, we must follow the money in the same way we do with other serious crimes. This includes identifying and seizing the proceeds generated from the illegal wildlife trade and impeding the money laundering and cross-border transactions of the transnational criminal organisations often involved in - and who benefit from - corruption, said Yellen in the statement.

As President Joe Biden underlined during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December 2022, the United States is committed to working with South Africa and across the African continent to address global challenges.

The department said the Task Force is an opportunity to harness our shared interests to strengthen ties and address this global threat.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-01-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
American technology company Microsoft has announced a new, multibillion-dollar investment in artificial intelligence (AI) developer OpenAI.

The deal marks the latest deepening of ties between the two companies. Microsoft first invested in OpenAI in 2019, when it put $1 billion into the company.

Microsoft officials did not name a number for the latest investment. But people with knowledge of talks between the two companies recently told Reuters news agency the amount was at least $10 billion.

OpenAI is a research and development company centered on AI projects. The startup was launched in late 2015 by American billionaire Elon Musk and others.

On its website, OpenAI declares that it exists to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. The company defines AGI as highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at economically valuable work.

In late November, OpenAI launched a free writing tool called ChatGPT. The launch led to widespread media attention about the current possibilities involving new developments in AI.

ChatGPT is part of a new generation of machine-learning systems designed to produce many forms of human-like writing. The tool can autonomously produce complex documents in seconds. Technology experts have said such systems have the possibility to greatly change many different industries and professions.

ChatGPT is so good at writing school reports that some officials in the United States have blocked the system on school devices and networks in an effort to prevent students from cheating.

Another OpenAI product called DALL-E can produce realistic images and art from a simple description in natural language.

Basic versions of the two OpenAI products are free to the public.

As part of its partnership, Microsoft provides supercomputing systems to OpenAI to support the development of new AI products.

ChatGPT and DALL-E require powerful computers to operate the machine-learning models the systems use. OpenAI says the tools can produce human-like results because they have been trained on huge amounts of data. A range of materials  including digital books, online writings and other media  are fed into ChatGPT and DALL-E to permit the tools to learn complex skills.

Microsoft to expand services with AI

In a statement announcing its new investment in OpenAI, Microsoft said it will continue to deploy OpenAIs models across many of its product lines. Specifically, Microsoft said its partnership with OpenAI will permit the company to expand offerings in its Azure OpenAI service. Azure is Microsofts cloud-computing service.

Microsoft said Azure OpenAI Service helps developers build new AI systems by making OpenAIs models available to its users. Microsoft said that since 2016, it centered on efforts aimed at building Azure into an AI supercomputer for the world.

Rowan Curran is an expert with the market research company Forrester. He told The Associated Press he thinks it currently makes good sense for OpenAI and Microsoft to expand their relationship.

Theres lots of ways that the models that OpenAI is building would be really appealing for Microsofts set of offerings, Curran said.

For example, OpenAI models could help produce writing and images for new business presentations or create smarter word processors. The technology could also help Microsofts own search engine, Bing, compete more effectively with Google. AI could make Bing more user-friendly by providing search results that include more complete answers, rather than just links.

OpenAI noted in a statement that it will still be governed by its nonprofit arm and that it remains a capped-profit company. OpenAI did not, however, identify what limits it sets on profits.

Microsofts investment came days after the company confirmed it was cutting 10,000 workers, representing about 5 percent of its total workforce. The company said the reductions were linked to macroeconomic conditions and changing customer needs.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press, Reuters and Microsoft reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.

Quiz - Microsoft Expands Partnership with OpenAI, Invests Billions More Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

artificial intelligence  n. the development of computer systems that have the ability to perform work that normally requires human intelligence

benefit  n. a good result or effect

autonomous  adj. having the ability to work independently

cap  v. to put a limit on an amount of money that can be borrowed, charged, etc.

customer  n. a person or company that buys goods and services

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A new government report says half of the mass attacks in the United States over the past few years started as personal, family, or workplace disputes.

The attackers, the report found, were mostly men. The attackers often have a history of mental health issues, money problems or domestic violence. Their weapons of choice: guns.

The report was released Wednesday by the U.S. Secret Services National Threat Assessment Center.

The 70-page report studied 173 mass attacks carried out over a five-year period, from January 2016 to December 2020. The mass attacks happened in places such as businesses, schools and religious centers. The attacks killed a total of 513 people and injured 1,234.

Its just happening way too often, said Lina Alathari, the centers director.

Alathari said that while the center did not study the two most recent shootings in California, there are themes seen over and over again when studying mass attacks. Officials said the suspects in both recent California shootings were older men. They both used semi-automatic guns.

The report is the latest in a series undertaken by the center to examine mass attacks. Earlier reports examined the years of 2017, 2018 and 2019. But the new report noted that it examines several years of data, which offers more in-depth analysis of the thinking and behavior of mass attackers.

The center defines a mass attack as one in which three or more people  not including the attacker  were harmed.

The report noted that nearly two-thirds of attackers showed behaviors or communications that were so concerning, they should have been met with an immediate response. It said these concerns were often shared with law enforcement, employers, school workers or parents. But in 20 percent of the cases, the concerning behavior was not communicated to anyone who could do something about it.

Ninety-six percent of the attackers were men. The attackers ranged in age from 14 to 87.

The report called for greater attention toward violence at home. It noted that half of the attackers had a history of domestic violence or hatred toward women.

About half the attacks in the study involved workplace violence related to co-workers, customers or businesses. The report said workplaces should establish behavioral threat assessment programs to prevent possible violence. And it said businesses should work with law enforcement to deal with incidents involving a concern for violence.

The report also found that firearms were used in 73 percent of incidents.

Mass shootings happen often in the United States. But American lawmakers remain divided on how to deal with gun violence. Democrats are calling for more gun control measures, while Republicans calls center on mental health and increased security.

Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded the right to carry guns outside the home. The court struck down a state law in New York that required people to show a specific need to carry a firearm in public.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on Reuters and Associated Press news reports.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

domestic - adj. relating to or involving someone's home

theme - n. a particular subject or issue that is discussed often and repeatedly

analysis - n. a careful study of something

response - n. something that is done as a reaction to something else

assessment - n. the act of making a judgement about something
Veja shoes are sold at famous stores all over the world. The company that makes them is French. But the shoes are made in Brazil.

Over the last 20 years, Veja has sold more than 8 million pairs of shoes.

The company uses rubber from trees that come from Brazils Amazon rainforest. The shoes are put together by workers in cities who are paid more than most factory workers.

The company needs a lot of rubber. Unlike some businesses that need rubber, Veja pays extra and asks the people to carefully, or sustainably, harvest the rubber.

Collecting the rubber in this way permits the trees to keep growing and producing rubber. The workers who harvest the rubber are known as tappers.

Rubber was once a product that was important to the Brazilian economy. But over the last 100 years its importance has declined along with the price of rubber.

Some Asian countries planted rubber trees many years ago. About 100 years ago, they started selling rubber into the world market. Rubber prices sank because of the large Asian supply.

During World War II, Japan removed its rubber from the market. That is the last time Brazilian rubber returned high prices.

By the 1970s, some Brazilian landowners started selling the parts of the forest with a lot of rubber trees. Farmers who raise cows are called cattle ranchers. The ranchers wanted to remove the trees and bring in cows.

Over time, the rainforest got smaller and smaller.

Some rubber tappers protested the change. They said ranchers were illegally cutting down rubber tress. The conflict became violent. The tappers leader, environmentalist Chico Mendes, was murdered in 1988 for pushing back against the cattle farmers.

After Mendes death, Brazils government created areas where rubber trees would be protected. The forest in these areas could not be sold to make way for cattle. This meant rubber tappers were able to continue their work. The Chico Mendes reserve is one of these areas.

Raimundo Mendes is 77 years old. He has worked his whole life as a rubber tapper. His 24-year-old son Rogerio is also a rubber tapper. They both collect rubber that Veja uses for its shoes. In 2022, they were paid over $4 per kilogram for their rubber. That is 10 times more than they earned in the past.

Rogerio said Vejas money is making some young people return to tapping rubber. They have rekindled the hope of working with rubber, he said.

Veja also pays extra money to groups of rubber farmers. These groups are known as cooperatives. The workers promise to take care of the trees and the environment. The workers in the cooperatives get paid money and also receive Veja shoes.

Vejas rubber comes from 1,200 families from 22 local cooperatives spread across five Brazilian states within the Amazon. The states are Amazonas, Rondonia, Mato Gross, Para and Acre  home of the Chico Mendes reserve.

All the rubber goes to a factory, where it is refined so it can be used in the shoes. Later, it goes to a shoemaking factory where workers build the shoes out of cotton and leather and then add the rubber to the shoe bottoms.

Even with Vejas success, there are still problems with deforestation in the Amazon. Though it is protected by the government, the Chico Mendes reserve is getting smaller. Cattle ranching is still much more valuable to the economy in Acre state than growing rubber. Cattle makes up 57 percent of Acres economy, while rubber makes up just 1 percent. That comes from a study by Minas Gerais Federal University.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro supported cattle ranching over sustainable farming. About half the workers in the rural part of Acre are involved in cattle ranching.

Veja uses a special satellite system to keep watch of the Chico Mendes reserve. The company looks for illegal land clearing.

Sebastiao Perera works for Veja to look after the rubber supply. He said Veja will see the deforestation on the satellite images and go there to speak with the ranchers. All they can really do is offer an alternative and raise awareness about a different kind of work.

He added that the company knows public authority should be doing the law enforcement.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press.

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Words in This Story

pair n. a set of two items

rekindle v. a light a fire, or cause interest where there was none

refine v. to process something and take out impurities so it can be used for something else

deforest v. to cut down trees or clear land for other uses such as farming or ranching

alternative n. something different

awareness n. the state of paying attention to something

authority n. a leadership figure or government

_____________________________________________________________

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The Justice Department and eight states opened a legal action, or lawsuit, against Google on Tuesday. They accuse the technology company of abusing its influence in its online advertising operation.

The lawsuit argues that Googles power has been hurtful to advertisers, consumers and even the U.S. government.

The government said that Google is looking to neutralize or eliminate competitors in the online advertisement marketplace. The suit claims that Google is forcing advertisers to use its products by making it difficult to use competitors offerings.

Monopolies threaten the free and fair markets upon which our economy is based, Attorney General Merrick Garland said to reporters Tuesday.

For 15 years, Garland said, Google has slowed the rise of other technologies and changed how online ads operate. He said the businesss operational methods force advertisers and publishers to use its tools.

Googles ad manager lets publishers with large sales manage their advertisements. The ad exchange is a marketplace to buy and sell online display ads.

Garland said Google controls the technology used by most major websites to offer advertising space for sale. It also controls the largest ad exchange that connects publishers and advertisers when ad space is sold. The result, he said, is that website creators earn less and advertisers pay more.

The lawsuit demands that Google stop operating businesses that manage the buying and selling of digital display advertising.

Alphabet, Googles owner, released a statement about the legal action. It said the government is presenting a mistaken argument that would slow innovation, raise advertising fees, and make it harder for thousands of small businesses and publishers to grow. Digital ads currently make up about 80 percent of Googles revenue.

Tuesday's lawsuit comes as the U.S. government is increasingly looking to slow Big Tech's growth. But such legal action can take years to complete. Congress has not passed any recent legislation seeking to limit the power of large tech companies.

Matt Schruers is president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, of which Google is a member. He said there is strong competition for advertising. The lawsuit defies reason on that point, he added.

Dina Srinivasan is an adtech expert with Yale University. She said the lawsuit is huge because it involves both state and federal governments against Google. In December 2020, 16 states and Puerto Rico sued Google over the same issues.

The current online ad market, Srinivasan said, is broken and totally inefficient.

She said this lawsuit seeks to bring to the digital ad market the same rules that apply to the financial markets. Stockbrokers, banks and other companies that can have competing interests are not permitted to own the New York Stock Exchange.

Google held nearly 29 percent of the U.S. digital advertising market in 2022, says research group Insider Intelligence. That includes all the ads people see on computers, phones, and other devices. Meta, which owns Facebook, is second, with nearly 20 percent of the market.

But that is not the lawsuit's concern. It centers on the technical market operations that Google controls, like the ad server it developed.

The U.S. government says Google has a more than 90 percent share of the business that serves ads to websites. It also says it controls about 80 percent of the Google Ads network where advertisers compete to place ads.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Words in This Story

consumer  n. a person who buys goods and services

eliminate  v. to remove

manage  v. to have control of

exchange  n. an occurrence in which people give things of similar value to each other

display n. an arrangement of objects intended to decorate, advertise, entertain, or inform people about something

innovation  n. a new idea, device, or method

revenue  n. money that is made by or paid to a business or an organization

inefficient  adj. not capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy
HOLDREGE  A group in opposition to the merger of Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District and Dawson Public Power District held a public meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 25 to discuss ongoing litigation and inform people about their view of the situation.

Citizens Opposed to the Merger (COTM) held the meeting at the Phelps County Ag Center in Holdrege, around 100 area water users were in attendance. Earlier this month when it was announced it had 75 members and had raised more than $225,000.

Also, the Power Review Board has granted standing to the opposition group. That means Citizens Opposed to the Merger can officially register objections when the state review board meets on Feb. 15 in Lincoln.

Merger Decision

On Oct. 24, 2022 the joint boards of CNPPID and DPPD voted to consolidate into a single entity called Platte River Public Power and Irrigation District (PRPPID). The newly formed entity will result in a 14-member board of directors by 2029.

The new combined board will include all 23 members consisting of each entitys entire board of directors. Nine seats would be phased out during election years as terms in office expire

The newly formed public power and irrigation district would have seven subdivisions; each subdivision would be represented by two board members.

The vote to consolidate followed nearly two years of research, deliberation and opportunities for public input, according to CNPPID and DPPD.

In the plan of consolidation, it was noted discussions about a possible merger began in December 2020, between that time 23 meetings were held by both the CNPPID and DPPD boards allowing for public comment, per CNPPID and DPPD.

The chronology of outreach also details the groups own outreach and times and dates when local media ran articles discussing the merger.

Prior to the vote, some CNPPID water users expressed opposition to the merger, concerned that CNPPID would sacrifice its voting power on a combined board and that delivering water to irrigations might become secondary to electrical issues.

Former state Sen. Ed Schrock of Holdrege, a board member of Nebraska Public Power District, likened the Oct. 24 votes to moving the courthouse at night.

Shrock said the merger may be the greatest water giveaway of the century.

It was during an Oct. 12 open house in Holdrege  just two weeks prior to the Oct. 24 meeting and merger vote  when irrigators learned the proposed makeup of the board that would govern the merged districts.

It wasnt until the final weeks before the merger vote we were given a key piece of information  the board representation plan for the new district. That information made all the difference and is a key reason why many water users are against the merger, according to COTM.

One of the COTM board members said, we got steamrolled, in relation to the time between the board representation announcement and the final vote.

Centrals General Manager Devin Brundage and Dawsons General Manager Gwen Kautz say the merger is necessary to ensure stable electrical rates and to protect and capitalize on the regions critical water and power resources.

Brundage and Kautz said they foresee a shifting landscape of contested and shrinking water resources. They also believe a 30% increase in electrical demand will occur in the future. They say that such a dramatic change could result in power grid instability.

Why didnt they come sooner so we could address their concerns? We wanted to know if there were negatives so we could address them, Kautz told the Kearney Hub.

Kautz and Brundage said the merger of their power and irrigation districts is a complicated topic, especially from a fiscal perspective.

Both districts bring assets to the proposed merger. According to Brundage, the merged Central and Dawson districts would produce $1 billion annually in economic activity.

Dawson has 24,000 customers and in 2022 logged power sales of $71 million. Dawson has $56 million in bonded debt, but it has 5,700 miles of powerlines and $247 million in plant assets.

Central has a $90 million cash reserve and no debt. Among annual revenues, irrigation deliveries brought in $4 million in 2022, lot fees paid by homeowners at Centrals lakes amounted to $1.5 million, and recharge agreements were $700,000.

Hydroelectric generation earned Central about $10 million, but revenues from power sales vary widely depending upon the climates effect on electrical demand.

COTM Views

Many of the water users, dont understand what is broken at CNPPID that requires the merger with DPPD, and think it is possible to continue making a positive impact on the region without the need for the merger.

Under the merged entity, COTM feels that decisions about water use will be made by directors living outside of the Phelps, Kearney and Gosper County area. When it comes to water decisions, we especially believe in local control.

COTM notes that the board has the authority to terminate water service agreements with 10 years notice. Water rights attached to our land without a water service agreement with Central equal no water.

The group is also of the opinion that the merger would place hydropower generation before irrigation. COTM says that if this is about electricity, CNPPID could sell hydropower to DPPD through a contract instead of the need for the merger.

COTM also feels irrigations may have to pay more for water in the future. We are skeptical the hydropower margin will continue to benefit the irrigation system as it has in the past.

Questions

During a question and answer period, one of the attendees asked if the board members of CNPPID and DPPD had been invited to the meeting.

While it was noted the COTM was holding a public meeting, a direct invitation had not been made to all of the board members, which some felt was a mistake.

The COTM board stated that the board members were aware of the meeting, but none were in attendance.

Litigation

COTM is suing in Phelps County District Court to halt the merger.

The group holds that a consolidation agreement between CNPPID and DPPD, signed on Sept. 12, 2022 violates the Open Meetings Act.

CNPPID attorney Charles Brewster of Kearney told Central Board members at their monthly meeting last week that the power and irrigation district has filed a motion to dismiss the Citizens Opposed to the Merger lawsuit.

The Lincoln firm of Rembolt Ludtke LLP is representing CNPPID, and it argues that Phelps County District Court lacks jurisdiction and that the Citizens Opposed to the Mergers suit fails to state a complaint upon which relief can be granted.

Blake Johnson with the Bruning Law Group of Lincoln appeared during the meeting virtually and told those assembled that the motion to dismiss is currently under advisement.

Johnson noted this is a procedural issue and that even if the decision is voided the CNPPID and DPPD boards could return to the drawing table and come back with another merger proposal.

COTM is also challenging the merger before the Power Review Board.

CNPPID challenged the standing of COTM but the board gave the group standing and they can officially register objections.

Gary Robison, a Bertrand farmer and a member of COTM said CNPPIDs questioning of the groups standing bothered him, as Central sought to deny them their ability to express their opinion.

Another attendee of the meeting said CNPPID may provide the water, but it is the farmers who handle the ag production in the area. Central has forgotten who their partners are, they said.

The Power Review Board will formally consider the merger on Feb. 17.

Until the meeting, water users were encouraged to speak their mind to their CNPPID representatives, either directly or by attending their board meetings.

The fight in Lincoln is about water, Robinson said.

Mike Konz with the Kearney Hub contributed to this report.
LEXINGTON  The Lexington city council received a report from the Lexington Public Library director during their meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Jennifer Norton, Executive Director for the Lexington Public Library said annual visits last year were 26,407, an increase of 11,001 from the past year; while total circulation of materials was slightly down from last year.

The librarys overall collection increased including 2,617 books, 49 audio offerings and 81 videos. The number of periodicals were down by five, Norton said some magazines go out of print or there isnt enough interest to keep ordering certain publications.

The number of programs hosted by the library last year was 334, an increase of 107 from the prior year. Total program attendance was 6,201 people.

The types of programs ranged from story times, book club meetings and family engagement programs like the Family Fun Nights. The family night in August included a community pot luck and street dance, over 200 people attended the event.

While out of the scope of the last fiscal year, Norton said their Fall Fest event in October was attended by 300 people.

There were three new book clubs added last year including a Spanish Book Club, Young Womens Book Club and a middle school Golden Sower Book Club.

Norton also noted that in September the library partnered with the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute to bring a Grassroots Leadership Program to Lexington, the 10 week program ended in November.

Looking ahead, Norton said the library received a youth services grant from the Nebraska Library Commission to expand their offerings for Family Fun Nights and other youth programming. Indoor and outdoor games, along with a popcorn machine that has been purchased.

The library has also partnered with several local organizations to develop a Work Center for early childhood educators. An open house for this is scheduled for Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m.

To close, Norton shared a quote from R. David Lankes, Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services; great libraries build communities.

Other agenda items including approving the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department Service Award Program and Volunteer Emergency Responders Act certified members list, which included 30 members of the department.

The LVFD Certification Administrator Kristin Byrne was renamed to the position from last year and approved by the council.

A 16th pay request from Walters-Morgan Construction for the 2021 Wastewater Facility Improvements project in the amount of $99,447.89, was approved by the council.

At the end of the meeting, City Attorney Brian Copley asked the council to modify the agenda to include an executive session to discuss real estate matters.

The council voted to amend the agenda and entered the executive session at 5:41 p.m., no action was taken following the ending of the session.
As the B.C. wine industry matures and wines from around the province win more and more medals and recognition internationally, the refrain of its too bad I cant buy this in the U.S. is becoming all too familiar from our friends south of the 49th parallel.

American visitors here cant ship wine to themselves, and the number of bottles they can take back in their luggage is limited. But there is another optionKascadia Wine Merchants in California.

Yes, the Eureka! state, or so says Wikipedia, meaning, I have found it!. Therefore, Eureka! You have found an online shop where your friends in America can purchase Canadian wine and have it shipped to them in America.

Industry folks who attended the Fortify Conference in Penticton this past November may have taken in a presentation by Kascadias founder, VJ Gandhi, or had a chat with her. VJ is a proud Canadian citizen with epicurean taste and a passion for supporting artisan winemakers and exposing them to the U.S. market.

This is not a small feat, and it is not a simple process, but it is possible.

From the consumer side south of the border, its as easy as online shopping. With 45 states now in the Kascadia portfolio and a robust marketing plan for each winery she brings in  each winery has its own page on the Kascadia site  the company has grown from the novelty of buying Canadian wine or servicing Canadian ex-pats, to inspiring wine lovers in the U.S. to buy wines from north of the border.

With restaurant clients, including a Michelin-starred spot in San Francisco where you can order a bottle from Olivers Winemakers Cut, plus both retail and wholesale clients, VJs goal is to see wines from Canada have the respect and recognition given to other wine-producing countries, like France or Australia.

And why not be this ambitious as an industry? We have the goods and we have the brand.

During the first year of the pandemic, Kascadias average purchase shot up from two bottles to hundreds of dollars spent on one sale, and in six months, VJs inventory was sold out.

For wineries, VJ and her team can walk them through the process to get their bottles into her online marketplace so this coming season, when a guest in a tasting room is disappointed he or she cant get a wine back home in the U.S., wineries can confidently say, Yes, as a matter of fact, you can.

Upcoming Events

Feb. 4: Apex Mountain Resort  The popular winter wine event Vertical & Vintages returns to the Gunbarrel Saloon.

Through to Feb. 9: Multiple venues throughout the valley  Reserve a table or two at a favourite or new-to-you restaurant during Dine Around.

Through to Feb. 14: Multiple venues throughout the valley  Explore the flavour map for the second annual Okanagan Hot Chocolate Festival.

Through March: Grizzli Winery in West Kelowna  Book an icewine tour, available daily.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - Former Vice President Mike Pence sits for an interview with the Associated Press, Nov. 16, 2022, in New York. Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana Home last week, according to his attorney. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence 's Indiana residence last week, his lawyer says, the latest in a string of recoveries of papers meant to be treated with utmost sensitivity from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials.

A small number of documents, taken into FBI custody last Thursday, were inadvertently boxed and transported" to the former vice president's home at the end of the last administration, Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a letter to the National Archives shared with The Associated Press.

He said that Pence had been unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence until a search last week and that he understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready to cooperate with "any appropriate inquiry.

The revelation came as the Department of Justice was already investigating the discovery of documents with classification markings in President Joe Biden's home in Delaware and his former Washington office, as well as former President Donald Trump's Florida estate. Democrat Biden has indicated he will seek reelection, Republican Trump is already a declared candidate, and Pence has been exploring a possible 2024 campaign that would put him in direct competition against Trump, his former boss.

The newest discovery thrusts Pence, who had previously insisted that he followed stringent protocols regarding classified documents, into the debate over the handling of secret materials by officials who have served in the highest ranks of government.

Trump is currently under criminal investigation after roughly 300 documents with classified markings, including at the top secret level, were discovered at his Mar-a-Lago. Officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the months-long criminal investigation. Biden is also subject to a special counsel investigation after classified documents from his time as a senator and in the Obama administration were found at his properties.

Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, reacted to the new development on his social media site: Mike Pence is an innocent man. He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!! Trump and Pence have clashed over Pence's refusal to go along with Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

While a very different case, the Pence development could bolster the arguments of Trump and Biden, who have sought to downplay the significance of the discoveries at their homes. The presence of secret documents at all three men's residences further underscores the federal governments unwieldy system for storing and protecting the millions of classified documents it produces every year.

Pences lawyer, Jacob, said in his letter that the former vice president had engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents" to review records stored at his home on Jan. 16 out of an abundance of caution amid the uproar over the discovery of documents at Biden's home.

Jacob said the Pence documents with classification markings were immediately secured in a locked safe. FBI agents visited the residence the night of Jan. 19 at 9:30 p.m. to collect the documents that had been secured, according to a follow-up letter from the lawyer dated Jan. 22. Pence was in Washington for an event at the time.

A total of four boxes containing copies of administration papers - two in which a small number of papers bearing classified markings were found, and two containing courtesy copies of vice presidential papers  were discovered, according to the letter. Arrangements were made to deliver those boxes to the National Archives Monday.

Congressional leaders were notified of the discovery by Pence's team on Tuesday.

The boxes, according to a Pence aide, were not kept in a secure location, but were taped shut and were not believed to have been opened since they were packed. The former vice president's staff also searched the Washington office of his advocacy group last week and did not discover additional documents, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the search.

Material found in the boxes came mostly from Pence's Naval Observatory vice presidential residence, the packing of which would not have been handled by the vice president's office or its lawyers. Other material came from a West Wing office drawer, the person said.

The National Archives declined to comment on the discovery. A Justice Department spokesman also declined to comment, and a lawyer for Pence did not immediately respond to an email seeking elaboration.

Pence told the Associated Press in August that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office.

Asked directly if he had retained any such information, he said, No, not to my knowledge.

In an interview this month with Fox Business, Pence described a very formal process used by his office to handle classified information as well as the steps taken by his lawyers to ensure none was taken with him.

Before we left the White House, the attorneys on my staff went through all the documents at both the White House and our offices there and at the vice presidents residence to ensure that any documents that needed to be turned over to the National Archives, including classified documents, were turned over. So we went through a very careful process in that regard," Pence said.

On Capitol Hill, members of the Senate intelligence committee expressed incredulity over the mishandling of documents by top U.S. officials.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas noted that classified documents are only moved out of the committees offices in locked bags.

In my book, its never permissible to take classified documents outside of a secure facility" except by a secure means of transport between such facilities, he said.

House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner, a Republican, said he planned to request a formal intelligence review and damage assessment.

And Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, another potential 2024 candidate, said, I dont know how anybody ends up with classified documents. ... I mean, every classified document Ive ever seen has a big Classified on it."

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, pointed to broader concerns with the classification system, complaining that it is at the point where there is so much out there it is hard to determine what ought to be classified, and then it is hard to determine what should be declassified.

Meanwhile, some Republicans pressed for a search of former President Barack Obama's personal records.

An Obama spokesperson referred to a 2022 statement from the National Archives that said the agency took control of all of his records after he left office and is not aware of any missing boxes of presidential records from the Obama administration."

Representatives of former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former Vice President Dick Cheney said all of their classified records had been turned over to NARA upon leaving the White House.

Mike Pompeo, who served as Trump's secretary of state and is mulling his own 2024 GOP presidential bid, told the AP in August that he had not taken any any classified material with him after leaving the administration.

But he told Fox News channel Tuesday, When youre in the executive branch, you have these documents in your home. One can imagine a note getting someplace, getting stuck. I suspect that may be what happened."
Four local chefs and a baker have been recognized this year by the James Beard Foundation.

Jamie Hoang, chef/owner at Ahan, was named a semifinalist in the category of emerging chef.

Andrew Hutchison, head baker/owner of Madison Sourdough, was named a semifinalist in the category of outstanding pastry chef or baker.

The list of semifinalists came out Wednesday with 20 semifinalists in each of those categories.

Its just a recognition, you know, said Mangano, 50, who was also a semifinalist in the same category in 2016. I mean, the first recognition or acknowledgement of what we do here is seeing the customers coming in every night. We definitely didnt see them dropping us during COVID. They were here to support us. Thats always the very first thing. They were the most important thing.

Peer recognition is also important, he said, and that goes along with this kind of award or nomination. So, its all very important. It all means that youre doing something right.

Osteria Papavero, 128 E. Wilson St., is 17 years old, and was Downtown before there were many other restaurants near Capitol Square.

Mangano said Osteria Papavero had a GoFundMe campaign when the restaurant was losing money due to the pandemic and was able to meet its $10,000 goal. At least we were able to keep going, to keep paying people.

He said he had to lay off some employees in 2020 but was able to bring many back. The customers are always there. We wouldnt be here otherwise.

Kroeger, who opened the fine-dining restaurant Fairchild, 2611 Monroe St., March 2, 2020, two weeks before the COVID shutdown, said the recognition means a lot. Its great. It shows people appreciate all the work weve done.

Speaking from Spain, where he was touring wineries with a distributor, Kroeger said he and his partners are just happy to have the restaurant. From when we opened, it was pretty tough. So, the fact that the restaurants even open right now I think is great. I appreciate it.

Nagano, who was LEtoiles chef de cuisine when it was a semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurant category in both 2017 and 2018, said this time it feels a bit more personal.

But theres a lot of teamwork that goes into our restaurant, Nagano said. I think we know what we have to do now, which is work harder and be better to the community now that were recognized a little bit.

Hoang, who opened her Asian restaurant, Ahan, inside The Bur Oak, 2262 Winnebago St., in August 2020 doing takeout only because of COVID-19, said she was shocked to be named a semifinalist. I never thought that opening up this little restaurant during the pandemic that we would get here. Im obviously honored.

She said the restaurant is doing well. Weve been having a consistent customer base. I think everyones been really happy.

Hutchison said hes proud of the baking team at Madison Sourdough. Bakers and bakeries always have existed on the periphery of the food critical culture, he said, and it feels like its coming more towards center, or at least being part of that orbit.

Award nominees will be announced March 29, and winners will be celebrated at a ceremony June 5 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

The James Beard Foundations Restaurant and Chef Awards, considered by some to be the Academy Awards of the food world, were established in 1990 and first awarded in 1991. This years semifinalists are recognized across 23 categories, including a new award for outstanding bakery.

The states that make up the Midwest region are Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

36 Madison-area restaurant, bar, bakery, coffee shop openings in 2022 Taqueria Los Atlantes Golden Nest Pancakes & Cafe Hot Lunch Zippy Lube Coffee, Donuts, and Fried Chicken Tacos El Capi Good Co. at Pioneer Pointe The Bubbling Teapot Sabores Fusion Grill Nori Sushi & Grill North Shore Pizza and Subs Sookie's Veggie Burgers Turn Key La Pollera Colombiana Restaurant Eno Vino Waunakee BigSur Cantina Amara SASS Sauce + Shells The Borough Beer Company & Kitchen Taza Swagat Sun Prairie Little John's Lunchbox AzTec Taqueria Mishqui Peruvian Cuisine Dirty Dog Taphouse Ollie's Forward Craft & Coffee Jacknife The Ready Set FreshFin Poke Hilldale Mom's Bar Prost! Tucuma Northstreet La Taguara Far Breton Bakery Dagu Rice Noodle
Marking the end of an episode that spanned three counties and that a Dane County judge said almost sounds like a bad script for a movie, a Hartland woman who had a murdered mans body in her car and later pointed a gun at Dane County sheriffs deputies was sentenced Tuesday to a year in prison.

Angelina J. Ruesch, 29, pleaded guilty to hiding a corpse and pointing a firearm at a police officer before Circuit Judge Josann Reynolds sentenced her to concurrent yearlong prison sentences, to be followed by two years of extended supervision.

The sentences, though, would run after Ruesch finishes time she is already serving for convictions in Milwaukee and Jefferson counties, both for incidents that were all part of the same sequence of events that began with the killing of a Kaukauna man at a Milwaukee home on Jan. 17, 2022.

In all, it means Ruesch will be in prison for nearly two years, followed by four years of extended supervision.

This is a very disturbing case on so many levels, Reynolds said before she sentenced Ruesch.

A criminal complaint states that deputies were asked to check on a woman acting strangely at a gas station in Cambridge who matched the description of someone who had fled from a traffic stop in Jefferson County.

The womans car was found in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly grocery store. The woman was reported to be at a nearby home, where she wound up in the garage pointing a gun at two deputies. She refused to drop the gun and fought the deputies, telling them to shoot her, the complaint states.

A Milwaukee police detective told Dane and Jefferson county authorities that he believed a body was in the womans car. The body of Adam R. McCormick, 34, was found under blankets in the back seat. An autopsy found he had been shot in the chest.

A criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County states McCormick was shot at an apartment building in Milwaukee, then carried off in a car. Mack D. Chambliss, 48, of Milwaukee, was found guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and other charges in the killing following a trial in October. He was sentenced last month to 52 years in prison.

Ruesch pleaded guilty in Milwaukee County in November to aiding a felon for her role in McCormicks death. She also pleaded guilty in December in Jefferson County to fleeing police.

In court, Rueschs attorney, Crystal Vera, argued that Ruesch should be sentenced to 18 months in prison to run concurrently to all other sentences she is serving. Ruesch was coerced into driving McCormicks body away from Milwaukee, Vera said. When Ruesch pointed the gun at the Dane County deputies, Vera said, she was so out of her mind on drugs that she thought she was pointing the gun at herself.

In my defense, I was trying to take my own life, Ruesch told Reynolds earlier. I dont recall pointing the gun at anyone but myself.

Vera said Ruesch had been followed from Milwaukee by someone who only left her after she was stopped by a deputy in Jefferson County.

Still, Reynolds wondered why Ruesch didnt stay put once that traffic stop occurred, why she didnt stay with her car at the Piggly Wiggly and why she was carrying around a loaded handgun.

Because I was very scared, Ruesch responded.

See the Wisconsin State Journal photo staff's favorites of 2022
A village of Oregon man attempted to evade Fitchburg police twice Saturday after being involved in a hit-and-run crash on Nesbitt Road earlier in the day, Fitchburg police said.

Alexander J. Sandoval, 34, was arrested for the hit and run, attempting to elude police, resisting and obstruction, and fourth-offense operating while intoxicated after he fled the crash in the 6300 block of Nesbitt Road and then returned to the scene at around 5 p.m. while police were investigating, according to a news release.

Police attempted to pull Sandoval over but he fled, and a Dane County Sheriff's deputy later used a tire-deflation device to stop him, police said.

Sandoval then abandoned his vehicle and ran into a nearby field where he was surrounded by police and arrested, police said.

No injuries were reported in the crash.

Art of the Everyday: A recap of May in photos from Wisconsin State Journal photographers
The U.S. Marshals Service is helping in the search for a suspect in a Madison shooting death, police said.

Charvis Blue, 29, of Madison, is wanted on a charge of first-degree intentional homicide as party to a crime, Madison police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said in a statement.

Police ask anyone who sees Blue to call 911, and anyone with information about the incident or Charvis is asked to contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014 or P3Tips.com. Individuals contacting Crime Stoppers can receive a reward of up to $1,000 for tips that lead to an arrest.

A criminal complaint filed in October charged Blue in the July 22 death of Laron D. Bynum, 18, of Milwaukee, who was found in the back seat of a gunshot-wracked car in the 1700 block of Vahlen Street on Madisons North Side.

Court documents from the case indicate Bynum was shot in the car on Vera Court, and then the cars driver drove away from the shooting scene before the car stopped running on Vahlen Street.

Blue also is wanted in a separate gun-related felony, and for allegedly taking part in looting on State Street on May 30, 2020.

An earlier criminal complaint filed on July 29 charged Aquille T. Lowe, 27, of Fitchburg, with first-degree intentional homicide as party to a crime in the fatal shooting and two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, along with possession of a firearm by a felon and first-degree reckless endangerment.

Lowe was arrested Aug. 4 in Dayton, Ohio, and was extradited to Wisconsin.

On Aug. 31, prosecutors also charged Jakyra Y. Peeples, 22, of Madison, with first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide, both as a party to a crime. She is alleged to have been driving the vehicle that carried Lowe and Blue to the scene of the shooting on Vera Court, then to Vahlen Street, where several other shots were fired.

The earlier complaints had made reference to a second man, now identified as Blue, being with Lowe when its alleged Lowe fired the shots.
With a psychiatric hospital opening in Middleton in 2021 and a permit approved last week for a similar facility to open late next year on Madisons Far East Side, the Madison area is soon expected to have nearly 300 mental health beds, up from about 100 before.

Thats more than what one study suggests is needed based on Dane Countys population. But other reports call for more beds, Wisconsin is believed to need more beds statewide and nearby counties without psychiatric beds send some patients to Madison.

Theres a substantial bed need in the market, said Jeffrey Woods, operations group president for Acadia Healthcare, which plans a 120-bed behavioral health hospital in the High Crossing development east of Interstate 39-90-94 and south of Highway 151.

Madisons Plan Commission on Jan. 23 approved a conditional use permit for the project, expected to be finished in December 2024. No other approvals are required except for state licensing.

The need is unfortunately growing, said Saad Niazi, CEO of 72-bed Miramont Behavioral Health, which opened for adults in August 2021 on Deming Way in Middleton and added adolescents in December 2022. The new facilities signify the need and the catch-up of trying to bring that infrastructure into a community thats growing, Niazi said.

Just 30 beds at Miramont are operational so far, largely because of staffing challenges and a planned strategy for gradual growth, he said.

Until Miramont opened, non-criminal patients needing inpatient psychiatric care could make use of about 100 beds at UW Hospital, UnityPoint Health-Meriter, SSM Health St. Marys Hospital and Stoughton Hospital.

Some patients who are sent for care involuntarily are taken to the state-run Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh.

Mendota Mental Health Institute on Madisons North Side has 304 beds for patients placed involuntarily through a court order, mostly for adult males but including 42 beds for females and a 16-bed geriatric unit. Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center, which isnt a hospital, has 29 beds for male youth adjudicated as delinquent. An expansion that started last year is expected in 2025 to result in a total of 93 beds, 73 for male youth and 20 for female youth, said Elizabeth Goodsitt, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health Services.

Need varies

Hannah Flanagan, director of emergency services for Journey Mental Health Center in Madison, said it is sometimes a challenge to find beds for patients, especially those with higher needs.

There are certainly days when were trying to facilitate hospitalizations, and our local hospitals are full, Flanagan said.

Shane Schuhmacher, human services director for Lafayette County, southwest of Madison, said the county has sent patients to all of the Madison hospitals, including Miramont. The search to find beds varies, he said.

Sometimes it can be difficult and sometimes its not, Schuhmacher said.

UW Hospital, which has 18 psychiatric beds, typically has 15 to 16 patients in them, said Dr. Michael Peterson, the hospitals psychiatric services director. Meriter, which also has 18 beds for adults, has a lower average census, of 12 to 14, in part because the configuration of its beds makes it harder to fill them, Peterson said. Both hospitals, along with St. Marys, which has 22 beds, take some involuntary patients along with voluntary cases, he said.

The need for psychiatric admissions has not decreased, Peterson said. The need has been uncovered and increased a bit by all the stressors of COVID-19 and the aftermath.

Meriters Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Hospital, on Madisons Southwest Side, has 30 beds after an expansion in 2020. It hospitalized a record 900 kids in 2021 and nearly as many last year, said Dr. Katie Schmitt, medical director.

The hospital seems to meet the communitys needs for pediatric patients, Schmitt said, except for two groups it is not equipped to handle: children with primary diagnoses of substance use or eating disorders, for which many patients are often sent to Rockford, Illinois or Oconomowoc.

Miramont also doesnt take such patients, Niazi said. With Acadia coming, it would be great if they could meet the need for those kids, Schmitt said.

About 35 psychiatric beds are needed per 100,000 population, according to a 2021 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. With Dane Countys population of about 565,000, that level would be about 200 beds.

But the same study says Wisconsin has fewer beds than needed, and another study in the journal Molecular Psychiatry last year said 30 beds per 100,000 people is minimal and optimal is 60 beds, which in Dane County would be about 340 beds. Few or no beds are available in rural counties near Madison, which arguably increases the need.

Hospital plans

Woods, of Acadia, said its facility will treat adults with substance use, mood and thought disorders and geriatric patients with mental illness and mild to moderate dementia, including Alzheimers disease. The company is considering pediatric care, he said.

Acadia will work with local providers to understand where there are other areas of unique need, he said.

Isolation from COVID-19 has made many psychiatric patients sicker, and societys increasing openness about mental illness is leading more people to seek help, including outpatient services the hospital will offer, Woods said.

As those barriers come down, people are going to need access to care, he said.

Woods declined to provide a cost estimate for the project, which will convert a two-story office building on American Family Insurance property into the hospital and add a building for support services. He said the typical cost range for psychiatric hospitals at Acadia, which has more than 50 such hospitals around the country and more than a dozen in planning stages, is $35 million to $80 million.

Miramont, built and initially owned by Memphis, Tennessee-based Strategic Behavioral Health, was purchased last year by Summit BHC, which like Acadia is a for-profit company based in Franklin, Tennessee.

Niazi became CEO of Miramont in May. The hospital, which cost about $20 million, is currently operating 20 beds for adults and 10 for adolescents, with a total average census of about 27 patients, he said. The workforce shortage, which is affecting most aspects of health care nationwide, is the main reason more beds arent open yet, he said.

Were doing things incrementally, making sure we have the right processes in place, the right people, the right training, Niazi said.

Miramont, which received citations in April for not letting patients have visitors and not documenting the resolution of patient grievances, received additional citations from the state Department of Health Services in July and October.

An inspection report in July said Miramont didnt get written informed consent for prescribed psychotropic medications from two patients and had inadequate discharge planning for another patient.

In October, inspectors said staff didnt promptly start medications for three patients, didnt release two voluntary patients quickly enough and conducted strip searches for six patients upon admission without a documented reason.

Niazi said Miramont has improved informed consent documentation and discharge planning, and has started medications earlier when appropriate. The facility is consulting with DHS about procedures for releasing patients and doesnt consider its skin assessments of incoming patients for wounds and other potential medical concerns to be strip searches, he said.

We want to see how we can get better, Niazi said.
As a Meals on Wheels volunteer, Judi Duncan said she serves a delightful collection of homebound people who look forward to her arrival.

When she got an email Monday that Little Johns, the services food provider, was suspending its deliveries indefinitely to Meals on Wheels, she worried about what that would mean to the clients shes gotten to know and for whom her food drop-off was often the only human contact they had all day.

When Chef Dave Heide said Monday that hes largely suspending operations at Little Johns, it threw lots of food systems for vulnerable populations into disarray.

Heide said his nonprofit organization was making about 16,000 meals a week for the Madison community, mainly for contracts with the county, schools, senior programs and other nonprofits.

He said he was losing the temporary kitchen he was operating from, and a backup site on Madisons North Side fell through at the last minute. He said he plans to still make about 3,000 meals a week, and might do that from his restaurant, Ollies, in Fitchburg.

Service erodes

Little Johns began providing meals for SSM Healths Meals on Wheels last summer, and started off with a bang, said Duncan, 72, who has been volunteering with the organization for four years.

Then the bang became a crash as service deteriorated, she said, adding that Little Johns delivery drivers often arrived an hour or more late at the sites where volunteers wait for their food, leaving our customers in the lurch.

Meals on Wheels is also a well-being check for many, she said. I know SSM is looking for someone to take over the catering, but it will be hard to get that set up very quickly, she said. In the meantime, what becomes of the customers?

Sarah Karleskint, program manager for SSM Health at Home, which provides Meals on Wheels, was scrambling Tuesday to get meals for the 325 people who depend on them through her operation.

Karleskint wonders why Heides news came so abruptly.

Somebody knew what was happening, we just didnt know what was happening, she said. And so after our meal deliveries yesterday, we didnt even have a chance to tell people as we delivered the meals that it was going to be the last one for a while.

She said SSM Health at Home had staff call every client Monday or at least leave them a message. They began calling again Tuesday morning. For those without phones, theyve been calling their emergency contacts.

Solutions sought

Karleskint said her team has also contacted its volunteers to keep them informed.

She said theyre working to come up with a solution, which may mean splitting the food preparation between caterers on different sides of town.

If we cant get the volumes that we need, we can look at shelf-stable (food), we can look at frozen, she said. At this point were keeping our options open and just trying to see what we can put together to try to help these people that need it.

Heide said Monday he hasnt taken a penny out of Little Johns. In fact, he said, he took out a $100,000 home equity line of credit against his house to make sure he could continue operations. He said he also put in about $80,000 of his own money.

He said Tuesday that he had no advance notice that his new kitchen was going to fall through.

Nothing was done maliciously or with knowledge or foresight, Heide said. We tried our hardest and we did our best. No one else was willing to take on those contracts. We were the only (one) who put in a bid.

He said he tried to help as many people as possible, and we just werent able to make that happen.

Homeless meals

Carly Sobye, director of homeless services for Catholic Charities, which runs The Beacon, the only homeless day resource center in Dane County, said she was in a panic Monday but found out Tuesday that Little Johns will continue to provide meals to the facility four to five times a week, as usual.

The Beacon serves breakfast and lunch to about 150 people every day, she said.

Sobye said Little Johns provides a high-quality entree and a side. Meal costs are covered by Catholic Charities, the United Way of Dane County, the city of Madison and donations.

Had The Beacon been cut off, Sobye said she doesnt know where she would have turned. Options out there are pretty slim to none, she said.

But services were suspended for the 29 residents at the citys first legal tiny shelter encampment on Dairy Drive on the Far East Side, said Siddiq DeShazer, the campground liaison.

DeShazer said word came that services would pick back up when operations resumed. Meanwhile, DeShazer has been forced to look for service providers.

Little Johns was coming to the site Mondays and Wednesdays and providing food for about 20 people, DeShazer said. The food would be eaten right away and also throughout the week.

The camp opened in late 2021 and had worked with Little Johns almost from the beginning, initially indirectly through Feeding the Youth, DeShazer said.

Little Johns has provided 1,500 to 2,000 meals since the camps opening, DeShazer said.

The nearest store requires crossing a highway that has no walk path, DeShazer said. I would say (this) elevates the importance of any provider who works with us.

Effort to regroup

Oregon village President Randy Glysch said he was caught off guard by Heides news and said he learned Monday night at a Village Board meeting how many communities have senior centers like Oregons that relied on Little Johns.

Glysch put feelers out Tuesday morning for a commercial kitchen and then learned that Dane County said food could be prepared in kitchens that werent commercial quality.

The Oregon Area Senior Center provides meals for about 40 people a day and staff there will be able to do that work, he said.

So people are regrouping, Glysch said. I just think it caught everybody by surprise. ... Weve got to make sure that folks who rely on those meals are taken care of.

Karleskint, from SSM Health at Home, said shes working to find a new food vendor. She said theyve also started working with the Goodman Community Center to do a small number of hot meals for the Meals on Wheels clients most in need. For some, its their only food.

Duncan, the Meals on Wheels volunteer, said Little Johns started out doing a great job. She said customers were impressed, the packaging was colorful and they liked the food.

She said the delivery drivers she got the food from were reliable. But in the last few weeks, they began showing up late or not at all.

Duncan said SSM Healths Meals on Wheels planned to not renew Little Johns contract after it ended but was going to get deliveries for another six months.

She said Heide stopped responding to her supervisors emails. He was a figure in the community that people seem to look to and respect, she said. So this is just kind of disappointing that he seemed to have dropped the ball.

Take a look at 'Immersive Van Gogh'
Jan. 20, 1968Jan. 21, 2023

SUN PRAIRIEKimberly Kay Kelly (nee Johnson), age 55, passed into eternal life, surrounded by her beloved family at their home, on January 21, 2023.

Wonderful wife of 30 years to Kevin M. Kelly. Loving mother of their five children: George William, Clare Therese, Frances Marie, John Paul, and Thomas Edward. Born in Glendale, CA, on January 20, 1968, raised in Plymouth, MN, along with her sister Suzanne, by their parents Sharon and LeRoy Johnson.

Kim graduated from Wayzata High School in 1986, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1991. She married US Navy Lieutenant Kevin Kelly in 1992, at Saint Mary of the Lake, Baileys Harbor, WI; the couple were stationed in San Francisco and then in Scotland. In 1997, they returned to the US with their firstborn, George, born in Aberdeen; the next four children were born in Madison. Kim and Kevin made an exuberant and caring home for their children in Sun Prairie, just down the street from Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, where the children all went to school and where the Kellys have been active parish members for over two decades.

Kims engaging warmth and kindheartedness to both friends and strangers were constant and well known. She was an insightful woman of great faith; a fun and giving mother; a sweet wife and forbearing; always supportive when Kevin, for over 20 years, would often be away on Navy Reserve duty, leaving her with a houseful of terrific kids! She was a gentle soul with the kindest of natures. Kims family loved her well and will miss her beyond measure.

The Kellys wish to express their deep appreciation to the staffs of the UWs Carbone Cancer Center and Agrace Hospice of Madison, WI.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church, 221 Columbus Street, Sun Prairie, WI, at 11:00 oclock on Saturday morning, January 28, 2023, with a Rosary preceding at 10:30 a.m. Visitation will be at the church the evening before, on Friday, January 27, 2023, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Interment will be at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Cemetery, Sun Prairie, WI immediately following mass.

Memorials in Kims name may be made to Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic School, Sun Prairie, WI, or the Agrace Foundation of Madison, WI.

Cress Funeral Service

1310 Emerald Terrace

Sun Prairie, WI 53590

608-837-9054
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are discussing women in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the U.S.

According to the AAUW:

"Women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering."

There has been a push for some time to increase these numbers, so we thought we might spotlight a very promising female college student majoring in STEM, Brighid Cantwell, a student of Lawrence Eppard's (podcast host) at Shippensburg University.

The Connors Forum is an independent entity from the institutions that we partner with. The views expressed in our newsletters and podcasts are those of the individual contributors alone and not of our partner institutions.

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Photo: Gary Smith Dread Pyrate Higgs (also known as Gary Smith of Grand Forks) has been battling to wear a pirate hat for his driver's licence photo.

ICBC is not budging in its stance that a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster of B.C. has no religious right to wear pirate hats or colanders on his head for a driver's licence photo.

Its a battle B.C. church leader Dread Pyrate Higgs (a.k.a. Gary Smith of Grand Forks) has been waging for several years now.

Smith argues his pirate hat is part of his churchs religious headwear.

Smith identifies himself as a Pastafarian and a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Members are known to religiously wear either a pasta colander or a three-cornered hat known as a pirates tricorn.

Ultimately, religion is a choice, said Smith, the Canadian representative with the International Pastafarians Captains Conclave. But not so much for members of a certain sect.

ICBC doesnt see it that way.

We have advised Mr. Smith on numerous occasions that we do not recognize him as a member of a religious group that requires accommodation in the context of a service customarily available to the public under the British Columbia Human Rights Code, ICBC said in a Jan. 24 statement to Glacier Media.

Smiths been going to a driver's licensing branch regularly to get his photo retaken, pays the $17 fee and gets a temporary paper licence issued while he waits for his new card.

He then gets a letter saying the picture isnt allowed.

While hes managed to have pirate hats included on his firearms acquisition certificate and marriage commissioner licence, the driver's licence photo remains as elusive as buried treasure.

The latest skirmish between Smith and Mario Bourdages, ICBCs manager of driver licensing integrity and oversight, came after Smith tried once more to have a licence photo taken Aug. 9.

On Aug. 31, he received a letter from Bourdages that said his head covering was again not acceptable for a B.C. driver's licence, B.C. identification (BCID) or BC Services Card.

Bourdages noted ICBC does endeavour to accommodate peoples faiths.

We do not recognize you as a member of a religious group that requires accommodation in the context of a service customarily available to the public under the British Columbia Human Rights Code, the ICBC employee said.

He said ICBC would be happy to provide Smith with drivers licence services  without a Pastafarian head covering.

Should you insist on wearing a Pastafarian head covering, no drivers licence and no further temporary licences will be granted, Bourdages wrote.

That response didn't sit well with Smith.

The last letter, of course, is a direct existential threat to my being able to earn a living, Smith said on Sept. 30 to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. In that, he sought allies in the battle.

He told the centre ICBCs mandate is to provide government-issued identification (GIID) that meets international standards, and that it has facial recognition technology to assist in that.

ICBC makes the false claim that accommodation is provided only where religious belief prohibits the removal of headgear for the purposes of being photographed for GIID: no such prohibition exists, Smith said. ICBC is not mandated to investigate customers who claim accommodation based on religiosity.

ICBC is not mandated to decide matters of religiosity, he added.

I am hoping the justice centre can convince ICBC that they ought not to address matters that are outside of their mandate, he concluded.

In an Oct. 31 response, Bourdages confirmed Smith had gone for a licence photo and had removed his Pastafarian head covering.

At that point, the seas got rough with Smith, in a Jan. 1 letter accusing Bourdages of being smug.

I did not remove my head covering as requested  but as demanded and under duress, Smith wrote.

With his frustration spilling out, Smith continued: ICBCs own research revealed occasions where a persons stated religious affiliation is taken at face value by other government agencies, such as was the case in obtaining my Canadian firearms licence.

Why should ICBC be any different when there is nothing to gain by it? he asked.

That is what is so frustrating: why do you care so much that you use your power and authority in this abusive way to thwart my right to free expression? Really, what do you care?

He vowed to step up his efforts.

ICBC

As far as ICBC is concerned, Smith now has a proper drivers licence  without a pirate hat.

The corporation said it recognizes that freedom of religious expression is a fundamental right and must be respected. It said it strives to ensure its policies and procedures strike a balance between respecting religious faiths and beliefs, and preserving the integrity of its system.

If a customers head covering is not worn for religious purposes or due to medical treatment, we ask that they remove their head covering for their drivers licence or BCID photo, ICBC said.

ICBC also noted Smith sought judicial review of a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal decision to not accept his complaint against ICBC regarding the headwear matter in 2021.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Gordon Wetherill dismissed the review petition, noting that Canadian courts have previously observed that the practices followed by Pastafarians are satirical in purpose.

Private investigator

Meanwhile, Smiths also been trying to get his pirate tricorn on his private investigators licence.

After completing course work, Smith applied for the licence. He sent two photos: one with a pirate hat and one without.

I only submitted the photo without the tricorn under duress, he said. Then, it was a fight.

He was told the church isnt listed on the Canada Revenue Agency site so he isnt part of a religion.

Soon, he needed to upgrade his licence and submitted another picture with a tricorn.

Guess what? They sent me a picture with me and my tricorn, he said.

Soon, though, he was asked to return the licence.

Both cases continue to unfold.
As another session of the Idaho Legislature cranks up, Idahoans shudder at the prospect of more needless political discord and legislative shenanigans.

Instead of working on legislation to deal with real problems, too many extremist legislators will waste our time trying to score political points on culture war issues like critical race theory, which most of them cant even define. It gets worse each year.

Already this year we have seen the introduction of these nonsense bills:

Senate Bill 1002 would establish an aggressor-friendly self-defense law.

Senate Bill 1006 would force local governments to enforce federal immigration laws.

Senate Bill 1007 would allow gun-toting private militias to parade around in public.

Senate Bill 1008 would encourage more concealed weapons on college campuses.

Senate Bill 1009 would prohibit the implementation of measures to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

And the conflict merchants are just getting started. Idahoans can anticipate introduction and possible passage of bills: to force taxpayers to pay for private and parochial schooling; to ban some books from school and other libraries; to interfere with the medical treatment of transgender children; to further restrict the ability of voters and candidates to participate in electoral activities of the party of their choice; and a wide array of other culture war legislation designed to inflame and further divide Idahoans.

As in past legislative sessions, a great deal of effort will have to be expended by Idahoans of good faith and common sense to defeat these nonsense bills. But those bills will get most of the attention in the legislative session, diverting attention from real problems that need real solutions.

There will be little time to consider property tax relief, child care solutions, ways to meet the states constitutional responsibility to adequately fund the public school system, ways to address the shortage of water supplies to maintain our agricultural industry.

If we could only conceive of one measure that would address all of these problems in one fell swoop, we could avoid storm and stress in future legislative sessions.

Could it be possible that one law would produce a legislature dedicated to responsible, pragmatic action to move the state forward, so we dont get bogged down every year trying to swat down crazy legislation? Just so happens there is a magic bullet  a law that would open up the primary election process of all political parties to participation by all eligible voters, regardless of party affiliation.

The primary cause of dysfunction in the Idaho Legislature is the closed Republican primary election. Because extremists have taken control of that partys structure, the most extreme candidates have a tremendous advantage in the primary election, which is the key to general election victory in most areas of this one-party state.

Think of the responsible GOP legislators who were replaced by extremists in the May primary last year: Jim Woodward, Greg Chaney, Scott Syme, Jeff Agenbroad, Carl Crabtree, Jim Addis and Fred Martin. The most extreme candidates generally prevailed in other contested races. Many incumbent GOP legislators were not even contested.

The obvious way to address all of the trumped-up culture war issues that get in the way of responsible, pragmatic governing is to remove the culture warriors from the legislative body. That can be done by opening up the Republican primary and allowing all Idahoans to vote in any party primary of their choosing.

That system existed in Idaho for decades before the GOP closed its primary in 2012, and it worked well.

There is an even better way to fix the states political dysfunction: The ranked choice voting system that was successfully put to the test in Alaska last year and adopted by Nevada voters in November.

Reports out of Alaska indicate that the system was voter friendly, brought out significantly more candidates and placed better, more responsible candidates in positions of power. There is much more to say about the system, but that must be done in a later column.
TODAYS WORD is tacenda, or something that's best not mentioned. Example: Hailey was shocked as her mother revealed embarrassing tacenda details over lunch after church, and her horror grew as the ladies eating with them ate up the juicy details.

TUESDAYS WORD was swivet. It means a fluster or panic. Example: Juliette was in a complete swivet when she found out that her in-laws were coming for dinner in the next 30 minutes and she hadn't known in advance to prepare a meal.

Buckwheat

A Stroller edition last Wednesday talked about buckwheat pancakes, and Curtis Stone of Spencer wrote in asking where we get our buckwheat flour. But the Stroller family fell out of the buckwheat pancake custom several years ago, when buckwheat flour became harder to find.

Stone himself is a fan of buckwheat pancakes, and until recently he had been driving to King, North Carolina, to buy self-rising buckwheat flour from King Roller Mill. However, with the steep increase of the cost of gas, he stopped making that long drive, which is about 55 miles from Martinsville.

"A couple of weeks ago I called the mill to find out if they delivered anywhere in this area," he wrote. "I found out they deliver to Woody's Grocery and Grill in Ridgeway. After several calls to Woody's I was able to get my much desired pancake mix."

Meanwhile, the other good way we know about to get tasty buckwheat pancakes locally is at the Bassett Ruritan Club's monthly breakfast which seems to be on the second Saturday of each month, or thereabouts.

Guarding potatoes

Every now and then the Stroller receives emails with interesting articles from Farmer's Almanac, such as this one, "The Strange History of Potatoes and the Man Who Made Them Popular," by Amber Kanuckel, published Jan. 9.

The article says, among other things, that in the 1700s in France, people disdained potatoes and even thought they were poisonous, enough that the government banned them in 1748.

Meanwhile, French pharmacist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, who was an army pharmacist during the Seven Years' War (1754-1763), was imprisoned by the Prussians, who served him potatoes as his rations.

He loved the potatoes, and what's more, they didn't make him sick. Back in France, he set about trying to make potatoes popular, with various tactics including serving potatoes at fancy dinners to important people (including Benjamin Franklin). In the early 1780s he planted a large potato patch and hired heavily armed guards to guard the patch from thieves  and instructed the guards to take any bribes offered by thieves to get to the potatoes. That crazy plot worked in getting people to think potatoes were a big deal.

TUESDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER: Prince William and Kate Middleton met at the University of St. Andrews in 2001 where they were both students.

TODAYS TRIVIA QUESTION: Which college did Will Ferrell, Neil Armstrong and Sophia Bush all attend?
A Ridgeway man is being held in the Henry County Adult Detention Center without bond following an incident Tuesday night on JS Holland Road.

At 8:12 p.m. Tuesday, the Martinsville-Henry County Emergency 911 Center received a call about a subject who had been shot at 1429 JS Holland Road in Ridgeway, a release from the Henry County Sheriffs Office states.

Deputies from the Henry County Sheriffs Office responded to the scene and made contact with David Goodwin, 56, of 1353 JS Holland Road. Goodwin had suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen, the release states. He was transported to SOVAH Health Martinsville and subsequently airlifted to a Roanoke hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

Through the course of the investigation, it was discovered that David Goodwin and Dustin Lyn Hylton, 35, were at 1429 J S Holland Road, where an argument ensued inside the home, the release states. During the altercation, Hylton produced a firearm and shot Mr. Goodwin one time, the release states. Hylton was taken into custody at the scene.

Hylton was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. He is currently being held in the Henry County Adult Detention Center with no bond.

Anyone having information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriffs Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (276-632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2,500 for information related to crime. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.
LYNCHBURG  Yusef Salaam looked into the audience Monday evening in Smith Hall Theatre at Randolph College and calmly said, I had the fortunate opportunity to go to prison.

The system allowed me to sleep for 15 years until it awakened me to the American nightmare, Salaam said in his speech.

Salaam is an author and activist who was 15 in 1989 when he and four other Black and Latino teenagers between the ages of 14 and 16 were wrongly accused of brutally attacking and raping a 28-year-old white jogger in New Yorks Central Park.

The case, in which the teens were dubbed the Central Park Five, gained national attention. Salaam served nearly seven years in juvenile detention before being released. Ultimately, the five saw their convictions vacated in 2002.

In his keynote speech, Salaam recalled the time period when he was going back and forth to court during trial. He remembered trying to have some sense of normality by coming home each day, taking off his suit off and going outside, just to do the process over again the next day.

He described the day of the verdict in 1990 as the craziest day in the world, a time he said he would never forget.

When a jury found codefendant Antron McCray not guilty on one of the charges, Salaam said, the courtroom erupted, but the announcement of the guilty verdicts following changed the room.

Salaam said he, McCray and codefendant Raymond Santana didnt even get the chance to hug their loved ones before being taken away.

The word guilty began to echo so many times in the courtroom, I lost count, Salaam said in his speech.

Salaam said the most profound question he was asked while in prison was, Who are you?

He was six months into his sentence in prison when an officer walked up to him and asked him that question. He explained he was one of the Central Park Five teenagers who were arrested and falsely accused. The officer acknowledged that, but then asked again, Who are you?

I realized that the answer floored me, Salaam said in his speech.

Salaam continued to learn about himself in his journey, although he said life had knocked him flat on his face.

He remained consistent and positive in his speech, saying again he had the awesome opportunity to go to prison.

I dont call it the belly of the beast, I rather call it the womb of America. If you shift the lens through which you see things, you get the opportunity to rise above, Salaam said.

Salaam went on to say the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. didnt just dream the impossible dream, he passed the baton to generations to come so they will know how to break generational curses.

A crowd of more than 100, including faculty members, students and local residents, attended the ceremony to hear Salaam speak.

Along with the keynote speaker, the program featured a spoken word performance from Danez Smith  a member of the colleges master of fine arts in creative writing program faculty  who performed five poems.

Joseph Peters, a sophomore at Randolph College studying business, said the poems during the spoken word were powerful.

Ive never really actually heard a poem other than, you know, in a class setting. It was a different experience, Peters said.

In terms of MLK Day, Peters explained growing up he spent a lot of time learning about Martin Luther King Jr. in school and he described him as a powerful figure.

Peters said without him, he thinks the world would be a different place.

Hunter Verling, a sophomore at the college studying business, said he always looked at Martin Luther King Jr. as inspiring what we today know as standing together, standing up for yourself, standing up for what you believe in and just trusting in the fact that if you have a voice and if you truly believe in something then you can impact something.

Verling found the ceremony powerful as well.

I definitely felt moved by the ceremony, Verling said. Having someone like Yusef Salaam here to share his story and share what hes been through and just see things from his perspective is definitely a blessing.
WASHINGTON  Congressman Chuck Edwards is going after toys that spy.

Edwards (NC-11) introduced the Transparency Over Toys Spying (TOTS) Act (H.R. 413), Edwards first sponsored legislation in the 118th Congress.

The TOTS Act requires that so-called smart toys, which connect to Bluetooth and the internet and which  unbeknownst to parents  collect data on their children, be clearly labeled and have data security policies that parents can easily understand and access, McDowell Countys newest congressman said in a news release.

Most smart toys are manufactured in China. It is unclear what Chinese companies that make these toys do with the information collected on children and American households.

Parents need to know whats going on with the toys they buy their children, said Edwards. The Federal Trade Commission has allowed smart-toy manufacturers to fly under the radar with weak data security practices hidden in vague privacy policies, jeopardizing the privacy of our nations children and families.

This lack of transparency leaves the door open for toy companies to literally spy on children, gathering information on the childs likes, dislikes and lifestyle.

Parents should be fully aware of a toys ability to collect their childs data before making a purchase, but the burden should not be on them to do a deep dive of every toys data-privacy policy before buying it. These data collection and security practices must be held to a higher standard of transparency.

Background

The Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998 requires website and online service operators, including operators of smart toys, to provide direct notice and obtain verifiable consent from parents before collecting, using or disclosing personal information of children younger than 13.

The Federal Trade Commissions (FTC) current interpretation of COPPA only requires toy companies to post privacy policies online and accepts credit or debit card transactions as verifiable parental consent. Thus, parents are at risk of consenting to their childs data collection without even knowing the toy can store information, placing the onus on parents to research and understand the data security and privacy protections of a toy prior to purchase.

The TOTS Act strengthens key shortfalls in notification standards under COPPA by:

Requiring toy companies to clearly label the exterior of the toys packaging that the toy can collect and share personal information, and whether such information is kept by the toy, the manufacturer or a third-party entity.

Requiring toy companies to make data security policies and practices easy to locate and read, including making sure this information is highlighted and is the first text presented on the user agreement or privacy policy.

Directing the FTC to enforce these requirements as authorized by the Federal Trade Commission Act.

The TOTS Act does not expand the FTCs power or authority.
Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and South Sudan are among six world nations that have lost their voting rights in the 193-member United Nations General Assembly because they are all in arrears on paying dues to the operating budget, the UN chief said in a communique.

The other countries facing such a punitive measure are Dominica, Venezuela and Lebanon, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Gabon is serving a two-year term on the Security Council though its voting rights there are not affected. The General Assembly decided that other three African countries on the list of nations in arrears  Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe and Somalia  would be able to keep their voting rights because they were granted the same exemption last year.

The UN Charter states that members whose arrears equal or exceed the amount of their contributions for the preceding two full years lose their voting rights. It also gives the UN General Assembly the authority to decide that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the member, and in that case, a country can continue to vote.

According to the UN chiefs letter, the minimum payments needed to restore voting rights are $76,244,991 for Venezuela, $1,835,303 for Lebanon, $619,103 for Equatorial Guinea, $196,130 for South Sudan, $61,686 for Gabon, and $20,580 for Dominica. With respect to South Sudan, Martin Wang, an independent researcher and analyst, described the ban as a setback of the youngest nation in the international forum. Basically, this is a setback in the progress that the nation had made in exerting its footprint on the international arena, Wang added.
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:

Association between the H. pylori seropositivity status and clinical outcomes in 97 patients with advanced melanoma. A. Stacked barplot between H. pylori seropositivity status in terms of ORR in 97 patients with advanced melanoma. CR; complete response. PR; partial response, SD; stable disease, PD; progressive disease analyzed using Chi-square test. B. KaplanMeier curve of overall survival in 97 patients with advanced melanoma. C. KaplanMeier curve of progression-free survival in 97 patients with advanced melanoma. D. Stacked barplot between H. pylori seropositivity status in terms of autoimmune toxicities in 97 patients with advanced melanoma. Credit: OncoImmunology (2022). DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2022.2096535

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that colonizes the stomach lining and is found in more than half of the global population, making it one of the most widespread bacterial infections in the world.

Most people with an H. pylori infection have no symptoms, but it can result in gastric ulcers and even stomach cancer.

A new Canadian study has found that seropositivity for the bacteriameaning a blood test has confirmed the presence of antibodies against a previous H. pylori infectionmay decrease the response to immunotherapy in people with metastatic melanoma, an advanced skin cancer.

The work is published in the journal OncoImmunology.

Dr. Marion Tonneau led the study as part of a CHUM Research Centre team under Universite de Montreal medical professor Dr. Bertrand Routy, who looks at how combining immunotherapy with fecal transplantation to modify gut microbiomes can help melanoma patients.

Routy and and his team studied nearly 100 patients with advanced melanoma who were treated with immunotherapy, focusing on the effect of the billions of gut-dwelling bacteria on the immune system. They found that patients who tested positive for H. pylori tended to respond more poorly to immunotherapy than patients who were negative, and had significantly shorter overall survival rates.

The study subjects all received immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), a form of immunotherapy that is currently at the forefront of treatment therapies for melanoma patients. ICI specifically stimulate the immune system to target cancer cells.

Routy's recent work has led researchers to take the microbiome into account in cancer research and treatments. Several studies to improve the efficacy of ICI by modifying intestinal microbiotasuch as through fecal transplantationare in the works.

Current research has been more broadly focused on intestinal microbiota, on the lower gastrointestinal tract, including the intestines, appendix and rectum. But Tonneau believes the new findings should encourage immuno-oncologists to take a keener interest in the upper gastrointestinal tract (the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, and stomach), as well.

"After all, H. pylori is found in the lining of the stomach, and it is present in over 50 percent of the world's population," she said. "Our study suggests that H. pylori, in addition to affecting the stomach, can potentially affect systemic immune response, notably by modifying the polarization of T lymphocytes. This is further evidence that microbiota play a role in the development of cancers, and not just intestinal cancers."

The next steps, according to Tonneau, are to corroborate these findings in broader prospective studies and to develop new strategies to eradicate H. pylori in patients undergoing immuno-oncological treatments.

More information: Marion Tonneau et al, Helicobacter pylori serology is associated with worse overall survival in patients with melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, OncoImmunology (2022). DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2022.2096535 Journal information: OncoImmunology
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Cancer cells can shrink or super-size themselves to survive drug treatment or other challenges within their environment, researchers have discovered.

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, combined biochemical profiling technologies with mathematical analyses to reveal how genetic changes lead to differences in the size of cancer cellsand how these changes could be exploited by new treatments.

The researchers believe smaller cells could be more vulnerable to DNA-damaging agents like chemotherapy combined with targeted drugs, while larger cancer cells might respond better to immunotherapy.

The study is published today (January 25) in the journal Science Advances. It combines innovative high-powered image analysis with examination of DNA and proteins to study size control in millions of skin cancer cells.

The skin cancer melanoma is driven by two different genetic mutations60% of cases are caused by a BRAF gene mutation, while 20% to 30% of cases are caused by an NRAS mutation.

The researchers set out to investigate the differences in size and shape of skin cancer cells harboring the two mutations, by using mathematical algorithms to analyze huge amounts of data on DNA and proteins.

The major difference was cell size. BRAF-mutant cancer cells were very small whereas NRAS-mutant cancer cells were much bigger. Drug resistant NRAS cells were even bigger.

Smaller cells appear to be able to tolerate higher levels of DNA damage, as they are very concentrated with proteins that repair DNAlike PARP, BRCA1, or ATM1 proteins.

The ICR researchers believe that this could make them more vulnerable to drugs like PARP inhibitorsdrugs blocking proteins responsible for repairing DNA damageespecially when combined with DNA-damaging agents such as chemotherapy.

In contrast, the larger NRAS-mutant cancer cells contained damage to their DNA instead of repairing it, accumulating mutations and enlarging. These larger cells were not as reliant on DNA repair machinery, so using chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors against them might not be as effective.

Scientists believe larger cells could be more responsive to immunotherapybecause their larger number of mutations could make them look more alien to the body. They are already exploring this theory with further studies.

The researchers believe BRAF and NRAS mutations may be driving the differences in cell size by regulating levels of a protein known as CCND1which is involved in cell division, growth and maintaining the cytoskeletonand its interactions with other proteins.

While the study focused on skin cancer cells, researchers suspect that this size-shifting ability and its impact on treatment response is common to multiple cancer types. They have already identified similar mechanisms in breast cancer and are now investigating whether the findings could apply to head and neck cancers.

The discovery provides new insight into how the size of cancer cells affects the overall disease, allowing for better predictions of how people with cancer will respond to different treatments simply by analyzing cell size.

Existing drugs could even be used to force cancer cells into a desired size prior to treatments like immunotherapy or radiotherapy, which could improve their effectiveness.

Study leader Professor Chris Bakal, Professor of Cancer Morphodynamics at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said, "We think of cancer as out of control and unpredictable, but we used image analysis and proteomics to show for the first time that certain genetic and protein changes lead to a controlled change in the size of cancer cells. Cancer cells can shrink or grow to enhance their ability to repair or contain DNA damage, and that in turn can make them resistant to certain treatments.

"We think our research has real diagnostic potential. By looking at cell size, pathologists could predict whether a drug will work, or if the cells will be resistant. In the future, it might even be possible to use AI to help guide the pathologist, by making a rapid assessment about the size of cells and so the treatments that are most likely to work.

"We also hope our discovery will lead to new treatment strategiesfor example creating drugs to target the proteins that regulate cell size."

Professor Kristian Helin, Chief Executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said, "This intriguing, fundamental study provides a correlation between genetic alterations in skin cancer cells and cell size. It opens the potential of using genetic alterations and cell size as biomarkers for how skin cancer will respond to treatments. It's particularly exciting that cell size could also be an important biomarker for how other cancers, such as breast or head and neck cancers, respond to treatments."

More information: Ian Jones et al, Characterization of proteome-size scaling by integrative omics reveals mechanisms of proliferation control in cancer, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add0636. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.add0636 Journal information: Science Advances
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Credit: Shutterstock

Why does one child experience excitement at the thought of starting the school year while another experiences debilitating anxiety?

It's rarely one thing and is often a combination of factors, including a child's temperament and self-confidence; their previous experiences at school, kinder or childcare; friendships they've already formed; and the types of transition activities they've undertaken.

As psychologists and mental health researchers, we also look at how the family is coping, and the child's previous history of mental health or developmental disability diagnoses.

The good news is research shows parents, schools and health professionals can intervene early to support children who are feeling anxious about school.

Our research team developed a program called AllPlay Learn to support children with disability, who are at higher risk of experiencing anxiety at school because of the additional load from new routines, friendships, expectations, and "sensory overload" (where the noise, clutter, smells and other sensory input from the classroom or playground become overwhelming and distressing to a child).

These strategies can help all children, parents and teachers to better cope with the transition to school, or going back after the holidays.

What does back-to-school anxiety look like?

Anxiety in children isn't always easy to spot. The symptoms can range from very subtle changes to body language, through to defiant behaviors such as anger and acting out.

Anxiety can present in a number of different ways. Credit: AllPlay Learn

However, avoidant behavior is a hallmark feature for anxious children. Everyone can relate to gravitating to what makes us comfortablebeing at home, engaging in things we like and are good at, and avoiding what makes us anxious or overwhelmed.

At its extreme, anxious-avoidant behavior in relation to school can turn into school refusal, where a student regularly misses school with their parents' knowledge due to school-related emotional distress.

4 ways parents can support their anxious child

How parents communicate about the new school year is important. Speaking positively about school and learning can reduce feelings of anxiety in children.

Parents can help children feel prepared and develop strategies to cope with feelings of anxiety by:

Familiarizing them with their new school/classroom. Take your child to visit their new school or classroom, read stories about school and "play" school so they can practice things they'll need to learn, such as packing their bag. Helping them set goals. Encourage them to identify the things they can already do to get settled in their classroom, then set small goals for what they can do next. For example, "I can say goodbye without getting upset when my mum leaves. This term, instead of mum walking me into the classroom, I will wave through the window." Developing some "calming" supports. Ask what has helped them before when they had worries. They could practice relaxation breathing, have quiet bedtime activities, practice "brave statements" (such as "I might feel a little worried, but I know the teacher will be there if I need help"), or bring a special item from home. Ensuring they can unwind after school. Some of the emotions your child has held inside all day may spill over when they return home. Consider calming activities, spaces or supports your child may need to process their emotions and sensory overwhelm.

Teacher support is important, particularly on arrival. Settling-in activities such as the choice to either read books or draw quietly can provide security to a child.

Communicating clear expectations of students, such as class rules, can also build trust between children and their teacher.

If a child is anxious, reflect on what aspects of school life might be contributing to anxious feelings and identifywith the child's inputwhat they could manage with supports in place. For example, a child may feel able to separate from parents in the morning if they have a familiar toy or photo from home, and can have some quiet time in the classroom before the bell. Over time, these additional supports can be reduced.

Allow children time and space to manage big emotions. Children may have different preferences for support when distressed, but may find it challenging to communicate their needs when anxious or upset.

Provide structure and predictability. Visual schedules, social narratives (stories that tell children what they can expect at school), and warnings for transitions can provide security. Knowing what to do and who to play with can be challenging for a child who is feeling anxious, particularly during unstructured school time such as lunchtime.

What if your child remains anxious about school?

Some children may experience significant signs of anxiety such as not sleeping, social withdrawal, changes in eating habits, or significant ongoing distress or unhappiness.

When children experience ongoing, significant signs of anxiety that don't resolve, some additional supports may be needed to ensure your child's well-being and feelings of safety at school.

Talk to your GP, who can rule out underlying medical factors and refer you to appropriate support services, such as a child and adolescent psychologist.

More evidence-based tips for supporting a child feeling anxious about starting the school year are available on the AllPlay Learn website. Other helpful resources include the Australian Psychological Society's referral service, Kids Helpline, and Beyond Blue.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Microglial cells. Credit: University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Microglia are cells that are central to both brain health as well as disease progression in many neurological conditions. Normally, microglia stabilize the brain by clearing out damaged neurons and protein plaques often associated with dementia and other brain diseases. But there is growing evidence that microglia also play an early and constant role in tauopathya family of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by tau aggregation and neuronal loss.

Despite unequivocal evidence in humans that certain microglial functions are actively involved in the progression of neurodegenerative disease, the precise mechanisms governing microglia function in tauopathy are still not well understood. Genome-wide transcriptomic studies have identified immune pathways that indicate early and strong involvement of microglia in human tauopathy and in related mouse models. Deletion of microglial-specific genes or genetic ablation of microglial cells in mice have been useful approaches to dissect microglial-mediated mechanisms in disease models, but pharmacologic tools used to manipulate microglial function have been limited.

Recently developed small-molecule drugs targeting colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF1R)a receptor kinase critical for survival and proliferation of CNS microglia, peripheral tissue macrophages and blood myeloid cellshave been approved for clinical use for oncology purposes.

In a study published January 9, 2023, in Nature Communications, senior author Carlo Condello, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UCSF Department of Neurology and the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, systematically tested CSF1R inhibition using multiple drug analogs at several time points in transgenic mice developing spontaneous tauopathy, and in an inoculation model of induced tauopathy.

The researchers demonstrated a reduction of tau pathology in multiple dosing schemes without complete microglial ablation. Drug exposure levels were correlated with the extent of tau-prion and microglial reduction, and unexpectedly, the researchers observed suppressed plasma biomarkers of neurodegeneration, rescue of aberrant behavior, and extended survival in female mice.

Despite greater drug exposure in male mice, only female mice had functional rescue and extended survival. A dose-dependent upregulation of immediate early genes and neurotransmitter dysregulation were observed in the brains of male mice only, indicating that excitotoxicity (causing cell damage) may preclude functional benefits. Drug-resilient microglia in male mice exhibit morphological and gene expression patterns consistent with increased neuroinflammatory signaling, suggesting a mechanistic basis for sex-specific excitotoxicity.

"To my knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a sex-related difference in efficacy or therapeutic benefit, at least in any neurological indication," said Condello. "The targeted tau deposits were reduced equally in males and females, but CSF1R inhibition extends survival and rescues other functional deficits only in female mice, even though drug exposure is two times higher in males compared to females. We found that drug consumption is same, but the females are much more active so we speculate higher metabolism may play a role in this difference."

CSF1R inhibition appears to preferentially eliminate these microglia in female mice, leaving the brain with a more quiescent and less inflammatory microglial population. In contrast, male mice showed a drug-induced, inflammatory microglial phenotype, which might contribute to neuronal excitotoxicity and diminished therapeutic effect.

In addition, the researchers questioned whether complete or continuous microglial ablation using CSF1R inhibitors was necessary, given the important and diverse roles these cells play in brain health and disease.

"The goal of our study was to define a therapeutic window that not only reduced pathological markers, but also led to functional improvement," said Condello. "Almost all other preclinical models were pushing the drug dose to wipe out all microglia, in effect, treating the cells as this binary thing that all are bad. In contrast, our study really points to the fact that we can ablate a fraction of those, only the tauopathy-activated cells, and still make therapeutic gains. We show that neither continuous dosing nor complete ablation of cells is necessary for efficacy and rescue.

However, Condello notes that therapeutics targeting microglia must consider sex-dependent effects. "While further investigation is needed to determine if similar sex dependent differences exist in humans, our study is perhaps the first to reveal sex-dependent biology caused by pharmacological intervention," said Condello.

More information: Noah R. Johnson et al, CSF1R inhibitors induce a sex-specific resilient microglial phenotype and functional rescue in a tauopathy mouse model, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35753-w Journal information: Nature Communications
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - Randal Worcester departs from the Crawford County, Ark., Justice Center in Van Buren, Ark., Aug. 22, 2022. Two former Arkansas law enforcement officers are charged with civil rights violations in the violent arrest of Worcester outside a convenience store that was caught on video and widely shared on social media, the Justice Department said Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo, File)

Two former Arkansas law enforcement officers are charged with civil rights violations in the violent arrest of a man outside a convenience store that was caught on video and widely shared on social media, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Former Crawford County sheriff's deputies Zack King and Levi White are charged in the Aug. 21 arrest of 27-year-old Randal Worcester outside a convenience store in the small town of Mulberry, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock, near the border with Oklahoma.

In an indictment unsealed Tuesday, a federal grand jury charged White and King with using excessive force by hitting Worcester multiple times while he was on the ground. A bystander recorded the arrest on a cellphone.

An attorney for the former deputies, Russell Woods, said his clients deny the allegations in the indictment.

If convicted, each deputy faces up to 10 years in prison.

Charges were not announced against Mulberry police officer Thell Riddle, who was also on the video. Former Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante fired King and White in October.

The current sheriff, Daniel Perry, declined to comment on the charges.

Damante has said Worcester, of Goose Creek, South Carolina, was being questioned for threatening a clerk at a nearby convenience store and that he attacked one of deputies. The deputy suffered a concussion, Damante has said.

The three officers were suspended after the video came to light, and state and federal authorities launched investigations. The state's criminal investigation remains open and active, said Emily White, the state special prosecutor assigned to the case.

Worcester filed a federal lawsuit against the officers and local officials, saying they violated his constitutional rights during the arrest. Rachel Bussett, an attorney for Worcester, said she was pleased the two had been arrested.

Now theyre just going to have to go through the court process," Bussett said.

Policing experts have said the video raises red flags about the officers actions, saying that blows to the head amount to a potentially deadly use of force thats justified only when someone poses a current and serious threat.

Worcester was treated at a hospital then jailed on charges including second-degree battery and resisting arrest. He was released the following day on a $15,000 bond. Worcesters lawsuit said he has permanent injuries and will need continued medical treatment.
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Every morning, Luther Moxley helps his partner of 35 years, Wayne Curtis, out of bed and into his wheelchair. Curtis, who has Parkinson's disease and is partially blind, washes himself seated in the shower, but he needs Moxley to dry him and help him back into his chair.

Moxley makes their meals and cuts Curtis' food into bite-sized pieces. He manages the household and does the grocery shopping. He takes Curtis to and from the doctor and anywhere else he needs to go. But in truth, they rarely go anywhere anymore.

"We're pretty much isolated," said Moxley, 74, who cares for 83-year-old Curtis full time. Though Curtis has some family, there are none who will help. The couple has no children. Moxley, who has no surviving family, wonders what will happen to him should he someday need care of his own.

"I guess I would have to go into some kind of assisted living," he said.

Their situation is all too common among people who identify as LGBTQ, whose caretaking needs are rising as the population ages. The National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging estimates that by 2030, there will be 7 million U.S. adults 65 and older who identify as LGBTQ.

The number could grow even higher when younger generations reach their senior years. A 2021 Gallup poll shows the percentage of people who identify as LGBTQ grows with each subsequent generation. Roughly 21% of Generation Z adults openly identify this way, compared to 11% of millennials, 4% of Generation X and 3% of baby boomers.

And unlike their cisgender and heterosexual peers, LGBTQ people are more likely to end up as caregivers for friends, partners or family members. An estimated 1 in 5 LGBT people are caregivers, compared to 1 in 6 people in the general population, according to a 2015 caregiving report from National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP Public Policy Institute.

LGBTQ people are less likely to have children to help care for them and are more likely to live alone, said David Vincent, chief program officer for SAGE, a New York City-based national advocacy and service organization for older LGBTQ adults. They also are more likely to face discrimination and feel isolated. "Their support networks are incredibly thin."

Moxley and Curtis had a strong social support network when they lived in Palm Springs, California, known for its thriving gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. But five years ago, they retired 266 miles west to Santa Maria, which is less openly gay.

"We got here and just as we were starting to socialize a bit and get to know gay people in the area, COVID hit," Moxley said. By the time pandemic restrictions were lifted, Curtis' condition had deteriorated too far to allow him to enjoy nights out or for Moxley to leave him home alone.

"At this point, I've accepted what my situation is," Moxley said. "I've learned to adjust."

Moxley said attempts to bring in outside help were unsuccessful for a variety of reasons.

It's not uncommon for LGBTQ people to be reluctant to seek help from people unknown to them, said Jason Flatt, an assistant professor in the department of social and behavioral health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Public Health. In addition to the general discomfort of having a stranger perform intimate tasks, such as toileting, he said many LGBTQ people are concerned about receiving subpar care from people who might discriminate against them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Zander Keig, a 56-year-old transsexual man in Orlando, Florida, said same-sex couples often feel so apprehensive about being mistreated that they "de-gay the apartment when home health comes in, because they don't want to face any prejudice or mistreatment. It's always a concern. What are they going to notice?"

Keig and his wife provided care for his father when he developed dementia. That's when Keig realized how little support there was for LGBTQ caregivers, especially men. He eventually connected with someone online who shared his experience, but that person lived in another state. His struggles led him to co-found the LGBTQ Caregiver Center, an online resource directory and social support hub to address the unique needs of LGBTQ caregivers.

"I wanted to create a place where people could find resources," Keig said.

He now finds himself thinking about his own future. Like Moxley and Curtis, he and his wife have no children to care for them. They're searching for a life plan community where they can age in place with continuing care services that grow with them as they age.

"I'm not worried about fitting in," Keig said. "No one would know I'm trans if I didn't tell them." But Keig will need testosterone shots for the rest of his life and wonders if he'd receive them if he weren't mentally competent enough to ask or if he'd run into resistance from nursing staff.

According to a 2021 AARP survey, 41% of LGBTQ adults ages 45 and older were at least somewhat worried about having to hide their LGBTQ identity to access housing for older adults. Worry was most common among transgender and nonbinary adults, with 58% expressing concern.

The LGBTQ Caregiver Center provides training to people who work with LGBTQ older adults and nursing home staff, so that someone who is transgender or has a same-sex partner doesn't experience discrimination, Keig said. Efforts also are underway at the Human Rights Campaign, in partnership with SAGE, to produce a Long-Term Care Equality Index that evaluates facilities based on equity and inclusion of LGBTQ residents and patients.

Vincent said SAGE has provided more than 100,000 people in the elder care field with education to provide culturally competent care. They have accredited about 1,000 agencies across the country where staff have received this training.

"I think we need as a society to continue to train and support health care providers and social services providers to offer culturally competent and sensitive care to LGBTQ older adults so those who need services feel safe getting the care and support they need," Vincent said.

Copyright  2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Some viral illnesses may increase a person's chances of later developing Alzheimer's disease or another neurodegenerative disorder. Though a causal link cannot be confirmed, an NIH study in which researchers mined the medical records of hundreds of thousands of people in Finland and the United Kingdom found significant associations.

As published in Neuron, the researchers found there may be at least 22 pairings between a neurodegenerative disorder diagnosis and a previous viral infection that led to a hospital visit. The strongest risk association was between viral encephalitisan inflammation of the brain caused by a virusand Alzheimer's disease. Meanwhile, hospitalizations due to pneumonia-causing flu viruses were linked to the diagnoses of several disorders, including dementia, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study results also raised the possibility that existing vaccinations may help some people reduce the chances of experiencing these disorders.

"Neurodegenerative disorders are a collection of diseases for which there are very few effective treatments and many risk factors," said Andrew B. Singleton, Ph.D., director, NIH Center for Alzheimer's Related Dementias (CARD); NIH Distinguished Investigator; and a study author. "Our results support the idea that viral infections and related inflammation in the nervous system may be commonand possibly avoidablerisk factors for these types of disorders."

Neurodegenerative disorders damage different parts of the nervous system. Typically, this happens later in life and produces a variety of problems, including with thinking, remembering, and moving. Several previous studies have suggested that certain viruses may play a role in each of these disorders. For example, a 1991 study of autopsied brain tissue suggested there may be link between herpes simplex virus and Alzheimer's disease. More recently, scientists found evidence for a link between the Epstein Barr virus and multiple sclerosis by analyzing patient blood samples and medical records. The latter study sparked the CARD team to conduct this new study.

"After reading the Epstein Barr virus study we realized that for years scientists had been searching, one-by-one, for links between an individual neurodegenerative disorder and a specific virus," said Michael Nalls, Ph.D., leader of the NIH CARD Advanced Analytics Expert Group and study senior author.

"That's when we decided to try a different, more data science-based approach. By using medical records, we were able to systematically search for all possible links in one shot."

Led by Kristin S. Levine, M.S. and Hampton L. Leonard, M.S., two NIH CARD data scientists, the researchers mined the medical records of 300,000 individuals stored in FinnGen, a nationwide Finnish biobank. Specifically, they searched for individuals who had one of six neurodegenerative disorder diagnoses: Alzheimer's disease, ALS, generalized dementia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, or vascular dementia; and then checked to see if a viral infection caused those individuals to make a prior visit to the hospital. Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 were not included in the study.

Initially, they found 45 significant associations between a neurodegenerative disease diagnosis and a previous viral infection. That number narrowed to 22 associations after the scientists performed a second search of UKBiobank, which contains the records of 500,000 individuals from the United Kingdom.

Of all the neurodegenerative disorders, generalized dementia had the most associations, with links to six different virus exposures. These exposures were categorized as viral encephalitis, viral warts, other viral diseases, all influenza, influenza and pneumonia, and viral pneumonia. Individuals who had viral encephalitis were at least 20 times more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's than those who did not experience that virus.

Severe cases of influenza were linked to the widest range of risks. Influenza and pneumonia exposures were associated with all the neurodegenerative disorder diagnoses except multiple sclerosis.

"Keep in mind that the individuals we studied did not have the common cold. Their infections made them so sick that they had to go to the hospital," said Dr. Nalls, "Nevertheless, the fact that commonly-used vaccines reduce the risk or severity of many of the viral illnesses observed in this study raises the possibility that the risks of neurodegenerative disorders might also be mitigated."

Further analysis of the FinnGen data suggested that the risks associated with some viruses may wear off over time. Here the researchers analyzed 16 of the 22 associations that were common between the FinnGen and the UKBioBank data. For all 16, the risks of being diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder was high within one year of an infection. However, only six of those associations remained significant if the infection happened five to 15 years before the diagnosis.

Finally, it is known that about 80% of the viruses observed in this study can invade the nervous system and trigger the immune system's inflammatory response.

"The results of this study provides researchers with several new critical pieces of the neurodegenerative disorder puzzle," said Dr. Nalls. "In the future, we plan to use the latest data science tools to not only find more pieces but also help researchers understand how those pieces, including genes and other risk factors, fit together."

More information: Kristin S. Levine et al, Virus exposure and neurodegenerative disease risk across national biobanks, Neuron (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.12.029 Journal information: Neuron
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Despite lifestyle interventions for weight loss having limited effectiveness in workplaces when evaluated in randomized trials, a new program named Healthy Weight for Living (HWL) implemented with and without meal replacements and delivered in person or by videoconference reveals a significant weight loss in employees after six months, according to a new study in Obesity.

"We know that one-size-fits-all type solutions do not work for everyone, and as nutrition scientists, it is our responsibility to provide options for weight management that are both effective and easy to follow," said Sai Krupa Das, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging and Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, Mass. Das is the lead and corresponding author of the study.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend offering lifestyle interventions for healthy weight management in workplaces since the majority of adults are employed and rising health care costs incentivize employers to support employee health. However, systematic reviews have indicated that most lifestyle interventions tested in employees, as well as commercial lifestyle interventions suited for scaled use in workplaces, have not achieved significant weight loss. Researchers observe that one potential explanation is that burdensome core features such as daily food logging limit participant adherence. Another factor is the widespread availability of unhealthy food at workplaces.

The HWL approach addresses biological antecedents of food intake (hunger, food cravings, and food preferences), and develops intrinsic motivation for behavior changes leading to weight loss, topics that receive limited emphasis in traditional lifestyle interventions.

Twelve workplaces in the Boston area were randomized to an 18-month intervention with or without meal replacements by a commercial provider. Workplaces were cluster randomized in a 2:1 ratio with eight intervention sites and four control sites stratified by workplace type (e.g., commercial organizations, nonprofits). Participants within intervention sites were individually randomized to HWL or HWL and meal replacements, with the group weight loss program delivered in person or by videoconference.

Participants were employees with overweight or obesity. More than 80% of participants were female, an average age of 48, with a body mass index of 33 kg/m2. To recruit employees, emails were sent out by the organizations informing them of the study. Researchers conducted onsite information sessions with prospective participant screenings. Approximately 260 individuals enrolled in the HWL and HWL meal replacements groups, while 76 participants were in the control group. Recruitment took place between September 2015 and February 2016 with the trial completed in February 2018.

Results were measured at the workplaces by a research team that had no role in intervention delivery. Assessments were conducted at baseline and 6 months in all participants and at 12 and 18 months in intervention participants. Results showed that at the 6-month mark, weight loss among participants was 8.8% in the HWL group and 8.0% in the HWL with meal replacements group with improvements in general health, vitality and sleep in both groups. Weight loss greater than 5% was maintained at the 18-month mark for both groups.

"The study results show how significant and scalable weight reduction is achievable in the workforce community. Rather than focusing on food logging and exercise, the use of a revised health behavior change model makes impactful changes. Clinically meaningful weight loss was shown among participants, along with lower dropout rates and sustained weight reduction at 18 months. Additionally, the results demonstrate the effectiveness and flexibility of delivering a low-cost intervention by videoconference," said Florencia Ziemke, MD, dABOM; Founder and CEO, Evexia Medical. Ziemke was not associated with the study.

Ziemke added that promoting health in the workforce can improve physical, mental, emotional health; boost productivity, increase engagement, decrease health care costs and improve staff retention. "These results are a first step and very promising for future studies," she said.

The study, titled "Randomized Controlled Trial of a Novel Lifestyle Intervention Used with or without Meal Replacements in Worksites," will be published in the February 2023 print edition of Obesity.

More information: Randomized Controlled Trial of a Novel Lifestyle Intervention Used with or without Meal Replacements in Worksites,Obesity (2023). DOI: 10.1002/oby.23636. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.23636 Journal information: Obesity
Joint meeting of the Collegium of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus and the Collegium of the Foreign Ministry of Russia

On January 19, 2023 Minsk hosted an annual joint meeting of the Collegium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus and the Collegium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation under the chairmanship of the Foreign Ministers of the two countries Sergei Aleinik and Sergey Lavrov.

The participants of the meeting considered in detail the state and prospects for the development of Belarusian-Russian cooperation, taking into account the qualitative changes in the global and regional international situation. A number of practical aspects of cooperation between the Foreign Ministries were discussed with an emphasis on the tasks set by the Presidents of the two countries in the economic and political spheres, and developing integration formats.

Special attention was paid to further strengthening cooperation on multilateral platforms in the face of unprecedented pressure from the West. The sides agreed on the exceptional importance of the topic of arms control in the current conditions. The parties agreed to coordinate activity regarding international structures.

The sides reviewed in detail the progress in implementing the Program of Coordinated Actions in the Field of Foreign Policy of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State for 2022-2023. The effectiveness of this work and the special importance of this tool in the context of a confidence crisis in international relations and segmentation of the global world order were noted.

During the one-on-one meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, issues of foreign policy planning, promotion of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, including in the interregional aspect, were discussed. The parties "compared notes" regarding the current international agenda. The Belarusian side noted the importance of Russia's support for Belarus' accession to the SCO as a full-fledged member.

The participants of the joint meeting got acquainted with the exhibition "A Uniform for a Hero", dedicated to the 210th Anniversary of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, prepared by the famous Belarusian collector, laureate of the Prize of the President of the Republic of Belarus "For Spiritual Revival" Vladimir Lihodedov and the National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus.

On the sidelines of the event, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia S.Lavrov presented V.Lihodedov with the Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation for his services in strengthening cooperation between the peoples of the two countries.

As a result of the meeting, a number of significant documents were signed, namely the Resolution of the joint meeting of the Collegium of the Foreign Ministries and the Plan of Ministerial Consultations, Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Russian Federation on issues of ensuring biological safety.

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Scientists are working to better track and understand the rain-snow transition around western Montana  and to do that, they need Montanans to become citizen scientists.

In a one-hour talk at the Missoula Public Library on Feb. 6, scientists from the Desert Research Institute and University of Montana will explain how the rain-snow transition impacts agriculture and commerce, transportation, climate, hydrology, drought, flooding, tourism, avalanche forecasting and more. And, theyll highlight how citizen scientists  regular folks collecting and reporting quick, simple observations  are crucial to better understanding the rain-snow transition. The talk begins at 6 p.m. in room Copper A 401. The library is located at 455 East. Main St. in downtown Missoula.

For all they can do, weather satellites arent that good at determining whether its raining or snowing when air temperatures are around freezing. Humans, however, are very good at it. Whenever precipitation occurs and air temps are in the upper 20s through high 30s, people can simply peek outside and quickly report whether precipitation is falling as rain, snow or a mix. The rain-snow transition occurs at different temperatures in different places, and it can vary locally depending on other factors. The better that transition is understood  and the better its variations are understood  the more accurately forecasters can answer an age-old question: Is it going to rain or snow?

The Feb. 6 talk will feature Meghan Collins, a DRI associate research scientist in science communication, and Kyle Bocinsky, the director of UMs Climate Extension for Montana, part of the Montana Climate Office. The talk will begin with explaining why rain-snow estimates matter, and the recent rain-on-snow events in western Montana, Collins said on Wednesday.

For this region, estimating rain versus snow matters, she said. We saw that with the flooding but theres many other reasons. Citizen or community observations are really the best way to advance the science.

To that end, DRI; University of Nevada, Reno; and Lynker, an environmental science and technology company, started Mountain Rain or Snow. The NASA-funded project allows volunteers to report how precipitation is falling at their location. Observations are entered via a simple web app accessed on a phone or computer. Volunteers enter a keyword associated with their general location, then the app sends a text-message notification when temperatures and precipitation potential in the area are ripe for helpful observations. Collins is the engagement leader for Mountain Rain and Snow.

In the talk, DRI and UM scientists will showcase the impact of more than 20,000 community observations collected so far, and share how people can get involved. In past winters, Mountain Rain or Snow recorded zero observations from around Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley. After rolling out a Missoula-specific keyword for reporting observations (BITTERROOT) last fall, the project has recorded dozens of observations from the area so far this winter, Collins said. Volunteers can sign up by texting BITTERROOT to 855-909-0798.

We are really interested in putting western Montana on the map, she said. Every mountain range in every region is unique, and we want to understand the specific rain-snow differences in Montana.
Eight people have died and 28 more are suspected to have overdosed from fentanyl in Montana since Jan. 11, according to Montana officials.

Authorities report a recent spike in fentanyl overdoses around the state, according to an alert this week from the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation shared by local law enforcement agencies.

The eight deaths were part of 36 total overdoses, and many of the people told officials they had taken fentanyl before their overdose. Overdoses happened in counties scattered across Montana, including Missoula, Lake, Flathead and Ravalli.

On Tuesday, Montana Department of Justice Spokesperson Emilee Cantrell said officials initially reported five fatalities, but as of Jan. 20, that number had increased to eight. There were 28 non-fatal suspected fentanyl overdoses in the same period.

The deaths happened in Choteau, Custer, Missoula, Sheridan, Silver Bow and Yellowstone counties. Two deaths happened in Lewis and Clark County, Cantrell said.

Fentanyl is a synthetic, fast-acting opioid that is 50-100 times more potent than morphine. It is approved for treatment for some medical conditions. However, the opioid recently has been artificially manufactured and sold across the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Controls website.

The alert from the DCI stated that fentanyl can be absorbed through skin contact, which is corroborated in part by the CDC.

Toxicology expert Daniel Colby said in a 2022 interview with UC Davis Health that fentanyl cant be absorbed through the skin via casual exposure, like touching money or a door handle.

The one case in which fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin is with a special doctor-prescribed fentanyl skin patch, and even then, it takes hours of exposure, Colby said.

According to the National Harm Reduction Coalition, overdoses cant happen from touching powdered fentanyl, but rather require absorption into the bloodstream or mucous membrane.

The DCIs alert urged people not to touch unknown pills or substances without personal protective equipment.

Fentanyl pills are the most common form of the synthetic opioid in Montana, according to the alert. Montana authorities have recently seized what they call rainbow fentanyl. The multi-colored pills have an M 30 stamp pressed into them. Fentanyl pills can also be a solid light blue color, also with an M 30 impression.

Fentanyl overdoses can be combated with Naloxone, commonly found in the form of a nasal spray called NARCAN.

People are encouraged to immediately call 911 if they think theyve ingested fentanyl or are experiencing an overdose. The National Harm Reduction Coalitions website also includes resources on how to find Naloxone nearby.
A Texas woman admitted to federal charges accusing her of lying to FBI agents about the whereabouts of her son, who is facing international kidnapping charges after he allegedly absconded to Costa Rica with his 4-year-old son.

Candace K. Bright, 68, of Midland, Texas, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to false statements during a video court appearance from Midland, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen DeSoto presided.

A sentencing date was set for May 31. Bright faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

On Aug. 19, 2021, federal court documents allege Brights son and co-defendant, Jacob I. Strong, of Sanders County, didnt return his 4-year-old son to the childs mother at the end of Strongs visitation period.

Deputies in Sanders County were unable to locate Strong or the child. Sanders County charged Strong on Aug. 31 with felony parental inference, which prompted the FBI to open an investigation into the case, the press release stated.

FBI agents interviewed Bright on Oct. 4, 2021. The agent told Bright that lying to a federal officer is a crime, to which Bright reportedly responded, I know. Charging documents say Bright lied to the FBI, telling them she didnt know Strongs whereabouts and she hadnt seen them since Aug. 17, 2021, two days before Strong allegedly didnt show up with the child.

In December 2021, Bright called the FBI agent and denied again knowing where her son and grandson were located.

A month later in January 2022, the FBI learned Strong and the child left the U.S. near Midland, Texas in October 2021. They drove to Costa Rica through Mexico, according to the press release.

Bright was traveling with the two on and off since August, and she reportedly knew Strongs whereabouts during her conversations with federal authorities. Court documents allege that she was also physically present when the two left Texas for Costa Rica, and used encrypted messaging services to communicate with Strong.

Had Bright been honest with the FBI, Strong and his son likely would have been found in the fall of 2021, the press release stated. Instead, based largely on Brights false statements, Strong was not arrested until May 22, 2022, nine months after he absconded with his son.

Strong is charged with international parental kidnapping and conspiracy to commit international parental kidnapping. He pleaded not guilty in August 2022, and currently has a trial scheduled for Jan. 30, federal court filings show.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
Eve Byron jokingly compares it to moving your house  on steroids.

For nearly a year, Montana Historical Society staff has been packing away what will eventually be nearly 60,000 artifacts to prepare for the 66,000-square-foot expansion of the current facility.

Boxes, full and empty, are scattered throughout the current building, which will be renovated. Cabinets and other items are marked as to whether they will stay on-site or be temporarily moved.

The $81 million Montana Heritage Center at 225 Roberts St., expected to open in late 2024 or early 2025, will have expanded galleries so visitors can see more of the art and artifacts held in trust by the Montana Historical Society. It also will include meeting rooms for up to 300 people and a public cafe.

Byron, the public information officer for the Montana Historical Society, said Tuesday the items will be moved off-site, where they will remain for nearly two years.

Administration and other employees, their desks, computers, wiring and other essentials will be relocated to a state building at 910 Helena Ave., she said. The move will begin in March and be done in phases.

But not everyone and everything will move, Byron said, adding that museum and gallery personnel will be staying on-site working on displays and design of the new building.

We have some outside help, but we know the collections best, she said.

Byron called the temporary move and packing a daunting task.

If youve ever cleaned out your parents home  she said.

The museum closed four of its galleries in late December and plans to use the space for storage during renovations. The new galleries will be expanded, some to three times of their current size.

And last week the Historical Society announced it is loaning 20 Charles M. Russell paintings to the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls as the Helena museum is undergoing renovations.

Kendra Newhall, a senior registrar, said she has been preparing for the move for nearly two years.

Its a long and hard process, she said as she stands near a cannon, half of a ships helm and some kind of kitchen gizmo. It takes a long time.

Asked if she sees a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of packing, Newhall said some days it is awful cloudy.

Byron said some of the items are too big and fragile to move.

She said Big Medicine, the mounted white buffalo located by the reference center on the second floor, will remain at the museum through the renovations.

The Montana Historical Society board of trustees voted unanimously in October to return ownership of Big Medicine, who has been part of the museum since 1961, to the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe.

The tribe asked for the buffalo to be returned, saying it was taken from their land at the National Bison Range on the Flathead Indian Reservation. There are plans to build a cultural center and display him there.

We want to minimize the moving of Big Medicine as much as possible, Byron said, adding an enclosure would be built around him.

Byron said the contractor is expected to soon take down the wall that separates the 66,000-square-foot addition from the current building.

The current 70-year-old building also will be renovated with new classrooms and expanded galleries and a research center.

Ground was broken on the center in September 2020, following a nearly 15-year effort to build a new facility. Officials have argued the current museum was outdated and did not have the room to display the states extensive collections. It was designed by architects at Cushing Terrell, is being built by Sletten Construction, and is expected to bring in 78,000 more visitors a year and create $7.5 million more in annual tourist spending.
Labor groups in Montana lined up in opposition Tuesday to a bill that would require public employees to sign a consent form each year affirming they want to remain in a union.

About 20 opponents spoke against House Bill 216 during a House State Administration Committee hearing, arguing the it would create onerous requirements for union membership, under the guise of codifying a 2018 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. That ruling, known as the Janus decision, found that public employees cannot be required to pay dues to a union as a condition of employment.

These would make it hard or nearly impossible for employees to exercise their right to join together to demand reasonable wages and working conditions, Jasmine Krotkov, with the Montana Farmers Union, said of the proposed requirements. That right is essential for rural families and communities to earn a living.

Rep. Bill Mercer, R-Billings, said his bill would simply codify the Supreme Court's decision. He cited legal opinions issued by attorneys general in Indiana, Alaska and Texas which all indicated that in order to comply with the decision, governments should provide a form each year reminding public employees they dont have to join a union and requiring them to affirm that they want to continue being dues-paying members.

All this is doing is saying we want to put a piece of paper in front of every worker annually to say you can join or you dont have to join, Mercer said. "Thats your right.

He did, however, note that those opinions dont carry the weight of law, and indicated that Montanas attorney general had not issued a similar opinion. The Montana Legislature passed a measure in 2021 that sought to codify the new requirement that public employees can't be forced to pay union dues.

A trio of conservative organizations that have sought to reduce the influence of labor unions backed the bill.

We believe this is a necessary step to give Montana public employees meaningful control over the paychecks they receive, said Max Nelson with the Freedom Foundation, and to better protect their civil rights as recognized by the Supreme Court in the Janus decision.

Nelson and other bill supporters took aim at a requirement of some public-employee unions that only allows members to withdraw during a certain month of the year. HB 216 would allow employees to stop paying dues at any time once they give written notice to the employer or union.

But the bills most contentious section would require government employers to have their workers sign a form with language informing them of their right not to associate with a union and that you may not be discriminated against for your refusal to join or financially support a union.

Opponents argued that provision runs afoul of language in both the U.S. and Montana constitutions that limits government interference in private contracts. Amanda Frickle, representing the Montana AFL-CIO, said it would amount to the state mandating an end to the members union contract, unless the employee signs the form.

That is this legislative body directly infringing on the negotiation of a private contract, she said. Thats what all of this boils down to.

Nelson repeatedly pointed to language in a 2021 contract for public employees in Great Falls that indicated employees had to join a union as a condition of employment. He said language remaining in that contract and others like it is evidence that state intervention is needed.

Any employee thats covered by this contract, that refers to it as a guide for what their rights in the workplace are, is going to be left with the false impression that they have no choice, Nelson told the committee.

In a later exchange, Rep. Greg Frazier, a Deer Lodge Republican and himself a 17-year member of a public employee union, asked if Nelson also had a copy of the entire contract. After Nelson said he didnt, Frazier pointed to language elsewhere in the contract known as a savings clause that says requirements elsewhere in the contract would be superseded by court precedent, such as the Janus decision.

Amanda Curtis, the president of the Montana Federation of Public Employees, said that her organization represents more than 360 local bargaining units across the state. Each has a different way of communicating those rights with new hires, she said, but noted its abundantly clear if you Google any of this information that public employees can no longer be required to join a union.

The committee didnt act on the bill Tuesday.

But in the Senate, Republicans and Democrats on the Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee found common ground on another labor bill, voting down a measure that sought similar restrictions on unions representing nonprofit employees.

In an 7-3 vote, the committee voted to table Senate Bill 140. It sought to bar nonprofit employers from collecting union fees or payments unless the employee affirmatively consents.

The committees chair, Sen. Jason Small, R-Busby, was among four Republicans on the panel to vote against it.

As far as Im concerned, its all right-to-work legislation, just some of its watered down more than others, Small said.

The committee tabled the bill, meaning its likely dead for the session, but still could be revived later in the legislative process.
Sandra Ali at WDIV.

After 13 years at WDIV-TV (Channel 4), award-winning anchor and reporter Sandra Ali announced her departure during her last newscast Sunday night.

"I'm moving on to a wonderful, new opportunity," Ali said. "This decision was my own. I'm excited and focused on the future."

Although she has not yet announced her next venture, she told viewers on Sunday, "I cant wait to see you all again on TV soon."

Ali delivered the news for WDIV at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. every weekend. She has made regular network appearances on CNN and Fox News and often spoke about her experience as an Arab American woman balancing Middle Eastern and western cultures.

The mother of four was born in New York City but raised in Egypt during her early childhood.

More: Michigan man files lawsuit against Adidas

More: 4 or more inches of snow in forecast for Wednesday

Ali began her career on television at the CBS affiliate in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Two years later, she moved to Michigan to report for Fox 2 News and anchor the top-rated weekend editions of "Fox 2 Detroit" at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

In 2004, Ali left Michigan to join the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the station's main anchor. She worked there for six years before moving back to Detroit and working as an anchor at WDIV until this year.

Ali said she will miss the friendships she made at WDIV the most.

"Im honored youve allowed me to come into your homes, night after night," she said. "I take that role very seriously."

Contact Nour Rahal: nrahal@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: WDIV anchor Sandra Ali leaving Detroit station after 13 years
Photo: The Canadian Press Tyler Shandro answers questions at a news conference, in Calgary, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. Shandro is before a Law Society of Alberta hearing today to answer allegations he broke the lawyers code of conduct.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Todd Korol

The Law Society of Alberta heard Tuesday a number of allegations about Albertas justice minister over suggestions he violated the profession's code of conduct.

Tyler Shandro is facing three complaints dating back to his time as the province's health minister early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Calgary doctor, who had posted a photo on social media of Shandro with a caption related to privatizing health care, told the hearing he received a visit to his home from the minister and his wife in March 2020. He said it occurred during fractious negotiations between the government and the Alberta Medical Association over fees.

The photo of Shandro, with a thought bubble caption, said: "So every Albertan that I can kick off health care is another client we can sign up for Vital Partners. We're going to be RICH".

Shandro's wife, Andrea, is the co-founder of Vital Partners, a health insurance agency.

Dr. Mukarram Zaidi testified he went outside of his home to meet Shandro and described the minister as being highly upset as he demanded the doctor remove the post immediately because his family was being subjected to death threats.

"I see Shandro and his wife standing at the sidewalk. He was crying, he was emotionally charged. His wife was holding him," Zaidi said.

"He said, 'You can't do this to us. We're getting death threats.' I think I asked him, 'What do you want me to do?' And he said, 'Delete your post.'"

Zaidi said he complied and felt that Shandro was visiting in his capacity with the United Conservative Party government and not as a private citizen.

The doctor said he is a member of the UCP, an activist and had known Shandro for some time.

Zaidi told the panel that he later put the matter behind him but was contacted by a CBC journalist and told him what happened.

Under examination from Shandro's lawyer, the doctor said he hadn't planned the original post or his media interview as a strategy to discredit the minister during fee negotiations.

"I wanted to get attention that this is a conflict of interest, of a sitting minister of health, whose business would benefit in turn for what his actions were," he said.

After the story emerged, Shandro issued a statement confirming the meeting.

"The attacks on someone I love and the mother of my children upset me deeply. As any husband would do I responded passionately to defend my wife," he wrote.

Shandrosaid in the statement that he had known Zaidi to be a decent and honourable man.

"When I saw that a longtime political acquaintance and neighbour had posted something to social media that was contributing to attacks against my wife I went to speak to him and implore him to cease propagating this false information."

Shandro resigned as health minister in September 2021. He was briefly labour and immigration minister before he was appointed to the justice portfolio in 2022.

Shandro's lawyer, Grant Stapon, told the hearing that the conversation between Shandro and Zaidi was a private matter.

"Those communications should be judged on the basis of Minister Shandro's actions as a non-lawyer, in his personal capacity," said Stapon.

"He was not practising law. He was not acting as a politician. He was acting in his personal capacity."

Zaidi said he found the encounter unsettling.

"I don't really get intimidated. This was a very intimidating situation."

Two doctors also complained that Shandro used his position as health minister to obtain their personal cellphone numbers and contacted them outside regular working hours.

Dr. Lauralee Dukeshire said she was practising medicine in the Red Deer area when she and another doctor attempted to attend an announcement by Shandro and former Premier Jason Kenney at a hospital.

She testified that she yelled at Shandro and Kenney as they were leaving and asked why they wouldn't stop and talk to the doctors. When Shandro got on an elevator, she said she told him he was "a liar and a cheat."

Dukeshire said she was surprised days later when she received a voice mail on her phone from Shandro, who said he got her number from Alberta Health Services.

"He said I was welcome to call back to discuss my concerns. My first thought was how does he know who I am and how did he track me down?" she said.

"My initial reaction was disbelief and a bit of fear. I felt that the government had tracked me down to say we know who you are and we can find you 36 hours after I had said something insulting to him."

The hearing runs through Thursday.
Jovanna Operato said she and her husband had been considering homeschooling for several years prior to 2020.

I always wanted to homeschool my daughter, she said. I just got too nervous, so we didnt approach it or look at it until the pandemic hit.

When schools across the nation shuttered in March 2020, Operato knew it was time to take the next step.

It was two weeks and then another two weeks and before we knew it, it was May, she said. After many nights of researching and crying because you dont want to mess up your kids, I decided lets just go.

When public schools finally opened virtually in September 2020, it was without her two children.

Operato is far from alone. Parents across North Carolina and in Burke County pulled their kids out of public school in 2020 and 2021 and turned to non-public options such as homeschool and private schools as well as public charter schools in unprecedented numbers.

A November study from the National Association of Public Charter Schools shows charter schools in North Carolina experienced a more than 12% enrollment surge since 2020, reaching 132,909 in 2022.

Locally, New Dimensions Charter School in Morganton has benefited from these trends. As of Dec. 15, 2022, the school enrolled 537 students. This is up from 460 in September 2021 and has more than doubled since 2017.

New Dimensions is not alone. Morganton Day School increased its enrollment from 100 to 120 for the 2022-23 school year. In Rutherford College, Christ Classical Academy brought in 243 students for its first day of school in September, the largest enrollment in its eight-year history.

Coinciding with this rise in non-public education, Burke County Public Schools saw an 5.2% enrollment decline between 2019 and 2021. When school started in 2019, BCPS enrolled 11,809 students and two years later, it was down to 11,197.

Since then, numbers have begun to rebound with BCPS reporting 11,468 students at the beginning of this school year.

A long-term trend

Even with new statistics suggesting the COVID-era exodus from public schools has eased and may even be reversing, it also appears to have been only the latest episode in a longer-term shift away from public education going back more than a decade.

According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, nationwide charter school enrollment more than doubled in the 10 years prior to the pandemic, going from 1.6 million in 2009 to 3.4 million in 2019.

Similarly, statistics from the North Carolina Department of Administration show the number of homeschools registered with the state nearly doubling in the same period, going from 480 in 2009, to 838 a decade later.

By the start of the 2020-21 school year, that number ballooned to 1,020 but eased back to 919 last year.

BCPS Assistant Superintendent Karen Auton is hopeful this means public school numbers will continue to rebound, and with it, funding levels tied to attendance.

Funding at the state and federal levels are always tied to Average Daily Membership, she said. So, when enrollment dips, funding does as well.

She said decreases in recent years have not been enough to significantly impact funding.

Still, Auton hopes families continue to choose public education, saying public schools are best equipped to meet the educational needs of every child.

Unlike charter and private schools, public schools enroll and teach every child regardless of background, ability or academic achievement, she said. We often have families that initially think that the grass is greener, but return once they realize that programmatically, the public schools are more equipped with high quality personnel to meet the unique needs of every child.

CCA Head of School Robin Cannon believes schools like hers are still the best option for some families, especially those who desire to educate their children in ways that line up with their religious beliefs. She said these religious concerns are the most significant driver of the growth CCA is currently seeing, rather than the COVID-related concerns of two to three years ago.

After the COVID shut down, when we started the 2020-2021 school year, we did see an influx of people enrolling that seemed to be more interested in finding out if we were meeting in person and what our mask and vaccine requirements were, she said. (Since then) we have seen the interest in CCA shift back to the Christ-centered education we offer and less about masks and vaccines.

She believes the future of homeschooling and schools like CCA lies with these families.

While certainly a pandemic, cultural and political shifts cause an ebb and flow in our enrollment, that doesnt define CCAs future, she said.
A former friend of the alleged victim in a rape trial said Tuesday that she lied in an initial interview with law enforcement when she said the victim told the defendant she was 20 years old.

The Montana Standard is not naming the alleged victim to protect potential victims of sexual assault.

Jay Dee Davisson, 47, of Butte is accused of providing alcohol to a 15-year-old girl and having intercourse with her without consent.

Davisson pleaded not guilty to a felony count of sexual intercourse without consent, which, if convicted, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

He is also facing a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in county jail and a $500 fine.

Davisson is accused of picking up the victim and aforementioned friend on a Butte street during the early morning of Aug. 2, 2020, giving them whiskey from a bottle he had in his car and having non-consensual intercourse with the victim, all the while aware she was under 16 years old, the age of consent in Montana.

In her initial statement to police, the friend of the victim said that she heard the victim tell Davisson she was 20 years old, and that he had reason to believe she was 20 because the friend herself was 19-going-on-20 at the time.

She also said that on Aug. 2, 2020, she didnt see the victim drink any alcohol given to her by Davisson and that she didnt know how the victim got so drunk.

On the stand Tuesday, she said both these statements were untrue.

I was scared for my life, she said when asked why she lied in her first interview.

She explained she was scared because she herself had sexual relations with the victim, who she knew was 15, and was worried she would be arrested for statutory rape. She minimized her sexual interaction with law enforcement in her initial interview.

Shes also best friends with Davissons daughter and said she was scared she would lose that friendship.

The friend was granted use immunity by the state, which means that she cant be prosecuted if she incriminates herself. She was subpoenaed to appear in court.

Jack Morris, Davissons defense attorney, threw doubt on which version of the witnesss story was the truth.

The victims friend said Tuesday that she heard the victim tell Davisson she was 15 on July 27, 2020, when he bought her, the victim and another friend alcohol.

She also said that Davisson offered both her and the victim whiskey when they were driving around on Aug. 2 and that both she and the victim took swigs from it. The bottle was never recovered.

The victims friend told Butte-Silver Bow patrol officer, then-Detective, Josh Stearns in initial interviews that after she kissed her, the victim started having sex with Davisson while all three of them were in Davissons vehicle.

On the stand Tuesday, she said that while Davisson digitally penetrated the victim and tried to have full-on sex with her, it didnt work and he didnt ejaculate.

DNA that matched Davisson was found on swabs taken from the victim.

Due to the elapsed time and her own intoxication, the victims friend said on the stand that her memories of that day were fuzzy.

Stearns testified Tuesday that Davisson stated in his initial interview the only time he had sex with the victim was in the car. Davisson told Stearns in the same interview that he thought the victim was 20 because she told him she was and because she was out late at night and hanging out with an almost-20-year-old. He told the officer that he never wouldve bought the victim alcohol if he knew she was 15.

After stopping at the Flying J gas station at about 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 2 and driving around for a couple of hours, the victims friend said Davisson dropped her off at home at her request, and although she tried to get the victim to go with her, she didnt, and was black-out drunk.

Stearns also testified Tuesday as the case agent and answered questions about a number of video clips of footage taken from the Flying J gas station and Red Lion Hotel in Rocker.

The clips showed Davisson carrying the victim in his arms. She appears limp in the video clip. This clip came more than an hour after video from the Red Lion shows Davisson returning to the hotel in his car.

The trial continues Wednesday in District Judge Robert Whelan's court.
A former U.S. senator and vice president said, The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.

We have a moral obligation to care for those in the twilight of life, the elderly, whose hard work and sacrifice helped make the Big Sky country a vibrant and healthy place to work, raise our families, retire and receive health care. Our Ten Commandments, which forms the bedrock of moral and spiritual values for Montanans who claim the Judeo-Christian heritage, command us, Honor your father and mother."

We are not honoring our mothers and fathers when those who are most frail cant find or afford the nursing home care they need and deserve. It is shocking that 11 nursing homes closed the past year, blaming low Medicaid reimbursement by the state of Montana for the closures.

Montana is the fifth-fastest aging state in the country by percentage. One nursing home administrator told me the number one reason nursing homes have lost staff and nurses is due to retirement.

Over 60% of nursing home residents in Montana are on Medicaid. They have outlived their finances and have less than $2,000 of net worth or income left after paying for care.

My father was in a skilled care hospice house in Billings and paying $8,000 per month. At $96,000 annually, you can see that private pay patients quickly use up all their savings and assets, then turn to Medicaid.

Montana pays nursing homes $212 a day while nursing homes say the cost of providing care averages $350 per day. The governors budget proposes to increase nursing home reimbursement to $249 per day in July 2023 and then drops it to $238 per day in July 2024. The governors own Department of Health and Human Services hired a consulting firm to study reimbursements, which recommended a Medicaid rate of $278 per day. What is the governor thinking?

More nursing homes will close if reimbursement that covers the cost of care isn't provided. This means not only the loss of jobs and incomes for our communities but more importantly our most vulnerable Montanans are being shuffled from place to place and being forced to move far from family, friends and their community. They deserve better. This is a necessary service. Families have tried to care for them at home, but their care needs are too high.

My daughter, a pharmacist in Spokane, and my sister-in-law, an administrative nurse at Billings Clinic, tell me the critical shortage of skilled long term care beds greatly affects hospitals because they cant discharge patients, resulting in longer, more expensive hospital care.

In the Bible, James 1:27 says, Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this, to care for the widows and orphans in their distress." From my perspective as a Christian, we have failed vulnerable widows in Montana who rely on Medicaid for their nursing home care.

The legislature is debating how to spend a $2 billion surplus when we are at a crisis moment for long term care for those in the twilight of life who depend on Medicaid. We value our elderly and want to honor our fathers and mothers. How we spend our money reflects our values. I and many Montanans would gladly forego a tax rebate to make sure our senior citizens get the health care they need. As their children and grandchildren, neighbors and friends, we need to speak up. Contact your legislators and let them know that our elder brothers and sisters and the nursing homes who care for them need a fair, stable Medicaid reimbursement that assures the quality of care they have earned and deserved.

The nursing home crisis jeopardizes our own health care as well as that of our parents, spouse, loved ones and neighbors. Will there be a bed available when our time or our familys time of need comes? What do we value? Those in the twilight of life are counting on us to help them and care for them. Yes, The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.
Here's a look at trending topics for today, Jan. 24:

Panic! At the Disco

The party is over for Panic! At the Disco.

The band's frontman, Brendon Urie, announced on social media Tuesday that the group will go their separate ways after shows in Europe and the UK in February and March.

Urie also explained that he will soon be a dad.

"Sometimes a journey must end for a new one to begin," Urie wrote, adding, "I look forward to this next adventure. That said, I am going to bring this chapter of my life to an end and put my focus and energy on my family, and with that Panic! At The Disco will be no more."

He continued: "Thank you all for your immense support over the years. I've sat here trying to come up with the perfect way to say this and I truly can't put into words how much it has meant to us."

Read more of what he said here:

Oscar nominations 2023

The faces may look familiar, but the nominations are brand new.

When the nominations were announced Tuesday for the 95th Academy Awards, there were 16 first-time nominees announced across the four major acting categories.

They were: Austin Butler, Hong Chau, Kerry Condon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas, Colin Farrell, Brendan Fraser, Brendan Gleeson, Brian Tyree Henry, Stephanie Hsu, Barry Keoghan, Paul Mescal, Bill Nighy, Ke Huy Quan, Andrea Riseborough, Michelle Yeoh.

Some of those including Curtis (actress in a supporting role for "Everything Everywhere All at Once"), Farrell (actor in a leading role for "The Banshees of Inisherin"), Fraser (actor in a leading role for "The Whale") and Yeoh (actress in a leading role for "Everything Everywhere All at Once") are familiar faces who been in the industry for years.

Find out more about all the nominees here:

Houston weather

Emergency responders in the Houston area say they are responding to reports of damage and stranded motorists after a possible tornado moved through the area Tuesday.

Structural damage from a tornado in Pasadena, about 15 miles southeast of Houston, is "catastrophic," according to the local police chief.

"In my 25 years here, this is probably the worst damage I've seen," Chief Josh Bruegger told reporters outside a damaged animal shelter in the city, where two dogs were injured.

Only one person had been reported injured so far in the city, Mayor Jeff Wagner said, but "we've seen plenty of damage. We've seen buildings that have collapsed."

Get more info here:

***

Get more of today's trending topics here:

Tyre Nichols

Doomsday Clock

Mike Pence
I once drove a busload of visitors to the little park we call Mark Twain Overlook and heard their companys guide tell them: He lived in Muscatine for about three years, and his house was up here.

I simply grinned. I was just the driver, not the history police.

Clark v. Board of Directors DSC_0025.JPG DSC_0034.JPG DSC_0042.JPG DSC_0046.JPG

Did you know Mark Twain lived in Muscatine? That part is true  all you need to know if you want to mention his storybook characters for whatever youre selling or even name some streets and subdivisions. Weve probably done more of that here than anywhere else outside of Hannibal, Mo.

How many days he was hereor nightsdoesnt matter. He judged our sunsets the best anywhere. Boosters took it and ran.

Just spell my name right! Thats your creed if publicity is your business or your need.

Fact-check the following, from the Iowa PBS Iowa Pathways website:

In 1868 Susan Clark, a young black girl in Muscatine, was not allowed to attend an all-white public school. Her father, Alexander Clark, took the case to court and the Supreme Court declared that public schools were open to all, regardless of race.

Close enough? Because any publicity is good publicity, right?

If you ask me to nitpick, Ill say the girl was turned away from school in 1865 and again in 1867. Her father sued in 1867; the landmark ruling came in 1868.

Ill tell you the court documents got Susans middle initial wrongit was V for Virginia, not B. Ill tell you she was already 13 in September 1867, no matter how many sources tell you she was 12. (I believe her 1925 obituary is the best source. It says she was born Jan. 4, 1854.)

If you havent stopped me, Ill tell you she was still known as Susie when she became Iowas first Black high-school graduate in 1871.

What facts matter really? When the important thing is remembering at all.

About four years ago someone suggested naming a school for her. Soon the idea was a serious proposal, serious enough to run into pushback.

Who was Susan Clark? Nobody ever heard of her. Why would we want that for a name?

Susan had a publicity problem. So her backers started telling her storyIowas first Black high-school graduate, role model for bravery and persistence and love of learning, a reputable citizen for the rest of her life. The resistance subsided enough that the former West Middle School building became Susan Clark Junior High School by unanimous vote of the school board in September 2019.

Muscatine Journal, Jan. 28, 2021: MCSD recently made efforts to increase the diversity in its curriculum, acknowledge the history and culture of other races, and make every student in their district feel welcome.  The district also honored Muscatine resident Susan Clark, the first black student to integrate into a public school, by naming the combined middle school in her honor. Our district is very proud of honoring the legacy [of] Susan Clark at our junior high, [Superintendent Clint] Christopher said. The entryway features a plaque dedicated to her along with a TV that streams a video highlighting the significance of her story.

That same week I approached award-winning author Rachelle Chase about nominating her to write a Susan Clark storybook. Id heard her speak about her two books about Buxton, Iowas Black Utopia. I had read them and liked her nonfiction style. Id read one of her several romance novels, too.

The storybook wasnt my idea, but my hunch about Rachelle was a good one. Leaders at two Muscatine organizations had shared the book idea with me and my wife Jean because of our part in the school-naming storytelling.

Long story short, the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security are funding creation of two Susan Clark books! Separate books written and illustrated for different age levels, one of them by Rachelle. Jean and I have been serving as history consultants, fact checkers, cheerleaders. Weve seen Susies story market-tested on young readers. It will be accessible and appealing like never before.

Its too early to predict release dates, and this isnt my announcement to make anyway.

Im eager to report more, of course. Maybe if I whisper? You can expect rhyming and rapping and time travel and snappy dialogue and whimsical, colorful illustration. Brave Susie will be accessible and appealing like never before.

Heres a fact. Rachelle and I will present a program together on Feb. 16, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Muscatine Art Center.

From the publicity: Several projects are currently underway to introduce the Alexander Clark story to new audiences, demonstrate his national significance, and broaden understanding of Clarks leadership in his own time. Join author Rachelle Chase and local historian Dan Clark for a discussion on Alexander Clark.

Without publicity, how will anyone know?

Next time: Alexander Clark Day 2023

Daniel G. Clark is a former Muscatine Journal reporter and a student of Iowa history.
Honor Beauvais every breath was a battle as a snowstorm battered the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.

The asthmatic 12-year-old's worried aunt and uncle begged for help clearing a path to their cattle ranch near the community of Two Strike as his condition worsened, his fragile lungs fighting a massive infection. But when an ambulance finally managed to get through, Honor's uncle already was performing CPR, said his grandmother, Rose Cordier-Beauvais.

Honor, whose Lakota name is Yuonihan Ihanble, was pronounced dead last month at the Indian Health Services hospital on the reservation, one of six deaths that tribal leaders say "could have been prevented" if not for a series of systemic failures. Targets of the frustration include Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, the U.S. Congress, the Indian Health Service and even  for some  the tribe itself.

We were all just in shock, said Cordier-Beauvais, who recalled that when the snow finally cleared enough to hold the funeral, the family gave out toys to other children as a symbol of how he played with his siblings. He loved giving them toys.

As the storm raged, families ran out of fuel, and two people froze to death, including one in their home, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe said in a letter this month seeking a presidential disaster declaration.

The letter described the situation on the reservation in a remote area on the state's far southern border with Nebraska, 130 miles southeast of Rapid City, as a catastrophe."

And in a scathing State of the Tribes address delivered Jan. 12 in the state Legislature, Peter Lengkeek, chairman of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, accused emergency services of being slow to react" as tribes struggled to clear the snow, with many using what he described as outdated equipment and dilapidated resources."

Noems spokesman, Ian Fury, said the claims were part of a false narrative and couldnt be further from the truth. The Indian Health Services didn't immediately return email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Noem, who is seen as a potential contender for the 2024 White House, declared an emergency on Dec. 22 to respond to the winter storm and activated the states National Guard to haul firewood to the tribe.

But by then the Rosebud Sioux Tribe was worn out from a series of storms starting about 10 days before that were so severe that its leaders ultimately rented two helicopters to drop food to remote locations and rescue the stranded.

It all started on Dec. 12, when the tribe shut down offices so people could prepare for the first onslaught. The storm hit in earnest around midnight, dumping an average of nearly 2 feet of snow on the reservation, most of it in the first day, said Alex Lamers, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

By the time the storm let up on Dec. 16, the reservation also was coated with one-quarter of an inch of ice and wind gusts as high as 55 mph had blown the snow into drifts of up to 25 feet.

Starting on Dec. 18, soon after the blizzard moved out, there were 11 straight days with sub-zero temperatures. Wind chills were dangerous, hitting -51 degrees Fahrenheit at their lowest.

Then a phenomenon called a ground blizzard hit the reservation on Dec. 22. Strong winds blew existing snow on the ground, and visibility fell to a quarter mile, Lamers said.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs sent staff to help, and the White House said FEMA also spoke to the tribe's president. But snowplows were paralyzed in the cold, with the freezing temperatures turning the diesel fuel and hydraulics into gel, the tribe said.

The tribe also alleges Congress is at fault for not changing rules that allocate how money from a tribal transportation program is distributed among the nation's 574 federally recognized tribes.

OJ Semans, a consultant for the tribe, said the program's reliance on making determinations based on tribal enrollment hurts the Rosebud Sioux because while its enrollment of 33,210 members is relatively modest, its land base of nearly 890,000 acres spread across five counties is massive.

That meant there simply wasn't enough equipment to respond, said Semans, who lost two family members in the storm.

One of them, his 54-year-old cousin, Anthony DuBray, froze to death outside, his body found after Christmas.

The other victim, his brother-in-law, Douglas James Dillon Sr., called for help during the first storm because his asthma was flaring up. But getting to the hospital would have meant being carried more than a quarter of a mile over snowbanks to a deputy's patrol car.

Semans said a glimpse outside showed it was almost impossible," so Dillon went to bed. He died Dec. 17 at the age of 59.

Semans and his wife, Barbara, were snowed in for 15 days, using a propane space heater to ward off the cold after losing power. They were dug out just in time to make it to Dillon's funeral 11 days after his death.

Even angry doesnt reach the level of the neglect," Semans said. This was an atrocity.
IOWA CITY  After seeing too many of their peers at Iowa City West High School crying in hallways, Helelia Wa Kalala, 18, and Nao Oya, 17, both seniors, advocated for a space where students can have their feelings before returning to class.

The school converted a classroom in to a NESTT  which stands for Navigating Emotions and Stress Through Training  where students can check in at any time during the school day to learn mindfulness, emotional regulation and distress tolerance.

"It's like a home away from home where students can feel safe," said Wa Kalala, co-president with Oya of a mental health advocacy club at West High.

Wa Kalala was hospitalized for "crippling anxiety" earlier in the pandemic. Before that experience, mental health was not something her family talked about, she said.

"I realized so many of my friends were going through the same things and they didn't know what to do," Wa Kalala said. "I don't blame my parents for not understanding. It's not the culture they grew up in. Having someone at school to talk to would have helped me so much."

Students can visit the NESTT anytime throughout the school day if they need help navigating a mental health situation or stress. Their time and activity is monitored by trained staff members and check-in and checkout forms.

The goal is for students to spend no more than 15 minutes in the NESTT focused on learning or practicing a coping skill before returning to class. Skills or tools offered at NESTT includes art, talking with staff, playing with fidget toys and listening to music.

Students have the opportunity to write their emotions in a comment box. Many responses have mentioned feeling anxious, worried, nervous, stressed or overwhelmed when they came to the NESTT. Students indicate they feel better when they leave the NESTT than when they arrived.

"The first step in caring for yourself is acknowledging when you need a minute or a break from something that is stressing you out," said Lora Daily, Iowa City schools director of learning supports. "The NESTT validates we all have those feelings, encourages students to take that first step and teaches simple skills to help them when things feel stressful."

The first NESTT started in January 2021 at Iowa City High School. The concept was created by students, school counselors, school social workers and teachers. The school received a $11,000 grant from the Big Idea Hunt, a program funded by the Foundation for the Iowa City Community School District, to purchase equipment including furniture, books and other resources.

This school year, the model was recreated at every secondary school in Iowa City. About 2,500 students have used the NESTT across the district's schools, according to board documents.

About a third of 14- to 18-year-olds were experiencing a mental health crisis each year before the pandemic, Daily said, and schools were becoming a space where students could reach out for mental health support.

"Everyone holds stress differently, and once you know how it feels you will start to notice it in your body earlier, and allow you to use the tools you've learned to mitigate those feelings before they become overwhelming," Daily said.

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I have on several occasions referred to our being Stonecatchers, a concept presented originally by Bryan Stevenson, an attorney whose entire legal practice is focused on the defense and support of those who are wrongly accused, whose punishment seems excessive, or who are generally the victims of violations of basic human rights. Mr. Stevenson shared the experience the Savior had with those who were in the process of stoning a woman caught in adultery. Jesus Christ said, Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone. The Saviors demonstration of forgiveness and correcting wrongdoing has been the foundation for this attorneys mission.

Mr. Stevensons message and encouragement for all of us suggests that after demonstrating compassion whenever we find ourselves confronted with unfairness, we should then go one step further and catch the stones of unrighteousness and correct the wrongs that have been done to so many.

One of the current Twelve Apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Dale G. Renlund, once gave a talk on the topic of infuriating unfairness. He described a number of circumstances in which Gods children suffer unfairness, and although often experiences with perceived unfairness may be the consequence of our own actions, other situations are entirely out of our control and perhaps cause us to question. Whenever horrible things happen to seemingly innocent victims, we occasionally ask why a loving God would allow such tragedies and circumstances to occur.

Certainly, no one understands unfairness better than the Savior, who suffered and ultimately gave his life so that we might be able to experience ultimate fairness and joy. He didnt deserve the suffering he experienced, but God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, whose sacrifice enabled the Atonement that gives us all the opportunity to repent, to be fully forgiven, and become clean  a necessary condition for us to return to be in the presence of our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Again, back to the question of unfairness. Elder Renlund shared the sad story of a genocide that occurred in 1994 in Rwanda, where over 500,000 innocent victims were slaughtered as the result of a tribal conflict. He used this unfortunate and evil experience to demonstrate that we can be infuriated by such incidents, but our world is best served when we allow a reflection on such unfairness to lead us to a behavior focused more and more on lifting the downtrodden, the poor, needy, and those who suffer unfairness in all its forms.

What better example of mitigating unfairness than to do as the Savior did. His example of treatment of those less fortunate, lame, blind, deaf, emotionally distraught, etc. serves as a perfect example of what we can do. We can all look for and find opportunities to become stonecatchers who can correct wrongs and make a difference in the life of someone less fortunate.

I would hope that exposure to unfairness involving ourselves or others will lead us to not distance ourselves for God, but rather allow such experiences to soften and humble us, so that the influence of our Heavenly Father and His Son can lift us and make us better people.

I am personally grateful for opportunities to serve others. I wish that I, too, would be more consciously engaged in finding ways to better serve. Perhaps we can all make 2023 an opportunity for improving the lives and conditions of those around us, and by so doing, find that we have brought peace and comfort to our own souls as well.
Issues apparently remain to be settled between Napa County and former County Executive Officer Minh Tran, among them whether he will take about $467,000 in severance pay.

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At its Tuesday meeting, the Napa County Board of Supervisors held a closed session concerning Tran. The agenda described the reason as significant exposure to litigation resulting from an October 2021 claim Tran filed with the county.

After the session, the county announced that the board took no action.

The board released Tran from his job last July, saying he was looking for another job and that the county needed a leader with a laser focus on Napa. Because the release wasnt related to neglect of duties or misconduct, Tran is eligible for 18 months' salary in severance pay. His base salary was $25,946 a month.

A few weeks after his release, Tran became county counsel for Riverside County.

Napa County officials on Monday said Tran has yet to take severance pay. Whether that non-action is related to his 2021 claim is unclear. Napa County policies state that former employees taking severance must waive any claims against the county.

Tran couldnt be reached for comment this week. Board of Supervisors Chairperson Belia Ramos said she couldn't talk about the Tran situation, given the "exposure to litigation" that prompted a closed meeting.

All of that leaves the matter murky, though some things can be gleaned from the public record.

Tran in October 2021  while he was still Napa County executive officer  filed a claim against the county stemming from what he described as damage to his reputation. His action came with a tangled backstory.

Earlier that year, Ramos came under scrutiny for receiving a COVID-19 vaccination before people in her age bracket became eligible. Ramos said this was an end-of-the-day dose of a perishable vaccine that otherwise would have been thrown out.

The Board of Supervisors subsequently ordered an investigation of county vaccine policies. Ramos accused Tran of withholding information favorable to her and reported him to the State Bar of California.

In his claim, Tran said the facts and events, including but not limited to those depicted in the May 26, 2021 Napa Valley article about Supervisor Ramos reporting me to the State Bar show a pattern of retaliatory actions resulting in a hostile work environment and causing me personal injuries and damages to my career and reputation.

Tran wrote in the claim that he would settle for a token $1 payment, though he didn't describe what action he wanted the county to take. The Board of Supervisors has never taken any publicly announced action related to the claim.

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Napa County finally has a list of where to put apartments in rural areas over the next eight years to meet a California housing mandate, with a 5-acre section of Skyline Wilderness Park a controversial inclusion.

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The Board of Supervisors passed the list on Tuesday by a 3-2 vote as part of its general plan housing element update. The Skyline issue proved a sticking point.

All five supervisors objected to having housing at Skyline. But some wanted the 5 acres near Imola Avenue on the list anyway, given the state says it intends to build housing there and owns the land.

Voting to approve the housing element were Supervisors Joelle Gallagher, Alfredo Pedroza and Belia Ramos. Voting no were Supervisors Anne Cottrell and Ryan Gregory.

Its hard to stomach any housing going there," Gallagher said. "That isnt anything I support, that I want. But I think the state has taken that out of our handswe just either get the credits or we dont.

Properties on the high-density list for the 2023-to-2031 state housing cycle are:

Five acres of Skyline Park on a flat section along Imola Avenue with room for 100 units.

Five acres south of the city of Napa along Foster Road with room for 100 to 125 units. The county will work with the city of Napa for eventual annexation into the city.

Ten acres at Spanish Flat at Lake Berryessa with room for 100 to 125 units.

Dropping off the list were two controversial sites near Silverado  the Bishop site on Hedgeside Avenue and Altamura site at Monticello and Atlas Peak roads. Residents mentioned such problems as lack of bus services and stores, as well as potential traffic problems during evacuations in an area threatened by wildfires.

Supervisors did some hand-wringing as they worked on the list. Finding sites in the rural county outside of cities proved to be a challenge.

"This is a constraint for us, every single time," board chairperson Ramos said. "I dont see it as a burden. I see it as a challenge, but not a burden.

A single site could satisfy the state mandate for 61 low-income housing units in rural areas. But county officials and the state want a buffer, in case a site doesnt develop over the next eight years.

The list has the potential for 350 units, if all sites develop to their full capacity and all units meet affordable housing standards. The county also expects to have 58 accessory dwelling units built.

A section of Skyline Park proved to be the biggest topic of debate.

Napa County is seeking to buy the 850-acre park, which is run locally on land owned by California and leased to the county until 2030. The state intends to withhold 5 acres from the proposed sale for housing.

Resident Sue Tredennick asked if the state knows that Skyline Park uses this flat section for community events and for events that raise money for the park and local organizations. She mentioned camping for BottleRock and events for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

Napa County does need more low-income housing," she said, but added that it's baffling why this housing should go on land already serving the community.

Interim County Executive Officer David Morrison said Gov. Gavin Newsom asked that the state Department of General Services make a statewide list of surplus land available for housing. The 5 acres at Skyline Park is on the list.

Their intent has been made crystal-clear to us as to their purpose to build housing at that site, Morrison said.

Gregory said he's used Skyline Park for 30 years. There might be a biking event, a Scout gathering and a re-enactment event on the same day on that flat 5-acre section.

I think having that piece (on the housing list) is us saying, 'We support it'.we're expected to advance those projects aggressively," he said. " I cant support advancing a housing project on Skyline Park, on those 5 acres.

Other supervisors said they don't want to see housing on the Skyline Park site, but added the county should receive credits toward the state housing mandate if the state builds there. That won't happen if Skyline is off the list.

Pedroza said Newsom is bullish on housing and the county is negotiating with the state to buy Skyline. The county can only buy the sections of Skyline that the state is willing to sell.

To be able to own the majority of the park I still think is a win for our community, because then it will be protected for generations to come," Pedroza said.

Dropping out of consideration at the last minute was the Altamura property at Atlas Peak Road and Monticello Road near Silverado. Property owner George Altamura, through an attorney, notified the county he doesnt want to build housing.

California requires its counties and cities to make a certain amount of land available for housing construction from 2023 to 2031. The state must be satisfied that the sites have a realistic chance of development during this period.

Napa County was assigned 1,014 homes for the unincorporated area outside of cities, with the county's five cities having their own mandates. The county, through previous agreements, transferred 90% of its mandate to the cities.

Imagine if we were here trying to figure out 1,000 units, Gregory said.

That left the county with a mandate of 106 homes. Of those, 61 must be for low-income and very-low-income residents, 14 for moderate-income residents, and 31 for above-moderate-income residents.

The state Housing and Community Development Department has 60 days to review the county's housing element, which includes the sites for the state-mandated housing requirement. Morrison said it's possible the state could want the county to do further work on the element.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as unjust, saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.

Being homosexual isnt a crime, Francis said during an exclusive interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.

Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of sin. But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.

These bishops have to have a process of conversion, he said, adding that they should apply tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us."

Francis' comments are the first uttered by a pope about such laws, but they are consistent with his overall approach to the LGBTQ community and belief that the Catholic Church should welcome everyone and not discriminate.

Some 67 countries or jurisdictions worldwide criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, 11 of which can or do impose the death penalty, according to The Human Dignity Trust, which works to end such laws. Experts say even where the laws are not enforced, they contribute to harassment, stigmatization and violence against LGBTQ people.

In the U.S., more than a dozen states still have anti-sodomy laws on the books, despite a 2003 Supreme Court ruling declaring them unconstitutional. Gay rights advocates say the antiquated laws are used to harass homosexuals, and point to new legislation, such as the Dont say gay law in Florida, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, as evidence of continued efforts to marginalize LGBTQ people.

The United Nations has repeatedly called for an end to laws criminalizing homosexuality outright, saying they violate rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination and are a breach of countries obligations under international law to protect the human rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Declaring such laws unjust, Francis said the Catholic Church can and should work to put an end to them. It must do this. It must do this, he said.

Francis quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church in saying gay people must be welcomed and respected, and should not be marginalized or discriminated against.

We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity, Francis said, speaking to the AP in the Vatican hotel where he lives.

Francis' remarks come ahead of a trip to Africa, where such laws are common as they are in the Middle East. Many date from British colonial times or are inspired by Islamic law. Some Catholic bishops have strongly upheld them as consistent with Vatican teaching, while others have called for them to be overturned as a violation of basic human dignity.

In 2019, Francis had been expected to issue a statement opposing criminalization of homosexuality during a meeting with human rights groups that conducted research into the effects of such laws and so-called conversion therapies.

In the end, after word of the audience leaked, the pope didn't meet with the groups. Instead, the Vatican No. 2 did and reaffirmed the dignity of every human person and against every form of violence.

There was no indication that Francis spoke out about such laws now because his more conservative predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, recently died. The issue had never been raised in an interview, but Francis willingly responded, citing even the statistics about the number of countries where homosexuality is criminalized.

On Tuesday, Francis said there needed to be a distinction between a crime and a sin with regard to homosexuality.

It's not a crime. Yes, but it's a sin, he said. "Fine, but first let's distinguish between a sin and a crime."

"It's also a sin to lack charity with one another," he added.

Catholic teaching holds that while gay people must be treated with respect, homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. Francis has not changed that teaching, but he has made reaching out to the LGBTQ community a hallmark of his papacy.

Starting with his famous 2013 declaration, Who am I to judge?  when he was asked about a purportedly gay priest  Francis has gone on to minister repeatedly and publicly to the gay and trans community. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he favored granting legal protections to same-sex couples as an alternative to endorsing gay marriage, which Catholic doctrine forbids.

Despite such outreach, Francis was criticized by the Catholic LGBTQ community for a 2021 decree from the Vaticans doctrine office that said the church cannot bless same-sex unions.

In 2008, the Vatican declined to sign onto a U.N. declaration that called for the decriminalization of homosexuality, complaining the text went beyond the original scope. In a statement at the time, the Vatican urged countries to avoid unjust discrimination against gay people and end penalties against them.
HALF MOON BAY  The shooting rampage in Half Moon Bay that left seven people dead Monday in the coastal agricultural community in San Mateo County appears to be a case of workplace violence, law enforcement officials said.

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The only known connection between the victims and the suspect is that they may have been co-workers, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said at a news conference Tuesday. All the evidence we have points to this being the instance of workplace violence.

According to Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor Joaquin Jimenez, the suspect, identified by authorities as Chunli Zhao, 66, also lived with the farmers who were attacked in Mondays deadly rampage.

For at least three years, the suspected gunman has resided in trailers at Mountain Mushroom Farm along Highway 92, where law enforcement officials said the suspect was employed and was the site of the first attack.

Jimenez, who also works with ALAS, a nonprofit that provides services and assistance to local farm workers, said he immediately recognized the man when a photo of him was released by law enforcement officials.

He received food and help from some of the programs we provided, and he was always positive in the conversation, Jimenez said.

There are an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 workers in this beach-side community who labor in farms and nurseries there, Jimenez said. Some of the migrant workers follow harvests and work, traveling across the country, but many of them settled in Half Moon Bay.

Thats part of what shocked Jimenez when he saw the news. He was part of that community, he said.

Jail records showed the suspect was being held in San Mateo Countys Maguire Correctional Facility. He was booked on charges of premeditated murder and first-degree attempted murder, with a sentencing enhancement of discharging a firearm during a violent felony.

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said his office has not yet determined what charges to file against Zhao but expected to bring charges by Wednesday morning.

Cases like this, weve never had one in this county of this many deaths at one scene or one time, he said. This is a case that is at the beginning stage; it has a long road to travel over the coming months and years. And to that extent we dont want to try it out in the public eye.

Seven men and one woman were targeted in the shootings, which happened near nursery and farming businesses, Corpus said. The lone survivor, with life-threatening injuries, was taken to a hospital to undergo surgery and was in stable condition Tuesday, officials said.

The San Mateo County coroners office said it had identified two of the victims early Tuesday, but declined to release their names or provide more information as it worked to locate their families.

As some of the victims were members of our migrant community, this represents a unique challenge when it comes to identification and notifications of next of kin, Corpus said.

Police arrested the suspect after he was discovered in his car at the San Mateo County sheriffs substation in Half Moon Bay at about 4:40 p.m. Monday, officials said. The weapon believed to have been used in the incident, a semi-automatic handgun, was found inside his car.

Authorities declined to offer specifics about the gun used, saying that it was a semi-automatic handgun that was legally purchased and owned.

Video from ABC affiliate KGO Channel 7 showed deputies taking a man to the ground in the parking lot.

Vanessa Lomeli was at work Monday at Coastside Tax Consultants, just steps from the substation, when she and her boss heard sirens. She checked social media and learned there was an active shooter in the area. She advised her boss to lock the building in case he comes here, she said.

The alleged shooter did arrive and parked his car just outside Coastside, she said. We saw a couple cops running with guns, saying get down, get down,  Lomeli recalled, adding that she and her colleagues crawled under their desks.

We were just so terrified, said Lomeli, who had to walk home because her car was blocked by emergency vehicles. Im still shaken.

When she returned to work Tuesday morning, the suspects car was gone, she said.

The gunman is suspected of opening fire at two rural locations about a mile apart, shooting some of the victims in front of children who lived nearby and had recently been released from school. About eight children younger than 10 and four teenagers were in the area when the first shooting occurred, officials said.

Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, founder and executive director of ALAS, which is based in Half Moon Bay and regularly collaborates with workers on the mushroom farm where the suspect first opened fire, said her team was at the farm about an hour before the shooting to provide services.

She began notifying her squad about the shooting, adding that everything was on lockdown until the shooter was apprehended.

Our farmworkers give so much to us and to see this violence happening is just a tragedy, Hernandez-Arriaga said.

The workers who were impacted by the shooting have remained home, as well as some of the children and teenagers that witnessed the incident, the vice mayor said. City and county officials are working with nonprofit groups in an effort to provide affected workers with two weeks of wages to make up for any lost pay.

Investigators are still learning about the suspect, who was not previously known to local law enforcement, Corpus said Tuesday morning in an interview with CNN.

Here in San Mateo County, he wasnt a red flag for us, nothing to put him on our radar, Corpus said. He was known to the individuals at his workplace because he was employed there.

However, it would not have been Zhao's first fit of workplace rage, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday. In 2013, Zhao was accused of threatening to split a co-workers head open with a knife and separately tried to suffocate the man with a pillow, the Chronicle reported, based on court documents.

The two were roommates and worked at a restaurant at the time, and the man, identified as Jingjiu Wang, filed a temporary restraining order against Zhao, which was granted and is no longer in effect. Wang could not be immediately reached.

The United Farm Workers union said in a statement it was mourning the loss of the seven farmworkers killed in the attacks, adding it was heartbroken, angry, and demanding answers.

While we did not know them, they were part of the too often invisible, yet always essential, agricultural workforce that feeds America and the world, the organization said in the statement. As farm workers, and as human beings, they deserved far better.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was scheduled to travel to Half Moon Bay later Tuesday to meet with victims families, local leaders and community members affected by the tragedy. His trip comes on the heels of a visit to Monterey Park, another community reeling from a mass shooting after a gunman opened fire in a crowded ballroom Saturday night, killing 11 people.

President Biden said Tuesday that he and first lady Jill Biden are praying for those killed and injured in the latest tragic shooting in Half Moon Bay.

For the second time in recent days, California communities are mourning the loss of loved ones in a senseless act of gun violence, he said in a statement.

Biden said he has offered federal support to local authorities. It is unclear whether he and Vice President Kamala Harris, who will travel to Monterey Park on Wednesday, will visit Half Moon Bay.

Attorney General Merrick Garland pledged Tuesday that all of us at the Justice Department, including the FBI and ATF, will continue to support the Half Moon Bay community in the difficult days ahead.

The Justice Department is committed to doing everything in our power to protect our communities from the gun violence that is leaving no community in this country untouched, he said.

Hernandez-Arriaga stressed the critical role of farmworkers, who toil day in and day out in challenging conditions, and called for more resources, including mental health support.

Farmworkers work so hard for us, she said. They give their life for us, to this job. In rain, in bad weather, in crisis, during the pandemic. Its time we respond to them with direct resources and support in a real way that makes a change.

This story includes reporting from Los Angeles Times reporters Salvador Hernandez, Susanne Rust, Alexandra E. Petri, Luke Money, Terry Castleman, Summer Lin and Brittny Mejia.

Associated Press reporters Olga R. Rodriguez and Haven Daley contributed to this report.

Photos: Mass shooting at Lunar New Year celebration in California
The small Bay Area city of Half Moon Bay has a population of just over 11,000 people, and after two shootings left at least seven people dead Monday, Mayor Deborah Penrose appeared on CNN and NBC News to provide updates to the rest of the country.

"I'm still in shock. I think all of us are in shock," she told CNN Tuesday morning. "It was a horrific event. It shocked us. Our hearts are torn out of our chests for all these individuals and families, our neighbors, our friends, the people that work in our community and live in our community. We're a small, agricultural, coast-side town, and we have never experienced anything like this."

Officials have identified 67-year-old Chunli Zhao as the suspected shooter. Monday night, San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller said children were present at the scenes and possibly witnessed the shootings. Penrose confirmed to NBC News that children were indeed present.

"There definitely were children that were witnesses," she said. "It's horrific. It's just horrific. It happened in farmworker housing, and there were families there."

Penrose was then asked what goes through her mind when faced with that detail.

"The first thing that comes to my mind is, when are we going to stop?" she asked. "When are we going to stop allowing people to buy guns? When are we going to ban semiautomatic weapons? How many people have to die? How many children have to be killed? How many children have to witness their parents being killed?"

NBC did not press Penrose on the obvious constitutional questions raised by her "When are we going to stop allowing people to buy guns?" remark. A Supreme Court ruling from June of last year has already put almost all of California's gun control laws in danger, as it prescribed a new, more stringent standard states must meet when defending gun control laws against Second Amendment challenges. For a restriction on firearms to be constitutional, it must be "consistent" with the country's "historical tradition of firearm regulation."

"California has red-flag laws, but under the 'historical tradition' test, red-flag laws should be unconstitutional," UCLA law professor Adam Winkler told SFGATE last year. "There's no history of taking away guns from people in crisis as red flags do. Bans on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons are also likely to be struck down, and then there's California's 10-day waiting period. There's no history of that. The court says only those regulations consistent with historical regulations are permissible. California has innovative laws that restrict guns in ways that are not historically common."

Penrose wasn't the only local elected official to call for stronger gun control after the shooting.

"We simply have too many guns in this nation," San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Dave Pine told NPR. "We have more guns than people. And the research has shown that we're unique in the world in gun violence and it's really attributable to the total number of guns that are available. So when people are in crisis, they often have access to a gun. So we have to make sure guns are better regulated."
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To inspire confidence, a defensive military alliance requires the shared confidence of its members that, if one member is attacked, the other members will give it decisive support. Whatever other interests they may have with the United States and its NATO allies, it is clear that Turkey and Hungary cannot meet this expectation. Both countries should be excluded from the alliance, Tom Rogan wrote in his article for the Washington Examiner.

Although any suspension (of membership) would involve legal difficulties, it is possible. Moreover, action on suspension could itself cause significant changes in Turkish and Hungarian politics.

The most immediate reason for Turkey's suspension is that it prevents Finland and Sweden from joining NATO. Turkey suspended the relevant negotiations in response to Swedish protests in which a Koran and an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were burned.

The most immediate reason for Hungary's suspension is its Prime Minister Viktor Orban's low-handedness toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Thanks to its position at the Mediterranean entrance to the Black Sea and its proximity to the energy reserves of the Middle East, Turkey has long been a key NATO ally. As in the case of Hungary, Turkey will hopefully one day regain NATO's trust. Nevertheless, an examination of the NATO treaty shows where both countries are in breach of their obligations.

According to Article 2 of the treaty, a party pledges to contribute to the further development of peaceful and friendly international relations by strengthening its free institutions.

Neither Orban nor Erdogan strengthen their free institutions. On the contrary, both leaders have expanded the dominance of state media. Both have cracked down on dissenting minorities, politicians and activists, and non-governmental organizations. Erdogan has jailed hundreds of journalists, some simply for insulting him.

Article 3 commits the member to maintain and develop his individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack.

Erdogan violated this obligation by buying Russia's S-400 air defense system, which is specifically designed to destroy NATO's air force. In doing so, Erdogan weakened NATO's credibility and endangered its crews.

Orban violated this commitment by undermining European sanctions imposed on Russia.

Under Article 8, the member undertakes not to enter into any international obligations contrary to this Treaty.

Turkey broke this promise with the aforementioned purchase of S-400 and Erdogan's demand that Sweden abandon its free speech laws and extradite people without due process of law. Equally noteworthy are Erdogan's threats against another NATO member Greece, his wars of invasion in Syria and his military support for Azerbaijan against Armenia. Turkey has legitimate grievances against Kurdish terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria. But Erdogan's fetish for indiscriminate bombings is unacceptable.

An alliance has no value if its members do not maintain common trust. Under Orban and Erdogan, Hungary and Turkey can no longer enjoy such trust within NATO. Until that changes, they should be excluded from this alliance, in which they now do more harm than good.
Arusyak Julhakyan, a member of the Armenian National Assembly delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), delivered an address at the PACE session in Strasbourg, France. She noted as follows, in particular:

First of all let me mention that we can have only facepalm and nothing more while hearing appraisal of democracy from a representative of one of the most autocratic countries of the world, the fact of which is fixed in all the reports of the international organizations.

However, let me continue with my speech.

The International Humanitarian Law protects the dignity of persons involved in armed conflicts both during their lifetime and after death and prohibits any kind of outrages upon personal dignity.

Moreover, under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court committing outrages upon personal dignity constitutes a war crime.

The Geneva Convention stipulates that Women shall be especially protected against any attack on their honor, in particular against rape or any form of indecent assault.

As it is fairly mentioned in the draft resolution conflict-related sexual violence, is one of the worst atrocities of war, used to humiliate, violate and ruin the minds and bodies of victims, with the intention of spreading fear and breaking the spirit of the oppressed.

After the recent aggression in September 2022 by Azerbaijan against Armenia, not only Armenian but also the international community was shocked by a horrible video spread in the Azerbaijani media outlets.

Armenian women who fell into the hands of Azerbaijani Armed Forces fell victim to the utmost degrading and inhuman treatment. All of the female captives were stripped down to their breasts and left on the field of combat with their chests stripped naked.

In one of the videos a completely nude womans body was placed in a trophy-like manner above the rest of the nearby corpses. Her breasts and genitals were borne naked as a spectacle for the witnesses. The perpetrators have left a message YASMA on her chest, which is a code name for the Azerbaijani specially trained forces, and I will skip all other horrible details.

The filming and circulating of such operations on media is done for public appraisal and pride. The perpetrators had evidently intended to leave it as a message to the observers, as these videos were seen not only by the Armenian people in general but also by the three children of this female soldier, causing unnecessary suffering and grief to them. And it is worth mentioning that the body of this female serviceperson had not been given to the Armenian side for a long time.

Colleagues, the video I am talking about is a concrete evidence of a grave war crime cruelly committed by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and attributable to Azerbaijan. The severe violence of the perpetrators is beyond imagination. Moreover, these gruesome crimes are followed with actions demonstrating extreme cynicism based on the hatred against ethnic Armenians. This violence is not only gender based but also racial based.

Colleagues, it is important to state that the outrage upon the personal dignity, constitutes a war crime under the International Criminal Law and the perpetrators must be punished, as the impunity causes new crimes.

So it is necessary that the Assembly addresses the issue of sexual violence during armed conflicts.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Microsoft said it's seeing some improvement to problems with its online services including the Teams messaging platform and Outlook email system after users around the world reported outages Wednesday.

In a status update, the tech company reported service degradation for a number of its Microsoft 365 services.

Thousands of users reported problems with Teams, Outlook, the Azure cloud computing service and XBox Live online gaming service early Wednesday on the Downdetector website, which tracks outage reports. Many users also took to social media to complain that services were down.

By later in the morning, Downdetector showed the number of reports had dropped considerably.

Were continuing to monitor the recovery across the service and some customers are reporting mitigation," the Microsoft 365 Status Twitter account said. Were also connecting the service to additional infrastructure to expedite the recovery process."

It tweeted earlier that it had isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue" and that a network change suspected to be causing the problem was rolled back.

It comes after Microsoft reported Tuesday that its quarterly profit fell 12%, reflecting economic uncertainty that the company said led to its decision this month to cut 10,000 workers.
A remote assemblyentitled "Artsakh: 44-day blockade"of the friends of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) was held Tuesday evening.

The event brought together well-known public, political and cultural figures, parliamentarians, human rights advocates, and about 300 foreign representatives of well-known research and analytical centers, international humanitarian organizations, and business circles from more than 40 countries.

The purpose of the event was to brief the friends of Artsakh on the situation created by Azerbaijan's 44-day illegal blockade of Artsakh, the latters humanitarian problems that are deepening day by day, the worsening energy crisis, as well as the means and approaches to overcoming these humanitarian and political problems.

Ruben Vardanyan, Minister of State of Artsakh, and Gegham Stepanyan, human rights defender of Artsakh, were the keynote speakers. Also, Artsakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ghazaryan, MP Davit Melkumyan, and Artak Beglaryan, advisor to the Minister of State, answered many questions of the participants.

The Minister of State thanked the friends of Artsakh, noting that the people of Artsakh appreciate the efforts of all those who are not indifferent to their problem and are by their side in this difficult situation.

"Although we are in a difficult situation, I am optimistic because I see the spirit and willpower of the people of Artsakh, and it is a great pride for me to stand with those people. We are ready to go through everything because the desire to live in dignity and love for the motherland gives great strength. The struggle for the right of Artsakh and the people of Artsakh to live in dignity on their land is important not only for Armenians, but also for the world, as it is a struggle to preserve dignity, values," said the Minister of State.

Artsakh ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan presented the violations of fundamental human rights and humanitarian problems as a result of the ongoing Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh. He noted that the blockade is not only empty storefronts, it is the violation of a number of fundamental rights of people: freedom of movement, health care, education, proper nutrition, the destruction of the economy and infrastructure, the psychological pressure on the population, and the intimidation of children returning from Armenia to Artsakh.

"Azerbaijan implements a special criminal policy aimed at depatriating Armenians living in Artsakh, destroying them. The situation requires a clear response from the international community. Yes, the international community has a responsibility to protect human rights. Human rights are no longer a matter of the state's discretion," said Stepanyan. "As the human rights defender, I would like to use this opportunity to appeal to you and ask you to make all efforts so that the international community assumes its responsibility and takes real steps to curb Azerbaijan's criminal policy."

Continuing the topic, Artak Beglaryan, adviser to the Artsakh Minister of State, noted that the people of Artsakh expect the norms established by international law to be protected by the same international law officials and actors.

"The international community must show that Azerbaijan will pay a high price for crimes. We expect all countries to stand up against Artsakh's isolation and resolve the issue of ensuring Artsakh's international engagement. Here again, the cooperation of all countriesfirst of all, of the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group: Russia, the USA, and Franceis very important," Beglaryan said.

Artsakh FM Sergey Ghazaryan, in turn, noted that the impunity of violations of international law and aggressive actions by Azerbaijan for years have led to today's situation.

"Until Azerbaijan is punished, such genocidal policy will continue. Sanctions should be imposed not on the people of Azerbaijan, but specifically on those persons who are involved in the process of making political decisions. The efforts of all of usfirst of all, of our friendsshould be focused on this direction," he emphasized.

And MP Davit Melkumyan noted that this time choosing a fake environmental agenda, the Azerbaijanis have tried to find an "appealing" topic for the world, calculating that under its guise they can legitimize their crime.

"But their calculations have not justified. During these 44 days [of the Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh], our people showed their will, that they are ready for this struggle," he said.

The representatives of Artsakh called on the latters friends to continue their efforts on the international platforms to protect the rights of the people of Artsakh, to improve the international mechanisms for guaranteeing stable security, to restore normal land communication, to open an air humanitarian corridor to Artsakh, and to combat the criminal actions of Azerbaijan.
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) found evidence that Turkish businessman Emin Uchar made his fortune working for the family of Vasif Talibov, who ruled Nakhijevan for 27 years, while his corrupt money was invested in the Georgian hospitality industry.

"Across the street from the opera house in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, well-heeled patrons enjoy local and international cuisine at the upscale Dinehall restaurant, whose motto is Good food is a human right. Nearby, a five-star hotel is under construction in partnership with the French hospitality giant Accor.

The hotel and eatery are part of a $270-million business empire in the small Caucasian country overseen  at least on paper  by a Turkish national named Emin Uchar. But OCCRP has discovered evidence that Uchar has likely acted for years as a frontman for the family of Vasif Talibov, who was the autocratic ruler of a secluded region of Azerbaijan for 27 years until he abruptly resigned on December 21," the investiation says.

Emin Uchar's lawyer denied that his company's assets are owned by the Talibov family, claiming that the financial sources of the business are loans. Accor said it is reviewing its relationship with the Turkish businessman due to recent reports of ties to Talibov.

In February 2022, OCCRP uncovered Uchar's ties to the Talibov family, whose regime silenced independent media, forced dissidents into mental hospitals, and controlled the beating and torture of prisoners. Reporters also discovered that Talibov amassed a fortune while in power even though his official annual salary was only $26,000. OCCRP notes that the corporate network, which includes several companies known as Gamigaya in Azerbaijan and the Maqro Group in Georgia, has also won dozens of government contracts in Azerbaijan since the first firms were incorporated in the early 2000s.

However, Talibov's fortunes have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks, with the patriarch resigning as head of Nakhijevan amid political repression from Azerbaijan's central government.

A week after Talibov's resignation, Gamigaya was renamed renamed "Arkoz," the name of another company linked to Uchar. Human rights organizations have long claimed that the Talibovs control Gamigaya, but information about the company's ownership in Azerbaijan is not disclosed, so it is impossible to prove this claim.

But a former Gamigaya employee told OCCRP that he had observed that when he worked in security for the company, Uchar was taking orders from the Talibovs. They simply entrusted the Gamigaya Holding to him. But everything was done according to the instructions of Vasif Talibov, Nadir Mammadov said in a video call from Germany, where he settled after fleeing Nakhchivan because he was beaten by police.

The Law on Commercial Secrets in Azerbaijan has kept information about shareholders closed to journalists and citizens since 2012. It is impossible to find out the names of the companies' shareholders. But documents found by investigative journalists prove Uchar's connection to Talibov.

In January 2012 the former head of Nakhijevan visited Batumi, a month later his eldest son Rza Talibov bought real estate there for 1, 5 million dollars. Journalists found a document signed by Rza Talibov, where he instructed Emin Ucharu to buy real estate for him in Batumi.

In the summer of that year, Rza received another certificate for two months to buy another property adjacent to the purchased historic building. Two years later, a five-star Divan Suites Batumi hotel opens in that historic building in Batumi, which Rza Talibov put up for sale for $18 million late last year when the central government of Azerbaijan began a staff slaughter in Nakhijevan.

Meanwhile, the Maqro company in Tbilisi owns the Green Budapest apartment complex, and a larger facility called Green Diamond is being built for $120 million. A Swissotel hotel is being built with the French Accor. They have two other hotels in the old center of Tbilisi: Mercure, which opened in 2015, and Ibis, which has been hosting guests since 2017. Sandro Kevkhishvili, an expert with Transparency International, said that investing money from possible corruption in Azerbaijan in Georgia contains risks in terms of corruption in Georgia. A person who accumulates wealth through corruption will try to use the same methods in the country where he invested this money  especially if the country does not have strong anti-corruption mechanisms and a decision-making system to reduce these risks, he said in an interview in Tbilisi.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Concerned teachers and employees warned administrators at a Virginia elementary school three times that a 6-year-old boy had a gun and was threatening other students in the hours before he shot and wounded a teacher, but the administration could not be bothered, a lawyer for the teacher said Wednesday.

Diane Toscano, an attorney for Abigail Zwerner, said during a news conference that she has notified the Newport News School Board that the 25-year-old teacher at Richneck Elementary School plans to sue the school district over the Jan. 6 shooting, which left Zwerner with serious injuries.

On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different times  three times  school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people. But the administration could not be bothered, Toscano said.

She said that around 12:30 p.m., one teacher told administrators that she had taken it upon herself to search the boys bookbag but warned that she thought he had the gun in his pocket. Toscano said that after 1 p.m., another boy told his teacher that the student had shown him the gun and threatened to shoot him, and that the teacher reported that to administrators.

Another employee later asked for permission to search the boy after hearing about the gun but was told to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over, Toscano said.

Zwerner had also told school administrators at around 11:15 a.m. that day that the boy had threatened to beat up another child.

The shooting raised questions over security at the school and stunned Newport News, a city of about 185,000 people roughly 70 miles (113 kilometers) southeast of Richmond.

Police Chief Steve Drew has repeatedly characterized the shooting as intentional, saying the boy aimed at Zwerner and fired one round, striking her in the hand and chest. Zwerner was hospitalized for nearly two weeks but is now recovering at home, a hospital spokesperson said.

Superintendent George Parker III has said that at least one administrator was told on the day of the shooting that the boy might have had a weapon, but no weapon was found when his backpack was searched.

Police have said school officials did not tell them about that tip before the shooting, which happened hours later.

The boys mother legally purchased the gun used in the shooting, police said. The boys family said in a statement last week that the gun was secured. The family's attorney, James Ellenson, told The Associated Press that his understanding was that the gun was in the womans closet on a shelf well over 6 feet (1.8 meters) high and had a trigger lock that required a key.

The family also said in its statement that the boy has an acute disability and was under a care plan that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day. The week of the shooting was the first when a parent was not in class with him, the family said.

The Newport News School Board will hold a special meeting Wednesday evening to vote on a separation agreement and severance package for Parker, according to a posted agenda. The board is also scheduled to vote on a new interim superintendent.
Photo: Pixabay

A Winnipeg court has heard Crown prosecutors are staying six sexual assault charges against a doctor in rural Manitoba.

They say they couldn't go through with a trial for Dr. Arcel Bissonnette after assessing new evidence.

Bissonnette was facing six counts of sexual assault charges for alleged assaults on female patients when he worked in Ste. Anne, a town southeast of Winnipeg.

The trial was supposed to start last week but was delayed to address evidence that may have been lost or destroyed.

The former lead investigator in the case told court last week she kept detailed records in notebooks that she left with the police department when she took a new job in 2019, but defence lawyers say they only got a few pages of notes.

Bissonnette is facing another 16 counts of sexual assault that are to be tried separately.
Eating dumplings is a unique tradition of Chinese people during the Spring Festival. In many Han people's customs, the dumpling represent a significant food type that any delicacy can not replace. Dumplings originated in the era of Zhang Zhongjing. Dumpling, also known as "Jiaozi" or "Jiao'er," means alternating from the old to the new. If you want to get rid of the past year's bad luck, you must eat dumplings on Chinese New Year's Eve. People from far away will return to their hometown to have a meal of dumplings with their families, in the meaning of safe reunion, expressing people's yearning and hopes for a better life. As the old saying goes, "Major Cold, Minor Cold (Chinese solar terms), eat dumplings to celebrate the Chinese New Year." On the night of Chinese New Year's Eve in northern China, the most important activity is making dumplings with the whole family. Eating dumplings during the Spring Festival means good luck because the shape of the dumpling looks like a Yuanbao (ingot), so making dumplings also means gaining fortune and wealth for the coming New Year.
Photo: Police photo

A Quebec woman accused of mailing poison to former president Donald Trump has pleaded guilty and agreed to a prison sentence of nearly 22 years.

Pascale Ferrier, 55, entered the plea Wednesday in United States District Court in Washington, D.C. She also pleaded guilty to eight charges related to similar biological weapons offences committed in Texas.

Judge Dabney L. Friedrich still needs to agree to the sentence recommendation of 21 years and 10 months in prison, with a hearing set for April 26.

Ferrier was arrested at a U.S. border crossing on Sept. 20, 2020 and charged with sending a letter to Trump containing the poison ricin, which was intercepted Sept. 18 before it was delivered to the White House.

U.S. authorities say Ferrier also sent letters containing ricin to eight law enforcement and corrections officials in Texas, who were connected to her arrest and detention in that state in the spring of 2019.

The U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release that court documents show Ferrier admitted to making deadly ricin at her home south of Montreal in September 2020.

"There is no place for political violence in our country, and no excuse for threatening public officials or endangering our public servants," U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves said in the statement. "We hope this resolution will serve as a warning that using our mail system to send a toxic substance and other threats of this type will cost you your freedom for many years."

According to prosecutors, the letter to Trump contained similar language to the letters sent to officials in Texas. The letter to Trump referred to the poison as a "special gift" and concluded with a threat to "find a better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when Ill be able to come." The letters were all signed "Free Rebel Spirit."

In a sworn affidavit to obtain the arrest warrant, an FBI investigator wrote the envelope contained a powdery white substance with a letter to Trump calling him "The Ugly Tyrant Clown." The letter, intercepted less than two months before the 2020 presidential election, accused Trump of ruining the United States and called on him to "give up" his re-election bid.

Authorities said that when Ferrier was arrested she was in possession of a handgun and several other weapons, nearly 300 rounds of ammunition and a fake Texas drivers licence.
Photo: The Canadian Press The Court of Appeal of Quebec is seen in Montreal, Wednesday, March 27, 2019. The Quebec Court of Appeal has overturned a conditional discharge given to an engineer who pleaded guilty to sexual assault and voyeurism and sentenced him to 12 months in jail. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

The Quebec Court of Appeal has overturned a conditional discharge given to an engineer who pleaded guilty to sexual assault and instead imposed a 12-month jail sentence.

In a written decision released today, the court found that the trial judge made errors in deciding Simon Houle's sentence, leading him to diminish the seriousness of the crimes and Houle's level of responsibility.

Quebec court Judge Matthieu Poliquin's decision last June to grant Houle probation and a conditional discharge  in part because a conviction would have made it hard for Houle to travel for his job as an engineer  caused an uproar in the province.

The province's prosecution service appealed the ruling.

In its ruling, the Appeal Court said the difference between a conditional discharge and the sentences that had been imposed in similar cases was too large and risked undermining public confidence in the justice system.

In November, prosecutors charged Houle with breaching the conditions of his original sentence after a Quebec woman accused him of making gestures of a sexual nature toward her in Cuba.
U.S. President Joe Biden has announced plans to send Ukraine 31 M1 Abrams tanks, CNN reports.



According to him, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recommended that he take this step because it would strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend its territory and achieve its strategic goals.



Abrams tanks are the most capable tanks in the world, he said. They are also extremely difficult to operate and maintain, so the U.S. is also providing Ukraine with the parts and equipment needed to effectively support these tanks on the battlefield, training Ukrainian troops on these logistics, logistics and maintenance issues as soon as possible, Biden said.



According to senior administration officials, it will take months to deliver the tanks and will require extensive training for Ukrainian troops on their operation and maintenance. The U.S. must manage the complex supply chain of components needed for the tanks.



Getting these tanks to the battlefield will take time. According to Biden it is time to make sure the Ukrainians are fully prepared to integrate Abrams tanks into their defenses, Biden added.



He assured that support for Ukraine is not an offensive threat to Russia. U.S. support, he said, is intended to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty.



The president added that he believes Russian troops should return where they belong in Russia.



As part of what he called a worldwide effort to support Ukraine, Biden thanked Germany for stepping up assistance.



Germany announced it would send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if the United States offered its tanks.



The German chancellor has become a strong voice for unity, he said. Biden expressed his gratitude to Chancellor Scholz for providing German Leopard 2 tanks and will lead the effort to organize a European contribution of two tank battalions to Ukraine. Biden thanked the chancellor for his leadership and his continued commitment to the collective efforts to support Ukraine.



He said Germany has not pressured him to announce that he is sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
India and Pakistan came "too close" to a nuclear conflagration during the 2019 confrontation with both sides believing the other was preparing to deploy nuclear weapons, according to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He recounted in his book, "Never Give an Inch", his frantic night-time diplomatic efforts to get the neighbours to stand down after getting a call from his "Indian counterpart", warning him that he believed Pakistan was readying nuclear weapons for a strike and India was considering its own escalation. The External Affairs Minister during the crisis set off by the terrorist attack that killed 46 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in February 2019 was the late Sushma Swaraj. But Pompeo referred to his "counterpart" with the male pronoun in a subsequent paragraph creating ambiguity as to who he spoke with. "I do not think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over in a nuclear conflagration," he wrote. But, he added, "the truth is, I don't know precisely the answer either. I just know it was too close". He was woken up at night while he was on a visit to Hanoi with a call from Sushma Swaraj who told him that "he believed the Pakistanis had begun to prepare their nuclear weapons for a strike". "India, he informed me, was contemplating its own escalation. I asked him to do nothing and give us a minute to sort things out," Pompeo wrote. Working with John Bolton, who was then the US National Security Adviser, from their Hanoi hotel room he "reached the actual leader of Pakistan. General (Qamer Javed) Bajwa", he wrote. "I told him what the Indians had told me. He said it wasn't true. As one might expect, he believed the Indians were preparing their own nuclear weapons for deployment. "It took us a few hours, and remarkably good work by our teams on the ground in New Delhi and Islamabad, to convince each side that neither was to convince each side or the other was not preparing for nuclear war," Pompeo added. Taking credit for the de-escalation, he wrote: "No other nation could have done that, but we did that night to avoid a horrible outcome." He acknowledged the work of Kenneth Juster, who was the then US envoy in New Delhi, calling him "an incredibly capable ambassador" who "loves India and its people". Pompeo, who was the director of the Central Intelligence Agency before becoming the Secretary of State, recounted in the book his four years in former President Donald Trump's cabinet. The book, subtitled, "Fighting for the America I Love", lays out how he aggressively implemented Trump's 'America First' vision. Writing about his efforts to deepen ties with New Delhi, Pompeo wrote that he "made India the fulcrum of my diplomacy to contract Chinese aggression". "I chose to devote serious quantities of time and effort to make India the next great American ally," he added. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis) --IANS al/vd ( 520 Words) 2023-01-25-21:06:03 (IANS)
Air India Joint Action Forum - a group of six unions, on Tuesday appealed to aviation regulator DGCA to withdraw the suspension of the pilot-in-command of an Air India flight in connection with the urination incident that occurred on November 26 last year. In a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the forum said that the due process of investigation has not been followed and vital steps in the investigation and enforcement have been skipped. The unions have appealed to the DGCA to withdraw the harsh punishment and suspension of the pilot-in-command. The forum represents six unions -- Indian Pilots Guild, Indian Commercial Pilots Association, Air Corporation Employees Union, Air India Employees Union, All India Cabin Crew Association and Airline Pilots Association of India. The letter written on Tuesday has also been marked to the Civil Aviation Minister, Aviation Secretary, CEO and COO of Air India. Earlier, on Tuesday, Air India said it had closed the internal probe into the case and will also assist the flight's pilot-in-command with an appeal against the suspension of his licence. According to the letter, the entire crew comes under the judicial and operational control of the pilot-in-command. "It is in this light that the pilot-in-command signed all reports and then directed the cabin supervisor to forward all reports to the company and its senior officers instantly upon landing to discuss the next step with the company, which was done and verified. Given the actual facts and non-existence of any eyewitnesses, it was decided by the pilot-in-command in consultation with his crew, that the passenger in seat 8C (Shankar) Mishra was not unruly, and could not be classified as unruly," said the letter. DGCA on January 20 imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and suspended the license of the pilot-in-command for three months in the incident which occurred on November 26, 2022. Moreover, the regulator also imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh on the director of in-flight services of Air India for failing to discharge duties. Earlier, on Monday, All India Cabin Crew Association said that the derostered Air India crew in connection with the Air India urination case should be rostered back on flights, terming the action against the pilot-in-command an unusually harsh punishment. In a letter issued on Monday, the cabin crew body also termed the findings of an internal committee in the Air India urination case "flawed". --IANS kvm/pgh ( 416 Words) 2023-01-24-23:20:03 (IANS)
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], January 25 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Avance Phytotherapies is a boutique herbal drug development company dedicated to bringing the most unique and effective formulations for neglected diseases and longevity since its inception in 2008. The Ahmedabad based company has patented their products in many areas of herbal research. The promoters have vast experience in the field of research and manufacturing. Avance proudly announces their introduction of therapeutically effective all natural multifunctional premium luxury age defying/anti-age skin care line for women and men in India. The founder Dr Shivprakash Rathnam said, "our impetus lies in offering a 360-degree approach to safeguard your skin against ageing. Backed by years of sustainable research, our products intend to reform your beauty routine with authentic natural and effective ingredients and meticulous science. Using an Ayurvedic approach, Avance is a frontrunner within the anti ageing industry-- with unique products that use unprecedented speciality natural actives." While the skincare industry is saturated with products, Avance goes the extra mile with superlative ingredients which contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that significantly improve skin elasticity, and banish wrinkles. The same ingredients also block any potential skin pigmentation caused by UV exposure, simply by diffusing excess melanin deposits in the skin. These ingredients greatly stimulate the production of collagen and prevent its degradation by matrix metalloproteinases. Truly multifunctional in nature. Avance anti-age line of products contains key ingredients which are internationally sourced for their high quality and standardization. These ingredients are sourced responsibly for their sustainability. There are many creams in the market which do not protect the skin on all fronts. Avance created a unique cream which protects skin from ageing from multiple fronts. In India, this is the most advanced formula at present available in the market. These speciality natural actives are not used in any product so far here. Avance anti-age line for women is day and night cream. Both have different functions. The day cream protects the skin from UV rays, banishes wrinkles and dark spots with the most advanced ingredients in liposomes which stimulate collagen production within the cells. The night cream contains a natural active ingredient titrated in andrographolides sourced from the leaves of the green chiretta, to efficiently reduce the impacts on skin and mood of fatigue induced by modern off-beat life. It extends cell longevity, reduces cell damages, promoting skin revitalization. It also acts as a "Brain-Skin" axis booster, enhancing oxytocin, endocannabinoid and endorphin signaling pathways to relax skin. Andrographolide is a chrono-detox active ingredient providing a "feel good energizing" effect. This ingredient has won 2022 best innovative natural ingredient award. Both day and cream produces excellent moisturising effect. The men's cream is an unique anti-age formula specially formulated for men's skin. Apart from protecting skin from harmful UV rays, removing wrinkles and dark spots, this formula has unique multifunctional active natural ingredients suitable for men's skin which will reduce large pores and excessive oiliness, provides a soothing effect while reducing the signs of aging and promoting hydration. Avance also has a series of specially formulated multifunctional products specifically for men's skin as well as a patented ingestible pill that heals from within. The company is ready with an anti-age hair oil combined with ingestible pill for stopping hair fall and premature greying. This oil for treatment is again a unique formula not available in the market. Also as a line extension, the company will also introduce ant-dandruff gel which is potent and for effective management of dandruff. Their patented herbal mouthwash for gingivitis and oral care product for mucositis will be available in the market at the end of 2023. As a dedicated anti-ageing company, Avance brand ethos revolves around providing creative and sustainable solutions to skincare woes and making sure it sustain the glow forever. From neglected diseases to skincare, haircare and oral care, expect the most reliable, therapeutically effective and responsibly sourced formulations from Avance. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)
New Delhi [India], January 25 (ANI/NewsVoir): RISE, an innovative, industry-led, tech-first ed-tech platform concluded RUNWAY GET SET HACK by RISE, a 3-month long Entrepreneurship Edition, in collaboration with Viral Fission on a high note. The edtech platform has announced their top awarded winners of the Entrepreneurship Edition of Hackathon. With over 5000 participants and 2000+ teams, the top 3 winners bagged an all-paid trip to Silicon Valley to attend the fully paid Hero Training program from Draper University and the top 10 participants have received Letters of Engagement from CBIE Venture, who are the investment partners for the hackathon. Before the finale, the best 100 teams also attend the Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship (virtual) program by Draper University. First Prize was bagged by Circle, which is a financial wellness application for low income white & grey collar employees in India. First runner up is SwiftRide a Ride (Car & Bike) pooling platform (mobile app) for student communities. This app matches student ride-givers and ride-takers on the same route. Second runner-up is Teamup, a cloud-based platform that enables industries and university students to collaborate on solving real-world cases to bridge the gap in theoretical education and practical learning. These three teams not only won the fully paid trip to the Silicon Valley but also won cash prizes ranging from INR 1.75L to INR 25000 in addition to receiving letters of engagement from CBIE Ventures for further funding & mentoring. The entrepreneurship edit was designed to provide a platform to bring forth business ideas and help students with a solid foundation of business networking among leading entrepreneurs in India to showcase their scalable startup ideas. The jury included well-known names like ex-MD and Global Head of Investment Product Management for Citibank, Malay Ghatak, Gunika Grover from India Accelerator, Kapel Malhotra, angel investor in multiple startups and partner at CBIE Ventures, Puneet Talwar, partner at CBIE ventures, Prashant Iyer, Asst Director, Startup Accelerator MIT WPU, CEO & Co-founder of Blowhorn, Mithun Srivatsa, and Innovations Head at Viral Fission, Umang Gandhi. The awardees were provided with ample opportunities to present ideas via video submissions & pitch decks. With the added aim of promoting a new age startup culture, RISE is committed to transform students by providing ample opportunities that challenge them to thrive ahead with innovative ideas and skills to expand their horizons beyond theoretical knowledge. The startup has partnered with Maharashtra State Innovation Society and Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education as their state partners, CBIE Ventures as their capital partners, Draper University as their academic partners and India Accelerator as the Knowledge partner. Additionally, MIT Innovation Hub, Symbiosis Center for Media & Communication, IIIT Pune, Mithibai College, Mumbai and TiE, Mumbai were their outreach partners. Elated by another success of GET SET HACK by RISE, Gaurv Bhatia, CEO, RISE said, "Our first Hackathon on Cybersecurity was a huge success with more than 22k participants and we are thrilled to see the overwhelming response and excitement of students towards the Entrepreneurship Edition of our Hackathon. The innovative ideas that were submitted by the students are testimony to the fact that entrepreneurship does not have any age or time barriers. We will continue to focus on hosting more such hackathons to help students grow in all aspects.'' Focused on the vision and mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to empower students on becoming young innovators and entrepreneurs of new India, RISE is aiming to create more and more opportunities for students to turn their ideas into reality, building up waves of a new startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. Founded in April 2021, RISE has been set up with a mission to encourage and empower students across cities, strata, and societies to be socially and culturally aware leaders of the world. They help students to transform & succeed in the fields of technology, data science, analytics, artificial intelligence, public policy, cybersecurity, finance & accounting, fintech, global business administration, marketing research, and more. RISE also works with Universities and other higher education institutions by providing full stack services which enable them to go digital and increase their reach across geographies. Besides, and more significantly, RISE also provides scholarships for women in tech and discounted courses for the underprivileged. Each course is affordable and, crucially, is curated and taught by industry experts, thus increasing the chances of employability. Based out of Pune, with offices in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and boasting an 80-member strong team, RISE is targeting a fourfold growth both in the number of courses and students in the coming financial year. This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 25 (ANI/PNN): Asia's premier digital marketing institute has opened a new international learning centre in Nepal. The school plans to offer its courses and certifications to interested students and develop talent for the expanding needs of local businesses and start-ups in digital marketing. IIDE offers hybrid training for students, combining online lecturers, e-content learning management systems, certification exams, in-person meetings with business professionals, and committed placement support at its centre in Nepal. They have partnered with top Nepalese businesses and agencies including Admana, Feat International, Arbitrary Digital Marketing, etc., which is peculiar to their expansion in Nepal. Karan Shah, the founder of IIDE, believes connecting agencies with graduates and exposing Nepalese students to well-known brands and agencies will help close the gap between agency demand and job opportunities for students in Nepal. He further expressed his conviction that it will not only help to accelerate local enterprises in Nepal but also provide a steady source of income for young people. "Our digital marketing courses are open to anyone aged 16 or above who has a smartphone, regardless of prior experience or qualifications. With the rapid increase in smartphone and internet access in Nepal over the past five years, it is crucial to provide accessible education in digital marketing to keep pace with the country's digital economic transformation and meet the rising demand for skilled professionals in this field", he shared. Rishi Agarwal, the Head of Student Experience at IIDE Nepal, said, "I am delighted to bring IIDE to Nepal. With the increasing demand for digital marketing, IIDE is sure to be a valuable asset for my country." He also expressed how IIDE differs from other organisations offering comparable courses by offering a structured protocol for effective learning, a community for students, help with job placements, as well as managerial and self-development training. IIDE offers specialised digital marketing courses like an 11-month post-graduate degree in digital marketing, a 4-month advanced digital marketing certification course, and one-week subject-driven certifications. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
The Bundelkhand region drew bulk investment proposals at the Jhansi Investors Summit on Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh government informed through a release. According to the release, the summit was organised ahead of the proposed Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit with the aim of encouraging investors, making them aware of the schemes of the government, and solving their problems. Local entrepreneurs as well as investors from across the country participated at the summit. "The district, which remained neglected and underdeveloped under previous regimes, has received more than 146 proposals worth Rs 1,11,610.90 crore, out of which MoUs have been signed for an investment of about Rs 65,000 crore. Among these, the MoU amounting to a maximum of Rs 50,000 crore has been signed in the field of energy," read the government release. Further, according to the release, the Jhansi district topped all districts in terms of the investments received. Apart from investors and delegates, the summit featured Union Minister of State for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma. The union minister informed the delegates about the various central schemes being implemented in the state and the incentives provided by the Centre to boost investment, the release stated. Further, as per the release, most of the investors in the Jhansi district showed an interest in investing in the energy sector. They were interested in investing in tourism, housing, defence, and MSME sectors, the release informed further. Jhansi's Chief Development Officer Junaid Ahmed informed that the majority of investment proposals received in the district was in the energy sector. "Many tourism and housing projects are coming up here. They will create employment opportunities for about 58,000 people," Ahmed said. The Union minister informed that components for defence manufacturing, which were earlier procured from overseas, will now be made at the Defence Corridor at Jhansi. "The people of Bundelkhand will get the desired benefits from these proposals and their economic condition will improve significantly," Verma said. (ANI)
Photo: . The site of the Blackwater Gold mine southwest of Prince George is shown in this August 2022 photo.

Steven Dean is like a drag racer sitting at the start line behind the wheel of billion dollar machine waiting for the green light to drop.

The chairman and CEO of Artemis Gold Inc., has been stuck in staging for 2  years, ready to hit the throttle on a project to build one of the largest gold mines in Canada.

Located 160 kilometres southwest of Prince George, the Blackwater Gold open-pit gold-silver mine is expected generate thousands of jobs and deliver wealth to a forestry-dependent region left reeling in the wake of a series of recent mill closures.

This mine has been in permitting phase for almost 10 years - its been a tough and long road for us and the previous owner New Gold, but I think we are close to getting the permits we need, particularly the provincial ones, said Dean, who stated his case for faster approval of the project to B.C. Premier David Eby and his cabinet last week at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George.

I had some good conversations with the premier. Very definitely they are hearing the message from industry and from the community that theres got to be a more efficient way, from a time and cost perspective, to bring forth the benefits, social and environmental, of economic development.

In 2019, B.C. became the first government to adopt the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which gives First Nations more decision-making authority on any developments that affect their traditional territory. Blackwater is one of the first major-project test cases under the new legislation and Dean admits that has contributed to delays in approval.

Blackwater was in some ways caught in that period of change and Im hoping that some of the initiatives were about to adopt and agree to and announce are precedent-setting in a way that will allow for the future a better mode of engagement for everybody, including First Nations, said Dean.

This change has foisted a huge responsibility on them as well. Their engagement in the process of permitting is an enormous task and I feel for them and their administration. Its a huge and exhausting job and Im really proud of the people working for their nations who are by and large doing a great job.

Dean said all the company has done all it can to have all the pieces in place and construction will begin as soon as Blackwater obtains its Mines Act permit.

Key to the $2.5 billion project will be a new 133-kilometre BC Hydro transmission line which will allow Blackwater to build one of the mining sectors first fully-electric ore processing plants. The carbon-neutral setup will replace traditional diesel/propane fuelled processing and adds to the cost of construction but it will reduce the carbon footprint of the mine.

The Vancouver company has signed an agreement with Caterpillar Inc., that gives Blackwater an option to buy an electric-powered zero-emission mining fleet of 200-tonne dump trucks.

I think Caterpillar sees the poster-child potential of this mine because to charge those batteries well be pugging into a grid that has a 98 per cent renewable energy base, said Dean. You can have electric trucks in Africa or even the U.S. or parts of Australia but youre plugging those into an energy source which is coal, where this is truly green. Its our single biggest advantage in this province and the government will showcase it to the world.

A feasibility study predicts the mine will produce 321,000 troy ounces of gold annually over the first five years. Over its expected 22-year lifespan, the company hopes to extract 11.7 million ounces of gold and 122.4 million ounces of silver. Dean says it could be producing for 30 or 40 years, which could mean career-spanning occupations for some workers.

Exploration has been recorded on the 15,000-hectare property since 1973. Richfield Ventures acquired the site in 2009 and sold to New Gold in May 2011. Artemis bought the project from New Gold in August 2020 for $150 million. New Gold also received 7.4 million common shares of Artemis in the deal and will get eight per cent of the gold produced by the project, dropping to four per cent once a 280,000-ounce threshold has been reached.

The deposit stretches is about one kilometre wide, 500 metres wide and between 300 and 400 m deep. No mine of that scale has been built in B.C since the Mount Milligan gold-copper mine southwest of Mackenzie opened in 2013. The Blackwater ore is considered relatively low-grade but the large area it encompasses and near-surface deposits make the project economical.

In January 2020, Blackwater announced it had signed agreements between the province and the Lhooskuz Dene and Ulkatcho nations, upon whose lands the mine sits, and the company will share a portion of the provincial mineral tax revenue collected from mining operations. Over the life of the mine that tax total is expected to reach $722 million.

We enjoy a good relationship with (both nations) and they say if we can get the mine going it will be a generational change for their membership, said Dean. Whether it be the health and wellness benefits to those nations, whether it be the economic benefits, the jobs, training, the business opportunities related to the mines construction as well as operation, I can imagine that being generation-changing and thats exciting and very cool.

Blackwater is also collaborating with the Nadleh Whuten, Saikuz, Stellaten and Nazko nations to develop and enhance impact benefit agreements.

Site preparation began last fall and 103 workers (35 per cent Indigenous, 30 per cent women) have cleared the area and set up a water treatment facility where the expanded 495-person work camp now sits.

Phase 1 will take two years to complete as a cost of about $645 in capital. It will involve a construction workforce of about 500 (400 contractors, 100 directly hired) and an operational staff of about 300. The mine site is 110 km south of Vanderhoof on a logging road, a 2 -hour trip.

Development will take pace in three or four phases. The truck and shovel operation is expected to start mining ore in the third quarter of this year.

At full capacity it will have 400 or 500 operators. Support services, contractors and fabricators in Prince George and Vanderhoof will be among the indirect jobs created.

Dean said the company plans to announce details of a precedent-setting caribou herd restoration initiative which will involve restoration efforts to remove the impacts of industries and their activities along migration route that connects to Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.

Were making some ground-breaking initiatives in relation to fish and to wetlands that really show how committed we are to the environment, not just our impacts but historic impacts from cattle and other industrial activity, said Dean.

The Perth, Australia native says Blackwater Gold will be unprecedented in its efforts to meet strict environmental standards and embrace its social responsibilities.

Were no longer our grandfathers industry, he said.

We are very much a modern mining approach, partly driven by regulation and the way governments want to see things, but also because the world has changed and corporate policies have changed. Our own shareholders, the big investors, are weighting environmental social governance higher than they have in the past.
Jhunjhunwala, often referred to as India's own Warren Buffet passed away on August 14, 2022.

Jhunjhunwala was born on July 5, 1960. He grew up in Mumbai.

After graduating from Sydenham College in 1985, he enrolled at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and married Rekha Jhunjunwala, who is also a stock market investor.

Jhunjhunwala ran a privately-owned stock trading firm called RARE Enterprises. He was also the owner of India's newest airline Akasa Air which took off in Indian skies earlier this month.

He was always bullish about India's stock markets and whatever stocks he purchased mostly turned into a multibagger.

In the trade and industry category, Areez Khambatta (posthumous) will also be awarded Padma Shri. He was the founder of the popular soft drink brand Rasna.

Further, the chairman of Aditya Birla Group Kumar Mangalam Birla will be conferred with Padma Bhushan.

These Awards are usually conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March or April every year. (ANI)
The RBI has told the Supreme Court that it has accepted the recommendations of a high-level committee that list of defaulters must be published by banks on their websites, where either the defaulters' name is already in the public domain or their secured assets are possessed under the Sarfaesi Act. The RBI, in a written response, said: "Reserve Bank's resolute efforts have resulted in material decline in the NPAs of the banking system." It added that the recently-issued Financial Stability Report of the Reserve Bank on December 29, 2022 indicates that the gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio of banks has been steadily trending down to a seven-year low of 5 per cent in September 2022, while net non-performing assets (NNPA) have dropped to a ten-year low of 1.3 per cent of total loans. "The Reserve Bank continues to monitor the situation and would assure to take prudent measures in discharge of its statutory mandate, to ensure a sound and resilient financial system, in the interest of all the stakeholders," it added. Advocates Prashant Bhushan and Pranav Sachdeva, representing NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation, alleged loans were given at the behest of politicians. The apex court had asked the banking regulator to respond to the allegations that despite bank accounts of many big companies having been declared as 'fraud', lenders still dither in reporting such matters to either police or the CBI. In the affidavit, the RBI further contended that necessary instructions are being issued mandating banks to examine and take a formal view on classifying an account as a case of wilful default, within 60 days of the account becoming an NPA (applicable for exposures greater than Rs 50 crore). "Issuance of directions governing publication of the list of defaulters by banks wherever recovery action is required to be in public domain," it added. The RBI said even directions mandating the Trust and Retention Accounts (TRA) for all types of consortium lending are being issued. It further added that to prevent the diversion of funds by unscrupulous borrowers, which was also the rationale behind the committee's recommendation of mandating TRA accounts, the measures essentially aimed at addressing the growing menace of NPAs in the banking system were taken. On Wednesday, a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul gave a four-weeks' time to RBI to inform on the steps it can take as the regulator qua the committee's recommendations to tackle bad loans. The apex court is hearing a case connected with writing off thousands of crores of loans by lenders. In December last year, the court had asked the government and the RBI to submit an affidavit explaining why the lenders should not file criminal cases against loan defaulters and why the recommendations of an expert panel on banking reforms have yet to be implemented. --IANS ss/vd ( 487 Words) 2023-01-25-21:48:01 (IANS)
What a beginning of 2023 for Paris Hilton! The 41-year-old businesswoman is starting this new year with a new title, yes, you read it right... Hilton is the newest mommy in the town. According to People magazine, a US-based news outlet, the 41-year-old media personality and businesswoman recently had a baby through surrogacy with her husband Carter Reum. "It's always been my dream to be a mother and I'm so happy that Carter and I found each other," the new mom tells PEOPLE exclusively. "We are so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy." Sharing the exciting news on Instagram Tuesday, Hilton posted a close-up photo of the baby gripping her thumb. "You are already loved beyond words," she wrote. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn0oCHOOI4T/?hl=en Hilton has previously expressed her desire to have a family with Reum. The founder of the Love Rush fragrance revealed to PEOPLE in December that she and Reum started the in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedure at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak when speaking about their desire to have a child after they wed late last year. "We started going and doing it like a few months in because the world was shut down," she told PEOPLE. "We knew we wanted to start a family, and I was like, 'This is perfect timing. Usually, I'm on a plane 250 days out of the year, and let's just get all of the eggs stocked and ready,' and we have tons of them just waiting." Following more than a year of dating, Hilton and Reum got engaged in February 2021. They later wed in a three-day ceremony in November of that same year. Reum, a native of Chicago and a longtime friend of the Hiltons, is an author, business owner, and the founder of the venture capital firm M13. (ANI)
Tandon and Keeravani, the composer behind RRR's widely popular number 'Naatu, Naatu' who won the Golden Glode award this year in the category of 'Best Original Song', will receive the Padma Shri -- the fourth highest civilian honour in India.

Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain will be conferred with Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award.

The recipients of this year's Padma awards were announced on Wednesday evening.

Expressing her gratitude on being picked for the top honour, Tandon said, "Honoured and grateful. Thank you so much, Government of India, for acknowledging my contributions, my life, my passion and purpose -- cinema and the arts, that allowed me to contribute, not only to the film industry, but beyond. I thank all those who guided me through this journey of Art and Craft of Cinema -- all those who held my hand through it, and all those who watched me from their place above. I owe this to my father."

Tandon emerged as an A-lister in Bollywood with blockbusters such as 'Mohra', 'Main Khiladi Tu Anari', 'Satta', 'Shool', and many more.

She received a lot of appreciation for her performance in the pan-India blockbuster 'KGF 2'.

Keeravaani, who has got the world dancing to his tunes in 'Naatu Naatu' from the period action-drama 'RRR', also bagged an Oscar nomination in the 'Best Original Song' category.

'Naatu Naatu' also fetched the composer the Critics Choice award.

Ustad Zakir Hussain had previously received the Padma Shri in 1988 and the Padma Bhushan in 2002. (ANI)
It's clear that chronic stress can impact our behaviour, leading to problems like depression, reduced interest in things that previously brought us pleasure, and even PTSD. Now scientists have evidence that a group of neurons in a bow-shaped portion of the brain become hyperactive after chronic exposure to stress. When these POMC neurons become super active, these sort of behavioral problems result and when scientists reduce their activity, it reduces the behaviors, they report in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University looked in the hypothalamus, key to functions like releasing hormones and regulating hunger, thirst, mood, sex drive and sleep, at a population of neurons called the proopiomelanocortin, or POMC, neurons, in response to 10 days of chronic, unpredictable stress. Chronic unpredictable stress is widely used to study the impact of stress exposure in animal models, and in this case that included things like restraint, prolonged wet bedding in a tilted cage and social isolation. They found the stressors increased spontaneous firing of these POMC neurons in male and female mice, says corresponding author Xin-Yun Lu, MD, PhD, chair of the MCG Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Translational Neuroscience. When they directly activated the neurons, rather than letting stress increase their firing, it also resulted in the apparent inability to feel pleasure, called anhedonia, and behavioral despair, which is essentially depression. In humans, indicators of anhedonia might include no longer interacting with good friends and a loss of libido. In mice, their usual love for sugar water wains, and male mice, who normally like to sniff the urine of females when they are in heat, lose some of their interest as well. Conversely when the MCG scientists inhibited the neurons' firing, it reduced these types of stress-induced behavioral changes in both sexes. The results indicate POMC neurons are "both necessary and sufficient" to increase susceptibility to stress, and their increased firing is a driver of resulting behavioral changes like depression. In fact, stress overtly decreased inhibitory inputs onto POMC neurons, Lu says. The POMC neurons are in the arcuate nucleus, or ARC, of the hypothalamus, a bow-shaped brain region already thought to be important to how chronic stress affects behavior. Occupying the same region is another population of neurons, called AgRP neurons, which are important for resilience to chronic stress and depression, Lu and her team reported in Molecular Psychiatry in early 2021. In the face of chronic stress, Lu's lab reported that AgRP activation goes down as behavioral changes like anhedonia occur, and that when they stimulated those neurons the behaviors diminished. Her team also wanted to know what chronic stress does to the POMC neurons. AgRP neurons, better known for their role in us seeking food when we are hungry, are known to have a yin-yang relationship with POMC neurons: When AgRP activation goes up, for example, POMC activation goes down. "If you stimulate AgRP neurons it can trigger immediate, robust feeding," Lu says. Food deprivation also increases the firing of these neurons. It's also known that when excited by hunger signals, AgRP neurons send direct messages to the POMC neurons to release the brake on feeding. Their studies found that chronic stress disrupts the yin-yang balance between these two neuronal populations. Although AgRP's projection to POMC neurons is clearly important for their firing activity, the intrinsic mechanism is probably the major mechanism underlying hyperactivity of POMC neurons by chronic stress, Lu says. (ANI)
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday refused to speak about Digvijay Singh's comment that there is no proof of the surgical strike and stated that Congress has always worked for the unity of the country. In a press interaction Kharge said, "We are with the Indian Army and the people who believe in the army. We have always worked for unity in the country and will continue to do so in the future." "A few people have been doing false publicity. We have made the country independent and we are also going to keep the unity in the nation," Kharge told reporters. Earlier on January 23, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in his address in Jammu said that while the BJP government at the Centre claims to have carried out a surgical strike against Pakistan, there was no proof of the same. "They (Centre) talk about surgical strikes and that they have killed so many of them but there is no proof," said the Congress leader in his address in Jammu. "The Centre is ruling with the help of lies. I want to tell you that this country belongs to all of us," said the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister. Singh also targeted PM Modi over the Pulwama terror attack in which over 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said that the 2019 terror attack could have been averted had the vehicle, which launched the attack on the CRPF been checked properly. On February 14, 2019, a CRPF convoy was attacked by militants in Kashmir's Pulwama, in which 44 Indian jawans lost their lives. Striking back, on February 26, 2019, Indian Air Force fighter jets targeted Jaish-e-Mohammed's advanced training camp in Pakistan's Balakot. The next day, Islamabad attempted to target Indian military installations but was thwarted by the IAF. (ANI)
In a strong disapproval Digvijaya Singh's remarks on surgical strikes, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the party leader had stated a "ridiculous thing" and that he disagrees with the views. The BJP continued its strong attack on the Congress over Digvijaya Singh's remarks with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan alleging that "Congress' DNA is in favour of Pakistan" and "it's an attempt to demoralize the Army". Rahul Gandhi, who addressed a press conference at Jhajjar Kotli in Jammu region after taking part in Bharat Jodo Yatra, faced several questions related to Digvijay Singh's remarks made during a Bharat Jodo Yatra rally on Monday. "I do not agree to what Digvijaya Singh said. We have full trust on our Army. If Army takes action, there is no need of proof. I personally disagree with his statement and Congress official position is also that this is his personal opinion," Gandhi said. Digvijaya Singh had said the government talks of surgical strikes. "They claim to have killed so many people but no proof is given," he had said. The party had officially distanced itself from Digvijaya Singh's remarks on Monday. Asked why action has not been taken against Digvijaya Singh, a former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Rahul Gandhi said Congress is a democratic party and not a dictatorship. "We don't run our party with principles of coercion. We don't appreciate Digvijaya's personal views, but the views of the party are above Digvijaya Singh's views. The views of the party are generated from a conversation within the party," Gandhi said. "I would like to assure you that Digvijaya Singh's views are outlying views. They are not views that are held by the centre of the party. We are absolutely crystal clear that the armed forces do a job. They do a job exceptionally well and they do not need to be providing proof for anything," Gandhi said. He alleged that there is no conversation in BJP and RSS. "It is in the culture of our party to allow conversations and sometimes, when those conversations happen, people who have extreme views, air their views. So, we try to manage a conversation. In the BJP and in the RSS, there is no conversation. They just decide that this is what is going to be and nobody can talk after this. It is like demonetisation. The Prime Minister gets up one morning and says- we are going to demonetise or like GST, where, you know, you completely destroy the backbone of the country, because you are not having a conversation," Gandhi said. "So, we think, a conversation is very-very important and sometimes, of course, there are people in every conversation, who will say ridiculous things and in this case, I am sorry to have to say this about a senior leader, he said a ridiculous thing," the Congress leader added. BJP leaders alleged that Digvijaya Singh had sought to demoralise the soldiers. "The DNA of the Congress is in favour of Pakistan. Sometimes they (Congress) ask for proof of surgical strike and at times proof of the existence of Ram. And now again Digvijaya Singh asks for proof of surgical strike while walking in Bharat Jodo Yatra. Singh is doing a sin of demoralising the soldiers. He is showing that he is standing with Pakistan," Chouhan told reporters in Bhopal. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said that for the first time Rahul Gandhi said that he has respect for the Army, and asked if he was not able to make Digvijaya Singh understand this in the 1000s of km of Bharat Jodo Yatra. "Rahul Gandhi said for the first time that they respect the Army. Digvijaya Singh has been walking 1000s of km with you from Kanyakumari. Weren't you able to make him understand this? Is it for the first time that he has said such a thing? When you said such a thing, you have given rise to some other questions. The BJP is going to settle the final account with you, as far as your vacillating stand on the Armed Forces is concerned. We have to remind Rahul Gandhi of his previous comments and ask if he would retreat them as well?" Prasad said at a press conference here. Rahul Gandhi also hit back at Shivraj Singh Chouhan's remarks. "Congress gave freedom to the country, it created the institutions, the country has been created by Congress philosophy. We fought the Britishers, people of BJP and RSS stood with them and their ideology and their leaders gave the two-nation concept," Gandhi said. . Digvijaya Singh's remarks had also drawn criticism from retired defence personnel. Wing Commander Praful Bakshi (retd) said that the Indian Army is not bound to give proof about the surgical strikes it conducted along LoC in 2016. "The Army does not give any proof. What proof should it give and why? If you want to know, ask the Pakistanis. If they are your friends, they will tell you, if not, they won't. Nobody can compel the Army to give proof. If the government wants to give proof, it can. But the government also knows that it would be against the policy of the Army. The Pakistanis levelled the place where the attack took place. It does not matter who says what. I think it is not even a question. The media should not react to this," he had said. (ANI)
Police in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district on Tuesday granted permission for opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) General Secretary Nara Lokesh's proposed padayatra with certain conditions. Lokesh, son of TDP national President N. Chandrababu Naidu, is scheduled to launch 4,000 km long padayatra from Kuppam in Chittoor district on January 27. District Superintendent of Police Rishanth Reddy granted conditional permission for the march titled 'Yuvagalam' (youth's voice). The permission came after days of uncertainty in view of the ban imposed early this month on conduct of meetings on roads. The SP directed the organisers to abide by the timings fixed for the public meetings. He made it clear that the meetings should not be held on roads. The organisers have been asked to ensure that the public and private property are not damaged. Police prohibited use of firecrackers during padyatra, while TDP workers and participants have been directed not to carry any weapons. The SP directed the organisers to arrange first aid and ambulance at the venue of the meeting to attend to any health emergency. Meanwhile, TDP's Andhra Pradesh unit President K. Atchannaidu has said that the conditions imposed for Lokesh's padyatra reflect Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government's sense of insecurity. He stated that the TDP leader's padyatra will be a death knell for YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) rule. He alleged that the government is trying to create hurdles for the padyatra. Atchannaidu said the police, which should provide protection, had imposed restrictions. The TDP had last week urged Director General of Police K.V. Rajendranath Reddy to grant permission for the padyatra. TDP Politburo member, Varla Ramaiah, who had written a letter to the DGP, had said that the police chief raised several unwanted and undesirable queries on padayatra by the party General Secretary. Ramaiah had said that the detailed schedule of the padayatra will be provided to the local sub-divisional police officers (SDPOs) ahead of the schedule to enable the local police to provide necessary security arrangements. The state-wide padyatra from from Kuppam to Itchapuram will cover around 125 Assembly segments spread over 4,000 km. The TDP Politburo member said that Lokesh, through his padayatra, intends to bring awareness among the public on various issues plaguing the state like lack of employment opportunities, and poor welfare and development. --IANS ms/vd ( 390 Words) 2023-01-24-20:40:02 (IANS)
Rajya Sabha MP Kirori Lal Meena along with thousands of supporters reached Jaipur to gherao the Assembly against the frequent paper leak cases reported in competitive examinations in Rajasthan. Meena was stopped by the Jaipur police at Ghat Ki Guni tunnel in Jaipur and he along with a large number of his supporters sat on a dharna on the Jaipur-Agra highway. He said that on Tuesday, the government refused a CBI inquiry into the paper leak case in the House. Earlier, the government had removed RBSE chairman DP Jaroli and other senior officials in the paper leak case. However, till date, a CBI inquiry has not been ordered in the case. Till this probe is ordered, we will continue to sit here on dharna, said Meena. Meena said that more than 16 recruitment exams have been cancelled due to paper leaks. As a result, the future of thousands of youth of the state is in jeopardy. In such a situation, this paper leak case should be investigated only by the CBI because the minister, MLA, officers and Congress office bearers are also involved in it. This is the reason why Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is giving a clean chit in the paper leak case to his government and politicians. Because they also know that if the CBI started an investigation into the case, the reality of the Congress government will come in front of the public, he said. Meena said that people from outside the state are being given jobs in Rajasthan. Due to this, the job opportunities for the youth of Rajasthan are decreasing. Earlier, Kirori Lal left from Dausa Collectorate in a convoy of hundreds of vehicles. During this, youths were seen shouting slogans in his support while singing and dancing on the entire highway. Meena also wrote to CM Ashok Gehlot alleging that the masterminds in the paper leak case have been deliberately left free by the state government under pressure of the politicians. In his letter he urged that a CBI probe should be ordered in the matter as 50 lakh youths have registered for these exams and now their future seems bleak. He also highlighted the fact that Rajasthan remains second in the unemployment index and hence a bill regarding reservation for local residents should be introduced in the assembly on the lines of the Haryana government. He also demanded a thorough probe into the matter of sacks filled with fake degrees found recently, alleging that the business of fake degrees is rampant in the state. --IANS arc/bg ( 440 Words) 2023-01-24-20:56:02 (IANS)
It was a courtesy call by the HP Chief Minister.

Besides discussing on issues of various development projects under implementation in the state, the Chief Minister also requested liberal assistance from the Centre for giving a fillip to the ongoing development works.

Chief Minister told the Prime Minister that the state government will effectively implement the centrally launched schemes, 'Pradhanmantri Gati Shakti Yojna' which is aimed to revolutionise infrastructure and 'Parvatmala Yojna' for construction of ropeways.

He said that both these schemes would immensely benefit the people of the State, adding further that connectivity and infrastructure development were one of the main focus areas of the present government besides generating employment avenues for the people.

The Chief Minister also honoured the Prime Minister with a traditional memento, Himachali Shawl and cap.

The Prime Minister congratulated Sukhu on becoming the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and assured him of all possible support to the state.

Sukhu also called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday.

This is his first meeting with the Union Home Minister after becoming Chief Minister. (ANI)
Photo: The Canadian Press

Canada and the United States are laying out the details of their new bilateral workaround for the Nexus trusted-traveller system.

The biggest change, to take effect in the spring, will allow U.S. border agents to interview Nexus applicants at select Canadian airports before boarding a U.S.-bound flight.

That will happen only after applicants take part in a separate, appointment-only interview with Canadian agents at a Nexus airport enrolment centre.

The Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are urging travellers to allow extra time for the U.S. interview, which will not require an appointment.

A new enrolment centre staffed by officials from both agencies is also being set up in Ogdensburg, N.Y., near the Prescott, Ont., land entry point south of Ottawa.

Eligible airports  where passengers can pre-clear U.S. customs  are in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Winnipeg.

"The U.S. portion of the Nexus interview will be conducted by CBP officers in the preclearance area of a Canadian airport before the applicant departs for the United States," the two agencies say in a news release.

"Applicants will not need to schedule appointments for the U.S. interview but are encouraged to build in time to their travel plans to allow for this interview to take place before their departure."

Existing Nexus members who renew their cards before they expire will have their benefits extended for up to five years to allow time for the interview process, if necessary.

The news release also confirms that the two countries are exploring whether to expand the new "split interview" process now in place at the Thousand Islands and Peace Bridge land entry points in Ontario.

That process requires applicants to submit to an interview with Canadian agents before crossing the border to sit down with their U.S. counterparts.

The agencies say they have completed more than 200,000 enrolments since Oct. 1 and reduced the application backlog by 100,000 since it peaked last summer.

The U.S. also has 13 enrolment centres where applicants have the option to schedule same-day interviews with agents from both countries.

While those centres reopened in April after closing during the COVID-19 pandemic, most enrolment centres in Canada remain closed for lack of U.S. agents to staff them.

Customs and Border Protection has refused to provide agents to work on Canadian soil without a guarantee they would receive the same legal protections and authority afforded to their counterparts working at the land border or airport preclearance windows.

"CBP officers conducting trusted-traveller program enrolment in the preclearance areas of Canadian airports for travellers departing for the United States will have the same legal authorities as when performing other preclearance functions," the release says.

That, the two countries agree, constitutes "preclearance activity" as spelled out in the 2015 agreement that allows the system to operate.

"Therefore, in the future, should Canada conduct preclearance in the United States, CBSA officers performing Nexus enrolment in those preclearance areas for travellers departing for Canada would similarly be covered by the provisions of the (agreement)."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) awardees at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, earlier on Tuesday, said a press release by Prime Minister's Office. Prime Minister presented souvenirs to all the awardees and discussed their achievements on a one-to-one basis, which was followed by interaction with the entire group. He engaged in an open-hearted interaction in an informal setting. The children asked him various questions about the challenges they face and sought his guidance on a variety of topics, added the statement. Prime Minister suggested the awardees start by solving small problems, gradually build capacity, enhance capability and develop the confidence to solve bigger problems as they go ahead in life. Discussing the issue of mental health and problems faced by children, he talked about tackling the stigma around the issue and the important role of the family in tackling such issues. Several other topics were also taken up by the Prime Minister during the interaction, including the benefits of playing Chess, taking up art and culture as a career, research & innovation, and spirituality, among others. The Government of India has been conferring the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to children for their exceptional achievement in six categories namely Innovation, Social Service, Scholastic, Sports, Art & Culture and Bravery. Each awardee has been given a medal, a cash prize of Rs. 1 Lakh and a certificate. This year, 11 children from across the country, under different categories of Bal Shakti Puraskar, have been selected for PMRBP-2023. The awardees, belonging to 11 States and UTs, include 6 boys and 5 girls, namely: Aadithya Suresh, M. Gauravi Reddy, Shreya Bhattacharjee, Sambhab Mishra, Rohan Ramchandra Bahir, Aditya Pratap Singh Chauhan, Rishi Shiv Prasanna, Anoushka Jolly, Hanaya Nisar, Kolagatla Alana Meenakshi and Shauryajit Ranjitkumar Khaire. (ANI)
Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday said the BJP-JJP government is running Haryana in back gear as the state was number one in per capita income, per capita investment, employment generation and development in 2014 but they made it number one in unemployment, corruption and crime. Addressing the media along with Congress state President Chaudhary Udaybhan, he said the government is weakening the Panchayati Raj system by enforcing the e-tendering on sarpanches. "The government's negative attitude towards panchayats and villages became evident when it repeatedly postponed elections. Eventually elections were held on the orders of the court and the sarpanch was elected by the votes of the public. "But now the government does not want to allow them to work. So they were caught in the web of e-tendering. Similarly, PRI grants are also not being given for the last two years," he said. The Leader of Opposition also accused the government of dividing the education system. He said there is a shortage of teachers in schools as well as in colleges. "More than half of the 4,500 posts are lying vacant of about 8,000 sanctioned posts in state colleges." He demanded quick and transparent recruitment on the vacant posts. He said the High Court has once again exposed the fake transparency of this government. "The recruitment of junior draftsman in the Country and Planning Department has been proved rigged. Therefore, the court has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the HSSC. The government cannot blame the recruitment scams only on the HSSC or the HPSC. Such big and repeated scams are not possible without the patronage of the government." Hooda demanded compensation for the mustard farmers who were facing the brunt of the weather. "Up to 60 per cent of the mustard crop has been damaged due to frost. But till now no step has been taken by the government for special Girdawari and compensation," he said and once again demanded the government to increase the rate of sugarcane. He said after coming to power, the BJP put a brake on the efforts that the Congress government had started to give fair rates to the farmers for their crops. "The Congress increased the rate of sugarcane from Rs 117 to Rs 310 per quintal during its tenure. During this, the rate increased by 165 per cent i.e. 17 per cent every year. But the BJP has increased only 17 per cent in its total tenure of eight and a half years till now," he said. Hooda demanded an impartial inquiry into the allegations leveled by the wrestlers against the wrestling association and its President. He said that the wrestling federation president dragged his and his son Deepender Hooda's names in the case to divert attention from the allegations against him. Chaudhary Udaybhan said now the Congress is going to run 'Hath Se Hath Jodo' campaign in Haryana from January 26. Regarding this, there will be a meeting of the party in the state office on January 25 at 2 p.m. --IANS vg/vd ( 521 Words) 2023-01-24-21:28:02 (IANS)
Considering the damage to Tur crop in Bidar, Kalburagi and Yadgir districts a special case, the Karnataka government announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 per hectare but limited it to a maximum of two hectares as per NDRF/SDRF guidelines. The total compensation to be distributed to Tur farmers will be around Rs 223 crore. This decision was taken in a meeting of senior officials of various departments presided over by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai after his return from the official tour on Tuesday. With the unprecedented rain followed by dry/moist weather conditions post-November in Bidar, Kalburagi and Yadgir districts, the Tur crop has been attacked by pests causing loss to farmers. According to statistics, the extent of damage is 1.98 lakh hectares in Kalburagi district, 0.145 lakh hectares in Bidar district and 0.1028 lakh hectares in Yadgir district. All these put together, the total damage of the Tur crop has been out at 2.2278 lakh hectares. Treating it as a special case, the government has taken a decision to compensate the Tur farmers by giving a compensation of Rs 10,000 per hectare. (ANI)
Responding to the debate on the paper leak issue in the Rajasthan Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal on Tuesday rejected the opposition's demand to initiate a CBI probe into the matter. The Rajasthan second grade teacher recruitment exam paper was leaked in December 2022 after which the test was cancelled. More than 50 people, including candidates, have been arrested so far for their alleged involvement in the paper leak. In the past three years, as many as eight cases of paper leak have bee reported from across Rajasthan. In the Assembly, Dhariwal said, "What will happen if this matter is handed over to the CBI? The investigation will continue for eight years and all the documents that are there will be taken by the CBI. In such a case, recruitment examinations will not be held for 15 years. The future of the students will get spoiled. "Speedy investigation is being done in the paper leak case and a day-to-day monitoring is also being done. The culprits will be given the strictest punishment. It is our commitment that the future of the students should not be spoiled, so recruitments will be done after conducting the examination. Rajasthan Police are capable of investigating the matter and hence I reject the demand for a CBI probe." Earlier, there was a lot of uproar during the debate on the paper leak issue. Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria, questioning the reply of Education Minister B.D. Kalla on the matter, announced to boycott the proceedings. On this, Dhariwal told him that he should listen to his reply first before leaving the House. Kataria got angry at Dhariwal's intervention and there was a scuffle between Kataria and Dhariwal. The BJP MLAs also created a ruckus. Seeing the uproar, Speaker C.P. Joshi ended the debate on paper leak and adjourned the House. The debate on paper leak began after the House reconvened. Speaker Joshi said that the adjournment motion is not passed on the day of the debate on the Governor's address, but in view of the seriousness of the matter, breaking the tradition, he approved the adjournment. During the debate on paper leak, Kataria lashed out at the state government, saying, "At least take steps to improve the examination system by forming a committee of this House. It is a matter of shame that people were caught in the paper leak case just for formality... They got bail and are roaming free now. Those who solved questions by taking Rs 5-7 lakh got bail. The accused persons would have been caught had there been a proper investigation, he added. During the debate, Deputy Leader of Opposition, Rajendra Rathore, said that the government is showing favouritism in the investigation into the paper leak case. "In the name of anti-cheating bill, action is being taken against some people while some are being released," he added. Rathore added: "You were talking about Uttar Pradesh... National Security Act has been imposed against paper leak in UP. This time the paper was leaked from RPSC (Rajasthan Public Service Commission). Technically, only the RPSC chairman knows from where the paper was printed." Even Advisor to CM, Sanyam Lodha, questioned the method of appointing chairman in RPSC and Staff Selection Board. Lodha said: "What kind of people do we hire in RPSC? Do we go with merit? Until we do not improve the standard of these constitutional institutions, the efforts of the youth of Rajasthan will continue to be wasted." --IANS arc/arm ( 594 Words) 2023-01-24-22:48:03 (IANS)
The Jawaharlal Nehru University had earlier asked the students to cancel the screening of the documentary -- 'India: The Modi Question'.

The varsity, in a stern warning, told the students that disciplinary action may be initiated if anyone screens the documentary under the university rules.

A section of students under the banner of JNUSU had distributed pamphlets for the screening of the documentary at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

The varsity administration was of the view that "such unauthorised activities on the campus may disturb peace and harmony" at the university.

However, even after the warning, when the students remained adamant, the university administration decided to disconnect electricity and internet.

The varsity had earlier stated that no prior permission was been taken from the JNU administration for the screening of the documentary.

Meanwhile, ABVP's JNU unit president Rohit Kumar said the students' body "welcomes the instructions to stop the screening of the documentary".

"The BBC has been working to tarnish the image of India by making documentaries with a fake agenda," he said.

The Central government had earlier termed the BBC documentary as propaganda against the Prime Minister and the country.

--IANS gcb/pgh/arm

( 243 Words)

2023-01-24-22:54:03 (IANS)
Delhi Police have deployed over 6,000 police personnel in and around the New Delhi district amid adequate security arrangements for the safe conduct of the Republic Day parade, an official said on Tuesday. Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, Pranav Tayal said that the police have made arrangements for around 70,000 people and the total deployment will be more than 6,000 police personnel. Both static and mobile Quick Response Teams will remain alert to handle any untoward situation, he said, "We have intensified the anti-terror measures in coordination with other agencies. Teams of National Security Guard will also be deployed," the DCP said. The city is already under a heavy security cover after intelligence agencies received inputs of a possible terror attack in the run-up to the Republic Day. Vehicles are being thoroughly checked at all the entry and exit points of Delhi. "Delhi has always remained a target for anti-social elements. Threat perception is very high during such occasions. There are threat inputs and we have strengthened our security apparatus," the DCP said. The police have also installed 150 new CCTV cameras with some even having a feature of face recognition to keep an eye over the movement of every unsocial element. This time the police have also introduced a new security feature in the entry pass of the Republic Day parade. "Every pass or ticket has a QR code. The entry will only be given when that code is scanned and the person carrying it is identified and verified," the DCP said. He said that no person without a pass or a ticket will be allowed to gain entry at the Kartavya Path. The Delhi Police on Monday banned the flying of sub-conventional aerial vehicles over the national capital for security and safety reasons. Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora issued the order, prohibiting the flying of aerial vehicles such as para-gliders, para-motors, hang-gliders, UAVs, UASs, microlight aircraft, remotely-piloted aircraft, hot air balloons, small-sized powered aircraft, quadcopters or even by para-jumping from aircraft till February 15. --IANS ssh/vd ( 352 Words) 2023-01-24-23:24:02 (IANS)
According to a new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, fathers are more likely to feel depressed when their children are toddlers if their co-parenting relationships are poor in the months following birth. The findings are published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. "We have a lot to gain as a society if we support coparenting relationships more during the early stages of parenthood," said Michael Wells, associate professor at the Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet. "One way to do that is to screen fathers for their co-parenting status during infancy and toddlerhood and to offer interventions aimed at improving collaboration and communication around the child if needed." Around 9-10 percent of dads experience postpartum depression, which is high compared with the overall population. Children who grow up with depressed dads are also at a higher risk of mental, emotional, and behavioral problems in their youth, according to prior research. By identifying modifiable factors that reduce the risk of depression in dads, researchers hope to develop interventions that can prevent mental illness in both parents and children. In the current study, 429 fathers of infants up to two years old in Sweden were recruited on Facebook. The participants were asked to complete questionnaires where they ranked symptoms of depression and the nature of their coparenting relationships. Data were collected at three time points when the children were on average 8, 13, and 26 months old. About 20 percent of dads reported symptoms of depression at some point during the study. According to the findings, two-thirds of fathers with exceptionally poor coparenting relationships during the first year after birth are likely to have symptoms of depression when their children become toddlers. Conversely, fathers with higher parenting scores are more likely to have fewer symptoms of depression. The researchers also found associations between depression at earlier stages and worse co-parenting relationships later on. "We found bidirectional associations between depression and poor coparenting, meaning these two factors seem to influence each other in both directions. However, the strongest predictor for the development of depression was a poor coparenting relationship in the early stages of childhood, as compared to the other way around," Michael Wells said. (ANI)
Posters of the film 'Pathaan' was torn and burnt outside a cinema hall in Bihar's Bhagalpur on Tuesday, a day before its release. Shah Rukh Khan's 'Pathaan' movie is to be screened in Bhagalpur's Deepprabha cinema hall. The youth of Hindu organizations tore the posters in the cinema hall and set it on fire, raising slogans of 'Film Chalega Hall Jalega'. "The youth said that Hindutva cannot be compromised. Any element that opposes the Sanatan culture will not be tolerated in Bhagalpur including the whole of India," said the members of the Hindu organisation. The members of the organisation added that if Pathan is shown in any theatres of Bhagalpur, it will be strongly opposed. The manager Lalan Singh said that some anti-social elements have burnt the poster opposing the film. He further added that an application has been given to the local police station and SP, and the administration has assured that security will be given. On Monday, right-wing activist Satya Ranjan Bora lodged a police complaint against Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Pathaan' at Geetanagar police station. 'Pathaan' landed in a controversy after its song 'Besharam Rang' was released. On January 5, members of Bajrang Dal, part of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), created a ruckus at Alpha One Mall in Ahmedabad's Vastrapur during the promotion of the film. The Bajrang Dal members during their protest tore down pictures of Shah Rukh Khan as well as his co-stars. The protesters also threatened the mall authority that if this film is released, then they will start an even fiercer protest. The protesters were captured in a video damaging property of the mall. In a video shared by the VHP, protesters could be seen shouting slogans and tearing posters and large cut-outs of 'Pathaan's star cast. The controversy started after Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, aired his objections to one of the songs of the movie, released as 'Besharam Rang'. Mishra said, "The costumes in the song at first glance are objectionable. It is clearly visible that the song of the film 'Pathaan' has been shot with a dirty mindset." (ANI)
Young voters are the future of Indian democracy. The next generation, born around and after 2000 have started joining our electoral rolls, Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar said on the occasion of National Voters' Day (NVD). It is, therefore critical that democratic roots are seeded at the school level before students attain voting age, said CEC. Simultaneously, youth are being engaged through various mediums in order to bring them to the polling booths. So is the case with urban voters, who tend to display voting apathy, added CEC. He further stated that the ECI is leading the development of Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF) like toilets, electricity, drinking water, and ramps at every polling station. The Commission is keen that the facilities developed in the schools should be of permanent nature, which is a financially prudent decision as well. January 25 marks the foundation day of the Election Commission of India, also celebrated as National Voters' Day (NVD) since 2011, he added. The NVD epitomizes the resolve of ECI to pull all stops out to make elections inclusive, participatory, voter-friendly and ethical, he further added. The theme for the 13th NVD (2023) is "Nothing Like Voting, Vote for Sure". As evident, the theme is such that it can capture the imagination of the voters. When citizens take pride in being a voter, as part of their civic duty, its impact on the level of governance is sure to be felt. The institution's competency, impartiality and trustworthiness have been upheld in 17 Lok Sabha elections, 16 elections each to the office of the President and Vice President, and 399 Legislative Assembly elections to date. The 400th assembly elections are underway. Contrary to occasional international experiences, election results in India have been never in dispute. Individual election petitions are adjudicated by relevant High Courts. The ECI has earned the trust of political parties and citizens of India. The commitment is to enhance and deepen it. (ANI)
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Party MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha lauded the women journalists across the globe and urged young girls to stand up for themselves. "I salute women journalists across the globe who have stood the test of time, who stood by their beliefs and made a name for themselves," said Kavitha while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 'Mediasphere' festival of St. Francis College, Hyderabad President of Bharat Jagruthi, MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha told budding women journalists and filmmakers that it is not an easy profession but this is a profession that can help millions and millions of women if it is done rightly. The daughter of Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao, launched an attack on those intimidating women while calling them 'goons', she said, "The goons believe they can intimidate a woman by targeting them, abusing them, and using violence." She said that girls should stand up, take time and think about themselves, adding, "Today in this country there are a lot of goons who tell you don't dress like this, don't talk like this. I say don't listen to them, listen to yourself." BRS Party leader further said that journalists across the world, especially women journalists are being harassed for their reports. It is easy to target women. Sharing her personal experience as a woman politician Kalvakuntla Kavitha said that there are battles that need to be fought even after being Telangana Chief Minister KCR's daughter. "As a woman politician, I've faced my own bit of difficulties. I could be KCR's daughter but then you will have to fight your own battles at every stage. I'm fighting mine, I'm still fighting mine, and I will keep fighting," she said. Discussing her relations with female colleagues Kavitha said that it is important to communicate with every woman politician irrespective of their political affiliations. In her address, Former MP Kavitha discussed her relations with her female colleagues, she said, "I believe in communicating with every women politician irrespective of their political affiliations, we vibe at a different level and I think we need to do that. Together, we are brilliant minds, all we need is some courage, some dedication." She further urged the aspiring students to never stop dreaming but to ensure that they are truthful and committed to the larger good of society and especially women. While encouraging women to stand up for the women at large, MLC Kavitha said that any woman who can help another woman is the most powerful in this world. (ANI)
Photo: The Canadian Press The Facebook app, center, is shown on a mobile phone screen, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in New York. Facebook parent Meta is reinstating former President Donald Trump's personal account after two-year suspension following the Jan. 6 insurrection, adding "new guardrails" to ensure there are no "repeat offenders" who violate its rules. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Facebook parent Meta is reinstating former President Donald Trump's personal account after a two-year suspension following the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The company said in a blog post Wednesday it is adding new guardrails to ensure there are no repeat offenders who violate its rules.

In the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation, Meta, which is based in Menlo Park, California, said.

Trump, in a post on his own social media network, blasted Facebooks decision to suspend his account as he praised his own site, Truth Social.

FACEBOOK, which has lost Billions of Dollars in value since deplatforming your favorite President, me, has just announced that they are reinstating my account. Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting President, or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution! he wrote.

He was suspended on Jan. 7, a day after the deadly 2021 insurrection. Other social media companies also kicked him off their platforms, though he was recently reinstated on Twitter after Elon Musk took over the company. He has not tweeted.

Banned from mainstream social media, Trump has been relying on Truth Social, which he launched after being blocked from Twitter.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's visit to India is believed to be 'historic' as he has come to the country for the first time and that too as a chief guest to attend the Republic Day Parade on January 26. El-Sisi was also welcomed by several other Union Ministers including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and Lieutenant Governor of Delhi VK Saxena among others. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi on Tuesday said, "Warm welcome to India, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Your historic visit to India as Chief Guest for our Republic Day celebrations is a matter of immense happiness for all Indians. Look forward to our discussions tomorrow." Sisi arrived in New Delhi last evening and was accorded a warm welcome. He will be the chief guest at the 74th Republic Day parade. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including five ministers and senior officials on his official visit from January 24-27. Notably, India and Egypt are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. India has also invited Egypt as a 'guest country" during its G20 Presidency. Before heading towards India, the Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency stated that the invitation President El-Sisi received to attend the celebrations as a guest of honour reflects the convergence between the two countries, according to the statement released by the Egyptian President's website. "It also reflects India's profound appreciation for Egypt's leadership, government, and people, and its keenness to strengthen joint cooperation between the two friendly countries as two of the most important emerging countries which have vital roles regarding various regional and international issues," the statement added. According to the statement, the spokesman said that the President's visit to India coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Egypt and India. Later in the day, Sisi will hold a meeting with PM Modi and discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest during his stay. The same evening, President Droupadi Murmu will host a state banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary. Sisi will attend the "at home" reception by President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan. He will also hold a meeting with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. He will interact with the business community in India. Sisi will return to Cairo on January 27. (ANI)
Emaar India CEO Kalyan Chakraborty has met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami here and said the group will made 100 to 150 pre-fabricated huts for the people affected by land subsidence-hit Joshimath, according to an offical statement. Chakraborty met the Chief Minister Dhami at the secretariat on Tuesday, it said. He told the chief minister that 100 to 150 pre-fabricated huts would be made to help the people affected by subsidence-hit Joshimath, the statement said. The Chief Minister has appealed to everyone to be cooperative in helping the affected people of Joshimath. "He said that helping the affected in such times is a great service to humanity," the statement added. The Chief Minister said that many misconceptions are being spread about Joshimath, which is not correct. Around 70 per cent of shops are open and essential work is being conducted normally. "Rehabilitation works are in progress. The Char Dham Yatra is to begin after four months. He said that at such a time the message should not go that the entire Joshimath area is unsafe," the CM said. The Chief Minister said that providing all possible help to the affected people of the Joshimath area is the first priority of the state government. Instructions have been given to all the concerned officers that the affected should not face any kind of difficulty, their problems should be resolved immediately on priority. The Chief Minister said that all the institutions of the central and state government are involved in the geological investigation of the Joshimath area. Soon a concrete action plan will be worked out in this regard. Efforts are also being made to find a permanent solution for the rehabilitation of the affected, the statment said. The Chief Minister said that the planned development of the area is government's priority. "We have to work in this direction so that the Joshimath area, which has cultural, religious and strategic importance, should be safe, it should return to its old form and the upcoming yatra should also be completed in a well-planned manner," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also constantly taking information about the relief work being carried out in Joshimath. He has assured full help to the victims, the CM said. (ANI)
Singh, the convenor of the ex-servicemen cell of the party in the state was shot dead on Tuesday by unknown miscreants outside his residence in Thoubal Kshetri Leikai in the state on Tuesday.

Following this the prime accused Ayekpam Keshorjit surrendered, police said on Tuesday.

Keshorjit, 46, surrendered before Inspector P Achouba Meitei, Office in charge Commando Imphal West.

Rameshwor was rushed to Raj Medicity Hospital in Imphal where he was declared brought dead.

His body was later taken Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) Morgue for a post mortem.

According to police, 32 licensed pistols, two magazines and nine 0.32 bullets were seized from Ayekpam Keshorjit's possession. His mobile phone was also seized.

Meanwhile, Manipur Police made their first arrest in the murder case on Tuesday.

"At about 11 am on Tuesday, two unidentified men came to the Kshetri Leikai area of the Thoubal district of Manipur. The two came in a white Mahindra XUV 300 and shot the 55-year-old Laishram Rameshwor Singh in Thoubal district," said the police statement.

Upon receiving information, an immediate attempt was made to arrest the accused persons.

After a hectic chase and search, the vehicle used in the crime was seized and the driver of the vehicle identified as Naorem Ricky Pointing Singh was arrested. The arrested person belongs to Bishnupur of West Bengal and was staying at Haobam in Imphal. (ANI)
Amid the ongoing water dispute with Karnataka, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that the government will do "whatever" has to be done for Mhadei river, "legally and politically." Goa and Karnataka are battling out a two-decade-long dispute over the sharing of the Mhadei waters. While the river runs 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is over 50 km in length in Goa. "No matter what anyone says, we are firm in our decision and will do whatever has to be done for Mhadei, legally, politically, and technically. We are taking whatever steps need to be taken," Sawant said On Tuesday. Mhadei, also known as the Mandovi river in Goa and Mahadayi in Karnataka, is considered as a lifeline in the northern parts of Goa. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through Maharashtra. Earlier on January 12, a delegation of the Goa government, led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met the Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital, over the Mhadei river issue. The delegation urged for the immediate constitution of the Mhadei Water Management Authority as given in the award and also urged for the withdrawal approval given to Karnataka's detailed project report (DPR) for the disputed Kalsa-Bhanduri dam project. (ANI)
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is setting up a pavilion on the theme Mission LiFE during 'Bharat Parv' being organized by the Ministry of Tourism, at Red Fort on the occasion of 74th Republic Day. The pavilion will be set up from January 26 to January 31, 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Mission Life in October 2022, with the message that Mission LiFE makes the fight against climate change democratic and that in which each can contribute as per their respective capabilities. As per the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the theme of Mission LiFE have been chosen to sensitise and educate the masses on LiFE actions which can promote sustainable living and help tackle climate change. As per the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the LiFE actions enshrined in Mission LiFE are showcased through various interactive media platforms such as LED screens, Motion Sensor walls, Interactive walls, Live AR walls, etc. "The pavilion on Mission LiFE encourages people to be Pro Plant. A Motion sensor-enabled interactive wall will be an interactive display where a questionnaire specific to daily actions will be asked and the answers encourage the visitors to be Pro Planet" Ministry added Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change further said in a statement that the Interactive touch wall would educate the visitors about the various small daily steps that can bring about a substantial environmental change. "The wall will showcase the day in a life of an Indian at home, in public places and at work. A Live AR Wall is where the visitors can meet and click selfies with Prakriti - the mascot of the Ministry. The picture can be shared in real-time by mail or through WhatsApp the visitors," read a statement from the Ministry. The Ministry further added that a LED screen will showcase various videos based on the themes of Mission LiFE. The Plasma screen will showcase the paintings of the school children on Mission LiFE in digital format along with digital brochures on sustainable lifestyles and practices. The pavilion will remain open for the general public from 5 pm to 9 pm on January 26 2023 and from 12 pm to 10 pm on January 27 to January 31 2023. (ANI)
Bharat Janata Party Telangana unit president Bandi Sanjay on Tuesday came down heavily on State Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and said that people of the state will soon be liberated from the autocratic rule of KCR. Addressing the BJP Telangana two-day-long State Executive meeting, which concluded in Mahbubnagar yesterday, Bandi Sanjay terming CM KCR as the 8th Nizam, said, "People of Telangana will be liberated very soon from the autocratic rule of KCR". Bandi Sanjay's reactions came against the backdrop of Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief KCR's decision to skip the all-party meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year under the rubric of India G-20 presidency. "Telangana CM KCR has ample time to pay tributes to the titular Nizam (who passed away last week) and offered condolences to his family members, whose ancestors have tortured Telangana people and sucked their blood," he said. The BJP leader also heaped praises on PM Modi saying that India is on the way to becoming 'Vishwa Guru' (world leader). "Swami Vivekanand, whose birth name was also Narendra, had predicted that India would become Vishwa Guru in the 21st century, and it is coming true under Narendra Modi's leadership," he said adding that under the leadership of PM Modi, India gained presidency for G-20 group, which is a big opportunity. Earlier in December last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired an all-party meeting to underscore the significance of India's presidency of the G20 and brief the leaders about the government's approach. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were among the leaders present at the meeting. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik were among those present at the meeting which took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan, but Telangana CM KCR abstained from attending the meeting. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail for eight weeks to Ashish Mishra in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case with conditions that he will not stay in Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi during this period. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J K Maheshwari also imposed various other conditions including that Mishra will leave Uttar Pradesh within a week of his release. The top court also directed Mishra to inform the concerned court about his location. The Supreme Court also clarified that any attempt by Mishra or his family to influence witnesses and attempt to delay the trial may lead to the cancellation of his bail. The court has also directed Mishra to mark his attendance at the concerned police station of his location. Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, moved Supreme Court challenging Allahabad High Court which denied bail to him on July 26, 2022, in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. The bail was rejected by the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court. Mishra is facing a case of murder for the incident on October 3, 2021, in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri as he allegedly ran over the farmers who were protesting against the Centre's three farm laws. He was arrested on October 9 and was later granted bail in February 2022. Mishra again moved to the High Court as the Court's earlier order dated February 10, 2022, was set aside by the Supreme Court in April 2022 and had ordered fresh consideration of his bail plea. The top court had said that the order of the Allahabad High Court cannot be sustained and had to be set aside and the bail bonds of the respondent/accused are cancelled. The Court had directed Ashish Mishra to surrender within a week. Family members of the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident moved the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order, which granted bail to Ashish Mishra. The top court cancelled the bail plea of Mishra. Earlier, the Supreme Court had appointed a committee headed by retired Punjab and Haryana high court judge Rakesh Kumar Jain to monitor the probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. (ANI)
New Delhi [India], January 25 (ANI) Congress leader Anil K Antony, the son of former Union Minister A K Anthony on Wednesday announced his resignation from the party, a day after he criticised the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "This is my personal decision and I do think this is the best course of action. I did not discuss it with my father. I've sent my resignation and I hope that the leadership will accept it. I don't think this Congress has space for me," Antony said. He alleged that he had received threat calls and hate messages "through the night". "A lot of things that happened in the last 24 hours, especially from certain corners of Congress, have hurt me a lot," Anthony told ANI. In a tweet today Anthony said that he was facing "intolerant calls" to retract one of his previous tweets in which he had condemned the documentary on PM Modi and termed it a "dangerous precedent." In his resignation letter, Anthony said he did not give in to the demands to retract the tweet and instead was submitting his resignation from the party. The former Defence Minister's son also took a potshot at the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra by Rahul Gandhi. Anil Antony tweeted today: "I have resigned from my roles in @incindia@INCKerala. Intolerant calls to retract a tweet, by those fighting for free speech. I refused. @facebook wall of hate/abuses by ones supporting a trek to promote love! Hypocrisy thy name is! Life goes on. Redacted resignation letter below." Anthony said it would be "appropriate" for him to step down from his roles as the convener of the KPCC digital media and also the national co-ordinator of the Congress social media and digital communication cell. "By now, I have been made well aware that you, your colleagues, and the coterie around the leadership are only keen to work with a bunch of sycophants and chamchas, who would unquestionably be at your beck and call. This has become the lone criterion of merit. Sadly we don't have much common ground," Anthony wrote. He added, "I would prefer to continue my other professional endeavors without being fed this negativity, and being involved in these destructive narratives, many against the very core interests of India. These I strongly believe will end up in the dustbin of history with time." In a tweet on January 24, Anthony had hit out at the BBC terming it as "a state sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices" against India. "Despite large differences with BJP, I think those in India placing views of BBC, a UK state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices, and of Jack Straw, the brain behind the Iraq war, over Indian institutions is setting a dangerous precedence, will undermine our sovereignty," Anthony tweeted. Meanwhile, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of CPM, the Students Fedration of India (SFI) and the Congress screened the documentary 'India: the Modi Question' at various places in Kerala yesterday. (ANI)
Former Himachal Pradesh Urban Development Minister and BJP leader Suresh Bhardwaj on Wednesday lambasted the state government for overturning the previous BJP government's decision to delimit Shimla Municipal Corporation wards and said that the Congress government's decision is politically motivated ignoring the public interest. He said wards were delimited to ensure even development but the Congress government's decision is politically motivated ignoring the public interest. In a press statement, Bhardwaj said the present Congress government had promulgated an ordinance to overturn the previous decision to enhance municipal wards from 34 to 41. "Government changed the decision to reap political gains but did injustice to the people of Shimla," he added. Bhardwaj said the previous BJP government passed an act in the assembly to enhance the number of wards. The current CM and some of the ministers participated in the debate. "We took the Vidhansabha route and faced a debate to enhance the number of wards while the present government adopted the ordinance route to avoid discussion," he added. The former minister said the Congress government in 2017 doubled the municipal ward falling in the Kasumpati assembly segment from 6 to 12 and wards in Shimla rural from 2 to 4 for political benefit. But the government did not delimit wards of Shimla urban assembly segments. "Last year, wards falling within Shimla urban assembly segment limits were delimited keeping population (2011 census) imbalance in mind. There were a few wards with a population of around 5000- 6000. Only such wards were delimited," he said. Bhardwaj said the Congress party delimited wards in 2017 for political gains but the previous government followed the rules. Wards were delimited to ensure the smooth functioning of the municipality. "Even population in municipal wards would have resulted in even development," he said, adding, "Our decision was in the public interest, while the government on Tuesday decided for political gains ignoring the benefit of the people of Shimla." He asked the state government to delimit MC wards to ensure an even population balance. "This is what the Act says," he added. The former minister said the previous BJP government followed the "Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas" motto and carried out development activities across entire wards of Shimla. The Congress government has reduced the number of wards of Shimla Municipal Corporation back to 34 from 41 by promulgating an ordinance on Tuesday. The previous BJP government had increased the number of wards from 34 to 41 after delimitation in May 2022. The tenure of the house of Shimla municipal corporation got over in June last year. The elections could not be held as two councillors moved the high court challenging the delimitation of Nabha and Summer hill wards. The Congress government on Tuesday promulgated an ordinance, stating, "In section 6 of Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, in clause (a), in the proviso, for the words "forty-one", the words "thirty-four" shall be substituted." (ANI)
The Kerala Police on Wednesday registered a case against the Bharatiya Janata Party protestors for unlawful assembly and traffic disruption in Thiruvananthapuram. The BJP workers were protesting on the streets of Poojapura and Manaveeyam Veedhi where the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Youth Congress screened the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Centre has banned the BBC documentary describing it as a 'propaganda piece' designed to push a discredited narrative. On Monday night (January 23), a group of students at Hyderabad Central University (HCU) organised the screening of the documentary inside the campus. The screening was organised by the Student Islamic Organisation (SIO) and the Muslim Student Federation, known as the Fraternity group, and over 50 students from these groups attended the screening. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) student leader Mahesh said, "We have escalated the matter to the University authorities and have demanded action on the organisers. The group is organising screening without permission inside the campus premises." Later, the Hyderabad Police said that they have received the information about the movie screening but no written complaint was lodged. On Monday administration of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi also warned against screening the BBC documentary on the campus after a group of students released a pamphlet inviting students to a screening of the film at the students union's office at 9 pm on Tuesday (January 24). The JNU Students Union wrote to the university administration over its firm advisory against the screening of the BBC documentary stating that they "do not seek to create any form of disharmony" and their purpose is to only watch it on the campus. It also mentioned in the letter that the students with "voluntary interest" would take part in the screening. Later in the night, the JNU students marched toward Vasant Kunj police station claiming stone pelting by the members of ABVP while the said documentary was being played. The protest was later called off after the police assured students of taking up the matter and looking into it immediately. Last week, India denounced the BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Modi. "We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias, lack of objectivity, and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing on January 19. Meanwhile, in a strong response to the BBC documentary, more than 300 eminent Indians, including retired judges, bureaucrats, and armed forces veterans signed a statement slamming the British national broadcaster for showing "unrelenting prejudice" towards India and its leader. (ANI)
Used-car retailer Carvana admitted to violating state law by failing to transfer car titles in a timely manner and has reached a settlement agreement with the state, officials said Tuesday.

The agreement calls for Carvana to abide by Illinois law going forward, surrender a $250,000 bond and allow inspections by secretary of state police to ensure compliance, according to a news release from Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. Under the agreement, the state can suspend or revoke Carvanas license again if the company is found out of compliance with either the settlement agreement or with state law.

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Illinois first suspended Carvanas license in May 2022 after launching an investigation into the companys practices in February prompted by customer reports that the company was issuing out-of-state temporary registration permits and failing to transfer titles in a timely manner, the secretary of states office said. Before the settlement agreement, Carvana could only sell cars under the terms of a temporary restraining order set by a DuPage County judge.

Carvana sells cars from a vending machine in Oak Brook that opened in 2019. The company did not provide information Tuesday about a proposed location in Skokie that was stalled last summer, saying only it was in direct contact with the village.

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The Tempe, Ariz.-based company has suffered financially, laying off about 1,500 employees in November as it posted a quarterly net loss of $508 million, more than seven times its net loss over the same period the year prior, according to SEC filings. In a letter to shareholders the same month, the company said it was attempting to rapidly decrease expenses.

The $250,000 bond Carvana is being required to surrender will go to compensate people who were fined for late registrations or otherwise lost money through buying a car with Carvana, Henry Haupt, spokesperson for the secretary of state, said in an email. Those who were fined are encouarged to call the secretary of states office at 630-693-0551.

In a news release, Giannoulias said Carvanas practice of putting unregistered license plates on their cars had put drivers at risk of being ticketed for driving without proper title and registration. He said customers who have issues with their title and registration can call the office to file a complaint and get a title transferred.

The admission by Carvana demonstrates what we knew all along: that Carvana was violating the law in a manner that was harmful to Illinois consumers, Giannoulias said in a statement.

In a statement, Carvana head of corporate affairs Alan Hoffman said the agreement would allow Carvana to move forward in our journey to becoming the largest automotive retailer.

We look forward to working with Secretary Giannoulias to ensure customers continue having access to the best car buying and selling experience possible, Hoffman said.

Illinois was the first state to suspend Carvanas license, Haupt said. Michigan also recently settled with the company, he said.
Hours after the Delhi Police detained four students from a left-wing student organisation of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University in the national capital over the screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Jamia administration on Wednesday said that no meeting of students or screening of any film will be allowed in the campus without permission. However, security has been strengthened outside Jamia Millia Islamia University after a group of students planned to screen the BBC documentary on PM Modi. "This is to reiterate that no meeting/gathering of students shall be allowed in any part of the campus including lawns and gates without prior permission of the competent authority, failing which strict disciplinary action shall be taken against the organizers", the university said in a circular. "All Deans of the Faculties, Heads of the Departments, Directors of Centres are advised to display this notice on all the notice boards of their respective Faculties/Departments/Centres on a priority basis for the information of all students," the circular added. Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police detained four students from a left-wing student organisation for allegedly creating a ruckus outside the campus of Jamia over the screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the police, the commotion took place after the Students Federation of India (SFI), the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) announced that it will organise a screening of the controversial documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled 'India: The Modi Question.' The action was initiated on the request of the Chief Proctor of the University after the students had announced the screening of the documentary on the campus at 6 pm. The detained students have been identified as Azeez, Nivedya, Abhiram, and Tejas. On Monday the administration of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi also warned against screening the BBC documentary on the campus after a group of students released a pamphlet inviting students to a screening of the film at the students union's office at 9 pm on Tuesday (January 24). The JNU Students Union wrote to the university administration over its firm advisory against the screening of the BBC documentary stating that they "do not seek to create any form of disharmony" and their purpose is to only watch it on the campus. It also mentioned in the letter that the students with "voluntary interest" would take part in the screening. Later in the night, the JNU students marched toward Vasant Kunj police station claiming stone pelting by members of ABVP while the said documentary was being screened. The protest was later called off after the police assured students of taking up the matter and looking into it immediately. In the latest development, the Delhi Police said that it has begun an inquiry on the complaint lodged by students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) against the alleged stone pelting and "deliberate" power outage that took place during the documentary screening. Last week, India denounced the BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Modi. (ANI)
Reacting to the resignation of former Union minister AK Antony's son Anil K Antony from the Congress, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Wednesday said the grand old party should first think of "Congress Jodo", instead of Bharat Jodo Yatra. Taking note of Anil Antony's resignation from the Congress party, a day after criticising the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Poonawalla said that nothing has changed in the party since his exit. "This is a moment of deja vu for me. Nothing has changed in Congress since I was forced out for speaking against dynasty politics. Today Anil spoke against the Parivarik (family) interest and put national interest above everything and he too was forced out," the BJP leader said. "What was Anil's fault? He only said let us not believe in foreign propaganda over our own institutions and let us not compromise national sovereignty in hatred for one man and party," Poonawalla said. Taking potshots at the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Poonawalla said this was Congress displaying 'Intolerance Ki Dukaan' not Mohabbat Ki Dukan (Congress' narrative repeatedly voiced by Rahul Gandhi). "What kind of internal democracy is there in Congress? Attacking Manobal (morale) of armed forces is tolerated but standing with national interest is not," he said He further said that the Congress should first focus on "Congress Jodo (uniting Congress) and then think of Bharat Jodo. Everyone who cares for India will leave Congress and the Parivar (dynasts)." Congress leader Anil K Antony, the son of former Union Minister A K Anthony on Wednesday announced his resignation from the party. "This is my personal decision and I do think this is the best course of action. I did not discuss it with my father. I've sent my resignation and I hope that the leadership will accept it. I don't think this Congress has space for me," Anil said. He alleged that he had received threat calls and hate messages "through the night". "A lot of things that happened in the last 24 hours, especially from certain corners of Congress, have hurt me a lot," he told ANI. In a tweet today Anthony said that he was facing "intolerant calls" to retract one of his previous tweets in which he had condemned the documentary on PM Modi and termed it a "dangerous precedent." In his resignation letter, Anthony said he did not give in to the demands to retract the tweet and instead was submitting his resignation from the party. The former defence minister's son also took a potshot at the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra by Rahul Gandhi. Anil Antony tweeted today: "I have resigned from my roles in @incindia @INCKerala. Intolerant calls to retract a tweet, by those fighting for free speech. I refused. @facebook wall of hate/abuses by ones supporting a trek to promote love! Hypocrisy thy name is! Life goes on. Redacted resignation letter below." Anthony said it would be "appropriate" for him to step down from his roles as the convener of the KPCC digital media and also the national co-ordinator of the Congress social media and digital communication cell. In a tweet on January 24, Anthony had hit out at the BBC terming it as "a state-sponsored channel with a long history of prejudices" against India. (ANI)
Delhi Police on Wednesday detained protesters who were sloganeering outside Jamia Millia Islamia University over the varsity authorities not allowing the screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police detained four students from a left-wing student organisation for allegedly creating a ruckus outside the campus of Jamia over the screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the police, the commotion took place after the Students Federation of India (SFI), the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) announced that it will organise a screening of the controversial documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled 'India: The Modi Question.' The action was initiated on the request of the Chief Proctor of the University after the students had announced the screening of the documentary on the campus at 6 pm. The detained students have been identified as Azeez, Nivedya, Abhiram, and Tejas. Security has been strengthened outside Jamia Millia Islamia University after a group of students planned to screen the BBC documentary on PM Modi. However, the Jamia administration said that no meeting of students or screening of any film will be allowed in the campus without permission. "This is to reiterate that no meeting/gathering of students shall be allowed in any part of the campus including lawns and gates without prior permission of the competent authority, failing which strict disciplinary action shall be taken against the organizers", the university said in a circular. "All Deans of the Faculties, Heads of the Departments, Directors of Centres are advised to display this notice on all the notice boards of their respective Faculties/Departments/Centres on a priority basis for the information of all students," the circular added. On Monday the administration of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi also warned against screening the BBC documentary on the campus after a group of students released a pamphlet inviting students to a screening of the film at the students union's office at 9 pm on Tuesday (January 24). The JNU Students Union wrote to the university administration over its firm advisory against the screening of the BBC documentary stating that they "do not seek to create any form of disharmony" and their purpose is to only watch it on the campus. It also mentioned in the letter that the students with "voluntary interest" would take part in the screening. Later in the night, the JNU students marched toward Vasant Kunj police station claiming stone pelting by members of ABVP while the said documentary was being screened. The protest was later called off after the police assured students of taking up the matter and looking into it immediately. In the latest development, the Delhi Police said that it has begun an inquiry on the complaint lodged by students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) against the alleged stone pelting and "deliberate" power outage that took place during the documentary screening. Last week, India denounced the BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Modi. (ANI)
The protests were held outside the state BJP Head Office at Kohima on Tuesday.

Nagaland BJP president Temjen Imna Along told ANI on the phone that the current seat-sharing arrangement is intact.

The seat-sharing between the two parties was finalised in a meeting held in Delhi where the BJP high command consented to go with the same seat formula of 40:20 in the next month's assembly poll. However, it has created uproar, with BJP supporters demanding 30 seats in the alliance with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

"The protest shows the resentment of supporters. Around 40 intending candidates are up for the BJP tickets. Everyone wants to serve the people and the party respects the sentiments," Along added.

The Assembly Elections in Nagaland are slated to be held on February 27. The results will be declared on March 2.

The Nephiu Rio-led alliance ousted the Congress party in the last elections and the NDPP president took oath as CM and BJP leader Y Patton took oath as Deputy Chief Minister.

Out of 20 seats contested, the BJP was able to win 12 in the 2018 elections.

This time, BJP is demanding 30 seats in the alliance with NDPP.

Congress has given a call to all the like-minded parties to come together to oust the UDA government.

In September last year, the name of the government in Nagaland was altered and the government is now called the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) consisting of NDPP, BJP, NPF and Independent MLAs. (ANI)
The gang was allegedly inspired by South Indian movie 'Pushpa', informed the Police.

According to the police, two rickshaw pullers brought a few plastic drums to a transport company in SGT Nagar and produced two fake bills on the behalf of a trading company for transporting the drums to an enterprise company in Bihar. On suspicion, when asked for details, the rickshaw pullers refused to disclose the information and fled the site with the rickshaws.

Later, the manager informed the transport company about the act. The company's owner Sunny Kumar informed the police at Samaypur Badli police station in Delhi.

After receiving the information, the police rushed to the spot and began investigating the drums. After this, they recovered the illicit liquor manufactured in Haryana.

Police have filed a complaint and legal action is being taken into the matter. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended greetings on the 13th National Voters' Day on Wednesday. In his tweet, PM Modi urged citizens to seek inspiration from this year's theme and work together to strengthen democracy. "Greetings on National Voters' Day. Inspired by this year's theme of 'Nothing Like Voting, I Vote For Sure', may we all work together to further strengthen active participation in elections and strengthen our democracy. I also laud ECI for their efforts in this area. @ECISVEEP," PM Modi's tweet read. Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) is a programme by the Election Commission of India (ECI), aiming to educate the sectors regarding the procedures of electoral registration, correction of existing particulars and deletion of the name of the shifted or deceased family members. The Election Commission of India (ECI) is celebrating the 13th National Voters' Day today. According to the Election Commission, President Droupadi Murmu will be the Chief Guest at the national function being organized in New Delhi by the Election Commission of India. Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju will grace the function as Guest of Honour. The theme for this year's NVD, 'Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure' is dedicated to voters which conveys individual feelings and aspirations towards participation in the electoral process through the power of their vote. The logo is designed to showcase the festivity and inclusivity of the electoral process. Ashoka Chakra in the background represents the largest democracy in the world, whereas the inked finger represents the participation of each and every voter of the country. The tick mark in the logo stands for informed decision-making by the voter. During the event in New Delhi, the President will present the National Awards for the year 2022. National Awards for the Best Electoral Practices will be presented to State and District level officers for their outstanding performance in the conduct of elections during 2022 in different spheres such as IT initiatives, Security Management, Election Management, Accessible Election, Electoral Roll and contribution in the field of voter awareness and outreach. Since 2011, National Voters' Day has been celebrated on January 25 every year, all across the country to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India, i.e. 25th January 1950. The main purpose of the NVD celebration is to create electoral awareness amongst citizens and encourage them to participate in the electoral process. Dedicated to the voters of the country, National Voters' Day is also used to facilitate the enrolment of voters, especially the newly eligible young voters. New voters are felicitated and handed over their Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) in the NVD functions held across the country. NVD is celebrated at the national, state, district, constituency and polling booth levels, which makes it one of the largest celebrations in the country. (ANI)
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has disbursed over 8.76 lakh loans under PM Street Vendor's Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme in all 75 districts of the state till December 2022. Under the Prime Minister Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) in Uttar Pradesh, over 4 lakh street vendors are getting benefits. Moreover, till December, about 46 per cent of the active registered vendors have carried out transactions worth Rs 7 crores, informed the government in a press release on Wednesday. As per the release, the maximum number of digital vendors are active in Varanasi, Prayagraj, Firozabad, Lucknow and Meerut. About 34,514 loans have been settled digitally in Varanasi, which has about 25,851 street vendors. Of these, 74.90 per cent have got loans under the scheme. Transactions of more than Rs 32 lakh have taken place here. Similarly, 25,851 street vendors are active in Prayagraj, where more than 37 lakh transactions have been done. As many as 12,347 street vendors are active in Firozabad. Similarly, there are 40,740 active vendors in Lucknow. Here, transactions totalling Rs 1.14 crore have taken place through 77,247 loans. Meerut also has 16957 active vendors registered. Here, 35015 loans have been disbursed and transactions of more than 26 lakhs have been completed, the release stated. To ensure maximum vendor benefit, the state government has taken several steps. A survey was conducted in all the districts to identify the vendors that have been using other UPI Ids. The government is also setting up camps to ensure that the vendors become digitally advanced, the release added. "Under the PM SVANidhi scheme, the government provides loans to the street vendors to resume their work again. These include people like vegetable sellers, fruit sellers and even those having small fast food shops. Under the scheme, the government provides loans up to Rs 50,000. Under this scheme, the government also provides subsidies on the loan. Once the application is approved, the loan amount is transferred to the account in three installments," the government said in the release. (ANI)
Granting an interim bail of eight weeks to Lakhimpur Kheri violence-accused Ashish Mishra, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed him not to stay either in UP or Delhi during this period. The court also directed him to leave Uttar Pradesh within a week from the date of his release on interim bail. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JK Maheshwari granted interim bail to Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, initially for a period of eight weeks subject to his furnishing bail bonds to the satisfaction of the trial court. "With a view to ward off any direct or indirect influence on the material witnesses who are yet to depose, the Petitioner (Ashish Mishra) is directed to leave the State of Uttar Pradesh within one week from the date of his release on interim bail," the court said. "The petitioner (Ashish Mishra) shall not stay in the State of Uttar Pradesh or in NCT of Delhi during the period of interim bail. The Petitioner shall disclose the place of his residence to the Trial Court as well as the jurisdictional police station where he would stay during the period of interim bail, within one week of his release," the court added. The court further directed Mishra to mark his presence at the jurisdiction police station once a week and surrender his passport at the trial court within one week of his release. The court also directed Mishra not to enter UP, except to attend trial proceedings. The Supreme Court also clarified that any attempt by Mishra or his family to influence witnesses and delay the trial may lead to the cancellation of his bail. "The prosecution, SIT, Informant or any family member of the victims of the crime will be at liberty to promptly inform this Court of any incident of misuse of the concession of the interim bail. The Petitioner shall appear before the Trial Court on every date of hearing and no adjournment shall be sought on his behalf," the court said. The top court also exercised suo motu constitutional powers in granting interim bail to four other undertrial accused arrested in connection with other FIRs filed in the same incident. The court noted that there are two separate FIRs with different narratives but the place of occurrence and substratum of the incident are the same. "As noticed earlier, there are two separate FIRs with different narratives but the place of occurrence and substratum of the incident are the same. The question as to who were the aggressors or responsible for the unfortunate ghastly incident would be ascertained only after a full-fledged trial. As a necessary corollary we, in the exercise of our suomoto constitutional powers, extend the benefit of interim liberty to the undertrial accused involved in the other version also, namely, FIR No. 220 of 2021," the court said. The apex court further observed that it finds itself in agreement with the apprehensions raised regarding a fair trial and the doubts surrounding the impartiality of the conduct of the law enforcement agencies. "We are, therefore, of the view that it is imperative to balance the rights of Petitioner's liberty emanating under Article 21 visavis the State's right to ensure a fair and proper trial and safeguard the legitimate outcry of the victim(s) of crime," the court noted. "We are conscious of the grave allegations levelled against the Petitioner (Ashish Mishra) but we must also acknowledge that principles of procedural fairness require these allegations to be proven in trial proceedings," the court stated further. The court noted that in the present case, charges have been framed and the petitioner, Ashish Mishra, is in custody for more than a year. In view of the large volume of oral and documentary evidence, which the prosecution is entitled to lead in both cases, coupled with the defence evidence, if any, the trial cannot be expected to be concluded that early, the court noted. Ashish Mishra moved Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order, denying him bail on July 26, 2022, in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. The bail was rejected by the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court. Mishra was booked for the incident on October 3, 2021, in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri after he allegedly ran them over during a protest against the Centre's three farm laws, which now stand withdrawn. He was arrested on October 9 and was granted bail by Allahabad High Court in February 2022. However, Mishra again moved the HC, after the Supreme Court set aside its February 2022 order saying that the high court took irrelevant considerations into account while ignoring relevant facts. The top court had said that the Allahabad HC order, granting bail to Mishra, couldn't be sustained and had to be set aside, as it cancelled the bail bonds of the accused. The apex court had directed Ashish Mishra to surrender within a week. The family members of the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident had moved the Supreme Court, challenging the bail order of the Allahabad HC. Earlier, the Supreme Court had appointed a committee headed by retired Punjab and Haryana high court judge Rakesh Kumar Jain to monitor the probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. (ANI)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday morning arrested Deepak Ranga, the main shooter in the Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in May last year. Ranga, a close associate of Canada based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa and Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur. Ranga had been absconding since the RPG attack. Ranga has been actively receiving terror funds and logistical support from Rinda and Landa, the NIA said. Apart from his involvement in the May RPG attack, Ranga, a resident of Surakpur village in Haryana's Jhajjar, has been involved in a number of other violent terrorist and criminal offences, including violent killings, said the anti-terror agency. The NIA registered the case suo moto on September 20 last year after it emerged that terrorist outfits and terror elements based abroad were operating in tandem with leaders and members of organized criminal gangs operating in northern States of the country to commit targeted killings and violent criminal acts. "It had also emerged that the terror-gangster-drug smuggler network was also engaged in smuggling terrorist hardware, such as arms, ammunition explosives, IEDs etc across the border through a widespread inter-state network of gun runners, illegal arms and ammunition manufacturers and suppliers and explosive traffickers," said the NIA. Since the registration of three criminal cases against terror-gangster-drug smuggler network, the NIA said, it has already arrested 19 leaders and members of various organized criminal gangs, two arms suppliers and one big financier connected with the network under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Canada-based Arsh Dalla has been designated as an 'individual terrorist' by the MHA on January 9, 2023, said the NIA, adding "Further action to dismantle the terror-gangster-smuggler nexus and infrastructure would be intensified in the near future." (ANI)
The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority said, "Due to the fresh snowfall, 262 roads have been closed including National Highway (NH-003), 889 power supply schemes and 29 water supply schemes have been disrupted in the state."

Earlier, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued heavy snowfall warning across Himachal Pradesh for Tuesday and Wednesday following the presence of a Western Disturbance.

The state meteorological department also predicted bad weather in the higher reaches of the state.

Senior scientist at IMD Sandeep Kumar Sharma said that there will be another spell of rain and snowfall in the region.

"This western disturbance will be active in the state on the 25th, 26th and 27th of January. There is the possibility of snowfall and the temperatures will drop by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius," he said. (ANI)
Finally we are beginning to see some pushback against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis infamously cynical stop WOKE crusade.

Appropriately, part of the push comes from a prominent Black Florida historian, Marvin Dunn, 82, a retired Navy officer, professor emeritus at Florida International University and author of A History of Florida through Black Eyes.

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Listen, said the professor in an interview with MSNBCs Joy Reid. If there is such a thing as the woke mob in Florida, I aspire to lead it.

Right on, I say. Dunn is one of eight plaintiffs who are challenging the states new and controversial Stop WOKE Act (Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees), among other efforts by the governor to set up a system that could punish teachers for teaching race in ways that the governor does not like.

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The DeSantis administrations latest headline-making move came earlier this month when the Florida Department of Education rejected an Advanced Placement African American studies course offered by the College Board.

The College Board has been developing the class for more than a decade and is currently piloting it at 60 schools across the U.S., while planning to make it available to all schools in the 2024-2025 school year. High school students can choose to take AP classes to earn college credit or place into higher-level college classes.

Although it was unclear whether any Florida schools are included in the pilot program, the state judged the course to be inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.

The White House on Friday called the decision incomprehensible.

So is much of DeSantis reasoning, it might seem. Yet his anti-wokeness crusade appears to be paying dividends in his apparent efforts to sound more Trumpish than Donald Trump in a possible bid for the White House.

After Republican Glenn Youngkins long-shot victory in Virginias governors race in 2021 after campaigning heavily against critical race theory, a line of study not taught in public schools, Republicans and other conservatives have weaponized the term to blast any lessons on race, gender and identity that they dont like as liberal indoctrination.

Educators quite reasonably argue that deleting such material is tantamount to whitewashing history, pun sometimes intended, and hiding difficult truths from students instead of discussing them  which is how the educational process is supposed to work.

Speaking of educators, I cant help but wonder what Carter G. Woodson would think of DeSantis effort.

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As you may know  or, as my schoolteacher grandma would say, You should know Woodson in 1926 founded Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month.

A well-educated educator with degrees from Berea College, Harvard and the University of Chicago, Woodson observed with chagrin that African American contributions were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them.

Woodson, he said, wanted a history that would ensure that the world see the Negro as a participant rather than as a lay figure in history.

The Sunshine States education department said the African American studies course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value. Now, educators and lawmakers plan to march in protest on the capitol in Tallahassee next month.

When you devalue my history, and say it lacks educational merit, that is demeaning to us, the Rev. R.B. Holmes Jr., pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee, told reporters Monday. And it may be a problem in messaging, maybe they didnt mean it that way. It already has national attention.

Yes, it does, but often for the wrong reasons and in the wrong way. As Kathi Griffin, president of the Illinois Education Association said after a poll on CRT last year, I think one of the first things we have to ask those parents and politicians is, what do they think CRT is? 

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Indeed the poll included in their annual report last year found that an overwhelming 83% supported teaching high school students about slavery and its impacts, and 73% supported teaching them about the impact of racism. But they were evenly split on whether to support a law banning critical race theory.

They need not worry about CRT, since its not taught in public schools. But in the world of todays superheated politics, how many people will take the time to learn the difference?

cpage@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @cptime
Indian Secular Front (ISF) supporters held a protest march in Kolkata against the arrest of party leader Naushad Siddiqui and 17 workers. The protest march started from Sealdah and approached Esplanade. ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui along with 17 party workers was arrested and remanded in Police Custody till February 1 following a clash with police on Saturday. ISF workers clashed with police when Naushad was addressing a rally in Kolkata to mark his party's foundation day. Earlier on Tuesday, ISF warned of massive protests in the West Bengal capital Kolkata if the police did not release Naushad. Pirzada Md Abbas Siddique, the founder of the Indian Secular Front lashed out at the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of West Bengal and said that the TMC is afraid of the growing power of the ISF and is trying to subdue them. "It is really unfortunate. Every party has the right to conduct its programmes. What happened there is really saddening. It is an attempt to murder democracy. Such incidents are sending a wrong message about Bengal," Abbas Siddique told ANI. Questioning the move of the administration for keeping Nawshad Siddique in police custody, his brother Abbas termed it as a sheer misuse of power by the government. "The government is afraid of ISF. There is only one MLA of ISF. However, people across the religions and languages are coming under the umbrella of ISF. This has created fear in the minds of the TMC leaders," he added. Calling out the example of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Siddique said, "If Netaji can go to jail 11 times for the sake of justice, my brother also can." Kolkata Police lathi-charged and lobbed tear gas shells at the demonstrators of during a convention organised on the foundation day of the party at Esplanade area in central Kolkata on Saturday. While talking to ANI, Zulfikar Mullah, one of the demonstrators, said, "The situation escalated after the police lathi-charged. The police said the demonstration was causing jams in the area and asked us to disperse." Another demonstrator, Sheikh Munirul said, "The authorities did not listen to us. They simply lathi-charged us. They broke our hands and some people also lost their mobile phones. We did not throw bricks. It was a peaceful protest." Bricks were hurled at the police by the protesters when the police tried to disperse the crowd. On Friday, TMC and ISF workers clashed in the Bhangar area located in the South 24 Parganas district in the state. (ANI)
Based on specific input from their intelligence team, the Khuga Battalion under the aegis of HQ IGAR (South) launched an operation at Beheng near BP-42, Churachandpur and apprehended two active cadres of PREPAK.

The apprehended cadres were handed over to Singhat Police for further investigation. (ANI)
Kerala High Court suspended the conviction and sentence of former Lakshadweep MP and Nationalist Congress leader (NCP) leader PP Mohammed Faizal and three others in a case of attempt to murder. Single Bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas issued the order on a plea of Faizal and others challenging a trial court's order at Lakshadweep in an attempt to murder case. Faizal filed the application seeking to suspend the 10-year imprisonment. The court said that politics should be decriminalized for a healthy democracy. The Court observed, "The decriminalization of politics is essential to every democracy. As a Constitutional Court, it is the duty to advance the Constitutional objectives including purity in politics, however, those lofty principles cannot be the reason for denying the applications of the principles of rule of law. The Societal interest in averting an expensive election when the elected candidate can continue for a limited period alone if a fresh election is conducted cannot be brushed aside by the Court." "The societal interest and the need to have purity in politics in elections will have to be balanced, in this context, the circumstance at the appeal is a statutory right and under Section 393 CrPC, finality is attached only to the judgment of the appellate Court assumes significance. Considering the various legal and other circumstances as the special features arising in this case, especially those relating to the 2nd petitioner falls within the category of rare and exceptional circumstances. The ramification of suspending the conviction are enormous and this Court is of the view that the conviction and sentence of imprisonment imposed upon the second accused must be suspended until dismissed with the appeal," the court observed further. Earlier, the Kavaratti Sessions Court had convicted four persons, including Faizal for committing offences punishable under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections143, 147, 148, 307, 324, 342, 448, 427, 506 read with 149 relating to offences relating to rioting, attempt to murder, violence, kidnapping. They were all sentenced to undergo 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and were also directed to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh each for attempting to murder Padanath Salih, the son-in-law of former Union Minister PM Sayeed in relation to a political controversy during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. The appeal of Faizal and others contended, "The weapons that were allegedly used were not recovered and the doctors said that the injuries were not life-threatening and could not have been caused by the type of weapons described by the witnesses. The case in the court is totally opposed to the narration in the first information statement.," the appeal said. (ANI)
Police further informed that the area was cordoned off and a joint search operation was launched along with security personnel.

Ukhrul SP Ningshem Vashum said no militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the incident.

"Three people were injured in an explosion in Manipur's Ukhrul. Following the incident, police and other security personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. So far, no militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the incident," the SP said.

Further reports are awaited. (ANI)
The chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Priyank Kanoongo, on Wednesday accused the police of not registering an FIR in connection with the trafficking of five minor girls in Bihar and sought the intervention of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the matter. Taking to Twitter, the NCPCR chairman said the five minor girls were rescued and one of the accused persons nabbed. "One minor girl from West Bengal and four minor girls from Assam, who were brought as victims of child trafficking in Motihari, Bihar, have been rescued on the instructions of @NCPCR. One accused, Manan Ansari, is missing and the other accused, Musa Shaikh has been caught. FIR is awaited, and the report of action taken is also yet to come," the NCPCR chief tweeted. In another tweet, Kanoongo alleged that Turkolia police station has not registered an FIR and neither has it produced the girls before the state's Child Welfare Committee (CWC). "A girl told me on (the) phone that she has been brought here from Assam by Musa Sheikh. Musa is still in Turkolia police station but station in-charge Mithlesh Kumar is neither writing FIR nor presenting the girls before (the) CWC. The girls are in (the) police station since 3 am last night. @NitishKumar please pay attention," he said in another tweet. (ANI)
In connection with the collapse of the Alaya apartment, in which three people died, one person named Nawazish Shahid, who happens to be the son of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shahid Manzoor was arrested on Wednesday. The Uttar Police have registered FIR against three people in connection with the case. They have been identified as Nawazish Shahid, Mohammad Tariq and Fahad Yazdani, the police said. As per the police, the search is underway to nab the other two accused. The FIR has been lodged by senior sub-inspector Daya Shankar Dwiwedi. The case has been registered under sections 308, 323, 420, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). As per the allegations, the construction was done without passing the map, and substandard materials were used in the construction. The three are also accused of cheating people in the greed of earning money. The police have said that the people complained of the building shaking due to the construction work going on with drilling machines. Earlier on Tuesday, three people died after the building collapsed on Wazir Hasanganj Road in Lucknow, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said. As per the latest reports, three people are still trapped under rubble and the dead body of one old lady has been recovered from the spot. According to an official statement, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the accident and instructed sending SDRF and NDRF teams on the spot. The Chief Minister also directed the officials of the district administration to take the injured to the hospital immediately for their proper treatment. (ANI)
Hyderabad has become a temporary home for sellers from across the country with businessmen from different parts of the nation setting up stalls at the 82nd All India Industrial Exhibition Numaish 2023. While sellers from across India have turned up to exhibit their products, Kashmiri stalls selling pure Kashmiri products are receiving special attention from the visitors like every year. Mohammad Younus, from Kashmir, who has been selling Kashmiri clothes at the exhibition for the last 15 years claimed his shop being the first shop to sell Kashmiri clothes in Numaish exhibition and expressed his happiness over the footfall at the event this year. "Kashmiri clothes are unlike the Hyderabadi clothes. Our clothes have more handwork and are less fancy which is being liked by the customers. People come here searching for original Kashmiri clothes," he said. A customer who visited to purchase Kashmiri clothes expressed happiness over the quality of the Kashmiri clothes. "The apparel in this stall is very unique with exceptional quality. Since we can not go to Kashmir every day, this stall provides us with an opportunity to buy good quality original Kashmiri clothes," said Nimi Khasimpuri, the customer. Another customer, Hema Jaiswal said, "We have been visiting the Numaish exhibition since childhood and have been buying Kashmiri clothes." The annual extravaganza, 'Numaish', which is hosted by Hyderabad every year, recently opened for visitors at Exhibition Grounds in Nampally. The 82nd edition of All India Industrial Exhibition Numaish 2023 was organised on January 1 and will continue till February 15. Departments of state and central government, along with vendors across the nation, set up stalls at the exhibition every year. (ANI)
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has extended his warm wishes and cordial greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of the 74th Republic Day of India. Chief Minister Sawant in his message said, "Republic Day signifies the true spirit of Independent India when the Constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly. This celebratory day of joy and enthusiasm signifies our national spirit and unity which would protect the freedom and dignity of every citizen of our society". "Republic day reminds us of our great constitution makers. It is our moral duty to recall the devoted endeavours of our leaders and imbibe their strength and discipline to build a nation on a strong foundation," he added. CM further said, "As our Constitution bestows us with the rights, as a Citizen of this free democratic Nation, we also have the responsibility to obey the beliefs of our democracy i.e. justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. As we enjoy fundamental rights given by the Constitution, every citizen has to follow fundamental duties to keep the democratic principles of the nation on supremacy". CM said, "I acclaim India's rapid progress in achieving high economic growth and social stability all these years. The country will progress more in the coming years. I urge people to strive towards new goals. Let us pledge to build Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Swayampurna Goa," CM concluded. (ANI)
On the basis of profiling done by AIU officials, a passenger travelling from Dubai to Kochi Airport by flight AI934 was intercepted at the green channel.

During the examination of the said passenger, four capsules of gold in compound form weighing 1,062 grams concealed inside his body were recovered and seized.

The accused, identified as Sahin, is a native of Palakkad city in Kerala.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)
The Patna High Court on Tuesday while hearing Public Interest Litigations (PIL) related to madrassas receiving grants from the state on the basis of fake documents, ordered the Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department of Bihar to conduct an investigation of 2,459 government-aided madrasas in the state. A division bench comprising of Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Partha Sarathi has asked the Additional Chief Secretary to hold a meeting with all the District Magistrates of the state to check the authenticity of the recognition of a total of 2,459 madrassas in the entire state. The court has also ordered the education department not to pay the grant amount to 609 madrasas of the state till the completion of the investigation. Petitioner's lawyer Rashid Izhar told the court that Special Director of Secondary Education Mohd. Tasnimur Rahman in Sitamarhi district's investigation report on madrassas taking government grants has said that about 88 madrassas have taken government grants on fake papers in Sitamarhi district. The court has sought the Deputy Superintendent of Police to submit a complete report of the investigation to the court. A PIL was filed by petitioner Mohammad Alauddin Bismil of the Sitamarhi district of Bihar which stated that fake recognition was being given to madrassas on the basis of forged documents in the state. Madrassas are being run openly in the state in a fraudulent manner and government grants are being collected, the petition further stated. An FIR was also registered regarding the matter. Expressing displeasure over this, the Patna High Court has taken 2,459 madrassas on the radar. The next hearing in this matter will now be held on February 14. (ANI)
Damarr Brown, chef de cuisine at Virtue restaurant, is a semifinalist for the James Beard award for Emerging Chef. (Victor Hilitski/for the Chicago Tribune)

Smyth, Obelix and Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining are among 11 Chicagoland restaurants named as semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards, in an announcement released Wednesday morning.

Once again, Chicago will host the restaurant award program, considered one of the highest honors for the nations dining industry, with the ceremony taking place June 5 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

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[ The best places to eat and drink in Chicago ]

While we will have to wait until March 29 for the official nominees, the semifinalist list suggests the organization is seriously attempting to broaden the playing field. While plenty of restaurants from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco still made the list, youll also see restaurants from Anchorage, Alaska; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Roundup, Montana.

Chicago chefs and restaurants were shut out of the Outstanding Restaurateur and Outstanding Chef categories, but they did well elsewhere. Smyth, the acclaimed West Loop restaurant run by John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, is one of 20 restaurants in the Outstanding Restaurant category.

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Smyth chefs/owners Karen Urie Shields and John Shields. The West Loop restaurant is a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant in the 2023 James Beard Awards. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)

Damarr Brown, chef de cuisine at Virtue, is among semifinalists for Emerging Chef. This continues an impressive run for the Hyde Park restaurant, as Virtues chef and owner, Erick Williams, won a James Beard Award last year for Best Chef: Great Lakes. Brown himself was recently named one of Food & Wines best new chefs, along with Kasamas Tim Flores and Genie Kwon.

In the Best New Restaurant category, two Chicago candidates will vie for the accolade: Obelix, the stunning French restaurant from brothers Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey (you can read my review here); and Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining (which I reviewed in October), one of only two Cambodian restaurants in Chicago. (Both were among our November list of the 25 Best New Restaurants in Chicago.)

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Other local highlights include Sepia, a semifinalist in the Outstanding Hospitality category, and All Together Now, which is up for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.

[ The 25 best new restaurants in Chicago ]

The biggest surprise is probably the number of local chefs in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category, which Chicago has mostly dominated over the past 20 years. In fact, a Chicago chef has won every single year since 2011, when Alex Young picked up the award for his work at Zingermans Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Detail of the strawberry tart at Obelix, 700 N. Sedgwick St. in Chicago, on July 1, 2022. Obelix is a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant for the 2023 James Beard Awards. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

But out of the 20 semifinalists this year, only five Chicago restaurants made the cut: Diana Davila Boldin (Mi Tocaya Antojeria), Thai Dang (HaiSous), Paul Fehribach (Big Jones), Tim Flores and Genie Kwon (Kasama) and Zubair Mohajir (Wazwan).

I also want to congratulate Scratch Brewing Company in Ava, Illinois, for making the cut as a semifinalist for Outstanding Bar. Located outside of Murphysboro in southern Illinois, where the excellent 17th Street Barbecue resides, the brewery prides itself on using ingredients that are foraged or farmed on-site.

Well have to see how this all shakes out March 29. While Chicago undoubtedly has a great restaurant scene, I think its promising to see other places in the Midwest get some recognition.

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nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com
According to Mumbai Police, the crime branch conducted a raid on Tuesday in the Andheri West area and recovered 28 fake passports. Police also found fake visa, fake vaccination certificates, duplicate stamps, many bank stamps, etc.

Police seized scanned copies of visa and printers. Investigation revealed that many agents are also involved in this racket who charged Rs 1 lakh-5 lakh for fake passports and visa.

The two arrested persons were produced before the court that remanded them to two-day police custody.

Mumbai Police said the two accused arrested were earlier arrested for similar offences in Delhi. They were released from jail and started the same work in Mumbai.

Police said they will investigate all 28 passports made by the accused. The investigations are underway. (ANI)
Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Wednesday, claimed that former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah is being "misled" to contest from Kolar, and he will lose if contests from that seat in the upcoming state assembly elections. Speaking to the media in Kolarl, Sudhakar said, "Some local leaders in the district are trying to bring Siddaramaiah to contest in Kolar for their own benefit. According to me ultimately Siddaramaiah will not contest in Kolar and will chose Varuna." "We will work hard and try to win in all constituencies of Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural districts. Even if Siddaramaiah contests in Kolar we will ensure our party candidate will win here," he added. He said that he quit the Congress party because he was upset with Congress entering an "unholy" alliance with JDS. "Siddaramaiah very well knows the reason why I quit Congress. I was upset when Congress entered into an unholy alliance with JDS. I joined BJP with a commitment to principles and ideology and not for greed of power," he said. He accused Siddaramaiah of wasting his political career by joining Congress for the "sake of power". "When the Congress-JDS alliance govt was formed in 2018, Siddaramaiah had vowed that HD Kumaraswamy will not be allowed to continue as CM even for a single day after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But later he got ready to let him rule for five years. That's when I decided to quit Congress. People of Chikkaballapur respected my decision and voted for me in the bypolls," Sudhakar said. Reacting to the CAG report, the Karnataka minister has said that the report has pointed out financial irregularities of about Rs 35,000 crores between 2013-18. "As far as Congress' allegations on Covid spending is concerned, it is grossly false and baseless. I have replied to each and every allegation on the floor of the house but Congress had no face to listen to truth and ran away from the house. I am ready to release a white paper on Covid management expenditure. Our government has restored Lokayukta with full powers. If they have proof they should complain to Lokayukta," he further said. Reacting to Anil Antony's resignation from Congress, Sudhakar said that the episode has "exposed" Congress. "Anil Antony had tweeted about the BBC documentary in the interest of the nation. Congress could not digest this because he took pro-India stand. The way Congress behaved with him leading to his resignation from the party has exposed Congress' double standards on freedom of speech," he said. (ANI)
Ashish Mishra, the accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, will be released once his release order is received, informed the Jail Superintendent VK Mishra. Talking to ANI, the Jail Superintendent VK Mishra said, "Ashish Mishra's release order has not yet been received and hence he will not be released today. I think the release order will not come tomorrow due to Republic Day. Whenever we get the order for his release, he will be released." Earlier today, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Ashish Mishra for eight weeks, with certain conditions. The SC directed Ashish Mishra to inform the concerned court about his location. It also clarified that any attempt by Ashish Mishra or his family to influence witnesses and try to delay the trial may lead to the cancellation of his bail. The SC has granted interim bail to Ashish Mishra on condition that he will not stay in NCT of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and he will leave Uttar Pradesh one week after he releases on bail. The Uttar Pradesh government last week opposed the bail plea of Ashish Mishra in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. During the hearing in the Supreme Court last week, Uttar Pradesh government told the bench that the alleged offences against Mishra were grave in nature and granting bail in such matters may impact the society adversely. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for petitioner Ashish Mishra, said his client is not a danger to society and insisted on granting bail to Mishra. Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for the complainant, told the Supreme Court if Mishra is out on bail then it will send a terrible message. Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, moved Supreme Court challenging Allahabad High Court which denied bail to him in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. On July 26, 2022, the Allahabad High Court denied bail to Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. The bail was rejected by the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court. The said order is challenged by Ashish Mishra in the Supreme Court filed through advocate on record T Mahipal. Mishra is facing a case of murder for the incident that took place on October 3, 2021, in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri. Mishra allegedly ran over the farmers who were protesting against the Centre's three farm laws. He was arrested on October 9 and granted bail in February 2022. Mishra, again moved to the High Court as the Court's earlier order was set aside by the Supreme Court in April 2022 and had ordered fresh consideration of his bail plea. The top court earlier had set aside the Allahabad High Court order dated February 10, 2022, and remitted the matter back to the High Court. The top court had said that the order of the Allahabad High Court cannot be sustained and had to be set aside and the bail bonds of the respondent/accused are cancelled. The Court had directed Ashish Mishra to surrender within a week. Family members of the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident moved the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order, which granted bail to Ashish Mishra. Earlier, the Supreme Court had appointed a committee headed by retired Punjab and Haryana high court judge Rakesh Kumar Jain to monitor the probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. (ANI)
As India prepares to celebrate its 74th Republic Day, the first in Amrit Kaal on Thursday, security in the national capital has been stepped up to ensure a peaceful celebration of the event. This also comes after Delhi Police earlier this month, arrested two terrorists in the national capital having links with foreign terror organizations. In light of some reports on threats from anti-social and terrorist elements to the Republic Day celebrations, flying of sub-conventional and aerial platforms in the National Capital Territory of Delhi has been prohibited until further notice. The Delhi Police Commissioner, through an order issued on Monday, said some criminal and anti-social elements inimical to India may pose a threat to the safety of the general public, dignitaries and vital installations. According to the Delhi Police, around 65,000 people will witness the parade on January 26, for which they can register through a QR code. Entry will be given only to valid pass holders and ticket buyers. About 6,000 jawans have been deployed for security for the January 26 parade, which includes the paramilitary forces, and NSG apart from Delhi Police. The Kartavya Path will be monitored with the help of around 150 CCTV cameras, which also have high-resolution cameras. The high-rise buildings around the Kartavya Path and parade routes will be closed from the evening of January 25. Entry of heavy vehicles will be stopped in Delhi from Wednesday night. Heavy vehicles will be stopped at all the borders of Delhi. This time heavy vehicles will not be allowed to enter inside the Ring Road, ie towards New Delhi. Only vehicles with passes will be given entry into these areas. Entry will be given in the New Delhi district only after verifying the local people. According to the Delhi Police, this time about 30,000 people can reach through the metro to watch the parade, for which the Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan metro stations will also be open. All metro stations will be open this time. The movement of vehicles will be stopped on Kartavya Path, Janpath, India Gate, and Copernicus Marg from 4 am. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is the Chief Guest on this year's Republic Day. (ANI)
On the occasion of the 53rd Statehood Day of Himachal Pradesh, the Congress State President and Member of Parliament Pratibha Virbhadra Singh hoisted the national flag in Shimla's Congress office. On the occassion, Pratibha Virbhadra Singh said, "Congress played an important role and has an enormous contribution in getting the statehood for Himachal Pradesh. The north Indian hill state, Himachal Pradesh is celebrating its 53rd full statehood day on Wednesday. While the state-level program is being organized at Hamirpur, the Congress State President and Member of Parliament Pratibha Virbhadra Singh hoisted the flag at Rajeev Bhawan, Shimla and greeted the people of the state on this important day. Pratibha Virbhadra Singh while congratulating and greeting the people of the state said that on January 25, 1971, former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi gave full statehood to Himachal. She said, "She (Former PM Indira Gandhi) came here to announce the statehood at the historic Ridge ground of Shimla amid snowfall. The Congress party has played an important role in giving full statehood to Himachal. The entire state is celebrating this day with great enthusiasm." "I would like to greet the people of the state on this occasion, as you all know the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had given this full statehood to us here at the Ridge. She announced it in heavy snowfall, we are celebrating this occasion because of her and shall keep celebrating it,"she added. On 18 December 1970, the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament, and the new state came into being on 25 January 1971. Himachal became the 18th state of the Indian Union with Yashwant Singh Parmar as its first chief minister (ANI)
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said on Wednesday that all the 46 Government Mental Healthcare Institutions across the country are in deplorable conditions and depict pathetic handling by the different stakeholders. "The inhuman conditions of the mental health institutes recorded present affairs amounting to infringement of the human rights of mentally ill patients. The cured patients are being kept illegally in the hospitals. There is an acute shortage of doctors and staff," said the NHRC The NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of the matter and has issued notices to the Union Health & Family Welfare Secretary, Director General of Health Services, Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries, Health, Director General of Police and Commissioner of Police in the metropolitan cities of all the State Governments as well as Union Territories, Directors of 46 mental institutions across the country. Government is to issue a reply within 6 weeks. The commission said that its observations have come on the basis of the visits of the Full Commission to the four government hospitals in Gwalior, Agra, and Ranchi, and the remaining 42 by its Special Rapporteurs in various parts of the country. The Human rights commission has asked the State Chief Secretaries, Secretaries of Health, and UT Administrators to submit an Action Taken Report on 11 points. Cured patients being kept illegally in mental hospitals; formation of a Mental Health Authority, State Mental Health Review Board, State Mental Health Care Rules, and State Mental Health Care Regulation; allocation and funds; State of the infrastructure; Status of the recruitment process of the Health professionals; Measures taken to ensure de-crowding of mental hospitals; Appointment of Professors; Status of emergency services; Statistics to be provided regarding discharged patients of last five years; Government-sanctioned amount for food and actual payment; Financial or social audit report of last three years. The statement further stated that none of the institutes has taken effective and long-term measures to ensure that a mentally ill person can exercise his right to community living unfettered, unchallenged and/or without any hindrance. (ANI)
DMK allies including Congress, Communist Party, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and a few other parties announced to boycott of the Republic Day tea party which will be hosted by the Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi. They also condemned the Governor stating "he always acts against the constitution." The leaders announced the respective parties stating that their party MLAs won't participate in the Governor's high tea party. DMK allies stated that the Governor did not give ascent to the bills which were passed in the State assembly parties to which they have decided to boycott tomorrow's High tea. Recalling the Governor's invitation to the Pongal festival celebration with the Union government emblem and referring to him as Tamilagam governor in Tamil, Congress Legislative Leader Selva Perunthagai said, "We strongly condemn Governor R N Ravi as he intentionally delayed in giving ascent to Bills which was passed in Tamil Nadu assembly. And on January 23 during Subash Chandra Bose's Birthday Event Governor Ravi mentioned that "India's Independence History should be changed". He continuously acts as an RSS face. We decided to boycott the Governor's High tea on the occasion of Republic day". VCK Chief and MP Thirumavalavan in their statements mentioned, "We thank the Governor for the invitation for High tea on the occasion of Republic Day. We decided to skip the celebration and also requested that the Tamil Nadu Governor should be changed." "In the invitation for Pongal Celebration from Raj Bhavan Tamil Nadu's name and Tamil Nadu emblem were neglected. Various Political Organizations and outfits condemned it. Still, the Governor gave self-explanation on that. Governor activities on many occasions are against the constitution. We condemned this and decided to boycott high tea in Raj Bhavan on the occasion of Republic day celebrations," they added. Similarly, other parties like Communists, Tamilaga Valvurimai Katchi, and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazagam have also decided to boycott the Republic day Governor's high tea. Although the DMK allies have decided to boycott Governor's High tea, the party is yet to make a final decision on this. (ANI)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on a visit to different blocks in the Bhojpur district during his Samadhan Yatra. During this, CM Nitish's program was organized in Tirthakoul village of Sandesh block when a farmer came out of the crowd and demanded water in the canal. The farmer said since you are going to become the PM next year, please provide us with water. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar visited two blocks of Bhojpur district during his Samadhan Yatra. On 19 January, CM Nitish's program was organized in Tirthakoul village of Sandesh block. Deputy CM and district in-charge minister Tejashwi Yadav was also present with him. CM Nitish was on foot with heavy security around him. There was a crowd of people on both sides raising slogans of "Nitish Kumar Zindabad" But a farmer was determined to put forward his words only after reaching Nitish Kumar. As soon as Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav passed in front of him, he started speaking to the Bihar CM. The farmer started his talk with salutations but tried to expose government's shortcomings. He said, "Pranam sir, water is not coming in the canal for 10 years. No development is coming here; water is not coming into the canal. We, farmers, are dying. You are the Chief Minister of Bihar. Not a drop of water is coming here. We will die of hunger. Save us, sir." The farmer went on speaking continuously. During this, Nitish Kumar's body language changed completely. He was trying to figure out what the farmer was asking for. This farmer of Sandesh block knew that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is expecting to become the Prime Minister in 2024. The farmer said, "Sir, you will become PM." After this, it took some time for the District Magistrate Rajkumar to explain to the CM. Then the farmer said calmly, 'Sir, water is not coming in the canal." An officer asked what the matter was but the farmer repeated his point again and kept speaking about the canal. After this, some officers explained the matter to Nitish Kumar. When this farmer of Sandesh was talking to the CM in the middle of the way, along with Nitish Kumar, government officials of Bihar as well as Bihar's Water Resources Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha were also present. The farmer complained to the CM about the lack of water in the canal of Sandesh block of Bhojpur district. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar listened to the farmer's words seriously. Notably, this southern area of the Bhojpur district is famous as the rice bowl, but due to the lack of water in the canals, the farmers are distraught. Expressing his grief, a farmer appealed to the Chief Minister. For some time, all the people were taken aback. Later Nitish Kumar instructed the concerned officials to take immediate action on this. (ANI)
The threat letter mentions bomb blasts at Ahmedabad Railway Station and Geeta Mandir Bus Station.

Ahmedabad crime branch swung into action. Over 8 different teams were made for the search operation and to identify the person who sent the threat letter.

According to police sources, the threat letter was sent to the Ahmedabad police commissioner's office, it also mentioned some numbers as well.

Apart from Ahmedabad railway station and Geeta Mandir bus station, two other places were mentioned in the letter by the person who sent the threat letter, informed Chaitanya Mandlik, DCP, Crime Branch

Out of four, two were held in Ahmedabad and the other two were detained from Uttar Pradesh's Ballia. (ANI)
During the meeting, Prem Kumar Dhumal congratulated Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on becoming the state's Chief Minister.

Earlier, on Tuesday Himachal Pradesh CM paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Besides discussing issues of various development projects under implementation in the state, the Chief Minister also requested liberal assistance from the Centre to give a fillip to the ongoing development works.

Chief Minister told the Prime Minister that the state government would effectively implement the centrally launched schemes, 'Pradhanmantri Gati Shakti Yojna' which is aimed to revolutionise infrastructure, and 'Parvatmala Yojna' for the construction of ropeways.

He said that both these schemes would immensely benefit the people of the State, adding further that connectivity and infrastructure development were one of the main focus areas of the present government besides generating employment avenues for the people.

The Chief Minister also honoured the Prime Minister with a traditional memento, Himachali Shawl, and cap.

The Prime Minister congratulated Sukhu on becoming the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and assured him of all possible support to the state.Sukhu also called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday.

This was his first meeting with the Union Home Minister after becoming Chief Minister. (ANI)
Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Vatican, Jan. 24, 2023. (Andrew Medichini/AP)

VATICAN CITY  Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as unjust, saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.

Being homosexual isnt a crime, Francis said during an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.

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Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of sin. But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.

These bishops have to have a process of conversion, he said, adding that they should apply tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.

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Some 67 countries or jurisdictions worldwide criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, 11 of which can or do impose the death penalty, according to The Human Dignity Trust, which works to end such laws. Experts say even where the laws are not enforced, they contribute to harassment, stigmatization and violence against LGBTQ people.

In the U.S., more than a dozen states still have anti-sodomy laws on the books, despite a 2003 Supreme Court ruling declaring them unconstitutional. Gay rights advocates say the antiquated laws are used to harass homosexuals, and point to new legislation, such as the Dont say gay law in Florida, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, as evidence of continued efforts to marginalize LGBTQ people.

The United Nations has repeatedly called for an end to laws criminalizing homosexuality outright, saying they violate rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination and are a breach of countries obligations under international law to protect the human rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Declaring such laws unjust, Francis said the Catholic Church can and should work to put an end to them. It must do this. It must do this, he said.

Francis quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church in saying gay people must be welcomed and respected, and should not be marginalized or discriminated against.

We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity, Francis said, speaking to the AP in the Vatican hotel where he lives.

Such laws are common in Africa and the Middle East and date from British colonial times or are inspired by Islamic law. Some Catholic bishops have strongly upheld them as consistent with Vatican teaching that considers homosexual activity intrinsically disordered, while others have called for them to be overturned as a violation of basic human dignity.

In 2019, Francis had been expected to issue a statement opposing criminalization of homosexuality during a meeting with human rights groups that conducted research into the effects of such laws and so-called conversion therapies.

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In the end, the pope did not meet with the groups, which instead met with the Vatican No. 2, who reaffirmed the dignity of every human person and against every form of violence.

On Tuesday, Francis said there needed to be a distinction between a crime and a sin with regard to homosexuality.

Being homosexual is not a crime, he said. Its not a crime. Yes, but its a sin. Fine, but first lets distinguish between a sin and a crime.

Its also a sin to lack charity with one another, he added.

Catholic teaching holds that while gay people must be treated with respect, homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. Francis has not changed that teaching, but he has made reaching out to the LGBTQ community a hallmark of his papacy.

Starting with his famous 2013 declaration, Who am I to judge? when he was asked about a purportedly gay priest, Francis has gone on to minister repeatedly and publicly to the gay and trans community. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he favored granting legal protections to same-sex couples as an alternative to endorsing gay marriage, which Catholic doctrine forbids.

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Despite such outreach, Francis was criticized by the Catholic LGBTQ community for a 2021 decree from the Vaticans doctrine office that the church cannot bless same-sex unions because God cannot bless sin.

The Vatican in 2008 declined to sign onto a U.N. declaration that called for the decriminalization of homosexuality, complaining the text went beyond the original scope and also included language about sexual orientation and gender identity it found problematic. In a statement at the time, the Vatican urged countries to avoid unjust discrimination against gay people and end penalties against them.
Police said Manish Kumar Prasad Shukla, a garbage collector allegedly killed a BMC sanitation worker, Sankesh Deepak Rane on Tuesday.

"After receiving the information about the murder we immediately registered the case and launched the inquiry. Soon a garbage collector was arrested within 8 hours of the crime," police said.

As per the Kurar Police the garbage picker while interrogation said that a heated argument had broken out between the victim and accused over a collection of waste from each other's area after which Shukla killed Rane.

Further investigation is underway and the accused will be soon produced before the court after the completion of the investigation, police said. (ANI)
According to the Police, the manager of INOX in the mall registered a case that some miscreants have torn the posters of the 'Pathaan' movie in the mall.

A local police team immediately reached the spot and started a preliminary inquiry.

Police said they have rounded up nine accused identified as Dipanshu, Piyush, Aman, Bholashankar, Pankaj, Arjun, Mojpal, Daulat, and Arun for allegedly tearing the movie's poster. They all are members of Bajrang Dal.

"A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections including trespassing after the Inox manager complained to the police. Posters were torn by Bajrang Dal workers at Crown Interior Mall at around 3.30 pm today," Faridabad Police said.

Police further informed that an investigation is underway. Other accused are being identified through CCTV footage and the culprits will soon be sent behind bars for their hooliganism in Faridabad.

The police commissioner has requested the general public not to spoil the atmosphere under the guise of any provocative speech, as strict action will be taken against the culprits under the law. (ANI)
He will be conferred with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour in the country.

Dr Professor IC Verma is the Advisor at Institute of Medical Genetics and Genomics at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

He has been associated with the premier Delhi hospital for many years.

A specialist in genetic medicine, he is also the only doctor from Delhi to feature in the list of Padma awardees this year. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Nand Gopal Nandi was sentenced to 1-year imprisonment by a state court for attacking rival (Samajwadi Party) party workers during the 2014 election rally. The case pertains to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections matter in which Nandi was booked for creating a ruckus during the election meeting in Muthiganj and was sentenced to imprisonment by the Special MP MLA Court of Prayagraj. Minister Nandi was accused of assaulting the female party worker of the Samajwadi Party, Revati Raman Singh in a public meeting. At that time, Nand Gopal Nandi was contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Congress party, and his supporters created a stir in the public meeting and beat the SP supporters with sticks. Minister Nandi has been convicted under two sections 147 and 323 of the Indian Penal Court (IPC) by the court. In section 147 of IPC he was sentenced to one-year jail and a fine of five thousand while in section 323 of IPC, he was sentenced to six months in jail and a fine of five thousand. In case of non-payment of the fine, he will have to undergo separate imprisonment for ten days. However, despite the announcement of the punishment, Minister Nandi's assembly membership will not go away because the membership is cancelled only if the punishment is 2 years or more. Nandi, however, has been granted bail so he can file an appeal in the higher court. Nandi will not have to go to jail. Meanwhile, UP Minister will now appeal in the High Court against the MP-MLA court verdict. Nandi alleged that this was a false case registered against him by the SP govt. He also confirmed that his lawyers will approach the high court to seek relief. (ANI)
The government had declared a reward of Rs 25 lakh on him.

Yadav, a resident of Bashutta village in Jharkhand's Chatra district, till recently was active in Buddha Pahad, a stronghold of the Maoists.

Although there has been no official announcement of his surrender from the police, reliable sources said that he is being interrogated at an unknown location.

Yadav has been a member of the regional committee of the Maoists, and was involved in most of the Maoist attacks in Jharkhand's Palamu, Latehar, Chatra, and Garhwa and Bihar's Aurangabad, Gaya districts, among others in the last decade.

More than 60 cases are registered against him in different police stations of the states.

In January 2019, the police had seized 18.5 acres of land in Palamu's Redma and 12.78 acres in Chatra's Pratappur belonging to Yadav.

In June 2016, 10 security personnel were killed in a major attack led by Yadav on the Aurangabad-Gaya border in Bihar.

He is the main accused in the 2013 attack on security forces in Latehar's Katia, in which 17 personnels were martyred.

In 2011, eight were martyred in the attack on the convoy of Chatra's then MP Inder Singh Namdhari and in January 2012, 13 personnels, including the station in-charge, were killed in the attack in Bhandaria, Garhwa.

Yadav was involved in all these attacks.

--IANS snc/fs/vd

( 265 Words)

2023-01-25-19:30:03 (IANS)
Abdul Basir Mistri, an All India Secular Front (AISF) worker, was nabbed by the police on Wednesday after he staged a protest against the arrest of the lone party MLA in West Bengal, Naushad Siddique, carrying a syringe filled with poison. Siddique was arrested on January 21 after the AISF supporters clashed with the police in the heart of the city, causing injuries to several AISF supporters and policemen. On Wednesday, some AISF supporters blocked roads in Ghatakpukur under the Bhangar Assembly constituency represented by Siddique, in protest against the latter's arrest. During the agitation, Mistri was spotted carrying a placard demanding release of 'Bhai Jaan' (Siddique) on one hand and a syringe on the other hand. When the police approached him, he claimed that there was poison in the syringe and if police tried to take him away, he will commit suicide by injecting the poison into his body. However, one policeman somehow managed to snatch the syringe from his hand. The syringe has been sent to the forensic laboratory for examination. Meanwhile, a rally was taken out on the streets of Kolkata on Wednesday demanding the release of Siddique. Though AISF was the organiser of the rally, it was taken out under the banner of 'Citizens' Rally', where leaders from other political parties, including the CPI(M) and Congress participated. --IANS src/arm ( 238 Words) 2023-01-25-20:22:04 (IANS)
Amid the political temperature heating up in the JD-U over party leader Upendra Kushwaha, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said that he should go as soon as possible. An angry Nitish Kumar was not even ready to hear name of Kushwaha, the party's Parliamentary Board President. "Don't ask me about him. He is in touch with the BJP and alleging that we are in contact with the saffron party. He is free and independent to go anywhere. No one would stop him," he said. "Kushwaha is saying the JD-U is weakening in Bihar, I want to tell him to go and celebrate it. He does not know our party has been turning out stronger than before. There are 75 lakh people associated with the JD-U in Bihar. Whatever Kushwaha has claimed was absolutely false. "We have promoted every leader who joined our party but they either worked against it or left it," Nitish Kumar said. Reacting on the Chief Minister's statement, Kushwaha demanded a "stake" but did not clarify on its nature or whether it was in the party or government. "Well said, elder brother. If the younger brother would leave like this, it would be easy for the elder brother to grab the parental properties. How could I leave without taking my stake," he tweeted. --IANS ajk/vd ( 235 Words) 2023-01-25-20:26:03 (IANS)
Union minister Mahendra Nath Pandey said on Wednesday that while a narrative has been set by some people that only they were the mainstays of our freedom struggle, the government's endeavour has been to highlight the other unsung heroes who brought glory to the nation. In this context, Pandey, the Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, praised the efforts of news agency IANS in evoking the feeling of nationalism, by highlighting forgotten incidents of India's freedom struggle. While addressing a select audience during the official screening of 'The Last Push', a documentary presented by IANS on Indian Navy's mutiny of 1946 which has been directed by Sujay, Pandey said if the feeling of nationalism is not awakened among the citizens of a country, that nation cannot progress. "This effort by IANS and its Editor in Chief Sandeep Bamzai is a significant step towards achieving that objective," Pandey said. He added that earlier, not much attention was paid to the contributions of several forgotten heroes of India's glorious past. Referring to Ahom general Lachit Barphukan's victory against the Mughal army, the minister said that "today people know about his contributions because our endeavour is to highlight the contributions of such forgotten heroes of India". "Some people say that only they have contributed towards India's freedom. However, our point of view is that there have been others too who fought for the country," Pandey said. Informing that he too has been a student of film journalism, the minister praised the title of the documentary, saying that in any struggle, the last push is most significant. The Naval mutiny too was an important step towards shaking the British empire's rule in India, he said. The 30-minute documentary is based on the book titled '1946: Royal Indian Navy Mutiny, Last War of Independence' written by Pramod Kapoor. Kapoor was also present during the screening of the documentary. Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Sandeep Bamzai said that the documentary is an effort by IANS under the Freedom of India series to highlight all incidents and rebellions which occurred before Independence. --IANS ans/arm ( 368 Words) 2023-01-25-21:32:03 (IANS)
New research into the durability and age of an ancient asteroid made of rocky rubble and dust, revealed significant findings that could contribute to potentially saving the planet if one ever hurtled toward Earth. Curtin University-led research into the durability and age of an ancient asteroid made of rocky rubble and dust, revealed significant findings that could contribute to potentially saving the planet if one ever hurtled toward Earth. The international team studied three tiny dust particles collected from the surface of ancient 500-metre-long rubble pile asteroid, Itokawa, returned to Earth by the Japanese Space Agency's Hayabusa 1 probe. The study's results showed asteroid Itokawa, which is 2 million kilometres from Earth and around the size of Sydney Harbour Bridge, was hard to destroy and resistant to collision. Lead author Professor Fred Jourdan, Director of the Western Australian Argon Isotope Facility, part of the John de Laeter Centre and the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Curtin, said the team also found Itokawa is almost as old as the solar system itself. "Unlike monolithic asteroids, Itokawa is not a single lump of rock, but belongs to the rubble pile family which means it's entirely made of loose boulders and rocks, with almost half of it being empty space," Professor Jourdan said. "The survival time of monolithic asteroids the size of Itokawa is predicted to be only several hundreds of thousands of years in the asteroid belt. "The huge impact that destroyed Itokawa's monolithic parent asteroid and formed Itokawa happened at least 4.2 billion years ago. Such an astonishingly long survival time for an asteroid the size of Itokawa is attributed to the shock-absorbent nature of rubble pile material. "In short, we found that Itokawa is like a giant space cushion, and very hard to destroy." The Curtin-led team used two complementary techniques to analyse the three dust particles. The first one is called Electron Backscattered Diffraction and can measure if a rock has been shocked by any meteor impact. The second method - argon-argon dating - is used to date asteroid impacts. Co-author Associate Professor Nick Timms, also from Curtin's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the durability of rubble pile asteroids was previously unknown, jeopardising the ability to design defence strategies in case one was hurtling toward Earth. "We set out to answer whether rubble pile asteroids are resistant to being shocked or whether they fragment at the slightest knock," Associate Professor Timms said. "Now that we have found they can survive in the solar system for almost its entire history, they must be more abundant in the asteroid belt than previously thought, so there is more chance that if a big asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, it will be a rubble pile. "The good news is that we can also use this information to our advantage - if an asteroid is detected too late for a kinetic push, we can then potentially use a more aggressive approach like using the shockwave of a close-by nuclear blast to push a rubble-pile asteroid off course without destroying it." (ANI)
At least 3 people have been killed in an incident of shooting at a convenience store in Yakima city of Washington state in the US on Tuesday, according to The New York Times. The gunman randomly shot 21 people in a store, the police officials said adding that the shooter fled the scene straight after the attack. After the incident took place, the Yakima Police Department were called around 3:30 a.m. to a Circle K store on the city's east side where they found three dead, both outside as well as inside the store, the New York Times reported, citing Matthew Murray, the Police Chief. He added that the shooting appeared 'random' and that there were no apparent conflicts between the victims and the gunman. Yakima, Washington, a city of around 96,000 people, became the most recent area in the US to deal with gun violence in the first few weeks of 2023 as a result of the incident. The tragic incident took place a few hours after shootings were reported from two locations in the Half Moon Bay area in northern California of the United States on Tuesday in which 7 people were killed and one was critically injured. (ANI)
A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a former Chicago college student to eight years in federal prison for spying on behalf of the Chinese government, saying it was clear that his ultimate goal was to become a sleeper agent and infiltrate some of the United States most sensitive operations.

Lawyers for Ji Chaoqun had asked U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman for a sentence of time served, portraying Ji as a young and idealistic student manipulated by far more sophisticated members of Chinas espionage recruitment agency, and noting he never actually provided his home country with any sensitive U.S. secrets.

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In handing down the 96-month term, however, Guzman said he was disturbed by Jis long-range plans for the future, which included joining the U.S. Army to earn a fast track to citizenship, gain access to sensitive bases and ultimately parlay it into a job with the CIA, FBI or NASA.

He had much more in mind, Guzman said, as Ji sat at the defense table in an orange jail jumpsuit listening through a Mandarin interpreter. It was his intent to become a long-term Chinese sleeper agent.

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The sentence Guzman issued was far longer even than the roughly five-year term requested by federal prosecutors. Once hes done serving his time, Ji will face deportation back to China, though Guzman said its unlikely anyone there will consider him a criminal.

The defendant who sits before me is likely considered to be an exemplary citizen in the country from which he came, and that is sad, Guzman said.

Ji, 31, was convicted by a jury in September of spying for the Chinese government by gathering information on scientists and engineers in the U.S. with valuable knowledge about aerospace technology, artificial intelligence and even aircraft carriers.

The jury, which deliberated about six hours over two days, acquitted Ji of two other wire fraud counts alleging he lied to the Army when he applied to become a reservist in 2016.

His attorney, Damon Cheronis, asked for time served, noting that Ji had already suffered much in his almost 4 years in custody since his arrest. Ji had two bouts of COVID-19 while awaiting trial and had to endure the misplaced ire of other inmates who accused him of bringing it into the facility simply because he was Chinese, Cheronis said.

No one would think that coming to the United States, getting arrested and sitting in jail for five years is a slap on the wrist, Cheronis said.

Before he was sentenced, Ji issued a brief apology to his family and the court for his actions, saying in thickly accented English that he will never do it again.

Jis case was profiled in the Tribune in 2019 as a symbol of a growing area of worry for U.S. authorities: a sophisticated and far-flung mission by the Chinese government to have spies and foreign agents steal ideas and technology from firms and defense contractors across the country.

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Ji Chaoqun is seen in a photo from his Facebook page. Federal authorities allege the Illinois Institute of Technology student was secretly working for a Chinese spy agency. He's being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. (Ji Chaoqun / Facebook)

The charges against Ji were part of a wider national security investigation that also led to the arrest and unprecedented extradition of his handler, Xu Yanjun, a senior intelligence officer in Chinas main spy agency.

Xu, the first Chinese spy ever brought to the U.S. to face criminal prosecution, was convicted in federal court in Cincinnati in November 2021 of trying to steal trade secrets from military contractor GE Aviation. He was sentenced last year to 20 years in prison.

The charges against Ji alleged that he was targeted by agents with Chinas Ministry of State Security shortly before coming to Chicago in 2013 to study electrical engineering at IIT, a small private school just east of the Dan Ryan Expressway that had forged educational ties with Chinese universities and colleges.

After traveling back to China during winter break, Ji was wined and dined by MSS handlers and eventually given a top secret contract where he swore an oath of allegiance to the agencys cause, agreeing to devote the rest of my life to state security, according to prosecutors.

A photo snapped surreptitiously by Ji of the contract was later found on his cellphone, though it was unsigned. Ji also took photos of $6,000 given to him by the MSS for living expenses in the U.S., prosecutors said.

Five days later, Ji returned to Chicago and immediately reached out to a friend who was studying aeronautics and aviation at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas told jurors in summing up the evidence in the trial in September.

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Ji sent the friend photos of the contract and cash and offered to share some of his operational expenses with him if he helped him track down leads for the MSS, Jonas said.

Jonas told jurors that sending his friend the photos was maybe not the brightest thing for Ji to do, but it didnt make him any less of a spy.

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Theres no requirement that you find that he be James Bond, Jonas said.

Ultimately, Ji was able to gather background reports on eight U.S. citizens, all born in Taiwan or China, with careers in the science and technology industry, including several who specialized in the aerospace field. Seven worked for U.S. defense contractors, according to prosecutors.

Ji sent the reports  which were publicly available for purchase  back to his handlers in a zipped attachment that was falsely labeled as sets of midterm exam questions, according to Jonas.

Ji graduated from IIT in 2015, and the following year enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve through a program to recruit foreigners who have skills considered vital to the national interest.

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Prosecutors alleged Ji concealed during his Army background check that he had been in contact with the intelligence officers, but the jury found him not guilty on both of those counts.

The jury convicted him, however, of giving false answers on a government background form that asked if hed ever had any contact with foreign intelligence agencies, including MSS.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today held a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi who is the chief guest for India's 74th Republic Day. The Egyptian President arrived in New Delhi on January 24. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu welcomed the Egyptian President at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He was welcomed by several other Union Ministers, including Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena also joined the Union Ministers in welcoming the Egyptian President. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday congratulated the Indians for the 74th Republic Day and called it a "great privilege" to be chief guest on such glorious national day. He said that the ties between India and Egypt have been characterised by balance and stability. "I reiterate my congratulations to the Indian nation, government and people for this great day. It is a great privilege to be a guest of honour and participate in the glorious national day," Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi. "The relations between Egypt and India have been characterised by balance and stability. We have only seen constructive development. We have been all along evolving very positively," he said further. The Egyptian President also expressed his desire to take the bilateral relations between the two countries to a new horizon," he further said. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that he expects that both nations take the bilateral level to new horizon. He said, "I expect through this visit that we take our bilateral level to a whole new horizon, where we can reach the relationship and partnership between the two countries at all levels. I look with great esteem to the sustainable development experience of India." For his official visit to India from January 24-27, El-Sisi is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including five ministers and senior officials. It is the first time that the President of Egypt has been invited as chief guest on India's Republic Day. Taking to his Twitter handle, PM Modi on Tuesday said, "Warm welcome to India, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Your historic visit to India as Chief Guest for our Republic Day celebrations is a matter of immense happiness for all Indians. Look forward to our discussions tomorrow." According to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs, Today evening, President Droupadi Murmu will host a state banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary. President El-Sisi will attend the "at home" reception by President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He will also hold a meeting with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. He will interact with the business community in India. On January 26, El-Sisi will witness the Republic Day Parade as the chief guest. A military contingent of the Egyptian Army will march on the Kartavya Path along with other contingents. Sisi will return to Cairo on January 27. Notably, India and Egypt are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. India has also invited Egypt as a 'guest country" during its G20 Presidency. (ANI)
The two leaders shook hands and posed for the cameras before proceeding for the meeting and delegation-level talks on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The Egyptian President who arrived in New Delhi last evening was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Modi and several other leaders were present on the occasion.

Sisi will be the Chief Guest on India's 74th Republic Day, marking the first time the President of Egypt has been invited as chief guest on India's Republic Day.

In a statement, the Egyptian President said, it is a great privilege to be a guest of honour and participate in the glorious national day. He said that the ties between India and Egypt have been characterised by balance and stability.

For his official visit to India from January 24-27, Sisi is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including five ministers and senior officials.

Ahead of his meeting with PM Modi today, Sisi laid a wreath at Rajghat and paid his respects to Mahatma Gandhi. The Egyptian President also held discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today.

Later this evening President Droupadi Murmu will host a state banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary. Besides this, Sisi will attend the "at home" reception by President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

He will also hold a meeting with vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar and interact with the business community in India.

Notably, India and Egypt are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. India has also invited Egypt as a 'guest country" during its G20 Presidency. (ANI)
Visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday held wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital and decided to elevate their ties to the level of strategic partnership. Addressing a joint media statement after the talks that focussed on ways to enhance bilateral ties in a range of areas, including agriculture, digital domain, culture and trade, Egyptian President Sisi said that he has invited PM Modi to Cairo to complete the talks to move forward the ties between the two nations "I am going to take part in the Republic Day parade. I am thankful to PM Modi for such a grand welcome. During our discussions, we talked about trade and investment and how to further expand our cooperation in import and export," Egyptian President said. He further said, "I met PM Modi in 2015 in New York and I had full confidence in him. I knew he will take his nation forward. I have invited Prime Minister Modi to Cairo, Egypt to complete our talks and elevate the ties between the two nations to a strategic partnership." Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that he told PM Modi about investment opportunities in Egypt and the government's measures to promote investment in Cairo. "I told PM Modi about investment opportunities in Egypt and the Egyptian government's actions to promote investment. I expressed the desire for India to increase its investment in various sectors in Egypt, especially the Suez Canal Economic Zone," Sisi said. The visiting dignitary said, "We have witnessed the willingness of Indian companies working in Egypt to increase their presence in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. Many Indian companies have expressed willingness to invest in promising sectors of Egypt." According to the Egyptian President, the two leaders discussed security cooperation between India and Egypt. El-Sisi said that they spoke about terrorism and discussed COP27. He expressed gratitude to PM Modi for inviting Egypt as a guest country for the upcoming G20 summit. He stressed that India and Egypt are "old cultural civilizations." "We also discussed cooperation in Green hydrogen and renewable energy sectors. India and Egypt are old cultural civilizations. The issue of connectivity was also discussed between the two countries in order to boost tourism," Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said. "We spoke about fighting against terrorism, and also discussed COP27. We also discussed the security cooperation between Egypt and India. I have thanked PM Modi for inviting Egypt as a guest country for the upcoming G20 summit," the Egyptian President said. Addressing the joint statement after the bilateral talks Hyderabad House here, PM Modi said, "We have decided that under India-Egypt Strategic Partnership, we will develop a long-term framework for more comprehensive cooperation in political, security, economic and scientific fields." He further said, "We have also decided in today's meeting to further strengthen cooperation between our defense industries, and to increase exchange of counter-terrorism information and intelligence." Sisi will be the Chief Guest on India's 74th Republic Day, marking the first time the President of Egypt has been invited as chief guest on India's Republic Day. Earlier in the day, he was welcomed by President Droupadi Murmu, PM Modi and several Union Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan. (ANI)
Japan Buddhist Conference for World Federation Secretary General Mizutani Eikan has condemned China for interfering in the selection of Tibetan incarnate Lamas and claiming authority to appoint the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama, Central Tibetan Administration reported. The condemnation came after Mizutani Eikan and Itoh Einin visited the office of Tibet in Japan and met with representative Arya Tsewang Gyalpo. Mizutani Eikan handed over the original statement in Japanese to Arya Tsewang Gyalpo and stated that the members of the conference had been meeting and discussing the issue, as per the report. The delegation said they felt that China does not believe in religion. However, they have been intervening in Tibetan religious matters and is even claiming authority to choose the next Dalai Lama. "This is a total insult to the religious community worldwide, especially Buddhists. The members have decided that time is ripe to issue a statement to make our stance clear and request the Chinese authority to let the Tibetans practice religion freely and stop interfering in the selection of the next Dalai Lama," Central Tibetan Administration quoted Mizutani as saying. According to the Central Tibetan Administration, the statement said, "We, the Japanese Buddhist, believe that the Tibetans should decide the succession of the Dalai Lama based on Tibetan Buddhist culture and history. The national policy of the People's Republic of China (PRC) is communism, and communism is based on the principle of non-religion. Therefore, it is a contradiction to allow people who don't believe in religion to decide who the country's religious leader will be." Mizutani Eikan said that the monks and people of Japan have great respect for Tibetan Spiritual leader Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism. He said that Japanese people will never accept any Dalai Lama chosen by the leadership of Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to the report. Meanwhile, Arya Tsewang Gyalpo the delegation for their initiative in voicing their concern and called on China not to interfere in Tibetan religious matters, Central Tibetan Administration reported. He said the action of the Japan Buddhist Conference will warn the Chinese leadership that the world is watching, and it would also encourage other religious bodies to release a statement to deter Beijing from interfering in Tibetan religious matters with impunity. Earlier, China condemned the Tibetan spiritual leader 14th Dalai Lama's visit to Sri Lanka as Beijing wanted to strengthen its position in the reincarnation debate on the next Dalai Lama. China also wanted global Buddhist support during the selection of the future Dalai Lama, Tibet Rights Collective (TRC) reported. Earlier, Charge d'affaires Hu Wei of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka stated that "the government and people of China including in the Tibet Autonomous Region strongly oppose any foreign country to receive the Dalai Lama in any name". According to Tibetan Rights Collective, China has stepped up its Buddhist outreach to Sri Lanka, which remain a major Buddhist nation and is also being targeted by Beijing under its Debt-Trap Diplomacy. (ANI)
Korean Cultural Centre India recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and India. The cultural event commemorating India's 74th Republic Day and Korea's New Year's Day, Seollal was celebrated on January 22. Hwang Il Yong, Director Korean Cultural Centre India, in the press release said that the event was planned with the intention of introducing Korean 'Seol' culture of sharing rice cakes with marginalised neighbours. In the press release issued by Korean Culture Centre India, Hwang Il Yong stated, "This event was planned and executed with the intention of introducing Korean 'Seol' culture of sharing rice cakes with marginalized neighbours while celebrating Indian Republic Day at 2023 which is the year of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and India." Hwang Il Yong further said that the hearts of Indian local people, especially the marginalized neighbours who require warm attention and love will be warmed with new hopes in the new year through gifts of Korean rice cakes. Hwang Il Yong further stated, "I wish that the hearts of Indian local people, especially the marginalized neighbours who need more warm attention and love, will be warmed with new hopes in the New Year through this small gift of Korean rice cakes symbolizing the Indian flag in colour," according to the press release. To celebrate the occasion, Korean Cultural Centre India distributed Korean rice cake also known as 'Seol-Gi-Tteok' a Seollal cultural food item, and winter hats among specially-abled people at 'Cheshire Homes India' in New Delhi, according to the press release. Furthermore, Korean 'Seol' cultural experience events, including bowing to the senior, the ambassador couple, experiencing rice cake soup, playing Yut, Korean traditional games and making folding screens program were held at the Korean Embassy and Korean Cultural Centre. Last week, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (East) Saurabh Kumar paid an official visit to South Korea and co-chaired the 5th Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue (FPSD) with his Korean counterpart Cho Hyundong. Taking to Twitter, the Embassy of India in South Korea said, "Secretary East @AmbSaurabhKumar met Rep Kim Tae-ho, Chairperson, Foreign Affairs & Unification Committee of RoK National Assembly @news_NA, and exchanged views to strengthen ties. They also discussed regional & global issues of mutual interest, including #IndoPacific & #G20." During the meeting, both sides agreed to enhance the special strategic partnership by strengthening strategic communication through regular high-level engagements including the Foreign Minister-level Joint Commission Meeting, '2+2' dialogue involving the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry at Vice Minister/Secretary level, other ministerial and senior official dialogues, according to the official statement released by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). According to the MEA statement, India and South Korea also agreed to deepen cooperation in areas, including trade and investment, security and defence, science and technology, as well as, cultural and people-to-people exchanges. The two sides agreed to work to make global supply chains more resilient and robust. (ANI)
Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that none of the party or people should be allowed to "trample" on the sovereignty of India. Talking about the BBC documentary, Muraleedharan said, "Nobody should be allowed to trample upon the sovereignty of India. It is unfortunate that a party which claims to have been part of the freedom struggle does not care about the sovereignty and security of the country." Earlier also, Muraleedharan said that there are "doubts" regarding the UK's British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)'s documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the "conspiracy" should be investigated. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the MoS said, "This new documentary questions the stand of our Supreme Court and the court's credibility. These old allegations have been coming up since 2002 and have been rejected by the court itself." "When those accusations are brought by the descendants of the old colonial rulers, we need to investigate whose 'conspiracy' is behind it," he added. Muraleedharan said that some people are "offended" by India's achievements being recognized in all fields. "India is the most progressive country in the world today, and the country's achievements are being recognized in all fields. There are some people who are offended by that. It is also unfortunate that those people get support from our own country. Moreover, it is the central government's responsibility to stop whoever is trying to divide the people who have been living peacefully in Gujarat for more than two decades," he said. "We will prevent whosoever is trying to question the integrity of the country, secularism and the authority of the highest court of the country," he added. Muraleedharan also said that the campaign has been going on since 2003 and has been rejected by the court. "The Central Government does not need to respond to this. India should not entertain such accusations from another country. There are those who are not okay with India's growing influence on the international level. There are political opponents who are trying their best to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and there are doubts that they are also involved in this," he said. The MoS said that the propaganda can't mislead the people of the country as they have faith in PM Modi. "The people of India have faith in Prime Minister. They have been enjoying the benefits of PM Modi's good governance for the past nine years, and such propaganda cannot mislead us. Modi has come to power with the support of the people," he said. "Freedom of Speech does not mean allowing efforts to divide the country and it should be in accordance with the constitution of this country," he added. (ANI)
The shortage of natural gas and the cold wave in China are making the winter chillier and unbearable for the residents, The New York Times reported. The acute shortage of natural gas has worked as fuel to the Chinese who are already angry with the government because of the pandemic. These reactions spilt over into caustic complaints on social media. On social media platforms, a video goes viral in China where the temperature was seen rising in an apartment building in a different northern province, Shanxi, with the windows plastered with bright red posters of the sort often seen at Lunar New Year -- except that these posters say "cold." In China already hundreds of millions of people were caught in Covid since President Xi Jinping abandoned his "zero Covid" policy in early December. Before the relaxation of the policy, people were frustrated by their strict restrictions which started after the pandemic emerged in China, citizens demanded costly precautions like mass testing -- measures that exhausted the budgets of local governments, reported New York Times. Many towns and cities now lack the money they need even to pay their own employees, much less to maintain adequate supplies of gas for homes. The crunch, experts said, has exposed systemic weaknesses in China's energy regulations and infrastructure, while showing the reach of the global market turmoil provoked last year by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia has long been a major supplier of natural gas to China and many regions, particularly Europe. When Russia halted exports to Europe last summer, nations bid up world prices as they stockpiled supplies from elsewhere. A surprisingly warm winter has since helped push gas prices lower in Europe, but the bitter cold is pushing them even higher in China. A Russian liquefied natural gas ship at a Chinese terminal. China's purchases of gas from Russia rose 42 per cent last year, according to New York Times. At the same time, China's provincial and municipal governments have reduced customary subsidies for natural gas consumption that used to keep a lid on heating bills. The national government has responded by telling local governments to provide heat, without giving them money to pay for it. As a result, gas is effectively being rationed, with households receiving the minimum needed for cooking food but very little for heat. "It's a perfect winter storm for Xi," said Willy Lam, a longtime analyst of Chinese politics who is a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation. "Nothing seems to be working, partly because nobody seems to have much cash." This is the third crisis in just five years for President. His government abruptly banned coal-fired boilers across large areas of northern China in 2017 in favour of gas ones. It was a quick fix for air pollution, but residents soon found there was not enough gas for all the new boilers, as per the report in New York Times. Although, the government has taken notice of the gas shortages but they couldn't change their fate. "Some localities and enterprises have not implemented measures to ensure the supply and price of energy for people's livelihood," Lian Weiliang, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning agency, said at a news conference on Jan. 13. He added that the national government would hold local officials responsible for supplying homes, but did not indicate that Beijing would provide any money to help them do so. China will also build more natural gas storage sites, he said, to try to avoid similar problems in the future, New York Times reported. (ANI)
China, despite its promises of attempting to settle border disputes with Bhutan, has been infesting settlements of villages across the disputed regions, Kathmandu-based online magazine Epardafas reported. According to recent reports, China has brought up around 200 structures in the region with more constructions underway. In a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Bhutan in October 2021, China expressed its inclination to settle its dispute with Bhutan through the 'Roadmap for Expediting the Bhutan-China Boundary Negotiations' (Three-Step-Roadmap). According to Epardafas, the deal, which is also known as the 3-step road map, laid down the process for speeding up negotiation talks, and the agreement was recently reiterated by both sides as a 'positive consensuses to push forward the implementation of the agreement for expediting negotiations to settle their border disputes. China, however, has still been infesting villages across Bhutan. China has for decades claimed a significant amount of territory on Bhutan's land. On Bhutan's northern side, Pasamlung and Jakarlung valleys are regions China has laid its claim over. For Bhutan, these regions withhold great cultural significance. The western front regions including Doklam, Yak Chu, Sinchulungpa and Langmarpo valleys are amongst the few that are under dispute between the two countries, Epardafas reported. Epardafas recently reported that China's act of flaring up territorial disputes could be the means to 'punish' Bhutan for aligning with India as Beijing assumed that New Delhi's dominance and control influence Thimphu's foreign policy for their country. China and Bhutan used to share a good relationship but since Beijing invaded Tibet in 1949, the relationship has been strained. And the Chinese leader Mao Zedong's claim over Bhutan as their territory worsened the situation. China's new maps of 1954 and 1958 and the illegal occupation of 300 square miles of Bhutanese territory further aggravated the apprehensions about Chinese designs on Bhutan. During that period, India came forward and helped by deploying its Military Training Team (IMTRAT) in Bhutan to train the Bhutanese security forces in 1961. Since then it has been providing security for the country. The bilateral ties between Bhutan and India are mutually beneficial. India has provided significant assistance in wide-ranging areas including hydropower, trade, education, and socio-economic development, epardafas.com reported. And India has been a market for Bhutan's exports providing its revenue by consuming hydroelectricity, semi-finished products, ferrosilicon, and dolomite. (ANI)
The commander of the Egyptian Army contingent, Colonel Mahmoud Mohamed Abdelfattah Elkharasawy, expressed his delight at being invited to participate in India's 74th Republic Day parade on Thursday, hoping that the gesture will go a long way towards boosting bilateral ties and friendship between India and Egypt in future. "We have the pleasure of participating in India. This is the first time we are visiting India. It is a great country with a civilisation as old as ours in Egypt. We both are old civilisations. We have been here for four days and practised with our friends in the Indian Army. Our relationship is strong and we love supporting each other," Elkharasawy told ANI. On performing with the Indian troops on Republic Day, Elkharasawy said the Republic Day parade will showcase the country's strength and military might. "This ceremony will be a demonstration of India's power before a global audience. It is an old and great ceremony. Tomorrow, we will participate in this ceremony and showcase the strength of the Egyptian forces," the commander of the Egyptian contingent added. He informed that 160 Egyptian military personnel will represent the country's armed forces at the Republic Day Parade on Thursday. On the bilateral ties between India and Egypt, he said, "Our countries share a strong bond and have a great relationship. I hope this friendship goes from strength to strength in future. We also hope more people from India visit Egypt." Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is the chief guest at the 74th Republic Day parade. The President arrived in the national capital, New Delhi, on Wednesday, accompanied by a high-level delegation. This is the first time that an Egyptian President has been invited as the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade. Meanwhile, the special forces of the Indian and Egyptian armies, are currently engaged in the first-ever joint exercise named 'Exercise Cyclone' at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. The exercise kick-started on January 14. (ANI)
The External Affairs Minister took to Twitter to inform of his meeting with the top Japanese official.

Jaishankar informed that the discussions were centred on the impact of Japanese technology in driving India's growth story.

He added that the much-documented bullet train project also figured in the talks.

"Glad to meet Dr. Masafumi Mori, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan. Our discussion focused on the impact of Japanese technology on India's growth and progress. The High Speed Rail project can make an even bigger difference than the Metro and Suzuki collaboration," the EAM tweeted.

He added that they also exchanged views on opportunities for the two countries to collaborate in third markets.

"We also exchanged views on the opportunities for the two countries to collaborate in third markets," Jaishankar tweeted.

The External Affairs Minister had earlier held discussions with Japanese Foreign Minister Yamada Kenji in New York in December last year.

Sharing the key takeaways from his meeting, the EAM said the G4 members resolved to work together in advancing reformed multilateralism.

In November last year, Jaishankar called on Japan's Ambassador to India Hiroshi Suzuki to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. The occasion was celebrated with Ideathon, Yabusame and Millet Sushi at the Japanese embassy in India.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar had posted, "Delighted to visit the Embassy of Japan this evening. Commend Amb Suzuki for celebrating the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic relationship with the Ideathon, Yabusame and today's Millet Sushi." (ANI)